"Very good test subject E." Stanislav said as the target came forward to
meet them at the firing range. "Very soon we will be able to send you on
your mission."
"Thank you sir." Test subject E said saluting.
"Keep working on your aim. It is your civic duty to take care of the evil that created the mutants in the past." He said patting the subject on the shoulder.
He stepped out of the door into the room containing the two-way mirror to watch his subject practice the firing skills that had been taught to it.
"Sir, don't you think that the subject's memory will return?" Marie asked with concern.
"No, I have made sure to have had a complete memory wipe done prior to re- animation."
"Sir, this experiment was not meant to be training for an assassination attempt. It was for scientific knowledge."
"I understand Marie. But just think of it a world without mutants." Stanislav said hopefully.
"Sir, aren't we genetically engineered? Doesn't that make US mutants too?" Marie asked.
"No we are perfect. Mutants are scum they killed my family and I will never be compared to them." He said angrily getting into Marie's face. "Do you understand me?" He said raising his voice feverishly.
"Marco you're scaring me." Marie said backing away.
"Don't ever think that mutants and engineered people have anything in common. They don't." He said coldly turning his attention to the test subject again.
Alex ran his fingers over the cool marble of the pretty pink headstone bearing Jen's name.
"Jen, I don't know what to do. I have a mission to complete but I don't know if I can do it. Your children belong here with the people who love them. I can't take them from Wes, I won't do it. I can't do it. Jen, if I go back without them there will be a court martial for sure."
"Then don't do it." Carter said coming into the garden.
Alex jumped at the sound of Carter's voice.
"Carter, you scared me." He gasped. "Are you really here to take Jen and Wes' children back to the future with you?"
"I don't know what I'm here for. I can't take them from their father. It wouldn't be right."
"No, it wouldn't and you would have a hell of a battle before you ever did."
"I know. It's morally reprehensible that Time Force asked me to do this." He said shaking his head.
"Then please don't do it for Wes' sake. He just lost Jen, if he loses the children it will destroy him. He wouldn't go on living."
"I tried to explain that to the Captain." Alex said sitting on the white wrought iron bench Wes had brought into the garden and put at the foot of Jen's grave. "He didn't want to hear it and said that it was an order that I bring the children back."
"Why are they so important?"
"I don't know it's so classified that not even I know. All I do know is that Time Force is more interested in Ariel than they are in Justin."
"What's so special about her?"
"I don't know Carter."
"She holds the key to the power that the rangers have here in this time." Ransik said entering the garden.
"How did you get here?" Alex asked standing.
"The rangers allowed me to stay here after the mission to destroy the mut- orgs. They believed that if the change from mutant to human was made I could never be tracked here."
"What are you doing here?" Carter asked positioning himself between Jen's grave and Ransik.
"I am paying respect to a noble warrior and a good friend." Ransik answered simply nodding toward the headstone.
"She was." Carter agreed "She would have liked to have known you were here. It would have made her proud."
"She is." Ransik said enigmatically. "Can't you feel it?"
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked in disbelief. "Part of the mutant powers stayed with me. I can sense things that normal humans don't know. Jen's essence is here in this garden. She's surrounding us. Our sadness is keeping her here. She can't move on."
"I can't believe this." An angry voice came from the gateway.
Alex spun around just in time to see Wes standing there glaring at him.
"I thought I told you to leave." He growled.
"Wes, there's more to it." Alex said defensively.
"Wes, you should hear him out." Carter said stepping between the two men.
"Hear him out, he abandoned Jen when he had the power to save her."
"Daddy." A small voice called from the entrance to the maze.
Wes' glare softened. "Ariel, I'm here. In Mommy's special place." He called back
"It's time." Stanislav said. "You know your mission test subject. And you've earned your name. You shall be called Demetrius."
"Yes sir. He said saluting."
Stanislav removed the protective helmet from Demetrius' head and lead him toward the time gate.
"You have only a few moments. Step through the gate and complete your mission."
***********************************************************************
"Ariel, over here." Wes called as he heard his daughter's steps nearing the garden.
The wind began to pick up and all of the sudden the sky became strangely dark. A loud clap of thunder shook the very earth they stood on.
"Ariel." Alex whispered tearing out of the garden.
Wes spun around as he heard Alex say his daughter's name. "Like hell you're taking her!" He screamed.
"Daddy!!!!" Ariel cried terrified as a dark form stepped into the walkway from nowhere.
"Ariel I'm coming. RUN!" Wes cried Alex spun around when he heard Ariel's voice. He ran towards the sound.
Wes caught a glimpse of the dark figure chasing his daughter. He pulled out his blaster and shot at it as he was running. Finally he caught up with them. He couldn't believe his eyes a navy ranger was standing in front of him with his blaster aimed directly at a terrified Ariel.
"What are you doing?" Wes said gruffly trying to hide the fear in his voice.
"Taking back the future." Demetrius answered coldly. "My mission is to destroy the child before she can be brought to the future. I will not stop until I have accomplished my mission."
Alex watched from the shadows. "Stanislav." He growled.
"NO!" Wes screamed as he watched the dark ranger pull the trigger.
Before the laser blast hit Ariel Alex came out of nowhere and grabbed her pushing her out of the way and taking the blast himself. He fell to the ground dazed.
"Ariel get out of here." He gasped.
Ariel stared at Alex dumbly. She couldn't believe how much he looked like her father.
"Ariel. Come on." Wes urged rushing to her side. "We have to get out of here."
"Thank you sir." Test subject E said saluting.
"Keep working on your aim. It is your civic duty to take care of the evil that created the mutants in the past." He said patting the subject on the shoulder.
He stepped out of the door into the room containing the two-way mirror to watch his subject practice the firing skills that had been taught to it.
"Sir, don't you think that the subject's memory will return?" Marie asked with concern.
"No, I have made sure to have had a complete memory wipe done prior to re- animation."
"Sir, this experiment was not meant to be training for an assassination attempt. It was for scientific knowledge."
"I understand Marie. But just think of it a world without mutants." Stanislav said hopefully.
"Sir, aren't we genetically engineered? Doesn't that make US mutants too?" Marie asked.
"No we are perfect. Mutants are scum they killed my family and I will never be compared to them." He said angrily getting into Marie's face. "Do you understand me?" He said raising his voice feverishly.
"Marco you're scaring me." Marie said backing away.
"Don't ever think that mutants and engineered people have anything in common. They don't." He said coldly turning his attention to the test subject again.
Alex ran his fingers over the cool marble of the pretty pink headstone bearing Jen's name.
"Jen, I don't know what to do. I have a mission to complete but I don't know if I can do it. Your children belong here with the people who love them. I can't take them from Wes, I won't do it. I can't do it. Jen, if I go back without them there will be a court martial for sure."
"Then don't do it." Carter said coming into the garden.
Alex jumped at the sound of Carter's voice.
"Carter, you scared me." He gasped. "Are you really here to take Jen and Wes' children back to the future with you?"
"I don't know what I'm here for. I can't take them from their father. It wouldn't be right."
"No, it wouldn't and you would have a hell of a battle before you ever did."
"I know. It's morally reprehensible that Time Force asked me to do this." He said shaking his head.
"Then please don't do it for Wes' sake. He just lost Jen, if he loses the children it will destroy him. He wouldn't go on living."
"I tried to explain that to the Captain." Alex said sitting on the white wrought iron bench Wes had brought into the garden and put at the foot of Jen's grave. "He didn't want to hear it and said that it was an order that I bring the children back."
"Why are they so important?"
"I don't know it's so classified that not even I know. All I do know is that Time Force is more interested in Ariel than they are in Justin."
"What's so special about her?"
"I don't know Carter."
"She holds the key to the power that the rangers have here in this time." Ransik said entering the garden.
"How did you get here?" Alex asked standing.
"The rangers allowed me to stay here after the mission to destroy the mut- orgs. They believed that if the change from mutant to human was made I could never be tracked here."
"What are you doing here?" Carter asked positioning himself between Jen's grave and Ransik.
"I am paying respect to a noble warrior and a good friend." Ransik answered simply nodding toward the headstone.
"She was." Carter agreed "She would have liked to have known you were here. It would have made her proud."
"She is." Ransik said enigmatically. "Can't you feel it?"
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked in disbelief. "Part of the mutant powers stayed with me. I can sense things that normal humans don't know. Jen's essence is here in this garden. She's surrounding us. Our sadness is keeping her here. She can't move on."
"I can't believe this." An angry voice came from the gateway.
Alex spun around just in time to see Wes standing there glaring at him.
"I thought I told you to leave." He growled.
"Wes, there's more to it." Alex said defensively.
"Wes, you should hear him out." Carter said stepping between the two men.
"Hear him out, he abandoned Jen when he had the power to save her."
"Daddy." A small voice called from the entrance to the maze.
Wes' glare softened. "Ariel, I'm here. In Mommy's special place." He called back
"It's time." Stanislav said. "You know your mission test subject. And you've earned your name. You shall be called Demetrius."
"Yes sir. He said saluting."
Stanislav removed the protective helmet from Demetrius' head and lead him toward the time gate.
"You have only a few moments. Step through the gate and complete your mission."
***********************************************************************
"Ariel, over here." Wes called as he heard his daughter's steps nearing the garden.
The wind began to pick up and all of the sudden the sky became strangely dark. A loud clap of thunder shook the very earth they stood on.
"Ariel." Alex whispered tearing out of the garden.
Wes spun around as he heard Alex say his daughter's name. "Like hell you're taking her!" He screamed.
"Daddy!!!!" Ariel cried terrified as a dark form stepped into the walkway from nowhere.
"Ariel I'm coming. RUN!" Wes cried Alex spun around when he heard Ariel's voice. He ran towards the sound.
Wes caught a glimpse of the dark figure chasing his daughter. He pulled out his blaster and shot at it as he was running. Finally he caught up with them. He couldn't believe his eyes a navy ranger was standing in front of him with his blaster aimed directly at a terrified Ariel.
"What are you doing?" Wes said gruffly trying to hide the fear in his voice.
"Taking back the future." Demetrius answered coldly. "My mission is to destroy the child before she can be brought to the future. I will not stop until I have accomplished my mission."
Alex watched from the shadows. "Stanislav." He growled.
"NO!" Wes screamed as he watched the dark ranger pull the trigger.
Before the laser blast hit Ariel Alex came out of nowhere and grabbed her pushing her out of the way and taking the blast himself. He fell to the ground dazed.
"Ariel get out of here." He gasped.
Ariel stared at Alex dumbly. She couldn't believe how much he looked like her father.
"Ariel. Come on." Wes urged rushing to her side. "We have to get out of here."