Goldilocks and the Three Bears ran off with the disclaimer saying that I don't own any Galaxy Rangers characters. I did make up the Supertrooper Kids however. This is just some fluff that came into my head after the story 'The Letter'.
Storytime For Supertroopers
Niko found her friend Shane Gooseman staring at the Andorian night sky on the balcony of the large building. Since they had arrived at the Children's Recovery Center on Andor he had taken up just staring at the stars at night, thinking about his past, reliving memories that had been locked away until they had found four Supertrooper children that had been abandoned.
Abandoned so that they could be hunted like animals.
And Shane was once forced to participate in hunts very similar to those.
She knew that he would not tell her about the hunts. They were obviously too painful for him to speak about. She wouldn't press him to open up. He was too afraid or hurt to allow her in. Just the fact that she and the other Rangers knew about them cut into his soul like a knife. She could feel his self hatred and shame of what he had done. What he had been forced to do.
And she honestly couldn't blame him.
It was her job to report on not only the status of the children but to find out what information she could on how the illegal Supertrooper base was run. And there were too many similarities between that base and Wolf Den for her liking.
All she could do was be there for Shane. And let him talk to her when he was ready.
"Penny for your thoughts?" She smiled as she stood next to him on the balcony.
"If you knew what I was thinking you'd want your money back," Shane made a wry smile at her. He let out a breath. "Walsh wants us back in two days with a full report."
"I thought we had another week?" Niko asked.
"We did but you know how things get backed up," Shane told her. "I think Bubblehead is driving him nuts."
"So what else is new?" Niko smiled. She put her hand on his arm. "It will be all right Shane. The kids are doing fine here."
"I know it's only been a week but they've already progressed so much," Shane said wistfully. "They're not as thin as they were. Medea's hair is already growing back. They're getting used to the place. Even Ryder's starting to relax more. I wonder how much they'll change while I'm gone?"
"You feel guilty for leaving them here," Niko said softly.
"I know this is the best place for them," Shane admitted. "But I wish…I wish I could just stay with them. Protect them."
"You are protecting them," Niko said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Remember they are a lot safer here than they would be on Earth. There's still that little matter of which members of the Board of Leaders were responsible for creating that illegal Supertrooper camp."
"Not to mention destroying Wolf Den…" Shane growled. "You're right. I just wish I could do more for them."
"Then spend time with them," Niko said. "Be with them while you have the time. That's all they want."
Shane nodded and smiled. "You're right. I can't take care of them like this place can. But at least I can call them and visit them from time to time. Thank the stars Waldo was able to get custody. I know he'll let me look in on them and watch out for the kids."
"Speaking of which why don't we go say goodnight to them?" Niko smiled.
"I wonder if Ryder will actually stay in his own room for once?" Shane remarked as they went to check on the kids.
"At least they're all not sleeping in the same bed," Niko told him. "They just don't understand that boys and girls aren't exactly supposed to sleep in the same room together even if they are related."
"Well they haven't exactly reached that stage yet where they get curious about sex," Shane smirked. "Supertroopers aren't even supposed to know what that is much less think about it. It's a distraction. That's why back at Wolf Den they sneaked us inhibitor drugs. They also cut down on our need for physical contact. But they didn't really work on some of the older troopers."
"Did they work on you?" Niko asked.
"Must have because I didn't even know what it was until I left Wolf Den," Shane shrugged. "I only found out about it from watching soap operas and porno tapes."
"That explains a few things," Niko raised an eyebrow.
They entered the girl's room and found all four children talking at once, happily chatting about something. They were wearing clean white pajamas and looked much healthier than they did when they were brought in. Medea's head had short strands of blue hair growing on it and Ryder's long hair had been cut shorter into a messy top.
"Come on Medea," a cheerful Andorian nurse helped tuck her into bed. "You mustn't overexert yourself."
"Call me Dea," The girl gave her a look. "I hate my name."
"Since when?" Niko asked.
"Since I found out that I was named after some crazy woman who killed her kids and fed them to her husband because he dumped her," Dea groaned.
"We'll put them to bed," Niko smiled at the nurse. The nurse nodded and left. "Come on Ryder you have to go into your own room."
"I still don't get why I can't sleep here with my sisters," He folded his arms. "It's not like we haven't slept together before."
"It's not exactly appropriate," Niko told him. "And besides your room is right next door to theirs."
"Humans…" Ryder rolled his eyes. "What if someone attacks us in the middle of the night?"
"You know that won't happen," Shane told him. "Andor is well protected."
"Yeah but…" Ryder shrugged. "You never know."
"How about I tell you a bedtime story?" Niko smiled as she sat down in a large chair.
"What's that?" Hari asked.
"A story you hear at bedtime," Niko told her. "How about Goldilocks and the Three Bears?"
"What's a Goldilocks?" Ryder asked.
"It's the name of a girl," Niko explained. "She's the main character of the story."
"Does she hunt the bears?" Mata asked.
"No, just listen and I'll tell you the story," Niko said. "Once upon a time there lived three bears. A Papa Bear, a Mama Bear and a little Baby Bear. The bears lived in a cozy cottage in the woods…"
"I thought bears lived in caves?" Ryder interrupted.
"Usually they do but not these bears," Niko said. "One afternoon the bears were sitting down to eat their porridge but it was too hot."
"What's porridge?" Mata asked.
"It's like gruel and it tastes the same," Shane explained.
"It does not," Niko gave him a look.
"Does too," Shane grunted.
"I thought bears ate fish and…" Ryder began.
"These bears liked porridge," Niko said to him. "Anyway the porridge was too hot for any of them to eat. Then the Mama bear said "Why don't we take a walk in the woods while the porridge cools?" So they…"
"Bears can't talk," Hari interrupted. "Much less live in houses and make porridge."
"They were alien bears," Niko sighed. "These bears can talk and live in houses."
"Okay now that makes sense," Hari nodded. "Go on."
"As I was saying," Niko sighed. "So the bears went into the woods for a nice long walk while the porridge cooled. They weren't gone long when…"
"Hold on," Ryder interrupted. "They couldn't wait a few lousy minutes for their food to cool down a little? That doesn't make any sense!"
"Yeah," Dea agreed. "I mean wouldn't going into the woods and taking a walk would make the porridge too cold to eat? Then they'd have to heat it up again. That can't be right."
"It was really hot porridge," Niko said. "Really hot."
"Well why did they make it so hot in the first place?" Shane asked. "If they didn't make it so hot then they wouldn't have had to take a walk."
"Because that's what the recipe said to do!" Niko snapped at him. "Goose you are not helping!"
"It's not my fault that the story you're telling has more holes in it than a target practice range," Shane grumbled.
"Anyway…" Niko began.
"Why didn't they just make a salad?" Shane asked. "Salads are better for bears anyway."
"They wouldn't have to wait for a salad to cool down," Mata agreed.
"Because they had salad all week and wanted something different," Niko snapped. "Can I please finish telling the story here? As I was saying, not long after the bears went into the woods…"
"What about the flies?" Hari asked.
"Flies?" Niko gave her a look.
"If you leave food alone too long it will attract flies," Hari said. "Flies leave disease and make the food unsafe to eat. Everyone knows that."
"There are no flies in the story," Niko told her patiently, even though she was rapidly loosing patience.
"They're in the woods," Shane said. "There's bound to be some flies someplace."
"It was a no fly area! Okay!" Niko snapped. "As I was trying to say before I kept getting interrupted…Not long after the bears went into the woods for a walk along came a little girl named Goldilocks. She was called that because she had long golden curly hair. She came upon the cottage and was curious and went inside. Goldilocks…"
"Wait a minute? She just walked right into the house without being invited?" Dea asked. "Isn't that breaking and entering?"
"The door was unlocked," Niko told her.
"Why didn't the bears have a security system?" Ryder asked. "Or at least lock the door?"
"They just didn't," Niko was trying to be as patient as possible.
"Why?" Hari asked.
"I never said they were smart bears," Niko tried to get on with the story.
"They were smart enough to talk, build a cottage and make porridge but they're not smart enough to lock a door?" Ryder asked incredulously.
"They forgot all right?" Niko shouted. She calmed down. "Goldilocks entered the cottage and saw the porridge on the table. She sampled the bowls. She went to the Papa Bear's bowl and tasted it. "This porridge is too hot," She said. Then she went to the Mama bear's porridge and tasted it. "This porridge is too cold…""
"I told you," Dea interrupted. "It wouldn't have gotten too cold if they were just patient and waited a few minutes.
"Then she went to the Baby Bear's porridge and tasted it," Niko went on as if she didn't hear it. "And she said, "This tastes just right." And she ate it all up…"
"Wait a minute," Ryder interrupted. "She just sampled food she didn't know anything about and ate it? What if it was poisoned?"
"It wasn't poisoned," Niko said.
"She didn't know that," Ryder challenged.
"Maybe she was abandoned?" Mata asked. "She could have been hungry enough. Was she abandoned?"
"No Mata she wasn't," Niko sighed.
"So what she was just roaming around the woods because she felt like it?" Ryder asked, his voice dripping with anger.
"Well yes…" Niko said.
"So this girl had parents?" Shane asked. "And what they just let her go off and do whatever she wanted?"
"I guess but…" Niko realized something. "Goose haven't you ever heard this story before?"
"They didn't exactly have bedtime stories at Wolf Den either," Shane gave her a look.
"You've never heard this story?" Niko was surprised.
"No," Shane said. "And to be honest I don't really like what I'm hearing. Parents just abandoning their kid to wander off anywhere she wants and she breaks into houses for no reason."
"I guess that does sound kind of harsh from your point of view," Niko said. "But the purpose of these stories is to teach lessons. I guess the lesson of this story is it's not polite to go into strange houses uninvited."
"Yeah there could be booby traps," Hari agreed. "Is that what happens to Goldilocks?"
"I hope so," Ryder grunted. "Maybe she gets caught and the bears eat her!"
"Yeah and they maul her to death! RARRRRR!" Mata laughed as she playfully tackled Hari.
"Let me just finish the story…" Niko sighed. "Mata stop mauling your sister. Where was I?"
"Goldilocks ate up all the baby bear's porridge," Dea said. "I don't know why. Either her family can't cook or she must not have been a picky eater to eat that stuff if it tastes like gruel."
"Anyway then Goldilocks looked around and decided to sit on a chair," Niko went on. "The Papa Bear's chair was too hard. The Mama Bear's chair was too soft. But the Bears chair was just right. However once she sat on it she accidentally broke it."
"Then that chair wasn't just right," Ryder said. "Hang on a minute…She broke a chair that a bear sits on? How heavy is this Goldilocks anyway?"
"Sounds like she's not such a picky eater after all," Mata said to Dea.
"Then Goldilocks got very sleepy," Niko went on.
"I guess a day full of breaking and entering and breaking stuff does take a lot out of a kid," Shane remarked. "Especially if she's out of shape."
"You are not helping," Niko let out a breath. "Then she went upstairs and found three beds…"
"Let me guess, she tried 'em all but only the Baby Bear's suited her?" Dea asked. "Why doesn't she just go straight for the Baby Bear's things since they're the only stuff she can use?"
"Does she break the bed too?" Hari asked.
"No she didn't," Niko sighed. "She fell asleep in it. Not long after she did the bears returned home and were stunned at the state of the cottage. "Someone has tasted my porridge," The Papa Bear said."
"No kidding," Mata said. "Can we skip to the part where they maul her to death?"
"She doesn't get mauled to death," Niko was growing increasingly frustrated.
"Does she get eaten?" Hari asked.
"No," Niko told her.
"Does she lose a leg or something?" Ryder asked. "At least let that happen to her!"
"No, no, no!" Niko was really starting to lose patience. "Then the Mama Bear said 'Someone has tasted my porridge." Then the Baby Bear said "Someone has tasted my porridge and eaten it all up!""
"What do you mean 'someone'?" Ryder asked. "They're bears. Couldn't they have smelled who was in their house?"
"They all had allergies and their noses were stuffed up so they couldn't smell anything," Niko snapped. "Okay I'll skip to the end. The bears found Goldilocks in the bed…"
"A real stupid place for her to be," Dea added. "I mean what kind of burglar just takes a nap in the middle of a home invasion? Easy way to get caught."
"They find Goldilocks in the bed, she wakes up and runs away the end," Niko groaned.
"That's it? No mauling? No fights? Not even a scratch?" Ryder shouted. "If it was me I would have eaten her."
"Ryder!" Niko was stunned.
"Well she invaded their territory and broke their stuff didn't she?" Ryder asked. "She shouldn't have been allowed to get away with that!"
"She stole their food when she didn't need it! That's wrong!" Hari added.
"She was just a little girl," Niko said.
"She's a burglar," Ryder said.
"Goose…" Niko groaned.
"Sorry Niko I'm with the kids on this one," Shane told her. "The bears should have at least called the cops. And that Goldilocks kid should have been charged with trespassing, breaking and entering, theft, property damage…"
"Oh I give up!" Niko groaned and left the room.
"I guess story time is over," Dea said.
"Just as well," Ryder grunted. "It was a dumb story anyway. Not even about Supertroopers."
"I know a story," Shane smiled as he sat down in the chair.
"A story about Supertroopers?" Hari asked.
"Yes but it's a secret story," Shane put a finger to his lips. "Only another Supertrooper is allowed to hear it."
"What about Niko? Does she know?" Mata asked.
"He just said only Supertroopers dummy!" Ryder snapped.
"Yeah I know but Goose really likes her," Mata said.
"Well actually she does know this one, sort of…" Shane coughed nervously. "But it's okay."
"Cause you like her," Mata grinned and folded her arms.
"That's not the point," Shane said quickly, starting to get annoyed. "Do you want to hear the story or not?"
"Just tell the story Goose," Ryder said, lightly hitting Mata on the shoulder. "We won't say anything."
"All right," Shane nodded. "Long ago in the early days of genetic engineering there was a brave Supertrooper named Cheyenne. She fought well and hard to protect her country and the people she worked for."
"Country?" Ryder blinked.
"This was before Earth became united and there were hundreds of different countries and territories all over the world," Shane explained. "She fought for a country called the United States of America. She had many enemies but she beat them all. She fought terrorists and demons and still no one could stop her."
"This is a good story," Mata said with a little bit of pride in her voice.
"Makes a lot more sense than talking bears just letting a kid invade their house without calling a security officer," Ryder agreed.
"Ah yes Cheyenne was a very good trooper," Shane smiled. "She fought and obeyed orders without question. However one day Cheyenne realized that there was more to life than fighting. She secretly wondered about things and what it would be like to live like a human. Oh she never abandoned her duty but she began to have dreams. She realized that she was more than a weapon, she was a person. And then she did something that no trooper was ever supposed to do."
"What did she do?" Ryder asked.
"She fell in love," Shane smiled sadly.
"Love?" Mata blinked.
"Yes love," Shane nodded. "She learned about love and how strong it was. She fell in love with one of her partners and he fell in love with her. And they fought together and protected each other as well as continued their duties."
"What was his name?" Dea asked.
"I…Don't know…" Shane blinked. "I was never told that. But that's not important to the story. Cheyenne and her lover kept their love secret from everyone else. One day they realized that they could not be apart anymore. So they decided after one last mission to run away and disappear."
"Did they?" Hari asked as she climbed into his lap.
"I'm afraid not," Shane shook his head sadly. "Someone found out about their love and betrayed them. They were on a ship transporting valuable cargo when the two lovers were confronted, and Cheyenne's lover was killed by the very people she worked for."
"That's awful," Dea said softly. "What happened next?"
"Cheyenne was so filled with grief and rage she turned on those who betrayed her," Shane said. "She destroyed those who killed her beloved and sank the ship into the deepest part of the ocean, intending to drown herself so she would be with her beloved forever."
"However," Shane raised an eyebrow. "Her plan failed. Her bio-defenses, however primitive were much stronger and more powerful than anyone could have imagined. Instead of drowning, she changed and adapted to the water. Her legs merged and became a long tail and she grew gills. And since that day she has been confined to the ocean, unable to escape."
"Can't she change back?" Ryder asked.
"No, her heart broke that day and her will to return to the surface world was gone," Shane nodded. "She let the world believe she was dead and submitted to a life under the sea. But life under the sea was not as dull as you would think. In time she grew to be very powerful and strong. She also learned that she could feel and sense other Supertroopers that had her DNA programmed into their bodies. For before she disappeared, her superiors had taken a large amount of her blood as well as stored her genetic profile. They used those to make more Supertroopers and to this day almost all Supertroopers have her blood within them."
"Even us?" Hari asked.
"Yes," Shane nodded. "Yet Cheyenne's heart was still in pain, for she hated the fact that people used her DNA to create more weapons. And each time a Supertrooper is hurt or mistreated, she weeps for all her power, she is helpless to save them."
"That's a sad story…" Dea said. "But it feels like it's part of us."
"There's more," Shane told her. "Whenever a Supertrooper does something good or manages to escape being a weapon…She's happy. And her heart doesn't hurt as much anymore. Maybe one day…One day her heart won't hurt so much she'll remember how to live on land again."
"Is that true?" Ryder asked skeptically.
"I believe it is," Shane told him. "I know she hopes that one day her children will stop fighting each other. That would make her happy."
"So you're saying we're all related to Cheyenne…And she doesn't want us to fight each other?" Ryder asked.
"I think she doesn't mind you play fighting," Shane smirked. "I know how your sisters like to tease you. And vice versa."
"You mean like this?" Mata grinned as she tackled Shane.
"Oh two against one huh?" He tickled both twins. Then he picked them both up and whirled them around the room. "How do you like that?"
The girls laughed hysterically. "All right time for you to go to bed," Shane deposited them on their beds.
"Awwwww…" The girls said disappointed.
"No back talk, go to sleep," Shane wagged his finger. "That's an order. Come on Ryder you too."
"All right," Ryder sighed. "Night Dea. Night maniacs…"
"G'night," The girls said as they snuggled in their beds.
"Still think it's stupid that I have to be separated from them…" Ryder grumbled as Shane took him to his room next door.
"I know you look out for the girls but that's life kid," Shane shrugged. "Ryder I need you to do something for me. I need you to look after the girls and make sure that they're okay. Can you do that for me?"
"You're going away soon aren't you?" Ryder asked softly.
"Yeah," Shane nodded. "Two days."
"Don't feel bad Goose," Ryder said. "You're a Galaxy Ranger. Your designation is to protect and enforce the law. Not take care of us."
"Doesn't make me feel any better about leaving you," Shane said softly. "You know I would stay here and take care of you and your sisters if I could…"
"We know," Ryder nodded. "I'll watch out for the girls. I've been doing it this long. Why change?"
"I'll check up on you as often as I can," Shane said. "You…You're my family. We do have some of the same genetic donors."
"Yeah…" Ryder frowned. "Not to mention…The other Kilbane. We're both related to him aren't we?"
"Let me worry about him, kid," Shane told him. "I'm not gonna let him hurt you again."
"I know," Ryder sighed. "I am still going to miss you."
"Let me show you something," Shane nudged him. He pointed to the stars outside the window. "Look at the stars above. I've always loved looking at them even when I was very young. They are the one thing in the universe that never changes."
"Never?" Ryder asked. "But don't stars burn out and die?"
"Yes but there are always new ones to take their place," Shane smiled. "The universe will never run out of stars. And no one knows all the worlds that revolve around them. That means the possibilities are endless. I never believed that there were other Supertroopers out there until I found you."
"So you're saying that there are other Supertroopers out there?" Ryder looked upwards. "Some that no one knows about?"
"Could be," Shane said. "And if they are out there, I promise I will look for them and find them and do all I can to save them."
"Can you do that?" Ryder looked at him with wide eyes.
"I found you didn't I?" Shane smiled. "So whenever you feel lost, look to the stars and know that I am always thinking of you. And I'm out there looking for others like us and maybe save them too."
"And if you can't?" Ryder asked.
Shane looked down. "I…I'll make sure they won't hurt any innocent people."
"That is the way it must be," Ryder nodded. "A renegade Supertrooper is a threat to everyone, even himself. I learned that lesson the hard way…" He absently touched his scar.
"The point is that I will never stop looking," Shane told him. "And I will never give up. I promise."
"I know you will," Ryder smiled. "I believe in you Goose."
And for the first time in a long while Shane began to believe it himself.