Chapter Two

"Man, this bites it," Azzy said, moping on one of the soft couches in the middle of the Delta Base Recreation Center. Fresh from the shower, he left the jacket of his smoke-black uniform open, exposing a wrinkled gray undershirt.

The mid-afternoon daylight had filled the spacious room with its warm rays. Through the angled windows lining the far wall, the cityscape gleamed under a cloudless azure sky. The alabaster New Tech City Observation Tower – which resembled Seattle's old Space Needle – could be seen easily from that prime spot in the Delta Base, despite the other tall skyscrapers, air traffic, and hovering billboards. And the cadets usually enjoyed having a meal overlooking the bustling skyline before winding down. It was a simple pleasure for them. And unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough to lift the spirits of glum cadets.

Azzy scoffed, dejectedly fingering and inspecting a set of his wooden nunchaku. "I can't believe Doctor Manx took points away for bringing extra protection."

Cesar was just across from him, pummeling out his frustrations on a hanging punching bag. His own jacket and undershirt were removed completely, leaving him in a dark tank top. His thick biceps, triceps, and all the other toned musculature of his arms bulged and pumped with each blow.

"It was clear in the briefing that you weren't allowed," Cesar rumbled before rapping off a quick ten-punch flurry. "So stop whining. And a lot of good it did you, anyway."

Azzy perked up to the challenge. "Hey, you shut up. At least I wasn't the one trying to order the team leader around."

Cesar kept his attention on the bag. "And you think I was?"

"If the glass slipper fits, Princess."

"You think you're clever," Cesar said darkly. He wound up and followed through with a crushing smash that left a deep fist-size crater in the poor punching bag. He sighed as his muscles cooled; he overtly stretched his arms; flat bushes of blond hair rustled under each. He leaned on the bag with his sweaty arms crossed, locking a condescending glare at Azzy.

"Don't be so daft. I don't know what gave you that preposterous idea," Cesar said. "And I'm surprised you could even form an opinion. I, at least, actually stayed with the bloody team. That's better than running around like a nitwit, completely and utterly ruining our strategy."

Azzy held the glare for a moment. He gripped his nunchaku tightly as he tried to think of a snappy comeback. He knew that Cesar had no idea what he was talking about, but the muscular man was evidently much better with words than Azzy cared. And instead of getting into a fight of wits, Azzy just huffed up from the couch and started towards the food dispenser.

"Whatever," the smaller rumbled.

Cesar smirked at Azzy's back. It wasn't hard to put the cocky kid in his place when he knew he made such obvious mistakes. But Cesar enjoyed victory, no matter how small. He returned to the bag, dicing up a couple of new combos.

Azzy brushed passed a couple of the other light-gray-uniformed personnel, trainees, and lower-ranked cadets on his way to get a snack. There was a trifling murmur from the ones watching the large television adjacent the dispenser. A couple of them – ones with aqua-colored skin and limbs that looked like periscopes poking out of their bald heads – clapped with delight when some older guy named Dustin Brooks landed some death-defying stunt.

Azzy didn't pay much attention. He hated motocross.

He selected a cream cheese bagel from the selection on the dispenser's screen. It hummed for a few seconds as it prepped, and it slid opened with a ding. Azzy hooked his nunchaku on his belt by his badge before taking his paper plate and turning for a table.

He looked at Cesar, still working on the bag. Stupid, meathead, he thought.

Passed Cesar, near the corner, Azzy noticed a dressed-down, dark-skinned Kayj practicing what looked like tai chi; but it was a form Azzy didn't recognize. Behind Kayj were about six other young trainees, trying to mimic his leisure and gracefully melodic movements.

Azzy meandered to him with the bagel in hand.

"Dude, you need another shower," he said as he brushed by the slightly bewildered Cesar.

"Haven't taken my first one yet, mate."

That made Azzy stop for a second, but then he just kept walking, pretending he didn't hear anything about his partner's hygienic issues.

Azzy leaned against the wall as he crunched a creamy bite and watched Kayj and the group in action. Azzy always appreciated the art of tai chi, more so if the group of people executed a form in perfect harmony. And almost laughably, this particular novice group was doing the art a great deal of disrespect.

But Kayj was flawless – as far as Azzy could tell. Kayj knew exactly when to breath, his body and limbs as limp as leaves in the wind.

Kayj kept his eyes closed as he continued. "Care to join, Asimov?"

Azzy swallowed. "Nah. Not really in the mood."

"Then now's the perfect time to exercise and cleanse your inner kreh," Kayj replied attentively; his voice, rich with a resonating bass. "Yours and Cesar's seem to be particularly agitated."

"My chi is just fine," Azzy said lightly. "But I don't think there's any hope for the smelly princess over there."

The only sounds Cesar made were the smacks of flesh against cushioned nylon – and one extra hard one with a grunt that was directed in Azzy's direction.

Kayj shifted to a strange set of poses involving garish arm movements and one foot off the mat.

Azzy frowned. "That's the Yang style of the crane, mixed with one of your Sandanian forms, right?"

"Yes. The lan-caht – feline equivalent." Kayj was pleasantly proud of Azzy's observation. "Your tai chi and Sandan's pwa'feh are very similar." He gracefully shifted onto his other foot. "The results of combining both arts feel . . . emboldening to my inner kreh."

"I'll assume that's a good thing," Azzy said, taking another large bite.

Kayj faltered almost imperceptibly as he let out a slight chuckle. "Yes. It is. Both arts exercise the strength and control of one's kreh. I find it amazing how two worlds so far apart can still hold meaningful commonalities."

"Right. Even though the people of Sandan are basically human, anyway. Except for your freaky eyebrows."

"I like my eyebrows," Kayj muttered jovially.

Taking another bite, Azzy still couldn't imagine having two fuzzy – and rather broad – eyebrows on his own forehead. They almost looked pasted on Kayj's mug. Even though he was sort of used to looking at them, Azzy still couldn't resist thinking about the temptation of sneak up on Kayj and ripping those fake-looking suckers off. Of course, he'd never actually do that since they were quite real.

"I bet you're just beating all the ladies away because of 'em."

"Actually, that's why I haven't gone back to Sandan." Kayj opened an eye in a reverse-wink. "I wouldn't stand a chance until I become a Ranger."

Wasn't a funny joke, but Azzy smirked just because of the effort. "Oh yeah. Right. Just forget the endless deserts and insanely dry heat."

"Yes. Our women do have that effect."

Azzy snorted unexpectedly. Again, it wasn't very funny. But for some reason, the joke got to him.

"My good kreh is overpowering your bad," Kayj explained.

Azzy shook his head. "Kayj, stop doing that. It's bad enough Lieutenant Carson freaks us out with his weirdo physic powers." But he knew Kayj was right in one respect. He had loosened up a little bit.

"My only 'wierdo power' is the power of observation. And common sense."

Azzy looked over at the main entrance just as Rain glided through the door.

Even at a glance, her base uniform was crisp and wrinkle-free. It sported the same smoky-gray, black-trimmed motif as the guys'. It had the same half-star triangular design on the chest; the "SPD" engraved bar on the left side of her collarbone; and the SPD shiny-dog shield on the right, closer to her shoulder; same belt, tech-badge with holster, and boots. Same white delta-triangle patch facing out on her left shoulder displaying the same rank as her four other peers: "Rank II Cadet, C-Squad". The first obvious uniform difference was the jacket piece itself, which didn't have a front zipper; and the collar – which joined a little further down the sternum instead of at the neckline. And of course, the second difference was the addition of a gray-matching skirt over the black-trimmed slacks. But like the guys', her uniform hugged her built, and somewhat shapely, figure right down to the last curve.

She had stopped and glanced around – hitting Azzy square in the eyes – for only a moment before moving purposefully to the snack dispenser. Her two braided obsidian ponytails rocked behind her head just below her shoulders. Rain had impatiently punched in her selection and grabbed her bit of lunch in a visible fit. She stayed near the dispenser, sitting herself at the tiny soda bar nook just to its left.

Not even so much as a nod to any of her teammates. She probably wouldn't have even visited the rec. center if she weren't hungry.

"She's upset," Kayj said, undulating in a wide-set bear-like style. Though his eyes were still closed. "Might do well to apologize."

It took Azzy a second. "What, you mean me?"

Azzy sighed, refusing to feel responsible for the whole ordeal. He was upset about the results, too. But the end would have been the same, regardless of his creative indulgences. The fact that he tried something different just made him the easy blame. It wasn't his problem.

He opened his mouth to explain his position –

Kayj spoke first, "The outcome of our mission would have ended in failure, regardless of your shenanigans."

Azzy's mouth was still open. If Kayj didn't have any powers, how did he do that?

"Common sense," he added.

The young boy didn't close his mouth until it met his bagel for another bite. He's seen it time and time again, yet Azzy was still amazed by Kayj's perception of things.

"He's right, mate," said Cesar, resting against the wall next to Azzy. "Though I still think this mess is your fault, your apology would go a long way towards fixing our um . . . 'team issues'."

Azzy regarded Cesar suspiciously; a spec of crumbs crumbled off the corners of his lips, his mouth still a little full. "Since when have you started caring about how the rest of us feel?"

"Since Doctor Manx threatened us with a discharge," Cesar said with legitimate concern. "Even though she didn't actually say it." He began to mat his arms down a little with the towel on his shoulder. He ignored the fact that Azzy was wrinkling his nose.

Cesar continued, "I've been giving it a lot of thought, and I'm willing to look past your ignorance in exchange for the chance of taking B-Squad's place a few years from now."

Azzy rolled his eyes, looking back at Rain sulking over her food. "You're too kind, princess."

Cesar growled. "Would you stop calling me that?"

Azzy shrugged. "I've been calling you that all year. Why would I stop now?"

"It makes you sound like a simpleton."

Azzy shrugged, downing the last morsel of his bagel. "You know me. I'm a simple guy."

The larger man sighed, "This is why nobody likes you, nitwit."

Azzy smiled slightly. "Likewise."

All insults aside, maybe they were right. Maybe if he just sucked it up and apologized, it would be the start of something. But at the same time, it'd just be a bandage over the real problem. It wasn't directly his fault, and yet Kayj and Cesar were asking him to take the blame for it just to appease someone else's misplaced grievances.

"I've known you guys for almost a year," Azzy said. "We've always had our own way of doing things. But I never had to apologize for something I know wasn't my fault. And neither have any of you."

Cesar slapped Azzy on the shoulder. "It's called being a man, mate. Something you know nothing about. Sometimes we men have to do the necessary things in life, whether we want to do them or not."

Azzy rubbed his shoulder, briefly tossing Cesar an irritated look.

"And if you want to start saving the bloomin' world, you'll need to grow up first."

Kayj had appeared near the two young men now, apparently finished with his lesson for the trainees. He had his jacket slung over his shoulder.

"Cesar speaks words worth listening to, Asimov."

Azzy traded looks between Kayj and Cesar. They were looking down on him expectantly, as if they thought being taller than Azzy would intimidate him. "Would you two stop ganging up on me? I'm not going to apologize, and that's it. If Rain's teed off over something stupid, she needs to work through it herself. I'm not going to turn myself into uh, uh…" He fidgeted over the word he was looking for, "scapegoat. I'm not gonna play the scapegoat whenever you guys want me to. I didn't join SPD to start that game over again."

Kayj pressed his lips together. "Asimov . . ."

Before he could finish his thought, two more people trotted into the rec. center. The first to enter was the small, but energetic, Lynx. She, too, had her supple base uniform impeccably detailed. But the girl walking next to her wasn't so recognizable.

The mystery woman's head poked over Lynx. Her golden-blond hair had been styled in wavy curtains down to her shoulders; rose highlights exotically striated small areas of her hair. She turned her head slightly. Her face was smooth and rounded with naturally puckered lips, and a very slight up-tilt of her nose amidst her subtly milky complexion. When Lynx walked ahead of her, the guys could see the young woman sporting a similar black garb as Doctor Manx, but with a more traditional, less elegant, black lab jacket.

And also unlike Doctor Manx, this woman had a rank patch on her left shoulder, but it wasn't a delta. It more resembled two abstract wings; almost angelic, but still distinctly militant. She was too far away to see her rank level.

Azzy jutted his chin at her. "Who's that?"

"That is Chief Technical Sophie Fauster, if I'm not mistaken."

Azzy squinted in confusion. "Chief Technical? Isn't that Doctor Manx's position?"

Kayj nodded. "Indeed."

"But how do you –"

"She was on the arrival manifest this morning," Kayj interrupted. He returned a wave after Lynx had flagged him a hello.

Lynx eagerly took the newcomer by the arm and escorted her over to the boys. She smiled tightly at them.

"You seem happy," Cesar remarked a little curtly.

"Guys," Lynx started, "This is Sophie. Sophie, these are the guys."

The young woman nodded, trying her best not to seem uncomfortable.

Up-close, Sophie's impossibly flawless features seemed even more so. Not a single blemish or imperfection to be seen. Her rounded bronze eyes and all of her facial features were perfectly symmetrical. Azzy attributed her faultless appearance to really, really good genetics.

Lynx began to point at each of her teammates. "This is Kayj. And that's Azzy. And the stinky-sweaty guy over there is Cesar!"

Sophie stifled a small chuckle as Cesar stopped himself from saying something rude.

Though Azzy couldn't resist, "Maybe I should start calling you Smelly."

"And maybe I should start calling you Fat-Lip," Cesar whispered, raising a fist.

Kayj took Sophie's hand – he immediately noticed the slight chill of her skin. But he didn't give it much more thought other than shy nerves. He raised her hand level to his eyes, then touched it to his forehead. "M'Kayj of Family Len-Karrak, East Nation of Sandan. Honored to have your acquaintance, Sophie Fauster."

Sophie smiled at him with appreciation when he let go.

"She just arrived this morning from Mariner Bay," Lynx said before Sophie could speak. "She's waiting for Captain Tate and the others to return from their investigation, so she wanted to meet us – C-Squad," she said with pride, "So here we are."

Azzy crossed his arms, smiling warmly. "Yeah, great to meet you, uh, Miss – er, Fauster, ma'am."

Sophie nodded to him. "Sophie will do, Azzy. I'm not a big formalities person." Her voice had a resilient strength underlying its smooth edge.

"Sure, sure," Azzy agreed. "So, you're Chief Technical, huh? Did ah, Doctor Manx call in for a cute replacement?"

Sophie returned the charm. "Not quite a replacement. More of an assistant. I just came from an unofficial transfer to the Mariner Bay annex to check on the final overhauls to Doctor Manx's Delta Runners. Spent about two weeks there." She oriented her shoulder to show her angelic rank patch. "I was Chief Technical at SPT Headquarters. Not at Mariner, and certainly, not here."

"Ah," Kayj crooned. He had noticed the SPT engraved bar near her left collarbone as soon as she walked in. "And the Mariner Bay facility let you keep your SPT credentials on your person?"

Sophie glanced down at her engrave and patch. "Yeah," she chuckle. "Actually, they weren't very big on formalities, either. Very laid back when it came to dressing for work. And it's not every day someone walks around in this galaxy having anything to do with SPT."

Azzy couldn't take it anymore. "Um… S-P-T?"

"Space Patrol Theta," Kayj nodded. "You came all the way from the Andromeda Galaxy. That's quite a trip. About two-and-a-bit months one-way at hyper-rush cruise."

Sophie smiled again. "Not many people around here are familiar with extra-galactic affairs. I'm impressed with your friends, Lynx."

The little girl beamed. "I'm glad you like them!"

Azzy blinked. "Oh right. Yeah. Space Patrol Theta. How've they been?" He knew he wasn't really fooling anyone, but he tried nonetheless.

Sophie was more than happy to explain, regardless. "Theta's a brand new SP branch. They're the fourth branch to go active in the Andromeda Galaxy. I can't really say too much about it, but SPD's presence was basically there to ease a couple of the genesis planets into operation. And coincidently enough, the other three branches in Andromeda were experimenting with a galaxy-wide network integration system. All four Andromeda branches – the whole galaxy defense – is intertwined into one collaborated unit, now." Sophie nodded, more to herself than to her listeners. "And I was lucky enough to contribute to it."

"Galactic collaboration. Similar to Space Patrol GalactiCore in the Milky Way?" Kayj offered.

Sophie nodded slightly. "Kind of, but Andromeda doesn't have a single centralized galactic headquarters like we do. All four quadrant branches – Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta – act as one without the need for a separate bureaucracy. It's all done through a sophisticated high speed redundant net. First of its kind. The goings-on of one area of the galaxy can be witnessed nearly instantaneously from the other side. That way, Andromeda will always be aware of galactic threats, and prepare accordingly."

Sophie crossed her arms. "The whole thing was a bit dicey to start, but I think they're going in the right direction."

Azzy hummed in feigned fascination. It was all way above his head, but he tried to be kind. "No kidding? And you were responsible for all that?"

"Well, not all by myself. But I had a certain amount of influence that led to some good ideas."

Azzy rubbed his chin. "So why'd you leave? You sound pretty important to them."

Sophie shrugged. "They didn't really need me anymore when I left. They have a thousand other brilliant Chief Technicals working on it, so I wanted to come back and re-establish myself here at SPD, Earth."

Cesar hunched a little closer. "So you originally started right here?"

The young woman nodded. "Yep. A little more than a year-and-a-half ago. Started as a D-level trainee."

"Whoa, whoa… Hold on a second," Azzy said with actual interest. "You started as a D-level newbie. And then you found yourself in another galaxy setting up a brand new SPD?"

"Tee," Sophie corrected. "S-P-T. Space Patrol Theta."

"Right, right. SPT, SPT… But what happened in-between all that? I mean, you look um, young. The enlist age for basic training is what, sixteen, right?"

Sophie's smile vanished. "It's um… A bit complicated. And sorry for being a bit frank, but I'd rather not get into it at the moment."

"But this is a little confusing for me. How did – "

Cesar sighed loudly. He grabbed Azzy into a loose, but stern headlock, shutting up the chatty boy. "I apologize about our resident nitwit here. Apparently, he doesn't know when to stop talking."

"Ce – Cesar! Let me go…"

"You see, mate? I apologized for your bugger-up. Like a real bloke should."

"Whatever you say, Smelly," Azzy retorted, trying to pull himself free. "Ow! Smelly scapegoating princess!"

Sophie rested her hands on her hips. She wondered if it was too late to take back her comment about being impressed with these cadets. "Are those two always like that?" she asked Lynx and Kayj quietly.

Kayj shook his head. "Not really. You've actually caught them on a good day."

Lynx chuckled. "Yeah, those two knuckleheads can be real idiots sometimes."

Sophie wasn't all that amused.

"All right, all right!" Azzy relented. "I'll apologize to her if you'd just . . . put me down!"

Cesar obliged with a simple release of his arm, dropping the smaller on his feet.

Azzy straightened his open jacket, coughing a couple of times before nursing his neck. "Jeeze. You could have snapped something. Brutal…"

"Don't think I wasn't tempted."

Sophie shook her head. "You're an animated bunch, aren't you? Anyway, you don't need to apologize to me. I've been insulted by higher ranks."

Cesar cleared his throat. "I was actually referring to," he pointed past everybody to Rain, "her."

"Oh?" Sophie followed his finger, spotting the young girl near the soda bar, throwing something away in the waste disposal chute.

Rain had noticed her fellow cadets crowded near the newcomer, though she didn't hide her hesitation to join them.

Lynx waved wildly to Rain, almost purring as she beckoned forth. "Rainey! Come meet our new friend!"

Rain glanced away a few times, but she reluctantly made her way towards the group.

"She seems a bit shy," Sophie said.

"We just had a," Azzy paused for a moment, "a rough day in the sim."

Sophie smiled to herself. Slowly, the puzzle pieces were fitting together.

Rain stopped just short of the group. With everyone staring at her, she suddenly had the strange feeling of being on the front end of an intervention. "Hello," she said, not totally covering up her ill feelings.

"Um, 'Rainey', was it?" asked Sophie.

Azzy snorted, only to be elbowed in the chest by Cesar.

"Rain," the other replied kindly. "Rain Melbourne." She offered her hand.

Sophie took it as she regarded the young cadet.

Rain shivered ever so slightly from Sophie's cool grip. She wondered if her own hand felt clammy.

"You have beautiful eyes," Sophie said. "I haven't seen too many purple eyes."

An odd thing to say, but it wasn't the first Rain had been complimented. "Thank you. My mom's side."

"She must be very pretty."

Rain's smile faded slowly, but it didn't completely disappear. "Yeah. Yeah, she was."

That twinge of awkwardness caused everyone to shuffle around. There was a moment of thorny silence – save for the television and a smooth Caribbean beat on the sat-radio – before Lynx said something.

"Would you mind telling us a little more about the Theta project, Sophie?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

There was a sudden catch in Rain's eyes. Something clicked in her mind. She pointed at Sophie. "Hey… You're Sophie Fauster, aren't you?"

Clearly, everyone was taken by surprise, including Sophie.

"You know her?" Azzy asked.

"Everybody should," Rain said. "I heard Doctor Manx talk about you. You were the one who helped her bring the Delta Base Defense System online for the first time." Rain smiled, wide and bright, for the first time today, completely forgetting the previous comment. "I never thought I'd have the chance to meet you in person."

Sophie looked back at the group; they all shrugged.

"Oh come on," Rain demanded. "Didn't any of you actually read the extra credit archive assignments?"

Again, they all shrugged.

"Oh Kayj," she said, dripping with disappointment. "I thought you of all people…"

"I'm not a computer, Rain. It's not in my nature to be perfect."

"Not even computers are perfect," Sophie said offhandedly.

Kayj raised a wide eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"Never mind," said Sophie with a wave of her hand. "Was there anything else in that archive?" she asked Rain. "Or anything else about me Doctor Manx might have mentioned?"

Rain squinted suspiciously at her, then smiled a little after giving it some thought. "Not really. I read that you were commissioned with D-Squad at the start of 2025. You helped bring the DBDS online in May of that year, and transferred to a position in the Theta Quadrant, Andromeda. That's about it."

Azzy huffed. "I find that amazing. From the bottom to the top."

Rain craned her head passed Sophie to peer over at the kink in the wheel. "It's because she's smart, Azzy. When SPD recognizes a gift, they make sure your talent can shine. You could probably stand to take a lesson. Or six."

Sophie closed her eyes, bemused by the thought of being held in such high regards.

Azzy, on the other hand, sighed. "Ceaz, Kayj, I take it all back. I'm not doing it."

"I hope you don't mind," Rain said, "but I've got a few questions to ask you. I mean, if you wouldn't mind giving advice."

Sophie offered a meager smile, not sure how she was going to decline without seeming uncaring.

The entrance opened up again; Officer Boom rushed into the rec. center, spinning around at least twice before he spotted the snack dispenser. He dashed over, nearly knocking a trainee over so he could get to the dispenser first.

C-Squad and Sophie were quiet, watching their senior in action. He waited in front of the machine for a moment; then he slapped it a few times before it gave him his blueberry muffin. He whirled around and shuffled towards the door before Sophie caught his eye. He stopped in mid sprint with the muffin stuffed partly into his mouth.

Sophie glared at him with controlled astonishment. His uniform resembled C-Squad's quite a bit – only the black trim that slid along the sleeves, pants, and jacket was a brilliant green. Sophie politely stepped passed Rain and inspected his delta patch: "Rank III Officer, B-Squad Ranger".

Boom equally sized Sophie up, though with his wide eyes, he looked more like he was about to be run over by a zord.

"Boom?" Sophie asked, letting her perfectly pearled teeth gleam in her smile.

Boom snatched the muffin from his mouth, slowly chewing on what stayed inside. "Sophie?" he asked, muffled and spitting crumbs.

Sophie went in for a brief hug, with Boom looking more than a little overwhelmed.

"Sophie!" Boom said, finally swallowing his food. "I heard you were coming today! You changed your hair! It-it looks fantastic!"

Sophie fingered her wavy golden-rose locks. "Yeah. A little bit. But you, Mr. Green Ranger, you look great," she marveled, patting him on the flat belly. "Congratulations on your promotion."

Boom blushed a little, looking in every direction except in Sophie's eyes. "You, uh, you look great, too." He gesticulated about, unconsciously patting her stomach in retaliation. But then he quickly realized what he was doing and recoiled with Ranger-like speed. "Oh, sorry. Sorry…"

Sophie looked a bit puzzled, but then broke into an easy chuckle, as did the entirety of C-Squad.

"The Casanova of SPD," Azzy murmured.

"Boom is so cute when he talks to girls," Lynx squealed.

After an uneasy cackle, Boom cleared his throat. "Oh, um, the rest of B-Squad just returned from their investigation. They're looking forward to seeing you again."

Sophie let out a buoyant sigh. She was very glad to have returned. On her trip to Earth, she felt as if she was leaving a good thing behind at SPT. But she felt that something special was going to come of her move back to Earth.

She turned back to the others. "Well, it was great to meet the infamous C-Squad. I'll be seeing you all around. And good luck with your training."

Boom suddenly realized that indeed, C-Squad was huddled right there in front of him. He waved bashfully. "Hey, guys."

The cadets simultaneously shot Officer Boom one of the sharpest, well-executed salutes they've done in a while.

Taken aback, Boom quickly returned the salute with his muffin in grip – not nearly as precise.

"S-sorry, guys," he said quickly. "Just a little busy with, um…" Boom held up his muffin, then casually pointing towards Sophie. "And um… Just, keep up the good work, cadets!"

Azzy's voice was down to almost a whisper. "Good work? Wasn't he there when he failed us –"

"Shhh," Cesar spat.

Boom and Sophie strode out the rec. room. "So Bridge is a lieutenant, now?" That was the last of Sophie the cadets heard before the doors closed.

"Unbelievable," Azzy roared. "I can't believe the big-blue-dog made that bumbling goof a Ranger."

Lynx stepped right in front of Azzy, poking him hard in the chest with a not-so-friendly scowl. "You're one to talk. You leave him alone. Officer Boom's a great guy. He's sweet, funny, and he's always there for us."

Azzy held his hands up – the left one still holding onto his empty paper plate. "Hey, now. I don't doubt he's a 'great guy'. It's just that, he –"

"He helped B-Squad save the world when it counted," Rain finished. "He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he more than makes up for it with his dedication. He loves his squad mates, and everyone in SPD. We're like his family. The last thing he'd ever do is disregard or trivialize us."

Cesar lifted an arm over Azzy's head, resting himself on the wall. He always talked about being manly. Well, he certainly smelled that way. "He follows orders, and never gets his squad into trouble. He bloomin' gives a hundred-an-fifty percent in everything he does. Never selfish. Always does what a man should."

"And his soul is as old as time itself," Kayj chimed in. "He's a novice articulate, but a master of wisdom. Humble and always able to laugh at himself, he's the shining example of what is wonderful about humanity. He listens first, and talks second…"

Azzy looked at each of his teammates. He was trapped against the wall; completely defenseless against their guilt-trip onslaught.

Rain was right about the intervention. Only, it wasn't her on the receiving end.

"All right, all right, all right!" Azzy fumed. "Man, what is this? Pick-on-Asimov Day?"

"Yes!" they all blurted loudly, visibly startling the boy.

Azzy looked around, eyeing each of his partners with defiance. Lynx, Kayj, Cesar, and...

Rain.

Unlike the others, Rain didn't stare him down with contempt or condemnation. She was somber, soft. It was as if she didn't expect Azzy to understand anything they were trying to tell him. But he understood. All too well. He simply didn't want to admit it. But now, he really had no choice if he was going to break free to use the restroom.

He locked his brandy eyes on Rain's amethyst. And surprisingly, he felt the need to be sincere. "Rain. Look… I'm," he appeared to fight with the next word, "sorry… Sorry about earlier today."

Rain began to grin.

"Even though we would have failed anyway," he added quickly, "I still shouldn't have been such uh… A headache. Sorry, and it won't happen again." He looked back at everyone else. "Under anyone's command."

"All right, good enough for me," Cesar said, backing off.

Lynx poked Azzy one last time. "You'd better keep to you word, Taggert. Or else."

Azzy arched his eyebrows. "Yes, grandma!"

Lynx peered up at him with beady little eyes of gold. She stuck her tongue out before trotting towards the soda bar.

Kayj bowed slightly. "Your kreh is cleansed, my poignant friend."

When they were alone, Rain continued to stare at him, her cheap little grin not budging either way.

"So, are we cool?" Azzy asked. He held up his right fist expectantly.

"You apologized," Rain teased.

Azzy rolled his eyes. "Yes, I did. Ninth world wonder…"

"You've never done that before."

"Want me to take it back?"

Rain shook her head slightly, still grinning. "I think after all this time, we're finally starting to bond . . . or something."

Azzy sighed. "Come on. We cool or not?"

She nodded, making a fist of her own. "For now." Both fists met each other in a punch of mutual respect. "I guess now's the part when C-Squad makes a miraculous comeback, dazzling Commander Cruger, Doctor Manx, and B-Squad with our accomplishments, maybe nabbing us some actual field investigations."

Kat's voice echoed through the rec. room over the PA system, "C-Squad, report to the Command Center. Repeat, C-Squad to the Command Center."

Azzy winked at Rain. "Kayj is always full of surprises. Think he can pluck a miracle from those eyebrows?"

Kayj and Lynx had already rushed from the rec. room. Cesar was about halfway out the door with his jacket halfway on. "Rain, Nitwit, get a move on."

Rain and Azzy nodded to each other, following Cesar into the busy corridors of Delta Base. Of course, they wondered how much worse they were about to feel once Commander Cruger tore into their simulation performance.