Power Rangers SPD: Aftershock

A.N: O.K. peoples, this is the beginning of the end. I'll see you all at the bottom, so let's get started! With a disclaimer…

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or anything related to them, and so on and so forth.


"Commander? Are you alright?"

Z's voice was distant, and Cruger could barely hear her over the sound of his head throbbing with pain. I feel like I've been drunk too much alcohol…not that I have, he thought.

Something- Z's hand Cruger suspected shook his shoulder. Cruger finally decided to open his eyes, and only saw a faint blurred image of a morphed Z in front of him. The background was all a sickly green and yellow colour, and in front was what seemed like bars…

"Commander? Are you feeling any better?"

Z's voice was much clearer now, and Cruger could finally make out the features of the place they were in; not that there was anything much to actually take in.

Cruger struggled to get up. "I'll live Z," he said, and stood up, before collapsing again. Z hauled him up, and leaned him against the wall.

"You better take it easy sir. You took a nasty blow from the Krybot, and then hit your head, before they got us and threw us in here," Z said.

Memories came flooding back. He and Z went to find the Krybots. More specifically, two Blueheads. They got ambushed in an alley, and then soon after, Cruger woke up to find himself here.

"What happened?" he asked Z.

Z sighed. "Well, first of all, we had an alert, before you ordered us to pair off to fight the threats across Newtech, and then-…"

"I remember all that, Z. What happened after I blacked out?"

"After you were knocked unconscious, I had to try to drag you behind some cover in that alley. There were too many Krybots, and not a good position in the alley to hold them off. They overwhelmed me, and forced me to surrender, otherwise they said they'll blast you," Z said.

"And then?" Cruger prompted.

"Then, Syd and Kat came after us. They were already taking us away, so I managed to call out to them. They came, and then got attacked by another one of those strange Krybots, which almost got Syd and Kat as well, had Sky and Bridge not intervened. While they battled the Krybot, the other Krybots took us to here," Z finished.

Now things made more sense to Cruger. "And where exactly is here?" Cruger asked.

"We're in the Chimera's holding cells," Z said.

"Why haven't they taken away our morphers?" Cruger asked, feeling around and finding his. Z's was still locked into her S.W.A.T. vest.

"Dunno," Z shrugged.

"Have you tried to communicate with the others?"

Z went silent for a few seconds, and Cruger then had the impression that she had a sheepish smile under her helmet.

"Oops, well, here goes nothing," Z said. "Sky? Bridge? Anybody? Can anybody read me? Syd?"

Z got nothing but static from her headset. She shook her head.

"Nothing sir," she reported. "I think that's why they didn't take our morphers- we can't get a signal through to them."

"Try using your scanners; I want to see if they have a disruption field up," ordered Cruger.

Z did so, and shook her head soon after.

"Static again, and its not working. Same effects as last time in the warehouse," said Z.

Cruger nodded. "Then we have to wait until the others are ready Z. They have their own problems, and they can't spot us or our signals through the satellite sensors. Malignticous won't simply stop attacking Newtech because we are captured."

Z sat down against the wall. "Then we're in for a long haul then, aren't we?"

"Just be patient Z. They'll eventually come. Kat's friend is working on getting around the disruption tech. They'll get past it eventually," said Cruger.


The sky was dark in Newtech. The sun had fallen, symbolically signifying the beginning of Newtech's nightlife. The features of the night sky, bright with stars which couldn't be seen from the prison cell also couldn't be seen from within the Command Centre of the Delta Command Base.

Kat glanced at her watch. The face of the antique read little over 9:00 pm. The Delta Command Base was dark, with little lighting save for the bare minimum, and the Command Centre was still bathed in the dim blue light that made everything appear to seem antiseptic.

The screens continued to blink, and Kat moved between many, waiting for the rest of B-Squad to show up. Ironically, all that was left of B-Squad was what they had in the beginning.

Kat moved to the main console, and started typing. She typed an E-Mail, and forwarded it to Jake's address, requesting a progress update from him…and her recent encounter with Therntia.

Kat still bore the strange mix of hatred and pity for Therntia. On one hand, she hated him for joining the Troobians as a way to get back at her, but she felt pity for his delusional thinking; as if joining the Troobians was a way to get back at people.

The Command Centre was devoid of any staff, excluding herself. Few people were allowed to be in the Command Centre after hours, save the Commander, herself and the B-Squad Rangers. While it would make getting the news across to B-Squad easier, it also meant that during times of crisis, Kat was often over-worked, pulling two duties.

Kat was in the middle of looking through scans of the Krybot Kommando's CPU when the doors to the Command Centre quietly hissed open, and three people walked in.

"Sky, Bridge, Syd," Kat greeted as they walked in and stood, leaned or sat at various stations. She quickly shut off the screen she was using before turning to talk to the Rangers.

"So, what's up Kat?" asked Bridge.

"Any luck?" Syd prompted. Sky just stood there, apparently wallowing in his thoughts. Bridge shook him, and Sky snapped out of it. He glared at Bridge, who shrugged, before looking at Kat.

Kat sighed in defeat. "No luck finding Z or the Commander," Kat said. Three collective groans came from the disappointed Rangers.

"Did you find their signals at all?" Syd asked.

Kat shook her head, and leaned back against the main console. "I have a reason to think that the Troobians are using the disruption field they used against you to mask their signatures, whether it be communication signals or heat, or infrared or whatever. They probably blocked the signals from their morphers as well."

"So they can't communicate with us, or us with them?" Sky asked.

"I'm sorry to say so, but yes, we can't communicate with them," Kat answered.

There was silence in the Command Centre as the four Rangers thought for precious moments.

"So, we're pretty much lost on what to do next then, I suppose?" asked Bridge.

"Not really Bridge. My friend is working on a way to get around or to neutralise the disruption field's effect. We just have to hold off Malignticous until then," answered Kat.

"We don't have a Commander though," said Syd.

"Well, under the guidelines for this kind of emergency, the Red Ranger of the current active or highest ranking squad will take the Commander's position," Kat said.

"So that'll mean you then, Sky," said Bridge, patting him on the back.

"You got promoted. It's like your dream come true!" said Syd.

Sky just frowned, and Bridge's and Syd's faces fell. "What's wrong?" asked Bridge.

"I just don't think I'll make a good leader," said Sky.

"What makes you think that?" Kat asked.

"I chose wrongly when Cruger and Z got taken. I wanted to finish off the robot, and if I hadn't, who knows, me and Bridge could have gotten there faster and prevented all this," Sky revealed.

Syd's jaw dropped. "Sky! You were just following orders, just like me and Kat! We couldn't have done any better," she argued.

"Syd's right Sky. Like she said, orders are orders. You're a soldier. Well, kind of," mused Bridge. "I mean, are we intergalactic police officers or soldiers? Anyways," Bridge hastily said, "You're a soldier. Or police officer. Or whatever! The point is, you have to follow orders. And you did, so there's nothing more to worry about."

"They're both right Sky," Kat said, stepping down from the elevated platform upon which the main console sat. "You've shown remarkable progress as a team member, and a team leader since Jack left. You'll do well until we get the Commander back. And if had left the robot, who knows what damage it could have done. Despite being disabled, the weapon systems were still fully functional."

"Yeah, so it's what, three to none? I think that's majority Sky," said Bridge.

Sky sighed. "But what about the damage done when the factory exploded? People were hurt when I destroyed it," said Sky.

"No-one was in the factory when it exploded, so, other than property damage, you'll be in the clear," said Syd.

"So are you ready to lead us?" asked Kat.

"No," Sky said firmly. Bridge, Syd and Kat were taken back by his response.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" asked Syd, confused.

"I can't lead the whole Earth division of S.P.D.," said Sky. "I'm confident leading you guys, but you're my friends. The rest of the Delta Base is a different story."

"Hey, if you can lead us, you should be able to lead a base. It's exactly the same. Just more people. And more things to take care off. Oh, oh right. It's not the same," admitted Bridge.

"Why can't you lead us, Kat?" asked Sky. Syd and Bridge slowly turned to face her.

"Yeah, if Sky won't lead us, why can't you?" asked Syd.

"Because I'm not a leader!" Kat argued. Bridge let out a cough that sounded like 'liar'. Kat just glared at him.

"See!" said an excited Bridge. "Kat has her own version of the same look Sky or Cruger does when we do something wrong! She's perfect for leading us!"

"Guys, I'm a scientist. Not a fully trained Ranger like you," Kat said, almost desperately. Another cough from Syd this time.

"Well, you did really well as a Ranger. You held your own out there against Mooney that first time, then both times when the Delta Base was attacked, and most recently you became a full-time Ranger. Sounds like you're more than just a scientist," Syd innocently stated.

"And you told me that you were a soldier once. That means that you would have some kind of experience leading people," Bridge also said.

"Face it Kat; the facts add up against you. You'll be better as our temporary Commander," Sky said with a rare smile. "In fact, I pass my Commander duties onto you from now on, Kat."

"Commander Manx," mused Bridge.

"Sounds just as good as Cruger," joked Syd. "Seriously. It does."

Kat sighed. She looked around at the hopeful faces in front of her. "There's no way out of this, is there?" Kat asked.

All of them shook their heads vigorously.

Kat sighed again. Things were definitely not going the way she had planned them. "Alright then, I'll accept the temporary position of Commander in the absence of Commander Cruger," Kat said.

Sky, Bridge and Syd started clapping softly. Kat smirked. "But, I shall need Sky's help in assisting me with my commanding duties, since I have to pull double duty as acting Commander and Chief of Technology as well."

Sky was shocked, before Bridge and Syd clapped again. Sky closed his mouth and straightened up. "I'll do my best to assist you," he said.

"Now that that's been taken care of, we'll have to decide what to do next," Kat said.

"Someone should tell Jack that Z's missing," Syd said sombrely

"I'll get it done," Sky said.

"And someone needs to inform Isinia that Cruger's gone as well," Kat said. All the members of B-Squad looked at her.

"You can do it," they chorused.

"Fine. Is there anything else that needs to be taken care of?" Kat asked.

"I don't think so," said Sky.

"All right then, dismissed," Kat ordered.

"You're fitting into the role quite nicely already Kat," said Bridge, before leaving the Command Centre.

"And good luck with Isinia!" Bridge called out as he left.

Kat rubbed at her temple, in an attempt to erase the upcoming headache. Her species was similar to humans in the effect that headaches were often experienced, especially during times of stress.

Ever since Cruger had been reunited with his wife, Kat and Isinia had been on rather uncomfortable terms with each other. Neither really was jealous of each other; rather, Kat saw Isinia as a distraction to Cruger's duties, and Isinia saw Kat as a threat due to the time she had spent with Cruger whilst Isinia was held prisoner. Bridge had joked it was something to do with cats and dogs, and Felix had declined to say anything about it.

Kat left the Command Centre, the doors automatically locking themselves after her. She walked along the corridor down to where Cruger's quarters lay, and where Isinia most likely would be. The female Sirian was rarely seen around the Base during the day, staying out of sight somewhere.

Kat reached the elevator, and rode it to the floor where her shared quarters with Boom lay, as well as all the other Chiefs of their respective fields, and the Commander's quarters lay as well.

Reaching the door, Kat steeled herself, and pressed the chime for entry. A few seconds later, the door quietly hissed open and Isinia peeked out.

"Dr. Manx. What can I do for you?" Isina asked quietly.

"It's about Do-, I mean, the Commander," Kat corrected herself.

"He's not here. In fact, I was hoping that you knew where he was."

"I think it would be better if we held this conversation inside," Kat said.

"Very well," Isinia said, before opening the door enough for Kat to go in.

Kat strode in, and stood in the living area of the quarters. Isinia locked the door, and walked over.

"So, what is it?" Isinia asked.

"It has something to do with the Commander's whereabouts. The last time he went out, it was with our Yellow Ranger to stop the Troobians attack on the city," Kat started.

"And?" prompted Isinia.

Kat took a deep breath. "He and the Yellow Ranger were ambushed. I'm sorry to say so, but he's…gone."

"…Gone?" Isinia looked shocked.

"He was taken prisoner by the Troobians. We can't find him or our Yellow Ranger, yet."

"Yet?"

"We're working on getting through the Troobians technology to find him," Kat said. "It might take a few more days to complete, though."

Isinia sunk down on one of the chairs across the room. She was obviously shocked and the news had hit her hard.

"Th-…thanks for telling me," she said weakly.

Kat could only nod, biting her lip. "Do you need any help?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. I just need to sit down, clear my head for awhile." Isinia struggled to get the words out.

Kat exhaled, and walked to the door. "I'll leave you to do so then. If you do need help, don't hesitate to call me," Kat said. Reaching the door, Kat turned back to where Isinia still was seated, looking numbly at the floor.

"Isinia."

The Commander's wife turned around to look at Kat, standing in the open doorway.

"I'm sorry for the loss as well," Kat said, before leaving, the door shutting quietly behind her.

Outside, Kat leaned against the wall, looking both relieved and exhausted. She never knew telling someone about a loss could be so tiring. Kat looked at her room further into the level. She could really do with the sleep, but she had work to do, in the form of an upgrade to her morpher. Boom was already asleep, leaving Kat do it the upgrade alone.

While it would make things easier, Kat could really do with some company. Loneliness was something that the two females had in common. Isinia was left without Doggie for the first time in days since they were reunited, and Kat had been left feeling lonely ever since meeting with Jake for the first time in years.


In the darkened Rec Room, Sky, Bridge and Syd sat on the couches. Sky was being even more quiet than usual. Syd was flicking through a magazine, not really focusing on the pages. She just turned and turned and turned. The light, or rather, lack of lighting made reading the articles within difficult, which added to the mindless way in which Syd flicked through. Bridge came back from the synthesiser, holding and eating a cupcake.

"Let me guess; you think you're responsible for what happened to Z and the Commander?" Syd asked as Bridge flopped down next to her.

"Yep," Bridge answered through a mouthful of cake. Sky just buried his head in his hands, and placed his elbows on his knees.

"What's wrong Sky?" Bridge asked. Syd nudged Bridge in the rib, and gave him a pointed look. "I did need to say something," he whispered to Syd, who gave up.

"Nothing's wrong Bridge. Just eat your cake," Sky muttered.

"Sky, didn't we tell you not to beat yourself up over Z and the Commander's capture?" Syd said.

"Yeah. The bad guys beat us around enough already without you doing it to yourself," Bridge added.

"Thanks guys, but just drop it, okay?" Sky said. It came out rather muffled because his head was still buried in his hands.

"What was that Sky?" Bridge asked.

"Bridge, just leave him alone," Syd sighed. "When do we tell Jack that Z's gone missing?"

"We'll tell him tomorrow morning," Sky mumbled.

"I think we should think something up so that it'll soften the blow for him," Syd said.

Bridge thought for the moment. "How about we tell him that we couldn't do anything about it?"

"That's kind of saying that it wasn't our fault," Syd said. "It'll probably make him think that we are trying to give a reason why he shouldn't blame us."

Bridge pondered, and stopped eating for awhile. "Well, what should we tell him?"

"Just the truth," groaned Sky.

"How about that we're going to get her and the Commander back as soon as Kat's finished working out a way to get past their disruption field?"

"That's classified information Bridge," Syd said.

"Well, we'll just say we're going to get her back soon then. Is that classified?"

"No it isn't," Sky said.

"Oh good, we do have something to tell him then."

A lengthy silence followed in the darkened Rec Room, only punctuated by the sounds of Bridge chewing on his snack, until Syd stood up.

"Not to say this isn't fun or anything, but I'm feeling tired now. I'll catch you guys in the morning. Good night," Syd said, getting up.

"Night Syd," Bridge said.

"Night," Sky mumbled.

"Night Bridgey, Sky. Back to the time when I had a room to myself," Syd said, walking out of the Rec Room.

"I think Syd is right. We better go to sleep now as well; who knows what'll happen tomorrow. This may be the last time we get to sleep for awhile," Bridge said, standing up and finishing his cupcake.

"Just like the time when we fought all those robots? That time when you kept falling asleep?" Sky asked.

Bridge laughed. "Good to know that your sense of humour has returned."

"When did I have a sense of humour?"

Bridge pondered the question. "Hmmm…good point Sky. You didn't have one during the first years at the Academy, and then you didn't have one for awhile when Jack and Z first came in. I think it was about…I dunno actually," Bridge said, scratching his head and scrunching up his face in thought.

"Doesn't matter now Bridge. Good night."

"…Alright. Good night, I'll see you later. Wait, we share the same room. So, yeah, I will see you later. Good night anyways," Bridge said, walking out of the room, and leaving Sky alone with his thoughts.

Sky sat and stared at the floor for a few moments, trying to rid his head of thoughts about what had happened, what he could have done, and what he should have done. Giving in to exhaustion, he too got off the couch, and headed out of the room. Turning off the lights was unnecessary- it did so by itself as it registered no-one in the room, and dimmed. The door closed, and Sky walked off towards the room he shared with Bridge.

For once, Sky was glad that he had to share a room with Bridge. He had no desire to face the night alone with only his thoughts to accompany him, despite the fact that he would lose a great deal of sleep from Bridge's incessant talking about anything and everything.


The night passed quickly into morning, and the bright sun rose over Newtech City, reversing the process that was done during the night. Now, the cleaner, friendlier side of Newtech City was in full force. People rose to begin their daily schedule, and radios blared as music, news and other reports came and went.

Inside a Troobian prison cell aboard a Troobian ship however, neither Z nor Cruger could experience the change. Indeed, the only way they knew of the transition from night to day was the in-built watches on their morphers.

Cruger opened his eyes to see Z slumped uncomfortably against the side of the prison cell. The Yellow Ranger was still fully morphed, and the armoured vest and helmet wouldn't have done much to alleviate the awkwardness of the position in which she was slumped.

Looking around, Cruger saw no guards. Risking a great deal, he pressed a button on his morpher, and his suit disappeared around him, and braced himself.

Nothing. No poisonous gases, no attempt to blast him. It was rather nerve-wracking to be un-morphed inside a Troobian prison cell, but he had to do so.

Not wanting to stay un-morphed for any longer than necessary, he quickly hit the button again, and in response, his suit formed up around him, sealing him off.

Against the wall, Z had just started to stir. She cracked her neck to relieve the strained muscles there, and looked around, the effects of sleep still deep in her system. Z looked around, until she saw Cruger.

"Sir," Z said tiredly, trying to salute, but ended up dropping the arm, too tired to do anything other than to lie against the wall.

"How are you feeling?" Cruger asked.

"Fine, just really tired," Z answered.

Z stared at the bars of their cell. She looked and thought, until she had an idea.

"Z, what are you doing?" Cruger asked as she got up, and de-morphed.

Z tried to create a duplicate of herself on the other side of the bars, but after two minutes of concentration, the replica did not appear.

"You're trying to create one of your duplicates aren't you?" Cruger asked.

"Why won't work?" Z shook her head in frustration.

"Energy dampeners," Cruger answered.

"What?" Z asked as she turned to face Cruger, who was still in his Ranger form.

"Energy dampeners. It's a feature that all Troobian ships have, to keep prisoners with special powers or abilities from using them to escape. It was on Grumm's ship as well."

"So why can't I create any of my duplicates beyond the cell?" Z questioned.

"Because the dampeners prevent you from using your genetic powers, cutting them off."

Z sighed and slumped back, pressing her morpher to cause her Ranger form to appear around her, minus the S.W.A.T. gear, which other than providing protection, wouldn't be of much help without the Delta Enforcer, which she had dropped back at the ambush site.

"Why aren't they torturing us or interrogating us?" Z asked from her place against the wall.

"Because they most likely don't have to. They don't want to infiltrate S.P.D.; they just want to destroy it," Cruger answered.

"That's reassuring. Then what would they do with us?"

"After destroying the Delta Base, going by Troobian standards, we'll most likely to be vaporised."


In the Delta Command Base, the Cafeteria was as usual packed in the morning. The last few days however, the Cafeteria seemed even fuller, due to the influx of survivors from the battle in orbit, many of which had been assigned to different positions within the Delta Base.

"Bridge, how long does it take you to eat your toast?" Syd asked.

"Syd, they say patience is a virtue. I think it should apply to eating food as well," Bridge answered.

Sky, who had finished eating, along with Syd watched the Blue Ranger crunch away.

"I'd prefer that we'd get to Jack and tell him about Z before the morning is finished, Bridge," Sky said.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to have Cruger, I mean Kat, call us in the middle of the conversation informing us about another attack," said Sky with annoyance.

"Okay, give me, say, five minutes?"

"Two Bridge."

"Two?" Bridge exclaimed in shock. "I need at least four, Sky!"

"Three Bridge. Final offer," Sky deadpanned.

Bridge sighed in defeat, as Syd looked on with an amused expression. He started to eat faster, and Sky grinned.

Three minutes later, according to Bridge at least, the three people of B-Squad left the Cafeteria and headed out of the Delta Base in the Delta Cruiser.

Five minutes later, they had reached the place where Jack and Ally collected clothes and distributed the items. Parking, they all hopped out, and headed over.

"Jack!" called Sky, as the former Red Ranger looked up from his work and saw his old friends walking towards him.

"Hey guys!" he called back. "Ally! S.P.D.'s here."

Jack's associate and as of late girlfriend came out of the place where the items donated were stored.

"Hi," she said as Sky, Bridge and Syd reached a comfortable distance.

"Hi Jack, Ally," greeted Sky as he shook hands with Jack and Ally. Bridge got a slap on the back from Jack, who was embraced by Syd.

"So guys, what brings you here?" questioned Jack. "And where's Z?"

At once, the rather good atmosphere disappeared, and Jack saw that they all suddenly looked crestfallen.

"You might want to sit down for this," advised Sky. Jack and Ally did so, seating themselves on a flimsy looking box.

"Did you see the battle we fought yesterday?" Sky asked.

Jack nodded. "The giant robot one? Yeah, I think the whole city saw the explosion. What does that have to do with Z and why are you here?"

"Well, the robot was actually only one of the three attacks that happened at the same time. Me and Sky handled the robot, Syd and Kat took care of the attack on the labs, and Z and Cruger dealt with another random attack," Bridge said.

"Wait, hold up a sec here. First of all, Kat's a Ranger? And secondly, again, what does this have to do with Z?" asked Jack.

"Kat became a Ranger the day before yesterday," Syd said.

"Or two days ago," Bridge added helpfully.

"And about Z, well, Jack. She went with Cruger to stop the attack, but from what little she transmitted, they were ambushed by Krybots, and then overwhelmed. Jack, they've taken Z prisoner," Sky said, trying to keep emotion from his normally strong voice.

Jack was left speechless. "Wh…what?" he quietly asked. Ally was just as shocked.

Sky took a deep breath, but Bridge butted in. "Jack, the Troobians have got Z. We don't know where she or the Commander is, but we're doing our best to find them and bring them back," Bridge reassured.

"Hey Jack, we got another call-…aghh! S.P.D.!" shouted an alien as he walked through the doorway, saw Sky, Bridge and Syd scattered around and promptly dived back in the doorway again.

"Nice to see you as well, Piggy," Sky said.

"Huh? Oh. You guys again," Piggy said, brushing dust off his clothing. "I haven't done anything wrong these last few weeks. So, no reason to come for me!"

"We're not here to arrest anyone, Piggy," said Syd. "We just needed to talk to Jack."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll leave you guys to it then." Piggy then disappeared from the door in no small hurry.

Jack still sat still on the box. Ally had recovered somewhat, and had draped her arm around Jack, patting his back and whispering to him.

"Gone Sky? As in…" Jack couldn't finish the sentence.

"No Jack. She's just missing."

He breathed a small sigh of relief. "There's still hope then," Jack mumbled, and rose up rather shakily. "Thanks for telling me guys. I'll…I'll see you guys later."

Jack and Ally disappeared into the building, and left Sky, Bridge and Syd looking at each other.

"His reaction was better than I expected," Bridge chimed in.

"Come on. We better head back to the Base," Sky said heavily, before walking off towards the Cruiser, Bridge and Syd following behind.


In the Command Centre, Kat had already addressed most, if not all of the entirety of the Base about Cruger's capture, and the fact that she was forced to step in as acting Commander, with Sky as Co-Commander.

Everyone had accepted her and Sky without a general problem. The only problem was that morale had dropped dramatically ever since the news was relayed. Kat only hoped that they would have rescued Cruger before the media got a hold on Cruger's disappearance.

Kat sighed as she viewed the upgrades to her morpher. They were almost done, however, Kat had put off the final part because it would require her full attention, and she wouldn't trust Boom to do it, more because of what could happen to him if it was done wrongly.

With that in mind, Kat opened the communications channel to Sky. "Sky, do you read?"

"Yeah, Sky here. What's wrong Kat?"

"I need to you take command when you get back. I have something else to get done," Kat said.

"Sure thing Kat. We're almost back at Base anyway."

"Good. And how did Jack take the news?"

Silence filled the channel for a moment. "He took it alright actually. I think he'll need a couple of days to get his head around it."

"That's good to know. When you get back, Sky, you report to the Command Centre, and take over. Bridge, Syd, you two just train for awhile," Kat ordered.

"Yes Ma'am," the three Rangers chorused, before Kat closed the channel. She glanced around at the Cadets and Officers working on the various consoles, some monitoring the city, others giving out patrol orders.

"Officer Tate will be in charge when he arrives, understand?" Kat called out.

A series of 'Yes Ma'am' echoed throughout the Centre as Kat headed out the doors and walked towards her lab. She only prayed the Boom hadn't done something stupid in there.


Therntia viewed the prison cell holding the captured Rangers with disinterest. The only reason he was watching them was because he had run out of things to keep his mind off Kat.

The machine that was going to enhance the size of the Krybots was all set up; it was just beginning to power up and run through the initialising sequences that were required.

He had nothing else to do, and the liquid he had taken was already placed within the machine, so the lab was back to its normal temperature, which still was cold. The icicles on the ceiling of the lab still hung there, and had refused to budge, and Therntia had seen no reason to get rid of them.

"How are our 'guests' coming along?" hissed a voice from behind him.

Therntia slowly turned to face his employer and leader.

"They seem to be doing nothing," he said.

"That is to be expected. Is either one of them the one you seek for your 'amusement'?" Malignticous asked.

Therntia looked at them, remembering that Kat had a white and orange suit. "No."

"A pity. Then you should make due with one of them," Malignticous said in an offhanded manner.

"Excuse me, Emperor, but I believed we had a deal," Therntia frowned.

"Our 'deal' is void!" shouted Malignticous. "Your weapons and plans have failed to do any sort of significant damage to S.P.D.! We have expended far too many resources on your plans, resources that could have been used rebuilding this ship!"

Therntia said nothing, and kept his growing anger in check. Malignticous was far stronger than him, and had the backing of the remainder of his army with him, as well as the two hundred or so remaining Krybots.

"The Krybots should be able to destroy the Rangers, Emperor. They haven't faced ten oversized Krybots before," Therntia said.

"They have defeated everything else you have devised as well!" Malignticous roared.

"The data we obtained from those battles may help us gain a deeper insight on how they fight, Emperor!" argued Therntia. "We can see how they function when one-third of their team is gone!"

Malignticous thought it over, and then acted. In a single swift motion, he strode over to Therntia, and landed a heavy blow against Therntia's stomach. The blow sent the scientist flying against the far wall.

"This may be your last chance Therntia. Be warned," Malignticous said before walking out.

Therntia got up, and leaned over a desk, clutching his stomach. He coughed, and spat. Blood came out with it, red blood typical of humans. He stared at the colour of the blood. It didn't seem right to him anymore.

You don't deserve to be called human anymore.

Kat's words rung in his head again. He stared at the red blood. I am human, aren't I? I have red blood. Humans have red blood. I should be human, he thought.

He had thought that he was safe when he was accepted by Malignticous. He now realised that no-one was safe, especially with Malignticous. He wondered what was better, to be on the side of good, or bad if no-one was safe. He was beginning to regret his decision now.

He moved the device outside of the ship, and alerted Malignticous. The Krybots were about to receive a massive growth spurt.


Kat stepped out of the entrance of her lab, the doors automatically locking themselves behind her. She looked at her morpher, and had a small smile on her face. Just one small victory over the latest defeat, she thought.

Placing it back in her pocket, Kat headed for the gym. Entering, she noticed that whilst there was plenty of occupants inside, none were the ones she sought.

Kat stopped one of the occupants as he left. "Did you see where the B-Squad went?" she asked.

"I think they left about five minutes ago," the alien answered, scratching its bald head. "Just two of them; I think it was the Blue Ranger and the Pink Ranger."

"Thank you," Kat said, before turning around and heading off in the direction of where she suspected Bridge and Syd to be; the Rec Room.

While Kat could have tested the new upgrades for her morpher against simulated Krybots, Kat preferred to test it against a real person, who could make their own decisions, rather than pre-programmed artificial opponents. It would push both Kat and her morpher to the limit, which she wanted to get done so if there was anything wrong with it, it could be identified and corrected, rather than to have something go wrong in the middle of a battle.

Reaching the Rec Room's entrance, Kat bumped into Syd as the Pink Ranger walked out.

"Sorry Kat," Syd apologised. Luckily, neither of them had been walking fast enough to be knocked down.

"It's alright Syd. Is Bridge in there?" Kat asked.

"Yeah, he's in there, eating toast as usual," Syd replied.

"Thanks Syd. Did Sky let you off training early?"

"Yeah, it took a lot of begging and other things just to let him give us a break," Syd sighed.

"Well, you can go do, well, whatever you're going to do. Keep your morpher with you in case," Kat said.

"Alright, thanks for the advice," Syd said, heading off, and leaving Kat standing in the hall outside the Rec Room.

Kat walked into the room, and looked for Bridge. Sure enough, the Blue Ranger was chomping at a pile of toast. Kat strode over to him, with Cadets parting to let her pass.

"Bridge," Kat said. "Are you doing anything busy, besides eating?"

"Hey Kat. Umm, not really. Why?" asked Bridge.

"I was wondering if you could help me test out the latest upgrades to my morpher," Kat answered.

"What do you mean by test, Kat?" asked Bridge.

"Just a little practice simulation. I need to see how well it works under the strain of combat," said Kat.

"Umm, sure. I don't see any reason not to. Do I need to bring anything?"

"No. Just bring your morpher, which you should be carrying with you anyway," Kat answered.

"Now?" Bridge asked.

"Now would be preferable."

"Alright. Lemme finish this piece first," Bridge said, quickly eating the last of the toast while Kat waited patiently.

"Done?" Kat politely enquired as Bridge stood up, and brushed off crumbs from his jacket.

He looked up at Kat. "Yep," and followed Kat as she walked out.

"Where are we testing this?" Bridge asked.

"In the Simulator. Where else do you train while morphed?" Kat responded.

"Well, nowhere," Bridge said.

The two eventually reached the entrance to the Simulator, where they generally trained against Krybots or other enemies, even against each other while morphed occasionally.

A squad of Marines walked out of the Simulator as they entered. The S.P.D. Marines were usually stationed aboard S.P.D. ships, and served as security guards, counter-boarders or even as boarders. They were dressed in the same uniforms as the security detachment onboard the Terra Venture had.

A small detachment of ninety seven Marines out of a hundred and fifty had survived the orbital battle, and were quickly incorporated as guards around certain areas of the Delta Command Base until they were picked up by the next time a fleet was sent.

Marines operated in small groups of ten, and the highest ranking officer among the surviving Marines was the Lieutenant in front of Kat.

"Lieutenant. How's the head?" Kat asked as she walked in with Bridge in tow. The Lieutenant, as with many other survivors, had been wounded in the escape from the doomed Indomitable. Kat had treated the Lieutenant for a head wound that was luckily non-fatal.

"Fine Ma'am. It's healing quite nicely," he answered, before noticing Bridge at Kat's side, looking rather intimidated by the large man in front of him and offered Bridge a hand. "Lieutenant Murphy, 'A' Company, stationed onboard, or rather, was stationed onboard the Indomitable."

Bridge tentatively shook the hand. "Br-Bridge Carson, Blue Ranger," he said.

"Well, nice to meet you Bridge, and good to see you again ma'am. We'd better go now- I suppose you two would want to use the Simulator?"

"Yes. Thank you," said Kat as the Lieutenant led his squad of Marines out and deeper into the Delta Base, leaving Bridge and Kat alone in the Simulator.

"So, Kat, what do you want me to do?" asked Bridge, turning to face Kat.

"I thought a good way to test out the upgrade would be a little…sparring," Kat said with a sly grin, as she pulled out her morpher.

"Uhh…spar?" Bridge asked warily, pulling out his own morpher.

"Yeah. How about the rooftop simulation?"

Even as Kat said it, the white walls of the simulator melted away to show that the two were on top of a building, the cityscape sprawled out around them.

"You ready Bridge?" asked Kat. Bridge nodded, and Kat grinned. "First one to pin the other down wins, okay?"

"Alright Kat," said Bridge, as he pulled his morpher up at the same time Kat did.

"S.P.D. Emergency!" they both shouted, and within seconds, their respective suits had formed up around them.

Not wanting to go head-to-head with Kat, who Bridge knew was substantially faster and more agile than nearly everyone in B-Squad, Bridge pressed a second button on his morpher.

"S.P.D. S.W.A.T.!" he called, and the black S.W.A.T. equipment formed around him, as did his Delta Enforcer. He quickly locked in his morpher with its slot on the vest.

Kat just watched him, and Bridge remembered that she said this was to test out an upgrade. What upgrade, he wondered. Bridge got his answer a second later.

"S.P.D. S.W.A.T.!" Kat called out as well, and the same black, armoured vest formed around Kat's suit, taking her chest armour's place. The communications gear also appeared on her helmet, along with leg armour, and Delta Enforcer.

"Uh oh," Bridge muttered. Now Kat was on the same level as him, and with her superior agility, Kat admittedly had Bridge on the ropes.

"Ready to rumble, Bridge?" Kat asked slyly, before locking her morpher into the vest and unleashing a storm of laser fire from her Enforcer.

"Whoa!" Bridge shouted as he dove away, and rolled to a kneeling position, Delta Enforcer raised and firing. The blasts did little as Kat jumped away, and fired back.

Bridge cursed the lack of available cover, and was forced to rely upon agility to get away from Kat's shots. He grunted as several shots hit him on the chest and sent him onto the ground. Now I know how they feel when they get shot by a Delta Enforcer, Bridge thought as he rolled on his stomach sideways to dodge another shot.

From his position, Bridge fired another shot at Kat, who unsurprisingly dodged the shots. Bridge followed up with another volley, which caught Kat by surprise as she dodged into the next volley.

Kat was sent reeling from the shots, which gave Bridge enough time to leap up and try to close the distance between him and Kat, who had recovered by now and was already taking aim again and unleashing a torrent of lasers.

Bridge jumped, ducked and rolled, but never stopped running as he got closer. "Nice try Bridge," Kat said before lashing out with a kick as Bridge ran towards her. He was going to fast to stop, and ran right into the attack, which propelled him back and sent him rolling as he stopped.

"Ouch," he groaned. Luckily for him, rather than staying at a distance, Kat moved in closer. He would have preferred trading kicks and punches with Kat rather than stay away and get blasted, but only just barely.

Kat viewed Bridge as she walked closer. "Come on Bridge, is that all you got? Boom could be doing a better job testing out the new upgrade right now," Kat said as a way of provoking him.

Bridge leapt up, and went for a kick, which Kat avoided by throwing herself backwards, and then ran up and punched Bridge, who rolled to the right just in time to get a good shot at Kat's side.

The blast sent Kat back, and Bridge stood up as Kat got up. "Nice work," Kat said, before leaping in with another kick. Bridge grabbed at her foot and managed to grab hold. Before he could do anything however, Kat threw her body weight around, and the sudden change of direction forced Bridge to go with her. Kat's spin threw Bridge to the ground, and Kat landed on her feet with ease.

Bridge tried to fire at Kat again, but she jumped, and the attack missed. However, as she landed, Bridge swept Kat off her feet, and sent her crashing to the ground. Kat rolled as a laser seared the simulated ground where she was a moment ago. From her position, Kat fired at Bridge, who was unprepared for the attack.

The shot sent Bridge spiralling to the ground next to Kat, who got up before Bridge hit the ground. "That hurt Kat," Bridge said as he got up, and readied for another attack.

"Well, get ready for a lot more," Kat replied as she raised her Delta Enforcer. Bridge, who had saw the motion and had expected her to shoot was already rolling away, but instead was greeted with the sight of Kat running up and delivering a powerful blow to his helmet.

The punch rocked Bridge, and he staggered back, which saved him from Kat's second punch. He counter-attacked, and his fist grazed Kat's arm as she leapt away a second too late. Bridge followed up with another punch which Kat evaded, and a kick which she didn't.

Kat hissed in anger as the kick sent her stumbling back, but Kat regained control of her wilder side. Kat launched into a complex series of attacks, incorporating some of the fighting styles that were native to her homeworld.

Bridge blocked as many attacks as he could. He caught one punch from Kat, and twisted, but Kat flipped, and he let go before her motion again carried him along with it. The second Kat landed, she again went on the offensive, slowly forcing Bridge back. He did his best to block with his arms and legs, occasionally ducking, but while he had psychic senses, most of which were dulled when he was morphed, psychic senses simply weren't reflexes, compared to Kat whose razor-sharp reflexes were simply too fast at times for him.

After he had ducked a shot from Kat's Delta Enforcer at near point-blank range, and blocked a swipe from Kat's elbow by raising his own elbow parallel to hers, he saw an opening. He willed his leg to move as fast as it could, and he kicked up…and knocked Kat's Delta Enforcer from her hands, sending it skidding away on the concrete.

He smiled under his helmet, and pointed his own Delta Enforcer at Kat, who didn't move.

"Nice kick there, Bridge," Kat said.

He shrugged. "So, are you ready to give in yet?" Bridge asked.

"Just because I'm not armed doesn't mean I'm harmless; far from it," Kat said, before leaping straight up. "Cat Stunners!"

Shit, cursed Bridge as he rolled away from the multiple impact zones from the energy flakes/feathers. He had forgotten all about her trademark move in the excitement.

Kat, rather than running for her Delta Enforcer, ran up instead and aimed a kick at Bridge, who brought his own Delta Enforcer up to block the kick. Kat, rather than kicking Bridge, ended up kicking away Bridge's Delta Enforcer which skidded to the edge of the small arena.

"Now who's at a disadvantage?" Kat asked.

"Ummm…maybe me?" Bridge said, before throwing himself forward and tackling Kat to the ground. The two wrestled for control, and Bridge ended up on top.

"You give up yet Kat?" he asked, getting up.

Kat shook her head, and wrapped both her legs around Bridge, and then flipped, once again carrying Bridge with her. He landed on the ground, and Kat pounced upon him, pinning him down again.

"Do you give up?" Kat asked.

"Not yet," said Bridge, before tucking his legs in, and lashing out with a kick. Kat was sent flying back, and Bridge leapt on top of her, and gained control. Remembering last time, Bridge straddled Kat, and pinned her arms down. He was just barely stronger, and Kat eventually gave up struggling.

"O.K., Bridge, you win," conceded Kat. "Now, would you be as kind as to get off?"

Bridge got up, and held out a hand to Kat, who accepted it.

"Power down," Kat said, and the suit, along with the S.W.A.T. enhancements disappeared. Bridge followed, and soon both of them were standing in the blank Simulator, the generated landscape disappearing around them.

"Well, I think that proved that the upgrades worked," Kat said.

Bridge nodded. "They definitely do," he said.

Before they could walk out, both of their morphers beeped. Kat frowned, and grabbed it. "Kat, what's the problem?"

"Kat, I think we've got another Troobian offensive coming. Energy signatures just appeared out of nowhere," came Sky's voice.

"We'll be right there. You'd better inform Syd. Bridge is with me, but Syd went somewhere," Kat said.

"Will do. Get to the Command Centre," said Sky before the channel shut off.

"We'd better get going," Kat said to Bridge, who nodded and ran off to the Command Centre with Kat. "And not a word to anyone about you getting on top!" hissed Kat as they left the room. Bridge grinned and nodded, and kept running.


Syd, who was preparing for a long hour at a nice café, was about to change out of her uniform and into something more casual when her morpher went off.

Syd sighed explosively as she went over to the small dressing table where her morpher lay. Picking it up, Syd opened it.

"What is it?" she grumbled into it.

"Syd, Troobian offensive. Get to the Command Centre," Sky ordered.

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going," Syd sighed, and threw on her S.P.D. jacket, placing the morpher in one of the pockets, and started to run for the Command Centre as well.

Kat and Bridge ran into the Command Centre. Sky stood at the desk, and walked down as soon as they had run in.

"You're in command now," Sky said to Kat. She wasted no time going to the main console, gently nudging another cadet manning the station off and brought up a satellite energy scan of the city and the surrounding area.

"Energy spikes detected four kilometres out from Newtech," Kat reported, showing the scans to Sky and Bridge, before Syd burst in.

"Sorry…I'm…late…" Syd panted.

"Never mind that Syd. Let me bring up the normal view," Kat said as she rapidly typed commands into the monitor.

"Here it is," Kat announced. "Oh…God…" Kat whispered at the sight. Sky and Syd stared numbly at it. Bridge closed his eyes, opened them, and then promptly closed them again. He pinched his arm.

"Oww!" Bridge muttered, rubbing his arm furiously. "Umm, so I'm not dreaming. But do you all see what I see?"

"Yes Bridge. We do," said Syd, still staring transfixed at the screen.

It showed nine enormous Krybots, all pumping their arms up and down in a typical Krybot manner. Leading them was an oversized Bluehead, which marched at the front of the oversized group.

"Get to your Flyers!" Kat ordered. "You'll need the S.W.A.T. Megazord to deal with these Krybots."

Sky, Bridge and Syd nodded. "Ready guys?" prompted Sky.

"Ready!" replied Bridge and Syd.

"S.P.D. Emergency, S.W.A.T. Mode!" they cried out, and their suits, plus S.W.A.T. enhancements appeared.

They ran off, and leapt into the tubes that would take them to the launch bay.

"Flyers 3 and 4 will join you by remote," came Kat's voice over their headset. "As soon as you get outside, form the Megazord. Flyers alone are not going to stop them."

"You got it Kat," said Sky as he entered the cockpit of his Flyer. "All systems have a green light. How about you guys?"

"Same here Sky. Ready to roll," said Bridge.

"I'm ready," reported Syd.

The three Flyers rolled out, passing by a sixth Flyer, and took positions as they launched from the Delta Command Base. The green and the yellow Flyers followed them, and soon, the five Flyers were dancing in the sky.

"Form up guys," Sky said. "We'll fly as close as we can to the Krybots, and then we form the Megazord."

"Roger that," came the simultaneous reply from Bridge and Syd.

The Flyers accelerated to their maximum velocity, and soon came within hundreds of metres of the group of Krybots, before they took up positions, and formed the S.W.A.T. Megazord.

"The Krybots have reached the outskirts of Newtech, Rangers. If they get within striking range of the Delta Command Base, there won't be much that can stop them!"

"Thanks for the heads-up Kat," said Sky, as the S.W.A.T. Megazord flew down, and landed in front of the Krybots. "S.P.D., halt!"

"Fire!" ordered the Bluehead, before it and five Krybots fired their lasers.

The S.W.A.T. Megazord quickly flew up, and the majority of the lasers scattered across the place where it was standing a few moments ago. In the air, the S.W.A.T. Megazord drew its twin blasters, and fired back at the Krybots below.

Red lasers tore into the Krybots, but none fell. "What the!" exclaimed Bridge as they drifted down.

"Looks like they've gotten an upgrade," said Syd.

"Keep firing!" Sky ordered, before the S.W.A.T. Megazord raised the blasters again, and fired.

"Incoming!" shouted Bridge as a laser flew at the Megazord. It sidestepped to the left, and the laser whizzed past where they were a second ago. The S.W.A.T. Megazord ceased firing, and smoke reigned where they had fired.

"Did we get 'em?" asked Syd. The smoke cleared, to show ten Krybots still standing. They had blast marks, and the Bluehead's chest was scorched, but other than that, there was no damage. "Oh come on," muttered Syd.

"Spread out!" ordered the Bluehead, and the Krybots moved, creating a ring around the outnumbered and outgunned S.W.A.T. Megazord.

"Sky, you got any ideas?" asked Bridge, looking at his scans. Not good. They were surrounded, and obviously the Krybots had thicker armour than their normal sized cousins.

One Krybot charged at the S.W.A.T. Megazord, its arm raised. Sky turned the SWAT Megazord around to face the new threat.

"Hang on guys!" Sky shouted, before activating the boosters on the Megazord. It flipped over the Krybot, and Bridge activated the weapons. Twin lasers from its blasters pounded the Krybot. The force from the lasers, plus the Krybot's own momentum caused it to crash to the ground.

The S.W.A.T. Megazord whirled around to face the newer threat; a pair of Krybots hanging back and aiming at them. The S.W.A.T. Megazord flew nearly horizontal towards the pair, avoiding many of the blasts they fired, as well as the blasts from the other Krybots around them.

The S.W.A.T. Megazord stopped in front the two, and used one of the blasters to pistol-whip the Krybot on the right straight on the head. The resulting crack from the butt of the weapon meeting the metallic head of the Krybot resonated throughout the city. The Krybot collapsed in a pile, the force of the impact having caused its CPU to temporary shut down from blunt force trauma.

The other Krybot turned towards the Megazord, less than ten metres away, but was blasted as the Megazord fired both blasters, one from its metal hip and the other raised. The blasts, at such a range sent it down.

"Well, that's one down, for now at least," remarked Bridge.

"Do these Krybots fall under the rule that we aren't allowed to harm offenders too badly?" asked Syd.

"Don't think so," answered Sky. "They're robots."

"Alright!" said Syd, before she brought the Megazord's leg down on the back of the Krybot they had just shot. It struggled to rise, as the S.W.A.T. Megazord swept the area with its twin blasters.

"Where'd they go?" asked Bridge, noticing that their battle had carried them away from the City's outskirts, and deeper into Newtech. There were no Krybots in sight, but there were plenty of large buildings which a Krybot could crouch and hide behind.

"Looks like we have to find them," said Sky. The S.W.A.T. Megazord bent down, and attached a pair of oversized Containment Cuffs on the Krybot and getting off its back, before moving off into a jungle of steel and glass that was Newtech City.

The S.W.A.T. Megazord moved and peered behind a building. There was no trace of any Krybots behind the building, so it moved onwards towards the next cluster of buildings.

"I got a bad feeling about this," said Bridge as they moved the Megazord towards the intersection. He was proven right, as their scanners suddenly beeped a warning.

"Ambush!" cried Sky as a pair of Krybots clumsily leapt out from behind a building, and grabbed hold of the S.W.A.T. Megazords arms.

"Get them off!" shouted Bridge. Normal sized Krybots grabbing the Ranger's arms could be thrown off easily enough, but the Megazord's sheer size and mass dictated its actions. Before anything more could be done to throw off the Krybots, another pair emerged and struck the S.W.A.T. Megazord across the chest with their blades.

The attack threw the Rangers back in their cockpits, and the pair holding the Megazord threw it forward. Syd managed to twist the Megazord so that when it crashed to the ground, it had its back on the ground, and the twin blasters raised and ready.

A storm of lasers hammered the Krybots that had thrown the Megazord. They were thrown off their feet, and crashed to the ground. The S.W.A.T. Megazord then got up, and struck a hammer blow to another Krybot which made a run at it.

"You know guys, I seriously doubt whether this is working," commented Syd as they watched the Krybots they blasted or struck get up again.

"Well, got any better ideas?" asked Sky.

"Fight now, argue later!" shouted Bridge as three Krybots ran up, weapons raised.

The S.W.A.T. Megazord sidestepped one of the Krybot's slashes, raised an arm to block another, and fired the blaster it held on the other hand at full power at the Krybot that was still charging, before swinging the arm at the other Krybot which they sidestepped. The arm smashed across the Krybot's chest, and sent it down in a shower of sparks.

Still locked in combat with a Krybot, the Megazord lifted the arm that was still locked against one of the Krybot's blades, brought its other blaster underneath, and fired. The beam rocked the other Krybot back, and gave the Megazord a small reprieve as the other Krybots, minus the one they had handcuffed, and the one which they had pistol-whipped fell back towards the outskirts.

"We'd better follow them," advised Bridge.

"Kat?" asked Syd. "What should we do?"

In the Command Centre, Kat had been monitoring the battle with concern. The Krybot's armour had been upgraded, and was proving to be a tough nut to crack. Kat replayed some of the battle, and saw that at full power, the S.W.A.T. Megazord's blasters were powerful enough to blast bits of the armour off the Krybot.

"Rangers, you have to destroy those Krybots. They are too dangerous to be allowed to roam around. Your weapons at full power should be enough to cause damage to them," Kat said.

"Alright. We're moving out."

"Be careful Rangers," Kat said.

"We will. Sky out."

Having closed the channel, Sky brought the Megazord's weapons to bear on the two downed Krybots. He fired the weapons at full power, which tore into the Krybots, destroying them.

"Finally," said Bridge. "They were really annoying."

"Can we hurry up with this?" Syd asked. "It's becoming annoying in here, getting knocked back and forth.

"Set the weapons to full power," ordered Sky. The monitor showed the energy bar for the weapons was full. "Be prepared for anything."

The S.W.A.T. Megazord marched off in the direction where the Krybots had rushed off. They had just approached the outskirts when four of the Krybots came out, all lined up.

"Here we go," muttered Bridge, as Sky activated the Megazord's boosters, and flew towards the Krybots, who fired back.

One shot connected with the Megazord, and caused it to crash. However, it had enough momentum to continue forward, and tackle a Krybot down. Both metallic monstrosities crashed to the ground, and the S.W.A.T. Megazord raised a fist and brought it down on the Krybot, as the others took aim and fired.

Lasers scorched the area around the Megazord, but a majority missed as the Megazord laid the smack down on the Krybot, which eventually was disabled after multiple punches.

The Bluehead soon stepped out and aimed its weapon at the Megazord, which was beginning to get up. "Don't you fools know how to aim?" it shouted at its Krybot subordinates, and fired. The blue beams were fired with accuracy, and struck the Megazord, throwing it to the ground.

"That hurt," complained Bridge.

"That isn't the worst of it," said Sky, pointing. The Bluehead was aiming again.

"Boys, move it!" shouted Syd, as she took over the controls for the boosters. She activated them, throwing the Megazord back just in time for the lasers to miss them.

The Megazord fired back while flying, and scored hits on two Krybots, which went down. Stopping its short flight, the Megazord was immediately fell upon by the Bluehead, which ducked under the Megazord's swing. It thrust its arm forward, and struck the Megazord.

The Megazord retaliated with its blasters, and lit the Bluehead up with lasers. It screamed in anger as it was forced back by the shots. The Bluehead ducked behind a building to avoid the next series of blasts.

A pair of Krybots, not put off by the destruction of their fellows, rushed at the S.W.A.T. Megazord, one from the left, the other from the right.

"Uh oh," Bridge muttered.

The S.W.A.T. Megazord looked from left to right at the charging Krybots, before facing the one rushing in front of them.

"No time to discuss this. Bridge, be on the lookout for any more Krybots, and Syd, get the boosters ready," ordered Sky. Sweat ran off the Red Ranger's brow as he tried to control his nerves. This would require him timing to be perfect, and admittedly, a good deal of luck.

The S.W.A.T. Megazord, about to be sandwiched between two Krybots coming in from the side and one from the front, raised both blasters and pointed them at the Krybot in front, and fired. The twin blasts tore through the Krybot, and stopped it before it ran into the S.W.A.T. Megazord.

Not wasting time, Sky snapped the twin blasters up, and pointed them in the direction of both Krybots, and fired twice from each blaster. The Krybots actually continued to run and would have smashed into the Megazord if Syd hadn't fired the boosters, propelling it high into the sky. The two Krybots crashed into each other, and the damage sustained from the blasts as well as the impact was too much, disabling both.

"Well, that's five out of ten down," said Bridge.

"Where are the others?" asked Syd.

As if to answer her question, a Krybot leapt out, and grabbed the S.W.A.T. Megazord around the waist. Three more emerged, and fired at the same time, sending both of the combatants to the ground. They lined up again, and fired once more. The barrage of lasers did heavy damage to the S.W.A.T. Megazord, which fell back and crushed the other Krybot from the combination of its weight and the force of the fall.

"Kat!" Sky shouted. "We could really do with some help here!"

"Right. I'm on my way. Hold on there Rangers," Kat said from her position at the main console in the Command Centre.

Sky was too busy to notice too much of Kat's sentence, as he and Bridge tried to manoeuvre the Megazord away from the blasts. Another Krybot came out from behind, and latched onto the S.W.A.T. Megazord's back.

In the Command Centre, Kat had just whipped out her morpher, and prepared to morph. She had already told C-Squad's leader that he was in command, at least until she was back.

"S.P.D. Emergency, S.W.A.T. Mode!" Kat called out, and her suit, plus S.W.A.T. equipment formed around her. Kat jumped into the tube, and dropped in the cockpit of her own Flyer. Kat smiled and ran her gloved hand over the controls, as the pre-operational checklist was run through. Once it was done, the sleek white and orange Flyer manoeuvred itself so that it blasted out through the launch bay.

Her Flyer had been in construction all those days ago when Cruger had first asked her about her morpher. It had started as a little tinkering that eventually caused her to take the design to Cruger for approval. Constructed in secret, it had been originally designed for Cruger, but the Commander had ordered her to re-purpose it for her own use.

Flying, Kat quickly spotted the site of the battle. The S.W.A.T. Megazord was struggling to dislodge a Krybot from its back, while the others blasted it. Knowing that the Krybots causing the greatest damage were the ones lined up, Kat locked onto them, and warmed up the lasers.

A tone indicated that the laser cannons had a lock, and Kat fired. The laser cannons spat out long red beams that struck the firing squad like Krybots, and hurled them to the ground. Taking careful aim, Kat fired a small burst of lasers at the Krybot on the Megazord's back.

"What the?" asked a dumbfounded Sky as the Krybot they were trying to dislodge was blasted off.

"How many times do I end up bailing you out of these situations?" came Kat's voice.

"Kat?" asked Bridge in amazement.

"Nice ride!" commented Syd as the white and orange Flyer, designated Flyer 7 flew by, and transformed into a Megazord. White and orange, Kat's new Flyer/Megazord held a small resemblance to the Omegamax Megazord's form in that it resembled a riot officer. Twin blaster cannons formed the Megazord's armament.

"When did you get that?" asked Sky.

"Worry about that later. Take care of these guys first," ordered Kat.

"Yes ma'am," replied the B-Squad Rangers, bringing the S.W.A.T. Megazord to its feet. Kat's agile Megazord cart wheeled down the street, and ended up punching one of the Krybot's heads. It then somersaulted over, just as the S.W.A.T. Megazord fired, and raked the Krybots with high-powered lasers. Kat's own Megazord did the same from the behind the Kybots, and the power of the lasers overwhelmed armour, and caused most of the Krybots to fall.

"Where's the Bluehead?" asked Kat.

"Here!" it shouted as it emerged from behind a building, and fired at Kat's Megazord. It was thrown to the ground, as the S.W.A.T. Megazord laid down a hail of laser fire.

"Kat! You alright?" asked Bridge as Kat's Megazord got up.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Neither of you will be after this!" the Bluehead shouted, firing again. The lasers were aimed at the S.W.A.T. Megazord, which jumped away, firing both blasters as fast as it could.

Kat's Megazord took advantage of the distraction to move in closer to the Bluehead. It went for punch, which the Bluehead grabbed. Before it could throw the Megazord back, the SWAT Megazord scored hits on the Bluehead's back.

It dropped the fist, and Kat brought her Megazord's elbow into the Bluehead's head. It spun to the ground, flattening a small building in the process.

"Hope no one was in there," Syd said.

"No one really should be here anyway," Sky said.

The S.W.A.T. Megazord went in for a kick, which the Bluehead ducked, and ran into Kat's lasers. The blasts sent it spiralling to the ground.

"Don't they ever give up?" asked Bridge as the Bluehead got up again.

"We just have to teach them again," replied Sky. The S.W.A.T. Megazord flew in, and roundhouse kicked the Bluehead into the sky. Kat's Megazord blasted it as it came down, and moments before crashing to the ground, Kat brought her Megazord's arm across the falling Bluehead's chest.

Once again, it staggered up, though all of them could tell it was nowhere near as effective as it was before.

"I shall destroy you all!" it shouted, before the combined blasts from the S.W.A.T. and Kat's Megazord brought it down to its knees.

"You're not going anywhere," said Sky, before transforming the S.W.A.T. Megazord into the S.W.A.T. Cannon. Kat's Megazord grabbed hold of the massive cannon, and aimed it at the Bluehead. Power flowed into the cannon, a combination from the S.W.A.T.'s own power source and some of the power from Kat's as well.

"Nighty night!" said Syd as the trigger was pulled.

A massive blast of energy surged out from the S.W.A.T. Cannon, and enveloped the Bluehead. When the cloud of smoke and bits of metal had cleared, the two Megazord's stood side by side.

"Well, that was harrowing," commented Bridge.

"Let's get back to the Base. I'll debrief you all later," Kat said.

"Yes ma'am."


Jake cracked his neck while sitting in a chair at his desk.

The disruption field generator Kat had given him lay next to a pile of sheets. He had been working on trying to crack the secret of the device whenever he could, but the answers had kept eluding him, at least, it had been until just a few hours ago.

On the verge of breaking through, he had spent hours at the computer, and something told him he had to rest. He took a deep breath, and turned the program he was using off. Checking his E-Mail account, he was surprised that he had gotten a message from Kat.

Opening it and reading it thoroughly, he sighed. Kat had asked him about his progress on the device, and had some rather disturbing news about Therntia. Groaning, he typed back a response, shut the computer down and headed for bed.


In the Rec Room, Sky and Syd sat together. Bridge had already gone off to bed, calling it a day, leaving Sky and Syd.

"So, what do you think of Kat?" asked Syd.

"She's a good commander, that's for sure," answered Sky.

"I meant as a Ranger, Sky," Syd corrected.

"Well, I think that honestly, it's good news to hear that she has the same upgrades as us. We're down two Rangers, and we'll need the extra firepower."

"Do you still blame yourself?" asked Syd.

"Huh?"

"For Z's capture."

"A little," Sky admitted.

"It wasn't your fault. How many times do we have to say that, Sky?"

"I know, but who else is there to blame?"

"The Troobians are to blame Sky," said Syd. "Me and Kat are to blame."

"I can't place the blame on you or Kat, Syd. That definitely wasn't your fault," Sky said.

"Just because you're the Red Ranger Sky, doesn't mean that you have to shoulder all the blame for everything that goes wrong," Syd said.

"I know that Syd. It makes me feel slightly better, that's all."

"Well, don't let it get to you. You're fighting has gone down slightly ever since then," Syd said, before getting up. "I'm off."

"Night Syd, thanks for the advice," Sky said.

"No problem Sky. See ya tomorrow."


In the hidden Chimera, Malignticous sat at his throne. He was deep in thought. Time was running short, he knew that. Space Patrol Delta here would have to be dealt with before they were reinforced with another fleet.

He had to mount an offensive.

Soon.


A.N: Here it is guys. We're getting close to the endgame now.

Okay, now, first of all, this chapter was everything and nothing like I expected. I've found writing the last parts of the oversized Krybots hard, so I apologise if it is not up to my standard. I did enjoy writing the earlier parts of this chapter though, and I hoped you enjoyed it. As for those wondering about Kat getting S.W.A.T. Mode, I had a choice of that or inventing an entirely new weapon for her, which I didn't feel like. Besides, S.W.A.T. mode would work perfectly for her given the fact that I wrote the she was in the military for who knows how long.

For those who haven't seen Lost Galaxy (I've only seen the first couple of it), the S.P.D. Marine's uniforms are pretty much the same as the uniforms the soldiers in Starship Troopers wear, and vice versa.

Well, it's the 24th of December, Christmas Eve here in Australia, and probably should be in most of the other time zones, I hope (I'm not good at working out time zones) so, here's your Christmas present from me to you (some reviews would make my Christmas morning, as would some Bridge/Kat stories…) so enjoy!

Merry Christmas to all of you people, and a Happy New Year if I don't get a new chapter up by then which I may not.

Merry Christmas!