DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POWER RANGERS

“Cadets Tate and Delgado, please report to the Commander”.

“What is it Sir?”, the two rangers entered the Command Centre to face Cruger.

“Rangers, I need you to check out an alert in Sector 4”.

“I’ll call the others”, Sky reached for his morpher.

“Your team-mates are currently overseeing D-Squad training, they will not be going with you”.

“But Sir, I…”, Sky made a gesture towards his companion.

“Have you misunderstood my orders?”, Cruger asked, almost threateningly.

“…No Sir”, he replied reluctantly.

“There’s nothing here…”, both rangers had their scanners activated, but showing no signs of Troobian activity.

“Let’s split up”, Sky suddenly decided, striding off down a side street.

“Fine”, Z muttered to herself, by now she was used to the arrogance of the Blue ranger as she watched him walk away without another word or a backward glance. Sooner or later, he was going to have to face up to the fact that they were a team, together.

She walked in the opposite direction, scanner still active until a very faint signal appeared on the screen. She started towards it, when a load groan came from up ahead, convincing her of trouble and whoever had had the misfortune to encounter it.

Z sped around the corner into the city square and halted abruptly as she saw Sky spread-eagled on the floor, over-shadowed by possibly the ugliest creature she had ever seen, but no less frightening.

“Hey!”

The creature turned to see the new arrival; “Another Ranger!”, he growled.

“SPD, EMERGENCY!”

Z pulled out her Deltamax Striker and fired a couple of quick shots at the creature before running towards Sky. However, upon seeing this, the monster aimed his own lasers at the Blue Ranger.

“No!” Z flung herself in front of her defenceless teammate, taking the shot directly in the stomach. She got up, extremely shakily, trying to ignore the throbbing pain she had acquired from the attack and faced the creature.

“My work here is done”, he leered and disappeared through a portal.

Back in the Command Centre, the other rangers had returned from training and were watching the brief confrontation on the monitors, waiting for their fellow rangers to return.

“Power down”; Z turned back to Sky; “You alright?”

Sky heaved himself to his feet, dusting off his uniform as he did so; “I could have handled that thing you know”.

“Funny, it didn’t look that way to me. Lucky for you I turned up when I did”.

“I could have beaten him”, he replied stubbornly.

“Whatever”, Z mumbled under her breath.

“Sorry Sir, I couldn’t stop him getting away”, Z apologised back at Base.

“I understand, but at least we now know our target. Dismissed”.

The rangers all saluted the Commander and left the Command Centre, Jack, Z and Bridge walking together towards the rec room.

Syd grabbed Sky’s arm and pulled him back before he went his own way, quickly making sure that the others were out of earshot.

“What is your problem?” she confronted him.

“What?”, Sky looked bemused, oblivious to the fact that the other rangers had seen everything on the monitors.

“First Jack and now Z as well, why do you hate them so much?”

“They’re criminals…” he said firmly; “Just criminals and if it was up to me, then they would both be back in jail…where they belong”.

“How can you say that Sky, after everything they’ve done for us?!”

“Quite easily…”

“It’s not funny Sky! They’ve both put everything on the line for us, and if stealing to feed and clothe yourselves and the other homeless people out there is a crime, then I don’t know what isn’t…”

“But they only agreed to be rangers because they know that the other option is jail and then after that, they’ll just end up back on the streets”.

“Everyone deserves a second chance Sky. We all see them as great rangers and friends, why can’t you?”

“Oh come on…”

“Remember what you said to them?” Syd persevered; “’Everyone of us, especially you, is a freak of nature’…”, Sky opened his mouth to argue but was cut off again; “You said that Jack didn’t know what it was like to have a friend…I think you’re forgetting who he came here with; his best friend…think about that Sky”. Syd walked off, leaving the Blue Ranger to consider what she had just said.

On the contrary, the first thing Sky thought about was the change in Syd’s personality; he had never thought of her as someone so…to the point, he thought that if it didn’t affect her, then she wasn’t bothered what happened. He sighed, she was probably right…

TO BE CONTINUED…

I have to apologise here because I accidentally posted the plan to this fic instead of the actual fic the first time, so I’m sorry if I spoilt it for anyone!

P.S. Feel free to vote in the poll on my profile for your favourite ranger of all time…

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW, ALL COMMENTS MUCH APPRECIATED, THANKS!