POWER RANGERS: LAST ENGAGE: ROTATION: RED SNOW

1

"Where did you come from?" Evgeny Botkin asked.

"I'm a soldier," Evan said. He wasn't completely lying. His status as a power ranger did qualify him as a soldier but not in the sense that Botkin was familiar.

"But the Americans haven't entered the war," Botkin said.

Shit, it'd be nice if I knew the year and the state of everything going on.

Evan kept silent while Botkin glanced at him a few times, before accepting his silence as an answer.

"It's okay, if you don't want to tell me," he said.

"It's better if I didn't have to reveal too much," Evan said. "I will say, I don't know what's really going on. I'm not sure how I ended up here."

"It's a hell of a time to be in Russia right now," Botkin said.

"Why?" Evan asked.

"The war isn't going well for us and the people are unhappy with their leader. A revolution is sure to happen."

Okay, so this puts me about nineteen sixteen, nineteen seventeen. It's really cold out so the revolution isn't far away.

"The tsar is losing supporters each day," Botkin said. "They want out of the war and people are starving. They are thinking there is collusion with the Germans because Tsarina Alexandra is German born."

"It seems there is too much going on at once," Evan said.

"What do you mean?" Botkin asked.

"Well, I get the war is unpopular, especially when people are starving. Russia is getting its ass kicked in the war and the tsar is getting the blame. The tsarina is German born and the people are saying she's collaborating with the enemy. Their relationship with Rasputin didn't help matters in the eyes of the people. From what I know and what you're telling me, there is something going on behind the scenes that is influencing the people to revolt against the tsar."

"What could that be?"
"I don't know," Evan said. "There is just too much going on at once that it can't be a coincidence."

A figure on the rooftops watched the two men as they walked. She could hear everything that was said, even at this distance. What she heard did not please her at all. She stepped away from the edge and walked to the other side of the roof. She looked down into the alleyway to see a group of people standing there waiting for her. She jumped from the three-story building and landed as though she just hopped off a step.

"It appears someone who doesn't belong here knows too much about what is going on," she said. She looked to the man closest to her. "Is he ready?"

"Yes, he has been brought to the location your specified," he said.

"Good," she said. "I will reanimate this corpse and bring more chaos to this country.

2

After passing through a gate and given clearance because of his association with Botkin, Evan followed Evgeny to a large white building that looked like it belonged to a king, or in this case a tsar. The grounds were nicely kept along with a small, nearby lake. There were guards standing near the entrance. Evan was a little weary of them. They stared at him as he followed Botkin. Evan noticed their grips on their weapons tightened. He could probably take out the entire regiment if he morphed but there was no reason to do that.

They entered the palace and eventually made it into a larger room where Evan was told to wait while Botkin fetched the tsar. It was much warmer in here and Evan hoped he wouldn't have to go outside again so soon. He also knew he had to keep an eye out for whatever it was he thought was influencing the people. He knew he had to be careful not to change history but his presence alone altered it already. He just wasn't sure how much. The obvious objective for him was to get back to his own time but had no idea how that was going to happen. He had landed in the middle of one of the biggest events in the history of the world. This year would change Russia and ultimately affect the rest of the world. The fate of the Romanovs was something he did not want to get tangled up in but he feared that was too late.

The tsar entered the room with Botkin in tow. Evan wasn't sure what to make of him. He looked like a pleasant man but history didn't paint him as such. As the tsar approached him, Evan did his best to present himself well, even though he felt severely underdressed. The tsar extended a hand out to shake Evan's. He took it and felt an odd sense of pride that he was meeting a world leader, whose death would help shape Russia to become something completely unforeseen at this point in time.

"To whom do I owe the honor?" the tsar asked.

"Evan Bukowski," he said. "The honor is mine."

"Perhaps," the tsar said. "But it was you who saved my personal physician."

"It was the right thing to do," Evan said. "I didn't do it to get a favor from anyone. I can't stand back and watch someone get beat without trying to help them."

"An admirable quality," the tsar said. "Evgeny tells me…"

Suddenly, one of the guards that had eyed Evan earlier came rushing in.

"Sir," he said. "We request your presence at the main gate."

"For what purpose," the tsar asked.

"A person arrived claiming to be your personal friend," he said. "He looks like a certain person but we would like you to confirm that it is him."

"Who?" the tsar asked.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you, sir."

"Alright, I'll come and see for myself. Evgeny, Mr. Bukowski, you can follow if you'd like."

Evan accepted that invitation. He wanted to know who this person was that the guard was so insistent in playing the pronoun game. They walked out to the gate where a man in black stood. He raised his head slowly and the tsar stopped in his tracks. Evan wasn't sure who this man was supposed to be but he didn't like the look of him. He looked creepy with his long black beard and naturally ugly face. He resembled a stereotypical sorcerer from the movies.

"How can it be you?" the tsar asked.

"Who is that?" Evan asked turning to Botkin.

"Someone who is supposed to be dead," he replied.

This pronoun game is a bitch.

Evan was damn near tempted to interrogate the guy himself just to figure his name.

"I'm not sure how," the man said. "But I survived."

"That isn't possible," the tsar said. "Your body was found under the ice in the river. I attended your funeral."

"Remember, I am a healer and healing your son wasn't the only thing I could heal."

"Wait," Evan said. "Is he…?"

Botkin nodded. "Yes, he is Rasputin."