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.

NB: The term Jarhead is a derogatory term for US Marines.

Please offer feedback -- it tells me how I'm doing.

~*~

Unexpected Help

Taylor sighed as she led the Jarhead, the rent-a-cop and the Ranger into the Animarium. From the looks the rent-a-cop and the Ranger were casting her, the Jarhead had told them what had happened in Germany on the way here, despite his promise to the contrary. Just so long as he doesn't tell Max, she mused.

Then again, Max tended to find these things out by osmosis so it probably wouldn't make any difference: By the end of the day the chances were the rest of the Rangers would know about Germany. And that probably includes Merrick.

Almost as if sensing her return, the Eaglezord swooped low over the party as they made their way into the temple. To Taylor's amusement, the trio following her all ducked, the Jarhead even going so far as to reach for a non-existent side-arm. It was a reflex that did, briefly, make her wonder what the stick was about.

"That's my Eaglezord," she said, reassuring them that it wasn't anything to worry about. She couldn't resist adding, "I bet you've never seen anything like it."

"A giant eagle, huh?" muttered the Jarhead, not sounding impressed.

"She should have seen the Q-Rex," decided the rent-a-cop.

"Guys!" hissed the Ranger in disapproval.

Taylor snorted. Bastards.

"Taylor!"

Alyssa's exclamation returned Taylor's attention to her surroundings. Both Alyssa and Cole were standing at the temple entrance looking at her in bemusement.

"I thought you were going to stay in Silverhills," Cole added.

"I was but..." Taylor shook her head as Max and Danny both appeared. "The orgs are gone -- again, and these guys," she gestured towards the trio behind her, "said we need to team up. They seem to think they know something about this."

"I don't 'think' I know," put in the Jarhead irritably, "I do know."

"Or did they just catch you speeding again?" Max wanted to know.

Behind her she heard a muffled snort from the rent-a-cop. "No, they did not catch me speeding again," she snapped.

"Taylor," said Cole warningly. "Hi," he added, looking at the trio, "I'm Cole. Welcome to the Animarium."

"Nice to meet you," said the Jarhead. "I'm Eric Myers, this is Kimberly Cunningham..."

"Hi," she offered.

"And Ben Johnson, who I think you've met," Eric finished.

"Hi -- again," said the rent-a-cop.

Cole swiftly rattled off introductions. "So what can we do for you?"

"It's about those three Mutorgs," Eric replied.

~*~

"I have good news and bad news," announced Dr Bennett as she entered Alex's office.

Katie looked up from the information she was still trying to collate. "Doesn't everyone right now?"

Bennett smiled. "You'll even like the bad news, I think."

Katie blinked. "That's a first."

"The good news," Bennett continued, "is that -- thanks to the information Lieutenant Kendall relayed to me -- I have a way of neutralising the Mutorgs. It's a form of plastique. When it explodes, it releases a cloud of chemical vapour. It's harmless to anyone and everyone else, but it will attack the mutated DNA of the Mutorgs, returning them to their original state."

Katie nodded. "OK -- so what's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that I need a DNA extract from the original mutant source."

"Which would be Ransik," said Katie.

Bennett nodded. "Right. And, while he's in prison, and therefore extremely accessible for this, I can't do the extract on him. Venomark's poison has further mutated his DNA."

"So we're back to square one."

Bennett smiled. "Not necessarily. Cadet Williams has enough of her father's DNA to be designated as mutant. That should be more than enough for me to get the DNA extract I need."

Katie slowly parsed Bennett's words and found herself smiling. "Have you spoken to Cadet Williams yet?"

"Lieutenant Kendall's looking for her now."

~*~

Eric finished his explanations. As he'd expected, most of the Wild Force Rangers looked sceptical. Somewhat to his surprise, Taylor wasn't one of them, although she did look a little puzzled. The other person who didn't look surprised was the fey-like woman who had been introduced as Princess Shayla.

"Let me see if I have this straight," said Max, who was -- perhaps characteristically -- first to speak. "These 'Mutorgs' are half org, half mutant, time-travelling criminals who've landed up here for some reason."

"Yep."

Max started to laugh. "That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

"But," said Shayla calmly, cutting across Max's laughter, "it does fit to what I've 'sensed' about these three orgs." Max's laughter dried up in an instant.

Cole looked thoughtful. "Why would they come to this time?"

Eric shrugged. "That would be the sixty-four thousand dollar question."

"The what?" said Cole, blankly.

"Never mind," said Taylor. "If you're from the future, how come you were in Germany?"

"I never said I was from the future," Eric answered. "And I didn't think you wanted Germany bringing up -- if you'll pardon the expression."

"Eric," said Kimberly, a warning clear in her voice as Taylor paled and subsided again. "Be nice."

Eric glanced at Kimberly. "She mentioned it."

"Germany?" said Danny, bemused. "What happened in Germany?"

"None of your business," Taylor snapped.

"So what do we do?" asked Alyssa practically. "From the sounds of things it..."

But Eric never learned what Alyssa had to say as suddenly Shayla gasped, "It's them!"

"What is?" Ben asked.

Surprisingly, it was Taylor who answered, "The orgs...Mutorgs are back -- the princess has a connection to them."

"Where are they?" Kimberly asked.

"It's a quarry just north of Silverhills -- they are looking for something."

"Well we'll just make sure they don't find it!" said Max.

"Let's go."

~*~

Alex looked through the window, down into Dr Bennett's lab, watching has she performed the DNA extraction from Nadira. It sounded like such a gruesome process, but was actually very, very simple and essentially blood-less. Of course, blood could be used, but it was just as easy to take the DNA from hair or fingernails -- and a lot less messy.

"She's changed so much," mused Lucas, who was also watching.

"She's grown up," Alex answered. "I guess you all have in some ways." He was aware of Lucas suddenly snapping his head round to stare at him. "Four months is a long time to be away from everything you know. You either grow and change or you die."

"Alex?"

Lucas' voice was so filled with alarm that Alex had to smile. "You're thinking 'he's finally cracked'. I haven't -- just done a lot of thinking."

"No -- I was thinking 'my boss is suicidal'," Lucas retorted.

Alex actually found himself chuckling at that. "Hardly. Not any more, at any rate." He risked a glance in Lucas' direction, but the other man's expression was unreadable, so he returned his attention to the procedure going on below. "Yes, I was suicidal. You don't think it's my SOP to go to Tonk's Place, get completely drunk and attempt to get a Galvas to tear me limb from limb, do you?"

"No-o."

Dr Bennett started analysing the fingernail clippings she'd taken. Given that Nadira's particular mutation gave her the power to extend her fingernails into three feet long claws, it almost stood to reason that would be the best place to get the DNA extract from.

"You said 'was'," said Lucas, breaking the silence that had suddenly sprung up. "What's changed?"

"Good question." Alex found himself smiling, remembering the night he'd spent with Katie, a night more than a week ago now. "I guess you could say I've found a reason to live."

"Alex?"

"When this is over," he continued, "I'm leaving Time Force." Lucas gave a strangulated 'eep'. "And before you ask, yes I have thought this through."

"But...but..."

Alex just shook his head. "I can't keep doing this, Lucas. I ordered Eric to kill Jen. I ordered you to give Eric those orders. I coerced Katie back into uniform during the Biocon mess... Wes and Jen are missing because of my orders." He sighed. Dr Bennett had now dismissed Nadira from the lab. Obviously they procedure had been successful and no further samples were necessary. "I've spent ten years of my life and I don't have anything to show for it but regrets and the realisation that, somewhere along the line, I forgot how to be a person."

"That's..." But Lucas clearly didn't have words for it.

And then stalling any response, Nadira and Trip both joined them.

"How did it go?" Alex asked, slipping back into the role of commanding officer.

"No problems, sir," Nadira replied. "Dr Bennett said she would be done within an hour."

"Good. The sooner the better." He glanced at Lucas, who was smiling knowingly. "For all of us."

~*~

Shayla watched as Eric limped towards the table. The obvious grace to his movements told her that he was someone who should have been in battle, the limp told her the reason why he wasn't.

"Broken leg," he said shortly and apparently apro pro of nothing.

"What is?" Shayla replied.

He took a couple of strange looking objects out of his pocket and started to set them up on the table. "The reason for the limp."

"Oh."

Eric snorted softly. "Don't say it like that." The two objects set up -- and they resembled nothing so much as two aerials set side by side -- he took another object from his pocket and pointed it at them. "You were curious as hell."

"True but..." Shayla trailed off as the image of a young woman formed between the poles.

"Captain Myers!" she squeaked.

Shayla couldn't see his face, but from the set of his shoulders, Eric was confused. "Yes -- who are you?"

"I'm sorry -- I'm Lieutenant Marissa Detournay. Major Collins asked me to comm. you...but I guess you beat me to it."

"He did, did he?"

Shayla decided that whoever 'Major Collins' was, Eric was not his biggest fan, given his tone of voice.

"He wanted you to know that we -- Time Force -- would be sending help within the hour."

"Your hour or mine?" Eric replied.

Lieutenant Detournay looked amused. "Ours. I'll comm. again once the time ship leaves."

"OK."

"Was there something you needed from us?"

Eric shook his head. "No -- that about takes care of it."

Shayla watched as Lieutenant Detournay ducked her head in a nod. "Understood, sir." Then the image faded out.

Half turning towards her, Eric asked, "Is it all right for me to leave the holo-screen set up?"

Shayla smiled. "Of course."

There was a long silence. She watched as Eric limped across to a convenient seat and sat down, a grimace of pain etched on his face. Shayla made a decision.

"I have some ointment that would help," she said.

"Huh?"

"Your leg," she elaborated. "You are in pain. Ah!" she added, holding up a hand to stall his ready retort. "Do not say you're not. I can tell."

"Right now, it's the least of my worries," Eric replied.

"Maybe so -- but I have some ointment that would help," Shayla insisted. "Then it won't be a 'worry' at all -- and you can spend your time more effectively worrying about Kimberly."

Eric looked stunned. "But I...we..."

Shayla collected the pot of ointment. "No, you didn't -- that doesn't mean I cannot tell." She smiled. "I know love and concern when I see them." She crouched beside him and opened the ointment jar. "If Kimberly is a Ranger, she can -- and will -- take care of herself in the battle." She gently laid a hand on his right thigh and felt him flinch away in pain. "Meantime -- let us see if we cannot improve your situation."

~*~

Rofang, leader of the Mutorgs, glared around the quarry. "It is not here," he snorted.

"But it must be!" objected Takach.

"We are wrong," said Kired matter-of-factly. "We are close but not quite."

"Hey -- Ugly, Tall and Batfink!" yelled a voice.

Rofang glanced round and spotted seven people. Six of them Rangers -- one of them clearly a member of Time Force. "Well, well," he said.

"You're goin' down," promised one of the Rangers.

"So why don't you just give up right now?" enquired another.

"And you know what," said the unmorphed man, drawing a blaster, "the uglier they are..."

"The harder they fall," finished the member of Time Force.

Rofang laughed. "Get them!"

And the battle began.

~*~

A portal opened, unnoticed by the combatants in the quarry. From it leapt two cloaked forms.

"Damn!" muttered the slightly smaller of the two, revealing herself to be female. "They're already here."

"We knew that was likely," her companion, male, reminded her. "But I think we're in time. Look!"

They both peered down into the quarry and took stock of the battle.

"Five Wild Force Rangers," noted the woman.

"One Quantum Ranger," observed the man. "Three Mutorgs...who look like they're winning."

The woman groaned softly. "They are -- this is it," she pointed out. "We have to do something and fast." She studied the battle and pinpointed the target. "Kired," she said. "He's the weakest of the three..."

"...and he's one-on-one with the Quantum Ranger," contributed the man. "Which means..."

"...only one person to avoid, not two or three," she finished.

"Plan, then?" he asked.

"Circle round to the west side. Then on three, we'll catch him in crossfire."

He nodded and departed at a loping jog. She watched him for a moment before centring her attention on the battle below. In the brief time they'd been talking, it had gone from bad to worse for the Rangers. The Mutorgs were tossing them around like confetti in such a way that made her wince. Seconds were going to prove crucial if they were to avoid...

Her eyes were drawn to something out of place on the battlefield. A dark shape, sneaking up on Kired.

"Shit!" She knew who that was likely to be, even as the Quantum Ranger was sent sprawling backwards by a blow from Kired.

Glancing up, she saw her companion was in place. Just as well as the dark shape fired his blaster at Kired's back, probably saving the Quantum Ranger but sacrificing himself in the process as the Mutorg's attention swung from the downed Ranger to the man behind him.

Silently, she counted three and fired at Kired, striking him on the left shoulder. Her partner's shot matched hers, but struck Kired's right shoulder. Neither blast did any serious damage to the Mutorg, but it served as a wonderful distraction.

The battle stopped as everyone -- Ranger and Mutorg alike -- looked around to see the source of the blasts. She smiled grimly and discarded her cloak; aware her actions were being matched by her partner. Before the element of surprise was lost completely, she vaulted down into the quarry, rolling between Kired and his would-be prey.

"You!" Kired exclaimed.

"Jen?! But I..." began the 'prey'.

"Us," she answered.

Before Kired could react, she and her partner fired again, one shot angling in and down from the cliff top, one shot angling in and up from the quarry floor. The combined blast sent Kired stumbling away, allowing her to drag the 'prey' to his feet and towards the waiting Rangers.

"What the...?" he murmured.

"Time for explanations later, Ben," she answered. "Right now, we need to get outta here." Jen glanced back at the Mutorgs, who were regrouping, even as the Rangers were gathering around her and her partner who had joined them on the quarry floor. "Wes..." she began.

"On it," he answered.

Letting go of Ben, Jen turned her attentions to the Mutorgs, peripherally aware of Wes setting up another portal.

"What the hell is that?!" exclaimed someone.

Rofang gave a howl of anger and took a step towards her. She fired.

"Explanations later," Wes answered. "Escape now."

"Stop them!" Rofang ordered.

Takach took a step forward. Jen fired again, driving him back.

"We're clear," Wes called.

Jen nodded as Rofang tried another step forward. She fired off one last salvo at the trio, then turned and dived through the portal herself.

~*~

Wes looked around at everyone and at where they'd landed. In so far as blank helmets could display emotions, the Rangers were startled, to put it mildly, while Ben looked visibly stunned. As for the 'where', it appeared that they had landed in a jungle clearing.

Before he could say anything, Jen tumbled through the portal, landing at his feet as the portal collapsed behind her.

"OK?" he asked, offering her a hand up.

"Yeah -- where are we?"

"Welcome to the Animarium," said the Red Wild Force Ranger. He demorphed in a flash of red light. "My name's Cole."

"You saved our butts!" exclaimed the Blue Ranger before Wes could answer. In a flash of blue light, he demorphed and introduced himself as, "Max."

"Thank you," put in the White Ranger as she demorphed. "Alyssa."

"Where'd you come from?" the Yellow Ranger wanted to know as she demorphed.

"Taylor play nice," warned the Black Ranger as he demorphed. "Danny," he added as a belated introduction.

"Nice to meet you," Wes finally said, smiling. "Wes Collins," he added, introducing himself.

"Jen Scotts," Jen added.

"So where did you come from?" asked Taylor, not entirely unfriendly. "One minute you weren't there, the next you were."

"It's a long story," Jen answered.

"It had better be!" exclaimed Ben, who to this point had said nothing. "Considering we were told you two were missing." He smiled and Wes found himself enveloped in a Katie-like bear hug. "Man it is good to see you guys."

"Ben -- I'd like to be able to breath sometime soon!"

"Boss'll be pleased, too," Ben added, releasing his hold. "He about had a shit-fit."

"I did not," said Eric dryly from the far side of the clearing, "have a shit-fit."

Wes' head jerked round at the sound of Eric's voice, expecting to see the flash of light as he demorphed, only to discover Eric standing in jeans and a shirt, leaning on a walking stick.

"Looks like we're not the only one with a long story to tell," Jen observed. "But if you're there..."

Wes looked round to see the Quantum Ranger standing, still morphed, arms folded across 'his' chest, head cocked at an angle that suggested whoever it was behind the helmet found the whole situation amusing.

"...who's that?" Wes finished.

"Power down," said a female voice. As the light flashed, she added, "This was the only way I could guarantee he wouldn't try anything stupid."

Wes felt his jaw hinge open. "Kim?!"

Kim offered a smile. "Good to see you both in one piece."

"OK. Any chance we can swap those long stories?" enquired Taylor.

"Not that your impatient or anything," Danny mumbled.

"The lady has a point," said Ben. "I feel like a mushroom right now."

"Mine can keep until later," Eric put in. "What I think we'd all like to know is where the hell you guys've been." A smile crossed his face. "And what's with the leather?"

Wes opened his mouth to say something.

"Um...excuse me?" said a new voice that instantly reminded Wes of one of the multitude of Silver Guardian secretaries who Eric had sacked prior to the hiring of Gina Thomas.

Looking round, Wes saw the source of the voice - a woman with long, flowing, brown hair and the sort of filmy, white dress that made him instantly think of a bad hippie movie he'd once seen.

"This 'thing' started to make a noise," she said a little helplessly.

Wes glanced at Jen -- no, that didn't make any sense to her either. A glance at the Wild Force Rangers and Kimberly told him they were none the wiser too. Without feeling too much hope, he looked in Eric's direction...

"That should be Lieutenant Detournay," Eric observed mildly.

Wes' jaw dropped. When did Eric start tolerating people who flap?!

Eric just smirked and headed in the direction the woman had appeared from.

"Am I the only one wondering which parallel universe I've landed in?" Jen whispered as everyone headed after Eric.

"No," Wes answered, "I'm as puzzled as you are."

TO BE CONTINUED...