Chapter 37: Crunch Time
Despite the many eyes on her, Ryne didn't look up from what she was doing. Clinging to the wall she was climbing, the young woman studied the red and green grips that were sticking out for her, with the red a little higher. She knew it was just out of her reach if she stretched, but she braced herself and jumped up, catching it.
There were a few quiet gasps as her spectators watched the small climber swing for a moment before she caught her balance by putting her foot on one of the purple grips that jutted out and pushed herself up. In a matter of moments, Ryne reached the top, where she perched herself and looked down.
"And that is how someone of Ryne's stature is able to climb the walls," Wyatt, her coach and teacher for the class, addressed the spectators. They nodded eagerly. "Make no mistake, those who are shorter will struggle, but there are always ways to overcome this, as long as you put the work in," he told them, and they nodded.
Ryne's dark eyes moved to the door, and widened as she saw Blaze and Asher walk inside. She frowned at their appearance, watching as Blaze spotted the rest of the Rangers sitting together at a table, while Asher looked around for her cousin. Spotting Ryne staring, Asher gave a grim smile and jerked her head towards the table.
"Uh, coach?" Ryne called down. "Mind if I get down now?" she asked, and he chuckled.
"Of course. Show these guys how you can do that safely," Wyatt said. The class she was demonstrating for watched wide-eyed as Ryne started to climb down at a much faster speed than she had used climbing up. Wyatt rolled his eyes. "I did mean for you to do that at a speed that they can learn," he chided, but it was in good humour as Ryne easily unhooked herself from where he was spotting her.
"Sorry, work stuff just came up," she apologised, rushing over to where Blaze and Asher were standing with the rest of the Rangers. "What's going on? I thought you were catching a flight to Japan this morning," Ryne asked as she hurried over, curious. Blaze had qualified for a tournament taking place in Tokyo, and had invited Asher to go with him, so none of them had expected to see the two show up suddenly.
"We were on our way to the airport when I found this," Blaze carefully set down his backpack and pulled out a large round piece of hardware. Wires had been ripped from it, but it looked intact other than that.
"What is it?" Steel asked curiously as Ryne took it.
"This is pretty high tech," she commented, studying it. It was well made, but looked like it had taken a beating.
"That looks like Scrozzle's work," Nate leaned over to take a look, and found that he recognised it.
"I think it might be one of Robo-Roxy's memory drives," Asher explained, adjusting her glasses as she looked at the hardware that Ryne now held.
"That's possible," Ryne agreed as she passed it to Ravi.
"When giant Roxy blew up, pieces of her robot scattered everywhere," Ravi remembered their hard won fight with Robo-Roxy, who had powered herself up with dinosaur DNA, only to lose to the Beast-X King Ultrazord. "The Battleforce cleanup crew must have missed this," he suggested, and passed it to Nate.
"We thought getting it to you guys was more important than some karate competition," Blaze shrugged.
"You're absolutely right," Devon smiled thankfully at him. "Thanks for bringing it back guys," he told the two, who nodded.
"Always happy to help you guys out," Blaze grinned.
"The circuit boards are still intact," Nate realised as he managed to open up one panel. Ryne's eyes widened at his words.
"Robo-Roxy's memories might still be stored in there," she caught onto his thoughts. "We might be able to get some good data about Evox and his plans," she pointed out, and they all leapt to their feet.
"What if the cleanup crew missed any other pieces?" the thought came to Zoey, and she looked at the others quickly.
"We better check it out," Ravi told them.
"I'll take the memory drive back to the lab. Ryne, mind giving me a hand?" he asked the Pink Ranger, who nodded.
"Of course," she agreed. Asher had taken time off to go to Japan, so Ryne had offered to help out in the meantime.
"Thanks again guys," Devon told Asher and Blaze, before the Rangers hurried off to get to work. As they left, the two exchanged looks, smiling very slightly.
Nate worked quickly as he decrypted what was on the memory drive, going through layers of information and coding as Ryne assisted as best she could, going over what he'd already checked just in case she caught something he didn't.
"I think I've got something guys," Nate broke the quiet of the lab, and Devon and Steel hurried over to check. "This is the first memory fragment I found," he gestured to the screen, and they peered carefully at it.
"So we're about to see what Roxy saw?" Steel asked, not entirely understanding.
"If we're lucky, yeah," Ryne nodded.
"Cool!" Steel exclaimed, leaning even closer as the screen flickered. After a moment, it showed footage of what seemed to be a lab, built with whatever Scrozzle had been able to find.
"It's time to destroy humanity, and take over the Morphin' Grid!" Evox's warped, robotic voice echoed from the speakers. "Scrozzle, where is my mighty new Gigadrone?!" he demanded impatiently.
"I'm still working on it, but I swear, it'll be the most destructive Gigadrone ever!" Scrozzle promised.
"Excellent!" Evox let out another cackle, assured of his victory. The footage then ended as the screen turned static again.
"A new Gigadrone?" Ryne breathed. "If Scrozzle is making Evox a brand new Gigadrone, then they're preparing for a major battle," she realised as a weight fell over them. Devon's wristcom beeped, and he answered it quickly.
"A Robotron has been spotted in Sector Echo-7-5," Commander Shaw alerted them.
"We're on it, Commander," Devon nodded. "I'll tell Ravi and Zoey to meet me. Ryne, you, Nate and Steel keep working on Roxy's drive. We need to know as much as possible," he told the three. Ryne bit her lip, wanting to help, but she knew she was better off helping Nate, especially if there was a threat of a brand new, all powerful Gigadrone lurking in the near future.
"Got it," Nate agreed.
"Good luck," Ryne told him. Devon ran off, leaving them to work on deciphering the contents of the memory drive.
Having arrived first, Zoey and Ravi had attempted to take on the Railtron and the group of Tronics that had accompanied the Robotron, only to find themselves outmatched and overpowered quickly.
"Take this!" Railtron held out his arms and fired twin bolts of yellow energy that exploded as it hit the ground in front of the two, blowing them off their feet. Railtron gave a laugh. "Choo-choo! I tried to warn you, but you just wouldn't listen!" he taunted as the two breathed heavily, trying to find the strength to get back to their feet. "You'll regret it!" the Robotron vowed.
As he took menacing steps towards the two Rangers, a golden ball of light flew through the air and slammed against the side of his face. As it did, it exploded, and made Railtron screech as he was blinded temporarily by the power. Zoey and Ravi looked around quickly, just in time to see Blaze leap through the air and deliver a powerful kick to knock the disorientated Robotron away.
"Blaze?" Ravi frowned up at their friend, who stood in a fighting stance in front of them.
"Are you two okay?" Asher called as she ran over and helped Zoey to her feet.
"What are you guys doing here?" Ravi asked, pressing a hand to his ribs as they hummed with pain.
"Don't worry, we've got your backs," Blaze grinned over his shoulder at them.
"Great, more teenagers," Railtron complained as Asher, Ravi and Zoey moved to stand beside Blaze, and all of them moved into their fighting stances. The fighting broke out once again, with the tide marginally improving as Asher kicked the Tronics away from her and grabbed one, tossing it into a pillar.
"My arm…" she heard Blaze groan, and ran to his side to fight off more of the footsoldiers. As she did, the roar of a bike engine echoed through the garage where they were fighting, and Devon raced into view. He blasted the last of the Tronics away from the two, before slowing to a stop and pulling his helmet off.
"Sorry I'm late. Somebody got lost," he apologised, and Cruise changed back to his normal form.
"My bad, I forgot to check a map," he apologised as he ran over.
"Thanks for stepping in. You and Cruise better take cover," Devon warned them, before running to help his fallen teammates.
"Come on," Asher grabbed Blaze's uninjured arm, pulling him away with Cruise. As the Rangers Morphed and fought Railtron, they kept out of the way. Cruise peeked out to watch, and while he was distracted, Asher pulled Blaze's hand from his arm to study where he'd been hit by a Tronic's weapon. She studied it for just a second, before lifting her gaze and scowling at him, but neither said a word as she moved her hand and let him put his hand back over it.
When the trio defeated the Railtron, they demorphed and turned as Cruise called out to them.
"Gee, I'm so glad everyone's okay," the Beast Bot said, making the Rangers smile.
"No thanks to you," Blaze's voice was unusually sharp as he directed his harsh words at Cruise. "I can't believe you made Devon late to the fight," he berated him. Ravi frowned as Cruise started to stammer.
"I didn't mean to…" he mumbled.
"Those kind of mistakes can end up with someone getting hurt, or worse. We're lucky that the only injury was Blaze's arm," Asher gestured to where Blaze was still holding his arm where he'd been hurt.
"Come on," Devon stepped forwards as they scolded his partner. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?" he defended Cruise, not liking seeing him look so downcast.
"Can I have a minute?" Blaze requested, surprising the Red Ranger. Devon shrugged, and walked away with Blaze, who began to talk quietly once they were out of earshot. As an awkward quiet started to descend on the others, Asher gave a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry, that was a little harsh of me," she apologised to Cruise, offering an apologetic smile. "Seeing Ravi and Zoey struggling made me scared to think about if Ryne had been there, and then Blaze got hurt," Asher ducked her head, adjusting her glasses again. "Sorry, Cruise," Asher apologised again.
"No, no, it's okay," Cruise shook his head.
"Listen up, team," they turned as Devon addressed them with more authority than usual. "Roxy's memory showed us that Evox is preparing to attack. We gotta step up our game," he warned them of what he'd seen in Nate's lab. "And I'm sorry Cruise, but I'm not going to tolerate mistakes anymore. Got it," Devon addressed his Beast Bot sternly.
"Um…okay, Devon. I'm really sorry," he apologised again.
"Hey Blaze…how's your arm?" Ravi asked, and Blaze shrugged, but didn't release his hold over it.
"Ah, just a scratch," the young man dismissed it with a grin.
"If he's going to be a big baby about it, I'll heal it for him," Asher smirked, and the Rangers didn't notice the flash of irritation in Blaze's eyes at her words.
"It's fine, I'll slap a bandage on it and get back to training," he shook his head quickly.
"Cool, why don't we work out together, back at the base?" Devon offered, making Blaze's eyes widen.
"The base?" he repeated, sounding a little thrown.
"Yeah, I'm sure Lewis won't mind. Since you agreed to join as his assistant when you got back from Japan, I'm sure he'll be okay with you being there a little earlier," Devon shrugged.
"Cool, let's do it," Blaze agreed. They headed off, with Ravi and Zoey exchanging looks as they followed with Asher, and Cruise followed dejectedly behind them.
While Devon and Blaze trained in Lewi's training rooms, the others worked in the lab to prepare for the potential of Evox showing up with a new Gigadrone. Leaving Nate to go through the last of the data stored on Roxy's memory bank, Ryne was covering Asher's tasks, including making sure their weapons were all fully fuelled with Morph-X.
"You look like you're enjoying yourself," Scramble accused as Ryne finished preparing their Beast-X Visors and moved onto the Cheetah Blaster.
"I am," Ryne told her Beast Bot with a smile. "It reminds me of when I helped out in SPD. I always enjoyed this stuff - I was pretty sure once I finished school and got the right qualifications, that I'd end up working at SPD officially," she told her, before turning back to the Cheetah Blaster. "I get to help out a bit here, but Ranger duties make it hard to get to do a lot," Ryne said. As she spoke, she flipped open a small lid and began to carefully pour in Morph-X, ensuring that she didn't overfuel it.
"That's an admirable dream," Scramble said as she watched, offering pointers now and again. Ryne smiled at her. "Though I suppose being a Ranger for Grid Battleforce gets in the way of that all," the Beast Bot's consideration made Ryne's smile fade.
"I guess it does," Ryne agreed. "But I'm not going to stop being a Ranger just because I prefer lab work. Defeating Evox is more important," she said firmly, and her gaze went across the lab to where Nate was working, thinking of him giving up a chance to be with his parents for exactly the same reason.
"Hey team!" they looked up at Devon's greeting, and saw him walk inside with Blaze. Both were still in their workout clothes, having just come from the training rooms.
"Ah, just in…time…" Zoey slowed as she looked up from the tablet she'd been going through with Steel, and hesitated as she saw Blaze with their leader. His harsh words to Cruise were still playing in her mind.
"I asked Blaze to take a look at our plan," Devon explained the reason for bringing him in.
"Oh," Zoey managed a smile, and walked over to hand over the copies they'd made of the battle plan. "Go ahead, Nate," Zoey said to the Gold Ranger, who was holding Robo-Roxy's memory bank in his hands.
"I've completed my analysis. Unfortunately, Roxy's drive didn't give us any additional intel, apart from learning that Evox is building a powerful new Gigadrone," Nate went over what they knew so far, thanks to the memories stored on the intact drive. "So I think this plan is the best way to counter Evox's attack," he announced, taking a copy himself as Devon and Blaze went through it. "We'll need a lot of Morph-X, but we'll be well-defended," Nate explained the reasoning behind the strategy that he had been working on, with input from Ryne to get her perspective as second in command.
"Looks good," Ravi smiled, impressed with the level of thought and detail that outlined their plan.
"Thanks," Nate smiled proudly.
"Hmm…" Blaze made an unhappy sound, earning their attention. "I don't know. It just seems so complex," he complained. Nate frowned, and Ryne, who had taken a break from what she was doing to pay attention, cocked her head. It hadn't felt too complex to her. "I have a better idea. What if we trap Evox's Gigadrone in the Zord Hangar? Once he tries to escape, we use the Mega Transporters to teleport him straight to a secure prison cell in the base," he suggested.
"Trap him in the base?" Devon repeated, smiling a little as he thought it over. "Yeah, that might work," he agreed.
"Evox's Gigadrone, in one of our hangars?" Nate asked, sounding sceptical. Ryne couldn't fault him, it sounded a little ridiculous. "We'd have to get our Megazords in there too," he pointed out.
"That could be done, trust me," Blaze smiled confidently. "The special-ops hangar is empty, right?" he remembered.
"That sounds risky to me," Ryne spoke up, setting down the Cheetah Blaster carefully as she pulled down her goggles and let them hang around her neck. "The hangars are big, yes, but put a couple of Megazords and a Gigadrone in there, fighting? That's going to be dangerous and destructive," she warned.
"I agree with Ryne," Cruise was the one to back her up, sounding nervous as he stood with Commander Shaw, Lewis and the rest of the Beast Bots. "Fighting a Gigadrone up close in a hangar sounds quite dangerous, especially for us Beast Bots," he gestured to Smash, Scramble and Jax. They nodded in agreement.
"Very dangerous, actually!" Smash exclaimed.
"And it's risky to have Evox inside our base, isn't it?" Cruise added.
"I don't think you should be commenting on my plan when you can't even find your way to a fight," Blaze's words were quiet, but loaded with defensive attitude. Ryne's eyes narrowed. She'd heard how both he and Asher had berated the scatterbrained Beast Bot, and even though Asher had apologised, Ryne didn't like it.
"Hey, back off," Blaze glanced to Ryne as she spoke up. "I was the one who voiced my disagreement with your plan. Don't go attacking Cruise for one mistake just because he agreed," she warned. Irritation flickered in Blaze's gaze as Ryne spoke in defence of her friend.
"That's enough," Commander Shaw spoke up quietly, giving both a warning look. Ryne held her tongue as Blaze stared at her for a moment longer, and the Commander looked expectantly to Devon.
"I think Blaze's plan is solid," the Red Ranger decided.
"Well…" Nate started, a little thrown that Devon had so easily dismissed his plan simply because of what Blaze had said. He managed a small smile. "You're the leader, Devon. It's your call," he told Devon. The young man was quiet for a moment, sensing the tension in the room, but after glancing at Blaze, Devon then turned to the screens nearby.
"Evox is coming. It's crunch time, we've got to be bold and think outside of the box," he told them confidently, thinking of what Blaze had told him after the battle with the Railtron. "I say we do it," Devon told them.
"Great call," Blaze told him with a pleased smile.
"Please excuse me," Cruise said quietly, leaving the lab.
"The Cheetah Blaster is fully prepped, Nate. Everything is ready for the next battle," Ryne told Nate as she hurried out after Cruise. She shot Blaze a glare, and swore she saw him smirk before she left.
"Blaze, you can't treat Cruise like that. It's mean," Zoey spoke up, standing up for Cruise. The blond young man turned to her, his pleased smile fading into something colder.
"Yeah," Ravi agreed with the Yellow Ranger. "Take it down a notch? Or two?" he warned Blaze, who raised his hands quickly.
"Okay, okay," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm sorry I hurt his feelings," mockery dripped from his words and made Zoey bristle. She didn't blame Ryne for speaking up before, and she was getting more and more annoyed with Blaze's attitude. "But I have one goal in mind: destroy Evox and save the city," he growled at them, as if reminding them of their duties. "I passed up on my tournament to help you guys-"
"Hey, we all have the same goal!" unimpressed with the way Blaze was talking to them, Ravi snapped, and took a challenging step towards Blaze.
"Guys, guys!" Devon shouted, and the sharp whistle from Lewis earned their attention.
"Enough. Devon is right about one thing," he warned as he took a step towards them. "This is crunch time. This is Evox's big play, you don't have time to be fighting over who's more dedicated," Lewis told them. Commander Shaw gave a nod of approval.
"Lewis is right," Devon spoke up, letting his authority fill his voice. "Let's get on with Blaze's plan. We need that prison cell built before Evox attacks. Right, Commander?" he asked, looking to the woman for the final say.
"It is bold," she warned, having been content to let them work things out until her input was necessary. "Let's hope it works," Commander Shaw pinned Devon with a probing stare, as if sensing his churning stomach. "Get busy, everyone," she said.
"I'll go find Ryne," Ravi said, shooting Blaze another angry glare before stalking off. Blaze shoved Nate's plan into Zoey's hands, leaving as well.
"I get that tensions are running high, but I think Blaze's involvement is putting the team on edge," Lewis sighed once the team, and Blaze, had left to get ready.
"Devon trusts his input, and he was the one initially chosen as Red Ranger," Commander Shaw reminded him. "And you were the one who invited him to return to Grid Battleforce as your assistant," she added, watching as Lewis grimaced.
"Something I'm going to have to rethink," he admitted, and both fell quiet as they worried about what was going on.
Nate managed to coax Ryne back as both checked to make sure that Cruise was okay. He had insisted that she go with the Gold Ranger, knowing that their work was crucial at a time like this.
"And…done!" Nate straightened up, having been hunched over his computer as he worked rapidly to finish the new code. "The forcefield cell should be ready to hold Evox," he announced, looking over at Ryne as she finished welding the metal bars together.
"The actual prison is ready now too," she called as she switched off the welder and pulled her goggles down around her neck again. Anger was still simmering, but Ryne had put it to the side for now as she focused on building the cell for them to trap Evox in.
"Let's give it a test," Nate pressed a button as Ryne stepped away, and they watched as the forcefield rise up, causing a shimmering effect around the cage that they had created. Ryne reached out, touching her fingers to it, and hissed as she was repelled.
"Looks like it works to me," Ryne considered, shaking her hand as her fingers stung.
"Amazing!" Betty exclaimed. She and Ben had been watching the two work, ready to help where they could.
"I'll be right back," Nate told them, hurrying to find the rest of the Ranger team as Ryne walked over to the computer.
"You okay?" Betty noticed that Ryne was quieter than normal, deterring her from wanting to check out the forcefield cell more closely.
"I'm fine," Ryne managed a faint smile. "Just want this all over and done with," she said quietly, wondering just how she'd ever had a crush on Blaze. Right now, she was more inclined than ever to let Fane punch him.
"It will be soon," Ben grinned.
"Yeah! You've got this!" Betty exclaimed, making Ryne's smile grow.
"Thanks guys," she said, able to let go of some of the tension.
"This is looking good," they turned at Asher's words, and she grinned at them. "Hope you don't mind. When Blaze told me that you were going with his plan, I came in to help. I can always take time off another time," she said with a shrug.
"This is it, guys!" Devon called as the last of the team filed in, along with Blaze. "Evox's Gigadrone has been detected," he warned.
"Let's get to the Zords," Nate said. The Rangers lined up as Blaze and Asher stepped away, watching them.
"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER, HA!" the Rangers Morphed in a flash of colours.
"Ready team?" Devon asked.
"We've got this!" Zoey answered confidently. Ryne nodded, hoping that Blaze's risky plan would work. They ran off, and Ben and Betty rushed off to the Command Centre to watch, leaving Blaze and Asher looking at the forcefield cell.
Going to their Zords, the Rangers headed out to the location where Evox's Gigadrone had been detected. Forming their Megazords, they waited for any sign of Evox, which appeared in a bubble of green data high above the sky. As it materialised, it began to glow brightly, forcing the Rangers to shield their eyes.
"What kind of Gigadrone is that?!" Ravi gasped, watching as it landed and began to form a dangerous new style.
"You're in my crosshairs now, Rangers!" Evox laughed from within his Omegadrone. "Time to meet your destiny," he challenged. "This will be your doom, Rangers!" with that declaration, Evox sent out a barrage of missiles, each hitting their targets.
"We've got to move fast!" Nate shouted as their Megazords shuddered.
"Roger!" Devon confirmed as he fought to keep the Megazord upright. "Cruise?" he addressed his Beast Bot.
"Hangar doors are opening now," Cruise reported.
"Then we better get moving," Ryne called. They moved quickly, leading Evox away from the city and towards where the entrance to the special-ops hangar was located by the mountains. They fought back against the powerful Gigadron, but Evox was proving to be powerful, landing blow after blow that made the Beast-X Megazord rock and stumble.
"Get ready!" Devon warned as they staggered back another few steps. "The Gigadrone's almost in position," he informed the others. The Gigadrone raised a hand to deliver another powerful strike.
"Your efforts are futile. I'm sending your Zords to the junkyard, along with you!" Evox promised.
"Now!" Devon yelled. Evox looked around quickly as the other Megazord came charging in towards him.
"Crane Crash!" Nate and Steel chorused together, punching out and hitting the Gigadrone hard enough to send it teetering over the edge of the now fully open hangar. Evox roared as he toppled down into the hole, crashing and banging into everything hard enough to cause a low rumble for miles.
'Rangers, Evox is in the hangar,' Commander Shaw announced. 'Don't let him escape,' she said.
"We have no intention of it," Ryne hissed.
"No! A trap!" Evox roared furiously as he fought to push the Gigadrone back to its feet. The wreckage of the hangar that he had destroyed in the fall covered the Gigadrone, making it hard to get up.
"Let's secure the Gigadrone!" Devon ordered.
"We'll follow your lead," Nate responded, and the two Megazords leapt down into the hole. However, as they landed, Evox managed to force his Gigadrone back up and fired a red ray that collided with both, burning through their defences.
"We're too close to attack!" Cruise warned as the Megazord gave a warning rumble. They couldn't take much more damage.
"We have to," Devon argued, eyes narrowed. They were too close to their victory to back down.
"Well, if you say so," Steel nodded, trying to hide his reluctance. The two Megazords forced their way closer, slamming Evox's Gigadrone against the side of the wall.
"I'll tear this place down!" Evox vowed. Instead of pushing them away, he started to lash out violently around him, causing even more destruction to the hangar.
"He's trying to destroy the hangar!" Zoey groaned as Evox continued to thrash and destroy everything around them.
"What do we do?" Ravi shouted as they fought to try and keep Evox in place, even as everything came crashing down around them.
"We've just got to hold on!" Devon ordered.
"It's not safe for us!" Smash protested.
"It's too dangerous!" Jax shouted, sensing the power of the Megazord starting to fade as they strained against the might of Evox's new Gigadrone.
"Enough of this. It's time to crush you all!" finally Evox shoved them backwards, firing a powerful blast that they were too close to dodge. The Rangers cried out as their console panels started to send out sparks as everything started to fail. "You can't beat my Gigadrone," the virus warned, but the Rangers forced themselves forwards against and grappled with Evox.
"My systems are starting to fail," Cruise warned.
"I don't have much left," Scramble piped up as well.
"Beast-X King Zord!" Devon called on their other Zord, which joined in to hold Evox in place. The hangar quaked as rubble continued to fall, threatening to cave in entirely.
"Hurry Devon!" Cruise pleaded as Evox laughed and continued to blast them. "I'm overheating…taking damage…" alarms started to blare as Cruise started to break down.
"Guys, Cruise is in bad shape. I've got to bring in the Cheetah Beast Blaster and finish things now," Devon warned the others.
"Devon, wait!" Ryne shouted. "Something's wrong with the Gigadrone, I think it's about to blow!" she warned, checking her system sensors again. Evox gave a furious roar, before the Gigadrone exploded and engulfed the hangar in flames.
Kicking open the panel by her cockpit, Ryne climbed out and coughed as she inhaled smoke from the wreckage around them. The Zords were in bad shape, and Evox's Gigadrone looked even worse.
"Guys, cover us!" Devon shouted as he carried Cruise over his shoulder to a safe place.
"Got it. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone!" Nate warned the others as they stood a careful distance apart and searched for any sign of Evox. Devon laid Cruise down carefully nearby.
"Are you okay, buddy?" Devon asked, seeing how badly damaged his partner was.
"My systems took…heavy damage," Cruise reported, struggling to talk.
"This is my fault…" Devon breathed as he stared down at his friend. He'd agreed to the plan, and pushed Cruise farther than he should have. "You tried to warn me that fighting up close in the hangar was too dangerous…but I was too busy listening to Blaze about how to lead the team," he berated himself, furious for letting himself be distracted.
"You did your best, Devon," Cruise managed to tell him. Nearby, a door was wrested open, and two workers rushed in with a stretcher.
"I'm sorry…" Devon whispered, tears in his eyes.
"You can make it up to him, Devon," Ryne called over her shoulder. Her Chakrams were raised as she stayed in a careful stance, ready to throw them at a moment's notice. "Right now, we need to stay focused. I doubt that explosion took out Evox," she pointed out. Devon nodded, standing as the two workers lifted Cruise up.
"You're gonna be okay, Cruise. I promise. I'll make sure of it!" Devon vowed, watching them carry the Beast Bot away.
"Over there!" Ravi was the first to spot the moving pile of wreckage! At his shout, it burst apart and Evox reared to his feet with a roar.
"Weapons up!" Devon ordered. The team closed ranks and aimed their weapons carefully.
"You'll pay for destroying my Omegadrone!" he vowed, rushing at them.
"Open fire!" at Devon's shout, the Rangers fired their blasters, and Ryne threw out her Chakrams, cutting through his thick armour enough that the combined attacks knocked Evox backwards. "Transport them now!" the Red Ranger contacted through his wristcom.
"Wait, what is this?" Evox demanded as he got back to his feet and watched as the transporters began to appear around him. When the third one appeared, all of them lit up with a bright, pale blue light that was so bright the Rangers had to shield their eyes. Evox gave a furious scream, before he vanished.
"I think we got him!" Zoey gasped.
"It worked!" Ravi cheered when they found no sign of Evox around. All of them cheered with excitement, unable to believe that they had managed to capture Evox at long last.
Evox stood motionless within the forcefield cell that Nate and Ryne had built, and had done so since he had appeared inside. Scorch marks covered the floor from his furious, desperate attempts to escape, but when the forcefield held, he had just stopped entirely.
"Amazing," Ravi breathed as he dared to approach the forcefield. "Evox is this close to us, but…he can't do a thing," he said, turning back to the others. All but Devon were there, wanting to keep a close eye on Evox.
"Yep, everything worked perfectly," Nate nodded, happy with the outcome.
"Of course it worked," they looked over at Blaze, who was smirking as he stood in front of the cell with Asher. "It was my plan," he pointed out. Their smiles faded at his arrogant words, and Ryne's eyebrows furrowed when Asher didn't so much as blink.
"Congratulations," Commander Shaw smiled as she walked in, followed by Lewis. Behind them, Devon walked with Cruise, supporting his damaged Beast Bot. "Not only did you stop Evox's assault, but you've captured the biggest threat to this city, the world, and more importantly; the Morphin' Grid," she praised.
"Yeah, you guys did great," Asher told them.
"Except for the tin-can man over there, who can't stop crying about his battle wounds," Blaze snorted, looking at how beaten up Cruise was. Ryne bristled, and Zoey grabbed her arm quickly to stop her from exploding. She could practically feel Ryne's powers rising to the surface.
"Excuse me?" Cruise turned to him as Devon frowned. Even Commander Shaw's smile vanished. "I only got wounded because of your plan," Cruise pointed out.
"Hello? You're a robot. Nate can just bend you back into shape," Blaze scoffed.
"Whoa," Devon spoke up as Nate looked disgusted. "You know what needs to get bent back into shape? Your attitude," the Red Ranger warned. Sure that Cruise could stand alone, he turned to Blaze and approached him. Blaze lifted his head, the arrogant sneer rising to the surface. "Seriously, the way you've been treating people? Especially Cruise. It's not cool," he warned. A derisive look crossed Blaze's face. "Cruise is more than just a robot. He's my friend, and a part of our team," Devon declared.
"Thanks, Devon," Cruise spoke softly, touched by his words.
"I want to apologise," Devon turned to the rest of the Rangers. "To all of you. I was convinced that Blaze was right. That being tough on our team would get better results," he told them as Blaze crossed his arms over his chest. "But that's wrong. We're strong because of our friendship," he said, making them smile. "And our friendship is exactly why I should have stood up for you, Cruise," he addressed his partner, who nodded.
"It's okay. I forgive you," his words made Devon smile widely.
"Thanks buddy, you're the best," he put his arm around him.
"Oh, now that is sweet," Blaze spoke up, but his tone didn't match his words. Ryne's glare returned. "And I guess I should apologise. For coming up with the plan that will finally defeat your worst enemy!" he snarled.
"Shouldn't that be our worst enemy?" Ryne's words were quiet, but loud enough that both Blaze and Asher turned to her.
"What are you talking about?" Blaze frowned at her.
"You said 'your', not 'our'," Ryne said, before her phone buzzed.
"Ryne, don't be so pedantic," Asher rolled her eyes. "Of course that's what he means. This is important to us all, that's why Blaze worked so hard on coming up with a plan," she reached out and put a hand on Blaze's arm. "He's just worked up. Being Avatars wasn't easy for us, you know," she reminded them.
"R-right," Zoey said as Ryne looked at her phone. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she gave a quiet laugh. She then looked up with a smile, but it was too sweet; too innocent.
"Right," she said, and before either of them could react, Ryne threw her hands out and let her powers flow to the surface. Everyone else jumped in alarm as the blue lightning arced through the air and slammed into Blaze and Asher, sending them crashing backwards.
"Ryne, what the hell are you doing?!" Commander Shaw shouted as Ryne pulled her powers back, and Ravi and Devon rushed towards her to grab her in an attempt to restrain her. Before they could, Ryne held up her phone, showing them the photo she had just been sent.
Of Blaze and Asher in Japan, with Blaze holding the trophy he'd won at his tournament.
"What?" Nate breathed as the two got to their feet.
"But if they're in Japan…that means…" Zoey looked over at the two who were getting to their feet, scorched but unharmed. They smirked, and Blaze ripped off the bandage around his arm, revealing circuitry and wires under the fake skin. As Asher pulled off the glasses she'd been wearing and tossed them aside, the Rangers moved into fighting stances as they realised just who they had been standing with.
"Told you it was just a scratch," Blaze laughed, and the two vanished in a flash of lights.
"We got played," Ravi realised in horror.
"No wonder Blaze was acting like such a jerk. It wasn't the real Blaze!" Zoey huffed.
"More importantly, if this was all Robo-Blaze's plan…" Ryne said stiffly, her gaze not on them, but instead on the forcefield cell in the room with them.
"Then Evox must have wanted to be captured," Nate realised, approaching the cell. Evox hadn't moved even as his two minions were revealed.
"But why?" Devon asked, receiving silence in response.
We're onto the endgame now! I'm excited for the next chapter, it was a lot of fun to write.
Let me know what you think!
Please review!