Lena was already striding as her feet hit the reflective floor, storming toward Ender's laboratory and seething from her conversation with Miguel.
Heart not in it? She'd show him; she'd show him how dedicated she was to his destruction. Miguel had made his choice, and she'd made hers. And once he was gone, there would be nothing left to tie her to that time. To the time when she'd pretended to be…human.
Disgusting.
The fact that she even thought that people like Granger could help. He wanted the best for her? Thought that Lena deserved more than the poultry advice that he'd offered? She'd see what he thought of that when she threw his precious Rangers at his feet.
"Give me a monster!" she demanded. "I have some pests that need dealing with."
Ender raised an eyebrow, almost amused as he watched Lena fume before him. As if he thought she was sulking.
"Of course," he said dryly. "Why don't I just check the pantry? I think we stocked up recently and have surplice just ready to go on a whim."
"Please," Lena scoffed. "Are you honestly telling me that you're not working on one right now?"
"This one isn't ready," Ender reasoned. "There are still a few tweaks for the program needed before it can make its dazzling debut."
"Then give me another one," Lena pressed. "It doesn't have to be good. It just has to keep the wonder trio busy while I handle the Dark Ranger."
Ender gave her another look, this time one of little faith, either in her assessment of his handiwork or the notion that she could take on Miguel.
Prick. Like Ender hadn't just sat back and watched his creations be destroyed, time after time. He knew exactly what the Rangers were capable of. Hell, he helped create her, so he knew just as easily what she was capable of as well. And still, he doubted.
With the direct approach not working, Lena shifted tack, posture softening as she prowled into a new angle of attack: his ego.
"Come on," she slyly insisted. "Are you really going to tell me that a mind that turns as much as yours doesn't have a few stored up in the bank? A few inspired designs just tucked away for a rainy day? Or do all your ideas only come when Xaviax deigns them?"
Lena could tell in an instant that she'd got him, Ender's hubris refusing to shy away as he tried to hide it; the flash of offended pride beneath his attempted air of cool.
"You always say you want to do something fun," Lena reasoned, slowly circling behind him. "Why not let something out of its cage? Get the party started?"
"Well… I suppose I do have a few…?"
"And then what?" The voice curled through the heavy air, reverberating off the metal walls as both spun around to see Xaviax looming toward them. Through his expressionless mask, his eyes fixed on Lena, a cold chill crawling down her spine to knot in her stomach as he slowly closed in upon her. "And what will you do then, if Ender grants this request?"
"I will send it to lure out the Rangers, my lord," Lena replied. "And when they are distracted, I will eliminate the Dark Ranger."
Xaviax's cowled head tilted, a shadow falling upon his metallic brow as he noted with a cold menace, "So you have said before…"
Not him too. Didn't anyone think she could do this anymore? Did no one think she could fulfill the purpose she was made for?
"This will be different," Lena insisted. "With the Dark Ranger isolated, he will have nowhere to run. And no one else to run to his rescue."
"Really?" Xaviax mused. "And how is that different from yesterday evening?"
The question stopped her cold, like an icy knife to her heart as all her breath was punched from her lungs. Yesterday?
"That was different," she stammered. "The Blue Ranger…"
"Came to his rescue, yes," Xaviax agreed as he snatched the words from her mouth. "But only because you let him call for reinforcements. To Morph completely unimpeded. Because you had the drop on him, had him exposed, and were unable to do what was necessary."
Because your heart wasn't in it…
For the second time that day, words that had been hurled at her echoed back, haunting from the depths of Lena's memory as the words to rebut escaped her. Lena didn't believe it; refused to accept it. In her foolishness, she had hoped that acting would make it less so. But Xaviax had seen it just the same.
Just as Miguel had.
"Master, I…"
"It appears we have a problem, Mileena," Xaviax decided, prowling the edge of the room in predatory circling. "I brought you back for a purpose. I heard tales of the once mighty warrior, who fought beside legends and battled against the Power Rangers until the very bitter end. And yet all you have brought me is a failure. And even in that you appear unable to commit."
"I thought…"
"You thought what?" Xaviax hissed. "That your assessment of the situation was greater than mine? Your selection of the Dark Ranger proved disastrous, even your feeble attempt to sideline him failed. And in the time since, enacting the one role where you still have use to me, your reconnaissance has yet to bear anything but rotten fruit."
With every sinister syllable, Lena shrunk further away, reeling as the venom dripped from his tongue to sting beneath her flesh. She had been made for a purpose, and even that she could not complete.
"There seems to be some confusion regarding your role here," Xaviax continued. "You do not give commands, that is my domain. I do not need you to lead the troops, for I have ArcKnight. And as for any bright ideas, Ender is more than well-equipped in that department. I brought you back from the trash pile of code you'd been reduced to be one simple thing for me: a weapon. And I don't think I need to explain what is done with tools that cannot fulfill their purpose."
No, no that couldn't be! If that was all she was, why give her such thoughts? Why give her the ability to assess, the question? To feel?
"But master," Lena tried. "Within my programming, there are functions. Responses that could be of use."
"If they are not assisting you in destroying the Power Rangers, then they are worthless," Xaviax snarled. "As you will be to me if you fail what you claim to set out for."
Then he turned toward Ender, whose eyes were fixed on his terminal while pretending he hadn't been glued to the conversation and wishing for a bucket of popcorn.
"Ender," Xaviax commanded. "Give Mileena a monster. Exactly as she is described. Let her take the chance, make her move."
Lena bowed her head, nodding frantically in gratitude for the chance. "Yes master, of course."
"And Mileena," Xaviax added as he floated from the room. "Let it be known that the only reason I will find acceptable for failure is because the Rangers have reduced you to ash upon the ground."
"I'm sorry Miguel," Abbey comforted, although as much he believed her it did little to lift his spirits.
"I know," Miguel agreed. "I guess… I just… I really thought I could get through to her."
He was so close! He could see it, the realization in Lena's eyes, the sudden acceptance that she wasn't really where she wanted to be. And then she shut him out, stonewalled him, and ran right back to the very people who saw her nothing but a weapon. Who valued only her use to them.
The other three said nothing, sitting around their table in the Hub as Miguel continued to wallow.
"You should have told us you were going," Erika acknowledged. "We could have given backup."
But Miguel just shook his head. "It would have just spooked her. If she thought I was there for a fight, it's all she would have given. And that would have gone double if she caught even a whiff of you guys."
"Why do care so much?" Zeke asked him. "I mean, Lena's made it pretty clear where she stands and what she wants. Why are you doing this to yourself?"
Miguel breathed in, at first uncertain how to answer, what to tell them. Where to even begin? The team had let him in, but he could still, at times, feel the air of mistrust from Erika and Zeke. Especially Zeke. Miguel could hardly blame them after everything he'd done. But he supposed that was why now what he did was so important.
"Because it's what I'd want," he said, sadly. "If I were still on Xaviax's side, I'd be holding out hope that you guys hadn't given up on me."
"We didn't," Abbey said softly, reaching to gently take his hand, making his heart flutter to her touch. "We never gave up on you."
"I know," said Miguel. "You guys gave it everything you had to bring me back and save me from the Dark Morpher. But that's why it's so important now."
His posture was straightening, the heavy weight within him lifting as a new resolve began to rise. Slowly, Miguel looked up at the three, his saviors, his champions. The ones that had carried that light to steer him from the darkness. And now it was his turn to hold the torch.
"Every one of us is here because, at some point, someone gave us a second chance," said Miguel. "We screwed up, big time, but someone realized that we could do better; that we could be better. It's because someone didn't give up on us that we got the chance to change our fate; to walk a different path."
He watched as their face softly shifted in recognition, stirred by the memories of their failings, of the times they fell and got back up, and of the people who helped them rise.
"There's nothing more crushing than being given up on," Miguel continued. "Something all of us can relate to. Ray's right, it's Lena's choice to make, and while we can hope, we can't save someone from themselves. Only she can do that. But I have to believe she can find a way out of the darkness. Because if I stop believing that, what hope has Lena got?"
The others nodded, looking down almost shamefully as they realized how quickly they dismissed the possibility. How easily they'd branded her their enemy without a second thought. Even if it was with reason.
"You really think Lena can walk away?" Abbey asked.
"I do," said Miguel. "I'm not saying it's all water under the bridge. But she deserves a chance. And I think she can take it if she realizes it's there and it's safe to go for it.'
"I hope you're right, I do," Erika admitted, before letting out a heavy sigh and voicing the hard reality that threatened to undermine Miguel's idealism. "But there's only so many chances we can give when she puts people in danger."
And as if to punctuate her point, their communicators started beeping. Zeke did the usual look around as the four huddled together, gathering as Erika pulled up the device on her wrist and opened the line.
"We're here Hilary," she confirmed "What's going on?"
"Got a mammal making holes downtown," came the reply. "It's got its goons down by the freeway ramp."
"Because traffic isn't bad enough at rush hour," Erika quipped. "We'll be right there."
"Hilary?" Miguel cut in before Erika could close the line. "What about Lena, is she there?"
"Doesn't look like it but be careful. While you're taking on a monster would be the perfect time for her to strike."
Miguel wasn't sure if that made it better or worse.
Erika cut the line and the teens moved out, hurrying out the back of the Hub to where no one could see them.
"Hilary's right, Miguel," Abbey said nervously. "You should stay close."
Miguel nodded in agreement, although he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to. Out of time to contemplate, their Morphers flashed to their wrists as Erika stepped forward with her key card ready.
"You guys ready?"
"Ready!"
"Server Force! Login Access!"
Miguel wound back and slammed the activator, light bursting from the screen as the mighty power of the grid erupted over his body. It surged through him, enveloping him from head to toe as the suit materialized and empowered him. The helm encased him, the protective carapace locking in tight as the crimson visor concealed his face within. Then the Ranger quartet launched into action, surging off downtown to meet the evil forces head-on.
The freeway was in utter chaos, people were running left and right, abandoning their vehicles and fleeing as the Cyberdrones swarmed around them. The Rangers wasted no time, lunging into the fray with their swords drawn and slicing the robots to pieces.
"This way, come on!" Erika orders the fleeing civilians.
Grateful for the rescue, the innocent people nodded frantically and bolted, racing off behind the Rangers as the four of them heard a familiar whirring. More Cyberdrones were already making their way toward them. And this time they weren't alone.
Hilary hadn't been kidding about the mammal; an enormous, black & white rodent was striding toward them, its chest reinforced with armor while each handheld what looked like sharply spiked shoves.
"Looks I struck gold!" he laughed. "You're exactly what I was digging to find."
The Rangers snapped up their weapons, reading to engage the monster and his minions. But then they heard a scream, panic piercing through the air as their heads whipped around to see the source. In the carnage and chaos, a bus had swerved to stop and crashed into the barrier, smashing through the concrete to balance perilously over the edge. The people rushed to the back, desperate to escape through the emergency exit. The Cyberdrones surrounding had other ideas.
"You guys deal with Wind and the Willows over there," Miguel told his teammates. "I'll help them."
"But what about Lena?" Abbey protested. "This could be exactly what she wants!"
But Miguel just nodded over to the monster, cackling with glee as it crashed through the abandoned cars and its drills began to spin. "So could that. You worry about the monster, I'll worry about Lena."
"But…"
"He's right," Erika cut in. "Miguel's got a bus to catch, and we've got to play some Whack-a-Mole."
Through her helmet, Abbey shot Miguel a nervous look but relented just the same. Then they broke, the trio lunging for the monster while Miguel surged forward. The Cyberdrones, gleeful with the infliction of torment, had lined themselves up perfectly. The power flushed from Miguel's suit, blitzing him at superspeed as the Shadow Saber rent through the robot's armored plating. He skidded to a stop, spinning around to watch the Cyberdrones crumbling into a mess of mangled parts and leaving the way clear to the bus.
But not for long.
"Miguel, look out!"
He'd barely heard Hilary's warning in his ear as a figure flashed towards him, barely deflecting in time as Lena's green blade clashed with his Saber. She whipped around, blocking his path and glaring with a look of manic fury.
"You!" Lena snarled. "This ends now!"
No!
There was no way Miguel could get to the bus, to help the people evacuate without getting through her. Already he could hear the groaning, the bus jolting as gravity snatched and yanked it closer to the edge. He didn't have time for this. He didn't have to go through her, just past her. What Lena would do then was a later problem.
"We don't have to do this, Lena," Miguel warned, but her scowl worsened as he did.
"No, we really do."
And then she lunged.
Miguel stepped back, bracing for the strike and readying his move. Lena was all out on the attack, launching with fury, letting her rage take the wheel and relenting all control. She wasn't thinking clearly, and for all the power it gave her, it also gave Miguel an advantage. He just had to hope he could leverage it.
The Dark Saber flashed as it crossed his body, his boots skidding back as the full force of Lena's blow collided. Leaning back, Miguel didn't push against her furious moment, he relied on it, spinning to redirect and send her soaring past. It was the only window Miguel was getting, so he took it. He gathered the power within, all the speed of a shadow strike surging through his suit as he blitzed toward the bus.
Miguel caught it just in time.
His Ranger-enhanced gloves snatched the bumper, gripping tight and squeezing as the bus shook and held. His knees braced, body groaning as even the gifted strength struggled to stop the vehicle from plunging. The bus shuddered, rubble crumbling beneath as the road edge wore aware and Miguel felt his body begin to drag against the concrete. He wasn't going to be enough!
The bus was going over the edge, and gripped on so tight meant Miguel was going down with it!
Come on! Come ON!
Miguel heaved and heaved, feet sliding lower as all his might begged for the bus to pull back, metal groaning beneath his grip as the bumper started threatening to fly loose. With a violent jolt, the metal abandoned its attachment to the vehicle and plummeted down to the road below.
It wasn't enough. He wasn't enough. Inside, the people screamed, terror overtaking them as the reality took hold, that even with a Power Ranger at the rescue they were going to fall. Any second, something was going to give, and the vehicle full of people was going to drop from the freeway to the waiting ground below.
And then, all of a sudden, the weight lifted. Something had flashed beside him, moving in his vision as the scales tipped and evened. Daring to hope, Miguel's breath didn't dare release as his head tilted to see what helping him hold the bus.
It was Lena.
Erika flipped to the side as a laser valley blasted after her, unleashed from the monster's eyes as she'd closed in for the finish.
Okay, so Whack-A-Mole was not the name of the game.
"This whole shooting thing?" Erika warned as she landed, rising beside her teammates as Badger-Mole cackled ahead of her. "Not really digging it."
"Oh, come on!" the monster laughed. "You're just making a mountain out of a molehill."
Okay, that one was bad enough to hurt.
Through gritted teeth, Erika surveyed the scene, eyes darting between the wreckages as a plan began to form. One good hit was all they needed to land to slow it down. Then they'd really show him how to dig a crater.
Beside her, Abbey and Zeke were readying for another round. Erika knew well how distracted Abbey was, having heard Hilary's warning, and concluded that Lena had found Miguel. But the Blue Ranger was sticking to her job, coming to the same conclusion Erika had when considering running to the Dark Ranger's aid. The Monster was the priority. Fix one problem, and then all of them could help Miguel.
He just had to hold on.
"I'm going in," she told the others. "Abbey, get ready to shoot as he goes for me."
"I'll cover you," Zeke suggested as Abbey nodded in agreement.
"No," Erika replied. "Stay back with Abbey, help keep any stray Cyberdrones off her. I'm just the bait, and she needs to keep her shot steady. I'll just have to dodge."
She hoped she could dodge.
Zeke didn't argue, lifting the shield and shifting to position himself between the monster and the Blue Ranger as Erika lunged back in. She launched high, feet springing her into the air with the axe raised and ready.
"You again?" Badger-Mole snarled. "Quite badgering me!"
The drill hand waved before its face, the eyes glowing as they readied to strike. The beams burst out, searing across the sky as the Red Ranger swung the axe in reply. The sharp head connected, batting away the beam as Erika landed and rolled.
"Now!"
"I know the drill!" Abbey replied, releasing the strike of her bow to unleash a sundering arrow at the monster. With barely a moment to spare, the monster screamed for dear life and cowered. A mighty ball of flame erupted where the monster stood, blaze orange tongues surging in all directions as black smoke settled in its wake. As the air cleared, the monster was gone.
"What?" Abbey realized. "I didn't think I hit him that hard…"
"You didn't," Erika realized, moving closer to the scene to investigate. The concrete was shattered, and where the monster had stood was a cleanly cut hole, right through the roadway and down to the level below. Only one thing for it; follow. "He's digging himself deeper. Come on!"
Lena's body was moving before her mind even registered. One moment, Miguel was fleeing, darting past her for the bus, grabbing a hold of the perilous angled vehicle to present himself as the perfect target. He didn't want to fight? Fine, at least it would be over quickly.
And then she heard the scream, panicked and desperate, stabbing at her heat and stripping the wind from her lungs. Those people, in the bus…
If the vehicle fell…
And Miguel, he wasn't enough!
The next thing Lena knew, her hands were gripping the bumper, squeezing tight and pulling to add her strength to the plight. And inch by inch, together, they were slowly pulling the bus back onto the bridge. But even as they did, Lena could hear the groaning metal, the crunch of concrete beneath as the weight shifted and jolted again.
They were holding it still, but they weren't changing it. They needed to get the people out.
Beside her, Miguel didn't fight the aid. Instead, his crimson visor turned. "Don't help me," he wheezed. "Help them, get the door open!"
Lena's whole body was locked, like a glitch in her programming had frozen her systems, caught up with what she was doing, and caught in a paradox. What was she doing? Her goal was to fight the Dark Ranger, and he was right there and vulnerable!
But just as before, Lena's heart seized as she heard a scream from inside. It wasn't a choice at all. She swung around the sword, slicing through the hatch and grabbing hold to reef the metal from its hinges.
"Come on!" she ordered, reaching inside with one spare hand.
At any other time, they might have been scared of her, recognizing her as the warrior that terrorized the city. But in the depths of their fear, they were too grateful for the save. A woman, wide-eyed and pale, lashed out her hand, grabbing Lena's wrist as she was yanking from the vehicle, the android warrior reaching back inside to grab another, and then another.
Saving them.
And with every person that filed out, the bus lightened, easing back on its axis as Miguel roared with all his might and heaved it back in place.
"I've got it!" he cheered, still keeping grip to be sure.
But Lena was no longer listening, all attention fixed on the innocent civilians inside. At the lightness in her chest that rose with every person that escaped, at the sense of strange satisfaction that came as she turned around to see them gathered. Huddling each other, crying tears of joy and relief. All of them were safe…
…because of her.
As the people ran to safety, all Lena could do was stare, slack-jawed and uncertain. She… she'd done that. She'd helped them.
Just like how she'd saved that little girl.
But that wasn't what she was built for, it wasn't her purpose.
It wasn't what she was made for, and yet she'd done it all the same. And it had been so easy.
Could it be…?
"That," Miguel said softly behind her, finally placing the end of the bus down with a groan, "is what we do."
The Power Rangers. They helped people. And now she'd helped them too. She was… just like them…
She was just like those she was destined to destroy.
"Lena," said Miguel. "You don't have to fight for him. You can walk a different path."
And what path was that? A path where Xavaix would delete her if she returned with more failures? If he didn't already follow that display of defiance against her programming? Or the path that walked beside the very people she'd lied to and betrayed, the path of mistrust and derision?
A path that would leave her abandoned and alone.
No. She had a purpose, a reason to be. Anything else was just a distraction, friends and innocents alike. There was only one way to set herself back on the path.
Eliminate the obstacles.
Lena's heart beat faster, fury rising once again as her grip on her sword tightened. Her path was set, and nothing could change it.
It was the only way.
"No…" Lena growled, turning slowly as Miguel stepped back in realization. He'd lowered his guard, thinking she'd begun to turn against her master. His mistake. "My path is set."
She had a purpose, a mission. And she had to give it her all to achieve it. No matter the cost.
"Lena," Miguel pleaded. "You don't have to do this!"
"Sorry, Dark Ranger," she snarled. "But I do."
And then she unleashed the blade of energy to blast Miguel through the ruined bus.
The trio dropped down, their boots hitting the concrete as all of them stared around.
"Where'd he go?" Zeke asked, and pretty quickly Erika found the answer. Another hole, this one burrowed deep into the earth.
"He's underground," she realized.
"Look sharp guys," Hilary warned them. "I'm still getting seismic readings in your area. He's nearby."
"Then we better get ready," Erika decided, and the other two nodded in agreement.
The trio shot back-to-back, switching to pistols and watching for the first sign of movement. The air around them stilled, snatched, and held by impatient tension. All of them watching, waiting.
And still, they weren't ready.
The rumbling thundered beneath them, all too slow to react as Badger-Mole burst from below. The ruptured earth exploded, blasting apart as the Rangers were smashed from their footing, soaring through the air and tumbling as the giant mole cackled with glee.
"What do you know?' he taunted them. "Turns out you can dig up!"
"And I'll just send you back down," Erika snarled, leaping to her feet and lunging for the monster.
"See ya!"
The drills spun again, Badger-Mole's entire body spiraling with them as he vanished in a whirring cloud of dust.
Dammit!
Erika's saber hit the empty air, and she spun around with a hiss to look at her team.
"I'd love some ideas," she admitted. "Open to all options."
"He makes a rumbling as he surfaced," Zeke reasoned. "It's too fast for whoever he's coming up on, but maybe it means the other two can get him?"
Erika didn't have time to consider; it was the best they had and the longer they spent strategizing would just give the stupid mole another chance to hit them.
"Split," she agreed, all three leaping back and facing each other in readiness. She just had to hope they'd be able to move in time.
Just like before, they waited, drawing heavy breaths as their anxious hands gripped their weapons tight. Waiting for a sign, for a tremor. For the moment to strike.
Then Zeke called out. "He's coming!"
The shield flashed to his hands, slamming down as Abbey and Erika spun toward him.
The earth beneath exploded. Sundered rock burst in all directions, Zeke rocketing upwards as the force slammed his shield. Abbey and Erika were already moving, launching at the space before Badger-Mole had even finished emerging.
The monster barely knew what hit him. His clawed feet hit the ground, spinning around to admire his damage as the two Rangers closed in. Like blue and scarlet streaks, the twin Rangers crossed paths, slicing against Badger-Mole's form with synchronous strikes. The energy burned on contact, converging to catalyst into an explosion of light that sent the monster reeling.
"You know what they say," Zeke laughed as he landed safely. "When you find yourself in a hole…"
"…then it's time to stop digging!" Abbey chuckled.
"What do you say, guys?" Erika asked as the three converged and watched as Badger-Mole staggered to his feet. "Ready to put him back in the ground?"
"Yeah! Let's put it together!"
As the monster struggled to stand, the three moved as one, locking the axe and bow onto the body of the shield before lowering the barrel and centering the crosshairs.
"De-Frag Blaster!" they called together as the Badger-Mole realized he had nowhere to run.
"Oh man," he groaned. "Just when I was starting to dig in!"
"FIRE!"
The round hounded from the flashing barrel, searing across the sky to meet its mark, dead center. The monster blew apart, shattered into a million pieces with a thunderous boom as a cloud of flame blossomed from the impact. Pulling apart their weapons, the Rangers stood back, grinning with admiration at their handiwork. And knowing full well it wasn't over.
And just like that, right on queue, the emerald beam split the sky and enveloped the monster's scattered fragments.
The bus exploded as Miguel collided with its crumpled shape, the entire structure buckling as if punctured by an arrow as the flames surged from within. Steel sheeting wasn't enough to stop him, his soaring body soaring through the other side to send him plummeting down to the level below.
Lights began flashing across his display, warning the damage taken to his suit, and suddenly Miguel was very thankful that Hilary had kept the enhanced durability when evening the suit's power usage. Still in mid-air, Miguel recovered, rolling into a backflip and landing in a crouch on the road.
Beside him, there was a flash, the green light enveloping the steaming pieces of the monsters as teammates rushed to him.
"Miguel!" Abbey gasped. "Are you okay?"
The ground boomed as the light faded, and the giant shape of Badger-Mole suddenly towered over the city. "Can't get rid of me when I dig my heels in!"
Miguel still didn't answer, looking up instead as Lena stepped to the edge of the higher roadway, glaring down with hateful intent. She wasn't going to let this go, and the Rangers didn't have time to help him.
And maybe that was for the best.
"I'm okay," Miguel insisted. "You go deal with big ugly, I can handle this."
"But-"
"Abbey," Erika said gently, placing an affirming hand on her shoulder and snapping her from concern. "We need to go."
The Red Ranger turned toward him, giving an affirming nod of understanding. A silent consent to what Miguel was trying to do. Seconds later, Abbey's rigid posture softened, and although her nervousness remained, she too nodded and understood.
"You can do it, Miguel," she agreed. "Just make sure you come back in one piece."
And then they ran, rushing off to take down the monster for good as Miguel turned to stare up at his foe.
"Hilary!" he heard Erika over the com. "Miguel's still tied up, so it's just the three of us. We need Server Zord Power, now!"
"Copy that," Hilary's response was swift and curt, but Miguel couldn't help but catch the worry in her tone. Like she knew what he was up against. "Deploying Zords."
As the roar of engines thundered overhead, Miguel watched as Lena's eyes narrowed. She wasn't lunging, not yet. She was waiting. Waiting to see what he would do.
"It's not too late, Lena," Miguel tried. "We can still stop this."
"The only way of ending this," she snarled back, "is by destroying you!"
So, it really had come down to this. All her determination was sworn to Xaviax's cause. And still, Miguel sensed hesitation, Lena's furious bravado covering for the swirling maelstrom inside her. It wasn't too late. He just had no idea how to make her realize it.
And now he was out of time.
Miguel readied the Dark Saber, bracing himself for what was to come. And then Lena lunged.
The sword was already glowing, the shining sickly green streaking across the sky as Lena came at him in a deadly arc. But Miguel did not move. He swung the saber, the black blade clashing in parry as the energy boomed on the weapon's impact. Her first strike broken, Lena didn't relent, soaring over him in a somersault and slicing from behind. It was only the reflexes of Miguel's suit that saved him, spinning to block as Lena wound back to strike again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
The duo danced beneath the bridge, Miguel's blade flashing left and right to keep up with Lena's flurrying assault. Every blow was more furious, more desperate than the last, and it was all Miguel could do to keep up while stuck on the backfoot. Just like the previous evening, all of Lena's efforts were focused on one goal; Miguel's complete annihilation.
Then she'd been pushing him, forcing him to morph and fight back. She'd wanted him at full strength, and now at last Lena had what she wanted. Her strikes were coming at him with all her strength, a surging storm of fury that was refusing to relent. But she'd thrown caution to the wind; all offense with no defense.
And if he could break free of the onslaught, Miguel could turn the tables to his advantage.
What exactly he'd do with it was a later problem.
Miguel's feet shifted against the concrete, gravel grinding beneath his feet as he watched Lena's lightning strike for an opening. It would be small, but it would be there. And it was all he was going to get.
"All this power and still, all you do is run!" Lena hissed between the strikes. "Come on Miguel, show me what you can really do!"
She was goading him, probably to make a mistake. But in her fury, Miguel caught something else; a plea. She wanted him to fight back. To give it his all. To give her an excuse.
A reason.
And then, as the booming battle between the Megazord and the monster thundered on above them, Miguel saw his window. Every blow was growing wider, more frantic, and ferocious, and with the abandonment of defense it left her wide open. He was starting to feel the pattern, the timing of her strikes, reading her more and more clearly to find with every parry. All he needed was perfect timing.
And she gave it to him.
With a roaring snarl, Lena plunged in the blade, the glowing tip slicing to his stomach. Miguel's boots skidded, moving to dodge instead of block, pirouetting past the blade to let Lena keep on going. Without a target to bounce her back, her momentum carried her, eyes widening with burgeoning fury as Miguel's power flowed into the Dark Saber.
And then he slashed with all his might.
Stumbling forward and blade extended, Lena had nowhere to go, and no way of reacting in time. The black blade carved across her armor, shrieked with a spray of burning sparks as Lena was thrown from her feet, soaring beneath the bridge to crash into the concrete pillar. The entire struggle rumbled, cracks spreading from where she impacted as Lena dropped to the ground and landed in a kneeling crouch.
It was a good hit, but it wasn't over. But at last, Miguel had accepted the truth. If he was going to have any chance of getting through to her, then he was going to have to fight her first. He took a step closer, blade low but ready as Lena's head snapped up and hissed.
"Finally," she decided with a manic smile. "I was starting to think you'd never take me seriously."
She lunged again, and this time, with desperate hope he knew what he was doing, Miguel lunged to meet her.
"Cyber Security Megazord! Online!"
The combined machine stepped forward, raising its armored fists as the colossal foot quaked against the ground. Consumed by the gleeful enjoyment of his rampage, Badger-Mole spun around, flashing his wide row of angled teeth in a welcome grin.
"Didn't get the message the first time?" he cackled. "Guess I'm going to have to drill it into you!"
"He's really mining these dig puns for all their worth, isn't he?" Erika grumbled. "Come on guys, let's finish this quick!"
"Right!"
The trio slammed the controls, the mighty Megazord rocketing forward to take the monster in a head-on assault.
"Careful there!" Badger-Mole warned them gleefully, Don't want to bury your head in the sand!"
The drills on his hands whirred to life, shrieking as they slammed and sundered the road at his feet. Too big to burrow, the dirt burst from the ground, splashing out in a wide tidal wave that battered into the Megazord. The whole machine skidded to a stop, and the Rangers were almost thrown from their seats as they dived for controls to keep steady and upright. But in their haste to stay standing, they halted their assault, and having tried to weather the storm, they earned themselves a whole new problem.
The Megazord was no longer moving. Its body lurched, but every time it attempted a step it rocked back as if grasped by an unseen hand.
"The legs!" Zeke realized. "They're not responding!"
Thinking fast, Erika switched the input feed, opening an outward feed to get a view of the robot's body. The problem showed itself immediately. Badger-Mole had smothered them up to their waist in the dirt!
"Uh-Oh!" the monster laughed. "Looks like someone's dug an early grave."
With the Megazord stuck stationary, the monster closed in, rushing past and slamming the drill into the chest. Sparks burst from the armor as the surface ruptured, and the entire cockpit violently quaked as the Rangers were almost thrown again. They'd barely recovered when Badger-Mole lunged again, cackling as he danced past and sheered the spinning drills into them.
"I'm getting really sick if this guy's badgering," Erika hissed, eyes filled with flashing lights of warning red as she scanned for a solution. Their only advantage was that Badger-Mole was hitting them lightly, and couldn't risk fully wailing on them without freeing them. Of course, while they were sitting ducks, he could hit them as hard as he liked.
"We've got to get out of here!" Abbey gasped.
"I've got an idea," Zeke suggested. "But I'm going to need a second to check."
"I'll see what I can buy you." Erika agreed. "Abbey, get ready on the right hand!"
Up ahead, Bader-Mole was readying for another charge. "Let's see what else I can find beneath the surface!"
Thinking fast, Erika snapped her hand to the gun release, opening the port on the leg as Abbey directed the giant palm into the dirt. It wasn't much, but it was enough, the whole wrist reefing out of the burying earth to draw the pistol and fire.
The weapon hounded, the shot flaring out and blasting right into Badger-Mole's chest. The monster howled, the blow to the shoulder throwing its balance and sending it skidding away.
"Nice shot!" Erika congratulated.
"Thanks," Abbey replied. "I've been practicing."
It bought them something, but it wouldn't for long. Glued to the spot, they were limited in their shots, and surprise wasn't going to work on Badger-Mole again.
"Zeke," Erika warned. "Now would be a really good time for that idea of yours."
"Got it!" he exclaimed, cheering with triumph as the system confirmed the configuration he was looking for. "Server Shield!"
There was a whirring from behind, as the gears within the left arm shifted and the tray from Zeke's Truck Zord whipped out from behind the Megazord's back. The yellow sheet of metal snapped to the hand, and Zeke yanked at the controls to plunge it downward. Right into the confining earth.
"All right!" he cheered. "Time to start digging up!"
With a pull of the leaver, the Megazord heaved, flicking up the bottom of the shield to reef the padded earth free. The dirt sprayed in all directions, battering Badger-Mole just as he lunged for another strike. With the monster stumbling, the Megazord shunted inward, slamming the surface of the shield right into the monster's face.
"Back in your hole!" Erika sneered as the Monster stumbled back and cowered momentarily stunned by the head strike.
With the room to move, the Rangers stowed the pistol and summoned the mighty blade.
"Wait!" the Bader-Mole wailed. "Is there still time to bury the hatchet?"
"Not a chance," Erika grinned. "Ready guys?'
"Let's do it!"
The Megazord charged; every step a thunderous crash as the hulking machine rocketed toward its foe. Still dazed, Badger-Mole was a helpless target, screaming as the Cyber Security Megazord crossed the distance and flashed the sword through.
"Cyber Power… STRIKE!"
The blade hit clean, flaring with energy as it cleaved through Badger-Mole's body with a single strike. As the Megazord stopped, the monster flailed and fell as his body finally gave out. "I couldn't dig my way out of this one!"
The Megazord repositioned, standing tall as the monster toppled. Then, as he hit the ground, his entire body ignited. The flames spiraled upwards, a dazzling column of fire that roared with furious intensity. The monster's entire form burst apart, incinerated to its very atoms, and reduced to ash. As the smoke cleared, the Cyber Security Megazord stood tall, the city safe for another day.
One problem down, one more to go.
Just. Hold! STILL!
Lena swiped again with a furious snarl and Miguel batted the blade away as he repositioned. He twirled past, Dark Saber lashing out to put Lena on the defensive before she launched into a fresh assault.
At last, he was giving her what she wanted, a real fight. A full fight: coming at her with everything he had. There would be no question after this, of Lena's abilities, of her loyalties. Of her purpose. If Lena could take down Miguel while he was fighting at his best, then she would prove once and for all what she was capable of. What she was put on earth to do.
All she needed was one good blow.
Charging in harder, Lena pushed in her assault, forcing Miguel onto the backfoot as they danced further and further beneath the bridge. At last, he was out of time to block, stumbling back beneath her blow and stumbling into the ruined car behind him.
Got him!
Lena roared as she lunged, plunging in the blade for the final strike. But Miguel leaped away. He grabbed the top of the car, heaving from the path of the blade, spring-boarding off the hood and somersaulting over as she sliced into the metal.
He was still on the defensive! He still wasn't taking it seriously!
"Fight me!" Lena screamed, spinning around as she unleashed a blade of energy in chase. The green stream of the lights sliced toward him, leaving the Ranger no choice but to bring the Dark Saber up to meet it. The sword cleaved through the attack, splitting the green energy in two and sending the halves spiraling out on either side. Crashing behind him, they exploded into blazing balls of flames as they.
Damn him! Miguel was still holding on to some desperate hope, that somehow their friendship still meant something. That there was some good lying deep within her. But he was wrong, there was nothing. There couldn't be! And Lena was going to make him see!
She had to destroy him. Every fiber of her being depended on it. Because what even was she without her purpose?
Lena launched across the gap, sword swinging wide as Miguel's saber flashed to parry. Still, she struck in, again and again, every blow forcing him to cede ground as their feet danced in matching beats. Pushing him back, out from beneath the bridge. Out into the light.
She would defeat him! She would destroy him! She would achieve her objective and ensure fulfilled her reason for being! Be the monster she was made to be.
Miguel had gone silent; no plea, no quips, nothing. Nothing but an opponent for Lena to target her rage. Nothing but an enemy to take down.
And still, he didn't fight back!
His strikes against her were paltry, barely scratching before he returned to parries and dodges, allowing Lena to flail around with full fury as Miguel weaved between her blows. Like he didn't think Lena worthy of his time. The Dark Saber sliced upward as she swung, catching her blade and pushing back. As Lena stumbled, Miguel leaped, soaring to put more distance between them.
"Fight back!" she screamed again. "Stop running and FIGHT ME!"
But this time, Miguel didn't charge back in. He didn't raise his guard, nor offer some pathetic appeal to her reason or humanity. Instead, Miguel simply lowered his sword. His reply was but a simple word, curt, flat, and decisive. "No."
…No?
No?
NO!
Fresh rage stoked within her, hissing through her teeth as Lena's breathing fumed tighter still and her vision tunneled in laser focus.
How dare he?
How dare he!
Lena lunged with full fury, full control surrendered to her rage as the glowing blade readied to cut him down. Miguel made no move to dodge, no move to counter. He simply stood there, holding firm, holding his ground, and refusing to budge. Letting the blow connect.
The flash was blinding, a blazing bloom of emerald energy that seared across his Ranger suit. Miguel cried out in pain as the blow sent him flying, spiraling through the air in his steaming suit. The sword finished its arc, Lena winding back and watching as her opponent hit the ground and rolled across the dirt.
Still seething, Lena watched him rise, staggering to his feet with a black scorch across his chest. But his suit hadn't vanished.
What? No, that was impossible!
Lena knew he was more durable than the others, but there was no way the Dark Ranger was strong enough to take that. Not after she'd sent him rocketing through the bus. She'd hit him with everything she had!
… hadn't she?
And then Lena felt it, a twinge at her heart as she heard him groan, an involuntary whimper of pain as Miguel struggled to stay on his feet. A twinge of guilt.
No! No, she didn't have to feel guilty. He was her enemy; she had to hurt him. It was her job to hurt him.
Her purpose.
So why did she hold back…?
"Giving up then?" Lena snarled; a desperate taunt to block out the inner turmoil.
"On you?" Miguel replied calmly. He raised his arm, revealing Morpher, before reaching his other hand to the activator. "Never. Power down."
The black light flashed around him, the boy stumbling forward as the suit vanished and the enhanced strength with it. Then, finding his footing, Miguel straightened, looking back at Lena with renewed resolve. "But I'm done fighting."
"Then you'll DIE!"
Lena lunged again, sword tip glowing and aiming for his heart. Just like before, Miguel just stood there with a face stony and defiant. He wasn't going to budge, and Lena knew it. He'd proven that before, which meant nothing was in her way. Nothing to stop her from achieving her goal, nothing to prevent her from proving to Xaviax that she was what he needed. That she was nothing but a weapon.
A monster.
But as Lena closed the distance, launching herself into the air so there could be no turning back, Lena's eyes locked with Miguel's. In doing so, she saw it. Not hate, not fury. Just sadness.
You have the power to choose…
Why are you here…?
You deserve better…
Because I was your friend…
He had been her friend, and now she was going to destroy him. Not in defense, not in a fight, but purely because she could. Nothing to get in her way, nothing to stop her. Nothing to excuse her. The blow would carry through, and Lena would prove her purpose. And then she really would be entirely on her own.
Alone.
Lena brought down the sword, throwing all she had into the blade. And then she plunged into the ground with a scream of confused desperation. It sundered the concrete beside Miguel, the boy releasing a shudder of relief and almost staggering as Lena's eyes filled with tears. With an agonizing wail, she flung the sword away, hearing it clatter uselessly in the distance, far any further use it could have for her.
She couldn't do it, not like this. Not when he wasn't fighting. All she had left was the faint and desperate hope that she could somehow change his mind.
"Fight back!" Lena begged, hurling a wide and sloppy punch that Miguel leaned away from with ease. "Fight me!"
"No," Miguel repeated.
"Why?" Lena demanded. "Why won't fight me? You're my enemy!"
But then Miguel stopped, feet holding firm, his hands whipped up to grab her arms. Not to restrain her, but to hold her. To offer her support as his eyes locked with hers.
"But you're not mine."
Lena's heart stopped dead like an icy knife that stabbed it and stripped the wind from her lungs. Like the words had choked her, strapped weights to her limbs as she Miguel off her and stumbled the final steps to attempt a half-hearted swing through blurred, shimmering vision.
"Why?" she gasped. "Why aren't I your enemy? I'm evil!"
And then her fist connected. Miguel barely moved, shaking only slightly as Lena's fleeting strength barely thumped against his chest. Her eyes were stinging, her breaths a choking splutter as she hammered into his chest again and again. All to no effect.
"I'm evil!" she sobbed. "I'm evil…"
And then, at last, Miguel said the words that she'd been refusing to listen to. The words echoed the tiny voice in her mind that she desperately had to ignore. The words finally broke her.
"Only if you choose to be."
The dam burst, tears reaming from Lena's eyes as whatever words remained became lost in guttural sputtering. She kept thumping him, each one growing weaker than the last, steam running empty as her sobs turned to cries and then to wails, and at last Lena dared to look at Miguel and meet his eyes. They were filled with the deepest sympathy.
Sympathy for his friend.
At last, Lena gave one final swing, this one barely more than a tap as she could no longer muster the will. Because her heart was no longer in it.
Her clenched fist pushed against his clavicle, no longer in offense but for support, falling against his chest as Lena surrendered to the heavy and unrelenting sobs. Miguel didn't move, allowing her to fall into his arms and holding her tight as she cried. Her legs abandoned her, strength fleeing as her armor flashed away, sinking into his embrace as gravity dragged her down. Again, Miguel did not fight her, instead sinking to his knees to brace her fall as Lena cried in his arms.
She couldn't do it. She'd never be able to do it. She'd been brought into this world for a task she could never achieve. And everyone she had ever relied on had either turned their backs or soon would.
She was alone, with no idea where to go.
"I don't know who I am," Lena sobbed, face buried in Miguel's chest. "I don't know who I am."
There were footsteps, faint and muffled as her despair muted her senses. Finding the ounce of strength, she turned to see the other three Rangers, unmorphed and staring. But they didn't react with fury or hatred. Instead, they simply looked at her with sympathy and sadness.
With pity.
Standing at the end, Abbey found her movement and rushed toward the two of them. But she did not reach in and pull Lena away, didn't grab tight and yank her free of Miguel. Instead, the girl kneeled, joining to Miguel's embrace to squeeze Lena tightly.
"It's okay," she whispered. "We've got you."
Everything was turning to a blur, Lena's senses fleeing as the sound around her melded into muffles and her limbs grew numb and heavy. And slowly but surely, the two Rangers at her side rose, never relinquishing their hold on her, and slowly helped her to her feet.
"We didn't know where else to bring her," Erika said sadly. "It's like she's just shut down."
One by one, all of them slowly turned and looked from the monitoring station. Lena was still in the small sitting area by the workbench, wrapped in a blanket and vacantly staring into nothingness. Abbey was beside her, making sure she was comfortable and placing a cup of tea on the table to her side. Lena gave no reaction, having so far said nothing since they'd brought her in.
"You did the right thing," said Ray. "Right now, she's in shock, and there's no telling what Xaviax would do if she were out on her own."
And that was before even considering if she attempted to return to her former master, an idea that made Miguel shudder. But even as they stood there, unable to tear their eyes away from Lena's near-catatonic state, there was an air of tension among the team. Of a question that lingered, unanswered. Finally, Zeke voiced it.
"Is it safe?" he asked hesitantly. "To have her here?"
"For now," said Hilary. "I've set up local firewalls to prevent her from going anywhere we don't want."
"You make it sound like she's a prisoner," Miguel noted, only for Hilary to shake her head.
"The doors are open for her," she clarified. "We're not going to make her stay any longer than she wants to. I'm just keeping her away from critical systems until we know more. There's a good chance Xaviax left a few surprises, ones even she mightn't know about."
The notion only further churned Miguel's stomach as he realized she was right. If Xaviax had no hesitations in placing a control protocol in the Dark Morpher, why would his underlings be any different? As Miguel conceded the point, Abbey at last left Lena's side and wandered back over to the others.
"She's comfortable, from what I can tell," she said, although the quiver in her voice betrayed her uncertainty. "She's still not saying anything. I can't even begin to imagine what she's going through."
"Everything she's ever known about herself has just come crashing down, all at once," Ray explained. "She's questioning everything Xaviax ever told her, probably Gideon too. It's a lot for anyone to process."
"How do you even come back from that?" Erika asked. "How can you possibly rebuild when your entire sense of self is shattered?"
At first, Ray's reply was a long, melancholic sigh, before saying only one word. "Slowly."
"Is there anything we can do?" Abbey tired.
"Be a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen," Ray suggested. "But ultimately? This is her path to walk; at best we can walk some of it beside her. Help guide her when she asks and give her space when she needs it. The truth is, the only person that can help Lena get back up, is Lena."
Slowly they all nodded in solemn agreement, and one by one they turned again to look upon the corner, eyes guiltily drawn toward the girl in the chair, sitting frozen in lifeless stasis, staring vacantly into the void.
Alone.
NEXT TIME:
As Lena begins to piece together a new life free of the path of evil, Xaviax puts the next stage into motion. But as Lena's search for answers begins, more questions about who she is and what values arise. With Rangers on the front lines and facing their greatest threat yet, Lena is confronted with the ultimate question: Is evil something she always has will be, or does she have the strength the walk the path of good?
Will Lena find the answers she's looking for?
Will the Rangers ever be able to truly trust her?
And following the betrayal of his General, just how far will Xaviax go to pursue revenge?
Find out next time:
POWER RANGERS
SERVER FORCE
Error 404- Part II