Episode 21:

Haywire- Part 2

"Jess," Hilary urged carefully. "I know this is a lot. But I need you to not freak out."

Although being honest, she knew she was probably asking too much.

Because what better time to discover your boss had a secret underground lab beneath your workplace than when all the city's technology was falling into complete disarray? What better thing to see than the technology running the Power Rangers' Zords while they battled it out with a giant panda?

At least she hadn't seen the liquid metal coating Hilary's skin, which while slowly crawling up her arms had not yet covered enough of her neck to emerge from the collar of her blouse. Yet.

It had all happened so fast. Hilary had barely let out a resounding cheer of victory as the Rangers struck down the monster when Jess' shocked exclamation shrieked from the elevator. The intrusion alone was a surprise, but Hilary's heart had seized when saw her gob-smacked assistant standing at the entrance of the ruined lab. God, where was she even going to begin?

How had Jess got down here? How was Hilary going to explain it? For her own part, Jess just stood there in slack-jawed silence, gazing at the operation that had been going on beneath her feet for months.

And then, just as Hilary thought she might have the words to begin explaining to her shell-shocked employee, Miguel Wisped in with an obnoxious crack of smoke, bracing her husband over his shoulder. That time Jessica's shriek was so loud that it resonated with the million blaring alarms, and Miguel spun around in shock as suddenly Hilary realized something about her husband. Ray's eyes were closed, squeezed tight with all his effort with a faint glow of red pulsing beneath his eyelids.

It wasn't just her powers that were on the fritz; Ray's were going haywire too. And for all the inconveniences that Hilary's uncontrolled powers would bring, Ray would be a million times worse.

"Jess?" Ray asked, more a query than a check-in as he moved around as if trying to look through his still-shut eyes. "Is that you?"

"I… found a door…' Jess stammered eyes widened as she continued gazing around. "I didn't know it. It closed behind me… I was here… you were there… Screen… monster…!"

So much for the not freaking out part.

Then Jess spun and pointed at Miguel. "You! You just… appeared!"

Hilary gritted her teeth and weighed her options. Still no source on that signal, and now her husband's eyes were slowly burning away his eyelids. She didn't have time for this, and the Rangers couldn't spare Miguel.

Jess would just have to manage on the fly.

Ignoring her stammering assistant, Hilary's hand snapped to the draw, almost reefing it out with uncontrolled strength as she found a rolled-up bandage and rushed to her husband's side. She handed it to Miguel, not trusting herself to apply it gently as the boy gasped at the sight of her metallic skin.

"Your hand!"

"Let me guess," Hilary asked. "He lost control of his powers?"

"You too, huh?" Ray inquired flippantly as Miguel began wrapping the bandage around his eyes. It was a temporary solution, but at least it would help him keep them shut. Hilary just had to hope that she could find an answer before things really spiraled out of control.

Even in those brief few minutes, the metal had crawled up further, the cool liquid reaching to expose itself beneath her collar, and Jess gasped as it moved before her eyes. But Hilary didn't have time for this. Not now.

"Miguel," she said. "Get Ray comfortable, then get back out there. The Rangers need you more than I do."

Miguel gave a nervous nod and shot another look at Jess, whose eyes only bulged wider as she realized what Hilary had just said.

"Rangers?" she gasped. "You mean like, Power Rangers? Oh god, they're… they're with you! This whole time?"

"She's managing well," Ray said amusedly from the chair he'd been placed in.

Hilary ignored them both, nodding in confirmation to the young teen. "Go!"

Gulping down, Miguel motioned in agreement before the air cracked around him, vanishing in a plume of black smoke that dissipated just as quickly. Then, with her husband settled and Miguel on his way back to his team, Hilary finally turned her attention to her assistant.

"I know you've got questions," she said. "Like, a million of them. But I don't know how much longer I'll be able to use my hands and right now I need your help. Are you in?"

For a moment, Jessica continued to stare in shock, as if completely unable to process anything that she'd just been hit with. But then, either through repression or a resolution of nerves, the girl gulped down, nodding in nervous affirmation and taking a purposeful step into the lab.

"What do you need me to do?"

Erika could only stare at the three faces above her, all of them equally wide-eyed and speechless.

Jasmine.

Melody.

Val!

They'd… they'd just seen…

"Hey… guys…".

Really? You just blew their whole world and that's the best you've got?

Slowly, Erika's two band members turned to look at Valerie, nervously waiting for her to respond. With bated breath, Erika did the same, slowly pulling her bruised and throbbing body to her feet as Valerie continued staring in stunned silence.

"Val?" Erika finally asked nervously.

"I…" her girlfriend replied quietly. "I guess that explains a lot."

But any further explanations were cut short as they heard a commotion behind them. The Cyberdrones had found them.

"Get behind me!" Erika spun into a guard, shifting between her friends and their attackers. As the Cyberdrones shuffled toward them, Erika's fists clenched, her eyes narrowing as she let her anger flare. No one was going to hurt her girlfriend. No one.

She was already moving as the Cyberdrones rushed them, bolting to a flank and bounding off the wall to lure them across the narrow alley. The robots weren't ready, unprepared for such a jerking motion as Erika bounded high and rocketed down with a mighty battle cry. Landing in the midst, Erika smashed her feet into a Cyberdrone to break her fall, the numbers stumbling around as their tight group caused others to go down with it. And then it was on.

With Erika in the center, the robots whipped around, ignoring the three civilians to swamp the teenager plunging into their center. But they were far too late to stop her. Erika's arms swung out, battering back their blows before striking her fist into the faceplate, sending a Cyberdrone reeling as its stumbling gave her room. Seizing the chance to leap away, Erika launched into spinning flight as she kicked another on her way out and repositioned to resume her offense. Even in the tight confines, she'd gained the advantage, the slight chase that they were running was all she needed to drip-feed them toward her. One by they went in, chopped at the neck, and dropped as Erika kicked out her boot to plant a hard one into the chest of another incoming.

But for all the ones she felled, more were still coming.

"LOOK OUT!"

Valerie's voice echoed across the alleyway, Erika whipping around to the front to see a fresh batch hurrying toward them. Without a thought to spare, Erika let the energy build from within, channeling it down her arm before lashing out and unleashing. The crimson bolt of lightning cracked across the alley, surging the line of robots before dropping them to the ground. As the robots convulsed on their backs, smoke steaming from their armor, Erika shot a look back at Valerie and the Electro-head, all of them staring wide-eyed and gob-smacked.

"Yeah," she admitted. "So, I guess we've got a few things to talk about…"

But now wasn't the time. Some of the felled Cyberdrones were already rising, with the last of their cohort flooding into the alley to give them a hand. Thankfully, finally, help was on the way.

With a cheer of support, the three remaining Rangers somersaulted into the alley, Security Sabers drawn and flashing as they cleaved into the henchmen. Finally, with room to breathe, Erika stumbled back, allowing her teammates to clear the final numbers as Valerie, Jas, and Melody rushed to her side.

"Whoa!"

"That was incredible!"

"Are…" Valerie finally asked, nervously, "Are you okay?"

Oh God, where was she going to even begin to answer that question? Physically, sure? But her girlfriend learning of her secret identity, right after warning that they'd break up specifically because of said secret? That was going to take some unpacking.

But right now, Valerie was too frazzled to process anything, and the Electro-Head girls were staring in awe at the other three Rangers. Erika had to hand it to them, the three moved together well. It was usually hard to see it, fighting alongside them instead of watching from the sidelines, but Abbey, Zeke, and Lena had found a rhythm in their movements, covering each other with near-perfect precision as they tore through the Cyberdrone ranks. In less than a minute, the menacing horde of Cyberdrones had been rendered to nothing but a scattered mess of parts, and the three Rangers turned to the teenagers huddled in the alleyway.

It was only then that Erika realized the new danger, that in knowing her identity, Valerie, Jas, and Melody could deduce the others as well. She couldn't see the others' faces, but she could tell they were confused at her being suddenly unmorphed. All Erika could hope was that they'd deduce she'd been thrown out before-

"Uhhh… you should get inside, citizens!" Zeke suddenly informed them in his best, lamest, superhero voice. Erika could only groan and facepalm, Valerie's face dropping as she stared at the Yellow Ranger.

"Zeke?" she suddenly realized. "Is there you?"

Here we go.

"Uh…. I'm sorry!" Zeke replied, committed to his charade while remaining unconvincing. "I do not know this Zeke that you speak of. Perhaps you have me confused with-."

"Zeke," Erika interrupted with a sigh of resignation. "She knows, all three of them do."

The yellow's head twitched as if short-circuiting at the news, while Abbey and Lena stepped closer before sharing a look. Then, with a quick nod of agreement, all three Rangers powered down. In a flash of multicolored light, the three teens stood in the Ranger's place, and other girls gasped at the remaining faces.

"Abbey?" Jasmine gasped.

"Lena?" Melody realized.

"Hey, guys," Abbey smiled meekly.

Beside Erika, Valerie continued to stare at the rest of her friends, stammering in struggling comprehension. "I… I don't believe it…. All of you?"

And naturally, that was the exact moment that Miguel found them as well. The three girls shrieked as the sound of his smoke cracked across the alley, the teenager stepping from seemingly nowhere to join them. Equally unprepared, Miguel also jumped in fright at the sudden screaming.

"Oh, yeah," Erika said dryly. "Miguel's with us too."

Thankfully, at least one of the group had enough composure to remain focused on the many problems at hand.

"How's Ray?" Lena asked.

"He's with Hilary, although things aren't exactly peachy in the lab either," said Miguel before nodding at the three girls. "What's happening here?"

"I got demorphed in front of them," said Erika. "They know."

Miguel shrugged, less from flippancy and more an attempt to process the insanity of their day. "Seems that's going around."

Abbey shot him a look, but Erika was done with the catch-up. They needed a plan, to figure out what was happening and start preparing a counterattack. They might have handled the last monster, but Erika didn't believe for even a second that all of this was all that Xaviax had planned.

"How's the square?" Erika asked.

"There're still plenty of Cyberdrones running around," said Abbey. "But all the people are out. They're either hiding in the buildings, or they've fled to other parts of the city."

"Then we need to do the same," Erika decided. "Out here we're sitting ducks. We can fight Cyberdrones all day, but we need somewhere to regroup and figure out what's really going on."

The other four Rangers nodded, and at last, Erika turned to her girlfriend and bandmates. Through their confusion, their eyes trembled with terror, overwhelmed by all that had been dropped on them all at once.

"I know this is a lot," Erika admitted. "But we can't talk here, it isn't safe. But once we've found somewhere to hide out, we'll tell you anything you want. I promise."

Eventually, a tense quiet settled across the city. The streets weren't safe, but the people had been able to retreat indoors. Their communications were still caught in the haywire, screens nothing but seas of hazy static and phone lines harsh tones of screeching. No one knew what was wrong, and no one had any way of finding out. The city was paralyzed with blind terror, and all they could do was wait. Wait for a light to guide them from the darkness.

From her seat, Hilary seethed in an angry breath. Xaviax had been ten steps ahead all along, and she'd been so worried about him getting to the Digitizer that she'd been blind to the bigger picture. His plan was in full execution, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Not while her own circumstances were getting worse. There was nothing Hilary could do to stop the spread, and the cool metallic liquid was now completely coating her body while refusing the recede. Her strength was too much, fine restraint non-existent as every touch risked destroying whatever lay in her grasp. She couldn't even go near her husband, not if she wanted to keep his arms unbroken; although she noted with a hint of irony that the metal covering her skin was likely the best protection if Ray should accidentally open his eyes.

For all she'd had dumped on her, Jessica was taking things remarkably well, tending to Ray while commanding algorithmic programs that searched for the signal's source. Maybe she was just withdrawing, maybe there was a more unnatural calm simmering beneath her usually uptight exterior. But at that moment, Hilary had never been more thankful that someone had accidentally discovered her secret lab.

Even if she would be drastically reviewing the security protocols once this was all over.

"Has it really always been here?" Jessica asked, bitterness simmering just beneath the surface. "The entire time I've been working for you, running your museum and covering when you'd disappear? And you've been down here?"

"There is no excuse that will make you happy," said Hilary. "But yes, I arranged for this section to be built when I got the job and oversaw the museum renovations. Everything that's happening right now, it's the whole reason I came to Lakeview in the first place."

Jessica nodded and returned to her quiet, clearly processing all she was being told. From his chair, Ray's blindfolded head tilted in curiosity.

"How's she taking it?" he asked. "I can't see her expression."

For a moment, Hilary considered leaving his question unanswered, knowing full well that overtly stating her observation was more likely to enflame Jess' aggravation. But enough silence had existed between them, enough omitted for the sake of convenience.

"She's pissed," Hilary replied, noting the strange humming resonating from her metallic lips. "I've made her feel conflicted between her gratitude for the Power Rangers and feeling betrayed by my secrecy."

Jess' face scrunched in frustration, although Hilary wasn't sure if it was from her presumption or because she was right. As Ray nodded in understanding, Jess spun in the chair to face her boss, opening her mouth to let Hilary have it when suddenly another voice cut through.

It was fuzzy and wavering, chittering over the buzzing static as it threatened to drown it out completely. But it wasn't the fact that it was coming from the radio that caused Hilary's heart to seize. Somehow, it was coming through the computer speakers too, and as she listened closely, an icy chill prickled along her spine as she realized who it belonged to.

"This is an emergency broadcast!" Davian Scolex announced. "Calling out on all frequencies for the people of Lakeview. As we speak, we are working around the clock to find the source of this mysterious interference, but right now we are urging people to remain calm."

Hilary stifled a snarl through her ground, iron teeth, shooting a look to an oblivious Ray as Jessica stared at her in confusion. He'd thrown the city into chaos, and now he was grandstanding. Whatever the contents of this message, Hilary knew what it ultimately meant. The culmination of his plan.

"Mayor Fielding has authorized me to use the emergency broadcast network, and my own technicians have made some headway in breaking through the static. If you can hear this, and if it's safe, make your way to the Cyberdyne Industries building in downtown Lakeview. A perimeter has been set up to protect civilians from the strange robotic creatures descending upon our fair city. We will keep you safe, and we will make sure the city you know is returned to its rightful state. We will repeat this message as long as we can, to reach as many people as possible."

And then the line went dead.

Hilary could only stare blankly, vision going blurry as the world seemed to vanish around her, heart pounding beneath her steel chest as she realized how powerless she truly was. Scolex had created a crisis, and now he was presenting himself as the savior. Xaviax was getting exactly what he wanted, and there was nothing Hilary could do about it.

With a roar of rage, she snatched a laptop from the desk and hurled it across the room. The device never stood to chance against the wall, rocketed into the surface by superstrength before shattering into a million pieces. Jessica could only stare at her boss and mentor, horrified.

"I'm guessing she's not taking it too well?" Ray asked dryly, his own character in overdrive from the blindness. The glib notation cut through, forcing a cathartic, chuckled admission as Hilary buckled over and heaved a heavy breath.

"He's winning," she realized. "He's winning and there's nothing I can do to stop him."

"Who's winning?' Jessica demanded. "Why do you care about Scolex offering refuge?"

"Because this is Scolex," Ray replied from his chair. "The panic right now, the robots. Everything the city's been through in the last six months, it's all been him."

"This is his masterstroke; his big, grand plan" Hilary growled. "And I don't even know what it is."

She needed to do something, anything! She was dutifully running the search protocols, but they weren't coming up with anything! There was too much static, too much interference in the air for any hope of pinpointing an epicenter to hold. They were stumbling blind, and they were getting nowhere.

Slowly, Jessica breathed in deeper, turning to her employer with renewed calm. "Okay, that sounds like a whole other conversation. Maybe we look at what we can fix? Just what exactly is going on with the two of you?"

Yet one more thing that Hilary didn't even know where to begin with. She'd blocked the code from running rampant in the lab, and successfully caused one to emit around Lena's body to stop it harming her. So why wasn't it stopping her and Ray's powers from going haywire? Why was it causing that at all?

"Okay," Ray decided. "Let's work off what we do know. We know that the frequency is hitting digital devices, ones that have some sort of wireless connectivity."

"We also know that it can affect digital constructs," Hilary added, slowly nodding as her husband's voice lulled her back to calm. "That's the only way that it would have affected Lena and no one else."

"Wait," Jess paused. "Lena? As in the teenager that's been living in your apartment? The girl that's been interning for me at the museum after school? That Lena? She's a digital what?"

Hilary ignored her, filing the questions for the long conversation to be due another time as her mind raced back over all of Xaviax's schemes.

"Digital frequencies!" she realized. "That's what he was having Gail steal. She scraped out codes from the Digitizer. I assumed it was because they were taking another shot at hacking in, which is why the Morphers were already unaffected when the code started broadcasting. But maybe this was what it was for. He created a code that would hit all digital technologies through the emanation of digital energy!"

"That would include anything with digital energy around their body," Ray concluded. "And Lena's practically made of the stuff."

From her seat, Jess opened her mouth to ask more questions, only to clearly decide it was pointless. Then, she tried again.

"So your runaway is actually made of up this 'digital energy'," she repeated slowly before giving the married couple a look. "Does that mean that you two are as well?"

"No," Ray shook his head. "We're human. We've just had a little over-exposure to some technology that doused us in something similar."

At that remark, Jessica's face went white, staring around her at the immense volume of unfamiliar technology.

"Don't worry," Hilary assured. "It only radiates on command. None of the stuff in here is dangerous."

"If it's affecting us because of the bio-digital field," said Ray, turning in the direction of Hilary's voice to try and look at her through the blindfold. "Why isn't affecting the kids?"

"Whoa, kids?" Jess interrupted again before her face dropped. "Don't tell me! Those other kids that are always hanging around are in on this too?"

But Hilary's mind already racing, scrubbing all she knew for any difference between their circumstance and her own.

"That night!" she realized. "When I set off the pulse. It affected Erika, Abbey, and Zeke as it did us way back when but…

"It hit us too," Ray concluded in horror. "It gave us a double dose."

Which meant there was nothing they could do. There was no way to remove the bio-digital field around their bodies once imprinted; Hilary had long ago given up trying. Their only hope now rested with their teenage Rangers, out in the chaos of the city, and the hope that they could somehow deduce a way to stop the transmission.

"So, we're stumped," said Hilary. "We've got nowhere to move."

With a sigh, she slumped against the bench, feeling it shift at the enormity of her metal, weighted body, and slowly raised her hand the rub against her face.

Only her palm didn't open.

Her finger brushed her cheek, but the digitals themselves made no response to the mental command. Every heartbeat seemed to last a lifetime as Hilary's head slowly turned to stare at her hand, unmoving and static as it refused to obey her. Like it was frozen.

"Hilary?" Ray asked nervously. "You just went quiet. What's going on?"

"My hand," she gasped in horrified disbelief. "I can't move my hand!"

Back at the terminal, Jessica rushed to her side, manicure nails clinking against the metal as they touched Hilary's palm and began massaging the rigid fingers.

"I… I can't feel that," Hilary realized, and Jessica immediately grabbed hold of digits and began to pull. She was light at first, but just as quickly threw all her strength into prying them apart. But it was no use.

"I can't move them," said Jess. "It's like they're made of…"

"Steel," Hilary finished. "They're made of steel."

They weren't locked. They weren't paralyzed. And they were no longer just coated in the cool liquid that gave her strength while affording freedom of movement. The metal around Hilary had begun to harden. And if they didn't find a solution, she'd soon be unable to move at all.

Erika told her everything.

Every moment, every secret, everything she'd had been holding back since the moment she'd first swept in to save her. Valerie just sat there, perched on the hood of an abandoned car inside an empty undercover lot, silent as she listened to Erika explain the year she'd never known. All the while, Melody and Jasmine equally sat beside them, awkwardly aware that they were accidentally privy to the couple's private revelation.

At last, as Erika explained the rules that Ray had once set out for them, she paused and waited for Valerie to respond.

The wait was an eternity.

"It all makes sense now…," was all Valerie could say, although Erika wasn't sure if it was just to fill the void. Whether, in understanding, Valerie could truly forgive her.

"I wanted to tell you," said Erika. "There were so many times I imagined what I would say. But it wasn't just my secret to share, and I realized that in letting you in on it, I'd be burdening you too. I… I don't know…"

Her words began to falter, vanishing as the tears began welling in her eyes to begin trailing down her cheek, choking at the entry to prevent her from speaking more truth. But as she did, Erika felt a soft hand take hers, and she looked up with reddening and puffy eyes to see Valerie staring back with a look that mirrored her. And she was smiling.

"You know," Valerie decided, huffing back her tears before continuing through shuddered breath, "as far as excuses go, constantly saving the city is a pretty good one."

Erika's arms were flying, sweeping around Valerie and pulling her into a squeezing hug before her mind had even caught up with her body. She had no idea what it meant; if, when the dust settled tomorrow, Valerie would still feel the same way. But for now, she'd take it.

"I'll try not to overuse it."

The two of them held each other tightly, in a moment that Erika hoped would last forever; an eternity of just the two of them where nothing else in the world mattered. But they did, both matter and end, and as the couple slowly pulled apart, Erika turned to the two bandmates who were trying to look anywhere but them.

"And I owe you two an apology as well," she decided.

Jasmine pulled a face of an unsuccessful denial, "What? No, you don't need to."

"I bailed on practice a few times to go blow up monsters," Erika pointed out. "I think I owe you at least a couple."

"Okay," Melody conceded. "Maybe just a few."

Arms open wide, Erika embraced her bandmates for a hug of their own before Valerie finally nodded to other Rangers huddled at the other end of the lot.

"Now go," she insisted. "They've waited for you long enough."

With a beaming of gratitude, Erika finally turned away, striding toward the ongoing team meeting. She half expected them to be annoyed, that she was prioritizing her own personal drama over strategy, but she was greeted by nothing but sympathetic faces.

"Everything all good?" Abbey asked.

"Yeah," Erika smiled. "Yeah, we're all good. Now where are we at?"

As she inquired, Zeke nodded toward an old, salvaged radio, where Scolex's voice was continuously playing on loop.

"…We will keep you safe, and we will make sure the city is returned to its rightful state. We will repeat this message as long as we can, to reach as many people as possible."

"Huh," Erika noted. "So, this one of those broken records people talking about?"

But as the rest looked sullen at the circumstances, Lena seemed more perplexed.

"I don't get it," she said. "What's his endgame? There's got to be more to it than this."

"None of us know Xaviax more than you," said Abbey. "Are you sure there's nothing to give even a hint of what his plan is?"

"It just doesn't make any sense," Lena replied. "He wouldn't have gone to all this effort just to make people love him. He's already the big-town billionaire, how much more adoration would he need?"

Erika nodded in agreement, although it still brought them no closer to an answer. But one by one, all heads slowly turned toward her, and Erika began to keenly feel the sudden attention that was fixed upon her standing. While staying at the peripheral, Valerie and the Electro-Head girls were also watching, waiting to see what she'd decided. Wait for Erika to lead.

But what could she do?

She could hit stuff good; her best plan was just hitting things really hard. But actual strategy? Normally, Ray and Hilary would come up with that. But their mentors weren't there, and from what Miguel was saying, there was no way they going to sweep in with some grand plan to fix everything. The team was on their own and needed to work with what they had.

And what they had was her.

"Okay," Erika decided, hoping she could fake the confidence until she found some. "Let's go back to what we know. Lena, what happened when everything went crazy?"

"It was like someone was driving a pair of drills through my temples," Lena said bitterly. "A high-pitched ringing and suddenly it was I was being taken down with a dog whistle."

"It's a frequency," Miguel explained. "Hilary said something about it hitting anything digital."

"Okay," Erika nodded. "So, if she helped Lena, why isn't everything going back to normal?"

"Size," Zeke cut in before Miguel could even answer. "Even if Hilary had the jamming frequency ready to go, she'd need a way to broadcast it. We're not talking about your basic cable dish, it would have to be strong enough to cover the entire county."

Which Hilary clearly didn't have, or else she'd have already done it. Okay, so that plan was out. Although…

"Hang on," said Erika. "If that's the case for Doc Hawkins, then the same's got to be true for Xaviax. He'd need a way of transmitting a signal all over the city."

"The radio tower!" Miguel gasped, spinning to Lena as he recollected. "The day you got your Morpher, remember? Ender was there and they were messing around with it."

"It would certainly be a good size for the transmitter they'd need," Lena admitted.

"But I thought you said that the frequency didn't affect analog stations," said Abbey. "How could they be using the city's radio tower?"

But Zeke was smiling, grinning at Miguel's suggestion as he explained, "It's not analog, not anymore. They upgraded the tower in the early 2000s to broadcast digital frequencies while they phased out the old FM ones. It'd be perfect."

The pieces were beginning to fit, slowly forming a mental map of what Xaviax could be planning. And how to stop him. But it wasn't all roses yet, and Lena was the first to voice the obvious problem.

"If they're hauled up at the radio tower, the place is bound to be crawling with Cyberdrones," she said bleakly. "And there's no way Ender's dumb enough to think we wouldn't figure it out, either. He'll be ready for us."

"So, it's a trap then?" Abbey asked.

"Yeah," Erika decided. "But I don't much care."

She expected a million objections. Abbey from her unwillingness to fight, Zeke from sheer terror, or even Lena from a standpoint of tactical efficiency. But none of them replied, none of them voicing an objection to Erika's defiant obstinance. None voicing disagreement, because there was none. Slowly, all of them scanned the other's faces, all confirming their like-mindedness before Abbey finally stated the consensus of the room.

"Good," she agreed with an affirming nod at their leader. "Just so we're all on the same page when we go charging in there anyway."

But knowing and doing were two different things, an anxious chasm to cross that seemed to be widening with every second. As they realized what they were truly walking into. Even with all in agreement, none of them moved, nervous paralysis grabbing hold as their fears took the wheel.

Was it going to be enough? Could they handle everything that Xaviax would put in their way? Even if they breached through the ranks of Cyberdrones, how did they know that Radio Tower was the source? Did they actually know how to stop the signal?

Erika knew what would normally happen here, what all of them were waiting for without knowing it. This would be the part where Hilary and Ray would assure them that they could succeed, where they'd spout the lessons from their years of experience and bust out inspiration from a place that the Rangers would never have even thought of.

But Ray and Hilary weren't there. Instead, they were fighting for their lives against the very frequency that the Rangers needed to stop. And in their absence, all four faces slowly turned, nervously looking to the one person who they thought could rally them in their mentor's stead.

Never before in Erika's life had she wanted to turn tail and run so badly. Not when she'd first been confronted by Cyberdrones, or the time she'd strode before a monster without even knowing if her Morpher would work. Not even the first time she'd stepped on stage, presenting herself for judgment before a crowd. No, Erika would take those times again in a heartbeat. Anything compared to the weight of pleading expectation that was falling on her now.

But someone had to do it. Erika didn't know the right words, she just needed to sound like the person who would. To fake it until she made it; until she believed it.

"Look guys," Erika admitted. "I know you're scared, and I know that because I sure as hell am. But I know what Ray would be telling us right now; some weird quote from Sun-Tzu before adding an assurance that it's okay. That being scared is a sign that we're smart, that we understand the danger that's out there. But he'd also tell us that true courage isn't the absence of fear, but the will to act in spite of it."

One by one, their shoulders began to rise, slouched discouragement fading as they bought into Erika's words. She wasn't even sure how much she believed them herself, but as Erika began to see the impact they were having on her teammates, her friends, she started to. To feed off their rising enthusiasm and let it virtuously cycle into her hype.

All Erika could give them was the truth, all of it, unashamed. And let it set them free.

"We all have our reasons to fight," Erika acknowledged. "Some of us thrive in it, some of us want nothing to do with it at all. But all of us are here, together on this side of the battle, and we stayed here for a reason. All of us have something to fight for. Our homes, our families."

As she said it, her eyes wandered past her teammates, to a nervous trio watching from the sidelines. To Valerie, whose eyes were brimming with tears, a swirling cocktail of terror and pride as Erika breathed in deep and continued. "The people that we love.

"I know all of us have wondered if we're the right people for this; I know I do almost every day. But I also know whether we are or not doesn't matter, not now. Ray and Hilary don't have anyone else, and they're not here to tell us otherwise. So right now, we need to be the people that this city needs us to be, because we're the only hope they've got."

Gulping down to bury the final ounces of her dread, Erika stuck out her hand, the first spoke in a wheel as she looked up to the others. "Now who's with me?"

Their response was near instantaneous, the four other Rangers almost racing each other to add their hands to the circle, their faces now glowing with determination and pride.

"I'm in," Abbey nodded.

"Me too," Zeke agreed.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be," affirmed Miguel.

"Please," Lena decided cheekily. "Like you could do it without me."

All hands together, Erika smiled at her team, her friends. When each of them was alone, it felt like the world was out to get them and that there was no one coming to help. But together? There was nothing they couldn't face.

"Then let's get out there," Erika commanded. "And show Ender who really killed the radio star."

"RIGHT!"

The circle broke with a cheer, a rallying cry that sounded through the empty lot. As they broke, Abbey went over to Melody and Jasmine, ever the dutiful friend to offer advice and suggest they hide out until the dust had settled. But more importantly, she'd given Erika a final quiet moment with Valerie. Alone.

"You're going out there again," she said, less of an inquiring question and more a statement of confirmation. "Aren't you?"

Erika nodded, letting the silence settle between them instead of ruining it with words that would only fill the void. For once, she didn't fight, she didn't run; she stopped and faced the fear before her. Of what knowing now knowing the danger Erika faced was doing to Val. But her girlfriend didn't falter, blinking back her tears and steeling herself with a shuddered breath as she too nodded.

"I always knew you were a fighter," Valerie admitted. "And I always knew that you had a bigger heart than you let on. I think it's one of the reasons I love you so much."

It was like the wind had been stolen from Erika's breath; like time itself had stopped as she stood staring, slack-jawed and stunned, as she suddenly failed to find the words. She took it back; she'd do a million of those speeches if it meant holding back the words she knew she needed to utter. That Erika wanted to utter back, frightened as she was, should she only find the courage.

"You love me?" she asked instead, kicking herself for her cowardice.

"Of course!" Valerie replied as her tears at last broke free of her restraint to begin trickling down her cheeks. "How could I not? You're brave, and caring. You're always looking out for other people, even at the expense of yourself. You want things to be fair, to be treated equally. You work so hard to-."

The next thing Erika knew, she'd grabbed her tight and cut her off with a kiss. She knew she would never find the words on her own, not without a push for courage. But she found the push herself, she knew that she never struggled to act. Valerie gleefully replied, gripping Erika's arm as she pulled her closer, kissing her even more deeply as the two of them just stood there, enjoying a moment where neither had another care in the world.

Only each other.

Then at last, Erika pulled herself away, and breathed the words with all her courage, "I love you too."

As if the kiss wasn't enough, Valerie's cheek flushed bright pink as she smiled from ear to ear. "You better come back," she warned. "I'm going to want another of those kisses."

"Right back at you."

"Good," Valerie agreed before finally relinquishing Erika's attention and motioning to the Rangers gathering at the exit. "Now go. Go, Power Ranger!"

Rolling her eyes and laughing at her adorable girlfriend, Erika complied with a kiss goodbye as she rushed over to her team. All of them seemed to have been conveniently, and pointedly, looking at literally anything else. But Erika had no more time for the afterglow. Now she had a fight to win.

"We'll use the Server Cycles," she said. "They might know we're coming, but they don't know when. We'll hit them as hard as we can and make straight for the tower."

All four nodded, stepping into a line behind her as their Red Ranger took a deep breath for courage and held her Morpher high.

"Now, are you guys ready?"

The response was unanimous, curt but firm as they all stepped forward in agreement to present their Morphers for action. "READY!"

They moved as one, one team in synchronous movement as the activators were hit, cards sliced through ports, and all together gave the called the command to activate their power.

"SERVER FORCE! LOGIN ACCESS!"

And then the power unleashed.

Like a fire had ignited inside, Erika gave herself over the power of the grid more readily than she ever had before. The crimson energy surged through her body, rushing through to the edges of her extremities like an energizing current of lightning. Her muscles tensed, emboldened with newfound strength contained within the bounds of her materializing suit, the mask of her helmet encasing her within as the visor flashed into place. As the light faded, all five Rangers stood side by side, fully morphed, and ready to get back to action.

"Whoa…" she heard Jasmine gasp behind them.

With a fluid motion, all morphers held forward, fresh light bursting from the screens as the Server Cycles digitized in front of them. Then, with the vehicles primed and ready, the Rangers mounted the saddled, revving the engines as they checked the throttles.

Erika looked back, one last time to share a knowing glance with Val. And then they took off into the city streets.

The engines roared as they raced across the city, ripping along the roads in a V-formation as the town's radio tower rose in the distance. With the civilians all in hiding, the roads were clear and easy to traverse, with only a few patrols of Cyberdrones scattered throughout. Those that they did meet barely broke their stride as they thundered toward their target. To the fight of their lives.

"Remember guys," Erika warned them. "They'll be waiting for us, so hit them hard with everything you've got!"

"They won't know what hit them!" Zeke replied with enthusiasm.

"Oh, they will," Abbey replied, with more determination than Erika had ever heard before. "I'll want them too."

Throttles rammed at top speed, the Server Cycles mounted the winding road toward the tower and gunned it. And then, finally coming to the crest of the hill, Erika finally saw what they'd been dreading. An entire army of Cyberdrones between them and their destination. But the time for second-guessing was over, and as they cheered a mighty battle cry, the five of them hit the air. And then opened fire as they plunged into the writhing horde.