SPD: The Continuing Saga

Episode Four

Syd's Heart

Part 1

A warm afternoon in New Tech City was being enjoyed by all, including the SPD Power Rangers. The young team was enjoying a brief moment of peace as they prepared for an afternoon lunch in the park. Z had tacos, Kintora, weird alien food, Syd had Es Cargo, and Heart wasn't hungry.

Bridge was sitting peacefully under a tree eating his buttery toast. "We really need to get Sky to start coming with us again. I mean, he has never been very social, but he needs to get out of that office." Z smiled, "Well, he's the high and mighty Commander now." Bridge laughed. "Well at least Boom could get off work and come with us." Syd nodded. "Yeah Boom, even with your stinky fish." She laughed.

Boom nodded "I still need to learn how Tomars got into our system though. Not even highly secretive agencies should have been able to crack all the firewalls Kat set up. Its all my fault Tomars got in." Kintora shook her head. "Don't say that, Boom. They have assholes working for them." Like my father. A memory slipped through to Bridge of a man experimenting on young Kintora. Bridge stared at Kintora for a minute before turning to Boom. "That's enough for work, guys. Come on everyone, let's eat." Suddenly a black vortex opened up!

Everyone looked at Bridge who just yelled "Oh come on!" Two huge bulky creatures jumped out carrying chains. "Well I'll leave you to your fun. See ya guys" Boom ran off. Uh oh. 12 feet tall. Carrying chains. Black Vortex. Battlized. That can only mean - not good ... Kintora thought.

"Come on guys! Let's get rid of these guys! SPD EMERGENCY!" Bridge said. They all morphed. And looked up. As the team struggled in battle, Bridge shouted "What are these things?"

Heart, Syd and Z didn't have an answer, nor did Sky or Boom. But Kintora did as her mind screamed in fear. "They are Brudions, the brutal Guards of the Doom Battle Dimension!" Bridge thought, Well, what can stop them?

Only thing I know is getting two prisoners to drag back. Bridge thought long and hard and jumped to attack, "I won't let you take my friends." The Brudion smacks him away as if he were a fly. The other Brudion slammed Heart into a pole and she demorphed. The chains appeared on her. Bridge yelled in pain, "Syd, you're closest, protect Heart!"

Syd ran for Heart, but the first Brudion slammed her into a wall and she demorphed. Chains appeared on her and the Brudions dragged her and Heart back through the black vortex. It closed behind them. Z and Kintora watched from broken helmets and bleeding faces. Bridge slammed his fist on the ground and began shouting.

Through the black vortex...

The surroundings became a large Greek styled coliseum with snarling grunting beasts tearing each other apart in the center. Aliens of all sorts were cheering in the stands. Syd and Heart were dragged along. The Brudions called out, "New meat! New meat!"

The girls wake up in pain, several hours later trapped in cages. "Ugh," said Heart. "Where are we?" Syd rubbed her head. "I don't know were sure not in New Tech City though unless they have gone through a large amount of reconstruction recently."

A male Cydone (think purple cyclyops) in the next cage over said, "Welcome to the Doom Battle Dimension. You battle one battle a day with your partner. Winners survive another day. Losers die. You win 30 years of battles, and you're released."

Syd turned to Heart then looked at the Cydone. "We're Power Rangers, we can't be locked up like this." The Cydone shook his head. "Here it doesn't matter if you're Ranger or Villian. Here it matters only if you are Gladiator, Guard or Audience." Syd looked at the ground. "If only Z was here or Jack." The Cydone spoke again, "My name is Zandorf. My friend to my right is Quantor."

Syd looked towards Heart. "Well I'm Sydney Drew, Pink SPD Ranger." "And I'm Kimnarra Sinai, Blue SPD Ranger, but call me Heart." "Sinai? As in Ambassador Trini Kwan-Sinai?" "You know her mom?" The young pink ranger asked. "Yes, Ambassador Kwan-Sinai helped our race to peace with ourselves and come into SPD. She's famous on our world."

"Wow that's cool so anyway who is in charge of this place?" Syd asked inquisitively. "No one knows." Quantor said. "They keep it a big secret." Syd turned to Heart. "What's with all the secrets? I mean Bridge and his little girl pal obviously are keeping secrets. Even from me and I've known Bridge since the academy. Doesn't anyone tell each other things anymore?"

The Brudion guard came by slinging slop for the daily meal. Syd looked at the food "Well good thing I already ate." Zandorf gestured toward the bowl. "Eat. You need your strength." Syd turned to Heart "You seem quiet." Heart nodded. "We might be here for a while." Syd turned back to Zandorf."How long have you been here?" "That depends." Heart raised an eyebrow. "Depends on what?" "Depends on whether you're asking how long we've been here, or how long we've been gone," answered Quantor.

Syd asked, "What's the difference?" Zandorf gave her a saddened look. "Time flows differently here in the Doom Battle Dimension, aka the DBD. Here, we've spent three years, but at home, it's only been three minutes."

Syd looked confused. "How does that even work?" "Don't ask me, but it does. Your team is still frozen in place. Our friends have barely moved. There won't be a rescue mission."

Syd looked around "Not much to look at around here is there" The Brudions came by and grabbed Syd and Heart. "It's time for your first battle, Fresh Meat!" "I hope our morphers work" Syd said. "What morhers?" The Brudions laughed.

Syd looked down and noticed that her clothes had been changed from the civilian outfit from the picnic into what more closely resembled that of an iron bikini. Heart seeing Syd's clothing change looked down at herself. She was wearing a full length chain mail dress, with splits at the hips, and chain mail pants and a belt around her waist.

"This is no fair I look like a call girl from a sleazy movie and you look like a proud warrior." Syd complained to her companion. "Well... I itch!" Heart said frantically scratching every part of her body in sheer misery. Syd dropped into her battle stance. "We don't have our morphers and I have no way to use my genetic power. Looks like we have to do this the old fashion way."

They were in a Battle Arena cage. Across from them were Aquitians who looked wary. Apparently it was their first battle too. The Brudians pointed to a table with old fashioned weapons. "Choose one." Syd saw the opponents and conversed with Heart "They're Aquitians without water. They will be at a weakened state, You know what we have to do."

Heart nodded. "They are at a disadvantage. So we will disadvantage ourselves as well. I say fight without weapons." Syd responded hesitantly. "We are fighting for our own survival. Do you think I feel right doing this? But we can't afford to lose."

"I understand perfectly. But Syd, you may not understand it now, but Honor today, Unexpected help tomorrow. It's something my mother taught me." "Sage words from one of Zordon's chosen you really can't go against those its like against the Ranger Code." Syd said.

The two Aquitians chose swords and resumed their positions. They looked astounded when Syd and Heart did not chose weapons. Then the female spoke. "I see you have honor for our weakened state. I, Princess Zora, daughter of King William, and Queen Cestria, and my bodyguard, Estro, thank you. If we lose, please take word and our love to our families if you shall ever get out."

Syd spoke. "We will give you an honorable fight on our oaths as Space Patrol Delta Power Rangers." "And we ask the same of you." Heart looked at them. The fight was brief. Zora and Estro had strong training but no experience and were too weakened to put up a good fight. They lay on the ground waiting for death. Heart said, "We won't kill them."

Syd said calmly. "Aquitians are a very proud race of people do you really think these Aquitians will accept our pity." The Brudion Ref said, "If you refuse your right you will be punished with pain." "It is not pity. It is Honor." "We understand. Killing is wrong." Zora said. Estro said, "We are stunned by your honor."

The Brudion Ref looked to Syd. "Your partner refuses her privilege. Do you agree?" "You gotta stick with your teammates" Syd said shunning the referee. "Very well." The Brudion ref took a massive ax from the sidelines and wacked off Zora and Estro's heads. The crowd cheered as Heart winced and closed her eyes. "Take them to the torture racks!"

"I have suffered more then you beasts can put us through I was captured by the emperor of the Troobian empire at one point" Syd said boldly. "That weakling? Mwahaahhahaha!" "Syd. We must be strong." There is no need mention what Syd and Heart went through. Just the most gruesome thing you can imagine for several hours and still be in working order. "Ugh." said Heart. "I never want to go through that again."

"Then we are going to need to kill our opponents from now on." Syd said, trying to hold back tears. "Syd, I said I never want to. But we are going to have to. Cause I saw something in there you're not going to like."

To be continued...

What did Heart see? You decide!