Bridge was sitting in the new common room, all alone, no one to talk to, no one to stare at, no one. Just and empty space. Bridge looked over his shoulder at the room that he and Sky no longer shared. Sky had to live in a seperate room, he wasn't allowed in the same room as Bridge anymore.
He sighed as he turned to face forward again. He missed his friends. The ones he'd spent so much time with, the ones who gave him memories to remember, the ones that gave him a life he loved, the ones who gave him happiness.
With a peek at the clock, reading 9:37 pm, he sighed again and flopped down onto the long white couch and fell asleep, a tear falling onto the soft cusions.
---
The next few daysseemed like thelongest in Bridge's life. He found the morning of his birthday dawning down on him.
He walked into the cafeteria a little early, but just in time to see his friends glaring at him from one of the tables. He kinda stepped sideways to keep from backing into Kat. He felt like he'd done something terribly wrong. He slapped himself mentaly and put on a smile as he walked towards them. "G'morning, guys."
No response, just them turning away.
"So, uh, can I eat breakfast with you?" Bridge felt at a loss for words when they shook their heads. He had changed in three days time.
Three days ago, Bridge had been the yapping teen wearing green. Now, having toned down his chatter, he was less talkative. He'd learned pretty quickly, if you talk to much, Rain falls asleep and it's hard to cope with her lion-like snores. He'd also become more skilled than Jack and was now one of three mentors who taught four students. He'd also become more secluded, more to himself, and less open to them, since they obviously didn't like him.
Bridge shuffled away. He felt loenly, and he cried himself to sleep most nights, alone, all alone, every time. He was either with two girls or was all alone and doing nothing. He wanted to spend time with his oldfriends, but they seemed to despise him now, saying he was the "big boss" who was supposed to tell them what to do, but Bridge just couldn't bring himself to order them around.
Bridge was heading down to the labs, where Squee spent her time. He'd found a human body in hybernation down there. He'd been meaning to ask Squee who it was. He swept out his new morpher and held it up to the control pannel on the right. The door hissed open and he walked in.
"Hey. Didn't expect to see you so soon." Squee had a clipboard in her hand and was writing something on it. In front of her, giving of a faint glow, was the cascet with the human body inside. "Oh. Um, this is Dr. Thomas Oliver. I was able to transfer his mind out of his body, as it was badly damaged a few years after Messogog's downfall. He's over there." He pointed her pen to her right and there was the android from before.
"Hey!" The android jumped up. "It's you again!" He smiled.
"Your... You are the great Tommy Oliver?" Bridge looked baffled.
"Uh..." He looked down. "I dunno, I think so. My name is Tommy Oliver, I think like him, I just don't look like him." He smiled.
Bridge nodded in recognition. "So, this is his human body?"
"Yes." Squee pointed down. "Don't fret, he's not nude, ya know. He is wearing cloths."
Bridge peeked. Tommy's body was indeed quite broken in places, but he was fully dressed, a long black robe, and he wore black boots as well. "So, uh, how'd he get so mangled?"
"I was involved in a plane-train-car incident. I was in the plane and it crashed into a car, which skidded across some tracks, but just far enough where the car would have been safe, but the train smashed through my section of the plane and pretty much shattered my ribs, my entier left arm, my legs from the knees down were broken to bits, and my skull is cracked open in the back." Tommy cocked his head to the side. "Thankfully, Squee's a pretty good mechanic, so she made this body for me, and I wanted to repay her, so I've been feeding what I know about things she wants to know about in turn for her transfering me back into my body."
Bridge smiled. "You sound like me, in a way. So, Squee's a great mechanic?" Bridge asked, poking the back of her clipboard.
"Yes. I was top of all my classes, but I excelled in Advanced Mecha & Enginering classes." She stared at Bridge over the top of her clipboard and sighed. "Do you want to know something about me?"
"Sure." Tommy and Bridge leaned in a little.
"Conner McKnight isn't my real father. My real father was the Green Samurai Ranger, Cam Watanabe. Unfourtunately, he left me in an orphanage when I was still young. I do, however, know a way of finding him." Squee took out an amulet. There were cracks in the green stone, the gold was faded, and an enourmus surge in energy almost made Bridge faint. "Exactly. This gem has more power now than it did when he had it." She stuffed it back itno her pocket. "For the longest time now, I've wondered why it was surging with energy, then I discovered that I'm not the rightful owner. It belongs to Sky." She looked away.
Bridge kinda stared at her with this look like he wasn't so sure. "You and Sky were both adopted. After Wesley Collins died, Mrs. Collins commited suicide. Sky was adopted by a woman who looked like Mrs. Collins. She brought Sky here and he's been raised like a very highly ranked cadet."
"Why is Wes so important?" Sque asked.
Silence filled the room. Just long enough for Tommy to start laughing. He suddenly slapped himself.
Gaspig for air, he held up a finger. "Wes changed the course of history several times in a row. If he hadn't, you would have never exicted because Lothor and Kanoi would have been killed." He started laughing again.
Squee pretended like she didn't know what was going on. Bridge sighed, but almost choked with shock when his morpher went off. Squee dropped her clipboard and pen, her eyes wide, her mouth open slightly. Her pupils were growing smaller.
Bridge tried to ignore her. "Go for Bridge."
It was Kat. "Kat here. Bridge, come to the command center, immediately. We have to discuss something."
"Kat?"
"Yes, Bridge?"
"Can I bring Squee with me? I think somethings wrong with her."
Tommy shook his head. "Leave Squee with me. I know her to well to know what's wrong. You go. Shoo." Tommy ushered him out the door.
---
Bridge came into the Command Center, his head bowed, rubbing the back of his neck. When he looked up, he almost fell back.
A cake linned with nineteen candles and reading 'Happy Birthday Bridge!', with his old friends linned around the small table, Crugger and Kat stood side-by-side, presents littered the floor, and, for the first time in three days, Bridge cracked a smile. He was still a little shocked, but a smile came, all the same.
"Wha?" Bridge asked, baffled.
Syd walked forward, Z in tow, and they both steered Bridge through the presents to the cake. They all clapped as Bridge came closer. Sam was swirrling in circles high above the cake, happily talking,qick as lightning.
"But then... If you guys were planning a party, why was everyone so mean to me?" Bridge asked, looking at the others, his hands raised in a curious way.
"First off, the reason we called you to the command center that day was because Sam was getting a headache from all this planning. Secondly, we had to make you feel unwelcome for a while, and then we decided to suprise you with this cake. Kat made it, by the way, Bridge." Jack smiled. "Besides, it was kinda fun pretending and your expression just now."
Sky patted Bridge on the shoulder. "The candels won't last forever." He let go of Bridge's shoulder.
Bridge closed his eyes. 'I wish that my friends will always be by my side, even in the roughest of times. I pray they will always be there.' With a soft blow, the candels went out. Bridge smiled. If he didn't say anything, the wish would be there forever, and it would always be true.
---
Bridge was seated in the common room, the unwrapped gifts laying in his lap, and his friends seated all around, chatting and laughing, as if they'd all been friends and nothing had happened. Even Crugger was seated with Kat and the other Rangers. Bridge felt like he would always be happy.
Then, with a wail like nails on a chalk board, the sirens went off. Squee and Rain came pelleting into the common room, both out of breath, both trying to say something that wasn't coming out, not even in sensable sentences.
"Broodwing... down town... under Piggy..." Squee and Rain finally stopped to catch their breath and then both tried to talk at once, causing some confusion.
Kat held up a finger. "One at a time, please."
"Broodwing was found with Piggy downtown..." Rain gasped for air.
"...They had Krybots and some other type of monster with them..." Squee continued.
"...One army of Krybots, one ugly monster, two aliens, and a bank," Rain recited, finally able to breath normal.
"Why dosen't that suprise me?" Sky asked. "Trying to get our attention, as usual."
Bridge sighed. 'So much for a happy birthday, for me anyways.'