POWER RANGERS: SPACE PATROL DELTA
SPD Memories Series
"Vendetta"
A
Sam Tale
This is a Sam focus story. It takes place after the events of SWAT, Part 2. I hope you enjoy this one. Feedback is totally appreciated, good or bad.
Inside, SPD Headquarters, the five B-Squad cadets are seen running from each other, ducking and dodging a flying, glowing circle. This game of lightball finds Jack & Syd teaming together against Bridge, Sky & Z. At first glance, the duo seems outnumbered, but Jack is smiling.
"I think it's time we evened the odds, Syd," Jack said.
Syd nods along, giving him a wink. Jack opens his jacket, allowing their own flying ball of light to emerge.
"I'm on it," a voice is heard coming from the ball. The glowing form of Sam, the Omega Ranger ducked behind Syd, as she locked eyes with Jack.
"Now!" Jack screamed. The two Rangers rolled out from behind the couch in the Rec Room.
"There!" Z yelled, pointing to the Red Ranger. Bridge tossed the lightball towards Jack, but he ducked away.
"Now!" Syd shouted to the glowing ball of light.
Omega saw his chance. He flew from behind Syd's cover, out of Sky's sight, as Sky begged for the ball, seeing Syd wide open. Z caught the lightball momentarily, tossing it to Sky, who ducked Omega's attempted tag. He threw, hitting Syd on the arm, before she could jump away. The game was over. Joined by Bridge & Z, Sky smiled.
"Well done, team," he told the two. They shared congratulatory handshakes.
Jack joined Syd, as Sam transformed into his normal morphed form to stand with them. "Sorry guys," Sam said aloud to them.
"It's okay, Sam," Jack said.
"Yeah, it was my fault," Syd said. "I didn't duck in time."
"Good game," Jack said, reluctantly to Sky, shaking his hand.
"Ahem!" a grunt was heard from the doorway. The six cadets turned to see Commander Doggie Cruger staring at them.
"What have I told you about using the rec room for lightball?"
The six Rangers immediately stood at attention.
"Sorry, Commander," Jack spoke up. "We were just having a little fun. I mean with everything going on with Gruumm, we needed to relax, sir. It wasn't a planned game."
"He's right, Commander," Sky agreed.
They really were a true team, Cruger thought to himself, never truly believing the day would come when those two would agree with one another.
"Report to the Command Center, Rangers. I have important news," Cruger stated. The five B-Squad Rangers trotted past him. Sam headed for the door as well, but Cruger seemed to block his exit.
"Commander?" Under his helmet, Sam looked confused.
"Sam, you're actually needed elsewhere," Cruger stated.
"What's up?" Sam said.
"Dr. Manx needs you in her lab. She's working on some upgrades for your zord. Unfortunately, you're really the only one who knows its systems better than she does," Cruger explained.
"Understood, sir. I'm on the way," Sam said, walking off towards Kat's lab. After he was out of sight, Cruger let out a grimace.
In the Command Center, the five B-Squad cadets were standing around the deserted place, all looking a bit confused.
"Did Commander Cruger say exactly what he wanted to meet us here for?" Bridge asked.
"No. He was kinda quiet," Z answered.
"Strange," Syd added.
Just then, the doors to the entrance opened, revealing Commander Cruger. He slowly stepped inside, allowing the doors to close behind him. He stared at the five cadets, as they stiffened their posture out of respect for their commanding officer. Then, Cruger smiled. Although, given his bone structure, none of the cadets really noticed.
"Rangers, I asked you here to show you something...or I should say, show you someone," Cruger said, as he stepped aside. His large frame moved to the right, allowing the Rangers to spot the person who had been standing behind him.
"Sam!" Z exclaimed, seeing her young friend.
Sam ran over, giving her a hug. The others gathered around him, all wearing smiles of their own.
"Hey buddy," Bridge said.
"Hey guys," Sam said, with a smile. It was clear that the child hadn't seen the Power Rangers in a long while.
"It's been too long," Jack said.
"I know. I haven't seen you guys in months," Sam said.
"How's E-Squad treating you?" Sky asked.
"They're all cool. I'm not an official cadet yet, but they still let me do training stuff with them. It's fun," Sam explained.
"Yeah, just wait until you get to B-Squad. Then, it's work work work," Bridge said, as the others chuckled.
"Actually, Rangers, I brought Sam here to say goodbye," Cruger stated.
The other Rangers' smiles instantly faded.
"Goodbye? Sam, where are you going?" Z asked, looking concerned.
"E-Squad's taking me on their next mission," Sam said, enthusiastically.
"What mission's that?" Jack asked, looking to Cruger.
"It's nothing dangerous. E-Squad will be delivering some much-needed supplies to a Kartonian group that's passing by Earth for a quick stop. They were hit hard in a recent attack by Gruumm's forces," Cruger said, humbly.
"Gruumm's getting bolder," Sky said.
"That's why we have to keep up our efforts against him," Cruger said, as he stepped closer to the group, patting Sam on the head. "All of us, in our own way."
"Well, I can't say I'll be doing anything terribly important. I'm basically just going along for the ride. But, hopefully, someday I'll get to fight like you guys," Sam said, with a smile.
"Of course you will," Syd blurted out, without even realizing it. Jack nudged her in the arm, hard. Sam didn't seem to notice their strange behavior.
"You better get going Sam. E-Squad's waiting," Cruger ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Sam said, before running towards the doorway. He stopped just as the doors opened and turned back to his friends. "Hey, maybe when I get back, you guys can introduce me to your new friend. I've heard a lot about the Omega Ranger."
Sam ran off down the hallway. As the doors closed behind him, the Rangers all glanced at Syd, looking as if she had just spoiled a surprise birthday party.
"What? I'm sorry. It just came out. You know I'm not good with secrets," Syd said.
"Well, this is a secret that we can't afford to let slip out, Cadet Drew," Cruger said, sternly. Syd nodded, agreeing with him. "Under no circumstances, is Sam to learn the truth about Omega Ranger."
Omega stood around Kat's lab. Beneath his helmet, he was terribly bored and it didn't seem to him like Kat really needed his help with the modifications she was making to the Omegamax Megazord. Kat seemed to be diligently typing in information on her computer terminal. Sam noticed that she kept looking at a digital timer on her desk.
"Kat, what's that for?" Omega asked, as he pointed to it.
"Oh, that's nothing," Kat said, nervously. Now, he was suspicious. His thoughts drifted back to Commander Cruger's order for the other Rangers to meet in the Command Center.
"Well, if that's all, I guess I'll get going," Sam said, as he headed for the door. Kat stood up quickly from her desk.
"Sam, wait!"
"Yes, Kat?"
"Um, where are you headed?" she asked, seemingly surprising herself with the question.
"I figured I would go to the Command Center. I heard Commander Cruger wanted to brief the Rangers on something," Omega responded, studying her face. She couldn't see his brow of suspicion cast upon her.
Kat immediately grabbed a data disk and handed it to Sam.
"Well, would you give this to Commander Cruger when you get there?" Kat said.
"Sure," Sam said, taking the disk and leaving the lab. Kat let out a deep sigh, feeling like she had just failed.
Back in the Command Center, Cruger was finishing his lecture on keeping young Sam in the dark about his adult counterpart.
"It's imperative that our Sam not discover Omega Ranger's identity. If this were to come out, we could be putting Sam's future and SPD's future at stake..." Cruger stated, as the doors to the Command Center were opening.
"Commander?" Omega said, as he stepped in, only hearing the end of Cruger's statement. "What did you say about SPD's future being at stake?"
Cruger and the B-Squad Rangers all looked surprised to see Omega Ranger walk in.
"Sam...I was just telling the Rangers that we have to find a way to defeat Gruumm. The entire future of Earth and SPD is at stake," Cruger said, covering.
Omega nodded, only half-believing what Cruger had just told him. He walked over, handing him the disk from Kat.
"Kat asked me to deliver this," Sam said.
Cruger took it and turned, walking away from the Rangers. He headed to his station and sat down. Meanwhile, Omega regarded each of the other Rangers, who all seemed like they were trying not to make eye contact with him at that moment. What was going on?
At his station, Cruger popped the disk in, only for his monitor to show the message from Kat: the word "SORRY" appeared in bright orange letters. Cruger nodded to himself, before standing up.
"Rangers, you're dismissed for now," Cruger said, "I'll contact you if there's trouble."
The six cadets left the Command Center. Omega noticed his five fellow Rangers all seemed to be walking at a much faster pace.
"Hey, guys," Sam said.
"What's up, Sam?" Z asked, with a smile.
"Did I miss something in there? Commander Cruger seemed a little weird," Sam said.
The other Rangers all nodded, negatively.
"Nothing," Jack said, "Cruger's just on edge. We all are. This war with Gruumm is getting out of hand."
They all walked off, heading towards the nearest exit. Omega stopped for a moment, letting them get farther away. He knew his friends had just lied to him.
The wooded area seemed vacant and quiet this afternoon. In one moment, that all changed. A portal seemed to open up out of nowhere and out stepped a very large gray creature. He pressed a control panel of buttons on his arm and then looked around. He let out a husky chuckle. His laugh was dark and gritty, to match his large, imposing body.
"This is it," the alien creature said, as he looked around him. In the distance, he saw the skyscrapers that populated Newtech City. He chuckled once again. "Now, for the first phase of my plan. I'll have to look up an old friend!" The creature walked off towards the heart of the city, walking with a purpose.
Piggy's was deserted. As he cleared off a table, simply by wiping all of its contents onto the ground, Piggy looked around. He took a deep breath.
"This is the first time in ages that I can actually say the place is empty and it doesn't have anything to do with the Power Rangers!" Piggy said, to himself, not realizing someone else was actually very nearby.
"Power Rangers, eh? I guess I made the right choice paying you a visit, Piggy!" the time traveling monster called out, as he came into view in front of Piggy, who looked stunned to see him.
"Pygro! What? How? When did they let you out of prison?" Piggy spoke, looking completely confused.
"They didn't!" Pygro responded, with a chuckle. "If you were to call the prison on Darthor II, you would find that I'm still there and I will be for about 15 more years."
Piggy still looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Fifteen years from now, I will escape the Darthor prison complex and return to my admittedly criminal ways. I will be a menace that Earth won't have seen in ages. But, you see, Piggy, I won't be completely unstoppable. One person managed to defeat me and I vowed revenge. After raiding a scientific research center, I planned out my ultimate revenge. You see, my old friend..." Pygro said, as he stepped closer to Piggy, who backed up each time his friend moved a step. "I'm from the future!"
"The future? There's a lot of that going around," Piggy said under his breath.
"What?" Pygro spoke up.
"Nothing," Piggy said quickly, "Well, it was good seeing you, Pygro. Glad you decided to stop by and catch up with your old pal Piggy in your time traveling journeys. Feel free to leave me a few juicy tidbits about the future on a note or, better yet, a letter. See, right now, I really have to be going," Piggy said, nervously, as he began to head for the nearest path away from his own property.
Pygro, however, had other plans. He quickly stepped in front of Piggy, blocking his path.
"Not so fast, old pal," Pygro said, "Given my incarceration, I'm not too familiar with this time period. I need your help."
"Help? I'm not really in the information business anymore, Pygro. Look around you. I'm a lowly food service businessman now," Piggy stammered.
"Don't lie to me, Piggy! You're as devious now as you ever were. I can see it in your eyes."
"They're contacts. I swear!"
"You betrayed me once, Piggy! You owe me! My ultimate revenge depends on locating someone very important to my future and I think you might be able to help me with that, especially since you mentioned SPD," Pygro stated.
"SPD! They're a real thorn in my side, I'll tell you, but there's really nothing anyone can do about it, unless Gruumm actually manages to defeat them," Piggy said, realizing he would say anything to get out of this situation.
"Gruumm? He sounds dangerous."
"You have no idea. He's done some pretty horrible things. Destroyed planets, imprisoned people, theft...you name it, he's done it. You know, Gruumm might be able to help you locate this person you're looking for. As a matter of fact, I'm sure of it. He can see everything from his spaceship!" Piggy said, hoping to entice Pygro into leaving him alone, even if it meant giving him access to earth's biggest enemy.
"I want to meet this Gruumm," Pygro said, giving Piggy a grizzly smile. Piggy sighed.
An hour later, Pygro found himself in the main control room aboard Emperor Gruumm's ship. He stood before the skeletal menace. Their eyes met. Pygro had always been fascinated by eyes. He stared into Gruumm's hollow red sockets, seemingly peering into a smoking abyss of true evil. He liked what he saw.
"So, Pygro, I'm told that you are from the future," Gruumm said.
"Yes, and I'm sorry to say that I've never heard of you. I may have been in prison for 15 years, but there was no Gruumm ruling the galaxy when I made my escape," Pygro said, defiantly. He wished to test this evil.
Gruumm grunted at the sound of the words. At his sides stood Morgana & Broodwing. Gruumm's two followers glanced at each other, both surprised to hear such cockiness in a creature in Gruumm's presence. Secretly, Broodwing admired the alien's gusto.
"Pygro, my future is not in question," Gruumm said, his voice calm, steady and dark as ever. "Yours however, is still uncertain, especially if you intend to spend one more minute breathing on my ship. I'm the one in control here. Never forget that. With the wave of my hand, you just might find yourself floating into the depths of space!"
"My apologies, Gruumm. You clearly share my thirst for ruthlessness," Pygro said.
"I do," Gruumm stated.
"Then, maybe you can help me with my revenge," Pygro said. "There is someone in Newtech City that will one day become my biggest adversary. I plan to defeat him before he has the chance to defeat me."
"A bold plan of action," Gruumm surmised, "but if SPD is involved, you will need more than a plan. You will need strength, cunning and the ability to conquer them all."
"All I care about is the one I told you of," Pygro said, the anger built up inside him.
"This is very intriguing and I will lend my forces to help you. We will have a partnership," Gruumm stated.
Broodwing swung his arms in anger. "Gruumm! We don't have the resources to help this miscreant with some petty vendetta!" Broodwing shouted.
"My vendetta is NOT petty," Pygro yelled, as he got in Broodwing's face. "That Ranger almost destroyed me. I will repay him, with or without your help!"
"Silence!" Gruumm screamed at both of them. "We will help Pygro, because ensuring his victory will also allow our own history to change," He said, as he looked to Morgana.
She smiled, "I agree, Emperor. Revenge for Pygro means revenge for us all."
"I don't quite understand," Pygro said. Morgana & Gruumm shared a knowing glance between them, for they knew more about the future than Pygro could realize.
"You will, in time," Gruumm said. "For now, we must act. Time is of the essence, it would seem." Gruumm released a laugh that had been building ever since he met Pygro and realized the opportunity to rewrite history was upon him.
The park was surprisingly deserted on this bright, sunny day. The five SPD B-Squad cadets were sitting around, taking in the weather. Jack stared up into the sky.
"Anyone else feel weird sitting out here, relaxing, even though we know Gruumm's up there, plotting his next move?" Jack thought aloud.
"Didn't stop you from organizing that impromptu lightball game earlier," Syd answered. "Besides, we do need time to clear our heads. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about writing a new song!"
Groans could be heard from the other cadets, sitting around Syd on the grass. She simply shrugged them off, tapping her hands on her leg, thinking about her new tune.
"I wonder what Sam's up to?" Bridge asked.
"I'm sure E-Squad's made their delivery by now," Sky said.
"Yeah, I hope Sam enjoyed it," Z added.
Just then, Omega Ranger appeared. "You hope I enjoyed what?" he asked. The others all looked instantly uncomfortable.
"Umm, I was just hoping you were enjoying the beautiful day, like the rest of us," Z said, covering.
"Yeah, I guess," Sam said, clearly realizing that they were keeping something from him. He didn't understand why. "Hey guys?"
"Yeah, Omega?" Jack spoke up.
Sam sighed. "Nothing. I'm gonna go for a walk. Stretch my legs for a bit," He said, before walking away. Once he was out of sight, Z turned to the others.
"Guys, we can't go on like this," she said.
"We have no choice, Z. Commander Cruger made it very clear that we were not supposed to mention Sam around Omega and vice versa," Sky interjected. "We have to protect the timeline."
At that moment, their morphers sounded. The five cadets got to their feet, as Jack answered his.
"This is Jack. What's happening?"
"Rangers, we've got trouble. Get down to the east side visitor's center, now! There's been an attack," Cruger's booming voice came through.
"The visitor's center. Who would attack the visitor's center?" Bridge said, looking as confused as the others did.
"Let's find out," Jack said, as they all ran off together.
Moments later, Omega returned to their spot, only to find that it was empty. His fellow Rangers had all vacated.
"Guys?" Sam said aloud, as he was left all alone.
The five morphed SPD Rangers came running onto the scene of the attack at the Newtech City Visitor's Center. The scorching heat from the blast damage was in the air. The Rangers had their weapons drawn, as they walked into the smoky area. The once-bustling activity of the visitor's center was now replaced by silence.
"An attack in broad daylight...I don't understand," the Pink Ranger said.
"This makes no sense to me either, Syd," Sky said.
Then, the Green Ranger spotted something that sent a chilling shiver down his spine. He raised his arm and pointed.
"Guys! It's E-Squad!" Bridge shouted out.
"Oh no," the Yellow Ranger gasped, as she ran towards their fallen SPD cadets, followed by the Red, Pink & Green Rangers.
The Blue Ranger walked more slowly, keeping an eye out for anymore possible attackers still present. The Red Ranger knelt beside one of the cadets, doubled over in pain on the ground.
"Cadet, what happened?" Jack asked.
"It all seemed to happen so fast. They came out of nowhere. We tried to put up a fight to protect the Kartonians," the injured cadet explained.
"The Kartonians? Someone tried to attack them?" Pink Ranger inquired.
"No. That wasn't it," the cadet said.
Just then, Jack realized that in the adrenaline and confusion of what was happening around him, he hadn't noticed that for the last minute his best friend had been calling out for someone.
"Sam! Sam, where are you?" the Yellow Ranger shouted, in desperation.
"Where's Sam?" Jack asked the cadet.
"They took him," the cadet responded, "We tried to stop them."
"Who took Sam?" Bridge asked.
"It was Morgana. She had Krybots with her and a creature we'd never seen before. It looked like they were here just for Sam," the cadet said. Jack left him with Bridge & Syd and joined Z, holding her by the arms.
"Hey, Z. He's gone," Jack said, sadly. He could see the Yellow Ranger's helmet shaking.
"No," was the only word she could muster. The Blue Ranger walked over.
"Don't worry. We'll get him back," Sky said.
"Commander, why won't you tell me where the Rangers are?" Sam shouted, inside the SPD Command Center.
"It's none of your concern, Omega."
"Something's going on around here," Sam said.
Just then, the five unmorphed SPD cadets came storming into the Command Center, all looking serious and worried. Cruger put up a hand before any of them could speak.
"That will be all, Omega," Cruger said, looking directly at Sam.
"But, Commander—"
"You're dismissed, Sam. I need to speak with B-Squad alone!" Cruger said, sternly.
Omega grimaced and headed out the doors. As they closed behind him, he could feel the anger building inside. He began to walk away, when he passed Kat Manx, walking with a purpose towards the Command Center.
"Sam" she said, nodding to him, as she passed.
Omega nodded to her. Then, he had an idea. He was tired of being left out of things around here and he was gonna get some answers, even if it meant using Kat to do it. Omega transformed into his light energy form and flew quickly back to Kat, glowing behind her and keeping pace with the doc as she entered the Command Center. He stayed close behind her, so no one inside could see him.
"I just came from the infirmary, Dr. Felix thinks that all of the E-Squad cadets will pull through," Kat reported.
"That's some good news, at least," Syd said, sadly.
"Commander, we have to find a way to get Sam back," Bridge spoke up.
In his light form, Omega could still feel shock, as he realized just what Sam they had to be talking about.
"I swear if Morgana harms one hair on Sam's head..." Z said, showing clear concern for her young friend. Jack put a hand on her shoulder, attempting to reassure her. He looked to Cruger.
"Sir, what do we do now?" Jack asked.
"Gruumm must have some purpose for kidnapping Sam. We have to figure out what that is," Cruger stated.
"His genetic powers, maybe?" Sky offered.
"That could be," Kat said. "Sam's teleportation powers are very strong, even for his age and Gruumm knows how they work all too well."
Cruger nodded. "That's true. Perhaps he—"
Cruger was cut off by the sound of an alert. It was coming from the officers stationed at the front entrance of SPD Headquarters.
"What now?" Cruger said, as he pressed a button. "What's going on down there?"
"Commander, there's a Piggy here. He says he needs to talk to B-Squad. He claims it's very important," the officer said.
"Piggy? Here?" Jack said aloud. "With something important to tell us."
"This day just keeps getting stranger," Sky said.
"Get down there and deal with him. We have a crisis on our hands and we don't have time to play around," Cruger said.
The five Rangers walked out of the Command Center. Kat gave Cruger a strange look.
"This is all rather odd, don't you think?" Kat said.
"No more odd than you lying to me all this time," Sam said, as he transformed back into his full morphed self.
"Sam! What are you doing in here?" Cruger shouted.
"Discovering the truth apparently," Sam said.
"You have no idea what this is about," Cruger said.
"I know that my younger self is in danger and you obviously had no intention of telling me about it. You even have Kat and the Rangers lying for you, Commander. You're the one who has some explaining to do!" Omega shouted.
"Now hold on right there, Sam. I'm in charge here. The reason you weren't told about Sam's abduction was because you can't be involved in his rescue," Cruger explained.
"What? Why not?"
"Because SPD Command believes that any contact you have with your current self could be catastrophic to the future," Cruger said.
Jack, Z, Syd, Bridge & Sky exited SPD Headquarters and found Piggy in the clutches of two SPD officers.
"It's all right, guys," Jack said, causing the officers to unhand Piggy.
"See! I told you I was friends with the bosses around here!" Piggy said, as he straightened his clothes.
"We're not friends, Piggy!" Sky said, angrily. "Now, what are you doing here?"
"Yeah, you have something to tell us?" Bridge asked.
"Well, I...I had a visitor earlier today," Piggy started.
"Was it Morgana?" Z spoke up quickly, hoping Piggy might know something about Sam's kidnapping.
"Morgana? No. It was actually an old friend, but not really an old friend, if you know what I mean," Piggy explained.
"No. We don't, so spit it out, Piggy," Jack said.
"His name's Pygro! He's currently serving time in a prison on Darthor II," Piggy said.
"Are you saying he escaped?" Syd asked.
"No. I'm saying he's still there, for now. See, the Pygro that came to see me was from the future!" Piggy revealed.
The SPD Rangers all shared confused looks.
"He's from the future? How's that possible?" Sky spoke up.
"I don't know. He said he came back in time to get revenge on someone from SPD who defeated him in battle in his future. I heard about the attack & abduction at the visitor's center and I got to thinking..." Piggy's voice trailed off, as he let the Rangers fill in the blanks.
"Oh my god," Z said aloud. "Sam? You don't think?"
"There's one way to find out," Jack said.
The Rangers ran back inside SPD Headquarters.
"Hey, a thank you wouldn't hurt!" Piggy yelled after them. He got too close to the doors and the officers were right in front of him again. "I'm going! I'm going!"
"So, I'm just supposed to stand by while my younger self is in mortal danger? That makes no sense, when I can help!" Sam shouted back at Cruger.
"It does make sense, Sam. Don't you realize that if you have contact with your current self that you could unduly influence the future?"
"I've already changed the future by coming back here in the first place, or have you forgotten. It was my arrival that helped the Rangers defeat Devastation & Morgana. SPD could have been lost forever, if I hadn't come back," Sam said.
"That doesn't give you free reign over the timeline, Sam! At this point in time, Sam isn't even a cadet in SPD. How do we know that he'll even choose to fully enlist?"
"Because you know I'm a Ranger!" Sam said.
"Yes, but little Sam doesn't know that and you have no right to tell him. None of us do. He has to make his own decisions and his own choices. If he knows that one day he becomes the Omega Ranger, that could change everything."
At that moment, the doors to the Command Center opened and the B-Squad Rangers all rushed in, surprised to see Omega there. They all looked to Cruger, with anticipation, knowing they had information that needed to be said right away.
"Report, Rangers," Cruger said.
Jack glanced at Omega, then turned back to Cruger. "Piggy says an alien has come back in time with plans to destroy an SPD Ranger who defeats him in the future."
"What?" Cruger said, confused.
"According to Piggy, this monster guy, Pygro is looking for some kind of revenge," Sky said.
"Oh no! Pygro!" Omega spoke, loudly. The other Rangers all looked to him.
"So, you do know him?" Z asked.
"He's bad news. He & I had some intense battles back in my future. I managed to defeat him, but he wasn't officially captured after he escaped prison," Omega explained.
Kat walked over to a computer terminal and started punching a few buttons. She turned back to the Ranger team. "Well, according to SPD records, Pygro is currently imprisoned on Darthor II."
"Piggy was telling the truth," Bridge said.
"Commander, if Pygro has Sam, then I'm in serious trouble," Omega said, seriously.
"We'll get him back," Z said.
"Unfortunately, we don't know where to look," Syd said.
"The planet Tezka. It's nearby. Pygro always went there to escape SPD," Sam said.
"Pygro's not familiar with our time, since he was imprisoned for so long," Kat said, "it makes sense that he'd retreat to old stomping grounds."
"Rangers, take the SWAT flyers. Get to Tezka, find Pygro and get Sam back!" Cruger ordered. All five Rangers went running out of the Command Center.
"I'm going!" Sam said, before the doors could even close.
"No! You're staying behind. That's an order, Sam," Cruger spoke up.
"You're going to give me orders? You haven't really treated me like a member of this team lately, Commander. You may have embraced me when I first showed up and helped save SPD, but ever since you've treated me like nothing more than a weapon, a tool for you to use whenever you need it," Sam vented.
"Sam, that's not it! You don't understand. You're stuck here in this time and we have to deal with that. We can't have you changing your future. If you attempt to rescue yourself, you would be stopping events from unfolding the way they were meant to."
"And, if Pygro succeeds, what then? I just cease to exist?" Sam said, sternly.
On Tezka, in an old structure, barely held together by four steel walls and a wood ceiling, Pygro is staring at the small boy, sitting in a chair, with his hands tied, tightly behind his back.
"You don't look so tough, now Sam!" Pygro said to the kid.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Sam said back, looking completely frightened.
"Of course you don't," Morgana's voice was heard, as she came into view in front of Sam. She was dressed in her purple battle gear.
"You don't know much do you, Sam?" Morgana said, as she stopped in front of him, to look him in the eyes.
"I know you're bad news, especially after what you did to E-Squad!"
"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine," Morgana said, rudely.
"Which is more than I can say for you!" Pygro said, as he walked closer to the boy. Morgana put up an arm, waving him back.
"Not yet! You're not the only one here for revenge, Pygro," Morgana said, as she stared back at Sam.
"What did I ever do to you?" Sam asked.
"You don't know this, Sam, but I used to be a kid, just like you. As a matter of fact, you and I shared some fun times there for a while," Morgana said, with a smile.
Sam looked confused, "I don't know what you mean."
"It's me...Mora!" she said, which confused Sam even more. "I was living the life until Gruumm turned me into this! I blame SPD for that," she said angrily.
"You know, I liked you better when you were a little girl," Sam said.
"Oh, so did I, believe me!" Morgana said, as she stood back up. "But that's all the Rangers' fault and they're going to pay and so are you!"
"I didn't have anything to do with that!" Sam yelled.
"Oh, that wasn't all that I blame SPD and you for, Sam. You see, just when I got used to being like this again, I was ready for anything. I took the battle to the Rangers, along with some friends of mine. But, it was that pesky Omega Ranger that showed up and ruined everything!"
"The Rangers have a funny way of doing that, don't they?" Sam said. "But, that doesn't explain where I fit in."
Morgana looked confused, then she gave a wide smile, making a revelation.
"Oh my! You have no idea, do you?" She said, with a maniacal laugh. Pygro watched her every move.
"What?" Sam said.
"Oh, Sam, have I got news for you. You're not going to believe this, but I know the identity of the Omega Ranger. It's you!" Morgana said, as she pointed a finger directly at Sam's face. The boy looked completely floored by her words. Pygro chuckled, happy to see the fear in his eyes.
"She's right, kid. Unfortunately, that means it's time for your destruction!" Pygro spoke.
"Morgana!" Broodwing shouted, from outside. Morgana joined him there.
"What is it?"
"I just came from Gruumm's ship. The Rangers. They're headed this way!"
"Well, I guess it's time we showed them our new toy, Broodwing," Morgana said. She powered up her gear, causing a helmet to materialize, covering her head. "I think Pygro has things here well under control. I'm going to go welcome SPD."
Up in space, the SWAT flyers sped towards Tezka at top speed. SWAT flyer 1 was leading the way, followed closely by SWAT flyer 4. Flyers 3 and 5 weren't far behind, while SWAT flyer 2 pulled up the rear. Deep inside the red SWAT flyer, the morphed Red Ranger was decked out in his SWAT gear.
"All right guys. We have to be careful. Omega said this Pygro guy is pretty strong," Jack said.
"He'll be no match for all of us together," Syd spoke up, from inside the pink SWAT flyer.
"We have to hurry, guys. Sam's counting on us...both of them," the Yellow Ranger spoke, with determination, from inside the cockpit of her flyer.
The SWAT flyers sped towards Tezka, getting close enough to see the orange planet in their sights. Then, a rumbling could be heard echoing in the space around them. As the SWAT flyers moved closer to the planet, the sensors inside of them began to beep.
"Guys, I'm picking up something ahead. It's a pretty big energy signature," Jack said, as his red flyer kept on course.
As the flyers got closer to their destination, the rumbling sound seemed to get larger. It was then that the Red Ranger realized that it wasn't coming from the space around them, but from beneath them. Seconds later, a massive metallic creature came rising up in front of the zords, blocking their way.
But, it wasn't a living creature at all. It was a robot. More than 10 times bigger than any of the SWAT flyers, the massive metal form almost blocked out the entire planet of Tezka, separating the Rangers from it and halting their rescue efforts.
"Woah! Evasive maneuvers!" Jack shouted from inside his flyer, steering it away, just before it could collide with the gigantic robot, made of maroon-colored metal. The other SPD Rangers followed suit, veering away from the robot and taking defensive positions.
"What is that thing?" Bridge called out from his flyer.
"What's wrong Rangers? Don't you like my new ride?" Morgana's voice could be heard coming from inside.
"Morgana!" Z yelled from inside her cockpit. "Where's Sam?"
"Oh, don't worry. He's in good hands. Pygro's great with kids...destroying them, that is!" Morgana let out, with a flighty laugh that made Z's blood boil. "Too bad you won't be there to see it, Rangers. After all, you have your own destruction to witness!"
With those words, Morgana pressed a few buttons from inside her cockpit that caused several energy blasts to fire at the Rangers. SWAT flyer 3 manages to quickly veer out of the first blast's path.
"Guys, look out!" Bridge yelled. The others quickly responded.
"All right, Rangers. It's time to fight fire with fire. Attack pattern 3, guys!" Jack shouted out the orders. His voice came through loud and clear.
Within seconds, the Rangers took their positions. SWAT flyers 4 and 5 immediately began firing laser attacks towards the robot's head, drawing its vision. SWAT flyer 3 swoops in, close to the robot's torso for a few seconds, before flying away. He's followed in by SWAT flyers 1 and 2, which let go some severe energy blasts of their own, that allow Syd & Z to escape the robot's vision.
"Guys, I scanned for weaknesses...and I can't find any vulnerable spots on that robot," Bridge reported.
"We have to keep trying to find one!" Sky shouted from inside SWAT flyer 2.
Back at SPD Headquarters, Cruger & Omega watched the battle playing out before them on a holographic screen. Omega nodded his head, negatively.
"They aren't going to make it," Sam said.
"Of course they are. The Rangers are strong. They won't be defeated," Cruger said, sternly.
"That's not what I'm talking about. Sam's running out of time. He needs help and I don't think the Rangers will be able to get to him before Pygro..." Omega's voice trailed off.
Kat looked up from her station, sharing a glance with Cruger.
"He's dangerous, Commander. No one knows him like I do. You have to let me go," Sam stated, desperately.
"I can't do that, Sam," Cruger said.
"I didn't travel back in time to watch myself die!" Omega said.
"You won't. I'm going to stop Pygro myself," Cruger said, as he headed for the exit.
"Wait! He's very strong. You shouldn't go alone," Sam said.
"We have no choice. I can't let you disrupt your own destiny, Sam. I'll save him. Kat, keep monitoring the Rangers. Give them any assistance they need!" Cruger said. As Kat nodded, he exited the Command Center. Omega was right behind him.
In the hallway, Cruger walked quickly, heading for the shuttle bay.
"Commander Cruger, you can't do this," Sam said, frustrated.
"Look, Sam, I know that you're scared and worried and probably really ticked off at me right now, but trust that this is for your own good," Cruger said to him.
"But it's not! Don't you see that? Pygro came here because of his vendetta against me. He's upset because I know how to beat him. Sir, please. I can do this," Omega said.
At that moment, he truly wished he could remove his helmet and allow Cruger to see into his eyes. If he could feel his emotion and his pain, maybe he would finally understand.
Up in the sky, the five SWAT flyers continued their assault on Morgana's robot, but their laser attacks did little damage to the massive zord.
"Morgana, you're not gonna get away with this!" Z yelled, as she took her SWAT flyer in as close as she could and fired lasers at point blank range.
The blast shook up Morgana in the cockpit. "Uggggh! You're gonna pay for that!" She screamed. With the swat of one arm, she unleashed a harsh blow upon SWAT flyer 4, sending it flipping over and over.
"Guys! I'm hit!" the Yellow Ranger said, as she struggled to regain control of the flyer.
"Z, hold on!" Jack yelled to his friend. "Slow your thrusters and bring your stabilizers up to full power!"
Following his advice, Z managed to flatten out her flight.
In the distance behind her, a small SPD shuttle could be seen speeding past the battle scene and heading towards Tezka. Inside the shuttle, Commander Cruger could be seen piloting the shuttle...all alone.
Inside his shack on the surface, Pygro held Sam's chin in his hand, gripping it hard, as he examined the child's head.
"Stop it!" Sam yelled. Pygro let go.
"I'm just trying to see just how I can do the most damage to your little body," Pygro said, as he chuckled. "You see, I thought about a detonator, but that's too impersonal. I want this to be something that I'll always remember."
"How about another beating from SPD? Sound memorable to me!"
Pygro jumped, after hearing the strange voice. He turned to the doorway of his shack to see Doggie Cruger, standing before him.
"Who are you?" Pygro asked.
"Someone you've managed to make angry without ever meeting! SPD Emergency!" Cruger yelled, after pulling out his morpher. Seconds later, he stood before the monster, completely morphed. "SPD Shadow Ranger!"
"You can't stop me!" Pygro said, as he charged towards Cruger, who backed up, taking the fight outside of the structure, to the desert terrain outside.
Pygro went on the assault, going for several punches, which Shadow Ranger managed to dodge. One elbow from the monster, however, connected, sending Shadow Ranger flying backwards through the air. He rolled to the ground and regained his footing.
"You'll have to do better than that!" Shadow Ranger yelled, as he jumped into the air, drawing his Shadow Saber and slashing down at Pygro, who managed to jump away.
The strong saber almost pierced the ground, sticking there for a second. But, that was all the time Pygro needed to land a swift kick to Shadow Ranger's unprotected midsection, again sending him flying to the ground. He begins to get to his feet, when Pygro lets a barrage of laser attacks fire from his hands, hitting Shadow Ranger and sending him flying onto his back, smoking from the damage.
"I told you. You can't stop me!" Pygro said, as he walked up to the fallen commander and placed a foot on his chest, keeping him down.
Cruger grunted in fury. "I'm not here to stop you!" he said. He raised his hand to Pygro's shoulder. "He is!"
With those words, Pygro turned to see Omega Ranger standing there.
"Hyper Mode!" Sam cried out, as he turned the throttle on his morpher. His fist charged up and he sent a crushing blow through Pygro's body. The monster went flying instantly.
"Remember me?" Omega asked, as he began walking slowly towards his enemy, who was staggering to his feet.
"What? How?" Pygro screamed, completely shocked to see his greatest adversary in front of his eyes.
"You're not the only one who knows about time travel, Pygro. It's time to send you back where you came from!" Omega said, as once again grabbed his morpher's throttle, powering up for another blast.
Up above them, the battle raged on between the SWAT flyers and Morgana's robot and things weren't going well for the Rangers. They managed to regroup, just as Morgana let out a devilish chuckle.
"What's wrong, Rangers? Am I too much for you? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet!" She said. With the press of a button, parts of the robot began to break off; the silver colored red pieces were actually dozens of tiny ships, all controlled by the main robot. The smaller vessels began latching onto the SWAT flyers, causing even more damage.
"It's like they're draining our energy," Syd cried out.
"We have to stop them," Sky yelled.
"I have an idea," Bridge said, as he began pressing buttons on his control panel. After hitting in a certain sequence, SWAT flyer 3 began to sizzle with energy. A surge of electricity covered the flyer for only a second, but it was enough to cause the small ships to disconnect from his flyer.
"Guys, overload your shield banks. It will cause them to let go!" Bridge called out.
"But, Bridge, that will cause our shields to go down," Z shouted.
The green SWAT flyer whizzed by her flyer, shooting some of the ships off her hull.
"It's the only option. You'll only have to keep your shields down for a few seconds," Bridge said.
Moments later, the red, blue, pink & yellow SWAT flyers did just that. They found themselves free and hunted down the smaller vessels, destroying each one.
"No!" Morgana screamed out, as the SWAT flyers once again turned their attention towards her robot, which was now much smaller, without its extra weight.
"A small army can be a good thing, Morgana, but you know what?" Jack called out. "The team is always much better when it works as one! Guys, let's bring 'em together!"
Within seconds, the SWAT flyers combined to form the SWAT Flyer Cannon, which was pointed directly at the robot. Inside the cockpits, the Rangers counted down.
Inside the cockpit of her robot, Morgana was stunned, under her battle helmet. She was fresh out of ideas, as well. Just then, Gruumm's voice came over her communications systems.
"Morgana, I think it's time to leave our "partner" to his vendetta," Gruumm let out with a laugh. Morgana smiled, before teleporting out.
Seconds later, the SWAT Flyer Cannon fired an energy blast that ripped through the machine. Morgana's robot was left in a cloud of flames and dust!
Down below, in Pygro's darkened shack, Sam could see a shadow enter the doorway, coming towards him. He shook in his chair, still trying to free his hands, knowing his teleportation powers might be his only hope. It was too late; the figure was too close. It put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sam, it's all right," Shadow Ranger said, as he shed some light on Sam, allowing him to see who it was.
"Commander Cruger, am I glad to see you," Sam said, with a smile. In seconds he was free.
Cruger shuffled the boy off towards the exit. He grabbed Sam into his arms and went running at full speed towards his shuttle. As Cruger was carrying him, Sam looked over Doggie's shoulder and saw Omega Ranger fighting Pygro in the distance. Sam was still shocked to know the truth. He decided in that moment, that it was a truth he would never reveal he knew.
Back in the distance, Pygro managed to land a blow against Omega Ranger, but it did nothing to stop his onslaught. Sam quickly jumped back to his feet and landed several punches, followed by a flipping kick. He twisted the throttle of his morpher once more.
"Light beam mode!" He shouted, as he sent another devastating punch to Pygro, that sent him flying to the ground, smoking. "It's judgment time!"
His morpher ticked down, until Sam saw the red "X" he knew was coming. Pygro was not happy.
"No! Not again!" the monster yelled.
"You're finished!" Sam said. With another turn of the throttle on his morpher, he unleashed a powerful punch from his glowing fist that sent Pygro flying to the ground in a fiery ball of destruction.
Omega Ranger walked into the ashes and picked up the only thing remaining of Pygro, his containment card. "Force From the Future!" he yelled, in victory. In the distance, Shadow Ranger nodded, in acknowledgement.
At SPD Headquarters, Commander Cruger walked into the Containment Room, where all of SPD's capture criminals were stored. In his hand he held, Pygro's card. Just before he put it into storage with the others, the doors opened behind him. He turned to see a glowing ball of light transform into the Omega Ranger.
"Sam," Cruger greeted him. "I was just about to say goodbye to Pygro, at least, for now. He'll be here for safekeeping, until you are able to return to the future. You can take him back with you."
"Thank you, sir. Commander, I came to say—"
"I'm sorry," Cruger interjected, cutting Sam off.
"What?" Sam was confused.
"I'm sorry, Sam, for treating you like a second-rate Ranger and for keeping you out of the loop. As far as I'm concerned, you're just as much a part of B-Squad as the others are. When I'm wrong, I admit it. I was wrong not to tell you about Sam."
"Commander, I would never do anything to try to influence Sam's future...my future, anymore than I already have. That said, things have changed. I'm sure he won't be the same after what happened with Pygro and that's my fault."
"You made up for it, though," Cruger said, as he filed Pygro away with the other captured criminals. "And I'm proud to have you amongst my cadets, no matter what time you're from."
THE END