Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section (starting here!), including slash elements.
Reviews are always appreciated.
"We have you outnumbered nine to three, Vivienne," Arthur said. "How can you think you have a chance to defeat us?"
"Two things." She gave them another vindictive smile. "You have the disadvantage of some lingering affection for my assistants."
As Arthur's eyes moved to Morgan Le Fay and Mordred, Wes knew it was true. Morgan had been their friend; Mordred was Arthur's nephew. Even Tommy would be reluctant to fight them, since they were the counterparts of his former teammates Kat and Justin.
"And second?"
"Why don't you show them, my dear?" She nodded at Morgan.
The blonde woman did not speak, she only dropped a hand to her waist. With a sly smile she pulled something from her belt, and held out her closed fist. Wes realized what it must be even before her fingers uncurled.
"A seventh Power Morpher..." Merlin gasped.
"Yes," Vivienne said. "Seven. One of the most magical of numbers; of course there was a seventh coin. Myrddin thought it destroyed centuries ago, but I knew better. After decades of searching, I uncovered it. The white coin. And now... how fitting that it be used against the others."
"Morgan! Don't!" Lancelot cried as she straightened her arm.
Morgan raised her chin, eyes cold, and held her pose for a moment, then stepped into a half-turn and brought the coin back to her waist, calling out, "Knights of Power, unite!" with an ironic emphasis on the last word. The spark of light Wes had seen before grew over her head, sending ribbons of energy down to wrap over her. When they burst and disappeared, she stood in the same armor as the other six Knights of Power, her tunic in white.
"Destroy Arthur!" Vivienne screamed.
The next few minutes happened in a blur. Morgan and Mordred charged at Arthur, Morgan summoning a thick white saber with a carved dragon's head; Guinevere sprang to her husband's side as Lancelot and Galahad stepped in front of both of them. Vivienne gestured with a wild laugh, her hands forming a circle in the air. A translucent bubble like the ones Merlin had used formed in front of her, but much larger. Another wave of her hand, and it streaked at Merlin and Nimue, bursting around them in a shower of explosive sparks, leaving them staggering. He, Eric, and Tommy started forward, only to be cut off by a renewed wave of demon-drones, swarming over them with just as much mindless viciousness as before.
He couldn't see what happened to the others after that; Wes was too busy fighting off the demons. But there was no time for this... he braced his blaster in both hands, sweeping it in a circle, mowing the faceless creatures down. More replaced them, and he kept going, beginning to wonder if there was any end to them.
The distinctive sound of the Quantum Defender caught his attention, and he saw Eric doing much the same thing. Then he heard a shout of, "TF Eagle!" For just an instant he wondered if Eric was running away - but then was ashamed of the thought as the Eagle swept down, dipping low to the ground and plowing through a mass of demon-drones, and rose in a fog of black smoke.
As for Tommy, as Wes glanced in his direction he straightened suddenly, his suit changing, the helmet warping and seeming to come alive for an instant, the golden diamonds lining his arms and legs growing - until they projected out like spikes or horns, reminding Wes of the black Ranger's dinosaur-based powers. With a shout, Tommy plunged into the demons, cutting through them at inhuman speed, destroying them with every movement of arm and leg.
Under the assault, the demons began to waver, drawing back. Wes caught sight of the main struggle again, Merlin and Nimue in an apparent standoff with Vivienne, but Arthur fighting alone against Morgan and Mordred. The mass of demon-drones had separated him from Lancelot, Guinevere, and Galahad, and were still preventing them from going to their king's rescue. And he needed help; he was down, Morgan pressing the attack, slashing at him with her saber while Mordred circled behind him.
As they watched in horror, both attacked at once, both weapons striking with a flash of magical energy. Arthur cried out in pain and fell to his hands and knees. In another moment, the familiar warping sparkle of a forced demorph left him back in his ordinary knight's armor. Morgan raised her saber. Mordred raised his sword.
"Please, no!" Guinevere screamed.
"Morgan, don't do it!" Lancelot shouted at almost the same moment.
Perhaps something in the anguished sound of their voices reached her. Morgan hesitated. They could see her fingers shift their grip on the saber hilt. She raised it again, and again stopped.
"Morgan?" Mordred said, his voice seeming high and almost childish. He had paused also.
"We... we have to..." she said.
"Yes, we have to..." He hesitated just a moment longer as Arthur rolled onto his back and stared up, and then raised his sword again.
"No!" It was Morgan this time. She swung her weapon, but above Arthur's helpless body, hitting Mordred's with the loud sound of clashing metal. "Vivienne, we can't do this..." she gasped.
"I suspected my spell would not be strong enough." The sorceress' voice was, strangely enough, still confident. She turned her back on Merlin and Nimue, who were down and apparently defeated, to Wes's dismay. "And I saved my best magic for last. I have linked myself to the white coin, and it is linked to all the others, as you shall see." She laughed again as she raised her hand, a glow shining from it, a bright thread of light reaching from it to the white Ranger's waist.
"What are you doing?" Morgan cried. Almost instantly, the light grew and flashed around her, and her Ranger suit was gone. She stumbled, almost falling. But the stream of energy between her and Vivienne remained, and grew. Six branches climbed from it, six trails of brilliance from the morpher on her belt to those on the other six Knights of Power. Arthur only moaned, but the others staggered, fell, and cried out as one by one they flashed with light and demorphed.
A wild surge of energy seemed to flow into Vivienne, her hair loosening and streaming as if in a current of air, her form beginning to glow. Her laughter grew louder. "All this power!" she shouted. "It's mine now, all of it!"
"She's drained the power from all seven morphers somehow!" Tommy exclaimed.
"I need no help to destroy you now!" Vivienne swept an arm around her. The remaining demon-drones quivered and burst into puffs of smoke. She turned to Arthur. "Any last thoughts?" she asked sweetly.
"Witch!"
"Compliments will not delay your demise." Vivienne raised a hand almost casually.
"Not so fast!" Wes shouted. He ran, seeing her raise a disdainful eyebrow as he, Eric, and Tommy stopped in a line between her and Arthur.
"You think you three can stop me?"
"We can try," Eric said grimly.
"Do your worst!" Tommy snarled.
"Very well." A wave of the hand, and a wall of electricity seemed to fly at them. Wes gasped, almost knocked off his feet, and tried not to show the pain he felt. A groan reminded him of Arthur, and he glanced back to see the king weakly struggling to get up.
They had protected him so far. But for how much longer? Wes summoned his blaster again and fired at the same time as Eric. Vivienne only smiled as the beams struck her. Tommy had his staff in his hands; he swung it in a circle, seeming to draw the outline of a circle, a glowing orb appearing inside it. Another wave of the staff sent it at Vivienne, but it had no more effect than the blasters, only seeming to make her glow more brightly...
"Stop! She's absorbing the energy!" Eric shouted.
"Damn, we're just making her stronger!" Wes said.
"What can we do?" Tommy asked.
"Nothing. Nothing but this..." It was Merlin's voice. They all turned to see him back on his feet, Nimue standing beside him. He pulled himself up proudly.
"Nothing but what?" Vivienne asked mockingly. "There is nothing you can do anymore."
Merlin didn't bother to answer. He held up a hand. A thin line of light, like the one Vivienne had used, appeared in his palm and reached for her. He frowned as the glow around her body intensified.
"Fool! You're only giving me more!"
Merlin staggered as the beam of light grew thicker. Nimue stepped closer and took his hand, then held out her arm and sent her own energy beam feeding into Vivienne.
"So much power!" the sorceress cried, throwing her head back. "So much! Yours... and through you Myrddin's... I can feel it, so strong, so much..." She spread her arms, raising her head, the glow growing brighter... but then her expression changed, becoming something like pain and fear. "Too much... It's too much, I can't control it... stop it... Stop it!"
But it went on; Merlin had fallen to one knee but the light still flowed from him and Nimue to Vivienne. She screamed, a sound filled with agony, the shape of her body blurring into pure light. It expanded, breaking into a rainbow of color, coming apart, fragments flying away into the air, the ground, the sky, so brilliant that Wes threw up an arm to cover his eyes.
Merlin sagged, his arm dropped, Nimue slumping to the ground beside him. Wes looked around, blinking. There was no sign of Vivienne. Guinevere and Lancelot had stumbled to Arthur's side. Galahad was bending over Morgan. She was on her knees, hands over her face. A small form was huddled next to her, still dressed in Mordred's now outsized clothing. As Galahad touched his shoulder, he looked up, revealing the tear-streaked face of a little boy.
Everyone they passed was smiling and nodding at them, but it was the way they kept stopping to bow or curtsey that got to Wes as they approached the castle banquet hall through a wide corridor bustling with people. Eric too, apparently; as they walked together his expression had become more and more disgusted.
"Lighten up, Eric. They're just trying to be nice. Thank us for helping."
"I know. Feels weird."
"People being nice feels weird to you?" he murmured with a smile, getting only an exasperated grunt in reply. Merlin was waiting for them, leaning against the stone of the wide doorway. Probably knew they were coming, Wes thought.
"Greetings," the magician said. He looked tired, but his eyes were bright.
"Yeah, hi," Eric said.
"Your companion Tommy Oliver is already inside. The festivities will start shortly, but I wished to speak to you first."
"What is it?" Wes asked.
"Myrddin and Ambrosius have detected the forces that brought you here. The storm will return at dawn tomorrow. We have prepared the spells that should return you to your proper spheres of existence."
"That's great!" Wes grinned and turned to Eric, happily punching his shoulder. "We're going home!"
"Hey, watch it!" But Eric was smiling just as widely.
"Remember, we must be up with the dawn. But tonight - tonight is for celebration." Merlin gave them another smile and disappeared through the doorway.
They followed, pausing as they entered the room. It was large, walls hung with the usual tapestries, the dark of night showing through narrow windows. Torches and candles cast a surprising amount of flickering light, making everything look warm and inviting, especially the large table that dominated the room and the curved benches around it, where their new friends were already seated. There was a buzz of conversation and activity, perhaps a dozen other people standing around, servants coming in and out.
Tommy was at the table, staring across the room with an odd smile on his face. Following his gaze, Wes saw only two young men in their mid or late teens, one appearing Asian and the other Hispanic-looking, flirting with two pretty black women of about the same age.
"Shit, I don't believe it," Eric muttered. "A round table."
"Hey, this is Camelot. What did you expect?"
"Wes Collins! Eric Myers! Come, sit, eat and drink!" The cheerful shout had come from Arthur, seated with Guinevere at his side. Next to her was Lancelot, then Tommy, Morgan with Mordred - a nine-year-old boy again - already asleep leaning into the circle of her arm. Galahad, Merlin, and Nimue completed the group, but there were two empty places waiting. Wes and Eric took them.
As soon as they were seated, Arthur rose, a gold goblet in hand. "A toast!" he cried. "To our brave visitors, Tommy Oliver, Wes Collins, and Eric Myers!"
"Why do I always come last?" Eric muttered under his breath.
"Shhh."
"I second the toast." Merlin was on his feet also. "Had you three not been there, with morphers unaffected by Vivienne's spell... Had you not protected Arthur from her, delayed her long enough for Nimue and me to recover, and shown us the way to defeat her... The battle would have had a very different ending, and we would not be here tonight."
"To our visitors," they all chorused. Wes picked up the goblet that sat before him, already filled, and took a tentative sip. It was a sweet, slightly spicy wine, not bad as he began to get used to the taste.
"I have a toast also." Morgan raised her drink, not getting up, her arm still around Mordred. "To all of you. For not giving up on us, and for forgiving us so easily."
"It wasn't your fault," Lancelot said.
"Yes, there is nothing to forgive, Morgan," Arthur agreed.
"Mordred is only a child, he is blameless. But I am a trained sorceress; I should have fought her spell..."
"Someday you will be as powerful as Vivienne was, and able to resist such powerful magic," Merlin said. "But that day has not yet come. Even I might have fallen victim to her."
"I - thank you. All of you." Wes thought he saw a tear sparkle on the blonde woman's cheek.
"Uh - can I make a toast?"
"Certainly, Tommy Oliver," Arthur said graciously.
"Okay." Tommy climbed to his feet. "To my former teammates, your counterparts in my world. They are - as wonderful as all of you, in their own ways. Fighting beside you has been almost like finding my past again, my old friendships... It's been great. Makes me think it's time for me to look some of them up again." He raised his goblet high. "To Kim. Jason. Billy. Zack. Trini. And last but not least, Kat and Justin."
As they drank again, Arthur grinned and shouted, "Enough toasting! Let's eat!"
A buzz of conversation rose as an impressive amount of food began to arrive. Wes leaned closer to Eric and said quietly, "Do you admit now that we came here for a purpose? We saved Arthur, and all the rest of them."
"I dunno. If you're right - which I'm not admitting - why are we still here? Why wait until tomorrow morning to send us home?"
"That's why." Wes nodded at Tommy, who was laughing at something Lancelot had said, and then leaned past him to grin at Guinevere. "It's giving Tommy a few more hours with his old teammates. Look at him. He's... happy."
"Yeah, I guess." Eric gave Wes another, more serious look. "I hope you're not thinking about warning any of them."
"About what?"
"The rest of the legend. Guinevere cheating on Arthur with Lancelot. Mordred killing Arthur. And I think I remember something about Nimue turning against Merlin and imprisoning him in a cave forever."
"Yeah. But you know, Mordred did try to kill Arthur. And Myrddin is pretty much imprisoned in a cave forever already. Maybe there are similarities, but things won't happen exactly the same way here. No, there's no point in warning them about something that will probably never happen."
It was so silent in the forest at dawn, the crunch of fallen leaves under their feet muted by the dew that glistened in the pale early light. Wes wondered why the birds weren't singing, why the world seemed so hushed, as if it was waiting for something. He shivered in the coolness of a gust of breeze.
"Here," Merlin said. He had led them out of the castle just as the eastern sky began to lighten, and brought them into the woods. They had all been tired and bleary after the hours of eating and drinking the night before, until Merlin had waved a hand at them and mumbled something. Suddenly Wes had felt as if he'd just had a full and restful night's sleep. 'Better than coffee,' Eric had remarked.
Now they stood in a small clearing, surrounded by trees, breathing the fresh morning air and watching Merlin, eyes closed and lips moving silently as he prepared whatever spell would send them home. Wes was surprised by the keen sensation of regret he felt at leaving this place, these people. Tommy must be feeling it more - but his face was closed and impassive. Like Wes and Eric, he had said his goodbyes the night before.
"The storm comes..."
Merlin's quiet voice pulled his attention back to the present. Wes looked up. The wind was rising; clouds had appeared overhead, streaming above the treetops. It was true, the storm had come for them. He felt a moment of fear. Would even Merlin be able to control it enough to make sure they got back where they belonged this time?
The sound of chanting rose, blending with the thin howl of wind. A few cold drops of water hit Wes's face. There was a bright flash and a crash of thunder.
Merlin had spread his arms out, still chanting something in some unknown language. The storm seemed to quiet, the wind steadying, the noise muting into the rustle of branches and a sullen rumble of distant thunder. A hush fell. And then... the mist came, tendrils of fog creeping silently down the tree trunks, spreading over the ground, slowly filling the small clearing. It gathered into a cloud several feet in front of them, blurring the outlines of the trees beyond until they were invisible.
In a clear and commanding voice, Merlin spoke. As if in answer, the mist swirled, thinned, a light beginning to glow from its depths. It seemed to pull back until it framed the lighter area within, and an image began to form there. It grew clearer and brighter, as if a doorway had opened into some other place, becoming real and solid, and recognizable...
"My lab!" Tommy exclaimed. "The lab under my house!"
"Tommy Oliver, your road lies there," Merlin said. "Go, quickly. I cannot hold it much longer."
Tommy flashed them a grin and ran forward. At the edge of that door into another reality, he turned back, reaching out his hand. "Wes, Eric, what can I say?"
"Been great knowing you, too," Eric said.
"Best of luck!" Wes called.
"Merlin, I... thanks!" With that, Tommy whirled and stepped through. They had a glimpse of him in that other place, turning back to look, raising his hand in a wave, before the vision dimmed and faded.
Wes caught Eric's eyes and smiled as Merlin began his chant again. Home... so soon... He could almost see Jen, almost hear her voice; soon he'd be back in his own house, relaxing in the living room, telling his father and Philips all about their latest adventure... They'd never believe it...
The cloud of fog had reformed, darker and thicker than before. Merlin's chant rose forcefully. There was another sharp clap of thunder. Then it began again, the mist seemed to form into a frame around a gleaming area, an image began to grow clear, bright, and steady...
"The beach," Eric said softly.
The beach, under a morning sun, the skyscrapers of Silver Hills visible in the distance.
"Yeah!" Wes exclaimed. "There it is! Home!"
"Go now!" Merlin's voice had a note of strain in it. "The storm fights me, I cannot keep it!"
"Come on, Wes!" Together they started forward. Eric paused only long enough to shout, "Thanks, Merlin!" before he plunged through.
Wes stopped to turn, holding up a hand to the magician and calling, "Thanks!" As he faced the doorway again it seemed for a moment to waver, a thin film of fog blowing over it, the bright image of Eric beckoning him from the beach overlaid by something dimmer. Wes leaped in...
And found himself in darkness. He felt a moment of complete disorientation, a blinding dizziness, a sensation of falling, and at the same time of weightlessness. Then, after some unmeasured time and without any impact, he had landed... on something... something soft, and comfortable.
A bed. He was lying in a bed, in a dimly lit room, with only the faint morning light filtering through curtained windows. It was quiet, and peaceful, in sharp contrast to the storm of a moment ago. Wes sat up, trying to clear his head. He looked at the other side of the bed and saw a form lying curled on its side, facing away from him, covers pulled up to show only the top of a dark head on the pillow.
"Jen...?" he mumbled. "Was I dreaming? It seemed so real..."
He reached out to touch the figure's shoulder. As it stirred, and then rolled onto its back, he abruptly realized three things. One, this wasn't his bedroom. Two, the body next to him was too big and broad-shouldered to be Jen. And three, as an unexpected but familiar face blinked up at him sleepily...
"You're up early..." Eric said. As Wes stared at him in blank surprise, he propped himself on an elbow, grinned, and reached. "Let's see exactly how up you are..."
"HEY!!"
TBC...