Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.
As many of you might know, the show's producers originally wanted to cast twins as Wes and Alex, and have Alex become the Quantum Ranger. I think we're all quite fortunate that the idea didn't work out, and we got Jason Faunt as Wes/Alex and Daniel Southworth as Eric. (Presumably doing a lot of visual effects using one actor in the double role would have been too expensive - not to mention hard on the actor - so they decided to go with largely duplicating the Sentai 'Timeranger' Time Fire story.) But it started me wondering...
This is set in the same mild AU as the 'Year of Time' series. See the author's notes for that on my website if you're curious. In brief, the future Rangers are from two hundred years in the future, both Trip and Katie are genetically enhanced, Trip is from Earth, not an alien, there is no communication between 2001 and the future, there are no zords except the Q-Rex, and Ransik's mutant allies are only Conwing, Brickneck, and Steelix. There are also differences meant to fill plot holes and explain questions left hanging in the series.
Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence.
Please review, it keeps me going.
Year: 2200
"You and me. Forever."
The voice pulled him back, held him there, as he felt himself drifting away. Kept him from losing himself in dreams of fire and destruction. In visions of a tall black-haired man, wild laughter, brilliant bursts of energy that wrapped him in agony. In the final darkness that crept close, waiting to take him.
"You and me."
"Forever." Her voice, a faint echo in his mind. Her face bending over him, that deceptively soft face that he loved so much, now streaked with the tears running down her cheeks. He held on to that memory, and refused to give up. And slowly the darkness loosened its grip.
"You and me..."
He realized he had whispered it aloud when another voice answered.
"Alex! Wake up!"
It was so persistent he tried opening his eyes. Just a little bit. Light stabbed through his head, making him wince, but the discomfort eased after a few moments. He tried to focus on the blur above him that he sensed was a face.
"Alex?" A man's voice, a face he was beginning to recognize, as his vision cleared and the memories began to return.
"Captain Logan... Uh, sir..."
"How do you feel?"
"Like crap. Sir."
The large face hovering over him smiled, and receded a little as its owner sat back. Alex opened his eyes all the way and looked around, seeing the antiseptic whiteness of a hospital room. More memories came back. A rooftop. The fight.
"Ransik..." he murmured, then louder, "Ransik. What happened?"
"You caught up to him at the prison ship. Went in after him. Somehow you ended up on the roof. The two of you fought."
"And he won..."
"I'm afraid so. He blasted you at close range. You almost died, Alex. We thought you were gone for a while."
"Where is he... Have to find him..." He blinked, exhaustion dragging his eyelids down.
Logan's voice became soothing. "Don't worry about that now, Alex. You'll be better soon. Then we'll talk."
"No... Tell me..." There was something else, something important, he sensed it, the memory was almost there. But sleep came to claim him before he could find it.
Year: 2001
"Wes! Are you planning to get up?"
"Mmmm. Just another minute..."
"I'm going to eat your breakfast, Wes!"
That got his eyes open. Wes Collins pushed himself up, sat on the edge of the bed for another moment, yawning and combing his hair back with his fingers, then reluctantly got to his feet. A stretch, a quick trip to the bathroom, and he was padding quickly downstairs.
Not the stairs in his house, of course. His father's house, rather. It had been two months, but he still wasn't used to it here, living in a dingy old abandoned clock tower, scrounging up enough money to live on by doing odd jobs. Quite a comedown for a multimillionaire's son. But he wouldn't trade places with anyone. Not when he caught sight of the four people waiting for him at the old picnic table they used for meals.
Green-haired Trip grinned up at him. It was his voice that had called Wes out of bed. Tall, brown-skinned Katie turned to smile also. Lucas was still admiring himself in the mirror tacked to a support beam, but he looked up long enough to nod.
And, of course, the one Wes reserved his widest smile for was Jen, pretty, brown-haired, already bent over her plate while scanning a computer readout. To his disappointment, she only glanced at him and smiled absently.
"So, what's up, guys?" he asked, sitting and reaching for the closest bowl.
"You mean, what did you miss by sleeping so late?" Katie asked with a teasing note.
"As a matter of fact, yeah."
"Oh, just a couple of mutant attacks..." Trip said.
"Nadira was here. Wanted to go shopping with me," Katie added.
"And Ransik dropped by to invite us over for dinner," Lucas said, straight-faced, as he finally took his place at the table.
Jen frowned at them. "That's not very funny."
"Come on, Jen, lighten up," Wes said around a mouthful of toast.
He got a dangerous look in response. "Trip, how's it going with the communicator?" she asked.
Looking a little guilty, Trip swallowed a bite of egg first. "Pretty good. I think I'll have it working again in a few more weeks. If I can get the parts I need."
"Good. We need to know what's happening in 2200. Whether they can send us more help."
Wes said nothing, watching her as she asked for a few details. Jen was always so businesslike. Part of him admired her for that, but a big part wished she would smile more often -- especially at him; maybe even laugh once in a while -- especially at his jokes; wished she would relax a little. They were all involved in the same fight, all faced the same enemy, but she never seemed to want to think about anything else.
Of course, if he had lost someone he loved, he'd probably be the same way. Alex. Wes looked back down at his plate, his cheerful mood fading. Jen had seen her fiancé die, killed in front of her by Ransik, the mutant leader they were trying to capture. Couldn't really blame her for her attitude, after something like that. And yet... he wished, selfishly, that she could forget Alex... That she would look at him, and not see the reflection of a dead man...
And of course that was the part he really hated. He was only there, they had only made him a Ranger, because of his resemblance to Alex. Because they were probably related, he might even be Alex's ancestor, and their DNA was similar enough for Trip to be able to persuade the red morpher to accept him. Alex's morpher... Alex's girl...
"We need to figure out what Ransik's after here, in 2001," Jen was saying. "All we know is that he's trying to change history. But how? What can he possibly do now to prevent Time Force from existing in the future?"
They all turned to stare at Wes. "Hey!" he protested. "Just because I'm from this time doesn't mean I know any more about what's going on than you do. This is all history to you, why don't you know what he might do?"
"We have very few details. Ever since time travel was invented, our history has been suppressed, to prevent exactly this kind of thing from happening."
"But Ransik must have found out something," Trip said thoughtfully.
"We have to hope he doesn't know much," Lucas said with a note of finality. "Have to hope all he knows is what we know, that this is an important time."
"Yes. We hope."
Year: 2200
Light. He drifted back to awareness, blinked into sunlight, stretched and took a deep breath. For a moment he simply stared up, until the strangeness of his surroundings penetrated his awareness.
"Alex? How do you feel?"
It was the same voice that had spoken to him before. Alex's eyes found its owner. Captain Logan. "I'm in the hospital..." he said.
"That's right."
And it came back, in a jolting rush. "Ransik... he got away, didn't he? I remember seeing a timehole..."
Logan sighed. "Yes, he got away. With Nadira and Frax, in the prison ship, and with more of his mutant soldiers. We know Conwing, Steelix, and Brickneck went with him, and we think he took Venomark, although we can't figure out why."
"He said he was going to change the past. Wipe out our timeline. Prevent Time Force from existing!"
Logan frowned. "That's right. He's gone to the city of Silver Hills in the year 2001. A critical time. We don't know exactly what he's trying to do. But he has to be stopped."
And another memory clicked into place. "Jen! Oh my God..."
"Yes. You sent her after them."
Alex tried to sit up, but sank back, his head spinning sickeningly, then settling down. "No! I should never have... She can't handle someone like Ransik!"
"She's got Lucas, Trip, and Katie with her. And they've got the morphers. You gave them yours."
"But... they can't even use it, it won't work for anyone but me. And they can't use the others without it. God, why did I tell her to go after them?"
"It was the only thing you could have done at the time. Someone had to go, right away. You weren't thinking clearly, about the red morpher."
"Have you heard from them?"
Logan frowned again, an expression that told Alex the news was bad, even before he spoke. "Not yet." He looked up and smiled slightly. "But there's a bright side. Some evidence that they're using the morphers. We're seeing records of Power Rangers in 2001. Five of them."
"Five? Someone's using my morpher? But how? It's locked to my DNA."
"We don't know. Trip's a mechanical genius, maybe he got it to work for someone else somehow."
"Damn." Alex lay back, closing his eyes, trying to think. "We have to do something," he murmured. "Have to help them..."
"There's nothing you can do right now." He opened his eyes again to see Logan's face bent over him. "For now, just rest up. We have you on an accelerated treatment program. You'll be back on your feet soon. And then we can talk more."
"Have to help them..." Alex drifted back towards sleep, then was pulled back by another thought. "How long has it been?"
Hesitation, as Logan looked down at him. "You've been unconscious for about two months," he said finally.
"Two months..." Two months, while Jen, his fiancée, the woman he loved, was trapped two hundred years in the past, trying to stop a powerful madman. Two months. But soon, he promised himself as he let drowsiness overcome him; soon, I'll be there to help her... somehow...
Year: 2001
The prison ship was so dingy. So dreary. Nothing to do. No one to do it with. Nadira sighed with boredom. She had a television, stolen of course, but a lot of the time there was nothing interesting to watch. So many news shows and talk shows, just people droning on and on endlessly about things she couldn't care less about. Then there were the dramas, and the adventures. But she didn't know enough about this time, there were too many things she didn't understand. The comedies were a little better, but she didn't get all the jokes. The soap operas were just dumb. The only thing she really liked was cartoons, but they were on so early...
Her father was no help, he spent all his time going through newspapers and magazines and the library files they had stolen, looking for his precious 'vital event or person'. The one thing he could change, so that Time Force would never be created. It had all sounded so exciting at first, escape into the past, change history, then when they went home everything would be different, better, and she and her father would be heroes... But now that they were here, it was just boring. Boring, boring, and lonely!
The only other people with them were Brickneck -- a showoff, and he couldn't talk about anything except fighting, and Conwing -- who just gave her the creeps. Steelix had been there too, with his bragging and insults, until the Rangers got him. And there was Frax of course, but he was just a robot. Not a very nice one at that.
"Nadira! Where are you?" Ransik's harsh voice startled her. Just like him not to even say hello.
She sighed again and picked up the mini-comm on the table next to her chair. "I'm in my room, Daddy. What is it?"
"We're having a meeting in the control room. Now."
"But Daddy... I'm busy." A lie, of course, but she was so sick of meetings. Strategy. All of them acting so serious.
Ransik's voice became cajoling. "Come on, sweetheart. You always complain we don't involve you."
"Oh, all right." He was right, of course. What they were doing was important. Preventing Time Force from ever existing, that was the whole reason they were here. Maybe she could help. And it gave her something to do.
All too soon, she was sitting in the prison ship command center. This small room contained the controls used for flying the ship. Unfortunately, after they had crash-landed, it wouldn't be flying anywhere else until they could finish repairing it. Ransik liked to use it for meetings, perhaps because he could sit in the captain's chair. Nadira stifled a giggle at the thought.
Ransik opened the meeting by getting right to business. "I've found something. Not much, but I want all of you to be aware of it."
"Information about Time Force? How it developed?" Conwing asked, his voice soft, but with the chilling quality that always sent a shiver down Nadira's spine.
"Yes. Their origins are connected with Bio-Lab. As I suspected. I've found indications that a security force that works for Bio-Lab will eventually grow into Time Force."
"But they don't have a separate security force. Just the usual guards."
"Not yet. We may have come a little early. But soon, our target should become obvious."
"And what will we do about them?"
"My records show that there is one person in particular we should be concerned about. He will play a big part in forming this organization, making and keeping it strong. According to history, there will soon be a major attack on Silver Hills. Without this man to lead them and pull them through, the organization that will become Time Force will probably not survive. And if that happens, our mission will be complete."
"Who is he?"
"I haven't found a name. All I know is that he's their leader. Their commander. When we know who he is... You'll know what to do."
Nadira raised her hand. "Daddy?"
"Yes, princess?"
"Who's going to attack Silver Hills?"
Ransik only frowned at her, but Conwing answered. "Why, we are, of course."
He stood at attention, waiting, along with the other new recruits, watching his new commanding officer pace back and forth, looking them over before speaking. The delay didn't bother him, it was a chance to take a look around, moving only his eyes as he continued to face front.
They were in a yard behind the building they had just marched out from, empty except for various piles of boxes and cartons scattered around, giving it a rather disorganized look. It was obvious that this was a new installation, that equipment -- and people -- were still being put in place. At least everything was new, from the barracks he had been living in, to the weapon he had been issued, to the navy-blue uniform he wore.
"All right. Listen up!" His attention returned as the commander, wearing the same uniform as the rest of them but with a red beret and red braid as insignia of rank, began to speak, pacing slowly along the line of men and a few women.
"Most of you already know me. My name is Porter, and I'm your commanding officer. As of today, you have all become Silver Guardians." He stopped to stare at them. "What does that mean? The Silver Guardians are a newly created elite private security force, working for Bio-Lab. We are not police, or soldiers. We are in charge of protecting this company, and its clients, from a threat unlike anything you may have come up against before."
He watched, showing no sign, but his eyes sharpened. This was one of the reasons he had decided to take this job. The money was important, of course. The opportunity. But the challenge -- that had been the deciding factor.
"I'm sure you're all aware of the attacks recently in the city of Silver Hills. Apparently random thefts, along with some vicious assaults on both civilians and law enforcement officers. That's what we're here to stop. Our enemies are a group of mutants, or at least that's what they say they are. People with more than ordinary strength, equipped with advanced weaponry. No one knows where they came from. No one knows why they're doing these things. Finding out will be part of our mission."
Their mission. He knew about missions, knew about combat, from ten years experience in the military. He knew even more about survival, from a childhood during which he had never felt safe.
"I know it sounds incredible that this entire force has been assembled to fight a small group of individuals, no matter how powerful, but it's true. You'll find out first-hand how tough they are, when we go into action. That will be as soon as your basic training is complete, in another few weeks."
He had been there for a month already, in training, as they waited for equipment, uniforms, and more troops. His group was only the first, there would be more. Getting in at the beginning might give him an advantage, when it came to promotions.
"You've also heard of the Power Rangers. Up until now, they've been the only defense this city has. I'm the first to admit they've done a good job. But no one knows where they came from either, whether we can count on them, what their real motives are. Unless they prove otherwise, we will consider them allies. But we can't rely on them to carry the fight."
The Rangers. He wondered, not for the first time, how they had gotten those powers. Those weapons. A man could do a lot with power like that.
"This will be a dangerous and difficult job. Sometimes you'll wonder what you're doing here, why you're risking your life. When those times come, remember this; there's no job more worth doing than protecting the lives and property of others. You'll always be able to say with pride; I'm a Silver Guardian!"
I'm a Silver Guardian… He ran it through his mind. It felt good. An important job, the chance to prove himself. He would do it well. And that would be enough. For a little while.
The speech was over after a few more sentences. The ranks began to file back into the building. When his turn came, Eric Myers turned on his heel in perfect military form and marched in line with his fellow Guardians.
TBC...