Disclaimer: Characters and events don't belong to me, they're borrowed from BVE without permission but no harm, no foul, no money made. The exceptions to this are Gina and Ben and assorted minor characters. Gina is mine, Ben belongs to Ekat and the assorted characters belong to themselves -- and many thank yous to you for allowing me to borrow you.
Canon Junkies please note: Because of the way the Identiverse has ended up there are considerable differences between this story and the two episodes 'Reinforcements From The Future I and II'. If I've changed something, it's almost certainly to get it to fit into the universe or to write out a plot hole or to be consistent.
Muchos gracias to Vanessa and Ree for beta'ing this for me. Also thanks to Chris for again spotting my deliberate mistake (!!) and offering me feedback. Lastly -- but by no means leastly -- many, many, MANY thanks to Gamine for being a truly wonderful human being. This story is for you.
Please offer feedback -- it tells me how I'm doing.
~*~
Wild Ride
Ben couldn't help but shake his head. "Man, I hope they broke the mould when they minted you guys," he muttered. "Cos you sure are ugly and I'd hate to think there were more than three of ya."
Looking round Cranston Plaza he could see an already depleted force of Silver Guardians moving into position, surrounding the trio of mutants. Ben had heard all about the mutants' first attack from Miller and Deslaurier and he wasn't deluding himself that this would go any better for the guardians. But we have to try.
"You are surrounded," he called, stepping forwards, towards the three mutants. "Give yourselves up or we will be forced to fire."
The leader of the trio sneered back and said something incomprehensible. Ben realised what it was a second later as the other two mutants opened fire with energy beams.
"Take cover and open fire!" Ben ordered, even as he moved to just that himself. Oh man, what I wouldn't do right now to hear...
Ben found himself mentally trailing off as he heard the very thing he'd been hoping for - however improbable it was. The sound of the TF Eagle's jets. Eric wouldn't! Ben exclaimed silently. Not even he would be crazy enough to try it...and Kim and Gina wouldn't let him if he was! And yet, impossibly, there was the TF Eagle, swooping low over Cranston Plaza...and there was the Quantum Ranger vaulting out of the TF Eagle, Quantum Defender blazing.
"Guardians, let's back 'him' up!" Ben ordered. He wasn't sure who it was with the Quantum Ranger powers -- beyond the obvious that it wasn't Eric -- but he knew one thing; whomever it was needed help. The trio of mutants had been taken by surprise to start off with but that had lasted all of five seconds and now they were doing their best to triple team 'him'.
Matching action to words, Ben started to fire his blaster, trying to distract one of the mutants. The rest of the guardians picked up his tactic but it was a hopeless endeavour. The mutants had them desperately outgunned and even with the Quantum Ranger's powers added to the mix, it was only staving off the inevitable.
"Jungle sword!"
Before Ben could process the shout, a blast of multicoloured energy surged by him, narrowly missing his shoulder, to strike one of the mutants squarely in the chest.
Reinforcements!
"Guardians -- keep it up!"
But the mutants had already decided with withdraw. Speaking in that oddly garbled, impenetrable tongue, the leader made an order and a moment later the trio vanished in a haze of teleportation sparkles.
Ben swore softly. That was not good. He took a step towards the Quantum Ranger but before he could so much as open his mouth to say something to...her, Ben realised, the TF Eagle returned and she made a swift and vocally silent departure, leaving Ben shaking his head. Well that was...weird... He made a mental note to speak to Eric and find out what was going on when he got back to base.
"Looks like we got here just in time," exclaimed a voice.
Looking round, Ben found himself confronted by the reinforcements. Five rangers -- but not the Time Force rangers. For one thing, I know Wes and Jen aren't in town...He tried to gather his wits together to reply, but the yellow ranger beat him to it.
"We just helped you -- the least you could do is say thanks!"
Ben found himself gaping at her, incredulous. "Ex-cuse me?"
"Taylor, knock it off!" That was the red ranger.
Instead, however, the yellow ranger powered down and took a step closer to Ben. "And you're the guy that gave me a ticket this morning!"
Ben blinked. Sure enough, the yellow ranger was Ms Taylor Earhardt -- comfortably the last person he'd been expecting to see.
"Taylor!" The quartet of other rangers all demorphed, with the red and black rangers immediately leapt forward, restraining Taylor even as she tried to step forward.
Ben shook his head. "Lady, I am grateful -- very grateful -- that you guys showed up when you did. But lemme give you a tip. Don't argue about gettin' a ticket when the cops stop you for doin' sixty in a thirty zone, talking on a cell phone and failure to stop."
"I stopped!"
"After six miles of pursuit!"
"Taylor!"
Ben wasn't sure what to make of the expression on the other female ranger's face -- whether she was amused or scandalised.
Taylor glared back, unrepentant, and opened her mouth to say something else, but the red ranger got in first: "Where'd the ranger go?"
That was something that Ben was wondering himself. "I don't know," he admitted.
The red ranger nodded. "Well...we'll be in town for a while," he replied. "If you see that other ranger...tell him we should join forces -- there's no way that we can win against the orgs if we don't."
"Orgs?" Ben echoed.
"Orgs -- those big, ugly things you were trying to zap," cut in Taylor sharply.
Momma taught me never hit a lady, but right now I'd make an exception. "Lady..." Ben shook his head. Turning his attention back to the red ranger, he said, "If I catch up with 'him', I'll tell 'him'."
The red ranger smiled. "Thank you."
Ben grinned. "And thank you for saving our butts."
"Any time."
Ben watched the five rangers leave. Orgs? Guess I'd better get back to base and pass the message on. He frowned. Presuming that the boss tells me what's going on...
~*~
Nadira shifted from foot to foot as the elevator slowly climbed. It wasn't just the fact that this was the first time she'd been to visit her father since his incarceration that was bothering her. It wasn't just that she was engaged to a serving Time Force officer and a man that she knew her father wouldn't approve of. It wasn't even the fact that she had chosen, after helping Time Force to nail Arachna, Merle Askot and Biocon, to serve the rest of her parole by joining the Time Force academy and was therefore coming to visit her father dressed as a Time Force academy cadet. It was all of those things.
She wished that this didn't have to happen -- that this could just be a social visit. But there was a nagging feeling that her father had once told her about a trio of creatures he had made some kind of deal with. So this had to be 'official'. Trip had offered to come with her, but she'd declined, saying,
"He's likely going to be hostile anyway -- no point in making it worse."
Trip had nodded in agreement and had left it at that.
Right at this moment though, Nadira wished he'd insisted. Or that she'd changed her mind. Anything rather than facing this on her own.
The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened leaving her little alternative but to step out.
"Ah," said the guard. "Cadet Williams. I was expecting you. This way."
Hearing herself referred to by her mother's surname still took a little getting used to, Nadira decided as she followed the guard, but given that the other option had been taking Ransik's name...
"Here we are." The guard came to a halt outside an interview room. "I'll be outside should you need anything."
"Thank you."
The guard held the door open, and Nadira entered the room. A moment later, and through another door, her father entered.
"Who the... Nadira?!"
"Hello, daddy."
~*~
Ben made his way up to Eric's office still pondering what an Org was -- and where those other rangers had sprung from. As he neared the office, however, he could hear the clear sounds of an argument.
"I'm OK!"
"But you could have..."
"'Could have' didn't happen, Eric; I'm not made of glass." Ben almost did an about face, definitely not wanting to get into the middle of this argument, then Kimberly added, "Remember I've been doing this longer than you have!"
Ben froze to the spot. Huh???
"The last time you morphed you had a whole team with you," Eric retorted.
"And what would you call Ben and the rest of the guardians?"
Yes, what would you call us? Ben found himself wondering because the clear implication was Eric didn't believe the guardians were up to the task.
"Good back up," Eric answered. "I'm not saying they're not...and if I thought they weren't I wouldn't be here doing this job. But there are some stunts that need the backup of a full ranger team. Been there, done that, nearly killed myself in the process."
"Oh so it's all right for you to risk your neck..."
"No, it isn't. As someone pointed out to me," Eric interrupted, "I have responsibilities. And so do you."
"I did my best!"
"I'm not saying you didn't..." Whatever Eric finished that sentence with was lost as he dropped his voice.
Ben sighed. Time to make his presence known. He knocked on the office door, then entered in time to see Eric hang his head and hear him murmur, "I'm sorry -- I know."
"You do know? Good. Then start acting like it..."
"Whoa -- time out, guys," said Ben, interposing himself between the couple. Kimberly looked angry enough to start throwing punches. "You realise I could hear you down the hall?"
Eric looked sheepish. Kimberly just shrugged.
"Man, this is so not my day," Ben mumbled.
"What can I do for you Ben?" Eric asked, blatantly hoping for a change of subject.
"Well I was going to report how the battle went and tell you what we're up against," Ben replied, glancing at Kimberly, "but I'm guessing you've already heard most of what I'd be telling you." He hesitated. "Unless Kimberly taking up the QM wasn't what you guys were just arguing about."
"We weren't arguing," said Kimberly coolly. "We..."
"Were yelling at each other loud enough that I could hear you down the hall -- and let me tell you," Ben added, "I didn't need to be having heart failure brought on by learning my boss' fiancée was a Power Ranger. And I'm figuring that wasn't something you wanted to be common knowledge."
At that, Kimberly looked sheepish. Eric looked as if he was wishing for a convenient hole to open up in the floor to swallow him.
"OK, good. Now I've got both your attentions," Ben continued, "you want to tell me what the argument was about -- since I know for a fact you," and he nodded at Eric, "have to have agreed to give the QM to Kim."
"How do you know that?" Kimberly wondered.
Ben chuckled. "First test Zaskin did last July. See if the morpher worked for anyone else. I happened to be the someone else Zaskin collared for the experiment."
Kimberly made a silent 'oh' with her mouth.
Ben crossed his arms over his chest. "You going to tell me or do I guess?"
"I overreacted," Eric admitted, studying the floor of his office.
"No shit," mumbled Kimberly.
"I said I was sorry."
"I..."
"Time out!" Ben interposed himself once more as hostilities threatened to break out again. "OK. May I make a couple of comments?" Both Eric and Kimberly gestured to go ahead. "First -- Kim, cut Eric a little slack; it's gotta chafe that he can't do anything to help right now." Kimberly opened her mouth to object. "And you," Ben continued, ignoring her and concentrating on Eric, "is it really so hard to trust that your fiancée knows what she's doing?"
There was a long and awkward silence. Ben wondered if he'd over stepped the bounds of friendship with what he'd just said and wondered at what point Eric and Kimberly would hit him. Then Eric sighed.
"You're right -- as always." Ben didn't think he'd ever seen Eric look so contrite. "I am sorry, Kim...and I do trust you. I just..." Eric swallowed. "I don't like the idea of you getting hurt."
For a second, Ben thought Kimberly would take a swing at Eric for that comment, then he saw the tension bleed from her petite form. "I know you don't," she answered, "but I'm really not made of glass." And then she smiled. "And if you don't manage to stop thinking of me that way, you will give yourself an ulcer."
Ben chuckled. "She has you there, boss," he observed.
Eric smiled wryly and nodded. "I know. Doesn't help, but I know."
"Sorry for cutting and running," Kimberly added, glancing at Ben, "but I figure it's going to be a whole hell of a lot easier if the general public doesn't know and that includes those other rangers."
"Other rangers?" said Eric a little puzzled.
"The ones that ultimately saved our asses," said Ben, trying not to grin. He was beginning to get a real picture for what he'd walked into.
"You mean the ones that Kim would have told me about had I not opened my big mouth?" said Eric, groaning. "Why don't I just go home, since I seem to be singularly useless right now?"
Ben shook his head, amusement fading. "We're gonna need your know-how, boss."
"You're far from useless," Kimberly put in. "You're the one who has all the experience when it comes to fighting mutants."
"Not to mention you're a great tactician," Ben added.
"OK, OK, stop trying to inflate my ego." Eric sighed. "So...if I promise to keep my mouth shut this time, can you tell me what happened?"
~*~
Nadira met her father's incredulous gaze.
"You're in Time Force?" he exclaimed. "But... I cannot believe any daughter of mine would be accepted by them," he snarled.
Nadira shrugged. "They have."
Ransik snorted. "They'll turn on you."
"They might."
"Humans cannot be trusted."
"Can mutants?" Nadira retorted. "Can anyone?" Ransik snorted again. "I didn't come here to argue with you."
"Then what did you come here for?" he snapped.
"I need to ask you a couple of questions."
"Did Time Force send you here to spy on me?"
It was Nadira's turn to snort. "Hardly."
"Then why else would you want 'information'?"
Nadira thought long and hard about what words to use for her next sentence. Softly, she said, "There's a trio of criminals who've escaped through time, to the past. No-one knows who they are but we...think they want to destroy this time."
"And I should care because?"
"Because if they succeed everyone in this time period will be wiped out. You, me, the bagel guy who has a stand on the corner of the Quadrangle, Ezra Dusck who used to baby-sit me when I was little... Everyone."
"I say again: I should care because? I'm stuck here for the rest of my life; you've betrayed me by joining Time Force...as for the rest of this time period, why should I care about them? They're sub-mutant scum."
Nadira winced. She had heard that viewpoint put forth numerous times. It had never bothered her before. Because I'd never thought about it before. She shivered, seeing the distance between herself and her father rapidly growing.
"I won't disturb you any further, then," she said softly, turning for the door.
"No...wait..." Nadira stopped, hearing the pleading note suddenly audible in Ransik's voice. "Do...do you have to go?"
Slowly Nadira turned back to face him. "I have to get back," she answered. "I have work I need to do -- and we need to find these criminals before it's too late." Again she turned to leave.
"Time Force can't hurt them. Can they?"
Nadira wasn't sure what to make of Ransik's tone of voice now. It was half proud, half...something else that she couldn't name. "No," she replied.
She put her hand on the doorknob.
"They're half org."
She froze and slowly turned back to face him. "Pardon?"
"The three criminals," Ransik replied. "They're half org half mutant." He looked down, studying his boot-tops. "I...think I created them."
~*~
Eric listened as Kimberly and Ben both described events in Cranston Plaza and slowly shook his head.
"Ten bucks says this is what was up with Lucas," he muttered when they had finished. Ben quirked an eyebrow. "Long story." Ben shrugged. "Well, it's pretty clear that we," and Eric made a gesture as if to encompass the whole of the building, "can't do anything about these guys on our own. Did the Red Ranger say anything about how we could contact them?"
Ben shook his head. "Nope -- just said they'd be in town. But I'm betting I can track them down through Ms Earhardt's Mustang."
Eric frowned. "Earhardt?"
"Yeah -- Taylor Earhardt," Ben answered. "Snotty-nosed, bossy, obnoxious..."
"Pilot," Eric put in, grinning.
"You know her?" said Kimberly, a little surprised.
"Sort of," he replied. "Met her once or twice and got stuck with hauling her drunk little ass out of a bar. It's a very, very long story," he added.
"It sounds like it," said Kimberly dubiously. "And I'm not sure I want to know."
"It's also beside the point." He grimaced. "OK -- Ben, you want to get ahead and track her down. The sooner we hook up with them the better as far as I can see." Ben nodded. "Meantime, I think I'm going to speak to Lucas again."
"Why?" asked Kimberly.
"Because I have a feeling that the problem he told me they 'had under control' has just landed here in Silverhills."
~*~
Katie looked at Lucas and Alex. The expressions on their faces mirrored her own. All three of them were very, very worried.
"We've lost contact with them?" Alex asked. "You're sure?"
Lucas nodded. "I'm positive."
The slump to Alex's shoulders told Katie all she needed to know about what he thought about that piece of news.
"And Nadira's sure about what her father's told her?" Alex continued.
It was Katie's turn to nod. "Yes she is. They're mutorgs."
Alex groaned, head in hands. "This is getting worse and worse by the second. Hawking and team have done timeline analysis on the effect of that power plant going up."
"I think we can both work out that's not good," said Katie.
Alex snorted. "Not good doesn't even begin to cover it." Katie winced.
"Well," said Lucas forcing his voice to sound upbeat, "I can go tell Bennett what we're dealing with, and I think that'll give us something to hurt them with."
Katie watched Alex nod. "OK."
As Lucas departed, Katie opened her mouth to say something only to be interrupted by the holo-screen flaring into life.
"Lucas?" said Eric.
"He's not here right now," Katie answered. "What's up, Eric?"
"What isn't," came the reply. "I don't suppose you'd happen to know about a trio of mutants who've just turned up in Silverhills and who the Silver Guardians are about as much use against as an ashtray on a motorbike?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Katie saw Alex put his head into his hands. "They've arrived in 2002?"
"Let me guess," said Eric dryly. "This would be what Lucas insisted was 'under control'?"
Katie sighed and nodded. "Yes it would. And they're not mutants."
She watched as Eric's eyes went wide. "What the hell are they if they're not mutants?"
"Mutorgs," Alex supplied, from his position just out of Eric's view.
"Who said that?"
"Alex," Katie replied.
"Oh," Eric grunted, looking less than enthused by that. "So what do I need to know?"
Alex got up and moved into view. "Right now," he answered, "we're still working on it."
"And what does that mean?" Eric enquired. "You don't know what a mutorg can do?"
Katie saw the wry expression on Alex's face. "Pretty much."
Eric looked a little startled at the honesty. "Oh great -- and here I was hoping you'd be able to tell me where to hit 'em."
Alex shook his head. "We're working on it. About the only thing I can tell you is that there's very little that'll hurt them -- there is another team of rangers in your time period who've been fighting 'standard' orgs. They maybe able to help."
Somewhat to Katie's surprise, Eric didn't look surprised by that. "We're just about to hook up with them."
"OK." Alex nodded. "Take the holo-screen with you. As soon as we have something solid, I promise we'll get in touch and send reinforcements."
Katie watched as Eric reached forward to cut the connection, then hesitated. "What about Wes and Jen?" Katie glanced at Alex in time to see him pale. "I got the impression from Lucas that they were after these guys and that was why they weren't back yet."
"They were," Katie answered.
"Were?"
"We've lost contact with them," Alex replied quietly.
"I see."
Eric cut the connection before Alex could say anything more.
"It's not your fault," said Katie quietly. "No matter what Eric thinks -- no matter what you think."
Alex gave a brittle snort of laughter. "That's just it, Katie -- it is my fault. I'm the one who ordered them after the mutorgs." He shook his head. "I can't do this any more."
~*~
Eric stared in silence at the now blank holo-screen.
"What's happened?" Kimberly asked softly.
"Wes and Jen are missing," he answered tonelessly. "They were after the trio that've shown up here."
"What do you mean 'missing'?" Ben asked, having walked into the office in time to hear the answer. One look at Eric, however, clearly told him everything he needed to know. "Oh."
"So," said Eric, a thread of steel entering his voice, "we are going to get these mutorgs. No ifs, no ands, no buts." Kimberly could only watch as suddenly Eric's posture changed from a man defeated to a man with a purpose. "Ben -- do we have a location on Ms Earhardt?"
Kimberly watched as Ben visibly scrambled for his wits, the change in Eric surprising him as much as it did her. "Yes," he finally managed. "Day's End Motel."
"Then that's where we go first."
~*~
Eric knew Kimberly and Ben were wondering if he was all right as they pulled into the parking lot of the motel. He was glad they hadn't so far asked. He wasn't sure he really had an answer for them beyond this was what he was trained for. The ability to function even under difficult circumstances.
"That's her," said Ben, spotting Taylor crossing the parking lot towards a hideously -- at least to Eric's mind -- coloured Mustang.
"Then let's go talk to her," said Kimberly, pulling the SUV into a convenient parking spot.
Taylor had clearly heard the vehicle pull up given the way she looked around until her eyes spotted it, just as Ben climbed out. Eric couldn't help but be amused as Taylor's face fell on seeing Ben.
"Not you again!" she groaned. "This is harassment."
"Lady, I ain't harassing you," Ben retorted.
"Well what are you doing here?" she wanted to know. "I'm figuring it's not for the view."
Eric bit his lip -- he didn't think he'd ever seen Ben look quite so stunned. He coughed, pulling both prospective combatants' attentions towards where he and Kimberly were standing. He wasn't terribly surprised to see no light of recognition in Taylor's expression. She had been well and truly soused the night he'd had to carry her home from the bar, and the following morning, he'd just been one of many Marines.
"Ma'am," he began, "two things. One, Ben is the man least likely to harass a lady on the face of this planet," Ben blushed, "and two, unless you want me to tell both my friends and yours how you got the nickname Ejector Earhardt, I suggest you shut up." Taylor blushed then paled.
"How do you... Jarhead!" she realised.
"Ex-Jarhead, thank you," Eric retorted. "Do I have your attention now?" Sulkily, Taylor nodded. "Good. I'm told your red friend told Ben here," and he gestured in Ben's direction, "that we should work together."
"You're the other ranger?" Taylor asked.
"No, that would be me," said Kimberly, speaking for the first time.
"Then who are you?" Taylor retorted, looking at Eric. "Other than an ex-Jarhead."
"Ben's boss -- and someone who knows a hell of a lot more about those three mutorgs than you do at present." Taylor opened her mouth to say something. Eric rolled his eyes. "Geez you can tell you used to be an officer. Quit it!" Taylor's mouth closed with a snap. "The reason we're here," Eric continued, "is that your red friend is right, we do need to work together."
"What rank were you in the Marines?" she asked.
"Sergeant," Eric replied.
"Figures," said Taylor. "All right. Two conditions. One -- he," and she gestured towards Ben, "says nothing about my driving. Two -- you keep what happened in Germany to yourself."
"Done."
"Follow me."
TO BE CONTINUED...