Lena was already running into the corridor as the elevator opened, skidding around and racing outside beyond the safety of the firewall. She desperately hoped that Ender hadn't had the foresight to cut her access, throwing her hand into the air as her systems linked with the server to open the transport network and spirit her downtown.

She had to go. She had to do something!

Miguel had risked everything to get through to her, after everything she'd done. She couldn't just leave him at the mercy of her former comrades. She had put the Morpher in his hands, she hadn't voiced her concerns about the tower until it was too late. He was there because of her.

Lena had to help him; she just had to hope she still could.

Hang on Miguel, I'm coming!

The light engulfed her, transposing her physical form as she summoned the empowering armor. Deception wouldn't help her, not when they knew of her abandoned allegiance. All she had going was the hope that they wouldn't foresee her involvement at all. She was getting one shot, and she had to make it count.

She had to get to Miguel.

The light faded, and Lena's boots hit the gravel as the battlefield greeted her. A sea of Cyberdrones, writhing around the radio tower like a guarding phalanx. At the edge was a circle, a break in formation where Miguel was desperately fending against a two-pronged attack. Miguel was holding his own, but he was losing ground.

The Dark Saber flashed, batting ArcKnight's blade as he kicked to knock the warrior away. The move bought him time, but only against one, and the other was all too eager to strike. Ender snuck in from behind, swinging the cane to sweep the legs. Too focused on ArcKnight, Miguel had room to move, gravity stealing away from him as the strike sent him reeling. Ender was on him in moments.

Oh no, you don't!

With a mighty roar, Lena lunged, sword in hand as she launched above the Cyberdrones and soared toward Ender. The monster maker turned, eyes flashing just in time as the blade met the cane and smashed it back. Energy flared as the weapons collided, Ender stumbling back while Lena flipped into a landing before rising defiantly between Miguel and his aggressors.

She didn't wait for a quip or to take pride in their surprise at her arrival. With the energy still swirling around the blade, Lena roared with a mighty swipe, unleashing a wave of green upon her foes at point-blank range.

With the writing on the wall, Ender vaulted high, ArcKnight diving beside to leave the menacing Cyberdrones at the mercy of her attack. The wave exploded in a mighty ball of fire, shattering the closer ranks into a rain of crumbled parts.

"Lena?" Miguel gasped as he rose behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"You can scold me later," she decided. "Right now, I've got some old friends to deal with."

But neither ArcKnight nor Ender was steaming with fury. Both of them landed as the smoke subsided, striding closer as the remaining Cyberdrones rumbled forward to join them.

"Well, look who it is," Ender snickered. "The prodigal child shows her face. Crawling back after her time with her fancy new friends. And here I was starting to wonder if you'd forgotten about little old us."

"You know how it is," Lena sneered back. "I was feeling nostalgic."

But even as her bravado held firm, a sense of unease was curdling in Lena's stomach. ArcKnight seemed to be his usual self, but Ender didn't seem the least bit perturbed. The battlefield was far from his preferred place, and yet it seemed as if right now there was nowhere else he'd rather be.

Or that she'd be.

"You will pay for your betrayal," ArcKnight growled as he took a step forward, only for Ender's hand to snap up and silence him.

"Arcy boy, you've got your own playdate," Ender sneered as he nodded at Miguel. "Go have your fun, bring some friends if you want. But this one; she's mine."

"Get ready," Miguel warned behind her, and Lena took a fighting stance as she readied her sword.

She wasn't a Ranger, but Lena knew not to underestimate Ender. If he was there, it was because he wanted to be. If he was singling her out for a fight, it was because a dirty trick was already waiting up his sleeve. But Lena didn't have time to overthink it; they were on a ticking clock, and it was running perilously close to zero.

Ender lunged, and Lena leaped to meet him, sword swinging wide to force him on the back foot. The cane sliced up to parry, taking the strike and bouncing Ender backward as the duo soared over the surging Cyberdrone horde. Lena realized her mistake the second she'd landed. Ender had given her an opening, and she'd taken it all too eagerly, lured out to put the Cyberdrones between her and Miguel, splitting off the two as he fended against ArcKnight and the footsoldiers.

Dammit!

Lena had barely entered the fray, and Ender was already playing her. She needed to end this, fast.

"How does it feel?" Ender mocked her as his cane cracked against her sword. "Fighting side by side with your mortal enemies. Cowering behind the people that destroyed you? Your old self must be rolling in her trash bin."

"Shut up!" Lena sneered as she pushed on the offense with all she had. "I'm not her!"

"Oh no, you never were," Ender snickered. "The woman you were before would never have let this happen. Now there was a woman of conviction, someone who fought until the bitter end. She wouldn't have been bothered by something as pesky as a conscience."

"She's gone!" Lena insisted. "She's gone and never coming back!"

"But that's where you're wrong, Mileena," Ender grinned. "You of all people should know; once a file is created, it's never be fully destroyed."

And that's when Lena realized her mistake. She'd been pushing him, swinging strike after strike to push Ender into a corner and land a deciding blow. But Ender had been letting her, pulling her further and further away as her attacks grew desperate. He'd never been on the back foot at all.

The cane snaped upwards, parrying her sword and throwing it back, sending Lena stumbling as she desperately tried to reclaim her balance. But it was too late. With Lena's guard dropped, Ender's grin widened as he spun the cane around, crashing it into the chest plate and impacting it with a boom. The strike sent her flying, careering across the sky as landed tumbling in the dirt.

"And there was one more thing you forgot," Ender snickered, pointing the cane toward her as the pommel began to glow. "What once was given, can also be taken away."

Lena's eyes widened, realization hitting her as she struggled to stand. On the ground, she had nowhere to go, and all she could do was brace as a burst of emerald light unleashed from the cane.

Lena could only scream as the energy seared across the distance, flashing in an instant to consume her body in a raging torrent. Lightning licked out from the tempest, sizzling at her armor and eating at the plating, the protection dissolving as the pieces disintegrated off her body and the energy sapped from within.

Her power was vanishing.

"Lena!" Miguel cried out, reaching desperately as the wall of Cyberdrone sealed between them and ArcKnight lunged to keep him back.

It was ripping from her body, tears bursting from her eyes as a burning scorched across her limbs, the power of Ender's cane reaching deep within and yanking her power free whether it was willing or not. By the time the light faded, Lena was on her knees, armor stripped away to reveal the white t-shirt and jeans beneath, her body trembling as it struggled to keep her upright.

All she could do was kneel there, tears streaming from her eyes as Lena vacantly stared into the distance.

"And just like that," Ender chuckled. "All of it's gone. Did you want to be human so badly? Well, here you go, the closest thing you'll ever be. Face it, Lena, the only thing special about you came from us. And even without it, you're nothing like anyone else. In fact, you're close to nothing at all."

But as she knelt there, frozen in shock and horror at the feeling of her power's abandonment, Lena realized something. That there was still something there, something Xaviax had given her but had never valued. Never considered it important, and clearly not significant enough to warrant removal.

Her power to choose.

To choose when to lie down, to choose when to fight.

To choose her friends, to choose her foes.

To choose what she wanted to truly be.

Who she wanted to be.

Lena's whole body still felt like it was only fire, only the burning sizzling of her skin on her otherwise numb limbs. But she was still there. She was still thinking.

Which meant she still could make a choice.

With a groaning wheeze, Lena began to rise, heaving her heavy arms and legs to stand in stumbling defiance before her maker. The man's face dropped, the wide smile of his blue lips vanishing as his crimson eyes narrowed closer.

"Sorry, Ender," Lena told him with a wheeze. "Looks like I'm still here. And if I'm still standing, then logically I can't be nothing."

"Then I guess I'll have to work a little harder," Ender snarled. "And guess what? Given you've already met your maker, there'll be nothing waiting on the other side when I'm done."

And then he unleashed another blast, and Lena was helpless to do anything but scream as the energy surged toward her and exploded.


Ray couldn't watch anymore. His mind was swirling with a million emotions. Rage, anguish, terror.

Lena had run back out there, knowing full well that Ender and ArcKnight were probably waiting. Ran out to help Miguel because she knew Ray would never reach him in time, even if it meant throwing herself to the wolves.

Because it was the right thing to do.

And now he had no way of helping her. Even if he raced to the garage, lunged into the car, and took off at top speed, Ray would never reach her in time. Not before she was destroyed.

Dammit! All she'd gone through, all her soul searching, and all he'd done was put Lena in greater danger. Put her on the path of her own destruction.

On his monitor, the primary-colored Rangers cried in surprise as they dived for dear life, lunging aside as Radiowave unleashed another pair of sonic blasts that shattered the scenery behind them. They couldn't take much more, and with all the Cyberdrones still swarming Miguel, he had no way of getting to the tower and shutting off whatever was empowering the monster.

Beside him, Hilary looked grim, wincing at Lena's cries of agony as Ender gleefully unleashed another blast. He wasn't just seeking to destroy her now, he was taking his time to enjoy it.

"We have to do something," Ray breathed. "Anything!"

Hilary gritted her teeth, running the same mental calculation that Ray had done as she weighed the odds of success. The same odds that warned they'd gain nothing from diving further into the fray.

Unless…

As if reading Ray's mind, the top monitor pinged, the loading bar filled, and confirmed the pre-load was complete. All it needed now was a vessel. They had the option, and while it hadn't been the plan, they needed to use it now. Before it was too late.

"Do it," Ray agreed as Hilary sent him a querying look.

"Are you sure?" Hilary checked. "Once she has it, it can't be undone. Not easily."

"Neither will her destruction," Ray pointed out. "We've been telling her how important it is to make a choice, for her to be able to decide for herself. And if we don't give her that chance, then all we're doing is sitting back and letting her be destroyed."

From the console, Ray watched the internal battle in Hilary's eyes. The battle between aiding their former enemy and rescuing an innocent girl who'd thrown her life on the line to help them.

It wasn't a choice at all. Because Hilary knew that it was the right thing to do.

With her face hardening into sharp resolve, Hilary spun around in her chair and kicked up the loading sequence.

"Miguel?" she said into the com. "I'm sending you something, I'm going to Digitize it into your hand. No matter what, you need to get it to Lena."

She clicked the command, signaling the program to engage as Ray watched another screen flash to life. His part was done, all he could do now was hope. Hope that Lena would see the olive branch as a lifeline.

Seconds later, Miguel's voice crackled through the com. "I've got it, Hilary," he confirmed. "I know exactly what you need me to do!"


Lena hit the dirt, body bruised and beaten, every inch of her skin burning in agony as Ender danced in front of her and readied another blast.

"You know what?' he decided. "I'm actually having fun! You should have turned away from us ages ago, Mileena. This whole thing is extremely cathartic."

Her whole body was begging to lie still, dragging like a heavy weight as once again Lena pushed herself to rise. To rise before the cackling madman that had helped create her. To rise in the face of evil.

Lena didn't know whether she was good, but she knew she was done doing what she was told. And she knew she was sick of this clown's smirking enjoyment.

"Still going, eh?" Ender mused. "Still getting up after everything that's happened? Why even bother? Why keep fighting when you're on the losing side?"

It was as if something snapped inside her, the final tether holding tight tension ripping apart and letting go. Not the fury, but amusement. As Lena started laughing, Ender's face dropped, joyous revelry melting to confusion as he stared at her. Her head was heavy, her vision groggy as her body struggled to stand. And yet, the smile that spread between her cheeks felt effortless as Lena looked up at Ender and her chest continued its rumbling of amusement.

"Why are you laughing?" he demanded. "What's so funny."

"You are," said Lena. "All your big speeches, and you can't see what's in front of you. You're not keeping this going for enjoyment, you're keeping me standing because you want to prove a point. Prove me wrong. Because you can't understand why."

"Oh really?" Ender snarled. "And why is that?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," Lena said proudly, feeling new resolve awaken within, fresh strength surging through as her posture straightened as she looked upon him in vivid defiance. "And I'm done having anyone else tell me otherwise."

Ender's face scrunched in fury, knees bending as he readied for a frenzied attack, only for a voice to cry out and stop him.

"LENA!"

The Dark Saber sheered through the Cyberdrones, the resulting blast bursting them apart as Miguel launched himself high. The Dark Ranger soared toward her, valiantly ignoring the laser blasts lancing toward him as he crossed the distance with ArcKnight in pursuit.

He landed on the other side, the horde of Cyberdrones behind him, only for Ender to turn toward him.

"Wait your turn," he snarled, flipping around the cane and unleashing a burst of lightning at the Ranger.

Miguel could have dodged it with ease, lunging away from the blasts designed to repel him. But in his moment to react, he spun to Lena, a strange device gripped in his glove, and with only a second to spare, he thrust it at her with all his might.

"Lena, catch!"

"Miguel!"

The device flung through the air, Lena diving to catch it as the lightning hit and consumed Miguel. The Dark Ranger cried out, the prongs of energy converging into a convulsing explosion that sent him soaring. But Lena didn't change course, not when she knew what it meant. Whatever he'd thrown to her, Miguel had given his safety to get it to her, and she couldn't waste the window he'd given.

The device almost froze in mid-air as Lena leaped for it, her brief moment of respite already closing as Ender saw what she was reaching for and began to turn toward it. He raised the cane again, pommel already glowing, just as Lena's hand reached the flying object and squeezed it tight.

A fresh spray of lightning unleashed from the end, bursting across the sky as Lena soared past and hit the ground. Rolling to her feet and rising, Lena stared at the item in her palm, her heart stopping dead and eyes widening as she realized what it was.

It was a Morpher.

A single system, nearly identical to the one she'd once given Miguel save for the white casing instead of the black. It couldn't be real; it had to be a trick. There was no way that Granger and Hawkins would trust her with something as powerful as a Morpher, not after everything she'd done.

…would they?

The screen lit up, a vibrant electric blue that confirmed its functioning status as suddenly Ray's voice sounded from the speaker.

"A few weeks ago, you asked me what it meant when you saved a person's life." He told her.

"You told me you couldn't give me an answer," Lena protested.

"I'm not," Ray replied, and she could just imagine the smug grin he'd be smiling as he answered. "But here's your chance to find out."

"It's all set to go," Hilary confirmed. "What happens from here is up to you. Your choice."

In the breadth of a heartbeat that lasted an eternity, Lena stared at the device in her hand. At the power it represented. At the responsibility it meant. At the trust emplaced upon her with its gifting. Her heart thumped in solidarity, her back straightened in confidence, and her fingers tightened their grip around the Morpher as at last Lena realized the answer she'd been seeking.

All this time, she'd been looking for her purpose, but it was time to make her own.

"I know what to do," Lena said as she turned in defiance toward the confused and furious Ender. And then she snapped it to her wrist. There was a flash of light, sealing it around as it connected with her digital body and confirming the integration.

"Thanks for the reminder, Ender," she taunted. "What's given can be taken away. So, I better make the most of this while I've got it! SERVER FORCE! LOGIN ACCESS!"

It was like nothing she'd ever experienced, the energy unfurling from her wrist to flow directly into her body. Lena had been powerful before, she'd felt strength pumping through her veins. But this… this was on a whole new level! The Morphing Grid slammed into her, grabbing hold like a current dragging into a whelming wave, a growing force that rose and rose above her and threatened to completely obliterate her. Lena's choices were simple, let the current ride the wave, or be buried as she fought it. And there was no way from was going down, not now.

She relinquished control, the power sweeping through as Lena gave herself over to it completely. The consuming light was blinding, a dazzling cocoon of pure brilliance that summoned that suit that wrapped around her limbs. Her limbs were growing stronger, almost weightless as her fist curled tighter in excited anticipation. Then, at last, the helmet materialized around her head, encasing her completely as a light blue pane flashed before her vision.

Then in a dazzling burst, the light vanished, and there Lena stood, in a Ranger suit of pure white, light grey motifs that matched the white and crimson markings of the other Rangers, with a silvery blue where they had gold and crimson. In her hand was a long polearm, the haft firm and mirroring the color of her suit with a sharp blade of metallic blue pointed at the ground. Ready for what was coming.

"Server Force!" Lena declared, snapping into a fighting stance as the excess energy of the grid surged behind her. "White Ranger!"

The blazing ball of flame erupted behind her as Ender staggered back, gasping in horror as Lena's attention fixed upon him.

"Welcome to the big leagues, kid," Hilary congratulated through the com in Lena's ear. "And enjoy your first morph; excess grid fluctuations always make it a rush."

"I don't believe it," Lena admitted. "This is incredible! I really am a Power Ranger!"

"Enjoy it while you can," Ender snarled. "Because it won't be for long. Cyberdrones, get her!"

"Go on," Ray encouraged mischievously. "Show him just how wrong he is."

And for what felt like the first time since in her life, Lena smiled. A grin of enjoyment, and excitement for what was coming. "Gladly."

The Cyberdrones never knew what hit them. Lena's body moved faster than a thought, the suit responding to her instinctive commands as she surged toward them. The speartip flashed through the air, a blazing slice that cleaved through the Cyberdrones' armor as if they were made of paper, sending them clattering to the ground as she changed course and soared above her enemies.

The Cyberdrones had huddled around their monsters, a shield of minions while Ender and ArcKnight assessed her new capabilities. In doing so they'd weakened their flank and left the bullying circle around Miguel severely diminished. With a mighty cry, Lena soared above them, plunging the glowing spear to unleash a devastating wave of sparkling blue. The blast cast the footsoldiers aside, clattering them across the ground as Lena landed gracefully between the remnants and Miguel.

"It worked!" Miguel gasped, staggering to his feet to approach Lena's new, fully morphed form. He was hurt, heavily favoring one side, his helmet lying uselessly on the ground. But he was still standing and still morphed. The look in his eye told her that there was plenty of fight left in him. Smiling, Lena knelt and picked up the helmet before offering it to the Black Ranger.

"What do you say?" she asked. "Ready to get back to action and show these clowns how it's done?"

"You know it!"

He took the helmet from her and stepped forward with confidence, defiance resealing it around his head as the two Rangers stared down their opposition.

"Not to ruin your fun or anything," Hilary warned. "But we really need to deal with the radio tower."

"You go," Lena told Miguel, her glare unmoving as she fixed in on the fuming Ender and ArcKnight.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she affirmed. "Time to spread my wings and see what this suit can do."

Miguel didn't argue, responding with a sharp affirming nod. "Then I'm on it!"

Over behind the Cyberdrones, the two henchmen had clearly had enough, both of them striding forward and leveling their weapons at the duo.

"Oh, Mileena," Ender taunted. "You finally found your spine to make a choice, such a shame you chose poorly."

"It's funny," she smirked. "I was going to say the same to you."

ArcKnight barked the command to engage, a sea of robots surging toward them as the two Rangers braced for impact. Lena dove forward and Miguel soared high, the polearm twirling in her hands as she met forces with the mighty, blinding sweep. The speartip shined, flashing like a rippling blast that sent them flying again as Lena surged deeper into the ranks.

Miguel was still flying high and above, and she knew exactly what Ender was planning. ArcKnight was charging toward her, a clear bid to keep her occupied as the Monster maker aimed with his cane. Lena couldn't help but smile; she knew just what to do.

The White Ranger surged at top speed to meet ArcKnight head-on. As the two met, Lena slammed the end of her spear into the ground, flinging herself into the air and high above the raging warrior. Flipping into a somersault, she corrected course as gravity took hold and plunged her into the descent.

Directly at where Ender was standing.

"Ignoring me already, Ender?" Lena laughed as she reached him. Her spear came down like lightning, cracking into the cane as the forks of electricity unleashed. "How rude!"

Ender could only roar with fury as his aim was thrown, the arc of energy bursting in all directions as it missed Miguel entirely. The Black Ranger reached his destination, feet touching the roof of the building as Lena landed between her enemies and their target.

"While I've got your attention," she decided. "Is it a good time to discuss my resignation?"

Up on the roof, Miguel scanned the base of the tower, quickly coming upon the device latched into the wiring.

"Well, this sure looks important!" he decided as the Dark Saber began to glow. With one clean swipe, the device sundered in searing the spray of sparks, the pulses of energy radiating from the peak vanishing immediately.

"No!" Ender screamed. "What did you do?"

"Great work, Miguel!" Hilary cheered. "Looks that did the right trick."

"Rangers," Ray confirmed, "the channel's closed for good. Time to take this guy off the air!"

"Right!"

Back on the ground, Lena stared down both ArcKnight and Ender, Miguel leaping down to join them as the pair of Rangers brandished their weapons at their enemies.

"So how about it, boys?" Lena snickered. "Ready for another round? Maybe for old time's sake?"

ArcKnight seemed ready and keen, stepping forward only for Ender's hand to snap out and stop him. He shot a look back, to the few remaining Cyberdrones that weren't busted or limping, and then to the two morphed Rangers that were more than willing for a fight. The monster maker glowered at her, eyes blazing with fury as his clenched jaw shifted to snarl a concession.

"You win some, you lose some," Ender decided. "Be seeing you around kid. But just remember this; no takebacks!"

And then they vanished, spirited away by an emerald light that left Lena and Miguel alone on the dirt before the radio tower.

"That was incredible!" Lena squealed with excitement.

"You were amazing!" Miguel agreed and they gleefully leaped to each other into a joyous embrace of celebration. "All right!"

"De-Frag Blaster!" they heard the Rangers declare through the coms. "Fire!"

"Great work, guys!" Hilary commended.

"Ray, Hilary," Lena said to them. "Thank you, for giving me a chance."

"Don't mention it," Ray replied warmly. "I knew you'd make the right choice."

"And thanks for the save," Miguel chuckled beside her.

But before they could finish celebrating, a green beam of light split the sky in the distance. It grew and grew in intensity, the point of impact flashing as a shape emerged within it. Moments later, a giant monster raged above the buildings. His shrieking voice could be heard from where they were standing, echoing out from the center of the city.

"You'll need more than that to take me off the air!"

"Hilary?" Miguel asked into the com, tilting his head to shoot a look at Lena. Even through his visor, she could tell he was smirking. "I'm willing to bet that you wouldn't have built that Morpher without all the bells and whistles."

No… No way!

"You guessed right," Hilary told him gleefully. "Deploying Zords!"

The sound of screeching tires filled the air as two mighty vehicles roared into view. One Lena recognized, the black enclosed shape of Miguel's Shadow Cycle. But the other one was new; the sleek, white race car skidding up before her.

"Want to take it out for a spin?" Miguel suggested.

"You bet!"

Both of them soared high, spinning around as the cockpits called to them welcomingly. The hatches opened, both of them landing at the controls as the vehicles took off to join the others.

"Cyber Security Megazord!" the Rangers called together ahead of them. "Online!"

The mechanized warrior rose before them, boxy limbs clunking into a fighting stance as they readied to take on the monstrous Radiowave.

"Hang on, guys!" Hilary told them. "Got some backup coming your way."

"And then some!" Miguel corrected. "Shadow-Cycle Zord! Coming in hot!"

"And then some?" Erika queried, only for the realization hit her. "No way!"

Time to earn her keep.

"That's right!" Lena declared. "Lightspeed-Racer! Picking up speed!"

The two Zords raced down the city streets, engines roaring as they made a direct line for the rampaging monster.

"Guys, I've got an idea," Miguel told them. "We'll get in close and draw his fire. It'll give you time to get that sword ready!"

"Right!"

Then the secondary comline lit up, the private link between Miguel's Zord and Lena's—time to see what this baby could do.

"You ready, Lena?" Miguel asked her.

"I was born ready," Lena confirmed. "Let's kick things into overdrive!"

She slammed the throttle, a fresh boost of speed rocketing the white racer forward as they zoomed across the street to engage.

"Is this the time to call in?" Miguel asked as the Shadow Cycle closed in, guns unfurling from behind the headlights. "Because I've got some hot topics for you!"

The cannons boomed as beams of black blasted toward the monster, Radiowave crying out as they clashed with his girded shape and burst into fiery blooms.

"Don't forget me!" Lena laughed as she followed. "Long time listener, first time caller. I've gotta say that you really do have a face for radio!"

Radiowave stamped down, his heavy foot crashing into the concrete as the Shadow-Cycle swerved from the impact, and Lena yanked the wheel. The tires screeched as she took the corner, the entire Zord drifting into a spin as she zeroed in on the target. As Lena's hand moved to the control stick, she shunted it down hard, sharp blades protruding from the wheels as she surged in at the monster's ankle.

"Racer Blades!" she cheered as the metal shards sheared against Radiowave's legs. The spinning vanes carved into the metal plating, heated sparks flaring in all directions as the monster howled and Lena finished her drift before flooring it.

"He's all yours, guys!"

"Don't mind if we do!" Erika replied with glee as the rest of the team cheered in agreement.

"What?" Radiowave realized as he looked up to see the Cyber Security Megazord lining up for the finish. "No! Next Caller! Next Caller!"

"You're all clear guys," Lena confirmed with a grin. "Time take this station down to static!"

"Right!"

The Megazord thundered forward, long blade shining as it surged in for the final blow.

"Cyber Power…" the team called together, "STRIKE!"

The Megazord crossed the path blinding flash, a single clean strike that cleaved through Radiowave from end to end. The monster screamed, tiny blasts peppering from within the mighty wound.

"But I thought video killed the Radio Star!" he wailed as he fell, at last toppling with a mighty crash before vanishing in a searing column of flame. The spiraling fire soared upwards, a blazing bloom that flourished in all directions, blowing Radiowave to pieces and scorching him down to molecules.

"And we'll be right back after this," Erika chuckled through the coms, steering the Megazord to stand triumphantly before the fading smoke that lingered. Beside them, the Shadow-Cycle and Lightspeed-Racer Zords skidded to stop, and Lena, at last, allowed herself to breathe relief as she slumped exhausted against the controls.

She'd done it. She'd helped them. She'd made a difference.

It may not have been enough, not even inching across the gap to atone for all else she'd done. But it was a start.

A start she'd chosen for herself.


"To new beginnings!" Abbey announced, leaning over the table her shake held high. The three Rangers grinned as they did the same, all heads slowly turning to the missing fifth spoke of the wheel.

Lena couldn't help but shy away, her cheeks flushing scarlet as every instinct caused her to shrink into the chair and hope she'd vanish. She didn't deserve this, the embracing acceptance into a ritual after one good deed. Not after all she'd done.

She'd tried to get out of it at first, insisting that she was safer in the lab in case Xaviax tried to attack her. But as Lena began to stammer her rejection of Miguel's invitation, Erika and Abbey had appeared on either side, all but lifting Lena up and dragging her to the Hub for a celebration.

And now, there she was, sitting at their table, in her seat, joining in their cheers as if nothing had happened.

"Come on," Zeke insisted. "We don't consider the win official until we've done this."

"And with more people on the team, the more people that need to toast," Abbey grinned.

Still uncertain, Lena looked to Erika and Miguel, but both simply smiled at her encouragingly. She should've expected that from one, but Lena would've assumed at least Erika would be willing to hold a grudge. But instead, the team's Red Ranger raised her cup as well, signaling to others to try again.

"To old friends," Erika decided, this time with a much more pointed nod at their newest member. "Welcome back, Lena. We missed you."

They… what?

"Did you really?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well…" Zeke corrected awkwardly. "We missed the you from before you were trying to blow us up all the time."

Fair.

Smiling nervously, Lena at last relented and raised her shake to meet the others. As she did, the screen of the white-cased watch glinted against the café's lighting, the fancy new communicator that Hilary had gifted upon Lena's return to the lab.

"Keep it," Hilary had smiled warmly when Lena attempted to return the Morpher. "Seems like white's your color."

"It suits you," Ray agreed, "Besides, if you're worried Xaviax is going to keep coming after you, then I can't think of any better defense."

With the other four nodding behind them, Lena knew she had no room to argue. She had no idea if they truly trusted her, or if it was all just one big test. But even if it was, it was one that Lena refused to fail. She was not going to let them down; never again.

"To second chances," Lena decided, catching a proud glint in Miguel's eye as she, at last, leaned forward and knocked her cup to join them. The five of them cheered, raising their glasses in unison before sitting back down. And just quickly, the conversations melted away into everything not Ranger-related, just five normal teens and their everyday problems.

It was like Lena had never been gone at all; like they were back at their lunch table on that first day she'd met them.

The Rangers.

Her teammates.

Her friends.

And deserving of them or not, she was never going to let them go again.


NEXT TIME:

Working on finding an emotional outlet, Ray encourages Erika to try out for the local band Electro-Head. But while her guitar and vocal skills might be up to the task, Erika finds herself quivering at the thought of performing in front of her peers. Meanwhile, Lena begins to settle into the team, and Scolex Industries makes a surprising intrusion into Hilary's workplace.

Will Erika find the emotional outlet she needs?

Can she find the courage to stand before a crowd?

And what sudden interest does Davian Scolex have in Hilary's assistant, Jessica?

Find out Next Time on:

POWER RANGERS

SERVER FORCE

Center Stage


A/N:

Power Rangers: Server Force is a fan-made team of Rangers, and not explicitly based on any other existing Rangers or Sentai property, with artwork character models created through Hero Forge.

Power Rangers- Sever Force updates on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you like what you read, you can always drop a comment to let me know, and don't forget to subscribe/ follow to find out the second I update.

Thank you so much to all the people sending comments and reviews. It means so much when people take the time to let me know that they're enjoying the series and my work. Power Rangers Server Force will be taking a short, one-week break, just to get the next stretch of chapters all ready to go. But have no fear, Power Rangers Server Force will be back on the 14th of May with a brand new episode!

Until then, what are people's thoughts on the series so far? Has there been a standout moment? How do they think Lena will settle into the tea now that she's back, and what do you all think is going to happen next? I'd love to read people's thoughts and theories in the comments and reviews.

But otherwise, until next time, may the power protect you all.