A/N: Hey, look who's back to writing! Yay! Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to InsertDecentNameHere because apparently I broke her. My badness...

Bored, Bridge thought. Good God, how do people put up with this? Bridge huffed in irritation and laid his head on his crossed arms. If he ever caught up with Boom, he was going to sink his teeth into the man's leg. Bridge had told the other man not to go messing with the animal DNA but had the other man listened? Nooo. And now, Bridge was a puppy. The green ranger growled in irritation, though he knew he was just as much to blame. Boom – knowing that Bridge was in love with someone (but not who) – had been working on a device which would help Bridge figure out whether or not his feelings were returned. And Bridge had been excited enough to overlook the fact that Boom's projects generally didn't turn out the greatest.

"So how does this work?" Bridge asked, trailing after Boom.

"It's going to turn you into your inner animal and I'll tell everyone that you're my new pet. Once everyone's used to you, you'll be able to eavesdrop with no problem!" Boom stated excitedly.

"Uh, thanks but this seems unnecessarily complicated," Bridge stated. Boom sulked but allowed the green ranger to head toward the door. Bridge almost made it, too, until he heard the crashing of a glass vial.

"Oh shit," Boom whimpered. When the green ranger whirled and saw the smoke, instinct kicked in and he dove, shoving the other man out of the way. "Oh man, I don't think you should have done that," Boom whimpered, staring in horror at the ranger. Bridge wrinkled his nose in disgust, attempting to wipe off the goop he was now covered in.

"Boom?" Bridge asked hesitantly as nausea washed over him. "How long is this stuff supposed to last?" Boom's eyes widened.

"I have no idea," he whispered. Bridge grit his teeth as pain wracked his lithe frame.

"Find Dr. Manx," he hissed before the pain became too excruciating. The ranger didn't even notice the other man leaving – he was too caught up in the tiny jolts of electricity surging through his body. Finally, unable to stand it anymore, he screamed and darkness enveloped him. And now he was a puppy. Bridge huffed in irritation and resettled himself on the uncomfortable floor. All he could do was wait until Boom and Dr. Manx came back for him.

~Mini-Page Break~

Sky was worried. Scratch that. A stoic ranger such as Sky did not get worried. Especially not over annoying room-mates. But it wasn't like Bridge to stay out late and Sky had stayed awake until midnight waiting for the younger man to return. It was now six a.m. And there was still no sign of the green ranger. The blond frowned at his friend's still-made bed as he finished toweling off from his shower and decided that if Bridge wasn't back by the time he finished breakfast that he would begin looking for him.

Sky kept his eyes peeled in the cafeteria but there was no sign of the exuberant teenager. As the room began to empty out, Sky sighed in defeat, standing and heading out to find his squad mates. Maybe one of them would know what had become of their resident scientist.

"Haven't seen him since yesterday," Jack stated with a shrug. "Sorry."

"I'm his friend, not his keeper," Syd stated as she rolled her eyes.

"He was with Boom, heading to the labs but that was last night," Z informed him. Sky made a mental note to be much nicer to Z in the future before heading toward the labs. He'd find Bridge or Boom and find out what the hell was going on.

~Mini-Page Break~

"Oh, this is not good. Oh, this is really not good." Boom panicked as he rushed around the lab. Bridge watched him lazily from his corner, content to watch the scientist since he had already exacted his revenge by sinking his sharp puppy teeth into Boom's leg. Dr. Manx merely heaved a sigh as she reviewed Boom's data for the second time.

"I'm sorry, Bridge, but I don't think there's a way to reverse what Boom's done. However," She continued, cutting off Boom's squawking, "the effects should only be temporary. You should be yourself within a week's time. In the meantime, I suggest staying with someone you trust and I'll inform Crueger so he may take B-squad off the duty roster." Bridge huffed and allowed his head to lower onto his paws.

"But what do we tell the others?" Boom asked. "Do we tell them that this is Bridge?" he asked, gesturing to where the chocolate cattle dog puppy was tangled in a box of spare wires.

"No," Dr. Manx decided after a pause. "No, I'll make up some medical reason for Bridge to be away for the week. Keep him with you and out of trouble until he changes back," she ordered before slipping out of the lab and making sure the door was shut firmly behind her. A puppy loose in SPD was the last thing they needed.

Bridge barely paid attention to the conversation going on behind him. Instead, he was wondering how difficult it would be to build the ultimate toaster – which would not only toast the bread but butter it as well – in dog form. He was willing to give it a try and was in the middle of pulling out the wires necessary when he was interrupted by the disconcerting feeling of his feet leaving the floor.

"Whoa there, buddy," Boom said as he cuddled the fuzzy puppy. "I'm so sorry, Bridge, but you can't just run around like your usual self. You're a puppy and you've got to do puppy things, like play...and...chew things you shouldn't." Bridge was certain the red-head scientist would have continued if the door hadn't slid open.

"Ah, Boom, have you seen – what...is...that?" Sky pulled up short as he took in the wriggling puppy in Boom's arms. "Who the hell let you loose with a puppy?"

"Sky! Uh, hey, what brings you to the labs?" Boom asked, feigning nonchalance. It was a lot harder than it seemed since Bridge was adamant about getting out of his grasp. A desperate idea hatched in his head.

"I'm looking for Bridge," Sky stated, his composure back despite the recent puppy developments.

"Here, hold onto him for a minute," Boom stated as he thrust the excitable puppy into the blue ranger's hands before pretending to look very busy. "He's with Kat. She's worried about something – she's keeping him separated for the next week or so. She just left to talk to Crueger about taking B-squad off rotation until he's better." Boom chanced a glance at the blue ranger and was surprised to see Bridge curled up in his arms, asleep, while Sky frowned down at him.

"Your dog," he stated shortly as he attempted to hand the sleeping puppy back. If Bridge was with Kat, then Sky would just have to find the doctor and see what was going on with his team mate.

"Uh, about that...he's not actually mine and I was wondering if -"

"No."

"Just until I find him a home!"

"No."

"Sky!" Boom pleaded. The argument woke up the puppy and chocolate brown eyes peered up at the blond before the cattle dog turned his head and gave the ranger's hand a soft lick.

"...fine." Sky sighed in irritation as he carried the puppy out of Boom's lab. He had to admit – even if he never admitted it out loud – that the mottled dog was actually pretty cute. But he had more important things to think about. Namely, finding Bridge. Shifting the sleeping pup in his arms, Sky set off down the long corridor towards Crueger's office.

"...again. It should only be about a week," Dr. Manx stated as she exited Crueger's office.

"Dr. Manx!" Sky called, rushing forward. "Dr. Manx, is Bridge alright?" he asked. Hearing his name, the puppy perked up and Dr. Manx's eyes widened slightly .

"As I just finished telling Crueger, I observed some abnormalities on Bridge's yearly exam and want to keep him isolated until I figure out what caused them. I'm afraid you won't be able to see him until I'm certain that it won't affect you. It shouldn't take more than a week," she assured.

"A week?" Sky gaped.

"Where did you get that puppy?" Dr. Manx interjected before the blond could argue.

"Boom asked me to watch him while he tried to find him a home," Sky told her as he pulled the cattle dog closer to his chest. A quick look passed between Dr. Manx and Crueger.

"Just make sure you keep a close eye on him," she warned. Sky grinned.

"No problem."

"Nonononononono!" Sky shouted as he took off after the chocolate cattle dog. "Bad dog!" Bridge grinned as he scarfed down the stolen bacon. It sucked that he was stuck in puppy form but he couldn't complain about spending all his free time with Sky. Speaking of the ranger... Sky dropped to his knees and glared underneath the couch. "You are in so much trouble, mister." Bridge mentally snickered before the blond grabbed the scruff of his neck and hauled him out from underneath the couch in the rec room.

Don't kill me! Bridge mentally begged, fully aware that Sky couldn't actually hear his thoughts. Luckily, Bridge could sense the amusement rolling off the blue ranger. It seemed the blond allowed more emotion to bleed through when he thought Bridge wasn't around to sense it. Interesting.

"Now, you little hellhound, let's see if we can't find someplace more appropriate for your antics." Sky stated as he tucked the puppy under his arm. Passing through the corridors, Sky tried to figure out where he could take the over-energized ball of fluff. Walking through the hallways, Sky absently stroked the puppy's fur. Bridge sighed as he felt firm fingers kneading his skin and he settled more fully against the blond ranger's chest. "Here we are," Sky stated as he knelt down and let the cattle dog hop out of his arms. Bridge immediately tried to hop back into his friend's arms but the older man was already standing. So Bridge was left standing on his hind legs, whimpering.

Sky! Pick me up! It feels funny! Sky! It tickles! He whined. The blue ranger frowned down at the puppy.

"What's the matter, boy? Don't you like grass?" he asked. Bridge immediately rotated his head to take in his surroundings. Sky had brought him outside of the academy and the tickling sensation that had been bothering him was the sensation of grass blades on the pads of his paws. Bridge took a moment to take everything in – the scene before him was a tad confusing as his brain struggled to adjust to shades of gray interspersed with yellow and blue – before taking a tentative step forward. After a few uncertain steps, Bridge took off like a shot. He weaved in and out of the trees, stopping every now and again to investigate a particularly intriguing smell.

Sky lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the warm grass. He smiled as he watched the brown blur chase a squirrel before losing interest and trotting back to the blue ranger's side. The blond raised a hand and began to absent-mindedly stroke soft fur. Bridge panted quietly, leaving Sky alone with his thoughts…

"I'm worried about Bridge," Sky said softly. Bridge's ears cocked and he turned to look at the older man. But Sky stared off into the distance, lost in his own thoughts until it was time to go in.

"So what's his name?" Z asked as she patted the small dog.

"Name?" Sky asked as he looked up from his book.

"Well, yeah. He needs a name." Z told him as she lifted the puppy into her arms. "I mean, you can't just keep calling him 'dog' or 'puppy', can you?"

"I'm not naming him. His new owners can name him." Sky stated.

"What have you been calling him?" The yellow ranger asked, ignoring the blond.

"Pup, trouble, Satan, demon…" the man trailed off as he flipped the page.

"Aw, look at his face," Syd chimed in. "You're none of those things, are you? Are you?" She asked, her voice taking on a baby-talk tone. Bridge mentally cringed. Sky merely rolled his eyes as he stood up.

"Come on, pup," he called and Bridge happily fled from the females. "I don't know what it is with people and small animals," Sky admitted as they entered the bedroom. "I mean, yeah, between you and me you're pretty darn cute but I'm not going insane over you or talking to you in a baby voice," the blond stated as he peeled off his uniform. "I just…" he trailed off as he looked at the puppy. Bridge tilted his head in what he hoped was an encouraging manner. "I'm talking to a dog." Sky sighed. "Look, I don't have a bed for you or anything and I don't know if Bridge is allergic to dogs or not so I guess you'll be bunking in my bed until I can set something up," the blond told him tiredly and Bridge wagged his tail before jumping on the man's bed. "How did…" Sky trailed off. "Get ahold of yourself, Tate. You're already talking to a dog - don't go giving him human characteristics on top of that. Aaaaand now I'm talking to myself." Sky grabbed his pajamas with a sigh and entered the bathroom, leaving Bridge to curl up at the foot of his bed.

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