It had to be around here; it just had to be!

With nothing but a metal detector and a flashlight to guide him, Davian plunged the shovel into the earth in a vain and desperate search. No other thought could be entertained, no other possibility considered. The military hadn't found it. They didn't even know they should be looking, let alone where. And what better prize to obtain than one that no one even knew existed? There was no other end goal, no version of events that ended with Davian leaving without his prize. This was simply too important.

The world needed it; it needed him.

But even zealous fervor could only propel him so far. For three days, he'd searched, unearthing the woods near Cranston Gorge with no sign of his spoils. So far, all it had uncovered was pocket change and scrap. By sunset set on the third day, Davian doubts began to creep around his fraught pursuit, only growing as he stumbled blindly through the thicket in search of what could not be found.

What was he even doing? Digging for buried treasure like a child, based on the words of a desperate fool? He was chasing a myth; he'd been taken on a ride by a charlatan in the ultimate quest for humiliation. What he searched for didn't exist; how could it? And even if it did, he was never going to find it. It was impossible, just like everything else he'd tried. He couldn't help the world. He couldn't even run his own business! And now, here he was, crawling in the dirt for some desperate miracle to save his dream.

Overhead, thunder rolled, hiding the moon behind dark clouds to further shroud Davian in darkness.

It was time to turn around and head back to his room. The rain would hit soon, turning his dig site into a quagmire that would eagerly drown his search. It was time for him to give up on the dream.

As the thunder boomed again, Davian howled in despair, unleashing a wail that betrayed his anguish as he plunged the spade into the earth.

THUNK.

Davian's heart stopped, heart beating faster as his flashlight pointed to where he'd struck and dug again. With a sinister growl, the cloud grew closer as Davian tore through the earth in desperate hope. The spade hit metal again and again as he carved back the soil that imprisoned his prize. And then, at last, he found a shape, free enough for his dirt-covered hands to pull it free.

The lightning struck in the distance; its single flash was the only thing needed to see what he found: Gideon's Black Box.

It was real, just as he'd been told. For all his toil in the mud and dirt, he'd found it. Once again, Davian unleashed another wail, not from anguish but from joy, punctuated by the encroaching thunder as his cathartic exaltation echoed through the clearing.

At last, he had what he needed: the power to make his dreams come true.

The power to make his perfect world a reality.


Episode 31

Meet & Greet- Part II


All four parents stared at them, speechless and wide-eyed with shock. The quiet did nothing for Abbey's nerves, nor Zeke's. But both remained in place, staring back in stubborn determination to convey their serious sincerity. Committed to the impossible truth they had announced to the world.

Finally, Richard was the one who spoke. "Power Rangers?"

"No," Ms. Carmichael insisted. "No way. This is ridiculous."

"Mom," Abbey tried carefully. "I know this is a lot, but…"

"A lot?" her mother gasped. "Oh, we are way past a lot! This… this is insane! You can't be a Power Ranger, you're… you're my daughter!"

"Mom? Dad?" Zeke asked, helplessly attempting to break their short-circuiting thoughts and bring them back to reality. But as Abbey's mother rapidly unraveled, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson remained silent, staring at their son in continued disbelief. Their heads just moved between Zeke and Abbey, boggled by how resolutely they were sticking to their claim. As if one on their own would have been easy to dismiss, but the two together, united in resolution, were impossible to deny.

"I…" said Mrs. Johnson, "I don't believe it…"

"All this time?" his father asked. "Ever since that attack on City Hall?"

Zeke just nodded softly, "We had to do something. Those people were in danger, and we were the only ones who could help."

"Why?" Ms Carmichael demanded. "Why on earth could you, of all people, have been the only ones who could help?"

"It's a long story," Abbey said. "One that we really don't have time to get into right now. But I promise, once we get out of here, we'll explain everything."

But Ms. Carmichael shook her head, "No, you're not going anywhere until we get some answers."

Abbey's heart stopped. A frightened jolt froze her body cold as every instinct screamed at her to back off. But as much as Abbey wanted to, she knew she had to stand firm, that she had to fight. As much as Abbey loved her mother, there was somewhere far more important she had to be. And so, breathing in to strengthen her resolve, Abbey held her ground instead.

"I'm sorry, Mom, really," Abbey said. "But I can't do this right now, not when other people need my help."

But every step of Abbey's firm defiance only frightened her mother more, her eyes quivering in terror for her daughter. For the year Abbey had been having without any of her knowledge, for the dangers she'd have faced every day. For what she was about to step into now.

"Prove it," her mother said firmly. "Prove it right now. Show us you're a Power Ranger and transform."

"We can't," Abbey replied. "Something's blocking our powers; it's why we had to hide, and the others haven't shown up."

'You can't?" her mother scoffed. "Of course, real convenient."

"I think we should all take a step back," Richard advised.

But Abbey ignored him, eyes glaring at her mother's insulting disbelief, firing right back.

"You think I'd lie about something like this? That I'd lie ever? Do you think I don't know how insane all of this is? That's been our year! You've been on the sidelines while I've been seeing it up close. I get it; I wouldn't want to believe it, either. But you're right; I am your daughter, someone who you know better than everyone else. So, you should know now that I'm telling the truth."

"Well, apparently, I don't know you at all if you're a Power Ranger," her mom replied. "Makes me wonder what else you're not telling me about. You're saying that you've been lying right to my face for the better part of a year, but now I'm meant to trust you? So, which is it, Abbey? Either you're lying now, or you always have been."

"Zeke," Mr. Johnson added quietly. "You've got to admit that you're asking us to take a lot on faith here."

"I can't believe you're even considering this!" Ms. Carmichael continued. "There's just no way that this is possible. They're our children; they can't be superheroes."

It was no use. None of the adults were swayed by Abbey's and Zeke's explanation; not enough. It didn't leave many options, and those that remained filled Abbey's stomach with a sinking sense of sickness.

"You don't have to believe us," she said. "But that doesn't change what we have to do. If we want any chance of getting our powers back, then Zeke and I need to get to the electronics lab. It's the only way we're going to get everyone out of here safely."

"And now you want to go to the other side of the school?" Ms. Carmichael scoffed. "Is there even a rescue group coming? You know what? It doesn't matter. Because you have absolutely lost it if you think we're just going to let waltz on out of here."

As Abbey took a step forward, all four parents moved in unison, lock-step in their determination to keep their children from the chaos. They stood between the teens and the door, sternly warning them with cold looks of caring condescension.

It left one thing for it. With a sigh of resignation, Abbey shared a look with Zeke as he, too, nodded sadly in silent agreement.

"I'm sorry, Mom."

Then she grabbed Zeke's shoulder and ran, phasing them both through the wall and out into the dangers of the hallway.


"That's it, I'm done!"

Lena had already snatched the keys and stormed toward the elevator before Hilary could call her back.

"Lena!"

"I don't care!" the android hissed. "I know there's a risk, but it's one I've got to take. I just can't do this, I know you might be able to sit at the terminal and figure out a solution from there, but I am literally not built like that. I was made for battle, to stand up against my enemies. And right now, that's exactly what I need to do."

"If you could just…"

"No!" Lena replied. "I can't. Abbey, Zeke, and Ray are trapped inside. Erika and Miguel are captured, and that's the best-case scenario. And you want me to just sit back? Well, it's not going to happen. Because even putting aside all that they've done for me, after all I did to them, they're all that I have. You want me to be safe? Well, I would even be safe if it weren't for them. Hell, I probably wouldn't even be here. And even that's before considering that, along with you, Ray is the only family I have. So do not tell me to sit still because there is nothing that is going to stop me from going down to that school. Not even you."

For a moment, a tense silence between them, the programmer and her surrogate android daughter staring each down with each refusing to blink. Back at the monitors, Jess could only watch anxiously with no idea which way the tide would turn.

"Give me the keys," Hilary said flatly.

"What?" Lena demanded. "After all of that, you're still going to try and stop me? Did you not just hear me say-?"

"I heard you," Hilary replied. "And if there's no power on this earth that's going to stop you going down there, then there's also no way in hell I'm letting you do it alone. So, give me the keys; I'm driving."

A relieved breath flushed Lena's lungs, almost buckling from the slackening tension as she handed over the keys, and Hilary stepped to her side.

"Now, come on," Hilary decided warmly. "Let's go get our friends."

"Wait!" Jess' voice snapped them back like a tethering chord, and both Lena and Hilary turned to face her.

"Really?" Lena asked. "You too? Can you just give me the bullet points of your reasons? Because I really don't think I've got it in me to make another speech."

"I'm not stopping you," Jess clarified, "Just look."

She was pointing to the news coverage, already raising the volume as Lena and Hilary reapproached to see Cassidy Cornell on screen.

"… Fielding has secured assistance with the nearby detachment of Silver Guardians, who have just begun deploying around the school's perimeter."

"Good thing we were already going down there," Hilary realized, looking more closely at the screen as the commanding officer walked past the barricade. "I think I just figured out our way in."

Lena peered closer at the feed, eying the figure that Hilary had spotted as she, too, recognized the familiar face. The last face she'd ever expected to see, a face that shocked her to her core.

It was like a knife had run through her heart, an instinctive, existential panic as the perfect recollection of Lena's memory confirmed it. For a moment, the briefest of nanoseconds, she prayed that it was a system error, that the man's cobalt fatigues and red officer's beret had caused misidentification with another, more famous Silver Guardian. But Lena's systems were too good; there was no mistaking it.

He was older now, the passage of fifteen years worn on his face, and where he'd once been stubbly, he had a thinly shaved beard with the slightest hints of grey peeking through the roots. But the longer Lena stared at the TV, watching as the captain began briefing Cornell with a well-rehearsed array of responses, the more the truth became impossible to deny.

It was him.

The man leading the Silver Guardians' rescue efforts was Kyle Mason. The former Data Squad Security Ranger.

The man who had once destroyed her.


Out in the dark and expansive void, beneath the green glow of the grid-lined sky, platforms floated through the space in a strange and ever-changing landscape that shifted with the whims of the occupants' paths. All along them, Cyberdrones patrolled, perfect in their pathways that looped through inspections to keep the data stream cleared. But regularity made them predictable. And vulnerable.

The black smoke cracked through the space, taking a Cyberdrone by surprise. It had barely a second to react, spinning in shock to see a teenage boy in a black hoodie standing behind it. It had no time to warn the comrade patrolling mere feet in front of it, as by the time it had raised its hand to signal for attention, the boy had clamped the robot's shoulder and yanked it back into the smoke. Both cracked onto a fresh platform a moment later, the one empty of any Cyberdrones but not of any threat.

Erika was more than ready.

The charge surged through her hand, flattened to a knife as she plunged it into the robot's chest and flushed its body with a million volts. The henchman convulsed in Miguel's grip, smoke seething from the cracks within its armor before falling limp upon the ground.

"We had a bit of a run-in with a digitizer," Erika explained dryly as she noted Dr. Benson's curious expression.

"That much, I'd put that much together," Doc replied.

He knelt, flipping the Cyberdrone over to begin pulling at the panel behind its head. Erika had been expecting wires, but as the panel was pulled away. Instead, a glowing brightness greeted them. Doc didn't seem the least perturbed and just as quickly jammed his hand inside.

"They're not real," he explained. "At least, not like the ones that you're used to fighting. In here, they don't need wires and circuits. They're just raw data."

"So, how can you interact with them like that?" Miguel asked.

In reply, Benson smirked. "Cyber Security 101, anything external you plug into your system could be hostile. It's safe to say that I've learned a lot in here."

"How long will you need?" asked Erika.

"Shouldn't be too long once I'm in," Benson admitted. "Getting into this guy's the easy part, using him as a backdoor into the mainframe's going to take a little bit longer."

Erika nodded as she returned her surveillance to the corridor and pushed aside her unease. There were risks, and Doc had been upfront about them when explaining the plan; the more Doc fiddled with the surrounding environment, the easier it would be for Xaviax or Ender to find where they were. So far, they hadn't run into any firewalls to trap them in place, but Erika knew that it was only a matter of time before someone realized that the captives had escaped. Erika didn't know much about digital landscapes or cyber prisons, but she did know detention and that the best way of avoiding more trouble was to be quiet.

But they couldn't stumble in the dark forever. Doc had a good idea of the system's layout and weaknesses, but he was only one man. If anyone figured out the danger the three possessed while together, then no efforts would be spared to separate them. They were on a clock, and they needed to find an exit before it ran out.

Beside her, Miguel slowly rose as his panted breath returned to a more even pace.

"Are you okay?" Erika asked.

Miguel nodded "Yeah, I just need a second. It's been a while since I've Wisped around this much. And this place is… weird."

"Well, we'll keep it to a minimum from now on," Erika decided. "Emergencies only."

All the more reason to find a proper exit. Miguel's teleporting was the only thing keeping them ahead of the Cyberdrone patrols and by Doc's reckoning, what had given him the first real shot at disabling and examining the Cyberdrone security. But the more Miguel Wisped, the bigger toll it took, and that would only become worse now that they've picked up a third escapee.

The lights on the Cyberdrone lit up, nearly causing Erika to zap it again as Benson held up his hand to calm her. With a burst of light, a huge holographic maze appeared before them. It looked like a complicated diagram, reminding Erika of a switchboard, but Doc seemed able to read it like it was English.

"I'm in," said Doc. "Just give it a minute, and we'll have a readout of this entire network."

"If we've got a minute, then you've got time for some answers," Erika replied. "Have you really been in Lakeview all this time?"

"They nabbed me last year," said Doc. "At first, they just had me plugged into some kind of machine, and then eventually, they threw me into the digital prison once they had it finished. Seems like they had the same idea with you. Okay, your turn, how do you know Ray and Hilary?"

"They kind of our…" Miguel trailed off, pausing he realized the answer was more complicated than he initially realized.

"They're our mentors," Erika finished for him. "They came to Lakeview looking for you, and after a series of events that we really don't have time to get into, they made us Power Rangers."

"Sticking with the teenagers with attitude plan, huh?" Doc chuckled. "I guess I can't argue with the results, although I'm surprised they didn't pick up the Morphers themselves.

"They did," Miguel confirmed before adding, "eventually."

"They didn't exactly have a choice," Erika clarified. "Like I said, it's a bit of a…"

"…long story," Doc concluded. "Yeah, that's fair enough."

It was no more than now that Erika felt bitterly reminded of that fact. They weren't Rangers because they were the best or because destiny had some cosmic plan for them in mind. They were Rangers because of sheer dumb luck. As she stared at the strange surroundings of her prison, Erika couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Ray and Hilary had found someone else. Someone better.

If they would have been caught in Xaviax's trap like she and Miguel had.

One by one, the various dots on the diagram began to blink, particular lines illuminating into connected pathways.

"So, what's the diagnosis, Doc?" asked Miguel.

"When Xaviax threw me in here, he clearly didn't expect me to be able to access any of the surrounding systems," said Doc. "But what he also didn't realize is that, in digitizing me, I became another program and could mess around with hostile intent. It didn't take me long to break out of the prison he put me in and start exploring the mainframe, but that didn't mean I could get to everything. That is until you two came along and helped get a conversation with our friend here."

"So, what does that mean?" Erika asked. "Can you get us out of here?"

Doc shook his head, "Not from here. Xaviax and Ender were at least smart enough to close off the critical systems. But just because we can't walk there, that doesn't mean we can't get in. I now know where we can access the Digitizing software; once we're inside, we can just turn the device on and redigitize on the outside."

"Easy as pie," Erika replied nervously. In reality, what Benson had just explained seemed anything but.

However, it was also the only plan they had, and knowing better than to argue, Erika nodded for Benson to lead the way. Without missing a beat, the programmer motioned to move, and the three of them began creeping along the platforms that unnervingly appeared every time they reached an edge.

"You said you were in a machine before they put you in here," said Erika. "What was it like?"

"It's hard to explain," said Benson. "All I could really remember at first was the feeling, but it was… happy. Over time, images began to form, and before I knew it, it was like I was moving about, just like you and I are now. Only… it was like I was home, back in my lab."

Breathing in a nervous breath with a thought she desperately hoped was wrong, Erika shared a look with Miguel that betrayed his matching thought. "That sounds kind of like the Dreamworld," she said.

The statement caught Doc off guard, causing him to stop at the corner and look at her quizzically. "Dream world?"

"The machine they put you in," Erika explained. "Was it a simulated reality that grants your deepest wish? They hit me with a smaller one a few weeks ago and…"

But Doc was no longer listening, stare growing vacant with horrified realization. "Of course! That makes total sense!"

But by now, Erika was done playing twenty-questions. "Look, I get that you're a big deal to our friends and all, but you've got to stop vaguing and out and start filling us in."

"Xaviax didn't trap me in a simulation," Doc clarified. "But he did… he put me to sleep. He'd developed the technology to read the information in people's brainwaves when in REM patterns, he used it to mine my mind for data. If what happened to you is anything to go by, it sounds like he's started making improvements."

"That would explain why they knew what simulation to put you in," Miguel said to Erika. "They pulled it right out of your head."

"And right into a nightmare," Erika agreed, shuddering at the memory of what the world had become once she rejected its reality. "Okay, so if they weren't using it to trap you in a simulation, what were they doing to you?"

"I was running calculations," Doc explained. "It's like they were plugging them directly into my subconscious without me even realizing what they were doing. At least, not until they started digging around the coding of the Data Morphers."

And then his face went white, eyes widening as he suddenly realized. "The Morphers! We've got to get to Hilary; we need to tell her that Xaviax could be making Rangers of his own!"

"He already did," Miguel replied bitterly.

"Evil Dark Ranger, mind controlled by Xaviax," Erika filled him in. "It was a whole thing; we handled it."

"Right…" Doc nodded slowly, surprised at how casually Erika had shrugged at the situation. "Anyway, once I realized that they were actively mining my head for calculations, I managed to run interference and give them false answers. After that, they just left me on the machine until they got this hellscape ready. They said they needed to run a test and that I was the perfect subject."

"They found another way to make you useful," Miguel said bitterly.

But while Miguel looked at their companion with deepest sympathy, Erika's mind was spinning the information they had, finding the pieces that still didn't add up. "When I told you about the simulation, you acted like it was some obvious conclusion. Like it was the next big step," she said. "What's this all about?"

"The world that you were in," Doc asked. "What did it give you, exactly?"

Erika paused, uncertain how to respond. She knew this man was important to both Ray and Hilary, but Erika didn't know him from a bar of soap. And even weeks later, the memory of what the Dreamworld had shown her was still raw.

"It's personal," was all she said as she looked away. But it was all the detail Doc needed.

"You said it was your heart's desire," he said. "Like some regret that you couldn't fix yourself? Something from your past that you wished you could change, even if you had no control of it?"

Erika nodded.

"He read my brain," Doc explained. "And then he used information he read from yours to make a false reality. Has Xaviax been doing any mass calculations recently?"

"Yeah, he has," said Miguel. "Hilary said he's been offloading massive amounts of computer processing onto businesses he's acquired as Davian Scolex. But he's already got all this, he's already got you, why would he need to do that unless…"

"He's making something really big," Doc concluded. "Something that would need a city-sized supercomputer to calculate."

Erika's heart was pounding, thumping the walls of her chest as all the pieces fell into place. Every step that Scolex had taken, both as himself and as Xaviax. Capturing Doc and trying to capture Hilary. The reality he'd trapped Erika in had been a test, even the prison he'd thrown them all in was just a trial run for what was to come. A full culmination on a grand scale.

And all of a sudden, Erika realized their escape was no longer just about survival. Their need to find Ender's lab was now about far more than reclaiming their Morphers and teleporting out. They needed to get back to the museum and warn Hilary of what was coming.

"Make the world a better place…" Erika gasped. "That's what Scolex keeps saying to Hilary. It's not just a marketing line, he means it literally. He's trying to make a new reality to fix everyone's regrets. To make their dreams come true."

And when they realized they were false, it would trap them in a nightmare.


"Do you think they're gone?"

Whitney could only stare as Deryck pressed his ear toward the door, listening for any sign of their robotic attackers. Every moment felt like an eternity, frozen between heavy heartbeats as they waited for an answer.

"I think so, I don't hear anything," said Deryck. Although neither he nor Whitney made a move. Maybe that was just what those robots wanted them to think, creeping in the quiet outside to lull them into a false sense of security.

This was becoming the worst day ever!

First, her mom said she wanted to come to parent-teacher night. For some reason, she cared about what Whitney's teachers had to say; it wasn't like they mattered or anything. And then, all any of her teachers did was complain, talking about her "poor attitude" and "lack of any interest". Like Whitney even needed to be taking lectures from people teaching high school. If they were actually people that mattered, maybe they'd have gone and done something better with their lives.

But her mom was listening to them! Like she was considering what they had to say. And then, those creepy killer robots attacked the school, trapping her inside the janitor's closet while her mom was who knows where!

This day could not get any worse.

"Okay, I think it's safe to go," said Deryck. But Whitney's hand shot out, grabbing his arm to pull him back.

"Wait," she hissed. "What if they come back? We'll be stuck out there like… one of those simile things they keep talking about in English class!"

"Oh, right. I guess we better stay here then?"

Both looked at each other with terrified eyes, realizing their impromptu sanctuary had become their prison. Trapped in the tight confines, they had nowhere to go.

"Whitney?" Deryck asked her finally. "What're we going to do?"

"How am I meant to know that?" she hissed. "I don't think about these things. That's what other people are for. You know how it's meant to go: robots show up, we run, and the Power Rangers show up to deal with it. And then, for some reason, you and I get covered in slime because those posers are nowhere near as good as people think they are."

"But then why haven't the Power Rangers shown up this time?"

A question that Whitney hadn't even comprehended, too busy fleeing for safety to consider how this time was different. But as Whitney stopped and strained to think, she realized that he was right. There were no Power Rangers charging to the rescue. People were trapped, robots were running everywhere, and yet there was not a single-colored spandex in sight.

"They've abandoned us," Whitney realized. "Don't you see it, Deryck! They're not coming. They're leaving us here!"

"No way, Whitney, that can't be true!" said Deryck. "The Power Rangers always arrive to save the day, even if things get a little… messy."

"Then where are they, Deryck?" Whitney asked. "Why aren't they here, right now, kicking robot butt so that we can get out of here? Did you see what was happening out there? Abbey Carmichael was punching those things. Abbey Carmichael! We all know she's got to be pretty desperate if the wimpy, petty princess is throwing down. But did we see a single Power Ranger? Nuh-uh."

They were trapped, and they were alone.

"Face it, Deryck," said Whitney. "There's no one coming to save us."


The road leading to the school was packed. Parked vehicles stretched all the way from the main gate as the dark sky basked in the red and blue glow of flashing lights from the vehicles forming the perimeter. A crowd had formed, desperate civilians encroaching to inquire further; some out of fear for their friends and loved ones, others for the simple safety of their local community, and the rest simply satisfying an unhealthy curiosity.

If they wanted in, then they'd have to push through on foot. Hilary was practically out of the car before it had even stopped moving, yanking up the handbrake as she raced to the crowd gathering at the barricade. But despite all her earlier bravado, Lena was slower and purposeful, breathing in with deep trepidation as she followed. The twisting in her stomach squeezed tighter with every step as anxious dread sank deeper and deeper.

But no matter how sickening the anxiety, there was no way Lena was letting it win. Her friends needed her, and nothing was going to stop her from reaching them. Of course, she'd been much more confident in her resolve before knowing that it would mean having to talk to him.

Maybe hanging back a little wasn't the worst idea…

Hilary had other plans. As she reached sawhorses at the front of the crowd, she turned around, looking past the mesh of shoulders and heads to see Lena hiding among the populace.

"What are you doing?" she asked hurriedly, already reaching toward her before Lena could answer. "Come on, stay close!"

Lena didn't fight it as Hilary reeled her to the front, even as the churning in her stomach intensified, and she stepped closer toward the man who had brought her previous doom. It was possible that Hilary hadn't connected the source of Lena's discomfort, but more likely, she simply didn't have the time to console her. And she was right, Lena knew that. They had a job to do. Whatever guilt, fear, and unease Lena had surrounding Mason could wait until after her friends were safe.

Gulping down her trepidation, she nonetheless shuffled in a vain attempt to hide as Hilary called out past the barricade.

"Kyle!"

Up ahead, the red beret snapped up, its wearer whipping around to see his old friend standing at the barricade. "Man, did I hope I wouldn't see you today," he admitted grimly as he strode toward them and motioned at the two patrolmen. "Let her through."

The Guardians moved the sawhorse, warning back the crowd as Hilary wandered in with Lena's hand in hers.

"Who's this?"

"This is Lena," Hilary replied, "She's with me."

Mason paused, eyes narrowing as if registering that Lena was familiar but unable to put his finger on why. But whether he'd figured or not, Mason's expression gave no clue. Instead, he resumed addressing his old friend. "So, I'm guessing that if you're still out here, and the Rangers haven't come to the rescue…"

Hilary nodded, a silent confirmation of the part left unsaid, before leaning in closer to add, "Ray's in there."

And just like that, Mason's demeanor changed, his whole posture tightening as he turned toward a large silver vehicle, the same size and shape as a bus, that had arrived with the Guardians. The two followed him, heaving inside to see a fully mobile command center set up within the body of the vehicle. Moments later, the Guardians inside had exited upon Mason's command, leaving him alone with Lena and Hilary.

"Okay, give it to me straight, how bad is it?"

"We can't morph," Hilary said flatly. "They've got a monster on the grounds that's blocking all wireless communications, including the signal that opens up the Morphers to my equipment at the lab."

"Stopping them from kickstarting a link to the Morphing Grid," Mason concluded.

"Yup," Hilary nodded. "Okay, your turn, what's the Guardian situation?"

"We've formed a perimeter and taken control of the surroundings from local authorities. We've got police on crowd control while we scope out a breaching point. Unfortunately, all that interference is stopping us from getting eyes inside, and that means we can't coordinate a counterattack that won't compromise the trapped civilians' safety."

"So, it's a standoff?"

"Pretty much. The robots aren't going to get past us, but until we get that interference sorted, then we're stuck too."

"We're working on that," said Hilary. "Our teammates on the inside are working on a way to jam the signal."

"That's good news," Mason admitted. "But I'm willing to be you'd like who it is kept on the quiet. And that means I can't really go the higher-ups with it until it happens."

But as Hilary and Mason kept on logistics, Lena could only stare at the small contingent under Mason's command. The cavalry had swooped in, but all they'd done was replace who was manning the perimeter. Nothing had changed, and from where Lena was standing, it seemed like the only benefit was that Silver Guardians had arrived before Scolex's own security forces descended to control the situation.

But it wasn't going to help them get their friends back.

"Is this really all you have?" Lena asked him. It came out like a snort of dismissal as the nerves at last got the better of her. "I thought you Silver Guardians were meant to have Rangers of your own."

She knew that they had Rangers of her own, but in the present company, Lena was keeping that to herself.

Mason shot Hilary a look of curious skepticism, but the woman said nothing, and instead, the Guardian nodded to confirm Lena's assertion. "We do, but both the Time Force Red and the Quantum Ranger are already deployed on a mission. We came as quickly as we could with the forces we had nearby. But the fact that people are trapped inside makes it complicated; we can't risk busting in with guns blazing unless we know that we can keep them safe."

"But they're not safe now!" Lena snapped. "Our friends are in there, trapped and powerless. Two of them have been caught already. And if someone doesn't do something soon, Xaviax is going to flush the rest out from wherever they're hiding. He's not going to care who he hurts to do it. If you're not-."

"Lena," Hilary cut her off firmly. "It's okay, we'll figure it out." And then she turned to Mason with a look of steel resolve. "She's right, we need to get in there."

"Hilary, you know I can't do that."

"Like hell you can't, you've got this entire operation dancing to your tune," Hilary retorted. "Just a click of your fingers got us past the barricade; you could easily get us inside."

"It's not that he can't," Lena said bitterly. "Just that he won't."

"It's not that simple," said Kyle. "I've got orders, both from up top and the mayor. Right now, as worried as people are for everyone in the school, there's a concern that the situation could escalate. And with no Power Rangers coming to the rescue, this is a Guardian op through and through, and that means I've got to play this by the book. There is no world where I could justify letting a pair of civilians walk inside a situation that even we're approaching with caution."

Something growled from deep beneath Lena's breast, her teeth clenching with growing fury as she listened to him roll-off, nothing but excuse after excuse. This was what had become of the man who had bested her? Standing behind the front lines, giving orders to hold firm while taking no risk himself? This man had told her that his secret to success, the reason he was better than her, was the innate tenacity and independence of his humanity. And now he was toeing the line for some glorified bureaucrat more interested in his public image than resolution.

"No," Lena said sharply. "You cannot just stand in our way while our teammates, our friends, are trapped and in danger. You do not get to hold Hilary back after everything that she's done for you. You're here because of her; time to pay the bill."

A looming shadow darkened Mason's brow as he turned to give Lena full attention, glaring as he looked down on her from his full height, and Lena glared right back. When she'd first seen his face after those years, for the first time since he'd destroyed who she'd used to be, Lena's body had trembled with fright. But now she was no longer afraid, not when she could he could see what he'd become. The man who had walked out of their final encounter had become nothing but a stooge in a uniform.

"Sorry, who you again?" he sneered. "Because you are taking this whole teenager with attitude thing somewhere it does not need to go."

"Right now, I seem to be the only one who wants to actually do something about the monster prowling on the other side of that barricade," Lena replied before shooting a dry, disbelieving look at Hilary. "Are you seriously telling me that this is your great Security Ranger? The same man who used to fight tooth and nail for his own survival? All I'm seeing is some dog on a leash."

"Okay, that's enough," Hilary scolded sharply. While Lena held her tongue, her scowl didn't budge an inch.

"You think I don't get it?" Mason asked. "You think I don't want to get Ray out of there? There are few people in this world I owe more to, and there's nothing I wouldn't do to get him back. But it's not just about him, or you, or me. Other people in there are in danger, not to mention Guardians under my command who are relying on me to get them through this safely as well. I send you in there, and I undermine all the work they're doing to maintain the shred of order outside. Sending you in means that you'd have no backup, that you'd be going into that danger alone and powerless, and maybe to become someone else that my group has to rescue."

"We know," Hilary said curtly before Lena could launch off another string of stringent words. Her voice was calm, but Lena could hear the rising, desperate trembling beneath the surface. "But that doesn't matter. If you were standing here, like I am now, not as a Guardian captain, but as a Ranger, what would you want? What would honestly stop you from going in there? Nothing, and you know it."

Mason said nothing, instead letting out a great sigh of resignation as he leaned back on one of the chairs.

"They have my husband in there, Kyle," Hilary pleaded, "along with two kids who I dragged into this mess while another two are already in Xaviax's hands. We need to do something, and right now, I don't need a Silver Guardian Captain to help me. I need you, my teammate. My friend."

Slowly, Mason nodded, reaching forward to place a comforting hand on Hilary's shoulder. And as he did, he smiled like he was trying to get back to what he'd first been saying before Lena interrupted.

"I just wanted to be sure that you knew what you were asking," he agreed, before nodding to Lena "And what you're walking into. Come on, Hilary, after everything you and Ray have done for me, there's no way I'd let you hang out to dry like that. I still can't let you in, but that doesn't mean I have to stop you."

He was… always planning on helping? Lena let out a breath of shameful relief, looking away as she realized she'd let her fear of him compromise their mission. That what she'd seen in herself as courage was just blind bravado to mask her terror. And it had nearly damned everyone.

Hilary, meanwhile, had recomposed herself. Taking Kyle's hand, she whispered a soft and gentle "Thank you."

Mason moved to the keyboard of the command center, pulling up the tactical readouts of the Silver Guardian's perimeter. "We've encircled the grounds, but the Cyberdrones seem to mostly be concentrating on the exits."

"They must be trying to catch anyone trying to make a break for it," Hilary reasoned.

"That was our thought, too," Mason agreed. "We've tried to keep our patrols in line with their forces, cordoning off the main exits to let the fence line do some of the work for us. That way, we're not spreading ourselves too thin if they launch an attack."

"Do you have many men patrolling the northeast fence?" Lena asked.

Kyle's brow furrowed as he flicked through the camera feeds. "Only a few."

"The hill on the outside of the boundary makes it easy to jump, we could use that to get inside where the patrols are light," Lena explained. Both looked at her with confusion, wondering how she could possibly know that. Lena just shrugged, "The Mariner Bay-Sharks used it to sneak in and steal the mascot before last month's big game."

Mason leaned in closer, comparing the feed to the map beside him and nodding to confirm. "I can make that work. The window won't be big, but I should be able to pull them away long enough for you to get inside. But I've got to warn you; once you're in, you'll be on your own."

"Just be ready with your men," Lena replied. "Because once we've got that signal down, you're going to have to come in with everything you've got."

It wasn't much of a plan, but it was what they had. Despite all their combined trepidation, both Lena and Hilary knew that it was the door they were taking. Because, at last, they had something they could; it wasn't much of a plan, but it was the start of one.

They were finally fighting back.


Every step was careful and considered, slinking through the halls as Abbey and Zeke made their way to the Electronics lab at a crawl. The shadows of the night were their only welcome company, clinging to the corners and lockers as they slunk away from the pale illumination of the moonlight.

It pained them, knowing what was resting their shoulders, knowing that time was ticking away while they were worrying about being spotted. But they also knew the consequences of being caught, that charging headfirst down a corridor was a surefire way to lose any advantage over the roving Cyberdrone patrols. Twice, they had to stop, Abbey pulling Zeke through the wall of a nearby classroom, desperately hoping that nobody was hiding inside to gasp at their sudden appearance. And twice, the Cyberdrones passed by the hall, unaware of the two teenage interlopers hiding on the other side.

Both times, they waited in silent agony, too fearful that the patrol would double back and spot them embarking again. Surprise was the only advantage they had, and they had to stretch it as far as they could. Eventually, Zeke gave his best guess that it was safe to move again, and the duo began their careful journey once more.

"This is going to work, right?" Abbey asked quietly as they peered around the next corner. "You're sure we're going to have what we need in there?"

"Right now, that hope is all that's keeping me going," Zeke said grimly. "That and…you know."

With shuddered breath, Abbey nodded in agreement. They had a mission, and right now, its importance was the only thing distracting her mind from the conversation awaiting them when it was finished. From the impending fallout of what they'd done.

The sheer reality dawned further with every step they took, the weight of consequence bearing down as what had felt like an out-of-body experience now became the crushing truth. Her mother knew everything, so did Richard, and so did the Johnsons. Every lie they'd told and all the danger their children were willingly hurling themselves into. And now, Abbey had gone against their wishes, along with Zeke, in a naked act of defiance that she'd never before dreamed of enacting.

The Abbey from a year ago would never have dared; she'd have trusted her mother's instincts and judgment to keep them safe. She would have deferred to the adult's authority out of subservient acquiescence. Every ounce of the revelation weighed further on her nerves, jittering with skittish anxiety as, at last, they reached the hall of the electronics lab. Abbey knew that the only way to make them calm was to feel like they were actually getting anywhere. That the sacrifice that she and Zeke had just made would be worth it.

Finally, they hit the last corner, and the final stretch toward the classroom was at last in sight. Seeing their goal in view, it took all of Abbey's might to stop herself, to press against the wall as her impatient nerves compelled her to take the final step. And even as she stood there, staring at the threshold, she could feel the jittering in her toes, their bouncing held still by sheer force of will.

"It's just in there?" Abbey asked.

"Should be," Zeke nodded quietly. "Once we're in, I can start working on the counter frequency."

"Great, then let's get in there before something sees us."

"Abbey, wait!"

But he was too late. In her haste, the girl had already shot out into the corridor and saw her mistake immediately. Abbey's heart stopped as she froze dead in her tracks, and her eyes widened to see three Cyberdrones standing in the corridor, staring at her.

"Uhh, are you looking for the bathroom too?"

The Cyberdrones lunged at her.

With barely a second to spare, Abbey skidded into a defensive stance, lashing up to block the first attack and toss behind before kicking the next.

Dammit!

Idiot!

What was she thinking?

They were so close! So close! And now, in a moment of rash impulse, Abbey had surrendered to her jittering nerves and run out into the open at the worst possible moment. And now three Cyberdrones were standing in front of the exact place they needed to be, with more no doubt on the way.

But the time for scolding was later. With the first two reeling, Abbey swerved and jabbed the third, slamming it into the wall as the one she'd dogged began to rise. Ever the loyal friend, Zeke was already moving, vaulting into a downward punch that sent the Cyberdrone reeling. He grabbed Abbey's wrist and pulled her back.

"Don't say it," Abbey pleaded as the two stood back-to-back. "I'm already telling it to myself."

"I'm not the one you've got to worry about," Zeke replied. "Just wait until Erika finds out. Got a plan to deal with these goons?"

"I do," Abbey nodded, "run!"

She spun on her heels, praying Zeke trusted her enough to follow without question. Thankfully, he knew her too well. The old Abbey would have run on instinct, but the Abbey beside him fled with purpose.

Of course, in making a plan on the fly, she hadn't accounted for more Cyberdrones.

Skidding around the corner by the stairwell, Abbey and Zeke were met with four more Cyberdrones coming up the hall. Abbey didn't think, she moved, bolting up the stairs as she bellowed out a command. "Up here!"

Shooting right, she and Zeke ascended, hearing the clanking of the pursuing footsteps clatter up behind them as they raced to the school's third floor. Reaching the top, the two of them whipped around, spinning into synchronized roundhouses that smashed into the chasing Cyberdrones. With soles planted square in the breastplates, the henchmen flew backward, crashing into the comrades behind to go clattering down the stairs.

But some had thought ahead. With the front rows crumbling, the two at the back leaped high, vaulting from the middle landing to grab the upper banister and leap to the third floor. As Abbey and Zeke readied to retreat again, their pursers lunged from the flank to cut them off.

An eager hand yanked at Abbey's shoulder, whipping her around before she registered who they were. The next she saw was a metal first pummeling toward her face. What happened next was muscle memory. She didn't move, not so much as flinch, as Abbey's phasing activated like a reflex. The punch flew through her head like it was made of air, catching the Cyberdrone by surprise as she glared back, cold and unimpressed. The Cyberdrone stumbled forward, overcommitted without Abbey to stop it, and the girl gracefully pirouetted to sidestep. Her leg snapped up, whipping around in a crescent curve before slamming the Cyberdrone back over the railing.

Beside her, Zeke had ripped away from the grabbing grasp, throwing the Cyberdrone off before swerving to the side. Without missing a beat, the henchman recovered and threw another punch, aiming to strike while Zeke was off balance. But Zeke was more than ready. In a graceful maneuver, his hand swatted across his chest, summoning a bursting, golden shield that batted back the blow and the Cyberdrone with it. The tables had been turned in an instant, and Zeke closed with a firm, flat-palmed strike to the chest. The drone went flying backward, clattering down the stairs and right into its barely recovering comrades.

"This way!" Abbey commanded, grabbing Zeke by the arm and yanking him before more Cyberdrones could reach them. Their defense had slowed them down but bought them precious seconds. But it would all have been for nothing if they didn't make it count. One by one, Abbey mentally steered through the turns, counting the doors until they reached the one they needed.

"Do you trust me?" she asked Zeke, not even breaking her stride as she grabbed hold and rocketed toward the wall.

"It's a bit too late to ask!" Zeke replied. It was the only consent he had time to give. A second later, Abbey had wrapped her arms around him and tackled him through the wall. They phased through the plaster, soaring out the other side and into the classroom. But they didn't stop there. They kept going, sinking through the very floor to fall another level, well below the pursuing Cyberdrones. Then they completed their plummet, crash-landing in a heap on the electronics lab floor.

Groaning from the rough landing, they nonetheless rose quickly, determined to make the most of the window Abbey had bought them.

"Good aim," Zeke congratulated.

"I'd feel better about it if I hadn't drawn their attention in the first place," Abbey said regretfully. "Do you think you can make the jamming device with what's in here?"

Zeke half-nodded, half-shrugged, an acknowledgment of uncertainty as he approached the workbench on the side to begin riffling through the draws. "I'll have to. Don't worry, I'll make it work."

Gulping down her trepidation, Abbey stepped back to allow her best friend to work, nervously jittering as she realized how useless she now was. Soldering and signals, that was Zeke's domain, and the best she could offer was moral support. But whatever he was going to do, it had to be fast.

Now that they'd been spotted, Abbey knew that the Cyberdrones would stop at nothing to find them, and for as long as Zeke needed the lab, they were sitting ducks. That was even before considering all the other people still trapped in the school, huddling for desperate safety in classrooms that the Cyberdrones would now descend upon with relentless interrogation.

They were now on a clock, even more so than before, and all Abbey could do was stand back helplessly in the desperate hope that Zeke could finish the device in time.

For all their sakes.


Very carefully, Erika peered over the edge to stare at the lower platform. Beneath them stood a tall, black gate, towering above the ground beneath as two Cyberdrones stood guard.

"Ominous," Erika muttered before looking to Doc. "Could Xaviax be more clichéd with his big vault door?"

"I don't think anyone's ever called him original," Doc shrugged as he summoned a miniature version of the map he'd pulled from the Cyberdrone. "The coding cycles with regular intervals, allowing the Digitizer to update with the latest software Xaviax is plugging in. The window's going to be small, so there's no point hitting those Cyberdrones until we're committing. Not unless we want every security protocol coming down on us while we wait."

"So, we've just got to sit tight?" Miguel asked anxiously. Erika couldn't blame him, and she had no doubt that Miguel shared every frightened thought she'd had. Worse even, because he was also worrying about Abbey, and Erika suddenly became very thankful that Valerie was stuck at a cousin's wedding in Tuscaloosa instead of back at the school with everyone else.

The only thing easing her nerves was the presence of their fellow prisoner and the faint hope that maybe, just maybe, getting Doc out could be the key they needed to take Xaviax down for good. All her fear and anxiety would be worth it when Erika saw the looks of joy on Ray and Hilary's faces when she brought them their rescued mentor. She couldn't think of any better way to repay them for all they'd done for her.

But at the thought of her mentors, another occurred to her, and in the tense silence, waiting for the gate to open, there was nothing to stop Erika from voicing it.

"Here's what I don't get," she said. "If they've had you all this time, why do they need Hilary? It's like they're hellbent on getting ahold of her, but you're the one who built the Digitizer in the first place."

For a moment, Doc looked at her blankly as if he was running through all the options in his head for an answer. "They've been combing through my head for months; maybe they thought I was a dead end? Because, to be honest, I don't think even I know the Digitizer as well as Hilary."

"But you built it," said Miguel, face scrunching in confusion. "That doesn't make sense."

"Hilary's always been fascinated by it, ever since she first saw it all those years ago in Cranston," Doc explained. "Every chance she took, she tried to learn more about it. By the end of things, she was even helping keep it running and make upgrades. When Hilary was done with her PhD in Boston, the first thing she wanted to do was revisit the Digitizer. She's examined it, studied, and reconsidered every aspect of the technology. She's thought of doing things with it that I'd never considered in my wildest dreams. I may have made the Digitizer possible, but Hilary's the one who perfected it."

"Which means that Xaviax can't finish his Dreamworld without her," Erika concluded bitterly.

"And he'll pull every dirty trick under the sun to make her do it," Miguel agreed.

That included holding two of her powerless Rangers hostage, along with probably more of them back at the school. Which meant they needed to get out, to let Hilary know they were safe before their mentor played into their enemy's hands.

But there was something about Doc's tone, a fearful regret as he reflected on his and Hilary's history with the strange device. Like there was something else that he wasn't telling them, a lie of deliberate omission. Before Erika could call him on it, the holographic beeped, a timer that signaled the end of their wait.

"Here we go," Doc warned them. "Get ready."

All of them stood, breathing in nervous anticipation as they prepared to make the jump. They had one shot and one shot only; they had to make it count.

With a hard slap, Miguel clamped hold, yanking both into the shadows as they cracked down to the platform below. The Cyberdrones never knew what hit him, as a bolt of crimson lightning and a round from Doc's blaster shot from the smoke as it appeared. The two henchmen had already dropped by the time Doc ran forward, enlarging his holographic display to full size against the gate as Erika and Miguel stood guard.

"So, we can just jump in, right?" Erika asked hopefully.

"I wish," Doc admitted. "The datastream's tightly controlled. When the gate opens, I'm only going to have a short window to spruik a security key and trick the system into granting us access."

"What'll happen if you don't?" Miguel asked. Erika really wished that he hadn't.

"It'll recognize us as unauthorized hostile systems and deploy firewalls to have us deleted."

Erika could have definitely lived without that info.

All of a sudden, there was a rumbling behind them, and the mighty black doors began to part, revealing a glowing, lilac light behind them. But as the glowing basked their backs, small beams of orange light descended as Cyberdrones began dropping down in front of them.

"I think they know we're here," Miguel gulped.

"Doc?" Erika warned. "Any second now!"

The man's hands were waving in a fit, like a conductor amid a chaotic symphony, desperate to hold the moving parts together. "Just a second!"

The first Cyberdrones lunged, and Erika stepped back to let it land. Her foot kicked up, smashing into the henchman's face as beside her as Miguel met his attacker with a swift and ad vindictive coat hanger. Without wasting a second, Erika's hands shot up, unleashing a torrent of lightning that surged through the charging robots. Their bodies vanished, dissolving into shreds of data as they dropped.

But more were already coming.

"Doc…!" Erika hissed again as she and Miguel backed up.

"Got it!" the programmer exclaimed just as the doors growled again to signal the threshold's closing. "Come on!"

Without a second thought, Erika turned and lunged, practically tackling Doc into the doorway as Miguel launched himself behind her. For a moment, all Erika saw was white, filtered through the strange lilac glow on the other side as a force whisked her upward like a billowing gale. Then she dropped, landing on a hard surface with a flash of light. Groaning, Erika slowly rose to her feet and checked that Miguel and Doc were still with her. It was only when she'd seen that they'd remained together that Erika began examining their new surroundings.

The room was dark, but not like the void that they'd just been in. Contained within the confines of the walls and ceilings, it briefly reminded Erika of the lab beneath the museum. But besides the assortment of computers and cables unfurled in all directions, that was where the comparison ended. The floor was metallic, polished steel that reflected the dark ceiling above. The space between the servers and terminals was small, barely enough for a person to move between until they opened up to a large open space.

"Did we make it?" Erika asked. "Are we out?"

But Doc shook his head. "No, we're still inside. This is… something else."

And then they heard a voice from the other side of the server, out near the open space beyond them. "… systems primed, digital output levels stable. Commencing scan."

All three froze as they recognized the voice, surprised at the nervous calm that sounded in seeming obliviousness to their presence. It was the voice of Davian Scolex.

But if they hadn't broken out of the mainframe, how was he in there with them? And why was he so calm about it?

With a silent glance of collective agreement, the three of them crept toward the lilac glow emanating from behind the servers. Sure enough, there was Scolex, standing before a terminal as the soft light engulfed him from head to toe. Almost immediately, Erika realized that something else was off.

Scolex wasn't in his finely pressed suit, instead dressed down to his work shirt, untucked with the sleeves rolled up and tie discarded. The man they stared at was not one of business meetings and deals but hard work and labor. Whoever this was, it was not the Davian Scolex they knew.

"Scan Complete," announced a computerized voice, and Scolex stepped back to begin punching at the terminal. For a moment, just briefly, his gaze washed past where the three were huddled, seizing their hearts with fear of discovery. But the man's mood was unchanged, and he quickly became absorbed in the information.

"I don't think he can see us," Miguel realized.

"I don't think he's actually here," said Doc. "That's not a person in front of us; it might not even be a program."

There was only one way to find out. Taking the gamble, Erika stepped out into the open, hearing her footsteps echo on the metal floor as she carefully approached. Scolex continued to show signs of noticing her.

Instead, he hit the final key with a nervous exhale of exhilaration. "Alright then. Time to change the world."

Up above, a new light blinked on, bursting in a blinding cone of lilac onto the empty floor. Surprised, Erika staggered back, supported by Miguel and Doc behind her as they stared with frightened recognition. The light was coming from the Digitizer, and it was bringing something to life. Their jaws only dropped further as the figure finished materializing, stepping out from the light as the projector died down and made its first breath with an angry, inhuman scream.

It was ArcKnight.

"It worked!" Scolex cheered. "I can't believe it actually worked! Oh, I'll show them now. They want someone to play hardball? I'll give them hardball. I'll show them exactly what it looks like when my wrath comes walking."

Finished with his breath of fresh air, ArcKnight turned to see Scolex's celebration and kneeled. "How can I do your bidding, my master?"

And as Scolex smiled and Erika's mind began working the fog of shock, it dawned on all of them exactly what they'd landed in.

"This is a memory," Doc realized. "Somehow, we've landed in the Digitizer's recorded memory banks."

"It's not just any memory," said Erika. "It's the day it all started. This is when he turned himself into Xaviax."