Now for the final installments. The entire story as is, is 62 pages long. This is where the series starts. Much of the dialogue and action that I used came from unless it was not in the show, where it showed what the others were doing, so I made that part up. If you missed an episode of Power Rangers, this is a great site to read to find out what happened. It is very detail-oriented and gets everything for the most part correct. I believe the person stopped after Time Force, but I'm not sure. I didn't have time to check that as I was concentrating on writing the episodes into fitting this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Alex, Jen, Lucas, Captain Logan, or Ransik. They are property of Saban/Disney. I do own Christy and Chris Collins, Dr. Stein, Commander Steinback, both of Alex's grandmothers, Alex's grandpa, Jesse, Jerry, and Jessica.
Force From the Future, Part I
Five years had passed. Alex and Jen's relationship had grown to a deep, passionate love. Today is the day. Alex thought as he got dressed for yet another day of work. He grabbed a crystal box out of the top drawer of his nightstand and placed it deep in his pocket. He hopped in his car and drove to work, flipping on the radio. "Ransik's allies attacked a group of children at play during school recess." the newsreporter announced, making Alex's blood boil and his grip on the steering wheel tighten. "Time Force is tracing the mutant. He is somewhere within the vicinity of Silver Hills City in the western warehouse district. Apparently, he was using the attack as a decoy while he took over an entire Time Force building where a new model of a time machine was being made. He is currently still inside. Time Force has started negotiations. We will keep you updated on the situation. This is Jessica Spaulding signing out. Have a good day, Silver Hills."
Alex pulled into a parking stall, and raced to the building straight into Captain Logan's office. "Sir, I heard about the situation with Ransik on the way to work. Would now be the time to put the ranger powers to use?"
Captain Logan looked at Alex gravely. "I want you to go and head negotiations. I will contact you if I decide you need to morph. I was on my way out just as you came in. We can go together."
"Yes, sir." Alex saluted. He walked briskly toward the negotiation vehicle they were to take. Both men stepped into the truck. They drove to the scene with no noise besides their siren blaring overhead. Alex and Logan stepped out of the truck and headed to the back to get to the phones. A SWAT team had dropped a phone near the door already. Alex put on a headphone.
"Ransik, can you hear me?" Alex inquired with a serious tone in his voice.
"Yes, I can." came his archenemy's voice through the headset.
"This is Lieutenant Collins." he began his procedure to no avail. Five minutes later, Logan commanded Alex to head in morphed. He took over the phones, trying to do the impossible – make a deal with the evil mutant.
Ten minutes later, Logan had someone else take over the phones and stepped outside barking orders. "A Team, secure all exits on the right flank. Go!" He took a few steps to another group. "B Team assist A Team! Contain the perimeter, left flank. Go!" The teams took off immediately. Over his headset he barked, "This is Captain Logan to air assault! I want you to cover all possible escape routes on the roof. All teams check in at final position, over!"
* * *
Alex crept into the warehouse, weapon unholstered and pointing upward. He hid himself behind a stack of crates and heard Ransik turn on a machine. Ransik screamed angrily, "If I can't rule the present, then I'll just rule the past!" Alex leaped into view of the mutant, causing him to stop his angry ranting and raving. The cyclobots aimed their guns toward Alex, who lifted up his small badge, pointing it in their direction, and proclaimed, "In the name of Time Force, I place you under arrest!"
Ransik smiled wickedly and remarked, "You don't know what you're up against!"
Alex's body tensed as he said, "You don't know what you're up against, Ransik!"
The two enemies walked around the arch in parallel directions. They stopped when they were facing each other without the time portal in between them. Alex readied his arms for battle with a "Kiaii!" Ransik kicked a crate on wheels at Alex, who leaped over the oncoming distraction and launched himself into the air off the top of it. He flipped, descended directly into Ransik, kicking his feet promptly at the mutant's face. Ransik fought back, deflecting the attack with his arms. Alex landed in front of him, kicking high at Ransik left and right. Ransik dodged all of the blows until finally he snatched Alex's leg in mid-kick and swung him around, pushed him into the air, and kicks back.
Alex landed across the room, slamming into a stack of crates near where he entered the place. The evil mutant laughed maniacally and rushes over to Alex, whose shoulder was injured although he hid it well. I cannot let him get away this time. Not after all he did – my mom, my dad, Doctor Ferriks! And countless other innocents I don't even know about. The adrenaline was flowing quickly through Alex's body as he got up and heard Captain Logan inform Ransik over a bullhorn, "You're completely surrounded!" Alex hoped that would affect the mutant and give him an opportunity to strike. Unfortunately, it did not even phase Ransik. Does he like the intensity of being surrounded? Does he think he has the upper hand? Well, I won't let him win. He will have to get through me and half of Time Force first.
Alex launched another attack on Ransik. Ransik seemed to have only just warmed up, and soon he was ripping into Alex with both arms. Alex managed to block all the attacks and slip behind Ransik to tug on his cape! Ransik simply lifted his leg and knocked Alex off furiously. Alex flipped backwards yet sideward as Ransik lunged at him. While in mid-air, Alex grabbed his Chrono-Saber from the control station and landed on his feet just an inch from the metal arched portal. The Cyclobots simply stand in the background.
Alex whipped the saber about intimidatingly, standing beneath the arch and the bright light that was being shone down from the skylight above him. Ransik gave a hearty laugh and bent his right leg, lifted up his knee, reached down, and chopped at his thigh with his right arm. A flash of energy appeared right before his knee bone popped out of his leg. With a bloodcurdling groan, he grasped the bone and yanked it out. The bone turned into a long blade, which he wielded with hateful valor. Ransik screamed, enraged. Alex readied his saber and charged courageously at the mutant. They locked sword to saber, causing a backlash of energy to swirl around the blades.
Finally, Alex gained the upperhand as he swung a low kick, knocking Ransik over. He took the incentive, pulled large handcuffs out of apparently nowhere, and put them around the mutant's large wrists. Ransik was not giving up with a fight though. He stood up and tried to run, Alex shooting at him at highest level, missing and hitting the door which broke into many pieces. Ransik was knocked down by a heavy piece of debris and Alex grabbed him and the time device and forced Ransik outside. He heard Jen yell out, "He did it!" Alex had a smug smile on his face under the helmet. I did it! I did what I set out to do! I avenged my mother and father's deaths as well as many others. Now, no one will ever have to worry about being his next target. Alex led the mutant past the wreckage, and Ransik collapsed to his knees, groaning in distress.
Captain Logan shouted, "Get him, and make sure he's secure!" Several Time Force Officers darted toward Ransik and Alex and forcibly grabbed the downed mutant. He struggles, but was overpowered by the first three, who drag him into the crowd of cops.
Alex was satisfied and sure that Ransik could not escape. He yelled, "Power down!" lifting his arm up. He looked in the direction of Trip, Katie, and Jen who are smiling widely, obviously happy about their friend's victory. They had no idea how good it felt to Alex and what it meant to him. He had never even told Jen that both his father and mother died at the mutant's hands straight out; he only had implied it here or there.
Logan approached Alex and commended him, "Well done, Alex."
"Thank you, sir." The two saluted each other. He handed over the metal sphere to his boss saying, "This is the heart of a Time-Warping device. He could have traveled to any time period he wanted."
Logan stated, "That would have been a disaster."
With a smirk, Alex replied, "Well, now he won't be going anywhere for a long time.
Logan patted him on the shoulder, took the device, and walked off. He walked past Jen, touched her arm, and whispered something in her ear. Alex watches Katie hug Trip, who comically struggled to escape her strong clutches. Jen hopped over to stare at Alex.
Logan barks orders at the rest of the platoon, "Attack teams, listen up! I want all units inside! Secure the interior! Go!" but all was oblivious to Alex except the smiling Jen right before him.
Alex smiled back, and the two embraced in a firm, yet romantic hug. Jen sobbed joyously at his safe return. "Hey, it's all right. I'm not injured. The city's safe finally. Free of all mutants! We can do anything now. How about we go to dinner tomorrow after the trial?"
Jen backed away, tears flowing freely down her rose-colored cheek and red nose. "That sounds good. Oh, Alex! I'm just so relieved you're back safely. I was so worried when you were in there. I mean, I know you had the ranger suit to protect you, but still…"
Alex gently wiped a tear off Jen's face. "It's over now. Ransik's going to be locked up in cryogenic containment for the rest of his existence, and we can spend more time together. There's no need to worry about anything like safety."
"But, what about our jobs? Now that it's safe, and the streets no longer have any mutants on them, what are we going to do?"
"We'll still have jobs." Alex reassured her. "We'll probably be demoted to traffic duties for a while until they can find some more challenging things for us. All I know for sure is that you and me – we'll be able to spend more time together, perhaps even settle –" Alex sighed audibly, annoyed at Logan interrupting the moment he was going to propose to the one person in the world he cared for the most. He was already nervous, and the battle had proven a good thing as it had calmed down his nervousness enough to have courage to ask Jen. Who knew when he would get an opportunity to propose again? He would do it after the trial at their dinner, he resolved.
"Scotts, head down to headquarters. You'll need to get your stuff and move it to your new office. And report to headquarters directly after the trial tomorrow" Logan said, unaware of what was about to take place.
So much for our dinner. Alex thought mournfully.
"Yes, sir." Jen said, her voice still soft from her happiness.
"I'll go with you." Alex offered, but Logan had a different idea in mind for him.
"No, Collins you need to say here with Regis, Walker, and Kendall. Lead them in and assist Teams A and B in getting the robots. Make sure they're all arrived. Good job, again."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Alex replied mechanically. As soon as Logan walked away, he turned to Jen and said softly, "We'll continue this conversation later, okay?"
"Sure." Jen said, sounding suspicious of something. Jen walked over to her car and slid in and drove away.
Alex sighed, the tension in his shoulders and neck fading. He walked over to Trip, Katie, and Lucas who showered him with pats on the back, hugs, and "Good jobs." He said "Thank you" to all of them before barking out, "Captain Logan wants us to assist A Team and B Team, let's move it!" Alex's friends obeyed him, and they hustled into the building, shooting down Cyclobots on their way. The job was easily completed, as Cyclobots were just robots without an operating mind telling them they need to survive.
* * *
Alex entered his room quietly. It was ten in the evening and he was not sure if Jesse would be asleep yet or not. The lights were still on, but perhaps Jesse had just left them on to be nice so he would not have to come into a dark house. Seemingly out of nowhere, Jesse and Jerry popped out blowing party horns. Alex walked into the room completely and shut the door behind him in a daze. A party just for him? The thought was overwhelming. That had never happened to him before in a long time, much less a surprise party. He nearly fainted out of shock.
"Hey, guys." he said, quietly. "Sorry to ruin your fun, but I'm tired. Tough day at work, you know."
"Party pooper!" Jerry teased.
"I got to sleep. I need to be at the trial tomorrow."
"Aw, come on!" Jerry yelled.
"Please, Jerry. Let me go to sleep." Alex pleaded.
Jesse spoke up, "Not until you have some cake at least."
"Fine, I'll eat some cake if that'll make you happy. We can have a party after the trial, seeing that my dinner plans with Jen got canceled since she has to go to work after the trial."
This sparked Jesse's interest. "Did you get to propose today?"
"I was going to, but Logan interrupted right when I was getting ready to pop the question."
"Aw…that's too bad. Happened that way with me and Jessica, too. She thought I didn't want her anymore since I didn't get around to asking her for a while and she dumped me."
"So, that's what happened." Alex said, suddenly taking in why his friend had broke up with Jessica with whom he was supposed to be madly in love with. Jesse had moved on since then, of course.
Alex became slightly worried over this. He quickly ate his cake and headed to bed, deciding he had better find some way to ask Jen tomorrow. He did not want the same fate as Jesse and Jessica had had.
* * *
Alex woke up sore all over. He was particularly sore on his left arm on which he had slept. He examined it. It had a pretty bad bruise. Thankfully, he was going to wear his uniform today. He examined other sore spots. Several bruises, a few cuts – nothing major. He took a shower and got dressed, careful not to hurt himself again. He felt confident today and overall happy. For a moment, he considered not bringing his morpher, but decided against it since Ransik was the most powerful mutant. You never knew if he had some outside help that had not been discovered, after all. He walked out to the cafeteria and grabbed some food.
Alex watched the sleepy Academy students file in and get in line as he finished his breakfast. It seemed like just yesterday to him that he had been doing the same routine. Had he really aged and grown that much since then? Had he really brought down Ransik? Or was this just another daydream he was having as a young teenager? Everything was a daze today. His spirits could not be drowned no matter what happened, unless Jen declined his proposal or Ransik escaped. He could not let the latter happen, but the prior he had no control over. Doubt started to cloud his mind and butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he thought of the proposal. He quickly shoved it out of his mind. It would happen soon enough. He loved her, and she loved him. That's all that mattered right then.
Eating the last bit of eggs, Alex stood and threw his plate away. He exited the building and headed over to the courthouse even though he still had three hours before the trial actually began.
* * *
Later that evening, Alex watched Ransik, who was in the center of the room carefully, as the trial proceeded. He seemed to be restrained enough – massive silver chains and locks. Alex let his guard down. Ransik looked around the courtroom with a wicked gin on his face. "No doubt he's got some back up plan." he whispered to Jen.
"Yeah, I know." Jen whispered back.
"Hey, what do you say we go outside? They're still in the chambers deciding what to do. We already know he's going down."
"Sure. How about to that balcony?" Jen asked, pointing toward the nearby door with a sign over it marked "balcony."
"Okay." The two walked out with smiles on their faces. They looked at the pink and orange tinged sky. A few minutes passed, and Alex finally got up the nerve to start a conversation. "Now that Ransik and his gang of mutants are put away for good, we have a little more time to spend together." He noted.
"That'd be a nice change! To actually have a date with my boyfriend!" Jen said, smiling and nodding in agreement.
Alex agreed quietly. He looked at her and stopped leaning against the white railing. "Actually, I was thinking of something a little more permanent." He lifted up a small crystal case from the palm of his hand. Jen looked stunned as he removed the engagement ring from within it and slipped it on her left ring finger. "Jennifer…will you marry me?" Jen only smiles widely and hug him again, giggling happily. Alex pulled away abruptly, asking, "Whoa, whoa! Does that mean yes?!"
Jen nods, "Yes!" she giggled. "Oh, Alex!" She hugged him again, her engagement ring sparkling in the sunlight.
The hug ended and Alex stared into his fiancée's eyes, stating, "You know, after Ransik's locked up…it's you and me."
"Forever." Jen finished lovingly. The two intertwined their fingers.
Over a loudspeaker a man said, "The judges have reached a verdict! The court will now reconvene!" Alex took Jen by the hand and headed back into the building. They get near Katie, Lucas, and Trip. Jen showed her ring to Katie, who was shocked by the sight. Trip quietly smiled at the sight, but Lucas just sat back, hand to his chin, pondering. The couple continued to the front and sat side by side.
A holographic image of a judge appeared. The judge said, "the panel has reached a verdict!" Everyone in the room rose to their feet and faced the panel of holograms. The judge continued, "It is the ruling of this court, that the defendant is found guilty of all charges, and is sentenced to cryogenic containment… for life!" The whole room erupted in applause, Jen most of all. Alex breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned over and shook Captain Logan's hand.
A few officers led Ransik away. He paused for a moment before leaving. Jen's smile and applause faded immediately when she made eye contact with Ransik. The officers forcibly led him out of the room
* * *
Alex was standing in Captain Logan's office receiving an award when a transmission of Jen came in. Logan inquired, "What's going on?"
Jen informed him, "We were ambushed, sir! Ransik escaped." Alex could see that Jen was upset by this fact. He wanted to be there so badly.
Logan furiously asks, "Do you realize how long it took us to capture him?!"
Katie spoke up, "But sir…!"
Logan cut her off, "No excuses! It was your responsibility, and you failed." Alex's heart sank as Logan said the next words. "You're all officially relieved of your duties." He ended the transmission.
"Sir, can't you –?" Alex began to ask.
"Give them another chance? No. He was loose since probably your second year in the Academy. It's been eight years, and finally, he was captured. They ruined our chance at having peace. Do you realize how close we were to having no dangerous criminals on the street?"
"But you don't know exactly what happened, sir! You can't possibly have good judgement unless –"
"Get down there, Lieutenant!" Logan barked. "Capture Ransik immediately! Preferably before the press finds out about this!"
"Yes, sir!" Alex replied angrily. His blood was boiling. His fiancée – fired? After all the hard work she put in in the Academy? He would turn his anger into energy for his upcoming battle. He morphed and left the room, stomping his feet. It was already six in the morning. He was tired, having had little sleep the night before. He hopped into the car and flipped on his radio so that he could have contact with Logan if needed to find him. He caught a transmission from some prison.
"Send in next prisoner for cryogenic detainment!" someone barked.
"Hey! Watch the suit!" another said. Alex decided it was the mutant.
Alex heard some noises – the monster being reduced.
"Not so tough now, are ya?!" the first voice said. Some seal is broken – a door being opened. "Now to put ya on ice with the other tough guys!" the man said.
Alex chuckled. This guy was taking his job way too seriously. He started to drive towards nowhere in particular, searching for Ransik's form anywhere. I'll listen to this. It's pretty interesting. Alex decided.
The sound of yet another prisoner being brought in was heard. In a wise-guy accent, the mutant plead, "Now, listen up, fellas! Can't we talk about his for a second?! I-I mean, I really wasn't trying to steal that stuff! It just fell in my car, ya know?!" The sound of the door of the chamber closing around him was heard, the mutant trying one last plea, cried out, "I was framed, I tell ya! I want my mommy!" A sound of a blast is heard.
Some guard gasped, "Huh?! Nadira!"
Nadira laughed, not seeing them as much of a threat, apparently. Alex heard the sounds of a fight going on through the radio, and then, "Alarm activated at the prison!"
A dispatcher came through Alex's radio, "All units, Code Red at the prison!"
Alex skidded to a stop. He answered back, "I'm on my way!" He turned on the sirens on his car, and revved off down the street. Alex heard the sound of machines whirring. Then, "Hehehe! Nadira! You saved me! Oh, I pledge my eternal loyalty to you."
Nadira yelled, "Whatever! Ewww!"
The sound of a man walking in is heard. Then, metal feet hitting the floor. Alex pushed the petal to the metal and went as fast as he could and still get to the prison safely. "Let's get out of here, Daddy. It's so depressing!"
Ransik chuckled. "Very soon.
Something is set down, and Alex arrived at the prison. He leaped out of his car, unholstered his chrono saber and walked stealthily in. He turned corridors, silently destroyed Cyclobots, and arrived in a stairway near where the mutants where in time to hear Ransik say, "The future, will be all ours…or should I say, the past?" Nadira and Ransik laughed evilly, and a golden robot readied the time warping device. He laughed as well. Ransik detected another presence and looked over at the hologrammatic viewing screen. On it is Alex, fully morphed and heading up the stairs. The gold robot announced, "Beginning Time Warp!"
Ransik stopped him from pressing the activation button. "Stop! Wait! One bit…of unfinished business."
The robot apparently understood, for he said, "Yes, master." Ransik headed out to meet his opponent.
Alex made his way up to the landing pad. He looked around quickly, seeing no one. The second he turned his back to the middle of the landing strip, he heard the sound of someone teleporting onto the scene. Alex cocked his head. Ransik made his presence known yelling, "Red Ranger! Back again?! You're either very stubborn, or very foolish!"
Alex held up his Chrono-Saber poised, and boasted, "Neither! I brought you in once, and I'll do it again!"
Ransik shook his head, saying quietly, "Oh, how wrong you are." The mutant darted toward Alex with a vicious cry. Alex tried to do the same, but Ransik dropped his left shoulder slightly and managed to rip into Alex's chest with his spiky shoulder-pad. A bright flash appeared, and Alex dropped to his knee, pain shooting through his whole left side. He paused for a moment and proclaimed, "Ransik! It'll take more than that to slow me down!"
Ransik slowly turned around, and a long cured bone blade protruded form his left forearm back towards his body. The blade grows longer and metalizes. Ransik snapped it around and began to spar with Alex. Ransik pushed his blade against Alex's Chrono-Saber, slamming Alex's body with a couple of swift kicks.
Some figures darted up the stairs in Alex's peripheral vision. Ransik locked Alex's saber in his blade again. Having him held at his mercy, the mutant reached around his head, summoned his bone out from the base of his skull. He held the bone-handled machete over his head, released Alex from his forearm grip, and spun him around so that he could slash at Alex's stomach. The Ranger fell to his knees, groaning in intense pain. Great! Come on, Alex! Get up! You can't let him defeat you! You got to be alive for you fiancée! If you die, you die with honor! He will be captured even if it isn't by you. Alex stood and boasted, "You may beat me, but you'll never escape the Time Force!"
Ransik laughed wickedly at this, exclaiming, "Where I'm going, there is no Time Force!"
Jen yelled out, "Alex!"
Ransik turned around with Alex still held firmly in his clutches. Alex cried out, "Agh, Jen!"
Ransik smiled psychotically. He released the weary Ranger, pushing him away. Before Alex could react, Ransik tore his back with his sword.
A bluish flash of energy appeared. Alex dropped his Chrono-Saber, as he was engulfed in a storm of blue electricity over his limply staggering body. His four teammates watched the scene in horror. Alex collapsed to the floor, and the instant he hit the ground, explosions took place. Alex screamed out of intense pain. Jen rushed to Alex, screaming as loudly as possible, "Noooooo!!"
Ransik wiped off his sword and laughed maniacally and walked away slowly.
Smoke cleared, and Alex is lying on the ground, his arm stretched out. Alex groaned weakly beneath his breath, "Jennifer…!" before demorphing without warning. Jen finally made it to his side. She threw herself to the ground beside him and scooped his worn body in her arms, calling his name. She cradled him in her lap as he grunts out what little he can, "Take my…*coughs* Morpher…" He slipped off the Velcro straps on his left wrist and handed the morpher to his fiancée. Alex continued, throatily saying, "There's four more…in the Time Ship. It's the only way you'll ever stop Ransik…"
Jen shook her head and sobbed, "No! I can't!"
Alex replies, "You can." Jen sniffled and gazed down at him through tears. "Promise me… you won't stop… no matter what… until… you capture him. Promise!"
Tears poured out of Jen's eyes, and she whimpered, "I promise…I'll catch him."
Alex slowly reached up and wiped the tears from her cheek. He reminded her of their motto, "You and me…"
"…forever." she finished, the fact that she was crying evident in her voice. Alex let out a grunt, and dropped his left hand against the cement, and he knew no more as Jen embraced him and cried uncontrollably over the loss of her beloved Alex.
Paramedics arrived at the scene in a hurry. They approached Jen and Alex and with some argument, Jen let go of Alex. She was in hysterics. Alex had meant the world to her. She had no idea how she would go on without him.
* * *
Captain Logan stood sadly over Alex's dead body. "He was a good officer, perhaps our best and most motivated one too." He shook his head. "He just proposed to his girlfriend, too. I could see the ring on her finger. He shouldn't have died."
The doctor nodded understandingly. "We did all we could, sir."
Captain Logan stood deep in thought for a few moments before uttering, "No, not everything." He pulled a shining ball out of his briefcase. "This, doctor, will give him back his life. He will be in severe pain, though. Get all your medical crew down here."
"Yes, sir." replied the confused doctor. He pressed the intercom button, "Doctor Stein's emergency medical crew to room 409! Repeat, Doctor Stein's emergency medical crew to room 409 immediately!"
Five minutes later, the a confused team of doctors and nurses stood in Alex's room around his body, feeling silly to be contemplating giving pain killers to someone already declared dead. Logan looked at them gravely. "Now, word of this is not to get outside of this room, understand? It's a top secret invention, only given to our top people in Time Force."
"Yes, sir." the staff replied. Logan placed the orb in Alex's lifeless hand, closing the young man's fingers tightly around it.
Almost immediately, signs of life filled Alex's body. The heart monitor started beeping. Alex cried out in extreme pain, and the readings went high. The shocked crew got to work immediately, nurses administrating painkillers interveinously, and doctors trying to get their patient out of shock. Two minutes later, Alex's heart rate was normal, and he felt no pain. He soon fell asleep. Logan stood by watching all of this before being interrupted by a Time Force Officer of his regiment racing in, exclaiming, "Sir, a time ship's been stolen!"
Logan turned abruptly, looking the lower ranking officer in the eye. "By whom?"
"Scotts, Kendall, Regis, and Walker."
"Get down to headquarters, and see if you can stop that ship!" He watched the officer turn slowly and added, "Now!" for effect. The officer scurried out of the room immediately.
Captain Logan sat in a chair next to Alex's bed and watched his favorite officer sleep. He placed his head in his hand. It had been a long day already, and now this – the officers he had dismissed from duty stealing a time ship, presumably to capture the mutant that had killed their friend! He could not believe this. Lower ranking officers disobeying his commands?! The very idea was preposterous! Surely, they could stop them at Headquarters without him. He sighed to relieve some of the built up tension in his body and tried to relax in the less-than-comfortable hospital chair.
* * *
Five hours later, Alex awoke. The light hurt his eyes, so he kept them closed a moment before trying to open them again. He looked around the room with his eyes squinted. A hospital gown? Where is my uniform? A vase filled with pink and white carnations in the corner? Where am I? Logan? What is he doing here? Several such questions ran through Alex's mind before he finally spoke. "Captain Logan, sir? Where am I?" he inquired quietly.
"In the hospital. You, uh, were killed in a battle with Ransik." Logan answered, noticing how odd the response would sound to the recently awakened officer.
"Then, how am I alive? How am I here?" Alex asked, confused.
"This," Logan held up a silver ball, "is a new invention in Time Force – top secret. It was only given to the older members who they wanted to keep alive. One each – that was the limit. I gave mine to you, a young man with his entire future ahead of him. When I go, Alex, I don't want to be brought back."
Has Logan lost it? Alex wondered silently. "Really?"
"Yes, really. And after that little stunt you pulled there, they're sure to give you one, too. You had us all worried."
No, he hasn't. He doesn't look crazy, but still… Logan wouldn't make something up like that, would he? "With all due respect, sir, I think you've gone crazy."
"As would I if I were in your situation and didn't know about the invention. You'll see it's the truth in a week or so."
"Jen? Where's Jen?" Alex asked, suddenly noticing the absence of his fiancée.
"She – Alex, she stole a time ship with Regis, Walker, and Kendall."
"Where'd they go?" Alex asked, attempting to get up, but a sharp pain shot down his back as he tried to do so.
"Whoa, Alex, slow down. Ransik stabbed you across your back. To the year 2001, apparently." Logan replied. He had received a status report on the situation a few hours prior.
Suddenly, images of the battle, of Jen's sad and afraid face over his own, flooded through his mind. "I – I made her promise to get him, sir." he said slowly. "If anyone should be blamed or punished for their actions, it should be me. I told her to and the others were just following her lead. She would never have done such a thing if I hadn't told her to."
"That may be so, Lieutenant, but we can't say that's why until they return, which looks like it will be a long time from now."
A mask went over Alex's face as he tried to hide his emotion. "I'm tired, sir. You don't need to stay here. I'll take care of myself."
Logan nodded. "Good-bye, Alex. Get the doctor if you need anything. I'll have him check in twice per hour."
"Thank you, sir. Have a good day."
Alex watched Captain Logan walk out of the room, closing the door behind him. If only Jen had waited longer before going, then, perhaps I could have gone with her. But, she had no choice. She thought I was dead. I was dead, according to Captain Logan. She was just keeping her promise. I'll be there soon. Alex thought, before screaming out in pain. It was going to be a long road to recovery, he realized that much, before he could go help Jen and the others. Doctors rushed in and gave him more painkillers, checked his vitals, and left. After the painkillers took effect, Alex was able to think straight. What was I thinking, sending her back? I obviously wasn't. It's locked into my DNA, and it is supposed to be activated before the others. Alex mind could not work anymore, as he faded into the land of dreams, once again.