"Soul's Bonds", Chapter 5
Whee. We're back to Sky again. Some lovely angst.
Chapter 5 (Sky)
I had just returned to the base to report that I had found nothing during the day's searching, when Z and Syd came dashing in, both out of breath and looking like they were about to fall over from exhaustion.
"What happened?" I asked, concerned. "Did you guys get attacked?"
"No. We found Bridge," Z told me, doubling over and holding a stitch in her side.
"What? Where?" I asked eagerly.
"An abandoned part of the industrial district," panted Syd. "We ordered R.I.C. to stay with him and came straight back here."
"Good idea," I said. "Wait here, and I'll go get Commander Cruger and Tessie." In a few short moments, everybody was gathered near the entrance to Delta Base, listening intently to what Z and Syd had to say.
"Excellent work, Cadet Delgado and Cadet Drew," Cruger said when they were done. "Rangers, we will all go back to Bridge's location, analyze the scene, and if at all possible, get him back here. If the kidnapper is there, so much the better- he can be brought to justice. Move out!" I was soon piled into the Delta Cruiser with the others, Z behind the wheel, headed toward where they'd found Bridge. My heart felt light and I actually grinned to myself with relief as we drove even though I was squeezed uncomfortably in between Tessie and Cruger in the back. My instincts had been right; Bridge was OK, and soon he'd be back amongst us. As much as he tended to annoy me- and everyone else- I had been really worried that he'd get hurt or killed.
"Here we are," said Z as we pulled up next to a narrow alley. "He's being held in some kind of prison cell underneath that building. We'd passed by this spot before and never noticed anything 'til we brought R.I.C. with us, and now we know why, that cell is pretty well-hidden. He must have smelled Bridge or heard him."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked, hopping out along with Tessie, and the others followed.
"Remember, be cautious," the Commander warned us as we approached the cell. "Wait. Cadet Delgado, I thought you said you'd left R.I.C. here to guard Bridge. Where is he?" Then, the sound of a minor explosion reached our ears, followed by what sounded like an oinking pig and a clucking chicken. What...?
"No," I whispered as I ran ahead of the others. "No... please, no..." I pushed the upper half of my body through the hole in the wall with some difficulty and gazed around the prison cell, my fears confirmed. It was empty except for R.I.C., who had been sliced nearly in two; his body was sparking, and his systems were going haywire, making assorted animal noises. There was a small pool of blood and another letter and photograph on the floor near him. "SHIT," I swore aloud, pounding the wall with my first. "NO! Damnit! DAMNIT!"
"Sky, what is it?" I heard Syd ask behind me.
"He's gone," I said. "Bridge is gone! R.I.C. is badly damaged, too. Looks like the kidnapper came back while we were on our way over." I heard Cruger snarling and noises of disbelief from the others behind me as I pushed myself all the way through the hole, landed awkwardly on my back, and scrambled to my feet. "Lend a hand here, Tess," I called back over my shoulder, trembling with rage and fighting hard to keep my voice level. "We need to collect the evidence and get R.I.C. out of here. He may have seen something, so we need to get him repaired right away." Tessie squeezed through the hole with even more difficulty than me, putting on a pair of rubber gloves as soon as she'd landed and stood up. She collected the letter and photograph, placing them into a plastic bag and handing them through the hole to Syd before pulling a flashlight out of her pocket to illuminate the dark cell and examining the area, her eyes darting around to take in any details.
"Doesn't look like there's anythin' useful here," she sighed. "No footprints, and I guess we can safely assume all the blood is Bridge's, huh?"
"Same as the last time," I heard Syd groan from above us. "Except now... look at that big slash in his arm. There are no new demands in the letter, so I guess the kidnapper is just taunting us now. Poor Bridge..."
"This is unbelievable," said Z. "That monster HAD to have known we were coming somehow. It can't be coincidence that he came while we were gone, can it? We were away for twenty minutes, half an hour at most."
"We can't underestimate the kidnapper's powers," growled the Commander. "He may be a psychic, just like Bridge is, explaining how he's been able to evade us so effectively so far. Or perhaps he's just really clever."
"Or simple dumb luck, sir," Tessie said blandly as she and I pushed R.I.C through the hole, the exposed wires continuing to spark. "If you'll pardon me sayin' so, he's had plenty of it so far- out of all the people in the city, he kidnapped the Blue Ranger the one day he happened to be unarmed. Either way, we have to be even more careful from now on. This guy's not going to let Bridge go easily, and now that we were able to find him once, findin' him again is going to be 10 times harder."
"That's very true, Cadet Herdman," said the Commander as he helped her climb out of the prison cell. "We'll have to put all of our cunning into the search. Maybe we should try thinking more like Bridge, because he sometimes sees things we don't," he added lightly. I started going over to the hole, but stopped and stared at the blood on the floor, feeling rage boiling within me, my body still shaking. The kidnapper was taunting us, all right- and it only strengthened my determination to find and punish him once we rescued Bridge. "Cadet Tate, we must get back to base," said Cruger loudly. "There's nothing left for us here. That's an order." He helped me out of the hole, but placed a hand on my shoulder to halt me as soon as I was out and nodded to the others. "Ladies, go ahead and get R.I.C. back to base. Boom and Dr. Manx will repair him there," he ordered. "There's not enough room for myself and Cadet Tate with R.I.C. in the car, so we will walk back." I glanced over at him, wondering if he had some other motive for keeping me behind, but his face betrayed nothing. We watched Z and Syd load R.I.C. into the Delta Cruiser, then get in behind Tessie, who was driving, and speed off. Cruger motioned for me to walk beside him as he set off toward the Delta Base; he watched me carefully as we walked. I stared straight ahead, gritting my teeth.
"I know what you're thinking, Cadet," he finally said, and I turned to look at him. "You're not bothering to hide the fact that you're angry. You want revenge on that monster. You're wishing orders had been to free Bridge on sight, instead of falling back and assessing the situation. Am I correct?" I felt my face flush a little, but didn't respond. "I thought so," said the Commander, and we stopped to face each other, Cruger looking me right in the eye. "I feel much the same way you do, believe me, but let logic see past your emotions. If we'd rushed into rescuing Bridge, he, and perhaps even the rest of us, could have died. For all we knew, that prison cell was booby-trapped- rigged with a bomb, for instance- or the kidnapper could have been lying in wait, ready to kill him or attack us the second we broke in." I took a deep breath and said,
"You're right, of course, sir. I'm just getting frustrated. Syd's right, the kidnapper's taunting us now, probably enjoying it, and few things make me feel more angry than being helpless like this. Every time I think of those pictures... Bridge is scared stiff and he could be killed at any second. I don't like it that this alien is getting away with it so easily. I want him vaporized."
"Understandable," said the Commander. "But too much anger and frustration will just lead to mistakes. Cadet Tate... Sky. You are usually the most stable member of this team, and I'm getting concerned, seeing you like this. You are a police officer and should well know why we have laws in place stopping us from just wantonly deleting criminals. Indeed, you weren't even this determined to go after the monster that killed your father." My face flushed even hotter, and I looked down at the ground. The Commander made a "hmm" noise, but said no more as we resumed walking toward the base. Truth be told, I wasn't quite sure why I was getting so worked up... at least not at the moment. It wouldn't be until later that I could explain how I truly felt.
"I guess... It's because I feel as though I should be doing more to stop that alien from harming Bridge, sir," I said finally. "When Dad died, I was a little kid. There was nothing I could have done to change things. I accepted that long ago, and was content to just contain Mirloc after I roughed him up. Killing him wouldn't have brought Dad back, in any case. I also did- and still do- take comfort in knowing that Dad died in battle, protecting people. But this situation feels so much different. Now that I'm Red Ranger, I feel even more responsible for all of my teammates' lives than I did before, and if I don't do anything to save Bridge... He's already been hurt by that alien, and I feel like the fact that he was wandering the streets in the first place is partly my fault, because I got so snippy with him before he left. Now, if anything else were to happen to him... especially, if, Heaven forbid, he were to get killed..." I trailed off.
"To be frank for a moment- and this stays between you and me, Sky- I feel completely responsible for this happening," the Commander admitted. "I was the one who overreacted and sent him away in the first place. But blaming ourselves will only hinder our search, and as I said, thinking of nothing but revenge will put him in even more danger than making careful plans. Being the leader is a hard burden to bear, but we both agreed to that position and must carry it as best we can. As the leader of SPD Earth, I have to assuage my own guilt and remind myself that we could not have predicted this would happen in order to keep all of us moving forward. The same goes for you; also, as Red Ranger, you must show leadership to those under you by setting an example- especially to the newest member of our team, who admires you and constantly looks to you for guidance. Do not let your emotions control your actions and lead you to do anything foolish. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
On the inside, however, I still didn't feel quite right.
Chapter 5 (Sky)
I had just returned to the base to report that I had found nothing during the day's searching, when Z and Syd came dashing in, both out of breath and looking like they were about to fall over from exhaustion.
"What happened?" I asked, concerned. "Did you guys get attacked?"
"No. We found Bridge," Z told me, doubling over and holding a stitch in her side.
"What? Where?" I asked eagerly.
"An abandoned part of the industrial district," panted Syd. "We ordered R.I.C. to stay with him and came straight back here."
"Good idea," I said. "Wait here, and I'll go get Commander Cruger and Tessie." In a few short moments, everybody was gathered near the entrance to Delta Base, listening intently to what Z and Syd had to say.
"Excellent work, Cadet Delgado and Cadet Drew," Cruger said when they were done. "Rangers, we will all go back to Bridge's location, analyze the scene, and if at all possible, get him back here. If the kidnapper is there, so much the better- he can be brought to justice. Move out!" I was soon piled into the Delta Cruiser with the others, Z behind the wheel, headed toward where they'd found Bridge. My heart felt light and I actually grinned to myself with relief as we drove even though I was squeezed uncomfortably in between Tessie and Cruger in the back. My instincts had been right; Bridge was OK, and soon he'd be back amongst us. As much as he tended to annoy me- and everyone else- I had been really worried that he'd get hurt or killed.
"Here we are," said Z as we pulled up next to a narrow alley. "He's being held in some kind of prison cell underneath that building. We'd passed by this spot before and never noticed anything 'til we brought R.I.C. with us, and now we know why, that cell is pretty well-hidden. He must have smelled Bridge or heard him."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked, hopping out along with Tessie, and the others followed.
"Remember, be cautious," the Commander warned us as we approached the cell. "Wait. Cadet Delgado, I thought you said you'd left R.I.C. here to guard Bridge. Where is he?" Then, the sound of a minor explosion reached our ears, followed by what sounded like an oinking pig and a clucking chicken. What...?
"No," I whispered as I ran ahead of the others. "No... please, no..." I pushed the upper half of my body through the hole in the wall with some difficulty and gazed around the prison cell, my fears confirmed. It was empty except for R.I.C., who had been sliced nearly in two; his body was sparking, and his systems were going haywire, making assorted animal noises. There was a small pool of blood and another letter and photograph on the floor near him. "SHIT," I swore aloud, pounding the wall with my first. "NO! Damnit! DAMNIT!"
"Sky, what is it?" I heard Syd ask behind me.
"He's gone," I said. "Bridge is gone! R.I.C. is badly damaged, too. Looks like the kidnapper came back while we were on our way over." I heard Cruger snarling and noises of disbelief from the others behind me as I pushed myself all the way through the hole, landed awkwardly on my back, and scrambled to my feet. "Lend a hand here, Tess," I called back over my shoulder, trembling with rage and fighting hard to keep my voice level. "We need to collect the evidence and get R.I.C. out of here. He may have seen something, so we need to get him repaired right away." Tessie squeezed through the hole with even more difficulty than me, putting on a pair of rubber gloves as soon as she'd landed and stood up. She collected the letter and photograph, placing them into a plastic bag and handing them through the hole to Syd before pulling a flashlight out of her pocket to illuminate the dark cell and examining the area, her eyes darting around to take in any details.
"Doesn't look like there's anythin' useful here," she sighed. "No footprints, and I guess we can safely assume all the blood is Bridge's, huh?"
"Same as the last time," I heard Syd groan from above us. "Except now... look at that big slash in his arm. There are no new demands in the letter, so I guess the kidnapper is just taunting us now. Poor Bridge..."
"This is unbelievable," said Z. "That monster HAD to have known we were coming somehow. It can't be coincidence that he came while we were gone, can it? We were away for twenty minutes, half an hour at most."
"We can't underestimate the kidnapper's powers," growled the Commander. "He may be a psychic, just like Bridge is, explaining how he's been able to evade us so effectively so far. Or perhaps he's just really clever."
"Or simple dumb luck, sir," Tessie said blandly as she and I pushed R.I.C through the hole, the exposed wires continuing to spark. "If you'll pardon me sayin' so, he's had plenty of it so far- out of all the people in the city, he kidnapped the Blue Ranger the one day he happened to be unarmed. Either way, we have to be even more careful from now on. This guy's not going to let Bridge go easily, and now that we were able to find him once, findin' him again is going to be 10 times harder."
"That's very true, Cadet Herdman," said the Commander as he helped her climb out of the prison cell. "We'll have to put all of our cunning into the search. Maybe we should try thinking more like Bridge, because he sometimes sees things we don't," he added lightly. I started going over to the hole, but stopped and stared at the blood on the floor, feeling rage boiling within me, my body still shaking. The kidnapper was taunting us, all right- and it only strengthened my determination to find and punish him once we rescued Bridge. "Cadet Tate, we must get back to base," said Cruger loudly. "There's nothing left for us here. That's an order." He helped me out of the hole, but placed a hand on my shoulder to halt me as soon as I was out and nodded to the others. "Ladies, go ahead and get R.I.C. back to base. Boom and Dr. Manx will repair him there," he ordered. "There's not enough room for myself and Cadet Tate with R.I.C. in the car, so we will walk back." I glanced over at him, wondering if he had some other motive for keeping me behind, but his face betrayed nothing. We watched Z and Syd load R.I.C. into the Delta Cruiser, then get in behind Tessie, who was driving, and speed off. Cruger motioned for me to walk beside him as he set off toward the Delta Base; he watched me carefully as we walked. I stared straight ahead, gritting my teeth.
"I know what you're thinking, Cadet," he finally said, and I turned to look at him. "You're not bothering to hide the fact that you're angry. You want revenge on that monster. You're wishing orders had been to free Bridge on sight, instead of falling back and assessing the situation. Am I correct?" I felt my face flush a little, but didn't respond. "I thought so," said the Commander, and we stopped to face each other, Cruger looking me right in the eye. "I feel much the same way you do, believe me, but let logic see past your emotions. If we'd rushed into rescuing Bridge, he, and perhaps even the rest of us, could have died. For all we knew, that prison cell was booby-trapped- rigged with a bomb, for instance- or the kidnapper could have been lying in wait, ready to kill him or attack us the second we broke in." I took a deep breath and said,
"You're right, of course, sir. I'm just getting frustrated. Syd's right, the kidnapper's taunting us now, probably enjoying it, and few things make me feel more angry than being helpless like this. Every time I think of those pictures... Bridge is scared stiff and he could be killed at any second. I don't like it that this alien is getting away with it so easily. I want him vaporized."
"Understandable," said the Commander. "But too much anger and frustration will just lead to mistakes. Cadet Tate... Sky. You are usually the most stable member of this team, and I'm getting concerned, seeing you like this. You are a police officer and should well know why we have laws in place stopping us from just wantonly deleting criminals. Indeed, you weren't even this determined to go after the monster that killed your father." My face flushed even hotter, and I looked down at the ground. The Commander made a "hmm" noise, but said no more as we resumed walking toward the base. Truth be told, I wasn't quite sure why I was getting so worked up... at least not at the moment. It wouldn't be until later that I could explain how I truly felt.
"I guess... It's because I feel as though I should be doing more to stop that alien from harming Bridge, sir," I said finally. "When Dad died, I was a little kid. There was nothing I could have done to change things. I accepted that long ago, and was content to just contain Mirloc after I roughed him up. Killing him wouldn't have brought Dad back, in any case. I also did- and still do- take comfort in knowing that Dad died in battle, protecting people. But this situation feels so much different. Now that I'm Red Ranger, I feel even more responsible for all of my teammates' lives than I did before, and if I don't do anything to save Bridge... He's already been hurt by that alien, and I feel like the fact that he was wandering the streets in the first place is partly my fault, because I got so snippy with him before he left. Now, if anything else were to happen to him... especially, if, Heaven forbid, he were to get killed..." I trailed off.
"To be frank for a moment- and this stays between you and me, Sky- I feel completely responsible for this happening," the Commander admitted. "I was the one who overreacted and sent him away in the first place. But blaming ourselves will only hinder our search, and as I said, thinking of nothing but revenge will put him in even more danger than making careful plans. Being the leader is a hard burden to bear, but we both agreed to that position and must carry it as best we can. As the leader of SPD Earth, I have to assuage my own guilt and remind myself that we could not have predicted this would happen in order to keep all of us moving forward. The same goes for you; also, as Red Ranger, you must show leadership to those under you by setting an example- especially to the newest member of our team, who admires you and constantly looks to you for guidance. Do not let your emotions control your actions and lead you to do anything foolish. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
On the inside, however, I still didn't feel quite right.