The Storybook Dimension

See disclaimer.

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The Weakest Color

Chapter 12: Insomnia

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Sky was a paranoid person by nature, and recent events had only made him worse. This was one of the reasons, no doubt, that Cruger had chosen him as a spy.

Another reason was that he took his duties, and his friendships, very seriously.

Duty required that he investigate all suspicious behavior – but also, as a friend, it was his obligation to do what was best for Bridge.

And up until this point, he had respected his friend’s wishes, and not interfered in his nightly outings.

But something was wrong, and he had to know what it was. Things couldn’t continue as they were now – surely, Bridge could see that? The nightmares and secrets were obviously taking their toll on them both.

So he waited, with his eyes closed, as Bridge tiptoed around their room. He heard Bridge open his closet, and the muted rustling as Bridge removed something from inside.

Sky stayed perfectly still, feigning sleep, until Bridge quietly closed the door behind him. Then he counted to ten, threw on his shoes, and followed him from the room.

–

It took only a few seconds for Bridge to realize that he was being followed. Sky’s aura was unmistakable. ‘He’s onto me.’ Bridge thought.

‘No,’ He reassured himself. ‘I have a mission to complete. I’m not going to be caught by Sky, not today.’ Chancing a look behind him, Bridge made a sharp turn down a side passageway and broke into a run.

–

Bridge took the stairs three at a time until he reached level twelve. Ducking into the nearest room, he paused a moment to catch his breath.

A faint noise echoed from the stairwell behind him, and Bridge silently cursed his luck. The blue ranger was still following him, and Sky was getting closer.

Bridge looked around, searching for something, anything that could help him escape. His left hand brushed metal, and Bridge looked down, startled.

On the wall beside him was a grate, undoubtedly connected to the vast ventilation system of SPD headquarters.

‘Sky would never find me in there.’ He thought. Working quickly, Bridge pulled a tool from his pocket and pried the grate from the wall.

The ventilation shaft looked small and uncomfortable, but it would have to do. Without a second thought, Bridge crawled into the vent, replacing the grate behind him.

–

Sky wandered the hallways for several minutes, but saw no sign of Bridge. It seemed as if the green ranger had simply disappeared.

‘He has to be around here somewhere.’ Sky thought with a frown, peeking into yet another deserted classroom. But the question was… where? Very few people knew SPD as well as Bridge did, and after a few more minutes of fruitless wandering, he was forced to admit that Bridge was gone.

Sky gritted his teeth in frustration, and turned down a new corridor, only to nearly collide with a frightened pink ranger.

“Sky!?” Syd exclaimed, jumping in fright. “You scared me!”

“Syd?” Sky hissed, startled. “What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for Peanuts.” She said matter-of-factly, holding up the toy. “I can’t sleep without him. Anyhow, what are you doing out here?”

“I was… looking for someone.” Sky replied, knowing it was a lame excuse. “You know this is against regulations!” He added, falling back into old habits. “If Cruger finds you…”

Syd shook her head. “He won’t find out unless you tell him. And if you do that, I’ll tell you him were also wandering around after curfew without permission.”

“Fine.” Sky snapped. “I didn’t see you, and you never saw me.” And with that ultimatum, he left in a huff, leaving Syd alone in the hallway.

‘What’s with him?’ She wondered. Sky almost never broke the rules! Well, except for when he was with Dru, but that was a long time ago, back when they had first joined the Academy!

Syd shook her head. ‘Everyone on this base is going crazy.’ She concluded, and headed back to her room.

–

By the time he reached the large ventilation shaft, Bridge was ready to admit that this plan, spur of the moment as it may have been, wasn’t half bad.

All the air vents in SPD were connected via a few central conduits. Using those, he should be able to reach Kat’s lab, take the files and leave the same way he had come.

Gruumm would be satisfied, and no one would be the wiser.

Taking his data pad from a side pocket, he pulled a detailed map of SPD onto the screen, and continued onwards.

–

After what seemed like an eternity of crawling through dusty, narrow tunnels, Bridge reached the first location indicated on the map. Voices and a humid smell came from below, and looking through the grate, he could see upon row and row of plants.

‘The botany lab.’ Bridge realized. ‘I’m almost there.’

Turning away, Bridge continued onwards. After a time, the voices faded away, and the only noise was his breathing and the low throbbing of fans.

Far in the distance, he could see light shining through yet another vent. A quick glance at the map confirmed his suspicions; ‘That’s it. That one leads to Kat’s lab.’

The passage narrowed, forcing him to crawl the last few meters on his stomach. Finally, he reached his destination and pushed on the grating.

It wouldn’t budge.

Bridge paused for a moment, considering. Backing out of this narrow place would be difficult, but not impossible. But then what? What would he tell Gruumm?

‘This could be the only chance I have.’ He thought, and shoved the stubborn grate with all his strength.

It came loose with loud snapping noise and, after a few tense moments of listening and waiting, Bridge began to wriggle through the opening. His head and one arm were already through when a horrible realization hit him.

He was stuck!

–

Bridge’s breathing accelerated in panic.

‘No!’ He thought. ‘This can’t be happening!’

Using his free arm, he pushed against the ledge. His wounded back scraped against the wall, and Bridge winced at the pain.

Straining against the opening, he managed to free his other arm. The rest of his body followed, and Bridge dropped ungracefully to the floor.

Getting to his feet, he hurried to the nearest computer. Carefully placing his datapad on the table, he waited anxiously for the password screen to load.

Looking around suspiciously, he quickly entered Boom’s password.

“Password accepted – level 2 clearance.”

‘Let’s do this.’ Bridge told himself, determined. ‘First, to bypass the controls…’

–

This night, like many others, Cruger couldn’t sleep. Instead, he found himself wandering the hallways of SPD, searching for… well, he didn’t really know what.

It was amazing how empty SPD could feel at night, Cruger mused. The graveyard shift was in full swing, but at the same time most of the base was abandoned. All the cadets were, he hoped, safely in their rooms.

But even that knowledge didn’t shake the uneasy feeling that plagued him. There was no explanation for it, but Cruger felt himself inexorably drawn towards Kat’s labs…

–

‘Almost there.’ Bridge thought, tying in another sequence of keys. ‘Got it.’ Information scrolled by on the screen – the files that Gruumm so desperately wanted. Reports on the internal mechanics of the megazord, blueprints for SPD, images of a beautiful green planet…

Sliding open a panel, Bridge connected his datapad to the computer.

‘Transferring data, please wait. 95 percent remaining…’

The seconds went by agonizingly slowly.

“70 percent… 60… 40… 35…”

The transfer was at 20 percent when he sensed someone approaching. ‘Come on!’ Bridge nearly shouted, tapping his gloved fingers against the table in fear and frustration.

“5 percent … 4… 3…” He could hear footsteps echoing in the hallway outside. ‘It’s Cruger.’ He realized, and the Commander was almost at the door.

“2… 1 percent… Transfer complete.” Disconnecting the datapad, Bridge hurriedly replaced the panel. Pressing a sequence of keys, he forced the computer to shut down.

Looking up at the vent, Bridge suddenly realized that there was no way he could go back the way he came. It was too high, and too small.

Jumping on the counter, he fixed the grate, covering his entrance as he looked around for another means of escape. A garbage disposal in the corner of the room caught his eye and, for the second time that night, he was out of time.

‘I hope this isn’t the incinerating chute.” He thought, before throwing himself in.

–

He slid down the chute, bruising himself all the way. It was the slide from hell, and Bridge yelped in pain as it spit him out over a pile of metal and broken machines.

Gingerly picking himself up, he avoided the sharp scraps of metal and glass and scrambled from the bin.

‘I made it.’ He thought numbly. Trembling, he removed the datapad from his pocket. Unclipping his badge from his chest, he waited as the devices synchronized, sending the information… well, he didn’t really want to think about where.

Exhausted, Bridge began the long walk back to the dorms.

–

Sky lay awake as Bridge returned to the room. Feigning sleep, he slowed his breathing and listened as Bridge changed clothes and crawled into bed.

‘I don’t understand.’ Sky thought, turning to study his sleeping roommate. He had this strange feeling that he was missing something, some key connection. ‘What are you hiding?’

–

Syd lay beneath her soft, pink covers, and stared at the ceiling, wide awake.

“Z?” She whispered.

“Hm?”

“Do you think that Sky’s been acting a little weird?”

Z groaned sleepily. “I don’t know.” The yellow ranger mumbled after a moment of thought. “He’s probably just upset about the megazord.” She rolled over to face the wall. “Go to sleep.”

Syd rolled over as well, but didn’t close her eyes. Instead, she bit her lip anxiously, and hugged Peanuts a little tighter.
—

To Be Continued

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