Theme Challenge: Bridge and Syd

From the Ars Amatoria Romance Themes Challenge

Challenge #5: Patience

A/N: Set during Beginnings Part 1. I know this is starting off slowly, but I personally am not a fan of out of the blue romances. I prefer that the romantic relationship gets developed. I watched scenes from this particular episode ad nauseam in an attempt to get the dialogue perfect, so if I made any mistakes, forgive me and blame it on closed captioning.

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

Patience

Syd's POV

Sky, Bridge, and I just got back from failing to complete our assignment of bringing in the Parkington Market thieves. We had them outnumbered three to two, but we still weren't able to bring them in. Well, actually we didn't have them outnumbered at all because the female thief has some sort of power where she can replicate herself. In that sense, it was three on three. Anyways, Cruger was not happy when we returned to the Academy without the Parkington Market thieves. Sky, Bridge, and I were assembled in front of our commander with our hands clasped behind our backs. Cruger was pacing back and forth before us.

"You underestimated your opponent and were soundly defeated," Cruger said in a neutral tone.

"We are so not ready to become rangers," I said being the first to break the silence.

"I'm ready," Sky commented.

Bridge turned to face Sky.

"Oh, so it must've been Syd and I who let those two get away then" Bridge remarked.

Sky glared at Bridge.

"Listen to yourselves. There's no team here. This is the issue you will have to overcome before you can become a power ranger," Cruger said.

"Oh…I get it. All we have to do is stop blaming, judging, and criticizing each other?" I remarked.

"You forgot to mention failing to bring in suspects," Bridge added.

"Right. Let's see…that puts us right on schedule to be rangers around …never," I concluded.

"You'll meet those two again," Cruger told us.

Sky stepped forward with his hands still clasped behind his back.

"Sir. The civilians--they were different. They had special abilities like we do," Sky said.

"Yes, I know. Cadet Tate, come with me," Cruger commanded.

Sky followed Cruger out of the command center. I don't know about Bridge, but I was confused as to why Cruger had only wanted to talk to Sky.

"I wonder what that was about," Bridge asked.

It was funny because I was wondering the exact same thing.

"I don't know, but I can't stand being around soldier boy much longer. I've had to put up with him for two years now, and that's two years too many. Sky's such a jerk!" I commented.

Bridge put a hand on my shoulder and lifted my face up with a gloved hand so that I was looking him eye to eye.

"Don't you for one second think about quitting Sydney. You've come this far, and you aren't about to give up now. I know Sky's cocky, arrogant, conceited, and strict, but really he's not that bad of a guy. I should know because I'm his roommate and I have been for two years now. Besides, I don't know what I'd do without you. You're a breath of fresh air. It's nice to have a teammate on my side that isn't so stubborn, serious, and demanding," Bridge said.

I was deeply moved by Bridge's words. I had no idea he felt that way. I was glad to have Bridge around too. Like Bridge said, it was nice to have someone around who wasn't so stubborn, serious, and demanding.

"You know Bridge, when I said 'All we have to do is stop blaming, judging, and criticizing each other' I didn't mean 'we' as in the three of us, but rather I meant 'we' as in 'Sky'," I responded.

Bridge gave me a warm smile before the two of us headed to the common room to kind of take it easy until we got another assignment.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later, we were given orders to meet in the command center because Cruger wanted to talk to us about something. We had been in the command center for an hour. Bridge and I decided to pass the time by playing rock, paper, scissors. Sky passed the time by pacing back and forth. I had a rock while Bridge had paper.

"Yes! 55 times in a row!" Bridge bragged celebrating his most recent victory in rock, paper, scissors.

"Okay, enough. I'm officially bored to tears. We get called to report an hour ago--Report to who?" I asked.

"Whom," Bridge corrected me.

"Never correct me again," I shouted.

Bridge gave me an incredulous look.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little tense watching walkathon boy wear a path in the floor," I explained while glaring at Sky.

Sky stopped pacing to give a comeback.

"If you have a problem with it Sydney, make me stop," Sky challenged before resuming pacing.

"Okay. I may be a girl, and I may be cute, but no one…" I shouted before reaching out to wring Sky's neck.

Bridge got in between the two of us.

"Whoa, hey, hey," Bridge said holding me back before I could do any damage to Sky.

Just then, the doors to the command center slid open.

"I trust you're using this time to bond as a team?" Cruger asked.

We stood at attention with our hands clasped behind our backs at the sound of Cruger's voice.

"Yes, sir," we replied in unison.

"Good. Come this way," Cruger said motioning with his hand for us to follow him.

We followed Cruger to the S.P.D. lab. He motioned for us to come in and we formed a line and stood at attention with our hands clasped behind our backs.

"Without going into details, Earth's ultimate survival dictates that I elevate your team to active status. Any questions?" Cruger asked.

Bridge raised his hand, although it looked more like he just raised his pointer finger to me. Bridge stepped forward as he spoke.

"Um…yeah. Uh…just one. Did you say ultimate survival as in Earth may be destroyed?" Bridge asked.

"I did," Cruger replied.

Bridge stepped back into line and had an 'I was afraid that's what you meant' look on his face.

"Cadets, you have spent the last two years in simulated training. But this time, the game is real," Kat said.

Boom walked over to Kat carrying a tray with four S.P.D. morphers on it. She took one morpher from the tray. Boom brought the rest of the morphers over to Sky, Bridge, and myself and we each took one as Kat was telling us about these S.P.D. morphers.

"S.P.D. morphers. They are, without a doubt, your best friend. They're also judgment scanners. They will assess the guilt or innocence of those you take into custody. Boom…guilty or innocent of eating the last slice of chocolate cake today?" Kat asked.

The signal on the S.P.D. morpher Kat was holding flashed back and forth from the guilty and innocent symbol.

"Me? I-I…Ha ha ha! Uh…no. No, no, I didn't," Boom answered folding his arms over his chest.

"The scanner reads body temperature, pulse, and electrical impulses and renders a verdict. Guilty," Kat said as the signal on the morpher stopped on a red "X" signal.

"But…" Boom said.

"And it does not make mistakes," Kat said cutting off what Boom was saying.

"Okay, I'm guilty. But it was just a piece of cake!" Boom exclaimed.

Kat pushed the gray button on the morpher and Boom disappeared. All that remained was what looked like a playing card.

"Okay! Time to let Boom out now!" a voice from the card exclaimed.

"This makes transportation of the detainee a non-issue," Kat said wiggling the card in her hand.

"Kat?" came Boom's voice from the card.

"You are trained and now equipped. You are the new 'B' squad power rangers. Congratulations," Cruger said.

"Yes!" Bridge exclaimed while he did a little victory dance. I couldn't help but smile at Bridge's little victory dance.

"Celebration can come later. I need your assistance on an urgent matter," Cruger said.

"Yes, sir," we answered in unison.

"Follow me," Cruger ordered.

The three of us followed Cruger single file. I was stoked to finally become a power ranger. I think it's safe to assume that Sky and Bridge felt the same way. After two years of hard work, it's nice to know that it paid off. Maybe that saying is true. Patience is a virtue.

TBC

Thanks to garnetred, Psycho Tangerine, and Crimson Mystery for reviewing my last chapter. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read my story. Let me know what you think in a review. No flames please!