The battle was fierce, as the B-Squad and A-Squad faced each other in a fearce battle. While the A-Squaad only fought to prove they were the best, the B-Squad was fighting for something much more important. They were fighting for Commander Cruger, for SPD and for their home. They were fighting to show just what it means to be called a Power Ranger. If there was one thing they all had learned this year, it was that being the best doesn't always mean you're going to win and get what you want.
There was more to being a Power Ranger than fancy uniforms and cool gadgets. It was teamwork and dedication; to keep on fighting even when it looks like you're going to lose. Because a Ranger never gives up, they keep on going right down to the very last breath; Sky's father taught them that. Sky reminded them of that.
"Give up!" roared Tusk, as he slammed Sky against a brick wall and watched as he dropped to the ground. Tusk kicked the blue Ranger over on his back. "I promise to make your demise quick." He lifted up his foot and got ready to slam Sky right in the chest.
Sky reached up his arms and grabbed Tusk's foot. trying to push it away, but Tusk's inhuman strength overpowered his own. "Then I guess you don't know me that well!" Even though he was tired and his arms grew heavy, he couldn't give up. Too many lives depend upon him. His teammate depended upon him. He couldn't let Gruumm win, he couldn't let earth fall. "Because I never give up!" Sky threw Tusk off of him.
Tusk picked himself up from the ground. "Seems, I underestimated you," he excliamed.
Sky got into a fighting position. "If you were a real Power Ranger, then you would know never to underestimate another Power Ranger."
Tusk just laughed. "I am a real Power Ranger." He positioned himself into a fighting stance. "Besides, it didn't seem to work so well for your father," smirked Tusk, knowing full well how Sky was when it came to his father. It had been no secret around the academy to the cadets and officers that Sky Tate was upset when Commander Cruger hadn't appointed him red Ranger. "I wonder if he begged for his life when Mirloc killed him?"
Sky could feel his anger flow through him. Anytime anyone discredited his father for the kind of Ranger and man he was, he could snap and lose it at any moment. But as he has learned this year, he couldn't let his feelings get the best of him. He already knew how great a man his father was. It didn't matter what anyone else thought or said. "So are we going to fight or are you getting scared that I'll beat you?"
"I'm not scared, bring it on," Tusk spat.
Syd was having difficulty holding her own against Kim. Kim was a much more experienced fighter than she was; but she refused to call out for help from her friends, knowing they were having just as much trouble as she was. She wanted to prove to them that she wasn't Daddy's little princess anymore, that she was a woman, a warrior, someone who could stand up for herself and handle her own.
"Had enough?" Kim sneered as she kicked Syd down to the ground.
Syd took a deep breath; she gripped her hands and then felt her hand grip around a rock. She smiled to herself behind her helmet as she stood up. "I was just getting started." She ran towards Kim, throwing a punch with so much force it threw Kim back a few feet.
Kim was surprised to say the least. "How'd you do that?"
Syd laughed and flipped the rock in her hands. "All in the genes, sweetie." She got into a fighting stance. "Now, where were we?"
"Do you really think that with three of you, you'll be able to stop me?" uttered Cliff, as he eyed the three yellow rangers carefully. Only one of them was the real B-Squad yellow Ranger, and he wasn't about to be fooled by any of her tricks.
"Why don't we find out?" annouced Z.
Cliff took a deep breath and carefully eyed the three. He needed to stay calm, stay patient, in order to reveal the real one.
Z stood still. 'What's he waiting for?' she asked herself.
"Come on, tell me which one is the real you." Everything seemed to stop or just appeared to stop. Cliff felt a gust of wind go through him, and for a slit second he felt as if a shadow overlaid him, something so different, but yet so familiar, as if it was something from a forgotten past. But then it was gone, like it had never been there. It didn't matter anymore; he finally had his answer. His eyes locked onto the center yellow Ranger. "There you are!" he yelled and punched her square into the chest.
Z grunted as she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. "Impossible!" How had he figured it out so quickly?
Cliff laughed as he started towards her. "You're not the only one with tricks."
Bridge didn't know what was going on. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The quick flashes, the heartbeat and horrified screams of a little boy. What's going on? He didn't have much time to figure out what was going on, not while he was fighting Kane, an immensely powerful opponent.
"Fight me!" roared Kane as he punched Bridge hard in the shoulder.
Bridge tried to fight back, but whenever he did the flashes would return. And suddenly something that he never thought possible, happened. In a quick flash Bridge's surroundings changed, to a darkened grey. He wasn't with the others. In fact he wasn't sure where he was.
"Where am I?" He looked around and saw great mountains and trees, he could feel the fresh air blow against him. Then lightning flashed and he heard horrified cries. He turned and watched as a young toddler boy fell to the ground, dropping in front of a Power Ranger who Bridge did not recognize. "What?"
More cries continued; Bridge watched as Krybots shot two more people, a mother and father. He then saw two more children, a boy and girl; Bridge was horrified as he watched the Krybots start towards them. "Oh no!" He then watched as one of the Krybots knocked the Ranger out. "Leave them alone!" he cried as he pulled out his blaster and began shooting, but it had no effect. In fact, it was as if he wasn't really there. All he could do was watch helplessly as the Krybots carried the children away.
"Ahh!" Bridge dropped to the ground, with the A-Squad green Ranger lingering over him. His heart was racing fast as he looked up. What had just happened - one moment he was here and the next he wasn't? What did it mean? And then Bridge looked closer, staring right at Kane's helmet and that's when he saw it: a quick flash of Kane and the small boy he had just seen. "It was you…" He felt like his heart skipped a beat as he stood up and backed away, blown away by what he had just learned.
"What are you talking about!" barked Kane.
Bridge pulled off his helmet, not even aware that he was doing it, but at the same time he felt in order for him to reveal his revelation to Kane. He needed Kane to look into his eyes to know what he had to say was the truth.
Both Jack and Sky had their hands tied fighting their counterparts, but took the time to notice that Bridge had made a dangerous move.
"Bridge, what the hell are you doing?" yelled Sky.
"Get your helmet back on!" ordered Jack.
But Bridge ignored their calls, keeping his concentration locked on Kane and what he had just learned. "You don't even remember, do you?" Bridge stepped forward, but stopped when Kane pulled out his blaster, pointing it right at him. He took a deep breath, he knew what he was doing was dangerous. He knew he was putting his life on the line, but he had to at least try to get through to him. "You and…" he then eyed Syd, fighting with the pink ranger. And he soon saw a flash of her as well. She was the little girl he had seen. "…your sister, you were real little when they came for you." Taking a leap of faith, Bridge stepped forward once again. "They killed your parents and your brother," he announced. "There was three of you, triplets."
"Shut-up!" Kane's fingers gripped around his blaster, as he pressed it against Bridge's chest. "You don't know what you're talking about!"
Bridge then began to think more into it; if Krybots had come for Kane and Kim, killing their family, was it possible the rest of the. A-Squad had suffered the same fate? It seemed like the most gruesome act that could have ever taken place, but then this was Gruumm, and this had him written all over it. Bridge came to his conclusion with open and saddened eyes. "You're not evil." He put his hands on top of the blaster, trying to press it down. "You were just taught to think you were."
The alarms were going off throughout the Command Center; Kat and Boom had to seal and lock all doors to prevent the Troobians from entering, but that also meant no one else could come in. All they could hear was the heavy blaster firing and the voices of the young men and women who were fighting to protect them. They felt completely helpless, not being able to help them. Sure, Sam was out there, but this was too much for even him to handle. And the other Rangers couldn't come to their aid, they were still tied up with the A-Squad.
Many would probably die today, that was one thing that couldn't be helped. Kat felt her mind drifting back to her home planet that had been destroyed. She was all that was left when Andros and the others arrived on her world, and would later bring her here to Earth. Home. It seemed strange calling this place home, but that's what it had become. Earth was her home.
"What's Bridge doing?" asked Boom, as he watched the screen where the battle between the A and B squad was taking place. He had been watching Bridge the longest, who had stopped fighting and removed his helmet. And now was talking to Kane, the green Ranger, as if they were long-lost friends.
"I don't know, but I know Bridge and he wouldn't do anything without thinking about it." But something in the back of her head told her there was something much more deeper was going on. The question was, what was it?
BOOM! Both of them jumped and turned their heads to the sealed door; smoke was slowly leaking in. It would only be a matter of time until the Troobians made their way in; the door wouldn't be able to hold for much longer. And once they got inside the Command Center that would be the end of things. The Command Center was the heart of the Academy, if it fell, the whole Academy would go down with it.
"What are we going to do? The doors can't last much longer," announced Boom.
Kat, knowing that they didn't have much time. She walked over to a safe and opened it pulling out two blasters. She walked back over to Boom and tossed him one. "Still remember how to use one of these things?"
Boom gulped in heavily as he stared at the blaster in his hands. He knew what he had to do, but he was afraid. He had failed out of the academy's training course. He wasn't fit to be a cadet or a solider. All he was, was a nobody that everyone felt sorry for. "I-I…"
"Brace yourself!" BOOM! That had done it, the doors were full exposed. Troobians were everywhere and dead and injured bodies of cadets lay all over. Kat raised her blaster, aiming right at the Troobians. "Now Boom!" she ordered. "You can do it!"
There was no time to think, only to react, as the Troobian army marched towards them, blasting away everything in sight. Blast shots hit the computers and walls, destroying them in seconds. The blasts seemed to miss Kat and Boom for now.
"Kat, it's not working!" Boom could feel his heart racing as he continued to use his blaster that had little effect on the Troobians.
"We can't give up!" But even she knew, the odds were against them; it seemed unlikely they would survive. Her doubts of survival increased as more Troobians came their way, and her heart broke as she watched them take cadet after cadet down, the ones who were trying to protect them. All hope seemed lost…..
"Did someone call for reinforcements?" yelled a voice.
Both Kat and Boom looked up and watched as a red and black Ranger jumped over the Troobians and now stood in front of them.
"Eric?" Kat was stunned to say the least. He was the last person she ever suspected to show up here. "W-What….I-"
"Yahoo! The Quantum Ranger is back in action!" exclaimed Boom knowing they stood a chance, with the Quantum Ranger at their side anything was possible. Years ago he had been known as one of the most feared Rangers, no one dared cross him.
"It's nice to see you too, Kat." Eric pulled out his Quantum Defender. "So you two up for kicking some Troobian ass? Or do I get to have all the fun for myself?"
Kat grinned, still the same old Eric. "We got your back, Eric!"
"Good! I just might need it." He raised his blaster up and fired the first shot and hit a Troobian head on. "Now who wants to go next!" cried Eric as he ran towards the center, punching and kicking. He felt a great surge of energy flow through him. It had been years since he had been a Ranger, fought in a battle like this. But, this was very different. For as long as he could remember he liked fighting alone, but now he found himself searching for the shadow that was no longer there.
With Eric with them, hope had returned to Boom and Kat. Now they stood a chance…
Jack was having a little trouble keeping up with Charlie, whether it was because she was faster and slightly more experienced or the fact that he couldn't quite bring himself to hit a girl, he wasn't sure. But one thing was for sure, if he didn't get his act together he'd be history, and somehow that didn't seem to be appealing to him.
"Is that the best you can do?" mocked Charlie as she picked Jack up by the neck. "I haven't even broken a sweat."
"…Sorry!" He swung his arm around and pushed her hands away from him. He dropped to the ground and landed on his feet. "I was just warming up." He took a deep breath, knowing it might be the only chance he had, before getting back into a fighting stance. "So, you ready to get this show on the road? Or would you rather surrender now, and not humiliate yourself?"
Charlie laughed, not buying into his egotistical remarks. "Don't flatter yourself, you haven't even beat me yet!"
"I-I…." Kane was a loss for words. He didn't know what to say as his weapon dropped to the ground and he demorphed. He was a loss for words as his eyes met Bridge's, and maybe for the first time what he saw wasn't the eyes of an enemy, but the eyes of something else. Something familiar, something he hadn't seen in years. Ever so quickly images flashed in his mind, horrifying images he had only seen in his nightmares. He grabbed a hold of his head, screaming out in pain. "Nooo…"
"Nooo! Mommy! Daddy," cried the little boy as the blue Krybot scooped him up in his arms. He tried kicking and screaming at the top of his lungs, but it did no good. He couldn't get free. He soon saw his sister in the same position, crying like he was, trying to get away, but couldn't. So much fear, so much pain.
"Noo!" Kane's eyes were filled with anger and fury. He picked up his blaster and pointed it right at Bridge once again, fully intending to pull the trigger this time. "Get out of my head. Make it stop!" he ordered.
Bridge could feel his heart pounding against his chest. He slowly again raised his arms up. "I'm not doing anything. They're your memories, they're real."
"Liar!" Kane continued to see the horrifying images flash over and over. "Make it go away, or I swear I'll blow you away!"
Bridge gulped in heavily and slowly stepped a few feet back. "I'm not lying. All I can tell you is that whatever happened to you was Gruumm's doing. If anyone has lied to you, it's been him."
"You're wrong." He kept his eyes locked right on Bridge. "Gruumm has been there for us, since the beginning. He's been like a father to me, to all of us!"
"That's what he wants you to believe." Bridge felt torn at what to do or say. He didn't know any more than Kane did about what was going on. He just knew that Gruumm had been using them the whole time. "Gruumm doesn't care about you, he never has. He's just using you to get what he wants."
"No!" Kane shook his head. "You're wrong." He pressed his fingers against the blaster, getting ready to shoot. Bridge just stood still, frozen in time, just waiting for the blast to hit him head on.
"Bridge!" yelled Sky as he jumped at him, taking him to the ground as the blast just barely missed them. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You're going to get yourself killed!"
The battle seemed to have broken up with the commotion; soon all sides were back with their teams to regroup. Sky helped Bridge to his feet. And then stepped forward, heading back towards the A-Squad. "Let's finish this once and for all!"
"No! Wait." Bridge grabbed a hold of Sky's shoulder, pulling him back.
"What is it with you, Bridge?" yelled Sky angrily. "It's our job to bring them in, they're the bad guys."
"I have to second that," added Jack, knowing time wasn't on their side. Commander Cruger's life could depend upon it, if they didn't get to him in time. They needed to finish things here now!
"I know." Bridge bit his lip and turned back to look at Kane. "But you don't understand, they're not the enemy."
"What!" Sky yelled.
"I think you're right, he's lost it," said Z, referring to Jack's comment from earlier.
"Bridge, are you all right?" asked Syd, concerned. She knew that Bridge had his moments, but even this was just not like him.
"I'm fine," Bridge assured his friends that he wasn't losing his mind. He locked his eyes on Kane. He had almost gotten through to him; just maybe if he could get through to him again, they could end this battle. "But you're not, are you Kane?"
"I told you to shut-up. You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
Bridge then began once again to repeat to Kane what had happened to him, so long ago. "When you were little, the Krybots kidnapped you and your sister and killed your family right in front of your eyes." Taking a leap of faith, Bridge stepped a few feet forward. "That did happen!" He then eyed all of them. "It happened to all of you, didn't it? You were taken from your homes and had to watch as your families were murdered before your eyes. And ever since you were forced to live in darkness, to live a lie."
Bridge's teammates were blown away by his accusation, but were even more stunned that the A-Squad seem frozen in time, and watched as the rest of A-Squad demorphed, their eyes full of rage and confusion, as Bridge's words played over in their minds.
"Okay, does someone want to tell me what the hell just happened?" announced Jack.