She knew she was in a dream and that this wasn't real life. But her vision was so blurry. And her heart, it was in so much pain. Usually she never feels the pain. She tried looking around the room, but it was all a blur. All she could tell was that this wasn't S.P.D. And wherever she was at, it was dark. And why was she behind bars?
Astrid tried standing up, but her body felt weak. She looked down at her arms and saw a tube and a few wires attached to her arms. She looked to where the they led to. It led to some kind of control console in the center of the room. It was glowing.
Astrid went to take them off, but she heard evil laughter getting closer to her. She looked over towards the sound. Though it was blurry, she could still make out the figure as Gruumm.
"Do that and you'll get yourself killed." He laughed.
Her heart was hurting more and more. And Astrid could tell that her breathing was getting heavier. But she couldn't tell if it was her in the dream, or her in real life.
"Astrid! Wake up! Astrid!"
Astrid quickly sat up. The pain got to her, and she quickly laid back down while resting her hand over her heart. It hurt so bad. "Are you okay?" Bridge asked.
"I will be. Just give me a minute or two." Astrid breathed out. Bridge took her hand and held it tightly.
After a while, her breathing slowed down and the pain started to go away. She slowly sat up on her bed with Bridge's help. He got up from the floor and sat next to her on the bed. "Feeling better?" He asked.
"Yeah." Astrid mumbled. She then leaned her head on his shoulder. "It still hurts though."
"Did you have a dream or a vision again?"
Astrid went quiet. Bridge assumed it was because she needed to catch her breath. But Astrid was just contemplating on what today. She didn't want to worry him. If she told him the truth, he might start panicking.
"No, nothing. Just blank." She lied.
Bridge nodded his head and sighed. "Did you want me to get you a water?"
Astrid shook her head. She rolled the blankets off of her and got out of bed. Bridge stared at her confused, but he was caught by surprise when she ended up sitting on his lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Just stay with me a little longer."
Bridge wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her closer, then kissed the top of her head. He felt that something was off, but he didn't want to question her further in fear that she'd start having pain again if she talked about it.
But he didn't mind having her in his arms like this. If he could, he'd wish for things to be like this forever.
~
"Why do we have to do this again?" Astrid asked as she stuck her arm out.
"There's something about your blood that we just can't seem to figure out. So we're going to have to take more. Only this time, we'll be taking a bit more than we did the last time." Kat explained.
"Is it safe?" Bridge asked.
"Yes. For a normal person like you, you'd probably end up a bit dizzy and tired. But you'll be fine later on. But for someone like Astrid, she wouldn't feel a thing." Kat said.
"Then take as much as you want." Astrid sighed.
"You really don't like this." Bridge noticed.
"Something about being on a hospital bed just really annoys me. I hate it."
"This'll only take a minute. Then you're free." Kat said. "I'll be right back."
Bridge sat down next to Astrid on the bed. He looked at the monitor on her wrist and watched the numbers. "Do you know if they have anything on your heart yet?" He asked.
Astrid shook her head. "Not that I know of. But I doubt it." She answered. "How long till all those supplies come in for whatever you guys are building?"
Bridge shrugged. "I think in about a month or two. Maybe three. It's galaxies away. Unfortunately it's going to take a while. But I'm hopeful that the machine could finally work once it's here. Though, I'm not sure how it's going to work."
"Maybe it's still in the works with Kat. I'm sure a lot of things are going to change before the supplies get here."
"It makes me nervous thinking about it."
Astrid turned to him confused. "You're nervous? I'm the one they're experimenting on, how are you nervous?" Astrid asked.
"I just want things to turn out good for you. I don't want to lose you." Bridge frowned.
Astrid frowned at his words. She knew it was gonna come to this. And she tried warning him. How was it that pushing him away only brought him closer? She hated it.
Astrid reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Please don't get your hopes up." She pleaded. "We're still not sure what could happen."
"I know." Bridge nodded. "But I'm still going to pray that it works. I want you to live your life to the fullest. I think seeing that will make me happy. But there really is no hope left in you, is there?"
Astrid shook her head. "I spent the last ten years waiting for my death and wishing to die as soon as possible. There really isn't a way to change my mind unfortunately. Give me five years, then maybe I'll have some hope for once."
"Let's hope it comes to that." Bridge leaned forward and placed a kiss to her forehead. Astrid then rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm back." Kat said. She reached for Astrid's arm and took off the tube on her arm. "All done."
"Finally." Astrid hopped off the bed and stretched her arms. "What now?"
"I need you to help out Sam in the command center real quick."
"I'm guessing it's for his undercover mission?" Astrid asked. Kat nodded in response. "Alright, then I'll see you guys later."
Bridge watched in jealousy and she left the room. He knew there wasn't anything to be jealous of. But with the little time they possibly have, he wanted her all to himself.
~
"Thanks for helping me out for this undercover mission." Sam thanked.
"It's not a problem. I'm here if anyone needs help." Astrid said.
"May I ask, what exactly are you doing?" Sam asked.
"I'm trying to figure out a way to attach this mic to your helmet. That way when you're undercover in your light form, you could still talk to us about what's going on. If anything were to happen, you'll tell us and we'll send out the Rangers for backup."
"Good idea. Better to be safe than to not be." Sam gave thumbs up.
Astrid fixed up one last thing and then put all the materials back. "All done. It should work just fine now. Wanna give it a shot."
"Sure." Sam quickly turned into his light form and floated around the room. "Testing. Testing."
Astrid could immediately hear his voice through the communicator. "Perfect." She smiled.
Sam changed back into his Ranger form. "Perfect. Now I'm ready. Well, I'll see you when I get back." He waved. He started making his way out the door, but Astrid stopped him.
"Before you go, can I ask you a question?" She asked.
Sam turned back around to face her. "Of course. How can I help you?"
Astrid closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Yesterday you said that I was the one who invented your Uniforce Cycle, right?" She questioned.
"Correct."
"So how long into the future do I invent that?" Astrid asked.
Sam tilted his head in confusion. "Why the sudden question?"
Astrid looked down at the floor. She started to lay with her hands nervously. She so badly wanted answers. But she so badly didn't want to ruin her thoughts of the future. One answer could make her happy, the other would make her depressed. "How far along in the future do I live?"
It grew silent. Sam walked over and took a seat next to her. "Are you asking this because of your heart problems?"
Astrid nodded her head. "After what you told me yesterday, I started questioning a lot. I know I'm going to die within the next year. But seeing the bike you have, and the advanced technology it's made out of, there's no way I made that within just a year. Even then, we probably won't be getting any of those advanced products until a few years from now."
"I see, you're worried."
Astrid nodded again. She wanted an answer, but not the wrong one.
"Unfortunately I'm prohibited to tell you things about the future. Especially things about your personal life." Sam said.
"I see. I should've expected that. But it was worth a shot. Sorry I asked." Astrid frowned.
Sam jumped up and stood in front of Astrid. "Hey, it's no worries. I understand. For now, just take care of yourself. I'm sure that's what Bridge wants."
Astrid turned her head as she started blushing. "Don't tease me like that."
"Sorry." Sam laughed.
"Astrid and Sam, return to the command center."
"Duty calls. Let's go together?" Sam asked.
Astrid smiled and stood up. "Sure."
The two walked out the lab and turned towards the direction of the command center while smiling. Neither realized the pair of eyes that were watching them from afar.
Bridge knew he was still being stupid for being slightly jealous while seeing them together. But after the past few days, anything Sam did with anyone made him feel jealous.
"Bridge." He turned around when hearing his name being called. "You ready? We have to go now." Sky asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm ready."
"Alright. Let's go meet with the others."
~
"Sam, can you hear me?" Cruger asked.
"Loud and clear, commander. The show is about to start." Sam replied.
"Good. Keep out of site from anyone. Despite being in your lite form, you still stand out. Stay somewhere high where no one can see you."
"Yes, sir."
Kat turned to Astrid. She noticed her spacing out while looking down at the computer. Kat walked over and taped her shoulder. "Is everything alright, Astrid?" Kat asked.
"Huh? Yeah, sorry. I spaced out a bit." Astrid apologized.
"You're doing quite a lot of thinking. Is everything alright?" Cruger asked.
Astrid nodded. But Cruger and Kat knew she wasn't. "I'm fine. I just have a lot to think about. I should probably do that on my one time though. We're kind busy as it is, I can't be distracted."
Cruger nodded. "Okay. Can someone give me the status of this magician."
Astrid began typing on the computer. "All we have is that he's stolen money, and he's working with Morgana. Nothing else really."
"Meanwhile Gruumm's had diamonds stolen, iridium, even sand. But I don't see how this magician fits in." Kat said.
The three heard a buzzing thought he computer. "Sam?" Cruger questioned.
"Mysticon's just pulled a women named Hellen Tyler Jones out of the audience. Does her name mean anything to you?" Sam asked.
Kat turned around and looked her name up through the computer. The women's photo showed up on the screen and as well as all her information. Kat scoffed. "Just one of the worlds leading microbiologist." She said.
"But what would Gruumm want with her?" Astrid asked
"Those things he's been stealing. He just might want someone to combine them for his evil purpose. Astrid, call the Rangers and send them for back up."
"On it."
"They're already here." Sam said.
"They're what!?"
Astrid began looking through the computer to get their location. She scoffed when she saw they were all in one place. "Those idiots. They're at the show."
"They're going to jeopardize our plan." Cruger said angrily.
"It doesn't matter anymore. They're there now. And we need them to fight. So command them like you always do. Punish them later." Kat said.
Cruger let out a sigh. "Fine." He growled. "Astrid, get the Megazord ready. We need to be prepared incase of an emergency."
"Yes, sir."
Astrid typed away on the computer, her anger boiling while wondering why her friends were being so stupid. "I'm gonna kill them." She mumbled.
~
Seeing the speed of the bike in person was much faster than when looking at it through a screen. Astrid couldn't believe that she invented that thing. And the fact that it was almost as fast as her, it was unbelievable. The only thing that confused her was his engine. It was glowing, even when it was off. Meaning that it had power at all times. But how?
After riding it around for a bit, Sam drove back into the Zord Bay and parked the bike. "Thanks for letting me see it up close. I can't believe that I invented that."
"You sure did. Incredible, isn't it?"
Astrid nodded her head. "I noticed there isn't a tank anywhere, so what does it run on."
"This bike is completely powered by the engine and nothing else. And it can last a lifetime. The future you is a genius."
"No kidding." Astrid mumbled. "Thanks for letting me see it up close."
"It's no problem. But why did you want to see it?" Sam asked.
The two turned around and started making their way back inside the building. The doors closed behind them as they started walking down the hall to the Lab. "It's such an advanced bike, it's hard to believe that I invented that. Are you sure it was me."
"No doubt about it. Only wish we had more of these in the future. It would have really helped us a lot more.
"What do you mean by that?" Astrid questioned.
They walked inside the lab and over to the table where her engine was sitting at. "I guess whatever you used on that engine to power up those bikes isn't a thing anymore. That's why they're so rare."
"Rare?"
"Yup, there was only about eight of these. And I'm not sure as to why there aren't anymore. Maybe we can figure it out while I'm here."
Astrid nodded her head and smiled. "That would be great."
"Also, I want to talk to you more about your question yesterday."
Astrid shook her head. "Like you said, you can't tell me anything about my personal life in the future. And that's alright. But it was worth a shot to ask. But thanks anyways."
"But things can change." Sam said. Astrid looked at him confused. "I'm here because I need your help to change the future so that Gruumm doesn't win. Which means along the way, a lot of other things are going to change. So maybe things will end up changing for you in a good way. So have some hope."
Astrid nodded. "Thanks, Sam." She gave him a weak smile.
The intercoms turned on and Kat called out for Sam. "Sam, you're needed at the command center." Kat said.
"I guess I'll see you later. don't be afraid to ask me anything."
"Thanks, Sam."
Sam turned back into his light form and floated his way back to the command center. No matter how many times he had already done that, it still caught her off guard.
Astrid turned back to her engine. There was no way this was the same engine on his bike. This didn't even have power at all yet. She still hadn't figured out a way to get it started.
She sat down at the desk and looked through her blueprints. Nothing came to her. And thinking back to his bike, it felt impossible to invent something like that.
Astrid turned around when the doors opened up. She thought it was Kat or Boom, but it was actually Bridge. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I wanted to see you." He said. He walked over and took a seat next to her. "And I wanted to apologize for jeopardizing the mission. I'm sure we must have stressed you out."
"You guys put yourselves in danger. Why were you guys even there? This was Sam's mission, not yours."
Bridge looked down at the floor feeling ashamed. "Because we were all jealous." He said. Astrid frowned at him. "Cruger had been so focused on him, we all felt kinda left out. And you were also spending a bit of time with him, so I also grew jealous with that."
Astrid scoffed. "Why would you be jealous of us? All it is is work."
"I know that now. But I couldn't help it. I wanted more re time with you. Just the two of us." Bridge frowned.
Astrid stood up from her seat and over to Bridge. She wrapped her arms and his neck and sat on his lap. Bridge wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder. "I want to be and at you, but you're too much of a dork." She smiled.
"Uh, thanks."
"It good. I mean it." Astrid assured.
Her words caused Bridge to smile as well. He lifted his head to look at her. He leaned in and quickly placed a kiss to her lips. He laughed when seeing her face turn red. "You're so cute when you get like this."
Astrid glared at him. She then stood up and started walking away.
Bridge got up from the chair and grabbed her arm, turning her back around to face him. He placed a hand to the back of her neck and pulled her in for a more intimate kiss. Astrid gave up on trying to avoid him, and instead gripped his shirt and pulled him closer.
Bridge smiled into the kiss, which caused Astrid to start giggling. He leaned his forehead against hers for a bit, both of them just smiling at one another. "You're amazing, you know that?" He asked.
"Maybe, but I could never be as great as you." She said.
"This is cute and all, but I don't think this is the room you guys should be making out it."
Both of them pulled away and awkwardly turned to the door. Why did they always have to catch them at the worst moments. "Why are you all here?" Astrid asked.
"We came to check on you. But seeing as you're doing just fine, we'll be heading out now." Jack smirked.
"See you guys later." Z waved.
Astrid and Bridge awkwardly turned to each other as the others finally left. "They always seem to find us when we're busy."
"Just forget about it." Astrid shrugged off. "Walk me to my room?" She asked.
"Sure." Bridge smiled. He grabbed her hand and the two walked out the lab together.
Astrid followed behind as he led the way. He held her so tight, it was quite comforting. And she didn't want to let go. Not to just let go of his hand, but to not let go of any of this. All she wanted was to stay in this moment forever. But she knew that was impossible.
But thinking back to Sam's words, maybe there could be a change. Maybe there was a possibility that she would live. But there was no way to figure that out yet. So she had to cherish every moment she had with her friends and Bridge.
Hope you enjoyed!
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