Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

Sorry for the delay, guys. I was sick for a while + all non-school-related writing had to be put on hold. But, I'm back + I have a new chapter! Enjoy!


Five New Heroes

Once again, Sky woke up to find Z standing over him. "Dar gracias Dios!" she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug.

"Um…same to you, I think…" Sky groaned. "I don't remember what…wait, yes, yes I do! They put us in suspended animation. Are we about to die?"

"No," Z smiled, "they've only released us. Well, released us back into prison. They want us to suffer as much as possible, and I doubt we were very entertaining while unconscious."

Sky smiled back at her, "At least we're alive. At least you're safe."

"What about you?" Z replied. "Aren't you as safe as I am?" She looked worried suddenly. "Did they hurt you? Let me help, I'll…"

Sky laughed, reaching over to move some hair out of her face. "I'm fine, Z. I just meant that I'm more worried about you. I think…Z, are you alright?"

"What? Why?" she asked.

"Your forehead…it's so hot. You must have a fever," he answered.

"Oh. Well, I feel fine. Maybe it's just your hands," shrugged Z. She smiled again, making his heart melt. "Honestly, you worry too much. Every time we're both conscious you take care of me, but you never worry about yourself. I'm going to have to start shoving food down your throat."

Sky laughed, "I don't need to worry about myself, Z, as long as I've got you. Despite all our arguing, we've managed to take pretty good care of each other."

"Oh no!"

"What?"

"You've just found another way we're alike!" she exclaimed in mock horror.

Sky laughed, "That's terrible! We'll just have to stop caring about one another."

"But I don't want to stop caring for you," Z replied honestly. "I kinda like what we've got going here. I mean, through all of this, everything they've put us through, we've grown so much closer. I've learned so much about you, and so much from you. I don't want this feeling to go away."

"You're right," Sky agreed. "We've been able to teach each other; we've really been able to connect. How come this never happened back on earth, when our lives weren't at stake?"

"Maybe there isn't enough oxygen up here, and we've gone momentarily insane," suggested Z.

"Well if that's true, then we should conserve our air supply."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"Why don't we take advantage of our momentary lack of sanity? We could share the air…" Sky turned red and regretted the suggestion. "Never mind. I shouldn't have said that; I really must be losing my mind."

"Then you should lose it more often," Z commented with a grin. She scooted closer to him. "I liked your idea, if you're still willing to try it?"

"More then willing," he replied, taking her face in his hands. Carefully, slowly, the two came closer until their lips gently touched. It was enough to spark their interest in 'conserving the air supply' for quite some time.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So…what does this mean?" Bridge asked.

"Kat, how is amoragan contagious?" questioned Cruger.

Kat sighed, "Well, there are several possible ways to catch it, and a few sure-fire ways to get it. It isn't carried through the air, which is a good thing, however it can be passed through touch, but only if there's an open wound. They could be sharing food, which would be another way to pass it, and the other ways are so unlikely for those two I wouldn't even…"

"Kat, tell me everything," requested Cruger.

"Oh, alright," Kat finally agreed. "It would be contagious if they kissed, or, you know, something along those lines. But…"

Jack, Sydney, and Bridge started to laugh. "Kat, this is Sky and Z; there's no way in hell they'd get that close to one another if they could avoid it," Jack said.

"Well, he asked," Kat shrugged.

"I don't want you to rule out anything, Kat, not in a matter of life and death. Besides, strange things happen when you're confined with the same person for a long period of time," ordered the commander.

"But what do we do now?" asked Bridge.

"We, if that includes the three of you, do nothing," Cruger held up a paw to stop their protests. "No buts, I need you three to stay here and protect the city. Don't worry, I have been training C-squad in the event something like this happened, and I am going to send them after your teammates. I had been hoping to send them on A-squad's trail, but this seems a necessary precursor."

"But commander…!" Sydney exclaimed.

"I have made my decision. You three may return to your normal duties," Cruger demanded, pointing them out of the command center.

"You can't be serious commander!" Kat cried as soon as the rangers left.

"Kat, C-squad has been very well trained for this sort of mission. Besides," he looked around to make sure that they were alone, and then whispered, "we don't know what their condition will be. You said yourself that they didn't look good, and that's when they were encased in green ooze. As I remember, amoragan poisoning is not a pretty thing. It attacks the brain, causing delusions, paranoia, fever, and eventually it spreads to the rest of the body, killing it. It turns blood green, disintegrates internal organs – am I correct?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with…"

"Think about it, Kat. To see ones teammates, in such horrific conditions…it could easily ruin them."

Kat nodded, "I suppose you're right. Yes; it is for the best."

"Call in C-squad; I need to brief them on the mission, and it will take a while for them to prepare. Are those new stealth morphers ready? If this disease is as contagious as you say, then I want the squad morphed at all times."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Z, are you alright? C'mon, you've got to eat something," Sky pleaded, offering her some stale bread.

She shook her head, turning away from the food. "Really, Sky, I don't feel well. Just eat it yourself."

"What's wrong?" he asked, moving so that he could look into her eyes.

"My stomach hurts," she replied. "It'll go away, I'm sure." She closed her eyes for a moment, putting a hand up to massage her temples. "Alright, I have a massive headache too."

Concerned, Sky put the back of his hand against her forehead. He sighed, "See, Z? I told you that you were sick; your fever is worse. Please, try eating something. At least take some water!"

She still declined. "I just want to…to…to lie…down…" as she finished the sentence, Z passed out, falling into Sky's arms.

"Uh, I guess that'll work, too…" he muttered. Gently, Sky laid her on the ground, putting the blanket under her head. "Get better soon, ok Z?" he whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Oh, how cute!" cackled Morgana. "At least it will be easier to take her when she's sleeping."

Sky stood up quickly, getting into a fighting stance. "No, you can't make her fight! She's sick, and it's your fault!"

"Aw, that's too bad, isn't it?" she sneered, entering the cell.

"Hey, are you deaf? I said you weren't taking her anywhere!" Sky yelled, catching Morgana's arm when she reached out to grab Z.

"You think so do you?" hissed Morgana. "Why? Are you offering yourself as a replacement?"

Sky glared at her. "Yes; if it will make you leave her alone, then I'll fight you. In fact, I'd love to kick your…" Sky didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as a fist collided with his jaw. Sky retaliated by throwing Morgana back against the wall. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it as hard as he could. The witch shrieked in pain and anger.

"Krybots, take the girl! You can give her to the troobian soldiers, and we'll tell Grumm she was dead when we got here," Morgana hissed, more to Sky than to the krybots.

Sky released his grip immediately and backed down. "No!"

"That's better, good boy," Morgana crooned. "Now beg."

"What? I don't beg for anyone, especially not troobian bi…"

"Beg for her life, boy!" she hollered, forcing Sky to his knees.

Sky murmured, "I beg you, let her go."

"I can't hear you!" shouted Morgana.

Sky yelled, "I beg you, let her go!"

Morgana smirked, "Why should I?"

"Because I love her! Leave her alone!" bellowed Sky.

Morgana sneered and pushed him to the floor. His head smacked against the ground, making spots dance in front of his eyes for a moment. "Only because you asked so nicely, sugar. You're wasting your time on that one. Let me fill you in on a little secret: I always get what I want, and I want that girl dead; I want to watch her suffer. Even if that dog who runs your precious SPD agrees to Grumm's demands, they'll only ever get you back. Oh, and now that I know how much you love her, I'll let you be the one to kill her in the end!" She cackled. Sky drew back his fist and hit her as hard as he could.

"You little…" she suddenly paused, staring at the spot on Sky's forehead that had scraped against the floor. She looked absolutely terrified, and put a shaking hand against her cheek. She looked at the red blood on her fingers, then back at Sky's forehead. "You…you've got it, too…" she stammered. "You l-love her? She was…and you…so now…" Morgana backed away. "You're poison!" she screamed, standing and running out of the cell. She slammed the door and locked it behind her. "I'll be doomed!" She ran down the hall, the krybots flying after her.

Sky stared after her for a moment, taking his time to grasp exactly what Morgana had meant. He put a hand against his forehead and looked at his fingers. The blood was muddy, too dark; closer to green than red. 'The poison!' thought Sky. 'I kissed Z…she was sick, and it's contagious. So now…I've got it, too! We're both dead!'

Sky crawled next to Z, pulling her head into his lap and brushing his hand across her forehead. "I'm sorry, Z, but I don't know how long I'll be able to take care of you. I hope they just kill us soon…it'd be kinder."

She shivered, despite her high fever. Sky knew it wasn't from cold, so he lay next to her, holding her in his arms and whispering words of false comfort into deaf ears.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

C-squad consisted of three girls and two boys, all human. The red ranger was Trinity Scott, the blue Melanie McKnight, the green Thomas Oliver II, the yellow Mathew Lee, and the pink Heather Johnson. All five stood in front of their commander, ready to take off after the missing B-squad rangers.

Tom couldn't help but grin as he stared at the green morpher in his hand. No, he hadn't been chosen as the leader, but Trinity deserved it. His father would be proud of him; the first Thomas Oliver was a ranger legend, and he had started out as the green ranger, too. Tom's mother would be happy, too, even though he knew he would never wear her colors. Pink looked much better on Tom's girlfriend, Heather, anyway.

Cruger was finishing up his final speech before they left, "Above all, I must impress that you do not de-morph, even when you think that you are safe from the troobians. We are sure that at least one of the rangers is carrying an extremely deadly and contagious poison, and you must not expose yourselves to it. Be very careful and good luck, C-squad rangers!"

"Yes sir!" they saluted as one. Led by Trinity, they clambered onto the small ship that would take them to Grumm's vessel. It was a bit cramped, but the size made it harder to detect and easier to be equipped with the cloaking device.

"Alright team, let's do this!" Trinity announced, standing at the controls. "We're ready, Commander!"

"All clear, Scott. Again, good luck! Please…bring them home," Cruger said over the intercom.

"Don't worry, Commander, we'll find them," Tom promised. "We'll bring them home in time."

"You had better," Cruger warned as they took off.

Kat put a hand on Cruger's shoulder. "Commander, are you…?"

"I'm fine, Kat. Just…worried, I suppose," he replied.

"Oh, well…Mrs. Tate is here," Kat said hesitantly. "She would, erm, like to speak with you. She's understandably stressed. The last time we called her was when…"

"Yes, I know," sighed Cruger. "At least we have proof that Sky was living…"