Disclaimer: Powers Ranger Space Patrol Delta and all related logos are property of Disney Entertainment; I am using them without permission. Any original characters you see are mine, and I obviously have permission to use them.
A/N: This takes place only days after "Endings part 2"
New Tech City, California 2025 AD
"How much longer Bridge?" Commander Cruger asked as he waited impatiently.
Bridge had been sitting on the ground in front a small pile of electronic parts, combining them with his morpher. There were wires and assorted parts they'd found in Dr. Rheas lab, and some were from inside his morpher itself. Not once did he take his eyes off his work, giving it his undivided attention; so much so that he didn't hear the Commander talking to him.
"This is going to take a little bit of time. He's trying to find a way to communicate with Sky on the other side of the wormhole," Liz pointed out.
"I don't understand why we can't just call him like we normally do. Our communicators have great range," Syd brought up.
"I suspect the radiation coming from the anomaly is interfering with communications," the Commander pointed out.
Dr. Rhea was standing directly in front of the wormhole with a device of her own, scanning it and going over the readings. The anomaly itself was now three times its original size; there were swirling blue-ish lightening coming from the anomaly, and it emitted a low humming sound. Paying it almost no attention, she stood in front of it, amazed at the readings she was getting.
"This is unbelievable," she said, not realizing it was out loud.
"What have you found doctor?" Commander Cruger asked.
"It is a wormhole, but not like any wormhole I've ever seen before. Putting aside for a moment that it's unstable, I believe this to be the first wormhole of its kind. It doesn't lead to the past or the future, but to a dimension similar to this one. Its almost as if it's a…"
"Parallel universe," Liz and Z said in unison.
"Exactly. There's no telling what's the same or what's different, but all my readings seem to point to the same thing; the wormhole leads us directly back here," she told them.
"So if it's safe, I'm going in there to find Sky and bring…" Syd was cut short as the Commander put his hand on her shoulder.
"Sending someone into the wormhole would be unwise. We have no way of knowing what's on the other side," he cautioned.
"She just said it's a parallel dimension, which means it's just like our dimension. I'm willing to take the risk if…"
"I appreciate your enthusiasm Syd, but no one is entering the wormhole until we know more."
"Yes sir," she grumbled to herself, folding her arms.
"I think I'm ready over here," Bridge said, standing up with the modified morpher in hand. "I've recalibrated the communication relay system to work in conjunction with the wavelengths that the wormhole operates on, then reconfigured the…" he was interrupted as the Commander walked over to him.
"Will it work?"
"Yes sir, I think so."
"Then proceed," he told him.
"Yes sir," Bridge switched on the device. "Sky, this is Bridge, come in," he paused. "Officer Tate, come in, its Officer Carson. Respond."
"There isn't much time before the anomaly implodes in on itself, so we have to hurry. Sky, when you make it through to the other side, we'll wait ten seconds, then activate the device to collapse the anomaly once and for all. Once you're there, we won't have any way to contact you to know you made it there successfully, and there's no real guarantee that going back through the wormhole will send you back to your reality. You could end up almost anywhere. Are you sure you want to do this?" Dr. Manx asked him.
"This anomaly is danger to everyone. If it's open here in this reality, it could be open in other realities too. We have no way of knowing who or what could come through it, or worse, what will happen to those realities if it implodes. Even if I don't make it home, this anomaly has to be stopped," he answered.
"If you're not even sure you'll make it home, why don't you stay here with us…" she paused. "… with me?" Syd sighed.
Sky turned to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "We both know I'm not the man you fell in love with, and I'm not Keith's father. We'd be living a lie, and you deserve better than that," he said.
"I know, but…"
"If your Sky is anything like me, he won't stop trying to come home to you," Sky told her.
"I miss him so much," she sighed, breaking down into tears.
"Sky, this is Bridge, come in," he paused. "Officer Tate, come in, its Officer Carson. Respond."
"Looks like your friends found a way to communicate with you," Dr. Manx said.
Sky reached for his communicator. "Bridge! I never thought I'd be so happy to hear your voice," he said.
"According to our readings, the anomaly will implode in a matter of minutes. Are you able to come back through?"
"Yes, I am. Are both the Zs' there with you?"
"They're here, why?"
"Just let them know I have a surprise for them. I'll be in a few minutes. As soon as I get there, be prepared to activate the device and collapse the wormhole," he instructed.
"Will do! Bridge out!"
Emperor Gruum sat on the bridge of his ship with a devilish look in his eyes, listening in on the conversation. "Well," he stood up. "It seems that there is another reality, another SPD, another world for me to conquer," he groaned.
It was Charlie who took a step forward. "My lord, allow me to take the A-Squad and eliminate SPD once and for all. We'll crush the remaining rangers, then go through the wormhole and defeat the rangers there as well. You will rule both realities!" she told him.
He nodded with devious approval. "Yes, go. And if Doggie Cruger still exists in that reality, bring me his head as proof of his destruction," he ordered.
Charlie bowed in front of him. "As you wish Emperor."
"We're running out of time here Commander Cruger. I estimate that the wormhole will implode in less than five minutes. When it does it will take all of us and half the city with it," Dr. Rhea pointed out.
The Commander glanced over at Syd, who still had a determined look on her face. "We will wait another five minutes. If he isn't back by then, I will personally go in after him. Once I do, wait another three minutes. If we haven't returned, collapse the anomaly," he instructed.
"It doesn't make sense for the Commander of SPD to risk his life by going in there. Let me go," Syd said.
"We've had this discussion and my order has been given. Stand down Officer Drew," he said firmly.
"Yes sir!"
"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Sky said, standing in front of the wormhole.
"I guess it is," Syd sighed.
Bridge walked over to him, extending his hand to him. "It was great to meet you, kinda. I mean, I knew you, but not you you, so its like I know you, but I don't," he said.
"I actually understood that," Sky chuckled.
"Good luck man," Jack said, extending his hand to Sky.
The two of them shook. "It was great to see you again Jack," he sighed.
"I hate to break up this touching moment… oh wait, no I don't," a voice said. They turned around only to find themselves surrounded by the A-Squad, each of them with a disrupter riffle in hand. "By order of Emperor Gruum, you, the wormhole and everything on both sides are now under the control of the Troobian Empire. This ends here and now B-Squad."
"Sky, just go, we'll handle this," Syd said.
"No, I'm not leaving until this is done," he took a step forward. "Lets do it guys!"
Bridge, Jack and Syd fell in line, standing behind Sky.
"You heard them, this ends here!" Jack added.
"SPD EMERGENCY!" each of them called out. There was a brilliant flash of light, and each of them transformed into rangers.
Charlie charged in after Sky, but he ducked, spun around and caught her with a sweep from behind. She fell hard, but quickly leaped back to her feet with a spin kick. Sky sidestepped her and did a backwards flip. His foot caught her under the skin as he flipped, forcing her to stumble back. Sky reached for his weapon, firing and connecting directly in the chest. Charlie fell to the ground, powering down instantly.
"You'll pay for that rookie!" she snarled.
The green and yellow A-Squad rangers were having their way with Syd and Jack, backing them up against one of the abandoned buildings. The green ranger rushed in with a sabat kick, but Jack ducked and the ranger's foot went through the wall, getting stuck. Jack gave him a sweep, knocking him completely off balance, leaving him upside down. The yellow ranger fired his weapon, but Syd rolled out the way, ran towards him with caught him with a kick to the chin, knocking him backwards. It was Bridge who did a flip in mid air, grabbing the yellow rangers weapon before it hit the ground, firing and hitting the green ranger in the chest.
"That's enough rangers!" a voice said. They all stopped as they realized that the blue A-Squad ranger had Dr. Manx, holding a riffle to her head. "Another move and the good doctor will be a pile of ash!"
One by one, each of the rangers dropped their weapons. "Just let her go!" Jack ordered.
"You're pathetic, you know that? You goody goodies playing the rules will always fall to evil. Now, drop your morphers and kick them over to me right now!" Charlie instructed.
Before they did, it was Shadow Ranger who emerged from the wormhole.
"Commander!" Sky called out.
Shadow Ranger nodded, calling for his Shadow Saber and throwing it at the blue A-Squad ranger. Dr. Manx ducked, and the saber was enough to knock the riffle out his hand. Before he could react, Shadow Ranger caught him with a kick to the side of the head. Charlie and the green ranger rushed up from behind, but Shadow fell to his knees, ramming his elbows back, catching both of them in the stomach, and then flipped them over. The green ranger stumbled back, falling through the wormhole.
"I don't like this at all," Syd groaned, pacing back and forth as she waited for Bridge to finish his modifications.
"He'll be finished as soon as he can. I bet we're…" before Liz could finish her sentence, the green A-Squad ranger came tumbling through the wormhole. He made it to his feet, glancing around slightly.
Before Z, Liz or Syd could make a move, the green ranger grabbed Dr. Rhea, putting a phaser pistol to her head. "Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on!" he snapped.
"Let her go!" Z insisted.
"Or what? I'll blow a whole through this bitches head before you can make it over here to stop me, I…" he was cut short as Dr. Rhea rammed an elbow in his stomach, forcing him to double over. She spun around quickly with a kick, knocking the pistol out his hand, then grabbed his arm, flipping over onto the ground. The green ranger tried to move, but found himself staring at the barrel of the pistol as Dr. Rhea stood over him.
"You were saying?" she asked him.
"Nice moves!" Liz and Z said in unison.
"What? I can't be smart, pretty and a bad ass?" she smirked.
"You won't get away with this! Emperor Gruum will rule this dimension and every other. SPD will fall, and the universe will tremble…" before he could finish his statement, Z kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him out cold.
"Geez, I thought that guy would never shut up!"
Charlie tried to move, but Shadow Ranger pointed a disrupter at her face.
"Its over," he insisted.
"That's what you think?" she laughed. "The wormhole is about to collapse, so you and your friend better hurry before you're stuck here. Once you're gone, these pathetic rangers won't stand a chance against us. We'll dominate the world, and when we're done, come after yours," she told him.
"Commander, we have to go NOW," Sky told him.
"We shall see," the Commander said, firing the riffle, missing Charlie's head by an inch. He then dropped the riffle, stepping through the wormhole.
"You guys know what to do! But wait a minute," he said
"Wait? Why?" Dr. Manx asked.
"I have an idea," Sky said, stepping through as well.
Shadow Ranger and Sky reappeared on the other side of the wormhole, and as soon as they did, Syd rushed over to Sky, wrapping her arms around him. "I knew you'd make it," she said.
Sky nodded. "Of course I would," he turned to Z and Liz. "There isn't much time, so you have to decide what you want to do in a hurry. The same thing happened to you in the other reality, and Boom was able to come up with anti-dote, but neither of you survived long enough to take it," he reached in his pocket, pulling out two small flasks. "This should stabilize your DNA enough to let both of you to survive, but the other reality could really use your help. I'm hoping one of you will volunteer to go back there and help them in their battle with Gruum," he told them.
Each of them took a flask, drinking the contents.
"I'll go," Z said.
"No, I will," Liz said. "Maybe once this is over, I'll be able to come back."
"Maybe," she sighed, wrapping her arms around her.
"Goodbye… sister," she sighed.
Sky reached for a morpher, handing it to Liz. "Give this to Dr. Manx when you get there, tell her to study the schematics for SWAT mode and incorporate it into all the morphers there, that should give you the edge against the A-Squad," he said.
"Take this guy with you. I'm sure the authorities will want to confine him in his own dimension," Shadow Ranger said, hoisting up the unconscious green A-Squad ranger and throwing him through the wormhole. Liz nodded, then stepped through the wormhole, disappearing into the swirling vortex.
"Bridge, activate the device," Syd ordered.
Bridge switched on the device, standing directly in front of the wormhole. For the first few seconds, it was having no effect at all. Suddenly, the wormhole began to get smaller… and smaller, and then finally, it was gone.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sure glad that's over," Sky sighed.
to be concluded...
