FicWad

Episode 15: Rogue Rangers

Doctor K paced around her lab, and her heels clacked against the concrete floor with each step. Behind her stood a whiteboard, onto which she had scribbled a jumbled mess of notes with a dry-erase marker. Attached to the board via magnets were newspaper clippings, taken from an article written about the Gold and Silver Rangers by one Milly Deno. Various question marks of all shapes and sizes dotted the remaining space, and topping it all off was a tangled thread of red yarn pinned to the board in various spots.

"Alright, let's take a step back and go over what we know, starting with yesterday's events," She began, tapping her chin. Griffin, Kenny, and Wendy stood back, watching their mentor. She continued, "The Gold and Silver Rangers made a sudden debut during your fight with the Vacuum Attack Bot. After interfering with your attempts to defeat it, they watched it escape, then disappeared when Ranger Red tried to confront them. Cheetor managed to track the Attack Bot down, and you went out to fight it again. After another unsuccessful attempt to defeat it, the Gold and Silver Rangers returned, allowing you to fight off the Vacuum Attack Zord while they disposed of its smaller cousin. However, they then drove off with the truck full of Energon it had collected."

"Their Ranger Suits are quite similar to yours. Upon closer examination, I determined that they have been upgraded from the original Series Gold and Series Silver suits. However, those morphers were lost with their original Operators during the Fall of Galatia, so how this is even possible is beyond my comprehension."

Doctor K took a breath, then walked up to the board and pointed at the Gold and Silver Rangers' picture with a pen.

"As for their identities...all we can do is speculate. Ranger Blue claims to have met Ranger Gold before class yesterday in the form of new student Quincy McLaren, but we have yet to verify this. As for Ranger Silver, his Gold counterpart repeatedly referred to him as 'ALPHA' and seemed to insinuate he was a Buddy-Droid...again though, the veracity of this is tenuous at b-"

"HEY!" A metallic voice shouted from outside the lab before a loud bang reverberated off its door. "Open up! It's me, ALPHA!"

"What the heck?!" Bugz pulled up a live feed from the lab entrance's security camera. A silver and gold robot resembling a stag beetle appeared on the holoscreen, and she continued, "What's he doing?...and how'd he get down here?!"

"Is nobody home…?!"

"He sounds like a drunk vagrant trying to break into somebody's house!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Should we let him in…?" Cheetor ventured, glancing over at Doctor K.

"We shouldn't let an opportunity to get answers pass us by...but we also can't afford to let him inside. Not until we know he's trustworthy,"

"I have an idea," Griffin moved to the lab door, leaving the others to continue watching their uninvited guest via the security feed.

"Pretending not to hear me, are you?! I see how it is!" The silver robot reached for his belt, drawing his CellTech Blaster. He then aimed it at the door and said, "Looks like I'm left with no choi-"

The door to the lab slid open out of nowhere, startling the robot and causing him to stumble backward. Griffin stepped out into the underground tunnel, keeping a tentative grip on his SpyTech Aperture.

"Knocking didn't work, so your next instinct is to try and shoot the door down?" The Red Ranger eyed the robot with equal parts distrust and bemusement. "I honestly can't tell if you're dangerous or just plain stupid."

"I am not stupid! Every aspect of my programming is flawless, including my mind!" The robot attempted to right himself, only to fall back onto his butt. "Please, I need...Energon...haven't had any since...yesterday…"

He fell unconscious, prompting Griffin to step forward and say, "Hey!... HEY!"

"...Okay, what's your deal?"

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Doctor K and the Rangers stood on a secluded rooftop, looking down at the Silver Ranger as he guzzled down can after can of Energon. Doctor K eyed the robot with furrowed brows, her lips creased into a slight scowl.

"I don't understand how you're so low on Energon. You just stole a truckload of it yesterday!"

"That was for Quincy's use. He told me to come bother you for my own share," The Silver Ranger finished off his third can, then reached to grab a fourth out of Doctor K's hand. However, she pulled away, and he looked at her quizzically.

"I won't be giving you any more. Not unless you answer my questions," she told him. "Let's start with your name."

"It's like Quincy said. I'm ALPHA – his Artificially-Learning Placid Humanoid-Ally."

"I take it he built you?" ALPHA nodded, and Doctor K continued, "Where did you two come from?"

"We came from Earth-2. Just like you, Doctor."

"I'd assumed as much. You're both from Galatia, right?" ALPHA nodded again, and she pressed, "How did you get ahold of the Series Gold and Silver morphers? And what are you doing here?"

"They were acquired before I came online, so I do not know. Furthermore, I am not interested in knowing. I am only interested in myself," ALPHA stood and brushed past Doctor K, snagging the Energon can out of her hand. He cracked it open, took a sip, and then left the rooftop with a simple "See ya."

"Hey, wait a minute…!" Doctor K scrambled after him, to no avail. "Come back!"

"Well, that was a waste of time…" Wendy grumbled.

"So I've done some digging,"

Control and Alt looked up from their chairs and spotted Delete, who made his way into the dimly lit backroom of their warehouse hideout. He pulled out his smartphone and then pointed it at a television mounted on the wall. A video began to play depicting an Attack Zord being transferred from Earth-2 to Earth-1. Delete paused it partway through to zoom in on a specific frame.

"There," He gestured to a pair of specks nestled among the particles of Energon; one was gold, the other silver. "The Gold and Silver Rangers – they stowed away on one of our Attack Zords. That's how they got here."

"So they're from Earth-2...interesting," Alt stood from her seat, then made her way over to Delete and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We need to learn more. Figure out why they're here and how they're doing all of this. And then...dispose of them."

"Agreed...and I think I have just the Attack Bot for the job." Delete produced a Venjix Virus Card, flashing it for the other two to see.

"What're we waiting for, then?" Control hopped to his feet, crossed the room, and took the card from his brother's waiting hand. "Faisons-le,"

"Okay, so that went nowhere," Griffin observed as he and the others re-entered the lab. "Now what?"

"We could access the city's security footage and figure out where the truck went after they stole it, but that could prove rather time-consuming." sighed Doctor K. "Besides, if they were able to hack into the CIA's network, they could just as easily have hacked into the cameras and covered up their tracks."

"So...what, we just give up?" Wendy questioned, folding her arms. "There's gotta be some way of squeezing some answers out of those assholes, right?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something, Ranger Yellow. It'll just take some time," Doctor K cracked her knuckles, plopped down in her computer chair, and typed away at her keyboard. "In the meantime, let's bridge the skill gap between you three and the most recent Attack Bot by running a training simu-"

"Doc, I've got an incoming video call from Agent Wright!" Bugz informed her. "Should I answer?"

"Patch him through," Bugz obeyed, and within moments Agent Wright appeared on the holoscreen. "Good afternoon, Agent."

"To you as well, Doc," Felix cleared his throat, then continued, "Things are busy here, so I'll just cut to the chase. We found your hacker."

A red dot appeared on the hologlobe, and when Doctor K moused over it, a set of coordinates in white text appeared above it. "As you can see, our network analysts just sent you a set of GPS coordinates. It took some time to crack through the various layers of signal encryption, but they finally tracked down their IP address. Pay those coordinates a visit, and you should find your Gold and Silver Rangers."

"Understood. Much appreciated, Felix." He hung up the video call, and Doctor K turned to the Rangers and said, "Looks like we have our answer. I want you three to head to those coordinates and-"

"Aw, crap! Doc, we've got trouble!" Cheetor typed a series of commands into his terminal, and another red dot appeared on the hologlobe. "I'm picking up an active Attack Bot at this location!"

"Well, that certainly throws a wrench in things…." Doctor K mumbled. "You can't be in two places at once."

"...Except that we can," Griffin realized, snapping his fingers. "Doc, I'll drive out to those coordinates and pay Quincy and ALPHA a visit. That'll free up Kenny and Wendy to take care of the Attack Bot."

"I can't say I'm particularly keen on you three splitting up...but if we don't investigate their hideout now, Quincy and ALPHA may catch on and relocate." After thinking it over for a few moments, Doctor K added, "...I suppose we have no other choice. Be careful, Ranger Red."

"I will. I promise," With that, the three Rangers exited the lab, leaving Doctor K and the Buddy-Droids to settle into their respective battle stations…

"Okay, this looks like the place…"

Griffin took a nice, long breath and then exhaled through his nose as he pulled up to a dilapidated factory nestled in a forest on the outskirts of town. He eased on the brake, then parked his car and killed the engine. After unbuckling his seatbelt, he climbed out of the vehicle, shut the driver's side door behind him, and headed towards the building.

Autumn leaves crunched beneath his sneakers, and the birds above him chirped a tune, lulling him into a trance. However, the spell was broken mere moments later when a large stick hurtled toward him. He caught the projectile mid-flight, then narrowed his eyes once they landed on the one who'd thrown it: Quincy.

"Nice reflexes! Superspeed...it sure is something, ain't it?" Griffin's shoulders tensed, and his face twisted into a scowl. "Sorry; I know it's rude to throw things at guests, but you seemed so distracted that I just couldn't help myself!"

"And here I was hoping you'd be less annoying in civilian form…"

"I heard that!" Griffin averted his gaze, and a scoff escaped his lips as Quincy strode over to him. The Gold Ranger stopped a stone's throw away from him, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. "So anyway, what brings you out to my neck of the woods?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Griffin snapped, looking back up at him. "I'm here for answers. How'd you get your hands on the Series Gold and Silver Morphers? How'd you upgrade them?... And what're you up to?!"

"Funny...ALPHA tells me you asked him the same questions this morning." Quincy let out an amused snort, then continued, "You must wanna know really bad, coming out here all alone while your teammates are off fighting an Attack Bot."

"How did you-?"

"I'm a telepath," Quincy revealed with a nonchalant shrug. Griffin's gaze drifted elsewhere, and he quickly added, "You're worried about your friends now, aren't you?"

"Cut that out!" Griffin shouted, earning a hearty laugh from Quincy. "Quit trying to distract me!"

"Relax! I'll tell you what you wanna know," he offered, recovering from his laughing fit. "...If you can beat me in a duel, that is."

Griffin was taken aback, but he refused to let it show, meeting Quincy's inquisitive stare instead in an act of defiance. "You're on."

"Scanning...scanning...man, the reception up here sucks!" A green antenna-themed Attack Bot complained as it perched on a downtown rooftop. "So much interference…! How the heck am I supposed to find those Rangers?!"

"You won't have to look far!" hollered a morphed Kenny, who burst onto the rooftop with a morphed Wendy in tow. They aimed their SpyTech Apertures at the Attack Bot, who turned to face them.

"Ugh, not you!" It groaned. "I'm looking for Gold and Silver!"

"Well, you'd better tune into reality because you're fighting us instead!" The Antenna Attack Bot swung a spear at the two, forcing them to dive in either direction. "Woah…!"

"You just had to go for the pun," Wendy shook her head, then rose back to her feet and pelted the Attack Bot with blaster fire. "Eat this, rust-bucket!"

"No thanks; I'm not hungry!" The Attack Bot swatted the projectiles aside with its spear, then leaped into the air and swung downward. Wendy vaulted out of the way using her superagility, and Kenny swapped his blaster for his SpyTech Analyzer. The Blue Ranger lunged forward, locking blades with the Attack Bot and letting out a low growl. "What's the matter, Blue? You seem like you're really struggling!"

"Change the channel; you're deluding yourself!" Kenny's biceps glowed green, and he pushed against the Attack Bot's spear with all his might, but it only had a minimal effect. "What the…?! My superstrength, it's-"

"We Attack Bots have received a substantial upgrade lately. You might wanna catch up!" The Antenna Attack Bot withdrew its spear out of nowhere, then slashed the Blue Ranger in the midsection. Kenny was sent staggering backward, and he gripped his side before groaning in pain. "You two are boring me! I'm gonna go find Gold and Silver!"

The Antenna Attack Bot brandished a missile launcher on its left arm, then fired a volley of rockets at the pair. Wendy managed to dive out of the way, but Kenny was sent flying off the roof. The Yellow Ranger scrambled to save her teammate, grabbing him by the arm just before he plummeted to his death.

"Bye for now!" The Antenna Attack Bot mocked before teleporting away.

"GAH!... Why...are you...so...heavy?!" Wendy grunted as she attempted to lift Kenny back up onto the roof. She summoned all of her strength, then hoisted the Blue Ranger back up with a mighty yowl before collapsing onto her back. "Jesus...! Hey Ken, why don't you and Grif do me a solid and stop trying to fly? Saving you two kills my forearms!"

"Thanks for the save…" Kenny said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He stood back up, then offered his hand to his teammate and helped her up. "Now c'mon, we've got an Attack Bot to track down!"

Meanwhile, back at Quincy's hideout…

"WOAH…!" Griffin winced as Quincy launched him through the factory wall, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. He pulled himself up to his feet, staggering as the Gold Ranger burst through the newly created opening and stomped toward him. Griffin swung at him with his SpyTech Analyzer; Quincy blocked the attack with his DriveTech Blade, and the two locked swords, pushing against each other's force with all their might. Quincy ultimately won this struggle, forcing Griffin to jump up to avoid his subsequent swing. The moment his feet hit the floor again, his opponent lunged forward and swung wildly. Griffin used his heightened reflexes to repeatedly block Quincy's saber with his own. Before long, the two had locked blades again.

"You seem distracted!" taunted Quincy. "Still worried about your team?"

Griffin let out a low growl, and Quincy continued, "You are! Wendy in particular...you worry about her a lot, don't you?"

"SHUT UP!" Griffin roared. He withdrew his blade, spun around, and delivered a sideways slash that knocked Quincy's saber out of his hands. It landed on the floor with a clang, and Quincy was left defenseless as Griffin tackled him to the ground and held his sword up to his neck. "You lose!"

"That's what you think," Quincy's sword leaped off the floor and flew into his hand, allowing him to disarm the Red Ranger and shove him off. Griffin tumbled onto his back, and Quincy hopped back up and towered over him with a triumphant grin. "I'm telekinetic, too. Y'know, in case you were wondering."

"Bravo, bravo!" An all-too-familiar voice boomed just as Control strolled into the factory with the Antenna Attack Bot in tow. The Avatar clapped his hands in mock applause, then gestured to Quincy and said, "You're the trash that snagged a ride on one of my brother's Attack Zords, aren't you? Why don't you come with me?"

"Sorry, not gonna happen," Quincy told him. "Hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not into dudes."

"Oh, so you're a comedian! Very funny," Control said with thinly-veiled sarcasm. He elbowed the Antenna Attack Bot, then said, "I'll leave Red to you,"

He thrust out his arms, and tendril-like wires flew out of his sleeves and wrapped around the Gold Ranger. The cables pulled Quincy across the room against his will; meanwhile, the Antenna Attack Bot set its sights on Griffin. It locked onto the downed Red Ranger with its missile launcher, then shot out a rocket that hurtled towards him.

"GRIFFIN!" Kenny and Wendy shouted as they dashed into the factory. The rocket whistled as it soared towards its target, and the two looked on in horror.

"Oh no!" Wendy exclaimed, squeezing her eyes shut. "I can't watch…!"

"Well, shit. Looks like I've got no choice," Quincy wrestled out of his binds, dashed in front of Griffin, and extended his arms in either direction. "Here it comes…!"

The missile exploded once it reached the Gold Ranger, and Griffin and the others gasped as fire and smoke obstructed their view.

"Did...did he just…?" Kenny stammered. "...Is he...?"

"No," A metallic voice replied out of nowhere, emanating from a nearby locker. ALPHA burst out of the metal receptacle, then made his way over to the others and gestured to the wreckage. "Look closer."

"I...I don't believe it!" The smoke cleared a few moments later, revealing a very-alive Quincy covered in a glistening silver energy field. Griffin pulled himself to his feet, then marched over to the Gold Ranger and said, "How the heck did you-"

"Survive?" Quincy gestured over to ALPHA with his head, then explained, "When I built ALPHA, I gave him an ability I call 'Energy-Shell'. It's sorta complicated, but in layman's terms, he can wrap someone in an impenetrable force field form-fitted to their body for five seconds. He activated it and used it on me just before the missile hit."

"Interesting…so you're some sort of genius, no?" Control let out an amused snort, then bared his teeth. "It matters not – you and your robotic pet are enemies of Monsieur Venjix, and you will be destroyed!"

"Like that's gonna happen," Quincy scoffed. He turned to Griffin and the others, then barked, "Listen up! ALPHA and I came here to stop Venjix from destroying this world like he did ours! We're counting on you to help us, but if you don't step it up, you'll just get in our way! Do you understand?!"

"I'm still not sure I trust you...but if you're fighting against Venjix, then we're after the same thing!" Griffin told him. He brandished his SpyTech Brace, then gave Kenny and Wendy an inquisitive glance. "You guys ready?"

"Ready!"

"What about you two?" Griffin added, turning to Quincy and ALPHA.

"I am ready," ALPHA nodded.

"As am I!" Quincy hollered, and he and ALPHA drew their CellTech Blasters and converted them into blaster mode. "Allons y!"

"It's Morphin' Time!" All five Rangers shouted in unison. "Install: CPU!"

They morphed into their Ranger forms with a flash of light, and Control looked on as they struck their respective poses.

"Limit Breaker! CPU Red!"

"Shield Buster! CPU Blue!"

"Climax Jumper! CPU Yellow!"

"Mind Flayer! CPU Gold!"

"Circuit Smasher! CPU Silver!"

"Covertly protecting the universe from evil!" They struck a group pose, and five pillars of smoke in their respective Ranger colors erupted behind them as they concluded, "Power Rangers: CPU!"

"Exterminate them," Control told the Antenna Attack Bot before teleporting away. The Attack Bot snapped its fingers, and a squadron of Xanadroids warped in and drew their weapons.

"ATTACK!" It ordered, prompting the horde of robotic footsoldiers to march into battle. They aimed at their foes and fired a barrage of blaster bolts, which the Rangers evaded with ease as they launched into a counterattack.

Kenny alternated between punching the Xanadroids and hitting them upside the head with the handle of his SpyTech Analyzer. He blocked an incoming swing from one of the robots, then speared it onto the floor and broke its neck. He sprang back onto his feet and launched himself at another Xanadroid, bowling it over with a lariat. It toppled over, and he scooped up another and used his superstrength to crumple it into a ball. He lifted the crushed robot above his head and spiked it into the downed Xanadroid's abdomen, killing it.

Wendy crouched down and gripped her SpyTech Aperture with both hands, using it to gun down Xanadroids left and right. One of the droids flanked her and swung at her from behind, forcing her to vault into the air using her superagility. Wendy landed up in the rafters, then wasted no time in using her new vantage point to her advantage. She sniped the robots below her with pinpoint accuracy, then drifted back down and landed on one of the stragglers, which she eliminated with a simple chop to the throat.

ALPHA gripped his DriveTech Blade with both hands, whacking Xanadroids upside the head like a kendo stick. Seeing this, the droids switched up their tactics and fired a wave of blaster bolts at the Silver Ranger. ALPHA blocked the projectiles with his sword, then drew his CellTech Blaster with his off-hand and gunned his attackers down desperado-style.

Griffin and Quincy leaped into the fray like bats out of hell, blasting their foes while dodging the Xanadroids' return fire. A trio of droids charged their blasters and fired large energy blasts at Griffin. Massive explosions erupted around him, threatening to knock him off his feet. He skidded to a halt, struggling to maintain balance as the Xanadroids sent even more blaster bolts hurtling his way.

"Griffin, catch!" Quincy used his telekinesis to pick a dead Xanadroid's blaster up off the floor and toss it over to the Red Ranger. Griffin caught the blaster with his off-hand, dove forward, and went prone while firing wildly with his duel-pistols. Electricity sparked all over the Xanadroids' bodies, and Energon leaked from their wounds and spilled onto the floor as they slumped over dead.

"You five are proud of yourselves, aren't you?!" whined the Antenna Attack Bot, who watched the Rangers regroup with blatant contempt. "Well, I wouldn't celebrate just yet if I were you! Something big's coming up on the airwaves!"

"Rangers, I'm picking up an incoming A-Attack Zord!" Apex stammered, his voice echoing from their morphers. "ETA: R-RIGHT N-NOW!"

The floor quaked under their feet, and the warehouse shook and creaked as a massive shock wave emanated from outside. Griffin, Kenny, and Wendy turned to look outside, spotting the Antenna Attack Zord as it stomped towards the building.

"Hahahaha!" The Antenna Attack Bot chortled, gripping its sides as it doubled over in amusement. "You Power Punks are finished!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Quincy shouted defiantly. His red, blue, and yellow counterparts turned their attention to him, and he explained, "That Energon I stole will serve a greater purpose. I built some Zords on Earth-2, and they're pretty big, so it's gonna take a lotta juice to teleport 'em here!"

He whipped out his CellTech Blaster, which he folded back into its cellphone configuration. His fingers danced across its touch screen. He opened an app with a beetle icon before leaning into its mic and shouting, "Downmorph Rhino Loader and Stag Jet Zords!"

"Acknowledged," An electronic voice echoed from his morpher. "Downmorphing Rhino Loader and Stag Jet Zords,"

Another large portal burst open in the sky, and two massive amoebas broke through it and landed on the ground. Ones and zeroes rippled off their surfaces, and a wave of green energy washed over them to reveal two new Zords – one was a gold and black crane truck, while the other was a silver and cyan fighter jet.

"Alright! It's go time, ALPHA!" Quincy drew his DriveTech Blade, which he folded up to form a steering wheel-like apparatus. ALPHA followed suite, and the two hollered in unison: "DriveTech Blade: Wheel Mode!"

"Onward and upward!" ALPHA declared as he and his creator dashed outside and boarded their Zords. They buckled themselves into their cockpits, then slotted their DriveTech Blades into their control consoles. "Stag Jet: Online!" He announced, flying his Zord up into the air.

"Rhino Loader: Online!" Quincy echoed, willing his own Zord to drive forward.

"I expected as much," Control scoffed, his arms folded as he watched the chaos from atop a nearby tree. He pulled out his laptop, then typed in a series of commands and said, "Let's see how they like these odds…"

He hit the enter key, and yet another portal formed in the sky before opening. Two XanaZords burst through it and crashed onto the ground below. They joined the Antenna Attack Zord, and the trio of mechanized abominations launched a joint assault on the Gold and Silver Zords. Lasers pinged off the Rhino Loader and Stag Jet's outer-plating, but Quincy and ALPHA remained undeterred. They launched a counterattack, firing twin bursts of machine-gun fire out of their respective Zords' turrets. The trio of enemy Zords stumbled backward, and the pair of Rangers decided to take advantage.

"Let's take care of the XanaZords first," Quincy suggested. He typed the passcode '072489' into his cockpit keypad, and his Zord converted itself into a giant robotic rhino beetle. "Rhino Loader: Beast Mode!"

"Good idea!" ALPHA replied. He typed his own passcode (062287) into his keypad, and the Stag Jet transformed into a robotic stag beetle. "Stag Jet: Beast Mode!"

Together, the duo set their sights on the twin XanaZords. The Stag Jet landed on the back of one, and the Rhino Loader crawled over to another and climbed up onto its torso. Quincy and ALPHA pressed a button on their dashboards, and their Zords latched onto their targets and began to sap Energon from them. The XanaZords groaned as their foes absorbed their energy, and with a weak gurgle, they stumbled forward and backward, respectively.

"Alright, ALPHA, time to disengage!" Their Zords detached from the XanaZords then transformed back into vehicle mode and drove/flew away as they fell to their knees and exploded. "That takes care of them; now we'll-"

"RAHHH!" The Antenna Attack Zord roared, cutting him off mid-sentence. It swatted at the Stag Jet with its spear, which forced ALPHA to change course. It then kicked at the Rhino Loader with its right foot, forcing Quincy to reverse.

"Time to kick things up a notch!" Quincy hollered. He typed another passcode into his keypad, and his Zord transformed into a humanoid robot with twin swords. "Rhino Loader: Warrior Mode!"

Meanwhile, back inside the factory…

"Eat this!" Wendy pelted the Antenna Attack Bot with blaster fire, then leaped into the air and delivered a superagility-powered kick to its midsection. It slashed her with its spear and sent her flying backward, but Griffin retaliated by assaulting it with his superspeed. The Antenna Attack Bot's armor sparked as the Red Ranger slashed it repeatedly with his saber. Still, it ended this by grabbing him by the arm and throwing him up and over its head.

"I gotcha!" Kenny caught Griffin in mid-air, then set him down. His biceps grew to twice their normal size, glowing green as he utilized his superstrength. He lifted them above his head, then brought them crashing down on the Attack Bot's chest. "Have a taste of your own medicine!"

"Oh, crap...!" The Attack Bot was sent rolling backward. Griffin and the others regrouped and combined their sabers and blasters to form their SpyTech Snipers. "Oh, my head…"

"Your head isn't the only thing that's gonna hurt in a few seconds," said Griffin. The trio aimed their weapons at their foe, and when their barrels began to glow bright gold, they hollered, "SpyTech Sniper: Scope...SALVO!"

"RAHHH!" The Antenna Attack Zord cried out in pain as it was repeatedly slashed by the Rhino Loader's swords. It staggered backward, then lifted its spear and swung it at its attacker.

"Sorry, not happening!" The Rhino Loader effortlessly dodged the attack, and Quincy drew his CellTech Blaster in its blaster mode and held down the trigger. "Rhino Loader: Rhino-RAMPAGE!"

"No…!" The Antenna Attack Bot whined, scrambling up to its knees. "You can't…!"

"FIRE!" The Rangers pulled their triggers, firing three golden energy beams that cut through the Attack Bot like it was made of tissue paper. It crackled with electricity, then fell to its knees as Energon leaked from its wounds.

"Looks like I'm headed for that great big radio station in the sky…!" The Antenna Attack Bot exploded with one last scream, sending scraps of metal flying in all directions.

"RAHHHHHH!" The Antenna Attack Zord swung its spear at the Rhino Loader again. Quincy willed his Zord to sidestep out of the way, then delivered an X-shaped slash to his target's midsection with its swords. "RAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"See ya in hell!" Quincy watched as the Attack Zord was rocked with small explosions, then fell to its knees and erupted into a massive explosion. "Shutdown: COM-"

"Shutdown: COMPLETE!" ALPHA interrupted, much to Quincy's annoyance.

"Dammit, ALPHA! That was my line!"

"It sounds cooler when I say it," The egotistical Buddy-Droid said matter-of-factly.

"You're incorrigible!"

"Recognized: Griffin, B-05, Kenshin, B-06, Wendy, B-07,"

"Welcome back, Rangers!" Doctor K greeted, looking up from her desk. "You did good to-"

"Processing…" The electronic voice interrupted Doctor K, who scrunched up her nose as it continued, "Registering new identification codes: Quincy, B-08, ALPHA, B-09,"

Quincy and ALPHA stepped into the lab behind the others. Doctor K rose from her chair and looked at the new arrivals apprehensively.

"So...you're Ranger Gold," She said, her sentence more of a statement than a question. "...You fight well."

"Thanks," Quincy said with a smirk. "So do your Rangers."

"Indeed," Doctor K averted his gaze, her eyes burning a hole in the floor. She took a deep breath, then looked back up at him and said, "...I'm only going to ask you this once: who are you, and where did you get those morphers?"

"I'm Quincy, Quincy McLaren. He's my Buddy-Droid, ALPHA," The Gold Ranger told her, gesturing towards his silver counterpart. "We're from Earth-2. I grew up in Galatia, and...I was there when it fell,"

His eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion. He took a breath before continuing, "During the battle, the Psi-Borgs...defeated the original Series Gold and Silver just outside a destroyed building I was hiding inside," Doctor K's lips creased into a frown. A tear streamed down Quincy's cheek as he elaborated, "I...I was so scared; I didn't know what to do! So I just hid...but once the Psi-Borgs left, I summoned enough courage to run out of hiding and check on the Rangers. There was nothing I could do for them...but their morphers were still intact, so I took them and ran back to safety,"

"And after that, you built ALPHA and upgraded the morphers to develop Series Gold and Silver 2.0?"

"Correct," Quincy told her. "Once everything was ready, we hitched a ride on an Attack Zord and started planning our next move. I'm sorry we stole intel on you from the CIA, and I'm also sorry that we stole that Energon...but we needed it to get our Zords here, and we needed...I needed to know who we could trust."

"I see…" Doctor K stroked her chin, her forehead wrinkling.

"I know we got off to a rocky start, but we're here for the same reasons you are, Doc," Quincy told her. "ALPHA and I, we're geared up to wage war on Venjix until he no longer poses a threat...to Earth-1, or any other Earth that exists! We can do it alone, but I think it'd be far easier if we had some allies...so what do you guys say?"

"I won't lie and say you didn't piss us off with how you handled the Vacuum Attack Bot...but I'm willing to give you another shot if you're really in it to win it against Venjix." Wendy replied.

"I only met you yesterday, but you seem like a nice enough guy, and I can tell you and ALPHA are serious about protecting the city." Kenny chimed in. He then turned to Doctor K before adding, "Doc?"

"...Griffin, you're team leader," Doctor K said, looking to her Red Ranger. "It's your call."

"...Welcome to the team," Griffin finally said after what felt like minutes of silence. He stuck out his hand, offering it to Quincy. The Gold Ranger took it, and the two exchanged a firm handshake.

"Thanks, that means alo-"

"I want a handshake too!" ALPHA shoved Quincy aside, and the Gold Ranger nearly fell over, bracing himself on a nearby table.

"ALPHA, you bonehead!"

"Bonehead? I have no bones in my head. I am made of metal."

"I know that! I built you!"

"Then you should remember the finer details of my construction."

"It was a figure of speech, ALPHA. God, you're exhausting!"

"That reminds me; I'm exhausted," ALPHA turned to Doctor K, then held out his hand. "I require Energon."

"ALPHA, that's rude!" Quincy shouted in exasperation. He hit his Buddy-Droid upside the head, then admonished, "You could at least ask!"

Griffin and the others laughed as they watched the two bicker. Doctor K fought to keep a straight face but, in the end, was unable to prevent herself from smiling at the two's antics.

Meanwhile, somewhere on Earth-2…

"Ma'am," A bespectacled scientist in a white lab coat said as he entered an office inside an underground complex. A ginger-haired woman in a gray pants suit turned around in her desk chair to face him, and he dipped his head before adding, "I've received word from Doctor Q. He says he's made it to Earth-1 and successfully aligned himself with the Ranger Operators."

"Excellent," The woman remarked. "Tell him he has the green light to commence Phase I of the Judas Contract."

"At your word, ma'am," Her subordinate dipped his head again, then turned and exited the room, leaving her alone.

"Venjix, your day of reckoning is swiftly approaching," She said to herself, clasping her hands together. "That goes for you as well...Doctor K."

- POWER RANGERS: CPU -