Full episode now complete. You'll have to scroll down to the triple line breaks to see where the last installment ended at (if you've kept up thus far that is). Thanks so much for the awesome reviews. I'm sorry I've neglected to comment. I think it's awesome you read my story. Tentavely, I have only 13 episodes planned, kind of like how a TV network initially orders 13 episodes of a new show. I eventually want to explore other ideas, so 13 is a good solid episode count for me. Thanks again.
Episode 02x01
Title - Invisible, part 2
The explosion between the car and Sky's force field was tremendous. Civilians cowered and dove out the way to avoid the flying debris. Cars slammed their breaks in both directions to avoid the inevitable pile up. The sound of horns filled the air like an out of tune orchestra.
"Sky!" Z cried hysterically.
She ran onto the street, as close as she could to the wreckage. Her eyes searched in panic. Every second was its own eternity, but the ascension of a soft blue light ended that wait. Sky stood to his feet, completely bathed in his force field. He stumbled out of the flames and crashed onto the pavement. He panted in exhaustion as the force field shattered like shards of glass and dissolved ike melting ice.
"Oh my God, Sky," Z said rushing to kneel at his side. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," Sky managed to say through gulps of air. "I'm fine. I had to hold my breath longer than I'm used to, but I'm fine."
"Oh thank goodness. I'll call for a -- my morpher. It's back at the court!"
"It's fine. I'm alerting the authorities now," a man said approaching the two with a cell phone to his ear. Other citizens had started to gather around the officers.
Sky and Z looked at each other with faint smiles. Everything was okay.
The evening was set. An air of excitement was buzzing around the academy. It's been a year and some odd days since the defeat of the Troobian Empire. The anniversary dinner served both as a celebration and a Thanksgiving dinner just for cadets before breaking for the four-day weekend. More importantly, the team responsible for Earth's victory was to be honored for their act of heroism in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
The dining hall had been transformed into an elegant ballroom. A sea of tables was draped with fine linen cloths, candles, and other decor. Cadets and other SPD staff continued to pour into the room as the sounds of conversations filled the air. At the front of the room was a platform with a stretching table. Of the twelve settings, only six cards etched with golden cursive lettering bared six familiar names: Commander Anubis Cruger, Jack Landors, Sky Tate, Bridge Carson, Elizabeth Delgado, and Sydney Drew. The twelve seats were currently vacant.
The Command Center was an even more cold and sterile place to be in, especially at night, especially alone. It didn't seem to bother SPD's newest Project Development member Boomhauer Johnson one bit -- or "Boom" as he was more affectionately known.
The stalky tech geek had cleaned up nicely. A tux and combed hair was a good look for the usually unfortunate-looking SPD staff member. His exceptional outward appearance was the last thing on his mind tonight. His eyes mowed over gobs of data and searched frantically.
The doors of the Command Center slid open. Startled, Boom jumped and spun around.
"Kat, hey," he said relieved a member of B-Squad hadn't walked in.
"It's fine. It's just me."
Dr. Manx entered the room and joined Boom by the ring of computers. He tried not to stare, but Kat looked absolutely stunning. The pastel-lavender dress hugging her body was sure to turn every head in SPD once she would step foot into the ballroom.
"Find it yet?" Kat queried.
"No," Boom said with a pensive look, "I knew this would happen. Why can't I ever do things right?"
"Relax. It doesn't need to be done tonight. When the time is right, Boom."
"But it's our gift to the B-Squad. We've worked so hard on DV2. It's only fitting we present them tonight."
"I was hoping to present them this evening as well, but what's meant to be is meant to be. Tonight's for celebration, not work. Let's enjoy it while we can, Boom."
Kat's warm smile was all the convincing Boom needed.
"You're absolutely right."
He promptly halted the search and logged out.
"Shall we?" Boom asked presenting his arm.
"We shall," Kat said taking the arm.
The two left the Command Center behind and set forth to the dining hall. As the doors slid shut, the console Boom was previously viewing received a status report. The monitor was showing a live readout of energy levels similar to that of the sector in outer space Sky and Ben were patrolling just days ago. The energy levels were pinpointed with exact coordinates -- right outside the SPD Academy.
Down the hall from the banquet was a small meeting room -- just large enough to seat ten. Around the glossy conference table sat four quiet (and freezing) well-dressed SPD officers.Z smoothed out for the hundredth time the ruffly D&G dress Syd had picked out for her. Syd, with a tad-more revealing pink Prada ensemble, scowled her face after warning her friend ten times to not mess with the sensitive material. Bridge sat reclined in the executive chair counting the small dots on the ceiling tile. Though the all silk, teal blue tie complimented the Armani tux well, the black leather gloves didn't. Sky sat resting his temple against his middle and forefingers. He was utterly bored out of his mind.
Syd looked across the table at the silent nineteen year old. She admired the tux Z picked for her date. The crimson satin vest beneath the black BCBG worked real well.
If Sky wasn't such a jerk, I'd say we'd look good together in more than one way...
The doors of the room slid open. Four heads simultaneously turned as a man with pony-tailed dreds stood before them.
"JACK!" Z screamed.
She hopped out her seat and nearly knocked the former SPD cadet over.
"It's good to see you, too," Jack said knocked back a step from the powerful embrace. "And you look -- wow."
"Thanks to me," the voice of a familiar priss said behind Z.
Syd came up next and hugged her former SPD colleague.
"Were you always this stunning, Syd?" Jack asked looking her over.
"Yes, but tonight I'm ravishing," Syd said stepping back to give Jack a better view.
"Um, hello?" an ignored Bridge said waving from the back.
"Hey, buddy," Jack said grasping hands with his old friend. "You look ravishing too, Bridge!"
"Thanks, but do you think this makes my butt look big?" SPD Blue asked in a melodramatic Syd-like voice.
The others laughed, except for Syd.
"You haven't changed a bit, Bridge," Jack said pulling his comrade into a hug. "And don't start."
"You haven't changed either, since we last saw you I mean."
"Yeah. About that--"
"Save it," Sky said finally standing.
The room grew a whole lot colder -- then Sky's face broke.
"Just kidding," he said pulling his former leader into a brotherly embrace.
The other three breathed a sigh of relief.
"Heard you had an interesting afternoon recently," Jack said leading his former team members out the room.
"All in a day's work of chasing cars that have no drivers," Sky said slapping his friend's back.
"You mean they never found out who was behind it?" Syd asked.
"No. Whoever it was, I'm sure we haven't seen or heard the last of them," Sky commented before changing subjects. "So you came alone, Jack?"
"Yep. Single and free to mingle," he happily announced.
"I'm sure when some of the girl cadets see you again, you won't be single for long," Z said nudging Jack's arm.
"No doubt!"
A tall figure at the end of the hallway stood silent, his eyes watching the five like a father would. He was cloaked in an all black commander outfit with parallel columns of gold-plated buttons accompanied with a gold-plated SPD badge bearing six stripes: black, red, blue, green, yellow, and pink.
"Commander," Jack said going into the motions of the SPD salute.
Doggie Cruger returned the gesture. A half-growl, half-laugh escaped his mouth as he looked his former B-Squad captain in the eye.
"Welcome home, Jack."
"It's good to be home, sir."
Commander Cruger led his squad through the winding hallway. No one spoke a word, but more was being said by just having the six together again like old times. The gang arrived at the entrance of the decorative dining hall. All conversation died almost instantaneously once their presence was made known. A chorus of three hundred chairs could be heard rubbing against the tile as SPD cadets rose in respect of their superior officers.
At the table closest to the stage stood Kat and Boom. Together they presented the SPD salute to the defenders of Earth.
"SPD!" Kat shouted.
"SPD!" Boom echoed.
Everyone else followed.
"SPD!"
Applause broke out as the six made their way to the stage. They walked in order of their officer rank like it was a year ago: Command Cruger first, trailed by Jack, Sky, Bridge, Z, and last but not least, Syd. At the foot of the stage stood Isinia Cruger waiting with adoring eyes for Earth SPD's Commander, her husband Anubis. Doggie took her paw and led her up the steps. Flashes of cameras welcomed the officers as they climbed the steps one by one.
Jack's eyes lowered away from the SPD cadets watching him with admiration. He didn't expect to, but he felt it. He felt guilt.
How could I leave SPD?...
Before the seven sat, they posed one last time for the cameras.
"Allow me," Sky said pulling Syd's chair.
"I'm beginning to think you've had experience doing this," Syd teased as she took the seat.
"Maybe."
The photography ended and everyone resumed their conversations. Z looked around, as did Bridge.
"Lose your dates, guys?" Sky asked looking down the table at the empty seats.
"You mean us?" someone passing by asked.
The seven turned to see two well-dressed civilians with an SPD security escort standing off to the side. Z's eyes lit up.
"Steven!" she practically squealed.
"¿Que pasa, chica?" he asked entering into a quick embrace with Z. "Look - at - you."
Z giggled.
"Not too bad yourself."
Everyone at the table exchanged looks. She was obviously smitten.
"This is Steven Torres, everyone," Z said introducing them.
"And this is the lovely and talented Laura White," Bridge said presenting his date as if she was a prize on a game show.
"Vanna's my great aunt!" she announced giddily.
"Really?" Bridge said genuinely surprised.
"No, silly," Laura giggled taking her seat.
That sound again. Everyone, including Doggie, looked away for a quick second to conceal their reactions.
Jack's eyes searched the sea of people talking amongst themselves. He almost immediately spotted Sam with the other children. His eyes then glanced at the empty seat beside him that was reserved for the date he could have brought to the banquet.
A small smile perched on Jack's lips.
In honor of Omega...
As if Sam heard his thoughts, their eyes met. Jack waved the boy over.
"What do you think he wants?" the kid next to Sam asked.
"I don't know?" Sam said waving back.
Jack then pointed to the vacant seat next to him.
"Sweet!" Sam said jumping out his chair.
The red-head left the table and hurried to the stage. The other children looked at each other, obviously envious of their peer.
"It's who you know I guess," the same kid said.
Out in the foyer of the Academy, a console of monitors sat embedded behind a wide contoured desk. The marble countertop had the letters SPD on it, like many items behind the desk. Two guards sat and monitored each screen, occasionally taking sips of coffee between the small comments they made about the people being watched. A banging at the glass doors ahead caught them off guard and startled the two.
There was a woman, a mother, crying with a baby nestled against her shoulder. Something was awfully wrong it looked.
"My word. Let her in," the taller of the two guards said.
The other guard got up from his chair and hurried to the entrance.
"Ma'am, what's the problem?" he asked pushing the door open.
"My baby! She's can't breath! You have to help her!" the woman cried.
"Okay okay. Calm down. Come inside. Victor, page a nurse. This is an emergency."
The woman hurried to the nearest seat by the waiting area and sat. She cradled her daughter and continued to cry.
"Let me see her. Maybe I can help until the nurse gets here," the guard said to the woman.
The mother looked up with a tear-soaked face and trembling lips.
"I can't do that," she sobbed, hardly able to speak.
Her face was mortified, afraid almost it looked. Her cheeks turned red. The rest of her face went flush next.
"Ma'am, you don't look too well. Let me take the child," the guard said extending his arms.
"I can't do that!"
"Ma'am! Please!"
"NO!"
The woman stretched out her hand and slammed it into the guard's stomach. The guard flew across the foyer and slid across the tile. Slack-jawed, the other guard dropped the phone and drew his pistol.
"You, too!" the woman said stretching out her arm.
Before he could fire, the guard was disarmed and was sent smashing into the wall. He was out cold. The woman's sobbing ceased right then as a shaky smile formed on her mouth.
"Objective one complete. Proceed inside," she said aloud.
The mother stood up with wide, unblinking eyes and released the child. A baby doll came rolling out the swaddle of pink blanket and squeaked once as it hit the floor.
Servers made in-roads between the dozens of rows of the elegantly-decorated cafeteria tables. Their metal carts were topped with steaming turkey dinners and all the fixings. Last year's pre-Thanksgiving dinner for the cadets was not as grandiose due to the sustained damage to the Academy, but this year they had an extra reason to be thankful, an extra reason to be celebrate.
Sam was babbling about happenings in his training and school classes and whatever else eleven year olds of the 2020s talk about, but Jack really wasn't listening. Instead his eyes bounced around the dining hall becoming familiar with old faces again and the new ones. Jack noticed right away the number of new cadets has increased since he left. This was more than an observation -- it was fact. It's been known around the world that SPD has seen an increase in students since the defeat of the Troobians. So much in fact, there have been talks about setting up a satellite campus on the east coast, possibly a third on another continent.
"Jack?" Sam said shaking his arm.
"Huh? Oh -- yeah, right."
Sam knew Jack hadn't heard a word he said, and he didn't care. His friends watched in envy that he was amongst the elites. That's all he cared about.
"I'll be right back," Jack said excusing himself from the table.
Z's head turned as Jack walked past. She stopped mid-sentence in her conversation with Steven and tagged his suit jacket.
"Jack, where are you going? Dinner's being served."
"I'll be back in a minute. Don't worry," Jack assured her.
"Hurry back, alright?"
"You know it."
Jack smiled and left the platform. He exited through the side door and ended up in the hall that he and the others trekked through earlier. The door behind him slid shut. As silly as it seems, he missed the cool, smooth-moving sound of those twin chrome panels coming apart and snapping shut.Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets and strolled down the chilly hall not knowing where he was going and not really caring. The place hadn't changed a bit -- still the same boring mute blues and grays striping the walls, still the quiet museum-like atmosphere of the commons ahead. Jack's eyes wandered about the vaulted lights above and took note how pretty the place looked with them turned down, kind of like an office building after hours. From the escalator, the wide-open commons on the first floor resembled that of an airport runway. Rows of lights dotted the tiles and lit the path to many of the adjacent hallways and classrooms.
Jack stepped off the escalator and felt kind of small for a second. He didn't remember SPD being this large, not since he first arrived two Februarys ago. Once he settled in, things felt smaller and he felt -- what else -- bigger. Jack's reminiscing was suddenly interrupted by the echo of a giggle -- a girl's giggle. A masculine shhh followed next. Whoever they were, they were lousy sneaks Jack thought to himself. Instinctively, the former B-Squad cadet went into officer mode and focused on the location of the voices.
Like a machine, Jack turned around without noise and found the "wishing" fountain in his line of vision, the place where cadets would go and throw one cent pieces in as they passed by. It was a spot he and Z would meet at when they first got to SPD and have lunch together before they grew comfortable eating with the other three. Jack stepped closer to the fountain, mindful of his steps.
He heard more noises as he drew near and identified the activity almost immediately.
"So busted," Jack said standing in front of the two.
The young man and woman quickly separated. Jack shook his head and instinctively put his hands behind his back like he's done many-a-time as B-Squad captain. The young man took a second, but finally realized who he was in the presence of. He snapped up and crossed a bowed arm over his chest.
"Sergeant Landors, it is an honor to meet you, SIR."
"Former sergeant. At ease, cadet. Shouldn't you two be at the dinner upstairs?" Jack questioned the two.
"Going," the young lady said rising up.
"Hold on, cadet. Identify yourselves."
"Cadet Benjamin Worthen, C-Squad, sir," Ben said placing his hands behind his body.
"Cadet Jennifer Holton ... E-Squad, sir," Jennifer said almost sounding embarrassed.
"E-Squad?" Jack asked unfamilar.
Jennifer cleared her throat and explained.
"Sir, with the discontinuation of A-Squad classification, B-Squad now assumes A-level status for its officers, with lower-ranking cadets assuming the subsequent statuses, SIR."
"I see," Jack said thinking it over. "So C-Squad is the new quote unquote B-Squad then, huh?"
"Yes, sir," Ben affirmed.
"And D-Squad being C-level, that must make E-Squad..."
Jennifer's eyes lowered.
"D-status," she said softly.
"Well then, as a D-level cadet, I believe you do not have business where your schedule does not permit you to be, Cadet Holton," Jack said standing in front of her.
"No, sir..."
"Dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
Jennifer, with floor-glued eyes, headed away to the escalators. Ben remained in his pose waiting his turn to be berated. Jack stared Ben down with a most stern look. He checked to make sure Jennifer had gone up the escalator and disappeared. Cackling, he turned back to Ben and shook his shoulders.
"I would never been able to get away with that!" Jack said slapping the cadet's back.
Bewildered, Ben relaxed his posture.
"Sir?"
"Call me Jack," the former cadet said stretching out his hand.
"Okay ... Jack," Ben said taking the hand. He still looked puzzled.
"Sit," Jack said taking a seat on the marble bench encompassing the fountain.
Ben obeyed and seated himself.
"How long have you been with SPD?" Jack asked.
"Two years last month," Ben answered. "I guess you don't remember me."
"We've met?"
"Several times. The last time we talked was the day before the Delta Command Crawler first went online."
"I remember that day well. Wait a second. You were in D-Squad with Sophie weren't you?"
"Yes. I was the cocky loud mouth talking big."
"Oh right. Mr. if any Krybots try to mess with me I'll be ready to kick their butts," Jack said recalling the training exercise clearly. "You made C-Squad? How? You got your butt handed to you that day."
"That day was a wake up call. I worked hard, put in for extra training classes. With the reassignment of cadet levels after the A-Squad classification was discontinued, I thought for sure I was stuck in D-Squad for another year after qualifying for the old C-Squad. Luckily, I was able to make the new C-Squad as a B-level cadet."
"Hard work does pay," Jack smiled.
"Indeed it does. ... So how about you? What's your story?"
"About joining SPD?"
"And why you left," Ben clarified.
Jack was caught off guard. The cadet looked at him waiting to answer.
Not wanting to, Jack began.
"I'm confident in my decision to leave SPD. You have to understand -- SPD was never my final destination, though at times I felt it would be. I remember Z--"
"Z?" Ben asked.
"Elizabeth Delgado. SPD Yellow."
"Oh. Right."
Jack continued.
"I remember Z and I were always on the quest for isomething bigger/i. SPD was it. There was always something to find, something to be drawn to. I didn't have a lot to believe in then. My parents ... I was on my own for most of my life. After doing some research, I was told they were Christian missionaries. Some Christians, huh? I was dumped at a shelter and passed around in the system for years. I had enough, so I escaped. Some years down the line I found Z in a similar situation. Then fast forward more years later, we're arrested and given a choice to join SPD or serve time."
"So the rumors are true then," Ben said.
"There were rumors about us?"
"Some of them were a doozy! Glad you cleared that up."
"W-wait. What were these rumors?
"I don't think you want to know. Go on with your story," Ben requested.
"Fine," Jack said letting it go. "Back to SPD. Command Cruger eventually told us the truth about our civilian powers. It turns out our parents were Earth's first SPD officers."
"No way!"
"That's what we said. My parents weren't really missionaries, just people who went to church. Their personal records were fabricated to keep their business at SPD private. I didn't want anything to do with SPD after that, knowing my parents left me for this place, but I committed myself already."
"Plus, you had no place to go."
"Who's telling the story here, Ben?"
"Sorry. Go on."
"It was Z who talked me into staying. Finding her was the only thing that kept me going. I feel maybe she was put in my life for that reason, to stop me from doing something stupid like committing suicide. So I stayed. I worked my butt off here. I learned a lot -- about myself, how to be a leader. By the end of the year, I found myself searching for that bigger something again. SPD was it. I was so sure of it. ... Someone showed me it wasn't."
"A girl?"
"Bingo. SPD prepared me. I needed it. My year here turned my life around. I don't regret leaving -- but I wonder sometimes..."
Ben thought over Jack's words. He shook his head.
"I'm not convinced," he said.
Jack furrowed his eyebrows.
"What'd you say?"
"I'm not convinced. You're not over this place. Some chick, who I bet you're not even together with anymore, let you get in her pants and suddenly SPD's no longer the ibig thing/i you were searching for. Let's face it, Jack. It doesn't get any bigger than being an SPD officer, a Red one at that."
Jack wasn't sure what to say. Ben's response had struck him hard.
"I bet you anything if you asked Commander, you'd be let back in no problem," Ben said getting up from the bench.
Jack looked up to the C-Squad cadet, scrambling for words.
"I don't think ... I--"
Crash! One by one, the doors of the main entrance exploded into a million pieces of flying glass. The alarms came on and blared throughout the Academy.
Intrusion. SPD emergency. Intrusion. SPD emergency the intercom announced.
Inside the dining hall, the alarms screamed with spinning red lights. The three hundred plus cadets sprang to their feet, all looking at each other for answers. All eyes then shifted to the platform where the B-Squad officers were now standing. Commander Cruger set his napkin down on his plate and rose up.
'B-Squad, get in there!"
"YES, SIR," the four said sending off a quick salute.
The foursome dispatched themselves out the dining hall to find the cause of the disturbance.
Jack and Ben ran across the massive first level to where the entrance was. They found a sea of broken glass littering the tile.
"Who could have done this?" Ben asked surveying the damage.
"Us..."
Both their ears went up as they instinctively fell into fighting stances. The sound of marching approached the many broken doorways. Jack's heart leapt as it filled with the same nerve crunching feeling like it once did. Three silhouettes ran up the wall as a trio step foot inside. It was too dark to see what they looked like, but it was clear. They were monsters.
"Identify yourselves," Jack shouted across the foyer.
No answer came from either of the three.
"Looks like we'll have to force the answers out ourselves," Ben said ready to lunge forward.
"Hold on, cadet!" Jack ordered. "C-Squad has no clearance to engage in battle unless ordered or escalated into one first by the enemy."
The intruder standing middle gathered a ball of energy in his hands and released it. Jack and Ben flipped out the way as the ball exploded against a pillar supporting the ceiling.
"Does that qualify?" Ben asked.
"It's on now!"
Jack and Ben got up and tossed their coats aside. Together, the trio gathered more energy and blasted the deadly salvo in their direction. Jack leapt up and somersaulted over the glass to where the monsters stood. Ben landed next to him as both went into mirrored spin kicks. The two monsters on the right and left stumbled back. The middle one took the cadets by their dress shirts and tossed them back to where they were. His strength was amazing.
"That went well," Ben said consoling his arm as he staggered to his feet.
"SPD! Freeze!" Sky shouted.
The four B-Squad officers came up behind them and pointed their SPD blasters at the intruders across the foyer.
"SPD," one of the monsters hissed. "The famous ones."
"The B-Squad," another spoke.
"The Defenders of Earth," the third one hissed.
"You know who we are. Why don't you tell us who you are?" Syd asked readying her trigger.
"We're the ones who shall rewrite history. The ones who shall reclaim the solar systems Space Patrol Delta protects so dearly," the center monster answered with bitterness in his voice.
"I have a feeling we're dealing with something huge here, guys," Bridge said to his fellow officers.
"Well we're bigger," Sky said taking a step forward. "You're trespassing on SPD property. Step off the premise now or you'll be forced off."
"Commander Tate, how interesting it is to see you just as an officer on the force," the monster on the left said amused.
"Commander?" Z asked. "What's this guy talking about?"
"I have a really bad feeling, guys," Bridge said keeping his blaster steady.
"Not now," Sky said. "Looks like we're going to have to make our move."
"Not if we make ours' first!" the monsters said sending off a unified blast.
The officers dove out the way and fired as they rolled across the floor. With the combined impact, the monsters were blasted out the doors and down the steps of SPD.
Jack looked at the squad he once commanded and watched as they drew their morphers.
"Ready?" Sky asked in protocol.
"Ready!" the others responded.
"SPD! Emergency!"
A colorful explosion tore out the morphers. The officers sailed skyward in a multi-colored display, careening into an airborne back flip before meeting the floor again.
"Space Patrol Delta!" they announced as their respective costumes appeared on their bodies.
Command Cruger entered the Command Center with Kat and Boom trailing behind.
"Oh no! Look at these readings!" Kat said as she tried to assess the situation as quickly as her brain could work.
Boom came up behind her.
"This isn't good!" he said understanding the energy patterns being registered on the scanners. "Commander!"
"Hold on, Boom!" Anubis said concentrating on the monitors.
B-Squad raced outside the doors with Delta Max Strikers ready. SPD Red drew the twin blasters from their holsters.
"Sir, you should see this!" Kat echoed Boom's request.
"What is it, Dr. Manx?" Commander Cruger said turning around.
"The suspicious energy readings you had Officer Tate investigate. They're here -- on Earth."
"A time hole, sir," Boom elaborated.
Doggie's heart became gripped as he turned back to the monitors of the escalating fight.
"If we're sharing the same thought right now, we could have a major threat on our hands."
.
.
B-Squad rushed outside the Academy and lined up at top of the stairs. The officers found the monsters they blasted out the doors now standing again but with their own weapons at hand. Sky had his Delta Blasters drawn tightly in his hands. He was a good shot even under pressure, but something was wrong. His concentration was off because he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew these three. Z apparently had the same nagging thought.
"Sky, haven't we fought those clowns before?" Yellow asked the B-Squad leader.
"I think so, but no matter. We're going to stop them before they can do anymore damage. Right, guys?"
"RIGHT," the team responded heartedly.
"No one's been able to take us down. We're unstoppable!" one of the monsters shouted.
"Just who are you?" Blue demanded to know.
The monster standing middle had chromed, body-tight spiked-armor. What resembled hair were also large spikes but had a blood-like color as if pigmented with the evil residing in its heart. Yellow slanted eyes burned with a fire that read pure hatred.
"Sukira," he hissed drawing an all-orange saber with a four-time spiked basin.
The one beside him appeared to be anatomically female, but was tall and muscular like the others. She was protected with red armored boots and a chest piece contoured with white and black crevices. Her face was hidden behind a cat-like mask with v-shaped antennas bowed atop her nose. An extensive silver and red shotgun was griped in her cold metal hands.
"Uniga," she said in a metallic-distorted voice.
The final monster had the broadest shoulders of all and clearly the largest of the three. Solid amber armor was bound to its frame as conjoined pieces tied together by tubing filled with what appeared to be life fuel resembling that of blood. It had claws of a mutated lobster and the face of what could be considered a crossbreed of a Fernovian and an ant.
"Gainmede," he said identifying himself.
"Sukira and Uniga are awful names, but that's just hideous," Pink quipped readying her Striker.
"Let's do it, team!" Red said.
"RIGHT!"
The four SPD officers leapt into the air and flipped toward the monsters, cris-crossing one another as they landed to the lower level. Red slammed a foot into Sukira's side as Blue threw a punch kick combo at Gainmede's mid-section. Yellow and Pink converted their Delta Max Strikers into Sword Mode and attacked Uniga. Sukira was hardly phased from Red's attack and threw up his own kick. His enormous hoof slammed into Red's chest and sent him falling backward. Gainmede blocked Blue's fist, took him by the wrist and flung backward into Red. Uniga, with her monstrous claws, knocked the Delta Max Swords from Pink and Yellow's hands and slashed them with her enormous shotgun. A shower of sparks raked across their bodies as they flew backwards alongside the male members of B-Squad.
"You aren't so tough, now are you?" Sukira said raising his saber.
Electricity gathered at its blade and flew toward B-Squad. The four were propelled off the ground as the force of the explosion sent them reeling into the sky. The officers crashed back to the concrete steps.
"Okay, we need a new plan, fearless leader," Yellow said clutching Sky's shoulder for support as she staggered to her feet.
"Don't worry. I have one," Red said coming to his feet. "Let's wrap this up."
He drew his morpher from its holster hidden behind his back and raised it to the sky.
"SPD SWAT!"
Blue, Yellow, and Pink drew their morphers next and echoed the command.
"SPD SWAT!"
Their respective energy signatures summoned the armor they had to earn after their failure to work consistently as a team. Their chests, arms, and legs energized as the SWAT gear came to life. The comm. piece completed the power-up as it extended itself from its hidden compartment neighboring their all-silver mouth plates.
"SPD! Special Weapons and Tactics!" Red announced as the Delta Enforcers came to life next and rested themselves in the officers' hands.
"Impressive," Sukira hissed anticipating another round of SPD busting.
B-Squad charged ahead firing away with their Enforcers. Sukira worked quickly to reflect the blasts with his saber away from his body, but he was easily and quickly overrun. His saber fell from his hands and he beside it. Uniga returned fire at Pink and Yellow as the three ran toward each other. The double-team of SPD's top female officers side-stepped Uniga's attack and knocked the muscle-bound felon onto her back. Her shotgun weapon slid away from her hands.
Gainmede remained determined as SPD Blue came running at him with a salvo of laser power raining down on its thick armor. The alien leapt up and slashed downward at the second-in-command SPD officer. Blue's Delta Forcer fell from his hands right as Gainmede took him by the shoulders, swung him about, and tossed him against a wall. Bridge grunted as a twinge of pain tingled throughout his body from the harsh impact. Gainmede then ran up to Sky and give him a slashing of his own. His Delta Enforcer, too, flew out his hands as he went crashing against the pavement.
Uniga stretched out her hand and mentally summoned her shotgun to return to her hands. The weapon obeyed and retracted to its owner's possession. She aimed at Syd and Z and blasted their Enforcers from their hands, then a follow-up blast to their SWAT vests. Even with the extra layer of protection, the strength of the blast outweighed their human ability to stand and sent them flying into another wall. The all-white surface cracked upon impact.
Jack crept around the corner and watched as his former teammates were getting their butts handed to them. The SPD officers climbed to their feet once more.
"Come on, guys. You can beat them," B-Squad's old leader said gritting his teeth.
"They're struggling. Come on, Tate! Command this fight!" Doggie barked as he watched from the Command Center's gallery of monitors. "Dr. Manx, Boom, any updates?"
"No, sir. We're still running through the coordinates' origin. It's almost impossible to trace," Boom said.
"If we don't hurry and find isomething/i, this time portal will close and we may never know who's behind this, Commander," Kat said looking up from the console.
The graveness in her face made Doggie growl anxiously beneath his breath.
"Keep at it, Ms. Manx."
Kat nodded and continued the fast-paced search.
"What was this about wrapping it up?" Uniga snickered with a nerve-grating laugh. "Admit it! You're done for!"
"Not quite!" Red said reaching for his morpher. "SWAT mode, power down!"
A wave of energy dissolved his battle armor with an awesome wave of red energy spiraling downward to his feet.
"What? What is he doing?" Jack asked at his friend's foolish bravery.
"How bold, little Red cadet," Gainmede snorted.
"You've seen nothing yet! Check this out! SPD Battlizer!"
Seemingly if waiting to be called, R.I.C. came running out the Academy to perform his duty. A special morpher sprung from the compartment hidden on the canine's backside. By the looks, the morpher was almost identical to that of Omega's. Undoubtedly so, the adult Sam played a part in the creation of the technology originally designed for Jack, now inherited by Sky, thus explaining Omega's frequent absence from the group in his earlier days during his stay in 2025. The flying device attached itself to Red's wrist and snapped on securely.
"Cyber Mode!" Sky said into the morpher.
A set of battle armor attached itself to Red's forearms, shoulders, and boots. A saber appeared next into his hands, wholly electrified with crimson and sky-blue energy.
"Oh yeah! Here comes battle thong!" Blue said pumping his fist.
"Mode one complete!" Red said brandishing his sword.
He sprinted into the trio, every swipe of the saber producing a swash of cool-blue energy. Red spun back around and leapt into a spin attack. Like a saw blade, he relentlessly torn away at the armor protecting the three menaces.
"ENOUGH," Sukira shouted.
He swung his sword upward and connected with the battle saber. Sky lost his momentum and fell over to the ground. He hopped up and connected again with Sukira's weapon as the persistent foe lunged at the B-Squad captain. Shots of energy exploded from each clash, causing repetitive iclangs/i to echo into the night sky.
"You really should be more careful how you go about opening time portals, Commander," Sukira said as he and Sky came a breath's distance from each other, their sabers joined together in a magnetic pull of feuding power.
"If that's where you really came from, then that's where we're going to send you back to," Red gruffed, the dueling power consuming the sabers reflecting against his dark visor.
"Let's help him out!" Z said reconnecting her Delta Max Striker.
Yellow, Pink, and Blue fired a bevy of lasers at Sukira's legs and arms. The lumbering alien was forced out of his lock-up with Sky and tumbled down the last steps leading to the sidewalk.
"And as for you two," Red said pointing his saber at Uniga and Gainmede. "I have a special treat for you both! Battlizer! Sonic Mode!"
The sound of R.I.C.'s bark was heard instantly as it came at Sky's beckon once more. The canine leapt in his direction and transformed itself as it did so to be reassembled into sonic battle armor.
A saber made from R.I.C.'s head and subsequent connecting parts reconfigured itself into a saber longer and mightier than that of Sukira's.
"Mode two complete!" Red announced energized once again with the second level of his special power-up.
"This is only a minor hiccup, Tate! We will return and finish the job later!" Gainmede said producing a small device too small for any of the officers to see.
"There won't be a later if I can help it!" Red retorted. "Full power!"
With a single swipe of the mode two saber, a flaming wave of energy darted to where Gainmede and Uniga stood. Gainmede would make good on his statement after all -- the two disappeared without a trace as the energy wave tore into the concrete and created a gaping crater. Sukira, too, was gone. Red gently landed to the ground as his team came to his side.
"Power down!" Sky ordered.
Red, blue, yellow, and pink power flew off their bodies like splashes of paint.
"Someone's going to be on night watch for a very long time," Bridge said looking down the crater Sky created.
"Let's get back inside," Sky ordered.
"Yes, sir," B-Squad answered.
Jack slipped away and hurried back inside. What he saw was all the convincing he needed. Now he needed to speak with Commander.
The sun was barely out, but Jack Landors was up and dressed. Living on the streets for the majority of his life, there was no possible way to sleep in. The sounds of garbage trucks and the buzz of commuting citizens served as a rude early A.M. alarm for many years. He was accustomed to waking with the rising sun. A cozy mom n' pop diner was his choice of restaurant this morning. He was seated at a table for two, alone.
The waitress came by to ask for Jack's order again. He declined, but held up his mug and accepted a refill of the black muck. A bell jingle at the door stole his eyes. A six-foot-ten being cloaked in a tan trench coat entered the dim crowded eatery and looked around. Jack motioned with his hand to gain his attention.
"Good morning, Jack," Doggie said coming to the table.
Before Commander could take the opposite-facing seat, Jack stood and SPD-saluted his superior.
"Good morning, sir," Jack said before allowing himself to be seated again.
Doggie lightly chuckled and sat.
"It's not necessary, Jack. I'm not on duty," the scaly Syrian said taking the menu hidden by the ketchup. "Normally, I'd take the opportunity to rest up, but Isinia insists we go away for the holiday weekend. Bitches, can't live with them."
"And can't live without them. Amen," Jack grinned. He uncoupled his hands and relaxed his posture. "When do you take off? I'll try not to keep you."
"The craft leaves when I say so. No rush," Doggie insisted.
"Great," Jack smiled.
"So -- how goes Omega Missions?" Doggie asked as he browsed the menu.
"Excellent, sir. I'm meeting today with Mr. Samuels to hand a proposal over to him for a new donation center just north of New Tech."
"North of New Tech?" Doggie's ears straightened. "That's Mariner Bay if I'm not mistaken."
"Yes, sir. It is. Have you been?" Jack asked.
"I'm -- familiar. Why there if I may ask?"
"Ally and I used to take trips up there. The fishing's great."
"And how is Ms. Samuels doing? I'm sorry I didn't see her at the banquet," Doggie said earnestly.
"It's probably better she wasn't there, considering last night's events. She's doing fine. She's taking some business courses right now. You know she's poised to inherit her father's company some day."
"Good for her. That's good to hear."
"Yeah..." Jack said creasing his lips.
His eyes lowered away from Doggie's. Commander saw his tension and took the opportunity.
"SO Jack -- what's this important thing you had to meet me so early in the morning to discuss?"
Jack's forehead wrinkled now unsure of the words to use. He must have rehearsed them a thousand times since last night. He could hardly get to sleep with the mounting anticipation pounding on his heart's doors.
"Landors, I'm about to become another seven years older if you don't answer soon," Doggie informed the former Sergeant.
"Yes, sir. I -- are you familiar with Cadet Benjamin Worthen?"
Doggie blinked.
"I'm sorry?" he asked.
"C-Squad cadet Benjamin Worthen. He was with me last night when the Academy was attacked," Jack explained.
"OH. Right. Cadet Worthen -- what about him?" Doggie asked.
"Well, he and I were talking. He kind of reminds me of myself. Young, a little immature--"
"Jack, you didn't meet me here to give me an unsolicited opinion of a C-Squad cadet. What's the real issue here?"
Jack cleared his throat.
"He helped me understand my time at SPD wasn't meant to last for a year. I'm destined for SPD, sir. After B-Squad did battle, I finally admitted it to myself. ... I need to be with SPD -- for good this time."
"Oh?"
"Yes, sir. I am asking to be put back into active status as SPD Red. If my squad is going to face those guys again, it's going to take more than four of them to bring them in. It's going to take the original team."
Doggie thought over the words and absorbed them. Jack watched Commander and studied his face. Every second passing made him more anxious for his response.
"No."
Jack's heart dropped. Did he hear right?
"Sir?" Jack queried.
"No, Jack," Doggie repeated. "Mind you, I have long hoped you would have recanted your decision to leave SPD -- last year. Jack, let's look at what's going on. Sky is leader. He is SPD Red now. What would I tell him? Go back to being Blue? And what about Bridge? He'd have to be demoted as well. What you ask of me -- I cannot do. I hope you understand."
Understand?
"Sir, this isn't just about me. I--"
"Are you sure about that? This was brought up because you talked with Cadet Worthen, is it not? What if you didn't speak with him last night? Then what? Would you have implored me to meet for breakfast this morning?"
Jack knew the answer. He certainly didn't want to say it. His yearn for active status was sincere however. How could he make Commander understand that? Jack looked down at his place mat completely dejected.
"Sir," he managed to say. "What about Earth's safety?"
"I have faith Earth's safety is in good hands. Sky is a capable field commander. If necessary, I will be there with my officers and fight alongside them once again. Please don't mistake my answers as rejection, Jack. You're one of SPD's top guns."
"And you won't reinstate me -- because Sky's leader now?"
"You made a decision. You came and spoke with me that evening after Gruum was contained and told me you had carefully considered your decision to resign. I trusted you would follow your heart and use your training at SPD to make this world a better place in a way you saw best. What do you want me to do, Jack? My paws are tied."
Jack was angry. He felt the burning rejection fill his veins, but he hid it and hid it well. The waitress returned.
"Ready to order?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am," Doggie answered. "Jack, you first."
"Yes, sir..."
No, sir. ... SPD will see Jack Landors return. And I know just the guy who can make it happen.
Jack gave the young woman a polite smile and gave his order.