Chapter 28- Sam Part 1

Sky's jaw dropped when he saw the girl standing before him. She wasn't Syd anymore. Her curls, compassionate eyes, that rosy glow that seemed to emerge from her body… gone. She was still beautiful to him, though. He examined for a few seconds, taking in her appearance and misdemeanor. His eyes noticed every little change from her eyes to her hair. But what scared him the most was her face. Everything from the cold, cruel gaze to that small smile Sky suspected was not because she was happy, gave him the chills.

"It's Pandora now, actually."

He said nothing and continued to approach with caution. He had every intention of taking her in so Kat could take a look at her. The faster he got her out of Grumm's clutches the better. The only problem he encountered was the capture. Sydney….now Pandora wouldn't go down without a fight. And knowing her, she wouldn't be easy to beat. He didn't want her to get hurt, but this was his only chance to get her back for good. He raised his blaster and aimed at one of her legs; he closed his eyes and fired a blind shot. When he opened them again, he was amazed once again. Not only had she not been hurt, Pandora was now a walking diamond.

Whatever had happened to her, the process enhanced her abilities and took them to the next level. It was not only her hand, but her entire body, that was transformed into the sparkling rock. She smiled and returned to normal. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

No, of course not, he thought to himself as he tried to device another plan. She interrupted his thoughts by creating two more Orange Heads. He groaned and began fighting them viciously. They had to be taken out as soon as possible. By the time he was done, she was already gone. She had been quick and deliberate and definitely knew what she wanted. He demorphed and joined the others at the entrance.

"It wasn't Morgana." He said grimly

Z raised an eyebrow. It wasn't until a minute later that she got the hang of what he meant. "Rogue is back?"

He shook his head. "Worse."

"So it was Morgana." Jack blurted out.

He shook his head again; Bridge took his glove off and read his aura. The Blue Ranger grabbed his hand and put his glove back on. The Green Ranger apologized for breaking the promise he and Sky had made when they were first assigned to the B-Squad. Bridge would never read Sky's aura unless indicated or permitted. "There are tinges of red in your aura, which indicate passion or rage, maybe both."

The brunette girl was tired of waiting for answers. "Just spill it out, Sky!"

"It was Sydney!" He exclaimed loudly. He began explaining what changed he had noticed and showed them a picture. Z visibly cringed and the other two Rangers were in shock. They ha no idea the Troobian Emperor was as heartless as this. Doing that to a girl was terribly cruel. They went straight to the Command Center to show their findings to Kat and Cruger. The Doctor sat with them and told them to relax.

"At least we know she's alive. We'll get her back."

Sky wanted her back desperately. He was willing to try anything to be with her again, even if it meant going out there and letting Grumm capture him. He rose from his chair. "How are we getting her back if we're just sitting here doing nothing but thinking?"

The irritation in his voice was more than obvious.

"Sit down Cadet Tate, I won't allow you to raise your voice to your fellow Cadets or to Doctor Manx!" Cruger growled. He didn't seem to care, a few minutes later, he was out the door.

"Too many dramatic exits for a week." Z muttered quietly. Jack gave her a dirty look which earned him a shrug from the girl. The Green Ranger gave them instructions to search for anything that could help them find their friend and left to find Sky. After searching for a few minutes, he finally found him up in the roof, contemplating the view it had. He ran up to him and put his right on his shoulder.

"We will get her back."

"I'm just scared. That girl in there wasn't her. What if she's stuck like that and there's no way to revert what Grumm did to her?" Bridge understood his distress and had no idea of what had been done with Syd, but there was always a solution for everything. No matter how complicated it was, the team would do everything to get her back.

"Getting angry won't help us." The tall man nodded and followed his friend back to the Command Center. He was visibly calmer yet he was still melancholic. They began leaving one by one until only Sky was left. He groaned and slammed his hand on the table. Cruger sat in front of him.

"I'm truly sorry about Cadet Drew." The Commander declared solemnly while looking him in the eye. "Just know we are all here for you. You have no idea the great lengths I'm willing to go to protect one of my cadets."

He nodded respectfully. "I know, Commander. I'm sorry for earlier."

"It's not me you owe an apology to." He pointed to the weapons lab. He saluted and left through the door, hoping he wasn't on Kat's bad side.

The Terror

After transporting in, Pandora went straight to her observatory to plan her next strategy. She was satisfied with her work today. She had been able to get everything Grumm had asked for without major any major problems. It had only cost her a few Krybots and one distraught Ranger to do her job. She turned around when she heard the skeleton coming in. She bowed respectfully and showed him what she had gotten for him. His red eyes began glowing.

"I'm pleased." On the table were over two tons of gold she and the Krybots had stolen from the deposit. She had no idea what it would be used for, since he kept it a secret, but she would surely steal a small piece to make herself a pair of earrings out of it. If she was going to be the ruler of the Earth one day, she had to dress and accessorize as such. And no queen's outfit was complete without accessories made out of the finest materials. She wondered if she would ever have the opportunity to travel to another planet besides Earth. She knew that some planets, such as the ones in the Andromeda galaxy, were famous for their beautiful jewelry. Grumm's laugh interrupted her thoughts.

"Anything else I can do for you?" Morgana entered the room, looking as cold and cruel as Pandora. It didn't take long for Broodwing to join them. The old sack of bones couldn't help but cackle again. His own screwed up version of a holy trinity was finally complete. He had Pandora, the beautiful but deadly and powerful warrior, Morgana, his enigmatic human apprentice of Troobian magic and Broodwing, his right hand and provider of weapons. Yet, he wanted more. It was more of a need than a want. He would need everyone he could get in order to beat SPD.

He had an open spot for a new general. It was official, generals were now in season and he was hunting. The girls smiled when something popped up in the radar he had installed in the window. Pandora blew up an image on the screen and turned back. "Looks like we have a new recruit, Emperor."

She stepped aside to let them see. "Another human? Why don't we just turn back to old allies? It will take longer with a human and things will get complicated…"

Pandora glared at Broodwing and put her new staff's blade close to his face. "If I remember well, every single one of my plans has worked. Now tell me, Broodwing, how many of your plans have worked out so far."

He mumbled something that sounded like the word 'none' to her. She removed the staff from his face. "That's what I thought so too. Anything else you want to add?"

Standing up to Broodwing was not something she did everyday. She definitely enjoyed the power that came with bothering and beating him. "I'll get him for you, Emperor. I just need Morgana to do something for me."

Downtown NewTech

The next morning, Pandora strolled down the city's less fortunate areas. She casually sneered at some aliens as she passed them, either too disgusted by how they smelled or by how they behaved. In the short time she had been there, she had already seen two aliens digging through the dumpsters to get something to eat. When she offered them a muffin, which was rare for her, they kindly rejected it and continued n their quest for a slice of rotten pizza. She put the muffins back in its bag and continued walking.

She had clearly disguised herself in a loose white top tucked inside a black pencil skirt and high heels. That is if she could high heels clever. Her hair was covered by dark wig with bangs that covered her hair. She put on a pair of sunglasses before arriving at the public school where her objective was. She sat on a bench beside the court to observe her target.

A 12-year-old boy redheaded boy ran up to the center of the court to join the other kids. He had a basketball in his hands. He asked permission to play with them with a big hopeful smile on his face. Pandora stared intently at his pathetic attempt to socialize. People like him didn't need permission to do anything. They just did whatever pleased them because they were superior, simple as that. One of the kids, a fat one, laughed at him. Soon, the others joined in.

The boy felt dumb for even asking. The answer was always no. When the fat kid tried to grab the ball, he tossed it to the sky and extended his palm. The ball appeared over the hoop a few seconds later. She had to remove her sunglasses for a few seconds and pinch her arm to make sure what she had just seen was real. It had been. She waited some more to make her move.

The looks on the kids' face had fear and amazement written all over them. Some of them ran back inside while others, like the fat kid, hid their fear. He was pushed to the floor a few seconds later; landing with both is knees on the rough surface. "Freak."

The other kids soon began chanting the same name with an annoying tone. The woman in the bench stood up and removed her sunglasses with her back turned to the little kid.

"I'm not a freak! I am special!" He screamed his voice full of anger.

"You better go back inside before I call your principal and tell them what you've done." There was nothing that kids feared most than an angry teacher. They ran inside. She held out her hand to help him up.

Both walked up to the bench, where she began tending to the wound on his knees. She poured a small amount of water on it and then put a band aid over it. "I'm Sam."

"Pandora." She shook his hand when she offered it.

"That's an unusual name." She raised her eyebrow. For a kid who seemed shy, Sam could definitely be precocious at times. "I'm named after a Greek Goddess."

Pandora was not really much of a Goddess, from what she had read. Pandora was a beautiful woman that had been created by Gods to tempt men after Prometheus had defied them by giving fire to men. She was said to be the most beautiful that roamed the mortal world. But not everything was perfect for her. The Gods had given her a beautiful box they told her never to open. It was her burden to carry. One day, the temptation overpowered her and curiosity got the best of her. Before she could do anything, sickness, war, sin and many other evils had been released into the world. The myth fit her to a t.

Still, she had to lie to him to make him come with her. "Would you like to go for an ice cream?"

He nodded happily and took her hand. She groaned when she saw someone she really didn't want to deal with today. It seemed inevitable as always. She came face to face with the Yellow SPD Ranger. She groaned loudly. Of all the days she could have walked through that area today had to be the day. Z had been thought that it was Morgana at first, but her face fell when she saw Sydney. She corrected herself: that was Pandora not Sydney.

Sky was right, she's not Syd anymore, she told herself. "Go hide, Sam."

"She's just one of those people who want to hurt you. Go hide." Pandora ordered a second time. Sam was reluctant but hid behind a wall anyway. Z scoffed, "Grumm has really sunk to a new level."

"I could say the same thing for Cruger. Hiring criminals as Rangers…" She said despectively, a hint of disgust in her voice. She removed the wig and exposed her hair. Z was enraged. She took her blaster out, ready to fire. She took aim at her stomach and fired. But when the girl before her transformed crystallized into diamond form, her jaw dropped. "Do you Rangers ever learn?"

She put her hand behind her back and dropped two balls of Krybots to the floor. "Take care." She snarled as the girl morphed into the Yellow Ranger. She walked back to Sam and took his hand. She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Sam. People will never understand us."

After getting him an ice cream one, she took him to the old diamond deposits. "Can you only make small objects disappear?"

He shook his head. "No. Want me to try on something big?" He answered proudly. This was turning out to be easier than she thought. She pointed to the warehouse. After giving his confirmation, he raised his palm and engulfed the warehouse in a white light. And poof, there was no more warehouse.

"You are a very talented and special boy, Sam. I know someone who would be very interested in your abilities."

"Really, is this person a friend of yours?"

"Of course he is."

"When can I meet him?"

"Soon." She replied mysteriously, leaving out the part that her 'friend' was a dusty bag of bones. She decided that some things were better left to his imagination. A few minutes later, the Yellow Ranger arrived at the deposits along with her motley crew of uniformed goody-goodies. Pandora crossed her arms and checked her watch. "Not even an hour has passed and you are already back for more. Pesky much?"

She indicated Sam to hide. He did as ordered. She glared when they raised their blasters. She stuck her hand out and wrapped her and around a piece of iron. As soon as they began opening fire, her body deflected, hitting the Rangers instead.

Sam watched from a distance. He felt bad for his friend. It reminded him of the kids back at school ganging up on him just because he was different. Sam began walking to the blonde girl. As soon as she saw this, she fell to the floor and grabbed a small rock. She made a cut on her arm to simulate that she had been hurt. Sky stared at her, wondering how she had barely flinched. Maybe she was worse than he could have ever imagined.

The little boy came out of hiding. He came by the girl's side and uncapped his bottle of water to pour it on her wound. They had to get him away from Pandora. Whatever Grumm had planned for him wasn't pleasant, they suspected. Z stepped out and smiled. "Sam, please trust us. We don't want to hurt you."

She held out her hand. He hesitated but ended up taking it. Something about the brunette just made him want to be with her. Maybe it was her warmth, which was a quality the other girl didn't possess. Pandora groaned and stood up slowly, ready to attack. But something inside dictated her to stop, Grumm wanted the kid alive. She wouldn't be able to deliver if she attacked while Sam was holding hands with the Ranger. She decided it would have to be some other time. It just wasn't meant to happen today, she told herself as she turned around, fixing her skirt.

She crossed her arms, desperate for some action. What was clear today was that she wouldn't leave the place until she got what she had come for. She clearly overheard the conversation ongoing between her target and the Rangers. "Sam, these are my friends: Jack, Bridge…."

The boy took his hand away and glared at her. She was not like him, he realized. She wasn't all alone, like he and Pandora were. Z didn't need him, he had them for company. He had been betrayed and it hurt deeply. She began to worry about the sudden change in his behavior but before she could ask, he was already at Pandora's side holding her hand. She cursed herself and glared at her. A few seconds later, Sam disappeared. She did so herself a few seconds after him, taunting with a small wave and an air–blown kiss.

"We'll get him back." Jack said kindly. She turned away from the scene. She had not only let herself down, but that boy too. No one knew what the Troobian had in store for him and they certainly didn't want to begin speculating. Had she not mentioned the word 'friends', he would have probably stayed. Probably being the key word. Sam was a smart kid, he would eventually catch on and discover that the people with her were more than just people; they were her friends, her new family even. She sighed in disappointment and drove off in the Cruiser all by herself.

The Terror

Pandora, upon arrival, presented the boy to Grumm. He was proud and in good spirits as fasr as she could tell. Sam was definitely apprehensive at first. He took a few steps back, taking her hand, squeezing it as hard he could. She could relate, Grumm wasn't exactly nice to look at but the boy would eventually warm up to him. Or at least, stop being afraid.

She gave a bow and took him to Mora's room. Hoping that Grumm had listened to her request, she went in with the boy. She was relieved when Mora, and not Morgana, walked over to him and introduced herself with a polite smile. The boy took her hand without hesitation. He soon forgot this earlier attitude and began playing with his new friend.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

Pandora grinned. "You'll never have to be alone again."

"She's right." Mora took out her notebook and began sketching one of her bizarre yet powerful creations. A few strokes and a page tear later, a new alien emerged. This new one was certainly unusual. It wasn't like any of her other creation, which were normally scary. This one seemed as powerful as a teddy bear. It had a childlike quality to it. She appreciated the effort and examined the creature closely. His only weapon was a silver staff. "My name is Bugglesworth."

"When we get bored, I can always create a new friend for us to play with. You will never be alone here, Sam. You will have plenty of friends to play games with." Mora smiled brightly. Sam grinned and grabbed a very peculiar-looking doll from her collection when Pandora left with the creature. The doll had an 'X' for an eye, a couple of black strings to simulate hair, stitches all over it and very colorful dress and boots on. "That's Cindy Sunshine; she can be your friend too."

While both Mora and Sam played, Bugglesworth showed off his abilities to both Grumm and Pandora. He pointed his staff at a random Krybot. In a flash, the robot had become nothing but a doll. "And how exactly is having a collection of dolls going to be beneficial to me?" The Emperor snarled.

Pandora put her mind to work and then explained, "Think of the big picture here, Grumm. He could bring in plenty of people to the ship. People we could use for powering the ship. Once we turn them into fuel, that is."

From his eyes emanated a bright red glow. She grinned at him and ordered Bugglesworth to go to Earth and bring her as much people as he possibly could. She turned back. "In case those Rangers attack you; you come back. You can't turn them while they're morphed."

He nodded and bowed, jumping happily while being transported to Earth.

"I'll have Broodwing provide him with a robot. I need to see those things they use to fight."

Cold and calculating, just like he wanted her to be all along. "Strategizing is a smart idea."

"I'll go watch over Bugglesworth." And with that, she disappeared in a flash of blinding light. Grumm, meanwhile, sat at his throne thinking of what move he could play next. While he walked through the Observatory, something got his eye. There was one of Broodwing's robot roaming NewTech, smashing buildings. He scanned the inside and it wasn't Bugglesworth. There was an unknown alien controlling the monstrous device. This hadn't been the first time Broodwing had gone against his will to show off his handiwork. They had to be careful and attack when the time was right. He opted on not saying anything to Broodwing this time; he would let him keep on believing whatever he wanted. He would punish him when the timing was perfect. It was true he was in luck today, with the little boy, he might just get to replace Broodwing…

Oh, how the skeleton loved to mess with fragile minds…especially children's.