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�You need to have a little faith in her, Jack,� Z said reprimandingly.

�Not to mention some understanding. I mean she�s been locked up in a crummy dungeon for five years. Eww, just the thought of it gives me chills. Just think about all the bugs that place must be infested with,� Syd said with a shiver as her face contorted in disgust.

�The bugs were probably nothing compared to the torture,� Sky said with a somber tone, flashing back to the scars on Tammi�s body.

At that remark Z, Syd, and Jack looked up from the couch and gave Sky suspicious looks.

�Is there something you need to tell us about Tammi, Sky?� Jack asked in his leader like tone.

�Like you said, she doesn�t talk to any of us, so why would I know anything?� Sky asked patronizingly.

Jack was about to retaliate when Bridge and Tammi walked in. They were doing something the rangers had never seen Tammi do before, laugh.

�Oh, please don�t be so hard on yourself, it was your first lesson - you�ll pick it up, besides you�re way ahead of the other students in my class,� she told him assuringly with a pat on the shoulder.

�There is no way I am going to remember all of those movements in that exact order,� Bridge said as he sat down in a chair.

�Bridge, you�ll be fine, after a while it will be second nature to you. All the movements flow into one another, you�ll get it, trust me,� she told him before she realized the entire room was staring at her. �What are all of you staring at? Am I not allowed to laugh or something?�

The four of them gulped and looked away. �Just keep practicing Bridge, you�ll get it,� she continued as if nothing had happened.

�So, what does he need to keep practicing at?� Z asked curiously with a grin.

�Martial arts,� Tammi answered with a warm smile.

�So, you teach a martial arts class? Could I join? Sounds like good training, and a good place to meet guys,� Syd said with a wicked grin.

�Well, if the guys you want to meet are twelve years old or under, go for it,� Tammi answered with a chuckle. �It�s a beginner�s class.�

�Oh, well, still sounds fun, I think I might join anyway. Where do I sign up?� Syd asked sincerely.

�You just did, I expect to see you at the community center next Tuesday at seven,� Tammi told her with a wink. At that moment there was a loud crash outside of the common room, and the rangers ran to see what it was.

Tammi had to stifle a laugh when she saw Michelle flat on the floor surrounded by piles of text books. Boom was across from her holding some invention tightly to his chest. She couldn�t even begin to guess what that was.

He jumped up, and looked toward the rangers.

�Big trouble, got to tell Cruger and Kat, follow me!� Boom commanded as he ran down the hallway, not even bothering to help Michelle up.

Bridge stepped forward and helped Michelle stand and pick up her books.

�Thanks,� she said with a smile. �Sounds like you guys better follow Boom,� Michelle said as she continued her way down the hallway.

�Hey, Chelle?� Tammi asked her as she began to leave. �You okay?�

�Umm, not really,� she responded in a strange tone.

�Well, then I want to talk to you later, okay?� Tammi asked with concern.

�Yeah, sure,� she said feebly.

Tammi nodded and then continued following Boom to the Command Center with the others.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

They returned from battle disheartened and wounded. The rangers went to the infirmary to have their injuries inspected while Cruger tried to contact Supreme Commander Birdie.

�You think Birdie will help us?� Syd asked as a cadet was bandaging her upper arm.

�After all my father did for him, he better,� Tammi mumbled with narrowed eyes.

�Besides, they won�t leave one of their most central bases high and dry,� Z said, mustering up all the confidence she could, but they all knew Commander Birdie wasn�t too fond of the Earth base.

Jack and Sky exchanged looks that communicated all of the doubt the two rangers had.

�What if Boom�s message is right? What if SPD does fall today?� Bridge asked from the corner of the room.

�It won�t,� Tammi said with determination.

�But what if it�s like our fate or destiny or something and . . .� Bridge continued.

�Then we change destiny,� Tammi answered again. �Just like all the rangers before us, and anyways, I�ll be damned if I let something my father worked so hard to form fall in one day to a bunch of ruthless space criminals.�

The other five people in the room noted Tammi�s anger and determination. Her hands were balled up into fists. There was more to her emotions than defending her father�s work.

Tammi suddenly relaxed, and her expression changed from determined to broken hearted.

�This place is all that kept me going while I was locked up in that ship. I kept thinking if I survive this I�ll go home and stop this. . . this bastard . . . from destroying my home. I�ll get my teammates back, and everything will go back to the way it was. That was stupid because it can never go back to the way it was, but I�m certainly not gonna let anything happen to what�s here now. I�m not gonna let Gruumm destroy my life a second time,� she said with a sigh and a single tear that was quickly wiped away.

Okay, maybe �ice queen� isn�t the appropriate nickname for her, Jack thought to himself as he and his four teammates sat in silence with no idea how to respond to Tammi�s outburst of emotions. Well, I guess the ice is officially broken.

Sky couldn�t believe Tammi had just done that. She had revealed her emotions, her private thoughts to all of them. If he had been in her position he certainly wouldn�t have done that. A part of him, for some unknown reason, was proud of her. She had defied her training and instincts. That was something he could rarely ever bring himself to do. Maybe that�s why he did what he did next.

He approached Tammi as she sat on one of the cots in the infirmary, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

�Tammi, trust me when I say, that none of us will ever let that happen,� he told her sincerely.

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A/N: hoped you enjoyed it. There were some major spoilers for �Messenger� and I did take some liberties with the way Boom found all of the rangers. Not an especially long chapter but hey, it�s something right?

Thanks for the reviews and keep it up!

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