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, A.I.S.H.A., Admiral Summers, Camille Summers, Leo Claw and the "Omega Project" are property of yours truly. Sierra appears courtesy of… well, Sierra.
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~~
The four of them stood in the middle of what remained of the city. Most of the buildings had been destroyed, and there were groups of people in a panic, all of them running to safety. There were overturned cars, buildings on fire, hydrants broken open, spilling water through out the streets.
In the distance, there were groups of piranhatrons making their way through the city, destroying everything in their path.
Khalil turned to them. "You guys ready?"
"Ready," Amanda said eagerly, speaking for the group.
"GOLD RANGER POWER," Khalil called out, transforming into the Gold Zeo ranger. He quickly called for his staff, and then charged in after the quantrons. He caught one of them with a sweep, and then tossed his staff to another. The quantron caught it, and Khalil quickly jumped up, balancing himself on the staff and kicked the quantron in the chest. As it fell, Khalil did a back flip, wrapping his legs around the head of another quantron, flipping it over.
Amanda and KJ teamed up one another quantron, giving it a double spin kick, knocking it into one of the burning cars. As it stumbled forward, Sasha landed a corkscrew kick, taking it down. As they celebrated, another group of quantrons attacked from behind, forcing them to the group. The crowd of quantrons then split in half, allowing her to step through.
"Surrender gold ranger, or your friends will be destroyed!" she announced.
The gold ranger turned around, facing her. "Give this up Astronema, you'll never be able to defeat me," he told her.
"We'll just see about that,"
She rushed towards him with her staff, but he blocked her attempt with his, then spun around, hitting her in the back of the leg, taking her down. She quickly leaped up, hitting him in the side of the head with her staff, forcing him down to one knee. She stood over him, aiming the staff at his throat.
"Any last words?"
"Yeah," he reached for a disrupter on his side, aiming it at her. "Your time is up!" he told him, firing the weapon. Astronema fell back, hitting the ground with a thud. He then turned his attention to the remaining quantrons. "Anyone else want some?"
The quantrons looked at one another, but decided against attacking as they all rushed away. With them gone, he headed over to the others.
"You guys okay?"
It was Amanda who stood up, removing the rubber band from her hair, letting her hair down as he fell past her shoulders. "You were so brave Khalil, you saved Earth from the Alliance of Evil," she sighed, running into his arms.
"No, it was a team effort. If not for you, all of you, evil would reign supreme in the universe," he pointed out.
"So brave, so noble, so selfless," Sasha added.
"You have got to be kidding me," he heard a voice say.
Khalil turned around, only to see her walk over to him. "Um, Sasha, what are you doing here?" he asked her.
"I should be asking you that question," she paused. "Computer, end simulation," she ordered. Suddenly, everything faded away, including the gold ranger uniform, leaving only orange colored grids along the walls, ceiling and floor. "When Jen said you could use the holo-programs for training, I don't think that is what she had in mind," she told him.
"I was training," he sighed in his defense.
"Is that why in your twisted little fantasy Amanda was your love slave?"
"She was not,"
"You were so brave Khalil, you saved Earth from the Alliance of Evil," she mocked.
"How long were you standing there?" he asked.
"Long enough to see you look like the hero while the rest of us were captured by quantrons, only for you to swoop in and save us all," she told him. "I don't think Amanda would appreciate it if she knew you were in here making out with her,"
"It wasn't like that. I ran the Countdown to Destruction program like Jen suggested. Yeah, I made a few modifications, but it…"
"A few? You do know that the Gold ranger was on Triforia during CTD, don't you?" she asked.
"Yeah, but the gold ranger powers are my favorite from the history logs. I thought it would be fun to use those powers," he said.
"And you do know that the Gold ranger didn't have a disrupter? And back then, they didn't say 'your time is up'," she mentioned.
"Okay, so I get a D in history," he sighed. "We don't have to mention this incident to anyone, do we?" he inquired.
She sighed. "I think it's sweet that you have a crush on Mandy, but coming in here and doing what you did isn't right. If you like her, just tell her," Sasha told him.
"It isn't that simple. Something big is going to happen in the past, and it's going to be up to us to stop it. That's a lot of pressure, and with all the hours Captain Scott is making us train and prepare, there isn't any time to personal feelings," he said.
"Make the time. Its important to you, so tell her," she insisted.
"Aren't you even the least bit curious about what destiny has in store for us? Something major is about to happen, and I need to have the heads up on what's going on. If they told us more, we'd be able to prepare,"
"I don't think they know anymore about it. The history logs are vague,"
"But there are sections of the history logs that aren't made available to cadets. If we could get our hands on them, we'd be able to…"
She shook her head. "No, I don't want any part of this. Whatever destiny has planned for us let it come. I'm not going to tempt fate," she said.
"That might be enough for you, but I need answers," Khalil said, walking out the room.
*
Adam stared at himself in the mirror, paying close attention to where his morphers use to be. He understood why it happened, but he was unclear what he would do next. 'I was brought to this time period to be a ranger, to help people, but now what do I do?' he thought to himself.
He was sure he'd be able to get a job in the science lab, or maybe become a Time Force police officer, but wasn't fond of the idea of handing out parking tickets for the rest of his career. He wanted more than that, he needed more than that.
"You're doing it again, aren't you?" a voice asked.
He was able to see Katie through the reflection in the mirror as she walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Doing what?"
"Feeling sorry for yourself, wishing you still had your morpher. If Khalil hadn't shown up and taken the morpher from you, I'd be standing in a cemetery feeling sorry for myself," she told him.
"I'm not doing it again," he paused. "I'm still doing it from the last time you asked me," he sighed.
She giggled. "I know what its like, to feel helpless, but you heard what Khalil said, something is coming. Whatever this final battle is, we're all going to be needed, and with both of us still here, I like our chances," she said.
"But what will I be able to do without a morpher? Camille is working on a new morpher, but from what I hear, she doesn't have a stable enough power source to activate it. When the time comes, and the final battle goes down, I won't have any powers," he pointed out.
"You think you need powers to make a difference? They'll be plenty of things you can do to help," Katie assured him.
"Yeah, I can sit in the lab and monitor your progress," he turned around. "I have to be out there doing my part, not sitting in front of a computer,"
"You know the pink morpher is still available," she mentioned, cracking a smile.
"Very funny," he sighed.
"Seriously, when the time comes, we'll all do out part, and we'll save the world… again," Katie sighed.
"We always do," he smiled.
*
"These will get me where I need to go? Where do I have to be?" Camille asked, examining the morphers closely.
Alex stood off to the side, leaning up against the wall with his arms folded. "That's all he told me. He seemed pretty adamant about not telling us anymore than he did," he mentioned.
"The design looks a lot like the configuration of the black chrono armor, but way beyond anything I've ever seen. If I didn't know any better, I'd say…" she paused, taking another look. "This is my design. Whoever created this used the same schematic I used when I created the Omega morpher," she said.
"It makes sense, Khalil was from the future. It stands to reason that he'd be using your technology. Can't you use the power source from this one to activate yours?" he asked.
"That was my original thought, but it looks like the regeneration circuits were damaged, and the reserve power cells are too low. My guess is this thing has enough power for one more morph, but that's it," Camille said.
"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way. Khalil said that you could use the morpher to get where you had to go, not to power the morphers. Maybe we're suppose to use his morpher to get somewhere important," he said.
"Just speculation. Its too bad he couldn't tell us anything else. For all we know that him coming here is what sets off the final battle,"
"If that were true, when he took off the morpher, he wouldn't have disappeared. The fact that he did means his time line was altered, so things are already changing," Alex said.
"If that's the case, and the time line did change, maybe his morpher won't be enough to do anything anymore. I wish he would have told us more," she sighed.
"We'll just have to do our best,"
"I only hope that its enough when the time…" she was cut short as an alert went off. She hurried over to her control panel, reviewing the information on the screen. "Someone is illegally accessing the history logs," she said.
"Can you tell who it is?"
"Give me a minute," she paused. "It's my authorization code, but there are only two other people who know my code,"
"Who?"
"Trip and…" she paused. "KJ,"
"I was wondering when they were going to get around to that," Alex said.
"What?"
"It's the cadets. They're trying to find out more about the mission they'll be going on. I can't say I blame them, they deserve to know as much as they can about their mission before they go in," he said.
"You knew they were going to do this? How"
"The same way I knew you and Trip would figure out what was going on when Tommy brought Adam to this century, the same way I knew Tommy would find a way to bring you and Trip back even though I told him not to," he brought up.
"You don't want me to stop them?"
"Not yet, let them get a good look at it first,"
~~
"According to this, there are a group of rangers in the year 2007 that combat a group of renegades," Khalil said, reading over KJ's shoulder.
"There is no mention as to who the renegades are. Moreover, there is no conclusive proof that the rangers mentioned in this log will in fact be us," she pointed out.
"Do you remember when we went on the field trip to the 21st century? The scientists there said there were no rangers in that time period," he said.
"They also said there wasn't a need for rangers,"
"True, but the fact that Time Force asked them to build morphers in that time period means something big is going to go down there," he said.
"That is merely speculation,"
"No, its fact. It says right here six rangers combat a group of renegades. They have to be talking about us," Khalil said.
"I must point that there are only four of us: You, myself, Amanda Scotts and Sasha Regis. The log mentions six rangers, therefore, it cannot be us," she said.
"I'm tellin' ya, its us. I haven't figured out how yet, but it is. Trust me on this,"
"The last time you asked for my trust, you said that time travel was impossible," KJ mentioned.
"So I'm only right half the time," he sighed.
"Someone has been alerted to our presence here," she said, turning to the controls.
"Who?"
~~
"Damn it, KJ knows were monitoring them," Camille said, sitting in front of her control panel.
"Did they get the information they needed?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, but she's terminating her link to those files," she told him.
~~
"The link has been terminated," KJ announced.
"Well, at least we know a little more now than we did before all this started," he said.
"That is incorrect. We know that a group of six rangers will combat renegades in the past. There is no mention of who the renegades are, or who the rangers are. We, in essence, know less than we did before this started," she said.
"Well I don't know about you, but I'm going to find out," Khalil said, walking out the room.
*
Tommy walked into the room, making his way over to Jen, who was sitting at the table surrounded by mountains of papers. He quietly walked up behind her, massaging her back.
"Long day?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," she said, melting into his massage.
"I was down in the lab with Trip trying to figure out what the Final Battle was all about," he said.
"Any luck?"
"No. Camille has a morpher that Katie's brother wore in the future, and its beyond anything we have now, but the power cells are damaged. Its suppose to get her somewhere, but none of us can figure out what that means or where its suppose to take her," he said.
"Maybe we're suppose to travel to the future and see for ourselves,"
"No, if that were true, Katie's brother would have told her more while he was here. My theory is that she's suppose to find a way to modify the power cell to use for her morpher project," he said.
"This is why no one should know too much about their own destiny. When they do, they're more concerned about the future than the present," she mentioned.
"Speaking of the present, I was thinking that after the twins are born, I was hoping you'd step down as teacher and stay home with us," he said.
"You don't expect me to just walk away from my career while you…" she paused. "Did you say us?" she asked.
"I was thinking I'd officially leave Time Force and stay home with you and the kids," he said.
"Really?"
"I've made the mistake of putting my duties as a ranger over being with my family once, and I won't do it again. I don't plan on waking up in the year 4000 trying to adjust to things all over again because I had to go on one final mission," he explained.
"I knew there was a reason I married you," she sighed, wrapping her arms around him.
"You mean it wasn't because of my rugged good looks?" he asked.
"You wish," she sighed.
*
Alex sat in front of the computer in his office, going through the history logs. He knew after Jen took the cadets on that field trip a few months ago that sooner or later, they'd want to know what destiny had in store for them.
He recalled being an eager cadet, full of curiosity, wanting to see what the future had in store for him. From that aspect, he could relate to what they were feeling, but he also knew that history, even future history, had to played out the way it was intended. There were only very few times when changing destiny was done successfully, and even then, there were consequences.
When Admiral Logan authorized Tommy to bring Adam from the past, things were changed for the worst, and as a result, both Trip and Camille were killed. Allowing Tommy to use the Sphere of Omara to revive Camille and Trip altered time, more than likely resulting in the Final Battle that Admiral Summers warned him about. 'Altering the time line has consequences, but sometimes the means outweigh those consequences,' he thought.
There was no way to be sure exactly what the Final Battle was, or when it would happen, which is why he decided it was much better for everyone involved if they knew as much as they could. That's why he'd sent for the cadets.
"You wanted to see us, sir?" Sasha asked, peeking her head in the doorway.
Alex glanced up, quickly motioning them to come on. One by one, the four of them walked into the office, sitting down in front of the desk. "Thank all of you for coming so quickly," he leaned forward. "KJ, I know that you and Cadet Taylor were reviewing the history logs today without authorization," he told them.
"I will accept full responsibility for the incursion of protocol," KJ said.
"That's not why I called the four of you here," he reached for his sunglasses, putting them on. "All of you are aware that something is going to happen, and its no secret that of an academy with over 1200 cadets, the four of you were chosen for other reasons," he said.
"I don't understand sir," Amanda sighed.
"You're all under the impression that you'll have to go to the year 2007 to face a group of renegades. That much KJ and Khalil should have been able to determine while they were going through the history logs," he said.
"Yes sir," he said.
"But, what you don't know are the circumstances surrounding that event. You see, time is a tricky thing. The original plan was that the four of you would go to the past to contend with the renegades, then return home, but the time line as shifted and things have changed," he stood up, coming from behind the desk and closing the door to his office. "What I'm about to tell you is restricted information, only the rangers and a handful of senior staff have access to this information. There is a Final Battle coming, a battle that Time Force isn't likely to survive. Because the time line has shifted, there isn't much we know about it, but we do know that the four of you will be sent to the year 2007 to keep you safe in the event Time Force doesn't survive," he told them.
"Permission to speak freely sir," Amanda requested.
"Granted,"
"You want us to leave while Time Force is being destroyed? That's bullshit. I know there isn't much we can do here, but it seems to me that having as many people here to fight the good fight the better. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we won't leave our home knowing that we might be able to help save it," she said.
"I agree sir," Khalil said.
"Same here," Sasha added.
"I concur," KJ told him.
"Frankly, I admire your dedication to Time Force, but your feelings on this matter are irrelevant. If Time Force will have any hope of survival, the four of you must go the 21st century and await further instructions," he said.
"But what about the renegades we're suppose to face when we get there? And what about the two other rangers the history logs make reference to?" Khalil asked.
"I don't have anyone answers to give you. All I can tell you is that your survival is of the utmost importance to Time Force," he said.
'Trip to Alex. Come in,' a voice said.
Alex reached for his morpher. "I'm in a meeting Trip, can it wait?" he asked.
'No sir. The time line is shifting again, future history is being altered,' he told him.
"Source?"
'Its happening in the year… 2007. Something is going on, and the energy readings are off the charts. Whatever is happening, its big,' he said.
He sighed. "Prepare the slipstream for…" he was cut short.
'With the energy readings the way they are, opening the portal wouldn't be a good idea,' he said.
"What about the time ship?"
'The chances of it making it through are a little better, but still not recommended. If an energy spike were to hit the ship, it would be destroyed,' he said.
"Do you have any other options?"
'I'm afraid not sir,'"I'll be down there in a moment. Alex out," he turned to the cadets. "Slight change of plans. Looks like we're going on our trip a little early," he said.
"But what about the energy spikes?" Khalil asked.
"Honestly, it's a chance we're going to have to take. If we do nothing, the past will be destroyed and the present will be erased from existence," Alex said.
"I am ready," KJ said, standing up.
"Same here," Sasha responded.
"I'm not too thrilled about wearing spandex, but I'm in," Amanda said.
"Well, someone is going to have to keep you ladies safe. I'm in," Khalil said.
"Alright, lets go," Alex told them.
*
The five of them walked into the cargo bay, where Trip was sitting in front of the controls. As soon as noticed the cadets in full Time Force uniforms, he stood up, making his way over to them.
"Graduated early I see," he mentioned.
"I've given each of them a field commission. Provided their mission is successful, they will return here to finish their training at the academy," Alex told him. "Report,"
"The energy surges are getting worse, and as best as I can tell, it's nothing natural. Whatever is causing them, it's intentional, and it's disrupting the subspace barriers," he said.
"Like the incident with Ransorg a few years ago?"
"No, this is on a much bigger scale. If these barriers were to collapse, it wouldn't allow alternate realities to merge, it would destroy that reality. All life in that universe would cease to exist in the blink of an eye," he said.
"How close are the barriers to collapse?"
"That's the good news. It would take nearly triple the power that's being generated now to collapse the barriers, so there's no immediate danger of the universe coming to an end. What you should be concerned about is the time line being changed. This energy buildup wasn't meant to happen, and it needs to be stopped before any real damage can be done to the time line," Trip explained.
"We'll do our best,"
"The time ship is ready for launch, but it's going to be a bumpy ride. Because of the buildup, we won't be able to communicate with you when you get there. Assuming you stop the buildup and subspace is returned to normal, we'll be able to come back for you," he said.
"So we're on our own," Sasha sighed.
"All of you were chosen for a reason. I have faith in you that you succeed in your mission, and the four of you will do your part to preserve the time line and save the future," Alex said.
"Alright, lets get going," Khalil said, making his way to the time ship.
The others followed suit, and when the hatch opened, the four of them stepped onboard. Before the door could close on the time ship, he rushed into the cargo bay. "Am I late?" he asked.
"CaSteel? What are you doing here?" Alex asked.
"I asked Blake to go along, just in case. The cadets are good, but they'll need someone experienced to go with them," Trip said.
"And Blake was your first choice?"
"He was good enough to play a double agent, infiltrate Chyro Tech and help us shut them down. He's a skilled pilot, and he's a good fighter. I figured they could use his help," he said.
Alex nodded. "Okay, you're in, but I'm making you responsible for them. If something happens to my cadets, I'll…" he was cut short.
"Relax Al, I can handle it," Blake said, climbing into the time ship.
The door closed behind him, and Alex headed over to the controls with Trip. "Thrusters are on line, time circuits are enabled. It looks like we're ready," he said.
"If this doesn't work Trip, the world as he know it is over," Alex sighed.
"If this doesn't work, the time line will be altered and none of us will be here to worry about it," Trip told him as they watched the time ship lift off, and then disappeared into the vortex.
~~
Preview: InductionNext time on Parallels II: After losing one of their own, the cadets must come to terms with the loss. Meanwhile, Tanya and Gabrielle Myers make the final adjustments on the new power morphers.
~~