Disclaimer: I do not own Alex, Jen, or Ransik. They are property of
Saban/Disney. I do own Christy and Chris Collins and Dr. Stein.
Chris' Death and a New Friend
* * *
"Hey, you alright?" she asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, thank you." he paused. "Do I know you?"
She giggled. "I was about to ask you that. My name's Jennifer Scotts, but you can call me Jen. You?"
"I'm Alexander Collins, but you can call me Alex." he replied, following suit. "How old are you?"
"Eight. You?"
"Ten. Are you that girl from the daycare? I was that quiet boy who sat by himself."
"Which daycare? I remember a similar situation, the day my dad was -" Jen looked off into the distance. "But, not really because my mom's just explained it so much to me. She was so mad I'd played with a boy. She is so strange sometimes when it comes to boys."
"It was the one at the HQ?"
"Yup, that's the one my mom was telling me about." she said softly, tears threatening to spill out onto her cheek. "She'd be mad if she were to see me now. Hey let's go elsewhere - away from the dead, shall we?"
"Sure." 'Thank you, mom.' He did not know what it was about this girl that made him open up so much. He felt like he could tell her anything.
Before Alex could ask Jen what was the matter, she asked, "So, do you like the academy?"
"Yah. So far. I just started today."
"Oh. What's it like?"
"It's nice except for the fact that my dad's a teacher there."
"And why is that a bad thing?" she asked innocently with an amused look on her face.
"He - I'd rather not talk about it right now. The 'wound's' still fresh. That's why I came here, to my mother's grave. I always come here to clear my thoughts."
"Oh. I see. How'd your mother die?"
"Ransik killed her the day I was born." he replied, a hint of anger in his voice.
"I'm so sorry. Did you hear that he somehow got loose today?"
"What!? No way. Dad - he's in trouble. Ransik was after him, too. I have to go, Jen. Nice talking to you again. Bye!" he raced off.
"Bye." Jen said quietly. 'Wait. I'd better follow him - just in case he needs some help, not that I'd be much.' She ran after him. "Hey! Alex! Wait up!"
Alex slowed his pace a little when she was next to him. "What? I need to go warn my dad."
"I'm coming with you; ya might need some help." she offered.
"Sorry, no offense, but I don't need an eight-year-old's help - much less an eight-year-old GIRL's help. The academy has several trainees in there; they'll assist me."
"I'm going to go there in two years. Please, let me help. Besides, Ransik might not even be there."
"No, and that's final." 'Man, what's with this girl? One minute I feel like I can tell her anything; the next, she's annoying me.'
"I'm still going to go. You can't stop me. My mom says I'm incorrige- incorrigible when I've got my mind made up. So, you might as well give up."
"Fine! Come with me, but don't expect me to comfort you if you get scared. I have to save my father."
"For someone that finds the fact that his father is a teacher at the academy to be a bad thing because of a 'wound,' you certainly care about him a lot."
"Hey, just because he hurt me doesn't mean I don't still love him; he's my father, you know. Now, hurry up." He sped his pace, hoping to loose Jen, but to his surprise, she kept up pretty good. He rushed into the building, Jen close behind. The secretary at the HQ got onto them for running when they had past, but neither cared. Alex quickly found his father's office (Despite all that had happened two years ago, Alex would still come by to try to visit his father, only to be rejected), and pushed it open slowly. There he saw a sight that would be with him the rest of his life. He pushed Jen back and told her wordlessly to be quiet. Inside, Ransik was there holding Chris over him as if he were a trophy. Alex quickly closed the door and ran to security.
To the nearest guard, he said, "Help! My dad, Lieutenant Collins, he's dead. Ransik's in there."
The guard looked at Alex. The kid seemed serious enough. He decided to go check it out. "Show me the way." Alex rushed off to his father's office. The door was now locked. The officer scanned his eyes in the scanner to unlock it. Alex pushed open the door. Ransik was now sitting in the chair, downloading some files. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you, Ransik? You're under arrest for the murder of Lieutenant Chris Collins. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used in the court of law." The poor officer did not see what was coming next. Alex watched wide-eyed as it happened, and Ransik escaped through the window. Jen felt so sorry for Alex that she did not know what to do, so she hugged him. The two stood there until some more officers came and told them to leave.
At this point, Jen felt so sorry for Alex that she did not care what her mother would say. She invited him to her house. She unlocked the door and poked her head inside. She heard the video-telephone message machine beep, and she went to see who it was. Alex came in after her and shut the door. The message was from her mother.
"Jen, sweetie, dad and I are at work. They had an emergency assignment. I don't know how long I'll be gone. Possibly until tomorrow. Ransik is loose, so lock all the doors and windows so that they will only unlock to your voice. See you later, sweetie. Bye." Jen's mother's picture disappeared off of the screen. She went to the control center, set the locks to respond only to her voice, and locked them all except for those inside.
"Alex, you want anything to drink."
"Yes, please. What do you have?"
"Anything. We got that new thing to just press a button and that food item will come out."
"Oh. Cool. I've heard of that, but I've never seen one."
"Well, that's not surprising. Mom said that they only issued them to a few inside Time Force to try out before releasing them to the public."
"Oh. Well, I guess I'll have some 'Time for Time Force Cola'"
"Would you like to try the machine out? You can, if you want"
"Sure." Alex pressed the button, and in an instant, the coke appeared in the compartment. He took it out and drank it thirstily. All of a sudden, what he had seen came rushing back into his head, and he choked on his drink. He spit it out, accidentally, and landed in the chair that Jen had quickly pushed behind him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Jen rushed to clean up the mess. "Here, let me get that. It's my fault."
"No, it's okay. You just rest. A lot has happened today. I'll clean up the mess." Alex let her, and sat there crying.
After Jen cleaned up the mess, she came up to him. "Do you have anywhere to stay?"
"Yes. At the academy. Man, what time is it?"
"Eight 'o clock."
"Really? I need to go. I'm already out past curfew as it is. We're all to be there by eight."
"You sure you want to go? I know guys can be mean and if you share a room. Do you think you can make it to the academy alone?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I can make it."
"Okay. Would you please call when you get there so I know you got there safely?"
"Sure, Jen." She handed him a paper with her phone number.
"Door, unlock. Bye, Alex."
"Bye, Jen." he said softly. He walked to the academy in a daze. It was a wonder to him that he got back alive.
Once inside, Jesse came up to him. "Hey, man. Where ya been? Don't worry I won't tell on you."
"Not now, Jesse. I don't need any teasing."
Jerry came up to him. "What's the matter? Dad's speech got you down?"
"Look, that's part of it. Ransik killed my dad today, and I never got to apologize for yelling at him or tell him I love him one more time."
"Man, that's messed up. Ransik got both your parents." Jesse sighed.
"Yah, that's really messed up." Jerry repeated, shaking his head in mock sadness.
"You're a creep, you know that Jerry." Alex said. "This is not a time to be playing around. If you're gonna be like that, just go to bed!"
Jesse motioned for Jerry to go to bed. "Alex, I don't know if this is any consolation, but Ransik killed my little sister for no reason when we were little. I'd love nothing more than to get Ransik myself, like you do. One of these days, we'll be the one's out there getting him. Getting justice."
Alex cut in. "This is not about revenge. And, hopefully, Ransik will be caught before either one of us have graduated from the academy so that no more people have to suffer because of him. Especially now that he's a mutant. They perform tests on the people and mutants in the high security prison. They give them special powers. I have to call Jen. She wanted me to call when I got back." He pulled out the paper. On it, Jen had written,
"Dear Alex,
I hope you feel better soon. I'm here for you if you need me. I don't care if my mom scolds me or spanks me for talking to you; I'm determined to be there for you.
Hopefully, I'm
Your Friend,
Jen Scotts P.S. My number is 223-1982. Call me soon. JS"
Alex had to laugh at some of the content. She was so stubborn. She reminded him of himself at times. When he really had his mind made up about something, you could not change his mind even with the best logic. He dialed the number, and soon a woman's face appeared.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hello, ma'am. Is Jen there?"
"Yes, she is. Who is this?"
"I was about to ask the same of you. You're not her mom. Anyway, I'm Alex."
"Okay, and I'm her grandma." she said with a smile. "I'll go get Jen. And don't worry, I won't tell her mom."
Soon, Jen's face appeared on the screen. "Hi, Alex." she said cheerfully.
"Hey, Jen." Jesse popped up behind him.
"Who's your friend?" she asked.
"Jesse. He's my roommate. One of them anyway. The other, Jerry, is in bed."
"Oh. Hi, Jesse."
"Hi?" he said to the pretty brunette.
Alex started talking before Jesse could get around to asking her out on a date or something and scaring Jen half to death. It seemed like something Jesse would do. "Well, I'm going to turn in now. Bye."
"Bye. Call me later." Jen said, putting on a smile and hanging up.
"Alex got a girlfriend, Alex got a girlfriend!" Jesse let out a long whistle.
Alex punched Jesse lightly in the shoulder playfully. "Hey, she's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend."
"Sure, yah right."
"It's true!"
"You like her, don't you?"
"No, I don't!"
"Then, why are you being so defensive?"
"I'm not. She's a friend, and that's all. Besides, she's only eight and I'm only ten. Now, goodnight." Alex buried his head into the pillow so that Jesse would not bother him. As soon as he felt Jesse get off the bed, he turned over and pulled up the covers. It was a sad yet happy day for him. He had started Time Force Academy; he had met up with Jen again; but his father had been murdered by Ransik.
Chris' Death and a New Friend
* * *
"Hey, you alright?" she asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, thank you." he paused. "Do I know you?"
She giggled. "I was about to ask you that. My name's Jennifer Scotts, but you can call me Jen. You?"
"I'm Alexander Collins, but you can call me Alex." he replied, following suit. "How old are you?"
"Eight. You?"
"Ten. Are you that girl from the daycare? I was that quiet boy who sat by himself."
"Which daycare? I remember a similar situation, the day my dad was -" Jen looked off into the distance. "But, not really because my mom's just explained it so much to me. She was so mad I'd played with a boy. She is so strange sometimes when it comes to boys."
"It was the one at the HQ?"
"Yup, that's the one my mom was telling me about." she said softly, tears threatening to spill out onto her cheek. "She'd be mad if she were to see me now. Hey let's go elsewhere - away from the dead, shall we?"
"Sure." 'Thank you, mom.' He did not know what it was about this girl that made him open up so much. He felt like he could tell her anything.
Before Alex could ask Jen what was the matter, she asked, "So, do you like the academy?"
"Yah. So far. I just started today."
"Oh. What's it like?"
"It's nice except for the fact that my dad's a teacher there."
"And why is that a bad thing?" she asked innocently with an amused look on her face.
"He - I'd rather not talk about it right now. The 'wound's' still fresh. That's why I came here, to my mother's grave. I always come here to clear my thoughts."
"Oh. I see. How'd your mother die?"
"Ransik killed her the day I was born." he replied, a hint of anger in his voice.
"I'm so sorry. Did you hear that he somehow got loose today?"
"What!? No way. Dad - he's in trouble. Ransik was after him, too. I have to go, Jen. Nice talking to you again. Bye!" he raced off.
"Bye." Jen said quietly. 'Wait. I'd better follow him - just in case he needs some help, not that I'd be much.' She ran after him. "Hey! Alex! Wait up!"
Alex slowed his pace a little when she was next to him. "What? I need to go warn my dad."
"I'm coming with you; ya might need some help." she offered.
"Sorry, no offense, but I don't need an eight-year-old's help - much less an eight-year-old GIRL's help. The academy has several trainees in there; they'll assist me."
"I'm going to go there in two years. Please, let me help. Besides, Ransik might not even be there."
"No, and that's final." 'Man, what's with this girl? One minute I feel like I can tell her anything; the next, she's annoying me.'
"I'm still going to go. You can't stop me. My mom says I'm incorrige- incorrigible when I've got my mind made up. So, you might as well give up."
"Fine! Come with me, but don't expect me to comfort you if you get scared. I have to save my father."
"For someone that finds the fact that his father is a teacher at the academy to be a bad thing because of a 'wound,' you certainly care about him a lot."
"Hey, just because he hurt me doesn't mean I don't still love him; he's my father, you know. Now, hurry up." He sped his pace, hoping to loose Jen, but to his surprise, she kept up pretty good. He rushed into the building, Jen close behind. The secretary at the HQ got onto them for running when they had past, but neither cared. Alex quickly found his father's office (Despite all that had happened two years ago, Alex would still come by to try to visit his father, only to be rejected), and pushed it open slowly. There he saw a sight that would be with him the rest of his life. He pushed Jen back and told her wordlessly to be quiet. Inside, Ransik was there holding Chris over him as if he were a trophy. Alex quickly closed the door and ran to security.
To the nearest guard, he said, "Help! My dad, Lieutenant Collins, he's dead. Ransik's in there."
The guard looked at Alex. The kid seemed serious enough. He decided to go check it out. "Show me the way." Alex rushed off to his father's office. The door was now locked. The officer scanned his eyes in the scanner to unlock it. Alex pushed open the door. Ransik was now sitting in the chair, downloading some files. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you, Ransik? You're under arrest for the murder of Lieutenant Chris Collins. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used in the court of law." The poor officer did not see what was coming next. Alex watched wide-eyed as it happened, and Ransik escaped through the window. Jen felt so sorry for Alex that she did not know what to do, so she hugged him. The two stood there until some more officers came and told them to leave.
At this point, Jen felt so sorry for Alex that she did not care what her mother would say. She invited him to her house. She unlocked the door and poked her head inside. She heard the video-telephone message machine beep, and she went to see who it was. Alex came in after her and shut the door. The message was from her mother.
"Jen, sweetie, dad and I are at work. They had an emergency assignment. I don't know how long I'll be gone. Possibly until tomorrow. Ransik is loose, so lock all the doors and windows so that they will only unlock to your voice. See you later, sweetie. Bye." Jen's mother's picture disappeared off of the screen. She went to the control center, set the locks to respond only to her voice, and locked them all except for those inside.
"Alex, you want anything to drink."
"Yes, please. What do you have?"
"Anything. We got that new thing to just press a button and that food item will come out."
"Oh. Cool. I've heard of that, but I've never seen one."
"Well, that's not surprising. Mom said that they only issued them to a few inside Time Force to try out before releasing them to the public."
"Oh. Well, I guess I'll have some 'Time for Time Force Cola'"
"Would you like to try the machine out? You can, if you want"
"Sure." Alex pressed the button, and in an instant, the coke appeared in the compartment. He took it out and drank it thirstily. All of a sudden, what he had seen came rushing back into his head, and he choked on his drink. He spit it out, accidentally, and landed in the chair that Jen had quickly pushed behind him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Jen rushed to clean up the mess. "Here, let me get that. It's my fault."
"No, it's okay. You just rest. A lot has happened today. I'll clean up the mess." Alex let her, and sat there crying.
After Jen cleaned up the mess, she came up to him. "Do you have anywhere to stay?"
"Yes. At the academy. Man, what time is it?"
"Eight 'o clock."
"Really? I need to go. I'm already out past curfew as it is. We're all to be there by eight."
"You sure you want to go? I know guys can be mean and if you share a room. Do you think you can make it to the academy alone?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I can make it."
"Okay. Would you please call when you get there so I know you got there safely?"
"Sure, Jen." She handed him a paper with her phone number.
"Door, unlock. Bye, Alex."
"Bye, Jen." he said softly. He walked to the academy in a daze. It was a wonder to him that he got back alive.
Once inside, Jesse came up to him. "Hey, man. Where ya been? Don't worry I won't tell on you."
"Not now, Jesse. I don't need any teasing."
Jerry came up to him. "What's the matter? Dad's speech got you down?"
"Look, that's part of it. Ransik killed my dad today, and I never got to apologize for yelling at him or tell him I love him one more time."
"Man, that's messed up. Ransik got both your parents." Jesse sighed.
"Yah, that's really messed up." Jerry repeated, shaking his head in mock sadness.
"You're a creep, you know that Jerry." Alex said. "This is not a time to be playing around. If you're gonna be like that, just go to bed!"
Jesse motioned for Jerry to go to bed. "Alex, I don't know if this is any consolation, but Ransik killed my little sister for no reason when we were little. I'd love nothing more than to get Ransik myself, like you do. One of these days, we'll be the one's out there getting him. Getting justice."
Alex cut in. "This is not about revenge. And, hopefully, Ransik will be caught before either one of us have graduated from the academy so that no more people have to suffer because of him. Especially now that he's a mutant. They perform tests on the people and mutants in the high security prison. They give them special powers. I have to call Jen. She wanted me to call when I got back." He pulled out the paper. On it, Jen had written,
"Dear Alex,
I hope you feel better soon. I'm here for you if you need me. I don't care if my mom scolds me or spanks me for talking to you; I'm determined to be there for you.
Hopefully, I'm
Your Friend,
Jen Scotts P.S. My number is 223-1982. Call me soon. JS"
Alex had to laugh at some of the content. She was so stubborn. She reminded him of himself at times. When he really had his mind made up about something, you could not change his mind even with the best logic. He dialed the number, and soon a woman's face appeared.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hello, ma'am. Is Jen there?"
"Yes, she is. Who is this?"
"I was about to ask the same of you. You're not her mom. Anyway, I'm Alex."
"Okay, and I'm her grandma." she said with a smile. "I'll go get Jen. And don't worry, I won't tell her mom."
Soon, Jen's face appeared on the screen. "Hi, Alex." she said cheerfully.
"Hey, Jen." Jesse popped up behind him.
"Who's your friend?" she asked.
"Jesse. He's my roommate. One of them anyway. The other, Jerry, is in bed."
"Oh. Hi, Jesse."
"Hi?" he said to the pretty brunette.
Alex started talking before Jesse could get around to asking her out on a date or something and scaring Jen half to death. It seemed like something Jesse would do. "Well, I'm going to turn in now. Bye."
"Bye. Call me later." Jen said, putting on a smile and hanging up.
"Alex got a girlfriend, Alex got a girlfriend!" Jesse let out a long whistle.
Alex punched Jesse lightly in the shoulder playfully. "Hey, she's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend."
"Sure, yah right."
"It's true!"
"You like her, don't you?"
"No, I don't!"
"Then, why are you being so defensive?"
"I'm not. She's a friend, and that's all. Besides, she's only eight and I'm only ten. Now, goodnight." Alex buried his head into the pillow so that Jesse would not bother him. As soon as he felt Jesse get off the bed, he turned over and pulled up the covers. It was a sad yet happy day for him. He had started Time Force Academy; he had met up with Jen again; but his father had been murdered by Ransik.