Ray, Gaby, Gunn, Alcott, Lorent, and TransGenics are mine.
Rated PG-13 : Mild sexuality; harsh language, strong violence.
It was a beautiful night, but Eric had little time to appreciate it as he flew toward where the timehole had appeared. Soon he was over the area of the three warehouses they knew were used by TransGenics. All seemed quiet and peaceful, until he got closer and spotted several men on the ground, around one of the warehouses. They were dressed in black, like the men TransGenics had once sent to break into Bio-Lab.
He raised his morpher again. "Morpher. Can you locate the timeship that just arrived?"
"Yes," came the familiar voice in his mind. Literal as always.
With a sigh he asked, "Where is it?" The morpher replied with an image displayed inside his helmet, crosshairs appearing on one of the warehouses, the same one the men were obviously guarding. He circled above it, but he had other business to take care of first.
A line of Silver Guardian SUV's had appeared on the road leading from the city to the warehouse area. Eric swooped down to meet them, landing nearby when they stopped. He leaped out and ran to the lead car, spotting Steve Miller getting out.
"Steve. The time ship is in the far warehouse. You'd better leave the cars here and go on foot. I spotted a few guards around the building, so approach with caution."
"How many?"
"I saw ten. But most of them are probably inside."
"Which side do you want us on?"
Eric paused to think. The morpher had shown him the timeship in the north end of the building. "South and east. But come in whichever way seems safest. I'll attack from the north. Wait until I'm in."
"Right. Good luck."
"And to you." Eric quickly moved back to the Eagle and took off again, hovering long enough to watch his men load up their equipment and move out. Then he lifted above the warehouses and flew north, passing the target. The bright moonlight was now his enemy, it would show him clearly if he ran across the open spaces around the warehouse. But he had to get inside before the other Guardians attacked. Silently he looped back and set down on the roof.
Inside the warehouse, Ray stared in awe at the ship. It wasn't very big, but it was unlike anything he had ever seen before, a sphere of metal with a cone section on the bottom and portholes around the middle. It had flown inside and landed almost silently. After a few minutes, a door had opened in its side and Lorent had appeared. Now their men were carrying cases out of it and piling them up. Ray knew they contained weapons, like the large blaster Alcott had given him.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Alcott was back at his side, smiling.
"What kind of ship is it? How did it come out of that hole in the sky?"
"You'll know all about it soon enough. Right now, just keep an eye out. I'm expecting company."
"The Rangers and the Guardians."
"Right. Remember, if the Red Ranger shows up, he's injured. He should be easy, just leave him to the others. I want you to concentrate on the Quantum Ranger. You should be powerful enough to beat him."
Ray smiled. "I'll sure try."
"You can do it. And remember, we want him alive. Now stay alert." Alcott patted his shoulder and walked away to talk in a low voice with Lorent. Even Ray's hearing couldn't make out what they were saying over the noise of the other men moving around.
Ray looked up. He had heard something else, something from above. The sound of a heavy object landing on the roof, and then footsteps. He moved closer, determined to do his job.
Eric found a trapdoor in the roof within a few minutes. Kneeling, he raised it slowly and peered down. There were a few lights on inside, enough for him to see the timeship and the swarm of men around it, unloading boxes which he was sure contained weapons. Nearer his own position, he noticed a man with strange light hair, almost blue-tinted. The man was looking up at him, but Eric was sure he couldn't be clearly seen against the night sky.
He drew the Defender and braced himself. Then he started to fire, stunning two men before the shouting started. The others scrambled for cover and Eric stood, then leaped through the trapdoor, falling to land on the floor in an impact-breaking roll. Almost instantly he was back on his feet, turning in a circle to pick off as many men as he could.
They began to shoot back, with both bullets and blasters. He dodged a blast from the blue-haired man and ran for a pile of cartons, leaping over them, then continuing the fight from behind cover. The interior of the warehouse was lit with bursts of energy and the flash of gunfire, the timeship and its cargo flickering in and out of darkness.
There were shouts and more blasts from the other side of the warehouse. The cavalry had arrived, Miller was here with his troops. Eric saw and heard them start to slowly work their way forward, darting from one protected spot to another, exchanging concentrated fire with their opponents. But the men in black were running out to the piles of cartons, starting to open them. If they got to those weapons, they would have the advantage. Eric moved, leaping on top of the crate in front of him, then jumping from one to another until he had a clear shot at the area around the cartons. With several blasts he drove the enemy away from them.
Seeing a movement from the corner of his eye, he turned his head to see the same blue-haired man he had noticed before, aiming his blaster at him from a few yards away. He jumped, and had time for a moment of surprise at the speed with which the man corrected his aim. The beam hit him, sending a painful shock though his right shoulder and unbalancing him. He fell from the box he had jumped onto and landed on the floor.
"Let Ray handle the Ranger! Concentrate fire on the Guardians!" he heard a voice shout.
The blue-haired man advanced on him, a grim smile on his face. Eric slowly climbed to his feet to face him. The man holstered his weapon and put up his fists in a boxer's stance.
"Are you crazy?" Eric said. He fired at the man with the Defender. To his complete shock, it had almost no effect. He raised the power and tried again. This time the man dodged with inhuman speed, jumping to the side.
"Who the hell are you?" Eric called.
"You can call me Ray."
"Maybe I should ask, what are you?"
"I'm your worst nightmare!"
"Not very original." He took a closer look. "Jesus. You're just a kid."
"I'm not a kid! I'm bigger than you!"
"Size isn't the only thing that counts."
An arrogant smile. "I'm going to beat you."
"We'll see, kid." Eric converted the Defender to sword mode. It had been a while since he had been in real hand-to-hand combat, and if this nutcase wanted it... he was willing. He moved forward cautiously.
They fought, exchanging a few blows as they felt each other out, surrounded by an audience of men dressed in black, and one man in a suit whom Eric recognized in passing as Jonathan Alcott, smiling at him confidently. He began to see why. The blue-haired man -- Ray -- was stronger and faster than any human. After the first few moments Eric realized he couldn't afford to hold back. He struck at Ray with the Defender, only to see him block it with his arm, apparently unharmed.
"You're strong," Eric said, falling back a little. "Are you a mutant from the future? Or did they make you here?"
"What are you talking about? I'm not a mutant. Dr. Alcott just made me stronger."
"They didn't tell you what they did to you, did they?"
"They made me better!" Ray sprang forward, grabbing Eric's wrist before he could react. They struggled for the Defender, their strength almost equal. But Eric was still feeling the effects of the blaster shot that had hit him. Ray wrenched the Defender from his grasp and tossed it away. He grinned and put up his fists again.
Eric knew he was in real danger now. He took a quick look in the direction of the Guardians and saw that they had not made much progress. The majority of men in black were still shooting it out with them. Eric felt a pang of guilt, he was supposed to be drawing fire away from his men, not fighting one opponent while his troops were exposed to harm.
He attacked with a surge of anger, pivoting to kick his adversary. To his satisfaction, the man went down, but he was up again instantly, anger on his own face now. They circled, watching for an opening. Then Ray jumped at him, swinging without any real skill but with overwhelming force. Eric took a few punches before falling back against a shipping crate and kicking him off.
"Pretty good, huh?" Ray asked with that same smug grin.
"No. You're strong, and fast, but you're not trained."
"Doesn't matter, does it? I'm still beating you."
He was right. Eric pushed off from the crate and attacked, using his own skills, ducking under a punch and hitting Ray in the stomach. Then he dropped and kicked Ray's feet out from under him, and kicked him down again when he tried to get up. But the blue-haired man was too fast, he grabbed Eric's foot and yanked, hurting him and throwing him back onto the floor.
Another voice shouted from nearby. "This is taking too long! Let's get out of here!"
"Ray, hold him!" Alcott's voice cried. As Eric got up, Ray lunged and wrapped his arms around his legs. Eric punched at his head. But he saw movement around him and looked up to see the men in black falling back, the Guardians getting closer. Then he saw the man who had shouted first, a tall man with red hair, carefully aiming a blaster at him. He tried to get out of the way, but Ray held him tight.
The blaster fired, sending pain cascading through him. He staggered, and was hit by another blast. As he collapsed to the floor, he felt the electric-shock sensation that meant his morpher was drained from the strain of protecting him, and he was demorphing back to normal form. Back in his street clothes, he lay gasping, for the moment unable to move.
More shouting, more men running. Hands grabbed him, and slung him over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Then jolting pain as the man carrying him ran for the warehouse doors. He managed to turn his head far enough to see blue hair. Then they were outside, running for a group of cars. He was flung to the ground, and immediately tried to sit up. A foot swung at his head, bringing blackness with it.
"Ray! You could have killed him!" Alcott's voice stopped him. Ray watched as he bent over the Ranger and checked him. "He's still breathing. Get him into the car." Together they heaved the man into the back seat. Ray climbed in with him, Alcott and another man into the front. As they started out, Ray heard a noise and looked out to see the ship sailing out of the warehouse through the doors. It quickly disappeared into the night sky.
They sped over the road, headed back to their base, the place where Ray had been getting his treatments. He looked back, his enhanced vision and hearing assuring him that they had left pursuit by the Guardians behind. A quick detour over a well-traveled highway would make sure they couldn't be trailed.
He looked at the man he had defeated, seeing his face in person for the first time. A strong face, square and hard, but handsome, the eyes showing part Asian descent. Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger. Unconscious, lying propped against the side door, he didn't look so tough. As they went around a turn, Ray automatically reached out to steady him, keep him from falling. He wondered how badly he had hurt him.
Finally they reached their destination. Myers was beginning to stir as Ray carried him into the building and followed Alcott to a small room well away from the living quarters, a room he had never seen before.
"Put him in that chair." Alcott indicated a wooden chair, reinforced with metal, wires running from it to an instrument panel on the wall behind it. Myers moaned slightly and raised a hand to his head as Ray lowered him and pushed him into place.
"Hold his arm. The left one." He obeyed, and Alcott stepped closer and removed the device on Myers' wrist. "Strap him in." Ray bent to fasten the leather straps on the chair's arms and legs around Myers' wrists and ankles, and another one around his chest.
"What are you going to do to him?"
"The Quantum morpher is locked onto his voice. It will obey only him, unless he releases the lock. We're just going to use a little persuasion, to get him to cooperate." He smiled.
Ray looked at Myers. He was starting to open his eyes, and struggle against his bonds. He looked down at his left arm, and a moment of panic filled his face. He looked back at Ray, fear in his eyes before he controlled it. Ray stifled the stab of pity he felt and smiled.
Eric hid his fear as well as he could and glared at the two men smiling at him coldly. "What do you want with me?" he demanded. But he already knew.
"Just be patient. You'll find out."
"You're Dr. Alcott. The one who ran the experiment on the sisters."
"I'm flattered you remember me. Too bad they weren't here to bail you out this time. How are they?"
"Just fine. No thanks to you."
"Did you manage to stabilize their DNA?"
Eric smiled grimly. "You don't really expect me to tell you."
"You'll tell us. And you'll tell us where they are."
"I don't think so."
Alcott smiled again as the door opened and the redheaded man who had shot Eric stepped in. He looked at Eric as if examining a captive animal, and smiled too, chillingly.
"I see we're ready to get started," the man said briskly. "Perhaps Ray should get some rest after that fight."
"I'm not tired," Ray protested.
"Go on. We don't need you here, and you might not like this," Alcott told him. Eric noticed the flash of resentment that crossed Ray's face before he went out the door.
Then both men were bending over him, attaching a set of wires to his temples and forehead with small adhesive squares. When they were done they conferred quietly behind him for a few moments. Then the redheaded man walked back to face him again.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lorent. As you probably already guessed, I want you to release the voice lock on the Quantum morpher, and my friend here wants some information about the sisters. You're going to give both of us what we want."
"No way."
"You'll change your mind."
"Someone a lot tougher than you tried to get the morpher before. I didn't give in then. And I won't now."
"Yes, I know. Conwing."
Eric blinked at him in surprise. "You're from the future, aren't you? You're the one who's been bringing those weapons here."
"Yes. This machine we've attached you to is from the future also. Let me explain what it does." Lorent smiled. "It works on the same principle as the device we used on Wes Collins a few months ago. You remember what that did."
Eric glared at him. It had turned good-natured, considerate Wes into a violent lunatic. And it had nearly killed him. "I remember. You bastard."
"This one is a little different. More sophisticated. It also affects the brain, especially the memory, the sensation of pain, the sense of vision, the vital functions. We will ask you to do certain things. If you resist, this mechanism will punish you by destroying parts of your brain. If the resistance is brief, you might eventually recover. If you refuse to cooperate for any length of time... you'll do what we want, sooner or later. But you'll suffer. If you don't give in now, after only a couple of hours you'll start to lose control of your thoughts, your senses, and your body. You'll end up dying, after feeling your mind go, slowly, bit by bit. It's your choice."
"The Guardians will find me before that happens."
"I doubt that. But resist by all means. I haven't had much practice with one of these. I'm looking forward to this." He nodded in Alcott's direction, at the control panel. Eric began to hear a low buzz, almost subliminal.
Lorent picked up the morpher and held it out, in front of Eric's face. "Release the voice lock."
"No." It started as a tickle in the back of his mind.
"Just say it. Then this will all be over."
"Screw you." The tickle was turning into an ache now. It intensified as Lorent watched him.
"Starting to hurt now, isn't it?" he asked mildly. "It's only going to get worse. Give us what we want. You'll end up doing it anyway."
"No! Go to hell!" Eric shouted as the ache grew in his head. He clung to defiance like a lifeline, using it to blot out pain and fear. But he knew it wouldn't work for long.
Year: 2202
Jen opened the door to her apartment and went in, closing and locking it behind her with a feeling of relief. She leaned against it for a moment. It was happening. Captain Logan had told them. All the warning signs were there. The disturbance in the time stream was growing, starting to look serious. Someone from their time was making significant changes in the past. It involved Eric, so of course Wes would be part of it too.
Time Force would have to step in again. Someone would have to go back. The obvious choices were Lucas, Trip, and Katie. And herself. Logan had told them a team of two would be sent, as soon as possible. Part of her wanted to leap at the chance…
A big part of her wanted to go, and never come home. But that was not possible.
No. Not again. She closed her eyes. Her life was here, she told herself. The past held nothing for her, nothing that could be permanent, nothing she could hold on to. Here she had a home, a career, maybe Alex if they could work things out. She would tell Logan. Leave me out.