Episode 22:

Rangers Wars-Part III

Gideon's Revenge

"Well, it's certainly roomy," Kira noted, eyeing upward to stare around the open space of the warehouse. "Our command center was a cave beneath our science teacher's house."

"You guys got a cave?" Nick laughed beside her. "Ours was a tree."

"This place isn't all good," Jake tried pointing out, "It's got a terrible draft."

"You think it's bad now," said Kyle, "try sleeping here."

"True."

It had already been twenty-four hours since the assault on The Shak, and the Data Rangers were doing all they could to keep their minds off of it. It wasn't just that their hang-out had been destroyed; they'd dealt with that only a few years previously when the old arcade finally closed. No, it wasn't what had happened; it was what it meant. Gideon had struck at their heart, a declaration of war that told them that no one, nowhere was safe.

The next attack could be anywhere.

Thankfully, the team was plenty busy with all the arriving veteran Rangers. Showing them around their base of operations was the least they could do. And the old hands were certainly picking up on a few things pretty quickly.

"So, Johnny?" enquired Kira, "How long have those two been going out?"

Johnny raised an eyebrow as he looked to where his sister was nodding. Sure enough, there were Ray and Hilary, sitting side by side as they reviewed the system logs. While Hilary was hard at work, staring intently at the screen, Ray sat beside her beaming in awe. Then Hilary would strike an idea, voicing it to Ray while in need of something by the desk. And while he looked away to grab what she'd asked for, a smile crept between her blushing cheeks. By the time he'd turned again, she'd look away, eyes back to staring at the screen and nothing else.

Each was so completely enamored with the other, and yet both were completely oblivious to what was in front of them.

"That's the best part," Ben chuckled. "They're not."

In response to the news, Kira shot another stunned glance at the two teens, just as both absent-mindedly reached for the pen between them. Their fingers brushed together, heads snapping upward and hands away as they suddenly realized they were touching. Their gazes parted just as quickly, both flushing pink in a desperate bid to return to the task at hand and look anywhere but each other.

"Wait," realized Kira. "So, you mean that-?"

"Yep," Johnny confirmed.

"And they defiantly-?"

"Ah ha."

"But neither of them has-?"

"Welcome to our world," laughed Jake, reaching into his bag to produce a small notebook. He pulled a notepad out of his pocket. "Want to join the pool?"

Nick stared at the ring-bound paper with a suspiciously raised eyebrow. "What kind of pool?"

"That kind that guesses how long it's going to take them to hook up," Johnny grinned. "My money's on Prom."

"Apparently I'm not allowed to join," Ben pouted. "Something about 'manipulating the odds'."

The other three Data Squad Rangers rolled their eyes as Kira pressed them further. "Wait," she asked. "You guys seriously have a betting pool on your teammates' love lives?"

"Don't look so shocked," Johnny told his sister. "Apparently a lot of teams had had them going in the day. You guys never had one?"

Both Kira and Nick froze, eyes widening as they mentally rewound to their days as Rangers, no doubt second-guessing every question they were ever asked about their dating lives.

"Not that I… know of…" Kira said cautiously. Then she added in consolation, "We did use the command center's camera network to spy on our friend's date though."

"Wait," Johnny realized. "Dr. O actually let you do that?"

"It was his idea," Kira insisted. "Actually, when things were going really bad, he used his invisibility to help them out."

Johnny chuckled at the thought, only to stop and realized the implication of what she'd just said. Now it was his turn to play back the memories; of all the stories from Reefside High of Dr. Oliver's extraordinary ability to sneak up on students that were up to no good.

"Dr. O can turn invisible?" he gasped.

But Nick interrupted before Kira could elaborate, holding up a crisp, folded bill and pointing it at Jake. "Ten bucks says Ray makes the first move."

"That's the spirit," Jake laughed, taking the bill and jotting it down.

"Danger…" Ben warned, nodding in the direction of their friends. "Danger…!"

Jake snapped away the notebook just as the two unwitting lovebirds wandered over from the desk.

"All done," Ray announced

"Logs checked and are completely up to date," Hilary confirmed. It was then that the two of them realized that not even one of the six Rangers before them was meeting them in the eye. Or each other. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Nick here spent some time in San Fran," Ben replied quickly. "Giving me a list of sights. You know, seeing as I'll be visiting both of you next year."

Hilary's face lit up as suddenly had all her attention. "So, you're doing it?" she asked excitedly. "Psyche at Berkley?"

Ray went bright red as he awkwardly looked away. "Well… yeah…" he admitted bashfully. "I decided to go for it."

"Well, I've only heard great things about Berkely," Kira confirmed, "and from what Johnny's told me, you'd make an awesome shrink."

"Why do people keep telling me that?" Ray groaned.

But his protests were drowned out by the Ranger's laughter. Seizing her chance, Hilary's face snapped back to serious as she suddenly eyed off her brother. "So, seriously, what were you guys talking about?"

"Seriously, San Francisco," replied Jake coolly, swooping in to rescue Ben as he scanned the room for a change in subject. "Hey, Doc! What are you doing over there?"

"Reinforcements," Doc replied from the small desk by the digitizer, looking up with a strange, small device in his hands before adding cryptically, "from the future."

The Rangers shared a look, unable to contain their curiosity as they rushed over to the table. The desk was covered in papers, all littered with various sketches and equations. A triangle of three connected lines, a Mobius strip, and a pair of overlapping S'.

"Whoa Doc," Hilary warned. "These just need to be on the wall with some string and you'll have gone full 'Beautiful Mind.'"

"If I don't get some coffee you'll probably be right," Doc warned, still not taking his eyes off the item he was adjusting. "Thankfully, I'm just about… done." With a triumphant gasp, he dropped the device on the table before stretching back in his chair with a well-deserved yawn. Then, looking up to see the blank stares from his team, he sighed and at last delivered an explanation.

"Okay, so I managed to dig up some old files from the time travel project," he explained. "And combined with Dr. K's calculations from the DeLorean, as well as a little help from a source that currently needs to remain nameless, I think I might have created a way to bring a Ranger from the future into our time."

All jaws dropped in synch.

"Please, don't explain anymore," said Kyle. "My brain still hurts after last time."

"Is it going to work?" Ray asked.

"Only one way to find out," Doc conceded. "I'm about to set the timer to more or less this exact moment. Anyone who uses this will immediately be transported to this time and location."

"But then how do they get back?" Hilary enquired.

"That bit's actually easy," laughed Doc. "If I can bring them here, then I can do the reverse. When the device is first activated, it records the time, date, and location of when they left. Once this is over, they'll be back in their own time, like they'd never left at all."

"But that's still assuming that it all works in the first place," Johnny noted.

"Pretty much," Doc agreed. Then he stepped forward, placing the device on the ground before shooting a look at the Rangers. "You guys might want to step back."

Kyle snapped away immediately, the rest of the Rangers taking his cue to follow. Holding the device in his hand, Doc pressed a button on the side before tossing it out onto the empty ground.

With a thundering boom, a burst of light immediately flashed from the device, the air rippling as if a hole was tearing through. Sparks of white lightning arced across the warehouse, blustering papers from the desk as Ray dared a look. A portal, swirling with technicolor light emerged from above, twisting into a blazing vortex rapping through the fabric of reality. Then, it started to move, its side pulling apart as it slowly split apart, stretching into two distinct forms. Then, with a final flash, the portals vanished as quickly as they'd arrived.

The rest of the team carefully opened their eyes, squinting to look at the pair of figures that now stood before them. One they did not recognize, dressed in a suit of all grey save for the blue stripe running down the left-hand side. Above his breast was a badge with the letters SPD.

Beside him, however, wearing a black leather jacket over a dark green t-shirt, padding his palms against his body in sheer miraculous shock, was a much more familiar figure.

"Ziggy!" Jake laughed as he rushed over to the RPM Ranger. "It's good to see you!"

"I'm alive!" Ziggy exclaimed. "I can't believe it worked!"

"How's Corinth?" asked Johnny.

"Oh, you know," He admitted. "Evil robots, last of humanity, the fate of the world; Same-same, really."

Meanwhile, the man beside him had had enough. "Excuse me," he announced, "it's urgent that I speak with your Red Ranger." His voice was sharp and cutting, back pulled back rigidly as he looked at Jake and Johnny with intent.

"That's me," Ray said cautiously, stepping away from his friends towards the newcomer.

The man nodded, feet spinning on the spot as his hand snapped to his forehead in salute. "SPD Blue Ranger, Sky Tate, reporting, sir." He stated.

"At… ease?" Ray replied before reaching out his hand. "I'm Ray Granger, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's an honor, sir."

He'd lowered the salute but still stood rigid and attentive like he was awaiting Ray's every beck and call.

"Ummm, just 'Ray' is… fine?" Ray suggested casting a look across at his equally confused team, "I've never been a fan of formalities."

"Oh, of course, s- Ray." While he tried to pass it off as a chuckle, Ray caught the hint of disappointment in the Blue Ranger's voice.

"So, I'm guessing it worked then?" asked Kira as she moved over to Doc's desk.

At that, Sky looked at Kira and stood straight once again.

"Miss Ford," he noted, "It's good to see you again."

Kira's response was not an enthusiastic greeting.

"…again?"

Sky's eyes bulged as if realizing he'd divulged too much. To cut the tension, Kira attempted to make sense of the statement.

"Oh, right, you must have seen when I teamed up with your Red Ranger," she realized.

Sky only seemed more confused.

"Our Red Ranger?"

"Yeah," confirmed Kira, "You know, Bridge?"

In his first real breaking of composure, a disbelieving smile cracked across his lips. "Bridge?" he scoffed. "A Red Ranger? Really?"

Kira's jaw dropped, uncertain of how to answer. She cast a look at the team, but Hilary merely shrugged.

"Time travel," she decided, "try not to think about it."

"Speaking of," Ben noted, raising a finger as if trying to point to an intangible thought, "if you only made one device, then why are there two of them?"

"That is a good question," Doc admitted, staring at the device in each of the future Ranger's hands. Then he kneeled and picked up the small device that he'd activated early, now the third of its kind.

"Of course!" Hilary realized. "Temporal Fission!"

Except for Doc, every head in the room turned to her, identical expressions telling her that that did not, in fact, explain everything.

"Split timeline," she clarified. "When we went to the future, we came back with the letter! Whatever was in there must have changed the future, creating a branching timeline. That must be where Sky has come from; a saved future!"

"I'm just going to believe you," Kyle decided. "I have long given up on figuring out how any of this works."

Before Hilary could explain further, the alarm sounded. Doc slid over to the desk and switched on the monitor; Goldar was attacking the Park. His hand darted to the com immediately.

"You there, Tommy?" he asked.

"Already on our way," came the reply.

Doc nodded and switched off the com line before turning to the others.

"So now that we don't need to worry about time travel," he told them. "I think it's about time we came up with some sort of plan."

But his hopes of plans were cut off by an amused voice from the doorway. "You know, if you wanted help contacting the future, you could have just asked."

Heads all turned to see a man grinning at the door of the warehouse, confidently stranding in a navy jumpsuit and red beret. Behind him were two others, a tall stocky man in black, and the other was in a bulky orange jacket with a cowboy hat atop his head.

"You know how I am with favors," laughed Doc as he got up to greet them, embracing the first man in a hug before turning to others for introductions. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Wes Collins, Red Time Force Ranger."

"Sorry, I'm late," Wes replied, nodding to the two behind him. "Took a bit of time to round up the cavalry." Then he turned, raising his arm in a gesture to the others. "Everybody, this is Joel Hastings, the Green Lightspeed Ranger, and Danny Delgado, the Black Wild Force Ranger."

"We came as soon as we heard," replied Danny.

"Some of us had to rearrange some travel plans," Joel admitted.

Greetings exchanged; Doc turned to Wes. "Is this it?"

"Last I could round up," he admitted. "I've got to admit, when you first told me to get the word out, I wasn't so sure who we'd get. But the network runs deep."

"Wait," Ray realized. "You were to one to contact all the other Rangers?"

"Not all of them," Wes admitted. "When Julian here let me know of the problems you all were having, I reached out to the former Rangers I knew, but I guess word spread."

"Hang on," Johnny interrupted, giving Doc a quizzical look. "This whole time you were able to contact former Rangers, and never thought to tell us?"

"It wasn't that simple," Doc insisted. "The Silver Guardians assisted in the recovery after Gideon's destruction of Project Digitizer, that's where I first met Wes. I knew his history with the Time Force Rangers, so tried to keep the contact."

Then turned to the new Red Ranger. "But you're not exactly an easy man to contact either."

"Sorry," Wes apologized. "With all the work we've been doing at Outpost One, I've got to tell you it brings a whole new meaning to 'Time Zones.'"

"I'm sure it does."

"So, is this it?" Ben asked, "Are there any more Rangers coming?"

Wes simply shrugged.

"I've reached out best I could," he admitted. "I picked up Danny and Joel on the way here. But after how long it's been since the call went out, I'd say this is all we've got."

"Then we'll fight with what we have," Sky decided, coming up behind the Rangers, moving so smoothly that he almost made Ray jump.

But before they could begin to strategize, the alarm began blaring. Doc punched at the keys as the rest gathered around, to see an enormous brass bull, already giant and stomping around the city.

"It looks like we're up," commented Johnny.

But then another alarm sounded, the monitor flashing to a different sector of the city. Another giant monster, a warrior in red and yellow, bluish head almost sunk into its body, stomping its way around downtown.

"Furio," Doc muttered under his breath. "Dammit, Carlos and Justin are busy with Goldar, so we haven't got easy access to the Astro Megazord."

Ray turned to the others.

"Don't suppose any of you guys have a spare Megazord lying around?" he asked.

The others merely shook their heads.

"We'll have to split," Kyle decided. "I'll take on the virus in the Firewall, you guys take on Furio in the Server Patrol. Whoever finishes up first goes to help the other."

Agreeing to the idea, Ray turned to the rest of the veterans before him.

"If he's trying to keep us separated," he realized, "then Gideon might be making his big move. You guys stay on standby in case anyone else shows up."

The veterans nodded as Ray and his teammates moved to the door, retrieving their Morphers and forming a line.

"You guys ready?"

"Ready!'

"Data Squad! Digitize!"

The Zords flashed into action, limbs whirring as they slotted together and formed the mighty mech.

"Server Patrol Megazord!" they called together, "Online!"

Furio was having the time of his life, stomping between the buildings with cackling glee. As the Server Patrol thundered up for a challenge, the warrior scoffed.

"This is the best that the Power Rangers can send?" he mocked. "I'm insulted."

"So, your feelings are hurt?" taunted Ray from the cockpit, "That's nothing to blow yourself up over."

Furio scowled at the remark, flipping up his sword in a challenge. "Only one of us will be a smoldering wreck when I'm through!"

Then he charged the Megazord with blinding speed. The mech had been designed for fighting Gideon's own revived monsters, not a fully enlarged, trained warrior. By comparison, the giant robot was a sluggish target. The Rangers barely had time to dodge as Furio slammed his blade into their giant machine, sheering across the chest plate with a shower of sparks. The Server Patrol stumbled back, and Furio pressed on, slamming his fist into the weakened armor to send the Megazord to the ground.

Down and cornered, they were sitting ducks if they didn't move. Ray slammed his hand on the controls, swinging the arm. It cracked against the foe, throwing them off and providing enough time to climb back to their feet.

But Furio recovered quickly, already preparing for another bout.

"Not good," decided Jake.

"We need to finish this fast!" decided Johnny.

"I agree." Replied Ray, "Terabyte Saber!"

Lightning flashed from the sky, the large red sword suddenly appeared in the Megazords hand.

"Time to take this guy down for good!" called Hilary.

"Yeah!"

The Megazord engaged again, rumbling forward with its mighty blade at the ready. Ray diverted all power to the movement, closing the gap as fast as possible, determined to strike before Furio could counter.

And still not fast enough. As energy flared from the saber, striking down toward its target, Furio brought up his blade to catch the blow.

"Too bad!' he laughed, throwing them back. Then as he slashed again, carving through the metal to sheer another slashing across the armor. The Ranger shielded their faces, sparks flying across the cockpit as their panels overloaded. The Megazord hit the ground, the street quaking as it collided with the concrete below.

Furio stepped back, cackling wildly as Ray steered the mecha to an upright position. For a moment, it surprised him; Furio had the perfect window to strike and didn't take it. But that's when it hit him.

He was taunting them.

"Back for more, eh?" Furio charged again sword swinging wide for maximum powers.

"Eagle Wing Shield!" Jake called, slamming the activator as the wings of his Zord flung into the Megazord's hand.

"That's not going to stop me!"

The weapon collided with the shield, flaring as a giant shockwave burst impact. Sparks burst up the arm, Megazord stumbling back from the force as the arm swung outwards.

As the Megazord steadied, Furio wandering in preparation, Ray cast his eyes at the readings. On the silhouette of the Megazord, almost every section was flaring up in red.

"Hilary?" Ray pleaded in the vain hope he was missing something, "How are we doing?"

"Damage near critical on all systems!" she replied.

"The shield can't take another hit like that," Jake added in a warning.

Then the five of them looked up at Furio standing before them, laughing as pointed the sword in their direction. At last, he was finished playing around.

Ray's eyes shot to the controls. The left arm was badly damaged, hanging almost limply at the machine's sides. The rear stabilizers were also fading, causing the hulking Zord to hunch where it stood. No room to move, and defenseless.

"Well then, it looks like this is the end for you, Rangers!" Furio cackled.

The Rangers braced in their seats, ready for the final impact.

"Heads up guys," came a voice. "Reinforcements are on the way!"

Then the sky went dark.

Lasers burst from above, a rain of green and crimson exploding in a column to consume the galactic warrior. The Rangers gasped in amazement, staring through their cracked cockpit to see two machines flying above. From the shadow of an eclipse soared a grey and black jet, while beside it was an enormous green bird, stumpy arms protruding from its chest.

"The Shadow Winger's got your backs, guys!" Wes assured them through the coms.

"All covered up here!" Damon agreed. "Condor Galatcazord!"

"They've got their Zords!" Hilary cheered.

"What?" Furio roared as the two machines arced back to make a second run. "How dare you!"

Red lightning burst from his hands, flying Zords parting to avoid the shot. Which was exactly the wrong move for Furio.

"Should have looked both ways!" While Furio was focused on the air and engine roared behind him. Seconds later, a green, wheeled shark zoomed into view. "Careful!" Ziggy laughed, "You might end up in a Tailspin!"

The machine spun into a razoring whirlwind, striking the warrior before he could turn. And as Ziggy passed, another struck in.

"Black Bison Wild Zord!" Danny called. True to its name, the mighty animal charged forward, slamming its horns into Furio's chest. The blow caught him square in the chest, hurling him backward. As he landed with a thump, the four Zords converged on the Server Patrol as Furio seethed to his feet.

"So, you want to bring friends?" he snarled. "Then so will I!"

There was a flash of green, and suddenly beside him stood a brand-new monster. A bull with brassy skin, just as they'd seen on the monitor earlier.

"Yeah!" it cried. "Mess with the bull and you get the horns!"

"Guys?" Kyle asked through the com. "Something just happened, the virus was taking on just disappeared."

"Don't worry," Ray groaned. "We found him."

"On my way!"

With the Firewall rushing from the other end of the city, Ray refocused his attention on the problem in front. The Server Patrol was still a sitting duck, and barely in a condition to fight. The other Zords had landed a few blows with surprise, but Ray doubted they had the firepower on their own to finish the job.

For now, they needed to buy time.

"Damon, Wes," he ordered. "We've got back-up on the way! You guys keep Furio busy. Ziggy, Danny, focus on that virus!"

"Right!"

Now he just had to hope it was enough. The four Zords surged forward, splitting into their ordered targets. As it moved, Wes' Zord lowered, body beginning to shift and unfold into a humanoid shape.

"Time Shadow Megazord!" Wes declared as the new mecha thumped to the ground. It lunged forward, arms outstretched as it grabbed for Furio's wrist and held it there as the Condor Galacazord landed behind it to hold him in place.

"Get off me!"

He flung back his arms, hurling away the Zords with a mighty thrust. They landed beside the Server Patrol, the ground shaking on impact as they slowly returned to their feet. But they weren't there for long. Taking advantage of their staggering state, Furio sliced with his sword, slashing against the pair of machines as sparks exploded outward.

Ziggy and Danny weren't faring much better. Their smaller shapes made them faster, and nimbler, but their lighter frames just weren't enough to damage the virus. The Brass Bull laughed, slamming down his axe as the strike exploded on the ground. The Tail-Spinner launched into the air, escaping the brunt of the blast but the attack had done its job. The virus had forced them back, pushing them on a defensive retreat.

Meanwhile, Wes and Damon were struggling as Furio bared down upon them.

"You think such poor machines can stand up to my power?" he roared, leveling his sword against him. But in his gloating, he was caught off by a barrage of laser fire, bolts peppering his body as he stumbled back into the smoke.

Kyle had arrived.

The Firewall rumbled onto the scene, Wes and Damon seizing the distraction to jump their Zords back and reform around the two Megazords. Zooming around the sides, Danny and Ziggy did the same.

"Sorry for the wait," Kyle told them. "Some of us have to walk everywhere. Ready to Ctrl-Alt-Delete these guys?"

"Ray," Hilary warned, "we've taken some heavy damage. I don't know if the Zords could handle the power requirements of the Ultrazord."

For that matter, the Firewall wasn't looking much better. The virus had done quite a number on it, and it looked like the singular Megazord wouldn't be enough to take the monsters down. Four small Zords and two damaged Megazords versus a full-strength virus and the warrior that had trashed every mecha they'd thrown at him. They needed a new plan, and fast.

"All right," he announced. "I'm taking suggestions at this point."

"Doc!" came Damon's voice. "Remember that thing we talked about?"

The reply was not comforting. "It's a theory, Damon," Doc warned. "We don't even know if the Lights work that way! Or if the Data Zords could even handle that much power at once!"

"Doc?" Ray interjected, "Do you want to let us in?"

There was a pause before replying, followed by a resigning sigh, like he knew what telling them would lead to. "Damon thinks that thy Lights of Orion could be used to combine all the Zords. But he's only got a fraction of the full power, and even if I make the calculations I don't know if it will let them all integrate properly."

"It could compensate for the damage," Damon interjected. "Repair your Zords enough to handle the formation."

"Could," Doc reminded urgently. "Could!"

Ray grit his teeth as he looked up at Furio and the virus. However they were going to stop them, it was going to need far more firepower than they had. He looked hesitantly at his team, and all of them nodded in approval. Then he activates the com.

"Let's do it," Ray decided.

"Ray, I don't even know if the Server Patrol can handle the backlash of foreign power sources! If this goes wrong-!"

"We don't have a choice," Ray snapped back. "Just do it!"

A pause, the final ounce of resistance.

"All right," Doc replied, voice dripping with disapproval. "Preparing Megazord formation."

The coms lit up with similar affirmations.

"We've got your back, Ray!" called Wes.

"In for a penny, in for a pound!" Agreed Ziggy.

"Let's do it!" cried Danny.

With that, Ray could hear Doc's sigh of resignation.

"Initializing sequence," he confirmed. "Over to you Damon."

"Lights of Orion!" the Green Galaxy Ranger cried.

Golden light shone through the cockpit, panels blazing to life as a whole new formation flashed onto the screen. All it needed was Ray's confirmation.

"Let's bring them together!" he commanded and slammed his hand on the panel to confirm.

The Zords immediately broke apart; Server Patrol and Firewall, seven pieces whirring in the air as they soared towards the others. The Time Shadow leaped up, folding in half to connect with the human-shaped Zord of the Firewall. The Black Bison wild Zord folded around to reinforce the legs, while the Green Condor Galactazord shunted to the back beside Jake's Eagle to form a double layer of wings. Johnny's elephant pressed into the chest, forming thicker armor as Hilary and Ben's tiger and wolf Zords locked into places as the arms. The Tail Spinner, wheelied upwards, locking into place as a weapon on the arm, while the Data Bison clicked its canons around the yellow tiger. Then, at last, Ray's lion dropped from above, shifting around the Time Shadow's head to form the blazing helmet.

"TimeVault-Legacy Megazord! Online!"