Inside Astrax’s massive mansion, the early morning sun began to peek through the curtains.
Sophia woke up first. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around the giant bed where the rest of the team was still fast asleep. Slowly standing up, she stepped onto the floor and began to stretch her stiff muscles. With effortless grace, she slid down into a perfect full split.
"I need to go home to shower," she whispered to herself.
She looked back up at the tangled mess of blankets on the bed and frowned. "Where is Ignis?"
Down in the massive sitting room, the air was filled with the sharp whoosh of movement.
Ignis threw a rapid combination of punches into the empty air, his muscles tense. He quickly shifted his posture, twisting his hips to deliver a brutal uppercut to an imaginary foe. Moving his legs with blinding speed, he charged forward, leaped into the air, and delivered a flawless dropkick. He landed smoothly on his feet, his chest heaving with exhaustion.
"We must be ready for anything," Ignis whispered to the empty room, his fists clenched tight. "We must be ready for anyone."
Sophia walked out of the bedroom and wandered through the silent, cavernous halls of the mansion until she spotted him.
"Ignis?" she called out softly.
Ignis stopped, lowering his fists, and looked back at her. "Good morning, Sophia."
"Good morning, Ignis," she replied, walking closer to him. "The rest are still asleep. What were you doing down here?"
"I couldn’t sleep well," Ignis admitted, running a hand through his hair. "A lot is going on. A lot is on my mind." He looked deep into Sophia’s eyes. "I came down here to train. Do you want to train with me?"
Sophia didn't hesitate. "Of course."
"Let's train until the others wake up."
"Come at me with all you got," Sophia challenged, shifting into a fighting stance. "You know I—"
"Calm down, Sophia," Ignis laughed.
Sophia smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Bad habits."
Ignis smiled back, then suddenly lunged forward.
"Don't hold back just because I'm a girl!" Sophia warned, sidestepping quickly. "Let's do this for real!"
"If you say so," Ignis replied. He aimed a swift jab toward her face, but Sophia easily shifted her weight to the right, dodging it completely. Ignis followed up instantly, throwing his right fist directly at her cheek.
Sophia’s reflexes kicked in. She brought her forearm up, blocking the strike with a heavy thud. "Ouch!"
In a flash, Sophia swept her leg up, stopping her foot just an inch away from his groin. She held the pose, tilting her head. "Should I?"
She smirked. "I won."
Sophia burst out laughing, gently swatting his hand away. "Okay, okay. Let's go wake the others up."
"True," Ignis agreed.
Ignis and Sophia walked back into the bedroom. Ignis climbed onto the edge of the massive bed, looking down at Solara, Astrax, and Tunde.
He leaned over and tapped their shoulders one by one.
When he tapped Solara's shoulder, her eyes fluttered open. She rubbed her face groggily. "Ignis... what happened?"
"We've got a problem to solve," Ignis said. He raised his voice. "Everyone! Wake up, wake up!"
Astrax groaned, his eyes blinking open, while Tunde sat up sharply, wide awake.
Astrax sat up against the headboard, stretching his arms.
"Are they here?" Solara asked, her mind instantly jumping back to the alien threat.
"What? No," Ignis said. "Remember what we talked about yesterday?"
"I know," Solara sighed, pushing the blankets off. "Yes. I need a supercomputer."
"A supercomputer?" Astrax echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Solara said seriously. "The kind NASA uses. Get me the latest version."
Astrax rubbed the back of his neck. "Isn't that, like... multi-billion dollars?"
"Come on," Solara waved her hand dismissively. "You don't have to buy it. Just tell them the Power Rangers want it for something important." She closed her eyes, trying to catch a few more seconds of sleep.
Ignis pulled the blanket away from her. "Come on, you have slept enough."
"What do you want me to do, Ignis, build it out of nothing?" Solara snapped playfully. "I am not Rick from Rick and Morty."
Tunde, sitting on the edge of the bed, scowled. "We should not be relying too much on government agents anyway."
Solara looked at Tunde, then turned to Astrax with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Astrax, follow me."
"Okay?" Astrax said, confused. He stayed sitting on the bed. "What do you need me for?"
Solara couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. A wide smile broke across her face. "You know."
"What's so funny, Solara?" Astrax asked, cracking a smile himself.
"I need you for your money," Solara giggled.
Astrax and Ignis exchanged an amused look. "Of course," Astrax said smoothly. "You can spend any amount. Of course."
Solara burst out laughing. Overwhelmed by the stress of the night and his genuine but stubborn willingness to help, she threw her arms around Astrax, burying her face in his chest as she laughed. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
"I get it, I get it, my money is going," Astrax said, wrapping his arms around her to return the hug. "It's not that funny."
Sophia watched them and smiled warmly.
Solara finally released him, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. "Will you actually buy it, or talk to NASA for us?"
"Of course I will," Astrax said, his tone turning serious and sincere. "I will pay any amount, as long as we are saving lives. Look, I like money. I like being rich. But you guys come first. And below that is everyone else." Astrax looked at Solara and smiled softly. "The smart one."
Sophia beamed at the display of teamwork. "So, Iggy. What now?"
Ignis stood up, his face hardening into the sharp focus of a leader. He looked at Sophia. "You and I will search for Rose. I'll report to the FBI that she is missing. If this goes deep, we can't do it alone."
Sophia nodded. "Okay."
Ignis turned to the billionaire and the genius. "Astrax and Solara, you guys are the ones going to space. I want the two of you to find all those aliens and eliminate them. When Sophia and I are done finding Rose, we will join you."
Finally, Ignis looked at Tunde. "Tunde. I want you to stop crimes on Earth. Stop the crimes the government fails to stop. Stop the crimes that lead to death among the citizens—criminal organizations, kidnappings. You are in charge of stopping street-level crime."
Tunde’s eyes lit up with fierce determination. "Thank you. I will humble the government once again. Thank you."
"You are welcome," Ignis said. He clapped his hands together loudly to command the room's attention. "Do you understand?!"
"Yes!" the Rangers shouted.
"Do you understand?!" Ignis repeated, louder.
"Yes!"
"Do you understand?!"
"Yes, we do!" they roared together.
"We need to act fast," Ignis said, his adrenaline pumping. "Solara, we should have a tracker or a communicator to talk to each other across distances. So, in case Simon comes back, you can inform me."
"I will make it," Solara promised.
Ignis stretched out his hand. He shook Sophia's hand firmly. Then Solara's. Then Astrax's. And finally, Tunde's.
Ignis looked at his team—his family. "Rangers!"
"Forever!" the team shouted.
"Rangers!" Ignis called out again.
"FOREVER!" the Power Rangers echoed, their voices ringing through the mansion.