Chapter 35- Free

Z's dark eyes roamed across the dark, dimly lit hallways of the Academy's Detention Bay. The hall was a stark contrast to the others which were usually illuminated by the bright sunlight at day that filtered through the windows and by artificial yet soft lights at night, as well as by the light of the moon. The lighting gave the place a very grim vibe. Despite the room being at normal temperature, Z felt her skin crawl under her thick uniform.

Silently, Z wondered if every cadet felt like that, intimidated and cold, when they first entered the Detention Area. She couldn't believe that in the short time she'd spent at the Academy no one had taken the consideration to give her a tour through this area. Perhaps she would have felt more prepared, knowing what to expect, rather than how she felt. Her feet moved slowly, they felt as if two ton blocks were strapped to them. Her legs were like jelly, shaking at every step. Z had to put her hands inside her pockets so Kat wouldn't notice their shaking.

The hallway even seemed larger than the others. As if she were in a dream, the room seemed inescapable and endless. The same grim pattern repeating over and over again, no way out. No windows, no doors… no way out. Z's hands began shaking at the thought and bit her lower lip.

There was a palpable need for someone to break the dead silence that had befallen both Kat and Z. The cadet tried to get her mind off the matter with happier thoughts. Her lips curled into a small smile when the image of Bridge and Jack propped up against the wall doing headstands was evoked in her mind. Bridge certainly did have a way to ease up tension in a room, no matter how unorthodox or strange it was. Z sighed, content. Her hands had stopped shaking and her feet no longer had that heavy sensation.

Kat turned to the girl, observing her newly acquired calm demeanor. All cadets were frightened the first time they entered the Detention Bay. The light that each one of the cadets emanated seemed to fade gradually, with each passing step their faces seemed to become a deadly shade of white. She remembered the first time Bridge and Sky had been brought in to conduct an interrogation. Both cadets were being cocky, especially Sky, flaunting their fearlessness to the Commander. When they stepped inside, both of them had fallen silent and their faces, pale as a chalk, had fallen.

Perhaps it was the lighting and the ambiance in the room, or maybe the fact that through the doors at the end, they would come face to face with some of the most dangerous and evil criminals in the galaxy. Probably that's what scared the daylights out of all of them.

That was what had frightened her the first time. Kat recalled her first time in the Detention Bay. Kruger and the first A Squad had just captured one of the deadliest criminals in the Galaxy, Bankhor. He'd been found guilty of treason and war crimes, primarily, along with an impressive list of devious crimes committed all over the galaxy. Bankhor had been one of the Troobian army's main generals, responsible for the destruction of her home planet and the death of many loved ones. Knowing her personal connection to Bankhor, the Commander was adamant to let her participate or engage in any conversation with him. Instead, he let her watch the interrogation from outside, where he knew Kat would be safe, both physically and mentally.

The interrogation had been brutally long, and equally harsh. From all the interrogation she'd watched, Kat had noticed the suspects cracked easily. With a determined face, Kat summed up the courage to ask the Commander why the Detention Bay was so grim.

"Efficiency, Doctor Manx," replied Cruger. "You see this place and your first immediate thought is that you want to run to the hills and never come back in. The need to leave this room is what drives the cadets to be good interrogators. That's why subjects break easily and sing like birds after an average of 45 minutes."

Kat would have never thought fear would be one of the weapons of choice of the Commander. He always seemed like the type of alien to never commit any type of wrongs for a greater good. Maybe everyone did have a dark side, as her mother had once stated.

The Doctor's mind snapped back to reality, punching in a code on a pad to enter the containment card storage. She looked back at Z once again. "Ready?"

"Yeah, I guess." Z answered, trying to keep her voice in check.

"You have the most daunting task right now. While Jack and Bridge are out there deactivating needles, you have to transport Dru Harrington to Piggy's restaurant without calling attention to yourself." Kat explained, unsure if Z was up to the task after taking such a brutal beating from Morgana out in the battlefield. She didn't doubt Z's skills whatsoever but the damage she'd taken was extensive and using her suit was out of question.

"I know. I can do this," said Z, voice full of determination. "You know I can."

"Yeah, you can." Z was slightly taken aback by Kat's words. Up until that moment, she never knew that Kat held such trust in her abilities and skills. "Come on. This is the easy part. They are regenerating Dru as we speak."

"Regenerating?"

Kat chuckled at the amazed expression on her face. "Let me rephrase. They are freeing him from the card as we speak."

"Oh." Z blinked her eyes for a moment and let out a small laugh. "I'll try to remember that from now on."

The Doctor looked down at her clock and then back at the regeneration station, glancing at the machine that indicated the progress of the regenerator: only 10 percent done. Kat nervously glanced down at her clock, they didn't have a lot of time until the sun set. 50 minutes wasn't a lot of time, and with each second that went by, their hope slipped away slowly.

In average, most subjects took about 20 minutes to be fully regenerated, according to the calculations she'd done. Only a couple of minutes had passed since the process had begun taking place but it seemed like it had been forever since she'd given the order. Taking away the 20 minutes the regeneration lasted, Z had 30 minutes to deliver Dru to Pandora or else…

Kat silently cursed herself for not ordering it before, perhaps if she'd made the decision sooner rather than 10 minutes ago, Sky would now be making his way towards the base in the company of his team, with his friends and not with Pandora. Never had she been as nervous as she was that day. Her foot tapped the floor below them repeatedly, her thumb constantly stroked the glass on her wristwatch, her eyes glanced at the clock every other minute.

Despite the silence from the Doctor, Z could feel the anxiety that emanated from Kat. The cadet put a hand over Kat's shoulder, trying to ease her feelings. "Don't blame yourself. We all lost that battle out there."

"If I had told them to free him earlier instead of making scenarios in my mind…" Z scoffed and shook her head, interrupting her. "You did everyone would have done. Were I in your shoes, I would have hesitated as well."

Before answering Kat glanced at the progress monitor, relief washing over her as the number escalated to 40%. Perhaps, they would buy themselves more time. Z's words had come as a blessing; she always found ways to comfort everyone with her wise words. "Thank you Z."

"No problem." Z sat down, her feet beginning to feel heavy again. Knowing that Sky's fate rested solely on her shoulders didn't ease her anxiety one bit. She put her head in her hands, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. Her hands were beginning to shake again, the hairs on the back of her neck rising at the thought of Pandora hurting Sky because of her being late. She would never be able to forgive herself if something that horrible happened to him due to her being late.

No doubt Pandora would pull out every trick to stop her from getting to her goal in time. This new creation of Grumm and Broodwing was far deadlier than Rogue, better known as Pandora 1.0, or any other alien they'd ever faced. The worst part about facing her in battle was the thought of losing Syd or even hurting her. Z had to remember that the girl that held Sky was not their friend, not Syd. She was by no means that heart-shaped girl with the golden curls the team had desperately battled to save from Grumm's clutches. Pandora was but a puppet, cruelly designed by the Troobian Emperor and his most trusted lackey.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a male figure came to stand before her. Z's eyes traced the Nebula Galaxy's version of the SPD uniform. Her eyes went from being as wide as a frightened doe's to angry slits, not allowing him to see the fear that hovered over her. "Dru."

Z was fairly surprised by the cool, icy tone her voice had acquired. She was even more taken aback to see Dru back in his humanoid form, once Sky's friend, and not the deadly creature that had attacked them. Still, she forced herself to recall they were one and not two separate beings. Grabbing him by the cuffs that held his wrists together, she began making her way towards the door.

"Try anything with Z and I'll have those wrist cuffs and the collar around your neck will give you a little surprise." Kat exposed a small remote with a dial on it. Z couldn't help but smile at the Doctor's philosophy. An eye for an eye. Very clever, Kat.

Dru smirked, not at the least frightened by the control on the Doctor's hand. No device could possibly harm him as much as Sky's final words to him. "What if I do try something?" With a small laugh, Kat raised the dial to the first bar and pressed a button. A strong shock invaded his neck and gradually lowered to every part of his body. His knees felt like collapsing, his head pounding during the aftermath. "Point taken."

"I can go higher if you'd like." Dru responded with a loud groan at which the women couldn't help but smirk. "I didn't think so. Now, Z will escort you to Pandora…"

Dru blinked his eye, confused by the name. "Pandora?"

"Rogue 2.0. I bet you and her will get along together nicely. She's one nasty piece of work." Z spat angrily as the thought of the villain torturing her friend came up again in her mind. Kat cleared her throat to snap her out of her angry daze. "As I was saying, she will escort you to Pandora. Once you're with her, Z will deliver the morpher and she will have to give you Sky."

"If she doesn't?"

"She will. As unpredictable as she may be, we're giving her what she asked for." Kat clarified, her hand placed on Z's shoulder. "Besides, Pandora doesn't exactly have a purpose for Sky once we give her Dru."

"She does. Entertainment, for one." Z retorted, recalling Sky's screams as Pandora electrified him. Kat nodded grimly, the same deadly silence fell over the room again. "We'll just have to trust that she'll give us Sky."

And with that said, the cadet moved along the hallway while ushering the alien in front of her.

Piggy's Restaurant

Upon looking at the dump Piggy called restaurant, Pandora was already disappointed. That was by far the worst place she'd seen on NewTech. When Grumm and the rest of the Troobian army took over, the first order she'd give would be to have the place destroyed. It not only looked horrible, the place smelled bad. It was as if someone had thrown a permanent stink bomb. The smells were so pungent; it was hard to distinguish what it was that made it smell so terrible.

Pandora grimaced, her face scrunching up, the bile rising in her throat. She signaled the Krybots to place and secure Sky to a chair.

Looking down at her watch, Pandora hoped the Rangers would stay true to their word that they wouldn't be late. If the Rangers or Grumm didn't kill her, the smell of the place certainly would.

"This place reeks!" Pandora couldn't help but say it. "It's most as bad as Grumm's feet on a hot summer day."

Sky couldn't help but smile at that last statement. He silently wondered how she'd react. Perhaps with a joke or two, Pandora would desist from frying him. "What are you smiling about, Blue Ranger? If your friends don't arrive in time, you'll be the one washing Grumm's feet on hot summer days. I find nothing funny about that."

"They'll arrive in time." Pandora scoffed and crossed her arms, her lips curling into an amused smirk. "You put a lot of trust in them. If I recall correctly, you didn't exactly trust them until I captured you. Is that what it takes for you to trust them?"

Sky reflected on her words. She was right, as much as it hurt him to admit it. Before being captured, he wouldn't have trusted his friends with his dog and certainly not his life. Did a like-risking event, such as his capture, have to be the reason he changed his mind?

He was certain that somewhere along the way, and not the moment he was captured, he had to have trusted his friends.

"Pondering on what I said?" Her mocking voice interrupted him. "You know, when you think about things other people say they usually turn out to be true."

"I have always trusted them." Sky's voice came and then went out like a light. With no spark in it, his statement could not have been true by any means. Pandora didn't respond or say anything. She simply turned to face him, an 'I-told-you-so' written all over her.

Sky simply looked down, not being able to hide his embarrassment. Pandora had been right after all. He felt guilty for even thinking that way about his teammates. Not his teammates, he realized, his friends. Bridge had been with him for almost three years and not even everything they'd gone through together had been enough for Sky. He know realized his mistake and silently cursed himself. "They will come, you know that."

Pandora turned to face him again, a sweet laugh emerging from her mouth. "I hope they do." Sky gave her a questioning look. "Don't flatter yourself, pretty boy. As much as I'd like to torture you, I really desire to keep my sense of smell intact. This place and I… we are not getting along, to put it kindly."

"I thought you were used to it. You used to clean Grumm's feet, after all." The Blue Ranger smiled smugly, a proud look on his face. Pandora didn't say a word, her mind deep in thought. Dark memories appeared in her mind from when she was no more than a lowly slave to Grumm, someone to clean his feet and to get pushed around by everyone. Certainly, she was far from being that little scared girl. An equal was what everyone considered her now.

"Yes, I did." There was no emotion in her voice now, not even a hint of a smile. Sky couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt surfacing deep inside. He wanted to tease her to get back, not insult her. He was certainly going to get a shock now that Pandora was offended by his comments. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't say it. You are only saying that so I won't hurt you, not because you mean it." Sky had never been more frightened in his life as he was at that moment. Her eyes showed nothing but rage and an anger that was buried deep inside her being; still he was glad some passion came from the girl. It reminded him of Syd. Maybe there was still some part of his friend underneath all those layers of evil.

Sky sighed and cocked his head, staring intently at Pandora's dull blue eyes. "You're right," said the Blue Ranger.

"Again."

"Yes, again." He couldn't help but agree with her, his voice low and filled with shame.

Pandora, adamant to speak with him again, turned to the Orange Heads. After giving them direct orders to patrol the perimeter and stop any upcoming threat, she finally pulled out a chair from a nearby table. The metallic legs dragged across the hard pavement made a loud and unbearable screeching sound. Sky gritted his teeth. Pandora sat in front of him, a smirk on her face. She was clearly amused by his reaction.

"Do you pray?" The girl raised her shapely legs and put them up on the table besides her, her evil gaze set upon his face. "If you don't, you better do. As we speak, 20 Orange Head Krybots are patrolling the city. If one of them is destroyed, I'll know and for each one that falls, I'll send two more."

Sky considered himself an Agnostic ever since his father had died. He had not prayed a day in his life since that awful Sunday afternoon when his father's helmet was brought to him. He's stop believing there was someone watching over him and his father. He'd died in battle, alone. If someone had been watching over him, his father would have come home safe and sound.

"Pray that your friends are strong and fast enough. They've not much time left."

North NewTech

The sun beamed over both the heads of Bridge and Jack, its heat further increased by the reflection of the dome that now imprisoned the city. Bridge pulled an SPD cap out of his bag, if not he'd surely have a headache at night. Worse, maybe even a migraine.

Jack, on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered by the heat. Perhaps his life on the street had made him more resistant to the weather factors, Bridge thought. Living out there must have been hard for him. The hot, humid summer days must have been especially horrible, with no air conditioner to cool him off. The winters weren't as harsh, but when the day became rainy, the droplets of water felt like ice against the skin. Bridge felt lucky to have a heater after training in the mud course during the winter, he feared his companion had nothing of that sort to heat himself up.

He ran his hand through his sweaty hair and ran a towel to wipe the back of his neck. "What's the plan?"

"We need to get to the Sunflower Corporation building and destroy that device." Jack answered, his mind going over the plan he'd been thinking of all day. "We can't morph, not yet."

Bridge raised his brow and began to protest. "If we don't morph we're dead."

"And if we morph, we are dead too." He stated grimly, looking down at the floor. "That's why I came prepared. I borrowed a suit from Ali's drive. If I go in dressed as a businessman, they won't know I'm a ranger. Think about it, they've never seen our faces, and I think it's…"

"Genius." Bridge interrupted happily. "You'll have advantage with your powers inside. And I'll take the ones outside. One more thing, are you and Ali dating?"

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. The green clad cadet had a knack for bringing up irrelevant topics on the worst of times. "This isn't about me and Ali, it's about Sky trapped by the crazy she-devil that threatens his life."

"Then that's a yes." Jack mentally slapped himself at his friend's insistence. Knowing Bridge had a short attention span and a great memory, he decided to come clean. "Yes, I'm seeing her once a week. We are just friends, nothing much happening with her and me."

Bridge scoffed, not believing one word out of his mouth. "Just friends, right. That's like saying Sky and Syd are just friends."

Bridge had meant it as a joke, of course. But the mood around them darkened instantly at the mention of their friends and fellow cadets. Sky and Syd were more than just a regular couple, they were soulmates destined for each other that had been torn apart by destiny and cruel acts. Both were prisoners of the same enemy now, one with a chance of easy survival, the other doomed to live in darkness against her desires.

Trying to lighten up the mood, Jack grinned and said, "Don't get me started on you and Z. Stay here until I tell you it's safe to move."

Bridge sighed in relief, happy to know Jack wasn't mad at him for his less than thoughtful comment on Sky and Syd.

After he'd changed, Jack saluted Bridge in the SPD fashion and began walking towards the entrance. The entrance was not heavily guarded, as he'd expected it to be. Only two of the robotic henchmen were stationed directly outside the doors, their weapons drawn in case of threats. He might not get so lucky on the inside; he feared that Pandora had not wasted any resources to protect the thing she'd strived so hard to activate.

Jack kept his head held high, his walk steady and normal to not give anything away. If the Krybots found him out, he would be forced to morph and his whole plan would crumble onto the ground. Reaching inside his pocket, the man took out a fake ID card Kat had manufactured for him. Bringing it close to the robot's faces, they looked it over and scanned it. Once it checked out as real, they nodded in approval and opened the doors for him. Jack walked in breezily as if nothing was wrong.

His instincts kicked once out of the Krybots' sights. Jack walked around, his dark eyes scanning the room for possible ways to get to the rooftop. The elevators were more heavily guarded: two for each elevator. With four elevators on the 1st floor, the count rose to 8 Krybots. He wondered if each floor had the same amount of Krybots, if so, they'd take a whole lot more than an hour to clear it out and deactivate the device.

For a moment, he even debated on climbing the staircase all the way just to avoid fighting them. He would leave the calculations to Bridge and decided it would just take way too long to climb that quantity of stairs. It was a risky move, but it would have to do. Jack had to be quick and efficient, otherwise, Sky would be fried.

Knowing words wouldn't get into their thick metallic heads, Jack decided it was better to make a statement rather than wait for them to listen. As he approached the elevators, the Krybots took their weapons out at ready. He smirked. His little run had gained just about enough speed to slide down, directly avoiding their weapons, and with the use of his powers, directly into the elevator. The Krybots must have been both angry, given by the clanking of their weapons against the elevator doors. Noticing the security camera overlooking the elevator, Jack knew the feed went to a security center, which was surely monitored by Krybots.

"Kat, can you hack the security feed at the Sunflower Corporation?"

"On it, Jack."

Jack shut his morpher and pressed the emergency button on the panel, thus closing the elevator doors until he deactivated the command. He sunk down on the floor, his morpher ready to be used. Once Kat gave him the signal, he'd morph and take those Orange Heads by surprise. "You're good to go, Jack. The Commander will patrol the streets and take care of any threats for Z. Over and out."

"Over and out, Kat." Jack stood, happy his plan had worked out after all. He morphed and deactivated the emergency button, pressing the R button to go up to the roof. He put the morpher to his mouth. "I'm on my way to the roof, Bridge. Threats are both outside and inside on the 1st floor."

"On my way and ready to rumble, Red."

Jack smirked. "So am I, Green."

The Red Ranger didn't take long to arrive at the roof. Upon stepping outside, he was greeted by his good friends, the Orange Head Krybots. He took the kick to the helmet and a punch to the stomach as signs of a warm welcome. He counterattacked with the same friendliness, sending one to hit the concrete wall. Taking out his Delta Max Blasters, Jack fired repeatedly at the still standing Orange Head. He grasped his weapons tightly, bracing himself for the impact of the enemy's blast, gasping in pain as it hit him.

"Enough games." The Red Ranger rose from the floor, a hand over his stomach. Painstakingly, he raised his weapons and shot at them with full power, leaving nothing but scraps afterwards. He unmorphed, deciding to switch tactics to save his fire power for later. He took his SPD-issued blaster to take down any more enemies.

Not being a Troobian Jack couldn't possibly know the price of an Orange Head, but knowing Broodwing's greediness, he could estimate that Grumm didn't get them at a cheap price. He'd destroyed two and wondered if Bridge had gotten the other two on the entrance as well. He shot the padlock around the door handle and sighed in relief as he encountered five regular-type Krybots, ready to attack him. Unlucky for them, Jack was ready to go at it again. Without his suit on, he felt even better after taking them down. The suit lifted his abilities, this time he wanted to feel the thrill of taking them out by himself, no help from anything or anyone.

Seeing him, the robotic henchmen ran to him. Having predicted their first moves, Jack shot at them. With clean shots that struck them right in the chest, the way to the device was clear. He closed one of his eyes, zooming in on the center of the device. He pulled on the trigger, the blast creating a small explosion.

Jack wasn't fully satisfied until the force field began vanishing overhead. Despite that, one victory didn't mean they had won the war yet. He stood tall and proud, overlooking the city to find any threats. "Force field is down."

"Duly noted, Jack. Good work, Jack." Bridge responded via morpher. "The coast is clear down here. Took me a while to get them all, but I did it."

"Great job, Bridge. Let's move and meet up with the Commander."

"The faster we move, the better. I wouldn't want to be Sky at the moment. Pandora will be furious."

Jack hadn't thought about Pandora's reaction. She might even kill Sky if it eased her terrible temperament. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Piggy's Restaurant

"Stupid idiots!" Pandora yelled, letting her anger out on two Krybots, completely destroying them. "A Ranger passed right under their noses! He destroyed my device and my force field!"

Sky thought that smoke would come out of her ears at any moment by the way she paced at the ground. At this rate, she would have Grumm's army completely destroyed in a single hour. A part of him was amused by her behavior, another scared that Pandora would take it out on him if he laughed, so he kept his face neutral.

Pandora sunk down on the chair, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I am surrounded by idiots. Can't anyone do their job right?"

"We may be able to help. Any friend of Morgana's is a friend of ours." Devastation's voice came to her ears like the sweetest of songs, a song of doom and destruction. The song of the day that SPD fell to its knees to the Troobian Empire. Hers was the song of doom.

"We are at your service, my Princess." This time it was Shorty who spoke.

Pandora turned to examine them, her face giving off a glint of hope, meaning she trusted them. "Kill anyone who's wearing brightly or dull-colored spandex and bring me their heads. SPD will fall today."

Shorty and Devastation began laughing, excited for their new assignment, as they walked away. "I shall use your friends' heads as decorative busts in my throne room."

Before Sky could say anything, his words were cut short by someone else. "I wouldn't call it a victory yet, Pandora. You are down on numbers."

Sky had been planning to say that, but Broodwing had cut right to the chase. "I don't care about numbers. I care about efficiency. You must have sold Grumm a thousand defective Orange Heads, you cheap bastard."

"Only the best quality for Grumm and his…" Broodwing looked her over and laughed. "Very expensive puppets."

Pandora's rage grew by millions every time she had to face Broodwing. The only reason she dealt with him was because of his technology. The day would come when she would acquire all of his assets and execute him. "I have no time to argue. I need more Orange Heads. 16 at least."

"It's too bad the Princess can't pay for them. No money, no Krybots." Broodwing laughed straight in front of her, ready to imitate her voice. Everyone had a breaking point, even Pandora. Sky confirmed that when she threw one of her deadly energy blasts at the alien. The alien scoffed, barely even scratched by her hit. "Do not underestimate me. I have money and I will pay you handsomely once we get to the Terror."

Broodwing sighed and approached her, reaching into his pocket for two devices that contained 8 Orange Heads each. "It's not your money I want now."

"What is then?" Pandora was confused and scared at the same time. Broodwing had a devious mind, and he was as cruel as Grumm. She hesitated to take them, but the sooner the Rangers were captured, the sooner she could get rid of Broodwing. She took them into her hands, swallowing the knot in her throat.

Broodwing laughed and smiled. "You'll see what your payment is later. For now, concentrate on killing the Rangers."

"They are of no use to us dead. I need toys and Grumm needs slaves. What better way to torture our most fearsome enemies?" Pandora emphasized on the word 'fearsome', saying it almost sarcastically, a small giggle emerging from her throat. "We'll talk once the Rangers are down." And with that Broodwing vanished into thin air.

Sky was slightly worried about what Broodwing would make her do to pay her debts. If he hurt Pandora, he hurt Sydney as well. He didn't want his friend to get hurt in a game she was a prisoner of. "You like making deals with the devil."

"And you just can't keep your mouth shut. I'll have to cut your tongue off when you are my slave." Pandora turned to him, the devices still in her hands. She debated on using them or not. Shorty and Devastation were now out there, they'd sure make a number on the Rangers. If that failed, she would call upon Morgana to find Dru.

Pandora paced around, debating on whether to use them or not. Her steps were rapid and marked with anger, dear and desperation. "If you don't stop that, you'll make a whole in the ground."

"KEEP QUIET!" Pandora yelled, her eyes turning completely pitch black. Sky's throat suddenly began closing in on him, no air passing through. He gasped in pain, his face turning a light shade of pink. "You'll speak when I want you to speak. I thought I had made that clear."

Her voice sounded so inhumane, as if a foreign presence had taken over her body, more powerful than Pandora's persona herself. Since Sky couldn't speak, he gave her a nod. Satisfied with his answer, the girl turned back, the air rushing back inside him as he took a deep breath.

Downtown NewTech

Jack and Bridge arrived just in the nick of time. The Commander was clearly struggling, as well as losing, in a fight against both Devastation and Shorty. Wasting no time, they both morphed and rushed into action.

The Green and Red Rangers managed to distract both of the villains. If the Commander took any more hits, he'd end up in the Medical Bay and they'd be another Ranger down. Losing a Ranger could mean losing the battle, thus losing Sky. Their attacks, despite being strong, were proving to be some what inefficient. Shorty and Devastation were proving to be the most challenging of all the aliens they'd faced in the past. No wonder one of their names literally meant doom.

Jack was glad he'd saved some of his firepower; the battle was proving to be arduous and brutal. Glad his suit protected him, he continued his assault on Shorty, his blasts powerful yet weak at the same time. Though, it seemed as if they were starting to take their toll on Shorty. Time to change tactic. He holstered his weapon, kicking him straight in the head and delivering a fatal combination, further weakening the villain.

Bridge groaned in pain as Devastation threw him onto the ground as if he were no heavier than a rag doll. Slowly, he regained his balance and got up from his position on the floor. With his Deltamax Striker at ready, the Green Ranger shot repeatedly at Devastation, but to no avail. The alien laughed, loving the tickling feel that the blasts gave his hard body. He kicked the weapon away from the Ranger's hands and punched him straight in the chest. The blow caused Bridge to land next to Jack. He groaned in pain as his companion helped him up. It was impossible for one to know the extent of their injuries with the suit on.

Jack and Bridge felt their hope fading away when they saw the Commander's forced unmorphing. They looked at each other in despair. Perhaps that was the day SPD would really fall.

The Commander was ushered towards them by both the villains. "We are done playing games." The villains raised their arms at the same time, a yellow laser shooting from their hands. It wasn't directed at them though, but at the ground. All three of them were perplexed.

Their answers were soon given when a red tinted force field engulfed them. The energy that radiated off it was both powerful and dark, making both Bridge and Jack fall to the ground unmorphed. The Commander barked roughly as an agonizing pain invaded his body. He wasn't the only one, though, both his cadets were down on the ground, writhing in pain.

Despite his best efforts to keep battling through the pain, it was proving to be too much of a daunting task. He looked over at the other two; Bridge was trembling, at the point of convulsing. Jack was gritting his teeth so hard, Cruger thought his eyes might pop out. "No more." They pleaded at the same time. Shorty and Devastation just laughed over and over again. "No can do. Grumm wants you dead, you're dead."

Cruger buried his nails into the pavement, still trying to hold on. He couldn't let them win, not Grumm. Isinia, I'm so sorry. I failed you again. His beady eyes began to close, the last word he whispered into the air was his wife's name.

Curger's eyes shot open after a few minutes, the pain no longer present. I must be dead. His eyes darted around, finding Jack and Bridge on the floor next to him. They were pretty much alive, just as he was. One thing was missing though: the force field they'd been trapped in.

Upon setting his sight on the two aliens, he saw they were being attacked by a Ranger. A white suit, adorned with gold and navy blue detailing, his badge golden instead of silver. Friend or foe? Cruger rose from the ground, taking his time to help the pair of cadets up from the floor.

"Who's the new addition to the range of Ranger Colors?" Bridge asked, trying to make joke to lighten up the mood. Nobody laughed. He had to remind himself of controlling his mouth before speaking.

Jack sighed and took his morpher out. "I don't know but we have to help him out. He's obviously not with Grumm."

The other two took their morphers out and changed into their Ranger suits. Few seconds later, they joined their new ally in the fight against Devastationa dn Shorty.

The new Ranger seemed to move even faster than them, his moves seemed deliberate and calculated rather than spontaneous. Bridge wondered if this guy had his same powers. Whatever Academy he was from, he'd been well trained, Cruger thought. "Kat, we need RIC."

"On his way. He's all repaired and ready for action."

"Thanks Kat." Just as the Commander shut his morpher, the robotic dog made his triumphal appearance before them. With a swift speed and an incredible force, it managed to get both of the attackers away from Jack and Bridge, sending them to tumble down on the floor. The Shadow, Red and Green Rangers stood side by side, summoning the Canine Cannon.

The Canine Cannon, activating its advanced technology, locked down on the villains, putting them both in a petrified state while the judgment took place. "Shorty and Devastation, you are accused of committing a series of crimes against the galaxy: stealing, murdering and the list goes on." The Red Ranger told them, despite knowing the verdict of their crimes.

As he'd expected, the verdict was guilty. A big red X appeared on his visor. RIC automatically loaded two containment cards onto its cannon. The Rangers pulled the trigger, the blast hitting both the villains and leaving them as nothing but containment cards.

"I'm glad you still conserve RIC, without him, we would have no Canine Cannon in the future." The mysterious Ranger said. Clearly a friend, the Commander thought. He lifted his visor to meet their eyes and show he was a friend. His eyes were green as leaves, his skin was fair with a few freckles dotting his cheeks. He almost looked like…

"Sam?" Bridge scratched his head, bewildered. "How?"

"It's a long story. If I say it now, I might confuse you even more than you already are." Sam smiled and nodded towards the other two Rangers, saluting the Commander respectfully. "Let's go get your friend."

"Z is already at the rendez-vouz point." Jack indicated, holding out his morpher.

Piggy's Restaurant

Pandora counted down the seconds on her invisible clock. She guided herself by the simple sight of the sky, which was now enveloped by a sheer veil of pinks and purples. The sun hadn't set in the horizon, though Sky knew he couldn't count himself lucky. At any point, the sun would lower and the moon would rise in the sky.

"Looks like I'm going to enjoy frying you." Pandora declared happily, a sadistic smile on her face as she rose from her seat and got the controller from the table, trying to decide on which level she would start on. "How about we go from high to low this time? Better that I give you the big pain right now and then I eventually lower it."

Sky didn't reply, knowing what would happen if he answered. "You like the idea? I'm glad."

"You took the words right out my mouth." He muttered sarcastically. Sky rolled his eyes and cursed himself for speaking out of turn. Sometimes his brain and his mouth didn't connect properly.

Pandora laughed, turning the dial up to 3. Sky screamed in pain as the pain invaded his body, his eyes watering. "You're making this too easy." Just when she was about to give him another one, the controller exploded in her hands. She felt a stinging sensation in her hands for a fraction of a second, and then it was gone.

The girl turned around to meet the offender. It was none other than the Yellow Ranger. Her gaze softened upon meeting Dru's human figure. Pandora dropped Sky back in his chair, pleased that her requests had been heard and answered. Now that she was finally reunited with him, Pandora would no longer have any use for Sky. "Did your bring it?"

"Yes." Z took out a silver box and handed it to her, along with prisoner Dru. Pandora opened it, examining the morpher thoroughly. "Go ahead and test it."

The villain rolled her eyes and stood up straight, knowing how to do so by her memories of the Rangers morphing. Pandora activated the morpher and glanced down at her Pink Ranger suit, knowing some modifications would have to be made to fit her tastes. She powered down and smiled, satisfied. "You kept your word, I guess I'll have to keep mine."

Pandora motioned to the Krybots, keeping her gaze fixed on Dru, her lips curled into a smile. Dru couldn't tell what she was planning, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. She looked so different, more evil. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He rather liked the more innocent and tender Rogue. Pandora sure didn't seem like someone he could manipulate.

The Krybots got the collar off Sky, as well as the cuffs on his wrists and ankles. He felt as if a huge load had been lifted off his shoulders, a small smile on his face as she saw Z. He wasn't glad that Dru was free or that the Pink Ranger Morpher was in Pandora's hand, but it meant a lot that his friends had sacrificed that much for him. He turned his head upon hearing male voices filtering through the alley. He clearly made out his roommate's voice from the cacophony.

Pandora's voice snapped him out his happy thoughts. "Did you think you'd get away so easily after betraying me?"

Dru met her pitch black orbs, his body becoming frozen in place. His legs were stuck to the ground, making him unable to move. "I'm sorry."

"Now you're sorry? You even tell lies when the tip of the knife is at your throat." Pandora made the collar around his neck tighten. The man gasped for air. The more he moved and struggled, the tighter it got. "You won't be telling lies again, I promise you that."

The collar began loosening, leaving behind a red mark as a reminder of her power. Just when Dru thought he was out of the woods, he felt an excruciating pain roaming over his body, spreading as quickly as fire. He fell to the ground, horrible gasps of pain escaping from his mouth as he writhed on the floor.

The Rangers didn't dare move upon witnessing that horrible visual. They were petrified at the thought of what she would do to them if they dared stop her.

Sky's eyes widened and Dru's body became stiff on the ground, a horrible cracking sound echoing trough the streets. He could only assume that has been the sounds of Dru's own bones breaking. His fingers were bent and twisted in odd ways, his skin began decaying instantly, turning itno nothing but leathery flesh. Gone in a second.

Pandora took a deep breath, a small gasp emerging from her mouth as she turned back to the Rangers. Her eyes were back to normal, and for that Sky was thankful.

"That's what happens when anyone betrays me. If I find out you tricked me, I won't give you the gift of quick deaths." Pandora glared at them, licking her lips. "I will use you as slaves and if it pleases me, I'll kill you just like I did him."

Those were her final words before vanishing into nothing but charred petals.

A grim mood had befallen them as they saw Dru's emaciated corpse on the street. Long gone were the celebrations and congratulations they had planned to tell each other all day long. Instead, they had been replaced by a bitter taste in their mouth, anger and sadness radiating from the heroes.