"So, it's a giant frog?" said Hilary with a tone of amusement as she stared at the scan of Reptoad.
Erika nodded in concession as she pressed the bag of peas to her forehead "He might look pudgy, but he knows how to throw his weight around."
"So," Zeke chuckled as he noted Ray and Hilary's astoundment. "Bet you've never fought a giant frog before?"
"Sorry, bud," said Hilary as Zeke's jaw dropped. "Been there, done that."
Erika could only snicker. "Looks like you owe me a twenty."
"Alright, fine, so you've fought a giant frog," Zeke conceded. "But what about exploding spit? Bet that's new."
Standing behind them, Miguel could already see the whole thing playing out, raising an amused eyebrow as Zeke's face fell from desperation to defeat as Ray and Hilary shook their heads in amusement.
"Sorry, Zeke," Ray replied. "It was literally the first thing we ever fought."
The boy groaned as he slapped not one, but two twenties into Erika's eager hand while the others returned their attention to battle data. Jokes aside, Miguel could tell that Ray and Hilary were concerned. The fact that innocent civilians were being consumed was alarming, and while they'd handled a similar monster before, that didn't mean the solution would be so simple this time. Even if it were, the fact that Xaviax was resorting to it was not a good sign.
"Eating people," Hilary noted coldly. "That one is new."
To that one, Zeke hissed a visible but silent curse as Erika continued chuckling beside him.
"Could it be like Dollface?" Zeke asked. "Using an internal digitizer within the monster to convert people from mass to energy?"
"It's a good theory," Hilary admitted. "Worth checking out. Jess, can you rescan the monster from when his tongue connects, maybe there's something there."
While the trio set to work, the others could do nothing but hang back, and Miguel had to admit to feeling helpless. Tech and examination were very much the department of the brainiacs, leaving him, Abbey, and Erika to just wait around for something else to hit. Still, Miguel guessed it would give him some to unwind, and quickly realized that with their afternoon free he could maybe even spend some of it with Abbey… if that was what she wanted.
"We're sorry you had to deal with that without us," Ray said while Zeke and Hilary became lost in their analysis with Jess. "It didn't work out, but you all came back. That's always a win in my book."
"Where were you, anyway?" Erika asked. Ray's expression fell, daring to look at Hilary as she cast back a matching glance. One of guilt, one of sadness, but Miguel couldn't help but note that it felt separate from their absence from the fight. Like it was about something else.
"You guys don't need to tell us," Miguel suggested. "Not if you don't have to."
Again, Ray and Hilary shared a nervous look, one of uncertainty and indecision.
"It's not that we don't want to," said Ray.
"It's just that we don't know if it's really our thing to talk about," Hilary agreed.
And then Abbey asked the question that cut through it all. The obvious that they'd all been treading around, noticing her absence from the moment they'd stepped inside the lab. "It's about Lena, isn't it?"
It was like a cloud of uncertainty had suddenly lifted, a hanging, threatening storm suddenly dissipating as Ray and Hilary relaxed. Like their guilt had been assuaged by the others putting it together, that they weren't betraying a trust if Lena's friends had uncovered it themselves. And to Miguel, it suddenly all became abundantly clear.
The trip out of town with no warning, the nervousness of Ray and Hilary over a story that wasn't theirs to share, for a girl that lived beneath their roof, by choice rather than blood. Miguel wasn't certain, but he had a pretty good guess about how it all connected.
"Yeah," Ray nodded sadly. "She's pretty shaken up."
"She didn't want to talk the whole drive back," Hilary said "We didn't want to push, so we're giving her some space."
But there was more than guilt that was trickling through their voices, a fearful concern quivering in their eyes as they spoke of the girl who lived in their care. A worry for Lena's wellbeing, one that transcended a mere obligation for her safety. Something that panged at them, pulled them toward her, something they weren't sure if they should fight, or if Lena would even want it. And yet, Miguel could see in their single glance that for all else swirling in their minds, all Ray and Hilary wanted at that moment was for Lena to be okay.
One look between himself and Abbey was all Miguel needed, an agreement on what was more important. Ray and Hilary may be too much for Lena; too soon and too much pressure, but that didn't mean she couldn't do with a friendly face.
"Do you want us to go check on her?' Miguel asked them. "See how she's doing?"
"That would be great," Ray admitted.
"I can find out where she is if you want," Hilary agreed, quickly pulling up Lena's Morpher to confirm her location. But as she said it, Miguel had guessed where she'd be, or where he'd find her eventually.
With Erika still tending to the bump on her head, Miguel and Abbey set off to the elevator. But as they were waiting for the doors, Miguel turned back to Ray and Hilary.
"I know you're wondering if you did the right thing," he said. "But there's never a way that's easy. I know you'd have done the best you could for Lena, and you wouldn't be worrying about it now if you hadn't."
There was a warm glow in both their smiles as Ray and Hilary heard his words, as they caught his meaning and understood, grateful for his insight.
"Thanks, Miguel," Ray softly replied. "It means a lot."
And then Miguel and Abbey stepped inside the elevator to find their wayward friend.
For all its usual buzz, the Hub was surprisingly quiet as Lena arrived. She'd been silent almost the whole drive home, and while Ray and Hilary had made it clear that they were willing to listen if Lena wished, they equally seemed unwilling to press. Instead, she spent much of the two hours staring out the window, watching the outskirts of Silicon Valley morph into the countryside as they slowly made their way back to Lakeview.
A crisis was already awaiting them in the lab upon returning, forcing Hilary to immediately deal with whatever problem Ender's latest creation had created. If anything, it was convenient for Lena. It meant that Ray and Hilary would be too busy to ask any questions, and the rest of the team would also be far too preoccupied to pry. It left plenty of time to leave Lena alone with her thoughts in a vain attempt to process her encounter with Edward Chambers.
With her father, if she could even call him that.
What had she been thinking? What had she expected? The man hadn't worked on her project for nearly twenty years, and then all of a sudden she shows up at his doorstep as a living, breathing person? When Chambers would have last given Lena's coding any thought, she'd been nothing but an idea, a program. An object.
Lena was never a person to him and never would be. So why did him treating her like one still hurt so much? Why had Edward Chambers suddenly become the most important man in the world?
Because in her heart, Lena already knew the answer; an acknowledgment that she'd long been ignoring, pretending an alternative was possible. Chambers may have provided her coding, but two other men were equally responsible for her creation. Gideon, the man who had used his power, and her, to terrorize Cranston City, and Xaviax, who walked the same path fifteen years later to recreate her. Lena was the product of a pair of mad egomaniacs. Without another source of humanity, of sanity, those two men were the only other lineage Lena could claim.
And then what did that make her?
"Rough day?" Valerie asked as Lena braced against the counter and sighed.
"I look that good, huh?" Lena replied.
"It seems to be going around," Val shrugged. "I just got a text from Erika saying she's icing her head after a giant toad spat on her. Which apparently was preferable to being eaten?" She paused for a moment, eyes staring into the distance in contemplation of what she'd just said. "Huh, is it weird that that didn't sound weird to me?"
Lena raised an eyebrow, drawing attention to who, of all people, Valerie had asked. "I'm the wrong person to ask. I don't think I really even know what normal is." But it did sound nice. Even if it was something she'd never have.
Valerie offered to fix Lena a drink, smiling as she moved to the machine to leave Lena waiting at the counter. Of course, Lena couldn't have too much quiet reflection. No, that wouldn't have been too much to ask. The door to the Hub flung open, the bell trilling in fright as Whitney stormed in with murder in her eyes.
"Double-Decaf, Ice Macchiato," she growled at Valerie.
To her credit, the server took little notice, returning her attention to Lena's drink and forcing Whitney to wait. "Sure. I'll be… right…there…"
Whitney pouted seethingly, tapping her foot at a grating, annoying pace while standing uncomfortably close to Lena. Finally, Lena took the bait.
"Rough day?" she asked dryly.
"Urgh, it's just the worst!" Whitney bemoaned. "First my close-up opportunity gets eaten by a monster, and then Deryck gets eaten by a monster! And then I can't even figure out how his stupid camera works to find out what's on it!"
Raising an eyebrow with a moment of amusement, Lena turned to notice the strange device in Whitney's hands. Man, Lena hadn't seen one of those since… well, she suspected that model was even outdated when she was an adult.
"Where'd you find that?" she asked. "The museum?
"Oh, ha-ha," Whitney replied. "If you must know, Deryck and I had a project to do, and this thing has very important footage on it. If I could just get any of it work."
"Well, when you're shooting with it, I sure hope you remembered to take the lens cap off," said Lena, nodding to the black nub of plastic on the end. "Otherwise, you won't be shooting much of anything."
Whitney's eyes widened as she looked at the camera. "Lens… cap…?"
Oh boy. Kids these days.
"You also might want to check if it has a tape or memory card," Lena added, who was starting to smirk in the enjoyment of Whitney's cluelessness. "Although if one isn't there, you might be out of luck. I don't even think they make them for devices that old. Not anymore."
"Wait," Whitney gasped. "So, you're telling me that if I don't have one of tape… thingies, then this camera would…?"
"Record absolutely nothing," Lena replied.
The girl looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her head, like any moment she was about to grasp her hair and tear it out as Whitney unleashed a pained and muffled scream. "DER-YCK!"
Then she spun her heel and stormed out of the Hub, just as Valerie approached the counter with Lena's pumpkin spice.
"It's on the house," Valerie insisted. "Especially after giving me that little show."
Lena decided not to ask any further, thanking Valerie gratefully before stepping back out into the open afternoon air. Whitney's dismay had lifted her mood, but not by much, a temporary reprieve before the weighty memory resettled. As if, inch by inch, it crept back in, slowly sinking Lena's mood back into the depths as she aimlessly wandered through Lakeview's streets.
Was there anything to do? Seeing his name and the file with her project code attached to it, it was like Lena was suddenly staring at a hole inside her heart that she'd never known was there. A hole that had always been there, but hidden beneath on own lack of self-awareness. But now that Lena knew it existed, she couldn't forget it. She could feel it, gaping inside her chest, an open wound that would never be closed.
Something missing.
She'd barely even noticed where she was walking, aimlessly wandering in a melancholic daze until Lena found herself in the park, staring at the green fields. At the families laughing together as their children played. An experience that she'd never have, denied by the perverseness of her creation, the origins of her existence. Something human that would never be hers.
All Lena could do was stare, longingly from a distance as she found her way to a park bench and allowed herself to fall into it. To watch in envy at the children's joy, at the shared revelry with their parents, feeling a tear rolling down her cheek as, at long last, Lena admitted to herself why she'd truly been so wounded by Chambers' dismissal. Because he was only the family that she had, or the closest thing Lena could ever call to one. And without him, she truly was alone.
So lost in gloomy contemplation, Lena didn't notice Abbey and Miguel approach her until they were beside her bench. All she could do was look up at them, no longer trying to hide her sorrow as they replied with expressions of silent sympathy.
"You doing, okay?" Miguel asked. It seemed like such a stupid question, but Lena wasn't even sure how to answer. Instead, she just shrugged.
"Ray and Hilary wanted someone to check on you," said Abbey. "They were worried about you after they came back."
"Did they say why?"
Abbey and Miguel shook their heads, and as Lena breathed in deeper, she offered them the seats beside her. And then she told them of her visit to Edward Chambers, and who he was to her.
"Whoa," was all that Abbey could say, while Miguel sat on the other side of her, nodding slowly.
"I just feel so dumb," Lena said sadly. "I mean, what even is he? My programmer? The whole time I was thinking about him like my father, but he's not. How can he be? He's right, I can't have a father if I'm not even human."
"But you are real," Miguel insisted gently. "Every bit as real as the rest of us."
Lena couldn't help but smile at the warming comfort as Miguel took her hands and squeezed in solidarity. Behind her, Abbey shuffled closer and touched Lena's shoulders for a supporting embrace.
"And it's not dumb," Miguel said, and as Lena looked up, she realized her friend's eyes were shimmering in rhythm that matched her own. "Not even for a second."
But it was. There she was, a living digital construct, a product of nothing but software and engineering, bemoaning the lack of a biological progenitor. Just thinking about it made Lena realize the sheer absurdity of it all. But Miguel didn't relent, shaking his head quietly as he saw the doubt on Lena's face.
"My dad couldn't look after me, neither could my mom," he said. "I haven't seen either of them since I was six. And for the longest time, all I could feel was that they were gone. That I couldn't be with them, and that they never came and found me. And no matter what homes I was sent to, I always saw the same thing; that all the other kids had families while I didn't."
Lena softly nodded, holding back her words to allow Miguel time. Even as he said it, she couldn't but feel a prang of guilt shoot through her heart, remembering a time when Miguel's past had been a vulnerability that Lena had exploited. But now, instead, he was sitting beside her, drawing from his painful experience to help Lena make sense of her own. Beside her, Lena felt Abbey's soft grip squeeze, she too affected by Miguel's story, or perhaps reflecting on her own.
"Every house I went to, it was the same," Miguel continued. "I didn't want to be there because they weren't my family, they weren't the people that I thought I was meant to be with. I'm not saying they were great, but I didn't want a bar of it to begin with, so things never had a chance at getting better. But eventually, I was put with a family that's given me more than I could ask for. And while I've been living with the Parkinsons, I realized something. I missed my mom and dad, sure. But more than anything, I didn't miss them as people, so much as I missed the idea of who they could have been."
The words hit Lena like a bucket of ice, stealing the breath from her lungs as they shook her. The idea. She hadn't even thought about having a father until that morning, and in an instant, she'd projected every idea of what he could be onto Edward Chambers. And that was why Lena had hurt so badly when he'd seen her the way he did. It wasn't that having a father was impossible for someone like her. It was because having a father would have made Lena something else. It would have been something that Lena had in common with those around her, something that would connect her to her friends. It would let her, even for a moment, pretend that she was human.
But if Chambers was unwilling to see her as anything other than a product of his creation, unwilling to see her as a daughter, then he was denying Lena the very idea she so desperately clung to.
To be real.
"My dad died when I was four," Abbey said quietly. "But Richard, that man my mom married? He's everything that my biological dad never got the chance to be. He loves my mom, he loves me, and I love him. And holding on to what I thought my dad meant, what I thought he was, nearly stopped me from appreciating the man that had walked into my life."
"The Parkinsons might not be my real family, not by blood," Miguel agreed. "But they're the closest thing I've had to one my whole life. And that's even before considering all you guys."
All of them…
Abbey, Miguel, Erika, and Zeke.
Ray and Hilary.
The people that had stood by Lena's side, who had outstretched their arms and taken her in. Who had forgiven her when she hadn't deserved it, who had empowered her to confront her demons. Who had stood by her side, just as she had with them.
With tears welling in her eyes, Lena looked across at Miguel and Abbey, arms wrapping around them and pulling them tight toward her. Neither relented as she squeezed them and they returned her embrace. So tight, that Lena never wanted to let them go.
"I'm really sorry that Chambers couldn't be what you needed," said Abbey. "But that doesn't make you alone."
"Not when you have us," Miguel agreed.
Eventually, Lena allowed them to pull away, leaning back in the chair as the three of them dried their eyes. And then, as if like magic, their communicators beeped.
"Hey," Lena replied with an acknowledging smile at Abbey and Miguel. "We're good to go. What's up?"
"Glad to hear that spark your voice," Ray replied warmly. "Looks like our amphibian friend is taking a walk in the park. Want to come with and meet him?"
One look from her two friends was all the confirmation Lena needed. "Yeah, I could go for a stroll. See you there."
A question that she would always agree to; if the people she cared most about were leaping into danger, then there was nowhere Lena would rather be than by their side. For as long as they'd have her. Shutting off the coms, Lena saw Abbey's keycard was already in hand, their morphers flashing to their wrists as Miguel checked for anyone watching. With the area clear, Abbey stepped forward, her Morpher raised in signal to the others.
"You ready?"
Lena felt a smirk creep to her lips. Boy was she. "Ready!"
"Server Force! Login Access!"
All three moved as one, devices on their wrists bursting to life and showering them in colored light. Lena let the white light consume her without hesitation, pulling her into the flow of the grid as the energy surged through her veins. It coursed through her system in a rhythm that matched her heart, empowering her body with inhuman strength as it spirited her across the city. As the light slammed down on the park, six others burst beside her, and as it faded, Lena stood side by side with the rest of her team.
Her family.
The scene sprawled out before them, Ender and ArcKnight commanding the wild running Cyberdrones as Reptoad gleefully whipped out his tongue to consume more and more fleeing civilians. All swung around to meet the sight of the Rangers' blazing arrival.
"What's this?" Reptoad cackled. "Back for more? You brought the whole knot this time."
"The only knot you'll be in is the one I'm going to tie," Erika snapped as her helmet shot back to address the team. "Fatman's a problem, but we've got to get people out of here. Abbey, Zeke, you're with me. We're going to cut his dinner shot and blast him if we can. The rest of you guys, handle the usual suspects and get the civilians to safety."
"Got it!"
The Rangers surged on Erika's command, launching in all directions to engage their enemies on all fronts. As the spear flashed to Lena's hands, the White Ranger plunged into the thick of it, the sharp tip glowing as it lanced into the body of a Cyberdrone. With the force of her jump and the power of the weapon, the henchman went soaring, smashing back into the footsoldiers behind as Lena pressed on to afford them no recovery. Another engaged as she closed in, swiping at her head as she ducked beneath. Her swerve was effortless, a graceful movement as the blow lumbered above, and Lena responded with an easy sidestep as she flourished her spear.
"Mind your step!"
The haft dropped behind the Cyberdrone's foot, sweeping its gravity from beneath as Lena leaped into a powerful kick. Her white boot smashed into the Cyberdrone's stomach, sending it soaring into the masses as Lena flipped the spear around and braced it on her shoulders. Two blades clashed against the pole, clanging as Lena grinned and spun to slice into her two attackers. Soon after, the Cyberdrones that hadn't been scoured into lay writhing at her feet, and Lena's eyes narrowed in search for her next target.
She didn't have to look far, and soon one came to her. Lean heard him coming, the smug chuckle of satisfaction as she spun out of the way and Ender skidded past. But he wasn't off balance for long, skipping to recover his footing as he stared back at her with a self-satisfied smirk.
"Lena, what a surprise!" Ender snickered. "Never saw you as the outdoors type."
"What can I say, Ender," Lena snarled back. "Fresh air's kind of nice, so long as you've got pleasant company."
"Oh, you're too kind."
"Then I clearly misspoke."
The two stared each other down, Lena's eyes narrowing as Ender's grin grew wider. In her ear, she could hear the full details of the rest of the battle, and it wasn't sounding good.
"He's globbed me up good!" Zeke cried as a booming in the distance confirmed his despair.
"Zeke!"
As Abbey's cry wailed in Lena's ear, Reptoad's howling laughter echoed across the park, a booming voice that she didn't even need the coms to hear. "That was delicious! And you know what they say, once you have one, a million is never enough!"
Another boom, another shriek. Clearly, Reptoad had found an edge against them since their last battle, and now was rolling them with all his weight.
"Guys, I'm going to help them," Miguel advised. "Watch out for ArcKnight."
"Good idea, Miguel," Jess confirmed. "This guy's definitely more than a single serve."
"I'll find ArcKnight," Ray confirmed. "Get to your team!"
But as the others coordinated, Lena's eye remained unmoved from Ender, transfixed on her enemy and waiting for a reaction. He was watching her, studying her, looking for weakness that he could exploit. He had been there when she'd returned and was responsible for her reincarnation. Almost no one knew Lena better than Ender. But he didn't know her well enough.
With a roaring battle cry, Lena lunged, spear held low and glowing as she readied for the strike. The monster-maker wasn't moving, cane twirling in his grip as he readied for the strike, a snide smirk betraying his confident assurance of her movement. One that was misplaced.
Reaching him with lightning speed, Lena skidded and swerved, feet tearing up the grass as she pivoted around Ender's ready defense. As the man's red eyes bulged, Lena swung the spear, all her momentum adding to the strike as the spearhead glowed and flashed across Ender's body. The monster-maker went flying, hitting the ground and rolling as Lena flourished her spear and readied for another bout.
"You know what I also like about the park, Ender?" said Lena. "It's got plenty of room to kick something around."
On his knees, Ender's head whipped up, eyes tightening into a sinister glare as his blue lips twisted into a smile. "I couldn't agree more."
Lena's eyes widened as she realized the trap, her body moving on instinct as she dived. A split-second later, Arc-Knight's sword crashed into the ground where she'd been standing. But in avoiding one enemy, Lena had opened herself up to the second, and Ender wasn't wasting any time. He launched at her, swinging his cane into her stomach to smash her backward. The strength of the blow flashed against her suit as it sent her soaring, and Lena hit the ground with steam wisping from her suit as she tumbled to the bottom of the hill.
"You know, what? You were right," Ender chuckled as he stepped beside his faceless comrade. "The park is more fun with friends!"
"You have long gone unpunished for your betrayal," ArcKnight growled at her. "Today marks your end, traitor!"
At the bottom of the hill, Lena staggered to her feet, gripping her spear as she glared. It wasn't looking good. Against Reptoad, the Rangers needed all the help they could get. They didn't have the energy to waste bailing her out. She needed to stand her ground, to hold against her former comrades. One of them may have made her, but that didn't mean he'd be her end. Not when she had a family to protect.
"Oh, just look at her," Ender snickered as he looked down from the crest of the hill. "Getting back up to fight us. It feels like yesterday she was taking her first steps, they just grow up so fast."
"The former may have made her endearing," ArcKnight dismissed. "But her rebellion has made her our enemy."
"Hmm, good point," Ender conceded. "I never saw the appeal in the angsty teenage phase."
Standing tall, Lena remained resolute, refusing to budge even as the double act before her readied for the finish. If she could time it right, she could avoid the blast, and maybe, just maybe, use the opening to hit back. There were a lot of ifs in there, but it was all she had.
But Lena never got the chance to enact her desperate plan. Never needed to, not when a deafening cannon boomed behind her.
A flash of silver surged across the air, Ender and ArcKnight diving aside as the round detonated with a thunderous impact. A mighty fireball boomed as it sundered the ground, rupturing the very earth where it impacted and leaving a scorched and smoldering crater in its wake. Surprised, Lena spun around to see Hilary, Mainframe Defender smoking and braced at her hip, the visor of her helm locked on where Ender and ArcKnight had landed.
"Get away from her," the Silver Ranger growled, with a threatening menace Lena wasn't sure she'd ever heard. It was low, protective, and filled with intent. Like an awakened mama bear sensing threat to her cubs.
"Oh, look at that," Ender scoffed. "The grown-ups have arrived to collect Lena from her playdate. Don't suppose you want to have some fun while you're here?"
"She's not the only one!"
Both ArcKnight and Ender whipped up their heads in surprise, eyes bulging as a barrage of golden light rained down upon them. Again, the two of them launched away, a carpet of explosions blossoming in their wake as Ray somersaulted overhead and landed by the White Ranger. Moments later, Hilary joined him, the pair of them standing proudly between Lena and her attackers.
"Hey, Lena, are these two bothering you?" Ray asked. "Because I've got some serious questions about their intentions."
Lena could only stare in amazement as both Gold and Silver stared the two enemies down, renewed fury radiating from them both. Protecting her.
"Lena," Hilary warned her. "Why don't you go help Abbey and Miguel? Ray and I would just like a few words with your friends here."
"Yeah," Ray agreed, all humor gone from his voice and replaced with a cold, decisive fury. "We're just going to explain why it's important to play nice."
The drift in their tone was clear, and all of a sudden, Lena felt almost sorry for what ArcKnight and Ender were about to endure. Almost.
Nodding, Lena leaped away, Ray and Hilary surging forward to prevent her enemies from intervening. They'd come to her, defended her, and now were hitting back at her attackers with a vengeance. It was almost as if…
But Lena didn't have time to explore the thought further, soaring across the air to where Abbey and Miguel were desperately keeping Reptoad at bay. The two were working overtime, ducking and diving as the giant toad spat glob after glob of explosive mucus at wherever they were standing. As she landed beside them, Lena gulped down, realizing what had happened to Erika and Zeke.
He'd got them.
"How's the frog boiling going?" she asked as she reached them.
"Not good," Abbey admitted. "He ate Zeke's shield, and then Zeke. He managed to push me back before going for Erika."
"He's faster than he looks," Miguel added. "No way you'd believe he'd just eaten."
"You think you can run!" Reptoad chuckled. "But I've got a taste for Rangers, and I want it more than a kid wants cake!"
He fired off another glob of spit, all three diving away as the attack exploded behind them. Lena landed in a crouch, spinning around and scanning as best she could. There had to be a weakness, something to exploit. And then it hit her. Reptoad was throwing his head back with every attack, exposing himself. They'd have to time it right, and control where he was going, but it could be the opening they needed. Only one thing to check…
"Jess," Lena pleaded. "Tell me the people he's eaten are okay."
"Hilary seems to think so," came the uncertain reply. "Theory is that he's holding them in some kind of subspace. Destroying him should be what you need to free them."
Which meant they needed that opening. And there was only one way they were going to get it; live bait.
"I'm going to draw his fire," Lena told the others in the coms. "You guys get ready to hit him with everything you've got."
She was probably going to get eaten, but it would be worth it. Abbey and Miguel had already done so much for her, Lena could do this. But then they found a new flaw in the plan, as Reptoad spun around and smiled with renewed delight.
"What do we have here?" he sneered. "Don't you look delicious?"
Lena's heart seized as she saw what Reptoad had spotted. Over in the bushes, way too close to the chaos and clutching the stupid camcorder in her hand, was Whitney. And she was right in Reptoad's line of fire. Lena was about to lunge, but Abbey beat her to it.
"Lena, I've got your opening! Make it count!"
Like one of her arrows, Abbey shot across the space, leaping high and soaring as she landed and skidded between Reptoad and the foolish teen. Just as the monster's tongue unleashed.
"Two in one bite? I shouldn't!" he laughed. "Oh, why not!"
The long protrusion whipped from his mouth, Abbey barely having time to turn as it reached her. The Blue Ranger had clearly hoped to present a better target, to shield Whitney from her feed. But Reptoad's greed knew no bounds, stretching to wrapping them both in a tight and slimy bind. Whitney screamed, the camcorder dropping as she and Abbey turned to light and shot into Reptoad's mouth.
Lena's jaw clenched, hand gripping tight on the spear.
She was lunging before she knew she was moving. Reptoad's tongue had barely retracted into his mouth, patting his belly after a satisfying meal as Lena reached him. Abbey had taken the hit that Lena had meant for herself, and she was determined to make it count.
"That's it! You're cut off!"
She shot in low and braced, knees bending in readiness as Lena plunged the white-hot spear into his gut. The monster screamed, light flaring from the impact as he shot into the air, flailing as he soared. Making him the perfect target for Miguel. Seeing the bulbous ball soaring through the air, the shadows gathered around him, readying the strike before flashing through the air. The Dark Saber carved across Reptoad's bulging flesh, a searing strike that sent him hurtling to the ground and landing with a resounding crash. So full of his victims, all he could do was lie there, tiny limbs flailing in the air as he desperately rolled on the ground in a vain attempt to rise.
Behind them, two more blasts thundered as their flames rose in the distance, the collective cries of Ender and ArcKnight sounding across the park before Lena caught an emerald flash in her peripheral. Moments later, Ray and Hilary rushed to their side, Mainframe Blasters at the ready.
"They won't be bothering you anymore," Hilary told Lena.
"Not if they don't want to deal with us," Ray agreed, before nodding at the rolling monster. "What's this guy's deal?"
"Probably something he ate," Lena said dryly. "Should we pump his stomach?"
"Sounds like a plan!"
"Lena, Miguel," Jessica buzzed in their ear. "We've modified your weapons, just in case the Defrag ever got taken out. You can lock them in place for some extra kick."
"Then let's put it together!" The two didn't even hesitate, leaping beside each other as Lena's Spear folded into three and the Dark Saber slotted into the middle. It didn't have the weight of the DeFrag, but it was perfect for what they needed. By comparison, it was wafer-thin, but it would still go off with a bang. With the two weapons combined, Lena and Miguel held the new gun tight and aimed it as Ray and Hilary readied their own.
"Dark-Light Blaster!"
"Mainframe Defender! Blaster Mode!"
By now, Reptoad had finally rolled to his feet, eyes bulging as he saw the triple barrels bearing down on him.
"That might have been more than I could chew," he whimpered as Lena grinned.
"FIRE!"
The Dark-Light shrieked as the double blast of black and white whistled from the barrels, Mainframe Defenders booming on either side as the four Rangers unleashed their barrage. Too wide to dodge, Reptoads hands flailed in fair as the shots connected, converging into a shocking blast that rippled outward. Like an overfilled balloon, Reptoad burst apart, chunks of steaming monster scattering across the park as the Four Rangers retracted their weapons and looked on. From inside, tiny balls of light emerged, unfurling from the remains before landing on the ground. In a flash, all of Reptoad's eaten victims appeared on the ground. All of them.
"Urgh," Ms. Cornell groaned as pulled herself off the concrete. "Never missed that feeling."
"See, Cas," her cameraman admitted. "I told you we were getting too close."
"Devin, the "I told you so" time is for later, not right after we've been puked up!"
"Sorry, Cas."
Nearby, Whitney and Deryck both sat there in a daze, still in shock from their ordeal. Meanwhile, Erika, Abbey, and Zeke were slowly standing, their Ranger suits having vanished back into their regular clothes. One look from Erika told Lena all they needed to know. Too many people around for the three to morph; for now, the others were on their own.
No sooner had the message been received, than the expected emerald light burst from the sky, illuminating Reptoad's remains and restoring him to an eighty-story height.
"I'll never say no to a second helping!" he declared menacingly as a fatty, webbed foot cracked the soft ground of the hill.
"This guy really is a glutton for punishment," Lena noted as the four Rangers gathered together.
"Jess?" Ray asked into the coms. "We're going to have to show him the real meaning of fast food."
"Zords are on their way," came the eager reply. "And this looks like the perfect chance to try that new combo I've been fiddling with."
Catching her drift, Hilary's silver helmet turned to lock visors with Lena, both sharing an eager smile of agreement.
"Let's do it!"
As the engines of Zord roared toward them, the Rangers took to the sides, Lena and Miguel landing in the road Zords while Ray and Hilary took the controls of the Alpha Fliers. As Lena took the wheel, Jess's fresh sequence lit up on her display; a full combination of Twilight Server and SigmaDrive Megazords.
"Let's bring them together!"
The four Zords converged, Lena and Miguel merging the ShadowCycle and Lightspeed racer as their machines began to unfold. With the longer body, Lena's racer extended, the entire cabin shifting to create a pair of legs and a cavity in the ShadowCycle. The wheels of the cycle shot forward, extending along the unfolded arms to become a pair of razor disks. Having formed the limbs, the connected Zords shifted upright, and the Gold and Silver Fliers soared down and split into pieces as they locked in place. The powerful machines locked at the wrists, shoulders, and ankles, armored gauntlets and greeves reinforcing the machine as the four seats converged in the cockpit. Docked and ready, Lena sat in her position, Miguel at her side with Ray and Hilary behind her; ready to take on the challenge.
"Shining-Dark Megazord!" they declared. "Online!"
Continuing his stomping spree, Reptoad looked far from impressed.
"That's all you've got?" he scoffed. "That barely looks like an appetizer!"
"Trust us," Lena smirked. "It's more than you can handle!"
And then it moved, and boy did it!
With the four fastest Zord combined, the Shining-Dark was all speed, rocketing forward at a velocity Lena had never thought possible. Before Reptoad could so much as unhinge his jaw, The Shining-Dark had crossed the gap and socked it, smashing the metal fist into the hungry maw as the monster staggered back.
"Carefully now," Hilary warned. "You should never eat too quickly."
"Wouldn't want an upset stomach," Ray agreed.
Staggering in shock, Reptoad stared at the Megazord as he readied to retaliate. But the Shining-Dark was already gone. His tongue had barely rolled back before the Megazord moved, surging to the side and whipping around the bulky toad.
"Man, are you a slow eater," Miguel laughed. "And I was gonna have you try some of this!"
Hands clenched together, the combined fists cracked into Reptoad's face to send him rolling along the ground.
"Time to kiss this prince goodnight!" Lena decided as the others cheered in agreement.
"Let's do it!"
As Reptoad rolled on the ground, the Megazord braced against the ground, gears whirring to top speed and exhausts fuming as the engines prepared for the finisher. The Wheels shifted back to the hands, spinning like razor disks as the Megazord readied them to strike. And then, as Reptoad barely rolled to his feet, the combined might of the Shining-Dark took off. The Megazord moved like a flash of lightning, a deafening thunderclap cracking in its wake as the blades of the mighty machine blitzed through Reptoad's body.
"Tretrabit Transfer…" the four Rangers called as one. "OVERLOAD!"
The spinning disks rent the monster's flesh, carved like a Thanksgiving turkey as the Megazord barely broke its stride. Reptoad screamed as the blades sheared into him, already falling as the Shining-Dark Megazord skidded to a stop and blades whirred still.
"No!" he screamed as he fell. "I'm not ready to croak!"
And then his entire body burst into a blazing ball. The flames bloomed from the destruction of his body, searing rupturing the skin to ash as the monster vanished into the searing light. As the flames subsided, the Shining-Dark locked on, gazing across the city its piolets defended.
As Lena sat there, smiling from ear to ear as the rest of the team cheered, joined by the demorphed Rangers below, something soft pranged inside her chest. Not sadness, not regret. But a joy from the people she was surrounded by. Her team, her friends. Her family.
From the comfort of his tower's highest floor, Xaviax watched Reptoad's destruction with grinning amusement. The viewscreen gave him the details he needed, but Xavaix had to admit that there was something dazzling about watching flames directly from his vantage.
Another monster, another defeat. But Reptoad had served his purpose.
"Ender?" he asked the monster maker who was sulking at his terminal. "Did you get what you needed?"
"Do any of us ever really get what we need, my lord?" Ender pondered. "Are we sometimes so focused on the immediate welfare that we forget to take care of our wants in the long term?"
Davian Scolex raised an eyebrow beneath his mask, tilting his head just slightly. He may have been feeling generous, but he was not feeling patient.
Ender stiffened up as he caught the drift of his master's inference. "All scans indicate success. Direct Digitizing process completed with a 100% success rate. All people encoded and then rematerialized without harm."
"Good," Xaviax smiled. "Then another job well done."
"My lord?" ArcKnight asked beside him. "Surely this could have been completed without the Rangers destroying another monster?"
There was a lingering secondary question, hanging beneath the withheld fury of ArcKnight's tone. He was wondering whether his defeat at the hands of the Rangers had been required.
"We needed live test subjects," Xaviax concluded. "Anything more controlled on our part could arouse suspicions before we are ready to act. This was exactly what we needed, test subjects, a plan for reversal, and for the Rangers to destroy any evidence without even realizing it."
And then he turned to the armored knight.
"Of course, you could have still destroyed a few Rangers," Xaviax noted pointedly. "And I'm sure, being now aware of that, nothing would stop you from doing so if you next get the chance."
ArcKnight's head bowed in shame. "Of… of course, master."
"Excellent," Xaviax decided before looking out upon his domain. Today had been a good day, and now he was one step further to creating their perfect world. "Ender, prepare the next expansion phase. If we're to prepare Lakeview for the coming of a new world, then our operation will need to be bigger. A lot bigger."
It had been busy after that. The return to the lab was filled with cheers and laughter, the three swallowed Rangers expressing their gratitude to Lena before admitting to the strange sensation it had brought. None could account for their time in the monster's belly, but all were glad that it was over.
Following that, the team had insisted on following their victory smoothy tradition, and Lena had gleefully relented to being escorted back to the Hub for the revelry. Val expressed her congratulations for the counter, smiling as Erika dutifully approached to flirt and collect the drinks as the other four took their usual seats.
"To the teammate who's always there when you need them," Abbey grinned as she held her smoothie.
"I'll drink to that," Erika merrily agreed.
With two already in agreement while Zeke and Miguel grinned in confirmation, Lena was in no position to argue, blushing at the praise as she tried to shift the tone instead.
"To the best team a girl could ask for," she decided. "Who always has your back."
The team cheered, knocking their glasses together as they enjoyed their smoothies, grinning in celebration as they laughed and cheered and smiled. Eventually, it was time for another round, and grateful for the praise, Lena decided it was her turn to collect. She'd no sooner reached the counter when she saw a late-thirties woman step inside, with dead-straight blonde flowing neatly behind her shoulders. Lena recognized her immediately; one of Reptoad's victims, Cassidy Cornell of Channel 3 news.
But what was she doing there?
Lena got her answer almost immediately, her eyes widening as she saw Whitney rise from her table while waving with excitement. As Cornel noticed the girl and strode over, Lena's face dropped in horror as she put it all together. The camcorder, Whitney's insistent presence at the monster attack.
She was going to expose the Rangers, and now with a reporter striding toward her, there was nothing Lena could do. The door chimed again, Ray and Hilary stepping inside only for Lena to turn to them in wide-eyed dread.
"Problem!" was all she could tell them, motioning toward Whitney's table as Cornel sat down. All they could do from the counter was watch, bracing themselves for their exposure.
"Ms. Cornell, it is such an honor!" Whitney fawned. "I've been such a fan of your show, and you're like, so pretty, and I have the biggest story for you!"
"Thanks so much," Cornell smiled back, in a manner so unnervingly similar Lena's stomach twisted. Separated by decades, it was like the girl and the woman could have been sisters. "So, what's this big scoop?"
"I have footage of who the Power Rangers really are!" Whitney said excitedly as she held up the camcorder's tiny cassette. "I've got it all, right here!"
"Really?" Cornell asked. "You've got actual footage of them morphing on camera?"
"Well, no," Whitney admitted, face dropping for a moment before recomposing. "But I do have the Rangers being captured by that monster, as well as a shot of everything that got spat back out. And that means some of those people that came out with us must be the Power Rangers. You could make a whole investigation about it! A Series! Which one of these people are the masked defenders?"
Despite the flimsy evidence, Lena's body continued to tense. That might have been too much for Whitney to put together, but a sharper mind could do exactly what she was suggesting. Even narrowed down to a group of people, it was putting their identities in serious danger.
But despite Lena's apprehension, she felt Ray's hand calmly touch her shoulders, a strong message of support. "It's okay," he assured her softly.
"Don't worry," Hilary smirked beside her. "It's all been taken care of."
"Wow, that takes me back," Cornell admitted as she noted the cassette in Whitney's hand. "I haven't seen one of these since high school. Well, if you're happy to hand it over, I can inspect it and give you partial credit for the find. Something at the end maybe, as I'm signing off."
"Oh, no," Whiney scoffed. "I want a full, feature interview, I want to be on the front page in dazzling lights."
Cornell seemed far from impressed, and Lena couldn't help but wonder if Whitney knew anything about how the news actually worked.
"Whatever," Cornell decided. "You can have whatever you want, just give me the tape."
With idle glee, Whitney snapped out her hand with the cassette gripped between her fingers, and Lena hissed in a tremulous breath as Cornell reached toward it. But that's when everything went wrong for Whitney.
Clearing the table beside them, Valerie had been wiping surfaces while keeping a close eye on the conversation. As Whitney held the tape before her, Valerie moved, heaving the entire bucket of soapy water at once, feigning a stumble into the table beside her while shoving Whitney back. The tape went flying, and with another stumble forward, Valerie's bucket caught the falling object with a satisfying plop.
Cornell's face didn't change, save maybe for the smirk of amusement as Valerie fawned with a million apologies and immediately set to wiping up the splash. Climbing back off the floor, Whitney was seething.
"You idiot!" she hissed at Valerie. "Look what you just did!"
"It's okay," Cornell insisted. "It was an accident. Besides, you can just give me all your backups to make sure I've got a copy. You did make backups, right?"
And that statement, Whitney's face drained of all color, her jaw dropping in horror as she realized her mistake. Like a creeky wheel, her head slowly turned to Deryck beside her with murder in her eyes.
"Backups?"
"Uhh… I didn't know…!" Deryck insisted. "You mean it doesn't just upload to the cloud?'
"DER-YCK!"
Cornell politely excused herself, and to Lena's surprise, she could swear the woman winked at Valerie as she left, her smile shifting to a satisfied smirk as she wandered to the door. But Lena's amazement wasn't over, as Cornell stopped at the counter to address Ray and Hilary directly.
"Came for a story," she admitted. "Wasn't much there."
"Kids these days," Hilary agreed. "Just useless without their phones. We're still on for Cosmos next Saturday, right?"
"And get all your off-the-record goss?" Cassidy grinned. "Can't wait!"
And the reporter strutted out of the Hub, leaving Lean to stare at the programmer in absolute amazement.
"Ranger networking," was Hilary's only explanation. "She's a friend of a friend."
All three of them laughed, watching as Whitney stormed out of the Hub with renewed fury. Over at the table, the other Rangers also burst into laughter as Valerie filled them in on all that had transpired. Seeing them all together, reveling in their enjoyment, the enjoyment she was about to rejoin, brought a smile to Lena's lips. A lightness to her chest as she realized how much they meant to her, and how readily they now accepted her after all that had happened.
And yet, as they stood there, Lena felt the mood shift, Ray and Hilary's demeanors changing from amusement to awkward as they slowly turned their attention to Lena. It was the first time she'd seen them, just them, since returning from San Jose. Since the long and awkward car ride following her meeting with Chambers. They'd given her time, given her space, and come rushing to her aid to destroy a giant monster. And yet, as they turned to look at her, both shaking with nervous breaths and warm sincerity, Ray and Hilary's message was clear.
That they'd still only talk if that was what Lena wanted. And she did.
"What are you guys doing down here?" Len asked, nervousness tickling her chest as realized she had no idea how to begin. "I would have thought you'd be enjoying some quiet time."
"Cassidy gave us a heads up about a problem, but it looks like it sorted itself," Hilary explained as she nodded to the table of laughing Rangers.
"Really, we just wanted to check up on you," Ray admitted. "We know this morning was… a lot. We wanted to see how you were holding up."
"We're so sorry, Lena," Hilary said guiltily, apologetic ramblings spouting forth like water from a bursting dam. "We didn't want you to find out about Chambers that way, and if we'd thought it through, we could talked about it slowly and maybe scouted out Chambers to see how he'd take the news so that you wouldn't be taken aback if he didn't realize what it meant to you and…"
Hilary trailed off, either from spent breath or uncertainty of what else to confess. As she did, as Ray stood patiently beside in quiet waiting, Lena realized exactly why they'd come. Because they hadn't wanted to wait, not to know whether or not she was okay. They'd given her space, but they couldn't bear it any longer. Because her well-being was what mattered most to them now.
Once, they had been her enemies, and now they looked upon her with the utmost sincerity, so concerned for Lena's welfare that time was a barrier they couldn't abide. Now, to Lena, Ray and Hilary were two people who cared most for her, who protected her, who looked after her when all else around her failed. And she'd been so fixated on what Dr Chambers could mean for her, that Lena had been blind to the people right in front of her.
"I'm okay," she said, smiling with a shuddered breath as a tear began to roll down her cheek. "Honestly. You're right; today was a lot, and in hindsight maybe charging right for Chambers' house to introduce myself wasn't the smartest plan. But you know what, that doesn't matter, because I don't need him. Not when I have you."
Hilary stifled a gasp, a desperate bid to remain composed as Ray's misty eyes matched her own. An answer they'd never thought to hear, either expected or even imagined. And yet, as Lena yearned to tell them, she could tell that they too were honored to hear it.
"I owe both of you so much," Lena told them tearily. "Everything that I have, everything that I am, it's because of the two of you. You gave me the courage to take steps for myself and have never stood in my way. It's more than I've ever deserved, especially from you, but I know that I'll be spending every day of my life making it up. I don't need Chambers, because there is absolutely nothing that he could give me that you don't already."
And then, Lena nodded back over to the table of laughing Rangers.
"It's because of you that I have them," she said. "You gave me a family."
Lena didn't even register that Hilary moving, throwing arms around the teen, only that she was suddenly being held in a tight and loving embrace. An embrace that Lena returned wholeheartedly, looking at Ray beside them before smiling invitingly. Moments later, he too had joined them, and the three of them stood by the counter, holding each other in their arms as their tears said all that was left to be said.
"I love you guys," said Lena. "I don't need a parent. Not when I've got two amazing ones already."
Over at the table, Abbey gave Miguel a nudge, all heads slowly turning to see their teammate embrace her adoptive parents and beaming at the heartwarming sight. As the three of them broke away, their teammates called them over, and soon they were gathered around the table. They laughed, they cried, carousing together in the joint revelry of their team.
Of their family.
NEXT TIME
Abbey and Erika have always been different, fire and ice with dramatically different views. But following a fiery argument, both girls are given a taste of each other's lives when one of Xaviax's monsters swaps their bodies. Forced to live a day in each other's skin, both girls are forced to confront the realities that neither had ever considered. Can Abbey and Erika come to a better acceptance of the other? Will they be able to live a day in the other's lives? And with Erika's Battle of the Band's audition around the corner, will they switch their bodies back in time?
Find out next time on
POWER RANGERS
SERVER FORCE
To Walk a Mile