Criminating Caring pt.4

Kift sat in the driver's seat of his hover van, watching in horror of the scene playing out in front of him. Thick black smoke was billowing out of the third floor of Trekco, the same floor that three of his teammates where last heard from. He had lost contact with Jill over ten minutes ago leaving him worrying over their current condition. Grasping the steering tightly wheel with all four of his hands, he nearly had a heart attack when Joseph tapped him on the shoulder.

"Kift? Buddy, the Violet twins already left, we're way behind schedule as is. We really got to get-"

"NO!" Kift yelled slamming a clenched fist against the dashboard, causing the boy in the backseat to flinch in terror. "Five more minutes, alright?" he coldly snapped. "Just…five more minutes." They both jumped when Tyler jumped into the passenger seat and quickly buckled up. "Tyler? Thank Mother Venus, we thought you were a goner!" Pausing a bit, he noticed that Tyler was alone. "Hey…Where's Jill and Ara, man?" He jumped a bit as Tyler glared at him. Threw a layer of soot and his eyes red from the smoke, he shot Kift the scariest look that would make Zurg run away in pure fear.

"Just. Drive." He hissed his voice dry and crackly from breathing in so much smoke. Kift and Joseph traded worried looks to one another. "NOW!" With no other choice, he started the van and drove off, a feeling of guilt flooding his very soul as he did.

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Staying close to the ground as the fire raged around her Jill called out Ara's name, silently thanking herself for earning that fire safety badge while she was in the junior space rangers. The smoke passed above her as she felt her face burn from the raising heat. She needed to find Ara and fast before the whole room became hotter than a star cruiser engine. Finally calling out a tenth time, she was greeted by a faint whimper, almost masked by the crackling and roaring of the flames. Following it to the source, she found Arabella, trapped under a mountain of fallen rubble. She coughed out the toxic smoke as her six eyes where tear filled.

"Please…" She wheezed as she mustarded up enough strength to speak. "Please…help me." Jill didn't waste a second as she looked at the mountain of burning fallen debris on her friend. Finally she dug out an arch around the girl and with a quick yank she pulled her free without causing the wreckage to collapse on the two. Jill took a deep breath and dragged Ara out of the blazing room before the two of them succumbed to smoke inhalation. Kicking the door open she sighed out a breath of relief as she laid Ara on the ground and placed her jacket as a makeshift pillow under her head so the girl could breathe easier. Now that she got the two of them out of the fire, she knew they were both still in danger. They had to get out of the building fast before the Space Rangers showed up. A loud voice snapped her out of her stupor as she looked up from Ara's soot covered face to the once empty hallway.

"You two, freeze!" A young Space Ranger stood standing at the end of the hall, hand on his laser, ready for anything. Craters, Jill thought. Not only were they caught, but they were caught by a rookie ranger. This was such a perfect night. Raising her hands slowly, she didn't hesitate for a second.

"We're unarmed. But my friend needs medical attention a.s.a.p. She was trapped under burning debris and inhaled too much smoke, use your wrist communicator to radio medical help." Looking at her for a moment, his stern expression never once wavered; he slowly did as she had asked. Jill looked down at Ara sadly as EMPs quickly responded and tended to her. She was then roughly yanked to her feet by the young ranger and had cuffs slapped onto her small wrists.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney-" she didn't pay attention to him as she was lead away to the star cruiser. Her hat had been removed, reveling her face to the other rangers, and hushed whispers began to circulate behind her back but she didn't respond to any of it. She just prepared herself for the world of trouble she was in for.

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Buzz hummed as he fixed himself a victory sandwich as the game ended. Alpha beat the Elas 110 to 109, so he was in a very good mood. Taking a bite out of it, he noticed that it was well over 11 o'clock and Jill still wasn't home. Getting worried, he picked up the phone to call the Hammerholds when it rang right before he could dial.

"Lightyear residents, Buzz speaking."

"Buzz? It's Nebula" Even though the other man couldn't see him, Buzz saluted out of habit when he heard the commander's voice.

"Sir! What seems to be the problem? Another Zurg dastardly deed?"

"Well…no, not exactly. It's…"

"Star Cruiser in need of assistance?"

"No. Not that, it's…"

"Runaway Crystalic fusion tanker?"

"Uh…no. It's an eco-terrorist attack. We have two of the members, one in custody, the other one's at the hospital being treated for their injuries."

"Great sir, can you brief me about the rest when I get there in a bit? I need to check in on my daughter first." He paused a bit as the commander gave an uncomfortable cough. "Um, sir? Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah, Buzz? There's another reason for me calling you about all this…" Nebula said as he rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to look out of his office to Jill at a booking officer's desk.