Andrea, Morgan, and any others you don't recognize are mine.
Rated R : Strong and descriptive but not explicit sexual content, including m/m contact; language; violence.
This story includes slash, which involves sexual situations between two men. If you're uncomfortable with the idea, don't read this.
Reviews are always appreciated.
Jen tried not to yawn. This morning they were busy, thankfully not giving her time to think, but she was still painfully aware of the strain between herself and Alex, seeming to stretch between them like a tight band. Last night, after their talk on the beach, he had stayed in the control section until late, doing some unnecessary work at the instruments. She had quietly gotten her things together, left her engagement ring -- Alex's ring -- on the bed, and moved in with Katie, grateful that her teammate was already asleep and didn't wake up. Questions would have been unbearable.
The night had seemed to crawl as she lay awake, wavering between hurt and anger, telling herself Alex had been right, better to wait until this was over and they were home, then she could show him she was over Wes. But... was she really over him? Despite knowing he was with someone else now, could she put him out of her mind forever? Then the other thoughts... Wes's new girlfriend, what was she like? Was she good enough for him? Did he love her more than he had loved Jen?
She had tossed and turned restlessly... What difference did it make... It was Alex she should be thinking of. What was going through his mind? Was he also lying in his bed awake, wondering if he had done the right thing?
As the hours wore on, it had occurred to her that this was the first time Alex had confronted her about Wes, and the first time he had rejected her. That there might come a time when he would not be there, when he would not be a part of her life. The thought was painful -- even frightening -- what could she do to win him back? And was that what she wanted? Yes -- maybe -- at last she had fallen into a troubled sleep.
Then morning, seeing Alex look up at her and quickly away, unsmiling, as she emerged into the control section. Lucas was in Trip's usual seat, bent over the scanner control panel. Alex was standing behind him, looking over his shoulder. Jen joined them, furtively watching Alex, seeing the traces of an equally sleepless night in his face, guilt warring with satisfaction that he was as upset as she was.
Footsteps sounded, all of them glancing up as Wes hurried in. Jen quickly avoided meeting his eyes.
"Well?" he demanded. "Anything?"
"Not yet." Lucas looked up at him quickly again. "Sorry."
"Are we going back to search again?"
Alex straightened with a sigh. "I suppose so. Doubt we'll find anything, but I can't think of anything else to do."
"Morning. Are we the last ones up?" Trip's voice interrupted. Jen looked to find both him and Katie emerging from the living quarters, both looking worn out despite a full night's sleep. Trip was still pale; Katie had unfamiliar dark circles under her eyes.
"Are you guys okay?" Jen asked.
"Sure," Katie said. "Just a little tired. We'll be fine."
"Can we get started?" Wes asked.
"All right," Alex said. "As soon as we've had something to eat, we'll go."
"You're awake. Very good. How do you feel?" Eric looked up at the sound of the door opening, and saw Andrea walk in, giving him another dazzling smile. He had been up for a while, eating the light meal that had been waiting for him on a tray, dressing in the plain black shirt and pants he had found laid out for him, then staring out the window behind his bed at a view over the city spread out in the distance.
His second awakening had been almost as disorienting as the first, moments spent wondering what he was doing in this strange place, then realizing he couldn't remember where he was supposed to be. Confusion, as vague memories seemed to float just under the surface of his consciousness. People, shadowy faces. Shouting voices, fighting. Bursts of fire, and pain. And then his first real memory, here, with Andrea taking care of him.
"I'm okay," he answered her. "Where is this place? That city looks familiar."
"It should," she said brightly. "It's the city you live in. But we're not in our own time, so don't expect it to be identical."
"Don't think I'd know the difference. Where are we?" he asked again.
"In our headquarters..." She considered him, head slightly tilted. "You're still confused. That's natural. But you look strong enough for me to tell you more."
"Yeah, I'd like to know what's going on here."
"Very well." She seated herself on the side of the bed. "Where should I start..."
"The beginning is always good."
"All right. We, the six of us, are the Quantum Rangers. We used to be part of Time Force, an organization that was originally formed to control time travel."
"Time Force..." He was almost unaware he had spoken aloud, until he saw her alert gaze on him.
"Yes. You remember a little, don't you?"
"I -- I feel like I've heard the name before."
"You have. Let me go on. In our time, most crime has been wiped out. The only real criminals left are the mutants; vicious, sub-human creatures..." Her face darkened disconcertingly again. "The mutants were created by accident, in early genetic experiments. They were a mistake, and one that we've been paying for ever since. They hate humans, and they'll do anything to destroy us. That's the second mission of Time Force. To control the mutants. But they've gone soft. Even let mutants join, as officers. Let them into the upper ranks, let them take over. Meanwhile, decent humans like you and me are suffering and dying every day."
She took a breath and smiled again. "A few of us realized things had gone wrong, that Time Force wasn't doing its job. We decided to do it ourselves. Find a final solution to the mutant problem."
"What kind of solution?"
"I'm getting to that. You see, I was here in the future once before, hunting down a mutant who had murdered three of my teammates. He opened a timehole to the future and escaped through it. I followed. After I captured him, I looked around. There are wonderful things here, Eric, inventions, instruments, weapons developed over thousands of years. I found something that can take care of the mutants forever."
Andrea's blue eyes glittered with intensity. "When I returned, Time Force wiped out my memories. The mutants are too powerful, they didn't want me to use what I had found. But slowly, it came back. I knew what I had to do."
"What is it? What did you find?"
"A weapon that will only affect mutants. It's perfect, it will let us defeat them forever, without any human casualties. I led this mission into the future to find it again. But when Time Force realized I had recovered my memory, and what we intended to do, they sent a team after us, to kill us this time. They captured you, and did the same thing they did to me, wiped out your memories. Luckily, we were able to save you from them."
"But I can't remember being with them -- can't remember anything before I woke up here. Just a few -- sort of images."
"Yes. We had to remove the conditioning they put in your mind to control you. Slowly, your memory will return, like mine did. Tell me, do you remember Ransik?"
"Ransik..." Eric felt a twinge of discomfort as a shadowy impression of darkness and danger rose in his mind. "I -- I've heard the name, I think."
"He's one of the mutants we fought together, and captured. One of many. Do-" She seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Do you remember Jen? Lucas, Katie, Trip? And Alex?"
Another twinge, stronger this time. Eric raised a hand to his head. "I'm not sure..." Strangely, the images were colors this time. Pink, green, blue...
"They pretended to be on our side, Eric. To believe in the same things we did. But they tricked us. Captured you, did this to you. They're the ones who are after us now, to kill us."
A sensation of anger shot through his mind, the sudden conviction that whoever these people were, they had not been his friends. And yet, he had the feeling there was something else. Someone else. He reached for the memory, but found only a jumble of pain, joy, longing, sadness.
Andrea was watching him intently, waiting for a response. He was not unaffected by the brightness of her eyes and the sweetness of her smile, although he sensed he was not as susceptible as most men would have been. Slowly, he nodded. She leaned forward, her lovely eyes meeting his searchingly, her soft hand reaching to touch his. "We have to stop them, Eric. Without you, they outnumber us. You have to help us."
When he hesitated, she held out her left arm. A device was strapped on her slender wrist, identical to the one he wore, except it was black and white instead of black and red. "We each have one, Eric. You're the red Quantum Ranger. When we use them, when we morph, you'll see we're part of the same team."
Even Wes had to agree that there was no point in further aerial searching of the area Eric had disappeared in. They had spent the morning at it and found nothing. It was a relief not to find wreckage -- or even worse, a body -- but it left him with the growing conviction that Andrea's group had Eric, had taken him for some reason known only to themselves. With a feeling of resignation, he turned his flyer for another pass, trying not to lose hope.
Jen's voice came from his morpher. "This is getting us nowhere."
"Agreed," Alex replied. "I think we should head back to 'Bio-Lab'. Maybe we missed something there."
"All right," Wes muttered into his morpher, and turned to follow.
"Now, I think it's time for you to meet the others." Andrea smiled at Eric, and turned to lead him down another corridor. There were so many rooms, so many hallways, none of them familiar. All of it made him feel lost, and alone. Except for Andrea, showing him around, explaining things, answering his questions, reassuring him with her smiles. She was his only connection to this strange world he found himself in.
After a short walk, they entered another room in which four people were seated, three men and a woman, each busy with a task; three operating pieces of mysterious-looking machinery, and the tall dark man he remembered from the night before cleaning some kind of rifle-like weapon and frowning at him as they came in.
"Eric, you remember Morgan. He's a former Time Force officer, like me. He was injured and several of his friends were killed when a mutant group planted a bomb in the barracks where he was living," Andrea said. They both nodded warily. "And this is Travis, also an officer. Two years ago a mutant gang captured and tortured him, and killed his partner." She indicated a man, a little under Eric's height, with a round face, freckles, and an anxious expression. "And Rex and Rina. Their daughter was killed in a mutant attack. She was only seven years old." Rex was tall and angular, his face serious. Rina was small, with long black hair and a shy smile. All of them stared at him, seeming oddly nervous for people greeting a former partner.
"Eric's much better," Andrea said brightly. "Ready to rejoin the team, I think."
Travis stood and held out his hand, murmuring, "Welcome, Eric." Rex and Rina smiled tightly. Morgan continued to stare, his expression just short of hostility.
Wes didn't even know what they were supposed to be looking for. The six of them were spread out in the grounds of 'Bio-Lab', searching. Alex had said to look for anything unusual, anything that might lead them to the Quantum Rangers. At the moment, Wes was watching Trip, as he stood in the Silver Guardians' training area with his ever-present scanner in his hand. Even in his state of anxiety, it had gotten through to Wes that something was wrong.
"Trip? You okay?"
The green-haired Xybrian looked up and smiled, the expression only making him look even more exhausted. "Sure. I'm fine. Just tired."
They were all tired. But this looked like more. "You look terrible. You should have stayed in the ship like Alex wanted."
"No. I linked my scanner with the ship so we'll get any alerts, no need for me to stay there. And you may need me here."
"Well, if you say so." With a last dubious glance, Wes turned to look at Katie. She didn't seem much better, her face drawn with pain when she thought no one was looking, a hand pressed to her head. She had insisted on coming, too. For a moment he felt a sharp pang of pride and affection. His teammates, always there when they were needed. Then he frowned as he saw Trip sink down onto a bench, clutching his stomach.
"Andrea!"
After the introductions and a few minutes of awkward conversation, Eric and Andrea had wandered away from the others to look out the window at the city below again, until Morgan's voice summoned them. With another cold look at Eric, he drew her aside. Eric looked away, pretending not to listen, but he could still catch some of what they were saying.
"They're still here. Still looking. They're back at Bio-Lab now."
"Hmm. Still looking for Eric, and the virus hasn't had much time yet. I suppose they need a little encouragement to give up and leave..." She turned, and caught Eric's eye with a determined expression. "Eric, this is it. Our enemies are looking for us. We have to go and fight them. And we need you." She took a step back and raised her arm, smiling at him as she said, "Watch. Quantum Power!"
A shimmer of sparkling light seemed to flow over her, outlining her form in brilliance for a moment. Inside it, she -- changed -- and the light faded, leaving her in a white form-fitting suit trimmed with jagged black, her face hidden by a helmet. At a nod from her, the others followed her example, until all of them were standing before him, each in his or her own color.
"Now you, Eric."
With only a moment's hesitation, he brought the device on his wrist -- a morpher, he suddenly remembered -- to his face, and said the same thing. The light flashed over him, a half-remembered sensation of power and invulnerability seemed to flow through him, filling him with a surge of energy. When it faded and he looked at himself, he saw he was wearing exactly the same suit as the others, in red.
"You see now, don't you?" Andrea said softly. "You're a part of our team. You're one of us."
"Yes, I see." But inside him, a core of confusion and uncertainty remained. They had saved him, nursed him; he wore the same morpher and the same suit. Andrea had convinced him, he must be a member of their team. He'd trust them, go with them, even fight alongside them. There seemed to be no choice, no question, and yet some hidden voice whispered that this was wrong, somehow.
"They're coming! Morph!"
The shout brought Wes out of the fog of tired hopelessness he had begun to sink into. He looked up, to see flyers approaching, sailing through the clear blue sky. The compact shapes of the TF Eagles, swooping down towards them. Six of them.
"Eric!" he shouted.
And then they were overhead, slowing, the Rangers inside springing out onto the wings, then leaping down in a coordinated attack. Distracted by his attempt to spot Eric, Wes was still unmorphed, taken almost by surprise as the green Quantum Ranger landed only a few feet in front of him. Hastily, he pressed the trigger that exchanged his clothing for the red Time Force Ranger's fighting suit.
Quantum green approached, and then seemed to hesitate. Wes took the opportunity to look around again, and saw Quantum red across the yard, squaring off with Katie. "Eric!" he shouted again. Green charged forward, and swung at him. Wes ducked and tried to get past him, but Green was fast, and more skillful than he had seemed. He dropped to brace a hand on the ground and swung a leg, tripping Wes.
Around him, individual battles were shaping up; Alex was fighting Quantum yellow, Jen faced White -- Andrea, he remembered -- Trip against Blue, Lucas against a petite woman in pink. Katie was backing off, obviously trying to talk Eric out of it, but he ran at her, leaping into a kick that caught her in the chest, sending her down to roll on the ground.
Then Green claimed his attention again, a kick knocking him back down as he tried to get up. Wes growled and rolled away and onto his feet, then charged, taking out some of his frustration, fear, and anger in tackling Green, grabbing him around the waist and bringing him down. They struggled, Wes managing to get on top, punching his opponent hard in the helmet; not very effectively he realized as Green tried to throw him off. He grabbed the helmet with both hands and banged it repeatedly on the cement, rewarded by a cry of pain.
A quick glance showed Jen and Andrea in an apparent standoff; but Lucas appeared to have gotten the better of his opponent, who was on her hands and knees, shaking her head. An instant later Quantum yellow had abandoned his fight with Alex and come to her aid, forcing Lucas back with a swift and vicious attack. Taken by surprise, he staggered and went down, crying out as Yellow kicked him hard and blasted him point-blank. Alex came running but Quantum pink was back up and intercepted him.
"Noooo!" The scream, in Katie's voice, directed Wes's attention to the area where she and Trip had been struggling with Eric and the blue Quantum Ranger. What he saw brought him to his feet again. He summoned his blaster, keeping Quantum green covered; but he also was staring at the drama taking place only a few yards away.
Katie was still on the ground, demorphed now, Eric standing over her with his blaster aimed at her head. But that wasn't why she had screamed. Trip was also demorphed, on his knees, face dazed, Quantum blue holding him up with a hand twined in his green hair, yanking his head up and back. Trip struggled ineffectively as Blue held up his Defender, in an instant transforming it into its saber form, and bringing it to Trip's throat.
Then everyone came to a stop as the blue Quantum Ranger shouted, "Watch, Rangers, while I kill him!" Time seemed to freeze as they all stared in horror.
"No, don't!" Jen cried. She started forward, only to be seized from behind by Quantum white. Lucas took a few steps, but stopped as the other blue Ranger pressed the saber to Trip's throat. A bright red trickle of blood ran down the Xybrian's neck, his face twisting in pain and fear.
"Somebody stop him!" Wes yelled.
"Please!" Katie cried, struggling to get up, but collapsing back to her knees. She looked around, then up at Eric, who had backed off.
"Come on," Andrea said, pushing Jen away. "We've made our point. Eric's on our side now, Rangers! You can't beat us! Give up and go home!" She took a few steps away and raised her morpher, followed by Quantum pink, yellow, and green. Their Eagles reappeared, swooping in and hovering above as they leaped up to meet them. "Come on, Morgan!" Andrea shouted as they rose into the sky.
"I'm going to finish off this mutie first," he snarled. His arm lifted slightly, the saber raising, turning so the tip could plunge into Trip's neck; he tensed, bringing his arm down... and another hand had gripped his wrist, stopping the blade just short of its target.
"Let him go," Eric said firmly.
"What are you doing?" His voice furious, Morgan tried to pull his arm away.
Eric twisted his wrist, and yanked the saber out of his hand. "We've won," he said. "No need to kill him. You heard Andrea, let's get out of here."
They faced each other for a few long moments. Then Morgan released Trip's hair, letting him fall onto the ground. "This isn't over," he snarled, almost too softly for Wes to hear. He grabbed his saber back and leaped into the air, landing on the wing of his flyer. It lifted up rapidly, joining the other Eagles hovering above them.
Wes saw Eric's Eagle move in and started forward. "Eric!" he shouted, seeing his partner stop and turn his head to face him. He ran the last few steps and reached out his hands, trying to grab Eric's shoulders as the other Ranger stepped back to avoid him. Eric's head turned up, he was about to jump... In a last attempt to get through to him, Wes raised his morpher and touched it, hearing Jen and Alex shout in protest as he demorphed. "Eric, please," he said. "They've done something to you. We're your friends. Please, don't go with them!"
Wes saw a moment of hesitation, started to reach out again... But then Eric was jumping up, landing on the Eagle's wing. He turned back as Wes cried desperately, "Eric! Come back!" But then he slid into the cockpit, and was gone.
TBC...
