"Commander Collins," a voice said.
Alex opened his eyes slowly, only to find himself in his quarters. He sat up slowly, wiping his eyes, then saw her standing at the edge of the bed. "What the hell…" he paused. "Admiral Summers?" he mumbled, noticing she was wearing a Time Force uniform.
"Not quite, I'm a holographic projection of Admiral Summers," she said.
Alex picked up his pillow and threw it at her, watching it go through her and fall to the floor. "That's a nice trick," he said.
"Have you been in contact with Captain Scott today?" she inquired, getting down to business.
"No," he slid out of bed, wrapping his housecoat around himself. "Why?"
"She'll be going on a mission shortly, a mission that will alter the course of history," she said.
"Must be important if you came all the way from the future to warn me," he mentioned.
"I assure you, it is. It is imperative that history take its natural course,"
"I understand. I'll talk to Admiral Logan and have him stop her from going…" he was cut short.
"No, she must go in order for time to go smoothly. You see Commander, Jennifer is destined to die in the year 2015,"
"What?" he walked towards her. "No, I refuse. I'll stop her," he screamed.
"I'm afraid it is out of your hands Commander. I'm aware of your feelings for her, but this is how it must be. To prevent her death will cause the death of countless billions," she said.
"Someone told me once that we make our own destinies, and if I have to weigh Jen's life against the lives of people who haven't even been born yet, I saw its an acceptable lose," he informed her.
"Jen's death will ensure that Time Force is founded, and that you will be born. I implore you Alexander, you must allow time to progress as it was intended to," she explained.
He sighed. "If I have to sacrifice my life to save Jen, so be it," Alex said, standing firm in his decision.
"You still don't understand Commander. Your life isn't the only one at stake. Countless generations of people will be effected, billions will cease to exist, Time Force as you know it will crumble and anarchy will reign," she told him.
"That's the key word, Time Force as I know it. Generations will cease to exist, but other generations will take their place, and the Time Force I know it could use some improvements. Saving Jen's life is worth the risk," he told her.
"Frankly Commander, that isn't your decision to make. I appreciate your feelings in the matter, but you have your orders. Jen will be allowed to travel to the past where she will die. Do I make myself clear?" she asked.
"Permission to speak freely Admiral," he requested.
"Permission denied. You will follow my orders to the letter or I'll have you relieved of your command. Do I make myself clear?" she repeated.
"Yes ma'am,"
(*)
There was a time in her life when she was convinced that Alexander Collins was the only man for her. He was intelligent, warm hearted and very passionate about what he did. There was something about him, something that drew her to him, something she couldn't resist. While he trained her in the academy, she tried to believe that it was simply a crush on a superior officer, but it grew into something much more. Soon, they were dating, and once she graduated from the academy, they were inseparable.
Suddenly, Alex' new assignment kept him away from her. He became obsessed with capturing Ransik, and she did her best to understand. Captain Logan assigned her to a small mobile unit to assist Alex, but his duties still kept him busy. Alex had been giving the experimental Chrono Morpher, which endowed him with superhuman powers. There were times when she envied him, being the first to test the Morpher. During her academy days, PR101 was a required class, so she was more than familiar with the legacy of the Power Rangers. Now, Alex was a part of that legacy, and she wanted nothing more than to be a part of it as well.
After a while, Alex' obsession with Ransik was overshadowed by his newfound power. They began to spend less and less time together, until eventually, the only time they saw one another was during a duty shift. Things were looking bad for them, but then it happened… Alex managed to capture Ransik.
During the trial, Alex proposed to her. It was sudden, but she knew that it would be a new beginning for them, and that they'd be able to spend a lot more time together. Things were going well… but Ransik escaped.
And the worst part, he escaped under her supervision.
Needless to say Captain Logan was pissed, and things went from bad to worse as Alex was reassigned to capturing Ransik. She took her small unit and surrounded a warehouse on the south side of Silver Hills. Alex went in after him, but was seriously injured in the process. With his "last breath", she told her to go after Ransik and capture him at all costs. Alex told her where to find the other Chrono morphers, and she and her unit traveled into the past to capture Ransik.
That's when things got really complicated…
In the past, she met Wesley Collins, who looked exactly like Alex in every way. Wes joined her unit and promised to do whatever he could to help them find and capture Ransik once and for all. During the months they spent together, she and Wes grew closer… and closer. Soon, she found herself thinking more of Wes, and a lot less of Alex. She was falling in love with him, but there were complications. Wes was from the 21st century, and regardless to if her mission failed or not, she would have to return to her own time, leaving him behind. Things took another bizarre turn when Alex traveled to the past, warning her of shifts in the time line, forcing her to question her feelings for both Alex and Wes.
Ultimately, she told Alex she heart belonged to someone else, and as expected, he didn't take it very well.
When she did return to the 31st century, things between she and Alex were awkward. They rarely spoke to one another, and during meetings, there was so much tension between them that the entire room could feel it. It took a while, but the two of them eventually found a way to be civil to one another. Things between them were getting better, and they were even able to go out of the occasion date, but things took an even more bizarre turn.
He came into the picture.
Suddenly, she found herself thinking about Tommy Oliver. There was something about him that commanded respect, yet he was humble. He was a skilled fighter, a loyal friend, and the most experienced ranger in history. She tried to tell herself that it was hero envy, that after reading about Tommy, she had come admire him. She tried to convince herself that it was no more than that, but failed horribly. It was the first time in a long time that she was able to express her feelings for someone, and know they could express their feelings in return. With Alex, she couldn't do that. With Wes, even though he wanted to, they couldn't. This time was different; over the last few months she'd come to adore Tommy Oliver, and she was convinced he felt the same way.
She rolled over in the bed, resting her head on his chest. It had been so long, she'd almost forgotten what it was like to lay in the arms of a man. Ever since they finally confessed their feelings for one another, they'd be inseparable. They went to the café every morning, sometimes with Trip and Camille, but most times alone. With the extra time off from work, they found other ways to entertainment one another, and in the evening, they visited Katie in the medical bay, waiting to hear something about her condition.
It was the first time in her life that she didn't have a care in the world. She and Tommy were together, she'd gotten a promotion at work, and things were finally falling into place for her.
'Logan to Captain Scott. Respond,' she heard a voice say.
She reluctantly reached for her Morpher on the nightstand, pushing the button. "Yes Admiral?"
'I hate to interrupt, but I was hoping you and Lt. Oliver could join us in the science lab. I think there's something here you need to see,' he said.
"We're on the way sir," she sighed, putting her Morpher on her wrist.
No sooner than she sat up did Tommy open his eyes. "Good morning," he sighed, smiling warmly at her.
"Good morning to you too Lt. Oliver," she said.
"Oh, we're playing that again. Is this the part where you call me into your office and…" he was cut short.
"No, duty calls. The admiral wants us in the science lab," she said.
"Is that an order?"
She leaned over, kissing him warmly on the lips. "Follow my orders Lt. or I'll have to tie you up again," she whispered.
"If I do follow your orders, you will still tie me up?" he asked with a devilish grin.
"Count on it," Jen sighed.
(*)
Tommy and Jen walked into the science lab, where Admiral Logan was standing in front of the control panel along with Camille and Trip.
"Glad to see you could join us Mr. And Mrs. Oliver," Camille said.
"Very funny," Tommy sighed.
"I thought so too,"
"So whats going on?" Jen asked as they headed over to the controls, getting a good look at the readings.
"We were able to re-initialize primary power to the science lab yesterday, but the slipstream itself is still off line. When we restored power, we found that there was a distress call being repeated on every frequency," Trip said.
"A distress call? From where?" Jen asked.
"Not from where, from when? According to our readings, it originated in the year 2010. Silver Hills, California," Camille said.
"Well, lets see it," she said.
The screen blinked on, and an image of Wes appeared on the screen. Although there were some minor differences. At first glance, he looked to have put on a few pounds, but wore it well. The most noticeable difference was the fact that he now had a full beard and mustache. "Guys, this is Wes. Do you read me? I've got a situation here and I'm going to need some serious back up. Eric has been injured, and the city has been over run by cyborgs. With Eric down and most of the Silver Guardians altered, we're running out of options. We need help, and fast…"
"Is that all the message says?" Jen asked.
"It stops right there and repeats over and over," Camille told her.
"Have you been able to determine what's going on?" Tommy inquired.
"No, we can only research the history logs for information, but there is nothing in the logs about how the cyborgs came into existence or who is responsible for them," the Admiral brought up.
"Which means there's an outside influence at work. Maybe someone from another time line has trying to change the past," Trip added.
"We have to go to the 21st century and do what we can to help. If we don't, the present will be effected as well," Jen said.
"We can't risk sending you back in time captain, it could do more harm than good. We need to focus on what's going on here and now before we can solve Wes' problems too," Admiral Logan said.
"If these cyborg things beat him, the future will change, and Wes' problems will be our problems. That's why we have to stop it in the past before it gets too far out of hand," Tommy mentioned.
"I agree," Jen said.
"Trip, Camille, the two of you should stay here and work on the slipstream. See if you can get it back on line, we may need it. Admiral, have Lt. Emery meet us in shuttle bay four and prep the time ship for launch," Tommy instructed.
"We should take Adam with us too," she suggested.
"Agreed. Can you have him meet us in five minutes Camille?" he asked.
"Consider it done Tommy," she said.
(*)
Adam sat across from Katie in the medical bay as she leaned up against the wall. Her hair covered her face as she rocked back and forth.
He wanted to say something to her, to comfort her, but wasn't sure how. 'I can't imagine what it must have been like to see him killed like that,' he thought to himself. He knew it would be insulting to tell her he understood, or to lie to her and say he understood. The fact it, he could never understand it.
"She's been like that for a few days now," Dr. Young said as he walked in, making his way towards Adam.
"What's wrong with her?"
"I've been able to do some more research on the Ethros. Apparently, her Ethros half was responsible for her healing so fast, but her human side can't handle it. The human body isn't suppose to heal so rapidly, and the results are her losing a grasp of reality," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"She insists that Ransik's death was just a dream, that he's coming back for her,"
"I don't think that has anything to do with her being half Ethros. Its human to be in denial about a tragic moment in your life," he brought up.
"Perhaps, but until she snaps out of it, she won't be able to return to work. She'll have to remain here so I can run some tests," Dr. Young told him.
"I understand,"
'Camille to Adam. Come in,' a voice said.
Adam reached for his morpher. "I'm here Camille, what is it?"
'The captain wants you to meet her in the shuttle bay, it's important,' she said.
"I'm on it," he turned to the doctor. "Just keep me updated on her situation," he said.
"No problem."
He turned to Katie. "You'll get through this Katie, I know it," Adam said, walking out the room.
~
He walked into the main shuttle bay, where Lt. Emery was already in the time ship preparing the shuttle for launch. Adam stepped into the ship, amazed at the design.
"What's up James?" he inquired.
"I'm not sure. Captain Scott wanted us to meet her here. My orders were to prep the ship, but she didn't give me the coordinates. I don't know where to send the ship," he told them.
"That's because you're not going," they heard a voice say. They turned around as Tommy and Jen walked into the ship.
"What do you mean?"
"Tommy, Adam and I are going on a mission, but I need you to stay here and make sure that things in the lab go smoothly," Jen told him.
"So… I'm in charge while you're gone?" he inquired.
She paused. "Yeah, assume control until I return. I'm counting on you Lt. Emery," she said firmly, playing along.
"You can count on me ma'am," he said eagerly, exiting the ship.
"Poor guy," Adam giggled.
"He just wants to do his best," Jen mentioned.
"Yeah, but did he have to drink 12 cups of coffee beforehand? That guy really needs to calm down," he said.
"So where are we going?"
"We received a distress call from the year 2015. We're going there to do what we can to help," Jen told him.
'Tanya,' he thought to himself.
The thought of being able to see here again gave him an ambivalent sense. Part of him wanted to see her again, needed to see her again, but he knew it would only complicate things. Seeing her again would bring up a lot of questions he wasn't in a position to answer, and it would stir up emotions that he'd finally been able to control. Seeing her again would complicate his life.
"What do we know about the situation?" he inquired.
"According to the distress call, the city of Silver Hills has been taken over my cyborgs and the Quantum Ranger is injured. That's all we know. The moment we get there, we'll switch on the cloaks and access the situation, then go from there," she instructed.
"Sounds like a plan," Tommy said, taking his seat in front of the controls. "Time circuits are on line and coordinates are set,"
"Confirmed, coordinates set and locked," Jen said, taking her seat across from him.
Adam sat down, buckling his seatbelt.
~
Outside the shuttle bay, Alex watched from a careful distance as the docking bay doors opened and the ship lifted off the ground. "Goodbye Jennifer," he sighed reluctantly as the ship took off, disappearing into a time hole.
