A Darker Shade of Red (Time Force/Power Rangers, T, Chapter 19: Broken)
-Yawns- For all the M&Ms I consumed earlier, I'm strangely not that hyper.
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/: The first part of this chapter is credited to the lovely aussiechick21, one of fanfiction.net’s sweetest Supernatural brotherly love writers. Reading her fics is what inspired it.
People were talking, but they weren't talking to him so he tuned them out. There was probably something wrong with how numb he felt right now, but he couldn't quite figure out why. He only knew that now was not the time to figure anything out.
"Let's take a walk, Alex," Jen said suddenly, squeezing his hand. "Just you and me."
He blinked. Was that an order? It didn't really sound like an order. But Jen was asking, and he could never deny her anything.
"Okay," he said finally.
Her hand tightened on his, gently tugging him along after her.
They wandered along the beach, Jen's hand firmly holding his. The other people she'd been talking to remained behind, but he had the impression that some of them weren't happy about it. He supposed he probably should have cared about that for some reason, but he really didn't.
She took him far away from everyone, from even the random civilians on the beach. The cove she found was quiet and abandoned, the water lapping gently at the shore. She pulled him to sit beside her on the sand, and again he obeyed without thinking.
"Talk to me, Alex," Jen said eventually, and her voice was gentle, coaxing. "Tell me what happened."
He stared out at the water. He was aware of her beside him, but she wasn't pushing, and for that he was grateful. He wasn't sure where to begin.
"Did you know Ben was afraid of the dark?" he asked abruptly. "When we were small, he used to crawl into my bed at night because there were no lights and we were all alone in the labs. He was fine during the day with the scientists around, but the moment the lights were out, he'd get so scared. He couldn't fall asleep unless he was holding on to me, because he said then he knew he wasn't alone.
"Trip wasn't like that," he added in afterthought. "Trip liked it better in the dark, when it was just us. But Ben never liked being without adults around. He'd swear later that he'd outgrown it, that he wasn't scared anymore, but I'd hear him lying awake at night. So I'd climb down to his bed and stay with him until he fell asleep. He never said thank you. Not really. But he wouldn't let go of me for anything when he was asleep.
"I knocked out his first tooth," he went on, watching the waves slowly wash against the sand. "Broke his wrist when we were five and we morphed for the first time, because we didn't really know what we were doing. He cried that night after the scientists were gone because it hurt and he didn't understand why. I had to hold him and tell him it was going to be okay, even though I didn't know any better than he did.
"He loved to laugh," he continued, softer now. "He'd giggle over the stupidest things. But it was worth it to see him smile, even though I could never understand how he could find it in him to do it. He always found something to smile about. Even ... even when he was ... " He swallowed, blinking hard. "Even when I was losing him, he'd still try to smile, until he was too far gone to think about anything but pain and morphing."
A million memories splintered, moving in front of his eyes in fragments. A million moments with his brother, fighting, crying, laughing. A million pieces of a life he'd never understood how much he adored, how much he needed, until it was gone.
"I shot him that day, you know," he choked out, and his face was wet now. "When he went into the coma. There's nothing to really say it was me, but ... somehow .... I think it was. I knew he was hurting, but they wouldn't let us *stop*, and he was trying so hard to be perfect, to make them proud of him ... "
He shook his head, wiping at his face only to have more tears spill over instantly. "He yelled at the guards that I was trying to release the prisoners, and I'd turned against Time Force. And then he was morphing, and I just couldn't think ... I didn't *want* to think. I was so *angry*," he whispered, clenching his fists as he railed at himself silently. "All I could think was that Trip said the Chrono Blaster's couldn't take down another Ranger, only stun them. But I forgot. I forgot that Ben's morpher was never right. That *Ben* was never ... " He swallowed, scrunching his eyes closed. "He looked so small. So young. I felt his heart slowing down. And ... " He sobbed suddenly, harshly. "I shot my little brother," he sobbed. "I ... I .... "
There were arms around his shoulder, and suddenly Jen was in front of him, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Oh, Alex ... " she whispered brokenly. Her hands came up around his neck, drawing him down to her shoulder, and he clung to her desperately.
"I shot him," he cried, over and over. "I shot my brother."
Jen's hands rubbed along his back soothingly as he howled in grief and loss.
****
-- "He's trying to release the prisoners! He's turned against Time Force!"
"Quantum Power!"
"Time for, Time Force!"
"Just like old times, huh A?"
"Not quite."
The Quantum Ranger screamed as he was hit straight on, flailing for a moment before sliding to the ground and falling still. His uniform flickered and vanished with a burst of red light.
He approached slowly, looking down at a twelve-year-old Ben as his brother stared up at him with lost, frightened eyes. "A ... Why?" he whispered, his voice filled with betrayal.
He felt himself shrug carelessly. "You're not one of my Rangers."
He fired. --
"*No*!"
"Easy, easy," an unfamiliar voice soothed, hands gently gripping his shoulders. "It's all right, Alex. You're safe. You were dreaming."
The voice was calming for some reason, and he felt himself slowly relax without thinking. "Where am I?" he muttered distractedly.
"We're at Eric's place. I wanted to take you to my house, but we haven't quite figured out a way to explain you yet, and this was closer."
His brow furrowed in confusion. "Eric's ... ?" he repeated. He didn't know an Eric.
For some reason, the voice seemed to understand that. "Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger? You're in 2002, remember?" it prodded gently.
2002? What was he doing -
Oh. That's right. He remembered now.
Slowly he forced himself to look up into his predecessor's eyes. "Thank you," he managed stiffly.
Wes smiled a little, but it seemed forced. "You *really* don't like me, do you?" he asked, sounding almost amused.
Alex sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "It's not - " He paused, and sighed again. "No. I don't," he said finally.
There was a long pause. "Is it because of Jen?" Wes asked eventually, sounding hesitant. "Because you should know, that Jen and I are - "
"No, it's not," he interrupted. "At least, not anymore." He shook his head slowly. "It's complicated."
" ... Can you try and explain it?"
Wes shifted a little in his chair when Alex looked up at him. "It's just ... I really don't think you're a bad guy, Alex," he explained, seeming nervous for some reason. "And I always wondered why you hated me so much."
I don't hate you.
He wanted to say the words, tried so hard to push them past his throat ... but he couldn't. Because on some level, he would always hate Wesley Collins. Whether he wanted to or not, it had become too much a part of who he was.
Wes laughed softly in the silence, sounding bitter. "I guess you really do hate me," he murmured.
"I don't want to," Alex said at last, keeping his eyes on the foot of the couch he'd been laying on. "I just ... "
He was silent for a moment, trying to decide how much he should allow Wes to know. Eventually he let out another soft sigh. "I was made the Red Ranger because of my connection to you. It's why I was chosen, and Time Force has always pushed me to follow in your footsteps."
There was a long pause.
"I guess I can see why you'd resent me for that," Wes admitted.
"You st - " He caught himself, clearing his throat. "You bonded with the other Rangers in a way I never had, and Jennifer fell in love with you, to the point that she returned my ring."
"She what?" Wes looked startled. "But ... she - "
"The Rangers chose you. Jen chose you. Even - " Alex swallowed, trying to reign in his temper. "Even my morpher was made for you. It's ... I'm just .... " He trailed off. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say those words in front of Wes, either.
The hand that reached out to squeeze his startled him into looking up, and he stared in surprise as his eyes met Wes'.
"I'm sorry, Alex," the other man told him sincerely, looking genuinely regretful. "I never knew ... If there was anyway I could make it better for you, I would. I know you don't have any reason to believe that - and I don't blame you, really I don't - but I would. No one has any right to make you feel like my replacement."
Alex's eyes widened as Wes said the word he'd been avoiding. "I ... "
Wes offered a hesitant smile. "For what it's worth ... I always felt like I was trying to replace *you*."
Alex blinked at him for a moment. "Our lives are seriously twisted, aren't they?" he asked eventually.
To his surprise, Wes threw back his head and laughed. It was a bright, open laugh, one he'd never seen in any picture of him in the archives. It was ... strange, to see a side of him Time Force hadn't reduced to data.
"I guess they are," Wes chuckled, shaking his head with a grin.
Feeling unsettled and not really knowing why, Alex settled for looking around what was apparently Eric's living room. "Where is everyone, anyway?"
"That would be the million dollar question," Wes agreed, flashing Alex another grin when he looked at him in surprise. "Eric's at work. Jen said something about securing the time ship and dealing with Ransik - I'm guessing it has to do with him being healed - "
"He was what?" Alex demanded sharply, sitting up straight.
Wes blinked at him. "Oh, that's right - you wouldn't know." He looked apologetic. "When Ransik fought against the Mutorgs, he went to contain their energy blast. Somehow it healed his mutant DNA."
Alex stared at him. "That's not possible," he said blankly.
Wes shrugged. "Just telling you what I know," he returned. He shook his head. "Anyway, Jen wanted you to stay here and rest up. So let me know when you figure out what you want to do, so we can get out of here before she gets back."
It took a moment for the words to register, and then they did, Alex looked at his predecessor oddly. "You want to be gone *before* Jen gets back, even though she specifically told us to stay put?"
Wes grinned at him. "Jen and I have a thing about not doing what each other tells us to do, especially when there's injuries involved," he explained. "So. Anywhere you want to go? I can lend you something to wear so you'll blend in. We're about the same size, right?"
Alex opened his mouth to politely refuse and paused. "Actually," he said slowly. "There is one thing I'd like to do ... "
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/: The first part of this chapter is credited to the lovely aussiechick21, one of fanfiction.net’s sweetest Supernatural brotherly love writers. Reading her fics is what inspired it.
People were talking, but they weren't talking to him so he tuned them out. There was probably something wrong with how numb he felt right now, but he couldn't quite figure out why. He only knew that now was not the time to figure anything out.
"Let's take a walk, Alex," Jen said suddenly, squeezing his hand. "Just you and me."
He blinked. Was that an order? It didn't really sound like an order. But Jen was asking, and he could never deny her anything.
"Okay," he said finally.
Her hand tightened on his, gently tugging him along after her.
They wandered along the beach, Jen's hand firmly holding his. The other people she'd been talking to remained behind, but he had the impression that some of them weren't happy about it. He supposed he probably should have cared about that for some reason, but he really didn't.
She took him far away from everyone, from even the random civilians on the beach. The cove she found was quiet and abandoned, the water lapping gently at the shore. She pulled him to sit beside her on the sand, and again he obeyed without thinking.
"Talk to me, Alex," Jen said eventually, and her voice was gentle, coaxing. "Tell me what happened."
He stared out at the water. He was aware of her beside him, but she wasn't pushing, and for that he was grateful. He wasn't sure where to begin.
"Did you know Ben was afraid of the dark?" he asked abruptly. "When we were small, he used to crawl into my bed at night because there were no lights and we were all alone in the labs. He was fine during the day with the scientists around, but the moment the lights were out, he'd get so scared. He couldn't fall asleep unless he was holding on to me, because he said then he knew he wasn't alone.
"Trip wasn't like that," he added in afterthought. "Trip liked it better in the dark, when it was just us. But Ben never liked being without adults around. He'd swear later that he'd outgrown it, that he wasn't scared anymore, but I'd hear him lying awake at night. So I'd climb down to his bed and stay with him until he fell asleep. He never said thank you. Not really. But he wouldn't let go of me for anything when he was asleep.
"I knocked out his first tooth," he went on, watching the waves slowly wash against the sand. "Broke his wrist when we were five and we morphed for the first time, because we didn't really know what we were doing. He cried that night after the scientists were gone because it hurt and he didn't understand why. I had to hold him and tell him it was going to be okay, even though I didn't know any better than he did.
"He loved to laugh," he continued, softer now. "He'd giggle over the stupidest things. But it was worth it to see him smile, even though I could never understand how he could find it in him to do it. He always found something to smile about. Even ... even when he was ... " He swallowed, blinking hard. "Even when I was losing him, he'd still try to smile, until he was too far gone to think about anything but pain and morphing."
A million memories splintered, moving in front of his eyes in fragments. A million moments with his brother, fighting, crying, laughing. A million pieces of a life he'd never understood how much he adored, how much he needed, until it was gone.
"I shot him that day, you know," he choked out, and his face was wet now. "When he went into the coma. There's nothing to really say it was me, but ... somehow .... I think it was. I knew he was hurting, but they wouldn't let us *stop*, and he was trying so hard to be perfect, to make them proud of him ... "
He shook his head, wiping at his face only to have more tears spill over instantly. "He yelled at the guards that I was trying to release the prisoners, and I'd turned against Time Force. And then he was morphing, and I just couldn't think ... I didn't *want* to think. I was so *angry*," he whispered, clenching his fists as he railed at himself silently. "All I could think was that Trip said the Chrono Blaster's couldn't take down another Ranger, only stun them. But I forgot. I forgot that Ben's morpher was never right. That *Ben* was never ... " He swallowed, scrunching his eyes closed. "He looked so small. So young. I felt his heart slowing down. And ... " He sobbed suddenly, harshly. "I shot my little brother," he sobbed. "I ... I .... "
There were arms around his shoulder, and suddenly Jen was in front of him, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Oh, Alex ... " she whispered brokenly. Her hands came up around his neck, drawing him down to her shoulder, and he clung to her desperately.
"I shot him," he cried, over and over. "I shot my brother."
Jen's hands rubbed along his back soothingly as he howled in grief and loss.
****
-- "He's trying to release the prisoners! He's turned against Time Force!"
"Quantum Power!"
"Time for, Time Force!"
"Just like old times, huh A?"
"Not quite."
The Quantum Ranger screamed as he was hit straight on, flailing for a moment before sliding to the ground and falling still. His uniform flickered and vanished with a burst of red light.
He approached slowly, looking down at a twelve-year-old Ben as his brother stared up at him with lost, frightened eyes. "A ... Why?" he whispered, his voice filled with betrayal.
He felt himself shrug carelessly. "You're not one of my Rangers."
He fired. --
"*No*!"
"Easy, easy," an unfamiliar voice soothed, hands gently gripping his shoulders. "It's all right, Alex. You're safe. You were dreaming."
The voice was calming for some reason, and he felt himself slowly relax without thinking. "Where am I?" he muttered distractedly.
"We're at Eric's place. I wanted to take you to my house, but we haven't quite figured out a way to explain you yet, and this was closer."
His brow furrowed in confusion. "Eric's ... ?" he repeated. He didn't know an Eric.
For some reason, the voice seemed to understand that. "Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger? You're in 2002, remember?" it prodded gently.
2002? What was he doing -
Oh. That's right. He remembered now.
Slowly he forced himself to look up into his predecessor's eyes. "Thank you," he managed stiffly.
Wes smiled a little, but it seemed forced. "You *really* don't like me, do you?" he asked, sounding almost amused.
Alex sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "It's not - " He paused, and sighed again. "No. I don't," he said finally.
There was a long pause. "Is it because of Jen?" Wes asked eventually, sounding hesitant. "Because you should know, that Jen and I are - "
"No, it's not," he interrupted. "At least, not anymore." He shook his head slowly. "It's complicated."
" ... Can you try and explain it?"
Wes shifted a little in his chair when Alex looked up at him. "It's just ... I really don't think you're a bad guy, Alex," he explained, seeming nervous for some reason. "And I always wondered why you hated me so much."
I don't hate you.
He wanted to say the words, tried so hard to push them past his throat ... but he couldn't. Because on some level, he would always hate Wesley Collins. Whether he wanted to or not, it had become too much a part of who he was.
Wes laughed softly in the silence, sounding bitter. "I guess you really do hate me," he murmured.
"I don't want to," Alex said at last, keeping his eyes on the foot of the couch he'd been laying on. "I just ... "
He was silent for a moment, trying to decide how much he should allow Wes to know. Eventually he let out another soft sigh. "I was made the Red Ranger because of my connection to you. It's why I was chosen, and Time Force has always pushed me to follow in your footsteps."
There was a long pause.
"I guess I can see why you'd resent me for that," Wes admitted.
"You st - " He caught himself, clearing his throat. "You bonded with the other Rangers in a way I never had, and Jennifer fell in love with you, to the point that she returned my ring."
"She what?" Wes looked startled. "But ... she - "
"The Rangers chose you. Jen chose you. Even - " Alex swallowed, trying to reign in his temper. "Even my morpher was made for you. It's ... I'm just .... " He trailed off. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say those words in front of Wes, either.
The hand that reached out to squeeze his startled him into looking up, and he stared in surprise as his eyes met Wes'.
"I'm sorry, Alex," the other man told him sincerely, looking genuinely regretful. "I never knew ... If there was anyway I could make it better for you, I would. I know you don't have any reason to believe that - and I don't blame you, really I don't - but I would. No one has any right to make you feel like my replacement."
Alex's eyes widened as Wes said the word he'd been avoiding. "I ... "
Wes offered a hesitant smile. "For what it's worth ... I always felt like I was trying to replace *you*."
Alex blinked at him for a moment. "Our lives are seriously twisted, aren't they?" he asked eventually.
To his surprise, Wes threw back his head and laughed. It was a bright, open laugh, one he'd never seen in any picture of him in the archives. It was ... strange, to see a side of him Time Force hadn't reduced to data.
"I guess they are," Wes chuckled, shaking his head with a grin.
Feeling unsettled and not really knowing why, Alex settled for looking around what was apparently Eric's living room. "Where is everyone, anyway?"
"That would be the million dollar question," Wes agreed, flashing Alex another grin when he looked at him in surprise. "Eric's at work. Jen said something about securing the time ship and dealing with Ransik - I'm guessing it has to do with him being healed - "
"He was what?" Alex demanded sharply, sitting up straight.
Wes blinked at him. "Oh, that's right - you wouldn't know." He looked apologetic. "When Ransik fought against the Mutorgs, he went to contain their energy blast. Somehow it healed his mutant DNA."
Alex stared at him. "That's not possible," he said blankly.
Wes shrugged. "Just telling you what I know," he returned. He shook his head. "Anyway, Jen wanted you to stay here and rest up. So let me know when you figure out what you want to do, so we can get out of here before she gets back."
It took a moment for the words to register, and then they did, Alex looked at his predecessor oddly. "You want to be gone *before* Jen gets back, even though she specifically told us to stay put?"
Wes grinned at him. "Jen and I have a thing about not doing what each other tells us to do, especially when there's injuries involved," he explained. "So. Anywhere you want to go? I can lend you something to wear so you'll blend in. We're about the same size, right?"
Alex opened his mouth to politely refuse and paused. "Actually," he said slowly. "There is one thing I'd like to do ... "