Chapter 18: Arrivals and Departures
As the rangers emerged from the megazord, Summer sat down heavily. It was over, and she felt exhausted.
"Are you alright?" Kira and the Delgados emerged from the temple, and Kira rushed over to her.
Summer unmorphed. "Yeah, I'm alright." She looked up as the now-separated wildzords spread out across the Animarium. The deer looked towards her and Kira and gave a cry before ambling away.
"So, now you've destroyed two Venjixes. Gonna go looking for a third?"
"Absolutely not." Summer looked at her. "And what about you? Gonna take a ride to the future with Katie and Z to get your dino gem recharged?"
Kira looked down at her wrist, biting her lip.
"We'll be back in a moment." Katie and Maya walked into the forest. Seconds later, Katie's time jumper appeared, and the two rangers emerged along with Ashley's husband and children. Summer smiled as the children ran to Ashley, with Andros not far behind.
As the younger Hammonds and younger Delgados met each other, the thirteen yellow rangers gathered around.
Then there was a crackle of pink energy in the air beside Katie's jumper. A second time jumper appeared beside it, and Summer recognized the pink jumper that Captain Myers had taken to the future.
"Eric!" Taylor ran, and her husband barely had time to emerge from the vehicle before she was throwing herself into his arms.
"Hi," Eric said quietly. "I tried to come back sooner, but I couldn't. Captain Logan said that something happened to the timeline."
Taylor nodded. "Venjix took over. But we stopped it."
"Venjix?" Eric looked over at the other yellow rangers. "I thought there were only eight of you in that article."
Taylor chuckled in his arms. "That was only the start of it."
Taylor held tightly onto Eric's hand as she watched the energy from the deer heal her eagle. "Thank you," she told the deer once he was done. The deer gave something like a nod and turned away, and the eagle let out a cry as she flapped her wings and took to the sky.
Taylor smiled as she watched, and then her smile fell a little as she realized that she no longer had a plane with which to join her wildzord in the air, nor a base to take off from. "So, my place of employment was destroyed."
Eric raised his eyebrows. "Well, you're more than welcome to come join the Guardians. I always have a place for you."
"I'm a pilot, not a cop. And besides, I happen to know that my air force days aren't behind me just yet."
"Oh really? And why's that?"
"Well, Z let slip that I eventually become a Colonel."
"Really? Colonel Earhardt? That sounds... quite sexy, actually."
Taylor smirked and swatted his arm.
They emerged in the same field where the Wild Force and Time Force rangers had celebrated their victory over the mut-orgs. A large picnic was set up. Danny and Kendall sat with Andros, watching as the two seven-year-old girls guided their younger siblings in some unknown game.
As Taylor approached the other yellow rangers, a white light emerged at the center of the field. She smiled as Shayla and Merrick appeared.
"Well, this is an unexpected festival." The princess clasped her hands together as she looked around.
Danny stood, coming up beside Taylor. "A lot happened while you were away."
The lion poked his head out of the forest, calling towards Shayla.
"Clearly. Lion tells quite a tale. You flew a plane onto the Animarium?"
Taylor shot the lion a look. "Snitch."
"Well, what matters is that you have once again saved the Animarium, and the world with it." Shayla turned towards the others. "I don't yet know most of you."
Taylor and Danny watched as those who were new to the Animarium introduced themselves to Shayla and Merrick. "Somehow I don't think you're ever being put on Animarium caretaker duty," said Danny.
Taylor snorted. "I can live with that."
"It has been great to fight with you all," said Jun'ga. "And to finally see some of the human homeworld."
"It's nicer when there aren't giant monsters or robots trying to conquer it," said Ashley, earning laughs from the others.
"Perhaps someday I will return to this world during a time of peace. And I will bring water of nitaven, so I may see the world without my armor. But until then, I hope that you all stay very well."
"Likewise," said Ronny. "It was great meeting you."
Trini watched as the alien ranger departed through Maya's portal. She was still somewhat awed by all the rangers she had just fought alongside, all of whom looked to her as the original yellow ranger. The thought that she had begun such an amazing legacy was staggering.
"We should probably be going as well," Tanya said to her. Trini nodded.
"Hey, Tanya," said Ashley. "When you choose me, maybe mention that I'm going to meet a really hot guy from a different planet." She nodded towards Andros. "It's definitely a selling point."
Everyone laughed. "I would, but I'm not going to remember this," Tanya pointed out.
"What about their friends?" Kira asked Katie, nodding towards Trini and Tanya. "Won't they remember us taking their yellow rangers?"
"No. We weren't around them very long, and we were still radiating chronal energy."
"What is that?" Summer asked.
"Chronal energy is produced by time travel. It affects the memories of those in the past, so they won't remember a short interaction with a time traveler."
"That's convenient." said Summer.
Katie nodded. "It's very useful for limiting potential butterfly effects."
"Meaning what?"
"I've heard of that," said Lily. "Step on a butterfly in the past, and it can change the future."
"That's the idea, roughly," said Katie. "A small change in the past can cause big changes in the future."
Summer nodded, and looked at Trini and Tanya. "So your friends will be as confused as you will be."
"You'll all just shrug it off as a weird day," said Katie. "You both have a lot of those in the times I pulled you from."
Trini and Tanya exchanged a glance, and both chuckled. She wasn't wrong.
Then they turned to the two rangers from the future. Z and Katie nodded, and they all bid their farewells.
"Wait." Kira approached Z, pulling her darkened gem from her bracelet. She handed it to the S.P.D. ranger. "Before you go back, hide this somewhere where only you'll know to find it. If I'm ever needed again, you'll know where to find me."
Z nodded, and turned to Katie. "Go ahead," said Katie. "I'll come back and pick you up after I drop them off."
Trini and Tanya climbed into the jumper with Katie, and Trini watched as the year on the panel changed from 2011 to 1996.
They emerged from the jumper at the same place where Katie had hidden it before, and Tanya exchanged hugs with the others. "It was great to meet you."
"You too." Katie then held a device up. "Look at this," she told Tanya.
Tanya did so, and there was a flash. The girl suddenly looked very disoriented.
"Your friends are over there." Katie gently pushed Tanya in a direction, and she disappeared around the trees.
Stepping up to the trees, Trini peered through them. Billy was there, although he looked older and wasn't wearing blue. She didn't recognize the other two boys.
"Hey, there you are," said the boy in green. "Where'd you go?"
"Uh." Tanya looked around uncertainly. "I was just here."
The boys in green and blue exchanged glances and shrugged.
"Hey, guys." Trini looked over and was surprised to see Tommy approaching the others. He was wearing red, and his hair was really long. Beside him was a blonde girl in pink, who must have been Katherine.
Trini watched Katherine glance repeatedly at Tommy, and smiled to herself. Even if Kimberly did eventually break his heart, he would be okay.
"Ready?" Katie asked.
"Yeah." Trini replied.
They reentered the jumper and traveled back to 1993, but Trini stayed seated for a moment. "Venjix spoke to me."
Katie looked at her, waiting.
"It said that something happens to me, and that it could help me if I didn't destroy it. I think it was just trying to trick me."
"Do you want to know if that's the truth or not?"
Trini considered the question. "No, I'll find out the answer for myself."
Katie nodded, and they climbed out of the jumper.
"And regardless of what happens to me, the legacy of the yellow ranger is clearly in good hands. A lot of good hands." She smiled as Katie raised the device that would make her forget, and waited for the flash.