Episode 12

For the Greater Good

"Sorry that I don't have anywhere for you to sit," Gideon noted as he rose from the chair in his cell. "Do you like what I've done with the place? If I'd known you were coming, I'd have cleaned up a little."

Despite his cheery demeanor, Ray and Hilary remained on guard. For a man trapped behind glass in a cell that was little more than a concrete bunker, the once formidable supervillain was remarkably chipper. There was a good chance that his old nemeses were the first familiar faces he'd seen in months. Years even.

On the other hand, it just as easily have been a ploy to unnerve them, one more opportunity to crawl beneath their skin for old time's sake. Neither Ray nor Hilary moved, their face stony and giving nothing away.

"I hear congratulations are in order," Gideon said, nodding the rings on their fingers. "I'm guessing the invite must have been lost in the mail."

"I guess it was," Hilary replied dryly, "I must have accidentally dropped it in the paper shredder."

"Yellow Ranger, you wound me," Gideon scoffed. "Did I not play a pivotal role in your courtship? Do you not owe your marriage, at least in part, to me?"

"We both owe you plenty of things," Ray replied. "But if I were you, I wouldn't collect that debt."

"No? Shame."

The two shared a look, uncertain how best to play it. Whether they liked it or not, they were running out of time. Fifteen minutes was the best they could secure, and they needed to make the most of it. One glance was all they needed, and the plan was decided. All Ray could do for now was let Hilary make their opening move.

"Much as I'd love to stroll back down memory lane," she said. "We're here on business."

"Really?" Gideon asked, voice sucking in with a mocking disbelief. "And here I was believing you were just in the area and decided to drop by."

"Seems you've got an admirer," Hilary continued. "Got a copycat in Lakeview, using his Digitizer to make monsters, causing random, thoughtless destruction."

"It's like you don't even know me, Yellow Ranger, to call that a copycat" Gideon replied. "My methods were never thoughtless."

Ray's eyes narrowed as he watched, his face motionless as he noted Gideon's response. Whether the man knew it or not, he'd already made a mistake.

"Can't say much for his quality either," Hilary conceded. "His schemes are being foiled by a Ranger team of half the size."

"No doubt twice the attitude."

"Got to sting, doesn't it? Knowing that someone's copying your schtick and doing such a bad job. It's ruining such a good name of villainy."

"Do you have a point, Hawkins?" Gideon asked impatiently.

"Are you telling me that you're really okay with it?" Hilary pressed. "You've been down here so long that there's no way anybody remembers who you are. There's got have been, what, five near-world-ending villains since you stomped around Cranston all those years ago? Now that someone's running around with your gimmick, people might just think they're the original."

Gideon remained stone-faced, his change in expression a narrowing of snake-like eyes as he and Hilary stood there in a silent battle of wills.

"What do you want me to say, Yellow Ranger?" he scoffed, eventually. "That some second-rate villain is taking my well-proven strategies and riding them to victory? Even if I was the petty type, that reputation is hardly doing me any good in here. At least someone is making use of it."

From beside her, Ray watched as Hilary's brow creased, her eyes turning that same steel he would once see when she was glaring at her annoying brother. They came, they saw, and Gideon was well aware that they were running on a clock— time to change tack.

"Dammit," Hilary decided, turning to Ray with a sigh of resignation, "I guess I owe you twenty bucks."

"Told you," Ray replied.

For a moment, Gideon looked pleased, the slight flicker of a smile twitching at his jaw. But slowly his face dropped, realizing that for all the inconvenience, his former enemies seemed only minorly annoyed at best.

"I know you did," Hilary conceded. "He just seemed so much more together and threatening back then. I figured maybe he'd have a plan."

Gideon's snapped from smug to confused, "Now hang on…"

"In our defense," Ray offered. "We were just kids. I mean, the guy was taken down by a bunch of seventeen-year-olds. We probably shouldn't be shocked that he didn't have a contingency."

"True," Hilary agreed. "If the city was relying on a bunch of teenagers to keep them safe, was it ever really in any danger? You're right, it would make way more sense if he was just making it up as he went along."

Gideon's voice was starting to rise, anger growing as the two former Rangers became consumed with their conversation and ignored him completely. "See here…!"

"Don't know why we bothered to make the trip, really," Ray decided. "What could a wash-up like this possibly offer us? Xaviax probably lucked out in getting the technology; no way this guy would have been smart enough to have a hand in it…"

"ENOUGH!"

Ray and Hilary both turned, eyes locking on the now-fuming Gideon with both amusement and expectation.

"I had you buckling before me," he snarled. "Even your mighty Battlizer was not enough to stand in my way. And it cost you everything to finally halt my designs. I will not stand here and be told that I was haphazard in my plans-."

"So, there were plans?" Ray cut in, finding the thread and grabbing hold. Now he just had to pull until it unraveled. "You did have a contingency if your play for the warehouse didn't work?"

Gideon's grinding teeth flared at the edge of his jaw as he realized he'd been played, both former Rangers now staring at him and making it clear that they were not leaving without what they came for.

"Very well, Rangers," Gideon surrendered with a roll of his eyes. "You win. What is it that you want to know?"

The crowd was bustling, the park was packed, and every man and his dog in Lakeview had seemingly come out for the day. Abbey couldn't help but beam with pride, seeing the fruit of her labor come to full. It had taken a lot of work, a lot of wheeling, dealing, and coordinating, not to mention countless volunteering hours, but at last, she'd pulled the whole thing together.

Lakeview Community Day.

What had once started as a distant idea, plucked from an off-hand conversation during one of her community volunteering hours, had unfurled into a city-wide project. Being honest, Abbey wasn't quite sure if she could take much credit anymore, not with so many other interested parties coming together to bring the whole event to life. From her Mom's connections at the mayor's office, to the local business owners running stands around the fair, to all the various community groups running activities for the kids of Lakeview, Abbey was just happy to see the whole thing come together.

Or she would have been if she'd even had a moment to stand still.

There was just still so much to do, and it seemed as if she'd barely finished one job when three more suddenly appeared before her. And she was just helping out. At that moment, Abbey was feeling very thankful that actual organizing had been taken off her hands. She was just in the middle of delivering ice to the drinks stand when Erika and Valerie approached her. Quietly behind them, trying to not be in the way, was Miguel.

"Whoa!" Erika gasped as she approached, seeing the two giant bags of ice in Abbey's arms as the redhead whisked them off to the required stand. "You should get a note written. After this weekend, you could totally get out of Gym."

"Sure," Abbey panted, before adding only half-jokingly. "But then I wouldn't be able to get full class credit."

Erika pulled a face of disgust at even the idea of willingly doing more gym, while Valerie grinned at the full community fair. "This is looking amazing, Abbey!"

"Yeah," Miguel shyly agreed beside them. "You should be proud."

"Thanks, guys, but I really can't take all the credit," Abbey admitted. "I'm just glad that everyone's here and having a good time. Who knows, maybe all this attention will help the community services get the support they need."

"Oooh," Valerie squealed. "They have Potato Twisters! I'll be right back!"

Skipping up on one toe, she planted a big, joyful kiss on Erika's cheek before hurrying off to the line and leaving the three Rangers to themselves.

"Just you guys?" Abbey asked them, realizing one of their number was missing.

"Zeke's at the Lab," Erika explained. "Ray and Hilary are out of town and asked him to sit on coms, just in case."

Abbey furrowed her brow. Strange, Ray and Hilary wouldn't normally just take off like that. But she supposed out of all of them, Zeke was probably best suited to maintaining mission control. Fastest on the keys, and he'd have needed no incentive to sit in front of Hilary's impressive computer display. He'd be in heaven.

"Did they say where they were going?" she asked.

Miguel shook his head, "Only that it could be nothing, and that they'd tell us if it panned out."

It was something at least, and Abbey knew they wouldn't just leave it wasn't important. It also meant she wasn't likely to randomly run into Zeke. They'd barely had a chance to speak since the whole "doll incident" the day before, and she still wasn't sure what to say to him.

"How're you?" Abbey asked Erika, who shrugged at the question.

"Body's still weirdly stiff," she admitted. "And somehow, I think the pink Barbie aisle at the toy store just became more horrific. Otherwise, I'm doing okay."

Same for her then, although Abbey still wasn't sure if the strange, fading rubberiness she felt in her skin was real or psychosomatic. But before she could inquire further, a young woman ran over to her, wearing a light blue t-shirt that matched her own and marked her as a volunteer.

"Abbey, thank goodness! The box with the newsletter signups is overflowing and we need a refill!"

No rest for the wicked it seemed.

"Do you want a hand with anything?" Miguel offered as Abbey shook her head.

"No, it's okay," she insisted. "You guys enjoy yourselves."

Seeing Valerie wander back to them with a trio of potato twisters, Abbey bid them farewell before rushing off the to sign-in station.

The box was enormous! She really should have suggested they use multiple smaller ones. Heaving it onto a trolley, she wheeled it around, realizing pretty quickly that she'd have to unload it as well.

Although…

Taking a quick check to make sure no one was looking, Abbey positioned the requisite tubs beside the giant cardboard container and phased her arms toward the signed sheets. Unopposed by the awkward shape of the box, she scooped the pages out and into the transport tubs in record time. Maybe it didn't strictly fall into the realm of responsible use for her civilian powers, but she was pretty sure Ray and Hilary would understand. Satisfied, Abbey spun around and wheeled the empty box back out to the entrance, ready to take on fresh community leaflets.

It was only as she was putting it back that a familiar face caught her eye. Sitting on a bench, dressed in shorts and a dinosaur t-shirt while looking incredibly tired and bored, was an eleven-year-old boy named Brandon.

Once upon a time, Abbey had signed up for the "Big Siblings" program, an opportunity for older kids in the community to support and uplift some of the more disadvantaged kids in the city. The two had hit it off immediately, spending most weekends in each other's company as Abbey was able to lend support that his family couldn't.

It had been one of her first experiences volunteering and had given her a taste for more. It had also shown her how many services were lacking the support they needed to function, kicking-starting her entire journey to begin the Community Day. Seeing Brandon now, the kid who had started it all, it felt like fate.

"Hey!" Abbey cried out, smiling broadly and waving.

Looking up to see her, Brandon's face lit up as he saw his "Big Sister" coming over to him. He leaped from the bench, running over and throwing his arms around her waist.

"Abbey!"

"How're you doing, little man?" she asked him. "Keeping out of trouble?"

As she asked him, she watched his face slowly sadden, eyes dropping to the ground as he pulled out of the embrace. "I guess," he said sullenly. "Things haven't been as good without my Big Sister around."

That had been her one big regret in further exploring her love of volunteering. As the commitments piled up, along with the efforts of maintaining her GPA, Abbey's schedule insisted that something had to give. And that something had to be the Big Sibling program.

"I'm sorry, Brandon," Abbey admitted. "I miss you too. I just had so much going on that I wasn't able to give you the time you needed."

"I guess…"

She could tell he was disappointed, even months after she'd had to say goodbye. It wasn't her fault; Abbey just knew that she could just do so much more good with the extra time. But had meant leaving Brandon behind, something that was clearly still a sore point. But, hey, Abbey had a bit of breathing room now; maybe she could make up for lost time?

"Tell you what?" she decided. "Looks like all my jobs are done for now. Want to go get some ice cream for old-time's sake?"

All was forgiven at the mention of the two magical words, and Brandon's face lit up as he nodded ecstatically.

"Come on!" Abbey grinned, taking his hand and guiding him over to the whippy stand. But for all of the child's joy, the pair took a grand total of three steps before another volunteer ran out in front of them, panting.

"Abbey, thank goodness I've found you!" they exclaimed, bucking and panting between words. "There's a problem at the stage. Someone mixed up the lineup and four bands are meant to go on at the same time! We need someone to re-sort the lineup!"

With a guilty wince, Abbey slowly looked down at Brandon, who already was starting to sink in realization. "Isn't there anyone else?"

The volunteer shook their head. "We tried, they're all busy!"

Feeling his disappointment already radiating, Abbey kneeled to look at Brandon face-to-face. "I'm really sorry. I'll be right back, I promise."

"I guess…"

With no time to try and reassure Brandon's disappointment, Abbey leaped up and followed the volunteer, hoping desperately that she be done in time to keep her promise. And that no other problems would arise to get in her way.

"You're right," Gideon admitted, getting comfy in the fold-out chair he'd pulled before the glass. "After you so unceremoniously brought down my airship, I did have a contingency plan should my initial retaliation go belly-up."

"Some backup," Hilary scoffed, eyes flickering the borders of Gideon's cell in noting where his strategy got him. But Ray was less skeptical, thinking back to that fateful night when they'd sacrificed their powers to stop him. They'd won, but they'd had to pull out all the stops to do it. And even then, their victory had hinged on a gamble Ray had not been certain would work.

"You may mock me, Yellow Ranger," Gideon replied. "But it was only because I was so committed at the end that I had no window of retreat. And, I should note, because, until a very desperate act on your part, I had no reason to believe that I would lose. Not at such a late stage."

"This contingency," Ray interrupted. "What was it?"

Rolling his eyes, Gideon leaned back on his chair, clearly unimpressed at having his gloating interrupted. "It was a hard drive, a Blackbox, if you will, containing all important information regarding my Digitizer and its use. In the destruction of my airship, I had lost much in the way of equipment and then expended most of my remaining resources to assault your precious school and warehouse. The hard drive contained all relevant information should I need to start again."

"Where is it now?" Hilary asked him curtly.

Gideon just shrugged. "I assumed it's still where I buried it. Out in the Cranston City woods, not far from my escape pod's crash sight. I assumed Lieutenant Commander Freeman had the area combed after my arrest."

Ray shot Hilary a look but said nothing. It had been, every square inch of the forest picked clean for any trace of the stolen digitizer equipment. But Freeman had never made any mention of a hard drive, neither then, nor when Hilary had contacted him weeks ago. The man had no reason to hold out on them, which could mean only one thing. The military hadn't found it.

It would certainly explain where Xaviax had gotten his information about the Digitizer, but it didn't explain everything…

"What did you have on there?" Ray asked.

"I hardly think I need to remind you of what I was capable of, Red Ranger," Gideon gloated. "I think you saw a good display of my capacity."

So, Byte-Bots, monsters, maybe even the airship. His generals too, at least what came from code. That meant Mileena, too.

But not Morphers.

"What about our Morphers?" Hilary asked. "Are you honestly going to tell me that you weren't collecting data on us during any of our battles?"

"Some, yes," Gideon admitted. "Although I hardly collected anything that came off use. The closest I ever came to was I when managed to short-circuit them, but you overpowered that monster quite quickly. But if you're wondering whether I collected enough to make my own… well, don't you think I'd have done that if I did?"

At that, neither Ray nor Hilary were able to completely hide their unease, hissing in as they realized their new problem. They'd hoped in coming to see him, in confronting the ghosts of their pasts, that they'd find the answers to what they were looking for. They'd found some, but not enough, nothing they couldn't have pieced together some other way. Their biggest mystery, how Xaviax was able to obtain the coding information of the original Data Morphers, remained unanswered.

And just like that, the door buzzed behind them, the heavy threshold heaving open in a signal that their time was up.

"Reunions never last long enough, do they?" Gideon decided. "Such a shame."

"Let's go," Hilary said coldly, offering their old nemesis nothing more than a withering glare in parting. "We go what we came for."

Ray nodded, turning with his wife toward the door as another thought to stop him. Their lead on the Morphers was a dead end, but maybe…

"Mileena," he asked over his shoulder. "What was she?"

Behind him, Gideon chuckled, scoffing at such a curious question. "She was a program that I picked up during my time at Project Digitizer. I made a few modifications after Cyrax's… resignation, but dare I say it she may well have been my greatest creation."

So she was modified, likely with the program that controlled Kyle, and likely with the prototype powers that would eventually become the Security Ranger. It didn't necessarily tell him what she'd been to start with, but it was something.

And maybe something he could use…

"Try not to have too much fun," Ray decided slyly, at last turning to exit the prison.

"I never do, Red Ranger," Gideon replied slyly. "And don't be a stranger in the future. Our recent get-together took too long to happen. I can only hope that next time will come around much, much sooner."

The lineup had only been the start of Abbey's problems.

No sooner had she sorted when each act was playing when another panicked message warned of a short-circuit at the junction with the cold truck, and they needed a generator before the ice melted. No sooner had Abbey finally sourced one and had it wheeled over, than she learned that the Takoyaki vendor had run out of octopus balls, needing someone to cover as they ran back to their supplier for more. At this stage, Abbey dreaded thinking of what the actual organizers were dealing with if these problems were filtering down to her.

An hour after she'd left Brandon at the bench, Abbey was slowly winding her way back, hoping she could find him and make good on her promise.

So far, no luck.

Dammit.

She finally caught a break, and he could be anywhere by now. It was a stroke of luck that they'd run into each other in the first place, and Abbey was going to have no chance of finding Brandon again now that they'd been separated.

Although…

She shouldn't; it was a gross misuse of resources. Zeke was meant to be watching the city, not scouting out some kid she'd left behind an hour ago. But, in saying that, maybe he was already watching the festival. It was the busiest part of the city, and if Xaviax were going to make a move today, this was likely to be the place. And if he was keeping an eye on here anyway…

Doing all she could to ignore her guilty conscience, Abbey checked around for any eavesdroppers before pulling up her communicator.

Maybe he was busy; maybe he wouldn't pick up? Yeah right, like Zeke would ever ignore a call from her. Realizing that only made her feel worse. This was a mistake; she should just cut the line and find Brandon some other-

"Hello, Operator," Zeke's chipper voice suddenly sounded from the wrist-bound speaker. "How may I direct your call?"

Great, he was enjoying this.

"Zeke?" Abbey asked nervously. "I need a favor."

Oh God, she could just see his face lighting up as he asked her.

"Sure thing!" he replied excitedly. "What do you need?"

"You remember that kid I was a Big Sister for, about two years ago?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah! Brandon!"

He remembered. Of course, he remembered.

"I was meant to hang out with him, but I can't find him anywhere," Abbey admitted. "Think you can use your eyes in the sky to help me out?"

"Sure thing, just give me a sec."

The line went quiet, leaving Abbey to stew with nothing but the crackling sounds of punching keys to keep her company. That, and the ever-growing guilt from the boundary she was pushing.

Knowing that she'd never have dared to ask if it were Hilary on the other end, knowing she'd be told exactly what she'd been thinking if she had. Knowing that the only reason she had was because Zeke wouldn't say no to her, no matter what she was suggesting.

Some best friend she was.

"Found him!" came Zeke's excited reply, finally breaking her from her guilty spiral. "He's over by the bounce house."

"Thanks, Zeke. You're the best."

Abbey hung up and took off before he could ask more questions, or before Zeke could make any other offers that she'd feel worse about turning down. But Abbey didn't have time to deal with that; hell, she barely had time for what she was doing. Whatever was going on with Zeke was a much, much longer conversation, one that Abbey wasn't sure she was ready for.

How could she even be ready for it?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Abbey slowly wove through the crowd toward where Zeke had directed, only to be interrupted again.

"Abbey!"

Spinning around, she saw both Miguel and Erika making their way toward her.

Oh, thank God! She thought there was another problem that needed fixing.

"Hey guys," she smiled, breathing a sigh of relief as they approached. "Sorry, I'm in kind of a rush to see someone. Where'd Valerie go?"

"Oh, she took off; she's got a book report due Monday," said Erika.

For a moment, Abbey's brow furrowed. "Don't you also have a book report due Monday?" Erika's only reply was a shrug.

Abbey was about to wave them off and make the final sprint to the Bounce House to find Brandon when the sound of the familiar, ominous beeping from their wrists sank her heart.

Dammit!

Sharing a look at the other two, the trio gathered around as Erika opened the com.

"We're here, Zeke," Erika confirmed. "What's up."

"I want don't alarm anyone," he said nervously. "But I'm getting some weird static on the teleport sensors. They keep saying's about to drop but-."

The green flash burst across the sky a heartbeat later. People screamed, running in all directions, knocking over carts in a desperate flight for safety. All three teens spun around, teeth gritting as they witnessed the new arrivals. It was Ender, and he was flanked by a fresh group of Cyberdrones.

"Don't worry," Erika replied dryly. "We found them."

"Looks like he decided that one circus wasn't enough," Miguel agreed.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Ender announced proudly. "Thank you all for coming on this most glorious of days. We believe that, as this is a day to celebrate the community, we wanted to let you know just how much we appreciate you all." Then his head twisted toward the Cyberdrones, his parading smile snaking into a sinister grin. "Boys? Go have some fun!"

And then people really started screaming.

Cursing herself for jinxing it, Abbey shot a look to Erika, who was glaring at the robots while her mind undoubtedly ran through the same problems. Too dangerous to do nothing, but too public to morph.

"What's the call?" Miguel hissed.

"Do what you can hand-to-hand," Erika decided. "Focus on getting people out of here and if you get a chance to morph, do it." Both nodded, neither needing another word. "Go!"

The trio split on Erika's command, Abbey lunging from her comrades as she made for the closest cluster. Too busy harassing the fleeing civilians, the Cyberdrones never saw her coming.

Like a charging mama bear, Abbey bolted forward, lunging at a horde that was moving toward a group of small, terrified children. Running at full pelt, she dropped to the ground, skidding sharply to slide tackle a henchman. The robot clattered to the ground, arms flailing in surprise as Abbey halted and spun, leg sweeping wide to catch others by surprise. They toppled on top of their comrade, Abbey taking the chance to leap to her feet and snap up her guard.

"Go find your parents!" she warned the quivering children. "I won't let these goons hurt you."

With quivering nods, the children scatter, running away as Abbey sized up the slowly rising henchmen. As one came back up, her hands slapped on the shoulders, heaving herself over to send a flying kick smashing into the one behind. Abbey kicked again as she landed, heel cracking into the one she'd used as a springboard to send it reeling back down into the ground. But by then the others had recovered, the four that remained creeping into a wide circle to keep her contained.

"If you're interested in any community programs," Abbey suggested, raising her guard as her weight shifted in readiness "the sign-up's on the way out."

They lunged to seize her, Abbey's eyes flicking to the closest one and her body moving on what was starting to be instinct. By the time the hands snatched where she'd been, the fingers swiped through empty air. Abbey's feet skidded as she spun around in the dirt, skipping into a kick as she dropped down and rolled. With all of the robots pouncing at once, they had no chance to redirect, clambering on top of their clobbered comrade as Abbey leaped away.

"Help!"

Heart sizing, Abbey whipped around to see a terrified Brandon scampering back and clutching a tree. Four Cyberdrones were already closing in, and the poor boy was frozen in terror.

Hold on!

Abbey moved without thinking, surging toward the child she'd been looking for just as more Cyberdrones hurried to block her path. She ignored them completely, feeling the molecules of her body begin to buzz she kept her stride and phased directly through the henchmen, emerging behind them to leap deeper into the fray. Abbey's hand clapped the first, reefing it back from its companions as she kicked out into claves of the second. Like they were a set of stepping stones, Abbey stamped her foot into each as she pushed through, dropping them to their knees as she reached Brandon's side and spun around to guard him.

"Abbey!"

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking back to his frantic, frightened nodding. "I'm going to clear a path. Can you follow me through it?"

Again, the boy's head moved in desperate affirmation.

Just as the Cyberdrones came at her.

They lunged at once, fist swinging down as Abbey raised her arms to block. The combined blows were heavy, throbbing at her wrist as she braced, pushing her down as her knees began to bend.

But in doing so, they'd given Abbey an opening, and it was going to get them out. She felt their pressure relent, the soft warning they were readying for another blow, and with their arms retracting, Abbey struck back. Her arms swung up, throwing them all aside as she jumped into a cartwheel, bringing her shin down on the shoulder of a robot as Abbey leaped to the other side. The rest stumbled and spun, struggling to reposition as they surged to grab ahold. Abbey blocked and struck, pushing back another Cyberdrone just as she saw another charging in. In the corner of her eye, she saw a third doing the same. Abbey couldn't help but smirk.

As the two henchmen closed the distance, Abbey phased her body, spinning back to make it appear she was dodging as both enemies passed through her ghostlike body. The robots crashed together, faceplates clanking as they collided and crumbled in a heap. The only opening she was getting.

"Come on!"

Abbey grabbed Brandon's wrist and bolted, taking off as fast as the little boy could follow. The Cyberdrones were down, but they weren't out, already were climbing to their feet in pursuit. But Abbey didn't care, not when she had the open run she needed to get Brandon to safety. Up ahead was a group of adults, the scared kids from before huddling around them as they moved behind a barricade.

"Stay here!" she warned Brandon as she reached them.

"Wait," he pleaded. "Where are you going?"

"There are people that need help," Abbey explained. "I need to see if they're all right."

"But I'm scared," he quivered, "Don't go!"

Abbey looked down at his pleading eyes, quivering with a teary shimmer as his tiny hand squeezed tighter onto hers. Her heart swelled, knowing how desperately he wanted her to tell him it would all be okay. How much safer he'd feel if she remained by his side. But he was just one child, and there were others still in danger. And if Abbey was sidelined, she couldn't help her friends.

Or morph.

Brandon was safe for now, and Abbey had to take solace in that.

"I'm sorry," she insisted, pulling her hand from his grip and moving back toward the chaos unfolding in the fair. "I'll be right back!"

And then she ran back into the chaos, leaving the frightened ten-year-old behind.

Go to the community fair, Erika. It'll be fun, Erika. Sorry, Erika, I have a book report due.

Valerie was lucky she was cute, and that Erika knew she could never say no to that smile. However, she was glad that her girlfriend wasn't here now.

Erika ducked beneath a blow, palm heel cracking into the Cyberdrone's chest to send it reeling. They were pushing them back, but there were still far too many, and she knew that fighting in civilian form was at best only keeping them at bay. They needed to morph, bust out the big guns, and send these robot creeps packing.

But there were still too many people, innocent civilians fleeing in all directions in a panicked attempt to escape the danger. Too many observant eyes to see her transform. Over to the side, Miguel was fairing just as well, knocking them back only for more to come his way. One look and it was clear he'd come to the same conclusion.

They needed to change the field.

Erika's eyes flicked around; the festival's big tent was in the sprinting distance, and with one barking call, she and Miguel were darting straight for it. The Cyberdrones had other ideas, hurrying to block the path and keep them continued. Erika barely slowed, glaring and narrowing while exhaling a breath as a furious snarl.

"Step right up."

They were coming toward her, rushing forward to plug up Erika's path and stop her from escaping prying eyes. Big mistake. Erika stepped into their path, smashing a kick into the faceplate to send the robot reeling into its companions. Another swung low, hoping to take advantage of her precarious balance and sweep her at the knee. But Erika was already moving. Still in motion from the kick, she leaped into the air and twisted, soaring over the strike to land right in the thick of the attacking horde.

"Sorry, this ride's got a height requirement," she chuckled. She dropped and swept, ankle crackling at the shin and tripping them all to the ground. "Look's like you don't make it."

With the ground around her clear, she bolted to Miguel, hurrying to catch up before the Cyberdrones recovered and blocked them again.

"This fair's turning into a real circus," Miguel noted as they ran inside the tent.

"Yeah? Well, it's time to really rain on their parade," Erika decided before opening up the com. "Zeke? Please tell me we're clear."

"Got no one in the vicinity," came the reply. "You're clear to morph."

Erika already had the card in hand, both Morphers flashing to their wrists as she stepped forward.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Server Force! Login Access!"

Erika rammed the card through the scanner as Miguel hit the activator, and both teens were consumed with light. Their bodies were energized, strength enhancing as the colored uniforms wrapped around them and the protective helms encased their heads. As the visors flashed across their vision, both of them leaped out into the open, fully transformed and empowered to turn the tide. The Cyberdrones outside had regrouped, but they were not prepared as the two Rangers launched themselves from the tent and cleaved through their ranks with their weapons.

"Good job guys!" Zeke congratulated.

"We'll have these clowns handled in no time," Miguel decided. "Where's Abbey at?"

"She's still out the front, she hasn't had a chance to morph yet… oh no."

Erika hissed at his gasp. Zeke may be extra worried about Abbey, but the sound still wasn't good. "What is it, Zeke?"

"You guys need to get down there, fast," Zeke explained as worried, helpless panic began seeping into his voice. "All the Cyberdrones are rushing to her location. And Ender's found her too."

Abbey ducked beneath another blow, breathing growing shallow as she struggled to keep up. She'd made it to another group of cornered civilians, crashing into the offending Cyberdrone with a powerful flying. At first, the people didn't move, gobsmacked and amazed that this teenager with attitude had come to their rescue.

"After school karate class," she said quickly. "Hurry!"

Abbey had barely given the command when she spun around, knocking another charging Cyberdrone as, this time, the civilians listened to her suggestion and ran for the exit. She never got a chance to follow, three more Cyberdrones descending upon her and forcing Abbey back. By now, it was all she could do to keep up. Her body was starting to slow, and as much as her fighting had improved over the last few months, the impact of her instinctive hesitance was showing itself. Her muscle memory still wasn't down, and now that exhaustion was encroaching it was taking more and more mental effort to stay on top.

But the people were safe, and as long as it was just Cyberdrones she could manage. A second later, Abbey cursed herself for even thinking it. Having knocked down another drone, Abbey whipped around to face the next, only to see Ender standing in striking distance.

Just perfect.

"Well now," he snickered. "Aren't you just the life of the party?"

"What's the matter, Ender?" Abbey sneered back with all the false bravado she could muster. "Mad we didn't think of you when hiring the clown?"

"Quite the contrary," Ender laughed. "Consider this my audition."

The blue man lunged at her, his cane flashing in the afternoon sun as he crossed the gap with dazzling speed. It was all Abbey could do to dodge, feet barely skidding from harm as Ender recovered from the missed strike and lashed out again. Abbey ducked, then weaved, then spun around as her body desperately put all its effort into staying from harm. But so firmly on the back foot, avoidance wasn't going to work for long.

"Come one, come all!" Ender cackled. "Witness a wonderous event for all ages."

"Please," Abbey snarled. "Like you're ever kid-friendly."

"I'll have you know, they think I'm charming."

At last, she'd run out of room, the heavy cane swiping past as Abbey realized she had no time to avoid a return strike. Thinking fast, she threw herself forward, grabbing hold of the weapon and pushing with all her might to keep him from swinging again.

"Oh, I love this game!" Ender decided. "I always do well on the strength tester."

Unmorphed, Abbey was no match for the monster man's might, and with a powerful swing, he threw her from her feet. As her grasp relinquished, Abbey was swept from the ground, soaring back and tumbling across the dirt with a painful thud.

"New record!" Ender cheered. "Now, what's my prize?"

"How about this?"

As Abbey struggled to her feet, a pair of lasers split across the air and blasted at Ender's feet. The blue man leaped back, more shots raining down and booming as the full-morphed Erika and Miguel somersaulted into view. Landing firm, they stood between the downed Abbey and Ender.

"The party's over, Ender," Miguel growled.

"Rangers?" Ender realized. "Well, I supposed every party needs a pooper."

"Funny," Erika replied. "We thought that was why they invited you."

As the Red Ranger continued to stare at the monster maker, Miguel's crimson visor turned to look back to Abbey. And suddenly all too aware that there were still civilians watching.

"Are you okay… uh… mam'?"

Abbey nodded, taking a few steps back as the two Rangers focused their attention on Ender and his regrouping Cyberdrones.

"Well, I can see when we're not wanted," Ender conceded as he gestured at his henchmen. "But don't forget, this circus will be in town for a while longer."

Then he and all his friends vanished in their accompanying flash of green, leaving the grounds quiet and near deserted. Abbey couldn't help but feel sunken as she surveyed the remnants of the community fair. The overturned stalls and ripped banners, grounds littered from everything discarded in their panicked flight. It seemed to be a miracle that no one had been seriously hurt.

Still, there were plenty of cleanups to go around, not to mention two Rangers that needed to make a quick exit. With her body still throbbing from the fresh bruises, Abbey shot her transformed teammates a silent look, a warning to make scarce before people began asking questions. Moments later, the Red and Dark Rangers bid an inspiring goodbye and leaped away to find a secluded place to de-morph.

One problem dealt with, now to slowly start dealing with the others.

With the robots in retreat, people had slowly begun filing back into the parade grounds, wandering in stunned astoundment at the damage. Among them were the children Abbey had managed to shepherd away from the rampaging robots, and she desperately scanned the flock for the face she most wanted to see.

"Brandon!"

Seeing him safe, Abbey rushed to him, kneeling with her arms outstretched in relieved gratitude. But as she reached, Brandon scowled and backed away. Surprised, Abbey tried to pull him in for a hug, to assure him all was fine, but he battered back her hands as soon as she did.

"Go away!"

"Brandon, it's okay," Abbey assured him. "The bad guys are all gone now, it's all safe."

"I was scared," he sobbed. "And you left me! Alone!"

"Brandon, I know it was scary," Abbey tried to explain. "But there were other people that needed my help. I couldn't leave them."

"That's what you always say," he shouted. "You always say you'll be there, and you never are! There's always something more important! You don't care about me at all!"

"Brandon…"

But before Abbey could say another word, Brandon slapped away her outstretched hand and stormed off. Stunned, Abbey couldn't only watch him go, wondering how she could possibly help him understand.

By the time Ray got to his office the next morning, Lena was already waiting for him. As she watched him ascend the steps, she leaned against the threshold with a foul air of disapproval.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "I've been trying to contact you for days!"

She looked agitated, even more than normal; her voice was a sharper pitch and her body language twitchy. Her arms clutched tight for her chest, her expression a cocktail of confusion and fury. And fear.

"It was the weekend," Ray replied calmly. "I do have some days off, you know."

"You don't take days off helping the Rangers," Lena retorted.

"If your boss wants to give us a break, then I'll happily take it," Ray replied. "And if you're offering, next Saturday would be great."

The teenage enemy warrior scowled but conceded the point as Ray unlocked the door to let her in. He'd barely opened it up before Lena shouldered past, stepping into the sanctity of the space and spinning around to face him. As she did, her angry bravado vanished, leaving only terrified uncertainty in Lena's quivering eyes.

"I saved a child," she said shakily.

So that's what this was about. Ray had to admit, that when he'd watched the whole event unfold through the feed in the lab, he too had been surprised. He hadn't doubted the girl would be fine, he knew Erika would pull her to safety, but he had not expected Lena to beat her to the punch.

Clearly, neither had Lena.

Closing the door behind him, Ray coolly took his seat, eyes slowly tracking as Lena continued pacing like a caged tiger. Only her trapping confines were not the walls surrounding them.

"You did," Ray confirmed.

"I didn't mean to do that," Lena rambled, voice shuddering with every breath that almost tapped to the rhythm of her steps. "But I did that. Why did I do that?"

"I don't know," Ray admitted.

"What do you mean you don't know?" she hissed. "The whole reason I come to you is for answers. What good are you to me if you don't know anything?"

"Because it isn't my job to give you answers," Ray said calmly. "It's to help you find them."

This time Lena didn't reply, snorting through her nostrils as if expecting steam to expel, and hmphing into the opposite chair instead.

"Now," said Ray. "Why don't you step me through what happened?"

"You already know what happened."

"But I want to hear it from you."

Slowly, Lena's breathing returned to normal as she forced herself to recollect, a compulsory focus for her mind to narrow in and detract from its spiraling. "I was in battle, fighting your Red Ranger…"

"Erika," Ray corrected.

"Whatever. We were trading blows, all was going well for me, she was totally on the ropes, and then suddenly I heard a scream. I saw a little girl, she was about to be crushed by a falling sign. And then… and then I was moving. I didn't even realize it first, but I was…"

Lena was speaking more slowly now, eyes almost glazing over as she fell back into the memory. Slowly, Ray leaned forward to coax out a response.

"Why?" Although he already suspected the answer.

"Because…" Lena said slowly. "Because I realized that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her. Not when I could have done something to stop it."

As Lena lifted her head, her eyes had grown watery, the surrounding lids starting to turn red and puffy.

"Why did I feel that?" she asked him. "What possible reason could I have for being built with that inside of me? How could that possibly help me fulfill my purpose?"

"And what is your purpose?" Ray asked.

And just like that, the concern and the confusion were gone, snapped back behind the wall of obstinate defiance. "To destroy you and the Power Rangers. Obviously."

"And who told you that? Xaviax?"

There it was, the button to make her mad. Lena's face twisted, one part furious, one part proud that she'd seemingly noticed a trap. A trap that wasn't even there.

"I should've just known you'd try this," she crowed. "You're trying to make me doubt my allegiances; trying to undermine my loyalty to my master."

"All I did was ask a question," Ray pointed out. "The answer, and how you feel about it, that all comes from you."

Whatever snide remark Lena was about to give was stolen from her breath by Ray's reply, and caught off guard, her steam evaporated as he gently gestured back to the chair. For a long time, they sat in silence, Ray permissively sitting back to allow Lena to dwell in her thoughts, percolate on her misgivings, and come to a conclusion on her own.

"What is my mission, if not my reason for being?" she asked quietly.

"It might be why you were created," Ray conceded. "But it's not all you are; no matter what anyone else might want. But I do think it might be why you're having the questions that you are."

Her face scrunched, trying to put together what he'd said. "What do you mean?"

"When Gideon first created you, all those years ago," Ray explained. "He had a purpose. It wasn't destruction; he had monsters for that. And he had plenty of Byte-Bots to his bidding, so it couldn't have just been that either. When he made you, it was to replace a human warrior who'd been doing the job before. It was to lead."

Slowly, Lena started nodding, putting together what Ray was describing.

"And when Xaviax brought you back, it was also for a purpose. He needed to infiltrate the school and the Rangers. There's a reason that he picked you for that, and it wasn't just to mess with me and Hilary. It was because there was something in your programming that enabled it."

On tenterhooks, Lena asked him, "What was it?"

"Choice."

Ray had wondered it for the longest time; why did Xaviax build his own programs in ArcKnight and Ender, only to then return to Mileena? It was Gideon's answer that finally let him figure it out. He'd selected her program for a reason, and Xaviax had done the same.

"You needed to make decisions on the fly," Ray explained. "Needed to act without command. To do your task of keeping an eye on the Rangers, Xaviax needed a human."

"But I'm not human," Lena insisted.

"What makes you so sure?"

That one made her stop. At first, Lena's brow furrowed as she readied an angry refusal, an adamant rejection of the sheer idea. But as Ray leaned back, watching the cogs turn in Lena's mind, she gave no response. She had no answer.

"I don't know," she admitted quietly. "The Digitizer built me to be the same as everyone else, I guess it helped me blend in. I have flesh, I have blood; I need air to fill my lungs. If you prick me, I bleed; if you tickle me, I laugh. And I feel things, so many things, things I can't imagine serve any logical function in my programming. But I'm not human, I can't be. A biological android, maybe, or a living digital construct? But not human; I wasn't born like one."

"Human or not, you were designed to mimic them," said Ray. "I'll be honest, whatever it is that you are, android or machine, I think that's more my wife's territory than mine. But I do know the mind; I know that the emotions that drive us crazy, that drive us to do things that we didn't expect, are born from a function that we needed. Your emotions guide your ability to make decisions and allow you to keep yourself safe. Gideon and Xaviax gave you autonomy to do your job, but that doesn't just disappear when it's inconvenient to them."

"But what use is it if then stops me from fulfilling my task? If they hold me back?"

"You've been given the power to choose your path," Ray continued softly. "And no one else can decide it for you. Not me, not Xaviax. No one. The feelings that you're having, they're just a tool to help you choose what that is. Whether you listen to them or ignore them, that's up to you."

"But how will I know if I'm making the right choice?" Lena asked him with pleading desperation in her eyes. "How will I know what path to walk down?"

"You won't," Ray admitted. "Smarter men than me have gone mad trying to answer that question. But even if you don't know which path is right, listening to your heart might tell you which one is wrong. And that's a start."

Slowly, Lena nodded, digesting his recommendation if not outright accepting. But then, she said something that he didn't expect. That never in a million years would Ray have ever thought to come from the mouth of his old enemy.

"Thank you."

She said it sadly, with her eyes staring at the ground and refusing to meet his face. But she'd said it, and Ray believed her.

"I know that this position is awkward for you," Lena continued. "That the last thing you'd ever have expected was advising someone who used to spend every hour trying to destroy you and your friends. Who still does. And I know how easy it could have been for you to turn me away, but you didn't. I don't really have anyone else that I can talk to about this, and you let me talk to you. So, thank you."

Ray couldn't help but crack a smile, feeling the warming glow resonate with the sound of Lena's grateful affirmation. Once upon a time, he'd shied with embarrassment when his friends predicted he'd become a shrink. But in moments like these, Ray was glad they'd pushed him. Because nothing ever compared to the feeling of having helped someone. The realization that he'd helped them through something they couldn't possibly understand on their own. That their life was just that little bit better because of him. Ray didn't need a Morpher to do that, he never had.

But the school day was close to beginning, and Ray gestured toward the door in acknowledgment of the fact.

"Now, not that I don't enjoy these talks," he admitted as he showed Lena out, "but I do have other students to fit in. Maybe consider making an appointment next time you want to drop in?"

Wiping her eyes, Lena dutifully nodded. "I can do that," she agreed. "Thanks again… Ray."

And then she secured her bag on her shoulder and walked off toward her locker. Ray could only hope that the path she chose was one away from Xaviax, but at least he'd helped her feel confident in choosing for herself.

Good job, Ray.

He turned around to reenter his office, ready to start the day properly. But the person standing behind him stopped him in his tracks.

Erika was barely five feet away, jaw dropped, and eyes filled with betrayal.

"Erika…" Ray tried to say, but she'd already raised a hand to silence him, her head shakingly frantically in disbelief as she spun around and took off down the corridor.

Great.