Categories > TV > Power Rangers > Power Rangers: CPU
Episode 5: On A Rail
"Recognized: Griffin, B-05, Kenshin, B-06, Wendy, B-07," An electronic voice echoed through the lab as the Rangers stepped inside. They made their way through the rat's nest of computers, cables, and wires then stopped in front of Doctor K's desk.
"You wanted to see us, Doc?" Griffin asked with his hands in his pockets. "What kind of training sim do you have for us today?"
"No training exercises today, Ranger Red," Doctor K replied without even looking up from her computer screen. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a clasp envelope, which she set down on the table in front of her. She slid it closer to the Rangers, then added, "I've called you here for a mission."
The Rangers shared a look, and Griffin picked up the envelope and opened it up…
"...and you're sure this'll work?" Delete asked Alt as she knelt down in front of a broken-down cargo train cab.
"Oh, it'll work…." Alt replied with a hint of arrogance in her voice. She pulled out a cable, plugged one end of it into her tablet, then plugged the other end into a small canister of Energon. She then produced a strange metal card, which she swiped on some sort of card reader on the tablet before attaching it to the train car. The cab glowed green with energy, then shifted and whirred as it converted into a silver, train-themed robot.
"Train Attack Bot, reporting for duty, ma'am!" The newborn Attack Bot said with a salute. "Attack Bot Express, all aboarrrrrrrrrrd!"
It then tore out of the room, 'choo-choo'-ing and gyrating its arms back and forth as it ran out of the warehouse.
"I hate to say this, sister, but I seriously doubt the validity of this plan…." Control said incredulously.
"It's not often that I agree with our brother, but I must concur," Delete echoed.
"Doubt my methods if you'd like," Alt replied, shrugging off their criticism. "It's the results that matter, and in the end, you'll both wish you'd thought of this plan yourselves..."
"Attention all passengers: we are now boarding the train. Please have your tickets ready as you board in an orderly fashion!" A female voice announced over an intercom as a bustling crowd gathered around a large train platform. "I repeat, we are now boarding the train. Please have your tickets ready as you board in an orderly fashion!"
The crowd began to board per her instructions; Griffin and Wendy were among them. They had exchanged their usual attire for fancier clothes; Griffin wore a white dress shirt with a red tie, black suspenders, black dress pants, and matching shoes. In contrast, Wendy wore a yellow sundress with a sizeable white sunhat and white-framed sunglasses.
Together, the two stopped by the luggage car, where they struggled to hoist a suspiciously heavy suitcase up into it. They then boarded the train, as more people loaded their luggage and did the same. A few minutes later, the doors slid shut, and the engine hissed steam as it came to life.
Alright, we're in, Griffin thought to himself. He fidgeted with his ticket as he sat down across from Wendy, then looked around to make sure no one was watching. He subtly raised his right arm to his chest and whispered into his morpher. "Kenny, are you green to go?"
Inside the luggage car, the heavy suitcase Griffin and Wendy had loaded onto the train shook and rolled, almost as if something or someone was inside of it. After a few moments, Kenny burst out of the luggage, hobbled up to his feet, and grimaced.
"Rog'," He replied. "That hurt like hell, though. Wendy should've been the stowaway, instead."
"Was that a crack at my height?! I oughta kick your ass!" Wendy hissed into her own morpher. Griffin stifled a laugh, then looked up at one of the train's internal speakers as the woman from before addressed the passengers.
"Attention all passengers: we are now departing the station. Unless you are using the restroom, we ask that you please remain seated for the duration of the trip! I repeat: we are now departing. Please remain seated unless you need to use the restroom!"
So far, so good… Griffin thought to himself, and the train took off and left the station. As the sounds of the engine hissing steam and the axles and wheels chugging along filled his ears, he cast his mind back to earlier that morning…
"District 2's Energon Plant produced a surplus over the weekend, and they've decided to transfer some of the excess off-site and spread it amongst other facilities." Doctor K had explained. "The city's caught onto the various Energon robberies that have been committed, so they're attempting to hide it in plain sight by stowing it aboard a passenger train. I have no doubt Venjix will attempt to siege the train and steal the shipment, so I want you three to protect it."
"Rangers Red and Yellow, you'll board the train under false aliases and look for any signs of Venjix activity. Ranger Blue, you'll stow away in their luggage and sneak through every car until you discover where they're keeping the Energon."
"This mission must be conducted as COVERTLY as possible; you mustn't be discovered," Doctor K told them. "Understood?"
"Understood," Griffin said with a nod. Kenny and Wendy hummed in agreement as he added, "You can count on us, Doc."
He flipped the ticket over a few more times, absorbing all of the fake information that Doctor K had put on it to avoid suspicion. He pulled out his wallet and slipped the ticket inside, then went to clasp it shut. However, a photo strip in one of the pockets caught his eye. He carefully removed it and examined it with a wistful expression.
The photo strip contained pictures of two people. One of them was a younger Griffin, who appeared no older than sixteen. The second person was a girl about the same age with baby blue eyes, freckles, and curly, dark blonde hair that went down to her shoulders.
"Who's that…?" Wendy asked, pointing to the girl in the pictures. The Red Ranger stuffed the photo strip in his wallet, then shoved it in his back pocket.
"Nobody..." He averted her gaze, and his eyes clouded with an emotion she was unable to read. A few moments later, he looked back up at her and attempted to change the subject by saying, "So, uh, is this your first time on a train?"
"Yeah, it is, actually. I always wanted to go on one growing up, but Dad could never afford it," She replied. "What about you?"
"I've been on a few. Actually, in my Senior year of high school, my family and I all went on this big train trip for my Grandpa's 65th birthday," He told her. "I had like, no elbow room, but it was still pretty fun."
"I take it you have a big family?"
"I have six younger siblings, and we have four cousins." He chuckled a little bit, then added, "We actually filled up an entire car with just us grandkids,"
"Oh, wow," The conversation seemed to die down, and Griffin reached into his laptop bag and pulled out a manga. He began reading, and Wendy inserted wireless earbuds in her ears and synced them to her phone to listen to country music.
Back in the luggage car, Kenny had spent several minutes combing its interior for signs of the Energon shipment. He double and triple-checked, then crept over to the door to the next car once he was sure it wasn't there.
"Man, my back is KILLING me…." He muttered, grimacing in pain. He grabbed ahold of the pressurized door handle, then opened the door as quietly as possible. He stepped outside and went to open the door to the second luggage car, only to stop as a strange sound echoed from nearby. "Is that...another train?"
The noise got louder, and Kenny made out what sounded like a voice making train noises. He scrunched up his nose, then poked his head out from between the two cars. He spotted the Train Attack Bot, which was flanking the train from the east.
"Crap, this is bad!" He fumbled with the door to the second luggage car, diving inside and slamming it shut behind him the moment he got it open. He took a series of shallow breaths, then raised his morpher to his face and spoke into it. "Guys, come in! We've got trouble!"
Griffin sat up straight and set down his manga, then tapped Wendy on the shoulder to get her attention. She removed her earbuds, and he gestured to his morpher and said, "Ken's spotted an Attack Bot!"
Her eyes widened, and she raised her own morpher before speaking into it. "Kenny, what's the ETA?"
"RIGHT NOW!" The entire train shook, and a thud echoed from outside as something struck the roof. Everyone in Griffin and Wendy's car snapped to attention as a large hatch on the top was flung open, and the Train Attack Bot burst through it.
"Hey, everybody!" The other passengers screamed as they registered what was happening and panicked. While everyone tripped over eachother trying to escape, the Attack Bot added, "You wouldn't happen to know where I can find some Energon, would you?"
"Everybody out of the car!" Griffin hollered, hopping out of his seat to corral his fellow passengers. "We've gotta warn the rest of the train!"
Together, he and Wendy herded the others through the door to the other passenger car. With the passengers safe and the coast clear, they whipped out their morphers and strapped them to their wrists.
"Wait a sec, you're those Power Rangers I've heard about!" The Train Attack Bot realized. It let out a bit of a chuckle, then added, "I've been looking forward to this! The pain train's about to pull into the station!"
"You're damn right it is, pal! And we're the conductors!" Wendy retorted. She turned to Griffin, then added, "You ready?!"
He nodded, and together they turned and pressed their morphers' dials and buttons. "Install: CPU!"
Within moments, the Red and Yellow Rangers had donned their Ranger suits. The Train Attack Bot thrust out its hands, and binary code ebbed from its fingertips. The green ones and zeroes coalesced into a squadron of Xanadroids. The bigger robot wasted no time in giving orders.
"ATTACK!"
The robotic henchmen drew their weapons and rushed towards Griffin and Wendy, who drew their own weapons and dashed to meet them in combat. The two sides then collided, and the entire car was plunged into chaos…
Meanwhile, Kenny had continued his search for the Energon Storage Device in the second luggage car. He frantically tore the interior apart, opening bags, unzipping suitcases, and breaking safes in an attempt to locate the cargo.
"C'mon, where is it…?!" It soon became apparent that his query wasn't in the second car, so he stomped over to the door to the third and flung it open. He then burst through the opening and began his search anew. "It's GOTTA be here somewhere!"
Back in the passenger car, Griffin and Wendy had just finished off the Xanadroids. The duo regrouped, then moved to eliminate the Train Attack Bot. Griffin swung at it with his SpyTech Analyzer, and Wendy shot at it with her SpyTech Aperture. Still, it dodged most of their attacks before retaliating with some of its own. It raised its arms, then pumped them up and down before aiming them at its foes and clenching its fists. Railway spikes flew out of both its arms and Griffin and Wendy were forced to avoid them using their respective superpowers. It followed up with a second volley, then a third, then a fourth. By the time it launched its fifth assault, the two were out of breath.
"It's been fun, Rangers, but I'm actually here on business!" The Train Attack Bot made for the exit, and Griffin supersped over in an attempt to cut it off. However, it struck the Red Ranger with its left forearm, knocking him into a wall and off his feet. "Your tickets have expired, Red and Yellow! This train's leaving you behind!"
It then burst out of the rear passenger car, but not before pressing its palm to the door and zapping it with electricity. Griffin punched the floor, then pulled himself back up to his feet and muttered, "Dangit, it blew right past me!"
Wendy ran to her teammate's aid, then raised her morpher and tapped into the comm-link. "Kenny, this is Wendy! Did you find the Energon yet?!"
"As a matter of fact, I did!" Kenny replied, pulling a floor panel loose to reveal a secret compartment containing the Energon storage device. He reached down to retrieve it, only to stop once he heard something banging against the car door. "Looks like the Attack Bot did, too!"
"We tried to cut it off, but it got away!" Griffin informed. "We're on our way to help; just try and hold it off in the meantime!"
With that, he turned to follow the runaway Attack Bot, only to fumble with the door handle. He pulled it repeatedly, but the door wouldn't budge, much to his confusion. He yanked at it some more and even beat on it, but his efforts were futile.
"It jammed the door…." He realized. He looked up at the ceiling, then glanced over at Wendy. "The top hatch! It's the only way!"
A series of screams echoed from the other passenger cars, and the two looked up in immediate realization. Griffin rushed over to Wendy, then told her, "Go and help Ken! I'll take care of the clankers!"
Wendy nodded, then vaulted into the air, thrust open the top hatch, and pulled herself onto the roof. Griffin dashed through the front door, then made his way into the other passenger cars...
"I gotta...get this thing...outta here!" Kenny struggled to lift the Energon storage device up out of its compartment, to no avail. No matter how hard he tugged on it, it didn't seem to budge; it appeared to be bolted down. He let out a sigh, then glanced over his shoulder as the Train Attack Bot continued to slam into the door. "Looks like I'm outta time…."
With that, he stood to his feet and turned his full attention to the door. He brandished his morpher, then twisted its dial and pressed its button. He raised it to his face, then pressed the button again and shouted, "Install: CPU!"
He morphed into his Ranger form, then stood his ground as the Train Attack Bot broke through the door. He grabbed the Attack Bot's arms as it lunged towards him, then held it back with all his might.
"If you want the Energon...you'll have…to go…through me!" Kenny said through grit teeth.
"You say that like it'll be a challenge!" The Train Attack Bot sneered, shoving him. The Blue Ranger staggered backward but managed to retain his balance. He summoned both of his weapons, gripping them in either hand as he rushed his foe. Lasers pelted off its armor, and its body sparked as Kenny shot and slashed it, but it remained unfazed.
"Is that the best you can do?!" It taunted, kicking the Blue Ranger in the sternum. Kenny yelped in fright as he flew into the wall but got back up a few moments later.
"I'm just getting STARTED!" He roared in defiance, his visor and biceps glowing green as he charged up his superstrength…
Wendy crept across the roofs of the cars, doing her best to maintain her footing as they bounced along the tracks. Xanadroids teleported in and began firing at her with their blasters, forcing her to halt her advance. She ducked, weaved, and sidestepped her way out of the incoming fire, then returned fire with her own blaster. Most of the robots were killed, and she vaulted over to the survivor and punt-kicked it off the train.
While Wendy continued her rooftop trek, Griffin focused his efforts on traversing the train's interior. He supersped through the passenger cars, slashing away at Xanadroid after Xanadroid and liberating the civilians one by one.
As he neared the end of the last car, the surviving Xanadroids regrouped and formed a blockade by the front door. They aimed their blasters at him and fired, forcing him to duck into a slide to avoid the wall of incoming projectiles. He slashed upward at his attackers, and their armor sparked and crackled as they toppled over and then exploded.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" A man in a business suit exclaimed, hopping up out of the seat he'd just been cowering in a moment before. He slapped the Red Ranger on the back, then held his out for a high five. "That was awesome! Thanks for saving everyone, Red Ranger!"
"Uh..y-yeah, no problem, man," Griffin replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his helmet. "Just doing what I can to-"
"DAMMIT! What the hell is going on?!" A gruff voice shouted from inside the control car. Griffin tilted his head, then turned, opened the door, and stepped inside. There, he saw the conductor, who swore under his breath as he fiddled with the controls. "This damned thing...I can't believe it!"
"What's wrong…?" The Red Ranger asked, startling the conductor somewhat. "Are the controls not working or something?"
"No, they're not! They're going haywire, in fact!" The conductor continued to fumble with the malfunctioning controls, and he quickly added, "We're going twice as fast as we're supposed to be going right now!"
"That's...definitely a problem,"
"Yeah, I'll say…." The conductor turned to look at him, then let out an amused snort. "What do you know, I've been talking to a Power Ranger this whole time and didn't even realize it! Tell me, how uncomfortable is that leather?"
"It is NOT leather! It's a self-assembling nano-fiber!" Doctor K screeched, her voice echoing from Griffin's morpher.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," The conductor scratched his chin, then said, "All jokes aside, kid, I appreciate everything you're doing for the city. Hell, my grandson's probably your biggest fan. Maybe if we get outta this, you could sign something for him?"
"Y-Yeah, that'd be-" Before Griffin could finish his sentence, a massive explosion erupted from somewhere nearby. He and the conductor frantically scanned the horizon. Then they spotted it – something or someone had just blown up a nearby bridge – the bridge the train was heading straight towards! "-great…."
"Oh, NO!" The conductor's face fell, and he went right back to fumbling with the controls. He yanked at the emergency brake, but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried. "...It's no good! I don't know what the hell's going on!"
"...The Attack Bot!" Griffin realized. "It sabotaged the train and blew the bridge – it's creating a diversion so it can get away with the Energon!"
"Clever bastard...this is why I hate technology!"
"Doc, we're barreling towards the edge of a cliff, and I don't wanna find out what it's like at the bottom!" Griffin spoke into his morpher. "How do we stop the train?!"
"Lemme think...if the controls and emergency brake aren't working, there's only one way," Doctor K replied. The sound of her typing on her keyboard echoed over the comm-link, and she soon added, "I'll downmorph the Gorilla Hauler to your position! Apex should be able to use its Beast Mode to stop the train from progressing."
"Worth a shot, I guess!" Griffin lowered his morpher, then patted the conductor on the shoulder. "Don't worry, help's on the way!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Kenny roared as he lunged towards the Train Attack Bot, spearing it into the side of the luggage car. He staggered when his foe retaliated with a swift left hook but maintained his footing long enough to knee the robot in the sternum. He ducked to avoid another swing, then hopped to his feet, scooped up his opponent, and threw him across the car like a dart.
"Impressive...but not impressive enough!" The Train Attack Bot pumped its arms, thrust its hands forward, and launched a volley of railway spikes at the Blue Ranger. Kenny grunted in pain as the spikes struck his suit, knocking him back and pinning him to the wall. His enemy cackled as he struggled to free himself, then pumped its arms again to load more spikes. "Say goodbye, Blue!"
"Not if I can help it!" Wendy hollered, having flipped the hatch on the top of the car opened. The Yellow Ranger dropped down, shot the robot three times in the face, then kicked it in the chest. As it staggered backward, she summoned her saber in her free hand and used it to cut her Blue counterpart free. "You good?"
"Yeah! You?" He brushed some dust off the sleeves of his suit, then summoned his own saber and added, "Let's finish this!"
"Here it comes…!" The conductor watched in horror as the train rolled closer and closer to the ruined bridge. As they inched further and further towards their doom, he squeezed his eyes shut and buried his head in his hands. "I can't watch…!"
Griffin grabbed the back of the conductor's seat and braced himself but perked up a few moments later when the rumbling of an engine echoed from nearby. The Gorilla Hauler sped towards the ruined bridge, converted into Beast Mode, and dug in its heels.
"H-Here goes n-nothing…!" Apex's voice echoed from Griffin's morpher. The moment the train was in range, the Gorilla Hauler gripped the bottom of the control car and lifted up. It held the runaway locomotive back with all its might, narrowly saving its passengers from certain death. "I...I d-did it!"
"Good work!" Griffin told him over the comm-link. He sighed in relief, then muttered, "Man, that was close..."
"You're going down!" Wendy hollered, combining her saber with her blaster to form her SpyTech Sniper. She aimed it at the Train Attack Bot, then twisted the barrel's dial to activate her finisher. Beside her, Kenny pressed the button on the hilt of his saber, triggering his own finisher.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" The Attack Bot pumped its arms three times in rapid succession, then aimed them at the duo of Rangers as his palms glowed bright red. "End of the line, Rangers!"
It then thrust its hands forward, launching a gigantic volley of railway spikes at its foes. Kenny and Wendy responded in kind, slashing/shooting at him with their respective weapons once their finishers had charged up.
"SpyTech Analyzer: Stakeout SLASH!"
"SpyTech Sniper: Scope SALVO!"
As the railway spikes hurtled through the air, Kenny's energy wave cut through the projectiles, destroying most of them as it flew towards its actual target. The robot grunted in pain as the attack cut through its chest, then watched as Wendy's energy blast barreled towards it. "Noooooo...!"
A small explosion rocked the Attack Bot, who was sent flying out the side of the train car. Its stray railway spikes whistled as they struck the wall behind Kenny and Wendy, and the Blue and Yellow Rangers relaxed their muscles as their victory began to set in.
"This is Red! Come in, Blue and Yellow!" Kenny and Wendy raised their morphers, and Griffin continued, "Gimme a sit-rep on the Train Attack Bot!"
"Train Attack Bot is offline, and the Energon is secure, Red," Wendy replied. "What about you? Did you save the civilians?"
"Affirmative! Apex saved everyone's skins, too; we almost went off a cliff, but he came through at the last minute with the Gorilla Hauler!"
"Way to go, buddy!" Kenny cheered, congratulating his Buddy Droid over the comm-link. A familiar beep sounded from his and Wendy's morphers, and they looked down in horror as a countdown timer appeared on their dials. "Aw crap, we've got an inbound Attack Zord! ETA: ten seconds!"
"That fast?!" Wendy exclaimed.
"Doc, Zords! Now!" Griffin urged.
"Downmorphing Cheetah Chaser and Rabbit Chopper Zords now!" Doctor K shouted into her earpiece. She turned to Cheetor and Bugz, then added, "Move out!"
Griffin watched from the control car as a portal opened up in the sky and deployed the Train Attack Zord. It let out a roar once its feet touched the ground, then howled at the clouds as two smaller robots burst from its back. They looked like giant, armored versions of the Xanadroids, with their emotionless silver faces obscured by translucent yellow visors. They drew their weapons, then followed the Train Attack Zord as it stomped towards the train.
"I don't think so!" Cheetor hollered as the Cheetah Chaser sped into the area and fired its machine guns at the trio.
"Not so fast, clankers!" Bugz echoed. The Rabbit Chopper flew into the area, then fired a volley of missiles that rocked the Train Attack Zord and its XanaZord companions.
"Looks like this is my stop," Griffin patted the conductor on the back, then ran out of the control car and sprinted towards his Zord. The conductor watched as he boarded it, then used the now-functional train controls to shut off the engines. The Gorilla Hauler set the locomotive back down, then circled around to the caboose so that Kenny could board it. Wendy watched her Blue teammate leave, then vaulted into the air and boarded her own Zord.
"Recognized: Griffin, B-05, Kenshin, B-06, Wendy, B-07" The electronic voice echoed from all three cockpits as the Rangers took their seats. Griffin and Wendy wasted no time, converting their Zords to Warrior and Beast Mode, respectively. They joined Kenny, and together the three moved to challenge the Train Attack Zord and its XanaZords.
"Let's go!" Griffin ordered. The Cheetah Chaser drew its sword, then used it to deflect a volley of railway spikes the Train Attack Zord launched at it. It gripped the weapon tightly as it tore towards the enemy Zord and launched a counterattack.
"Bringing the pain!" Kenny willed the Gorilla Hauler forward. It braved a burst from one of the XanaZords' machine guns, then retaliated by firing a volley of missiles at it.
"Eat scrap, clanker!" Wendy snarled. The Rabbit Chopper bounded toward the second XanaZord, then leaped into the air and delivered a flying kick to its target.
"Rangers, I'm afraid I lack the Energon required to power all three Zords any longer!" Doctor K informed them. "It's now or never!"
"You heard her! Time to finish the job!" Griffin twisted the dial on his morpher, then let out a battle cry as his arms and visor glowed green with energy. "Cheetah Chaser: Claw-CLASH!"
"Gorilla Hauler: Fist-FURY!"
"Rabbit Chopper: Foot-FRENZY!"
The Zords executed their finishing attacks in unison. The Cheetah Chaser delivered a diagonal slash to the Train Attack Zord's chest; the Gorilla Hauler lifted its fists and brought them both crashing down on the first XanaZord. The Rabbit Chopper caught the second XanaZord with another flying kick. The trio of enemy Zords sparked uncontrollably, then fell to their knees and exploded.
"Shutdown: COMPLETE!" Griffin declared, removing his helmet and pumping his fist in triumph.
"Noooooo...!" Alt screeched, pounding her fist on the table as she watched the battle from her tablet.
"Annnnnnd, the Rangers win...again," Delete folded his arms and shook his head. "Father won't be happy…."
"Monsieur Venjix has requested our presence," Control gestured to a message on his laptop, then rose from his chair and motioned to the other two. "Time to face the music..."
– POWER RANGERS: CPU –
"Recognized: Griffin, B-05, Kenshin, B-06, Wendy, B-07," An electronic voice echoed through the lab as the Rangers stepped inside. They made their way through the rat's nest of computers, cables, and wires then stopped in front of Doctor K's desk.
"You wanted to see us, Doc?" Griffin asked with his hands in his pockets. "What kind of training sim do you have for us today?"
"No training exercises today, Ranger Red," Doctor K replied without even looking up from her computer screen. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a clasp envelope, which she set down on the table in front of her. She slid it closer to the Rangers, then added, "I've called you here for a mission."
The Rangers shared a look, and Griffin picked up the envelope and opened it up…
"...and you're sure this'll work?" Delete asked Alt as she knelt down in front of a broken-down cargo train cab.
"Oh, it'll work…." Alt replied with a hint of arrogance in her voice. She pulled out a cable, plugged one end of it into her tablet, then plugged the other end into a small canister of Energon. She then produced a strange metal card, which she swiped on some sort of card reader on the tablet before attaching it to the train car. The cab glowed green with energy, then shifted and whirred as it converted into a silver, train-themed robot.
"Train Attack Bot, reporting for duty, ma'am!" The newborn Attack Bot said with a salute. "Attack Bot Express, all aboarrrrrrrrrrd!"
It then tore out of the room, 'choo-choo'-ing and gyrating its arms back and forth as it ran out of the warehouse.
"I hate to say this, sister, but I seriously doubt the validity of this plan…." Control said incredulously.
"It's not often that I agree with our brother, but I must concur," Delete echoed.
"Doubt my methods if you'd like," Alt replied, shrugging off their criticism. "It's the results that matter, and in the end, you'll both wish you'd thought of this plan yourselves..."
"Attention all passengers: we are now boarding the train. Please have your tickets ready as you board in an orderly fashion!" A female voice announced over an intercom as a bustling crowd gathered around a large train platform. "I repeat, we are now boarding the train. Please have your tickets ready as you board in an orderly fashion!"
The crowd began to board per her instructions; Griffin and Wendy were among them. They had exchanged their usual attire for fancier clothes; Griffin wore a white dress shirt with a red tie, black suspenders, black dress pants, and matching shoes. In contrast, Wendy wore a yellow sundress with a sizeable white sunhat and white-framed sunglasses.
Together, the two stopped by the luggage car, where they struggled to hoist a suspiciously heavy suitcase up into it. They then boarded the train, as more people loaded their luggage and did the same. A few minutes later, the doors slid shut, and the engine hissed steam as it came to life.
Alright, we're in, Griffin thought to himself. He fidgeted with his ticket as he sat down across from Wendy, then looked around to make sure no one was watching. He subtly raised his right arm to his chest and whispered into his morpher. "Kenny, are you green to go?"
Inside the luggage car, the heavy suitcase Griffin and Wendy had loaded onto the train shook and rolled, almost as if something or someone was inside of it. After a few moments, Kenny burst out of the luggage, hobbled up to his feet, and grimaced.
"Rog'," He replied. "That hurt like hell, though. Wendy should've been the stowaway, instead."
"Was that a crack at my height?! I oughta kick your ass!" Wendy hissed into her own morpher. Griffin stifled a laugh, then looked up at one of the train's internal speakers as the woman from before addressed the passengers.
"Attention all passengers: we are now departing the station. Unless you are using the restroom, we ask that you please remain seated for the duration of the trip! I repeat: we are now departing. Please remain seated unless you need to use the restroom!"
So far, so good… Griffin thought to himself, and the train took off and left the station. As the sounds of the engine hissing steam and the axles and wheels chugging along filled his ears, he cast his mind back to earlier that morning…
"District 2's Energon Plant produced a surplus over the weekend, and they've decided to transfer some of the excess off-site and spread it amongst other facilities." Doctor K had explained. "The city's caught onto the various Energon robberies that have been committed, so they're attempting to hide it in plain sight by stowing it aboard a passenger train. I have no doubt Venjix will attempt to siege the train and steal the shipment, so I want you three to protect it."
"Rangers Red and Yellow, you'll board the train under false aliases and look for any signs of Venjix activity. Ranger Blue, you'll stow away in their luggage and sneak through every car until you discover where they're keeping the Energon."
"This mission must be conducted as COVERTLY as possible; you mustn't be discovered," Doctor K told them. "Understood?"
"Understood," Griffin said with a nod. Kenny and Wendy hummed in agreement as he added, "You can count on us, Doc."
He flipped the ticket over a few more times, absorbing all of the fake information that Doctor K had put on it to avoid suspicion. He pulled out his wallet and slipped the ticket inside, then went to clasp it shut. However, a photo strip in one of the pockets caught his eye. He carefully removed it and examined it with a wistful expression.
The photo strip contained pictures of two people. One of them was a younger Griffin, who appeared no older than sixteen. The second person was a girl about the same age with baby blue eyes, freckles, and curly, dark blonde hair that went down to her shoulders.
"Who's that…?" Wendy asked, pointing to the girl in the pictures. The Red Ranger stuffed the photo strip in his wallet, then shoved it in his back pocket.
"Nobody..." He averted her gaze, and his eyes clouded with an emotion she was unable to read. A few moments later, he looked back up at her and attempted to change the subject by saying, "So, uh, is this your first time on a train?"
"Yeah, it is, actually. I always wanted to go on one growing up, but Dad could never afford it," She replied. "What about you?"
"I've been on a few. Actually, in my Senior year of high school, my family and I all went on this big train trip for my Grandpa's 65th birthday," He told her. "I had like, no elbow room, but it was still pretty fun."
"I take it you have a big family?"
"I have six younger siblings, and we have four cousins." He chuckled a little bit, then added, "We actually filled up an entire car with just us grandkids,"
"Oh, wow," The conversation seemed to die down, and Griffin reached into his laptop bag and pulled out a manga. He began reading, and Wendy inserted wireless earbuds in her ears and synced them to her phone to listen to country music.
Back in the luggage car, Kenny had spent several minutes combing its interior for signs of the Energon shipment. He double and triple-checked, then crept over to the door to the next car once he was sure it wasn't there.
"Man, my back is KILLING me…." He muttered, grimacing in pain. He grabbed ahold of the pressurized door handle, then opened the door as quietly as possible. He stepped outside and went to open the door to the second luggage car, only to stop as a strange sound echoed from nearby. "Is that...another train?"
The noise got louder, and Kenny made out what sounded like a voice making train noises. He scrunched up his nose, then poked his head out from between the two cars. He spotted the Train Attack Bot, which was flanking the train from the east.
"Crap, this is bad!" He fumbled with the door to the second luggage car, diving inside and slamming it shut behind him the moment he got it open. He took a series of shallow breaths, then raised his morpher to his face and spoke into it. "Guys, come in! We've got trouble!"
Griffin sat up straight and set down his manga, then tapped Wendy on the shoulder to get her attention. She removed her earbuds, and he gestured to his morpher and said, "Ken's spotted an Attack Bot!"
Her eyes widened, and she raised her own morpher before speaking into it. "Kenny, what's the ETA?"
"RIGHT NOW!" The entire train shook, and a thud echoed from outside as something struck the roof. Everyone in Griffin and Wendy's car snapped to attention as a large hatch on the top was flung open, and the Train Attack Bot burst through it.
"Hey, everybody!" The other passengers screamed as they registered what was happening and panicked. While everyone tripped over eachother trying to escape, the Attack Bot added, "You wouldn't happen to know where I can find some Energon, would you?"
"Everybody out of the car!" Griffin hollered, hopping out of his seat to corral his fellow passengers. "We've gotta warn the rest of the train!"
Together, he and Wendy herded the others through the door to the other passenger car. With the passengers safe and the coast clear, they whipped out their morphers and strapped them to their wrists.
"Wait a sec, you're those Power Rangers I've heard about!" The Train Attack Bot realized. It let out a bit of a chuckle, then added, "I've been looking forward to this! The pain train's about to pull into the station!"
"You're damn right it is, pal! And we're the conductors!" Wendy retorted. She turned to Griffin, then added, "You ready?!"
He nodded, and together they turned and pressed their morphers' dials and buttons. "Install: CPU!"
Within moments, the Red and Yellow Rangers had donned their Ranger suits. The Train Attack Bot thrust out its hands, and binary code ebbed from its fingertips. The green ones and zeroes coalesced into a squadron of Xanadroids. The bigger robot wasted no time in giving orders.
"ATTACK!"
The robotic henchmen drew their weapons and rushed towards Griffin and Wendy, who drew their own weapons and dashed to meet them in combat. The two sides then collided, and the entire car was plunged into chaos…
Meanwhile, Kenny had continued his search for the Energon Storage Device in the second luggage car. He frantically tore the interior apart, opening bags, unzipping suitcases, and breaking safes in an attempt to locate the cargo.
"C'mon, where is it…?!" It soon became apparent that his query wasn't in the second car, so he stomped over to the door to the third and flung it open. He then burst through the opening and began his search anew. "It's GOTTA be here somewhere!"
Back in the passenger car, Griffin and Wendy had just finished off the Xanadroids. The duo regrouped, then moved to eliminate the Train Attack Bot. Griffin swung at it with his SpyTech Analyzer, and Wendy shot at it with her SpyTech Aperture. Still, it dodged most of their attacks before retaliating with some of its own. It raised its arms, then pumped them up and down before aiming them at its foes and clenching its fists. Railway spikes flew out of both its arms and Griffin and Wendy were forced to avoid them using their respective superpowers. It followed up with a second volley, then a third, then a fourth. By the time it launched its fifth assault, the two were out of breath.
"It's been fun, Rangers, but I'm actually here on business!" The Train Attack Bot made for the exit, and Griffin supersped over in an attempt to cut it off. However, it struck the Red Ranger with its left forearm, knocking him into a wall and off his feet. "Your tickets have expired, Red and Yellow! This train's leaving you behind!"
It then burst out of the rear passenger car, but not before pressing its palm to the door and zapping it with electricity. Griffin punched the floor, then pulled himself back up to his feet and muttered, "Dangit, it blew right past me!"
Wendy ran to her teammate's aid, then raised her morpher and tapped into the comm-link. "Kenny, this is Wendy! Did you find the Energon yet?!"
"As a matter of fact, I did!" Kenny replied, pulling a floor panel loose to reveal a secret compartment containing the Energon storage device. He reached down to retrieve it, only to stop once he heard something banging against the car door. "Looks like the Attack Bot did, too!"
"We tried to cut it off, but it got away!" Griffin informed. "We're on our way to help; just try and hold it off in the meantime!"
With that, he turned to follow the runaway Attack Bot, only to fumble with the door handle. He pulled it repeatedly, but the door wouldn't budge, much to his confusion. He yanked at it some more and even beat on it, but his efforts were futile.
"It jammed the door…." He realized. He looked up at the ceiling, then glanced over at Wendy. "The top hatch! It's the only way!"
A series of screams echoed from the other passenger cars, and the two looked up in immediate realization. Griffin rushed over to Wendy, then told her, "Go and help Ken! I'll take care of the clankers!"
Wendy nodded, then vaulted into the air, thrust open the top hatch, and pulled herself onto the roof. Griffin dashed through the front door, then made his way into the other passenger cars...
"I gotta...get this thing...outta here!" Kenny struggled to lift the Energon storage device up out of its compartment, to no avail. No matter how hard he tugged on it, it didn't seem to budge; it appeared to be bolted down. He let out a sigh, then glanced over his shoulder as the Train Attack Bot continued to slam into the door. "Looks like I'm outta time…."
With that, he stood to his feet and turned his full attention to the door. He brandished his morpher, then twisted its dial and pressed its button. He raised it to his face, then pressed the button again and shouted, "Install: CPU!"
He morphed into his Ranger form, then stood his ground as the Train Attack Bot broke through the door. He grabbed the Attack Bot's arms as it lunged towards him, then held it back with all his might.
"If you want the Energon...you'll have…to go…through me!" Kenny said through grit teeth.
"You say that like it'll be a challenge!" The Train Attack Bot sneered, shoving him. The Blue Ranger staggered backward but managed to retain his balance. He summoned both of his weapons, gripping them in either hand as he rushed his foe. Lasers pelted off its armor, and its body sparked as Kenny shot and slashed it, but it remained unfazed.
"Is that the best you can do?!" It taunted, kicking the Blue Ranger in the sternum. Kenny yelped in fright as he flew into the wall but got back up a few moments later.
"I'm just getting STARTED!" He roared in defiance, his visor and biceps glowing green as he charged up his superstrength…
Wendy crept across the roofs of the cars, doing her best to maintain her footing as they bounced along the tracks. Xanadroids teleported in and began firing at her with their blasters, forcing her to halt her advance. She ducked, weaved, and sidestepped her way out of the incoming fire, then returned fire with her own blaster. Most of the robots were killed, and she vaulted over to the survivor and punt-kicked it off the train.
While Wendy continued her rooftop trek, Griffin focused his efforts on traversing the train's interior. He supersped through the passenger cars, slashing away at Xanadroid after Xanadroid and liberating the civilians one by one.
As he neared the end of the last car, the surviving Xanadroids regrouped and formed a blockade by the front door. They aimed their blasters at him and fired, forcing him to duck into a slide to avoid the wall of incoming projectiles. He slashed upward at his attackers, and their armor sparked and crackled as they toppled over and then exploded.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" A man in a business suit exclaimed, hopping up out of the seat he'd just been cowering in a moment before. He slapped the Red Ranger on the back, then held his out for a high five. "That was awesome! Thanks for saving everyone, Red Ranger!"
"Uh..y-yeah, no problem, man," Griffin replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his helmet. "Just doing what I can to-"
"DAMMIT! What the hell is going on?!" A gruff voice shouted from inside the control car. Griffin tilted his head, then turned, opened the door, and stepped inside. There, he saw the conductor, who swore under his breath as he fiddled with the controls. "This damned thing...I can't believe it!"
"What's wrong…?" The Red Ranger asked, startling the conductor somewhat. "Are the controls not working or something?"
"No, they're not! They're going haywire, in fact!" The conductor continued to fumble with the malfunctioning controls, and he quickly added, "We're going twice as fast as we're supposed to be going right now!"
"That's...definitely a problem,"
"Yeah, I'll say…." The conductor turned to look at him, then let out an amused snort. "What do you know, I've been talking to a Power Ranger this whole time and didn't even realize it! Tell me, how uncomfortable is that leather?"
"It is NOT leather! It's a self-assembling nano-fiber!" Doctor K screeched, her voice echoing from Griffin's morpher.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," The conductor scratched his chin, then said, "All jokes aside, kid, I appreciate everything you're doing for the city. Hell, my grandson's probably your biggest fan. Maybe if we get outta this, you could sign something for him?"
"Y-Yeah, that'd be-" Before Griffin could finish his sentence, a massive explosion erupted from somewhere nearby. He and the conductor frantically scanned the horizon. Then they spotted it – something or someone had just blown up a nearby bridge – the bridge the train was heading straight towards! "-great…."
"Oh, NO!" The conductor's face fell, and he went right back to fumbling with the controls. He yanked at the emergency brake, but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried. "...It's no good! I don't know what the hell's going on!"
"...The Attack Bot!" Griffin realized. "It sabotaged the train and blew the bridge – it's creating a diversion so it can get away with the Energon!"
"Clever bastard...this is why I hate technology!"
"Doc, we're barreling towards the edge of a cliff, and I don't wanna find out what it's like at the bottom!" Griffin spoke into his morpher. "How do we stop the train?!"
"Lemme think...if the controls and emergency brake aren't working, there's only one way," Doctor K replied. The sound of her typing on her keyboard echoed over the comm-link, and she soon added, "I'll downmorph the Gorilla Hauler to your position! Apex should be able to use its Beast Mode to stop the train from progressing."
"Worth a shot, I guess!" Griffin lowered his morpher, then patted the conductor on the shoulder. "Don't worry, help's on the way!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Kenny roared as he lunged towards the Train Attack Bot, spearing it into the side of the luggage car. He staggered when his foe retaliated with a swift left hook but maintained his footing long enough to knee the robot in the sternum. He ducked to avoid another swing, then hopped to his feet, scooped up his opponent, and threw him across the car like a dart.
"Impressive...but not impressive enough!" The Train Attack Bot pumped its arms, thrust its hands forward, and launched a volley of railway spikes at the Blue Ranger. Kenny grunted in pain as the spikes struck his suit, knocking him back and pinning him to the wall. His enemy cackled as he struggled to free himself, then pumped its arms again to load more spikes. "Say goodbye, Blue!"
"Not if I can help it!" Wendy hollered, having flipped the hatch on the top of the car opened. The Yellow Ranger dropped down, shot the robot three times in the face, then kicked it in the chest. As it staggered backward, she summoned her saber in her free hand and used it to cut her Blue counterpart free. "You good?"
"Yeah! You?" He brushed some dust off the sleeves of his suit, then summoned his own saber and added, "Let's finish this!"
"Here it comes…!" The conductor watched in horror as the train rolled closer and closer to the ruined bridge. As they inched further and further towards their doom, he squeezed his eyes shut and buried his head in his hands. "I can't watch…!"
Griffin grabbed the back of the conductor's seat and braced himself but perked up a few moments later when the rumbling of an engine echoed from nearby. The Gorilla Hauler sped towards the ruined bridge, converted into Beast Mode, and dug in its heels.
"H-Here goes n-nothing…!" Apex's voice echoed from Griffin's morpher. The moment the train was in range, the Gorilla Hauler gripped the bottom of the control car and lifted up. It held the runaway locomotive back with all its might, narrowly saving its passengers from certain death. "I...I d-did it!"
"Good work!" Griffin told him over the comm-link. He sighed in relief, then muttered, "Man, that was close..."
"You're going down!" Wendy hollered, combining her saber with her blaster to form her SpyTech Sniper. She aimed it at the Train Attack Bot, then twisted the barrel's dial to activate her finisher. Beside her, Kenny pressed the button on the hilt of his saber, triggering his own finisher.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" The Attack Bot pumped its arms three times in rapid succession, then aimed them at the duo of Rangers as his palms glowed bright red. "End of the line, Rangers!"
It then thrust its hands forward, launching a gigantic volley of railway spikes at its foes. Kenny and Wendy responded in kind, slashing/shooting at him with their respective weapons once their finishers had charged up.
"SpyTech Analyzer: Stakeout SLASH!"
"SpyTech Sniper: Scope SALVO!"
As the railway spikes hurtled through the air, Kenny's energy wave cut through the projectiles, destroying most of them as it flew towards its actual target. The robot grunted in pain as the attack cut through its chest, then watched as Wendy's energy blast barreled towards it. "Noooooo...!"
A small explosion rocked the Attack Bot, who was sent flying out the side of the train car. Its stray railway spikes whistled as they struck the wall behind Kenny and Wendy, and the Blue and Yellow Rangers relaxed their muscles as their victory began to set in.
"This is Red! Come in, Blue and Yellow!" Kenny and Wendy raised their morphers, and Griffin continued, "Gimme a sit-rep on the Train Attack Bot!"
"Train Attack Bot is offline, and the Energon is secure, Red," Wendy replied. "What about you? Did you save the civilians?"
"Affirmative! Apex saved everyone's skins, too; we almost went off a cliff, but he came through at the last minute with the Gorilla Hauler!"
"Way to go, buddy!" Kenny cheered, congratulating his Buddy Droid over the comm-link. A familiar beep sounded from his and Wendy's morphers, and they looked down in horror as a countdown timer appeared on their dials. "Aw crap, we've got an inbound Attack Zord! ETA: ten seconds!"
"That fast?!" Wendy exclaimed.
"Doc, Zords! Now!" Griffin urged.
"Downmorphing Cheetah Chaser and Rabbit Chopper Zords now!" Doctor K shouted into her earpiece. She turned to Cheetor and Bugz, then added, "Move out!"
Griffin watched from the control car as a portal opened up in the sky and deployed the Train Attack Zord. It let out a roar once its feet touched the ground, then howled at the clouds as two smaller robots burst from its back. They looked like giant, armored versions of the Xanadroids, with their emotionless silver faces obscured by translucent yellow visors. They drew their weapons, then followed the Train Attack Zord as it stomped towards the train.
"I don't think so!" Cheetor hollered as the Cheetah Chaser sped into the area and fired its machine guns at the trio.
"Not so fast, clankers!" Bugz echoed. The Rabbit Chopper flew into the area, then fired a volley of missiles that rocked the Train Attack Zord and its XanaZord companions.
"Looks like this is my stop," Griffin patted the conductor on the back, then ran out of the control car and sprinted towards his Zord. The conductor watched as he boarded it, then used the now-functional train controls to shut off the engines. The Gorilla Hauler set the locomotive back down, then circled around to the caboose so that Kenny could board it. Wendy watched her Blue teammate leave, then vaulted into the air and boarded her own Zord.
"Recognized: Griffin, B-05, Kenshin, B-06, Wendy, B-07" The electronic voice echoed from all three cockpits as the Rangers took their seats. Griffin and Wendy wasted no time, converting their Zords to Warrior and Beast Mode, respectively. They joined Kenny, and together the three moved to challenge the Train Attack Zord and its XanaZords.
"Let's go!" Griffin ordered. The Cheetah Chaser drew its sword, then used it to deflect a volley of railway spikes the Train Attack Zord launched at it. It gripped the weapon tightly as it tore towards the enemy Zord and launched a counterattack.
"Bringing the pain!" Kenny willed the Gorilla Hauler forward. It braved a burst from one of the XanaZords' machine guns, then retaliated by firing a volley of missiles at it.
"Eat scrap, clanker!" Wendy snarled. The Rabbit Chopper bounded toward the second XanaZord, then leaped into the air and delivered a flying kick to its target.
"Rangers, I'm afraid I lack the Energon required to power all three Zords any longer!" Doctor K informed them. "It's now or never!"
"You heard her! Time to finish the job!" Griffin twisted the dial on his morpher, then let out a battle cry as his arms and visor glowed green with energy. "Cheetah Chaser: Claw-CLASH!"
"Gorilla Hauler: Fist-FURY!"
"Rabbit Chopper: Foot-FRENZY!"
The Zords executed their finishing attacks in unison. The Cheetah Chaser delivered a diagonal slash to the Train Attack Zord's chest; the Gorilla Hauler lifted its fists and brought them both crashing down on the first XanaZord. The Rabbit Chopper caught the second XanaZord with another flying kick. The trio of enemy Zords sparked uncontrollably, then fell to their knees and exploded.
"Shutdown: COMPLETE!" Griffin declared, removing his helmet and pumping his fist in triumph.
"Noooooo...!" Alt screeched, pounding her fist on the table as she watched the battle from her tablet.
"Annnnnnd, the Rangers win...again," Delete folded his arms and shook his head. "Father won't be happy…."
"Monsieur Venjix has requested our presence," Control gestured to a message on his laptop, then rose from his chair and motioned to the other two. "Time to face the music..."
– POWER RANGERS: CPU –
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