Commander Cruger was a little taken back by the question that the blue ranger had asked him, it also surprised him that the ranger seemed to have a hint of anger in his voice, for a ranger who never faulted in his loyalty almost had barked his words at his commander officer. Standing tall and silent for a moment as he watch the ranger attempt to compose themselves, gasps and pants of air seemed to be the only sound in the commander center. The few stay workers that had been at their positions at the monitors quickly and quietly slipped out from the heart of the base leaving the dog alone with his team.
"We had a right to know about this, she's our friend and team member" Z had been the next to speak in the silence of Cruger, picking herself up from her hunched over state of recovery. "You want us all to be honest and not keep secrets and you keep this from us?" The yellow rangers voice rose as she spoke, venom seemed to be in her voice as she showed no sign of backing down.
It was only the snarling growl that made the rangers stop their outcries of anger, stepping back slightly as they had never heard this kind of grow being used of them. "YOU ARE MY RANGERS AND I WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU ARE FIT TO KNOW" It didn't take a genius to see that the commander had not taken kindly to the tone in the way the rangers had spoken to him, but he had done this to protect them, if the crystal didn't work and Syd didn't wake up it was likely that she was going to stay asleep, he couldn't give them hope only to take it all away again.
"WE HAD A RIGHT TO KNOW THIS" Jack had taken the step as red ranger to back his team, Syd was someone who was incredibly important to all of them. He was going to make the commander see that he was worthy of being the colour red, that he was there for his team and that they were a family and he needed to show that he was a part of it. He had seen how his actions had distanced him of late, he needed to right his wrong.
"He was going by my orders" Before the commander had a chance to speak a new voice from the doors made everyone turn, a tall bird like man stood, hands behind his back and medals upon his lapel. Commander Birdie. "Do your rangers always speak to you in this manner or is the something they had just picked up?" Addressing the Cruger but keeping his gaze upon the four power rangers that seemed to be shocked at his arrival as this had been anything thing that they had not been told about.
As much a Cruger wanted to growl again and make Commander Birdie shut his beak, he knew that was only going to prove himself pointless in the matter. "This is a very personal matter for everyone, you did not have to make the trip down to the delta base sir, I have keeping you updated of the matter at hand and that should be sufficient enough" There was a slight hint of a growl just lingering below the surface but you had to know the commander we to be able to pick up of this in the first place.
"Never the less Anubis, the matter is the you are down a ranger there for your team is not fit to protect earth. You need to get on the matter of finding a new pink ranger for your team or I will do it for you" Keeping his oh so regimental stance as he walked through the doors leaving the commander of the Delta base a little speechless as he took a place behind Cruger's desk.
"What do you mean a new pink ranger?" Holding his hand up as if he was in class, Bridge spoke from the back of the pack, coming between Sky and Z to make himself more known to the higher officer. Everyone was now a little confused, this was the first that they were hearing about the idea of replacing Sydney as a ranger, had the higher levels of S.P.D already given up of the fact that there was still a chance that the crystal could work and that she could wake up? Ranger had been out of action for longer that Syd had been asleep and they had not been replaced in their teams. What was giving them the right just to kick her out?
"It is clear that his is careless or she would not have been injured in a manner like this" Looking down at the rangers his sharp eyes seemed to cut though them, but this only made the ranger step up towards the desk a little, still standing behind Cruger but now in a line before the bird.
"You have no right to comment of fact that you don't know, Syd is one of the best rangers S.P.D has ever had in its time and you just want to replace her because she got hurt doing her job? Getting hurt is a risk we take and no training is going to stop that. Every great ranger has fallen at some time or another and they had still had their positions when they have become fit again. It could have been anyone of us that Jaxalor had used the crystal on" From his place a head of his rangers, Cruger let the most diminutive of smiles just curl his upper lip as he should have known that the stubborn blue ranger was not going to stand for something like this. Other things he could just let go as those were the rules but when it came to the pink ranger, the blue ranger just could not hold his tongue.
"It would seem of this matter you are out number Commander Birdie, and unless you have come with an official letter about a change in the ranger team you don't have a leg to stand on. No officials had orders a change and Commander Cruger does not see fit to make such a change within HIS team then it may be that you have had a wasted trip " Kat was not afraid to speak her mind when it came to Commander Birdy, he had no say of her position at S.P.D so she was free to speak her mind and lay out the regulations to the foreign man. Having crept into the command center she had kept herself behind the rangers until she seemed it fit to speak up, this had proven to be the element of surprise that would throw the large bird off his game as he had always lorded over Commander Cruger and she had longed to put him in his place, it seemed she had been given her chance.
"It would seem that Doctor Manx has a little more information of the subject at hand then you are aware of Sir" Knowing that he had the back up of all that was needed to give the other commander a run for his money, Cruger shifted on his feel slightly as he walked up to his desk and lent down a little. "This is MY team, MY rangers and MY BASE, until I am relieved of my duty the rangers and staff follow MY orders. Is that clear" Again there was a growl just lingering below his voice as he spoke quietly to the man who occupied his desk in his command center.
It was true, commander didn't have a leg to stand on now that Kat had stated things and both her and Cruger has challenged him, he really had no choice but to back down this time. Rising from the chair and taken the steps down to the rangers level, Commander Birdie made sure the he kept a distance from the rangers, walking around the main control unit to avoid being close to any of them before stopping at the door and turning on his heel. "If I were you, I would teach my ranger to only speak when spoken too" Only staying in the doorway long enough to say those words before he disappeared down the hallways out of sight and out of the way of any backlash.
With only the four of the rangers and Kat now in the command center, Cruger had no other option but to now face his rangers and the possible back lash that he was going to get from his Power Rangers. Standing before his rangers Cruger had no option as to tell the rangers why he had kept the out of the loop. "The completion of the crystal was order to be kept quiet by Commander Birdie and it was something that I was will to go along with given the circumstances. Although we are going to the use the crystal on Sydney in the morning there is no guarantee that it is going awaken her, no records are on the subject of using the crystal to awaken the victim. We are going on educated guesses this time and Commander Birdie and I thought it better to keep this quiet on the chances that hopes were risen and then slashed if it failed. I was only doing it to protect all of you" Anubis lowered his head slowly as his words died out and became softer as he drew his sentence to a close. He knew the pain of losing the one you loved and he wanted to spare then the pain of extra hope being taken from them again. "However I was unaware of the idea of replace Sydney as pink ranger nor was I aware of Commander Birdie's forthcoming, I am just as surprise as you are at those things"
"Sir, you gave us the title of power rangers, don't you think that you should trust us enough to know what we can and can't handle?" Z could see what he had taken this class of action but he also should have known that they would want to be informed of any progress on Syd, good or bad.
From her place now leaning back slightly against the center console, Kat smiled sadly as she had been for telling the rangers the truth about the upcoming event but had been shut down by the commander when she had disagreed with him.
"Sir I think I speak for the team when I say that we would like to be present when you try and awaken Syd in the morning" I chorus of agreement followed Sky's words as he knew at least for himself that wild horses wouldn't keep him away from being there in the morning.
Looking towards his head of doctoral staff he was only met with a swift nod from the doctor as she more than agreed with the blue rangers statement, they were her family and friends, they had a right to be there and Syd would want them with her at the very least.
Rubbing his fingers against the bridge of his nose a few times as he sighed loudly, he knew that there rangers were going to be thorns in his side since the time they were born, now he was feeling those thorns for sure. If it had been any other situation he would have smiled at how he had been right about them but this was a different matter. "I can't believe I'm going to allow this" Taking his hand away from his nose and making eye contact with each of the rangers in front of him before he looked over to Doctor Manx with a slight look of annoyance that he had been talked into agreeing.
Watching as the rangers caught onto the dogs words, Kat smiled softly to herself as she watched them salute the commander and leave the command center no doubt to talk what had just happened.
"I always knew they were going to be trouble" Brining her eyes back to the commander, Kat only laughed gently and shook her head at his words.
"If you always knew, then you should know better than to put yourself into that position with them" Her words followed her as she too took the path of the rangers and left the commander now alone with his thoughts.
Taking his place in the chair beside Syd's bed, Sky smiled sadly as the sight of her still sleeping peacefully under layers of blankets and the leads that she was connected to. Leaning himself forward as he put the chair a little closer to the bed, the blue ranger extended his hand out, his fingers gently curling around the blonde strands of hair that fall around the pink ranger like a halo, gently moving a few stray strands from her face and back against her pillow. Sky knew that while he was performing this action that someone had watched him from the doorway, taking his eyes only off his pink ranger for a second he identified the onlooker. Jack. "Are you just going to stand there or are you coming to sit with her as well?" Sky voice didn't seem as harsh as it had been in the last few days. It was almost as if he was inviting the red ranger to visit Syd.
Pushing himself off the door jam with his should it only took a few steps to reach Sydney's bed, the sight of a pink fuzzy blanket over her making him chuckle slightly, if the room go anymore pink in it, it would look like his friends room. Reaching his hand out and dragging across a chair, Jack looked towards the hand that was still playing with the blonde curls. "You've always loved her on some level"
The statement didn't seem to faze Sky as he removed has hand from Syd's hair and gently placed her hand in his. Nodding slightly as he found it almost impossible to take his eyes off her. "Seems like I was the last one to see it" Closing his fingers around Syd's, Sky finally took his eyes away from Syd to acknowledge the other ranger in the room.
"You know if she ever finds out how we've been acting the last few days she would kick both our asses" Chuckling as he knew that his bubbly and perky team mate would more then be annoyed at both of them for letting anger and judgment over take them and get under their skins. "Don't want to particularly want to be around when she dose find out" Jack watched as the blue rangers eyes looked down at the hand that was in his grasp, Jack shifted in his chair slightly, resting his chin against a closed fist as even he could see that Sky was in love with Syd, how he had missed it for so long was beyond him but now it was clear as day. "She loves you, don't doubt me on that"
The slightest of tugs could been seen on Sky's lip's as he hoped that the red ranger was right, he wasn't doubting him as such but he was hoping that Syd returned the feelings that he had for her. "I don't think I would be the ranger that I am if she wasn't here"
"I don't think anyone would be the way they are without her" Quickly turned his head back as the sliding doors to the infirmary suddenly opened, nether men had been expecting anyone else to visit. Rising to their feet as they watched Commander Cruger, Dr Felix, Kat, Boom, Bridge and Z step into the room and huddle around the bed that they had been seated at.
"Boom we have already discussed this and there will be no punishment for what you told the rangers, I was in the wrong keeping it from them in the first place, ask me again and there WILL be a punishment" Commander Cruger looked over his shoulder at the science assistant as he had been tailing him since he had found him. Returning his sight of Sydney, the large dog waited for Kat who had stepped over to the desk for a moment.
Carefully placing the crystal into the Crystal Diffusion Device, Kat watched as the CDD seemed to make a slight hum as it drew of the energy of the crystal. Satisfied with the placement and sound she gently picked up the item and carried it over to the bed taking her stand at the head of the bed next to Sydney. "We we're going to wait until morning, but seems that everyone already knows about the plan there is no point in waiting when we can try and use the crystal now"
Opening his mouth to say something, Sky instead looked down at Syd for a moment before he gently let go of her hand and laid it back onto the bed and stepped back from her. Swallowing the lump in his throat as no one really knew if this would work or if it would do anything at all. Taking a place with the rest of his team Sky felt his heart rate quicken as he watched as Kat's fingers press on the activation button.
Throughout the room there was the silence as they waited for the CDD to active the green glasslike crystal that it contained, breathes were being held as slowly from the crystal slowly started to glow and admit the same light that it had shone when it was first used against the rangers. The light slowly grew brighter and brighter becoming a white until the room was enveloped in a blinding light that caused all the occupants of the room to cover their eyes and turn their heads away. As the light beamed towards the pink ranger there was suddenly a loud cracking sound followed but the sound on tiny shards of glass breaking and spilling out onto the floor becoming dust upon impact.
The light soon vanished leaving everyone standing around with a look of hope and question as they looked towards their friend who lay in the bed.
"Did it work?"