Chapter 29: The Greater Good
"Good job. Keep it up," Asher praised the group of kids in front of her, watching as they practised the stances that she had taught them. She paced in front of them, occasionally helping to correct a movement with gentle patience.
"She's a good teacher," Syd commented, all too aware that Spencer was watching his daughter's every move. He just cleared his throat and took a drink of the smoothie he'd ordered, turning back to her.
"Less terrifying than Annie, for sure," he said, making the former Pink Ranger smile.
"How's she been?" Syd asked, glancing over at Asher as she continued the lesson for the younger students. Spencer looked down at the peach flavoured smoothie.
"She's recovered quickly. It's incredible, how well she bounced back after what she went through," he commented, finally looking over at his daughter again. "She's got some good friends here. It was all thanks to them, but…" Spencer trailed off, and Syd tilted her head.
"But…" she pressed, and he gave a weak smile.
"She's a lot like me. She was right there, Syd. About to become a Ranger and then…" he didn't say the words. "I just hope she's not too hung up on missing out," Spencer shook his head, before flinching when Syd reached over to flick his nose. "Hey," he complained, putting a hand to it.
"Ashe is a lot more sensible than you, Spence," Syd replied, grinning at him. Spencer went red. "Besides, I saw her at work the other day too. She's enjoying working in the lab. It's too bad that we couldn't nab her for SPD," she shook her head.
"Yeah, I think Kat would love to get another assistant," Spencer had to agree.
"You're a good dad, Spencer," Syd told him, and he blushed again.
"Thanks, Syd," he nodded. She winked at him. Nearby, the doors to the gym opened, and Zoey walked in with Ryne and Fane.
"There's still been no luck with Ryjack?" Fane was asking, worried by the threat still looming over the city. Both Ryne and Zoey shook their heads.
"Captain Chaku has been a huge help, but he just keeps getting away before we can stop him," Ryne sighed, before shaking her head. "On the plus side, it does mean that we have the extra set of eyes so we're ready when he does show up again," she shrugged.
"Which gives me time to see my brother," Zoey smiled. She'd told them about Mike, her older brother working to get into college.
"Which helps me get Ryne out of the lab," Fane grinned, and Ryne shot her an irritated look. Fane's smile only widened. "What? Any longer in there and I'd start to get offended," she said, unapologetic.
"Sorry," Ryne sighed. "It helps keep my mind off Ryjack," she shrugged, just as worried as the rest for the powerful threat. Fane patted her arm sympathetically, and Zoey managed a small smile. Ryne then shook her head. "We can't look so miserable around your brother, or he might ask questions," she pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right," Zoey nodded. Fane arched an eyebrow.
"They don't know you work in Grid Battleforce?" she asked the Yellow Ranger. She gave a small shrug.
"My family knows I work in Grid Battleforce, they just…think I still work in Laundry," she smiled sheepishly. Fane winced sympathetically.
"Suppose it would be tough to explain what you do now," she commented, and Zoey nodded as they took a seat at a table. "I'll go get us some drinks," Fane decided, heading to the bar. As she did, Ryne pulled a small device from her bag, and Zoey couldn't help but laugh.
"You're worse than Nate for working," she teased, and Ryne shrugged.
"It's to help fortify the Vault. I was in the middle of it when you and Fane dragged me out," she stuck her tongue out at Zoey, who smiled back.
"You were getting close to living there. We're doing you a favour," she replied. Ryne leaned back in her seat, huffing a little.
"I was going to take a break once I worked out the wiring issue I've been having with it," she defended, but her argument was weak, and judging from Zoey's expression, not a good one.
"Zoey!" hearing her name, the Yellow Ranger looked up before she could tease Ryne any further, and broke into a wide smile when she saw her brother walking towards them.
"Mike!" she jumped up to hug her brother, having missed him as he travelled for his studies in archeology. "This is Ryne," Zoey introduced the girl still fiddling with the device designed to pick up on anyone trying to cloak themselves.
"Oh, hey," she looked up and smiled at him.
"Hey," Mike waved, his eyes going to what she was messing with. "That looks…complicated," he commented, chuckling a little.
"Sorry, she likes to bring her work with her wherever she goes," Zoey said, and Ryne stuck out her tongue at her friend again. Mike laughed.
"Reminds me of Ollie," he gestured to the door, and the two looked over to the young man walking into the gym with an uncertain expression on his face. Mike waved to him, and he walked over. "Ollie, this is my sister Zoey, and her friend…Ryne?" he tried, a little unsure. She nodded. "This is Ollie, I'm interning with him and his mum for credit towards my scholarship application," he introduced the young man, who gave a nod.
"Hey," Zoey smiled at him, before they all took a seat.
"What? No, don't even think about it!" Fane's shout was followed by Ryne's anguished cry when the machine was taken from her hands. "No work! We're here to hang out, not for you to tinker," Fane scolded, having set down the drinks to take it from her.
"But it's important! I swear, I'm just trying to fix the wiring issue and then I'll put it away," Ryne pleaded, reaching for it. Fane just moved it away from her.
"You know you've got the wires wrong?" both stopped at Ollie's question. Ryne arched an eyebrow. "They're all twisted, common mistake," he shook his head. Something indignant welled up inside of Ryne. Only Nate had corrected her work in recent times, and it was a rare thing to happen.
"Fane…" Ryne looked up at the Princess, who was watching Ollie with a suspicious look. "Give it to me, please," she requested. Fane turned back to Ryne, and with a huff she handed it over, and fell into the empty seat.
"Fine, but I get your smoothie," she decided, pulling a second glass towards her. Ryne immediately started looking at her work.
"It's usually like this," Zoey smiled at her brother, who was laughing quietly.
"Glad to see you've made some fun friends," he told her, and she blushed.
"Sorry, forgot my manners in trying to teach Ryne hers," Fane apologised as she realised that Zoey's brother was sitting there too. "I'm Fane," she held out her hand, and Mike shook it.
"I'm Mike. And this wonderfully blunt guy is Ollie. He's helping me out with my internship," Mike jabbed his thumb at him as he pointed to the twisted wiring. Ryne muttered a curse.
"How'd I miss that?" she grumbled, her dexterous fingers quickly fixing the issue.
"Like I said, common mistake," Ollie leaned back in his seat with a smug smile, pleased with himself.
"Great, there's two of them," Fane rolled her eyes. "Ryne," her voice was warning, and the Pink Ranger huffed, but slipped it back into her bag.
"So you guys work in Grid Battleforce too?" Mike asked, still amused by the interaction. Fane shook her head, while Ryne nodded.
"Ryne works in the lab," Zoey said quickly. Mike looked impressed, and Ryne gave a small smile. It wasn't entirely a lie, with how much she spent in there.
"I'm just visiting," Fane added in, rolling with it.
"You work in the labs there?" Ollie asked, and Ryne nodded. "Impressive," he allowed, and Ryne's eyebrow twitched at his tone. However, she just turned back to Mike.
"Zoey says you're studying to become an archaeologist?" she asked Mike. The young man nodded, smiling at the mention of it. "That's really cool. What are you doing for your internship?" she asked, and Mike launched into a detailed explanation of all of his duties and what he was helping out with.
As Ollie got up to get some more drinks, Ryne and Zoey's wristcoms beeped, and their eyes met.
"Excuse me a second," Ryne stood up, walking away from the table. "Go ahead," she answered when she was away from everyone.
"Ryjack has been spotted in a sector downtown stealing more Morph-X," Commander Shaw warned. Ryne cursed at the terrible timing.
"Zoey and I are on our way," she answered. The Commander nodded, before ending the transmission. "Dammit," Ryne muttered, hurrying back to the table. "We have to go," she told Zoey, who grimaced.
"Both of you?" Mike looked confused. "But you work in different departments," he said, not understanding why they were both being called in. Ryne looked from Zoey, to Mike, and smiled weakly.
"Lab accident. Nothing serious, but laundry needs the staff in for it," she lied, hoping it was believable. Zoey looked relieved that she didn't have to explain it, but managed to make it look apologetic as she turned to her brother.
"Sorry, Mike. I'll catch up with you later, okay?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Sure. Don't work too hard," Mike nodded, and the two hurried off. They didn't notice Syd and Spencer leaving shortly after, looking worried.
Fane sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Must be rough trying to hang out with people who have to work all the time," he told the Princess, who couldn't help but laugh.
"You have no idea," she muttered, and glanced at Ollie, finding him looking at Ryne's abandoned bag. "There really are two of them," Fane shook her head, and Mike hid his grin as Ollie looked up at her, looking confused.
By the time the Rangers arrived at the Morph-X warehouse, all that remained were the small fires that Captain Chaku was quickly putting out.
"Chaku, what happened?" Devon asked as he climbed from his bike and pulled his helmet off.
"Sorry, Rangers. I was too late," Chaku apologised with a sigh. "Ryjack got away with a load of Morph-X barrels, just as I arrived," he told them, and the Rangers groaned.
"That's the third time this week," Commander Shaw growled, frustrated.
"Talk about efficient," Syd shook her head. She and Spencer had joined the group going to investigate. SPD had agreed to work with the Galactic Police on the matter of stopping Ryjack, and so the two were sticking around for a little while longer.
"He's doing Evox's dirty work now," Ravi considered.
"Yes, but don't be fooled. His true goal is still to steal the Ranger weapons from your Vault," Chaku reminded them of the real reason Ryjack had come to Earth.
"Evox must be promising him help if he gets Morph-X," Ryne said, looking at the others. "That's never good," they all looked grim at the thought.
"I've spent years chasing his gang of intergalactic outlaws, and Ryjack's the toughest of them all," Chaku warned gravely, thinking back to his encounters in the past.
"And he's loose in our city…" Zoey sighed. They were already worried, but with her brother back in town, she had an extra person to worry about. And she hadn't forgotten the pain of Ryjack's horn shock. "What are we gonna do?" she asked.
"Track him down, and destroy him," Chaku said firmly. "My superiors at G5 Galaxy Police are sending me my battleship: the Reptillobeast," their eyes widened at his words.
"Reptillobeast? Awesome!" Steel exclaimed, excited.
"I've heard of it. It's impressive work," Spencer spoke up, looking impressed. "I've heard Kat and Kayden going on about it for a while," he said.
"It should come in handy next time we face off with Ryjack," Chaku said, confident in his technology.
"Captain, you do good work," Commander Shaw spoke up as she approached him. "You've helped us more than once," her words made Ravi and Zoey exchange looks. They owed him their lives.
"It is my duty and honour to assist the Power Rangers, Commander," Chaku replied, glancing over at the Rangers. They smiled, glad he was there to help.
"After Ryjack is defeated, would you join us at Grid Battleforce?" Commander Shaw's question took Chaku by surprise, and he tensed up.
"Good idea, Commander!" Steel was the first of the Rangers to recover from the surprise of the question. While none of them could deny how valuable an asset the Captain was, they hadn't expected her to offer him a job outright. Especially since SPD had to come in and sort out all the protocols Chaku had broken in going straight to Coral Harbour instead of through New Tech City. "More silver on the team can only be a good thing!" Steel exclaimed, making the Rangers grin.
"Oh, uh…" Chaku hesitated. Ryne tilted her head at his reaction.
"What's wrong, Captain?" Nate asked as he approached Chaku, who had looked away. The Captain cleared his throat quickly.
"Well, it's just that Earth is quite far from my home galaxy," he admitted, and lowered his head for a moment. He took a quiet breath, and straightened up. "But if it's for the greater good…then yes, I will join your forces," he agreed.
"Cool! This is gonna be great!" Devon cheered, excited to continue working with him. Ryne smiled, always glad to have extra hands to help against Evox, but it faded when she saw the look exchanged between her uncle and Syd.
"I can't wait for Reptillobeast!" Steel exclaimed.
"I'm honestly kinda surprised that Chaku agreed to stay and help after Ryjack is destroyed," Zoey admitted to Ryne as the two returned to Riptide Gym.
"Same here," Ryne glanced to the blonde, looking thoughtful. "Especially after he mentioned it being so far from his home galaxy," she added. Zoey nodded.
"I couldn't do it. Being so far away from home…" Zoey trailed off, thinking about everything and everyone she would leave behind if she did such a thing.
"Yeah…even moving here was kinda tough for me," Ryne admitted. Zoey reached out and put her arm around the girl, and Ryne smiled. "I'm okay now. I have you guys, and Ashe is better. I like it here," she said. Zoey smiled, hugging her a little tighter.
"Hey, you're back," Mike smiled as he saw the two approach.
"We've been sharing stories about Zoey," Fane grinned at them as Ryne took her seat again.
"All embarrassing ones, of course," Mike supplied, and the two looked at the Yellow Ranger, who looked worried at the idea. "Sounds like you've made quite the friends, little sister," he smirked at Zoey. Instantly she turned to Fane, eyebrows raised.
"All I said was that you're friends with the Mayor's son, the Commander of Grid Battleforce's son, and the child prodigy who discovered Morph-X," Fane gave an innocent shrug.
"Uhuh…" Zoey frowned back.
"I hope you didn't leave out Steel. You know how he gets," Ryne commented, arms folded as she gave Fane a weary look. "We weren't even gone that long. Do you have to be this way?" she asked. Fane smiled back innocently.
"If you're not careful, I'll start sharing stories about you next," she warned. Ryne grimaced. Having known Fane their whole lives, there were plenty of stories.
"Then I'll have to start sharing stories of my own about you," she warned, but by this point both were smiling.
"So how was the lab?" Mike asked, and Zoey turned to him, looking a little confused. "Was the accident bad? I thought you'd have been gone longer," he commented. Zoey was confused for a moment longer, before her eyes widened and she remembered the lie Ryne had told to bail them out earlier.
"Oh! Thankfully it wasn't too bad. Just, you know, a lot of dirty uniforms," she managed to say, laughing weakly.
"Oh, hey. Ryne, right?" the Pink Ranger glanced up as Ollie walked back over and took his seat. She nodded, still a little irritated by him having pointing out her mistake so easily. "What was that thing you were working on?" he asked, looking curious.
"Oh, uh…" surprised by the question, Ryne wasn't too sure how answer at first. "Um…I can't go into a lot of detail. Lab work, you know? It's something to help with security," she said, wincing at how vague her answer was. Of course, she couldn't quite explain just what she was doing to a stranger, but she liked talking about her work.
"Ryne makes a lot of stuff. Both for Grid Battleforce and outside of it," Fane spoke up, looking away from where Zoey was trying - badly - to explain what she got up to in Grid Battleforce now to her brother.
"Really?" Ollie looked surprised, and Ryne frowned.
"Why's that such a shock?" she asked, before taking a breath. She didn't know why his surprise annoyed her so much. Plenty of people didn't expect such hobbies from her. "Sorry, been uh…a long week," Ryne apologised. "Yeah, I uh, usually help with making things in the lab, but I like to build things when I have free time," she explained, a little embarrassed suddenly.
"Which she lacks a lot at the moment," Fane pouted, and Ryne shot her an apologetic look. Fane nudged her, knowing that it wasn't Ryne's fault. She didn't blame her for it - she worried about her best friend a lot, but didn't resent her for not being able to hang out all the time.
"Why do you ask?" Ryne turned back to Ollie.
"I build stuff too," Ollie then launched into describing something that he'd been working on, pulling it from his bag. Ryne leaned closer, losing her cautious look as the two began to discuss it.
"You weren't kidding when you said there were two of them," Mike laughed, not missing it. Fane was grinning, and Zoey smiled too. "So how did you end up being friends with everyone, Zoey? Grid Battleforce is one thing, but the Princess of Zandar too?" he asked, and Fane's grin dropped.
"I wouldn't," Ryne warned Mike. "She hates anyone commenting on it," she said, before going back to what she was doing.
"How'd you even know?" Zoey asked, surprised that Mike had caught on. He scoffed, leaning back in his seat.
"Muriel Reeves is my mother too, you know. I'm not completely oblivious to what's going on in the world around me," Mike told her.
"Sorry Fane," Zoey apologised to the other blonde, and she waved a hand.
"Don't worry about it. It's hardly like you were the one telling everyone," Fane sighed. "Used to it by now," she grumbled.
"So, Mike," Zoey turned to her brother in hopes of quickly changing the subject. "How long are you guys gonna be in town for?" she asked him, not missing the thankful look Fane shot her.
"Couple of weeks," Mike answered, starting to explain the dig they were applying for, and Fane leaned back in her seat as she only half-listened, her attention moving to Ryne and Ollie as he explained what he was doing, and she asked questions about it. She smiled faintly, glad to see that her introverted best friend really was coming out of her shell.
Once again Zoey and Ryne were called away, this time to go to Grid Battleforce where Nate had something important to share with the group.
"Wait a sec - Chaku has a daughter?" Devon repeated the surprising information that Nate had shared. "I kinda thought he was a robot," he admitted.
"You sound disappointed," Ryne commented, taking the time back in the lab to finish her work.
"Not disappointed," Devon denied, though the others could tell that this wasn't entirely true.
"Hey, people can be both!" Steel said indignantly, and Ryne and Devon looked at each other before laughing.
"So, does she look like him?" Ravi asked, jumping down from Ryne's work bench, having been swatted away by the Pink Ranger. Nate struggled to hide his laughter.
"You mean, does she wear a shiny Galaxy Police helmet?" he giggled, and Ravi blushed. "No," Nate shook his head. "She's just a little girl," he told them.
"I wonder why Chaku would be willing to stay on Earth and work with us when he has a family back home," Zoey said, not understanding the Captain's choice.
"He hesitated, remember?" Ryne said thoughtfully, tapping her screwdriver against the side of the device that had doubled in size since she'd brought it back. "Before he accepted Commander Shaw's offer, he made a comment about Earth being far from his home. He wants to go back, but he can't," she deduced.
"It's pretty sad for her to be separated from him," Nate murmured, a sad smile on his face.
"He must have a good reason," Ravi said, before Jax suddenly shushed him. They turned to the Beast Bot, who had been listening quietly.
"Does anyone else hear that?" he asked, wheeling forwards as his ears began to wiggle.
"What is it?" Cruise asked quietly, wondering what had earned his attention.
"Some kind of rumbling," Ryne said as she left what she was doing to walk over to the other Rangers. Now paying attention, they could all hear a quiet rumbling, and the ground shook slightly under their feet.
"Seems like something's happening underground," Nate looked down, wondering just what could be causing it.
"Oh!" Smash gasped. "It could be Ryjack," he suggested nervously.
"There's a drainage tunnel near the base," Devon remembered. "Maybe he's burrowing in. Let's get Chaku and check it out," he decided, and the others nodded.
"Good idea," Steel agreed. Ryne turned to Asher, who had been listening quietly as she worked.
"That's basically done now. Just needs the final touches and it's good to be installed in the Vault," she told her cousin, who smiled.
"Great job. How'd you fix the issue with the wiring?" she asked, and Ryne shrugged.
"Friend of Zoey's brother helped," she said, and turned to join her team, missing the surprised look on Asher's face.
Underground, Ryjack was shouting orders at the Putties and Vivix that he had digging a tunnel underneath Grid Battleforce.
"Let's go! Get a move on, ya chumps!" he snapped at them as he watched them slowly work. "Come on! Dig faster!" Ryjack shouted as he grew impatient. He looked up at the smooth ceiling, having found the perfect place to dig through in the drainage tunnel to get to his goal. "We've almost reached the Vault," he shouted. "Those Ranger weapons are as good as mine!" Ryjack's laugh stopped abruptly when blasts fired from the darkness and hit his minions, causing them to explode and vanish.
"The jig's up," Devon called as the Rangers appeared. Ryjack snarled.
"Hello, Ryjack," the monster was surprised when Chaku stood beside the team. He then gave a mocking laugh.
"Well, if it isn't Captain Chaku," he sneered. "How'd you find me?" Ryjack asked.
"You're not exactly quiet," Chaku scoffed.
"Now's your last chance to surrender, Ryjack," Devon warned him as he stepped forwards.
"Not happening!" Ryjack shouted back, unwilling to back down against them.
"So be it!" unwilling to wait any longer, Chaku launched forwards and kicked out at Ryjack. The monster raised his shield, blocking Chaku's attacks to throw him backwards. Chaku cried out as he landed on his arm, and Ryne ran over to help him.
"I got him!" Devon shouted, running past to fight Ryjack. However, none of his attacks even made the monster flinch. "How?" he gasped as he seemed to hurt more than Ryjack.
"I got thick skin!" with that, Ryjack swung his sword and caught Devon across the chest. With a cry, he staggered back to fall by Chaku. "Good thing we're underground, cause this tunnel's about to be your grave!" he laughed loudly.
"Back off!" Ryne stood and threw out her hands, letting her power slam into Ryjack. He grunted, fighting it off, but stumbled backwards. It left him open for Steel and Nate to run in and grab his arms, holding him in place. Ryne drew back as Devon got back to his feet, and the two stood with Zoey and Ravi. Chaku got back to his feet as well, drawing his sword.
"Transport!" the four Rangers called on their blasters and took aim.
"Now's our chance!" Chaku exclaimed, running forwards as they fired. However, Ryjack managed to throw Nate and Steel off, lifting his shield to block the attacks. He laughed, and looked up at Chaku when the Captain got close. He blocked the first attack, only for Chaku's sword to catch his arm. He yelped in pain, dropping his own weapon, and his distraction allowed for the man to knock him back with a powerful kick.
Ryjack landed heavily on his back, his shield falling away from him as Chaku stepped backwards to stand with the Rangers again.
"Nice one, Chaku," Devon praised their friend, who nodded.
"Thanks. Now, let's finish him off!" Chaku's helmet lit up as he spoke, and his sword began to glow.
"Beast-X Cannon, ready!" the Rangers combined their weapons to form their more powerful blasters.
"Now who's 6ft under?" Devon asked, voice low as they took aim. Ryjack growled, pushing himself up.
"Together!" Chaku ran in as his sword glowed even brigher.
"Beast-X Cannon Blast!"
"Enforcer Strike!" the combined attacks sent Ryjack rolling along the dirt, his armour cracked and red sparks flying from it. He groaned, but was able to stand again.
"He survived that?" Ryne groaned. There didn't seem an end to Ryjack's power.
"Fools!" he taunted as he got back to his feet. "You'll need to hit a lot harder than that!" despite his injuries, he laughed, and vanished in a flash before they could stop him.
"How does he keep doing that?" Zoey growled, frustrated that he'd escaped them once more.
"Maybe today just isn't our day," Chaku muttered, turned away from them.
"Don't worry Chaku," Devon put a hand on his shoulder. "Sooner or later, he's going down," he promised.
"Yeah," Ryne agreed. "He's strong, but not unbeatable. We'll stop him," she said confidently. Chaku nodded, seeming a little more upbeat.
"We better report to the Commander - get that tunnel sealed," Devon said as the Rangers returned above ground to the base.
"Uh, Captain, do you have a minute?" Ryne glanced over her shoulder when Nate stopped Chaku from following. She tilted her head, curious as she watched Nate lead Chaku to his lab.
"It's pretty sad for her to be separated from him," Nate's sad words echoed in Ryne's mind as she followed the rest of her team to the command room. He'd seemed more than just sympathetic for Chaku's daughter.
"Hey, Zoey?" Ryne looked at the blonde beside her. "Nate's parents aren't around much, are they?" she guessed. Zoey nodded.
"Yeah, he said they've worked overseas most of his life. He never really sees them," she answered. "Why?" she asked.
"Just what he said about Chaku's daughter. I guess he can relate," Ryne considered, and Zoey nodded, having thought the same.
"Didn't you say that your mum travelled a bunch when you were a kid?" Zoey asked, curious. Ryne shrugged.
"Yeah for like, a couple days at a time. Even when she was touring she'd come home between performances," she answered, and gave a weak smile. "Though she had the luxury of magic. I don't think Nate's parents have that same option," Ryne admitted. Zoey nodded, and Ryne sighed. "I can't imagine what it's like to never see your parents," she said quietly.
"I hope Nate can find out why Chaku would agree to stay behind," Zoey said, just as quiet as they reached the Command Room.
Even before the debriefing had finished, Commander Shaw had people out closing up the drainage tunnels, sealing up the tunnel created by Ryjack and his minions. The Rangers returned to Nate's lab to prepare for their next fight against the criminal, who'd already proven he was a tough fight.
"He's not going to stay away for long," Devon said as he paced, waiting for the scans to pick up any sign of Ryjack. "We almost had him the last time. We need to pull out all the stops next time," Devon said firmly.
"Devon, I'm going to ask you this once," Asher sighed. "Stop pacing, or I'll bind your feet to the floor," she requested. She'd been working as hard as Ryne had in fortifying the Vault's defences, and was exhausted.
"I'd listen to her," Lewis looked serious. "I saw her grandmother do it to her dad once," he said, having only been partially paying attention as he looked through footage of the fight from a few days prior. Devon frowned, but stopped at her request.
"We'll be ready when he shows up Devon," Ryne told their leader, more gentle than Asher.
"The Vault is more secure than ever, thanks to Nate, Ryne and Asher," Ravi nodded to them, smiling thankfully to the cousins.
"Where is Nate?" Steel asked, wondering where his brother had vanished to now.
"No clue," Zoey shrugged. "He asked to talk to Spencer, and hasn't been back since," she said. Steel hummed, as Asher looked confused as to why he wanted to talk to her father.
"Speaking of the Vault security," Asher reached out and pulled Ryne towards her. "How did you figure that problem out with the cloaking scanner? It's been annoying you for days," she commented. Ryne frowned up at her cousin.
"I told you already," she said, not understanding. "That friend of Zoey's brother. He pointed it out," Asher's eyebrows rose at the simplicity of the statement, and she looked up at Zoey to confirm this. The Yellow Ranger nodded, smiling.
"It's true," she said. "Seems there's another Ryne out there-"
"Another Ryne?" Ravi interrupted. "Now that really is a terrifying thought," he smirked. The Pink Ranger glowered at him as Devon laughed quietly.
"A mystery guy helping out with your tech? I'm intrigued," Lewis grinned, suddenly giving the conversation his entire focus. Ryne huffed, blowing her hair from her face.
"Mike's interning with his mum, they're planning a dig just outside of town," Zoey explained in more detail as Ryne squirmed to get out of Asher's grasp. She immediately resumed her newest project, as Asher's eyebrow remained raised. "Ollie came with him when we met up this morning. Turns out he likes building stuff as much as Ryne does. Even if it did look like she was going to kill him for pointing out the issue," she added with a grin.
"I did not!" Ryne protested, looking up as a blush crossed her face. "I was just…surprised," she muttered. Asher looked at her again, before turning back to Zoey with a suspicious look. The Yellow Ranger simply smiled in response.
"Fane was complaining that all that work of teaching Ryne manners went out the window, the two were talking so much about it," Ryne gave a frustrated sigh at Zoey's casual shrug.
"I am already going to get a royal earful when I finally get to spend more than two minutes with Fane without being called back here," Ryne crossed her arms in front of her chest, pouting.
"See, when you look like that, you just give us more reasons to call you the baby of the group," Devon said.
"I'm not the baby!" Ryne exclaimed, her ears going pink at the teasing. They just grinned, and her pout grew. "You all suck. Except Steel," she decided, going over to hide behind the half-robot. "You're my only friend," she declared dramatically to him.
"You've made a great choice in friends," Steel told her, so serious that Ryne couldn't stop her laughter.
"Ah, Rangers, there you are," they looked around as Chaku walked into the lab. "Commander Shaw would like to see us," he told them, and their laughter faded. The five Rangers left the room with Chaku, headed back to the command room as Lewis and Asher glanced to each other.
"You saw her face too, huh?" Lewis grinned, and Asher couldn't stop her own grin.
The doors to the command room opened, and Commander Shaw glanced away from the large screen as the Rangers and Chaku walked in.
"Commander, you called for us?" Ravi asked as they stood inside.
"Where's Nate?" she asked, seeing that they were still missing one member of the team.
"I'm here!" they looked around as Nate ran in with Spencer. "Sorry, Commander," Nate apologised, breathless as Spencer moved around to stand with Syd again. She looked curious, and he leaned in to whisper in her ear. Her blue eyes widened at his words.
"Ryjack has been spotted on a rooftop in Sector Victor-5-0," Commander Shaw got straight to the point, and they were surprised by how soon the criminal had appeared.
"Really?" Chaku couldn't hide his surprise.
"Told you that you'd get another chance," Devon nudged him.
"Then there's not a second to waste!" Chaku told them, eager to stop Ryjack once and for all.
"Good luck, team," Commander Shaw called after them as they hurried out to find Ryjack.
"Over here!" Devon spotted Ryjack immediately as they reached the area where he had been spotted. Hearing them approach, Ryjack gave a laugh and turned to them slowly.
"Rangers," he sneered. "I knew you'd all come running. Now, I'll prove how easily I can destroy you all!" Ryjack vowed, having been goaded by Evox and his minions into returning.
"You've threatened this city far too long, Ryjack!" Zoey shouted over to the criminal, who scoffed at her words.
"Not to mention your crimes in the G5 Galaxy," Chaku added.
"Let's take this rhino by the horns! It's Morphin' Time!" Devon shouted. The six called on their Morphers, which appeared in a flash.
"ACTIVATE BEAST POWER!" they Morphed, ready to fight.
"Better reanimate some backup," Ryjack grabbed his Reanimiser to call on some fallen allies.
"Not gonna happen!" Chaku was faster, expecting him to do something. Before Ryjack could activate the device in his hand, the Captain launched himself at him. With a powerful swing of his sword, he caught Ryjack's hand. Crying out in pain, Ryjack couldn't hold onto it, and it went flying away, clattering loudly on the ground.
"Get him!" the fight broke out as Ryjack fended off the group even without the Reanimiser, blocking blasts with his shield. Ryne huffed as even her powers bounced off it.
"We need to get his shield away from him," she called to Chaku as he stood beside her, before the two jumped back as Ryjack fired a bolt of red lightning that narrowly missed all of them.
"Got it," Chaku nodded to her. He ran in once more, and Ryjack moved to block the attack, thinking it was aimed at his body. Chaku then angled his sword, and forced Ryjack's arm up so he could make him let go of the shield.
"My shield, no!" Ryjack knocked Chaku away and tried to grab the shield as it fell, only for it to start glowing blue. It was pulled away before he could get it, and Ryne caught it.
"Nice one, Chaku!" she called to the Captain, who nodded. Ryjack gave a furious shout, but in his distraction he allowed Devon to get close.
"No sword for you either," with a few sharp movements, Devon disarmed him, and the sword went skittering away. Ryjack shouted again, before giving a shriek of pain as Devon spun again and his blade cut through his thick skin.
"You're all out of toys, Ryjack," Nate warned as the criminal fell backwards. Ryne tossed the shield aside, joining the others.
"Not quite!" Ryjack scoffed as he got to his feet. "I've been saving one of my favourites for a special occasion!" he taunted, and they frowned, wondering what he had planned. "I found this gizmo in the ruins of Andresia," he pulled another machine from the pouch on his side.
"What is that?" the Rangers gulped. Ryjack laughed.
"Stand back," he warned, sounding almost gleeful as he activated it. "You're about to find out!" as Ryjack held it up, he vanished into swirling green light that flew off into the air.
"Watch out!" Ryne shouted as the lights grew brighter, and Ryjack reappeared. This time he towered over the city, laughing loudly.
"Whoa!" Nate gasped as the group backed away in alarm. "How is that possible?" he demanded.
"Plenty of villains have had the tech to grow big, I guess one of their devices got left lying around," Ryne gulped. Ryjack's laughter boomed.
"How do you like me now, Rangers?" he taunted with maniacal laughter.
"I've never seen a device like that before," Chaku confessed, horrified at the sudden change.
"Don't worry, we'll handle this," Devon said, not about to back down. Chaku turned to them, and nodded.
"Be careful. Ryjack's a bigger problem than ever," he warned. The Rangers ran off to call on their Zords while Chaku watched, and none of them noticed Scrozzle sneak in to steal the Reanimator before vanishing once more.
"Hurry!" Devon shouted to the others as they ran up the ramp of their Zord, getting ready to fight.
"Beast-X Ultrazord Unleashed!"
Dark clouds gathered over the city as the Ultrazord moved into the city to fight off Ryjack. He laughed, raising his sword and shield as he faced them.
"Hope you're not afraid of the dark!" he taunted.
"Everyone's counting on us, team. Ready?" Devon called, and they all gave a reaffirming shout before they fired their Ultrabeam. However, Ryjack blocked it with his new shield, laughing.
"Back at ya!" he lowered his shield and fired a powerful bolt of red lightning at them. It hit the Ultrazord, making it rumble dangerously as the Rangers were jerked around their cockpits.
"Of course he got his shield back," Ryne grumbled, before giving a cry as the Ultrazord then jerked and fell backwards, overbalancing from Ryjack's tackle. They were then thrown overhead and landed heavily on the ground, sending a tremor through the city. Ryjack gave a roar as he fired another blast at them.
"He's overloading my systems!" Steel warned as he struggled to keep everything under control.
"Try the overrides!" Nate suggested. Ryne cursed, trying everything she could think of as warnings flashed up across the systems.
"Is this the best Grid Battleforce can do?" Ryjack sneered as he finally stopped blasting them, approaching them slowly.
"Come on, come on!" Ryne groaned, hitting the buttons even harder as nothing responded to her.
"Bad news - the attack rendered the Ultrazord inoperable," Nate realised in horror. "Our only option is to reboot the entire system," he groaned.
"Something tells me that Ryjack isn't going to wait around for us to do that," Ryne slumped back in her seat, putting her hands to her helmet as her mind raced for something.
"We're sitting ducks out here," Devon hissed, waiting as Nate frantically worked to reboot the systems.
'Devon, we're in luck,' Chaku's voice reached them, and they looked to the console as he appeared. 'Reptillobeast has entered Earth's orbit!' their eyes widened.
"Just in time," Devon gave a breathy laugh, unable to believe it. Ryne couldn't help but laugh at their luck.
"Summon Reptillobeast!" Chaku joined the fight as he called on his massive robot.
"It was nice knowing ya!" Ryjack taunted, raising his sword over his head as he prepared to finish off the Ultrazord. The Rangers held their breath, waiting, and Ryjack stopped before he could deliver the finishing blow. "Huh?" he looked up as he heard a strange sound above.
"Enforcer Inferno!" Chaku's shout was accompanied by a burst of flame from the Reptillobeast. Ryjack screamed as he was engulfed in the flames, staggering backwards and away from the Ultrazord.
"That thing is crazy strong," Ryne breathed, watching as the Reptillobeast flew overhead with a screech.
"You guys ready?" Chaku shouted to them.
"Thanks, Chaku," Devon grinned. "Reboot complete. We're good to go," he declared, and they pushed the Ultrazord back up.
"Oh no you don't," Ryjack growled, turning back to them as he saw them recover.
"Get ready to jump, team," Devon called a warning to the Rangers.
"Oh yeah," Ryne laughed.
"Weapons systems charged," Zoey responded. They braced themselves for Ryjack's tackle, and jumped with him as he tried to throw them overhead once again.
"Ultrabeam!" Ryjack shrieked once more as he was blasted from behind, and the Ultrazord flipped through the air to kick Ryjack. He tumbled to the ground, groaning weakly from the bombardment of hits.
"Now's your chance to take him out!" Cruise cheered.
"Transport Cheetah Beast Blaster!" Devon hit the transporter on his suit, calling on the weapon. It appeared in his hands as the visor came down over his helmet. "Beast-X Ultra Strike!" Ryjack got back to his feet just in time to be hit by the powerful strike, and gave a scream.
"No! Curse you Power Rangers!" he roared, collapsing once more and exploding.
"Ryjack, eliminated."
Exhausted from the tough fight, but victorious, the Rangers and Chaku returned to Grid Battleforce.
"Congratulations," Zoey was smiling as she turned her attention to Chaku. "Your final enemy is history," she told him as Nate and Devon high-fived.
"Yes, my mission is complete," Chaku said, but he didn't sound as happy as the Rangers had expected. "I can retire from the G5 Galaxy Police. Which means…I'm ready for my new assignment with Grid Battleforce," Chaku walked away from the Rangers and over to Commander Shaw, who had been talking quietly with Spencer. "I'm at your disposal, Commander," he told her. Commander Shaw was quiet for a moment, studying him as Nate walked over to Spencer. The man winked at him, and a smile appeared on his face.
"You don't seem too excited about joining us, Chaku," Commander Shaw noted, taking in his stance.
"I'm pleased to serve the greater good," Chaku replied, but even the Rangers could tell his heart wasn't in it. Commander Shaw nodded, before looking over at Nate and Spencer. Nate's smile widened.
"Before you join us officially, we have a gift for you," the Gold Ranger told him. Chaku's head tilted a little.
"Is this protocol?" he asked Commander Shaw, confused.
"Not really," she admitted, smiling a little herself. "But I believe you're a special case," Commander Shaw explained. Chaku didn't reply, not understanding.
"Follow me, Captain," Nate gestured to the door.
"As you wish," Chaku followed Nate and Spencer out, and the rest of the Rangers followed behind with Commander Shaw. They led the group to one of the hangars, before Devon turned to Chaku with a smile.
"As much as we'd love to have you on our team…"
"There's someone else who needs you even more," Ravi finished for him.
"I'm sorry…I'm not sure I understand," Chaku remained confused as he walked into the hangar. Inside stood a group of eight adults, one of whom rolled their eyes at Spencer.
"Really, Spence? You didn't tell us we'd have an audience," the black-haired woman complained. Spencer shook his head, and turned back to the rest.
"As the Rangers and Commander Shaw suspect, this is the Mystic Force team," he gestured to the eight, who waved back, save for the woman who had spoken. "Including their charming and very welcoming leader, Nora," he added.
"Nice to meet you…" Chaku spoke, but uncertainty was clear in his voice. Nora nodded back.
"Nate filled me in on your…situation," Spencer started, and Chaku turned to the Gold Ranger. "It was purely for the best intentions," he added before Chaku could say anything to him. "We know that your cybernetic implants, the ones that have made you part robot, mean that you can't go home to your daughter. For what it's worth, you're stronger than I am," Spencer managed a small smile.
"Spencer remembered a story that we'd heard, from our parents," Nora spoke up next, a little impatient. "Of a Mercurian who was cursed with a mutation that completely changed how he looked," Ryne's eyes widened as she recognised the story. She'd heard it from Fane.
"In order to help him, our predecessors - Nora's father and Spencer's mother - used magic to return him to how he was before," Andrea, the Pink Mystic, spoke next.
"They restored him to his true self, so to speak," Antonia, her twin sister and the Yellow Mystic, explained. Chaku straightened as it dawned on him.
"And you think you can do the same…for me?" he breathed. "Is that possible?" he asked, looking around as he wasn't sure if he could dare to believe it.
"Of course it is," Barden, the Blue Mystic, grinned.
"With magic, anything's possible," Dante, the Green Mystic, winked.
"You've been a warrior long enough," Commander Shaw said gently. "If you'd like, you can go back to being a dad," she smiled.
"I…I don't know what to say…" Chaku breathed, still in shock.
"Say you'll do it," Diana grinned, and he gave a grunt that was almost a laugh. He nodded, and took a step towards them. He pulled off his helmet, revealing cybernetics that covered half of his face.
"Okay team," Nora grinned, and her magic created a red haze around her hands. "Let's restore this guy to normal, so he can get home to his kid," the others called on their magic, and Chaku began to glow with silver light so bright the others had to shield their eyes.
After a long moment, the lights faded, and the Mystic Force took a step back, breathing heavily from such strong use of their magic. Standing in the middle of them, Chaku had lost the metal that hid his face, and now wore a silver jacket. Slowly, adjusting to the different feeling, Chaku reached up and touched his hand to his face.
"Looking good," Antonia grinned. Nora snapped her fingers, and a mirror appeared in her hand. She held it out to him, and Chaku took it, hesitating before looking at his reflection. A smile crossed his face, and he let out a ragged breath as tears stung at his eyes.
"How can I ever thank you?" he asked, looking up at the group.
"No need to," Nate shook his head.
"We're the ones who owe you," Ryne pointed out with a smile. "You've saved our butts several times already. You saved Ravi and Zoey, and we never would have beaten Ryjack without you," she told him. Chaku smiled.
"Now it's time to go see your daughter," Zoey told him, and his smile widened. He turned to the Mystic Force, who looked proud.
"Thank you, for everything," he told them. Nora waved a hand.
"It's what we do," she said, a little embarrassed by his gratitude. The others grinned, always enjoying it when their leader got embarrassed. Chaku then turned to the other Rangers, and focused on Nate.
"Have no doubt - your parents miss you too, Nate," Nate's eyes widened at Chaku's honest words. "And I know they wish you could all be together. They must be very proud to have a son like you," the others grinned, knowing he was right, and Nate hugged the man. Chaku then walked past, and hesitated. "Before I leave…is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, still unable to believe that they would help him without wanting anything in return.
"Can I have your awesome Reptillobeast?!" Steel exclaimed, and Nate quickly rushed forwards to push Steel away.
"He's just kidding," Nate told Chaku.
"No, I really want it," Steel protested.
"Sorry, Steel," Chaku couldn't help but laugh at the request. "I'm afraid that's Galaxy Police property," he told the Silver Ranger, who groaned.
"Eh, it was worth a shot," he muttered. Ryne giggled, patting his arm.
"Don't worry dude, I wanted to take a closer look at it too," she admitted as the other Rangers giggled. Spencer shook his head, amused, as the Mystic Force looked just as entertained.
"So long, Rangers," Chaku saluted, and vanished in a flash of silver.
"Well, now that that's done," Nora gave a groan as she stretched. "We can get back to our real job," she decided.
"Thanks for the help. It really means a lot," Devon told the group.
"Hey, like Nora said, it's what we do," Barden shrugged. He walked over and patted Ryne's head, and she gave a faint smile. "Rangers help everyone, other Rangers included. If you ever need help, just give us a call," he said.
"Barden taught me a few tricks when I was growing up. Including that spell I used on you, Ravi," Ryne explained.
"Just…give me warning next time you do that," Ravi told her, still remembering the cold burst of water she'd hit him with to cool him off.
"Can you teach me magic?" Steel asked eagerly. The Mystic Force immediately looked wary.
"Uh…can a robot use magic?" Antonia wondered aloud.
"Excuse you, I'm half-robot," hearing her, Steel gave an indignant reply and put his hands on his hips. Ryne giggled.
"Like I thought Rangers couldn't get any weirder," Nora shook her head.
"Hey, you're one of us Nora," Spencer pointed out. She scoffed.
"Don't remind me," she grumbled.
"I can't believe they thought about that story about my grandpa," Fane breathed as she listened to Ryne filling her in on everything that had gone on over the day. The two were sitting in the park, as everything went back to normal. Coral Harbour recovered quickly from the attacks, and Ryne suspected it was thanks to Mayor Daniels, who was finally back after recovering from being split from Evox.
"Me neither. But it worked. The Mystic Force were able to restore Chaku to how he was before the cybernetic implants," Ryne told her, and Fane grinned.
"That's great. I'm glad he was able to go home to his daughter. I can't imagine what it'd be like to not have my dad around," she commented quietly. Ryne hummed her agreement. "Those Galaxy Police guys are kinda insane, turning people into half-robots. It sounds like something dystopian," Fane shuddered, and Ryne couldn't blame her.
"Yeah…Spencer said something about Syd going back to New Tech to talk to Sky about it," she said, having wondered where her predecessor had gone to. Ryne then shook her head. "Let's not talk about work. You're only here for a few more days. What do you want to do?" she asked, making her best friend smile.
"Let's go to that aquarium! The one that Lewis is always hanging out at these days," Fane told her. "Oh, and the beach! And maybe we could check out the botanical gardens that Steel was going on about," she suggested, making Ryne giggle.
"Sure, sounds good," she agreed. "For now, how about we find somewhere to get dinner? I'm starving," Ryne declared, getting to her feet. Fane jumped up too.
"You're always starving," she said, and Ryne rolled her eyes at her. "But sure, I'm pretty hungry too," Fane decided, wrapping her arms around one of Ryne's as they started walking. "Oh, present for you," she pushed a slip of paper into Ryne's hand.
"Uh…what is this?" the Pink Ranger was confused, and Fane grinned.
"Ollie's number," Ryne stopped, her eyes widening.
"But I-"
"Relax, it's not for a date," Fane soothed, pulling her along. "It's just to talk more about all that stuff the pair of you seem to enjoy so much. Unless you want it to be for a date?" she grinned, and was rewarded by a blush across her best friend's cheeks. Ryne's eyebrows furrowed.
"Just to talk about inventions," she said firmly, and as Fane pouted, she gave a faint smile. "For now," she added. Fane gave a loud cheer, and the two started to laugh.
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