Sacrifice

"Commander, I've just received a minor report that Sky's bike is no longer present in the garage," Kat informed from the central console.

"What?" Cruger turned away from the viewing screen to face Kat.

"Sky...I think he may have gone to the city," Kat proposed.

Cruger growled.

The Rangers fell back when Voltore blasted them with an electrical attack. Bridge, Z, and Syd ended on the ground while Jack remained standing. He had his Delta Blasters out.

"You guys okay?" Jack asked as he helped Z up, while Bridge and Syd got up on their own.

"Yeah, I'm good," Z answered.

"Me too," Syd responded.

"Me three," Bridge replied.

"Good. Now, let's take this guy down!" Jack declared and aimed his blasters at Voltore.

"Ha! You Rangers don't know when to quit, do you? I'll admit, you're persistent. But you won't survive another onslaught of my electrical attacks, hahaha!" Voltore cackled. He stuck out his right hand and several bolts of electricity shot out of it.

The Rangers managed to dodge his attack. Jack cartwheeled out of the way and countered by shooting Voltore twice. Voltore stumbled back a few steps and fired more bolts of electricity towards Jack, but he managed to dodge those as well. Syd and Z snuck up on Voltore's left and managed to slash him with their blades. Disoriented, Bridge jumped up from behind the two female Rangers and blasted Voltore with his own blaster. Voltore stumbled back some more but was finally brought down when he was blasted from behind by Jack.

"Had enough yet?" Jack asked as he lowered his blasters.

"Urgh, never!" Voltore got up onto his knees and stuck out his chest. Embedded in the center was a blue and yellow diamond that shot out bolts of lightning in the directions of the Rangers. They all screamed in pain once they were struck and fell back, there suits lightly scorched and smoky. Voltore chuckled, stood up, and faced in the direction of Jack.

Jack had fell onto his back and he shakily brought himself up with his elbows.

"Hm, you're strong," Voltore commented. When Jack aimed his blasters at him, Voltore chuckled. He blasted Jack's blasters with a small bolt of electricity from his fingertips, sending the weapons flying off. Jack growled as he was disarmed while Voltore chuckled to himself. "Just to make sure you don't try anything else." Voltore blasted Jack with another stream of lightning, only this time, the stream of lightning wrapped around Jack's body and electrocuted him.

"No!" Z shouted as she got up from the ground and ran charged towards Voltore.

Voltore ceased his electrocution on Jack and turned his attention to Z. When he fired a bolt of lightning at her, Z used her blade to absorb and redirect the attack to her side. She approached Voltore and began making swipes at him with her weapon. Voltore managed to avoid the attacks but was struck on his right side. He growled and blasted Z in the chest with a small bolt of lightning, sending her back onto the ground.

"Z!" Syd got up and formed her blaster. She fired four times at Voltore, aiming at his chest. Voltore growled but he gasped when he looked down onto the jewel on his chest to see a few cracks in it.

"No!" Voltore snarled under his breath.

That's it! Syd thought when she noticed that Voltore was upset about the jewel on his chest being damaged.

"You little pink nuisance! Take this!" Voltore fired a blast of lightning at Syd but she managed to duck and roll out of the way before impact.

"Guys! Aim for his chest!" Syd yelled and fire three more times at Voltore.

Unfortunately, Voltore blocked her attacks, and this time, countered with a ball of electricity that exploded in front Syd, sending her flying off and landing on her side. Bridge, who had now recovered from Voltore's earlier attack, formed his own blaster and fired at the alien. However, Bridge missed Voltore's chest and was sent flying back when Voltore shot him with another ball of electricity.

Sky rushed through the city on his motorcycle, his siren blaring loudly. From what he remembered from the viewing screen, his teammates were near the business district of the city, close to the city fountain and grand park.

Don't worry guys! I'm on the way. Determined, Sky sped up.

After Syd had damaged the jewel embedded onto his chest, Voltore had thrown himself into a frenzy. He fired blasts of electricity into random directions, hoping to take down the Rangers. But the Rangers managed to dodge his attacks and regroup behind a building.

"Don't hide, Rangers! Face me!" Voltore taunted.

"We need a plan, Jack," Z stated.

"I know. I think I have one," Jack answered.

"What is it?" Syd asked.

"Alright, here goes. Z and I will head straight for Voltore, forcing him to focus his attacks on the two of us. While we distract him, Syd and Bridge, the two of you make your way behind Voltore and blast him from behind. Once you guys have his attention, aim right for his chest and fire immediately. Got it?" Jack explained. The others nodded. "Alright, let's go!"

Jack and Z ran out from behind the building and rushed towards Voltore, firing their weapons. Voltore chuckled and returned fire. While Jack and Z distracted Voltore, Bridge and Syd snuck out from their hiding spot and quickly made their way around the fight.

Sky had finally pulled up to the site of the battle. He removed his helmet and dismounted himself from his bike. He surveyed the area briefly until his eyes landed on his team battling Voltore. Jack and Z were holding up against Voltore's attacks and Bridge and Syd managed to make it behind the alien. Sky merely stood there as he watched the fight unfold in front of him. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should throw himself into the battle or watch from the sideline and hope his former teammates could defeat the alien.

Sky snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Voltore blast Jack and Z away from him. Bridge and Syd then fired their weapons at Voltore's back. Voltore stumbled forward and then quickly turned around and fired an electrical ball that exploded between Bridge and Syd, sending the two hurling into opposite directions.

No! Sky finally moved from where he stood and ran towards his friends.

Voltore breathed heavily. He glanced behind him to see Jack and Z writhing on the ground. Voltore turned back to Bridge and Syd. Bridge was to his left while Syd was to his right. After glancing between the two Rangers, Voltore chuckled to himself and slowly stalked towards Bridge.

Bridge struggled to get up. He had landed on his stomach and was now on all fours but the searing pain he felt throughout his body was too much. The electrical attacks he endured made his flesh feel like it was on fire. Bridge turned his head towards the approaching Voltore.

Voltore smirked. "I'll eliminate you first, Green Ranger," he declared and stopped when he was a few feet away from Bridge.

"No!" Syd shouted as she tried to get up from her back but fell down again.

"Leave him alone!" Jack shouted as he also tried getting up.

Bridge began breathing hard inside his helmet. His heart was beating and he began shaking. Voltore held out his hand and sparks of electricity emitted from it.

"Say goodbye, Ranger." Voltore laughed and fired.

Bridge closed his eyes behind his helmet and waited for the inevitable.

"NO!"

The other Rangers turned to the direction of the voice. It was Sky, and he was running to them.

"Sky?" said Syd.

Bridge opened his eyes, turned to his right and saw Sky running towards him.

Sky?! Bridge thought.

But Bridge didn't have any more time to think when he saw Sky step in front of him and waved his right arm in a circular motion to produce his force field. But it was too late. Sky's force field was barely put up in time and he was instead blasted with a bolt of lightning. Time seemed to slow down for Bridge. He stared with wide eyes behind his helmet as he witnessed his friend being electrocuted before him.

Once the attack dissipated, Sky's uniform was now torn in several places and covered in scorch marks. However, his entire right sleeve was gone and his right arm was severely burned. Sky fell down to his knees and then fell down face forward to the ground. Syd, Jack, and Z all stared in horror behind their helmets as their teammate fell to the ground.

"Foolish human. He shouldn't have interfered," Voltore commented as he stared down at Sky's body.

Bridge was shaking again. But not from fear. He was breathing fast and hard and he slowly brought himself up. He formed his blade and gave a loud scream before charging towards Voltore. Voltore looked up and was instantly stumbling back as Bridge slashed at his chest. Bridge was angry. Bridge was in a fury. He screamed with every slash he struck on Voltore's chest. Voltore wasn't even given the chance to fight back. Eventually, Bridge ceased his slashing and plunged his blade into Voltore's chest. When he did, electrical surges began to spew forth and Voltore screamed in pain.

Bridge only sank his blade deeper into Voltore's chest. Surges of electricity began to travel through the blade, up to the hilt, and electrocuting Bridge. But Bridge didn't let go. He kept his blade firmly in place until Voltore finally sunk down to his knees. Once there, Bridge pulled out his blade and stumbled back, dropping his blade as he did so. Voltore groaned in pain and he slowly brought his hand up to his chest.

"L-Look...at what...you did!" Voltore shouted as he stared down to the now destroyed jewel on his chest. "My power source...is destroyed!"

"I know," Bridge managed to breathe out. He pulled out his morpher and aimed it at Voltore. "Time for you...to go," he declared and in a swirl of light, Voltore was placed in a Containment Card.

Bridge powered down and fell to his knees. His hair had been pressed down and his face was sticky and wet from the sweat he developed during his fight. In addition, tears were also streaming down his face. He got up and retrieved Voltore's card and put it in his pocket. He then ran over to Sky's body.

The others finally got up themselves and powered down. They all ran over to where Bridge and Sky were.

"Sky, please...wake up!" Bridge shouted as he flipped Sky onto his back. But Sky didn't respond. Syd kneeled down and placed her ear close to Sky's face. She looked back up and faced Jack.

"He's hardly breathing," Syd informed. She then pressed two fingers to the side of Sky's neck. "His pulse is weak."

"Come on. We have to get him back to base." Jack knelt down and grabbed one of Sky's arms and draped it over his back. Bridge did the same thing and the two hoisted Sky off the ground. All five of them made it to the jeep. Bridge and Jack laid Sky in the back, with Bridge going in with him as well.

"Z, Syd, you guys take Sky back to the base in the jeep. I saw Sky's bike earlier and we can't leave it here. I'll take that, alright?" Jack ordered. Z and Syd nodded. Jack nodded back and ran to where Sky's bike was. Z got into the passenger seat while Syd sat in the driver seat. She started the jeep and drove them all back to base.

Cruger paced the Command Center, growling every now and then. He had ordered everyone, except Kat, to leave the Command Center while he seethed in anger.

"Sky deliberately disobeyed my orders!" Cruger shouted. Kat winced. "When Sky returns, I will see to it that he will be severely punished for his disobedience!"

"Doggie, calm down," Kat said to him. "Getting angry will not help."

Cruger growled again, causing Kat to sigh and shake her head. The doors to the Command Center opened and Z walked in.

"Commander!" Z called out. Cruger stopped and both he and Kat turned to face her.

"Cadet Delgado, I see you've returned. Where is the rest of your team?" Cruger asked.

"In the infirmary," Z answered.

"Did you all manage to contain Voltore?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And was Sky amongst you all when you defeated Voltore?"

Z gulped. "Yeah, he was."

Cruger growled again. "Where is he? I need to have a word with him."

"I'm afraid not, Sir," Z told Cruger.

"What do you mean?" Cruger demanded.

"You and Kat better come with me to the infirmary. You'll get your answers there."

Z, Kat, and Cruger stepped into the infirmary. Z led them to the far end of the room, where several nurses were tending to the injuries of Jack, Bridge, and Syd. Cruger was the first to speak.

"Cadet Landors, report," Cruger ordered.

The nurse who was helping Jack stepped aside and allowed Jack to sit up from the chair he was in.

"Sir, we managed to defeat Voltore. Bridge was the one who contained him," Jack answered.

Cruger nodded. "And was Sky in the field of battle with you all?"

All four Rangers exchanged looks with each other before Jack turned his attention back to the commander.

"Yes, Sir, he was," Jack admitted.

"And where is Sky?" Cruger inquired.

"Allow me to explain, Commander," Dr. Felix announced when he stepped out from behind a curtain, several feet away from the group.

"Very well, Doctor." Cruger faced Dr. Felix.

"I'm afraid Sky was injured in battle. My nurses are helping him right now." Dr. Felix faced Kat. "Dr. Manx, I could use your help with this."

"Of course. Excuse me, Doggie," Kat said to the commander and walked over to Dr. Felix. The two doctors then stepped behind the curtain Dr. Felix came out of.

Cruger turned his attention back to the Rangers. "Explain. Now."

"Well, Sir, Voltore had us pinned down. He was about to attack Bridge, when," Jack started and slowly looked aside.

"Sky came out of nowhere and stepped in front of Bridge," Syd continued.

"Sky tried to put up a force field to protect Bridge but…" Z added but stopped when she looked down.

"Sky was too late," Bridge said quietly. "Sky wasn't able to put up his force field on time...and he was blasted with a bolt of lightning," he finished.

Cruger's anger had dissipated after hearing the story. The scowl he had on his features earlier was now replaced with a softer look of concern and turned his gaze to the curtain where Sky was presumed to have been placed behind.

"I see," Cruger finally said in a quieter tone.

"It's my fault," said Bridge and he let a tear slide down the side of his face. "It's my fault Sky is in this state right now."

"Hey, don't say that," Jack told him. "None of us knew that Sky would suddenly show up and did what he did."

"That's right," Syd assured.

But that didn't stop Bridge from crying even more. Cruger sighed.

"Once you've all had your wounds treated, get some rest. You all need it," Cruger said to the Rangers. With that said, he turned and left the infirmary.

After the Rangers had their wounds treated, they all left the infirmary and decided to freshen up and rest after today's gruelling battle. But none of the Rangers could rest. They all kept thinking about Sky and wondering if he would make it. They all took it hard, but not so much as Bridge. The Green Ranger spent his time locked up in his room, crying to himself. The others tried to get him to come out but Bridge refused. Several hours had passed and it was getting close to the evening. Syd, Z, and Jack were all outside of the infirmary. They tried to get Bridge to come with them but to no avail.

Right now, Syd was sitting down on the floor with her legs crossed, Jack standing next to her and leaning back against the wall, and Z was in front of them and pacing back and forth. The commander appeared and walked up to them.

"Any news on Sky?" Cruger asked them.

"No. Nothing," Jack revealed.

"Where is Bridge?"

"In his room. He won't come out. He's been in there ever since we left the infirmary," Syd informed.

"Oh," said Cruger.

The infirmary doors opened and Kat stepped out. Syd got up from her spot and she, along with the others, approached Kat.

"How is he?" Syd asked.

Kat pursed her lips. "Sky...was in very critical condition. He almost didn't make it."

Syd gasped, Z bit her lip, Jack looked down, and Cruger took a deep breath.

"But he's more...stable now," Kat continued. "Unfortunately, Sky is now in a coma."

"What?" Jack asked with wide eyes.

"The attack Sky received would've killed him. But since he managed to create a force field, albeit an incomplete one, he was able to block and redirect some of the attack. But his body still took most of the damage. He's very lucky," Kat informed.

"Can we see him?" Z asked.

Kat nodded and they all entered the infirmary. She led them all to where Sky was placed for recovery. Kat pulled back the curtains and revealed Sky. Syd gasped again.

In bed, attached to machines through wires and tubing, was Sky. His chest slowly moved up and and down and his right arm was in a cast. The Rangers, Kat, and Cruger, all walked up to Sky's bed.

"We don't know how long Sky will be in this state," Kat admitted.

"Oh my god…" Syd said in a whisper and held back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Z covered her mouth and turned away, while Jack stared down at his fallen friend.

"How is his arm?" Cruger asked.

"Fortunately we live in a time where medical technology has advanced to quite a level," Kat remarked. "We were able to heal the scarring on Sky's arm so that it would still look normal after it's healed. But Dr. Felix and I are unsure if Sky will ever be able to use his right arm properly again. He'll have to go through extensive physical therapy," she informed.

Cruger nodded and turned to the Rangers. "Rangers, today has been a tiring one. Get some rest. You can all see Sky again tomorrow," he told them.

The Rangers hesitated for a moment. They didn't want to leave Sky alone but knew that there was nothing they could do for him right now. So they left.

Syd, Z, and Jack entered the Common Room and stopped in the center of the room.

"I think I'm gonna skip dinner and head to bed," Z declared and walked to her room.

"Yeah...me too," Jack said and walked over to his room.

"I wanna check on Bridgey," Syd informed the two and walked to Bridge's room. She knocked twice and received no answer. "Bridge?" Syd knocked again. "Bridge, can I come in?" No answer again. Syd sighed and decided to go in anyways. To her surprise, the door was unlocked and slid open. When Syd entered, she found Bridge's bed to be empty. She turned to look at Sky's side of the room and saw Bridge lying on it and clutching Sky's pillow. Bridge was asleep.

Syd frowned and she approached the bed. She looked closer and saw stains on Sky's pillow. Bridge had been crying. Syd's heart shattered. She stroked Bridge's face and went over to his bed and grabbed his blanket. Syd walked back to Bridge and carefully covered him with the green blanket. She leant down and kissed him on the cheek. Syd turned around and, with one more sad glance toward Bridge, left the room.

Aw, poor Bridgey. And will Sky make it? See bandgeek18, I told you Sky would be in more than just trouble. Until next chapter!