Categories > TV > Power Rangers > Power Rangers: CPU
Radio Psi-lence, Part I
0 reviewsDoctor K and the Rangers discover something they shouldn’t when a distress call leads them to an underground museum. There, its enigmatic Administrator shows them his collection of aliens and mon...
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Episode 8: Radio Psi-lence, Part I
"...And you're sure this is where it came from?"
"Yes, Ranger Red," Doctor K replied, as she led Griffin and the other Rangers towards an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. "The signal Bugz picked up originated from these coordinates. I'm certain of it."
"Okay, but...this is an empty building," Wendy said, eyeing the older woman with a bit of skepticism as they entered the warehouse via a side door. As Doctor K scanned its interior with an electronic device of some sort, the Yellow Ranger added, "There's nothing here."
"We don't know that for certain, Ranger Yellow. We've only just arrived, after all," Doctor K pointed out. Her scanner beeped and hummed as she continued to survey the room. Griffin and the others fell in behind her, and they combed the area for any signs or clues.
"What are we even looking for, anyway?" Kenny asked after a few minutes of silence. "I mean, what kind of signal was it?"
"It was weak, but I was able to make it out. It was a distress call," Doctor K revealed. "Someone was calling us for help, and during the incredibly brief period that we were able to pick it up, I recognized the signal. It matched some communications broadcasts I received while on Earth-2."
"So that means...there may be more survivors?" Griffin guessed.
"Perhaps. And if there are, they must be rescued. I owe it to my fallen comrades."
"That's all well and good, but...how do you know we're not just going off on some wild goose chase?" Wendy questioned. "I mean, what if two signals got jumbled together? Radio interference, or something like that?"
"Wendy's got a point. I mean, stuff like that happens all the time! Your sensors could just be on the fritz," Kenny echoed. He leaned against a nearby wall, then continued with, "Besides, we've searched this whole room top and bottom, and there isn't anything-"
The room began to shake out of nowhere, startling the group and interrupting the Blue Ranger's train of thought. The floor next to Kenny slid open, and a massive freight elevator lifted into view. Towards the back of the elevator was a control console of some kind, which had a touch interface shaped like a human hand.
"-here…" Kenny trailed off. He and the others tip-toed onto the elevator, and Doctor K followed them. She padded over to the control console, then placed her hand on its interface.
"ACCESS: DENIED," An electronic voice announced, emitting itself from an unseen speaker.
"Okay, we've obviously found something we're not supposed to be messing with," Griffin said. "Let's go ho-"
Out of nowhere, the warehouse shook again, knocking the Red Ranger off-balance. He tripped and flew forward but managed to stop his fall by extending his hand and pushing against the closest object – the interface. It scanned his palm, then lit up green and emitted an electric click.
"ACCESS: GRANTED" The doors then slid closed, much to Wendy's chagrin. She fumbled around, searching for a way to reopen them as the elevator began its descent.
"What the hell did you do?!" She shrieked.
"I didn't do anything; it was an accident!"
"Well, either way, we're stuck in here now, and it's your fault!" She shouted. "You are such a klutz, I swear!"
"Uh, technically speaking, this is my fault..." Kenny interjected. "I mean, I'm the one who brought the elevator up in the first place."
"Butt out, this doesn't concern you!"
"We're all here; this concerns all of us!" Griffin countered. "Would you calm down and stop yelling at everyone?!"
"You're yelling too!"
"Yeah, but you started it!"
"Would you two shut up already?!" Kenny exclaimed in exasperation, stepping in between the two. "You're giving me a friggin headache! Save your stupid lover's quarrels for when I'm not around!"
"L-Lover's quarrels…?" Griffin and Wendy blushed bright red, and they both shouted, "It's not l-like that!"
"Baka…" The Blue Ranger muttered in his native Japanese. He turned to Doctor K, then changed the subject with, "Now what, Doc?"
"Well, we're stuck here now, for better or worse. We might as well continue our search whenever we get to...wherever this elevator is taking us."
A few moments later, the elevator came to a halt, hissing as it expelled steam. The doors slid open, which allowed its passengers to step out into a large hall. The walls were a deep shade of reddish-brown, and the concrete floor was yellow. White marble pillars lined the walls, and atop each one sat a glass display case. Above them, white banners adorned with the letters "ARC" jutted out from the sides of the wall every eight feet or so.
"What...is this place?" Griffin said, his eyes widening. He made his way over to one of the display cases, which contained the remains of a sea monster with red skin, burgundy armor, and a mustard yellow tunic. "Hey, I saw one of these on the news once! It's a Mooger; they fought the Samurai Rangers from Panorama City."
"Right! But...what's it doing here?" Kenny tilted his head, then turned and gestured to another case. This one contained a blaster pistol with a piston-like handguard and tubing running along the top of it. "Woah, that's a Drive Defender! The Overdrive Rangers from San Angeles used those!"
As Kenny geeked out over the various bits of Ranger technology he found, Doctor K padded over to a third display case. This one contained a silver robot with a golden face and black eyes. Wendy followed her, then gestured to the robot and asked, "Hey Doc, isn't that one of the robots you told us about? The ones that Venjix used to use? A Grinder, or something like that?"
"No. That's a Cog; they were the footsoldiers of the Machine Empire, who were the enemies of the Zeo Rangers," Doctor K explained. "Under normal circumstances, I'd jump at the chance to study one, but...how did it get here?"
Their sightseeing was then cut short by the sound of incoming footsteps. Soldiers clad in black, silver, and bronze armor stormed into the hall, brandished hi-tech blaster rifles, and aimed them at Doctor K and the Rangers.
"You are intruding on private property! Surrender now and come with us!" One of the soldiers barked.
"...Should we morph?" Kenny whispered, looking to Doctor K for instruction.
"You CAN'T. We're too far below ground; your morphers' signals won't be able to reach the lab. Besides, we can't risk revealing your identities to these people." Doctor K turned to the lead soldier, then said, "Very well. Lead the way,"
Several levels above them, a man with graying hair clad in a fancy suit moved through a hallway, accompanied by dozens of armored troops similar to the ones downstairs. He then passed a man with blonde hair in gray coveralls, who followed him as he continued down the corridor.
"Talk to me, Strong," The man in the suit said. "What's the status of our specimen?"
"Administrator Burke, I regret to inform you that I've made no further progress." The man in the coveralls replied. "BME-01 still refuses to communicate, sir."
"Dammit, Strong, that's not what I wanted to hear. Get back to the Cage and don't come back until you get me some results!"
"Yes, sir!" Strong nodded, then tore away from the group and made his way down a nearby flight of stairs. As the Administrator continued moving through the hallway, a Hispanic woman with shoulder-length black hair followed him, struggling to match his pace.
"Sir, there's something I need to-"
"And who might you be?" Burke questioned, glancing at her over his shoulder.
"Sir, I'm Ramirez," She told him. "I'm your secretary."
"Not anymore, you're not. I fired you."
"No, that was Morgan, your last secretary. I'm her replacement," She corrected. With a shake of her head, she continued, "Listen, sir, I have some important news. Beta Squad was patrolling Level 13, and they found someone. Or well, four someones."
"Intruders? In my museum?"
"It would appear so, sir," Ramirez nodded. "We're not sure how they got in or what they're here for, but they peacefully surrendered to Beta Squad. They're bringing them up as we speak."
"Tell Beta Leader I want them brought to my office. Oh, and get me a coffee, would you? Decaf, if we've got it!" He broke away from Ramirez, then walked through a door on the right side of the hall. As he stepped into his office, he spotted a well-dressed man in his early to mid-twenties sitting in a chair. "Mr. Randall! I see you've returned from your expedition?"
"Yes, sir," Randall replied in a New-Zealand accent. He stood from his chair, then gestured to a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. "I brought you a souvenir and everything!"
"Ooh, exciting! That'll have to wait, though. Beta Squad captured some intruders; they're on their way up right now," Burke turned to face the door, just as the squad in question escorted Doctor K and the Rangers inside. "Why hello, there! You must be my new guests!"
"It would appear so," Doctor K said, backing away from Beta Leader once he released his grip on her. "And who might you be?"
"Right, introductions! I almost forgot; how rude of me," He stretched out his hand, then continued, "My name is Burke; I'm the Administrator of ARC."
"ARC?" Kenny questioned, scrunching up his nose. "What's that?"
"It's the name of my company. ARC: it's short for Artifact Research Corporation. We're an elite organization dedicated to the acquisition and research of Ranger and alien technologies." Burke explained. "We collect it, study it, and then store it here in my underground museum. Here, I'll show you. Randall, your souvenir?"
"Of course, sir." Randall reached into his bag, then produced a red stick of some sort with a handguard and teeth-like patterns all over it. He handed it to Burke, who fiddled with it to get it to do something.
"...You're doing it wrong," Doctor K blurted out. Burke looked up at her, and she reluctantly continued, "It's a Blade Blaster. Here, allow me."
Burke eyed her with an incredulous expression but handed her the Blade Blaster nonetheless. She began toying with it, and within moments she was able to extend its blade. She carefully retracted the blade, then converted the weapon into a gun configuration of some kind before transforming it back and returning it to Burke.
"Impressive…" He observed, placing the weapon on his desk. "Who are you, anyway?"
"My name is Doctor K. I'm...something of an expert on Ranger technology, myself."
"It would appear so, wouldn't it?" Burke observed, stroking his chin. "Tell you what, Doctor. I'm working on a...special project. ARC recently acquired a living specimen – the first and only living specimen ever cataloged here. We're trying to get it to communicate with us but haven't had much luck...maybe you could help us?"
"...Very well. I'll assist you with your project."
"Splendid! Beta Leader, inform Mr. Strong that we'll be visiting the Cage. Mr. Randall, take the other three to your office and keep them busy until we return."
"We've tried everything," Burke explained as he led Doctor K into a lab a few levels down. Scientists changed into hazmat suits, and ARC Troopers loaded their weapons as they prepared to open a large metal door. "We have yet to get it to talk, though, unfortunately."
"Welcome back, sir," Strong greeted, stepping out of the door once it slid open. "I've had to turn the power down just a smidge; BME-1 is resting now."
"BME-1?" Doctor K questioned.
"It's what we call the specimen. I came up with it myself; I'm quite proud of it, but I'd prefer to know its real name," Burke told her. He gestured towards the door, then said, "Go ahead, Doctor. We'll be monitoring from outside; if you get the results we're looking for, I'll let you and your friends go."
"Somehow, I very much doubt that…." Doctor K muttered. She moved to enter the next room, but Strong blocked her path.
"Here, you'd better put these on," He said, handing her a pair of thick leather work gloves. "The last guy who touched it with his bare hands burst into flames."
"I won't touch it, then," Doctor K replied. She stepped around him, then crossed into the doorway.
"Alright then, let's begin!" Burke said, clasping his hands together. He turned to a technician, then added, "Reseal the Cage, but be ready to open it again at a moment's notice. We wouldn't want the Doctor or the specimen to get hurt."
"Yes, sir." The technician typed a string in commands into her computer terminal, then pressed down firmly on a big red button. As the door to the next room slid shut behind Doctor K, Ramirez burst into the lab carrying a cup of coffee.
"Your decaf, sir!" She said, handing it to Burke.
"Thank you, Ramirez. Here, find a seat; I have a feeling we're about to witness history."
Doctor K made her way inside the dimly lit room, then glanced down at a table filled with metal tools and instruments. She shook her head, then turned and peered into the darkness, where she was able to barely make out the outline of a humanoid chained to a wall.
"Look, I'm sorry about this. The Administrator thinks he's really clever, but if you ask me he…." Her voice trailed off as she felt something vibrate in her pocket. She reached inside, producing her scanner from earlier. "The signal...it's coming from you! You sent the distress call!"
She received no response, so she stepped closer and continued, "I've come to help you! My name is Doctor K."
"DOC...TOR…" The figure said, its voice a disgusting chorus of several different voices speaking simultaneously. Its eyes glowed bright yellow, and it began wriggling against its chains as Doctor K looked on in horror.
"Impossible…!"
"DOCTOR K?!" The lights in the room turned on, illuminating the figure and revealing it to be a terrifying fusion of flesh and cybernetics. The bio-mechanical abomination formed its right arm into a cannon, then aimed it at Doctor K as she ran for the door. "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"LET ME OUT!" She screamed, banging against the door.
"Sir, it's gonna kill her!" Ramirez shouted.
"It's talking!" Burke exclaimed, ignoring her pleas.
Doctor K kept banging on the door, to no avail. With great reluctance, she turned to face her inevitable demise.
"YOU ARE AN ENEMY OF THE PSI-BORGS! YOU MUST BE DESTROYED!" The twisted creature trained its cannon on her and grimaced as it attempted to fire, but nothing happened. Doctor K furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, then came to the realization that its weapons had been disabled. She let out a nervous chuckle, then ran a hand through her hair.
"It's not working…!" She exclaimed. Her nervous laugh gave way to something a bit more maniacal, and she added, "Amazing! This is incredible! You're POWERLESS!"
The creature looked down at its cannon in confusion, and Doctor K added, "Just look at you! How does it feel?!"
"STAY...BACK!"
"What for?!" Doctor K demanded, running up to it out of nowhere. "What are you gonna do to me?!"
Her face twisted into a deep scowl, and she paced back and forth in front of her captive. "If you can't kill, then what are you good for, Psi-Borg?! What purpose do you serve?!... You're nothing!"
The creature's head whirred as it tracked Doctor K around the room, and she quickly added, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I AM...WAITING FOR...ORDERS!" The 'Psi-Borg' screeched. "I AM A SOLDIER! I WAS MADE TO RECEIVE ORDERS!"
"Well, you're never gonna get any. Never!"
"I DEMAND ORDERS!"
"They're never gonna come! Your race is dead; you all burned – all of you!" Doctor K shouted. "The entire Psi-Borg Citadel, wiped out in one second!"
"YOU LIE!"
"I watched it happen!" Doctor K snarled, her icy blue stare full of hatred. "I made it happen!"
"YOU DESTROYED US?!"
Doctor K froze, and her eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion. She turned away from the Psi-Borg, then replied, "I had no choice…."
"AND WHAT OF...THE HUMANS OF EARTH-2…?"
"...Dead," Doctor K revealed, and a single tear streamed down her cheek. "They burned with you. The end of The War to End All Wars...everyone lost."
"AND YET...THE COWARD SURVIVED…"
"Oh, and I caught your little signal," Doctor K grinned evilly, misinterpreting what the Psi-Borg was getting at. "'Help me'. Poor little thing...well, there's no one else coming because there's no one else left."
"I...AM...ALONE IN THE MULTIVERSE…"
"Yep,"
"SO...ARE...YOU," The Psi-Borg droned. "WE...ARE...THE SAME."
"We're not the same! I'm not…." Her voice trailed off, and the anger in her eyes subsided as realization dawned on her face. "No, wait...yeah, maybe we are...you've got a point! Because...I know what should happen. I know what you deserve!"
She made her way over to a nearby lever, then grabbed ahold of it and taunted the Psi-Borg by saying, "Exterminate…!"
She flipped the lever, sending volts of electricity coursing through the chains. The Psi-Borg cried out in pain as the electricity surged through its body.
"AHHHHH!" It screamed. "HAVE...PITY…!"
"Why should I?!" She retorted. She raised the lever to stop the electricity, then flipped it back on immediately afterward. "You never did!"
"HELP...ME!"
"Get her out of there!" Burke ordered, prompting the technician to reopen the door. The Psi-Borg's screams echoed through the doorway, and a squadron of ARC Troopers stormed inside. Two of them grabbed Doctor K and pulled her away from the lever, while another raised it to stop the flow of electricity. Administrator Burke burst into the room, then shouted, "I saved your life, goddammit, now talk to me!"
"You've got to destroy it…!" Doctor K shouted as she was dragged out of the room. Burke stared at the Psi-Borg, who fell silent as the pain coursing through its body slowly subsided.
"The last in the multiverse...and now I know your name: Psi-Borg…speak to me, Psi-Borg!" He received no response, so he added, "I am Marcus W. Burke, now recognize me!"
The Psi-Borg remained silent, and Burke turned to Mr. Strong as he slipped into the room behind him.
"Make it talk again, Strong...whatever it takes."
"Sorry about the mess," Randall said as he ushered Griffin and the others into his rather cluttered office. He set the Blade Blaster down on his desk, then continued, "The Administrator sorta lets me beat to my own drum, so long as I bring him the goods."
While Griffin and Wendy wandered around the room and marveled at the various bits of Ranger and alien technology, Randall reached for another object on his desk.
"What do you think this is?" He asked Kenny, handing the object in question to him.
"...A lump of metal?"
"Well, yeah, but...I reckon it came off one of those Zord things," The New-Zealander opined. "The thing is, it's all true. Everything the government tries to disprove or handwave away – Power Rangers, the aliens and monsters they fight. The Zords, the Morphers, the weapons, all of it – it's all real."
"No way," Wendy said, humoring him. Griffin rolled his eyes, and she added, "That's amazing."
"Isn't it?" Randall replied, failing to pick up on her sarcasm. "And I get to see it all firsthand. I study it, then catalog it! Best job in the world if you ask me."
"...Geek," The Yellow Ranger teased.
"Maybe so, but the ladies dig me anyway!" He said with a laugh. "No joke, I have a minimum of five chicks asking for my number any given week,"
"So you're a cassanova then, huh?" Griffin observed.
"Something like that. I don't know if I have as much game as you, though. Your girlfriend here's really pretty; you must be quite the charmer."
"Girlfriend…?" Griffin tilted his head, then blushed once he realized he meant Wendy. "O-Oh, Wendy and I are just f-friends!"
"Oh...sorry, I just assumed with the way that you two follow each other around-"
"Y-Yeah, no. Grif and I aren't l-like that," Wendy looked down at her hi-tops, and she and Griffin averted each other's gaze as their faces grew hot. Kenny almost burst into laughter, but bit his lip to suppress the urge.
"So like...wouldn't you rather be downstairs?" The Blue Ranger chimed back in, changing the subject. "I mean, they've got a living creature in that Cage. You're not even the least bit curious?"
"Well of course I'm curious! Unfortunately, the Administrator said no when I asked for a closer look," Randall said. He then stroked his chin, looking as if he had an idea. "Then again, I could hack into the security feed rather easily..."
"Let's have a look, then!" Kenny coaxed. Randall logged onto his computer and opened a new window, which displayed some kind of incomprehensible code. He typed a long string of commands into it, then hit enter. Somehow, this pulled up a live feed inside the Cage.
"AHHHHH…!" The Psi-Borg's cries echoed from Randall's monitor as Strong repeatedly bored into its organic bits with a drill. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"It's being tortured!" Griffin realized with a horrified expression. "Where's Doctor K?!"
"I don't know!"
"Take us down there, now!" Griffin demanded. He and the others strode out of the office, and Randall hesitated for a moment before following them.
"A Psi-Borg is a fusion of man and machine," Doctor K explained, as a pair of ARC Troopers escorted her, Administrator Burke, and Ramirez into an elevator. The doors slid closed, and she then continued, "They're created when an existing specimen injects a human with its techno-organic virus."
"Fascinating!" Administrator Burke exclaimed with almost child-like enthusiasm. "All the benefits of being human, with none of our genetic weaknesses! If you ask me, it sounds like the next stage of our evolution!"
"I'd certainly hope not."
"Surely you're a little short-sighted, Doctor. I mean, think of the scientific breakthroughs we could make in studying it!" Burke pressed. "Who created them, anyway?"
"They weren't created – at least, not intentionally; the first specimen resulted from a lab explosion. The blast merged a scientist from my Earth with a hard drive containing an artificial intelligence he'd been working on." Doctor K explained further. "They're good for one thing, and one thing only – extermination. Nothing good can come from tampering with it."
"It's been on Earth for over a year, sold at private auctions and moving from collection to collection," Ramirez countered. "Why would it be a threat now?"
"Because I'm here." Doctor K told her. "How did it get to Earth-1, anyway? Does anyone know?"
"It crash-landed in Antarctica; somehow, it burrowed inside a meteorite," Ramirez explained. "The team of a nearby research outpost listened to it scream for three days after they thawed it out. Clearly it went a little insane."
"It must have warped to this dimension as a counter-measure," Doctor K hypothesized. "The only survivor..."
"You mentioned a war?" Ramirez replied.
"The War to End All Wars. A three-way fight to the death between the humans of my Earth, the Psi-Borgs, and another faction."
"But you survived, too," Administrator Burke observed.
"Not by choice,"
"You're from Earth-2. By that logic, you're an extraterrestrial yourself, wouldn't you say, Doctor?" A sinister gleam shone in Burke's eyes, and he added, "The last Earth-2 human in existence..."
A few minutes later, Doctor K was chained up in a room similar to the Cage. Burke flashed her an evil grin from behind an apparatus he was standing behind, then said, "Smile...!"
He pressed a button on the device in front of him, emitting a purple light that scanned Doctor K and sent waves of energy coursing through her body. Her face contorted, and she screamed in pain. Burke simply smiled as an X-Ray appeared on a nearby screen.
"Interesting...your biology and anatomy appear identical to ours, but there may be some differences I'm missing. I'll have to inspect you further, possibly even dissect you." He hit the button again, sending another purple light that probed her form. "Who knows, maybe you've got some kind of superpower I can patent!"
"So that's your secret..." Doctor K breathed out once the second light dissipated. "You don't just collect this stuff and study it. You scavenge it and sell the scraps to the highest bidder."
"This stuff's been collecting dust on all the different Earths for decades. All it took was the right mind to unlock its secrets." Burke stepped out from behind the machine, then continued, "Oh, the advances I've made from all this junk. You have no idea, Doctor K! Prototype energy shields reverse-engineered from Warstar tech! Weapons that aim themselves from the Mystic Force Rangers! Just last year, my scientists cultivated bacteria from the fossilized remains of a Vivix, and do you know what we found...? The cure for the common cold!... Buried that in the vault and threw away the key, of course. Why sell one cure when I can sell a thousand remedies?"
"...do you know what a Psi-Borg is, Burke?" Doctor K said, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. "A Psi-Borg is honest. It does whatever it has to for the survival of its species. That creature in your dungeon is better than you."
"In that case, I'll stay true to myself and continue," Burke moved to man the scanner again, but Doctor K cut him off.
"Listen to me! That thing downstairs is gonna kill every last one of us!"
"Nothing can escape the Cage," Burke said arrogantly. He scanned Doctor K again, and she writhed in pain and agony.
"But it's awake now, and it knows I'm here! It's going to get out!" She warned. "Burke, I promise you, no one in this complex is safe! Nor anyone on the surface!"
Burke continued to ignore her pleas, instead electing to scan her again.
"Hold it right there!" An ARC Trooper shouted, hopping out of his chair as Randall and the Rangers strolled past him.
"Stand down; I've got special clearance from Administrator Burke!" Randall flashed his ID badge, and the Trooper seemed to back down. He moved through the door to the Cage, then gestured to the others as Strong cleared out of the room.
"Don't get too close," He warned them.
Kenny and Wendy hung back, but Griffin walked right up to the Psi-Borg without hesitation. He tilted his head, then greeted, "Hello…? Are you in pain…?"
"...YES…" The Psi-Borg replied, its voice strained. "I...AM...IN PAIN. THEY TORTURE ME...BUT STILL, THEY FEAR ME…DO YOU FEAR ME?"
"...No," Griffin lied, masking his unease as the Psi-Borg scanned him from head to toe with its optics.
"I...AM...DYING," It revealed.
"No, we can help!" The Red Ranger offered. He gestured to his teammates, then said, "Ken, Wendy, Doc, and I, we can...we can help you."
"I...WELCOME DEATH," The Psi-Borg said dismissively. Griffin's face twisted into a frown, and it soon added, "BUT...I AM GLAD...TO HAVE MET...A HUMAN WHO WAS...NOT AFRAID…"
"Isn't there anything I can do…?"
"MY RACE IS DEAD…" The Psi-Borg told him. "I...SHALL DIE...ALONE…"
It looked down at the floor, and the few facial features Griffin could make out formed an expression that could only be described as sorrowfull. The Red Ranger's frown deepened, and he reached out his left hand to comfort the creature.
"Griffin, don't-!" Wendy warned, but she was too late. His hand made contact, and energy flowed from his morpher and seeped into the Psi-Borg.
"BIO-FIELD ENERGY EXTRAPOLATED…!" The Psi-Borg boomed, and its body coursed with electricity as newfound energy surged through it. "INITIATING SELF-REPAIR CYCLE!"
With its newfound strength, it broke free of its chains. Strong pushed his way back into the room, then glared at Griffin.
"What the hell did you do?!" He exclaimed. He turned the attention towards the Psi-Borg, brandishing the drill he'd used to torture it earlier. "Stand down, tin can! You know what this feels like by now!"
"YOUR FEEBLE METHODS OF TORTURE DO NOT SCARE ME ANYMORE!" The Psi-Borg shouted. It ripped the drill from his tormentor's hands, tossing it aside. It then grabbed Strong by the throat and lifted him into the air. It snapped his neck with no effort whatsoever, killing him instantly.
"Oh my God! He's dead!" Griffin tore out of the Cage, dragging Kenny and Wendy behind him. He bounded up to the ARC Troopers guarding the door, then shouted, "You've got to do something!"
"All units, this is Beta Leader! We are at Code Red; BME-1 has escaped!" Beta Leader's voice echoed through the comm-link, emitting itself from the transceivers of the ARC Troopers guarding Burke. "I repeat, we are at Code Red; BME-1 has escaped!"
Burke's jaw dropped, and Doctor K lifted her head.
"Release me if you want to live..." She managed to breathe out through the fatigue and pain.
The moment the elevator slid back open, Doctor K burst out of it, followed by the Administrator and Ramirez. She dashed up to a computer terminal; its monitor displayed a live feed of the area outside the Cage.
"You've got to keep it in that cell!" She warned, and Griffin and the others turned to face the camera.
"Doc, it's all my fault!" The Red Ranger told her. Meanwhile, the ARC Trooper accompanying them turned and shook his head.
"I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out; that lock's got a billion combinations."
"The Psi-Borg can read minds, even minutes after the brain dies." Doctor K informed him. "If Strong knew the code, it will get out."
Sure enough, a few seconds later the door to the Cage flew off its hinges. The Psi-Borg burst through, and Beta Leader and Beta 1 whipped around to face it as it brandished its arm-cannon.
"EXTERMINATE!" It bellowed, vaporizing the pair of ARC Troopers as Griffin and the others rounded the corner and tore down a nearby hall. With the immediate threat to its safety eliminated, it stomped towards the monitor, then extended a spike from its left hand. It forced the point into the monitor, breaking the glass as it began siphoning energy from the computer. Lights flickered all across the base.
"We're losing power!" Ramirez informed, typing away at a nearby laptop. "It's draining the base...no wait, the State...Administrator, the entire West Coast just went dark!"
"It's not just energy," Doctor K revealed. "That Psi-Borg just absorbed the entire internet. It knows everything."
"THE TIME HAS COME!" The Psi-Borg ripped its appendage free of the monitor, then turned its cannon on the computer as the base's primary power system was restored. Sparks and metal debris flew from the equipment as it was trashed, and the Psi-Borg began to laugh maniacally. "THE PSI-BORGS LIVE ON THROUGH MEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
"...And you're sure this is where it came from?"
"Yes, Ranger Red," Doctor K replied, as she led Griffin and the other Rangers towards an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. "The signal Bugz picked up originated from these coordinates. I'm certain of it."
"Okay, but...this is an empty building," Wendy said, eyeing the older woman with a bit of skepticism as they entered the warehouse via a side door. As Doctor K scanned its interior with an electronic device of some sort, the Yellow Ranger added, "There's nothing here."
"We don't know that for certain, Ranger Yellow. We've only just arrived, after all," Doctor K pointed out. Her scanner beeped and hummed as she continued to survey the room. Griffin and the others fell in behind her, and they combed the area for any signs or clues.
"What are we even looking for, anyway?" Kenny asked after a few minutes of silence. "I mean, what kind of signal was it?"
"It was weak, but I was able to make it out. It was a distress call," Doctor K revealed. "Someone was calling us for help, and during the incredibly brief period that we were able to pick it up, I recognized the signal. It matched some communications broadcasts I received while on Earth-2."
"So that means...there may be more survivors?" Griffin guessed.
"Perhaps. And if there are, they must be rescued. I owe it to my fallen comrades."
"That's all well and good, but...how do you know we're not just going off on some wild goose chase?" Wendy questioned. "I mean, what if two signals got jumbled together? Radio interference, or something like that?"
"Wendy's got a point. I mean, stuff like that happens all the time! Your sensors could just be on the fritz," Kenny echoed. He leaned against a nearby wall, then continued with, "Besides, we've searched this whole room top and bottom, and there isn't anything-"
The room began to shake out of nowhere, startling the group and interrupting the Blue Ranger's train of thought. The floor next to Kenny slid open, and a massive freight elevator lifted into view. Towards the back of the elevator was a control console of some kind, which had a touch interface shaped like a human hand.
"-here…" Kenny trailed off. He and the others tip-toed onto the elevator, and Doctor K followed them. She padded over to the control console, then placed her hand on its interface.
"ACCESS: DENIED," An electronic voice announced, emitting itself from an unseen speaker.
"Okay, we've obviously found something we're not supposed to be messing with," Griffin said. "Let's go ho-"
Out of nowhere, the warehouse shook again, knocking the Red Ranger off-balance. He tripped and flew forward but managed to stop his fall by extending his hand and pushing against the closest object – the interface. It scanned his palm, then lit up green and emitted an electric click.
"ACCESS: GRANTED" The doors then slid closed, much to Wendy's chagrin. She fumbled around, searching for a way to reopen them as the elevator began its descent.
"What the hell did you do?!" She shrieked.
"I didn't do anything; it was an accident!"
"Well, either way, we're stuck in here now, and it's your fault!" She shouted. "You are such a klutz, I swear!"
"Uh, technically speaking, this is my fault..." Kenny interjected. "I mean, I'm the one who brought the elevator up in the first place."
"Butt out, this doesn't concern you!"
"We're all here; this concerns all of us!" Griffin countered. "Would you calm down and stop yelling at everyone?!"
"You're yelling too!"
"Yeah, but you started it!"
"Would you two shut up already?!" Kenny exclaimed in exasperation, stepping in between the two. "You're giving me a friggin headache! Save your stupid lover's quarrels for when I'm not around!"
"L-Lover's quarrels…?" Griffin and Wendy blushed bright red, and they both shouted, "It's not l-like that!"
"Baka…" The Blue Ranger muttered in his native Japanese. He turned to Doctor K, then changed the subject with, "Now what, Doc?"
"Well, we're stuck here now, for better or worse. We might as well continue our search whenever we get to...wherever this elevator is taking us."
A few moments later, the elevator came to a halt, hissing as it expelled steam. The doors slid open, which allowed its passengers to step out into a large hall. The walls were a deep shade of reddish-brown, and the concrete floor was yellow. White marble pillars lined the walls, and atop each one sat a glass display case. Above them, white banners adorned with the letters "ARC" jutted out from the sides of the wall every eight feet or so.
"What...is this place?" Griffin said, his eyes widening. He made his way over to one of the display cases, which contained the remains of a sea monster with red skin, burgundy armor, and a mustard yellow tunic. "Hey, I saw one of these on the news once! It's a Mooger; they fought the Samurai Rangers from Panorama City."
"Right! But...what's it doing here?" Kenny tilted his head, then turned and gestured to another case. This one contained a blaster pistol with a piston-like handguard and tubing running along the top of it. "Woah, that's a Drive Defender! The Overdrive Rangers from San Angeles used those!"
As Kenny geeked out over the various bits of Ranger technology he found, Doctor K padded over to a third display case. This one contained a silver robot with a golden face and black eyes. Wendy followed her, then gestured to the robot and asked, "Hey Doc, isn't that one of the robots you told us about? The ones that Venjix used to use? A Grinder, or something like that?"
"No. That's a Cog; they were the footsoldiers of the Machine Empire, who were the enemies of the Zeo Rangers," Doctor K explained. "Under normal circumstances, I'd jump at the chance to study one, but...how did it get here?"
Their sightseeing was then cut short by the sound of incoming footsteps. Soldiers clad in black, silver, and bronze armor stormed into the hall, brandished hi-tech blaster rifles, and aimed them at Doctor K and the Rangers.
"You are intruding on private property! Surrender now and come with us!" One of the soldiers barked.
"...Should we morph?" Kenny whispered, looking to Doctor K for instruction.
"You CAN'T. We're too far below ground; your morphers' signals won't be able to reach the lab. Besides, we can't risk revealing your identities to these people." Doctor K turned to the lead soldier, then said, "Very well. Lead the way,"
Several levels above them, a man with graying hair clad in a fancy suit moved through a hallway, accompanied by dozens of armored troops similar to the ones downstairs. He then passed a man with blonde hair in gray coveralls, who followed him as he continued down the corridor.
"Talk to me, Strong," The man in the suit said. "What's the status of our specimen?"
"Administrator Burke, I regret to inform you that I've made no further progress." The man in the coveralls replied. "BME-01 still refuses to communicate, sir."
"Dammit, Strong, that's not what I wanted to hear. Get back to the Cage and don't come back until you get me some results!"
"Yes, sir!" Strong nodded, then tore away from the group and made his way down a nearby flight of stairs. As the Administrator continued moving through the hallway, a Hispanic woman with shoulder-length black hair followed him, struggling to match his pace.
"Sir, there's something I need to-"
"And who might you be?" Burke questioned, glancing at her over his shoulder.
"Sir, I'm Ramirez," She told him. "I'm your secretary."
"Not anymore, you're not. I fired you."
"No, that was Morgan, your last secretary. I'm her replacement," She corrected. With a shake of her head, she continued, "Listen, sir, I have some important news. Beta Squad was patrolling Level 13, and they found someone. Or well, four someones."
"Intruders? In my museum?"
"It would appear so, sir," Ramirez nodded. "We're not sure how they got in or what they're here for, but they peacefully surrendered to Beta Squad. They're bringing them up as we speak."
"Tell Beta Leader I want them brought to my office. Oh, and get me a coffee, would you? Decaf, if we've got it!" He broke away from Ramirez, then walked through a door on the right side of the hall. As he stepped into his office, he spotted a well-dressed man in his early to mid-twenties sitting in a chair. "Mr. Randall! I see you've returned from your expedition?"
"Yes, sir," Randall replied in a New-Zealand accent. He stood from his chair, then gestured to a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. "I brought you a souvenir and everything!"
"Ooh, exciting! That'll have to wait, though. Beta Squad captured some intruders; they're on their way up right now," Burke turned to face the door, just as the squad in question escorted Doctor K and the Rangers inside. "Why hello, there! You must be my new guests!"
"It would appear so," Doctor K said, backing away from Beta Leader once he released his grip on her. "And who might you be?"
"Right, introductions! I almost forgot; how rude of me," He stretched out his hand, then continued, "My name is Burke; I'm the Administrator of ARC."
"ARC?" Kenny questioned, scrunching up his nose. "What's that?"
"It's the name of my company. ARC: it's short for Artifact Research Corporation. We're an elite organization dedicated to the acquisition and research of Ranger and alien technologies." Burke explained. "We collect it, study it, and then store it here in my underground museum. Here, I'll show you. Randall, your souvenir?"
"Of course, sir." Randall reached into his bag, then produced a red stick of some sort with a handguard and teeth-like patterns all over it. He handed it to Burke, who fiddled with it to get it to do something.
"...You're doing it wrong," Doctor K blurted out. Burke looked up at her, and she reluctantly continued, "It's a Blade Blaster. Here, allow me."
Burke eyed her with an incredulous expression but handed her the Blade Blaster nonetheless. She began toying with it, and within moments she was able to extend its blade. She carefully retracted the blade, then converted the weapon into a gun configuration of some kind before transforming it back and returning it to Burke.
"Impressive…" He observed, placing the weapon on his desk. "Who are you, anyway?"
"My name is Doctor K. I'm...something of an expert on Ranger technology, myself."
"It would appear so, wouldn't it?" Burke observed, stroking his chin. "Tell you what, Doctor. I'm working on a...special project. ARC recently acquired a living specimen – the first and only living specimen ever cataloged here. We're trying to get it to communicate with us but haven't had much luck...maybe you could help us?"
"...Very well. I'll assist you with your project."
"Splendid! Beta Leader, inform Mr. Strong that we'll be visiting the Cage. Mr. Randall, take the other three to your office and keep them busy until we return."
"We've tried everything," Burke explained as he led Doctor K into a lab a few levels down. Scientists changed into hazmat suits, and ARC Troopers loaded their weapons as they prepared to open a large metal door. "We have yet to get it to talk, though, unfortunately."
"Welcome back, sir," Strong greeted, stepping out of the door once it slid open. "I've had to turn the power down just a smidge; BME-1 is resting now."
"BME-1?" Doctor K questioned.
"It's what we call the specimen. I came up with it myself; I'm quite proud of it, but I'd prefer to know its real name," Burke told her. He gestured towards the door, then said, "Go ahead, Doctor. We'll be monitoring from outside; if you get the results we're looking for, I'll let you and your friends go."
"Somehow, I very much doubt that…." Doctor K muttered. She moved to enter the next room, but Strong blocked her path.
"Here, you'd better put these on," He said, handing her a pair of thick leather work gloves. "The last guy who touched it with his bare hands burst into flames."
"I won't touch it, then," Doctor K replied. She stepped around him, then crossed into the doorway.
"Alright then, let's begin!" Burke said, clasping his hands together. He turned to a technician, then added, "Reseal the Cage, but be ready to open it again at a moment's notice. We wouldn't want the Doctor or the specimen to get hurt."
"Yes, sir." The technician typed a string in commands into her computer terminal, then pressed down firmly on a big red button. As the door to the next room slid shut behind Doctor K, Ramirez burst into the lab carrying a cup of coffee.
"Your decaf, sir!" She said, handing it to Burke.
"Thank you, Ramirez. Here, find a seat; I have a feeling we're about to witness history."
Doctor K made her way inside the dimly lit room, then glanced down at a table filled with metal tools and instruments. She shook her head, then turned and peered into the darkness, where she was able to barely make out the outline of a humanoid chained to a wall.
"Look, I'm sorry about this. The Administrator thinks he's really clever, but if you ask me he…." Her voice trailed off as she felt something vibrate in her pocket. She reached inside, producing her scanner from earlier. "The signal...it's coming from you! You sent the distress call!"
She received no response, so she stepped closer and continued, "I've come to help you! My name is Doctor K."
"DOC...TOR…" The figure said, its voice a disgusting chorus of several different voices speaking simultaneously. Its eyes glowed bright yellow, and it began wriggling against its chains as Doctor K looked on in horror.
"Impossible…!"
"DOCTOR K?!" The lights in the room turned on, illuminating the figure and revealing it to be a terrifying fusion of flesh and cybernetics. The bio-mechanical abomination formed its right arm into a cannon, then aimed it at Doctor K as she ran for the door. "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"LET ME OUT!" She screamed, banging against the door.
"Sir, it's gonna kill her!" Ramirez shouted.
"It's talking!" Burke exclaimed, ignoring her pleas.
Doctor K kept banging on the door, to no avail. With great reluctance, she turned to face her inevitable demise.
"YOU ARE AN ENEMY OF THE PSI-BORGS! YOU MUST BE DESTROYED!" The twisted creature trained its cannon on her and grimaced as it attempted to fire, but nothing happened. Doctor K furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, then came to the realization that its weapons had been disabled. She let out a nervous chuckle, then ran a hand through her hair.
"It's not working…!" She exclaimed. Her nervous laugh gave way to something a bit more maniacal, and she added, "Amazing! This is incredible! You're POWERLESS!"
The creature looked down at its cannon in confusion, and Doctor K added, "Just look at you! How does it feel?!"
"STAY...BACK!"
"What for?!" Doctor K demanded, running up to it out of nowhere. "What are you gonna do to me?!"
Her face twisted into a deep scowl, and she paced back and forth in front of her captive. "If you can't kill, then what are you good for, Psi-Borg?! What purpose do you serve?!... You're nothing!"
The creature's head whirred as it tracked Doctor K around the room, and she quickly added, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I AM...WAITING FOR...ORDERS!" The 'Psi-Borg' screeched. "I AM A SOLDIER! I WAS MADE TO RECEIVE ORDERS!"
"Well, you're never gonna get any. Never!"
"I DEMAND ORDERS!"
"They're never gonna come! Your race is dead; you all burned – all of you!" Doctor K shouted. "The entire Psi-Borg Citadel, wiped out in one second!"
"YOU LIE!"
"I watched it happen!" Doctor K snarled, her icy blue stare full of hatred. "I made it happen!"
"YOU DESTROYED US?!"
Doctor K froze, and her eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion. She turned away from the Psi-Borg, then replied, "I had no choice…."
"AND WHAT OF...THE HUMANS OF EARTH-2…?"
"...Dead," Doctor K revealed, and a single tear streamed down her cheek. "They burned with you. The end of The War to End All Wars...everyone lost."
"AND YET...THE COWARD SURVIVED…"
"Oh, and I caught your little signal," Doctor K grinned evilly, misinterpreting what the Psi-Borg was getting at. "'Help me'. Poor little thing...well, there's no one else coming because there's no one else left."
"I...AM...ALONE IN THE MULTIVERSE…"
"Yep,"
"SO...ARE...YOU," The Psi-Borg droned. "WE...ARE...THE SAME."
"We're not the same! I'm not…." Her voice trailed off, and the anger in her eyes subsided as realization dawned on her face. "No, wait...yeah, maybe we are...you've got a point! Because...I know what should happen. I know what you deserve!"
She made her way over to a nearby lever, then grabbed ahold of it and taunted the Psi-Borg by saying, "Exterminate…!"
She flipped the lever, sending volts of electricity coursing through the chains. The Psi-Borg cried out in pain as the electricity surged through its body.
"AHHHHH!" It screamed. "HAVE...PITY…!"
"Why should I?!" She retorted. She raised the lever to stop the electricity, then flipped it back on immediately afterward. "You never did!"
"HELP...ME!"
"Get her out of there!" Burke ordered, prompting the technician to reopen the door. The Psi-Borg's screams echoed through the doorway, and a squadron of ARC Troopers stormed inside. Two of them grabbed Doctor K and pulled her away from the lever, while another raised it to stop the flow of electricity. Administrator Burke burst into the room, then shouted, "I saved your life, goddammit, now talk to me!"
"You've got to destroy it…!" Doctor K shouted as she was dragged out of the room. Burke stared at the Psi-Borg, who fell silent as the pain coursing through its body slowly subsided.
"The last in the multiverse...and now I know your name: Psi-Borg…speak to me, Psi-Borg!" He received no response, so he added, "I am Marcus W. Burke, now recognize me!"
The Psi-Borg remained silent, and Burke turned to Mr. Strong as he slipped into the room behind him.
"Make it talk again, Strong...whatever it takes."
"Sorry about the mess," Randall said as he ushered Griffin and the others into his rather cluttered office. He set the Blade Blaster down on his desk, then continued, "The Administrator sorta lets me beat to my own drum, so long as I bring him the goods."
While Griffin and Wendy wandered around the room and marveled at the various bits of Ranger and alien technology, Randall reached for another object on his desk.
"What do you think this is?" He asked Kenny, handing the object in question to him.
"...A lump of metal?"
"Well, yeah, but...I reckon it came off one of those Zord things," The New-Zealander opined. "The thing is, it's all true. Everything the government tries to disprove or handwave away – Power Rangers, the aliens and monsters they fight. The Zords, the Morphers, the weapons, all of it – it's all real."
"No way," Wendy said, humoring him. Griffin rolled his eyes, and she added, "That's amazing."
"Isn't it?" Randall replied, failing to pick up on her sarcasm. "And I get to see it all firsthand. I study it, then catalog it! Best job in the world if you ask me."
"...Geek," The Yellow Ranger teased.
"Maybe so, but the ladies dig me anyway!" He said with a laugh. "No joke, I have a minimum of five chicks asking for my number any given week,"
"So you're a cassanova then, huh?" Griffin observed.
"Something like that. I don't know if I have as much game as you, though. Your girlfriend here's really pretty; you must be quite the charmer."
"Girlfriend…?" Griffin tilted his head, then blushed once he realized he meant Wendy. "O-Oh, Wendy and I are just f-friends!"
"Oh...sorry, I just assumed with the way that you two follow each other around-"
"Y-Yeah, no. Grif and I aren't l-like that," Wendy looked down at her hi-tops, and she and Griffin averted each other's gaze as their faces grew hot. Kenny almost burst into laughter, but bit his lip to suppress the urge.
"So like...wouldn't you rather be downstairs?" The Blue Ranger chimed back in, changing the subject. "I mean, they've got a living creature in that Cage. You're not even the least bit curious?"
"Well of course I'm curious! Unfortunately, the Administrator said no when I asked for a closer look," Randall said. He then stroked his chin, looking as if he had an idea. "Then again, I could hack into the security feed rather easily..."
"Let's have a look, then!" Kenny coaxed. Randall logged onto his computer and opened a new window, which displayed some kind of incomprehensible code. He typed a long string of commands into it, then hit enter. Somehow, this pulled up a live feed inside the Cage.
"AHHHHH…!" The Psi-Borg's cries echoed from Randall's monitor as Strong repeatedly bored into its organic bits with a drill. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"It's being tortured!" Griffin realized with a horrified expression. "Where's Doctor K?!"
"I don't know!"
"Take us down there, now!" Griffin demanded. He and the others strode out of the office, and Randall hesitated for a moment before following them.
"A Psi-Borg is a fusion of man and machine," Doctor K explained, as a pair of ARC Troopers escorted her, Administrator Burke, and Ramirez into an elevator. The doors slid closed, and she then continued, "They're created when an existing specimen injects a human with its techno-organic virus."
"Fascinating!" Administrator Burke exclaimed with almost child-like enthusiasm. "All the benefits of being human, with none of our genetic weaknesses! If you ask me, it sounds like the next stage of our evolution!"
"I'd certainly hope not."
"Surely you're a little short-sighted, Doctor. I mean, think of the scientific breakthroughs we could make in studying it!" Burke pressed. "Who created them, anyway?"
"They weren't created – at least, not intentionally; the first specimen resulted from a lab explosion. The blast merged a scientist from my Earth with a hard drive containing an artificial intelligence he'd been working on." Doctor K explained further. "They're good for one thing, and one thing only – extermination. Nothing good can come from tampering with it."
"It's been on Earth for over a year, sold at private auctions and moving from collection to collection," Ramirez countered. "Why would it be a threat now?"
"Because I'm here." Doctor K told her. "How did it get to Earth-1, anyway? Does anyone know?"
"It crash-landed in Antarctica; somehow, it burrowed inside a meteorite," Ramirez explained. "The team of a nearby research outpost listened to it scream for three days after they thawed it out. Clearly it went a little insane."
"It must have warped to this dimension as a counter-measure," Doctor K hypothesized. "The only survivor..."
"You mentioned a war?" Ramirez replied.
"The War to End All Wars. A three-way fight to the death between the humans of my Earth, the Psi-Borgs, and another faction."
"But you survived, too," Administrator Burke observed.
"Not by choice,"
"You're from Earth-2. By that logic, you're an extraterrestrial yourself, wouldn't you say, Doctor?" A sinister gleam shone in Burke's eyes, and he added, "The last Earth-2 human in existence..."
A few minutes later, Doctor K was chained up in a room similar to the Cage. Burke flashed her an evil grin from behind an apparatus he was standing behind, then said, "Smile...!"
He pressed a button on the device in front of him, emitting a purple light that scanned Doctor K and sent waves of energy coursing through her body. Her face contorted, and she screamed in pain. Burke simply smiled as an X-Ray appeared on a nearby screen.
"Interesting...your biology and anatomy appear identical to ours, but there may be some differences I'm missing. I'll have to inspect you further, possibly even dissect you." He hit the button again, sending another purple light that probed her form. "Who knows, maybe you've got some kind of superpower I can patent!"
"So that's your secret..." Doctor K breathed out once the second light dissipated. "You don't just collect this stuff and study it. You scavenge it and sell the scraps to the highest bidder."
"This stuff's been collecting dust on all the different Earths for decades. All it took was the right mind to unlock its secrets." Burke stepped out from behind the machine, then continued, "Oh, the advances I've made from all this junk. You have no idea, Doctor K! Prototype energy shields reverse-engineered from Warstar tech! Weapons that aim themselves from the Mystic Force Rangers! Just last year, my scientists cultivated bacteria from the fossilized remains of a Vivix, and do you know what we found...? The cure for the common cold!... Buried that in the vault and threw away the key, of course. Why sell one cure when I can sell a thousand remedies?"
"...do you know what a Psi-Borg is, Burke?" Doctor K said, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. "A Psi-Borg is honest. It does whatever it has to for the survival of its species. That creature in your dungeon is better than you."
"In that case, I'll stay true to myself and continue," Burke moved to man the scanner again, but Doctor K cut him off.
"Listen to me! That thing downstairs is gonna kill every last one of us!"
"Nothing can escape the Cage," Burke said arrogantly. He scanned Doctor K again, and she writhed in pain and agony.
"But it's awake now, and it knows I'm here! It's going to get out!" She warned. "Burke, I promise you, no one in this complex is safe! Nor anyone on the surface!"
Burke continued to ignore her pleas, instead electing to scan her again.
"Hold it right there!" An ARC Trooper shouted, hopping out of his chair as Randall and the Rangers strolled past him.
"Stand down; I've got special clearance from Administrator Burke!" Randall flashed his ID badge, and the Trooper seemed to back down. He moved through the door to the Cage, then gestured to the others as Strong cleared out of the room.
"Don't get too close," He warned them.
Kenny and Wendy hung back, but Griffin walked right up to the Psi-Borg without hesitation. He tilted his head, then greeted, "Hello…? Are you in pain…?"
"...YES…" The Psi-Borg replied, its voice strained. "I...AM...IN PAIN. THEY TORTURE ME...BUT STILL, THEY FEAR ME…DO YOU FEAR ME?"
"...No," Griffin lied, masking his unease as the Psi-Borg scanned him from head to toe with its optics.
"I...AM...DYING," It revealed.
"No, we can help!" The Red Ranger offered. He gestured to his teammates, then said, "Ken, Wendy, Doc, and I, we can...we can help you."
"I...WELCOME DEATH," The Psi-Borg said dismissively. Griffin's face twisted into a frown, and it soon added, "BUT...I AM GLAD...TO HAVE MET...A HUMAN WHO WAS...NOT AFRAID…"
"Isn't there anything I can do…?"
"MY RACE IS DEAD…" The Psi-Borg told him. "I...SHALL DIE...ALONE…"
It looked down at the floor, and the few facial features Griffin could make out formed an expression that could only be described as sorrowfull. The Red Ranger's frown deepened, and he reached out his left hand to comfort the creature.
"Griffin, don't-!" Wendy warned, but she was too late. His hand made contact, and energy flowed from his morpher and seeped into the Psi-Borg.
"BIO-FIELD ENERGY EXTRAPOLATED…!" The Psi-Borg boomed, and its body coursed with electricity as newfound energy surged through it. "INITIATING SELF-REPAIR CYCLE!"
With its newfound strength, it broke free of its chains. Strong pushed his way back into the room, then glared at Griffin.
"What the hell did you do?!" He exclaimed. He turned the attention towards the Psi-Borg, brandishing the drill he'd used to torture it earlier. "Stand down, tin can! You know what this feels like by now!"
"YOUR FEEBLE METHODS OF TORTURE DO NOT SCARE ME ANYMORE!" The Psi-Borg shouted. It ripped the drill from his tormentor's hands, tossing it aside. It then grabbed Strong by the throat and lifted him into the air. It snapped his neck with no effort whatsoever, killing him instantly.
"Oh my God! He's dead!" Griffin tore out of the Cage, dragging Kenny and Wendy behind him. He bounded up to the ARC Troopers guarding the door, then shouted, "You've got to do something!"
"All units, this is Beta Leader! We are at Code Red; BME-1 has escaped!" Beta Leader's voice echoed through the comm-link, emitting itself from the transceivers of the ARC Troopers guarding Burke. "I repeat, we are at Code Red; BME-1 has escaped!"
Burke's jaw dropped, and Doctor K lifted her head.
"Release me if you want to live..." She managed to breathe out through the fatigue and pain.
The moment the elevator slid back open, Doctor K burst out of it, followed by the Administrator and Ramirez. She dashed up to a computer terminal; its monitor displayed a live feed of the area outside the Cage.
"You've got to keep it in that cell!" She warned, and Griffin and the others turned to face the camera.
"Doc, it's all my fault!" The Red Ranger told her. Meanwhile, the ARC Trooper accompanying them turned and shook his head.
"I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out; that lock's got a billion combinations."
"The Psi-Borg can read minds, even minutes after the brain dies." Doctor K informed him. "If Strong knew the code, it will get out."
Sure enough, a few seconds later the door to the Cage flew off its hinges. The Psi-Borg burst through, and Beta Leader and Beta 1 whipped around to face it as it brandished its arm-cannon.
"EXTERMINATE!" It bellowed, vaporizing the pair of ARC Troopers as Griffin and the others rounded the corner and tore down a nearby hall. With the immediate threat to its safety eliminated, it stomped towards the monitor, then extended a spike from its left hand. It forced the point into the monitor, breaking the glass as it began siphoning energy from the computer. Lights flickered all across the base.
"We're losing power!" Ramirez informed, typing away at a nearby laptop. "It's draining the base...no wait, the State...Administrator, the entire West Coast just went dark!"
"It's not just energy," Doctor K revealed. "That Psi-Borg just absorbed the entire internet. It knows everything."
"THE TIME HAS COME!" The Psi-Borg ripped its appendage free of the monitor, then turned its cannon on the computer as the base's primary power system was restored. Sparks and metal debris flew from the equipment as it was trashed, and the Psi-Borg began to laugh maniacally. "THE PSI-BORGS LIVE ON THROUGH MEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
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