POWER
RANGERS: SPACE PATROL DELTA
YEAR TWO
"DESPERATION"
The warehouse was dark and a bit smoky, probably due to the dust constantly rising off of the abandoned boxes inside of the place. The two-story structure showed no signs of life, despite the six bodies moving slowly and purposefully throughout the area. A pair of louder footsteps was heard and with that came even more drastic silence from the six.
Cartiron walked slowly into the interior of the warehouse. He seemed to be looking for something. His eyes veered to a large crate in the middle of the floor. Ten feet behind him, two morphed S.P.D. Rangers watched him closely, hidden by another giant-sized crate. The one in green looked to his partner.
"What's he doing?" Quinn whispered to the Omega Ranger beside him.
Jack nodded.
"I dunno. But, keep your eyes open."
On the opposite side of the warehouse, at about the same distance away from the Dark Hellion, Cartiron, two more morphed Rangers were watching, from behind a stack of boxes. Using her helmet's S.W.A.T. technology, the Yellow Ranger was scanning the crate that Cartiron stood examining. She turned to her partner.
"I don't get it. I'm not reading anything of importance in that crate. Do you think it's a trap?" she asked the Red Ranger at her side.
He, however, seemed to be staring off in another direction.
"If it is a trap, you can bet Gray will walk right into it. I think I see him over there," Sky said, pointing in the direction where Quinn was not.
"Sky, would you focus," Z said in a hushed whisper.
Up on the catwalk above them all, some barrels were being stored. Crouched behind them, was the last team of the Blue and Pink S.P.D. Rangers. From their position, Syd could see Jack & Quinn in their hiding spot. She also saw Cartiron beginning to paw at the crate in the middle of the room.
"You think we should make a move?" Syd asked her partner.
"No. We need to wait and pick our spot," Bridge responded, from beneath his helmet.
His right arm began nudging her a few times. Syd shook her head at him.
"What?"
"What?" Bridge responded.
"You keep elbowing me," Syd said.
The Blue Ranger looked down, noticing his arm was moving. He quickly gained control of the cybernetic appendage, grabbing it with his left arm.
"Sorry," Bridge said. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."
"You'll get the hang of it, Bridge," Syd said. "Just stay focused."
The Blue Ranger nodded. Still in their position, Jack was getting impatient. He began to groan, as he looked at Cartiron, wishing he could see his face and look into his evil eyes. It was time, Jack thought. It was time to make Cartiron pay.
"I'm going for it," Jack whispered to Quinn.
"Okay. I'll go around and cut off the exit, just in case," the Green Ranger whispered, before sneaking off.
Jack slowly lifted the Omega morpher on his hand, setting it to activate his electro mode. He activated the throttle as quietly as he could and saw his glove begin to light up. He reached his arm from behind the crate, getting an even better look at Cartiron, who didn't seem to notice him. The Yellow Ranger, however, did notice Jack's actions from her position.
"Jack's going to do something. We have to be ready to back him up," she said to Sky.
When she heard no response she turned to see that the Red Ranger was gone. She looked confused.
"Sky," she whispered as loud as she could. "Sky."
Up above, Syd noticed Jack's movements. She also noticed the movements of the Red Ranger. She saw exactly where he was going.
"Uh oh," she groaned beneath her helmet.
"What?" Bridge asked, still looking at Cartiron.
"Just keep your eye on Cartiron. I think Jack's about to make his move," Syd responded, as her eyes were following Sky's movements.
The tension was building, Bridge thought to himself. Something's about to happen. He could just feel it. One thing he couldn't feel in that moment, was his new arm. A nervous spasm caused it to swing out, knocking Syd forward into the barrel hiding her position. The barrel tumbled over the catwalk, crashing to the floor in front of Cartiron, getting his attention.
The Pink Ranger went flying over herself, but Bridge managed to grab her by the legs. As Syd hung upside down in his grip, Z caught sight of what was going on. She instinctively rose from her hiding spot, also drawing Cartiron's gaze.
"Z!" Jack said, under his breath.
He knew he had to act quickly. Cartiron was taking an offensive stance. He touched his glowing glove to the floor, causing a barrage of lightning energy to rise up, streaming towards Cartiron. His back was turned. Cartiron didn't even see it coming. But, then it all went wrong. The Green Ranger came out of nowhere, being pushed by the Red Ranger. This action seemingly pushed Cartiron out of the way of the electro mode blast. Bridge lost his footing on the catwalk, sending both him and Syd toppling into a stack of boxes.
"Where's your partner? You leaving him behind so you can escape?" Sky yelled at his half-brother.
"What are you talking about? I wasn't trying to escape," Quinn said.
"Oh yeah, right," Sky said, as Jack's electro mode attack hit both of them, sending them flying into the air.
The Omega Ranger ran over, along with the Yellow Ranger, helping the duo get to their feet.
"What's wrong with you two? You ruined everything!" Z yelled.
"Cartiron got away," Jack said.
"Oh, we're fine, by the way! Thanks for caring," Syd shouted to them, as she and Bridge walked over to the group, wiping dust off of their suits.
"He wouldn't have gotten away if Sky didn't break my cover," Quinn revealed, angering Sky.
"Oh please. You're a liar, just like your mother!" Sky yelled.
The six overlapping voices all meshed together in a cloud of anger and annoyance. Standing nearby, Cartiron nodded his head and raised both of his arms, causing swirls of fire to fly around them. He shot two huge fire bolts from his arms directly at the six Ranges, causing all of them to crash to the ground in a fiery blaze. The six Rangers coughed, as they struggled to get up. Cartiron walked over to the fallen Rangers and chuckled.
"Bang! You're dead," he said. "End simulation!"
The abandoned warehouse was now replaced with the inside of the S.P.D. training simulator. Pulling a remote from his pocket, Cartiron hit a button, causing his entire existence to be swept away, leaving behind the form of Commander Silverback, who was not happy. The Rangers got to their feet and de-morphed.
"What in the world did I just witness?" Silverback yelled. "That was the worst display ever. You're training hasn't gotten better. It's gotten worse!"
"Sir, I told you that I couldn't work alongside Gray," Sky said sternly.
"Me? I wasn't the problem in there. You were!"
"If both of you stopped fighting and kept your mind on the simulation, we might have beat it," Z chimed in.
"Yeah," Jack agreed. "You stepped right in front of my blast. Not to mention, you let Cartiron get away."
"Stop arguing, everyone," Syd said.
"You're one to talk," Z said. "You couldn't even stay put on that balcony."
"That's not my fault. Bridge's arm tried to kill me!"
"Hey!" Bridge yelled in, in shock.
The shouting matches had started once again. Silverback watched, fuming, as the six of them went at it.
"Ten hut!" Silverback yelled at the top of his lungs.
In an instant, the Rangers stood at attention.
"If this planet weren't in the middle of a war, I would discharge each and every one of you. You are in no shape to win this conflict. You can't cooperate with one another and you can't work in teams," Silverback shouted. "If you all don't get it together, this planet is doomed."
A blanket of silence fell over the simulator room, just as the doors slid closed behind a new entrant. The previous arguing had masked the sound of his entrance.
"Well, I guess it's your job to help them get it together."
The Rangers instantly recognized the voice. They all looked behind Silverback, who also recognized the voice. He turned to see the new arrival. Silverback sighed.
"Supreme Commander Cruger, what a surprise," Silverback said. His voice, however, didn't convey shock. It conveyed sarcastic anger.
Sky strolled into the Rec Room, followed by Syd. He took a seat on one of the vacant couches. The Rec Room hadn't seen much action these days. With tensions at an all time high thanks to the threat of Omallix, not many inside S.P.D. Headquarters felt like relaxing. Syd took a seat next to him, seeing the anger plastered on Sky's face.
"So, that was quite a surprise, huh?" she broke the silence.
"What?"
"Cruger's back. It's a good surprise, if you ask me," Syd said, with a forced smile, hoping it would spark some good feelings in him.
"Yeah. Maybe I'll talk to him about dismissing Gray from B-Squad," Sky said, seriously.
"Sky, don't you think you're going a little too far? Quinn hasn't done anything to warrant that kind of action."
"Yes, he has. He took a swing at me."
"He was upset because of the way you were treating his mother."
"I don't care. I'm Red Ranger. His mother was spreading lies about an S.P.D. Officer. She deserved to be interrogated."
"Sky, you don't know that she was lying. Why would she lie about something like that?" Syd said, looking utterly confused. Sky stood up and faced her, with his back to the Rec Room entrance.
"To tarnish my father's memory and help her son climb the S.P.D. ladder. How's that for a reason why?"
"Sky, you're being extremely harsh here. I saw the look on her face. It tore her up to tell you and Quinn the way she did. I didn't appear that she was lying to me," Syd said.
"Well, I didn't ask for you opinion," Sky said, bluntly.
Syd's look of confusion was instantly replaced by one of shock.
"Excuse me?"
"Look, until someone shows me proof to the contrary, Ellie Gray is a liar. And, as long as I'm the Red Ranger, I'm not gonna let her son benefit from her lies. My father's honor is at stake and I'm not gonna let her destroy that," Sky said, sternly.
At that moment, Syd noticed someone enter behind Sky. Her eyes veered to Quinn Gray. Sky turned and looked at Quinn. If his eyes were daggers, Quinn would have been killed dead in that moment. Quinn wasn't there to deliver roses, either. He looked at Sky with equal contempt. Syd instinctively stood up, prepared to step in the middle if things got out of hand, which she was sure might happen.
"What do you want?"
"There's something you need to see," Quinn responded.
He raised his hand to Sky's face, showing him two cases, containing the disks that Quinn had discovered in the box from his father. Sky's eyes veered to the disks. The lettering on them instantly gave away their contents. Sky looked back at Quinn, before snatching them.
"After you watch them, I'll be waiting for an apology," Quinn said, before leaving.
Sky watched Quinn's every movement as he left the Rec Room. Sky looked down at the disks in his hand for only a moment, before shooting another glance in the direction Quinn had just left in. Sky's eyes once again told the tale. That apology wasn't coming.
"Do you have those in a larger size?"
Isinia Cruger stopped unpacking the box of shoes inside the S.P.D. shelter and looked up, as she was sure she knew that voice. A flood of happy emotions came over her, as she saw she was right.
"Doggie!"
Isinia walked around the large table she had been working at and embraced her husband, tightly.
"I missed you," she said, pulling away from him. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I wanted to check on everyone. If I'm going to watch this war unfold from the sidelines, I prefer to do it from here. Besides, I know things haven't been going smoothly since I left."
"You can say that again. The entire mood around here has changed. The tension is so thick around here you could cut it with your Shadow Saber," Isinia responded.
"Too bad I didn't bring it," Cruger nodded.
"You just might need it, given how volatile everyone's become. It's been hard seeing them all like this. Sky's at Quinn's throat. Quinn is devastated by his mother's revelation that Nathan Tate was his father. Bridge is having real problems adjusting to his cybernetic implant. Jack is determined to get revenge on Cartiron and the poor girls are stuck in the middle of it all," Isinia explained. "I've been so worried."
"It's times like this that I truly wish Birdy was still around. It was his job to run Galaxy Command. It was my job to run this place. Now, I can't be here to guide them," Cruger said.
"I agree with you. Silverback is unwilling to change his command techniques. I'm afraid to reach out to the Rangers, because it'll look like I'm stepping on his toes and Kat is...I don't know what she is. She won't talk to me. It's like she's locked herself in her lab," Isinia said.
"I don't have a lot of time," Cruger revealed. "I'm going to try to do what I can."
He reached out and embraced his wife again.
"I hope you can help them, Doggie. All our lives may depend on it," Isinia said, sadly.
Inside one of the S.P.D. exercise centers, Jack was adding a little more weight to his barbell, before taking his position to lift. As he looked up, he saw the female figure take her position. Z was smirking at him, in her gray S.P.D. shirt and yellow sweat pants.
"If you add anymore weight there's going to be no point in me spotting you," she said, sarcastically.
"Aw, come on. You're stronger than you look," Jack said with a smile, as he lifted the barbell and began his reps.
"You know, white looks good on you," Z said, as she was watching Jack lift the barbell, wearing a white S.P.D. shirt.
"Thanks," Jack said, between grunts, as he continued to lift. "Too bad though. I was just starting to get used to the black."
Z watched Jack lifting like a pro. She knew he was driving himself on at light speed to get in perfect shape. Z worried a bit that Jack was pushing himself for the wrong reasons though. She didn't like when he wore all black. He was sadder. At least in white, she could fool herself into thinking that Jack was back in S.P.D. to save the world, not fulfill a new vendetta. At that moment, Bridge walked in, smiling at the two and waving.
"Hey guys."
"Hey Bridge," Jack said, as he finished a rep and sat up to face his friend. "How's the arm?"
"Uh, it's okay, I think," Bridge said, as he lifted his cybernetic arm and stared at it. "Are you all right?"
The arm didn't move. Bridge nodded.
"I think it's fine," Bridge said, looking back at Jack.
Z and Jack shared a chuckle, as Bridge sat at a nearby bicep press machine and started working out himself. Jack went back to his reps. Z continued her role as spotter, but glanced over at Bridge too.
"It seems like you're getting the hang of it, though," Z said.
"Yeah. It's harder than I thought it would be," Bridge said, as he pushed on the machine.
Z noticed that it seemed to be locking up. It looked like Bridge was trying to release the weight but couldn't. Z could see the machine shaking a bit in his grasp.
"Bridge? Something wrong?"
"Uh, my arm it won't let go!"
Jack stopped his weightlifting and joined Z at Bridge's side. Bridge appeared to be struggling to do something. Jack grabbed Bridge's cybernetic arm at the elbow, helping it to release the weight.
"I guess it's not as fine as I though," Bridge said, angrily.
"Bridge, you might want to get this checked out. It's becoming a recurring problem. We don't want you to get hurt," Z said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Or hurt someone else," Jack added.
Bridge nodded, as he frowned, staring at his arm.
Inside the S.P.D. Academy Library, Sky sat in one of the private research rooms. He didn't want to be disturbed, as he sat at the computer terminal. He had no idea that he was followed there. He activated the terminal and inserted the first disk containing his father's personal logs. Sky took a deep breath, knowing he was about to be faced with his father staring back at him, talking as if they were speaking to each other, even though he knew Nathan was simply talking to the recording device in his computer. He pressed the execute button.
The image of Nathan Tate appeared in front of him, almost like a mirror image. Even though he was more than ten years older than Sky at the time it was recorded, there was something young about Nathan Tate. His hair was a bit shorter than Sky's, but their facial features were practically identical. Sky closed his eyes and pressed a button on the keyboard, pausing the log entry before it even started. He took another deep breath and restarted it.
On the other side of the computer screen, Nathan Tate took a deep breath of his own and breathed it out loudly.
"This is where I usually spill my guts about what's going on here at S.P.D.," Nathan said, as he looked down, shaking his head negatively. "But, I can't do that right now."
Sky couldn't help but take note of his father's mannerisms. His S.P.D. training kicked in without him even trying. Nathan wasn't looking straight ahead and he appeared nervous about something. Sky got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach at that moment.
"Actually, this has a lot to do with S.P.D. and history," Nathan continued. "It all began three years ago. One of my closest friends died serving Space Patrol Delta. Silas Jacobs was a great man and a great Blue Ranger. He was a true friend. You know, wearing that suit everyday with four other people brings you closer than you'd think. Sure, it's a job but you see a lot out there, like death and destruction. You all feel it together. It's like a family."
Sky watched the screen closely, hanging on every word his father spoke.
"Then, we lost a member of our family. Silas died. I told him not to risk going into that building. We were busy fighting off the criminals outside. He took a chance to save that little girl and he didn't make it," Nathan spoke. "Darby was crushed. She left us. No one was left on our team but Zachal and Ellie."
The sound of Ellie Gray's name caused many emotions inside of Sky to begin to surface. His hand formed a fist, as he thought of her lies about this man he was watching, this great man. He knew it was a lie.
"We got even closer, all of us. We were traumatized by what had happened. I never thought I could feel that vulnerable in my life. I cried over my friend. But, I couldn't let anyone see that, not my family, not Cruger. I was the Red Ranger, the leader. I had to be strong for everyone. Ellie understood, though. She was my shoulder to cry on," Nathan said. "That's when things changed like I never imagined they could."
Sky's frowning face was replaced by a more confused one. He didn't know where his father was going to with this.
"In one weak moment, everything changed. In one moment, I did the most dishonorable thing possible. Ellie and I gave in to our sorrow and we comforted each other in a way that no married people should without their spouse. In that one night, we were bonded together, but not because we were teammates. It was because we were lovers," Nathan revealed.
Sky's eyes closed again. This time, however, they hadn't closed because he was nervous about seeing his father. They closed, because at that moment he couldn't bear to look at his image staring him in the face. It wasn't right. It couldn't be, Sky thought.
"It's impossible," Sky muttered to himself. The recording continued.
"But, through our trauma and our need for one another, you were born," Nathan said. "That's why I'm making this recording, for you, my son."
"Son?" Sky said, in confusion. "Dad, no."
"We may have made a big mistake in what we did, but neither of us regret you, Quinn. When Ellie told me about you, I was surprised. I only managed to hold you once, but you're my son. I know it. Ellie and I both know we'll have to live with our mistake forever, but she doesn't think you should live with it. That's why she left," Nathan said.
"This is not happening," Sky said to himself.
"Ellie and Michael are great people, great parents. They are your parents. But, one day, I hope you can know me as well," Nathan said, as a tear fell from his eye. "Because I'm your father. I asked your mother to tell you about me when you get old enough to understand that I do love you, just like I love my other son."
Sky closed his eyes, refusing to watch his father tear up and mention him. He could, however, still hear everything.
"That would be my dream, you know. For you and Sky to meet and maybe one day be true brothers," Nathan said. "I know that can't happen right now. When you see this—"
Sky opened his eyes, realizing his father had stopped speaking. He had reached the end of the entry. Sky picked up the other disk, which must have continued it. Part of him wanted to crush it in his hand. Another part of him wanted to listen to it. The doors opened behind him, making him choose another path. He turned and saw Quinn Gray standing, silently in the doorway. Sky stood up and walked over to him. He stared at Quinn for almost an entire minute. He searched his eyes, looking for some sign. When he saw it, he frowned, on the verge of breaking down himself.
He spoke to Quinn. His voice was so low it was almost a whisper.
"You will never be my brother," Sky said darkly. "Never."
Sky dropped the second disk on the floor and left the room, leaving Quinn behind. The cadet knelt down and picked up the second disk, which had never managed to watch all the way through either. He looked back at the computer screen and saw the image of Nathan Tate paused there, staring back at him.
Aboard Omallix's base in space, Felix carefully scanned the monster he had come to know as Magnettoron. Felix had already begun the gene research to handle the augmentation process that would happen in his regular laboratory. Felix, however, was here to do a little research for his own plan.
He was never truly comfortable in this other laboratory, next door to his own. He glanced over at the large picture window that gave him a look into his laboratory, where the Omallix's other remaining creature, Dorothar was lying on the other examination bed. The augmentation was being carried out at the moment and Dorothar would soon be more powerful on several levels. He would be infinitely more powerful than he was before the process. He would also be stronger and more devastating than Oartha was before him.
Felix winced a little bit, knowing he was helping to make that creature more deadly and that he would be sent out to face the Power Rangers. Felix just held tight to the belief that none of Jintari's experimental ideas would ever be enough to destroy Space Patrol Delta or its Rangers. Felix turned away from the window and back to his other patient.
Magnettoron was a much bigger project for Felix. Honestly, he had told Charlie that Dorothar was a better choice to send first because he wanted more time to analyze Magnettoron for his own purposes. He was correct when he told them that Magnettoron was more powerful, but he was hoping to use some of the alien's power for himself before he was ready for battle.
He had to hurry, though. He had convinced Charlie to bring him over here to get a head start on the genetic research for Magnettoron, while she remained in the other lab to monitor Dorothar. He knew, however, that she wouldn't leave him alone for too long. He had gathered the data he needed, along with some samples of Magnettoron's genetic material. But, he was going to need a tool to make it useful. He looked around the laboratory and saw something that might work.
Felix walked over to a shelf against the far wall. He peeked back at the picture window, but was sure that from that angle, there was no way that Charlie could see him. He reached up to the highest shelf. He was aiming to get his hands no the sharpithor, a piece of equipment used in medical monitors to transmit information. It was shaped like an old Earth telephone receiver, except it was completely metal and much smaller. Felix stretched as far as he could, finally getting a hold of the sharpithor, but in his eagerness he knocked over a small black box that was next to the tool. Both fell to the floor.
Felix looked over to the picture window quickly and saw a shadow getting closer to it. He knelt down and pocketed the sharpithor as he saw Charlie peering in at him. Within seconds she was gone from the window. The doors to the laboratory slid open and she came in, rushing over to his position. She grabbed Felix by the arm and yanked him to his feet.
"What are you doing, trying to get us both killed?" she yelled.
"I was getting another scanner from over here and I nudged the shelf. That's all," Felix said.
"That's not all!" Charlie said, as she bent over and grabbed the black box, which had popped upon impact with the floor.
As Charlie lifted the box up to close it, Felix got a glimpse of what was inside it.
"Oh my god," Felix uttered.
Charlie reached back up to the top shelf, putting the box back in its place. She glared at Felix.
"Don't get any ideas," Charlie said.
"Too late," Felix said, with a smile. "I can't believe you've had that all this time."
"I haven't had anything!" Charlie said. "Omallix brought that in here himself and it has nothing to do with you, so keep quiet. If you dare try to use this against us, you'll pay the price for it."
"Oh, I'm not going to say anything," Felix said with a smirk. "I don't think."
"Don't play with me," Charlie yelled. "I'll go to Omallix right now and tell him you were snooping around in here."
"Then, you'd have to explain to him exactly why you left me in here unattended," Felix said, with a smile. "Which I'm guessing is against his rules."
Charlie sneered at Felix, as she grabbed hold of his arm again and stormed back to Felix's regular laboratory next door, dragging him along with her.
"Buttery. Buttery. Buttery!"
Inside the Infirmary, Dr. Sevarus watched with concern, as Bridge continued to yell at his cyberntic arm. Bridge finally looked over at him.
"See! Something's wrong with it."
Dr. Sevarus walked closer to the examination bed, where Bridge was sitting.
"I don't understand," Sevarus said, looking confused.
"I can't control my arm the way I should. It's not acting right," Bridge said, before turning back to his right hand, which he was holding palm up. "Buttery!"
Bridge looked at Sevarus.
"I'm getting nothing, no reaction whatsoever," Bridge said, annoyed. "That's not me!"
"Bridge, as Kat and I have both told you before, it's going to take a while for you to be able to completely control your new arm. Have you been doing the practice exercises I assigned?"
"Yes," Bridge said. "Still no buttery."
Sevarus sighed, as he walked over to his main terminal in the Infirmary. He keyed in a few sequences and the screen showed a readout on Bridge's cybernetic arm. Sevarus studied over the image.
"I'm telling you, there's something else going on here," Bridge said.
"Maybe," Sevarus said, as he looked over some previous scans of Bridge's arm. "I may have a bit of an answer."
"What is it?"
"Well, from the incidents you described concerning the accident with Cadet Drew on the simulator and your exercise malfunction, I think the reason your cybernetic implant isn't working perfectly is because of your genetic power," Sevarus deduced.
"But, I thought you said my power to read auras was unusable?" Bridge said, looking confused.
"Not that power, Bridge. Your psychic powers."
"Oh," Bridge said.
After a moment, he looked confused again.
"I don't understand."
"You've used your psychic abilities for years. They've become ingrained in you. They manifest themselves, even when you don't realize it. Every step you take, every decision you make, your psychic powers are always going to be one step ahead of you," Sevarus explained.
"So, you're saying the reason my arm malfunctioned on the simulator was because my mind knew that Syd was going to fall before she fell and it sent a signal to me to react?"
"That's a pretty good interpretation," Sevarus replied.
"But, if my arm was what caused her to fall, does that mean that my mind knew that my arm was going to do that? And, if my mind knew that my arm was going to spasm because of my power, wouldn't my power have told my arm not to spasm in the first place?"
A few moments of silence passed as Dr. Sevarus attempted to wade through Bridge's statement.
"It's a very complicated situation, Bridge," Sevarus said. "But, I do think that's what the problem is. It happened again in the exercise center. Your mind anticipated the movements of the machine and your arm reacted, just a little earlier than it should have."
"What about my buttery?"
"The finger wiggling may remain a medical mystery," Sevarus said. "But, from what I hear, it was already a bit of a mystery before your injury."
Bridge sighed.
"So, what do I do?"
"You just have to try to clear your mind. Try as best as you can to focus and concentrate. There's nothing medically that I can do to cut down reaction time in your arm, without it malfunctioning even worse," Sevarus said. "I'm sorry."
Sevarus exited the Infirmary, leaving Bridge sitting on the exam bed. He looked at his right hand again and frowned.
"Buttery," he whispered.
Still, his hand did nothing.
"I guess there's no one that can help me now," Bridge said, as the doors to the Infirmary slid open.
He hopped off the bed, seeing the arrival. He quickly stood at attention, with his arms behind his back. Bridge smiled.
"Supreme Commander Cruger, hi."
"Hello, Carson. How are you doing?"
"Better, sir. It's good to see you," Bridge responded.
Cruger walked a little closer to Bridge, looking him up and down.
"I'm glad to see you're all right. How's the arm?"
Bridge's cybernetic arm spasmed again, causing it to swing forward, almost hitting Cruger, whose reflexes kicked in, allowing him to back away from the arm before it made contact.
"It's been better," Bridge said, sadly. "I'm having some trouble with it. Dr. Sevarus seems to think it has to do with my genetic power. I'm a little worried about it affecting my Ranger duties."
"Well, I'm glad that I brought some help along, then," Cruger said.
Bridge looked confused.
"Huh?"
Cruger walked back over to the Infirmary doors and they slid open. Bridge's look of confusion was instantly replaced with a smile when he saw someone enter the Infirmary.
"Sophie!"
"In the flesh," Sophie said. "Well, actually in the metal, but you get the point."
Bridge walked over to her.
"What are you doing here?"
"I picked up Sophie on my way here. I thought she might be able to help in our efforts against Omallix," Cruger explained.
"That's great," Bridge replied.
"I just hope I can help," Sophie said, as she touched Bridge's right arm, feeling the metal underneath his uniform. "I heard about your accident. I'm really sorry."
"Thanks," Bridge said.
"You two should get reacquainted," Cruger said. "I think Sophie might be able to proved a unique perspective on your situation."
"I hope so," Bridge said. "I can use all the help I can get."
In the S.P.D. shelter, Z was sorting through clothing boxes at a table when Jack showed up bringing another one. He sat it on the table and Z slid it closer to her, noticing how heavy it was.
"I thought you were done with weightlifting for the day?"
"Working the guns a little more can't hurt," Jack said as he walked off to grab another box.
While he was gone, Z thought about their earlier workout. Something had been bugging her and she knew that bringing it up with Jack would probably cause him to get mad at her, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. Jack returned with an even heavier box. Z watched, noticing he was having trouble with it. A few steps away from the table, the box began to slip out of his hands. In seconds, Z was there to help him keep it steady and get to the table. On the other side of the table, Z was waiting. Jack looked at both of the identical girls.
"Which one of you should I thank?" he smirked.
"Very funny," Z said, as her duplicate disappeared back into her own body. "You better be careful."
"I could have handled it by myself," Jack said.
"Sure," Z said. "You know, Jack. We all need help sometime. That's why we have teams, families. Look at them."
Z nodded off in another direction. Jack followed her gaze and they saw Cruger enter the area, finding and embracing his wife.
"They were separated for years and forced to go it alone, but they never choose to and they're not alone. Neither are you," Z said.
"I know that," Jack said, sighing.
"Good. Then, you'll understand me when I say that we all want to bring down Cartiron and Omallix and all his goons."
"Yeah, but Cartiron needs to pay for what he did to Ally," Jack said, angrily.
"Jack, listen to me. I don't want you to get overwhelmed with this vendetta against Cartiron. It's not healthy. Trust me. I know. I did the exact same thing when I thought you were dead," Z said, somberly. "I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I was consumed with anger and hatred. In the end, it didn't help anybody on the battlefield."
"You saved me," Jack said. "You never gave up on finding me."
"I'm not asking you to give up," Z said. "I'm just asking you to take a second and think about why you're doing what you're doing. Once I cleared my head and thought about the situation, I realized that I could do more good if I put my emotions to the side a little. That helped get you back."
"I'll keep that in mind," Jack said.
"Excuse me."
The two turned to see Supreme Commander Cruger and Isinia approaching. Z smiled.
"D.C., good to see you," Jack said, as she shook Cruger's hand. "Is it okay if I still call you D.C.? I know you're the head honcho now."
"It's perfectly fine, Jack," Cruger said. "I'm glad to see you as well. The last time we talked you were in the Infirmary with a cloudy memory."
"Clouds are all gone," Jack said, before looking at Z. "Most of them anyway."
"Good. You mind having a little talk in private?" Cruger asked.
Jack nodded. The two walked off together, leaving Isinia to help Z finish sorting the clothing boxes.
"What's up?" Jack asked, as they walked out the exit door, which led outside the Delta Command Base.
"Commander Silverback tells me that you've rejoined S.P.D. full-time," Cruger said, seeing Jack nod along. "Why?"
"Sir?"
"Why did you decide to come back to S.P.D.?" Cruger asked again.
"Frankly sir, you guys need me," Jack said. "I was able to provide some information from what I remembered about being on Omallix's base. I've still got the skills and unfortunately, I've got the power too."
Jack raised his arm, showing Cruger the Omega morpher surgically attached to his arm.
"Why not use it?"
"You've been through a terribly traumatic experience, Jack. You shouldn't rush into anything," Cruger said.
"Sir, I can do this. I have done this, remember. It's not like I'm a rookie."
"I know that. You've been through many battles. You know what it feels like and you know how high emotions can run out there," Cruger said.
"What are you getting at?"
"I just want to make sure that your emotions are in the right place. You left S.P.D. because you didn't feel it was your destiny. Has that really changed?" Cruger asked.
Jack took a deep breath and stopped walking.
"Okay. So, in my heart I don't want to be in this uniform. But, they're my friends. I don't want to see anything bad happen to them. I don't want to see them end up like Piggy or worse, like Ally. I have to do this," Jack said. "For them, for me...and for Ally."
Cruger looked into Jack's eyes. He nodded.
"You've already started training with B-Squad and you know the enemy, so I'll let you stay, on a temporary basis," Cruger said. "Once this conflict is over, you'll have to decide on your destiny yourself."
"I can live with that," Jack said, nodding.
Syd approached the quarters of the man she wasn't sure was her boyfriend. She and Sky had kept things so quiet between them ever since they got together that neither had ever mentioned what their relationship truly entailed. She knew, though, that she needed to be there for him, now more than ever. He had told her he was going to watch his father's personal logs. She arrived at the doors and took a deep breath. When she stepped forward, she was a bit surprised that they slid apart on their own. She was expecting it to be locked. Syd stepped into Sky's room. His back was turned to her. She could tell that his head was lowered.
"Sky," Syd said, softly, as the doors slid closed behind her. "Are you okay?"
Sky slowly turned around to face her. As he turned, she saw why his head had been lowered. In his hands, Sky held a framed picture of his father. Syd walked a little closer, noticing a few drops on the glass. Sky had shed tears and it was all Syd needed to know what he had seen on those logs. She put a comforting hand on Sky's arm, but he immediately pulled it away.
"Sky, come on. Let me help you."
"I'm not the one that needs help," he muttered.
His voice conveyed more than anger. It was blind rage. Syd could see the photo shaking a bit in his hands.
"How could he do this? How?" Sky yelled.
"Sky, you can't do this to yourself. That was a long time ago—"
"So what? It doesn't matter?" Sky yelled directly at her. "He cheated on my mother! He took everything that S.P.D. stands for and he spit on it!"
"Sky, you don't know what he—"
"I know! He told me all about his little affair, which by the way, he wasn't planning on telling me or my mother. He was gonna tell Quinn about it though. I'm just...I can't even breathe."
Syd could see him visibly trying to hold back his emotions, but they were breaking free.
"Just try to calm down," Syd said softly.
She placed her hand on his back and began to rub it gently. For a moment, Syd thought she could feel his heart beating from there.
"I can't stop thinking about his face," Sky said, angrily. "I can't stop picturing him with her."
Sky shut his eyes tight and moved away from Syd again.
"My whole life has been a big joke," Sky said to her.
"Sky, no."
"Yes! Here I am trying to be like him?" Sky's tone was getting louder with each word, and his rage was building with every inflection. "He's a disgrace."
"Sky, stop—"
"No! He's a liar. I can't believe that I ever wanted to be like him. He screwed over his family and he brought pain and dishonor to all of us! I hate him!"
"Sky, he's your father. You don't hate him," Syd said, louder, hoping to break through to Sky.
"I do hate him. Dead or not, I hate who he was and I hate that I ever wanted to be like him!" Sky yelled in a fury as he threw the framed photograph across the room.
The picture frame collided with the wall near the doors and broke instantly. Sky stormed out, walking right past the debris. Left alone, Syd walked over and knelt down. She pulled the photo of Nathan Tate away from the broken glass. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, hoping that it would reach Sky's heart before he did something he would regret even more than the words he had just spoken to her.
Supreme Commander Cruger strolled into the Command Center and was taken aback a bit by the changes he saw. He didn't let that show, however. He knew that Silverback was a territorial creature. He had to make this place his own and Cruger expected nothing less. It was Silverback's territorial nature, however, that was going to make this conversation the hardest Cruger had all day.
"Supreme Commander," Silverback greeted him, with a salute. "Strolling down memory lane, or are you hear to talk?"
"Commander, we need to talk," Cruger said, sternly.
"About what?"
"I'd prefer to do this in your office," Cruger responded.
"Well, we're under a state of emergency due to this little war with Omallix. So, my place is right here. Feel free to speak your mind," Silverback stated. "Anything you say to me can be said in front of my staff. They won't take it personally."
At their stations nearby, Ghiren, his tracking specialist and Niyako, the levitating communications officer, exchanged troubled glances out of the sight of their commanding officers.
"Commander, I've spent most of my day assessing the status of things around here," Cruger said.
"That's interesting, because this is the first time that you've been here in the Command Center. I'm in here a lot and I think the status of things on this end is quite good."
"You know what I'm talking about," Cruger said, seriously. "Your job as Commander of S.P.D. Earth is about more than just giving orders and monitoring this city."
"You're right. I also lead a few training sessions," Silverback said, sarcastically. "You did peek in on the last one didn't you."
Cruger let out a low growl. Silverback's robotic companion, Murphy, who had been sitting at his side, stood up, hearing the sound from Cruger.
"I'm going to take that to mean that you were as unhappy as I was at the performance of the B-Squad cadets," Silverback shot back.
"I was. But, I was even more unhappy to see S.P.D.'s Commander in there berating them about it, instead of trying to get to the bottom of the problem," Cruger said, angrily.
"The job of S.P.D.'s Commander is not to hold hands and coddle six people who happen to be adults in the middle of a war. They need to start acting like it."
"You need to tone it down, Silverback. They won't be able to win any battles out there, if their emotions are out of control in here," Cruger said.
"I guess we disagree then," Silverback said.
"We do," Cruger said, sternly. "As Supreme Commander, I want this conflict resolved, even if that means doing it myself. Therefore, I intend to remain here for now to monitor the situation."
"Yes sir," Silverback responded.
"Also, I'm assigning a new crew member to S.P.D. Earth. Sophie is a former cadet and one of S.P.D.'s best assets. She will be joining your staff," Cruger stated.
"As what?"
"Systems analyst," Cruger explained. "Her technical expertise will be invaluable to you here in the Command Center."
"This is a permanent assignment?"
"Until I say otherwise," Cruger ordered.
"Yes sir," Silverback said, seriously.
On the second floor of Omallix's floating fortress, Charlie and Jintari were headed to the main room downstairs, Omallix's throne room. They weren't alone. Walking behind them was the tall, hulking form of Dorothar, a formerly weak alien who seemed to be enjoying his recent enhancement. Charlie was carrying a long black case, as she looked back at him, noticing him puffing out his chest a bit more and admiring his beefed up look.
"Don't strain yourself," Charlie said, sarcastically. "You still have a battle to win."
"I feel stronger than I ever have before," Dorothar said.
"You can thank Omallix for that," Jintari spoke at Charlie's side.
The trio began to descend the staircase to the first floor and Charlie got a bit curious.
"So, the fluid that you injected into Dorothar is the same stuff that Omallix runs off of?"
Charlie knew the answer, but wanted to see how far Jintari would open the door for questions.
"It certainly is," Jintari said proudly. "Omallix's strength is even stronger than our new friend here. But, he's had years of contact with the fluid. His body produces the stuff."
"This fluid...you created it?" she asked the green scientist.
"It wasn't necessary. It is produced naturally on Earth. We just stole what we needed before our departure," Jintari revealed. "I merely created the technology to allow it to be used to our benefit."
"But, Dorothar is stronger than Oartha. Are you using more than you gave her?"
"Yes. Omallix ordered it. He wants the Rangers destroyed," Jintari said, as he kept walking.
Charlie paused for a second.
"We all do," she said, finally.
The trio continued walking until their reached Omallix's main control room. The evil villain was seated on his self-appointed throne, talking quietly with his monster general, Cartiron. Upon the entrance of Charlie & Jintari, the duo became silent. Omallix looked curious.
"My lord," Jintari spoke. "May I present Dorothar, the latest augmented monster from your army."
"And, the second to last, I might add," Charlie chimed in.
Jintari shot her an annoyed glance.
"Dorothar," Omallix spoke his name.
The creature stepped forward, a little closer to Omallix. The dark leader remembered seeing him in the basement of the base, but he was a bit different. A thin, navy blue alien, with a small elongated head. He had a long, almost dinosaur-like horn that extended from his forehead to his back. It looked almost like a ponytail. He wasn't thin anymore though, Omallix noted. Now, he had muscles, Omallix could see his bulging white blood vessels, puffing out. Dorothar was now taller and appeared to be more agile, as well.
"Thanks to Felix's research, the augmentation caused Dorothar's normal abilities to be enhanced," Charlie explained. "Dorothar's biggest asset is his speed."
She nodded at Dorothar, who moved from his standing position to the other end of the throne room in what appeared to be less than a second. Omallix and the others couldn't move their eyes quick enough to catch his swift movement.
"Super speed," Omallix said, as he nodded affirmatively. "What else?"
"Well, sir," Charlie said, looking a bit nervous. "That was the extent of Dorothar's normal alien abilities. However, it appears that the process has also caused a dormant ability to emerge. Dorothar now has the ability to slow down time for a few seconds."
"This could be invaluable in battle," Jintari spoke up. "The Rangers will be unprepared."
"Can he fight?" Cartiron asked.
"My skills are not as great as yours, Dark Hellion," Dorothar spoke, as he sped over to face Cartiron with lightning quickness. "However, I can hold my own."
"Hold your own?" Cartiron was not impressed, as he turned back to Omallix. "I don't like this."
"He'll use his abilities to the best of his...ability," Jintari said.
"Yes," Charlie agreed. "And, I have some things that might help."
She opened the black case she had been carrying and revealed two long swords. They matched. Each had a white ribbon tied on the ends of the handles. She handed them to Dorothar, who began to swing them around a bit, getting a feel for the weaponry.
"My lord, allow me to join him in the battle," Cartiron offered. "I will take the Fericks. There are now six Rangers again. He may not be able to defeat them all."
"Very well," Omallix said. "Dorothar, I want the S.P.D. Rangers destroyed. I'm growing tired of this game. They continue to slip through my fingers and I will not tolerate more failure!"
"Yes master," Dorothar exclaimed, with confidence.
The doors to Kat's laboratory slid open, but she barely noticed. Her mind was busy studying her computer terminal.
"Am I interrupting?"
Kat heard the voice and her head shot up. When she saw she wasn't hearing things, she smiled.
"Doggie!"
Kat walked over to her superior officer and immediately gave him a hug. Cruger chuckled a bit.
"Good to see you too," Cruger said, before he sighed. "You didn't answer my question."
"Oh," Kat said, as she glanced back at the computer terminal. "I've been analyzing Oartha, the last monster the Rangers contained. She exhibited some amazing abilities in their battle, but her race of people has never been that powerful. It's a bit of a mystery."
"It's not the only one," Cruger said, staring at her.
"What?"
"That's supposed to be my question," Cruger said. "What are you doing in here?"
Kat took a deep breath and began to slowly pace around her laboratory.
"Before you left, this place was in disarray. Everyone seems to think me cleaning up behind myself is a bad thing," Kat said.
"Only if you did it because you don't like the way the rest of S.P.D. has 'cleaned up'."
"I'm not gonna lie," Kat said. "Silverback and I aren't the best of friends. He gives orders. I follow them."
"Silverback can be quite abrasive."
"He's not you," Kat said, as she turned to face Cruger again. "You know, I never realized just how much this base was influenced by you. I can barely stand walking into that Command Center. Silverback's crew watches me like a hawk, making sure I don't go near their stations."
"That's why you've decreased duty shifts there?"
"I guess that's part of it. I'm just more comfortable in here," Kat revealed.
"Well, as Supreme Commander, I want to officially tell you to stop it!"
Kat was caught off-guard by Cruger raising his voice almost to a tone of anger.
"Sir?"
"Kat, you can't hide in here! Besides being one of S.P.D.'s greatest minds, you're my friend. You're going to waste away if you keep pushing yourself out of their lives," Cruger said, sternly.
"That's not my intention," Kat said, sighing. "I'm supposed to be here."
"That's the handbook talking. Don't do that. Don't hide behind rules that you never had a problem bending before. You were my #2 and you should be Silverback's," Cruger stated. "We all have demons to fight in this war, including you and me. We can't win if we keep breaking apart. The Rangers are all on tough roads and their emotions are out of control."
"I don't want mine to be anymore," Kat said. "You want to know the reason why I spend most of my time in here? That's it. Out there, I have to feel and hurt. In here, the only thing that I have are machines and parts and computers."
"You can't live life like that," Cruger said, as he grabbed Kat by the arms and stared into her eyes. "You can't. You'll lose more than you ever imagined if you just give in."
Kat sighed, as she knew Cruger was right. She lowered her head, a bit ashamed, because she had given up, pushing her emotions as deep down as she could.
"As Supreme Commander, I can't ask you to do more than the S.P.D. handbook says," Cruger said, letting her go. "But, as your friend, I hope you'll reconsider."
Cruger walked back towards the door, before stopping and turning back to her. He thought of something that might help.
"I know you. I know there's a whole list of projects shuffling around in that brain of yours. Maybe it's time to clean that up, just like this lab," Cruger said.
Kat looked up at him, meeting his eyes.
"If you're going to stay in this lab, do it because they need you in here. Don't do it because you want to hide from life out there. Help them win this," Cruger said, proudly. "That's an order."
"Yes, Supreme Commander," Kat responded. After a few seconds, she smiled.
Cruger smiled back.
"I'm starting to like the sound of that," he said with a nod, before leaving.
"I don't think this is gonna work," Bridge said, as he was looking at the floor.
"Come on. It can't hurt right," Sophie called out.
"Speak for yourself," he responded. "You weren't there when this thing slugged me."
"Bridge, please. It will help. I promise."
"Okay," Bridge sighed, as he walked closer to the wall and did a handstand, joining Sophie, who was already in position against the wall.
It took Bridge a few seconds to get his positioning right.
"See! That's not so bad. Is it?"
"I guess," Bridge said, as he stared at his right hand. "Let's give it a few seconds."
"That's part of the problem. You're thinking too much," Sophie said. "You need to relax and let your arm relax. I know it's hard, but that arm isn't there to hurt you."
"I guess you're right," Bridge said, as he started to smile. "This actually is helping. My head feels more clear."
"That is why you do this, isn't it?" Sophie chuckled.
Bridge began to laugh with her.
"I still haven't passed the true test, though."
"What's that?"
"A battle, a real battle. If my arm acts up at the wrong time, I could get everyone into real trouble," Bridge explained.
At that moment the emergency alarms sounded. Bridge's right arm immediately gave out and he fell onto his side onto the floor.
"Damn my psychic powers," Bridge sighed, as he realized he must have sensed the trouble coming. "I don't know if I'm ready for this."
"You'll never know until you try," Sophie said.
Bridge nodded.
"All B-Squad cadets report to the Command Center," Niyako spoke calmly into the communications panel at her station. "Repeat, all B-Squad cadets report to the Command Center. This is an emergency."
The doors to the Command Center, behind her, slid open. Sky walked in and took his position, standing at attention, as he glanced at Silverback. Seconds later, Quinn walked in. Customarily, the Rangers would line up in a straight line, depending on who arrived first. Quinn, however, took up a position a good five feet away from Sky. Silverback sighed, as he watched. Syd and Z entered right behind him. Noticing the gap, they both took positions between them. Jack and Bridge weren't far behind, running in and joining their team.
From his station, Ghiren, Silverback's tracking specialist, spoke up. "We have a monster sighting downtown in the business district."
"Judging by the Fericks down there, I'm guessing it's another one of Omallix's critters. Get on it!" Silverback yelled, although he was speaking a tone normal for him.
"Yes sir," Sky yelled, as he pulled his morpher. "Ready?"
"Ready!" the other five responded.
"S.P.D. S.W.A.T.!" they all yelled.
"Omega morpher, power up!" Jack yelled.
In the process, of gesturing with his morpher, Bridge could feel his nerves getting worse. As he swung his morpher out to activate it, it flew out of his right hand. If Silverback hadn't ducked, it would have hit him right between the eyes.
"Carson!"
The other Rangers, now fully morphed stood at his sides. Bridge cringed.
"Sorry," he said.
"Carson, you're out!"
"What?" Sky yelled. "We need him."
"Not in his present condition. Carson you're sitting this one out. The rest of you, go!" Silverback ordered.
Within seconds, they all were gone, except for Bridge. Murphy scooped up the fallen morpher in his mouth and trotted over to Bridge, whimpering a bit as he raised his head to the cadet. Bridge bent over and retrieved his morpher from Murphy's open mouth.
On top of a building in downtown Newtech City, Dorothar stared out at the city.
"I think this is gonna be fun!" he exclaimed, as he turned around to see a small group of Fericks, motionless and unresponsive. "You guys are no fun!"
"You got that right!" the Yellow Ranger screamed out.
Dorothar and the Fericks turned to see the arrival of five of the S.P.D. Rangers.
"Well, that didn't take long!" Dorothar yelled.
"Give it up. Whatever you're planning, we're to stop it," the Red Ranger called out.
"That's interesting, because I'm here to destroy you!" Dorothar said, as he practically disappeared, speeding himself back behind the Rangers, using his twin blades to swipe at four of them.
Without seeing his movements, they were attacked easily. The Red, Pink, Green and Yellow Rangers stumbled forward to the ground, as their suits were sparking with damage. The Omega Ranger ran over, taking an offensive stance between them and Dorothar.
"You're gonna pay for that!" Jack yelled.
"We meet again, Omega Ranger!"
Jack turned away from Dorothar and saw Cartiron had arrived, standing in front of the group of Fericks.
"You're gonna regret coming down here, Cartiron," Jack spoke, as he ran towards the Dark Hellion.
Cartiron swiftly, back flipped over the Fericks, taking a position behind them now. Running at top speed, while twisting his morpher's throttle.
"Omega morpher, hyper mode!"
His fist lit up, as he ran into the group of six Fericks, punching at them once he was inside the metal army's center. One Ferick was tossed aside, easily destroyed by the powerful attack. Others followed, as Cartiron watched the Omega Ranger thrash through them. On the other side of the rooftop, the others were getting to their feet.
"Well, it looks like I get to finish the rest of you off, all by myself," Dorothar yelled in victory.
Inside the Command Center, Silverback watched the battle on the holographic projector in the middle of the main control console in the room. He let out a deep sigh, as the doors to the room opened and Supreme Commander Cruger entered, taking a position next to him.
"How are they doing?"
"Not good, but it's just started," Silverback said. "That Landors seems to be taking care of the Fericks, though."
"Were they attacking the other Rangers?"
"That's beside the point," Silverback spoke. "They're evil. They need to be taken out."
"Not if the other Rangers are in need of his help. That monster looks powerful," Cruger said, sternly. "What do we know about him?"
"Ghiren," Silverback called out. "What do we know about him?"
Cruger gave Silverback an annoyed eye at his repetition.
"According to my research, his name's Dorothar. He's wanted in the Alpha 5 star system for looting," Ghiren explained. "According to authorities there, he's extremely hard to catch because of his heightened speed."
"That's how he got to the Rangers," Silverback told Cruger. "He's a fast one."
"Sir, there is something strange," Ghiren said. "Dorothar is Covallian. They aren't known to exceed speeds of 150 mph."
"He's already beat that time today," Silverback said, looking curious.
"It appears Omallix has found some way to make the monsters stronger. The same thing happened with Oartha," Cruger said. "The Rangers are going to need every weapon in their arsenal. Where's Carson?"
"I'm not sending him out there," Silverback said. "We're trying to win, not give the victory to our opponents. Carson can't do it."
"For all our sakes, I hope you're wrong," Cruger said.
"Fire!"
The four S.W.A.T. Rangers aimed their Delta Enforcers at Dorothar and fired. The speed of the alien, however, caused their lasers to miss their target, as he swiftly flew into the air and came down on them, with his blades drawn. He immediately slashed the Pink Ranger aside with one, while hitting the Yellow Ranger with the other. The girls went flying.
Seeing an opening, Quinn attacked, using his Delta Enforcer to block the first blade swung at him. Using his own momentum, Quinn flipped over Dorothar's head, still blocking the sword with his weapon. But, he was too fast. The Green Ranger seemed to land in slow motion, because when his feet hit the roof, Dorothar was already behind him. He slashed across Quinn's chest as he turned around to face him.
The Green Ranger crashed to the ground, as Dorothar cackled. His celebration was momentary, however, as he had taken his eyes off the remaining Ranger. Dorothar was lit up from behind by a barrage of laser attacks. He feel forward to the ground, as the Red Ranger was seen standing there, with a smoking Delta Enforcer. He walked a bit closer.
"That's how you do it," Sky said, angrily looking at the Green Ranger down and struggling to get up.
A few feet away, the last of the Fericks came into contact with the Omega Ranger's hyper mode. The hulking piece of metal fell to the ground at Cartiron's feet. He looked down at the smoking robot, then back up to see the Omega Ranger standing before him.
"Looks like it's just you and me now," Jack said, beneath his helmet.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time," Cartiron said, as he charged towards the Omega Ranger.
Jack twisted his morpher's throttle.
"Omega morpher, electro mode!" he yelled, as he touched his fist to the rooftop, causing a barrage of lightning energy to aim directly at Cartiron.
The monster, however, was running so fast that he was able to launch himself over the attack, landing behind Jack. The Omega Ranger turned quickly, ducking a punch from Cartiron. He landed a punch to Cartiron's stomach, from his bent position. Cartiron staggered back a few meters. But, Jack wasn't stopping. He took to the air, going for a succession of falling kicks on Cartiron, sending him even further backwards.
But, just as Jack planted his feet on the ground, Cartiron fired a fire bolt from his hand, sending Jack flying backwards and crashing to the rooftop.
"I guess you're not as tough when you're not fighting robots," Cartiron let out a grizzly chuckle.
Inside the Rec Room, Bridge shakily held the knife in his right hand. He lowered his head, looking somber. This was the only think he could think to do after Silverback dismissed him from the Command Center. Sophie came walking in, as if she had been looking for Bridge. She saw the knife in his hand and walked closer.
"Bridge, what are you doing?" she asked, looking confused.
Bridge lifted his left hand, showing her a piece of toast in it.
"I'm trying to calm my nerves," Bridge said. "This usually does it."
He used his right hand to try to spread the butter on the toast, but his cybernetic hand was shaking so bad that he tore right through the bread, ruining the toast. Bridge threw the piece of bread on the floor in anger.
"I can't even do that right!" he yelled in anger. "This is not working. I should just tell Dr. Sevarus to get rid of this thing. My career's over anyway!"
"Bridge, no," Sophie said. "You remember everything I went through when I was here at the Academy? I may not have been able to continue as a cadet, but I still strive to make a difference in Space Patrol Delta. You have been given a second chance to do what you love and you're just going to give up?"
"I can't function like this!"
"Try harder!" Sophie said. "You're one of the most determined people I know. If you give up now, do you know what that will tell people?"
"That I'm a failure?" Bridge said.
"No. It'll tell everyone that cybernetics is useless. If you give up on that arm, it would be like giving up on me! You didn't do that last year. I'm making my contribution. I really wish the Blue Ranger would do the same thing," Sophie said. "You've got to understand that having that arm doesn't make you less human. It makes you more human. You are dealing with a life that not many people could deal with. I believe in you. You can do this."
Bridge smiled. "I gotta go."
Sophie watched as he went running out of the Rec Room.
On the rooftop downtown, the Red Ranger pulled his teammates to his feet. As Dorothar, zoomed by them once again, slashing Sky with both of his twin blades. The Red Ranger fell to the ground. The Yellow and Pink Rangers drew their Delta Enforcers on opposite sides of Dorothar. They fired at the same time, but the monster's swift movements, caused them to shoot each other. Both crashed to the ground in smoking heaps. Dorothar's sprint ended right in front of the Green Ranger, scoring a swift kick on him. He rolled to the ground, just as another Ranger arrived.
Beneath his helmet, Bridge concentrated all of his senses. Dorothar saw the Blue Ranger arrive at Quinn's side.
"Well well. What's one more Ranger to add to my spree?"
"You're about find out," Bridge said, as he leapt into the air, coming down with his Delta Enforcer and shooting a barrage of lasers.
Dorothar, however, quickly sprinted out of the way. Bridge continued to focus and started to be able to sense Dorothar's movements. The other Rangers got to their feet, as Dorothar was still whizzing around the area. Bridge, however, had realized where he was going.
"Z, duck!" he yelled.
The Yellow Ranger crouched down, just as Dorothar came to a stop with his blade drawn. His target though was gone, surprising him. The Blue Ranger fired, nailing Dorothar with his Delta Enforcer. The alien monster flew into the air in a barrage of sparks from the laser fire.
"Good job, Bridge," Sky yelled. "All right everyone. Let's finish him off!"
They all stood in formation, with their Delta Enforcers drawn and prepared to fire. Aboard Omallix's base, the villain wasn't going to let that happen. He turned to Jintari at his station.
"I don't think so, Rangers. Jintari, let's give him a boost!"
Jintari nodded, as he keyed in a sequence on his station's console. Down on Earth, Dorothar was blasted, but not by the Delta Enforcers. The beam from the base hit him first and he rose to even larger proportions. The Rangers backed away, as Dorothar was not large enough to destroy the city.
"Now, this feels great!" he yelled, as he started using his super speed to whiz around buildings in the city.
The Red Ranger grabbed his morpher.
"Kat, we need the Flyers."
"They're on the way," Kat's calm voice came through.
Within seconds, the five B-Squad Rangers were hopped aboard their individual Flyers, leaving behind Jack and Cartiron, who were still in the midst of their own battle. Cartiron fired several more fireballs at the Omega Ranger, but he used his quickness to dodge each and every attack. He launched himself off the ground and went for a flying punch on Cartiron, as his fist glowed yellow. The blast knocked the monster off his feet, giving Jack a good feeling.
Up above, the S.W.A.T. Flyers swiftly aimed their lasers at Dorothar, but it seemed the S.W.A.T. Flyer 2 was the only one who could get a clear hit.
"Bridge, how are you doing that?" Syd yelled out.
"It's all about anticipation," Bridge said, with a smile beneath his helmet.
Predicting where Dorothar would stop helped Bridge hit another laser blast, but his weaponry wasn't putting a dent in this menace.
"Guys, we have to work together," Bridge called out. "We need to form the S.W.A.T. Megazord."
"I'm all for that," the Green Ranger responded. "If our leader is!"
Beneath his helmet, Sky was fuming. "Everyone, link up. Now!"
Within seconds, the S.W.A.T. Megazord was formed. From his cockpit, the Blue Ranger took the lead, allowing them to score several hits on Dorothar from the air, as the S.W.A.T. Megazord took flight. They scored a few shots with their blasters, but Dorothar used his blades to send one attack back at the megazord, sending it crashing to the ground.
Back down on the rooftop, the Omega Ranger seemed to have Cartiron on the run.
"It's all over, Cartiron," Jack said, as he pumped his morpher's throttle once again. "Omega morpher, light beam mode!"
As his arm began to glow bright yellow, his morpher sounded. He was getting a call.
"This is Jack. Go."
"Jack, the other Rangers need your help," Kat's voice came through. "The S.W.A.T. Megazord isn't fast enough to deal with Dorothar's attacks. The Omega morpher's ability to transform energy waves and slow them down may be the only thing that can help now."
"But, he's too big," Jack said.
"I've just done some modifications to the Omegamax Cycle. I'm sending it now. It will feed of your morpher energy and that should be just the opening the others need," Kat explained.
"All right," Jack said, finally as he looked back at Cartiron. "This isn't over."
"Guaranteed," Cartiron shot back before disappearing in a ball of fire.
Jack turned, as he heard the approaching sirens of the Omegamax Cycle. It wasn't their first meeting, but it would be his first ride as the Omega Ranger. He hopped aboard as the zord went flying the building. Behind the wheel, he could feel the energy from his morpher transmitting to the controls of the zord.
"I'm coming guys!"
Dorothar turned at the sound of the sirens. Jack fired the zord's lasers at him, but Dorothar deflected them with his twin swords, causing them to fly back at the Omegamax Cycle. Jack pulled up on the controls, causing the cycle to fly right over the blasts, as they hit the ground.
"Good to see you, bro," Z exclaimed from her zord.
"I heard you guys could use a fast ride?" Jack yelled.
"We sure could," Sky said. "Bridge, are you ready to finish this?"
"Gladly!"
"Let's do it!" the Red Ranger yelled.
The S.W.A.T. Flyer took to the air, firing at Dorothar, who used his super speed to evade the attacks. The S.W.A.T. Flyer landed right on the back of the Omegamax Cycle.
"Whoohoo!" the Pink Ranger yelled.
"I'm liking this new combo," the Yellow Ranger chimed in.
"Let's make it count," the Red Ranger spoke.
"I think we're ready," the Green Ranger said.
"Just say the word Bridge," Jack shouted.
"All right," Bridge said, as he closed his eyes beneath his helmet, forcing himself to concentrate. "I'm sending the coordinates now, Jack!"
Once he saw the numbers fly across his screen, Jack turned the cycle and took off at full speed. At the last second, he pulled up on it, causing it to go airborne. The wings of the S.W.A.T. Megazord took over from there. Dorothar came to a stop and both zords, fired on him with everything they had. The monster exploded onto the ground, leaving nothing behind but a containment card.
Inside the Command Center, Cruger and Silverback saw the outcome and exchanged a glance.
"I guess you should never underestimate one Rangers' worth to the team," Cruger said.
Inside his laboratory, Felix watched his flatscreen monitor, seeing the Red Ranger grab the containment card from the ground. Felix smiled a bit.
"Hold tight to that card, Rangers," he said. "I'm counting on Kat to look for answers about these monsters. It may be the only help left that I can give them."
Felix walked over to the picture window and looked into the other laboratory at Magnettoron lying on the examination bed over there. He sighed.
"And you may be my best hope for release from this nightmare," Felix said, as he watched the monster lift his hand to the air and use his magnetic power.
"Here you go," Sky said, as he handed the latest containment card to Kat.
"Another for the collection," Kat said.
"Dorothar seemed to be different, more powerful than Omallix's old monsters. He was like Oartha," Sky said.
"I noticed when I was monitoring the battle. I'm hoping that analyzing him from the card will give me some answers on that, so we can be prepared for next time. Who knows how many of these new super-powered monsters Omallix has," Kat stated.
Sky nodded along, as the doors to her lab opened and Quinn Gray walked in, carrying Nathan Tate's log disks. He rolled his eyes, seeing Sky there.
"I'll come back later," Quinn said.
"No," Kat called out. "Quinn, what's up?"
"He's probably gonna use this opportunity to spread the dishonor of my family around, judging by what he's got in his hand," Sky said, angrily.
"Oh, shut up, Sky!"
"You heard that, Kat. Remember that the next time he's up for review...blatant insubordination," Sky said.
"Look, I just thought that someone with a clear head who knows the situation should take a look. I can barely get through the beginning," Quinn said, focusing his attention on Kat.
He handed her the log disks.
"I know Cruger's gonna be leaving soon, so I thought you were the next best person," Quinn said.
"I'll look them over completely and see if there's anything we can use here," Kat said.
"Enjoy the show," Sky said sarcastically, as he exited.
Quinn took a deep breath and left seconds later. Kat shook her head, as she inserted the second disk first. Her experience taught her that the best information was always at the end. She'd backtrack if she needed to.
"When you see this recording, I hope you'll be able to understand how difficult this situation was for me and for your mother, Quinn," Nathan Tate spoke.
Kat listened intently, as Nathan pulled a clipboard from nearby and began looking at it.
"I have to remember to input this data too," Nathan said, as he looked back at the screen, with a light smile. "Your father isn't as sharp as he used to be. This Omallix character is pretty tough to catch, but I think I may have found something out that may help me lure him right into our hands."
Kat's eyes grew wide as she continued to listen to Nathan's log entry and effectively learned something that she knew would shock everyone in S.P.D. Headquarters when they found out.