A Darker Shade of Red (Time Force/Power Rangers, T, Chapter 16: Speaking in Code)
If this is a hangover, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. It still royally sucks, though.
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/: Half this chapter was written while nursing a headache. Ironically, I'd already planned it, so I wasn't being especially sadistic.
"We need more information," Alex told his team. He looked to Trip. "I want you to contact Wes and Eric. Tell them about the Mutorgs, but don't let them know about the logs. Lucas, Katie ... " He took a deep breath. "I want you two to get Nadira. Ask her if she's willing to talk to Ransik for us."
"Do you really think he'll help?" Katie asked softly, looking worried.
Alex shrugged. "I don't think we have any other options," he said simply. "Trip, make that call. I'll go talk to Logan, let him know what's going on so we can get clearance for the four of you to leave."
"Let's go," Lucas agreed, nodding to Katie.
Alex headed for the door. "And Trip?" he called back.
"Yes?"
"Try to pretend you're actually surprised when you see the Wild Force Rangers, okay?"
"Um ... okay."
He shook his head as the elevator waited for him. Trip wasn't exactly the world's greatest actor. He could only hope that no one was paying close enough attention to notice.
****
Logan frowned, leaning forward in his chair. "I see ... " he murmured.
"Did you have any idea about this?" Alex struggled to keep the accusation from his voice. While he knew Logan wasn't the enemy - at least, not anymore - it was still hard for him to show civility to any member of Time Force that wasn't a Ranger.
Logan's eyes flicked up to him, and he shook his head slightly. "No, I didn't. Did you?" he asked with mock politeness.
Alex sighed. "Sorry," he muttered. "It's ... "
Logan waved a hand. "It's all right, Alex. I understand. Just try to remember that I'm on your side, all right?"
The corner of his mouth quirked for half a second. "No promises."
He moved to take the seat opposite Logan's desk in an attempt to make himself feel less confrontational. "So if Time Force has been hiding information about its own Rangers ... what else could it have been hiding?" he wondered aloud.
"I don't look forward to finding out," Logan sighed. He looked up again. "Now, you said that the record showed our Rangers helping Wild Force?"
He nodded. "We assume they're joining Wes and Eric in the past, as only six Time Force Rangers were mentioned."
"Not to mention possible complications from having two Red Chrono Morpher in the same time," Logan pointed out. He sighed again. "All right, I'll clear the other three to borrow a time ship to 2002, and have their clothes replicated from the archives. Is there anything else you'll need?"
Alex hesitated. "I've sent Lucas and Katie to pick up Nadira and ask her to speak to Ransik for us, see if they can gather any more information. They'll need clearance to get to him and have him brought out of containment. They may also need to bring Nadira with them when they leave, depending on Ransik's response."
Logan sighed again, reaching up to rub his temples. "I'll get you clearance, but you owe me, Alex," he warned.
Alex smirked faintly as he stood up. "Bill me."
"Computer, deactivate privacy lock," Logan commanded, rolling his eyes.
Alex saluted, and headed for the door. There was still a lot to plan.
... Which did not include finding his brother outside Logan's office, waiting for him.
He swallowed. "Ben."
"Did you find your Pink Ranger?" Ben asked, staring at him intently. "Time Force needs you to find her."
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly. "We're working on it. Time Force can rest assured that we *will* do what we need to."
To his surprise, Ben's eyes brightened, and he actually smiled a little. "Good."
Alex stared at him for a moment. "Ben? What's going on?" he asked softly, keeping his voice too low for anyone to overhear.
Ben shook his head. "Don't worry about it, A. Just let me do my job. You worry about your team, and finding your girl. There's a lot you still need to learn."
Alex frowned. "What are you - "
"Find your Pink Ranger," Ben repeated. He hesitated, and for a moment regret flickered in his eyes. "I'm sorry, A," he murmured. He straightened and walked away without another word.
Alex stared after him.
It wasn't until he actually made it back to Ranger Tower that he finally surrendered to the urge to slam his fist into the wall.
He swore softly as his hand throbbed, glaring down at his bleeding knuckles as if they were responsible for everything wrong in the world. "What are you trying to tell me, Ben?" he demanded. "And why won't you just *say* it already?"
He paused as something occurred to him. A. Ben had called him *A*, not Alex. Which meant ... what *did* it mean? It was important somehow; he just couldn't figure out how.
He let his head fall against the wall with a soft groan. He hated riddles. He hated his brother trying to tell him something he couldn't understand, he hated not knowing what was going on, he hated having to send the Rangers into the past without him, he hated knowing that he was about to be on his own again - even temporarily - and being scared of it.
But more than anything, he *hated* Time Force.
" ... Alex?"
He looked up with a sigh. "Yes, Circuit?"
Trip's pet blinked at him, flapping his arms anxiously. "Are you all right? You don't look so good ... "
He chuckled softly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I'll be fine, Circuit."
He glanced down at his hand and sighed. He'd better get this taken care of before the others got back or he'd never hear the end of it. "Circuit, I need you to contact the Rangers in the past and let them know Logan cleared us to send them reinforcements."
"Not a problem, Alex!" the little owl returned cheerfully.
"Thanks."
He headed to the medical lab and dug out one of the first aid kits, listening absently to Circuit's call with half an ear. He shook his head as he heard the group he was talking to cheer loudly. He supposed he couldn't blame them for being happy to get help, but ... didn't they realize what this was costing him? Didn't they know how much danger *he'd* be in with the other Rangers gone?
He sighed as he disinfected his split skin. No, of course they wouldn't. Wes and Eric didn't know anything about Time Force in his time, let alone where their morphs came from. And whining about not wanting to be left alone was just selfish. The others *needed* to go, so they could bring in the criminals - Mutorgs, whatever - before anyone else got hurt.
Who came up with 'Mutorgs' anyway? Couldn't they bother giving them names? No wonder there was still so much prejudice against Mutants.
"Alex ... ?" Katie called hesitantly, poking her head through the door. Her eyes widened. "What did you do to your hand?!"
"Punched a wall," he muttered. He sighed as she hurried over to him, taking the scanner from him. "I can do it myself, you know."
"Forgive me if I don't take the word of the guy who was dumb enough to punch the wall," Katie retorted.
He rolled his eyes. "Did Ransik agree to tell Nadira if he knew anything?"
Katie hesitated.
His eyes narrowed. "Katie?"
"About that ... " She swallowed, focusing intently on regenerating the torn skin of his hand.
He closed his eyes, willing himself to be patient. "Katie," he repeated. "Did Ransik agree to help us or not?"
"That's ... sort of the thing," she said slowly. "It's ... more like we're helping each other."
"Helping each other *how*?" he asked suspiciously.
She bit her lip. "Alex ... Did you hear anything about Ransik's sentence being changed when we brought him back?"
He blinked, startled by the sudden change of subject. "No ... Cryogenic Containment for life. That's why Logan had to sign the order to have him released to see you."
She looked up at him worriedly. "Then why was he in a *cell* when we went to have him released?"
Alex went still.
"He wasn't ... " Katie swallowed hard. "He was so ... quiet. And polite. Not like Ransik at all. He even agreed to help us without asking for anything in return."
This from the last kingpin of the 30th century?
"Trip said ... " She hesitated again. "Trip said that something was wrong. That he couldn't explain, but we couldn't just leave Ransik there. So he pulled rank and demanded Ransik be released to us for a Ranger-related mission." She made a weak attempt at a smile. "He even said it was classified. It was the most serious I've ever seen him."
Alex let out a slow breath and finally climbed to his feet. "I want to talk to him," he said quietly.
"Alex, are you sure - "
"I'm sure."
She nodded, hesitated, and followed him silently out to the main room.
Ransik sat quietly in a chair, hands 'cuffed in front of him. Nadira was talking quietly with Lucas, while Trip and Circuit seemed to be fussing over the comm. Ransik looked up at Alex when he entered, inclining his head. "Ranger," he said calmly.
"Ransik," Alex returned coolly. They'd never exactly been on a first-name basis, and even if Katie's suspicions were right, that didn't mean Alex was willing to start now. This *was* the man who'd put him in a coma, after all.
Katie's hand resting discreetly on his shoulder blade was strangely reassuring.
Trip's head came up, and he whispered something to Circuit before hurrying to Alex's side. "Alex ... " he trailed off.
Alex looked at him briefly before turning his attention back to Ransik. "Has Time Force been performing experiments on you?" he asked bluntly.
Ransik barely blinked. "Yes."
He heard Nadira's horrified gasp, but ignored it. "Have they performed experiments on other prisoners?"
"Since before I arrived at Vanera," Ransik returned.
Alex nodded, unsurprised for reasons he couldn't explain. "Can you prove this?"
Ransik straightened his arms in response. "You have my permission to perform blood work."
He glanced at Trip, who nodded hesitantly and hurried to the medical lab.
"You ... " Nadira looked between her father and Alex, fury creeping into her expression. "You knew about this?" she demanded.
Alex shook his head once. "Not that the experiments were being continued on prisoners," he informed her calmly. "But I knew that Time Force has been performing illegal experiments since I was born, most likely since before even then."
"Alex didn't know about your father, Nadira," Lucas spoke up, looking at her warningly. "None of us did."
She subsided, looking back to Ransik. "Oh, Daddy ... " she whimpered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He tilted his head against hers, looking content.
Alex looked at Katie as Trip returned, hesitantly moving to take blood from Ransik. He glanced at Lucas as he joined them. "You have to take him with you," he said simply. "I'll cover you with Logan, but as soon as Trip gets that blood, the five of you have to leave."
Lucas nodded in agreement, but he didn't look happy about it.
"But what about *you*, Alex?" Katie asked anxiously.
"I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've been on my own, remember?"
"That's not very reassuring," Lucas muttered, eyeing him.
Alex sighed. "I *can't* go with you," he reminded them. "The log only shows six Rangers, not seven. Not to mention the possible complications that could arise from having two Red Chrono Morphers in the same timeline." He knew he was quoting Logan now, but he didn't care. As long as he was talking, he didn't have to think about it. "There's nothing we can do about this. We need to get Ransik and Nadira some place safe, and you three need to go help Jen and the others."
"You really think Jen will be there?" Lucas asked skeptically.
"According to the history log, she will be," he returned calmly. "We need to hurry."
"Alex?"
He looked back at Trip. "Do you have it?"
Trip nodded, looking worried. "I've already put in into the computer for analysis."
He nodded back. "Then let's get moving."
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/: Half this chapter was written while nursing a headache. Ironically, I'd already planned it, so I wasn't being especially sadistic.
"We need more information," Alex told his team. He looked to Trip. "I want you to contact Wes and Eric. Tell them about the Mutorgs, but don't let them know about the logs. Lucas, Katie ... " He took a deep breath. "I want you two to get Nadira. Ask her if she's willing to talk to Ransik for us."
"Do you really think he'll help?" Katie asked softly, looking worried.
Alex shrugged. "I don't think we have any other options," he said simply. "Trip, make that call. I'll go talk to Logan, let him know what's going on so we can get clearance for the four of you to leave."
"Let's go," Lucas agreed, nodding to Katie.
Alex headed for the door. "And Trip?" he called back.
"Yes?"
"Try to pretend you're actually surprised when you see the Wild Force Rangers, okay?"
"Um ... okay."
He shook his head as the elevator waited for him. Trip wasn't exactly the world's greatest actor. He could only hope that no one was paying close enough attention to notice.
****
Logan frowned, leaning forward in his chair. "I see ... " he murmured.
"Did you have any idea about this?" Alex struggled to keep the accusation from his voice. While he knew Logan wasn't the enemy - at least, not anymore - it was still hard for him to show civility to any member of Time Force that wasn't a Ranger.
Logan's eyes flicked up to him, and he shook his head slightly. "No, I didn't. Did you?" he asked with mock politeness.
Alex sighed. "Sorry," he muttered. "It's ... "
Logan waved a hand. "It's all right, Alex. I understand. Just try to remember that I'm on your side, all right?"
The corner of his mouth quirked for half a second. "No promises."
He moved to take the seat opposite Logan's desk in an attempt to make himself feel less confrontational. "So if Time Force has been hiding information about its own Rangers ... what else could it have been hiding?" he wondered aloud.
"I don't look forward to finding out," Logan sighed. He looked up again. "Now, you said that the record showed our Rangers helping Wild Force?"
He nodded. "We assume they're joining Wes and Eric in the past, as only six Time Force Rangers were mentioned."
"Not to mention possible complications from having two Red Chrono Morpher in the same time," Logan pointed out. He sighed again. "All right, I'll clear the other three to borrow a time ship to 2002, and have their clothes replicated from the archives. Is there anything else you'll need?"
Alex hesitated. "I've sent Lucas and Katie to pick up Nadira and ask her to speak to Ransik for us, see if they can gather any more information. They'll need clearance to get to him and have him brought out of containment. They may also need to bring Nadira with them when they leave, depending on Ransik's response."
Logan sighed again, reaching up to rub his temples. "I'll get you clearance, but you owe me, Alex," he warned.
Alex smirked faintly as he stood up. "Bill me."
"Computer, deactivate privacy lock," Logan commanded, rolling his eyes.
Alex saluted, and headed for the door. There was still a lot to plan.
... Which did not include finding his brother outside Logan's office, waiting for him.
He swallowed. "Ben."
"Did you find your Pink Ranger?" Ben asked, staring at him intently. "Time Force needs you to find her."
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly. "We're working on it. Time Force can rest assured that we *will* do what we need to."
To his surprise, Ben's eyes brightened, and he actually smiled a little. "Good."
Alex stared at him for a moment. "Ben? What's going on?" he asked softly, keeping his voice too low for anyone to overhear.
Ben shook his head. "Don't worry about it, A. Just let me do my job. You worry about your team, and finding your girl. There's a lot you still need to learn."
Alex frowned. "What are you - "
"Find your Pink Ranger," Ben repeated. He hesitated, and for a moment regret flickered in his eyes. "I'm sorry, A," he murmured. He straightened and walked away without another word.
Alex stared after him.
It wasn't until he actually made it back to Ranger Tower that he finally surrendered to the urge to slam his fist into the wall.
He swore softly as his hand throbbed, glaring down at his bleeding knuckles as if they were responsible for everything wrong in the world. "What are you trying to tell me, Ben?" he demanded. "And why won't you just *say* it already?"
He paused as something occurred to him. A. Ben had called him *A*, not Alex. Which meant ... what *did* it mean? It was important somehow; he just couldn't figure out how.
He let his head fall against the wall with a soft groan. He hated riddles. He hated his brother trying to tell him something he couldn't understand, he hated not knowing what was going on, he hated having to send the Rangers into the past without him, he hated knowing that he was about to be on his own again - even temporarily - and being scared of it.
But more than anything, he *hated* Time Force.
" ... Alex?"
He looked up with a sigh. "Yes, Circuit?"
Trip's pet blinked at him, flapping his arms anxiously. "Are you all right? You don't look so good ... "
He chuckled softly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I'll be fine, Circuit."
He glanced down at his hand and sighed. He'd better get this taken care of before the others got back or he'd never hear the end of it. "Circuit, I need you to contact the Rangers in the past and let them know Logan cleared us to send them reinforcements."
"Not a problem, Alex!" the little owl returned cheerfully.
"Thanks."
He headed to the medical lab and dug out one of the first aid kits, listening absently to Circuit's call with half an ear. He shook his head as he heard the group he was talking to cheer loudly. He supposed he couldn't blame them for being happy to get help, but ... didn't they realize what this was costing him? Didn't they know how much danger *he'd* be in with the other Rangers gone?
He sighed as he disinfected his split skin. No, of course they wouldn't. Wes and Eric didn't know anything about Time Force in his time, let alone where their morphs came from. And whining about not wanting to be left alone was just selfish. The others *needed* to go, so they could bring in the criminals - Mutorgs, whatever - before anyone else got hurt.
Who came up with 'Mutorgs' anyway? Couldn't they bother giving them names? No wonder there was still so much prejudice against Mutants.
"Alex ... ?" Katie called hesitantly, poking her head through the door. Her eyes widened. "What did you do to your hand?!"
"Punched a wall," he muttered. He sighed as she hurried over to him, taking the scanner from him. "I can do it myself, you know."
"Forgive me if I don't take the word of the guy who was dumb enough to punch the wall," Katie retorted.
He rolled his eyes. "Did Ransik agree to tell Nadira if he knew anything?"
Katie hesitated.
His eyes narrowed. "Katie?"
"About that ... " She swallowed, focusing intently on regenerating the torn skin of his hand.
He closed his eyes, willing himself to be patient. "Katie," he repeated. "Did Ransik agree to help us or not?"
"That's ... sort of the thing," she said slowly. "It's ... more like we're helping each other."
"Helping each other *how*?" he asked suspiciously.
She bit her lip. "Alex ... Did you hear anything about Ransik's sentence being changed when we brought him back?"
He blinked, startled by the sudden change of subject. "No ... Cryogenic Containment for life. That's why Logan had to sign the order to have him released to see you."
She looked up at him worriedly. "Then why was he in a *cell* when we went to have him released?"
Alex went still.
"He wasn't ... " Katie swallowed hard. "He was so ... quiet. And polite. Not like Ransik at all. He even agreed to help us without asking for anything in return."
This from the last kingpin of the 30th century?
"Trip said ... " She hesitated again. "Trip said that something was wrong. That he couldn't explain, but we couldn't just leave Ransik there. So he pulled rank and demanded Ransik be released to us for a Ranger-related mission." She made a weak attempt at a smile. "He even said it was classified. It was the most serious I've ever seen him."
Alex let out a slow breath and finally climbed to his feet. "I want to talk to him," he said quietly.
"Alex, are you sure - "
"I'm sure."
She nodded, hesitated, and followed him silently out to the main room.
Ransik sat quietly in a chair, hands 'cuffed in front of him. Nadira was talking quietly with Lucas, while Trip and Circuit seemed to be fussing over the comm. Ransik looked up at Alex when he entered, inclining his head. "Ranger," he said calmly.
"Ransik," Alex returned coolly. They'd never exactly been on a first-name basis, and even if Katie's suspicions were right, that didn't mean Alex was willing to start now. This *was* the man who'd put him in a coma, after all.
Katie's hand resting discreetly on his shoulder blade was strangely reassuring.
Trip's head came up, and he whispered something to Circuit before hurrying to Alex's side. "Alex ... " he trailed off.
Alex looked at him briefly before turning his attention back to Ransik. "Has Time Force been performing experiments on you?" he asked bluntly.
Ransik barely blinked. "Yes."
He heard Nadira's horrified gasp, but ignored it. "Have they performed experiments on other prisoners?"
"Since before I arrived at Vanera," Ransik returned.
Alex nodded, unsurprised for reasons he couldn't explain. "Can you prove this?"
Ransik straightened his arms in response. "You have my permission to perform blood work."
He glanced at Trip, who nodded hesitantly and hurried to the medical lab.
"You ... " Nadira looked between her father and Alex, fury creeping into her expression. "You knew about this?" she demanded.
Alex shook his head once. "Not that the experiments were being continued on prisoners," he informed her calmly. "But I knew that Time Force has been performing illegal experiments since I was born, most likely since before even then."
"Alex didn't know about your father, Nadira," Lucas spoke up, looking at her warningly. "None of us did."
She subsided, looking back to Ransik. "Oh, Daddy ... " she whimpered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He tilted his head against hers, looking content.
Alex looked at Katie as Trip returned, hesitantly moving to take blood from Ransik. He glanced at Lucas as he joined them. "You have to take him with you," he said simply. "I'll cover you with Logan, but as soon as Trip gets that blood, the five of you have to leave."
Lucas nodded in agreement, but he didn't look happy about it.
"But what about *you*, Alex?" Katie asked anxiously.
"I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've been on my own, remember?"
"That's not very reassuring," Lucas muttered, eyeing him.
Alex sighed. "I *can't* go with you," he reminded them. "The log only shows six Rangers, not seven. Not to mention the possible complications that could arise from having two Red Chrono Morphers in the same timeline." He knew he was quoting Logan now, but he didn't care. As long as he was talking, he didn't have to think about it. "There's nothing we can do about this. We need to get Ransik and Nadira some place safe, and you three need to go help Jen and the others."
"You really think Jen will be there?" Lucas asked skeptically.
"According to the history log, she will be," he returned calmly. "We need to hurry."
"Alex?"
He looked back at Trip. "Do you have it?"
Trip nodded, looking worried. "I've already put in into the computer for analysis."
He nodded back. "Then let's get moving."