Chapter 3- Right or Left?
Sydney wasn't afraid of being on her own. She had been doing it most of her life. The only question was what was she going to do now?
She didn't look back at the Academy where she had spent the last two years of her life. Right or Left? Sydney paused at the fork in the road. If she went right she would take the road out of New Tech City. If she went left she would be heading towards the mountains. Deciding she wasn't quite ready to leave New Tech City, the former pink ranger found herself on the trail to the top of Jasper's Mountain.
The only other time she had been there was when Jack had taken the team on a midnight training hike. It was not too long after she had arrived at the Academy and she knew she was being tested to see if she could make it. She knew there were bets on how long she would last at the Academy. She smiled, as she knew that anyone who bet against her was on the losing side of a bet. She remembered being in New York trying to get a record deal. She faced skeptics every day. It just made the victory sweeter, and when she did get her record deal, she proved them all wrong.
To the other's astonishment, she had made it to the top of the mountain with the rest of them. Not that they would admit that they were impressed. But it had gone a long way to building Sydney's confidence in her ability to be a power ranger. During her most doubtful days, she remembered that trip and it encouraged her to keep going.
Anger fueled her hike as she pounded the trail beneath her feet. Hot and sweaty, she took off her sweatshirt, and continued on, refusing to stop. Satisfied that she was far enough away, Sydney finally stopped and found a small tree to camp under for the night. They would never suspect her to be here. 'If they're even looking for me.' She thought with a sigh as she took in the silence and loneliness around her.
She wanted to prove them wrong. But she couldn't make them accept her. She couldn't make them like her. And that is what finally broke her resilient spirit. Sydney was by nature a cheerful, friendly, social person. Being in an environment where she was shunned and rejected without them even knowing her, was a blow to her spirit to which she never recovered. Walking away was the natural reaction. She had done it before she could do it again.
'Someday I'll find somewhere I can belong.' She dreamed as her eyes closed into an exhausted slumber.
"Where could she have gone?" Sky muttered as he scanned a map of New Tech city. He was the only one awake, and he was determined to find her and make things right with Sydney. Sure it was always hard for Sky Tate to admit that he was wrong, but he wasn't a cruel person by nature either. And he recognized that the way he had treated Sydney could only be considered cruel.
"There's only one road out of New Tech City." Jack reminded him, coming up behind the blue ranger to join in the search for the pink ranger. "Z and I will go and look for her." He decided as the yellow and green rangers finally entered the command room. "You and Bridge stay here in case Grumm attacks. We'll keep switching off until we find her." He determined strongly.
"We will find her." Sky agreed positively as he watched Z and Jack go after their missing teammate.
"No attacks…" Bridge reported as he and Sky waited impatiently for Z and Jack to return. They were so bored, that even Sky couldn't find anything else to repair, so he was resolved to play WAR with Bridge.
Suddenly the door opened and the two rangers jumped up hopefully. "No Sydney." Jack announced with regret. The two looked exhausted from their day on the road.
"We're not giving up though." Z decided firmly as the foursome made their way to the dining hall for some well-deserved dinner.
Two more days passed with still no sign of Sydney Drew, pink SPD ranger. The other four rangers were getting frustrated as every hour passed and they still couldn't find her.
Sydney spent the days on the mountain soul searching to find out who she really was. There was no one to tell her who to be or to make fun of her for who she wasn't. She spent the day stretched out by the stream, and was surprised to find that she didn't miss most of her luxuries from home.
What she hadn't figured out though was what was she going to do. She couldn't live out in the mountains for much longer. Her water and food supply was running low from the supplies she had taken from the Academy. Her impeding decision hampered her being content.
"Rangers, monster in downtown New Tech City, he must be contained." Kat warned urgently as they rushed out to where their delta runners were stored. "We're on it." Jack declared, as the four rangers hurried downtown, ready to take out their frustrations on a monster.
As soon as they appeared they were shot off their runners by an intense laser that shook them to their core. They lay on the ground trembling as they tried to regroup.
"Come on get up you lazy worthless rangers!" Gremlin, Grumm's newest monster taunted them as he paced around them, daring them to get off the ground and challenge him.
Bridge and Sky forced themselves off the ground and raced towards Gremlin. He simply swatted them away as if they were nothing, throwing them across the street. "Is that all you got?" He yelled not bothered by their attacks at all.
"You ain't seen nothing yet Ugly." Z retorted angrily, shooting at him with her deadly accurate aim. A few shots actually hit the agile monster, but not enough to actually do any damage.
"The only thing ugly around here is your pathetic leader." Gremlin shouted as he turned his attention on the red ranger. Before Jack could prepare himself, he was blasted by his laser and launched to where the blue and green rangers were still laying, unable to recover from their last blasts from Gremlin.
Z Delgado was not going down without a fight. Though her three male teammates were currently down for the count, she would not back down. She noticed that the monster was slightly distracted as he admired his handiwork. Jack, Bridge, and Sky were moving, but barely, and nowhere close to actually getting off the ground.
"Three down…" Gremlin congratulated himself with a smile. Before he could turn to take out the last ranger, Z shot him full blast in the back. Smoke started to fly off the monster, and Z thought she had finally got him. But the smoke wasn't an indication of injury; it was a sign of anger. And he was beyond angry. "You think you're going to defeat me?" He asked in disbelief as Z tried to preserve herself until the others could rejoin the battle. She was no match for the powerful monster and found herself in the same condition as the others: weak and overmatched.
A thick gray haze clouded the sunny bright day she had been enjoying. "Fire?" Sydney thought suspiciously as she gazed down into the valley. "I don't hear sirens." She said to herself, wondering what was going on. Suddenly a familiar siren pierced through the air to reach her atop Jasper's Mountain.
"SPD." She recognized in shock. It was the rarely used Full on Emergency Signal. "The others are in trouble." She realized in fear. "Maybe I can help." Sydney decided quickly, as she raced down the mountain, hoping it wasn't too late.
She had no ideas of being a hero; she just thought maybe she could help them. "I've got to try." Sydney steeled herself for a fight as she approached downtown.
She was shaken at the destruction before her. Buildings were collapsed and beyond recognition as she struggled through the smoky haze. "Where are they?" She worried frantically, desperate to find them, praying she wasn't too late.
Despite their differences, Sydney would never wish harm on anyone. Nor would she just let evil try to overcome good. "Jack?" She called out tentatively. "Bridge?" She tried when she got no response from the red ranger. Now she was scared. "Sky? Z?" She called out in nervously. Their silence frightened her and warned her that they had never faced a foe so apparently dangerous before.
Suddenly there was a clear view of the opponent. Sydney fought back her fear as she took in his appearance. "He must be at least 7 feet tall." She murmured to herself. Armor covered most of his well-built body. She would have to use the element of surprise, it was her only chance. Their only chance for survival.
Without a second thought, the pink ranger took off running full speed and plowed down the hideous monster that had wounded the others. He was surprised to be taken down by such a small adversary. "Syd." Bridge whispered hopefully. The other rangers were even more so surprised to see their teammate. She quickly regained her balance and prepared for the next fight.
Syd was absolutely stunned at the sight of the others looking so helpless and weak. "Come on guys, get up please." She begged them to hear her, to be able to respond. Grunts and moans were the only signs that they were alive. 'This wasn't the end was it?' She thought miserably.
"What a nice fairy tale. The princess has come to save her friends." Gremlin announced sappily. "Too bad I don't like happy endings." He declared vehemently. "Say goodbye to your friends Sydney." He proclaimed as he aimed his laser on the four wounded rangers.
Jack tried to stare down the monster bravely, accepting his fate without fear. Bridge gripped Z's hand tightly wishing it all to be over soon.
She stood there unmoving, willing herself to do something. She couldn't just stand there and let him destroy them. "NO!" she screamed automatically. Her noise startled the monster as he turned away from the others.
"Sydney." Sky whispered horrified as Gremlin turned all his attention on their unmorphed and defenseless teammate. As intimidating as he was, Sydney was undaunted. She steeled herself for the incoming blast, her blue eyes never wavering. She would not back down, no matter the cost. Even if she had to pay with her life. At least her life would have meant something. And that one sacrifice would over shadow every trophy she had ever won, every record she had ever sold, every time she had ever acted selfishly.
The blue ranger was forced to watch as a quick blast of his laser Sydney was scorched by it's searing heat and sent barreling through an abandoned building. The impact sent piles of unstable rock crashing down around the pink ranger. And then there was silence.
"No way." Z mumbled in disbelief, sickened at the sight of the building breaking over her teammate.
The monster laughed as he watched his fine work. Five rangers down for the count, one possibly fatally injured. "Grumm will be pleased." He thought arrogantly as he left the traumatized city and it's rangers behind.
Ignoring the pain, Bridge determined to not let Sydney be alone. He crawled, stumbled the short distance to where she had landed.
"At least they're alive." She reassured herself even as an intense pain more severe than anything she had ever experienced raced through Sydney's body as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Instead of the cold dark aura he expected to be surrounding the pink ranger, Bridge found a faint light pink glow as Sydney fought to hold onto life. "She's alive!" He shouted excitedly as he fought to dig through the debris that separated them.
His statement moved the others to action as they ignored their own pain to come to Bridge's aid. Together they worked to push the rock away and came face to face with the unmoving form of Sydney Drew.
She looked so fragile and broken; but her appearance hid the strength she held inside. Jack knew she would need that strength to see her through her recovery. Streaks of blood from a serious head wound stained her golden hair. Burns covered most of her unclothed body. Numerous other injuries would take weeks of therapy to heal.
"Let's get out of here." Jack decided grimly, wanting to leave this wasteland behind, even as he knew the nightmares that would plague them for days to come.
"Rangers." Kat gasped in amazement as they staggered through the doors of the academy. Every communication attempt had failed to produce anything other than static, prompting Kat and Cruger to fear the worst. That they had lost another team of power rangers. Looking at their appearance, they knew it had been a close battle. They were lucky to have survived.
Cruger glanced down at the lifeless figure in Cadet Tate's arms. "Sydney?" he questioned in disbelief. "She was struck down trying to save us sir." Sky reported quietly, looking at the girl he held, with new found respect.
"To the infirmary." Cruger commanded vigorously. "All of you." He clarified, knowing they would all need some serious repair.
Every one of them was battered and bruised. Jack had broken several ribs and was struggling to fight the pain as the attendant bandaged him up. Z's arm needed to be pushed back into its socket and was carefully placed in a sling. Sky limped around excruciatingly as he wondered between his teammates, refusing to sit still long enough for anyone to look at his seriously injured knee. Bridge ignored the treatments being performed on him and around him as he glanced into the next medical room.
Sydney was lying on a bed, tubes running from her body and monitors keeping track of her vital signs. Her left leg was in traction, having been surgically repaired just an hour before. Bandages covered the burns on her body, the result of being hit by a laser while unmorphed. He wished he could give her some of his strength to fight, he sensed a weakness in her aura that he couldn't identify.
Sky noticed how unusually still Bridge was and went to comfort his friend. The two sat side by side as they waited to see if Sydney would wake up.
The four rangers were medicated and forced to stay the night in the infirmary. When they awoke the next morning, there was still no sign of improvement in Sydney. Without fail, one of them spent the next two days by her side.
"I'm sorry Sydney." Jack apologized. " I never gave you a chance. I never tried to get to know you." He spoke so softly, the regret he felt pouring out in each word. "I'm sorry I never to got to know the real Sydney. Please come back to us so we can see who you really are." He pleaded with her still form. Tears dripped down the usually unemotional red ranger as he watched her just lying there.
Z was the next ranger to take a shift. "I'm sorry I judged you Syd. I was so selfish myself, I forgot I had a past too. We all make mistakes. Forgive me Syd." She confessed honestly, wishing desperately she could go back and change everything that had happened since day one. Once she had laid eyes on Sydney Drew, she despised her. Z didn't want a roommate, especially one like Sydney and did little to hide her disapproval. "you're the one who shouldn't have wanted to room with me." Z confided. "But you did, and you tried to be my friend. And I just turned away."
"Don't give up Sydney." Bridge pleaded with the unconscious girl. "I know you want to, but don't. I know you think we don't like you; but we do. I wish it hadn't taken us so long to realize how important you are to the team. You're the heart and soul of SPD. The days you were gone, it was so lifeless here. I can't imagine living that way ever again."
Though he had spent most of the first year annoyed at her cheefulness and her seemingly carefree attitude, Sky had to admit that Bridge was right. They never would have known what they were missing if Sydney hadn't come into their lives. He had judged her carefree attitude to be careless, but she surprised him with her strong will and determination. No matter what challenge was presented, Syd always rose to the occasion. "You've never let us down Syd." He praised her. "I'm sorry that we have. You are more of a ranger than any one of us."
The common room was quiet as the four rangers continued their recovery. They were having a half-hearted attempt at eating a meal that wasn't being shoved donw their throats. They had fallen into this monotonous schedule, all laughter and humor had been erased since Gremlin's attack. They were looking like they were about to break. Physicaly they had already been, but emotionally they were so close. If they lost Sydney, Commander Cruger feared he would lose the rest of htem too.
Bridge's hands had been burned badly in the fight, and he was emotionally wrecked as he couldn't control his reading of the other's feelings without his gloves to block the emotions. The TV played in the background, providing the only noise in the room though no one was actually paying attention to whatever was on.
Loud
Suddenly, the green ranger sat up startling the others out of their trances. "Bridge?" Z wondered curiously.
"Sydney." He whispered slowly before tears filled his eyes. "So much pain…" He continued as he grabbed his head to slow the oncoming headache. He was completely overwhelmed at the emotions that flooded him from the pink rangers's aura. Hopelessness. Fear. Shame. Guilt. Loneliness. Pain.
"She's awake?" Jack probed hopefully. The green ranger nodded and Sky and Jack were out of the room in a flash, leaving Z to comfort Bridge.
"is she ok?" The yellow ranger asked cautiously. "She's awake." He repeated. "But I don't know if she'll be ok." Z threw her arms around him. "Come on, let's go see her." She helped him up and escorted him down to the infirmary.