Chapter Seven:
Benito Santori
The Sky Ace set down in Brazil, a few miles outside the city of Rio, at a remote beach resort only known about by a select few special guests. The bottom hatch opened, the seven members of the Ranger Project stepping down onto the sand.
"He should be this way," Doctor Kuchar said, reading a small scanner in his hand, Algernon on his shoulder sniffing at the tropical air. "Now, I should warn you, our friend is a little . . . eccentric."
Benton shook his head. "I'm still trying to process the fact that there's been another one of us out there this whole time, and we've never even heard of them."
Doctor Kuchar looked a little uncomfortable. "We . . . haven't spoken in many years. He specifically wished to be left out of the war, or anything war-related. I can't imagine he'll be very happy to see me."
The team walked a short distance, approaching a large cabana area. The team could hear salsa music playing, men and women in bikinis, speedos, and hula skirts walking around, delivering drinks to their relaxing guests.
"So, what does he look like?" Karen asked. "What are we looking for?"
"Oh, I'll know him when I see him." His eyes zeroed in on one single guest sitting near the bar. "In fact," he said. "I've already found him."
Benton understood what the doctor meant by knowing him when he saw him the moment he laid eyes on the man. This "other" cyborg was a young man, probably in his late twenties to early thirties, with tanned skin and long dark hair. He was decked out in a pure white suit, a suit that looked almost a little too white and clean. He wore a matching white hat, pulled down over his eyes, with a rainbow ribbon running through it, matching the bright rainbow-colored ascot at his collar.
"Wow," Benton said. "You weren't kidding."
"It kinda hurts my eyes a little," Rio said.
For just a second, Benton thought he saw Doctor Kuchar crack a little smile and look down proudly at his own yellow uniform. "Yes, well," he said. "Gaudy fashion choices were about the only thing we ever agreed on. Come on."
He marched up to the man and cleared his throat. "Excuse me," he said. "Benito Santori?"
The man didn't respond at first, taking a sip from the fruity drink in his hand, before tilting his hat up, a bright green eye peeking out from underneath. "That depends," he said in a smooth, almost buttery voice. "Who's asking?"
Doctor Kuchar's mustache ruffled. "You know who I am, Beni."
The man took another long sip of his drink, his eye roving over the Ranger team behind Doctor Kuchar. Finally, he set the drink aside and tipped his hat fully up. "I hope it's my old friend Danny Boy, finally retired and come to spend his remaining years in paradise."
Doctor Kuchar shifted uncomfortably. "No, not exactly."
"Well, I certainly hope it is. Because I can't imagine you'd have any other reason to show up here. Can you?"
Doctor Kuchar closed his eyes. "Please, Beni. I need your help."
The man turned away, letting out a long breath. "Alright," he said. He waved his hand and the music stopped. He swung his legs off his chaise, swept his hat off his head with a flourish, and bowed. "Welcome, weary travelers, to the Arco-Iris Resort and Cabana! I am your host, Benito Santori, heaven's gift to beautiful men, women, and otherwise the world over. Please, allow me to entertain you as you enter my world of wonder and carnal enchantment."
He flashed them a charming smile. A smile so charming that even Benton, as ace as he was, might have considered going gay for. "And, speaking of beautiful men and woman," the man said, stepping past the doctor. "Who are these lovely friends of yours you have brought with you?"
His eyes lingered on every single one. Gordon and Karen looked distinctly uncomfortable, while Tomas stared, transfixed, his mouth hanging slightly open. Benton rolled his eyes, looking away. "I must say, Daniel," the man said. "They are all most exquisite."
Doctor Kuchar cleared his throat again. "Yes, well," he said. "Ranger Team, this is Benito Santori, my first ever human test subject for your enhancements. Benito Santori, these are the members of the Power Ranger project. Gordon Cherry, Karen Miller, Rio Higueras, Benton Davies, Yoselin Jimenez, and Tomas Higueras."
"O-or Princess," Tomas blurted out. "I-if that's what you prefer. Well, not at the moment. But lots of times. Princess or Tomas. Whichever you like."
His brother nudged him in the side. Tomas stopped talking and looked down.
"Princess or Tomas, eh?" Santori said, flashing him the same charming smile. He took Tomas by the hand and kissed it. "The pleasure is all mine, senhor."
Tomas turned a bright tomato red and looked like he was going to faint. Benito released his hand and looked over the Rangers. "Ah, yes, the rangers," he said. "I'd heard you'd shifted your program over to that little endeavor." He walked down the line, sizing up each member. He seemed to consider flirting with Rio or Yoselin, but when he saw they were holding each other's hand, he decided to move on.
"I seem to remember a time when your enhancements were meant for the betterment of mankind," he said, giving Benton a once over and passing him by. "So that every person on Earth could be free to be exactly who they wished to be."
Doctor Kuchar looked down. "That was my original intention, yes," he said.
"And now they're merely weapons of war." Santori came to Gordon and Karen. "Now, you I know," he said, smiling at Gordon. "Mr. Gordon Cherry, I used to love watching you in the Olympics. Shame you had to give that up."
He took Karen by the hand and kissed it. "And you, senhorita," he said. "Encantada."
"Can we move on?" Gordon said, cutting in quickly.
Santori glanced at him for a second, a slight smirk flashing across his face. "Alright, alright," he said. He stepped away and back to his chaise. "Hello, Algernon," he said, holding his hand out to the small rodent on Doctor Kuchar's shoulder. "Nice to see you're still kicking around."
The hamster squeaked at Santori and hopped over into his hand. Santori held him close and petted him tenderly. "Well, Danny Boy?" he said, sitting down. "You sought me out for a reason. I might as well hear you out."
Doctor Kuchar cleared his throat. "Right. Well," he said. He told Santori all about their current predicament, how they had escaped from CRIME, and Ivan Callahan and his forces were now in hot pursuit. He also told him how the Rangers' enhancements had been deactivated, and they needed a sample of his to get them working again.
Santori waited patiently for the doctor to finish, before getting up and pacing the sand, looking visibly agitated, but still holding Algernon gently. "So, you came to me because you had no other option," he said. "Even though you had promised me that I would be free to live my life as I saw fit. Even though I had made it perfectly clear I wanted nothing to do with that war, or this, or any war for that matter, and you had assured me I would be able to, my existence buried, both from EAGLE, and the Black Cross, and anyone else you might be at war with. And now, you're here, at my resort, with dear old Ivie on your trail, and you want my help?"
Doctor Kuchar looked down. "I'm sorry," he said. "I wouldn't have come if I thought I had any other choice."
Santori closed his eyes and shook his head. Benton glanced at the other rangers beside him. All three looked uncertain.
Santori let out a long breath. "Yeah, alright," he said, putting Algernon on his shoulder and undoing the buttons on his sleeves, rolling them up. "Let's do it."
"What?" Doctor Kuchar said, looking surprised.
"I said, let's do it. The faster we get it done, the faster you leave, right? So let's do it." He got down close to the doctor's face. "But I warn you, Daniel," he said seriously. "If anything happens to my resort, anything at all, or any of the people in it as a result of your presence here, I will hold you personally responsible. Is that clear?"
Doctor Kuchar stared back at him for a moment. "Crystal."
Santori clapped his hands, putting back on his charming smile again. "Let's get this show on the road."
He accompanied them back to the Sky Ace. It was a fairly simple procedure, Doctor Kuchar injecting him with a heavy-duty syringe and using that to extract a few of the nanites inside him. While they waited, Santori reclined in the seat, letting Algernon sniff around on his chest.
"So," he said, looking up at the Ranger Team. "How are you all enjoying the cyborg life? Do you actually get to use them for fun, or is it all just punching things really hard."
The other rangers looked quiet and uncomfortable. "I spent a few months messing with gravity in the woods behind my house," Benton said.
"Did you really? Hanging upside down, moving rocks, and all that?"
"Oh, yeah. Back on the island, I left a guy floating in midair."
"Nice. Hey, did you ever use different powers together? Like magnetizing a rock and then using gravity on it, or zapping it with lightning?"
Benton looked confused. He glanced at his fellow rangers. "Um, what? What do you mean? I only have gravity powers."
"And I only have magnetism," Karen said.
"I've got electricity," Rio said.
"And I'm atomic energy."
Santori looked between the four of them. "You mean, the four of you only have one power each? Really?"
He looked at Doctor Kuchar, who looked up uncomfortably. "My original designs incorporated control over all four of the universe's fundamental forces," the doctor explained. "But it proved unstable over time, so I scrapped it. It was left out entirely from Ivan and Sean's enhancements, then later I worked in only one per suit. That's why I went with four rangers for this team."
Santori considered that for a second, then shrugged. "Probably for the best," he said. "I do tend to overheat if I use the powers too much."
Benton stared at the old doctor. Yet another thing he'd never told them.
Doctor Kuchar kept his focus on his work, filling up the syringe to its max capacity and pulling it out. "That should do it," he said, holding it up. The syringe was now filled with glowing white liquid. "You're free to go, for now. If I need more, I'll let you know."
Santori smirked and tipped his hat to him. "Pleasure to be of service."
"Do you need any help, sir?" Gordon asked.
Doctor Kuchar shook his head. "No," he said, taking back Algernon from Santori and stashing him in his pocket. "No, I'll be fine. Why don't you all go and enjoy the beach while we're here? I'll run this through its processes and call you in when it's ready."
The rangers looked concerned, but nodded. "Alright," Gordon said. "We'll keep our comms on."
The team headed out, following Santori as he recommended drinks for each of them. Benton lingered, glancing back toward the airship's lab. He edged toward the door and peeked inside. He watched as Doctor Kuchar slipped Algernon into his cage.
"There you go, little buddy," he said tenderly. "Have some food."
The doctor turned and plugged the syringe into his computer, bringing up a bunch of readouts. He scanned through them, pausing for just a second, his shoulders dropping a little as he let out a long, ragged breath. He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, and Benton thought he caught a muffled sob.
"Sir," he said.
Doctor Kuchar jumped and spun in his chair to see Benton in the doorway. "Oh, Benton," he said, quickly wiping his eyes. "What is it, my dear boy?"
Benton stepped inside. "I, um, I wanted to apologize for earlier, sir. I realize I may have come off a bit harsh."
"Oh, that," the doctor said, waving his hand. "Never mind me, boy. You're not the first to say it, including me. You won't be the last."
"Still," Benton said. "I do owe you my life. I feel like I'm not always appreciative enough of that."
"You endured a very traumatic experience, Mr. Davies," Doctor Kuchar assured him. "I can hardly expect you to feel very fondly about a major part of it."
Benton looked over the doctor's shoulder, reading the code running across the screen. "So these are the original blueprints, huh?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah," Doctor Kuchar said, smiling a little at it. "The code of my very first human subject. Way back when things were . . . different."
Benton squinted, noticing a string of code slightly different from the rest. It read "FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE."
"What's that?"
Doctor Kuchar followed his finger. "Oh, that?" he said. "That's a sort of signature I used to include in most of my work."
He fell silent for a moment, staring at the code. "Benton," he said. "Do you ever wonder about your legacy?"
"Legacy, sir?"
"What you'll leave behind. How the world will remember you when you're gone."
Benton shrugged. "Not really, I guess. I mostly prefer to live in the moment."
Doctor Kuchar smiled a bit under his mustache. "It's just . . . I have worked my entire life on a dream. A dream I once believed with my whole heart would make the world a better place. But now? What am I? The next in a long line of heavy weapons dealers?" He glanced at a small picture leaning against his computer. "The absent father, who missed most of his daughters' childhood because he had to go on the run? I—"
He stroked his thick mustache, holding the picture of his family. "Ironically enough, Beni out there is probably the closest to fulfilling my original dream. And he wants nothing to do with me."
He set the picture down and shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry for all of it."
Benton watched him for a moment, not saying anything. Then he pulled out the chair beside him and sat down. "What kinda help do you need, Doc?"
Doctor Kuchar looked at him in surprise. He glanced at the syringe, then back at Benton. "Um, well, bring up the infected code we saved, and we'll get started."
Benton and Doctor Kuchar worked quickly, matching up the infected code with the clean code and working out a vaccine for Ivan's virus. After about forty minutes, they had it complete.
"I think it's done," Doctor Kuchar said, holding up a new vial. He held it out to Benton. "Would you like to test it first?"
Benton smiled and shook his head. "Nah. Let's call the others in. Make sure they all get it."
"Alright." Doctor Kuchar switched on his comm. "Rangers, I—"
He was cut off as a loud blast rocked the airship, followed by another, then another. Through the comm, they could hear screaming from outside. Benton and Doctor Kuchar looked at each other.
"Ivan!" they shouted. Both got to their feet and ran for the exit.