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Silver City, 5021

The rain fell heavily to the ground in icy black sheets as the man stood silently in the shadows, trying desperately to become one with them. He could hear his pursuers in the distance moving closer and closer with every agonizing heartbeat. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he swiped at it with a trembling hand.

Damn them all! He thought.

He reached into his pocket and fished out a small glass object, just to assure himself that it was still there. He rubbed his thumb over it, almost lovingly, before shoving it deep into his jeans pocket and checking his watch. He licked his lips nervously as the sound of those following him closed in on his hiding spot. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he launched himself from the side of the building and dashed across the open park in the opposite direction; hoping that the Guardians had not yet abandoned their latest haunt.

He heard a disheartening shout from behind him and the pounding of dozens of feet as his pursuers spotted him streaking through the barren moonlit park and gave chase. He urged his feet to move faster when he heard them turn their bloodthirsty dogs loose, but they refused to obey him. Pain sliced through him as one of the dogs collided with his back and ripped at the unprotected flesh with its unnaturally sharp fangs. He fell to the hard cement of the park's path, the rough pavement biting into his palms and arms as he tried unsuccessfully to scramble away from the horrible brute. But another dog jumped on him as well and bit at his arms with savage force, causing him to cry out in agony. He rolled away from the pavement, and the early morning dew that clung to the grass stung his torn and burning flesh.

The man was vaguely aware of his hunters laughing as they approached him and called off the dogs. Sated and happy, they trotted a few paces away to keep watch. He heard one of them fling a curse at him but he was already too far gone to understand the words. With all that was left of his strength he pushed the small glass object deeply into the earth beneath him, hoping against hope that it didn't fall into the wrong hands. Then he smiled up at the sneering men above him as all sight and sound faded from his blank mind, and he breathed his last ragged breath.

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Danica sat hunched over her computer, her shoulder length brown hair falling into her eyes as she stared at the words scrolling slowly across the screen. The news of the manhunt had already leaked to the press and they were wasting no time in getting it out to the rest of the world. As she read, her face was a mask of calm but on the inside she was screaming. How could the police force be so brutal to civilians? Hunting them down and turning their dogs on them like they were some sort of prey. It was unethical and only proved just how corrupt the modern governmental system had become.

She sighed. That sort of thing had been going on for years now. The police were no longer the protectors they had once been. Instead, they were the hunters in the world's most dangerous game. Hunt down the ordinaries and the Guardians and tear them apart one by one. It had been that way since…well since the Insurrection a thousand years before when the TEP had unveiled its master plan…but that was all in the past and it wouldn't do any good to dwell on it now.

There were bigger things at stake now. The police might have gotten rid of Gavin, but Tristan was still out there. They had to find him; he held the key to the ultimate destruction of the TEP…or of the world, depending on who got their hands on it first. She cursed as she viciously shut the computer off and went in search of Asher. If anyone knew where Tristan had gone, his twin brother Asher would.

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Silver Hills, 2005

Wes knew something was coming, he could feel it in his bones. He wasn't sure if it was a product of the 'accident' or whether his sixth sense had just kicked in, but he knew that something bad was about to happen.

"Eric," he mumbled to his partner's back.

Eric turned from his computer to stare at Wes, concern registering in his dark eyes. "What is it Wes?"

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling…" He rubbed his face wearily with his hands, trying to rid himself of the horrible feeling that had settled over his stomach.

"Like the last time?" Eric frowned and shook his head. The last time Wes had a 'bad feeling' all hell broke loose in Silver Hills and it had taken three teams of former rangers to destroy the evil that had arisen there.

Wes shrugged and unzipped his jacket as the room suddenly felt much warmer than it had a few moments before. "No, it's not as clear as the last time…I just know something is coming, and I don't think we're going to like it."

"We never do. Go home and get some rest," suggested Eric. "You'll feel better…and maybe you should go see the doc again. He said he wanted to see you next time you had another 'feeling'."

"Yeah, sure." Wes nodded and stood, grabbing his hat, he turned back to the man across the room from him. "Just tell my dad I wasn't feeling too good if he asks why I left…just don't tell him what I told you, I don't want him worrying over nothing."

Eric nodded, "Just go already."

Wes crossed the room in as few strides as possible and headed for the elevator. He felt trapped inside, almost claustrophobic.

Odd, I don't get claustrophobic…

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but in actuality was only a few seconds, the metal doors banged open and he stepped out into the reception area. Hurriedly, he made his way towards the glass doors at the end of the room and slid through them, almost knocking over a delivery man as they tried to go through at the same time. The cool air outside rushed past him and cooled his burning face. He breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the scent of wild flowers and pollution.

Almost immediately upon exiting the air conditioned building he started to perspire. The sweltering summer heat was at it most glorious as the temperature hovered around 100 degrees. There were times when Wes wondered why he stayed here, in the Ninth Circle of Hell, when it was so much cooler in other place this time of year. The heat of the day and the brightness of the sun made the massive headache that had settled behind his eyes throb with renewed intensity.

Just another day in paradise.

He smiled wearily at a receptionist who was returning from lunch as he made his way across the parking lot, pushing his sunglasses onto the bridge of his nose as he went. It was then that he realized how hot he felt, and it wasn't just from the summer heat.

Almost like I suddenly have a fever, he thought. Maybe I should get that appointment with the Doc; this could be a serious side effect from the accident.

He couldn't quite place the feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach. He knew that it was most likely brought on by his newly enhanced power of foresight, a side-effect of a tragic Bio Lab accident that had claimed the lives of five brilliant scientists. It didn't give him the power of ESP, that wasn't the way it worked. He couldn't see the future precisely but he always knew when something bad was going to happen, and this time he just knew it was something cataclysmically bad. Perhaps the fever was the first signs of something deeper, something horrifically wrong.

Yeah, like you're going to grow a third eye or spout wings! Get a grip, Wes!

Shuttering slightly as a strong breeze suddenly picked up, he re-zipped his jacket and quickened his pace. He spotted his motorcycle parked between two of Bio Lab's black SUV's and swore under his breath. Didn't they know that they weren't supposed to park by the curb with the motorcycles?

Obviously not, he thought as he fumbled through his pocket for his keys. His hand closed around the cold metal just as a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the silent air around. Startled, the keys fell from his hand and landed with a loud clash on the pavement.

What the hell?

He quickly switched into warrior mode as he picked up his keys and crept towards the origin of the noise.

Yeah Collins, that's it. Just walk straight into…whatever it is…good plan!

Knocking that small, nagging voice to the back of his mind, he slowly he crept forward until he was crouching behind a pile of crates. Easing the top crate aside he peeked through the small hole. Lying face down ten feet away, half concealed by another pile of crates, was a man dressed all in black.

Cautiously, looking around for any signs of danger Wes moved forward on his hands and knees. He reached out to expertly search for a pulse. Finding one he breathed a sigh of relief.

He raised his morpher to his lips and started to tell Eric to send for an ambulance when a hand shot out from nowhere and grabbed his arm, pulling him forward until he was lying next to the man on the ground.

"The Guardians! Must…find….Guardians…" The man's breathing was labored and his words were low and slurred.

"Guardians? What? We…" Wes was confused. He tried to snatch his arm out of the man's grasp but he was too strong. Instead he felt the cold hand tighten around his wrist as the man pulled him closer, speaking into his ear.

His words came quicker, more urgent as his breathing became more labored. "They mustn't find it. The Guardians must stop them! They are the only chance we have! Please, don't let them find it."

Wes felt something cold and hard being pressed into his palm, but in the man's death grip he couldn't look to see what is it was.

"Please, give it to the Guardians; they'll know what to do…" His grip loosened as he fell backwards. "Please…..Danica…Asher…"

Wes brushed the man's hand away and shuddered as he picked himself up off the ground, ready for a fight. But a quick glance at the man told him that there was no need. The man, his blue eyes now hollow and unseeing, stared lifelessly up at the midday sun. Forcing himself not to retch at the sight of the dead man, he looked instead at the object in his palm. It was a smooth round stone, warm to the touch and calming to the senses.

I don't get it. What could we possible do…I don't know what to do with it…

Then that feeling that something was coming came crashing back to him with the weight of an anvil as the stone began to grow hot in the palm of his hand.

Wes dropped it as searing pain shot through his hand. "Damn!" He rubbed his burning palm and stared at the innocent looking stone glaring up at him from the pavement.

"Eric," he said into his morpher. "Meet me out behind the parking lot where all the crates are, something's definitely going on. Oh, and call an ambulance…there's a dead body."

He cut the connection and stooped down to get a better look at the man's clothing. It wasn't something that one would normally see in a department store window, for that matter it wasn't something that one would see in the 21st century at all. It looked more like the material that the Time Force uniforms were made out of and that meant….whoever the man was, he was from the future.

And that could only mean one thing; trouble was coming Wes' way. His stomach clenched up at the thought of what might be coming. He felt his knees give way and his sank the rest of the way to the ground until he was resting beside the lifeless body. Lost in his thoughts and immersed in a tidal wave of pain he was only vaguely aware of the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Wes?" Eric's voiced sounded so far away.

"Wes, are you ok?"

He shook his head, trying to clear the wave of nausea that had suddenly struck.

"Gotta see the Doc," he heard himself say.

"Yeah," He felt Eric grab his arm and pull him to his feet.

"Trouble is coming," he pointed to the body on the ground, then to the stone still lying where he had dropped it. "We might need that."

"What is it," asked Eric bending to pick it up but quickly dropping it and drawing back his had as if it had burned him too.

"Don't know," said Wes, his head suddenly clearing, rendering him able to think again. "But it's hot."

I know, I really need to start another fic like I need another hole in my head. But this fic is already completed. So, I'll probably be posting it on a weekly basis. So, see that pretty little blueish button? Let me know what you think and if I should continue...