I really wish that I was a more prolific writer, because there are so many stories I’d like to write!

—

Title: True North

Summary: A camping trip gone wrong leaves Bridge, Syd and Sky stranded in the wilderness. Can Syd prove that she’s more than a pretty face? H/C, Bridge/Sky slash. Academy fic.

Rating: PG-13/T

—

Title: Precious Things [tentative]

Summary: Dru Harrington has escaped from prison and he’s after one thing – revenge. Bridge/Sky slash, Warning: non-con

Rating: R/M

—

Chapter 4

—

Maybe he had judged Bridge too quickly.

No, Bridge wasn’t Dru. He wasn’t so good at fighting, or at simulations. He wasn’t even a friend. Instead, he was just a new cadet, who was bright, and enthusiastic and friendly. People liked him – ran to his defense, even.

‘I didn’t want to give him a chance because I felt he was trying to replace Dru,’ Sky reluctantly admitted. Syd was right, as usual. He owed Bridge an apology, and a second chance. ‘I don’t know why Bridge is on this team, and why Dru isn’t. Maybe I’ll never know. But Bridge deserves a chance to be accepted for who he is, not judged for who he isn’t.’

But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find Bridge anywhere. He looked in their room, and the cafeteria. He even looked in Kat’s lab, where Bridge’s friend – Boom, wasn’t it? – gave him a suspicious look and sent him hurrying away.

Finally, his search led him to the trainee dorms. He knocked on the door. “Is Bridge here?”

The trainee shook his head. “You haven’t heard yet?” He asked, squinting at Sky’s uniform. “Isn’t he on your squad?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything. What happened? Where’s Bridge?” Sky demanded, a little annoyed at this veiled accusation of negligence.

“Cadet Carson is in the hospital. He was shot…”

—

Sky walked through the wide, sterile hallways until he found room 26. A clipboard on the wall had Bridge’s name written on it, as well as a great deal of other information which was incomprehensible to Sky.

He slowly entered the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Bridge lay on the hospital bed, unconscious. A tube ran from his mouth, connecting with a ventilator. Above the blanket, Sky could see extensive bandaging around his chest.

“What are you doing here?” A tense voice asked from the corner. Sky tore his eyes away from Bridge, and turned to face the lab technician from earlier. His first instinct was to demand the same question of Boom, but he instantly thought better of it. Of course he was here. He was Bridge’s friend.

“I came to… apologize,” Sky said, taking a seat next to the bed.

“He’s the one you should be apologizing to,” Boom said. “Do you know how he got hurt? He was trying to help someone. He didn’t know her, didn’t have any weapons or anything. But he fought to protect her, not because it was his duty, but because that’s just the kind of person Bridge is.”

“Yes,” Sky said, hanging his head in shame. “I know that now. I wasn’t fair to Bridge – I never gave him a chance. Will… will he be alright?” Sky asked uncertainly, almost feeling as if he had no right to ask the question.

“I don’t know,” Boom said. “I think we just have to wait and see. I don’t think anyone knows for sure.”

Sky nodded and sat back in his chair. He waited by Bridge’s side, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, listening to the steady beep of the machines. ‘Please live, Bridge,’ he thought silently.

‘Don’t leave me, too.’

—

Sky woke suddenly, a little disoriented. He hadn’t meant to doze off – in fact, he hadn’t even realized that he had fallen asleep. Panicked, he looked at Bridge, and was immensely relieved that he was still present and alive.

Sky also realized that he wasn’t alone in the room – a tall form with pointed ears was standing next to Bridge’s bedside. Sky recognized him immediately and stumbled to his feet, managing a salute. “Sir!”

“At ease, cadet,” Cruger said. He gestured for Sky to be seated, but the cadet remained standing. “Have you been here all night?”

“Yes, sir.” Cruger gave him a knowing look, and Sky continued. “I… I had to stay. I was unfair to Bridge; he was on my team, and I let him down. I came to apologize, but now I might never get that chance.”

Cruger put a heavy hand on his shoulder. “We all make mistakes, Sky. The important thing is that we learn from them.”

Sky nodded and sat back down, his eyes never leaving Bridge’s face.

—

Over the following week, Bridge’s condition slowly improved. Cruger temporarily removed Sky from active duty, leaving him with a great deal of free time – every moment of which he spent by Bridge’s side.

Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was the lingering fear that Bridge would take a turn for the worse, and Sky knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Bridge died alone. In this, he was powerless – there was nothing he could do but wait, and so he did.

—

Bridge did eventually wake, but not that day, or the next.

He woke slowly, bleary eyes fixing on the person next to him, someone who he thought he would never see again. “S… Sky?” Bridge’s voice was scratchy, unfamiliar even to his ears. “What are you doing here?”

Sky looked into his eyes, really looked at him for the first time since he had joined D-squad. “I… I wanted to apologize to you,” Sky began. “I said some things which I shouldn’t have. I let my feelings get in the way – I didn’t give you a fair chance. I guess what I mean to say is that I’m sorry, and I’ll try to be a better teammate from now on. Can you ever forgive me?”

Bridge studied Sky carefully, searching for any lie, any deception. He could find none – instead, he only saw genuine regret.

“It’s okay,” Bridge said. “I forgive you.” And that was that. Because that was just the kind of person Bridge was. He held out a unsteady hand, and Sky took it without hesitation, giving him a rare smile.

“Why don’t we start over? I’m Sky Tate, D-squad leader. What’s your name?”

Bridge smiled crookedly. “I’m Bridge, Bridge Carson.”

Sky gently shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Bridge. I’m honored to have you on my team.”

—

The End

—

—

Chapter 3

—

When a lab assistant came to Boom with a message, saying that a friend wanted to talk to him and was waiting outside, he knew it had to be Bridge – and that something was wrong.

The cadet was pacing back and forth agitatedly as if he was going to wear a path in the floor, and a dark bruise was forming on the left side of his face. “I really tried,” Bridge confessed brokenly, “but I can’t do it. I’m not good enough.”

“What happened?” Boom asked, drawing Bridge to the side, away from curious eyes and ears.

And so Bridge told him everything. “And now Sky doesn’t want me on the squad anymore. He said so. I asked him for another chance, but he wouldn’t even listen to me. Maybe,” Bridge added sadly, “maybe if I was more like Dru…”

“Look, I knew Dru,” Boom said. “He was a brilliant fighter, but he was mean, and a bully. You aren’t anything like him and you don’t want to be. That’s why you’re on a squad and he’s out in the Nebula Academy.”

“Mean and a bully.” Bridge looked up. “Kind of like Sky?”

Boom shook his head. “Sky can be really insensitive, and he’s not really good with people, but he’s not a bully.”

“He could have fooled me,” Bridge said bitterly.

Boom didn’t know what to say to that. It wasn’t like Bridge to be so unhappy – Bridge was the friendliest person he knew! “I know I’m just a gadget tester,” Boom finally said, “but I’ll try to talk to him.”

“I don’t think it’ll help,” Bridge said. “Sky’s already made up his mind – he made up his mind about me the moment I joined the squad, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

—

Wrapped in a towel, Syd padded back to her room, leaving wet footprints in the carpet. To her surprise, Sky was waiting outside of her room door. He seemed tense, anxious even. “I told Bridge that I didn’t want him on the squad,” Sky said bluntly, before she had a chance to speak.

“Why?” Syd asked, stunned.

“I saw him get into a fight with group of trainees today,” Sky said. “Syd, you should have seen it – the way he hit that trainee. He looked like he was really going to hurt him.”

“Bridge isn’t a bully,” Syd said, with absolute conviction in her voice.

Sky shrugged. “I know what I saw.”

She tried a different approach. “Well, what did Bridge say about it?”

“He didn’t say anything.”

“Because you didn’t ask him, or because he wouldn’t tell?” Syd asked astutely, a twinge of anger in her voice.

“… I didn’t ask him.”

“So you don’t know. Look, Sky, you know what I think? I think you’re letting your feelings for Dru get in the way of your judgment. Bridge is not Dru. He could never be Dru, or replace him. But he’s a good person, and a good cadet, all on his own. If you gave him half a chance you’d see that. And now you’re going kick him off the squad when he’s been here for what, two days?”

“Three,” Sky mumbled, but she ignored him.

“Besides, as I remember it, you weren’t the greatest cadet when you first were promoted to this squad. Or have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t,” Sky admitted, starting to feel a little guilty. He had made several mistakes during his own first year on D-squad. Maybe, just maybe, he was being too hard on Bridge.

“Well, you should think about it, and then talk to Bridge once you’ve made up your mind. But I think you owe him an apology.”

—

He couldn’t stand to go back to his new room – Sky might be waiting there, and he wasn’t ready to face him. On the other hand, he couldn’t go back to the trainee dorms; his old roommates would ask far too many uncomfortable questions. So instead, he left SPD, and walked down to the local store.

Picking up a basket, he wandered up and down the junk food aisle, filling it with salty snacks. “Well, I guess there’s no point in moving the rest of my stuff, since I’m going to be moving back to my old room in the next couple days,” Bridge thought, stashing a second package of pretzels in the basket.

Completing one final circuit down the aisle, he went to stand in line. There were at least five people ahead of him, but none of them seemed to be from SPD. He didn’t notice the two masked men who entered from the back door until it was too late.

Gunfire sprayed the ceiling, and Bridge ducked on instinct.

“Everybody down!” One gunman said, shouting over the screams. The second gunman jumped on over the counter, putting a gun to the cashier’s head. “Hand over the money, or I’ll shoot!” The terrified man opened the register with trembling hands, dropping a good portion of the money on the floor.

A teenaged girl with short brown hair caught the first thief’s eye. Striding up to her, he pulled her to her feet, casually placing the gun at her neck. “Please don’t kill me,” she begged tearfully.

“Do what I say, and I won’t have to.” The thief looked her up and down. “You’re kind of pretty. Maybe we should just take you with us – finish you off later.”

“No, don’t!” The girl managed, and was rewarded with a vicious blow to the head. She slumped to the ground and lay motionless. The gunman simply laughed cruelly, and kicked her again.

Bridge was on his feet in an instant. “Leave her alone!”

—

“Um… can I talk to you?”

Sky ignored the voice at first. They were probably talking to someone else, and besides, he wasn’t in the mood for conversation. But then the speaker repeated himself and Sky, looking up from his datapad, found himself face-to-face with an unfamiliar man in a science uniform.

“Who are you?” Sky asked bluntly, impatience lacing his voice.

Boom took a deep breath. “My name is Boom… just Boom. I’m one of Kat’s assistants.”

“Boom, I’m kind of busy right now, so…”

“Bridge told me what happened,” Boom interrupted. “I just thought you should know – those trainees you let go – they’ve bullied Bridge for ages. Ask anyone in his class, and they’ll tell you it’s true. Anyhow, you should really give him a chance, you know. Bridge is my friend, so I’m kind of biased, but he’s a really great guy.”

Long after Boom had left, Sky stared at the screen, lost in thought. First there was Syd, and now this guy – Bridge certainly was good at getting people onto his side.

Sky bit his lip and wondered if he could have misjudged someone so badly.

—

Bridge rushed at the first gunman, shoving him away from the girl. Crashing into a shelf, the man fell in a rain of cans and bottles. The gun slipped from his hand and slid across the floor, coming to rest beneath one of the refrigerators.

“You’ll pay for that, you little punk!” His partner growled. A bullet missing Bridge by inches, and he ducked behind a shelf, looking for something, anything he could use as a weapon. Picking up a can of dog food, he threw it with all his strength at his attacker.

The can hit the second their on the forehead, right above his eyes. The criminal stumbled backwards and slumped against the counter, unconscious.

The first gunman slowly got to his feet. Pulling a knife from his pocket, he rushed at Bridge. Bridge ducked, but not fast enough – the knife slashed a searing path across his shoulder.

Acting on instinct, Bridge kicked his attacker in the knee, and was rewarded with a yelp of pain. Using his good arm, he followed up with an elbow strike to the neck, which sent the criminal staggering backwards, clutching his throat.

A noise came from nearby, a soft whimper of pain and fear. Bridge turned to find the source of the noise, a moment of distraction which cost him dearly.

He heard a gunshot, and then another in quick succession. Bridge looked down. Two dark stains were spreading from the middle of his shirt outwards. He tried to take a breath, but it caught in his throat. ‘I’ve been shot.’ Bridge realized, his thoughts sluggish and disconnected. He sunk to the ground, his legs unwilling to hold him.

As if through a lens, he watched as his shooter came to stand above him. The man was limping and clutching his head painfully. Sparing Bridge a cold look, the criminal spat on him disdainfully. Clutching the bag of money, he ran out the door, without giving his injured partner a backwards glance.

There was a moment of silence, and then Bridge heard quick footsteps. A blurry shape came to stand over him. “Oh God. Please, somebody help.” The voice above him was saying. There was blood on her hands and shirt, and he realized dimly that it was his own.

A salty tear dripped down onto his face, and he tried to speak, tried to reassure her, but nothing came out except a strangled gurgle. Bridge gasped for air as his vision turned yellow, then brown, and then everything faded to black.

—

To Be Continued

—

—

Chapter 2

—

Sky could feel Bridge watching him as he left. Once he was out of sight, he let out a small sigh. ‘I know I shouldn’t be so short with him.’ Sky thought unhappily. ‘But he’s new and he’s just so… not Dru.’

The admission was easier than he thought it would be. ‘He’s not terrible, I guess, but Dru would have been a better squad member in every way.’

Sky chose a bench against the wall of one of the atriums, and sat down. Even though he was only on D-squad, no one bothered him. Occasionally, a new trainee would give him a nervous look. Sky ignored them, and instead twirled his friendship bracelet around his wrist. ‘I thought we were friends, best friends. And then this happened.’ Sky put his head in his hands. ‘I don’t know why, but people I care about have a way of leaving.’

He thought of his dad, the former red ranger who was never far from his thought. Of his powers, and how his former friends had shunned him because of them. It hurt to care about people.

Sky knew that better than anyone.

—

Bridge ate dinner in the mess hall. He ate alone – he wasn’t really in the mood to be answering curious questions and fending off envious remarks from his classmates. Using his fork, he sculpted a mountain of mashed potatoes on his plate before impulsively destroyed it, crushing it until it was spread in uneven clumps.

Boom sat down next to him, carrying a tray heaped high with food. “How’re things going?”

“Good,” Bridge replied, giving a forced smile.

Boom shook his head. “I know you, and that doesn’t look good. What’s wrong?”

“Sky… I mean, Cadet Tate… he thinks I’m not good enough for his squad.” Bridge shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter what I do, I can’t seem to please him. I think he really doesn’t like me.”

“Everybody likes you,” Boom said. “Sky just doesn’t know you very well. You’ve been on his squad for three days – even if you messed up a couple times, he doesn’t have any good reason to dislike you.”

“But Sky does have a reason – I took his friend’s place on the squad!”

“You mean Dru Harrington? He never had a chance to get on the squad especially after…” Boom cut off suddenly, like he’d already said too much.

“After what?”

“I’m… I’m not really supposed to talk about it.” He gave Bridge an apologetic look before continuing. “But anyhow, Dru was never going to get onto D-squad, and the only ones who didn’t know that were Sky and Dru.”

Bridge mulled over this new information for a while. “Well, what do you think I should do?” He finally asked.

“I don’t know.” Boom shoveled a mouthful of food in his mouth. “Go apologize and say you’ll try harder. I mean, I do it all the time and it works okay.” He fumbled around in his pocket before pulling out a small, round stone. It was dark green and highly polished, with a streak of light blue running through the center. “Take it . It’s a good luck stone. It’s been in my family for ages – my grandmother fell off a roof once, and she swears this stone saved her life.”

Bridge tried to give it back. “I can’t take this from you, Boom. I mean, this is a family heirloom.”

“It’s no big deal. You’re my friend, and I want you to have it. Anyhow, I’ve had it for a long time, but right now I think you need it more than me.”

“Thanks, Boom.” Bridge said, carefully pocketing the stone. “I’ll take good care of it.”

Boom smiled. “I know you will.”

—

Boom was probably right. He should just go and talk to Sky. He had already tried it once, but second time’s the charm… or was it the third time? He snagged a trainee by the arm. “Hey, have you seen Cadet Tate anywhere around here?”

The trainee shook his head. “No, sir.”

‘Sir.’ He’d have to get used to that.

He asked a few more passersby before being told that Sky was probably in his room, studying. It was quite a walk, considering that he hadn’t quite moved rooms from his old trainee dormitory to the floor where squad members stayed.

Bridge paused as he heard voices coming from a nearby room. “Syd, we’ve never done that badly in a simulation before.” Sky’s voice was unmistakable.

“And?”

“Look, I’m just saying that if we had a different teammate…”

“Well, I thought that being on a team is about working together. You haven’t even given him a chance,” Syd sounded angry. “At least I’ve taken the time to actually talk to him. He’s a nice guy, Sky and I think he’d do well if you’d just lighten up on him.”

“He’s clumsy, and a lousy fighter. And annoying, too.”

There was a brief moment of silence.

“I think you scare him,” she finally said.

“Scare him? Why?”

Bridge never heard the answer. Instead, he turned away and left as quietly as he could.

—

“Something a little different today – an actual assignment,” Charlie, the A-squad red ranger, was saying. Bridge felt a strange mixture of excitement and apprehension – this was going to be his first real field assignment.

He glanced at Sky. ‘I’ll show him,’ Bridge thought, remembering what Sky had said about him earlier. ‘I’ll show him that I’m not clumsy, or a lousy fighter or even a little annoying. I’ll do everything by the book and then he won’t have anything to complain about.’

“A shopkeeper at this address has submitted several complaints of vandalism recently,” Charlie continued. “You’re going to go there and investigate.”

All three members of D-squad saluted. “Yes, sir!”

The shop was in the looming shadow of SPD headquarters, down a narrow street with even narrower alleyways branching off from it. Most of the shops and buildings along the street were boarded up with metal grates, or simply abandoned. The entire neighborhood looked like it was scheduled for demolition.

As they passed, people gave them strange, even hostile looks. More than one person hurried down shadowy side streets to get away from them, or slammed the door shut as they passed.

“This is it,” Sky finally said, looking up at a corner store. Through the window, Bridge could see a bored looking cashier chewing gum and reading a fashion magazine.

“Syd, Bridge, you go check the perimeter,” Sky ordered. “I’ll go speak to the shopkeeper, and meet you out here once I’m done.” He looked at his notes. “According to the report, they come every day and spray-paint the wall around the back. We’re here to do something about it.”

Syd went to the right, while Bridge circled around to the left. Something bright on the wall caught his attention, and he noticed the scrawl of graffiti, a few feet off the ground. Kneeling down to investigate, he ran his finger over the paint. It left an orange smudge on his glove.

‘It’s still wet,’ Bridge realized. ‘They have to be close by.’ Taking off his glove, he scanned the nearby area. Someone was hiding behind the nearest dumpster, and they were afraid – and very, very small. ‘A kid?’ Bridge wondered, ‘Or an alien?’

The vandal was human, albeit a very young one. The instant the kid saw Bridge, his eyes widened in terror, and he backed away – only to find himself trapped between the wall and the edge of the dumpster.

“Hey!” Bridge said, reading his emotions easily. “Take it easy. I’m not going to hurt you.” He crouched down to get closer to his suspect’s level. “What are you doing here?”

The kid crossed his arms stubbornly. He looked around for any way to escape. “Whadd’ya think I’m doing?”

Bridge caught a glimpse of the top of a spray can, hanging out of a ragged and worn backpack. “It looks to me like you’re spray-painting this wall.” The kid stared at the ground and fidgeted, refusing to meet his eye.

“How old are you?” Bridge asked.

“I’m nine.”

“Shouldn’t you be in school or something?”

A shrug. “Can’t go home. Might as well go here.” A fearful look passed across his face. “Are you… you gonna arrest me now? You’re a cop, right?”

Bridge avoided answering the question. “How about we just start by you telling me your name?”

“Michael. My name’s Michael.”

“Okay, Michael.”

Footsteps came around the corner, and Bridge sensed that Sky had returned – and was very annoyed. Bridge put his glove back on. He had enough negative emotions to deal with without adding Sky’s to the list. “What’s going on?” Sky demanded. “You caught the vandal? Why haven’t you brought him in?”

“I just wanted to talk to him.”

“You wanted to talk to him?” Sky said incredulously. What was Bridge thinking? They were police, not therapists!

“Sky,” Bridge tried to explain. “He’s just a kid.”

“A kid who committed a crime,” The D-squad leader said stubbornly. “You know the regulations as well as I do. Bring him in.”

Bridge hesitated and the boy, sensing an opportunity, threw his backpack at the pair. He set off at a run, the two cadets in quick pursuit. They chased him down a street and through another alleyway, until they reached a tall, decrepit building. Kicking aside a stray box, the boy dove into a crawl space too tiny for Sky and Bridge to follow.

“We had him!” Sky exclaimed, turning to face bridge. “Why didn’t you arrest him when you had the chance?”

“He wasn’t a bad kid,” Bridge said. “I could feel it.”

“You could feel it?” Sky held up a hand as Bridge tried to explain. “Never mind. I don’t want to hear it.”

“I wanted to talk to him first,” Bridge eventually said. “I thought…” He swallowed. “I thought I could help.”

‘But I suppose you wouldn’t understand that.’ He added silently. Sky said nothing, not during the trip back to SPD headquarters, or even when they gave their mission report to Charlie. He simply ignored Bridge as if he didn’t exist.

Bridge waited until they were dismissed, and then headed for Kat’s lab. As he walked, something rattled in his pocket. Bridge pulled it out. It was the lucky stone Boom had given him, but he didn’t feel so lucky right now.

—

“Going somewhere?”

A thick arm which ended in a five short, stubby fingers blocked his path, preventing him from walking any further.

“Leave me alone, Tristan,” Bridge said. Why did bullies always pick the worst possible time? “I’m really not in the mood for this today, so how about you just leave me alone, and I’ll pretend this never happened.”

“Oh, the runt’s all brave now that he’s a cadet,” His tormenter said scornfully, giving Bridge a forceful shove. He tried to catch himself, but in doing so dropped Boom’s stone, which rolled across the floor to land at Tristan’s feet.

The bully picked it up, tossing it up and down in his hand. Bridge made a grab for it, only to have it held above his head, out of his reach. “Give it back!” Bridge demanded, anger tightening his chest.

“I’m not scared of you and your creepy powers,” Tristan said. “Come and take it, freak!”

Most days, which meant every day before today, Bridge would just have let it go. It wasn’t worth it, he would tell himself. There was no point sinking to their level. He had hoped that they would leave him alone once he made it onto a squad, but they didn’t seem intimated at all.

But today was different. Bridge tackled the bully, knocking him to the ground. He grabbed Tristan’s hand, trying to peel his thick fingers away from the stone.

Freeing an arm, Tristan threw a heavy punch at him. Bridge ducked to the side, and returned with a punch of his own. The bully cried out in pain, clutching his nose. The stone clattered to the ground.

Bridge tried to reach it, but then one of Tristan’s friends shoved him painfully against the wall. Catching himself, Bridge spun around to face the hostile mob. If they wanted a fight, then that was what they were going to get.

—

‘He let a suspect escape,’ One voice argued.

‘He was trying to help,’ Said the other.

Sky grimaced, and tried to block both voices out. He hated things that put him in such a difficult position. What Bridge did was against regulations. End of story. His squad had failed their mission, and it was all Bridge’s fault.

As he walked, he heard what sounded like shouting in a nearby hallway. Turning the corner, he saw a cadet that looked suspiciously like Bridge punch a trainee, before being forcibly pulled away.

“What’s going on here?” Sky demanded, his voice cutting through the mayhem. Everyone turned to look at him, including Bridge. Sky sighed – his new teammate was incapable of staying out of trouble. D-squad failed an assignment because of him, and now he was involved in a fistfight?

One trainee stumbled forward, blood streaming from between his fingers. He looked accusingly at Bridge. “I wasn’t doing anything – we were minding our own business when he started pulling rank. And then he suddenly went psycho and attacked me!”

“That’s not true!” Bridge said furiously, only to be silenced by a pointed look from Sky.

Sky looked around the crowd, spotting several familiar faces. “I know you. “ Sky finally said.

“Yeah,” one of them, a tall and slightly chubby alien replied. “We used to hang around Dru sometimes.”

Sky nodded. “I remember. Now, if you want me to report this to Cruger, I think you should leave… now.”

Tristan gave Bridge a long look that promised pain and retribution. Bridge simply stared back, and eventually the bully turned away, hurrying to catch up with his friends.

“Sky, It wasn’t what it looked like,” Bridge said, once they were gone. He reached down to pick the stone off the floor.

“It wasn’t?” Sky said sharply. “Because what I saw was you beating that trainee to a pulp.”

“He started it. They…”

“It doesn’t matter who started it. You’re supposed to be a real cadet now, not starting fights like a first year. I should write you up this instant.”

“Fine, write me up, then!” Bridge said, tears of injustice forming in his eyes. “You haven’t liked me from the very beginning, and you won’t even give me a chance to tell my side of the story!”

“That’s enough,” Sky snapped. “I’ve seen all I needed to see from you. You’re impulsive, stubborn and undisciplined, and clearly not ready to be on a squad.”

“I’m trying my best,” Bridge said quietly.

“Well, your best just isn’t good enough. You don’t make the cut.” Sky turned to leave, but Bridge grabbed his arm.

“Sky, please…”

“Don’t touch me.” Sky shook his arm free and left without looking back.

—

To Be Continued

—

—

Chapter 1

—

Bridge knew the cadet on the left by reputation. Everybody knew who Sky Tate was, and not just because he was the highest-ranking cadet on D-squad. Rumor had it he was going to be red ranger one day, just like his father.

Looking at Sky, Bridge didn’t doubt that for a second. Sky stood stiffly, arms crossed tightly over his chest, evaluating his new teammate. Bridge felt like he was being judged and dismissed as unimportant, all in a span of a few seconds.

Bridge swallowed, and clutched his transfer orders a little tighter.

He had never spoken to the cadet on the right, but could recognize her anywhere. Sydney Drew was one of the prettiest girls in SPD, something which his roommates had mentioned several times once they learned he was going to be promoted to a squad.

“Hi, I’m…”

“Bridge Carson,” Sky interrupted, a scowl on his face. “You’re on my squad.” He gestured at the girl standing next to him. “This is Sydney Drew, she’s also on D-squad.”

“You can call me Syd.” She flashed him a dazzling smile. Bridge smiled shyly back. ‘Wait until I tell Boom about this. He won’t believe it. I mean, Sydney Drew smiled and spoke to me.’ Bridge shook his head, trying to wipe the dopey look from his face.

Sky sighed. Why did they leave him with the love-struck kid? This cadet couldn’t be a day older than thirteen. ‘Why couldn’t Dru…’ Sky refused to complete that thought. There was no point thinking about what might have been; Bridge had been promoted to his squad, and now he had to deal with it.

“Look,” Sky said, “this is how things are going to be. We were doing fine before you were promoted here, and we’ll do fine afterwards. Just try not to mess up too much, and everything will work out.”

“Oh… okay. I’ll try my best,” Bridge said. Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Sky turned sharply and left the room without a backwards glance. Unsure of what to do, Bridge settled for staring at the floor. He had dreamt for a long time about being promoted to D-squad, but he never thought it would go like this.

“Hey,” Syd said. “Don’t worry about Sky. His friend was supposed to be promoted to squad this year. Sky’s just a little bitter about it, that’s all.”

“What happened to him?”

“He got transferred,” she said, taking a good look at the new cadet. He seemed nervous, and very young. For some reason, the next question came out ahead of everything else she wanted to ask. “How old are you?” Syd blurted out.

Bridge didn’t seem to notice her social faux pas. “I’m fifteen.”

‘I wouldn’t have guessed that,’ Syd thought, and sighed. ‘He looks younger.’ Why did Sky always have to be so stubborn? “Look, Sky’s not really that bad. Just… be careful, okay? You’re new at this, and I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”

Then she left as well, leaving Bridge to wonder what she meant. ‘I’ll try my best, and prove to Sky that I deserve to be on this squad,’ Bridge decided. He had worked hard to get this far, and wasn’t about to throw it all away because of one grumpy cadet.

–

Bridge’s first training session on D-squad began poorly. Avoiding a near-collision with another cadet, Bridge ran through the hallways at a break-neck pace. However, by the time he reached the training grounds, Sky and Syd were already there and standing at attention.

Ivan, the A-squad yellow ranger, stood nearby with his clipboard. “You’re late,” he said, tapping his fingers impatiently. “This session was supposed to begin at four.”

Bridge glanced sideways at Sky’s watch. He was twenty seconds late. “I’m sorry, sir.” The ranger simply grunted a response. Bridge would never mention it to anyone, but there was just something about the A-squad rangers which creeped him out. It wasn’t just that they were harsh teachers, and often impatient with new trainees. It was something else, something more insidious and dangerous.

“Get in line,” The yellow ranger ordered. “This is a simple training exercise; even you should be able to handle it.” Ivan marked something on his clipboard before looking up. “Begin simulation.”

Bridge backed up a step, taking a defensive posture as over a dozen cyborgs materialized. Ducking to avoid a roundhouse kick, he grabbed one by the arm, shoving it away.

Something grabbed him from behind, and Bridge twisted to the side. His opponent, however, was faster, and Bridge hit the ground hard. He managed to block the first punch, but the following kick caught him unawares.

Gasping for breath, Bridge rolled away. He tried to get to his feet, but was brought down by another kick. He covered his face protectively, and braced himself for the next blow. It never came.

“Get up!” Sky ordered, pulling Bridge to his feet. Making quick work of Bridge’s attacker, Sky was about to finish off another cyborg when the yellow ranger ended the simulation.

Ivan looked at each of them in turn, a long disdainful look that lingered on Bridge, and then Syd, before finally reaching Sky. “If this was real, you would all be dead by now.” His gaze returned to Bridge. “Especially you.”

“Sir,” Syd said. “It’s not his fault. He’s…”

The yellow ranger cut her off. “Don’t mess with me, Cadet Drew. The rest of my team is out on mission, and I’m stuck here training the rat squad. Now try it again.”

Bridge took a deep breath, and waited for the second wave of cyborgs to appear.

–

The next day was Monday, which meant that his first class was Exogeography, followed by Galactic Cultures. Both courses were mandatory for all trainees, and both required several particularly heavy textbooks. Bridge sat down slowly at the only open desk, sliding the books underneath his seat.

“Hey.” The boy sitting at the desk next to his leaned over to speak to him. “What’s it like being on a squad?”

“It’s okay,” Bridge said. He bent down to reach for his notebook, and every muscle in his body ached in protest. He bit back a groan. “It’s not that different from being a normal trainee, really.” It’s just harder, he added silently.

“But you’re not a trainee anymore. You’re a cadet.” His classmate eyed him jealously. “You’ve even got the uniform to prove it.”

“Yeah, but I still have to go to class, don’t I?”

The jealous boy simply shrugged.

“I wish I was on a squad,” said one girl, a dreamy expression on her face. She twirled a few strands of black hair between her fingers. “You’re so lucky.”

“I guess…” Bridge said, but really he was thinking about Sky. It was hard work, rather than luck, which had gotten him onto the squad, but it was clearly going to take both luck and a great deal of effort to stay there.

“Hey, don’t let it get to your head,” another classmate said, interrupting Bridge’s thoughts. He grinned mischievously. “What I really want to know is… what’s it like being on a squad with Sydney Drew?” The entire class giggled, and Bridge blushed bright red.

Their teacher entered the room, saving him from having to reply. A petite alien with blue skin and flowing green hair, she gave them all a stern look. “That’s enough, everyone. Take out your homework.”

After that point, the only sound in the classroom was the scratching of pens on paper, occasionally punctuated by their teacher’s even voice. Bridge scribbled down a page or so of notes, but soon began to doodle on the margins. He wasn’t normally so distracted, but today was different. ‘I have to train harder,’ He thought. ‘I’ll become a better fighter and prove to Sky that I belong on D-squad.’

–

Sky walked into his dorm room, ignoring the cadet sitting on the bunk across from him. There were two bunk beds in the room, and the top right one belonged to him. One of the desks was also his and every item on it, every piece of paper and pencil, was in perfect order.

The top bed on the other side belonged to his roommate, who was the lowest-ranking member of C-squad. His roommate was currently listening to his headphones, and the music was so loud that Sky could hear it from across the room.

He wondered when Bridge was going to move in. The newest member of his squad was probably anxious to move out of the trainee dorms, which meant that one of the two empty beds would soon belong to him.

It was probably going to be the one beneath his own, since he was lower ranked than his roommate, who would claim both beds on the other side as his own. Sky hoped that Bridge didn’t snore, sleepwalk or do anything else disruptive. Living with him was going to be hard enough as it was.

‘Why is that?’ A little voice asked. ‘You don’t even know him.’

‘I don’t have to know him,’ Sky shot back. ‘I just have to put up with him. And maybe, if I wait long enough, Dru will come back from the Nebula Academy and I won’t have to deal with any of this anymore.’

After all, if Dru had been transferred there, he could be transferred back… right?

–

He should have been packing his stuff, or maybe working on his homework. However, as Bridge saw it, a short break couldn’t hurt – especially when it involved toast. The rec room toaster, however, was inferior to the one in the cafeteria – this one had only two slots, which meant that it took Bridge several minutes to toast and butter all six slices of bread.

Syd was sitting on the other side of the room and, as soon as his toast was done, he walked over and sat next to her. Syd barely glanced at him; instead, she was fiddling with a clunky-looking datapad covered in pink, holographic stickers. “It’s my diary,” she explained, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’ve had it for years. It stopped working a few days ago – I don’t know what’s wrong with it.”

“Can I take a look at it?” Bridge asked. He took a tiny screwdriver out of his pocket.

“Sure,” Syd said, but she didn’t sound so certain. She handed him the datapad, and Bridge set it down, carefully unscrewing the back panel. Syd watched curiously; Bridge’s hands were steady, and his work deft and confident . It was a side of him she had never seen before. “You’re pretty handy, huh?”

“Yeah,” Bridge replied. “It’s one of the things that got me in here, I think.”

“Is that your power?”

“Fixing things? Not really.” He replaced the back panel, and powered on the machine before handing it back to Syd. “I can read people’s auras, which means that I can tell how someone’s feeling, and whether they’re good or evil. I can also sometimes see what’s going to happen in the future, not the far future, but soon.”

“That’s cool,” Syd said, but Bridge could tell that she didn’t really understand. “Thanks,” she added, putting the datapad back in her bag. “Bridge, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little strange that all three of us have powers, and we’re all on the same squad?”

“I guess,” he said, and then frowned. “I’ve never really thought about it before.” It was kind of weird, but he couldn’t see how it could be anything more than a coincidence. It wasn’t like they knew each other before they came to SPD, right? He definitely didn’t know Sky before joining the squad. Bridge felt perversely grateful for that, a feeling which was followed by a surge of guilt.

“Don’t let Sky get to you,” Syd said. Bridge blinked in surprise. Were his feelings really that transparent? He was beginning to think that she was the psychic, instead of him! “I’m sure he’ll warm up to you eventually.”

“You think?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure of it.”

–

He made a few more stops before returning to his room – one to the mailroom, and another to the library to return an overdue book. Hurrying around the corner, Bridge took a large bite out of his final piece of toast.

He didn’t see the person coming around the corner until it was too late. The collision sent books, papers and a slice of toast flying. Recovering quickly, Bridge looked up – and cursed himself for being so careless. Of all the hundreds of people in SPD, why did he have to run into Sky?

“Uh… Sky, I didn’t see you, I’m sorry.” Bridge began to gather up his things. He picked up the toast with a sigh – as always, it had landed butter side down, and was now inedible, covered with a fine layer of dirt and grime.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Sky said, but his tone was insincere. He brushed off his uniform and turned to leave, but Bridge quickly got to his feet.

“Sky, wait.” The next words came out in a rush. “I know we might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I think that if you gave me a chance we could make a good team. You wouldn’t know it, but we have lots in common like, um… we’re on the same squad and we both have powers and, I guess what I’m trying to say is that maybe we could be friends.”

Shy shook his head, his expression unchanged. “Look, it’s nothing personal. I don’t need any friends. Just try to stay out of my way, and I’ll try to stay out of yours.”

—

To Be Continued

—