How to Blow Up Time Force in Eight Easy Steps (Time Force/Multi - Season Crossover/Power Rangers, K+
Remember, if you will, a post that quoted this lovely conversation between starandrea and marcicat:
*Andrea: It's like--I think it was Tommy who was like, "Willful ignorance is the best way to handle Wes and Eric. The strategy sometimes backfires when he looks up and realizes they're on the verge of destroying the world, or at least the west coast of the United States, but most of the time it's much less stressful not to know what they're doing."
Marci: Wes and Eric. The ultimate in dysfunctional relationships. And that's even without the romantic entanglement!
Thanks to this wonderful post, I have decided that the Newtech Rangers should attempt to blow up Time Force. At least half the team would totally be on board with this idea, and the rest could possibly be swayed to the other side with a minimal amount of effort. Hey, I needed them to go rescue Wes from the future anyway, right?
I should make a Wes/Eric icon while I'm at it. I can't believe I don't already have one.
-Wanders off to help Eric be destructive, whistling cheerfully-
Now at long last, after much hard work and rewrite and debate, I ...
Have blown up Time Force.
And it was good.
*ETA: LiveJournal is a whiny little bitch today, so this was forced to become two posts. Many apologies.
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force, crossover with S.P.D. (In Bright Skies universe)
Characters/: Eric, Vanessa (O.C.), Chip, R.J., Zhane, Taylor, Justin, Wes
Pairings/: Wes/Eric, R.J./O.C., Alex/Jen
Rating/: K+
Disclaimer/: Seriously. If I owned it, this would have happened in cannon. Because Time Force is evil, the Newtech Rangers are awesome, and I want to see them face off, because it would be cool. And because the Newtech Rangers have somehow unintentionally become my Power Rangers Dream Team. -Pauses- I blame the muses, for making them so awesome.
Summary/: Eric is tired of Time Force taking what's his. The Newtech Rangers decide it's time for some payback. Wes was expecting a rescue mission, but this wasn't quite what he had in mind.
Warnings/: Use of explosives on a public building, characters with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Author's Notes/: This takes place between Chapter 36 of A Darker Shade of Red and Chapter 97 of Bright Skies, but can conceivably be read as a one-shot with only slight confusion. I lovingly blame this entire idea on starandrea and marci, and as well as the support of fans of the Newtech Rangers and the Bright Skies universe. You guys wanted to see it, and darn it, it was fun. -Grins maniacally-
I can't remember now who I first saw use the nickname for Dai Shi that Taylor uses, but it was so hilarious I had to steal it. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know so I can give the appropriate credit. R.J.'s wolf spirit form was inspired by this picture. Many thanks to the artist, without whom his part may not have been written. Extra love to phantom_blue and challon86 for their help in naming operations. ♥
For aliseforemosex, because she needs cheering, and her comments always make me feel so good, and for silverkat1620, who pretty much pounced on the very idea of this and *demanded* it. I hope this makes you both smile. Thank you for making *my* day.
Step 1: Find Your Location
Less than six hours since Wes had disappeared, and Eric was about ready to pull his hair out.
At 5:36 am that morning, S.P.D.'s security satellite showed Wes assaulted by five men in white uniforms while taking Jen for their usual morning walk. Wes had fought well, but they'd ganged up on him, one of them pulling a blaster. It might have been a clean get away if not for Jen: the dog had fought viciously for Wes, biting one of their attackers, and had planted herself firmly in front of her owner, snarling, until they'd been forced to let Wes take her with him before they caused much more of a scene.
Eric had never been more proud of the stupid mutt.
That wasn't to say that he wasn't worried. Or absolutely furious. The security camera had caught the badge on one of the uniform's shoulders, and it was like stepping back into a nightmare from twenty-one years ago.
Time Force. Always messing things up. Always stealing what was his. Always coming after *Wes*, hurting him in one way or another.
Dang it, Wes. How do you keep getting yourself into these things? he growled to himself.
"Exactly how long is it supposed to take to track *one* stupid morpher?" he demanded aloud.
Justin looked up long enough to give him a dark glare. "When that one stupid morpher isn't in this *time period* anymore, a lot longer than you'd think," he snapped. "And you're *not* helping!"
"You're not the only one who's worried about him, Quantum," Zhane said quietly. "Let Turbo and Bo do their jobs."
Eric paced, running a hand over his hair in frustration. "And just what am I supposed to do in the meantime?" he shot back.
"Stop annoying people for one, but that's impossible for you, isn't it?" Taylor retorted from where she leaned against the wall.
He shot her a black look.
R.J. breezed into the room with a mildly curious expression on his face. "What'd I miss?" he asked pleasantly.
"Not much," Chip informed him. He'd barely been there an hour, heading straight for S.P.D. Newtech as soon as he'd gotten the news. "They're still looking, and everyone's about to strangle Eric if he doesn't stop driving us crazy."
"Ah." R.J. looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to Eric with a curious expression. "Have you thought about redirecting your energy into a more productive manner?"
Eric eyed him suspiciously. "I don't meditate," he said flatly.
"Shame," R.J. remarked. "But actually I was suggesting something a bit more ... physical. Sparring," he added as everyone stared at him. "Expelling physical energy as a way of venting emotional stress."
Eric closed his eyes for a moment, at last letting out a long sigh. "Yeah," he muttered. "That's probably a good idea." Wasn't like he was doing anything useful where he was.
R.J. brightened. "Well, then ... lead on, my man!"
Eric glanced at him, shaking his head with another sigh as headed into the hall. No matter how long he'd known him, he would never, ever, understand R.J.
****
"So the security satellite feeds didn't show anything ... unusual?" R.J. asked, grunting as Eric' fist caught him in the stomach.
"You mean - " Eric ducked a kick. "Besides five guys in Time Force uniforms - " He jumped back to avoid another punch, blocking the follow up with an arm. "Grabbing Wes and Jen off the street?"
R.J. caught his arm, twisting it around and aiming for his ribs. "Time Force uniforms?" he repeated, frowning.
"Yeah," Eric grunted, rolling his arm back and out of R.J.'s grasp and adding a hard kick. "Got a clear - " He spun away, striking up a defensive stance. "Shot of a badge. Apparently they're not too careful about that."
R.J. remained where he was as he tilted his head thoughtfully. The gesture was eerily familiar, and Eric clenched his fists as he tried not to picture Wes doing the same thing. "That's ... awfully confident of them," he commented, frowning deeper. "Wouldn't that suggest that they wanted us to know they have Wes? Which would ... also suggest a trap?"
Eric sighed, folding his arms. "It would, if we knew which Time Force we're dealing with. Their entire operation is run through time travel. They could have taken Wes anywhere, for all we know."
"So why don't we start with the Time Force we know?"
They both turned to look at the door. Sky was frowning at the ground, his arms folded as he thought. "Instead of scanning generally, why don't we start by eliminating Alex's Time Force?"
Eric glanced down at the way he was standing and dropped his arms, shifting uncomfortably as he cleared his throat. "Meaning what?"
Sky looked up. "If Dad's with the Time Force Rangers, there'd be two Red Chrono Morphers, right? According to Alex, they started up around the year 2985. So why don't we scan for two morphers in that year, and then move forward from there. If we don't find anything, then we can start looking somewhere else. But if that's the Time Force that keeps messing with us, it'd make the most sense if it was them, right?"
My son is a genius, Eric thought numbly, staring blankly at R.J. Then he paused. Wait, 2985? Jen and the rest were from 3000, right?
R.J. blinked back at him. "Huh. Why didn't we think of that?"
His words didn't make Sky smile or make a smart remark the way they normally would have, and Eric's eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze met R.J.'s, and the other man nodded subtly. "I do believe I have a date with a certain Minx, to convincing her to change her search pattern for our missing canines," R.J. said with deliberate casualty. "If I never see either of you again, give my regards to everyone, and I hope to meet you all in our next incarnations."
Sky barely managed an eye roll as R.J. wandered past him, but his head tilted slightly to look at his step-father when R.J. gripped his shoulder briefly. He didn't shrug it away either, which was odd for Sky. Eric knew he loved R.J. - was probably even more aware of it than Sky and R.J. actually were themselves - but Sky didn't appreciate gestures of physical affection from any of his parents when they were at S.P.D. Wes was the only one who get away with it; most likely because of the fact that he never took advantage of the opportunity.
He waited until R.J. was gone, not-so-subtly closing the door behind him, and looked at his son. "Sky?” he asked quietly.
Sky closed his eyes, and shuddered very, very slightly.
That was all it took for Eric to move swiftly across the room and pull him into a hug. Sky's arms immediately came around him, clinging almost desperately. He buried his face against Eric's shoulder, his entire body trembling.
Eric squeezed him tighter, running a hand over Sky's back and wishing painfully that he was Wes right now. Wes was so much better at comforting Sky than he was, always had been. Whether it came from knowing him longer, being his biological father, or just being Wes, he didn't know. Wes just ... Wes was a lot of things. And when Sky needed a hug or reassurance, it had always been Wes he'd gone to.
"We'll find him, Sky," he murmured, swallowing hard as his voice came out hoarse. "We *will*."
"I can't go through this again," Sky whispered, voice cracking. "I ... I *can't*."
He closed his eyes. Time Force is going to burn for this. I don't know how or when, but *somehow* they are going to pay. "You won't."
"You don't know that."
He pulled away just enough to lift Sky's chin, forcing the teen to meet his eyes. "We're going to get him back," he said firmly. "I *will not* lose anyone else to Time Force. Never again, do you hear me?"
Sky stared at him, and the hopeless look in his eyes made feel like someone was squeezing Eric's chest in a vice. "What if he never comes back, like Alex and Ben? What if ... " His voice cracked again, falling so soft Eric almost couldn't hear him. "What if you *do* find him, but it's like Bethie and Jack? What if it's been so long since he last saw us he doesn't even know who we are anymore?"
Fire. Lots, and lots of fire. Everyone who so much as wears their uniform is about to be ashes.
... I wonder if Vanessa and Justin could figure out a way to get Q-Rex through a timeportal.
"Sky," he said again, narrowing his eyes. "I will *never*, *ever* leave your dad behind again, and I'm not letting him leave me behind." He lifted his wedding ring for Sky to see, making sure the light caught the silver and red enough to shine. "I told him that we were partners, in everything. And I don't abandon my teammates."
Sky looked up slowly at him, and his eyes were slightly red and watery. "What if *you* don't come back?"
He swore he could *feel* his heart breaking.
He brought his hands up from Sky's shoulders to cup either side of the teen's face. "Sky ... " He stopped, trying to find words for what he wanted. Wes was the one with the words. The one who always knew what to say. Even when he didn't speak out loud, Wes could make everything better with a smile or a look.
But he wasn't Wes.
I need you, Wes, he thought desperately. I barely kept this kid together for you once. I don't think I could do it again.
At last he closed his eyes with a sigh, letting his forehead fall against Sky's. I need you, Wes. I ... I need you to tell me what to say.
And almost like a memory from a dream, he remembered.
-- Wes holding his hand, squeezing almost painfully tight beneath the table, and he'd never been so grateful to hear the bones in his hand actually creak. He could see his father now, just entering the restaurant. And the jerk was actually *hesitating* at the door. Five years since they'd so much as spoken, and he didn't even have the nerve to walk inside and just *talk* to his own son.
Maybe he wasn't Charlie, and maybe he wasn't his father's favorite, but he was still *here* wasn't he?
He wasn't aware he was snarling under his breath until Wes leaned in closer to murmur into his ear "Just give him a minute, Eric. This is hard for him, too. He'll be here. Just wait."
And then his father was moving swiftly towards them, shoulders firm and back straight as if the hesitation had never even been there and he just wanted to *run*. He wanted to leave, to tell him off for *daring* to try to make things right again, to - to -
"Wes," he hissed under his breath, feeling himself begin to panic, "What am I supposed to *say*?"
Wes' thumb rubbed the back of his hand, and while the sensation was still new enough to still surprise him, it managed to calm him enough to fight the urge to bolt for the exit. "Just say what you feel, Eric," Wes said softly, giving his hand a softer, gentler squeeze now. "Just say what's in your heart." --
Easy for you to say, Wes, he thought now, just as he had then. Your heart's still on your stupid sleeve.
"Do you remember," he began slowly at last, "What I used to tell you about your dad? Then?"
He heard Sky swallow. "You said that we had to have faith in him, so he could have faith in himself. Because if we believed enough that he'd wake up again, he would."
He smiled faintly, remembering the wide-eyed look of desperate hope the eight-year-old had given him then, even as he pulled back again to look the cynical eighteen-year-old version in the eye. "So I'm asking you to have faith in *both* of us now, Sky. Believe that we'll be okay, and we'll come back."
Sky's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm not eight-years-old anymore, Eric."
"No kidding. You were easier to shove under an arm and carry around then," he retorted, but he still softened his a tone a little. "I'm not asking for blind faith this time, Sky. I'm asking for trust. I'm asking you to trust me, and trust your dad, and trust that we love you enough to fight to come back to you."
He knew, better than anyone, exactly what he was asking of his son. He knew how hard it was for Sky to trust after losing so many people. They had each come back, but nothing had ever been the same as it was before they'd left him, and even when he consciously understood, deep down Sky was unable to forgive them for it. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he was too afraid of being hurt again.
But Eric held his gaze, *willing* Sky to believe him. In Wes, who had always kept his promises to come back to him. Maybe things had changed, but that promise had never been broken, and Eric wasn't about to let it happen now.
He knew all too well that it would absolutely destroy them both.
Sky closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh that turned into another slight shudder. "I trust you," he whispered. Then he was leaning forward, pressing his forehead against Eric's shoulder again as his arms fell to his sides. "I love you," he mumbled against Eric's shirt.
Eric wrapped one around him with a soft sigh, reaching up to card his fingers through Sky's hair with the other hand. "Love you too, Brat," he murmured. Please, Wes. Don't make me a liar. Please be okay.
There was a longer pause, and one of Sky's hands came up to grip his shirt. "I want to go with you."
He sighed again, because this was an argument Sky would *never* win with him, for many reasons. And the kid knew it. "I know."
And I'll be six feet under before I let you get within one hundred years of Time Force.
The intercom chimed. "Specialist Sergeant Captain Eric Myers, please report to Lab 6. Specialist Sergeant Captain Eric Myers, please report to Lab 6."
****
"We found him," Justin confirmed wearily as he passed Eric back his morpher. "November 13th, 3002 shows a sudden flux in the Morphin Grid, presumably due to the presence of two Red Chrono Morphers."
"So you found him," Taylor repeated. She glanced around the room. "Great. Now what?"
"Now I'm going after him."
"What?" Vanessa demanded as everyone turned to stare at him.
Eric finished buckling the strap on his morpher, running a hand over the face experimentally as the flash finally died down to make sure that whatever Vanessa and Justin had done while using it to scan for Wes hadn't damaged anything. At last he glanced up. "I said, I'm going after Wes," he told them pointedly.
"Eric - "
"You can't just - "
"But that's - "
R.J., he noted absently, didn't look remotely surprised. Neither did Zhane. Vanessa looked faintly annoyed.
"It's my husband," he cut in above the din, eyes narrowing. That shut them up. "It's my family they've been after, and it's the jerks who've been messing my life for years. I'm *going*." He turned for the door, muttering "Just try to stop me."
Step 2: Preparations
"I'm going with you."
The jerk had the gall to not even bother looking at her as she stepped up beside him to take an S.P.D. Blaster. "Yeah. Right," he snorted.
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not joking."
Finally he turned to look at her, seeming almost bored. "And what exactly makes you think you're qualified to go on a rescue mission right now?"
She restrained herself from kicking him in the shin. "You toad," she snarled. "Pull your Red Ranger head out of your butt for five seconds, would you? Do you know how to generate a time portal? No," she cut in before he could say anything. "You don't. Do you know how to hack a security lock, if he's being held in a hell somewhere? Can you repair a morpher if it's broken? Jury-rig a comm unit to S.P.D. if something goes wrong? Figure out their technology if Wes needs medical attention?" She jabbed her finger into his chest as he tried to speak again. "No. You can't. You *need* me. You need a team, not to run off playing hero on your own. And Wes would never forgive you if you tried."
"You're pregnant," he reminded her when she paused for breath.
She did kick him then. "Barely a month along, you moron! I'm not helpless!"
He cursed, stepping back with a glare. "I never *said* you were helpless. And hey, if you weren't pregnant, we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation. But you *are*, and it's *my* kid, and I don't want you doing anything stupid, all right?!"
That made her pause, looking at him carefully. "Are you actually worried about me?" she asked warily.
His eyes narrowed. "Are you deaf? I'm worried about the *baby*, genius."
She stared. "You are," she said in surprise, startled and somewhat touched. If he wasn't being such a neurotic, overprotective freak about this, it might almost be sweet. "You're actually worried about me and the baby."
"Well at least you've got it half right," he said sarcastically, strapping his blaster to his belt. He headed down the hall.
She followed him. "Eric, there's barely anything *to* worry about," she argued. "I'm perfectly capable of - "
"Of taking an embryo through a time portal, exposing it to possible radiation?" he interrupted. "Of exposing it to *Morphin* energy radiation? We've already seen how well *that* goes over."
She flinched slightly, stung. "I would never let anything happen to this baby, Eric," she said quietly.
He stopped walking, turning to look at her with a sigh. "I know." He ran a hand over his hair, looking slightly uncomfortable. "If I didn't trust you, I would never have agreed to this in the first place."
It was probably the nicest thing he had ever said to her. She fought to keep in a smile, reminding herself that there was a 'but' coming. With Eric, there was *always* a 'but'.
And it was usually attached to his head.
"But no one expected the morpher project to explode either, did they?" he continued, looking at her seriously now. "And yeah, the kids ended up okay, but we didn't know that at first, did we? We still don't know for sure what's going to happen to *this* kid because of that." He shook his head as she frowned. "Look at Bridge. He was about where the baby is now, right? We *still* don't know everything about what he can do. And you want to put our baby into a *timeportal*?" He shook his head again, looking agitated now. "And even then ... what if we have to morph? What if we get into a fight? There's so many things that could go wrong and - "
She covered his mouth with a hand. "Eric," she said sharply.
He scowled at her.
She spoke quickly, knowing he was about two seconds away from biting her. "I will talk to Dana, and Aisha, and Ashley, and even Katherine and Kat. If they *all* - and I mean every single one of them, unanimous vote - agree that the baby will be okay, will you stop fighting me on this?"
He hesitated, and she went in for the kill, keeping her voice soft. "He's my best friend, Eric." She paused, swallowing as her heart suddenly ached. "He's ... I wouldn't have my family without Wes. I'm worried about him." She took a deep breath, looking up into his eyes. "I love him too," she added, softer now.
They stared at each other.
At last Eric closed his eyes, and she bit back a grin of triumph. "Fine," he growled. "But *only* if they agree. *All* of them, Vanessa."
"All of them," she promised.
As they headed down the hall again, she wondered what the year 3002 would look like.
****
"What is *that* thing?" Taylor demanded.
Justin glanced up. "You mean this?" he asked, half lifting the box in his hands. It looked something like a handheld video game, with odd attachments on the sides. "It's the Turbo Navigator 2.0."
She raised her eyebrows. "2.0?"
"The original was lost with the Power Chamber," he explained absently, tapping something on the screen. "I built this one on Aquitar, out of some spare parts I found in the Dome of Lights one day when I was bored."
Vanessa glanced at her female teammate. Taylor rolled her eyes at her, and she looked down, fighting a smile. Justin was considerably less arrogant than certain other men she knew, but it was easy to forget exactly how smart he was. Something Justin liked to remind them in the most subtle ways.
"Here."
Rose placed something in her hand, and she looked up at her in surprise. "The Zip Shooter?"
Rose nodded, giving a her slight smile. "You can use it with your Drive Defender if you need to. It might come in handy."
She looked at the other woman for a moment before at last giving her a small smile back. She knew the other Overdrive Rangers had a hard time dealing with her sometimes, for a lot of reasons. She didn't blame them. Lending her one of their team's weapons was one of the kindest gestures they could have done. "Thanks."
"You should take R.I.C. with you."
She glanced at the door, where Jack leaned against a wall watching Sky pace. He shrugged when he noticed her looking at him. "We've got the Delta Enforcers, and I'm sure Kat could whip up something else if we need it. You might need the extra firepower," he said simply. "Besides. He likes you guys."
"He likes Dad," Sky murmured.
Jack shrugged. "Whatever. He's small enough to fit through the portal, too."
There was a pause as Vanessa looked at Justin and Taylor to see what they thought. "Thank you," she said finally. "We'll take good care of him."
Jack gave her an easy grin. "Oh, I don't doubt that."
Zhane strolled in, tossing the three of them each an S.P.D. blaster. "Fresh out of lockup," he informed them cheerfully, patting his own sidearm. "I gotta admit, should be interesting using one of these babies."
Vanessa frowned. "Why would you use one?"
He blinked at her. "Because I'm going with you."
"Why are *you* going?" Taylor asked warily.
"Because Astro's a Newtech Ranger too," Chip informed them as he strolled in, medical kit tucked under one arm. "If we're almost ready, Tommy wants us to leave from the Command Center."
Vanessa frowned. "He is?" she asked, ignoring the second part of his statement.
"Yup," Zhane said cheerfully. "I'm special. I get two teams."
"You're 'special' all right," Justin snorted. He leaned away as Zhane moved to playfully shove his shoulder and almost fell off the console he was sitting on.
"Brat," Zhane retorted. He looked at Vanessa, still smiling, but the look in his eyes was serious. "I go with whichever team needs me the most. And right now, Time needs me."
She nodded slowly and let out a long sigh. "Eric isn't going to like this," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.
Taylor snorted, obviously overhearing. "That's an understatement."
"Good thing he doesn't get a say about his Sixths then, huh?" Zhane asked cheerfully.
Vanessa frowned as she tucked the blaster into her belt next to the Zip Shooter and followed the others, wondering if he'd meant to use the plural form.
****
"Are you sure there isn't anything else you'll need?" Tommy pressed, looking worried. "There has to be something else we can - "
"We'll be fine, Tommy," Justin sighed, more used to the commander's fussing than the rest of them. "If we don't have it, I'm sure we can find it or build it."
Tommy chuckled a little. "You probably can," he agreed with a reluctant smile. It faded as he looked over the group. "Be careful, all of you."
"Come home safely," Kimberly said softly, biting her lip anxiously. It was as much an order as it was a request.
"Am I late?"
Vanessa glanced at the doorway, only marginally surprised to see R.J. Then she realized he was wearing his Pai Zhua uniform, and frowned.
"Right on time," Zhane promised him, reaching out to bump wrists with him. He offered the S.P.D. Blaster he'd been playing with for the last five minutes.
R.J. shook head, raising his hands. "Uh ... no thanks. I'm ... more of a ... questions first, shoot later kind of guy."
Zhane looked amused. "You still might need it for shooting later," he pointed out.
"I'm good, thanks," R.J. promised. "I've got plenty of firepower all on my own." He looked around for a moment, smiling brightly. "So. Are we leaving?"
Eric stared at him. "You're not going."
R.J. raised an eyebrow at him. "Actually ... I believe I am."
It was funny, she mused thoughtfully, the way Eric's temple seemed to throb sometimes when he was frustrated. She wondered if he knew about it. She knew Wes did. R.J. seemed to enjoy creating that throb.
She glanced at her husband and found him raising an eyebrow at her now. Did she mind?
She frowned for a moment, thinking. While she hadn't expected him to come with them, she was surprised to realize the thought was ... reassuring somehow. It made her feel safer.
She blamed it on the hormones.
She shook her head slightly in response, and saw him brighten. She knew how she felt about it didn't actually make a difference whether or not he'd go, but it made him feel better to know they wouldn't be fighting about it while they were gone. Despite what Wes and Eric, and even Sky, liked to think about their relationship, they didn't actually fight that often, and neither one of them liked it when they did.
Eric was puffed up now in the way that meant he was about to deliver his arguments about why R.J. wasn't going, when R.J. stepped closer to him. "You're not the Sixth on this team, Eric," he murmured, and if she hadn't been standing as close as she had, she wouldn't have even heard him.
That seemed to make Eric pause for some reason, looking at R.J. suspiciously. "We have one," he muttered back, gesturing slightly towards Zhane.
R.J. smiled, but something about it seemed unpleasant. "No. You have two."
They stared at each other for several minutes.
At last Eric turned away, muttering darkly to himself. "Well, are we leaving or not?" he demanded, glaring at Kat. "We're wasting time here!"
Vanessa smirked as R.J. came closer, taking her hand with a calm, pleased smile. When would Eric learn? He could never win against family.
They knew him too well.
Step 3: Assess the Situation
"Okay," Chip breathed weakly as his stomach finally calmed. "That ... was worse than a hyperjump."
He'd always been sensitive to high speed travel, ever since he first became a Ranger. It wasn't so much the speed that was the problem, but rather the technology involved. Ranger Powers? Good old fashioned magic? No problem. But put him in a space ship - or walk him through a timeportal apparently - and he'd be doubled over by the time they made it to the other side.
Justin rubbed his back soothingly, looking sympathetic as R.I.C. whined anxiously beside them. "At least it's over now," he offered.
"Thank goodness," Chip muttered in relief, taking several more breaths. Stomach sufficiently calmed - and contents expelled - he stood up to get his first real glimpse of the future.
It was ... surprisingly disappointing.
"It looks the same," he said with a frown. "Just ... taller. And rounder."
"Cleaner," Justin observed.
Zhane wrinkled his nose. "Sterile."
"There isn't much natural life around here," R.J. commented quietly, seeming upset. "It's too ... "
"Cold," Taylor finished softly, her eyes on the sky. "Like the planet's suffocating."
"Found him."
They all turned to look at Eric in surprise. He was looking at the tiny map projected above his morpher with a certain amount of satisfaction, even as he frowned. "He's ... with the other Time Force Rangers."
"What are those two red dots?" Vanessa asked, frowning too as she leaned in closer to him to examine the map. "And the darker red one?"
"The red dots are Wes and Alex," he answered, scowling. He tapped something and paused, seeming to pale slightly. "The dark red is ... the Quantum Morpher."
"Like, another one?" Chip wanted to know. "Like there's two of you?"
Eric was silent for a moment. Vanessa and Taylor were both watching him with concerned looks, while R.J. was frowning at the ground for some reason. Chip exchanged glances with Justin and Zhane, but they didn't seem to know what was bothering Eric anymore than he did.
"The original Quantum Ranger is gone," Eric said finally, his voice tight. "They must have given it to someone else."
"They can do that?" Zhane wondered. "I thought Time said his morpher had a DNA lock on it."
"*His* does," Eric corrected shortly. "Mine doesn't."
Chip frowned, taking in how uncomfortable their temporary leader was. "Hey, Turbo. Can I see the Turbo Nav?" he asked brightly.
Justin handed it over with a shrug. "So what do we do now?" he wondered, looking around.
Chip busied himself with bringing up the intergalactic news channel, tuning out the conversations around him. It was something he'd done often on Aquitar after Justin had built the little device, sometimes out of boredom; sometimes to see if there was any news of home. He was a little surprised when he actually got a hit. He hadn't been entirely sure the Navigator would be able to connect to whatever model of the INC they used in the future.
He scanned the immediate articles for anything of interest. If Wes was here, there had to be a reason, right? Even if Time Force was keeping him quiet, there'd still be some sort of indication that -
He stopped in mid-scan, blinking.
"Hey, uh, guys?" he managed finally. "I think I know why Time is here."
"What is it?" Eric demanded instantly, appearing at his side so fast Chip jumped in surprise.
Chip cleared his throat uncomfortably, staring down at the article he'd found as he read aloud. "Surprise witness in the trial of The People versus Commander Jonathan Blakemore of Time Force, Sergeant Commander Wesley Collins takes the stand. Commander Collins appears at the request of Commander Blakemore, but maintains that he finds the Commander at fault for actions taken against Mr. Alexander Collins of the Newtech City Library, Time Force Red Ranger, and student Benjamin Myers, Quantum Ranger. After bringing to light surprise information about both Alexander Collins and Benjamin Myers, Commander Collins was originally intended to be returned to his time period of origin as Time Force Law dictates, but refused on the grounds that he wanted to 'see this man (Commander Blakemore) brought to justice'. Captain Jennifer Scotts, Time Force Pink, supported Commander Collins' request, and asked that he be released to the authority of the Time Force Rangers. Commander Collins refused to make a statement to the public, and was immediate escorted off Time Force property by the Rangers."
He looked up to say something and reached out to grab Eric's arm in alarm. "Hey, are you okay?"
Eric blinked for a moment. "Alexander Collins ... and Benjamin Myers?" he murmured, swaying slightly. He looked even paler than before. He reached out to grab Chip's arm abruptly, squeezing. "Chip, what's the date on that?"
Chip winced slightly at the strength of Eric's grip. "Uh ... It's ... dated today."
Eric blinked again, and this time the sway was more obvious. "T-today?"
R.J. caught him, grabbing his shoulder in support. "Deep breaths," he commanded quietly. "Focus on the situation at hand. Passing out is not so beneficial to the goal."
"I'm not going to pass out," Eric muttered darkly, but he didn't look too sure of himself.
"I thought Time said Ben was shot, and he didn't make it," Justin said slowly. "Why is he being listed as a student when he never left Time Force before?"
"He was," Vanessa answered him shortly. "That's what Alex said the last time they saw him."
"Apparently Alex was wrong," Zhane remarked, ignoring the look she shot him for it.
"We need a rescue plan," Taylor spoke up sharply. She was still staring at the sky for some reason. "The longer we sit around, the more likely Time Force is to detect us."
"So ... what do we do?" Chip asked hesitantly.
There was a long silence.
"We take out Time Force."
They all turned to stare at Eric. The pale, stunned expression was gone, replaced by dark fury. Chip was more than slightly intimidated.
"Excuse me?" Vanessa demanded.
He looked at her. "We blow up Time Force," he said again. "I'm sick of them messing around with us. It's time to make sure they never come after my family again."
Justin frowned. "Quantum, we can't just - "
"I'm not talking about the whole building," Eric cut in impatiently. "I'm talking about key points of their operation. Communications, teleportation, landing bays, timehole generators. We cripple their functions and they'll spend months trying to fix it. Months away from *us*."
"That seems unnecessarily violent," R.J. said slowly, frowning. "And considerably dangerous. I ... don't think I like this idea."
"R.J." Eric's voice was soft, urgent. His eyes bored into the other man's with an intensity that was frightening. "They kidnapped my kids and *tortured* them. They *hurt* my family. Now they've got Wes. What if they come after Sky next? The baby?"
R.J. stayed silent, but something about him seemed suddenly menacing. Chip took a step back uncertainly.
"No civilian casualties," R.J. said abruptly.
"Never in question," Eric returned swiftly. "We'll have to figure out something to get them out of the building, but we won't take lives. I just want Time Force."
"How exactly do you expect to do this?" Justin interrupted, looking annoyed. "It's not like we're carrying any explosives with us. Do we know anything about the layout of the building? How may people will be inside? We're on a rescue mission. You're talking about terrorism!"
"I'm talking about self-defense," Eric snapped. "I'm talking about making sure they can't stop us from taking Wes home, and making sure they *stay away*." He surveyed Justin coolly. "Don't even bother to tell me you haven't already thought of something we could use for explosives," he added. "'If we don't have it, we can find it or build it', right?"
Justin scowled at him. "Wes is supposed to be our priority," he reminded them.
"He *is* my priority," Eric shot back, glaring. "Rescuing Wes is the only reason we're here. But Time Force proven over and over that we can't trust them. How do we know they'll actually send him back? How do we know they won't come take him again?" He paused, looking down for a moment. When he looked back up again, his eyes were still dark, but this time it wasn't anger: it was fear. "I don't want to lose my kids again, Justin."
Justin closed his eyes. For several minutes, they all watched him, waiting. Chip already knew what Justin would decide; despite what Eric might have believed, Justin was as loyal to Wes as any of them. And loyalty to a teammate meant loyalty to their family, too. What he was waiting for was the plan.
When Justin's eyes opened again, they were cold, calculating. "We need to know the layout of the building, a rough guess of how many people will be there tomorrow, and a distraction."
"I can give you a distraction," Taylor spoke up. She was still watching the sky, but she was smiling now. She reached into the pocket of her S.P.D. uniform, pulling out a tiny golden ball. "I can give you a *loud* distraction."
Something bright yellow soared above them, so high in the clouds they almost didn't see it. Chip looked up, blinking, and grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be *fun*," he laughed.
Step 4: Reconnaissance
He moved on swift paws across ground that should have made him slip, if he had been any more substantial. (Metal floors, terrible for traction. The kitchen tile was the same, and he had insisted on rugs for the hardwood floors for that reason, no matter how many strange looks he was given.) The room he surveyed was as cold and dark as they had all been so far, with tiny lights that hurt his eyes in the darkness, and the faint smell of humans who were no longer there. Smaller rooms everywhere, and humans who stared into the night but could not see him watching over them. (At least twenty timeships of various sizes, definitely a problem they would need to remedy.)
He moved into another long, dark hallway, peering into the darkness. The human's eyes could not see him as he was, but he still needed to watch for those with Sight, like his pack would possess. He could not be found.
The hall was as empty as other rooms had been, and he moved on, searching for more tiny flashing lights. The tiny lights were important. (Timeships were located, still needed communications and teleportation.)
Success! Tiny lights everywhere, flashing so brightly it hurt to look. (Their Command Center!) There were humans here too, and he moved among them cautiously. One approached too close, and he scrambled to the side to avoid touching. He moved too quickly and bumped into the wall, fighting down a soft yelp of pain. (Rolling his shoulder with a grimace, because that *hurt*.)
He paused to watch as one human fussed over a group of flashing lights, calling for another. He lowered his head, listening carefully.
"I'm telling you, it was a timehole!"
"An anomaly that small, and that fast? Impossible. You're imagining things."
"I'm not imagining these readings!"
"So it could have been a naturally occurring rip. They *happen*. Stop panicking."
"Just because they happen doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious. What if something came through?"
"Then we'd have already detected it. Seriously. It's nothing. Forget about it."
" ... Are you *sure* we shouldn't report it?"
"Mention it in your morning report, but don't make a big deal about it. If the higher ups think it's a problem, they'll let us know. Now can I get back to work?"
His ears went back as he suppressed a snarl. The arrival of his Pack had been noted, but not their presence. (He needed to warn the others. No telling how long their good luck would last.)
Wait.
He inched closer to the door, sniffing the air.
Packmate. Family.
(Wes!)
The urge to howl was strong. He bolted down the hall again, tracing the scent. There were many others here, but his Packmate was the only scent that mattered. There!
He stopped to sniff the ground, circling. Strange males, sweaty and angry. Packmate. Packsister. Anger. Fear. Sadness. (Wes and Jen. Wes had been held prisoner, Jen had stayed with him. Wes was scared and upset, Jen was trying to protect him.)
The scent moved on, into a room where it was nearly overpowered by the smell of other humans. Packmate and Packsister had stood here, next to the cold no-smell place that made his nose hurt. Anger. Pain. Sadness. Joy. Love. (Wes had stood before many people, feeling so many emotions the scent was dizzying. Some sort of holographic projector beside him? The cold scent of technology burned his nose across the distance, and he rubbed it absently with a frown.)
A new scent. One he did not know, but it stayed beside Packmate and Packsister. They had joined other scents, then left ... the room? No, they had gone beyond this place. Packmate was sad now. Happy. Scared. (Wes must have found the Time Force Rangers. There were ... six of them. Two female, four male. One much younger than the rest. All agitated. Wes was still scared and afraid. Happy to see them, but ... not.)
Packmate and Packsister had left this place, but the ones with them had started from another direction. He followed it swiftly, wanting to know more about these strangers and where they came from. (The Time Force Rangers may have access to other places they would need to take care of. He needed to know if they were a threat. He knew Wes considered them to be his friends, but even friends could hurt each other when their priorities were not the same.)
The strangers had moved up high, to a place that smelled cold and warm at the same time. It burned his nose, but felt good to his fur. A large door meant to kept him out, but doors were nothing to him in this form. (Interesting security system, but nothing he couldn't handle. Justin would laugh at it.)
Inside he found more strange smells, and the scent of the strangers soaked into everything. This must be their den. Lots of emotions here: happiness, joy, fear, anger, hurt, love. Cold smells that burned his nose like the others, but warm energy from ... somewhere? It seemed to come from everywhere at once. (The Time Force Rangers' base. They seemed to have their own communications and technology here, as well as several small projects that seemed to be scattered everywhere, as if the person working on them couldn't seem to focus on just one. He could feel the energy of the Morphin Grid here, but he couldn't find its source.)
Now that he knew location of their den, he followed the scent of the stranger that had joined Wes first, curious. His scent was the oldest, and full of many emotions. It seemed to go throughout the building, leading him to many places he would not have found through idle wandering. (Offices, private landing zones, corporate meeting rooms. Whoever this Ranger was, he knew many important people. Yet ... he always seemed sad and angry and scared. Why was that?)
He traced the stranger's scent to a long, dark hallway. The walls were colder than before, and he whined instinctively at the faint, old smells of death and pain coming from a door at the end. Slowly, carefully, he slunk along the floor, knowing that something important lay here because his human spirit demanded it, but his instincts screamed to run away from the Bad Place. ( ... Were those pictures of Wes and Eric on the walls? What *was* this place?)
And then he found the rooms.
****
R.J. snapped to himself sharply, gasping as he clutched at his heart. His cheeks felt damp, and his nose seemed to be running. For several moments he took his time breathing, trying to calm his emotions while stretching out the cramps in his fingers from all the sketching he'd done of what his wolf spirit had seen.
"R.J.?"
Vanessa's voice was soft, with an underlying hint of anxiousness. She said nothing when he looked at her, only offering him tissue that he had no idea where she'd gotten. "Your nose is bleeding," she explained simply.
He blinked. "Ah," he said hoarsely.
"Are ... you all right?" Chip asked hesitantly, looking worried. "I mean, that was seriously cool and all, and ... sort of creepy? But you don't look so good."
"You were howling," Taylor informed him flatly, glaring.
He blinked again, pressing the tissue to his nose to catch the blood. "I ... was?"
"We heard a wolf from somewhere over there," Zhane explained, pointing in the distance to the building he'd been casing. "I don't think they usually have wolves in this city. At night. On rooftops."
"Uh ... no," he agreed absently, tilting his head back in an effort to stop the bleeding. "I ... don't believe they do."
"Are you all right?" Vanessa's voice was soft as she sat beside him, leaning into his shoulder in a way that was more reassuring than if she'd hugged him or held his hand. "You've never gotten a nosebleed from wandering before," she murmured, pressing closer. She seemed to hesitate. " ... And you're crying."
"Am I?" he asked distantly. His nose was warm and wet now, as was the rest of his face, because he couldn't seem to get himself under control. "That would be because this doesn't normally happen," he added in after thought. "My ... wandering doesn't usually involve investigating so many scents."
At home, he often let his spirit wander when everyone else was asleep or in bed. It was a great way to 'stretch his legs' so to speak, as well as keeping an eye on his family. Vanessa had been startled the first time she'd seen the wolf, but her natural curiosity had lead to many questions, and now she would often stop to greet him when she got up in the middle of the night. Her level of comfort and relaxation around him in that form had been surprising, but it was one of the reasons he loved her enough to legalize their relationship: something he would never have done before.
Eric was crouching in front of him now, his eyes dark with barely-visible worry. "What did you see?"
Vanessa glared at him, but R.J. smiled tiredly at his concern. "I found the areas we need to disable. Also ... they may have detected our arrival, but they don't seem to have noticed *us* so much. Wes is ... " He paused, searching for the right words. "Upset," he said carefully. "He was held in a cell until he was brought to a courtroom, and left with the Time Force Rangers."
Eric scowled for a moment, before looking at him warily. "What's wrong with you?"
He hesitated. "The ... nosebleed is probably from the amount of ...strange smells," he explained awkwardly, hoping they wouldn't ask him to clarify. "The um, display of emotion is ... something else."
Eric's eyes narrowed. "What did you see, R.J.?"
He shifted uncomfortably, checking to see if his nose had stopped bleeding yet. It hadn't.
"R.J.," Eric growled.
He felt Vanessa's body tense in anger. "Leave him - "
"A laboratory," he said quietly.
They both went silent.
He paused, frowning as he searched for words to explain what he'd found. "It was ... old," he told them slowly. "Not used recently. There was pain, and death. Lots of fear." He stopped again, looking up at Eric warily. "I think ... I may have found where Alexander and Benjamin were ... raised." He paused.
R.J. was a pacifist.
What most people didn't realize about pacifists was that while they preferred to avoid conflict, that did not mean they were incapable of it. There are in fact certain circumstances where even a pacifist may find themselves prone to violence. It was rare, and he tried to avoid those instances as much as he possibly could, but sometimes it was ultimately, inevitably, regrettable, but necessary.
Time Force was a threat to his Pack. Not just the Pack, but his *family*, which was unacceptable. The very idea of harm coming to any of his cubs set his nerves on edge and made his spirit howl. And when it came to threats, it was sometimes necessary to make a preemptive strike.
Or in some cases, avenge a hurt so deep, so unforgivable, that punishment for the sake of the Pack was necessary.
"I want to bring Time Force to the ground," he informed them all. "And I have a plan."
(His spirit snarled somewhere deep inside, demanding *blood* for what had been done to his Packmates' cubs.)
*Andrea: It's like--I think it was Tommy who was like, "Willful ignorance is the best way to handle Wes and Eric. The strategy sometimes backfires when he looks up and realizes they're on the verge of destroying the world, or at least the west coast of the United States, but most of the time it's much less stressful not to know what they're doing."
Marci: Wes and Eric. The ultimate in dysfunctional relationships. And that's even without the romantic entanglement!
Thanks to this wonderful post, I have decided that the Newtech Rangers should attempt to blow up Time Force. At least half the team would totally be on board with this idea, and the rest could possibly be swayed to the other side with a minimal amount of effort. Hey, I needed them to go rescue Wes from the future anyway, right?
I should make a Wes/Eric icon while I'm at it. I can't believe I don't already have one.
-Wanders off to help Eric be destructive, whistling cheerfully-
Now at long last, after much hard work and rewrite and debate, I ...
Have blown up Time Force.
And it was good.
*ETA: LiveJournal is a whiny little bitch today, so this was forced to become two posts. Many apologies.
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force, crossover with S.P.D. (In Bright Skies universe)
Characters/: Eric, Vanessa (O.C.), Chip, R.J., Zhane, Taylor, Justin, Wes
Pairings/: Wes/Eric, R.J./O.C., Alex/Jen
Rating/: K+
Disclaimer/: Seriously. If I owned it, this would have happened in cannon. Because Time Force is evil, the Newtech Rangers are awesome, and I want to see them face off, because it would be cool. And because the Newtech Rangers have somehow unintentionally become my Power Rangers Dream Team. -Pauses- I blame the muses, for making them so awesome.
Summary/: Eric is tired of Time Force taking what's his. The Newtech Rangers decide it's time for some payback. Wes was expecting a rescue mission, but this wasn't quite what he had in mind.
Warnings/: Use of explosives on a public building, characters with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Author's Notes/: This takes place between Chapter 36 of A Darker Shade of Red and Chapter 97 of Bright Skies, but can conceivably be read as a one-shot with only slight confusion. I lovingly blame this entire idea on starandrea and marci, and as well as the support of fans of the Newtech Rangers and the Bright Skies universe. You guys wanted to see it, and darn it, it was fun. -Grins maniacally-
I can't remember now who I first saw use the nickname for Dai Shi that Taylor uses, but it was so hilarious I had to steal it. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know so I can give the appropriate credit. R.J.'s wolf spirit form was inspired by this picture. Many thanks to the artist, without whom his part may not have been written. Extra love to phantom_blue and challon86 for their help in naming operations. ♥
For aliseforemosex, because she needs cheering, and her comments always make me feel so good, and for silverkat1620, who pretty much pounced on the very idea of this and *demanded* it. I hope this makes you both smile. Thank you for making *my* day.
Step 1: Find Your Location
Less than six hours since Wes had disappeared, and Eric was about ready to pull his hair out.
At 5:36 am that morning, S.P.D.'s security satellite showed Wes assaulted by five men in white uniforms while taking Jen for their usual morning walk. Wes had fought well, but they'd ganged up on him, one of them pulling a blaster. It might have been a clean get away if not for Jen: the dog had fought viciously for Wes, biting one of their attackers, and had planted herself firmly in front of her owner, snarling, until they'd been forced to let Wes take her with him before they caused much more of a scene.
Eric had never been more proud of the stupid mutt.
That wasn't to say that he wasn't worried. Or absolutely furious. The security camera had caught the badge on one of the uniform's shoulders, and it was like stepping back into a nightmare from twenty-one years ago.
Time Force. Always messing things up. Always stealing what was his. Always coming after *Wes*, hurting him in one way or another.
Dang it, Wes. How do you keep getting yourself into these things? he growled to himself.
"Exactly how long is it supposed to take to track *one* stupid morpher?" he demanded aloud.
Justin looked up long enough to give him a dark glare. "When that one stupid morpher isn't in this *time period* anymore, a lot longer than you'd think," he snapped. "And you're *not* helping!"
"You're not the only one who's worried about him, Quantum," Zhane said quietly. "Let Turbo and Bo do their jobs."
Eric paced, running a hand over his hair in frustration. "And just what am I supposed to do in the meantime?" he shot back.
"Stop annoying people for one, but that's impossible for you, isn't it?" Taylor retorted from where she leaned against the wall.
He shot her a black look.
R.J. breezed into the room with a mildly curious expression on his face. "What'd I miss?" he asked pleasantly.
"Not much," Chip informed him. He'd barely been there an hour, heading straight for S.P.D. Newtech as soon as he'd gotten the news. "They're still looking, and everyone's about to strangle Eric if he doesn't stop driving us crazy."
"Ah." R.J. looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to Eric with a curious expression. "Have you thought about redirecting your energy into a more productive manner?"
Eric eyed him suspiciously. "I don't meditate," he said flatly.
"Shame," R.J. remarked. "But actually I was suggesting something a bit more ... physical. Sparring," he added as everyone stared at him. "Expelling physical energy as a way of venting emotional stress."
Eric closed his eyes for a moment, at last letting out a long sigh. "Yeah," he muttered. "That's probably a good idea." Wasn't like he was doing anything useful where he was.
R.J. brightened. "Well, then ... lead on, my man!"
Eric glanced at him, shaking his head with another sigh as headed into the hall. No matter how long he'd known him, he would never, ever, understand R.J.
****
"So the security satellite feeds didn't show anything ... unusual?" R.J. asked, grunting as Eric' fist caught him in the stomach.
"You mean - " Eric ducked a kick. "Besides five guys in Time Force uniforms - " He jumped back to avoid another punch, blocking the follow up with an arm. "Grabbing Wes and Jen off the street?"
R.J. caught his arm, twisting it around and aiming for his ribs. "Time Force uniforms?" he repeated, frowning.
"Yeah," Eric grunted, rolling his arm back and out of R.J.'s grasp and adding a hard kick. "Got a clear - " He spun away, striking up a defensive stance. "Shot of a badge. Apparently they're not too careful about that."
R.J. remained where he was as he tilted his head thoughtfully. The gesture was eerily familiar, and Eric clenched his fists as he tried not to picture Wes doing the same thing. "That's ... awfully confident of them," he commented, frowning deeper. "Wouldn't that suggest that they wanted us to know they have Wes? Which would ... also suggest a trap?"
Eric sighed, folding his arms. "It would, if we knew which Time Force we're dealing with. Their entire operation is run through time travel. They could have taken Wes anywhere, for all we know."
"So why don't we start with the Time Force we know?"
They both turned to look at the door. Sky was frowning at the ground, his arms folded as he thought. "Instead of scanning generally, why don't we start by eliminating Alex's Time Force?"
Eric glanced down at the way he was standing and dropped his arms, shifting uncomfortably as he cleared his throat. "Meaning what?"
Sky looked up. "If Dad's with the Time Force Rangers, there'd be two Red Chrono Morphers, right? According to Alex, they started up around the year 2985. So why don't we scan for two morphers in that year, and then move forward from there. If we don't find anything, then we can start looking somewhere else. But if that's the Time Force that keeps messing with us, it'd make the most sense if it was them, right?"
My son is a genius, Eric thought numbly, staring blankly at R.J. Then he paused. Wait, 2985? Jen and the rest were from 3000, right?
R.J. blinked back at him. "Huh. Why didn't we think of that?"
His words didn't make Sky smile or make a smart remark the way they normally would have, and Eric's eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze met R.J.'s, and the other man nodded subtly. "I do believe I have a date with a certain Minx, to convincing her to change her search pattern for our missing canines," R.J. said with deliberate casualty. "If I never see either of you again, give my regards to everyone, and I hope to meet you all in our next incarnations."
Sky barely managed an eye roll as R.J. wandered past him, but his head tilted slightly to look at his step-father when R.J. gripped his shoulder briefly. He didn't shrug it away either, which was odd for Sky. Eric knew he loved R.J. - was probably even more aware of it than Sky and R.J. actually were themselves - but Sky didn't appreciate gestures of physical affection from any of his parents when they were at S.P.D. Wes was the only one who get away with it; most likely because of the fact that he never took advantage of the opportunity.
He waited until R.J. was gone, not-so-subtly closing the door behind him, and looked at his son. "Sky?” he asked quietly.
Sky closed his eyes, and shuddered very, very slightly.
That was all it took for Eric to move swiftly across the room and pull him into a hug. Sky's arms immediately came around him, clinging almost desperately. He buried his face against Eric's shoulder, his entire body trembling.
Eric squeezed him tighter, running a hand over Sky's back and wishing painfully that he was Wes right now. Wes was so much better at comforting Sky than he was, always had been. Whether it came from knowing him longer, being his biological father, or just being Wes, he didn't know. Wes just ... Wes was a lot of things. And when Sky needed a hug or reassurance, it had always been Wes he'd gone to.
"We'll find him, Sky," he murmured, swallowing hard as his voice came out hoarse. "We *will*."
"I can't go through this again," Sky whispered, voice cracking. "I ... I *can't*."
He closed his eyes. Time Force is going to burn for this. I don't know how or when, but *somehow* they are going to pay. "You won't."
"You don't know that."
He pulled away just enough to lift Sky's chin, forcing the teen to meet his eyes. "We're going to get him back," he said firmly. "I *will not* lose anyone else to Time Force. Never again, do you hear me?"
Sky stared at him, and the hopeless look in his eyes made feel like someone was squeezing Eric's chest in a vice. "What if he never comes back, like Alex and Ben? What if ... " His voice cracked again, falling so soft Eric almost couldn't hear him. "What if you *do* find him, but it's like Bethie and Jack? What if it's been so long since he last saw us he doesn't even know who we are anymore?"
Fire. Lots, and lots of fire. Everyone who so much as wears their uniform is about to be ashes.
... I wonder if Vanessa and Justin could figure out a way to get Q-Rex through a timeportal.
"Sky," he said again, narrowing his eyes. "I will *never*, *ever* leave your dad behind again, and I'm not letting him leave me behind." He lifted his wedding ring for Sky to see, making sure the light caught the silver and red enough to shine. "I told him that we were partners, in everything. And I don't abandon my teammates."
Sky looked up slowly at him, and his eyes were slightly red and watery. "What if *you* don't come back?"
He swore he could *feel* his heart breaking.
He brought his hands up from Sky's shoulders to cup either side of the teen's face. "Sky ... " He stopped, trying to find words for what he wanted. Wes was the one with the words. The one who always knew what to say. Even when he didn't speak out loud, Wes could make everything better with a smile or a look.
But he wasn't Wes.
I need you, Wes, he thought desperately. I barely kept this kid together for you once. I don't think I could do it again.
At last he closed his eyes with a sigh, letting his forehead fall against Sky's. I need you, Wes. I ... I need you to tell me what to say.
And almost like a memory from a dream, he remembered.
-- Wes holding his hand, squeezing almost painfully tight beneath the table, and he'd never been so grateful to hear the bones in his hand actually creak. He could see his father now, just entering the restaurant. And the jerk was actually *hesitating* at the door. Five years since they'd so much as spoken, and he didn't even have the nerve to walk inside and just *talk* to his own son.
Maybe he wasn't Charlie, and maybe he wasn't his father's favorite, but he was still *here* wasn't he?
He wasn't aware he was snarling under his breath until Wes leaned in closer to murmur into his ear "Just give him a minute, Eric. This is hard for him, too. He'll be here. Just wait."
And then his father was moving swiftly towards them, shoulders firm and back straight as if the hesitation had never even been there and he just wanted to *run*. He wanted to leave, to tell him off for *daring* to try to make things right again, to - to -
"Wes," he hissed under his breath, feeling himself begin to panic, "What am I supposed to *say*?"
Wes' thumb rubbed the back of his hand, and while the sensation was still new enough to still surprise him, it managed to calm him enough to fight the urge to bolt for the exit. "Just say what you feel, Eric," Wes said softly, giving his hand a softer, gentler squeeze now. "Just say what's in your heart." --
Easy for you to say, Wes, he thought now, just as he had then. Your heart's still on your stupid sleeve.
"Do you remember," he began slowly at last, "What I used to tell you about your dad? Then?"
He heard Sky swallow. "You said that we had to have faith in him, so he could have faith in himself. Because if we believed enough that he'd wake up again, he would."
He smiled faintly, remembering the wide-eyed look of desperate hope the eight-year-old had given him then, even as he pulled back again to look the cynical eighteen-year-old version in the eye. "So I'm asking you to have faith in *both* of us now, Sky. Believe that we'll be okay, and we'll come back."
Sky's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm not eight-years-old anymore, Eric."
"No kidding. You were easier to shove under an arm and carry around then," he retorted, but he still softened his a tone a little. "I'm not asking for blind faith this time, Sky. I'm asking for trust. I'm asking you to trust me, and trust your dad, and trust that we love you enough to fight to come back to you."
He knew, better than anyone, exactly what he was asking of his son. He knew how hard it was for Sky to trust after losing so many people. They had each come back, but nothing had ever been the same as it was before they'd left him, and even when he consciously understood, deep down Sky was unable to forgive them for it. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he was too afraid of being hurt again.
But Eric held his gaze, *willing* Sky to believe him. In Wes, who had always kept his promises to come back to him. Maybe things had changed, but that promise had never been broken, and Eric wasn't about to let it happen now.
He knew all too well that it would absolutely destroy them both.
Sky closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh that turned into another slight shudder. "I trust you," he whispered. Then he was leaning forward, pressing his forehead against Eric's shoulder again as his arms fell to his sides. "I love you," he mumbled against Eric's shirt.
Eric wrapped one around him with a soft sigh, reaching up to card his fingers through Sky's hair with the other hand. "Love you too, Brat," he murmured. Please, Wes. Don't make me a liar. Please be okay.
There was a longer pause, and one of Sky's hands came up to grip his shirt. "I want to go with you."
He sighed again, because this was an argument Sky would *never* win with him, for many reasons. And the kid knew it. "I know."
And I'll be six feet under before I let you get within one hundred years of Time Force.
The intercom chimed. "Specialist Sergeant Captain Eric Myers, please report to Lab 6. Specialist Sergeant Captain Eric Myers, please report to Lab 6."
****
"We found him," Justin confirmed wearily as he passed Eric back his morpher. "November 13th, 3002 shows a sudden flux in the Morphin Grid, presumably due to the presence of two Red Chrono Morphers."
"So you found him," Taylor repeated. She glanced around the room. "Great. Now what?"
"Now I'm going after him."
"What?" Vanessa demanded as everyone turned to stare at him.
Eric finished buckling the strap on his morpher, running a hand over the face experimentally as the flash finally died down to make sure that whatever Vanessa and Justin had done while using it to scan for Wes hadn't damaged anything. At last he glanced up. "I said, I'm going after Wes," he told them pointedly.
"Eric - "
"You can't just - "
"But that's - "
R.J., he noted absently, didn't look remotely surprised. Neither did Zhane. Vanessa looked faintly annoyed.
"It's my husband," he cut in above the din, eyes narrowing. That shut them up. "It's my family they've been after, and it's the jerks who've been messing my life for years. I'm *going*." He turned for the door, muttering "Just try to stop me."
Step 2: Preparations
"I'm going with you."
The jerk had the gall to not even bother looking at her as she stepped up beside him to take an S.P.D. Blaster. "Yeah. Right," he snorted.
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not joking."
Finally he turned to look at her, seeming almost bored. "And what exactly makes you think you're qualified to go on a rescue mission right now?"
She restrained herself from kicking him in the shin. "You toad," she snarled. "Pull your Red Ranger head out of your butt for five seconds, would you? Do you know how to generate a time portal? No," she cut in before he could say anything. "You don't. Do you know how to hack a security lock, if he's being held in a hell somewhere? Can you repair a morpher if it's broken? Jury-rig a comm unit to S.P.D. if something goes wrong? Figure out their technology if Wes needs medical attention?" She jabbed her finger into his chest as he tried to speak again. "No. You can't. You *need* me. You need a team, not to run off playing hero on your own. And Wes would never forgive you if you tried."
"You're pregnant," he reminded her when she paused for breath.
She did kick him then. "Barely a month along, you moron! I'm not helpless!"
He cursed, stepping back with a glare. "I never *said* you were helpless. And hey, if you weren't pregnant, we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation. But you *are*, and it's *my* kid, and I don't want you doing anything stupid, all right?!"
That made her pause, looking at him carefully. "Are you actually worried about me?" she asked warily.
His eyes narrowed. "Are you deaf? I'm worried about the *baby*, genius."
She stared. "You are," she said in surprise, startled and somewhat touched. If he wasn't being such a neurotic, overprotective freak about this, it might almost be sweet. "You're actually worried about me and the baby."
"Well at least you've got it half right," he said sarcastically, strapping his blaster to his belt. He headed down the hall.
She followed him. "Eric, there's barely anything *to* worry about," she argued. "I'm perfectly capable of - "
"Of taking an embryo through a time portal, exposing it to possible radiation?" he interrupted. "Of exposing it to *Morphin* energy radiation? We've already seen how well *that* goes over."
She flinched slightly, stung. "I would never let anything happen to this baby, Eric," she said quietly.
He stopped walking, turning to look at her with a sigh. "I know." He ran a hand over his hair, looking slightly uncomfortable. "If I didn't trust you, I would never have agreed to this in the first place."
It was probably the nicest thing he had ever said to her. She fought to keep in a smile, reminding herself that there was a 'but' coming. With Eric, there was *always* a 'but'.
And it was usually attached to his head.
"But no one expected the morpher project to explode either, did they?" he continued, looking at her seriously now. "And yeah, the kids ended up okay, but we didn't know that at first, did we? We still don't know for sure what's going to happen to *this* kid because of that." He shook his head as she frowned. "Look at Bridge. He was about where the baby is now, right? We *still* don't know everything about what he can do. And you want to put our baby into a *timeportal*?" He shook his head again, looking agitated now. "And even then ... what if we have to morph? What if we get into a fight? There's so many things that could go wrong and - "
She covered his mouth with a hand. "Eric," she said sharply.
He scowled at her.
She spoke quickly, knowing he was about two seconds away from biting her. "I will talk to Dana, and Aisha, and Ashley, and even Katherine and Kat. If they *all* - and I mean every single one of them, unanimous vote - agree that the baby will be okay, will you stop fighting me on this?"
He hesitated, and she went in for the kill, keeping her voice soft. "He's my best friend, Eric." She paused, swallowing as her heart suddenly ached. "He's ... I wouldn't have my family without Wes. I'm worried about him." She took a deep breath, looking up into his eyes. "I love him too," she added, softer now.
They stared at each other.
At last Eric closed his eyes, and she bit back a grin of triumph. "Fine," he growled. "But *only* if they agree. *All* of them, Vanessa."
"All of them," she promised.
As they headed down the hall again, she wondered what the year 3002 would look like.
****
"What is *that* thing?" Taylor demanded.
Justin glanced up. "You mean this?" he asked, half lifting the box in his hands. It looked something like a handheld video game, with odd attachments on the sides. "It's the Turbo Navigator 2.0."
She raised her eyebrows. "2.0?"
"The original was lost with the Power Chamber," he explained absently, tapping something on the screen. "I built this one on Aquitar, out of some spare parts I found in the Dome of Lights one day when I was bored."
Vanessa glanced at her female teammate. Taylor rolled her eyes at her, and she looked down, fighting a smile. Justin was considerably less arrogant than certain other men she knew, but it was easy to forget exactly how smart he was. Something Justin liked to remind them in the most subtle ways.
"Here."
Rose placed something in her hand, and she looked up at her in surprise. "The Zip Shooter?"
Rose nodded, giving a her slight smile. "You can use it with your Drive Defender if you need to. It might come in handy."
She looked at the other woman for a moment before at last giving her a small smile back. She knew the other Overdrive Rangers had a hard time dealing with her sometimes, for a lot of reasons. She didn't blame them. Lending her one of their team's weapons was one of the kindest gestures they could have done. "Thanks."
"You should take R.I.C. with you."
She glanced at the door, where Jack leaned against a wall watching Sky pace. He shrugged when he noticed her looking at him. "We've got the Delta Enforcers, and I'm sure Kat could whip up something else if we need it. You might need the extra firepower," he said simply. "Besides. He likes you guys."
"He likes Dad," Sky murmured.
Jack shrugged. "Whatever. He's small enough to fit through the portal, too."
There was a pause as Vanessa looked at Justin and Taylor to see what they thought. "Thank you," she said finally. "We'll take good care of him."
Jack gave her an easy grin. "Oh, I don't doubt that."
Zhane strolled in, tossing the three of them each an S.P.D. blaster. "Fresh out of lockup," he informed them cheerfully, patting his own sidearm. "I gotta admit, should be interesting using one of these babies."
Vanessa frowned. "Why would you use one?"
He blinked at her. "Because I'm going with you."
"Why are *you* going?" Taylor asked warily.
"Because Astro's a Newtech Ranger too," Chip informed them as he strolled in, medical kit tucked under one arm. "If we're almost ready, Tommy wants us to leave from the Command Center."
Vanessa frowned. "He is?" she asked, ignoring the second part of his statement.
"Yup," Zhane said cheerfully. "I'm special. I get two teams."
"You're 'special' all right," Justin snorted. He leaned away as Zhane moved to playfully shove his shoulder and almost fell off the console he was sitting on.
"Brat," Zhane retorted. He looked at Vanessa, still smiling, but the look in his eyes was serious. "I go with whichever team needs me the most. And right now, Time needs me."
She nodded slowly and let out a long sigh. "Eric isn't going to like this," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.
Taylor snorted, obviously overhearing. "That's an understatement."
"Good thing he doesn't get a say about his Sixths then, huh?" Zhane asked cheerfully.
Vanessa frowned as she tucked the blaster into her belt next to the Zip Shooter and followed the others, wondering if he'd meant to use the plural form.
****
"Are you sure there isn't anything else you'll need?" Tommy pressed, looking worried. "There has to be something else we can - "
"We'll be fine, Tommy," Justin sighed, more used to the commander's fussing than the rest of them. "If we don't have it, I'm sure we can find it or build it."
Tommy chuckled a little. "You probably can," he agreed with a reluctant smile. It faded as he looked over the group. "Be careful, all of you."
"Come home safely," Kimberly said softly, biting her lip anxiously. It was as much an order as it was a request.
"Am I late?"
Vanessa glanced at the doorway, only marginally surprised to see R.J. Then she realized he was wearing his Pai Zhua uniform, and frowned.
"Right on time," Zhane promised him, reaching out to bump wrists with him. He offered the S.P.D. Blaster he'd been playing with for the last five minutes.
R.J. shook head, raising his hands. "Uh ... no thanks. I'm ... more of a ... questions first, shoot later kind of guy."
Zhane looked amused. "You still might need it for shooting later," he pointed out.
"I'm good, thanks," R.J. promised. "I've got plenty of firepower all on my own." He looked around for a moment, smiling brightly. "So. Are we leaving?"
Eric stared at him. "You're not going."
R.J. raised an eyebrow at him. "Actually ... I believe I am."
It was funny, she mused thoughtfully, the way Eric's temple seemed to throb sometimes when he was frustrated. She wondered if he knew about it. She knew Wes did. R.J. seemed to enjoy creating that throb.
She glanced at her husband and found him raising an eyebrow at her now. Did she mind?
She frowned for a moment, thinking. While she hadn't expected him to come with them, she was surprised to realize the thought was ... reassuring somehow. It made her feel safer.
She blamed it on the hormones.
She shook her head slightly in response, and saw him brighten. She knew how she felt about it didn't actually make a difference whether or not he'd go, but it made him feel better to know they wouldn't be fighting about it while they were gone. Despite what Wes and Eric, and even Sky, liked to think about their relationship, they didn't actually fight that often, and neither one of them liked it when they did.
Eric was puffed up now in the way that meant he was about to deliver his arguments about why R.J. wasn't going, when R.J. stepped closer to him. "You're not the Sixth on this team, Eric," he murmured, and if she hadn't been standing as close as she had, she wouldn't have even heard him.
That seemed to make Eric pause for some reason, looking at R.J. suspiciously. "We have one," he muttered back, gesturing slightly towards Zhane.
R.J. smiled, but something about it seemed unpleasant. "No. You have two."
They stared at each other for several minutes.
At last Eric turned away, muttering darkly to himself. "Well, are we leaving or not?" he demanded, glaring at Kat. "We're wasting time here!"
Vanessa smirked as R.J. came closer, taking her hand with a calm, pleased smile. When would Eric learn? He could never win against family.
They knew him too well.
Step 3: Assess the Situation
"Okay," Chip breathed weakly as his stomach finally calmed. "That ... was worse than a hyperjump."
He'd always been sensitive to high speed travel, ever since he first became a Ranger. It wasn't so much the speed that was the problem, but rather the technology involved. Ranger Powers? Good old fashioned magic? No problem. But put him in a space ship - or walk him through a timeportal apparently - and he'd be doubled over by the time they made it to the other side.
Justin rubbed his back soothingly, looking sympathetic as R.I.C. whined anxiously beside them. "At least it's over now," he offered.
"Thank goodness," Chip muttered in relief, taking several more breaths. Stomach sufficiently calmed - and contents expelled - he stood up to get his first real glimpse of the future.
It was ... surprisingly disappointing.
"It looks the same," he said with a frown. "Just ... taller. And rounder."
"Cleaner," Justin observed.
Zhane wrinkled his nose. "Sterile."
"There isn't much natural life around here," R.J. commented quietly, seeming upset. "It's too ... "
"Cold," Taylor finished softly, her eyes on the sky. "Like the planet's suffocating."
"Found him."
They all turned to look at Eric in surprise. He was looking at the tiny map projected above his morpher with a certain amount of satisfaction, even as he frowned. "He's ... with the other Time Force Rangers."
"What are those two red dots?" Vanessa asked, frowning too as she leaned in closer to him to examine the map. "And the darker red one?"
"The red dots are Wes and Alex," he answered, scowling. He tapped something and paused, seeming to pale slightly. "The dark red is ... the Quantum Morpher."
"Like, another one?" Chip wanted to know. "Like there's two of you?"
Eric was silent for a moment. Vanessa and Taylor were both watching him with concerned looks, while R.J. was frowning at the ground for some reason. Chip exchanged glances with Justin and Zhane, but they didn't seem to know what was bothering Eric anymore than he did.
"The original Quantum Ranger is gone," Eric said finally, his voice tight. "They must have given it to someone else."
"They can do that?" Zhane wondered. "I thought Time said his morpher had a DNA lock on it."
"*His* does," Eric corrected shortly. "Mine doesn't."
Chip frowned, taking in how uncomfortable their temporary leader was. "Hey, Turbo. Can I see the Turbo Nav?" he asked brightly.
Justin handed it over with a shrug. "So what do we do now?" he wondered, looking around.
Chip busied himself with bringing up the intergalactic news channel, tuning out the conversations around him. It was something he'd done often on Aquitar after Justin had built the little device, sometimes out of boredom; sometimes to see if there was any news of home. He was a little surprised when he actually got a hit. He hadn't been entirely sure the Navigator would be able to connect to whatever model of the INC they used in the future.
He scanned the immediate articles for anything of interest. If Wes was here, there had to be a reason, right? Even if Time Force was keeping him quiet, there'd still be some sort of indication that -
He stopped in mid-scan, blinking.
"Hey, uh, guys?" he managed finally. "I think I know why Time is here."
"What is it?" Eric demanded instantly, appearing at his side so fast Chip jumped in surprise.
Chip cleared his throat uncomfortably, staring down at the article he'd found as he read aloud. "Surprise witness in the trial of The People versus Commander Jonathan Blakemore of Time Force, Sergeant Commander Wesley Collins takes the stand. Commander Collins appears at the request of Commander Blakemore, but maintains that he finds the Commander at fault for actions taken against Mr. Alexander Collins of the Newtech City Library, Time Force Red Ranger, and student Benjamin Myers, Quantum Ranger. After bringing to light surprise information about both Alexander Collins and Benjamin Myers, Commander Collins was originally intended to be returned to his time period of origin as Time Force Law dictates, but refused on the grounds that he wanted to 'see this man (Commander Blakemore) brought to justice'. Captain Jennifer Scotts, Time Force Pink, supported Commander Collins' request, and asked that he be released to the authority of the Time Force Rangers. Commander Collins refused to make a statement to the public, and was immediate escorted off Time Force property by the Rangers."
He looked up to say something and reached out to grab Eric's arm in alarm. "Hey, are you okay?"
Eric blinked for a moment. "Alexander Collins ... and Benjamin Myers?" he murmured, swaying slightly. He looked even paler than before. He reached out to grab Chip's arm abruptly, squeezing. "Chip, what's the date on that?"
Chip winced slightly at the strength of Eric's grip. "Uh ... It's ... dated today."
Eric blinked again, and this time the sway was more obvious. "T-today?"
R.J. caught him, grabbing his shoulder in support. "Deep breaths," he commanded quietly. "Focus on the situation at hand. Passing out is not so beneficial to the goal."
"I'm not going to pass out," Eric muttered darkly, but he didn't look too sure of himself.
"I thought Time said Ben was shot, and he didn't make it," Justin said slowly. "Why is he being listed as a student when he never left Time Force before?"
"He was," Vanessa answered him shortly. "That's what Alex said the last time they saw him."
"Apparently Alex was wrong," Zhane remarked, ignoring the look she shot him for it.
"We need a rescue plan," Taylor spoke up sharply. She was still staring at the sky for some reason. "The longer we sit around, the more likely Time Force is to detect us."
"So ... what do we do?" Chip asked hesitantly.
There was a long silence.
"We take out Time Force."
They all turned to stare at Eric. The pale, stunned expression was gone, replaced by dark fury. Chip was more than slightly intimidated.
"Excuse me?" Vanessa demanded.
He looked at her. "We blow up Time Force," he said again. "I'm sick of them messing around with us. It's time to make sure they never come after my family again."
Justin frowned. "Quantum, we can't just - "
"I'm not talking about the whole building," Eric cut in impatiently. "I'm talking about key points of their operation. Communications, teleportation, landing bays, timehole generators. We cripple their functions and they'll spend months trying to fix it. Months away from *us*."
"That seems unnecessarily violent," R.J. said slowly, frowning. "And considerably dangerous. I ... don't think I like this idea."
"R.J." Eric's voice was soft, urgent. His eyes bored into the other man's with an intensity that was frightening. "They kidnapped my kids and *tortured* them. They *hurt* my family. Now they've got Wes. What if they come after Sky next? The baby?"
R.J. stayed silent, but something about him seemed suddenly menacing. Chip took a step back uncertainly.
"No civilian casualties," R.J. said abruptly.
"Never in question," Eric returned swiftly. "We'll have to figure out something to get them out of the building, but we won't take lives. I just want Time Force."
"How exactly do you expect to do this?" Justin interrupted, looking annoyed. "It's not like we're carrying any explosives with us. Do we know anything about the layout of the building? How may people will be inside? We're on a rescue mission. You're talking about terrorism!"
"I'm talking about self-defense," Eric snapped. "I'm talking about making sure they can't stop us from taking Wes home, and making sure they *stay away*." He surveyed Justin coolly. "Don't even bother to tell me you haven't already thought of something we could use for explosives," he added. "'If we don't have it, we can find it or build it', right?"
Justin scowled at him. "Wes is supposed to be our priority," he reminded them.
"He *is* my priority," Eric shot back, glaring. "Rescuing Wes is the only reason we're here. But Time Force proven over and over that we can't trust them. How do we know they'll actually send him back? How do we know they won't come take him again?" He paused, looking down for a moment. When he looked back up again, his eyes were still dark, but this time it wasn't anger: it was fear. "I don't want to lose my kids again, Justin."
Justin closed his eyes. For several minutes, they all watched him, waiting. Chip already knew what Justin would decide; despite what Eric might have believed, Justin was as loyal to Wes as any of them. And loyalty to a teammate meant loyalty to their family, too. What he was waiting for was the plan.
When Justin's eyes opened again, they were cold, calculating. "We need to know the layout of the building, a rough guess of how many people will be there tomorrow, and a distraction."
"I can give you a distraction," Taylor spoke up. She was still watching the sky, but she was smiling now. She reached into the pocket of her S.P.D. uniform, pulling out a tiny golden ball. "I can give you a *loud* distraction."
Something bright yellow soared above them, so high in the clouds they almost didn't see it. Chip looked up, blinking, and grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be *fun*," he laughed.
Step 4: Reconnaissance
He moved on swift paws across ground that should have made him slip, if he had been any more substantial. (Metal floors, terrible for traction. The kitchen tile was the same, and he had insisted on rugs for the hardwood floors for that reason, no matter how many strange looks he was given.) The room he surveyed was as cold and dark as they had all been so far, with tiny lights that hurt his eyes in the darkness, and the faint smell of humans who were no longer there. Smaller rooms everywhere, and humans who stared into the night but could not see him watching over them. (At least twenty timeships of various sizes, definitely a problem they would need to remedy.)
He moved into another long, dark hallway, peering into the darkness. The human's eyes could not see him as he was, but he still needed to watch for those with Sight, like his pack would possess. He could not be found.
The hall was as empty as other rooms had been, and he moved on, searching for more tiny flashing lights. The tiny lights were important. (Timeships were located, still needed communications and teleportation.)
Success! Tiny lights everywhere, flashing so brightly it hurt to look. (Their Command Center!) There were humans here too, and he moved among them cautiously. One approached too close, and he scrambled to the side to avoid touching. He moved too quickly and bumped into the wall, fighting down a soft yelp of pain. (Rolling his shoulder with a grimace, because that *hurt*.)
He paused to watch as one human fussed over a group of flashing lights, calling for another. He lowered his head, listening carefully.
"I'm telling you, it was a timehole!"
"An anomaly that small, and that fast? Impossible. You're imagining things."
"I'm not imagining these readings!"
"So it could have been a naturally occurring rip. They *happen*. Stop panicking."
"Just because they happen doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious. What if something came through?"
"Then we'd have already detected it. Seriously. It's nothing. Forget about it."
" ... Are you *sure* we shouldn't report it?"
"Mention it in your morning report, but don't make a big deal about it. If the higher ups think it's a problem, they'll let us know. Now can I get back to work?"
His ears went back as he suppressed a snarl. The arrival of his Pack had been noted, but not their presence. (He needed to warn the others. No telling how long their good luck would last.)
Wait.
He inched closer to the door, sniffing the air.
Packmate. Family.
(Wes!)
The urge to howl was strong. He bolted down the hall again, tracing the scent. There were many others here, but his Packmate was the only scent that mattered. There!
He stopped to sniff the ground, circling. Strange males, sweaty and angry. Packmate. Packsister. Anger. Fear. Sadness. (Wes and Jen. Wes had been held prisoner, Jen had stayed with him. Wes was scared and upset, Jen was trying to protect him.)
The scent moved on, into a room where it was nearly overpowered by the smell of other humans. Packmate and Packsister had stood here, next to the cold no-smell place that made his nose hurt. Anger. Pain. Sadness. Joy. Love. (Wes had stood before many people, feeling so many emotions the scent was dizzying. Some sort of holographic projector beside him? The cold scent of technology burned his nose across the distance, and he rubbed it absently with a frown.)
A new scent. One he did not know, but it stayed beside Packmate and Packsister. They had joined other scents, then left ... the room? No, they had gone beyond this place. Packmate was sad now. Happy. Scared. (Wes must have found the Time Force Rangers. There were ... six of them. Two female, four male. One much younger than the rest. All agitated. Wes was still scared and afraid. Happy to see them, but ... not.)
Packmate and Packsister had left this place, but the ones with them had started from another direction. He followed it swiftly, wanting to know more about these strangers and where they came from. (The Time Force Rangers may have access to other places they would need to take care of. He needed to know if they were a threat. He knew Wes considered them to be his friends, but even friends could hurt each other when their priorities were not the same.)
The strangers had moved up high, to a place that smelled cold and warm at the same time. It burned his nose, but felt good to his fur. A large door meant to kept him out, but doors were nothing to him in this form. (Interesting security system, but nothing he couldn't handle. Justin would laugh at it.)
Inside he found more strange smells, and the scent of the strangers soaked into everything. This must be their den. Lots of emotions here: happiness, joy, fear, anger, hurt, love. Cold smells that burned his nose like the others, but warm energy from ... somewhere? It seemed to come from everywhere at once. (The Time Force Rangers' base. They seemed to have their own communications and technology here, as well as several small projects that seemed to be scattered everywhere, as if the person working on them couldn't seem to focus on just one. He could feel the energy of the Morphin Grid here, but he couldn't find its source.)
Now that he knew location of their den, he followed the scent of the stranger that had joined Wes first, curious. His scent was the oldest, and full of many emotions. It seemed to go throughout the building, leading him to many places he would not have found through idle wandering. (Offices, private landing zones, corporate meeting rooms. Whoever this Ranger was, he knew many important people. Yet ... he always seemed sad and angry and scared. Why was that?)
He traced the stranger's scent to a long, dark hallway. The walls were colder than before, and he whined instinctively at the faint, old smells of death and pain coming from a door at the end. Slowly, carefully, he slunk along the floor, knowing that something important lay here because his human spirit demanded it, but his instincts screamed to run away from the Bad Place. ( ... Were those pictures of Wes and Eric on the walls? What *was* this place?)
And then he found the rooms.
****
R.J. snapped to himself sharply, gasping as he clutched at his heart. His cheeks felt damp, and his nose seemed to be running. For several moments he took his time breathing, trying to calm his emotions while stretching out the cramps in his fingers from all the sketching he'd done of what his wolf spirit had seen.
"R.J.?"
Vanessa's voice was soft, with an underlying hint of anxiousness. She said nothing when he looked at her, only offering him tissue that he had no idea where she'd gotten. "Your nose is bleeding," she explained simply.
He blinked. "Ah," he said hoarsely.
"Are ... you all right?" Chip asked hesitantly, looking worried. "I mean, that was seriously cool and all, and ... sort of creepy? But you don't look so good."
"You were howling," Taylor informed him flatly, glaring.
He blinked again, pressing the tissue to his nose to catch the blood. "I ... was?"
"We heard a wolf from somewhere over there," Zhane explained, pointing in the distance to the building he'd been casing. "I don't think they usually have wolves in this city. At night. On rooftops."
"Uh ... no," he agreed absently, tilting his head back in an effort to stop the bleeding. "I ... don't believe they do."
"Are you all right?" Vanessa's voice was soft as she sat beside him, leaning into his shoulder in a way that was more reassuring than if she'd hugged him or held his hand. "You've never gotten a nosebleed from wandering before," she murmured, pressing closer. She seemed to hesitate. " ... And you're crying."
"Am I?" he asked distantly. His nose was warm and wet now, as was the rest of his face, because he couldn't seem to get himself under control. "That would be because this doesn't normally happen," he added in after thought. "My ... wandering doesn't usually involve investigating so many scents."
At home, he often let his spirit wander when everyone else was asleep or in bed. It was a great way to 'stretch his legs' so to speak, as well as keeping an eye on his family. Vanessa had been startled the first time she'd seen the wolf, but her natural curiosity had lead to many questions, and now she would often stop to greet him when she got up in the middle of the night. Her level of comfort and relaxation around him in that form had been surprising, but it was one of the reasons he loved her enough to legalize their relationship: something he would never have done before.
Eric was crouching in front of him now, his eyes dark with barely-visible worry. "What did you see?"
Vanessa glared at him, but R.J. smiled tiredly at his concern. "I found the areas we need to disable. Also ... they may have detected our arrival, but they don't seem to have noticed *us* so much. Wes is ... " He paused, searching for the right words. "Upset," he said carefully. "He was held in a cell until he was brought to a courtroom, and left with the Time Force Rangers."
Eric scowled for a moment, before looking at him warily. "What's wrong with you?"
He hesitated. "The ... nosebleed is probably from the amount of ...strange smells," he explained awkwardly, hoping they wouldn't ask him to clarify. "The um, display of emotion is ... something else."
Eric's eyes narrowed. "What did you see, R.J.?"
He shifted uncomfortably, checking to see if his nose had stopped bleeding yet. It hadn't.
"R.J.," Eric growled.
He felt Vanessa's body tense in anger. "Leave him - "
"A laboratory," he said quietly.
They both went silent.
He paused, frowning as he searched for words to explain what he'd found. "It was ... old," he told them slowly. "Not used recently. There was pain, and death. Lots of fear." He stopped again, looking up at Eric warily. "I think ... I may have found where Alexander and Benjamin were ... raised." He paused.
R.J. was a pacifist.
What most people didn't realize about pacifists was that while they preferred to avoid conflict, that did not mean they were incapable of it. There are in fact certain circumstances where even a pacifist may find themselves prone to violence. It was rare, and he tried to avoid those instances as much as he possibly could, but sometimes it was ultimately, inevitably, regrettable, but necessary.
Time Force was a threat to his Pack. Not just the Pack, but his *family*, which was unacceptable. The very idea of harm coming to any of his cubs set his nerves on edge and made his spirit howl. And when it came to threats, it was sometimes necessary to make a preemptive strike.
Or in some cases, avenge a hurt so deep, so unforgivable, that punishment for the sake of the Pack was necessary.
"I want to bring Time Force to the ground," he informed them all. "And I have a plan."
(His spirit snarled somewhere deep inside, demanding *blood* for what had been done to his Packmates' cubs.)