FicWad

Episode 14: The Man With The Golden Gun

"...This is a problem,"

Alt's lips creased into a frown, and she folded her arms as she stood before a metal tank. This tank extended from floor to ceiling inside the back room of Venjix's warehouse hideout. An internal lighting system illuminated its interior; inside, a pool of green liquid went to about halfway up her calves.

"We're definitely running low," Delete agreed as he entered the room.

"Understatement of the century," Control quipped from his spot on the floor, slumped up against the wall. This seemed to startle Alt and Delete, who hadn't noticed his presence.

"I would strongly advise you to take this more seriously," Alt warned with a slight edge in her voice. "If the Rangers continue to make a mockery of us, we could wind up in real trouble."

"Venjix's patience endures – the Rangers' good fortune won't," Control countered. He rose to his feet, then sauntered over to her. She turned to face him as he added, "I have a plan to deal with them, anyway."

"A plan? You have a plan?" Alt replied incredulously. "Maybe you've forgotten, but you oversaw the last failed attack,"

"Not to gang up on you, but...Alt kinda has a point," echoed Delete. "Perhaps you should take a break, brother. Let one of us have a turn."

"Trust me," Control urged. He then reached into his trench coat and produced a Venjix Virus Card. "You remember that data I collected on Ranger Red, no? I used what I learned researching him to develop this...so just. Trust. Me."

"...Fine," Alt relented with a sigh. She brushed past him, then added, "Just be aware that I'm throwing you under the bus without a second thought if this ends poorly."

"C'est la vie," Control shrugged, and together the trio of siblings made their way out of the room…

"I'mgonnabelateI'mgonnabelateI'mgonnabelateI'mgonnabeLATE!" Kenny grit his teeth as he soared through the air on his skateboard, having leaped off a ramp and ollied over Starview Heights University's outer gate. He touched down on the other side, then pushed off the concrete with his right foot to increase his speed. He rolled towards the front steps of the building, then dismounted his board and kicked it into the air. After catching it mid-flight, he stuffed it into his backpack and removed his helmet before checking his watch.

"Oh. I guess I'm actually right on time," He realized. "Phew…"

"Uh, excuse me...!" A new voice interjected, shaking him from his thoughts. Kenny turned and faced its owner, an African-American guy in his twenties with shortly cropped black hair and brown eyes. "Hate to bother, but...are you a student here?"

"As a matter of fact, I am!" He stuck his hand out, then introruced himself, "My name's Kenny. It's nice to meet you!"

"I'm Quincy. Nice to meet you too," replied the other young man, who shook Kenny's hand before gesturing to a map of the campus he was holding. "Would you happen to know where Yost Hall is? I'm new here, and I'm still figuring out where everything is."

"Yeah, I know where that is! I'm actually on my way there if you'd like to join me," Quincy nodded, and Kenny zipped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "Classes in Yost Hall, huh? You into computers?"

"Yep. Majoring in Computer Science, actually. You?"

"Computer Engineering," Kenny nodded. He glanced at his watch, then added, "Anyway, we've only got a few minutes before the next classes start, so let's get going."

"Sounds like a plan. Allons y!"

"Allons y?" questioned Kenny, whose nose scrunched up in confusion.

"Yeah, uh, it's French for 'Let's go,'"

"Huh. Neat..."

"Recognized: Kenshin, B-06,"

"Oh, good. You're here," Doctor K remarked from her desk. Kenny made his way over to Griffin and Wendy, and together the three stood before their mentor as she typed away at her keyboard. "Now that everyone's accounted for, we can begin today's training exer-"

"Doc, we've got an incoming video call from Agent Wright!" interrupted Bugz. "Should I answer or wait until later?"

"Go ahead and patch him through," Agent Wright's face appeared on the holoscreen a few moments later, and Doctor K greeted him by saying, "Good afternoon, Agent. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to skip the pleasantries, Doc. I've got some pressing news," She motioned for him to go on, and he continued, "I've been informed that the CIA Database was hacked last night. The perpetrator downloaded a copy of a file in our system – namely, the file we opened on the CPU Rangers."

"I see…" Doctor K tapped her chin, taking a few moments to process this information. "Have you identified this hacker?"

"No. Our network analysts are pursuing every possible lead, but they haven't had much luck. I felt it best that I inform you now, though." He took a quick breath, then elaborated, "That file contains everything we know about your Rangers – tactics, weapon and Zord blueprints, mission reports...even their secret identities. I have no idea who did this, but I have a bad feeling they're gunning for your team. I'd advise you to keep an eye out."

"Duly noted. Thank you very much for the warning, Agent."

"Hey, that's what guardian angels are for, ain't it?" Agent Wright chuckled, then ended the call with a final, "Stay frosty, Doc."

"Well, that's nice…" Kenny mumbled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Looks like we've got a new enemy."

"Or we're just dealing with an old one," Wendy suggested. "You think maybe Control, Alt, and Delete are behind this?"

"It's hard to say, Ranger Yellow. This would definitely fall within their character and capability. However, I'd have to imagine they already know a good deal of the information in that file," Doctor K hypothesized. "To be quite honest, I find the hacker being a new, unknown foe to be the far likelier scenario."

"That's...really quite comforting, Doc. Thanks," Griffin shook his head, and after a deep cleansing breath he continued, "'Kay then...let's just focus on our training, yeah?"

"Actually, Grif, that'll have to wait!" called Cheetor as a klaxon blared and red lights flashed. "Doc, I'm picking up irregular Energon usage downtown. Pretty sure it's an Attack Bot!"

"Oh, good!" Kenny shouted in exasperation. "Exactly what we need right now!"

"Rangers, you know what to do," Doctor K said, ignoring her Blue Ranger's griping as her fingers danced across her keyboard. "Move out!"

"Right!" The trio saluted their mentor, then turned and dashed out of the lab.

Outside a downtown apartment complex, a young man hummed a tune as he walked out to his car. He unlocked the vehicle, plopped down in the driver's seat, shut the door, and then pushed the keys into the ignition before turning them. However, the car didn't start, and his face twisted into a confused frown. He turned it again, then again; nothing. He sensed a presence just outside his peripheral vision, so he glanced at the right-side mirror. Then he saw it – standing next to his car was a blue vacuum-themed robot. It appeared to be siphoning Energon from it using a vacuum-like apparatus.

"Ah...ah...AHHHHHH!"

He then bolted out of the car, tripping over himself as he ran away screaming. The Vacuum Attack Bot paid him no mind; instead, he finished siphoning the car's tank before turning and gesturing to a nearby Xanadroid.

"Hey, I'm full over here! Switch me out, wouldya?" The Xanadroid nodded, then made its way over and removed a vacuum bag-like pod from the Attack Bot's shoulder. As it carried the filled pod over to a nearby flatbed trailer truck and set it onto its trailer, another Xanadroid came over and slotted an empty one onto its superior. "Thanks."

It made its way over to another car, then proceeded to siphon it of its Energon as well. Meanwhile, the civilians in the vicinity noticed its presence and were whipped into a panicked frenzy. As everyone turned tail and ran for their lives, the Vacuum Attack Bot spotted an SUV whipping around a nearby intersection.

"Better siphon that one, too," It said to itself, aiming its vacuum gun at the vehicle. The SUV came to a halt, its tires squealing as its wheels uselessly ground against the pavement. Energon flew from its fuel tank and floated to the Vacuum Attack Bot. A few moments later, the SUV began to tumble backward. It was being pulled by some invisible magnetic force. As the SUV tipped over and flew towards the Attack Bot, a young boy tripped and fell right in its path. His mother stopped in her tracks, turned around, and yelled out in fright, unable to intervene as the SUV barreled straight for her son.

However, the boy was saved by the timely intervention of a familiar scarlet blur. CPU Red whizzed by, scooped up the child, and super-sped away, carrying him to safety.

"Thank you!" The mother stretched out her arms to receive her child, who leaped into her embrace. CPU Red rubbed the back of his helmet meekly. After hearing more commotion break out behind him, his demeanor became more stern.

"Don't thank me, just get out of here!" He barked. "C'mon, everyone get to safety!"

He didn't have to tell them twice, and once he was sure that all the civilians were clear, Griffin turned and dashed over to the Vacuum Attack Bot. He was swiftly joined by CPU Blue and Yellow, and together the three confronted their foe.

"Ah, Rangers!" The Attack Bot greeted, turning to face them. "I take it you're here to interfere?"

"You bet your ass we are!" Wendy hollered.

"I thought as much. Xanadroids!" It motioned to a squadron of the robotic footsoldiers, then snapped its fingers and yowled, "ATTACK!"

Its underlings obeyed without hesitation, and the CPU Rangers rushed to meet them in combat.

Griffin dove to the left to avoid an incoming flurry of attacks, then retaliated with his own assault. He held his SpyTech Analyzer in his usual reverse grip as he slashed and jabbed at his enemies.

Kenny delivered a flying kick to one of the Xanadroids, grabbed it, and somersaulted into a nearby dumpster. He emerged from the sea of rubbish, wrapped a garden hose around the robot's neck, and then struck two more Xanadroids with a broken stool as they climbed up to avenge their comrade. They toppled onto the blacktop below in a heap. He leaped down and began brawling with several more Xanadroids as they surrounded him.

Wendy grabbed a Xanadroid by the arm, delivered a series of rapid kicks to its abdomen, then tossed it aside and drew her SpyTech Aperture. She pelted the robotic ground troops with projectiles, and they fell left and right in a hailstorm of blaster fire.

The fight wore on, and the Rangers effortlessly eliminated Xanadroids left and right. However, with each one they downed, two more seemed to take their place, and before long they were overwhelmed. Peering through the ocean of Xanadroids in their midst, Griffin watched as the Vacuum Attack Bot planted its vacuum gun on another car and prepared to siphon it.

"We've gotta stop him!" The Red Ranger shouted. He wrestled out of a Xanadroid's grip and broke into a run, but before he reached his target, a stray blaster bolt whizzed through the air and struck the Vacuum Attack Bot in the arm.

"What the-?!" The Attack Bot turned around as two figures leaped from a rooftop, front-flipped through the air, and landed on the streets below. The two newcomers rose to their feet, revealing themselves as twin armored warriors with leather suits resembling the CPU Rangers'. The first figure's gold suit was modeled after a rhinoceros beetle. In contrast, the second was clad in silver and was designed after a stag beetle. They both held the same weapon – a golden blaster pistol resembling a cell phone – in their right hands.

"Wh-What...wait, what is this…?! This…this can't be!"" The Vacuum Attack Bot sputtered in disbelief. Meanwhile, Griffin and the others mopped up the last of the Xanadroids just in time to get a good look at the new arrivals.

"Those suits, they're like...ours!" Griffin realized. "Doc, are they-?!"

"Yes...I'm almost certain," Doctor K replied, her voice echoing over the comm-link as Griffin and the others stared at the newcomers in awe. "I have no idea how, but there's little to no evidence to suggest they aren't exactly what you think they are...they're Power Rangers."

"Indeed we are," The Gold Ranger said nonchalantly. He moved towards the Vacuum Attack Bot, then continued, "Allow me to-"

"Allow me to introduce myself!" The Silver Ranger boomed, cutting his golden teammate off mid-sentence while simultaneously stepping in front of him. "I am-"

"Get out of my way, Silver!" The Gold Ranger growled, slapping his silver counterpart upside the head before spinning him around and shoving him out of the way. "Dammit! You're ruining our entrance!"

"Are these guys for real?!" Wendy exclaimed.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted-" The Gold Ranger elbowed the Silver Ranger in the side, then continued, "-I'm CPU Gold. And he's my partner, CPU Silver."

"You...you can't just claim those titles!" Kenny hollered, his tone conveying equal parts frustration and bemusement. "You may be Power Rangers, but we're the only CPU Rangers!"

"CPU or not, anyone claiming to be a Power Ranger is an enemy of Venjix and must be eliminated!" The Vacuum Attack Bot snapped a blade attachment onto its vacuum gun, then charged toward its new foes. "Prepare to die!"

It swung its sword at them, but CPU Gold and Silver dodged the attack easily. As they launched into fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Attack Bot, CPU Gold spotted the trailer-truck full of Energon as it began to drive off.

"Silver," Gold nudged Silver, then gestured to the truck as it vacated the area. Silver gave him a nod, and Gold dashed towards the Vacuum Attack Bot, cutting Griffin off as he attempted to close in for the kill.

"This is my moment!"

"This isn't a game!" Griffin shouted angrily. "Get out of the-"

"Pardon me, coming through!" Silver shoved his way past him, then joined Gold in pummeling the Vacuum Attack Bot.

"Ow! Ouch! THAT HURTS!" The Attack Bot was sent flying backward, where it collided with a nearby fence. It fell to the ground, then hobbled up to its feet and shouted, "I'm outta here!"

"Get your ass back here!" Wendy ran after the Vacuum Attack Bot and fired a volley of blaster bolts at it. Still, it teleported away before she could catch up. "Dammit!"

Griffin stomped over to the Gold Ranger, placed his hand on his shoulder, and spun him around. "Who are you and what are you doing?!"

He didn't respond, so Griffin repeated, "I said, what the heck are you doing?! You let that Attack Bot get away, and I wanna know why!"

"All will be revealed in due time," The Gold Ranger replied cryptically. He then joined the Silver Ranger as he turned and dashed out of the area, but not before adding, "Catch ya later, Griffin!"

"What the-?!" Wendy waited until the mysterious duo was gone, then demorphed along with Griffin and Kenny. She walked up to the former before adding, "How the hell does he know your name?"

"...He must be the hacker," Kenny realized.

Griffin's face drooped into a scowl, and he motioned to the other two before adding, "C'mon, let's get back to the Lab."

"Wait wait wait, lemme get this straight!" Control scrunched his nose up in confusion as he stood with the Vacuum Attack Bot on the truck's trailer. "There are two new Rangers?!"

"I'm telling you, that's what happened!" The Vacuum Attack Bot squelched. "I was fighting Red, Blue, and Yellow, and then Gold and Silver showed up outta nowhere and beat the tar outta me!"

"Interesting...and you say the other three didn't seem to know these Gold and Silver Rangers?"

"That's right!" The Vacuum Attack Bot confirmed. "They seemed just about as confused about it as I am...anyway, I never signed up for this! You told me there were three Rangers, not five!"

"I also told you to collect enough Energon to meet my quota. I strongly suggest you focus on carrying out that task unless you want me to turn you into scrap metal."

"Alright, alright! You don't have to tell me twice, geez…"

"Just quit your whining and deliver the Energon to our agreed-upon location once you're done," Control teleported away, leaving the Vacuum Attack Bot alone on the trailer.

Meanwhile, in The Lab…

"I've finished patching into the city's security cameras," Cheetor informed, typing away at his terminal. "I'll keep my eyes peeled, see if I can't spot the Vacuum Attack Bot."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that they let it get away," Agent Wright opined, his voice echoing from the holoscreen. "Just doesn't make any sense."

"Neither does the fact that there are Gold and Silver Rangers at all," Doctor K pointed out. "If this readout is correct, those suits are built off the original Series Gold and Silver suits, like how Griffin, Kenny, and Wendy's suits are upgraded versions of their predecessors'. But we lost the Gold and Silver morphers along with Gem and Gemma during the Fall of Galatia. I have no idea how these two got ahold of them, let alone upgraded them! We don't know who they are, where they came from, or why they're here…"

"At least we know who hacked the Database now," Felix replied. "Our analysts are still trying to trace their IP address. I'll keep you posted, Doc."

"Thank you, Felix." The CIA agent nodded, then hung up. His face vanished from the holoscreen as the video-call disconnected.

"This is still so crazy to me…" Kenny said, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. "All this time, I thought we were the only Rangers in the city...then these two show up out of nowhere. And I mean, it's not like we couldn't use the help, but...I'm not sure if we can trust them or not."

"I definitely don't," Griffin told him, shaking his head. "I mean, first they hack the CIA to steal our information, then they show up out of nowhere and let an Attack Bot get away with a truck-load of Energon. If they're trying to help, they're doing an awful job so far."

"Agreed," said Wendy with a nod.

"You two, agreeing on something? Geez, you're not even trying to hide it anymore..."

"Did you say something?" The Red and Yellow Rangers questioned, their voices overlapping in perfect sync. Kenny bit back a laugh, and instead let out an amused snort that they didn't quite pick up on.

"I was just mumbling to myself, sorry."

"Hey...hey, guys! I found it!" The trio ran over to Cheetor's station, then stood over the Buddy Droid's shoulder as he pulled up a live security camera feed. "It's heading down Constellation Avenue; I've sent the exact coordinates to your morphers!"

"Good work, Cheetor! Griffin, take him with you; you'll need his vehicle mode to keep up," Griffin nodded. As he and Cheetor left, she turned to Kenny and Wendy and added, "You two, take the teleporter! There's an uplink behind an abandoned garage that you can use to cut it off."

"Right!"

"Just gonna stretch this out and...there," The Vacuum Attack Bot stood on the far edge of the trailer, extending its vacuum gun towards an SUV traveling down the next lane over. It attached the device to the other vehicle's gas tank, then began extracting its Energon. Its driver watched in astonishment as his fuel gauge went from full to empty, then turned white once he looked out the window and saw the Vacuum Attack Bot.

"This is mine now!" It guffawed, gesturing to the green liquid that filled its shoulder pod. The trailer truck then sped ahead, leaving the driver stranded in his fuel-less SUV. The Vacuum Attack Bot gazed off into the distance, then gestured to a nearby Energon Production Plant. "Let's go there next!"

Its Xanadroid driver promptly obeyed, and as they turned onto the next intersection and headed for their new destination, the sound of an engine rumbling filled the air. "What's that noise…?"

The noise grew louder, prompting the Attack Bot to turn around and peer at the road behind them. It didn't take long for it to spot the source of the sound – barreling down the road towards them was a morphed Griffin, who was riding on Cheetor's Vehicle Mode.

"Ugh, not this again!" The Vacuum Attack Bot aimed its gun, then launched a series of energy blasts at the Red Ranger. "GO AWAY!"

"Not a chance!" Griffin shouted in defiance. He swerved to dodge the incoming projectiles, then slapped his Transpod, summoning his SpyTech Aperture. He pelted the trailer with blaster bolts just as a morphed Kenny and Wendy burst out of a nearby garage, blasters drawn. They aimed at the driver and fired, taking the robot out with a series of precise shots. It spasmed and sparked with electricity, then slumped over, falling out of the vehicle. It tumbled onto the road and exploded, and Griffin drove to the front of the truck and swerved to a stop as it came to a sudden halt.

"You Rangers...are really starting...to PISS ME OFF!" The Vacuum Attack Bot bellowed.

"Happy to inconvenience ya!" Cheetor taunted, transforming into robot mode.

"We're gonna kick your ass to kingdom come!" Wendy threatened. "Say goodbye to all that Energon you collected, 'cuz we're confiscating it!"

"I...think...NOT!" The Vacuum Attack Bot snapped a blade attachment onto its gun, then leaped from the trailer and swung wildly at its foes. Griffin and the others dove out of the way, rolling backward onto a nearby patch of grass.

"Attack Formation Psyga!" Griffin ordered, glancing at Kenny and Wendy before turning his attention to the Attack Bot. "Let's mo-"

"EAT THIS!" The Attack Bot aimed its gun at them, then unleashed a chaingun-like salvo of lasers. The projectiles pelted the Rangers, pinging off their armor and sending them flying in three different directions. As they cried out in pain, it laughed, "Ha ha ha! It's like shooting fish in a barrel!"

The Rangers quickly regrouped, but their confidence seemed to falter as the Attack Bot stomped towards them menacingly.

"This one's really strong…" Griffin observed, adopting a defensive stance.

"Rangers, bad news!" Doctor K hollered, her voice echoing from their morphers. "I'm detecting an incoming Attack Zord! ETA: Three minutes!"

"Oh no!" Cheetor hid behind a nearby pillar, then poked his head out to watch as Griffin and the others launched futile assaults against the Attack Bot. "Things just went from bad to worse!"

"WOAH!" Wendy shouted as a slash from the Attack Bot flung her backward. Griffin instinctively caught her with his free arm, and she looked up at him and said, "What should we do? Split up?"

"No," Griffin shook his head. "If the Attack Zord's as powerful as him, it'll take everything we've got. We need the Megazord!"

"If you even make it that far!" The Vacuum Attack Bot swung its sword at them, forcing them to dive away in opposite directions. After narrowly dodging its blade, Griffin and Wendy joined Kenny in a three-man attack, but to no avail. The Attack Bot slashed them all in the chest, causing their Ranger suits to spark as they were sent flying backward. "Face it! You three are just no match for me!"

"But we are!" A familiar voice hollered in defiance. The Vacuum Attack Bot tilted its head, then turned around to see the Gold and Silver Rangers walking towards it.

"Dammit, not you two again…!" It grumbled.

"Time for me to-"

"Time for me to make my entrance!" The Silver Ranger boomed, stepping in front of his Gold teammate.

"Don't interrupt me!" The Gold Ranger grabbed him, spun him around, then moved past him. He turned to Griffin and the others before saying, "Take care of the Attack Zord! We'll handle this guy!"

"You think you can waltz right in and start giving out orders?!" Griffin shouted. "You'll just let it get away again!"

"No," CPU Gold shook his head, then pointed at the Vacuum Attack Bot before adding, "This time...I'll win for sure!"

"You five have officially gotten on my last nerve!" The Attack Bot cut in. It raised its sword, then pointed it at them, saying, "Come at me, all of you!"

"...Let's go," The Gold Ranger told his Silver teammate. He struck a pose, then hollered, "Mind Flayer! CPU Gold!"

"Circuit Smasher! CPU Silver!" The Silver Ranger moved forward, then pressed two fingers to his helmet as if he were adjusting a pair of glasses. "Prepare to be elimi-"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to block me?!" The Gold Ranger shouted in exasperation. He slapped the Silver Ranger upside the head, then added, "Damn ALPHA, for a Buddy Droid, you sure have a lot of flaws…"

"I have no flaws," The Silver Ranger shook his head, then ran towards the Vacuum Attack Bot, his arms stretched out as if he were pretending to be an airplane. As he began karate-chopping and kicking the Attack Bot, he declared, "I am flawless!"

"No, you've definitely got some bugs...but I suppose that's what makes you interesting," The Gold Ranger looked down at his right hand, which he balled into a fist. He then ran to join his partner, shouting, "Allons y!"

"Allons y…?" Kenny watched as the Gold Ranger began pummeling the Attack Bot, and the wheels started to turn in his head. "Wait a second…"

"Sounds like a plan! Allons y!"

"Allons y?" Kenny tilted his head in confusion, and Quincy turned to face him.

"Yeah, uh, it's French for 'Let's go,'" His new friend explained.

"Huh...neat."

"...Quincy?" Kenny elbowed Griffin and Wendy, then said, "Guys, I know who the Gold Ranger is! I get that he seems fishy, but...I think we can trust him."

"Are you out of your mind?" Griffin countered. "He-"

"I'm not keen on the idea either, but what choice do we have?" Wendy pointed out. She gestured to the countdown timer on her morpher, then added. "It could be the only way."

"...Fine." Griffin relented. "Let's go,"

He and the others then tore out of the area, dashing towards the city as the Vacuum Attack Zord materialized and headed for the nearest Energon MegaTank.

Meanwhile, Quincy and ALPHA continued their relentless assault on the Vacuum Attack Bot.

"What's the matter?" The Gold Ranger taunted, kicking the Attack Bot in the sternum and causing it to stagger. He super-kicked it in the stomach, knocked it over, then ran towards it and front-flipped into an elbow drop.

"You damn bugs!" It squelched.

Over in the city, the Vacuum Attack Zord stomped towards the MegaTank, planting its vacuum gun onto its surface to extract Energon from it. Griffin and the others watched this from below, and the Red Ranger lifted his morpher before shouting into it.

"Doc, we need the Megazord!"

"Downmorphing Zords!" Doctor K replied. The ground shook beneath their feet, and they watched as their Zords emerged from underground tunnels. "Go, now!"

"Right!" Griffin and the others leaped into their Zords, boarding them without a moment's delay. They flipped a series of switches above their head, then shouted in unison: "SpyTech Megazord Formation: ACTIVATE!"

They combined their Zords, forming the SpyTech Megazord. It drew its sword, then took a fighting stance as they added, "SpyTech Megazord: ONLINE!"

The Vacuum Attack Bot groaned in pain at the production plant as it was sent rolling backward on the grass. Quincy and ALPHA moved to finish it off, only to be cut off by the sudden arrival of Xanadroids.

"I was wondering when you guys would show," Quincy blocked their attacks, then launched into a counterattack. "Sure are a lot of you!"

"I was hoping for a turnout like this!" ALPHA slapped his Transpod, and a golden sword resembling a steering wheel appeared before him. He grabbed the weapon, then named it. "DriveTech Blade!"

The Silver Ranger used the sword to block an incoming swing from a Xanadroid, then countered by slashing the robot in the chest. He turned and scored another one in the legs, then leapt up, kicked off a third Xanadroid, and used the momentum to spin through the air. He landed back on the ground, then ran at the Xanadroids surrounding him, slashing them wildly.

"Hey, save some for me!" Quincy summoned his own DriveTech Blade, then ducked into a slide. He slashed at the Xanadroids' heels, then hopped up to his feet and began slicing them to pieces. He ran at one that was shooting at him, then kicked off of it into a back-flip. He landed on another Xanadroid behind him, which he promptly stabbed in the stomach with his sword.

As the Vacuum Attack Zord continued to sap Energon from the MegaTank, the SpyTech Megazord snuck up on it and slashed it in the back. The Attack Zord removed its vacuum gun, then turned around just in time to be cut in the chest.

"Take that!" Kenny hollered. The Megazord lifted its sword to swing again but was cut off when the Attack Zord planted its gun on it instead. "Oh crap!"

"It's absorbing our Energon!" Griffin realized. "Everyone reverse, now!"

"It's not working…!" Wendy grit her teeth inside her helmet, her frustration mounting. "We need to plug that vacuum, dammit!"

"I have an idea!" Kenny told them. "Let's split apart!"

"Worth a shot," Griffin shrugged, and together the three performed the necessary steps to undo their Zord combination. The Megazord split apart, freeing the Gorilla Hauler and Rabbit Chopper while the Cheetah Chaser stayed captive in its Warrior Mode. "Now what?"

"Wendy, open fire!" Kenny suggested. The Yellow Ranger obliged his request, pelting the Attack Zord with machine-gun fire until it was forced to detach its vacuum. "Apex, now it's our turn! Ready missiles!"

"R-Right!" The blue Buddy Droid's face lit up on the dash. Kenny converted the Gorilla Hauler into its Beast Mode before aiming at the Attack Zord's vacuum. "O-Opening fire!"

The Blue Zord launched a salvo of banana-shaped missiles, which plugged the Attack Zord's vacuum. This rendered it useless. The Vacuum Attack Zord shook its deactivated weapon in confusion, and the Rangers regrouped and re-combined their Zords.

"Time to finish it off!" Cheetor hollered. "Locking on!"

"Charging sword!" Wendy flicked a switch on her dash, and their Megazord's sword began glowing green with Energon.

"Boosting output to 100%!" Kenny pulled a lever in his cockpit, speeding up the charge.

"Almost there and...DONE!" Griffin slammed his fist down on a button in his cockpit, and the Megazord shot sound waves out of its legs that trapped the Vacuum Attack Zord in a bubble.

"SpyTech Megazord: Dimension CRASH!" The Megazord lunged towards its ensnared foe, delivering a diagonal slash to its chest. The incision rippled through the bubble, rocking the captive Attack Zord with explosions. The Megazord emerged on the other side, then struck a pose as the Attack Zord fell to its knees and exploded for good.

"We did it!" Wendy exclaimed.

"What about the Attack Bot?!" said Griffin.

Quincy and ALPHA lunged at the Vacuum Attack Bot with their swords, slashing it repeatedly. It attempted to block with its own sword, but they spun around before delivering a double-slash to its midsection. The Attack Bot stumbled over, and its attackers tossed their swords over their shoulders and then slapped their Transpods. Two golden blaster pistols resembling cell phones materialized in the air in front of them, and they wasted no time in equipping them.

"CellTech Blaster!" The pair hollered, naming the weapon. They pulled and held down the triggers, then leaned into them and said, "Check!"

"Roaming Shot: Charging!" They both opened a pair of orange goggles on the side of their weapon, using them as scopes. ALPHA moved in front of Quincy, and the Gold Ranger slapped him upside the head as he aimed the gun at their foe.

"Don't block me!" Quincy tilted ALPHA's head to the side, allowing him to aim his own blaster over the Silver Ranger's shoulder. "CellTech Blaster: Roaming SHOT!"

The pair then released their grip on the triggers, sending a pair of cyan energy blasts that hurtled through the air, orbiting each other in a spiral. This spiral flowed towards the Attack Bot, then struck it in the chest.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Vacuum Attack Bot screamed in anguish as it erupted in a massive explosion.

"Good work, ALPHA." Quincy pat his partner on the head, then spun him around so that he stood by his side. The two stared at the Attack Bot's sizzling remains as Griffin and the others walked up behind them, having removed their helmets.

"I can't believe it!" Wendy exclaimed. "They actually beat him!"

"Maybe we can trust 'em after all," Kenny elbowed Griffin. However, just a few moments later, Quincy and ALPHA broke into a run out of nowhere.

"C'mon, let's go!" The Gold Ranger hopped up onto the trailer truck, and ALPHA climbed into the cab and started the engine back up.

"Hey, wait a minute…!" Griffin nearly dropped his helmet in shock, and he tore after the vehicle as it began to drive away. "What're you doing?!"

"Sorry, we're taking the Energon!" Quincy waved to the three, then added a quick, "'Til we meet again!"

"No wonder he let the Attack Bot get away!" Griffin clenched his fist, then turned to the others. "He waited until it collected as much Energon as possible!"

"So they really are our enemies?" asked Wendy.

"I don't know if I'd say that...but I definitely don't trust 'em," Griffin kicked up a cloud of dust, and then demorphed. He then turned and left with a quick, "C'mon, let's get outta here…"

"So...your plan failed," Alt turned and glared at Control, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Yeah, cuz I totally planned on two new Rangers showing up and complicating things," Control scoffed, folding his arms. "I did the best I could given the circumstances, so don't turn this around on me! Besides, I didn't come home empty-handed!" He gestured to three canisters of Energon in the corner, then slapped his hands against his sides in exasperation.

"This will tide us over for now...but something needs to be done about these new Rangers," Delete chimed in. "The Attack Bots and Zords are quickly becoming ineffective and obsolete...if we are to stand a chance, they will have to be upgraded."

- POWER RANGERS: CPU -