Rachel, Gaby, and Rick are mine.
Rated PG : some language and violence.
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10:01 AM, February 14, 2004
"It's started over again." Rachel was watching him as Trip stood up and started towards the door of the ship. "Trip, maybe I should go instead."
"No. I can ride along with Eric on the Eagle, you can't. Besides, I need you here, to use the scanners and keep track of how we're doing. And to try to find some way of controlling that feedback loop."
"If..." Her voice trembled, her words so soft he almost couldn't hear. "If you don't succeed..." Through his psychic sensitivity, he could feel her fear, the vision in her mind of him never coming back, leaving her all alone...
"I will succeed. Even if -- I'll still have time to get back to the ship."
"Yes." She gave him a wavering smile. "Good luck."
"Thanks." He turned away, not letting her see how badly his hands were shaking.
10:22 AM, February 14, 2004
"But, Trip, are you sure?" Wes stared at him disbelievingly, Eric scowled.
Trip had never driven so fast in all his life, or wished so hard for a flyer. After what seemed like an eternity, but was exactly sixteen minutes, he had skidded to a stop in the Collins' driveway, heedless of the cars he was blocking, and run to the front door. After wasting a couple more minutes on frantic pleadings with the butler and Mr. Collins himself, he had finally been taken upstairs to a guest bedroom where Wes and Eric were dressing. And then he had never talked so fast as he had telling his story, as their surprise slowly turned to alarm.
"Of course I'm sure! Come on, we have to go now!"
"You have to admit, it's pretty unbelievable," Eric said.
"It's true, damn it! Now get your butt out there and morph, right now!"
Eric's brows raised and his mouth twitched, but he got up and started for the door. "I'll check it out," he threw back at Wes.
"I'll tell Jen. We'll find our flyers and follow you." As he followed Eric, Trip heard Wes add in a mutter, "Jesus, can't I even get married in peace? Why can't someone else save the world today?"
10:27 AM, February 14, 2004
He recognized it, just as if he'd been there before. The hallway, the doors with window panels. Except now, the lab visible inside looked quiet and normal. Except for the tension he could sense from the two men at the other side of the room. One was young, light brown skin, black hair, concentrating so hard on a piece of equipment lying on a workbench that he didn't even notice them coming in. The other was at least ten years older, tall and slender; pulling a white lab coat on over a formal suit, and turning at the sound of their running footsteps, reacting in surprise at the sight of them in their Ranger suits.
"Dr. Zaskin!" Eric called. "Anything wrong here?"
The younger man looked up at that. "It's nothing," he said quickly. "Just trying to get rid of a little feedback in my -- my..."
"That's a timehole generator, isn't it?" Trip asked. He stepped closer, sensing the other man's surprise and guilt. The machine was like a short cylinder, rounded at the ends, studded with various projections, obviously put together from parts not really meant for this purpose. He examined it closely, and heard a faint humming coming from it.
"I -- what are you talking about? Who are you, anyway?"
"He's an old friend of Jen's. From the same place she came from." Eric's voice frowned behind him. "And I think he knows exactly what he's talking about, Rick."
"Rick called and said he was having trouble with an instrument..." Zaskin said.
"Yeah. Trouble that could get us all killed."
"Are you experimenting with time travel again? After the last time?" Zaskin demanded.
"I just wanted to try it one more time! See if I could create a real timehole and control it!"
"Jesus, Rick... If I had time, I'd kick your butt." Eric again, angry and exasperated. "Trip, now what? How do we shut that thing off?"
"I don't know. The design's so different, and I don't want to set it off." The humming was getting louder as he bent closer, trying to concentrate.
"Well, do something! It's gonna blow any minute, isn't it?"
"I don't know what to do! Just -- just get them out of here!"
"Okay, Michael, Rick. Out. Now."
"But Eric, maybe we can help!"
"It's my machine! I'll fix it myself!"
"And get yourself killed! Both of you, get out that door or I'll blast you and drag you out!"
An angry Quantum Ranger could be quite intimidating; Trip heard two sets of feet retreating quickly. He raised his morpher. "Rachel! What are you reading there?"
"Feedback." Her voice was tense but calm. "It's increasing. I'm trying to dampen it, might buy you a couple of minutes. But don't count on it. Are you at Bio-Lab?"
"Yeah. It's a timehole generator Rick Quinn was building, all right. But I don't have a clue how to shut it down."
"Shut off the power."
"Trying..."
"It's going to explode any minute. And if the time bubble forms, it may be too late to stop it."
"Thanks," he muttered softly. "I really needed to be reminded."
"What?"
"Nothing. I'll get back to you."
And then more distraction; he glanced up as the doors burst open to admit Wes and Jen, also morphed. They ran to join them. "What's happening?" Wes asked. "I see you got Zaskin and Rick out."
"Yeah," Eric answered. "But the genius here can't figure out how to turn that thing off."
"It's not like there's an off switch!"
"Eric, you're not helping. Just stay calm, Trip," Jen said soothingly. "Keep trying."
He looked again, fumbling with his mobile scanner. A few components seemed familiar, but the way it had been built -- like an atomic bomb someone put together in their basement out of tin cans and chewing gum -- it was hopeless, he'd never be able to figure it out in a few seconds. "We have to cut off the power to it!" he cried.
"We can shut off the circuit breakers..."
"No time! Where's the plug?" He looked frantically, Wes, Jen, and Eric craning around him, the four of them bumping into each other. There was no plug in sight. He ducked, looking under the bench, with no luck.
"Must be behind it..." Wes muttered. He reached for the device.
"No, Wes, don't touch it!" Jen cried in alarm.
"It's getting louder!" Trip backed away, pulling at Wes and Jen's arms. "It's going to go any second!"
"God damn it. Everybody get back!" Eric's voice was loud, angry, and commanding. Instinctively, they all obeyed, falling back several steps. Eric pulled out his Quantum Defender and aimed.
"Eric, no! You don't know what'll happen!"
"It's a hell of a lot better than nothing." He fired, a beam of light and energy lancing out, hitting the machine. For an instant, there seemed to be no reaction. And then -- a blaze of light, heat, sound, a concussion that hit him like a wall, throwing him through the air and against something hard. He tumbled limply, dazed, came to rest, and struggled against the blackness that threatened.
10:34 AM, February 14, 2004
"Wow. Everyone okay?"
Trip blinked at the sound of Wes's voice, realized it was a ceiling he was staring at. It came back. The lab. The timehole machine. The explosion... He rolled onto one elbow, ignoring the wave of dizziness that made his stomach lurch, and looked around. Wes was sitting, Jen was raising her head, Eric was pushing himself up, all of them demorphed. The lab around them had been demolished by the explosion, charred fragments of equipment and furniture everywhere. His eyes quickly flew to the far wall, then around the whole lab. Debris, wreckage. But no midnight blue ball of energy, studded with stars and crackling with electricity.
Trip raised his morpher, vaguely realizing he was also no longer morphed. "Rachel! What are you getting?"
"Trip! I tried to call, thank God you're all right. What happened?"
"Eric blasted it, there was an explosion... but there's no time bubble. At least I can't see it. What do the readings say?"
"The feedback stopped. The subspace interference is gone. Everything reads normal." Her voice was trembling again, this time with a joyful tone. "I think you've done it."
"Hear that, guys?" he shouted, flopping back onto the floor on his back. "We did it! The bubble never formed this time!"
"Just remember it was me who blasted the hell out of the thing," Eric said rather smugly, holding up his hand with forefinger extended and blowing away imaginary smoke.
"Yeah, well, you took a big chance."
"That's Eric," Wes said with a chuckle. "When in doubt, destroy something."
"Worked, didn't it?" Eric grinned.
"Hmm." Trip tried to frown, but he just felt too good. Wes was grinning too. Jen was laughing.
"Is everyone there okay?" Rachel's voice asked.
"Yeah. We're all great," Trip answered.
But that was before Jen got up, took a good look at herself and screamed, "Oh no! Look at my dress!"
1:38 PM, February 14, 2004
"Um, Captain Logan, sir? That's it." Trip peered anxiously at his superior officer. They had all told their parts of the story, as they sat in the small but comfortable room Mr. Collins had let them use. He glanced quickly around at the others. Lucas and Alex looked the worst, their suits still showing damage despite Philips' efforts. Katie, Nadira, and Rachel looked tired but otherwise fine. He himself was a mess, he knew, his suit ruined, and exhausted by living through the two frantic hours of the time loop five times.
"That's not quite all. How did you get Lucas, Alex, Katie, and Nadira back?"
"We just had to wait, sir. They each reappeared at the time and place the bubble had burst in their timelines, just as we hoped. Alex and Lucas just popped back into the hallway outside the lab at noon. Katie was a little farther away at the circuit breaker panel, and Nadira was in the basement." He smiled, remembering those reunions; Alex and Rachel hugging fiercely, the squeal of delight Nadira had let out when she saw Lucas.
"So all of this happened because someone here was building a timehole?"
"Yes, sir. Rick Quinn did build one, but it didn't work right. He was testing it when we arrived in our timeship. His timehole generator started a feedback loop with our engines, and it built up uncontrollably. At about 10:30 it exploded, and the time bubble was created. Then the bubble continued the feedback with our ship, and drew power from whatever source was around, including the electrical system and the morphers. It just kept growing until it reached a point at which it -- burst. And everything reset to when the feedback started."
"So..." Logan leaned back in his seat, frowning. "What you're telling me is that our suspicions were right, your ship caused the bubble, just as much as Quinn's machine."
"You're right, sir," Alex answered. "If we hadn't arrived at that exact time, it wouldn't have happened."
"Yes, if you hadn't arrived. On a trip that wasn't absolutely necessary. Many more of you than were required for a routine monitoring mission. A mission whose real purpose obviously wasn't to preserve the timeline or stop an alteration of history, but to go to a wedding!"
Alex gulped. "As senior officer in our group, I take full responsibility."
"As well you should. But all of you are to blame. You, of all people, should know the dangers of time travel, including the dangers of unnecessary contact with the locals." He stopped, glaring at each of them. "Your behavior has been grossly unprofessional. Unworthy of Time Force officers, and even more of Rangers."
They all hung their heads, not daring to speak. Except Alex. "I apologize, sir," he said. "I know that's inadequate, but it's the best I can do. But I'm the one who should be punished--"
"You'll all be punished, don't worry about that." Another glare, before Logan's face softened slightly. "However -- this was an entirely unforeseeable event. And if there hadn't been so many of you, you might not have been able to correct the situation. In light of the circumstances, I'm going to recommend all of you be given a week paid suspension from your duties, and an official reprimand to be put in your files."
Alex blinked, and took a moment to answer. "I -- but sir, that amounts to a slap on the wrist and a week vacation..."
"Don't argue. And..." He looked at Nadira, still frowning, but his lips were starting to turn up at the corners. "Nadira, you seem to have acted with courage and responsibility in a difficult situation. You also showed a great deal of resourcefulness. I believe you were the one who came up with the plan that finally succeeded."
"But I didn't do any more than the others..."
"Quiet." He cleared his throat. "All of those qualities, and teamwork -- which you also demonstrated -- is what makes the Rangers great. I'm going to recommend that you be given very serious consideration as the new white Ranger."
"Thank you, sir," she said meekly, exchanging a grin with Lucas.
"And now-" Logan stood up. "While I deplore your foolishness, I think all of you made an even bigger mistake."
"Excuse me, sir?" Alex asked faintly.
"You might have asked me if I wanted to come. Do you think I'd miss Jen's wedding?"
Alex gulped, all of them looked at each other, and then broke out in a confused gabble, mostly consisting of, "We didn't think you'd want to!" and "Of course we would have asked!" and "We're very sorry, sir!" Trip grinned to himself and waited, wondering if he was the only one who had noticed the outfit Logan was wearing, a suit appropriate for a formal occasion.
Logan waved them silent and smiled. "Everyone ready? Good. We've got a wedding to go to."
TBC...
