Episode 22

Learning Curve


Laughter echoed throughout the restaurant, all four adults howling at the table as Ray finished his story. Beside him, Hilary was clutching his arm, holding him close to avoid falling from her chair as she struggled to breathe.

God, it felt good to get out.

To throw on a dress and hit the town with her handsome husband. It felt like forever since they'd been on a date, and with company in town what better excuse than to make it a double?

And wine. The wine was definitely a good idea.

Across the table, Jake's face had gone bright red, their old teammate glowing with embarrassment as his girlfriend, Amber, wiped her tears and recovered from her raucous hooting.

"Is that true?" she asked. "Did you really stride right into the auditorium, like you were God's gift to the room?"

"You've known him how long, and that's the hardest part to believe?" Ray teased.

"Just while I try to get my head around the nothing but a towel part!" Amber almost burst out laughing just repeating it.

"Okay," Jake tried to defend. "Two things. A, I thought next to no one was in there, and B, Ben put me up to it."

"That should have been the first red flag!" Hilary wheezed.

"Okay, Okay, I think I'm good," Amber insisted as she braced on her boyfriend's arm and looked up at him. "So, once you realized that half the grade was staring at you, what did you do?"

"Simple," Jake explained. "I walked right up to the stage, looked Principal Sanders square in the eye, and said "Excuse me, sir, I think someone's taken my shoes.""

And just like that, they were set off again, hooting like a horde of mandrils until all of them were red in the face. When they'd finally calmed down, Ray rose with his glass in hand.

"To old friends," he declared before nodding at Amber. "And new ones. To old times."

"I'll cheers to that," Jake agreed as the glasses clinked.

"Speaking of old times," Amber noted as Ray picked up the bottle to pour refills. "I see this town's got some Power Rangers protecting them."

"I know," Hilary replied, sharing a knowing look with her husband. "Weird right? First Cranston, now here in Lakeview? It's like they're following us?"

"I mean, it's not that weird," Amber shrugged. "What's that saying? Once a Ranger, right?"

It was like everything in the room had stopped, shock ripping the mood from enjoyment to horror as Ray and Hilary's faces dropped. Slowly, both pairs of disapproving eyes made their way across the table toward a very guilty-looking Jake.

"You told her?" Hilary said sharply.

For a moment, the former Green Ranger said nothing, exchanging an awkward look with his girlfriend. Amber was now shrinking into her seat as if realizing she'd opened a can of worms without meaning to. But the hesitation lasted only a moment, as Jake straightened up and stared back at his two former teammates with renewed resolve.

"You know what?" he said decisively. "Yes, I did. I didn't want there to be any secrets between me and Amber, so I told her everything."

Both husband and wife let out a nervous breath, tension slowly releasing as they silently admitted their own instinctive reaction.

"That's actually really sweet," Ray admitted, "I'm happy for you. Both of you."

"Wait," Hilary realized, as she looked to Jake's companion, "And you believed him. Just like that?"

"I did," Amber smiled. "It's a weird world we live in, and I trust him."

"Even the part about the military erasing all photographic evidence of his identity?"

"What can we say?" Jake replied. "The truth is stranger than fiction."

In agreement, Amber looked lovingly at her partner, an expression that was mirrored as he turned to face her too. Ray and Hilary could only smile, happy for their friend.

"Jake," Hilary advised, "Never let her go."

"I don't plan to," he replied. "Trust me."

With the tension finally released, Ray signaled for another bottle, feeling that they'd need it as the two couples settled into their meal. Hilary disagreed, smiling with Amber as they decided to move up the menu. It was definitely time for Cosmos.

"You know," said Hilary. "We really shouldn't be surprised that he told you so quickly."

As Amber snorted, Jake appeared mortally offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," said Ray, "let's face it, you probably had the worst track record out of all of us for keeping our secret."

"He's right," said Hilary. "Let's see… Josie…"

"…your parents," Ray added.

"And then our entire grade."

"Okay," Jake clarified, as Amber started giggling at the teasing from his old friends. "The blame for that last one is a five-way split."

Both Ray and Hilary raised their hands in concession to the points as Jake took the opportunity to return the topic to business.

"Seeing as we're clearly done dancing around the subject," he said. "What's it like putting on the suits again?"

"Weird," Hilary admitted. "Let's be honest, I did not expect to be donning the spandex in my thirties."

"You pull it off though. I think you look great," Ray said sweetly before agreeing to the general point. "But it's definitely strange. In some ways, it feels like we never stopped being Rangers, like we just went right back to it. In some others… yeah, it's been a learning curve."

Jake raised an eyebrow, leaning back to sip his wine as Amber leaned in closer with growing interest. "Oh?"

Ray leaned back in his chair with a contemplative sip, sharing a sheepish look with his wife as Hilary reflected on the week they'd just. Ever since Xaviax's broadcast of the Haywire code, things had been pretty quiet. The ease was an immediate cause for suspicion, that Xaviax had no follow-up for such a bold and wide-ranging attack. But then again, his public persona of Davian Scolex was basking in glory as the city's savior. Hilary supposed that a period of calm was a deliberate act to lull the public into a false sense of security.

That had all come to a close toward the end of the week. And that was when their true problems began.

"So…." Jake supposed, leaning close like he was suddenly about to receive the juicy gossip. "I'm guessing it's no longer quiet on the western front? Not all's well in the land of Lakeview?"

Any other week, Hilary and Ray could have shared a story of triumph, one where they got to tell of their renewed prowess as Rangers or espouse their own developed wisdom as mentors. But Jake was an old friend, one who would never judge. Also, they'd poked enough fun at him across the evening that it was probably their turn for some humble pie.

"Okay," Ray decided. "It all started last Saturday, on what seemed to be an ordinary afternoon…"


The two of them stood back-to-back on the training room floor, barefoot and dressed in light and loose exercise gear as their opponents began to circle. Five against two; five young Rangers against the two old hands.

None of them were speaking, they'd learned that lesson already, and now the teens were communicating with nothing but sharp glances as Erika coordinated their approach. Ray couldn't help but feel a grin flicker at the corner of his mouth, knowing full well that Hilary was doing the same.

The poor kids had no idea what they were in for.

To their credit, the first strike was from an unexpected angle as Abbey lunged to strike from the side. Hilary caught that one, hand sharply shifting in a decisive block as she swerved to take the strike. In moving her hips, she'd left an opening, a blindspot nice and wide for Miguel to exploit.

It was a shame Ray had already seen it coming.

The boy lunged into a downward punch, both adults stepping in synch as Miguel's fist hit empty air and he staggered across the matt. He recovered fast, spinning to his target as the other three surged to take advantage.

Good move. Miguel's assault had been easy to see, but Ray and Hilary had separated themselves in their avoidance. And now that each was alone, both were more vulnerable.

Seeing Ray as the bigger threat, Erika launched in as Miguel did the same, a two-pronged assault designed to split his attention. Ray's arms shot off in both directions, leaning on his footwork to parry their blows one at a time as they pressured him into a corner. Steered into the perfect position for their third to strike.

With Ray on the back foot, Zeke rushed forward, leaping into a snapping kick that pushed him further back. Now Ray had more attackers than he had arms, with the windows to block narrowing at a frightening speed. They'd planned it well, split him off, and used numbers to their advantage.

Not a bad plan; they were getting better.

But it still wasn't enough.

Over on the side, Abbey and Lena compensated their smaller numbers with Lena's experience, the android keeping the focus on herself with unrelenting pressure. Like her husband, Hilary was stuck on the back foot, her hands moving across her body to keep up with Lena's assault, her swerving footwork the only thing keeping Abbey from meaningfully engaging.

So far, the teens had managed to keep the veteran Rangers separated, but a single glance between the married couple was all they needed to form an agreement. They'd entertained them long enough; it was time to shift gears.

As Lena's fist surged in, Hilary hooked her arm around her opponent, using the parry to stop the blow and reel her in. Lena let out a furious gasp, twisting onto her toes as Hilary snapped around her gaze to clock Abbey. Locking Lena up made Hilary the ideal target. Exactly the decision Abbey came to when she thundered in, and exactly what Hilary had intended.

As the redhead closed the gap, Hilary shifted her weight, spinning Lena into her comrade's path before jutting out her leg to trip. Too committed, Abbey desperately skidded into a stumble as the girls collided, tumbling them to the floor as Hilary's leg swept them from beneath.

To the girls' credit, they weren't down for long, rolling to their feet and spinning into fresh stances to prepare for another bout. But in toppling them, Hilary had got what she wanted. She'd reclaimed her position in the center of the mat, perfectly placed for her husband to join her.

It didn't take long.

The trio pressed on their assault, keeping on the move to prevent Ray from getting a clear line. To their credit, they'd forced him to abandon his parries, completely committing to dodging as his hands were reassigned to redirection. But for all their coordinated engagement, they hadn't landed a blow. Ray didn't need to take all three; he could take them one at a time. They just didn't know it yet.

Seeing his chance, Ray spun around and planted his feet, tightening his core to ground his balance as Zeke charged in with a punch. His hand swiped cross-body, open palm grabbing the clenched fist and holding the boy in place. Miguel lunged in from the same side, taking advantage of Ray's pinned position to strike from a narrow point. But their mentor had already taken control. His body twisted, steering Zeke just enough so that his spare arm could lash up and snatch Miguel by the wrist.

Two of them were held, the last was coming in, and now Ray had no hands.

In holding Zeke and Miguel, Ray had left himself open, leaving Erika free to surge in and exploit. Closing the gap, she skipped into a pirouette, building momentum as her flattened foot shot for Ray's center mass.

She'd placed it well; a large target that, while low, was enough to hit his balance. A lesser opponent would've been flattened. But by now, Ray had had four weeks to get back into shape. He grinned, and Erika's eyes widened as she realized he'd led her into a trap. Skipping to shift his balance, Ray's knee shot upward. His shin collided with her ankle, giving just enough for Erika to commit instead of bouncing.

And now they were all where Ray wanted them.

He dropped and pulled, both boys ripped beneath him as Erika toppled from the sudden weight shift. All three crumbled in a tangled heap as Ray hit the floor beside them and rolled, snapping to his feet and catching sight of his wife.

Abbey and Lena were up and in pursuit, with Erika and the boys already recovering as they readied to pounce. They weren't giving up, but it was already over. They just didn't know it. Ray retreated, back to the center as Hilary did the same. Neither spoke a word, not even exchanging a glance as they reacted on instinct. Ray dropped and Hilary leaped backward, rolling over like a fulcrum as she launched into a mighty kick.

As Hilary flew off, Ray fell on his shoulder and rolled, jerking to the side and sweeping his leg. He'd landed perfectly, right beside Lena and Abbey before either had a chance to register the shift in opponent. Already moving forward, their feet collided with Ray's rapidly moving leg, sending them slamming into the mat as he rose to stand above them. Behind, the ball of Hilary's foot slammed Erika's sternum, crashing her back into the boys to sending them to the floor.

As the two adults stood smugly on their feet, the five teens groaned as they rolled on the floor, beaten once again.

"No fair," Zeke bemoaned. "You switched it up on us."

"Your enemies don't fight fair, and I'm pretty sure the challenge was to take us both on," Hilary pointed out as she offered a hand. "You decided to split us off, we just decided to go back to it."

One by one, the moody teens got back on their feet, Ray offering consolatory advice to raise their spirits. "It was a good strategy. Two opponents are easier to fight when they're isolated, and you split the teams well to counter us."

"I feel a 'but' coming," Erika said glumly.

"But," Ray continued, "fighting smart isn't just about anticipating your opponent. It's about anticipating your teammate. You're trusting each other more, and that's good. But you also need to learn how to assist when someone else has committed, and when to commit and trust the others to back you. Sometimes there's no time to ask."

As the teens took on his wisdom, the elevator doors binged open, and all heads turned as an exasperated groan sounded from the entry. Jessica almost toppled out, papers sprawling across the floor while looking like she'd been caught in a windstorm. Her usually well-made-up demeanor was completely absent, her hair now loose and frizzy like she hadn't brushed it in weeks, dropping to her knees in a desperate scramble to collect the scattered papers. The poor girl looked completely worn out, absolutely at her tether and falling apart as if-


"Whoa!" Hilary interrupted. "That is not what happened."

"I'm pretty sure it is," said Ray, unable to stop the cheeky smile creeping up in response to his wife's frustration. "She looked pretty done."

"Alright, fine, she was snowed under," Hilary conceded. "But she wasn't a trainwreck. She was taking some advice to let her hair down, not unraveling."

Jake and Amber shared an amused expression before giggling, and Ray maintained a stoic look of innocence as Hilary narrowed her eyes.

"Do you want to tell it then?" he offered.

"Why thank you, oh wise and insightful mentor," Hilary replied. She returned her attention to Jake and Amber, who had now given up on disguising their amusement and were chortling away. With Ray equally chuckling as he leaned back with his glass, Hilary returned their attention to the tale, making a point to tell right…


The Rangers had been recovering from the mopping they'd received as Jess entered the training room, Ray too busy providing a valuable life lesson to take immediate notice.

"Something wise and insightful," he'd said. "Followed by a quote from Sun Tzu."

"I need to say something here so that people think I'm still tough and uncaring," Erika had said right after. "But then I'm going to begrudgingly accept that you're right."

"Something sweet and hopeful," Abbey piped in. "Lifting everyone's spirits by being an innocent ray of sunshine."

Zeke and Miguel were probably glaring at each other, although Hilary had to admit it was less than they used to.

Meanwhile, Jess was coming toward Hilary with a stack of papers pressed to a clipboard and a half-drunk coffee in hand.

"Okay," she said, delicately balancing the full collection against her hip. "I've got a bunch of grant applications that need signing, and this here is receipt confirmation for the fossil collection that just arrived; that'll need signing too. I've managed to push back your meeting with the mayor until 3, but there's still a statement from the Getty in Los Angeles about a proposed regional outreach program, that'll need responding to by tomorrow. I've prepared a shorter summary for you to read so I can turn the cliff notes into a formal response for you to proofread before…"

"Jess," Hilary suggested. "Breathe."

Of course, it was easy for her to say, standing in a snug set of grey and yellow activewear after a blood-rushing workout. Meanwhile, Jessica was carrying as many papers under her arm as she could fit while desperately needing a way to pull back her frantic hair.

See, Ray? I did notice.

Seemed like Hilary's workout was over, and Ray would be facing down a five-on-one retribution for his crouching-tiger routine earlier. Of course, that would have been the plan before…

An alarm klaxon suddenly sounded, sharply ringing at their nerves after weeks of quiet.

"Didn't miss that sound," Erika admitted as they all moved to the mounted viewscreen in the corner of the room.

All of them stared at the blank screen, waiting for live feed as Jess frantically searched through her stack of papers for her tablet. That was when she dropped them. With only one hand, and far too many sheets to sort through, the full stack went flying, jolting free of their binding clip as it and her tablet clattered on the floor. Like shattered glass, the papers split off in all directions, scattering across their feet with a sharp flutter.

Ever the martyr, Abbey was done before Jess was, Lena shortly after, and the two girls helped recollect the papers as Hilary reached for the button on her Morpher. She could help Jess find the balancing act later. In that moment, there were people in need of saving.

The screen flickered to life, revealing the street that had triggered the sensor. Cyberdrones were swarming, although Hilary immediately noted that they seemed more tightly clustered, their movements more coordinated than normal. It didn't take long to guess why.

Covered from head to foot in black and yellow stripes, she was shaped like a woman, her eyes bulging like a bug's with antennae protruding from her forehead. Her arms were spined, two claw-like pincers in place of her hands while a wide skirt spread out from her hips.

"Looks like there's a new Queen Bee in town," said Erika.

"No one tell Whitney," chuckled Zeke.

Having collected the papers, Abbey and Lena were now staring with equal intent at the viewscreen, and now standing, Jess was staring anxiously at Hilary for direction.

"Sorry," she flustered. "There were just so many, and-."

"Lab," Hilary suggested. "Now."

As Jess nodded and hurried to the elevator as fast as her high heels would let her, the rest of the team returned their attention to the screen. Erika was about to list the game plan, but Ray beat her to it.

"Right now, the priority is the people down there," he said. "Focus on keeping the Cyberdrones at bay so civilians can get to safety. Then we can look at kicking the hornet's nest."

A nervous look was shared between the other five, caught aback by Ray's sudden input before slowly the others looked to Erika. After giving a quizzical look at Ray, she shrugged.

"Yeah," Erika reluctantly agreed. "What he said, I guess."

With the team in full agreement, all seven turned from the screen, standing side by side as their Morphers flashed to their wrists and the trio produced their keycards. And just as before, Ray got just a little bit too eager.

"You guys ready?" he called to them, beating Erika to the punch as he stepped forward with his Morpher raised.

The rest followed on instinct, but it took Erika a moment to recover from the surprise and fall in line.

"Ready!"

"Uh… ready."

The hesitation was only for a moment, and a heartbeat later was all they needed to return to synch. Then they moved as one, all slamming the activators on their Morphers as they declared in unison. "Server Force! Login Access!"

The light of the Morphers burst through the room, consuming the seven in a blinding light as the power of the grid unleashed. Hilary was still getting used to it, the sheer colossal force of the silver spectrum that crashed into her like a wave, surging with a lightspeed current to empower her. It was exhilarating, but also frightening, her heart almost racing to match the required pace as the rest of her body adjusted. But the anxiety lasted barely a moment, the fresh rush of power overtaking as her newly empowered limbs were wrapped in the silver suit and skirt.

As the helmet formed around her head, Hilary couldn't help but smile, knowing exactly what was about to happen to the unsuspecting Cyberdrones as the whole team was spirited away and transported across the city. Their feet slammed on the road in a blast of technicolor light, and all seven Rangers darted out into the unfolding chaos, weapons in hand.

"Where are you going?" the monster cackled with a feminine voice as the civilians fled in terror. "Why run when you can eat cake?"

"If cake's what you're after," Ray called to her confidently. "Careful not to eat it too."

"Hmm," Hilary teased beside him. "Not you're best."

"Cut me some slack," Ray admitted. "I'm still getting back into it."

"Power Rangers!" the monster scoffed, spinning around in perfect unison with Cyberdrones to face the new arrivals. "Are you here to bow before you Queen, Bee-Antoinette?"

"I've never really been one for royalty," Erika scowled back as all heads turned toward her.

"Alright, fearless leader," Miguel asked. "What's the plan."

And for the third time that day, Erika never got a chance to answer.

"We corral them," Ray instructed them. "Zeke, bulldoze deep with your shield. Hold tight on the defense to draw their attention and give Miguel and Lena an opening. Erika can clean up from behind, and Abbey can pick off stragglers with her bow while Hilary and I use the Mainframe Blasters to support in either direction."

He'd barely seen that his team had registered when he returned his attention to the buzzing swarm of drones and their monstrous Queen.

"Go!"

And then he lunged, and a heartbeat later, his team of Power Rangers lunged to follow.


"Okay," Ray interrupted. "I might have got a little carried away there, but it wasn't that bad."

But Hilary could only wince, apologetic in her honesty as she admitted the truth. "Yeah, it kind of was. I half expected you to tell us to 'assemble'."

Sheepishly, Ray pushed his glass along the table, nervously realizing the perspective he hadn't considered. At the time, he hadn't realized Erika's eagerness to lead the charge. Obvious in hindsight.

"But he didn't really tell you to 'assemble', did he?" Jake asked. The rumbling in his voice, a pre-shock of coming laughter, warned of the knowing answer that he was hoping for.

With a sly grin, Hilary turned to her husband, gleefully watching over the rim of her glass as she sipped from her fresh cosmopolitan. "What did you tell them, Ray?"

With a single look, Ray knew any hope of saving face was lost, that there was no way of reaching night's end without admitting it. Hilary's smirk, Jake's awaiting smile, and Amber's captivated gaze of curiosity had all combined into an unrelenting assault from which he had no hope of defending. With a heavy sigh, Ray shook his head and told them what he'd said.

The howls of laughter that followed seemed to never die, although he joined them just as quickly.

"Okay, okay,' Ray admitted finally. "So maybe I got more than a little carried away…"

"To me, my Rangers!"

Ray landed in the patch of open asphalt, freshly cleared by the assault from his Mainframe Blaster. As the team had split off, he'd lunged to the flank, firing with full fury to send the Cyberdrones flying. With the barrel smoking, he'd soared into a large enough gap, finding the angle they needed to make a charge at the insectoid monarch. Seizing the moment, Abbey and Zeke leaped up high, somersaulting over the buzzing horde to land beside him.

"Okay," Ray decided, "Looks like they're keeping a tight formation. Abbey, join me in blasting a gap. Then Zeke can use his shield to keep it open."

"RIGHT!"

With a nod of agreement, Ray launched high with Abbey by his side, searing energy flaring from the Mainframe Blaster and Power Bow that exploded beneath the drones. Robotic minions went flying, thrown in all directions as Zeke rushed to plug the gap. His shield swung wide, battering a Cyberdrone in the face with the flat steel as he braced to hold the forces back.

He was holding, but he'd barely sprinted in when more Cyberdrones rushed into his path, closing the gap before he could get further.

"Is it just me, or are these Cyberdrones acting weird?" Erika asked through the com.

"You're right," Miguel agreed. "They're way more in synch than normal."

Ray ducked beneath a blow before rolling to open fire. The faster than normal response, the tighter the formations. Erika was right; these Cyberdrones were far more advanced than what they'd previously faced.

"Jess!" he heard Hilary order into the com. "Run a coms sweep. Prioritize subliminal communications on the infrared spectrum. If they've got a new way of communicating, then I want to know about it!"

"Right, um… give me a sec…"

But as Jess scrambled back at base to find the necessary, Ray was struck by another thought. For all their coordination, the Cyberdrones weren't hitting them any harder. They were still falling at their usual rate, they were just moving faster to shore up defenses. Defenses around…

"They're protecting the queen!" Erika realized. "They're keeping us away from her!"

"Well, drat, you figured it out," Bee-Antoinette bemoaned, although the trill in her voice sounded more like a giggle of amusement. "Seems I need to move from my castle to a gambit. Cyberdrones, attack!"

And that was when Ray realized their mistake. In their search for a gap in the line, the Rangers were all spread out, the horde of Cyberdrones spreading around them as they eagerly blasted away. And now they were ripe for the picking.

Having pushed in the deepest, Zeke suddenly vanished into a swarm of black and chrome, the Cyberdrones piling on him as others rushed to cut him off from his comrades. Ray dived to the side, slipping over a Cyberdrone and kicking it away as more rushed to smother him. He'd hoped he'd have a backup, but in launching high to open fire, he'd landed too far from Abbey, and now she too was isolated by the surging henchmen. And now Ray had problems of his own, far beyond his worried attempts to locate his teammates.

Their coordinated enemy had switched to offense.

As Ray smashed back another attacker, another lunged, leaping from behind to grab ahold of his back. In desperation, he reached up, snatching hold to reef it off as more lunged toward him. The hurled robot clattered into its comrades, but while those were down, more were coming. With barely a second to breathe, Ray unsheathed the broadsword from the Mainframe Defender, the large weapon unfolding as he readied for a frontal assault.

But with a dedicated weapon in hand, the numbers were still overwhelming. And his team was far too separated.

"Jess?" Hilary urged again. "Where are we at on that com scan?"

"It's coming!" came the desperate reply. "I just found the program, it's finished booting and running now!"

"We need the answers now!" Hilary snapped back. "We don't have any more time to figure it out!"

Another blast sounded in the distance, silver flame spiraling high as Hilary blasted the bots away. As Ray swerved beneath another blow, his eyes shot across the battlefield, desperate for any kind of opening. Any way to reconnect with his team.

Anything at all.

And then he saw a flash of red.

With a weapon in each hand, Erika had lunged above the battlefield, leaping high to soar over the writhing swarm. Right at Bee-Antoinette.

Wait!

"Well, aren't you eager?" the monster laughed, spinning aside as Erika took the first swipe. "My, you've certainly got a bee in your bonnet."

"Just one?" came Erika's cocky reply. "My therapist says I've got a whole hive in there."

The first blow was parried, a spiny arm batting away the Security Saber as Erika refused to break her stride. With the first blow deflected, the Red Ranger twisted into a pirouette, swinging around the Power Axe for a dedicated blow.

This one wasn't blocked, and Bee-Antoinette wisely dodged as Erika continued her assault. Ray needed to do something, he needed to get to her. Erika was charging out on her own, all exposed with no backup from the team. One wrong move and she'd be in a world of trouble.

Thinking fast, Ray swung around the Mainframe Blade, carving through a tightly grouped cluster to send them flying. Finally, he had some breathing room. The numbers were starting to shift, moving back toward the center and offsetting the pressure on the Rangers.

Which meant now it was Ray's turn to move. Rushing toward a parked and ruined car, Ray launched himself into the air and soared above the horde. Just as he'd suspected, the Cyberdrones were converging, rushing to surround the Red Ranger as she braved the monster alone. A bold endeavor, but one that was about to backfire.

"So brave, so furious!" Bee-Antoinette laughed. "But did you really think you could do this all on your own?"

"She's not alone!" Ray yelled as he soared. Reaching his peak, he lifted his sword, as high as he could reach to bring it down on the monster. It was an obvious strike but with only one defense.

Dodge.

As the sword came down, Erika and the monster leaped apart, the broadsword sundering the earth as it cracked down between them. Moving fast, Ray spun around and glared at the queen bee.

"Didn't your master tell you?" he taunted. "A Ranger's never alone."

"What are you doing?" Erika hissed. "I had her!"

She could thank him later because they weren't out of the woods yet. But it was only then that Ray realized how deep they were. He'd barely stepped closer to Erika when suddenly Bee-Antoinette let out a delighted laugh.

"And didn't anyone tell you? A Queen's nothing without her pawns!"

And that's when the Cyberdrones lunged at them from all angles. Hands lashed at them, left, right, and center as suddenly Ray and Erika were scrambling to keep them off. Their weapons slashed, swinging wildly in a desperate bid to keep the foes back. But now they were surrounded, and if they'd been separated from their team before, now they were well and truly isolated.

In these close confined, Ray had no room to swing, the sword barely more than a sharp slab to keep him safe from coming blows. But not safe enough, and as Ray twisted up to block, a punch soared into the defensive gap, pummeling his chest to send him stumbling. And that stumble was just what his enemy needed.

With more room to move, the Cyberdrones rushed him, their swipes carving across his suit in a burst of searing sparks. In a desperate bid to escape, Ray faltered back, only to bump into Erika with the same idea. Off-kilter and exposed, the two Rangers were now the perfect target.

"Two lost little Rangers!" Bee-Antoinette cackled. "Ready to taste my sting!"

With the thrust of her hands, a barrage of tiny pellets unleashed toward them, golden energy battering against their Ranger suits before detonating. The miniature blasts converged, convalescing into an explosive fireball of force. And out in the open, Erika and Ray were nothing but helpless targets.

The two Rangers went flying, tumbling across the asphalt with smoke rising from their bodies. Fresh bruises welled up Ray's body, a reminder of the unpleasant side of the job he'd eagerly returned to. A side he'd conveniently blanked from his memory. He wearily rose to his feet, Erika doing the same beside him as Bee-Antoinette cackled before them.

"Well, it's been fun," she giggled sinisterly. "But my workers here need to collect, and I do love pretty colors. There's just so much to pull apart."

"Not today you won't!"

A fresh barrage of energy unleashed from above, blue, yellow, white, black, and silver all raining down around their enemy. The blasts boomed against the ground, the monster and Cyberdrones shrinking back in surprise as the other five Rangers somersaulted over the top. As the monsters looked up, the Rangers had regrouped and now stared them down in reunified formation. Behind the others, Ray and Erika both let out a sigh of relief before straightening up and standing beside their comrades.

"Looks like the numbers are back on our side," Hilary sneered.

"Looks that way," Bee-Antoinette replied. "And I've had enough of this appearance. But don't worry, this was only a teaser. The main event will be coming soon!"

And just like that, with a twirl and a flourish, the monster vanished with her comrades, leaving the seven Rangers alone in the square.

"Anyone else find that just a little bit ominous?" Abbey asked.

"I've used that line," Lena confirmed. "Yeah, it's ominous."

Beside him, Erika straightened up, pushing through the throbbing bruises to give the next command. But Ray had already beaten her to it.

"We should get back to the lab," he decided. "Come up with a new plan."

"And find a way to streamline the software, apparently," Hilary added with a grumble.

"Move out!" Ray commanded.

Turning toward the museum, the Rangers leaped away, far from wandering eyes to find somewhere secluded to Power down. But in his charge from the front, Ray had neglected his attention at the back, not noticing Erika's delay in taking off. Or the frustrated sigh of resignation as she leaped to follow them.


"Oh wow," Jake winced. "When you started telling us, I didn't think it was that bad."

"That must have been so scary," said Amber sympathetically. "I'm glad the team was able to reach you in time."

But Ray's face only sunk, sharing a guilty look with his wife.

"Just wait," Hilary admitted sheepishly. "It gets worse…"


Half an hour later, the team converged in the lab, Ray and Erika both sporting ice packs to tend to their bruises. The mood among all was weighted and somber, a sullen brooding as they reflected on their failure. None of them could speak, all at a loss for how far they'd fallen after all they'd overcome.

They'd come so far; they'd saved the entire city.

And yet now they'd fallen to some aristocratic insect in black and yellow stripes.

Finally, it was Ray who decided to say something.

"Well," he acknowledged, "that could have gone better."

"No kidding," Erika agreed bitterly. "Did anyone catch the weather while we're stating the obvious?"

There was something in her voice and an extra ounce of disgruntled venom. It was more than her usual dispirited moral after defeat. Ray nonetheless ignored it; deciding that it was something to handle later. Instead, he turned his mind to solutions, something that could give them an edge the next time they ran into the monster.

"Did we get anywhere on why the Cyberdrones were acting so weird?" he asked.

Hilary said nothing, casting a look at Jess at the terminal. The assistant nervously jumped in her seat as she realized all eyes were suddenly staring at her.

"Oh," she stammered, flicking frantically through the screens to catch up with the request. "Ran that scan, but it didn't pick anything up."

"Nothing?" Hilary asked in surprise. "It didn't pick up anything?"

"Not that I could see," Jess confirmed hesitantly. "At least not in the range you told me to scan for…"

"There can't be nothing," Hilary insisted sharply. "We can't go in there blind. There must be something you missed. We've still got all the baseline data; run a second sweep. Focusing on tight-band and short-range communication."

"Hilary," Jess interrupted. "I have a mountain of things that I need to get through. There's still all the paperwork from this morning that we haven't even touched. And that's before considering that I'm way behind on-."

"That doesn't matter!" Hilary snapped. "Right now, we've got a monster threatening to flood the city with Cyberdrones. And if we're not ready when they strike again, then next time we might not be so lucky. Don't you get that? Everything else can wait."

A nervous silence rippled through the team, nervous glances shared among them as Hilary scolded her assistant in exasperation. At first, Jessica said nothing, staring slack-jawed in shock as Hilary's words assaulted her. As she blinked, the eyes that looked back were watery and quivering, and Hilary's sharp expression vanished as she realized that she'd gone too far.

And that it was far too late to take it back.

"You know what?" Jess decided, rising sharply from the desk. "If none of it matters, then you can run your museum on your own!"

Before anyone could stop her, she rushed toward the elevator, Hilary's shoulders drooping in shame as the others could only stare in shock.

"She'll be okay," Ray assured Hilary. "Just give her some time. We can find a solution in the meantime."

"We?" Erika scoffed. "Is that in the 'royal' sense?"

It was her second spiteful jab since they'd returned, even more targeted and personal than the last one. And this time, Ray decided to call it out.

"And what do you mean by that, Erika?" he asked her calmly. But despite his demeanor, the question was like a red flag to a bull, and he watched as the teen's eyes flared. As if she'd been waiting for him to ask.

Daring him.

"You don't mean we," Erika said. "You mean you."

"Erika," Ray reasoned. "I know this didn't go the way you-."

"You're damn right it didn't go the way I wanted," she snapped. "And if you'd bothered to listen or pay attention to literally anything, then maybe that wouldn't come as such a surprise!"

"I'm sorry you didn't feel listened to," Ray tried. "But in my defense, you didn't give much notice when you charged right at the monster on your own."

To that, Erika simply snorted. "You're welcome."

"You're welcome?" Ray replied. "Erika, you could have been seriously hurt if I hadn't broken away from the Cyberdrones to help."

"And how did you suddenly get the space to break free?" Erika shot back.

For a moment, Ray was confused, wondering what on earth she could mean. And then it hit him. When the Cyberdrones were on the assault, he'd barely had any room to move- right until Erika made a run at Bee-Antoinette.

"They were protecting the Queen," he realized.

"I took a run at her to give you guys space," Erika said sharply. "I figured with the room to move, you could all regroup and form a united front."

She'd made a sacrifice play, knowing she'd be okay if the team worked together. She hadn't said anything but… had she needed to? Ray was the only one to leap after her, had the others taken the chance to regroup like she'd expected?

Had they known what Erika had been planning?

This would normally be the time when someone would step in, and tell their Red Ranger that she was running too hot, that she wasn't being fair. But no one said a thing, all of them avoiding Ray's gaze as their leader glared at him with barely contained fury. Hilary, he could understand, still trying to process her assistant's outburst moments earlier. But Zeke, Miguel, Lena? Even Abbey stood there on the sidelines, a deafening silence as none stood up to back him.

And that told Ray all he needed about how deep in the wrong he was.

But now Erika was running too hot.

"You know what?" she decided, hand snapping up as Ray opened his mouth to apologize. "Save it. You've obviously got this whole planning thing down, so buzz me when you've got one."

And then, just like Jessica had as well, she spun on her heel and stormed out, vanishing as the elevator doors closed behind her.