"Lieute- wait. Why are they wi-"

"They're with me. Keep helping the employees!"

"Uhh..."

"QUICK!"

"R-roger!"

Another officer clamors over. "Lieutenant! We're still having trouble establishing contact with Mr. Huh! He's the last higher employee to be accounted for!"

"I'm on it. This way!" Naeun says. The three scram down the corridors, directing the panicking employees out, before arriving outside the lab. As Naeun turns the corner into the doorway, she's greeted with a shot at her feet.

"DON'T MOVE!!!"

Luckily, Eunji and Chorong hadn't rounded the corner.

"Hi, twin. Just do as we ask and he isn't harmed."

Naeun is deeply unsettled as she sees Huh Gak held at gunpoint with his hands raised. She attempts to move her arm to her sidearm but gets another warning shot at her feet.

"Hey, you heard what she said!"

"Lieutenant... just do as they say..."

With no choice, Naeun puts her hands in the air.

"Now then... We're here to at least have him explain his work along with how he could get us to help our work, yet he refuses to say anything. Help us goad it out of him!"

Naeun takes a step back and quickly glances to her left. Eunji and Chorong haven't taken a step forward. They quietly gesture as if to ask if they should charge, before they're greeted with a quick shake. With a nod, the two ready their sidearms.

"You said you've only been on the job for a few months? Then perhaps your predecessor can ALSO help us?" Jennie sniggers.

"He's practically disappeared since I took over!"

"NONSENSE! It would be too convenient to say that there's no continuity!"

"Lieutenant... even you know he hasn't been seen in month-DAH!!!" Jennie kicks his back as he stumbles to the floor. "Unh..."

"Pity you just seem so stubborn... I thought scientists in this era were better... then again I am a born genius. Maybe this'll get it out for us!" Lee Seunghyun then brandishes a glove with fancy wiring as he aims it at the fallen scientist. "One last chance, scum! Come with us! Perhaps if you refuse we'll look for your predecessor!"

"I can't comprehend why you'd want him! That work was mine alone! He knows nothing of what made you lose... the twins? Was that what you sa-GAH!!!"

Seunghyun zaps the scientist's back with his glove. "Fufufufufu... your fortitude and loyalty are meaningless! We'll get it out of you eventually. Newbie! Grab him!"

Naeun sees a slender man with a motorcycle helmet on step out of the shadows, albeit reluctantly. He slowly trudges over and lifts the fainted scientist over his shoulder.

"Very good," sniggers Seunghyun. "The boss liked you for a reason. Working without fuss. And as for yo- oh, the horror in your eyes. I can taste your fear. Your anger. You want at me, don't you?"

"Correction! It's us who want you!"

Eunji and Chorong storm around the doorway and start shooting at the Khan members. "Come on, Naeun! Let's go!"

"Zenbots, attack! Newbie! Lose 'em for us!" Seunghyun yells as he warps away with Jennie and the unconscious Huh Gak. Meanwhile, the "newbie" runs off. Eunji and Chorong hastily take on the Zenbots as Naeun rushes after the fleeing Khan member.

As Naeun exits the building, she sees the newbie hop into a convertible and speed off. Luckily for her, a cruiser is right next to her as she hastily gets in. However, as she hops in, she notices that the cruiser is the "dead" one as it has no means of ignition whatsover. "RATS! I just had to hop into this one!"

Then, a robotic female voice speaks. "QUANTUM FIRE DETECTED."

"...huh?"

"Please scan morpher." As if by magic, a device slowly extends from the dashboard. Naeun hesitantly brings her morpher close the device.

"Welcome, Quantum Ranger. Press the indicated key to start the ship."

Naeun hastily looks for the key and presses it. The cruiser's engine starts as if like magic. "Is this... that Alpha that she spoke of?"

"Hello, I am Alpha," the voice says. "I am here to assist you, Quantum Ranger."

"Huh?"

"I am not just 'that Alpha', Quantum Ranger. Just call me 'Alpha'."

Naeun's jaw drops. "...okay, ummm... I just need to chase down a crook."

"Understood, Quantum Ranger. This ship handles just like any car from the 21st century as desi-"

"I'm from the 21st century so I think I should be okay!" Naeun speedily yells as she steps on the gas and hastily chases after the convertible, just as Eunji and Chorong arrive outside.

"I hope she catches him," Eunji says. "I wonder who that 'newbie' is. I don't think I'd seen him before."

"I mean, he had the visor on that helmet. But I have no clue either..."

Then, another officer appears. "Hey, you two! What happened here?!"

"Uh-oh..." Eunji mutters.

"Officer, umm... Lieutenant Son is chasing after a Khan member. The others got away with Mr. Huh. We got held up by their grunts."

"Yo-" He gets cut off as another officer shows up and interjects. "Hey... where's the dead cruiser, Seungwoo?"

"Wait a minute... you're right! It's gone!"

"I think I caught a glimpse of her taking it," Eunji says to Chorong.

"WHAT?! She managed to get that thing to work?! Mr. Huh had been working on it for months!"

There's then a beep from a walkie-talkie as an officer picks up. "Lieutenant Son here! Does anyone copy?!"

"Officer Han here. What's the situation?"

"The suspect was last seen heading east of Jung Enterprises, keep an eye out for a red convertible! I wasn't able to catch up and am heading back to declare 'search-and-rescue' for Mr. Huh. Troops east of Jung Enterprises, keep your eyes out for a red convertible! I repeat, a red convertible!"

The four in the lot stand in an awkward silence for a few minutes before Naeun pulls back in.

"Lieutenant? How'd you solve it? How'd you get the dead cruiser to work?"

Chorong and Eunji stare at the supposed "dead" cruiser and put two and two together. They make a "SHH!" gesture to Naeun.

"It's a long story. I'll be going back in to declare the search-and-rescue situation. Until Mr. Huh is rescued, I will not be sharing any details on the cruiser. Now return to your posts and help get things back in order!"

"Understood, Lieutenant. But what about them?"

"Leave them to me."

When the officers are out of sight, Naeun lets out a long sigh. "What a long day."

"Naeun, mind-"

"Yes, Miss, umm..."

"Chorong."

"Unnie!" Eunji interjects as if to complete Chorong's answer. The latter promptly gestures her fist to the former's face.

"Umm... yes, this is what you had asked about earlier. Except... 'Alpha' isn't just the name of the 'ship', more like it's the AI within it."

"Huh?"

"And I've also now synced to her morpher to help aid her," Alpha says from Naeun's morpher.

"WHOA!" Eunji exclaims.

"Thank you, umm... Alpha," Chorong says. "Please teach her well."

-

"This news is troubling, Lieutenant." sighs Jung Boseok. "And as you put it, they're at least aware of Mr. Hong."

"Unfortunately."

"It's a good thing Huh Gak told the truth as to Mr. Hong's complete lack of involvement over anything since his departure. However, even as isolated as he is from us, it will be best that we place him under further protection for his safety. As for his daughter..."

"Daughter? You mean-"

"Yes, Lieutenant. You might not have been aware that she has been Huh Gak's lead assistant for the past few weeks. For the time being she will serve in his place while we search for him, but we must also keep a closer eye on her."

-

"WHAT?!"

Everyone covers their ears from Namjoo's yell.

"You can't be serious," Bomi says softly after a pause as she lifts her hands from her ears.

"I wish I wasn't," Chorong sighs.

"Let me take a look..." Hayoung says. "I can't seem to find anything," she says after several seconds of typing on the fancy laptop. "Nothing here suggests that the ship's interface was meant to act like that."

"Great! A ship's interface become AI.. then with it learning, adapting, and... evolving?! I'm really living in a sci-fi movie now!" Eunji groans.

"I'll keep looking... but I don't think it's going to be fruitful."

-

With Huh Gak captured, is his life truly in jeopardy? Will Naeun and the Rangers be working more closely together? How does Alpha's entrance change the dynamic? Find out next chapter!

-

A/N: This concludes Naeun's arc for the time being. There will be more in store for her and her workings with the others. I hope y'all have enjoyed reading and any feedback is appreciated. Also, I hope my fellow honeybees don't ask for my head.
Anyway, another break is incoming so don't expect anything. I'll update when I feel like it.