Power Rangers 1. The First Test

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Megaforce. This story is fan-made._

_Author's Note: This is not where the Megaforce series starts. If you want to read the series without getting lost, I suggest you read my stories in the order they appear:_

_**No To Date Nights - The Party Night - Project Partners - Megaforce: Lives Behind The Masks - **__**Prom Night**__ - __**A Trip To Remember - First Meetings - Something She Loves – Protective Morans – Samurai In Harwood County – Rainy Days – Luck Had Nothing To Do With It – Ranger Support – Parents and Children – Hero Without The Spandex – Emma's Night – Emma's Mother – Bait And Switch – After Death – A Stormy Day – A Date For Tensou – A Mother's Advice – Mending Fences – Executioner Named Revenge –Those Three Words – On The Fourth Day – Babysitting – Tiger- A Fresh Start – On the Mountains – Looking Ahead – The Rangers' Recovery – Daughter's Nightmare – Megaforce: With Great Power –Cookies – The Babysitters: Jake and Gia – Better Off With The Burrows**_ – _**A Hard Journey – The Messenger – Megaforce: The Invasion Arrives – Learning To See – Sight Unseen – A Romantic Demise**_

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><p><em><strong>Also<strong>__, two more little notes. First off, I've written a new story. Some of you have gotten the message in review replies. My story is over on Fictionpress (link in my profile) and it's called __"A Punching Bag"__. If you've got the time, please check it out and let me know what you think._

_**Second:**__ My work has left someone inspired. **Moonhera** has written a piece based of what happened in the last chapter of my last story. It's already been posted, I've read it, and I've got to say, it's an amazing twist on what could have happened. Please, if you've got the time, check it out and leave a review! It's called "__The Scarring of the Heart"._

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><p>"Are you sure this is going to work?" Emma asked Tensou while the little robot hooked up many wires to Cliff's head. After finding out that both Cliff and Gia had an implant in their brain that made them susceptible to mind control, Tensou had taken a few days to work on a machine that would deactivate the chip. For Gia, it would mean not having to worry about following every command given to her. For Cliff, the Rangers were sure there wasn't going to be much change from him, but at the very least it made him less likely to do everything Vrak asked of him and hopefully kept Cliff being another one of Vrak's soldiers.<p>

"Nope," Tensou shook his head and then looked up at Emma, "But I thought that was why we agreed to test it on Cliff first."

"Can I just point out that I have not consented to this?" Cliff asked as he struggled against his chains. He had been locked up tight for days now and the constraint was really getting to him. He struggled to eat, he could barely move around even inside his cell, and he had soiled himself many times already. The Rangers took care to clean up after him every few hours if there was a big mess, but for the most part he was living in his own filth. He was sure this went against some kind of Ranger code, but they didn't seem to care much for that.

"I didn't think consent mattered to you?" Emma said. Cliff looked up at her with a little glare.

"You know, you're the puniest, least threatening body guard I've ever seen."

"I've kept Gia away from you. I must be doing something right."

"Really? Because I do remember several times having my way with..."

Cliff didn't finish as Emma kicked him in the stomach. Jake, from his own cell, threw his hands in the air.

"Okay, why doesn't she get a slap on the wrist for that? I know I was wrong. Can't I at least just be under ship arrest or something?"

"You've got no right to complain," Emma growled at him while Tensou finished with the wires on Cliff's head. He rolled over to his machine and turned it on.

"Can I at least apologize to Gia face to face?" Jake asked. He hadn't seen Gia since he had lay her down on the examination table days before. He knew she was doing well. The others kept him updated on that, but she hadn't been down to see him. It was somewhat understandable because though he wasn't in the same cell as Cliff, they did share a room. However, Jake was itching to get an apology out.

"No," Emma shook her head. Cliff chuckled.

"You see how annoying she is. She gets that from her mother's side of the family..."

"You shut up," Emma growled. "Tensou, can you just get this experiment started already?"

"Test one, here we go," Tensou nodded and turned the power up on the machine. Cliff stiffened, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and for a moment he stopped breathing. Emma was a little hopeful that meant the experiment was a complete failure, but when the machine stopped and Cliff seemed to come back to life right away, she sighed.

"Damn."

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Cliff groaned as he came to. "You fuckers! That hurt!"

"He's not still mind controlled, is he?" Emma asked. Tensou checked his scans and sighed.

"Yep."

"Good," Emma smirked. Cliff glared at her but she didn't care. While Tensou picked up his machine to continue working on it, Emma stormed out. Jake rolled his eyes and looked over to the little robot.

"She's getting away with a lot more than I am. You do see that, right?"

"This experiment is necessary," Tensou stated. "Unless you want Gia to constantly be susceptible to commands..."

"But she's enjoying his pain."

"But it's not violent and pointless," Tensou said. "Emma's taking advantage of Cliff's situation. You're the one who went to extremes and broke his neck ..."

"It wasn't extreme..."

"The fact that you believe that explains why the Rangers haven't let you go," Tensou stated. "I'll be in my workshop. Call for a bathroom break."

"Um, I could use a change of pants! Your stupid experiment..."

"Gia could use peace of mind," Tensou stated to Cliff. He locked the cell door and then put the key inside his body. "I guess neither of you are getting what you hoped for."

This time, it was Jake's turn to chuckle. Cliff glared at him.

"Shut up, puppy."

"You're sitting in shit, aren't you?"

"You're going to be smelling it soon."

"But I won't be sitting in it."

"Even Vrak never treated me like this."

-Megaforce-

"So... are you and Orion dating?" Rebecca asked as Gia walked into their bedroom to get changed after training. Gia stopped looking for a change of clothes and turned to the younger girl. Rebecca shrugged. "What? You guys have been all close and buddy-buddy and stuff..."

"Orion doesn't date."

"Noah didn't either," Rebecca smirked. "I changed his mind. You can surely change Orion's."

"We're just friends. Orion's actually really great to talk to, and I've got a lot to talk about."

"No doubt," Rebecca nodded. "But I'm blind, Gia, and even I can see there's something happening. He got your towel; he let you beat him up..."

"I didn't beat him up. We were training and I have a few things to work out."

"You cry on his shoulder."

"I've cried on everyone's shoulder. Even Noah's."

"Yeah. You're lucky I trust Noah. Also, you do that thing where you feel better when he's around."

"Noah?"

"No," Rebecca frowned. "Orion. You get all tensed up all the time. When I touch you, I can feel it. And your breathing is heavier, your heartbeat is a little faster..."

"So?"

"So, you calm down whenever Orion walks in. Do you like him?"

"Rebecca, my love life's been pretty complicated. It took me months just to admit to myself I liked Jake. What makes you think that even if I did like Orion, I'd tell you?"

"That's not a no."

"He's a friend. He's supportive, he's funny, and he knows what to say. I like him as a friend."

"Aren't I funny and supportive?"

"Rebecca..."

"I won't tell Jake if you do."

"No," Gia crossed her arms. Just then there was a knock on the door and Orion poked his head inside the room.

"Hey, Gia, it's my turn to make the grocery run. We're just about over Reefside. Want to come with me?"

"I'll just get changed," Gia nodded her head. Orion shut the door and while Gia started to look for clothes that would help her blend in with the rest of the shoppers, Rebecca gave her a knowing look. Gia didn't even need to see it to know what Rebecca was doing. She sighed. "I'm not ready to like someone else, and Orion comes from a culture without romantic relationships and dating. Nothing's going on. We're just getting food."

"Okay," Rebecca answered and put her hands up in the air, "but if something does happen..."

"Rebecca, please, just drop it. I'm not in the mood."

"Fine," Rebecca huffed while Gia got changed and then walked out.


	2. Cliff Knows Fear

_Author's Note_: _Just another little reminder:_ _Moonhera has written a piece based of what happened in "A Romantic Demise". It's already been posted, I've read it, and I've got to say, it's an amazing twist on what could have happened. Please, if you've got the time, check it out and leave a review! It's called "The Scarring of the Heart"._

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><p>"Am I getting out of here soon?" Jake asked. "If Vekar or Vrak decided to..."<p>

"You're still a Ranger," Troy stated. "We still trust you. We just... it's complicated, Jake."

"I'm being given the same treatment as this scumbag."

"You've got food, water, and bathroom breaks as often as you need them. We've also given you a blanket, a pillow, and you've been out of your chains for a couple of days. Cliff's worse off."

"Just give me the chance to apologize to Gia."

Troy shook his head. "She's not mad at you."

"What?"

"Well, I'm sure she is, but that's not what's keeping her away."

"I didn't mean to hit her, Troy. I'd never hurt her. You know that. I feel awful."

"Jake..."

"Besides, this clown deserved it!"

"Jake, punishing people isn't our responsibility," Troy shook his head. "We kill aliens and monsters on a daily basis. You know I'm not going to hesitate destroying everyone involved in the Armada, but they've left us with no choice. It's us or them. If we want to survive..."

"How is Cliff not like them, then?" Jake asked and pointed to the other cell. "He's just as dangerous, just as evil, just as..."

"He's still human."

"And unless we stop him, he's going to kill us!"

"We don't know that, Jake!"

"I know it for a fact!"

"He's brainwashed! Vrak's been using him..."

"He wasn't fucking brainwashed the first time he put his hands on Gia!"

"This isn't about Gia, Jake," Troy said. "And it's not up to us to punish him for that."

"He's already busted out of prison, and that was before he was the Robo-Knight. What kind of cell is going to hold him?"

"Ours is doing a pretty good job."

"Only because I beat the shit out of him."

"Please," Cliff rolled his eyes. "If I could have gotten out, I'd have been gone long before you had your little anger party."

Troy gestured to Cliff while he looked to Jake knowingly. He hated to agree with the cyborg, but for once, Cliff was helping him prove his point.

"I..."

"Jake, you're not the only one who wants to see Cliff dead. If I didn't have even a shred of honour inside me, he'd have been history long ago. You're also not the only one who wants to protect Gia. You know how much we all care about her. But you went too far."

"And I want to apologize for that..."

"This isn't about Gia," Troy shook his head. "This is about what you almost did. No one would have blamed you for smacking him around a bit. But you plotted to kill him."

"He's evil!"

"This is about you, Jake. It's about how far you took this," Troy said. "How far are you willing to go?"

"It'll stop at Cliff, I promise..."

"Will it?"

"Yes! The only person I'm a threat to is Cliff!"

Troy shook his head and sighed loudly, "You don't get it, Jake. You really don't get it."

"No, I don't. I don't get how we both want the same thing, but you and everyone else are suddenly all holier than thou. Admit it; you're just jealous I thought to kill him first!"

"You didn't think it first," Troy said. "Some of my best dreams involved his dead body and blood on my hands. You're just the first one to lose it."

"Lose it? You've lost it! You've all lost it if you don't want this scumbag dead!"

"Just... eat your dinner, Jake," Troy said before he stepped away from Jake's cell. He turned to Cliff's. "You're done?"

"There wasn't much to eat," Cliff grumbled. Troy rolled his eyes.

"We don't have to feed you, you know," he said. "Tensou assured us that with the Robo-Knight technology, you can easily go a week without food."

"Doesn't mean I don't enjoy it."

"We're not here to make you comfortable, Cliff," Troy growled. "In fact, you're only here so Vrak can't use you as a loyal servant."

"I was not..."

"If you were really that important, why has he not made a sound since you disappeared?" Troy asked. "He's been able to study the Robo-Knight technology. He's probably down in his lab replacing you already. No one gives a damn about you, Cliff! If you were to die right now, not one person would shed a tear."

"You're lying!"

"You're a miserable, pathetic, soulless piece of shit," Troy growled. "And until you wake up and realize everything you believe in is disgusting and meaningless, you're going to continue living in this wretched, dark fantasy you call life."

"I think you're pathetic."

"Whatever," Troy rolled his eyes, picked up Cliff's tray and walked out. Cliff grumbled and then turned to Jake. He saw the green Ranger pacing.

"Your friends are assholes."

"Yeah, I'm with you there. All I want to do is apologize. I'm in the doghouse with Gia and..."

"Alright, puppy, I might not like hearing the word no, but I certainly know what it means," Cliff said. "Gia doesn't want you anymore. You're trash, just like I always thought."

"But she..."

"If she loved you so much, wouldn't she be here?" Cliff asked him. Jake clenched his fists.

"I hurt her. And I feel terrible about it. Unlike you."

"Hey, you have no idea how I feel."

"You're a bad person. You feel nothing but pity for yourselves. If you gave an ounce of a feeling for Gia, you never would have hurt her."

"At least I didn't stab her in the heart," Cliff smirked. Jake growled.

"That was an accident."

"I'm not talking about literally stabbing her in the heart," he said. "Gia wanted a wimp. A pathetic, do-good, pushover, mockery of a man. I'll never understand why she chose you over me, but it's obvious she has. And you fooled her into believing that's the kind of person you were."

"I didn't fool her. I'd never..."

"Then you go and pull something like this," Cliff said and pointed to his face. "You've betrayed her trust. You made her think you were someone you weren't."

"You're wrong."

"Believe what you want, but when it comes to Gia, I know what fear looks like. I saw her face when she walked in. I saw the way she looked at you when she saw you were just seconds away from killing me. And puppy, you better believe me, I've never seen her so scared."

"Liar."

"Fine, whatever," Cliff shrugged as much as he could while Jake turned his back. "Whatever helps you sleep at night in this cold, empty, lonely cell."


	3. Shopping Sobs

"Gia? Gia? Hello, are you there?"

Gia looked up and saw Orion was waving his hand in front of her face. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned to face him.

"What?"

"You zoned out," he said. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Gia nodded her head and placed the apples in the shopping cart. "I'm fine. Just... thinking."

"About Jake?"

"No."

"Troy likes red apples," Orion pointed to the green apples in the cart. "Unless you're making a pie, no one's going to eat these."

"Maybe I want to make a pie."

"You're going to bake?"

"I used to bake all the time with my mother," Gia stated. "And dad always loved my pies. He said my baking gave him his love handles."

"So you're making pie?" Orion asked somewhat hopefully. Gia was about to nod but then sighed and shook her head. She picked up the apples and put them back on the stand.

"No..."

"So you are thinking about Jake?"

"Rebecca thinks we're dating," Gia said. "If she thinks that, does that mean Jake and I are... over?"

"I'm not really the guy you should be talking to," Orion shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not the expert on human relationships."

"You're not an idiot, either," Gia stated. "Just, be honest: if Rebecca's thinking about me moving on from Jake, does that mean she thinks we should be over?"

"I wouldn't worry about what Rebecca thinks."

"Are the others thinking it?" Gia asked. "I mean, has Emma, you know, talked to you about me?"

"Why would she?"

"Well, if she thinks..."

"I'm sure she knows you better than that," Orion said. "Besides, we're just friends. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

"What about Jake?"

"Gia, you should worry about yourself right now," Orion put his hand on her back and then gently pulled her in for a one armed hug. "Jake's got more to worry about than who you're friends with, and you've got a big decision to make. Is Jake really someone you want back in your life?"

"The Jake I know, yes," Gia nodded her head. "But after what he did... How can I?... I'm scared he'll lose it again."

A tear rolled down her cheek. Gia rested her elbows on the cart's handles and then dropped her head in her hands, "Orion, why'd he have to do this? Why couldn't he just leave it alone? I told him I didn't want him going after Cliff."

"You know he was only doing what he thought was best. He was trying to protect you."

"By turning himself into a monster?"

"His judgement was clouded. After everything Cliff's done..."

"I thought he was better than that," Gia said. "I thought he was above beating people senseless."

"We're Rangers. Killing is a way of life."

"Killing cold blooded monsters," Gia muttered. "Cliff, as much as I don't want to admit it, is human. He's... Jake shouldn't... What if he turns on me?"

"That's crazy talk."

"Is it?"

"You're not like Cliff. Jake actually cares about you. He would never..."

"I'm scared, Orion. I... I'm just... I'm really scared."

"Milk?" Orion asked her. Gia nodded her head and buried her face in his chest as she wept. Orion put his arms around her, covering her face from the people in the store who were looking on curiously. He whispered in her ear everything was going to be fine, but knew right now all she needed to do was cry.


	4. The Second Test

Tensou felt he had tweaked his machine enough and hoped that this time it would work to deactivate the chip in Cliff's brain. He hoped it would not for the cyborg's sake, but Gia was still technically under Emma's command. The pink Ranger would never take advantage of that power and hurt Gia, but Tensou knew how much Gia liked her independence. It would mean a little more peace of mind for her if she didn't have to worry someone could tell her what to do.

He called the Rangers down just in case something went wrong. Cliff was locked up pretty tight, but he couldn't be too careful. Gia opted not to show up, and instead remained in her room with Ryan and Tiger, but everyone else was watching. Tensou hooked up the wires to Cliff's brain and started up the machine. While it charged up, he saw Cliff was glaring at the Rangers. Cliff had protested many times about his captivity and living conditions. The Rangers were doing the bare minimum to look after him. Normally, it wasn't something Tensou would condone for the Rangers, but even he felt Cliff didn't deserve any luxuries.

"I'm not brainwashed," Cliff stated. "Your stupid machine isn't going to change me. Everything you're trying to say about Vrak controlling me is..."

"He doesn't give two fucks about you," Troy said. "The sooner you stop believing he does, the better for all of us."

"Or, I'll just turn myself into a villain," Cliff said. "I'll wait for you Rangers to get rid of those dumbass aliens for me and then I'll just stomp all over all of you. Strip your powers, kill the people you love most, and rule this planet with Gia as my bitch."

Jake gripped the bars of his cell angrily, but it was Orion who lashed out by punching Cliff in the side of the head for his comment. Cliff hit the ground hard. Orion physiology was different from humans and so while he looked very similar to his teammates, his muscles were much stronger. He could pack a punch that rivalled Cliff in the Robo-Knight armour.

But without the armour's protection, Cliff had no idea what hit him as he lay dazed on the floor. By this time, the machine was charged up and Tensou activated it. Cliff stiffed up then started convulsing and then stopped breathing. Everyone was hopeful again that it was just a malfunction, and when he didn't come back to life as quickly as Emma said he had from the first try, they thought perhaps they had really killed him.

"Um..." Noah scratched the back of his neck. Suddenly, Cliff gasped loudly. His eyes shot open and he looked around in a panic. He glanced down at himself and saw he was wrapped in the chains. Then he noticed the Rangers. He seemed to recognize them immediately and tried to shift away from them, but the chains kept him from going too far.

"What... what's going on? I... What is... Where am I?"

"Well, you did something," Emma said to Tensou and then looked down at Cliff. "What do you remember?"

"I... I remember... that alien freak. Vrak?"

"What about him?"

"I was... working for him?"

"For him or with him?" Troy asked. Cliff looked up fearfully.

"He... he... he gave me all these powers. He promised me everything..."

"And if we tell you there's about a thousand percent chance he was lying that whole time...?"

"Oh god..." Cliff muttered. He shifted his attention back to his chains and tried to break free of them. "What are these? Get me out. Please, please, I know you guys hate me but let me go. I'll go back to jail. I'll leave you alone."

"Don't fall for it," Emma growled. Cliff looked up at her pleadingly.

"No, please, I'm serious. I'm not like that monster. He... that guy he... he killed me and... How am I still alive? All this Ranger stuff and invading aliens and, and please... I'd rather be in prison."

"You're a mega monster," Emma shook her head. "All that stuff you did to Gia..."

"Whatever, I'll leave her alone..."

"Bullshit!"

"No, seriously. Anything that keeps me away from that... that psychopath!"

"Is he talking about Gia or Vrak?" Rebecca whispered to Noah. He nudged her lightly, letting her know this wasn't the time for jokes.

"You seriously think after everything you put her through, we're just going to let you walk out of here?" Jake asked from his cell. Cliff looked over in complete confusion, but he dared not question what the Rangers were up too. He was scared enough as it was.

"Not to mention, you've still got the Robo-Knight armour," Troy stated. He crossed his arms over his chest, "We would kind of like our friend back."

"My... my armour?" Cliff looked down at himself again. "He did this to me! Look, I know I'm not perfect but I'm not a villain!"

"You seem pretty villainous to me," Rebecca muttered.

"Fine, I'm a criminal. I'm whatever you want me to be..."

"Dead?" Emma said.

"Whatever gets me out of this mess! Please, just don't let him get me again! I'm not a monster! I'm just... I'm sorry!"

Troy pulled his teammates aside, closer to Jake's cell. While he wasn't free to leave his prison, Jake was still a member of their team and friend. He had just as much say about what they were going to do with Cliff as anyone else. When they were out of Cliff's earshot, Troy shrugged his shoulders slightly and looked around.

"He seems pretty sincere..."

"I'm not letting him go," Emma shook her head. "Vrak's busted him out of jail once. Who says he won't do it again?"

"Not to mention, jail seems pretty luxurious for someone as scummy as him," Rebecca nodded. "I say we make him walk the plank into shark infested waters. Noah..."

"He's not walking the plank," Troy rolled his eyes. "I agree, he's still not very trustworthy, but he does seem really scared. Vrak must have had more control over him than we thought."

"Vrak made him more evil," Jake said. "That doesn't mean he wasn't evil to begin with. Cliff's still a monster and something needs to be done. I agree with Rebecca. Let's just dump his useless ass out in the middle of the ocean and let the sharks tear him to pieces."

"You're already in trouble for attempted murder," Troy said to the green Ranger. "Cliff's still human. We can't just kill him."

"Troy! Have you not been paying attention these last couple years? That punk's a waste of oxygen! I saw we toss him out like the trash he is."

"I agree with Jake," Rebecca's hand shot up. Troy glared at her.

"Then would you like to join him in his cell?"

"I'm not saying we beat the shit out of him," Rebecca answered nervously. "Just that we put him down like an old dog. Maybe one or two kicks in the nuts before he's out."

"Or you can just leave him to me," Jake said.

"Or me," Emma nodded. "Give me ten minutes with him. He'll wish he was never born."

"Guys!" Troy shook his head, "Come on! We're Power Rangers! We're the good guys!"

"I'm not trusting him in a prison!" Emma shouted. "I wouldn't trust him in fucking Alcatraz!"

"We're not sending him away," Troy shook his head. "It's too dangerous. Besides, we need to salvage as much of the Robo-Knight technology as we can so Tensou can rebuild. If we keep him here..."

"Close to Gia?" Jake asked.

"If we keep him here," Troy continued, "we can keep an eye on him. We'll know he's not fallen into the wrong hands and we can keep him under control."

"But he's close to Gia," Jake stated again. Orion turned to the green Ranger.

"Nothing's going to happen to Gia."

"Dude, Cliff is..."

"Do you think I'm going to let that scumbag anywhere near her?" Orion asked. Jake frowned deeply.

"Oh, and I am?"

"Why don't you just focus on why you're still behind bars," Orion rolled his eyes. "I'll keep Gia safe."

Jake growled and reached through the bars to grab Orion by the shirt. He pulled him in closer and was about to throw a punch but Noah grabbed his wrist and Troy pulled Orion back. They stood between the boys.

"No one's going to let anything happen to Gia," Troy said. "We all care about her, so both of you just calm down!"

"He started it," Jake muttered. Noah glared at his best friend through the bars.

"You're not helping yourself..."

"I'm not the only one who wants him dead!" Jake shouted and pointed directly at Rebecca. "Your own fucking girlfriend wants to throw him to the sharks! You're not locking her up! Why the hell am I still in here?"

"Jake..."

"It's probably you," Jake turned to Emma. "It's probably your call to keep me here!"

"Mine?" Emma frowned.

"You're probably thrilled Gia wants nothing to do with me! Now your best friend is lonely, just like you've been since Jordan fucking left! You're keeping me here so Gia and I can't make up and leave your sorry ass feeling all alone!"

"This wasn't my call!"

"Bullshit!"

"Shut up!" Gia shouted from the stairs. The Rangers all turned to see she had come down and were curious as to why. She had been very reluctant to even walk by the staircase up on the deck. Jake, especially, was surprised. It had been days since he had seen her. He smiled softly.

"Gia..."

"The Armada's in the city," Gia held up her morpher and then tossed Jake's his. It hit the ground and then slid between the bars to land at his feet. He picked it up and then looked to her hopefully. Gia wasn't even looking back. "We've got to go."

Troy unlocked Jake's cell and the green Ranger stepped out. He started to make his way over to Gia but she turned away from him and headed back up to the deck. Jake frowned.

"Wait! Gia, I'm..."

"Now's not the time, Jake," Noah told him. "She'll talk to you when she's ready."

"You guys won't let me see her."

"No, we're not letting you out," Noah shook his head. "Gia's more than welcome to visit you."

"I... then..."

"Think about what you did."

"I want to apologize."

"It's about more than stabbing her in the heart," Noah said. He sighed loudly, "Look, Jake, we've got a monster to fight. Can we just focus on that?"

"Whatever," Jake muttered and teleported to the city with the other Rangers. Rebecca was left alone in the prison room with Cliff and Tensou.

"Well... the machine works," Tensou stated. "I've run all my tests on him and the chip's deactivated with no long term effects. Just some mild amnesia, but that's likely from Cliff being controlled for so long."

Rebecca nodded, "So then we can deactivate Gia's?"

"As soon as she gets back."


	5. Rebecca's And Tiger's Feelings

Ranger battles were usually a couple of hours long, if not longer. Rebecca had the ship almost to herself. She knew her friends would be hungry when they got back, so while they were off saving the world, she got a head start on dinner. She fed Ryan a quick meal and then gave her a bath and put her down for bed. She gave Tiger a raw piece of venison steak as well as a bottle of formula and then left her to play around the ship. She had plenty of toys that would keep her busy when the Rangers were distracted.

Rebecca set a plate for the Rangers and then put it in the fridge. It would only have to be warmed up when they got home. Then, she walked below deck with a plate for Cliff. Tensou was up on the bridge, preparing his machine for when Gia got back. Rebecca felt a little ill at ease all alone with Cliff, but he was chained up so securely she was sure she would be safe. She slipped his plate under the door.

"What? No fork?"

"I don't think we trust you with pointy objects," Rebecca shook her head. "You're kind of an asshole, remember?"

"This is kidnapping," Cliff said. "This could even be torture! Just throw me back in jail and..."

"We can't do that. You're still Robo-Knight!"

"I don't even remember how to use that!" Cliff shouted and then closed his eyes to activate the armour, but nothing happened. Rebecca had to assume that by disabling the brainwashing chip, they had also disabled the Robo-Knight. She wouldn't put it past Vrak to ensure the Robo-Knight couldn't be reclaimed by the Rangers and used against him.

"We still want it back."

"It's part of my body!" Cliff shook his head. "And I don't consent to anyone..."

"Consent means a lot to you now that the shoe's on the other foot, huh?"

"Look, I don't know what I did to you..."

"Gia's like a sister to me," Rebecca said. "You hurt her, and you have to deal with me."

"You think you can take me?" Cliff scoffed. "You're blind! I could beat you up in my sleep!"

"See, that's what's wrong with you, Cliff. You think you're all high and mighty when you're nothing but a punk," Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm no punk..."

"You're pathetic. I wouldn't date you! I wouldn't even consider it if you were the last guy on Earth!"

"Who says I want to date a cripple like you?"

"Cripple?" Rebecca frowned. "Do I look like a freaking cripple to you?"

"Yes?"

"My eyes might not work, but that doesn't stop me from doing anything!"

"Your food is crap."

"Yeah, I was never a good cook," Rebecca nodded. "But that's got nothing to do with the fact that I can't see. I'll bet even blind and with one hand behind my back, I could still beat your sorry, cowardly ass!"

"Sure..."

"And even if I couldn't, if you mess with me, I've got friends who'll mess you up! I've got people who care about me. Your half sister would laugh if you choked on your toast and died. My half brother would do the Heimlich maneuver and then annoyingly make sure all my food is cut into small pieces for the next few weeks."

"Sounds like he's a pain in the ass."

"He does it because he loves me," Rebecca said. "I have a brother that loves me."

"My half sister..."

"Will never give a damn about you," Rebecca shook her head. "No one gives a damn about you, and it's because of this attitude of yours. You're a jerk!"

"I'm just doing what my dad taught me," Cliff said. "Make your woman respect you and..."

"You're a brainless jerk," Rebecca rolled her eyes. "If I did as my dad did, I'd be a drunken, irresponsible and careless piece of shit."

Rebecca faced Cliff, and did her very best to look him in the eyes. She tapped the bars of his prison a couple of times just to get a better idea of where he was sitting. She then frowned deeply at him.

"I was a rotten kid too once," she said. "I stole, I drank, I carried drugs. I was friends with scumbags not that different from you. I thought I had to be some angry, selfish little brat just to be heard. But that never worked. I was never happy."

"You were a bad girl? Cliff shook his head. "I don't believe it."

"I cleaned up. Someone loved me. Someone showed me I don't have to be an angry jerk to be heard. I got lucky. You... won't."

"What makes you say we're anything alike."

"We're not," Rebecca shook her head. "I was ready for my second chance. You're going to run yourself in the ground and when you will finally as for a hand, no one's going to be around to help you."

"I..."

"Your dad's dead. Your mother shot him."

"Liar."

"I'm not. Google it. It made the paper."

"I kind of don't have the internet in this hell hole."

"Then take my word for it. Trust me, she got tired of putting up with him and shot him dead. She's locked up for it."

"My mother was a bitch anyways."

"She's not here for you. I bet, if she knew everything Gia confessed was true, she'd shoot you too. She's tired of your father's abuse and probably won't put up with yours."

"You're just guessing."

"I am, but are you really willing to find out? Either way, she's in for life. She can't be here for you anymore."

"My friends..."

"What? The football team? You know they never showed up to your funeral? Your parents buried you alone."

"They... they didn't?"

"When your dad paid them to get revenge, they were all for it. I guess, they just cared about the money. You were an ass to them too, weren't you?"

"Who needs them anyways," Cliff shook his head. "Besides, this is all just you guessing. I'll bet, once my friends find out, they'll be thrilled I'm alive."

"What about Gia?" Rebecca asked. "Doesn't it hurt you?"

"She's pathetic anyways."

"So, if you're the man you think you are, how come she doesn't love you?" Rebecca asked. "If you've done everything you're supposed to do to get a girl to like you, why isn't Gia biting. Why would she rather be with a puppy than, what would you call yourself? A wolf?"

"She's an idiot?"

"At least she's happy," Rebecca said. "She smiles now. She laughs. She jokes around with us. Did she ever do that with you?"

"Yeah, she would..."

"For real? Did you know she kisses Jake? Like, he doesn't force her into it. She'll just lean in and kiss him. And not just sometimes. All the time. Sometimes for no reason. Just to say she loves him, I guess."

"She would kiss me."

"But did it really feel good?"

"She's just lousy?"

"That's not what Jake says."

"Compared to all the ass kissing he probably did to win her over, anything's got to be better."

"What about in bed?" Rebecca asked.

"Gia's been a bit disappointing lately but..."

"Why do you think that is, Cliff?" Rebecca leaned in just a little closer to the cell. "Why can Gia make Jake feel like he's the king of the world with just a little touch, but when you're actually sleeping with her, getting as intimate as two human beings can ever get, she disappoints you? Why is it she's so happy to be with a puppy and you're this desperate and angry and lonely?"

"My mind's a little fuzzy, but Gia's not happy with that wimp right now. They broke up, so your little guilt trip isn't going to work on me."

"Fine. Don't try to change," Rebecca shrugged and turned away. "It's not like I actually care how you turn out."

When Rebecca was gone, Cliff struggled in his chains, thrashing around in anger as much as he could until he tired himself out. He lay on the cold ground and stared up at the ceiling. He cried out in frustration once then grunted and then just closed his eyes.

"You've got to get her back, Morris," he said. "Somehow, you've got to win her over."

He looked down at his chains, "Let me go! Just get me out of here and I'm going to show them what it really means to..."

He trailed off when he heard someone walking towards him. He turned to the door and saw a tiger standing just outside his cell. He jumped slightly and though the tiger was still somewhat small he prayed the door would keep her out.

"Nice... nice kitty..." he said. Tiger looked in and tilted her head. Cliff whimpered. "Shoo... Shoo cat. I'm... I'm not food! Shoo!"

Suddenly, Tiger lunged, throwing herself at the bars with the loudest roar she could muster. She couldn't break through the door but her attack was enough to make Cliff scream. He turned his head away and continued to pray the tiger couldn't get him.

Tiger roared again and bit at the bars. Cliff screamed loudly as he begged the tiger not eat him. The growing cub seemed to enjoy hearing his screams though and wouldn't relent. Cliff was certain she would bite right through the metal.

"Help! Someone, please! Help me!"

But no one came and Tiger didn't seem willing to let up. She roared again before she started to try to squeeze through the bars. Cliff was horrified when he saw that with a little effort, she could make it.

"No! No, please! Get away!" he screamed. Tiger stepped inside the cage and walked right up to him. Cliff, in his chains, was helpless to stop her. As she walked around his head, he tried to blow and hoped the little bit of air would annoy her and she would leave him alone. Tiger barely seemed to feel it and continued to examine him as she walked around his head.

"Help! Blind chick! Puppy! Gia! Anyone! Help me, please!"

Tiger jumped up on his chest and Cliff could feel her paws scratching at his skin as she walked around. She lowered her nose around his stomach to make him fear she would start to devour him from there.

"Stop! I'm begging you! Don't hurt me!"

Tiger didn't bite him, though Cliff almost wished she would just eat him and end his misery. He was sure it was going to come. The Rangers didn't seem to care whether he lived or died. She jumped off his chest and circled his head. She then stopped near his left ear, sniffed him twice and then ever so lightly bit him. Cliff howled in pain and terror, certain she had taken his ear off and this was the beginning of a slow and painful death, but no other bites came. Instead, Tiger turned away from him and then crouched down.

"No! Oh god! Stop!" he shouted as the growing cub did her business right next to his head. Cliff screamed even louder. This was not the way he wanted to go.

"Tiger, are you down here?" he heard Gia call and hoped maybe he could convince her to save him from the tiger. He screamed again for help as Gia walked up to his prison. He saw her and desperately wiggled.

"Help! Please, get this monster away from me!"

"You mean Tiger?" Gia asked and pointed to the cub.

"Yes, I mean the fucking tiger!" Cliff shouted. "Can you please just fucking help me! A human life is at stake!"

"You're hardly human," Gia rolled her eyes and then tapped her thigh. Tiger hopped on Cliff's chest and then jumped off him and ran back to the door. She squeezed out of the cell and jumped in Gia's arms. Cliff was baffled and horrified when he saw Gia cuddling with the tiger that had almost eaten him.

"It's a killer!" he shouted. "He'll eat your face!"

"Tiger wouldn't hurt me," Gia shook her head and kissed the cub on the top of her head, then gave her a loving squeeze. Cliff frowned.

"Are you insane? You need to call animal control on that overgrown bitch!"

"Bitches are dogs," Gia frowned. "If you meant she's an overgrown cat, you'd have to call her a queen. And if we're calling animal control on anyone, it'll be you."

Gia kissed her cub again and then set her down. Tiger looked up at her lovingly, ready for whatever her mistress wanted to do. Gia scratched her behind the ears and then, with a bright, happy smile, took off running playfully after the big cat.


	6. The Accidental Kiss

After a successful battle against the Armada's latest monster, the Rangers were back on the ship. Tensou's new machine had done its job to deactivate the brainwash chip in Cliff's head so the Rangers knew it was safe to use for Gia. Tensou had to make a few little tweaks to adapt the machine to Gia's body, which meant there were still some risks, but nothing as bad as if they had used the machine untested.

The Rangers gathered around on the deck as Gia came back up with Tiger. She set the cub down to play with Ryan and then walked up to Tensou's machine. At the same time, Troy touched Jake's arm.

"You've got to go back."

"What?" Jake frowned and shook his head.

"It's safe. We've got things up here. You still have some thinking to do."

"You saw what it did to Cliff..."

"It's under control," Troy assured him. Jake turned to Gia hoping she would want to have him close for the procedure, but the yellow Ranger shook her head.

"It's better if you're not here," she said. Jake frowned. Now he had a little more to worry about than going back in his cell. He had known Gia wasn't happy with him since he had tried to murder Cliff. Hell, she had broken up with him through Emma. But when he saw the look in her eyes and the way she turned him away, he knew it was much more than that. She wasn't just angry with him. She seemed... scared.

His first instinct was to turn to Emma. He couldn't really reason it himself, but being Gia's best friend he felt she was to blame. Somehow, Emma must have convinced Gia that she didn't need him anymore. He spun around and nearly lunged at the pink Ranger, but Troy and Noah grabbed him and held him back while Emma stood her ground and glared at him.

"It's you! You're doing this!" Jake shouted as he tried to pull away from Troy and Noah to get to Emma. "Gia's stuck doing whatever you say. You've got her thinking she doesn't need me anymore!"

"I don't boss Gia around," Emma shook her head.

"That's what you want her to think!"

"Jake, if that were true, why would she let Gia go through the reversal process?" Noah asked as he fought hard to hold his best friend back. He wanted to see Jake out of his cell. He wanted to have his friend around again to talk to without there being prison bars between them, but Jake wasn't doing himself any favours by lashing out. The team wasn't convinced he was calmed enough not to try to murder Cliff again, and judging by the way Gia watched in horror from the safety of Orion's arms, Jake wasn't helping himself get any closer to making amends with her. "Jake, stop it! You're being ridiculous!"

"I'll tell you what's ridiculous!" Jake shouted. He got one arm free and used it to punch. He was too far away from Emma to connect, but the intention was there. Emma saw it, the boys saw it, and after she saw it, Gia pulled away from Orion and took off running.

"Gia, wait!" Orion called as he went after her. Jake growled at Emma.

"It's exactly what you want!"

"I didn't do this, Jake," Emma shook her head. "You did it. You scared her."

"You're telling her nonsense!"

"Why would I do that?" Emma shouted. "Why would I want her to ever break up with the guy that makes her happy?"

"You're jealous!"

"Because of Jordan?"

"We're happy and you're not!"

"Does this look like happiness to you?" Emma said as she pointed to the side of the ship where Gia took off. "Do you think she's been at all happy since breaking up with you?"

"I don't know what you did..."

"You're scaring her, Jake! You're out of control! If this doesn't stop, you're going to hurt somebody!"

"You've already stabbed her in the chest," Noah nodded. He released his grip on Jake a little as the green Ranger started to settle. He looked him in the eyes, "That doesn't happen by accident."

"It was an accident," Jake muttered. Noah shook his head.

"You've always had a thick skull, Jake, but do you really not see it? Gia would rather have Cliff alive and on the Sky Ship than watch you turn into, well, this!" Noah pointed to the green Ranger. "She didn't protect Cliff from you. She tried to save you from yourself."

"And now that she knows what you're capable of and that you can't stop it, she's scared," Emma looked Jake in the eyes. "Think about it, Jake. Think about what you almost did and how that might look to her."

Jake scoffed, rolled his eyes and then stormed off below deck. Troy went after him just to make sure he walked to his cell and didn't try to do anything else stupid. Emma sighed and then picked up her morpher.

"Orion..."

"I've got her," Orion answered quickly. "We're by the stream. Don't worry."

-Megaforce-

Gia crossed her arms and glared at Orion as he put his morpher away and walked over to her. When she had taken off from the Sky Ship, Orion had followed her. She needed to get away after seeing Jake's outburst on Emma but hadn't put much thought into where she would run to. Orion, to keep her running off too far, had called out for her to stop and stay where she was. The chip in her brain was still programmed to take direct commands. Since coming home, the Rangers had been very careful of how they spoke to her. They didn't want to control her so never told her what to do. Orion had broken that rule and she wasn't happy about it.

He smirked as he walked up and shook his head when he saw her so angry.

"Really?" he asked her. "You're going to throw a tantrum after I saved you from yourself? What if Vrak had come back?"

"Don't tell me what to do," Gia growled.

"Don't take off like that," he said. He pointed to a nearby rock, "Do you want to sit down?"

"I can't," she said. "I'm supposed to stay."

"Oh, right. Um, do what you want, but don't run off again."

"Screw you," Gia muttered. She took a seat on the rock and then turned her back to Orion. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Cliff being on the ship is making us all a little anxious," Orion said. "You can't judge Jake by how he's acting."

"That's exactly how you judge people," Gia rolled her eyes. Orion rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, well... okay, you're right but... You know Jake loves you. He's never..."

"He attacked her!" Gia pointed up to the ship. "He attacked Emma! He almost hit her!"

"Like you've never hit a teammate?" Orion chuckled. Gia turned around and punched him in the chest. Orion groaned and rubbed the spot, "Yeah, exactly."

"I'm serious, Orion..."

"I know," Orion said. He put his arm around Gia's shoulders and pulled her in a little closer. "Jake's just really... worked up right now. He's taking it too far, but can you blame him for what he tried to do to Cliff? We're all thinking it."

"But..."

"Jake's got to calm down. He's got to realize what he's done. I'm sure he will, and when he does, he'll make it up to you. Everything's going to work out."

"Really?" Gia asked. "Because after what I've seen, I don't think there's anything he can do to make up. He was supposed to be different. He was supposed to make me feel safe."

"And he doesn't?"

Gia shook her head, "I told you, Orion, I'm scared. Cliff's not going to be the only asshole on the planet. If I bump into any of them and that sets Jake off... He's going to do something. If I can't trust him anymore..."

"You don't trust him?"

"Not when it comes to restraint. Not anymore," Gia sighed loudly and then looked down at her hands. "There's a fine line between wanting someone dead and actually trying to kill them. Do you know what that line is?"

"Uh... string?" Orion shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not good with your expressions, yet."

"It's restraint. Being able to control yourself and your actions and actually knowing the difference between right and wrong. Jake being able to kill something isn't what shocks me. I watch him beat aliens, and before Cliff got his upgrades, Jake handed him his ass. I know what he can do. I've seen it. But I always figured he knew not to go too far."

Gia turned to Orion and looked him in the eyes, "Vrak broke Cliff out of jail a little over a year ago. He was going to try and use Cliff to get to me – to kill me. When I found out, I knew my friends would try and protect me and I was sick of them getting hurt. So... I went to Cliff."

"Doesn't surprise me," Orion said. Gia sighed.

"Cliff had his way with me and was just about to kill me when the guys showed up. Jake let Cliff have it, beating him up so bad, Cliff actually ran off. But Jake... he never took it too far. He only did that to scare Cliff, to get him to leave me alone. Getting me the help I needed was more important. I was more important. Cliff died later, but that was Vrak's doing. Jake let him live."

"He showed restraint?"

"That's the day I let Jake in," Gia nodded her head. "That's when I knew he was different from the rest. He cared about me. He cared enough about me to be the bigger man. He's not like that anymore. Now all he cares about is one upping Cliff."

Gia rubbed her face in her hands as she sighed loudly again, "Now I'm just a prize. It's a duel to the death between those two and I go to the winner."

"That's it? You feel like I prize?"

"I want Jake to want me to want him, not to feel like he needs to win me by erasing his competition."

"Cliff's not competition," Orion shook his head. "You'd never..."

"No," Gia said. "Cliff's disgusting! I don't even remember what I ever saw in him. And now... that's what Jake's becoming and... I'm scared."

"You shouldn't have to be scared," Orion said. "You need to do what makes you happy. After all this, you deserve it."

"What about Jake?"

"He's got his own thinking to do," Orion nodded. "But what you want isn't up to him. You deserve someone who'll always treat you like a person. Whoever that is."

"I know."

"Come on," Orion said as he got up and gently tugged on her arm. "Let's get back to that ship. We'll deactivate the chip before Jake tries to undo whatever commands he thinks Emma's done."

Gia nodded her head and as she got up, Orion opened his arms for a hug. Gia accepted, knowing she really needed one, but then she took it a step further. Over the last few days, Orion had been amazing to her she wanted to thank him. She leaned in for a kiss on the cheek, but it didn't work out that way. Something stopped her going to the side of his face and instead planted a kiss on the lips and didn't pull away. Orion pushed her off.

"Gia..."

"Oh god..." Gia's eyes widened as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry!"

"Wait, Gia..." Orion tried to stop her but he couldn't. She took off running again, but fortunately it was back to the Sky Ship. Orion had to assume she would find her way to Emma. He sighed loudly as he followed her slowly.


	7. The After Kiss

When Gia returned to the ship, the Rangers assumed she was ready for the operation. Instead, she ran straight to Emma, whispered something to make the pink Ranger's jaw drop and then the two of them hurried off to their bedroom, shutting the door hard to signal they weren't to be bothered. Rebecca crossed her arms.

"Sometimes, I think they forget me for girl talks."

"I doubt they forgot you," Noah put his arm around her. "I think it's just... for best friends."

"Gia's my best friend," Rebecca stated.

"Yeah, but you're not hers," Troy said. Rebecca huffed.

"Then whose best friend am I? Jake and Noah have each other and Orion's the new guy."

"You're my best friend," Troy smiled. Rebecca sighed loudly.

"You're my brother."

"So?"

"That's lame," Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest and then turned to the side of the ship when she heard Orion boarding. She smirked and walked over to him, "Need a best friend?"

"No. Where's Gia?" he asked. Everyone pointed to the door except for Rebecca who huffed again.

"I need new friends."

"We thought she'd go through with the procedure," Troy said to Orion as the silver Ranger walked over. Orion sighed, scratched the back of his neck and looked to his teammates.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Best friends keep secrets," Rebecca said and turned towards the door, "I think that's what they're doing."

Troy and Noah both nodded their heads. Orion took in a deep breath and winced as he spoke, "Gia... kissed me."

"What?" the three of them asked after picking their jaws up off the floor.

"Are you serious?" Noah added. Orion nodded slowly.

"We talked, just like we have been and when we agreed to come back I offered a hug. She moved in and then all of a sudden... we kissed."

"And you didn't..."

"No! I wouldn't! Orion shook his head. "I know what kissing means here on Earth. It's not a big deal to me but..."

"Wait, not a big deal?"

"We kiss all the time on Andrasia. It's a sign of friendship," Orion said to Rebecca. "In fact, if Jordan hadn't explained how intimate it was here on Earth, we probably would have had some awkward encounters."

"Whoa, kiss fest," Rebecca chuckled.

Noah was more curious about the kiss that had happened than about Orion's culture. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked to the silver Ranger, "Okay, wait. Did you kiss Gia or..."

"I just wanted a hug," Orion said. "And not even for myself. She was down, looked like she needed it so I opened my arms. She moved in and all of a sudden her lips were on mine. I swear, I didn't try anything. I didn't even tell her to hug. It just... it happened."

"Are you and Gia..."

"We're not dating," Orion grumbled to Troy. "Seriously, getting married is the last thing on my mind right now."

"Noah said that," Rebecca pointed to her boyfriend.

Orion shook his head, "No. I mean... Andrasians don't date."

"Yeah, I said that too," Noah nodded.

"Look, I have an Armada to stop, people to avenge. I don't... I mean, I'm not looking for..."

"I wasn't looking either," Noah said. "Do you like Gia?"

"She's my friend. And she's Jake's girlfriend. I wouldn't..."

"They broke up," Troy said. "At least, she broke up with him. She's technically fair game..."

"She's not game. She's not a prize," Orion growled aggressively. Troy held his hands up defensively and took a step back.

"Whoa, sorry. I didn't... it's an expression..."

"Well, it's a stupid one," Orion shook his head. "Seriously, is that all you Earthlings think about? Winning women and beating each other up? You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

With that, Orion stormed off to the boy's bedroom and slammed the door. Troy, Noah, Rebecca looked around at each other nervously.

"That came out of nowhere," Noah said.

"Super Mega nowhere," Rebecca agreed. "Do you think Andrasians suffer from mood swings a lot or..."

"This might be about more than a mood swing," Troy sighed. "Pirate life is about to get a lot more complicated."

"What do we tell Jake?" Rebecca asked. Noah shook his head.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"We have no right," Troy said.

"But..."

"It'll set him off," Noah explained. "If you thought he was murderous before, just imagine what he'll try to do when he finds out about the kiss. All his rage will shift right over to Orion. Nothing will save him."

Rebecca gulped. Noah put his arm around her, "Exactly."

-Megaforce-

Emma paced the bedroom as she went over in her head everything Gia had told her about the kiss. None of it made any sense, but it wasn't exactly like Gia would lie about something like this. She made another round around the room before she stopped at the foot of hers and Gia's bed. She looked to her best friend.

"Do you like Orion?"

"I don't know," Gia whispered.

"You don't... so, you do?"

"I don't know," Gia answered again, this time a little harsher. She glared at Emma, "I don't know what's fucking going on! Cliff's back to being just a normal ass, Jake's turning into his own version of Cliff, and Orion's like Jake. What if it's a cycle?"

"It's not a cycle," Emma sat down next to Gia. "Jake's just..."

"He needs to calm down, I know. But what if it's me? What if I'm... OW!"

"We're not doing this again," Emma said after pinching Gia's arm. "You're the problem here."

"Jake's becoming Cliff. What if I... OW!"

"Seriously, stop this," Emma said. "You're not the problem, alright. Jake's losing it, but that's up to him. You didn't want him to do any of this. Besides, we're not talking about Jake. We're trying to figure out why you kissed Orion."

Gia rubbed her face in her hands, "I feel safe with him," she said. "Orion's just... there. He knows what to say, what to do..."

"You are getting closer."

"He's got my back. Just like Jake used to."

"Does," Emma said. "Just like Jake does. Right now it's just... he's got a funny way of showing it."

"I like Orion. He's a great friend but... I can't like him more than that. Jake and I..."

"Broke up," Emma said.

"I can't just jump on the first guy that makes me feel safe again. How's that fair to Jake?"

"Well, he kind of stabbed you in the heart," Emma shrugged. "Kissing someone after breaking up isn't the worst thing that's happen between you two."

"It just... it feels like betrayal. I'm still in love with Jake but now he's been replaced by some murderous asshole and the things I liked about Jake I'm seeing in Orion now."

"So, you like Orion but only because he's reminding you of Jake?"

"Yes?"

"Sounds really confusing."

"Try living it," Gia sighed. She fell back into her pillow. "Now what? How the hell am I going to face Orion after this?"

"I'm sure he'll understand. He knows what's going on."

"But what if Orion being Jake is really just Orion being Orion? What if my new type is guys who make me feel safe?"

"That's not a type, that's smart dating," Emma said with a little laugh. "If you started making out with guys who didn't make you feel safe, you'd be in a lot more trouble than you are right now. I feel safe with Jordan."

Gia looked up at her best friend, "Seriously? You're the Ranger in the relationship."

"So? He still makes me feel safe. I feel important when I'm with him. Like there's someone who doesn't just care about what happens to me, but who actually tries to make sure I'm okay. Someone who'll do anything just to see me do well."

"And what am I?"

"I'm lucky to have two people like that," Emma smiled. She lay down next to Gia. "Look, I'm not saying you should start throwing yourself at Orion and just forget about Jake. Jake was a great guy, and deep down, I know he still is. Once we get over this, I'm sure he'll be just like you remember."

"He can't," Gia shook her head. "Even if he's perfect again, I can't forget this. Jake's... tainted."

"So are you," Emma nudged her best friend gently. "We're all tainted. We've all got a dark side. It's not like this just suddenly appeared for Jake."

"I know. I told Orion what I liked about Jake was his restraint. But he doesn't have that anymore."

"Neither did you," Emma turned her head slightly. "You were always doing stupid things, remember. Even when you knew it was a bad idea, you were always taking off after Vrak or just running away somewhere."

Emma moved in a little closer to Gia, "I can't make you trust Jake again. He's shattered that trust and knowing you, it's going to take a lot to get that back, if he even can."

"What if he can't? Emma, he went after you."

"I know," Emma put her head on Gia's shoulder. "Jake's done a lot. If you can't get past it, you'll have to move on."

"That's the same thing."

"I mean... find someone else," Emma said. "Someone else who makes you feel safe."

"What if they turn into an asshole too?"

"You can live with me and Jordan," Emma smiled. She looked up at Gia, "You're more than welcome. You can babysit our kids!"

"I'll have a job."

"Babysitting?"

"Fat chance. I'm the cool aunt, not a babysitter."

"Free rent if you babysit."

"You were going to charge me rent?"

"Um... no?"

"Why the hell not? I'm not a charity case."

"Now I'm getting a headache," Emma rolled her eyes. "Do you want to live with me or not?"

"I want this to work out. I want... I want what I had."

"With Jake?"

"With someone I can trust."

"Orion?"

"I don't know," Gia muttered. "Just... someone."

"We'll take it slow," Emma agreed. The girls lay together for a moment, just so Gia could compose herself again before she walked out of the room, but suddenly Gia sat up, throwing Emma to the side accidentally.

"Oh god!"

"What?" Emma asked.

"What if Jake finds out?"

"What?"

"About the kiss! Jake's going to flip!"

"Gia, you and him broke up," Emma said. "He might be mad, but you haven't really done anything wrong. Besides, it was an accident, right?"

"Not me," Gia shook her head. "Orion!"

"Huh?"

"If Jake finds out, what is he doing to do to Orion?"

"Orion will be fine. He can take care of himself," Emma said. "Just... let's not worry that right now. We don't have to tell Jake anything."

"He's got to know. I've got to be honest with him."

"Gia."

"What?"

"Not right now," Emma shook her head. She hugged her best friend. "It's fine."


	8. Happiness First

Jake sat almost alone in his cell. Cliff was across the room in his own prison, but after a rather traumatizing "_attack"_ from Tiger he kept to himself. Jake was alone with his thoughts and now that he had a moment to really think about his behaviour, he was beginning to see what his friends were seeing.

He had no regrets for going to murder Cliff. He still wanted his enemy dead, but he remembered Troy's words. He was a Ranger, not a killer. Taking the lives of humans, even the vilest ones, was not the way. Before they could even consider murder, they needed to exhaust all the other options and so far all they had done for Cliff was lock him up. It was a much more difficult journey, but the right path was always just a little bit harder.

Not to mention, his behaviour had to have been horrible for Gia to look at him with such terror. It had taken him months of hard work to earn her trust, and longer still after they started dating to get where they were. One decision had ruined all that. Gia didn't see safety when she looked at him anymore. She didn't see love or understanding or compassion. She saw rage, violence and enough unpredictability to freak her out. She saw him as someone who let his anger get the best of him and who took out his feelings on other people. Jake never regretted wanting to kill Cliff, but he regretted allowing himself to try. He regretted allowing himself to become the very person Gia had tried to run away from.

He brushed his fingers through his hair as he sat on the floor and breathed out a heavy sigh. He shook his head, got to his feet then made his way over to the front. He was ready to apologize to his friends, to Gia, and even to Cliff.

It was what the better person would do.

"Dude," he called to the cyborg. Cliff, who still lay on the floor, turned his head to Jake.

"There's a tiger on this ship."

"Yeah, I know," Jake nodded. He lowered himself so he was a little more at eye level with Cliff. "You're still an ass. I still want to see you die and rot but I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"You're apologizing to me?" Cliff asked with a little bit of a laugh. "Are you that big a pussy..."

"I'm that much more of a man," Jake shook his head. "I know when I've done wrong and I apologize for it."

"We're in a world of kill or be killed, puppy," Cliff said. "I applaud you trying to get me first. If the tables were turned, I would have done it. I'd have killed you, and I would have killed that bitch for trying to save you."

"She didn't save you," Jake said. "She was saving me."

"Well, I'm flattered, but you were the one with the axe..."

"Get your head out of your ass. She was saving me from me," Jake turned away from Cliff and sat down again, "Now I get why she never wanted me to fight you. Why she was happy watching Emma kick your ass but hated the idea of me going out there. I've turned into you."

"Puppy's growing up?"

"I'm not... I don't mean that as a compliment, Cliff. Don't you get it, Gia hates you. Gia wants you dead. Is that seriously what you look for in a relationship?"

"I can control her..."

"No, you can't! You scared her, but not anymore. She'd done with you, with your games, with this abuse..."

"It's not abuse if the bitch deserves it."

"Are you seriously happy?" Jake asked. "When you do have Gia, are you happy."

"Thrilled."

"Seriously? Do you get those little butterflies when you see her? When she smiles, does your day get just a little better, no matter how shitty it's been?"

"She kicks ass in bed."

"Does she make you feel like you're at the top of the world, and as long as you have her, nothing can bring you down. In a good way."

"I am at the top."

"Really?" Jake pointed to the chains. "We may both be prisoners, but I can stand up. In the real world, you're scum. If we released you, they'd lock you up. Gia's mom would make sure you were never free again. If you stay with us, you're living here, at the bottom of the ship. With Vrak, you're nothing but a puppy."

"I'm not going back to Vrak..."

"Look at your life, Cliff. Look at where your decisions brought you! You're little lying next to a pile of shit!"

"Can someone please clean this up!" Cliff shouted but to no avail. No one was coming, not for another couple of hours.

"Is this really how you want to live? Is this really worth getting a woman who'll never love you back?"

"I can make her love me."

"You had her brainwashed and she still loathed you," Jake said. "You might find a way to control a woman's actions, but you'll never feel the kind of love someone gives when they actually do care about you. I pity you, Cliff. I honestly do. You'll never know what it's like to be loved."

"I..."

"Especially by Gia."

"I cared about her," Cliff muttered. Jake glanced over his shoulder.

"Huh?"

"Gia. I cared about her."

"You cared about yourself."

"No. I... I loved her. I still do."

"Bullshit."

"I'm fucking serious! Why the hell do you think I can fuck all the hottest babes in high school and college but I still come home to Gia? What kind of idiot throws away college girls unless he's in love?"

"You don't know how to love."

"Shut your fucking mouth, puppy."

"You didn't!" Jake turned around. "You don't break someone you love. You don't make them cry every night."

"Isn't that what you did?" Cliff snapped back. Jake turned away and shook his head.

"It was an accident."

"My dad taught me how to love, alright. He told me that to be a man, I had to take control. I had to play football, be the star, make other guys wish they were me, beat up the ones that didn't, and not let any woman push me around."

"You're a grown ass man, Cliff. You can't go blaming your problems on daddy."

"Gia and I got in a fight after about a month or so of dating and when I asked my dad how to handle it, he told me to hit her. He told me she should never question me or defy me or anything."

"You still hit her! You still did..."

"I'm an ass, alright!" Cliff shouted. "I was young and stupid so I took my dad's advice. When we fought again, I hit her and it shut her up. I thought my dad was right. I thought I found the trick to getting my way. I thought I could do whatever I wanted because now she couldn't complain. Then Emma started to tell Gia she needed to leave me and... I loved her, alright. I was scared of her leaving. So I made her think she needed me."

"You're disgusting."

"She gave me butterflies. She made my day. She made me feel special. She was the only person who ever made me feel like I was special. I want that back."

"You ruined that. The first time you put your hands on her..."

"You stabbed her," Cliff scoffed. "If you think my shot is ruined, take a look in the mirror, puppy."

"What I did was an accident. It's nowhere near as bad as..."

"Really? So then why is she off sucking face with that blond haired freak?" Cliff asked. Jake frowned deeply.

"What are you...?"

"My hearing's improved because of the Robo-Knight. I can hear you guys chatting even when you're on the deck. The alien just came back on the ship and told all your friends about how Gia kissed him."

"You're lying."

"Really?"

"Gia and I haven't even talked yet," Jake shook his head. "You're making this crap up."

"Ask them," Cliff smirked. Jake turned away but a part of him was curious. Cliff wasn't exactly shy about lying but he did enjoy pushing Jake's buttons. Still, Jake needed to find out. He called out.

"Guys! Someone! I need to talk!"

It took a minute, but Noah came down the stairs and stepped into the room. He looked at Jake.

"What's up?"

"You swear to tell me the truth?"

"Um, okay," Noah frowned. "Jake, what's going on?"

"It's not true, is it? Orion and Gia didn't... kiss?"

Noah's first reaction was simply to blink as he tried to figure out what to say. Everyone had agreed to keep quiet about the kiss just for simplicity sake until Orion and Gia could talk about it one on one. No one had told Jake, and thought it best he not find out from anyone but Orion or Gia and not until he calmed down.

How he knew was a mystery.

"That's... that's... why would you think that?" Noah asked.

Noah's deflection didn't go unnoticed by Jake. Since they had been very young, Jake had been able to tell when Noah was lying. He frowned deeply.

"Tell me."

"I mean, why would Orion and Gia even..."

"Tell me..."

"Alright, fine," Noah couldn't hold up the ruse too long, especially when Jake knew he was lying. "They did. But you didn't hear it from..."

"Where the hell is he?"

"Jake, come on, calm down. It's not a big deal..."

"Are you fucking brain dead, Noah! It's a huge deal! It's the biggest fucking deal! How the hell could they do that to me?"

"Everything's just really complicated..."

"And what the hell is that asshole thinking, moving in on my girl like that! I'm going to fucking kill him! I'm going to..."

Jake cut himself off when he heard what he said. He turned to Cliff and saw the cyborg smirking contently. Jake frowned, shook his head, and then backed up in his cell.

"I... I..."

"Puppy's turning into a wolf," Cliff smirked.

"I'm a monster," Jake said to Noah. "I can't help it."

"Hey, don't give up on yourself," Noah shook his head. He pointed to Cliff, "You're better than this guy. You just... you've got to remember what's important here."

"Noah, I would have hurt Orion. If it weren't for this prison, I'd be up there pounding the shit out of him already. I'd pound him into the ground and then I would have screamed at her."

"Hit her," Cliff said. "I saw that look. You'd have lost it."

"Don't listen to him," Noah said. Jake nodded his head.

"No... he's... he might be right. What if I had..."

"That's not the Jake I know," Noah said. "Jake, you're a good person. You've just got to remember what's really important here. Gia..."

"Deserves better," Jake said. "I can't be trusted. I can barely keep myself under control. She doesn't need that."

Jake grabbed the bars and looked to Noah desperately, "Please, dude, bring her down here."

"Jake, I think if you just..."

"I want her to know it's okay."

"What are you...?"

"I'm not good enough for her, dude," Jake said. "If... if she thinks Orion can do a better job... if he's really better for her... she has my blessing."

"You're crazy," Noah shook his head and rubbed his ears, just to make sure he was hearing his best friend correctly. "You mean you want them together?"

"What's really important is Gia," Jake said. "I want her safe. I want her happy. I can't do that. Not right now."

"Jake, if you let her go, you might never win her back," Noah said. "Orion isn't just going to keep her warm for you. If they go get together, she might like him..."

"Fine, if that's how it's supposed to be, let it be."

"But this is Gia we're talking about. All that hard work. All those fights," Noah pointed again to Cliff, "Everything you've done to make her forget about this scumbag..."

"I wanted to make her happy," Jake walked to the back of his cell and sat down. "I did those things to make her happy."

"So you're giving up?"

"I'm not giving up," Jake shook his head. "I'm just not going to let myself turn into Cliff. Gia deserves to be happy."

"You make her happy."

"I did, and maybe one day I will again, but right now... Noah, right now, she can barely look at me. Bring her down here, just so I can talk to her. Please..."

"I'll send her down tonight," Noah said. "Until then, please just think about this, Jake. You've got to think about yourself. If you lose Gia you're going to be miserable."

"I'll figure it out," Jake shrugged. "Besides, I did this to myself."

Jake put his face in his hands and sighed loudly. Noah turned around to Cliff. He glared at the cyborg.

"I hope you're happy."

"I'm thrilled," Cliff smirked. "If I can't have her..."

"Good luck sleeping tonight, Cliff," Noah said and then slammed the door as he walked out. Cliff smiled, pleased with himself, until he got a whiff of the air and remembered Tiger's feces was still right next to his head. He cried out.

"Get back here you four eyed punk! Someone has to clean up after that pest!"


	9. A Questionable Solution

Against her better judgement, after her procedure to deactivate the chip in her brain, Gia made her way down to the prison cells. Jake had asked to speak with her and Gia wanted to hear him out. After her very confusing kiss with Orion, she wanted to give Jake a fair shot if he was going to plead his case. It was the least she could do.

"What stinks?" she asked as she walked up to the cells. Jake scurried to his feet to see her while Cliff continued to lay in his chains on his back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, don't mind the giant turd you guys have left by my face for hours!" Cliff rolled his eyes. Gia turned her back to him to look at Jake. He leaned against the bars, smiling a little as he looked back at her.

But it was a painful smile. Something was hurting him. Though Gia was scared, she didn't like to see him hurt.

"Is everything okay?"

Jake nodded his head, "The breakup..."

"Jake..."

"I accept."

Gia looked a little confused. She shook her head.

"What?"

"I accept or... you know, whatever," Jake shrugged. "I've got some things to work through. Cliff being here has shown me that maybe I'm not exactly the kind of guy you need. I saw the way you looked at me up there. I've realized... I've let myself go too far."

Gia put her arms around herself and looked down at her feet, "Are you saying..."

"I'm saying you need to do what's best for you. I've really screwed up and I'm sorry. If you think Orion's the kind of guy that you want... Don't worry about me."

"O-Orion? What about Orion...?"

"He knows about the kiss," Cliff spoke up. "God, can't you two just get on with this? You broke up with him, now he's breaking up with you. You don't want each other."

"You don't want me?" Gia turned back to Jake with a deep frown. He shook his head.

"Cliff's being and idiot. I do want you..."

"It doesn't sound like it."

"Gia, I can't have you now. I'm a mess. With this guy around..."

"What does Cliff have to do with any of this?"

"I can't control myself when he's around. That's not what you deserve. Orion can take care of you now. I'm fine with it."

"Fine with what? How did you even find out about the kiss? Jake you can't just give up."

"I'm doing what's best," Jake said. He looked at Gia, "You can't be with me. You can't even trust me anymore. We don't have a relationship."

"So, you're not even going to try?" Gia asked him. "You're just throwing in the towel."

"I'm letting you choose Orion. Guilt free. If you think he's the guy..."

"You're an asshole," Gia punched him in the shoulder and then stormed off. Jake rubbed his shoulder as he watched her go with a frown.

"What the hell did I do? I told her she could go."

"You're pissing them all off, that's what you're doing," Cliff muttered. "I guess I'll really be sleeping next to this turd tonight. You know, this is torture, right?"

"Shut up, Cliff. No one cares."

"Maybe your little four eyed nerd was right. You shouldn't have let her go," Cliff smirked. "Gia doesn't come back."

"What do you know?"

"I let her go for college, remember? I had her in my pocket, doing everything to please me right up until then. When I came back to make her mine again, that's when she refused. She's a bitch, that way."

"This is nothing like that."

"You've lost her. Welcome to the club, puppy."

"At least I'm working out my issues..."

"What issues?" Cliff frowned. "You tried to do her and your team a favour by killing me and they call you crazy and lock you up. Then you get pissed at the alien for making a move on your girl and they think you're the worst guy to walk the Earth."

"Stop talking, Cliff."

"Who wouldn't want to punch a guy for kissing his girl? Who on this team doesn't want to kill me? You're not the problem here, puppy. They are."

"Shut up. Shut up! You're not manipulating me, Cliff!" Jake smashed his fists against his bars. "Going after you was right, but I went about it the wrong way. I know my mistakes, and I'm man enough to admit to them!"

"You feel like making that apology to the rest of the ship?" Troy asked as he walked up to the cell with the key in his hand. "Noah says you've calmed down."

"Anything to get me out of here," Jake nodded. Troy unlocked the door and let him out. Before Jake left, he walked up to Cliff's cell and knelt down. "I'm going to embrace what you never did. A second chance. Have fun rotting in hell, you scumbag."

"Don't work him up," Troy said. He grabbed Jake by the arm and walked him out onto the deck. Orion and Gia weren't there, but the rest of the Rangers greeted him. Emma stood front and center. Jake had to assume that of everyone, she was the most eager to hear his apology. He bowed his head.

"I just want to start by saying, I do still want Cliff dead but we're not that kind of team. We protect the innocent from harm. We don't seek out fights or violence or murder. We've got Cliff where we want him, he can't hurt anyone... I shouldn't have attacked him like I did."

"We all want him dead, Jake," Emma nodded.

"And chopped into little piece," Noah agreed.

"And baked over a fire," Rebecca said. There was a silence after she spoke. She shrugged her shoulders, "What? I never said we were going to eat him. Whatever, go on."

Jake rolled his eyes, "Right. Where was I? Oh, look, Cliff's dangerous and as long as he's around, especially on our ship, I'm scared. He's a threat to Gia and a threat to the rest of us by extension. But we wouldn't be Rangers, good Rangers, if we didn't try to help everyone. I'm sorry I let my fear get the better of me. I'm sorry I freaked you all out."

Jake then turned to Emma, "And I'm sorry about what I said and did to you. I know you've always got Gia's back and you'd never sabotage our relationship because you miss Jordan. You're a much better person than I am and... I guess that's why Gia trusts you more than me when it comes to kicking Cliff's ass. You know not to take it too far."

Jake looked back to the rest of his teammates, "We should try what we can to change Cliff, but if we can't do it, beating him to death isn't the way to go. He doesn't deserve it but we should put him down humanely."

"Um... maybe this would be a good time to report my findings," Tensou said as he rolled up to the Rangers. "I've completed all my scans and looked at the many possible ways of recovering the parts and technology Vrak stole from Robo-Knight. The good news is, there is enough to recreate him and with a little work, I can restore his memory."

"We can get Robo-Knight back?" Troy asked. Tensou nodded his head.

"It will take a lot of time, but it is possible. However, there is bad, well, good... well, news. If we retrieve the Robo-Knight technology, we kill Cliff."

"What are the odds?"

"100%. Cliff is about 80% Robo-Knight. Most of his vital organs are robotic and belong to Robo-Knight. His heart, his liver, both kidneys... it goes on. Only his skin and his brain, really, belong to him."

"Wait, we saw him lose an arm," Emma said, "But I saw Cliff before Vrak combined him with the Robo-Knight. And, I mean, I saw all of him. He was completely human."

"I guess, after all the upgrades, Vrak just decided Robotic was best. Definitely easier to clean up after battles," Tensou said. "All I know is, if we want Robo-Knight back, Cliff loses his life."

"Can I kill him now?" Jake raised his hand only slighty while everyone turned to Troy. The red Ranger shook his head.

"We've got to talk to Gia."


	10. Cliff's Fate Sealed

While the Rangers were listening to an apology from Jake, Gia and Orion were in Gia's bedroom. They had a lot to discuss, which was quite complicated for them because both were confused about what it was they wanted to talk about.

But Orion did know where to start. As he sat on the opposite end of the bed, he played with a loose string and glanced up only occasionally at Gia.

"Just so you know... kissing is no big deal on Andrasia," he said. "We don't have dating and romance and that so most of what you guys consider to be intimate is really just friendly greeting or signs of friendship. Kissing, for example."

Gia nodded her head, "I wish that was what I intended."

"You wanted to kiss me?"

"You've been a really great guy, Orion," Gia said as she played with the corner of her pillow. "Like, amazing. I can't remember the last time I trusted someone as quickly as I learned to trust you. There's got to be a reason for that."

"I'm not trying to hurt you," Orion stated. "You're one of my friends. I would never want to hurt you."

"I know," Gia said. "It's just that... lately, the way I've felt for you is the same way Jake made me feel. You know, before all this. I want that."

"I'm not trying to take his place. I would never want to. Jake is obviously very special to you and..."

"I don't think I'm special to him," Gia shook her head. Orion frowned deeply.

"What does that mean?"

"I did want my space. I did want some time apart," Gia shrugged. "Jake's obviously got something to work through and I don't want to get caught in the crossfire or be the reason he blows up. But when I called us off, I didn't want him to give up."

"Give up? What does that mean?"

"I wanted him to want me back," Gia said. "I wanted him to... chase after me. Does that make sense?"

"Romance confuses me," Orion answered. "I don't really get any of it."

"He let me go. He's... Maybe he's trying to tell me he's done with this," Gia brought her pillow closer to her chest and rested her chin on it. "You probably know this, but I'm a bit of a pain in the ass."

"I wouldn't have you any other way," Orion chuckled.

"All this stuff with Cliff, all my insecurities, my rules, even my life. It's just one thing after another. I guess Jake realized he's not able to keep up anymore. He said... it was okay for us to date."

"You and him?"

"You and me," Gia said. "He knows about the kiss and... he's okay with it."

"But that's not what you want?"

"I don't know what I want," Gia sighed. "I mean, don't freak out, but if you really are the guy you are now, and if you're not just acting this way to fill Jake's shoes then yes, I want to be with you."

"You want me?"

"Someone like you. I... I meant, someone like you," Gia bit her lip, took in a deep breath and then looked to Orion, "Though I wouldn't mind you."

"What?"

"I trust you, my friends trust you, Rebecca's already talking about how we could be dating and Jake seems to have given us the green light," Gia shrugged. "Maybe... it wouldn't hurt to give this a shot. I... I mean, if you want to."

"Date?" Orion asked. "I know next to nothing about dating. The closest thing we have on Andrasia is courting women until they chose who to mate with and with everything you've been through, I don't think you're thinking of mating with me..."

"Think of it as extended courting," Gia said. "With me also trying to win you over. But only if you want to. Only if you feel the same way. I mean, I'm just saying, if we both..."

"I like you," Orion nodded. "More... more than I like the others. This whole planet is strange, all your people are strange, the way you live is strange but... with you, I kind of forget about that."

"You do?"

"I don't know why," Orion shrugged. "I mean, it's not like we had the friendliest of first encounters. We did hate each other at first. Then there was that time I kidnapped you..."

"You were well meaning," Gia said. "Besides, that's still not the stupidest thing a Ranger's done."

"Look, I'm new to this planet and I'm constantly reminded of that. Whenever we go out, whenever the others talk, the games you play, your relationships, it's all so weird. But when it's you and me... it's not weird. I feel less like an outsider looking in and more like... more like I can make this place my home."

"So... what if we took it slow?" Gia asked. "We can see where this... liking each other thing takes us."

"As long as you're sure Jake's really given up," Orion nodded. "I wouldn't dare step on his toes."

"He told me himself. I guess I'm not worth fighting for anymore," Gia sighed. Orion reached out and took her hand.

"I'd fight for you."

Gia smiled, looked up at Orion and nodded, "I'd fight for you too."

A knock on the door interrupted them both as the Rangers walked in. Gia and Orion leaned back into their respective sides of the bed as they looked to their teammates. Troy stepped forward, looking more than a little uncomfortable with what he had to say.

"We need to talk."

"We do?" Gia asked.

"Tensou's finished with his scans. We can salvage enough of Robo-Knight to rebuild him completely. Memory and all."

"That's great," Gia said. "So why do you all look so... weird?"

"Cliff is about 80% Robo-Knight," Troy said. "If we separate them, Cliff dies."

"We're just waiting for your orders to let him go, captain," Rebecca smiled.

"What do you mean, he dies?"

"Vrak replaced his vital organs with Robo-Knight technology," Noah said. "Kind of like how we replaced your heart. The thing is, those organs serve a purpose for Robo-Knight too. We can't rebuild him without them, but if we take them from Cliff, obviously he dies."

"We've got the perfect excuse," Emma told Gia with a little smile. "The Armada's pushing us, Vrak's always a problem. We can increase our numbers and our power if we get Robo-Knight back. No one's going to miss Cliff anyways."

"We just want to make it unanimous," Troy said. "We want to be a united front just in case, you know."

"I think this is for the best," Orion voiced his thoughts before he turned to Gia, "What do you think?"

"There's nothing else?"

"Gia, just make the call," Jake told her. "We've finally got that bastard right where we want him. He's done so much to hurt us; this is honestly the best thing he can hope for as far as I'm concerned."

"Let me talk to him," Gia stated and jaws dropped. Emma shook her head and pulled her best friend aside.

"Okay, you know I never want to see things suffer and people die and stuff," she said. "So if I'm telling you that Cliff needs to die..."

"I haven't said no. I just want to talk to him."

"But Gia..."

"I gave you a chance with Rico."

"Rico never raped me. He never tried to hurt me," Emma shook her head. "Rico was good. Cliff is bad. Robo-Knight is good. Cliff is bad. How many times do I have to say it?"

"Cliff never considered my thoughts," Gia said. "The least I can do is..."

"Screw him!"

"I'm better than that. I'm a better person. That means I at least have to hear him out."

"He's going to tell you not to kill him. You know what he's going to say. What does it matter?"

"Emma, I can't just give out the order to kill him," Gia shook her head.

"That's what you've earned! After the hell he put you through..."

"This isn't an eye for an eye," Gia said. "I'm just going to see where his head's at."

"We can't trust him. We can't keep him around! Gia, if he hurts you..."

"I need to talk to him," Gia put her hands on Emma's shoulders and gently moved the pink Ranger out of the way. She walked out, leaving her friends completely baffled by her reaction but she didn't care. If Cliff's life really was over, there was a lot she needed to go over, and unfortunately she needed to do so with him. Not to mention, she wasn't a cold blooded killer. Cliff had put himself down this path to self-destruction, but she couldn't just execute him without giving him one final chance to turn himself around.

She didn't want his blood on her hands.

She walked down to his cell and saw him looking at her. She closed the door to the prison room and locked it so they could speak privately. Her friends weren't happy she was letting him plead his case and were likely to try and interrupt. She grabbed a stool and sat down.

"Here's the deal," she told him as he tried to sit himself up. "It's no surprise we want Robo-Knight back. Tensou knows what he's got to do and unfortunately, it's not looking good for you."

"I am Robo-Knight," Cliff said.

"That's your problem. You're a threat. You're dangerous. You're wild. You've hurt way too many people already. It's no surprise everyone upstairs is more than ready to sacrifice you to get our friend back."

"Is that what you're here to do?" Cliff asked. "You've got the honours?"

"Was this all really worth it, Cliff?" Gia leaned forward slightly. "All this fighting, all the strain, all your efforts. What did you accomplish?"

"I got you."

"Was I worth it? To you, am I really worth dying for?" Gia asked and then gestured out the small porthole Cliff had. "To get to me, you gave yourself to a monster who doesn't even give a damn what happens to you. Since we brought you here, Vrak hasn't tried once to get you back. He's fought harder for me and I was never his loyal puppet."

"I don't want to go back to Vrak. He did this to me. He..."

"He never did this to you," Gia shook her head. "You let yourself turn into something so evil, Vrak couldn't resist taking you on board. You might see this as a compliment, but I've had twice as many nightmares about you than I've had of him. You're literally the most disgusting, horrible, and the biggest mistake of my entire life, and I fight fucking monsters for a living. You have more people on this planet who hate you and want to see you die than you have people who actually give a fuck about what happens to you. Your own sister tried to convince me to let you die! Emma didn't even want to see the mutants die, and they tried to destroy the Earth."

Gia shook her head and then glared at Cliff, "Seriously, is this how you envisioned your life going? If we do go through with this, not a single tear will be shed for you. Your memory will literally end right here, in this cell, next to Tiger's shit. You'll die alone and weak. Do you have anything to say for yourself? Anything to say to me?"

"Are you looking for an apology?"

"I've stop expecting good things from you a long time ago," Gia shook her head. "I just want to know what your last words really are."

Cliff lowered his head and looked down at his chains. For days now he had tried to break free of them but to no avail. The Rangers had captured him and he was at their mercy. It was a mercy he knew he didn't deserve, and with his life now in the way of them getting their precious Robo-Knight back, he was sure he had no chance to escape.

"I am sorry," he said. Gia looked like she hadn't heard him. He spoke up. "I said I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I never meant for any of this to happen."

He seemed to have her attention. He shook his head. "You were honestly the best thing that's ever happened to me. I loved you so much; I didn't know what to do with myself. So I did the only thing I knew how. I made sure you would never leave.

"But I regret it," Cliff continued. "I regret it all. Every time I hit you, put you down, or forced you to do anything you didn't want to do. I was an ass, and if I could do it all again I..."

"Bullshit."

"What? No, Gia I..."

"Do you think I'm giving you another chance?" Gia asked him. "Do you think any amount of protest on your part will convince me to ignore the advice of my friends, of the people who actually do care about me?"

"I did. I loved you..."

"I'm not buying it. Not a word."

"I mean it."

"Prove it," Gia said. She walked over to the safe, where the Rangers had locked up all of Robo-Knight's weapons. Just in case Cliff got out, they didn't want to give him access to his sword and blaster. Gia opened it, picked up the Vulcan Cannon and adjusted the setting. She then unlocked Cliff's cell and walked up to him. She put the blaster in his hand and then took a few steps back, "I've turned your safety off. If you really loved me, you'll do for us what we need to have done. Tensou can repair any damage this causes to the Robo-Knight armour. We'll get what we want, we'll save the world and you won't be able to hurt me or the people I care about again."

"You want me to kill myself?"

"If you do really love me, you'll want me happy. That's what love is, Cliff. That's how you know someone's special. You don't beat them up, you don't force them to have sex with you, and you don't humiliate them all the time in front of your friends. You fight for them. You give them what they need. It's what my friends have always done for me. Jake, Emma, Troy, Noah, Rebecca, Jordan, Orion... all of them love me."

"So if I kill myself, I prove to you that I love you?"

"You certainly won't prove it with the alternative," Gia nodded her head. "You could also choose to shoot me. Kill me now, make sure no one can ever have me again, because we both know you certainly never will. Or, you can do nothing. You can do nothing and work _with_ us against the Armada. Actually use you powers for good, get yourself some help and be a better person. Do you want to be a better person?"

"Will I have you?"

"That ship's sailed, Cliff."

Cliff looked down at the Vulcan Cannon. He couldn't use it to free himself from the chains. The blast was too strong. If he shot the chains he would kill himself. Then he looked up at Gia. If he shot her, he certainly would have accomplished his own goal of if he couldn't have her, no one could.

So he pointed the blaster at her with his finger on the trigger.

"I take it this was all a lie," she said. Cliff frowned, shook his head and then turned the blaster on himself.

"I did love you," he said and then fired. The wall behind him was able to withstand the blast, but his body could not. When he fired, the explosion filled his cell, knocking Gia out and sending her straight into the doors of what had been Jake's prison. She hit the cell and then the floor hard, and coughed loudly as smoke filled the room. As the smoke started to clear she could see her friends rushing down in a panic and then saw pieces of the Robo-Knight scattered where Cliff had been sitting only seconds before.

But she couldn't see Cliff. Just various parts of Robo-Knight technology. Cliff's body was nowhere to be found.

"Gia!" Emma called and was the first to find Gia through the smoke. She wrapped her arms around her and helped her up to her feet, "Are you okay? What the hell happened?"

"He's gone," Gia answered. Orion was next by her side and she threw herself in his arms. "I really beat him."


	11. The Biggest Victory To Date

Orion sat with Gia, stroking her hair as she lay in bed and explained to him how Cliff got to the point of taking his own life. Orion was stunned, shocked that Cliff would ever consider killing himself, but at the same time, the way Gia had explained it, he wasn't surprised. Really, the only thing that had shocked him was Cliff's confession that he had always loved Gia.

The yellow Ranger showered after her ordeal. She had some of Cliff's blood splattered all over her and wanted to wash it off quickly and then lay down in her bed with Orion sitting next to her just to relax. Not long after they were settled, Emma knocked on the door and walked in the room. She tried not to let it show, but she was thrilled at how everything had turned out. She walked up to the bed and sat down next to Gia.

"He's really gone?"

"I beat him," Gia nodded. "He tried to tell me he loved me. He tried to say he regretted everything. He tried to play me one last time and it didn't work. He didn't win."

"He killed himself," Orion said. "Gia gave him the Vulcan Cannon and told him what she wanted him to do with it."

"Cliff gave me that choice the other day," Gia said to Emma. "He said if I really would rather die than be with him, I could shoot myself. I figured I'd return the favour."

"And he actually did it?"

"I think he wanted to guilt trip me," Gia nodded. "Right before he shot himself, he told me he did love me. He might want me to feel bad for this. To wonder, you know, what could have happened between us if I gave him just one more chance."

"What do you think?" Emma asked.

"I gave him too many chances," Gia whispered. "For nearly a year, every time he beat me, he'd always come back with an apology and I always thought it would be the last one. That he really would change and that this would all stop and that we would be happy together again. I must have given him a hundred second chances, and every time he just got worse. This time would have been no different. I'm positive."

"He's gone for good," Emma nodded. "The guys are downstairs collecting what's left of Robo-Knight. Tensou's going to start rebuilding him, hopefully before the Armada launches their final strike, and there's nothing left of Cliff to salvage. He died on our ship, out of Vrak's control. He's really gone, Gia. This is it. It's over."

Gia sat up, put her arms around Emma and hugged her tight. No words were spoken. Absolutely nothing needed to be said between the two girls. Emma gave Gia one last loving squeeze before she let go and got up to give Gia some time to rest up. As she walked out, Orion followed. He closed the door to their bedroom quietly and then grabbed Emma's arm, stopping her to talk while there was no one else up on the deck.

"You must be happy," he said, and it was all he could say. Emma threw herself into his arms and then started to sob loudly. Orion was confused at first but then realized this wasn't the type of crying he was used to hearing on the Sky Ship. This wasn't a cry of pain or anger or fear.

It was relief. Emma was crying in relief. He put his arms around her, gave her a little squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

"You win," he told her. "You've finally done it."


End file.

Power Rangers, Friendship, Hurt-Comfort