didn’t understand the language. The exuberant celebration
after her rookie mission, the first time Up had held her on
that Graali desert moon. The stupid thrill that went through
her when their eyes met as they danced. And the
overwhelming feeling of him kissing her, him loving her,
even as they waited to meet their deaths on Qo’noS.
All of that felt like a long time ago.
Where have I been happy?
The answer was simpler than it seemed.
Taz bit her lip, and jabbed at a button on the panel.
“Where’s Specs when you need her?” she muttered, and set
to work.
Up had seen a lot of things in his life, but one thing he’d
never expected to see was a massive, deadly scorpion on
the deck of his starship, especially not one who seemed to
be engaged in conversation with the newest member of his
team. Specs hid behind him as Taz crouched and aimed her
ever-present zapper, unable to fire for fear of hitting
February, who was clutched in its claws.
The hovering mosquitoes made him nervous too.
“Bug!” he said, putting his hand on the back of the
young Ranger. “What are all them googly noises coming
out of your mouth – you chatting with this thing?”
“What’s going on, Bug?” Taz echoed, and for a moment
it seemed like they were a team again. If the situation
wasn’t so serious he might have smiled.
“I’m – I’m trying to save February!”
February might be an idiot, but it was she and Bug who
had figured out Junior’s – and presumably Space-Claw’s –
plan to use the eggs they’d hoped to have implanted in her
chest to create some kind of mutant weaponry. The thought
infuriated him – Space-Claw’s latest foray into mad
science. Creating robot-human hybrids couldn’t have been