Episode 6:

Going Dark- Part I

It couldn't be!

It was impossible!

And yet, there she was standing before him, rearmed and out for blood.

Mileena.

Ray could see it now, the angle of her jaw, the coldness in her voice, the look of seething hatred in her eyes. And while it was tempered by the softness of youth, it was still unmistakably her. He should have seen it earlier, but then, would he have even accepted it as possible?

How could he have even considered the idea that she was back?

As if reading his mind, Lena's lips twisted into a sinister smirk.

"You should know how it goes, Red Ranger," she mocked, "anything is possible. It's just a shame you won't be around much longer to comprehend it."

And then she launched herself at him again. Ray dived, rolling the asphalt and taking off. He couldn't fight her, not here. Without a Morpher, he was too disadvantaged, and the girl was out for blood. He needed backup, fast. Because Lena was already escalating.

"Run, run, run, old man!" she laughed, the edge of her blade glowing with a familiar emerald sheen. "Of course, you won't get very far!"

With a mighty swipe, a green line of energy unleashed from the weapon, soaring towards Ray as he lunged from harm. It hit the ground behind him, booming as it impacted and Ray took off for the car park edge. But his hopes were dashed as his vision filled with a flash of green, and suddenly his path was blocked by a wall of Cyberdrones.

Heart sinking, he snapped his hand to his wrist, triggering the distress app Hilary had installed on his watch before taking off again. So far, Mileena was toying with him. He could only hope it would last until help arrived…

"So, got any big plans for the weekend?"

Abbey's heart let out a gleeful trill as the question she'd been dying to hear passed Miguel's lips. No big papers, no major projects, and at last, she finally had a coming weekend that was free! Free to spend it however she wanted, with whomever she wanted. And Miguel, it seemed was thinking alike. She just prayed to whichever god was listening that it was every bit as alike as she hoped.

"Nope," she smiled playfully. "I've got it completely clear."

"Really?" Miguel seemed shocked, surprised that she had an opening. But whatever astonishment caught him vanished as his lips parted into a charming smile. "Well, in that case, I was… well... I was wondering if…"

"I'd love to!" Abbey blurted out before she could stop herself, cutting short Miguel's invitation as cheeks flushed with scarlet. "I mean… if, that's what you were going to ask me…"

But Miguel didn't even seem to mind, his face lit up at her reply. "Really? There are still a few places around town I've been meaning to check out. Maybe you could tell which are the good ones?"

"That's a great idea," Abbey agreed. "I mean I did promise to show you around when you first got here. It's only fair if you hold me to-."

But her delightful confirmation was cut short as the communicator on her wrist started flashing.

No… No. No, no, no, no, no!

Not now!

But the red light on the screen was flashing with renewed ferocity, at a pace Abbey had never seen. Not even when a monster was attacking the city.

"Hang on," she suggested, reaching for her phone to mime checking a message. "Oh no! I'm sorry, it's my mom, she says I need to call her right away. She never texts me like this, it must be a major emergency."

"That's awful," said Miguel. "Did she say what it is? Can I help in any way?"

"I don't think so, maybe she just needs support. I better go, I'm so sorry to just leave you like this."

"Can I at least walk you to your car?"

WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY?

Her internal voice was screaming as he asked, her heart breaking at his warming offer, and knowing full well she didn't have time.

"I think… if my mom's freaking out like this," she said. "I might need some time to prepare. I just need some space, sorry."

Miguel nodded but was unable to hide the hurt in his eyes.

"It's really sweet of you," Abbey insisted. "I promise we'll still do something on the weekend. You can hold me to it."

"Don't worry about me," he urged her. "Your family needs you."

By that point, her watch was strobing.

"I'm sorry!" Abbey called as she took off, painfully aware of just how much she'd been telling him that recently. And just how comfortable she was becoming with lying. Leaving Miguel behind, Abbey darted back out into the school's courtyard, bringing her communicator to her lips as she ran.

"Hilary," she hissed. "This better be important."

"It's Ray!" their mentor bleated back, in a voice Abbey had never thought she'd hear. Worried; panicked. "They've got him cornered in the parking lot!"

Up ahead, she saw Erika and Zeke converging, equally alarmed as the three met and skidded to a stop.

"We need to get in there, fast," Erika told them. "And we're going guns blazing."

The other two nodded in complete agreement. After everything Ray had done for them, there was no way they weren't pulling out everything in return.

The trio spun around, Morphers flashing to their wrists.

"Ready?" Erika confirmed as she drew her key card.

"Ready!" they replied.

"Server Force! Login Access!"

The power surged through them, light blasting as the primary colors engulfed their bodies and molded their suits to their forms. As the helmets closed around them, the visors flashed into position and their weapons materialized in their grip. By the time it had faded, the trio had already leaped into action, somersaulting into the parking lot to come to their mentor's aid.

But nothing could have prepared them for what met them.

The Cyberdrones they expected, the robotic goons swarming around Ray as he battled for dear life. But the armored warrior that was battling him, she was new. The Rangers lunged into action, Security Sabers swung to clear the henchmen away from Ray. Then they spun, eying down their new enemy, only to be floored by the face that was staring back at them.

"Lena?" Abbey gasped.

"About time you figured it out," their "friend" sneered back. "Seems three heads aren't better than one."

"Be careful," Ray warned them, breathing heavily behind the reprieve of their guard. "She's not just one of your enemies. She's one of mine, from a long time ago."

"And as much as I have enjoyed our trip down memory lane," Lena announced. "I have another engagement waiting. But don't worry, my friends here will keep the party going. Bye for now."

Her voice trilled off as she snapped her hand to the sky, emerald flashing spiriting her away as the void where she stood was filled with Cyberdrones. Too much going on and way too many questions. But they were far from out of the woods just yet. The circle of henchmen began to close in, as the three Rangers and their mentor braced themselves for the clash.

He couldn't believe it. She'd bailed on him. Again!

And yet, maybe Miguel should have expected it. It seemed like every single time they grew closer, Abbey was leaping away like he was some sort of repellant. He just didn't get it! One second, she was acting super into him, and the next she was bolting away at top speed. If she didn't want to spend time with him, he just wanted to know, rather than being caught in whatever weird limbo they were currently in.

But Miguel was snapped from his introspective wallowing when a voice cried out.

"Miguel!"

Whiplashed from his thoughts, he turned around to see Lena running towards him, eyes brimming with terror.

"It's Mr. Granger!" she said. "Something's happening! Those weird robot things you told me about, from the other day in the park. They just jumped him in the parking lot!"

Those guys again?

"Come on!" Miguel insisted, taking off top speed as Lena rushed to catch up, sprinting just as ahead to lead him across the school's courtyard to the rear lot. But skidding around the corner, his fears for the guidance counselor were eased as he saw that the situation was well in hand.

The Power Rangers had arrived.

The trio of primary-colored heroes bounded among the robots, every strike a blow of pure superpower that cast their enemies aside in swathing numbers. The Red Ranger was in the thick of it, lunging into the center to meet as many of the robot warriors as they could. Their body twisted, spinning as they landed to swing their axe into a mighty arc, cleaving the androids back before striking hard into the next wave. One tried to come from behind, but the Ranger was ready, snapping out the pistol from their belt to fire it point-blank. The muzzle flashed as the energy burst into the robot's face, blasting the head clean off before the Ranger spun around and unloaded on the remainder around them.

Off to the side, the Yellow Ranger kept to the fringes, skirting around the horde and bracing with his shield as attacks came his way. Every time a robot appeared to be breaking away, the Yellow Ranger pounced, pummeling his giant shield into his enemies to send them stumbling back into the cluster. One of them dared try running further up the pack, too far for the Ranger to reach. But the yellow one was ready, leaping into a spin that hurled his shield at the rushing robot. The giant slab of metal soared across the air, slamming into the robot's back as the Ranger pounced to catch it, scooping up the armor as it ricocheted off the target.

But in Miguel's eyes, those moves were nothing compared to the Blue Ranger. Leaping with grace, she flipped over an attack before whipping around her bow with a strike that sent her attacker flying. With more coming her way, she lunged for a nearby vehicle, vaulting off the bonnet to soar into the air like a swan flight. In the perfect vantage, she pulled back on her bow, drawing the energy into the knock. A dazzling barrage of blue rained down on her pursuers, booming as they crashed into the ground and blasted them from their feet.

It was amazing.

"Whoa," Lena gasped. "Look at that!"

Miguel first assumed that she too was gawking at the Rangers, but as he turned, he saw where she was pointing. And then his jaw dropped, watching as the school guidance counselor was surrounded by the robots.

Mr. Granger, he knew kung fu!

The older man's hands snapped across his body, open palms moving with purposeful precision. Each flourish caught a blow, tossing the robots back before striking with his hands flattened like a knife edge. Some of the henchmen were sneaking around, lunging to attack him from behind. But Granger was already moving, leaping into a pirouette for a mighty, arcing kick. Then, if Miguel wasn't already stunned enough, Granger did something completely unexpected.

His feet kicked the dust as he shifted and gained some distance from the robots, his eyes narrowed as his attackers gathered in a cluster. And then a pair of red beams burst from his eyes.

WHAT?

The crimson light flashed across the distance, again and again as Granger unleashed a devastating barrage into the robots, scorching through their armor and dropping them to the ground. Miguel couldn't believe it; their guidance counselor… he had superpowers?

The Rangers soared, flipping over the robots as they corralled them into a group, forming a circle around Mr. Granger. The Red one stepped forward, pointing with bravado to say something that Miguel couldn't quite make out. Then, as the robots limped together in a huddle, they simply vanished in a flash of emerald light.

Just as they did the other day.

And then the Rangers were alone in the parking lot with Mr. Granger. Miguel moved to run to them, to make sure the counselor was okay, but Lena put a hesitant hand on his shoulder to hold him back. There was something about her expression, a suspicious curiosity in her eyes as they locked dead on the Rangers.

The Rangers cheered, high-fiving as they turned to check on Mr. Granger before their postures dropped from delighted to dour. Miguel leaned closer, watching as the four in the lot began conversing, and while he was unable to hear their words, their body language was not what he was expecting. It was like they knew each other.

Then Rangers stepped back, arms crossing across their bodies as they were consumed by flashes of primary-colored light. And then Miguel's jaw hit the floor.

Erika…

Zeke?

ABBEY?

His friends, they were… the Power Rangers?

He tried to stammer, but the words vanished before they'd even left his lungs, his mind a mix as every thought swirled at once. It was as if the ground had been pulled from under him, his world spinning as he pulled back around the corner and looked back to Lena. Her face was every bit as drained as his own.

"They… they're superheroes," she gasped. "They're… they're…"

It was too big to contemplate, to even know where to start. But suddenly Lena's eyes widened, her arm jutting out and grabbing Miguel's shoulder to pull him deeper into the corridor.

"They're coming this way!" she hissed. "Hurry!"

She yanked him around the corner, barely registering as Miguel's body relented while his mind remained trapped in a daze. Moments later, the three teens ran back past their hiding place, hurrying through the corridor and back into the school.

Watching them go, Lena stepped away and looked at Miguel. At last, the words found their way from his lips. "I don't believe it…"

But Lena's face hardened, shock melting into anger as her jaw twitched and pupils shrunk. "They kept this from us," she realized. "They were our friends, and they kept us in the dark."

No, no that couldn't be right. Abbey had been nothing but kind to both since they'd started at Lakeview. She'd done everything possible to make them feel welcome.

"They must have had a reason," Miguel insisted, although even as he said it a twinge of doubt echoed from the back of his mind.

"A reason?" Lena scoffed. "A reason for lying to us? You saw them, laughing, cheering, having a grand old time without us."

"Maybe there's more to it," Miguel reasoned. "Maybe they couldn't tell us."

"Why not?" Lena sneered. "It's like they haven't had a chance too. What, did think we wouldn't understand? Did they not trust us? It looked to me like things were fine and dandy, they just didn't want to include us in it."

Every disappearance, every excuse Abbey had ever given him all sharply flashed into focus, as if Miguel were seeing them with fresh eyes for the first time. For the lies that they were. The group project, the emergency shifts, the family emergencies. All of them lies. All to avoid telling him a truth Miguel could easily handle.

"The other day!" Lena suddenly gasped. "When Zeke got jumped. He could have easily handled them. You dived in to bail him out when he was sitting on superpowers."

He'd thought he was doing the right thing, diving in to get the horde off him. And for Miguel's efforts, he'd had some superpowered showman pummel him when Zeke could have easily stopped it.

"He just stood there," Miguel realized. "We got ourselves cornered and he just stood there."

"Maybe he took it as a chance to get even," Lena reasoned. "Get back at you for making moves on his girl."

What? No. Zeke may be immature at times, but he wasn't that petty. Besides, it wasn't like that.

"They're not together," Miguel pointed out. "Zeke and Abbey are just friends."

"Oh yeah?" Lena scoffed. "And who told you that? Abbey? The girl who's done nothing but lie to you from the moment she met you? How can we trust anything they say now? If they're lying to us about something this big, then how do we know there's nothing else they're holding back?"

Every word Lena uttered rang like a tolling bell, echoing through Miguel as he desperately searched for another explanation. But every argument had a counter, toiling back and forth as he tried to give the benefit of the doubt while sinking deeper into suspicion.

"They don't trust us," said Lena, "because they don't respect us. We're not good enough for their secret little club. God, we're in danger just by hanging around them!"

"They'd never harm us," said Miguel. "There's no way Abbey would put us in harm's way…"

But then again, there was the other day at the park. Zeke had been there, he could have stopped the robots. And he didn't.

"We need to do something," Lena decided. "We need to be able to defend ourselves if those things come after us. And we can't really on our "friends." Not if they don't trust us. In fact, maybe we should show them how wrong they are."

"We don't know enough about this," Miguel insisted. "I… I need to talk to Abbey."

"Go ahead," Lena replied. "Watch her lie to you again. Listen to her think of every squirming chance to deny the truth. You could confront her with pictures, and she'd probably still try to find a way to weasel her way out of it. She'd probably just say it's some deep fake AI or something."

"It's not like that," Miguel replied, more of a hope than a statement of insistence, "She wouldn't do that!"

"No?" Lena asked. "Then what else has she been doing the entire time you've known her?"

Unable to think of a better answer, Miguel turned and walked away, heart racing as he still tried, desperately, to think of an explanation.

"You're welcome to try," Lena called back to him. "But when she lies to you again, I've got something we might be able to do."

He hoped it wouldn't come to that, but as he walked back from the courtyard to begin his journey home, Miguel couldn't help but wonder if Lena was right.

"Okay," said Erika impatiently. "We're here. Now can you tell us what the hell's going on?"

The Rangers had gathered in the lab the next morning; bright, early, and eager for an explanation. Having rushed to Ray's aid, he'd insisted on hurrying straight to the museum, wanting to confer and investigate with Hilary before telling them anymore. While he'd promised them answers, he'd hoped to give more than he had.

But the wait hadn't offered them much.

Hilary punched at the keys as the monitors blinked to old battle footage. Five color-clad warriors locked in combat with a helmed, armored figure.

"Back when we were Rangers," she explained, "Gideon had a general by the name of Cyrax. We later discovered that Cyrax was actually a human, a man named Kyle Mason, who was being controlled by a computer virus Gideon created. With some effort, we managed to free Mason from Cyrax's control. He joined our side as the Security Ranger, and we robbed Gideon of a general."

"Bet that went over well," Erika snorted.

"Oh, Gideon was just dandy about the whole thing," Ray replied. "Pretty soon he created a replacement, this one a fully digital construct, without a single hint of humanity, called Mileena."

The screen flashed to a different display, this one showing a dark-haired woman in her early thirties. Her dress was similar to the garb they'd seen Lena in, and her face sneered with a scowl of pure hatred.

"Hang on," Zeke pointed out. "You're talking about something that happened, what? Twenty years ago?"

"Fifteen!" Hilary insisted, gasping at his offensive approximation.

"Sorry," Zeke said meekly. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, shouldn't this Mileena be, like, fifty?"

"She shouldn't even be here at all," Ray replied as Hilary returned to the keys and the footage shifted to a fresh set of footage. The armored warrior from the first reel was locked in combat with Mileena inside a facility that was exploding all around them. Neither was holding back, wailing on the other with all their might. As the footage rolled along, the intent of each combatant became increasingly clear. It was a fight to the death.

The warrior lunged, diving for a sword out of frame before spinning to face Mileena. After some terse words, the warrior unleashed a blast of energy from the blade, sending it soaring as Mileena was consumed in a fiery blast. Then she was gone.

"When we took down Gideon's airship, Mileena cornered Kyle," Ray explained. "She cornered him as the ship was going down, and left without a choice, he destroyed her."

"Listen," said Abbey, her words shaking with an air of nervous impatience. "This history lesson is cool and all, but what has this got to do with us? How does it involve Lena?"

Ray nodded over to his wife, signaling that it was her turn as Hilary turned to a different monitor and brought up Lena's school profile. Now that the image of their old foe was side by side with their friend's school photo, the resemblance was uncanny. Two decades seemed to be all that set them apart. It would've been easy to assume one was the other's daughter.

"The person you know as Lena doesn't exist," Hilary explained. "Not legally anyway. Her Social Security is bogus, and even her address is fake."

"Hang on," Abbey interrupted. "How is that possible? She'd have needed a Lakeview address to be enrolled in the school."

"Oh, she's got a Lakeview address all right," Hilary confirmed. "Suburb, street, and zip code all line up. But once you look at the street number, you'll see that there are only forty-one houses in that lane. Look at her address; forty-two."

"Wouldn't the school have caught that?" Zeke suggested.

"Are you familiar with how many houses are on every street in Lakeview?" Hilary pointed out. "It's something an enrollment officer could easily miss. If there even was an enrollment officer; the school's server isn't exactly the Pentagon."

"Also," Ray admitted. "I can't imagine anyone would expect this much effort going into planting a fake student in a small-town high school."

"So, if she isn't a real person, what is she?" Erika asked.

"Best guess?" Hilary surmised. "Maybe sort of clone? She seems to have all the original Mileena's memories."

"She certainly fights like her," Ray added.

"The original was basically a data file," she continued. "If that was recovered then I guess Xaviax could have recreated her. Maybe even make some improvements."

"But why go to all that effort?" Zeke asked. "Why put her in the high school, attack Ray, only to bail at the first sign of trouble?"

"Honestly?' Ray admitted. "We're still trying to figure that out. That's why we wanted you to know what you're dealing with. Back in the day, Mileena caused all sorts of trouble. She was hard enough to deal with even when we were morphed, and who knows what fresh tricks she's got up her sleeve now that Xaviax has brought her back. If you run into her, either you morph, or you run."

A silence fell throughout the lab, the full reality of the situation fully settling on the three teens. Lena had been their friend, but none of them had any idea who she truly was. What her real intentions were. And now, just like that, she was their enemy.

And had been the entire time.

"Is there anything we can do?" Abbey asked.

But Hilary shook her head. "For now, we're just trying to figure out what's going on. Maybe she won't come back now that her cover's blown, but there's still every chance she might. You run into her at school, just walk the other way, and don't engage. Not until we've got a better idea what her endgame is."

Abbey nodded before checking her watch, realizing the time as she began to move back to the elevator. "We'll be careful. Sorry, I've got to go."

"Got somewhere more important to be?" inquired Erika.

"It's not that I don't think this important," Abbey insisted. "I just promised I'd meet Miguel at the park. I've been bailing on him a lot recently, I don't want to leave him hanging again."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Zeke asked. "I mean, Mileena's still out there. She could come gunning for you?"

"And how is that different from when we were just dealing with Byte-Bots and computer viruses?" Abbey retorted. "If anything happens, I'll hit the alarm and get Miguel to safety."

Zeke opened his mouth for rebuttal, but Erika swiftly cut him off.

"Don't worry, Abs," she insisted, voice dripping with facetious amusement. "If Xaviax attacks the city, we'll just tell them you're on a date. I'm sure they'll understand."

"Thank you," Abbey replied with an equal level of sarcasm. "See? Someone gets it."

Then she stopped, realizing she'd admitted something without meaning to. "And it's not a date, just a meet-up. Totally different thing. Definitely not something as expectant as a date."

"Uh-huh…" Erika mused, not believing her for even a moment.

And that, it seemed, was enough ribbing for one morning, as Abbey turned in a huff and left lab. As the doors closed behind her, Erika leaned over to Zeke.

"Keep that up," she advised. "And Hilary'll have to change your Ranger suit."

The boy's eyes snapped wide like he'd been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. "What're you talking about?"

"Careful there," Erika warned. "Because I don't think there were any plans to add a Green Ranger to our lineup any time soon."

She was late. Not a good start, although Miguel supposed that at this stage it was becoming par for the course. It was a beautiful day, a near-clear sky in a wonderful section of the park. And yet all he could think about was the churning of his mind.

What would she tell him this time? And could he even believe her when she did offer an excuse?

He stamped out the thought. No, that was Lena talking, and she'd been suspicious of them well before discovering they were the Power Rangers. Although, she did turn out to be right…

Cursing himself for even considering what Lena was saying, Miguel pushed it aside as he saw Abbey walking across the park, looking flustered as she hurried toward him.

"Sorry!" she said, a hint of sadness trickling into her voice. "I made you wait again."

"It's okay," Miguel replied, only half truthfully. "It gave me a chance to admire the scenery."

"It's a beautiful day," Abbey agreed. "You picked a good time. And place, I love this fountain."

Did she though? Or was she just saying that to make him special?

No! He didn't need to think like that! Just because she'd kept something from him, that didn't make everything else she said a lie. He had to give her the benefit of the doubt, or else he'd never find out the truth. Or give her reason to tell it to him.

"How's your mom?" Miguel asked, thinking back to what she'd told him the previous day.

The question seemed to catch her off guard, and Abbey hesitated before catching what he was saying. "What? Oh! She's doing okay now, just had a freakout and needed someone to calm her down."

"Does that happen often?" he asked, feeling his breath inhale sharply in a vain attempt to take them back. He'd asked before he'd even properly thought it, and now Abbey was staring with a look of both offense and confusion.

"Are you asking if my mom freaks out and calls me on the regular?" she clarified.

"No!' Miguel stammered. "I mean… I just…"

"No, it's a regular thing," Abbey replied. "I guess she, I think something brought up some old wounds, and she needed someone who'd understand. Is it okay if I don't go into it? It's honestly still a little raw for me too."

If it were twenty-four hours earlier, Miguel wouldn't have even blinked. Family troubles? No problem. Helping out your mom? How sweet!

But now he knew the truth, the real reason she'd run off, and all he saw were the lies Abbey was spinning to compensate. The falsehoods exposed for what they were, a choice she was making about what to tell him.

Choosing to conceal the truth.

"I just hope it's all better now," Miguel said, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice. "You don't have to be here with me if you'd rather be with your mom."

"No, I want to!" Abbey insisted. "Be here, I mean. You said you wanted me to show you around, so I want to do that."

"Because if things are hard at home, we can do this another time…"

"I said it's fine," Abbey snapped. "What's with the sudden twenty questions?"

"I guess I'm just surprised," Miguel replied. "Yesterday you had to drop everything and now you're here like it's nothing?"

"You're the one that asked me here!" Abbey exasperated. "Why did you even bother if you didn't think I should come?"

"I just…!"

But he trailed off, uncertain himself of what he wanted. Did he want to test her? Trap her? To force her to admit the truth against her will. Would that have made him feel better?

"What is it?" Abbey demanded. Her voice was quivering; shock, fury, and desperation swirling out in a weepy cocktail as she looked at him with shimmering eyes. She was hurt, and confused, and yet Miguel could tell she was holding back. "What do you want, Miguel?"

What could he do? He wanted her to tell him, to let him in and stop lying. But did he really want to hurt her to do it? No, it wouldn't be right.

It wouldn't be sincere.

"It's been happening a lot," he said finally. "You take off with barely a word, with an excuse that doesn't hold up if I think about it for longer than a second."

And at that, Abbey's expression hardened, a sharp exhale transitioning from vulnerable questioning to defensive resolve—a refusal to answer him any further. "You're being ridiculous," she scoffed.

"Am I?" Miguel pressed. "I swung by the Shak the other day. Dirk said you ran off to an emergency then too, but you never said anything to me."

"So what, you're checking up on me now?" Abbey hissed. "You want to go through my calendar, is that it?"

"I just want to know what's going on," he insisted. "I spoke to Lena earlier and she-."

"Stay away from Lena!"

Her voice cut through, like a knife slicing a wire. No clarification, no hesitation, no consideration. It was a command.

"What?"

Abbey shrunk away, as if caught off guard by her own outburst, eyes now darting anywhere but his gaze. "I just mean… you shouldn't hang out with her. She's bad news."

That was new. Lena hadn't said anything about an altercation with Abbey or any of the others. Could it be… did she have some ulterior motive? Had she meant for him to learn the Ranger's identities?

"What happened?" Miguel asked.

But Abbey's posture stiffened further, her defensive wall snapping back up as she shook her head and refused to meet his gaze. "Just… stay from her, okay? You can't trust her."

And yet, Lena wasn't the one holding on to the truth.

"What not?" Miguel demanded. "Why can't I trust her."

"I can't tell you!" Abbey cried. "It's not for me to say. You're going to have to trust me."

"So, you want me to trust you about staying away from someone, but won't trust me with why?" he snarled. "Yeah, that makes total sense."

All his life, Miguel had become used to people letting him down. His dad promised to look after him, but that didn't happen. Then his first home told him he'd be safe. That didn't happen either. His second said it would be different, that it would place of stability, and then he was in his third home only six months later.

Everyone lied to him, and everyone always let him down. He'd thought Lakeview fresh start, and Abbey, as kind and as welcoming as she was, would be different. But she wasn't, she was just like all the others.

He was just a charity case, and that was all he was ever going to be to her.

"This was a mistake," Miguel decided, turning sharply to leave. "I should never have come here."

"Miguel!" Abbey begged. "Don't go!"

He turned back in anger, seeing her staring at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Abbey didn't answer, and she didn't need to. Her silence said more than a thousand words ever could.

"That's what I thought," Miguel said bitterly. And then he turned and walked away.

The tunnels were where the stronghold was its darkest, but Lena had to admit it was the place she liked the most. The memories of her old life were filled with grandiose views, of an industrial palace above the clouds at the foot of her former master's throne. That life had been a waste, that view nothing but arrogance as she and her compatriots had reveled in their seeming ascendancy.

Like Icarus, they had flown too close to the sun and had fallen. Her demise had been in its depths, battling her predecessor for the ultimate title of superiority. She supposed that was why she preferred her time down here; it reminded her of her failings. It drove her to never repeat them.

No matter what others thought of them.

"You gave up your position!' ArcKnight snarled. "You had Granger in your sights, but you let him escape!"

"Oh, ArcKnight," Mileena chuckled. "Is that what you thought was happening? No wonder we haven't been getting anywhere."

In the shadows of the corner, Ender let out a chesty chuckle. "Hmm, I know that our Master Xaviax split the brains and brawn in our creation, but I sometimes wonder if perhaps he shouldn't have been so splitting with the difference."

"You had an opportunity to take out a threat!" ArcKnight snapped. "And instead, you revealed your existence to the Rangers."

"You see," Lena replied lazily. "That's the difference between us. You only think about the battle; I think about the war. I could have destroyed Granger, true. Believe me, I would definitely have enjoyed it. But then, where would that have gotten us? It would have sent Dr. Hawkins on the warpath, and the other Rangers would be equally enraged by the destruction of their precious mentor. I'm playing a far longer game, ArcKnight. One that won't just destroy the Rangers. I'm going to break them."

But then a voice cut through the echoes of the tunnel, piercing the darkness as all three henchmen spun around.

"Be careful of your brilliance, Mileena," Xaviax warned as he approached. "If you recall, such multi-dimensional chess strategies were what caused the downfall of your former master."

"Of course, my lord," Lena bowed. "It is from Gideon's folly that I have learned a great deal. It is why my plan is so essential. The Ranger's greatest asset is their numbers, so we must therefore increase our own."

"Ooooh," Ender giggled. "I do love it when a plan starts coming together."

"The pieces are in place," Lena continued. "All we need to do is wait for the moment to strike."

And just as she said it, her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. Ignoring her company, Lena pulled it from her pocket to peruse the notification, and a sinister smile spread between her lips.

"And just like that," Lena grinned. "Right on schedule. Ender, were you able to complete that project we discussed?"

"Of course!" the monster maker declared. "I took great pleasure in putting them together. It will create quite the spectacle when used!"

"In that case," Lena decided, turning to Xaviax and bowing to bid leave her to leave. "I guess it's showtime."