Episode 25

To Walk a Mile

The doors hissed open, signaling Xaviax's arrival as he swept into the room. But while he had hoped for a more promising update following his recent orders, what greeted him instead was far from inspiring.

The children were fighting. Again.

"We are wasting time!" ArcKnight growled. "All this scheming has done nothing to bring us closer to the eradication of the Power Rangers. We must act!"

"Oh, sure, be my guest," Ender sneered. "Why don't you just throw on a neon sign saying, "Hey, Rangers! We're up to something!"? Do you want to spill the beans on all the details while you're at it? Would that be unsubtle enough for you?"

Beneath his iron mask, Xaviax rolled his eyes and stepped toward them. There was just no pleasing those two. If one was happy, the other miserable; and sadly one of them was far better suited to tactical maneuvers than the other. It was bad enough that his time was occupied keeping Scolex Industries running, a task that was only becoming more time-consuming since they'd begun their expansion. But he'd at least hoped that the center of operations would remain smooth and functional in his absence. An order too tall, apparently.

But no matter, they would need another strike as part of their plan to keep the Rangers occupied. And if ArcKnight overachieved while he was at it, who was Xaviax to complain?

"All of this bickering is giving me a headache," he said coolly, finally announcing his presence as the two henchmen whipped around in shock.

"Lord Xaviax!" Ender exclaimed, bowing shamelessly as ArcKnight dropped to kneel beside him. "Most Transluminous One! I was just discussing with ArcKnight here the value of patience, and how it could be to our detriment if our haste tipped the Rangers off to our plans."

"And I reminded him that his schemes are much less likely to succeed the more Rangers we have to deal with," ArcKnight grumbled in reply. "My master, I implore you. Allow me to remove some of them from the board."

Xaviax paused in contemplative silence, a wait just long enough to allow his minions to fugue in discomfort. "I agree with ArcKnight."

ArcKnight gasped as he snapped his feet, clearly surprised at such a clear expression of confidence.

Ender's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What? I mean… are you able to elaborate for us meager minds, master?"

"When we began this endeavor," Xaviax explained. "We were dealing with only three Power Rangers. Now there are seven, and we need to ensure their numbers do not grow. That means taking a proactive approach. Ender, the power-stealing monster you described to me, is it ready?"

The man nodded.

"Excellent," Xaviax declared. "Digitize it at once, and then descend it upon the city. At worst, we will gain valuable information about the Rangers through this bout. Something that will most definitely become invaluable."

"I will begin preparing at once," ArcKnight swore, bowing before exiting the room.

Ender was still seething, barely nodding in respectful reply turning toward his workstation as Xaviax stopped him.

"And Ender?" he added. "Please take note of any valuable information collected by our new friend. It would certainly come in handy when regarding our other project."

Where once he was fuming, suddenly Ender caught his master's drift, and a sinister smile spread across his lips.

"Of course, my master," he snicked. "I'll make sure to give the Rangers quite the show…"

Another day, and for the first time in forever, Hilary finally felt like she was on top of things. The museum was running smoothly, and with Jess now helping out in the Lab as well, Hilary finally felt like she had time to enjoy the display floor between her mountains of paperwork. The week was winding down, and there was a calm stream of afternoon visitors to keep it bustling without becoming overwhelming. Things were going well.

Which, naturally, meant it wasn't going to last.

As Hilary stepped into the main exhibit room, she smiled as she saw Lena, Miguel, and Zeke wandering over. But before she could even ask why they'd come to the museum instead of their usual pitstop at the Hub, Hilary saw the looks on their faces. Like they were bracing themselves.

"Hey guys," Hilary's said cautiously. "What's going on?'

All three hissed in like they weren't sure where to even begin. Moments later, their reprieve arrived behind them, announcing its presence in answer to Hilary's question.

"I just don't see what the big deal is," Erika said dryly, rolling her eyes as Abbey stormed in behind her. "All I said was "big whoop."

"That is not all you said," Abbey shot back. "You acted like me getting this opportunity was the biggest pain in your butt. I mean, you could at least pretend to be happy for me."

Slowly raising an eyebrow, Hilary shot a look at the other three nervous Rangers, all staring back at her with hopeful expectancy. It was an easy bet to assume the two girls had been like this the whole walk from school, and now the others were silently pleading with Hilary to intervene. Sure, because she was an expert in conflict resolution.

Hilary raised an eyebrow to Lena, conveying an air of 'really?', to which the teen just shrugged. Of all of them, she should have known better; Lena had known Ben when he was his most annoying. Rather than leap in blind, Hilary instead shuffled over to the huddled teens to inquire in a hushed tone. "What exactly did I just walk into?"

"Principal Goodson's giving Abbey an award in front of the school next week," Zeke whispered back. "She wants Abbey to make an inspiring speech or something."

"Okay, but why does Erika care?"

"Apparently Goodson asked right in front of Erika," Miguel explained. "Just ignored her as she went on about how well Abbey had done this year."

Hilary winced at the realization; that if there was one thing Erika always hated, it was not being taken seriously. And ignored.

"I'm guessing Erika didn't take that too well?"

"She did not," Lena confirmed.

Dammit. This was so much more Ray's wheelhouse.

"You're right, good for you," Erika said bitterly. "Great job getting noticed, time after time; being so fantastic. Because how good is it busting your butt to work on things? And it's even better when someone strides right past you to mount yet more praise on the same person who always gets it."

"It's for overall excellence!" Abbey protested. "You can't just give to anyone. It's got to be for someone who's been consistently achieved across the board, right from the very start."

"So what?" Erika replied. "Just because I'm starting from so far back, I shouldn't even bother?"

"I didn't say that."

"Well, it's certainly feeling like that."

"I don't know why you're so mad at me, anyway," Abbey sneered. "It's not like I asked her to walk over and present it to me."

"No?" Erika scoffed before her voice shifted into a mocking, high-pitch. " 'Oh, no, I can't possibly deal with everyone seeing that I'm doing yet another thing for the community.' 'It's such a hardship, being so good to volunteer my time, all the time.' 'Please, no one notice that I'm getting fantastic grades while doing all this work for no pay'."

"Okay."

Hilary moved with impressive speed, shooting between the two girls before it could escalate. Abbey's eyes narrowed with a fierce and burning fury, and Hilary became very worried that the girl's lifelong vow of pacifism was about to be abandoned. Once, Hilary had to admit that she'd have easily been in the redhead's shoes, hurt that someone close was spouting jealousy instead of elation. But Hilary knew well enough to see the other side, to know the true source of Erika's anger; enough to know that Abbey's obliviousness was only making things worse.

"You two need to walk away," Hilary said firmly. "Get out from under each other's skin and process on your own. Maybe when you've both cooled off, you can talk about this like the pair of mature, near-adults that you actually are."

Both girls hmphed, scowling away from each other as Hilary shot another helpless look to the three onlooking teens. Mentally, they were likely deciding who they'd rather be around while the girls' anger simmered down, none likely wanting to be around Erika while realizing that swarming Abbey would only make the problem worse.

Oh, if Ben could so her now, he'd be dying of laughter at the karma. Hilary then very swiftly decided to never tell her brother of the events while plotting to ensure her husband's equal silence on the matter.

"Erika, why don't you go hit the bag around in the training room?" Hilary suggested before nodding over at the three on-looking teens. "I'm sure Lena would love to spot for you."

Lena's eyes widened, knowing she had nowhere to run in her building of residence, and equally the one who had the least reason to stay by Abbey's side.

"Abbey," Hilary continued. "If you're desperate for a distraction, there's an entirely new exhibit that will need setting up before next week. Why don't you have Miguel give you a hand with that?"

"Thanks, Dr, Hawkins," Abbey replied with a sweet smile, the kind that she usually saved for a display of the utmost politeness. 'Dr. Hawkins' was also reserved for the same situation. "But I really should get on with my history paper. I like to get them done before the deadline, not on it."

It was like a flag to a bull, Erika's eyes flaring at the passive-aggressive jab as Lena almost leaped to intervene. Instead, Hilary whipped around, sending a warning glare that caused the furious girl to pause. Then she sent an equal one of disappointment in Abbey's direction.

"Knock it off, and get out of each other's faces," she warned. "When you've calmed down, try thinking about what it might be like to walk a mile in each other's shoes. Then you're allowed to talk to each other again."

But it seemed the menacing Dark Lord that loomed above the city had other plans. No sooner had Hilary issued her threat than their communicators beeped, signaling a problem needing their attention.

Fine then, they could take their aggression out on the Cyberdrones.

Hilary ran a mental map, trying to figure out where last she'd seen Jessica before quickly figuring she was likely monitoring the situation from her office. With no point in going to the lab, Hilary led the Ranger toward a backroom before opening the communication line.

"Alright Mission Control," Hilary confirmed. "What've you got for us?"

"Looks like one of Ender's failed art projects is running wild downtown," Jessica confirmed. "And our usual suspects have decided to join them."

Ender and ArcKnight, which meant they'd need all hands on deck. Fantastic.

"I'm still at the school," Ray confirmed. "I'm heading over now."

"You get down to the lab, Jess," Hilary agreed. "We'll morph and meet up with Ray to throw a welcome party."

"Maybe Abbey can get an award for that too," Erika grumbled, only for Hilary to immediately send a silencing glare.

"Children," Hilary warned as she closed the communication line. "I will put you in opposite corners, or better yet, let the monster do it for you."

Both girls responded with grumbles of begrudging agreement as everyone summoned their Morphers.

"Fine, let's just get this over with," Erika scowled as she stepped forward with her Morpher high. "Everyone ready?"

"Ready!"

"Sever Force! Login Access!"

Abbey was already moving as the light slammed into the downtown asphalt, Power Bow drawn and firing. The henchmen went soaring, thrown in all directions by the explosive force as Abbey landed among them and switched to her Saber. By now, she knew the drill; keep the footsoldiers at bay while finding an angle to attack the monster. Like clockwork, ArcKnight and Ender had engaged Lena and Miguel, flooding more Cyberdrones toward Ray and Hilary to keep them occupied.

It suited Abbey just fine, it meant less to block her path to the monster.

And boy, had Ender outdone himself on this one. Slender and lean, it had more in common with a hokey stage magician than a monster, its face a creepy, pantomime mask that was half-painted black and white beneath a tall top hat. From the palms of its hands, long, whiplike cables emerged from his hooping sleeves, feeding into a large metal box on his back where yet more tendrils emerged. The whips crackled with energy, spinning and cracking against the ground as the monster laughed with menacing glee.

Honestly, Abbey wondered if Ender just projecting at this point.

"Come one, come all!" the monster declared. "Come see the works of Cablelite the Magnificent. For my first trick, I will make all this electricity DISAPEAR!"

The long cable snapped from its arm, uncoiling to tremendous length as it latched around a nearby power pole. Energy surged along it, the machinery bursting with flaring sparks as the lights around the city began to die.

Fast as she could, Abbey raced to where the monster was sucking the city dry, skidding to a halt beside Erika and Zeke. They needed a plan, to take the time to consider their options before rushing blind into-

"Hey!" Erika barked at the cackling creature. "Don't you know it's rude to take what doesn't belong to you?"

"That's a good point!" Cablelite replied. "For my next trick, why don't I make it reappear?"

Its second arm whipped with the crack of lightning, cable shooting and crossing the gap with a reach that bordered obscenity. As Cablelite spun around, the stolen energy surged along the coils, shooting right down to the tip as it sliced down on the Rangers. Abbey and Erika split, each diving apart as the Zeke's shield braced and the Yellow Ranger took the brunt of the attack. Cablelite hadn't been kidding, as every ounce of stolen power burst from the ends of all at once. The trip slashed against the shield, unleashing its unfurled power an astonishing blast that sent Zeke flying.

"Ta-Dah!" Cablelite declared triumphantly "What'd you think of that?"

"Boosting with stolen electricity?" Erika taunted. "Seen it done."

Rising from her landing, Abbey gritted her teeth and sent their Red Ranger a disapproving glare. Great, so Erika planned to make it mad. Because that had never gone badly for them. But with Zeke reeling and the others still occupied, they needed to keep the monster busy. Abbey just had to hope that whatever endgame Erika was working toward, getting blown up wasn't part of it.

Not that she never found a way to make that happen anyway \.

"Not impressed, huh?" Cableite sneered. "Well in that case, for my next trick, what don't I make a Ranger disappear!"

"Not a chance!"

The power was building as the whip ripped across the air. Whatever Erika had been expecting, it wasn't the speed, yelping in surprise and barely diving from the singeing sting as it cracked where she'd just been standing. But while the Red Ranger had been ready for the first, there was no time to avoid the second, and the long cable snaking toward her lashed around her tightly. Erika snarled beneath her helmet, writhing against her unwilling bonds as the Cablelite cackled in triumph.

"Now, with the help of my lovely assistant here…"

"How about I give some assistance!"

As Erika took the hit, Abbey stole the opening. Leaping high to cross the distance, she was too close for Cablelite's whips to help him. The first strike carved across his chest, bursting sparks from the monster's chest as he staggered back.

"Looks like a bit of an overreach," Abbey snicked as she swiped in for the next blow.

"No!" Erika cried out, "Wait!"

Big mistake.

Abbey had been so focused on Cablelite's body that she hadn't been watching his tendrils, snaking along the ground with immaculate control. As Abbey wound the weapon back, something snatched her arm, latching tightly around her wrist to hold her still.

"Don't mind me!" Cablelite snickered. "Just a little sleight of hand!"

A mighty force suddenly yanked Abbey back, flinging her into the air like a rag doll. At the pinnacle of her flight, Cablelite released her, just enough to snatch her flailing form and wind the cables all around her body. With a mighty heave, Cablelite swung her again, this time yanking Erika too before crashing them together with thunderous force. An enormous shockwave unleashed from the impact, both Rangers bouncing and staggering from the resulting daze while remaining tightly bound by Cableite's grip.

"Great plan, Erika," Abbey groaned.

"Yeah, because your moves were so smooth," the Red Ranger equally rebutted.

But while the two grumbled at each other, soon they were having bigger problems, announced by the monster's dancing glee. The cables tightened, squeezing both girls as they were reefed into the air and held apart on full display.

"Would you look at that, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Cablelite delighted. "Two audience volunteers! It looks like it's time for the big finish; as promised, I will make their Ranger Powers DISAPPEAR!"

"Erika, Abbey!" Jessica warned in their ears. "I examined the surge he used on the power pole, he's sucking up energy. He's trying to drain your Morphers, get out of there!"

"We're working on it!" Erika growled back.

But while Erika preferred to sass, Abbey's mind was racing for help, eyes spotting the recovering Yellow Ranger as she called to him desperately. "ZEKE!"

The Yellow Ranger lunged, just as the dazzling current of energy surged down the cables and into the two captured Rangers. The electricity seared against Abbey's suit, sizzling steam from the surface as the monitoring lights in her helmet began flickering from the sapping strength. Panic seized her; already she could feel the blue spectrum draining from her body and leaving her weak and exhausted.

No! Not now!

She had to hold on!

"Neat trick!" Zeke growled. "Seen it!"

So gleefully focused on draining the Red and Blue Rangers, Cablelite was completely exposed to the leaping Yellow. With the monster's back turned Zeke soared downward with a mighty roar, striking true with his Security Saber to plunge it deep into the machine on its back. There was a flash that followed the sound of sheering metal, Cableilte screaming as cackles of energy began sizzling over her body. And then a mighty blast burst from the rupture, hurling Zeke away as suddenly a high-pitched whirring sounded where the sword remained stabbed into the machinery.

"Oh," Cablelite realized. "That's not a good sound…"

For a moment, Abbey felt the coils around her slacken as the energy draining suddenly stopped, just enough for her and Erika to gasp for air before suddenly reflex snapped them tighter.

And that's when things got really weird.

Fresh energy surged from the powerpack, arcs of red and blue rippling along the cables binding the Rangers. Out of the monster, and back into the Rangers. It was like every nerve had reawakened all at once, every inch of Abbey's skin tingling to the sensation of a thousand needles as the cables began violently vibrating. And then Abbey did too. The pulsing was so violent that her vision was blurring, her entire body falling numb all at once. She could barely see anymore, the gravity beneath her vanishing as touch and sensation faded into the overwhelming haze of electric vibration coursing into her body. Every inch of Abbey's vision was with a blinding, vibrant blue, a surging crimson bleeding in from the corners to completely consume her sight.

Suddenly, screaming in agony, Cablelike could bear it no longer and tossed the girls aside with inhuman strength.

Abbey and Erika went soaring, landing on the hard asphalt and tumbling as the suits flashed away.

"Oh, man," the monster groaned. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Then you'll be really disappointed about this!"

Groaning from the ground, Abbey watched as a rain of lasers surged down upon the monster, beams of white and black bursting at Cablelite's feet as he narrowly dodged. A second later, Lena and Miguel somersaulted into view, landing to shield Erika and Abbey as Zeke recovered on the other side.

"We heard about the show," Lena decided. "Got to say, not impressed."

"Zero out of ten," Miguel agreed. "Would not recommend."

As if to punctuate their opinions, two cacophonous booms sounded in the distance, fireballs blossoming high as Ray and Hilary blew the last of the henchmen away and landed beside Zeke.

"Might I add," said Ray. "The guys you hired for the warm-up act? Not a fan."

"While don't we show this side-show what a real main event looks like?" Hilary suggested.

As the remaining Rangers nodded in agreement, Cablelite began backing away, seeing that ArcKnight and Ender had already fled and left him to face the Rangers alone.

"Looks like it's time for the disappearing act!" he decided nervously.

Before anyone could stop him, both whips cracked at his feet, flashing a burst of smoke that flinched the Rangers back. A second later, the emerald glow burst from within, and Cablelite teleported away to leave the field devoid of enemies.

With that, Abbey allowed herself to succumb to the exhaustion, collapsing against the ground with a heavy gasp. Her whole body felt numb, tingling from the remnant echo of Cableilte's power surge as a strange unease began creeping at her senses. It was like her very skin was uncomfortable, ill-fitting to the rest of her.

"Abbey!"

She couldn't help but smile, a familiar feeling of comfort as she heard Miguel call out to her and rushed to help her up. Only, as Abbey lifted her head to greet him, she watched Miguel ignore her completely, rushing instead to where Erika lay beside her.

What?

He had definitely called out to her, and it wasn't like he ever felt Erika needed the support. Had ArcKnight hit him too hard on the head or something? Surprised, Abbey rolled over to shoot him a look of hurt and disappointment, only for her jaw to drop in horror as she saw the person Miguel was helping.

It was her!

Or at least… it looked like her. It was her body!

Abbey gasped, suddenly alerted to the strangeness of her voice as she watched her own head turn to see her and equally gasp in horror.

No!

No, it couldn't be!

Heart beating faster than she'd ever thought possible, Abbey looked down at herself, only to see a familiar pair of torn jeans and a red shirt beneath a leather jacket. Her nails were painted black, her skin tone all wrong with fingers far too long and slender to what she was used to. Still in disbelief, Abbey's hands slapped her face, feeling the unfamiliar skin fit neatly to the jawline that was definitely not her own.

Across from her, Abbey watched her body do the same, its expression of mirrored abject terror as slowly the two heads looked at each other and realized what had happened.

"Erika?" Abbey asked slowly with her stolen lips.

Her own head tilted, gulping down in terrified acceptance as the mouth moved to voice a question of confirmation. "Abbey?"

All they could do was stare at each other in stunned disbelief, turning to the team in desperate hope for answers. Cablelite had done more than surge their power back into them; he'd swapped them. And in doing so, he'd moved more than he'd taken in the first place.

Abbey was now Erika. Erika was now Abbey.

Cablelite hadn't just swapped their powers; he'd swapped their bodies.

Hilary rubbed her temples, fighting off a headache born from the brain-melting circumstances before her. They'd returned to the lab, as fast as they possibly could in a desperate hope for answers. But so far, all Hilary had been able to muster were theories, and they were stretches at that.

"Okay," she said. "Here's what I've got. Cableitle's cables were definitely designed to strip your Morphers of their grid energies, but they weren't designed to suck dry two Rangers at once. When Zeke disrupted the transfer, the mixing energy went into flux, and with no other method of release, flushed indiscriminately back down the cables. With both of you still tethered, the mixing color spectrums must have caused some sort of bleeding effect, with the resulting vibrations swapping your consciousness as your bodies tried to realign with the returning energy."

Hilary had no idea how much of that anyone got, and to be honest, she wouldn't have blamed them if it was nothing. All eyes were staring at Abbey and Erika, mouths agape at the way they stood. Abbey, or rather Erika, was leaning against the table, wearing a disdainful look of barely withheld fury behind a tightly clenched jaw. In stark contrast, Abbey shrunk back meekly in Erika's body, arms clutched across her chest as she nervously shied from the inevitable attention. To see each body acting as the other was definitely one of the most unnerving things Hilary had ever seen.

And that was a tall order.

"So… this has got to be a first for you, right?" Zeke asked an equally wide-eyed Ray.

"Shrinking and time travel, that I've seen," Ray admitted. "But body swapping is definitely new."

Sitting beside Hilary, Jessica seemed unable to do anything but stare in dumbfounded amazement, her brain short-circuiting as she tried to comprehend the situation directly in front of her. Hilary could hardly blame her; even by the usual standards of 'Ranger weird', she was struggling to compute herself.

Others, however, seemed to be managing just fine. Lena was in near hysterics.

"At least you know get a chance to walk around in each other's skin," she laughed, earning mismatching glares from both girls that only seemed to add to Lena's hilarity.

"So, it's the monster that did this?' growled Abbey- Erika! Urgh! It was bending Hilary's mind just to remember who was actually talking behind each face. "So, we just hunt him down and blow him to pieces."

"Anyone else think it was weird, hearing that from Abbey?" Zeke asked nervously. Hilary gulped in silent agreement as Miguel and Ray gave equal looks of nervous discomfort.

"She's right though," Abbey agreed through Erika's lips, shrinking even further in Erika's body as she meekly supported the assertion of her body's occupant. "I mean, that's what worked for Dollface and Reptoad, right?"

"It did," Hilary admitted tentatively. "But that was because their abilities were a direct function of the monsters. I don't think Cablelite was meant to do this, and if it was an accident…"

"Then we're stuck like this if we blow him up too quickly!" Erika realized as she scowled with Abbey's face. "Great."

A nervous silence fell upon the room, an anxious anticipation for what came next as it slowly dawned on both girls what it meant. Hilary knew there was no way that she was going to figure things out by the evening; she could physically reassemble people with the Digitizer in her sleep, but a full, continuous transfer of two consciousnesses was a whole new level of complicated. And that meant only one thing; for now, each girl was stuck living the other's life, something both were beginning to comprehend with fully horrified expressions.

"I can't live like this!" Abbey shrilled in Erika's voice. "I have things to do! I can't just rock up like Erika and think no one will notice!"

"Oh yeah? You think you've got problems?" Erika snapped back. "We've got our Battle Audition tomorrow and…" Her face dropped at the realization as she gasped in horror. "Oh my God, you can't sing!"

"What do you mean, "I can't sing"?" Abbey retorted. "Why does that matter? You can sing."

"No," Erika replied impatiently. "My vocal cords can sing, and those are currently yours. You, however…"

And then, Abbey dropped Erika's jaw as she caught onto the conclusion, both of them turning to look at Hilary with desperate pleading in their eyes. For the first time that day, the girls were unanimous in their thinking.

Hilary needed to fix this. Fast.

"Listen, I know this is a lot," Ray tried to assure them. "But we're going to get you both back to normal as soon as we can. In the meantime, maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Maybe this twisted series of events really will give you guys a chance to appreciate each other."

The only thing the girls shared were mirrored looks of dreaded uncertainty. Behind them, meanwhile, Lena suddenly laughed out loud again with fresh revelation.

"It's just too good!" she hooted, almost crying as her explanation came out in a wheeze. "Tomorrow's even Friday!"

Abbey was certain that she'd never felt more self-conscious than when she walked into school the next morning. Opening the doors and stepping inside, literally uncomfortable in her skin, she looked down the hall to see Miguel slowly retrieving what he needed from his locker. It was a face that never failed to make her smile, and even more so after the night she'd had.

Having endeavored with Erika to give living each other's lives their best shot, Abbey had let her body's new occupant drive her car, dropping her off at Erika's apartment before heading off to sleep in her bed. Having braced herself for the awkward conversation with Erika's father as Abbey tried the best she could to be her, she quickly found that her worries had been for naught. All that greeted her was an empty apartment, a microwave dinner on the bench, and a note from Mr. Nishimura explaining he'd been called to a shift last minute and wouldn't be home until late. Abbey was then left to sit alone in an empty apartment and a strange body, with nothing but the cold silence to keep her company when she finally turned out the light.

Erika's father had returned by morning but had come in so late that he was still conked out as Abbey had left for school. Miguel was the first friendly face Abbey had seen since leaving the lab the previous day.

"Morning!" she said as she approached, although Miguel didn't turn with his usual smile. Instead, he looked confused, turning to see Erika's body standing there merrily as he blinked and did a double take. And then he did another.

"Whoa, right. Abbey," he blustered apologetically. "Sorry, I guess I'm still getting used to that."

"You're telling me," Abbey agreed. "I'm still getting used to being three inches shorter."

"Yeah, I guess I wasn't ready to see Erika standing where I'd normally see you," said Miguel. And then he stopped, second-guessing saying anything before awkwardly adding, "Or to see Erika looking like that."

Abbey blushed, feeling the warmth spread to Erika's cheeks as she looked down at what she was wearing. Far from the usual ragged, more masculine clothes, Abbey had rummaged through Erika's closet to find something far more suited to her style. Light tennis shoes and a loose, sky-blue tank top; Abbey had been absolutely cheering when she found a skirt in Erika's wardrobe. Rather than clipping the hair back, as Erika always did, Abbey had let it hang out, the dead straight locks now neatly combed as they brushed the tips of her bare shoulders.

"I know," Abbey admitted guiltily. "But I'm already feeling weird walking around in Erika's body. I just wanted to feel a little more like me, you know?"

Miguel tried to answer, only for his mouth to hang agape with no words coming out. Abbey couldn't blame him; how could he even begin to relate to that? Deciding she'd had enough of the tension, and nervousness, Abbey tried a different tack.

"Anyway," she decided instead. "It's still all Erika's clothes, so I'm sure she won't mind. Do you like it?"

Wrong question to ask, as again Miguel tilted his head in complete uncertainty of how to respond. Abbey kicked herself, twice in the span of a minute she'd forgotten that she looked like Erika. Of course, that was going to throw him out of whack.

How did she look? What was she thinking? She'd basically asked him how Erika looked. Did she want him to think that Erika looked good? That kind of good?

Even if it were her?

Gah! This was so confusing!

Miguel didn't seem convinced, finally appearing ready to voice his concern as Abbey saw Zeke and Lena approaching behind him. Zeke's jaw dropped, expressing nearly the same confusion as Miguel, while Lena's grin only widened in amusement.

"Wow!" she gasped with absolute delight. "Now this I did not expect."

"I don't even know where to start," Zeke admitted. "I was not ready for this morning to go full Twilight Zone."

Between Lena's smirking and the boys' discomfort, Abbey suddenly felt herself shrinking back in heightened self-awareness. Wearing clothes closer to her own had been the only way she'd been able to feel like herself, and yet her friend's reactions were only further reminding her of the body she was occupying. Rather than bring comfort, it had drawn more attention to how nothing about her was as it should be.

"Come on, guys," Abbey pleaded. "It's not that weird…"

"It's pretty weird," Zeke replied. "If I didn't know better, I'd have had to do a double take to know you were Erika."

"I'm not Erika," Abbey said curtly.

"You know what I mean."

"Are you sure that she's going to be okay with you messing with her look like that?" Miguel asked Abbey nervously. "I mean, she might not like the idea of you going through her wardrobe like it's your… never mind…"

He'd trailed off, his gaze slowly drifting over Abbey's shoulder as she spun around to see what captivated him. And then Abbey's eyes flared with fury, jaw nearly dropping as she saw her.

Erika, in Abbey's body, was strutting down the corridor like a rebel with a cause. Clearly having the same idea as Abbey, Erika had gone through her body's wardrobe to find items to her liking. Black boots, fishnets, and a pleated black skirt, Erika had somehow found the only red shirt that Abbey owned and thrown it on beneath her own leather jacket. Taking Abbey's red hair, Erika had pulled it back and messily clipped it up, loose strands escaping the style to drape across her forehead. And then she'd used what looked like half of Abbey's makeup collection to smear her eyes into smokey shadows.

She was making Abbey look … degenerate.

"Oh my god!" Lena squeed. "This is the best!"

"That's it!" Zeke decided. "I'm out."

But before he could slink away, Erika reached them, her eyes flicking at her body in judgment before grinning broadly with Abbey's lips as everyone stared in amazement. "Morning."

"What are you wearing?" Abbey gasped.

"What am I wearing?" Erika retorted. "What are you wearing?"

"Hey! This is all yours," Abbey shot back as she gestured at Erika's punk-rock aesthetic. "I just worked with what I had. But this? This is not me."

"Please, like you'd even know," Erika scoffed. "You'd need a map to find anything in a closet that big. I half expected to find the Arc of the Covenant in there. Other than the jacket, all of this is yours, promise."

"Really?" Abbey's eyes shot down to the fishnets. "All of it?"

"You got me, I picked them up at a drugstore on the way," Erika conceded. "I needed something for my legs. You do know that you're allowed to own pants, right?"

"I own plenty of pants," Abbey replied. "I've even got ones with holes in them, just the way you like them."

"You mean the ones that cost more to be 'pre-distressed'?" Erika replied. "Yeah, no thanks."

Abbey scowled through Erika's eyes, hoping the meaner face would add a dimension of impact. She knew what Erika was doing, dressing to be provocative, to mess with Abbey. And what bugged her most was that it was working.

"I'm not even going to ask about what's going on with your eyes," she said. "Am I even going to have any eyeliner left after you're done with it?"

"I don't know," Erika shrugged. "Honestly you didn't have much to begin with, so…"

"That's because it's expensive! You're meant to use it conservatively!"

"What can I say? Sometimes you just need to be a little more liberal."

Hell. This was literal hell.

Somehow, the universe had found a scenario even more horrifying than an evil clone parading around in her life and tossed Abbey right into the middle of it. And what was worse, while Erika was at complete liberty to treat Abbey's affairs like a playground, what did Erika have to mess with? Even if there was something, Abbey wasn't sure she even had the heart to mess with it.

Fine, Erika wanted to be Abbey for a day, then that was exactly what she was going to get. Maintaining her glare (it just came so naturally, was that just Erika's resting face?) Abbey whipped out her phone and sent a notification to Erika.

"Whoa!" she gasped as she suddenly saw the entire list she'd been given. "What even is this?"

"It's my calendar," Abbey said smugly.

"For what, a month?"

"Nope, just today. You better get moving, you've got an events meeting with Principal Goodson in two minutes. She'll think I'm you, so if you just smile and nod politely, you might even learn what it's like to be on her good side. Then make sure you're on time for English Lit, I've got perfect attendance this year and don't want you breaking it. I'll need you to plenty of notes, by the way. Hopefully, we'll have fixed this by the time I take the test and I'd rather not miss anything important. Then make sure to grab a bite to eat from your locker, it'll probably be the only chance you get because at recess there's a homecoming committee meeting and…"

"I get it, Abbey!" Erika gasped, still staring in wide-eyed astoundment at the sheer volume of commitments. "I can read."

Yeah, that would show her; see how Erika liked being horrendously overloaded despite all urges not to be. But as she watched her own eyes bulge at the size of the calendar, Abbey suddenly realized that her attempt at pettiness may have still been an accidental self-own. Not that she had too long to ponder it. Flicking out of the organizer, Erika hit send for a message of her own. Abbey was quite pleased to see that the reply was considerably shorter; it was just a list of songs.

"I told the band last night what the deal was. I'm pretty sure they still think I'm messing with them, but they'll probably guess that it's for real when they see… that." Erika gestured dryly at Abbey's state of dress. "These are the easiest songs we know that should still have a chance have hitting off with the panel. Just tell them which ones you know, and Melody and Jas will get you up to speed."

Abbey scanned the list, hoping desperately that they were as easy as Erika made out and that at least one would be familiar.

"Wasting Away? Walk Over My Grave? Fake Happy?" she read aloud. "Do you know any happy songs?"

But Erika was already walking away. "Sorry, can't hear you! Wouldn't want to be late!"

Scowling, Abbey pouted prettily as she turned back to her friends, noticing both Miguel and Zeke backing away while Lena looked like she was about to burst.

"Come on, look on the bright side," Lena decided, walking over a taking Abbey's arm as she guided her down the hall. "At least now that you're Erika, maybe you'll have some free time?"

Yup, Abbey had definitely played herself. And as the giggling Lena guided her to class, Abbey couldn't help but dread what else she'd have to be playing by the day's end.

If she even could at all.

"Okay," Valerie admitted, staring Abbey's body up and down as Erika looked at her girlfriend through stolen eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just too weird."

Erika's heart sank. It was bad enough being white, pale, and three inches taller with her fishnet-covered legs out for all to see. Like she hadn't had enough of an overwhelming day, doing all she could to keep up with the insanity of Abbey's schedule or stay awake during classes where she was completely out of her depth. And now, to put a cherry on top of the wrong-flavored cake, Erika's girlfriend couldn't even look at her.

Her shoulders slumped, her green, bigger-than-normal eyes pouting in disappointment as Val melted a little bit beside her.

"It's not my fault," she said apologetically. "Abbey's just not my type."

"Yeah, I guess that's fair,' Erika grumbled, slumping against the lunch table in defeat. After the initial shock, Erika had to admit that she'd taken a slight enjoyment at being suddenly thrust into Abbey's life. A big house, a big bed, a mom and a dad that was home when she arrived and greeted her the next morning. Abbey had everything that Erika had ever wanted, and all of a sudden it was like she got to experience what it was like for the first time in her life.

And yet, as Erika had walked Abbey's body through the door in the previous evening, there was something off about it all. The warmth from Abbey's mother and stepdad was uncomfortable, like Erika was intruding on a private experience that she had no right to see. Abbey's room was too big, a cavernous space that stared back at her, and by night Erika found herself missing the tighter comfort of the small walls of her normal bedroom. It may not have been much, but it was hers, and lying in Abbey's enormous bed had only made Erika feel more lonely than ever before.

More than anything, her choice in wardrobe had mostly been a petty attempt to mess with her teammate, a gleeful attempt to see the horror on Abbey's face (or Erika's own, she guessed) from such an active discarding of her "good-girl" aesthetic. On top of everything else, in Erika's mind, it was at least a chance to maybe see the brighter side of the situation. She never doubted for a second that a control freak like Abbey would be combing through Erika's meager wardrobe, looking for anything that even slightly resembled her usual look.

But that had been before Erika was thrown into the storm of Abbey's schedule, left staggering against the hurricane of commitments that threatened to blow her over if she relented even a little. All day she'd barely had a moment to sit down, and now that she finally did, Erika couldn't even kiss her own girlfriend for comfort. Just like that, Erika was praying that Hilary would contact them at any moment with a solution, and not just because she was worried about Abbey taking her place for the audition.

"I don't get how she does it," Erika said, gasping with exasperation as Val looked on in sympathy. "She knows that she takes on too much. It's like she learned nothing from the whole 'clone incident'."

Valerie nodded, clearly still struggling with Erika's unique tone of frustration unfurling from Abbey's mouth, while equally being reminded that a clone situation had, in fact, happened. But after a moment of collecting herself, Val looked back at Erika with a look of understanding. An understanding of both.

"I think you of all people understand that knowing and doing are two different things," she said. "And that changing something that you've been doing forever is one of the hardest things in the world."

Erika conceded the point, slumping sadly as she reflected on all else she'd encountered across the day. Honestly, she considered herself lucky that she even had time to sit with Val, even now, and knew full well that she'd soon be further preoccupied with even more of Abbey's engagements until dusk.

"It's like she can't help herself! It's like she has to say 'yes' to everything, and has to do it all on her own. You'd think in all of this she'd at the very least ask for… help…"

Her voice trailed off, fading in realization as it dawned on Erika exactly what Abbey's problem was. Val was right, Erika did know how hard it was to change. And she also knew what it took to make it happen.

"I guess," she said quietly. "Maybe instead of reducing her load, Abbey needs a hand in lightening it. Maybe all she needs is an extra hand, to know she doesn't have to take it all on herself."

"Huh," Val smiled, with a look that was equal parts knowing and smug. "Look at you, being all wise and insightful. Maybe it really does work."

Erika her eyebrow at the sound of her girlfriend's amusement. "What does?"

"Stepping inside someone's skin and walking around in it," Valerie mused. "Although I don't think it was ever meant to be so literal."

"Alright, Atticus Finch," Erika replied. "Got any more wisdom you want to pass down from your high horse?"

"Atticus Finch?" said Val, impressed. "Erika Nishimura, getting all literary. Maybe you should audit Abbey's Lit class more often."

Well, if that's how she was going to be, gloating about it, then Erika was definitely leaving out the fact that she'd enjoyed the class.

"You know, you don't have to be finding this so funny," she said instead.

"Hey, you pull me into your world of weird, then I'm going cope any way I can."

Yet another statement that Erika couldn't argue with. "I'm sorry. I know this a lot, and I know that it's far from anything even remotely normal. Honestly, even by my usual standards, this whole thing is… nuts."

"You don't need to apologize," Val said warmly. "Weirdness and all, Ranger-related or not; I'm with you for you, who you are on the inside. I could never take any of that away, it's a part of who you are."

It was so sweet, and finally, Erika felt a smile creep to Abbey's lips as she dared lean in for a kiss. To her credit, Valerie tried, she really did, only to look into Abbey's eyes and flinch away.

"Nope, still weird. Sorry," she apologized. "I think it's going to take some getting used to."

And Erika really, really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Thankfully, the reprieve from their awkward date came as Zeke, Miguel, and Lena approached from the steps. As Valerie waved them over, Erika caught Miguel's eye, and for a moment, watched him melt as he saw Abbey's body. And just like that, Erika knew exactly how Valerie was feeling. She squirmed with a flinch of her own, and instinctive recoil as she watched Miguel catch himself, looking away in embarrassed horror at the instinctive reaction.

"Well," Valerie giggled, having noticed the exchange. "At least you're still someone's type."

God, did she hope Hilary figured out a solution soon.

Nonetheless storing the observed moment in the back of her mind, Erika gave Val a playful nudge, rolling her eyes as the other three reached them. If she could see Miguel's interest from mere hours in Abbey's shoes, there was no way her red-headed friend wasn't noting it every day. And from what Erika had already seen, the girl's feelings were definitely mutual. Which meant something was holding Abbey back.

A problem for later; for when Erika and Abbey were back in their original bodies.

"How's the mile walking going?" Lena snickered as sidled up to the bench.

"Lena? How good to see you!" Erika replied. "Would you believe that Abbey actually penciled in five minutes just for your smug amusement?"

"A whole five minutes?" Lena replied. "Wow, I'm truly honored that she's giving me so much of your time."

"Busy day then, huh?" Zeke asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe," said Erika. "Before you tell me that you could, trust me, you won't. Because I sure didn't. Honestly, I'm lucky that I even have the time to be talking to you now."

"I guess it forces Abbey to have a break," Miguel admitted. "Where is she, anyway?"

"Hopefully by now she's in the music room, practicing with Electrohead," Erika explained. "We switched the audition piece for something simple, so we've just got to hope she picks it up by this afternoon."

"Pick it up?" Zeke realized. "You think Abbey's going to learn guitar in a matter of hours?"

Erika had to hope that she would, and it was one of the reasons she'd committed so wholeheartedly to every single one of Abbey's appointments that day. Abbey was right, she couldn't sing, something Erika had learned the hard way when she'd tried belting a few notes in the shower that morning. If they were to have any hope of auditioning, then Abbey would have to step in front of the mic and sing for her. Even if she didn't know the finer points of nuance, Abbey could still leverage Erika's preconditioned vocal cords to carry a pleasant tune. In theory.

"She's in my body, and that means she's got all the chord shapes in muscle memory," Erika reasoned. "We narrowed down the setlist to basic four-note power chords, so she's just got to learn the strumming. Hopefully, it's so automatic to my body that she just has to focus on… singing…"

Erika cursed as she trailed off, watching as Jasmine stepped out of the main building and walked towards them with worry in her eyes. She knew she shouldn't have said anything, that insisting it would be fine was just asking for trouble.

The others sensed it too, all of them bracing in nervous anticipation as Jasmine walked towards them and confirmed their deepest concern.

"We've got a problem."