Turns in the Road: Separations part 3, by cmar, Wes/Eric
Title: Separations part 3
Author: cmar
Relationship: Wes/Eric
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Violence, death
The day had dawned bright and clear, with a fresh breeze that kept the summer heat at bay. Eric turned his face up to the sky and squinted at the brightness before he walked into SPD headquarters.
Wes should be having a nice drive. Assuming he had gotten out early, he should be getting close now. Soon he’d call, and they could meet here for lunch, and then, if Nick and Cruger still didn’t have anything for them to do, they could go to the hotel and spend some time alone. And all would be right with the world, at least for a few hours.
He was tempted to think Nick had arranged this time off with exactly that in mind, since SPD seemed to have run out of leads for them to check out as soon as Eric had told him Wes was on his way. Of course, Nick could use a break too; he had sounded happy when he said he was taking Lyn and Sky to the park this morning.
Meanwhile, Eric had figured there was no point in wasting time waiting, so he had come here. A quick workout - and hopefully another, more interesting workout later, with Wes. He smiled at the thought.
- - -
Wes smiled as he saw the sign: ‘Newtech City Limits.’ Almost there; he could see the buildings spread out in the distance. Maybe half an hour to get into town, a little longer to get to wherever Eric was. They could be meeting up in less than an hour. Maybe catch some lunch. It would be nice to pry him away from Nick for a little while too; just as well to be here and keep the two of them from getting too friendly.
And then? A job to do, a criminal to catch, Ranger style. Like old times, almost. He grinned this time, at the thrill of remembered excitement. A good fight at each other’s side, a couple of nights away from home, in a hotel, doing some sneaking into each other’s beds... Maybe this was what they needed to get back on track. He let the speedometer nudge higher.
- - -
Eric examined the weapon in the sunlight behind the SPD building, on the same firing range where he had first seen Nick several days ago. It was very similar to the blasters the Silver Guardians used, but looked like there had been some enhancements added. After a quick, light workout he had found himself with time on his hands, and had decided on some target practice with a borrowed blaster. It was a good opportunity to see whether SPD’s weapons research was paying off. And it was. This blaster was more powerful than the Guardians’, and seemed a little more accurate, too. Impressed, Eric paused, still looking at the target. He’d have to get Zaskin to send the designs to the Bio-Lab weapons engineers.
“Do you approve?” came a voice from behind him.
Surprised, Eric looked behind him to see Kat Manx watching, hands in the pockets of her lab coat and a faint smile on her face. She was wearing her human disguise. He hadn’t heard her approach - but maybe along with her other cat-like qualities, she could move as quietly as one, too.
“Yeah, they’re not bad,” he said, holding up the blaster. “An improvement on ours.”
“Yes.” She came up to him and took the weapon. “That’s something we’ve gotten very good at, building better ways to destroy each other.” With a quick motion she fired at the target, not seeming to take the time to aim. The shot hit dead center. “It’s necessary. But I wish it wasn’t.”
“From what you’ve told us, it’s Gruumm who’s bringing the fight.”
“That’s why I’m here,” she said quietly. “To make sure we win that fight by reinforcing Earth with our technology. And that’s why we need to find Mirloc. If humans learn to distrust all aliens because of a few criminals like him, it could sabotage everything Commander Cruger and I are trying to do.” Again she raised an arm to fire and again hit the center.
Eric watched her for a few seconds before asking, “You told us Gruumm attacked your planet. I know why you’re doing this. But what’s Cruger’s story?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean... Every time I’ve been here, he’s on duty. The guy seems to work twenty-four hours a day. Why does beating Gruumm mean so much to him?”
Kat’s eyes stayed on the target, but a faint line appeared between her brows. “Kruger’s home world, Sirius, was the base of the first SPD. Trying to destroy the only force that could stand against him, Gruumm invaded them about a year ago. Invaded, and destroyed. Every man, woman and child. Cruger survived somehow, only to awaken on a dead planet. Everyone he knew, his friends, family, wife... gone.” She paused for a moment and then added softly, “As far as he knows, he’s the last of his kind. I wonder sometimes what that feels like.”
Eric thought about it as she looked away from him, shoulders lifting and sinking in a sigh. In the routine of the last several days, with the distractions of his personal problems and working with Nick, he had almost forgotten what this was all about. A war. People dying, the survival of whole civilizations, including Earth’s. It was a sobering thought.
“Let’s make sure we don’t find out,” he said. Taking the blaster from Kat’s hand he fired another shot, hitting the center in the same spot she had.
There was someone approaching when he turned back - an SPD officer, in the uniform that was so similar to the Silver Guardians’, coming towards them at a fast trot. The young man stopped in front of them, sketching a quick salute. “Commander Myers, Dr. Manx, sir, ma’am - Commander Cruger sent me to tell you there’s an incident in midtown, Central Avenue. Could be Mirloc, he said. Officer Tate is already on his way, and the Commander asked if you can-”
“Tell him I’m on it,” Eric said, tossing the blaster to Kat and already starting for his car.
Now that the time had come, he could feel the old mixture of excitement and uneasiness that had overtaken him before the bigger battles in Silver Hills, back when the mutants were there. Especially the battles that had been the toughest... suddenly he regretted the absence of the others. Jen, Lucas, Katie, and Trip... good fighters, all of them. Now it was aliens instead of mutants, and two Rangers - three, if Wes could make it in time - to fight them instead of six. With a shrug, he threw off the sensation of foreboding. They were Rangers; of course they’d win. They always did.
- - -
Wes was waiting impatiently at a traffic light, wondering if it was too soon to call, when his cellphone beat him to it by ringing. He got it out of his pocket, flipped it open, and was smiling as Eric’s voice spoke into his ear.
“Wes! Where are you?”
Something was wrong; his smile vanished as he heard the tone of urgency. “Just got here,” he said. “Should be downtown in a few minutes. What’s going on?”
“Trouble. Could be Mirloc. Central Avenue, midtown. Think you can find it?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Wes said, his eyes lifting into the sky where tendrils of dark smoke were reaching up from the city.
- - -
Eric fought off a sense of déjà vu as he saw people fleeing in his direction, the bright burst of a powerful energy discharge lighting the walls of the buildings behind them like lightning. He could see a billow of smoke and dust a moment later, and heard the crash of something falling.
There was no way to keep driving through the increasing crowd of panicking civilians, not if he didn’t want to hit someone. Eric pulled over, turned off the engine, and got out. It wasn’t going to be easy getting through all these people, all going the opposite way - so why try? With a quick leap he jumped onto the hood of his car, wincing as his shoes scraped on the finish, and then stepped to the roof. It was like standing on an island in a river of people, as he raised his morpher to his face and called, “Quantum Power!”
It had been a long time, but the remembered rush of power into his body as the suit formed around him was the same. As soon as the transformation was complete, Eric called out again, “TF Eagle!” and saw his small aircraft appear above his head, swooping down to where he could leap aboard. Leaving the car behind, he flew towards the center of the action.
- - -
Wes swore as he swerved into what he hoped would be an emptier street, circling around the source of the smoke into an area that seemed to be mostly warehouses and much less populated. It let him get closer, until suddenly he was driving through rubble, broken glass, more smoke, looking for whoever or whatever was causing this. Another explosion, very close this time, told him he was headed in the right direction.
Then he slammed on the brakes and jolted to a stop. Visible ahead of him were five people - at first he thought they were the same kind of mutants he had fought so often in 2001 - but these seemed different somehow. Two of them looked like lizards, scaly and green, with tails but walking upright like humans and wearing identical gray-green jumpsuits. One was impossible to get a good look at under the loose dark-blue outfit that covered him completely and the round helmet hiding his head. Another was tall and thin, with pebbly white skin and a ponytail of blue hair.
But it was the last one who got more than a quick glance from Wes. Tall, dressed in a long black leather coat, strange ears like bony fans, a mask-like face and eyes whose bright glow he could see even from that distance. Mirloc. It had to be. Wes climbed out of the car and raised his morpher.
- - -
Eric spotted him from the air: a red-suited figure helping an elderly couple over a pile of rubble and then pointing them in the direction of safely. He directed the Eagle down as the Red Ranger started to run deeper into the destruction, and leaped down.
“Wes!” he shouted, and saw the man stop and turn.
“No, it’s Nick. Glad you’re here. Come on, we’ve gotta stop this before more people get hurt.”
Eric nodded, and followed Nick as they moved on through a landscape that again reminded him powerfully of Silver Hills in its darkest hour. The same scattered chunks of concrete and plaster, the same small fires, the same haze of dust and smoke. The same people, some hurt, some hysterical, all running for their lives. He and Nick stopped several times to do what they could to help.
They had just finished freeing a family from the wreckage of their car and watched them head off, the father limping heavily, when both of them ducked as an explosion roared, the sound deafening. A hot breeze blew over them, along with a fresh billow of smoke. “That was close!” Nick exclaimed.
“Yeah. Come on.”
Minutes later Eric knew they had found what they were looking for as they turned a corner onto an even more heavily damaged street - and saw another Ranger in red facing five very strange-looking figures.
“Wes,” he muttered.
“And Mirloc,” Nick added grimly.
- - -
Wes moved out into the open and walked forward to where they could see him, wondering whether they would run at the sight of a Ranger or want to fight. “Mirloc!” he shouted. “Just hold it right there and don’t move!”
Five alien heads turned to see him, and four of the aliens stepped into line behind their leader. “Ah, I was wondering when SPD’s own Ranger would show up to stop us,” Mirloc said in a deeply confident voice. “Or rather, to try to stop us.”
Yeah, they want to fight. Don’t they always? Wes took another step forward. “Sorry, but you’ve got the wrong Red Ranger,” he said. “I’m Time Force.”
“Are you? Well, I suppose the other one won’t be far away, and you’ll do in the meantime.”
“Do for what?” Wes asked. “Why are you here? Why are you doing this?”
Mirloc moved slightly, bringing out a large rifle-like weapon which had been half-hidden by his coat. “There are certain parties who don’t want SPD to succeed in their plans, and who are willing to pay. And I’m always agreeable to a little entertaining mayhem.”
Wes ducked and dived out of the way as Mirloc brought the weapon up. There was a brilliant flash, a sizzling burst of sound as a thick beam sliced the air, and the building behind him was hidden in a fireball of energy. When it cleared, Wes could see a ragged hole blown in the wall. There were screams and shouts, and a few people began running out.
Without a conscious thought, he had his Chronoblaster in his hand and was firing back, targeting Mirloc. The blast hit and he saw the alien stagger, almost dropping the large weapon. But the others were spreading out, coming after him. He couldn’t take all of them out....
- - -
Eric and Nick were running towards the tense scene ahead when they saw Mirloc bring up his blast rifle and blow a fiery hole in the building behind Wes. If he hit one of them with that thing... Eric dismissed the thought from his mind and leaped forward, drawing the Quantum Defender in midair and firing at the two lizard-like aliens as they and their pals moved in on Wes. He hit both. Then he was back on the ground and sprinting towards Mirloc - had to get that weapon away from him - a glance back showed Wes slashing at one of the other aliens with his Chronosaber, and Nick as he kicked the last one in the gut and then blasted him. They’d be okay...
But would he? Mirloc was up already. Eric threw himself into a slide and knocked Mirloc’s legs from under him, cursing as he saw and heard another blast from that thing. He looked just long enough to see more of the same building vanish in a burst of flame and exploding brick and concrete. Then he was springing to his feet, whirling into a kick, seeing the blast rifle fly out of Mirloc’s hands. The alien snarled and fought back viciously, doubling Eric over with a kick and then punching him hard enough to lift him off his feet and drop him onto his back. He rolled up.
“Eric, watch out!”
Wes’s shout distracted his attention to the two other aliens he had blasted a moment before, now recovered, an instant before one of them grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms, and the other threw a punch at him. There was a flash of red as Wes ran by and tackled Mirloc just as he was reaching for his blaster rifle.
Eric brought his legs up to kick the lizard in front of him hard in the chest, then continued the motion to go into a backwards flip over the head of the one holding his arms, freeing himself in the process. Landing on his feet, he sidekicked that one onto the first, pulled the Defender, and shot each of them as they started to get up. This time they collapsed and stayed put.
And the others? Eric took a quick look around. Nick was herding the last of the civilians from the building to safety. The other two aliens were lying on the pavement, obviously out of action for a while. Wes seemed to be getting the worst of his fight with Mirloc. The guy was tough, all right. Eric ran to help his partner as Wes was hit with a backhand and fell, groaning.
“Give up and save yourself some trouble, Mirloc,” Eric growled. “You can’t beat both of us.”
“Make that three of us,” Nick said, appearing on Eric’s other side.
“I suppose you’re right,” Mirloc said. Impossible to see any expression on his face, but he didn’t sound defeated...
“Get him, fast!” Nick shouted. An instant later his own Chronoblaster was in his hand. But it was too late. Mirloc, with a flare of light from his glowing eyes, had vanished.
“What - where’d he go?” Wes asked, turning to look around him.
“He can transport himself through any reflection,” Nick said tensely. He took a step, his blaster still clenched in his hand. “Water from that burst fire hydrant. Broken glass. Our own damn helmets. Anything!”
“But - how do we catch someone like that?”
“Knock him out before he knows what hit him. If we can.”
“Think he’s coming back?” Eric asked.
“Don’t know. Stay alert.” Nick bent to pick up the blast rifle as Eric heard the wail of sirens approaching, and started back the way they had come. “At least we got this away from him. Come on; let’s get it back to SPD. I’m sure Kat would love to take a look at it.”
“I really can’t allow that.” The voice came from behind them. Startled, they all swung around - and saw Mirloc step out of the glass of a store window several yards away. He had a small black box in one hand, which he held up. “Three for the price of one. Goodbye, Rangers.”
Mirloc pressed the button and, in a flash of light, was gone into the glass again. Eric heard Nick start to say something, saw Wes take a step, started forward himself. And then everything vanished into a blast of light and heat and noise and pain.
- - -
“Commander Myers! Eric! Can you hear me?”
The voice was familiar. Eric knew he should know who it was - but when he pried his eyes open, the face didn’t match. It was the face of an ordinary-looking man with big brown eyes - like a dog....
“Commander Myers, it’s Anubis Cruger.” The voice lowered. “In hologrammatic disguise. Are you all right?”
“I - I guess so.” Eric tried sitting up, winced, and waited for his head to stop spinning and his ears to stop ringing. “What happened?”
“An explosion.” Cruger looked away.
Eric followed his gaze. It was coming back. The street, now littered with more debris. The fight... Mirloc... There had been an explosion, strong enough to demorph him and knock him out. And... He saw Kat, also in human disguise, crouching next to a body dressed in red lying half-covered with rubble. Another, in jeans and a red shirt, lay nearby with a couple of SPD officers bending over it. Wes. Nick. But - which was which? Heedless of his head, no longer feeling anything but panic, Eric scrambled to his feet, hardly noticing Cruger’s steadying grip on his arm. He stumbled closer.
The one in jeans was Wes. As Eric dropped to his knees beside him, Wes groaned and stirred, and opened his eyes. “Eric?” he said, his voice dazed.
“Yeah. Are you okay?”
“Think so. Yeah.” Wes groaned again as he pushed himself to a sitting position. “What - what happened?”
“Mirloc. That rifle of his must have had a self-destruct. He set it off and got away.” Eric turned to look at the other form he had seen, still unmoving, Kat hunched near it with her head bowed. “Nick - he was holding it...”
It was Nick, still recognizable despite the dirt that had smeared on his face and the blood from his wounds. Despite the way his half open eyes stared vacantly. He was still in the Ranger suit that was a duplicate of Wes’s, but someone had removed the helmet. And Eric knew beyond any doubt that he was dead.
“Nick?” He heard a choked voice that he hardly recognized as his own. Someone was saying something... Wes was beside him, an arm around him. He sagged, held up only by his partner’s strength and support, as all he could feel was numbness, and all he could say was, “Nicky...”
TBC...
Linkage:
[Turns on my site]
[Turns on ff.net]
List of 22: Loss
Author: cmar
Relationship: Wes/Eric
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Violence, death
The day had dawned bright and clear, with a fresh breeze that kept the summer heat at bay. Eric turned his face up to the sky and squinted at the brightness before he walked into SPD headquarters.
Wes should be having a nice drive. Assuming he had gotten out early, he should be getting close now. Soon he’d call, and they could meet here for lunch, and then, if Nick and Cruger still didn’t have anything for them to do, they could go to the hotel and spend some time alone. And all would be right with the world, at least for a few hours.
He was tempted to think Nick had arranged this time off with exactly that in mind, since SPD seemed to have run out of leads for them to check out as soon as Eric had told him Wes was on his way. Of course, Nick could use a break too; he had sounded happy when he said he was taking Lyn and Sky to the park this morning.
Meanwhile, Eric had figured there was no point in wasting time waiting, so he had come here. A quick workout - and hopefully another, more interesting workout later, with Wes. He smiled at the thought.
- - -
Wes smiled as he saw the sign: ‘Newtech City Limits.’ Almost there; he could see the buildings spread out in the distance. Maybe half an hour to get into town, a little longer to get to wherever Eric was. They could be meeting up in less than an hour. Maybe catch some lunch. It would be nice to pry him away from Nick for a little while too; just as well to be here and keep the two of them from getting too friendly.
And then? A job to do, a criminal to catch, Ranger style. Like old times, almost. He grinned this time, at the thrill of remembered excitement. A good fight at each other’s side, a couple of nights away from home, in a hotel, doing some sneaking into each other’s beds... Maybe this was what they needed to get back on track. He let the speedometer nudge higher.
- - -
Eric examined the weapon in the sunlight behind the SPD building, on the same firing range where he had first seen Nick several days ago. It was very similar to the blasters the Silver Guardians used, but looked like there had been some enhancements added. After a quick, light workout he had found himself with time on his hands, and had decided on some target practice with a borrowed blaster. It was a good opportunity to see whether SPD’s weapons research was paying off. And it was. This blaster was more powerful than the Guardians’, and seemed a little more accurate, too. Impressed, Eric paused, still looking at the target. He’d have to get Zaskin to send the designs to the Bio-Lab weapons engineers.
“Do you approve?” came a voice from behind him.
Surprised, Eric looked behind him to see Kat Manx watching, hands in the pockets of her lab coat and a faint smile on her face. She was wearing her human disguise. He hadn’t heard her approach - but maybe along with her other cat-like qualities, she could move as quietly as one, too.
“Yeah, they’re not bad,” he said, holding up the blaster. “An improvement on ours.”
“Yes.” She came up to him and took the weapon. “That’s something we’ve gotten very good at, building better ways to destroy each other.” With a quick motion she fired at the target, not seeming to take the time to aim. The shot hit dead center. “It’s necessary. But I wish it wasn’t.”
“From what you’ve told us, it’s Gruumm who’s bringing the fight.”
“That’s why I’m here,” she said quietly. “To make sure we win that fight by reinforcing Earth with our technology. And that’s why we need to find Mirloc. If humans learn to distrust all aliens because of a few criminals like him, it could sabotage everything Commander Cruger and I are trying to do.” Again she raised an arm to fire and again hit the center.
Eric watched her for a few seconds before asking, “You told us Gruumm attacked your planet. I know why you’re doing this. But what’s Cruger’s story?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean... Every time I’ve been here, he’s on duty. The guy seems to work twenty-four hours a day. Why does beating Gruumm mean so much to him?”
Kat’s eyes stayed on the target, but a faint line appeared between her brows. “Kruger’s home world, Sirius, was the base of the first SPD. Trying to destroy the only force that could stand against him, Gruumm invaded them about a year ago. Invaded, and destroyed. Every man, woman and child. Cruger survived somehow, only to awaken on a dead planet. Everyone he knew, his friends, family, wife... gone.” She paused for a moment and then added softly, “As far as he knows, he’s the last of his kind. I wonder sometimes what that feels like.”
Eric thought about it as she looked away from him, shoulders lifting and sinking in a sigh. In the routine of the last several days, with the distractions of his personal problems and working with Nick, he had almost forgotten what this was all about. A war. People dying, the survival of whole civilizations, including Earth’s. It was a sobering thought.
“Let’s make sure we don’t find out,” he said. Taking the blaster from Kat’s hand he fired another shot, hitting the center in the same spot she had.
There was someone approaching when he turned back - an SPD officer, in the uniform that was so similar to the Silver Guardians’, coming towards them at a fast trot. The young man stopped in front of them, sketching a quick salute. “Commander Myers, Dr. Manx, sir, ma’am - Commander Cruger sent me to tell you there’s an incident in midtown, Central Avenue. Could be Mirloc, he said. Officer Tate is already on his way, and the Commander asked if you can-”
“Tell him I’m on it,” Eric said, tossing the blaster to Kat and already starting for his car.
Now that the time had come, he could feel the old mixture of excitement and uneasiness that had overtaken him before the bigger battles in Silver Hills, back when the mutants were there. Especially the battles that had been the toughest... suddenly he regretted the absence of the others. Jen, Lucas, Katie, and Trip... good fighters, all of them. Now it was aliens instead of mutants, and two Rangers - three, if Wes could make it in time - to fight them instead of six. With a shrug, he threw off the sensation of foreboding. They were Rangers; of course they’d win. They always did.
- - -
Wes was waiting impatiently at a traffic light, wondering if it was too soon to call, when his cellphone beat him to it by ringing. He got it out of his pocket, flipped it open, and was smiling as Eric’s voice spoke into his ear.
“Wes! Where are you?”
Something was wrong; his smile vanished as he heard the tone of urgency. “Just got here,” he said. “Should be downtown in a few minutes. What’s going on?”
“Trouble. Could be Mirloc. Central Avenue, midtown. Think you can find it?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Wes said, his eyes lifting into the sky where tendrils of dark smoke were reaching up from the city.
- - -
Eric fought off a sense of déjà vu as he saw people fleeing in his direction, the bright burst of a powerful energy discharge lighting the walls of the buildings behind them like lightning. He could see a billow of smoke and dust a moment later, and heard the crash of something falling.
There was no way to keep driving through the increasing crowd of panicking civilians, not if he didn’t want to hit someone. Eric pulled over, turned off the engine, and got out. It wasn’t going to be easy getting through all these people, all going the opposite way - so why try? With a quick leap he jumped onto the hood of his car, wincing as his shoes scraped on the finish, and then stepped to the roof. It was like standing on an island in a river of people, as he raised his morpher to his face and called, “Quantum Power!”
It had been a long time, but the remembered rush of power into his body as the suit formed around him was the same. As soon as the transformation was complete, Eric called out again, “TF Eagle!” and saw his small aircraft appear above his head, swooping down to where he could leap aboard. Leaving the car behind, he flew towards the center of the action.
- - -
Wes swore as he swerved into what he hoped would be an emptier street, circling around the source of the smoke into an area that seemed to be mostly warehouses and much less populated. It let him get closer, until suddenly he was driving through rubble, broken glass, more smoke, looking for whoever or whatever was causing this. Another explosion, very close this time, told him he was headed in the right direction.
Then he slammed on the brakes and jolted to a stop. Visible ahead of him were five people - at first he thought they were the same kind of mutants he had fought so often in 2001 - but these seemed different somehow. Two of them looked like lizards, scaly and green, with tails but walking upright like humans and wearing identical gray-green jumpsuits. One was impossible to get a good look at under the loose dark-blue outfit that covered him completely and the round helmet hiding his head. Another was tall and thin, with pebbly white skin and a ponytail of blue hair.
But it was the last one who got more than a quick glance from Wes. Tall, dressed in a long black leather coat, strange ears like bony fans, a mask-like face and eyes whose bright glow he could see even from that distance. Mirloc. It had to be. Wes climbed out of the car and raised his morpher.
- - -
Eric spotted him from the air: a red-suited figure helping an elderly couple over a pile of rubble and then pointing them in the direction of safely. He directed the Eagle down as the Red Ranger started to run deeper into the destruction, and leaped down.
“Wes!” he shouted, and saw the man stop and turn.
“No, it’s Nick. Glad you’re here. Come on, we’ve gotta stop this before more people get hurt.”
Eric nodded, and followed Nick as they moved on through a landscape that again reminded him powerfully of Silver Hills in its darkest hour. The same scattered chunks of concrete and plaster, the same small fires, the same haze of dust and smoke. The same people, some hurt, some hysterical, all running for their lives. He and Nick stopped several times to do what they could to help.
They had just finished freeing a family from the wreckage of their car and watched them head off, the father limping heavily, when both of them ducked as an explosion roared, the sound deafening. A hot breeze blew over them, along with a fresh billow of smoke. “That was close!” Nick exclaimed.
“Yeah. Come on.”
Minutes later Eric knew they had found what they were looking for as they turned a corner onto an even more heavily damaged street - and saw another Ranger in red facing five very strange-looking figures.
“Wes,” he muttered.
“And Mirloc,” Nick added grimly.
- - -
Wes moved out into the open and walked forward to where they could see him, wondering whether they would run at the sight of a Ranger or want to fight. “Mirloc!” he shouted. “Just hold it right there and don’t move!”
Five alien heads turned to see him, and four of the aliens stepped into line behind their leader. “Ah, I was wondering when SPD’s own Ranger would show up to stop us,” Mirloc said in a deeply confident voice. “Or rather, to try to stop us.”
Yeah, they want to fight. Don’t they always? Wes took another step forward. “Sorry, but you’ve got the wrong Red Ranger,” he said. “I’m Time Force.”
“Are you? Well, I suppose the other one won’t be far away, and you’ll do in the meantime.”
“Do for what?” Wes asked. “Why are you here? Why are you doing this?”
Mirloc moved slightly, bringing out a large rifle-like weapon which had been half-hidden by his coat. “There are certain parties who don’t want SPD to succeed in their plans, and who are willing to pay. And I’m always agreeable to a little entertaining mayhem.”
Wes ducked and dived out of the way as Mirloc brought the weapon up. There was a brilliant flash, a sizzling burst of sound as a thick beam sliced the air, and the building behind him was hidden in a fireball of energy. When it cleared, Wes could see a ragged hole blown in the wall. There were screams and shouts, and a few people began running out.
Without a conscious thought, he had his Chronoblaster in his hand and was firing back, targeting Mirloc. The blast hit and he saw the alien stagger, almost dropping the large weapon. But the others were spreading out, coming after him. He couldn’t take all of them out....
- - -
Eric and Nick were running towards the tense scene ahead when they saw Mirloc bring up his blast rifle and blow a fiery hole in the building behind Wes. If he hit one of them with that thing... Eric dismissed the thought from his mind and leaped forward, drawing the Quantum Defender in midair and firing at the two lizard-like aliens as they and their pals moved in on Wes. He hit both. Then he was back on the ground and sprinting towards Mirloc - had to get that weapon away from him - a glance back showed Wes slashing at one of the other aliens with his Chronosaber, and Nick as he kicked the last one in the gut and then blasted him. They’d be okay...
But would he? Mirloc was up already. Eric threw himself into a slide and knocked Mirloc’s legs from under him, cursing as he saw and heard another blast from that thing. He looked just long enough to see more of the same building vanish in a burst of flame and exploding brick and concrete. Then he was springing to his feet, whirling into a kick, seeing the blast rifle fly out of Mirloc’s hands. The alien snarled and fought back viciously, doubling Eric over with a kick and then punching him hard enough to lift him off his feet and drop him onto his back. He rolled up.
“Eric, watch out!”
Wes’s shout distracted his attention to the two other aliens he had blasted a moment before, now recovered, an instant before one of them grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms, and the other threw a punch at him. There was a flash of red as Wes ran by and tackled Mirloc just as he was reaching for his blaster rifle.
Eric brought his legs up to kick the lizard in front of him hard in the chest, then continued the motion to go into a backwards flip over the head of the one holding his arms, freeing himself in the process. Landing on his feet, he sidekicked that one onto the first, pulled the Defender, and shot each of them as they started to get up. This time they collapsed and stayed put.
And the others? Eric took a quick look around. Nick was herding the last of the civilians from the building to safety. The other two aliens were lying on the pavement, obviously out of action for a while. Wes seemed to be getting the worst of his fight with Mirloc. The guy was tough, all right. Eric ran to help his partner as Wes was hit with a backhand and fell, groaning.
“Give up and save yourself some trouble, Mirloc,” Eric growled. “You can’t beat both of us.”
“Make that three of us,” Nick said, appearing on Eric’s other side.
“I suppose you’re right,” Mirloc said. Impossible to see any expression on his face, but he didn’t sound defeated...
“Get him, fast!” Nick shouted. An instant later his own Chronoblaster was in his hand. But it was too late. Mirloc, with a flare of light from his glowing eyes, had vanished.
“What - where’d he go?” Wes asked, turning to look around him.
“He can transport himself through any reflection,” Nick said tensely. He took a step, his blaster still clenched in his hand. “Water from that burst fire hydrant. Broken glass. Our own damn helmets. Anything!”
“But - how do we catch someone like that?”
“Knock him out before he knows what hit him. If we can.”
“Think he’s coming back?” Eric asked.
“Don’t know. Stay alert.” Nick bent to pick up the blast rifle as Eric heard the wail of sirens approaching, and started back the way they had come. “At least we got this away from him. Come on; let’s get it back to SPD. I’m sure Kat would love to take a look at it.”
“I really can’t allow that.” The voice came from behind them. Startled, they all swung around - and saw Mirloc step out of the glass of a store window several yards away. He had a small black box in one hand, which he held up. “Three for the price of one. Goodbye, Rangers.”
Mirloc pressed the button and, in a flash of light, was gone into the glass again. Eric heard Nick start to say something, saw Wes take a step, started forward himself. And then everything vanished into a blast of light and heat and noise and pain.
- - -
“Commander Myers! Eric! Can you hear me?”
The voice was familiar. Eric knew he should know who it was - but when he pried his eyes open, the face didn’t match. It was the face of an ordinary-looking man with big brown eyes - like a dog....
“Commander Myers, it’s Anubis Cruger.” The voice lowered. “In hologrammatic disguise. Are you all right?”
“I - I guess so.” Eric tried sitting up, winced, and waited for his head to stop spinning and his ears to stop ringing. “What happened?”
“An explosion.” Cruger looked away.
Eric followed his gaze. It was coming back. The street, now littered with more debris. The fight... Mirloc... There had been an explosion, strong enough to demorph him and knock him out. And... He saw Kat, also in human disguise, crouching next to a body dressed in red lying half-covered with rubble. Another, in jeans and a red shirt, lay nearby with a couple of SPD officers bending over it. Wes. Nick. But - which was which? Heedless of his head, no longer feeling anything but panic, Eric scrambled to his feet, hardly noticing Cruger’s steadying grip on his arm. He stumbled closer.
The one in jeans was Wes. As Eric dropped to his knees beside him, Wes groaned and stirred, and opened his eyes. “Eric?” he said, his voice dazed.
“Yeah. Are you okay?”
“Think so. Yeah.” Wes groaned again as he pushed himself to a sitting position. “What - what happened?”
“Mirloc. That rifle of his must have had a self-destruct. He set it off and got away.” Eric turned to look at the other form he had seen, still unmoving, Kat hunched near it with her head bowed. “Nick - he was holding it...”
It was Nick, still recognizable despite the dirt that had smeared on his face and the blood from his wounds. Despite the way his half open eyes stared vacantly. He was still in the Ranger suit that was a duplicate of Wes’s, but someone had removed the helmet. And Eric knew beyond any doubt that he was dead.
“Nick?” He heard a choked voice that he hardly recognized as his own. Someone was saying something... Wes was beside him, an arm around him. He sagged, held up only by his partner’s strength and support, as all he could feel was numbness, and all he could say was, “Nicky...”
TBC...
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