Erika leaped into a rolling dive, a pair of Cyberdrone weapons sweeping overhead as she turned and fired. The shot lanced through the air, shattering at their feet to explode and send them flying. With her latest group reeling, Erika's head whipped over her shoulder in desperate search for a break.
Okay, maybe she'd been getting ahead of herself in her decision to take them. It wasn't that they couldn't, but boy, were there a lot. They'd come for a workout, and now they were definitely getting it. Even with the enhancement from her suit, Erika could feel the exhaustion setting in and silently bet that she'd collapse in a heap when she finally made it home.
If she made it home. Erika had no idea where Ender was getting all these Cyberdrones, or how he was able to constantly make so many. They just didn't end! It was like an ocean of black and chrome, splashing at the edges of the gorge as the Rangers crashed into them like falling boulders, leaping away just as fast before they sunk.
With every blow and blast, the Cyberdrones went flying, be it to Ray's blaster, Abbey's bow, or Miguel's Saber. Out on the outskirts, the Cyberdrones were bereft of their one true advantage of fighting in the city. Far from the hustle and the bustle, the Cyberdrones had no innocent civilians to terrorize nor property to damage; nothing to force the Rangers to remain engaged. If they could just get an opening…
Erika's strategizing snapped to an abrupt end as something moved in her peripheral. Her movement was instinctive, swiftly side-stepping as the saber unfolded to block the oncoming blow. If Ender was upset that his sneak attack failed, he didn't show it; Erika wasn't sure that he could even be upset.
"Going for the cheap shots now, Ender?" Erika taunted. "Man, you must be getting desperate."
"I'm just a fan of dramatic entries," Ender replied. "You know, a death from above, a strike from below. I just can't resist planning my big moment, and what's a moment without a dazzling arrival?"
"You have way too much time on your hands," said Erika. Ender came at her again, thrusting his cane as Erika batted it back and swerved to keep her foot. She could see what he was doing, pressuring her back into the chaos of the horde where his precious Cyberdrones could support him. Not on her watch. "Seriously, don't you have anything better to do?"
"Better than seeing you Rangers get blown to bits by my buddies?" Ender chuckled. "Not a chance!"
He thrust again, but this time, Erika was ready. Rather than deflect, she let him pass, swinging around the saber to slash Ender's back as he passed. The blade cleaved sparks from the surface of his coat, and the monster maker howled as he spun around, hissing to glare at the Red Ranger. From her footing at the edge of the storm, Erika could see the number faltering. Where once the shimmering chrome bobbed all through the canyon like an expansive sea of armor, now Erika's view was more earth than plate. They were finally making headway, and that meant they could make a break for it.
"Look, this has been fun and all," Erika said to Ender snidely. "But I've literally got a million better things to do."
"What?" Ender laughed. "Going already? But the party's just getting started! Look, I even invited all my friends!"
As he said it, Miguel had made a break for the canyon's mouth, soaring over the diminishing Cyberdrones to grab some retreating ground for holding. But as they did, a familiar flash of green burst before them, and in their way stood ArcKnight and a fresh horde of Cyberdrones.
"Sorry to disappoint you," he growled. "But you are not going anywhere."
"No point being sorry, ArcKnight," Miguel replied as the shadows began to curl around his body. "You're always a disappointment."
As Abbey let back and opened fire with her bow, Miguel burst forward, vanishing into a steam of black light that surged in ArcKnight's direction. But the warrior was ready. The Cyberdrones scattered behind him as the sky-blue arrow crashed into the ground beneath. It splashed into a blossoming fireball, and the armored knight planted his shield and braced. Seconds later, the Dark Ranger's Shadow Strike slammed into him, and while shunted from the recoil, ArcKnight nonetheless deflected the blow.
"You need to learn some new tricks, Dark Ranger," ArcKnight growled. "You're growing tired and predictable!"
"Coming from you?" Miguel sneered. "That actually hurts."
He dived back, rolling beneath the blow as ArcKnight lunged forward to follow. Out on the edges, Abbey was on the retreat, contending with all the new Cyberdrones alone while Ray continued mopping the previous wave. They needed a hand, help to weed out the chaff and make a break. But Erika's hands were still far too occupied to help them.
Renewed by the arrival of his comrade and reinforcements, Ender had launched into a fresh assault with extreme prejudice. Never before had Erika seen him fight with such tenacity, jabbing so vigorously with his cane that Erika barely caught a second to counter. When she did find a window, it was slim, and Erika had no sooner made the strike before Ender was launching back with a fresh volley. She needed to get some distance, to find a moment to breathe and think of a plan. And that meant losing her over-eager dancing partner.
"What's with the sudden attention, Ender?" Erika asked, blocking another blow.
"Well, I just thought that after all this time, we hadn't really got to know each other," he mused. "Thought maybe I'd give it a shot."
"Thanks, but you're not my type," Erika replied. "I like people with a little less spring and a lot more… well, morals."
"Shame."
Finding the tipping point, Erika threw him back, hurling Ender past as his weight toppled forward to send him soaring. Any other day, and Erika would have taken the shot and sliced him up the back. But Ender was already recovering, and the team desperately needed to regroup. So, as Ender stumbled forward, Erika leaped away, soaring into a somersault before landing beside Ray.
The Gold Ranger was still in the thick of it; Mainframe Defender unfolded into sword mode to cleave through the mass of Cyberdrone converging on him. With the angle open, Erika whipped out her pistol and opened fire, raining crimson beams upon them before landing in the wreckage.
"When you wanted to come out here for a workout," said Erika. "I didn't think this was what you had in mind."
"Neither did I," Ray admitted. "But I think we should let the others know what they're missing out on."
"Good idea," Erika replied as she tapped open the com. "Hilary, about those reinforcements…?"
Lena's eyes narrowed as the blonde queen bee looked down on them with cold disdain. In the background, she could see Zeke and Valerie tightening up, jaws dropping at the sight of Deryck's sort-of-ex catching them mid-date. Deryck, meanwhile, seemed completely flustered by her sudden appearance.
"Whitney," he stammered. "How are you? We were just…"
"Oh, no need to explain," Whitney said coldly. "After all, we're all here for our own business. I'm sure that, well, whatever this is, it's far too thrilling and exciting to be stopped on my account. I was just dropping in, hoping to grab a low-fat soy Frappuccino with Chad."
Whitney motioned over her shoulder, nodding toward the lacrosse player standing at the counter. The boy seemed so muscular that it must have started growing inward, and Lena suspected that Chad consumed far more protein powder than was healthy for his brain. Having finished his order, he strode toward them, putting his meaty arm around Whitney as he noticed Lena and Deryck.
"Hey, babe, just ordered," he told Whitney before nodding at their company. "Are these people bothering you?"
"Who, them?" Whitney asked. "No, I don't get bothered by people who don't matter."
Lena rolled her eyes, praying that the girl would swiftly finish her inane prattling and depart with her boneheaded beau. But as Lena let the insult roll off her like water on a duck, Deryck hissed in a breath, clearly wounded.
"Good," he said curtly. "In that case, if you wouldn't mind leaving Lena and I alone?"
And then, to emphasize his point, Deryck reached to the side, stretching out to place his hand on Lena's far shoulder and pull her in. She'd been close enough to reach, but Lena's proximity was nowhere near what was needed for Deryck to place his arm around her. As he reeled her in, she almost fell, feeling the chair tipping as she was pulled into his ill-advised embrace. It pushed her cheek into his shoulder, almost bringing Lena's face into his armpit.
Was this among the physical contact that comprised part of a date? Lena had seen it all the time, Erika and Valerie, Abbey and Miguel, and even Ray and Hilary sat this way all the time. Yet they made it look so comfortable, like they were more at ease when one lay in the other's arms. This was just unsettling. Lena couldn't even remotely begin to see the actual appeal if this was what it was like for everyone. Maybe Deryck was doing something wrong.
As she stared up in a meek attempt to smile and pretend all was okay, all Lena saw was Deryck glaring coldly back at Whitney. His grip tightened, digging into Lena's arm as she wobbled to maintain balance, and from her awkward vantage, Lena saw Whitney's eyes flick sharply to her to glare daggers of vengeful fury. At first, Lena glared right back with a defiant instinct to stick it to her. But the anger was hot and fleeting, and as Lena twisted her head to look at Deryck's firm but uncaring grip, an emotion that she hadn't expected began churning from the pit of her stomach.
It was more than the discomfort from the awkward balance and Deryck's poorly placed hold; it was more than just self-consciousness at the focus of Whitney's attention. It was revulsion. She hadn't asked for it, not even suggested it, and it had only been instigated when Whitney had begun flaunting a relationship of her own. It was as if the only reason Deryck was even with her was to show up Whitney.
Lena was being used, a pawn in some twisted game that Deryck and Whitney were playing with each other. She'd come in good faith, knowing Deryck's interest wasn't romantic but nevertheless hoping to take part in some semblance of an essential human experience. But Deryck wasn't interested in her at all; he only wanted to use her to get back at Whitney. He'd made Lena nothing more than a tool to be used. An object.
But then… wasn't that exactly what she was doing to him?
Hadn't she only agreed to the date because of a yearning desire to simply experience one, regardless of who it was with? Hadn't she known why Deryck had asked her in the first place and accepted purely because it suited her interest?
Was Lena really all that different?
A chilling breath crawled into her lungs as Lena's eyes widened in shameful revelation, turning as much she could from her position to meet with Zeke's and silently acknowledge the shameful truth. He was watching from afar, looking ready to leap in should she only give the word. To provide her with an easy out should she need it. But the opportunity presented itself.
"We were having a great time before you showed up," Deryck sneered at Whitney. "So, if you wouldn't mind…"
The girl was taken aback, and for a moment, Lena caught the smallest flash of hurt behind her eyes. But it was over just as quickly, suppressed behind the veneer of caked-on make-up and cold indifference.
"Whatever," Whitney scoffed. "Come on, Chad. We were just leaving anyway."
Whitney's date looked perplexed. "Don't you want to wait for your…?"
"I said, let's go!"
Whitney stormed off, leaving a hapless Chad to follow in her wake and their drinks sitting on the counter. As Whitney left, Lena finally readjusted her balance, peeling out of Deryck's hold to plant the chair legs firmly on the ground.
"I should get going too," she said, already rising as Deryck turned to her in surprise.
"What, already? But we only just got here."
His hand grasped her sleeve, not enough to stop her but enough to add to his plea. It made her pause, and Lena looked back at him, she saw begging in his eyes. A fear and concern of what it would mean if she left him, a realization that without her, without Whitney, he would be all alone. It was a frightened confusion that betrayed a truth that Lena had never even considered.
Deryck had no idea what he was doing either, and it terrified him.
But… that didn't make sense. This was something that all humans did, it was instinctive, driven by some biological imperative that all of them shared. Abbey and Miguel had difficulties, sure, but Lena always assumed that it was simply due to the complicated history between them. Erika had made it look easy!
But as Lena stared back at Deryck, she realized that the human experience that she longed to understand was just as much a mystery to them as it was to her. That the confusion was even perhaps an essential part of it.
"I'm sorry, Deryck," said Lena. "I don't think this is a good idea anymore. This just wasn't what I thought it would be, and I don't think it is for you either."
"But…" Deryck seemed stunned, flabbergasted that anyone would even think of rejecting him… again. "What about the dance?"
"We can still go, I guess," Lena replied. "But I think you need to be honest with why you want to take me and not… somebody else."
He paused, the hamster wheel inside his head spinning at a million rpm as Deryck tried to comprehend what Lena was telling him. Slowly, Lena removed his hand from her sleeve, noticing Zeke rise from his table in readiness to intervene. But the need wasn't there, and Lena had never before been so grateful to hear her communicator beeping.
"I've got to take this," she said to Deryck. "If you still want to go with me on Saturday, then I guess we can. But not as a date."
And with that, she strode away from the table, moving toward the back door to where Zeke was already waiting.
"You okay?" he asked earnestly, and to Lena's surprise, there wasn't even a single hint of "I told you so" in his voice.
"I'm okay," Lena insisted. "Let's just see what's going on."
Finding a quiet corner where no one could eavesdrop, two of them huddled over Zeke's communicator as he opened up the line.
"We're here, Hilary," Zeke confirmed. "What's the status?"
"Yeah, you remember that situation that I said might not need your attention?" she asked them. "Well, it's going to need your attention."
"We'll be right there," Lena replied urgently. "Honestly, I could do with a distraction after the date that I just-."
But she never finished that sentence. Just as they were about to cut the line, Whitney's terrified scream shrieked from outside. Their heads whipped around, registering its proximity to the Hub as Lena noticed Deryck also rise in his seat with concern.
"Hold that thought," Zeke said glibly.
Neither wasted a second, barely sharing a look as Lena and Zeke raced out the door to the source of the disturbance. They shot from the building to Whitney's rescue, hurrying to the back alley before it was too late. But as they skidded to a stop by the corner and peered around, what they'd hoped was just another embarrassing accident was instead the last thing they wanted to see. While the rest of the Rangers were occupied at the quarry, Xaviax had sent a monster to the city.
"You know what?" Zeke warned Hilary. "We're gonna have to call you back."
Its body was round and bulbous, like the full length of a fish that had spouted arms and legs. Bloating around the middle, its head remained wide right up to the end, stretching its face wide to bulge out its eyes above an enormous, puckering mouth. And atop its head, as a flourish that Lena supposed only Ender would have found amusing, was a little fisherman's bucket hat. And based on its wide and goofy mouth, Lena suspected it wouldn't be hard to guess what Ender had named it.
Whitney was clutching tight onto Chad, both of them trembling in terror as Fish-Lips gleefully cackled. "Don't you two look like a lovely couple!" he laughed, his giant lips flapping up and down as the two civilians staggered back. "Come on, why don't you give each other a kiss?"
"We should get out of here," Chad trembled, but for all her fright, Whitney seemed resolute to the contrary.
"No, wait!" she realized, voice still trembling as if trying to also convince herself. "This could be our chance!"
Lena gulped down, sharing an uneasy look with Zeke as they realized their predicament. Whitney still seemed hellbent on uncovering their Ranger identities, and lunging into the fray could likely feed into her plans. But the alternative was not intervening at all, leaving the two in danger, an option neither Lena nor Zeke were willing to consider.
Even if it was Whitney.
"You want to stay?" Chad gasped as he turned to his date with gobsmacked surprise.
"Well, duh!" Whitney replied. "This could be my chance to unmask the Power Rangers!"
"You want to see them too, huh?" Fish-Lips asked. "Well then, if we're waiting around, why don't we have some company?"
The alleyway was filled with an emerald flash, summoning a cluster of Cyberdrones. Witnessing the new arrivals, Whitney shrunk further behind her date, pushing him forward like a trembling shield.
"Hurry, Chad!" she demanded, "do something!"
And he did; he screamed. Letting loose a cry of sheer terror, Chad spun on his heels and bolted out of the alley faster than Lena had ever thought a human could move, leaving Whitney standing before the horde and the monster.
"My hero…" she said dryly.
"Well then, it looks like it's just the two of us," Fish-Lip realized. "At least it's a chance to get to know each other. Alone."
"Urgh, in your dreams," Whitney scoffed. "I have a firm "no freak" policy that you're in clear violation of."
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Fish-Lips replied. "You just don't know what you're missing. Here, just ask my friends."
As Whitney shrieked in terror at the descending Cyberdrones, Lena and Zeke leaped from their corner, Morphers flashing to their wrists as they bellowed the call and immersed themselves in white and yellow light.
"Server Force! Login Access!"
The power burst from the devices, flowing into their bodies and summoning their suits as they somersaulted into the fray. Their sabers were in hand as soon as they'd landed, batting back the strikes to stand in Whitney's defense as they stared the monster down.
"She already said no," Lena warned firmly. "Can't you take a hint?"
"She just doesn't know what a catch I am!" the monster insisted. "I think she'd make an excellent fishwife!"
"Well, there's plenty more fish in the sea," Zeke replied before tilting his head to Whitney. "We've got this covered. Get out of here."
But the girl just stood still, resolute in her foolish mission as Fish-Lips bared down upon them.
"Why don't we come back to this?" he decided. "Right now, I've got more important fish to fry!"
And then he lunged, Cyberdrones in toe. And after backing up to the foolish Whitney to keep her safe, the White and Yellow Rangers lunged right back to meet him.
Great! Just great!
Go down to the quarry, Ray. You could do with a chance to cut loose, Ray. What could possibly go wrong?
Cursing herself for even thinking of the idea, Hilary punched maniacally at the keys. Now, Ender's plan was clear as day, and all she could do was growl under her breath for having missed something so obvious. The opportunity was never the Rangers who'd gone to the gorge; it had always been the ones who'd remained in town. And now Zeke and Lena were stuck, like fish in a barrel, duking it out alone against a monster twice their size.
All Ender and ArcKnight needed to do was keep the others occupied. Erika had been right; they needed reinforcements, but now Hilary was the only one left in reserve while the Rangers fought a war on two fronts. They needed a break, and they needed it now.
The elevator doors dinged behind her, signaling Jess' arrival as her heels clicked against the lab's titled floor.
"I got your message," she said. "What's the big emergenc-? Whoa!"
Her jaw dropped as she saw the screens, watching the pair of battles unfold among the Rangers' split forces. And not a moment too soon.
"You're tagging in," Hilary explained. "Looks like Xaviax is going all out today."
"Yeah, no kidding."
Hilary knew what she needed to do, even if it felt like overcommitting. On their own, Lena and Zeke wouldn't have the firepower to deal with a monster like that. They needed combined arms, and that meant freeing up Erika, Abbey, and Miguel to go help them. Thankfully, she knew the exact tool for the job.
Pulling open the files sent fresh from Ben that morning, Hilary transferred them to the morphing screen before relinquishing mission control to Jess.
"I'm heading down there," said Hilary. "The new vehicle's just booting up now. I'd hoped to run a few more tests before taking it into the field, but…"
"No test like a road test, right?" Jess replied. "It'll be ready. Now go, get your team."
As Jess slid into the seat and began splicing the new file into the data stream, Hilary spun around and flashed the Morpher to her wrist. Time to start getting some headway.
"Server Force! Login Access!"
Like a silver flame, the light engulfed her, spiriting her body across the city as the grid imbued her with power. It coursed through her veins, surging like current from a wire, emboldening her with strength as the silver suit enwrapped her. By the time she slammed down at the quarry, the helm had encased her head, and the black visor flashed across her vision as Hilary's eyes narrowed on the company that was occupying her team.
The chaos seemed never-ending. Abbey and Ray were in the thick of it, beating back the Cyberdrones in all directions as they tried with no avail to advance. With only two of them, the numbers were too great, keeping them pinned against the canyon wall in a bid to hold their ground. Any hope of reprieve was a long way off, with both Erika and Miguel locked in fierce combat with Ender and ArcKnight.
One problem at a time. Make a hole, then free up the others.
Without missing a beat, Hilary whipped out her Mainframe and launched into the air, opening fire to unleash a barraging rain of silver energy. The shot boomed on impact with the ground, sending the Cyberdrones flying as Hilary somersaulted beside the Blue and Gold Rangers.
"Hilary!" Ray cheered with glee.
"It's really good to see you, Dr. Hawkins," Abbey agreed cheerfully.
"Sorry I'm late," she said flippantly. "Our other friends got stuck fishing. They need backup, pronto."
"Great idea," Ray admitted as he motioned to the Cyberdrones. "But these guys might have a different one."
"Then it's a good thing I know exactly what we need," said Hilary before opening up the coms. "Jess, has the program all finished loading?"
"Right on cue! Digitizing now!"
Without missing a beat, Hilary spun around, Morpher pointed to the open ground as silver light burst from the screen. Moments later, as the flashing light faded, a large gold and silver quadbike stood before them. Embossed with the same color scheme as Ray and Hilary's Ranger suits, a flat platform stretched out from the back, the perfect size for a passenger to stand while arming the attached blaster.
"Server Battle Cruiser!" Hilary declared proudly. "Online!" She could practically see Ray's eyes behind his visor, bulging with giddy excitement.
"Alright!" the Gold Ranger cheered. "Mind if I drive?"
"Be my guest!"
The two jumped on, Ray leaping for the handlebars as Hilary manned the gun. She didn't waste a second. The trigger was squeezed the moment her fingers hit it, unloading bursting beams of gold and silver on the encroaching horde. A heartbeat later, the vehicle took off, revving at top speed as Ray crashed it into the Cyberdrone lines. Like a wave on a rock, the robots went scattering, smashed into the air as the vehicle plowed through them, and Hilary continued her onslaught. Behind them, Abbey had caught onto the idea, summoning her Blue Server Cycle and racing in pursuit, determined to make a break they could hold. Soon, blue beams seared beside them, adding to the overwhelming fire as the Rangers broke the lines and charged through for the opening.
One problem dealt with, now for the next.
Ray was of the same mind, wordlessly skidding the vehicle as the two locked eyes on the other enemy combatants. Ender at one end, ArcKnight at the other. Time to switch dancing partners.
"I'll hold the line here," Abbey confirmed. "Go, now!"
Ray punched the throttle again, surging forward as Hilary braced on the platform and readied to jump. With a fresh volley of blasts purging through the Cyberdrone ranks, she vaulted from the vehicle, soaring through the air toward Erika's battle with Ender. A fresh rain of silver blasters unloaded from Hilary's blaster, pounding into the earth to blossom into a dazzling ball of flame. Shocked and annoyed, Ender whipped around, eyes seething as the Silver Ranger landed beside her teammate.
"Thanks for the save," said Erika gratefully. "This guy just doesn't take a hint."
"You think I'm being rude?" Ender scoffed. "I'm not the one butting in on a private conversation."
"Then consider the conversation over," Hilary warned, flipping the Mainframe Defender out into sword mode before motioning back to Hilary. "Abbey's holding a break in the lines. Take the Server Cycle and go help Lena and Zeke."
"On it!"
The Red Ranger leaped away, somersaulting into the saddle of the bike that materialized beneath her. Ender tried to stop her, but Hilary was already moving, dashing to intercept as the blade clashed with Ender's cane.
"Speaking of insulting, Ender," she said. "Did you really throw a party without inviting little old me? Honestly, so rude."
"Offense whole-heartedly intended."
The monster maker pushed back, swerving to ready another strike as Hilary surveyed the surroundings. On the other flank, Ray had charged straight at ArcKnight, unloading with the Cruiser's secondary blasters to send the armored warrior reeling. With Miguel now free and racing beside Erika on his Server Cycle, the Gold Ranger spun donuts in the dirt, running rings around ArcKnight while splitting attention between his foe and the horde.
The other Rangers had made it out, and now it was up to Hilary and Ray to hold on until the monster had been dealt with the Rangers could make it back.
"Zeke, Lena!" Hilary heard Erika through the comms. "Hold on tight, we're coming your way!"
Lena ducked beneath a blow, spinning around the spear to sweep beneath the clustered legs of the Cyberdrones. Help was on the way, but they still needed to hold out. If it were just the monster, that would have been one thing, but keeping Whitney safe from the Cyberdrones was another thing entirely. Almost every step she took put her in the path of another strike; it was like the girl was magnetically attracted to danger!
Thinking fast, Lena bounced off the wall, flipping overhead and thrusting the spear to strike another of Whitney's attackers. The girl shrieked, flinching as the weapon sliced past her, and she staggered back toward another group of henchmen.
"Okay!" Whitney admitted. "Maybe hanging around was a bad idea!"
"You think?"
She didn't have time for this. In the narrow confines of the alley, the Cyberdrones were keeping them contained, stopping the two Rangers from supporting each other while Zeke battled Fish-Lips alone. The shielded Yellow Ranger was holding out, and he'd had plenty of practice, but he still needed backup, and fast.
This was not how Lena had expected her day to go.
Thinking fast, she whipped out her pistol, aiming right for the alley's entrance and firing off a volley. The shots peppered into the unsuspecting drones, lancing through their armor to send their smoking bodies to the ground.
"The way's open!" Lena barked. "Go, now!"
For once in her life, Whitney didn't argue, racing toward the exit like her life literally depended on it. But as she did, Lena's heart sank. Some of the Cyberdrones thrown by Lena's volley were already rising, their hands snatching out to stop Whitney from fleeing.
"What? No!" Whitney gasped. "Let me go!"
"WHITNEY!" The voice cried out from around the corner, echoing across the alley before Lena had a chance to react. Heavy footsteps pounded the pavement, thumping louder and louder as they grew closer, and suddenly Deryck launched into the alley. The Cyberdrones moved to stop him, but they barely broke his stride. As if making a desperate dash in the final down, Deryck shoulder-charged past his attackers, casting them aside as he lunged. "I'll save you!"
There was no grip in the world strong enough to hold onto Whitney then, her eyes bulging in surprise as Deryck's arms grew wide, and he grasped her waist. Tackling her from harm, the two fell across the alley, yanking Whitney from the henchmen before crashing into a mound of trash by the alley wall.
One swift swipe of Lena's spear finished the intervening henchmen, and the two civilians slowly rose from the ground, completely covered in garbage.
"Der-yck! You…! You…" Whitney bemoaned, pulling a banana peel from her head as he looked at her with eager eyes. Then her eyes softened, widening in realization as she began to look past their putrid landing site to see his act for what it was. "You saved me!"
"Well, you know," Deryck replied sheepishly. "It was nothing."
But Whitney was having none of his modesty, tenderly touching his cheek to look him in the eyes as she cooed at him softly, "My hero!"
For a moment, the two looked tenderly at each other, as if blissfully unaware of the danger that still surrounded them. Lucky for them, Lena was not. She moved like lightning, lancing her spear through an opportunistic Cyberdrone as she skidded to a stop beside them.
"Think you guys could take this somewhere else?"
Snapping back to reality, Deryck nodded affirmatively as he swept Whitney up in his arms. "Oh, right!"
"Wait, Deryck! What are you do-ING!"
Whitney could only shriek in surprise as Deryck bundled her in his arms, carrying her superhero style as he bolted for the open end of the alley. All of a sudden, he became a force of nature, racing even faster than Chad had fled as Lena could only watch them in amazement.
Barely minutes ago, they'd been glaring daggers at each other over a date that wasn't even real. Humans were weird.
But right now, Lena has bigger fish to fry. Spinning around, she launched herself back into the fray, barging through the Cyberdrone numbers like an unstopped able juggernaut to catch up to Zeke and Fish-Lips. The Yellow Ranger was holding his own, but armed with only a shield and his guile, Zeke was stuck on the defensive. Time to change the game.
"Is that all you got?" Fish-Lips cackled as he battered against Zeke's barrier. "Seems you've landed yourself in a fine kettle of fish!"
"Then maybe it's time to hit boil!"
As Fish-Lip's fin slammed down, Lena hit the air, plunging in her spear to pierce the monster's side. Fish-Lips howled as the shining tip sliced his skin, giving Zeke room to regain his footing.
"What?" Fish-Lips realized. "Two against one? That seems pretty fishy to me!"
"Good timing," said Zeke. "This guy was about to reel me in."
"No problem," Lena replied. "Let's just get this fish back in the water."
"Let's do it!"
Then they lunged, a battle plan already formed without uttering a word. Fish-Lips' biggest asset was his size, and while he was using it to block an exit, it also worked against him. The Rangers were smaller and faster. In the narrow confines, they could work it to their advantage.
"You guys are all talk!" Fish-Lips laughed as they swerved beneath his fins. "Talking each other up like you're fishing for compliments!"
"Oh, we're for real," Lena replied. "And you're about to learn why you should have picked a bigger pond!"
The two of them dived, rolling beneath the swinging fins to land behind the monster and keep him chasing. Keeping momentum, Lena slashed in, plunging the spear against the fish's flesh in flesh laceration of sparks. Fish-Lips howled again, spinning to try and catch up to them and giving chase as the Rangers split. Zeke raced back, whipping out his pistol to give covering fire as Lena went on full the offensive. The wide-bodied fish had nowhere to go, slamming against the walls in a vain attempt to dodge as Lena twirled with her spear in a deadly dance.
"Wait, wait!" Fish-Lips decided as he began to realize his predicament. "Maybe there's another way to settle this. Want to play Go Fish?"
"I've got a better idea," Lena decided before calling back to signal Zeke. "Marco?"
"Polo!"
The White Ranger lunged up high as her yellow teammate barreled in behind her. Tucking into a ball, her feet slammed into the shield, propelling her high as Lena switched to the Security Pistol and opened fire. Down below, Zeke dropped into a skid and did the same with his own.
"No fair!" Fish-Lips bemoaned, "Fish out of Water! Fish out of Water!"
The twin shots slammed into him at point-blank range, streams of white and yellow bursting as they hit dead-center in a coalescing blaster. With nowhere to go but back, Fish-Lips went flying, landing at the far end of the alley, groaning with his body steaming.
Zeke cheered as Lena landed beside him, offering a celebratory high-five as they heard the sound of engines behind them. The reinforcements had finally arrived.
"Nice timing," said Lena as the other three Rangers climbed off their Server Cycles. "We've got this guy all on the hook."
"This was what held you up?" Erika realized. "I'll bet there's a fishy tale to go along with this one."
"Ew," Abbey gagged. "I know they say fish only smell after three days, but…"
"This guy's rotting from the head down," Miguel agreed.
"We've already got him in the net," Zeke suggested. "So, let's put it together!"
"Right!"
As Fish-Lips slowly rolled to his feet, his already popping eyes bulged further as the Rangers assembled the canon, all five Power Weapons slotting in place to level it in his direction.
"Like a fish in a barrel," Lena smirked.
"Wait!" Fish-Lips pleaded as his cries fell on deaf ears. "I can teach you to fish!"
"Defrag Blaster! Hardwired!" the team declared together. "FIRE!"
The cannon boomed, rocking from the recoil as the shot erupted as the round erupted outward, a twisting helix of light that crashed into the flailing monsters. The impact burst into a blinding flash, engulfing Fish-Lips in a ball of fire as he screamed from the searing heat. As the flames subsided, all he could do was fall, his scorched and steaming body toppling backward before detonating from total system failure. The blaze blossomed from the epicenter, a shockwave ringing through the smoke to scatter the remains as the Rangers cheered and retracted their weapons.
But before they could celebrate too readily, the beam of emerald light descended from the sky, reconverging the smoked remnants of Fish-Lips before rejuvenating him to colossal size.
"Well, what do you know?" he cackled as his webbed foot quaked the ground beneath him. "There really is always a bigger fish!"
"Jess?" Lena called into the coms, wasting no time as the Rangers stared up at their titanically regenerated foe. "We're gonna need a bigger boat."
The reply was nothing but gleeful enthusiasm. "Lucky for you, I've got just the thing. Deploying Zords!"
As the roar of mighty engines thundered overhead, the Rangers leaped into the sky, landing in the cockpits as the Zords swept beneath them. Strapped into the driver's seat, Lena steered the Racer into position, taking her place behind Erika's streetcar and Zeke's truck as the three Zords clamped in place. As the tires screeched, Lena's chair shot up into the shared cockpit as the conjoined machines upright. As the Shadow-Cycle combined with Abbey's jet, the five Zords locked together as the Rangers sat united at the controls.
"Cyber Crash Megazord!" they declared. "Online!"
"You think that's going to be enough to stop me?" Fish-Lips scoffed. "You might be big, but this pond got a lot bigger."
"I only just got here," Erika admitted. "But I'm already real sick of this guy's fish-eating grin."
"How do you think we feel?" Zeke replied.
"Let's put this fish on a platter!" said Lena.
"Yeah!"
The Cyber Crash charged, the ground tremoring beneath its weight as it rumbled forward. But Fish-Lips didn't move, staring at them head-on as his already tremendous mouth stretched wider.
"Careful!" he warned them. "You've got guts, but so do I!"
He reefed back his head, filling the air with a putrid gurgling as soon as Lena realized his plan. And they were too committed to stop. As the Megazord crossed the distance, Fish-Lips opened wide, regurgitating a spewing stream of fish guts directly at the Megazord. Locked on course, the Rangers had nowhere to go, and the chunky grey goo splattered all over them.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Erika commanded.
The entire vehicle shook as it stumbled, sliding into a skid as it went careering down the road. The whole body was flailing wildly, throwing the Rangers around the cockpit as they desperately tried to regain control.
"Applying brakes!" Zeke warned.
"Reverse thrusters set to max!" Abbey confirmed.
"Pull up!" Erika said quickly, "Pull up!"
With all their might, the five Rangers pulled on the controls, heaving the Megazord out of the skid. Tires on the heels squealed with flaring smoke as they braced on the asphalt, the rear rockets flaring in overdrive to counteract the momentum.
Inside, the Rangers' world was spinning, violently yanked to the side by the whirling inertia. But Lena didn't let it stop her, refusing to let the churning in her stomach distract her from the emerging problem. It was all well and good to get the Megazord stable, but with the guts plastered all over the windshield, they'd still be sitting blind when they did. But her Zord's body had formed the bulk of the cockpit, and that meant her switch should be…
Found it!
Lena yanked the lever down, setting the wipers to the max as they sheared off the obscuring goo. As the Megazord planted its feet and spun back around Fish-Lips, the smeared windshield was back to full visibility.
"Should have known he was up to something fishy," said Erika.
"Man, that stinks!" Miguel groaned. "They weren't kidding when they said fish stink from the head."
"We can't take another direct approach like that," Abbey warned. "He'll gunk us all up again."
"There's more than one way to gut a fish," Lena replied. "We've just got to get the right angle."
"Hang on!" said Zeke. "We've still got the dump tray from my Zord; we can block it."
"And then when he's puking up his guts, we can use the jets to get an angle and hit him from above!" Lena finished. "Zeke, that's brilliant. Erika, think it could work?"
"It's going to have to," the Red Ranger replied. "Time put this guy to sleep with the fishes!"
"On it!"
Still gunked up, the Megazord lunged again, rushing back at Fish-Lips with the same angle as before.
"This again?" the monster laughed. "You guys must have the memory of a goldfish!"
Again, the gurgling sounded from his throat as he threw back his head, mouth widening as he readied for another chunder. But this time, the Rangers were ready.
"Now!"
As Erika gave the command, Zeke yanked the lever on the shield controls. Out from between the back and the jets, the truck's dump tray shot the wrist, and the entire Megazord braced as it slammed the barrier between them and the torrenting goo. Now Fish-Lips was the one too committed, and the Cyber Crash was in the perfect position to strike.
"Time for a little catch and release," Zeke decided.
With a mighty swing, the shield smashed into Fish-Lips face, batting him straight in the mouth as the last of his discharge clogged in his mouth. With the monster choking, the Megazord shot into the sky, blasting off on an angle that blindsided the puking Fish-Lips.
"You're the one who should have stayed in school!" said Erika as she steered the Cyber Crash to pummel down in a meteoric punch. Clocked in the side of the head, Fish-Lips gasped as he was smacked to the ground. And with their enemy scrambling, the Cyber Crash continued its ascent as the targeting screen appeared on the Rangers' screens.
"So long," said Lena as the glowing cannons appeared on the shoulders. "And no thanks for the fish."
"CryptoShred HyperCannon!" the team declared. "FIRE!"
The blast was blinding, twin beams of radiant light unlashing from cannons and searing down on Fish-Lips with maximum prejudice. It flashed on impact, the entirety of the monster's form vanishing in the blaster as, for the briefest moment, there was nothing to be seen but white before a calamitous explosion ignited from within. The searing flames burst out in all directions, a blazing fireball that heralded the culmination of the Rangers' attack. Then, as the canons died and the light faded, Fish-Lips was left standing there, scorched, battered, and already toppling.
"You sure found a big enough fish to fry!" he bemoaned as he fell. As the Cyber Crash landed, Fish-Lips ruptured like a bursting balloon, a secondary explosion flaring as the guts inside his body detonated. The flames spiraled into the air, a deafening clarion thundering on the rooftops as every shred of data was incinerated in the blast.
The Rangers took a moment, just one, checking their recovered systems as they surveyed their protected domain from their vantage. Then they took off again, taking flight above the city to their secondary destination.
The quarry.
Down below, Ray and Hilary were still giving it their all, battling side by side as they battered back the Cyberdrones between bouts with ArcKnight and Ender. They were holding, but without the added might of Erika, Abbey, and Miguel, they weren't gaining any ground. But they'd done their job; they'd held out against the unrelenting onslaught to buy others time. And now the calvary had arrived.
Without a word, the Rangers leaped from the cockpit, leaving the mech to hover in auto-pilot as they descended with blasters drawn. Streams of the primary colors and binary shades unfurled like deadly ribbons, bursting into blooms of sparks into the helpless Cyberdrones. As the henchmen were thrown in all directions across the battlefield, the Rangers somersaulted to their comrades, landing in tight formation as they stared ArcKnight and Ender down.
"Sorry to cut and run like that," Erika told them. "But we're back now. And as you can see, we brought some company of our own."
Faced with the might of all seven Rangers, ArcKnight and Ender grimaced as the odds fell away from them. With a shared look of admonition, they two staggered back, ceding ground to Rangers as the remnant Cyberdrones clambered behind them.
"Have it your way," Ender said bitterly. "All we wanted was to join in, and instead, you had to be the fun police."
"Your insolence today will not go unremembered," ArcKnight growled. "And the day will come where united, you will fall."
And then they vanished in a flash of emerald, leaving the Rangers alone in the quarry to cheer and celebrate their victory. As the team all demorphed and embraced each other, Lena smiled wide as she joined in the revelry. Her understanding of humans may have only become cloudier, but this she understood with perfect clarity. Friends to look out for her, a team she could rely on. And a team that she could trust to the ends of the earth.
At last, the fateful evening came, and the doors of the Lakeview gym were thrown open to get the party started. The entire school was there in all their finery, hired suits and flowing gowns as far as the eye could see as the sparkled lights of the disco ball spun around the venue. The line for the punch was long, the bodies on the dancefloor were numerous, and the senior class of Lakeview High were having the absolute time of their lives.
Almost all of them. While the rest of the cohort tore up the floor like there was no tomorrow, Lena sat at a table at the edge of the room, cheek pressed into her palm and bored out of her mind. It was bad enough that she'd had to be dropped off after her prior arrangements had fallen through, but now she was stuck by the wall and watching as her friends had fun without her. There they were, gleefully moving in time to the beat and joyously reveling in tunes that had been new the last time Lena had existed.
Not that she could blame them. With every swerve and shift, Erika looked back at Valerie alluringly, smiling wider than Lena had ever thought possible. Beside them, Abbey and Miguel swayed in each other's arms, blissfully lost to time in their mutual gaze. She may not have had it for herself, but Lena was happy for them and, at the very least, was glad that they were still able to have the night they'd always wanted.
If only she could have found something like it for herself.
Lena was so lost in her mind-numbing envy that she barely noticed Zeke approaching the table with a pair of cups. Dressed in simple black slacks with a matching bowtie, his formalwear was pulled together by a striking lemon-yellow jacket that offset his dark skin in a way that paler tones could only envy. Lena had to admit, he looked pretty dapper; not bad for a nerd who used to be shoved inside a locker.
"Care for some punch?" Zeke asked as he sat beside her. Lena took it with barely a word, sipping from thoughtlessly as she continued to survey the merriment. They sat for another minute in awkward silence, letting the soft bridge of "Teenage Dirtbag" fall in the quiet between them before, finally, Zeke broke it. "Where's your date?"
Rolling her eyes, Lena motioned over to the corner of the room, where Whitney was busy socializing with the who's who of the cohort, adorned with her sparkly, new plastic crown. It had been the talk of the school in the final days before the dance, how Whitney had spectacularly dumped Chad Leary before announcing that she would, in fact, be attending the dance with Deryck. Now, the two were practically joined at the hip, and Whitney was dripping off his arm like he was the hottest accessory of the season.
"Oh," Zeke realized before adding sheepishly, "Sorry."
"They deserve each other." Lena shrugged before adding in anticipation, "Go on, say I told you so."
But to Zeke's credit, he didn't rub it in. Instead, he simply shook his head in flat refusal. "I don't think there's anything that I could say. I didn't want to be right, and I'm sorry that it didn't work out."
"It doesn't matter," Lena decided sadly. "It's like not anything was going to come of it anyway. I don't think I actually want to date anyone. At least not anyone here. I don't know; maybe it's because I'm just an android; I just don't think it's in me."
It was why it had captivated her so much, an experience that was so inescapably human, all the while something so completely alien. But after all that, after learning at the very least what she didn't want, the whole affair had left Lena feeling more confused than ever. And there was no way she was asking Ray and Hilary to explain it further; there wasn't a single person in their apartment ready for that conversation.
As the music began to simmer into a slow-moving ballad, Zeke slowly nodded in acceptance of her answer as he watched the couples form on the dancefloor. They watched them for a long time, both gazing at what neither had, neither sure of what to say.
"There are no rules," Zek said eventually.
"What do you mean?"
"Dating," Zeke explained. "There aren't any rules. Not really. Actually, there's one. Just one."
Lena raised an eyebrow, turning to face him properly with skepticism worn plain on her face. He was trying to prove his point, and he couldn't even get the numbers right; this was going to be good. That's what she thought, which was why what Zeke said next completely floored her.
"They've both got to want it."
Lena's jaw dropped, stunned at the sheer simplicity. So obvious, and yet something Lena had completely missed in all her contrarian arguments. Seeing her surprise, Zeke chuckled.
"When two people go on a date, they're looking for something, something different to friendship. They can already be friends, or they can be complete strangers. But what matters is that they're both open to the idea of what it might become. That's what makes a date."
And then, as if the idea had caught him off guard, Zeke slowly turned to the dancefloor, where Abbey was softly swaying as she floated in Miguel's loving embrace.
"Being into someone who doesn't feel that way sucks, trust me," Zeke said sadly. And then he turned back to Lena to finish up with a pointed look. "I can only imagine going on a date with someone who isn't interested is even worse."
Lena's side of it had certainly been bad enough, and as she conceded Zeke's point, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for doing the same thing to Deryck. The realization only made her sink further into her seat as her wallowing deepened. Such a basic, essential human experience, and she had no idea what she was meant to do. All her observations and her research, and here Lena was, getting schooled by Zeke of all people.
"Does anyone know how it's all meant to work?" she groaned in frustration. But to her surprise, Lena's teammate simply laughed.
"Nope. Everyone's stumbling along blind. In fact, it's basically one of the most important parts."
"Well, that's comforting," Lena said bitterly. "If I'd realized that it was one of the greatest unknown mysteries of the universe, I could have saved myself the effort."
"I mean," Zeke pointed out with a sneaky smile. "I did try to warn you.'
There it was.
And yet, Lena could only laugh, impressed at Zeke's perfect delivery as, at last, some of the self-pity was cathartically expelled. Zeke's smile was equally wide, laughing along with her just as the beat began to change. As a tempo began to rise, so did Zeke, swerving in front of her with an elbow extended in offer.
"Now," he decided, "this is your first high school dance. And there's no way you're going to come to one of these and not end up dancing."
Lena could only stare, her circuits failing to compute as she tried to comprehend what he was suggesting.
"But…" she stammered. "We're friends."
"I'm not asking you on a date," Zeke clarified with a smile. "Just a dance. No rule against that."
For a moment, Lena considered refusing, still uncertain of the web of social requirements that could be at play. But she must have been wearing her hesitation plainly because, almost immediately, a voice cried out from the edge of the dancefloor.
"Lena!" Abbey called to her. "Come on!"
The others turned, seeing Zeke standing before her and grinning as they all beckoned gleefully to join them. Abbey was calling to her, Miguel nodding with agreeing enthusiasm while Erika caught her eye before doing 'the robot" in a blatant and obvious dare. All of them looked at her with pleading excitement. Her friends.
And so, with a sigh of feigned resignation, Lena looked up at Zeke and took his arm.
"Oh, why not?
With a victorious grin, Zeke swept Lena from the table and guided her to the others. They cheered as she joined them, bouncing up and down as the beat picked up to yet another early 2000s classic. And as Lena and her friends grooved with the dorkiest dance moves they could think of, her heart roared with excited elation that she prayed would never end. The way they laughed, they smiled, the way they danced together until their feet hurt and then danced some more. The rest of the night was nothing but a blur, a giddy whirlwind of excitement and exhilaration as Lena fell into the blissful enjoyment of her company.
Who needed a date?
Certainly not Lena, not when she had friends like hers.
NEXT TIME:
It's parent-teacher night at Lakeview High, the final one for the year, and the Rangers are all bracing in anticipation. But while Erika frets about what her teachers will tell her father, Xaviax takes advantage of the gathering to launch an attack on the school. With everyone scrambling to protect their loved ones, things will go from bad to worse as the Rangers realize the true target of the attack: their Morphers.
Will Erika's dad get the news that she so longs for him to hear?
Will the Rangers be able to protect their families from Xaviax's latest onslaught?
And with their very powers under attack, will Xaviax's scheme spell doom for the Rangers, once and for all?
Find out Next time on
POWER RANGERS
SERVER FORCE
Meet & Greet: Part I
Power Rangers: Server Force is a fan-made team of Rangers, and not explicitly based on any other existing Rangers or Sentai property, with artwork character models created through Hero Forge.
Power Rangers- Sever Force updates on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you like what you read, you can always drop a comment to let me know and don't forget to subscribe/ follow to find out the second I update.