Variations Of SPD
Chapter 25: Guilty Conscience
By: Pink-Green-White-4ever
Last Revised: November 12, 2006
Summary: History repeats itself, only without a happy ending in sight
Ships: If you've been reading the whole story, you should know these by now --winks--
Disclaimer: Don't own em, not making money off this story – this is purely stress relief for me! Besides, if you know me, you know things would be different if they belonged to me.
ANSorry this took so long, it's been a crazy hectic month!
Mourning is not forgetting... It is an undoing. Every minute tie has to be untied and something permanent and valuable recovered and assimilated from the dust. The end is gain, of course. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be made strong, in fact. But the process is like all other human births, painful and long and dangerous. --Margery Allingham--
--
The Command Center was bathed in absolute silence. All eyes were on the center console where Kat stood shaking, the holo-computer displaying the ship where the Senior A Squad had been, and where there was nothing but half a ship and debris. "They got out of that," Boom assured them all. "There's no way the six of them got caught in that blast. Not after everything they've been through, they'd have known better."
Anubis sat in his chair, his eyes glue to the screen, his voice silent.
"Kat! Come in!" Bridge's voice floated over the speakers. A wave of relief washed through the room.
"I'm here Bridge!" Kat's voice cracked.
"Kat, we've got Sky," Bridge started. Cheers went up until Bridge's next statement rocked them. "But we lost Sydney."
"How?" Anubis barked.
Jack was heard next. "She sacrificed herself in order for the five of us to get back to the ship. She was fighting with Anna and Viper, on her own."
"Return to base immediately!" Anubis ordered.
The Red Ranger paused, about to point out that four of them were no longer SPD, but he didn't. The pain of Syd's sacrifice was too much to deal with and argue with Anubis at the same time. "Yes sir. ETA ten minutes."
"Dr. Manx, ready the infirmary!" Anubis called out. The Command Center immediately erupted with commotion as the cadets attempted to get things in order. The big blue dog sat in his chair and felt the steady burn in his heart.
--
Sky was only aware of one thing as he was ushered off the shuttle and into the infirmary – Brian was still clutching at him. The steady hum of his physical injuries was nothing compared to the hopelessness and despair he felt from not only his own heart, but from Brian as well. This wasn't like last time, where Sydney had been found after some looking through the rubble. No, this time, Sky felt her death in a way he wished he hadn't. He'd felt her last breath, he'd felt the steady beat of her heart stop, he'd felt her energy explode out around all of them as she took her place in the next life with her parents.
"She's gone," he uttered, sitting down on one of the infirmary beds. Kat, with the help of Bridge and Z, had moved Brian to another bed and sedated him. Jack was in the corner talking to Dr. Felix and Commander Cruger. "She's...she's gone. Syd's gone. She can't be gone. She promised, she promised never to leave..."
Sky felt like his whole world was crashing in on him. He remembered everything that happened with Sydney while he was under Anna's mind control. He remembered the hateful words and the fights and how much he hurt her. And there was the look in her eyes after he managed to shake off the brainwashing. She'd looked at him with a mixture of relief, amazement and love. Always love. With Sydney, no matter what, he knew she'd always loved him. It had started out as the love of a friend and teammate, then had developed into that of siblings, and deepened over time and through circumstance to where they were each other's other half. And now his other half was gone. The warnings of from their trip to Phadoes echoed in his ears. It was his fault she was gone, his fault that she'd had to make the decision she did.
"Oh God," he uttered. Z was by his side in a second, her hand holding his tightly. He shook off her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist before burying his face in her shoulder.
Jack and Bridge moved to their teammates in a flash. Z's arms were wrapped tightly around Sky as the Blue Ranger's muted sobs echoed in the silent room. Bridge leaned his head against Z's while Jack wrapped both arms around Sky and Z.
Everyone in the infirmary watched as the four fell apart. The Junior A Squad rushed in seconds later, Allison moving toward Jack only to be stopped by Aaron, who shook his head. "Give them time to grieve, Ally," he whispered.
Allison watched on, tears streaking down her cheeks. She could see on the faces of her senior teammates the pain of Syd's death finally taking over. "Oh God, how could this happen?"
"SYDNEY!"
--
She felt light as a feather. Wherever she was, she was floating. The feeling was sort of like the first time Sky ever took her up in his Delta Runner or the first time they went into outer space in the SWAT Megazord.
Strange. It almost feels like I'm...oh no!
She'd had this feeling before, once before. It had been the night Visvajita's ship had exploded around her after she turned on the self destruct sequence. She had died that night, had felt her body destroyed as her spirit had soared. Had it not been for the Power of the Morphin Grid that her friends and family had pumped into the air, she would have stayed dead. As it was, the power had coalesced around her and drawn the particles of her body back together.
"I'm dead."
"Not exactly."
Her eyes opened and she found herself face to face with a familiar figure. "Tommy?"
He smiled, his chocolate brown eyes lighting with mischief. "Hi Munchkin."
"Tommy! She's too old to be called that now!" another voice scolded. She turned her head and saw a petite, brown haired woman coming to stand with them.
"Kimberly?"
"Hello Sydney."
The Pink Ranger shook her head, her mind racing a million miles an hour. "How? Where am I?"
"Welcome to the Morphin Grid."
--
"Viper?"
The vampire like creature grinned through the vid-link. "Master. I have what you've asked for."
"Oh?" Vampra responded.
"I have energy from the White and Blue Rangers."
"And the Pink Ranger?"
"I have all her energy, sire. She's dead; she sacrificed herself for her teammates."
Vampra smiled. "Very well. Bring it to me. We shall show the Rangers the meaning of the Pink Ranger's sacrifice."
"Yes Master."
Vampra sat back in his chair and smiled evilly. Soon, his prison would be shattered and Earth would be his for the taking. "And there's nothing Ninjor or Dulcea will be able to do about it."
--
"The Morphin' Grid?" Syd squeaked, staring at her parents. "Oh God! Sky's got to be flipping out!" The Pink Ranger struggled to feel her way along her link to her teammates and love, but couldn't feel anything but a sense of loss where they should have been.
"Sydney, Kimberly murmured, reaching for her daughter who was sinking to her knees, tears in her eyes. The first Pink Ranger let out a shaky breath when her daughter shrugged away from her, sobbing into her hands.
Tommy shared a look with his wife before he bent down with her in front of their daughter. "Sydney, sweetheart, look at me."
When the younger Ranger looked up, the pair gasped. Blue eyes flickered brown and blonde hair morphed into a light shade of auburn. "I don't want to be dead!" Sydney sobbed. Tommy's face softened and he reached out to pull his daughter into his arms.
"Honey, listen to me," Tommy told her softly. Sydney looked up at her father and trembled. "This is not permanent. You're not supposed to be here. Ninjor, Dulcea, and the Morphin' Masters Council has been watching over you since Bridge and Z went to Eltar."
"Then why am I here?" she asked, squeezing Kim's hand, which had taken a tight hold of hers.
"Vampra thinks he's safe," Kimberly informed her. "He has enough of your, Brian and Sky's energy to free himself, but it won't last."
Sydney pulled back further and stared at them. "He needs all six of us dead to succeed."
"Yes," Tommy told her, smiling. "And he doesn't know that. When it's time, the Morphin' Grid will release you, recreating your body but that won't happen until it's time."
"In the mean time, you need to rest," Kim gently told her.
"What about letting the others know I'm okay? Sky and Brian are probably wigging out right now."
"Leave that to us," Tommy grinned, his hand caressing her cheek. "Get some rest."
Sydney nodded and closed her eyes, letting her energy disperse into the Morphin' Grid. "Let's go pay the team a visit," Kim laughed, reaching out a hand to her husband. The two disappeared in two flashes of light.
--
Jack stood in the doorway of Sky's room, a sense of déjà vu settling over him. Just a few days before it had been Sydney laying on Sky's bed, looking lost and torn. Now it was Sky looking as Jack hadn't seen him in months, not since Sydney had teleported them off Visvajta's ship during that last battle. "You awake?" Jack quietly asked.
"I wish it had been me."
Jack was torn between being pissed off at one of his best friends and feeling sorry for him. "She did what she did because she loved you. Don't demean her sacrifice."
The Red Ranger felt his heart break when tears once again filled Sky's eyes. Of all of them, Sky bore the greatest guilt over what had happened along with the greatest grief. He and Syd had been linked so intimately that her death had ripped a hole so big in his soul, Jack knew Sky would never heal. The broken link between Syd's powers and theirs would always be a reminder that their Pink Ranger and Sky's other half would forever be gone.
"Guys!" Z hollered, thundering up the stairs from the living room.
Jack whirled around and caught her when she tripped. "What's wrong?" he asked her.
"Come downstairs! NOW!" Z told them, her breathing catching with each word.
Jack nodded and then shot Sky a look. The Blue Ranger moved lethargically and followed them downstairs. When the trip entered the living room, Jack and Sky looked on in shock. Standing with Bridge and Brian were Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Billy, Katherine, Tanya and Jason. Zack and Trini were also present but their arms were wrapped around two slightly familiar figures.
"Whoa!" Jack muttered.
"Sky." The two snapped to attention when Jen and Wes entered from the kitchen.
"Mama!" Sky uttered, flying across the room and throwing his arms around his mother. His face burrowed into the side of her neck when she held him close.
"Oh Baby, it's okay," she whispered in his ear as she stroked a hand over the back of his head.
"Syd's dead Mama! It's all my fault!" he sobbed against her warm skin.
Sky gasped when a warm hand touched his arm. Turning, he found himself face to face with the original Pink Ranger herself. "Sky," Kim murmured, cupping her hand against his cheek.
"I'm sorry!" he managed.
"For what, Sweetie?" Kim asked, smiling sadly at him. "For something you had no control over? Or was it my imagination and that was someone else that was brainwashed?" Sky swallowed hard and stared at her. "Sydney just did her job. There was nothing you could have done, Kiddo. What happened was what was meant to be."
"I miss her so much! I never got to tell her I was sorry."
"She knows, Sky, trust me," Tommy spoke up. "The reason we're here is because she needs you to know something."
Five pairs of eyes widened. "She needs what?" Z choked out.
Tommy smiled. "She's not completely gone," he started, watching the five Rangers' shoulders slump in relief. "Her powers have gone back to the Morphin' Grid. She'll always be with you now."
Pain radiated from the group, almost choking those who were linked with the five active Rangers. "So she's really dead?" Brian demanded. "There isn't anything we can do to bring her back? After everything she's been through, she doesn't get her happy ending and neither do we?"
Kimberly moved away from Sky and stopped in front of her son. She looked at him with a mixture of love and grief so bright her body glowed in response. "You can live for her, Brian. Do not demean the sacrifice she made by giving her life. Live your life to the fullest, just as she would have done."
"That's not an option for some of us," Sky bitterly butted in. "There is not life without her, only painful memories of what was and bitter might-have-beens."
Sky moved to go back upstairs but Tommy's next words stopped him. "You may have one chance to save her."
The Blue Ranger whirled around to face the legendary one. "What do you mean?"
"There might be a way to bring her back, but it's going to take a lot out of you."
Jack spoke up then. "It doesn't matter. If we can bring Syd back, we'll all do it."
Tommy and Kim smiled. "You have to defeat Vampra."
Bridge raised his hand, his face showing his confusion. "But we," he started, gesturing to himself and Z. "Were told that we'd need all six of the crystals to do that."
"You do," Kim smiled at him. She brought her hand up and presented Sky with a crystal, a crystal engraved with a phoenix. With trembling fingers, Sky took it from Kim's hand. Everyone gasped when the crystal fared pink. Brian, Z, Bridge, Jack and Sky closed their eyes when they felt Syd's calming presence spread through them.
"Her crystal is now in your hands, Sky. Guard it carefully, use it wisely."
"When we defeat Vampra, what then?" Sky asked softly, his eyes on the crystal in his hand as he slowly opened them.
"I can't really explain that to you," Kim told him. "Sydney's situation is vastly different then mine and Tommy's."
The Rangers looked crestfallen until Katherine spoke up. "There is someone who knows though."
The two Pink Rangers smiled at each other. Kimberly knew Katherine would remember. "Yes, there is."
Wes stepped forward then, smiling. "Kendrix, the Pink Lost Galaxy Ranger."
"That's right!" Jen grinned. "Kendrix was lost for the better part of a year when she destroyed the Savage Sword and the Pink Psycho in an attempt to save Cassie's life."
"I don't understand," Brian started. "What do you mean, 'Lost'?" Brian hadn't gotten as far as the Lost Galaxy Rangers in his history lessons.
"Kendrix's power was sent back to the Morphin' Grid, just like Sydney's has been," Jen explained. "The Lost Galaxy Rangers thought she was dead but when they returned the Quasar Sabers to Mirinoi after beating Trakeena, she was freed."
"So when we defeat Vampra, the energy should be enough to release Syd?" Z asked.
"Theoretically, yes," Tommy answered, knowing what was coming next.
"But you're also saying it might be all for nothing, aren't you?" Jack demanded to know.
"There's always a possibility of things not working out when you're a Power Ranger," Trini spoke up. The others had been silent during the emotional meeting, knowing that anything they said about being a Ranger would hurt their younger counterparts.
"Part of being a Ranger is doing your job to the best of your ability, even if you've lost a teammate," Aisha murmured.
The five active Rangers hung their heads in shame. Those before them had lost two teammates in the prime of their lives. Jason and Kat were also dealing with the death of their daughter, and here the five of them were wallowing in their own grief and despair.
"Now is when you need each other the most," Rocky told them.
Adam nodded. "Team unity is what'll get you through; it's what gets every team through times like this."
"No one knows the true outcome of a situation, only the possible ones," Billy smiled.
Kat moved toward them, stopping in front of Sky even as she wrapped an around Brian's shoulders. "The important thing is, is to never give up."
"One of the Rangers' most powerful mottos over the years has been anything's possible," Tanya smiled. "And active or not, you've got generations of Rangers behind you."
Kim and Tommy smiled. "Once a Ranger, always a Ranger."
--
"Sydney, a firm voice called. A cloud of pink energy coalesced into the form of the Pink Ranger.
"Who are you?" she asked softly, looking around.
A figure appeared in front of her. He was tall, bald and had kind eyes. "I am Zordon of Eltar."
Sydney blinked in surprise. She hadn't ever expected to meet the mentor of Earth's first Rangers. "Wow."
"I'm here to help you," he told her softly, smiling at her.
"How?" Syd wondered.
"You need to reestablish your link with your crystal and your teammates." Zordon sighed when the look of grief and pain crossed the face of the daughter of tow of his most power Rangers. "Sydney?"
"I feel so empty," she cried softly. "I can't feel anyone the way I did, just a general feeling now."
"That's because you're tired and because your connection has been partially severed. Once we reestablish it, you should be able to recreate a physical link with your teammates."
"Tell me how."
"Close your eyes. Clean everything from your mind. Concentrate on your animal spirit and the feeling you had when you were connected to your teammates."
Sydney did as told. Seconds later, she was glowing pink and a long, screeching cry could be heard echoing in the air.
--
"Sire, Viper's arrived from Earth," one of Vampra's minions announced.
"Show him in."
Viper strode in, cradling a clear jar with Pink, White and Blue energy swirling within it. "Sire."
"Viper. Report."
"The Pink Ranger is dead. Anna is under my control now, and will serve as your trusted minion. And I have the energy you need to free yourself from this prison."
Vampra smiled evilly, and took the jar from Viper. Once the lid was off, he sucked the energy out and into his body, causing a bright burst of light followed by a resounding crack.