Alex opened his eyes slowly. His head was pounding and it hurt to breathe.
The room came into focus. It had bare white walls with a window that looked
over the water. He sat up painfully rubbing at the bandages wrapped around
his torso.
"Welcome back." Eric said stepping into Alex's view.
"Where am I?"
"You're at an aqua base."
"Ariel?" Alex gasped his breath leaving him momentarily.
"She's safe."
"No. She's not." Alex said shaking his head.
"She may not be but we plan on making sure she and her brother will be." Eric replied coldly.
"Eric."
"You're not taking her." He said cutting Alex off.
"It may be the only way to keep both of them safe."
"You're wrong. Rangers from 5 different teams are on call at a moments notice to protect her."
Alex sighed. "Demetrius won't stop until he has her. Even if it means destroying us all to get to her."
"How do you know so much about this Demetrius?" Eric asked accusingly.
"He' my." Alex stopped himself "He was my brother."
"What do you mean? He was your brother?" Eric asked in disbelief.
"My brother Adam was killed in the line of duty."
"So he was in Timeforce?"
"Yes. God, I wanted to be just like him. He was one of the first in the Ranger Program. He was the very first to unlock the red morpher. When he was killed I was still at the academy. The scientists couldn't find a way to remove his DNA pattern from the morpher."
"So they drafted you."
"Pretty much. It was one of the fastest climb in ranks in Timeforce history. I wasn't ready for it but, I had no choice. I would have to be faster and train harder than ever before and be a better cop than Adam had ever been. It was a big pair of shoes to fill."
"I know the feeling." Eric agreed nodding. "But if your brother is dead, how can he be this Demetrius?"
"TImeforce had recently started a project that would bring life back to dead flesh. It was headed up by one of the top scientists in the biological field a Doctor Marco Stanislav. When my brother was destroyed by Ransik they put his body in a cryogenic chamber. The program was still in the animal testing phase and I never thought that they would begin human experimentation so quickly. I thought it would be another hundred years before they would even think of that. I was wrong."
"So did he sign up for this program of his own accord or was he drafted like you?"
"No, because of the DNA limitations of the morphers all the Timeforce officers that participated were expected to at the time of death have their bodies cryogenically frozen."
"Katie, Trip and Lucas too?"
"They knew about this from the start they knew that if they were ever killed one day they might be reanimated."
"What about Jen?" Wes asked stepping into the room after overhearing their conversation.
Alex looked uncomfortable. "I don't know Wes. A Ranger has never been killed out of his or her time."
"Jen." Wes said balling his hands into fists.
Marie stepped into the room that contained the cryo-freeze chambers. There was only one that contained a body.
"I may be doing the wrong thing." Marie said pushing the button that would release the door. "But, Marco Stanislav needs to be stopped. And you're the only one who can do that."
"Sir." A silver guardian gasped collapsing into the doorway.
Wes rushed to his side. The youth had a gash on his forehead and his blonde hair was matted with blood. His blue eyes showed a great fear.
"Get a doctor." Eric ordered. "We have a man down."
"Demetrius." The young man whispered.
"Eric, you have to get Ariel out of here. Find a safe place and take her there. I'll find you." Wes said with determination staring into the eyes of the man he called 'brother'. He stood to leave.
"Wes wait." Eric said catching him by the arm. "Ariel and Justin have lost their mother. The children need you."
"Eric." Wes began.
"Wes its suicide." Eric said cutting him off. "Think of your kids."
"I have, and this is the only way I know they'll be safe." He answered drawing away from Eric. "Time For Timeforce!"
Wes paused at the door.
"If anything happens."
"Don't worry." Eric reassured him.
"Welcome back." Eric said stepping into Alex's view.
"Where am I?"
"You're at an aqua base."
"Ariel?" Alex gasped his breath leaving him momentarily.
"She's safe."
"No. She's not." Alex said shaking his head.
"She may not be but we plan on making sure she and her brother will be." Eric replied coldly.
"Eric."
"You're not taking her." He said cutting Alex off.
"It may be the only way to keep both of them safe."
"You're wrong. Rangers from 5 different teams are on call at a moments notice to protect her."
Alex sighed. "Demetrius won't stop until he has her. Even if it means destroying us all to get to her."
"How do you know so much about this Demetrius?" Eric asked accusingly.
"He' my." Alex stopped himself "He was my brother."
"What do you mean? He was your brother?" Eric asked in disbelief.
"My brother Adam was killed in the line of duty."
"So he was in Timeforce?"
"Yes. God, I wanted to be just like him. He was one of the first in the Ranger Program. He was the very first to unlock the red morpher. When he was killed I was still at the academy. The scientists couldn't find a way to remove his DNA pattern from the morpher."
"So they drafted you."
"Pretty much. It was one of the fastest climb in ranks in Timeforce history. I wasn't ready for it but, I had no choice. I would have to be faster and train harder than ever before and be a better cop than Adam had ever been. It was a big pair of shoes to fill."
"I know the feeling." Eric agreed nodding. "But if your brother is dead, how can he be this Demetrius?"
"TImeforce had recently started a project that would bring life back to dead flesh. It was headed up by one of the top scientists in the biological field a Doctor Marco Stanislav. When my brother was destroyed by Ransik they put his body in a cryogenic chamber. The program was still in the animal testing phase and I never thought that they would begin human experimentation so quickly. I thought it would be another hundred years before they would even think of that. I was wrong."
"So did he sign up for this program of his own accord or was he drafted like you?"
"No, because of the DNA limitations of the morphers all the Timeforce officers that participated were expected to at the time of death have their bodies cryogenically frozen."
"Katie, Trip and Lucas too?"
"They knew about this from the start they knew that if they were ever killed one day they might be reanimated."
"What about Jen?" Wes asked stepping into the room after overhearing their conversation.
Alex looked uncomfortable. "I don't know Wes. A Ranger has never been killed out of his or her time."
"Jen." Wes said balling his hands into fists.
Marie stepped into the room that contained the cryo-freeze chambers. There was only one that contained a body.
"I may be doing the wrong thing." Marie said pushing the button that would release the door. "But, Marco Stanislav needs to be stopped. And you're the only one who can do that."
"Sir." A silver guardian gasped collapsing into the doorway.
Wes rushed to his side. The youth had a gash on his forehead and his blonde hair was matted with blood. His blue eyes showed a great fear.
"Get a doctor." Eric ordered. "We have a man down."
"Demetrius." The young man whispered.
"Eric, you have to get Ariel out of here. Find a safe place and take her there. I'll find you." Wes said with determination staring into the eyes of the man he called 'brother'. He stood to leave.
"Wes wait." Eric said catching him by the arm. "Ariel and Justin have lost their mother. The children need you."
"Eric." Wes began.
"Wes its suicide." Eric said cutting him off. "Think of your kids."
"I have, and this is the only way I know they'll be safe." He answered drawing away from Eric. "Time For Timeforce!"
Wes paused at the door.
"If anything happens."
"Don't worry." Eric reassured him.