POWER RANGERS: SPACE PATROL DELTA

SPD Memories Series

"Storyteller"
A Bridge Tale

This is a Bridge focus story. The events of this fic all take place before the episode Wired, Part 1. Also, this fanfic is a bit different from the previous entries, because the story within the story is told in first person from Bridge's point of view.

Boom walked down the hallway of SPD Headquarters, carrying a white box. He had almost reached his destination and was walking with a purpose. He looked worried after what he had just heard. He finally reached the SPD Infirmary and stepped up to the doors. They immediately opened, sensing his arrival. Boom walked in and the story he had just been told was indeed true.

He walked closer to the bed and saw Bridge Carson, B-Squad Cadet, SPD Green Ranger and his friend, lying on the bed, with his left arm in a sling. Bridge's eyes were closed.

Boom tried to tip toe closer to the bed, as he noticed a few cuts and bruises on Bridge's exposed arm. Boom moved closer to examine Bridge's arm. He was surprised to see one of the Rangers hurt after a battle. He moved in closer to get a better look.

Just then, Bridge's eyes popped open, scaring Boom.

"Hey!" Bridge said, as if he had known Boom was there all the time.

"Bridge! Syd just told me what happened. Well, I mean, she didn't really tell me what happened, but she said you were hurt and in here," Boom revealed.

"Yeah. It's not as bad as it looks, really," Bridge said.

"Well, I was looking for you, because this package came for you. When I realized what it was, I figured you'd want it right away," Boom said.

"Is it...?" Bridge asked.

"Yep. It's that new toaster you ordered!" Boom said, with a smile, knowing that would cheer Bridge up.

Bridge, however, frowned.

"What's wrong, Bridge? You do know this makes toast, right?" Boom said, looking confused.

"I dunno. I guess I'm not really in the mood for toast after everything that happened with my arm," Bridge said.

Boom now looked shocked. He scurried to the side of the bed and plopped down, causing Bridge to be jostled around a bit.

"You're not in the mood for toast? Well, now you have to tell me what happened!"

"Well, it's kind of a long story. I mean Z broke my arm and on top of that, Commander Cruger said he loved me!"

Boom looked completely confused.

"What? Z broke your arm? And...wait! Commander Cruger said he loved you?"

Bridge laid his head back on the bed.

"Yep. It's been a long day," Bridge sighed.

"Bridge! Come on! You can't just tell me that Z broke your arm and Cruger said the l-word without some details!" Boom said, resisting the urge to grab Bridge by his shoulders and shake the story out of him.

"I don't know," Bridge said, looking a bit mischievous. "Maybe...if you hooked up my new toaster for me and made a little snack, I might be a little more inclined to elaborate."

"Sure!" Boom said, practically shouting with excitement.

It didn't take him more than 2 minutes to get the toaster working. He had thrown some bread in the box too, knowing that Bridge would want to test out his new toaster immediately. He brought the fresh toast over to Bridge and sat down, waiting for the story. Bridge, however, simply stared at the plate of toast and then at Boom, repeatedly.

"What?" Boom asked.

"Uhh, Boom...butter?"

"Ohhh. Of course. Be right back," Boom said, as he rushed out the door.

He ran back as fast as he could, buttered Bridge's toast and waited patiently as Bridge took a bite and carefully chewed every last bread particle in that bite. Bridge laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes, clearly having enjoyed that single bite.

"Mmmm, buttery," Bridge said, with a smile.

"Bridge!" Boom shouted. He couldn't wait any longer. "The story?"

"Oh yeah. Right. So, it basically started out like any other day around here. Little did I know that it would end like this." Bridge started...

I was minding my own business in the Command Center. Jack, Syd, Sky & Z were there with me. We were doing our usual. Checking readings, monitoring the city. Commander Cruger was there too and he was acting a bit strange, I must say. It was like every time one of us would come near him, he would let out a little grumble. It was odd.

Anyway, things were getting a little boring, with nothing going on in the city, so Z suggested I read her aura. Or was it Sky that suggested I read his aura? Actually, I think it was Syd who suggested I read Sky's aura, because he seemed extra grumpy that morning, almost as much as Cruger. Right! That's right. Then, Jack said I should read Cruger's aura.

I turned to Commander Cruger and removed my glove, but Doggy immediately put up his arm to my face and said to me, "If you treasure that hand, I suggest you keep that glove on, Cadet Carson," in his Doggy tone. Who knew that would be an ominous sign of my later injury?

So, of course, I didn't read his aura. But, my telepathic abilities were jumping. Cruger got right up and left the Command Center, saying he was going to take a walk. I knew something more was going on with him. That's when I realized that it was Commander Cruger's birthday!

"Wait, Bridge!" Boom interrupted the story. "You figured out it was Commander Cruger's birthday just by using your abilities?"

"Well, actually," Bridge said, "Kat told us it was Cruger's birthday. She was walking in, as Cruger was walking out. But still, my powers showed me something was up and it was confirmed."

"Ok. Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Boom said, "Go on."

So, Kat came in and told us it was Doggy's birthday. But, he was keeping it a secret because he didn't want any of us to make a big deal out of it. Mainly, because it might bring up bad memories of his wife, Kat thought.

Although, Sky said that he thought it might be because I would get him a stupid gift or because we might try to throw him a cheesy surprise party.

...Hmmmm...cheese might be good with this toast...

"Bridge, focus!" Boom called out.

"Oh, right," Bridge said, "So, anyway..."

I think it was Syd who suggested that we had to do something for Cruger's birthday and I agreed, even though the others thought it might be a bad idea.

I thought we should at least try to get him a gift. Kat, however, warned us not to mess with Cruger on this day. She said that she had known Cruger for years and he had only once ever mentioned his birthday and he liked to keep it quiet.

But, I thought to myself that, this was before Cruger ever had us. I mean, we have been fighting Gruumm for over a month now as a team. Now that Cruger had the Shadow Ranger powers, he was really one of the group and we couldn't just let him stew on his birthday.

So, we all went for a walk to try to figure out what to do for Commander Cruger's special day. Little did we know that way up above us, aboard Gruumm's ship, Mora had her own ideas about gifts.

"Gruumm!" Mora shouted, in her very young but bossy way. "I'm so bored on this ship," she told Gruumm, as she walked into his command chamber. "I want to play."

"Leave me alone, child!" Gruumm told her, sternly. "I don't have time for games."

"Maybe the Rangers do," Mora said, with a devious smile. She walked over to Gruumm's viewscreen and snuck a peek at us, while we were walking & talking about birthday gifts. Then, Mora stomped back over to Gruumm, clearly angry and she said to him, "Gruumm, why don't I ever get birthdays?"

"Because, birthdays are irrelevant," Gruumm yelled. "All that matters is that we find a way to take Earth and build my empire to become even stronger. Now, I suggest you find enjoyment by coming up with a new monster for me to unleash on Newtech City!"

Mora sneered at him. She was really bold for a little girl. She stomped out of the command chamber and folded her arms. "I'll have my fun and no one will stop me!"

"Bridge, wait a minute!" Boom called out.

Bridge opened his eyes, as he had been telling the story with them closed, to help himself visualize what he was remembering.

"What is it?" Bridge asked.

"How do you know what was happening on Gruumm's ship?" Boom asked.

"Umm...hmmm...good question," Bridge said, as he rubbed his chin with his uninjured hand.

"I guess I don't really know what happened on Gruumm's ship, but it does make sense, given what happened today. I mean, if you want the whole story, I figured a little background was necessary. Otherwise, it might all just seem kinda unclear. Motive is very important and trust me. Mora had a motive!"

"Ok. But, from now on, can we just stick to the facts, please?" Boom said.

"If that's the way you want it," Bridge said, sighing. He closed his eyes again...

So, like I said before, we were walking along thinking about what to do for Commander Cruger's birthday. Syd said a cake would be in order, but I didn't really know if Cruger ate cake. Z said if we insisted on doing something, we had to make it small and quiet. Maybe just him and us.

Jack agreed and so did Syd, so I went along with it. Sky was having none of it and he just kept telling us how this was all going to end badly and possibly with one or all of us being ousted from SPD. That Sky. He can be so dramatic sometimes.

Anyway, that's when our morphers sounded and Jack grabbed his to answer the call. It was Commander Cruger. "Rangers, we just got a silent alarm alert from the Arkadia Toy Factory. It could be trouble. I'm heading that way. I want you to meet me there to check it out."

We all started to run that way when Jack stopped us and said "Guys, we better not mention anything to Cruger about his birthday."

Sky, of course, agreed, which was kinda weird to hear, since he & Jack barely agree on what time of day it is. They thought it would be trouble if we told Cruger that we even knew it was his birthday. Syd & Z immediately complied. I, however, didn't see what the big deal was, especially if we were going to be helping the commander celebrate.

But, Sky gave me that look and I agreed not to say anything. Then Sky said "it might be better if we kept Bridge away from Cruger, period."

I thought that was a bit harsh. I mean it wasn't like I was gonna intentionally mention to Commander Cruger that I knew it was his birthday.

So, we morphed and made our way to the factory and met up with Cruger in the back of the building. Cruger was morphed too, by the way. Cruger told us that he had found the back entrance to the factory had been forcibly opened. There was definitely trouble inside.

The factory was large, so he said we should split up into groups of two to cover more ground. I immediately volunteered to go with Commander Cruger.

"No!" the others all yelled at once. My feelings were hurt. They actually didn't trust me to keep quiet to Cruger about the whole birthday thing. Luckily, Cruger trusted me, because he overruled them and agreed to partner up with me. Jack went with Z and Syd went with Sky.

So, Cruger and I were searching around the main level of the factory, which had three floors. One above us and one below. Jack & Z were checking around in the basement below, while Syd & Sky patrolled the top level, where the factory's toys were produced.

Cruger and I were passing by the storage warehouses where they kept the finished toys, when I heard something. He and I ducked behind some boxes when we saw Mora and a very hairy monster walking down the hallway. Mora was saying something about the factory becoming her personal playground. "It will be perfect. I'll have more toys than I could ever imagine, Frosty!"

I assumed Frosty was the monster's name. It looked like an overgrown gray teddy bear, with shaggy hair. Above the neck, though, it definitely wasn't cuddly. It's head looked like a wolf. It had a long hairy snout and these fang-like teeth...really gross-looking. And it had these claws that sort of curled up at the end and they were black and long.

"I mean, they were like almost long enough to fit around someone's neck," Bridge said, as he started moving his free hand towards Boom's neck.

Boom looked scared and backed away from Bridge's hand.

"He doesn't sound too scary," Boom said, trying to show no fear.

"Well, he was and he had a lot more power than Shadow Ranger or I even realized..."

We tried to sneak up on them, but I kinda tripped and Frosty apparently had almost-canine ears and heard us. Mora & Frosty turned really quick.

"SPD! Just great," Mora said, as she sneered at us. "Well, this is a private party and you're not invited! Frosty, get them!"

Frosty lunged at Cruger, but he ducked him. Frosty really did have a lot of animalistic qualities, cuz he landed on his feet and that was when my telepathic abilities started to sense danger. Frosty got to his feet and he fired these red blasts from his eyes, right at Commander Cruger. I jumped over by Cruger, pushing him out of the way of the blast.

But, we didn't react fast enough. I could almost hear Mora's giggling when Frosty fired another blast at the floor beneath Cruger and me. The floor of the old factory gave way and crumbled into the basement, with Shadow Ranger not far behind. I saw him land on the ground.

"Commander, are you okay?" I called out to Cruger. He got to his feet and looked up at me from the level below.

"Yes. But, Bridge...are you all right?"

Cruger sounded really weird, as if he was the one worried. I mean, I hadn't fell through the floor like he did. Then, I saw Jack and Z run up to Cruger. They looked up at me from down there too.

"Oh no!" Z yelled. "Bridge!"

"What?" I asked, calmly. Then, I looked around and that's when I noticed that I was hanging from the upper level. My uniform had gotten caught on a broken piece of wood that the floor was made out of. In all the excitement, I didn't even notice that I was actually dangling there, helpless, almost by a thread.

"Uh oh," was about all I could say at that moment.

Then Jack called out to me. "Bridge, don't worry. We're gonna help you, just stay put."

"I don't have much choice, Jack," I said. I was right. I could barely move, since I figured any movement might send me falling to my doom.

Boom let out a loud cough, as if he was trying to get Bridge's attention.

Bridge opened his eyes. "Yes, Boom?"

"Fall to your doom?" Boom quoted Bridge, looking unbelieving. "Didn't Shadow Ranger fall from the same height and land safely?"

"Well, sure, but Shadow Ranger's got more power than I do. Besides, I was in the moment and genuinely scared. Okay, so maybe I wouldn't have died from the fall, but I might have broken something. Then again, I ended up breaking something anyway...Wow. You know, Boom, there's actually a lot of irony in this story. I never noticed that when it was all happening."

"Okay, keep going," Boom said.

"I will, if you stop interrupting me," Bridge said to him, before closing his eyes again...

So, there I was dangling by a thin piece of wood that was ripping away at a snag in my uniform. I could have fallen at any moment.

"Let's get up there and help him," Cruger said, but they didn't have time because old Frosty came leaping through the gaping hole in the floor! He dropped right past me and landed on Shadow Ranger!

He continued his assault on Cruger on the floor, but Jack sprung into action. He's actually a really quick thinker.

"I got this, Z. Go help Bridge!" Jack yelled.

Z nodded and she went rushing off towards the staircase to get to my level. Speaking of levels, little did we know at the time, but Syd & Sky were dealing with their own distractions on the top floor.

"And before you say anything, Boom, Syd told me exactly what happened to them on the top floor and that's how I know what happened up there," Bridge said, looking at Boom.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Boom said.

"Sure," Bridge said, as he took a big bite out of his third piece of toast.

Syd & Sky were being bombarded with Krybots that had been creating these hybrid dolls for Mora. They all resembled Mora's favorite doll, which I had just seen her carrying. Syd & Sky walked right in on them.

They were holding their own when Mora showed up, to give the robots the heads up on us Rangers being there. She had no idea that the Krybots had already gotten that memo in the form of the Blue & Pink Rangers.

Syd slashed several of them with her Deltamax Striker in its sword mode. A few feet away Sky was blasting away at the Krybots with his Striker, in laser mode. I mean, there had to be machine parts everywhere. Almost as many as those dolls that were lining the conveyor belts.

By this time, Mora knew that she was in deep trouble. "This is no place for a kid!" She yelled, according to Syd. Then, she teleported away.

Meanwhile, I was in my own predicament and unlike Mora, I couldn't just teleport away. Z arrived above me and she reached out her hand to grab mine.

"Come on Bridge. Reach!" Z yelled to me. I was reluctant to move at all, because I could feel my suit ripping.

I looked down and could see Jack and Cruger still fighting with Frosty. It was getting intense, but they were holding their own. I knew I had to pull my weight, literally. So, I took a deep breath and I lifted my arm up to Z.

In that moment, I heard a ripping sound and my uniform tore even more around my right shoulder area and I knew I was gonna fall. But, I didn't. Z had grabbed a hold of my left hand. I was still dangling, but now Z was the only thing keeping me from falling and our grip on each other was slipping, thanks to our Ranger gloves.

But, Z had an idea and since no one else was around to help at that moment, it was our only hope.

"Okay, Bridge, listen to me. I'm gonna duplicate myself, so I can get a few more hands to help me pull you up," she said. I was extremely worried, because I knew this would require her to demorph.

"Z, if you're not morphed, you won't be able to hold my weight," I said, but she was determined to rescue me.

"I only need a second, Bridge. It will be okay. Just hold on to me," she said.

Z was right it was really only about a second, maybe two. She demorphed and in the same moment, replicated herself into four Z's. Her grip strengthened on my hand and I felt something snap. I knew that I was hurt. Z's extra selves were gripping so strong on me when they pulled me up that my arm was broken.

"So that's how it happened?" Boom said.

Bridge nodded, confirming it.

"Not completely broken, thankfully. The doctor thinks it will heal completely, especially if I keep training and it barely hurts when I'm morphed, which is why I didn't feel completely horrible while we were still in the factory."

"So, wait, what happened with Frosty? And you still didn't tell me about Cruger saying he loved you?" Boom said.

"Well, the story's not over yet," Bridge said, as he closed his eyes once again, taking them back to the moment Z pulled him to safety...

"Bridge are you okay?" Z asked me.

"Yeah. I'll be fine," I said. Then, I tried to move my arm and realized just how hurt I must have been.

"My arm. I hurts really bad," Bridge said.

"Sorry. I guess I don't know my own strength," Z said. I couldn't help but smile a little, through the pain. Of course, Z couldn't see that because of the helmet.

She helped me to my feet, just as Sky & Syd were running into the area.

"We found trouble," Syd said to us. Z pointed to the huge hole in the floor.

"Us too," she said. Sky & Syd walked closer to the hole and could see Cruger & Jack fighting with Frosty below.

"We gotta help them," Sky said.

I agreed, but Z thought I was too hurt to be of any real good. She was right. My arm was throbbing.

"Go, guys. I'll be okay," I said, feeling like a total loser, because I couldn't help them with that monster. "Watch out for his eye lasers," I yelled, as they headed off to the stairs to join Cruger & Jack below. I watched from the open hole in the floor.

The force of fighting five Rangers was too much for Frosty, but he had one more trick that we didn't know about. He scurried out the nearest exit on the ground floor and began to grow to city-wrecking size.

Z told me what happened next.

"We need the zords," Sky shouted.

"What about Bridge?" Syd asked.

"I'll take care of Carson. You take care of Frosty," Cruger ordered.

While the guys summoned the Delta Squad Megazord to fight Frosty, Shadow Ranger came running back inside. Cruger ran over to me.

"Frosty?" I asked.

"He's gotten a little bigger."

"We need the zords, then," I said.

"Don't worry. We have it under control. Kat can control your zord by remote until it forms up with the others. It's gonna take the Delta Squad Megazord to handle this one."

Cruger tried to reassure me, but I still felt kinda worthless to my team.

"I'm sorry, Commander. I let you down," I told him.

"What do you mean? You didn't let me down, cadet."

"I was supposed to be your partner, but I screwed up and got myself all hung up. I turned into the one that needed saving," I told him. That's when Cruger surprised me.

"Bridge, you saved me."

"What?" I asked him.

"When Frosty shot his lasers the first time you sensed it and you pushed me out of the way. You saved me. Now, let me take a look at that arm."

Back outside the factory, they were piloting the Megazord and giving Frosty a run for his money. He tried to dodge their attacks by leaping behind some nearby buildings, using them as shields, but the Delta Squad Megazord had amazing maneuverability. He could flip and slide past the buildings with ease.

The Megazord's blaster proved to be too much for Frosty, as the monster faced a barrage of laser attacks. The final two caught him and sent him flying to the ground. Cruger & I could feel the vibrations from inside the factory when Frosty fell.

So, according to Jack, they judged him, using the Megazord's judgment mode and he was guilty, of course. They contained him. The guys did a great job.

Inside, Cruger & I both demorphed and I took my glove off to let him get a better look at my arm. It seemed to be swelling. Then, something strange happened. When Cruger was checking my arm, my ungloved hand waved past his head. I sensed his aura and I could see the genuine concern he had.

"Wow, sir," I blurted out.

"What is it? Does that hurt more?" Cruger asked.

"Um, no."

"Then what is it?"

"I accidentally read your aura, Commander" I admitted it. Again, I heard that grumbling that had now become familiar to all of us cadets.

"So?"

"You care about us, don't you?" I asked.

"What?"

"I could tell. You actually care about me."

"Of course I care. You're one of my cadets and a fellow Ranger."

"No, but it's more than that. You actually love us...all of us."

"Cadet Carson, this isn't the time or the place to discuss this."

"But, Commander..."

"Drop it, Bridge!" He yelled. I knew to keep quiet then. But Cruger didn't stay quiet. He surprised me again.

"You five have truly stepped up to the challenge that Gruumm has placed before all of Earth. I know what he's capable of but none of you truly did and you still stood up against him, without hesitation. I love your dedication. I love your ability to stand up to the pressure. I love all of you, like you are my children. Today is my birthday and despite this monster attack, I feel honored to spend it in the company of my Rangers."

I couldn't believe that Cruger would ever admit to it and it was great to finally hear our stern commander express some real emotion towards us. Of course, I was the only one who heard it and Cruger wanted it to stay that way.

"If you ever tell the others about this..." Cruger had that serious tone that I knew I couldn't disobey.

"Never, sir," I told him. The guys showed up a couple minutes later and here I am.

"Wow. That was some story," Boom said, as he stood up and paced around the room, trying to absorb it all.

"I told you. I had a long day," Bridge said.

"Uhhh, Bridge, you do realize that you broke Cruger's promise by telling me that story, right?" Boom asked.

Bridge gave him a blank stare, as if he was trying to make sense of something in his head. He then locked eyes with Boom.

"Uh oh. Boom, you can't ever tell anyone this story. As a matter of fact, just forget you ever heard it. I mean it. If Commander Cruger finds out, we will both be in serious trouble," Bridge said.

"Don't you worry about it, Bridge. I won't tell a soul," Boom said, as he headed towards the doors. "My lips are sealed."

Boom exited the Infirmary, only to almost run right into the tall imposing form of Doggy Cruger. Boom immediately looked shocked and nervous to see him.

"Boom, how's Carson doing?" Cruger asked.

"Uhh, he's...ok. I mean, he's good. Not that you really want to know that kind of thing, sir," Boom stammered.

"Boom, I just asked you how Bridge was doing. Of course I want to know," Cruger asked, as he eyed Boom. "What's going on with you?"

"Oh, nothing, sir. I promise. Really, I promise." Boom could barely contain himself, as he started rushing off down the hallway.

Cruger stared at him running down the hallway and thought to himself for a moment. Then, Cruger's eyes grew wide. He stepped inside the Infirmary and locked eyes with Bridge.

"Carson!" Cruger yelled, as the doors closed behind him.

THE END