A/N: Thanks again for the reviews. Sorry for the long update. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

"Separated"

The following day, B-squad cadets settled in the Control Center where they dispersed and situated themselves in different areas of the room under distant, uncomfortable silence. While Jack and Syd kept busy in the computers...Bridge, Sky, and Z occupied three corners of the room and remained separated while going through SPD files. Syd could feel the uneasy tension boiling up as she nudges Jack shoulders in desperation for comfort. "We have to do something." She faintly whispers.

He looked from one to the other with their backs facing them. "I want to help as much as you do, but it's really none of our business."

"I know." She groans. "But I hate seeing them like this."

Jack pursed his lips and sighs. "Yeah." He pauses, and softly adds, "Me too."

After a moment of complete and awkward silence, Commander Cruger and Kat Manx entered the room. The cadets remained concentrated on their work for they didn't notice them walking in. Cruger noticed a different vibe from the group as soon as they stepped foot inside the room. He and Kat stood still and observed carefully. "Something is not right here." Dr. Manx leaned forward and spoke softly to Cruger.

He too notices as he releases a deep grunt to grab their attention. "Cadets." He called out to them. Jack and Syd were the first to look up. Bridge paused on the book he was reading and slowly faces him--glancing over at Sky's direction for a quick second. Cadet Tate didn't even bother to look back as the four stood at a straight line in front of Cruger and Kat. "Where's Delgado?" Syd slowly turned her head where Z stood facing the wall with her arms crossed and crying to herself in silence. Her uncontrollable sobs echoed the room as Sky lowered his head down and stared at the ground absent-mindedly. "What happened?" Cruger demanded an answer from his cadets. No one bothered to reply as he asked the second time. "Well?"

"It's more of a personal issue, sir." Jack responds hesitantly.

"I see. And does this personal issue involve all of you?" Jack and Syd turn their heads over to Bridge and Sky as Kat went over to comfort Z. "Cadet Landors and Cadet Drew."

"Sir?"

"Leave us."

They nodded their heads. "Yes, sir." Jack and Syd replied in unison as they gradually exited the room.

Commander Cruger faces Bridge and Sky. "As for you two," he pauses in mid-sentence as the door of the Control Center closes, "explain."

Sky's expression remained somber with disappointment. "Sir, I really don't want to discuss it."

"Hmmm." He looks past him and turns over to Bridge. "What about you?"

Cadet Carson deeply sighs. "I have nothing to say."

"Okay, it's understandable. It's your personal business and not mine. However, you're still SPD and you must learn to put your differences aside and work together."

"Sir." Sky raises a hand.

"Yes, Cadet."

"I would like to move out and room with Jack."

"That's up to Cadet Landors."

He nods. "Thank you, sir."

"May I ask why you want to move out?" Cruger questions curiously.

Sky stops and stares at Bridge from the corner of his eyes. "I don't feel comfortable rooming with someone who just stabbed me in the back, sir and I'm better off working with Jack than Bridge at the moment."

"It was an accident."

"An accident!" He retorted with a forceful laugh. "I trusted you, man! But you lied to me!"

"I know you're upset...but don't put this out on Z." Sky looked away and rolled his eyes. "I was the one who deliberately kissed her and she pushed me away!"

"But she lied to me!" Z lifted her eyes up as Kat provided some comfort with a gentle rub on the back to ease her up. "And so did my best friend."

The conversation ended there as soon as Sky left the room on a bad note. Bridge's eyes fell on Z as she looked back at him, teary-eyed. "I'm gonna go and take a walk, if that's okay." She sniffs.

Kat stares at the female cadet worriedly. "Sure, but be careful."

Z nodded and excused herself out the room as Sky and Bridge watches her leave.

Meanwhile, as Sky walked down the hallway, he stopped in front of Jack's room and abruptly knocked on the door. After a few knocks, Jack finally opens it. "Hey, can we talk?" Sky anxiously asks, leaving Jack no choice but to invite him inside.

"Yeah, sure. Is everything okay?" Jack shuts the door behind as his teammate turns back around.

"Do you mind if I room with you?"

He raises an eyebrow in bewilderment. "What's wrong with Bridge?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Sky retorts impatiently as Jack raises his hands up.

"Alright. Yeah, you can move in." Jack answers rather pathetically and half-heartedly. "Whatever." His tone indicated that he wasn't fond of the idea.

"Never mind." Sky groans in response. "I'll just ask some of the other guys in D-squad."

"Sky!" Jack blocked the door as soon as he attempted to leave the room. "I know you're hurting inside. Can we just talk about it?"

"What is there to talk about?" He retorts. "Bridge and Z betrayed me. I thought I can trust them. It's all over now, end of story."

Jack scoffs. "People make mistakes, Sky. This is just one of them."

"Easy for you to say, Jack. This never happened to you!"

"You're right about that. But I do know there's always room for forgiveness. I mean, Z is crazy about you and Z is Z!" He exclaims with a chuckle. "I never thought in a million years she'd feel so hung up on somebody until you came along." Sky averted from his gaze. "You're her first boyfriend, Sky and she doesn't have the experience like you do."

Sky's face looked agitated and malicious. He didn't care about what he had to say at that very moment. "So do I get to room with you or not?" He changes the subject and repeated the question sharply, revealing the stubborn side of him.

Jack looked at him crossly before nodding his head in defeat. "Yeah." He softly replies. "Let me help you pack."

In that cold, breezy afternoon Z isolated herself from the academy as she wanders in the streets of New Tech City. She wore a white sweater over her SPD shirt and comfortable jeans. The hood went over her head as she continued walking with her head down and arms folded across her chest. Without paying attention to where she was going, Z suddenly bumped into a stranger running past her as she turned back around and pulled down the hood. Z looks down at the female as she scrambles to her feet and picked up the contents that have fallen under her jacket.

"Mel?" Z furrowed her eyebrows as the female stranger looked over her shoulder. She slightly smiles at the sight of her. "You're stealing again after what I just told you." Her tone was filled with disappointment.

Mel just rolled her eyes reluctantly. "So what? You're gonna arrest me?"

"No." She shot back. "I got my badge taken away. So you can leave and celebrate. You feel happy about yourself now? You've got away with the law easily the second time."

She bit her lip shamefully. "You got your badge taken away because of me huh?"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Z averted from her gaze and sighs. "You know, I wonder...how stealing and helping people make you feel so good inside when you don't even work hard for it." Mel's eyes drifted to the ground as Z takes her leave. "Think about it."

"Wait!" Z came to a halt and looks over her shoulder. "You're upset about something. Tell me."

"Of course I'm upset. I got my badge taken away for a month."

"No, there's more to it. I can tell." Melissa observes as Z rolls her eyes in denial.

"It's been years since we had a real conversation, Mel. What makes you think I want to talk?"

"Because once upon a time you were my best friend and whenever something is up we always talk to each other about it."

She drew in a deep breath and sighs. "Alright, I do have something else on my mind."

"Does it have to do with the hot guy in the SPD uniform I saw you with last time?" She mischievously grins.

Z studies her carefully. "How do you know?"

"Lucky guess." She added with a wink. "Well? You guys together or something?"

"I don't think so." Z deeply sighs. "Everything is all messed up, Mel. I don't even know why I got myself into this mess the first place. What happened to me? I used to be this rebel who just hangs out with the guys and do all crazy things. I've never thought I actually fall in love with one."

Mel exaggerated gasps. "Oh my God...Z Delgado is in love!" She shrieked in mere surprise with an odd, bewildered look. "Yeah...what happened to you?"

Z chuckles. "I've changed."

"So why do you think you two aren't together anymore?"

She pursed his lips, unsure of mentioning it. "Well...there's this other guy..."

Mel gasps yet again. "You're bad."

"Am not! Just let me finish."

"Alright, sorry. Keep going."

As Jack and Sky continues to walk back and forth between rooms, packing and unpacking boxes, Bridge made his way to his room where he found Sky packing his stuff. Bridge furrowed his eyebrows and awkwardly walks in. "What are you doing?"

Sky looked over his shoulder and glared at him. "I'm moving out that's what." He averted from his gaze and continued concentrating on his packing.

"Where you're going?" He asks.

"I'm rooming with Jack."

Bridge groans. "Come on, can we just talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about with you."

His face showed utter frustration. "If you care at all about Z, cared at all." He reinforces his statement. "Then you would be going after her right about now." Sky lowered his head down, deep in thought. "But it seems to me that you don't even give a damn."

"I care, Bridge!" He retorts angrily. "I'm crazy about her, just as much as you do right?" His former roommate parted his lips. "But damn it!" Sky's voice increased in outrage. "Why didn't you tell me you had feelings for her! Were you waiting for this moment to come!"

"I didn't want to hurt anyone, especially you."

Sky scoffs rather pathetically. "Too late for that now, Bridge. Even if things turned out okay in the end, It'll never be the same between us. Never."

He nods solemnly. "I understand. But know this, I was the one who kissed Z. It was an impulse. I didn't mean to do it. It just happened."

"You sure about that, Bridge? Because it seemed like you did it on purpose."

He grunted. "Alright," he pauses and adds, "I wanted to kiss her." Sky averted from his gaze. "I've had feelings for Z the moment I first laid eyes on her."

"I wish you have told me that." He replies sternly. "I didn't know."

"It wouldn't matter because she likes you. And you like her. You guys are just meant to be."

"I don't know about that."

Bridge furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I may not be the perfect guy for her. Maybe you're it."

"You don't mean that..."

"Yeah? Like I said, nothing will ever be the same." Sky's expression was cold and serious. "Anyway, I gotta finish packing. Don't bother convincing me to stay."

"I have to go and pick up my little brother. " After an hour of talking in front of New Tech Museum, it was getting late as the blazing sun began to set over the horizon. Mel rises up from the bench and embraces Z in return. "It was nice talking to you."

They broke apart and smile. "Yeah." Z softly mutters. "Thanks for listening."

"You might want this." Mel says as she handed her the stolen items from her jacket. "You're gonna want to return it."

Z nodded her head in approval. "You're doing the right thing."

"Yeah, thanks to you." Mel chuckles. "I thought about what you said and it's about time I go back to school and help people the right way."

"It's nice to know I'm doing my job." Z smiles gladly.

"Well, I should get going. My little brother is gonna bug me all night if I'm late."

She nods. "I understand."

"Take it easy okay? Guys will always be guys just remember that."

"I will." Z forces a weak smile. "I'll catch you later."

"Bye."

As Mel walked off and turned at a corner where she was no longer seen from a far distance, Z began heading back to the academy. The streets were empty with only the sound of stray cats coming in and out from trash cans and leaves moving swiftly on the ground. With her head down and arms crossed, clouds came hovering over, darkening the city. Z stops and looks up when suddenly the evil and dreadful Morgana appeared in front of her.

"Hello, ranger. Miss me?"

Z glares evilly at her direction. "You again?"

"Yes, and it will be the last of it!" She smiles cruelly. "Because this time, I'm going to finish you where I left off."

Two hours have gone by, and Z has not yet returned to the academy. Jack, Sky, Bridge, and Syd all waited in the room for her arrival as they keep themselves occupied to kill time. While sitting on the couch reading, Sky suddenly closes the book and began pacing back and forth anxiously across the room. "This is ridiculous. She's been gone for hours." All eyes turn to him. "That's it, I'm going after her."

Jack pulls his shoulder. "I can't let you do that, Sky."

"Why not?"

"I just don't think she wants to see you right now."

"It's not about that! She could be in trouble. I can feel it."

"Me too." Sky looks over his shoulder as soon as Bridge spoke up. "I'm getting a strong energy in my head."

"Send me, Jack."

He studies Sky carefully before nodding his head in agreement. "Alright. But call us if anything happen."

"Thanks, man. I will."

A/N: More coming soon. Don't forget to review! Cheers.