A Darker Shade of Red (Time Force/Power Rangers, T, Chapter 14: Strategy Session)
-Yawning- This is rediculous. I just woke up and finished exercising and being all sorts of productive, and now I'm *tired*. And I've only been up for an hour and a half!
-Glares at AlexMuse- Keep me awake, damn you!
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force, slight crossover with S.P.D. (In Bright Skies universe)
Characters/: Alex
Pairings/: Alex/Jen, Lucas/Trip, Katie/OC, Wes/Eric
Rating/: T
Disclaimer/: Saban/Disney/Whoever sure didn't write *this* into the series. The plot comes purely from my own warped little mind, and the characters are merely borrowed from them for my own amusement. Lucky you.
Summary/: The legacy of Wesley Collins and Eric Myers didn't just affect the past - it affected the future. One thousand years after they became Rangers, one person is still struggling against the corruption of Time Force and the heritage he never wanted.
Warnings/: People used for scientific experimentation, corrupted Time Force, character with self-image issues
Author's Notes/: When in doubt, add cookies. Team Bonding is also good.
"We need some sort of strategy," Lucas mused.
"We need a plan," Katie insisted, reaching around him to steal from the plate.
"We need to know who our enemies are," Jen said firmly, completely ignoring the streak of chocolate on the side of her mouth, as well as the fact that Alex couldn't seem to take his eyes off it.
"We need to know what we're doing," Alex muttered, trying once again to find something else to focus his attention on and failing.
Trip frowned at the empty plate resting on the floor in the center of the room, and sighed mournfully. "We need more cookies."
"Motion seconded," Katie said quickly, grabbing the plate. "I'll go get some."
"Since when is this a democracy?" Alex demanded.
"And milk?" Trip asked hopefully.
Katie gave him an amused look. "Of course! It's not cookies without milk."
"This has never been a democracy," Jen told Alex. "They just like to pretend it is."
"And Jen lets us get away with it because it's easier than arguing," Katie agreed cheerfully as she headed back to the kitchen.
Alex raised his eyebrows at Jen. She shrugged back at him. "It is," she admitted.
"Otherwise we just pretend we're listening, which is even worse," Lucas informed him, stretching and leaning over Trip to grab the cookie still in his hand.
"Hey!" Trip protested, flashing him a hurt look.
Lucas sighed and handed it back, but Trip only split it in half and gave him back the bigger piece anyway.
Alex rolled his eyes and glanced at Jen to make sure he wasn't the only one who'd caught that. Her amused expression said he wasn't. "You do realize Katie's going to be back with more any minute now."
"That's not now," Lucas returned, leaning back again to munch on his cookie piece thoughtfully.
"What about me?" Katie asked, carrying a plate that looked twice as full of cookies as the last one had been.
"Lucas is using you as an excuse to pick on Trip," Alex told her, smirking at Lucas' annoyed look.
"He'd better not be picking on Trip," Katie retorted. She reclaimed her place on the floor beside Trip and Alex, leaning back against Jen's bed and absently shoving Lucas' legs out of the way. "'Cause he know what I'll do to him if he does."
"No bloodshed in the house please, that's all I ask," Keith said pleasantly as brought in a small tray with five tall glasses of milk. He set it down beside the cookies, smiling as the glasses promptly disappeared. "You kids need anything else?"
"Not right now, Papa. Thanks," Jen assured him with a smile.
He leaned over to wipe the corner of her mouth with a thumb and chuckled. "You're welcome. Let me know if you do."
Alex silently cursed and thanked him for the movement.
"We will," she promised.
She waited until the door closed behind him before looking around at the rest of them. "Let's start with what we know," she began.
"Blakemore's a - " Alex choked on his cookie, coughed, and glared down at his morpher. "Jerk," he finished lamely, elbowing Trip when he giggled.
Jen rolled her eyes.
Katie snickered and leaned back on her hands. "So we know we don't like Blakemore," she agreed.
"I think that's a little obvious," Jen said pointedly. "What else do we know?"
"We can't trust Blakemore or anyone connected to him and the original Morpher Project?" Trip volunteered.
"But do we even know who that is?" Lucas asked skeptically.
Alex and Trip exchanged glances. "We could make a list of the ones we know ... " Alex began hesitantly, frowning.
"But we don't have any proof of their involvement," Trip finished with a sigh. "Most of the data disappeared right before we were found."
"That's convenient," Lucas grumbled.
"Isn't it?" Alex returned sarcastically.
Jen poked him in the side with her foot, glaring. She nudged Katie with her elbow, nodding down to the cookies on the floor, and smiled in gratitude when one was passed up to her. "A list is a start," she declared eventually. "With that we can try gathering evidence against them. Even if it has to be current, the point is getting them out of Time Force permanently."
"Easier said than done," Alex murmured, dodging when she tried to kick him again. His frown returned. "We also need a secure base of operations. We can't hide with Jen's parents forever."
Jen nodded, biting her lip. "And I don't want to get Papa and Dad mixed up into anything."
"We may have to, eventually," Lucas pointed out. "I mean, when it comes time to make an actual arrest, it might be better to have it done by someone outside of Time Force."
She frowned. "True. But ... " She hesitated, shaking her head. "I don't want to get them involved until we have to. I - "
"Jen," Katie cut in, reaching up to squeeze her hand sympathetically. "It's okay. We understand."
Jen swallowed, forcing a shaky smile. "Thanks."
"Well .... we do have Ranger Tower," Trip spoke up hesitantly. "I mean, they did give it to us."
"I don't trust anything Time Force supplied," Alex muttered darkly. "If they supplied it, there's no way it's secure. There's probably cameras all over the place."
"So we fake feed them," Trip said simply. "We go through and debug the entire tower, and then we seal it off so that no one can get in without a morpher."
"Just a morpher?" Lucas asked warily. His eyes flickered to Alex.
Trip looked at Alex worriedly. "Well - "
"Just the Chrono Morphers," he interrupted, shaking his head slightly. He let out a long sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. "Better to make sure it's specifically these five, as well. I wouldn't put it past them to try and create a new set just to get rid of us."
"They wouldn't," Katie protested instantly. She frowned, looking around uncertainly. " ... Would they?"
"I wouldn't put it past them," Alex repeated grimly. He glanced up at Jen. "Are you sure we can trust Logan?"
She hesitated, looking down at the floor for a moment. At last she raised her head again, nodding once. "Yes," she said firmly. "I won't say I trust him completely, but I believe him when he says he's on our side."
"So does that mean we can trust everyone under Logan, or no?" Lucas wanted to know, frowning as he stole another cookie out of Trip's hand. He ignored the pout he received in return and dodged Katie's fist before she could hit him for it.
"No," Alex said instantly. "Even good leaders have to deal with bad subordinates." He frowned into his milk, eventually looking up at the long silence. "What?"
Katie leaned forward again to rest her chin on folded hands. "Speaking from personal experience?" she asked innocently.
He frowned at her, sighing and rolling his eyes as he finally caught on. "I didn't mean any of *you*. I meant in general. There are good leaders with bad subordinates, and bad leaders with good subordinates. You can't base your assessments of an entire unit based on how one man behaves."
There was another pause.
"Did you just say you want us to investigate everyone in Time Force?" Lucas demanded.
"Alex, that could take *years*," Jen argued.
Something in him snapped. He stood without warning, trying to keep from glaring furiously at them all. "I didn't realize you'd all assumed this was going to be something short and simple that we could do in a few weeks." He forced an indifferent shrug. "I've already dedicated my life to Time Force, so it doesn't matter to me how long this takes. If the rest of you aren't comfortable with giving that much dedication to the cause, I understand."
"Alex!" Jen caught his arm as he reached the door. "That's not what anyone's saying," she protested. "Will you just calm down for a minute?"
He closed his eyes, forcing another slow breath that accomplished nothing. "Time Force is what I am. It's all I've ever been. Building a Time Force I can be proud of isn't a chore for me. I'm sorry if the rest of you feel that way," he said shortly
"No one said it was a chore, Alex," Katie spoke up quietly, and her voice was closer than it had been. "Don't put words in our mouths."
He grit his teeth. "You don't understand what this means to me. None of you have as much as stake as I do."
Another awkward silence.
"So tell us," Lucas said finally, sounding annoyed. "Why does it mean so much more to you than it would to us?"
He swallowed, scrunching his eyes shut and fighting the urge to rest his head against the door in front of him. "This means finally being able to force the people who hurt my brothers to pay for what they did," he began softly. "The scientists, the sponsors, the security guards ... all of them. I want every single one of them in cryo for the rest of their lives. It means that someday, I'm going to have to stand in front of a courtroom and tell them everything that was done to me, everything that I saw. It means I'm going to have to stand against *my own brother*, because he thinks Time Force saved his life." He could feel himself trembling again, and he shook his head harshly. "I can't just ... This isn't something I'm going to be able to walk away from when it gets too hard. I have to put myself through this, because if I don't ... no one else will."
"I will."
Trip was suddenly beside him, looking up with an earnest expression. "Alex, this is my fight, too. They hurt *my* brother. I want to make things better, too."
"You're not alone anymore, you know." Surprisingly it was Katie who said it, coming up behind Trip to give him a concerned frown. "We're on your side, Alex. You just have let us be there."
He started when Lucas' hand settled on his shoulder. The other man shook his head, giving him an look that seemed almost amused. "You still didn't answer my question," he drawled. "Why would something that affects you not mean enough to us?"
"We've really got to work on your definition of 'team'," Jen murmured in agreement, her smile soft and understanding.
"Team?" he echoed, frowning. "But ... we're not ... you're - "
"We're a team," Katie told him firmly. "All five of us. You're just gonna have to get used to it."
There was a lump in his throat he couldn't seem to swallow, and he hadn't noticed he'd been shaking his head until Jen reached up to make him stop. "Wes was your team," he forced out before he could meet her eyes, his voice barely audible.
"He is," Jen agreed. "But no one said there had to be a limit on how big a team can be." Her hand was stroking his cheek now with a deliberate softness that was incredibly distracting.
"Apparently this team has seven," Katie said with a light shrug, grinning.
"Eight," Trip corrected even as Alex wondered who else they were missing. "Just because he doesn't know it yet doesn't mean Ben isn't part of the team."
Lucas snorted, shaking his head. "There's gotta be something about those Quantum Rangers. They just can't learn to play well with others."
Alex choked out a laugh without meaning to. He blinked, and found the other four grinning at him.
"So there is a sense of humor in there," Katie teased.
He rolled his eyes. "Very funny."
"Face it, Alex. You're stuck with us," Jen informed him, smiling warmly.
"All of us," Katie nodded.
Apparently this was some silent cue for Trip to hug him. Then Katie was crushing his ribs, Jen was resting her head against his shoulder, and even Lucas had an arm wrapped around him. He groaned loudly, and whether it was at the hug itself or the fact that he couldn't breathe, he couldn't say. All he knew was that he was being smothered, someone's hair was making his neck itch, he was pretty sure if Katie squeezed any tighter something was either going to pop or go numb, and he couldn't move enough to get any of them off of him.
But that tight feeling in his chest that had begun when Ben had told him he wouldn't give up Time Force seemed to ease a little.
Eventually they all pulled away, and he scowled at Katie as he rubbed his side. She laughed at him and tried to tussle his hair, and he winced when he tried to duck away.
"So ... does this mean we can go back to the cookies?" Trip asked hopefully.
-Glares at AlexMuse- Keep me awake, damn you!
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force, slight crossover with S.P.D. (In Bright Skies universe)
Characters/: Alex
Pairings/: Alex/Jen, Lucas/Trip, Katie/OC, Wes/Eric
Rating/: T
Disclaimer/: Saban/Disney/Whoever sure didn't write *this* into the series. The plot comes purely from my own warped little mind, and the characters are merely borrowed from them for my own amusement. Lucky you.
Summary/: The legacy of Wesley Collins and Eric Myers didn't just affect the past - it affected the future. One thousand years after they became Rangers, one person is still struggling against the corruption of Time Force and the heritage he never wanted.
Warnings/: People used for scientific experimentation, corrupted Time Force, character with self-image issues
Author's Notes/: When in doubt, add cookies. Team Bonding is also good.
"We need some sort of strategy," Lucas mused.
"We need a plan," Katie insisted, reaching around him to steal from the plate.
"We need to know who our enemies are," Jen said firmly, completely ignoring the streak of chocolate on the side of her mouth, as well as the fact that Alex couldn't seem to take his eyes off it.
"We need to know what we're doing," Alex muttered, trying once again to find something else to focus his attention on and failing.
Trip frowned at the empty plate resting on the floor in the center of the room, and sighed mournfully. "We need more cookies."
"Motion seconded," Katie said quickly, grabbing the plate. "I'll go get some."
"Since when is this a democracy?" Alex demanded.
"And milk?" Trip asked hopefully.
Katie gave him an amused look. "Of course! It's not cookies without milk."
"This has never been a democracy," Jen told Alex. "They just like to pretend it is."
"And Jen lets us get away with it because it's easier than arguing," Katie agreed cheerfully as she headed back to the kitchen.
Alex raised his eyebrows at Jen. She shrugged back at him. "It is," she admitted.
"Otherwise we just pretend we're listening, which is even worse," Lucas informed him, stretching and leaning over Trip to grab the cookie still in his hand.
"Hey!" Trip protested, flashing him a hurt look.
Lucas sighed and handed it back, but Trip only split it in half and gave him back the bigger piece anyway.
Alex rolled his eyes and glanced at Jen to make sure he wasn't the only one who'd caught that. Her amused expression said he wasn't. "You do realize Katie's going to be back with more any minute now."
"That's not now," Lucas returned, leaning back again to munch on his cookie piece thoughtfully.
"What about me?" Katie asked, carrying a plate that looked twice as full of cookies as the last one had been.
"Lucas is using you as an excuse to pick on Trip," Alex told her, smirking at Lucas' annoyed look.
"He'd better not be picking on Trip," Katie retorted. She reclaimed her place on the floor beside Trip and Alex, leaning back against Jen's bed and absently shoving Lucas' legs out of the way. "'Cause he know what I'll do to him if he does."
"No bloodshed in the house please, that's all I ask," Keith said pleasantly as brought in a small tray with five tall glasses of milk. He set it down beside the cookies, smiling as the glasses promptly disappeared. "You kids need anything else?"
"Not right now, Papa. Thanks," Jen assured him with a smile.
He leaned over to wipe the corner of her mouth with a thumb and chuckled. "You're welcome. Let me know if you do."
Alex silently cursed and thanked him for the movement.
"We will," she promised.
She waited until the door closed behind him before looking around at the rest of them. "Let's start with what we know," she began.
"Blakemore's a - " Alex choked on his cookie, coughed, and glared down at his morpher. "Jerk," he finished lamely, elbowing Trip when he giggled.
Jen rolled her eyes.
Katie snickered and leaned back on her hands. "So we know we don't like Blakemore," she agreed.
"I think that's a little obvious," Jen said pointedly. "What else do we know?"
"We can't trust Blakemore or anyone connected to him and the original Morpher Project?" Trip volunteered.
"But do we even know who that is?" Lucas asked skeptically.
Alex and Trip exchanged glances. "We could make a list of the ones we know ... " Alex began hesitantly, frowning.
"But we don't have any proof of their involvement," Trip finished with a sigh. "Most of the data disappeared right before we were found."
"That's convenient," Lucas grumbled.
"Isn't it?" Alex returned sarcastically.
Jen poked him in the side with her foot, glaring. She nudged Katie with her elbow, nodding down to the cookies on the floor, and smiled in gratitude when one was passed up to her. "A list is a start," she declared eventually. "With that we can try gathering evidence against them. Even if it has to be current, the point is getting them out of Time Force permanently."
"Easier said than done," Alex murmured, dodging when she tried to kick him again. His frown returned. "We also need a secure base of operations. We can't hide with Jen's parents forever."
Jen nodded, biting her lip. "And I don't want to get Papa and Dad mixed up into anything."
"We may have to, eventually," Lucas pointed out. "I mean, when it comes time to make an actual arrest, it might be better to have it done by someone outside of Time Force."
She frowned. "True. But ... " She hesitated, shaking her head. "I don't want to get them involved until we have to. I - "
"Jen," Katie cut in, reaching up to squeeze her hand sympathetically. "It's okay. We understand."
Jen swallowed, forcing a shaky smile. "Thanks."
"Well .... we do have Ranger Tower," Trip spoke up hesitantly. "I mean, they did give it to us."
"I don't trust anything Time Force supplied," Alex muttered darkly. "If they supplied it, there's no way it's secure. There's probably cameras all over the place."
"So we fake feed them," Trip said simply. "We go through and debug the entire tower, and then we seal it off so that no one can get in without a morpher."
"Just a morpher?" Lucas asked warily. His eyes flickered to Alex.
Trip looked at Alex worriedly. "Well - "
"Just the Chrono Morphers," he interrupted, shaking his head slightly. He let out a long sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. "Better to make sure it's specifically these five, as well. I wouldn't put it past them to try and create a new set just to get rid of us."
"They wouldn't," Katie protested instantly. She frowned, looking around uncertainly. " ... Would they?"
"I wouldn't put it past them," Alex repeated grimly. He glanced up at Jen. "Are you sure we can trust Logan?"
She hesitated, looking down at the floor for a moment. At last she raised her head again, nodding once. "Yes," she said firmly. "I won't say I trust him completely, but I believe him when he says he's on our side."
"So does that mean we can trust everyone under Logan, or no?" Lucas wanted to know, frowning as he stole another cookie out of Trip's hand. He ignored the pout he received in return and dodged Katie's fist before she could hit him for it.
"No," Alex said instantly. "Even good leaders have to deal with bad subordinates." He frowned into his milk, eventually looking up at the long silence. "What?"
Katie leaned forward again to rest her chin on folded hands. "Speaking from personal experience?" she asked innocently.
He frowned at her, sighing and rolling his eyes as he finally caught on. "I didn't mean any of *you*. I meant in general. There are good leaders with bad subordinates, and bad leaders with good subordinates. You can't base your assessments of an entire unit based on how one man behaves."
There was another pause.
"Did you just say you want us to investigate everyone in Time Force?" Lucas demanded.
"Alex, that could take *years*," Jen argued.
Something in him snapped. He stood without warning, trying to keep from glaring furiously at them all. "I didn't realize you'd all assumed this was going to be something short and simple that we could do in a few weeks." He forced an indifferent shrug. "I've already dedicated my life to Time Force, so it doesn't matter to me how long this takes. If the rest of you aren't comfortable with giving that much dedication to the cause, I understand."
"Alex!" Jen caught his arm as he reached the door. "That's not what anyone's saying," she protested. "Will you just calm down for a minute?"
He closed his eyes, forcing another slow breath that accomplished nothing. "Time Force is what I am. It's all I've ever been. Building a Time Force I can be proud of isn't a chore for me. I'm sorry if the rest of you feel that way," he said shortly
"No one said it was a chore, Alex," Katie spoke up quietly, and her voice was closer than it had been. "Don't put words in our mouths."
He grit his teeth. "You don't understand what this means to me. None of you have as much as stake as I do."
Another awkward silence.
"So tell us," Lucas said finally, sounding annoyed. "Why does it mean so much more to you than it would to us?"
He swallowed, scrunching his eyes shut and fighting the urge to rest his head against the door in front of him. "This means finally being able to force the people who hurt my brothers to pay for what they did," he began softly. "The scientists, the sponsors, the security guards ... all of them. I want every single one of them in cryo for the rest of their lives. It means that someday, I'm going to have to stand in front of a courtroom and tell them everything that was done to me, everything that I saw. It means I'm going to have to stand against *my own brother*, because he thinks Time Force saved his life." He could feel himself trembling again, and he shook his head harshly. "I can't just ... This isn't something I'm going to be able to walk away from when it gets too hard. I have to put myself through this, because if I don't ... no one else will."
"I will."
Trip was suddenly beside him, looking up with an earnest expression. "Alex, this is my fight, too. They hurt *my* brother. I want to make things better, too."
"You're not alone anymore, you know." Surprisingly it was Katie who said it, coming up behind Trip to give him a concerned frown. "We're on your side, Alex. You just have let us be there."
He started when Lucas' hand settled on his shoulder. The other man shook his head, giving him an look that seemed almost amused. "You still didn't answer my question," he drawled. "Why would something that affects you not mean enough to us?"
"We've really got to work on your definition of 'team'," Jen murmured in agreement, her smile soft and understanding.
"Team?" he echoed, frowning. "But ... we're not ... you're - "
"We're a team," Katie told him firmly. "All five of us. You're just gonna have to get used to it."
There was a lump in his throat he couldn't seem to swallow, and he hadn't noticed he'd been shaking his head until Jen reached up to make him stop. "Wes was your team," he forced out before he could meet her eyes, his voice barely audible.
"He is," Jen agreed. "But no one said there had to be a limit on how big a team can be." Her hand was stroking his cheek now with a deliberate softness that was incredibly distracting.
"Apparently this team has seven," Katie said with a light shrug, grinning.
"Eight," Trip corrected even as Alex wondered who else they were missing. "Just because he doesn't know it yet doesn't mean Ben isn't part of the team."
Lucas snorted, shaking his head. "There's gotta be something about those Quantum Rangers. They just can't learn to play well with others."
Alex choked out a laugh without meaning to. He blinked, and found the other four grinning at him.
"So there is a sense of humor in there," Katie teased.
He rolled his eyes. "Very funny."
"Face it, Alex. You're stuck with us," Jen informed him, smiling warmly.
"All of us," Katie nodded.
Apparently this was some silent cue for Trip to hug him. Then Katie was crushing his ribs, Jen was resting her head against his shoulder, and even Lucas had an arm wrapped around him. He groaned loudly, and whether it was at the hug itself or the fact that he couldn't breathe, he couldn't say. All he knew was that he was being smothered, someone's hair was making his neck itch, he was pretty sure if Katie squeezed any tighter something was either going to pop or go numb, and he couldn't move enough to get any of them off of him.
But that tight feeling in his chest that had begun when Ben had told him he wouldn't give up Time Force seemed to ease a little.
Eventually they all pulled away, and he scowled at Katie as he rubbed his side. She laughed at him and tried to tussle his hair, and he winced when he tried to duck away.
"So ... does this mean we can go back to the cookies?" Trip asked hopefully.