Power Rangers Turbo: The New Torchbearers – The Ranger in the Spotlight

The life of a Teenager is stressful and for a Teenage girl it was arguably more so. They had to go to High school alongside hundreds of other teenagers, try to get good grades, make friends, maintain an active social life and that was just the very basics. On top of that many students took part in clubs and other activities on the side. Then added into the mix were the hormones infamously associated with the young student body. Teens were always desperately on the prowl for love and praying to earn the validation of their peers. Girls frequently had it worse due to the higher standards for which their appearance, personality and intelligence were judged against. For some it felt like a constant uphill battle against forces that would never tire or a struggle against packs of blood thirsty wolves that watched and waited for you to falter. This was the case for many teenage girls but not for Madeline Jade Holder.

She was one of the prettiest girls in the whole school, one of the most popular and charismatic. Most worshiped the ground that she walked on and hung on her every word. She was the joint head of the cheerleaders with her best friend Cindy and a prominent member of the gymnastics team. Outside of the Reefside School she also found time to study dance and kick boxing. Her grades were above average for her year. However her small following of admirers that often did her homework may have played a part in that. Her love life had taken a slight detour of late after she and her boyfriend Drake had separated a few months before school began. She did however partake in the joys of youth, allowing her to go on lots of dates without the need for a serious relationship. The girl was still only in High School and it wasn't the time to get tied down. It only complicated things and ended up hurting someone. Madeline was running for the position of Student Council President and was the favourite to win amongst the candidates. Yes she seemed to have it all to the people around her but secretly she held even more than that.

She was a Super Hero. The Pink Turbo Ranger to be precise and to her this was just another ball to be juggled in her hectic life. It was no sweat for her and was a ton of fun fighting evil. Though she had to admit her team mates left a lot to be desired. They were all such weirdoes and misfits that she felt like the only sane person.

They had Justin the super dork. The Veteran Ranger who lacked all of the coolness, hotness and respect that their teacher Doctor Oliver had in supply. He was supposed to be their leader but he didn't have a clue what he was doing. Well he was a good shot with his blasters and pretty good at the 'sciencey' stuff, which was something.

Then there was Kenji the ever annoying Grease Lightning. The waster that skipped out of half his classes and that was checked out for the others. He was never going to be the brains of the outfit but he was one of the better fighters. Even Madeline had to admit she was impressed by him taking down the Samurai wannabe single handed. If he could only he could get over playing little Red Knight in shining armour for a certain someone.

Claire. Claire Bear. Little Miss Sunshine. She was an embarrassment in school and especially on the battlefield. Queen of the Dorks. No one wanted to hang around with Kenji but at least he garnered some respect. People didn't want to mess with him because he'd punched out pretty much everyone that tried. Claire on the other hand was a whiney, sniffling little mess who couldn't fight to save anyone, herself included. She'd shown some guts by screaming at Cindy but that was all a song and dance. She has a little crush on Justin and iss oblivious to Kenji's one for her. She really didn't deserve all the attention she was getting. Madeline was just as 'kind' as her.

Drake her ex-boyfriend was the fifth and final member of the team. Oh Drake. Oh what could have been but never will be. He was distant with everyone on this team including her but he'd been cold since they broke up. He was tall, strong, handsome and smart. She'd fallen for him hard but he had broken her heart. He had always been a very intense person but that was part of the allure. So driven and so focused but so riddled with issues.

It was good that one of them had it under control. She sat in the back of Storm Blaster waiting for Claire to finish her private little chat with the hunky Doctor Oliver. The two other Rangers joked away leaving Madeline to just groan at how eye rolling their attempts of comedy were. Her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket. She took it out and was unsurprised to discover that it was Cindy that was texting. The content of the message was more unexpected however.

MJ. I think we need to

A cold chill travelled through Madeline. It was the universal code for something was wrong and needed to be fixed or you would lose something dear. The Ranger texted back in a flurry of typing unnoticed by the team as Claire returned. The Cheerleader didn't look up from her phone as the Yellow Ranger got into the car. She was too busy texting back and forth with her BFF trying to drag the information from her. Cindy was resistant though just repeating over and over that this was something they had to talk about in person.

"You alright back there Madeline? Been awfully quiet." The Blue Jeep's driver called. He could afford to not always pay full attention to the road due to his vehicles sentient nature.

"Yeah Harv I'm fine."

"Doesn't that usually mean that a girl ain't fine?" Kenji interjected not really thinking before he spoke. Claire laughed at little at this as Kenji played around with his Morpher Key.

"Oh shut up Grease."

"Pro tip Kenji. Don't say that to a girl, ever." Justin said causing Madeline to turn her attention to him.

"Oh what you basing it on the one girl you dated, Mister Pro?"

"Hey… it was more than one." The Blue Ranger got defensive not wanting to go into his uneventful love life in detail.

"That's not what your Facebook Profile said."

"Yo. Justin. Maybe you should follow your own advice dude."

"Look you two idiots just leave it. I don't wanna talk." Madeline sunk back into her chair and continued texting quietly. The two Rangers were annoyed but ultimately unfazed by this display from her. The other Teenage girl sitting in the back seat with her decided that this was her moment to speak up.

"He was just trying to be nice, You don't need to jump down their throats."

"Do I look like I asked you?"

"You didn't but that doesn't mean I won't say your being a big meanie."

"A big meanie? What are you five?"

"Girls! Calm down. It's alright Claire. If Madeline doesn't want to talk she doesn't have to. I'm sorry if we were being insensitive" Justin jumped in trying to end this discussion before it devolved into a full scale agreement between the two. Madeline was happy to have it ended. She didn't need little Miss Sunshine getting on her case because she wasn't the picture of politeness. The rest of the journey continued in silence until the team pulled up to the Pink Ranger's drive under the worst possible conditions. Her best friend had decided to turn up at her house. Her car was in the driveway and Madeline's family obliviously let her best friend in to wait without a second thought. If she was lucky she could get in without her noticing the company that was keeping.

"Later Losers." She said as she vaulted out the car. None of them responded nicely to the comment and didn't say goodbye. Good that worked as planned. Last thing she wanted was for them to start screaming goodbye and getting the whole house's attention.

Her stealth plot all fell apart though when Storm Blaster decided that it was going to say farewell to the girl instead. It honked its horn and flashed its full beams lights as Justin pulled out. The Blue Ranger called his apologies as they took off down the street away from her house.

Damn it. She turned to the door to see that her attempt had been well and truly sunk. Cindy was standing by the open front door and she didn't look happy.

It was as fast paced as always in the Holder household. Madeline was the Fourth child of six. Her Two older sisters, Heather and Tiffany, were in college but paid frequent visits which included today. They were both updating their Mother, Kristen, about all of their gossip from the campus. The three women giggled loudly as the story got to a particularly juicy part. Her older brother, Michael, was out in the yard cleaning up. He hadn't gotten a job or in to college yet and their Dad had gotten on his case to do more work around the house, much to Michael's frustration. Her younger siblings Corey and Kaitlin were sat down in front of the television watching a TV show about the Power Rangers. They were a good bit younger than her. She was in her final year of Reefside while Corey had only started and Kaitlin was still in middle school.

Cindy was accustomed to the chaos and manoeuvred around it just as easily as Madeline did. Kaitlin's hair was ruffled gently by Madeline's feminine fingers. The girl squawked out disapproval as her older sister ruined her hair but still smiled at seeing Madeline.

"Hey Sis." She beamed having gotten over her messed up hair in under a minute.

"Hey Katie, Corey. What's on?" Her younger brother turned up the television to hear the program. He smiled at his older sister as well not realising he'd been rude.

"Hey!" Her brother blushed in Cindy's presence. He'd developed a bit of a school boy crush on her and for some reason Madeline didn't really approve. "It's just a show about the Power Rangers buts it's stupid and stuff. You know for kids there just nothing else on." He was speaking a mile a minute and trying to come across as mature.

"Oh I love the Power Rangers." Cindy said watching the footage of the Turbo Ranger's fighting Tankatron.

"Yeah, me too." Corey quickly corrected. Madeline wasn't sure why she didn't like Corey's crush on Cindy. Most of the family found it cute and poked fun of him for it. She didn't however and didn't understand why.

"What's the show about?" Cindy asked trying to catch up.

"Oh it's just the new local Reporter guy. He's doing this whole show on the Rangers and how they moved from somewhere called Angel Grove to Reefside. Trying to hunt down their identities and stuff." So there was someone trying to track them down. That was interesting. Madeline wondered whether Justin and geek squad knew about this. That would probably be something they'd want to freak out about. She watched a bit of the program and tried to not to laugh. It was funny to think that not a single person in this house knew that she was a Power Ranger. Her amusement vanished the moment Cindy started to play with Corey's hair. It was time for them to go up to her room anyway and chat.

"Come in Cindy, let's head up to my room." Madeline said giving her siblings a kiss on the cheek and leading Cindy away.

Her bedroom was as you'd expect from a young Cheerleader. The walls were lined with posters of attractive young men, bands and photos of her friends. Her bedspread, curtains and other such things were in pink. It was her favourite colour after all and she lucked out by getting the Pink Turbo Morpher. She had her own laptop, TV and some other personal effects around the room. That included the few stuffed animals that she could still get away with owning. She sat down on her bed and started playing with her favourite the pink Rabbit named 'Floppy'.

"So what'cha wanna talk about Cindy?" She asked as she fiddled with the Bunnies long ears.

"Well me and girls are worried about you." The Ranger had a fair idea what she was going to say but it was better to play dumb for now. She brushed some of her hair behind her ear and smiled widely at her friend.

"Oh? What about?"

"You know what Maddi!. We wanna know why you're hanging out with the total freaks."

"I'm not hanging out with them."

"Oh really? Cause Bestie you've blown me off like a million times over the last few weeks. I keep seeing you hanging around with those losers. It's like totally not cool."

Madeline did admit that she had a point. She'd been pretty busy with the Ranger stuff over the last few weeks thanks to how useless the team were. Her plans kept being cancelled to deal with the latest monster or to help Justin with some of his Morpher repair.

"People are starting to talk. Me and the girls think you need watch out. Cause its start to look like you're not gonna win the election." Madeline and Cindy had both wanted to run for the student council president. It was one huge popularity contests, second only to being the prom queen. The gals had decided that only one person from the Cheerleaders should run because they didn't want infighting to ruin the group. They did an anonymous vote and Madeline had won. Cindy had decided to help Madeline by being her 'campaign manager' and had been taking the job very seriously.

"Don't worry Cindy. We got this. We aren't gonna lose to some Nerd or the he that jerk Bobby." Her competitors in the election were a nerdy girl named Sandra and Bobby the Captain of the Football team. Sandra was probably the best person to be the Student Council president. She was bright and had a load of good ideas but that wasn't the way it worked. It was clear to everyone but Sandra and her friend circle that it would be her opponents that would win. They wouldn't lose to Bobby without a fight though. He'd broken the hearts of several Cheerleaders.

"The girls also said that you've been with Drake-"

"Don't"

"What I was just -"

"Well don't just. Drake and I just are friends. Nothing's going on between us."

"Good." Cindy paused examining her friend trying to work out if she was really telling the truth.

"Cause you know unpopular your ex is. He -" Madeline cut across her again not wanting to talk anymore about her past relationship.

"Look Maddie. You know how it works. You start hanging out with the losers and then it looks bad on you and like all of us!. Then you like end up stuck with just the losers. I don't want to lose you to the freaks!" She painted quite the picture. Friends could be very fickle in school and she'd seen it happen before. Girls started hanging around with some of the uncool kids and before you knew it they were ostracised from the 'It' crowd. She wasn't about to let that happen to her. She'd worked too hard to get where she was and wasn't about to let all that fall apart because she became a Super Hero. The two girls worked together on a few ideas to drum up the support they would need to ensure her victory. Ideas were thrown around until it got late and her best friend departed.

Her family were all busy with their own stuff so she worked on her own, only coming down for something to eat. Her younger brother and sister were still watching television though the program about the Rangers had ended. An advertisement about the 'Ranger Identity' series came on while she was making up her food. She loved being a Hero but it wasn't doing her much favours when it came to the election. If only some cooler people had gotten their hands on the morphers. This wouldn't be an issue if they had. She kissed the tops of her younger sibling's heads as she went back up to her room to ponder what to do.

Deep within the dark void of space a small shuttle soared its way towards earth. A single solitary figure sat quietly within the ship waiting quietly to reach her destination. Her Captain had sent her on a glorious mission in service of their great leader. The assignment was a mystery but she knew that it would have something to do with these Turbo Rangers. The General wanted them for a reason unknown by the majority of his forces. It was said that even some of his inner circle, the War Council, did not know the true goal behind their capture. It wasn't their place to question their superiors. There was no army without a chain of command and everyone enlisted knew there must always be this order. That was why she hadn't objected or questioned the mission she was given despite the lack of information. The chance to do battle with a team of Ranger had also been a motivator. Defeating a team of warriors for her Master would be the sure fire way to promotion. You had to do something very special to be noticed amongst the drove of other underlings.

This soldier's talents lay communications and information gathering. She was one of the best in their army. The Captain had taken the Private in as one of her own personal subordinates. Dozens had ended up trapped within the walls of the Prison Camp because of her talents. She constantly cracked enemy secure messages and revealed their top secret information. The Private had many commendations to her name.

A light flashed within the cockpit of her Fighter. She could see the General's base now and began the automated docking procedures. The ships linked and soon she was onboard.

She was a tall and athletic woman but covered in heavy purple armour with dark pink lining for definition. Unlike many of the Warriors under Havoc's command she had not sacrificed her beauty for more power. She did however keep it closely guarded under her helmet and visor. On the sides of her helmet were radio antennas or devices that were akin to them. They were attached at the point where normally one would expect someone's ears to be. Her suit had thick boots and gauntlets. Attached to the sides of the metal on each arm were small satellite dish constructs. The Soldier jumped down from the ship's cockpit before removing her helmet. She bowed in front of the General who took her hand to kiss it gently.

"Ahhh Private Communique, As lovely as always"

"Thank you my General." She said eagerly accepting the affection. There were not many that Havoc would show such kindness towards and it was a good sign towards her promotion prospects. Near the General as always was the ugly frame of Fixenstein the technical genius behind many of Havoc's War Machines. She had always disliked this pitiful creature. It seemed to lack both form and function but her Master had use for it. They led her through the long dark metal corridors of the base whilst explaining to her the mission that she was to undertake.

"What do you know about these new Turbo Rangers?" The General inquired walking closely beside her.

"Only that there is a new Team of Rangers led by the original Blue Turbo Ranger." She had read up on what little information was available on the journey to here.

"Good, Then sadly you have about as much concrete information as we do."

"So you wish for me to gather information about this new Ranger team." She asked. The General chuckled lightly as they got into the Elevator.

"Oh my Dear Miss Communique… I don't want you just gather Intel on them. I want you gather it for every Ranger team on earth."

Madeline's morning went about in a blur as normal. Her family rushed around trying to get themselves ready for their equally filled days. Any conversation had contained the intention of hurrying the others along. Madeline and her brother Corey were dropped off at school together by her father. The two walked into school together before splitting off to go to their respective classes. She wasn't embarrassed by her younger brother as most sisters would be. No bully was going to mess with her family if she had anything to say about it. Most of her school day was uneventful though. She went to class and caught up with the girls. Survived the boring lectures and even got to avoid the freaks she called teammates. She and the rest of her campaign group gave out more of their flyers to try and drum up support. The guys were eating it up with Madeline flirting with all the cute ones just to make sure that they definitely had their vote. The election had been pushed back a couple of weeks what with all the Monster attacks in school and around the town.

The school day finally ended so she headed to Cheerleading Practice. They practiced hard trying to perfect their routines with Cindy working some of the new girls to near exhaustion. It felt nice to really get back to it and it allowed her to hone her gymnastic skills. They finished up practice for the afternoon when Madeline's co-captain led her off to the side to speak.

"Hey Maddie. You're coming to mine now aren't ya?" The Pink Ranger had promised to go up after practice so that they could brainstorm ideas.

"Yeah sure just let me-" The communicator on her wristed beeped cutting her off before the end of her sentence. Cindy seemed to notice the contraption for the first time and eyed it weirdly. It looked like a kind of ugly watch to her but there didn't appear to be any way for it to tell the time.

"What's that?"

"Oh just a bracelet."

"A bracelet that beeps?"

"It had this reminder thing. You know beeps to remind you to do something. Back in a sec." And with that Madeline vanished into the bathroom leaving behind a very baffled friend. The Ranger made sure that she was alone in there before she opened the channel. She didn't need this Ranger gig interrupting her life every day.

"Yeah, What is it?"

"Oh. Nice to hear from you too." She wasn't in the mood for a snarky back and forth with the college boy right now.

"I'm a little busy is it important?"

"Pretty, I want to see if I can repair your morpher with the others. Can you get Drake to come or get him to lend you his morpher."

"Oh no way. I'm not a delivery service. Unless it's a monster attack I'm not interested right now." Madeline cut her communication before Justin had any time to argue. He didn't call back and the Pink Ranger went back out to her friend who impatiently waited for her by the bleachers. Maddie apologized and the two made their way home. Just outside the front of the school they spotted a News Van from the local Reefside television station. A strange man with swept back hair in a three piece suit was speaking with Principle Randal about something very passionately. The teacher however didn't look impressed and just kept an ice stare fixed on him and clearly rejecting whatever proposal he was offering to her. As they walked away the man seemed to give up for the moment getting back into the Van with his crew and driving off.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Madeline mused aloud watching as the TV crew drove off and the Principle stormed back into the school.

"Think that was that Reporter guy?

"Like it might have been… what would he be doing at our lame school?"

"Duh Maddie like Lol, Remember he's looking for the Power Rangers."

Miss Communique walked into the alleyway next the Mercer Industries. She had prepared herself all last night after the General had explained the plan to her. She spotted a security camera attached to the side. Good this was exactly what she needed. The armoured figure hid in the device's blind spot and twisted one of the dishes on her wrist. The Gauntlet flashed a dark pink as it shifted around seemingly replacing one hand with a now massive satellite dish. The warrior fired a condensed blast of purple energy at the security systems. It overtook the machine in a ball of light before it faded leaving the lens tinted a light pink. Her infection spread to the rest of the network of security corrupting them as well. She entered through the back entrance which was now unlocked with the alarm disabled. Good that just left her to deal with the 'Human' element. She moved surprisingly agile for someone in armour. The Private slowly crept her way into Mainframe's separate room. The scientists within put up a pitiful resistance and the Soldier outwardly laughed as they repeatedly slammed the alarm button. It was cute that they tried but no one would hear them. She had made sure of that. Once they wer disposed of she raised her dished arm again firing another beam at the mainframe. Its firewalls and password security were overwritten as she progressing power available to try and hack into secure networks.

Her mission didn't just stop at the Turbo Rangers. She had to find every scrap of detail and dirt on every team. Dozens of internet sources and news broadcasts were the first things to pop up. It detailed every known team from the Original Dino Team to this Mystic Force team that had sprung up. Several online groups speculated on Ranger teams that existed before the Mighty Morphing squad.

A sharp pain throbbed in her mind as her attempts were blocked by an image. A strange single image of a Bird Symbol with the message Secure Channel, Access Denied. She pushed forward but their firewalls were good. They adapted to her attempts well and it seemed that she would not be able to search Government databases from here. Something with a bit more power was needed to worm around their software. She started searching through the unsecured channels of the internet hoping to find concrete evidence of who could have been Rangers. A gunshot rang out and it ricocheted off her armour harmlessly.

"How Rude," She muttered turning to face a squad of security men. A loud yawn came from the Private as she blasted the group away with ease. It was time for her to leave. She was attracting too much attention but she still wanted to give those Government channels one last push. She poured more power into the Mainframe until the whole buildings computer system crashed. She hadn't got much but for a first outing it would do.

For a brief moment she had been able to bypass though secure channels. The system had completely blacked out but she had dragged some important information out. There was something very important and incredibly powerful coming to Reefside. She didn't know what but the Soldier knew that it would be important to the Rangers. Most crucial of all was that she knew exactly what route they were taking. The Private returned to her hidden fighter and engaged the ship for take-off. The General would be very pleased with this information.

The next morning and deep within a secure facility a squad of soldiers led by a woman enter a lab. They passed by several of the scientists who worked on without out paying much attention to the group. The woman reaches a secure vault, swipes her person ident card, inputted a long passcode before finally using her retina scan to unlock it. The huge metal door was pulled open by the Squad Leader at the General's request. In the centre of the room there was a podium with a single silver case placed on it. They did not approach is immediately however and uncovered a second secret keypad to deactivate the security grid around the item. It was clear that the protection of this case and its contents were a top propriety to this organization. They removed the item from its resting place before locking the vault securely behind them.

When they left the main facility the squad broke off into two lines and flanked the woman. Their weapons locked and loaded as they approached an armoured vehicle. They watched for any signs of enemy activity before opening the back of the truck. The General and six of the soldiers got into the rear section of the vehicle while the Squad Leader locked them in. The last member of his Squad still on the outside with him had some questions.

"Captain?" The bigger man tried to get his leader's attention as they got into the driver and passenger seats. The Squad Leader didn't respond as he carefully manoeuvred the heavy machine outside the main complex of the facility.

"Hawking?"

"Yeah Kent. Just focusing on driving." The Driver finally acknowledged his partner's presence

"Where the heck are we going ?"

"Reefside. We're going to meet a Doctor Thomas Oliver."

Madeline and Cindy had a plan. They'd spent most of last night coming up with it and organising the rest of the squad. They used word of mouth and made some flyers to pass around the school to ensure that everyone knew. The girls were putting on a show for the whole school with free food and drink given out. They'd do some flips and tricks with the young Miss Holder as the star of the show. It was only natural that she took the lead. The whole production would end with a quick and breezy speech from her. Piece of Cake and they would have this one in the bag. They'd spent most of their lunch break handing out the flyers and getting things ready. It was all going perfectly until Kenji approached. Some of the Cheerleaders blocked his path from Madeline.

"Sorry no Freaks allowed."

"Look I ain't here to talk with the Barbie Doll production line."

"Well then you can go away, now can't you?"

"Man look… Take me to your leader or something. I could in peace. I wanna speak to Madeline."

Kenji pushed past the two girls. It didn't seem like he would take no for an answer so the Pink Ranger excused herself from her practicing friends. She could hear the murmurs starting between the groups but that was fine. Let them talk all they wanted as long as it was about her. The Two Rangers stood near the bleachers far enough from the other girls to avoid them over hearing their conversation.

"So what so you want Greasy? As you probably seen we're a little busy."

"The Boss man said you weren't answering your communicator." It was true. She had been ignoring the calls all morning and stuck the device deep within her bag to drown out the noise.

"So what, I'm not playing delivery girl for the Freak squad right now. I have more important things to do. So unless it's a Monster attack-"

"It is gonna be an attack. Apparently Doctor O and the Justin know where the next attack is gonna be." Now this was more like it. A monster attack was worth her time.

"When?"

"Today, after school." Madeline turned back to the girls who were working hard on their routine.

"That ain't gonna work for me. I got stuff to do tonight. I'm sure you three can handle one little monster without me." The Pink Ranger just flicked her hair before hopping down from the bleachers. The rest of the squad were giving her weird looks as they watched the Red Ranger leaving. They were still talking about their Captain wondering why she was socialising with such a weirdo. If they wanted to talk about her then she was going to give them something to really talk about. She took a deep breath before cartwheeling and flipping her way back to them in an impressive display of grace. Her landing was perfect and she winked at this getting a cheer from her devoted followers. Kenji had left in search of a quiet place to contact their leader.

"Yo Justin, Its Kenji. Sorry dude but she ain't going for it." It took a minute before the Blue Ranger responded and it was obvious that he was working on something. The turning of screws and clank of Metal could be heard in the background.

"Why not? What did she say?"

"Apparently she's busy tonight." The flyer he had stuffed in his pocket was unfolded so that he could read the contents. "Cheerleaders are having some event for the Election or something."

"Seriously? She's putting the safety of the planet AFTER her school election. God… Right I'm coming down earlier today. See if I can talk some sense into her and Drake."

"Good luck bud I gotta go. I'm starving here." Their conversation ended rather abruptly as Kenji went to get something to eat. In the Dino Lab the Blue Ranger finished up his repairs to Storm Blaster. This was getting ridiculous. They could barely get Drake involved in the fight and now Madeline was deciding to act up. She couldn't have picked a worse time as well. This delivery was incredibly important and while he was annoyed that Tommy hadn't consulted him beforehand he knew it could help. They'd gotten a call about the database being hacked into and that information on the run had been accessed. The squad had prepared themselves as much as possible but the Rangers still needed to be there for added protection. If Havoc got his hands on what was in that truck it could spell catastrophe for the world.

Captain Hawking was not a man who was made nervous easily. The first time he had been stuck under enemy fire he had kept his cool and managed to come out of their alive. When he had been shot in the leg on mission he just bandaged it and kept out of sight till his chance to escape arose. When he met his partner's religious family for the first time he didn't flinch once or snap back at their waves of hate. He kept collected in all those situations but for one of the few times in his career he was nervous. No that wasn't quite it, he wasn't just nervous he was afraid. The enemy knew the route they were taking but they couldn't turn off. The higher ups had known there was a danger but they needed to push through the delivery of the item. They were taking a big risk but it was the best plan of action. The men had their weapons designed by Doctor Taylor at the ready. They were facing a force greater in number and more powerful than them but they were getting help. Tensions were already high enough and he saw Kent fidgeting with the mechanisms of his rifle.

"Keep sharp Kent."

"Yes Captain." The younger man did his best to straighten up and look focused.

"How long till we reach Reefside?"

"Couple of hours, don't worry. We've got this under control." Kent seemed to be sedated for now but Hawking still had this feeling of dread stuck in his gut. These weapons were good but they wouldn't be nearly powerful to take down one of the stronger monsters. If the Power Rangers weren't up to the job then they would have to use all the skills available to them to pull this off. If they fell too easily then everything could be ruined. He hoped that it wouldn't come to that but knew that there was no certainty that they would prevail.

By the end of the school day a huge crowd had been drawn up. The girls had done their work and Principle Randall had agreed as long as there was no alcohol and no damage to school property. Soon however came the bumps in the road. First off Bobby and his friends had turned up and that included Drake who awkwardly hung in the background. He looked the part but he never really fit in well with the rest but luckily for him they were too dumb to notice. Even if he was a jerk sometimes he wasn't nearly as bad as them. The next little distraction came when the News Truck from yesterday returned out of the blue. The man in the Three Piece Suit had returned with a camera crew. He and Principle Randall had gotten into a heated discussion until the group had approached the teens. Their Principle was obviously unhappy with what had happened but the suited man just had a big bright smile on his face. It was their teacher who spoke up first.

"Hello Girls. Mister Davidson was looking to cover your rally but he needs your permission first before he can start filming." She obviously wanted the girls to refuse his offer but this was too good to pass up. Even if this didn't win them the election it gave them the chance to be seen on TV.

"Like sure Mister Davidson! We'd love the chance to appear on the news!" Madeline had answered quicker than either adult had expected but the reporter was clearly pleased. Principle Randall had no reason to deny him now and the girls even announced that the event would be filmed. This gave anyone the chance to leave if they were uncomfortable with being on camera. The Reporter took the two girls off to the side to perform an interview.

"Thank you Mister Davidson for this opportunity."

"No Ladies thank you, and please call me Trevor."

"Thanks Trevor." Madeline said. It didn't take long before the interview begun. The normal questions were asked with the two girls introducing themselves on camera. They then went on to talk about the election and how important it was to the two of them. Madeline talked about school spirit and how she wanted to give back to her school by helping. The Pink Ranger was very natural in front of the camera and she used any opportunity she could to flash her winning smile. It was making her a giddy to think that she was going to appear on their local news. This would be something she could show her parents later. When the interview was completed the Reporter congratulated them. The two were about to walk away before he called to them.

"Sorry to bother you girls after that wonderful interview but I was wondering if you had some time for extra questions, not about the rally and totally off the record." It was just as Madeline had expected. He did have some sort of ulterior motive.

"Oh Really?" The Ranger asked wanting to see where this went.

"Well, It's just that you two girls seem to have your fingers on the pulse of this school and-"

"You were wondering if we knew anything about the Rangers."

He was a little surprised that she had taken the words out his mouth but grinned.

"Yes, As you no doubt have noticed the Rangers seemed to be connected to this school. Their first appearance was within those very halls and rumours have been afloat of a second attack." He seemed quite well informed but Madeline couldn't help but see the humour. He was unknowingly asking a Power Ranger if she had any clues to the identity of the Rangers.

"Sorry Trev, I don't know anything. Wish I could help you out more babe."

If he was disappointed he didn't show it. You learned how to hide your emotions in show business. He withdrew two cards from his jacket pocket and handed it to the Cheerleading duo.

"Well alright then, do call me if you two find something. I'm sure we can work out another appearance." With that he was off with his crew to record the crowd and question more of the teens. Well at least that had been an interesting diversion but it was time to get started into the main event. The Communicator in her bag beeped as she was getting ready. Hadn't Justin gotten the message? She was busy but the nagging thought that it might be important led her to sneak off to the bathroom again.

"What is it Harvey? Didn't I tell you I was busy?"

"Madeline, Look I'm parked out the front, can you come talk?" She would have hung up but he sounded very urgent. Making sure none of the girls saw her she slipped out and made it to the front entrance. Justin was waiting at the front door with Kenji and Claire sitting in Storm Blaster not far away. He approached Madeline as soon as she saw her with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Hey Maddie, Glad you came out. For a second I thought you weren't gonna show up."

"Whatever you got to say make it quick. We're starting soon."

"Look. We need you and Drake to come with us. This is really important. If Havoc gets his hands on this it could be really bad. Like end of the world bad." He did sound desperate and she was pretty sure that he wouldn't be asking if he didn't have to. Still she was on the fence. All these people had gathered to see her perform. Well her and the girls but really it was mostly about her. The routines they had planned depended on her and then there was the speech to give after followed by a possible encore. It didn't look like she had many windows to leave and she told Justin as much.

"Maddie please. This is serious and no offense the worlds kinda more important than a school election. You're one of our best fighters." She had to laugh at his awkward attempts at flattery. It was the thought that counted.

"I'm not one of your best fighters. I am your best fighter."

"Fine is that what you need to hear? Yes then you're our best fighter. You're amazing, pretty and wonderful. Please I'm begging you come with us."

"I'm pretty am I?" Justin choked as he realised what he had said to her. Madeline laughed at his discomfort turning to walk back into the school. She was playing this out for dramatic effect keeping him hooked in for her own amusement. Let out a long and contemplated hum as she opened the door.

"I'll think about it, if you can manage to get Drake to agree." She vanished back into the school building leaving the bewildered Blue Ranger alone. That would keep him busy for a while at least. She didn't expect that her ex was going to agree at all. Cindy was looking for her when she finally got back to the girls it was time for the show to begin. The crowd was getting restless waiting for her and she didn't plan to disappoint.

The show started with a bang and Madeline's squad just kept the excitement going. Impressive feats of gymnastics and dance were executed in front of a captive audience. Their acts were very complex but that was because they had just adapted their cheerleading routines used for competitions. This was less about scoring points and more about the spectacle. The audience were eating it up. She spotted Drake in the crowd again however when she flipped over a few times he was gone. It took some time before she realised the reason. He was talking with Justin over to the side and it seemed that the two had gotten themselves into a heavy debate. The Blue Ranger didn't have a hope of convincing Drake so she just relaxed and got back to the stunts. The Girls forms a pyramid with complex leaps and jumps until Madeline was standing on the top receiving thunderous adoration from the students. This was a little bit more like it. None of this nameless hero stuff she had to do with the Rangers. Everyone could see her face here and this was just how she liked it. They disassembled and took a break while the masses enjoyed the free food that was passed around. Madeline went back to her bag to grab a water bottle. A hand tapped her shoulder. She turned to meet Drake who was awkwardly trying to start a conversation with her.

"Maddie. We need to go." What he said left Madeline momentarily speechless

"I- What's gotten into you all of sudden?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? Usually you're first in line for this crazy train."

"Then why did you hope on board?" Drake looked around at this question, afraid someone might be eavesdropping. There was no one about as the rest of the girls were getting ready for the next part of their act.

"He seems spooked. I'm getting the feeling that this is really important. Look I know I'm not your favourite person b-"

"I don't hate you Drake." This seemed to take him off guard and it was his turn to be without words. He knew that he had hurt her and a lot. They both knew that and it didn't need to be said.

"Look Drake, I'm sure you four can handle this without me."

"Please Maddie, I need you there." She froze on the spot at this as Drake continued. "I don't know or trust any of them. Please." He started to walk away towards Storm Blaster not able to handle the out pouring of emotion. She knew this stuff was never easy for him considering his parents. Her ex spoke up again once more before he got out ear shot.

"If you start up with the girls we'll assume you're not coming and go on without you."

Madeline was left alone with her thoughts until Cindy grabbed her and pulled her back over to the girls. They were going over some last minute changes but she was barely there at all. Her Co-Captain was coordinating and the squad was getting pumped for action. The Blonde girl noticed that her friend was spaced out and pulled her off to the side. Madeline caught a glimpse of the Team squeezed into the vehicle. Fingers were snapped in front of her face to wake her up and the Pink Ranger was dragged back to their plans. This was bad. She needed to finish this but if Drake was really going with them this had to be a problem.

"Mad are you listening?"

"Cindy I got to go."

"What?!"

"I got to go. Family emergency."

"You can't leave now. This is your-"

"Cindy, just take over the routine. You know the speech. I can't talk I gotta run." She wasn't sure why but she was running. She had probably just made a big mistake that was going to bite her big time later. The screams of her best friend could be heard fading into the distance as she made her way to the Rangers in the Jeep. What the heck was she doing?

Miles away the Armoured Vehicle driven by Captain Hawking continued along its path. So far there had been no interruptions on their way but he knew that it was coming. Neither man in the front of the truck had spoken a word to each other in miles. Kent just kept checking over his weapon to make sure that it was ready for action. They reached the top of an incline in the road and strange occurrences began. The air outside of the truck became heavy and dense cracking their front window. Light, dark pinkish colour, started to shine down on them and then the road ahead exploded when something impacted with it. Hawking swerved out of the way uncontrollably. The truck crashed into the truck of a thick tree. The dazed two soldiers grabbed their weapons and leapt out of their seats to join their squad. What they found on the outside of their transport was a very unpleasant sight.

Waves of Chromites, Piranhatrons and Putra Pods swarmed towards the truck hoping to overpower them and steal its contents. The Squad lined up into a combat formation. Two lines, one group crouched down and the other standing tall with their rifle devices aimed at the monsters. Hawking gave the order to shoot and the soldiers opened fire. The blasts connected with the drones knocking them back. The Chromites and Piranhatrons would explode after a few well-placed shots. The bulkier Putra Pods could take barrages of concentrated laser fire before they collapsed into gooey piles by their feet. The Squad were being overrun with Hawking desperately leading his men. The heavy butt of their guns were swung trying to knock drones away from the vehicle.

A beam of light fired between them and the shockwave blasted them away. Hawking was the first back to his feet to see Private Communique strolling towards the truck with her radar dish blaster prepped. The Black Visor reflected his face back at him. He raised his weapon firing at much as he could at her. The shots all hit but she didn't stop. This was going to hurt.

"WE'RE WHAT!? The Pink Rangers shrieks of fury nearly deafened the two strapping young men on either side of her. Kenji was already complaining about the ringing in his ear. Justin would have swerved if not for the sentient Jeep being unaffected by sonic screams. The Blue Ranger flipped around in his seat at her so that he was clearly no longer driving.

"We are meeting a Military Unit in an Armoured Vehicle to protect an important case."

Madeline started whacking the eldest Ranger in the side of the arm to let out some of anger. Each word punctuated with a slap.

"I. Told. You. I. Am. NOT. A. DELIVERY. SERVICE." She had left probably the most important of day of her young life to play keep away with the forces of evil. This was not what she signed up for and she considered jumping right out of the Jeep just to go back to where she belonged.

"Look. We are not a delivery service, We are heroes stopping a villain from getting a source of unimaginable power so sit down and shut up."

The Pink Ranger sunk back into the seat. There was nothing she could do now. She was stuck here with them in this cramp Jeep on a seat that wasn't even really a seat. It was just a step that had been lowered by the Blue Ranger to act like one. No cushion or anything to make it even remotely comfortable and she was crushed between two teammates. Did no one think to tell little miss sunshine to hop into the backseat and let one of these two bulky knuckleheads into the front seat? Of course not because we wouldn't want to inconvenience poor little Claire Bear. She was just such a delicate little flower that we wouldn't want her to get roughed up at all. Madeline would have bet good money that if Claire was too scared to go then the boys wouldn't have objected at all. God this was so annoying. The Extra from Grease beside her decided that he should try and break the ice.

"Well, My days been fine thanks for asking. How about all you?"

The Yellow Ranger let out an annoying giggle that just served to irritate Madeline more. No proper conversation sprung up between the groups despite Kenji's efforts. Justin was clearly too focused on the road ahead and their mission to get into it. Drake would have barely laughed at a good joke never mind the Red Ranger's poor attempts at comedy.

In the distance they saw a beam of light impact with the ground like bolt of magenta lightning. A thunderous crack was heard and Justin floored down the accelerator. Storm Blaster blazed down the road towards the disturbance burning the asphalt beneath its wheels. The four other Rangers gripped onto whatever they could fight while Justin just held strong against the wind. This wasn't his first time going at this max speed and finally they had open enough road to really let loose. The roar of its engine was hoarse but it showed little signs of stopping. As the reached an incline in the road they saw the first signs of trouble. Armed soldiers appeared to be fighting off Chromites with more success than most would expect from Non-Ranger forces. However they were clearly outmatched by this mysterious purple and pink armoured figure. She was fighting against a tall and strong looking African America man. He was clearly a very powerful person but was being thrown around like a Rag doll. The wheels screeched as Justin slammed down the breaks as the tires left a trail of fire. The Turbo Rangers all leapt out of the Vehicle.

Justin stepped forward asking if the team was ready. The Pink Ranger was definitely ready to do this. She was sick of waiting so she stepped forward and yelled the morphing call before Justin could.

"Shift Into Turbo!" The team were taken aback but there was no time to argue and they went through the Morphing Sequence.

"Mountain Blaster Turbo Power."

"Desert Thunder Turbo Power."

"Dune Star Turbo Power."

"Wind Chaser Turbo Power."

"Red Lightning Turbo Power."

The collection of Soldiers and monsters were distracted by the shimmering multi-coloured light of the Rangers morphing. The humans were the first to snap out of it and they used their chance to regroup and keep the drones away from the truck. Havoc's new lackey was unimpressed as the five brightly coloured heroes ran into the fight. She gracefully dodged out of the way of Drake's tackle and leapt over Justin. She smashed her boots into Claire's chest as she landed. It knocked the wind out of the Yellow Ranger and she collapsed onto the ground trying not to break into a panic attack. Kenji was on the Private in a flash and summoned his trusty blades to hand. She slapped away the first blade with her gauntleted arm and shot a blast directly into his stomach before the second one could make its mark. Communique charged her blaster arm only to be interrupted by an arrow of energy connecting with her chest. The Private looked up and she could just feel the smug smile behind the Pink Ranger's helmet. She couldn't move out the way in time as the second arrow connected into her chest sending sparks flying. This continued for a while and the Private was left wondering why the Ranger didn't try to finish her off. She was completely open and her leader was screaming at her to end this.

"I got this Boy Wonder," The Ranger quipped as she turned her head to look at him.

"Don't even have to look!" The Arrow connected into Communique again.

"That's just how good I am," This was her chance to come back. The Ranger too cocky for her own good and as she let loose another arrow the Private put her plan into action. She raised her gauntleted arm so that the dish was the piece hit. The energy span around the dish before being reflected straight back at the Ranger, flooring her with her own attack.

"No you don't got this." The monster jeered as Madeline tried to get up from the ground. Shots rattled off Communique as Justin and Hawking attempted to give the Pink Ranger cover. The Radar dish expanded becoming a massive shield to reflect their blasts before shrinking back down to its normal size. The momentary distracted had allowed the Pink Ranger back to her feet.

Madeline charged up her next arrow and fired it but her enemy rolled out of the way. Guess it wouldn't be that easy. Sadly the pink hero couldn't rely on anyone else to finish the job They were all pretty pathetic when it came down to it. The ground beside her left food was blasted up by a beam of purple light fired from the Privates gauntlet. The rest of the team left to assist the soldiers in protecting the truck. It suited the Pink Ranger and she jump kicked off the trunk of a tree to add a little flare to her attack. They all missed and Madeline received a punch in the stomach for her trouble. The Ranged flipped back in a complex display that mirrored her Cheerleading routines. She would outdo this armoured creep and she would do it in style. However before she could get much farther away a bolt of energy hit in the chest.

Communique just laughed at the Ranger. She was so busy trying to show off how agile she was that she had become predictable. While this hero was collecting herself she could move on the others. They were making short work of the drones but that was to be expected. The Green and Yellow Rangers were closest to her. From behind a shot could be heard as Madeline attempted another attack.

"Hey Darth Dork dodge this!"

If she hadn't been warned of Madeline's attack by her taunt then she might have been hit. However she just lined up her dish and reflected the blast at the two Rangers to her side. It knocked them down and blasted the soldiers nearby them in every directly. Drake and Claire could still stand but this attack had left the military fighters defenceless. None had the strength to stand and the Yellow Ranger tried her best to get them out of the way. Ah compassion. It was often the weakness of the lesser species. The two Rangers were bunched nice and closely giving the Private the chance to use her secret weapon against them. She readied her Blaster and dodged another attack that had been announced in advance by the Pink Ranger. Communique fired but instead of a quick bolt of energy rings erupted from the dish. They travelled towards the Rangers but just before it hit Claire she was saved by Kenji pushing her out of the way.

"Claire look out!" He screamed. Oh now this was just delicious. Compassion would be the death of these Rangers. It was clear to her that the Yellow Ranger was still a rookie in combat but in saving her the Red hero had possible doomed the team. The attack connected and the dark purple energy consumed their suits. Their bodies were blocked from sight briefly and they could be heard screaming in agony. When at last they could be seen their hands were covering their faces. The others called to them but they didn't respond. Their gloves lowered slowly revealing that their suit's black visors had been tinted Pink. The chrome metal on the side of their helmets also glowed lightly.

Kenji and Drake could see nothing within a black void in front of them. They called but no one's voices could reach them as they fumbled in the darkness. Their helmets headlights didn't activate as they should but in the distance lines of purple light crossed over each other forming a massive grid. The lines seemed to travel up some sort of wall boxing them into something.

Drake postulated that he had been transported into some form of sub-dimension or holding area that Private Communique had access to. He would most likely be trapped here until someone destroyed her or he found some sort of exit. If this place was supposed to act like a prison it was unlikely there would be an obvious escape. In theory it would need an exit so that they could retrieve his Morpher /

Kenji just wondered if he had ended up in Tron.

Their heads turned in every direction trying to find anyone but they seemed to be totally alone. That was until the monsters started to appear all around them from the grids line. They were surrounded and some of the drones were closing in on them. Their survival instincts kicked in and both desperately fought trying to find some way out of this strange dimension they had been teleported to.

On the other side of their visors there was a completely different sight as the two Rangers turned on their allies. Justin and Claire screamed at them to stop but they were completely oblivious to the pleas of their comrades. No sound was reached their ears thanks to the inference caused by the Private's attack. Crossing wires and mixing signals were part of her speciality. She took pride in her work and left the Rangers to fight amongst themselves as the soldier moved to the truck.

From out of nowhere a white boot connected with her helmet hard. A follow up strike in the same area cracked some of the glass from the force. Damn it she thought the Pink Ranger was done. A knee impacted hard into her lower torso.

Madeline had gotten her opening. She head-butted the Private cracking more of her rival's visor. Her leg collided with her heavy armoured side before recoiling back into a guard. Her bow wasn't working for her any more so she was going to have to handle this the old fashioned way. She hopped into the air booting Communique in the face again and knocking shards of glass to the ground. When she landed back the Ranger threw out a sweeping kick to take her enemy's feet out from underneath her. Her leg swung down hard on the monsters chest repeatedly as she stamped her into the ground. Madeline jumped back giving the Private time to get back to her feet before motioning at her to 'bring it'

What an arrogant creature this Ranger was thinking that she was in control. The Soldier swung her fists forward but they were knocked out of the way. The boot hit her right in the rib cage and she thanked her dark lord that the armour was so thick. This girl was quick and hard to hit but she was making a fatal mistake. She was drawing out her fight for her own amusement thinking that she had the Private on the ropes. Communique was cleverer than this hero gave her credit for. Sending out a signal she altered the perspectives of the rose tinted visors of her captive Rangers. They turned from their current confrontations to turn on this Madeline. They slammed into the Pink Ranger knocking her into the ground. The two started laying into her trying to beat her into the earth. To Kenji and Drake their comrade now looked like Communique.

Madeline kicked herself free from the apish grip of her compatriots. Alright so this freak wanted to set the other Rangers on her. That was fine because she could handle them alone. After all she was the best fighter in this group and this way she could prove it. She re-summoned her bow charging a blast at Drake. She knew how he fought best. He was just a Football brawler at heart and his lumbering strikes were easy for her to dodge. She kept just stepping out of the way for dramatic effect before letting lose a powerful blast to his chest. Her bow guarded against Kenji's sword allowing her to flick his empowered strike into Drake. The Green Ranger was demorphed by taking the brunt of the exposition.

Most of the Soldiers had fallen by the side lines due to their injuries. Claire and Justin were desperately fighting off the drones alongside Hawking. The three were managing to hold their ground until they were blasted away by another intense wave from Havoc's loyal servant. She could probably cast an illusion over one last member of this little group but who to choose? A devilish smile could be seen between some of her visors cracks.

The Wind Fire was still being used rather effectively as a shield but Kenji was proving to be more trouble than Drake. It was time to play dirty and she struck him twice between his legs causing to grab his crotch in agony. The arrow hit his helmet flipping her further back into the pile of soldiers and he demorphed on impact.

Ha. That had been easy. Madeline turned back to face the monster after besting the other Rangers. She'd let herself be distracted for too long and too late did she realize that Storm Blaster was rocketing towards her. The jeep ploughed down the Pink Ranger knocking her out cold as she made contact with the concrete again.

Communique walked towards the truck blasting the two remaining Rangers around with ease. She slowly set her hand on the huge metal door. It vibrated as sonic energy was channel through it. An echoing pop was heard as the door ripped off its hinges and the evil soldier stepped forward for her prize. Claire and Justin battled their way through the remaining drones trying to get to her but she had already grabbed the case. She laughed as Claire was mowed down by the returning Storm Blaster. Her power suit disappeared in a flash of light alongside the defeated Chromites. It seemed that she had secured the package and defeated the Rangers. All that was left was to take down the Blue Ranger. They were starting their standoff when suddenly one of the laser rifles dropped by her feet. It was crackling and a red alert light was blinking at the side. It was about to explode and the Private didn't have time to move. The force knocked her back into the truck. Her gauntleted arms raised to shield her already cracked visor from the brunt of the blast. Her back rammed hard into the back inside of the truck.

Beside her the cased had been broken open however there was nothing within it. It was completely empty apart from the black cushion with two indents were something used to be. Both the Ranger and Monster looked confused as Captain Hawking collapsed into the tree.

This wasn't right. They had tricked her somehow. The device wasn't here. She stepped out from the destroyed truck, legs buckling under the weight of the armour. She looked down to her gauntlets to see that they'd been damaged quite badly by the explosion. Her visor was cracked apart to reveal more of her face. The Ranger seemed to catch a brief glimpse of her face from the broken section and did a double take. She shot him down while he was distracted and signalled for a teleport leaping out to disappear in a spectrum of colour. This just left Justin and Hawking to check over their fallen squads.

The Dino lab was more crowded than it had been in a long time. When the two teams of warriors had arrived they had found their respective mentors already there. Doctor Oliver and this female General that none of the Turbo Rangers had met before. The one referred to as Captain Hawking approached the prim military woman.

"General Gale, Plan was a success I see." The General nodded and motioned to the communicator on Tommy's wrist. Its lining was Red like Kenji's and Justin instantly recognized what it was but the rest of the team remained in the dark.

"Yes Doctor Oliver was able to come and pick me up while you engaged the main forces."

"Wait what?" Kenji was the first one to speak up from the rookie Turbo members gaining the attention of the military squad. "Sorry, Just a little in the dark dudes. Want to get back up to speed." It was time for the newbie Rangers to be brought up to speed on events.

When the military team had gotten word that the information obtained was linked to their current operation they had to think fast. They had stopped very briefly at a secluded side of the road and dropped off the General with the devices so she could hide out of sight. From there they continued along the path as normal with an empty case in the back and the squad of armed soldiers. They would play the decoy and draw any potential fire away from the General. As the woman had said before Tommy had been able to pick her up alone using his car. The Rangers had been sent after the decoy to try to convince the monsters that they still had the device nestled in its case. Madeline sat there as they explained their little ruse.

"So not only was I made to play delivery service, we were just a distraction?! We weren't even the important bit!?"

Justin tried his best to get her to calm down but she just continued ranting. Hawking decided to cut in at this point. He didn't raise his voice or sound angry but there was sharpness to his tone that made his opinions clear.

"You were all an important part of this plan and for the most part you all played those parts well. You on the other hand were somehow the best and worst." Madeline didn't understand what he meant by that so she was left without response until he elaborated.

"You were the biggest distraction alright. Kept the monster attention on you but you were showboating. You wanted to make a big scene about how good you were and because of it you left yourself open. You could have taken her out time after time but you didn't cause you hadn't made enough of a show out of it." The Pink Ranger wasn't about to take this but she had nothing to say back. A part of her knew that he was right and that she had messed this up. However the larger part of her wouldn't accept that she could do anything wrong so just grabbed her jacket and stormed out of the building. Tommy began to wonder if it was possible to install an exit specifically for stroppy teens storming out. Probably cost too much to be worth it… though if they were charged per outburst it would make its money back in no time. To his side the General was reprimanding the Captain for running his mouth off again.

"I was just telling the truth, she did more to take out this Ranger team than the Monster did. See how no one is defending her?" It was true. None of the team defended her but part of this came from their own embarrassment in being thrashed so easily.

"Hawking, we did not ask for your opinion. She's a moody teenage girl but you aren't so stop acting like one." The Captain grunted but begrudging agreed to shut his mouth. Drake started to gather his stuff together to leave as well despite Justin's objections. The Green Ranger brushed his hand away from his shoulder.

"Look, I'm going to go as well. I don't like being in the dark or manipulated Justin." The brawny student started to walk out after her.

"I was just as in the dark as you were!" Drake didn't pay much attention to his pleas. Things were clearly not off to a great start between the Turbo Rangers and the military force.

"Justin, maybe you should take the others home." Tommy tried to be the voice of reason. Justin was still insulted that even he had been kept out of the loop.

"I'm not 13 anymore Tommy. I'd like to know what's going on."

"Hey neither of us are 13 either. We're both seniors." The Red Ranger had decided to get himself involved. Superheroes deserved respect after all. The General watched this little exchange with minute interest. She ordered the rest of the soldiers apart from Hawking outside to check the perimeter. When all of them had finally left she spoke again.

"I don't really think we have a security breach, I just thought things were too crowded and too formal. I wish our first meeting together had gone better."

"First meeting?" Claire asked picking up the subtle implication.

"Yes, I'm afraid that due to the Alien incursions regularly occurring in Reefside my organization will be setting up a more permanent presence here." This woman, who was a Stranger to the Turbo Rangers, began to elaborate. She gave no name to the organization nor revealed anything that could be considered useful tactical information. Whoever these people were there was one thing that was made very clear to the Rangers. None of this was a question or suggestion. It was a statement of facts to them. Even Tommy seemed uncomfortable in this woman's presence but that was because he knew more than the Turbo Team. They were here to stay and there would be more of them on the way.

God damn it. Stupid soldiers think they could talk to her. Stupid handsome Black man with his good looks and cool demeanour. Stupid dorks that wouldn't back her up. He wasn't allowed to get up in her grill after the lot of 'professional' fighters got crushed by Chromites. They'd have been dead without her. They all would have been. She was the only one of them that had a clue.. For God sake she had the whole school eating from the palm of her hand and she left that. Stupid Freak Squad. She deserved a medal and not blame. They should be happy she even talked to them. She could be just like a certain someone.

"Madeline wait up." There was that certain someone now.

"What is it Drake?" Her tone was ice cold like the bitter wind of the Autumn nights. He hadn't heard it this bad in a long time.

"I just wanna walk with you. I wasn't sticking around there and walking alone isn't safe for us anymore." He caught up regardless of her seeming refusal to slow down. The Pink Ranger was still occupied with her thoughts. Drake pulled his football jacket tight around his chest trying to keep the heat in. He would have offered his coat to her but he knew that his ex-girlfriend didn't feel the cold when she was this angry.

"Not even winter yet and it's freezing." He complained. Madeline was sick of his depressing nature. She wasn't sure if he had been this bad when they were going out. Hard to imagine why she liked him so much. Why she had liked him, she corrected mentally.

"Yeah, we'll have to start dressing warmer if we make a habit out of storming out." She replied coolly still not breaking stride. "Sorry if I stole your thunder with that move."

"Stop lashing out at me cause this isn't my fault."

"Well you're the one who wanted to walk with me so you'll have to put up with it." Her matter of fact tone grained on the last nerve of the Green Ranger as they stomped along.

"Look I'm not your Boyfriend any more so I don't have to take this." That hurt Madeline more than she was willing to admit and she sped up trying to leave him in the dust. He could tell that he'd really messed it up now and practically jogged to catch up. Her name was called desperately trying to get her to come back. Finally Madeline was forced to respond to his persistent begging.

"Good to see you still know how to put your foot in it." She muttered more to herself than anyone else. He was unfazed and clawed his way back to her side. He desperately tried to make her smile as his way of apologizing for what he had said before.

"You know that a Master of putting his foot in his mouth doesn't lose the skill so easily." She laughed. It was a short and sharp laugh but it was one none the less. The slight crack of a smirk could be seen at the sides of her mouth. After a while he continued.

"I'm sorry about the way things ended between-"

"Drake… I don't wanna talk about it right now. I've already got a million things on my mind. Don't need that on top of everything." Harsh but true. She had texted Cindy a few times since they had started off on their brave adventure home through the cold. Her best friend hadn't responded once which was unlike her. She never left behind her phone or failed to respond to any text message of her best friends. Didn't matter where she was, a crowded cinema, on a date with a hot boy or in church she found a way to text back usually to the annoyance of those with her. She was clearly mad and Madeline didn't have the energy for damage control right now.

"I get you. I'm sick of this whole Ranger thing too. Wish I could give it up."

"I don't want to give up the power. I like being a Ranger. I just don't like the people I have to deal with. A greas ball, a shrieking little girl, a self-righteous College Boy Wonder-"

"A jerk of an ex-boyfriend." He added for her. The two looked at each other with only weak smiles to give.

"Yeah… and now on top of it all I've got Soldier boy on my case. Starting to think I should go solo in this business." Drake was taken aback by her concept. Rangers were always seen as teams and it was hard to imagine one operating alone.

"I dunno. Sounds risky and dangerous."

"You trying to convince me to do it? Cause telling me it's dangerous will make me want it more." He stopped. This flame didn't need any more fuel being thrown on it. They reached the part of the road where they needed to part ways. The two gave their goodbyes but lingered. Neither was sure how to end this meeting properly. Should they shake hands? Hug? All the answers seemed wrong so they just awkwardly waved goodbye. The Pink Ranger continued to her house still trying to get her best friend to respond to her calls. She reached her house around the time it was starting to get dark. Next time she stormed out she would have to make sure she had a lift. The long walk hadn't given her any piece of mind. There wasn't much to do now but go inside. Maybe her family could cheer her up.

Outside of Havoc's secluded chamber the anxious Private Communique tried to collect her thoughts. Those blasted Rangers and Soldier had tricked her. The power source had escaped her grasp and it was now safely in their hands. She'd spent the last while concocting a new plan and she knew that the details were shaky. The variables left a lot of things in question but she needed this. This was her chance to impress the General, the opportunity to get on the career fast track. Maybe one day she could even the chance to join Havoc's War Council. Each member had dozens of elaborate tales. Stories of their ruthlessness, their determination and strength were passed along the trenches. She had seen in person the power of one of the inner circle and she longed for the prestigious position. It was time for her to face the music she realised with regret building in gut. The sound of her gauntlet as it tapped against the hard steel door echoed along the metal corridor. A calm and steady voice was heard barely muffled by the heavy barrier in front of Communique.

"Enter."

She followed the simple command like the good little soldier she was. Havoc's private chamber was a grand room. It was elegantly decorated in sharp contrast towards the cold functional design of the rest of the ship. The room was some odd combination between a Victorian parlour and a grand library. Thick tomes devoted to wars from around the galaxy and diaries of Military minds that conquered planets by the dozen. The General sat comfortably on one of these many arm chairs with a heavy chronicle in one hand and fancy china tea cup in the other.

"Please, Miss Communique have a seat." He motioned to one of the chairs and she sat down on it gently. The heavy armour that covered her body diluted the comfort that the seat provided. The General calmly set down his tea cup and book motioning to the tray of refreshment to his side.

"Tea? Coffee?" She shook her head politely as he held out a tray of baked good. "Muffin? Scone?" Again she refused and he gently sat the food back down. The General took this time to examine his underling getting a good look at her. Her face made him chuckle sadistically and her expression of apprehension made it all the more enjoyable. To see those features curl in fear of him was almost as enjoyable as seeing the adoration in her eyes earlier. Unfortunately for the poor Private it was those very eyes that had betrayed her the moment she walked in.

"Well then Private, Give me your mission report." He knew that she had no good news for him but he patiently waited as she explained her failure. He arched his fingers in front of his face while he pondered how to respond to this news. Miss Communique was prepared though and interrupted the careful consideration of the General. She hoped to save herself from punishment with some sort of plea.

"My General, please if I have an idea, a plan. It focuses on this mysterious group with the Bird Symbol, the ones that seem to be assisting the Rangers. I believe there may be a way for me to hack their channels." The Private then began to elaborate to her Commanding Officer on what she needed to do. The Earth was surrounded by a vast network of satellites. They played an integral part in the lives of these modern day humans. The internet age had brought about new levels of connection across the worlds. It allowed the pitiful creatures of this world to talk even more about pointless things. So much of their society relied on cell phones, the internet and these television broadcasts. They were pointless streams of information with no real rhyme or reason. Their militaries exploited these systems but the general populace just used it to feed their obsessive hunger for trivial knowledge. This all played into the Private's hands though as she explained. The military satellites security was very complex. This meant that attacking those specific machines would be too time consuming and possibly not worth the effort. However if they used a conduit to channel Communique's power they could overwrite the unsecured satellites and turn them into a vast web around the planet. With this processing power the firewalls of this enigmatic force could be cracked wide open.

The General listened patiently to the Private as she laid the plan out. Her face was alive with passion as she tried to sell this last ditch effort to stay in his good graces as a well thought out manoeuvre. There was a fire inside her, he had to give her that much. He wondered if it had always been there or if it had been lit by recent events. In the end it didn't matter. Her plan was interesting but he would never destroy her like she feared. He would always let her get away with this because she was important, well that and her beauty helped her chances greatly. However it was important to go through the whole show. The fear was essential in keeping the troops in line and on their toes. He hummed to himself in thought as her plan slowly trailed to the end of her pitch. His free hand played with the handle of his blade as though he was considering using it. A sharp intake of breath from him made her twitch in the seat but finally he spoke.

"Alright then Miss Communique. I leave this in your delicate hands…but do not disappoint me." He let the words hang in the air as he stared down into the depths of her soul. The cries for help could almost be heard as he burned his face into her mind. He excused the Private but just before she left he called her back.

"Where is your helmet my dear?"

"I'm sorry my General. I left it below it. The visor was shattered in my previous battle with the Rangers."

"See to it before you go back into battle. I wouldn't want to see that beautiful face marked." She smiled thanking her Master for the compliment leaving him to his book. He picked the tome back up to continue reading but his hand began to shake. The quiver became more violently by the second until the hardback of book crashed into the hard floor. He grabbed his hand to steady it as he steeled his nerves. The vibrations travelled throughout the whole of his body. The pain that came with it was most unpleasant but slowly it began to subside. Havoc leaned back into his seat when it was all finally over. Anger coursed through every iota of his being. This was getting beyond ridiculous now. Fixenstein would have to hurry up with his repairs. The General gently lifted the tea cup beside him, draining the last remnants of the warm brew. He turned the china over in his hands before closing his fist around it. The satisfying cracks could be heard just over his music. The remains grinded into dust which he released onto the floor.

Havoc's senses returned to him as he cleaned off his gloves. "Oh blast. I really did like that cup…"

Dinner in the Holder house was a tornado of action. It was fajitas tonight, a popular dish amongst the whole posse. Stretch or starve. They had the full family roster as Madeline's older sisters had decided to join them. Conversations were flying all over the place as each member of the family added something new into the mix. Who was getting promotions in works, which of their friends were getting together, what was going on at school; their conversation had all the classics. The only one who wasn't speaking was the Pink Ranger. Kaitlin had noticed her uncharacteristic silence at the dinner table but the little girl didn't want to pester her big sister. Madeline caught the feelings of concern and stuck her tongue out at the littlest Holder while pulling face. A snort of laughter interrupted the adult conversations. Her family all turned to look at Kaitlin who was now trying to eat her food and look as innocent as possible. Their older siblings and parents just returned to their discussions baffled at the youngest member's sudden outburst.

After her meal the Pink Ranger went back to trying to force a reply from her best friend, it was like drawing blood from a stone. Cindy could be such a pain. Madeline called to her mother and got no response. She called again but still nothing. On the third time she finally got her attention as matriarch came round the corner pulling her winter coat over her shoulders.

"What's up sweetie?" Her mother asked grabbing the last of her things. Madeline conversation stalled as she watched. She hadn't been expecting her to go out again tonight.

"I just wanted to use the phone."

"Alright. You're gonna be in charge of Corey and Kaitlin while we're out so don't go anywhere and don't spend too long on the phone." Her Father was back out to work late. Her mother and her older sisters were going out together for some 'girl' time. She didn't have any idea where her other brother had disappeared off to but it looked like she had no choice.

"Kay. Have fun." She really was too distracted to argue. They exited soon after leaving Madeline as the only adultish figure in the house. How responsible she really was could still be debated. Her fingers dialled over the numbers with the experience that only the most socially active teens developed. She raised the phone to her ear. God these house models were so clunky, nothing at all like their Personal cells. It went straight to voice mail. Again, this was starting to get ridiculous. The phone had just touched its holster when Madeline had realised she'd completely spaced on an important fact. These house phones might have been old and ugly but they were rather convenient. The Pink Ranger dialled her best friend's house number from memory just as she had her cells. The familiar gruff voice of Cindy's father answered it after a few seconds of ringing.

"Waller Residence, Malcolm speaking."

"Hey, Is Cindy home?"

"Oh hello Madeline, Yeah she's just upstairs, I'll go get her now." He had recognized her voice the minute she had started talking. Madeline was a regular feature in their home just like Cindy was at the Holder's. It took some time before she heard the sounds of voices. Cindy's Dad seemed to be pushing her to get on the phone despite the cheerleaders objections. She couldn't make out what they were saying but the general gist came through loud and clear.

"What?" One word questions, yep this was bad.

"Good to hear from you to Bestie. So you not talking to me?"

"Yep." Well at least she was being straight forward.

"Look I'm sorry but-"

"Don't. Just don't Madeline. I'll see you tomorrow and you should probably watch the TV tonight." Cindy hung up rudely before the Pink Ranger could talk further. She considered ringing back but didn't expect she was going to get through again. Madeline went to check on her siblings who were sat unsurprisingly in front of the television set.

"Maddie you're on TV!" Kaitlin exclaimed loudly pointing at the screen. It was the local news station doing their report on the event that the cheerleaders had held. The volume was increased just as the news story was coming to the end. The flips and chorography of the girls was captured expertly by the camera man. The deep tones of Mister Davidson washed over the images adding more life to the proceedings.

"So one could say that the girls were really pushing their campaign to the limit but did they work too hard?" Things slowed down as Cindy came up speak with the crowd and apologized for Madeline suddenly disappearing. Boos came from the crowd. No doubt started off by Bobby and his ape army. Cindy struggled to get them under control but as the speech began her voice faded as audio was dipped.

"It seemed that the candidate was either too tired or too busy to give the speech herself. This left her best friend to handle proceedings." It cut to the smug face of Bobby talking to camera. The Footballer team in the background messed around trying to get seen.

"Well if Madeline can't even stick around for her own party how can we expect her to take anything seriously?" That was all that he said but Mister Davidson's final summery of the story had him leaning to agree. Well this was a disaster. Worse than a disaster, how the heck was she going to come back from this one? She was going to get Harvey and his stupid delivery service for dropping her in the deep end. A poke in her side from Kaitlin got her attention again.

"Maddie why did you go?"

"Something came up. I can't talk about it." She hadn't meant to come across as sharply as she had. Madeline could tell that her little sister was hurt. The childish features betrayed how upset she was. This was just great. This Power Ranger thing was really wrecking all of her relationships. No wait, it wasn't being a Ranger that was to blame. It was Harvey and the nerd squad calling her in for every little pointless thing. Morpher repair, delivery service or babysitting weirdoes. They'd probably ruined her chances at school but she wasn't about to let it drive a wedge between her and Kaitlin. Her arm wrapped around her sister pulling her into a tight cuddle on the couch.

"Come here you little dork. I'm sorry" She said. Kaitlin laughed but nuzzled up against her sister quickly forgiving her. Madeline's cell phone slipped out onto the couch.

"Hey guys look." Corey motioned to the TV as the last segment of the news began. The Ranger Report hosted by Trevor Davidson which came on just after the weather. Grainy mobile phone footage of some of their battles against Havoc's were played while he theorised who could be under the helmets.

"Now we know that the Rangers have been connected to the Reefside High School, much like the mysterious Dino themed squad from not too long ago." The Program decided to show off its archive footage of City's old defenders. "Our current investigations have grinded to a halt due to Principle Randall's refusal to assist. What is she trying to hide I wonder? I plan to appeal to the school board to find out because nothing will stop me in my search for the truth." Well this guy seemed to have his mind up. He was totally going to get the station in trouble talking like that. The Principle could be pretty scary, like super villain scary.

"Why does the TV man want to know who the Rangers are?" Kaitlin asked innocently.

"Duh stupid, if he got that he'd be all kinds of famous. Everyone wants to know who they are." The youngest Holder was in another one of her 'Why?' moods. Each answer from Corey was followed by a dozen questions. His frustration amplified with each repeat of the word.

He did have a point Madeline was forced to admit. Everyone did want to know who the Power Rangers were. If Mister Davidson could get rich with his hunt for their identities then anyone with half a brain could pull it off. The Pink Ranger grabbed her cell phone and the business card from between the couch's pillows. She flipped the thin laminated thing in her hand a few times. Hmmm maybe she had been thinking about this all wrong. Maybe she shouldn't be focusing on what problems her Ranger duties were causing for her and she should see what they could do for her. A smirk cracked onto the side of her face as she snatched the remote away from the distracted Corey. Tomorrow was going to be very interesting.

"So what do my two dorky younger siblings wanna watch?"

Night had fallen on the City of Reefside and barely a soul could be seen wandering their streets. The true hub of activity was dozens of stores above on the rooftops. One of the most populated was the top of 'Cool-Side Zone' radio station. Piranhatrons and Chromites were constructing a strange set of devices that were being hidden within the transmitter's wiring. The Multi-coloured drones worked silently unaffected by the strong cold wind this high up. The Piranhatrons made strange gargling noises that, to the trained ear were, clearly the whining and complaining one would expect from children. The Chromite enlisted as the 'Project Manager' cracked his club against the back of their skulls to get them working again. They reached the final section of their device, the key element that Private Communique would be using for her plan. Once this section was completed the Chromites raised it up so that it could be fashioned on the dish. It was shot from their hands as three brightly coloured figures had appeared.

The Turbo team had been dropped off in a drive by fashion by the ever faithful Storm Blaster. The Vehicle had managed to take flight for a few minutes but was now rocketing down to the streets below. It was not built for prolonged flight like the Lightning Cruiser. The severe damage it had received to its engine in the past weeks was not helping either as it chugged along. The Rangers were in a much better condition even without Madeline or Drake. In some ways they could be seen as more effective when it was just the trio. The lack of in fighting was a definite plus. Justin stepped forward with his weapons still gripped tightly within his power gloved hands.

"Sorry but we're here to keep you off the air." His twin blasters were spun in hand like a gunslinger of the old west. It was nice to not have Madeline around to call him a dork, even if he totally was one. At either side of him the two other Turbo Rangers summoned their power weapons and they charged the line of Foot Soldiers. Flashes of colourful light illuminated the rooftop. The Turbo Lightning Blade cut its way through its share of the forces, Kenji really getting into his combat. Claire swung wildly with her punches. This was to be expected as her training with Tommy had only started. Luckily Justin had repaired her Star Chargers which helped to make up for lack of combat experience. The Blue Ranger was being more practical. He didn't need finish them off when he could use his old friends called gravity and momentum. His final jump kick nearly sent him over the roof with the Piranhatron.

"Woah dude watch it! We need you in one piece." Kenji yelled over as Justin gripped onto the side of the roof.

"Yeah, decided against the shortcut back to the ground floor, don't worry." He wasn't too certain that his suit could protect him from this big of a fall. It had been a while since he leapt from a Megazord and this wasn't the time to check to see if he could still stick the landing.

The trio regrouped as they surveyed the scene with the tools left scattered around without their users. Kenji examined the weird looking pieces playing with them like a kid with new toys. Claire's attention was caught by the strange circular device that the Chromites were moving when they arrived. "Hey Justin… come take a look at this, I found a thingie."

"A thingie? I got to help you with your technical jarken." He knelt down next to the Yellow Ranger lifting up the device to get a look at it properly. From what he could tell it was supposed to fix unto the main radar dish but its true purpose could not be discerned from a quick examination on this rooftop.

"So what is it?" Claire asked as Justin tucked it under his arm.

"A Radar dish… thingie." They laughed as they turned back to Kenji who was searching as though he expected to find one of them hiding somewhere. He slashed the air around him just to be sure. Justin and Claire ended up in hysterics much to Kenji's frustration.

"What?" He asked defensively as they continued their fits of uproar. "I was just making sure none of them were hiding. I dunno what this new monster can do other than teleport people." Justin snorted a bit at this statement.

"You weren't teleported. As near as I can tell this new monster has some sort of technological scrambling ability. It merely interfered with your helmet's ocular and audio interface. Feeding you falsified information to make you and Drake think you'd been transported to a new location. When in actuality you were merely being transmitted a complex deception. How many times do I have to tell you Kenji?"

The Red Ranger shrugged in annoyance and muttered. "Until you start speaking English or Japanese..." Justin was about to retort when Claire cut in.

"He saying you didn't get teleported. She was just making you see things."

"Why didn't he just say that from the start?" The others laughed as Kenji's expense as Storm Blaster made its return trip for them. Justin gave Claire a friendly pat on the back as he sat the device into the back seat of the Jeep.

"Guess you're gonna be stuck as my translator now." He couldn't see but behind her visor the Yellow Ranger was blushing. She laughed awkwardly as she climbed into the back with the device. She tried to say something but she only managed to let out a little squeak that went unnoticed by the guys. The Blue Jeep soared off into the night while they were unknowingly watched from one of the nearby rooftops. Private Communique observed silently, she could give chase but there was still much work to do. They had found only one squad of her workers. The rest were still assembling the devices that she had designed and linking them to whatever radio or microwave transmitters they could find. Communique continued her interference signal until she was sure that the heroes were out of range. She'd been forced to sacrifice one the squads when the Ranger picked up the mass teleport along with, more importantly, one of her devices. Leaving a fake would have tipped them off to the deception. It was time to get back to work.

The next morning Madeline rose with a new found resolve. She was out of the house before any of her family could start their rushed morning pleasantries. Kaitlin was disappointed that she didn't get to talk to her older sister this morning. Madeline made it to the bus stop long before the school bus had arrived. A familiar delicate but unwelcomed figure was the only person standing at the stop that Madeline 'knew'. It was Cindy who was sporting a new ugly black with yellow spots coat, the price tag stuck to the back. The Pink Ranger tried to hold back a cackle. A bright streak of yellow whipped round with Claire's head. It seemed she had really developed an odd fascination with that garish scarf she'd used to cover her bruise.

"Aw? What's wrong Bear? Too cold? Shouldn't you go back to hibernating in your house?" Aw that was cute. Madeline could see Claire's face scrunched up as she fruitlessly tried to jab back. Poor girl just wasn't quick enough to keep up with her.

The Cheerleader smugly returned to waiting for the bus. Whatever Justin said Madeline knew that she was better than the Yellow Ranger. She was stronger, faster, more popular and prettier to boot. All the geek had was better grades but that wasn't going to help her in a fight. The bus pulled up and let the collection of students enter. She spotted the rest of the Cheerleaders who had taken the plus, including Cindy this morning. The Pink Ranger glared at one of the younger girls until they got up to allowed her to sit beside her Co-Captain. The blonde ignored her at first and the rest of the squad seemed to follow suit. Claire smiled from her seat nearby glad not to be the focus of the bratty teens.

"So this how it's gonna be? No one talking to me?" Their answer was silence. They all seemed more fascinated by what was under their nails or out the bus windows. So this was how it was going to be after all the time and effort she put into this group.

"I guess you don't want to know my plan for putting us back on top." She folded her arms confidently. The cheerleaders that surrounded her exchanged curious glances but held firm waiting to see what Cindy's reaction would be. The suspense was building for everyone but the Pink Ranger. She knew that regardless of how angry she was Cindy would always take the bait.

"Alright, but this is going to be your last chance." Alright it was not as pleasant as she hoped but still an improvement from the outright silent treatment. This was going to be a long day but it gave her plenty of time to work out exactly what she was going to say. The pitch was everything.

The rest of the day until lunch was spent trying to get the rest of the squad talking to her again. None of her clever attempts to worm her way into their good graces had paid off. She'd even complimented a few of them that desperately needed to put more effort into their looks. Her pitch was going to be her last chance so she gathered the girls together in the gym. The two Captains stood at the front of the group but this time it was different. They weren't standing together like they normally would but instead on opposite sides like they were about to engage in their own private presidential debate. Madeline clapped her hands enthusiastically together but Cindy cut across.

"Before you start Mad, I just wanted you to know that the girls and I have been talking. We love you but we think you might have been the wrong choice for this… so this better change our minds." Nice to see that there was no pressure and everyone was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. MJ knew how much her Co-Captain had wanted to win. She would never back down without a fight. The Ranger needed to get pumped. This needed enough energy to come out right so she skipped from foot to foot. It was time to get psyched.

"Alright girls you ready?" There was some mumblings from the crowd. "What the heck was that? I thought you girls were Cheerleaders! I said are you ready?!" This time there was a louder cheer. All that training was really easy to manipulate but Cindy just stood there with her arms folded and an eyebrow cocked. "Now that's more like it!" The Pink Ranger yelled with a carefree laugh following swiftly.

"Alright girls, I know things are bad and it's my fault and I am sssuuuper sorry about it." She pouted trying to gain more sympathy from them without elaborating on where she had disappeared to. "And the Jerk Bobby decided to take advantage of it. Which is just so like him right?" The rest of the squad were really getting into the spirit of things and let out a loud boo like a Pantomime audience. Little bit of hate transference to make everyone forget who exactly they were mad at. She set it up perfectly and now it was time to knock this one out. "But don't worry ladies cause I am the wo-man with a plan. I have the number of a certain reporter and I have some news breaking things to tell him. It's gonna knock his socks off and put as at the top but not just here, right now, for the rest of our lives. Now can I hear you cheer!" They let out a loud whopping cry but that wasn't quite enough. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you!" She mocked. They screamed out louder than before so that the cheers echoed on and on within the gym. They melted into one another till it was just a constant stream of adoration. She turned to look back at Cindy who appeared to be the only one still against it. The will of the crowd though overpowered her so without breaking her huffy posture she muttered.

"Fine. One last chance Madeline. Don't blow it." She said curtly. When the girls had all finally calmed down it was time to go. There was still some time left for lunch and Madeline had missed breakfast this morning as well.

When she finally realised it was safe Claire came out from her hiding place in the equipment room. She had listened in by the door when Madeline had been making her speech. The Yellow Ranger had been suspicious after what the Cheerleader had said on the bus and it seemed her hunch had paid off. From the sounds of she was going to do something really stupid. Claire would have to do something about this.

Justin was in his usual habitat, the Dino Lab. The technological savant had taken apart the device which had been recovered the previous night. It had only taken him a few hours and he was done by lunchtime. He was attempting to learn the devices purpose but it seemed incomplete, like it was part of a larger network of devices. In theory the device could be used to take over the transmitter and broadcast your own signal to a location but something seemed off. Why would Havoc and his forces be trying to take over a radio station? They obviously had communication systems of their own if they could teleport monsters onto the earth. Their ship was decades more advanced than most of the available equipment on Earth. Only the Rangers could give him a run for his money and they were currently operating outside of Tommy and Kat's basement. He remembered the days when they had all the resources in the world at their disposal. He did know one group that had plenty of resources and they also weren't too shabby when it came to technological marvels. That was all thanks to their resident genius Doctor Taylor.

The Blue Ranger heroically raided the drawers of the lab to find Tommy's spare contact book. He began flicking through the pages of contacts. Most of them he recognized as names of previous Rangers, he'd heard stories about them even if he hadn't met most personally. There was a lot of heroes in this book. It seemed that Doctor Oliver had been rather religiously keeping taps on the existing squads of warriors. There were even some non-Ranger heroes in here.

Aha! There was the General's contact information. The information was imputed into the Dino Lab computer, the Symbol of the Bird that marked this organization appeared as it connected to the network. For a still image it was surprisingly imposing, though that might have been from his past experiences stuck staring at this thing the older Rangers talked business. Well it would be different this time. They wouldn't be able to ignore him as he was currently in charge of one of the latest teams of Rangers. The image vanished and Gale blinked into existence going over some things with someone with their face was just out of shot.

"Yes Doctor Oliver how can I-" She trailed off realising that it was not the Legendary Ranger. Justin gave her a polite nod and her surprise was replaced with what appeared to be a kind smile.

"Ah Mister Stewart, how can I help?"

Justin smiled back at the General as the second figure left the room silently. "Just thought I'd open a channel. If you're organization is going to be staying in Reefside then I thought it'd be best if kept friendly."

"You have nothing to worry about there. Our main priority is the protection of this planet just like the Rangers. I'm sure we will have no difficulties in assisting each other in those goals." She seemed to be dodging around Justin's attempts at drawing out the conversation. Her face was kept straight betraying no emotion other than a helpful demeanour. It was quite the impressive poker face. Justin himself rarely won at cards.

"Then I think it would be wise then if we shared information and really got to know each other." Again the General's face barely changed in response but it was clear she knew what he was getting at. The Blue Ranger was left wondering if she had expected this long before he called.

"Hmm." She mused aloud as she flicked through some of her nearby files. "I suppose I could authorise access to some of our restricted files but you and your team would owe us one."

"Owe you one?"

"Yes a favour. Something to call upon one day, if we are in need."

"Wait? Favours. This is ridiculous. We're on the same side. This shouldn't be about favours or anything like that. We should just be helping each other.". Something inside of him had just reacted negatively to the idea of being bargained with. They were heroes not business men. Gale thought about this for a while.

"You might be right. However your team currently has a few too many random elements. Last thing we need is a leak."

Justin folded his arms indignantly. "We have things perfectly under control. We just have a few rough edges." With the comedic timing of a Master his communicator sounded. "Hang on a sec General." He said as he answered the call, a familiar soft voice was heard on the other end.

"Justin, its Claire. I think Madeline's about to do something really stupid." A sharp stabbing pain suddenly manifested in his head. This was not good.

"Umm… Sorry Claire can this wait I'm kinda in the middle of something." He was desperately trying to end the call while looking as natural as possible.

"I think she's gonna reveal her identity to the news station!" Claire yelped suddenly. The words hung in the room and Justin felt his footing in the argument melt away. He wanted to just hang up but he knew this wasn't Claire's fault so he just politely told her that he would fix it. The Blue Ranger turned slowly with a sheepish smile starting to form from nerves.

"So should I just assume-"

"Yes that would be for the best Mister Stewart. Now if you'll excuse me." Justin didn't try to keep her on the line and just let the communication fade.

Oh Madeline, what where you doing this time?

The Pink Ranger with rather pleased with how things had turned out so far. Most of the squad, with the exception of Cindy, were now talking to her like nothing had happened. Her place at the top had been retained. When the last bell for the day rang out she left the group and rung up the News Station. It took a bit of convincing with the person on the other end of the phone but she managed to get through to Mister Davidson. It seemed that a lot of people had been ringing up with tips claiming that they knew who the Power Rangers were. Luckily her school was Trevor's main focus on the Reefside School so she just pressed the issue until the person on the other end of the phone relented. It almost seemed as though the Reporter was trying to push away helpful tips. Bit weird but it didn't matter the moment she heard that clear crisp male reporter voice answering her call.

"Yes this is Trevor Davidson, Intrepid Reporter. How can I help you?" God this guy was weird. Who called themselves an Intrepid Reporter?

"Hello this is Madeline Holder." There was a pause as Davidson obviously tried to recall who she was. The Ranger didn't have the time for this. "Madeline Jade Holder, From Reefside High School, Co-Captain of the Cheerleading squad." He let out a long 'oh' of recognition.

"If this is about the story then I'm sorry but I only report what I see." The emphasis he put on the word 'I' every time he said it made him sound even more obnoxious.

"It isn't about that. I have something you'll be interested in."

"Oh? And what pray tell do you think that I would be so interested in? "

"The Identity of the Power Rangers." That shut him up in a satisfying way. The confidence in her voice was undeniable. His journalistic intuition, or at least what was left of it after years of shameless pandering, was tingling at this.

"Alright you have got my very precious attention, don't waste it. I'll need names."

"Not so fast Trevsy. I can call you Trevsy can't I? I think it suits you well. I have some requests… well not requests more… requirements before I tell you anything."

"Go on."

"I wanna be on the show and I want to be the one to reveal their identities to the world." Trevor was clearly mulling over this option.

"No dice, I'm the star of this show. You give me the names and I'll give you a special thanks in all the material I make from this." Madeline smiled a little to herself as he tried to crawl back into control of their business transaction.

"Well if you really don't want the Rangers names I'm sure I can find another more cooperative station…" She trailed off as she playfully held her thumb over the disconnect button.

"No wait!" Her smirk cracked back onto her face. He was right in the palm of her hand. Wouldn't be long before she said jump and he asked how high.

"Yesss?" She said with her normal façade of sweetness. The man grumbled on the other end of the phone unintelligibly. "I'm sorry I can't quite hear you Trevy. Aren't you reporters supposed to speak clearly?"

"I said you won. Fine, you get to reveal the Rangers identities live on my show." That was easy. She had expected a bit more resistance from him. "Come round to the Studio for 8 and we'll discuss it." Their conversation ended soon after that. Madeline gave an overly bubbly goodbye that received a tort farewell from the enraged Reporter. She snugly gathered her things turning the corner to bump into Kenji and Claire. Both of whom were looking just as mad as she imagined Trevor did, not that she really cared. She tried to swish past him but the Red Ranger held firm. She flipped around to find that Drake's broad form had somehow managed to sneak up on her.

"Guessing this isn't a social visit." None of them looked pleased. "Look I have places to be and people to see. Drake don't you have some sort of stupid schedule to follow?"

"Yeah, Hard to keep to it these days what with me forced into service." He replied dryly. Madeline tried to brush past again but Kenji pushed her back into Drake's arms. If the two girls had gotten along better Claire might have considered reprimanding him for being rough. The Pink Ranger ripped herself from Drake's grip and stalked up to Kenji.

"You want to throw down freak? Cause I've got your number." She summoned her Turbo Morpher out of instinct. Kenji responded in kind but the two found themselves being pulled apart by the others. A stern forceful cough stopped them all. Their heads turned to find Doctor Oliver with his arms folded and look of disappointment on his face. He'd easily avoided detection until his cough had announced his presence.

"Dude how do you do that…?" Kenji asked still impressed. Tommy was still not in the mood.

"The four of you, follow me now." He looked at Madeline directly before she could protest. "No excuses."

"What the Heck where you thinking?!" It was the first thing that was said by Justin when the group entered the Dino Lab. It was directed at Madeline but everyone knew that already. She just folded her arms, brushed some of her long ebony hair out of her face and groaned dramatically. This did nothing to calm the Turbo Leader down and he continued on his rant at her barely stopping for breath as he fumed. "I'll tell you what you were thinking! Nothing! Nothing but how you could help yourself and put yourself before everyone on this team. Do you have any idea what you've done?" He went on and on about how she was putting the whole group as risk by her actions and how incompetent it all was. Eventually Tommy had to step in again to calm down his young charge.

"I agree with what Justin's said but I think that's enough yelling about that point. I just want to add one more thing. I don't want to see any of you using your Morphers to settle your arguments. These devices are meant for protecting the world not infighting."

"But Rangers fight all the time." Kenji seemed to be fascinated by the dirt on his shoes as he avoided looking Tommy in the eye.

"Only when their being controlled or manipulated. I don't want to see any of you wasting this power is such a disrespectful way. Now I think we owe it to Madeline to hear her side."

"About time." Madeline said stopping to fix her short skirt before smiling mockingly at Justin. "I have no intentions of revealing your identities." This was something the group wasn't expecting. "The only identity I'm gonna reveal is my own, wouldn't want any of you stealing my spotlight."

"That's still unacceptable." Justin cut in. "You do that and you're risking compromising all of us. We won't be able to contact you without arising suspicion."

"Oh the Freak Patrol won't be able to bug me? Sweetened the deal for me Harvey. Look, I'll help you fight the monsters but like I told you I'm not going to be hanging out with you all." Her eyes flicked over at Drake instinctively. "You can have your little parties and just tell me where to meet you so I can do what I do best." Justin stepped forward as she tried to leave at this.

"I'm not going to allow this. Give me your morpher."

"Not learn anything from when you made Greasy hand over his?" Madeline's comment got Justin to hesitate. She smiled at him in some mocking version of sweetness. "I ain't gonna hand it over anyways. Morphers mine." Tommy stepped forward, forever the peacemaker between the warring Rangers.

"Madeline, take it from us. This is a bad idea. Once then genie's out the bottle it's not as easy to put back in."

"Dr.O, We put ourselves on the line for the world. I can't see why we can't get a little in return. I think we deserve to be treated like the heroes we are." The Younger Turbo Rangers had their attentions pricked at this little point from Madeline. Kenji did have to admit he had always wondered why they couldn't tell people who they were. It would be pretty cool to have the teachers lay off him because he was too busy saving the world to do homework. Claire was also starting to think about it as well. She knew that revealing identities never turned out well in comic books but despite the Super suits this was very much real life for them. Drake still was on the fence. It was an interesting prospect but he had already thought of a dozen ways that it could go wrong. Tommy and Justin could feel the air changing in the room as the Turbos daydreamed about all the fame they could get. The Teacher sat down by his computer and began opening up a file. It was time to show they just how much fame could cost. He opened up a folder on his computer labelled 'The Legacy of Power: Unabridged'.

"I think you should all have a little look at this." The four Rookie Rangers gathered round the screen. Even Madeline was fascinated by the mysterious behaviour of their teacher as he opened up this secret file on his super computer. Justin sat on top of the work benches. He'd already seen this part of the Legacy and didn't really feel like watching it again as it brought up too many bad memories.

"So what is this?" Madeline asked as the video began to load up.

"Just a little Ranger history lesson to try and explain why the secret identity is important." Explained Doctor Oliver as his voice began playing out from the speakers.

"We are the Power Rangers."

It all started the Day the Earth was almost conquered. It seemed that on that day their forces would triumph but in the end the universe was saved. It was saved by 6 Rangers who stood tall against the darkness. They were not alone as the good people of Angel Groove stood by their Rangers even as they were threatened with destruction. They would not sell out their heroes and the bravest amongst them even tried to misdirect the forces of evil by falsely proclaiming themselves Rangers.

Five Rangers honoured the bravery of these heroic everyday people by morphing in public and revealing their identities. TJ, Carlos, Ashley, Cassie and Zhane stepped out from the shadows and into the light to fight against the over whelming odds. They would not fight alone though as Farkas Bulkmeier and Eugene Skullovitch led the civilians into battle with their heroes. Together they managed to hold back the Invasion until Andros could assist Zordon in making the Ultimate Sacrifice.

Annotation *For more information on the Z-Wave. Click on the series of videos related to it*

The sun rose after the Darkest Day in Earth's history and the world began to rebuild. The Rangers were right in the middle of the devastation doing their best to help. Soon the world was stable again and the Rangers went to assist the other planets and colonies that had been attacked. With the chaos ended the Space Rangers, including Andros and Zhane tried to settle down on Earth but things were not going to be that easy. In the intervening time their identities had been revealed to the world. It was all simple enough, people were just relieved to have survived and spoke highly of their heroes. However when they landed back they found that their names were plastered in the headlines of every major newspaper. They were the topic of any new show. It began with just their battle as Rangers during the 'Countdown' as the Media started to call it. Then it branched out to theories over how long the team had been Rangers. The heroes of the hour didn't partake in this circus and tried to stay out of the spotlight. It had been a hard fought victory and they wanted the quiet life but the questioning didn't end there. Their friends and families were harassed. People wanted to know more. Who were the other Rangers seen fighting during the Countdown? Where did the Powers come from? Still they refused to go on talk shows and just gave general statements hoping that it would all die down.

The Reporters got more aggressive making fake claims to try and draw more information out in rebuttal. They started naming random teens with any noteworthy connection to the group as the other Rangers. Not all the Reporters sunk this low however and tried to keep to their journalistic integrity. It didn't stop the worst and the questions just kept on coming. The lowest point was when some Businesses tried to sue the Rangers for damages. The cases never made it to court as they were quickly dismissed for how idiotic they were. Without the Rangers the whole World would have been destroyed after all. However the shunned tabloids seized on any chance they got. Eventually the good people of Angel Grove, again led by our friend's Bulk and Skull stood up the plate. They performed a glorious encore of their acts from the Countdown. Soon every paper was overflown with person after person claiming to be a Ranger. The papers were easily discredited and the hype finally blew over but not without its toll.

The Space Rangers were forever grateful to the people of Angel Grove and the world but they felt that they could never properly settle down here. After they returned to action to assist the Galaxy rangers and after the death of Kendrix they decided to continue active duty. Earth was safe but there were many other worlds in need and they knew that not all evil had been destroyed that day. They travelled the stars again as the Space Power Rangers.

For additional information on the formation of Lightspeed Rescue which began in the aftermath of the destruction see the Lightspeed Ranger Folder

For additional information on the death and resurrection of Kendrix Morgan see the Galaxy Ranger section

After the video had stopped playing everyone was silent. Tommy allowed the rookies to mull over what had been said. Justin on the other hand was lost in memories. He thought back to that awful day, the Invasion or the Countdown, whatever people wanted to call it didn't matter. He remembered the space fighters filling up the skies before they landed in his new hometown. He could still picture himself and Storm Blaster flying through the sky trying to take down the ships to no avail. By the time one was gone there were dozens more in its place. They were alone for that entire battle, trying to keep the civilians safe from the waves of troops and drawing fire away from the populated areas. A Ranger just couldn't leave people behind. The constant fighting wore them down and every chance for rest was dashed by the screaming of people in danger or explosions echoing through the streets. Then they came. He'd spent most of his time fighting foot soldiers but then they appeared, hunting for Justin. These powerful monsters that just threw him around like a rag doll. He had already been beaten into the ground but even at full strength he knew he was no match for them. His memories of them were warped and scrambled. It was half from exhaustion and half from what happened next. The one that he could remember clearest stepped towards him. Rows of teeth and a massive pulsating Brain with no eyes somehow managed to stare him down. His mind felt like it crawling. Then the pain…

"Justin!" The Blue Ranger blinked hard as he realised he was being talked to, it was Kenji.

"Sorry, Just heard that a dozen times. Got bored and zoned out." He laughed trying to sound carefree. Madeline suddenly grabbed her stuff and made for the exit. She turned back to the group flashing them her winning smile.

"Looks to me like it only got out of hand cause your boys didn't own it. That is exactly what I'm gonna do. Own it. TTYL." She turned to leave the lab but Justin called to her.

"Madeline, if you really go through with this you can't be part of this team." She just shrugged.

"I was thinking of going solo anyways. Call me!" And with that she was gone leaving the rest of the team behind. Justin just sat there quietly defeated. Tommy tried to talk to him but Justin just offered a few weak attempts of humour before lowering his gaze to the floor. Claire and Kenji were talking to Tommy about lessons or something it was a little hard to focus. The broad form of Drake gingerly approached the zoned out form of the Blue Rangers.

"Hey Justin, Could I borrow your car? Just so I can get home. He can drive back on his own."

Justin laughed weakly in response forcing his head up. "Yeah, sure. Want my Jacket as well. I'd offer you a bed but it's not mine." He replied dryly. Drake didn't seem to have anything to add so he slipped off outside. Justin still sat there in disbelief. He didn't understand how Madeline could be so self-involved. Every week was a new challenge, a new problem that he didn't know how to fix. Two figures sat down at either side of him. It was Kenji and Claire who'd come over to check on him.

"Doing alright Boss man?" The Red Ranger asked giving him a slightly too strong affectionate punch to the arm.

"Don't call me Boss man Kenji," He didn't feel he deserved that title or to be called their leader.

"Dude, you got this. We're here for you bud. Isn't that right Claire."

"Yeah, I'd never leave your side." She said with a smile looking into Justin's eyes with schoolgirl bashfulness.

"Me neither! So come on and practice with us." Kenji added who just like Justin hadn't noticed how intently the Yellow Ranger stared. Justin suddenly got up from the bench where had been perched.

"Thanks guys. I mean it but I think I'm just going to get back to work." They didn't argue with him and were ushered outside to the back garden by Doctor Oliver. Before he followed he nodded at his young friend reassuringly and was pleased to see a genuine smile in return.

Justin alone in the Dino Lab sat down at the main computer and got stuck into the Morpher repair. He looked up the schematics for the Pink Rangers morpher, isolating the damaged components and comparing with the others. He still had to get Drake's yet but that could wait.. He had to stop Madeline from doing this but nothing had said or done had convinced her. There had to be something he could do. An idea fluttered into being but he supressed it. Violence was not the answer, he repeated that fact in his mind but with each repetition he was less convinced.

When Drake left the Dino Lab it hadn't exactly taken him long to find Madeline. The loud methodical thump of her boot against a metal frame, the horns and high pitched yells were dead giveaways. Seemed that they had thought along the same lines but Drake was the only one who'd thought to ask permission first. Madeline was desperately kicking Storm Blaster trying to demand that the jeep take her home.

"Come on you hunk of junk take me home!"

"You know yelling at it's not going to work." She hadn't heard Drake coming up behind her but that was probably due to all the noise she had been making.

"Guess I'm walking. You coming?" Drake stopped her and came up to the car.

"Actually… Justin gave us permission to borrow you to go home." The Jeep flashed its lights angry at this. "Or um… he said we could ask you. So could you take us please? He said it'd be okay." Storm Blasters engine growled lowly suspicious of the two but finally relented. The Driver and passengers side doors swung open allowing them into the vehicle. The two Rangers climbed in without further complaint. Madeline even said sorry, in a sarcastic way like she was talking to a baby as she stroked the dashboard. The Jeep set off down the road taking the long way to avoid being spotted by General Havoc's ship. After a minute Madeline started searching around for something in the car.

"Oh great no radio… and yep my Ipod is out of battery. What about yours?" Drake who was in the driver's seat didn't take his eyes off the road. He wasn't driving but he thought it wise to keep up the act.

"No sorry, I didn't bring mine."

"Ugh, Wonder if the Boy Wonder installed some sort of charger." She went back to her search. Drake just glanced over to her wondering if she was really going to avoid this issue. He tapped his hands against the wheel. He knew he needed to talk to her about this before they got to her house.

"I don't think you should do this." He said finally.

"What put on Music?"

"No, you know what I mean." He fidgeted with the leather of the steering wheel which got another growl of disapproval from the Jeep.

"Omg, not you too Drake."

"Just I think they've got something for once and can you not use the text speak you know it bugs me." She did, which was half the point. Madeline already knew that he was going to annoy her so felt it only fair to annoy him in return.

"It's my life and I can do what I want. Isn't that fair? I already promised to keep you all out of it."

"How are you going to keep us out of it? Aren't the Power Rangers teams?"

"Yeah like you care about teams."

"They're gonna want all of us. The whole set."

"I'll be more than enough. I know how to make a show."

"You're just thinking about yourself Madeline."

"An' you're not?" Her perceptiveness stopped Drake dead in his tracks. She wasn't about to get lectured by him of all people. "You're not thinking about the team, you're thinking bout you. Think I can't see through you yet Gump?"

"I told you never call me that." She knew how much he loathed that name. He could barely take being called Forest by the rest of the football team.

"I'm just saying Gumpy that you're like me. So don't act all high and mighty. You were the one that wouldn't turn up to fight. You're the one who was too scared for your own safety to save the world so shut up." Drake smacked the dashboard of a Storm Blaster with his balled up fists. The Blue Jeep slammed down its own brakes. The two Rangers tried to make the vehicle start up again but it refused. The doors on either side of them swung open and the message was clear. They climbed grumpily out of the Turbo motor and where left standing there as it sped off into the distance. All they could do was watch as is vanished from their sight. Madeline turned to Drake.

"Getting Déjà vu or is this just me?"

The two made the last little trek into Reefside. The jeep had left them close enough and the autumn weather had their tempers cooled soon enough. Madeline wasn't going to be the first to apologize and she didn't think she should have to at all. Drake slowed to a stop and Madeline turned round to look at him. She wondered if this was going to turn out to be her lucky day.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was just thinking of me and I still am but please don't do this." Oh look it sort of was, he had said sorry so that was a start.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe us getting revealed as super heroes would be good for your career?" He looked away from her. "Come on Drake, You and me. We can get in front of this and make it big."

"I don't want this to makes my career. I just want out of this. I'm not a hero and I don't want to pretend."

"See. Drake that's we're different. I was always going to be someone's hero, now I just get to be everyones."

Doctor Oliver re-entered his lab joined by his two remaining young friends. Their training session had left the two Rookies worn out and they collapsed onto the first stable places they could find. Kenji was still having some issues pacing himself but that might have just been in comparison to Tommy. It was hard to tell but he did notice a great improvement in the new Red Ranger's form. Claire was still trying to Master the basics. Her footing on her stances had to be constantly corrected, her balance was terrible and her focus was scattered. She was desperately trying which kept the lessons flowing. He could hear her gasping for air and Kenji laughing like a goofball. There was one sound that was strangely absent from base though.

Justin was gone.

The instant Madeline had gotten home she had rushed up the stairs to get herself ready. Her family got the usual pleasantries in passing. Kaitlin was the only one that seemed particularly bothered by Madeline's speedy retreat upstairs. Her older sister normally would have spent some time with her youngest sister but this was no ordinary night. It wasn't her television début but it didn't hurt to impress that idiot Reporter again. She spent about half an hour getting the second most perfect she could find, she was of course saving her best for the big day. She did a little spin in front of the mirror checking herself out. Tight Pink T-shirt, Designer black jacket and dark jeans to match with her favourite boots. She knew that she looked good and it was time to show the world. The Pink Ranger practically skipped down the stairs and span around at the bottom of the landing. Mister Victor 'Vic' Holder spotted his energetic daughter and stopped her just before she made it out the door.

"And where are you going out dressed like that?" Madeline just smiled at her father, keeping her cool.

"Nowhere special, just going out with Cindy and the girls."

"Out where?"

"Just out to the movies and then that café the girls like." Her father was about to question more when his phone started buzzing. It was work and it seemed to be urgent. Using her opportunity she snuck out the door and set off to the television station. She took great care not to get her clothes dirty. She didn't have the money for a taxi, she doubted that Justin would give her a lift and she didn't need Cindy eavesdropping. On the way to the Television station she thought about how exactly she would introduce herself before she morphed. She could see the back of station even though the day had fallen to the night, the lights helped to guide her. She had to cut through a little bit of trees and bushes to make to there.

Damn these trees had so many tiny little branches. Dancing around the tree took even more time out of her life and she wasted a few minutes extra making sure her jeans were still clean. Her head looked back towards the station. It looked like someone was standing there waiting just for her. The Figure had spotted the Ranger and approached cautiously. Her eyes finally adjusted enough for her to make them out. It was the College boy. No doubt he planned to try and turn her away at the last minute. The two sized up each other waiting to see what would happen next.

"How the heck did you find me?"

"I used your communicator signal to track your position. I used my basic knowledge of you and the area to work out where you would go next."

"Boys and their toys."

"I can't let you dot his Madeline." Justin said, in the darkness she could barely make out his face but it seemed like he was almost ashamed. Was that expression meant for her? It didn't seem right but being ashamed in one's self was a foreign concept to her. Why would he be ashamed of himself?

"We've been through this Harvey, You can't stop me." She went to move past him but he stood in front of her. His legs firm on the ground as though he was about to enter a fighting stance.

"Oh you wouldn't…" She muttered catching on. She twisted her wrist summoning her Turbo Morpher in a flash of light. The Blue Ranger's face was illuminated briefly by the flash of magenta.

"If you want to fight with me then I go for broke," Her words lingered in the air. Justin looked down at his feet. Not proud of himself as he summoned his own morpher and entered his fighting stance. "You sure you want to do this Boy Wonder." Justin seemed like he was trying to pull up the courage to pull the metaphorical trigger. "You don't have it in you. Not the Power Ranger way now is it?" That one had hit hard, she felt that as he tensed up and gripped harder onto the key in his hand but sadly it fell back to his side. She had won this one and outlasted him. She kissed his cheek with a mischievous giggle.

"See you're too nice." Just before she passed him another voice was heard.

"Thought he wouldn't, but I'm not a Power Ranger." Another figure appeared from the treeline, it was Drake. They all stood looking at each other as the Green Ranger summoned his morpher alongside them.

"Now how they heck did you find me."

"I know where you live. I just followed you."

"You stalked me… How romantic."

"Come on Maddie cut the sarcasm, this is the last chance I can give you."

"You wouldn't." She stepped forward and was surprised when he stepped in turn. There was something about the way that he stood his ground, the way he refused to flinch, it reminded her of why they'd dated. There was only one way to end this and it was to beat him down. He was a big guy but she'd fought bigger, still what people underestimated her ex in was intelligence. Though, stepping up to this Pink Ranger was pretty dumb. Drake approached her more causing Madeline to stomp down her foot in preparation. The Blue Ranger looked between the two and just caught onto what was about to happen. "Oh Lovely."

"Shift into Turbo!"

"Mountain Blaster Turbo Power."
"Desert Thunder Turbo Power."
"Wind Chaser Turbo Power."

The arguing young adults were replaced by Super Humans. Admittedly this wasn't by any means or measures an improvement. The oldest of them tried to be the voice of reason but his words reached deaf ears. The Pink Ranger looked between the boys. It wouldn't be long before Drake moved. She remembered her trainer always said. Hit first and don't let up. The Boy Wonder was busy trying to talk them down and she seen her chance the moment he turned to talk to her. She trained most of her life to be agile but her quick wits were just a gift, her next actions came as naturally as breathing. She turned to walk away from the two and she heard the audience scream her name. All it took was a few steps before she flicked back. She gathered her speed and gained momentum. She flipped forward and as she was about to crash into Justin she grabbed his shoulder to vault straight over him. Drake hadn't a chance to react and she crashed into him with an inhuman force. Her legs were like jackhammers as they crashed into his torso with each swinging kick.

Most would have gone down after the first few strikes. Drake however was a footballer and a good one at that. He had bodies slamming into him at high speed every game and some of them were even bigger than him. When he charged her they all went tumbling back. Not just the two spatting ex partners but the innocent Ranger who end up being tangled in their fall. Madeline's boot shot up crashing against a helmet roughly, it was until she had sat up that she realised it was Justin who had taken that hit. Getting caught in the crossfire was bound to happen when he tried to pull them apart. The three Rangers soon found themselves joined in a strange and confusing dance of attacks and defence. Justin was doing his best to try to protect them both and ended up failing horribly. For every shot he blocked one of the teens managed to slip another past him. Finally Drake seemed to lose his patience and just slapped the College student into Madeline sending them both back. Justin was tall but Drake still managed to tower over him and the punch had taken him completely off guard. Madeline pushed the Blue Ranger away trying to get back to her feet.

Drake ripped her off the ground and threw her into a nearby tree, its trunk splintered from the hard contact. Seemed he was confident in the suits ability to protect her from major injury. Madeline danced around Drake as he tried to grab her again, sweeping his legs from under him. He cracked into the tree in the confusion. She could already see him getting back up so she decided she'd pull the trump card. Her Wind Fire burned into her hand just in time so Drake could see her levelling the bow at him. He summoned his sword to find it half destroyed in his hands. It vanished to be replaced with his destroyed blaster as well. There were some upsides to actually turning up for Justin's club house meetings.

"Alright enough."

Justin had stepped in front of Drake. He demorphed so that his normal young adult self was looking at Madeline right in her eyes, or at least were he assumed they were behind that visor. He had no protection now. If she let this bolt fly he'd get hurt, even if she hit Drake dead centre the shockwaves would be enough to do damage. Pink Ranger had to admit it was a clever move but the temptation was still there. He'd probably be fine but looking at his face she couldn't muster up the nerve to fire. She would have won. No she had won but Justin had stepped in just in time to make the save. Her bow lowered and disappeared alongside side her power suit. The Green Ranger stepped forward trying to make the most of this but Justin stopped him.

"Out of my way."

"No you stop this now!"

"Don't give me that-"

"Now." His tone was firm and unyielding. Drake looked past him to Madeline it seemed that they hadn't deterred her.

"Maddie, are you still going through with this?" Her silence was all the answer that he needed.

"Alright then, if this is how we do it then I'm done." Without another word from Drake he walked off back into the woods. Justin found himself, not for the first time torn, on who he should chase after. In the end he had to leave Drake behind again to deal with the most pressing issue. He turned back to Madeline who still was staring up at the News Station. Strangely she hadn't used the chance to disappear and was still standing there. It was always hard to read someone when they were off in a world of their own, the darkness of the night did little to help. He called out to her and set one hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off seemingly uncomfortable with the contact.

"Come on Maddie, let's just go home and forget this." Her head turned to meet his. There was a look. He couldn't place exactly what. Regret? Sadness? Hurt?

"I can't turn back now."

With that she disappeared into the light of the television station and Justin was left alone to ponder.

That was an interesting watch or at least it had been for the short time it had lasted. When Private Communique had come here to set up the final device she'd been careful. She'd taken just her own stealthy fighter keeping it covered and out of sight. Last time she had confirmed the suspicion that the Rangers could detect their teleportation. Jamming their signal was possible but there were just too many risks involved. This television's stations security was easy to bypass and to them everything was progressing as normal. Her plan had been going swimmingly until she had suddenly picked up three Energy spikes with her scanners. She looked away from her construction into the trees were she could see the last dying embers of their morphing sequence. She transformed her gauntlet, which had been mostly repaired, into its Radar form and pointed it at them. The soldier prepared for the worse but the sounds of fighting caught her attention. She tuned the Radar in to pick up sound. They were fighting and beating the life out of each other. Well this was a new development. Rarely did the enemy do her job for her. It was clear then that they hadn't found her so she just watched the spectacle.

Communique looked back at her unfinished work and the prospect that lay before her. She would never get a chance like this again. This risked the whole operation or get her the promotions that she always, or at least for as long as she could remember, dreamed of. In moments like this for a Soldier it came down to one thing and one thing only. The gut and Private's had already made up its metaphorical mind.

Madeline sat alone in a waiting room with nothing but her doubts for company. The fight was still nagging at her. For a guy who got such good grades Drake was an idiot, a moron, a fool and whatever other words meant stupid. There was a cold burning in the back of her throat. She flicked through her phone but no one had texted her, or called. Cindy still wouldn't answer if Madeline tried to contact her. Her phone almost seemed to mock her with how little she had going on. Nothing to do, no one to vent to and all she had to do was wait till Davidson was done.

"Are you Maddie Holder?" A young woman's voice asked. Her voice was peppy and full of life. Madeline looked up to see the owner, a young Blonde woman not much older than her. If the Cheerleader was to guess she would say that she was still younger than Justin. She kind of reminded the Ranger of Cindy just in regards to her appearance. This other woman had a warmer glow around her.

"Yeah, sorry. Was waiting so long I almost forgot my name." MJ said after staring blankly, her voice was familiar almost like they'd spoken before. The mysterious woman smiled though despite the awkward pause.

"Yeah his Majesty likes to keep people waiting and like totally ordering around co-workers. I'm Cassidy. I'm a reporter not his secretary no matter what he thinks."

"Then why are doing this for him?"

"Cause you're here to talk about the Rangers." Madeline went silent and looked over at this Cassidy. "I just wanted to say that you should like really think about it before you tell everyone." The two girls stood outside the door for a minute. Cassidy held onto the handle to block Madeline from just walking in. "I was here once, not like literally here but ya know… I just didn't want to mess up their lives. They were good people." Madeline was about to reply when the door was swung open revealing Trevor by his desk, his feet up and a script in hand.

"Oh Madeline, Good to see you. Thanks Cassidy that will be all."

"Not your receptionist Trevor." Cassidy said with a fake smile. She rolled her eyes about Davidson at Madeline before disappearing down the hallway no doubt away to do her own work. The other reporter behind his desk didn't seem to be perturbed by Cassidy leaving and just motioned for Madeline to come in. She politely closed the door after herself.

"Cassidy's a good girl. If she would only let me take her under my wing." Ugh. He just rambled and rambled on about himself like normal. Madeline tuned him out as he set the times for tomorrow. Usually she would take control of this sort of thing just so whoever she was working with knew their place. Her heart and head weren't in this moment. Everyone was starting to get to her. She wanted this, to be a celebrity, and a hero it was just such an amazing set up. Why didn't the others want it? Her choice could force this all upon them.

No, they'd be alright as long as they were smart and left her alone. Then she'd get to continue with her life and wouldn't have to deal with any of them. Even Drake, she wouldn't have to put up with him anymore. Her stomach back flipped without the rest of her body. Everything had been set in motion and tomorrow would be her big day, one way or another.

That night none of the Rangers slept soundly. All of them were worried about tomorrow. Madeline was one of the worst sleepers even though this was supposed to be her big day. She spent the last hour watching the clock countdown to when the alarm was set for. It took more effort than she usual to get out of the bed. Her outfit had already been prepared, all of her make up set aside in advance yesterday so she'd be nice and prepared. She sat there by her mirror after getting out of the shower. The questions from yesterday distracted her. The knock on the door from her mother woke her up again. She missed breakfast to finish up her beautification. This was starting to become a bad habit. She forced her game face back on and stepped out to face the day and the Cheerleaders. When she got to school they all fired question after question at their Captain wanting to know what her plan was. She just brushed it off with her usual demeanour. The other Rangers avoided her like she was the plague. There were no attempts to turn her back or plead, just silence from them as they walked away. She couldn't even see Drake anywhere. Probably refused to come in or he was hiding in some dank corner of the library.

"MJ, You just going to sit there?" Cindy asked? Madeline smiled at her but used the first chance to vanish on the Co-Captain. She wanted to walk alone to the television station. Nothing changed on the short trip and she found herself going through the motions as she entered the building. She went through hair and makeup. Silently she wondered why she bothered getting ready this morning. If she rolled in just from her bed she'd still have to go through this rigmarole. The ticking distracted her from the usual hairdresser's small talk. It seemed that every clock she seen today wanted to mock her with how much closer it became to air time.

*
On the roof of the station the final preparations with Miss Communique's device were underway. She would have finished up earlier but the distraction had taken a while to straighten itself out. She had risked a lot by leaving her equipment for a few hours but she couldn't risk leaving one of the drones in charge. She clicked the final section into the radar. Everything was in its place and it was time to initialise the systems. There was a light hum as the device began to power up. Her personal computer registered the other points and a map of Reefside began to form.

The Studio was all a buzz tonight. There was electricity in the air as the rumour mill had been spinning in full force after Trevor had announced big news for his 'Ranger Hunt'. To the Pink Ranger though it was what she always pictured her big debut on television being like. People looked at her with intrigue. This mysterious girl that Trevor had brought onto the show, they all wanted to know what she had to offer. She looked amazing, despite the lack of sleep and food. These makeup people were true professionals. Despite her beauty she couldn't shake this feeling in her stomach that something wasn't right. It was an odd mix of jitters and stomach knotting, almost like her stomach butterflies had gone to war. She looked over to the other side of the studio and seen the smug face of Trevor winking back, behind him she could see Cassidy still watching. The Pink Ranger slipped her phone out of her pocket and searched out someone. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say to Drake so her finger played over the call button. Eventually one of the producers told her to switch it off.

"Alright people, we're going live in 5…4…3…2…1."

The Room's lights dimmed and flashed as the countdown reached its end. Screens all around the room turned an eerie dark purple. That wasn't normal, people rushed all around trying to work out what had gone wrong. This was no simple technical malfunction, whether it was good fortune or horrible luck was still unclear to Madeline. One thing was certain. It was time to go to work.

Back at the Oliver house Justin was watching the local news station with bated breath. He's spent most of the day unable to work just watching and waiting for the bomb to drop. It was near 6 the only thing he had left was a prayer for an act of God to intercede. Then it happened. His television, or rather Tommy's spare, started flickering. The screen turned a dark purple. A screech erupted from his speakers like his TV was trying to use dial up internet. The Blue Ranger tried to switch the channels but every time he did it was exactly the same result, the same static colour. Justin reached the socket and ripped it free. Finally rid of that annoying whining noise he thought over what just happened. He pulled out his phone to confirm his theory. No signal and any attempt to text just threw up weird error messages at him. Tommy appeared silently behind him scaring the life out of Justin.

"Tommy for the love of God stop doing that!"

"Sorry, just on the phone to Kat when the call cut out in the craziest way,"

"Dial Up?"

"Yep, nostalgic but now I can't get through to anyone. Tried ringing her back, I tried the house and your phone."

"So we're cut off…" Justin knew there was something left to check. He raised the communicator trying to get through to one of the other Rangers. The voices were distorted and warped. Whatever this was even scrambling the signals of their specialised devices. The two sped down to the Dino Lab trying to get through this interference field. Justin worked on linking the communicator into the computer to act as a signal booster. Tommy was trying to crack into the CCTV footage but every feed he could find just replayed the screech. The noise was drowned out by the shriek of success from Justin. He had linked the communicator into the communication device he's used to keep in contact with the Space Rangers in their transit around the cosmos. If it could break its way through the void could punch its way through this interference. He tried to get through to the team again. A crackling male voice came through, it sounded like Kenji and after yesterday the Blue Ranger wasn't expecting Drake to answer.

"J—stin is that –ou."

"Yes it's me Kenji." The signal was starting to get stronger as Justin adjusted the device.

"Its cr-zy out h-re."

"We know we're trying to work out what's happening." There was a brief pause from the Red Ranger.

"You know for super smart guys you can be pretty stupid."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look outside!" That was the hint they needed and the two rushed back to the nearest window that overlooked the city. What greeted them was Reefside illuminated by towering spotlights of magenta disappearing into the atmosphere. They all seemed to intertwine briefly before shooting off in multiple directions. On returning to the lab they discovered yet another surprising event. They were being called using the computer despite everything that was happening. Tommy answered with Justin standing at his side. The ID was familiar to them both and they were greeted by General Gale and Hawkins whose position mirrored their own.

Madeline was still stuck in the studio as the production crew ran around. This sudden alien technical issue had lit a fire under them and they were desperately scrambling to get back on the air. Her communicator kept peeping at her but she couldn't answer it in front of everyone. When she tried to slip away she caught the unwanted attention of Davidson which forced her to sit like a good girl. She didn't even understand half the nerd stuff they were shouting at each other. They were talked about forcing a hard reset as the door burst open and all hell broke loose. The Chromites and Piranhatrons stormed in brandishing their weapons threateningly. The idiots were all running for their lives out the doors, their jobs weren't worth this. None of them bothered to make sure she was alright which allowed her to duck into a hiding spot. It didn't take long before all the civilians had vanished into the distance. She had hid herself just under a few desks obscured by the mess of wires flowing from the equipment on top. Her good jeans would get filthy but the rest of her outfit was alright. Through the cables she could just make out the drones as they took their positions around the room as though they were guarding it. This was confusing, time to call in the brain box.

"Justin you there?" She whispered carefully not to attract attention. The Piranhatrons nearby didn't appear to notice and were just playing with the cameras like children with new toys.

"Uh – Justin here. Madeline are you alright? Havoc's attacking." His voice was crackly but he was whispering in response to her.

"Yeah I know I'm at the television station and the freaks have invaded. Scared everyone out and now I'm hiding under a desk."

"Hold on."

"Yeah like I was going anywhere." As Justin's side went quiet she looked over to Havoc's forces to see the Chromites scolding the Piranhatrons while the later span the cameras around. It was definitely one of the more surreal moments she'd had. The Blue Ranger voice reappeared explaining some of the situation to her.

"The Television station seems to be one of the main relay points. I'll come meet you there and we can take it out together."

"Sorry Harvey just not my style. I'll try and save some for you." She cut off the call and rolled out from under the table. The flashes of light as her morphers were summoned alerted the drones to her presence and they all turned to face her.

"Alright boys its show time. Shift into Turbo!"

On the other side of town at the entrance of Mercer Industries Kenji and Claire fought against the waves of soldiers, trying to force their way into the building. Justin and Tommy had pinpointed the structure as one of the focal points of the web. The two Turbos trudged their way towards the next wave of soldiers after they had burst out the front door. Kenji was pleasantly surprised on how well Claire was handling herself though he still had to step into cover her back. It seemed like she was really taking her training with Doctor Oliver seriously. As they cut down this latest squad the doors opened again.

"How many of these things are there?" Kenji groaned.

"We can't- keep doing- this." Claire rasped between pants. She still needed to build up her stamina. "We take-out one wave- they send another." On their cue the soldiers charged the two Rangers, it left the two heroes little choice but to defend and shelve the conversation for later. The heroes were starting to get sloppier in combat, they were thrown around until they were backed into each other. They heard the sounds of wheels screeching on the hard tarmac and they expected to see Justin. However it was a familiar but gruffer voice that screamed at them instead.

"Get Down!"

They followed the command out of instinct seconds before the hail of gunshots and laser fire rocketed over their heads. Havoc's foot soldiers exploded in a vast spectrum of colour as the owner of that voice, flanked on either side by a group of similarly garbed men and woman, appeared. It was Captain Hawking and his squad. They helped the two bewildered Rangers back to their feet.

"The heck are you guys doing here?" Kenji asked.

"We're here to take down the Relay point. You two head for the roof and we'll provide suppressing fire." It was clear to Hawking that these two hadn't been briefed on their backup. It meant they were no doubt a pleasant surprise but he internally scoffed at the Ranger's disorganization.

Kenji and Claire didn't care about that. This little ray of hope gave the Red Ranger all he needed to kick right back into gear. He roared raising his blade up at the building.

"Alright then that's more like it! Let's do this!"

Claire gave the soldiers an apologetic shrug then charged after her friend. Hawking's squad waited for their commanding officers signal before they followed suit, it wasn't a long wait. They would take this building with the Rangers and stop the invasion.

Back at the station the studio floor had been cleared of 'unnecessary personnel ', quiet had fallen on set and the star of the show was in centre stage. However the lights and cameras had been decimated so there was nothing left to catch the action. Madeline observed the devastation that she'd wrought upon this place with ambivalence. On the one hand she was happy now that she wouldn't be forced to go on air while she was having her doubts. On the other she'd still hoped on some level to have her day in the limelight. Being conflicted sucked. It was enough to give you wrinkles.

Justin slid into the room already morphed and ready for the fight that'd finished without him. The shattered glass cracked further underneath his boots. Complaints about the damage died with the ticking of the clock. They needed to take down this web.

"Hey Harv-"

"No time to be sassy Madeline. Follow me!" Justin called as he dashed past the smug sounding Pink Ranger in the direction that led to the Dish.

"Now that was just super rude." Mad responded to the empty room before chasing after the team leader.

Private Communique stood on the roof of the television station watching as her device continued to transmit its section of the data stream. This was the largest satellite dish that was available meaning that this was one of the most integral parts of the web, it was the central point. Soon she would be able to crack through any firewall and steal the military secrets of this world for her General. She would reach the War Council one day and stand beside her Captain proudly with her head held high. For now she would wait in the trenches with the cannon fodder known as Chromites but soon she would sit within the tents on the Hill. She pictured being waited on hand and foot by a loyal squad of soldiers who would obey her every whim.

Her revelry was broken by the crashing sound of the door to the roof being busted open. The two Rangers had broken down barricade that she'd ordered her foot soldiers to put in place. Only two, this was good, it meant that the remaining Rangers had been spread out thinner to try and take out the key structural points of the net. This would be easy. She turned to look at the Chromites on either side of her and pointed her hand at the heroes. "Charge!" She screamed and they obeyed. They were however still pale imitations of the loyal warriors she would one day command on a field of battle. Communique was about to charge the leader when the show boater decided that she wanted to fight again. The Private dodge a kick aimed at her side and then blocked the follow up boot before it could reach her face.

"Want me to embarrass you again?" She asked to her challenger. She transformed her right arm into its blaster form, took aim and fired. The Pink Ranger dodged out of the way as she suspected allowing her to knock the Blue Ranger off the roof. As the Younger hero turned to witness their ally falling off the roof she was left open for a follow up attack. Communique booted her off the side of the building with a cruel smile hidden behind the blackened visor of her helmet. This was going to be easier than she thought. The Private leapt off the building after the two and the Chromites under her command took a similar leap.

The Wind was knocked out of Madeline as she collided awkwardly with the ground below. This freak moved a lot quicker than the other ones but she wasn't about to let herself be beaten again. She didn't have the others to drag her down this time and Harvey could handle the mooks for her. Madeline was forced onto the defensive as this creep decided to take advantage of her weakened state. Her blocks were sluggish and attacks managed to slip past her guard. She fumbled for footing; she desperately needed to break the stride the Private had developed. The young Miss Holder was nobody's punching bag. She just needed one brief opening.

Yes! She punched out desperately catching Havoc's underling in the chest. Madeline raised her boot pushing her further back.

"That the best you got?" Madeline chided at the warrior who'd spent the last minute beating her senseless. Communique was not falling for the taunt and merely just extended her blaster to fire a barrage of shots at the teenager. She rolled out of the way. Her bow appeared in her hands and she began returning fire. Soon the two of them were engaged shooting match with each trying to land a successful hit on the other.

She'd take her down just like she handled everything else in life. Nothing could hold her back. Not Cindy trying to be a total Judas. Not Bobby and his stupid handsome face trying to make her look like an idiot. Not Trevor trying to push her around because she was a kid and he thought he could get away with it.

A blast caught into Madeline's side. Her feet tore up the earth as she skidded backwards. Damn it. She was getting distracted. Her thoughts were revolving around her life instead of here and now. She couldn't shake them as she leapt behind cover. God, she'd never felt like this before. So conflicted, so unsure of herself. Damn it, she was Madeline Jade Holder not Claire. This was not her.

The trunk of the tree that she'd used as a cover was splintered by a huge ripple of energy. It was time to get up apparently. Madeline got a reminder of what would happen to her if she failed from the gapping hold in the wood. Madeline had a feeling that a strong gust would break the whole upper half off. The Pink Ranger threw her weapon to the ground. Her hands rose in the standard guard but cocked her head a little to the side then made a little gesture with her hand. 'Come and get me' is the signal that she was sending, filled with defiance and false bravado.

Communique stood watching her, risking a glance over to the Blue Ranger who was trying to fight off two squads of Chromites on his own, Overwhelmed by sheer numbers. It was amusing to watch a leader fail so totally in controlling his subordinates and to watch his Pink Ranger think she could win. They lacked control and Master would bring that control back their world. Her arm shifted back to its normal gauntleted fist. All Communique had to was stall for a while longer but she would take pleasure in this. She would beat this Ranger into the ground until they knew their place in the universe.

Beneath her foot.

Madeline had readied herself for the strike and actually managed to defend herself this time. Their fists were as swift as the wind, each waiting for a sign of weakness in their opponent. The Pink Ranger was the first one to bring kicks back into the battle. A roundhouse kick made the first contact against the helmet of the Soldier. It didn't daze her long and Madeline was already on the assault trying to keep the flow of combat on her side. Her legs were her strength and it would take all of her strength to win this fight. She'd never had to go full out like this with someone in single combat and it was daunting. She could feel the training behind her enemy's attacks and the way her eyes scanned her under her visor looking for a weak point. She wasn't going to find one because Madeline didn't have any. Once this weirdo was out of the way she could go back to the ways things were before. She'd be back on top, win the election and would be world famous as a hero. She could already feel the adoration of her thousands of fans as her whirlwind of kicks hammered down on her opponent. Once this was over she could reveal her identity.

For a brief moment a flash of the rest of the other rangers overtook her vision. This momentary hesitation was taken advantage of by Communique who was on her in a heartbeat. Her attacks were refined and elegant without a second thought needed. She just kept hitting Madeline now that she was reeling, laughing all the while and almost sounding regal. She kicked the Pink Ranger away clearly enjoying this futile little struggle.

When Madeline finally found the strength to start picking herself up again she looked up at the monster. In the background she could see the Satellite dish still glowed a dark pinkish purple under Communique's control.

In a moment of clarity the Pink Ranger realised that there was only one option left. If she kept fighting like this they were doomed. This woman was just toying with her and trying to break her spirit. The real issue was the signal that continued to broadcast. If it wasn't stopped then this fight wasn't going to matter at all. Her pride had warped her perspective. She wanted to keep fighting but they were running out of options. She summoned the Wind Fire and pointed it at Communique who simply laughed like it was a toy gun held by a child. The Pink Ranger pulled back the string of her bow and kept the weapon levelled at the Monster's chest.

"Given up already you pitiful waste of flesh?" The Soldier asked trying to taunt Madeline into engaging her once more. The Hero's teeth clenched and ignored the insult. She'd only have one shot at this. Her enemy seemed to register that her jeering had failed and shifting her arms in a blaster and shield configuration. Her rival knew that the young cheerleader had realized what the most important part of this battle was. No matter, the Private was faster than her and much more skilled. She could defend against whatever this Ranger had to throw at her. The two were left in a standoff with their weapons pointed at each other waiting for the other to fire. Communique believed that she was the better shot and warrior. She was right and deep down Madeline knew that, which was why she enacted a different plan.

Before Communique could fire Madeline turned to the side throwing her aim off completely from the monster in front of her. This stunned the soldier for long enough, she didn't understand why her foe had turned away. The Pink Ranger had turned to face her ally in blue struggling to free himself under the combined assault of Chromites and Piranhatrons. The enemy drones were too focused on their target to notice they had been placed in the line of fire. Her bow string sliced the air repeatedly as Madeline fired off a quick succession of shots to turn the tide of Justin's battle. Her fingers could feel the wind flowing through them every arrow fired.

"Harvey, take the shot!" Madeline called. It was all up to him now. She'd gotten the enemy off his back and in a hail of Hand Blaster fire the rest were taken care of. A scream of contention erupted as an energy bolt collided with the Pink Ranger's chest sending her flying back. Her form exploded in magenta light as she was roughly depowered by the Private's single shot.

Justin lined up his shot with the dish and Communique prepared her own blast aimed at him. There was a 50/50 chance that the Turbo leader would pull the trigger first. The injured girl pushed herself off the ground one last time charging forward recklessly and completely unmorphed. The athletic teen rammed into the soldier's arm and pulls her shot off course entirely. Their fight in this state was over in a matter of seconds. While skilled Madeline was not able to stand up to the sheer strength of Communique's backhanded strike without the protection of her powers. From the ground a smirk broke out on Madeline's face as she watched the Blue Ranger fire off a barrage of blasts at the dish causing it to explode. Well, guess she wasn't going to have her big day on television just yet, such a shame. No point worrying, she'd won.

The Pink Ranger's head swam with pain as Justin rushed over to protect her. Their enemy stared off into the sky as the virus web began to dissipate now that the largest thread was pulled. For a brief moment Communique held out hope that the signal could continue until more of the web started to deactivate. The Rangers and General Gale's forces had succeeded in shutting down more of the grid. The web collapsed in on itself, no longer able to support itself with so many sections already deactivated. The Private growled under her breath looking to the Blue Ranger. His reinforcements would arrive soon.

"Fixenstein. I need a teleport." The Private her voice cool but noticeable strained by her failed plan. Justin was willing to let her escape. Alone he was no match for her and Madeline was in need of attention. As Communique disappeared into the ether the Pink Ranger final succumbed to the beating and sank into blackness.

Private Communique dropped into the hanger of Havoc's Space base with a light thud of boot and glove on metal. Another mission had failed. She was undeserving of her place in this fine army. She approached the command deck sullenly feeling defeated. As the door to the bridge opened she saw the General sitting there in total silence examining his sword. Fixenstein was hiding in the corner trying not to catch Havoc's eye. With a gentle sigh Communique stepped forward ready to meet her face. She knelt in front of his chair, bowed her head to show her superior officer the upmost respect.

"I'm sorry my General. I have no excuse for my failure. I accept whatever consequences may come." Her voice remained calm under the pressure but under her arm she shook with fear. She expected to feel the full wraith of the leader of this army as soon as the sword rested on her shoulder. Strangely the blade did not come down hard on her. Instead it was gentle and almost caring. The familiar sound of the General's laugh echoed through the bridge. The Private was unsure whether she found his silence or his laughter more disturbing.

"Rise my loyal Soldier. This plan of yours has failed but your contributions have saved your life and more importantly your place in my army." Communique obeyed the command without question standing up to look her General in his lightly glowing eyes. She removed her helmet allowing her ebony hair to cascade down to her shoulders. Her features were distinctively Asian and she was a truly beautiful woman behind that visor. Havoc lightly stroked her face with his gloved hand.

"Your virus was not totally unsuccessful. We have found out a few things but I shall allow you to browse the information while Fixenstein and I shall attend to our new guest." The imposing figure of the General lifted from the chair and left the bridge without another word. He snapped his fingers signalling for his mechanical servant to follow which he did to avoid further punishment. This left the Private alone to consider what the general had said. She sat down by the main computer and began searching through it to see what the system had uncovered. They hadn't been able to crack through the military channels for very long so most of the information was public domain. One picture that appeared now and again but blurry was the image of five young people standing up on top of a building with devices on their wrists and hands. Their faces looked familiar but she couldn't place from where. There were some other pieces talking of some exploits of previous Ranger teams and even giving the names of some of the more public figures. They now also had a few files relating to American military bases including one disused facility in Reefside. The most interesting piece of information though was a symbol and a name that seemed connected to the mysterious group the Rangers worked for.

Skyforce

Madeline's eyes slowly fluttered open as she regained consciousness sat down and leant against the wall of the television station. Her head and chest hurt but at least she was still alive. A quick examination of the sky confirmed they had been successful with the mission. The signal had been cut but the dish was destroyed. Eh she'd live, had to view things with a glass half full to get through the day. Knelt beside her was Justin who soon noticed that she was coming round. He smiled down at her. She had to admit that when he wasn't being a total dork that he was kind of cute. The again it might have just been the appeal of an older college aged man or just her head trauma.

"Great, you're alright. You had me worried their Maddie." His concern was sweet but she'd rather just move on.

"I'm fine. Now unless you're about to propose can we get up?" She sarcastically remarked referencing the fact that Justin was currently resting on one knee. The cheerleader would have laughed at her own joke but her sides hurt too much for that. Justin did chuckle for her obviously pleased to see that she was coherent enough for humour . He even helped her back up to her feet like a true Gentleman should.

"That Armoured up Freak didn't punch my face did she?" The Pink Ranger asked unable to tell which parts of her body had been directly assaulted because of all the pain.

"Nah you're fine. Pretty as always." Justin replied. The younger hero smiled briefly. She would have made a snarky remark however they were interrupted by the sounds of Police Sirens and Car's pulling up. One of the Vehicles with a familiar bird themed symbol pulled up on the sidewalk near them. From the passenger's side door came General Gale followed by an unknown soldier from the driver's seat. Upon spotting the Rangers she approached with her subordinate in tow.

"Looks like she's taking over." The girl said watching the older lady calmly stride towards them like she owned this news station and everyone at it.

"Yep. Seems that way." Justin replied not overly pleased.

"Do you know much about her?"

"Not as much as I'd like. I was kept out of the loop a lot back in the day. Hold on I better talk to her." Justin said ending this surprisingly pleasant chat with Madeline to go talk business with the rest of the adults. Miss Holder leaned against the wall and winced as her back made contact with the cold concrete. She spotted a figure out of the corner of her field of vision looking frazzled. It was Trevor Davidson who hadn't taken the invasion of 'his' television station very well. The man looked like a wreck. Well, she needed to get this over with. She still wasn't sure what she's do in the long run but it'd be placed on the back burner for now. The teen approached cautiously hoping not to startle him.

"Sorry, Mister Davidson can we talk?" The Pink Ranger asked gently. The Reporter jumped a bit turning towards Madeline with his fists raised ready to fight expecting her to be a monster. He audibly sighed when he recognized the girl and lowers his fists.

"Madeline, Jesus you scared me." The man admitted taking the chance to fix his hair and tucking in his shirt. It was a modicum of improvement over his appearance. He took out a mirror from his pocket to continue his re-beautification. "I'm glad you made it out okay." He added really not paying much attention to the girl. Yeah, she was sure he was really glad. She suspected that Trevor was one of the first people out the door when the Aliens attacked.

"I think we need to talk."

"I don't think there's much to talk about. This station might be down but I can always set something up with another one. In this business you have to have contacts and with this exclusive they'll be fighting each other to give me a better deal." The man said excited. The Ranger could almost see the gears turning in the man's head as he plotted how to wrangle the most money out of this. It almost seemed cruel to crush his dream… almost.

"That's what I want to talk about." Trevor turned as she said this. Her tone worried him.

"I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to out the Rangers." She said simply. Trevor stands there open mouthed in shock for a few sections before turning on the girl. He'd completely lost interest in fixing his appearance now.

"What why?!"

"… Well… The Rangers saved our lives. I think they deserve their privacy." She lied. The truth had to remain a secret but she could already tell that the reporter as not buying a single word. You could say what you wanted about him but he seemed to be able to smell when a career making story was in his grasp.

"Quite a spin but I don't buy it. You're hiding something."

"No I'm not. Look I'd better go I have other things to do today." Madeline said turning to try and leave. Suddenly a hand grabbed her arm roughly preventing her from walking away. Unsurprisingly it was Davidson who was unwilling to let her just walk off without him getting his answers.

"We have a deal and you're not going to walk away from this." Madeline tried to rip her arm free from his grasp but he held tight and she was already fatigued from battle. His thick fingers pinched into her skin.

"Let the heck go of me!" Mad yelled in his face. A swift punch in the face would take care of this guy but it might end up causing her more trouble. This guy was a journalist and he knew how to tell a story. He might be able to switch the whole thing back around on her.

"No. Not until you tell me what you're hiding. You know who the Rangers are and I'm going to find out." He spat back at her still holding on. The day had seemingly taken its toll on him and with the threat of losing his story he was practically foaming at the mouth. This guy had been a jerk before but he'd been one that she could manipulate to her own ends. Now he was like a completely different person. She was about to speak when more voices joined in the fray.

"Hey let go of her now." It was Justin with Gale and the Soldier standing behind him. Deep down, she was thankful for their arrival as this guy's reaction had freaked her out. Trevor pulled his hand away seeing that he was out numbered now. He turned his head back to Madeline shooting the teenager a glare filled with loathe.

"I will find out what you're hiding and-" Before he could continue what Mad imagined he thought was an incredibly well-crafted and terrifying threat he was cut off.

"Oh shut up." It was General Gale who stepped forward and handed Trevor a card out of sight. The man looked at it confused but didn't appear to know exactly what to say. A vein was popping on his forehead from rage but the woman continued treating him like a toddler having a temper tantrum.

"You will do nothing to this young lady, do you understand me? If you touch her or hurt her then I will use every resource within my power to destroy your life from the ground up. This little job that you think is a stepping stone to better things? I'll make it so that you'll never get anything nearly as good. That expensive life you dream of living? I'll make sure that you barely have enough to get by with clothes on your back. I'll destroy your love life. I'll wreck your connections with your family life. I'll make sure everyone hates you and knows what kind of scum you are… so you'll leave this young lady alone and you'll both never speak about the Rangers again on television am I understood? If either of you tries to reveal those five heroes identities I will destroy everything you hold dear. They will have their privacy. I thought you and I had reached an understanding young Miss…"

Madeline was confused. Gale knew that she was a Power Ranger and obviously had gathered that she'd changed her mind about revealing her identity. Then it hit the General, she was covering for her. She was adding that part to make it seem like she wasn't a Ranger. It was clever. Someone like Trevor might start to suspect that she was connected to the team. It wouldn't take much of a leap to pin her as one of them and if he did claim it on the news then she'd be in the spotlight forever, even if he couldn't prove it. The teen decided it was best to just play along and act dumb.

"Yes Miss, I understand." Madeline said looking down at the ground to really sell the whole performance. She could see Trevor looking between everyone angrily hoping to find some crack in the façade.

"You can't do that. There's laws, freedom of the press and freedom of speech." He latched onto the first thing he could think of.

"Do I look like I care about you? Human rights usually apply to humans but your nothing but a shaved ape in expensive clothes. I assure you Mister Davidson I can and will destroy you but you still have a chance. Walk away now, forget about this and I'll forget about you." The silence and tension hung heavy in the air like a noose tightening around Trevor's neck. General Gale stared intensely into his eyes letting him know just through she could fulfil all of her promises and she wasn't afraid to do so. Davidson grunted at the group and muttered to himself before walking off.

The two Rangers let out a quiet sigh of relief as the bloodhound reporter was driven off by the top dog of this mysterious organization. That had been far too close for comfort. Madeline turned to the older woman, finding herself slowly developing respect for the officer.

"Thanks for the save." The Cheerleader said brightly.

"Don't worry about it… just remember that you kids owe me one." She said with the confidence of age and experience. The soldier to her side followed as she went to deal with a few more issues surrounding the television station leaving the two Rangers alone again.

"That's going to come back to bite us as some stage…" Justin mumbled.

"I dunno. I like her." Madeline said smiling as the older woman walked away.

"Of course you do."

The next day was as much of a downer as the Pink Ranger had expected. She's had to gather the girls again to break the bad news and Cindy had been on her in a second. Her best friend was always looking for ways to seem better than her. It was a complicated friendship the two had but they had been friends for so long. Cindy pointed out that this was the second time she'd broken her promise and suggested another vote be taken. The Ranger could feel the stirrings of rebellion and decided to save face and just concede defeat. Such a pain, her duties as a hero really were starting to get in the way of the important things in life. Madeline stepped down from the election allowing Cindy to take over as the cheerleading representative. The girls were all in a tizzy after that with her best friend being the centre of all of the attention.

When school was over Madeline didn't feel like hanging around. She excused herself from the girls latest planning session. Some would say she was bitter about being kicked out and some would say she didn't want to go down with a sinking ship. There wasn't a lot of time to sell yourself this late in the game. It looked like Bobby was going to win with all the popularity he'd drummed up already. Cindy just wasn't up to it.

"Hey there." Madeline turned as a boy's voice called out to her. For a moment she half expected to see Trevor standing there ready to accuse her again but, to her surprise, it was Bobby. There was a cocky glint in those devilish eyes of his.

"Word on the street is your dropping out of the race."

"Yeah, now you might actually have a chance." Madeline replied dryly electing a laugh from the other teenager. He tilted his head to the side slightly looking her over.

"Well Cindy really isn't going to be as much trouble as you. You're much hotter and everyone knows it." His flattery was so clichéd but the delivery wasn't half bad. She could see how so many girls had fallen for his charms.

"What do you want Bobby?" The Cheerleader asked knowing that he wouldn't come to talk to her without a reason.

"Oh I was just wondering if you wanted to help your friend out."

"What do you mean?" Madeline raised an eyebrow at this comment as the boy stepped forward still laying on the charm.

"You and I both know she isn't going to win with me running and she won't take that well. I'm just thinking I could make you an offer you might like."

"I'm listening." The Pink Ranger said with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. What was this boy playing at?

"I'm willing to drop out of the race completely and let Cindy steam roll the whole thing… if you go on one date with me" Bobby said trying to gauge the reaction of the girl. She had to say she wasn't expecting that but it was cute. He wanted to go out with her bad enough that he'd drop the whole race and let her friend win. Cindy probably wouldn't like it if they went out on a date but she'd hate losing to him more.

"One date?" She parroted still considering the offer. When Bobby confirmed that he only wanted one date she went silent. Despite her friend really back stabbing her with the whole election thing she still wanted her to be happy. Contradictory to her other feelings she sort of wanted to go on the date to get back at Cindy. Ugh, emotions could be so confusing. If winning this little popularity contest was something that would make Cindy happy then she'd suffer through it.

"Fine. Message me laters. Okay. TTYL." The girl said ready to walk off back home. She wasn't sure why she was grinning like this but she was doing her best to hide it. Stupid Handsome Bobby with his stupid offer. He called to her again and she had to actively force her face to look calm.

"Oh and if you see Forest tell him that he needs to get back to training. Coach won't take many more absences." Huh, Drake wasn't in again today? He'd really been slacking on his attendance since becoming a Ranger. Idiot wanted to avoid the others so he wouldn't be dragged into the conflict. This fight was going to find him one way or another whether he wanted it to or not.

"Will do. Now I'll TTYL." She gave him a little coy one handed wave before heading off back home. She'd check in with the other Ranger tonight to see how he was coping. He was probably still terrified that she was going to reveal his secrets to the whole world. Surely by now he would know that she could keep the important ones, her previous little moment of weakness notwithstanding. She'd just have to go ease his mind later and tell him the news.

Later that very night Justin had returned to the home of Doctor Thomas Oliver. He was back working on his repairs with his Turbo morpher trying his best to digest the crazy few days they'd had. Madeline's change of heart made him feel better about her as a Ranger. There might still be hope for her yet, assuming that he couldn't repair these devices in time to give them back to the four other original Turbo Rangers. Still things were improving with the temporary team. If they were lucky they might even manage to break through to Drake soon and have the whole group working together. He'd never been on a team before with so much division.

He was even starting to feel like there were barriers forming between him and Tommy. This General Gale woman wanted to speak with him alone and she seemed intent of phasing out Justin. The Blue Ranger resisted at every turn but she was incredibly strong willed. He understood at least part of why Tommy was so willing to accommodate her but that didn't mean he liked it. Until these Morphers were fixed he was the leader of this team and he deserved some respect from her. From what he could tell her group were setting up a more permanent presence in Reefside.

A nasty spark from the repair work caught his finger and he flinched. He was about to grab the next tool for the job when the computers inbuilt communicator started beeping. It was Madeline and she was trying to contact them. Justin opened the channel without a second thought. Her voice was panicked .

"Justin! Drake's gone! He's missing! I went to his house but his parents say he's been missing his yesterday. He's just completed disappeared!"