Series Title: Never Saw Me There
Chapter Title: Power Play
Rating: PG-13
A/N: This takes place during the episode "Clash for Control". It is loosely based on the chapter "Control Issues" in the story Identity by Rach. Any deviation from Time Force is to remain consistent with the world created by Rach or to bring some consistency to Grand Cannon sized holes in plot lines and logic.
Thank you: once again to Rach… a wonderful person, the bestest beta a writer could ever have…I'm not worthy. Thank you for letting me play in your world. Now I understand why it took you so long to write chapter 9.
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"You can forget it. The Quantum Morpher is mine," I told them, gripping my left wrist tightly. The five of them just stood there staring at me. Originally I had planned on handing over the Quantum Controller to them, after making them sweat for a few days, making them need me. But that was before I became the Quantum Ranger. Now that I had experienced the rush and satisfaction that came from a job well done, I was not about to just give it all up.
The Ice Queen…err… Jen, folded her arms across her chest and glared at me. "You don't understand the power it has."
I don't understand the power it has? I don't understand? I'm not some imbecile, lady. I am fully aware of the power. I experienced the power. "Oh, trust me, I understand. Much more than you think I do," I snapped at her. Then just for the final jab, "Or you ever will."
I had spent the majority of the night before as the Quantum Ranger, reading the computer readouts of what being the Quantum Ranger meant. I knew all the things I was now capable of and all the cool toys that came with the job. I knew exactly what I had.
Wes looked over at the Ice Queen…er… Jen and they shared a moment. That was when I realized what they really wanted. They didn't want the RANGER they wanted what came with the Ranger. And they couldn't have it unless I gave it to them.
I felt a smile creep to my lips. "That's right. Once I get control of the Q-Rex, the sky's the limit." I looked up for emphasis. As I did so, I saw a flash of light in the sky over city hall and weird swirling disk appeared.
"A time hole," I heard Trip hiss. I turned to look at him. "Ransik must be going for the Quantasaurus!"
A wave of protectiveness, tinged with anger swept over me. "No-one is getting the Quantasaurus but me," I stated. Neither expecting nor wanting a response from the others, I didn't give them the chance to say anything. Instead I quickly morphed and summoned one of the "toys" that came with being the Quantum Ranger. "TF Eagle!" I shouted into my morpher.
I had no clue where it had come from, but within moments a small jet like vehicle streaked through the sky and gently landed next to me. The hatch opened and I climbed into the cockpit. As I sat down, digital readouts appeared inside my visor providing me operating instructions for the TF Eagle.
A few button pushes and a few lever flicks later, the onboard computer informed me, "Charging turbines for time travel." Carefully I guided the small craft to the edge of the building and waited for the final stages of the power-up process so that I could head to the time hole and fetch my property.
Just as the little light on the dashboard gave me the all clear, the Eagle bobbled and I heard a thud to my right. There on the wing crouched the Red Ranger. "Wes! What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.
"Going with you," he replied, his voice indicating that I had asked a stupid question for which the answer should have been obvious.
I shrugged. "Suit yourself. You might want to hold on." I didn't give him the chance to say or doing anything else. I gave the engine a burst of power and we took off through the time hole.
A bright flash of light enveloped us as we entered the time hole. The next instant we were no longer high above the city of Silverhills. Instead all I saw was the lush vegetation of some kind of rain forest. I was taken, momentarily, with just how beautiful and serene it all looked.
A pained groan halted any further appreciation of our surroundings. I looked to my right to see Wes go limp and fall off the Eagle. "Wes!" I cried as I sat there helpless to do anything but watch my friend tumble to the ground.
I quickly found a clearing to land in. I demorphed as I scrambled out of the cockpit and took off in the direction I saw Wes fall. Oh God, don't be dead! Please be alive, I thought as I fought my way through the underbrush.
As I ran, a large shadow passed over me. I looked up and skidded to a halt. I stood there staring up, shock and surprise keeping me from moving. What I had first mistaken for a large bird circled lower and I got a better look at it. That was no bird. It was a pterodactyl. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.
A very human groan rose from some nearby ferns. Wes! I carefully made my way in the direction I heard the groan. I broke through the cover to see Wes sitting up, his back to me.
"When am I?"
A huge grin came to my lips. He was alive! I wanted to run over and embrace him in relief. But that urge was quickly squashed by the memories of the looks of derision I had received from him and his…friends.
"Well, I'm no paleontologist," I said, "but my guess is that we've gone back about a hundred and fifty million years. Give or take."
I just stood there and watched him gingerly get to his feet. I saw him wince in pain. He may be alive, but he was rather worse for wear. Well, serves him right for hitching a ride. I just shook my head, turned and walked away. Now that I knew he was alive, and more or less intact, I had other things to do. Retrieving the Q-Rex for one.
I heard him follow me. "You know something," I called back over my shoulder. "I had pegged you as smarter than this."
I heard him stop walking. "What?" he asked absentmindedly. I paused and turned to see that his attention was not on me, but rather the impressive sight of a Stegosaurus in a nearby clearing. I had to admit that it was a rather stunning sight. But if we allowed ourselves to get distracted by every dino that we saw, the mission was not going to get completed and we would most likely find ourselves dead before long.
I reached out and touched his shoulder. "This," I commented, bringing his attention back to me. "This was stupid, Wes." He winced in pain. I realized I had touched one of his many bruises and removed my hand.
"What was?" he asked as he rubbed his sore shoulder.
I sighed; he was being dense. "Following me here."
Wes blinked at me, as if just realizing how stupid his actions really had been. He shook his head as if to clear it. "Look -- you're not the only one here for the Quantasaurus," he said.
Well, duh. I didn't exactly create that time hole myself.
"Ransik's sent a mutant and…"
Another wave of possessiveness surged through me. I grabbed Wes' shirtfront. "I'm gonna get the Q-Rex. Not some mutant. And I don't need your help!" My anger got the better of me and I shoved him away.
He took several unstable steps backwards before landing awkwardly on his back with a small "Oof." I started to take a step forward to apologize for taking my frustration out on him when the ground shook.
That was too short to be an earthquake. I have a very bad feeling about this.
"Eric…" I heard Wes start to speak.
"Shh!" I hissed. I was trying to locate the source of the rumbling I heard. I felt myself blanch as I looked up and over Wes to see the biggest lizard I had ever seen. Those stupid field trips to the science museums to see the dinosaur bones never made me realize just how BIG or SCARY they really were. After all, how terrifying can a big pile of bones be? When the bones are surrounded by muscle and skin… VERY terrifying.
The dinosaur…a T-Rex if I had to guess… looked down at us and roared. That was all that was needed to shock me out of my inability to move. "Run!" I cried as I bent down and hauled Wes to his feet. I ran in the opposite direction of the giant lizard, pulling Wes behind me by his shirt.
Eventually Wes managed to move on his own accord. I let go of him and we high-tailed it through the brush. I have no idea how far we ran, but I was imminently grateful for the fact that I still maintained the strict work out regimen I had followed back in my days as a marine, otherwise I don't think I would have been able to run as far or as fast without getting winded.
Winded… suddenly I thought of Wes. He wasn't exactly in prime shape and his injuries didn't make that condition any better. I risked looking back long enough to see him keeping pace right behind me. Yeah adrenaline – ya gotta love it.
We kept running. The whole way I prayed that we would be able to say ahead of the monster until we could find cover. If one of us stumbled, the other picked him up and kept going. Covering each other's backs. Just like friends do. Just like old times.
My stroll down memory lane came to an abrupt end when our avenue of escape dead-ended with a very dense wall of vegetation.
"Shit," I muttered. "There has got to be a way through this." I frantically began searching for a way out.
Suddenly I felt Wes shove me, sending me to the ground. I looked up to see the massive jaws of the dino positioned where I had been standing only moments before. Wes had saved my life.
I looked past the huge legs of the dino to see Wes leaning against a nearby tree, stunned. He did not look good. A disgruntled snort from the dinosaur brought my thoughts back to the situation at hand. If I wasn't more careful, I was likely to end up a snack.
I rose to my feet and began to slowly walk backwards, hoping, praying not to come to the creatures attention. No such luck. One large eyeball swiveled and locked onto me. I gulped. I felt rooted to the spot as I watched the dinosaur raise its head, obviously preparing to strike.
I closed my eyes and waited for the end. But it didn't come. Instead my salvation came in the form of a much-abused Wes, who had dived across to me to drag me out of the dinosaur's reach.
I lay there a moment dazed and confused. I looked over to see Wes shaking his head as I to clear his vision. He's really hurt. I gotta get him out of here. I then looked over to see the dinosaur with a mouthful of leaves, obviously miffed at missing its prey. It roared its protest.
"Crap!" Wes exclaimed. "C'mon - get up…" he snapped at me. "We gotta go!" I nodded and gratefully took his offered hand in help. Within seconds, the chase had resumed.
This time, Wes led the way, with me blindly following. Which, proved to be a mistake on my part as it was only quick reflexes that kept me from falling over the edge of the cliff he had led us to. I felt him grab my hand and pull me back away from the precipice. It wasn't until after I was a couple steps away from the edge that my heart and lungs started functioning again.
Behind us the dinosaur roared. We turned together to look behind us. If possible, the dinosaur looked arrogant as he slowly approached us. It was obvious that he thought we weren't going anywhere. I had to agree with him.
"We're toast," I commented dryly.
"Not if we make it to that cave," Wes shot back. I looked over at him, confused.
"What cave?"
He pointed towards the nearby bluffs. "Over there. I think we can make it."
Memories of small dark places flooded my brain. I shook my head to drive them away. "And get pinned in there?" I retorted.
Wes snorted. "It's gotta be better than becoming prehistoric lunch! Besides -- it would give us a chance to morph and get the hell away from that thing."
He had a point. "Well, when you put it that way…" I said and bolted for the mouth of the cave. I just ran, not looking behind me assuming that Wes was right behind me. I dove and somersaulted into the cave as I landed. I scrambled as far back into the cave as I could, which wasn't very far and placed my back to the wall. I looked out, expecting to see Wes join me.
"C'mon, Wes," I muttered. Just before I heard the dinosaur roar, I thought I had heard a scream. "Oh, God. Please don't be dead. WES!" Instinct took over and I started to crawl back out of my cover, intent of finding my friend.
But a large shadow passed over the mouth of the cave, reminding me what was waiting just outside. A loud roar rocked the area and I scrambled back under cover. Just as my back hit the wall, I was faced with rows and rows of VERY sharp teeth.
The sight of the huge reptilian head in the small cave opening caused me to panic. Normally I'm not scared of lizards, but there are always exceptions.
"Goawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoaway!" I screamed as I flailed my feet and kick out at the monster. I kept kicking, the adrenaline pounding through my system, until eventually the massive head retreated. I didn't know if I had actually hit something to hurt it or it just got tired of trying to reach me, and frankly I didn't care. I just sat there, gasping for breath, relieved that I had managed not to be eaten.
Eaten…WES!
I carefully stuck my head out of the cave and looked around. I sighed when I saw no sign of the dinosaur. I stepped out and started searching the area for any signs of my friend. Suddenly my morpher beeped. I raised it up so that I could hear it.
"Quantasaurus location identified," the pleasant female voice said.
"Great," I exclaimed. I pushed the proper button on the morpher and shouted, "Quantum Power!" Moments later I was looking out of the Quantum Ranger's visor and seeing a head's up display of the layout of the local terrain.
"Identify location of Red Ranger," I instruct the computer. Instantly a new display is show showing where Wes was. It was moving. So either he was inside the belly of the beast or he was alive. "Superimpose over location of Quantasaurus Rex." The computer complied.
I sighed in relief. Wes and the Q-Rex were in close proximity to each other. I could find Wes and the Q-Rex and not have to back track. I smiled and ran off in search of my friend as well as my property.
~*~
When I arrived at the location that I had been told to find Wes and the Q-Rex, I found the Red Ranger slowly rising to his feet. "Gotta...stop him..." I heard him mutter. Suddenly all reason left me.
Where does he get off thinking he can stop me from getting the Q-Rex? The Q-Rex only answers to the Quantum Ranger. And that would be me! He can have anything he wants, why can't he let me have what is mine?
I reached for the Quantum Defender and fired in his direction, intentionally missing him. I stood there, Defender aimed, watching him.
He turned towards me and I could hear him gasp. "Eric?" he asked disbelieving.
Who else would it be? Not like there are any other humans but the two of us in this time period.
"And just where do you think you're going?" I asked him. I winced slightly at the arrogant tone of my voice. Luckily he couldn't see my facial expressions behind my visor.
He pointed into a nearby cave. "There's a mutant in there – we gotta stop him before he gets the Q-Rex."
I kept the Defender trained on Wes and whispered to the computer, "Locate mutant DNA."
Seconds later the computer replied "No mutant DNA located."
I shook my head at Wes, amazed that he would lie to me to keep me from retrieving my property. "Uh-uh. You're not going anywhere. No-one gets the Q-Rex but me."
Wes groaned in exasperation and rolled his eye at me. "Ransik's gonna get him if we don't get in there." He stepped towards me. I fired again. You are not stopping me from completing this mission. I don't care who you are or what we used to be. I ordered the Defender in blade mode and charged at him. I didn't want to hurt him, just scare him enough to leave me alone and to let me retrieve what was mine.
I had to give him credit... he tried to fight against me. But it was obvious his injuries were just too bad for him to put up more than a token resistance. Soon he was on his knees in front of me. With the Defender back in Blaster Mode, I stood over him, unsure of what to do next. I couldn't kill him. He meant too much to me to do that. But I couldn't let him stop me either.
But before I could figure out what to do, I heard two, very loud noises. I looked up to see the volcano we were near starting to erupt. I then looked behind me for the source of the other sound to see a time hole open up.
"Oh no! A time hole!" I couldn't let that mutant leave with my Q-Rex. I took off into the jungle, back to the TF Eagle, to stop the creature.
As I hopped into the vehicle and started to power up my conscience started up.
What the hell are you doing, Myers? You can't leave him here. He saved your ass. If it weren't for him you'd be dino chow right now. On this mission he's your partner. Go back and get him, Myers! Remember what your drill instructor said? Rule number one... NEVER LEAVE A MAN BEHIND!
Glancing up at the time hole, I maneuvered the TF Eagle through the jungle and back to where I had left Wes. I arrived just in time to see the ground give out beneath him and watch him plummet down towards a large river of lava. I guided the TF Eagle under Wes and managed to catch him with one of the wings.
I popped the hatch long enough to reach over and haul him up into a more secure position. "Now we're even," I told him.
I could hear his smile in his voice. "Thanks Eric."
I just grunted some kind of noncommittal answer and secured myself back into the vehicle. "Just hold tight," I advised him and we headed up and through the time portal.
The trip back wasn't as hair-raising as the first trip. Maybe that was because I knew what to expect while traveling through time, maybe it was because I was that much more experienced handling the Eagle, maybe it was because it was the trip home. I didn't really care.
I never thought I would be glad to see the skyline of Silverhills. But I was wrong. The view I saw as we cleared the time hole was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Home. There is no more wonderful word in the English language.
I flew the TF Eagle close to a building and, when I was only a few meters above a rooftop, I banked hard.
"Last stop – everybody off," I said as Wes spilled off the wing. I knew he had been battered and bruised and that the tumble would not help his injuries, but I had a Quantasaurus to retrieve. Besides, he had friends who could patch him back together.
Lucky him.
~*~
Retrieving the Quantasaurus was not as simple as I had thought. I figured I'd just ride in on my white steed, say a couple fancy words and claim the dragon for my prize. No such luck. The mutant was using some kind of scrambler device to block my commands to the Q-Rex and was using the zord to destroy the city. And all I could do was stand there and watch. It was all my fault. All because my stupid pride and jealousy. And all I could to was stand there and watch the other Rangers fought to restrain the zord that should have been mine; that I should have been able to control. I failed - as a soldier and as a Ranger.
As the battle ended, I demorphed and headed back to my vehicle. As I climbed behind the wheel I glanced at my watch and realized that if I didn't hurry I was going to be late for the meeting I had scheduled with Mr. Collins.
Upon returned to headquarters, I raced to Mr. Collins' office to be greeted by his personal secretary. No one knew her name and all I had ever heard her referred to was "The Dragon Lady", and judging by the expression she was wearing I could easily see where the nickname came from. She gave me the "you're late" glare and let me into Mr. Collin's office.
He looked up at me as I walked in and saluted him. "Ah, Myers. Come in. I understand you have some concerns regarding the leadership of the Silver Guardians." He did not offer me a seat, nor did I take one automatically. I merely stood there before him, at full attention and nodded.
"Yes, Sir, I do." I stated flatly.
I watched as an eyebrow raised. "You have a problem with the way Carter is running things? I don't think you are exactly in a position to determine who is best to lead the Guardians. You've only been with the organization…" he glanced down at a piece of paper on his desk, "a couple months. I honestly don't see how this is any of your concern."
I tried to level my best, "you don't know what you are talking about" gaze at him. "Frankly, Sir, I don't see how it is NOT my concern. I am a Silver Guardian. I signed a contract to protect this city. How can I do that to the best of my abilities under faulty leadership?" I sighed and took a slight step towards him.
"Don't get me wrong, Sir. Carter is a fine Guardian. But he's not a leader. He has trouble thinking under stressful situations. And that's exactly what we face when we leave this building. You need someone leading the Silver Guardians who can keep a calm head under fire. Someone who has experienced command situations before."
He looked up at me with a rather incredulous look on his face. "And I suppose you are saying that that somebody is you?"
I nodded slightly. "I have commanded units under intense situations. I have military training in logistics, tactics and strategy. I can improvise under pressure. I am the man for the job."
The corner of his mouth twitched into something akin to a smile. I wasn't sure if I had amused him my bravado or he was just amused in general. "Honestly, Myers. There are others with more seniority than you within the Guardians who I could pick to replace Carter…should I see the need to."
I nodded in agreement. "I understand that, Sir. But I do have one qualification that I know that they don't have."
That piqued his interest. "And that being?"
I raised my right wrist. "I'm the Quantum Ranger." I had to give him credit. The look of shock and surprise only lasted a moment, before his face returned to the impassive stone that I was used to seeing.
I took a breath and continued. "The one thing that has prevented the Guardians from fulfilling their mission to protect this city is the existence of the Time Force Rangers. Just when the Guardians get the mutants cornered, in they come and claim all the glory and praise. No one is going to take the Silver Guardians serious unless you have a Ranger leading them. The public needs the visual trigger. When they think mutants, they think Rangers. So you need a Ranger on your payroll to act as the spokesperson. Luckily you do have a Ranger. So you see, Sir. There is no one better qualified to lead the Silver Guardians than I am."
I returned to full attention and watched him lean back in his chair and swivel it. He looked over his shoulder at me, a cryptic smile on his face. "I agree with you. Having a Ranger lead the Silver Guardians would be the best of both worlds. Yes, they should be led by a Ranger. But not necessarily you."
It was only due to years of learning to school my face into marble that I didn't let him see my reaction. What the hell do you mean, not by me? What other Ranger is going to willingly work for you? What more do I have to do to prove to you and the others that I can do this?
He spun his chair around so that his back was to me. I took advantage of his position to glare at him while I stood there quietly, waiting for him to continue. "No, I plan to have four more Rangers on my team." He turned to face me. "Rangers that control Megazords." He said to answer my silent question.
I narrowed my eyes and met his gaze. "And if I get control over the Quantasaurus?"
A smile grew across his face. "Now that would be impressive."
I nodded as an understanding passed between us. I snapped him a salute, turned on my heel and strode out of the office. Now I had even more incentive to get my property back.
I'll show them who should be running things.
~*~
I had just entered the locker room, intent on having a good workout, when reception paged me. All the ninny would tell me was that I had a visitor. Couldn't even be bothered to get a name. No that would have been helpful now wouldn't it? Especially because I couldn't think of anyone who would come to see just me. It's not like I had any friends in this city.
I walked down the stairs to see Wes sitting in the lobby, obviously waiting for someone. Me, presumably. My first reaction was a smile. My friend had finally come to see and talk to me. But then I felt the weight on my wrist and I glanced down at my morpher. No, he wouldn't have come for a friendly, catch-up session. He's gonna asked for it back. Well he can go take a flying leap if he thinks that's gonna happen.
I walked up behind him and took fiendish delight in watching him jump when I spoke. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here."
He jumped out of his seat and turned to face me. It looked like wanted to say something but changed his mind at the last moment. "We need to talk," he finally said.
I stood there and remained impassive. "We do, do we?" Damn that sounded snide, even to me. But I was scared. I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want to be hurt. But my pride was on the line and my pride was the only thing of any value that I had left.
Wes stood there and held his ground. He met my gaze and nodded. "Yeah, we do." His eyes flicked around to scan the surroundings. "Not here."
It's not exactly like I got an office we can adjourn to, Collins. My mind ran through the activities schedule that had been posted for the day and I remembered that the practice yard would be unoccupied at the moment.
I smirked at him and nodded. "OK, this way," I said to him, and led him through the building to the yard out back. I turned to him and crossed my arms. "Now, what's so important?"
He stood there for a moment before taking a deep breath. Am I really that scary to talk to, Wes? You used to be able to talk to me about anything. Come on buddy, talk to me. I can take it.
"The Q-Rex will be back any time now," he stated. I nodded to indicate that I had thought of it. "We think we can get control over it with the Quantum Morpher."
Damn I was right. He didn't come to see me. He just came back for a THING. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck bristle as I grew defensive.
"No deal. Besides, what makes you think you can get control of the Q-Rex with this, if I can't." I tapped the morpher on my wrist. "You just don't want me to be the Quantum Ranger. Admit it," I snapped.
He stood there staring at me in disbelief. "That's not what this is all about," he protested.
I wasn't buying it. "Suuuuuure. Admit it Collins, it really burns you up to see me with as much power as you." I was mad. I was beyond mad. Here I thought he was my friend. But in the end he was just as much of the power hungry rich kid as those jerks back in high school were. I thought he was different. Stupid me. You can take the boy out of the boardroom, but you can't take the boardroom out of the boy.
He continued to protest. "Eric, this isn't about me. Or you."
I just shrugged. "You keep telling yourself that and maybe one day you'll believe it. Anyway, it soon won't matter what you think."
That got him. "What?"
I slowly took a step forward and smiled at him. "Pretty soon, I'll be leading the Time Force Rangers." He just stood there blinking at me. The stunned look on his face was priceless. Damn, I wish I had had a camera for it. Classic Kodak moment.
Eventually he managed to get his brain and mouth to start working again. "What are you talking about?"
I couldn't keep the derision and sarcasm out of my voice. "Oh that's right, you didn't know."
He shook his head. "Know what?"
A smile crept to my lips as I pointed to my chest. "Your dad's gonna hire the other Rangers to join me and the Silver Guardians. I'm gonna be their leader."
Wes stood there and blinked at me before he burst out in laughter. He actually laughed at me. "That's ridiculous," he said between gasps for breath. "You have got to be kidding. They would never work for my father."
Just because you wouldn't, Wes, doesn't mean others won't.
I smirked back at him. "Are you sure? They only want one thing, right? To catch Ransik. And with your dad's money and technology behind them, they'll do it a whole lot faster." I could see in his eyes that he wanted to protest but didn't have the ground to do it. "You never thought about that did you? You only thought about yourself." I rolled my eyes. "Typical, spoiled, rich kid. The truth is, your friends would be better off without you."
I knew I had gone too far with that last bit, but it was too late to take anything back. I stood there, leaning against the fence, crossed my arms and watched him. I watched as every emotion humanly possible swept across his face and eyes. He was taking what I said to heart.
He eventually looked up at me and held out his hand. "I came here for the morpher."
I had to give him credit. He stuck to his guns, despite the fact that I had just been a major dick towards him. However, that wasn't going to get me to just hand the item over. I stood up and looked hard at him.
"You want it? You're gonna have to take it from me."
"If that's the way it has to be," he said and flung himself at me. I honestly didn't expect him to resort to violence. He never struck me as the type. He always looked for a peaceful way out before fighting.
He took me by surprise and managed to land several good blows before I managed to get myself together and morph. Wes still had the advantage… he surprised me, he was on a mission, and it was obvious that he was pissed off. But the other thing that was obvious to me…he was still hurting pretty badly. He just didn't move like a man in peak condition.
My military training took over and I looked for a weakness in his style and manipulated it. In this instance… I kicked him, hard, in his ribs. He let out a pained "oof" before falling backwards and passed out momentarily.
I started to take a step forward, to see if he was OK, when the other Rangers arrived. I just stood there and watched them swarm over Wes. Genuine concern for their friend and teammate showing.
Noting the time, I realized that they had already talked to Mr. Collins and a smile crept further onto my face. I couldn't resist slipping back into old habits. Instantly, Master Sergeant Myers was back. "Fall in line!" I commanded as I stepped forward. "He's not on your team anymore."
One of the Rangers…Lucas, looked up at me and sneered. "Oh, you didn't hear?"
Hear what? I asked silently.
"We told Mr. Collins we weren't interested in his offer," Katie supplied.
And then Trip piped up. "Yeah. We like or team just the way it is."
I stood there, blinking at them, grateful that my visor hid my stunned expression. You're saying no to state of the art technology? You're saying no to corporate backing? You're turning it all down for one person? I glanced down to Wes. Must be nice to have loyal friends like that.
I shook my head and merely told them, "You'll regret this." And a small part of me actually believed it too. That they'd go back to their little clubhouse in the clock tower and think about it and realize what they were throwing away. But in reality, I knew that they wouldn't. The team meant everything to them. It was then that I truly felt alone.
I was stunned and speechless. I didn't even notice when Jen said something to me. All I could do was stand there and watch them help Wes to his feet and carry him away.
What brought me back to my senses was hearing their computer announce that the Q-Rex was back. I watched them scramble to take action.
I took off in another direction, determined to get there first. The Q-Rex was mine and no little neighborhood watch club was going to stop me from getting it back.
~*~
I felt helpless as I stood on a rooftop and could do nothing but watch as the Rangers' Megazord battled against the Q-Rex. Nothing I did brought it under my control. Every time I tried, the stupid Quantum Morpher would pleasantly tell me "Voice Command blocked." But the repeated tellings didn't stop me from trying.
"Q-REX! Obey my commands!" I shouted into my morpher. Nothing happened. The zord only continued to battle against the Shadow Force Megazord. "Quantasaurus Rex! I ORDER you to stop!"
The computer beeped and politely said, "Voice Commands blocked. Deactivate control device to assume voice commands."
"But how?" I cried in bafflement.
Finally, out of frustration and desperation, I pulled the Quantum Defender and fired at the Q-Rex. That did the trick. The blast distracted the zord away from the Rangers and onto me.
As it bore down on me, I used my visor's scan mode to try to locate any device that might be causing my voice commands to be ignored. I just stood there, scanning as the thing approached. Finally my sights locked onto the controller. I aimed the Defender and fired. As the thing exploded I shouted into my morpher. "Quantasaursus! I command you to stop!"
The head came closer and closer to me. I squeezed my eyes shut; convinced I was about to die. But then the most beautiful words I had heard in a long time floated to my ears. "Voice identification…confirmed." I sighed in relief. I had done it. The Q-Rex was mine!
I felt a surge of triumph as I was able to send the Q-Rex back into battle, this time with the Rangers and not against them. And with the combined forces of the Shadow Force Megazord, the Time Force Megazord AND the Quantasaurus in Megazord Mode, Commandocon was soon reduced to a nice handy-dandy pocket sized version of himself.
Finally I had been able to ride in, claim the dragon and save the day. Go me.
~*~
I strode down the long corridors of Biolab like a man on a mission. Actually I was. I walked up to Mr. Collin's secretary and glared down at her. "Is he alone?"
She blinked up at me in surprise and answered without thinking. "Yes. But…"
I only needed the yes. I walked past her and into his office. I yanked off my hat and snapped him a salute. I stood there, at full attention, until he acknowledged me.
When he gave me a nod I went into at-ease stance and looked at him. "I have gained control over the Quantasaurus Rex," I stated flatly.
A smile swept over his face. And when he spoke I could hear that I had impressed him. "I'm glad so see that I'm not the only person around here with a little ambition." I kept my face impassive as he stood and walked over to me. I was stunned when he offered me his hand. When I took it he smiled. "You're now in charge of the Silver Guardians."
I snapped him another salute and smiled. "Sir!" I returned my hat to my head, turned and walked out of the office, my back just a little bit straighter, my head a little bit higher than it had been before.
I had done it. I had set my sights on a goal and achieved it.
Only…it would have been nice to have been able to share my victory with someone.
TO BE CONTINUED…