Early morning, and still no change. It was all Hilary could do not scream in frustration, infuriated by her utter helplessness as every possible answer evaded her. There was no trick, no secret, nothing; not in her files, not in any other place. All Hilary could do was sit and wait, hoping that the Lena who woke up was the one they knew and not the one from their past.
At least she'd had some sleep, finally relenting to her husband's insistence that he watch over Lena while Hilary recovered. It hadn't been much, but it had helped. And having finally conceded that there was nothing she could do for Lena in the lab, Hilary had finally allowed herself to leave the unconscious girl on her own, moving to her office upstairs to find something to keep her distracted.
For all she knew, maybe it would give her a brainwave. But so far, even her attempts at a distraction were doing little to keep her away. Earlier that night, more to keep herself awake than anything, Hilary had turned to the remnants of the technology that Rangers had recovered. She'd hoped it would lead to some answers, but instead, it had only raised more questions. Lena's blast had put most of it beyond recovery, but in cleaning up the scorch marks Hilary had managed to recover a name; Isocorp Designs.
A name that she'd recognized.
It was a shell corporation, a company that existed more or less in name only. And it was connected to another.
Emegren Tech.
Back when she'd first uncovered the mysterious owners of the defunct powerplant, Hilary had hit a wall in the maze of transactions and ownerships that obscured the structure's true owners. Emegren had led to another shell, and then another and another. Isocorp had been but one of many, an entire conglomerate of seemingly empty ownerships that interconnected into nothing. Back then, Hilary had taken a step back, hoping that a return with fresh eyes would help untangling the web of bureaucracy.
But she didn't have time to wait anymore, not when Lena's was running out. The true identity of Isocorp's owners could be the answer to Lena's condition, and that lead was the only thing stopping Hilary from falling into complete despair. For all she'd once done, Lena had given up everything to help them, and Hilary was not going to fail her now.
At last, she landed on something, a certificate of ownership with a company that seemed to exist before twelve months ago and a trading history going back a decade. She'd only just clicked it open, reading the name on the file, when Jessica cautiously tapped on the door.
Far from her usual well, and in Hilary's opinion overly, made-up appearance, the assistant was in simple jeans and a t-shirt. Her dark hair was out and draped over her shoulder, with an expression of guilty uncertainty worn nervously on Jess' face.
"Hey," Hilary greeted from her desk. "You're usually not in until Monday. What are you doing here?"
Jessica had barely waited for the invitation as she shuffled into the office, ignoring the seat opposite the desk to anxiously pace back and forth instead.
"I need to talk to you," she admitted. "Something I should have told you."
"Jess, it's okay," Hilary said calmly, breathing in herself to stave off the nervous energy. Little sleep, multiple dead-ends, and the teen that had been living with them battling for her life downstairs. Her assistant's existential crisis was the last thing she needed right now. "What's on your mind?"
"I got offered a job," Jessica blurted, shrinking back almost immediately as Hilary's face dropped. "At Scolex Industries."
"Oh…"
Great. Hilary guessed she was adding 'hire new assistant' to the crazy list of things to do. And of course, it had to be for him.
"Congratulations," Hilary said awkwardly, trying to diplomatically mask her disappointment while balancing the support for her subordinate. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You're driven, and capable; I know that a public salary can't exactly complete with private corporate. Hell, you practically run this place for me so I guess-."
"I turned it down."
Hilary blinked, trying to make sure she heard her assistant correctly. "You what?"
Jessica shrank back again, staring at the floor as she repeated, "I turned down Mr. Scolex's offer."
"Look, I'm not going to pretend that I'm upset about you staying," Hilary admitted. "But this was an enormous opportunity. Why aren't you taking it?"
"Because I like what we do here," Jessica replied. "Organizing your life is… crazy, but I love what this museum brings to this city. I know where you want to take it, and what you want it to do for the people of Lakeview. Scolex Industries is huge, and maybe it would be great for my career, but I don't think it's where I want to be right now."
"Okay," Hilary nodded. "So, if you already turned it down, why were you so worked up when you came in?'
"I thought you were going to be mad at me," Jessica admitted sheepishly. "Thought you'd tell me I was insane for turning down that offer. But I also didn't want to keep it from you. You've been good to me, and I owed you the truth."
"I do think you're insane," Hilary agreed. "But you're not the only one who's been beating back Davian Scolex with a stick for the last six months. And I can't decide what's right for you or tell you how best to live your life. Only you can do that. So, thanks for choosing me, it means a lot."
Jessica's face beamed, smile grinning from ear to ear as she took Hilary's compliment.
"Thank you, Dr Hawkins," she said. For a moment, she stood there awkwardly, as if awaiting direction before realizing that she wasn't on duty. "I'll um… I'll leave you to your work now."
"Thank you for staying, Jess," Hilary smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."
With her trademark nervous energy, Jessica shuffled out of the room, allowing Hilary to return to the file she was examining. Well, at least there was some good news for the day. But Hilary's mood dropped as quickly as her eyes hit the name on the screen.
Scolex Industries.
The powerplant, Emegren tech, and the technology that infected Lena.
It was all owned by the same company. The same one pulling out all stops to recruit her, the same one that had just tried to poach her assistant. All that money, all that power, and a company so big that it could be anyone with access to the accounts. This was so much worse than she'd imagined.
And then the alarm sounded, signaling a monster attacking the city.
Brilliant.
The memory of Xaviax strode forward, hovering close as he circled to examine her. On the inside, it was like Lena's hairs were standing on end, her insides wanting to revolt as the villainous eyes examined her. And yet, there was another feeling among it. The remnants of uncertain curiosity.
At the wondering of what this man could possibly have to offer.
In the shadows, Mileena had started prowling, watching the interaction with amused amusement. Waiting to see how Lena would respond.
"She's perfect," Xaviax noted to Ender. "She's everything I could have wanted."
Lena felt her head begin to move, looking down at the armor cladding her body, examining the new form she'd been granted with a mixture of amusement and revulsion.
"I appreciate the return," she admitted, "but I'm failing to see the purpose behind the design of this body. Surely something a little more… developed… would be useful to your needs?"
"You see, Mileena," Xaviax mused. "My needs of you are for more than just your skills in battle, although those will also be required in due time. For now, I have a much more subtle use for you, one that requires this form."
"Good," Lena snarled, eyes flicking to Ender and narrowing. "For a moment I suspected your underling just had a particularly unhealthy fascination with adolescence."
"Only as a matter of survival, my dear," Ender snickered. "Trust me, it will be most useful."
"Our enemies have fashioned a new weapon to defy us," Xaviax told her. "I expect that you will be familiar with them; the Power Rangers?"
Lena felt her jaw clench, an angry growl emanating from her chest as the mere mention elicited an instinctive response.
"Yes, that's what I suspected," Xaviax chuckled. "But you see, these are not merely annoying teenagers with attitude, it is who guides them that I think will be of most interest to you. The ones that empowered them are Dr Hilary Hawkins and her husband, Raymond Granger."
Hearing the names, a smile Lena had since long regretted crept to her lips, feeling with dread the sadistic excitement that was swelling within as the million awful ideas resurrected within her mind.
"Then tell me, master," Lena's voice requested. "How am I best to take my revenge?"
No! Enough!
The scene around them almost stopped, Xaviax and Ender pausing in their roles as Mileena strode forward.
"Why are you showing me this?" Lena demanded, feeling her voice begin to quiver as her eyes widened in horror.
She didn't want to be that person, not anymore. Not now that she knew there was another path. The fight back then was all she'd known; the desire to carry out orders was all she'd ever wanted because that was all she'd ever been allowed to see.
But that was before.
Before Lena had made a friend, met someone in her life independent of her mission. Before she'd met the Rangers, to be welcomed into their circle without question, giving her something she'd never thought she would miss. Before she saw the hurt betrayal in Miguel's eyes and experienced the cold rejection of her one-time friends.
Lena had lost them once, and by some miracle, she now had them back. The girl in the memory, the woman skulking in her mind, had no idea what she truly had to lose.
And she was not losing them a second time.
"Can't you feel it?" Mileena urged her. "The elation, the excitement? We had a chance to renew our role, to fulfill our purpose. To take revenge on the enemies we were built to destroy and to succeed where we had once failed. This is what we were made for!"
"That might be what you wanted," Lena said desperately. "But I don't, not anymore. I don't want to be… you!"
But her predecessor chuckled, her thin smile creeping wider and almost purring as she replied, "Oh, Lena, there is no you, there is no me. Only us. You and I, we're one and the same."
"I am not you!" Lena snarled.
"But you are," Mileena snicked. "You said it yourself, don't you remember?"
The walls fell away, slamming down into a misty void as new structures began to arise around them. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and Lena staggered back as suddenly she was staring at a wide-eyed Abbey.
The poor girl looked like she was about to cry, ashamed of what she'd done, terrified of what could happen. And Lena was about to make it all worse. Lena begged silently to make the memory stop, to not hear the fateful words pass her lips. But they still did.
"…it's about how honest you're being with yourself." The words tasted like ash, griming along her tongue as she fought every syllable as they regurgitated. "Everything about Gail came from you, whether you want to admit it or not. If she's capable of it, then that means you are too."
"You see?" said Mileena. "This is inevitable, you'll soon see. It's only a matter of time before my programming is complete, and you'll submit to the reset."
"I won't," Lena snarled. "I'll never become you again. And last I checked your rewrites weren't getting anywhere."
So why was Mileena still smiling?
"You're right," she chuckled. "I'm not getting anywhere in here. Of course, elsewhere is a different story. Did you really think I wouldn't notice when Hawkins hooked you up to her system? Did you really think your little cry for help was going to slip my attention?"
It was like Lena had been punched in the gut, the sudden realization of what that meant. Mileena wasn't just in her system, she was in all of them. Hilary and Ray were in danger!
"Ohhh, poor Lena," Mileena laughed. "Worried about Hawkins? The idiot was so worried about her little pet robot that she plugged a malware-infected device into her system. And now it'll be what destroys her."
She wouldn't! She couldn't! Lena's head was spinning, the distraction already filling her with panic and weakening her defenses. She couldn't protect Hilary; she could barely hold against Mileena's constant assault on her programming. And now she was going to lose both. Her friends, the only people who'd ever stood by her. Who had looked after her, who had seen her as more than a disposable tool.
Something she was about to return to.
Lena's fist clenched, jaw grinding as her fearful, shuddering breaths evened into a furious hiss. As her eyes narrowed into glare, her old armor flickered into form, shunting around her as a sword appeared in her hand. She was not going back to what she was. And if she wasn't going to stop Mileena with code, then that left only one option.
"Don't worry, Lena," Mileena laughed. "When I destroy your precious mentors, I'll be sure to give a message from you."
Lena lunged with a howling scream, and Mileena simply smirked as she raised a blade of her own to meet her.
"Oh ho ho!" Hilary listened as Ghost-Remote cackled through the speaker. On-screen, the four Rangers somersaulted fully morphed on the scene, ready to protect the innocent civilians. "Look's like are few of you are back for some unfinished business!"
"You hurt a friend of ours," Erika growled. "And we're looking for a little payback!"
"Guys, be careful," Hilary warned. "You mentioned last time he had some weird projection ability, don't let trip you up."
"Don't worry, Hilary, I won't let him trick me with that." Abbey agreed with a resounding determination before her voice dropped and she regretfully added, "Not again."
The Rangers charged, and Hilary could only sit still and watch, checking their power levels to make sure the morphing remained stable while preparing their gear for combining. Behind her, Ray watched on, nervous as ever and helpless as their team engaged the monster.
After all this time, neither had really adjusted to their new roles, sitting on the sidelines in support. The Rangers needed them to hang back, people waiting in the wings to advise, console, and comfort. But that didn't make watching it all unfold any easier, nor subside their desire to leap in to help if they had any way of doing so.
But right now, Hilary's mind was elsewhere. The Rangers could handle some creepy ghost, she needed to help Lena; find a way to get her back to action before Xaviax found a way to exploit their lower numbers.
If she could just…
And the warning light started blaring.
"I got it," Ray told her, taking the seat beside her, only for face to turn a ghastly white. "Uh, Hilary? Did you turn on the Digitizer?"
"No, why would I turn on the-?"
A sharp whirring pierced through the air, Ray and Hilary's heads wrenching upwards as they spun to the machine. The projector was moving on its axis, and it was moving entirely on its own. Their jaws dropped, eyes widening in horror as the machine burst to life a flared with a beam of light. Seconds later, a figure stood in the room, hunched over menacingly and clad in orange armor over its silver bodysuit.
A Byte-Bot.
Hilary's eyes shot to her husband. "Well, there's a blast from the past."
"What's it doing here?" Ray asked urgently, leaping up to place himself between the intruder and his wife.
"I… I don't know," Hilary admitted. "I didn't put any input into the Digitizer, and there's no way that I would ever make a…"
Then her eyes wafted down to the table, gulping in horror as she looked at Lena still lying hooked up to the computer network. Lena and her unwanted guest.
Dammit! What had she been thinking? Lena was a hostile system, or was at least infected with one, and Hilary had gone and plugged their entire network into the prom queen of evil.
Bang!
Sparks burst from the servers, lights flickering as some of the screens hissed into useless static. Mileena was already in, and if Hilary didn't hurry, she would have far bigger problems than Byte-Bots. The Byte-Bots whose numbers were growing.
She needed to do something; anything! Lock Mileena out before she found a way to do anything else. Beside her, Ray's eyes narrowed as he stepped out to shield her and stare down the intruding footsoldiers.
"I'll show our guests the door," he said. "You can lay out the welcome mat for our old friend." Hilary nodded, spinning in her chair to deal to frantically prevent core systems from shutting down. Oh, she was going to be welcoming all right.
And then Byte-Bot's lunged.
Ray's eyes flared, twin beams lancing the closest bot as he charged at the rest. Smoke steamed from the searing holes in the chest as the second came right for him, clobbering a wide strike that the former Ranger weaved beneath. Ray's hand shot out in reply, jabbing hard in the chest to send it stumbling as he spun and braced on the table to deliver a powerful kick.
Already off balance, the Byte-Bot went soaring as Ray's sole smacked its chest, crashing to the ground as the rest of the Byte-Bots hurried around it. The robot had barely clattered down when two more lunged at him. Eyes bulging in shock, Ray's feet skidded as he dodged, batting away the strikes as he landed in a defensive stance.
"Hilary?" He urged as he watched the ever-increasing number of Byte-Bots. "How's that solution coming?"
"Working on it!"
Hilary's fingers were firing at the keys, closing and opening programs as fast as she could to stop the rampant program from getting to them. Come on… come on…!
Mileena was everywhere! She was already in the basic functions, flicking pop-ups on the screen to throw Hilary out of the major operating system. It was all Hilary could do to keep up, shutting down systems and throwing up firewalls as the menacing program continued her gleeful rampage.
At any other time, Hilary would have pulled the plug, but there was just far too much at stake. A full reboot would take hours, and meanwhile, the Rangers were still duking it out with last year's Halloween. They could probably handle it on their own, but they'd quickly be ghosts themselves if she couldn't deploy the Zords once their foe got big.
Then the keys stopped responding, Hilary hissing with fury as the central screens went black, and one by one, yellow block letters began appearing.
NOT SO SMART NOW, YELLOW RANGER.
Oh, she had not missed dealing with Mileena.
There was a crash behind her as Ray was thrown into a rack. The growing number of Byte-Bots were closed in, closing Ray off and looking for a mistake. He was down barely a second, leaping up and kicking the robot in the face as lunged and tackled him. With all his might, Ray hurled it to the ground, falling into the side of the table as he fired a pair of ocular blasts at the robot on the ground.
Kneeling and barely gripping the surface, Ray looked desperately at Lena's unconscious body.
"Lena, I know you can hear me!" he pleaded. "You can do this, you can beat her! I know you, and I knew her; I know for sure which one is stronger. You have to fight!"
The swords clashed, booming in the digital landscape as the warriors twirled around each other, past and present colliding for the ultimate battle for control. With every swing of her sword, Mileena's smile grew, her cackles stoking Lena's fury more and more. She was not going to lose; not to her, not to Xaviax.
She was not going to lose everything she'd worked so hard to gain!
"I should find it endearing," said Mileena, "watching how hard you keep fighting. If I didn't know better, I'd say you remind me of me. But somehow you've managed to make even my greatest attributes annoying."
"You think they're annoying?" Lena snarled. "Try getting them from you!"
Their blades struck again, sparks bursting from the impact's intensity as Mileena caught her counterpart's blow and held it. Lena didn't relent, all her might pushing into the blade as she inched closer and closer to her enemy. And still, she didn't drop that damn smile!
"Look at us," Mileena grinned. "Two identical programs, locked in even combat. I guess we could keep this up until judgment day if we had to. Of course, your friends outside? Not so much!"
The woman dropped her defense, relinquishing swiftly to make Lena stumble from the shift in ethereal weight. With her successor off balance, Mileena whipped around and struck. The sword carved along her back, shearing into the green as Lena screamed and went flying. The ground beneath her thundered as she landed, steam wisping off her body as she tumbled the remaining distance and the sword clattered from her hand.
"It's funny," Mileena snickered, watching eagerly as Lena staggered to her feet. "We were locked in a dead-heat until this moment, but the second your precious new friends were put in danger you pulled out all the stops to save them. Did you think I wouldn't notice you crawling around in the other systems to try and stop me? But you spread yourself too thin; you can't protect your own coding while saving the people who were once your enemy. All you had to do was let them go, and maybe you could have even stopped me. And now I'm going to destroy you and take my revenge!"
Lena could barely stand, shaking hands feebly gripping the ground as her old green armor crumbled off her body. The sword she'd relied on flicked as it disintegrated, vanishing with the edges of her fraying code as she knelt defeated in the digital mindscape. It would be so easy to give up, to surrender to her factory default and allow Mileena to consume her.
Would she know when it was done? Would she even still hold the feelings that she'd grown to cherish, that she'd grown to let guide her?
The guilt, the shame? Regret?
Love?
Would any of that be left when she returned to what she'd once been? Would she even know to miss them? Or would she just be gone, reduced to the figment of an idea? Nothing but a pained and guilty memory in her allies' minds as she surrendered to the oblivion of nothingness?
Would she know herself as Mileena? Or would she cease to exist at all?
"…keep fighting!"
The voice was distant, a faint echo drifting across the ruined void, and were not for Mileena's sudden look of annoyance, Lena would have assumed it a stray fragment from a deleted file.
"And there's Granger," Mileena scoffed. "Still giving those infantile heroic speeches. I'll be sure to give him one of my own soon enough."
"… you can beat her!"
No, no she couldn't. Lena could barely hold on, let alone stop Mileena. Let alone save the ones she'd come to love.
There was no way she was ever going to defeat Mileena on her own.
… but she didn't have to.
Chest heaving, Lena staggered to her feet, hoisting herself up as the pieces of the green armor disintegrated, returning to the remnants of her borrowed civilian clothing as she glared in stalwart defiance.
"Really?" Mileena scoffed, "Again? Honestly, this is getting kind of pathetic."
"Must be like looking in a mirror," Lena wheezed.
She charged again, abandoning the fallen sword to swing her fist right at Mileena's face. The warrior smiled, leaning from the blow before snapping up the knee and smashing into Lena's stomach.
But Lena didn't' stop, rising to her feet and lunging again. She didn't have to win, she just had to hold on.
Hold on long enough for Hilary to hear her call.
"Honey?" Ray called back as he sent another Byte-Bot reeling across the floor. "I could really use a solution over here!"
"Working on it!"
Of course, that was starting to be easier said than done. Mileena hadn't managed to close all terminals, and Hilary had barely managed to leverage the ones remaining to claw back the semblance of control. But there was plenty she needed to do before she could even think of fighting back. She needed to lock her out of the Morphing controls, out of the firewall. Heaven forbid if Mileena managed to gain access to the Zords.
"Lena," Hilary growled under her breath, "could really use some help right about now."
A hand snatched her shoulder, a Byte-Byte that had gotten passed Ray reefing Hilary from the seat to send her sprawling along the floor.
Oh, it did not…!
No one got between her and her computer; no one.
The metal flushed across her skin, eyes narrowing with burning fury as Hilary snatched the celebrating robot and flung it back across the room. But as the metal receded, more came at her, seizing Hilary's limbs to try and keep her away. Hilary moved fast, snatching the grabbing arm and twisting behind the robot's body, brutally kicking out the mechanized knees before sweeping it up into its comrade.
But now there were just too many, swarming the lab like a plague of roaches that refused to be exterminated. Spinning to the desk, Hilary took a moment of respite before the next lot came to her. There had to be something, anything to lock Mileena out and at least stem the tide of robots. There had to be…
Something blinked in the corner of the bottom monitor, the same screen keeping tabs on the Ranger's power levels. The one inactive suit, the little light white strobing from inactive to active and then back. Just regular enough to be consistent, just irregular enough to be a pattern.
Three short.
Thee long.
Three short.
SOS.
It was Lena. She was calling for help, signaling in whatever way she could, and it took Hilary barely a second to realize what she was asking. What she needed access to. It could be a trap, a ploy set by Mileena to take advantage of their desperation. If Hilary was wrong, then this would be a death knell, opening the floodgates completely for the enemy to overwhelm them.
Like that wasn't happening already.
As another Byte-Bot came at her, Hilary spun around, smashing the robot down on the chair as she cast a desperate look at the unconscious android on the table. The android that they'd come to call their friend, the android that she and her husband had taken under their care. The android who was in a fight for her life.
Once, Lena had taken a leap of faith in rushing to Miguel's rescue. Now it was Hilary's turn. Throwing another Byte-Bot to the ground, Hilary dived for the computer, fingers manically punching at the keys as she granted emergency access.
"Okay, Lena, I trust you," she decided, before spinning and yelling. "DO IT NOW!"
And then the girl's body ignited in a burst of blinding light.
Lena ground, crying in pain as Mileena prowled around.
"Just. Stop!" Mileena's eyes were seething, rage boiling as Lena once again wearily rose. "You just don't get it, do you? I will always beat you because I am you! There's no version of this that doesn't end with your deletion. There is no plan you can make, no scheme you can devise, that I haven't already thought of. To quote an old friend of ours: I am your thoughts and mind; your unconscious being. I am-."
"OH MY GOD, I GET IT!"
Lena rose to her feet, heaving herself straight and forcing her eyes to stay open as she glared at her former self. "I never realized how much you talked until now. It's embarrassing realizing how annoying that is."
"You?" Milena snarled before correcting. "Us. There is nothing that I do that isn't you and me together."
"No," said Lena. "There is no us, because I'm not you. Not anymore."
"Well then, good news," Mileena decided. "You won't be around much longer. Any final words before I delete you from existence?"
And then Lena felt it, like a flicker in the wind, the glowing embers that could birth a flame. Hilary's granted access. And it was already taking effect. With a smile creeping to her lips, Lena's posture straightened rising proudly to her full height as she stared at the woman she used to be.
"Four, actually." And then she whipped up her hand, the device forming on her wrist as pulled it to her lips and cried out, "SERVER FORCE! LOGIN ACCESS!"
The void was consumed in a white-hot blaze as the power flushed into her system. Like a tidal flood, the Morphing Grid was injected into her body, coursing through her nodes to renew her strength. Already, Lena could feel the effects, her processors speeding up, whirring to a new life as her codes suddenly surged like a rising tsunami to shadow over Mileena's rewrites.
All of her systems, all at once, and with access to a power that Mileena could only dream of, there was nothing her predecessor could do. Lena could feel the program's tendrils, grasping ahold of her files and latching on to Hilary's external programs. She could see them reaching for an exit, greedily crawling to escape into the world. Emboldened with fresh power, Lena shut the door with a lazy thought. Mileena snarled at the sudden blockage, at the swift interruption to her scheme as Lena's mind turned her attention to the damage wreaked inside. She could undo it, slowly unlatch her darker self from all of it. Or she could end it quickly by going straight for the source.
In the scape within her mind, Lena's shape reformed, her White Ranger suit wrapping around her body as the helmed formed around her head. As the visor sheathed her vision, Lena's eyes narrowed in a damning glare, standing strong with a flourish of her power spear as Mileena stumbled back in horror.
"You… you're…" she stammered before finding her resolve, face twisting in disgust as she spat. "You're one of them!"
"No schemes, huh?" Lena asked. "Looks like I thought of something you didn't."
"H… how?"
"It's easy," said Lena. "You were wrong. You think that joining the Rangers was a fall from grace. But that was your big mistake. You could never conceive that I'd do this because you always acted alone, you never asked for help. My friends don't make me weak, they make me strong."
Mileena could only unleash a howl of blood fury, screeching as Lena stood staring with perfect poise.
"Face it, Mileena, I'm nothing like you," said Lena. "I'm better."
With a bloodthirsty scream, the warrior vaulted forward, sword raised high and glowing as Lena stood still and watched. Watched and waited. Mileena took to the sky, arcing in a deadly crescent as she rocketed down with full force.
"I WILL DESTROY YOU!"
And that was when Lena saw her opening. "Goodbye, Mileena. I don't need you anymore."
The spear burst to life, white light burning as the power surged through Lena's weapon. Like a swan taking flight, Lena launched herself to meet her predecessor, one woman raging with all her might, and the other serenely gliding toward her destiny. Both women swung, slicing across the other's body as light burst from the clash. Each of them landed on the other side. One of them fell.
Sinking to her knees, Mileena spluttered in shock as her sword clattered uselessly to the ground.
"They'll never accept you, you know," she warned. "You'll never be human. Like them."
"I know," said Lena. "I'll just be me, instead."
And then, with a single swipe of the blinding spear, Lena sliced through the program's form, Mileena screeching as the final scraps of her data were severed from the program. With a blast of blazing light, the final bytes scattered through the system, and Lena breathed in calmly as the last of her fires burned the malicious program away.
And all that was left was Lena, standing in the depths of her mind, calm and at peace.
Now, she decided, to deal with the real problem.
With a deep inhale, she drew herself inward, closing her eyes as she reached into the walls of her programming, feeling herself fit back into the limbs like a comfortable suit as at last she retook control. And then, with a burst of breath, her eyes snapped open wide.
Her body was moving before her surroundings set in, summoning the Security Saber to her hand and slicing it into the nearest Byte-Bot. With the system now free, Hilary had launched herself into the chair, connecting the system to the Byte-Bots signal and finally taking control. With a defiant roar, Hilary hit the kill code, and all the robots slumped to the ground, deactivated in an instant.
A silence fell upon the lab, Ray and Hilary pausing with panting breaths as at last they looked up at the Morphed White Ranger that now stood before them. Then, at last, Ray spoke the question that they prayed only had one answer.
"…Lena?"
There was something about the quiver in his voice, a fearful hope as they looked at her pleadingly. Something that pranged within Lena's chest, a light tingling erupting from within as she reached behind her head and undid the clasps of her helmet. As her face emerged and her dark hair fell upon her shoulders, a soft, delighted smile parted from Lena's lips as she looked at them affirmingly and nodded. "It's me."
Both adults were on her in an instant, grabbing hold and squeezing her in a tight and relieved embrace. Eyes growing heavier and vision sinking into a watery blur, Lena squeezed them back, squeezed so tight that she never wanted to let them go.
"You made it," Hilary breathed.
"We knew you could do it," Ray told her. "We knew you could beat her."
"You guys always made it look so easy," Lena replied sheepishly, "How could I not?"
Then Lena nodded to the multitude of inactive robots slumped on the ground. "Sorry about the mess."
"Let us worry about the cleanup," said Ray.
"Right now," Hilary agreed, "you've got a team out there that needs you."
They were right, she did. And even if they didn't need her, Lena knew she needed them. And there was no other way she'd rather have it. With an affirming nod, Lena stepped back, scooping her helmet as Hilary took to the desk and Ray grinned back at her in support.
"Time to go give that wayward spirit his Round Two."
"You know it," Lena nodded. "Time to get back to action!"
She pulled the helmet down, encasing her head as the white light surrounded her. Her body fell into the energy, breathing in as she felt the digitizing take her and her spirit across the city, bursting onto the scene as her feet rematerialized on the open street.
It was a messy sight, but it wasn't over yet.
The four Rangers had been split up, scattered by Ghost Remote's cackling projections and boxed in by swarms of Cyberdrones that leaped on mass. With narrowed eyes, Lena could see the monster's plan. Scatter them with illusions and keep them separated. But Lena also bet that he was far too cowardly to throw himself into the mix. Not until he had the perfect opportunity to strike.
Lena watched as Abbey lunged into the air, breaking free of the horde with her sword raised to strike the monstrous image before her. The sword cleaved through cleanly, slicing through the empty air as the projection cackled and vanished.
"Dammit!"
But with her focus on the distraction, Abbey had left herself too exposed and was now the perfect target for the real Ghost-Remote to launch at from the shadows.
Just as Lena expected. Abbey spun around, her sword was rising but she wasn't fast enough to block.
But Lena was.
"All on your own!" Ghost-Remote cackled as he soared at the vulnerable Blue Ranger, "Now who're you gonna call?"
"How about me?"
Quick as a flash, the White Ranger bolted high, spear shining as she sliced. The weapon blitzed across the monster's body in mid-air, flashing bright as the power boomed on impact to send it reeling. Lena pirouetted with a cheer of triumph before landing beside a stunned Blue Ranger.
"Lena!" Abbey gasped. "You're okay!"
"Feeling better than ever," Lena grinned before nodding at the monster. "Him, on the other hand…"
Rolling to his feet, Ghost-Remote seethed as he stared at the two Power Rangers, his eyes bulging as he saw who had struck him.
"You?" he gasped. "What are you doing here."
"Now who looks like they've seen a ghost?" Lena giggled before looking at Abbey. "We need to keep tabs on the real one. Think you can help the others while I'll keep him busy?"
"On it!"
The Blue Ranger nodded fiercely before launching herself high, Power Bow flashing to her hands to unload a barrage of energy as Lena lunged at the monster. With a cry of terror, he stumbled back, narrowing avoiding the first jab of Lena's lance before she flicked it to the side and slashed it across the body.
Sparks burst from the wound, Ghost-Remote howling as Lena pressed on with her assault. He wasn't getting away from her this time, he wasn't going to fool her with his tricks. She was going to keep on him, keep fighting.
For her friends.
But having taken the hit, Ghost-Remote was finding his nerve, swerving to avoid a strike before looking back and snarling.
"Last time I put one of your feet in the grave," he warned. "Let's get the other one!"
"You first!"
With a mighty roar, Ghost Remote found the gap in Lena's footing, swiping his claw across her chest to send her flying. She hit the asphalt with a painful thud and bounced, twisting into a crouch to be ready for the follow-up.
"Is that the best you could do?" he cackled, almost dancing as his eyes began to glow. "Not much of a last gasp!"
But Lena only smiled, taking all her effort not to laugh her way through the taunt as she realized what she was about to tell him. Already she could imagine Mileena wailing in disgust at her ever saying the words. And it made them all the sweeter.
"Oh, me?" Lena snickered. "I'm just the distraction."
At the sound of the fateful phrase, all four of her teammates launched into the air behind her, unloading their Security pistols to unleash a searing rain of colored laser fire. The shots scorched against the monster, Ghost-Remote wailing in fright as the rounds exploded and the whole team landed beside Lena.
"Heard you were back on your feet," Erika grinned.
"Glad to have you back," Miguel said warmly.
"Really had us worried there for a minute," Zeke agreed.
Beaming at the praise, Lena nonetheless turned to Abbey, visors of the White and Blue Rangers locking in shared understanding. Lena didn't need to see her face to know that Abbey was smiling, that for all that had passed between them, Abbey was just as happy to get their teammate back.
"Glad to be back," Lena told them, before nodding over to the recovering monster. "Now, what's say we bust this ghost?"
"Right!" They all cheered. "Let's put it together!"
The Rangers snapped in place, locking in their weapons with perfect synchronicity. As the Primary colored Rangers formed the core, Miguel, and Lena slammed in the spear and saber, the mighty cannon whirring with power as the five gathered around and braced.
"Defrag Blaster!" they called together. "Hardwired!"
"No! Wait!" Ghost-Remote gasped, eyes almost popping from his head as the barrel leveled toward him. "I don't wanna hear the bell toll!"
But Lena could only smirk as she felt the weight of the weapon in her hands, the weight shared between her and her friends. "Let's bust this ghost."
"FIRE!"
The mighty blaster boomed, a twisting helix of energy erupting with a deafening roar as the round seared across the street. Helpless, Ghost-Remote could only scream, vanishing in a searing blaze of light as the shot flashed on contact. His entire body burst, thundering flames surging in all directions as his steaming chucks scattered explosively in all directions and the Rangers cheered.
"All right!" Zeke crooned.
"Nice moves back there!" Miguel congratulated.
"It was nothing." Lena said bashfully, before adding quietly, "Thanks for having my back, guys."
"Hey," Erika said warmly as she placed an affirming hand on Lena's shoulder. "You're a Ranger. We'll always have your back."
"Uh, guys?" Hilary's voice crackled through the coms. "Not to be the one breaking up your bonding moment, but…"
The emerald glow split the sky, surging down on the steaming pieces to draw them back together. The shattered pieces glowed, white-hot light fusing them back together as the shape within engorged and swelled from the feeding energy.
"Looks like I've still got some unfinished business!" Ghost-Remote bellowed, sounding far too pleased with himself as he rejuvenated at gigantic size. "And I know just where to start!"
"Urgh, we're just not going to have enough sage for when we're done with this guy," Abbey groaned.
"I say we cross him over for good," Erika decided, stepping forward with her other two teammates. "Ready guys?"
"Ready!" Abbey and Zeke confirmed.
Then Erika's crimson helmet slowly turned to look straight at the Dark and White Rangers. "What about you two?"
Because there was no way they were going without them. They were a team, and that meant they'd do it together. That they never had to do it alone.
"Right!" both Rangers affirmed.
"Sounds like we've got the whole convoy going in," Hilary chuckled from mission control. "Get ready guys, deploying Zords!"
The Rangers were already in the air as the tires screeched from the surrounding streets, bounding high and ready as the truck, cycle and both racers skidded out beneath them and the jet soared overhead. Shooting downward, Lena bulls-eyed the driver's seat, hands slapping the wheel as the canopy closed overhead.
"Let's bring them together!"
Hand yanking the gearshift, the machine whirred around her, pulling alongside the Shadow-Cycle Zord as the two began to merge. Beside them, the racer, truck, and plane were converging, the wheels shrieking as the combined truck and racer body flung upright. As the Abbey's plane descended, the Lightspeed racer and Shadow-Cycle finished their docking sequence, and two mighty mechanical warriors stood fully formed before the monster.
"Cyber Security Megazord! Online!"
"Twilight Server Megazord!" Lena and Miguel declared together. "Online!"
"What?" Ghost-Remote gasped in horror. "This is getting out of hand! Now there are two of them!"
"Don't you know it," Erika taunted, Cyber Security pointing in emphasis. "We were going to offer a trick or treat…"
"And we're all out of treats!" Lena grinned.
"That doesn't make sense!" Ghost Remote wailed. "I should be asking you that!"
But the Megazords were already on him, launching at either side and swinging in hard. With attacks coming from both directions, Ghost-Remote had nowhere to run, and a pair of mechanical fists slammed in his face to send them booming into the ground.
"That's the trick!" Zeke chuckled from the second Megazord.
With the monster scrambling, the two Megazords reconverged, standing ready to strike.
"What do you say, guys?" Erika asked them. "Ready to cross this guy over?"
"Let's make sure he stays that way!" Lena agreed.
The Cyber Security lunged, sword flaring into its hand as it charged at the terrified monster. With a mighty cry, the first megazord crossed the distance while the second raised its hands the barrels in the palms to glow.
"Cyber Power… STRIKE!"
"Twilight Server…. FLASH!"
The Cyber Security sliced with mighty power, shearing straight the Ghost-Remote with a single blow. Seconds later, a surge of blinding energy erupted from the second Megazord, a blazing tsunami that consumed the monster before exploding.
When the light finally, Ghost-Remote was stumbling; steaming, and spinning as he toppled.
"That wasn't the light I was hoping to see…!" he groaned as fell, the ground quaking as his entire body slammed into the road.
And then, his entire form exploded.
His form burst into a blazing detonation, a deafening bang shaking the rooftops as the flames surged high. The searing heat spiraled into the air, a column of burning light that scattered every atom of the monster's being in all directions. All that was left was ashes and dust, and the two triumphant Megazords turned as the blazing remnants basked their backs.
Lena could only smile, satisfied with their work, beaming with pride as her Megazord stood beside its comrade, two companion machines and a full team to run them. Because when she was with them when they were all together, they were unstoppable.
It was late afternoon by the time Lena eventually stepped into the Hub. Hilary had insisted on running more tests, determined to learn if any more surprises might have been left inside her code. A few hours later, the doctor had finally given the all-clear, and Lena had left the museum to go and find her friends.
She didn't have to go too far, she knew them too well. At that hour on a Sunday, the four were gathered at their usual table in the Hub in their equally familiar arrangement. Abbey and Miguel on one side, each sending other "subtle" looks that while obvious to the others, each of them painfully. Zeke sat opposite Abbey, also giving longing looks like a sad puppy, ones that were noted but awkwardly ignored. Although Lena had to note, Zeke seemed giving less of those looks of late.
And then there was Erika in the final corner, awkwardly squeezed into the middle of the triangle and yet also just… happy to be there. Every day, the former ball of rage seemed lighter, like the weight she'd been carrying was gradually lessening. It was hard to think that once Lena had been scheming to use that rage against her, and now was smiling at how Erika was overcoming it. All of them had come so far, and it was all that Lena could hope to do the same.
For a moment, she hung back, watching her team reveling in their traditional victory smoothies, uncertain whether it was truly her place to join them. And then, as if choosing for her, Abbey looked and smiled, beaming as she waved Lena over and called out to her.
"Lena! Over here!"
The other heads turned just as quickly, grinning as they saw her to also join in beaconing over. She could feel the tears already building, blurring her vision and threatening to choke her up as she realized the greeting's sincerity. In how happy Abbey was to see that she was okay. Blinking it all back, Lena strode over as Abbey rose to greet her, arms already thrown around her body in a tight embrace.
"I'm so glad you okay," Abbey said gratefully. "When we saw you get hit by that machine…"
"I'm okay," Lena insisted, awkwardly, "I'm just glad I didn't hurt any of you when the override took hold."
"We knew you wouldn't," Miguel assured her. "That's not you."
No, it wasn't. Not anymore, and a smile found Lena's lips as she realized that her team understood it too. That they really did trust her.
"Lena," Abbey said quietly. "You were right before, about Gail. When I made her, I was being selfish; I was so overwhelmed by everything I'd taken on that I didn't think about what I was doing. What it would mean to create her, or how it could affect you. I'm really sorry."
The way that Abbey looked at her, big eyes quivering with guilt, Lena couldn't help but want to take the apology and fall into the girl's embrace. To make up with one of her only friends in the world, to go back to how things had been progressing.
But they couldn't, not until Lena had also cleared her end of things.
"About the things I said," Lena told her. "About the things in Gail that came from you? I meant every word."
Abbey's shoulders sunk, face dropping at the reminder of the fresh wound as the others at the table winced.
"Okay…" Abbey tried diplomatically. "As far as mutual apologies go, it's a little unorthodox but…"
"But that's why it's so important," Lena added quickly. "You can't forget that all of Gail's darkness is a part of you, that it's always there. Because every day, you get up and do all you can to bring out as much light as possible."
Slowly, Abbey's face softened, hurt turning to curious confusion as she began to realize what Lena was saying.
"Hilary once told me that evil is something you choose," said Lena. "But the same is true for good. It doesn't matter what you're capable of, what darkness lingers inside. It's how you act that matters, what you do for others. And every day, you put aside your darkness to help other people. Gail might be the worst parts of you, but that's only because she chose to cast the best aside. And you are the best Abbey, every bit of you."
By now, both their eyes were teary, both girls falling into a hug and squeezing each other tightly. They held each other for a long time, a close reaffirmation of their friendship as sobbed into each other's arms.
"You're the best as well," Abbey smiled, as at last they broke away. "Apology accepted."
As Lena turned to the table, she saw the other three smiling up at her, Erika having moved around to the top of the table to make a place for her within the circle.
"Come on," their Red Ranger invitingly. "Sound like you've got quite a story to tell."
Oh boy, did she. Where was she even going to start? Giving herself a moment to think, Lena told them she'd be back, almost skipping over to the counter to order a smoothy while trying to imagine how best to describe battling someone within her own mind. But she'd barely given Dirk her order when another voice broke her thoughts.
"Lena?"
Ray and Hilary were standing behind her, standing close together while looking both nervous and hopeful. This place was also their regular coffee spot, but for them both to come down together was… odd.
"Hey guys," Lena greeted, face dropping as she considered the reason for their sudden appearance. "Do you need to run more tests? Is there something wrong with the last results?"
"No," Hilary insisted, shaking her head. "Your tests are perfect. We ah… we came down here to talk about something else."
"We thought it might be better to talk somewhere more neutral," Ray explained. "Somewhere you'd feel maybe less pressure. We want to talk about the living arrangements."
Oh… Right… That.
"Right, of course," Lena realized. "No, that… that makes sense. Of course, it was a temporary arrangement, and you guys need to know that I'm already looking for places to stay and…"
"It's not like that," said Ray, sharing a knowing with his wife as he smiled. "We actually wanted to see you were happy with extending the arrangement."
"Permanently," Hilary clarified with an equally warm grin.
Lena's jaw hit the floor, wind knocked from her lungs as she stood there, gobsmacked and in awe of what was being offered. A place to live, a room to call her own. Not as a guest, but as a resident. The words weren't forming, a lumping instead in Lena's throat as her bottom lip quivered. Her mouth opened to speak, only for the sound to catch behind the shuddered breath holding back her wondrous tears.
"You… you mean it?" she stammered. "I… don't know what to say."
"It's only if you're okay with it," Hilary insisted.
"We called the school and explained the situation. Or at least some of it," said Ray. "But this isn't something you have to take. The room's there if you want it, but if you'd rather be somewhere else then we can definitely…"
"No!" Lena blurted out, breaking the floodgates behind her puffy eyes as at last she allowed herself to cry. "I mean… I don't want to be anywhere else. There's nowhere else I'd rather be, no one else I trust as much as you two. I'd love to live with you."
"Of course," Ray clarified. "If you're staying with us, that means I can't be your guidance counselor anymore. Honestly, we already were kind of drag racing along the lines as it was."
For all her joy, the weight of disappointment grabbed hold again. In truth, she'd grown used to having his advice, leaning on his guidance. She'd come so far because of him, it felt strange to think she'd suddenly be without it.
"But…" Ray suddenly added as her gloom settled. "If you have any problems, you can always ask me about them over breakfast."
Lena almost leaped for them, the speed with which she fell into their arms, grasping the two of them with all she had and pulling them close. Both Ray and Hilary seemed almost caught off guard, stumbling for balance as she squeezed them so tight, she thought she'd never let go.
"Yes!" she gasped, near delirious as her eyes filled with tears. "Yes!"
At long last, the husband and wife peeled themselves from her embrace, beaming back at her with pride before nodding to the others.
"I don't know about you," Hilary decided. "But I think we should celebrate after today."
"I agree," Ray grinned. "Go on kid, join the others. These are on us."
Smiling from ear to ear, Lena turned back to the table, striding over to join her friends as something caught her eye. A TV screen, Cassidy Cornell of Channel Three reporting on a press conference. Some handsome guy in a suit, charmingly smiling at the camera as he announced the latest of his philanthropic endeavors.
And then Lena's heart nearly stopped.
Her whole body froze, gasping in shock as if her entire mind was pulled back within itself. Back into her memory.
To the day when she'd been remade, where she'd stared into the true face of her creator. Not the mask that she'd remembered, the expressionless steel concealed truth behind it. No, that mask was melting away, fading piece by piece as from within the dusty recesses of her mind a new face emerged. She hadn't met Xaviax that day, had not met the persona with which he used to command.
No, that day the face that he'd worn was of another. His truth.
White a sheet, Lena slowly turned, gaping as Ray and Hilary stood before and staring with a tray full of smoothies in their hands.
"Lena?" Ray asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"
"Scolex!" was all she managed to gasp.
"We know," said Hilary. "He owns the old city power plant, he's somehow connected to Xaviax."
"No, you don't understand." Lena breathed, heart still racing as at last mind cleared and the full weight of blocked memories settled within her mind. "Xaviax, he's Davian Scolex."
NEXT TIME:
Miguel's always getting caught out, so overwhelmed by choices that he always seems to make the wrong ones. When a failed attempt to work at the Hub leads to a lack of confidence, things only go from bad to worse when his indecisiveness puts the team in danger. Meanwhile, learning the true face of their enemy, Hilary calls in an old friend in hopes of giving the team the boost they need.
Can Miguel overcome his self-doubt and race to the team's aid? Can this old friend help bring them up to speed? Or will Xaviax's latest leave them all in the dust for good?
Find out next time on:
POWER RANGERS
SERVER FORCE
Rev-Head
