A Darker Shade of Red (Time Force/Power Rangers, T, Chapter 39: Who Your Friends Are)
The Bad News:
Walking to my interview in twenty-eight degree weather while it was snowing, despite having multiple layers and a spare pair of shoes to change into once I got there? Bad idea. Now I'm sick. Nothing serious: just a sore throat and headache, and I'm cold and tired. But I still feel icky and I'm craving soup we don't have. -Sulks-
The Good News:
Being sick means Alex Muse has decided he wants my attention.
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/: I love screwing with Alex's head too much. Every time I think I've fixed him, the muses decide that I haven't. So instead, we get things like this chapter. I *think* that's a good thing, but I could be wrong. I suppose it depends on your point of view.
Chapter 39:Who Your Friends Are "Change in plans," Alex snapped. "Katie, go after that Ranger. Ben, go through the building for injured and help with triage. Trip go with Ben, try and get a damage report while you're at it. Lucas, I need you to start coordinating an evacuation. I'll find Admiral Logan and secure the courtroom." He paused, narrowing his eyes at Lucas. "Try and get a hold of Jen and Wes. Make sure they're all right, and ask them to help out. Tell Jen not to leave Wes alone, and to expect company."
"Company?" Katie looked alarmed.
He nodded grimly. "Be careful with that Ranger, Katie," he added. "If I'm right, that's Taylor Earhart-Scott."
She stared at him. "Taylor?"
"But she's our friend!" Trip burst out.
He shook his head. "Trip, if that *is* her, she's here for Wes. So are the others. They're not going to see us as friends right now. They're going to see us as the people who stole Wes from them."
Lucas was watching him carefully. "And if you're not right?"
He let out a short sigh. "Than I have no idea *who* that is, and we treat them as the enemy. Either way, they're probably after Wes. We can't let them take him."
That got their attention; Lucas, Katie, and even Trip became instantly serious. Even Ben looked grim. None of them were going to let anything happen to Wes. Not on their watch.
"Let's go, people," he snapped out, turning for the door.
"Circuit, you stay here and keep an eye on those Zords for us, okay?" Trip asked the little owl. "And see if you can find the other Rangers and get in contact with them. Maybe we can calm everyone down if we can just talk to them."
"You got it, Trip!"
Ben brushed past Alex, arms bumping together. Ben wouldn't say he was worried, or wish him good luck: that wasn't their style. But the gesture was one they had used for years, no matter how fiercely they'd fought only minutes before. It was comforting.
Lucas and Trip joined them in the elevator, while Time Force Yellow disappeared out the window.
****
Admiral Logan was nowhere to be found.
Alex wouldn't say it, but he was worried. It wasn't like the Admiral - Logan, and he would never get used to not having to answer to him, let alone call him by his first name - to disappear without warning. Especially when Time Force was under attack.
It didn't help that Ben was just as edgy as he was.
"I'm telling you A, something's weird," his brother's voice insisted over his morpher.
"You think?" he muttered absently, glancing down a corridor warily. He really shouldn't have even answered the call, but he didn't like ignoring Ben for any reason, no matter what the situation was.
"I'm serious!" Ben hissed. "Something about all this isn't right. It's ... it's too organized. Too careful. There's just ... something wrong with it."
"Obviously, considering we didn't see this coming." Alex sighed. "That's a little vague, Benji. Can you give me something more specific?"
"No, I can't give you anything specific!" A loud huff. "There's something here we're not seeing, I know it."
Alex rolled his eyes, stopping to lean against the wall behind him and pinch the bridge of his nose. "Benji, I know you're trying to help," he tried, knowing even as he spoke it was the wrong thing to say. "But a lot of the rules get thrown out the window in a terrorist attack. This is a classic disaster situation course scenario. Lucas could probably give you some good examples - "
"I don't care who took courses in tactics and disaster situations!" Ben interrupted, snarling. "And the next time I see him, I'll tell Lucas to his face!"
He sighed again. "Benji, that wasn't what I - "
He paused as faint, sharp bark came over the comm. "Benji?" he asked warily. "Are Wes and his dog with you?"
Another bark, and Ben's voice speaking softly to someone else. "Hi, boy. What are you doing here? Are you lost?"
Alex's eyes widened. "Ben, don't - "
There was a loud yell, and the sound of static.
"Ben? Ben! Ben, answer me!"
He swore at the silence. He paused to think, running a hand over his hair in agitation. "Rangers, this is Alex. Everyone report in."
"This is Lucas," came the immediate response.
"Oh, sorry! Trip here!"
"Alex?" Jen's image looked confused.
He waited a beat. "Katie? Ben? Where are you?"
"This is Katie," came a breathless voice as Time Force Yellow appeared above his morpher. "And this better be good, 'cause now's *really* not good time - "
"Something's happened to Ben," he cut in. "What's your status? And where's Wes?"
"Taylor isn't so much in the mood to talk anymore," Yellow panted. "We're working on it. I'll be in touch." There was a sharp beep as her morpher turned off and her image vanished.
"Wes is - " Jen stopped, cursing. "He was right behind me. He must still be at the statue - Alex, what's going on?"
"There's another Ranger team in Newtech City, I think they belong to Wes. They set off some sort of explosive in Time Force. Find Wes and don't let him out of your sight."
She huffed in annoyance. "Sounds like Eric's idea," she muttered. "I'll contact you as soon as I have Wes. Be careful, everyone."
"Lucas, Trip? How are things with you two?" He paused, trying to hide the anxiety in his voice. "Have either of you seen Ben?"
"Admiral Logan is down," Lucas informed them grimly. "He was standing next to a console when it blew. Someone's already taken him to triage. Most of the other injuries are minor. We count seven explosions. They took out the landing bay, most of the time ships, communications, teleportation, and - "
Alex's eyes narrowed at the sudden silence. "And *what*?"
He heard Lucas clear his throat, sounding uncomfortable. "They took out the labs." He paused. "The Morpher Project labs."
Alex went still, his heart pounding. Why would they ... "They know," he whispered to himself. Wes told them about ... About me and Ben. But why ... why would they ... ? Why do they care?
Swallowing hard, he shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time. He had a job to do. "Trip," he said instead, ignoring the slight catch to his voice. "What's our status?"
"It's really weird, Alex," Trip answered immediately. "We're having problems with lighting, but ... none of the explosives were near any vital functions for the building. There's no reason for it. And according to the AI, there were less than a hundred people still in the building when they went off. Most of them were outside, watching the Zords."
There was a lengthy pause.
"They didn't want to hurt anyone." Lucas' voice was quiet, almost disbelieving. "They deliberately set this up to minimize the damage, and cripple Time Force at the same time."
"Ben was right," Alex muttered, feeling sick. "This isn't what it seems."
"I haven't seen him since we split up Alex, but I'll keep looking," Trip promised, sounding anxious.
Alex forced himself to nod. "Be on the look out for Newtech Rangers," he warned. "Even if they weren't trying to hurt anyone, they're still not making any effort to get in contact with us. They may still not see us as allies. Be careful."
Trip's image over his morpher nodded back. "You too, Alex," he said earnestly. He flickered out, leaving Lucas' projection in his place.
"Are you all right?" Lucas asked quietly.
For a moment, he thought about lying. Then he sighed. "No," he said simply. "I've already had to contain a few prisoners that tried to escape. The only one I haven't found yet is ... "
Lucas' eyes narrowed. "Be *careful* Alex," he warned. "If things get out of hand, call me."
He blinked, startled by the offer, and managed a faint smile. "Thanks, Lucas."
"I mean it," Lucas insisted. "Don't face him alone. I've got things mostly under control here - "
"I'll be fine," he cut in, shaking his head. "Stay where you're at. I'll contact you when I'm finished here." He ended the call before Lucas could protest again.
For a moment, he leaned against the wall, taking the time to run a hand over his face. Wes' team was here, and they were treating his Rangers as the enemy. Wes was missing - probably already run back to them - and the thought hurt more than it should have. Eric (His ... dad?) was probably involved in the explosions. Which meant Eric *knew*. Not just about him and Ben, but *everything* about them. He tried to search Wes' memories to find when he'd told, but he was too unfocused to get a clear moment.
At last he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He didn't have time for this. He needed to find Blakemore.
Drawing his blaster again, he moved out and down the hall.
It didn't take long to find him. Blakemore was sitting calmly in his chair in the courtroom, legs crossed and sipping a glass of water. He looked up and smiled in greeting. "Alexander."
Alex tightened his grip on the blaster. "There's been an attack on Time Force," he informed the man coolly. "You're coming with me."
"I don't think so," Blakemore returned almost casually, taking another sip.
Alex's eyes narrowed. "You don't think so?" he repeated.
"I've had enough of this farce of a trial." Blakemore waved a hand airily. "It was interesting while it lasted, but I've grown tired of wasting time here. I've decided it's time for me to move on."
Alex stared at him incredulously. "Are you mentally unstable?" he demanded. "You're being tried for crimes against humanity, not hanging out for kicks!" Wes, you are a terrible influence on my vocabulary, he thought irrelevantly.
Blakemore laughed at him. "Alexander, did you *actually* believe I would lose this case? Most of Time Force is in my pocketbook. I've been putting up with this because I find it entertaining. And I must say, that memory exchange you and Collins demonstrated was quite fascinating. I wonder if we could achieve the same results from the Quantum Morphers," he added, looking thoughtful.
Alex stepped closer, aiming his blaster straight at Blakemore's forehead. "You stay away from them," he snarled. "Don't you even *think* about coming near either of them!"
The look Blakemore gave him was amused, almost fond. "You never cease to amaze me, Alexander. You are everything I ever hoped you could be."
His eyes narrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you have been trained, from the moment you were brought here, to believe that your life is worthless in comparison to the lives of everyone around you. That you must do anything and everything to protect others, because they hold more value than you do." Blakemore paused to smile at him. "And here you are, facing down your own father, because you're afraid I'll hurt Benjamin and Myers."
"You are *not* my father," he snapped out. There were other things he wanted to say, other words to protest ... but he couldn't, and he didn't know why. "You never were."
Blakemore sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, that Collins *has* messed with your head, hasn't he?" He sounded almost sympathetic. "But the truth is Alexander, he and Myers created you, *knowing* that you would be taken here. They never expected to keep you. They knew you would be raised by Time Force, as you have been, to be exactly what you are."
His hand was shaking. He tried to ignore it. "That's a lie."
"I suppose old age has made Collins a bit more sentimental," Blakemore went on, coming around the table to regard him with the same look he'd once given to faulty weaponry. "He probably feels a bit guilty, knowing that you've become the prototype to his era. But the truth remains. They never wanted you, Alexander. They just wanted the Red Chrono Morpher."
It's not true, he told himself. You know it's not. Wes *said* it wasn't.
He swallowed, distantly aware that his hand was beginning to lower. But you never expected him to mean it ...
"I was created to be the Time Force Red Ranger," he whispered. "That's all I've ever been. That's all I'll ever be."
Blakemore smiled at him, stepping close. His arms came around him, patting his back, and it felt wrong. "There's a good boy," Blakemore soothed. "We'll sort out all those confusing thoughts soon enough."
He stepped back, and Alex realized suddenly that his blaster was in the other man's hand.
I should move, he thought dully. He's going to shoot me. I shouldn't stand still.
Blakemore squeezed the trigger, and Alex watched almost passively as the burst of laser fire came straight at his face.
Walking to my interview in twenty-eight degree weather while it was snowing, despite having multiple layers and a spare pair of shoes to change into once I got there? Bad idea. Now I'm sick. Nothing serious: just a sore throat and headache, and I'm cold and tired. But I still feel icky and I'm craving soup we don't have. -Sulks-
The Good News:
Being sick means Alex Muse has decided he wants my attention.
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/: I love screwing with Alex's head too much. Every time I think I've fixed him, the muses decide that I haven't. So instead, we get things like this chapter. I *think* that's a good thing, but I could be wrong. I suppose it depends on your point of view.
Chapter 39:Who Your Friends Are "Change in plans," Alex snapped. "Katie, go after that Ranger. Ben, go through the building for injured and help with triage. Trip go with Ben, try and get a damage report while you're at it. Lucas, I need you to start coordinating an evacuation. I'll find Admiral Logan and secure the courtroom." He paused, narrowing his eyes at Lucas. "Try and get a hold of Jen and Wes. Make sure they're all right, and ask them to help out. Tell Jen not to leave Wes alone, and to expect company."
"Company?" Katie looked alarmed.
He nodded grimly. "Be careful with that Ranger, Katie," he added. "If I'm right, that's Taylor Earhart-Scott."
She stared at him. "Taylor?"
"But she's our friend!" Trip burst out.
He shook his head. "Trip, if that *is* her, she's here for Wes. So are the others. They're not going to see us as friends right now. They're going to see us as the people who stole Wes from them."
Lucas was watching him carefully. "And if you're not right?"
He let out a short sigh. "Than I have no idea *who* that is, and we treat them as the enemy. Either way, they're probably after Wes. We can't let them take him."
That got their attention; Lucas, Katie, and even Trip became instantly serious. Even Ben looked grim. None of them were going to let anything happen to Wes. Not on their watch.
"Let's go, people," he snapped out, turning for the door.
"Circuit, you stay here and keep an eye on those Zords for us, okay?" Trip asked the little owl. "And see if you can find the other Rangers and get in contact with them. Maybe we can calm everyone down if we can just talk to them."
"You got it, Trip!"
Ben brushed past Alex, arms bumping together. Ben wouldn't say he was worried, or wish him good luck: that wasn't their style. But the gesture was one they had used for years, no matter how fiercely they'd fought only minutes before. It was comforting.
Lucas and Trip joined them in the elevator, while Time Force Yellow disappeared out the window.
****
Admiral Logan was nowhere to be found.
Alex wouldn't say it, but he was worried. It wasn't like the Admiral - Logan, and he would never get used to not having to answer to him, let alone call him by his first name - to disappear without warning. Especially when Time Force was under attack.
It didn't help that Ben was just as edgy as he was.
"I'm telling you A, something's weird," his brother's voice insisted over his morpher.
"You think?" he muttered absently, glancing down a corridor warily. He really shouldn't have even answered the call, but he didn't like ignoring Ben for any reason, no matter what the situation was.
"I'm serious!" Ben hissed. "Something about all this isn't right. It's ... it's too organized. Too careful. There's just ... something wrong with it."
"Obviously, considering we didn't see this coming." Alex sighed. "That's a little vague, Benji. Can you give me something more specific?"
"No, I can't give you anything specific!" A loud huff. "There's something here we're not seeing, I know it."
Alex rolled his eyes, stopping to lean against the wall behind him and pinch the bridge of his nose. "Benji, I know you're trying to help," he tried, knowing even as he spoke it was the wrong thing to say. "But a lot of the rules get thrown out the window in a terrorist attack. This is a classic disaster situation course scenario. Lucas could probably give you some good examples - "
"I don't care who took courses in tactics and disaster situations!" Ben interrupted, snarling. "And the next time I see him, I'll tell Lucas to his face!"
He sighed again. "Benji, that wasn't what I - "
He paused as faint, sharp bark came over the comm. "Benji?" he asked warily. "Are Wes and his dog with you?"
Another bark, and Ben's voice speaking softly to someone else. "Hi, boy. What are you doing here? Are you lost?"
Alex's eyes widened. "Ben, don't - "
There was a loud yell, and the sound of static.
"Ben? Ben! Ben, answer me!"
He swore at the silence. He paused to think, running a hand over his hair in agitation. "Rangers, this is Alex. Everyone report in."
"This is Lucas," came the immediate response.
"Oh, sorry! Trip here!"
"Alex?" Jen's image looked confused.
He waited a beat. "Katie? Ben? Where are you?"
"This is Katie," came a breathless voice as Time Force Yellow appeared above his morpher. "And this better be good, 'cause now's *really* not good time - "
"Something's happened to Ben," he cut in. "What's your status? And where's Wes?"
"Taylor isn't so much in the mood to talk anymore," Yellow panted. "We're working on it. I'll be in touch." There was a sharp beep as her morpher turned off and her image vanished.
"Wes is - " Jen stopped, cursing. "He was right behind me. He must still be at the statue - Alex, what's going on?"
"There's another Ranger team in Newtech City, I think they belong to Wes. They set off some sort of explosive in Time Force. Find Wes and don't let him out of your sight."
She huffed in annoyance. "Sounds like Eric's idea," she muttered. "I'll contact you as soon as I have Wes. Be careful, everyone."
"Lucas, Trip? How are things with you two?" He paused, trying to hide the anxiety in his voice. "Have either of you seen Ben?"
"Admiral Logan is down," Lucas informed them grimly. "He was standing next to a console when it blew. Someone's already taken him to triage. Most of the other injuries are minor. We count seven explosions. They took out the landing bay, most of the time ships, communications, teleportation, and - "
Alex's eyes narrowed at the sudden silence. "And *what*?"
He heard Lucas clear his throat, sounding uncomfortable. "They took out the labs." He paused. "The Morpher Project labs."
Alex went still, his heart pounding. Why would they ... "They know," he whispered to himself. Wes told them about ... About me and Ben. But why ... why would they ... ? Why do they care?
Swallowing hard, he shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time. He had a job to do. "Trip," he said instead, ignoring the slight catch to his voice. "What's our status?"
"It's really weird, Alex," Trip answered immediately. "We're having problems with lighting, but ... none of the explosives were near any vital functions for the building. There's no reason for it. And according to the AI, there were less than a hundred people still in the building when they went off. Most of them were outside, watching the Zords."
There was a lengthy pause.
"They didn't want to hurt anyone." Lucas' voice was quiet, almost disbelieving. "They deliberately set this up to minimize the damage, and cripple Time Force at the same time."
"Ben was right," Alex muttered, feeling sick. "This isn't what it seems."
"I haven't seen him since we split up Alex, but I'll keep looking," Trip promised, sounding anxious.
Alex forced himself to nod. "Be on the look out for Newtech Rangers," he warned. "Even if they weren't trying to hurt anyone, they're still not making any effort to get in contact with us. They may still not see us as allies. Be careful."
Trip's image over his morpher nodded back. "You too, Alex," he said earnestly. He flickered out, leaving Lucas' projection in his place.
"Are you all right?" Lucas asked quietly.
For a moment, he thought about lying. Then he sighed. "No," he said simply. "I've already had to contain a few prisoners that tried to escape. The only one I haven't found yet is ... "
Lucas' eyes narrowed. "Be *careful* Alex," he warned. "If things get out of hand, call me."
He blinked, startled by the offer, and managed a faint smile. "Thanks, Lucas."
"I mean it," Lucas insisted. "Don't face him alone. I've got things mostly under control here - "
"I'll be fine," he cut in, shaking his head. "Stay where you're at. I'll contact you when I'm finished here." He ended the call before Lucas could protest again.
For a moment, he leaned against the wall, taking the time to run a hand over his face. Wes' team was here, and they were treating his Rangers as the enemy. Wes was missing - probably already run back to them - and the thought hurt more than it should have. Eric (His ... dad?) was probably involved in the explosions. Which meant Eric *knew*. Not just about him and Ben, but *everything* about them. He tried to search Wes' memories to find when he'd told, but he was too unfocused to get a clear moment.
At last he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He didn't have time for this. He needed to find Blakemore.
Drawing his blaster again, he moved out and down the hall.
It didn't take long to find him. Blakemore was sitting calmly in his chair in the courtroom, legs crossed and sipping a glass of water. He looked up and smiled in greeting. "Alexander."
Alex tightened his grip on the blaster. "There's been an attack on Time Force," he informed the man coolly. "You're coming with me."
"I don't think so," Blakemore returned almost casually, taking another sip.
Alex's eyes narrowed. "You don't think so?" he repeated.
"I've had enough of this farce of a trial." Blakemore waved a hand airily. "It was interesting while it lasted, but I've grown tired of wasting time here. I've decided it's time for me to move on."
Alex stared at him incredulously. "Are you mentally unstable?" he demanded. "You're being tried for crimes against humanity, not hanging out for kicks!" Wes, you are a terrible influence on my vocabulary, he thought irrelevantly.
Blakemore laughed at him. "Alexander, did you *actually* believe I would lose this case? Most of Time Force is in my pocketbook. I've been putting up with this because I find it entertaining. And I must say, that memory exchange you and Collins demonstrated was quite fascinating. I wonder if we could achieve the same results from the Quantum Morphers," he added, looking thoughtful.
Alex stepped closer, aiming his blaster straight at Blakemore's forehead. "You stay away from them," he snarled. "Don't you even *think* about coming near either of them!"
The look Blakemore gave him was amused, almost fond. "You never cease to amaze me, Alexander. You are everything I ever hoped you could be."
His eyes narrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you have been trained, from the moment you were brought here, to believe that your life is worthless in comparison to the lives of everyone around you. That you must do anything and everything to protect others, because they hold more value than you do." Blakemore paused to smile at him. "And here you are, facing down your own father, because you're afraid I'll hurt Benjamin and Myers."
"You are *not* my father," he snapped out. There were other things he wanted to say, other words to protest ... but he couldn't, and he didn't know why. "You never were."
Blakemore sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, that Collins *has* messed with your head, hasn't he?" He sounded almost sympathetic. "But the truth is Alexander, he and Myers created you, *knowing* that you would be taken here. They never expected to keep you. They knew you would be raised by Time Force, as you have been, to be exactly what you are."
His hand was shaking. He tried to ignore it. "That's a lie."
"I suppose old age has made Collins a bit more sentimental," Blakemore went on, coming around the table to regard him with the same look he'd once given to faulty weaponry. "He probably feels a bit guilty, knowing that you've become the prototype to his era. But the truth remains. They never wanted you, Alexander. They just wanted the Red Chrono Morpher."
It's not true, he told himself. You know it's not. Wes *said* it wasn't.
He swallowed, distantly aware that his hand was beginning to lower. But you never expected him to mean it ...
"I was created to be the Time Force Red Ranger," he whispered. "That's all I've ever been. That's all I'll ever be."
Blakemore smiled at him, stepping close. His arms came around him, patting his back, and it felt wrong. "There's a good boy," Blakemore soothed. "We'll sort out all those confusing thoughts soon enough."
He stepped back, and Alex realized suddenly that his blaster was in the other man's hand.
I should move, he thought dully. He's going to shoot me. I shouldn't stand still.
Blakemore squeezed the trigger, and Alex watched almost passively as the burst of laser fire came straight at his face.