Disclaimer: Don't own PR

Thanks for the reviews! Some of you are very observent, which should help put the puzzle together. Then again, I've already tossed in a few red herrings, so you'll need to pay close attention to see what's actually important and what I put in to confuse you! Just to WARN you, the very last section of this contains some slightly more explicit material and language. I'll try to make it obvious where it is so you can avoid it if you want to, and give a brief summary at the end. Enjoy!

III. Life

Animation, liveliness, or spirit;

The interval of time between birth and death;

Unfair.

It took Z a moment to remember how to breathe. She was dangling in mid-air, holding onto the assassin's feet and thankful for the creature's wings. A few feet above she could hear Bridge calling her name, even if she could not see him through the snow. She would have answered, but the assassin looked down at her, what she assumed to be a smirk forming around the pincers in its mouth. It still had the gun, and was aiming it down at the yellow ranger.

It seemed to Z she had two choices: continue to hold on and get shot, or let go and fall to her death. Neither option seemed particularly inviting, but at least if she held on there was the hope that the assassin was out of bullets and had to reload, which would be difficult for the most experienced hunter flying the middle of a snow storm. Then Z remembered something else it would be difficult for the alien to do in a snow storm: aim. With a prayer, she let go of the alien's left foot in the same instant she heard the gun go off.

The bullet went straight through the left foot, covering Z with green blood and forcing her to grasp the assassin's right leg for dear life. The assassin howled in pain and dropped several feet closer to the ground. Z screamed, thinking she had condemned both of them, but the beating of dragonfly wings resumed and their descent slowed. Too late Z realized the alien was flying diagonally towards the side of the plateau. It swung the leg with Z dangling on the end into the side of the plateau, smashing her body against it. Z could feel the ice through her suit and the bruises forming on the skin underneath. She gripped the assassin's foot tighter; she wasn't about to let go over a few little scrapes.

The creature veered away from the wall and then swerved back toward it, making Z hit the ice harder then before. Several layers of fabric and skin ripped on a jagged icicle. Blood mixed with the snow that clung to the wall and was quickly frozen. Z cried out, but her voice was lost to the howling winds. She remembered reading about the snow storms on Niveus: they came without warning or mercy. The only thing that stood in their way was the wall of ice leading up to and eventually becoming the palace. The palace had been created to protect the people who lived on the summit of the plateau and on the milder slope that lay on the opposite side. Z would have given anything to be on that side now, as the assassin made another circle that smashed Z against the ice.

This time the alien pushed the bottom of its foot against the plateau, crushing Z's arm. With a yelp of pain, she let go and hurtled toward the ground. Z watched the creature become smaller; a green blur amidst the white. To her surprise, it was still the size of a child when her back hit a solid pile of snow. She was demorphed and all the air was gone from her lungs, but she was definitely alive. The assassin had been descending as it tried to get rid of Z.

Unfortunately, Z was not alone in this revelation. The alien landed a few feet in front of her and was in the process of reloading its gun. Z groaned and pulled herself off the cold ground. She clutched her bloody left arm to her chest, praying that it was not broken, and squinted ahead of her through the snow. There was no way she could dodge bullets in this condition and it looked like the assassin had just reloaded about two hundred of them. Even at an obviously painful limp, the creature was moving faster than she could.

The alien stopped a foot in front of her, raised the gun, and put a long, gloved finger on the trigger. But instead of actually firing, it lowered the gun again and stared strangely at her. In a remotely feminine voice, interspaced with clicks from its pincers, Z's would-be killer spoke, "Assassin's code, section B-2. I cannot kill you." Without further explanation, the wings buzzed again and it took off, quickly becoming lost in the snow.

Z stared after the alien with her mouth hanging open. "Assassin's code? What?" she wondered. "Agh!" Pain receptors that she had ignored during the battle now reminded her that she was injured, stuck in the middle of a snow storm, and at the bottom of an ice wall. Using her right arm, Z pulled out her morpher and called Bridge.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Bridge, it's Z," she said, slowly making her way toward a large shadow that was probably the base of the plateau in the hopes of a cave, or at least something to lean against. She was feeling nauseous again. "You are not going to believe this one."

"Z! You're alive! I mean, uh, Ranger Delgado, you're not a mangled corpse at the bottom of the plateau! Wait, that didn't sound…"

"Bridge," Z growled. "I'm at the base of the plateau, and I really need some help. It's freezing and I don't know how to get back inside. Hell, I'd be happy if you sent out a team of sled dogs with a blanket."

"Oh, right! Um, let me ask someone…" the words were muffled for a moment. Z finally reached the ice wall and slid to her knees just in time for her stomach to turn itself inside out on the snow. Grimacing, she wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her uniform and sat with her back against the ice. Bridge's voice came back over the morpher. "Okay, can you walk?"

"Up the wall!"

"No, on the snow. There's a door in the side of the plateau and the Nivians are sending someone to open it for you. They'll have a light and a radio on frequency 36 so you can find them when it's open. Should I tell them to go to you, or can you walk?" asked Bridge.

Z looked down at her battered legs. The cold had finally numbed the pain from her collision with the plateau, and although she could not move quickly she was pretty sure she could still get herself to whatever door the wall had. "Yeah, I'll be fine; just a little cold."

Bridge laughed, "I'd assume so. They said the storm should pass soon."

"Fantastic," Z muttered through chattering teeth. "How about you? Are you and Sy – Ranger Drew alright?"

"I'll be fine. They took the bullet out of my arm and put something that looks like tinfoil on it. It should heal pretty quickly. Ranger Drew will be fine, too. They, uh, that had to put her to sleep and surgically remove the bullet, but these guys are pretty good healers – quick, too. She's all fixed up now and they're just waiting for the anesthesia to wear off," he answered.

"And Princess Seraphina?"

"Shaken, but also fine thanks to you. She's with Queen Fresia and a few other women; we wanted to take her into the main hall so that Sk – Ranger Tate and I could keep an eye on her and Prince Orion, but they don't want us to break any more customs today. They're not too happy that I barged into the women's corridor."

Z was too tired to laugh and nodded, even though she knew Bridge could not see her. She saw a light to her right and painfully stretched out her limbs. "I think the door's open. Hopefully I'll see you in a minute. Delgado out." Z changed the frequency of her morpher before putting it back on her waist. It beeped slowly, getting slightly louder and faster as she walked forward.

XXX

Z sighed and gingerly leaned back in her chair. The entire left side of her body had turned into a gigantic bruise, despite the care of the Nivian doctors to close the larger gashes and put healing ointment on her other scrapes. She was thankful her arm hadn't been broken, but the long white bandage wrapped around it was a poor replacement for missing skin.

The wedding had gone off without any interruptions or problems. Princess Seraphina had been somewhat frightened, but she did smile a little when she passed the rangers hand-in-hand with her new husband. As the rangers boarded their shuttle, Sera had even given Z and Sydney (who was leaning on Sky) a gentle hug, thanking each for saving her life. Before she let go of Z, Seraphina whispered, "Don't worry, I think I will be happy with him." Z had smiled in return, but the yellow ranger was quite happy to be on the shuttle ride back to Earth and sunny California. She never did like snow.

The desk directly to her right was empty. Sydney had been confined to bed rest for the remainder of their mission on Niveus, the journey home, and another week once they got back. For now, the pink ranger was sleeping peacefully thanks to the little white pills Sky had slipped into her last meal. But Z knew she would have to deal with a very cranky roommate as soon as the blonde woke up again.

With his left arm in a sling, Bridge occupied the terminal in front of Sydney's. He was playing some sort of game on his computer, one that involved catching toast as it was shot out of a virtual toaster. Z could see his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth, his face set in concentration. Z shook her head and glanced at the remaining station directly in front of her.

Sky was the only one who had managed to escape Niveus without injury. As far as Z had heard, he had been with Prince Orion the entire time leading up to the wedding, and no attempt had been made on the prince's life. It made no sense to her that Sky was the one debriefing Commander Cruger. She could only see Doggie's pointed blue ears over the red ranger's shoulders, but his voice did not sound happy.

Sky turned in his chair, sending Z a very serious look. "Commander Cruger wants to speak with you."

Z sighed, but eased her spine straight and accepted the blinking 'incoming call' on her computer screen. Now the commander's entire face filled her vision, and he definitely did not look happy. "Delgado, as it appears you are the only conscious member of your team that can explain exactly what happened, I would like to hear your version. Begin with the events that led you to notice the intruder's appearance."

"Yes sir," she bit her lip nervously, taking the time to gather her thoughts. "I was watching the doorway, while Sydney was positioned by the window. Princess Seraphina…she…"

"Yes?" Cruger growled.

Z did not want to betray the princess's trust, so she twisted the details slightly. She would have to tell Sydney later, but she was sure the pink ranger would agree. It was just another little secret kept between the girls of SPD. "She asked us to help her with her hair. Syd, um, Syd had me stand in front of the princess so I could tell her how it looked from that angle. The next time I looked at the window, not two minutes after we moved, there was an assassin sitting in it with a gun. I screamed, and Sydney turned around just as the assassin pulled the trigger. That's how she got shot. I pulled Princess Seraphina to the floor and told her to run to the hallway while I drew away the fire. She got away, and for a while the only thing I could do

was dodge bullets. The assassin had a small, sleek gun, but it could shoot at least a hundred bullets at a time. I don't know what kind it was, but chances are it was upgraded by hand so we will not be able to track the bullets."

Cruger interrupted, "That makes your story even more important, so I need you to try and remember everything."

"Yes sir," said Z. She continued, "I was still waiting for an opening to attack when I noticed Bridge talking to Sydney out of the corner of my eye; I never saw him come in because I was facing away from the door and concentrating on avoiding the bullets. Unfortunately, the assassin saw me look in their direction. She – or perhaps he – fired one shot in their direction that missed and re-aimed. I took the opportunity to attack, but I was so focused on getting the gun away from my teammates I didn't think my actions through. I jumped on the alien, and we both fell out the window…"

Z continued to tell the commander about her painful trip down the mountain and what happened when she reached the bottom. This time Cruger was silent until she finished and for a moment after. Z chewed on her lower lip, waiting for some form of reprimand. At last he spoke, "Delgado, I am not pleased with the entire situation. You made several foolish mistakes that should have cost you your life. While I am certainly glad they did not, I believe you need to learn from these mistakes. You will personally care for Ranger Drew while she is healing, and you will take over all of her duties. Understood?"

Z held back a groan and replied with a dejected, "Yes sir."

Cruger nodded, "In the mean time, I would like you to research this Assassin's Code that saved your life. I want the report as soon as you return to Earth. Also, tell Carson I want him to see if he can find any information on our specific assassin."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Cruger out." The commander's face disappeared from the screen, allowing Z to groan without hesitation and slouch in her chair.

"Bridge, did you catch that? Cruger wants you to see if you can find some info on the thing that tried to kill the princess."

"Gotcha," Bridge replied.

With a sigh, Z forced her back to straighten. Although she was exhausted, Z was curious about the Assassin's Code, so she pulled up a search page on her computer. Within ten minutes, she narrowed down the search to a couple of documents. The first explained that the Assassin's Code was a constitution that provided guidelines for the honorable assassin. Z almost laughed, "Yeah, it's really honorable to kill people for a living."

She clicked on the second document, which contained the actual code, and scrolled down until she found the heading she was looking for: Section B: Parents and Children. Z read it twice and blinked. What did that have to do with her? She took a sip of her tea and continued reading. Every sub-section was a hyperlink, so she didn't have to read all of B-1 to see the topic of B-2:

B-1: Parents with Children Present

B-2: Pregnant Parents

B-3:

Z never read what B-3 was; she choked on her tea and started to cough violently. Bridge and Sky turned in her direction, each starting to stand up so they could help her. She shook her head and gestured for them to sit down. They looked at one another and obliged, but continued to watch her just in case.

"You alright there, Z?" asked Bridge when her coughing subsided.

Z nodded, "Yeah. I, uh, I think I heard the assassin wrong. Must've said D-2, not B-2; it doesn't make sense."

Sky looked carefully into her eyes, as though that would tell him if she was lying. Apparently satisfied, he turned back to his station. "Okay. Try not to choke to death on us, Z – I have enough paper work."

Z rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. Bridge chuckled. Z winked at him before turning back to the screen. She read B-2 again, shook her head, and scrolled until she reached another header: Section D: The Defenseless.

Here she read:

D-1: Absolutely Defenseless Targets

D-2: Non-targets

Z sighed with relief and clicked on the hyperlink. There was no way that assassin thought she looked pregnant; she could not have gained that much weight since she'd stopped running with Sky every evening. Unfortunately, the hyperlink said that it was dishonorable to kill a civilian non-target but not a warrior non-target, even if they were defenseless. Perhaps the assassin had been confused? It must have been. The alien had been fighting Z in a snow storm, and it had not had a problem shooting at her when they were in Seraphina's room. All the same, Z decided to say that the assassin had said section D-2 and conveniently forget to tell Commander Cruger what the hyperlink said. It would just be embarrassing to tell the commander an alien thought she was fat.

"Hey, guys!" Bridge called. "I think I found out what our assassin was. It must have been a Repectilian! They have super-good eye-sight and coordination, wings, and they can read life signs. Like, if the assassin was following us, it would be able to tell that there were three of us on the bridge and one in the sleeping quarters, how fast our hearts were going, and all sorts of other body functions! It could even say if we were pregnant or something – well, not me or Sky, 'cause that's sort of weird, but I guess if there was some sort of… never mind. Isn't that cool guys?"

Z froze and stared at him. It was all starting to make sense, and she hated the conclusion. "Guys?" Bridge repeated. "Isn't that cool?" Z felt bile rise in her throat and ran for the bathroom. Bridge looked down the hallway after her. "Z?" He turned to Sky. "Did I say something wrong?"

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Z sighed and rolled over onto her side, trying vainly to find a position that would bring her sleep. She faced Sydney's side of the room and almost growled with jealousy at the unconscious lump in the pink ranger's bed. She momentarily considered stealing some of Sydney's sleeping pills before remembering that the pills were prescription and highly dosed with pain killers.

Z sighed again as her tired mind began to wander. B-squad had arrived back on Earth only a few hours earlier; just enough time for Z to check in with Commander Cruger, have what could barely be called dinner, visit Dr. Felix over various injuries, and help Sydney into bed. Cruger had easily accepted her slightly modified report on the Assassin's Code, and for that she was thankful.

Unfortunately, Z could not hide the facts so easily from herself. The thought of being pregnant terrified her, especially because of her current standing with the only possible father. If she considered it honestly, their relationship had been deteriorating long before Sky's involvement with Sydney. Technically, she and Sky had broken up a week before the red and pink rangers' engagement…

They were arguing again. She could not remember what it had started as – probably something insignificant. As usual, they yelled at one another for about ten minutes before one of them interrupted the other with a hard kiss. That time it had been Sky who covered her open mouth with his lips and sent his tongue to argue in a more persuasive manner. Just as quickly her back was against the wall and both of their shirts were on the floor; she did not recall losing hers until Sky's kisses trailed lower down her neck and his fingers brushed the tattoo of a red rose on her hip. She was not going to give in this time. She was tired of ignoring the real conflict.

Her voice quavered and she barely managed to whisper, "Sky, stop," because a large part of her really did not want to interrupt. He either did not hear her or chose to ignore the comment. She took a deep breath to control her voice and pushed him away so that he was sure to receive the message clearly. "Stop it, Sky. I'm serious."

Sky raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

She took another deep breath. "Us. This."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed, "We do this all the time! We avoid conflicts in our relationship by getting rid of our anger physically. That's fine to a point, but we can't just ignore the problem. We don't talk like we used to, we don't go out; all we do is find someplace to argue, make out, and have sex."

"We go out! We talk all the time! Z, I can't even hold your hand in public, how do you want me to act when we finally get a minute to be alone?" asked Sky.

"I expect you to treat me like your girlfriend, not like your whore!" Z yelled. There, she said it. Now she just had to wait for his response.

Even in the dimmed lights, Z could see his face flush with anger. "So it's not enough that I spend my money to find places for us to go, buy you whatever you want, and lie to the rest of the world about it?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" she hollered. "You haven't got a clue what I want, because all you care about anymore is money and your precious reputation. I am not the kind of girl you can buy with fancy jewelry. And I already told you to go tell whoever the hell you want about us! When your precious ego is secure enough, I'll be more than happy to tell the commander!"

"I'm trying to save both of our jobs! Fraternization among rangers is frowned upon, and…"

"SHUT UP! Just shut up, Sky, I don't want to hear another one of your damn lectures!" Both remained quiet; their harsh breathing was the only thing that broke the tense silence. Z picked her shirt up off of the grey carpet and pulled it over her head. Refusing to meet his storming eyes, Z's next words were very quiet. "I think we need to take a break, Sky. A month, maybe more, we'll have to see how things go. I have – I have some things to think about, and I'm sure you do too."

"Z…!" Sky started to stop her, but thought better of it and nodded in agreement. He was obviously still angry. Z rolled her eyes and pulled open the door to the conference room. Every conference room in SPD was sound proof and only a few had windows. Most were also wired, but as red ranger Sky had access to the two that were not. From the doorway of this one, Z

looked back at her sort-of-ex-boyfriend. With a scowl she slammed the door behind her and walked quickly to her own room.

A week later Sky was engaged to Sydney. Now that she thought about it, he had probably still been angry when his mother first suggested the arrangement. No doubt Sky had agreed simply to spite Z without realizing exactly what he was agreeing to. Z chuckled as she pictured the 'fearless' red ranger attempting to explain the situation to his mother, who had never been particularly fond of Z.

Now a month had gone by since the heated argument that had technically ended her relationship with Sky. The more Z thought about that relationship and all of the people that could be involved if the situation really was about to take another turn for the worse, the more she realized how messy her life could become.

Summary of the last section: After returning to SPD, Z tries to sleep but her thoughts are taken over by a memory of the day she and Sky sort-of broke up due to differing opinions on the nature of their relationship. Z recalls that a week after the 'break-up' Sky promised to marry Sydney without realizing what he was agreeing to. Still unable to sleep, Z ponders what her future could bring.