Panic was everywhere, people were screaming and fleeing in all directions. Sirens blared, lights flashing in epileptic disorder as power boxes burst in sprays of sparks. And yet, throughout all the chaos and destruction, all Valerie could think about was her. About where she'd left things with Erika before all of this started.
She'd been so stupid! Hurt, yes, and upset. But Valerie didn't want things to end, she loved the time they spent together! And now the last words that she'd said to her girlfriend could well have been in a fight. That wasn't how things were ending, not on her watch. There was no way to reach her, Valerie's phone and laptop were nothing but a sea of useless static that shrieked at her ears when she tried to connect. And that meant that the only way to know that Erika was safe was to lay her own eyes on her.
So, Valerie ran, charging through the crowd, fighting against the surging current to make her way to the last place she could think Erika had gone. Two spots, close to each other, she either was at the Hub or the Museum. Two buildings on either side of the city square, right in the thick of the chaos. But all that did was make Valerie more determined to see her girlfriend safe.
Finally, she saw a sign, a glimmer of hope jolting her heart as she saw a pair of familiar faces. Erika's bandmates, Jas and Melody, bolting at top speed among the current of the crowd in a desperate race from the danger. On seeing Valerie, their face lit up, at last, a welcome familiar sight amongst the pandemonium. But for all their gratitude in seeing her, Valerie's attention was fixated on one thing only.
"Where's Erika? Is she with you? Is she behind you?"
Panting for breath, the two girls shook their heads, eyes slowly turning to each other as they realized why she was asking.
"Is… is she not with you?" Melody asked.
"We haven't seen her since she left the Hub," said Jasmine. "She was walking with Abbey and Lena, right before everything went crazy."
So, she was there, in the center as it happened. But that meant that she could still be…
Something boomed in the distance, a chasing tremor setting off car alarms and rippling through the air as the people around them jolted to a stop. Fresh screams erupted as more blasts boomed in the distance, the crowd dispersing in fresh, frenzied panic as they scattered in all directions. Valerie hissed in a deep breath, knowing exactly where it had come from. Knowing in her heart that Erika was at the center of it.
With barely more than a frantic look at Jas and Melody, Valerie took off again, ignoring every worst-case scenario screaming inside her head as she fought against the heavy current.
"Val! Wait!"
It was like being caught in a storm surge, battling a manic tide as Valerie continued her approach in a determined sprint to the square. Either from guilt or friendship, Melody and Jas had taken off after her, matching Valerie's hurried pace as they pushed through and doubled back to the epicenter of the chaos.
Because Valerie had to find her, she had to reach her. She had to be sure that Erika was safe.
Like this day could get any better.
Jumped by Cyberdrones walking down the street. Then she had a fight with her girlfriend; and was still trying to figure out a way out of that. And top it all off, Xaviax was sending literally everything he had at them after frying all electronics in a ten-mile radius.
And now Erika was having to deal with this ugly zoo escapee.
Perfect!
Just perfect!
Stifling a growl, Erika launched herself off a crashed car and whipped her Security pistol from her belt. She slammed the trigger, blasting beams of crimson light beneath to clear a landing zone as she closed in on the monster.
And boy was this one a doozy.
At first glance, it looked like a giant teddy bear found at the dump, its black and white fur both scraggly and molting as it lined the surface of its body in tufts. Where its eyes should have been were metal plates, covered in dimples like golf balls, with pieces of cybernetic metal protruding from random places across its body. Where each of its hands should have been were large clusters of cylinders, a honeycomb of barrels that Erika knew would only have one purpose.
Guns for hands! Fantastic!
"Is the circus in town?" Erika sneered. "Or are you just lost?"
"Oh, I'm right where I need to be!" the disheveled bear replied. "I'm just here to cause some Panda-monium!"
Erika had been ready for some fire, but nowhere near the volume. The erupting energy was blinding, a furious stream of searing pellets that unleashed upon her with laser precision. Taking a gamble, Erika leaped high, feeling the force of the shots pummel beneath as they shredded the ground where she'd been standing, and she soared high overhead before Panda-monium could adjust his aim and tear her apart from mid-air.
She landed cleanly on the other side, the axe spinning in her grip as her two teammates leaped to join her. She was grateful for the backup, but Erika knew what their support was costing. With all three Rangers focused on Panda-monium, there was no one to keep the Cyberdrones from harassing the civilians. They'd done what they could to get them clear, but there were still so many in the square. Until their numbers improved, the Rangers couldn't be everywhere at once, and no one was safe while a monster was rampaging free on the streets. Either Hilary needed to get Lena back on her feet, or the three of them needed to deal with the monster, fast.
"Man," Zeke gagged as he nodded at the raging Panda. "Anybody order some Five Nights at Freddy's?"
"This is why I never get fast food," Abbey agreed.
"Whatever he is, he's definitely 'to go'," Erika decided. "Zeke, take the sides and stay behind me; those blasters are fast and we need to keep the stray shots off innocent people. Abbey, I'll get you an opening; when you see it, take it!"
"RIGHT!"
They split without another word, all three darting to position as Panda-monium stamped his feet in gleeful anticipation.
"You don't look that tough!" he laughed. "I could take you all with my bear hands!"
"Then why don't you bear with me?" Erika sneered back, "I'll give you the real bear necessities!'
"If you say so!"
Her line of attack was a distraction, a forward charge that left her completely exposed. A tempting target, one that there was no way he'd ignore. The barrels on Panda-monium's arms whirred to life, the individual ports spinning into a vanishing blur as the light gathered into the shape of a disk. But this time Erika had seen how swiftly he could fire; this time she was ready.
As the energy ripped from the monster's guns, Erika launched herself high, clearing the shredding blaster fire and somersaulting overhead. Behind her, Zeke shifted into the path, rounds peppering the surface of his shield as they deflected from the innocent people on the edges. Soaring overhead, Erika readied her axe, winding it back to deliver the vulnerable blow. At least that was the plan.
She'd no sooner landed when, suddenly the monster whipped around, one of its blaster-arms slowing down as he maintained pinning fire at Zeke.
"Hate to be the bearer of bad news," he cackled. "But I was just panda'ing to you."
Erika's eyes widened, the barrels glowing at point-blank range with nowhere for her to go. In an act of desperation, she swung the axe around, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she could land a blow before being blasted across the square.
And that's when a bolt of blue streaked across the sky.
It wasn't the shot that Erika had hoped to give her, but Abbey had seen the Red Ranger's predicament and fired anyway. The energy arrow sliced against the panda's arm, and the monster howled as he stumbled in painful recoil. Now off balance, the machine gun fired, unleashing the energy blast into the open air.
Just as Erika's axe landed home.
With the monster spinning, his chest was well exposed, and Erika's wind-up was all she needed to bury in the glowing axe head. With a roar of all her might, the weapon flashed a blazing crimson as it crashed into Panda-monium's body and the resulting boom sent him reeling across the square.
The monster crashed into a pile of debris, roaring in fury and writhing amongst the mess as he clambered to his feet. But the Rangers had already re-converged and were all prepared to take advantage of his freshly disheveled state.
"Time to show him the real meaning of bear-ing arms," Erika decided.
"Right!"
"Let's put it together!"
Faster than they'd ever done before, the three of them assembled the cannon; axe, shield, and bow, locking them in place as they braced together and took aim. Panda-monium had barely regained his footing when he suddenly stared down the barrel of their combined might, gulping as he realized his predicament.
"You really bamboozled me there!"
"DeFrag Blaster! Aim! FIRE!"
The weapon thundered as the barrel erupted, the surging ball of energy rocketing across the square and flashing on contact with the monster. The explosion shattered his body in all directions, the resulting shockwaves scattering his steaming pieces across the ground as the three Rangers turned from the blast.
They had a window, and they needed to take it.
Barely missing a beat, all three launched themselves back into the maze of Cyberdrones, determined to clear as many as they could and get more people evacuated before the panda's inevitable return.
Ever dutiful, Ray was doing his best, weaving between the Cyberdrones and pushing them back with nothing but his bare hands. But he was just one man, and he didn't have a Morpher. Despite the ground he'd gained, Erika could see him starting to tire.
"You've done all you can," she insisted as she landed beside him. "Go get out here! Try and tag in with Miguel to look after Lena."
She could see in her mentor's eyes how badly he wanted to stay; how the last thing Ray wanted to do was retreat when there were still people in danger. But slowly he nodded in resigned agreement, knowing no argument would sway her. Knowing she was right.
Of course, that convincing would have been a lot easier if they'd had just that little extra time. As if waiting for the inopportune moment, the sky was filled with green, the emerald beam searing down to gather the discarded pieces of Panda-monium. Moments later, the monster was back, towering overhead as his mottled feet quaked the ground.
"Just like coming out of hibernation!" he laughed. "And just so you know, I do bear a grudge!"
Dammit!
Eighty feet tall, the engorging monster was now taking up the square, his massive feet blocking entire roads and jamming people's escape. Blocked off the exits, the terrified people were backed in as stray, sinister Cyberdrones were already converging upon them.
"I'll get them out of there," Ray insisted. "You deal with big ugly."
Erika could see his exhaustion, but burning behind all that was a determination that she knew she couldn't fight, even if she had the time. Hell, roles reversed, Erika damn well knew that the conversation would be the same. They had a city to save, and all of them had a part.
Ray was going to stay, because people were in danger, and keeping them safe was what Rangers did. And once a Ranger, always a Ranger.
"Go get them," she nodded, spinning back to her team before punching into the com. "Hilary, we need Zord power! NOW!"
But things weren't going swimmingly in the lab either, and while the Rangers had battled Panda-monium on the ground, Hilary was doing everything she could to keep the chaos contained. Or the very least stop it from getting worse.
She'd been so sure of herself, that her erected defenses were enough to stop whatever was making the city go haywire from seeping into the lab. At least she'd been half right.
The defenses were strong enough, it was her servers that were struggling. Every warning light was strobing, every cooling fan hammering at full blast in an attempt to keep up with the strain. And even then, some of them were failing.
A loud bang cracked across the lab, heralding another bust of sparks as another server tower blew. So far, Hilary had been able to keep the damage minimized by spreading it across the auxiliary outputs, shutting down non-essential systems to offload excess power and bleed into secondary servers. But even then, they were struggling to maintain the strain, and every time a server blew, it made it that much harder for those remaining to keep up.
Hilary needed an answer, or they were going to lose everything.
"Get that fire!" she ordered, eyes not even shifting from the screen as Miguel swept up the extinguisher and Wisped across the room. With a crack that matched the bang, he appeared next to the crackling flames to douse it before whipping around in anticipation for the next.
Dammit! There was just too much ground to cover, and it was all Hilary could do to stay on top of the power overflows and keep the Ranger's equipment running. If the lab went down, it all went down, but keeping everything active was stopping her from locking on the source of the haywire. From figuring out how Xaviax was creating all this chaos.
Shooting a look at the screen, Hilary could see that Xaviax had sent down a monster. The Rangers could handle it, she knew that. But she also knew that the encore was always bigger, and then the Severs were going to get a real workout.
If she didn't get a handle on it soon…
She needed a solution, to any one problem. If they could at least get Lena back on her feet, then the Rangers could have the support they needed on the ground to keep the Cyberdrones contained, or a whole lot of backup once the monster got big.
And that was before even considering what the mass haywire was going to do to the Megazords if Hilary didn't find a way to protect them.
"There's got to be something I can do," Miguel pleaded helplessly, although his tone remained doubtful. Even he knew how little expertise he had. If it was Zeke, then maybe it was a conversation, but Miguel could do little more than be extra set hands to occasion ctrl-alt-delete on another keyboard.
"Stay with Lena and get ready for another server to blow," Hilary decided. "I'm holding it back as best I can, but the more we lose, the faster we'll lose the others."
"How long can you keep it going?" Miguel asked, gulping in dread of the answer.
"As long as I can," was all that Hilary could reply. "And hopefully long enough to stop it. How's Lena?"
"She's stirring," Miguel said bleakly. "I don't know how long that shot you gave her will help."
Just one more problem. Just as Hilary suspected, Lena's digital physiology was filtering out the sedative like a toxin. And that meant either Hilary would have to find a better way to put Lena back under or stop whatever was attacking her brain.
"What's doing this to her?" Miguel asked.
"Best guess?" Hilary replied. "It's got to be some kind of mass frequency, probably based on the digital bio-field data that Gail stole from the drive. I'd manage to adjust some of our defenses for a direct attack, but I never expected Xaviax to unleash it on the whole city. It just doesn't make sense!"
"So, what does that mean?"
"It means that everything electronic in range of whatever Xaviax is outputting is going into fritz," said Hilary. "And if I don't find a way to protect the servers, then this lab will be joining the junk pile like the rest of the city!"
Leaving everything that Xaviax wanted ripe for the picking.
She expected Miguel to stammer, or to fall in quiet confusion and follow up on whatever he still didn't understand. But instead, his question was something she'd never considered.
"If it's everything electronic," he asked. "Why is the police scanner still working?"
Everything seemed to stop, like a sharp moment of clarity had smacked Hilary in the gut. It seemed so obvious, the radio had been blaring the entire time; she'd just tuned it out to focus on containing the chaos. But that was exactly the answer.
"Because it's not digital," she said. "The radio uses UHF bands, it's analog."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning, Xaviax's frequency isn't messing with all technology, just the digital ones. That's why it's affecting Lena, she's practically a walking hive of digital energy. It's got to be hitting everything else through Wi-Fi and 5G connections. I mean what doesn't have that nowadays? But it also means I can narrow it down!"
Screw the servers, Hilary needed a solution or they were all toast. On the monitor, she watched as the trio outside assembled the DeFrag Blaster and opened fire on the monstrous Panda. The clock was ticking now, and she needed to beat it.
"Get to that server up there!" she ordered. Miguel didn't even miss a beat, wisping up to the rows of metal cabinets elevated above as Hilary raced to the closest unit. "Far left panel, you should see a screen and a dial. I need you to tell me what it's doing!"
"It's going like crazy!"
Just as she thought. As fast as she could, Hilary pulled off another panel to inspect the readings. Her feet felt sluggish, heavy even, as she leaped from her chair, and Hilary cursed herself for sitting badly enough to let her limbs fall asleep. But that didn't matter now, not when she had a solution.
Hold Lena on, we've got you!
The reading on this one was calm, operating on a wavelength just different enough to avoid going haywire. For now.
Hand on the dial, Hilary narrowed her eyes, fixated on the point as she shifted the server's frequency. Slow and careful on the pace, not so much on the distance. Just as it hit the right point, her face was almost met with furious flushing of sparks as the entire server succumbed to code. Stumbling back, metal flushed across her body on instinct, hitting the ground with a heavy clanging as Miguel gasped from above her.
"Are you okay?"
"I've got it!" Hilary cheered, metal already receding as she lunged for the chair to begin frantically typing. Manual override, set to a frequency, system purge.
Go!
And just as quickly, the whirring of the internal fans dulled to a steady rhythm, a comparatively serene calm falling upon the lab. Finally allowing herself to breathe, Hilary gasped in relief, falling back into her chair to feel it thump with the weight of her back. The whole chair almost toppled, and Hilary's hand snapped out to grab the table and steady.
Weird, she must have been more tired than she realized.
It wasn't a moment too soon.
"Hilary!" Erika's voice suddenly cackled through the coms. "We need Zord power! NOW!"
Sure enough, the ugly panda was back in business, bellowing puns as he towered over the city. Hilary snapped to the screen, listening to the servers once again burst into a thunderous roar as she executed the command.
"Deploying Zords!"
But as the lights of the Digitizer began flashing, she saw Miguel wisp to Lena's side, staring at her unmoving body with renewed concern.
"She's not waking up," he realized. "Why isn't she waking up?"
"I managed to create a counter-frequency," Hilary explained. "But it's being directly inputted into my systems. Xaviax's own frequency is still broadcasting, it's still affecting everything else. Including Lena."
"But you've got a way to stop it now, right?" Miguel pleaded. "Can't you, I don't know, broadcast it all throughout the city?"
With a raised eyebrow, Hilary looked back at the smoke-filled lab of half-ruined servers.
"I don't just have the capability, Miguel," she said. "Even if the lab was running perfectly, I can't just generate a mass signal on a whim…"
"But you can make a small one, right?" Miguel pressed. "I mean, you once piggybacked off the one from my Dark Morpher to hack in and free me. If the one you made Lena is based on the same design…"
"Then I can use the capability to transmit the counter-code!" Hilary realized. "Miguel, that's brilliant!"
This, this was why she needed an assistant down here. Someone to bounce ideas off while her husband was playing hero. Working fast, Hilary opened the connection to Lena's morpher, inputting the frequency and setting it to emanate by remote. As she hit the code, a soft sizzling sounded from the Morpher, the whirring inside of its emitters canceling the interference.
With baited breaths, Miguel and Hilary watched their unconscious comrade, hoping it would be enough. Then Lena's eyes flashed open.
She gasped for air like it was the first she'd ever taken, pulling herself upward as Miguel rushed to her side to keep her steady.
"Wha…" she asked groggily, rubbing her head as she came to. "What happened?"
"You got whammied by some kind of frequency," said Hilary. "We managed to tune it out."
"Well, whatever it was, it felt like someone was using my head as a drill board," Lena groaned. Then, as she began to become more aware of her surroundings, her eyes bulged as she saw the state of the lab, the flashing lights, and the Rangers battling Panda-monium on screen.
"We need to get out there!" she realized, turning to Hilary with renewed resolve as the drained color began returning to her face. "Am I cleared to return?"
"Would telling you 'no' stop you?"
Lena didn't even reply, tilting her head and smirking in concession she leaped off the bench and stepped forward with her Morpher raised.
"You ready?" she asked Miguel.
With a grin of excitement and relief, Miguel stepped forward in agreement. "Ready!"
"Server Force! Login Access!"
The blaze of black and white burst around them, the Digitizer whirring with renewed intensity as the two of them vanished from the lab to be re-materialized in the square. Moments later the two newly morphed Rangers were somersaulting into action in the main square, weapons flashing to their hands as they clashed with the rampaging Cyberdrones.
Overhead, the Cyber-Security Megazord was locked in combat with the giant Panda-monium, the renewed monster proving even more difficult at colossal size than he had been on the ground.
Good thing they now had backup. Spinning to a fresh monitor, Hilary whipped around her hand to Digitize the other two Zords. And that's when her hand went right through the desk.
Instead of punching a key, the entire keyboard and wooden surface buckled as her hand connected, plastic cracking and splinters flying as Hilary gasped in surprise. That… that was impossible. There was no way that she could do that, not normally. Not without activating the liquid metal.
But she hadn't felt a thing…
As a cool, frightened breath hissed to fill her lungs, Hilary slowly retracted her arm from the puncta hole in the table, her eyes bulging in horror as she saw her hand.
It was completely coated in chrome, from the tips of her fingers to the bottom of her sleeve. Only she hadn't summoned it, and now, as much as she willed it, she couldn't make it recede. Bit by bit, Hilary could suddenly feel it crawling up her skin, the cool liquid lathering itself along her arm.
No, this wasn't happening! Not now!
Her civilian powers… she was losing control!
"You poke the bear!" Panda-monium cackled. "Then you bear the brunt!"
With sadistic glee, his machine gun hand crashed into the Megazord's breastplate, battering the machine even further as the Rangers struggled to hold on. Whiplash pummeled against Erika's body, slamming her back into the seat as their mecha took another pounding.
Just what was with this guy?
Down below he'd been fast, but they'd managed to outmaneuver him. Now that he was big, and was like he'd become even faster, only now it was like they were throwing themselves at a brick wall!
"Zeke?" Erika asked. "How're we looking?"
"Breastplate's losing integrity, it can't take another hit!" the Yellow Ranger warned. "We could switch to the shield, but I don't think we'll be able to land a hit if we move defensively!"
"We're not landing one anyway," Abbey replied, and Erika could hear the rising alarm in their voice. She was right, they were getting nowhere, and if they didn't find a way to hold on, then soon they'd be steering nothing but scraps.
"Do it!"
"That's all you've got?" Panda-monium howled with glee. "Looks like this finally bearing fruit!"
Keeping close, the monster swung in again, just as Zeke yanked a lever to bring the dump-tray swinging up the arm. As the metal slate slashed against the strike, the combined might of the blow shoved the monster backward, the first moment of breathing room the Rangers had gained all battle.
But it wasn't going to be enough. And Panda-monium seemed to be taking their defensive actions personally.
"So that's how you want it huh?" he roared. "Then time to bring it all bearing down on you!"
The barrels on his arms began clicking, lighting up one by one as the energy began to gather.
Erika's mind was racing at a million miles a minute, running through every possible solution in the split second she had before he fired. But there were no other choices, none that didn't put innocent people in harm's way.
They had to take the blast.
"Abbey!" she ordered. "All power to front deflectors. Zeke? We needed to brace, clamp the legs, and make sure we can hold."
Both blue and yellow helmets nod in synch, completely in line with Erika's decision, "On it!"
Now they just hope that the Megazord could take it. They found out only a heartbeat later.
The hands of Panda-monium exploded at point-blank range, a tidal wave of energy erupting from the barrels as it crashed into the Megazord like a tidal surge. The peppering energy exploded as it seared against the Megazord, every shot bursting into scorching blasts that cracked against the armor and shield, again and again. Inside the cockpit, the blasting was blinding, the entire windshield consumed in white light, sparks bursting from all consoles as the three of them were violently thrashed around.
As the smoke began to fade, the Megazord was barely standing, almost every read-out flashing red as Erika groaned and stabilized herself in her seat. They'd taken it, but there was no way they'd take another.
"Zeke," Erika wheezed. "How bad are we looking?"
"Critical damage on almost all systems," came the weary reply. "I… I don't know if we can stop him."
"We can maybe stop another blast like that from hitting the city?" Abbey suggested although Erika could tell from the strain in her voice that even that silver lining was a stretch.
The Megazord was crumbling, the monster was rampaging out of control, and still, the city was flooding with Cyberdrones as it succumbed to the chaos Xaviax had unleashed. Slowly, Erika's eyes began to shake as she realized what was happening, blurring as they succumbed to despair.
They weren't going to make it. They weren't going to stop the monster.
She hadn't stopped the monster.
Her breathing was growing heavy, like every inhale was an ordeal as she heaved herself up to the controls and readied for the final blow. But just as Erika felt herself sinking, she heard a voice suddenly call to them through the coms.
"Guys," Ray said firmly. "You've got this,"
Slowly Erika turned her head, her chest shuddering with new lightness. He was still down below, still fighting among the mass of Cyberdrones. But he'd found a break, and rather than using it to get himself out, he was using it to reach out to them. To help them.
To help her.
"Right now, I know you're scared," Ray told them. "Right now, I know that it feels like it's all too much; like the monster is overwhelming. But there's no greater monster than the one inside ourselves, the ones we battle every day. The ones that tell us there's no way we're going to succeed. But the monster inside is always wrong; like you've shown it time and time again."
Already, Erika's nervous tears were drying, shut off like a tap as her heart began beating with renewed resolve. Beside her, she saw Zeke and Abbey straightening, the morale within the cockpit renewing as all of them released how true it was. They all had their monsters, their demons. And when they faced them, they won. And they were not going to let some junk-yard reject be the exception.
"These are the times you dig deep, like you always have," said Ray. "You've beaten stronger than this, you eat these guys like this for breakfast. Because right now you've got something that he doesn't have; each other. You're not alone, and as long as you wear that Morpher, you never will be. So go get that guy, and show him why pandas spend all their time on the ground. Go! Go, Power Rangers!"
He was right, they could do this. Because they were together, and together they were unstoppable. Erika's heart roared with a surge of defiance in defiance as her eyes narrowed and her hands gripped tight on the controls. Beside her, Zeke and Abbey firmly nodded in complete agreement.
This was their city.
And they were not going to let it fall.
"All right, Panda," Erika snarled. "You're already black and white. Well, we're gonna make you red all over!"
"Oh, I'm so scared!" Panda-monium cackled. "What are you going to do, hobble at me? You've got nothing left, and now you're on your own!"
"We'll see about that!"
And just like that, they heard a roaring in the distance, thundering engines blaring as a fresh pair of vehicles whipped into the square.
"Speaking of Black and White!" Zeke cheered.
"Miguel!" Abbey realized. "Lena!"
Ripping in fast, the weapons on the Zords shredded to life, the energy rounds barely more than pellets that peppered the monster's leg. But to Panda-monium, the annoyance was enough, too much of an insult to ignore. With a furious snarl, the cyborg-bear spun to try and track the smaller Zords, growling in frustration as they weaved in frantic motion to avoid him. Finally, with a chance to recover, the Cyber-Security Megazord eased itself upright, and two screens flashed to life in the cockpit to reveal their morphed and ready teammates.
"Sorry we're late," Lena said cheerfully. "I had a killer headache to deal with."
"Had a few friends down below that needed guidance," Miguel added. "But we showed them where to go; right to the trash heap! Now we're all set and coming to you!"
"More of you have to come to play, huh?" Panda-monium roared, "Well, that's too bad for you. Because we all know Pandas eat and shoot, and I'm all out of food!"
"If that's what you're about," Erika sneered. "Then how about you just leave! Miguel? Lena? We'll keep him busy; you know what to do!"
"Right! Let's bring them together!"
The Megazord was staggering, barely standing as the three Rangers diverted all power to their movement. But it didn't matter, not if it gave their friends a chance to set up and prepare. As the Shadow-Cycle and Lightspeed Racer zipped together and began to unfold, the Cyber Security Megazord lunged forward, swinging a mighty fist right at the robot-panda's face. Too distracted by the smaller Zords, Pana-monium was completely open, too exposed to properly defend as the Megazord's punch rocketed right on target. If he had eyes, they'd have nearly popped out of his head, screaming in surprise as he stumbled away from the shock.
As Panda-monium staggered from the blow, the Cyber Security Megazord raised its guard and the mighty broadsword thundered to its hand. Right as their comrades finished their transformation.
"Twilight Server Megazord!" they declared. "Online!"
"You think one more will stop me?" Panda-monium demanded. "You can bearly stand!"
"Maybe not," Erika grinned. "But I've got some pretty good people beside to hold me up. Whereas you're going to the scrap heap on your own!"
"YEAH!"
At Erika's command, the Twilight Server surged in, signaling wide as it swung a heavy haymaker punch. Too slow on its own, the Megazord thundered past, the punch missing by a wide mile as Panda-monium sidestepped. But the monster's face dropped almost immediately, no time for so much as a "missed me" before he realized the horrifying truth. The Twilight Server's job was never to hit it, just to get him in position. All lined up for the Cyber Security Megazord, once down but far from out and now charging with glowing a sword.
"Cyber Power…" the three Rangers cried out. "STRIKE!"
With a blinding flash, the sword carved across Panda-monium's body, searing through the monster's flesh as it howled in pain. But while the blow didn't end him, the monster was too distracted to be ready for the follow-up, to defend against the patiently aiming Twilight Server.
"Twilight Server… FLASH!"
Now with the firing lane clear, the cannons opened up, unleashing their full fury on their stunned target. Panda-monium had nowhere to go, completely defenseless against the engulfing tidal wave of light that surged toward him before consuming his monstrous form completely. Within the very center, from a shape barely more than a shadowed silhouette, flames flustered outwards, the energy tearing through its body as the blast finished flowing from the guns and gradually faded. All that was left in the smoke was a spinning and dazzled Panda-monium, already beginning to topple.
Having watched from their stopping point, Erika smirked as she let out a little chuckle, "Skadoosh."
And then the monster fell, screaming all the way down. "Some days the bear gets you, but today they got the bear!"
A deafening clarion boomed as he impacted from the ground, the resulting explosion rippling from the epicenter as flames spiraled high into the sky. Shredded to an atom, the giant panda vanished in the flames, leaving nothing but smoke as the two Megazords stood tall over the vanquished remains.
Erika took a moment, just one, to enjoy the sight of their handiwork. Finally, they were making headway. And now all that remained was the chaos down below them. To help get their mentor out of the fight. Erika just hoped it wasn't too late.
Ray took another dive, hitting the ground and rolling as the Cyberdrone weapons clanged against a parked car behind him. Keep moving, it was the only strategy he had. The Rangers had reunited and turned the situation around by dealing with the monster; just like he knew they could. Finally, they were pulling ahead. Maybe.
But there was still plenty of work to be done. The Cyberdrones were still running rampant, harassing the fleeing civilians even with their reduced numbers. Most people had made it off the streets and into cover, but those trapped by the rampaging monster were still overly exposed to the danger. And he could still hear that damned ringing in his ears! If anything it was getting louder, assaulting his senses so hard it was throwing his balance as he did all he could to keep himself going. But he had to, he needed to stay standing until everyone was safe.
He just had to hope that Hilary was narrowing in on the source of the disturbance while he could still hold out himself.
Seeking his chance, Ray darted to a nearby alley, pivoting and kicking off to launch a powerful tornado kick that crashed into a pursuing Cyberdrone. With a heel in its face, the robot went spinning, clattering into its comrades as Ray took the moment to resume his guard and assess the situation.
There were still people in the square, but by now they were mostly stragglers on the outskirts. With the giant monster gone, the exits were once again clear, and it seemed that Xaviax was finally running out of Cyberdrones. Overhead, he heard a screech, spinning around to see that of all people, Whitney and Deryck were still there, fleeing for their lives.
Because of course, they were.
But lucky for them, the cavalry had arrived. Five beams of light surged down to the square, black, white, and primary colors as the Rangers leaped from their re-digitizing Zords to descend on the square.
And not a moment too soon.
"Nice moves," Ray congratulated as Erika landed beside him.
"Nice pep talk," she replied. "Gather the last of the stragglers and get out of here. We can take it from here."
A command that Ray was not about to argue with, he'd already overstayed as it was.
The five Rangers lunged at the horde as Ray raced to the edges, making for the road as the last of the fleeing people made for a nearby alley. He didn't waste a second. Picking up speed, Ray dashed toward a still-standing park bench and leaped, bounding off the higher surface to launch himself across the road and right into the Cyberdrones' path.
The first of the robots clattered along the asphalt as Ray took it by surprise, the rest of them turning to the disturbance as Ray took the window and swerved between them and the fleeing civilians. The alley behind them was empty, a perfect run to freedom. He just needed to keep the footsoldiers off them.
"Go!" he bellowed. "Now!"
The fleeing people didn't need telling twice, nodding hurriedly as they turned tail and ran while Ray hurled himself at the horde. Their hands grabbed at him, snatching for a grip as he spun in the air and struck out in reply. His movement was purposeful, focused, and driven as every blow and block served to hold the passage. To keep the robots from pursuit.
Another hand snatched his arm, determined to hold Ray still and let the others hurry past. Big mistake. Ray's eyes narrowed, palm lashing up to grab and squeeze the hand. With fingers curling his grip, he twisted hard, spinning the struggling Cyberdrone as a shield before booting it back into its buddies.
And then he had them right where he wanted.
With a cheeky smile, Ray let the built-up digital energy rush to the surface all at once, unleashing from his eyes in a furious flurry of blasts. The red beams seared through the gap as they lanced the Cyberdrones' chests, dropping them one by one. In a blink, the beams vanished, and Ray smiled at his handwork as he gazed at the pile of smoking robots on the ground.
Been a while since he'd landed every shot. His practice must be paying-
Suddenly there was a burning, a searing around his eyes as the high-pitched rose to a grating screech. That feeling he'd once had, a tingling in his body like all limbs had dropped to sleep at once, was now centering in his chest, sizzling like a thousand needles prickling his skin all at once. Ray could only gasp, stumbling for balance as the feeling grew, his heart racing to panic as the sensation's intensity surged with every beat.
And then something flared inside of him.
His eyes engorged, widening in horror as Ray realized that he couldn't hold back the tide. As he realized what was coming. All he could do was throw back his head, send it into the air and far from innocent people, and then Ray could only scream as an unyielding flow of energy unleashed from out his eyes. The power was enormous, twin columns of burning, crimson light flowing into the sky.
And Ray was powerless to stop it.
"RAY!"
It was all he could do to squeeze his eyes shut, to dam the flow as his world descended into red-tinted darkness. It was still there, bubbling beneath the surface, ready to burst if his eyes reopened again. Erika's voice called to him, a careful hand gripping his shoulder as Ray reached out to touch it back.
He couldn't see them, but he could feel them, his Rangers had come to him.
"What's happening?" Erika asked him, and he could hear the worried panic that she was desperately holding back. "What's happening with your eyes?"
"I don't know," he replied in a strained voice. "The frequency, I can hear it. It's doing something with my eye beams."
Erika's response was almost immediate, firm, and decisive. "Miguel, get him to Hilary. Now!"
"Power down!"
There was a sound beside him, the descending pitch of the suit de-morphing as the Dark Ranger dismissed his powers and took a firm hold on Ray.
"We'll figure this out," he promised before the sound of snapping air cracked around them and Ray felt the ground sweep away from beneath him.
A split-second later, he felt the smoke brush past his leg as his footing returned, the strange sensation of Miguel's teleporting as they appeared in what Ray assumed was the lab.
But before he could say anything to his wife, he heard a sudden scream behind him. A female voice, one he didn't recognize, yelping in a high pitch with shock and surprise. But they spoke, and Ray recognized it immediately.
"What the hell is going on here!" Jessica demanded. "And what the hell is this place?"
Hilary's assistant had found the lab.
Racing at top speed, Valerie battled the screaming crowd as she made for the square. Her rational brain was screaming at her, begging her to turn around and dive for cover, to roll the dice and assume that Erika was safe. But Valerie's heart was in command, refusing to relent while summoning all the courage of her life to be sure that Erika was safe. One look at the square, that was all she'd need. Once Val saw it was empty, she'd know that Erika was elsewhere.
They'd watched the battle overhead as they ran, the giant monster being taken down by two enormous robots. It was a sight to behold in and of itself, feel the shockwaves of every blow emanate from them as the titans battled above the rooftops. But still, Valerie prevailed, refusing to slow down until she had her answer. Even as the monster fell, she kept going, its mighty body surging into roaring flames as the colossal machines vanished into light, and Val persisted in her quest.
Melody and Jas were hot on her heels, better friends than she ever could have asked for helping battle the tide of people as they stampeded from the square. What greeted them was nothing short of chaos, and the three girls gasped as they snapped to a corner. Suddenly, the true extent of the danger hit them. Walls and windows were shattered, cars overturned and smoldering. And still, the square was writhing with hordes of robotic soldiers.
But amongst all the danger, she saw them.
Four warriors, clad in tight, brightly colored clothing, their weapons spinning with poise and grace as they plowed into the robotic ranks. The Blue Ranger launched high, firing her bow to blast the androids apart as the White Ranger swept beneath to lance the stragglers with their spear. At the edge, a pack of the robots had broken away, aiming their weapons at the few civilians who had yet to flee the scene. Nearby, Val's eyes widened, realizing that among the people were Whitney and Deryck, breaking from the huddle of terrified innocents to make a rush out on their own.
But the shots never landed, as the Yellow Ranger vaulted an impossible distance and slid between attackers and their target as the lasers fired from the weapons. With a cheer of pride, the Yellow Ranger battered away the shots, bouncing the beams of energy harmlessly into a nearby fire hydrant. The hydrant burst, and there was a screech from the same direction, as a now-soaked Whitney and Deryck ran back to their safety of numbers as the Yellow Ranger covered the people's escape.
But the Red Ranger! Now they were a sight to see. A one-person wrecking crew, they charged right into the robot ranks, seeming without care as they collided. They were an unstoppable force, and the robots were far from immovable. They flew in all directions as the Ranger barely lost an inch of pace, their red axe swinging wide to cleave through the numbers without a hint of slowing.
It was incredible.
But there was no sign of Erika.
"See, she's not here!" Jasmine hissed. "We need to go!"
"Just a second!"
There were still some people left, not many but enough to sow nervous doubt in Valerie's heart. If Erika was with any of them…
Fresh from tearing the robots into a fresh pile of parts, the Red Ranger spun around, looking for their next fight as their helmet scanned the corner where the girls were hiding. For a moment, the visor locked with Valerie's gaze, and the girl swore she was looking right into the Ranger's eyes. The Red helmet tilted as if its wearer was surprised to see her. As if it didn't know what to make of the girl staring at them from behind a corner.
"Uh… Val?"
Valerie's attention whipped back as Melody nervously pointed, her heart stopping dead as she realized the danger. Some of the robots had seen them.
"LOOK OUT!"
Val had barely seen the Ranger move, launching across the square as they switched from axe to pistol and unloaded on the cluster. The rounds sounded from the blaster, booming as they impacted the ground to shatter the robots into a million pieces. But not before a few got off shots of their own.
The Red Ranger had barely jumped between them as beams of light seared across the distance, blasting into their chest to send them flying with sparks bursting from the impact. The Ranger flew past them, hitting the ground with a heavy thud and smoke steaming off their body.
No!
Valerie gasped in horror, racing to the Ranger's side, desperately hoping that she hadn't just caused the downfall of a city's savior.
"Are you okay?" she begged. "Please be okay!"
Suddenly the suit grew warm, a strange contracting feeling beneath her palm as Valerie snapped away her hand. With a flash of scarlet light, the suit disappeared, and Valerie gasped who she suddenly saw lying before her.
It was Erika.
To be Continued...
NEXT TIME
With the city still in chaos, the citizens of Lakeview hurry for shelter as Scolex publicly reveals the next stage of his plan. While the Rangers scramble to find and stop the Haywire signal, Erika is faced with the fallout of Valerie and Electro-Head learning her identity. Meanwhile, Ray and Hilary desperately search for a way to halt their rampaging powers before losing control for good, while Jessica comes to grips with the secret that has been humming beneath her feet all this time.
Can the Rangers destroy the signal's source and stop the city from falling into chaos? Will Valerie forgive Erika for the secrets she's been keeping? And will Ray and Hilary find a way to control their powers, or will their once-treasured abilities spell their doom when the Rangers need them most?
Find out Next Time, on the Season Finale of:
POWER RANGERS
SERVER FORCE
Haywire- Part 2
A/N: Next week, Power Rangers Server force will be updated on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.