Author's note: this is a story that was rattling around my noggin for quite some time now. I originally wasn't going to bother with it, but whenever I'd write about something else, this story seemed to refuse to be ignored. So I guess I had no choice but to bring these characters to life. But because this is Power Rangers, there's no way I can get royalties off of this. (snicker) But I'll live.

It goes without saying that I took some creative liberties with existing characters, technology, and government/military/police structure and workings. I tried to keep this story's spirit true to the Power Rangers mythos and style – as in, I try to avoid gratuitous language and all that gobbledygook. However, things will get very dark with a handful of "graphic moments" very quickly in the upcoming chapters. So be on the alert.

So if you're in this, you'll be in this for the long haul, since this will encompass several episodes – and all of my episodes are quite lengthy. I estimate about a chapter per week. That could change, since I almost totally live at school.

Enough with the ado. On with the story. So enjoy. Criticisms are always welcome. Please call me on any and all errors!

Space Patrol Delta: The Lost Year

Part One: Segue

Chapter One

Even in the fogged midnight darkness, the young girl spotted the large uneven hole carved into one of the massive metal warehouse doors, the dank stench of stale water still tickling her nose, with only the faint hums and rumbles of sparse traffic rolling along a few blocks away. After spending a frustrated half-an-hour in haphazard pursuit, she shook her head in mild mirth at the idea. The showdown always seemed to end up at a creepy abandoned warehouse. It was her turn to lead the team. And this time, she was going to make sure they were victorious.

She ran to the edge of the hole, pressing her back to the wall with her SPD StunnerMax blaster fully primed and gripped in hand. She risked a peak into the dark warehouse, easing her head around just enough to sneak a glimpse with an eye. With minor annoyance, she pealed back one of her long dark braded pigtails out of the way to offer a clear view.

A lot of good that did her, since she couldn't see more than a couple of meters through the foggy inside, anyway.

She was briefly startled when she heard something twitch near her feet, just as quickly cursing herself as she realized it was the back of her boot nicking the metallic door. She took in a shallow quiet breath. "Come on, Rain," she whispered to herself. "Keep it cool. Freak out now, and it's all over, cadet." It was time to call in her other eyes.

She pointed her StunnerMax upwards and keyed the small glow-light on the broad forearm shield; she flicked it on and off several times. Within seconds, a shadowy form raced quietly from the dark alleyway corner and across the pavement, coming to a stop on the other side of the hole in professional technique. Even though the night had made his dark-skinned chiseled features even more opaque, Rain could recognize him by his size alone – tall, arrant, and collected. Kayj, perhaps one of the most diligent people she had ever worked with.

She smiled confidently and nodded to him as Kayj pulled his rectangular SPD tech-badge from his belt and flipped open the palm-sized device. There, Rain could see his forehead crease with concentration beneath his close-shaved hair glowing in the dim orange light from the badge's sensor mode.

Kayj met her stare, slightly wrinkling his broad nose; he shaded his hand over his caterpillar eyebrows and large copper eyes, followed by holding his index finger into the air near his face – not too far from his wide lips.

So he sees our rogue Ranger, Rain thought to herself. And he's alone this time. She formed an okay with her free hand, looking back into the void where Kayj appeared. She motioned towards the darkness, beckoning to the emptiness. Shadows stirred, and she held out a fist directly away, and then towards Kayj, commanding the team to fall into the wall-pressed formation with both her and Kayj.

First one to her flank was the large-nosed, grim blonde, Cesar. He stood a good head taller than Rain, even though hunched down into formation. She could almost feel Cesar's cold stare as he eyed his leader with great expectation. Apparently, the promise of victory she had made last night was still fresh on his mind.

The second team member darted to Kayj's side, her squat cat-like ears betraying her humanesque silhouette. Lynx coiled down into a crouch, shrinking down to exactly half of Kayj's height. The tallest-and-youngest member next to the smallest-and-oldest. And despite the size difference, Lynx probably had twice the energetic passion for duty as Kayj, even if she lacked his wisdom and foresight. Rain couldn't see it, but she knew Lynx was grinning with the wiry anticipation of a child about to raid a toy store.

And the third…

Rain looked around, searching for Azzy. Several agonizing seconds, and he was nowhere to be seen. Of all the times to start goofing off, she silently fumed. She motioned at the shadows again, thinking he might have missed her first signal; she flashed the stunner's light again when he didn't show himself. She glanced back at Cesar; he simply shrugged with disgust, a quick glint reflecting off his keenly azure eyes.

Kayj had his tech-badge out again by the time she turned, his large left eyebrow cocking up with curiosity. He held up two fingers, indicating that two beings were inside instead of the one.

Rain fought the urge to sigh, roll her eyes, and make a fist in frustration. Unfortunately, she lost that tug of war with all three actions. Azzy was always reckless, never taking his work seriously. And now, he had entered the battle theater without consent, and was about to foil her foolproof plan to confront and contain the rogue Ranger.

She had to act quickly if she was going to salvage the situation. She pointed her hand squarely at Kayj and Lynx, moving her hand over her smooth coal-black hair – an order for them to stay and cover their location. She turned slightly and pointed at Cesar behind her, and motioned a fist towards her lower back, ordering him to follow in a wedge formation. Rain caught acknowledgements from everyone as they drew their StunnerMax blasters before she moved into the warehouse with Cesar at her side.

After passing a grated wall barrier that blocked the door, the two cadets slithered their way into what seemed like a large loading area. A few of the low-slung ceiling laps offering just enough to see an obstacle or two to avoid walking into them. But the high ceiling was engulfed in the shadows.

They scouted the edges of the room, looking for evidence of recent visitors. The slung metal supports strewn around the structure, and other metallic shelves and nuances were old and rusted. It wasn't too long when Rain decided that she would have much preferred the air outside to the acrid metallic tang and grease offered inside this particular neglected warehouse.

They had stalked along the edges to the other side of the loading area now, failing to notice any physical signs of recent activities. Cesar holstered his stunner and pulled out his badge, scanning for heat sources. Just as soon as he brought up the protocol, there was a sudden thud near the center of the room, above and just out of sight.

Cesar quickly pointed his badge to the noise's source, followed by the bright search beam of Rain's stunner. Both of them missed whatever it was, neither showing its real form or any heat signatures. And both of their hearts had skipped a couple of beats.

There was another thud in a different part of the ceiling. And then another. Rain didn't let herself believe the noises were natural. Their patterns were erratic, and picking up from light taps to distinct pangs. Something was crawling around up there. The rogue Ranger and Azzy were clearly in here somewhere. And either Azzy was in the process of getting himself captured, or the Ranger had a trap in the works – with Rain and Cesar squarely in the middle.

Two more metallic clunks echoed from opposite corners of the room. Neither the flashlight nor heat betrayed the identity of the sources.

Cesar quickly switched through the sensor modes, going from heat to motion, then to electrical, and then to vibration –

His tech-badge chirped with each found target. "I'm seeing about eleven or twelve possible sources of the noise," Cesar whispered to his partner, his rich British accent still managing to glaze his warning.

"Where?" Rain whispered harshly.

"Everywhere," he whispered back, matching her harsh rasp.

The scuttling continued, growing in number and volume. They resonated off the uneven walls and floor grates, shuffling Rain and Cesar into the center of the room. And with hearty clunks, ten mottled spheres the size of baseballs had bounced onto the floor around them. A flash of indigo luminescence had coalesced into ten distinct humanoid forms; their silver heads glinted off of Rain's light. They had holes where eyes and a mouth would normally be – and two extra on their jaws. Red and white wires ran down their chests and around their waists: the only details etched over an otherwise black and lifeless body. The last noises they made were mechanized dingk-dingks.

"Krybots!" Rain spat, realizing that the trap she had suspected had been sprung.

Cesar had his stunner readied before she finished the word.

The krybots circled the two of them at a distance; their footsteps clanged to the floor in perfect harmony. They were thrusting their hands in the air in perfect synchronization as they dingk-dingked again and again.

"Ingress! Ingress!" Rain yelled into her badge. She barely had enough time to return it to her belt before the robotic foot soldiers jumped into the offensive.

Four of the krybots lunged for them. With Rain and Cesar back-to-back, two well-placed blue bolts from each of the stunners were all that they needed to knock the robots out of the air.

Four down, eight to go.

And those eight felt compelled to oblige the challenge and lunge blindly as well.

Rain and Cesar crouched, trading firing directions, tracking each successive shot in almost perfect unison as they downed the rest of the krybots in less than a skipped heartbeat.

Both of their StunnerMax units moaned darkly, telling them that their charges were depleted.

"Out," Cesar reported.

"Same," Rain replied.

Two more krybots had suddenly appeared at the barrier wall near the entrance, nearly on top of both cadets. Before both they could instinctively react, two extra pairs of arms and legs had already made contact, dispatching the offending robots into the shadows.

Kayj and Lynx flashed to their teammates' flanks, ready for the next round.

Rain relinquished a slight smiling sigh when a deep voiced boomed from all directions.

"Impressive, cadets," he said, biting into that last word like a curse. The voice sounded too deep to be human, obviously modified to hide the attacker's identity.

Kayj and Cesar were already scanning when Rain demanded, "Where's our fifth teammate?"

There was a slight pause. "Your fifth teammate?" the voice asked thoughtfully. "He's been destroyed. And the four of you will follow him to your demise."

Rain grimaced. Either the rogue Ranger was lying – which seemed very likely – or Azzy had gotten himself caught in record time – which was even more likely.

Both Cesar and Kayj pointed towards a certain area in the air, where the high ceiling disappeared into darkness.

"Lynx," Rain called.

Wordlessly, Lynx drew her StunnerMax and fired one burst into the area with a flash of blue energy. It missed, lighting the area in a dim aura with the silhouette of their target viewable for a split-second – and that was all Lynx needed to connect with the second shot.

The figure stumbled off his metal perch, managing to land gracefully in front of the cadets regardless of the lucky hit.

Rain shined her light on him. A power suit composed of mostly green reflective armoura-flex material, with his signature black number "3" – outlined thinly in white – on the left half of his torso, coupled with the engraved "SPD" plate on his right breast, and the shiny-dog shield facing out on his right shoulder and crowned on his helmet. His white gloves were balled into fists, complimented by the silver ring-cuffs on his wrists; with a matching set at the upper ends of his green boots. He tilted his green helmet down slightly. It was sculpted with a radical mix of curved and angular contours; the imposing black visor, two red light lenses where one's ears would be. Silver belt to match the ring-cuffs – the wide buckle sporting the "SPD" engrave, and endowed with an assortment of malleable weapons encircling his waist.

"We've got you, Green Ranger," Rain said with a sly grin. "You're no match for the four of us. Prepare for containment."

With a scoff, SPD Green simply gave her a two-fingered mock salute –

"Blue heads, six o'clock!" Lynx squeaked.

Rain, Cesar, and Kayj turned to see the next level of krybots standing behind them – six of them. Each with a slightly thicker build than their weaker steel-colored cousins; slated with blue armoring over their chests and shoulders, and their cross-bladed blue heads bobbed with anticipation.

The six blue-headed krybots pointed their arms at the cadets; each limb shaped themselves into deadly focusing dishes.

"Scatter!" Rain yelled just as the krybots opened fire.

All four cadets leaped away from each other with assertive heaves, escaping an explosion of concrete and metal erupting from where they just stood.

Cesar landed in a roll, hurtling himself towards one of the robots in a sprint. He blocked a wide swing to his head with the flat side of his stunner. The robot tried for the other side, but Cesar juked out of the way, and followed up with two left jabs and a cross to the robotic torso, and hauled his stunner up in a devastating haymaker to the plated face, knocking the sparking robot clean off its feet.

Rain and Lynx had landed near each other, but quickly separated as they jumped out of the way of another volley of fire. With Lynx hidden in the shadows, Rain charged towards a robot, using whatever momentum she could build to barrel it over. She winced as her shoulder connected with the hard thing and tumbled over the blue krybot.

Rain rolled over just in time to see the other krybot move into position and point its weapon at her with a satisfying mechanized cackle.

And with a startling hiss from the shadows of the ceiling, Lynx leaped leg-first onto the krybot's chest, nimbly landing on all fours beside Rain after she kicked-flipped from the doomed machine. She produced two thin needled disks from her belt, flicking them into her target's cranium just as quickly, assuring its fate when they roiled with electrical arcs on contact. With a wry wink, Lynx hoisted Rain to her feet with guile ease.

Another blue head had snuck his way behind the girls; but it was quickly lifted out of the way and smashed against the floor headfirst as Cesar executed a wince-inducing backdrop hold. He released the sizzling krybot, popping-up to his feet, and surveyed the damage so far.

"Four down," he said, panting slightly. And then he heard two high-pitched charges behind him, the distinctive sound of the blue head weapons just about to fire. "Oh, blimey…"

But the sounds that followed were two StunnerMax bolts, followed by two clunks of collapsing plastic/metallic heaps.

Kayj walked up to the group, lifting his stunner and cocking an eyebrow. "I believe that makes six blue-heads total."

"Brilliant shot, Kayj," Cesar murmured.

Rain nodded with a thin smile. "Yeah, nice shot."

Kayj lifted a large eyebrow. "Coming from our resident markswoman, that's quite the compliment," he said lightly.

The lights suddenly clicked on a little brighter, offering a much better view around the warehouse; just enough to force a few squints and blinks from the sudden change in brightness. It wasn't any less gloomy, though.

In mid-blink, SPD Green appeared at the far side of the room. He appeared to look around at all the downed krybots, nodding at their accomplishment.

"And playtime is over," he said in his impossibly deep voice –

He charged at the four cadets with inhuman speed. Kayj couldn't even manage one shot before the enemy was on them, forcing each of them onto the floor with four rapid hand strikes.

The surprised cadets scuttled away, stripped of their stunners. The Green Ranger turned, and began a slow stalk towards the nearest member: Rain.

She gritted her teeth, trying to come up with a fast attack quick enough to throw a Ranger off his feet.

The Green Ranger was almost upon her. "You've failed…" he said.

All five of them were taken by surprise when the Green Ranger was peppered with six successive stunner bolts to the chest; he staggered back, yelping in dazed surprise. The cadets traced the origin of the blasts.

Bright brandy eyes under a messy mat of auburn hair, all above a lop-sided grin.

"Azzy?" Rain called in disbelief.

The young man furrowed his brows, responding with a slight expectant shake of his head, his hard neck lines becoming a little more taut. "Go, already!"

Cesar recovered first. He popped up, beginning the first in the team's counterattack. He caught the Green Ranger before he rebounded from the stun bolts, getting in six rapid punches to the torso before the Ranger found his groove and blocked the seventh cross. He grabbed Cesar, throwing him aside just in time to meet his arms against Rain's roundhouse kick.

She reversed her direction, quickly ducking into a foot-sweep – she knew he'd hop, so she moved right into a reverse-punch to the mid-section. But SPD Green, unfortunately, knew she was going to throw it. He caught her arm, pulled it hard to near-hyperextension, and shoved her aside squarely onto Cesar with a resounding oof from both cadets.

Kayj was up, brushing off his dark navy blue flak jumpsuit and going right into a meditative stance, bowing his legs and arching his arms as if he was holding an invisible beach ball. Green Ranger regarded Kayj briefly, then charged in for the attack. Kayj's eyes flashed open, catching the first of the Green Ranger's strikes. Kayj led the Ranger's arm around him, dragging the rest of the rogue with it. Kayj switched direction in a smooth arch, disturbing the dance with a violent twist of his arm, sending SPD Green on an assisted spiral to the floor.

But the Ranger was able to land on his feet, facing up at an awkward angle as he still held onto Kayj's arm. And with an impossible twist of his body, he spiraled in place, flinging Kayj to the floor, turning the tables in half-a-heartbeat.

Behind SPD Green was a ghastly hiss; he instinctively dove under a flurry of needled disks, and turned in time to dodge two successive rounded kicks from Lynx. She reversed direction with another duo of hand-stand-assisted kicks. The little cat-girl chased him around the room with acrobatic flare, her crimson-gold hair flowing wildly like a trailing flame. She picked the right moment to leap in for a simultaneous attempt at his head and legs, hoping to land someplace in-between. She did neither as the Ranger leaped backwards with more dexterity than Lynx's heightened senses could gauge.

He caught her foot quite easily; and he drove her back-first onto the hard metal floor. The Green Ranger seemed to recoil a little when Lynx's pitiful child-like yelp echoed through his ears.

With equal feline finesse, Azzy had moved behind the Ranger and made a side hand strike-attempt at his helmet. Amazingly, Green caught the move without the need to turn his head, but Azzy matched his speed by slapping himself free, and shuffling himself in a controlled dance away a few paces as his suited opponent turned to face his next challenger.

SPD Green held out his hand, beckoning Azzy to advance. The eager boy obliged with a yell not too unlike a mischievous monkey claiming his territory. Azzy entered within arm's reach, opening with a couple of kick fakes, and a blazing flurry of seven successful palm-hits to the chest. The Ranger managed to catch Azzy's right arm – the boy slapped himself free with his left. He ducked under Green Ranger's retaliation while delivering a strong blow to the green-and-black abdomen at the same time with an ear piercing, "Wha-tah!"

Azzy smiled as his opponent backed away and clearly started to show signs of annoyance. Green Ranger suddenly produced his two-foot long Delta Stick in his next run, slashing downward in what was sure to be a knockout blow. Azzy backed a few steps, holding his right hand behind him, waiting for the right moment to unleash his surprise.

Azzy met the Delta Stick with a roped twist of his wooden nunchaku, deflecting the stick harmlessly away. He gave Green Ranger a quick slap on his rear end with his nunchaku as they passed each other. Azzy danced backwards, flipping the weapon around him hand-to-hand-to-hand, cooing softly to himself.

"Didn't expect that one, did you?" Azzy said, flashing his brown-knitted eyebrows.

The Green Ranger seemed a bit dumfounded for a moment, looking at Azzy and then at his Delta Stick. He shook his head. Azzy couldn't tell if it was in disbelief or in denial.

The other cadets were on their feet now, each in their respective ready positions, and each eyeing Azzy with murder.

Rain risked a glance at the roped sticks in Azzy's tenure. "Those aren't standard SPD issue," she growled.

The boy shrugged, still shuffling from foot-to-foot with his nunchaku ready to fly. "Neither are Lynx's elec-mag shiruken. Can't always play it by the book, Rainey. So we thought a little outside the box," he said a little too matter-of-fact.

"It wasn't your bloody plan to modify," Cesar replied stiffly.

"For once, I agree with Cesar," Rain said, keeping her attention on the Green Ranger, ignoring the other's sneer. "You endangered the mission and ruined our element of surprise."

Azzy snickered. "You mean you guys weren't surprised when I saved your butts?"

"We're not the ones who're supposed to be surprised!" Rain shouted. "You could have gotten us all – "

"Maybe I should just leave you five to defeat yourselves?" SPD Green said darkly. "Or perhaps I should just finish things up and destroy you all quickly."

"He's got a weapon," Azzy said quietly, still dancing lightly. "That's why I packed mine. And that's why I told you all to bring yours."

Kayj hummed thoughtfully. "He makes a valid point. An armed Ranger versus five unarmed cadets is hardly a fair fight. For us, obviously."

Rain grimaced. "But it's against the rules!"

Lynx produced two kunai knives from her hidden holsters, hunching with mischievous intent. Not exactly standard issue SPD gear either. But they were more concealable than her favorite hand claws she always practiced with. "Rule or no rule – I want to win."

Rain gritted her teeth again. "Fine. Cesar, Kayj, improv. OSP. Lynx. Azzy," she called sourly, "keep him busy while we arm up. Go!"

"Right!" her team called out in unison.

"This plan, I can dig!" Azzy crowed charging SPD Green with Lynx close behind.

Green Ranger was ready, opening his posture in a wide-footed stance with his Delta Stick in front for defense. He parried three successive nunchaku swings, and landed a numbing lash across Azzy's back. He further ducked and spun out of Lynx's kunai slashes; blocking one, and brining his Delta Stick down for a sparkling sting on her shoulder blade.

Green Ranger jutted his chin at Azzy attempting to nurse the fiery feeling on his back. "Not so hot now, are you," he challenged.

Azzy was on his side, clenching his fists and arching his back with annoyance. Green Ranger wasn't playing around anymore, laying him and Lynx out so quickly. He wasn't in much pain, but his stunned body didn't want to fully cooperate, refusing to let him stand.

The Green Ranger took several steps towards the cocky boy, readying his Delta Stick for the finishing blow.

But when it came, it was intercepted by a steel pipe – held by Rain.

As their weapons locked, they traded warriors' gazes. In the new light, Green Ranger could see the fire in Rain's large violet eyes. They were made all the larger contrasted against her small nose and mouth. But she couldn't see past her opponent's black visor, but she envisioned the same determination.

Azzy let out a pathetic chuckle. "I guess we're even, Rain."

Rain clenched her weapon, posing to move. "Yeah, right!" On that word, she heaved her weight towards the Ranger, making him back off cautiously as he began to assess her new fighting style. She forced him back several more paces with concise – but powerful – downward cuts with the pipe, clutching it as if it were a sword. She tried to wrap her weapon around his several times in an attempt to disarm him, keeping her right leg forward in her advance. She made a final thrusting lunge, knowing full-well that she would be parried. She used her momentum to speed off, making way for –

Right behind her, Cesar sliced his make-shift metal baton towards Green's helmet. Blue flashes dazzled the loading area with each deflected attempt. Green Ranger went on the offensive, causing Cesar to hold the baton against his forearm in defense. He didn't last four blocks before the Green Ranger kicked him off-balance.

Green spun in and connected above Cesar's knees. The tall young man collapsed where he stood as his numbed legs gave way.

Kayj came in twirling another metal pipe about him, feeling the range of his staff weapon would give him an edge. But he decided to wait for the rogue Ranger to come to him. He didn't have to wait long. Kayj's swings were very deliberate and not flashy; but also blocked and deflected, though with surprising effort on Green Ranger's part.

Switching between low, mid, and high targets on the Ranger didn't seem to be doing much other than to keep each other's attention, but Kayj held his ground as he saw Rain coming up quickly behind their target. Just as Rain started a leaping downward cut, Kayj had already fallen back to the floor, cradling his belly.

And in the same movement that took down Kayj, SPD Green continued his inertia and rolled away from the sound of metal crashing against metal as Rain's pipe smacked the floor. He went in for the finish, but hit the pipe instead with an impressive deflection from Rain. She was getting quicker.

The two of them stood for a moment, eyeing each other from twenty strides away. Tiny glimmers of sweat could be seen trickling down Rain's forehead and down her neck. She panted heavily, visibly tired from her theatrics. But her hardened stare didn't show any trace of defeat or fear. Not even the frustrated groans from her downed comrades seemed to affect her.

"You're the only one left," the Green Ranger growled. "Maybe you should consider a tactical retreat."

Rain slowly shook her head. "Never. I promised I'd bring you in. It's all or nothing."

The Green Ranger nodded slightly. His posture slackened, suddenly no longer threatening.

Rain kept her dulled sword up at the ready. Though she fought the sudden temptation to rush him at his dropped guard. He was toying with her for sure, plotting a trap to finish her off in some humiliating fashion.

Green opened up the bottom end of his Delta Stick and collected several tiny somethings from within.

Rain's eyes widened with instant recognition, the mild ivory of her complexion drained. She was familiar with everything the Rangers were equipped with. She was surprised that he'd resort to the mini explosives. Surprised, and suddenly much more apprehensive. She was too far away to get to him in time. A quick glance around the room revealed two dropped StunnerMax blasters behind her. Their charge lights were still blue, which meant they still had power left.

The Green Ranger brought his arm back slowly, almost mockingly. He wound up –

Rain's metal pipe clunked to the floor as she dropped her weapon and lunged herself backwards towards the stunners. She slid on her back with her arms extended just as the little ringlets flew from Green Ranger's fingers. Both of her hands had hit the StunnerMax blasters, and she had them both pointed ahead without so much as a blink.

Rain's eyes widened further, her expression freezing into a disturbingly blank glare. She zoned in on the tiny specks flying towards her. Six of them. They were falling towards her, homing in with every flurried heartbeat.

She pulled the triggers one at a time. Each flash knocked away and disabled one of the specs.

Two. Three. Four. Five. And six.

The second it took to shoot them all down seemed impossibly long. Just as impossible as it seemed to actually have done what she just did. She allowed herself to breath for a moment, accidentally letting herself ponder at her accomplishment – did she really just shoot those nearly invisible pinpricks of light on instinct alone? She didn't aim. She just…

Silence filled the loading area for a breath.

"Unreal," Azzy whispered breathlessly.

Footsteps scuttled closer to Rain.

Green Ranger was coming up fast with the Delta Stick in hand. She took in a breath and rolled backwards into a crouch, pointing both stunners at her mark.

"Please," she pleaded quietly to the stunners. "One last shot." This was it. One well-placed shot just four inches up from the center of his belt and six to the left would cause a mild feedback loop in the power suit's sensor systems and result in a sudden egress de-morph, leaving him powerless and on equal footing with Rain.

That was the sweet spot. The one flaw unique to the Green Ranger's power suit matrix – the one flaw nobody with her lowly rank should have known about. But she did her homework. And this would be her last chance to prove herself.

He was four steps away before she pulled the triggers –

Both stunners flashed –

Both bolts were deflected against the Delta Stick in two harmless directions –

Both stunners moaned –

The Green Ranger loomed over her the instant she realized that she had run out of power. She stared up at that imposing helmet. Tired. Helpless. The skewed angles of the visor seemed to cut into her sense of the unknown. Her thoughts clouded. And before she could even fathom an evasive maneuver, the Delta Stick whirred through the air.

Rain didn't blink. Didn't flinch.

And the Delta Stick stopped just centimeters in front of her – pointing right between her eyes. It hovered there, precise and completely motionless; like it was frozen in time.

She felt the sharp movement of air still moving past the Delta Stick. Then she inhaled sharply as the sudden realization had finally hit her, the wind toppling through her consciousness. And the next thought forced her to fall back onto her bottom.

She had failed.

The Ranger nodded, sheathing his Delta Stick. He turned his head, straining to see something in the shadows. He beckoned someone over.

A new doorway appeared in a wall at the far side of the loading area. Invisible silvery seems traced themselves into two joined rectangular contours before sliding away. A dark silhouette haloed by bright white backlights of some kind emerged from the doorway. It took a few steps inside before holding up its hand.

All the lights in the room hummed on fully, filling every dark nook and cranny with a squint-inducing brightness. The cadets needed a few blinks to see who the newcomer was. And she was expected.

Elegant and tall; and all under a sassily controlled unruliness of lengthy rich russet hair; her porcelain feline ears – same as her creamy skin – perched trough the top of the majestic tangles. Her trim figure showed through her black single-piece work uniform with a stylish matching coat that caped just above the back of her knees. The heal-toe click-clacks of her dark boots echoed off the various metals as she walked inside a little more. Her large arctic-malachite eyes swept over the cadets and the remnants of the broken krybots. She puckered her flush pink lips as she glanced down to her touch-board, entering in some pieces of data. She glanced off to the side one last time, gently caressing her lightly mottled cheeks of tanned spots as she collected her thoughts.

"Not too bad," Kat Manx said, though she couldn't help let some concern slip through. "Much better than your last practical, I think. All right, everybody up."

With collective groans, all the cadets complied. Though, it took them a bit of concentration to fight off the lingering numbness.

Rain was still sitting in disbelief. She was so sure she would succeed this time. She didn't really hear what Doctor Manx had said.

The Green Ranger offered his hand to her. Rain took it unconsciously. And she stood perfectly still, staring into nothing after she was hoisted to her feet.

Azzy coughed. "Why didn't Rain get whacked with the stick?"

"Because she wasn't nearly as incompetent as you, half-wit," Cesar chastised.

"Enough," Manx said softly. "Attention."

The cadets – except Rain – hustled in line abreast before Doctor Manx, standing as straight as they could manage. Kayj, Cesar, Azzy, and Lynx. Chests high, shoulders squared, chins up.

"Rain?" Kat said with a hint of austereness.

The young lady shook herself out of her daze, and trotted passed the Green Ranger and next to tall Kayj.

The formation was complete. At least like this, the cadets appeared to be the professional officers they hoped to become one day. Uniformed together in their navy blue training jumpsuits and in near-perfect militant posture. They all were still coming off of their adrenaline highs, and were matted with perspiration – which made them look all the more admirable. Kat Manx reveled in the idea of molding inexperienced young men and women of today into a force to be reckoned with in the future. The journey of the growth was always full of pleasant surprises. And with a group this talented, she had to make sure they went though their growing pains.

Kat showed the hint of a smile, but sighed nonetheless. "Opinions, Officer Boom?"

The Green Ranger strode to her side. He clicked three safety switches at the back of his helmet, emanating an audible hiss. He pulled it off, and brushed a gloved hand through his raised dirty blond hair. He had a charming youthful face, strong and defined, with a hint of roundness on his squared visage that gave him his boyish demeanor.

Boom flashed his thin eyebrows, letting his hazel eyes show through a little more. "Well, they lasted a lot longer this time, I have to say. They got in a few really good hits."

Kat nodded, entering in another piece of data. "Indeed. What did they do right?"

Boom tilted his head a little, pursing his lips into a line. "Well, they tracked me down fairly quickly, for one. And, they're obviously training very hard. They've got some of the most impressive and varied fighting techniques I've seen from any cadet so far."

"Mmm, hmm," Kat agreed, still peering at her touch-board.

"They uh, didn't get in each other's way. They had a couple of smooth attack chains that kept me working. And they um, improvised pretty well. They made some interesting uses of the debris around the field."

"On-Sight Procurement," Kat tacked on. "Good."

Boom half-smiled. "That, and a couple of them had snuck in their own weapons that leveled the odds a bit."

That brought a broad smile across Azzy's face, though he still held his pose.

"Yes," Kat said thoughtfully. "But the mission layout for this practical called for standard issued equipment only, so points will have to be deducted." She tapped in more information.

And with that, Azzy's smile quickly faded away. Though Cesar grinned a hair.

"And that leads me to…" Doctor Manx looked at each cadet in turn, her mesmerizing eyes demanding their attention, "What did they do wrong?"

Boom frowned. He didn't like making the cadets feel any worse, but they wouldn't grow unless he gave his expert opinion. "There was a breakdown in command and communication as soon as they found my location."

Rain closed her eyes. A breakdown in command. That was the first sting in a sure line of hard lashes.

Boom sighed slightly. "You guys had a few decent attack chains, but it seemed to me that the thought of attacking me . . . together – all at once – never came to any of you."

That brought some questionable furrows from the cadets.

"I – I just have to admit that you guys are pretty good. But I was always one step ahead because you kept coming at me one at a time. Maybe if you just coordinated better." Boom shrugged, a little uncomfortable.

"It just all comes down to leadership. Again," Boom continued. He saw Rain droop her head, her loosened strands falling over her face. "The leader failed to rally her team together with a suitable attack strategy against a superiorly-equipped foe. She relied too much on herself, and she trusted her teammates just enough to use them as decoys instead of as partners."

Kat nodded. She stepped towards Rain, standing directly in front of her, staring her down with those piercing emerald eyes. "You lost control of your leadership."

Rain worked her jaw a little – not in frustration or anger, but with nervous despair.

"Why?" Kat pressed. When she said that, her sharpened canines made her appear all the more threatening.

Rain looked down, not sure how to answer. She glanced at Azzy – the obvious kink in the wheel. She wanted to blurt his name out – and she almost did. But she stopped, remembering that no matter what, she was designated the leader this time. It was her turn to lead them. And a leader was always responsible for the team's actions. Always.

She shook her head, "I… I don't know," she said honestly.

Kat studied the amethyst sparkle in Rain's eyes. They glimmered at Kat in the light with traces of welled-up pensiveness. The fire and drive she saw in them before the examination was completely drained. She saw a tired and defeated soul, now. Humility. Tough love was rarely an easy practice. Growing pains.

Kat forced a thin smile. "Good answer."

Rain heard Cesar snicker a little. But she smiled a tiny, tiny bit inwardly as Cesar was silenced by one of Doctor Manx's severe looks.

"You're at a loss right now, Rain, but when you give yourself a chance to settle on the events and look back, you'll figure it out." Kat stepped back, and entered in one last bit of data. "All right. From our assessment, you didn't do too badly on technical merit. But you failed the op. And no matter how stylish you were, a failure is still a failure. All of you perished in this mission, and I believe it's because of tension in the team's relationship."

The cadets stirred a little bit, knowing full well she was telling the truth.

"Now, we've had this same discussion four times," Kat continued. "I had assumed you'd be over it by now. It didn't matter who led the team: M'Kayj, Cesar, Asimov, Lynx," she paused for a moment, "or Rain. In each instance, the leader lost control of the team just before facing the main target. And that's a bit troubling. I know you all came to me, asking for real field missions two months ago. But when the game is real, there is no second – let alone a fifth – chance."

Kat sighed, inputting a command on her touch-board. In a flash, the dank loading area melted into a smaller venue with lined blue lights arrayed along the walls and ceiling. The transition from a large space to the small holographic simulator training room was always a bit disorienting.

Kat hugged her touch-board. "Commander Cruger will be going over your test scores this afternoon, with a debriefing at thirteen-hundred hours. I trust that you all will be able to give him a good reason for your performance." She scowled a little bit to emphasize her seriousness. "Cadets, will we have this discussion again?"

They answered in unison, "No, Doctor Manx!"

But somehow, Kat doubted that just a little bit. She nodded, anyway. "Good. Because a sixth lecture will probably be your last." She let that last word linger a little bit for digestion. "All right, hit the showers. C-Squad, dismissed."

With limp fists, the cadets held their right arms leveled at their chests, thrusting their elbows to the right until their fists met with their breastbones. They turned unenthusiastically towards the exit after their not-so-coordinated salute, and marched out the door in bitter disappointment.

Boom spoke up, "Um, Cadet DuPuma!"

Lynx – the last one out – stopped and turned back to her superior. She didn't dare to break out of attention to move a few tangles of her tawny-crimson hair from her forlorn golden eyes. "Yes, Officer Boom?" Her little voice completed the illusion of her adolescent appearance. She sounded a little younger than she looked – which was young to begin with.

Boom waved a dismissive hand at her. "Oh, at ease, Cadet."

Lynx brought her hands together at the small of her back, relaxing her posture a little bit. She peered up at him curiously.

Boom fumbled for words, always caught off-guard by the deeply colored eyes of the Felis people – Kat still had that effect on him. "I uh, I'm… Sorry."

Lynx puckered as she shook her head slightly. "Sorry? About what, sir?"

Boom's lips began to quiver a little bit. "About the uh, the floor. Smashing… Thing…" he said, demonstrating mildly with his helmet, pumping it up and down. He ended abruptly with a chuckled toothy smile. His auburn eyes creased substantially from his schoolboy grin.

Lynx took in a recognizing breath, realizing he referred to his sneaky maneuver of grabbing her by the foot in mid-air and planting her firmly on the ground. But she'd forgotten about that completely; Boom's adorable shyness always made her smile. No matter how many times Doctor Manx or Commander Cruger scolded her that day.

She winked at him as she flashed Boom her own smile – one with cute little fangs not nearly as impressive as Kat's, bit still sharper than the average human. Her red freckled spots running up her cheeks caved in with her dimples. "Sure you are, Officer Boom. I need a shower."

Lynx saluted again, and went on her merry way. There was a noticeable bounce in her step, a dramatic change from just a moment ago.

When she disappeared, Boom let out a hefty sigh. "Best cadets, ever, Kat."

That brought a quick bit of recollection. Kat remembered Boom saying that exact thing about two years before. He was her assistant at the time – the gadget tester. And he noticed the potential in the B-Squad cadets back then – the same B-Squad officers who were currently among the most skilled and respected people enlisted in Space Patrol Delta. The same people who had single-handedly saved the world more than a handful of times.

There was equal greatness possible in C-Squad, for sure. Booms saw it then, and he saw it now; and so had Kat.

"You know, Boom," Kat said pertly as a stray thought cut through her reminiscence, "She's too young for you."

Boom turned sharply to her. He went from confused, to ashamed, to upset, to amused – all in an impressive fraction of a second. "You – I – she…" He clutched his helmet and looked around the practice room. "Ha-who? I… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh please. Cadet Lynx DuPuma. I've known you since you washed out five years ago. You like her."

Boom tried his hardest to give Kat one of the sternest looks of his life. But he only incriminated himself even further. "Now, Kat… I just wanted to ap – apologize," he said, holding his hands out. "She seemed so upset, I wanted to make her feel better. That's all." He shook his head quickly. "That's it."

Kat couldn't help but giggle to herself. Boom raised an eyebrow, thinking it a little out of character for her.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Boom, I'm only teasing you. You've become an easy target since you put on the green uniform."

Boom smiled back at her, nodding. "Well I… I guess. When was I ever a hard target to begin with?" He looked back at the exit. The door was now closed. "But still, Kat... So, you – you really think she's too young for me? Isn't she, um, about twice as old as me?"

Kat threw him a one of her be-careful-what-you-say looks. "It's actually closer to three. But Boom, it'd be like dating a fourteen-year-old. It's still not appropriate."

Boom looked up in disdain at the thought, but then nodded with mild exaggeration as he appeared to actually entertain the idea.

"Boom," Kat warned.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He winked. "So you're allowed to have a sense of humor, but I can't keep mine?"

Kat switched modes on her touch-board, tapping in a rapid sequence of virtual keys on the screen. She pointed the end of her board squarely at Boom, and hit the execution button.

Boom's Power Ranger power suit glowed momentarily before it vanished, evaporating in a sparkled incandescence of whites and greens. But instead of his traditional green-trimmed base/field uniform, he was left standing in nothing but his boxer-briefs. In an instant, Boom had hunched over and tried to vainly cover his pride.

"Kat!" he squeaked. "This isn't funny…"

Kat frowned at first, then smiled at the comedic scene, but then she nodded to him.

"You've been working out," she admitted coyly, remembering the mild bulges and pudginess that used to be signature Boom only a year ago. When the position for SPD Green opened up, he had trained himself night and day near to the point of total exhaustion. Weight training, martial arts, torturous dieting, B-Squad education, and D-Squad basic – and A-Squad advanced – training… And half-a-year ago, Commander Cruger gave Boom the chance to fulfill his childhood dreams of becoming a Power Ranger. And looking at him now, he certainly trained his body and mind as the trim fit fighter worthy of the right of being called just that, even though his heart was already there long before then.

"And green hearts," she said, clearly just patronizing his situation. "I had a feeling you'd be a briefs guy."

Boom's entire body blushed several shades. He pawed around himself, not sure what to do or say. Though he thought he was beyond this kind of embarrassment after he graduated from Chief Gadget Tester to the Green Ranger. "It's uh… Kind of hard to um… To kick things… In boxers… And, uh –"

Kat turned and headed out the door and into the sterile white-silver corridors of Delta Base. She covered her mouth, unable to stop the sudden attack of laugher riling up.

Boom was about to chase after her, but stopped just short of the door. "Kat! I was only kidding! Kat!"

He turned and headed back into the room before any of the cadets or other personnel saw him. He frantically searched the ground for his SPD Morpher. "Note to self, dress first after bed, then morph for training. I knew I should have went with the others on that investigation today… Ah, there you are!"

Boom still had his own growing pains to deal with.