Chapter 7: Sam Part 1

Taking some much needed downtime after a hard morning of training, the Rangers were relaxing in the common room, each doing their own thing. While Syd painted, Sky was sitting with a deck of cards, both ignoring Bridge, who was balanced upside down, seeming to be deep in thought. Jack was grabbing a drink as Z danced around to music playing through her headphones, while Spencer was reading and Annie was meditating beside him.

"I've got it!" Bridge interrupted the peace. "This is brilliant," he frowned, rolling backwards and landing on his feet.

"What is?" Jack asked.

"It's no coincidence! That we're all here!" Bridge exclaimed, and looked around at the others. Jack looked lost, while Sky didn't bother looking up from his cards. Z pulled off her headphones, and Spencer lowered his book as Annie cracked one eye open.

"Sorry man, I think you lost it," Jack grinned as he approached.

"No, think about it! We all have powers, we're all here, at the Academy, Power Rangers?" Bridge listed off, turning to Syd. "The odds are astronomical!" he exclaimed.

"Maybe Kruger picked us because we had these powers," Syd suggested.

"Yeah, but why us?" Bridge asked her. Syd stared blankly, before shrugging.

"I'm confused," she decided.

"Hello? Bridge is talking?" Sky laughed as he got up.

"Back off Sky, I understand what he's saying!" Z defended the Green Ranger. "How did we get these powers? And why is it that we all ended up here? At SPD?" she asked. Annie opened both eyes, and she and Spencer exchanged looks. "Is it part of some bigger plan?" Z wondered as the Gold and Silver Rangers watched. Spencer had to admit, he was curious as to where their powers came from. Unlike himself and his siblings, as well as others he knew, their parents weren't part of the Dino Thunder or Overdrive Power Rangers, so didn't inherit their powers that way. Besides, if they had, they'd have known where their powers were from.

"Our powers are no big mystery," Sky stood opposite her. "Face the facts! Every one of us, especially you, is a freak of nature!" he growled, taking them all by surprise.

"Dude, back off," Spencer was on his feet and in front of Sky in a second. "I don't care what you think of yourself, but you don't have the right to talk to her like that," he defended, meeting Sky's glare with his own.

"It's okay Spencer," Z touched his arm. Spencer scoffed, turning away.

"I guess. He ain't worth the energy," he decided, making Sky's glare intensify.

"Exactly Spence, chill," Annie patted his shoulder, shooting Sky a glare. "You're better than that," she told him. Spencer ran a hand through his hair. The alarm went off before Sky could challenge them, and they looked up.

'Rangers, report to Delta Bay,' Kat instructed.

"Ready?" Jack called.

"Ready!"

"SPD, EMERGENCY!" they Morphed and headed to the Command Centre, jumping down the chutes to their Zords. Heading through the city, they aimed for the robot stomping through the city.

"Bugglesworth is my name, trouble is my game!" the high-pitched, nasally voice of the monster inside, echoed through the city.

"Stop! SPD!" he looked around to see the Zords coming towards him.

"Oh goodie! A new game!" the monster laughed, and turned to the building. The robot flashed, and the building disappeared, along with its inhabitants.

"This is your last warning!" Syd called.

"High-beams!" Z used the lights on her Zord to blind Bugglesworth, and the others began to attack. Bridge incapacitated the robot, but as Jack went in to finish it off, the air seemed to warp around the robot. "It's that kid!" Z spotted a small boy with red hair holding a hand up towards the robot. The robot then vanished, just before Jack reached him.

"Where'd he go?" Jack yelled.

"He was here, right? I mean, we saw him!" Syd frowned.

"Just how did he vanish?" Spencer wondered. "Did that kid do it?" he muttered.

"Well...this could be a collective dream, and we're all still sleeping," Bridge suggested. Z's Zord stopped, and she leapt out, running off.

"What do you mean, there's no trace of the building or the office workers?" Kruger demanded when the Rangers reported back. "Have they become invisible?" he asked. "Impossible!" the Commander shook his head.

"And dogs can talk," Jack muttered to Syd, who tried to hide her amusement when Kruger growled. "I mean, but it did, Sir," he corrected.

"Sir, with all due respect," Kruger glanced to Spencer as he adjusted his glasses. "It isn't an impossibility for it to become invisible, but in this instance, it isn't the case. It's more like the building was...taken," the Gold Ranger explained.

"I see..." Kruger frowned. "And where is Z?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, Sir," Jack admitted.

"I am, Sir," Sky spoke up, and Annie rolled her eyes. "She ran off during the fight, and we haven't seen her since," he told Kruger, ignoring Jack's elbow as it jabbed into his side. Kruger growled lightly again, seeming to fall into thought.

"Hey Spencer, are you going to do any work? Or just sit there?" Sky asked, noticing the Gold Ranger in the corner as they worked on locating the building.

"Shove it, Sky," Spencer muttered as he kept his eyes closed. Sky glared at him, but kept focus on the computer in front of him.

"Any trace?" Annie whispered as she approached. Spencer's green eyes opened, and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Not an ounce of magic in the area. I didn't sense any at the time either, so whatever this dude did, it wasn't a magical thing," Spencer told her. Annie frowned.

"Then how did he just move a building?" she wondered. Spencer shrugged.

"Are you two done whispering?" Annie scowled at Sky as he spoke again.

"What's your problem? Do you need a hug?" she demanded, fed up of his snippy attitude.

"I want to know what Spencer meant earlier, when he said it wasn't an impossibility for the building to become invisible," Sky pointed at Spencer, who raised an eyebrow. "There are too many things that don't make sense about you, Bly, and I want some answers," he walked over to Spencer, whose head lifted as he faced off against the challenge.

"You create shields, I channel sun energy, Bridge is an empath. Jack can pass through walls, Z clones herself, and Syd can absorb any material in her hands. And you think a building being invisible can be impossible?" he challenged. "Anything's possible, as long as you believe," Spencer told him. Sky snorted in disbelief.

"You realise how garbage that is, right?" the Blue Ranger told him. Spencer didn't even blink.

"There are bigger things in the world than your ego, Tate, as ridiculous as that may seem," the other Rangers had to hide their laughter as Sky's face coloured red. "You just need to open your eyes. We aren't freaks. You just don't understand the bigger picture," silence fell in the command centre, before the computer beeped.

"Is that...?" Syd blinked rapidly as they turned to the screen.

"Better contact Z," Annie told Jack, who nodded.

Meeting up with Z, the Rangers arrived at the beach, climbing over the rocks as they looked out at what had been left in the sea.

"Amazing..."

"Incredible..."

"Unbelievable..."

"Awesome!"

"I'm hungry," the others looked at Bridge for his sudden declaration.

Managing to get inside the building, the Rangers looked around each floor. Spencer shivered as they stepped into one of the offices.

"These offices were full of people, now there's nothing," the Sun Ninja commented as he looked around.

"This is really creepy...where did everyone go?" Syd wondered.

"Look at this," Z crouched and lifted a doll from the ground. Jack spotted another on a desk, and lifted it up. "This is getting weirder," Z commented as she held it out for Spencer to look at. He reached out and poked up, and another shiver ran down his spine.

"You think...?" Annie murmured to him, noticing the action. Spencer shook his head.

"Something weird's going on with it, but not magic," he told her.

"Hey Bridge, check and see if you can get anything from it," Annie glanced to the Green Ranger, who approached and pulled off a glove. Taking a breath, he gripped the doll, and jolted back with a cry. He sagged, and Spencer caught him before he could fall, grabbing the doll from him. He shuddered again at the strange darkness that flowed from it.

"There's a reason why these dolls are so lifelike guys," Bridge breathed heavily.

The Rangers walked back through the base, listening to Z explain where she had run off to.

"I'm telling you. It was the little boy who controlled the robot," she told them firmly when they looked sceptical.

"You can't prove that!" Sky told her. "You just saw a boy near the robot," he pointed out. "Doesn't mean he was controlling it," the Blue Ranger stated as they all sat down at the console in the centre of the room.

"And what about stopping the footsoldiers from attacking me? Was it just a coincidence that he was there too?" Z growled at him.

"Enough," Kruger stopped them from continuing. "Can someone tell me what we know so far?" he asked.

"A robot attacked the city."

"A building disappeared."

"But then it reappeared at the beach, 20 miles away, and all the people inside the building disappeared."

"Except two, which were somehow changed into little figurines, and left behind."

"Which we turned over to Kat to analyse."

"And that small boy is somehow involved in all this!" Z insisted. Sky rolled his eyes.

"Speculation!"

"It's more than speculation!" Z told him angrily. "That boy has powers. Just like you. Just like me. Just like we all do," Z looked to the others. Spencer and Annie looked at each other again.

"And what if he does have powers?" Kruger asked.

"Then we all have lots in common, and we should-"

"Correction!" Sky snapped at her. "If he does have special powers, that's all we have in common with him," he said.

"If he does, and he helped this robot..." Annie shrugged, looking annoyed at agreeing with Sky. "Then he's a criminal," she stated.

"What if he doesn't know better?" Z demanded. Annie shrugged again, looking away. Feeling a pair of eyes on her, she looked up and met Bridge's gaze. He watched her curiously for a moment, before smiling, but Annie didn't feel reassured by it. More nervous than anything. The alarm then blared loudly.

'Robot is attacking in the city. Quadrant 12. Power Rangers emergency,' Kat announced.

"Let's go!" Jack called.

"Stop! SPD!" the monster inside the robot let out a whine as he heard Jack's yell. He looked around to see the Rangers approaching in their Zords.

"Not you again!" he whined.

"Megazord time!" the Rangers formed their Megazord and aimed their blaster at him. The robot fired a blast, and the Megazord flipped through the air, countering and knocking the robot back.

"Let's cuff him!" Sky called, only for the cuffs to disappear from their gasp, and reappear around their wrists, stopping them from moving. Bugglesworth laughed, blasting them before turning away.

"Time to get more people!" he sang.

"The boy!" Z spotted the little boy on the ground, using his powers again. "I knew he'd be here!" the Yellow Ranger unstrapped herself and leapt down.

"Z!" Jack yelled as she demorphed and ran after the boy when he made a run for it.

"Gotta get rid of these cuffs," Sky growled, pressing the button. The cuffs vanished, freeing their arms, and they grabbed their sword. Bugglesworth let out a cry, and his robot leapt behind a building, tunnelling away before they could stop him.

Z let out a frustrated cry as she emerged from under a small alcove, realising that the boy had escaped her again. She pushed herself back to her feet, looking around, and started running again. Turning a corner, she ran straight into someone, and with a cry, they both crashed to the ground.

"Sorry, I shoulda been-Kayden!" Z realised who she had bumped into, and he let out a laugh.

"My bad, wasn't looking where I was going," Kayden got to his feet and held out his hand. "Just where were you running off to in such a rush? Last I checked the Megazord battle was that way," he gestured in the opposite direction. Z took his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

"I'm chasing this kid, he's involved in all this," she explained. "But I lost him, again," she groaned.

"I see," Kayden remained as unreadable as ever, and gave a smile. "No problem, I'll help you look," he decided, making her frown.

"You will?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Sure. Now, I'm not as good a tracker as Annie, but I'm pretty good. Come on," Kayden smiled, starting to walk. Z stared after him for a moment, before following.

"You guys...you, Spencer and Annie, there's something different about you," Z accused.

"Is there?" Kayden asked innocently.

"Yeah!" Z nodded. "It's stuff like how you react. Nothing seems to phase any of you," she said. Kayden led the way into the park, following small, fresh tracks through the trees.

"Spence and Annie, they keep a lot to themselves. I think it's just how we were raised. But give them time, and you'll learn about us," Kayden smiled at her. Z frowned, not understanding what he meant.

"About them actually..." Z started, and Kayden glanced to her. "Are they together?" her question made Kayden burst out laughing.

"Oh god no," he laughed, shaking his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," he managed to calm himself when he saw her frown.

"It's just sometimes, how they get on, it's like..."

"Like there's something more?" Kayden finished. Z nodded, awkward. "They're best friends, have been since we were little. I mean, they fought like cats and dogs at first, but eventually became friends. They know everything about each other, and with Ari and Zoe being so close, they picked up on that. Like I said, they keep things to themselves, so they talk to each other about it, to make sure they don't bottle it all up," Kayden explained, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to explain it. "From what I've heard, they're pretty similar to how Spencer's parents were before they got together, but they're in no way interested in one another," he told her.

"Right..." Z wasn't sure if that cleared it up for her, or just made it more confusing.

"Spencer's pretty oblivious. I think I've seen him show interest in a girl maybe twice, and he'd never notice a girl flirting with him unless they straight up told him," Kayden told her, making Z look at him. "Most of the time he's more interested in his training or, y'know, being a hero," Z couldn't help but laugh as Kayden grinned.

"That does seem about right," she agreed. Kayden suddenly caught her arm, stopping her. "What's-" he shushed her.

"The kid's up ahead, talking to some doll," Z raised an eyebrow. "You go ahead, I'll let the others know where you are," he grinned at her.

"You sure?" Z asked in surprise. Kayden nodded.

"Kid's way too untrusting to let two of us approach. Best you handle it. Good luck," Kayden winked, disappearing off before Z could thank him. She wondered just how he'd found the boy as well, but pushed that thought aside as she approached him.

"Kayden said she's just up ahead," Jack gestured, and the Rangers ran through the park, spotting Z talking to the boy.

"Hey Z!" the two looked up quickly. The boy's eyes widened in horror and fear.

"No, stay back!" Z told them quickly.

"You lied!" the boy yelled as he backed away from them. "You have friends!" they watched as he held his hand up, and several bins beside him vanished. He then moved his hand above the Rangers, and the bins reappeared.

"Look out!" Z cried, and they dove out of the way. "Sam..." she breathed when they realised he was gone.

Sitting cross-legged on the console, Bridge hummed as he held the doll that had been talking to Sam in his hands.

"Got it!" they all jumped when Bridge spoke. "He's at a junkyard by a river," he declared. "And I saw the word Gold," he added.

"Gold's Junkyard, down by the river?" Sky rolled his eyes.

"You know Sky? You are good," Bridge told him.

"Let me see this thing," Spencer took the doll from him, and shivered. "Urgh, bad juju," he muttered, and it shone purple. A shock pulsed out, and Spencer was thrown backwards as the doll flew through the air, vanishing before it hit the ground.

"What was that about?" Syd asked as Spencer groaned.

"Guess it didn't like me too much," the Gold Ranger pushed himself up.

"There are bigger things at work than just this boy," Kruger told them as he approached.

"Commander, I need to help him before he gets himself into bigger trouble," Z told him, standing quickly.

"I'm going with you," Jack told her.

"No, I-"

"Jack will go with you. Go!" the Commander ordered, and the two hurried out as Kat and Boom walked in.

"Commander, we need to talk about this," Kat told him as the Sirian looked around. "I was looking through the personnel files of the building. These two had identical twins working in the same building," she explained.

"Someone is collecting people, Sir!" Boom spoke up, holding the two dolls in his hands. "By turning them into dolls!" he exclaimed. "And since they had one twin for their collection, they didn't need the other!" he explained.

"Well that's creepy," Annie declared. "I hate dolls..." she muttered.

"Says the girl named after one-ow!" Spencer yelped when Annie punched his arm hard, shooting him a dark glare as he grinned.

"And there's more. I've been monitoring the vital signs on the dolls..." Kat trailed off when Boom started playing with them. The feline alien sighed heavily, closing her eyes. The Rangers giggled at it.

"Boom!" Kat spoke sharply. "Sir, I think we need to do something. And fast," she told him worriedly as Boom lowered the dolls. Spencer frowned, and approached.

"Sir, can I try?" he requested. All but Annie, Kruger and Kat looked confused by his request.

"Very well," the Commander nodded, and Boom handed the dolls over to Spencer. "Be vigilant. As soon as this robot returns, you will need to as well," Kruger told him.

"Yes sir," Spencer nodded, running out of the command centre.

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