FicWad

Episode 6: Three Finger Salute

It was late in the evening, and the Rangers were gathered in the underground lab that served as their base. Griffin sat back to back with Cheetor in the corner, his nose buried in a novel. Kenny and Apex were over on the left side of the room, playing an intense game of ping-pong. Over on the right side, Wendy swore under her breath as Bugz helped her with her course assignments. Meanwhile, Doctor K sat at her desk in the center, idly typing away at her keyboard as she worked on some sort of schematic.

"Now, if I can just...get this to work, I...oh, shoot!" She mumbled to herself, grimacing when her computer threw her an error. "At this rate, I'll NEVER figure this out…!"

"YES! I win – again!" Kenny boomed, having won another round of ping-pong. He pumped his fist, then glanced over at Doctor K and tilted his head. He set down his paddle and walked over to her desk, then asked, "Whatcha working on, Doc?"

"I'm trying to figure out how to combine your Zords without expending all of our Energon," She explained. "The war with Venjix will only get tougher from here on out, and the SpyTech Megazord will provide you three with the edge you'll need…if I can ever get it to work."

"Aw c'mon, Doc! You'll find a way – you always do. Besides, this Ranger stuff has been a piece of cake so far – we'll handle Venjix no problem,"

"I wouldn't be so arrogant if I were you, Ranger Blue. Must I remind you that you three are not the first team of Operators?" She continued typing away at her keyboard, then added, "I admire your enthusiasm, but your ego could prove to be quite dangerous."

"Doc has a point," Wendy chimed in, looking up from her homework. "We've held our own pretty well so far, but Venjix is only gonna get stronger. We have to be able to keep up,"

"I never said we didn't. I think we're doing a really good job, though!" Kenny turned to Griffin, then added, "What about you, Grif? What do you think?"

"We have done a good job – but Doc and Wendy are right. We're just getting started." The Red Ranger replied, looking up from his book. He glanced at the clock on the wall, then said, "Well, look at the time. I'm gonna head out; I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye," Wendy said with a slight wave. She glanced at her watch, then shouted, "Aw crap, I totally lost track of time! I gotta go; Aunt Dahlia wanted me home twenty minutes ago!"

As she rushed out of the room, Kenny shrugged his shoulders and said, "I guess I should head home, too. I am getting pretty hungry,"

With that, he followed his Yellow teammate out of the lab, leaving Doctor K to continue working on her computer…

Meanwhile…

"YOU THREE HAVE FAILED ME TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME! IT'S UNACCEPTABLE!" Venjix roared, his voice echoing from his tube. Control, Alt, and Delete cowered before him, and he continued with, "THE RANGERS MUST BE EXTERMINATED IMMEDIATELY! THEY CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO STAND IN MY WAY ANY LONGER!"

"Understood, Monsieur Venjix. We won't fail you again," Control replied. "In fact, our next Attack Bot-"

"-HAD BETTER DESTROY THE RANGERS, OR I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Venjix threatened. "I WANT YOU THREE TO ACCOMPANY THIS NEW ATTACK BOT – PERHAPS A TASTE OF COMBAT WILL MOTIVATE YOU TO TRY HARDER."

"Yes, Father!" All three generals said with a bow.

Later that night, Griffin was roused from his sleep by a familiar beeping sound. He groaned, then squinted to shield his eyes from the red glow of his alarm clock. Once they'd adjusted to the light, he opened them and took note of the time – 2:51am.

"Wha…? That doesn't make any sense; it wasn't supposed to go off 'til...wait!" His eyes widened, and he thrust his covers off and hopped out of bed. He stumbled over to his dresser, then pulled open one of the drawers and procured his morpher. After strapping the device to his left wrist, he pressed down on its dial.

"Go for Grif…" He said groggily.

"Ranger Red, I'm detecting Venjix activity outside a downtown business park!" Doctor K informed via the comm-link. "I need you and the others to intercept ASAP!"

"Right now…?" He replied, furrowing his eyebrows. "It's like three in the morning,"

"Venjix doesn't sleep,"

"Well, Venjix doesn't have class at 7:30..." He grumbled. He ran a hand through his hair, then added, "I'm on my way, Doc. Just gimme a minute,"

"...Alright, this looks like the place," Griffin said to himself, skidding to a halt once he reached the coordinates Doctor K had sent him. He glanced over to the right, where he spotted Kenny. "You good, Ken?"

"It's way too early for this…." The Blue Ranger grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Agreed. Let's just get this over with," The Red Ranger looked around, then tilted his head. "Where's Wendy..?"

"Here…" She replied, landing on the ground next to him after hopping her way over. He gave her a weird look, and she soon added, "...can I help you?"

Griffin realized he was staring, and he rubbed the back of his head before awkwardly saying, "S-Sorry, you just...well, you look...uhm…."

"Like death..? Well, I did just wake up," She gave her teammate a once-over, then gestured towards him and added, "You don't exactly look great either, Mister 'Forgot to Comb My Hair.'"

"I didn't forget. I just didn't have time,"

"Didn't have time..?! All you do is part it to the right and mat it down so it doesn't stick up all over. How much time do you really need for that?"

"Guys, shut up for a sec, will ya?!" Kenny shouted, interrupting their little spat. "...you hear that?"

"…No," Griffin and Wendy both replied, looking confused.

"Exactly," Kenny scanned their surroundings, then continued, "This is where Doc said there was trouble, right? So where's the trouble?"

"Looking for us…?" A new voice said from the shadows. This startled the Rangers, who watched as a man wearing goggles and a trenchcoat emerged from the darkness. "Pardon my rudeness; I don't believe we've been introduced."

A woman with similar goggles and ruby red lipstick emerged from behind a nearby pillar, then added, "You three are the new Ranger Operators, right? The ones the good Doctor recruited?"

"Maybe," Kenny replied with narrowed eyes, seeming apprehensive. "What's it to you?"

A bronze robot with glowing yellow eyes stepped out from behind another pillar, then said, "It's of little to no consequence to us...or at least it would be if we weren't their sworn enemies,"

"Wait…" Griffin said as he began to connect the dots. "You...you three are-"

"Tres bien! You're very perceptive!" The man in the trenchcoat exclaimed, clasping his hands together in mock applause. "Allow me to introduce myself: I am Control,"

The woman with the lipstick pulled out two blaster pistols of some kind, then gestured to them and said, "This is Winston...this is Julia...and I am Alt. I'm pretty good,"

"And I am their brother, Delete!" The bronze robot chimed in. "We are the three generals of Venjix's army! We are his Cerberus – a three-headed beast at his beck and call!"

"It doesn't matter who you are – if you threaten this city, we will bring you down!" Griffin brandished his morpher, then looked to the others and added, "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Install: CPU!"

"Limit Breaker! CPU Red!"

"Shield Buster! CPU Blue!"

"Climax Jumper! CPU Yellow!"

"Covertly protecting the universe from evil!" The trio struck their usual group pose, then concluded their roll call with, "Power Rangers: CPU!"

"Magnifique! Very...theatrical," Control remarked. He drew a long, silver rapier, then added, "You've done an admirable job thus far, Rangers, but the real battle begins now!"

"Prepare to be destroyed!" Alt echoed, and she and Delete followed Control as he charged into battle.

"I've got better things to do tonight than die!" Griffin shouted defiantly. He summoned his SpyTech Analyzer, flipped it into his usual reverse grip, and then locked blades with an incoming Control. "You're going down, Frenchy!"

"Am I…?" Control retracted his rapier without warning, then spun around and swung wildly at the Red Ranger. Griffin struggled to keep up, countering the flurry of attacks with a flurry of his own only to find himself out of breath. "What's the matter, Ranger Red..? Can't keep up with me..?"

"Your reaction times...how are they even possible?!"

"Well, let's just say I'm a...special breed," Control seemed to fizzle out of existence, only to solidify again in an instant. Ones and zeroes rippled off his skin, and his lips curled into a sinister smirk. "Shall we continue?"

With that, the Red Ranger and his new foe continued their fight.

Over in a nearby parking lot, Kenny and Alt had engaged in their own duel. As the female Avatar shot at him with her twin pistols, the Blue Ranger dove behind a car and plugged his back into it. He used the car as cover, then popped up from behind it and returned fire with his SpyTech Aperture. None of his shots seemed to land, so he tossed his blaster aside and picked up the car. He lifted it high above his head, then threw it at Alt. She remained still as a statue while it hurtled towards her, then somehow phased through it.

"What the-?!" Kenny clenched both fists, then ran up to his opponent and swung punches in her direction. His fists went through her as if she were a ghost, and he shouted, "What are you?!"

"The next stage of evolution," She told him cryptically. She kicked him in the sternum, then laughed as he flew backward and landed on the pavement with a thud. "Control and I, we're like humans, but better. We are your thoughts and minds – your very unconscious being, set free and allowed to roam outside of the fleshy prisons you call bodies. We're you, but virtual. Digital. Superior-"

"Spare me the speech, lady!" Kenny interrupted. He pulled himself to his feet, then summoned his saber and swung it at her. She blocked the swing with the bayonets on her pistols, and as they locked blades, he added, "That was a rhetorical question,"

As they continued their duel, Wendy charged towards Delete, who had taken a position by the office park's porcelain fountain. The Yellow Ranger advanced with her blaster in hand, firing volley after volley as she neared him. Delete drew a whip, which he used to swat the projectiles away. As Wendy vaulted into the air using her superagility, he swung the whip again, grabbing her by the ankle. He yanked on the whip and brought her crashing down to the ground, then cackled as she groaned in pain.

"Wendy..!" Griffin shouted. He broke away from Control, then supersped over to her position. "Hang on, I'm coming!"

"Ah ah ah," Control said, teleporting in front of him out of nowhere. Griffin skid to a halt, then yelped in fright as the Avatar slashed him in the chest. Sparks flew off his suit, and his foe wagged his finger at him before adding, "Ditching me already, are you? Watch your manners, Ranger Red!"

"If I wanted to be in etiquette school, I'd be in etiquette school!" Griffin spat. He slashed Control in the midsection, then delivered a roundhouse kick that staggered the Avatar. "You'll regret keeping me from my friend!"

"Regret? What an antiquated human concept!" Control teleported away again, then materialized atop a parked car several yards behind Griffin. As he charged his rapier with energy, he continued, "The only regret I have...is failing to exterminate you vermin thrice over!"

Before Griffin even had time to react, Control launched a massive wave of golden energy at him. He supersped away from the attack, only to trip and fall over a rock. He pulled himself to his feet and tried to superspeed away again, only to freeze in fear as the attack inched closer and closer. "No!"

The attack sent him flying, and when he landed back on the ground, he was still frozen, much to his dismay. "I can't...move!"

As Control hopped off the car and towered over an immobilized Griffin, Kenny and Alt continued their duel. The Blue Ranger growled, and his arms and visor glowed green as he began to overheat.

"Getting worked up, are we?" Alt taunted, shrugging off his superstrength-charged punches and kicks. She jabbed one of her pistols into his chest plate, then shot him and sent him flying into the fountain. "Why don't you cool off?"

"Griffin! Kenny!" Wendy cried out, having watched this all play out from the sidelines. "You bastards...you'll pay for this!"

"You're next, Ranger Yellow!" Delete sneered. He swung his whip at her, and she leaped away from it using her superagility. He swung at her again, and she dodged as second, third, and fourth time. However, as the whip flew towards her for the fifth time, she found herself unable to use her ability. Fatigue surged through her body, and she felt her legs start to give out from under her as they turned to jelly.

"This...isn't...good!" The Yellow Ranger looked on in horror, unable to move as Delete stomped towards her. He grabbed her by the ankle with his whip, then lifted her up and launched her into the office park's fountain. "Ow!"

"If this is the best you three have to offer, I must say I am quite disappointed," Control taunted. He walked over to Griffin, then scooped him up off the ground by the neck. "You thought you were strong enough to save this world, but you were sorely mistaken. I almost feel bad for you...almost,"

He then slashed the Red Ranger's chest with his rapier and tossed him into the fountain; Griffin slammed into the ground and rolled sideways, barreling right into Wendy. The three generals regrouped and towered over the Rangers, reveling in the pain they'd caused their newfound rivals.

"We'd love to stay and play with you some more, but I'm afraid we have some business to attend to," Control said. "Don't worry, though; we're going to leave you some of our...friends to keep you company."

He and the other two moved over a bit, parting to reveal a silver Attack Bot. The Cutter Attack Bot gave his superiors a respectful nod, then turned his attention towards the Rangers as he stomped towards the fountain. Griffin's stomach fell, then fell even further when a countdown timer appeared on his morpher.

"It was nice meeting you! Adieu, Rangers~!" Control gave them a small wave, and then he and his 'siblings' teleported away.

"We've...got to...get up!" Griffin said through grit teeth, fighting his paralysis as the Cutter Attack Bot made its way towards them. He pulled himself over to Kenny, then shook him awake before moving on to Wendy. He fumbled with her helmet to remove it, then reached into a pocket in his Ranger suit and procured a small piece of candy, which he gently placed into her mouth. "C'mon, c'mon…!"

Wendy bit down on the candy, then began to chew it. Little by little, she felt energy surge through her body, and she put her helmet back on as her internal engine started back up.

The Cutter Attack Bot stopped once it reached the fountain, then glanced down at its foes and said, "Any last words, Rangers?"

"Yeah..." Griffin began. He and his teammates struggled back up to their feet, and he continued, "...you're FINISHED, tin can!"

They summoned their sabers, then stood their ground as the Cutter Attack Bot launched several circular saw blades at them. The trio reacted quickly, using their swords to catch the blades and subsequently balance them like plates. They spun around, then launched them right back at their opponent.

"Oww! You little pricks!" Its armor sparked as the blades struck it, and it shook in anger. "You're gonna pay for that!"

With that, it clasped its hands together and began charging a massive orb of energy. Griffin and the others reacted by pressing the button on their sabers, charging up their own finisher.

"SpyTech Analyzer: Stakeout...SLASH!" They hollered in unison, launching three waves of golden light at the Cutter Attack Bot while it launched its attack at them. Their waves cut through the Attack Bot's energy-orb, then soared towards the Attack Bot itself and sliced through its armor like a hot knife through butter.

"Noooooo!" It bellowed, clutching its chest as it began to spark uncontrollably. It fell onto its side, then cried out in agony as it exploded.

"We did it...!" Kenny exclaimed. He took a series of shallow breaths, then added, "We actually made it!"

"Show's not over just yet," Wendy reminded him, gesturing to her morpher. "Attack Zord in T-minus ten...nine...eight…."

"Doc, Zords!" Griffin pleaded.

"We're a little low on Energon, but I'll do my best!" She raced through the lab, running several programs and performing various shortcuts and workarounds in an attempt to divert power. "...Alright, that did it! Downmorphing Cheetah Chaser now!"

The ground shook and rumbled, and the clouds darkened as a green portal appeared in the sky. It opened up, and a massive robot resembling the Cutter Attack Bot fell through it just as the Cheetah Chaser burst onto the scene.

"Get in!" Cheetor told Griffin, who boarded his Zord and immediately converted it to Warrior Mode.

"Let's go!" The Red Ranger willed the Cheetah Chaser forward, seeking to intercept the Cutter Attack Zord as it began cutting into a nearby MegaTank with its saw-blade. As they got closer, the Attack Zord stretched out its off-hand and launched a massive volley of missiles out of it. The missiles sunk into the Cheetah Chaser's chest plate, exploding and causing it to spark.

"We just took a massive amount of damage!" Cheetor informed as miniature klaxons blared throughout the cockpit. "Energon levels are rapidly falling!"

"We'll never get close enough to hit it at this rate…." Griffin realized. "...Disable cockpit pressurization! Divert all Energon to our legs!"

"But you could die!"

"I'll be fine, just do it!" Griffin demanded, placing his hands on either side of Cheetor's face.

"...Fine!"

The Cheetah Chaser's legs glowed green, and alarms blared through its cockpit as it supersped towards the Cutter Attack Zord. It blindsided the enemy Zord, interrupting its attempts to break into the MegaTank and angering it in the process. It roared, then turned to face its attacker and plunged its saw arm into its chest plate.

"Griffin, our armor's down to 10%! If that thing cuts through, you'll-"

"I KNOW!" Griffin shouted. He yanked the controls, willing the Cheetah Chaser to stab the Cutter Attack Zord in the torso with its sword. He pushed the controls with all his might, plunging his own blade into the enemy Zord. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Griffin, NO!" Wendy screamed at the top of her lungs as she and Kenny watched in horror from the ground below.

"You...LOSE!" Griffin twisted the dial on his morpher, then gripped the controls as tightly as he could. He plunged his sword deeper into the Attack Zord's chest just as the enemy's saw blade began to penetrate the cockpit. "Cheetah Chaser: Claw-CLASH!"

Cheetor and the others waited with bated breath as the Red Ranger's attack cut through the Attack Zord's innards. It groaned and grumbled, and its body sparked uncontrollably as the sword cut through it. After the longest few seconds of Griffin's life, the saw blade stopped spinning; it had been seconds away from killing him.

"...erghhhh," The Cutter Attack Zord gurgled as it froze in place, succumbing to its injuries.

"Shutdown: Complete…" The Red Ranger said, exhaustion evident in his voice.

"The Rangers defeated our Attack Bot and Zord again, Father. However, we were able to steal a sizable amount of Energon," Control told Venjix as he and his siblings bowed before his tube. "I know we failed, but-"

"I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT THE RANGERS CONTINUE TO DRAW BREATH, BUT YOU TOOK THEM DOWN A PEG TONIGHT. I AM PLEASED." Venjix replied, cutting him off. "LET THEM HAVE THEIR SMALL VICTORIES. IN THE END, IT WON'T MATTER HOW MANY ATTACK BOTS AND ZORDS THEY DEFEAT. MY ASCENSION IS INEVITABLE."

"...are you sure keeping this thing here is a good idea?" Kenny questioned, glancing up at the deactivated Cutter Attack Zord as Doctor K examined it in her lab's Zord bay.

"This is quite possibly the only time you'll defeat an Attack Zord without completing destroying it," She told him. "We won't get another opportunity like this. This could be the key to combining your Zords."

"...Whatever you say, Doc," Griffin said uneasily, staring up at the Zord that had almost ended his life. "Whatever you say..."

– POWER RANGERS: CPU –