The elevator doors dinged as Ray stepped out into the lab.

"Honey?" he called amusedly. "I'm home!"

"Good!" called the reply from down the end. "Just in time; dinner is… nowhere near ready. Or started."

Ray laughed as he dropped his workbag before making his way down the other end, past the large cylindrical machine and over to the wall of computer monitors. There she was, the love of his life; shoulder-length blonde hair, combed just enough to stay out of her face, her eyes glued to the screens as her fingers danced on the keys and her head barely lifting as he stepped up behind her.

"I just assumed that I'd be starting when I got in," Ray admitted.

"And that is why I married, you," Hilary smiled. "That wise, wise mind of yours."

"I just assumed it was so you wouldn't have to eat out of the microwave for your entire life."

"Well, then there's that."

Slamming on the final key, Hilary leaned back, pushing the glasses to her nose before looking at him expectantly with her sparking sapphire eyes. Ray reached down to lightly stroke her chin, lowering closer to bring her lips to his.

"Hi," he smiled as at last he pulled back from the kiss.

"Hi," Hilary smiled back. Then she pulled herself free, pushing herself off her distracting husband to return to her work. "So how was school?" she asked cheekily. "We the kids nice to you on your first day?"

"One day, that joke's going to get old."

"I can assure you that it will not. Did the door work all right?"

Ray fished the keycard from his pocket and placed it beside her on the desk.

"Good thing I knew where the panel was, or else otherwise I'd have never found it."

"That's the idea," Hilary pointed out. "The board might have made me director, but I'd rather keep this section on the down low."

"No need to tell me," Ray agreed. "Sure, beats an empty warehouse. Warmer too."

"I wouldn't put that down as a good thing," said Hilary. "This place can get mighty toasty with the servers properly booted."

"Any idea on when that'll be?"

Hilary flicked her wrist, changing view on another screen as she brought up an overview.

"They're more or less good to go," she explained before nodding to the cylindrical machine behind her. "The same goes for the baby back there. I'm just trying to tighten up the security protocols and make sure they're airtight. The last thing we want is someone tunneling…"

Then there was a beeping as one of the monitors flashed.

"…in."

Her touch sped across the board, firing off commands as fresh lines of text began unrolling on the screen.

"Not good!"

"What is it?"

"They've found us. They're hitting the network to try and drill into the firewall."

For a moment, Ray considered asking exactly how it was possible, only to acknowledge a heartbeat later that he'd never understand her explanation. "But they can't, right?"

Hilary shot him a glance, her face barely moving from the screen. "They're good, but I'm better."

All Ray could do was watch, all too aware of his uselessness as his wife continued punching and swearing at the keyboard. New lines of code, all unreadable to him, all accompanied by more and more flashing lights.

"Oh, that's where you're going," Hilary noted to her invisible enemy, almost sounding impressed. "Too bad I saw that one coming a mile off."

"You're doing great," Ray offered, knowing full well the encouragement was pointless.

But Hilary's attention was still completely captivated by the battle of wits she'd been drawn into, her expression only growing narrower with every fresh line of code.

"Okay, you've had your fun, whoever you are,' she sneered at the screen. "But it's time to lock you out."

As she slammed the final key, the monitors suddenly flashed back to green. For a moment, neither of them moved, both Ray and Hilary wondering whether the cyber attack would have a follow-up. But there was nothing. With the crisis averted, Hilary spun around in the chair triumphantly with a wide grin on her face.

"And that's how we do things in the grown-up league!" she announced proudly, arms wide before looking up at her husband. "Come on, say it. Who's got skills?"

Ray couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You've got skills."

"What kind of skills?"

"…mad skills."

"That's right!" she declared, leaping from the seat and preparing her infamous victory dance. "Mad skills! Mad ski-"

Then all the screens flashed red.

Hilary's face snapped from elation to horror, eyes bulging as she dived for the chair. Her hands hit the keyboard, firing madly at the keys in a frantic panic. Something hissed behind them, an alarm klaxoning around the room. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong. And all Ray could do was watch.

"Dammit. Dammit! Dammit!"

"What is it?" he asked helplessly.

"They got me," Hilary hissed a fury that could well have been as much for herself as their enemy. "I was so focused on the breach I didn't see what they were going for!"

"And that was?"

The answer didn't come from her but behind him. A bang of a bursting pipe, hissing steam streaming from the ruptured valve as the entire machine at the center of the lab began violently rumbling. Like a caged beast thrashing to get free; free of a cage not strong enough to hold it. Ray gulped down a lump in his throat, heart seizing as he turned slowly with his mouth a gape to gawk at the thrashing machine.

"They got into the Mk II," Hilary told him urgently. Her gaze was darting between four different monitors in a desperate bid to undo the damage. "They weren't in long enough to pull any data, but they triggered an overload before I booted them!"

"Which means?"

"It's about to explode."

"It's about to WHAT?"

"I'm working on it!"

Ray finally managed to pull his jaw shut, teeth clenching tight as the rumbling grew more and more violent, raging against the brackets that bolted it to the ground as more and more tubes burst from the surface. Steam began billowing everywhere, its screen flashing a frightened red with alarms blaring from within as a final warning of what was coming.

Looking around, Ray realized with horror the reality they were facing. In a bunker this small, there was nowhere to hide from the blast. It would blow apart any cover they could find. And then them with it.

"I've got it!" Hilary announced, desperately shaking as she continued jumping between programs. "I'm rerouting the overload into the excess energy storage, triggering the purge protocol and forcing it to vent! Hopefully, any excess energy will flush out all at once and neutralize any possible meltdown."

"Hilary, English!"

Her thumb snapped over her shoulder. "Digitizer!" she snapped. "Digi-pulse means no boom!"

"Thank you!"

And then another problem hit him. "Hang on," Ray realized. "Last time we were next to one of those things when it pulsed, it…"

"We've already got Bio-Digital fields around our bodies," Hilary explained. "That should leave us immune to the aftereffects."

"Should?"

"Do you want to be blown to bits instead?"

Ray gulped down as the Digitizer's shaking grew more and more violent. A gamble either way and it was easy to choose which odds he preferred.

"Do it," he nodded.

"Engaging purge," Hilary confirmed. Both of them breathed in and pulled themselves into a determined calm as Hilary booted the program and inputted the override code. And then she hit confirm.

The rumbling didn't stop, only growing as more and more energy built inside, building in intensity as more steam whistled from any unsealed crevice, now so strong that seemed like it would burst from its confines. But now it wasn't just shaking now. Through the alarms and whistling of steam, through the sound of clanging metal desperate to hold back the back beast, Ray could hear something else.

A whirring.

Of a power deep within, spinning like a vortex, every rapid rotation faster and stronger, building upon the internal forces that were only growing in strength. A strength that was about to be unleashed. For a moment, Ray's mind flashed, an unwitting recollection of a fateful night fifteen years prior, when he stood beside a similar device right before its energy had unleashed.

If the device then had been acting like the one now, then that night Ray might have run for hills before the digital energy got any chance to touch his skin. Now it was a million times worse, and he was willingly standing next to it.

The whirring continued growing, louder and louder until, Ray was certain that overpowering the initial overload, and with one final gulp of bravery, he shared a nervous look with his wife. He moved without thinking. As a deafening boom sounded through the lab, Ray hurled himself across Hilary's path in an instinctive bid to shield her.

And then the pulse unleashed.


This 'following' idea was looking worse and worse by the minute, and with every step they took, Erika's pride was struggling more and more to convince her to keep going. First, they couldn't find Granger, not a single sign of him at all after they'd entered. No lights on inside, no doors left open behind him. It was as if the man had just upped and vanished.

Then, only after the three of them had scoured the bottom floor for any clue of where he could have gone, Abbey pointed out the entire museum would have been covered with cameras. Which meant that anyone watching would know already they were there, and they needed to leave before they were caught and nabbed for trespassing.

"You know what?" Zeke said nervously, looking at Erika sheepishly as Abbey continued with her disapproving glare. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

Great, so much for that plan. If Zeke was saying it now, then Abbey was about a second away from convincing him to turn back. And for all the tough game Erika liked to talk, there was no way she was going to skulk around the creepy museum by herself.

Abbey shot her a look, a silent but pointed "told you so" that was Erika's only chance to take the out with her pride intact.

And that's when the entire floor began to shake. All three teens froze, eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

"What was that?" Abbey gasped.

Erika hushed her, eyes shooting down as she focused on the strange sensation coming through the floor. To the heavy vibrations growing more and more powerful with every second.

"So, I'm not the only one feeling that then?" Zeke asked desperately, voicing staining to betray his hopeful denial.

But he wasn't, and they were getting worse.

By now the whole floor was shaking so badly that the museum's cabinets were trembling, glass rattling against their frames like they were shivering in all-consuming terror. But that wasn't all that was happening now; now there was a whirring, muted at first by the floor but growing sharper and sharper. Like something that was growing at an exponential rate. Like something about to blow.

Coming to the same conclusion, Erika and Abbey locked eyes, a fear shared between them as they snapped to Zeke in confirmation. They were right, this was a mistake. One that was far graver than they had any hope of realizing.

Fear, at last, took hold of them, overriding their panicked indecision as at last their bodies unfroze. All of them spun around, eyes snapping to the open as their instincts screamed at them to flee while they still had a chance.

But now it was far too late.

The whirring beneath reached its peak, sharpening pitch and almost screeching as the three teens rushed for dear life to the beckoning threshold. But there was nowhere to run, and no way their legs could carry them to safety in time.

In the time it took for Erika to scream the word 'RUN', the energy unleashed from below and consumed the three teenagers in a blinding lilac light.

And then all Erika saw was white.


The purpose energy erupted from the Digitizer, cracking like a thunderclap with all the explosive force. Ready for what was coming, Ray dived away toward his wife, grabbing hold of Hilary and tackling her to the ground as the computers began bursting into a raining display of searing sparks. All around them, monitors were fritzing into haywire, some of them bursting as the liquid crystals superheated and shattered inside their frames. Like a flower in bloom, the wave kept growing, larger and larger from its epicenter as all around it was consumed, blowing the lights as it hit the walls and the edges of the pulse smashed into the ceiling before sinking through.

And then, just as quickly as the pulse as it had flashed, it was quiet.

For a moment they lay on the ground, huddling in each other's arms, neither daring to take a breath as if waiting for the other shoe to stop. And then, exhaling in relief, Ray rose to help Hilary to their feet as they began to survey the damage. Some of the lights were still on, bulbs flickering as the emergency globes on the walls kicked in. Then, one by one, the monitors turned back on.

"Well, that was dramatic," Ray decided. "Never thought computer hacking would be so intense."

But Hilary wasn't sharing in his celebration, eyes staring into the distance like she was awaiting some yet-unseen horror. And then, like saying it aloud was admitting the truth to herself, she said to him calmly, "It's about to get worse."

Slowly but surely, Ray's heart slowed, realizing the quiet fear shuddering through his wife's voice as he looked around at the already damaged lab. "What do you mean worse?"

"Whoever this is, they're playing me like a fiddle," Hilary replied. "That pulse just hard reset all our systems."

And that was when it hit him, finally catching up with the realization Hilary likely made before she even set off the pulse. With the Digitizer going into overload, Hilary would have had no choice but to purge the energy cache, which could only mean that their enemy knew what would come next. Feeling the color draining from his face, Ray slowly turned and at last met Hilary's gaze.

"But then that means…" he gulped, dreading the confirmation as Hilary nodded.

"The firewall's down."

Their enemy didn't need to take down their defense, Hilary had done it for them, and their lab was now an open platter.

Just as she said it, there was glowing at the edge of the room, small specs of light suddenly growing in size as Ray instinctively whipped back with his hands raised in guard. It had been years since he'd needed it, but his old martial arts muscle memory held firm. And he'd never been more grateful for it. The light continued growing, and the whiteness expanded into an outer green glow, searing downwards and shrinking into humanoid shapes.

Shapes they were all too familiar with.

"Byte-Bots," Ray growled in recognition, fists already tightening as threatening figures emerged from the light. "Looks like these guys have had upgrades."

One by one, the robots marched toward them, weapons raised and fanning out as the two former Rangers backed toward the computer.

"I can send them back," Hilary told him. "I just need to get the firewall back up and it should fry unwanted digital presence in the building."

"How much time do you need?"

"Whatever you can get me."

Then Ray stepped forward, body shifting into a fighting stance. Then the robots lunged.


The blast had sent them flying, soaring in all directions as the wave swept them from their feet and scattered them across the ground with a heavy thump. Erika had no idea how long she lay there, stunned by the strange force that had thrown her, nothing but the fading blinding light in the insides of her eyes as her vision slowly returned to normal. But she did feel the bruises swelling up her body, and the strange tingling flushing throughout. It was like every limb had fallen asleep and rushed back awake all at once.

But she was alive.

Slowly, Erika pulled herself up, her head pounding as her vision began to clear as she slowly saw the others pull themselves off the floor.

"What was that?" she groaned.

"Go into the museum," Abbey grumbled. "It'll be fine…"

"Okay, you were right, bad idea," Erika agreed.

"Ahh, guys?"

The two of them looked to where Zeke was staring, both of them gasping as they saw what suddenly greeted them.

They were no longer alone. Figures stepped from the shadows, rows of them, movements rigid with their bodies encased in some sort of metallic armor. Their faces were fully concealed behind matching helmets, expressionless features save for the eyes that glared menacingly through circular orbs of glowing green. Their movements were stiff, their heads tilting at them like some sort of curiosity.

But they did not look friendly.

Almost on instinct, the trio snapped tightly together, Abbey and Zeke huddling behind Erika as the newcomers took a purposeful step forward.

"Museum security?" Abbey suggested, more a begging hope than anything realistic.

But Zeke was far less optimistic. "Somehow I don't think the city sprung for something this advanced," he gulped.

Dammit.

"Geek boy?" Erika hissed, "You're into that weird cosplay stuff, right? Are these buddies of yours?"

Zeke shook his head but only slightly. "Normally I'd be insulted, but right now I'm wishing you were right."

"What do we do?" Abbey whispered, eyes shooting to Erika.

She took a step back, just one, and the robots tensed at the movement.

Definitely not friendly.

"Only one thing we can do," Erika decided, taking one deep breath for courage. "RUN!"

The two behind didn't wait to argue, spinning and taking off as fast as their feet would let them. All three of them bolted, faster than they'd ever thought possible, running for dear life into the depths of the museum as the robots took off after them.

"In here!" Erika called, snapping into a doorway.

The others didn't question it, rushing inside as Erika snatched the handle and slammed it shut. Hoping to gain some headway, Zeke's hands slapped onto the abandoned cleaner's cart, spinning it around as he shoved it in front of the doorway.

It didn't even slow them down. The door burst from the hinges, the cart scattering on the ground as the robots piled in pursuit,

"Oh, come on!" Zeke groaned as Erika's hand snatched his shoulder, yanking him away as more and more robots clambered into the room after them.

Erika desperately scanned for an exit, any way out of this hopeless hell that she'd led them into. But it was no use; their pursuers had chased them deeper in, corralling them further and further from the exit and cutting off any hope of escape. Whatever chance they had now, it was in hiding.

But they couldn't do that together. Up ahead, Erika saw a split in the hall and made a judgement, picking up speed and taking off down the center as she bellowed at her companions. "Split up!"

She just had to hope that they listened to that one too. Her feet pounded the tile, every step rocketing her further and further forward as her breathing started to heave. To run out. And then, at last, her heart finally sunk as she saw what lay ahead of her.

A dead end!

All of a sudden, it was as if something else had taken over, like Erika's mind had relinquished control and all she was doing was watching as her body moved without input. She didn't stop, rocketing at top speed toward the wall with the robots hot on her heels. Then her limbs moved all on her own. Her foot snapped up, planting hard into the surface as she launched herself high and vaulted. Racing up the wall, she jumped, backflipping over the robots as the front pair collided with the wall. Erika's eyes widened, gasping in shock at how effortless she was gliding over, flipping above the equally stunned robots to land behind them in a crouch.

Heart pounding, jaw agape in shock, Erika slowly rose. The corridor behind her was now empty, she had all the room she needed to make another run for it. But instead, Erika's fists curled tightly into balls, eyes narrowing as she glared at the robots that were readying to lunge at her again. Because she was done running.

Her counselor was not going to be happy about this.

Her body shifted to an unknown command, hands raising into a guard as she looked at them daringly and breathed in anticipation. And then, as if psyching herself up, she uttered an acceptance of what was about to happen.

"Cowabunga it is."

When the first one lunged, Erika already knew what to do; or at least her body did.

Erika dodged, body leaning to avoid the strike and feet skidding in swerve as her arm snapped up to parry the next. Then she struck, battering away the blow and kicking at the third robot to plant her shoe into its chest. As her assailant clambered back, a hand lashed out to grab her wrist. But Erika was already moving. As quick as thought, she snatched her arm free, whipping the robot around as she kicked its backside to send it hurling into its comrades.

Then her hand lashed out, striking at who she thought was coming next. She thought wrong; the robot was too far away.

It didn't matter.

As Erika's arm extended, her fist began to glow, a warm crimson growing to white hot. As her punch snapped out, a loud crack echoed through the corridor, unleashing a scarlet bolt of lightning at her foe. The bolt split the air, striking the bot in the center of the chest to send it careening into the wall with a scorched hole in its breastplate.

Erika could stare at her arm, slack-jawed in disbelief as the smoke continued wisping from her knuckles. But she couldn't gawk for long. The other three beside her were already rising to their feet. She knew she could fight, but this was a whole new level. But this was the wrong time to be staring the gift horse in the mouth.

"All right boys," Erika decided, raising her arms into a guard in readiness for another bout. "You still want to dance? Then let's dance."


Abbey was having far less fun. She'd split down the left, hoping barely any would follow. False hope. She skidded to a stop, eyes widening in horror as she realized where she'd run to. She was back in the main lobby, back where she'd started.

Her eyes scanned the room in panic, desperate for a place to hide and overwhelmed by the volume of choices. Too long. The pounding footsteps came after her, reeling around the corner as the robots charged right for her.

And all Abbey could do was freeze.

Her attackers lunged, and Abbey shrieked as her arms snapped high to shield her. But the never blow came. Or rather, it never landed. The robot thundered in, leaping into a rocketing tackle. But as it reached her, it kept on moving, shifting through her body to tumble to the ground on the other side.

Hearing the noise and feeling no touch, Abbey peaked from a squinted eye. The other robots were staring at her, just as surprised as she was. Her head whipped around, staring at the dazed android on the floor.

"Whoa," she stammered. "H… how…?"

Seeing her distraction, another moved in to grab her shoulder. What happened next was instinct. Her hand snapped up, snatching the unwanted fingers and twisting. With the joint as the fulcrum, she whipped around the assailant's arm, spinning him before kicking it in the backside.

"I'm sorry!" Abbey squeaked. "I don't know how I did that!"

But the robots were finished with their confusion, already circling in as the one on the floor climbed to its feet. They descended upon her, all of them, all at once, and Abbey could only shriek as she leaped backward in desperation. Her footing stumbled, balance abandoning her as she hit the hard coldness of the glass cabinet behind her.

Nowhere to run.

Or so she thought.

Seeing her backed against the display, a robot lunged as Abbey continued falling. Her entire body shifted through the glass, surface undisturbed as she fell, plummeting through the cabinet like it was empty air and tumbling out the other side. Far too committed with too much momentum and the cabinet now between them, the robot crashed into the glass.

Abbey rolled, somehow landing on her feet as her remaining two assailants descended. She side-stepped, feet dancing around as she spun past the attack and kept moving, dropping low for her leg to sweep the feet.

As that one dropped, she kept on moving, but already the other was on her. It punched, and Abbey's palm snapped up to block. Then another, and then another!

And then, as it struck once more in time to Abbey's block, she grabbed it. Wriggling with the arm in her grip, she spun and bolted, lunging toward the wall with the robot held on tight. Abbey moved through without effort, passing through the plaster like it wasn't even there. The robot was a different story.

It continued moving with her, but not all of it. The arm folded through the space, but as Abbey's eyes widened in realization, it stopped with a heavy-sounding thump. Hitting the ground on the other side, safe if only for a moment, Abbey slowly rose to look back at the wall.

There was a singular arm poking through it, the wall folded seemly around it, wriggling as it clapped against the surface. It was stuck.

"Okay," Abbey decided, finally allowing herself a breath of relief. "That's probably coming up in therapy."

Then she took off down the hall, desperate to find her friends.

Hoping they were okay.


For Zeke, this was starting to feel like a repeat of his morning. Only now there were four of them, and this time Erika wasn't there to save him. Two of them were on him immediately, grabbing his arms on either side to hold him still. Zeke writhed in their grasp, desperate to break free and eyes widened in horror as the third robot planted a heavy boot into his chest.

The kick collided and his captors released, hurling him backward to sending him skidding across the floor. But the robots weren't done, rushing while he was down to finish him for good.

All Zeke could do was raise a helpless hand in a desperate bid to stop them. And he did.

As the robots rushed him, a golden bubble burst to life around Zeke, a shining barrier surrounding him completely and sealing him inside. The robots collided with it, heads banging against the surface with maximum force before bouncing off and stumbling.

All Zeke could do was stare, watching as the light vanished and three robots staggered back, clutching their heads. But knew he wasn't done, already feeling his fists curling into fists as his eyes narrowed toward them. Zeke had no idea how he knew it, but he knew he could take them.

And now it was his turn.

With his enemy staggered, he lunged, launching himself right at the robots before they had any chance to recover. His arms wrapped around their waists as he reached them, bull-rushing backward with all his might as he kept on moving. Then, just as suddenly, he stopped, sending them skidding back and flailing to regain balance as he jumped up and twisted. With all his momentum carrying him, his legs snapped out, kicking his sneakers into their chests to send them sprawling across the ground. The robot tumbled backward, crashing into a nearby cabinet just as the other three others closed in.

Zeke let them.

As the first one engaged, the golden forcefield sprung back up, slamming it into the head before Zeke twisted into a kick that sent it sprawling. Seeing their comrade go down, another one swung a punch. But Zeke was already ducking, jabbing into the side before spinning away. Unprepared for the jerky movement, the third robot had already begun to strike, and instead its fist cracked into the faceplate of his comrade.

But as Zeke grinned to admire his handiwork, a flickering movement caught his eye, his hope sinking as he saw that already another was coming right at him.

Only it never got the chance.

Something sharp cracked through the air, a flash of red light as the robot jolted forward and crashed face-first into the floor with smoke rising from its back. Behind it, Erika was standing in the corridor, had outstretched at steaming.

"Come on!" she yelled, motioning him to follow.

She didn't wait for a reply, and Zeke didn't need to tell her twice. They took off down the hall, back the way they came, recovering robots taking off after them. Then just as suddenly, Abbey appeared beside them, matching their stride as all three bolted in desperate flight.

"Where did you come from?" Zeke demanded.

"I..."

But before she could answer, they'd reached the central chamber, now a trashed ruin littered with shattered glass. Right back where they'd started, and their pursuers had already caught up to them.

"Explain later," said Erika growled, spanning around to face the robots as the other two did the same. Now she faced them, staring them down as they came toward them. Zeke stood beside her, and so did Abbey.

This time, as the robots closed in, the three teens stood tall and together, fists raised in nervous but defiant stances.

And this time, none of them were running.


Ray's back hit the metal railing as the robot pushed him backward. Seeing the next blow coming, he ducked to let the metal fist soar above him and clang into the casing of the machinery.

"Careful with that!" Hilary warned him. "I just stopped it exploding!"

"You can put up that firewall whenever you're ready!" Ray reminded her.

Gripping the railing, he flung up his feet, kicking a coming robot square in the chest to slam it into its comrades. Landing and backing up to gain some distance from his enemy, Ray's eyes narrowed, letting the energy built up inside his body roar to the surface as he unleashed it. As the robots hurried to catch him, a barrage of twin lasers burst from Ray's eyes, blasting the front ranks of robots into piles of smoldering parts and giving him a moment to breathe.

Not much of one though.

Undeterred by the blasting of their comrades, the row behind surged forward, forcing Ray on the backfoot as the flanks thundered past to their true destination. Hilary.

"Behind you!"

Hilary didn't even look. The robot charged at her with its weapon raised, a long, curved sword that it brought straight down on the programmer. It thunked on the back of her head.

With nothing but a furious annoyance, usually reserved for her brother, Hilary slowly turned as liquid metal began crawling across her face. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

Stumbling back in confusion, the robot swung in a punch, but Hilary simply caught it in a now completely metallic hand. Then, with the robot's fist still in her grip, she whipped away her arm, tearing at the robot's body and taking the entire arm with it. With a mighty blow, Hilary swung it back around, smacking the robot with the backhand of its arm to send it flying.

"Never mind," Ray called back, ducking beneath another blow. "How's it coming?"

"Longer every time you ask me about it!"

As Ray leaped into a tornado kick, Hilary spun back to the computer, metal receding as her fingers frantically punched at the keys. Then, at last, she finished the final line, hands dancing across the keyboard as the coding reflected back at her.

"Now!"

She slammed the confirmation, button depressing at full force as another pulse burst out from the machine. Where the last one at been electric lilac, this was one gold in color. It was lighter, softer.

To Ray and Hilary anyway.

It surged outwards, booming like a firework, slamming into any robot in its path as it continued traveling and sunk into the walls. As the wave connected, the robots began convulsing, steam sizzling from the gaps in their armor as their forms began disintegrating. The robots flailed, turning to run and desperate to flee as the wave out sped at them, turning them to dust, one by one as it caught them.

Then the room fell silent. Out of breath, Ray buckled over, panting heavily as he braced against the railing for balance and Hilary glared judgmentally at the dusty robot remains.

"That's just what I need," she grumbled. "Housecleaning."


The three teens whirled back-to-back, blocking and striking as the robots came at them from all sides to find a gap. But their survival instinct was too strong, kicked into overdrives in ways they couldn't explain as they ducked and weaved together. Against their united defense, the robots were like water on rock.

"We have to get out of here!" Abbey warned.

"Captain Obvious much?" Erika ducked, leaping into a spinning kick that cracked another backward.

But Abbey was still right. The three were on defense, and the robots had them pinned. They were holding their own, but they weren't gaining ground.

Then it came, rising from beneath, just like before, a golden wave of light bursting from the ground. It caught the robots instantly, frying them at the ankles as they flailed at the touch, and before the teens' eyes, the robot bodies vanished into ash. The golden wave kept moving, washing over their bodies as it kept going. Yet the three remained unharmed, the glow moving past them before pushing through the walls and ceiling and vanishing for good.

A silence fell throughout the museum.

All that remained of the robots were their outlines on the floor, already fading to the disturbance of a breeze.

"I'm getting out of here," Abbey said immediately. "Unless there are any other good ideas you plan to ignore?"

"Nope," Erika agreed. "I'm all ears. Let's go."

"But," Zeke protested. "What were those things? And what happened to us? How could we-?"

"Run now, ask later," Erika warned. "I don't want to be here if those freaky things show up again."

"Finally," Abbey cried. "Reason!"

The trio bolted for the door, back toward the corridor through which they'd entered. Soon they were running into the night, desperate to put the horror behind them, and completely unaware of how their lives had just changed forever.


Ender could only stare at the screen, watching as one by one the signals of the Cyberdrones deactivated, rows of lights blinking out into nothingness. All of them; gone.

"It seems that your devious tactics were not enough," ArcKnight mused. "For all your scheming, you were unable to deliver Dr. Hawkins to our master."

"A disappointing setback," Ender agreed, "but not a total waste. We now have an updated assessment of their combat abilities. It seems they're every bit the adversary they once were."

"I would agree," Xaviax mused behind them. "It seems we underestimated their tenacity."

"Master," Ender groveled. "I know that my plan was unsuccessful, but if you were to give me another chance…"

"You will have the opportunity again, Ender," Xaviax replied wistfully. "But for now, I agree with ArcKnight, we are beyond the time for subtlety. If Dr. Hawkins is content to stay hidden behind her defenses, then we will need to find a way to draw her out."

"At last, reason," ArcKnight said proudly. "What is it you are proposing, master?"

"Hawkins and Granger are a formidable team when they are together," Xaviax conceded. "But when separated, both are more vulnerable. And if he we hold the person that Hawkins holds most dear, then she will have no choice but to comply with our demands."

"Ooooh, devious," Ender giggled. "What a truly maleficent way to put up the pressure!"

"So soon after the initial attack," ArcKnight noted. "They will be suspicious."

"Which is why we must strike when they are no longer," Xaviax mused. "Ender, prepare another batch of Cyberdrones. I want all of them ready when the opportunity presents itself."

"Consider it done!" the monster maker gave a theatrical bow and traipsed out of the throne room. As the doors hissed behind him, Xaviax rose to look upon the city below.

"Soon, with Granger in our possession, Hawkins will be too," he said. "Look upon the world as you see it, ArcKnight. All the ruin, the stagnation. Our victory is almost at hand; for soon this world will be remade. Perfect, absent of suffering."

"It will be your triumph, master."

"Yes, it will be." From beneath his iron mask, Xaviax's lips curled into a devious smile. A smile that knew all too well of the chaos that was coming. "Once we have Hawkins," he decided darkly, "all will be complete."

To be Continued…


NEXT TIME:

As Xaviax grows more determined to capture Doctor Hawkins, he sets his eyes on a new target; her husband Ray. While Ray and Hilary hurry to mount a proper defense against their new enemy, the teens grapple with the existence of their new powers. With tensions rising and faced with what they'd long thought impossible, the three of them soon stare down their greatest dilemma.

Will they accept the responsibility that comes with their new abilities?

Are they ready to take the step to become the city's defenders?

And why is Xaviax so relentlessly pursuing Dr Hilary Hawkins?

Find out next time on:

POWER RANGERS

SERVER FORCE

Reboot the System- Part II

Power Rangers: Server Force is a fan-made team of Rangers, and not explicitly based on any other existing Rangers or Sentai property, with artwork character models created through Hero Forge.

Power Rangers- Sever Force updates on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you like what you read, you can always drop a comment to let me know, and don't forget to subscribe/ follow to find out the second I update. Until next time, may the Power Protect You.