Disclaimers: Characters are owned not be writer of this particular fan fiction. Please do not sue me for I'm definitely not making any money off of this story and this is for amusement only.
Warning: Rated NC-17 for content and language.
Note: The former rangers have moved on in their lives but are pulled back into the game by a little gift left behind from an old "friend." While they fight for their lives yet again, they learn more about each other.
Age check: Billy, Tommy, Jason, Zack-27. Adam, Aisha, Rocky, Trini, Kimberly-26. Katherine, Tonya-25.
Acknowledgements: This one is for Shawn (Ozmandayus), for all the encouragements he has given me and for inspiring me to do this story with all this great writing. Thanks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Seven – Complications and Hunches
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April 22, 2002 – 12:03 p.m. Berlin Time
Underground Caverns
Cracow, Poland
They were ready. The time has come. Only enough energy for four right now. But that would change soon. Soon, there would be plenty of energy for him to make as many as he needed.
It was time. They shall learn. He shall serve his masters well. And they will reward him. They shall see that he is rewarded.
Yes. More energy. More people. More flesh. More power. It was time.
The voice was low, rumbling as he took his haltering breath. "Go."
And the death toll rose.
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April 22, 2002 – 12:03 p.m. Berlin Time
ISS Warsaw Headquarters – Science Unit
Warsaw Poland
Trini grabbed the side of the table as the ground rumbled and ignored the shouting and grumbling of the rest of the science team. She glanced at her watch. There had been a quake only an hour before. Strange!
Pulling on the containment suit, she waited while others zipped her into it and made sure she was completely secure. This was the part of her job she hated, having to deal with human remains. Stick her in a room full of test tubes and petrie dishes any day.
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April 22, 2002 – 12:32 p.m. Berlin Time
Muito Mercado Do Alimento (Translation: Many Food Market)
Cracow, Poland
They appeared out from underground, manlike in their figures but green and purple in color. Their heads were three times larger than an average man, and they each reached about six feet in height, skinny. Arms were long, longer than man's, and tentacle like. It whipped out, extended and deadly at the people around. Feet like large flippers struck the ground and created great slapping sounds.
The screaming should have warned others but only drew curiosity. They stuck the population of Cracow down one by one. Some losing limbs, some losing lives. Mothers cried as they reached for their babies, gone, lifeless. Husbands tried to drag dead wives away, only to fall victims themselves. Doctors, lawyers, farmers, teachers, people.
It took only minutes to clear out the area. The dead were useless. And the lives ones, the ones taken, wished to hell they had died.
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April 22, 2002 – 1:35 p.m. Berlin Time
ISS Warsaw Headquarters – Conference Room
Warsaw Poland.
Kimberly looked up from her files when three men wheeled the television in. Tommy and Jason had been talking by the side, wondering if there was anyway to reinforce the structure of the building. The last two quakes had created some damage in the area. Adam and Rocky looked up from their own files, reports on the last mission that was filed, not much use there. Kat and Aisha had been going over news reports in the internet on the quakes to make sure no more damage was made. Billy was talking to people from NASA on another rover, much to his annoyance.
"Kimmy, guys, you have to see this!" Edward pushed the TV over and plugged it in. "This is bad!"
"What is it?" Kimberly asked as she got up.
He was popping in a tape. "This was recorded by a security camera in Cracow about an hour ago."
"Cracow? Center point? What is it?"
The others crowded around. The screen became fuzzy for a moment then cleared. What they saw horrified them.
Tanya and Kat both dashed for the door, hoping to get to the bathroom before everything they had managed to put down after seeing the frozen body of the dead agent came rushing back up.
Kimberly turned her head away after a while and held her hand over her lips. The pictures were bad but to see it in live action, it was even worse. She could not have chosen a worse way to go.
Aisha pushed back the tears and wondered at the injustice of the world. Adam came around and placed an arm around her shoulder, turning her way from the screen. He glanced briefly at Rocky but found that this wasn't the time nor the place for any of his own plans.
The other men didn't lose their stomachs but looked rather green around the edge. It was not a sight they cared to have forever embedded in their minds.
"When was this?" Kimberly asked when she finally settled down.
"At 12:32."
"An hour. Any survivors?"
"Yeah a few." He looked reluctant to say anything.
Jason looked at him and wondered. "What is it?"
"The survivors: most of them have lost limbs, covered in third degree burns, we doubt any of them will recover."
Tommy sighed and looked at the freeze frame pictures. "The victims?"
"The dead are being transported here, eight or nine at a time. Survivors are at a local hospital." Edward handed them a file with everything in it. "There's another thing."
"What?" Kimberly couldn't image it being worse.
"They took some people."
"What?" That was a puzzle.
"They took hostages."
Kimberly shut her eyes. "No."
"Yeah."
"Oh god." She sat down abruptly. "This just got complicated."
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April 22, 2002 – 7:45 a.m. EST
ISS New York Headquarters – Director's Office
New York City, New York
"What do you mean hostages?" Ballard asked, agitated. The last thing they need now is another reason not to go blasting this thing back to kingdom come.
"Exactly the way it sounds." Kimberly explained with a sigh. "We may be looking at a whole new situation now."
"Great, just great." Emmerman muttered into the conference phone. Whatever he had expected when Agent Hart had call in for a conference feed with New York, this was not it. He wanted nothing more than a solution to this problem. "What does Dr. Kwan say about this?"
"Trini hasn't seen it yet." Kimberly said waiting for the explosion.
"WHAT?!?" Both directors shouting into the phone at the same time created a rather nasty feedback effect that had everyone covering their ears.
Kimberly rolled her eyes at her friends before turning back to the speakerphone. "Trini's been in the containment unit since noon today. She's working on Agent O'Connor's body now. Plus we just brought in a fresh load for her. She's got the science team working on some more specimens. We can't very well bring her out of containment for this right now."
"Oh," Emmerman nodded to himself.
"I see." Ballard sat back down behind his desk. "So the creatures have gone top side. What now?"
"Don't know yet sir."
"Well, keep us informed if anything comes up." Emmerman sighed and looked at the clock. "And tell Dr. Kwan not to over work herself again."
"Yes, Sir."
"Hostages, huh?" Ballard didn't like it. Didn't like it at all. "Can we station men with artillery in the area?"
Kimberly frowned. "ISS don't have to resources to do so, sir."
Emmerman knew he was going to regret this. "Ballard, time to call in the boys."
Ballard sighed from his end of the conference call. "I'll contact Pentagon. You want to handle Interpol?"
"Not much choice." Emmerman glanced at his watch. "Okay, I'll call and see what I can do. Agent Hart, send the video feed to both ends here. We want proof to convince UN and the rest of the countries to use necessary force."
Kimberly glanced at Billy who nodded his head and was already hooking his computer up with the VHS player. "We're on it sir."
Ballard grabbed the files on his desk. "In the mean time, keep Dr. Kwan working on finding out what killed those men."
"Yes, sir."
There was a sigh of resignation from the phone.
"I hate this assignment."
"Me too."
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April 22, 2002 – 9:45 a.m. EST
Pentagon – General Hammond's Office
Washington DC
The officers in the room turned a particular shade of green as the video feed came through. To say they were disgusted would have been putting it rather mildly.
Director Ballard had been on the next jet to Washington DC the minute after he hung up the phone. ISS had a plane ready in New York for the past four days. Time was of the essence. They didn't want to have to wait for commercial flights and crowds in the area. Richard had gotten to Pentagon in record time.
"As you gentlemen can see, we have a big problem." Ballard turned off the feed. He didn't need to see it again. Losing his breakfast once today was enough.
Davidson swallowed the acidic feel in the throat and tried to speak. "When was this?"
"About three hours ago?"
"Poland?" Hammond turned his face toward the window. Five star generals don't throw up in front of his people. He'll do it in private later.
"Yeah, center point." Ballard could see this was more disturbing to them than he had thought.
Davidson turned to look at Hammond who still had his back to him. "I say send in the marines."
Hammond shook his head. "Ground troopers. We need to cover a big area."
"Interpol is being talked to now." Ballard offered. "They're closer."
"When?"
"Don't know yet. Director Emmerman is speaking to them now."
"Conference call in to us?" Davidson's eyes were big with concern.
"Hopefully soon."
The two generals nodded. "We'll scramble our people now and wait for word. They can be off the ground in twenty minutes."
"Agreed."
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April 22, 2002 – 2:55 p.m. London Time
Interpol Headquarters – Director's Office
London England
"So we are agreed." Director Nathan Summers frowned at the phone in front of him. "I can scramble three hundred troops from this end and get them into Poland within two hours."
General Hammond grunted his agreement. "Agreed. I've got two hundred men in a concord jet ready to take off for Paris in twenty minutes. They'll take another plane from there to Poland and rendezvous with your people."
"Agreed." Nathan didn't like the way this was going. This case becomes more complicated by the minute. "The Russians are offering men as well."
"Let's get the neighboring countries in on this. The more people patrolling the better."
"More targets though."
"Yes but we're arming them with the most sophisticated weapons known to mankind. And we know to shoot first and ask questions later this time."
"True." Nathan's eyes met Director Emmerman's from across the desk. "I'll handle the Russians if you take the Germans."
General Hammond nodded to himself. "Okay. What about the Czech Republic and Austria?"
"Director Emmerman will handle those." A nod from Emmerman confirmed his words.
"And Director Ballard will take Slovakia and Hungry." Ballard nodded his agreement immediately.
"We'll reconvene in a hour's time?"
"Agreed. See you then."
The phones clicked off, the talked begin again. Within four hours, two thousand troops were on the move. The US army moved two hundred men from Washington DC to Kennedy Airport in New York and onto a concord jet waiting for them. The Russian army flew in troops that startled the Ukrainians enough to want in. Hungry and Slovakia have to move in troops by land due to damages in the near by areas. Czech and Austria also moved in troops by ground in order to save air space for those coming from far. It was the most massive movement of armed forces in a long while.
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April 22, 2002 – 4:13 p.m. Berlin Time
Underground Caverns
Cracow, Poland
The surviving five people sat huddled in a corner, their eyes big with fear. The four creatures stood spaced apart. They had no idea what was going to happen to them. They had no idea if any of their loved ones had survived the attack. They had no idea.
The cavern was hard, wet, and cold. It was like hell had frozen over and made a place of its own on earth.
Three of the five were women with children. They had watched their little ones pass on before them. No parents should have to endure that kind of pain. But the worse was yet to come for them, for their death would be infinitely slower, infinitely more painful. They can be grateful that their children died a quick death and felt no pain. That was the only thing they can be grateful for.
The rumbling became louder. It was time to feed. It was time to die.
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April 22, 2002 – 6:17 p.m.
ISS Warsaw Headquarters – Science Unit
Warsaw Poland
Trini's hand brushed the aside a stray lock of hair as she pushed the books away. The compound acid was different from anything she's seen before. But it would explain the third degree burns that are being reported. The newest batch of victims and dead bodies are covered with them. Same as Charlie's.
Poor Charlie. She had hated cutting into her friend's body for the autopsy but it needed to be done. When this was all over, she may have to look into going back to school. Maybe a medical examiner's degree won't be so bad. Damn, she's beginning to become a professional student.
The compound from the wounds had been contaminated; the others simply didn't know it. She will simply have to work with what she's got. The new bodies had some fresher stuff but still…..
She needed an expert, someone that knew the human body more than she did. Being a scientist and a virologist didn't guarantee that you knew everything about science and the human body, but no one seem to understand that!
"Dr. Kwan?"
"Yes?" She didn't bother to turn as she added more saline solution to the microscope slide.
"You asked me to inform you when dinner was served?"
"I'll be right there. Thank you." She said absentmindedly as she placed her eyes to the eyepiece. The bacteria didn't seem any different from normal ones except for the unusually squared shape and activeness.
Edward found her there forty minutes later, still bent over her worktable, jotting down more notes. "Trini, dinner!"
"I'll be right there. Thank you."
"Trini, you said that thirty minutes ago." Edward grabbed the pen out of her hand when it stopped moving. "Go, eat, you haven't had anything all day. And your boyfriend looks ready to come down here if you don't show up soon."
She ignored the boyfriend crack and turned to him with a smile. "Okay, I'll go. Could you have this faxed to the London office, attention Dr. Derek Fulkner? And tell him it's top priority."
"Sure, sure. Go, go." He waved her off and grabbed the file from her.
Trini arrived at the conference room minutes later. It was filled with people milling in and out with food. Everyone was eating together tonight. She grabbed a plate and piled on some food before taking a seat next to Kimberly.
"How are you doing?" Kimberly asked as she watched Trini attack her food with more enthusiasm than she's seen before.
"Starving." Trini mumbled. "You?"
"Tired." Kimberly said as she picked up a glass and poured some soda into it for Trini. "I was going to talk to Tommy last night but ended up falling asleep."
"What about all day?" Trini glanced across the room where Jason and Tommy looked to be in an intense conversation. "Didn't you get a chance today?"
"Not really, not with everything that's happened." Kimberly looked rather wistfully. "I just don't know what to say."
"How about the truth?" Trini suggested. She was tired but hopeful. The hunch she had was going to pay off big time but she needed a second opinion on it first. There was always the chance that she was wrong. "He still loves you, you know."
"Why do you say that?" Kimberly asked praying the suddenly leap of hope in her heart didn't show in her eyes.
"Cause Jason told me."
A teasing grin spread on Kimberly face at that particular name. "Speaking of which….."
Trini smiled but said nothing as she continued to tuck into her food.
The others watched the two women with interest. The room was beginning to clean out. Scientists were all going back to the mountain of work that Trini has assigned them. She was nothing if not completely thorough, as they've all learned throughout the day. When she asked you for a report, you better have everything on it, even if you considered it unnecessary. A couple of them stopped to talk briefly with her about the work but most simply instinctively knew that they were needed somewhere else and Dr. Kwan needed some time to rest and relax. That woman simply worked twice as hard and as long as the rest of them. The least they can do was try to keep up with her.
It became so that there was only the Ranger team left in the room with the food. Trini moved to the conference table to get more.
"Now that's what I like to see." Jason said with a smile as he took a seat next to her. "A woman who knows to eat."
"I'm starving." Trini admitted as she grabbed the bowl of potato salad.
"I'm not surprised. You only had a cup of coffee before you headed off. And then you skipped lunch." Jason poured her another cup of soda.
She turned to look at him with a look in her eyes. "I'm surprised you didn't come get me."
Billy grinned. "He almost did but we stopped him. Figured you might not want him tearing through your lab unit and scaring your people." He leaned on his elbows to look at her with curious eyes. "So?"
"Nothing yet but I'm close. There's a hunch I'm working on." She smiled at him as her eyes twinkled with excitement. She was practically glowing with anticipation. They could all see how passionate she was about her work. It was a good sign, gave them all hope. "See, aren't you glad you didn't study microbiology like you said you wanted? Then you'd be stuck in the lab all day like I was."
"Yeah, instead I'm stuck in front of a computer all day arguing with people about the validity of creating a rover with extendable arms." Billy nodded. She looked tired again. She may be hungry but it was obvious that the few hours she had the night before was not nearly enough. "So when are we going to hear about this hunch of yours?"
"Eddie is faxing some stuff to the London office for a second opinion."
"Second opinion?" Zack held out the chicken to her. "You need a second opinion?"
"I'm only human." She said with a smile. "Can't be right all the time."
"But you're almost always." Adam sat down at the table and played with what was left of the jell-o. Dinner was in abundance but he hadn't had any appetite since the video this afternoon.
"I want a second opinion before I do anything else." Trini said the leaned back. "Boy, I never knew I could get this hungry."
"You worked all day." Tommy said and offered her some coffee. "It's a wonder you didn't drop from hunger already."
"Nay," she shook her head and took the cup from him. "I usually don't feel anything until I'm done. Then everything catches up to me all at once. It's like that adrenaline rush you get when you are in the middle of a tournament. Nothing mattered but the game. Look what happened three years ago." She nodded her head with a smile. They all remembered when she, after a brief celebration with her friends after coming out of the containment unit, simply fainted dead away and slept for two days straight.
"Well, we're glad you're hungry." Tanya said as she sat down next to Rocky. "Or we'd be worried again." She turned to smiled at the doctor before causally dropping her arm over the back of Rocky's chair and giving a quick glance at Adam, who winkled at her.
She waved it off.
"Trini?" Edward walked in with the file she had handed him before. "Dr. Fulkner on the line for you."
Trini practically leaped across the table to get to the phone, startling everyone in the room by her sudden eagerness. "Derek, make my day!"
Derek Fulkner laughed. "Nice to hear from you too, Trini."
"Come on, come on!" She was desperate to fine out. "Get on with it. I'm on the clock here."
"You were right. It is hydrochloride with pepsin and other little buggers in there. The science team screwed up. Thank god you caught it in time."
"YES!!!" Her hands came down on the table hard creating a loud clap. The others looked at her as if she's lost her mind. "On all three?"
"All three. Victim two had a more concentrated amount but that could be due to the opening in the abdomen area." Derek flipped through the pages again. "Victim three was the most interesting. You said it wasn't contaminated?"
"I can't tell. It's as clean as it could have possibly been. They all came from crime scenes. Exposure was high."
"Well, I'm telling you what I know."
"Thank you, Derek. You just earn yourself the most expensive bottle of wine I can find in London just as soon as I get back." She smiled to herself and sat down with a sigh of contentment as her mind began to race with all the possibilities.
Derek appeared to be happy to help. "I'd settled for a date when this is all over."
Jason frowned at the phone. Dr. Falkner could count his lucky stars that he couldn't see the look in Jason's eyes right about now.
"Derek." The warning tone was in Trini's voice, telling of the relationship between the two.
There was a sigh. "Can't blame a guy for trying."
"Thanks for the help."
"Anytime. And I didn't do anything but confirm what you already know. Keep me updated."
"Sure, see ya." Trini punched the button on the phone and bit her lip in concentration. Now that that was settled, she could go ahead and….. yes that could work! Now, would she be able to get all the ingredients? Leaping to her feet, she looked off into space for a second and allowed her mind to run. "Gotta go guys, there's work to be done." Then she was gone.
The others merely stood there completely dumbfound. "What just happened?"