Tom and Trent were starting to fuss, so Jen had led Jason up the stairs to what would be the baby's room when it was born, where they had the crib they had bought only a few days before, leaving Rocky and Wes alone with Justin and the other Jen. The room was silent and that was making Wes very uncomfortable; he did his best not to make eye contact with this Jen. But try as he might his eyes did fall on her. She looked so sad. He wanted to say something, but what could he say? Wes cleared his throat and sat up.
"I'm going to check on Eric."
Wes walked into the kitchen and found Eric sitting alone off in the corner. For a long moment Wes just stared at him. Eric seemed to be taking what happened very hard. Wes started forward...
"Eric..."
Eric looked up at Wes, seeming very upset. "How could you..." he snapped.
Jen and Justin were left alone in the living room with Rocky. There was complete silence and it was starting to get uncomfortable for Rocky. He was the only one in the room with the two strangers who really weren't strangers to him. He knew them, but not them, to be exact. It wasn't like he could just start off a conversation with the two as if nothing had happened. Something bad did happen to them, and he really hadn't been a part of it. Another him had, but had died. And then there was the overwhelming fact that he hadn't seen Justin in years. The last he had seen of Justin was seven years ago. Justin was just a kid then, but now he was grown up; he no longer was the little kid he once knew.
Jen got up. "Excuse me; I need to use the restroom."
Rocky looked up, not even thinking about what he was saying. "Oh, um, it's up the stairs……." His words straggled off, when it hit him.
Jen gave him a faint smile. "It's okay," she then walked off, without another word. She had expected that to happen, and in a way she was glad it happened. In some ways it made things a little bit easier.
Rocky wanted to just knock himself on the head. He couldn't believe he had just said that. Nice one, Rocko. Of course she knows where the restroom was, she used to live here, or rather in another here. Rocky then looked up and met with Justin's eyes. He had grown up a lot. He was taller, had short dark brown hair and was well built. He had a million questions for him. What had he been up to for the last seven years? How was it, going to high school as a pre-teen? But most importantly, how had he gotten involved in this mess? As far as Rocky knew Justin had never shown up, they never even teleported him to the command center. Rocky didn't want to ask, knowing he would get another tragic story to go along with it. He pondered for a few short moments, wondering if he should or shouldn't. He bit his lip and sighed heavily. "How did you become a part of this?"
Justin knew it was only a manner of time until Rocky would ask him that question. How had he gotten involved? He had been at his home in Texas, safe. He had known something was up when it had been days since the sun had shone, and everything on the news was bad. Justin took a deep breath. "It had been a few months since the sun had gone away and the attacks had begun in California. No attacks had happened while I was in Texas. But the news was bad, there was destruction everywhere, and it was growing. I waited, believing if you needed help you guys would contact me, but no one ever did. And then I learned later several spacecraft had exploded in space and some of the pieces had crashed-landed on Earth." Justin took a moment to gather his thoughts. "It had been believed it was power ranger related…"
"It had to have been the Galaxy rangers coming to help you."
Justin nodded his head. "Yeah. That's when I knew it had to be real bad. So making a quick decision and going against my father…" Justin sighed, that had been one of the hardest decisions he ever had to make. "He didn't want me to go, said it would be too dangerous." He dropped his head down. He had hated to leave, but had known he had to. "I had to tell him I was a power ranger… He didn't want me to go, but he knew I had to. I had to go see if you guys were alright. So I left and I never looked back…"
"Then what happened?"
"When I finally made it back to Angel Grove nothing was left, everything was gone. There were dead bodies everywhere you looked. I could smell smoke and see fire just about everywhere. I was there for about a week until I met up with Tommy…"
Jason and Jen were in the nursery smiling down at the two sleeping babies. They had made a space on the floor with blankets and pillows piled around. The crib had been too small to hold both of them.
"So, you ready to be a mom?" asked Jason.
"I think so," smiled Jen, looking down at the sweet sleeping faces, so pure and innocent having no idea how life can be hard sometimes.
"You'll do fine, and you have Wes too."
"Yeah. And Kim has you," said Jen, eyeing Jason.
Jason gave a faint smile, still unsure of where he stood with Kim or his own mixed emotions on how to handle things. He knew he loved her, but did he love her more than just as a friend? Even though Tommy had given him his blessing, he wasn't sure if that was enough. But now this other Tommy was here, maybe this would be a second chance for Kim. Jason wasn't sure what the future had in store, but hopefully in the end things would turn out okay for everyone.
The other Jen found herself wandering into Wes and Jen's bedroom. It was just as she remembered: their bed against the wall, blankets neatly folded, and two dressers at opposite ends. She could almost see Wes and herself in here together, kissing, laughing, loving each other. It was as if the memories she had of this room haunted her deep in her thoughts. It was almost too much for her to be in this room; too many memories and ghosts. She was about to head out until her eyes fell on a picture frame that was on a small table facing the bed. She walked over to it, and picked it up looking at the happiness in the photo.
It was Wes's and Jen's wedding picture. They looked so happy together. Tears streamed down her face, knowing that would never happen to her and her Wes. No, time hadn't been kind to them. Time had taken Wes away from her. She wished she could go back to that day; maybe if she had done things differently he would still be alive. She placed the picture frame back on the table and then looked down at her ring. She played around with it for a few moments. She would not forget the promise she had made to him; she would get Sy-Kee and make him pay. But she knew even if she did get Sy-Kee and killed him, it wouldn't bring Wes back, but perhaps it would help her to move on and start living her life one day at a time.
Tommy was battling a group of CellBorgs without any ranger powers, his only weapons were remains of his fallen friends' weapons. Tommy looked to be in rough shape, his hair was longer, his clothes were torn. He had burn marks down the side of his arms, cuts on his face. He looked as though he hadn't slept or eaten in weeks.
The once proud leader of the power rangers charged with running speed at two of the CellBorgs. He yelled out loudly as he jumped up in the air, going for a jump side kick. He kicked the CellBorgs in the head. The CellBorgs only fell back a few feet, as Tommy landed back down to the ground and used the small red blaster gun, shooting at the CellBorgs continually, until all that he could see was red blaster fire and smoke. He stopped and waited, believing he had finished them off; that was until a blaster ray hit him square in the chest. The blast sent Tommy crashing against a wall. He then dropped to the ground with a thud. He struggled to get to his feet as he clutched at his chest where he had been hit. His breathing was heavy and he was growing weary. Day in and day out this was all he did and it was beginning to take its toll on him. He had barely slept and he couldn't remember the time he had something decent to eat.
Tommy watched as the group of CellBorgs surrounded him, laughing, with their red glowing eyes staring right back at him. "Looks like its lights out for you, hero," said one of the CellBorgs pointing its blaster right at Tommy.
Tommy just lay there with his heart pounding. He stared down at his blaster gun that was only a few feet away, he could reach it in time, but what good would it do? They were all gone, his friends, his wife, everything. He had nothing left to fight for. He had nothing left to live for. He sighed heavily, he never thought the day would come when he would just give up and let the bad guys win.
The CellBorg glared down at Tommy, getting ready to fire when…
"Not today..." said a voice. Someone in a blue ranger costume had jumped in and was now between Tommy and the CellBorgs. The blue ranger had his large blaster gun pointed at the CellBorgs, ready to fire.
"Justin?" said Tommy softly.
The CellBorgs seemed quite shocked. "What? How can this be? I thought we killed all the power rangers," said one of the CellBorgs angrily.
"Well, it looks to me like you missed one," remarked the blue ranger.
The CellBorg just glared at the blue ranger and smirked. "For now, perhaps." The CellBorg then eyed Tommy. "This isn't over, next time you won't be so lucky," said the CellBorg as he and the others disappeared.
Once they were gone the blue ranger turned around and helped Tommy to his feet. "Tommy, you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," said Tommy as he shoved away from the blue ranger, seeming not to want his support.
Justin wasn't sure, but he could sense a hint of anger and upset in Tommy's voice. It was almost as if Tommy wanted them to kill him, as if life and the promise he had made years ago to Zordon no longer mattered.
"Power down," said Justin. Justin looked around as if he expected the others to be nearby, but he saw no one. "Tommy, where are the others? What did he mean when he said he killed all the power rangers?" asked Justin, his heart racing with fear.
Tommy turned around and looked at the young man. He sighed heavily, giving a frown to the young man. "Just like he said, they're all dead…" answered Tommy softly.
Justin just stood there, frozen. Dead? They couldn't be dead. The rangers don't lose. Could it all be a lie? It had to be. But he knew better, Tommy would never lie, not about something like this. Justin shook his head 'no', he could feel himself on the verge of tears. "No, they can't be gone, you're lying!" yelled Justin going at Tommy, punching him in the chest.
Tommy just stood there for a moment taking the hard punches from the young man, as if he deserved it. Maybe he did deserve it after what he had done. Tommy then grabbed a hold of Justin's arms and looked him right in the eyes. "I wish I was…I'm so sorry Justin, but you got here too late," he said softly.
Justin gulped heavily. He remembered that day very well. It was when his whole world came crashing down. Everything he once believed about power rangers changed, they weren't invincible. They too were only human. They could and did die, just like everyone else.
Rocky bit his lip, feeling slightly guilty. He and Justin had lost contact over the years; it had been mostly his own fault. He went on to college and practically forgot about his young friend. And here was Justin, who had left his father behind to go and help them without a second thought, only to find out they were all dead. "It must have been hard. Do you know if your dad - is he still alive?" asked Rocky.
Justin bowed his head down. "No. The CellBorg army continued to grow and destroyed everything in sight. We weren't able to stop them..." Justin sighed. There had been too many, too many for them to have taken on.
Rocky sighed heavily. "And Jen, how did you guys come to meet up with her?" asked Rocky.
"A few days after Tommy and I had met up, we ran into Jen. And ever since we've been together…"
Unknown to Wes and Eric, Jen was getting ready to pass the kitchen when she overheard their conversation.
Wes seemed confused. What was Eric talking about, how could he what? "What are you talking about?" Wes finally asked.
Eric got up from his seat and got right into Wes's face. His face was angry and upset, almost as if the sight of looking at Wes's face sickened him. "How could you do that to her?" he yelled.
Wes shook his head, and shoved Eric out of his face. "I didn't do anything; he's the one that did it. Not me!" declared Wes.
Eric just shook his head. "But you thought about doing it and that's just as bad. Did you even see the look on her face when she told the story? Do you have any idea how that must have been for her? Do you even care?" yelled Eric.
"Of course I care. I can't believe you would even ask me that," answered Wes, feeling hurt that Eric would even think that. He cared; he probably cared more than anybody.
"Have you told Jen?" asked Eric.
Wes crossed his arms across his chest. "No, she doesn't need to know. And what good would it do? To tell her I was planning on doing what the other me did, if Tommy hadn't saved us just in time..."
Eric's eyes glared right at Wes. He couldn't believe how childish Wes was acting. "She's your wife for crying out loud, she deserves to know!" yelled Eric.
"What she doesn't know can't hurt her..." remarked Wes.
"I can't believe you just said that! You lied to me!"
Wes turned around and found Jen looking right at him. She looked angry, hurt and on the verge of tears. Wes's heart was pounding. He had hoped to prevent this from happening, but thanks to Eric's big mouth that wasn't going to happen. "Jen, I-I…." Wes was struggling with what to say.
"Don't you Jen me!" she yelled and pointed her finger right at him. Sometime around the time when Jen had come into the picture Eric had left the kitchen quite quickly knowing this wasn't going to be pretty.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she sobbed. She never thought the day would come when Wes would lie to her. "I was having these dreams and I thought I was alone, that no one understood what I was going through. And come to find out all this time you had some connection to it! Did you think I couldn't handle it, huh?" she yelled right into his face.
Wes gulped in, he had never seen Jen this angry with him before. "Well, you haven't exactly been yourself lately..." And once Wes finished his sentence he knew he was going to regret it. That was the one thing he should have never said.
Jen's eyes widened, she couldn't believe he had just said that. She thought she knew him better than that, but maybe Wes was no different than any other guy. "So you're saying because I'm pregnant I wouldn't have taken it well?" she snapped.
Wes took a couple steps back beginning to feel a little uneasy. "Yes, no…I mean..." He was staggered. Wes just shook his head. He didn't see what the point was; so he lied to her, so what. He had only lied to her to protect her. "Jen, come on, what's the big deal, it never happened."
"But it did happen to her! Do you think you're indestructible or something?" Jen then went up right to his face. "Well, let me tell you something, you're not! One day one of your stupid stunts will kill you!"
Wes just shook his head, she was overreacting. "So I'm supposed to pay the price for something I didn't even do?" he snapped back at her.
"You should have told me. You lied right to my face. How am I supposed to ever trust you again," she cried.
Wes nodded his head. "Yeah, I lied. But don't tell me you wouldn't have done any different had it been you instead of me." He looked her right in the eyes. "I know you, Jen," remarked Wes. He knew Jen would have done the same thing he had done. He was not about to back down.
Jen just shook her head firmly. She glared at him right in the eyes; she looked as though she was about to smack him, but she stepped back and decided not to. Jen then turned around and started to walk out of the kitchen, away from Wes.
Wes's eyes widened as he watched her take off. He began to regret what he had just said to her. "Jen, wait. Where are you going?" he called out, starting to go after her.
"Stay away from me!" she yelled as she turned around, looking at him, more hurt than she had ever been.
Wes just stood there in shock. He couldn't believe his ears, it was as if time had stopped. He didn't know what to do or say. Jen had never acted this way around him before, not to this extreme; then again he had never really lied to her. "Jen…I-I'm sorry, okay?" said Wes softly hoping the sound of his soft and kind voice would get through to her, as it had in the past.
Jen just shook her head. She was so angry and disappointed with him. "It's not going to work this time." She started on her way again, but then turned around. "And don't try to follow me…" Before Wes could say anything else Jen ran out of the kitchen and headed towards the back door.
"JEN!" yelled Wes as he tried to catch up to her.
Jen, now outside, put Wes's helmet over her head and hopped onto his motorcycle and drove off as fast as she could.
Tommy and Kim who had been in the garden had watched the whole thing. "What do you think that was about?" asked Kim.
Tommy just shook his head. "I don't know," he replied.
Wes was too late, Jen was gone and out of sight. "Damn!" he yelled, punching one of the white pillars that was part of the entrance of his home. He could feel himself building up with anger. And his anger began to move onto one person in particular...