Warning: Author does not condone teacher/student relationships at all!
Newtech City, 2028
"Power Rangers, report to Delta Command immediately."
The doors opened with a whoosh and seven teens rushed in. Each of them wearing a similar uniform with various colours threaded over their jacket. They each crowded around around the main console in the centre of the room.
"What's going on?" the leader, Jack, asked. He was wearing a grey uniform with red threads.
"Grumm is gone, and so is his ship," SPD Commander Kruger explained.
A gasped of surprise rippled through the group.
"He's retreated," said Sky. He was wearing a grey uniform with blue threads.
Jack turned to the others. "We've won!" he cheered, high-fiving and hugging the girl beside him. She was wearing a grey uniform with black threads.
"Enough!" Kruger ordered.
The squad fell silent, confusion etched into each of their features as they faced their commanding officer. Why wasn't he as excited as them?
"Hello, hello, you said it yourself," said Jack, still grinning. "Grumm is gone."
"Yes, he's gone," Kruger confirmed. "But I know my enemy. He does not retreat."
"Commander," said a feline woman near the computers. "I've found something. I was scanning the far reaches of the Turnerian Nebula when I found this…" she brought up an image on the screen, showing a strange metallic hole in the centre of space.
"A wormhole?" Kruger asked.
"Yes. A temporal wormhole," Kat said, nodding. "And there are traces of Troobian energy inside the rim."
"Sounds like retreating to me," said Jack.
"That's what he wants us to think," said Kruger, sharply.
"Sir, then where he is going?" Sky asked.
A girl in a grey uniform with scarlet threads shook her head. "Better question: when is he going?" she asked.
~X~
Reefside, 2008
The bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. Students filed out onto the grounds, some heading towards school buses, others towards the parking lot. Anabel and her friends, headed towards the green opposite the main building and claimed a bench for themselves.
"What's everyone doing now?" Circe asked, sitting on the back of the bench, her feet resting on the actual seat. "Do you have practice?" she looked to Anabel.
"Yep," Anabel nodded, brushing her hair out of her face. She looked to Kira, Ethan, and Trent. They were the only ones of their group that didn't have an after-school activity to get to, whereas she and Conner did.
Kira shrugged. "I have my guitar, so I'm happy to sit here and wait," she said.
"Same," said Trent, claiming a spot on the grass. He pulled out his notebook and a few pencils from his backpack.
Anabel turned to Ethan, noticing that he had already pulled his hand-held game console from his backpack. "Guess that answers that question," she said. "Practice shouldn't take long," she added. "Shauna's got relatives in town, so she's ending it earlier than usual."
"Just go," said Kira. "We'll be fine."
Anabel smiled and turned to Circe.
"Last time I watched you practice, Shauna tried making me a squad member," said Circe, shaking her head. "Cheerleading is more your speed. I'll stay here."
Anabel laughed and shrugged off her backpack. "You can watch this for me then," she said, dropping it at Circe's feet.
"Hey, you heading my way?" Conner asked, also dropping his bag beside Anabel's.
"Yep. Have fun you four," said Anabel, waving to the others and following Conner across the lot. They disappeared around the corner and headed down to the soccer field.
"Have fun," said Conner, as Anabel split away from him.
Anabel waved and headed over to the others. They were all decked out in the standard Cheer leading practice uniforms which were shorts and t-shirt, each of which were the school colours of blue and green - apparently it was supposed to resemble a coral reef bed in the water.
"Hey, Anabel," Laura grinned and waved. She was in the middle of a downward stretch, her feet were set slightly apart and her legs strait-laced while she bent at the hips, her hands pressed against the green in front of her.
Anabel smiled and stood opposite her. She placed her hands on hips, set her feet slightly apart, matching Laura's, and then twisted her upper body to the right. After five seconds she returned to her centre, paused, and they did the same twist in the opposite direction.
Within half an hour, the whole team was ready for the practice ahead.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Shauna called, arriving from under the bleachers with a portable stereo player. She set it on the last stand and hit play. Electronic Dance Music pounded from the speakers, echoing across the fields.
Anabel motioned for the others to fall into line around her, each of them placing their hands on their hips.
"As you all know I have relatives in town this weekend," said Shauna. "So, let's make most of this practice and jump straight in. After me now… One, Two, Three, Four!"
For the full hour, whatever move Shauna performed, the team executed perfectly. At the end of practice, Shauna shut off the stereo player and turned to the squad.
"Nicely done! You'll be ready for the regionals in no time," said Shauna. "Cool down and then head home. Rest up for tomorrow. Anabel, you still okay to take it without me?"
Anabel offered a thumbs up.
"Awesome! Have a great weekend, guys," said Shauna. She waved to them all as she picked up the stereo player and left the field.
Anabel turned to the team. "10am tomorrow, okay?" she asked,
The others nodded.
"Great. I'm out. See you, guys."
There was a chorus of "see you" as Anabel headed back up the field. The soccer team were still practising, but Conner was nowhere to be found.
Stopping at her car on the way back to the others, Anabel felt a hand on her wrist and jumped, looking around she scowled at Doctor Oliver as he grinned at her. "Don't scare me like that," she said, playfully shoving him away.
"Sorry. I wanted to ask you after class, but you left in a hurry, but we are still on for tonight, right?" Doctor Oliver asked.
"If by still on you mean you showing off and making me dinner, then yes," said Anabel.
Doctor Oliver chuckled. "Am I going to regret this?" he asked.
"You offered me, remember?" Anabel asked. "I'm happy with take out."
"How can you eat so much take out? Where do you put it all?"
Anabel grinned and shrugged. "Being active helps," she replied. "And, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm pretty active."
"Oh, I noticed."
Anabel chuckled. "What time tonight?" she asked.
"Any time between six and eight," said Doctor Oliver.
"Should I bring anything?"
"Just yourself," said Doctor Oliver, checking the coast was clear before leaning forward.
Anabel smiled, cupped his face, and kissed him.
The pair separated, resting their foreheads against one another, their gazes meeting.
"What happened to 'needing to be careful'?" Anabel teased.
Doctor Oliver shrugged. "Honestly didn't expect it to be this hard," he said. "You're hard to resist."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Doctor Oliver smiled and kissed her again, his arms wrapping around her waist and trapping her between his body and the car. Anabel had just threaded her fingers through his hair when a shadow fell over them.
Jumping apart, the couple noticed the shadow seemed to come from above them.
"What the -?" Anabel murmured, lifting her gaze skyward. A large spaceship hovered in the sky above causing chaos throughout the rest of the school.
Then, the ship was gone.
Separating, Doctor Oliver and Anabel shared a look.
"Get the others," said Doctor Oliver. "Meet me at the base."
Anabel nodded, skirted around him, and sprinted over to where the others were sitting.
~X~
Newtech City, 2028
"A wormhole is a tube of space time connecting distant regions of the universe that could provide the possibility of time travel," Kat explained to Jack, Aziva, the young girl in a grey and black uniform, Bridge, a young lad in a grey and green uniform, and Sylvie, a young girl in a grey and yellow uniform.
"Einstein's theory of relativity," said Bridge.
Kat nodded. "Correct. Commander," she added, turning to the large dog beside her.
"I believe Grumm has become frustrated with the resistance SPD has shown and has decided to take the terror and his battle into the past, where victory will be certain," said Kruger.
Aziva, or Z, as she preferred, cocked her head to the side. "Do we know what time he has gone back to?" she asked. "Because, regardless of whether there is peace, the Mystic Realm and it's defenders are prepared to fight. I'm sure my Mum will -"
"We haven't managed to locate which time he has gone back to just yet," said Kat, "but I am running a diagnostic. The results should be in before the launch."
"Launch?" Sylvie asked. "What launch?"
Kat turned to Kruger. "Sir," she said, bowing her head.
"We cannot leave the past unprotected," said Kruger. "Regardless of whether there will be a Ranger team waiting to assist, Grumm is our problem, and we are honour bound to help whether he is here or not."
Sylvie nodded. "You're sending us through the wormhole," she said, gathering what Kruger was saying.
"Yes."
"What about the present?" Aziva asked.
"Your sister and the others will remain behind and guard the city while you are elsewhere," said Kruger. "Say your goodbyes and report to Delta Launch in five minutes."
The four cadets saluted and headed for the door. As Z and Jack filed out, each one talking in hushed whispers, Sylvie hung back, waiting for Bridge who was still talking with Kruger.
"Sir, when you say, 'say your goodbyes,' do you mean 'say goodbye' as in 'see you later,' or do you mean 'say goodbye' as in … 'goodbye'?" Bridge asked.
Kruger tilted his head and shared a concerned look with Kat. They couldn't say for sure what was about to happen with the wormhole, and they weren't confident that it wouldn't collapse while the four where on the other side.
"No, wait," said Bridge, holding up both hands. "Don't answer that."
Sylvie smiled weakly at Kat and Kruger as Bridge turned to her, and the pair left the command centre.
~X~
Reefside, 2008
Anabel run her fingers through her hair as she pulled it up into a high ponytail. She was walking alongside the others, heading towards the Doctor Oliver's through the forest.
"Okay, next time you predict the future like this, could you at least make me a pop star?" Kira asked Ethan.
"I didn't know it was going to come true," said Ethan, grinning.
Kira smiled.
"We got to find Doctor O," said Trent.
"Were do you think we're heading?" Anabel asked, tightening her ponytail, and then dropping her arms. "It was you fives bright idea to walk there. We could've taken the cars and been there a lot faster than this."
Trent rolled his eyes. "I thought we could all use the hike," he teased.
"I just finished cheer practice," said Anabel.
"So, you have energy to burn."
Anabel rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Whatever," she said, turning away and continuing up the hill. She stopped dead, causing Circe to walk into the back of her, when she noticed their path was blocked by the cyborg that had abducted her only a few weeks prior.
"Hello again, Green Ranger," Zeltrax smirked.
Instinctively, Circe reached around Anabel and pulled her behind her. She felt her grip the back of his coat, her eyes trained on Zeltrax, almost like she was afraid if she blinked, he'd be on her again.
"At least it's a familiar face," said Conner.
"Yeah, great," said Ethan.
Zeltrax raised his sword, summoning a horde of Tyrannodrones to his side. He then pointed at the Rangers and said "Atta -" he broke off as a beam of light descended, encasing him and the Tyrannodrones, before sucking them into the air.
Looking up, the Rangers saw the ship from earlier hovering above their heads. The beam of light disappeared, along with Zeltrax, and the ship soared off into the air.
"Now that's something you don't see every day," said Conner, glancing at his friends.
"At least he's gone," said Anabel, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.
With her arm around Anabel's shoulders, Circe led the other Rangers around the post that Zeltrax had been waiting for them on and continued onwards towards Valencia forest.
"Not that's I'm disappointed to see him gone," said Trent, "but what do you think they wanted with Zeltrax?"
"Hopefully, they'll take him deep into space and sell him for scrap metal," said Kira, smiling at Anabel.
Anabel returned the gesture. She, too, hoped that this was the last time they saw the cyborg that had antagonised her life for almost a year. She couldn't even say that Zeltrax was doing it because of her relationship with his enemy - Tommy Oliver, given Zeltrax seemed to have a grudge against her long before their feelings had come out.
"Either way, it's all good," said Ethan. "Zeltrax is gone and so are they."
"Yeah, but they aren't," said Conner, looking into the distance. The others followed his gaze and found a medium-sized spacecraft landing in the field ahead. A ramp descended from the side and a door slammed open, allowing four individuals to step out.
They walked in a single file, flanking out to the sides of one another as they approached the group of six.
"Conner, Kira, Ethan, Anabel, nice to see you guys again," said the dark-skinned bloke in red. "You must be Trent and Circe."
Anabel cocked her head to the side as she studied the four newcomers. "Uh, do we know you?" she asked.
"No, not really. My name's Jack," the bloke held his hand out.
Anabel shook it, her gaze turning to the others.
"Bridge," said the lad in Green.
"Sylvie," said the girl in Yellow.
"Z," said the girl in Black.
Anabel shook each of their hands, and then turned back to her friends. "So, help us out," she said. "How do you know us again?"
"We're from the future," said Z. "Twenty-years from now, to be exact. We're chasing an Emperor named Grumm. He tried to conquer the Earth in our time but found resistance in the form of us - SPD, or Space Patrol Delta."
"Grumm used a wormhole to come through your time in order to conquer it without any hassle," said Sylvie. "He thinks this time is unprotected, seeing as SPD hasn't been discovered yet."
Circle frowned. "That doesn't explain how you know these four," she said, indicating to Anabel, Conner, Kira, and Ethan.
"A few months ago, or rather, a year from now for you, you four -" Sylvie pointed at the teens in question, "are brought to the future by Broodwing - he's a bounty hunter of sorts - and he tries to get you to help him destroy the planet."
Conner scoffed. "Like we would ever," he said.
Sylvie nodded. "Anyway, we intervened and helped you out, bringing you back to our base. While there, Broodwing and Grumm attacked, trying to draw you out. Long story short, you helped us in a time of great need."
"How come we don't remember any of this?" Conner asked.
"Like I said, it hasn't happened for you yet," said Sylvie. "If I remember correctly, you were on your way to a reunion at Reefside High. I'm guessing you haven't graduated yet?"
The teens shook their heads.
"So, wait, you're saying I was on my way to the reunion, too?" Anabel asked. She felt a little disappointed that she would be in Reefside in a years' time, especially since she had her heart set on being in Scotland for College.
Z shook her head. "No, these three were on their way to the reunion," she said, pointing at Conner, Ethan, and Kira. "You were zapped from your dorm room."
Anabel brightened at the sound. If she was taken from her dorm room, then she couldn't have been in California, otherwise she would've been at the reunion.
"If it's happened a year from now," said Conner. "How come you remember it? I mean, it hasn't happened yet."
"It has happened, for us, at least," said Bridge. "You see, time works -"
"Time works differently depending on which side of the spectrum you're on," said Ethan. "The future isn't set in stone. There is no strict progression of cause to effect, but it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, time-y wimey… stuff."
There was a slight, silent, pause, as everyone turned to Ethan, at least one eyebrow raised.
"What?" Ethan asked. "Doctor Who?" He sighed when no one jumped to advocate him.
Turning away from Ethan, Anabel looked back at four cadets. "Moving on," she said.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Reaching into for his belt, Jack pulled an oddly shaped device and flipped it open. He inspected the screen, his face falling with each passing second.
"What is it, Jack?" Z asked, leaning over his shoulder. Her face fell, too, and she looked over at Sylvie and Bridge. "Krybots. Four separate readings."
Sylvie pulled out her own device, checking the screen as Jack snapped his shut. "We need to split up," she said.
"Okay, you guys stay here," said Jack. "This is our fight."
"Excuse me!" Kira shouted, interrupting the four cadets. "Your fight became our fight when Grumm took our enemy Zeltrax. We don't know what he plans on doing with him, but if they're looking for a team up, then we're not sitting the fight out."
"Yeah!" the others agreed.
Jack looked helplessly around at his squad.
"Trust me," said Circe, shaking her head. "You'd have an easier time putting them to work than you would keeping them out. Besides, they know this area better than you, and they have access to satellites that'll tell them were the enemy is, even if you decide not to."
Jack sighed and turned to Z as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "What do you think?" he asked.
"Well, I know one thing," said Z. "Mum spoke highly of the Dino Thunder team, and we've seen them in action before. It couldn't hurt to team up."
"Okay. Fine," said Jack. "But stick close and stay together. We don't have time for rogue rangers."
Conner looked like he wanted to argue but cut off as Anabel nudged him with her elbow.
"Where do you need us?" Anabel asked.
~X~
Newtech City, 2028
Aviva looked around as she entered the command centre with Syd, Sky, Nico. It had been less than an hour since her sister and the other Rangers had been sent through the wormhole in pursuit of Grumm, and if Kruger was already calling an emergency meeting then it obviously meant things were going bad.
"The wormhole is closing," said Kruger, pacing in front of his remaining cadets. "I need to go after the other Rangers and warn them."
"I'll go with you, sir," said Sky, volunteering.
"I'll go too," said Syd.
"We'll all go," said Aviva.
Nico nodded his agreement.
"No," said Kruger, sharply. "I need you here in case the unthinkable happens."
Sky shook his head. "But, sir, if you go back and we stay here, and Grumm wins then being here will be unnecessary. There won't be a here."
"He's right, sir," said Kat.
Kruger let out a growl as he breathed deeply. "Alright then," he agreed, reluctantly. "We'll all go."
Sky nodded and stepped back into line with the others.
~X~
Reefside, 2008
"Hey, guys, wait up," Jack called, jogging through the trees to catch up with Z, Conner, and Ethan. Behind him came Sylvie, Kira, and Trent, as well as Bridge, Anabel, and Circe.
"Any luck?" Conner asked.
"Just a couple of Krybots, we took care of them," said Bridge.
"You?" Sylvie asked.
Z shook her head. "Which doesn't make any sense because the Troobian energy around here is off the chart," she said.
Boom!
The two teams whipped around as the path near them exploded, and the Zeltrax flipped over mid-air, landing with a heavy thud in the grass.
"What's that?" Sylvie asked.
"Tommy," Anabel murmured, a smile on her face. She watched as the Black Ranger raced into view, his Brachio Staff drawn, and his attention focused solely on Zeltrax.
Bridge gasped. "Black Ranger," he said, amazed at what he was seeing.
"Time to take it to the next level," Doctor Oliver said, raising his staff and rushing at Zeltrax.
Circe turned, her gaze glimpsing movement coming out of the trees surrounding them. "Guys, we've got company," she said.
Amongst the obvious robots, which Bridge had already explained were Krybots, were half a dozen Tyrannodrones and Triptoids.
"Okay, what are those?" Bridge asked, glancing at the teens.
"The dinosaur looking things are Tyrannodrones," Conner replied. "The others are called Triptoids."
Sylvie looked around. "Well, on the bright side, it can't get any worse," she said.
Anabel groaned. "Oh, come on, really?" she whined.
"What?" Sylvie asked. "What did I say?"
"Every time someone says, 'it can't get any worse,' it always gets worse," said Circe. She paused and looked over her shoulder. "For instance," she added, nodding behind them.
The group turned, their hearts sinking as three weird-looking monsters approached.
"Sorry," Sylvie apologised.
But Anabel was no longer listening, her attention had been drawn to the battle between Doctor Oliver and Zeltrax. She watched expectantly as the two fought back and forth, before Zeltrax stepped back, swung his sword up and then stabbed it at the Black Ranger.
"Tommy, look out!" Anabel yelled.
Jumping backward, Doctor Oliver back-flipped and landed nearby. He fired an energy orb at Zeltrax and then turned to Anabel as she rushed to meet him. "I'm okay, I'm okay," he assured her.
"Are they -?" Z asked, pointing at the couple.
Circe nodded. "It's complicated," she said.
"Isn't it always?"
Circe murmured in agreement and then looked up as Doctor Oliver and Anabel re-joined the group.
"Tommy Oliver, I've read all about you," said Jack. "You're the second black ranger I aspire to be like."
"The first being my mother," said Z, nudging Jack.
Anabel turned to Aziva. "So, wait, you're -?" she started.
"Kali Briar's daughter, yeah," Z nodded.
Squeezing Anabel to him, Doctor Oliver looked around at the whole team. "You guy's, ready?" he asked.
"Prepare to be defeated!" Zeltrax yelled, regrouping with the army of various monsters and foot soldiers. He took his place at the head, and rolled his sword over, tightening his grip when it returned to his palm.
Looking around at his squad, Jack nodded and stepped forward. "Ready?" he asked.
"Ready!"
"SPD, Emergency! Space Patrol Delta!"
Conner smirked. "Not bad. Check this out," he looked to his friends. "Ready?"
"Ready!"
"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"
"White Ranger, Dino Power!"
Zeltrax seethed as the two teams stood before him. He raised his sword and directed it at the. "Attack!" he yelled.
"Okay. Give it everything you've got!" Jack said, leading the charge. He divided the monsters down the middle, with Conner at his heels. The two red Rangers split off, as the others split up, with Circe using her control over darkness to help when and if she was needed.
Ducking under a Triptoids staff, Anabel flipped over onto her hands and then pushed herself back up onto her feet, she hopped around, summoning her Compy Claws, and throwing them up, blocking the downward strike of a Tyrannodrone.
"Darkness Flare!" Circe called, circling her hands around and drawing them into her stomach. She thrust out and knocked the Tyrannodrone away from her charge.
Anabel looked over at Circe and nodded. She then ducked and flipped sideways, avoiding a collision with a Krybot. Swinging her compy claws around, she hooked them into the side of the robot and launched him into the air.
"Phoenix Fire!"
Anabel looked around as a tunnel of flame washed towards her, she ducked and dived aside, allowing the attack to collide with an incoming Triptoid that she hadn't seen. "Whoa, a little heads-up next time," she said to the scarlet ranger that landed beside her.
"Sorry. I did yell duck, but you didn't hear me," said the Ranger. "Oh, I've Aviva, by the way. Call me V, everyone does."
"Anabel."
"Yeah. Mum mentioned you growing up," said V. "Hey, Z, how about a two way?" she called, racing off towards the Black SPD Ranger.
Z turned and fist-bumped her sister, the pair falling back-to-back as they fought off the encroaching army.
"She has magic," said Circe, jogging over to Anabel. "Who is she?"
"She said her name was Aviva," Anabel replied.
"Oh, my Lord, they're sisters," said Circe, watching V and Z fight side-by-side. "Twins, actually."
Anabel turned to Circe. "Twins?" she asked.
"Only twins move in sync like that," Circe nodded. "And if Z is Kali's daughter…"
"Then V is, too," said Anabel.
Circe nodded. She turned quickly, shoving her hands out and unleashing another Darkness Flare at the monster that had crept up behind them. "Let's finish this," she said to Anabel. "Then we can discuss future Mystic Defenders."
Anabel nodded. "You okay here?" she asked, looking around.
"Yes. Go."
With one brief glance at her friend, Anabel turned and took off through the crowd. She slashed up and down, left, and right as she cut her way through, appearing on the other side beside Tommy and another Ranger with the number one hundred on his chest.
"Are you okay?" Doctor Oliver asked.
Anabel nodded.
"Surround them!" Zeltrax ordered, herding the Rangers into a tight circle. He chuckled, pointing his sword at them directly. "This is your end, Power Rangers. You are outnumbered! Look at the size of my army."
Circe rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Like that's ever-stopped you guys before," she muttered.
Anabel grinned and nudged Circe with her shoulder.
"It is true, you have us outnumbered!" the Shadow Ranger agreed. "But remember, it's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog."
"Attack!" Zeltrax ordered.
At once, the monsters surged forward.
"I hate Squid! I hate Squid! I hate Squid!" Circe chanted, as she bounced out of reach of the squid-like monster she and Anabel were fighting.
Rushing around her friend, Anabel struck the monster with the Thundermax sabre, and then jumped up, planting two feet into his chest, and knocking him backwards. She flipped over and landed beside Circe, just as V and Z joined them.
"Want some help?" the two asked, simultaneously, as a gathering of Triptoids, Krybots, and Tyrannodrones joined the monster.
Anabel and Circe nodded.
"How about Anabel and I set them up," said Z, patting Anabel on the shoulder, "and you two knock 'em down?" she added to V and Circe.
Circe and V shared a look and nodded.
"Sweet. Let's do it!" said Z.
"Right behind you! Compy Claws!" Anabel called, rushing forward. She took out as many foot soldiers as she possibly could before setting her sights on the squid. She turned Z and nodded, hooking her claws into his side, and hurling him into the air.
Z kicked off hard from the ground and, rolling her sword over in her hand, raised it up over her head and slashed down, raking it down the squid's stomach.
The squid hit the ground with a crash, and Z landed beside Anabel as Circe and V squared off just as the monster stumbled back to his feet.
"Lucky shot!" the monster growled.
"Not for long," said V. "Take this - Phoenix Fire!"
"And this - Darkness Flare!" said Circe.
The two attacks hit the monster, and he exploded on impact.
"Whoo! Yeah!" Anabel and Z cheered, jogging back to their friends.
"Guys!"
The four girls' turned and found Jack waving them over to where he and the others had regrouped. They may have eliminated their share of the army, but there were a few foot soldiers left to deal with before the fight was entirely over.
"For the record," said Z, nudging Jack. "Neither of us have had a sex change."
Jack rolled his eyes and shrugged her off. "Whatever!"
"This is it, Rangers!" said Kruger, interrupting the bickering.
Jack nodded and held up a bone. "RIC!" he called, and a robotic dog bounded into view. Jack threw the bone into the air, and the dog caught it in its mouth, transforming into a blaster.
"Canine Cannon!" the SPD Rangers called.
"Z-Rex Blaster, ready!" the Dino Rangers called, combing in their own weapons.
"FIRE!"
Two balls of energy hit the remaining Krybots, Tyrannodrones, and Triptoids, causing the whole area to shake amidst the explosion.
~X~
Anabel smiled as she hugged Tommy's arm to her chest, their fingers tangled together as they bid farewell to their future friends.
"Well guys, it's time to say goodbye," said Jack, looking around at the group.
"So soon?" Conner frowned.
"Yeah, what's the rush?" Kira asked. "Your time travelling, right? So, no matter how long you stay, you can still get back at the same time."
V shook her head. "The wormhole is closing," she explained. "We gotta go."
"Besides, time travel doesn't work like that," said Bridge. "Think of it like this, the wormhole connects two boats - one in our time and one here in yours - you can jump between each boat, but you can't jump out of those boats to ahead or behind them."
"What about jumping to shore?" Conner asked.
"There is no shore," said Bridge, shaking his head. "You'll get sucked into the time flux and if that happens…" he shrugged.
Anabel winced. "Yeah, let's not do that," she said.
"I really wish I could stay," said Bridge. "I was just born last week, and I could meet myself and become my own best friend." He paused, his face scrunching in curiosity. "Wait, what if I met myself and I didn't like me?"
Anabel shook her head with a smile.
Circe turned to Z and V. "I know you can't really say, future consequences and all that, but with Kali being in Ocean Bluff and everything, when are you born?" she asked.
The twins shared a look.
"Aunt V is getting married in a couple of months," said Z. "There'll be another two big announcements around then, too."
Aviva grinned. "Mom wasn't exactly thrilled when she found out," she said, leaning against her sister. "But she's not going to go through it alone." She glanced at Sylvie.
"Which is a relief," said Sylvie. "Can you imagine if they had been alone?"
The twins chuckled.
Circe frowned and glanced at Sylvie. Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Oh! I can't believe I didn't see it until now!" she said. "You're -"
"Sylvie Bly," Sylvie nodded. "Yeah. Earth Fairy of the Mystic Realm." She nodded at Nico. "That's my brother."
Nico raised his hand in an awkward wave.
"Fairy?" the Dino team echoed.
Circe glanced at her friends. "There is so much that you still don't know about my home," she said. "So many creatures you haven't heard of, much less met."
"We understand. You guys got to go," said Trent, turning the conversation back to the farewell. "Thanks, guys, this has been something I'll always remember."
"Unfortunately, we can't let you do that," said Sky.
Kira sighed. "You're going to erase our memories, aren't you?" she asked.
"Yeah," Syd said, sighing, also. "Knowledge of the future will only change what's meant to be. It's got to be like that. Sorry."
Kruger rounded his cadets and stood before the Dino Team. He held up a blaster-like weapon, which opened at the top with thin metallic arms. A bright light blossomed between the arms, and Kruger hit the trigger button as he said, "Say cheese."
Anabel blinked and rubbed the white spots from her vision.
"Schools over. Go home," said Kruger.
Glancing around at the SPD team, the Dino Rangers turned and walked away.
Circe frowned as she glanced at Anabel. "This is going to sound weird, given where I'm from, but did that dog just talk?" she asked.
"I think so," said Anabel, unsure. She glanced back at the disappearing figures, blinked, and then turned back to her friends. "Does anyone know what we did today?"
"I remember getting out of school," said Trent. "You and Conner and practice, and then…" he shook his head. "Nothing."
"Same," Ethan, Kira, and Circe agreed.
Anabel glanced at Conner. "Do you remember practice?" she asked.
"Yep. You?"
Anabel nodded. "Whatever happened in between couldn't have been that exciting if we've all forgotten it," she said.
A chuckle of laughter rippled through the group.
"So, where we heading?" Conner asked as they reached the school parking lot. "Hayley's should still be open. First rounds on me."
"I'm game," said Kira. "Trent?"
"I'm there," Trent agreed, grinning at Kira.
Anabel rolled her eyes at the pair.
"I call shotgun," said Ethan.
Circe glanced at Anabel. "You two have a date, so I guess I'm with them," she said, nodding towards the Mustang.
"I have to go home and get ready first," said Anabel. "So, you can stick with me until then. I can drop you off on my way back."
"Okay," said Circe. She took Anabel's car keys and made her way towards the green Lamborghini.
With her friends thoroughly distracted, Anabel turned to Doctor Oliver. He cupped her face and kissed her gently, and then rested his forehead against her own. "See you in a few," he murmured.
Anabel smiled, kissed him again, and then dashed over to her car.
I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Especially since I got to introduce future characters, like Sylvie Bly, and the twins Aviva and Aziva. You'll see more of them in their own story - SPD: Triple Threat.
Let me know what you think?!
Please review.