High above the, another was preparing for an equally cold scolding. Mileena kneeled before the throne, feeling the icy glare of her master bare down on her as she presented herself for judgment.

"Master, forgive me," she groveled, "The Rangers succeeded in destroying the transmitter. I don't think they even knew what it was when they destroyed it! But our efforts were not without victory; at last, we have succeeded in thinning the Rangers' numbers."

"Really?" Gideon growled back, "And what makes you so sure?"

"My lord, nearly half the building fell on him," Mileena insisted. "Even if he survived, he would no doubt be incredibly injured."

"And yet, I do not feel content," Gideon replied. "You underestimated the Rangers' ability to foil our plans, a mistake you appear to be making your signature. Luckily for me, Kelgar had already anticipated this outcome and has concocted a backup plan."

Mileena shot Kelgar a snarling look, who in turn was beaming back, incredibly pleased with himself. The doors at the edge hissed open, steam billowing into the room as a large bear with a machine gun for an arm rushed into the room. Atop its head was an enormous cowboy hat, while its chest was strapped with a pair of bandoleers that were littered with ammo.

"May I present Dead-Shot!" announced Kelgar.

"How tootin'?" The bear proclaimed, its voice absolutely drawling with a southern twang. "I'm here to have a hog-killin' time with aces high!"

Mileena raised an eyebrow at their monster maker.

"Your best work to date," she said dryly before returning her attention to her master. "And what makes you think that the Rangers won't destroy this one as well?"

"Nothing," Gideon replied, "no doubt this will be dust by tomorrow evening's end. But given that you and your generous supply of Byte-Bots were not enough to slow them, perhaps this will do a better job at keeping them occupied."

A smile crept up her lips as she realized her master's plan. "You want me to attempt to reload the virus?"

"Yes," Gideon replied, "With this creation, the Rangers will be far too busy to stop you for a second time."

Mileena bowed graciously. "My master," she said, "I thank you for this second chance. I will personally make sure that the program is uploaded."

"Good." Gideon rose, turning to leave the room and depart for his chambers. As he reached the door, he stopped, looking over his shoulder to deliver an almost lazy warning. "Mileena, do not fail me again."


The next afternoon, the remaining Rangers gathered at their usual hangout, eager for the weekend to begin. But for all their enthusiasm and relief, the absence of their fifth member was all too strongly felt from the moment they took their table at the Shak and stared at the empty seat.

"I just can't believe he got grounded," said Ben. "It wasn't like he was that late."

"He's luckily that's all he got after the building dropped on him," Hilary pointed out. "Could you imagine if we'd had to take him to the hospital?"

"Honestly," Ray admitted. "We're all lucky it's taken until now for one of us to land in trouble. I mean, it's not like we can just ask Mileena to consider our secret identities and attack the city at a more convenient time."

"But she's normally so understanding," Hilary conceded sarcastically.

"I guess I'm lucky that my parents didn't freak when I came home late," Johnny admitted. "Although my sister was always out late and at weird hours when she was my age, so maybe they just think it's a teenager thing."

Ben's face dropped, eyes narrowing as he turned toward the black Ranger. "Hang on," he realized. "You have a sister?"

"Smooth," Hilary decided, sharing a knowing look with Ray.

"Wait," said Ben. "You knew he had a sister? Both of you?"

"Yeah." said Ray, equally grinning with amusement, "Because we ask things about our teammates."

"Okay, then," Ben replied, returning his attention to Johnny with an inquisitive gaze. "If you supposedly have a sister, how come I haven't seen her?"

Johnny stared back at him blankly. "Because she's like, six years older than me. She hasn't lived at home since before we moved from Reefside."

Then their Morphers beeped, cutting any chance Ben had of learning more of this revelation. Ray quickly checked over his shoulder to make sure no one was overhearing, opening the com line as the others shuffled inward.

"We're here, Doc."

"Looks like Mileena's taking another shot at the powerplant," Doc explained. "And this time she brought a friend. Kyle's already on his way."

"Okay, we'll be right there."

"Hang on," Doc warned. "There's something else. I finished analyzing the device that Jake blew up."

"Not good news?"

"Good guess. It looks like it was designed to upload a worming virus into the plant's mainframe. My guess is Gideon's planning to trigger an overload and blackout the city."

"I'm guessing that's even worse than it sounds?" said Johnny.

"Well and truly. Gideon cuts off the power then we lose the Digitizer. No Digitizer, no Ranger powers."

Ray's eyes widened as he looked over at his teammates. "We need to get over there, now."

They hurried from the Shak, hurrying into a back alley to hold their Morphers high.

"You guys ready?" Ray called to his teammates.

"Ready!"

"Data Squad! Digitize!"

With a flash of light, they arrived on the scene, somersaulting into the fray and standing defiantly before the horde. Deep in his tangle with a number of them, Kyle sliced open a path from the group he was fighting before leaping out to join them. But as he did, the Byte-Bots parted in front of them, revealing the virus sent to fight them.

"You're looking a little lost there, buddy," Ray taunted, "Because the circus left town months ago!"

"Balderdash!" laughed Dead-Shot. "Your bazoo's all down but nine! Time to crawl this hump!"

Before the Rangers could wonder what on earth the virus was saying, the Byte Bots lunged at them. Then, moments later, the virus joined them.


Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

All Jake could do was lie on his bed and stare at the ceiling. He should have known that listening in when his Morpher flashed was a terrible idea. Now his team was back at the power plant, fighting for their very Morphers. And he was stuck at home, waiting.

Sidelined.

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

The clock was maddening, and by now he could swear he was watching fresh, new marks just appearing on the white ceiling as he stared at the void-like surface. But it was all he could do to stop himself from going crazy, desperate not to think about what his friends were facing. The last fight had been hard enough, and no doubt Mileena was bringing plenty of reinforcements if she was game to try again.

They shouldn't have to do this without him.

But instead, he was here, stuck. All because the parents wouldn't let him leave the house. One late night and suddenly his parents made him an inmate.

His parents…

Suddenly Doc's words from the night they became Rangers echoed through his mind.

"I have a condition…" he'd told them. "Do not tell any one about your powers..."

Doc had given them that rule to keep them safe, away from prying eyes, and secure from the spotlight. But had he issued it for this?

To have a secret he couldn't share, even from those that cared about him? Was the secret so important to defend, even if it meant abandoning his team to danger? But then, it wasn't just his secret, it was his friends too. And was it really his place to spill it?

He looked over at his Morpher on the bedside table, somehow hoping it would ease his mixing thoughts. Chances were if he opened the comline he would hear his teammates calling for help. Calling for something that wasn't coming.

Unless he made it.

He hopped off the bed and snatched up his Morpher, heading down the stairs to face his judgment. "I'm sorry, Doc."

He just had to hope, pray even, that what he was about to do was the right thing.

He reached the bottom of the stair and peered around the corner. His parents were in the lounge; dad with his paper across his lap, mother engrossed in a book.

"Mom? Dad?" he said quietly. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Both parents looked over to see him leaning against the post, each putting out down what they were doing to give their full attention.

"Of course," said his father. "Come over, have a seat."

Jake nodded and obeyed, walking into the lounge but staying standing. The nerves were getting him, his muscles tightening to stop his body from jittering while a breathed in deep to calm. Something his parents clearly noticed.

"Jake what's wrong?" his mother asked. "I know that this outcome isn't what you want, but we hope in time you'll see that it's for the best."

"I know, I know," Jake admitted. "But… there's something that I need to tell you."

Both their brows creased in concern as they watched their agitated son. "What's on your mind?" his father asked.

"Well, I know you've been wondering where I suddenly disappear to," Jake began, nervously clamoring for where to even begin. "And why I was really late last night."

"We figured we weren't going to get a straight answer if we asked," his father conceded.

"Jake," his mother asked softly, "what's going on?"

His heart was pounding, staring at their concerned faces knowing full well they wouldn't believe him. But he had to try. His friends needed him to try. He just had to hope they'd forgive him for it.

Taking a final breath of courage and uttered the words he knew he could never take back. "I'm a Power Ranger."

His parents raised their eyebrows and shared a look before both of them rolled their eyes in disbelief.

"Jake, come on," said his father "If you want to get out of your grounding then you'll need to do a lot better than that."

"Please, don't insult us," his mother agreed. "If you're going to lie about it, at least pick something convincing."

Yup, that seemed about right. Which left him with the one card he didn't want to play. Hand shaking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Morpher.

"I figured I'd have to do this," he said quietly. Then, to his parent's amazement, he held the device up high and called the fated words. "Data Squad! Digitize!"

The light consumed the room, his parents shielding their eyes as their son was surrounded by the emerald glow, engulfing his form as the powers wrapped his body. As it faded, their jaws dropped, seeing Jake before them in his bright green Ranger suit, face concealed within the helm.

Neither said a word, eyes widening as the Ranger nervously stood before them. His mother slowly brought a shocked hand to her lips. "Jake…"

Jake reached for his helmet, air hissing outward as he released the claps and removed it. Then he looked to them, face out in the open of them to see.

Not a lie. Not a trick. Just the secret that he'd held for so long.

"I wanted to tell you," he said, eyes quivering and voice shaking. "But I couldn't. But I needed you to see. To know. Because right now my team needs my help, and I need to go them."

"I…" his father stammered. "…we…"

"You can ground me again when I get back," Jake decided, "But I need to go."

Before they could say anything, he'd rushed out the door. By the time he hit the street, his helmet was firmly back on his head, identity comfortably concealed behind the safety of the visor as he summoned his Data Cycle and took off into the night.


"Yee-Haw!" Dead-Shot laughed, "Time to tan-hide with a shootin' iron!"

The Rangers spun, barely having cleared the waves of Byte-Bots as the virus' cannon boomed. The energy erupted from the barrel, exploding all around them a column of sparks and flames. The Rangers hit the ground with a painful thud, huddling together to quickly regroup.

"Ray," Johnny advised. "I think it's time to battlize.".

"Good idea!" Ray whipped up his hand, light flashing as the secondary Morpher appeared on his wrist. "Battlizer! Digitize!"

The evening air was filled with a crimson bright as the armor formed around Ray's body, blades immediately unsheathing as he bared down on the virus.

"You guys get inside," Ray ordered. "I'll deal with the big guy!"

"Right!"

"Well now, that dog won't hunt with that wobblin' jaw!"

More green light and another group of Byte-Bots descended upon them, clogging up the path with no way through.

The Rangers scattered, lunging into the fray to dismantle the Byte-Bots while Ray closed in on the virus. But for every leap they made for the entrance, another Byte Bot would get in the way. Then another, then another. All with the intent of keeping with Rangers from the building.

Inside, Mileena could only smile as she watched the chaos unfold. All according to plan. Her eyes flickered to the upload device, the colored bar slowly filling as it continued to the transfer.

Not long now.

There was an explosion outside, and Mileena looked back to gleefully watch the Blue Ranger be hurled backward by a barrage from the Byte Bots. She knew that the soldiers wouldn't be able to hold much longer, and soon the Red Ranger would turn the virus to smithereens. But very shortly, that wouldn't matter, not when the virus was uploaded to take their powers away for good!

There was a noise at the corner of the room, like an object dropping from a shelf. Mileena whipped around, her gaze narrowing as she scanned the shadowy corner for the source.

Someone was there…

She stepped forward, reaching for her sword and slowly creeping toward the corner. It was only then that she realized her mistake. In investigating the noise, she'd left the transmitter unguarded!

Then she heard it, the sound of ripping wires and flying sparks. Her eyes widened as she spun around, witnessing to her horror that the screen was filled with static. The transmitter had been ripped from its source!

"No!" she gasped, rushing to console with the vain hope of finding it.

It was only then that Jake chose to reveal himself, grinning beneath his visor as he stepped out from behind the pillar. He held the transmitter in one hand, his axe leaning casually on his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he chuckled. "Was this thing important?"

"You!" Mileena hissed. "But you had a building fall on you!"

"I'm sturdier than I look," Jake replied.

The warrior snarled as she snapped up an accusing finger at the transmitter. "You can either give that back," she warned. "Or I can tear it from your body."

"Oh, this?" Jake asked, holding up the device. "If you insist!"

Before Mileena could even scream, Jake tossed the device into the air, swinging the axe wide like a baseball bat to smash the weapon into the transmitter. The machine shattered into a million pieces, chips and wires scattering on the ground in a rain of sparks.

"Oops," he decided, "Guess I don't know my own strength."

Only then did Jake consider that maybe he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Having stared at the ruined device, Mileena's head snapped upwards, eyes near white with twisted rage. "And you don't know mine!"

She lunged, sword out and ready with Jake having barely enough time to dodge. He felt the force of the blow glance past him, stepping back again and again as Mileena pressed on with a furious onslaught. Jake swung up his axe, bracing as he caught the blade on the haft and threw her off.

Then it was his turn.

The axe curved through the air, slicing upwards as she swatted it away with the sword. He pressed on, stepping closer with every strike, pushing inwards as Mileena parried blow after blow. Then at last her sword caught his weapon, locking the two in place and pulling him closer.

"Poor Green Ranger," she sneered. "Never good enough to be anything more than a distraction."

"I thought that much was obvious," Jake grinned. "Which is why you really should have seen this coming."

Mileena's eyes widened as she suddenly realized that Jake only had one hand on the haft. Instead, one had dropped, snatching up his Modem blaster and pointing it directly at her chest.

He squeezed the trigger, lasers bursting from the barrel as they stammered into her breastplate. The round detonated, bursting on impact and sending Mileena soaring backward across the power plant. She flipped through the air, landing with a crouch and seething as her head snapped up with smoke sizzling off her chest.

"Just you wait!" she snarled, "One of these days you won't have your powers! And then there'll be nothing to save you!"

Then she teleported away before he could come up with a witty reply. With no time to lose, Jake rushed to the window to check on the battle with his friends. The rest were making headway with Byte-Bots, but despite the Battlizer, Ray's fight with Dead-Shot was too even.

The Red Ranger swung wide, the cowboy virus leaning back to avoid the blow before delivering a solid punch into the armor. Ray lurched from the blow, knees bracing before launching onto the offense yet again.

Time to tilt the odds.

He vaulted into the air, pistol firing wildly as the lasers glanced off the monster. Singeing, Dead-Shot spun around in shock.

Wrong move.

With his enemy distracted, Ray closed in, slamming both blades into the virus's back. The weapons sheared across its form, sparking flying everywhere as the monster was thrown across the concrete, landing into a crumbling tumble as the rest of the team snapped to Ray's side.

With a moment to breathe, Jake proudly somersaulted in to join his comrades.

"Thanks, Jake!" Ray said gleefully, "That battle with Dead-Shot was turning into a dead draw."

"Don't mention it," said Jake. "What's this guy's deal?"

"Well, ain't you all just a bunch of varmint's with too much mustard?" Dead-Shot sneered as he rose to his feet.

Jake raised an eyebrow and added, "Does he always talk like this?"

"Yeah," Hilary confirmed, "We've got no idea what he's saying,"

"How'd you even get out of the house," Ben asked him.

The question came with a pang of guilt, a reminder of the important rule he'd snapped over his knee. "I'll explain later," he decided. "Right now, I think we ought to teach this virus the real meaning of firepower!"

"Yeah!" agreed the others. "Let's put it together!"

"Jetpack! Activate!"

The vents opened on Ray's back as he shot into the air, soaring into position as the rest of the Rangers assembled the cannon below.

"Data Blaster! Security Mode!"

"Power Canons!"

"FIRE!"

All barrels erupted with energy, the two beams colliding into a single attack. Dead-Shot could only scream as the light consumed him, bursting into a ball of fire as bits of him scattered across the concrete.

But by now they knew they were far from done, and a beam of light split the sky as it rejuvenated Dead-Shot to a monstrous height.

"Yee-haw!" he cried out in triumph. "Time to haze these tenderfoots with a good lambasting!"

"Wow," Jake realized. "He really doesn't make any sense."

"Ready to bring this guy down to size?" Ray asked the others.

"Yeah! Zord Powers! Digitize!"

Light burst through the darkness as the Zords emerged into the evening sky. Leaping to the cockpits, the Rangers strapped in and engaged the merging sequence, slamming the Zords into formation and the Megazords into position.

"Sever Patrol Megazord! Online!"

"Firewall Megazord! Online!"

Seeing the two mechs stand before him, Dead-Shot whipped around and whipped out a pair of giant pistols.

"Here's something in apple pie order!" He chuckled as he opened fire. The two blasters boomed as the energy erupted from the barrels, but the Rangers were more than ready.

"Nice try!" Jake grinned, "Eagle Wing Shield!"

In one fluid motion, the wings of the Eagle Zord shifted from the back of the Megazord, snapping on the forearm to block the barrage of bullets.

"What the deuce?" Dead-Shot shrieked. "That's just broom-tailing crimany!"

"Looks like you're not fast enough on the draw," Ray replied. "What's say we take this guy down for good?"

"Let's do it!"

Light flashed as the mechas summoned their weapons, giant swords materializing in the air as the Megazords rushed forward.

"Terabyte Saber!"

"Data Blade!"

The two mighty Megazords crossed their paths, both weapons slicing down on the virus in a mighty X-shaped strike, shearing into its form as it flailed and fell.

"Acknowledge the corn!" he cried. "This here's a bad box!"

Then it exploded into a towering ball of flame, bursting into pieces as the Megazords stood back in triumph.

"Nice work, guys," Ray congratulated.

"Thanks, Ray," Jake replied. "Now, there's something I've got to tell you guys…"


It was only much later that Jake finally walked back into the house.

With Dead-Shot destroyed they'd headed back to the warehouse for Jake to explain everything. To tell them he'd betrayed his secret. He'd expected them to be angry, furious that with his parent's knowing, they could figure out the rest of them.

Maybe even tell their parents.

But instead, the only response he received was one of warm comfort. "We're glad you're okay," Ray had said.

"Yeah, man," Johnny agreed. "That couldn't have been easy."

Even Doc, pensive and stone-faced as always, had been surprisingly supportive. "Tonight, you had to choose between keeping your secret and helping your team," he explained. "And I don't think, even for a second, that you chose wrong."

"Yeah, we owe you, Jake," said Kyle.

"How'd your parents take the news?" Ben had asked, and it was only then that truly hit him. The conversation awaiting him at home.

It was time to face the music.

As he stepped through the door, he found it to be unusually quiet, the whole house dark save for the faint glow of the kitchen light. Carefully and cautiously, Jake moved along the wall, feeling his heart beat with every step as he slowly approached the door. Finding it ajar, he pushed it open to see his parents sitting at the kitchen table.

At the sound of the creaking hinge, their heads shot up, worry worn on their faces.

"Hi… guys…," he said nervously, watching them for a reaction and bracing for the inevitable 'don't hi us'.

But without another word, his mother shot up from the table and rushed to throw her arms around him. She squeezed him tight, burying his face in her shoulder before kissing him squarely on the head. Then she pulled back, eyes shaking with a watery shimmer.

"You're all right," she breathed.

"Yeah," Jake confirmed with a smile. "Yeah, I'm all right."

"So…" his dad said awkwardly. "How did you go?"

The question almost caught him off guard. "What? Oh, we won."

"You won," his mother scoffed in disbelief. "You're out there saving the city, and you treat it like a sporting game."

"Only for now though," Jake clarified. "They'll be back. They always are."

"They'll be back…" His mother nodded, slowly returning to the table beside her husband but otherwise remaining silent. They stayed locked in place for a long time as if held captive by the silence caused by questions they weren't sure they should utter. Then, at last, his father broke it.

"You should have told us," he said.

"I know," Jake agreed, "and I wanted to. Honest. But I couldn't. There are kind of rules that come along with our powers. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, not even you. I'm sorry."

"How did you even get them?" asked his mother.

"You remember that day I was late home from Ray's first gig?"

"Yes?"

"Well shortcut home, and we found something in the warehouse district, and I guess to cut a long story short, it gave us super-powers. Those super-powers turned us into Power Rangers."

His father chuckled. "That's a little convoluted."

"Welcome to my world."

"What kind of superpowers did you get?" his mother asked.

Jake looked over at the empty glass sitting on the table. He lifted his hand and focused, making sure he wasn't using too much force. A small puff wafted from his hand, knocking into the glass. It rocked, ever so gently, but stayed firm as the water wobbled inside.

"That."

His parents stared at the glass, wide-eyed and speechless.

"Mom, Dad," he told them. "I know that this is dangerous, but I'm one of the only people who can use these powers, and I'm doing something amazing. For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. I'm helping people. If it weren't for us this town would be a crater right now or under the control of some crazy robot overlord. I know you might not like it, but I need to do this."

Then a braced himself for the admonition, the harsh words warning that it was too dangerous, he was too young you. But instead, as he was preparing to make his case, both parents looked up and smiled awkwardly.

"We know," smiled his mother, "and when we think about it, now that we know the real reasons behind your terrible excuses, we couldn't think of anyone better."

"We're proud of you Jake."

Eyes shaking with tears, Jake walked over and stretched out his hands. His parents returned them, pulling him into a hug a squeezing him tight.

"So," he suggested when firmly caught in their embrace, "does this mean I'm no longer grounded?"


Next Time:

With college applications looming, Hilary ponders her academic future, of just how far her dreams can reach. But when Mileena launches an attack on the Ranger's home Hilary is forced to face the ultimate question: What danger would home be in if she were to move across the country? And could she really move away if it means leaving her Ranger team behind?

Find out next time on:

POWER RANGERS
DATA SQUAD

Going Away to College


A/N: Oh boy, that break could not have come at a better time for me. But everything's all good on my end again, and just in time for a brand new batch of episodes! It's been so great reading people's encouraging comments and theories over that time, and if you have any more thoughts or predictions I'd love to keep hearing them.

Power Rangers- Data Squad updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you like what you read, you can always drop a comment to let me know, and don't forget to subscribe/ follow to find out the second I update. Power Rangers: Data Squad is a fan-made team of Rangers, and not explicitly based on any other existing Rangers or Sentai property. Until next time, may the Power Protect You.