A Darker Shade of Red (Time Force/Power Rangers, T, Chapter 38: Fighting Amongst Ourselves)
-Glomps Alex Muse and clings- DON'T LEAVE ME! Things are getting good again in this story!
On another note, for anyone interested in helping me solve a future dilema, there are six 'rules' for the Newtech Rangers mentioned in How to Blow Up Time Force in Eight Easy Steps. They are:
Any now, to the fic!
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/: Holy crap, it's not dead!
Okay, so Cassie Muse is ignoring me, and Alex Muse decided he felt neglected. Hence this. It's not the greatest chapter, but it leads into the official meeting between the Time Force and Newtech Rangers! (And hey, stuff explodes!)
Chapter 38: Fighting Amongst OurselvesThe lingering silence after Wes' departure was awkward. Alex ignored it, focusing on finishing his lunch in the time he had before they would need to return for the trial. Despite Wes' impressive influence, today hadn't been going as well as the day before, and he was anxious to return to the courtroom.
It was all boiling down to mutant rights issues from what he could see, which was an hot topic for many reasons. Mutants on the streets were furious and wanted justice, dangerous enough to want blood for what had been done to their kind. Many humans didn't seem to care about the issue of mutants being experimented on, only that they hadn't been aware of what was happening. Alex was fully expecting some sort of outcry in the mutant community soon, through demonstration or worse.
Once, before everything that had happened in the last two years, he wouldn't have cared so much. He would have put down the uprising in the fastest and most efficient manner possible, and waited patiently for the results of the trial without any personal interest in the outcome. But now ...
Now he had a little brother who was a mutant, and the possibility of another on the way. Now it was family, and it *was* personal. The thought of someone attacking one of his younger siblings just because of something that hadn't been their fault, something they couldn't help, made him sick to his stomach. The thought of someone calling Sky anything less than human made him want to hurt them. Severely.
*No one* messed with his little brother. Either of them.
"Alex."
He looked up at the sound of Jen's voice cutting into his thoughts, blinking once. He realized abruptly that he was about to snap his fork in half, and forced himself to relax his grip. "Yes?" he managed.
Her eyes were solemn as she stared at him, and something in her face made him sit up a little straighter, suddenly wary. "How many more secrets, Alex?" she asked flatly. "What else have you been hiding?"
He flinched.
Almost instinctively his eyes fell to the tabletop. He took a slow, deep breath. "I can't tell you Wes' secrets, because they're not mine to tell. As for my own ... " He swallowed, and felt his fists clench again against his will. "Just one."
He felt Ben stiffen slightly beside him. "A - "
"Before I knew that Wes was my father, I thought ... " He stopped, and tried again. "They told us that he was just DNA. They told us the one who wanted us, the one who ... " He closed his eyes. Why was this so hard? It didn't matter! Wes already knew, and he understood. He didn't like it, but he understood. Why should the Rangers be any different?
"Commander Blakemore is the only father I've ever known," he forced out at last, throat tight. "Before Wes, I thought he *was* our father."
Katie made some sort of strangled gasp. " ... Oh, Alex," she murmured.
Lucas was silent, but he hadn't expected anything from him.
Trip was silent too, but there was a look of solemn understanding he could just barely catch from the angle he was sitting at. If anything, Trip had already suspected. He supposed it was enough that Trip hadn't outright condemned him for it, considering all that Blakemore had done, but that wasn't like Trip anyway.
Ben was seething, and he could see it out of the corner of his eye. "Why do you always do this?" he demanded abruptly.
Alex glanced at him, trying not to see Jen's blank expression. "Do what?"
"Why do you always have to be a martyr?" Ben was glaring at him now. "You always expect people to - to - "
"I don't," he cut in, not wanting him to say it. He knew exactly what Ben was talking about. He just didn't want to hear it.
"You do!" Ben shouted back, slamming his hands down on the table. "You're *not* defective, A! Stop trying to make up for stuff they put into your head!"
His fingernails were starting to dig into his palms. "You're one to talk," he said lowly, trying to reign in his temper. Punching his brother was wrong. It wasn't going to solve anything. It *wasn't*.
Ben's eyes narrowed. "I *know* I'm screwed up. But at least I know it's not my fault! You still think there's something wrong with you just because they told you there was!"
He was on his feet before he could stop himself. "Shut *up*!" he snarled. "You - I - I don't - "
"You don't want to hear it, because I'm right?" Ben taunted.
"Stop it!
They both froze, turning warily to stare at Jen. She glared at them furiously. "Stop it, *both* of you! Fighting is the *last* thing we need right now!"
Ben started to say something, but she silenced him with a look.
"I'm going to go find Wes," she said quietly, her tone still warning them to stay silent. "Ben, leave your brother alone. You're not helping. Alex ... " She stopped, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath, and Alex tried not to flinch again. "I need some time to think," she muttered finally. "I'll catch up later."
He watched her leave, and tried not to feel like his heart was breaking. In his head he could see her returning the ring again, and it hurt even more now than it had the first time. But if she couldn't keep it now, after all this ... Well, there was really nothing he could do about it.
"I'm going for a walk," he muttered finally, abandoning the last of his lunch and heading for the door.
He slammed the call button for the elevator, leaning his head against the wall for a moment and closing his eyes. He heard a door open behind him, but couldn't summon the will to look up. If it was Ben, he'd only end up yelling at him again. And if it was one of the others ... He really didn't care what they had to say anymore.
A hand touched his arm lightly. "Alex?" Katie asked softly.
He let out a long sigh, forcing himself to lift his head. "Yes?"
She leaned in and gave him a hug.
He choked. "Katie - !"
"Oh, sorry!" She relaxed her grip hastily, easing the pressure on his ribs. But she didn't let go completely, continuing to hold on to him more gently.
It was a full minute before she finally let him go, stepping back enough to look him in the face. He frowned. "What was that for?"
She smiled a little, but it seemed sad. "You seemed like you needed it." She hesitated before reaching out to take one of his hands, squeezing carefully. "Alex ... " She looked down briefly, taking a deep breath before looking up at him again. "You keep telling us all these secrets you've been keeping. About how much you've hidden from us. And you always expect us to hate you for it. But ... we don't. I don't think we could."
He blinked, startled.
She stared at him for a moment before another sad smile touched her lips. "Alex, the more I learn about you, the more I realize that you're just about the bravest person I've ever met. It just makes me want to ... to protect you, I guess. Even if you don't need me to." She shook her head a little as he continued to stare, patting his hand with her free one. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter how many secrets you've been keeping, even if you don't want to tell me them all ... I'll *always* be your friend."
He blinked again. He felt like he was supposed to say something to that, but he couldn't find the words to respond. The best he managed to do was squeeze her hand back.
She frowned slightly. "Alex? Are you okay?"
He opened his mouth, paused, and shook his head. "I ... no one ... " Once again he stopped himself, feeling stupid. "I never ... had friends before," he forced out finally. He glanced away before he could stop himself, cursing his own weakness. "Co-workers, superiors ... brothers ... but never ... " He swallowed. "Friends."
Katie gave him another hug, more carefully this time, and paused to kiss his cheek before stepping back with the warmest, kindest smile he'd ever seen her give him. "Well, you do now," she promised sincerely.
He'd just managed a very small, hesitant smile back, when the alarms went off.
****
"Can you repeat that?" Alex stared at Trip blankly.
Trip sighed. "The Wild Force Zords are running lose in Newtech City," he said again. He pointed to the monitor. "There's another Wolf Zord too, but I don't recognize this one."
"It's purple," Ben pointed out, frowning. "Do we know any Purple Rangers?"
"Not in this system," Trip told him, shaking his head. "The nearest Purples are with Time Force Gannos. And they don't use animal zords."
"It's a purple wolf?" Alex repeated, frowning. That sounds like ... But it couldn't be. Right?
"A purple wolf," Lucas confirmed. "And about another hundred Wild Zords. Some we've never even seen before."
Alex looked at him sharply. "What do you mean you've never seen them before?"
"They weren't with the Wild Force Rangers when we met them," Lucas answered, frowning at the screen. "There's some I recognize, but back then, we only met ... " He paused, looking at Trip.
"Seventeen," Trip supplied. "Well, they *had* seventeen, but we only really met seven of them personally."
Alex raised a hand, cutting him off before he could ramble further. "What are they doing *here*?"
Trip shrugged. "That's a good question. I really don't know."
"It looks like they're *playing*," Katie said incredulously.
They all looked at her oddly.
"I'm serious!" she protested. "Look at Eagle Zord, and that red one. They're playing catch with a car!"
Another monitor beeped sharply, and Trip turned to study it. His eyes went wide. "There's a Ranger!"
"*What*?" Alex demanded.
"A Yellow Ranger! Archives list them as ... Lightspeed Yellow." Trip frowned, typing rapidly. "They're just ... standing there."
"Why aren't they doing anything?" Lucas wondered, frowning as he leaned in to look over Trip's shoulder.
Alex stared at the screen. Yellow Lightspeed. Kelsey Winslow fell in battle in 2019, against the criminal Mirloc. That can't be -
He froze, and swore. Loudly.
Katie stared at him. "What language was that?"
He shook his head. "We need to make contact with that Ranger. Katie, I need you to morph and go talk to her. I don't *think* she'll attack you, but we can't take any chances. Trip, I want you to scan for any other Power Sources in the area. If I'm right, there should be at least six, not including Wes." He paused, remembering the Purple Wolf, and tried not to groan. "Make that seven. Lucas, I need you to go find Admiral Logan and inform him of the situation. Tell him we're handling it, and ask him to keep all other Time Force operatives as far away from these Rangers and the Zords as possible. Ben - " He hesitated. "I don't want to escalate this, but I need you to prep the Time Shadow Megazord, just in case we can't talk them down."
"You know who it is?" Ben demanded.
Alex nodded, looking grim. "I hope I'm wrong."
Because I *really* don't want to have to fight my father's team just to convince them we'll give him back.
A series of loud explosions split the air, and the building shook, forcing them all to grab onto something to keep from falling.
... Okay, maybe so I *do* want to fight them.
On another note, for anyone interested in helping me solve a future dilema, there are six 'rules' for the Newtech Rangers mentioned in How to Blow Up Time Force in Eight Easy Steps. They are:
- Rule One, Tori: Loyalty to the Team first.
- Rule Two, Zhane: Loyalty to what is 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, Wes: We are *always* a team. Time, distance, other teams, or whatever else may separate us, we remain a team. This Team is forever.
Any now, to the fic!
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/: Holy crap, it's not dead!
Okay, so Cassie Muse is ignoring me, and Alex Muse decided he felt neglected. Hence this. It's not the greatest chapter, but it leads into the official meeting between the Time Force and Newtech Rangers! (And hey, stuff explodes!)
Chapter 38: Fighting Amongst OurselvesThe lingering silence after Wes' departure was awkward. Alex ignored it, focusing on finishing his lunch in the time he had before they would need to return for the trial. Despite Wes' impressive influence, today hadn't been going as well as the day before, and he was anxious to return to the courtroom.
It was all boiling down to mutant rights issues from what he could see, which was an hot topic for many reasons. Mutants on the streets were furious and wanted justice, dangerous enough to want blood for what had been done to their kind. Many humans didn't seem to care about the issue of mutants being experimented on, only that they hadn't been aware of what was happening. Alex was fully expecting some sort of outcry in the mutant community soon, through demonstration or worse.
Once, before everything that had happened in the last two years, he wouldn't have cared so much. He would have put down the uprising in the fastest and most efficient manner possible, and waited patiently for the results of the trial without any personal interest in the outcome. But now ...
Now he had a little brother who was a mutant, and the possibility of another on the way. Now it was family, and it *was* personal. The thought of someone attacking one of his younger siblings just because of something that hadn't been their fault, something they couldn't help, made him sick to his stomach. The thought of someone calling Sky anything less than human made him want to hurt them. Severely.
*No one* messed with his little brother. Either of them.
"Alex."
He looked up at the sound of Jen's voice cutting into his thoughts, blinking once. He realized abruptly that he was about to snap his fork in half, and forced himself to relax his grip. "Yes?" he managed.
Her eyes were solemn as she stared at him, and something in her face made him sit up a little straighter, suddenly wary. "How many more secrets, Alex?" she asked flatly. "What else have you been hiding?"
He flinched.
Almost instinctively his eyes fell to the tabletop. He took a slow, deep breath. "I can't tell you Wes' secrets, because they're not mine to tell. As for my own ... " He swallowed, and felt his fists clench again against his will. "Just one."
He felt Ben stiffen slightly beside him. "A - "
"Before I knew that Wes was my father, I thought ... " He stopped, and tried again. "They told us that he was just DNA. They told us the one who wanted us, the one who ... " He closed his eyes. Why was this so hard? It didn't matter! Wes already knew, and he understood. He didn't like it, but he understood. Why should the Rangers be any different?
"Commander Blakemore is the only father I've ever known," he forced out at last, throat tight. "Before Wes, I thought he *was* our father."
Katie made some sort of strangled gasp. " ... Oh, Alex," she murmured.
Lucas was silent, but he hadn't expected anything from him.
Trip was silent too, but there was a look of solemn understanding he could just barely catch from the angle he was sitting at. If anything, Trip had already suspected. He supposed it was enough that Trip hadn't outright condemned him for it, considering all that Blakemore had done, but that wasn't like Trip anyway.
Ben was seething, and he could see it out of the corner of his eye. "Why do you always do this?" he demanded abruptly.
Alex glanced at him, trying not to see Jen's blank expression. "Do what?"
"Why do you always have to be a martyr?" Ben was glaring at him now. "You always expect people to - to - "
"I don't," he cut in, not wanting him to say it. He knew exactly what Ben was talking about. He just didn't want to hear it.
"You do!" Ben shouted back, slamming his hands down on the table. "You're *not* defective, A! Stop trying to make up for stuff they put into your head!"
His fingernails were starting to dig into his palms. "You're one to talk," he said lowly, trying to reign in his temper. Punching his brother was wrong. It wasn't going to solve anything. It *wasn't*.
Ben's eyes narrowed. "I *know* I'm screwed up. But at least I know it's not my fault! You still think there's something wrong with you just because they told you there was!"
He was on his feet before he could stop himself. "Shut *up*!" he snarled. "You - I - I don't - "
"You don't want to hear it, because I'm right?" Ben taunted.
"Stop it!
They both froze, turning warily to stare at Jen. She glared at them furiously. "Stop it, *both* of you! Fighting is the *last* thing we need right now!"
Ben started to say something, but she silenced him with a look.
"I'm going to go find Wes," she said quietly, her tone still warning them to stay silent. "Ben, leave your brother alone. You're not helping. Alex ... " She stopped, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath, and Alex tried not to flinch again. "I need some time to think," she muttered finally. "I'll catch up later."
He watched her leave, and tried not to feel like his heart was breaking. In his head he could see her returning the ring again, and it hurt even more now than it had the first time. But if she couldn't keep it now, after all this ... Well, there was really nothing he could do about it.
"I'm going for a walk," he muttered finally, abandoning the last of his lunch and heading for the door.
He slammed the call button for the elevator, leaning his head against the wall for a moment and closing his eyes. He heard a door open behind him, but couldn't summon the will to look up. If it was Ben, he'd only end up yelling at him again. And if it was one of the others ... He really didn't care what they had to say anymore.
A hand touched his arm lightly. "Alex?" Katie asked softly.
He let out a long sigh, forcing himself to lift his head. "Yes?"
She leaned in and gave him a hug.
He choked. "Katie - !"
"Oh, sorry!" She relaxed her grip hastily, easing the pressure on his ribs. But she didn't let go completely, continuing to hold on to him more gently.
It was a full minute before she finally let him go, stepping back enough to look him in the face. He frowned. "What was that for?"
She smiled a little, but it seemed sad. "You seemed like you needed it." She hesitated before reaching out to take one of his hands, squeezing carefully. "Alex ... " She looked down briefly, taking a deep breath before looking up at him again. "You keep telling us all these secrets you've been keeping. About how much you've hidden from us. And you always expect us to hate you for it. But ... we don't. I don't think we could."
He blinked, startled.
She stared at him for a moment before another sad smile touched her lips. "Alex, the more I learn about you, the more I realize that you're just about the bravest person I've ever met. It just makes me want to ... to protect you, I guess. Even if you don't need me to." She shook her head a little as he continued to stare, patting his hand with her free one. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter how many secrets you've been keeping, even if you don't want to tell me them all ... I'll *always* be your friend."
He blinked again. He felt like he was supposed to say something to that, but he couldn't find the words to respond. The best he managed to do was squeeze her hand back.
She frowned slightly. "Alex? Are you okay?"
He opened his mouth, paused, and shook his head. "I ... no one ... " Once again he stopped himself, feeling stupid. "I never ... had friends before," he forced out finally. He glanced away before he could stop himself, cursing his own weakness. "Co-workers, superiors ... brothers ... but never ... " He swallowed. "Friends."
Katie gave him another hug, more carefully this time, and paused to kiss his cheek before stepping back with the warmest, kindest smile he'd ever seen her give him. "Well, you do now," she promised sincerely.
He'd just managed a very small, hesitant smile back, when the alarms went off.
****
"Can you repeat that?" Alex stared at Trip blankly.
Trip sighed. "The Wild Force Zords are running lose in Newtech City," he said again. He pointed to the monitor. "There's another Wolf Zord too, but I don't recognize this one."
"It's purple," Ben pointed out, frowning. "Do we know any Purple Rangers?"
"Not in this system," Trip told him, shaking his head. "The nearest Purples are with Time Force Gannos. And they don't use animal zords."
"It's a purple wolf?" Alex repeated, frowning. That sounds like ... But it couldn't be. Right?
"A purple wolf," Lucas confirmed. "And about another hundred Wild Zords. Some we've never even seen before."
Alex looked at him sharply. "What do you mean you've never seen them before?"
"They weren't with the Wild Force Rangers when we met them," Lucas answered, frowning at the screen. "There's some I recognize, but back then, we only met ... " He paused, looking at Trip.
"Seventeen," Trip supplied. "Well, they *had* seventeen, but we only really met seven of them personally."
Alex raised a hand, cutting him off before he could ramble further. "What are they doing *here*?"
Trip shrugged. "That's a good question. I really don't know."
"It looks like they're *playing*," Katie said incredulously.
They all looked at her oddly.
"I'm serious!" she protested. "Look at Eagle Zord, and that red one. They're playing catch with a car!"
Another monitor beeped sharply, and Trip turned to study it. His eyes went wide. "There's a Ranger!"
"*What*?" Alex demanded.
"A Yellow Ranger! Archives list them as ... Lightspeed Yellow." Trip frowned, typing rapidly. "They're just ... standing there."
"Why aren't they doing anything?" Lucas wondered, frowning as he leaned in to look over Trip's shoulder.
Alex stared at the screen. Yellow Lightspeed. Kelsey Winslow fell in battle in 2019, against the criminal Mirloc. That can't be -
He froze, and swore. Loudly.
Katie stared at him. "What language was that?"
He shook his head. "We need to make contact with that Ranger. Katie, I need you to morph and go talk to her. I don't *think* she'll attack you, but we can't take any chances. Trip, I want you to scan for any other Power Sources in the area. If I'm right, there should be at least six, not including Wes." He paused, remembering the Purple Wolf, and tried not to groan. "Make that seven. Lucas, I need you to go find Admiral Logan and inform him of the situation. Tell him we're handling it, and ask him to keep all other Time Force operatives as far away from these Rangers and the Zords as possible. Ben - " He hesitated. "I don't want to escalate this, but I need you to prep the Time Shadow Megazord, just in case we can't talk them down."
"You know who it is?" Ben demanded.
Alex nodded, looking grim. "I hope I'm wrong."
Because I *really* don't want to have to fight my father's team just to convince them we'll give him back.
A series of loud explosions split the air, and the building shook, forcing them all to grab onto something to keep from falling.
... Okay, maybe so I *do* want to fight them.