Episode 37

Being Human

The lab doors hissed open as Scolex strolled inside with a withering gaze. Ender's head snapped up from the monitor, and while he did not cower as he would have beneath Xaviax's steely mask, he still shrunk back the entrant's demeanor.

"Mr. Scolex… I mean, My Lord," said Ender. "What is it that brings you to my humble laboratory?"

"This is anything but humble," Scolex replied bitterly. "It's the best that money can buy. So, imagine my surprise when, after all this time, you're still failing to get me what I want."

The words carried an icy chill, a barely veiled threat that caused Ender to grimace and shirk away.

"Perhaps it's just a matter of perspective?" Ender suggested. "Sure, the Rangers managed to get their hands on their dear old friend Howard Gates, and sure, the Silver Guardians are being a righteous force for justice. But people are scared, and every attack makes them more and more nervous. Every day, they look to you as their savior, perfectly priming them for your long-awaited Day of Fate."

"Hmm, when you put it that way, it does seem like it's all still chugging along, doesn't it?" Scolex said dryly. "But the plan can't just be working; it needs to be perfect. One loose end could cause all that we have built to come crashing down. And I can't help but notice that your little act of spin leaves out one teeny, tiny detail."

He stepped forward, casual with its implicit threat, as he hit a button on the display. The holographic image burst into view, revealing their armored former minion.

"He's still out there, and he's ruining everything."

"Well, I've never had a high opinion of his cognitive ability," Ender admitted. "But I do have to say that his tenacity does come from a very well-regarded origin."

"Save the platitudes," Scolex growled. "He's coming after our tech, and if he causes enough problems, then the wrong people will start sniffing around. It's bad enough having to keep Hawkins and her Power Rangers busy, but now I've got those Silver Guardians to contend with."

"Hmm, they are an obnoxious bunch of do-gooders. I suppose it's a real shame you never convinced the city to bring in your own forces on their dime. We wouldn't have to be spending all this effort into making the Silver Guardians look bad if it were our own people patrolling the streets."

Scowling, Scolex whipped around to scold him further, fury rising in his chest at the reminder of their accruing difficulties. But as he did, he stopped, pausing in a moment of revelation as slowly his darkened brow shifted to join the emerging sinister smile.

"You're right, it is," he said. "But it does give me an idea. Prepare the Cyberdrones; as many as you can, and I need them to be ready the next time ArcKnight makes a move. I've got a few calls to make."

Without elaborating any further, he spun on his heel and strode off toward the elevator, leaving a confused Ender in his wake. As he reached the doors, he stopped, looking over his shoulder to address his minion with a fresh, cold menace.

"And Ender? I would hurry to find a way to take ArcKnight off the board. Or the next face you speak to will be a lot less forgiving."

She couldn't believe it. It was impossible. There was just no way the result that Lena was staring at could be anything other than a mistake. But no matter how hard she tried to construe some possible explanation, Lena couldn't understand how such an astronomical error could even occur. None that didn't make the teacher look grossly incompetent, anyway.

But could she even do about it? Why did she even care? It wasn't like any of this even mattered, not in the grand scheme of things. Something like this was going to be barely more than a blemish on her record. And yet, as Lena stared at the final score marked on the paper, its existence was nothing short of infuriating.

And there was nothing she could do to change it.

"You're in a mood," said Erika at lunch. "What's going on."

Having been snapped from Erika's excited explanation of the upcoming community Open Mic night at the Hub, all heads slowly turned towards Lena with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

Great, now she couldn't even keep her humiliation to herself. "It's nothing."

"You should tell them," Abbey urged gently. "It's really not that bad."

One by one, all heads looked to Lena, unrelenting in the face of her blatant and visible annoyance. Against the united front, Lena knew she'd have no chance of deflecting the conversation anywhere else.

"I got a bad grade."

It felt so dumb, announcing it out into the world, so petty and small compared to everything else that the Rangers were dealing with. But where Lena expected some sort of condescending rebuke, instead, the table was suddenly filled with a collective, "Ohhhhhh."

It was like it had suddenly explained everything. As if, in a single utterance, Lena had perfectly articulated the source of her sour mood with no need for elaboration. Almost. As the others settled back into their conversation, Zeke tilted his head, confusion worn on his face as he asked the question that Lena had desperately hoped he wouldn't.

"How?"

"What do you mean, how?"

"I mean, you're like a super-computer," Zeke clarified. "You make ChatGPT look like an Etch-a-Sketch.'

"There's more to learning than just facts and information," Abbey pointed out. "What class was it even in?"

Lena was just about to respond when she stopped herself, realizing the foolishness of what she was about to utter. But she'd come this far in telling them, and she knew that there was no way of holding back now that her friends were invested.

"Art," Lena said glumly. "I got a B- in Art."

As if they'd rehearsed it, all others at the table inhaled at once, sucking in their nervous breaths in response to Lena's admission. Very quickly, they made the mistake of catching each other's eyes, and a soft, amused laughter rippled across the table.

"What?"

"B-?" said Miguel. "I mean, you still passed."

"Yeah," Zeke agreed. "I thought you'd got an F or something."

"I may as well have," Lena said bitterly. "This is a black mark on my record that will never be expunged."

"Ignore them, Lena," Abbey comforted. "It's perfectly fine to set high personal standards."

"I just don't get it," said Lena. "My technique is flawless, and I could cite everything relevant to class in my justification. It was perfect, but my teacher seemed to think what I made was "lifeless"."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Erika assured her. "Everyone here's had a bad grade at some point."

"Really?" Lena didn't believe that for even a moment. "Okay, you two, I get-."

"Hey!" Miguel protested.

"Fair," conceded Erika.

"But you two super students?" Lena continued as she nodded at Abbey and Zeke, "I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," said Abbey. "I mean, just take Zeke's ninth-grade term paper on Paradise Lost."

"Yeah," Zeke admitted. "Turns out the best thing to do for a book report is to actually read the book."

"It did teach you an important lesson about hubris," Abbey said smugly. "And also irony."

"Well, as long as we're talking about freshman year," Zeke replied. "Why don't we talk about your semester in Computer Science?"

"Because we agreed to never talk about it," Abbey said coldly. "Ever."

"That bad, huh?" Erika asked.

"I still shudder whenever I hear someone talking about Java. I couldn't order coffee for a month."

Despite the attempts at solidarity, Lena was unconvinced. She didn't get bad grades. Her mental comprehension was miles above the human brain's capacity; she had far greater motor control than even the most experienced craftsman. Her work was perfect, so why wasn't it impressive?

Seeing her continued discontent, Erika leaned and smiled warmly with one last attempt to cheer her up. "Don't worry about it, Lena. Think of it as a rite of passage. Getting a bad grade is about as human an experience as you'll ever get."

"Maybe it's something you could talk to Ray about?" Abbey suggested. "I mean, helping students through these things is kind of his wheelhouse."

"His actual job," said Zeke. "Instead of his side gig of mentoring teenage superheroes."

But as much as Lena knew that was true, she also knew that it wouldn't help her in the immediate. With ArcKnight on the loose, Ray and Hilary had their hands full, and Ray had even taken some days of work to stay on alert for ArcKnight's next attempted robbery.

No, this was just something that Lena would have to figure out on her own.

"I think they're busy," Lena said glumly. "Because you just know that the second I go to talk to him will be exactly when ArcKnight makes a move."

"ArcKnight's making his move! Go, now!"

At Jess's command, Ray and Hilary bolted high, soaring over the intervening Cyberdrones to unleash a torrent of laser fire. The Mainframe Defenders boomed with erupting blasts of Gold and Silver, blowing the cluster to bits as the two of them landed on the other side. But no sooner had the Cyberdrones been shattered, more surged to take the place, separating the Rangers from the supporting Silver Guardians.

"We've got these clowns!" Kyle called to them. "Go!"

Without wasting another second, Ray and Hilary skidded on their heels and took off toward where ArcKnight had been spotted.

"Where are we headed, Jess?" Hilary hissed into the coms.

"Just up ahead!" came the reply. "Looks like he's intercepting some kind of shipment. Want to guess who it's for?"

"How many tries do I get?" Ray asked.

"Run!"

"Help!"

The workers at the dock turned tail and bolted, scurrying as fast as they could as the Cyberdrones descended from all directions. As the foreman dropped his clipboard and fled, an armored figure stepped into his place, chuckling with satisfaction as he picked up the manifest.

"It appears that a delivery has been abandoned," ArcKnight decided. "It would be a shame for it to go unused."

"Hey, ArcKnight!"

No sooner had the warrior looked to the abandoned collection of pallets when a blasting rain of gold and silver light crashed down from above. The rounds burst in all directions, sending the Cyberdrones flying as two suited figures somersaulted overhead to stand between ArcKnight and his prize.

"I've got to say," said Hilary. "Cancelling your employment and still expecting Xaviax to pick up the bill? That's pretty low, even for you."

"I live by a simple reckoning, that there is no honor among thieves," ArcKnight replied. "Perhaps if you intend to protect one, you are the ones deserving of judgment. And if you remain intent to stand in my way, I will gladly remove you from my path!"

And just like that, he charged the Gold and Silver Rangers with zealous fury. Ray and Hilary moved as one, lunging to meet him with their Broadswords unfolded. The weapons clashed, spraying sparks from the spiteful impact as the Rangers retracted and plunged in again. Already recovered, ArcKnight was ready, battering the first blade back with the shield before swinging his sword to parry the other.

But while his intent was ferocious, something about it was off. He was being too defensive, more than he needed to fend off a pair of experienced foes, and his attacks seemed to do no more than assert that he was still a threat. The ArcKnight that Ray knew was far too proud for that.

"Are we really doing this, ArcKnight?" Ray taunted. "You've gone up against the both of us enough time to know how this ends."

Without waiting for a reply, Ray and Hilary struck in together, swords converging as they chopped down against the foe. But rather than dodge, ArcKnight pierced his sword between them, intercepting the blades as if to catch them and reel their wielders in. And then, with Gold and Silver Rangers nice and close, he chuckled.

"Surely you, of all people, should have seen this ploy for what it is," ArcKnight told with a smug snicker of satisfaction. "I am merely the distraction."

It took only a second for Ray to realize what he meant, head whipping around to see the Cyberdrone from before had recovered and were making their way toward the abandoned delivery pallets. And now Ray and Hilary were too far away to stop them.

"You know what?" Ray cursed. "I really should have seen that coming."

With a mighty roar, ArcKnight threw them off, sword glowing as he followed with an immediate assault. The energy unleashed from the blade and crashed into the ground at the Rangers' feet, forcing them to dive. Ray hit the ground and rolled, snapping to his feet to whip around and follow up. But by now, it was already too late. ArcKnight had taken the chance to leap forward, spinning around to stare down his frazzled foes with freshly menacing swagger.

"Now, Gold Ranger," said ArcKnight. "I believe this is where you would traditionally offer a second round."

"He's really got you pegged," Hilary said dryly.

"Yeah, I'm honored," Ray replied. "Hit him from the sides and make a break for the Cyberdrones?"

"Read my mind."

If nothing else, all they had to do was keep the Cyberdrone busy while Silver Guardians caught up. Then they could handle the henchmen while Ray and Hilary took ArcKnight down for good.

As ArcKnight readied for their assault, Ray and Hilary did the same, bracing for their pouncing strike with the full intent of breaking past. But just as they were about to, a sound filled the air: shrieking tires and a blaring siren as a motorcade of vehicles burst onto the scene. Reinforcements, just in time.

Only they were not the ones that Ray and Hilary were expecting.

The vehicles were jet-black, bulky SUVs that thundered into the scene without a care of anything in their path. The doors were thrown open immediately, and rather than the friendly navy blue Guardians, the occupants were from head to toe in black. Armed with similar blaster pistols, the new arrivals raced into tight formations before opening fire on the Cyberdrones.

But as Ray wished for answers, ArcKnight was still their more pressing concern.

"Looks like our friends arrived just in time," Hilary said as both snapped their attention to the warrior in their path.

"Now," said Ray. "About that Round Two?"

ArcKnight's plan had clearly been for speed, to keep all the Rangers busy while his henchmen grabbed the plunder. But new arrivals had tipped the scales, and ArcKnight knew it.

"You may have succeeded this time," growled. "But there will come a time when you will not be fast enough, and you will be forced to decide which side you're truly against."

"It'll be wherever the people are," Ray replied. "And whatever side keeps them safe."

ArcKnight and his cronies vanished in a flash of green and spirited back to wherever they'd started hiding. With the threat handled, Ray and Hilary were just about to examine the reinforcements when another set of cars rolled up, and Kyle and the Silver Guardians got out.

"Sorry we're late," Kyle said. "We ran into some Cyberdrones that objected to our arrival."

"Don't worry about it," said Ray. "Your new backup managed to make it through."

"Uh, Ray?" Hilary said nervously.

But Kyle just looked at him quizzically before looking over at the black-clad men, all stranding at rigid attention at the other end of the dock. Slowly, Kyle stepped forward and stared with gob-smacked curiosity at the collective armed force in their presence.

"They're not with me," said Kyle.

"No."

All heads whipped around to the sound of the new arrival, a smug and skeezy voice that curled at every spine. They didn't need to look to know who it belonged to, and all eyes glared as they saw him standing there.

"I thought you all could use an extra hand," said Davian Scolex with a satisfied smirk that he was barely trying to contain. "These men are with me."

By that afternoon, Lena's mood had only sunk as the strange feeling of failure continued churning over and over in her mind. She was being ridiculous; she knew that. The grade was neither awful nor likely to have any long-term term on her life. And yet, its existence taunted her, an echoing affront that lingered long after the initial shock of seeing it.

But what was irking Lena more than anything else was that it was bothering her at all, and the feeling that it accompanied was one she was unused to. Bitterly, failure was not new to her; she'd experienced it plenty of times in the days she'd been an enemy of the Rangers. Back then, it was anger that guided her response, and burning fury that boiled more intently with every failed scheme. The Rangers had been at fault, not her, and she could have only found a weakness to circumvent their intervention, she could have sure succeeded without issue.

But this feeling was different. Because there was no cause, no one to blame beyond herself. And the shame felt heavier than any defeat Lena had experienced in any life she'd had. No matter how hard she tried, Lena couldn't muster a single idea of how such a humiliating grade could have been avoided or what she was missing.

Having got nowhere on her own across the day, Lena finally conceded to Abbey's suggestion to seek Ray's advice. The idea was stronger in theory than in practice. When she went downstairs to the Lab, she was greeted by Hilary and Jess, both furiously either punching at the keys or waiting angrily on the phone. Scolex's latest scheme to put his own security on the Lakeview streets had sent Hilary into a full-blown fury, and she had just been finally taken off hold when Lena arrived to talk to her. Ray, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen, and Jess advised that he'd taken to patrolling the streets with Kyle in readiness for ArcKnight's next attack.

Cutting her losses, Lena decided to seek comfort with a warm pumpkin spice. If she was lucky, maybe she'd find Ray making a pitstop. Instead, what met her was Abbey, grumpily standing behind the counter with Valerie as they stared up at the TV screen.

"This is Cassidy Cornel of Channel 3, and with me here today is Lakeview's enigmatic billionaire, Davian Scolex."

Onscreen was Scolex, as confident as ever as he leaned back in the interview chair. His posture was clearly calculated, striking a balance between oozing confidence and self-satisfied smugness as he delivered his latest public appeal. Despite that, Lena couldn't help but smirk. Cornell was one of the shrewdest reporters in Lakeview, and Lena couldn't help but wonder if Hilary had something to do with her taking the interview. But if Scolex was phased by Cornel's stony professionalism, he didn't show it.

"Good afternoon, Cassidy, it's lovely to talk to you, as always."

"Sure," Cornell replied curtly before immediately getting to business. "You have recently created a new company, something some consider to be a Private Military Contractor operating in a civilian space. Mr. Scolex, what is the business case for the force's creation when the city has already commissioned the Silver Guardians?"

"That's an excellent question, Cassidy," Scolex replied. "You see, Lakeview is in crisis, and the threats are increasing. We've relied on the valiant efforts of the Power Rangers, but they can only do so much. Likewise, while the Silver Guardians have been noble assets to our city, they, too, are struggling to keep up with the threats that have been appearing. Just today, a shipment was attacked by these strange robots, and they may very well have succeeded had my Cyberdyne Protectors not intervened."

"Just look at him," Valerie said bitterly. "Acting like he's got everyone fooled."

"He does," Lena replied. "Outside of us, no one has any idea that he's secretly the mastermind behind the city's torment. Even with Mason in the know, the Silver Guardians can't do anything without proof. And Scolex has now got everyone important wrapped around his grimy little finger.'

"I just can't believe he's still doing this," said Abbey. "I thought Hilary had managed to put a stop to that at the council meeting months ago."

"She did, and now she's fuming," Lena confirmed. "Looks like Scolex found a loophole; they're not there at the behest of the city, but "private security contractors" willing to protect anyone who pays."

"And what's the bet that all the people paying are from the million different shell corporations that he owns?" Abbey snorted.

"So, he's just going to get away with it?" Val asked. "He's sending his own private army out on the street, and there's nothing anyone can do?"

"Hilary's on the phone to City Hall right now," Lena shrugged. "Although I guess given that no one knows that Scolex is also responsible for the monster attacks, he's the one that gets to look like a good, concerned citizen in all of this."

Another point that all of them were forced to bitterly concede. As much as withholding Scolex's identity was keeping their own lives safe, they were seeing more and more how that was playing to his advantage. Their powers may still have been more than enough to handle the monster attacks, but outside of battle, Scolex still held all the cards.

"Where is everyone?" Lena asked as she looked around. Very few of the tables were occupied, and the only presence on the stage was Erika, tuning an acoustic guitar.

"Mid-week afternoons don't tend to draw big crowds," Valerie shrugged. "Guess it's nice if you just want some quiet."

She was just about to make her order and go when a sudden, obnoxious twang sounded throughout the venue. It was sharp and unwelcome, the sound of steel strings protesting at the way they'd been yanked against the neck. Prior, it had just been the soft sound note trilling back and forth as Erika had lightly plucked and stood out with stark contrast by comparison.

"Sorry!" Erika replied as all heads turned to the source of the disturbance. Lena expected her to shy away at the sudden attention, to shrink at the acknowledgment of her mistake. But instead, she giggled and went back to plucking at the notes in a new arrangement. The reaction was so strange that Lena couldn't help but be further captivated by it and, for a moment, stood there watching as Erika continued fiddling with the strings. Finally, Lena conceded to her curiosity and wandered over.

"All tuned up?"

"This?" Erika replied as she nodded to the guitar in her lap. "Yeah, it's all good. Now I'm just playing around."

That much was obvious, and yet Lena couldn't help but question anyway. "What're you even doing? It doesn't sound like you're playing anything that you know."

"I'm not,' Erika shrugged. "I'm just finding progressions that sound nice and figuring out what works."

Lena was stunned, her brow furrowing in confusion as she tried to comprehend it. It didn't make any sense, how Erika could be playing without purpose, how she could have no end goal with which to further her skill. It wasn't that all of it was coming out bad, but some of the notes were definitely rough.

"I don't understand," Lena replied. "How can you be playing if you're not… playing?"

"But I am playing," Erika corrected, "just not a song. I guess I'm making one, or I could be. But you never know what else could work until you try, right?"

"But you already know what works," said Lena. "All the songs you already play sound great."

"And I love playing them," said Erika. "That doesn't mean I can't find something new. Can't see what else is out there if you don't experiment."

"But then why do you keep changing it? You keep playing a sequence, but every time you revisit it, it's different. How can you perfect it if you never do the same thing?"

Erika chuckled as an obstinate petulance growled beneath Lena's breath. For a moment, it felt like Erika was mocking her, laughing at the poor little android with no understanding of the strange human things. But as Erika looked up and smiled, Lena's anger quelled. The look in her friend's eye was of understanding, not judgment.

"It's not about perfection, not really," Erika said. "Don't get me wrong, if I'm ever going to play it in front of a whole bunch of people, I'm going to want to have it down. But right now? I'm playing for me; I'm just enjoying the sound. Creating something isn't about nailing my technique; it's about how it feels."

"But that's subjective," Lena countered. "You said it yourself, if you're playing for people, you've got to have the technique."

"That might be the end goal, but that's not where it starts," Erika replied. "Look at it this way: people paint, right? Why?"

"To capture the likeness of something," Lena replied. "The created image presents something to an otherwise unknowing audience."

"But why paint? You could do that with a camera, and it's going to be more accurate, too. So why go to all the effort with a painting?"

Lena's mouth opened to reply before she realized she had no words. It was a fair question: why did people bother doing that?

"To show their skill," she decided. "It's a demonstration of your ability to create an image that accurately reflects the subject."

"But it won't," said Erika. "No matter how hard you try, they'll always be the telltale signs of what made it. The brush strokes, the lines of a pencil. It'll never be a perfect presentation of reality, it's impossible."

This was getting ridiculous. It was like Erika was finding holes in Lena's argument, like nothing she could say would be right. But there had to be a right answer, somewhere. Something to trip the smug Red Ranger up. Trying a different tact, Lena opted to counter with a question of her own. "So why do it? Why go to all that effort for something that can never be perfect?"

"Because perfect doesn't exist," said Erika. "Because it's not about how skilled you are or how closely you've recreated something. It's about how you feel about what you're capturing and how well you've conveyed that to the person you're showing it to."

It was only then that Lena realized what Erika was doing. She hadn't been stubbornly poking holes in Lena's arguments at all; Erika had been leading her to a point. She'd definitely been spending too much time with Ray.

Seeing Lena's annoyance, Erika smiled amusedly as she looked down at the guitar in her lap. "When I play my guitar, I'm trying to convey something about how I feel or how I used to. The lyrics are part of that, but so are the notes and how I play them. And sometimes, I'll play it wrong, but it makes my point more powerful because I gave in to what I was feeling and let it out. That's the joy of creating, to be able to take what's in your heart and give it to the world. Without that, a guitar is just sound; a drawing is just lines on paper. It has to mean something to the person who made it before it can mean anything to anyone else. So when you look at a drawing or a painting, as skillfully as it was made, it's not about how perfectly they recreated what was drawn. It's the imperfections that make it beautiful and give it life."

Lifeless. That was what Lena's teacher had said about her art. She could have all the skill in the world, but she'd been so determined to disguise the flaws in her work that she'd neglected to show it with any beauty or grace. Because the drawing had meant nothing to her, and she'd had no interest in it being anything else.

Of course, that realization only brought more questions, ones that were even more exasperating.

"But how do I make it mean something?" Lena asked. "How can I convey my feelings if I don't have any?"

"It doesn't matter what the feeling is," Erika replied. "As long as there is one. Because at the heart of every work is some kind of truth about the artist, no matter how distant it could be. Because something about their subject drew them in and captivated them. It's not about the object you're talking about; it's about how it made you feel and how you can show it to everyone else. As for what that could be, only you can know that."

Lena had no idea of what to make about any of that, it all sounded confusing and paradoxical. But before she could ask any more, the chime above the Hub door sounded, and Erika's face lit up further as she rose to meet the new arrivals. Fresh from another patrol through the streets, Ray and Kyle were awaiting a fresh order of coffee.

"On the clock this late in the day?" Erika asked as she got up and approached.

"We don't have much of a choice," said Ray. "It was one thing when ArcKnight was just attacking us and Scolex. But now that he's attacking civilians to get what he wants, we've got to get to him, fast."

"And with Scolex bringing his own private army to defend his property," Kyle added, "this whole thing is going to get a lot worse before it gets better."

It was then that Lena caught the look on Erika's face. It was as if she'd realized an opportunity and was readying to pounce. Like a predator eagerly sighting her captive prey. Lena had no idea what Erika had in mind, but she knew that Ray had no idea what he was about to be drawn into.

"Say, while you're here," Erika said slyly. "Looks like the Hub's running an Open Mic Community Showcase night. Given any thought to giving it a shot?"

If he was surprised, Ray didn't show it, instead chuckling nervously as he turned her down. "Sorry, Erika, I think my days playing in front of a crowd of teenagers are behind me."

"Oh well," Erika decided unconvincingly. "Can't say I didn't give it a shot."

At Erika's suspiciously quick defeat, Ray seemed to visibly relax. Unfortunately for him, Erika had just been the diversion.

"Here you go," said Dirk as he pushed his drink order over the counter. "Hey Ray, while I think of it, did you see we've got an Open Mic night coming up?"

Ray's eyes flicked to Erika. "Someone might have mentioned it."

"You should consider signing up. A little birdy may have told me that you're pretty good."

Beside him, Kyle nearly choked on his latte, and both Valerie and Zeke nervously stepped back. Slowly, Ray's narrow eyes turned to glare at Erika's smug expression. "Did they, now?"

Erika didn't so much as flinch with her chipper expression. It was a dish served stone cold.

"Oh, look at that," Erika decided before Ray could have any chance to deflect, "Looks like there's still some sound equipment that needs checking! Better go sort that out. Good to see you, Mr. G!"

And then, she skipped off merrily before Ray could utter another word. Behind the counter, both Valerie and Abbey were desperately looking anywhere but their Guidance Counsellor while Dirk stood obliviously with the coffees still in hand. Taking the drinks, Ray turned around to see that Kyle was equally smirking.

"Not a word," Ray insisted firmly before moving toward the door. Kyle, it seemed, didn't need to say anything, chuckling instead as he followed. For Lena, it seemed as good a time as any, and Ray could probably use a distraction from whatever it was that Erika had just inflicted. Who knew, maybe he'd even help her out of spite.

"Ray!"

He and Kyle were already halfway up the street when they turned around, and Ray sighed in resignation as he saw her chasing him. "Look, I've already told the others that it's not for me. Can we leave it at that?"

"Actually," said Lena. "I was looking for some advice. I was hoping that maybe you could help me make sense of something?"

"Oh…" Still cautious from having Erika's earlier ambush, Ray softened nonetheless, shoulders relaxing as he turned to give her his full attention. "Sure, what can I help with."

But Lena had no sooner opened her mouth when another cut in, interrupting with all the welcome grace of nails on a chalkboard.

"Sorry to cut in line! But I've got a question too!"

Scowling, all three whipped around to see Ender standing in the path, waltzing with his usual cavalier menace as a horde of Cyberdrones flashed in around them.

"What do you want, Ender?" Ray growled.

"Run out of puppies to kick?" asked Lena.

"I was just out for a leisurely stroll and wanted a little bit of company."

But while Ray and Lena got ready to throw down, Kyle stepped forward, projecting an air of granted authority in an attempt to diffuse. "If you're here to start something, you should know that backup's already on the way."

"Oh yes, I heard about the new hires," Ender snickered. "I, for one, welcome our new security personnel. And I've got to tell you, I would just kill for a meeting."

And as if waiting for the codeword, the Cyberdrones pounced. Lena's guard was up and ready before the henchmen had even left the ground, surging to catch them off guard in hopes of launching an offensive defense. Just as she expected, the Cyberdrones weren't ready. As they landed around her, Lena weaved between, striking at the sides to throw their balance as they struggled to catch her. By the time they'd turned around to draw a clear line of sight, Lena already had them where she wanted.

In all their efforts to catch her, the Cyberdrones had given up their positioning. They thought they had her surrounded, but all Lena had done was draw them in. By now, Lena had fought with the Cyberdrones countless times, both on their side and against them. With the speed of lightning thought, every move and every pattern traced inside her mind. The poor things never stood a chance.

"You should all know the moves by now," Lena smirked. "Let's dance."

The first one lunged, exactly the one she'd predicted, launching with eager ferocity as Lena moved aside. Her arms snapped up, blocking and grabbing ahold to twist it into a painful lock. With her prisoner in hand, Lena had the leverage she needed. As the next came in, she kicked up high, the heel of her sneaker cracking beneath the robot's jaw as it staggered back into its comrades. Then she flipped up and over.

Thinking her anchored to the robot she was holding, a Cyberdrone had moved around for a sneak attack. Just as Lena had predicted. As the minion charged in, Lena leaped high to aerial over her captive as her attacker swiped through empty air. Landing on the otherwise, she kicked out, slamming her foot into the first buckled Cyberdrone to send it crashing into its comrades.

"You might know the moves," she chuckled. "But you just can't keep up."

Over on the other flank, Ray had gone on the retreat, peeling back to lure the pursuing Cyberdrones away from the support of the pack. Big mistake. Peeled away from easy reinforcement, Ray had set the staging ground for an assault entirely on his own terms.

The first incoming reached to grab him, clamping his shoulder to pin him down. Instead, Ray's hand snapped to snatch the fingers, twisting them into an unnatural position as the Cyberdrone struggled in his grip. With another coming, Ray was ready, ducking beneath the blow before yanking his captive into the bypassed attacker.

"Sorry, guys," he said gruffly. "I've got enough to deal with right now."

But the Cyberdrones were far from dissuaded. As the first two sprawled along the ground, the rest charged in, forcing Ray back on the retreat as they charged in all directions. But while their machinelike minds were targeted with singular intent, Ray's focus was on the surroundings, on the environment that could work to his advantage.

As the Cyberdrones hurried after him, Ray made for the bench that was bolted to the sidewalk. He didn't waste a second as he reached it, vaulting over it and spinning around as the Cyberdrones skidded to avoid the collision. It only gained him a moment, but it was all he needed; now, the fight was back on his terms.

As the henchmen scrambled around either side of the bench, Ray's eyes narrowed in careful assessment. The difference was slim, but it was a difference that mattered. As one skidded around the bench, Ray met it with a kick to the face. The robot's head snapped back, falling into its clambering teammates as Ray fell back to meet those coming around the other side. They'd managed to get around the bench, but by now, it was too late.

The first swung in, only to be blocked as Ray swerved past to kick the one behind. Grabbing hold of the striking wrist, he twisted with all his might, flipping the Cyberdrone onto its back to trip up the next lot of pursuers. By now, they'd all gathered together exactly as he wanted.

"You know, I think we could all do with a break," he decided. "Here; take a seat."

Having clustered up, the Cyberdrones had given Ray all the space he needed for the windup. Launching into a powerful tornado kick, his sole slammed square into the drone's chest, crashing it into the group to send them sprawling onto the bench like skittles.

But Ray wasn't done; far from it.

As the first of them tried to rise, Ray surged forward, leaping high to plant his foot on the lowered shoulder. With his enemy as a springboard, he flung up into the air, twisting midflight with his vision glowing. With the perfect angle, red beams burst from his eyes, blasting into the downed henchmen with flashes of burning sparks.

But while Lena and Ray handled the swarming henchmen, Kyle had lunged forward at the main event. And Ender was all too eager to perform.

With the monster-maker in his sights, Kyle's pistols flared, yellow beams bursting from the barrel as he pushed on with a furious advance. Ender's cane twirled as he swung it between every shot, parrying the glancing around with a dance of utter glee. Closing in, Kyle pushed in the pistol to fire point-blank. With all his eerie grace, Ender sidestepped, batting away Kyle's arm to send the shot harmless scorching into a signpost.

"You should put them away," Ender cackled. "Those things are dangerous!"

As he swung in the cane, Kyle ducked and rolled, holstering the pistol as he reached for the baton at his belt and cracked it out.

"Oooooh, I'm so scared, officer,' Ender taunted. "Look at you, coming at me with no Ranger powers of your own."

"And look at you," Kyle replied. "Going outside dressed like that."

"Now that's just unsporting."

Without waiting for a reply, Kyle lunged again, keeping the baton low as if daring Ender to strike. It was an opening too good to resist, and Ender took it with malicious glee. Seeing the swipe go wide, Kyle dived forward, soaring over the weapon before rolling around and smacking Ender across the hamstrings. Ender's wince was more of an annoyance than pain. As Kyle swung in for a second strike, Ender had already turned around, smacking back the baton with his cane.

"I thought you lawmen were meant to play nice!"

While Kyle managed to avoid the swinging cane, he was still too slow to avoid the follow-up. Ender's boot smacked him hard in the chest, sending him tumbling across the ground as the Cyberdrones swarmed to take advantage.

A ploy that Lena took great exception to, as did Ray.

Without missing a beat, they lunged at the gathering henchmen, crashing into their lines and throwing them back as Kyle heaved himself to his feet.

"Oh, isn't this fun?" Ender snickered as the Cyberdrones regrouped around him. "Throwing down with some friendly fisticuffs. I could do this all day!"

"We'll see about that!"

As the voice called out, twin beams of red and blue light descended upon the horde, shattering into sprays of sparks that caused the Cyberdrones to stagger back in disorientation. Seething, Ender looked up just in time to see the Red and Blue Rangers somersaulting overhead, landing between the Cyberdrones and their would-be victims with smoking pistols.

"Having fun without us, Ender?" Erika asked.

"So rude," Abbey agreed.

"Should we get in on this?" Lena asked Ray.

"Sounds like a plan."

But they'd no sooner stepped forward with their morphers ready when a fresh sound filled their air. From all ends of the street, black vehicles thundered into view, and Lena gritted her teeth as she realized they weren't the familiar Silver Guardians. And that could only leave one other option.

The large SUVs slammed to a stop, encircling the battle as several faceless, black-clad soldiers piled out. Blasters drawn, they levied their weapons at Ender and the Cyberdrones. And that was where things got weird.

"Well, it looks like today's just not my day," Ender decided slyly. "I'm a man who knows when he's out-gunned and beat. Toodle-doo, Rangers!"

And then, with an overly dramatic flourish, he and Cyberdrones vanished in a flash of green, leaving the other surrounded by Scolex's private security.

"What just happened?" Erika asked.

But with eyes narrowed at their new "reinforcements," who already were wordlessly returning to the vehicles and departing, Lena could see the plan, plain as day. Ender's entire attack had been a performance, drawn out just enough to attract attention and escalate to the attention of the Power Rangers. And in retreating when he had, he'd sent a simple message to the people of Lakeview.

The Guardians and Rangers couldn't keep them safe, but Scolex's forces could.

He'd turned all of Lakeview into a stage, and the Rangers and Guardian were merely players.

Ender reappeared in the lab with renewed eccentric energy, skipping with joy and smiling wide as he turned to see Scolex was waiting for him.

"Well now, that was fun!" he delighted. "You know, I think I really missed my calling for the theatre. Do you think the Academy takes nominations at this time of the year?"

"It was impressive," said Scolex. "But don't get cocky. If those Rangers had arrived any sooner, your big performance might have become an improv session."

"I could have handled them," Ender insisted. "You mark my words; people are lapping up these new saviors you've handed them. And this is just the preview; everything's all primed for your big performance!"

"Then be ready. And try to resist the urge to add any artistic flourishes when it happens," Scolex advised. "We're taking a big risk by moving the opening forward, not to mention luring ArcKnight out this way."

With a sinister smile, Ender bowed in subservience to his master's wishes as a newsreel was played on the monitoring station.

SCOLEX ENERGY OPENING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

"It's a chance too good for him to resist," Ender agreed.

"And when he takes it, you better be ready," said Scolex. "This is our chance to deal with all of our problems in one fell swoop. We can't afford to be anything less than perfect."