Gaby, Gunn, Kane, Klezmi, and Silva are mine.
Rated PG-13 : sexuality; harsh language, strong violence.
Year: 2003
Wes Collins blinked, hard, fought down a yawn and took another sip of coffee. How can I ever take over Bio-Lab if I can't stay awake in meetings? he thought ruefully, not for the first time. One of the company accountants had the floor, and was droning on endlessly. Wes made another attempt to pay attention to the extremely boring report being given of the financial state of one of Bio-Lab's overseas subsidiaries.
As his eyes started to close again, he was startled by a kick to his booted ankle. He turned to look at the man sitting next to him, his partner and friend, Eric Myers. Eric was gazing at the speaker as if fascinated, until he gave himself away by glancing at Wes, the dark eyes that betrayed his mixed Asian descent holding both reproof and amusement.
Awake now, Wes listened for a few more minutes before the report ended. The next person to speak was Alan Collins, the CEO and owner of Bio-Lab. Wes's father was a tall man in his early fifties, still handsome and energetic, and very much in control of the company he had created.
"Thank you for that very thorough and interesting report," Collins said, shooting a brief and disapproving glance at Wes. "Now I'd like to introduce someone you've all been hearing about, our new head of Administration and Support, William Kane. It's taken quite a while to fill this very important position after Robert Taylor's... departure, and I'm sure all of us will join me in making Mr. Kane feel welcome."
Kane, a tall, blond, middle-aged man, stood up to the sound of polite applause. "Thank you very much," he said in a deep, smooth voice, his striking black eyes momentarily resting on Wes and Eric. "I'm sure all of us will enjoy working together for the future of Bio-Lab. We face several challenges at this time, including continuing financial difficulties after the mutant attacks that ended a little over a year ago. There are important decisions coming up, including the proposed merger with Geneco..."
Wes tuned out most of the rest, which was basically a variation of the usual corporate pep talk he had heard so many times since joining Bio-Lab as co-commander of the Silver Guardians. He watched Eric, trying not to smile at the hostility not quite hidden in his face. Eric had taken an instant dislike to Kane. Just to keep things interesting, he kicked his partner back and grinned at his indignant glare.
Finally it was over, as the people sitting around the conference table in the Bio-Lab board room collected their papers and started to get up. Wes half expected his father to call him back for a scolding, but Collins only gave him a frown as he looked back before leaving. He followed Eric out, and they started down the hall toward their offices.
"Wes, you've got to start paying attention in these meetings," Eric said.
"I know. I'm trying. But they're just so boring!"
"Try doing your homework. Keep in touch with what's going on in the company. Maybe if you know what they're talking about, it'll be more interesting." He turned to face Wes. "Someday you're going to have to take over, you know. You don't want the whole thing going down the toilet because you don't know what you're doing."
Wes frowned. He usually found Eric's bluntness refreshing, but not this time. "There's plenty of time," he muttered.
"You never know." Eric frowned at him briefly. "If I can do it, you certainly can. You went to Harvard, for Chrissakes. I didn't even finish high school."
"You got a GED."
"Yeah. Big deal." He turned to go into his office. After a moment of hesitation, Wes followed him.
"Is something wrong?"
Eric sat at his desk and looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"You sounded even grouchier than usual."
"It's… nothing to do with you."
Wes sat down and stared at him. Eric ignored him for a few moments and then looked up with a slight smile.
"You never give up, do you?"
"No."
Eric sighed. "All right. I dropped out of high school. My father was a bum and my mother was a drunk. I'll never get any higher in this company because of it."
It took Wes a moment to find a response to that bitter statement. "And I'm having it all handed to me on a silver platter, when I don't deserve it."
"I didn't say that."
"But you thought it." Eric only stared at his desk. "Why don't you do something about it? Go back to school."
"At my age?"
"You're twenty-nine. Not exactly ancient."
"I don't know."
Wes got up. "Then stop complaining. You're a smart guy. You've worked hard to educate yourself. You just said it, you know more about this company than I do. That's what really counts. Look how far you've gotten here."
"How far would I have gotten without this?" Eric held up his left arm, with his morpher strapped to the wrist, like a large watch.
Wes looked down at his own left wrist. Their morphers were what made them Power Rangers, by transforming them when needed, giving them extra strength and speed, enhanced senses, protecting them with special suits, and providing powerful weapons. Most of their machinery was hidden in hyperspace, waiting for the command to activate.
The morphers had come from two hundred years in the future. A team of officers from the Time Force Police had come to 2001 pursuing a mutant criminal. Wes and Eric had eventually teamed up with them, as the Red Ranger and the Quantum Ranger. In gratitude for their help, they had been given the morphers to keep.
"You wouldn't be where you are if you didn't have the ability. Neither would I. Dad doesn't tolerate anyone not doing their job."
Eric smiled slightly. "You're right about that."
Wes looked at him thoughtfully. "How's it going between you and Gaby?"
A shrug, as Eric looked down again. "Fine. I guess. We've been going out for a few weeks now."
"So what's the problem?"
Eric gave him a familiar blank look, the one that meant he didn't intend to talk about it. "There isn't any problem. Everything's fine."
They both looked up as Gaby tapped on the door. Seeing their expressions, she said, "Oh, sorry. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."
"No," Wes said, with a glance at Eric. "I was just going, anyway."
She watched him get up, noticing again the sharp contrast between the two of them. They were both good-looking, the same age, the same height, the same athletic build, but where Wes was dark-blond and blue-eyed with an open and usually smiling face, Eric was dark, with a hard face that she wished would smile more often.
Wes paused to grin at her in the doorway. "See if you can cheer him up," he said.
"Always a challenge."
"I know."
She walked into the room. "May I?" she asked, indicating the chair.
"Of course." His face was expressionless, and he seemed to be avoiding her eyes.
"My weekly report on cyber security incidents." She sat and dropped the papers she had been carrying onto his desk.
"Anything interesting?"
"No. Just the usual scans and general knocks on the door. Business as usual."
"Good." He picked up the papers, looked at them without interest, and put them down, still not looking at her.
"Is something wrong?"
He shrugged. "No. Why?"
"You're not even looking at me."
He looked, finally, and even smiled a little. "Sorry. I'm just thinking about something."
"Care to talk about it?"
He hesitated, looking uncomfortable. "I guess I'm a little concerned about some of the things going on around here."
"Like what?"
"Like that guy Kane. I don't like him."
She smiled. "Maybe you don't like him because he's replacing Taylor. You hated him."
He snorted. "With good reason. But that's not it. I didn't like the way Kane looked at me."
"The way he looked at you?" she said skeptically.
"Yeah. I know it sounds strange. I guess it's just a feeling."
"Eric…" She sighed. "Sometimes you're a little too sensitive. Don't get insulted or anything, but you always tend to think people don't like you. That they look down on you."
There was a spark of anger in his eyes. "A lot of them do."
"Everyone here respects you. Most of them, anyway."
"My whole life, people have thought they're better than I am. I'm just used to it."
"But -- how much of that was real? How much was just your -- impression?"
"My imagination, you mean. I guess you think I'm just being paranoid." He straightened in his chair, moving away from her.
"I didn't mean that." She sighed again. "Just forget I said anything."
"Fine." He turned back to his desk. "I've got work to do."
"Okay. Whatever." Annoyed, she got up and started for the door.
His voice stopped her. "Sorry. Don't be angry."
"I was just trying to help." She turned.
"I know. Still on for tonight?" He was smiling at her slightly.
She smiled back, relieved. "Yeah. You're picking me up at seven?"
"I'll be there."
Wes walked in the front door of his house and stopped in the foyer to take off his jacket. He could hear voices coming from the direction of the kitchen, his father, their butler Philips, and the cook. He headed in that direction. Entering the kitchen, he paused for a moment, not wanting to interrupt. His father saw him and greeted him with a smile. A moment later he walked over.
"I was just telling them Michael Zaskin is coming over tomorrow night. It's going to be a working dinner, I'd like you to be here, if you don't have plans."
"Sure, Dad."
"Good." He rested a hand on Wes's shoulder and guided him out toward the living room.
"What's it about?"
"We're trying to map out the direction we want to take research in for the next few years. Michael's gotten very interested in pursuing genetics. Mutations, actually."
"Because of the mutants."
"Right."
"Dad, that's exactly the kind of thing Jen and the others were trying to avoid. Changes in this time because of them, and Ransik, and Lorent. I think we should try to run Bio-Lab as if none of it had happened."
"I thought you'd feel that way, that's why I want you at this discussion."
"Think he'll listen to me?"
"I don't see why not."
"And how do you feel about it?"
Collins hesitated. He walked to the bar, retrieved a small glass of wine, and finally turned back to Wes. "There could be a lot of profit in it. It would be good business to pursue it."
"Dad…"
"Most other pharmaceutical companies are conducting this kind of research. I don't see why we shouldn't. We would have done the same thing anyway."
"But we have an unfair advantage. We saw those mutants in action. And we have all the tests and research Dr. Zaskin did on the sisters and the Venomark serum."
"Perhaps we could just ignore that information. Just do research as if it had never happened."
Wes smiled slightly. "Get dozens of scientists to ignore a pile of data that they could use in their work?"
Collins smiled back. "I agree it might not be practical. But maybe we can find a way. A compromise."
"Maybe." Wes took a few steps to the couch and sat with a sigh.
"Tired?"
"A little."
"I saw you had a nap in the meeting this afternoon." Wes looked up to see his father watching him with another faint smile.
"Yeah. Sorry. You'll be happy to know Eric told me I should be taking more of an interest. He said exactly what you're probably going to say."
"Then I guess I don't need to bother. Eric's a good man. You could stand to follow his example."
"Great," Wes muttered. "Now you're comparing us."
"No, I'm not. I'm just saying…" He stopped, and looked at Wes searchingly. "Maybe you should be thinking about whether you want to take over Bio-Lab someday. I've always just assumed you would. But maybe that's not what you really want."
Wes stared back, surprised and dismayed. "You don't think I can do it?"
"I didn't say that. I don't mean that. I know you have the ability, but face it, you're not taking much of an interest. I don't want you doing something you don't want to be doing, just because you think it's expected of you."
Wes looked down at his hands silently, feeling a sharp disappointment he didn't entirely understand.
"You don't have to decide anything now," Collins said gently. "Just think about it."
"Okay." Wes shook off his mood with an effort. "What's for dinner?"
He stopped to look back at it, the place of his enemies, like a beehive, swarming with them. The building towered behind him, the windowed walls hiding them, with their soft bodies, their pink or brown skins and their hair... Humans. They were all weak, spineless, yet cruel in their cowardly, selfish way. His stomach turned every time he was forced to come face to face with one.
But it would be all be worth it, if the plan succeeded. Today he had learned when to strike, and where, for the first step of his mission. He sneered, careful that no one could see the hatred on his face. Soon all of these people would be within his power, helpless, while he watched.
A face caught his eye, a dark-haired, hard-faced man standing near the front door, in brief conversation with another man before he started for the parking lot. The hatred he felt deepened, his hands curled, fingers longing to crush that soft human flesh.
His greatest enemy. He no longer wanted to kill all humans, but this one... The one man he hated, above all others. The one who made this mission personal. He pictured it, the moment he would face his opponent, see the terror in his eyes, and finally rip the life from his body. Then he turned, quietly, smiling, and went on his way.
Gaby watched Eric's profile as he parked near her apartment building. He had been unusually quiet during dinner, talking enough for politeness, giving her no real reason to be angry or hurt. But she could sense something was on his mind.
They had been dating for several weeks now, and had enjoyed each other's company in every way but one. Nothing physical had happened between them beyond goodnight kisses. Gaby was not particularly shy about sex, and was fairly sure Eric wasn't either, yet he had made no attempt to take things further. She had begun to wonder if something was wrong.
Maybe something was wrong with the whole relationship, she couldn't help thinking. Eric was a hard person to get to know. He could be endearing, exasperating, admirable, and even frightening, sometimes all at once. She often wondered if he was worth the effort, but then he would do something particularly kind, or would just be charming and funny for an entire evening, and change her mind. Lately she had begun to think she was starting to fall in love with him, somewhat to her alarm.
After turning off the ignition, he turned to her. "I forgot to tell you. My computer was delivered today." They had shopped for a computer for Eric together, and had agreed that Gaby would help him set it up.
"Yeah? Great. When do you want me to come over?"
"You have time tomorrow?"
"Sure. That would be fine."
"Good. You going to drive over? About seven maybe?"
"Yeah. Just call me if anything comes up."
"I will." He looked at her for a moment longer and then opened his door and got out. She followed, closing the door and joining him. They walked to the entrance to her building.
"Thanks for helping me out with the computer," Eric said. He looped his arms around her.
"No trouble at all," she said. "I like setting up new computers. And now I'll finally have something interesting to do at your place."
He smiled. "Is that an insult?"
"Yes." She grinned, sliding her hands over his shoulders.
"Thought so. Well, goodnight." He bent slightly to kiss her, his arms tightening around her. She responded eagerly, pressing against him, her mouth opening under his as the kiss deepened and his hands slipped under her jacket. When they came up for air he bent a little lower to kiss the side of her neck and lick the edge of her ear. She shivered slightly.
He straightened and looked at her for a moment, his face shadowed. "I should get going," he said.
"Do you have to?"
Drawing back a little, he looked at her, hesitation in his face. "I have to get to work early," he said abruptly. "Sorry."
She blinked at him, disappointed and confused but not wanting to show it. "That's okay. Maybe some other time."
He released her and stepped back. "Yeah. It's just… late."
"Go ahead then. Don't worry about it."
He stepped forward to quickly kiss her again, and then walked back to his car. From the doorway of her building Gaby saw him pause and look at her again before getting in. There was something unhappy about the slant of his shoulders.
Inside her apartment, she took off her jacket and slumped on the couch, telling herself how foolish it was to feel rejected and unattractive. She reminded herself that it had only been a few months since his last girlfriend, Angela, had betrayed him and broken his heart. That, unfortunately, only made her feel worse.
Wes threw himself on his bed and rolled over, staring at the ceiling. The day had left him feeling depressed and unsettled. He hadn't felt this unsure of his own future since before he had taken his job with the Silver Guardians.
His thoughts drifted, going back to that day on the beach when his father had offered him the job, and Eric had agreed to be his partner. He had had doubts about it. He and Eric had spent most of the previous year at each other's throats, before finally forming a tentative friendship. Fortunately that part of it had worked out, they were close now, almost like brothers. He enjoyed his job, and had no ambition to go beyond it. But he wasn't at all sure he wanted to give up his position as heir apparent to Bio-Lab.
And, inevitably, he thought of Jen. That was also the day he said goodbye to her, the first time, expecting never to see her again. But they had met again, and worked together again, only a few weeks ago. There had been another goodbye, and the pain of that still lingered.
He rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up, tempted to open his night table drawer and take out his pictures of her, and his other former teammates. With a sigh he stood up instead and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She was never coming back, and there was no point in brooding about it.