How to Blow Up Time Force in Eight Easy Steps (Time Force/Multi - Season Crossover/Power Rangers, K+
And the conclusion ... -Glares at LiveJournal-
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 5: Plant the Charges
"Zhane, there is no way they're going to think you're Time Force," Taylor informed him flatly. "A white uniform and charm is not going to get you in the door."
"You think I'm charming?" He batted his eyes at her. "Lightspeed, I'm flattered!"
"Astro!" Justin snapped. "Pay attention!"
"I am," he protested. "I'm paying complete attention to you. I need to put the blasters in the places with the little 'x's on them, press the button, and tell you when I'm done. I've totally got this, Turbo. Trust me."
Justin muttered something under his breath, but he didn't argue. Whether he admitted it or not, he knew better.
It was times like this when Zhane appreciated his past. Years of fighting for KO-35 and life with the rebels had taught him a lot of special skills not many people new about - not even the Astro Rangers. Andros knew some of what he could do, but while he loved Andros, his friend was a bit ... 'strict' when it came to legal activities. He didn't like to encourage Zhane to show off his skills unless he had to.
But then there was Aquitar.
Aquitar had been like KO-35 all over again. They were fighting a losing battle, and they *knew* it. The only difference was that the home they were fighting for wasn't their own, and they stayed out of sheer stubbornness rather than loyalty to the planet. And the fact that Andros and the Kerova Rangers weren't with him.
He hadn't been sure what to make of his new 'teammates' at the time. Andros was his team, and Ashley, T.J., Carlos, Cassie, and Ko-lin because of Andros. He hadn't wanted a new team. He was there because Tommy and Cruger had asked him to, because the Aquitian Rangers *needed* him, and because he didn't want to see another planet fall. He didn't trust the others with him, not really. He considered them friends, but there was nothing special between them.
Until the day they had been so desperate to know what was on the newest of Grumm's ships that had arrived they'd seriously started to debate sneaking someone on to investigate.
"I can do it," he'd told them. "Seriously. I can do this."
"Okay," Wes had agreed immediately.
One of the things he liked about Wes was his complete faith in people. Wes barely knew him at the time, but Zhane said he could do it, and Wes believed him. That was just the way Wes was. Whether he'd realized it or not, whether Tommy and Cruger had known it when they'd sent him with the team, Wes was what had kept the Newtech Rangers together on Aquitar. His faith in his team and their abilities was absolute and without question. He could think on his feet, and use what ever information they gave him to coordinate a plan. If he didn't have a plan, he'd immediately support whoever managed one, no matter how thin it was. He trusted them that much. For absolutely no reason.
And he'd been right, every single time.
Even when things went wrong, and they had to backtrack or scramble to fix a hole in the plan, Wes never blamed anyone for it. He wouldn't even let them blame each other. 'We're all we've got,' he used to say. 'We need to stick together.'
Wes was the first person besides Andros that Zhane had sworn complete loyalty to. Even if Wes wasn't aware of it.
It was strange not having Wes with them now. Unbalanced. Justin and Chip were aware of it subconsciously, judging by their underlying tension, while R.J. was blatantly aware just as he was. He wasn't sure if Taylor or Vanessa knew, and Eric was too busy focusing on the task at hand to pretend he wasn't worried sick about Wes to notice.
The Newtech Rangers had a system. R.J. liked to call it a 'balance of power', or 'triangle' sometimes: something to do with his training at Pai Zhua that had gone completely over Zhane's head. The old team hadn't had it, because their formation had been too formal. And as much as he missed Tori and Dax - missed them so much it physically hurt, even now - he liked the new system.
There were two 'teams' within the team; the 'triangles' R.J. liked to refer to. One was Wes, Eric, Vanessa, and R.J. The other was Taylor, Justin, Chip, and himself. Wes and Chip were the members of the team that kept them all laughing, kept their spirits up when they were down. Eric and Taylor were the protectors. Justin and Vanessa were the brains of the operation. And he and R.J. were the 'Sixths', who provided balance, support, protection, and an outside point of view when it was necessary. It gave them an odd connection they might not have had otherwise, but he kind of liked the idea of a second Sixth. It kept things interesting.
That wasn't to say that they couldn't work as a complete, or even a partial unit. Anyone of them could, and had, paired up with another teammate at any time and function just as well as they would have alone or within their smaller group. But after spending so much time as a family unit, there was something special between Wes, Eric, Vanessa, and R.J., something that kept them connected. It had left the other four grouped together almost by default.
"How long will this take you?" Eric demanded, and Zhane snapped back to attention.
He shrugged lightly. "Depends. How long it takes me to get inside, how long to get around, if anyone notices ... It's a big building, so rough guess I'd say a few hours."
Eric scowled, and he tried not to sigh. He missed Wes. He knew that Eric was stressed and worried - honestly, who wasn't? - but Eric wasn't the leader that Wes was. He tried, and he managed better than the rest of them, despite what Taylor might have claimed, but Wes just ... held the team together. He always had. He was a natural leader, but he understood his teammates in a way not many people did.
It all lead back to his faith.
Zhane reached for the bag of blasters, slinging it absently over one shoulder. "Well, I'm off!" he declared cheerfully. "Wish me luck!"
"Be *careful* with those!" Justin hissed.
"Don't get caught," Taylor told him, rolling her eyes.
"Don't do anything stupid," Vanessa added almost absently, leaning against R.J. comfortably. R.J. barely glanced up, giving a small wave without really looking at him.
Chip smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good luck, Astro."
Eric said nothing, just gave him a sharp nod as R.I.C. barked beside him.
Zhane grinned at them all and jogged towards Time Force, whistling to himself. He loved missions like this. S.P.D. needed to do more spy work.
****
Infiltration was all about attitude.
Despite what Taylor had believed, his white and silver S.P.D. uniform had gotten barely so much as a glance when he strolled through the main doors. He hadn't wanted to push his luck though, so he made quick work of some poor sap who looked about the right size, stuffing him into a closet and stealing his uniform. "Sorry, buddy," he offered, patting the unconscious man's leg as he tucked his own uniform in the bag. "Nothing personal. Your company's just evil."
He slipped out and moved on into the hall.
Almost immediately he noted that people with ugly yellow-green shirts under their jackets were apparently important. This was good, he decided as he nodded sternly in response to another pair of saluting black-shirt people. Important people didn't get questions when they were in places they shouldn’t be. Convenient.
The timeship dock and landing bay were ridiculously easy to locate, even if he hadn't had R.J.'s map. Really, Time Force had no imagination. Couldn't they make this at least a little difficult?
Turbo would have said he was asking for trouble.
He would have agreed.
The Command Center was as busy as he could have possibly hoped it would be. He hummed under his breath to himself as he slipped charges in beside the appropriate consoles. Five charges down, two to go.
Someone bumped into his shoulder as he headed for the door. "Excuse me," he murmured absently, hitching the bag higher against his shoulder.
"Captain?"
He paused, turning to glance back at the man who'd spoken and was now staring at him. Uh oh. This guy was dressed in black leather, not white. Color scheme changes were a bad sign.
"I afraid I don't recognize you," the man in black said slowly, frowning as he stared at Zhane.
"New transfer," he answered calmly, sliding to attention as he turned to face the man fully. "I'm here for the trial."
The man's eyes narrowed, and Zhane cursed silently. "Where's your identification?"
"Admiral Logan, Sir!"
The man in black made the mistake of turning, and Zhane darted around the open doorway into the hall. He slipped into the first door he found, sending a silent thanks to whatever forces were listening when it turned out to be a supply closet. He caught the door with his foot before it closed completely, listening.
"Sorry to interrupt Sir, but you said you wanted to meet Wes," a woman's voice explained.
Zhane's eyes widened.
He peered cautiously into the hallway, and found just enough clearance into the Command Center to see Admiral Logan facing a pretty brunette, and a very familiar blond man with a dog at his side. Wes, he sighed in relief. You're okay.
He ducked back as Logan looked around, frowning. "Where did he - "
"Is something wrong Admiral?" the brunette asked, sounding suspicious.
"I was ... nevermind. It's an honor to finally meet you in person, Sergeant Commander Collins," Admiral Logan said solemnly, saluting Wes. Zhane made a face, both at the gesture and the strange, military-style salute Logan used. "I'm just sorry the circumstances had to be as they are." He dropped the salute, offering a hand instead.
Wes smiled as he accepted the handshake, but it didn't meet his eyes. "Likewise," he agreed.
Zhane frowned. Wes look pale and tired, and there were dark rings under his eyes. Why was Time Force keeping him here? Couldn't they see how miserable he was?
Jen shifted at his side, sniffing at the air. She jumped to her feet abruptly, turning towards the closet Zhane was hiding in. Her tail began to wag in excitement, and she woofed softly.
Uh oh. He ducked back into the closet, heart pounding. Come on, girl. Cut me some slack here, he pleaded silently.
"Easy, girl," he heard Wes mutter. "It's all right."
"She's a beautiful dog," Logan remarked.
"The best," Wes agreed, and now there was a hint of warmth to his voice. "She's more than I could have hoped for."
Jen barked, and Zhane smiled to himself.
"So I understand you'll be joining us for the trial again today?" Logan asked.
There was a pause. "Yes," Wes said finally. "I ... I need to be here. I need to see this."
"Don't let me keep you, then. The others must be waiting."
"Thank you, Admiral."
"Sir."
Zhane peered out long enough to watch Wes walk away with the brunette, Jen close to his side. He frowned worriedly. Hang in there, Wes. We're right here. We'll get you out soon.
He shook himself, tightening a fist around his bag again and checking the hallway for clearance. He had a job to do.
Step 6: Provide a Distraction
She glared at the landscape, hands on her hips. The outskirts of Newtech City was nothing but endless rock and desert. No plants. No animals. Just ... nothing.
Tears picked at her eyes. Her chest felt tight, fists clenching as she struggled to understand. For several minutes she paced back and forth. Then her temper finally broke, and she snatched a large rock of the ground, hurling it at the nearest building with a shriek of rage.
"Something wrong?"
She stiffened, whirling to glare at R.J. He met her gaze calmly, not even bothering to move from the lotus position he'd been sitting in for the last hour as they waited for word. "How can you just sit there?" she demanded furiously.
He raised his eyebrows. "As opposed to ... ?"
"*Doing* something!" she snapped back, pacing again. "Not just sitting here, staring at - staring at *nothing*!"
R.J. reminded her of Cole. Always had. Something about their weird pacifist natures, she guessed. The way they were almost *never* angry, and when they were, it was always over someone else instead of themselves. Usually something to do with -
"I'm getting the vibe this isn't boredom talking," R.J. commented mildly, tilting his head at her curiously.
She glared at him.
He gazed back.
At last she huffed, folding her arms and looking away. "You wouldn't understand," she muttered.
"You won't know that I don't understand unless you give me the opportunity to try." He smiled when she frowned at him. "Try me," he repeated.
She sighed. "I spent two years as a Power Ranger, fighting to protect the Earth," she said quietly, staring out over the barren landscape. "Trying to keep it safe and whole. And *this* is what comes of it." She gestured angrily at the horizon. Her eyes watered slightly, and she blinked harshly. "I mean, all that time ... fighting orgs, worrying about the ozone and natural resources and ... It was just ... " She stopped before her voice could crack, feeling her throat tighten uncomfortably.
"I see," R.J. murmured, frowning now. "That, I'm afraid, I understand completely."
She scowled at him. "I read your team file. Your mission was to take out that Dead Shoe guy. *My* team's mission was to protect the Princess Shayla, the Animarium, and the planet." She glared at the landscape again, wishing the tight feeling in her chest would go away.
"Ah. Yes. Well." R.J. looked amused. "As much as my mission as a Ranger was to foil the plans of the evil 'Dead Shoe', my mission as a member of the ecosystem has always been to protect the planet. Unfortunately, the average nature lover doesn't tend to get a morpher."
She closed her eyes with another, longer sigh. "What were we fighting for, if this is the result?" she asked softly. "Everything we wanted to protect is gone. If we were going to lose it anyway, why did we bother fighting at all?"
"But it isn't gone," R.J. said gently from behind her. His hand touched her shoulder, and she wondered distantly when he'd moved. "This planet is still here. People are still living on it. It's not the Earth you and I know and love, and maybe the miracle of life isn't so common here. But we don't know what happened to make it this way. Maybe the fact that the Earth is still standing *is* the miracle."
She swallowed, blinking rapidly. "That's terrible."
"Yes," he agreed quietly, and suddenly his arms were around her but she couldn't summon enough anger about it to make him let go. "But it's still a miracle."
She let her head fall against his with another sigh. "I wonder what's taking Astro so long," she murmured. "I can't stand this *waiting*."
" ... I could offer a helpful Zen quote about waiting and time, but I'm afraid you'd hit me," R.J. remarked.
She grinned, closing her eyes. "I would."
They stood in silence together for awhile longer, R.J.'s chin resting on her shoulder, and Taylor enjoying the feeling of someone holding on to her. She told herself she was cold, and possibly a little homesick. She ignored the fact that R.J.'s build was all wrong to even try and pretend he was Jason.
Maybe it was because he was a wolf spirit, and she hadn't seen Merrick and Zen-Aku for awhile. She wondered how they were doing, and if Merrick had finally decided to put his foot down and tell Cole that they had enough animals. Then she thought of Cole's wide, innocent eyes, and figured they'd been overrun a long time ago.
"I wonder if the princess knows I'm here," she thought aloud. "If Eagle Zord was able to find me again after all this time ... would she be able to, too?"
"I was under the impression Princess Shayla was only allowed to awaken if the planet was in danger."
"She is," she admitted, and even though it had been years she still felt a pang at the thought. "I guess I just thought ... nevermind."
R.J. hmmed.
She smiled a little, wondering what it would be like to talk to her mentor again. To tell her everything that had happened in her life and the other Rangers'. Everything Shayla had missed. About Alyssa's career as a kindergarten teacher, about Danny and Max bickering like the old married couple they were over the children Danny kept taking in off the streets. About Cole and Merrick moving in together, Cole helping every animal he could find, while Merrick seemed content with the wolf pack and trying to keep Cole from getting into trouble. About Jason, their daughter, and her own work with S.P.D.
Shayla would be happy for them all, she knew. Would she proud? Would she wish she could have been there, too?
Eventually she shook her head slightly to clear it. There was no point in wondering about what would never happen. She had a job to do.
If Astro would ever *get off his lazy butt* and call already!
Her morpher beeped.
"Finally!" she shouted in exasperation, reaching for it. "This is Lightspeed and Fury."
R.J. made an odd sound in her ear, but didn't comment on the nickname she'd just given him. Not that she was giving him a choice about it anyway. If he was claiming he was Newtech, he was getting a name. And there was no way she was going to call him 'Wolf'.
"This is Astro." The voice was soft and slightly muffled. "We are ready for Operation Hamster."
"Mystic, Turbo, and Bo in position!" Chip said gleefully.
Justin could be heard in the background, muttering "Rangering doesn't pay enough for this."
"Commence with Operation ... Hamster," Eric muttered reluctantly. "Operation Candycane is on standby. Mystic, you are never naming anything again."
"Seconded," Taylor said quickly, in unison with Vanessa.
"You guys are no fun!" Chip protested.
"I dunno," R.J. chuckled over Taylor's shoulder. "I kinda like it."
"You would," she informed him as she snapped her morpher shut. "You ready for this?"
He smiled brightly at her. "As certain former student of mine use to say: Jungle Beasts! Spirit, Unleashed!"
****
She waited on the rooftop, watching with tears in her eyes as he landed in front of her. She moved forward before she even stopped to think about what she was doing, but he only bent his head down, watching her quietly. She didn't know how he recognized her in the strange uniform, but she didn't care. She reached up, gently touching either side of his beak and resting her helmet against it in the closest thing to a hug she would ever able to give him. He made a strangely soft noise that sounded something like a coo.
Cole had always been the closest to the Wild Zords outside of Shayla, and he had been the only one able to truly speak to them, but that didn't mean the rest of them hadn't cared just as much. And it didn't mean they hadn't found their own ways to communicate. Maybe they didn't use emotions, and she wasn't always sure he completely comprehended her words, but she and Eagle Zord understood each other just fine.
"I miss you," she said softly. She wasn't sure if she was referring to Eagle Zord himself, to being a Wild Force Ranger, to living on the Animarium ... Maybe all of it. All she knew was that as much as she loved her family, her life, and the new team she had found, it wasn't the same, and she missed it.
Eagle Zord cooed at her again, bumping his beak against her helmet with surprising gentleness.
He hadn't seen her in nearly a thousand years, she reminded herself. If anyone had a right to be lonely, it was him. And all this nostalgia wasn't her style.
Time traveling must have messed with her head, she decided.
She took a deep breath, steeling her resolve, and stepped back to look up at him. "I need your help," she said firmly.
He watched her, and something in his expression seemed curious.
"The people here have taken my friend and hurt his children - his hatchlings," she explained quietly, trying to simplify the situation for him as much as possible. "His ... " She mentally cringed at the word she was about to use, but she knew it was the best he would understand. "His mate wants to punish these people, and destroy their nest to protect his family. But we don't want any innocent people to get hurt, so we need a distraction." She pointed down and to the left, to the rooftop where Wolf Ranger stood waiting for her. "My friend over there, he's ... he's a wolf, like Merrick. He's going to let his Wolf play in the city, make people watch them. I need you to help him get their attention, and keep them watching you."
She looked up at him now, waiting uncertainly. This was asking a lot of him: Eagle Zord wasn't prone to silliness. Asking him to put on a show for humans just because she wanted to destroy a building was pushing the boundaries of their partnership, and she wasn't sure if it was too much.
Privately, she hoped he wouldn't be angry at her for it.
Eagle Zord bent his head down again, pushing his beak against her chest hard enough to make her stumble back. Then he opened his wings, let out a shriek that would have left her deaf if not for the helmet she wore softening the sound, and took to the sky.
Her ears rang as she watched him soar higher, trying to ignore the swell of disappointment. Well, she hadn't promised she could get his help. She had pointed out that him even knowing she here, let alone flying across four states just to see her as fast as he had, was pretty much a miracle. They'd just have to make do with whatever R.J. could do with his Wolf Zord, and hope it was enough.
She keyed her morpher. "Showtime, Fury," she said shortly, not bothering to explain.
She watched from her perch as Wolf Ranger did some sort of weird dance, and Wolf Zord just seemed to ... appear above him. He'd tried to explain to her how he could have a Zord *inside* of him, but the very thought made her head hurt. It was enough to chalk it up to the weirdness of the Power and whatever those Pie Zoo people R.J. was supposed to be one of were. There was enough magic-related madness in her life as it was; she didn't need to know anymore.
Wolf Ranger disappeared into Wolf Zord's forehead, and if she hadn't experienced something like it herself she probably would have winced. Seeing it from a distance, even knowing what it was, it just looked painful. But the Wolf Zord was already moving, leaping from building to building. He paused long enough to throw back his head, letting out a long howl.
The sound sent shivers down her spine.
And then another sound, louder and fiercer than the Wolf, and she spun to look. Eagle Zord came streaking down out of the sky, wings folded in a dive, and fell straight towards the ground. At the very last possible moment, his wings snapped open, and he snatched a parked car neatly up off the ground. Swinging around wide, he brought the car just above the rooftops with him, letting out another shriek, and tossed it high.
A very familiar looking red falcon caught it in mid-air.
Standing on the middle of a rooftop in a city over nine hundred years too old, watching her Eagle Zord play 'catch' with the Falcon Zord, R.J.'s Wolf Zord doing some strange sort of greeting dance with Merrick's Wolf Zord, and other Wild Zords appearing all over the place, Taylor threw back her head and laughed until she cried.
Step 7: Detonation
Two wolf howls in less than twenty-four hours. Newtech City's ecologists must be freaking out, he mused to himself. His eyes scanned the landscape even as he reached for his morpher. "Operation Hamster Phase Three. Begin Operation Candycane," he announced.
"Acknowledged," Vanessa, Chip, and Zhane chimed in from their designated places.
"Acknowledged," Eric returned. "Operation Candycane is go. Turbo," he added suddenly just as Justin was about to turn his morpher back off. "I owe you."
Justin closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "Yeah," he muttered, dropping the call before Eric could reply. It was more obvious than if he'd actually said something, but the fact that *Eric* of all people had noticed was ... Well, weird, and sort of nice at the same time. He knew Eric wasn't always the jerk he pretended to be. But that didn't change how he felt about this, and he wasn't going to pretend he liked doing it.
If this wasn't for Wes, he wouldn't be doing it all.
He stared at the Turbo Navigator, counting down silently in his head the amount of time they'd agreed on. His fingers moved automatically through the signal sequence, hovering over the final key. His hand was shaking.
Tommy would never forgive me for this, he thought distantly. Neither would T.J.
But for *Wes* ...
He closed his eyes, and hit the final key.
The resulting explosion was louder than he'd expected, and he flinched at the sound. In his head, this wasn't Newtech City anymore, and it was Angel Grove he was trying not to imagine falling to the ground. It was the Power Chamber in ruins around him as he stared dismally at what had once been home.
Well, that was easy. No wonder Divatox liked doing it so much.
He could feel how badly he was shaking now, and R.I.C. whined anxiously at his side. It took visible effort to calm himself, clenching a fist and scrunching his eyes shut to keep tears from falling. I can do this, he told himself. I am stronger than this.
It wasn't enough this time, and he forced himself to picture Wes, his expression soft and sympathetic after waking him from a nightmare in the ruins of a dome collapse. Wes, who never judged or told him he needed to get past it, or suggested he 'talk to someone'. Losing the only real home you've ever had isn't something you get over, he'd said once, his eyes haunted as they shared memories of the Power Chamber and the Clock Tower. It's something you learn to deal with. But it never stops hurting.
I admire you, Justin, he'd added, looking at him with such seriousness he could only stare back. I've had nightmares about that night for years. I still wake up shaking just thinking about it. You were twelve years old. I was in my twenties. You deal with it a lot better than I do.
He opened his eyes.
****
Time Force was in relatively good shape for a building that had just survived seven simultaneous minor explosions. The S.P.D. issue blasters were gone now, and Weapons Lockup was going to have their heads, but they still had their morphers and the weapons that came with them. There was still the Zip Shooter and the Turbo Navigator, and R.I.C., who was more firepower than everything else combined.
Justin hesitated for a split second, looking up at the sky again as the Wild Zords and R.J. continued to put on the weirdest circus act he'd ever seen - and for someone who'd become a Ranger at eleven and drove a talking car, that was saying something. The two Wolf Zords seemed to be having some sort of race, which meant Fury was enjoying himself. If he squinted long enough he could see Lightspeed on the rooftop above them all, watching for signs of anyone coming after them. With that many Zords running around, it was inevitable that Time Force would eventually send out some of their own. Whatever Lightspeed had done to get the Wild Zords to cooperate, it was worth it: they couldn't have asked for a better distraction.
Now for his own part.
He slipped out into the flow of people rushing toward Time Force, tucking the Turbo Navigator into his back pocket. R.I.C. stayed obediently at his side, and he silently prayed that robot dogs were common enough in this time period that no one would give him a second look. B Squad - and Dustin - would never forgive them if something happened to him.
There were enough people still inside that no one paid any special attention to him when he began to help the wounded along. There weren't many - Taylor and R.J.'s distraction was good enough to get the majority of the building emptied it looked like - but there were still more than they'd hoped to see. Guilt weighed on him heavily as he lifted a tiny young woman onto a stretcher before she damaged her ankle further.
"Thank you," she whispered, looking exhausted but grateful.
He tried to force himself to smile at her. "Don't mention it," he murmured, already moving on to the next victim. Please.
The lights flickered dramatically, making several people cry out in alarm, and he forced himself to look up as if he was worried. None of the charges would have effected anything besides the stations they were meant to, but that didn't mean they didn't want people to assume things were as fine as they actually were. Mystic had been more than eager for a chance to show of his magic, claiming lighting and storm spells were his specialty.
He shook his head wryly at himself, passing over the box of medical equipment someone was demanding. He was a scientist and former Turbo Ranger, relying on magic spells and blowing up essential components of a major corporation. How the mighty have fallen, he mused.
"I'm telling you A, something's weird."
The voice wasn't what caught his attention so much as the tone. He snuck a glance to the teenager in the corner who was glaring at his wrist. "I'm serious!" the teen hissed. "Something about all this isn't right. It's ... it's too organized. Too careful. There's just ... something wrong with it."
Justin's eyes narrowed. Oh, no you don't. Sorry Kid, but Team Loyalty comes before Ranger Loyalty. He looked down to the dog at his side. "R.I.C. Distract," he ordered softly, nodding in the teen's direction.
R.I.C.'s tail went up eagerly at the chance to be useful, and he was off like a shot.
"No, I can't give you anything specific!" The teenager ran a hand over his hair, looking agitated. "There's something here we're not seeing, I know it." He paused to listen, his expression turning to dark fury in a way that was frighteningly familiar. "I don't care who took courses in tactics and disaster situations!" he snarled. "And the next time I see him, I'll tell Lucas to his face!"
R.I.C. barked.
The kid looked up, startled.
R.I.C. bowed to him playfully, and barked again.
"Hey there ... " the teen said softly. He frowned briefly before softening his expression into a gentle smile. "Hi, boy. What are you doing here? Are you lost?" Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out a hand.
R.I.C. tilted his head, whining curiously, tail wagging. The kid's hand touched his head, and his visual lights turned upwards as he gave another bark in happiness. It made the teenager smile, the tension slowly fading from his shoulders.
Without warning, R.I.C.'s mouth closed around the morpher strapped to the teen's left wrist, and yanked. The next moment he was darting down the hall, tail still high. The teen yelled in surprise and chased after him.
Dustin deserves a medal for that dog, Justin thought ruefully. And Eric's going to kill me for letting R.I.C. steal his son's morpher.
"I need some help over here!"
He spun at the sound of Zhane's voice, his hand reaching back almost instinctively toward the Turbo Nav. Zhane stumbled out of an elevator, half-carrying a man who was clearly unconscious, and badly burned. "Somebody give me a hand!" Zhane shouted again.
He stared at them, barely registering people running toward Zhane to assist him. All he could see was the man in Zhane's arms, the paleness of his face contrasted by blackened skin. Then the world went gray, and he was running.
He wasn't exactly clear on where or when he stopped, just that when he did, tears pricked his eyes as he emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry, he chanted silently, heaving dry sobs. I didn't mean it. Please, please forgive me!
Cool hands supported him, smoothing his hair and rubbing his back. "Shh ... " a familiar voice murmured, surprisingly gentle. "Just let it go, Turbo. Just let it go."
He choked on another sob as his stomach finally settled, closing his eyes and allowing Vanessa to pull him back against her. Her hand stroked his forehead soothingly. "It's over," she whispered in his ear, resting her head against his cheek. "It's over now."
"I'm sorry," he choked out. "I'm so sorry."
"You did what you had to do." Another voice now, more familiar than the first, and just as gentle. A hand reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "We have to protect our own, Turbo," Chip reminded him softly. "You did it for Wes."
Wes.
That name was the only salvation he had, and he clung to it desperately. Wes, one of his best friends. Wes, who had saved his life time and again. Wes, who always believed in him, always trusted him, who admired him for being a Ranger at such a young age when others looked at him like he was a joke. Wes, who had been his teammate for twelve years. Wes, who had cried just as hard as he had when Elizabeth disappeared, who had been the first to cry with him again when she was found.
He did it for Wes.
"Do we ... " He coughed, forcing himself to swallow. The world was still slightly watery when he opened his eyes, but he forced himself to focus on Chip's solemn expression. "Do we have him? Has Quantum confirmed?"
As if in answer, all three of their morphers went off at once.
Chip was the first to reach for his. "Mystic, Turbo, and Bo," he announced, ignoring that part of the plan had been for them to separate, making them less suspicious.
"This is Quantum." Eric's voice was flat and unamused. "Operation Candycane is confirmed. We have a problem."
Step 8: Wait for Rescue
The walk to the new home of the Ranger Memorial Statue had been silent ever since Jen warned Alex they wouldn't be rejoining them for the trial. Alex hadn't sounded happy about it, but promised to update them later. Jen had offered him an uncertain smile before leading the way, and something about her posture told him she didn't know what to say to him anymore.
He could relate.
Making small talk about Newtech City and Time Force was nothing important. Talking about Alex ... well, that was awkward, but necessary for his peace of mind. And Jen seemed to understand, at least a little, that he loved Alex enough to worry about him.
She wouldn't understand why it was so much more than that, though. There was no way she could. And he hoped that she'd never understand: he didn't want her to have to suffer the way he did.
He tried to keep thinking about Jen and the others, trying to keep himself calm. But he couldn't stop thinking about that strange flash of gold on the corner of his vision in the sky that looked suspiciously familiar, and the way his morpher had flickered three times. It had happened so fast, he had to convince himself it hadn't been wishful thinking. But even if that's all it was, he couldn't take the chance. Because he couldn't risk being wrong.
It was standard Newtech Ranger alert code, developed in the months on Aquitar by Zhane, who claimed it was better to be safe than sorry. A silent triple flash was an order to gather at the nearest meeting place for a chance to regroup. A double flash would have been a check-in request, repeated if it was urgent. Continuous flashing was an emergency, and was usually followed by check-in to confirm where everyone was, and find out who was in trouble.
It had been only two months since Taylor and Vanessa had joined the team, almost three for Eric, but during the weeks they'd started rebuilding the damage done to S.P.D., Wes had made sure to introduce them all to the codes. He had also given them their badges, letting Justin handle the explanations why, and explained to them the rules of being a Newtech Ranger. Six rules, as set down by the team on Aquitar. One rule per Ranger, one team to follow them.
Rule One, Tori: Loyalty to the Team first.
Rule Two, Zhane: Loyalty to what was important to the Team.
Rule Three, Justin: Never abandon a teammate in need, for any reason.
Rule Four, Dax: Trust in each other, no matter what.
Rule Five, Chip: Complete and total honesty within the Team. No secrets, no lies.
Rule Six, his own: We are *always* a team. Time, distance, other teams, or whatever else may separate us, we remain a team. This Team is forever.
He wondered if there should be three new rules now, and what Eric and the girls would chose to instate.
Eventually he shook his head with a sigh. So much for not thinking about it, he thought ruefully. Seems like everything reminds me of the team these days.
Or at least, everything about being here did.
He closed his eyes to prevent tears, letting Jen lead him. He didn't do it often - having his sight back was a gift he never wanted to stop appreciating - but there were times when he was grateful that he'd kept her. For a day, maybe two, he'd actually thought about returning her to the trainer he'd gotten her from so that someone else could use her skills, but the thought of letting her go was too painful. And now, having her here at his side to protect him and trusting her to lead him down the street without consciously stopping to think about it, he was glad he'd talked himself out of it.
The fact that he'd closed his eyes was probably the only reason he was paying enough attention to hear it. A howl. A wolf's howl, with that strange metallic quality to it that could only be made by a Zord.
His eyes snapped open.
The human Jen had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, looking around with a frown. "Did you hear something?" she asked suspiciously.
He blinked at her. "Something?" he echoed.
"It almost sounded like ... like a Zord," she murmured, looking around warily. "Or a wolf ... "
He forced a laugh. "Like what? You think there's a giant metal wolf running around the city right now?"
She looked at him for a moment and finally huffed a laugh, looking down. "How's Merrick been?" she asked softly, turning to walk on.
He smiled genuinely, both at the fact that she'd let it go, and the chance to talk about someone he knew. "Doing pretty well, last I heard. He and Cole have a cabin in the woods somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, and Cole said they'd just adopted another wolf into their pack. And Cole's still taking care of anything that walks, flies, crawls, or swims." His smile softened. "They're happy."
She turned to look at him again, startled. "Merrick and Cole?"
He laughed, grinning at her. "Yes, believe it or not." His smile faded a little, and he shrugged. "When Shayla went back to sleep on the Animarium, she made Merrick stay on Earth. From what Cole said, they lost track of him for awhile and they were starting to worry, so Cole hunted him down and just ... stayed with him, I guess. They eventually built the cabin, and never left."
She frowned slightly. "I wouldn't have pictured them together. I thought that Cole and Alyssa ... "
"Everyone did," he agreed. Had he just heard a bird? "But Cole's never really said anything about her *or* Merrick either way. And even though they live together, he and Merrick won't say whether it's more than just companionship. We think it might be from the signs, but ... " He shrugged. "Cole's not talking, and Merrick never does."
She almost smiled then. "And the others?"
"Well, Alyssa's still working as a kindergarten teacher. She says she's happy, and she's gotten a lot of teaching awards. Danny and Max are living together, taking care of kids Danny picks up off the street." He clenched Jen's leash a little tighter in his hand, because even now, it was hard not to feel resentful. "Max hates it, but he puts up with them for Danny's sake. Taylor's married now, with a daughter. She and her husband both work at S.P.D.; Jason's one of my supervisors, actually. And their daughter Casey is on C Squad."
"What does Taylor do at S.P.D.?"
"She's in Vehicle Design and Maintenance, designing Zords. She says she hates it, but everyone knows she's lying." He grinned fondly.
Jen smiled at that, and finally slowed. "There it is," she said quietly.
He looked to where she pointed and swallowed hard.
He'd always hated the Memorial Statue. It was a constant reminder of Mirloc, his friends, and how badly he failed. It reminded him of the years he'd lost, of Eric raising Sky without him, of his son growing up into someone he didn't know. It reminded him of that day, of screaming, of pain, and of the realization that he'd lost Dax and Tori while he did *nothing*. Of five years in the dark, trying to remember his friend's faces.
It was a tribute to his failures, and just looking at it made him want to throw up.
But it was one of the few things from home that was still here. And if that *had* been the signal code on his morpher he'd thought it was, he needed to find some place they would know. Time Force wasn't the same as S.P.D., but the statue hadn't changed. It was older, but it still remained.
He walked toward it slowly, reaching out to trace the words that should have been there. "Hi, guys," he murmured, looking up at it. "Looks like you lasted longer than the rest of us after all ... "
He started talking for the sake of talking, barely aware of his own words. He told Jen what the statue stood for, who it represented. He told her who they were, and by the time he got to Dax and Tori and how he'd lost them, he was crying. His Jen was whimpering anxiously beside him, trying to make him stop, but once he'd started he couldn't. The human Jen stayed silent, but he could see the tears in her eyes as he went on to tell her how much he missed them, how much they *meant* to him.
It was more than he'd ever planned to tell any of them about himself, and he was somewhat surprised that he'd been able to say it without Eric hovering right behind him. But Jen was Jen, and he owed her a lot of things. Even this. She'd never understand why or just how much he'd changed since that last day on the beach, but she deserved to know something. Even if it tore him apart to say it.
He brushed a hand across his eyes, trying to rein his emotions back in. At last he turned to look at Jen again, taking in the way she struggled not to cry for him. "I almost lost my life that day," he told her quietly. "This morpher is the only thing that saved me. And even then, I wasn't really *saved*. Just alive." He swallowed, glancing back up at the statue. "That's what this statue means to me. That's what everyone forgot."
"I won't." Her voice was thick with tears, but her tone was firm. "I won't forget what it means, Wes. I promise."
He turned to offer her a weak smile. "Thank you," he said simply.
The sound of an explosion split the air.
Jen whirled, already reaching for her morpher. "That came from Time Force!" she shouted, breaking into a sprint.
Wes remained where he was, smiling softly as he closed his eyes. "Eric," he sighed in relief.
The soft crunch of boots on grass was the only sound, but he knew. He'd known he was being watched as soon as he began to explain for Jen. It was something between five years of listening to know where the people around him were, and something from twenty-seven years of being partners. Because even when they were separated, he'd always thought of Eric as his partner.
He opened his eyes, still smiling, and drank in the sight of his husband in front of him. He took in the soft, relieved look in Eric's eyes as he stared back, the shadows and lines of his face that told how worried he'd been. The tension in his shoulders that showed how on edge he still was, and the way his fingers twitched even as he moved toward Wes.
And then Eric was dropping down to kneel next to him. In front of Jen.
"Good girl," he informed the retriever. "You did a good job."
Jen's tail wagged enthusiastically as she practically wriggled with delight. She barked once, trying to lick Eric's face.
He laughed softly, pushing her back down, and ruffling her ears. "Down. Good girl. Good girl."
She settled and sat down, but her tail continued to wag.
Wes folded his arms as Eric finally stood back up and turned to look at him now. "You hugged the dog first," he said flatly.
Eric raised his eyebrows, looking faintly amused. "I did."
Wes' eyes narrowed. "You. Hugged the *dog*. First," he repeated.
"Yes, Wes. I hugged the dog first," Eric said patronizingly. And then he was *there* right in front of him, so close Wes could feel warm breath on his face, and he could smell him, hear him, and he was here. "The dog takes less time to say hello," Eric murmured, leaning in.
And then he was drowning in kisses and warm hands running over his arms and shoulders, and it was *perfect*.
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 5: Plant the Charges
"Zhane, there is no way they're going to think you're Time Force," Taylor informed him flatly. "A white uniform and charm is not going to get you in the door."
"You think I'm charming?" He batted his eyes at her. "Lightspeed, I'm flattered!"
"Astro!" Justin snapped. "Pay attention!"
"I am," he protested. "I'm paying complete attention to you. I need to put the blasters in the places with the little 'x's on them, press the button, and tell you when I'm done. I've totally got this, Turbo. Trust me."
Justin muttered something under his breath, but he didn't argue. Whether he admitted it or not, he knew better.
It was times like this when Zhane appreciated his past. Years of fighting for KO-35 and life with the rebels had taught him a lot of special skills not many people new about - not even the Astro Rangers. Andros knew some of what he could do, but while he loved Andros, his friend was a bit ... 'strict' when it came to legal activities. He didn't like to encourage Zhane to show off his skills unless he had to.
But then there was Aquitar.
Aquitar had been like KO-35 all over again. They were fighting a losing battle, and they *knew* it. The only difference was that the home they were fighting for wasn't their own, and they stayed out of sheer stubbornness rather than loyalty to the planet. And the fact that Andros and the Kerova Rangers weren't with him.
He hadn't been sure what to make of his new 'teammates' at the time. Andros was his team, and Ashley, T.J., Carlos, Cassie, and Ko-lin because of Andros. He hadn't wanted a new team. He was there because Tommy and Cruger had asked him to, because the Aquitian Rangers *needed* him, and because he didn't want to see another planet fall. He didn't trust the others with him, not really. He considered them friends, but there was nothing special between them.
Until the day they had been so desperate to know what was on the newest of Grumm's ships that had arrived they'd seriously started to debate sneaking someone on to investigate.
"I can do it," he'd told them. "Seriously. I can do this."
"Okay," Wes had agreed immediately.
One of the things he liked about Wes was his complete faith in people. Wes barely knew him at the time, but Zhane said he could do it, and Wes believed him. That was just the way Wes was. Whether he'd realized it or not, whether Tommy and Cruger had known it when they'd sent him with the team, Wes was what had kept the Newtech Rangers together on Aquitar. His faith in his team and their abilities was absolute and without question. He could think on his feet, and use what ever information they gave him to coordinate a plan. If he didn't have a plan, he'd immediately support whoever managed one, no matter how thin it was. He trusted them that much. For absolutely no reason.
And he'd been right, every single time.
Even when things went wrong, and they had to backtrack or scramble to fix a hole in the plan, Wes never blamed anyone for it. He wouldn't even let them blame each other. 'We're all we've got,' he used to say. 'We need to stick together.'
Wes was the first person besides Andros that Zhane had sworn complete loyalty to. Even if Wes wasn't aware of it.
It was strange not having Wes with them now. Unbalanced. Justin and Chip were aware of it subconsciously, judging by their underlying tension, while R.J. was blatantly aware just as he was. He wasn't sure if Taylor or Vanessa knew, and Eric was too busy focusing on the task at hand to pretend he wasn't worried sick about Wes to notice.
The Newtech Rangers had a system. R.J. liked to call it a 'balance of power', or 'triangle' sometimes: something to do with his training at Pai Zhua that had gone completely over Zhane's head. The old team hadn't had it, because their formation had been too formal. And as much as he missed Tori and Dax - missed them so much it physically hurt, even now - he liked the new system.
There were two 'teams' within the team; the 'triangles' R.J. liked to refer to. One was Wes, Eric, Vanessa, and R.J. The other was Taylor, Justin, Chip, and himself. Wes and Chip were the members of the team that kept them all laughing, kept their spirits up when they were down. Eric and Taylor were the protectors. Justin and Vanessa were the brains of the operation. And he and R.J. were the 'Sixths', who provided balance, support, protection, and an outside point of view when it was necessary. It gave them an odd connection they might not have had otherwise, but he kind of liked the idea of a second Sixth. It kept things interesting.
That wasn't to say that they couldn't work as a complete, or even a partial unit. Anyone of them could, and had, paired up with another teammate at any time and function just as well as they would have alone or within their smaller group. But after spending so much time as a family unit, there was something special between Wes, Eric, Vanessa, and R.J., something that kept them connected. It had left the other four grouped together almost by default.
"How long will this take you?" Eric demanded, and Zhane snapped back to attention.
He shrugged lightly. "Depends. How long it takes me to get inside, how long to get around, if anyone notices ... It's a big building, so rough guess I'd say a few hours."
Eric scowled, and he tried not to sigh. He missed Wes. He knew that Eric was stressed and worried - honestly, who wasn't? - but Eric wasn't the leader that Wes was. He tried, and he managed better than the rest of them, despite what Taylor might have claimed, but Wes just ... held the team together. He always had. He was a natural leader, but he understood his teammates in a way not many people did.
It all lead back to his faith.
Zhane reached for the bag of blasters, slinging it absently over one shoulder. "Well, I'm off!" he declared cheerfully. "Wish me luck!"
"Be *careful* with those!" Justin hissed.
"Don't get caught," Taylor told him, rolling her eyes.
"Don't do anything stupid," Vanessa added almost absently, leaning against R.J. comfortably. R.J. barely glanced up, giving a small wave without really looking at him.
Chip smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good luck, Astro."
Eric said nothing, just gave him a sharp nod as R.I.C. barked beside him.
Zhane grinned at them all and jogged towards Time Force, whistling to himself. He loved missions like this. S.P.D. needed to do more spy work.
****
Infiltration was all about attitude.
Despite what Taylor had believed, his white and silver S.P.D. uniform had gotten barely so much as a glance when he strolled through the main doors. He hadn't wanted to push his luck though, so he made quick work of some poor sap who looked about the right size, stuffing him into a closet and stealing his uniform. "Sorry, buddy," he offered, patting the unconscious man's leg as he tucked his own uniform in the bag. "Nothing personal. Your company's just evil."
He slipped out and moved on into the hall.
Almost immediately he noted that people with ugly yellow-green shirts under their jackets were apparently important. This was good, he decided as he nodded sternly in response to another pair of saluting black-shirt people. Important people didn't get questions when they were in places they shouldn’t be. Convenient.
The timeship dock and landing bay were ridiculously easy to locate, even if he hadn't had R.J.'s map. Really, Time Force had no imagination. Couldn't they make this at least a little difficult?
Turbo would have said he was asking for trouble.
He would have agreed.
The Command Center was as busy as he could have possibly hoped it would be. He hummed under his breath to himself as he slipped charges in beside the appropriate consoles. Five charges down, two to go.
Someone bumped into his shoulder as he headed for the door. "Excuse me," he murmured absently, hitching the bag higher against his shoulder.
"Captain?"
He paused, turning to glance back at the man who'd spoken and was now staring at him. Uh oh. This guy was dressed in black leather, not white. Color scheme changes were a bad sign.
"I afraid I don't recognize you," the man in black said slowly, frowning as he stared at Zhane.
"New transfer," he answered calmly, sliding to attention as he turned to face the man fully. "I'm here for the trial."
The man's eyes narrowed, and Zhane cursed silently. "Where's your identification?"
"Admiral Logan, Sir!"
The man in black made the mistake of turning, and Zhane darted around the open doorway into the hall. He slipped into the first door he found, sending a silent thanks to whatever forces were listening when it turned out to be a supply closet. He caught the door with his foot before it closed completely, listening.
"Sorry to interrupt Sir, but you said you wanted to meet Wes," a woman's voice explained.
Zhane's eyes widened.
He peered cautiously into the hallway, and found just enough clearance into the Command Center to see Admiral Logan facing a pretty brunette, and a very familiar blond man with a dog at his side. Wes, he sighed in relief. You're okay.
He ducked back as Logan looked around, frowning. "Where did he - "
"Is something wrong Admiral?" the brunette asked, sounding suspicious.
"I was ... nevermind. It's an honor to finally meet you in person, Sergeant Commander Collins," Admiral Logan said solemnly, saluting Wes. Zhane made a face, both at the gesture and the strange, military-style salute Logan used. "I'm just sorry the circumstances had to be as they are." He dropped the salute, offering a hand instead.
Wes smiled as he accepted the handshake, but it didn't meet his eyes. "Likewise," he agreed.
Zhane frowned. Wes look pale and tired, and there were dark rings under his eyes. Why was Time Force keeping him here? Couldn't they see how miserable he was?
Jen shifted at his side, sniffing at the air. She jumped to her feet abruptly, turning towards the closet Zhane was hiding in. Her tail began to wag in excitement, and she woofed softly.
Uh oh. He ducked back into the closet, heart pounding. Come on, girl. Cut me some slack here, he pleaded silently.
"Easy, girl," he heard Wes mutter. "It's all right."
"She's a beautiful dog," Logan remarked.
"The best," Wes agreed, and now there was a hint of warmth to his voice. "She's more than I could have hoped for."
Jen barked, and Zhane smiled to himself.
"So I understand you'll be joining us for the trial again today?" Logan asked.
There was a pause. "Yes," Wes said finally. "I ... I need to be here. I need to see this."
"Don't let me keep you, then. The others must be waiting."
"Thank you, Admiral."
"Sir."
Zhane peered out long enough to watch Wes walk away with the brunette, Jen close to his side. He frowned worriedly. Hang in there, Wes. We're right here. We'll get you out soon.
He shook himself, tightening a fist around his bag again and checking the hallway for clearance. He had a job to do.
Step 6: Provide a Distraction
She glared at the landscape, hands on her hips. The outskirts of Newtech City was nothing but endless rock and desert. No plants. No animals. Just ... nothing.
Tears picked at her eyes. Her chest felt tight, fists clenching as she struggled to understand. For several minutes she paced back and forth. Then her temper finally broke, and she snatched a large rock of the ground, hurling it at the nearest building with a shriek of rage.
"Something wrong?"
She stiffened, whirling to glare at R.J. He met her gaze calmly, not even bothering to move from the lotus position he'd been sitting in for the last hour as they waited for word. "How can you just sit there?" she demanded furiously.
He raised his eyebrows. "As opposed to ... ?"
"*Doing* something!" she snapped back, pacing again. "Not just sitting here, staring at - staring at *nothing*!"
R.J. reminded her of Cole. Always had. Something about their weird pacifist natures, she guessed. The way they were almost *never* angry, and when they were, it was always over someone else instead of themselves. Usually something to do with -
"I'm getting the vibe this isn't boredom talking," R.J. commented mildly, tilting his head at her curiously.
She glared at him.
He gazed back.
At last she huffed, folding her arms and looking away. "You wouldn't understand," she muttered.
"You won't know that I don't understand unless you give me the opportunity to try." He smiled when she frowned at him. "Try me," he repeated.
She sighed. "I spent two years as a Power Ranger, fighting to protect the Earth," she said quietly, staring out over the barren landscape. "Trying to keep it safe and whole. And *this* is what comes of it." She gestured angrily at the horizon. Her eyes watered slightly, and she blinked harshly. "I mean, all that time ... fighting orgs, worrying about the ozone and natural resources and ... It was just ... " She stopped before her voice could crack, feeling her throat tighten uncomfortably.
"I see," R.J. murmured, frowning now. "That, I'm afraid, I understand completely."
She scowled at him. "I read your team file. Your mission was to take out that Dead Shoe guy. *My* team's mission was to protect the Princess Shayla, the Animarium, and the planet." She glared at the landscape again, wishing the tight feeling in her chest would go away.
"Ah. Yes. Well." R.J. looked amused. "As much as my mission as a Ranger was to foil the plans of the evil 'Dead Shoe', my mission as a member of the ecosystem has always been to protect the planet. Unfortunately, the average nature lover doesn't tend to get a morpher."
She closed her eyes with another, longer sigh. "What were we fighting for, if this is the result?" she asked softly. "Everything we wanted to protect is gone. If we were going to lose it anyway, why did we bother fighting at all?"
"But it isn't gone," R.J. said gently from behind her. His hand touched her shoulder, and she wondered distantly when he'd moved. "This planet is still here. People are still living on it. It's not the Earth you and I know and love, and maybe the miracle of life isn't so common here. But we don't know what happened to make it this way. Maybe the fact that the Earth is still standing *is* the miracle."
She swallowed, blinking rapidly. "That's terrible."
"Yes," he agreed quietly, and suddenly his arms were around her but she couldn't summon enough anger about it to make him let go. "But it's still a miracle."
She let her head fall against his with another sigh. "I wonder what's taking Astro so long," she murmured. "I can't stand this *waiting*."
" ... I could offer a helpful Zen quote about waiting and time, but I'm afraid you'd hit me," R.J. remarked.
She grinned, closing her eyes. "I would."
They stood in silence together for awhile longer, R.J.'s chin resting on her shoulder, and Taylor enjoying the feeling of someone holding on to her. She told herself she was cold, and possibly a little homesick. She ignored the fact that R.J.'s build was all wrong to even try and pretend he was Jason.
Maybe it was because he was a wolf spirit, and she hadn't seen Merrick and Zen-Aku for awhile. She wondered how they were doing, and if Merrick had finally decided to put his foot down and tell Cole that they had enough animals. Then she thought of Cole's wide, innocent eyes, and figured they'd been overrun a long time ago.
"I wonder if the princess knows I'm here," she thought aloud. "If Eagle Zord was able to find me again after all this time ... would she be able to, too?"
"I was under the impression Princess Shayla was only allowed to awaken if the planet was in danger."
"She is," she admitted, and even though it had been years she still felt a pang at the thought. "I guess I just thought ... nevermind."
R.J. hmmed.
She smiled a little, wondering what it would be like to talk to her mentor again. To tell her everything that had happened in her life and the other Rangers'. Everything Shayla had missed. About Alyssa's career as a kindergarten teacher, about Danny and Max bickering like the old married couple they were over the children Danny kept taking in off the streets. About Cole and Merrick moving in together, Cole helping every animal he could find, while Merrick seemed content with the wolf pack and trying to keep Cole from getting into trouble. About Jason, their daughter, and her own work with S.P.D.
Shayla would be happy for them all, she knew. Would she proud? Would she wish she could have been there, too?
Eventually she shook her head slightly to clear it. There was no point in wondering about what would never happen. She had a job to do.
If Astro would ever *get off his lazy butt* and call already!
Her morpher beeped.
"Finally!" she shouted in exasperation, reaching for it. "This is Lightspeed and Fury."
R.J. made an odd sound in her ear, but didn't comment on the nickname she'd just given him. Not that she was giving him a choice about it anyway. If he was claiming he was Newtech, he was getting a name. And there was no way she was going to call him 'Wolf'.
"This is Astro." The voice was soft and slightly muffled. "We are ready for Operation Hamster."
"Mystic, Turbo, and Bo in position!" Chip said gleefully.
Justin could be heard in the background, muttering "Rangering doesn't pay enough for this."
"Commence with Operation ... Hamster," Eric muttered reluctantly. "Operation Candycane is on standby. Mystic, you are never naming anything again."
"Seconded," Taylor said quickly, in unison with Vanessa.
"You guys are no fun!" Chip protested.
"I dunno," R.J. chuckled over Taylor's shoulder. "I kinda like it."
"You would," she informed him as she snapped her morpher shut. "You ready for this?"
He smiled brightly at her. "As certain former student of mine use to say: Jungle Beasts! Spirit, Unleashed!"
****
She waited on the rooftop, watching with tears in her eyes as he landed in front of her. She moved forward before she even stopped to think about what she was doing, but he only bent his head down, watching her quietly. She didn't know how he recognized her in the strange uniform, but she didn't care. She reached up, gently touching either side of his beak and resting her helmet against it in the closest thing to a hug she would ever able to give him. He made a strangely soft noise that sounded something like a coo.
Cole had always been the closest to the Wild Zords outside of Shayla, and he had been the only one able to truly speak to them, but that didn't mean the rest of them hadn't cared just as much. And it didn't mean they hadn't found their own ways to communicate. Maybe they didn't use emotions, and she wasn't always sure he completely comprehended her words, but she and Eagle Zord understood each other just fine.
"I miss you," she said softly. She wasn't sure if she was referring to Eagle Zord himself, to being a Wild Force Ranger, to living on the Animarium ... Maybe all of it. All she knew was that as much as she loved her family, her life, and the new team she had found, it wasn't the same, and she missed it.
Eagle Zord cooed at her again, bumping his beak against her helmet with surprising gentleness.
He hadn't seen her in nearly a thousand years, she reminded herself. If anyone had a right to be lonely, it was him. And all this nostalgia wasn't her style.
Time traveling must have messed with her head, she decided.
She took a deep breath, steeling her resolve, and stepped back to look up at him. "I need your help," she said firmly.
He watched her, and something in his expression seemed curious.
"The people here have taken my friend and hurt his children - his hatchlings," she explained quietly, trying to simplify the situation for him as much as possible. "His ... " She mentally cringed at the word she was about to use, but she knew it was the best he would understand. "His mate wants to punish these people, and destroy their nest to protect his family. But we don't want any innocent people to get hurt, so we need a distraction." She pointed down and to the left, to the rooftop where Wolf Ranger stood waiting for her. "My friend over there, he's ... he's a wolf, like Merrick. He's going to let his Wolf play in the city, make people watch them. I need you to help him get their attention, and keep them watching you."
She looked up at him now, waiting uncertainly. This was asking a lot of him: Eagle Zord wasn't prone to silliness. Asking him to put on a show for humans just because she wanted to destroy a building was pushing the boundaries of their partnership, and she wasn't sure if it was too much.
Privately, she hoped he wouldn't be angry at her for it.
Eagle Zord bent his head down again, pushing his beak against her chest hard enough to make her stumble back. Then he opened his wings, let out a shriek that would have left her deaf if not for the helmet she wore softening the sound, and took to the sky.
Her ears rang as she watched him soar higher, trying to ignore the swell of disappointment. Well, she hadn't promised she could get his help. She had pointed out that him even knowing she here, let alone flying across four states just to see her as fast as he had, was pretty much a miracle. They'd just have to make do with whatever R.J. could do with his Wolf Zord, and hope it was enough.
She keyed her morpher. "Showtime, Fury," she said shortly, not bothering to explain.
She watched from her perch as Wolf Ranger did some sort of weird dance, and Wolf Zord just seemed to ... appear above him. He'd tried to explain to her how he could have a Zord *inside* of him, but the very thought made her head hurt. It was enough to chalk it up to the weirdness of the Power and whatever those Pie Zoo people R.J. was supposed to be one of were. There was enough magic-related madness in her life as it was; she didn't need to know anymore.
Wolf Ranger disappeared into Wolf Zord's forehead, and if she hadn't experienced something like it herself she probably would have winced. Seeing it from a distance, even knowing what it was, it just looked painful. But the Wolf Zord was already moving, leaping from building to building. He paused long enough to throw back his head, letting out a long howl.
The sound sent shivers down her spine.
And then another sound, louder and fiercer than the Wolf, and she spun to look. Eagle Zord came streaking down out of the sky, wings folded in a dive, and fell straight towards the ground. At the very last possible moment, his wings snapped open, and he snatched a parked car neatly up off the ground. Swinging around wide, he brought the car just above the rooftops with him, letting out another shriek, and tossed it high.
A very familiar looking red falcon caught it in mid-air.
Standing on the middle of a rooftop in a city over nine hundred years too old, watching her Eagle Zord play 'catch' with the Falcon Zord, R.J.'s Wolf Zord doing some strange sort of greeting dance with Merrick's Wolf Zord, and other Wild Zords appearing all over the place, Taylor threw back her head and laughed until she cried.
Step 7: Detonation
Two wolf howls in less than twenty-four hours. Newtech City's ecologists must be freaking out, he mused to himself. His eyes scanned the landscape even as he reached for his morpher. "Operation Hamster Phase Three. Begin Operation Candycane," he announced.
"Acknowledged," Vanessa, Chip, and Zhane chimed in from their designated places.
"Acknowledged," Eric returned. "Operation Candycane is go. Turbo," he added suddenly just as Justin was about to turn his morpher back off. "I owe you."
Justin closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "Yeah," he muttered, dropping the call before Eric could reply. It was more obvious than if he'd actually said something, but the fact that *Eric* of all people had noticed was ... Well, weird, and sort of nice at the same time. He knew Eric wasn't always the jerk he pretended to be. But that didn't change how he felt about this, and he wasn't going to pretend he liked doing it.
If this wasn't for Wes, he wouldn't be doing it all.
He stared at the Turbo Navigator, counting down silently in his head the amount of time they'd agreed on. His fingers moved automatically through the signal sequence, hovering over the final key. His hand was shaking.
Tommy would never forgive me for this, he thought distantly. Neither would T.J.
But for *Wes* ...
He closed his eyes, and hit the final key.
The resulting explosion was louder than he'd expected, and he flinched at the sound. In his head, this wasn't Newtech City anymore, and it was Angel Grove he was trying not to imagine falling to the ground. It was the Power Chamber in ruins around him as he stared dismally at what had once been home.
Well, that was easy. No wonder Divatox liked doing it so much.
He could feel how badly he was shaking now, and R.I.C. whined anxiously at his side. It took visible effort to calm himself, clenching a fist and scrunching his eyes shut to keep tears from falling. I can do this, he told himself. I am stronger than this.
It wasn't enough this time, and he forced himself to picture Wes, his expression soft and sympathetic after waking him from a nightmare in the ruins of a dome collapse. Wes, who never judged or told him he needed to get past it, or suggested he 'talk to someone'. Losing the only real home you've ever had isn't something you get over, he'd said once, his eyes haunted as they shared memories of the Power Chamber and the Clock Tower. It's something you learn to deal with. But it never stops hurting.
I admire you, Justin, he'd added, looking at him with such seriousness he could only stare back. I've had nightmares about that night for years. I still wake up shaking just thinking about it. You were twelve years old. I was in my twenties. You deal with it a lot better than I do.
He opened his eyes.
****
Time Force was in relatively good shape for a building that had just survived seven simultaneous minor explosions. The S.P.D. issue blasters were gone now, and Weapons Lockup was going to have their heads, but they still had their morphers and the weapons that came with them. There was still the Zip Shooter and the Turbo Navigator, and R.I.C., who was more firepower than everything else combined.
Justin hesitated for a split second, looking up at the sky again as the Wild Zords and R.J. continued to put on the weirdest circus act he'd ever seen - and for someone who'd become a Ranger at eleven and drove a talking car, that was saying something. The two Wolf Zords seemed to be having some sort of race, which meant Fury was enjoying himself. If he squinted long enough he could see Lightspeed on the rooftop above them all, watching for signs of anyone coming after them. With that many Zords running around, it was inevitable that Time Force would eventually send out some of their own. Whatever Lightspeed had done to get the Wild Zords to cooperate, it was worth it: they couldn't have asked for a better distraction.
Now for his own part.
He slipped out into the flow of people rushing toward Time Force, tucking the Turbo Navigator into his back pocket. R.I.C. stayed obediently at his side, and he silently prayed that robot dogs were common enough in this time period that no one would give him a second look. B Squad - and Dustin - would never forgive them if something happened to him.
There were enough people still inside that no one paid any special attention to him when he began to help the wounded along. There weren't many - Taylor and R.J.'s distraction was good enough to get the majority of the building emptied it looked like - but there were still more than they'd hoped to see. Guilt weighed on him heavily as he lifted a tiny young woman onto a stretcher before she damaged her ankle further.
"Thank you," she whispered, looking exhausted but grateful.
He tried to force himself to smile at her. "Don't mention it," he murmured, already moving on to the next victim. Please.
The lights flickered dramatically, making several people cry out in alarm, and he forced himself to look up as if he was worried. None of the charges would have effected anything besides the stations they were meant to, but that didn't mean they didn't want people to assume things were as fine as they actually were. Mystic had been more than eager for a chance to show of his magic, claiming lighting and storm spells were his specialty.
He shook his head wryly at himself, passing over the box of medical equipment someone was demanding. He was a scientist and former Turbo Ranger, relying on magic spells and blowing up essential components of a major corporation. How the mighty have fallen, he mused.
"I'm telling you A, something's weird."
The voice wasn't what caught his attention so much as the tone. He snuck a glance to the teenager in the corner who was glaring at his wrist. "I'm serious!" the teen hissed. "Something about all this isn't right. It's ... it's too organized. Too careful. There's just ... something wrong with it."
Justin's eyes narrowed. Oh, no you don't. Sorry Kid, but Team Loyalty comes before Ranger Loyalty. He looked down to the dog at his side. "R.I.C. Distract," he ordered softly, nodding in the teen's direction.
R.I.C.'s tail went up eagerly at the chance to be useful, and he was off like a shot.
"No, I can't give you anything specific!" The teenager ran a hand over his hair, looking agitated. "There's something here we're not seeing, I know it." He paused to listen, his expression turning to dark fury in a way that was frighteningly familiar. "I don't care who took courses in tactics and disaster situations!" he snarled. "And the next time I see him, I'll tell Lucas to his face!"
R.I.C. barked.
The kid looked up, startled.
R.I.C. bowed to him playfully, and barked again.
"Hey there ... " the teen said softly. He frowned briefly before softening his expression into a gentle smile. "Hi, boy. What are you doing here? Are you lost?" Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out a hand.
R.I.C. tilted his head, whining curiously, tail wagging. The kid's hand touched his head, and his visual lights turned upwards as he gave another bark in happiness. It made the teenager smile, the tension slowly fading from his shoulders.
Without warning, R.I.C.'s mouth closed around the morpher strapped to the teen's left wrist, and yanked. The next moment he was darting down the hall, tail still high. The teen yelled in surprise and chased after him.
Dustin deserves a medal for that dog, Justin thought ruefully. And Eric's going to kill me for letting R.I.C. steal his son's morpher.
"I need some help over here!"
He spun at the sound of Zhane's voice, his hand reaching back almost instinctively toward the Turbo Nav. Zhane stumbled out of an elevator, half-carrying a man who was clearly unconscious, and badly burned. "Somebody give me a hand!" Zhane shouted again.
He stared at them, barely registering people running toward Zhane to assist him. All he could see was the man in Zhane's arms, the paleness of his face contrasted by blackened skin. Then the world went gray, and he was running.
He wasn't exactly clear on where or when he stopped, just that when he did, tears pricked his eyes as he emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry, he chanted silently, heaving dry sobs. I didn't mean it. Please, please forgive me!
Cool hands supported him, smoothing his hair and rubbing his back. "Shh ... " a familiar voice murmured, surprisingly gentle. "Just let it go, Turbo. Just let it go."
He choked on another sob as his stomach finally settled, closing his eyes and allowing Vanessa to pull him back against her. Her hand stroked his forehead soothingly. "It's over," she whispered in his ear, resting her head against his cheek. "It's over now."
"I'm sorry," he choked out. "I'm so sorry."
"You did what you had to do." Another voice now, more familiar than the first, and just as gentle. A hand reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "We have to protect our own, Turbo," Chip reminded him softly. "You did it for Wes."
Wes.
That name was the only salvation he had, and he clung to it desperately. Wes, one of his best friends. Wes, who had saved his life time and again. Wes, who always believed in him, always trusted him, who admired him for being a Ranger at such a young age when others looked at him like he was a joke. Wes, who had been his teammate for twelve years. Wes, who had cried just as hard as he had when Elizabeth disappeared, who had been the first to cry with him again when she was found.
He did it for Wes.
"Do we ... " He coughed, forcing himself to swallow. The world was still slightly watery when he opened his eyes, but he forced himself to focus on Chip's solemn expression. "Do we have him? Has Quantum confirmed?"
As if in answer, all three of their morphers went off at once.
Chip was the first to reach for his. "Mystic, Turbo, and Bo," he announced, ignoring that part of the plan had been for them to separate, making them less suspicious.
"This is Quantum." Eric's voice was flat and unamused. "Operation Candycane is confirmed. We have a problem."
Step 8: Wait for Rescue
The walk to the new home of the Ranger Memorial Statue had been silent ever since Jen warned Alex they wouldn't be rejoining them for the trial. Alex hadn't sounded happy about it, but promised to update them later. Jen had offered him an uncertain smile before leading the way, and something about her posture told him she didn't know what to say to him anymore.
He could relate.
Making small talk about Newtech City and Time Force was nothing important. Talking about Alex ... well, that was awkward, but necessary for his peace of mind. And Jen seemed to understand, at least a little, that he loved Alex enough to worry about him.
She wouldn't understand why it was so much more than that, though. There was no way she could. And he hoped that she'd never understand: he didn't want her to have to suffer the way he did.
He tried to keep thinking about Jen and the others, trying to keep himself calm. But he couldn't stop thinking about that strange flash of gold on the corner of his vision in the sky that looked suspiciously familiar, and the way his morpher had flickered three times. It had happened so fast, he had to convince himself it hadn't been wishful thinking. But even if that's all it was, he couldn't take the chance. Because he couldn't risk being wrong.
It was standard Newtech Ranger alert code, developed in the months on Aquitar by Zhane, who claimed it was better to be safe than sorry. A silent triple flash was an order to gather at the nearest meeting place for a chance to regroup. A double flash would have been a check-in request, repeated if it was urgent. Continuous flashing was an emergency, and was usually followed by check-in to confirm where everyone was, and find out who was in trouble.
It had been only two months since Taylor and Vanessa had joined the team, almost three for Eric, but during the weeks they'd started rebuilding the damage done to S.P.D., Wes had made sure to introduce them all to the codes. He had also given them their badges, letting Justin handle the explanations why, and explained to them the rules of being a Newtech Ranger. Six rules, as set down by the team on Aquitar. One rule per Ranger, one team to follow them.
Rule One, Tori: Loyalty to the Team first.
Rule Two, Zhane: Loyalty to what was important to the Team.
Rule Three, Justin: Never abandon a teammate in need, for any reason.
Rule Four, Dax: Trust in each other, no matter what.
Rule Five, Chip: Complete and total honesty within the Team. No secrets, no lies.
Rule Six, his own: We are *always* a team. Time, distance, other teams, or whatever else may separate us, we remain a team. This Team is forever.
He wondered if there should be three new rules now, and what Eric and the girls would chose to instate.
Eventually he shook his head with a sigh. So much for not thinking about it, he thought ruefully. Seems like everything reminds me of the team these days.
Or at least, everything about being here did.
He closed his eyes to prevent tears, letting Jen lead him. He didn't do it often - having his sight back was a gift he never wanted to stop appreciating - but there were times when he was grateful that he'd kept her. For a day, maybe two, he'd actually thought about returning her to the trainer he'd gotten her from so that someone else could use her skills, but the thought of letting her go was too painful. And now, having her here at his side to protect him and trusting her to lead him down the street without consciously stopping to think about it, he was glad he'd talked himself out of it.
The fact that he'd closed his eyes was probably the only reason he was paying enough attention to hear it. A howl. A wolf's howl, with that strange metallic quality to it that could only be made by a Zord.
His eyes snapped open.
The human Jen had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, looking around with a frown. "Did you hear something?" she asked suspiciously.
He blinked at her. "Something?" he echoed.
"It almost sounded like ... like a Zord," she murmured, looking around warily. "Or a wolf ... "
He forced a laugh. "Like what? You think there's a giant metal wolf running around the city right now?"
She looked at him for a moment and finally huffed a laugh, looking down. "How's Merrick been?" she asked softly, turning to walk on.
He smiled genuinely, both at the fact that she'd let it go, and the chance to talk about someone he knew. "Doing pretty well, last I heard. He and Cole have a cabin in the woods somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, and Cole said they'd just adopted another wolf into their pack. And Cole's still taking care of anything that walks, flies, crawls, or swims." His smile softened. "They're happy."
She turned to look at him again, startled. "Merrick and Cole?"
He laughed, grinning at her. "Yes, believe it or not." His smile faded a little, and he shrugged. "When Shayla went back to sleep on the Animarium, she made Merrick stay on Earth. From what Cole said, they lost track of him for awhile and they were starting to worry, so Cole hunted him down and just ... stayed with him, I guess. They eventually built the cabin, and never left."
She frowned slightly. "I wouldn't have pictured them together. I thought that Cole and Alyssa ... "
"Everyone did," he agreed. Had he just heard a bird? "But Cole's never really said anything about her *or* Merrick either way. And even though they live together, he and Merrick won't say whether it's more than just companionship. We think it might be from the signs, but ... " He shrugged. "Cole's not talking, and Merrick never does."
She almost smiled then. "And the others?"
"Well, Alyssa's still working as a kindergarten teacher. She says she's happy, and she's gotten a lot of teaching awards. Danny and Max are living together, taking care of kids Danny picks up off the street." He clenched Jen's leash a little tighter in his hand, because even now, it was hard not to feel resentful. "Max hates it, but he puts up with them for Danny's sake. Taylor's married now, with a daughter. She and her husband both work at S.P.D.; Jason's one of my supervisors, actually. And their daughter Casey is on C Squad."
"What does Taylor do at S.P.D.?"
"She's in Vehicle Design and Maintenance, designing Zords. She says she hates it, but everyone knows she's lying." He grinned fondly.
Jen smiled at that, and finally slowed. "There it is," she said quietly.
He looked to where she pointed and swallowed hard.
He'd always hated the Memorial Statue. It was a constant reminder of Mirloc, his friends, and how badly he failed. It reminded him of the years he'd lost, of Eric raising Sky without him, of his son growing up into someone he didn't know. It reminded him of that day, of screaming, of pain, and of the realization that he'd lost Dax and Tori while he did *nothing*. Of five years in the dark, trying to remember his friend's faces.
It was a tribute to his failures, and just looking at it made him want to throw up.
But it was one of the few things from home that was still here. And if that *had* been the signal code on his morpher he'd thought it was, he needed to find some place they would know. Time Force wasn't the same as S.P.D., but the statue hadn't changed. It was older, but it still remained.
He walked toward it slowly, reaching out to trace the words that should have been there. "Hi, guys," he murmured, looking up at it. "Looks like you lasted longer than the rest of us after all ... "
He started talking for the sake of talking, barely aware of his own words. He told Jen what the statue stood for, who it represented. He told her who they were, and by the time he got to Dax and Tori and how he'd lost them, he was crying. His Jen was whimpering anxiously beside him, trying to make him stop, but once he'd started he couldn't. The human Jen stayed silent, but he could see the tears in her eyes as he went on to tell her how much he missed them, how much they *meant* to him.
It was more than he'd ever planned to tell any of them about himself, and he was somewhat surprised that he'd been able to say it without Eric hovering right behind him. But Jen was Jen, and he owed her a lot of things. Even this. She'd never understand why or just how much he'd changed since that last day on the beach, but she deserved to know something. Even if it tore him apart to say it.
He brushed a hand across his eyes, trying to rein his emotions back in. At last he turned to look at Jen again, taking in the way she struggled not to cry for him. "I almost lost my life that day," he told her quietly. "This morpher is the only thing that saved me. And even then, I wasn't really *saved*. Just alive." He swallowed, glancing back up at the statue. "That's what this statue means to me. That's what everyone forgot."
"I won't." Her voice was thick with tears, but her tone was firm. "I won't forget what it means, Wes. I promise."
He turned to offer her a weak smile. "Thank you," he said simply.
The sound of an explosion split the air.
Jen whirled, already reaching for her morpher. "That came from Time Force!" she shouted, breaking into a sprint.
Wes remained where he was, smiling softly as he closed his eyes. "Eric," he sighed in relief.
The soft crunch of boots on grass was the only sound, but he knew. He'd known he was being watched as soon as he began to explain for Jen. It was something between five years of listening to know where the people around him were, and something from twenty-seven years of being partners. Because even when they were separated, he'd always thought of Eric as his partner.
He opened his eyes, still smiling, and drank in the sight of his husband in front of him. He took in the soft, relieved look in Eric's eyes as he stared back, the shadows and lines of his face that told how worried he'd been. The tension in his shoulders that showed how on edge he still was, and the way his fingers twitched even as he moved toward Wes.
And then Eric was dropping down to kneel next to him. In front of Jen.
"Good girl," he informed the retriever. "You did a good job."
Jen's tail wagged enthusiastically as she practically wriggled with delight. She barked once, trying to lick Eric's face.
He laughed softly, pushing her back down, and ruffling her ears. "Down. Good girl. Good girl."
She settled and sat down, but her tail continued to wag.
Wes folded his arms as Eric finally stood back up and turned to look at him now. "You hugged the dog first," he said flatly.
Eric raised his eyebrows, looking faintly amused. "I did."
Wes' eyes narrowed. "You. Hugged the *dog*. First," he repeated.
"Yes, Wes. I hugged the dog first," Eric said patronizingly. And then he was *there* right in front of him, so close Wes could feel warm breath on his face, and he could smell him, hear him, and he was here. "The dog takes less time to say hello," Eric murmured, leaning in.
And then he was drowning in kisses and warm hands running over his arms and shoulders, and it was *perfect*.