Chapter Three

Doctor Kat Manx indulgently tapped in the final finishing touches on tomorrow's presentation at the holographic console in the center of the Delta Base Command Center. She executed the save-and-sleep command so that no one could get a spoiled peak before hand.

She glanced up from the terminal, gazing around the "brain" of Delta Base. The command room was arrayed in a spacious rounded octagonal design. Six of the eight walls were endowed with computer alcoves and terminals; each one specialized for various tasks, and branded above with giant royal blue "SPD" light fixtures. The buttons of green-and-blues, and flat screens of streaming maps and text, shined brightly through the dim cobalt glow that gave the Command Center its complacent, but at the same time, intimidating allure.

Kat smiled towards a cluster of five young people chatting near an alcove. Sophie was the center of attention, in the middle of telling an interesting anecdote, never giving up her joyous smile. Boom was half-sitting on the console beside her, fully engrossed in her stories while three other members of B-Squad were listening while filling out their investigative reports on touch-boards.

Kat couldn't help herself but eavesdrop for a moment.

"So when I went into Chief Celesto's office," Sophie said, "he did at least six double-takes between me and my résumé. I mean, he just couldn't believe my credentials first. He told me pointblank that he had trouble swallowing the idea of an 'inexperienced little girl having the ability to out-compute the best minds in Andromeda' or something like that."

"Sounds typical," remarked Zee, her voice stark and decisive. She kept her shadowed cool coffee eyes on her touch-board, but she shot a wry smile at the other young B-Squad girl beside Sophie; Zee's curved lips creased her round cheeks that seemed to shed away several years off of her already youthful face. "I bet Celesto's the kind of guy who only puts girls in as receptionists or assistants. Hard to believe pigs like him still run a galaxy, eh Syd?"

"Oh, totally," the short and bubbly blonde answered in her typical babyish tone. Syd coiled a finger through her long golden curls, glancing at Zee. "Especially if the whole galaxy's like that. I wonder if they have any girl Red Rangers."

Sophie shook her head. "I don't know about the rest of Andromeda, but Theta Quadrant's initial personnel postings were predominately men. Only a handful of teams had women, to say nothing about wearing the red suit."

Syd briefly inspected the pink trim on her smoke-gray uniform, and then the yellow trim on Zee's. She smiled, wrinkling her small nose. "I'm not sure if red's our color anyway. It clashes with my precious baby blues… And Zee's hair."

Zee abandoned her touch-board and frowned. "What's wrong with my hair?"

Syd lightly fluffed Zee's cinnamon-esque ponytail, and ran a finger down her silky bangs. "Nothing's really wrong with it," she said with a soft mocking innocence. "It's just a little blah."

Zee pointed her stylus at Syd, smiling a little as Sophie giggled. "Just a little blah, huh?"

Syd went back to her report. "Sorry to give you the bad news."

"I don't know. I think A-Squad's captain pulled it off pretty well."

"Um, bad example, Zee," affable Bridge spoke up. "Remember? Her entire team got brainwashed, she kidnapped Commander Cruger... And uh, oh yes – she almost kicked our collective rear ends just before Commander Cruger captured former-Emperor Gruumm."

Zee blinked. "So? What does any of that have to with looking good in a red suit?"

Bridge looked up, rustling a black-gloved finger under his pronounced nose. His tongue was visibly working behind his cheeks, looking towards the ceiling. He suddenly locked his ashen eyes to Zee. "Well. I, uh… I suppose it doesn't have anything to do with the misadventures of A-Squad."

Syd sighed. "For a second there, I thought you ears were going to smoke."

Bridge shook his head lightly. "No, no. Not this time," he murmured casually. "But speaking of smoky… I feel for some toast. How about you guys?"

"How about not," Zee retorted. She quickly noticed Sophie's puzzled furrow. "Don't ask. Trust me; you don't want to know."

Sophie nodded acceptingly, settling her stare at Bridge. She offered him a warm smile; it shrank a little when the young man turned his head in confusion, as if he though Sophie was looking at someone behind him.

"You're awfully quiet, Boom," Sophie said, giving him a sidelong glance.

Boom shrugged. "I just ah, like listening to you guys."

Zee threw him a cheeky smile. "Listening is good. It's not as creepy like watching somebody over their shoulder while they read." Zee felt a puff of air tickle her nape. She turned, suddenly startled when her nose almost touched Bridge's.

"Bridge!" she snapped.

Bridge quickly threaded his fingers through is short, somewhat unruly mahogany hair. He wiped a bit of the stiffener-gel on his chest, leaving a mild dark stain on the blue trim of his uniform.

"Eh, sorry," he whispered.

Sophie snickered, clearly taken with his antics.

"So you don't have any opinions, Boom," Sophie asked, trying to engage the shy young man. "No thoughts or insights on the rigors of being a Power Ranger?"

"I don't really have much to say. I mean, I worked hard to get here. And I just really like being green." He forced a quick laugh, then slinked back sheepishly.

Bridge nodded. "I remember when I was the Green Ranger. I liked it, too," he said with a thoughtful wisp. "But I think I like being blue a little better. Although, I guess there'll always be a piece of me that still liked it when I was green… Even though I'm blue… Green. Blue. Greenish blue."

"Bridge," Zee warned.

His gawk fell right down to his touch-board. "Sorry…" He cleared his throat. "Um, how do you spell 'allegedly' again?"

"Hello," Syd teased. "Spell check?"

"You call yourself a professional, huh?" Sophie arched off the alcove and went over to Bridge. "Here, let me show you a thing or two about spelling."

Even in the melancholy illumination, Bridge still couldn't hide his blush. "Thanks… I think."

Kat couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She remembered Syd and Bridge when they first arrived as cadets four years ago. Zee, two years after that. And after all this time with the harsh responsibilities of protecting the world – their core traits haven't changed. Syd was still the same fashionista-like little girl, though a lot less self-centered before she was a Ranger. Bridge was still the same enigmatic thicker, going off on his non-sequiters, yet still managing to make sense in the end – sometimes. Zee, still her take-charge, pragmatic self.

And Sophie… Still the tenacious one as she ever was. Almost two years ago, Sophie's tenacity brought the Delta Base Defense System to speed, fending off one of the more devastating attacks SPD faced in its operation. And without Sophie's determination, Kat knew she wouldn't be reminiscing fondly about anything right now. Funny enough, that same drive got Sophie into trouble, bringing Bridge to her rescue when no one else believed in her. The two had a little bond back then. She made it obvious that she regarded the strange young man as her personal hero because of his honor and empathy.

Kat knew them well; they were her family. The day that they part their separate ways… Well, she didn't ponder on that for too long.

She continued her perusing of the Command Center. The command room was often busy, with curriers and security officers bustling about the area, coming and going through the thick steel double-security-doors that occupied an entire side of the high tech chamber.

At the opposite end of the room sat the legendary Commander Cruger – the big-blue-dog, affectionately nicknamed by half of the SPD personnel. And that description was accurate, even though he found it irritating. His cerulean scale-like skin glistened around his curved cranial features, fading into a pallid shade of pearl along his supplely articulate muzzle. His impressive raised ear sails flickered slightly as he filtered out unwanted noises; his thick ebon braids stiffly snaked down his neck. Even hunched behind his steel computer-laden work desk, his venerable build and stature demanded the utmost respect from even the highest rank of Space Patrol Delta and its sister branches. Blinking his large recessed crystal-sapphire eyes, and wrinkling his moist black nose; he knew that the young B-Squad leader he was talking to never took him for granted.

Sky was partly sitting on Cruger's desk, going over his team's investigation findings and C-Squad's examination results with the commander. Sky also had an impressive presence, tall and ripe with a strong physique – not too unlike Cesar, when Kat thought about it. Sky had the kind of stern face that seemed almost awkward when he smiled. Sky tended to do just that quite often after he grew closer to his teammates, opening himself to them when they all took on Power Ranger responsibilities. But he always made it an effort to keep the rumors about his anal-retentive sternness alive and well among the lower-ranked personnel.

Kat sighed softly as she brought her attention back to the holo-console. She was just about to check on one of her new projects when she heard Commander Cruger clear his throat.

"Where is C-Squad?" he asked. His deep resonance accentuated the impatience in his voice. "Did I hear you call for them, Kat? Or am I just getting old?"

Kat looked up, smiling at her long-time friend. "You heard me just fine, Doggy. In fact, I sent Ric after them about three minutes ago."

Cruger growled under his breath, sounding slightly bothered, but not all that angry. It still carried its weight through all the ears within the Command Center, though.

"And I'm supposed to grant them active status when they can't even handle a simple summons?" Cruger sat back in his grand chair. "Who's idea was that again?"

Sky lead back a little, lowering his baritone to a near-whisper, "That was you, sir."

Cruger scratched a little under his muzzle, winking at the young man. "Mmm… I was afraid you'd say that."

Kat smiled. "Doggy. Don't be too hard on them, now."

The commander hummed under his breath. "I've obviously not been hard enough. If we're going to post them on active duty, that changes today."

Sky nodded. "I agree completely. If we're going to send them off into other people's business, they need to learn some real accountability. And they're going to get it."

Kat raised her eyebrows lightly, instantly feeling a twinge of pity for what awaited C-Squad. A double-onslaught of Sky and Commander Cruger wouldn't be pretty. And sourly, she knew she probably had to play a part in it as well.

On cue, the C-Squad cadets rushed doggedly into the command room, whizzing pass Kat and the center computer station, and stopping at breathless attention directly in front of Cruger's desk after giving a hearty arm-pump salute.

"Doctor Manx summoned you over ten minutes ago," Cruger started. "What took you so long?"

Cesar caught his breath first, taking two strong steps forward. "Sir, our apologies. Nit – I mean, Azzy disappeared while we were en route. We wanted to keep the team together as per Doctor Manx's recommendation; so we took the initiative to locate him. Sir."

Cruger blinked twice. "And? Cadet Taggert is where?"

"He's, um…" Cesar and the rest of C-Squad looked around, surprised to notice that Azzy wasn't among them. "He's…"

"Right here!" Azzy said, deftly trotting into the Command Center. He stumbled a little near Kat in his gait. He pitted himself in the cadets' formation between Kayj and Lynx, taking up Cesar's gap.

Cesar threw Azzy a warning glare, encouraging the smaller man to force Lynx to the side and make room for Cesar's center spot.

As they all fumbled into formation, little pitter-patter of carbon-fiber feet bounced into the command room as a mechanized dog bounded his way at the foot of Cruger's desk.

The little robotic beast took a few steps towards Azzy before barking at the boy through its thin speakers. It reared up its hind end, poising its alabaster curvilinear body in a not-so-friendly manner. Its sharp ears rolled back; its ribbed tail flared up higher than the triangular handle accessory on its spine. Ruby lights flickered and flashed in random sequences along the stylized black display on its skull and foreface.

Azzy gave the thing a vengeful glare, though he knew there was no way to intimidate a programmed machine.

Kat brushed passed the cadets and kneeled before the robot dog. She patted its head and began to gently rub its back.

Ruby images of joyful closed eyes flashed on its faceplate; it growled with synthesized delight as it lowered its posture.

"Good boy, Ric," Kat cooed.

Commander Cruger never budged from his seat. "Do I even want to know what you were doing in the time you should have been here, Cadet Taggert?"

Azzy cleared his throat. "Uh, sir. Nature called… Sir."

Faint chuckles could be heard from the sides of the command room. But Kat, Cruger, and Sky didn't show any signs of amusement. And almost in unison, all three stood up, raising themselves to their full heights.

Cruger slowly walked around his desk, his steel-plated feet oddly making no sounds as he stepped between Kat and Sky, almost a head taller than the two of them. He delicately re-adjusted the jewel-encrusted rank bar on the right side of his chest, making sure it was parallel to the angled white-and-red trim of his charcoal robe. The shiny-dog crest on the other side of his chest, as well as the smaller ones on his shoulder shields, were spotless and gleaming. He always made sure every aspect of his attire was exactly detailed.

Kat clasped her hands behind her back, coldly leering at the cadets; Sky downed his touch-board on Cruger's desk and folded his arms, also wearing a look of superiority. Ric sat at their feet, completely motionless.

There was a moment of quietness that shrouded the Command Center, save for the whispering hums of the computer equipment. Cruger's emotions weren't always easily written on his face, but those who have served with him for some time knew when he wasn't pleased.

He eyed each of the cadets – each one of them recoiled ever so slightly from his piercing scrutiny. Cruger eventually settled his attention squarely back to Azzy.

"I was going to start with today's designated team leader," Cruger said, "but since you're in such a jocular mood, Cadet Taggert, we'll begin with you."

The dreaded debriefing was officially underway.

"Step forward, Cadet."

Azzy carefully obeyed, advancing two steps. He suddenly felt a great deal more vulnerable.

"Did 'nature call' while your team was in the middle of a serious confrontation, Cadet Taggert?"

Azzy kept his focus slightly out of Cruger's eyes. "No, sir."

"You weren't injured or incapacitated before your team engaged the target."

"No sir, I was not."

The commander took a step forward. His voiced raised a little. "Were you ordered to scout ahead of your team?"

"No, sir." Azzy tried to keep his voice equally as firm.

Sky threw one out. "Did you get lost or disoriented at any point during your assignment?"

"Uh, no, sir."

Cruger continued, "Did you misinterpret any outstanding orders that were given to you?"

Azzy worked his jaw. "No, sir, I did not."

"We're trying to give you an out, Cadet Taggert," Cruger said darkly. "But I'm running out of legitimate reasons for your abandonment of your team. Willful abandonment is inexcusable and unforgivable no matter the reason; and it's borderline treasonous! A court-martial offense!"

Azzy took in a shallow breath, suddenly overrun by the whole thing. He knew the commander wasn't going to be pleased. He expected another slap on the wrist, not a full-on interrogation.

Azzy tried to search for an explanation – one that didn't sound lame and selfish. "Well… I, um…"

"Be quiet!" Cruger barked.

Everybody, save for Kat and Sky, flinched hard.

"You will speak only when I ask you a question, or otherwise grant your permission, Cadet Taggert. Do you understand?"

Azzy blinked a few times – the last two blinks were successful efforts to lock up a sudden welling of tears.

"Sir! Y-yes, sir!"

The other cadets were visibly rattled. Even Cesar frowned with resentment, bothered by the harsh tone being thrown at Azzy.

The commander's voice relented a little bit, but still carried with power. "I'm not at all impressed with your performances in the advanced practical, C-Squad." He began to pace in front of them. "One of you, for reasons I can't even begin to imagine, decided to disobey orders and operate as a rogue. A rogue no better than the very target you were sent in to capture."

Cruger passed his desk, raking up a touch-board and glancing at its bullet list.

"Cadet DuPuma; step forward," he demanded.

Lynx complied and leveled herself with Azzy, shaking a little less than him.

"Both of you brought extra equipment into the examination despite explicit instructions not to." He made sure his eyes locked with both of them. He noted Azzy's mild defiance, and Lynx's poorly hidden wide-eyed terror.

He quickly paced to Lynx. "Cadet DuPuma. State your reason for smuggling throwing weapons and combat knives into the simulation room."

Lynx shivered, willfully turning her fear into an act of pride. "Sir, I trained for a long time under the Earth art of ninjitsu, a lot longer than I've been a cadet at SPD. It's an old habit that I thought –"

"It's an old habit that should have been dealt with back in basic training," Cruger growled. "We didn't teach you that habit, Cadet DuPuma. Using the reliance on your previous instructors as a crutch for your own shortcomings . . . is not only insulting to me, but to the rest of your superiors and peers as well. I will not accept that as an excuse. Fall back in line, Cadet!"

Lynx jumped back into formation, taking a deep shuddering breath as she tried to regain her composure.

Cruger took a large step to Azzy, looming over the flushed boy. He pointed at the nunchaku still hanging from his belt. "Cadet Taggert, suspected traitor of SPD. What's your excuse for disobeying yet another order?"

Azzy swallowed. "I, um…"

"Speak up, Cadet," Cruger spat. "My sensitive ears can only pick up so much."

"I knew the fight was going to be unfair," Azzy squeaked. "I – I wanted to make sure the fight would be fair."

"Really?" Cruger breathed. "So in other words, you didn't trust our intel about the situation. You obviously knew better than a well-trained intel officer, one who has been in recon for a lot longer than you've been in school. I had no idea you had the ability to discern recon data without actually looking at it, Cadet Taggert. Perhaps Lieutenant Carson isn't the only SPD officer with psychic abilities."

Bridge kept his concentration on his touch-board. He didn't quite like the idea of his genetic power to be used as such an example.

Azzy looked away –

"Cadet Taggert, please look at me when I'm addressing you. You can at least show some formrespect."

He did as he was told, though he lost his fight with the tear that fell down his cheek.

Commander Cruger paused for a moment. He hid it well, but he did not like the turn that his debriefing had taken. He felt a rush of guilt, but quickly set it aside. No, these cadets haven't faced the real world yet, he thought. If I don't set them straight now, it would do more harm to them than the alternative.

Cesar's eyes tracked from Azzy to the commander, and back again. His fists balled unconsciously. He gritted his teeth; he steeped to Azzy's side. "Commander Cruger, I think you're being –"

Cruger immediately thrust his face towards Cesar, driving the younger one back. "Step back into formation, Cadet Trevalyn! Say another word without permission, and I'll have you discharged from the academy faster than you can say 'SPD emergency'!"

Cesar found himself back exactly where he stood before, and feeling quite emasculated in the process.

Cruger turned back to Azzy. He softened his tone a little, but not by much. "Cadet Taggert, trust is a key ideal when you operate under Space Patrol Delta. If we did not trust each other, we'd be second-guessing every decision. Arguing every point and counterpoint. It would be chaos. No law enforcement agency of any kind can operate like that. Ms. Fauster can tell you first hand that Space Patrol Theta operates on these same values – and they're in another galaxy."

Rain started to take a step forward, and then stopped herself. She fought for a moment before willing herself to follow through. "Sir, permission to speak."

The commander turned his head sharply in her direction. His pause was agonizing, making Rain think twice about her ambition. But in the end, he nodded to her. "Go ahead, Cadet Melbourne."

"I believe Azzy was thinking about the team," she said grimly. "We were going after a Power Ranger. And to capture him using only standard equipment… And then there was his element of surprise, and – "

"But as you said during your exam, your team wasn't supposed to be the ones surprised in that action" Cruger said. "There's no excuse for his actions. He made a grave mistake, and he will own up to it.

"His bringing weapons when told he didn't need them violated trust. After the A-Squad incident, trust is one thing we worked hard to reaffirm in my command. Remember, we are all very familiar with your fighting styles: Melbourne, your karate; DuPuma, your ninjitsu; Taggert, your jeet kun do; and so on. If you took the time to ponder over the events of this exercise, you'd realize that our mythical intel officer found a weapon for each one of you already inside the warehouse. Or have you forgotten about your makeshift kendo stick?" He moved over to Kayj. "Or your bo staff." Then to Cesar. "Or your batons."

He sighed. He looked back at Azzy; the boy had admirably stayed at attention as well as he could manage, refusing to break it to even dry his face.

"Cadet Taggert, you may step back into formation."

He quickly complied.

Cruger squared his sights on Rain, now. "Cadet Melbourne. Had you lead your team effectively, regardless of the shenanigans from a certain cadet, you would have had all you needed to pacify and capture even a Power Ranger."

Rain kept her gaze, not daring to look away. She knew she should have felt bad about what he just said; but oddly enough, she wasn't too hurt by it. She wasn't leadership material. She knew that already. She had other skills she was quite proud of.

"Your team isn't just any team," Cruger continued. "I wouldn't have sent you on a job if I didn't think you could do it. Why would any commander send his best and brightest into a situation where they would surely fail?"

He let that rhetorical question hang in the air as he inspected his touch-board again. "And while we're on you, Cadet Melbourne… Can you please tell me exactly how you found out about the breach point on Green Ranger's power suit?"

It took her a moment to realize what he was referring to.

Cruger nodded. "Yes, Cadet. We noticed. Towards the end of your examination, Doctor Manx traced the trajectory of your final shot – had it connected, it would have caused Officer Boom's suit to automatically power down."

Boom's head came up, suddenly dumfounded that he had missed that detail.

Kat spoke up. "The breach point is classified to the highest level. Only Commander Cruger, B-Squad, and myself knew about it. You've excelled in every area of marksmanship thus far. You shot down all of Officer Boom's ringlet flash-bangs with ease. There's no mistaking what you were aiming for."

Rain's eyes darted between Cruger and Kat, suppressing a smile.

"Did you, or did you not somehow privy yourself into classified SPD files?" asked the commander.

"I did not break into any top-secret files, or anything of the sort, sir."

Cruger regarded her cautiously. "Explain."

A hint of a grin crept up on the corner of Rain's dark lips. "I just studied playbacks of past B-Squad engagements – just as we were instructed. I remember a few times when Lieutenant Carson was struck, and for some strange reason, his power suit powered down. This happened nine times."

Cruger nodded. "Go on."

Her brows arched. "I observed the pattern, studied each incident thoroughly, and found the common element in all of them: the location of the strike. I memorized it, and tucked it away just in case I needed it."

"And it conveniently paid off," Sky said.

Rain didn't like his implication, even though he had legitimate reasons. But still, she met his challenge "Yes, Captain. It did."

Cruger hummed, resting his right hand under his muzzle. "Fair enough. Your observation skills are to be commended."

She turned her head slightly in Kayj's direction. She didn't want to turn too much as to draw attention from the commander, but she felt a sudden influx of regret. Yes, she pieced the puzzle of the suit's breach point together, but…

"Sir, permission to speak."

"You certainly are forthcoming today," Cruger muttered. "Granted."

Rain went ahead and fully turned to Kayj. "It was actually Kayj who picked up on the pattern. I just connected all the dots in the end."

Kayj gave her a respected smile and a slight nod. He had said nothing – and wouldn't have said anything, Rain knew. But as a team, credit had to be given appropriately.

Commander Cruger opened his mouth slightly, a bit of a smile creaking towards the back of his face. "I had a feeling Cadet M'Kayj was involved."

He turned to drop the touch-board on his desk. "Cadet, you may step back into formation."

Rain did so, her shoulders a bit lighter. However, she could still feel Azzy reeling from his verbal spanking.

Cruger folded his arms. "Cadets, your evaluation… Between Doctor Manx, Captain Tate, and myself, C-Squad receives a mission rating of sixty-five percent, and a secondary 'F' for failing your assignment."

The cadets didn't squirm, but their defeat still showed on their faces and in their postures.

"Yes, I'm disappointed, too." Cruger sighed. "It pains me to see such talent go to waste. The potential is not only there, but we've seen glimmers of it rise from each of you, in one form or another.

"Rain Melbourne, gifted markswoman with the tactical mind of a puzzle-solver. M'Kayj of Family Len-Karrak, observant pontificator and full of wisdom invaluable to your team. Cesar Trevalyn, strong in body and stronger in honor – " he sniffed " – and strongest in smell at the moment…"

That brought smiles to a lot of faces, and a blush from Cesar.

"Asimov Taggert, when you're not busy disobeying orders, you show an undeniable love for life, and are blessed with the purest bravery in every sense of the word. They're admirable qualities you should cling to; but don't let them cloud your judgment again."

The young boy nodded solemnly, taking in an involuntary sniff.

"Lynx DuPuma, always positive and assertive, steadfast in your beliefs of doing what's right."

Commander Cruger opened his arms. "Well, I can only talk so much before you start tuning me out. And instead of simply talking louder, I think I'll let Captain Tate brief you on the real reason I summoned you here."

The cadets shared their confusion with each other.

Cruger backed himself to his desk as Sky stepped forward.

Sky made eye contact with the cadets, his lucid blue eyes captivating them all. "Cadets. You've been inducted into C-Squad fourteen months ago. You've come a long way from the troubled green trainees introduced before then. However, you all still have an even longer way to go before you're given your morphers, because you're still green. Your simulated and conceptual training has plateaued, and you're getting complacent. And that's a dangerous thing."

Sky glanced over at his teammates, catching encouraging nods from each of them – Sophie included.

He continued, "For too long, B-Squad has had the sole responsibility of dealing with intergalactic threats on Earth; from petty alien thieves to full-blown Sol System invasions. Together, we were able to defeat and capture one of the most powerful forces in the known universe: former-Emperor Gruumm. But realistically, there's always somebody bigger out there in space; someone always ready to take advantage of any situation. The next confrontation we face might be bigger than we can handle; might be our last. The fight could be a year from now, or it could be tomorrow."

Sky caught flashes of concern from C-Squad – and some exaggerated fear from Bridge.

Sky kept his attention on the cadets. "We need to be prepared for anything the universe will throw at us. Our workload needs to be redistributed, and you need credible experience in the real world. And that's why Commander Cruger and myself will officially grant C-Squad active status, effective as of tomorrow."

The eyes of the cadets lit with complete surprise. Smiles were many from everyone in the command room. All except for Azzy.

"However, there is a catch," Sky stressed, "The five of you will be paired up with the five of us. At sixteen hundred hours tomorrow, we will test you on everything you've learned so far at SPD, and see if you have what it takes to hold the responsibilities of real beings in your hands."

Cruger leaned forward. "If you don't want a repeat of today, you will need to change your attitudes right now."

Sky nodded. "We're stepping up expectations. So if you have too many days like this, you'll get to your last one very quickly. I'm sure Doctor Manx has reminded you that second chances are pretty rare out there in the field."

Sky glanced back at Cruger. "Anything else, Commander?"

"No, Captain. I think that's enough for one day."

"Very well, then. C-Squad, you are dismissed."

Sky returned their salute, watching them turn on their heels and file towards the exit.

"Oh, and Cadet Trevalyn," Cruger said.

Cesar stopped short of the doors and faced his commander. "Yes, Commander Cruger?"

"While we appreciate your dedication to staying in shape, when Doctor Manx tells you to hit the showers, please do so next time," he said, a hint of smugness rumbled in. "Your training can wait until after you debriefings."

Cesar was just about to roll his eyes, but he caught himself. "Yes, Commander." He nodded curtly, saluted again, and went on his way.

Ric barked. The mechanical dog hopped onto all fours and trotted after the young cadet.

The commander leaned back on his desk as Sophie and the B-Squad Rangers came up next to him.

Sky shook his head. "Sir, I didn't smell anything."

Cruger chuckled. "You're lucky your genetic powers don't include super-sensitive smell."

Sophie sighed. "I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries, being my first day back and everything… But, that seemed a little rough in the beginning."

Zee shot her a wry grin. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about your D-Squad stint already. You had your fair shares of rough lectures. Your squad wasn't exactly the pick of the litter."

Sophie paused to consider that.

"Except for you, of course," Bridge said. "You were pretty much the entire squad put together with a little left over. Or, a lot left over. Two squads at least."

"If that's a compliment, then thanks," Sophie said, patting Bridge on the shoulder.

Kat rested her hand on Cruger's arm. "So what did you really think about C-Squad's test results, Doggy?"

"Honestly? I thought they were quite impressive, through and through."

"Even though they broke the rules?" asked Boom.

Cruger hummed. "Well, you know… I seem to remember a certain squad of Rangers who didn't always listen to directions, either." He whirled a finger encompassing the group. "Mindless drones tend to make poor judgment calls when they're out on their own. I'm actually glad to know that at least one of them has that freethinking mind. We keep it in check, but it's there."

"I get it, sir," Boom said. And he certainly could empathize. He had his own experiences of not quite following the SPD code. He faced the consequences of his actions, but held no regrets because of the positive results. "There'll always be times when we have to act with our hearts."

"Precisely," said the commander. "And in my experience, those usually hold the most rewarding outcomes."

"If you call scrubbing the fountain with a toothbrush 'rewarding'" Sky joshed, remembering one of his punishments for breaking protocol.

That brought another chuckle from Cruger. "And that's also precisely why we need to teach them how to balance those decisions. There will always be a price."

"You think it worked, sir?" asked Syd. "Do you think they'll change overnight?"

"They were frightened out of their minds," Cruger said. "If something doesn't click by now, then I'm afraid I'm all out of tricks."

Bridge rubbed his chin. "I don't know about being scared out of their minds. I mean, they were all still in their minds by the end, obviously."

"Obviously," mocked Zee.

Kat gracefully wandered towards the center console. "Well, I guess tomorrow's test will tell."

"Indeed," Cruger agreed.

"Sophie," Kat called. "Are you ready to go over the status of my Delta Runners?"

The girl nodded. "Of course. That's why I'm here."

SPD

"Guys, wait up," Cesar hollered into the sterile corridor. He spotted the rest of his group nearing the junction to the crew quarters area.

As he approached, he had fully expected Azzy to hit him with a smelly comment of some sort. But the boy said nothing. Lynx was hugging his side, sharing his frustrations. And Azzy seemed very introverted. Cesar didn't know whether that was a good thing or not.

He gave Azzy a gentle nudge on the shoulder. "Hey, mate. Don't sweat what was said back there. He was… He was wrong for being so hard."

Azzy looked up at Cesar, suspicion in his brandy eyes. "Why do you even care?"

Cesar was taken aback. "Don't worry yourself, Nitwit. I don't. However, we need to be at the top of our game tomorrow. It's going to be bloody make-or-break for us, and the last thing we need is for you to be sulking about."

He sighed, looking away. "Whatever."

"Azzy, don't be like that," Lynx soothed. "When was the last time Cesar tried to be nice?"

"When he wants something," Azzy mumbled.

Cesar rolled his eyes. "Oh, charming."

"Knock it off, guys," Rain said. "Cesar's right. This is make-or-break time. If we prove we have what it takes – "

" – When," Lynx corrected. "When we prove. We're gonna knock 'em for a loop."

Rain nodded with a grin. "Right. When we kick some serious B-Squad butt, we'll finally be allowed to go out into the world and make a difference."

"The written and oral portions, I'm confident," Kayj said. "But as far as the combat tests are concerned… Not to be a pessimist, but they do have special powers. We do not."

Rain nodded. "It'll be a challenge, no doubt."

Lynx huffed. "Yeah, they have powers. Whoo-hoo, big deal. You heard the commander – we don't need superpowers."

"Besides," Cesar said, "Officer Boom doesn't have any. So whoever's paired with him shouldn't have much of a problem."

Rain leaned against the wall in thought. "Well tonight, we need to figure out a way to counter their powers. Force fields, psyonic premonitions, cloning, and elemental assimilation. There are ways around all of them, and we can figure out some tactics to catch them off guard."

"Hmm…" Kayj stroked a thick eyebrow. "On the other side of this, what makes us believe they'll use their powers to begin with?"

Rain shrugged. "They might not, but before a battle, you need to prepare for everything. Something I just learned today." She winked at Azzy.

He just looked away, still bothered by what had happened.

They heard the patter of little feet approach, followed by faint mechanical servos revving up and down. When they heard the bark, they knew what it was.

"Great," Azzy said. "Here comes the mechanical mutt."

Lynx, still holding onto Azzy, patted him on the chest. "Oh, you stop."

Kayj bent down to greet Ric with soft rubs to the head. The canine automaton barked happily at him, shifting to a sitting position as its sharp ears wiggled with delight. "I'm still amazed he can feel someone touching him. So artificial, yet so lifelike."

Rain cupped her hands together. "All right. We've got a half-hour 'til chemistry and applied physics. After phys ed, we'll shower," she said towards Cesar, "and discuss our plans for tomorrow. A cram session before lights-out wouldn't be a bad idea, either."

Cesar's head came up. "Hold on a moment. Who made you the leader?"

She shrugged. "Doctor Manx said I was the leader today. Why, do you want to lead us, oh great one?"

He blinked. "Well, I…"

Kayj's broad brows flashed. "Cesar, quickly, how do you counteract a flat elliptical force field that's just been generated between you and your target?"

Cesar blinked. "What, you mean like, right now?"

"Yes."

"Well, I… I need a bit of time to think about that and –"

"Rain?" Kayj said, shooting her a look.

"Back off, and roll under the point of origin," she said simply.

Lynx beamed. "All in favor of keeping Rain as the leader?" She raised her hand, as did Kayj and Azzy.

"Democracy at its finest," Kayj whispered.

Cesar relented a sigh. "Fine." He pushed passed all of them in a huff. "See you all in class."

Rain didn't look directly at him as he passed, though she couldn't hide her smile from him, either.

Ric walked to Azzy's front, sitting in front of him with a curious tilt of his head.

"What are you looking at?" Azzy growled.

Ric barked once, its face blank.

"He loves you," Lynx swooned. "He's been following you around all year."

Azzy broke Lynx's grasp and strode towards the crew quarters hallway. "I hate dogs. 'Specially fake ones."

Ric let out a little moan as he watched Azzy disappear.

"He didn't really mean that," Lynx told Ric, scratching under his hard muzzle. "He wuves doggies. He just in a bad mood today."

Little red hearts fluttered over Ric's faceplate.

Rain glanced at both of her teammates. "We've got some work to do. Between today and tomorrow, we've got to fix our team and become the tightest fighting force this planet has ever seen."