Power Rangers Time Force
"A Parting Of The Ways"
Original Air Date:03/10/01		Tentaclaw footage from: Timeranger #13 - Patoru Kajino (Battle Casino) "Punky Bruisester" footage from: Timeranger #12 - Nejireta Seiken (The Twisted True Fist)
*Season 9, byte 06 *Official Fox Kids Show Number PR-1106 *06th episode of PRTF *384th total Power Rangers episode
Writer: Judd Lynn & Jackie Marchand		Director: Worth Keeter
Starring Cast: Jason Faunt _AS_ Wes (Red Ranger) Michael Copon _AS_ Lucas (Blue Ranger) Kevin Kleinberg _AS_ Trip (Green Ranger) Deborah Estelle Philips _AS_ Katie (Yellow Ranger) Erin Cahill _AS_ Jen (Pink Ranger) Vernon Wells _AS_ Ransik Kate Sheldon _AS_ Nadira Edward Laurence Albert _AS_ Mr. Collins		Additional Cast: Douglas Fisher _AS_ Philips, the Butler Danny Turner _AS_ Frankie Gary Dubin _AS_ Reporter #1 Pauline Tannous _AS_ Reporter #2 Brianne Siddall _AS_ Circuit (voice) Eddie Frierson _AS_ Frax (voice; uncredited!) Neil Kaplan _AS_ Gluto (voice) Ezra Weisz _AS_ Tentaclaw (voice) Grunty McGruntGrunt or ? _AS_ "Punky Bruisester" (voice)

SUMMARY:

Straight into the action we go, as the Red Time Force Ranger stands poised and ready for battle in what looks to be the warehouse district of town. He flexes his fists and shouts, "Time Force!" Red then leaps into the air, and kicks a mutant in the chest, causing sparks to burst. The mutant is unnamed, his voice actor uncredited, but he's been seen on PRTF before. He was the large red coated, green mohawked, purple faced with sunglasses wearing mutant shown cryofrozen in the first episode, nicknamed by me as "Punky Bruisester". So that's the name we'll use here again. Red Ranger leaps back into the air, his body trailing, as he slams his fist into the creature. Wes then tosses yet another punch into the mutant, this time standing firmly and hitting directly. Punky bursts with sparks again, and waaaaaay in the background, we see the other four Time Force Rangers. They appear to be recovering from an attack, with Pink still crouched on the ground. Anyway, that last punch sends Punky flying through the air, and slamming into a wall. Fed up, and speaking only in grunts, Punky grabs the gold & black patch on his arm, and rips it off. His mutant DNA is exposed, and the molecules begin to chain react instantly. Punky Bruisester grows tall, prompting Red Ranger to yell into his Chrono-Morpher, "Circuit, we need help!" Back at the Clock Tower, Circuit, the robotic owl assistant, awakens and replies, "You got it. Time Flyers, online!" Suddenly, all five Time Flyers are shown zooming through the skies. No Trans-Warp pitching through the Time Gate or even a shot of the vortex! As we learned last episode, they need to always return for refueling, so obviously we just skipped over the stuff we know by heart by now. Oddly, the Time Flyers come together in a new configuration. Rather than a humanoid shaped Megazord, they form a V-shaped flying craft, resembling the Delta Megaship! Punky looks up, and fires a set of eyebeam blasts from over his sunglasses. The flying Time craft swoops overhead, dodging all laserblasts shot its way. Inside the control room, Red Ranger grips the control saber and initiates, "Jet Mode, now!" Seems that's the name of this third combination, Time Force Megazord in Jet Mode. Would have been nice to have had an introduction to it, wouldn't it? Jet Mode suddenly zooms around in a circle in midair, causing a large cloudy tornado to form in the area between it. The instant whirlwind is lead across the city (hopefully killing no cows), and tossed into Bruisester, sending him hurtling backwards from the updraft. Jet Mode cuts off the twister attack, and breaks apart. It transforms over to Time Force Megazord Mode Blue. It lands on its feet, inspiring Punky to charge towards it, growling all the way. Red Ranger takes command of Mode Blue's fighting ability, and as he punches rapidly into the air, so does the Megazord mimic his moves. Bruisester gets bruised a few million times, sparks bursting, until one final punch sends him flipping backwards. The mutant's body winds up slamming into a tall building, shattering it to explosive bits in his wake! Debris from the innocent tower continues to fly everywhere, as Punky finally falls to the ground a few blocks behind it. As the mutant is groaning from the intensive beating, Time Force Megazord Mode Red is created. The Saber pops out of its chest, and Red Ranger has his own version of it in his hands. He commands, "Full power! Hyah!", and Mode Red readies the Saber-induced green clockface. Punky recovers, and returns for more abuse. He charges across the city, and passes by Mode Red, just as its eyes light up, and the Saber is ripped through the monster's gut. Megazord & mutant both freeze in place, as Red Ranger, Saber-prop in one hand, motions his other hand and remarks, "Your time's... UP!" The green clockface counts down to 12 rather quickly, and Punky Bruisester explodes into a hailstorm of sparking without hesitation. His body is engulfed in flames, the DNA chain reaction reverses, and he falls to the ground in re-chrono-frozen tiny mode. Time Force Megazord in Mode Red poses in the sunny skyline of Silver Hills, with Saber in one hand and shield on the other, basking in the smokey breeze left over by the defeated monster.

[Opening Credits]

Soon, at the Clock Tower, Wes Collins sits on the balcony, just aside from the central clock face. He looks out over the city (wearing a red shirt and brown pants, notice he changes outfits every episode, while his teammates always wear the same thing!), contemplating thoughts. Jen walks over, notices him nearly pounding the back of his head into the stone wall, and asks him, "Something on your mind?" Wes elaborates to her, "Ahh, i'm just thinkin'. You know, it's funny how, when you least expect, life can take such AMAZING turns." Jen mentions, "You mean like becoming a Ranger?" Wes turns his head and looks down at her, confirming, "Yeah!" Jen adds, "Well, i'm glad life's so funny. You're a GREAT Red Ranger." She smiles and walks off, causing Wes to hop off the balcony and ask, "Huh!? Really!? YOU think i'm GREAT?" Jen downplays the compliment, "Well.... YEAH, you're... pretty good." Wes stops her with a gentle touch to the arm, saying, "Whoah-whoa-whoa, you just said 'Great', not JUST 'Pretty good'." Jen corrects herself, "Well, I meant... above average!" She nods, smirks, he's hanging on to her every word, and she adds, "BARELY!" Jen playfully slaps his chest and continues on her way, as Wes leans his head back in frustrated defeat. He follows her, shouting, "BARELY!? Wait a sec!"

Later, at a park in downtown Silver Hills, several young kids are playing baseball. On the street nearby, Wes is wearing his usual business suit, and walking back to the black stretched limo with his father, known only as Mister Collins. Both have their hands in their pockets, like father like son. Mr. Collins, or Collins for short, remarks to Wes, "Now, of course, you WILL be taking my place at BioLab." (called "BioSynth" in a previous episode) Wes obeys his dad, replying, "Yes, sir." Collins continues, "You need to be ready, and Harvard's an excellent university!" Wes says again, "Yes, sir." They reach the front of the limo, where we see Philips the butler wiping off the windshield with a rag. Collins cautions Wes, "But son, listen to me, there's NO substitute for experience." Just then, one of the kids in the park, named Frankie, hits a fly ball with his aluminum bat. The ball ends up dropping directly atop the limo's hood, leaving no dent or scratch thankfully. Collins says, "Listen...", but his conversation is cut off by the thumping of the ball on the hood. It narrowly misses beaning Philips on his bald British head, yet the good natured manservant simply turns and comments, "Nice hit!" Mr. Collins is thoroughly peeved, his face turning to Mister Burns mode, as he glowers at the children. Frankie runs over, and apologizes to Collins, "Sorry, mister!" Collins has the ball firmly in hand now, tossing it in the air and catching it with ease. He states cruelly, "Do you know what I think? I think i'm gonna keep this. Let that be a lesson to you." Frankie is quite saddened, and Wes looks at his father quite stunned. Mr. Collins tells the boy, "Go on, get out of here. Go on!" Frankie finally does, returning to the flock of fellow children, where they all groan defeatedly upon learning the boss was lost. Wes tries reasoning with papa, "Dad, he's just a kid!" Collins notes harshly, "He's just a kid who learned a good lesson. I'll see you at dinner. Throw this in the trash." He tosses Wes the baseball, and heads over to the limo. Philips opens the door for his boss, and gives Wes a look of sympathy. Wes looks back at the kids, then watches as his father's limo rolls off. Momentarily, Wes is back on his usual blue motorcycle. He calls out to Frankie, "Hey kid!", and motions his finger for him to come over. The boy staggers to Wes, who looks at the baseball, then tosses it to Frankie. Wes orders him kindly, "Hit a homer!" Frankie smiles and replies, "Thanks!" He returns to his pals, who all cheer, before returning to their baseball game, after a slight evil old coot tycoon delay. Wes smiles, and slips on his motorcycle helmet.

Elsewhere, in the wooden outskirts of Silver Hills, the Prison Ship is resting comfortably. Speaking of comfortably, inside, Ransik is getting a massage! He's sitting in one of those special massage chairs, with his half-plated face sticking through the hole in the facial area, yelling, "Hard-er!" Who's giving him a massage? Why, two Cyclobots! Sheesh, those drones are quite multipurpose. They can do nails, rob banks, give massages, fan you, and clean up in a jiffy! The two Cyclos beat at Ransik's back, but it's not enough for the rugged villain. He screams louder, "HARDER!" The Cyclobots look at each other, and both begin to severely pound their fists into the mutant master. It doesn't hurt him too much, but instead causes the chair he's resting frontally against to rock side to side. Ransik lifts his hand, pointing his fingers as a gesture of them ceasing. They fail to see it, so Ransik cries out, "No, soft... Softer. SOFTER!" Failing to heed his demands, Ransik stands up, and shoves one of the Cyclobots firmly against the shoulders. He yells, "STUPID rust bucket!" The Cyclobot not only falls from the might of Ransik's mutated arm, but his golden one-eyed head falls off as well! The head rolls, sparking, along the floor, coming to a stop in the corner. Ransik shouts, "ALL of you robots are USELESS!" The headless Cyclobot sits up, and feels around the empty space above its shoulders, finding nothing there. Frax, who had been watching this whole thing, stomps around his master, and heads over to the corner. The second Cyclobot recovers the dislodged head of his fellow Cyclo, and hands it to Frax. The headless Cyclobot remains sitting on the floor, feeling his hands around the floor, searching for his missing noggin.

Ransik merely brushes off their uselessness, but before he can go do something useful himself, Nadira enters the room. As usual, when at home, she has her pink hair down. Nadira walks through the horizontal barred door, and coos, "Oh, DADDY! I have a plan!" She heads over to the cryogenic containment storage area, and opens up one of the shelves. The cold mist flows freely around her, as she wiggles her fingers, and proclaims, "We'll kidnap someone REALLY important, then RANSOM them for CASH!" Nadira has a choice of two small prison pods; she picks the one closest to her. She carries it over to the Reanimator, setting the tiny creature down inside it, while giggling evilly. The mutant is a brown body, clawed-hand, tall monster, with silver robotic pants, and a smaller tentacled alien type inside of where his head should be. Nadira backs up, gives the cue to a nearby Cyclobot, it hits the enlarge button on the control console, and the doors to the Reanimator slide shut. Lights start to flash, as the Reanimator does its job. Frax gets a single line (and his voice actor doesn't even get credit!), informing them, "Reactivation complete!" The door slides open, revealing a ton of smoke within. Nadira giggles, standing next to her father, who remains cold and serious. The mutant exits the smokey compartment, whipping his clawed hands around. The Cyclobot at the control panel appears shocked at what he sees. Nadira gives a grimace, as Ransik looks down at her, something not quite right about the mutant standing before them. Suddenly, a voice calls out from within the Reanimator, "Hey! Get back here!" A small, purple headed alien type creature, with tentacled arms and a funky symbol on his big forehead, floats through the mist. He comments, "Cough-Cough! Sorry, I couldn't see where I was going with all that smoke!", as he floats over and lands inside the empty slot atop the larger mutant body's neck. The mutant, now reattached (sheesh, is this decapitation day on PRTF?), offers to the white leather-wearing woman, "Nadira, I am at your service!" Nadira introduces the monster to Ransik, "THIS is Tentaclaw! Remember, daddy? He kidnapped the mayor back in the year 3000!" Ransik's memory is jogged, "Ohh, yesss! Hahaha! Oh, he is GOOD!" He leans back, and starts laughing maniacally along with Nadira, and Frax.

Elsewhere, a yellow Silver Hills School District school bus drives down a desolate road. The kids inside, the same kids we saw earlier, are horsing around. The driver, a ponytailed, goateed guy, turns around and smiles. Everyone's happy, likely because their usual driver Otto is out sick today. The bus passes by a small section of grass, where Tentaclaw is awaiting their arrival. He quickly (only his shadow visible), transforms his larger body, into the inside of his smaller self! Tenta floats through the air, and follows the bus. He catches up to it, and we see things as he sees them, all purple tinted and slightly blurry. The bus is too slow for the tiny mutant, allowing him to fly over, and pry the doors open, while the bus is still in motion. The driver is surprised by the evilly laughing little creature, as it hovers at the end of the aisle, and exclaims, "You are ALL being kidnapped, and held for ransom!" The driver keeps driving, albeit scared witless. The kids all scream in terror at the sight of the alien-like mutant. The camera zooms in on Frankie, since he's the only one of the kids to actually get paid for speaking. Tentaclaw laughs some more, the door recloses, and the kids scream even louder.

[commercials]

At the Clock Tower (with a nice exterior shot), Lucas is sitting at the table and talking to Wes. Jen is staring out of the balcony window, and Katie is off to one side, with Trip off to another (wearing his backpack, does he EVER take that thing off?). Circuit, perched on the wooden pole as always, suddenly comes online, and shouts, "Emergency! Mutants on the old highway!" The five Time Force teens regroup alertly, with Jen ordering, "Let's move!" They rush off to the stairwell, preparing for action. Back on the bus, Tentaclaw intimidates the children & driver, "AND, if you think you can get away from me because i'm so little... Think again!" He causes his larger clawed body to pop out of what appears to be his ass, surging with energy as it materializes before the now twice-as-frightened kids. The clawed body grabs the bus driver and tosses him back to an empty seat, while yelling, "Move it!" Tentaclaw takes over the wheel, his whole tiny form fitting perfectly on the steering wheel itself. Notice, though, all of his tentacles are tied up in keeping him on the wheel. None visibly are reaching down to press the breaks or accelerator! As he drives, his clawed larger body stands next to it, waving its arm toughly at the kids. Tentaclaw remarks, "There! Now you can just sit back, and ENJOY the ride!" The kids keep screaming, with Frankie close to tears. Not to worry, elsewhere on the old highway, the Time Force Power Rangers are making the scene, on their Totally Slammin' Vector Cycles! Blue rides in the center, with Pink & Yellow to his left, and Red & Green to his right. Their zooming towards the back of the bus quite closely gains the attention of the children, who all turn around and watch happily as the Rangers appear. Frankie is all smiles at the sight of the five Vector Cycle riding Rangers. Blue Ranger revs up his bike, and proclaims, "Let's go!"

Tentaclaw, seeing and speaking through his larger clawed body, shouts, "Huh!? Power Rangers?!" The kids cheer, and flock to the side of the bus that the Blue Ranger is passing by. Lucas, rolling alongside the bus, reaches out and yells, "Hang on, kids! We'll get ya out of there! Don't worry!" Tentaclaw reaches out of the door, sticking his large-body's claw out, and gloating, "Hang on yourself, Blue Ranger!", as he extends out a tentacle from one of the two holes in his shoulders. The tentacle wraps around Lucas' chest, and lifts him off his Vector Cycle, and into the air above the bus! His bike falls over between shots and vanishes, as Blue Ranger is dangled helplessly by Tentaclaw's tentacle. The mutant laughs wickedly, as the bus continues driving, and Pink Ranger rides along, reaching out for her troubled teammate. Lucas cries, "Whoa!", as he's hung upside down, the kids in the bus watching in as much hope as horror. Tentaclaw yells, "Move it!", after extending out the second of his shouldered tentacles, and smacking the Pink Ranger off her Vector Cycle! He finally releases Blue Ranger from his grip, dropping him harshly onto the cement next to Jen. They lay on the ground, writhing in pain. Their teammates pass on their Cycles, with Wes calling out, "We'll take care of them!" on the way by. The kids continue watching our heroes, as they trail along for a mile or so, attempting to catch up with the speeding schoolbus. Tentaclaw finally sends his larger body to the back of the bus, and pitches a small explosive device out the backdoor, while quipping, "Bombs away!" The mine-shaped bomb crackles with yellow electricity, as it rolls into the middle of the road. Tentaclaw yelps, "Boom!", with the kids peeking around behind him. Red Ranger screams, "Watch out!", a little too late, as the three Vector Cycle riding Rangers are at ground zero as the bomb goes off. The bus is just a few feet from the blast, as a massive fireball explodes upwards in the background. Red, Yellow, and Green Rangers are flung from their bikes, and engulfed in flames.

Tentaclaw laughs evilly, while still attached to the steering wheel. Wes, Katie, & Trip land nearly in a pile, on their backs. Notice, their Cycles are nicely parked together in the background. The kids give looks of "that had to hurt!" Tentaclaw has his larger body toss a small yellow papered ransom note out the back, while saying, "Read THIS, Rangers!" Red Ranger struggles to recover from the explosion, but is unable to go after the bus. The kids, including Frankie, watch disappointedly through the windows as their one chance for rescue remains far behind them. Wes finds the discarded piece of paper, "Look, a note!" which in one shot is right near him, and another quite a few feet away. He staggers over and picks it up, while in the background, Blue & Pink Rangers pull up on their Vector Cycles. All five Rangers take a look at it, as Wes reads it off, "If you ever want to see these kids again, bring ten million dollars to the fountain at noon." What's funny about the ransom note, is it's written in blocked letters. Tradition for ransom notes, but ONLY when the person making the ransom wants to remain anonymous! Seems the mutants don't understand that part of it. Jen, clutching her shoulder, exclaims, "Ten million dollars?!" Katie, clutching her arm, adds, "By noon? That's impossible!" Wes crumples the note, and slams it down to the ground, letting out a frustrated grunt. He clutches his sore Morphed arm, and heads over to his Vector Cycle. Trip asks, "Where you going, Wes?" Red Ranger hops on his Cycle and tells them, "You guys try to find those kids. I'm gonna get that money." He revs up his bike, and takes off down the old highway.

Soon, at the stately Collins Mansion, Mr. Collins is closing a deal with two men and a woman. Collins looks at a two-page contract quickly, then sits at his desk, stating, "As per the contract, I will have control of both your companies. Please sit down." The three business associates do as he suggests, and sit on the chairs in front of his desk. Wes suddenly enters the open doorway, and says, "Dad!" He turns to the three CEOs, and bids, "Excuse me", telling Collins, "I need to talk to you!" Collins, having just pulled out his leather-bound certified checkbook, scoffs, "HEH! I'm sure it can wait." He starts to write out the check, when Wes shouts, "NO! ....I mean, it CAN'T." The three CEOs seem disturbed by the smart-mouthed brat, with Mr. Collins quite visibly angry at his son. He waits a moment, slips his checkbook back in the desk, and whispers to the CEOs, "Excuse me." Collins gets up, prompting the two men to stand and bow quickly as he departs. Collins puts his arm around his son, and leads him down into the hall. Once out of earshot from the CEOs, he scolds Wes, "I hope you know i'm right in the middle of a major business deal." Wes cuts to the chase, "Dad, the kids in the park have been kidnapped. The ransom is Ten Million Dollars." Mr. Collins, worried only for his greedy self, gasps, "10 Million?! Y-you don't expect ME to hand it over, do you? No, no, this is a problem for the police. This is NOT for me." Collins starts to back off, when Wes stresses, "There's no time! Dad, you're their only hope. PLEASE!" Collins hesitates for a moment, before reason is overwhelmed by greed, and he firmly informs him, "No. The police, NOT me. I've got to get back." He heads back into his office, without a second thought. Wes remains standing in the hall, watching as his father sits down at his desk, and pulls out his large checkbook. Mr. Collins tells the three CEOs, "Ten million dollars is a LOT of money..." He pauses and looks at his son for but a moment, and continues speaking, "... but your companies are worth it." He writes the check, rips it out, and hands it to one of the men with a grin. The man takes the check (what, only 1 check for 2 companies?), and Wes retreats to sulk about how heartless his father is.

Wes walks over to the railing of the stairway nearby, as Philips heads up the steps with a silver platter holding a pot of tea. He notices Wes is troubled, stopping to ask, "Do you need anything, Master Wes?" Wes replies, "Yeah. Yeah, I do need something. But it doesn't look like my dad's gonna give it to me." Philips stands there with his head hanging low. Wes adds, "You know, Philips, I... I always thought I'd follow in his footsteps. But now I don't know. It's like I wonder if..." The friendly butler cuts in and finishes his statement, "... If maybe you want to make your OWN footsteps." Wes nods and smiles, "Exactly." Philips explains, "Only YOU can decide that. Follow your heart! You'll do what's right." The butler smiles, and continues on his way to deliver the tea, leaving Wes to soak in the wise advice. Elsewhere, the schoolbus is parked in the industrial area of town. The kids are all rounded up with the driver, behind a special forcefield. Unfortunately for the mutants, that forcefield isn't soundproof. The loud droning sound of the kids whining and sobbing causes several Cyclobots, Gluto, Tentaclaw, and even Nadira to shield their ears. Tentaclaw, his body fully reunited, cries, "I can't STAND this noise! AHHH!" Frankie holds a wooden bat in his hands, ready to attack should any of the mutants try to harm him or his pals. Nadira cease clutching her ears, and instead squeals loudly, and yells, "I TOLD you to kidnap IMPORTANT people! But NO!" She shoves Tentaclaw, causing him to stumble backwards, right into the active forcefield! His tail gets fried slightly, as Nadira keeps complaining, "YOU had to get me a busload of noisy BRATS!" Gluto eagerly waddles over to Nadira, and begs, "Can I eat one of 'em, PLEEEASE?!" She denies him a true Happy Meal, "NO! Not until I get my Ten Million Dollars! Which ought to be soon. Let's GO!" Nadira drags Gluto along with her, his disappointment turning into evil glee. Tentaclaw promises, "I'll watch the little brats!", as the kids keep whining, and the Cyclobots keep covering their ear-holes.

Not far away, Blue & Pink Rangers meet up with Green & Yellow, all still Vector Cycling around town. Jen asks her two teammates, "Any sign of them?", Trip shakes his helmeted head and claims, "No, nothing!" Pink Ranger groans in frustration, "Argh! Those kids could be ANY-where. We've GOT to keep looking." Green Ranger agrees, "You're right. Let's go!" The four Ranger rev up and drive off, each heading in a different direction on their Vector Cycles. They've made it to the rundown industrial sector, which is exactly where the kids are being held. You have to wonder, why don't they just get Circuit to scan the area? Is it not in his contract to do anything but interact with Megazords and initially locate mutants, or something? Friggin Tootsie Pop eating... Ahem, so, back at Collins Manor, the three CEOs head down the stairs, check for (coincidentally) $10 Million in hand. Wes is sitting down on the top floor near the railing, racking his brain for an idea. Suddenly, a plan comes to him. He smiles, and rushes down the steps. The three CEOs get in the same car, and take a moment to sit and let the vehicle warm up. Wes suddenly runs up to the passenger side window, and knocks on it. The man with the check rolls the window down, confused by the teen's appearance. Wes plays it off good, "I'm sorry, but the check my father gave you? It's for the wrong account!" The man pulls out the check and looks at it, before Wes snatches it up and promises, "Don't worry, i'll take care of the problem!" He runs off, away from the house, causing the man to stare agape as he realizes he's been deceived!

[commercials]

In the industrial district, Pink Ranger slowly drives her Vector Cycle behind an abandoned warehouse. A pigeon is stirred by her presence. She comes to a halt, and notices, "Hey! That looks like their bus!" Indeed, it's a bus blocked by a bunch of empty boxes and garbage cans. Jen speaks into her Chrono-Morpher, "You guys! I think I found something!" Pink Ranger puts down the kickstand, and hops off her Cycle, as she begins to sneak towards the bus' location. Meanwhile, somewhere else in Silver Hills, Red Ranger rides along on his Vector Cycle to the area of the fountain. No civilian bystanders are seen anywhere nearby, so it must be a work day or something. Wes parks the Cycle, noting, "Well, this is the place." He pulls off the back of the bike, a large silver case, filled with the Ten Million Dollars! Anyone care to guess how he got a check he stole illegally from his father cashed that quickly? Especially at THAT amount? Maybe he went to Macy's, bought something for a buck, and got change for the difference of the check. That'd explain why they went bankrupt! Red Ranger calls out, "Nadira! Where are you?!" No answer at first, until after the whirling sound of teleportation echoes in, and the white-leather pink-haired princess pops up with her Cyclobots & Gluto. The Cyclobots surround Wes, and point their Sabers at him. Nadira purrs, "What a GOOD little soldier! I LIKE when people DO what they're TOLD! Now, GIMME the money!" Red Ranger slides the briefcase across the ground, and mentions, "I kept MY part of the deal." Nadira orders to Cyclos, "Open it!" They do, revealing about 11 wads of hundred dollar bills. Nadira gasps delightfully, "Ahh!", and Gluto awes, "Lookit all dat CASH!" Wes demands, "Now GIVE ME the kids!" Nadira states, "Oh, those annoying urchins!" She picks up a leopard print fuzzy phone that Gluto has been holding in his hands, and speaks into it in a singsong voice, "Tentaclaw!" At the warehouse, a Cyclobot puts the receiver of a similarly fuzzy designed phone to the purple headed alien's head, to which he replies, "Yes, Nadira?" Nadira orders with vicious glee, "DESTROY the kids! Hehe!" Red Ranger grabs the surrounding Cyclobots, and screams, "NOO!"

At the warehouse, Tentaclaw says phoneless, "It'll be my PLEASURE! Hehehahaha!" He marches across the room, towards the kids all huddled on the floor together. They cry out, with Frankie trying his best to hold up his bat and protect them. Despite the forcefield still being up (and thus, he can't touch them without getting hurt himself), Tentaclaw raises his claw above his head, and quips to the kids, "Baseball season's over, BRATS!" Before he can drop his claw, the Pink Ranger bursts onto the scene, doing a quick flip, and landing with her Chrono-Blaster aimed and firing. The pink blast strikes Tentaclaw in the back, alerting him painfully to the hiyahing hero's presence. Frankie, fully aware of what Rangers are from previous teams, excitedly exclaims, "Pink Ranger!" Blue, Yellow, and Green Rangers also appear, each one taking down a Cyclobot with a swift kick. Jen regroups with the three, holding her Chrono-Blaster outward, she vows, "NO ONE's going to touch those kids! Hyah!" The four Rangers charge towards the Cyclobots, as they sally forth, along with a yelping battle-crying Tentaclaw. Over near the fountain, a Cyclobot hands Nadira the silver case filled with the moolah. Nadira replies to the Red Ranger sarcastically, "THANK you. Hahahahaha!" Gluto concurs with gluttonous laughter, "Hehehehe! I LOVE money! Bwahaha!" He waddles off with her, leaving Wes behind and swarmed with Saber-wielding Cyclobots. Red Ranger yells, "NO!" once again, inspiring the Cyclo behind him to bash him in the back of the helmet with his Saber. Wes tumbles to the floor, taking the incentive and kicking the feet out from under two of the robodrones in front of him. He rolls around, ducks under the attack of a third Cyclo, then kicks it in the chest, launching himself backwards into the air. Wes lands perfectly on his Vector Cycle, which immediately starts up. He zooms forward, causing the three downed Cyclobots to roll out of the way, for fear of being flattened. Nadira, oddly taking too long to teleport, walks along smugly, until she hears the sound of the Cycle behind her. She turns around, the wind whipping up her cape, as she witnesses the Red Vector Cycle taking out a whole row of Cyclobots! Red Ranger hits a button on his Chrono-Morpher, and summons, "Chrono-Saber! Hyah!" It appears in a red flash, materializing right into his right hand. He readies the blade, and speeds directly towards the fountain (which doesn't appear to be turned on today, since the large globe in the middle of it isn't wet at all). Nadira, Gluto, and some Cyclobots just stand there like ninnies, allowing Wes to shout, "Think fast!", as he drives by, slashes his Chrono-Saber at Nadira's head. She leans back, narrowly avoids getting her prominent chin sliced. Gluto and the Cyclobots also lean back, despite not being in the line of cutting. This distraction gives Red Ranger the chance to grab the handle of the silver briefcase on the way by! Wes quips, "I'll take that!", and gets away scot-free. A sign above them reads: ".. ter Conservatory. ..arden and learning center. Welcome!". Nadira spins around, looks at her empty hands, and screams immaturely, "AHH! My money! AHHHH!" Cyclobots attempt to give chase, but they're far too slow for the swift Vector Cycle.

At the warehouse, the Time Force Rangers are doing quite well against the Cyclobots. That is, until Yellow gets sucked punched, which leads Green getting the same done to him. Katie is grabbed by several robodrones, and held tightly in place. Meanwhile, Frankie readies his wooden bat, and prepares to swing it at the two metal antenna which are keeping the forcefield up around him and his pals. The silly kid seems to think this is Sentai, where little boys always save the day. But, alas, he swats the bat, and gets nothing but a good jolt from the forcefield. The bus driver tries comforting the fried Frankie, but his arms are wrapped in a set of detached tentacles. Pink Ranger takes on several Cyclobots at once, only to get kicked away quickly by Tentaclaw. The mutant laughs at our heroes' plight, as he kiddies all cry even louder at the Rangers' second loss today. The Cyclos hold Jen helplessly in place, yet while she's at Tentaclaw's mercy, he's got other ideas. The mutant turns around, continues snickering sinisterly, and marches back towards the children! Their screams grow louder still, no one left to save them now. That is, until Frankie spots the missing member in the distance, "Red Ranger!" Wes speeds his Vector Cycle down the long open corridor, passing past his teammates, until he gets into position and leaps off his bike. Red Ranger skids along the roof of the forcefield, grasping his Chrono-Saber, and slashing it at the top beaming device. The forcefield dissipates, and let's pretend that the Cycle slammed into Tentaclaw since he's taking his blessed time killing these kids. Red Ranger rushes back to the children, who're all cheering for their hero. Wes asks the driver, "Is everybody okay?" He confirms, "Uh-huh!", as Red uses his Saber to cut the driver free of his tentacle binds. The driver hops up, bids, "Thanks!", and runs for his life. Red Ranger tells the kids, "Quickly! Everyone follow the driver. He'll take you to safety!" They do so, heading back to the bus. Frankie lags long enough, for Red Ranger to notice he dropped his baseball. Wes calls out, "Hey, kid! Hit a homer!", before tossing the ball back to him. Frankie, too shocked from his hostage experience, fails to add 2 & 2 to figure out the Ranger's ID. He merely smiles and says, "Thank you! I promise!" Once the kids are safely near the bus, the Ranger rushes into action. Frankie lags behind again, simply to watch and smile mindlessly. After Wes cuts a few sparkily slashes with his Saber into some Cyclobots, Frankie yells, "Go Rangers!" (wrong series, kid, that was the 70s!)

Blue Ranger does some flippy things, and some punching and kicking things. Red Ranger does that as well. It ends up being that a smaller amount of Cyclobots than actually shown during the fight, get ran off the side of the loading dock. Straight into a pile of cardboard boxes the robodrones go, beaten witless. The five Time Force Rangers regroup down the corridor, facing Tentaclaw. He vows, "I won't go down so easily!" Red Ranger notes, "We'll see about that!", as he pulls out one of the golden rimmed Time Force Badges! It gleams with energy, and makes us wonder if a civilian has jurisdiction to be acting as a TF Officer like that. Tentaclaw lives up to his name, by shooting off his tentacles from the top of the crabby flesh on his shoulders. All five Rangers are sparkily struck by the tentacles, and get taken out in a blink. There's also now what appears to be a reservoir on the other side of the warehouse! Red Ranger is the first to recover, standing up tall and wondering, "Where did THAT come from?! Scan mode!" He motions to his helmet, causing the display in his visor to light up and run a scan on the mutant. All it does is allow Tentaclaw to charge up the ends of his tentacles, and fire off a few blasts at our heroes. The Rangers scatter to avoid the explosion, and Wes is given time to whip out the other half of his Chrono-Saber. It's attached between shots to the other Saber, creating the full double-bladed version. He calls out, "Chrono-Saber!", and swings the end of it around. This launches a blast of red energy at the mutant, flying off the blade end and striking Tentaclaw perfectly. Somehow, it cuts off his two tentacles, causing them to drop the floor in a smoking heap. Tentaclaw cries, "Oh no!", his extra appendages Bobbitized. Wes arises triumphantly, and notes, "That takes care of those pesky tentacles!" He charges up his double-bladed Saber again, and jumps into the air. His slash at Tentaclaw gets missed, by Tenta detaching his smaller body from the larger crab one! Red Ranger is stunned by this smooth move, so much that Tenta is able to swoop down and bash Wes in the chest. He's thrown backward, landing at his teammates' feet. They're also taken unawares, as the purple headed alien floats between them, causing their chests (Wes included) to spark as he passes by. Tenta flanks around for a second round, until Pink Ranger pulls out her V-5 cannon, and mentions, "I'll get it!" The series of pink blasts manage to down the tiny mutant instantly, causing him to let out a cry of agony.

Pink Ranger, V-5 still in possession, proclaims, "Time to use the Vortex Blaster!" In a flash, all five V weapons come together, with the Rangers placed around the combined Vortex Blaster. The barrel tip charges up, and Red Ranger states, "Energizing.... FIRE!" It's unloaded, and just like last time, the kickback from the discharge causes our heroes to be jolted severely. The clock-striking sound effect leads into the next shot of the still-downed Tenta suddenly surging with strange energies. Apparently, he was struck with the Vortex Blaster's firepower without having gotten back up. He screams, as his tiny alien-like body shrinks down into Chrono-Freeze mode once again. His tiny form glows with green energy, signifying that he's transferring his conscience into his larger crab-like body! Tentaclaw, his voice a little deeper, comments, "I can beat you WITHOUT using my head!" He uses his claw to rip off the gold & black patch on his arm. The mutant DNA chain reaction occurs, and Tentaclaw grows gigantically, though manages not to smash through the roof of the building on his way up. Red Ranger yells into his Chrono-Morpher, "Circuit! We need help!" At the Clock Tower, Circuit wastes no time in exclaiming, "Time Force Megazord!" On cue, all five Time Flyers are shown zooming around the sky again. We have to assume the passing through the vortex occurred between shots, otherwise it means they're ready to run out of fuel any second now. Red Ranger lands in his cockpit and calls for, "Mode Blue!" The Blue Mode Megazord forms in a jiffy, all without flying through the air to make its entrance. Tentaclaw takes advantage of Mode Blue being on the ground, and rushes at it with his claws a shaking. The mutant charges into the Megazord, barreling its thick-shelled shoulders against Mode Blue's chest relentlessly. Sparks fly, and inside the TF Megazord control room, our heroes get shaken up. Pink Ranger remarks, "Whoa! Tentaclaw's really TOUGH, even without his head!" Red Ranger replies, "Maybe! But not tough ENOUGH!" Mode Blue stumbles backwards, before regaining its footing. Tentaclaw starts charging again, which leaves no choice but to do what Mode Blue does best. Mode Blue leaps into the air, and rockets towards Tentaclaw with its fists out. He's shoved back, Mode Blue swoops back up, then does its spinning drop kick into the mutant. Tentaclaw is hurled across the city, landing harshly in the distance as the Megazord lands safely. Red Ranger commands into his Morpher, "Time Jet, online!" The white & black Time Jet zooms in, and transforms into Blaster mode. It lands in Mode Blue Megazord's hand, as the entire Megazord glows with bright blue energy. The energy is converged directly into the barrels of the Time Jet Blaster, and aimed at Tentaclaw. The mutant recovers, spots the gun, and lets out a defeated groan. Red Ranger shouts, "FIRE!", and Mode Blue pulls the trigger. The Time Jet Blaster several sharp blue-powered blasts, each one of them striking the mutant without wavering. Tentaclaw is char-broiled by the attack, a massive explosion forming around his body, and engulfing him completely. The blast is so thorough, that his entire crab-like body is blasted to smithereens! It's gonna be a Lobsterfest in Silver Hills tonight, as chunks of Tentaclaw debris fly everywhere. Can we consider this police brutality? They got his tiny head, I suppose they don't need the rest of him for Chrono-Freeze containment. Anyway, Time Force Megazord in Mode Blue poses victoriously, with the big old Time Jet Blaster still in hand.

[commercials]

Soon (man, this has been a LOOOONG day!), Wes returns to his mansion home, along with the silver case. He rushes up the stairs and enters his father's office, finding his old man waiting for him. Mr. Collins screams at his son, "Wesley, how DARE you take that money after I specifically told you NOT... ?" Wes cuts him off, noting, "There was NO choice, this kids..." Collins double-cuts him off, "I don't want to HEAR it!" Wes gives up the argument, and sets the briefcase on the desk. Collins opens it up, reaching his hands in and fiddling with the bills, while remarking, "There'd better not be a single penny missing. After ALL i've DONE for you!" Wes can't find the words to fight back, or at least words that would do any good. The tension is chopped by the sound of a woman's voice (Circuit's voice actor, actually!), on a speaker on Mr. Collins' nearby phone. She must be the security guard at the gate or something. Anyway, she says, "Mr. Collins! Several reporters here to see you, sir." Collins looks at his son, who appears quite guilty of inviting the new visitors. He latches the briefcase back up, and mentions, "Reporters? I don't know what this is about." before heading towards the stairs, with Wes in tow. They both look over the balcony, as Philips opens the front door and lets a mob of reporters into the foyer. Collins looks at his son again, before journeying over to the upper steps. A male reporter yells out the first question, "Mister Collins! Is it true that you provided the ransom money, to free the kidnapped children?" Collins shakes his head, honestly denying being behind it. He then looks at Wes, and changes his tune to, "I... Y-yes, the money was mine, uhh..." He walks down a few more steps, and puts on a smiling face for the flash photographers and reporters, as he states, "But, really all that matters now is that the children are safe and sound!" The reporters happily write this down, some noting, "Awww, that's great!" (notice, a female reporter behind the male, gets credited, yet never speaks!)

Wes walks down around his dad, and adds loudly, "AND that's not all! Even though my father got his money back, he's decided to donate ALL Ten Million of it, to the Children's Home!" The crowd is awed by his generosity. Wes claps for his father, and reaches his hand out to shake it, saying, "Isn't that right, dad?" Mr. Collins bites his tongue, attempting to save face at the public announcement of him giving up 10 Mil to charity. He gives a fake smile, and shakes his son's hand, stating, "Hahaha. Anything for the little TYKES." (the last part getting stressed as meanly as he can muster) Wes also smiles, before telling his father under his voice, "Keep your business, and all your plans. I'm gonna make my OWN future now." Mr. Collins is nearly floored by his son's firmness, so much that when Wes walks down the steps and through the crowd, his hand is still dangling where Wes released it. The reporters ask, "Any Comments? Any statements to the press?", all failing to get a word out of the speechless millionaire. Wes pauses near the front door, turns around, and looks to Philips. The kind butler smiles & nods, knowing that his advice rang true, and Wes is following his heart at last. Wes looks up at his father, as does Philips, finding not an expression of anger, but rather an expression of happy understanding. Mr. Collins realizes that Wesley is now a man, and his OWN man, at that. Wes walks away, leaving his dad to drown in a sea of media vultures. Finally, back at the Clock Tower, dinner is served! Jen brings the bowl in, telling her teammates, "You guys! Popcorn!" She sets it down on the table, and they all dig in. Trip is playing checkers with one of them (his backpack now sitting to his side), causing Jen to say with a mouthful, "Oh, nice try! Uh-huh!", and Katie to add, "Right!", and Lucas to toss a piece of popcorn in the air to catch in his mouth. They get an unexpected visitor, Wes, carrying a large duffel bag. He stands there for a moment, setting his bag on the floor, and waiting for each of them to notice he's appeared. They do, prompting Wes to sincerely ask, "Well, I was wondering if, uhh... Maybe you might have room for one more!" The bucket-hat wearing Trip smiles and anxiously looks to his teammates. Jen grins, as does Katie, as she asks her teammates, "What do you say, guys?" Wes smiles a bit worriedly, awaiting their decision. Circuit, sitting on his perch just behind them, exclaims, "Say yes! Say yes!" Lucas also smiles, as the whole team walks over to Wes. Jen is the first to greet him, "Welcome home." Wes exhales happily, "Whew!", and fully enters the room. Jen extends out her hand, to which Wes slaps her five. The other three approach him closer, with Trip spreading his arms for a hug. The hug never comes, as the screen suddenly freezes. Let's just hope Wes grabbed the deed to the Clock Tower before leaving the nest!

[Scenes from "Short-Circuited"; End Credits]