a_to_z_prompts fic: "Tested", Sky, Bridge & Dru friendship, PG
Title: Tested
Author: Mary (shurimon & shurifanstuffs on Livejournal)
Fandom: Power Rangers S.P.D.
Letter: D for Dawn
Rating: PG
Summary: A pre-series fic. Sky, as a young D-Squad cadet, is captured while on a solo mission by an alien who promises to kill him at daybreak. Sky's best friend Dru and new friend Bridge disobey orders to go and find him.
Disclaimer/Author's Notes/Spoiler Warning: I don't own the characters and make no claim to. Other fics in this series are Compatability, Impressions and Grief.
"Well, well, well... a stupid little S.P.D. brat." Sky Tate shrunk back against the nearest tree trunk. An an ugly alien criminal with a tentacled head had him cornered, menacing him with a sword.
Of course my first mission had to end up like this, Sky thought in a panic. He knew at once that his supreme confidence in himself had done him in. When his superiors thought him ready for a little field experience, he'd insisted that he didn't need a partner and could handle it on his own- after all, all he was being sent to do was find his way to a secluded cabin in the forest, where he'd activate a beacon and wait to be called back. A simple mission that should have taken him an hour, at the most. Why would he need a partner for something like that?
Now he knew.
"They really should teach you to be more careful at that Academy," simpered the alien, pressing the tip of the sword against Sky's throat. He tilted his head back, gulping visibly, breathing hard through his nose. "I watched you walk in here alone, you idiot. Completely unaware of your surroundings. Waiting to be pounced on."
"I- I'm warning you... you don't want to mess with me," Sky gasped out, trying to remember his training, and what he'd been told to do in this kind of situation, but his mind was drawing blanks. So he did the only thing he could think of and drew his laser blaster... only to have it knocked out of his trembling hands.
"Don't move, or you'll make it harder on yourself," the alien advised. Too late, Sky remembered his power to make shields- and mentally berated himself even more, because he usually tried to forget them, and the one time they'd come in handy... The blade was pressed tighter against his throat, and the alien grabbed the front of Sky's shirt, pulling him forward then patting him down. Sky gulped again when his captor carelessly ripped his badge in half, then found his communicator and crushed it under his foot. He then took Sky's handcuffs and stowed them in a pocket, and Sky had a nasty feeling he knew why. "Come with me. I won't kill you yet, but if you try to escape, I just might change my mind about that." Feeling sweat pouring down his face, Sky was marched off much deeper into the forest, still unable to think clearly, except for feeling stupid. His arrogance might cost him his life now... His captor kept suddenly changing directions, leading him for several feet in one direction, then turning, turning, until Sky wasn't sure which way they were even going. "Gotta make sure to try and throw them off," he heard the alien mumble to himself. "Make sure he can't just follow the way he came..." They walked and walked, and just when Sky felt as though he were about to collapse from exhaustion from going for so long, he found himself shoved against a tree again, the sword still leveled at him.
"What- what're you going to do with me?" he asked, his voice shaking. He got his answer when the alien sheathed its weapon and roughly yanked Sky's arms behind him, around the tree trunk, and cuffed them together. His captor seemed to consider him for a moment, then tore off a strip of his uniform and wrapped it around his mouth, gagging him.
"Haven't decided yet," smirked the alien, and Sky recoiled in disgust when one of its tentacles brushed against his face. "I might contact S.P.D. and see what I can get in exchange for you. Or I might just come back and kill you. Either way... I'll be back by the light of dawn tomorrow. You just sit tight here, eh?" And with that, the alien strode off, laughing contemptuously. As soon as he was out of sight, Sky felt himself slowly sink down until he was in a sitting position.
How could I be so STUPID?! he berated himself, then as he took in his surroundings, horrible thoughts began to cross his mind. What if nobody notices I'm gone until it's too late? What if they can't find me? What if that thing...
He bowed his head, feeling a few tears leak out of his eyes, his heart still pounding with fear. There was a big chance that he was going to be dead as soon as the alien came back... by sunrise tomorrow.
* * *
"Cadet Harrington!" Dru glanced over his shoulder at the tall, curly-haired man approaching him from behind, and respectfully saluted his instructor, before turning to stare again out the main entrance of S.P.D. "What are you doing here, Dru? All the other cadets are relaxing and eating." He then glanced around, looking for someone else. "And where's Sky? I've never seen the two of you apart ever since you came here."
"He hasn't returned yet from his solo exercise, Officer Flendon," Dru answered, clenching his fists. "He was supposed to have been back over an hour ago."
"What?" Officer Flendon came up beside Dru, also staring out into the late afternoon and frowning. "...I was about to guess that maybe he got lost... but that's not like him."
"I know, sir." Dru hesitated, then took a few steps forward. "I'm going to go out there and look for him." However, Officer Flendon stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"No. Stay at the base for now, Dru," he instructed. "A potentially missing cadet is something Commander Cruger needs to be notified of first. And we still can't rule out the possibility that he simply lost his way somehow- we don't need to raise the alarms for no reason. Let's talk to Commander Cruger first before you take any hasty actions." Dru was about to open his mouth to argue, but took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"Come with me. I'm pretty sure you and I were the last people to see him; Cruger might have some questions for you." Dru followed him toward Delta Command, and Dru could feel himself getting tenser and tenser- because, he was sure, he and Flendon both knew that Sky was always prepared and efficient, and the chances of him getting lost and not contacting the base to tell them that were very slim. Dru patiently stood near the entrance of the Command Center while Officer Flendon went over to Cruger, standing before the large blue dog's desk and whispering to him.
"What?!" Cruger demanded, rising and glaring daggers at Flendon. "Josh, why did you let him go out there by himself?!"
"I thought he was ready to!" Officer Flendon responded, cowering slightly with the Commander snarled at him. "He's at the top of his squad, sir- and he was very insistent, too!" Cruger sighed heavily and sank back into his chair before beckoning Dru forth. Dru approached his desk, saluting him and standing at attention.
"Sir?" he asked nervously.
"I will not waste time asking questions," said Cruger. "Because all three of us know that something must have happened to Sky if he got lost or into trouble and has not contacted us. All three of us also know that he'd sooner turn in his badge than unnecessarily loaf around and not come straight back after his mission was completed." Dru and Officer Flendon both nodded agreement. "Dr. Manx and I will try and get a trace on his communicator's signal and contact him. But just in case... Josh, please go and find Cadet Carson. He might be needed." Flendon saluted and walked away.
"What can I do, sir?" Dru wanted to know.
"Wait," Cruger said simply. "Go to the rec room and try to relax. I know you don't want to," he said when Dru bristled. "But there is nothing you can do right now, Cadet Harrington. Officer Flendon will come and get you if you can be of any help- but frankly, finding a missing cadet is a job best left to your superiors. Understood?"
"Of course, sir," Dru said, turning and stiffly leaving Command, feeling anger rising within him. His best friend was missing, and he, Dru, was being told to let his superiors handle it. Of course. He stalked through the Academy's corridors for quite a while, thinking that this was no time for him to be relaxing, considering disobeying his orders and going out to look for Sky anyway... before he heard voices coming up the corridor he was storming down and stopped, diving inside a nearby broom closet to listen to Commander Cruger, Officer Flendon, and Dr. Manx all conversing.
"No signal at all," Dr. Manx was saying. "I'm getting worried, Doggie."
"I am, too," said Cruger, and he heard the three sets of feet stop nearby. Breathing hard, he pressed his ear hard against the door, trying to catch their words. "As I told Josh and Cadet Harrington earlier... Sky may be a rookie, but he is already very skilled and professional. I know in my heart that something has happened to him. Whether he's injured and unable to communicate with us, or..."
"Or he's been captured," Officer Flendon cut in.
"What makes you think that's what happened?" Dr. Manx asked sharply. When Officer Flendon next spoke, Dru had to strain to hear, as he was whispering.
"We received an alert earlier today- the fugitive serial killer Datulu- he's the one that looks like he's got a squid for a head, with all the tentacles- has been spotted around here." Dru heard a surprised gasp from Dr. Manx and a growl from Cruger.
"No..." Dru groaned out without realizing it, then clapped a hand over his own mouth, cursing inside his head. There was a long silence before Cruger said grimly,
"If he has indeed been kidnapped by Datulu... that complicates things."
"Should we send out a search party, sir?" Dr. Manx asked, and there was another long silence.
"One moment." Dru's breath caught in his throat when the closet doors slid open, and he merely stared blankly at Commander Cruger, who beckoned him forward. "You were eavesdropping, Cadet Harrington. I heard you a moment ago."
"Yes I was, sir," said Dru, shamefully bowing his head, and received a growl in response.
"I told you to leave this to us. Go to your quarters immediately and stay there. If I find you out again, you will be in serious trouble. Understood?"
"Sir," Dru said, striding off without another word, feeling more rage swell within him. "Of course," he snarled to himself as he reached and went inside his dorm room, then punched the wall hard. "Leave it to the grownups, Dru! Stay behind and wait, rookie! I didn't join S.P.D. to sit around and wait, goddamnit!" He threw himself down onto his bed, breathing hard, not looking at the side of the room that Sky normally occupied. His rage slowly began to ebb away as the sun set and night fell, to be replaced with worry for his best friend. If he'd been kidnapped... especially by a serial killer... he might be dead when they found him. Dru got a sinking feeling within his stomach. He hadn't heard anything since being sent to his room and hoped something was being done... He was startled from his thoughts when there was a knock on the door, so he got up to answer it. Much to his surprise, there stood a brown-haired young man in a D-Squad uniform... Bridge. He, too, was a new recruit, having come to the Academy a short while after Dru and Sky had started there. He'd begun to tag along with the two friends, much to Dru's annoyance, as he found Bridge to be a bit of a nuisance.
"Ah... h-hi, Dru," said Bridge, nervously fiddling with a strap on one of the leather gloves he always wore. Dru had no idea why and didn't really care.
"May I help you?" he said tersely, and Bridge straightened up, looking determined.
"I heard that Sky went missing and kinda accidentally overheard that they think he's been kidnapped, well not really accidentally as I always check the bulletins every day and put two and two together because I know Sky and I know him disappearing-" He quailed when Dru glared at him, not being in the mood to listen to his nonsense. "Okay. To the point. They've sent a small search party out, but not a big one because they don't want to provoke Datulu, that is if it IS him-" He winced again when Dru gave a loud, impatient sigh. "I, ah, I was wondering if you, ah, wanted to help me come look for Sky." Dru stared at Bridge, raising an eyebrow.
"...I've been ordered to stay in. Officer Flendon would have my head if I left."
"He'd have mine, too," said Bridge. "He came to me earlier to say they might need me and my powers, then changed his mind and told me to not come along, then when I insisted a little he told me to stay here and not do anything dumb, because he knows you and Sky and I kinda pal around-" He fell silent, obviously not wanting to annoy Dru further.
"...Your powers?" Dru asked slowly, and Bridge nodded.
"Yeah. I'm a psychic. I'm not really sure of everything they do yet... but they're the reason I wear gloves all the time," he said, holding up his hands. "And one of the things I can do... if there's strong enough energy, I can see where people have been. Or when I touch things with my bare hands, I can see a bunch of information about them. If we go out into that forest, I might be able to find where Sky went, and what happened to him." Dru's eyes widened. "Of course, if you don't want to go, I understand, because I'm not sure I want to go either since I like being here and I know Josh and Commander Cruger would probably kick us out or make us clean the Zords with toothbrushes or something if we disobey them." Dru rubbed his forehead, leaning against the doorframe, considering this plan.
If he and Bridge went out into the forest... and he didn't kill Bridge... it sounded like his powers would be useful. On the other hand, they would be disobeying orders... but Dru found he didn't really care now. Sky was more important. Finding him would be worth it, even if they DID receive some bizarre, excessive punishment chore.
"Alright... I'll go with you," said Dru, then stopped, glancing at the clock. "But let's wait for a few hours. I hate to do that, but if we leave now, while almost everyone's still awake, we'll be missed- but we can sneak away if it's later at night."
* * *
So it was that around 4 o'clock in the morning, Dru and Bridge snuck out of the Delta Base together, both extremely tense. Bridge had taken off one of his gloves and touched a few of Sky's personal things, for reasons he explained but Dru didn't really understand. For his part, all he cared about was finding Sky. The two stood at the edge of the forest he was believed to have disappeared in, seeing evidence that the search party had already been there. Dru watched Bridge take a glove off once more, squinting around in the darkness.
"There's too much energy here," he said. "I can't tell who's Sky and who's not. Let's go deeper into the forest... he was looking for that cabin, right?"
"Yeah," said Dru. "We should head that way first." The two tried to keep as close together as possible, as they could barely see where they were going and the last thing they needed to be was separated. Bridge kept his right glove off, occasionally waving his arm, shaking his head when he didn't see anything useful. After searching for over an hour, Dru was about to voice his opinion that perhaps this had been a stupid idea after all, when Bridge suddenly stopped.
"Whoa!"
"What is it?"
"I found something..." Bridge leaned over and scooped up an S.P.D. blaster with his gloved hand, then bit his lower lip and touched it with his bare one. Dru had to hold him up when he cried out and recoiled, his knees shaking. "That's Sky's alright. I couldn't see very many things clearly... just that something grabbed him and marched him off... that direction." He pointed.
"Well, what're we waiting for?" Dru asked. "Let's go." Bridge nodded bravely, and the two set off, but Bridge soon paused. "What is it?"
"His energy trail's going off in a different direction," Bridge mumbled. "That's really strange..."
"Should we follow it?"
"I think so." Their path took several more twists and turns. They followed it slowly, sometimes having to backtrack so that Bridge could pick up the trail again. As they traveled, dawn began to break, filtering through the trees. In spite of himself, Dru was very scared. He realized that they had no idea what they could be walking into...
* * *
Sky had no idea how he'd managed to sleep. His arms were extremely sore from being held behind his back for so long, often struggling to wriggle out of his handcuffs somehow. Finally, exhausted, he'd let his head droop to his chest and tried to relax...
He jerked awake. Bright sunlight was shining directly in his face. His captor had said he'd be back by dawn... yet there was no sign of him. He then jumped upon hearing approaching footsteps behind him, and- his heart leapt into his throat- a familiar voice.
"He's close by," said Bridge. "Sky?" he called out. Sky cried out through his gag, turning his head this way and that... then he nearly fainted with relief when Bridge and Dru appeared from his right side.
"Sky," Dru sighed with relief, pulling the gag off while Bridge dug in his pocket for something to release the handcuffs with. "You're alright..."
"You have NO IDEA how glad I am to see you," Sky panted. "I thought I was-" He stopped short when Bridge suddenly jumped up, throwing himself in front of Sky and Dru, his hand moving to his own laser blaster. "What is it?"
"Someone's coming this way." The three then heard a loud growl and the sound of something else crashing through the undergrowth. Bridge and Dru both stood protectively in front of Sky... then found themselves knocked aside by powerful hands as Sky's captor arrived. Bridge was slammed back against a tree, hitting his head hard and falling to the ground, unconscious. Dru's blaster flew out of his hands, and he tried to rise but found a booted foot stepping down on his chest. His eyes widened when he got a clear look at the alien- Sky's captor had indeed been the alien fugitive Datulu.
"Well," Datulu sneered, grabbing his sword in both hands and leveling it over Dru's face. "Two more of you. That'll be three less S.P.D. brats in the world- the more of you gone, the better, in my opinion."
"NO! LET HIM GO!" Sky yelled, and Dru glanced over to see him struggling with all of his might to free himself.
"And why would I want to do that?" Dru found himself gazing cross-eyed at the sword point being poked between his eyes. However, just when he'd screwed them shut, waiting for the inevitable- there was the sound of a laser blast, running footsteps, and Datulu was yanked off of Dru, who opened his eyes again to see two morphed Rangers wrestling the convict's sword away from him, struggling to restrain him. Officer Flendon then rushed onto the scene, blaster at the ready.
"You- IDIOTS!" he yelled. He watched the two Rangers subdue and begin dragging Datulu away before examining Bridge with concern, then going and freeing Sky from his handcuffs. Sky stood up, though his legs were shaking so badly he could barely upright. "I told you to stay in your quarters!" Flendon berated Dru. "Do you have any idea what we went through when I came to check on you and found you gone? Eh?!"
"But, sir..." However, Dru stopped himself, knowing that he'd done wrong and didn't bother to try and argue. Instead, he helped Officer Flendon get Sky and the still-unconscious Bridge back to the waiting search party.
* * *
Dru wiped sweat off his forehead and sighed, stripping his jacket off so that he'd be cooler as he worked. He and Bridge (once he'd recovered) had received thorough dressing-downs from both Commander Cruger and Officer Flendon. The latter had then given them both hugs and told them to not do anything stupid like that again before assigning them punishment chores- Bridge's statement about cleaning Zords had been oddly prophetic. They only had to do the windows, but windows on a Zord were still about a hundred times bigger than a normal car. Sky, of course, had merely been sent to bed to rest after his ordeal, as he'd done nothing wrong; he'd just been deeply shaken.
"Hey, he's awake!" Bridge called out as he diligently scrubbed at the Red Ranger's Zord, and Dru turned to see Sky making his way across the Zord bay toward them, raising a hand in greeting.
"Hey, guys," Sky said, smiling slightly as the two took a break and climbed down to talk to him.
"How are you?" Dru asked, giving Sky a hug, which his friend somewhat-hesitantly returned.
"Still shaken up," Sky admitted, then rubbed one of his shoulders. "And sore. Bridge?" Bridge jumped when he was addressed; he'd been standing a little apart from them, looking uncomfortable. "I just... wanted to ask you something." When Bridge was silent, Sky said, "...What made you come after me? I'm not surprised Dru did, but... you just don't seem like the type." Bridge looked down at the floor, playing with a strap on one of his gloves, then shrugged.
"...I know you guys are probably gonna think this is stupid." Dru and Sky exchanged glances, then Bridge looked up at them, a shy smile on his face. "I know we're not all that close, but still... you guys are the first real friends I've had. Usually nobody wants me to hang around them, because I can be such a big blabber, and you two haven't yet told me to go away like most people would have by now and... well. I didn't want anything to happen to you, Sky." Dru and Sky looked at each other again, and Dru suddenly felt strange. So Bridge considered them to be his friends... he'd had no idea the other boy felt that way. Sky rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed, then went and gave him a one-armed hug.
"...Thanks, buddy," he said quietly, and Bridge returned the gesture, his own smile widening. "...You guys had better get back to work, huh?"
"Yeah. See you later," Dru said, and he and Sky bumped fists before Dru climbed back up onto the Zord to clean.
He still wasn't sure he liked Bridge, but, he also grudgingly thought, maybe there was room for their duo to become a trio.
(Crossposted to a_to_z_prompts)
Author: Mary (shurimon & shurifanstuffs on Livejournal)
Fandom: Power Rangers S.P.D.
Letter: D for Dawn
Rating: PG
Summary: A pre-series fic. Sky, as a young D-Squad cadet, is captured while on a solo mission by an alien who promises to kill him at daybreak. Sky's best friend Dru and new friend Bridge disobey orders to go and find him.
Disclaimer/Author's Notes/Spoiler Warning: I don't own the characters and make no claim to. Other fics in this series are Compatability, Impressions and Grief.
"Well, well, well... a stupid little S.P.D. brat." Sky Tate shrunk back against the nearest tree trunk. An an ugly alien criminal with a tentacled head had him cornered, menacing him with a sword.
Of course my first mission had to end up like this, Sky thought in a panic. He knew at once that his supreme confidence in himself had done him in. When his superiors thought him ready for a little field experience, he'd insisted that he didn't need a partner and could handle it on his own- after all, all he was being sent to do was find his way to a secluded cabin in the forest, where he'd activate a beacon and wait to be called back. A simple mission that should have taken him an hour, at the most. Why would he need a partner for something like that?
Now he knew.
"They really should teach you to be more careful at that Academy," simpered the alien, pressing the tip of the sword against Sky's throat. He tilted his head back, gulping visibly, breathing hard through his nose. "I watched you walk in here alone, you idiot. Completely unaware of your surroundings. Waiting to be pounced on."
"I- I'm warning you... you don't want to mess with me," Sky gasped out, trying to remember his training, and what he'd been told to do in this kind of situation, but his mind was drawing blanks. So he did the only thing he could think of and drew his laser blaster... only to have it knocked out of his trembling hands.
"Don't move, or you'll make it harder on yourself," the alien advised. Too late, Sky remembered his power to make shields- and mentally berated himself even more, because he usually tried to forget them, and the one time they'd come in handy... The blade was pressed tighter against his throat, and the alien grabbed the front of Sky's shirt, pulling him forward then patting him down. Sky gulped again when his captor carelessly ripped his badge in half, then found his communicator and crushed it under his foot. He then took Sky's handcuffs and stowed them in a pocket, and Sky had a nasty feeling he knew why. "Come with me. I won't kill you yet, but if you try to escape, I just might change my mind about that." Feeling sweat pouring down his face, Sky was marched off much deeper into the forest, still unable to think clearly, except for feeling stupid. His arrogance might cost him his life now... His captor kept suddenly changing directions, leading him for several feet in one direction, then turning, turning, until Sky wasn't sure which way they were even going. "Gotta make sure to try and throw them off," he heard the alien mumble to himself. "Make sure he can't just follow the way he came..." They walked and walked, and just when Sky felt as though he were about to collapse from exhaustion from going for so long, he found himself shoved against a tree again, the sword still leveled at him.
"What- what're you going to do with me?" he asked, his voice shaking. He got his answer when the alien sheathed its weapon and roughly yanked Sky's arms behind him, around the tree trunk, and cuffed them together. His captor seemed to consider him for a moment, then tore off a strip of his uniform and wrapped it around his mouth, gagging him.
"Haven't decided yet," smirked the alien, and Sky recoiled in disgust when one of its tentacles brushed against his face. "I might contact S.P.D. and see what I can get in exchange for you. Or I might just come back and kill you. Either way... I'll be back by the light of dawn tomorrow. You just sit tight here, eh?" And with that, the alien strode off, laughing contemptuously. As soon as he was out of sight, Sky felt himself slowly sink down until he was in a sitting position.
How could I be so STUPID?! he berated himself, then as he took in his surroundings, horrible thoughts began to cross his mind. What if nobody notices I'm gone until it's too late? What if they can't find me? What if that thing...
He bowed his head, feeling a few tears leak out of his eyes, his heart still pounding with fear. There was a big chance that he was going to be dead as soon as the alien came back... by sunrise tomorrow.
* * *
"Cadet Harrington!" Dru glanced over his shoulder at the tall, curly-haired man approaching him from behind, and respectfully saluted his instructor, before turning to stare again out the main entrance of S.P.D. "What are you doing here, Dru? All the other cadets are relaxing and eating." He then glanced around, looking for someone else. "And where's Sky? I've never seen the two of you apart ever since you came here."
"He hasn't returned yet from his solo exercise, Officer Flendon," Dru answered, clenching his fists. "He was supposed to have been back over an hour ago."
"What?" Officer Flendon came up beside Dru, also staring out into the late afternoon and frowning. "...I was about to guess that maybe he got lost... but that's not like him."
"I know, sir." Dru hesitated, then took a few steps forward. "I'm going to go out there and look for him." However, Officer Flendon stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"No. Stay at the base for now, Dru," he instructed. "A potentially missing cadet is something Commander Cruger needs to be notified of first. And we still can't rule out the possibility that he simply lost his way somehow- we don't need to raise the alarms for no reason. Let's talk to Commander Cruger first before you take any hasty actions." Dru was about to open his mouth to argue, but took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"Come with me. I'm pretty sure you and I were the last people to see him; Cruger might have some questions for you." Dru followed him toward Delta Command, and Dru could feel himself getting tenser and tenser- because, he was sure, he and Flendon both knew that Sky was always prepared and efficient, and the chances of him getting lost and not contacting the base to tell them that were very slim. Dru patiently stood near the entrance of the Command Center while Officer Flendon went over to Cruger, standing before the large blue dog's desk and whispering to him.
"What?!" Cruger demanded, rising and glaring daggers at Flendon. "Josh, why did you let him go out there by himself?!"
"I thought he was ready to!" Officer Flendon responded, cowering slightly with the Commander snarled at him. "He's at the top of his squad, sir- and he was very insistent, too!" Cruger sighed heavily and sank back into his chair before beckoning Dru forth. Dru approached his desk, saluting him and standing at attention.
"Sir?" he asked nervously.
"I will not waste time asking questions," said Cruger. "Because all three of us know that something must have happened to Sky if he got lost or into trouble and has not contacted us. All three of us also know that he'd sooner turn in his badge than unnecessarily loaf around and not come straight back after his mission was completed." Dru and Officer Flendon both nodded agreement. "Dr. Manx and I will try and get a trace on his communicator's signal and contact him. But just in case... Josh, please go and find Cadet Carson. He might be needed." Flendon saluted and walked away.
"What can I do, sir?" Dru wanted to know.
"Wait," Cruger said simply. "Go to the rec room and try to relax. I know you don't want to," he said when Dru bristled. "But there is nothing you can do right now, Cadet Harrington. Officer Flendon will come and get you if you can be of any help- but frankly, finding a missing cadet is a job best left to your superiors. Understood?"
"Of course, sir," Dru said, turning and stiffly leaving Command, feeling anger rising within him. His best friend was missing, and he, Dru, was being told to let his superiors handle it. Of course. He stalked through the Academy's corridors for quite a while, thinking that this was no time for him to be relaxing, considering disobeying his orders and going out to look for Sky anyway... before he heard voices coming up the corridor he was storming down and stopped, diving inside a nearby broom closet to listen to Commander Cruger, Officer Flendon, and Dr. Manx all conversing.
"No signal at all," Dr. Manx was saying. "I'm getting worried, Doggie."
"I am, too," said Cruger, and he heard the three sets of feet stop nearby. Breathing hard, he pressed his ear hard against the door, trying to catch their words. "As I told Josh and Cadet Harrington earlier... Sky may be a rookie, but he is already very skilled and professional. I know in my heart that something has happened to him. Whether he's injured and unable to communicate with us, or..."
"Or he's been captured," Officer Flendon cut in.
"What makes you think that's what happened?" Dr. Manx asked sharply. When Officer Flendon next spoke, Dru had to strain to hear, as he was whispering.
"We received an alert earlier today- the fugitive serial killer Datulu- he's the one that looks like he's got a squid for a head, with all the tentacles- has been spotted around here." Dru heard a surprised gasp from Dr. Manx and a growl from Cruger.
"No..." Dru groaned out without realizing it, then clapped a hand over his own mouth, cursing inside his head. There was a long silence before Cruger said grimly,
"If he has indeed been kidnapped by Datulu... that complicates things."
"Should we send out a search party, sir?" Dr. Manx asked, and there was another long silence.
"One moment." Dru's breath caught in his throat when the closet doors slid open, and he merely stared blankly at Commander Cruger, who beckoned him forward. "You were eavesdropping, Cadet Harrington. I heard you a moment ago."
"Yes I was, sir," said Dru, shamefully bowing his head, and received a growl in response.
"I told you to leave this to us. Go to your quarters immediately and stay there. If I find you out again, you will be in serious trouble. Understood?"
"Sir," Dru said, striding off without another word, feeling more rage swell within him. "Of course," he snarled to himself as he reached and went inside his dorm room, then punched the wall hard. "Leave it to the grownups, Dru! Stay behind and wait, rookie! I didn't join S.P.D. to sit around and wait, goddamnit!" He threw himself down onto his bed, breathing hard, not looking at the side of the room that Sky normally occupied. His rage slowly began to ebb away as the sun set and night fell, to be replaced with worry for his best friend. If he'd been kidnapped... especially by a serial killer... he might be dead when they found him. Dru got a sinking feeling within his stomach. He hadn't heard anything since being sent to his room and hoped something was being done... He was startled from his thoughts when there was a knock on the door, so he got up to answer it. Much to his surprise, there stood a brown-haired young man in a D-Squad uniform... Bridge. He, too, was a new recruit, having come to the Academy a short while after Dru and Sky had started there. He'd begun to tag along with the two friends, much to Dru's annoyance, as he found Bridge to be a bit of a nuisance.
"Ah... h-hi, Dru," said Bridge, nervously fiddling with a strap on one of the leather gloves he always wore. Dru had no idea why and didn't really care.
"May I help you?" he said tersely, and Bridge straightened up, looking determined.
"I heard that Sky went missing and kinda accidentally overheard that they think he's been kidnapped, well not really accidentally as I always check the bulletins every day and put two and two together because I know Sky and I know him disappearing-" He quailed when Dru glared at him, not being in the mood to listen to his nonsense. "Okay. To the point. They've sent a small search party out, but not a big one because they don't want to provoke Datulu, that is if it IS him-" He winced again when Dru gave a loud, impatient sigh. "I, ah, I was wondering if you, ah, wanted to help me come look for Sky." Dru stared at Bridge, raising an eyebrow.
"...I've been ordered to stay in. Officer Flendon would have my head if I left."
"He'd have mine, too," said Bridge. "He came to me earlier to say they might need me and my powers, then changed his mind and told me to not come along, then when I insisted a little he told me to stay here and not do anything dumb, because he knows you and Sky and I kinda pal around-" He fell silent, obviously not wanting to annoy Dru further.
"...Your powers?" Dru asked slowly, and Bridge nodded.
"Yeah. I'm a psychic. I'm not really sure of everything they do yet... but they're the reason I wear gloves all the time," he said, holding up his hands. "And one of the things I can do... if there's strong enough energy, I can see where people have been. Or when I touch things with my bare hands, I can see a bunch of information about them. If we go out into that forest, I might be able to find where Sky went, and what happened to him." Dru's eyes widened. "Of course, if you don't want to go, I understand, because I'm not sure I want to go either since I like being here and I know Josh and Commander Cruger would probably kick us out or make us clean the Zords with toothbrushes or something if we disobey them." Dru rubbed his forehead, leaning against the doorframe, considering this plan.
If he and Bridge went out into the forest... and he didn't kill Bridge... it sounded like his powers would be useful. On the other hand, they would be disobeying orders... but Dru found he didn't really care now. Sky was more important. Finding him would be worth it, even if they DID receive some bizarre, excessive punishment chore.
"Alright... I'll go with you," said Dru, then stopped, glancing at the clock. "But let's wait for a few hours. I hate to do that, but if we leave now, while almost everyone's still awake, we'll be missed- but we can sneak away if it's later at night."
* * *
So it was that around 4 o'clock in the morning, Dru and Bridge snuck out of the Delta Base together, both extremely tense. Bridge had taken off one of his gloves and touched a few of Sky's personal things, for reasons he explained but Dru didn't really understand. For his part, all he cared about was finding Sky. The two stood at the edge of the forest he was believed to have disappeared in, seeing evidence that the search party had already been there. Dru watched Bridge take a glove off once more, squinting around in the darkness.
"There's too much energy here," he said. "I can't tell who's Sky and who's not. Let's go deeper into the forest... he was looking for that cabin, right?"
"Yeah," said Dru. "We should head that way first." The two tried to keep as close together as possible, as they could barely see where they were going and the last thing they needed to be was separated. Bridge kept his right glove off, occasionally waving his arm, shaking his head when he didn't see anything useful. After searching for over an hour, Dru was about to voice his opinion that perhaps this had been a stupid idea after all, when Bridge suddenly stopped.
"Whoa!"
"What is it?"
"I found something..." Bridge leaned over and scooped up an S.P.D. blaster with his gloved hand, then bit his lower lip and touched it with his bare one. Dru had to hold him up when he cried out and recoiled, his knees shaking. "That's Sky's alright. I couldn't see very many things clearly... just that something grabbed him and marched him off... that direction." He pointed.
"Well, what're we waiting for?" Dru asked. "Let's go." Bridge nodded bravely, and the two set off, but Bridge soon paused. "What is it?"
"His energy trail's going off in a different direction," Bridge mumbled. "That's really strange..."
"Should we follow it?"
"I think so." Their path took several more twists and turns. They followed it slowly, sometimes having to backtrack so that Bridge could pick up the trail again. As they traveled, dawn began to break, filtering through the trees. In spite of himself, Dru was very scared. He realized that they had no idea what they could be walking into...
* * *
Sky had no idea how he'd managed to sleep. His arms were extremely sore from being held behind his back for so long, often struggling to wriggle out of his handcuffs somehow. Finally, exhausted, he'd let his head droop to his chest and tried to relax...
He jerked awake. Bright sunlight was shining directly in his face. His captor had said he'd be back by dawn... yet there was no sign of him. He then jumped upon hearing approaching footsteps behind him, and- his heart leapt into his throat- a familiar voice.
"He's close by," said Bridge. "Sky?" he called out. Sky cried out through his gag, turning his head this way and that... then he nearly fainted with relief when Bridge and Dru appeared from his right side.
"Sky," Dru sighed with relief, pulling the gag off while Bridge dug in his pocket for something to release the handcuffs with. "You're alright..."
"You have NO IDEA how glad I am to see you," Sky panted. "I thought I was-" He stopped short when Bridge suddenly jumped up, throwing himself in front of Sky and Dru, his hand moving to his own laser blaster. "What is it?"
"Someone's coming this way." The three then heard a loud growl and the sound of something else crashing through the undergrowth. Bridge and Dru both stood protectively in front of Sky... then found themselves knocked aside by powerful hands as Sky's captor arrived. Bridge was slammed back against a tree, hitting his head hard and falling to the ground, unconscious. Dru's blaster flew out of his hands, and he tried to rise but found a booted foot stepping down on his chest. His eyes widened when he got a clear look at the alien- Sky's captor had indeed been the alien fugitive Datulu.
"Well," Datulu sneered, grabbing his sword in both hands and leveling it over Dru's face. "Two more of you. That'll be three less S.P.D. brats in the world- the more of you gone, the better, in my opinion."
"NO! LET HIM GO!" Sky yelled, and Dru glanced over to see him struggling with all of his might to free himself.
"And why would I want to do that?" Dru found himself gazing cross-eyed at the sword point being poked between his eyes. However, just when he'd screwed them shut, waiting for the inevitable- there was the sound of a laser blast, running footsteps, and Datulu was yanked off of Dru, who opened his eyes again to see two morphed Rangers wrestling the convict's sword away from him, struggling to restrain him. Officer Flendon then rushed onto the scene, blaster at the ready.
"You- IDIOTS!" he yelled. He watched the two Rangers subdue and begin dragging Datulu away before examining Bridge with concern, then going and freeing Sky from his handcuffs. Sky stood up, though his legs were shaking so badly he could barely upright. "I told you to stay in your quarters!" Flendon berated Dru. "Do you have any idea what we went through when I came to check on you and found you gone? Eh?!"
"But, sir..." However, Dru stopped himself, knowing that he'd done wrong and didn't bother to try and argue. Instead, he helped Officer Flendon get Sky and the still-unconscious Bridge back to the waiting search party.
* * *
Dru wiped sweat off his forehead and sighed, stripping his jacket off so that he'd be cooler as he worked. He and Bridge (once he'd recovered) had received thorough dressing-downs from both Commander Cruger and Officer Flendon. The latter had then given them both hugs and told them to not do anything stupid like that again before assigning them punishment chores- Bridge's statement about cleaning Zords had been oddly prophetic. They only had to do the windows, but windows on a Zord were still about a hundred times bigger than a normal car. Sky, of course, had merely been sent to bed to rest after his ordeal, as he'd done nothing wrong; he'd just been deeply shaken.
"Hey, he's awake!" Bridge called out as he diligently scrubbed at the Red Ranger's Zord, and Dru turned to see Sky making his way across the Zord bay toward them, raising a hand in greeting.
"Hey, guys," Sky said, smiling slightly as the two took a break and climbed down to talk to him.
"How are you?" Dru asked, giving Sky a hug, which his friend somewhat-hesitantly returned.
"Still shaken up," Sky admitted, then rubbed one of his shoulders. "And sore. Bridge?" Bridge jumped when he was addressed; he'd been standing a little apart from them, looking uncomfortable. "I just... wanted to ask you something." When Bridge was silent, Sky said, "...What made you come after me? I'm not surprised Dru did, but... you just don't seem like the type." Bridge looked down at the floor, playing with a strap on one of his gloves, then shrugged.
"...I know you guys are probably gonna think this is stupid." Dru and Sky exchanged glances, then Bridge looked up at them, a shy smile on his face. "I know we're not all that close, but still... you guys are the first real friends I've had. Usually nobody wants me to hang around them, because I can be such a big blabber, and you two haven't yet told me to go away like most people would have by now and... well. I didn't want anything to happen to you, Sky." Dru and Sky looked at each other again, and Dru suddenly felt strange. So Bridge considered them to be his friends... he'd had no idea the other boy felt that way. Sky rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed, then went and gave him a one-armed hug.
"...Thanks, buddy," he said quietly, and Bridge returned the gesture, his own smile widening. "...You guys had better get back to work, huh?"
"Yeah. See you later," Dru said, and he and Sky bumped fists before Dru climbed back up onto the Zord to clean.
He still wasn't sure he liked Bridge, but, he also grudgingly thought, maybe there was room for their duo to become a trio.
(Crossposted to a_to_z_prompts)