Gemini Complex
Part One: The Creation
Note: I do not own the characters, they belong to Disney I believe. I do own the events and the Gemini Complex, X.
Timeline: SPD
Rating: PG13 (Violence, mild language, mild content)
Pairings: Kat/Cruger hinting, Jack/Z, Bridge/X, Sydney/Sky
"You make me come, you make me complete, you make me completely miserable," –"Miserable" by Lit
Elizabeth "Z" Delgado sighed as the spray of the shower cascaded over her body. She didn't understand where the feeling of sudden weakness was coming from. She tilted her head back, letting the water spray the top of her head and rush down, flowing down her bare skin. Closing her eyes, she braced her hands against the wall and let the water run. Unbeknownst to her, the alarm was sounding, drawing the other rangers to the control room.
As Jack Landors, Sydney Drew, Schuyler Tate and Bridge Carson headed in, they instantly were drawn to the fury within Commander Anubus Cruger's face. They all stood in line, ascending in rank and waited for Cruger to speak.
"Cadets, can someone explain to me why Ms. Delgado is rampaging through downtown?" he demanded, Jack immediately spoke.
"She can't be, sir, she left for a shower ten minutes ago," Jack said, Cruger glared at the Red Ranger.
"Are you sure?" He asked, Jack nodded, and then Cruger pointed to the screen, which Dr. Kat Manx was monitoring. Jack's head jerked back as he saw the images of Z lifting a metal pipe and smashing it into car that had stopped in her path as she walked down the middle of the street.
"That's not possible, sir, hang on just a second," Jack muttered and bolted past his teammates and towards the locker room where he knew Z was. "Open" he said as he skidded to a halt in front of the door, which slid away. He heard a shower running and he followed it to the corner shower stall. The shower stalls were all the same in all locker rooms; they were as tall as your collarbone and had a thin white curtain across the doorway. "Z?" he demanded, she let out a cry of surprise and jumped. She whirled around to face him, not surprised that he had been there.
"Jack? What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the look on his face, she immediately knew something was extremely wrong.
"Z, are you all here?" he asked, it was a typical question to her now.
"Yeah…why?" she asked, her eyebrows scrunching together.
"Are you sure?" he asked again, Z's eyes began to turn into a glare.
"Yes! Jack what in the hell are you trying to get at?" she asked, he folded his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow.
"Did you send one of your multiples out?" he asked, she shook her head, which began to spin after she stopped. Leaning heavily on the wall he watched her grow pale.
"No Jack, I'm all here and I'm not feeling too good," she murmured, he sighed.
"Well, somehow one of your clones is destroying a car downtown right now," he stated, it was Z's turn to stare in shock.
"What? How can that be?" she asked, Jack shrugged.
"You need to see Commander now, he is pissed off right now," Jack said, Z shook her head, her dark hair clinging to her wet skin as the shower ran on.
"No, I'm showering," she stated and just about turned back to spray when he hand clamped onto hers and he pushed back the curtain, turning off the water. Grabbing a towel from nearby, he wrapped her in it and then began to drag her out of the locker room. "JACK! NO!" she cried out, not wanting to parade around the Command Center in nothing but a towel.
"Z, if you don't come right now, he's going to figure that you sent it and you're plotting something. Do you want to risk losing everything you have now? Come on! That's an order!" he snapped, using his rank against her which he rarely did. Having enough he stopped, grabbed her around the waist and carried her out of the room and marched back to the control room with her squealing all the way.
Cruger was monitoring the destruction that the Z downtown was causing when a loud squeal was approaching the control room. The door slid opened and they watched Jack return with Z over his shoulder, soaked and wearing a long white towel.
"I told you Commander, our Z is right here and she doesn't have a clone out," Jack stated as he set her down between Bridge and Sydney. Z's face was a deep crimson as she spoke up.
"Sir, now that I've been paraded around the Command Center in a towel, thanks to Jack, I am here to inform you that I do not have a clone out, trust me, I would know if I did. I would feel like portions of me are missing and right now the only things I'm feeling are confused, dizzy and a rush of cold air from the vent above me," Z stated, then her eyes locked on the screen, her face began to fall.
"Then explain how that's happening," Cruger demanded, Z's face was filled with fear as she shook her head.
"I don't know…its not me, it can't be," Z murmured, Kat sighed, turning from the screen.
"It may be a morph, Commander, something may be able to duplicate others appearances," she suggested, studying Z closely.
"We'll see, Jack, Sky, Bridge and Syd, go and collect her before she destroys anything else. Z, you are to stay here," Z moved away from the others and watched as they saluted Cruger and left, Jack's eyes meeting hers before he left, giving her strength.
"Z, you said you were feeling dizzy?" Kat asked, Z nodded and sighed.
"I haven't felt right since the other day," she stated, Kat crossed to her and placing her hand on the girls arm, she lead her from the control room. Kat paused once they were outside and looked to Cruger.
"Doggie, you need to calm down, something is happening here and if you lose it over what could be an imposter, I hate to see what happens if someone masquerades as someone you lost," Kat stated coolly as she turned and left the room. Cruger sighed, realizing he had been harsh on Z, instantly wondering why he would turn so quickly one someone who had proven their worth to him time and time again. He closed his eyes and then as he released breath he headed towards the sickbay where Kat had taken Z.
When he entered the medical lab, Z was sitting on a table, dressed in a gown that Kat had given her. He noted how pale she seemed and with his hearing, he was tracking her arrhythmic heartbeat.
"Z, I'm sorry for overreacting about this situation," he stated, Z nodded slowly.
"Its ok Commander, it's got me worried too," she whispered and then he watched as she winced and when she lifted her head again, blood was trickling down from her forehead.
Meanwhile the four Rangers had found the other Z and were engaged in a surprising battle where she was winning. Though, Jack was finding it the hardest to attack, since everything she did was Z's. The way she fought, moved, and talked was Z and it was disturbing him.
"Bridge, check her color," he instructed as he dodged her roundhouse kick and glanced over to the Green Ranger who took off his glove and waved it in his line of vision. Bridge frowned, the color was Z but with a twinge of black and as he scanned a quick portion of her mind, it was her he found again.
"Jack, its Z, this is her mind and body but her aura, it isn't right, not at all. Z's is the color of the sun shining, kinda like the innocence of children smiling, but this, this is dark, its golden, yellow swirling with black," Jack's frown matched Bridge's.
"Rangers, detain her with no more injuries, you have handcuffs use them. Restrain her wrists and ankles. Get her back here now," Cruger ordered over the mophers communication device.
"Yes sir," was the reply over the morphers and Jack and Sky grabbed their cuffs.
As the Z concentrated her attacks on Sydney and Bridge, the two men took the time to knock her down and pin her beneath their weight. Sydney grabbed the cuffs from Sky and secured them around Z's ankles and Jack managed to get them around her wrists.
"We have her secured Ms. Kat," Bridge called into his morpher as he watched Z wriggling around trying to escape to no avail.
"Good, bring her to the medical lab immediately," she instructed, the Rangers climbed into the SPD patrol car and loaded Z into the trunk portion. Speeding towards the SPD Base Jack threw Z over his shoulder, similar to how he carried the real one earlier to the medical room. Upon entering it he set her down and he and Sky dragged her over towards Kat.
Kat moved a chair beside the examination table where Z was sitting, her hair was veiling her face, and she didn't look up as the other her sat.
"Good thing you guys didn't do anymore damage than you had to her," Kat said, after a brief examination.
"Why?" Sydney asked, confusion in her face, and then Z lifted her face to the others, her face was bruised and bleeding.
"Z! What happened?" Jack asked, and then it dawned at him as he looked to the duplicate Z whose face was identical to Z's. "No…this can't be happening!" he stated, Kat nodded grimly.
"Yes, watch what happens when I do this," she stated, lifted a scalpel and slashed the duplicates arm, a long deep cut appeared on her forearm and she let her arm hang, her blood pouring down her arm, dripping to the floor. Z hissed in pain and clutched her arm to her chest, she had changed into her SPD uniform, which was becoming blood soaked as she her held arm close to her upper body.
"What happens to the duplicate, also happens to Z, every attack you had hit her with harmed Z as well," Cruger said from the doorway.
"What does this mean sir?" Sky asked, his eyes flashing from Z and her duplicate to the big blue dog in the doorway.
"This means that the duplicate is part of Z, she is living off of Z like her clones usually do. Kat will perform more tests and we will know more later on. Jack and Bridge, I need you to monitor the computers," Cruger said, Jack and Bridge saluted, Bridge immediately left but Jack hung back a few moments but Z nodded, telling him that he could go and he slowly left, jogging to catch up with Bridge.
Sky and Sydney headed to the break room as Kat gathered a medical team to examine Z.
"This is so weird," Sydney said, still trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. She sighed and plopped down onto the couch beside Sky.
"It is," he agreed and placed his hand on top of hers, she turned her hand so her palm was facing up, as his skimmed down her arm until it came to rest on hers. As their fingers laced together, she could no longer fight the feelings she had been fighting all day. She climbed into his lap and kissed him on the lips, he smiled inwardly and kissed her back.
"I miss you Syd," he whispered, she knew what he meant; they rarely had a moment alone together. They pressed their foreheads together and took a moment to enjoy the feel of each other's arms before Sydney kissed him again. (Note: I'll phrase this delicately so I can keep the rating away from 'M'.) As they continued to kiss, Sky's mind instantly succumbed to hers. Oh Sydney, he thought, staring up at her as his lips lightly caressed her neck, his hands becoming lost in her golden curls. You are a Golden Goddess; I wish I could tell you how much you mean to me.
"Sky," she murmured, the only thought she could form was Damn, he's good. As her hands began to unclasp the front of his uniform, seeking to reveal his T-shirt so she could at least feel some of his flesh on hers when the door slid open and they heard a cry from Bridge as he flung himself out the door.
"Bridge!" Sky shouted, Sydney looked to him and quickly got out of his lap and hurried towards the door as Sky quickly closed the top of his uniform. When he joined Sydney he saw that Bridge was scampering to get his glove back on.
"Are you alright Bridgey?" Sydney asked, Bridge stared up at them, his eyes huge.
"I walked in on some major feelings…I feel dirty," he said, frowning the began to babble, "Well, not dirty but like I interrupted something that I shouldn't have. The feelings from you two was so intense, all your walls were down, you were exposed, I felt so much passion, desire…Damn, you two-"
"Bridge!" Sky cut him off before he could continue with his babble. "What is it? I know you've found something or you wouldn't have rushed in here without your glove on."
"Yes, a few things really. I think I know how the clone was created and Kat's finished with the tests," Bridge replied, climbing to his feet, making sure his glove was on securely.
"I'm sorry Bridge," Sydney replied, Bridge gave her a half smile as they followed him to the medical room.
"It's fine I just should have realized that you two were trying to get a moment in, I'm sorry as well, I didn't mean to break it up. Remember when we were fighting the blue head the other day and he had this weird gun?"
"Yeah, they usually have weird weapons," Sky said, Bridge frowned and shook his head.
"No, this one was directly aimed and fired at Z. I don't think we realized at the time because it was the heat of the battle and she never said that she had been hit but that could be why the clone came to life," Bridge said as they headed towards the sick bay, upon entering they saw Jack facing off against the clone, which was in Z's old black uniform when she first arrived, before she had been chosen to be the Yellow Ranger.
The two circled each other; his hands were limp at his side, yet hers were balled into fists, ready to strike. They moved in a circle her words stinging as they fell loudly onto Sydney, Sky and Bridge's ears.
"SILENCE!" Cruger yelled, hearing enough of their fight, from his spot near Z.
"What's going on?" Sydney asked, confusion in her face, Z sighed heavily and looked to the three.
"My clone apparently has issues with listening to Jack and his orders, we have also dubbed her X," Z stated.
"X? Why not Y or A since those are the letters that come before and after Z…"Bridge began to babble, a look from Sky silenced him. "Ok, X is good," he said, looking down at his feet. He looked over to see X wink at him; apparently she didn't mind his babble like Z.
"Thanks," X said, grinning at Bridge, turning from him with a wink.
"Also," Z continued, "She doesn't have my cloning ability and cannot morph," with that Z finished.
"Have you tired trying to clone yourself again and then making that clone disappear taking X with it?" Sky asked, Z blinked at him, so did everyone else, he didn't blush and he only blinked once, keeping his stoic composure when all eyes were on him.
"No, actually we never thought of it," Kat admitted and looked to Z who was sitting on the examination table still. "Do you want to try it Z?" she asked, Z shrugged and then they watched as her eyes began to glow white. Then all hell broke loose within her. The monitors that were still hooked to her began to track as she began to seize. As Z began to shake X reached out and placed her hand onto Z's forehead, stopping the seizure, Z's eyes returned to their original color and a thick line of blood dripped from her nose.
"How did you know to do that?" Cruger asked, the clone shrugged and removed her hand as Z took a shaky breath.
"Instinct," X replied, Jack gently braced his arms across Z's shoulders and lower back, and laid her back down slowly.
"Rest now," he told her, and then turned on his heel and left, Z stared after him and then attempted to bolt after him. Finding herself still held down with electrodes, wires and needles she ripped them off and out of her and ran after him, her head spinning as she raced down the corridor after him.
"Jack!" she shouted, Bridge was about to go after her when X reached out and stopped him.
"Let them go, they need to talk," she stated, Sydney looked at her sideways, frowning.
"Am I going to have to have her as a roomie too? I mean Z's taking up enough of my space and what kind of name is X anyways, is it short for anything? What about history and record on her now since apparently she isn't going anywhere she's going to need to have identification because she is a real person, almost a twin," Sydney stated, Bridge held up his hand.
"She is a twin in body and appearance but not in mind or spirit. She has a dark gold aura while Z's is pure yellow like the sun," Bridge corrected, X placed her hands on her hips.
"What does that say about me?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Simply that you tend to think more of darkness than of light. Its like a depression of your aura, your spirit," he stated with a shrug.
"Sydney is right, Sky take X down to processing and Kat, if you'd please clean up the mess Z made and the rest of you continue monitoring for activity." Cruger ordered, everyone saluted him and everyone returned to their duties.
"Jack, what is going on?" Z demanded as finally caught up with him, bracing herself against the wall as he stopped half to his room. Placing the heel of her hand to her forehead she closed her eyes, as they fluttered back open she looked to Jack. Before her eyes he transformed from childhood companion, to teenage protector and beloved friend to the man he was now, still beloved, loved even more. "What is the matter?" she demanded, he sighed heavily and she saw the look of betrayal and sorrow in his eyes.
"Z, X is you," Z blinked, and sighed.
"Duh," she stated, wondering what he was getting at.
"Because she is you, there is a big part of you that hates me, you heard her. She clearly hates me and refuses to listen to a word I say, I didn't think you had it in you to hate me Z," Jack said, sounding broken.
"Jack, listen to me," she moved from the wall as the world around her spun, the only she could see clearly was his face. She placed her hands on either cheek and looked directly into his eyes. "I love you Jack, I LOVE you. Sometime you get me a bit pissed but I can't hate you every thing I am is because of your guidance through the years. If you hadn't found me after I left class the one-day God only knows what would have happened to me. I love you like a brother, a friend, and a lover. I can't hate you if I tired, X is just weird, she's programmed for hate, she's from Gruum Jack, and what did you want? Another me? Its not going to happen, I'm surprised that she's not attacking Bridge, I think she likes him." Z said, and she sighed, leaning forwards she gently pressed her lips to his, kissing him gently. As he kissed her back, he felt her wet tears on his face, and knew he was wrong to doubt her.
"I'm sorry," he whispered when it broke, and placed his forehead on his, he placed his hands on her hips and held her close. Just as he opened his mouth to say something when the alarms blared, startled they bolted apart. They rushed towards the control room, morphing into their Ranger suits on the way.
"SPD EMERGANCY," echoed down the hall, instantly filling it with light in the shades of yellow and red. As they entered the control room the others were morphing, X was leaning against the control panel watching with envious eyes.
"I wanna go," she grumbled, Kat heard her from across the room and narrowed her gaze.
"You cannot, knowing our luck you'll aide Gruum's side," she stated with a hiss on the end of her words.
"I would not! Why would I do harm to my self?" X asked, she stood erect, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "If I hurt Z, I'll hurt myself, what good would that do? I don't' know why I've been created but I choose what side I'm on and right now I'm helping you," she stated, as the Rangers hurried off to battle. She still lingered in the doorway and Kat suddenly knew her intentions.
"Doggie! Grab her before she bolts," Kat snapped, just as X had turned she smacked right into Cruger who had appeared in the doorway.
"Crap," she muttered into the leather-covered chest. Just then Cruger heard Kat gasp and wince.
"What is it?" he asked, heading over, dragging X with him.
"Z's out," she stated, motioning to Z lying still on the ground. "We shouldn't have let her go, its too soon, she's sick Doggie-" Kat began, X cut her off.
"You should have let me go! I could kick ass and protect her!"
"No, you couldn't!" Kat snapped, "Doggie, because X is living Z is dying. X's creation is leaching off of Z's life and there is no why to stop it," Kat stated.
To be Continued
Authors Comment: Damn, this took forever!