Rachel, Lorent, Klezmi, Silva, and a few others in minor roles are mine.
Based (loosely) on the Time Force 'Destiny' episodes. Shares plot and some dialogue with my story 'A Year of Time'.
Rated PG : language; sexuality; violence; some mature concepts.
Please review, it keeps me going.
Too many people gone, too many empty rooms. I stood, alone, at the window, looking out over the city. My city, Silver City. How many empty rooms out there? How many empty hearts?
My name is Alex. Alex Drake. I'm a captain in Time Force. We're nominally a law enforcement agency, but in the last years we've become more of a branch of the military. Once, our primary mission was to enforce the temporal laws, to prevent damage to the timestream. Or rather, further damage. Quickly, most of our efforts began to be devoted to controlling the mutant problem. For the last decades, we've been heavily involved in the war.
Since we developed instruments capable of detecting such things, we've known we're a alternate timeline. We branched off in 2001, due to the interference of Ransik, a mutant from our own time, who traveled into the past, apparently with the purpose of changing history to prevent our existence. If only he knew what a mistake he made.
In the first alternate timeline, he succeeded, and Time Force was never created. As a result, by our time most of the world's population had died in a devastating war between humans and mutants. Fortunately for everyone, that God-forsaken reality was wiped out by a team of Time Force officers who had gone back to 2001 from the original timeline to stop him. But they were only partially successful.
They couldn't completely reverse the damage Ransik had caused. Things did not go back to the original. Instead, the world I live in came into being. The same war happened, but in my timeline, it went against the mutants. Huge numbers of them have died. More have been confined in camps and compounds. Perhaps I might feel sorry for them, if our own casualties hadn't been so heavy. If they hadn't taken Jen from me.
But now all that would change. Because of me, because I couldn't face the idea of letting Jen die again. I took my last look at the city before turning back into the dark of my room, and remembering how it had happened...
It had really started with Jen, with the first time I saw her. I had joined Time Force right out of school, all fired up with ideas of single-handedly defeating hordes of mutants. That was before I discovered the reality; the ugliness that was war, the hatred, the pain, the cruelty on both sides.
Jen was a few years younger, and I was already an officer when she joined as a cadet. I was assigned to instruct a class in sharpshooting, and she was one of my students. Out of all those eager young faces, I noticed hers, bent over her rifle with such determination, then lighting up in a big warm smile when I praised her marksmanship.
Over the next months, I tried to help her when I could, just encouragement, mostly. She was talented and hardworking, and Time Force always needs good people. In no time she joined me as a full officer. The day she got her badge, and we were equals, was the day I told her I loved her. And the moment she said she felt the same way, and kissed me... I wish it could have lasted forever.
We had a year together, a year of growing closer, of starting to make plans, of getting used to thinking in terms of 'us' instead of 'you' and 'me'. Then we were assigned to bring Ransik in.
Ransik, leader of a mutant faction that was particularly vicious and well-organized. He was just one of many leaders, and his group was one of many semi-military, semi-terrorist organizations. His was just a little more successful at what they did, which was to kill as many humans as they could, and create as much fear and despair as they could. Time Force command wanted him eliminated, by any means necessary.
We cornered him, with a few of his followers, at a Time Force research facility outside of HQ. They were working on portable timehole generators there, time travel devices small enough for a person to carry. The danger was obvious; Ransik would be able to hide the generator, take it wherever he wanted, use it whenever he wanted. He and his followers would be able to escape from us through time, and more important, he'd be able to go back in time and interfere with history.
I had three squads of officers, a dozen each, under my command that night. I left two squads outside the building, surrounding it, while Jen and I led the others inside. We were all armed with high-powered blast rifles and smaller sidearms. We had no illusions, we knew how dangerous these mutants were, and didn't expect them to come peacefully. And if anyone died for their cause that day, we didn't intend it to be one of us.
We found them on the second floor, Ransik and two of his mutants, a tall white-skinned man and a man with silver-gray skin. I knew them, Conwing and Steelix, two of his top lieutenants. An opportunity to get them all, cripple their organization.
I had to give them the chance to surrender. We worked our way in, moving into the room one by one, taking cover behind the boxes and cartons scattered around the floor. When all of us were in place, ready to fire, I walked out where they could see me. My badge was already in my hand.
"Time Force," I said, steadily enough, in spite of the danger I knew I was in. "You're all under arrest."
They all stared at me, then exchanged a glance. "You'll never take us alive," Ransik replied.
I smiled. "Your choice."
With mutant speed, he drew his blaster and fired. I hit the floor, returning fire at the same time. The room erupted in energy beams. I know I hit Ransik, so did several of my officers. The mutants really never had a chance.
I don't enjoy killing anyone. Sometimes I wish we had advanced farther with the Ranger program, used it the way they did in the original reality. I could have captured Ransik instead of killing him. But in our world, we can't afford to be so reluctant to kill, and our technology has concentrated on offensive firepower, rather than more defensive systems like Ranger suits.
So Jen and I weren't exactly pleased that Ransik, Conwing, and Steelix were dead, but we knew we had done our jobs. After our debriefing the next day, we went out to dinner. Then we took a walk, in the small park between the Time Force residence halls where we lived. There's a view from a corner of that park, where you can look out over Silver City. We stood there for a time, arms around each other, kissing a few times, before I got around to saying what I intended to say.
"With Ransik taken care of, we can take some time off."
She laughed a little, her eyes bright in the moonlight. "That would be nice. Actually spend a little time alone together."
"I had something a little more permanent in mind..." I already had the small box in my hand. I opened it, showed her the ring. She didn't say anything, just looked at it, then up at my face.
"Jennifer, will you marry me?"
"Alex..." She threw her arms around my neck.
"Hold on. Does that mean yes?"
She only nodded, and kissed me. I took a moment to slip the ring on her finger before I kissed her back.
"From now on, it's you and me," I said.
"Forever."
Forever. That's how I remember her, in the moonlight, the sparkling lights of Silver City spread behind her, her eyes glowing just as brightly. It happened as we were walking back to her building, too absorbed with each other to notice that there was someone else in that park, someone with a high-powered blaster. Probably he meant to hit me, but he got Jen instead. Like a good soldier, I left her on the ground and went after him, calling for backup at the same time. We got him. He was one of Ransik's followers, out for revenge. Jen was rushed to the infirmary. She died two days later without regaining consciousness.
We know about the original timeline, we know a lot. Our technology in temporal mechanics is at least as good as theirs. When a timeline has existed, it leaves traces behind, echoes of its subspace communications mostly. We've picked up plenty of information. Three months after Jen's death, we learned that the original reality's version of Ransik had escaped to the past, to 2001. That Jen and her team of Rangers had pursued him. That Jen -- another version of Jen -- was alive in the past.
As I said before, when Ransik arrived in 2001, he set events in motion that prevented the creation of Time Force, that wiped out the original timeline. What he didn't foresee was that in the new reality, instead of mutants gaining power over humans, there were a series of wars even worse than ours, in which most of the Earth's population was killed.
Then two things happened to prevent some of the damage Ransik caused. Jen and the Rangers saved Eric Myers' life, and he came into possession of the Quantum morpher. That didn't bring back the original timeline, but it created ours.
Now we had discovered how fragile our timeline, our world, still was. History in 2001 had reached a critical period. We had to ensure that events went the way they were supposed to. And I decided to do the job myself.
I was high in Time Force command, partially due to ability, partly because there had been so many deaths that there was a shortage of high-ranking officers. When I had announced my intention of taking on the mission to 2001 myself, no one had argued.
Only Rachel was there to see me off. We stood in the timeship landing field, just outside the main hanger, watching as a team of technicians gave my ship a last check. I looked at her as she watched them. Sometimes I had thought there might have been something between us, if I hadn't met Jen first. And now -- now Jen was gone, but I had no interest in other women. Something more that the mutants, and the war, and all the horror I had seen, had taken from me.
"Alex. Are you sure about this?"
Rachel's question brought me back to the present. "Of course I'm sure. This is a critical time in 2001. I'm going to make sure things turn out the way they should."
"Jen has something to do with it, doesn't she?"
"I..." I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn't come. Jen had a great deal to do with it. Ever since we had found out that a version of Jen from an alternate reality was alive in 2001...
"You want to see her again."
"I know she's not the same Jen."
"You know that. But do you believe it? Deep down?"
"I believe it. I have no choice."
She looked at me skeptically. I glanced away uncomfortably. "How do you feel about going up against Ransik again?" she asked after a few moments.
"I thought you were a biophysicist, not a psychiatrist." But I smiled and shrugged. "Why should I feel differently about him than any other mutant?"
Her eyes dropped away from mine. "It was his followers who killed Jen, in revenge for his death."
"Maybe. But this isn't the same Ransik."
"Still..."
"Besides, our immediate problem at this time is Frax."
She looked me over again, as if wanting to pursue it. But all she said was, "Looks like your ship's ready."
"Right. Goodbye, Rachel. Wish me luck."
"Of course. Good luck to all of you." She shook my hand, pressing it for a moment longer than necessary. I carried the image of her smile with me as I started my journey.
I landed in the same place Jen and her team had. Or rather, where they had crashed. Bits of debris were still scattered over the beach. It was a beautiful day, but I had no time or inclination for more than a glance over the ocean and a few deep breaths of fresh air. In minutes I was on my vectorcycle, speeding into town. Silver Hills. The same city, but two hundred years makes a difference. I had memorized a contemporary map and had no trouble finding the place I was looking for.
Bio-Lab. Seeing it impressed me. So many important events had occurred there, so many of the people I admired had walked those halls. Eric Myers. Alan Collins and Wes Collins, presumably my relatives. The people who had made Time Force what it is, who had shaped our world.
As I had expected, I saw the signs of the attack that had just taken place. Police vehicles and fire engines were clustered in front of the main building. Wrecked cyclobots were strewn over the parking lot. Uniformed Silver Guardians ran back and forth. I strained my eyes, trying to spot a red beret, wondering if I'd catch a glimpse of Eric, but there was no sign of him. But they were there, on their vectorcycles, parked on the main street in view of the building.
I rode closer, seeing them stop their conversation and stare at me. The Rangers. The suits were impressive, and again I wished we had developed that technology to the point of usefulness. If I hadn't been forced to kill Ransik... I was confronted by five Rangers, their faces hidden by their helmets. But I knew exactly who they were.
Lucas was in blue. In our world, I had never known him, he had died years ago. Trip and Katie were in green and yellow. They were mutants. I didn't know what had happened to their equivalents in our world. Probably dead. Wes Collins, in red, with the morpher meant for me, or my counterpart. But the only one I really saw -- Jen, in pink. Getting off her vectorcycle, taking a few steps toward me.
She raised her arm and demorphed. And there she was, just as I remembered her, brown hair, warm brown eyes, that face I had thought I'd never see again, now stricken with shock. I stopped and dismounted.
"Alex?" Her voice was shaking. She suddenly ran forward and threw herself into my arms. I felt only a sort of numbness, as I tried to remember she wasn't the same Jen, not my Jen.
Then they were all around me, demorphed, patting me on the back, saying how glad they were to see me. None of it was really meant for me, of course, it was for the Alex they had known. I took Jen's shoulders and moved her back, and prepared to say what I had come to say.
But it didn't come out that way. I had intended to warn them, to give them some advice, help them with strategy, to offer some backup if they needed it. One look, one hug, from Jen had changed all that. You see, I knew from our historical records what was coming for them, only a few months in their future. After that, Jen would be gone again. Suddenly I couldn't face that, I had to do something to change it, even if it went against everything I was sworn to as a Time Force officer.
My eyes landed on Wes, and my resolve hardened. The way he was looking at Jen... the same way I wanted to look at her. Jealousy fizzed through my veins. And it hit me, how I could get rid of him, and stay with Jen, try to save her, maybe without changing history -- at least without changing it very much. I didn't even need to feel guilty about Wes. He should thank me.
I greeted them, my voice as steady as I could make it. "Hello, Jennifer. Lucas, Trip, Katie. And you must be Wes." There was no mistaking him, his resemblance to me was uncanny.
"How is this possible? How did you survive Ransik's attack? We were sure you were… gone," Jen asked, voice trembling. There were tears in her eyes.
"History has changed, remember. Our time as you experienced it no longer exists. If you say I died -- your version of me must have died. In the new reality, I didn't."
"Have we succeeded? Does Time Force exist again? It must, you're wearing the uniform," Lucas said.
"Yes, your mission has succeeded, for now. But the timestream is still very unstable. It could revert easily, if the next few days don't go the way they should. That's why I'm here. We'll go to your headquarters, and I'll tell you all about it."
I stopped Wes as he turned to go back to his vectorcycle. "Not you, Wes."
"What do you mean?" He didn't like me, I could tell.
"You belong to this time. I can't allow you to hear some of the things I need to discuss with my team. And… there's another reason." I paused for a moment, collecting my thoughts. "I know this will be a shock for you. I'm taking over as Red Ranger."
"What? Why? Wes is a great Red Ranger. Why change the team?" Trip asked indignantly.
"Wes, your place is at Bio-Lab. You must help get it through the problems it will face soon."
He smiled disbelievingly. "Maybe that was my place, but I've made my own life now. And Bio-Lab isn't part of it."
I went on. This part was true, and it fit with the plan emerging in my mind. "You must fulfill your destiny and take over Bio-Lab now because -- tomorrow your father will die."
He stared, and then smiled. "That's crazy. I saw my dad last night. He was fine."
"He may have been fine last night, but…."
His morpher signaled. With an uncertain look at me, Wes raised it and answered.
"Wes? It's Eric."
"Eric. I hear you."
"Bio-Lab was attacked today. Your father was injured. I'm sorry, but you should get to Silver Hills Hospital as soon as you can. It looks… real bad."
"Oh, God..." He raised his eyes to me, face shocked and dazed.
"I'm sorry," I said. And meant it. Judging by his expression, he loved his father. He stared at me numbly. Then without another word, he took off the morpher, handed it to me, then went to his vectorcycle, got on it, and drove off. I had taken the first step. The Rangers were fated to die in a few months, and I would be with them. With Jen.
"What's the matter with you?"
I turned away from the view over Silver Hills from the window of the clock tower they were using as headquarters and living quarters. Jen was standing there, the sun glinting off her hair against the dark interior, now in her Time Force uniform again, instead of the contemporary clothing she had been wearing when I found them. I had felt the need both to assert my authority and to remind them of their duty, their professionalism, by ordering them to change clothes. Now I felt a little ashamed of my attitude.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You seem so tense. And you don't seem too happy to see me again. And why didn't you contact us before, let me know you were alive?"
"Jen -- reality has changed significantly. I'm not really the same Alex you knew. He's... just gone, forever. And you're not the same Jen I knew. It wouldn't have been appropriate for me to contact you before it became necessary. And now that I'm here, this mission is more important than our personal feelings or problems. I have to make sure we succeed. That includes getting you people into shape."
She was quiet for a moment, biting her lip in the way I remembered. Whatever she may have felt about the fact that I wasn't really the Alex she had known, she didn't say. "It's not like we've been playing around here. We've been working hard."
I had been checking out their equipment, and had found some pictures they had taken of each other. The one I was holding now showed Wes kissing Jen. Bright, hot jealousy ran though me again. "Right. It looks like you've been working really hard." Not fair, not reasonable, I knew. When she didn't answer, I changed the subject.
"How did your version of me die?"
"He tried to stop Ransik from coming back to this time. He died bravely. Trying to do what he became a Ranger to do."
"I hope I have as much courage as he did." I looked away from her. I would need courage.
"Are there two of me now? Is 'your' Jen waiting in our time?"
"No. For years we've been fighting a war with the mutants. Many good people died. She was one of them." I turned to look at her, gazing up at me, her face open and sympathetic. I reached to brush her cheek with my fingertips. "So you see, both of us are… touching a ghost."
Jen stared at me, eyes wide. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
I would have liked to say more, but the others came in then. I reminded myself of what I had to do. I was walking a fine line now, trying to preserve history, while finding a way to stay with the woman I loved, whether that meant saving her or only dying with her.
TBC...