Rachel, Gaby, and Rick are mine.
Rated PG : some language and violence.
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10:05 AM, February 14, 2004
There had been silence for a few minutes after Katie was gone, as Trip and Rachel worked over their instruments, hopelessness in the slump of their shoulders. Nadira watched Trip hunch miserably and felt a tear trickle down her face. Three of them gone now. Only three left. Only one Ranger left. And this time, she knew there was no choice for her.
"I'm going this time," she said, proud of how steady her voice was.
"No," Trip said, turning to face her. "I'm the next logical choice."
"No, you aren't. We still need to know more about what's happening."
"We know the building power has something to do with it," Rachel said. "We can try cutting it off sooner. But -- how did it get past those circuit breakers?"
Trip shrugged. "It's connected into subspace, remember? Maybe it sent an energy surge contained in a subspace tunnel over the wiring. That would have been powerful enough to jump over the breaker, maybe fuse the whole thing."
"Well -- maybe if the main power was shut off. There must be a set of breakers for the whole building."
"Maybe. And we have to figure out why it was a little slower this time."
"Right," Nadira said, standing up. "Katie kept Wes from going in that lab and getting killed. That's the only thing that was really different. Maybe if I can stop Eric from going in and getting hurt, that would make more of a difference."
"Why? Katie saved both their lives, and that didn't stop it."
She shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe it was because they got near to the bubble."
"You know..." Rachel's face lit up. "Eric told Katie his morpher was drained instantly, right? If that thing is drawing power from whatever source it can get -- it took the power from his morpher!"
"And from Wes's morpher, the first two times," Trip said eagerly. "Even from Lucas's and Alex's. All that energy must have made it grow faster."
"But... keeping Wes and his morpher away from it barely slowed it down. How much good is it going to do to prevent it getting at Eric's morpher?"
"Only one way to find out," Nadira said. "I'll head to the Collins house. It takes about twenty minutes to get there. If I hurry, I can catch Eric before he leaves."
"But I should be the one to go. I'm the only one of us who's a Ranger."
"Exactly. We can't afford to lose you, Trip, can't risk you unless we have a plan we think will work, or enough time for you to get back to the ship." She smiled at both of them. "Besides, you two are both temporal physicists. I'm not. You're the ones who are going to figure this out and find a way to stop it, not me. All I can do is give you more information. I have my Time Force communicator, I'll report back."
The two of them exchanged a look, and Nadira knew she had won her point. "Good luck, Nadira," Trip said.
"Yes. Good luck. Try -- try to make it back here in time."
"I will. Don't worry." Giving them a grin, she flipped her long pink hair back over her shoulder. "Never give up, and all that stuff. Later."
10:38 AM, February 14, 2004
"Oh, never mind! I'll wait for him out here!" Nadira scowled angrily at the man with the English accent, the one who refused to tell Eric or Wes she was here. And at the people in the foyer behind him who were staring at her. "It's the hair, isn't it?" she shouted as a parting shot, as she stamped back out and the door swung shut. But it was probably more than that.
How many of these people remembered her from three years ago? How many might have seen her in person, as she amused herself in this time by robbing stores, as she helped her father to terrorize the city? Could she really blame them for the hostility in their eyes? But things are different now... she complained mentally. Very different. She had seen how wrong her father had been, and she had made the decision to change her life, to do something good and useful with it. It might never be enough to cancel out all of Ransik's crimes, but she could try. As she was trying now.
And then the door opened again. A man rushed out. Black hair, average height, nice build, a square, hard face that seemed out of place above a formal suit, instead of the navy-blue military-style uniform she remembered. He jumped down the stairs, obviously in a hurry, saw her, and stopped abruptly.
"Nadira? What are you doing here?"
"Didn't they tell you? I came for the wedding, with -- with Lucas."
"Yeah, Jen mentioned it." He eyed her with a touch of suspicion. "Where are the others?"
"Long story. We have a problem. A big one."
10:41 AM, February 14, 2004
"Look, I don't have time to explain everything! You've got to believe me!"
"Why should I? I don't have time for this either. Gotta get to Bio-Lab." With a disgusted look at Nadira, Eric raised his morpher to his face.
"At least remember what I said! Don't go in that lab! You can't do any good, and you'll only get hurt. Maybe killed."
"I'll decide for myself what I have to do!" But he paused, and lowered his arm a little. "Time bubble -- time repeating itself. Maybe you've been watching too many movies."
"How else would I have known what happened at Bio-Lab? When you get there, you'll see. There'll be an energy ball, blue with points of light. Please..." She stepped closer, reaching for his arm. "Please, believe me. Don't go in there. You'll only make things worse."
"But Dr. Zaskin... Rick..."
"Dr. Zaskin and Rick are already dead. You can't help them."
He stared at her, and then stepped back, shaking off her hand on his arm. "I'm going." The morpher raised again, and he said firmly, "Quantum Power!"
Nadira blinked as light twisted around him, energy crackling as the Quantum Ranger's suit and weapons were brought out of subspace and replaced his clothing. "Eric, please..." she said again.
"I'll remember what you said." His voice was surprisingly gentle as he added, "Thanks." Then he was calling into his morpher again, and a small flyer appeared above them, swooping down to hover just off the ground. Without another glance, Eric leaped onto the wing and slid into the one-person cockpit. The flyer lifted into the sky. And he was gone.
She didn't waste time gazing after him. Nadira turned to the door again and went up to it, her lips compressed into a thin line. This time, no one would stop her, even if she had to push them out of her way. She was going to find Wes and Jen.
10:56 AM, February 14, 2004
Nadira watched their faces anxiously. She had repeated her story for Wes -- again -- and seen the same unbelieving look, although he was polite enough to try to hide it. Then, at her request and in spite of some old-fashioned superstition about his seeing Jen before the wedding, they had gone to the room where Jen was dressing with Eric's girlfriend's help, and she had told it for the third time. Then, she had contacted Trip, who had assured both of them, through the communicator, that it was all true. Now she waited, seeing three faces -- Wes, Jen, and Gaby -- stare back.
"A time bubble. I've heard of the theory, of course, but how could it happen in this time? Who could have opened a timehole at the same time you guys arrived in your ship?" Jen asked. "And a timehole that's not working right; that's the only way it could happen, feedback between two timeholes, at least one of them malfunctioning... Even if it's an unauthorized traveler, why would they be using a timehole that's so badly configured?"
"I don't know. I was hoping you'd have some ideas," Nadira said.
"We should go," Wes interrupted, fidgeting nervously. "Make sure Eric doesn't try anything and get hurt, like you said." He paused as Gaby looked up at him, eyes wide. "Maybe there's still something we can do for Dr. Zaskin and Rick."
"Wes, there isn't. Lucas, Alex, and Katie all said they were dead." Nadira softened as she saw the expression on his face. "I'm sorry. But we can't save them, and we have no time to think about them now. We have to find out--"
This time Gaby interrupted. "Maybe Rick was trying to build a time machine again!" She turned to Wes and Jen. "Remember the last time?"
"I sure do," Wes said. "And you're right, it would be just like him to try again, in spite of what happened the last time. And to keep it secret, and go in to test it out on a Saturday. When Bio-Lab would be even emptier than usual, because people would be away for the wedding."
"I remember that," Nadira exclaimed. "One of your scientists built a timehole, based on the ship you guys crashed in when you first came here. It didn't work right, and Alex had to bring all of you back from sixty-five million years ago."
"Right. That scientist was Rick Quinn."
"If he's been experimenting again, that could be what our monitors detected."
Wes's face became grim again. "Well, if it's true, he's certainly paid for his mistake now."
"And we have to make sure no one else pays for it." Jen drew herself up, looking grim and determined despite the white satin and lace of her wedding gown. "Nadira, what do we have to do?"
"We're not sure. Keep your morphers away from it. Try cutting off the building power supply. Besides that, we just have to see what happens, and hope Trip and Rachel can think of something."
Jen frowned. "It's not much. But I guess we have no choice." She nodded and held her hand out to Wes.
"I'm going too," Gaby said.
"No." Wes softened it with a smile. "We need you to keep things under control here. Tell Dad where we went, but don't panic anyone. Tell him we'll be back as soon as we can." He sighed. "I suppose the wedding will have to be postponed. You can tell him that too."
"But Eric..."
"Don't worry," Jen said. "Eric's been warned; he'll be careful. We'll make sure he gets back in one piece."
11:18 AM, February 14, 2004
She felt as if she recognized that hallway, the double doors at the end, a glimpse of the ruined laboratory visible through the doors' glass windows. All just as Lucas, Alex, and Katie had said. Everything except -- there was no body in sight, lying on the floor. Instead Eric was standing at those doors, staring in, his face rigid with tension as he turned at the sound of their approach.
"I can see them," he said. "I almost went in. Wanted to."
Wes and Jen stepped next to him, Nadira trying to see past them. "Michael and Rick..." Wes said softly. He rested a hand on Eric's shoulder.
"I should have at least tried."
"No. Nadira's right. They're already gone." Wes turned away and exchanged a few words with a short, dark-haired man with soot stains on his clothes and face, whom Nadira recognized as one of the Silver Guardians she had come up against in her career as a thief.
"Steve, what happened here?" Wes asked.
"Sir, Dr. Quinn was working in there this morning," he started, interrupted by a cough.
"Rick Quinn?" Nadira asked.
"Yes. He was working, and I guess he must have called Dr. Zaskin in. Then I got a call from one of the Guardians on duty, that there had been an explosion. I was near Bio-Lab, came here to check it out."
"What time was that?"
"I got the call at about 10:30. Maybe a few minutes after."
"Did they call you right away?"
"Yeah, I guess so." He blinked at her, looking confused.
"It's okay, Steve," Wes said. "Go on. What happened then?"
"I looked in, saw Dr. Zaskin and Dr. Quinn lying there. I tried to get to them--"
"You went inside?"
"Yeah. It started shooting those lightening bolts, or whatever they are. Knocked me down. There was smoke. The ventilators have cleared it now. I -- I couldn't reach them..."
"You did everything you could, Steve. You should sit down, you look pretty shaken up." Eric had joined them.
"I'm okay. What are we going to do about that -- thing in there?"
They all turned to look at her. Nadira gulped and took out her communicator. "Trip, Rachel. I'm at Bio-Lab, with Wes, Jen, and Eric. None of them went in. What now?"
"There's a difference in the readings... Without the energy from Eric's morpher, it's not increasing as fast. But it's still increasing."
"Should we shut off the breakers, like Katie did?"
"Try cutting off the main building power, there should be a central set of breakers."
"Right." She looked up at all of them. "The time bubble needs energy. We have to shut off the electricity. For the whole building."
"In the whole building? There's a lot of experiments, and a lot of processing going on that would be ruined if the power's cut off," Steve objected.
"We have to do it," Wes said. "No choice. Eric, you go with Nadira to shut off the breakers. The rest of us will stay here and see what happens. How much time do we have?"
Nadira shrugged slightly and glanced at the wall clock. "At least until noon. It's about 11:20 now. Forty minutes. Maybe more, since it's not getting big as fast as before."
"Forty minutes. Let's get moving."
As she and Eric started for the basement, Nadira's communicator buzzed. She pulled it out and answered, as they began trotting down the stairs. "Yes?"
"Nadira, you should start back for the ship now. You should still have time to make it, but just barely."
"Trip, I can't leave now! Besides, I think we've got it. We'll shut off all the power, and the bubble should just go away, shouldn't it?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. It may already be too big."
Rachel's voice came, worried and intense. "Remember what happened before? All three times, the bubble burst after the power went off. Shutting off the power may just trigger it."
"Well, I have no choice anyway. I rode here with Wes and Jen, left my car at the Collins house, and no one has time to give me a ride."
"Nadira, how could you strand yourself like that--"
"Wish I could say I was nobly sacrificing myself, but I just wasn't thinking. Guess I still need more training before I'll be a good officer, huh?"
"Don't be silly." It was Trip again. "You're doing a great job. And maybe this time..."
"Cross your fingers."
11:28 AM, February 14, 2004
"Here it is." Eric stopped in front of a tall metal panel on the wall, after leading her through a maze of machinery, boxed equipment, and discarded furniture. He pulled it open, revealing a row of large knife switches, and gave her a glance. "I hope you know what you're doing," he muttered, reaching to start throwing them.
"This'll do the whole building?" She was next to him, bending to pull the lower ones.
"Uh huh. Then we'll see what that bubble-thing does." He grimaced angrily, as if the time bubble were a living enemy.
"That's it!" she cried, as the lights flickered. She heard the sound of the last two breakers clicking over as they went out, then were almost immediately replaced by a dimmer glow. "What's that?" she asked.
"Emergency lights."
Communicator in hand again, she called the ship. "Trip! The power's off. What are you getting?"
"The level dropped -- but just for a moment. It's -- it's starting to rise again! It's still getting power!"
"Must be the emergency power. It's tapping into that," Eric said.
"Then -- you've got to cut off that emergency generator!"
Eric raised his morpher to his face. "Wes! It's getting the emergency power now! We've got to shut the generator off!"
They waited for tense moments before the answer came. "The generator's locked up. We need to get a building engineer to get in there and shut it down. Hold on..." There was another pause. "We're heading down there. I'll find someone and get back to you. Stay there, someone might try to turn the main power back on."
11:43 AM, February 14, 2004
They had waited, as the minutes seemed to crawl by at a glacial rate. Eric muttered and paced, Nadira watched him, unwilling to interrupt, and too nervous for meaningless talk. Finally, Eric's morpher called them again in Wes's voice.
"Eric, we're at the emergency generator room. They won't turn it off without authorization, but I've got my dad on the cellphone, he's talking to one of the engineers. This guy doesn't want to do it, he wants Dad to call the chief engineer at home..."
"Then blast the door down!" Nadira shouted. "It's getting late, you've got to shut it off now!"
"Jesus -- see what we can do..."
"Shit," Eric growled. "Want something done around here, have to do it myself. You stay here, make sure no one touches these switches." He took off at a run.
Nadira heard his footsteps fade, echoing faintly in that darkened basement. Then the hollow sound was gone, and she was alone, with only her fears and the shadows that seemed to start closing in. Just an illusion caused by nerves, she knew, but still... She checked the time. Very close -- why didn't the ship call, to tell her everything was all right -- what could be taking so long...
Her thoughts abruptly shattered as a sharp cracking sound rang through the still air, accompanied by a flash of light in the distance, followed by the popping sound of some kind of unnatural sparks. Nadira started, gasped, then started to run, her heart pounding with the conviction that something had gone terribly wrong. She stumbled, wishing she hadn't worn the pretty shoes with the heels, but of course they went with the dress -- a moment of regret, such a nice dress, she had tried so hard to look good, and now...
A wall cut her off. Turning, she went around a corner, and saw it. There was a doorway into a small room, the door now hanging crookedly, a large machine inside it, a low crackling of electricity. And Eric, standing in the doorway, silhouetted against flickering sparks inside for a moment, before he disappeared.
"Eric?" she called as she ran to the doorway. "What happened? Where's..." She stopped, raising a hand to her mouth, stricken. Jen lay on the floor in front of her, her lovely white gown charred and burnt. Eric was bending over her, feeling for a pulse. After a moment, he straightened and moved on, kneeling next to another body. Wes, dark blond hair singed, wisps of smoke still rising from his suit. Still another form lay nearer the huge machine that filled most of the room, an overweight man in a uniform. Only a glance told her he was dead.
"Dead. They're all dead," Eric said, his voice soft, his face numb. He looked down, his hand reaching to touch Wes's hair.
"Nadira? What's happened? The readings dipped again, but now they're rising fast!"
"Trip? I -- I don't know. We tried to cut off the emergency generator..." She looked again at the machine, feeling an eerie prickling sensation, seeing the sparks that crawled from it. "Something bad happened, I didn't see it, Wes and Jen are dead, I think they were electrocuted..."
"It was like lightning," Eric said tonelessly. "There was something like a bolt of lightning, when they tried to shut it off. I was outside, nothing I could do..." He turned a pale face to her.
"The readings are climbing fast, just like before." There was a pause, the murmur of Trip's and Rachel's voices. "It's going to happen again, Nadira. Can't think of any way to stop it now. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too. Thought I had beaten it."
"If the power was cut off faster... If we could shut off whatever Rick Quinn was doing, before the time bubble forms..."
"Trip!" Her panic, her grief, they all vanished in the light of sudden determination. They might have only one more shot at fixing this. She had to make sure it worked. "Trip, listen. When the cycle starts again, leave the ship right away. Go to the Collins place. Get Eric to fly to Bio-Lab in that flyer he has."
"The TF Eagle."
"Whatever. He can get there in a few minutes. And he can take you with him. That first explosion is at 10:30. You can get there before it happens! Save Dr. Zaskin and Rick Quinn, do something to prevent it!"
Another exchange of murmurs. "Sounds like a plan, Nadira. Thanks." There was a hesitation. "The readings are peaking again. You've only got a few seconds."
"Okay." Nadira tried not to sound scared. "Good luck. Goodbye. For now."
She lowered the communicator, put it away, and took a step closer to Eric, still at Wes's side. His eyes looked up at her again, catching the reflections of flickering light. "So -- it's all going to start over again?" he asked.
"Yes. For you, anyway."
"All of this..." he looked down at Wes, and at Jen, "won't have happened?"
"That's right. They'll have another chance."
"Good."
And then she could see it, only a glimpse as deep blue and pinpricks of light came down through the ceiling, reaching for her... and she closed her eyes...
TBC...
