Gaby, Emma, Angela, Gunn, the sisters, Alcott, and TransGenics are mine.
Rated PG-13 : Strong sexuality; harsh language, moderate violence.
"You sure you're up for this?" Eric asked. "You still don't look so good."
"I feel fine. And you look like you put in a late night yourself. Out with what's-her-name again?"
"Angela. Yes, I saw her last night. And no, I'm not going to tell you all about it." Eric frowned. Wes meant well, but his curiosity could get annoying sometimes. Like now.
They were back in their usual Guardians' exercise room, about to start their morning workout. Wes had continued to be off his usual form, and today the shadows under his eyes told of another sleepless night.
"Will you at least tell me what she's like?"
"You're just going to keep asking, aren't you?"
Wes smiled. "Yeah. Like you pointed out, I don't have a love life. So I want to hear about yours. Resistance is futile."
Eric smiled at that. "Okay. We've gone out three times. She's nice, and she's beautiful. She's an editor for a textbook publisher downtown. And we haven't done it yet."
"I didn't ask you about that."
"But you were wondering."
"You sound like you really like her."
"I wouldn't be going out with her if I didn't like her." Eric paused for a moment, frowning. "It's... strange."
"What do you mean?"
"I've never felt anything like this before..." At the sight of Wes's questioning smile, he decided to get back to business. "Come on, let's get going. I don't know about you, but I've got work to do."
"Okay." Wes sank into a ready position, and they circled for a moment. "Come on, tough guy. Bet you can't beat me today."
"I'll take that bet." Eric moved in smoothly, feinting a few times, then slipping through Wes's defenses to hit him lightly on the chest. "Come on, Wes. You can do better than that."
Wes's smile slipped, and he looked annoyed. "Try that again."
Eric did, after a brief flurry of moves landing a light blow to the same spot. He grinned mockingly. "Got you again."
Wes moved into sudden action, grabbing his arms, pulling him off balance and spinning him onto the mat on his back. The next moment he was sitting on Eric's stomach, pinning him down. After a second of surprise Eric raised his head with a smile. Wes punched him, hard and painfully, in the mouth. Eric gasped in shock, staring up as his hand automatically went to his face.
"Oh, shit! I'm sorry!" Total horror flashed over Wes's face as he scrambled off.
"Jesus Christ! What the hell was that for?" Eric was shouting, suddenly furious. He swatted Wes's hands away and climbed to his feet. Checking his hand, he saw blood and pressed it back against his face.
"Eric, I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened!"
Wes looked so miserable that Eric's anger abruptly disappeared. "Why did you do that?" he asked more quietly.
"I don't know! I got angry and -- just lost control for a second."
"Well. No harm done, I guess. Just forget it."
"You're bleeding. That's harm. I'm really sorry." Alarmingly, Wes seemed almost on the verge of tears.
"I said forget it. Anyone can lose his temper. Look at me, I'm an expert at it."
Wes smiled wanly. "I guess."
"I think we're done for the day. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"
"I left early again yesterday. I really have to get some work done. Will you be okay?"
"No, I'm gonna die from a split lip. Of course I'm okay. I'll see you at lunch."
"You still want to have lunch with me?"
"Of course."
"Okay. Sorry, again." With a last glance, Wes started out of the room, every line of his body dejected.
Eric watched him go. Despite his own reassuring words, he was worried. He had seen the expression on Wes's face when he threw that punch. It had been full of rage, as ferocious as a predatory animal, and completely out of character for the man he knew.
Gaby followed Emma into the crowded lunchroom, relieved to see that their usual table was unoccupied. As they sat down she sneaked a glance at Wes and Eric, sitting together at a nearby table. Emma followed her gaze and smiled.
"Which one do you like?"
Gaby took a moment, scowling in exaggerated concentration. Normally she would have avoided answering such a personal question from someone she hardly knew. But she and Emma had hit it off amazingly in the time she had been working at Bio-Lab. They seemed to communicate on some kind of subconscious wavelength.
"I like both of them," she finally said. "Wes is really nice, most of the time. And Eric -- he has this bad boy thing going. Especially with that busted lip. I wonder how he got it."
"I'm not going to ask him. Doesn't hurt that they're both total hunks, does it?"
"I wouldn't kick them out of bed. But I hear Eric has a girlfriend."
"He's only been seeing her for a week. Maybe it won't last."
"You kind of like Wes yourself, don't you?"
Emma face sobered. "He's a great guy. I like him. But only as a boss, and a friend. There could never be anything more."
"Why not? He's not married or anything."
"I heard he was in love with someone, but she disappeared and he's never been the same. I think that picture in his office is of her. He never talks about it." Her face had become unhappy.
"How romantic. Maybe you can comfort him." Emma only shook her head. Gaby leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I guess I'll have to take Eric then. And I know exactly what I'm going to do about it. One of these nights, when he's working late again, I'll slip into his office naked..."
"Right, you're going to go marching around the hallways naked. You'll probably run into Dr. Zaskin and give him a heart attack."
Gaby grinned. "I wouldn't kick Zaskin out of bed either."
"Your bed is starting to sound pretty crowded."
"I wish. Okay, I'll wear clothes. I'll slip into his office. We'll look into each other's eyes. We'll both know why I'm there. Then he'll crush me against his body with his powerful arms, his cruel lips coming closer... Then he'll rip all my clothes off..."
"I hope he's going to pay for them. And how are you going to get home with your clothes all ripped up?"
"He'll carefully take my clothes off and hang them up to avoid wrinkles. Then we'll fall to the floor and make mad, passionate love."
"On the floor? You're going to have one hell of a carpet-burned butt."
"You are no fun at all." She looked around. Their laughter was attracting attention. Even the unwitting subject of her little fantasy was looking at them curiously. But she had gotten the sad look off Emma's face.
"I wonder what's so funny?" Wes said.
Eric turned back to him and shrugged. "Who knows? Those two are always laughing about something."
Wes looked away from his face. The sight of Eric's swollen and bruised lip stabbed him with guilt. "Did Gaby give you that progress report you wanted?" he asked after a pause.
"Yeah. She handed me a pile of log file printouts and output files I don't understand. Probably her subtle way of saying she doesn't have anything useful yet."
"I guess it takes time."
"I guess so."
"You working late again tonight? Or do you have a date?"
"No, I don't have a date. I'm looking into the robbery at our storage warehouse on the south side. Why?"
"I'll be here. Trying to catch up."
Eric looked at him, concern in his face again. "You still look half dead. Maybe working late isn't a good idea. I can cover for you."
Wes frowned, a touch of that unreasonable anger returning. "I'm fine," he said sharply. "Just stop always asking me if I'm all right. It's getting annoying."
"Wes, you have to admit something's wrong. I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't worry about it."
It was rare for Eric to express anything approaching affection, so rare that guilt and despair filled Wes, just as suddenly as the anger. "I'm sorry. I always seem to be screwing up lately. Sometimes I think I'm going crazy."
Eric stared at him, shock and alarm in his face. Wes shook off his mood with an effort and smiled. "Just kidding. I'll be fine. Look, I have to get going. See you later." He got up. Eric was still looking at him with that worried expression as he turned away.
Eric sighed and checked his watch as he listened to the warehouse manager tell his story to him and his second, Steven Miller, for about the fifth time. It was getting late, and he wanted to finish up here and get back to Bio-Lab.
"There were four of them, dressed all in black. They had these black masks over their faces. And guns. They just came in and started shooting, and then one of them held a gun to my head while the rest of them smashed things and took whatever they wanted." The manager's eyes were wide with remembered fear as he gestured around them to the wreckage scattered on the floor. "Our security guard had dropped his gun. They didn't have to hit him."
Eric frowned. That was the part that bothered him most. He could understand stealing, although he didn't sympathize with it. But so many of the criminals they ran into seemed to like to hurt people for no reason. A case like this always made him angry. At least this victim would be all right, after he recovered from the concussion the robbers had given him.
"You said they took five cases of blasters and some records. Anything else?"
"It doesn't look like it," the manager answered.
"Which records?"
"We don't know yet. We're still going through the mess they made, checking documents against our inventory."
"Well, give me a list as soon as you have it." Eric frowned in thought. He was more concerned about the blasters. They were powerful weapons, more dangerous than guns. It was disturbing to think of them in the hands of criminals.
A soft chirping beep distracted him. He turned away from the others and raised the morpher on his left wrist to his face. There was only one person -- in this century -- who could be contacting him this way.
"Wes?" he asked.
"Eric. I'm at Bio-Lab. I think we're being robbed. A couple of the silent alarms have gone off, and they seem to be headed for my dad's office. Thought you'd like to know."
"Thanks. I'm on my way." Eric paused, brows drawing together. It was amazing that anyone would try to break into Bio-Lab, which was known to be protected by the Silver Guardians and two Power Rangers. If whoever was trying it was equipped to fight them, this could be a major battle. He turned back to the store manager.
"Sorry, I have to go. Guardian Miller will take care of you."
"I thought you'd be on this case."
"Miller is my second-in-command. He'll do everything I would. And I'll be back as soon as I can." To Miller he added, "Looks like a robbery at Bio-Lab. Report back when you're done here."
"Who the hell would break into Bio-Lab?"
"I'll find out soon enough."
"Maybe I should go with you."
"No. I'll call if we need you. But there's a whole troop back at HQ. And I can travel faster on my own."
A moment later he was outside. But he didn't head for the cars. It had been months since the last time he morphed. Too long. He raised the Quantum morpher to his face and said "Quantum Power!"
Light burst around him as the morpher activated, using the part of its machinery that was hidden in subspace to charge his body with an energy field and exchange his uniform for the protective Ranger suit. As it faded he looked down at the familiar red and black outfit, his blaster, the Quantum Defender, in its holster on his hip, feeling the surge of power and confidence morphing always gave him. He raised the morpher again and said "TF Eagle!" At once a small, one-person aircraft appeared from subspace, lowering to the ground next to him. He leaped onto the wing and dropped into the seat. He would be at Bio-Lab in minutes.
The Red Ranger moved silently through the Bio-Lab corridors, following the sound of footsteps that his enhanced hearing picked up. Wes had morphed just after calling Eric. It had been a long time since he had gone into action as a Ranger. He preferred to do his job as Wes Collins, trying to prove to the Guardians -- and himself -- that he didn't need to depend on Ranger powers. But tonight the hidden video cameras they had installed recently showed him a large group of men invading Bio-Lab, looking heavily armed. If possible, he wanted to handle them himself, as a Ranger, without anyone getting hurt. And he realized he had missed this, missed the excitement of morphing.
He slowed as he approached his father's office. It was dark, the burglars had managed to shut off the night lighting. But the sensors in his helmet allowed him to see. There were two men, dressed in black and wearing black masks, standing outside the office. They were wearing goggles he recognized as infrared viewers. And they saw him. He ducked back behind the secretary's desk as they aimed guns at him and fired. To his surprise, the guns were blasters, they shot beams of energy instead of bullets. He would have to be careful until he knew how powerful they were.
Summoning his own Ranger blaster, he started to ease his way around the desk, intending to reach the corridor on the other side and from there the side door to his father's office. As he paused before dashing across the open space, a hand fell on his shoulder. Instantly he threw himself to the floor, rolling away and ending with his blaster pointed at the other person.
"Take it easy, Wes, it's me," Eric said. "Nice reflexes," he added.
"Jesus. Don't sneak up on me like that."
"Sorry. You were headed for the side door. Go on, I'll cover the front."
"Okay." Wes got back in position and bolted into the corridor, beams of energy barely missing him. But there were more men guarding the side door. He flattened and fired at them, careful that his blaster was set to non-lethal energy and taking two of them down. Behind him he heard more blasting, including the distinctive sound of Eric's Quantum Defender. More black-suited men burst out and ran, retreating down the corridor. He jumped up and ran after them.
But a renewed burst of blaster fire from behind him stopped his pursuit. Eric might be in trouble. He ran back, and found the Quantum Ranger behind the desk, pinned down by fire from perhaps a dozen burglars, with a group of Silver Guardians also in the battle, firing from the cover of the doorway into the main corridor. Eric or the Guardians had picked off three of the invaders, but the others still had plenty of fight. Wes dived across the open space and joined Eric behind the desk, adding his blaster to the combat.
He saw the movement of an arm as one of the burglars threw a small object at them. Then everything happened so fast he could hardly follow it. Eric shouted at the Guardians, ordering them back. The burglars fired a last round and ran back into the office. And Eric was after whatever they had thrown, grabbing it, dashing to the visitor's bathroom that opened off the back of the reception area, flinging it in and slamming the door. As he started to turn back toward Wes, that side of the room exploded in a roar of fire and deafening sound.
Wes was shielded from the worst of the blast by the desk, and the corner of the office had protected the unconscious burglars. But Eric had not been so lucky. He had been caught by the full force of the explosion and thrown across the room, into the far wall. Now he lay on the floor, unmoving.
"Eric!" Wes ran to him, started to roll him over and then remembered it might be dangerous to move him. He drew back a moment later as Eric's suit overloaded from the strain of protecting him and he demorphed with a warping, sparkling light.
"Oh God. I forgot how much I hate that." Wes had never been so glad to hear Eric's voice.
"Are you all right?"
"A few bruises. Otherwise I'm fine." Eric sat up, looking around. "Grenade. Saw a few of those in the service."
"Pretty fast thinking, throwing it in the bathroom like that."
"Thanks." Wes stood and helped Eric get up. The Guardians were back, looking around the room and starting into Collins' office. Eric raised his voice and commanded, "Secure the area. They're probably gone, but be careful. See if they took anything." To Wes he went on, "You'd better go with them. We can stand up to those blasters. They can't."
"Right." Wes nodded. Eric would be unable to morph again for hours, so it was up to him. He followed the Guardians into his father's office. Looking around, he saw instantly that the safe had been pulled out of the wall. It was lying near the side door. At least they had kept the thieves from taking it. He went out the side and down the corridor to make sure the danger was over.
After a quick check, which revealed the door the burglars had forced on their way in and confirmed that they had left the same way, Wes headed back. He found the men he had stunned still lying outside the side door. The Guardians standing over them looked at him, their faces grim. As he demorphed and passed them, they avoided his eyes. Walking back into the reception area, he found Eric kneeling over the other three burglars they had knocked out during the firefight. He looked up at Wes, his face even grimmer.
"They're dead," he said. "These three and the two in the hallway. They're all dead."