Episode 7: The Beginning of a Legacy
Eltar (2014) – Outside the Forcefield
The coordinates brought Jake, Conner, and Mike exactly in front of a large building protected by a forcefield that, even if they knew it was there, they didn't see until Jake hit it with his face. The forcefield was so strong that Jake was sent flying back, and only Conner's gem speed and his new flying ability stopped the young man from hitting the ground.
Mike, who stopped walking seconds before Jake hit the forcefield, chuckled. "You could have sensed the energy, but I'm not going to discuss your methods to find the forcefield," said Mike when Jake and Conner came back to where he was.
"You could have warned me," said Jake, touching his nose. He looked at the building itself, noticing how long and modern it looked, with clean lines and large windows that allow natural light to flood the interior. Its exterior is a sleek combination of glass and sustainable materials, blending seamlessly with the surrounding natural beauty.
The landscape surrounding the building was also beautiful, much like what Jake saw when he first came to Eltar. It looked like a small city nestled in a verdant valley, surrounded by the picturesque natural beauty of lush greenery, a flowing river, and a majestic mountain. This idyllic setting is shielded by an invisible force field emanating from the academy building, offering protection and a sense of security to all who reside within its borders.
"So… how do we get inside?" asked Conner, curious. "If you can't break it with your face, I don't know what we can do."
Mike chuckled, and Jake gave Conner a look while the Red Ranger looked at him innocently. "Enough, both of you. Let's see…" said Jake, thinking. "Oh, right. Let me try something. Put your hands on my shoulders, and I'll see if I can teleport us inside."
Conner and Mike nodded, and following Jake's lead, they trusted his energy to get them inside. Jake touched his morpher and closed his eyes, feeling the energy emanate from his body. Suddenly, he felt himself and his friends disappear from one side and appear in another. When Jake opened his eyes, he saw exactly how big the building was.
The main room, which he assumed was the Command Room, had all the advanced technology he saw before in pictures of his father with his team. There were three separate areas: one with all the equipment close to the walls, another with an old throne, and the central one with panel controls on each side and an empty central space.
"Wow…" said Mike, looking around. "This place is huge, and this is only one room."
"We should check the rest of this place and think about what to do next," said Conner, scratching the back of his head. "It's going to take years for the three of us to make this into something we can use. We don't have the time or the resources."
Jake had the same feeling. They had other priorities than to build a Command Center, but there was something those spirits told him that hadn't happened yet—they said there would be allies here, and he hadn't seen anyone. Suddenly, the sound of something falling to the ground alerted the Rangers. Conner's wings appeared on his back, and his bow was ready to shoot fire arrows. Mike had his hand on his sword, also ready to attack, but Jake stopped them, raising his hand and taking a step towards the area where they heard the sound.
"Jake," whispered Mike.
"It's fine," said Jake, taking another step. "The spirits said we had allies, so if you are our allies, please show yourself."
"Friend Jake!"
Jake barely had time to recognize the voice before he heard metallic sounds running towards him, and in a moment, he was thrown to the ground by a robot that was laughing, hugging, and making kissing sounds all over his face. Conner and Mike exchanged a look of wonder as they relaxed, sensing the robot was not a threat when they heard another pair of steps, and Conner quickly recognized the second robot coming around.
"Alpha?" asked Conner, confused.
"Rangers! Ay-yi-yi-yi! I thought someone managed to get through the forcefield!" said Alpha-5, running in front of them.
He looked down, and a second later, just when he had the first robot off of him, he was thrown to the ground again, this time because Alpha-5 jumped at him. Jake groaned and then laughed; he couldn't believe they were there.
"Rico, Alpha. You were the allies the spirits told us about?" asked Jake, managing to sit down with both robots in front of him. "How is this possible? I haven't seen you in years, Alpha, and you, Rico? You were on Aquitar!"
"I was traveling with the Aquitar Rangers to help, Friend Jake, but we got ambushed and forced to fly away," said Rico, lowering his head. "I'm sorry about Friend Emma, Gia, Noah, Troy, and Orion. The Aquitar Rangers are preparing the planet for an upcoming attack, and then they will come here too to help you with the Command Center."
Jake put a hand on Rico's shoulder, making the robot look up to him. "We will get them back, Rico. Together." The robot looked at him and then nodded while behind him, Conner and Mike took the news as a good sign and shared a look behind them.
"The Aquitar Rangers," said Conner, looking at Mike. "There are other Rangers out there?"
"Only Aquitar as far as Friend Alpha-5 and Rico know," said Rico, looking at them.
"We were guided by the spirits to help you, Rangers," said Alpha-5. "Ay-yi-yi-yi! We have so much to do. The Dark Ranger has an army, and we have to turn this into a Command Center and get more help."
"But there are no more Rangers, only us and the Aquitar Rangers. Where are we going to find more?" asked Mike.
"We'll train them."
Two Rangers and two robots looked at Jake, who had been in silence, thinking. He wanted to get everyone back as soon as possible, but he was starting to realize this was bigger than them. The Dark Ranger and his army were a threat to everyone in the Universe, and they were the only ones to fight them.
But as strong as they were, they needed more, and Jake knew enough about Ranger history to prepare. He got up and walked until he stood, tall and proud in the middle of the Command Room. His expression was focused, thinking and remembering the steps to follow. He had been so focused on his grief and the battle that he forgot the basics.
Preparation and most importantly, strategy.
"Jake, you want us to train future Rangers? We have people to save," said Mike.
"I know, but we need to think," said Jake, walking around the Command Center while his mind ran through the options they had. "We are three Rangers and two robots. Even with the Aquitar Rangers, we are not enough to fight an army, and if we fall, it's over for us, for them, and for the whole universe. We need to create an academy, a safe place for others to learn and be ready to defend the planet. It has been done before—the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers were chosen for their skills and became Power Rangers, and the Time Force Rangers were in an academy training to become Rangers too. If we…"
"Woah, slow down, buddy, we get you," said Conner, making Jake look up as Conner and Mike approached him. "When you put it that way, it makes sense. We do need more people if we want this to work."
"True, and with your idea, we can also keep planets like Earth and others safe while we focus on what we need to do," said Mike, thinking, and then he looked over his shoulder. "Alpha, Rico, do you think you can help?"
"Ay-yi-yi-yi! We will be happy to help, Rangers!" said Alpha-5. "We can contact allies throughout the universe and create our own alliance to fight the Dark Ranger!"
"We will help the Rangers in everything you need!" said Rico, standing beside Alpha-5.
The three Rangers smiled. Maybe it was the new ideas taking hold of them, but they could feel a little bit better about how to approach this new challenge. It would take more time, and it would be hard, but they could not afford to lose. As long as they were alive, the Rangers trapped in crystals and the universe would have a chance, and that's all they needed. Besides, having Alpha-5 and Rico here was a blessing.
"Very well then, Alpha-5, Rico. Let's turn this Command Center on, and once we are ready, I want you to contact Earth first," said Jake, already thinking about their options. "There is a robot named Tensou you can talk to. He will update you about the news on Earth and coordinate with him to bring the Rangers here once we have this place ready."
"Of course, Jake!" said Alpha-5, and Rico nodded. "We will do it, Friend Jake!"
The robots started working right away, while Jake, Conner, and Mike turned to the control panels around them. It was a technology they didn't understand, but there was something about it that called them. Maybe their powers were more intuitive, or maybe they just realized they were in charge of this whole operation, but they had a plan and it felt good.
"Sometimes I'm still amazed at how much you truly know about Ranger history," said Conner, smiling at Jake. "You knew what we needed because you have seen it before, and using the ideas from both Lightspeed Rescue and Time Force could make this place a fortress against the Dark Ranger and the whole planet."
"That's the idea," said Jake. Mike looked at them, still slightly worried. "But there is still a problem. Even with help, it will take a lot of time to do all that, not to mention we don't have resources or manpower to do this. The planet is empty, Jake, so I have an idea."
This time, Mike was the one thinking with his hand over his sword. He looked calm through all the turmoil, but there was something clearly in his mind.
"Once Alpha-5 and Rico are done with the Rangers, we should do what Alpha-5 said and get our allies. I could contact other Samurais. You know our abilities are passed from one generation to the next, and I'm sure Mia's grandmother, Kevin's father, and Emily's sister will be willing to help, after at least two of them try to kill me, that is. We could also think in other arts, like Pai Zhua. If there is any masters left, we could use their help."
Conner nodded. "I could see if there's anyone left in the Ninja Storm academy. Their discipline and teachings could help us too, and I know they would never turn their back on this problem."
"That leaves me to talk to Wes' company. I'm sure the Silver Guardians would like to help in any form they can, and I need to talk to the lawyers," said Jake, and when Conner and Mike gave him a confused look, he sighed. "Wes and Jen created an account for me when I was a kid, and them and the other Time Force Rangers have been putting money there for years. Me and Dad never touched it, so you can imagine the amount of money that has to be there. I can get it and ask the lawyers to assist us in buying what it is necessary to turn this place into a proper Command Center."
Conner and Mike exchanged a look while Jake took a walk around the first set of panel controls. He was already planning what to do and how to do it, but he couldn't stop thinking about the rest of the planet, the destruction he saw, and how to rebuild that part of the planet with the resources they had.
"You are rich?" asked Mike, taking Jake out of his thoughts.
"No… yes? I don't know, I just never knew what to do with that money, but this is a good chance to put it to use," said Jake, crossing his arms. "We can combine Lightspeed well-prepared base and prepare the members that want to become Power Rangers like Commander Mitchell did with Carter, Chad, Kelsey, Joel, Dana, and later, Ryan, along with a team of scientists and engineers to develop the new equiptment. I don't remember Angela being in the battlefield, we should contact her."
"You also talked about Time Force," said Conner. He and Mike were paying close attention, allowing Jake to develop his ideas while the young White Ranger walked around the area.
"Yes! The Silver Guardians can be a second line of defense on Earth until we can find more reinforcements, and if we get the help, then we can set different courses," said Jake, speaking to himself and to the guardians. "One set focused on training the new Rangers and another set for non-Rangers courses. Because with the forcefield, we can make this a fortress once it's ready and welcome others that need a place where they can feel safe. The Time Force is an academy, so I may need to talk to Circuit, who was in the future when the war against the Armada happened, but I remember that was the structure, different courses and then the ones who became Rangers were like Police Rangers."
Conner and Mike nodded, clearly interested in the options. If they pull that off while fighting the Dark Ranger, they could have a chance to protect all fronts open in front of them. But first, they needed to start with this Command Center, and luckily, by the time Jake stopped talking, the lights went on and the Command Center became operative. Jake looked over his shoulder, seeing Alpha-5 and Rico high-fiving each other and chuckled. Maybe they can pull this off.
"Friend Jake!"
Rico's call alerted the Rangers, who walked quickly towards the screen where both Rico and Alpha-5 were looking. There was a crashed ship from the Dark Ranger's army in the middle of nowhere, and some noises were coming from it, small but steady.
"Start making your calls. I'll be right back," said Jake.
"Jake…" said Conner.
"I'll be fine."
Jake didn't wait for an answer and started running away, his eyes turning gold as he ran out of the force field and into the city to find out what was left in that ship and if it was something else he needed to worry about.
-L-
SPD Academy (2025) – Meeting Room
"As you can see, it was the influence of both Lightspeed Rescue and Time Force that created the basic fundaments of the SPD Academy," explained Z with a soft smile. "The rooms had a similar distribution to the underwater military base you had, Lightspeed Rangers, and we were chosen as Rangers based on either our genetic mutation or our enhancements."
"Wait, genetic mutation?" asked Joel. "Like… you are mutants?"
"You have been talking to an alien that has the face of what you call a dog, and you wonder now about mutants?" asked Anubis Cruger with a chuckle, and then, he looked at his Rangers. "Please, Rangers, explain your powers."
"Gladly," said Jack, taking a step forward. "Some of us come from other planets where genetic mutations are not a problem, and some others got their enhancements here. As you know, I'm SPD Red Ranger, and I come from one of the moons of Eltar. My genetic mutations allow me to phase through solid objects."
"Blue here," said Sky, taking a step forward. "I come from a planet named Venur, but my ability is a mix of my constant training and technology used here at the academy. I can create force fields to protect myself and others."
"My full name is Elizabeth Delgado, but you all can call me Z, and I'm SPD Yellow Ranger," said Z, taking a step forward. "Jack and I are childhood friends, and I also come from the moon in Eltar. My genetic mutation allows me to create holographic duplicates of myself."
"Syd, my color is Pink," said Syd, offering a smile. "I was enhanced when I decided to become a Ranger, and as a result, I can crystallize any part of my body or other elements to enhance my attacks."
Finally, and after a little encouragement from Z, Bridge took a deep breath and finally took a step forward. "I'm the Green SPD Ranger. I don't remember where I come from because my planet and my parents were murdered by the Dark Ranger a long time ago."
There was a moment of silence where the Rangers really felt bad for Bridge. The poor guy was looking more and more nervous with each passing minute, and they believed it was because of what he experienced. He took a deep breath and looked at his hands, showing them to the Rangers.
"My genetic mutations allow me to have psychometric abilities. It means I can touch an object or a person and get residual energy that tells me where that object or person has been, and even emotions," explained Bridge to the Rangers' amazement. "The catch is it all depends on the strength of the residual energy I receive, and that's why I wear gloves unless I have to touch something or I am in an environment I can control."
"Incredible," said Carter, taking a step towards them. "You were chosen just in the same way we were."
"Your knowledge did wonders in this Academy."
Carter and his Rangers looked to the side, where Kat Manx showed them the image of none other than Angela. Their friend and scientist was smiling back at them and had tears in her eyes, watching them awake.
"Angela!" screamed Joel. "Where are you?"
"I'm back at our base," said Angela. "I was sent here before the final battle, to oversee Earth from here with Captain Mitchell and the rest of the base."
"My father is there too?" said Dana, looking hopeful, and the scientist nodded, smiling brightly.
"He is, and he is planning to visit soon. Meanwhile, Rangers, you must continue watching those videos so you get in touch with this new future."
"We will. You take care of yourself and the others," said Kelsey.
"I will."
Angela ended the communication, and Carter, still not fully believing the role of his team and everything they taught Jake played in this academy, returned to his seat beside Dana while Chad looked outside, at the cadets training.
"You know, when Jake came to visit us, I thought he never paid attention to anything outside Ranger duties. At that time, his training was focused on Ranger history and our experience, so I would have never thought he really took everything we told him into account," said Chad, remembering those years.
"Your story was never forgotten, Rangers. The service you and the other Rangers made to the universe has been studied for years, and it will remain that way for as long as the SPD Academy exists, I can promise you that," said Cruger, and then, he looked towards the Time Force Rangers. "And you… I don't have the words to explain how confusing it must be that the same academy you helped to create will be the Time Force Academy where you trained, became Rangers, and still work."
"It is confusing," said Lucas, looking at his teammates. "I guess we did change the future completely when we decided to team up with Wes."
"You did, but it was a good change. Without you, this academy wouldn't be here today," explained Cruger. "You gave hope to others and taught Jake he could change his destiny. Here at the academy, we keep the peace, like the Silver Guardians on Earth, and I believe you may be realizing this now, but by siding with Wes Collins, you chose a different destiny than the one planned for you even before you knew how important those choices were."
"It wasn't only Wes and Jen choosing to be together," whispered Trip, understanding. "It was all of us, and that's what Jake learned. Mixing both our determination and ranks and the Lightspeed Rescue structure, he created this."
"All this time we told him to believe in his power to change destiny, and look at what he did with that," said Jen, feeling the tears in her eyes and with a proud smile on her face. "He's a hero."
"The only destiny he couldn't change was becoming a hero," said Wes, holding his wife's hand and looking at his team. "I couldn't be prouder."
"We all are," whispered Eric.
There was a long moment of silence, where the SPD Rangers, Cruger, and Kat Manx allowed the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers and the Time Force Rangers to digest the news and look at the academy with new eyes. After a few minutes, where they seemed to recover themselves, Kat Manx took the lead, nodding at them before extending her hand to touch the recorder and start the next part of the recording.
Before she started, she looked over her shoulder and gave the SPD Green Ranger a soft look.
"Are you ready for this, Bridge?" whispered Kat Manx.
"They are going to know sooner or later," said Bridge, giving the Megaforce Rangers a shy look. "Go on."
Kat Manx nodded, and finally, the memories started again, showing Jake appearing near the side of the city where his fight with the Dark Ranger took place.
-L-
Eltar (2014) – City in Ruins
Jake walked carefully around the side of the ruins, all his instincts alert, looking for danger as he inspected the area. He wasn't exactly happy about causing even more destruction with his powers during the fight, but at least, there was a plan of reconstruction somewhere, and having Alpha-5 and Rico with them was a blessing, not to mention they could count on the Alien Rangers.
And yet, his brain could not stop thinking about different models they could implement to make the building more functional. His mind ran through every Ranger, every strength and weakness, and how to overcome them so they didn't allow much room for the Death Ranger or his army to attack.
He didn't need a weakness to cause pain, and Jake was less than inclined to give him more advantage than he already had.
Jake heard a sound coming from inside the crashed ship that took him out of his thoughts and carefully walked towards it. He was ready to fight if necessary, but the noise he was hearing didn't sound like a skeletal warrior. It was different. He looked worried as he approached the ship and heard a sob.
"Hello?" asked Jake.
Another sob was his answer, and slowly, Jake heard the sound on the side of the ship. It didn't take him long to get there, and as softly as he could, he pushed the heavy door away, taking a look inside only to find a small figure by the end of the cargo area.
It was a young kid, and by the way he looked, Jake believed he was younger than Kendall and Chase. Jake wondered what a kid around six years old was doing here, but his worries were put aside as he took a step inside and saw him look up and finally realize he was not alone.
"Hi…" whispered Jake, as gently as he could. "Are you alright?"
The kid only cowered away from Jake, and Jake understood it wasn't going to be easy, but he could not leave the kid here alone, so he took a deep breath and sat down a safe distance from the kid to not scare him and tried to channel his stepmother to calm down the kid.
"Sorry, it must be scary to be here," said Jake, looking around the cargo area of the ship. "It seems too dark. Do you live here?"
The kid shook his head, and Jake nodded, always giving the kid a soft smile. "I see. My name is Jake, and I'm a Power Ranger. Do you know what a Power Ranger is?"
The kid nodded and pointed up to the sky. Jake figured that he must have heard something about the Space Rangers or maybe the Lost Galaxy, vastly known for their battles all over the universe, and Jake chuckled, raising his hand to show the kid his morpher.
"This is my morpher. I was a Black Ranger first, then I was Green, and now I'm a White Ranger," said Jake, always gentle, remembering how Katherine used to talk to him when he was young and had nightmares. "My friends and I were the ones fighting the scary guys from before. You saw them, right?"
The kid nodded again, and Jake could see he was relaxing, which was a good thing. He was about to ask his next question when he saw the kid get up and walk towards him, touching his face. He didn't know what it was, but the kid emitted a soft green glow coming from his hands, and then he looked at Jake, surprised.
Jake too was a little stunned by that power, but he didn't feel anything but his emotions somehow connecting with this kid. It was a little weird, but he didn't feel any pain, and he was sure this must be the way for the kid to communicate. Jake calmed down his racing pulse, reminding himself this was no more than a scared kid and allowed the kid to connect with him completely.
It took only a few minutes for the kid to absorb everything he needed to know before he threw himself at Jake, hugging him tight and crying over his shoulder. Jake smiled softly, holding the kid close and got up. He knew now Jake was not a threat, and finally, he felt free.
"It's fine, buddy," whispered Jake. "I'm here now. No one can hurt you."
The kid nodded, and while Jake patted his back gently, he calmed down enough to stop crying. The kid was still holding Jake's thigh, and Jake didn't have any problem with that. All he wanted was for the poor kid to calm down enough to tell him who he was and why he was here, so when he noticed the boy was not crying anymore, he looked down at him.
"Are you feeling better? Can you speak?" whispered Jake.
"Yes," said the kid.
"Good. Do you want to get out of here? We can talk outside."
The kid nodded, and still holding onto Jake, the Ranger guided him outside, and despite the destruction of the city, Jake noticed the kid was looking up to the sky, to the moons. Jake smiled and guided the kid towards a place where the moons could be seen better and sat down with him.
"They are pretty, right?" asked Jake.
"Yes," said the kid, and then, he looked up at Jake.
"Right… can I ask you a question?" whispered Jake, and the kid nodded. "Do you have a name?"
The kid looked at him for a few moments, thinking before he spoke. "Bridge," said the kid. Jake smiled and looked up at the sky when suddenly, a painful flash made him groan and close his eyes. There were flashes in his mind about someone with that name, someone he had met before.
Bridge… SPD Bridge… Green Ranger…
Suddenly Jake remembered everything, his previous encounter with Bridge, the kid now in his arms. He was SPD Green Ranger, and he had a full Ranger team: Sky, Syd, Jack, Z, and there was Cruger too. He felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest because he understood who this kid was and what it meant to him.
"Jacob."
Jake closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he noticed Bridge wasn't moving; he was paralyzed. Jake panicked for a moment, touching the kid's face until he saw Bastro coming out of his body, the ethereal form of the white lion appearing in front of them.
"Do not worry, Jake. I stopped time for a few seconds to give you an explanation," said Bastro, looking down. "It was me who repressed your memories of Bridge and the other SPD Rangers."
"Why?" asked Jake, confused.
"The future changes with every choice we make. I changed it by going into your body. You changed it by accepting me and the power you now have. You also changed it by saving your friends, and they changed theirs by choosing to fight with you and for you," explained Bastro. "All the futures needed to come together with this one in order for us to defeat the Dark Ranger, Jake. This timeline is the one that appears after mixing all the others."
"I don't understand, so all the other futures were real?" asked Jake.
"Not anymore. The future where you fought alone, the one where your friends died, the one where you died—all of them were real once upon a time, but none of that exists now because we made our choices," said Bastro, looking away, almost ashamed. "I apologize for suppressing the memories you had with Bridge and the other SPD Rangers, but if you had known, you wouldn't have allowed Conner and Mike to come with you, which would have stopped you from getting the guardians, and we would have never stood a chance against the Dark Ranger."
Jake nodded; of course, if he had known, he would have thought of something to not get Conner and Mike involved. They may have had their path to choose, but he would have done something to not bring them into this situation.
But one question remained.
"Do you know what's going to happen next?" asked Jake.
"No, that depends on you, Conner, and Mike and the choices you make from now on," said Bastro. "My time for choosing your path is over. Now I'm Bastro, and as your spirit, my power is only yours to wield."
"I see…" said Jake, looking down at Bridge. "Thank you for explaining, and don't worry, this is far from ideal, but at least, we still have a chance to make things right, and I got him, so… everything turned out right."
Bastro nodded, and then, he disappeared, going back into Jake's body while time started again, and he looked at Bridge. This was Bridge, and he still could not believe such a young boy could become the future SPD Green Ranger, but at the same time, he couldn't wait to see him in action. "You know, Bridge?" asked Jake, making the boy look up at him. "I was wondering if you would like to come with us. You can't stay here alone, and my friends and I have a big place that we are trying to turn into a school to teach future Rangers and help other people like you and me."
"Help?" asked Bridge, timidly. "Like me?"
"Yeah, there are others being attacked right now, and we have to defend them, help them see there is always tomorrow while they are willing to fight and support them when they fall," said Jake, with a smile. "It would be good to have a kid running around, showing us there is hope out there."
Bridge looked at him, confused, and Jake wasn't sure if Bridge knew what he meant. Jake sighed; maybe this thing of being a father was harder than he thought. His father and Katherine made parenthood look like child's play, but then he chuckled. He had an idea.
"Besides, we have the coolest powers and two robots," said Jake.
That got Bridge's attention, just like Jake knew it would, and he saw the kid really think about his proposition before nodding, resting his head on Jake's chest and closing his eyes, finally feeling safe enough to close his eyes again.
"I'll go with you…" said Bridge, his sleepy voice making Jake smile. "…you feel safe."
Jake felt the weight of Bridge's body on his chest as the kid finally fell asleep and kissed his dark blonde hair before getting up, with the kid in his arms. It was time to go back to the Command Center and introduce him to Conner and Mike.
He looked down at Bridge. With him, Conner, and Mike, Bridge will have an interesting childhood, and if his future was correct in the way Jake saw it, he will also become a strong Green Ranger.
"I don't know what's in store for us, Bridge, but whatever happens, I'm sure you will make me proud, buddy," whispered Jake.
Together, Jake carried Bridge back to the Command Center, feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders. He had his son now, and he knew that along the way, he would find Sky, Syd, Jack, Z, and Cruger. He had the feeling that was one of the few things that didn't change, and he couldn't wait to see them or to see Conner and Mike's interaction with them.
The future, now with Bridge here, seemed a little brighter.
-L-
SPD Academy (2025) – Meeting Room
Bridge looked at the scene, feeling nostalgia hitting him. Years later, he still considered Jake his safe place, even if he had Z and his team now, he was different. Bridge had nothing before he, Conner, and Mike appeared in his life, and now…
He looked at the Megaforce Rangers and Jason. He knew they had questions. He was, after all, the first one to join the team right after Alpha-5 and Rico, and he had seen them from that moment to their last moment. Besides, Bridge was sure they noticed how attached he was to Jake.
"You were pretty close to him, weren't you?" asked Jason, smiling softly at the SPD Green Ranger.
"Yes, I was. Jake was… he made me feel safe that day," said Bridge, looking down. "I don't remember much before he found me, but I know my planet was attacked and destroyed, my people gone. I was alone until Jake found me."
Orion looked at him, surprised by his words, but Bridge understood. Probably the Silver Ranger never thought they would have something in common, but he knew Orion's story and Jake's role in it, and he nodded to the Silver Ranger when Orion recognized himself in the SPD Green Ranger.
"I learned everything I know from them, but they also gave me… us, the best years of our lives," said Bridge, chuckling sadly. "So you can understand now why this is as hard for us as it is for you all. You saw them become heroes, and we saw them become legends and everything in between."
The Rangers looked at him in silence. It was clearer now that all of the SPD Rangers, even Cruger and Kat Manx, had a story with Jake, Conner, and Mike. While they weren't sure what that story was, they were sure they would find out through these videos. Bridge took a deep breath, feeling the presence of his friends there. He knew they felt the same way he did, but it was a surprise when Gia got up from her chair, walked towards Bridge, and gave him a hug that left him breathless.
Hugging her was like hugging Jake, a warm and calm wave that brought him back to his feet.
"I know how you feel, Bridge. Jake was special that way," said Gia, taking a step back to look at him with a smile. "But you are not alone, none of you are. We are here for you, in the same way they were."
Bridge looked at her for a few minutes and then nodded, feeling his heart beat quickly when she took his hands in hers. She was exactly like Jake said she was. She could look cold and strong, but she had a heart of gold and a warm look in her eyes when she truly felt someone was in need of support.
Gia would never let you down, Bridge. Once she gets to know you, she will fight for you till the end.
Looking at her now, Bridge knew Jake was right, and he could not be happier even if he was still a little worried about the side of himself they didn't know. It wasn't the time, not yet, but with Gia giving him her full support and the other Rangers welcoming him with open arms, he couldn't help but think that Jake was right.
His father always said that the Rangers were a family, and right now, there was no doubt in Bridge's mind that statement was true.