Categories > TV > Power Rangers > Power Rangers: CPU
Beat the Heat
0 reviewsWendy’s self-confidence is shaken after she fails a combat simulation, but she’s forced to snap out of her funk when the Fire Attack Bot makes its move.
0Unrated
Episode 4: Beat the Heat
The sun shone down on the Rangers as they stood in the middle of an arid desert. Sweat beaded on their skin, and light reflected off their black sunglasses as they waited in front of a three-lane firing range. After thirty seconds of eerie silence, a beep from a nearby speaker roused them from their trance-like state.
"Mark!" Doctor K hollered, her voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The Rangers drew their SpyTech Apertures, then aimed them as drones flew up out of the sand.
Griffin shot two of the drones in his lane, then held his fire as a third hid behind a pile of bricks. He waited for it to emerge, then picked it off with a steady shot the moment it did so.
Kenny shot one of his drones, then tried to attack the other two in quick succession. He hit the second one but missed the third one, forcing him to take another shot. This one was successful.
Wendy aimed her blaster at her first target and squeezed the trigger, but the drone shot out a flare that blinded her and threw off her aim. She jerked her blaster to the right at the last second, causing the bolt to miss. She squinted her eyes and looked away, then readjusted her aim and took out the drone along with the second one. The Yellow Ranger moved to eliminate the third one as fast as possible, but her blaster jammed. She fiddled with the weapon for a moment to clear the jam, and by the time she was able to shoot down the third drone, over thirty seconds had elapsed.
"FIRING RANGE TEST: COMPLETE," An electronic voice announced as the desert faded away and revealed itself to be a holographic simulation. The Rangers removed their sunglasses as the scenery shifted to that of Doctor K's lab, then placed their blasters on a table in front of them as the Earth-2 scientist rose from her chair.
"Excellent work, as per usual!" She complimented as she made her way over to them. She thumbed through a readout on a data-pad she was holding, then added, "Rangers Red and Blue, you both tied for the best time. Ranger Yellow, you-"
"Wait!... I was dead last?" Wendy interrupted. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she blinked them open and closed a few times. "That never happens...shooting is my thing; no one's a better shot than me!"
"Except for us...just now," Griffin blurted out, which earned him an elbow in the ribs from Kenny. "Ow!"
"Hey, don't worry about it!" Bugz offered, wheeling up to the Yellow Ranger. She gave her a supportive pat on the arm, then added, "You can't win 'em all, y'know!"
"Maybe not with other stuff, but shooting is different," Wendy said, shaking her head. "I mean, I'm the team marksman-"
"Wouldn't it be markswoman?" Kenny cut her off, causing Griffin to roll his eyes. Wendy brushed him off, then stepped towards the table to retrieve her blaster.
"I can't accept these results; c'mon, let's run it again!"
"Actually, that was all I had time for today." Doctor K told her. "I've got a stack of Biochemistry papers I still need to grade, and I also need to work out an issue I've been having with your Rabbit Chopper Zord. If you want to retry, I'm afraid it'll have to wait until later this week."
"...Fine, whatever!" Wendy tossed her blaster back onto the table, then stomped towards the door to the lab.
"Hey, it's not that big a deal!" Cheetor called after her. "Since when is this a competition?"
"Cheetor has a p-p-point, y'know!" Apex chimed in. "Don't be up-upset!"
"I said whatever!" Wendy seethed as she stormed out.
"...So that went well!" Griffin quipped. He glanced down at his watch, then added, "Anyway, I'd love to stay and drink in this awkward atmosphere, but I've got Creative Writing in like five minutes. See ya,"
"See ya!" Kenny waved goodbye to the Red Ranger as he left, then looked at his own watch and shouted, "Aw crap, I just remembered I've got Calculus!"
He scooped up his own laptop bag, then rushed out of the lab. With the Rangers gone, Doctor K returned to her station, as did the Buddy Droids.
"That Wendy...man, she's got a temper!" Cheetor exclaimed.
"Hey, if she was half as rude to Griffin as he is to her, he'd be grumpy too!" Bugz replied.
"Are you kidding? They both pick at each other constantly! Wendy usually starts it!"
"Well, maybe if Griffin wasn't such an insensitive-"
"You wanna talk insensitivity? Listen to the way you insult everyone!"
"Y-You guys have no room to talk, you're always fighting t-too!" Apex cut in.
"Nobody asked you, banana brain!" Bugz retorted, and Doctor K groaned in frustration.
Meanwhile…
"Delete, this had better be good…." Control grumbled as the robot in question ushered him and Alt into a small storage room in the back of their hideout.
"It will be – trust me," Delete assured him. He flipped a switch, and light illuminated the room and revealed an object of some kind obscured under a tarp. He grasped the tarp, then turned to Control and said, "You've failed to dispose of the Rangers several times now, so I've decided to assist you. My dearest siblings, allow me to introduce you to my newest creation – the Fire Attack Bot!"
With that, he ripped the tarp away, revealing an orange and green fire-themed robot. It resembled a propane tank, and its standout feature was a portable flamethrower mounted on its left arm.
"Howdy there, pardners!" It greeted, speaking in a thick Southern accent. "I'll take care of 'dem pesky Rangers, don't ya' worry!"
"...This is going to be a disaster," Control groaned, facepalming.
"You never know; it could work perfectly," Alt chimed in. Her ruby red lips curled into a grin, and she added, "Either way, I'll be thoroughly entertained."
The following day, Griffin woke up early and headed out to get breakfast. He drove into town, then pulled into a local diner and parked his car before heading inside.
"Welcome to Nova's!" A blonde hostess greeted as a bell attached to the door rang. "We'll be right with you!"
"Thanks," Griffin replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. As he waited to be seated, he glanced around the restaurant. It was mostly empty – just the way he liked it. Before long, though…
"Hey, stranger!" Kenny exclaimed as he entered the diner. He slapped Griffin on the back, then added, "Fancy meeting you here!"
"Yeah, us eating at the same diner in a city where we both live? What are the odds?" Griffin rolled his eyes, and the hostess finished sweeping the lobby and made her way back over to him.
"Alright-y sir, how may I help you today?" She asked.
"Just a table for-"
"Table for two, please!" Kenny said, interrupting Griffin. The Red Ranger bit back a sigh, and the hostess procured two menus from her station before leading them to a booth. The two Rangers sat across from one another, then began looking over the menu as they waited to be served.
"So, how's your weekend so far?" Kenny asked, attempting to strike up a conversation. "Any big plans?"
"It uh, it's been good," Griffin replied. "Don't really have anything planned other than church tomorrow...how about you?"
"My buddies and I are having a twenty-four-hour game jam tomorrow. It's gonna be sweet!"
"Twenty-four hours…? You're gonna be exhausted at school on Monday. Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Energy drinks and coffee, man! Wouldn't be the first time I've gone to school on fumes, haha! Besides, most of my morning classes are canceled on Monday, so I can take a cat nap if I really need it," Kenny shrugged. He then snapped his fingers before adding, "Hey, you should come; it's gonna be a blast!"
"It sounds fun, but I honestly don't know the first thing about programming," Griffin told him. "Besides, I've got Biochem first thing."
"Crap, I forgot about Biochem!" Kenny exclaimed, and his eyes became saucers. "Maybe the game jam isn't such a good idea after all…."
"You are the dumbest smart person I have ever met…." Griffin mumbled under his breath just as a very familiar waitress walked up to their table.
"Hi, my name's Wendy, and I'll be taking care of you..." Wendy's voice trailed off, and her expression shifted from a small smile to a deep scowl. "...today. Well, this is a pleasant surprise..."
"Isn't it?" Kenny said with a grin.
"Wait, you work here?" Griffin questioned. "I can't say I saw that coming,"
"Well, neither can I, but we all gotta pay tuition somehow." She replied, brushing a few crumbs off of the apron she was wearing. "At least I HAVE a job, unlike SOME people..."
"Hey, I have a job!" Griffin countered. "...or well, I did until Doctor K blew up the mall."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Look, are you boneheads gonna order something? 'Cuz if you take any longer, I'll have about a dozen other customers waiting to do just that."
"Yeah, actually," Kenny said, setting down his menu. "I'll have the bacon cheeseburger, but can I get that with extra bacon? Oh, and could you go light on the mayo? Oh, oh, and hold the-"
Their morphers went off, interrupting Kenny mid-sentence. Wendy let out a groan, and Griffin stood from his seat.
"-tomato…" The Blue Ranger trailed off as his Red counterpart grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up.
"Hold the whole burger at this point; we gotta go!" Griffin dragged a reluctant Kenny behind him, and as the trio headed for the door, Wendy took off her apron and handed it to the hostess.
"I'm gonna go take my break, Lexi! You can hold down the fort 'til I get back, right?"
"Hey, wait!" The hostess called after her, to no avail. As the Rangers ran out the front door and tore down the sidewalk, she shook her head and said, "Josh is so gonna write her up when he hears about this…."
Downtown, chaos had struck the city firehouse and the surrounding area. Dozens of firefighters ran around, frantically attempting to put out small fires that the Fire Attack Bot had set as a diversion. The Attack Bot laughed to itself as it led a squadron of Xanadroids inside the firehouse, then made its way to the building's Energon Tank…
"Hey, you!" A morphed Kenny hollered, gaining the Attack Bot's attention as he and the other two Rangers burst onto the scene. He pointed to the robot, then said, "Cool it!"
"...'Cool it'?" Griffin looked at Kenny, then shook his head. "No offense Ken, but you really gotta work on your one-liners…."
"Or you could just not use 'em at all," Wendy said. She turned her attention towards the enemy, then cracked her knuckles and added, "Let's cut the banter short and wrap this up; I've still got four hours left on my shift!"
Griffin and Kenny shrugged, and the three Rangers summoned their weapons before charging into battle. The Xanadroids rushed to meet them, and soon both sides were engaged in all-out combat.
Griffin flipped his SpyTech Analyzer so that he held it in a reverse grip, then slashed away at the Xanadroids as he supersped past them.
Kenny took a boxer's stance, delivering a flurry of punches and jabs to his attackers and occasionally stabbing them with his own SpyTech Analyzer.
Wendy gunned down the Xanadroids with her SpyTech Aperture, then relied on her superagility to avoid their return fire.
After a few minutes of this, the Xanadroids had been disposed of. This left the Fire Attack Bot, which turned its attention away from the Energon Tank as the Rangers encroached on its position.
"C'mon, let's take it out!" Griffin ordered. He supersped past the robotic monster and slashed it in the side repeatedly. Still, his attacks didn't seem to do any damage. He skid to a halt and stared at his sword in confusion, and while he was distracted, the Fire Attack Bot shot flames in his direction. "Woah…!"
He attempted to superspeed away, but the flames bit at his heels. The Fire Attack Bot shot another blast of flame at a metal shelf in front of Griffin, and the Red Ranger froze in literal fear as it fell forward and threatened to crush him…
"Grif!" Kenny shouted in concern. He ran over to the Red Ranger, scooped him up, and then carried him out of harm's way. As the shelf crashed onto the floor and broke into a million pieces, he shook his incapacitated teammate and said, "Grif, talk to me! Are you okay?!"
"I...can't move," Griffin replied. "My weakpoint…!"
"You...you're gonna pay for that!" Kenny growled as he stood back up and rushed the Fire Attack Bot. He braved the flames it shot at him, and his muscles grew twice their usual size as he reeled his right arm. "TAKE THIS!"
He delivered a series of superstrength-charged punches, but his foe seemed unfazed. He let up his assault for a moment to dodge a burst of flame his enemy shot at him, then dived right back in with an uppercut. Before this attack could land, however, the Fire Attack Bot grabbed him by the wrist. It then used this newfound leverage to hold Kenny in place.
"Let...go of me!" The Blue Ranger struggled to break free with all his might, and pretty soon, the heat was radiating off his suit in waves. As the Fire Attack Bot spun him around and pinned him against its chest, he realized, "I'm...overheating…!"
"Wendy, you need to do something…!" A still-immobilized Griffin shouted. His Yellow teammate raised her blaster and aimed it at the Fire Attack Bot but hesitated before pulling the trigger. "What're you doing?! Take the shot!"
"Rangers Red and Blue, you both tied for the best time." Doctor K informed as the firing range simulation came to a close. "Ranger Yellow, you-"
"Wait!... I was dead last? That never happens…."
"...I can't!" Wendy exclaimed, lowering her blaster.
"Too scared to take the shot, are ya?!" The Fire Attack Bot taunted. "Don't worry, Ranger Yellow, yer Blue pardner will be safe and sound...in hell!"
It aimed its flamethrower at Kenny and prepared to roast him but was stopped by Griffin, who forced himself back up to his feet and pelted the Attack Bot with blaster bolts. The Red Ranger's muscles tingled as they woke up, but he ignored the discomfort and aimed his blaster at a water cooler his foe was standing next to. He pulled the trigger, firing another flurry of blaster bolts that struck the cooler and broke its container. Water splashed the Fire Attack Bot, and it threw Kenny onto the floor so hard that he demorphed on impact. It then staggered backward, glaring at its flamethrower arm as it shorted out.
"Why, you…!" It teleported away, but not before adding, "This isn't over, pardners!"
Griffin demorphed and fell to his knees, breathing heavily as fatigue began to set in. Wendy also demorphed, then ran over to Kenny and knelt down next to him.
"Are you okay?!" She asked, turning him over so that she could see his face. "You didn't overheat, did you…?"
"No, lucky for me, I fell right in the water…." The Blue Ranger had a brief coughing fit, after which he added, "What about Grif…? Is he alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good…." Griffin said with a grimace, clutching his side. His morpher then went off, and he spoke into it, saying, "Go for Grif,"
"Ranger Red, I need you and the others to report to the lab for a debrief ASAP." Doctor K told him. "Over and out,"
"Right then," Griffin waved over to the other two and said, "C'mon, Doc's called a team meeting,"
"...at which point you broke out of your frozen state and shot the water cooler, which saved Ranger Blue from overheating but also gave the Fire Attack Bot a chance to escape?" Doctor K recapped.
"Yeah, that pretty much sums it all up...ow," Griffin grimaced and gripped his shoulder, and Apex stopped tending to Kenny long enough to toss Cheetor a spare ice pack.
"Thanks," The red Buddy Droid caught the ice pack, then pressed it against his human partner's sore arm. Meanwhile, Doctor K paced back and forth, tapping her chin as she did so.
"And nobody knows how much Energon it managed to leave with?"
"We were busy fighting the Xanadroids when it was messing with the Tank; we had no way of knowing," Kenny told her.
"Fair enough, Ranger Blue...though I'm still confused as to why Ranger Yellow was unable to take the shot." She glanced over at Wendy and added, "You're the team's resident sharpshooter; you could've shot the Attack Bot and ended it right then and there."
"I didn't wanna risk it, alright?!" Wendy stood from her chair, then threw up her hands and said, "If I'd missed, I would've hurt Kenny! What good would that have done?"
"You wouldn't have missed; you're the best shot on the team!" Griffin countered. "I mean, you said it yourself the other day, didn't you?"
"You know damn well that's a crock of shit! You and Kenny both out-shot me in that firing-sim!"
"Are you serious? Why are you so hung up on this?! It was a simulation!" Griffin took a deep breath to calm himself, then continued, "...Look, I'm sorry for yelling, but it's true. You're getting all bent out of shape over that stupid test, but I know you're a wiz with a blaster. Kenny does, too! You're the one who doesn't seem to realize it."
"...Shut up! You don't know me!" Wendy turned and headed for the door, shaking her head. "You don't know the first thing about me, Griffin! Now leave me alone!"
"Really…?!" Griffin got up to follow her, then sighed in exasperation once he realized he couldn't keep up. He sat back down, then looked up at Cheetor and asked, "What'd I say…?"
"It's not what you said; it's how you said it,"
"Jeez...now you sound like my Mom," The Red Ranger grumbled. His mouth twisted into a grimace, and he gripped his shoulder again. "Ow!"
"I-Is Wendy o-okay…?" Apex stammered, glancing at the door to the lab.
"No, but she will be!" Bugz said, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. She then left the lab to follow her human counterpart, leaving the others behind in the process…
Wendy curled up with a book in her bedroom's windowsill, having retreated to the safety of her Aunt and Uncle's house. She flipped through its pages, vainly trying to distract herself as the previous battle and its aftermath continued to nag at her...
"Too scared to take the shot, are ya?! Don't worry, Ranger Yellow! Your Blue pardner will be safe and sound – in HELL!"
"Are you SERIOUS? Why are you so hung up on that?! It was a simulation!"
"Griffin, Kenny...everyone...they just don't get it..." Wendy lowered her book and stared out the window, and her mind cast itself back several years…
"Annnnnnd THAT'S the game!" A female announcer hollered as a girls baseball game drew to a close. "The Rumbling Rattlesnakes take it! Jumping Jackrabbits, that was a valiant effort!"
"Man, what a bummer..." A ten-year-old Wendy mumbled to herself. A frown tugged at her lips, but she forced a smile as she broke off from her team and made her way into the bleachers to find her father. "Dad!"
"Hey, pumpkin!" Simon Rowan grinned ear to ear as his daughter ran up and gave him a hug. He scooped her up and hoisted her into the air, then set her back down before tousling her hair. "That was a great game! You almost won, y'know!"
"Yeah, ALMOST…" Wendy said, sounding somewhat dejected. "Heather and Brittany said it's my fault for tripping on the way to home plate that last time,"
"What? That could've happened to ANYONE, kiddo; don't blame that on yourself," He gave his daughter a reassuring smile, and she smiled back despite herself. She then began glancing around, scanning her surroundings as if something was missing.
"Where's Mama..?" She asked.
"Oh, well, she...she wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home," He lied, rubbing the back of his head. Wendy's smile faded into a frown, and he quickly added, "Hey, chin up, sweetheart! She really wanted to be here, and I'm sure she'll make it next time."
"Yeah...right," Wendy kicked up a patch of dust, then followed her father as he and the other parents shuffled out of the bleachers and out to the parking lot…
After the game, Wendy and her father returned to the old family farm where they lived. Wendy headed to the bathroom to shower, and her father went into the kitchen and began making dinner. Once she was clean, Wendy turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and changed into her regular clothes. She threw her baseball uniform in the hamper and moved to exit the bathroom but stopped when she heard her parents arguing.
"You're so annoying, Simon!" Her mother shouted. "When are you gonna stop nagging me?"
"I don't know. When are YOU gonna start being present in our daughter's life?" Simon replied. "This is the fifth game in a row you've missed! Wendy's not a baby anymore, Linda. She picks up on a lot more than you think!"
"She's ten years old. If she's picking up on ANYTHING, it's only what YOU'RE projecting onto her!" Linda countered. "You can make me out to be the bad guy all you want, but you know damn well I didn't want her involved in sports to begin with!"
"Are we gonna start this again? Why are you so against her being a kid?!"
"You just keep going with this 'good guy vs. bad guy' routine, okay Simon? That'll get you really far," Linda spat. "You act like she's so deprived, but she has a roof over her head, food to eat, clothes to wear – what else does she need?"
"She NEEDS structure!" Simon told her. "She NEEDS to be a part of something!"
"No, what she REALLY needs is to improve her grades and stop complaining to me every time she loses a game," Linda said coldly. "That's ANOTHER reason I didn't want her to play baseball. She's not any good, and every time she loses, I have to listen to her cry and whine! Do you have any idea how EXHAUSTING that is?!"
"I can't believe you'd even say something like that!" Simon scoffed, disgust evident in his voice. "You're her MOTHER, Linda!"
"Am I…? I guess I must've forgotten, ever since you grew a uterus!" Linda shot back. She then walked to the edge of the staircase and called upstairs, saying, "Wendy, get down here and wash up! It's time to eat!"
"C-Coming, Mama!" Wendy said, choking back tears…
"Wendy, someone's knocking on the door, dear!" Her Aunt Dahlia called from downstairs, snapping the Yellow Ranger out of her trance. "Would you go see who it is, please?"
"Yes, ma'am!" She called back down. She set down her book and climbed down from the windowsill, then made her way downstairs. Once there, she unlocked the front door and swung it open to reveal a familiar rabbit-themed robot. "Bugz?"
"Eh, what's up, doc?"
"What are you doing here...?"
"I'm checking up on you. Now lemme in, will ya?"
"Uhhhhhh, that's not really a good idea. My family doesn't know about the whole 'Ranger' thing, and they aren't really keen on robots…." Wendy said awkwardly. "Hold on, lemme think…."
"Wendy, who's at the door…?" Her Aunt called to her from the kitchen. "Well, who is it?"
"Uh, it's...Bianca!" She improvised. "We're in Art History together; we're gonna go shopping for a bit! I'll be back by nine!"
She stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind her. She then turned to Bugz and said, "Alright, what's up?"
"I just told you; I'm checking up on you. Don't be so dense!" Bugz chided. "Listen, I know you're gonna try and deny it, but I can tell what Griffin said back at the lab bothered you. I can also tell you're still upset about that simulation. I wanna know why."
"I don't wanna talk about it, okay?!" Wendy turned her back on Bugz, then hopped off the front porch before walking down the sidewalk. "Just drop it already!"
"I don't want to drop it; I'm your Buddy Droid, and I wanna help you!" Bugz caught up to her, then tugged at her sleeve before adding, "Just talk to me, Wendy. Please."
"...Fine." Wendy sighed. She turned to face Bugz, then continued with, "The reason I'm so upset is...shooting is my thing. Growing up, I...I wasn't very good at anything. My grades were bad, I didn't do very well in sports...other kids made fun of me, and it made me really sad. I was sad for a long time, but then Dad taught me how to shoot on our farm. And it took some time but after a while...I got good. Really good."
"And you felt like you'd found your talent?" Bugz guessed, and the two began to walk away from the house and towards a nearby playground. "The thing that you did better than anyone else?"
"Sort of, yeah," Wendy nodded, and a few moments later, they reached the playground. The Yellow Ranger sat on one of the swings, then folded her arms and cast her gaze downward. "And when Griffin and Kenny did better than me, it…."
"...I understand how you feel," Bugz said. "Comms are my thing, and if Cheetor and Apex started doing it and did it better, I'd probably feel the same way...that's not all I have to offer, though. The same goes for you,"
Wendy looked up and glanced over at Bugz. The Buddy Droid continued, "You may measure your value to this team based purely on your marksmanship, but there are a lot of other things about you that make you a good Ranger! You're passionate, you're stubborn, and you never back down from a fight! Sure, you have a bit of a temper, and you bicker with the other two sometimes, but you have yet to let them down!"
"That's not true, though! During that last fight, I let Kenny down by not taking that shot!"
"Maybe, but what was the first thing you did when the fight was over..?"
"I...rushed to check on Kenny and make sure he was okay,"
"Exactly. You may not always be the first to act, but you always check on your teammates when the battle's over," Bugz told her. "And while we're on the subject, that was one simulation. Griffin and Kenny might've done better than you that time, but I know you'll kick their butts next time!"
"Maybe...y'know, you just might be right!"
"I always am!" This earned a giggle from Wendy, but she stopped laughing when her morpher went off out of nowhere. "You'd better answer that,"
Wendy followed her advice, raising her morpher to her mouth before saying, "You rang?"
"Ranger Yellow, the Fire Attack Bot has returned and is attempting to steal more Energon!" Doctor K informed her via the comm-link. "Rangers Red and Blue have already engaged the enemy, but they won't be able to hold out long without you!"
"Roger that! Send me the coordinates, and I'll be on my way!" Wendy hung up, hopped up off the swing, and gestured to her Buddy Droid once the coordinates had been uploaded to her morpher. "C'mon Bugz, we've gotta motor!"
She then sped away, leaving Bugz struggling to keep up. "Hey, wait up…!"
"Yeehaw! I'm having a blast! How 'bout you, pardners?!" The Fire Attack Bot watched Griffin and Kenny struggle to dodge its flame attacks. It cackled in delight as the two slammed into a nearby fence, then added, "I hope yer not tuckered out already! Venjix is fixin' to kick this rodeo up a notch!"
Griffin and Kenny's morphers beeped the moment it said this, and they raised them just in time to see a countdown timer appear. It began counting down from three minutes, and the Red and Blue Rangers shared a look of dread.
"Not an Attack Zord!" Kenny lamented. "That's the last thing we need right now!"
"Tell me something I don't know…." Griffin muttered, and the two struggled up to their feet as the Fire Attack Bot aimed its cannon at them again.
"It's been fun, but it's time for mah big barbecue! Yer more than welcome to come – we'll need a main course!"
It launched a massive fireball at the two, and they raised their arms and prepared for the worst. However, they were saved at the last minute by Wendy, who burst into the area, grabbed them by the arms, and used her superagility to leap into the air and get them to safety.
"Woah…!" Kenny cried out as the trio landed back on the ground safely. He turned to Wendy, then exclaimed, "You saved us...!"
"Don't act so surprised! I wasn't about to fight this tin can without you idiots!" She replied. She brandished her morpher, then said, "Now c'mon! It's Morphin' Time!"
"Install: CPU!"
"Climax Jumper! CPU Yellow!"
"Limit Breaker! CPU Red!"
"Shield Buster! CPU Blue!"
"Covertly protecting the universe from evil!" They struck their usual pose, with Wendy as the centerpiece. "Power Rangers: CPU!"
"Let's go!" Griffin hollered, motioning to the other two as he dashed ahead. His teammates rushed to join him, and together they charged towards the Fire Attack Bot. The Red Ranger punched the Attack Bot in the stomach, then whipped around to get behind it and karate-chopped it in the spine. Kenny shoved it backward, then slammed his superstrength-charged forearm into the ground. Concrete shrapnel flew up and embedded itself in its armor, and it growled in pain as Wendy ran up and shot it with her blaster.
"Ow! Y'all are gonna pay for that!" It aimed its cannon at the Rangers, then shot a wave of flame at them. Wendy leaped backward just in time to avoid the attack, but Griffin and Kenny weren't so lucky. They recoiled and panicked as the flames licked at their heels, and the Fire Attack Bot seized the opportunity by grabbing them both and holding them hostage. "Hahahaha! Looks like I've got both yer pardners this time, Yellow! What'll ya do now?!"
"Don't worry about us, Wendy!" Kenny told her. He grunted in pain as the Attack Bot squeezed him but managed to add, "We'll be okay!"
"Just take the shot!" Griffin commanded. "We both trust you – you won't miss!"
Wendy closed her eyes inside her helmet, then took a cleansing breath. She slapped her Transpod and summoned her saber, which she combined with her blaster to form her SpyTech Sniper. She weighed the weapon in her hands, and her mind cast itself back to a time long ago…
"Okay, steady...watch out for the recoil, you don't wanna hurt yourself like last time...NOW!" Wendy's father hollered, prompting a twelve-year-old Wendy to flick the safety of the pistol she was holding and fire a round at the target downrange. She managed to down it in one shot, and he shouted, "ALLLLLLRIGHT! See, I told you you'd hit it! Just took a little bit of practice!"
Wendy carefully re-engaged the safety, then unloaded the pistol and set it and its magazine down on a log. She then turned to her father and crushed him in a giant hug. "I couldn't have done it without you, Papa!"
"What do ya say, Yellow…? Will ya leave yer pardners to die...or die with 'em?!"
"I choose neither!" Wendy hollered in defiance. She twisted the dial on her weapon's barrel, then tightened her grip on it as her final attack began to charge. "You're going down, you worthless pile of scrap!"
"Yer the one headed for the scrapheap, missy!" The Fire Attack Bot aimed its cannon at her, charging up a massive fireball that glowed red hot. The Yellow Ranger stood her ground, unwavering even in the face of certain doom.
"...DRAW!" The two foes shouted in unison after a tense pause. The Attack Bot launched its fireball just as Wendy raised her blaster and fired. The two projectiles hurtled through the air, then eventually met halfway. The fireball engulfed the energy blast and threatened to devour it. Still, by some miracle, the latter managed to win the struggle. The fireball faded into a cloud of smoke, and the blast soared towards the Fire Attack Bot and pierced its midsection.
"SpyTech Sniper: Scope...SALVO!" Wendy declared, spinning her blaster with her trigger finger before pretending to blow out the barrel.
"Noooooooo!" The Fire Attack Bot screeched in agony. It released its grip on Griffin and Kenny, then shoved the two aside before falling to its knees. "This isn't how this rodeo was supposed ta end!"
It then exploded, sending debris flying in all directions. Griffin and Kenny pulled themselves up to their feet, then rushed over to Wendy.
"You did it!" Kenny exclaimed, reaching out for a high-five. "Good job!"
"Thanks, Ken," Wendy replied, high-fiving her blue teammate. "I really appreciate it."
"Hey, I...I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier..." Griffin apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I was a little too harsh..."
"No, it's okay," Wendy said, shaking her head. "I needed to hear it."
"I knew you'd beat him," He told her, changing the subject. "You're the best draw in Starview Heights!"
"Try anywhere," She said with a laugh. However, their celebration was cut short when their morphers beeped, and they were suddenly reminded of the countdown.
"I don't mean to alarm you, Rangers, but that Attack Zord will be here in less than ten seconds!" Doctor K said over the comm-link.
"Okay, so whose turn is it to clean house?" Griffin asked, speaking into his morpher. "Mine, or Kenny's?"
"Actually, neither," Doctor K replied. "I've finally worked out the issue I was having with the Rabbit Chopper Zord. I'll be downmorphing it as soon as I finish some last-minute preparations. Ranger Yellow and Bugz, prepare for Zord combat!"
"You got it, Doc!"
"Roger rabbit!" Bugz added, following Wendy as she ran over to the nearby street. Thunder crackled above them, and green light coalesced in the sky to form a massive portal.
0:05…
0:04…
0:03…
0:02…
0:01…
A massive, thin robot fell from the portal and slammed onto the ground below, causing it to rumble and shake beneath its feet. Orange, flame-like spikes sat on its shoulders like pauldrons, and a bizarre facsimile of the Fire Attack Bot's flame cannon protruded from its midsection. It let out a roar, then shot a burst of flame from its gut. The fire hit an abandoned building, sending bits of debris falling off and tumbling onto the street below. Civilians tripped over themselves as they clamored to get away, and Wendy and the others looked on in horror.
"I don't wanna hound you, Doc, but I could really use that Zord!" The Yellow Ranger spoke into her morpher.
"Just a couple more seconds, Ranger Yellow! Just a few...more...calibrations!" Doctor K typed furiously at her keyboard, then slammed her hand on a red button on the table and added, "Done! Downmorphing Rabbit Chopper now!"
Wendy glanced over her shoulder at a building behind her as it tilted downwards to reveal a hollow tunnel. A gigantic yellow rabbit-themed helicopter burst through its opening, and she and Bugz leaped onto it as it flew past. They boarded it as it began its ascent. The Yellow Ranger took a few seconds to familiarize herself with the cockpit as Bugz converted herself into a control console.
"Recognized: Bugz, B-04, Wendy, B-07" An electronic voice echoed over the speaker system, and Wendy gripped the control sticks formed from Bugz's ears tightly. "Initializing: Rabbit Chopper Pilot Program"
"Okay, Bugz, let's show 'em what we can do!" Wendy hollered.
"Roger rabbit!" Bugz replied.
Wendy willed the Zord forward, and they flew towards the abandoned building that had been set on fire. The Yellow Ranger used her control sticks and maneuvered the craft so that it hovered over the building. She then opened a hatch on the back of the Zord, pouring a mass of water onto the fire to put it out and prevent it from spreading. As she closed the hatch back up and flew away from the wrecked structure, the Fire Attack Zord lumbered towards a nearby Energon MegaTank.
"Not so fast!" Wendy shouted. She pulled the triggers on Bugz's ears, firing a barrage of bullets from her Zord's twin turrets. The Fire Attack Zord retaliated by launching a wave of fire in her direction, and she veered her Zord to the left to avoid it. "Woah..!"
"Ranger Yellow, you won't be able to out-maneuver that fire forever!" Doctor K informed as a live feed of her in the lab popped up on the cockpit's holoscreen. "Type the passcode '072489' into your console's keypad, and switch to Beast Mode to finish the job!"
"Right on, Doc!" The live feed fizzled out, and Wendy keyed in the code as instructed. The Rabbit Chopper descended down to street level, then converted itself into a massive robotic rabbit.
"Rabbit Chopper Beast Mode: Online," The electronic voice within the cockpit named the new form, and Wendy readjusted her grip on the controls.
"Let's end this!"
The Rabbit Chopper dashed down the street towards the Fire Attack Zord, then vaulted into the air. Wendy twisted the dial on her morpher, then gripped the controls again as her arms glowed green with energy.
"Rabbit Chopper: Foot-FRENZY!" She declared, and the Rabbit Chopper delivered a flurry of Energon-charged kicks to the Fire Attack Zord. The enemy Zord gurgled and sputtered as it endured the assault, then groaned as its armor began to spark. It fell sideways onto the street below, then exploded. Wendy hopped up out of her seat and pumped her fists in excitement. "Yeah! I did it!"
"Knew you could," Bugz congratulated, and Griffin and Kenny took off their helmets and celebrated from below.
"Rangers Red and Blue, can you confirm a lack of Venjix activity at the site?"
"Affirmative," Griffin replied via his morpher. "Shutdown: COMPLETE!"
"Well, that was…interesting," Control remarked, resisting the urge to scowl as he watched the Rangers celebrate their victory on his laptop. He made for the door, then stopped in the doorway and turned to Delete. "You made a valiant effort, brother, but you may wanna try a little harder next time,"
Delete shook his head and sighed in defeat, then turned from the laptop and got up to leave. Alt stood from her own chair and turned to follow her brothers. "You did better than I anticipated. It'll be my turn, next."
"For your sake, I hope your Attack Bot will be better than Delete's," Control told her, and the trio of siblings left the room to continue their schemes…
– POWER RANGERS: CPU –
The sun shone down on the Rangers as they stood in the middle of an arid desert. Sweat beaded on their skin, and light reflected off their black sunglasses as they waited in front of a three-lane firing range. After thirty seconds of eerie silence, a beep from a nearby speaker roused them from their trance-like state.
"Mark!" Doctor K hollered, her voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The Rangers drew their SpyTech Apertures, then aimed them as drones flew up out of the sand.
Griffin shot two of the drones in his lane, then held his fire as a third hid behind a pile of bricks. He waited for it to emerge, then picked it off with a steady shot the moment it did so.
Kenny shot one of his drones, then tried to attack the other two in quick succession. He hit the second one but missed the third one, forcing him to take another shot. This one was successful.
Wendy aimed her blaster at her first target and squeezed the trigger, but the drone shot out a flare that blinded her and threw off her aim. She jerked her blaster to the right at the last second, causing the bolt to miss. She squinted her eyes and looked away, then readjusted her aim and took out the drone along with the second one. The Yellow Ranger moved to eliminate the third one as fast as possible, but her blaster jammed. She fiddled with the weapon for a moment to clear the jam, and by the time she was able to shoot down the third drone, over thirty seconds had elapsed.
"FIRING RANGE TEST: COMPLETE," An electronic voice announced as the desert faded away and revealed itself to be a holographic simulation. The Rangers removed their sunglasses as the scenery shifted to that of Doctor K's lab, then placed their blasters on a table in front of them as the Earth-2 scientist rose from her chair.
"Excellent work, as per usual!" She complimented as she made her way over to them. She thumbed through a readout on a data-pad she was holding, then added, "Rangers Red and Blue, you both tied for the best time. Ranger Yellow, you-"
"Wait!... I was dead last?" Wendy interrupted. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she blinked them open and closed a few times. "That never happens...shooting is my thing; no one's a better shot than me!"
"Except for us...just now," Griffin blurted out, which earned him an elbow in the ribs from Kenny. "Ow!"
"Hey, don't worry about it!" Bugz offered, wheeling up to the Yellow Ranger. She gave her a supportive pat on the arm, then added, "You can't win 'em all, y'know!"
"Maybe not with other stuff, but shooting is different," Wendy said, shaking her head. "I mean, I'm the team marksman-"
"Wouldn't it be markswoman?" Kenny cut her off, causing Griffin to roll his eyes. Wendy brushed him off, then stepped towards the table to retrieve her blaster.
"I can't accept these results; c'mon, let's run it again!"
"Actually, that was all I had time for today." Doctor K told her. "I've got a stack of Biochemistry papers I still need to grade, and I also need to work out an issue I've been having with your Rabbit Chopper Zord. If you want to retry, I'm afraid it'll have to wait until later this week."
"...Fine, whatever!" Wendy tossed her blaster back onto the table, then stomped towards the door to the lab.
"Hey, it's not that big a deal!" Cheetor called after her. "Since when is this a competition?"
"Cheetor has a p-p-point, y'know!" Apex chimed in. "Don't be up-upset!"
"I said whatever!" Wendy seethed as she stormed out.
"...So that went well!" Griffin quipped. He glanced down at his watch, then added, "Anyway, I'd love to stay and drink in this awkward atmosphere, but I've got Creative Writing in like five minutes. See ya,"
"See ya!" Kenny waved goodbye to the Red Ranger as he left, then looked at his own watch and shouted, "Aw crap, I just remembered I've got Calculus!"
He scooped up his own laptop bag, then rushed out of the lab. With the Rangers gone, Doctor K returned to her station, as did the Buddy Droids.
"That Wendy...man, she's got a temper!" Cheetor exclaimed.
"Hey, if she was half as rude to Griffin as he is to her, he'd be grumpy too!" Bugz replied.
"Are you kidding? They both pick at each other constantly! Wendy usually starts it!"
"Well, maybe if Griffin wasn't such an insensitive-"
"You wanna talk insensitivity? Listen to the way you insult everyone!"
"Y-You guys have no room to talk, you're always fighting t-too!" Apex cut in.
"Nobody asked you, banana brain!" Bugz retorted, and Doctor K groaned in frustration.
Meanwhile…
"Delete, this had better be good…." Control grumbled as the robot in question ushered him and Alt into a small storage room in the back of their hideout.
"It will be – trust me," Delete assured him. He flipped a switch, and light illuminated the room and revealed an object of some kind obscured under a tarp. He grasped the tarp, then turned to Control and said, "You've failed to dispose of the Rangers several times now, so I've decided to assist you. My dearest siblings, allow me to introduce you to my newest creation – the Fire Attack Bot!"
With that, he ripped the tarp away, revealing an orange and green fire-themed robot. It resembled a propane tank, and its standout feature was a portable flamethrower mounted on its left arm.
"Howdy there, pardners!" It greeted, speaking in a thick Southern accent. "I'll take care of 'dem pesky Rangers, don't ya' worry!"
"...This is going to be a disaster," Control groaned, facepalming.
"You never know; it could work perfectly," Alt chimed in. Her ruby red lips curled into a grin, and she added, "Either way, I'll be thoroughly entertained."
The following day, Griffin woke up early and headed out to get breakfast. He drove into town, then pulled into a local diner and parked his car before heading inside.
"Welcome to Nova's!" A blonde hostess greeted as a bell attached to the door rang. "We'll be right with you!"
"Thanks," Griffin replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. As he waited to be seated, he glanced around the restaurant. It was mostly empty – just the way he liked it. Before long, though…
"Hey, stranger!" Kenny exclaimed as he entered the diner. He slapped Griffin on the back, then added, "Fancy meeting you here!"
"Yeah, us eating at the same diner in a city where we both live? What are the odds?" Griffin rolled his eyes, and the hostess finished sweeping the lobby and made her way back over to him.
"Alright-y sir, how may I help you today?" She asked.
"Just a table for-"
"Table for two, please!" Kenny said, interrupting Griffin. The Red Ranger bit back a sigh, and the hostess procured two menus from her station before leading them to a booth. The two Rangers sat across from one another, then began looking over the menu as they waited to be served.
"So, how's your weekend so far?" Kenny asked, attempting to strike up a conversation. "Any big plans?"
"It uh, it's been good," Griffin replied. "Don't really have anything planned other than church tomorrow...how about you?"
"My buddies and I are having a twenty-four-hour game jam tomorrow. It's gonna be sweet!"
"Twenty-four hours…? You're gonna be exhausted at school on Monday. Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Energy drinks and coffee, man! Wouldn't be the first time I've gone to school on fumes, haha! Besides, most of my morning classes are canceled on Monday, so I can take a cat nap if I really need it," Kenny shrugged. He then snapped his fingers before adding, "Hey, you should come; it's gonna be a blast!"
"It sounds fun, but I honestly don't know the first thing about programming," Griffin told him. "Besides, I've got Biochem first thing."
"Crap, I forgot about Biochem!" Kenny exclaimed, and his eyes became saucers. "Maybe the game jam isn't such a good idea after all…."
"You are the dumbest smart person I have ever met…." Griffin mumbled under his breath just as a very familiar waitress walked up to their table.
"Hi, my name's Wendy, and I'll be taking care of you..." Wendy's voice trailed off, and her expression shifted from a small smile to a deep scowl. "...today. Well, this is a pleasant surprise..."
"Isn't it?" Kenny said with a grin.
"Wait, you work here?" Griffin questioned. "I can't say I saw that coming,"
"Well, neither can I, but we all gotta pay tuition somehow." She replied, brushing a few crumbs off of the apron she was wearing. "At least I HAVE a job, unlike SOME people..."
"Hey, I have a job!" Griffin countered. "...or well, I did until Doctor K blew up the mall."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Look, are you boneheads gonna order something? 'Cuz if you take any longer, I'll have about a dozen other customers waiting to do just that."
"Yeah, actually," Kenny said, setting down his menu. "I'll have the bacon cheeseburger, but can I get that with extra bacon? Oh, and could you go light on the mayo? Oh, oh, and hold the-"
Their morphers went off, interrupting Kenny mid-sentence. Wendy let out a groan, and Griffin stood from his seat.
"-tomato…" The Blue Ranger trailed off as his Red counterpart grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up.
"Hold the whole burger at this point; we gotta go!" Griffin dragged a reluctant Kenny behind him, and as the trio headed for the door, Wendy took off her apron and handed it to the hostess.
"I'm gonna go take my break, Lexi! You can hold down the fort 'til I get back, right?"
"Hey, wait!" The hostess called after her, to no avail. As the Rangers ran out the front door and tore down the sidewalk, she shook her head and said, "Josh is so gonna write her up when he hears about this…."
Downtown, chaos had struck the city firehouse and the surrounding area. Dozens of firefighters ran around, frantically attempting to put out small fires that the Fire Attack Bot had set as a diversion. The Attack Bot laughed to itself as it led a squadron of Xanadroids inside the firehouse, then made its way to the building's Energon Tank…
"Hey, you!" A morphed Kenny hollered, gaining the Attack Bot's attention as he and the other two Rangers burst onto the scene. He pointed to the robot, then said, "Cool it!"
"...'Cool it'?" Griffin looked at Kenny, then shook his head. "No offense Ken, but you really gotta work on your one-liners…."
"Or you could just not use 'em at all," Wendy said. She turned her attention towards the enemy, then cracked her knuckles and added, "Let's cut the banter short and wrap this up; I've still got four hours left on my shift!"
Griffin and Kenny shrugged, and the three Rangers summoned their weapons before charging into battle. The Xanadroids rushed to meet them, and soon both sides were engaged in all-out combat.
Griffin flipped his SpyTech Analyzer so that he held it in a reverse grip, then slashed away at the Xanadroids as he supersped past them.
Kenny took a boxer's stance, delivering a flurry of punches and jabs to his attackers and occasionally stabbing them with his own SpyTech Analyzer.
Wendy gunned down the Xanadroids with her SpyTech Aperture, then relied on her superagility to avoid their return fire.
After a few minutes of this, the Xanadroids had been disposed of. This left the Fire Attack Bot, which turned its attention away from the Energon Tank as the Rangers encroached on its position.
"C'mon, let's take it out!" Griffin ordered. He supersped past the robotic monster and slashed it in the side repeatedly. Still, his attacks didn't seem to do any damage. He skid to a halt and stared at his sword in confusion, and while he was distracted, the Fire Attack Bot shot flames in his direction. "Woah…!"
He attempted to superspeed away, but the flames bit at his heels. The Fire Attack Bot shot another blast of flame at a metal shelf in front of Griffin, and the Red Ranger froze in literal fear as it fell forward and threatened to crush him…
"Grif!" Kenny shouted in concern. He ran over to the Red Ranger, scooped him up, and then carried him out of harm's way. As the shelf crashed onto the floor and broke into a million pieces, he shook his incapacitated teammate and said, "Grif, talk to me! Are you okay?!"
"I...can't move," Griffin replied. "My weakpoint…!"
"You...you're gonna pay for that!" Kenny growled as he stood back up and rushed the Fire Attack Bot. He braved the flames it shot at him, and his muscles grew twice their usual size as he reeled his right arm. "TAKE THIS!"
He delivered a series of superstrength-charged punches, but his foe seemed unfazed. He let up his assault for a moment to dodge a burst of flame his enemy shot at him, then dived right back in with an uppercut. Before this attack could land, however, the Fire Attack Bot grabbed him by the wrist. It then used this newfound leverage to hold Kenny in place.
"Let...go of me!" The Blue Ranger struggled to break free with all his might, and pretty soon, the heat was radiating off his suit in waves. As the Fire Attack Bot spun him around and pinned him against its chest, he realized, "I'm...overheating…!"
"Wendy, you need to do something…!" A still-immobilized Griffin shouted. His Yellow teammate raised her blaster and aimed it at the Fire Attack Bot but hesitated before pulling the trigger. "What're you doing?! Take the shot!"
"Rangers Red and Blue, you both tied for the best time." Doctor K informed as the firing range simulation came to a close. "Ranger Yellow, you-"
"Wait!... I was dead last? That never happens…."
"...I can't!" Wendy exclaimed, lowering her blaster.
"Too scared to take the shot, are ya?!" The Fire Attack Bot taunted. "Don't worry, Ranger Yellow, yer Blue pardner will be safe and sound...in hell!"
It aimed its flamethrower at Kenny and prepared to roast him but was stopped by Griffin, who forced himself back up to his feet and pelted the Attack Bot with blaster bolts. The Red Ranger's muscles tingled as they woke up, but he ignored the discomfort and aimed his blaster at a water cooler his foe was standing next to. He pulled the trigger, firing another flurry of blaster bolts that struck the cooler and broke its container. Water splashed the Fire Attack Bot, and it threw Kenny onto the floor so hard that he demorphed on impact. It then staggered backward, glaring at its flamethrower arm as it shorted out.
"Why, you…!" It teleported away, but not before adding, "This isn't over, pardners!"
Griffin demorphed and fell to his knees, breathing heavily as fatigue began to set in. Wendy also demorphed, then ran over to Kenny and knelt down next to him.
"Are you okay?!" She asked, turning him over so that she could see his face. "You didn't overheat, did you…?"
"No, lucky for me, I fell right in the water…." The Blue Ranger had a brief coughing fit, after which he added, "What about Grif…? Is he alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good…." Griffin said with a grimace, clutching his side. His morpher then went off, and he spoke into it, saying, "Go for Grif,"
"Ranger Red, I need you and the others to report to the lab for a debrief ASAP." Doctor K told him. "Over and out,"
"Right then," Griffin waved over to the other two and said, "C'mon, Doc's called a team meeting,"
"...at which point you broke out of your frozen state and shot the water cooler, which saved Ranger Blue from overheating but also gave the Fire Attack Bot a chance to escape?" Doctor K recapped.
"Yeah, that pretty much sums it all up...ow," Griffin grimaced and gripped his shoulder, and Apex stopped tending to Kenny long enough to toss Cheetor a spare ice pack.
"Thanks," The red Buddy Droid caught the ice pack, then pressed it against his human partner's sore arm. Meanwhile, Doctor K paced back and forth, tapping her chin as she did so.
"And nobody knows how much Energon it managed to leave with?"
"We were busy fighting the Xanadroids when it was messing with the Tank; we had no way of knowing," Kenny told her.
"Fair enough, Ranger Blue...though I'm still confused as to why Ranger Yellow was unable to take the shot." She glanced over at Wendy and added, "You're the team's resident sharpshooter; you could've shot the Attack Bot and ended it right then and there."
"I didn't wanna risk it, alright?!" Wendy stood from her chair, then threw up her hands and said, "If I'd missed, I would've hurt Kenny! What good would that have done?"
"You wouldn't have missed; you're the best shot on the team!" Griffin countered. "I mean, you said it yourself the other day, didn't you?"
"You know damn well that's a crock of shit! You and Kenny both out-shot me in that firing-sim!"
"Are you serious? Why are you so hung up on this?! It was a simulation!" Griffin took a deep breath to calm himself, then continued, "...Look, I'm sorry for yelling, but it's true. You're getting all bent out of shape over that stupid test, but I know you're a wiz with a blaster. Kenny does, too! You're the one who doesn't seem to realize it."
"...Shut up! You don't know me!" Wendy turned and headed for the door, shaking her head. "You don't know the first thing about me, Griffin! Now leave me alone!"
"Really…?!" Griffin got up to follow her, then sighed in exasperation once he realized he couldn't keep up. He sat back down, then looked up at Cheetor and asked, "What'd I say…?"
"It's not what you said; it's how you said it,"
"Jeez...now you sound like my Mom," The Red Ranger grumbled. His mouth twisted into a grimace, and he gripped his shoulder again. "Ow!"
"I-Is Wendy o-okay…?" Apex stammered, glancing at the door to the lab.
"No, but she will be!" Bugz said, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. She then left the lab to follow her human counterpart, leaving the others behind in the process…
Wendy curled up with a book in her bedroom's windowsill, having retreated to the safety of her Aunt and Uncle's house. She flipped through its pages, vainly trying to distract herself as the previous battle and its aftermath continued to nag at her...
"Too scared to take the shot, are ya?! Don't worry, Ranger Yellow! Your Blue pardner will be safe and sound – in HELL!"
"Are you SERIOUS? Why are you so hung up on that?! It was a simulation!"
"Griffin, Kenny...everyone...they just don't get it..." Wendy lowered her book and stared out the window, and her mind cast itself back several years…
"Annnnnnd THAT'S the game!" A female announcer hollered as a girls baseball game drew to a close. "The Rumbling Rattlesnakes take it! Jumping Jackrabbits, that was a valiant effort!"
"Man, what a bummer..." A ten-year-old Wendy mumbled to herself. A frown tugged at her lips, but she forced a smile as she broke off from her team and made her way into the bleachers to find her father. "Dad!"
"Hey, pumpkin!" Simon Rowan grinned ear to ear as his daughter ran up and gave him a hug. He scooped her up and hoisted her into the air, then set her back down before tousling her hair. "That was a great game! You almost won, y'know!"
"Yeah, ALMOST…" Wendy said, sounding somewhat dejected. "Heather and Brittany said it's my fault for tripping on the way to home plate that last time,"
"What? That could've happened to ANYONE, kiddo; don't blame that on yourself," He gave his daughter a reassuring smile, and she smiled back despite herself. She then began glancing around, scanning her surroundings as if something was missing.
"Where's Mama..?" She asked.
"Oh, well, she...she wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home," He lied, rubbing the back of his head. Wendy's smile faded into a frown, and he quickly added, "Hey, chin up, sweetheart! She really wanted to be here, and I'm sure she'll make it next time."
"Yeah...right," Wendy kicked up a patch of dust, then followed her father as he and the other parents shuffled out of the bleachers and out to the parking lot…
After the game, Wendy and her father returned to the old family farm where they lived. Wendy headed to the bathroom to shower, and her father went into the kitchen and began making dinner. Once she was clean, Wendy turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and changed into her regular clothes. She threw her baseball uniform in the hamper and moved to exit the bathroom but stopped when she heard her parents arguing.
"You're so annoying, Simon!" Her mother shouted. "When are you gonna stop nagging me?"
"I don't know. When are YOU gonna start being present in our daughter's life?" Simon replied. "This is the fifth game in a row you've missed! Wendy's not a baby anymore, Linda. She picks up on a lot more than you think!"
"She's ten years old. If she's picking up on ANYTHING, it's only what YOU'RE projecting onto her!" Linda countered. "You can make me out to be the bad guy all you want, but you know damn well I didn't want her involved in sports to begin with!"
"Are we gonna start this again? Why are you so against her being a kid?!"
"You just keep going with this 'good guy vs. bad guy' routine, okay Simon? That'll get you really far," Linda spat. "You act like she's so deprived, but she has a roof over her head, food to eat, clothes to wear – what else does she need?"
"She NEEDS structure!" Simon told her. "She NEEDS to be a part of something!"
"No, what she REALLY needs is to improve her grades and stop complaining to me every time she loses a game," Linda said coldly. "That's ANOTHER reason I didn't want her to play baseball. She's not any good, and every time she loses, I have to listen to her cry and whine! Do you have any idea how EXHAUSTING that is?!"
"I can't believe you'd even say something like that!" Simon scoffed, disgust evident in his voice. "You're her MOTHER, Linda!"
"Am I…? I guess I must've forgotten, ever since you grew a uterus!" Linda shot back. She then walked to the edge of the staircase and called upstairs, saying, "Wendy, get down here and wash up! It's time to eat!"
"C-Coming, Mama!" Wendy said, choking back tears…
"Wendy, someone's knocking on the door, dear!" Her Aunt Dahlia called from downstairs, snapping the Yellow Ranger out of her trance. "Would you go see who it is, please?"
"Yes, ma'am!" She called back down. She set down her book and climbed down from the windowsill, then made her way downstairs. Once there, she unlocked the front door and swung it open to reveal a familiar rabbit-themed robot. "Bugz?"
"Eh, what's up, doc?"
"What are you doing here...?"
"I'm checking up on you. Now lemme in, will ya?"
"Uhhhhhh, that's not really a good idea. My family doesn't know about the whole 'Ranger' thing, and they aren't really keen on robots…." Wendy said awkwardly. "Hold on, lemme think…."
"Wendy, who's at the door…?" Her Aunt called to her from the kitchen. "Well, who is it?"
"Uh, it's...Bianca!" She improvised. "We're in Art History together; we're gonna go shopping for a bit! I'll be back by nine!"
She stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind her. She then turned to Bugz and said, "Alright, what's up?"
"I just told you; I'm checking up on you. Don't be so dense!" Bugz chided. "Listen, I know you're gonna try and deny it, but I can tell what Griffin said back at the lab bothered you. I can also tell you're still upset about that simulation. I wanna know why."
"I don't wanna talk about it, okay?!" Wendy turned her back on Bugz, then hopped off the front porch before walking down the sidewalk. "Just drop it already!"
"I don't want to drop it; I'm your Buddy Droid, and I wanna help you!" Bugz caught up to her, then tugged at her sleeve before adding, "Just talk to me, Wendy. Please."
"...Fine." Wendy sighed. She turned to face Bugz, then continued with, "The reason I'm so upset is...shooting is my thing. Growing up, I...I wasn't very good at anything. My grades were bad, I didn't do very well in sports...other kids made fun of me, and it made me really sad. I was sad for a long time, but then Dad taught me how to shoot on our farm. And it took some time but after a while...I got good. Really good."
"And you felt like you'd found your talent?" Bugz guessed, and the two began to walk away from the house and towards a nearby playground. "The thing that you did better than anyone else?"
"Sort of, yeah," Wendy nodded, and a few moments later, they reached the playground. The Yellow Ranger sat on one of the swings, then folded her arms and cast her gaze downward. "And when Griffin and Kenny did better than me, it…."
"...I understand how you feel," Bugz said. "Comms are my thing, and if Cheetor and Apex started doing it and did it better, I'd probably feel the same way...that's not all I have to offer, though. The same goes for you,"
Wendy looked up and glanced over at Bugz. The Buddy Droid continued, "You may measure your value to this team based purely on your marksmanship, but there are a lot of other things about you that make you a good Ranger! You're passionate, you're stubborn, and you never back down from a fight! Sure, you have a bit of a temper, and you bicker with the other two sometimes, but you have yet to let them down!"
"That's not true, though! During that last fight, I let Kenny down by not taking that shot!"
"Maybe, but what was the first thing you did when the fight was over..?"
"I...rushed to check on Kenny and make sure he was okay,"
"Exactly. You may not always be the first to act, but you always check on your teammates when the battle's over," Bugz told her. "And while we're on the subject, that was one simulation. Griffin and Kenny might've done better than you that time, but I know you'll kick their butts next time!"
"Maybe...y'know, you just might be right!"
"I always am!" This earned a giggle from Wendy, but she stopped laughing when her morpher went off out of nowhere. "You'd better answer that,"
Wendy followed her advice, raising her morpher to her mouth before saying, "You rang?"
"Ranger Yellow, the Fire Attack Bot has returned and is attempting to steal more Energon!" Doctor K informed her via the comm-link. "Rangers Red and Blue have already engaged the enemy, but they won't be able to hold out long without you!"
"Roger that! Send me the coordinates, and I'll be on my way!" Wendy hung up, hopped up off the swing, and gestured to her Buddy Droid once the coordinates had been uploaded to her morpher. "C'mon Bugz, we've gotta motor!"
She then sped away, leaving Bugz struggling to keep up. "Hey, wait up…!"
"Yeehaw! I'm having a blast! How 'bout you, pardners?!" The Fire Attack Bot watched Griffin and Kenny struggle to dodge its flame attacks. It cackled in delight as the two slammed into a nearby fence, then added, "I hope yer not tuckered out already! Venjix is fixin' to kick this rodeo up a notch!"
Griffin and Kenny's morphers beeped the moment it said this, and they raised them just in time to see a countdown timer appear. It began counting down from three minutes, and the Red and Blue Rangers shared a look of dread.
"Not an Attack Zord!" Kenny lamented. "That's the last thing we need right now!"
"Tell me something I don't know…." Griffin muttered, and the two struggled up to their feet as the Fire Attack Bot aimed its cannon at them again.
"It's been fun, but it's time for mah big barbecue! Yer more than welcome to come – we'll need a main course!"
It launched a massive fireball at the two, and they raised their arms and prepared for the worst. However, they were saved at the last minute by Wendy, who burst into the area, grabbed them by the arms, and used her superagility to leap into the air and get them to safety.
"Woah…!" Kenny cried out as the trio landed back on the ground safely. He turned to Wendy, then exclaimed, "You saved us...!"
"Don't act so surprised! I wasn't about to fight this tin can without you idiots!" She replied. She brandished her morpher, then said, "Now c'mon! It's Morphin' Time!"
"Install: CPU!"
"Climax Jumper! CPU Yellow!"
"Limit Breaker! CPU Red!"
"Shield Buster! CPU Blue!"
"Covertly protecting the universe from evil!" They struck their usual pose, with Wendy as the centerpiece. "Power Rangers: CPU!"
"Let's go!" Griffin hollered, motioning to the other two as he dashed ahead. His teammates rushed to join him, and together they charged towards the Fire Attack Bot. The Red Ranger punched the Attack Bot in the stomach, then whipped around to get behind it and karate-chopped it in the spine. Kenny shoved it backward, then slammed his superstrength-charged forearm into the ground. Concrete shrapnel flew up and embedded itself in its armor, and it growled in pain as Wendy ran up and shot it with her blaster.
"Ow! Y'all are gonna pay for that!" It aimed its cannon at the Rangers, then shot a wave of flame at them. Wendy leaped backward just in time to avoid the attack, but Griffin and Kenny weren't so lucky. They recoiled and panicked as the flames licked at their heels, and the Fire Attack Bot seized the opportunity by grabbing them both and holding them hostage. "Hahahaha! Looks like I've got both yer pardners this time, Yellow! What'll ya do now?!"
"Don't worry about us, Wendy!" Kenny told her. He grunted in pain as the Attack Bot squeezed him but managed to add, "We'll be okay!"
"Just take the shot!" Griffin commanded. "We both trust you – you won't miss!"
Wendy closed her eyes inside her helmet, then took a cleansing breath. She slapped her Transpod and summoned her saber, which she combined with her blaster to form her SpyTech Sniper. She weighed the weapon in her hands, and her mind cast itself back to a time long ago…
"Okay, steady...watch out for the recoil, you don't wanna hurt yourself like last time...NOW!" Wendy's father hollered, prompting a twelve-year-old Wendy to flick the safety of the pistol she was holding and fire a round at the target downrange. She managed to down it in one shot, and he shouted, "ALLLLLLRIGHT! See, I told you you'd hit it! Just took a little bit of practice!"
Wendy carefully re-engaged the safety, then unloaded the pistol and set it and its magazine down on a log. She then turned to her father and crushed him in a giant hug. "I couldn't have done it without you, Papa!"
"What do ya say, Yellow…? Will ya leave yer pardners to die...or die with 'em?!"
"I choose neither!" Wendy hollered in defiance. She twisted the dial on her weapon's barrel, then tightened her grip on it as her final attack began to charge. "You're going down, you worthless pile of scrap!"
"Yer the one headed for the scrapheap, missy!" The Fire Attack Bot aimed its cannon at her, charging up a massive fireball that glowed red hot. The Yellow Ranger stood her ground, unwavering even in the face of certain doom.
"...DRAW!" The two foes shouted in unison after a tense pause. The Attack Bot launched its fireball just as Wendy raised her blaster and fired. The two projectiles hurtled through the air, then eventually met halfway. The fireball engulfed the energy blast and threatened to devour it. Still, by some miracle, the latter managed to win the struggle. The fireball faded into a cloud of smoke, and the blast soared towards the Fire Attack Bot and pierced its midsection.
"SpyTech Sniper: Scope...SALVO!" Wendy declared, spinning her blaster with her trigger finger before pretending to blow out the barrel.
"Noooooooo!" The Fire Attack Bot screeched in agony. It released its grip on Griffin and Kenny, then shoved the two aside before falling to its knees. "This isn't how this rodeo was supposed ta end!"
It then exploded, sending debris flying in all directions. Griffin and Kenny pulled themselves up to their feet, then rushed over to Wendy.
"You did it!" Kenny exclaimed, reaching out for a high-five. "Good job!"
"Thanks, Ken," Wendy replied, high-fiving her blue teammate. "I really appreciate it."
"Hey, I...I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier..." Griffin apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I was a little too harsh..."
"No, it's okay," Wendy said, shaking her head. "I needed to hear it."
"I knew you'd beat him," He told her, changing the subject. "You're the best draw in Starview Heights!"
"Try anywhere," She said with a laugh. However, their celebration was cut short when their morphers beeped, and they were suddenly reminded of the countdown.
"I don't mean to alarm you, Rangers, but that Attack Zord will be here in less than ten seconds!" Doctor K said over the comm-link.
"Okay, so whose turn is it to clean house?" Griffin asked, speaking into his morpher. "Mine, or Kenny's?"
"Actually, neither," Doctor K replied. "I've finally worked out the issue I was having with the Rabbit Chopper Zord. I'll be downmorphing it as soon as I finish some last-minute preparations. Ranger Yellow and Bugz, prepare for Zord combat!"
"You got it, Doc!"
"Roger rabbit!" Bugz added, following Wendy as she ran over to the nearby street. Thunder crackled above them, and green light coalesced in the sky to form a massive portal.
0:05…
0:04…
0:03…
0:02…
0:01…
A massive, thin robot fell from the portal and slammed onto the ground below, causing it to rumble and shake beneath its feet. Orange, flame-like spikes sat on its shoulders like pauldrons, and a bizarre facsimile of the Fire Attack Bot's flame cannon protruded from its midsection. It let out a roar, then shot a burst of flame from its gut. The fire hit an abandoned building, sending bits of debris falling off and tumbling onto the street below. Civilians tripped over themselves as they clamored to get away, and Wendy and the others looked on in horror.
"I don't wanna hound you, Doc, but I could really use that Zord!" The Yellow Ranger spoke into her morpher.
"Just a couple more seconds, Ranger Yellow! Just a few...more...calibrations!" Doctor K typed furiously at her keyboard, then slammed her hand on a red button on the table and added, "Done! Downmorphing Rabbit Chopper now!"
Wendy glanced over her shoulder at a building behind her as it tilted downwards to reveal a hollow tunnel. A gigantic yellow rabbit-themed helicopter burst through its opening, and she and Bugz leaped onto it as it flew past. They boarded it as it began its ascent. The Yellow Ranger took a few seconds to familiarize herself with the cockpit as Bugz converted herself into a control console.
"Recognized: Bugz, B-04, Wendy, B-07" An electronic voice echoed over the speaker system, and Wendy gripped the control sticks formed from Bugz's ears tightly. "Initializing: Rabbit Chopper Pilot Program"
"Okay, Bugz, let's show 'em what we can do!" Wendy hollered.
"Roger rabbit!" Bugz replied.
Wendy willed the Zord forward, and they flew towards the abandoned building that had been set on fire. The Yellow Ranger used her control sticks and maneuvered the craft so that it hovered over the building. She then opened a hatch on the back of the Zord, pouring a mass of water onto the fire to put it out and prevent it from spreading. As she closed the hatch back up and flew away from the wrecked structure, the Fire Attack Zord lumbered towards a nearby Energon MegaTank.
"Not so fast!" Wendy shouted. She pulled the triggers on Bugz's ears, firing a barrage of bullets from her Zord's twin turrets. The Fire Attack Zord retaliated by launching a wave of fire in her direction, and she veered her Zord to the left to avoid it. "Woah..!"
"Ranger Yellow, you won't be able to out-maneuver that fire forever!" Doctor K informed as a live feed of her in the lab popped up on the cockpit's holoscreen. "Type the passcode '072489' into your console's keypad, and switch to Beast Mode to finish the job!"
"Right on, Doc!" The live feed fizzled out, and Wendy keyed in the code as instructed. The Rabbit Chopper descended down to street level, then converted itself into a massive robotic rabbit.
"Rabbit Chopper Beast Mode: Online," The electronic voice within the cockpit named the new form, and Wendy readjusted her grip on the controls.
"Let's end this!"
The Rabbit Chopper dashed down the street towards the Fire Attack Zord, then vaulted into the air. Wendy twisted the dial on her morpher, then gripped the controls again as her arms glowed green with energy.
"Rabbit Chopper: Foot-FRENZY!" She declared, and the Rabbit Chopper delivered a flurry of Energon-charged kicks to the Fire Attack Zord. The enemy Zord gurgled and sputtered as it endured the assault, then groaned as its armor began to spark. It fell sideways onto the street below, then exploded. Wendy hopped up out of her seat and pumped her fists in excitement. "Yeah! I did it!"
"Knew you could," Bugz congratulated, and Griffin and Kenny took off their helmets and celebrated from below.
"Rangers Red and Blue, can you confirm a lack of Venjix activity at the site?"
"Affirmative," Griffin replied via his morpher. "Shutdown: COMPLETE!"
"Well, that was…interesting," Control remarked, resisting the urge to scowl as he watched the Rangers celebrate their victory on his laptop. He made for the door, then stopped in the doorway and turned to Delete. "You made a valiant effort, brother, but you may wanna try a little harder next time,"
Delete shook his head and sighed in defeat, then turned from the laptop and got up to leave. Alt stood from her own chair and turned to follow her brothers. "You did better than I anticipated. It'll be my turn, next."
"For your sake, I hope your Attack Bot will be better than Delete's," Control told her, and the trio of siblings left the room to continue their schemes…
– POWER RANGERS: CPU –
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