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, Amanda "Mandy" Scott, Mr. & Mrs. Mathew Scott, Leo Claw and the "Omega Project" are property of yours truly.
A/N: This fic contains portions of "White Light pt 1 & 2" and "Force from the Future".
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~~ Angel Grove, California ~~ 1994 AD ~~
It had been two days since he put the letter in the mailbox, and he was convinced that she'd gotten it by now. Not that he was expecting a reply at all, but he was curious to know how she felt about it. 'I did just disappear on her. She probably found someone else by now,' he thought to himself as he paced back and forth in the cabin.
If she had in fact met someone new, there was no one he could blame but himself. 'Its not like I ever really told her how I felt about it. She thinks we're still just friends,' he sighed inwardly. Though there was no denying the fact that there was chemistry between them, either of them had ever made their feelings to the other clear. When he left school a little over a month ago, he promised that he would return soon. She called him several times, but he didn't answer. He wasn't sure what to say to her. Losing the green powers completely left him feeling useless, unable to help the others…
… to help her…
That's why he decided that the best thing to do was simply leave for a while. In retrospect, he thought he could have handled things a little differently. 'If I could go back in time and change it, I would,' he chuckled inwardly, but knew he had to live with the choice he'd made.
He wondered if there was ever be a place for him again, could he really go back and just be one of the guys as if nothing happened. He quickly dismissed that thought. 'As soon as Zordon calls them, they'll leave, and I won't be able to do anything to help them,' he groaned. That was one of the main reasons he left in the first place, but he was determined not to hide in his Uncle's cabin the rest of his life. He had to go back; to be with his friends… to be with her.
He glanced over at a picture of her on the table next to the couch in the living room. He remembered taking that picture at a carnival almost a year ago. It was one of the fondest memories he had of her. 'Except for Trini's cousin Sylivia getting turned into a cardboard cutout,' he recalled.
This time was going to be different. This time, he was determined to tell her exactly how he felt. He was getting a second chance, and he wasn't going to waste it.
~~
"All is save and secure in Angel Grove Zordon," Alpha V told him, verifying his calculations on the control panel.
"Good, I suggest we use this lull to prepare for the secret mission we must embark apon," Zordon mentioned.
"Right, Zordon,"
"Ready the master control panel. Prepare to transport into the hidden chamber," he instructed.
Alpha hurried over to the controls, inputting a series of commands. Within moments, Zordon disappeared. "Consider it done Zordon. Preparations are complete, and I'm on my way. Ay yi yi yi yi!! This is so exciting. I can't believe the big day is finally here," he walked over to the far end of the Command Center, where a door of light opened. With a certain pep in his step, Alpha V walked through the door.
As soon as the door disappeared, all the control panels and equipment in the Command Center began to shut down. Soon, the entire Command Center was shrouded in darkness.
~~
"I detect a sudden weakness in the Mophin' Grid," Lord Zedd groaned, sitting at his thrown in the main chamber.
It was Goldar who stepped forward. "Our armies have been getting stronger, my lord. I knew if we…" he was cut short as Lord Zedd stood to his feet, clutching his staff.
"Silence, you fool! It is more than that. The Morphin Grid's balance is maintained by the constant struggle between Zordon and myself," he told him.
"Maybe Zordon finally gave up," he suggested.
"Or is somehow damaged. Either way, now is the perfect chance to retrieve the former green ranger," he said.
"Without Zordon, the Power Rangers will be powerless to stop us,"
"Still, we'll give them a little something to keep them occupied and out of our way," he walked over to the balcony of his thrown room, giving him a perfect view of Earth. "Nimrod, the Scarlet Sentinel!" he aimed his staff towards the planet, and a surge of energy made its way to Earth. He turned to Goldar. "We must celebrate. The green ranger will soon return to the dark side and take his place as heir to my throne!"
~~ New Silver Hills, California ~~ 3000 AD ~~
He watched patiently from the window ceil as Time Force officers surrounded the building. From that height, they looked like ants scrambling aimlessly on the ground below. He was sure that it was only a matter of time before he showed up, but if he had his way, he would be long gone.
With a small device sphere-like device in hand, he walked over to the controls, inserting the sphere into a small compartment. "If I can't rule the present, then I'll just rule the past," he said, admiring the invention Frax created for him.
He was ready to activate the machine, but he walked into the room.
"In the name of Time Force I place you under arrest!"
"You don't know what you're up against," he snarled, staring down the red ranger.
"You don't know what you're up against Ransik," the red ranger told him, rushing towards him.
Ransik kicked a huge container towards him, but the red ranger was able to jump over it, and then connect with several kicks the chest. It was barely enough to make Ransik stumble back He tried for another kick, but Ransik caught his foot and shoved him back, knocking the red ranger up against the wall.
Before the red ranger could get back to his feet, there was a wave of… something. There was a flash of light, and within seconds, the entire room had changed. The warehouse appeared to be a lab of some kind; It was enough to distract the red ranger, allowing Frax to grab him from behind, holding him down. With a sinister smile on his face, Ransik activated the device, and a swirling vortex appeared.
"No!" the red ranger yelled, struggling to break free, but by the time he did, it was too late; Ransik had disappeared into the vortex.
~~ New Silver Hills, California ~~ 3002 AD ~~
She'd been sitting at the controls for hours, going over calculations and equations. The science lab was silent; most of the personnel were already off duty for the night, and there were a handful of 3rd shift officers doing their rounds.
Typically, this was the time of the evening where she was in her pajamas, having her last meal before bed. But tonight was different. Tonight, she wasn't going to leave the lab until she got her calculations just right.
"Okay, lets go over this one more time," she paused, staring at the readings on the control panel. "The plasma manifold is responsible for all secondary systems, including life support, environmental controls and matter/energy transfer systems. The matrix sub processor controls…" she paused again, trying to make sense of the readings, but the data on the screen was becoming a blur to her. "Damn it, the matrix sub processor controls…" again, she allowed her sentence to trail off.
"It controls the Slipstream drive and the primary morphing modules," she heard a voice say.
She turned around as she noticed KJ walk into the lab, making her way towards her.
"What are you doing up this late?"
"My power cells are at full capacity, I can function for another 72 hours before they will need to be replenished," she told her.
"Must be nice," she groaned, wiping her eyes in an attempt to stay awake.
KJ sat down next to her, glancing over the readings she'd been working on. "I am curious Commander, why are your reviewing system data and operating procedures? In my observations, Camille and Trip male are best suited to this function," she mentioned.
"Yeah, they are, but if I'm going to be a ranger, I need to know how all this stuff works," she told her.
"You have been a ranger for exactly two years, eleven months, twenty seven days and forty one seconds and have performed within your set parameters. Why would you wish to deviate from your normal parameters?" she asked.
Katie thought back to her dream, recalling her obsolete she felt. It was true, there were a lot of things about being a ranger, about the Slipstream project in general that she knew nothing about. In fact, she'd never bothered to learn the inner workings of the project, or what the source of her ranger powers were. 'I am not obsolete,' she assured herself.
She stopped what she was doing, turning to KJ. "Camille and Trip know this lab inside and out. Hell, they designed most of it. They've always been able to come up with something at the last minute, and they always know exactly what to do. Jen has always been good at temporal mechanics, and was always a natural born leader. I can't tell you how many times Jen was able to get out of a sticky situation. Tommy has always been so confident, so driven, and when he was put in command of the Slipstream project, he was able to step in without missing a beat. Everyone here is good at something, but I'm…" she was cut short.
"Ah, I believe I understand. Each of your friends have a special skill or unique quality that assists them in being better rangers, but you do not,"
"Exactly,"
"To the contrary, you are unique. You are half Ethros, half human; your ability to regenerate your cells and develop immunities to foreign viruses gives you a very unique ability," she said.
"Yeah, so? But I'm not a leader, I'm not handy with computers, I'm not…"
"No one expects you to be. You can only function within your established parameters. Ms. Summers does not have the ability to regenerate, and the Xybrian male does not have leadership skills needed to command, but each of them possess something that makes them valuable to Time Force," she told her.
Katie smiled. "You know, you're right KJ. Thanks,"
"Glad to assist. Now, perhaps you can help with me a dilemma," she said.
"Sure, what is it?"
"At your request, I have been reviewing the logs. I recently read the database on ranger history, and I found something disturbing," she said.
"What's wrong?"
"There seems to be a repetitive pattern in the history logs. Throughout history, every incarnation of the ranger teams have a recurring theme: a monster of some kind is released on the city, and the rangers are sent to combat it. After the monster is defeated, which in most instances was by combining weapons of some kind, the monster finds a way to multiply in size by thousands. The rangers then call upon their zords to combat the monster again, and it is defeated. This cycle repeats itself, and dozens of monsters are sent to battle the rangers… but each of them is sent individuality, never in groups. Finally, the villain is forced to confront the rangers themselves, and is subsequently defeated. After the villain is destroyed, several months go by, and a new team of rangers is assembled. The pattern then repeats itself, and has for every generation there after," she pointed out. "Would it not have been simpler to go after the main villain, eliminating the need to face his henchmen in pointless battles?"
"Yeah, I see your point,"
Just then, an alarm of some kind went off. Katie turned back to the control panels. "The detection system is picking up a temporal incursion," she said.
"Are you able to determine the location of the incursion?"
"Yeah. Its coming from some time in the 20th century," she paused. "The incursion seems to be in the year 1994," she reached for her Morpher. "All rangers report to the science lab, code red," she said.
"I will leave you and the others to your work. Perhaps when you have completed your assignment, you can meet me in my quarters. We could, as Ensign Clark says, chill out," KJ said.
"Sounds good," Katie told her.
~~
'All rangers report to the science lab, code red,' a voice said.Tommy slid out of bed as quietly as he could, trying not to wake Jen. He hurried into the bathroom, putting on his Time Force uniform. Before he was able to make it out the door, she stopped him.
"Be careful," she said.
He turned around, smiling gently at Jen as she sat up in the bed. "I will sweetie. You go back to sleep, you have your class in the morning," he told her.
"Goodnight," she sighed, laying back down as Tommy hurried out their quarters.
He rushed down the hall, stopping at the elevators at the end of the hallway, where Camille and Trip were waiting for an elevator to arrive.
"Any idea what this is about?" Trip asked.
"No. I just got the call," he said.
"What is Katie doing up at this time of the night?" Camille asked her.
"I'm not sure, but if it's a code red, it must be important," he assured them.
Moments later, the elevator arrived, and as the doors slid open, the three of them were greeted by Nadira. "Hey guys," she said. At that moment, there was a wave of… something. It was enough to make Nadira fall to her knees, and Tommy quickly grabbed her, helping her up.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, what was that?"
"It was a temporal shift. Someone is making changes to the time line," Camille pointed out.
"But who?"
When the elevator reopened, they hurried down the hallway, stopping in front of the door to the science lab. It was Tommy who walked over to the small plate against the wall, pressing his hand against it.
'Recognized. Oliver, Thomas. Commander,' the computer said, opening the doors.
They walked in, where Katie was waiting for them by the controls. "Did you guys see that?" she asked. "There was a shift in the time line,"
"We were in the elevator when it happened. What's going on?" Tommy asked.
Camille hurried over to the controls, going over the readings. "There's a temporal incursion in the year 1994. Someone has opened an illegal time hole and traveled to the past," she said.
"Is it our past? Or is it in some other reality?" Nadira asked.
"Based on these readings, it's happening in our timeline," she said.
"Do you know what's happening?"
"All we do know is that someone or something has caused a change in the time line,"
"Our morphers shielded up from the time line, and we know mutants have an enhanced perception of things, so Nadira is safe, but its safe to assume that the rest of the world has changed," Camille said.
"But how? Why?"
"We'll have to use the slipstream and go back to…" Trip was cut short.
"The last thing we need to do is go back in time and disrupt the time line," he paused. "Nadira, you and Katie will go back with me and find out what's going on. Camille, you and Trip stay here and see if you can find out any information. When you do, let us know," Tommy said.
"I can't,"
"Why not?"
"In that time period, Zordon will have the technology in the command center to intercept our transmissions. If I try to communicate with you, he'll be able to pick up on our transmission. Even worse, NASADA may also have the ability to pick up theta waves and will be able to intercept our communications. In fact, with the Morphin' Grid in place, I'm positive that Zordon will detect the same temporal inconsistencies that we have," she explained.
"That's never been a problem before," he brought up.
"Yes, it has. At that point in time, the Morphin' Grid is able to detect all sorts of temporal displacement. It wasn't until Time Force made first contact with Zordon that our…" she was cut short.
"Hold on. Zordon knew about Time Force?"
"Of course he did. Where do you think he was getting all his technology? Between Time Force's assistance and Andros on KO-35, Zordon always had the state of the art technology," Trip mentioned.
"So you're saying that if we open the vortex in that point in time, not only will Zordon know we're here, but Lord Zedd will too?" Katie inquired.
Camille was about to answer, but Tommy cut her short. "Wait. What is the exact date of the temporal incursion?"
Camille glanced over at the controls. "According to this, it is… October 17th, 1994," she told him.
"This is perfect,"
"What?" Trip asked.
"That's the day Zordon started working on the white ranger powers. It all almost all the energy the Command Center had to create the powers, which means the Morphin Grid's power was extremely low," he said.
"So we should be able to open the vortex there and go undetected," Nadira added.
"That's probably why whoever the jumper is chose that day. They knew they would be able to teleport there and not be picked up by the Grid," he turned to Camille. "Any word on when Adam will be able to come back to work?" he asked.
"No,"
"Fine, contact Lt. Emery and have him on stand by just in case. We might need the extra help," he said.
"You got it Commander,"
"I don't need to remind you that there is another you in the past. You should do your best to avoid your younger self to prevent contaminating the time line," Trip mentioned.
"Understood," he nodded, and then turned to Katie and Nadira. "You two ready?"
"Lets do it,"
Camille activated the Slipstream, and within moments, the blue swirling vortex appeared. Tommy was the first to step through, followed by Nadira. Once Katie had gone through, Camille deactivated the portal, and found herself alone with Trip for the first time in a few days.
Ever since her incident in her lab, neither of them had spoken to one another. To the best of her knowledge, Trip had been staying with Lucas and Nadira, leaving her alone in their quarters. She understood why he was angry with her, and she wanted nothing more than to make things right between them.
"Trip, I just want to say that…" he cut her short.
"Not now Camille, I can't deal with that right now. What we should do is get to work on trying to figure out who opened the portal in the first place and where the temporal wave originated from," Camille said.
"Don't bother, I know who it is," Alex said as he walked into the room.
~~
Preview: Triad pt 2Next time on Parallels II: Alex reveals who is behind the temporal incursion, and sets out to prevent an unlikely team from being formed. Meanwhile, Nadira recalls a legend that may result in the destruction of the Power Rangers.
~~