FicWad

The year is 201X. Starview Heights – a city on the West Coast of the United States – is experiencing massive growth, thanks to an experimental energy source known as Energon. This breakthrough in clean energy has brought the city notoriety and commerce...but it is about to be exploited. For there is a great evil looming over us...one that has threatened our race before.

"Aw crap, I'm late, I'm late, I'm laaaaaaaaaaaaate!"

Griffin Steinmann grit his teeth and drove down the road as fast as he could without speeding. It was early evening – rush hour, to be precise – and he was late. He groaned at every red light and stop sign but eventually arrived at the mall where he worked. He pulled into a parking spot and put his car into park, then killed the engine and exited the vehicle.

"Forty-five minutes late," The twenty-year-old observed as he glanced down at his watch. His mouth curled into a scowl, and as he made his way over to the building, he muttered, "Rob is gonna KILL me!"

"Griffin, where've you been?!" His boss demanded as he slipped through the front door of the mall's pizzeria. He poked his head out of the kitchen as the youth entered the restaurant's dining room, then said, "You were supposed to be here almost an hour ago!"

Griffin rubbed the back of his head and replied, "I know, I know, I got stuck in-"

"I didn't ask for excuses, now come hop on Subs with Nate! No less than five people called off tonight, and now we're up to our necks in orders!"

"I, umm…" Griffin took a breath, then pulled his company-issued ball-cap onto his head and added, "Y-Yes sir,"

He pushed into the kitchen, then clocked in and washed his hands before joining his coworker Nate at the sub station. He pulled his gloves on just as the receipt printer spit out a ticket, which he plucked out of the printer. He studied the order on it, then sighed as he began prepping the sub.

"This is gonna be a lonnnnnnng shift,"

"You have GOT to be kidding me..."

After the longest eight hours of Griffin's life, he was free to go home – /almost/, anyway. Right as he was walking out, his boss had grabbed him by the arm and asked him for a favor – namely, he wanted him to take some paperwork and drop it off in the mall owner's office. His instincts had told him to refuse the request, but after his late arrival, he couldn't really afford to push his luck. As such, he'd accepted the paperwork and made his way to the nearest elevator.

"This is...y'know what? It's fine," He told himself as he stepped inside and pressed the button for the basement. He stuffed the paperwork under his arm and removed his ball cap, then ran a hand through his short and unkempt brownish-blonde hair before replacing it. "I'll just drop it off, hurry back upstairs, and leave. No-fuss, no muss,"

A few seconds later, the elevator came to a halt. The speakers dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal the basement. Griffin retrieved the paperwork from underneath his arm, stepped out into the hallway, and then made his way toward the owner's office.

"Mark," He said, rapping on the door to the office with his knuckles. He didn't get a response, so he tried again. "Mark? It's me, Griffin. Y'know, from the pizzeria…?"

He still didn't receive a response, which caused him to furrow his eyebrows. "I'm here to drop off some paperwork from Rob, alright?... Look, I know you're probably busy, but we're about to close, and I don't wanna get locked-"

Metal clanging echoed through the hall, cutting him off mid-sentence. He turned away from the door and peeked around the corner, where the sound seemed to have originated from.

"Uh...hello…?" He called out, then turned the corner and moved forward apprehensively. "Is somebody there…?"

As he crept towards the source of the noise, he heard what sounded like several people shuffling around, so he picked up the pace. As he neared the boiler room at the end of the hall, he said, "I don't know what you guys are doing down here, but the mall-"

His voice trailed off as his eyes landed on something he knew he wasn't supposed to see. Gathered around the mall's Energon Tank were three men in coveralls; a fourth knelt in front of a metal canister hooked up to the Tank and siphoned Energon from it.

"-closes soon…" Griffin finished, gulping as the three standing next to the Tank turned and glared at him. "Uh, I don't mean to in-intrude or anything, but like...you're n-not supposed to be doing that…."

This garnered the attention of the fourth man, who stood to his feet and turned to face the newcomer. With blank expressions, the quartet of thieves gripped the sleeves of their coveralls and thrust them off, revealing that they weren't human. Rather, they were silver and purple robots, and in their hands, they now held strange katar-like weapons.

With silent intensity, they crept towards Griffin, who backed away in fear as they raised the weapons above their heads. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the coming attack...only for a strange hand to grip his own and a female voice to speak into his ear.

"Run!"

Before he had time to react, a woman with black hair and a white lab coat yanked him with her, pulling him back around the corner as the strange robots gave chase. Together, Griffin and his mysterious savior burst through a set of double doors at the end of the first hall, then turned another corner and dashed toward another set of doors. They crossed into another corridor, where the woman tugged him into an elevator before spamming the button for the ground floor. The doors began to slide closed a few moments later, only for one of the robots to dive towards them and swing its weapon through the gap.

"Oh no, you don't!" The woman in the lab coat hollered, shooting the robot with a strange blaster pistol that resembled a gas pump handle. The robot recoiled and swung again, but its arm was severed when the doors finally slammed shut.

"OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGodddddddd…" Griffin hyperventilated as the elevator began its ascent. "This can't be real, this isn't real, tell me this isn't real right now…"

"I'm afraid I can't," His rescuer said as she holstered her weapon. She turned to face him, then added, "It's real. All of it."

"Okay, so this is happening…." He ripped his hat off and ran his hands through his hair, then took a few shaky breaths. "I'm not sure who's behind this, but when Mark finds out, he's gonna call the cops,"

"Who's Mark…?"

"Mall owner,"

"Oh…" An awkward pause ensued, after which she abruptly said, "Mark's dead,"

"What?!" The elevator came to a halt, and the doors slid open, allowing the woman to step out. She was quickly followed by Griffin, who said, "That's not funny, that's just twist-"

"Get back!" The woman shouted as she pushed the younger man away from the elevator. She then brandished her blaster, aimed it at the elevator's control console, and fired. It sputtered, crackled, and shot out sparks of electricity.

"I don't know if I can take much more of this…!" The woman turned and made her way down a nearby hall, with Griffin hot on her heels. "Who are you? And what're those things down there?"

The woman neglected to respond, and as they turned a corner, Griffin repeated, "I said, what are they?!"

"The things that you encountered are called Xanadroids – they're Generation 18 Attack Bots powered by an advanced control-matrix," The woman explained as she walked. Griffin followed closely behind, his gray-blue eyes so wide they looked as if they could pop out of his skull. "They're being sent to this facility to steal its Energon, and I'm here to stop them by destroying the rooftop transmitter that's deploying them here."

"...And just how do you plan on doing that?" Griffin questioned as they reached a fire exit door at the end of the hall.

"Using /this/," She holstered her blaster again and reached into her lab coat, producing some kind of explosive device. With her free hand, she opened the fire exit door and shoved the young man through it, then grabbed ahold of the handle and said, "This is where we'll be going our separate ways. I'd suggest getting as far away from the mall as possible. You wouldn't wanna get caught in the blast. Oh, and don't tell anyone about this; if you do, you'll get them killed."

She then shut the door behind her. Griffin was left to ponder what had just transpired, but a few moments later, the door reopened, and the woman said, "I'm Doctor K, by the way. What's your name?"

"Griffin…"

"Nice to meet you, Griffin," She gestured to the bomb again, then added, "Run for your life!"

With that, she shut the door again - this time for good. Griffin heeded her warning and dashed over to his car. Once he reached his vehicle, he scrambled to unlock it, then leaped into the driver's seat and started the engine. He slammed his door shut, put his car into drive, and sped out of the parking lot, not even bothering to buckle his seatbelt. After reaching what he hoped was a minimum safe distance, he pulled over, then glanced back over at the mall just in time. He looked on in sheer disbelief as the roof erupted into flame and the ground beneath him rumbled and shook.

"That didn't just happen…." He murmured, blinking a few times. A blaring siren echoed from a nearby street a few moments later, prompting him to put his car back into gear and drive off…

xXRocketShark216Xx Proudly Presents…

Power Rangers: CPU

Episode 1: Venjix Rising

The following morning, Griffin pulled into the parking lot of Starview Heights University, where he was a full-time student. He pulled into his usual spot, then put his car into park and took one last sip of coffee before removing his keys from the ignition. He pocketed them, then exited the vehicle and opened the door to the backseat to retrieve his laptop bag.

"What do you know? I'm on time for once." He remarked to himself as he glanced down at his watch. "I guess miracles do exist,"

He reached around the seat for the front door controls, which he used to lock his car, then retracted his arm and shut the back door. He slung his bag over his shoulder, then stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed towards the building. However, before he could reach it…

"Heyyy, it's Grif!" Griffin stifled a groan as a guy his age with spiky black hair and dark brown skin rolled up behind him on a skateboard. Kenshin "Kenny" Okabe, another student at SHU, dismounted the skateboard and scooped it up off the ground. He slapped Griffin on the back, then added, "You're alive!"

"Sorry to disappoint...I guess?" The denim jacket-clad junior replied with furrowed eyebrows. "I suppose you heard about last night?"

"Are you kidding? It's the talk of the town; how could I not have?!" Griffin rolled his eyes, and Kenny pressed on with, "Anyway, like...what happened? I mean, you were there working, right?"

"I mean, yeah, but I was on my way out, so as far as what happened goes...I've got nothing. If you ask me, it was probably a gas leak or something," He lied as they entered the campus' main building and made their way down the halls. "Anyway, I gotta get to-"

"Class? Yeah, I know. Biochem, right?" Griffin gave a wary nod, which prompted Kenny to add, "Cool, I'm actually taking that too!"

"You? You're taking Biochemistry?" Kenny hummed in confirmation, to which Griffin replied, "Weird...no offense Ken, but I never would've pegged you as the type,"

"I don't know, kinda wanted to mix things up a bit this semester. Y'know, try some new stuff," Kenny shrugged just as they reached the classroom and headed inside. Griffin made for his usual spot in the back and was soon followed by Kenny, who plopped down in the chair to his right. "Mind if I sit here…?"

"I-" Griffin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then pulled out his laptop and said, "Y'know what? Knock yourself out,"

"Sweet!" Kenny stuffed his skateboard into his backpack, then pulled out his own laptop and what appeared to be a large bag of chips. He took the chip clip off, then tossed a few chips into his mouth before saying, "So, when's 'he professor 'ettin here?"

"I don't know. Professor Rourke runs late sometimes. Now, if you'd politely refrain from getting crumbs all over me-" Kenny swallowed his mouthful of chips and mouthed a sheepish apology. Griffin brushed the crumbs off of his sleeve, then finished with, "-I've got some notes from other courses to go over."

With an annoyed sigh, he turned his attention to his laptop screen and skimmed through the page of notes he'd pulled up. However, his attention was soon pulled away when his classmates' idle chatter faded and was replaced by the sound of high heels clacking against the floor. He looked over his shoulder to the door, where a woman in a familiar lab coat had just entered.

"Good morning, everyone." She strode down to the front of the classroom, where she took a spot behind the teacher's desk. "My name is Doctor K, and I'll be teaching Biochemistry this semester."

Griffin's jaw dropped as Doctor K continued with, "I know Professor Rourke was slated to teach this course, but there have been some... last-minute changes. Anyway, let's go over the syllabus and then get to work, shall we?"

"This can't be real…." He muttered to himself. "...Can it?"

Forty-five minutes later, Doctor K dismissed the class, which prompted everyone to gather their belongings and file out of the room. However, Griffin stayed behind; after some brief hesitation, he strolled down to the front. Doctor K sat at her desk and typed away at her laptop.

"I'm sorry, did you have some more questions about the-" Doctor K began, but stopped once she looked up and saw Griffin. "-syllabus...so, you're a student here. I can't say that I saw that one coming…."

"Yeah, the last twenty-four hours have been choc-full of surprises for me, too," Griffin scoffed, his arms folded and eyebrows furrowed. "What the heck are you /doing/?"

"Teaching…? I'm sorry, I don't quite understand the question,"

"No, I mean, what the heck are you doing /here/?" Griffin persisted. "Shouldn't you be like, I don't know, off fighting robots somewhere? Destroying public property?"

"If you are referring to the collateral damage done to your workplace, that was an unfortunate by-product of the bomb being my only opt-"

"You blew up my job! People could've been hurt or killed!"

"They would have definitely been killed if I hadn't stopped the Xanadroids, so I fail to see your point."

"And what happened to Professor Rourke? I mean, what'd you do to him?"

"Your implication that I 'did' something to him is unfounded. I simply hacked into the University's computer database, had him transferred to another school, and took his place."

"But /why/?!" Griffin demanded. "I mean, why the heck are you /here/? You gonna blow up my school too?"

"I assure you that I won't be destroying any more buildings...at least I don't plan on it. I'm simply...a long way from home, and I needed some form of employment." Doctor K stood from her chair, then placed her hands on Griffin's shoulders and forcefully turned him to face the door. She then gave him a light nudge and said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another class to teach. I'm assuming you have somewhere you need to be?"

Griffin checked his watch and groaned; he was five minutes late for his next class.

"Whatever…" He grumbled as he made his way to the door and exited the classroom.

"-and thus concludes my introduction to 19th Century American Culture," Professor Ramsey said as he concluded his lecture. "I hope this semester will be fun and informative for everyone involved! Class dismissed."

As his final class let out, Griffin followed his classmates through the lecture hall and walked out to the parking lot. With a spring in his step, he made his way to his car, then fished his keys out of his pocket and prepared to unlock it.

"Alright, time to go-"

"Ahhhhhh!" A male voice shrieked out of nowhere, which prompted Griffin to look in the direction it was coming from – the campus' computer lab. Several of his classmates ran away from the building as fast as their legs could carry them. At the same time, Doctor K dashed towards the structure at breakneck speed, her strange blaster pistol gripped firmly in her hands.

"-home…" He trailed off awkwardly. "On second thought, maybe not…." Against his better judgment, Griffin tore towards the building and burst through a set of double doors on the side. A small group of Xanadroids had gathered inside, and one of them was typing away on one of the lab's computers.

"Runnn!" One of his female classmates screamed as she shoved her way past him and headed outside. Griffin froze in place, completely unable to move as the other Xanadroids turned and spotted him. They raised their weapons and pulled the triggers; several energy bolts hurtled through the air towards him.

"W-Woahhh-!" He yowled as he snapped out of his trance just in time to dive behind a chair. As the shots flew above his head and struck a nearby wall, he turned and saw another familiar face crouching behind a table that had been flipped on its side.

"Kenny…? What the heck are you doing here?!"

"Computer Engineering homework!" The Japanese-American student hollered. He grimaced as a volley of blaster bolts whizzed over his head, then added, "You?!"

"...I honestly have no idea!" With an exasperated snort, he poked his head out from behind the chair. He spotted a new wave of Xanadroids, who were being ushered in by a larger, more distinct robot. This one resembled a keyboard, with what appeared to be massive keyboard keys all over its body.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Kenny exclaimed.

"I have no clue! You don't know; what makes you think that I know?!" As the new robot and its Xanadroid subordinates turned their attention towards him and Kenny, Griffin realized he'd effectively just painted crosshairs on their backs. "Aw crap!"

The two juniors dove out of the way as the new robot and its underlings launched a massive volley of laser fire their way. The impact of the blasts nearly destroyed the wall behind them, and once they realized they'd missed, the robots stomped closer, no doubt intending to strike again.

"We'regonnadiewe'regonnadiewe'regonnadiewe'regonnaDIE!" Griffin hyperventilated, fully anticipating the next attack to be their doom. As the robots charged up their next blast, he squeezed his eyes shut and held his head in his hands. "This is it…!"

Before the robots could launch their next attack, however, they were interrupted when Doctor K burst into the computer lab through another set of double doors. She aimed her Nitro Blaster at them and fired a flurry of small but powerful blaster bolts towards her targets. The blasts sparked off their armor, taking out several Xanadroids while only barely damaging the larger robot.

"What in the hell is going on out there-?!" A new voice hollered, as a young woman with alabaster skin, curly red hair, and glasses stepped out of the women's restroom. The keyboard-themed robot turned and aimed at her, then sent its charged bolt hurtling towards her. "What the-?!"

"LOOK OUT!" Griffin shouted, instinctively dashing out of cover to tackle her to the ground. The two toppled onto the floor as the large projectile flew over their heads, only missing them by the slightest margin.

"Get off me!" She growled, shoving Griffin off of her before scrambling up to a kneeling position.

"You're /welcome/, Carrot Top!" Griffin spat back as Kenny slid over to their position.

"Guys, look-!" He urged. The three turned their attention back to the remaining robots as Doctor K shot another burst of blaster bolts at them. The Xanadroids tried to dodge but were ultimately destroyed in the attack, leaving the one on the computer as the only survivor. Meanwhile, the lead robot shrugged off the attack, then prepared to retaliate with one of its own. However, before it could do so, the final Xanadroid slapped it on the back and gestured to a schematic of some sort on its computer monitor. The keyboard robot grunted in response, and a few moments later, they teleported away.

"...Well then, they'll be moving onto the next phase now," Doctor K holstered her Nitro Blaster and turned to leave the computer lab, only for Griffin to rush over and grab her by the arm.

"Not so fast!" He hollered. She turned to face him, and he added, "What's going on Doc? And what the heck was that thing?"

"That thing was the Generation 19 Keyboard Attack Bot, and it was hacking into your network to locate the campus' Energon Tank." She pulled away from his grasp, then said, "Now, if you'll excuse me. Griffin...you other two people-"

"We have names, y'know," Kenny cut in. "I'm Kenny, and this is...umm…."

"Wendy. My name is Wendy," The redhead snarled. She folded her arms, then continued with, "Just what the heck is going on around here?"

"I could ask the same thing," Griffin chimed back in. "Who's behind all these robot attacks? What are they collecting this Energon for? And how do you expect to stop them all by yourself?"

"I...I can't explain all of that. Not here, anyway," She turned and headed for the door, but not before adding, "C'mon...I'll take you three to my lab."

"Your lab…? What for?" Kenny asked, his head tilted in slight confusion.

"Griffin makes a good point. I can't do this all on my own...no matter how much I may want to." Doctor K admitted. "You three have seen things no one else in your world has seen – things that nobody else could possibly understand. I think that makes you about as worthy candidates as any,"

"Candidates? For what…?" Wendy inquired. "Would somebody start making sense already?!"

"You'd see if you'd hurry up and follow me."

With that, she turned and made her way outside, leaving the other three alone in the wrecked computer lab. Kenny turned to the others and shrugged, then followed after her without a moment's hesitation. Griffin and Wendy exchanged a skeptical glance but ultimately followed the other two. They were a part of this now, whether they liked it or not…

"Follow me, and try not to lag behind,"

Doctor K shuffled through the lecture hall as Griffin, Kenny, and Wendy struggled to keep up. The battle-hardened scientist led the trio through winding halls and twisting corridors, then stopped once they reached a rather unremarkable broom closet. She knocked on a spot on the wall, and a panel on the door slid open to reveal a retinal scanner. She used it, and the door opened to reveal a dark concrete staircase that led deep underground. As she descended into the dimly lit passage, the others followed her while silently marveling at its construction.

At the bottom of the stairs, Doctor K pressed a button on the wall, which shut the door behind them. She then led them through another series of winding pathways, which eventually led to a second door. She pressed a button on a nearby console, which emitted a dull beep that echoed through the chamber.

"Ehhhhhh, what's up, doc?" A female voice rang out through speakers in the ceiling.

"Hello, Bugz. I'm back, and I have some visitors with me today," Doctor K replied. "We haven't got much time, so if you could unlock the door, that'd be great."

"Roger rabbit! Unlocking now," A few seconds later, a light on the console glowed green, and Bugz added, "C'mon in."

Doctor K pressed another button on the console, which caused the door to slide open and reveal a high-tech lab. She stepped inside, then gestured for the other three. They followed her with slight hesitation and were immediately mesmerized by the room's interior. All across the lab sat massive computer terminals, whose wires intertwined all along the floor and fed into a pillar in the room's center. Three robots manned the different terminals; one was bright red in color and appeared to be modeled after a cheetah, another was blue in color and modeled after a gorilla, while the third was yellow and modeled after a rabbit.

"Woah…" The three college students said in unison as their jaws involuntarily dropped.

"Dude...this...is...AMAZING! Check out all this tech! And these robots!" Kenny dashed over to the blue robot, then added, "You look like a gorilla! A gorilla with a steering wheel for a face! THAT'S SO WEIRDLY COOL!"

"P-P-Pleasure to meet you," The robot stammered. "I'm A-Apex."

"I'm Kenny! Nice to meet ya!" He looked down at his hoodie, then gestured to it and said, "Check it out! We match!"

Meanwhile, Wendy was drawn to the yellow robot, the shortest and smallest of the three. She knelt down in front of her and said, "I take it you're Bugz?"

"Right on the money, doc!" She replied. "And you are?"

"Wendy. My name's Wendy,"

"Nice to meet ya!" Bugz chirped.

Lastly, Griffin ambled over to the cheetah-themed robot. "Hey, uh...what's up?"

"Nothing much, just running some diagnostics on the equipment," After a brief pause, the robot spoke again, saying, "I'm Cheetor. What's your name?"

"Griffin," He rubbed the back of his head, then added, "Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but like...what are you, exactly?"

"They're sentient, robotic assistants coded with animal DNA," Doctor K explained. "They run off of Energon; it's sort of like their blood. I have yet to come up with an official name for them, but they've taken to referring to themselves as 'Buddy Droids.'"

"Buddy Droids…" Wendy gave Bugz a gentle pat on the head, then said, "Huh,"

"Far out!" Kenny hollered. He balled his right hand into a fist and extended it towards Apex, then shouted, "Dude, fist bump me! C'mon c'mon-/yeah/! That's awesome!"

Griffin fought the urge to laugh at his antics but could not prevent his lips from curling into a smirk. This smirk faded a few moments later, though, and he turned his attention to Doctor K. "What about you, Doc..? What's your story..?"

"I-" She paused, then took a deep breath. "The truth is, I'm from another world...another Earth, to be exact."

"Another Earth?" Wendy scrunched up her nose and added, "Sounds like something out of one of those hokey sci-fi flicks,"

Griffin opened his mouth to reply but kept quiet as Doctor K continued, "I assure you, Wendy, it's not science fiction. It's /reality/. The Earth you three have lived on for your entire lives is Earth-1 – the prime version and the first of many. On the other hand, I originate from Earth-2, as do the Xanadroids and Keyboard Attack Bot. They're being controlled by Venjix, a deadly computer virus hell-bent on conquering Earth...every single last one of them."

"How do we stop it…?" Griffin questioned.

"By becoming something else entirely," Doctor K typed away at a nearby keyboard, and a panel on the far wall slid open, revealing three advanced combat suits. They were made of leather and looked like something out of a spy thriller. Each one was primarily one color (Red, Blue, and then Yellow). They were all modeled after an animal (Red a cheetah, Blue a gorilla, and Yellow a rabbit). The helmets each had an animal face etched above their sunglass-themed visors.

"Woah…" The three said, astonished.

"These are the Ranger Operator Series Combat Suits, Generation II," Doctor K told them. "They're powered by a combination of Energon and the Bio-Field, an invisible life force that connects all organisms. I've spent months searching for the perfect users...and I believe I've found them in you."

"...could you repeat that Doc?" Wendy replied. "Like, in English this time?"

The older woman sighed, then told her, "You're going to become Power Rangers."

"No way!" Kenny shouted and pumped his fist in excitement. "This just keeps getting cooler and cooler!"

Doctor K stepped away from the terminal and moved to a nearby table, procuring a metal briefcase. She carried it over to the others, then opened it to reveal three identical devices. They were primarily blue in color and resembled wrist-watches, with a red digital screen in the center of a blue and silver dial and a blue button on the front. Connected to the rear of the dial section was a tray that contained an orange piece with black trim shaped like a pair of sunglasses.

"These are your SpyTech Morphers. They'll allow you to morph into your Ranger Operator forms," She explained, as the three reached into the case and each took a morpher. "To activate it, you twist the dial, then press the button, which will cause the visor piece to spring up. Then, while holding the visor up to your eyes, you'll press the button again while shouting the verbal passcode: 'Install, CPU!'. Wendy, you seem to have taken a liking to Bugz, and your status as the only female among the three makes you the only candidate for the Series Yellow Bio-Hardware. As such, I've decided that you'll be Ranger Series Yellow."

"...I don't understand what 90% of that meant, but sure, I'll be Yellow," Wendy said with a shrug as Doctor K turned her attention to Kenny.

"Kenshin," Kenny grimaced at the use of his full name. Still, Doctor K didn't seem to notice as she continued with, "I've been studying your permanent record for some time. Your athleticism and physical endurance make you a very viable candidate for the Series Blue Bio-Hardware, so you'll-"

"I'm Blue," Kenny guessed, then added, "...da ba dee da ba daa,"

Griffin and Wendy rolled their eyes while an unfazed Doctor K turned her attention to the former.

"Griffin, you ran headfirst into danger when most people would've done the opposite. You're also the one who convinced me to activate Generation II in the first place. That coupled with it being the only morpher left has led me to select you as the operator for the Series Red Bio-Hardware."

"Well, guess that's it then. I'm Red," Griffin said. "...Are you sure about this, Doc?"

"I...won't lie and say I don't have reservations, but time is a luxury I no longer have. You three are the only option – that makes you the best option, plain and simple."

As soon as she said this, a klaxon blared over the intercom system, and red lights began flashing off and on. Cheetor rushed over to a nearby terminal, which he typed away at for a few seconds before saying, "Doc, the Keyboard Attack Bot's breached the campus' underground power relay! If we don't hurry, it'll get to that Energon Tank!"

"I guess that's it then," Doctor K said, turning to the others. "Conveniently for us, that power relay isn't too far from my lab, and there's a tunnel connecting the two. Rangers, you know what to do!"

"Right!" The three shouted in unison. They strapped their morphers onto their left wrists, then dashed out of the lab.

"S-So it's finally s-s-starting…." Apex sputtered. "I h-h-hope things go w-w-well…!"

"...as do I, Apex," Doctor K replied. "As do I…."

The floor shook with every footstep as the Keyboard Attack Bot and its troupe of Xanadroids advanced through the basement. The lead bot gurgled and growled as they neared their target. One of the Xanadroids broke out a set of equipment and prepared to siphon Energon from the Tank, but before it could carry out this task –

"Hey, ugly!" Kenny hollered as he, Griffin, and Wendy dashed into the room. As their robotic foes turned to face them, he added, "Remember us?!"

With an outstretched hand, the Keyboard Attack Bot wordlessly ordered the Xanadroids to attack, which caused them to rush towards the three.

This is it…! Griffin thought to himself. He balled his hands into fists and took up a boxer's stance, which allowed him to block an incoming punch from a Xanadroid. He retaliated with a punch of his own, then dove to the side and followed it up with a swift uppercut. The Xanadroid he was facing off against flew up into the air and landed on its back; two of its comrades attempted to attack him, but they were met with the same fate. The newly-christened Red Ranger felt his adrenaline levels rise, and he threw himself into the fight with an uncharacteristic boldness.

Meanwhile, Kenny took a looser, less sophisticated stance. He ducked out of the way as a trio of Xanadroids swung their weapons at him, then leg-swept them and knocked them onto their backs. With his opponents downed, he sprang back up to his feet and finished them off with swift kicks to the chest. As more Xanadroids surrounded him, he let out a battle cry and recklessly leaped into the fray.

Lastly, Wendy's approach was more defensive. She dipped and weaved out of the way of incoming swings, then cartwheeled away as her attackers switched to shooting lasers at her. Without warning, she stopped and took on a more offensive style, beating back her opponents in a flurry of punches and kicks.

For the next few minutes, the three battled against the Xanadroids with everything they had. However, with every Xanadroid they downed, three more seemingly took its place.

"This isn't working!" Kenny realized as he and the other two were backed into a corner.

"Oh really..?" Griffin quipped. "What tipped you off, genius?"

"Haha, very funny!" Kenny eyed the opposition, then turned back to Griffin and added, "Any ideas on how to get outta this mess? I mean, you're Red, right? Red Rangers usually take charge,"

"I never asked to be Red, y'know!" He hissed.

"Y'know we could try out that whole 'morphing' thing!" Wendy pointed out, gesturing to her morpher. "That'd probably help,"

"...Good idea," Griffin raised his morpher, then turned to the others and said, "You guys ready?!"

"Ready!"

"Right then..here goes nothing. It's Morphin' Time!" They each twisted the dial on their morpher, then pressed the button and deployed the sunglasses. In a swift motion, they raised the sunglasses to their eyes.

"Install, CPU!" They shouted in unison. With a final button press, they morphed. Their bodies pulsed with light, and their Ranger suits materialized over top of their clothes instantaneously. Newfound energy surged through them as they began to marvel at what they'd just become...

"No way! I'm a Power Ranger!" Kenny looked down at his arms, then pumped his fist. "Never thought I'd cross that one off of the bucket list!"

"And I never thought this is what I'd be doing today," Wendy replied as she glanced down at her legs. "Not really feeling the skirt, to be honest..."

"If they get the job done, that's all that matters," Griffin dismissed. "Now, let's do this!"

The Red Ranger charged back into battle with renewed vigor; his speed increased exponentially, and within moments he vanished and was replaced with a red blur.

"Woahhh…!" He skidded to a halt on the other side of the room, then looked down at his legs as Xanadroids surrounded him on all sides. "Doc, what just happened?!"

Doctor K scrambled around her lab, typing away at terminals and studying readings on their screens. After a few moments, she spoke into her earpiece, "...I'm not quite sure. The Series Red Bio-Hardware was designed to increase the operator's speed. Still, I never expected it to work this well...fascinating."

"So I've got superspeed now...that's new," He sped out of the way as the Xanadroids swung their weapons, then disarmed them as he dashed past. As he discarded their sidearms and screeched to a halt, Doctor K addressed him via the comm-link.

"Ranger Red, I suggest you equip one of your suit's weapons and finish them off. Tap the Transpod on your left shoulder, and I'll send you one,"

"On it!"

He slapped the button on the front of the Transpod, and his morpher shouted, "TRANSPORT!". A flurry of ones and zeroes appeared near his leg and eventually solidified into a shortsword-esque weapon.

"SPYTECH ANALYZER!" It added, naming the new weapon. In one swift motion, Griffin grabbed the shortsword and flipped it into a reverse grip. He supersped towards the Xanadroids as they lunged for him and slashed each one as they passed. They sparked with electricity and fell to the floor, ceasing to function. He came to a halt on the other end of the room, then ran his fingers along the length of his blade as the downed footsoldiers exploded.

"Nice one!" Kenny slapped the button on his Transpod to materialize his own SpyTech Analyzer, then grabbed it and ran towards a nearby group of the henchmen. "My turn,"

He blocked a swing from a Xanadroid, then retaliated with one of his own. He slashed the robot diagonally down the front, then turned and blocked a swing from another Xanadroid before doing the same to it. He repeated this process several times and failed to notice as a lone Xanadroid flanked him and lifted a metal crate over its head…

"Ken, look out!" Griffin warned, and the Blue Ranger turned around just as the Xanadroid swung downward.

"Woahhh!" He instinctively raised his arms to block the attack; out of nowhere, they glowed bright green, and his muscles expanded. The metal crate shattered into several pieces as it collided with his arms, and the Xanadroid did as well when he reeled back his fist and punched it. "What the…?! Doc, me too?!"

"It would appear so, yes," Doctor K replied. "The Series Blue Bio-Hardware was meant to amplify physical power and endurance, but I can't say I anticipated it essentially giving you superstrength."

"So Grif's Flash and I'm Superman," Kenny observed, and he admired his biceps as they returned to their normal size. "Awesome!"

He threw himself back into the fight and used his superstrength to significant effect. Meanwhile, Wendy found herself surrounded by a third group of Xanadroids. They aimed their weapons at her and fired; she leaped up into the air to dodge the projectiles, only for her jump to propel her much higher than expected.

"Heyyyyyyy…!" She shouted as she drifted back down to the floor. "Doc, what's going on? What happened to the gravity?"

"The gravity hasn't been affected; you have," Doctor K told her. "Series Yellow was designed to amplify the user's reaction times and agility, but again, I didn't quite expect it to work to this extent…."

"You never run outta surprises, do you?" The Yellow Ranger remarked. The Xanadroids aimed their weapons at her again, which prompted her to add, "Doc, they're not gonna let me get close enough to slash 'em! Any way you can gimme something with a bit more range?"

"As a matter of fact, I can. Use your Transpod."

"Right,"

"TRANSPORT!" Her morpher declared as a shapeless cluster of ones and zeroes appeared in front of her. Within moments the ones and zeroes formed into a camera-esque blaster pistol, which she grabbed as her morpher added, "SPYTECH APERTURE!"

"Now, this is right up my alley," She said, grabbing ahold of the weapon and gripping it firmly. She used her superagility to vault into the air, then aimed at her attackers and pelted them with lasers. "Eat this!"

Using a combination of their weapons and their newfound superpowers, the three made short work of the remaining Xanadroids. They then turned their attention back to the Keyboard Attack Bot, who had snuck back over to the Tank and prepared to siphon Energon from it.

"I don't think so!" Wendy hollered as she shot it in the back. It turned around to face them, and the trio regrouped to stand their ground.

"If you want what's in that Tank, you'll have to go through us!" Griffin declared. He and Kenny tossed their Analyzers aside and exchanged them for Apertures, which they then aimed at their foe. "Let's finish him off!"

"Right!"

Together, they twisted a dial on the barrel of their weapons, and the lenses on the cameras glowed bright gold. The light began to flash on and off with increasing intensity, then eventually, it solidified.

"SpyTech Aperture: Snapshot STRIKE!" They squeezed their triggers, and beams of light flew out of their weapons. The projectiles hurtled towards the Keyboard Attack Bot, cutting through its armor like a hot knife through butter. It screamed as its body sparked with electricity, then fell to its knees and exploded. The Rangers shouldered their weapons and stood in silence for a few moments. The events that had just transpired began to sink in, and they collectively reached a single realization. They'd won!

"Whew…" Kenny removed his helmet and then ran a hand through his jet-black hair. "That was awesome!"

"It was /something/, alright," Wendy replied, then removed her own helmet. She brushed a few red curls away from her face, then added, "Definitely didn't expect this when I got out of bed today."

"Tell me about it," Griffin gave an amused snort, then removed his helmet and scratched the side of his nose. "One day, you're just an English Major; the next day, you're an English Major and a superhero. Go figure…"

"Rangers, congratulations on your first victory," Doctor K cut in via the comm-link. "There'll be many more to come, but in the meantime, I'd like to debrief you. Please return to the lab ASAP."

"Will do, Doc," Griffin replied. He and the others pressed the button in the center of the dial, which caused their suits to disappear in a brief flash of light as they shouted, "Power down!"

Having returned to their civilian forms, the trio of newly-minted Rangers exited the room and made their way back to Doctor K's lab. Meanwhile...

Atop a massive skyscraper in the downtown area, a lone man sat with a gray laptop propped up on his knee.

"So...the good Doctor has recruited a new team of Ranger Operators," He said to himself, then adjusted a pair of white goggles he wore above his forehead. "They may have defeated the Keyboard Attack Bot, but the second group of Xanadroids I deployed were successful in breaching their Energon Tank. I won't be returning empty-handed, but still-"

"Control, this is Alt; come in!" A female voice echoed out of a gray earpiece he was wearing. He pressed a button on the earpiece as she added, "Papa would like a word with you."

"Understood, Mademoiselle," Control replied as he closed his laptop and stowed it under his arm. "Tell him I'll be home shortly."

He pressed the button again, which shut off his end of the comm-link. He carefully stuffed his laptop into a backpack he was wearing, then zipped it closed before standing up.

"Power Rangers or not, this world will belong to us," He sneered, eyeing the city below with great contempt. "It's only a matter of time."

With that, he casually strolled over to the end of the roof and stepped over the edge. As he plummeted down towards the ground, he teleported away, fading into a string of green ones and zeroes...

"Now that you've become Ranger Operators, we need to establish some ground rules." Doctor K began as the three college students stood at attention inside her underground lab. "Do any of you have a problem with that?"

"Sounds pretty reasonable," Wendy shrugged, and Griffin and Kenny gave a simple nod. "What're the rules?"

"Rule #1: Never use your power for personal gain," She began. "You have great gifts, but they're meant for good, not evil. Rule #2: Never escalate a battle unless you have no other choice. My presence here is unknown to your world's governments, and we'll need to keep it that way. To that end, we'll also establish Rule #3: No one outside of this room can know that you are Ranger Operators. By revealing your secret, you'll endanger the lives of those closest to you and expose our operation, which again, must remain covert...are we on the same page?"

"Don't be selfish, don't make the first move, keep identity secret," Kenny replied. "You got it, Doc."

"Sounds good to me, too." Wendy echoed.

"You can count on us," Griffin told her. He rubbed the back of his neck, then added, "...this is gonna take some getting used to."

"Understandable. Your lives have irreversibly transformed in the course of an afternoon. One does not experience something like that often," Doctor K clasped her hands together, then said, "Welcome to my world, Rangers. May it treat you well, and may the power protect you – always."

"Man, this is gonna be /great/!" Kenny exclaimed. He wrapped his arms around Griffin and Wendy's shoulders as all three of them turned to leave, then said, "I mean, we're Power Rangers! How crazy is that, huh?!"

"Pretty crazy…" Griffin mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"It's certifiable, really," Wendy added, and soon only Doctor K and the Buddy Droids remained in the lab.

"...are you sure they're the ones, Doc?" Cheetor said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. "The ones who'll end this war?"

"I can't lie and say I don't have my doubts...but what choice do we have?" Her eyes clouded, and her lips creased into a frown. "Venjix is on the rise, and unless we give him everything we have, Earth-1 is doomed…."

– POWER RANGERS: CPU –