Episode 29

Crash the Mainframe Part II

For the next week, a fresh calm settled upon the city. No robots, no monsters, no attacks. Rumors were starting to spread of some big commotion at the gorge, of some big showdown with the Power Rangers. Freeman had been doing his best to keep the rumors quashed, not wanting to make a big declaration until they were completely sure, but it seemed that even the citizens of Cranston had started getting an inkling that something had changed.

That they were safe.

But for the Rangers, life went on, which was what led Ray to the suburban street, the sound of his band echoing out into the district.

"Oh, here I am, here I am, here I am!
I'm back at the crossroads again.

Oh, let me stand, let me stand, let me stand,
On top of the mountain again!"

The Argonauts hit the final note in perfect synchronicity, bringing the number to a close. As the echo reverbed off the walls, humming through the space of Johnny's garage, the fading music was joined by a single pair of hands applauding them from the door. Turning to the source, Ray smiled as he watched Johnny put down his guitar and move to the doorway to hug his sister.

"I don't know why mom complains," Kira laughed, "I thought you guys were pretty good."

"She might appreciate the tunes a lot better if we weren't always practicing here," Johnny chuckled. "You just got in?"

"Yeah, about ten minutes ago," she admitted with a playful pat against his shoulder. "Your shredding's getting pretty good. I might need to bring you with me on tour sometime."

Johnny blushed at his sister's compliment before looking over at the band. "So, we're done?" he asked.

"Yup," Gary agreed. "The set's sounding great."

"So, what now?" joked Ray, "Rock paper scissors for the warm-up spot?"

"I was thinking about that," said Kira. "I thought maybe I'd take the opening spot. It is your night after all, and they're your crowd. If figured you'd want to go out with a bang."

Ray's jaw dropped, and he looked over to the rest of the band for guidance. But they too seemed equally shocked. Kira was a big name; they were just the local cover band. They'd just assumed they were warming up for her big show.

"Kira," Johnny asked. "Are…are you sure about this?"

"Of course," the pop star smiled. "You guys hit the floor, enjoy your night, and tear up the stage with a warmed-up crowd. I can't imagine a better way to go out. That is, of course, if it's okay with you guys?"

Well, given she was being so insistent… Ray quickly shot another look to Travis and Gary, who were now slowly nodding in agreement. "You twisted our arms. You've got yourself a deal."

With the set order arranged, the band began to put away their instruments and head for the door. "I better bolt," said Travis, "I've still got to pick up the tux and I'm meeting my girlfriend at four. See you guys tonight."

Gary followed soon after, leaving Ray and the Ford siblings alone in the garage. Which meant Kira finally had the opportunity to at last ask the real questions.

"Now, I believe," she grinned, "that congratulations are in order. Go, go Power Rangers, am I right?"

Both Ray and Johnny smiled sheepishly at the veteran's praise, still uncertain if it was fully warranted. In the week since the airship went down, Freeman's men had been scouring the wreckage. But in all their combing of the site, there was still no sign of Kelgar or Gideon.

"I mean, come on," Johnny admitted as they recounted the events to Kira. "You saw that blast."

"I felt that blast," Ray corrected. When it had happened, they'd been too worried about Kyle to think of anything else. But as they'd stared at the smoldering crater, having witnessed the sheer scale of the blast, they were certain the Security Ranger couldn't have survived. Had he not found a pod, he wouldn't have. And if it were true for Kyle, then by all reasoning it was true for Gideon as well.

So why did it feel so empty? They'd saved the day; they'd reveled and cheered. And yet, with the initial high of victory over, there was a lingering sense of unease he couldn't shake. Like something was missing.

Sitting down on one of the amps, he pulled his Morpher from his pocket in contemplation, turning it over in his fingers and staring at the small device that had changed his life. It felt so strange, knowing he wouldn't need it again. The plan had originally been for Freeman to take the Morphers back once Gideon was defeated, but the Lieutenant instead relented.

"There's no rush," he'd conceded. "Take your time."

If Ray didn't know better, he'd say the officer was going soft on them. Sentimental even.

"Yeah," Ray said softly, "It's hard to think that it's all over."

Seeing his uncertainty, Kira nodded softly in comfort at the pair of them. "I get it," she said. "When Mesogog was finally gone, it took a while for things to sink in. I guess with the Dino Gems drained and our Ranger powers gone, there was kind of an extra definitive feel to it. But it took a long time to adjust back to the new normal, a life without our Morphers."

But he knew that feeling. He'd lost his Morpher, more than once now. But in those times there had been powers to reclaim, a drive to keep on going. But now, without a battle to fight, it felt… different.

Hollow.

"In other news," Johnny grinned, holding out his palm to Kira while shooting Ray a cheeky look. "You owe me ten bucks."

Kira's expression twisted in surprise as she decoded her brother's smug message. Then, slowly, a smile crept to her lips as she turned to see Ray shying away and blushing pink.

"So, you finally found the nerve, huh?" she congratulated. "It's about time."

"That's what we all said," laughed Johnny.

"Seriously?" Ray groaned. "Did everyone know?"

But Kira smiled softly, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it; you took the plunge, and now you're on the other side."

And now she was going to Prom with him. Hilary, his girlfriend.

"Yeah," Ray smiled. "Yeah, I guess we did."

The two had been practically inseparable since, which at least meant they could face the endless onslaught of ribbing from their friends together. Something he suspected Kira was all too eager to join. And that made it his cue to leave.

He had a party to prepare for.

"I'd better head," he told them, "Dad wants to do some reminiscing before Prom. Better give him the chance to go through albums early before he makes me late."

"All right then," Johnny nodded. "Still coming to Jake's place first?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

With a smile on his face, Ray slung his packed-up guitar on his shoulder before striding from the garage.

Uncertainty be damned.

Things were good.

The clearing was quiet, the open space between the trees so devoid of any intruder that even birds dared not make a sound. From his perch at the mouth of the cave, Gideon stared in focused, ponderous thought, fixed like a statue molded to its mounting.

A week; he'd given them a week. And in that time that fool, Freeman had sent no one to their location. Either he had no idea where Gideon was hiding, or Freeman and the Rangers were completely oblivious to his survival.

Either way, they were completely unprepared for what was coming.

It had been a blow, losing the airship and Mileena, but a necessary one. Only such a bold sacrifice would convince their enemies that the battle was done; that he was gone for good. Only then would they lower their guard and convince themselves that they did not need defenses.

It had not come without complications. He had not anticipated the Ranger's tenacity, landing blows harder than he'd prepared for, and when his fortress was crashing down all of them had escaped with their lives. He'd hoped to take at least a few of them down with it.

But it was a minor setback, not a major obstacle to his long-term plan. For now, he had the perfect opportunity to strike; to wipe out his enemy once and for all, claiming the ultimate power for himself.

Kelgar shuffled from the back of the cave, claws covered in dirt and grease. "Master," he noted. "You are awake."

"Yes, Kelgar," Gideon replied. "And I am just about ready. I must thank you, had it not been for your diligence and loyalty, I could well be lying dead in a pile of rubble."

"It is only because you so wisely foresaw the Ranger's attack," Kelgar replied. "Otherwise, we may have been caught unawares and lost our chance at advantage."

But he had foreseen it and made sure all the necessary preparations were completed in advance. He made sure the Kelgar stored enough of their power, perfect for remote usage. All the Digitizing equipment was already packed into escape pods; the ideal protection from an internal incursion.

And he made sure the Mileena's pride was wounded enough that she'd go on an all-out crusade to destroy the Rangers. Their mission, no doubt, would be to destroy the ship, he just had to make it hard enough that they'd become too focused on their survival upon succeeding. Too distracted to consider the survival of their enemy.

Until it was far too late.

Now the equipment was almost operational, and at last, they were ready to strike. Kelgar held a silver backpack that had once gathered power from the plant and noted the meter at its side.

"We can make a reasonable number of Byte-Bots," Kelgar explained. "But there's not enough to summon a Virus. Certainly not a powerful one."

"And what of the Data Recovery beam?" Gideon asked. "If we summon our forces, would we have enough to use it?"

Kelgar's eyes narrowed, returning to the equipment at the back of the cave and punching at the dials. As the lights and meters moved, he nodded.

"Yes, it will work," he confirmed.

Gideon said nothing as he returned to his stony contemplation, leaving a tense silence to settle through the cavern. Kelgar moved closer, hesitant in his steps, a claw on each hand bouncing off each other as he nervously searched for his spine. Gideon lazily looked back to him, unamused by the idle huddling.

"Is there anything else, Kelgar?" he asked, venomous annoyance dripping from his tone.

"The thing is, Master," Kelgar gulped. "You plan, it's brilliant. The best you have ever devised. It's so dastardly there the Rangers wouldn't possibly be able to see it coming."

Gideon raised a bored eyebrow. "But…?"

"Well, you see… Master," Kelgar groveled. "Considering our previous track record, and now that we have lost Mileena and cannot even create another Virus… I don't see how we could possibly hope to overpower the Rangers with what have."

Then he flinched, immediately bracing for the awaited violent reprimand. But Gideon did not move, remaining as static as the stone that surrounded him. The only change was a light in his eyes, a glint of amusement, as his lips slowly curled into a wicked, eager smile.

And then he laughed.

The birds, until now too afraid to move, burst from the canopy in desperate flight as his maniacal delight thundered through the clearing. And even as the howling from his chest died down, the echo rang through the air.

"My dear Kelgar," Gideon said. "If you still believe the aim is to overpower, then you have learned nothing of our encounters with the Rangers. Our enemies will not be outclassed by strength alone but with finesse, strategy, and deception. And it is in those departments where our teenaged foes are desperately lacking."

"But master," Kelgar protested. "How will you do this? How can we launch a strategy with so little?"

"It is not about the pieces we have lost," Gideon replied, "but the ones that remain. You see, Kelgar, a true master of chess can still win when the odds are stacked against him. All the need is to create an opportunity, and the opponent can still fall. An opponent can still be defeated if they forget the most important rule of all…"

Kelgar leaned in closer, intrigued and awed at his master's brilliance. "And what is that, my lord?"

"That game is only truly finished when the king has been toppled. And I am very much still standing."

Ray stepped out of the car, carefully buttoning his suit as he stared at the white gate awaiting him. Black suit, black tie, sharp crimson shirt, and matching square, the jitters so strongly present that they forced an anxious final check that he had all that he needed.

Tie straight? Check.

Cufflinks? Check.

Corsage? Check.

Date…?

He breathed in deeply, checking his hair in the side panel of the car while his father belly laughed at the nerves. Then, waving a tender goodbye, he watched as the red SUV drove down the street and Ray turned to the garden path. He stared at the door, beckoning him closer. It took all his effort to not squeeze the flowers too tight.

One last hurdle to fly.

With a deep breath, he reached for the door and rapped against the knocker. It opened moments later, with a stern-looking Mr. Hawkins staring down at Ray.

"Hey there… Bill…" Ray smiled nervously, although even as he said it the fright caught him by surprise. They went way back; he'd known Hilary and Ben's father since grade school. And yet, in their first interaction since Ray began dating his daughter, the man was terrifying.

But clearly having enjoyed his moment of panic, Mr. Hawkins' face split into a wide grin as he threw his arms around him.

"Ray!" he cheered, "Welcome! Come in, Hilary's just upstairs."

"And has been for four hours!" Ben called from the lounge.

Mrs. Hawkins was right behind her husband, camera in hand and smile just as wide.

"Look at you!" she shrilled. "You look so handsome! It feels like just yesterday that you were here for your first Halloween. You were all so cute with your costumes and your treat bags! What were you again?"

Ray paused for a moment, straining as he tried to think that far back. "A vampire? I want to say?"

"You were too!" Mrs. Hawkins smiled. "And Hilary was an angel, and Ben was-

"You know what," Ben decided, cutting in with surprising speed from the lounge. "This is reminiscing is wonderful and all, but we don't need to go into all of it now."

And with that, he guided Ray away from his parents and over to the couch. The focal point of Ben's suit was the deep blue, velvet jacket, with black satin lapels that matched his bow tie. Sitting in the armchair, looking very amused in a slinking periwinkle gown, was Samantha Drew, captain of the school's basketball team.

"Hey Sam," Ray smiled as Ben dutifully returned his attention to her.

"So, you finally worked up the nerve huh?" she chuckled back without missing a beat.

"Really?" Ray groaned. "You too?"

"I had a front-row seat to you two in homeroom for four years," she pointed out. "I think it's safe to say I called it early. And I'm happy for you guys, I think it's really cute."

Ray completely failed to hide his blushing as Ben proceeded to check his watch impatiently.

"We've got to hurry or we're not going to make it to Jake's," he grumbled. "What's taking her so long?"

"There are things men just don't understand," Samantha giggled. "And the first thing is that perfection takes time. Or did you think I just rolled out of bed and threw this on before coming over?"

Ben paused, gulping down as he saw the trap and stopped himself. "Well and truly worth the effort," he replied instead.

"That's what I thought."

Ray's ear heard the soft click of a door above. Hilary's door. His only warning having sounded, Ray moved to the foot of the stairs to eagerly await his girlfriend's emergence.

And she absolutely dropped him.

Her dress was shining gold, flowing to the floor in following the contour of her figure, rising to her neck to neatly encircle her collarbones. She was wearing far more makeup than Ray was used to seeing, but her application was of sheer, artistic precision; highlighting her cheeks, her lips, and her sparking blue eyes. Even her hair was different, straight locks now curled into light, flowing ringlets that brushed her bare shoulders.

As Ray's heart hammered the walls of his chest, all he could do was stand and gawk. Watching his jaw drop, Hilary couldn't help but shyly giggle as she slowly descended the stairs.

"I think the word you're looking for," she decided as her boyfriend stepped closer and offered his arm in an almost daze-like state, "is 'wow'."

"Yeah," Ray agreed, almost a breath that his body, at last, allowed himself to release. "WOW."

"Thank you," Hilary grinned. "You scrubbed up pretty well yourself."

"Look at you!" her mother cried, moving to the stairs with watery eyes. "My baby, you look so beautiful! Come on, stand over here, photo time!"

For the next half hour, the Hawkins matriarch directed the four of them in a variety of combinations and poses until Ray was certain she had filled every film roll and memory card in the house. And then, at last, it was time to go.

"You two look so great together," said Mrs. Hawkins as at last they were permitted to move outside. "And I'm so happy for the two of you."

The teens shyly blushed as they walked to the driveway, Ben already proudly standing before his car with fresh impatience. The boy had always loved his ride, and always with pride and care. And yet Ray was certain he had never seen that blue finish so clean and polished.

"Our ride awaits," he grinned.

"Okay, wow," Hilary gasped. "And you mocked me about how long I took getting ready?"

"Wait," said Sam, half grinning. "You mean it didn't just roll out of the garage like this?"

"Oh, haha," Ben replied, before opening the passenger-side door. "Your carriage?"

Sam laughed as she climbed in, and Ray gentlemanly helped Hilary into the back before sliding in beside her. Then Ben took off down the road, minutes later climbing out again to meet with Jake and Johnny.

Then Chengs and Fords had taken the celebration into the front lawn, and Ray's father had driven ahead as well to join them. From the porch, Jake ripped out a loud wolf whistle as Ray and Ben emerged from the car, and then cheered and clapped as the boys helped their dates from the vehicle as they all gathered in celebration.

Jake had gone for a refined, grey three-piece, matched perfectly to accentuate his glossy emerald tie, and well-chosen to contrast beautifully with Josie's sage gown. Johnny, meanwhile, in his own black suit and waistcoat, had opted to go tieless, top button undone for an open neck, whilst Sadie had gone for a little black dress to match his dark aesthetic.

The eight of them toasted and cheered, their parent's misty eyes as fresh rounds of insistent photos continued.

"To us!" Jake announced, holding high the flute of sparklingly apple juice in triumph.

"To making it to the end," Ben agreed.

"Of high school too!" laughed Johnny with a cheeky wink.

"To victories," Hilary toasted.

Ray could only grin at his friends, to watch as laughed in pure elation. As they celebrated an ending, but also a change. A journey into paths unknown.

"To new beginnings," he smiled, and with a final cheer, the five former Rangers and their dates clinked their glasses together. Then, as their parents stood on the curb and waved goodbye, the teens piled into their rides and drove off to the biggest party of the year.

The footage rolled on, now slowed to a jilted crawl as Doc sat watching it frame by frame. Something about it wasn't sitting right. He'd seen through the helmet cams the ferocity of the blast, the scale of obliteration inflicted on anything caught within. Nothing could have survived that.

Nothing inside.

"Still going over that?" Freeman asked. Any sense of ceremony was gone, his tie was loosened, his top button undone, and his sleeves rolled as he wandered over with a box of Chinese take-out. All the rest of the soldiers had restationed at the gorge, cordoning it off to prevent any unauthorized access and comb the wreckage for remains.

And survivors.

"Yeah," Benson admitted, eyes remaining fixed on the screen. "I know I'm probably just being paranoid, but we still don't have positive confirmation on Gideon and Kelgar. The only one confirmed destroyed was Mileena."

"It's been a week," Freeman pointed out. "And there wasn't exactly much left of the fortress for them to hide in."

"I know," Doc conceded. "I guess I'll just sleep a little easier once I know for sure they're done and dusted. Until then, I'm not sure I can shake the feeling that they could still be out there."

Freeman's eyes narrowed, placing down the takeout box. The two went way back, and the Lieutenant had learned the hard way, on more than one occasion, the importance of trusting Doc's gut. Thankfully, it seemed he was listening to that lesson now. "What makes you so sure?"

Doc paused the video of the crashing ship, the flaming metal cube a grainy pixelated shape with all its shedding debris. "I've been going over it again and again in my head," he explained. "Something's about the whole thing that just doesn't sit right."

"Like?"

"Like the fact that Kelgar's lab was empty when Jake and Johnny got inside? And Mileena almost seemed to be waiting for them in the halls. I mean, why would they do that unless they thought there was a chance it could be destroyed? Like they knew we were coming."

"They could have put two and two together," Freeman reasoned. "Once we got involved, Gideon could well have expected the Rangers to go on the offense. And we knew there was a chance of him spotting the spy plane that found them."

"There's prepared, and then there's ludicrous," Doc retorted. "Don't you think it's weird that Gideon didn't seem in the least bit mad when he discovered the Rangers inside his ship? And remember how proud he was when Hilary blasted the controls? It was like he knew she was going to do it. Like he wanted her to do it."

Freeman's face nodded slowly as he processed Doc's theory, still an air of disbelief in his eye. But it was no longer sincere; it wasn't because he couldn't believe it, but because he desperately didn't want to.

And he knew it.

Doc pointed back to the stilled image, finger hovering over the blazing debris. "Look at that," he noted. "Those chunks are so big your men have been picking them up all over the valley. And they'd be the perfect cover for something else launching from the fortress. We were so busy watching the fights that we weren't focused on what was falling off."

Freeman was now nodding more profusely, face drained of color as he realized the true validity of Doc's theory. "I'll order the men to widen the search," he decided. "Do you think you could write an algorithm to calculate possible crash sites?"

Doc nodded in confirmation before returning his attention to the screen. "Look, it might be nothing, just a paranoid theory."

"Still," Freeman replied. "It might be worth letting the Rangers know that the threat's still out there. It might be a good thing I let them hold on to the Morphers."

But Doc shook his head.

"Let them have tonight," he decided. "There's not much they could do right now anyway, and you only get one senior prom. Right now, this should be the furthest thing from their minds. They've earned it."

Because come morning, there'd once again be plenty to keep them up at night, and Benson just prayed to whoever that he was wrong.