Disclaimer: Power Rangers Time Force and all related logos are property of Disney and/or Saban Entertainment. I am using them without permission. KJ Sheldon, Lt. James Emery, Trinity Oliver, Camille Summers, Leo Claw and the "Omega Project" are property of yours truly.
A/N: This fic takes place about a week after the end of Future Shock II.
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* Chyro Tech *
"Report," he said dryly, sitting down across from her.
"Everything is progressing as we thought it would. Time Force is now under the impression that there is an operative within their group, but they're unsure as to who it is," she said.
"Very good. Has our operative been allowed access to the slipstream yet?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "No, but I am not concerned. Everything has to be at the exact same time if this is going to work, but everything is falling into place as expected,"
"Univex has expressed his… unwillingness to wait any longer. He had provided us with what we need, now he wants his payment," he told her.
"I understand. In the next 72 hours, the plan will go off without a hitch, and Univex will trap the rangers once and for all. Then, with them out the way, we will have no problem taking over Time Force," she said.
"Model A6, what is its status?"
"KJ's role in the plan is going as expected. I have everything under control sir," she told him.
"Dr. Crane, you were selected for this mission because of your knowledge of robotics, and your level of expertise will be needed when we finally do get our hands on the slipstream. When this is over, you will no doubt be promoted to admiral for your efforts. I'll be calling you sir," he said.
"Lets not get too far ahead of ourselves sir," she said with a smile.
"Keep me updated on your situation, and alert me if there are any changes in the plan," he told her.
"Yes sir,"
"Dismissed,"
* Time Force Headquarters *
Camille walked down the hall nervously. She could tell from the tone in his voice when he asked to see her, there was something wrong. Besides, Alex wasn't well known for asking people to come to his office to tell them good news.
Her first thought was that Trip reported her, telling Alex about the experiments she'd been working on, but she dismissed that thought in a hurry. 'I know Trip doesn't approve of what I'm going, but he wouldn't turn me in,' she thought to herself.
For some reason, the hall seemed much longer than usual. There was surreal feel about it as she made her way towards his office. She found herself staring at the door to his office, uneasy about going inside. Finally, she took a deep breath and pressed the button, alerting him to her presence.
Despite the tension she felt, she found it amusing that the chime on his door was the same sound of the original Power Ranger's communicators. She'd read the history logs, and heard stories from Tommy enough to recognize that sound a mile away.
'Come,' a voice said from the other side of the door.
The doors slid open, and Camille walked in cautiously. Alex was sitting behind his desk, going through paperwork as he usually did, not even bothering to look up at her.
"You wanted to see me Alex?"
"Yes, have a seat," he said, still refusing to look at her. Finally, he put the papers in his desk, turning his attention to her. "I know what most of you think of me: You think I'm married to my work, too by the book to read between the lines when a protocol is broken or a regulation is ignored," he said.
"I didn't say it sir, you did," she mumbled.
"I admit, sometimes I am a little too concerned with the rules and regulations, not taking the time to consider the human aspect of certain things, but I like to think I've changed over the last year or so," he said.
She had to admit, he had. Alex normally kept to himself, burying himself in his work and refusing to interact with the others unless he had to. As of late, Alex had loosened up a little; he went out with them after hours, and he had been much easier to talk to while at work. He wasn't as formal as he use to be, but there was still something about him that commanded respect.
"I think so too," she said cheerfully.
"Good," he took a folder out his desk, sliding it to her. "With that in mind, I want you to explain this to me,"
Camille grabbed the folder, glancing over the paperwork inside. "This says that several pieces of Trixyruim are unaccounted for in one of the science labs," she said dryly.
"I've also gotten reports of odd surges of power coming from deck fourteen. I've gone over the sensor readings myself, and the surges are definitely Trixyruim based," he added. "So is there something you want to tell me?"
Finally, she took a deep breath. "Permission to speak freely sir?"
"Denied Lieutenant," he stood up. "I've checked the logs Camille, you've been in your lab experimenting with Trixyruim again. This is the same violation that got you fired a few years ago, do you really want to go down that road with me again?" he snapped.
"No sir,"
"This is your second offense, and it's punishable by imprisonment. Not Cryogenic containment, imprisonment. I should send your ass to Prison Planet and let you think about the implications of what you're going," he snapped.
"Yes sir,"
"Now explain to me why you've been working on illegal experiments and why I shouldn't have your ass on the next transport out of here," he told her.
She took a deep breath again, trying to control her emotions. "I did it for Leo," she sighed.
"You mean Leo Claw? He's gone, he died months ago," he pointed out.
"When I was originally fired from Time Force, Leo and I were working on the Morpher together. When you and the other authorities found out, I took full responsibility for it so Leo wouldn't be fired from Time Force as well. I hoped that he would finish the project, but he died before he got the chance. I felt like I owed it to him to finish it. Its what he would have wanted," she told him.
"You lied under oath to protect your friend?"
"Yes sir, I did,"
"And now you're conducting illegal experiments again to honor his memory?"
"Yes sir, I am,"
"Do you have any idea what you're toying with Camille? There's a reason we have a team of people working on Morpher technology. It's too much for one person to handle, and you're tampering with Trixyruim. If it's used incorrectly, you rip the fabric of the space/time continuum. I don't think you have any idea what you're…" he was cut short.
"I don't you know what I'm capable of," she said.
"You think you can do in a few weeks what it took our leading scientists years to do?" he snapped.
"Who do you think designed the upgrades for the Chrono morphers? Installed the homing beacons? Adding the cloaking devices, enabled site to site teleportation? It was me. Trust me Alex, I know what I'm doing," she said.
"Adding features to a Morpher is one thing, but creating a stable Morpher is another. You're talking about trans-dimensional rifts and subspace variances I don't think you've accounted for in your…" he was cut short again.
"But I have. I've examined my Morpher very closely, and I've had a chance to work with Adam's Morpher while I was repairing it, not to mention taking apart Carmen's Morpher and analyzing it. I have everything under control," she said.
Alex sat back down, leaning forward at his desk. "Tell me what you have so far,"
"With the Chrono morphers, the suit, the weapons and all the vehicles have been held in a trans-dimensional rift in the space/time continuum until needed. In essence, it almost works on the same principle as the slipstream: the weapons simply stay in this trans-dimensional rift until called for, and I've been able to map the temporal coordinates to that dimension and gave the Morpher a self contained trans-dimensional signature. With the variances out the way, I've used the Trixyruim to…" this time, she was cut short.
"Okay, so you've got the trans-dimensional rift operational, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with power source we're using for the Chrono morphers," he said.
"Are you aware of how much electrical energy the human body produces everyday?" she asked him.
"If I remember by physics class, quite a lot of energy,"
"What I've done is found a way to harness that energy, and in combination with the Trixyruim crystal, it enhances that energy by over 76%. Whoever wore the Morpher would have enhanced strength, speed and power," Camille said.
"That's dangerous Camille, tampering with someone's life energy. If something were to go wrong with the Morpher and there was an overload, it…"
"I've compensated for that by adding several buffers to the Morpher. The buffers would be able to filter out any overload and distribute the power evenly through all the systems," she told him.
Alex leaned back in his chair. "Sounds like you have all the bases covered," he sighed. "But that's no excuse for you violating protocol and starting these experiments without authorization," he said.
"Yes sir,"
"As of this moment, you are stripped of your rank and position in Time Force. May I have your Morpher?" he asked. Camille reluctantly removed her Morpher, handing it to him. "Dismissed,"
She stood up with a tear in her eye, making her way towards the door. "Ms. Summers," he called out, getting her attention.
She turned around. "Yes sir?"
"Report to deck three at 0900 tomorrow morning, I'll make sure there is a lab dedicated only to your research on these new morphers. If you need additional personnel to assist you, let me know," he said.
She smiled. "Yes sir, thank you sir," she said eagerly.
"And just because I'm giving you a lab and a team to work with doesn't mean you have an excuse to neglect your duties on the slipstream project. If this new arrangement is going to work, you'll need to balance both of your duties effectively," Alex said.
"I will,"
"With any luck, when your project is done and I give you back your rank and position, you won't need this anymore," he said, holding up her morpher.
"Permission to hug you sir?" she requested.
He couldn't help but smile.
"Granted," he said as he stood up, making his way in front of the desk.
She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you Alex, for everything," she sighed.
"Don't mention it,"
*
"Hi honey, I'm home," Nadira said as she walked into her quarters, tossing her Time Force jacket down across the couch. She headed into his personal office, where he was sitting in front of the computer.
"Hey baby," he sighed, not taking his eyes off the screen. "How was work?"
"You know, same ole' same ole'. Defending this universe every other universe, nothing special," she said, wrapping her arms around him.
"Good,"
"You okay Lucas, you seem tense," she noticed.
"I got an unusual offer today, and I'm wondering about accepting it or not," he sighed.
"What kind of offer?"
He turned around, facing her. "Alex wants me to come back to work," he paused. "As a ranger," he told her.
"Oh my God, that is sooo great. It'll give us the chance to work together again and…" she paused. "Wait a minute, which Morpher are you getting? It's not mine, is it? Alex doesn't want me off the project, does he?" she asked.
"No, its nothing like that. Camille was put in charge of her own lab on deck three, and she had to give up her Morpher. Alex wants me to be the blue ranger again," he told her.
"Well, what did you tell him?"
"I told him I'd think about it, you know how I feel about Time Force and the way they do things," he mentioned.
"That was a long time ago, things are different now. Alex is the only counsel member we have, and he's been very fair to all of us since he took the job. I think things would be different for you this time around," she said.
"I don't know babe, I kinda like spending more time on the race track, working on my car and spending more time with you. If I went back to work, I'd hardly ever see you outside of work," he brought up.
"Yeah, but we could save the world together. It would be fun," Nadira said.
"This would give me the chance to move up in the company. With Tommy and Jen only working limited schedules now, the slipstream project will need someone to take command in serious situations," he said.
"Katie has been doing a great job since she got promoted," she mentioned.
"Really?"
"Yeah,"
"Still, working on the slipstream project might do me some good. You know, gimme the chance to get out there and do something worth wild again," Lucas said.
"So you'll do it?"
"I don't know yet, I'll have to think about it,"
"With Adam still in the infirmary and no pink ranger, I think we could really use you down there. Lets face it, I'm not the greatest ranger that ever lived, and Emery is as bad as I am," she said.
"Don't say that, you're a great ranger,"
"Yeah, but I want to do so much more. I just want them to give me a chance," Nadira said.
"And you think if I was there you'd get more chances?"
"Maybe,"
"Well, Alex gave me until tomorrow afternoon to make my decision, I'll let you know what I decide then," Lucas said.
"Okay,"
*
Katie paced back and forth in the science lab, doing her best to control her emotions, but not doing a very good job. It had only been a day since Adam chased her out of the infirmary, refusing to see her.
She tried to tell herself he was delirious, that he had been stranded on that world for almost two years and was confused about what was happening. She tried to imagine what it must have been like to be trapped on a world, away from everything and everyone, forced to live in a run down warehouse, not knowing when or where your next meal would come from. 'It had to be hard for him,' she thought to herself.
She wanted nothing more than to understand what he'd gone through, to help him through what she was sure was a difficult time, but he wouldn't let her.
"Commander," a voice said, getting her attention, breaking her train of thought and bringing her back to reality.
She glanced over, realizing that Lt. Emery was in the lab sitting at the controls.
"What is it James?"
"I'm detecting an odd carrier wave," he said.
She walked over to the controls. "Where is it coming from?" she asked him.
"Whoever it is is doing a good job of masking the signal. It looks like they're piggybacking the signal off on one of our own carrier waves," he said.
"Can you track it, find out who is sending it and where it the carrier wave is going?" she asked.
"I'm working on it," he paused, going over the readings. "Its coming from the infirmary, but I can't determine who is receiving the signal,"
"Can you tap into that signal so we can intercept the transmission?"
"I'll try it a try,"
~~
"I think someone is trying to intercept this transmission," Dr. Crane said, detecting a slight variance in their communication.
'Are you sure? I doubt anyone would be able to track it to its source,' a voice said.
"Terminate the transmission and rebroadcast on a difference frequency when you have something new to report," she said.
'As you wish,' the voice told her.
~~
"The transmission is gone," Emery said.
"What do you mean gone?"
"I mean someone must have detected us trying to track the transmission and shut it down," he said.
"Were you able to find out where the signal was going?"
"No, but I can tell you that it was audio only," he said.
"If it's only audio, there should be a log of that message in the computer date base, right?" she asked him.
"In theory, yes,"
"Get to work on it," Katie told him, making her way towards the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Down to the infirmary to see what the hell is going on. Have Trip meet me there," she said.
"I'm on it sir,"
*
The doors to the infirmary opened, and Katie and Trip walked in, looking around the room. It was Dr. Hamilton who walked over to them.
"Is there a problem Commander?" he asked her.
She glanced over at the examining tables, noticing that Logan was gone. "Where is Charles Logan?" she replied.
No sooner than she said it, Logan walked into the room, sitting down on his examining table. "Something I can do for you Commander?" he asked her.
"I detected a carrier wave coming from this location. How had access to the communication station in the last ten minutes?" Katie inquired.
"My duty shift just started about ten minutes ago, but Dr. Young was here. Both of my patients have been right here the entire time," he told her.
"Trip, take a look at the communications logs on that station, see if you can determine who it was and who they contacted," she ordered.
"I'm on it," Trip said, heading for the station.
"Someone in this room sent a carrier wave to an undisclosed location using a piggyback method. I want to know who it was," she said.
"Lt. Park is still heavily sedated, and Captain Logan has been with me the entire time," Dr. Hamilton brought up.
"Where was he just now?"
"Urine sample," Logan said, holding up a small cup and handing it to the doctor.
"You know I'll cooperate in any way I can to help you find what you're looking for Commander, but I don't see how anyone could have sent a carrier wave from here without me knowing about it," he told her.
Trip walked over to her. "Katie, this station is clean. Where ever the carrier wave came from, it wasn't here," he said.
"Are you sure?"
"I've checked and double checked the logs. There hasn't been a communication from that station in the last 72 hours," he told her.
"Thank you for your time doctor," Katie said, motioning for Trip to follow her out the room. The two of them walked into the hallway, heading down the hallway. "Trip, is there any way to monitor what goes on in the infirmary without anyone knowing?"
"I could set up a multi-functional…"
"Just do it. If a transmission comes out of that infirmary, I want to know about it," she said.
"It should only take a few minutes to set up. I'll head down to the lab and contact you when it's done," he said, walking away.
*
"You assured me that this plan of yours would go off without a hitch. The rangers are already suspicious of foul play," Univex said as he stormed into the lab, grabbing the doctor by the throat.
She gasped for air, trying to break free of his grip. "Its all going according to plan," she managed to mumble.
"How so?" he asked, letting her go.
Dr. Crane fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath. "Having the rangers detect our carrier way, which is why I allowed the transmission to go as long as it did. Soon, our plan will take shape and we'll have access to the slipstream. When we do, it will mark the end of the Power Rangers," she told him.
"For your sake, it better," he warned.
~~
Preview: Field tripNext time on Parallels II: Jen takes her class on a field trip, but something goes horribly wrong.
~~