Mission 2: Part 2

When Erik Dobermann cracked his eyes open, he found himself laying in a hospital bed of a recovery ward. His head felt fuzzy and his body was a little sore but he seemed to be in one piece. A few monitors were hooked up to him monitoring his vitals which by the looks of it, all read normal. Sufficed to say, it was a bit odd and uncomfortable for a combat medic like him to be on the other side of the fence and being cared for.

"Hey! He's waking up!" Ella said as some of his fellow Rangers gathered around the bed.

"Ella? What happened?" he asked groggily.

Martin crossed his arms with a reproving frown, "What happened is you rushed in without backup and almost got yourself killed Dobermann. Luckily your Ranger suit protected you from that blast and Bharata pulled you to safety. We almost lost our team medic and I almost lost my XO."

Erik blinked and tried to sit up, "I... I'm sorry sir. There were scores of people being poisoned. I had to act."

The Green Ranger put out a hand and eased him down, "Easy does it big guy. That Xeno was driven off for now. When your blade triggered an explosion with the gas clouds, that blast damaged the alien's weapon systems. Fortunately the others were able to drive it off while I peeled you off the street."

"And the other civilians?" Erik asked in concern.

Ella gestured to the recovery ward where the victims lay, some in far worse shape than others. Nearby, Erin talked with a doctor, speaking in Czech before she came over and put a hand on the Blue Ranger's forearm. "Well... the good news is, aside from a mild concussion, you should be fine. They want you to stay here and rest for the remainder of the day."

"But the Xeno..." Erik protested, "What if he poisons other people in the city? I need to be there to help."

"You need to rest up so you can get back to duty tomorrow. That's an order Lieutenant." Martin said firmly before leading the others out, "We'll handle that alien if he shows his face in the mean time.

Erik sighed and simply lay his head back on his pillow. He hated the situation, but he knew he couldn't argue.

Early the next morning, Erik lay dozing in the hospital ward waiting for the doctor to come by and make his rounds when he awoke to the sounds of a patient getting wheeled in next to him. As he turned over and looked, he was shocked to see the face of the young man that he had passed at the toy store yesterday. The victim's face was covered in discolored splotches and he remained comatose while a distraught young woman and a little girl no older than five came to his bedside. Erik sat up and watched the family feeling pity as the little Czech girl tried several times to nudge her father's arm and wake him to no avail.

"Sad... isn't it?" came a voice speaking in German that made Erik jump.

The Blue Ranger turned to face the attending doctor who had come from the opposite side of the ward to watch the scene. He was a portly graying middle aged man with a kindly face. "I heard that man was on the way home to surprise his daughter with a gift for her birthday today. I'm glad his wife finally stopped crying though. That was hard to deal with"

Erik nodded and replied to the doctor in German, "Is he going to be alright?"

The physician grimaced and gave a shrug, "Well... that poison gas did a number on him and I can't make any guarantees, but he's stable and should get better. I understand he and several other poison victims here owe you their lives from yesterday."

Erik remained fixed in place watching the family feeling a great swell of sympathy and pity for them along with a growing anger at the aliens who had attacked yesterday. It always pained him to see suffering people. He was a Ranger and a combat medic, whose job it was to protect life, first and foremost. While saving wounded comrades in the heat of battle was never an easy job, being unable to help innocent civilians from getting hurt was even worse. He grunted and rolled out of bed, pulling off his monitors, "I appreciate the care Doctor, but if it's all the same to you... I'd really like to go and get back to my unit."

"Under the circumstances, I think that's a good idea. Good luck out there son," the doctor nodded as he wrote up a discharge paper for the Blue Ranger. Erik took the slip and walked over toward the grief stricken woman and child.

As he stopped by the unconscious father, he grimaced and looked to the girl, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry this happened to your father. In a way, I think I'd understand how you'd feel. If I was in his shoes..."

The little girl hid behind her mother's skirt as Erik raised a calming hand and spoke gently toward the child. He wasn't sure if she or her mother even understood him, but he wanted the intent to come across, "I promise you that I'll get the monster who did this and I'll do everything I can to help make him well again."

He smiled and gestured to the Nova morpher around his wrist before offering a hand. The child took his hand and gave it a little squeeze along with the mother who nodded in return. With that, Erik Dobermann rose to his feet and turned to the doctor, "Okay... which way to the locker rooms? I need to get my gear."

Meanwhile on the other side of the city, the other four Nova Rangers patrolled the northwestern castle district with a Russian platoon of UNAF marines. As they walked, General Caldwell radioed in over their comms, "Rangers, we're picking up enemy activity flaring up across the river in the Old Town District. You should be able to get there across the great Charles Bridge nearby."

"We're on it General," Martin nodded as he waved his team and the other marines forward, "Nova Squad, let's go!"

As they hurried down the streets, Erin frowned, "I don't get it. The Xeno drop pod landed far southwest of here. How the hell did they get all the way over there on the other side of the city?"

The Russian platoon leader of the marines thumbed off the safety switch of his rifle, "We've been trying to track them since yesterday. We're guessing they've been using the city's underground sewer tunnels."

"Well, considering Erik blew half of them up yesterday, there can't be too many left," Bharata muttered grimly as the troops neared the large medieval bridge connecting the two central halves of the city. Lining the bridge were large statues of Christian saints and ornamental designs but the Rangers didn't have a lot of time to admire them as a storm of laser fire erupted from the other side of the bridge. Smoke and concrete sprayed everywhere as two marines were hit and crumpled to the ground.

"Get down! Return fire!" Martin barked as the Rangers and their allied troops ducked down along the walls of the bridge and fired back at the alien foot soldiers blocking their path. Ella squeezed off a few shots before she and Bharata scrambled over to pull the two downed allies to safety. As the laser fire intensified they saw one of the marines had been killed outright with a shot to the torso while the second marine moaned from a terrible scorch wound on his thigh.

"Captain Sterling, I'm detecting unusual air quality readings coming from the Old Town District," Lucy called in over the radio, "It may be coming from that alien field commander you battled the other day."

"We'd love to get over there Luce but we're a little pinned down right now," Martin shouted over the din of the battle.

As another spray of enemy fire raked the bridge, the Russian marine commander looked to the Rangers, "What do we do now? We cant get close enough to lob grenades and we can't risk using high yield explosives on the bridge either."

The Red Ranger growled to himself before reaching for his morpher, "Lucy, get Erik on the line. If he's back on his feet, we're going to try a new plan."

Erik dashed through the winding streets of Prague using his own GPS navigator while prepping his morpher. He made his way north along the river from the New Town district to help his comrades who were pinned down on the other side of the city's central bridge. If they could hold out, he intended to surprise the enemy troops from behind and open a path for the Rangers to cross. "I'm almost there Dr. Beckett. Stand by."

The Blue Ranger pushed past some cowering civilians and came across a platoon of Xeno troops barring their side of the bridge and pinning the UN forces down. Erik ducked behind a wall and quickly morphed, before drawing both his weapons and sending a signal to his fellow Rangers. "Nova Squad, I'm in position. Prepare to counterattack."

With that, Erik turned the corner and charged into the enemy troops with a flying leap, catching them completely by surprise. A Xeno soldier collapsed as he was cut down from behind while Erik fired his blaster point blank and dropped two more adversaries. As the rest of the alien platoon scrambled in frightened disarray from the wrath of the big German Ranger, the other Rangers rose up and morphed while charging forward across the bridge. As the Blue Ranger kicked aside an enemy and grabbed another one, he tossed the Xeno trooper off the bridge just as his friends rushed in and broke the rest of the enemy ranks.

While the UN troops surged forward and secured the bridgehead, Erik turned as Martin gave him a nod. "Nice work Lieutenant! Good to see you back on your feet."

"Glad to be back sir. Dr. Beckett told me there's a little gas leak in the Old Town District?"

Martin waved the team past the gates, "You heard right. Marines, secure this point and hold your position."

As Erik led the way into the oldest district of the city, the Rangers came across the familiar haze of poisonous fog from the Xeno field commander they had faced. They pushed ahead, protected by their suits and the oxygen filters in their helmets until they reached the central square of the district overshadowed by a gothic cathedral and an ornate astronomical clock tower. Standing in the square was the Xeno commander Cyanode.

The battle droid showed scorched armor plating and damage to its smoke stacks sustained from the explosion the other day, but it continued to belch occasional puffs of toxic gas while firing random energy blasts at surrounding buildings. A blast of laser fire struck the Xeno in its torso and staggered it as the Rangers confronted it. Erik gripped his smoking pistol and growled, "You've caused enough suffering you monster. I'm not going to let you go any further!"

Cyanode trained its sensor eyes on the Ranger and turned its weapon arms on him, "Human Rangers. Prepare for termination."

Erik cocked his pistol and turned to the others but Martin caught him by the shoulder, "Hold it Lieutenant. You're not rushing in again like that, are you?"

"No sir," Erik replied with a smile, "I learned my lesson. Let's take this guy together."

Martin nodded and turned to the Green Nova Ranger as they tumbled out of the way of a concentrated smoke jet. "Bharata, scan that thing. It's gotta have some weak point we can exploit."

Erik waited as Bharata scanned the enemy and transmitted tactical data to the teams HUD's. He saw that the Xeno's smoke stacks had been blown open leaving wide gaps which gave him an idea. The Blue Ranger reached for his morpher and radioed Atlantis Base, "Dr. Beckett, I need your crew to transport two thermal grenades to me as fast as you can. Rangers, I've got a plan, but I need time."

Martin nodded and charged his blaster, "All right everyone, covering fire. Keep your distance from that Xeno and don't let yourself get demorphed."

As the other Rangers darted about, circling the droid and distracting it with laser fire, Erik maneuvered behind the enemy and smiled when he heard Lucy's voice call out, "Lieutenant Dobermann, stand by for transport!"

In a flash, Erik gripped two high powered thermal grenades in his hand and he armed them. Once he had a clear line, he sprinted forward through the toxic haze and jumped up to stuff the grenades into the monster's smoke stacks. As the Blue Ranger rolled clear, he called out to Erin nearby and waved his hand, "Erin, I need your gun!"

The Yellow Ranger nodded and tossed her pistol which Erik caught and immediately set to overcharge mode. While a confused Cyanode spun around and thrashed, having realized someone had tagged him with foreign objects, Erik knelt and leveled the guns on his target. The Blue Ranger pulled the triggers and unloaded a twin supercharged laser bolt which struck the Xeno's smokestacks. As the blasts struck home, the grenades detonated resulting in a terrific explosion which rocked the entire plaza.

Every Ranger was knocked off their feet and rolled to a stop, watching as a crater was left where the droid had stood. As small debris rained down, the scorched hips and lower legs of the battle droid remained and clattered to the ground in a mangled heap. To everyone's relief, the sheer blast of the monster's destruction had swept away the better part of the toxic gas, leaving the rest to be dissipated by the wind.

"All right! Way to go Erik!" Ella cheered excitedly as she rushed over to help Erik up and pat him on the back. "That was awesome."

Erik chuckled and nodded to Erin as he handed her pistol back to her, "Thanks for the assist... all of you."

Although no one could see it behind the helmet, Martin gave a proud smile, "Well done Erik. That was some quick thinking."

"I'll say. I've never seen you so determined to waste a Xeno before," Bharata said as he clapped his comrade's shoulder.

The Blue Ranger paused a shook his head, "Yeah... This one was personal. I uh... had a promise to keep."

After a moment, he turned to Martin and cleared his throat, "Sir? Before we head back to base, permission to make two more stops... starting with the hospital. I'd like to visit one of the victims from yesterday."

Martin blinked in confusion before nodding, "Sure. What about the second stop?"

"I uh... I'd like to stop at a toy shop, Captain."

The next day, the Rangers returned to Atlantis Base and headed to the Command Tower for debriefing with General Caldwell. After giving a preliminary report to Caldwell, Erin glanced over and smiled as she saw the giant stuffed teddy bear still hanging under Erik's arm.

"I was meaning to ask Erik, were you doing some souvenir shopping? Or are the Czechs known for teddy bears or something?"

The Blue Ranger smiled and shook his head, "No. Actually, I was getting a little birthday gift for my daughter Sarah. It's coming up later this week and she's turning five."

"Aww, you have a little girl?" Ella exclaimed, "Now it all makes sense!"

Erik hefted the bear and gave a sheepish look to General Caldwell, "Err, sorry about all this sir. I didn't have any time to mail it off before we returned to base."

Caldwell gave a kind chuckle and waved it off, "Quite all right Lieutenant. While we're on the subject of contraband, I was also curious to know who had left behind that container of canolli a few days ago."

Everyone exchanged a look as the general opened up a shelf and produced the container of baked goods.

"I'm sorry sir, that was my doing," Ella said in embarrassment as she took it back and looked inside, "I... oh, wait! It looks like a few of these went missing!"

"Ah... I'm sorry about that Lieutenant," Caldwell said as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I couldn't help myself and tried a few. I thought the pastry you made was delicious."

Erik stared incredulously at the general while Ella handed the remaining food over to Martin, "Captain, I made these just for you. Since I'm still kinda new here, this would be my way for you to get to know me and my culture a little better."

Martin eyed her carefully before pulling out a canolli stick, "Um... thank you Ella. That's very thoughtful of you."

Erik tried to warn his CO, but he was too slow as Martin took a big bite and shuddered. He watched as the Red Ranger kept a straight face and chewed slowly before swallowing. As a fellow Special Forces Airman, Erik knew the look of a man trying to mask quiet suffering when he saw it. Finally Martin cleared his throat, "Thank you again Ella. I think I'll finish the rest later. Everyone... you're dismissed."

"Sir, are you sure? You don't need anything else... medical aid perhaps?" Erik began but Martin quickly held up a hand.

"No. No... thank you Erik. That will be all. Dismissed."

Erik shrugged and walked out the door with the younger Rangers while Ella proudly nudged him in the shoulder, "See, I told you he'd like my cooking."

Once they were out of earshot, Martin turned to Lucy and handed her the dessert container, "Come on Lucy. Let's head back over to your lab. There's something I'd like you to do for me."

Dr. Beckett adjusted her glasses and gave a curious look, "Oh? What's that?"

"I'd like you to see if there's a way for us to weaponize this canolli. I think it's got some potential as a biological weapon and if we set aside those pesky Geneva Conventions, I'll bet it could kill the Xenos dead."

Later that day after dinner, Erik Dobermann returned to his tidy bedroom quarters where the orange glare of early evening sunlight filtered in from the windows. He sat down at his desk and pushed aside some paperwork before turning on his computer and keying in a few commands. He waited for several long moments until finally, a chime was heard and his video call back home to Munich Germany was patched through. The image of his mother appeared on the other end and in her lap sat a cute four year old girl. The little girl had shining brown eyes and sandy colored hair like her mother. She wore them in pigtails and the girl gave a delighted smile when she saw Erik's image on the screen before squealing, "Papa!"

"Hi Sarah! How's my little girl?" Erik grinned as he spoke to her in German.

She touched the screen and waved, "Papa, I miss you! Are you coming home for my birthday?"

Erik sighed and sadly shook his head with an apologetic look, "I'm sorry sweetheart. I wish I could. There's a lot going on and I need to be here at the base right now."

Erik's mother stroked Sarah's hair gently and kissed her on the head, "Your papa is helping to take care of all the soldiers who are protecting us dear. Remember?"

"I know," Sarah nodded in disappointment, "I just wish he could come."

Erik touched the screen, "I know kiddo. I promise I'll come home again soon and I'll make it up to you too. I sent you a nice birthday present in the mail."

"Really? What is it?"

Erik laughed, "I can't tell you. You'll just have to wait and be a good girl for grandpa and grandma. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Sarah nodded while Erik's mother cocked her head and looked at her son, "Erik dear... is something wrong?"

The Blue Ranger sat silently for a moment and thought about the little Czech girl in the hospital who almost lost her father to the poison gas. He couldn't help but think if the roles were reversed and if that had been him. He worried again how Sarah would handle any news if something ever happened to him... especially now that he was a Ranger with a very real risk of dying in combat. He took a breath and shook his head, "It's nothing Mom... I was just... I was thinking about how much I wanted to tell Sarah that I love her right now."

His daughter smiled and bounced in her seat, "I love you too! Hey Papa, while you're here can I tell you about all the fun things I want to do with you next time you come back?"

Erik reclined in his seat and smiled, "Of course. Tell me. I set aside all evening just for you."

He knew his daughter would certainly talk his ear off, but in that moment of seeing his family and being reminded of what he was fighting for, all night didn't seem too long at all.

A/N:
Although this series has a relatively more serious tone with people actually getting hurt and dying, I think it's important to balance that with hopeful moments of family and friendship. After all, that theme is a cornerstone of the Power Rangers genre right? Hope you enjoyed it and thanks again for reading!