Episode 14
Error 404- Part II
An eerie silence hung about the viewing chamber, like a dark and menacing cloud that silently loomed before the dropping of a storm. Neither Ender nor ArcKnight spoke, staring at the floor with the fear that even the slightest movement would draw their master's ire.
Xaviax stood behind them, the orange glows of dusk descending beneath the boundary of the floor to bask him in further shadow. Then at last, like a valve had been slightly turned, his airy voice issued a command to release the building pressure.
"Ender," he decided. "Is your monster ready?"
"Almost," the maker admitted. "It will need a field test for a few parameters, and there's still the matter of the frequency collection. But the prototype should be ready to unleash in a matter of hours."
"Make it so," Xaviax nodded.
Ender turned, only to hesitate and share an awkward look with ArcKnight. Xaviax had still made no mention of the elephant in the room. Of the betrayal from one of their own.
"Master," ArcKnight entreated. "Are you not concerned with Mileena's rebellion? She could inform the Rangers of our plans."
Xaviax merely turned, and the normally unflappable warrior staggered back in the face of his icy glare. "Mileena is of no concern to us," said Xaviax. "The abandoning of her function is regrettable and unfortunate, but not something that I am unable to account for. It seems in reawakening and adjusting her to our needs, we activated core programming that Gideon had previously suppressed. But no matter; Mileena is of no real significance."
"With all due respect, my Lord," Ender attempted. "Mileena was within the fold for some time. She could well know more than we realize."
"Ever since the Dark Ranger incident, I have kept her at arm's length," Xaviax said coldly. "She possesses no actionable information for our immediate or long-term plans. As for other matters that she has been privy to, I've long ago made precautions in that area."
Still, they seemed uncertain, uneasy with the idea that their former ally was now in a position to foil their plans.
"Have no fear, you two," Xaviax chuckled. "Continue about your tasks, I can assure you that the opportunity will be presented to express your displeasure with Mileena."
Ender's solemn face slowly twisted into a sinister smile in recognition of his master's intent. ArcKnight seemed less convinced.
"My lord?"
"Mileena came from the data stream," Xaviax explained. "It was our programming that gave her life. And what was given can just as readily be taken away. She can enjoy her time as the Ranger's pet android. Soon enough she will receive the only appropriate reward for a rogue and unreliable program. Complete and total deletion."
It felt like all Lena could do was stare at the ceiling, lying on the too-soft mattress while folded into borrowed sheets and night clothes. A soft light was creeping through the window, heralded by the chirping robins on the ledge. The room was comfortable; spacious, but light and secure.
And Lena had no idea what to do with any of that.
It was strange, too strange, far from the tiny bunk she'd had on Gideon's airship, with minimal light and the grumbling engines beneath her. Her tiny quarters she'd been assigned in Xaviax's headquarters hadn't been much better; just enough room to recharge and store the belongings she required for her infiltration of the school. By comparison, these four walls felt like a mansion. And it was far more than Lena ever deserved.
What was she doing?
These people were her enemy; or had been until barely twelve hours before. And now she was sleeping beneath their roof? This had to be a trick, there had to be another shoe about to drop as Lena lay vulnerable within their sanctum. And yet, as she'd lain there that night, one eye open and ready for some late-night intruder to enter and end her, Lena had experienced nothing of the sort. And when she finally awoke, having surrendered to her body's demand for rest, she found herself still in the same room, exactly as it had been before. Undisturbed, and left at peace.
Ray and Hilary were giving her sanctuary, a haven from Xaviax's inevitable wrath, and all Lena could think about was how undeserving she was of it all. Quite soon those same thoughts followed the train to the alternative, if they'd denied her sanctuary or if she'd chosen to venture out on her own.
Xaviax would have inevitably been on her in seconds.
And still, that seemed like a far less daunting experience compared to the one Lena found herself preparing for. To step outside and face them, the people who were now doing all they could to care for her. To feel the shame from all she'd done, the unease with which she was forced to accept their aid. To face the people she had once sworn to destroy. But eventually, Lena glumly conceded that an eternity in the provided room was not a viable long-term solution, that either hunger or the need to relieve herself would eventually take hold, and she rose the tangled sheets and moved toward the door.
With a breath of luck, she steeled herself and daintily shuffled over the threshold to what awaited her. Ray and Hilary were both by the kitchen counter, fully dressed with a half-finished platter of bacon and eggs between them. Hilary was sitting on a stool, leaning against the bar with her gaze fixed discerningly at the tablet in front of her, while Ray stood behind it, looking up and smiling as he finished his steaming cup of coffee.
"Morning," he said warmly. "We've got some breakfast here if you're hungry."
"That's okay," Lena replied, lying through her teeth as the siren scent of bacon wafted toward her. She was uncomfortable enough with their hospitality, she didn't need the guilty uncertainty that came with eating their food as well.
"How'd you sleep?" Hilary asked.
"Good."
And then the silence fell between them once again.
She could tell the married couple were shooting each other uncertain looks, each almost pleading with the other to keep talking. Meanwhile, Lena continued to stand, shrinking in the doorway, stuck between a prideful sense of self-sufficiency and the desperate pleading to fill her stomach with the delicious-smelling breakfast. A pleading she hoped would remain silent.
Eventually, it was Hilary who spoke.
"Abbey swung past," she said, reaching to grab a set of square, paper shopping bags. "She wasn't sure if your whole "clothes changing" thing was just restricted to your armor. She thought you might want something clean."
Abbey? She really went to all of that trouble? Just how many of those bags were there?
"She insists that they're all hand-me-downs," Ray added, noting her discomfort. "And she also wanted you to know that you don't have to take any of it; she just wanted you to have the options."
Slowly approaching, like a mouse toward a piece of cheese while knowing that a cat was on the prowl, Lena took the bags and peered inside. Everything a girl could need, all packed up and folded neatly for her convenience.
Too much. It was all too much! They had to want something, why else would they be going to all this trouble? What other possible reason could they be offering her sanctuary, shelter, and clothing if there wasn't something in it for them? And the worst part was that while Lena could guess what it was they wanted, it was also the one thing she couldn't give.
"So, I, uh," she said awkwardly. "I guess you want to know what Xaviax is planning, right?"
Ray and Hilary shared another look of discomfort.
"Only if that's something you want to tell us," said Ray. "But you don't owe us anything. Your stay here isn't conditional, it can be as long as you need it to be."
"He's right," Hilary agreed. "If you want to help us take down Xaviax, we're not going to say no. But we know a choice like that wouldn't be easy, and we're not going to force it if it's not what you want."
But that… that didn't make any sense! How could they be willing to protect her if she wasn't earning her keep? And no matter her feelings about fighting against her former master, Lena knew it wouldn't be her choice for long. In all likelihood, Xaviax was going to come after her the moment she stepped outside the firewall. Ray and Hilary may be offering hospitality, but as long as Xaviax was threatening her, Lena's new lodgings would be a prison, just the same.
And then there was the other problem.
"I don't know how much help I would be," said Lena. "Xaviax actively kept me out of his plans ever since he failed to keep control of Miguel. And anything else he told me it…"
She trailed off, face scrunching as she desperately attempted to summon the knowledge from the recesses of her memory. But it was like a faded shape of smoke, one that vanished as her grasp sealed around it, seeping through her fingers to reform just beyond the range of recognition. There, but indiscernible.
Which meant Xaviax had meddled with her memory.
"I…" she tried to explain, "I know it's there, but it's like something's stopping me from accessing it. It's like I can feel the space that it's occupying, but I can't open the box."
Both former Rangers nodded contemplatively, sharing a silent conversation. Then Ray finished his coffee, rinsing out the cup to place it in the drying rack before moving the elevator at the far end of the apartment.
"Then let's see if we can get to the bottom of that," Hilary decided.
"I've got some things I need to do downstairs," said Ray. "Are you going to be all right up here?"
"Sure are," she replied before turning toward Lena. "Why don't you freshen up? The bathroom's the door in the middle, we've already put out a towel for you. Then I thought we might go downstairs to the lab; I just want to run a few tests if that's okay?"
"Are you trying to see if Xaviax left any nasty surprises?" Lena asked bluntly, only for Ray and Hilary to avoid eye contact in a guilty confession. "No, you're right. Truth is, even I don't know all the ways that he messed with my programming. For all I know, all of this has just been one sinister attempt to get me into your base. If he was willing to hide a control program in the Dark Morpher, then he could easily have done the same to me. And if he has, then I want to know."
Maybe she was over-elaborating, and for a moment Lena wondered if her adamance was coming out like trying too hard. But at her acceptance, Ray and Hilary both relaxed instead.
"Thank you," Hilary conceded. "We know it's awkward, and we don't want it to feel like we don't believe you. But we have to be sure, for your sake as well as ours."
As she took the generous bag of donated clothes, noticing that Hilary left out the last of the remaining breakfast, Lena couldn't help but be thankful that the precaution was being taken. Not when Lena no longer had any idea what she was capable of.
Or what she even wanted that to mean.
"So, no one thinks it's weird?"
Miguel's attention shifted in Zeke's direction as Abbey's gloved hand darted toward him. His eyes widened, sidestepping just as time as Abbey pulled back and winced.
"Sorry!" she grimaced. "I thought you were ready."
"No, it's okay," Miguel admitted. "Cyberdrones aren't exactly going to give me a warning, are they?"
With the weekend upon them, the team had decided to meet for some morning training and had paired off to practice. Ray stood between the duos, giving pointers and noting openings for them to correct. But for all their dedication, all of them were distracted. There was a nervousness that hung about the room, an air that hung with a peculiar density that slowed their thoughts and movements. An elephant in the room that none knew how to address.
Lena.
And much as Miguel wanted to pretend it was all fine, he couldn't blame Zeke for bringing it up.
"I mean, I can't be the only one thinking it, right?" Zeke pressed as he sent a pummeling flurry to Erika's guard. "The same Lena who swore to destroy us? And now she's just sleeping upstairs?"
"You got a better idea?" Erika pointed out as she shifted gears and pushed him on the defensive. "It's like Miguel said. It's not like we haven't had plenty of second chances."
"Sure, but there's a big difference between "accidentally getting your teammates turned into dolls" and "I tried to wipe them from existence"."
"Says you," Erika smirked.
"Okay, fine," the boy sulked, "bad example.
But as grateful as he was for Erika taking his side, Miguel knew that Zeke had a point. He'd taken a gamble yesterday, one that could have gone disastrously wrong. And Lena's road to redemption was starting a lot further back from their own. He'd never given up, he knew there was good in her. But that had only been the start, and the consequence of his dogged pursuit of her rescue was that she was now deep in the Ranger's sanctum. And that was going to bring its own series of complications.
The thought was broken with a heavy thump on the mat, as Erika had looped her foot behind Zeke's ankle and yanked to drop him hard.
"You're so busy watching your back," she noted. "You need to start paying attention to you're front."
"Yeah, yeah." Zeke rolled his eyes, taking Erika's offer to help him stand while smiling briefly in concession. But he didn't drop the point. "I'll admit that she deserves a chance. But that doesn't mean that all of this isn't some big trick. Are we forgetting that the first job Xaviax gave her was to spy on us? She could just be telling us what we want to hear, all so she could sneak into the lab and really pull one over on us."
That half, Miguel refused to believe, not after everything he'd seen. Lena wouldn't have pushed so hard to stay on the darkened path, slapped away the offer when he'd first tried to help. And even if she was a good actor, nothing could have faked that wail of despair when Lena finally relented. When she met the immovable object that her morals refused to let her ignore.
No, Lena's remorse was genuine. But convincing the others was another matter.
Pausing between drills, Erika over at Ray.
"You're unusually quiet," she said to their mentor. "Isn't this the part where you offer some moralistic advice? Give us our lesson for the week?"
"You're right," Ray conceded. "But the truth is, I'm in uncharted waters here. Mileena was our greatest enemy back when Hilary and I were Rangers; now she's sleeping in our guest room. And Zeke's right, we can't rule out that this could be what exactly Xaviax wanted."
There was a but coming, and Miguel had never been so thankful for that.
"But she also acknowledges that risk, that Xaviax might be using her to get to us," Ray continued. "I don't think she'd be agreeing with the precautions we're taking if she was here in bad faith. We have a job to do, and if Lena truly needs our help, then turning her away goes against everything we stand for as Power Rangers."
But even as their mentor said the words, Miguel could tell his teammates were far from convinced, eyes flicking between each with looks of hesitant uncertainty.
"Guys, I get it," he said. "I don't think anyone has more of a reason to distrust her than me. But she used to be our friend, and I think she really was; even if it was in her own, twisted, kind of way."
"Besides," Abbey conceded. "Where else can she go? I can't see Xaviax taking her resignation particularly well."
Thank you! He knew if anyone would be understanding, it would be Abbey.
"So do you trust her?"
But Miguel's hope sunk as Abbey shook her head.
"No. After everything she's done, it's just too much to get over in a single night. But if she's sincere, then coming here is a good start." And then her face softened into a comforting smile, a sweet concession to assuage his anxious worrying. "And while I'm not sure I'm ready to trust her just yet, I do trust you."
And that was a gift Miguel would never turn down; not again.
Now he just had to make sure that he was deserving of it.
They rotated partners, Abbey moving to Zeke as Erika stepped up to Miguel, and they were just about to begin again when the elevator doors dinged open. All of them turned around, breath hissing in surprise as Lena nervously stepped out. Dressed in jeans and a simple white t-shirt, her eyes widened as she saw all four teens suddenly staring at her, her hands clasping her arms as she shrunk as small as possible.
"Oh," Lena realized nervously. "I… I didn't mean to intrude. Hilary said she'd meet me down in the lab so…"
She was about to turn around and scurry away, but the elevator doors sealed in front of her, and no amount of desperate pushing of the button would get them to reopen. At last, Lena turned to face them again, eyes skittishly scanning the floor as her shoulders rolled further forward. The poor girl was stuck, standing on the edge of the matt in frightened, awkward silence.
"You tried on the clothes," Abbey realized, although it was less an observation and more a faint attempt to break the tension. "Did they fit okay? I sort of guessed that we were the same size, so…"
"They … they were… great," Lena nodded frantically. "Thank you."
"Good," Abbey replied. "I'm glad."
"Do you want to join us?" Miguel offered, guesting to the training floor. "Ray keeps having to tag in. It'd be great if we could have even numbers."
But the offer did the opposite of what he'd hoped, and Lena shrunk back in frightened hesitance as the attention on her focused.
"No... that's okay," she said quickly, hands clasping at the neck of her shirt as the hugging grip around her chest tightened further. "I think Hilary will want me in the lab soon, so…"
And the silence returned, falling like a tossed and unfurled tarp that was slowly wafting down to suffocate them. All of them shared nervous glances; even Ray seemed uncertain whether to intervene or let things play out.
"Listen," Lena said after a deep and heavy breath. "I know this is uncomfortable. None of you want me here, and I don't blame you. Once we're sure Xaviax hasn't done anything to me, I'll be out of here. And then you can forget all about me."
And just like that the doors reopened, and Hilary stepped into the room with a guilty look on her face. "Sorry! Forgot to adjust the security protocols for lab access. You can come down now."
Lena nodded, movement small but frantic, unleashing shuddered breath as Hilary slowly ushered her into the elevator. As she vanished behind the doors, the girl's eyes flicked up, catching Miguel's to issue a silent apology.
"Yeah, you're right," Zeke said dryly, as turned to pair with Abbey for the next round of practice. "This isn't awkward at all."
"I'll need to start with a full-system scan," Hilary explained, holding up a strange, crescent-shaped device that seemed roughly cranium-sized. "Once I've got an idea what we're working with, we can see if Xaviax hid any surprises."
Lena nodded obediently and gingerly took the device, a singular cable protruding from the top running into one of the terminals. As she placed it on her head, the band wrapping around the back with each end resting on her temples, Hilary gently helped her adjust before activating the program. The device whirred to life, a faint humming resonating into Lena's eyes as one of the screens burst to life to show lines and lines of rolling code.
"This might take a while," Hilary admitted with a comforting smile. "You've got a lot of data in you to look at."
"I hope I don't clog the drives," Lena apologized.
"I wouldn't worry about that," Hilary chuckled. "I'm a computer nerd; if there's one thing I've got plenty of, it's hard-drive space. Besides, the entire mapping of the human genome only takes up three gigabytes, so let's assume you're in that ballpark to start with."
In truth, Lena had no idea how complex her coding was, suddenly realizing how shamefully uncurious she'd been about it until now. She'd never thought of herself as human, always been willing to see herself as a tool for her masters' purposes. But she'd never seen herself as a machine either, as a program running a piece of hardware. Not until the difference mattered.
"It's so weird to think," Lena said softly, the thought escaping on its own like a leaf breaking from its stem in the wind. "When it comes down to it, that code's all that I really am."
"It's not that different from humans," Hilary shrugged. "You've got ones and zeros, we've got C, G, T, and A. Binary, DNA; it's all just code. Humans are a lot more machinelike than we admit."
She'd never thought of it like that. For so long, certainly back when she was her old self, Lena had prided herself on her lack of humanity. She'd never considered the differences to be so superficial. But the way Hilary talked about it; it was like they didn't matter at all.
Her old self…
Suddenly the memories came back to her, resurfacing like a rising wave to crash down on her in guilty reminiscence. The street, the museum, the park.
All the times she'd tormented Hawkins, her brother, and her friends on Gideon's orders. Back then, the girl had been far from the dauntless woman she was now. So often her face was concealed beneath the visor of her yellow helmet, but the few times they'd crossed fists without the protection of her Ranger suit, Mileena had seen the fear quaking behind Hilary's eyes. Well hidden behind a façade of steel glares and sarcastic quips, but fearful nonetheless. Not for herself, but of Mileena, and what she would do to the people that Hilary loved.
And now here she was helping her as though it was nothing. As if it was all water under the bridge.
"I'm sorry," Lena said meekly, eyes looking away and unable to meet Hilary's face.
The programmer turned to her but didn't press, and without even looking Lena could tell that Hilary was giving her a look of sympathy and confusion.
Right, she needed to narrow that down. Where to even start?
"I was so awful to you," Lena said slowly. "I have so many memories of fighting you, attacking you."
Nodding, Hilary turned in her chair, facing Lena head-on yet continuing to say nothing, allowing instead for her to speak as the penance began to flow.
"I can't even pretend it was just orders," Lena continued as her voice quivered with pained regret. "The things I did to you! I got you shrunken down to bite size, right after interrupting a moment between you and Ray." Then her eyes widened, a fresh memory suddenly hitting her. "I attacked you outside your house!"
"I know," Hilary nodded softly in agreement. "But right now, none of that matters. Not to me. I made my peace with what happened a long time ago. And whether or not that really was you, or just someone whose memories you now hold; well, that's more of a question for Ray than me. Whatever you've done in the past, you're trying to make up for it now. That's what matters."
It didn't make any sense. For so long, all Lena had harbored was hatred toward her enemies. When Ray and Hilary had been Rangers, every defeat had only spurred Mileena's fury toward them. Every time they crossed paths, or did battle, it made her that little bit more determined to defeat them. Her hatred for them soon became a bigger drive than programming had ever been, and she certainly wouldn't have sat there and offered aid if Hilary had come to her in desperation. And yet here she was, her former enemy, calmly and patiently sitting beside her while offering comfort and aid. Just as Ray had for her in his office.
"How can you just sit there?" Lena asked. "How can you be willing to help someone as evil as me?"
Hilary sighed softly and looked back at where the screen was filling code, as if she herself was uncertain where to begin. But then, at last, she turned back toward her and gently took Lena's hands.
"Evil isn't something people are born with," Hilary said. "People do bad things all the time, for a whole bunch of reasons. Maybe it's all they've ever known, maybe they're sick and they're lashing out or reacting in ways that they can't control. Plenty of times, things are just so dire for people that they feel like they don't have any other choice. But while that doesn't excuse what they do or absolve the consequences of their actions, it doesn't make them evil. It makes them people in need of help."
But… did she count as one of those people? For as long as she'd existed, both this time and the last, all Lena had been driven by was the purpose given by her creator. Gideon and Xaviax had made her a tool in her plans, but she'd still been happy to comply. After all the things she'd done in their name, how could she not be evil?
"I don't understand," Lena said. "All those reasons you listed, what's left after that?"
Hilary sighed and looked wistfully past her, only squeezing tighter as she locked eyes with her emphatically.
"People that evil, truly evil, aren't just people that do the wrong thing," she said emphatically. "They're people that know what's right, but when given the chance, when they're staring the opportunity to do good right in the face, they turn around and do the opposite. Evil isn't something that people are, it's something they choose."
Choice…
Ray had once told Lena that her agency was the greatest power she'd ever been granted, and yet despite being the one who'd granted her that gift, Xaviax had done all he could to control the paths she walked. Just as Gideon had before him. They were evil, both of them, Lena had no doubt about that, and Hilary's explanation only cemented it.
But she had willingly carried out their commands. Where did that put her?
"I can't call you evil," said Hilary. "Not until I know that it's something that you chose. And if you're not evil, then you need my help. Because it's the right thing to do."
And that's when the screen flashed to confirm the scan's conclusion.
"All right," said Hilary as she spun back to the monitor. "Let's take a look at you."
It was funny, the coding was a complete make-up of Lena's entire existence, and yet as Hilary's eyes darted from line to line, Lena realized that she wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of it. Not consciously, anyway. None of her creators had seen fit to allow her to actively read her own code.
"Interesting," Hilary murmured, before turning to see Lena on the edge of her seat, anxiously awaiting an explanation. "Looks like a collection of different programs. You're combat capabilities, like your armor and sword, they're one system, which looks like needs to be manually accessed. But your basic skillset seems to be separate again, more passively integrated into your mainline code."
"That makes sense," Lena realized. "I'm only fighting at full power when I summon my armor; everything feels muted by comparison without it."
"It doesn't sound too different to the Ranger's Morphers," Hilary noted. "I guess that makes sense too. When Gideon first created you, he was using offshoot code and data from the Cyrax virus that he'd harvested from the prototype Security Morpher. I guess back then you didn't have any reason to power down."
Lena nodded contemplatively but said nothing, stewing in the diagnosis and reflecting on the explanation of her powers. Back then, all she'd been was a weapon, with no life outside the battle and the corridors of Gideon's airship. Back then she hadn't questioned it, and yet now it felt like she couldn't wait to be rid of her battle armor once the fight was over.
"Ray said I based on another program," Lena remembered. "That Gideon coopted my initial coding to create me for his purposes."
"Gideon never had an original thought in his life," Hilary agreed. "Everything he did was someone else's idea or stolen technology. It makes sense that you were the same."
"Is there a clue in there, then?" Lena asked hopefully. "About what I was meant to be?"
At that, Hilary stopped and turned, her face hardening as if she was thinking hard of the words to choose.
"I don't know if I'd go that far," she admitted. "Or even if it's a fair assessment to make. We could sit and argue about when you were first created, if it was in the initial stage of your programming, when Gideon first manifested your body with his Digitizer, or even when Xaviax did the same with your current one. Hell, humans struggle with deciding that for themselves. And even if you just see yourself as a program, an object, the truth is that there are plenty of designs that change purpose throughout the process of their creation. In the end, I don't think it matters."
Hilary's answer felt like a weight tied around Lena's neck, slumping her down and refusing to let her rise. Far from the answer she was hoping for, certainly when Lena had just been hoping for any at all.
"But if I don't know what my purpose was," she asked, "then how can I know what to do now that I've left everything else behind?"
"Because it doesn't matter where you came from," said Hilary. "It doesn't matter what those that made you intended. What matters is what you do in the here and now. Destiny isn't something that is assigned, it's something that you make with every step. And that's something that only you can decide."
It felt cruel. Lena had been born, no… created, with the power to make her choices, and then given a life where all was decided for her. And now that the power was firmly within her control, she'd have given anything to be told what to do with it. Even by an enemy.
Then alarm blared throughout the lab. Hilary's game face snapped to attention, hands dancing across the keys as the remaining, inert monitors flashed to life with readings.
"Guys," she warned into the com, "you better get down here. Looks like Xaviax has come out again to play."
In what felt like mere moments, the elevator doors dinged behind them as Ray and the four Rangers hurried up for the briefing. It was so strange, watching the urgency with which they moved, the earnestness with which they watched the chaos unfolding on the screen. The genuine fear and concern they held for the people of their city.
The monster was the most machinelike Ender had ever created, its limbs a frame of metallic joints and hinges hands a pair of flat, circular disks, and its head was a rectangular, concave dish. Its face sat in the center, a metallic skull that was twisted into a smile of permanent laughter with its eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.
"You're right," Erika noted to Ray. "I need to stop thinking I've seen it all."
"It's hitting the central square," Hilary confirmed.
"It's a Saturday morning," Ray realized. "That place will be packed."
And then something pinged on another monitor, Hilary again punching at the keys to pull up a fresh feed.
"That's weird," she noted. "I'm getting a strange signal over by the old radio tower."
"A radio monster and a radio tower?" Abbey realized. "That can't be a coincidence."
"We've got to check it out," Zeke agreed. "For all we know Xaviax is using the monster to draw us away so he can enact some crazy scheme."
"You're probably right," Erika agreed grimly before nodding back at the monitor. "Which is why he sent the monster to where most people would be in danger."
Dammit! If she could just remember what she knew. Find some way of helping them instead of standing around completely useless!
"Feel free to chime in any time you want," Zeke suggested to her, only for Lena to shake her head with panic in her eyes.
"I… I can't…" she stammered. "I don't know…"
She had to do something; anything! Maybe she could investigate; but was that what Xaviax wanted? To corner her outside the firewall? And if it wasn't, would the Rangers even trust her enough to go?
"I'll go," Miguel decided. "I'm the fastest out of all of us, and the three of you together have the De-Frag to deal with Radiohead over there."
But he'd be alone. And if it was a trap for Lena, then Miguel would be walking right into it. But again, what right did she have to interject, to tell them how to fight their battle when she'd opposed them for so long? And how could she even convince them to trust any advice she gave while time was of the essence?
Beside her, Abbey looked equally uncomfortable, opening her mouth to protest only for Erika to cut in.
"It's the best we've got, and we're wasting time arguing anything else," she said before turning to Miguel. "Get down there and check it out, but don't hang around. You going there could be exactly what Xaviax wants. If you don't see anything suspicious, double back and help us with the monster. If you find something, do what you can to mess with it then retreat."
A cautious approach, but Lena supposed Erika was right. Anything else was time that they didn't have, or required help that she couldn't give them. Miguel nodded and vanished in a flash of black smoke as the three Rangers turned away from the monitor station.
"You guys ready?" Erika confirmed as she stepped forward.
"Ready!"
The Morphers flashed to their wrists, keycards drawn and raised in anticipation.
"Server Force! Login Access!"
The light was almost blinding, a continuous burst of red, blue, and yellow completely consuming the room as Lena shielded her eyes from the intensity. She'd seen them morph before, transforming to meet her in battle, but only ever in the open air where the excess power could flow out freely. But inside, in the close confines where it was all contained, she felt it. The magnitude of energy flowing into them, imbued them with the strength they needed for engaging such a fearless foe.
By the time the light had gone, the Ranger had vanished, already launching themselves from the museum to rush at Xaviax's monster and leaving Lena in awe of the power she'd once sought to contend with. And now she was on the sidelines, helpless to do anything but hope and watch.
Back on the monitor screen, the trio somersaulted into action, soaring into the square as they landed defiantly before the mechanical monstrosity.
"Hey there, bolt brain!" she heard the Red Ranger snarl over the coms. "Did no one tell you that radio's so last century?"
"It must have slipped their mind, let's see if I can channel their frustration!"
Lena watched as the Rangers dived, an onslaught of sonic blasts unleashing from the monster's weapons as the team scattered to avoid them. And if that wasn't trouble enough, Lena's heart seized as the monitor warned them of another problem. A fresh group of Cyberdrones were coming their way.
"Heads up guys," Hilary warned. "Looks like you got some calls coming in."
"Urgh," Abbey groaned. "I hate talk-back channels."
They split further, diving into the fray to begin carving through the numbers. Lena couldn't help but wince, nervously clutching her arms and grinding her teeth with uncertainty as she saw Xaviax's plan plain as day. He'd done it before, and plenty of times it had nearly worked.
She'd been right, the monster was a distraction. It was a big enough problem for the Ranger's attention, and Cyberdrones were numerous enough to forestall its destruction. But it wasn't the focus of the attack, she'd realized it from the moment the Rangers so easily avoided the first wave of blasts.
"Hey," Ray comforted as he noticed her trepidation. "They'll be okay. They've handled tougher than this before."
"They're not the ones I'm worried about," Lena replied, feeling the color drain from her face as at last, she spoke the fear aloud. "I think Miguel's walking into a trap."
Miguel's feet crunched onto the gravel as he finished his final jump, the black smoke dissipating as he emerged before the old radio tower. The structure spired into the sky, its rickety iron frame a crisscross of supports that held the receiver high.
It was quiet, and Miguel wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.
Creeping carefully, he walked across the lot toward the cement block building that supported the tower's base. The door was sealed shut, a padlock clamping the entrance tight.
Which meant no one was inside.
"I'm here," Miguel confirmed into his communicator. "No sign of any Cyberdrones. I'm going to take a look around though, see if I can figure out where that signal came from."
"Okay," Hilary confirmed. "But be careful. Lena thinks it might be a trap."
"And she'd be right!" growled deep a voice behind him.
Miguel spun around, just in time to see ArcKnight's sword unleash a blast of energy. The instinct of the smoke reacted first, flashing Miguel harm as he landed feet away and the attack exploded where he'd been standing. He'd barely repositioned when there was another flash of green, a horde of Cyberdrones descending to surround him as Ender appeared at ArcKnight's side.
Okay, so it was definitely a trap.
"What are you doing here?" Miguel snarled. "Suddenly developed an interest in retro broadcasting?"
"Thought we'd kick it old-school," Ender chuckled sinisterly. "Drop some beats."
"There is no escaping this time, Dark Ranger," ArcKnight warned. "Our battle today will be your last."
"Yeah, I've heard that one before," Miguel sneered as his Morpher flashed to his wrist. "Server Force! Login Access!"
The darkness surrounded him, drawing power from the grid to infuse the suit that wrapped his limbs. His strength surged, energy rushing through as the visor locked around his vision and lunged at the horde to engage.
"Hilary?" Miguel called out as he sliced the Dark Saber into the robotic minions. "I think they're up to something at the Radio Tower!"
"Good catch on that one," came Hilary's sarcastic, yet worried, reply.
Miguel stepped back, allowing a blow to swing past as his sword sliced and took off an arm, kicking the body back to stagger its comrades. With a gap created, Miguel spun around, gathering the energy in the suit before surging deeper. The Shadow Strike sheered through the ranks of Cyberdrones, sparks bursting from their plating as the wiring severed and the limbs dropped from the bodies. Miguel skidded to a stop, turning to face down ArcKnight in a daring challenge.
"We really doing this ArcKnight?" he taunted. "We already know how this is gonna go."
"I do perhaps," he growled. "But you have no idea."
"Oh, yeah?" Miguel scoffed. "And why's that?"
"Because this time," Ender chuckled. "He's got me!"
With a gleeful skip, the monster maker unleashed a torrent of lightning from his cane. Miguel lunged upward, soaring from the ground as forks struck beneath, bursting into balls of flame and shockwaves that pushed him higher. But now that Miguel was soaring, he was exposed; and now he had nowhere to go. The perfect chance for ArcKnight to strike.
The armored warrior lunged, surging straight toward his enemy with the sword poised to strike. Miguel saw it coming, but there was little he could do. The Dark Saber flashed to parry, but without ground or solid footing, the block would do little. ArcKnight met him with a powerful swipe, blade colliding with blade and unleashing a burst of energy that sent Miguel soaring backward.
The Dark Ranger slammed into the ground, tumbling the final distance before skidding into a desperate crouch. He still had his weapon, but it was the only small mercy he was getting.
No sooner had he landed, than Xaviax's generals set upon him in a furious, coordinated attack. Miguel blocked one, but the other stuck, smashing their weapon against his chest to send him reeling. They moved together, making gaps in his defense for the other to exploit, battering him from all sides as Miguel lost more and more ground, his defense growing more and more desperate.
"Took a leaf out of your book, old pal," Ender chuckled. "Turns out we make quite the team."
"And now we will have our victory!" ArcKnight roared in agreement.
"Miguel!" Hilary warned into his com. "Your suit can't take much of this. You need to get out of there!"
"I'm working on it!"
Thinking fast, Miguel funneled his energy into the blade and sliced downwards, blasting at the earth to spray sparks in his enemy's faces as he vaulted.
They gasped to shield their eyes, the only opening Miguel had to get away.
"Going somewhere?"
Ender's voice snickered behind as he landed, air filling with the flash of green as a new horde of Cyberdrones blocked his escape.
Great, because those two weren't enough.
"Leaving so soon, Dark Ranger?" Ender snicked, prowling toward his cornered position with ArcKnight looming behind him. "But we were just starting to have some fun. But don't worry, there's plenty more to go around."
And then they charged Miguel, the Dark Ranger barely bracing as the robots converged to bury him.
"Dammit!" Hilary hissed, punching the keys to divert systemic power and up the defense on Miguel's suit. "He's holding for now, but it won't be for long."
"You've got to get him out of there!" Lena begged.
"I'm trying," Hilary insisted. "But the Rangers are tired up with that monster, and there are too many swarming Cyberdrones for Miguel to get a break!"
Beside her, Ray was too busy watching the other Rangers, crouched in the secondary console seat to monitor their battle. The plan had switched, now all of them desperately hoping that the trio could handle the monster quickly so they could go and help Miguel. But even if they could, they were a long way away from their friend.
And the monster wasn't letting up.
"Uh oh," Hilary gasped.
"Uh oh?" Lena realized. "What do you mean 'uh-oh'? There's never a good version of that."
"I think I just found out what they're doing by the radio tower. That signal's growing with every second, and it looks like it's feeding back into-."
The screens started flashing before she could finish, the monitor pulsing as the signal's intensity spiked. From the other screen, the station's spire began to rumble, sparks bursting out as energy pulsed from its tip and rippled across the sky.
Over in battle with the Rangers, the Radiowave began roaring triumphantly, throwing back his hands as the pulsing energy flowed into him.
"Time to turn up the frequency!" he cackled, as the Rangers reformed to engage.
"That's not good," Erika realized. "Ray, how bad is it about to get?"
Ray didn't have time for a quippy response, slamming open the coms. "Zeke, get behind the shield! The rest of you jump back, now!"
Zeke didn't waste a second, the heavy barrier flashing to his arm as he dropped and braced while Erika and Abbey lunged upward.
Not a moment too soon. Imbued with the energy pulsing from the tower, Radiowave gleefully hooted as the sonic blasters thundered out a pair of blasts. The booms ripped through the wave, enveloping all in their path, shattering windows and upturning cars as Zeke took the brunt. The wave broke on the shield like water on rock, but the force was far mightier than the defying barrier. The Yellow Ranger skidded backward, the bottom of the shield scraping the asphalt as the rest of the wave rippled around him and blasted into the building.
Groaning, Zeke emerged from behind the shield, Erika and Abbey landing beside him as Radiowave gleefully surveyed the destruction.
"What do you know?" he declared. "Turns out signal boosting really does help!"
"Ray, did you see all of that?" Abbey realized in astoundment.
"I certainly felt that," Zeke added.
"Guys, focus on getting people to safety," Ray advised them. "If that monster's attacks are only getting stronger, then fighting's only going to put more people in danger."
"Easier said than done," Erika admitted. "But we're on it."
"Where's that power even coming from?" Zeke asked.
"Miguel!" Abbey realized. "Mr. Granger, please tell me he's doing okay at the tower?"
"You guys worry about that monster," Ray told them hurriedly. "We'll worry about that tower."
And then he looked over at his wife, Hilary's eyes still fixed on the three sets of screens in front of her as her fingers frantically punched at the keys.
"Energy's climbing," she confirmed. "Whatever's going on with that tower is growing the monster's energy exponentially. Miguel's suit's holding, but I don't know for how much longer."
Desperate odds, and they were out of options. They needed something to tip the odds or things were going to start getting even worse. And left only one thing for it.
"I need to get down there," said Ray. "Miguel's already outnumbered, and if someone doesn't handle that Radio Tower, the Rangers are going to start having a real hard time with that monster."
"You'll never make it in time," Hilary countered. "And even if you could, Xaviax will take it as the perfect chance to grab you, just like last time. I've already had one person walk into a trap, I am not letting it happen again."
"You built an assurance for it this time," Ray pointed out, and he watched Hilary's face go stony in contemplation. He was right, she had one; she'd been developing it ever since they realized Xaviax's access to the Morphing Grid and they needed a way to lock him out. But he also knew the debates they'd had about using it. About the right time, the right place.
The right person.
And Ray using it now would lock him in, whether it was the right call or not.
"Right now, I don't think if we've got much of a choice," he said. "Not when those kids are in danger. Not when they need help."
"Maybe you're right," Hilary replied, spinning to another screen and opening a loading. "I'll boot up the Digitizer and start preparing the interface. It shouldn't take more than-."
And then she stopped mid-sentence, head whipping around to stare behind her.
"Where's Lena?"
Eyes widening, Ray spun around to stare at the empty space, the space where Lena had been standing and watching only moments before. Only now there was no one, and at the far end of the lab, they watched as the light above the elevator dinged back to the ground floor.
Lena was gone.