Disclaimer: "Gaby" is being used courtesy of Cmar, my #1 fan.
(*)
"So what's the verdict doc?" Tommy asked, sitting up on the examining table.
There were various wires and needles embedded in his arm, all of them hooked up to machinery next to the table. The doctor walked over to the equipment to take a reading, then confirmed it with the information he had on his clipboard.
TJ, Andros and Wes stood across the room silently, hoping the doctor would have something positive to say. After their battle against the Machine Empire, all of them were prepared to go their separate ways, but TJ discovered Tommy unconscious behind the abandoned warehouse. His skin was glowing a dim shade of green, and he was covered in sweat. The three of them weren't sure what was wrong, but were convinced that a traditional doctor would be unable to help him. Instead, the opted to take him to Bio-Lab.
Once there, they had their leading scientists and doctors examine him, hoping to find the cause of his illness. There was a point when the room was full of doctors, including Dr. Zaskins, the leading scientist in charge of the Quantum Ranger project.
"To be honest with you Mr. Oliver, we don't even know where to begin to determine how the illness occurred. Without knowing the cause, we can't even begin to fathom a cure," he said.
"But whats wrong with me?" he inquired.
"From all I can tell, you cells are being affected on a cellular level. If it persists, the damage to your cells will become irreversible. In a nutshell, whatever is happening to you will eventually kill you," he told him.
Tommy took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with the news. He quickly glanced over at Wes. "Do you think the other Time Force rangers would be able to do something?" he asked.
"I already contacted Captain Logan, he refused to help. He said it would alter the flow of time and there's nothing he can do," Wes sighed.
"So what? That's it? We're just going to let him die?" TJ protested.
"Actually, I have an alternative," the doctor brought up.
"Which is?"
"We have the technology to cryogenically freeze you, putting you in a state of suspended animation. You could left in suspension until some sort of cure can be found," he said.
"How long will that take?"
"I'm unsure. We'll take a sample of your blood and analyze it, study it, see if we can determine anything. It may take a week, it may take a month. Maybe even longer," he said.
"I need to discuss this with my wife first. See what she has to say," Tommy said, hopping off the examining table.
"If the suspension is going to work, it has to be now. Waiting any longer will allow your cells to continue to break down. If the deterioration becomes any worse, chyrogenics will no longer be a factor," he warned.
"You mean I have to make the decision now?" he asked.
"I'm afraid so," the doctor sighed.
Tommy walked over to TJ and the others. "I guess there is no other choice, is there guys?" he asked them.
"The people at Bio-Lab are professionals, if anyone can help, it's them," Andros told him.
Tommy turned to Wes. "I'm counting on you to get me out of this one," he said.
"You got it," Wes said, extending his hand to him.
The two of them shook.
"When they do it, I need you to go to my wife and tell her what's happened. Take care of her for me. Tell her I love her, and that I'll be home as soon as I can," he said.
"I will,"
"Thanks man," Tommy sighed.
"Alright Mr. Oliver, if you'll come with me," the doctor said, motioning for him to follow.
"Good luck Tommy, and may the power protect you," TJ said, patting him on the shoulder for luck as they watched Tommy and the doctor walk out the room.
~
"Earth to Collins. Are you in there?" he heard a voice say.
Wes quickly glanced over where he saw Eric standing next to him with a cup of coffee in his hand. "Huh? What?" he mumbled.
"You were staring off into space. You feeling okay?" he asked.
It had been four years since that day, but he still remembered it as clear as if it happened yesterday. He recalled having to go to see Kim and explain what happened, how she cried for days. At one point, she even demanded to see Tommy while to chryo status, but the sight of it was too much for her. Over the years he'd done his best to live up to his promise to Tommy, but his conscience haunted him for it. 'Always above and beyond the call of duty, huh Collins?' he thought to himself.
"Yeah, I good," he looked down at his watch. "I think I'm going to call it a day. Can you handle things around here?" he replied.
"Hey, I was handling things long before you decided you wanted to be 50/50 partners," he taunted. "Go ahead, I'll take care of it," he told him.
"Are we still on for tonight?"
"Of course," Eric said.
"Thanks man," he said, taking off his beret and heading towards the door.
(*)
Jen and Tommy stepped through the vortex, finding themselves behind a house. As the portal closed, they put their hands over their eyes, trying to shield them from the sun.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"Not sure, but the first thing we need to do is get some civilian clothes. We don't exactly blend in wearing our Time Force uniforms," she said.
"How? We don't have any money," he brought up.
"Do you honestly think Time Force lets us travel back and forth through time and don't prepare us for this type of situation? Come on," she said.
The two of them wandered down the street, stopping in the first gas station they came to. Everyone gave him odd looks as they walked up to the front counter.
"Can I help you?" the girl behind the counter asked.
"Do you have an ATM machine?" Jen asked.
"Oh yeah, it's in the back of the store," she told her.
"Thanks," she said, walking to the back of the store with Tommy. She glanced around, ensuring no one was around, then removed her Time Force badge and waved it against the censor device. The screen went blank, and Jen input some type of code.
"Did it work?"
Before she could respond, the machine began to spit money out. Jen caught as much of it as she could, and Tommy grabbed the rest of it, heading for the door.
(*)
She looked out the window just as the Silver Guardian truck pulled up outside the house. With a smile on her face, she headed for the front door and stepped out on the porch to greet him.
"Hi Wes," she said cheerfully, waving.
He climbed out the truck, closing the door and removing his sunglasses as he headed for the porch. As soon as he was close enough, she jumped off the porch and into his arms. Wes stumbled back to get his footing.
"Well hello to you too Kim," he said, swinging her around.
"How was work? Defend the world from the forces of evil again?" she asked.
The two of them headed into the house, stopping in the kitchen. Wes sat down at the table as she headed for the refrigerator. "I gave out some parking tickets, and I stopped a kid from J walking. Does that count?"
"Compared to mutant attacks, no. But A for effort," she said, handing him a pop.
"Thanks," he opened his pop, taking a swallow. "Where is Trinity?" he asked.
"She's over my mother's house, you know how she feels about her granddaughter. She should be home soon," she told him.
"Any plans for tonight?"
"Are you making me an offer?" Kim asked.
"Eric and Gaby are going to dinner and a movie tonight and they invited us. You interested?" he replied, taking another swallow.
She paused. "I'd love to, but I forgot I do have plans," she sighed.
"What could be more fun than a double date with me and Eric?" he asked.
"Me and a few of the others are going to visit Trini and Zach. You know, today's the anniversary of the day that……" she sighed.
"I'm so sorry. I forgot about that completely," he walked over to her, wrapping her arms around her. "You go ahead and do what you have to do. Maybe I'll stop by afterwards. You know, if you want some company," Wes said.
She responded by wrapping her arms around. "I think I just might want some company later," she said, curling up next to him.
(*)
"We need to get a room," Tommy said, walking up the front counter.
The woman behind the counter barely seemed interested as she stared up him and down. "You in the army or something?" she asked.
"Something like that,"
"I don't think I've ever seen a uniform like that. Must be air force,"
"Must be," Tommy said.
"Do you need a single or double bed?" she asked.
He glanced back at Jen, who had a dozen shopping bags in her hand, then turned back to the woman behind the counter.
"Double,"
"That'll be 75$ a night plus a 100$ security deposit," she said.
Tommy reached into his pocket, pulling out the money and handing it to her. In return, she handed him a key. "Thanks," he said.
"Room 411. Check out time is 12-noon everyday. If you're not out by then, I charge you for another full day," she warned.
"Got it," he walked over to Jen. "We're in room 411," he told her.
"Let's go," she said, following Tommy to the door.
They stopped in front of a door, comparing it to the number on the key. "This is the place," he said, using the key to unlock the door.
As soon as they walked in, Jen set all the bags down at the door as Tommy turned on the lights. The room was much smaller than they expected, with wallpaper hanging off the walls. The beds were twin size at best, but didn't have any sheets on them.
"I guess this will have to do for now," she sighed.
"So what's the plan?"
"The plan to stay long enough for you to see your kid, then get out of here. I'm not sure how long we're going to be here, so we might as well make the best of it," she said.
"Right,"
"I got the bathroom first," she said, taking a few of the bags into the bathroom and closed the door. "Ewwwwwwww. There's no toilet seat," she groaned.
(*)
The sun was just beginning to set when Kim and the others arrived. It was good to see some of her old friends again, but she wished it could have been under better circumstances.
"You look really nice Kimmy," Adam said, giving her a slight hug.
"Am I late?"
"No, Rocky and I just got here. We're still waiting for Jason and Katherine," he told her.
"It's a shame Tommy won't get to be here," Rocky mentioned.
It was obvious that his statement struck a nerve with Kim, but she kept her emotions to herself. It was already a stressful situation, and she didn't want to make it worse.
"Yeah," she sighed.
"So, what's going on with you and the Silver Guardian guy?" Adam asked her.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, is it serious?"
"They've been dating for a while now. I bet it is serious," Rocky brought up. Adam responded by punching him in the arm.
"Its not serious," Kim said insincerely.
Adam and Rocky had been some of her closest friends over the years, but there were still some things she refused to tell them. After all, she wasn't fully sure what she felt for Wes to begin with. Part of her felt as though she should wait for Tommy to recover, that one day, Tommy would be home. On the other hand, it had been five years, and Bio-Lab weren't any closer to knowing what caused the illness in the first place, much less curing it.
Her thoughts were broken as a truck pulled up. The headlights blinked off as Jason and Katherine stepped out the truck, walking over to the three of them.
"Hi guys," Kat said, hugging each of them.
"It's good to see you," Jason said, kissing Kimberly warmly on the cheek.
"I just wish our reunions didn't have to be so," she paused. "Sad," she sighed.
The five of them heading silently into the cemetery, surrounding two of the tombstones. It had been a year since both Zach and Trini were killed by some….. thing. No one was very sure what happened, or even why it happened, but they all knew that it was a tragic lose of life.
From what the police reports said, they were in the park along with their son, Josh, when some sort of creature attacked him. Josh managed to stay out of harm's way, but was forced to watch his parents be murdered. Since then, Josh had gone to live with his grandparents, and every now and then, Adam and the others check up on him.
"Hi Trini," Kat got down on her knees, trying to control her emotions. "I went to see Josh yesterday. You'll be glad to know that he's just fine. He's in the first grade now, and he's doing good grades. He likes basketball, and he's got a nasty habit of jumping off the garage. He hurt his knee yesterday, but he'll be……" she sighed as her emotions got the best of her. Tears rolled down her face. Adam walked over to her, helping her up as she fell into his arms.
Rocky was next, walking over to the tombstones. "Hey Zach, what's up? Things have been okay for me here. I opened my own dojo, and it's doing pretty well," he took a deep breath. "I really wish you could have been here man, things are coming along well. I saw Josh last week too. We played basketball for a minute, he looks a lot like you," finally, Rocky's emotions got the better of him as he stood up, walking back towards the truck.
"Trini, Zach, do you remember when I was telling you about Angela? Well, it's official now, we're engaged. We'd been waiting a while to make our move, but our daughter will be five in a few weeks and we figured we weren't getting any younger. We haven't set a date yet, but we're hoping some something early next spring," Jason told them, fighting back the tears. "I miss you guys," he sighed, dropping a single red rose on Trini's grave, and then walked away.
"Sorry Tanya couldn't be here guys, but shes working late down at Z-Tech again. She promised to come by when she got off, so maybe I'll come back with her. We've been thinking about making it official too. You know, settling down, getting married. Once she gets her promotion and they make her a full partner, we'll focus more on it. She thinks she might be pregnant too. If she is, we're going to name the baby after you guys; Zach if it's a boy, Trini if it's a girl. I miss you guys, and I love you both," Adam said, taking a deep breath.
Kim turned to him. "Could you give me a sec?" she asked.
"Sure," he said, kissing her warmly on the cheek as he walked away.
"You were always the strong one Trini, and I need your strength right now. These have been some difficult times, and you were my best friend. You're suppose to be here to help me through this. Tommy is locked away in some freezer, and Wes has been real supportive of me the last few years, but now, things are different. I have feelings for him now. Is that wrong? I keep hoping Tommy will come home one day, but its been five years now, and I feel so…. Happy when I'm with Wes. I think I love him, and I need to know that's okay. I need you to be here to tell me what I'm feeling isn't wrong," she cried, falling to her knees. "Give me a sign. Something. Anything. Please Trini, I need you," she sighed.
Then it happened…….
As the sun set completely, it began to rain. Lightning filled the sky as the rain seemed to pour down on Kimberly. Adam quickly rushed over to her, putting his jacket over her. "Come on Kim, lets go," he said.
"Thank you Trini," she sighed, walking away.
(*)
"Well, how do I look?" Jen asked as she stepped out the bathroom.
Tommy, who was trying to get the television working, glanced up to look at her. Her hair was much shorter, and blonde, and she had on a pair of jeans and a pink cut off shirt. "Wow, you look so……" he paused, trying to choose his words carefully. "Wow," he said.
"I take it you like it then,"
"You take it right, but why the change?" he asked.
"Like I said, I don't know how long we're going to be here, and sooner or later, we're going to bump into Wes. I don't want him to recognize me," she brought up.
"Good point, but I don't have a disguise,"
"I took the liberty of picking you up something while we were shopping," she said, handing him a small bag.
He opened the bag. "A fake mustache? This is your idea of a disguise?" Tommy asked.
"Of course not. That's why I got you sunglasses and a hat too," she said, handing two another bag.
"This is never going to work," he sighed.
"Sure it is. First thing in the morning we'll head over to Kim's house and check on the baby. As long as we're careful, this will work," Jen told him.
"If you say so,"
"Well, its time to get some rest. You should try to relax a little too, we'll start bright and early in the morning," Jen said, laying down on one of the beds, using her Time Force jacket as a cover. Tommy, on the other hand, walked over to the window and simply stared out as it rained. Something about the rain was soothing, relaxing.
It hurt him to be so close to Kim, but not being able to go to her, to tell her that everything did work out. 'It took a little longer, but it worked,' he thought to himself. As much as he wanted to, he knew he never could. After all, Kim had a life now, a life without him. Going to see her now would only disrupt that life. Especially if sooner or later, he'd have to go back.
That's when he made his decision……..
"I'm not going back," he sighed.
