"Well, how do I look?" Trip asked as he walked into the room.
Katie, who had an ice pack on the back of her head, smiled warmly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were evil," she told him.
He had on an all black Time Force uniform, complimented by the deeply tinted sunglasses. "Hey, I've got a devilish streak, really," he insisted, taking off the glasses and tucking them into the collar of his uniform.
"Oh yeah, you're a bad boy," she said, playing along.
"Have you finished with the charges?"
"Yeah, I reconfigured them to emit an inverse ion charge just like you said. Ransorg and Logan won't know what hit them," she told him.
"Good. Get the charges loaded into the Megazord, I'll meet you in hanger six," he said.
She stood up, stuffing the charges into a bag. "Wait, where are you going?" she inquired.
"Tying up a loose end," he said, walking out the room.
(*)
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Alex asked him as they walked into hanger six.
Tommy couldn't help but glance upward, admiring the Time Shadow Megazord. "Nice, but it isn't the White Tiger," he mentioned.
"Big talk for someone who talked to a sword," he said.
"Oh yeah, your zord doesn't even have hands,"
It was Jen who walked up behind them. "Break it up you two, we have a job to do. Does everyone remember the plan?" she asked them.
Alex nodded. "Ransik and I will take the Time Shadow back to the 21st century and meet you there. Where is Katie and Trip?" he asked.
"I'm here, Trip said he had some loose ends to tie up. He'll meet us here," Katie said as she walked into the room with a bag over her shoulder.
"Good luck you guys," Alex said as he headed for the zord.
(*)
"Looks like we're ready to go," Lucas said as he sat in front of the controls in the Time Force Megazord.
Across from him was Jindrax, who simply glanced around in amazement. "I can't tell you how many times I've wondered what the inside of one of these things looked like. All those times I got my ass kicked by that damn Predazord or that damn Wild Force Conga Zord, I'm tellin' ya, I'm impressed," he said.
"I'm glad,"
"How about on the way back you let me drive?"
"No," Lucas told him.
Jen and the others walked into the cockpit, taking their positions. Although it was too minor to mention anything, it felt odd to her to see Tommy standing where Wes use to stand. 'It's not like you're trying to replace Wes, but we have a job to do,' she had to remind herself.
"Jen, you okay?" she heard a voice say, breaking her train of thought.
"Huh?" she glanced up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Everyone ready?"
"If we say no do we get to go home?" Jindrax asked.
"No."
"Oh, never mind then,"
"I've set the phasers to discharge a modified polaron burst. That should reopen the time hole and let us get to the 21st century," Trip informed them.
"Good, looks like we're ready," she said.
"Discharging polaron burst," Katie said, going over the readings.
"Confirmed. Polaron burst steady at 200 parts per million," he said.
"The time hole is opening," Tommy mentioned, looking at the view screen.
"Setting a course,"
(*)
Turtle Cove, California 2002
"It's the natural order of things Logan: mankind was destined to destroy themselves. Just look at them," he motioned downwards towards the reactor plant. "Plants like this one pollute the air, destroying the O-Zone layer, they create nuclear weapons to battle one another, they use guns and other weapons to kill themselves, it was only a matter of time before they eliminated themselves. Not mutants though, we take care of one another, we work towards a future where all mutants can live in peace. Under my leadership, the entire universe will be at peace," Ransorg told him as they watched the battle from the distance.
There was part of him that remembered it all. After all, he was there when it happened. When the explosion went off, separating all the mutant halves, there was a brief moment of consciousness as the halves combined with Ransik's half, creating him. To see the battle take place from a different perspective was somewhat nostalgic for him.
"Peace? Is that what you call it? A world where you are the sole ruler? Where humans are forced to work like animals?" Logan mentioned.
"That's what they are, all of them. Animals. I've offered you a place at my side in the new order Logan; you'll never have to go back to the mines to work. Your place in the new world is secure, only those who oppose me will be destroyed," he told him.
"Yes my lord,"
"Where is Trip?" he asked.
"He held the others at bay while I escaped in the time ship to come here. He's arranged to use the meagzord to come to the 21st century with the charges. Soon, the rift will be open, and the new era for mutants will begin," Logan assured him.
"Excellent," Ransorg said with a devious smile.
(*)
"Are you sure we should just leave the zord here?" Tommy inquired as they headed towards the power plant.
"Assuming that our mission is a success, the time line will change and none of this will have happened," Jen said.
"Of course, if we fail, the world will be controlled by mutants and no one will even care if we parked a megazord behind a mountain," Jindrax brought up.
"We won't fail,"
"I know, I'm just saying……"
"Trip, get to the plant and find Logan, but try not to be seen by the other rangers. The last thing we need is to create a paradox and destroy the universe ourselves," she said.
"I'm on it," he said as he put the bag over his shoulder and hurried away.
"By now, the battle with the mutorgs should be just about over and all the rangers should be on their way to the Animarium to celebrate. That should give us the time we need to stop Logan and Ransorg," she said.
"Let's do it," Lucas said.
(*)
"My lord," Trip said as he arrived at the plant, bowing in front of Ransorg.
"Do you have the charges?" he asked.
"Yes my lord. According to my calculations, the rift is already open, but these charges should open the rift so wide that our realities will merge, creating a new world for you to rule," Trip told him.
"Excellent. Logan, set the charges," he said.
"As you wish sire," Logan said, taking the charges from Trip and heading over to the reactor.
"Logan's loyalty is beginning to sway. He believes that our quest isn't just, that the humans should be given a chance. After the worlds have merged, it will be your job to kill him. Then you may take his spot at my side in the new world," Ransorg ordered.
"It will be my pleasure sire," Trip said.
"That's far enough Ransorg," they heard a voice say.
Ransorg and Trip turned glanced down only to see Jen and the others standing behind them. "As yes, the Time Force rangers. I knew you'd show up sooner or later, but no matter. Soon, all worlds will be mine," he said.
"Not if we can help it. Ready guys?" she asked.
"Ready," Lucas said, speaking for the group.
"TIME FOR, TIME FORCE," they all called out in unison, replacing their clothes with their ranger uniforms.
"Impressive, but it's not enough," he told them, jumping over the railing, falling almost twenty feet down and landing only a few feet away from the reactor.
"We'll see," the pink ranger said, calling for her sword as she rushed towards him. She swung her sword, but he blocked with the metal shield on his arms, then kicked her, knocking her through the wall and out the plant.
Next was the red and yellow ranger who charged in together. Katie hit a sabat kick just as Tommy hit a leg sweep, knocking Ransorg off his feet. As he fell to the ground, Katie called for her sword and tried to stab Ransorg in the chest, but he put his hand up to block it. The sword went through his hand, and he swatted her away, knocking her into a stack of metal barrels across the room. Next, he pulled the sword out his hand, using it to block Tommy's sword, then kick him in the chest, knocking him over.
The blue ranger made his stand, rushing towards Ransorg with his sword, but Ransorg snapped the sword in half, then grabbed Lucas by the throat and began to choke him. Just then, Katie picked up a metal barrel and threw it at Ransorg, hitting him in the back of the head. It was just enough to force him to let Lucas go as he stumbled forward, and Katie jumped on his back.
Ransorg fell to his knees, flipping Katie over and knocking her up against the reactor itself, forcing her to power down. Lucas rushed over to her, checking on her, but Ransorg kicked him in the face, knocking him up against the reactor as well. As Lucas powered down, Ransorg stood over him with his sword.
"I wanted you to live long enough to see the worlds merge, but it is of no consequence," he said as he cocked back, stabbing Lucas through the heart.
"Lucas, no!" Tommy yelled as he got back to his feet, attacking Ransorg with a series of kicks and punches, but none of them seemed to have an effect on him. Finally, Ransorg gave him a backhanded slap, sending Tommy crashing into a metal beam. He powered down as Jen hurried over to him to check.
"Ransorg," a voice called out.
Ransorg glanced over his shoulder where Ransik was standing there with a determined look on his face. He reached over, pulling the sword out Lucas' chest, making his stand.
"I was hoping it would come down to the two of us," he said.
Without another word, Ransik swung the sword, but Ransorg blocked the metal plate on his arm. Before he could react, Ransik kicked him in the chest, knocking him up against the reactor, then swung the sword again. This time, Ransorg ducked it, then punched Ransik in the stomach, sending him across the room and crashing into a metal beam.
Jen checked on him, and once she realized Ransik was unconscious, she turned to Ransorg with hatred in her eyes.
"That's it Ransorg, your times up!" she told him.
"Famous last words pink ranger!" he warned.
"The charges are set my lord. Ready when you are," Logan said, rushing over to him and handing him a detonator.
Jen tried to hit a kick to the jaw, but Ransorg grabbed her by the throat, pulling her close. "I want you to witness the end of the world as you know it, and the beginning of the new order," he told her. He turned her attention to the reactor, where what appeared to be clouds of smoke seemed to be floating over the reactor itself. "You see that? It's the mutant halves on their way into the rift of the space/time continuum. It's your fault I came to be, and it is because of you that the known universe is coming to an end," Ransorg said, letting out a sinister laugh.
"That's what you think," they heard a voice say.
Ransorg turned around only to see Trip standing behind him with the staff in hand. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Putting an end to this once and for all," he said as the staff began to glow.
Ransorg noticed that the mutant halves began to float away from the reactor and towards the staff as it lit up. "You see that Ransorg? It's over for you. If those halves don't make it through the rift, you'll never exist," Jen mumbled as he continued to squeeze.
"That's what you think," he said, shooting an energy bolt from his hand, shattering the sphere on top of the staff, stopping the glow altogether. Seconds later, the clouds began to float towards the reactor again. "You see rangers, I'm one step ahead of you," he told them.
"That's what you think," Tommy said as he hit Ransorg in the face with a wooden board, breaking it in half and forcing him to let go of Jen.
Jen fell to the ground, holding her throat as she attempted to catch her breath.
"Welcome to your future's end," Ransorg said, pushing the detonator and setting off the charges.
The charges began to glow as some kind of smoke filled the room, making the rift in the continuum visible. Ransorg watched in amazement as the rift seemed to get smaller.
"What have you done?"
"It's over for you Ransorg, your time's up!" Alex said as he rushed into the plant, throwing a containment unit to Jen.
She quickly caught it and opened it, trapping the mutants' halves inside. Ransorg picked up a sword and swung at Jen, but as soon as the blade got inches away from her, Ransorg disappeared.
"That's it. It's finally over," Katie sighed as she made it to her feet, holding her ribs in pain.
"Is the fight over? What did I miss? I'm ready for action guys," Jindrax said as he rushed into the plant, only to see that the smoke was clearing and realize the battle was over. "Oh, I missed it. Well, it's a good thing for that Ransorg guy that I wasn't here. If I was, I would have taught him a lesson," he insisted.
"Come on guys, lets go home," Jen said.