-Best Laid Plans-
It couldn't be! It was impossible!
Any moment it would hit her, a deathly reaction that would course through K's body and send her into anaphylactic shutdown. Searing at her skin, swelling up her throat, bringing about her demise.
And yet it didn't.
K's body stayed exactly as it had been, warm beams kissing her skin as they gently touched the site of exposure. Perfectly fine.
She stumbled back, gasping in horror as every breath drew shorter and shorter. Chest tightening, vision blurring, room spinning.
It couldn't be! It was a mistake! Some mix-up with early records. An erroneous understanding that caused them to believe she'd been afflicted. But that was impossible, she'd never seen a single point of data that they hadn't double, triple, or even quadruple-checked. Everything the Soup did was methodical, purposeful, and precise; something they'd drilled into K for as long as she'd been in the compound. As long as she could remember.
Alphabet Soup didn't make mistakes.
The hard concrete slammed against her back as K's balance gave way, her head too light to stand as everything around her faded into an amorphous blur of grey.
They'd lied to her. They'd looked down upon her with sickening smiles, sweetly telling her how sick she was, and she'd just lapped it up. All the information at her fingertips and yet she'd never found the hole in their excuses? She'd been doing mental calculus since she could walk!
Idiot!
Stupid!
Worthless!
K's fingers clawed at the impenetrable ground, cold against her palms as droplets slashed helplessly beneath. She was trapped, helpless, a prisoner to those who cared only for her use them.
And if her use was to ever run its course…
She needed to get out!
She was going to get out!
Even if it meant burning the whole place down around her to do it.
-3 Hours, 10 Minutes to Judgement Day-
"Contact on Southwest wall!"
"They're up top! They're up top!"
"Cover! Take cover!"
Jen didn't think, she dove; barely catching a glimpse of the Cyclobot above as she tackled Benson to the ground. A heartbeat later, the laser bolt exploded where his head had just been. Then the rest had lunged from hiding, snapping upright from their beds on the catwalk to rain blaster fire like a torrential downpour.
Idiot!
Of course, Benson would go for the most exposed option, and like a fool, she'd let him go without hesitation. She should have done a sweep and confirmed that the area was secure before letting him venture out. She should have known something could be lurking in the gantries above. But instead, she'd been so unnerved by all the echoes of Silver Hill's that she'd walked them straight into a trap.
And now all of them were paying for it.
Pressed flat as she could against her cover, Jen dared a look around the corner at the others. Carter and Kyle were the closest, shielded by the stairs from the barrage. Further up though, Wes and Dana were pinned, the shelves and crates they crouched behind providing the bareest shelter from above.
First priority: get them out.
Jen's eyes flicked to Benson, stifling an angry growl as she realized the predicament. If Wes and Dana had any hope of getting free of their corner, she needed to clear those catwalks. And she couldn't do that while babysitting.
"You know how to use that?" Jen asked curtly, as Benson scrambled to a crouch and pulled the blaster from his hip. Benson's reply was hurried and panicked, a frantic nod as he flicked off the safety and pointed the barrel up in waiting. So, at least he wasn't completely useless.
"Good, keep your head down and stay put." Then Jen opened the com-line. "Carter, I'm coming to you, cover me!"
Without another word, Carter lunged from his position, pistol held high and flaring. The tight, red beams split the air, splattering into a shower of sparks as they hit the upper gantries to send the Cyclobots diving for cover. The only opening Jen was getting.
With the raining fire lessening to momentary drizzle, Jen lunged from the cover, Chrono Pistol whistling as she strafed across the gap. The enemy fire bounced at her feet, tiny booms of the flame scorching the earth as she raced to her other allies.
But she made it.
"Where's Doc?" Mason demanded as she ducked in beside them.
"Staying out of sight and out of trouble," Jen replied curtly. "We're sitting ducks down here if we don't sweep those gantries. Mason, keep us covered and watch the Doc; Carter, you're with me!"
Ever the professionals, both men nodded and moved. Jen raced for the stairs, Carter hot on her heels as Mason took the corner below to lay a fresh volley of covering fire. But not all the robots were suppressed. As Jen bounded up, three steps at a time, a brave Cyclobot jumped out and fired. Jen only just saw it, lurching to a stop as the muzzle flashed and laser seared toward her. She'd barely leaned back as it ripped past, the heat of the round crackling against her nose as it hit the railing and exploded.
They didn't have time for this.
No time for deterrence, Jen pushed on, continuing her racing ascent as the shots shattered around her. For its efforts, 'the little Cyclobot that could' caught a blaster shot to the head. Hitting the top, she and Carter skidded as they lifted the devices on their wrists.
"You go left, I'll go right," Jen ordered. "You ready?"
Carter nodded. "Ready."
The hands snapped to their wrists, slamming the activators as the Morphers burst to life.
"Lightspeed Rescue!"
"Time for… Time Force!"
The power of the grid flowed into them, imbuing them with strength as the suits formed around their bodies. By the time the light faded, the Pink and Red Rangers were already moving, taking to the air and lunging at the Cyclobots head-on. With their newfound force and speed, the Cyclobots were nowhere near ready.
Jen hit the other side as the Chrono-Sabers formed, twin blades slicing the first bot in her path as another tried to rush her. Not a chance. The robot swung high, battered aside by Jen's first blade as the second cleaved across the chest. The saber carved deep, sparks bursting from within as the robot toppled from the railing.
Fresh blaster flashes whizzed past as she ran, Carter taking up the flank with Rescue and Thermo Blasters in hand. As Jen moved, bounding across the catwalk and striking at Cyclobots, she saw their plan was working. Their enemy was forced with a choice, maintain pressure below or deal with the attackers up top. But they couldn't do both.
Jen hit the next vantage, three Cyclobots clumped together and blasting at the pair beneath. Her boots clanged on the grate, all three heads spinning in surprise to see her coming. Jen hit them before they'd barely had a chance to stand, flipping over and slicing into a powerful Time Strike. Pink energy flared across the blades, blazing into the robots before blasting them to pieces as she landed.
Flourishing the sword, Jen whipped around to check their progress. Some were down, but plenty were left to go. It would have to do.
"Wes, Dana! Move now!"
"We're going!"
A fresh hail of laser fire burst out from beneath, slamming into the railing as the two operatives rushed out from cover.
"They've reached me, Jen," Mason told her. "Holding position."
At least they'd regrouped, that was something. Although with this many Cyclobots up top, they'd still be sitting ducks until they're cleared them.
"Get to Benson and keep him safe, then see if you can find a way out of here," Jen ordered. "Carter, we need to deal with these goons up top!"
"Copy that!"
The Red Rescue Ranger vaulted into the air, leaping between catwalks with his dual blasters blazing. He spun as he soared, twisting around to open fire at the fresh row of Cyclobots that had been running up to meet him. A cloud of flame hurled the robots from the narrow platform, blooming from the bridge to send them flying to the floor as Carter somersaulted and landed beside her.
"The center's clear, but they're still huddling in the corners," Jen warned him. "If we don't dig them out they'll flush right back in the second we drop down."
"I'll go north, you go south?"
"Read my mind."
But then something moved above them, and Jen's heart sank a stone in the ocean. Light pierced from above, clunking echoes sounding across the warehouse as hatches opened and ropes uncoiled towards them.
More of them.
The Cyclobots descended, sliding single file down the lines to rush the narrow walkways where the two Rangers were standing. Jen and Carter braced for the assault, Jen flipping back her blades as Carter opened fire. But some of the ropes didn't stop at the catwalks, rolling instead to the ground as the henchmen continued their descent. They weren't just fighting on the gantries anymore. They were flushing toward the floor!
But there was nothing Jen could do. The Cyclobots rushed in, forcing Jen and Carter back to back as it became all they could do to keep their enemies off them. Cornered on the crosswalk and unable to drop without relinquishing the little ground they'd taken; they were trapped in a desperate battle to hold. For now, the others were on their own.
"Wes! We've got them falling in from the top!" Jen warned through the coms as she ducked beneath a blow and cast another Cyclobot aside. "They're coming your way! Get out of there, now!"
"Time for… Time Force!"
"Lightspeed! Rescue!"
Neither Ranger wasted any time, pink and red suits appearing in a flash as Wes and Dana dived into the fray. They lunged from their cover, somersaulting through the narrow rows of storage as the Cyclobots descended on mass. But from his vantage on the stairs, Kyle could see their problem all too clearly.
They were trapped.
The Cyclobots had complete control of the entrances and were using their numbers to keep them clogged. Jen and the other Rangers could fight them all day, but it was time they didn't have. They needed a way out, and they needed it now.
Kyle's hand snapped to his belt, feeling the Morpher in the pouch almost calling to him. No, not yet. If he was only getting one use then he had to make it count. He could manage without until then, even now. Whipping around the corner, Kyle fired off another volley, blasting back a pair of encroaching bots as Wes and Dana reached him. The two Rangers twirled in graceful synchronicity, swiftly striking the lunging bots in a desperate bid to hold back the tide.
But as Kyle was about to suggest a plan of attack, he saw a new problem. Benson had done his best, huddling when Jen had ordered him to stay, but that was well before the fresh reinforcements had dropped from above. Now they were pushing in from the sides, cunningly rushing to outflank the lower two Rangers with Benson trapped in their path.
Someone needed to get him out.
Kyle scanned the room; the sheer number of Cyclobots taking all the ground, while up top the enhanced mobility of Ranger suits could at least help them navigate the catwalks. None of that would matter if lost their avenue of ascent. As far as the Rangers were concerned, Benson couldn't be the priority, and that made it his job.
"Hold the stairs," Kyle commanded. "I'm going for Doc!"
Wes' only acknowledgment was a nod, a jolting gesture before he swung around and sliced another Cyclobot. Seeing the path Kyle needed, Dana then swept wide, pink energy streaking from her V-lance to carve through the ranks and give Kyle an opening.
The only one he was getting.
With the way open, Kyle dived, gipping his pistol tight as he landed in a roll. Then he took off as fast as he could, retracing Jen's path with his blaster blazing. Two thin beams blasted out from behind the crate, impact sounding with a burst of sparks. As Kyle hit the corner, two Cyclobots fell backward with steaming holes in their chest. Benson was crouched low, scampering back and pistol-firing wildly as the encroaching horde descended. Good with a gun, terrible in a scrap.
Lucky for him, Kyle had experience punching robots. With a mighty cry, he leaped into the air, twisting into a powerful kick that crashed into the Cyclobot lines. The first tumbled backward, crumpling into its comrades as Kyle lashed out and grabbed the second, slamming the metal head into a crate before hurling it into the already falling robots. Then he whipped out the pistol, taking advantage of the freshly made gap to open fire at point-blank range.
The rounds lanced across the distance, bursting into sparks on contact and blowing the group of Cyclobots to bits. But Kyle didn't have time to admire his marksmanship; another group had already rounded the corner towards them. With no time to waste, he grabbed Benson by the arm and heaved him up.
"Come on! We need to move!"
Benson was in complete agreement, pistol already up and blasting back at the charging horde.
"Make for the stairs, we're going up," Kyle ordered. "I'm right behind you, go!"
But Benson barely made it steps before halting sharply. Almost backing into him, Kyle whipped around to see the holdup, hope sapping in an instant. They were surrounded.
So focused on getting Benson to safety, Kyle hadn't paid attention to the rear flank, and with the two Rangers holding the stairs the way was open for the taking. More Cyclobots flooded through the gap, sandwiching between the crates, the storage racks, and the open elevator chasm to give the pair nowhere to go.
Desperate for a gap to run through, Kyle spun around and unloaded, firing wildly at every bot that dared come close. But it was no use, they were cornered and pinned, choked on all avenues of escape. Were he alone, maybe Kyle could dare jump at the shelving, flip around to an open area, and then maybe lose the Cyclobots in the maze of storage.
But that was still a lot of maybes, and there was no way Benson was managing any of that.
"They've got us cornered!" he called into the com.
Dana's reply was almost instantaneous. "Coming your way!"
The Pink Rescue Ranger bounded into the air, whipping out her Rescue Blaster and unloading on the Cyclobots beneath. The lasers that didn't hit dead-on splashed against the ground, booming into a crackle of blasts that sent the Cyclobots flying in all directions. But even as Dana landed, more henchmen were already rushing in to fill the gap.
"We've got to get off the floor!" Kyle told her, "There's too many of them down here!"
Face shielded behind the visor, Dana nodded before snapping her hand to her ear. "Jen, we're going to try to come up top. Can you get us an exit point?"
"I'll make one if I have to!"
Then Dana's head snapped to Kyle and Benson. "We got any chance of getting out of here, we're going to have to fight to those stairs. Think you can do that?"
"I can," Kyle nodded, before looking toward a sheepish Benson. "Him not so much."
But Benson seemed determined, primed pistol whirring as he raised the barrel in readiness. "I can watch your six while you carve an opening through their lines.
"I've got a better idea," Dana replied before looking upwards and reopening the com-line. "Jen? Carter? Have got a landing on the walkway clear?'
"We're pushing outward," Carter confirmed. "And there's a few gantries with nothing on them."
"Then get ready to catch," said Dana, "because I've got a package that's coming in hot!"
And before anyone could object, she grabbed Benson in one hand and sent him rocketing into the sky.
Benson was too surprised to be frightened. One moment he was wedged between Kyle and Dana, the next he was soaring, flailing sky-high above the chaos. With the full strength of a Ranger's arm propelling him, the programmer's eyes bulged as he rocketed into the air, arms waving wildly as he soared towards the gantries. Then, reaching the pinnacle of his arc, a red flash leaped between the catwalks.
Time seemed to freeze as if flight hit its peak, Benson's head turning in wide-eyed panic to see Carter's red and white-striped Ranger suit and face-shielding visor whipping around to see him. And then he bounded from the railing, leaving Jen on the cleared walkway to launch himself across the chasm. Carter's powerful forearm scooped, grabbing Benson around the stomach before continuing his path and landing on the gantry opposite. The Rescue Ranger practically dropped him as they landed, Jen somersaulting from her position to follow as Benson clambered to his feet.
"Package secured Dana," Carter sounded into the coms.
"Good job Carter! We're coming your way. Wes, you better have those stairs clear because making a hot exit!"
"Stairs still secure. Don't worry, I've fought these things before, and in way bigger numbers!"
Down below, The Pink Ranger at Kyle's side nodded before lunging into the next wave of Cyclobots. Dana took the lead, Rescue Baton striking them back blow-by-blow as they inched back to the stairs. Up top, Benson's rescuer was deep in hurried conversation with their leader, strategizing on the fly.
"I'm going to blow a hole in the roof," Jen warned them. "When the others come up, we'll make a break for it and get outside. We need to get out of this mess and make a new plan."
Benson nodded frantically in agreement while Carter did the same more calmly. He dared a look down. Dana and Kyle were starting to plow through the funneled field of Cyclobots, and Wes was still holding their escape. But there was still a whole heap of Cyclobots swarming between the fractured team. Having seen Dana soar over the top, the henchman had rushed to fill the gap, determined to prevent the squad from reuniting. They were making headway, but not fast enough. Dana was within jumping distance of the stairs, but with Kyle unmorphed, only one of them was making that jump.
They needed help.
Benson snapped into the railing and fired his blaster down on the swarming Cyclobots, ribbons of energy ripping across the air in a desperate bid to quell the numbers. It was doing something, but not enough. And while Jen and Carter had done a good job at clearing the upper walkways, they'd lose any ground they'd gained if they dropped a Ranger to help the others. Holding was the best they could do.
And Benson was practically useless.
Below, Dana swung a mighty punch, slamming a Cyclobot back into the mass and causing its comrade to crumble from the impact. With a hole punctured, she didn't wait. "Come on!"
Kyle didn't resist or argue when she grabbed him, grasping at his shirt before vaulting up and over the clambering robots. Benson didn't give them a chance to react, laying down fire from above while Wes did the same from the stairs. Dana's boots clapped on the bottom step, and Kyle immediately raced up with the two Rangers in hot pursuit.
Finally, the whole team was on the same level, but the Cyclobots were quick to react, already surging from below. Their hands clamped to the girders like magnets, griping tight as they began to climb the verticle beams. Doc could only watch in terror as they rose.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
They were still coming from the top, some silent signal directing them to land on the gantries and keep the team severed. While up top the Rangers had more maneuverability, the tighter catwalks gave them fewer places to land. And that meant the unmorphed Benson and Kyle were still liabilities. Jen was right, they needed to get out of there. Chrono-Pistol blasting, the Pink Timeranger shot a look across the footings for an opening.
The large, open elevator chasm lay sprawling out beneath them, its dark, hungry void calling for any that dared to fall. But Benson could see Jen's thinking before she even made the order; the abyss would force the Cyclobot forces on the ground to divert, giving them no easy room to climb up on the other side. It could be just the break they needed.
"We'll make for the far wall gantry!" Jen ordered. "Carter, take the Doc and go. I'll cover and follow."
"Copy that, Jen!"
"We'll meet you there!" Wes promised.
This time Benson was ready, leaping in time as Carter grabbed him fireman style and hurdled across the room. The pair soared, deadly ribbons of light unfurling past them as they soared across the air and clanked onto the empty framework. It was clear, but wouldn't be for long. The team needed to move, now!
Blasting at all sides, Jen took the window and lunged, somersaulting across the gap to land beside them. As she did, she switched to the V5, the giant cannon flashing into her hands as she unloaded on the grouped-up Cyclobots. Like using a boot to quash a fly, the entire scaffold shattered as the round impacted, energy booming into a blossoming flame and parted by a ringed shocked wave that rippled into all the nearby. Giant shards of rebar groaned as they crumbled beneath the blast, crashing into the equipment below.
On the flank, Wes, Dana, and Kyle were making progress, Kyle covering their rear while the two Rangers battled the rushing forces. Almost, there!
More feet hit the deck, heavy metal boots clanking as they landed from the roof, including a Cyclobot on either side of him. Benson spun in panic, barely aiming as he fired point-blank and lanced a bot through the chest. The first one dropped, but then the other grabbed him. Arms pinned, Benson's heart stopped as he was yanked around and brought to face with a singular, globe-like eye. It was flashing; once dark, it was now a red light and blinking at an ever-increasing pace.
It was rigged to blow!
"Jen!" It was all Benson could cry as he struggled against the robot's iron grip. He had to break out, pull himself away, and somehow get free of the blast. Knock it away before it blew him and his teammates to bits. The side was his only hope.
The Cyclobot was too strong, feet almost glued to the floor as Benson wrestled to no avail. Then something slapped the robot's shoulder, a white-gloved hand yanking it back and chopping down. The Cyclobot's arm ripped clean off as Carter yanked it back, Benson staggering in fright with the wrist still attached to him and wriggling.
But the danger wasn't over yet. Carter had pulled the Cyclobot free, the circular eye was now blinking with strobe-like intensity. Any second and it would take out everyone on the platform!
Benson moved without thinking, lunging forward and slapping his hands on the robot's back. He slammed into it with all his might, feet almost carrying him off the railing as the Cyclobot flailed in surprise and toppled from the gantry. Benson's arms waved helplessly, flapping non-existent wings as the edge of the railing caught his stomach and gravity threatened to drag him down. Carter's arm snapped out, snatching Benon's arm before he fell.
"Bomb!" was all Benson could breathe.
But it was too late, and even at the speed it was falling, it wasn't enough. Barely halfway down, the robot blew.
The whole wall vanished in the surging ball of flame, the entire building rocking as the deafening clarion slammed into any in its path and hurled them from their feet. A strong grip reefed Benson back, pink flashing before his vision as Jen hurled herself to shield him. Then it hit them. The flames slammed into Jen and Carter as the ground burst apart beneath, consuming all to send them plummeting.
Right into the pit below.