It had been close to a half hour since Tommy had told his story. A story none of them would ever forget. Finally they understood the heartache and sorrow in his appearance. He carried more than the world on his shoulders; he carried a great amount of guilt. No one said a word when Tommy stood up and left the room to go outside, to be alone. They didn't know what to say or even what to do. How do you respond to something like that? Do you say you're sorry; that you understand, that's it's not your fault? Somehow none of those things would fix or undo what had happened. And they knew Jen and Justin probably had similar stories like his, stories of pain, sorrow, and tragedy.
Only a few minutes had passed since Tommy had gotten up without a word. Kim suddenly stood up from the couch leaving the group behind and in charge of her children. They all had an idea where she was headed. They watched as she opened the front door and closed it behind her. Perhaps hearing Tommy's story had been hardest on her for all sorts of reasons. Jason had the urge to go with her, but somehow he knew it would probably be better if Kim went alone, to give Tommy his space.
Wes and Jen looked at each other and then back at the other Jen. Wes had a very eerie feeling what had happened to this Jen and he knew it would only bring trouble. The look she had in her eyes was just enough. The emptiness and loneliness, it was the look of heartbreak. A look someone would have who has lost or has been separated from the one they love. Wes knew that kind of look all too well, for there was a time when he had been separated from his love. He didn't need to hear her story to know how it ended.
In the pit of Jen's stomach she had a fear that her dream was somehow connected to this. Could her dream somehow be the nightmare this Jen relives every night?
Rocky hated to ask, but he knew time might not be on their side. Sy-Kee was still out there waiting for a time to attack. "You guys going to tell…." He couldn't even spit the rest of his words out. He was feeling very uneasy and sick to his stomach from Tommy's story. He wasn't sure if it was because of how tragic it had been or because he had died in it, or rather another him, but it was as if a part of him might have died. Or was it the haunting truth, knowing if Tommy hadn't made the choice he did, they might not be here today.
"Yes…We probably should…" Jen started. The sound of her voice was tragic, heartbroken.
Eric could no longer take it, hearing it once was more than enough. It was just too much to hear it again. He got up and moved quickly into the kitchen. He had mumbled something out quickly. From what everyone could gather he said something like, "I'm sorry, I can't do this…."
Kim walked around in the garden, looking at the beautiful flowers as she searched for Tommy. A lot was going through her mind. She had always wondered what would have happened had Tommy gone the other way and stayed. And now she knew. She felt guilty for the times when she had wished Tommy had stayed and said no. But that was before she learned what would have happened if he hadn't done what he did. All of them would be dead; including her and her sons, who would have never been born. She had been proud of Tommy back then, but until now she never truly had been grateful. She hadn't wanted him to do it in the first place. She hadn't wanted to lose him, but if he had gone the other way, she would have lost him anyway, or rather he lost her. It's funny sometimes, you're never truly grateful for what you have until you learn what could have happened. She looked up to the sky. The sun was shining brightly; a flock of birds was flying high above. She smiled gently. "Thank you, you did the right thing," she said softly.
Her eyes then fell on Tommy. He was leaning on a fence staring off into the distance, but he wasn't paying attention to any of it. Kim sighed; she hated seeing him like this. Although he was not the Tommy she had lost, he was so much like him that her heart couldn't help but go out to him.
"Hey. You okay?" she asked softly. It may have been a dumb thing to ask; of course he wasn't okay. He had lost everything and everyone he ever cared about. When he didn't answer Kim gently put her hand on his shoulder. Even her touch didn't do anything. He stood motionless, as if he had blocked any human connection away from him. "It's not your fault," she said.
Tommy cringed. It wasn't his fault. Ha! He quickly turned around, looking at her angrily. "Don't tell me it wasn't my fault! You weren't there, because of me they're all dead. It is my fault! All of you here alive is living proof; if I had said yes they would all still be alive." He glared at her in anger. He didn't even realize his voice was growing louder. "So don't tell me it wasn't my fault!" he yelled, and then he stopped right there.
Kim was petrified, she had seen Tommy angry before, but not like this. Her heart was racing in fear.
Tommy could just hit himself. The last thing he'd ever want to do is hurt or scare her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. I-I…" he struggled to say something else. He wanted to draw her into a hug and hold her forever. But things were different, much different. So he just stood there staring at her. He could feel himself breaking apart, he was on the verge of anger, guilt, and sorrowful tears all mixed up into one. Angry with himself, guilty for the choices he had made and deep sorrowful tears for the losses he'd had.
Kim could see it all in his eyes. "It's okay, you've been through a lot," she said softly.
He just stood there, feeling himself breaking apart. He wanted this pain he was feeling to just go away. He wished it had never happened, that this was just another bad dream.
Kim, unsure if this was the right thing to do, pulled Tommy into a hug, letting him cry on her shoulder. She couldn't help but cry along with him. It took a few moments until he settled into her arms, and let her take care of him. It had been so long since he let someone get this close to him. For so long he had kept Jen and Justin at a distance, because of fear of losing them and self blame for knowing he was the cause of their pain.
"Wes and I were fighting Sy-Kee; things weren't going too well. So Wes called for his battle armor, but he didn't have enough power or energy to handle it…."
A huge explosion hit. There was no sound, nothing. Jen's heart was racing as she waited. Then she heard an all too familiar laugh. "Nooo" she cried. Sy-Kee was standing over Wes's unmorped body.
"Ahh," Wes cried out in pain, that attack had done a number on him.
"Foolish ranger, did you really think you could stop me," said Sy-Kee laughing. He then kicked Wes in the side, tossing his body to land in front of Jen. Jen knelt down by Wes, his clothes were torn and bloody. Cuts were all over his body, he was in bad shape.
"Wes……" Jen looked up at Sy-Kee. Rage and anger ran through her body. "I will make you pay, for what you did to him. Even if I go down with you," yelled Jen in rage, she went running at Sy-Kee.
Jen was fighting Sy-Kee with everything she had, but he was just too powerful for her to handle. His laughter sickened her. She hated him in every way. There was no way she would let him get away with hurting Wes, her Wes, the man she loved. Jen called forth her weapon and began slashing him with every hit, but the powerful CellBorg blocked it every time. He then kicked the weapon out of Jen's hand. She just froze where she stood. She had no fight left in her, she was just too tired. Sy-Kee laughed darkly, he then kicked Jen hard in the gut. Jen dropped to her knees, force-demorphing. Sy-Kee raised his blaster up, getting ready to blast her away. Jen was too tired and weak to move out of the way. Tears were in her eyes, she had failed.
Wes saw what was happening; he took a deep breath. It took every ounce of strength he had left to stand up and run in front of Jen. The blast hit Wes dead center. Everything seemed to go in slow motion.
"Wes no………" cried out Jen, tears running down her cheeks, as Wes fell in front of her very eyes. He wasn't moving much and she could tell he was having trouble breathing. Sy-Kee began laughing darkly at the sight of it, death. Jen got herself closer to him, grabbing a hold of his hand, pulling him into her lap. "Wes, please don't leave me….." she cried, feeling the tears drop from her eyes. Wes blinked his eyes a few times, focusing on Jen.
"Get out of here, Jen, while you have the chance," Wes took in a breath. "Please," he whimpered. Jen began shaking her head no.
"No, I'm not leaving you," she said, she would never leave him, not ever.
"Oh, how sweet," laughed Sy-Kee. Jen looked up at Sy-Kee with anger and tears in her eyes. How could he be so cruel?
"Jen, please go, I don't want anything to happen to you," said Wes softly, struggling through his words. His soft voice brought Jen's attention back to him. Jen felt her heart breaking away, she felt empty knowing what was going to happen. She was going to lose him; none of their dreams would ever come true.
"I'm not leaving you and that's final." She took a deep breath. "I'm not going to let you die alone….." she said softly. Wes opened his mouth to respond back, but no words came out. He felt his very life drifting away, he didn't want to die. He didn't want to lose Jen, not when they had come so close to having a life together. Sy-Kee began to laugh out loudly as he began to power up.
"Then together you shall die!!" he yelled. Jen stayed right by Wes's side, holding on to him as if she were protecting him.
Wes's eyes locked right onto Sy-Kee's bright red glowing eyes. He became angry, filled with rage and madness. He would not let Sy-Kee get away with this. Although his breathing was light and weary, Wes could feel some of his strength returning and it would just be enough to do what he had to do, his human spirit was not about to give up even with death only moments away. There might not be a chance for him, but for her - she had a chance... While Sy-Kee was powering up, getting ready to blast both of them away, Wes managed to slowly push himself up.
"Wes, what are you doing?" asked Jen, having no idea how Wes was able to get up, as badly as he was beaten. He was in no shape to be standing. Wes turned and looked her right in the eyes, his lips were bright red and his eyes were very determined. Jen watched as his right hand reach for his morpher, and then she knew what was going through Wes's mind. "Don't you dare! It will kill you for sure!"
Wes took a deep breath, but it was a struggle. "I'm already dead…Morpher, set self-destruct." And before Jen could do or say anything. Wes had set his morpher for self-destruct and all she could do was watch as Wes charged right at Sy-Kee. Everything seemed to stop right there; although it was dark, she watched as both bodies went crashing through a store window. The next sound she heard was the shattering of the window and the explosion. Jen ducked her head as pieces of glass and debris from the building went crashing and flying all over.
Once it had stopped Jen looked up and her eyes locked right onto where she had seen them crash into. It took a few moments until Jen could make out Wes. He was lying on the ground motionless, pieces of board lying right on top of him, and a small fire burning nearby the only light that was visible. Sy-Kee was nowhere in sight. "WES!" she cried. She pulled herself up and went running to him.
She knelt down next to him, lifting the few pieces of wood off of his body. She cried heavily. His body was badly burnt; there was more blood all over him. "Oh Wes..." she cried as she cradled his body in her lap. She stared down at his half open eyes. After all that he was still holding on. "You didn't have to do that..."
"Yes, I did... Needed you to be safe…You have to leave me behind, Jen," he said softly, as he coughed out some blood.
She shook her head. "Don't die on me, Wes…Please…You've defeated fate before, you can do it again. You're going to be okay…You have to," she sobbed. He had to be okay, she couldn't lose him, not now, not when they were so close.
Wes was finding it difficult to breathe and even see, everything was a blur and starting to become darker than it already was, but he kept his eyes locked on Jen. "I…don't think I have much of a choice, this time..." He coughed and managed a smile with a light laugh.
"Don't joke." Jen sniffled heavily, as she stroked his head gently, brushing away the little blood coming from his mouth. She was very aware that his breaths were slowly fading away. She began to cry more heavily now, as reality began to sink in.
"Shh…It's okay…I-I love you Jen. I'll always love you," he said softly as he held her hand, but there was no strength left or feeling, his life was beginning to fade away.
Jen looked right into Wes's eyes knowing that at any moment now she would lose him. "I love you too Wes, forever..." she cried.
And for a moment their eyes were locked, she would be the last thing he would ever see. Jen watched as Wes took his last breath and then there was nothing. "Wes? Wes?" she cried. He never answered, she had lost him. She pulled him closer to her holding onto his lifeless body, not wanting to believe that he was gone. She began praying for God or anybody to bring him back to her, but that never happened.
A few moments later, she had the feeling she was not alone. Something was watching her; she could hear his laughter, feel his presence. Jen looked up and turned around and found Sy-Kee, unharmed, standing just a few feet away from her. "No! You can't be!"
Sy-Kee laughed. "It seems your lover's self-sacrifice was pointless. Haven't you realized I cannot be defeated? Nothing can stop me!" Sy-Kee raised his blaster and pointed it right at Jen. "Prepare to join him..."
Jen stood up. She was more angry than she ever had been. She was angry Wes had died for nothing, that his death had meant nothing. Sy-Kee was alive and well, and still just as powerful. She had nothing left to live for, and she was hurting so much that her heart just wasn't in it to fight. "Go on, do it! DO IT!" she yelled, and repeated over and over as tears ran down her cheeks.
And that's when Sy-Kee realized something. She'd rather die, than have to go on without him. He laughed darkly, and drew away his blaster. "No. You'll live for now, ranger. This is much better. I'll be seeing you." Sy-Kee then began to walk away from her, laughing, and never looked back.
"Come back! Come back and fight me...We're not through!" Jen yelled, but Sy-Kee never listened. She started to go after him, but she was so heartbroken by her loss that her legs gave away and she collapsed to the ground. She sobbed heavily; she hurt so much inside that it hurt to breathe. She wanted so badly to die right there and then.
Slowly she crawled back over to Wes's dead body; she looked right at his face. "I promise I'll get him. Even if it's the last thing I ever do..." She wrapped her arms around Wes, holding him close to her. The fire was beginning to die down and then she was left in darkness, all alone to mourn the loss of her lover.
There was not a dry eye in the room when Jen had finished telling what had happened to her. Jen clung onto Wes, holding him closely to her. That was the nightmare she had been having, but it had not been to that extent. Wes wrapped his arms tightly around her, as if to let her know he was there. He kissed her head gently and then he looked over at the other Jen. The tears and pain in her eyes was all too much. And he knew it wouldn't be long before his Jen would ask him what had been going through his mind that day. He knew what happened to her had to be bad, but he never thought it would be like that. It was no wonder why Eric had gotten up and left.
Jason gulped in heavily. His heart even hurt more then before. His eyes were red and on the verge of tears. "What about the other Time Force rangers?" he asked softly, afraid to ask, but he wanted to know.
Wes and Jen broke apart slightly and looked over at her to hear the answer.
She sniffled and wiped away a few falling tears. "All I know is they're all dead including the Wild Force rangers. When I went back to where the underground barracks were, I found total destruction. There were burnt bodies and destroyed buildings everywhere, nothing was left. I couldn't even make out who any of them were, and the entrance to the underground barracks had been blocked off, it looked like it had collapsed from the inside. A while later I learned the Light Speed rangers also were killed. I don't know how they died. I'm not so sure I would want to know..." she replied softly, as soft tears rolled down her cheeks. Everyone she ever knew and loved had died.
Rocky bit his lip, feeling her pain deep inside. It was like one big nightmare. "Um, how is Sy-Kee able to survive out in the sun? I thought he and the other CellBorgs weren't able to handle it?" he asked. His words were soft and uneasy just moments away from breaking into heartbreak and tears. He knew he should have said something a little more sensitive, but their home could be in danger and he knew if they didn't stop Sy-Kee their home could end up just like their visitors' had.
Jen and Justin shared a look, then Jen's eyes fell onto Wes and her double. It then became clear to everyone that the three might know the reason. Wes licked his lips before turning to look at his wife. She nodded her head; it was the only thing that made any sense.
"It might have something to do with the fact that he took technology from Frax's remains. When Sy-Kee had first came after Jen and me, the flashlight we had didn't have any effect on him. Frax was once human, somehow that may have made him not affected by the sun." Wes sighed as he wrapped his arm tighter around Jen, pulling her closer to him. He just wanted all of this to be over with.
"Great, then how are we going to defeat him?" sighed Jason, dropping his head. It had been bad enough the last two times fighting these things, but back then they had a way of beating them. This time there didn't seem to be a way and if that was true this could just be the end of their world as well.