A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my friend, Jen. Thank you so much! :: hugs ::
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Alex tried to ignore the woman who sat beside him in his car as he drove down the empty streets of Silver City; Ensign Vega had an ever-present smile on her flushed face, and it infuriated him. Her short, brown hair tied in a low ponytail, her wide eyes scanning the area excitedly---how dare Captain Logan assign him to someone so much like Jen! She had always been so happy to get in the car with him, to go 'get the bad guys' . . . but not anymore, it seemed, the last time they had met she was so solemn, her eyes faded from months of stress and sorrow.
"Deep in thought?" Abigail Vega said, smirking.
Alex jolted and glanced at her quickly before looking back at the road, for a few moments he didn't reply, then he finally spoke: "I've had a lot on my mind lately."
Abigail nodded. "So I've heard," she said, "you're very well-known, Commander---there's no one in Time Force who hasn't heard of you. Or your capture of Ransik."
"Or my death," Alex added, dryly. "Right?"
"Well . . . that, too," Abigail admitted, "but that's minor compared to everything else."
"Not to me," Alex said, then fell silent again.
One death. That was really all that mattered . . . it would only take one time to finish him forever, and ruin any chance of a happy ending to his life. No Jen. No family. Just Time Force. He remembered being so young and thinking the Force was the only thing that mattered; of course, he had adored his parents, but at such a young age it never occurred to him that someday they would be gone.
'That's enough reminiscing for one day, Collins,' he told himself. He wiped his eyes, too quickly for Abigail to notice, taking a deep breath he managed to compose himself. It wasn't the time for sentimental thoughts, it was time to concentrate on his duty; there were still criminals on the streets, even though Ransik was in another time.
Logan often told him how proud his parents would be of his accomplishments, but that didn't even seem to matter anymore, he had let Jen down---the only woman he had ever loved so fiercely, had spent so many passionate nights with. Every night he imagined her lying next to him, her body pressed tightly to his; but every morning he awoke to find himself alone in a dark apartment.
"Responding---" came Abigail's voice, speaking into the radio. "Commander, did you get that?"
"No, what is it?" Alex asked.
"Robbery in progress," Abigail said, "I'm programming the coordinates now. The suspect is armed with what appears to be a phaser rifle."
Alex looked at the computer, recognizing the directions and quickly spinning his car around, taking off in the opposite direction as Abigail reached for something to hold onto. "Hang on," he said.
Time Force had surrounded the building by the time they arrived, Captain Logan stood in the midst of the crowd, calmly giving out orders; Alex jumped out of the vehicle, hurrying over to him. "What's going on?"
"He's inside," Logan said, "twelve civilians are, too. Sources say it's only one man, but he's heavily armed. Watch yourselves."
Alex grabbed his weapon and took off, Abigail struggled to keep up with him. "Where are we going?" she asked, looking around in confusion.
"We're going to sneak in," Alex told her, "make sure your blaster is ready-- -put it on stun. Logan said there's only one man, but we'll probably have to take him down."
"We'll give him a chance to surrender, won't we?"
"No," Alex said, bluntly, "he's already had that chance, he knows he's surrounded by us. We can't allow him to hurt a civilian while we give him a warning that we're coming."
She looked shocked by his harsh words, but Abigail continued by his side silently, her blaster ready at a moment's notice. Alex felt her behind him as he slowly opened the back door and stepped inside, crouched low; across the room, he could see a tall man with two rifles in his arms. The man was twice his size, broad in the shoulders and lean in the waist, with shaggy hair and piercing eyes that were looking in the opposite direction now.
Alex put his finger to his lips, then gestured to Abigail to sneak around the other side of the man and wait for him there; she left, and he inched closer, his heart rate increasing with every step. He knew his adrenaline was pumping, and sweat beads formed on his brow---not from exertion, just from the excitement of being able to bring someone to justice again.
"FREEZE!" he shouted, slapping his blaster up and steadying it with the palm of his hand. "Time Force---" before he could finish, the man reached for one of the women standing near him, who was paralyzed by fear. Alex squeezed the trigger and the laser shot out, striking the man in his shoulder even as he pulled his hostage to his body; he dropped and she ran to the comfort of her co-workers.
"---you're under arrest," Alex finished, walking up and kneeling beside the man.
He placed the heavy handcuffs on as Abigail appeared from her spot, her weapon still gripped firmly in her hands; Logan walked in, directing the hostages outside, but still looking at Alex. "Good job, Commander," he said, "how bad is he?"
"He'll live," Alex replied, grabbing the man's arm and yanking him to his feet.
"Lucky him," Logan said, "now he can spend the next ten years of his life in cryogenic containment." He turned to the others: "Take him away."
"Yes, sir!"
Abigail stuck her blaster in the small of the man's back, forcing him out the door; Logan smirked, looking down at Alex. "You can't tell me you didn't enjoy that," he said, "being out here again, instead of stuck behind a computer."
"It was good . . . " he sighed, "to get this guy. But I'd rather be helping Jennifer."
"There are plenty of others who can do that," Logan told him.
"I---"
"People who aren't personally involved," Logan interrupted, "in more ways than one. "Ever since you were a young boy, you've had a personal vendetta against Ransik, and you were determined to bring him in."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Alex said, "Ransik deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison."
"Of course he does," Logan said, "but you and I both know why you always felt it had to be you to put him there."
Without another word, he walked away and Alex stood alone in the large room, looking around at its emptiness and suddenly getting an eerie feeling about him. Ransik's mangled face, laughing wickedly as he had over Alex's battered body just moments before his death; he shuddered, a pain in his back that was a reminder of that day returning.
'Alex . . . '
Alex jumped slightly, startled by the voice he had certain he had heard calling his name; a deep, strong voice he hadn't heard in years. "Dad!?" he called.
'Don't be stupid,' his inner voice scolded, 'he's gone.'
But it seemed he couldn't convince himself of that, a presence had enveloped him; something called him again, this time he recognized his father's voice, but also those of his mother's and Jen's. Their eyes appeared . . . his mother's soft and loving, his father's stern but still approving, and Jen's tear-filled . . . tears of confusion, and hurt, and disappointment.
Then, as quickly as it all had come, they disappeared into the silence and Alex was alone again; he sighed, reaching up and smoothing back his hair. "Snap out of it," he muttered.
"Commander?" Abigail said, stepping in the doorway.
"I'm coming," Alex said, turning and leaving behind the scene.
------------------
Alex walked into the break room that evening, worn out from a day of driving around the city with a hyper ensign who seemed ten years his junior; he caught Sienna's eyes from across the room and smiled, she took it as an invitation to join him.
"You look tired," she said, before taking a sip of her coffee.
"You could say that," Alex said, sinking down into a chair. "I was put back on the street, training an ensign fresh out of the Academy."
"You, too?" Sienna said, "I got stuck with Ensign Gordon . . . worst partner ever! He's timid, he jumps at the slightest movement or noise. He's not cut out for this line of work."
"Must be new, huh?"
"Very new." Sienna smiled. "So what'd you do? Anything interesting? Were you at the robbery earlier today? I heard some officer took him down single- handedly."
"I shot him in the shoulder," Alex said, "he was taking a woman hostage, trying to use her as a human shield." He shook his head. "And I was with Abigail Vega, she is so . . . cheerful!"
"Oh no, God forbid!" Sienna laughed, "I remember when you used to laugh, Alex."
"Not much."
"More than this."
"Well . . . " he paused, "not much to laugh about right now, I've been too busy for anything like that. But don't worry, I will again someday."
"It's not good to be like this, Alex," Sienna said, "to get so absorbed in something that it controls you."
"You've said all this before, Sienna," Alex pointed out, "and I'll say this again: I won't relax until Jennifer is home safe and sound. It's as simple as that."
"Alex---" she hesitated, but continued anyway "---working like this is what killed your father, I don't want to see you end up the same way."
"I've gotta go," Alex said, ignoring her, "I want to stop by my office before going home, see if there's anything that needs to be done."
"Don't do this," Sienna said.
"I have to."
He left the room, suddenly feeling uncomfortable as Sienna's words echoed in his mind and the vision of his father's face flashed before his eyes. He was just getting to his office when he heard Circuit's frantic calls: "Alex, we need your help---right away!"
He ran into the room and to the computer, Circuit continued calling: "Alex, can you hear me?"
"What is it, Circuit?" he demanded.
"See for yourself," Circuit said, as the screen began rolling images from a battle, "the mutant is too strong for the Rangers!"
Alex threw his glasses aside and leaned forward, watching as the mutant hit Jen across her chest, she flew through the air and landed hard on the concrete pavement. "Jen," he whispered.
Wes rushed forward, his Chrono Saber ready but of no use to him as the mutant struck out and sent him slamming into the steps thirty feet away. The others hurried over and tried to help him up, but a moment later followed Eric when he took off to help Jen.
As Wes struggled to his feet, Alex hit the controls and tapped into the communication system in his helmet; he spoke slowly: "Wes, listen very carefully. I can't be there myself, so I'm counting on you."
"Alex???" Wes questioned, unsure of himself.
"I'm sending you a new weapon," Alex said, "the Stratacycle---you must protect Jen."
"Right!" Wes agreed.
Alex's fingers flew across the console and the computer spoke: "Stratacycle ready to launch . . . beginning launch in five, four, three, two, one . . . " Alex watched as his new weapon appeared in the timeline, racing back to the 21st Century. Wes hopped onto it, swooping down and firing at the mutant just as it approached Jen, who was lying on the ground, unable to defend herself.
Alex sat down in his chair, confident that Wes could defeat the mutant now; sure enough, not even a minute later, it exploded under fire from the Stratacycle. The Rangers were awestruck, but there was no time to admire it, as the mutant had grown to ten times it's normal size.
Alex sent back the Time Fliers and watched the rest of the fight enfold before his eyes, not surprisingly, they defeated the mutant quickly. Jen turned to Wes in the Megazord, her voice soft: "Good job, Wes."
'Wes.' Alex gritted his teeth, turning around and shaking his head; he let out a breath, the battle was over, the day was done. He rose and grabbed his uniform, draped over a chair, heading outside as the aftermath of the battle played on; time was drawing nearer to the final battle with Doomtron, and he still hadn't found a way to save them.
Even though Katie, Trip, and Lucas had survived after all, they were still not strong enough to defeat Frax's second, and more powerful, robot. The images played through his mind as he drove hom, each Ranger dying---lying demorphed and battered on the destroyed roads. Thousands of civilians fleeing for their lives, a city destroyed, even Ransik would be defeated by Doomtron, but only after it had destroyed the Rangers.
Frax had built more robots after that, and managed to take control of the city, the people of Silver Hills were defenseless; Alan Collins' Silver Guardians never stood a chance, although they fought valiantly. The city fell, defeated, Frax remained in control as the government tried to find a way to defeat him. They sent in a team of SEALS, all highly-skilled, but still no match for Doomtron; all twenty were killed in one day.
Frax was about to expand his control to the outer reaches of California when a new team of Rangers came into being, assembled by a veteran Ranger. Fresh, strong, and undefeated, they went straight to Frax instead of trying to battle his robot; in close combat, they destroyed him, taking back Silver Hills. After nearly four months of horror, the city was free . . . Ransik was dead, Frax was destroyed, and Doomtron was harmless without someone to control it.
Connor McKnight, Kira Ford, Ethan James, and Tommy Oliver were heroes, they would live on in stories and museums even into the 31st Century. But six other Rangers would soon be forgotten: Eric Myers, Wes Collins, Jen Scotts, Katie Walker, Trip Regis, and Lucas Kendall were never discovered---no one ever knew that they were the Time Force Rangers. A memorial was built in their honor, but soon outdone by the one erected for the Dino Thunder Rangers that had saved the city.
He pulled up to the tall building and walked inside, slowly making his way up the stairs and into his apartment; he unlocked the door and went inside, falling onto his bed as soon as he reached it. He slept for a few hours, reliving the same nightmare over and over again . . . it was around two in the morning when he sat straight up, gasping for air.
"Jen!"
It had all become clear, what he needed to do to save the lives of the Rangers; he couldn't prevent what would happen to the city---but he could still prevent their deaths. Of course, they wouldn't like it, but under orders from Time Force they would have no choice.
They would all be coming home . . . soon.
TBC
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Alex tried to ignore the woman who sat beside him in his car as he drove down the empty streets of Silver City; Ensign Vega had an ever-present smile on her flushed face, and it infuriated him. Her short, brown hair tied in a low ponytail, her wide eyes scanning the area excitedly---how dare Captain Logan assign him to someone so much like Jen! She had always been so happy to get in the car with him, to go 'get the bad guys' . . . but not anymore, it seemed, the last time they had met she was so solemn, her eyes faded from months of stress and sorrow.
"Deep in thought?" Abigail Vega said, smirking.
Alex jolted and glanced at her quickly before looking back at the road, for a few moments he didn't reply, then he finally spoke: "I've had a lot on my mind lately."
Abigail nodded. "So I've heard," she said, "you're very well-known, Commander---there's no one in Time Force who hasn't heard of you. Or your capture of Ransik."
"Or my death," Alex added, dryly. "Right?"
"Well . . . that, too," Abigail admitted, "but that's minor compared to everything else."
"Not to me," Alex said, then fell silent again.
One death. That was really all that mattered . . . it would only take one time to finish him forever, and ruin any chance of a happy ending to his life. No Jen. No family. Just Time Force. He remembered being so young and thinking the Force was the only thing that mattered; of course, he had adored his parents, but at such a young age it never occurred to him that someday they would be gone.
'That's enough reminiscing for one day, Collins,' he told himself. He wiped his eyes, too quickly for Abigail to notice, taking a deep breath he managed to compose himself. It wasn't the time for sentimental thoughts, it was time to concentrate on his duty; there were still criminals on the streets, even though Ransik was in another time.
Logan often told him how proud his parents would be of his accomplishments, but that didn't even seem to matter anymore, he had let Jen down---the only woman he had ever loved so fiercely, had spent so many passionate nights with. Every night he imagined her lying next to him, her body pressed tightly to his; but every morning he awoke to find himself alone in a dark apartment.
"Responding---" came Abigail's voice, speaking into the radio. "Commander, did you get that?"
"No, what is it?" Alex asked.
"Robbery in progress," Abigail said, "I'm programming the coordinates now. The suspect is armed with what appears to be a phaser rifle."
Alex looked at the computer, recognizing the directions and quickly spinning his car around, taking off in the opposite direction as Abigail reached for something to hold onto. "Hang on," he said.
Time Force had surrounded the building by the time they arrived, Captain Logan stood in the midst of the crowd, calmly giving out orders; Alex jumped out of the vehicle, hurrying over to him. "What's going on?"
"He's inside," Logan said, "twelve civilians are, too. Sources say it's only one man, but he's heavily armed. Watch yourselves."
Alex grabbed his weapon and took off, Abigail struggled to keep up with him. "Where are we going?" she asked, looking around in confusion.
"We're going to sneak in," Alex told her, "make sure your blaster is ready-- -put it on stun. Logan said there's only one man, but we'll probably have to take him down."
"We'll give him a chance to surrender, won't we?"
"No," Alex said, bluntly, "he's already had that chance, he knows he's surrounded by us. We can't allow him to hurt a civilian while we give him a warning that we're coming."
She looked shocked by his harsh words, but Abigail continued by his side silently, her blaster ready at a moment's notice. Alex felt her behind him as he slowly opened the back door and stepped inside, crouched low; across the room, he could see a tall man with two rifles in his arms. The man was twice his size, broad in the shoulders and lean in the waist, with shaggy hair and piercing eyes that were looking in the opposite direction now.
Alex put his finger to his lips, then gestured to Abigail to sneak around the other side of the man and wait for him there; she left, and he inched closer, his heart rate increasing with every step. He knew his adrenaline was pumping, and sweat beads formed on his brow---not from exertion, just from the excitement of being able to bring someone to justice again.
"FREEZE!" he shouted, slapping his blaster up and steadying it with the palm of his hand. "Time Force---" before he could finish, the man reached for one of the women standing near him, who was paralyzed by fear. Alex squeezed the trigger and the laser shot out, striking the man in his shoulder even as he pulled his hostage to his body; he dropped and she ran to the comfort of her co-workers.
"---you're under arrest," Alex finished, walking up and kneeling beside the man.
He placed the heavy handcuffs on as Abigail appeared from her spot, her weapon still gripped firmly in her hands; Logan walked in, directing the hostages outside, but still looking at Alex. "Good job, Commander," he said, "how bad is he?"
"He'll live," Alex replied, grabbing the man's arm and yanking him to his feet.
"Lucky him," Logan said, "now he can spend the next ten years of his life in cryogenic containment." He turned to the others: "Take him away."
"Yes, sir!"
Abigail stuck her blaster in the small of the man's back, forcing him out the door; Logan smirked, looking down at Alex. "You can't tell me you didn't enjoy that," he said, "being out here again, instead of stuck behind a computer."
"It was good . . . " he sighed, "to get this guy. But I'd rather be helping Jennifer."
"There are plenty of others who can do that," Logan told him.
"I---"
"People who aren't personally involved," Logan interrupted, "in more ways than one. "Ever since you were a young boy, you've had a personal vendetta against Ransik, and you were determined to bring him in."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Alex said, "Ransik deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison."
"Of course he does," Logan said, "but you and I both know why you always felt it had to be you to put him there."
Without another word, he walked away and Alex stood alone in the large room, looking around at its emptiness and suddenly getting an eerie feeling about him. Ransik's mangled face, laughing wickedly as he had over Alex's battered body just moments before his death; he shuddered, a pain in his back that was a reminder of that day returning.
'Alex . . . '
Alex jumped slightly, startled by the voice he had certain he had heard calling his name; a deep, strong voice he hadn't heard in years. "Dad!?" he called.
'Don't be stupid,' his inner voice scolded, 'he's gone.'
But it seemed he couldn't convince himself of that, a presence had enveloped him; something called him again, this time he recognized his father's voice, but also those of his mother's and Jen's. Their eyes appeared . . . his mother's soft and loving, his father's stern but still approving, and Jen's tear-filled . . . tears of confusion, and hurt, and disappointment.
Then, as quickly as it all had come, they disappeared into the silence and Alex was alone again; he sighed, reaching up and smoothing back his hair. "Snap out of it," he muttered.
"Commander?" Abigail said, stepping in the doorway.
"I'm coming," Alex said, turning and leaving behind the scene.
------------------
Alex walked into the break room that evening, worn out from a day of driving around the city with a hyper ensign who seemed ten years his junior; he caught Sienna's eyes from across the room and smiled, she took it as an invitation to join him.
"You look tired," she said, before taking a sip of her coffee.
"You could say that," Alex said, sinking down into a chair. "I was put back on the street, training an ensign fresh out of the Academy."
"You, too?" Sienna said, "I got stuck with Ensign Gordon . . . worst partner ever! He's timid, he jumps at the slightest movement or noise. He's not cut out for this line of work."
"Must be new, huh?"
"Very new." Sienna smiled. "So what'd you do? Anything interesting? Were you at the robbery earlier today? I heard some officer took him down single- handedly."
"I shot him in the shoulder," Alex said, "he was taking a woman hostage, trying to use her as a human shield." He shook his head. "And I was with Abigail Vega, she is so . . . cheerful!"
"Oh no, God forbid!" Sienna laughed, "I remember when you used to laugh, Alex."
"Not much."
"More than this."
"Well . . . " he paused, "not much to laugh about right now, I've been too busy for anything like that. But don't worry, I will again someday."
"It's not good to be like this, Alex," Sienna said, "to get so absorbed in something that it controls you."
"You've said all this before, Sienna," Alex pointed out, "and I'll say this again: I won't relax until Jennifer is home safe and sound. It's as simple as that."
"Alex---" she hesitated, but continued anyway "---working like this is what killed your father, I don't want to see you end up the same way."
"I've gotta go," Alex said, ignoring her, "I want to stop by my office before going home, see if there's anything that needs to be done."
"Don't do this," Sienna said.
"I have to."
He left the room, suddenly feeling uncomfortable as Sienna's words echoed in his mind and the vision of his father's face flashed before his eyes. He was just getting to his office when he heard Circuit's frantic calls: "Alex, we need your help---right away!"
He ran into the room and to the computer, Circuit continued calling: "Alex, can you hear me?"
"What is it, Circuit?" he demanded.
"See for yourself," Circuit said, as the screen began rolling images from a battle, "the mutant is too strong for the Rangers!"
Alex threw his glasses aside and leaned forward, watching as the mutant hit Jen across her chest, she flew through the air and landed hard on the concrete pavement. "Jen," he whispered.
Wes rushed forward, his Chrono Saber ready but of no use to him as the mutant struck out and sent him slamming into the steps thirty feet away. The others hurried over and tried to help him up, but a moment later followed Eric when he took off to help Jen.
As Wes struggled to his feet, Alex hit the controls and tapped into the communication system in his helmet; he spoke slowly: "Wes, listen very carefully. I can't be there myself, so I'm counting on you."
"Alex???" Wes questioned, unsure of himself.
"I'm sending you a new weapon," Alex said, "the Stratacycle---you must protect Jen."
"Right!" Wes agreed.
Alex's fingers flew across the console and the computer spoke: "Stratacycle ready to launch . . . beginning launch in five, four, three, two, one . . . " Alex watched as his new weapon appeared in the timeline, racing back to the 21st Century. Wes hopped onto it, swooping down and firing at the mutant just as it approached Jen, who was lying on the ground, unable to defend herself.
Alex sat down in his chair, confident that Wes could defeat the mutant now; sure enough, not even a minute later, it exploded under fire from the Stratacycle. The Rangers were awestruck, but there was no time to admire it, as the mutant had grown to ten times it's normal size.
Alex sent back the Time Fliers and watched the rest of the fight enfold before his eyes, not surprisingly, they defeated the mutant quickly. Jen turned to Wes in the Megazord, her voice soft: "Good job, Wes."
'Wes.' Alex gritted his teeth, turning around and shaking his head; he let out a breath, the battle was over, the day was done. He rose and grabbed his uniform, draped over a chair, heading outside as the aftermath of the battle played on; time was drawing nearer to the final battle with Doomtron, and he still hadn't found a way to save them.
Even though Katie, Trip, and Lucas had survived after all, they were still not strong enough to defeat Frax's second, and more powerful, robot. The images played through his mind as he drove hom, each Ranger dying---lying demorphed and battered on the destroyed roads. Thousands of civilians fleeing for their lives, a city destroyed, even Ransik would be defeated by Doomtron, but only after it had destroyed the Rangers.
Frax had built more robots after that, and managed to take control of the city, the people of Silver Hills were defenseless; Alan Collins' Silver Guardians never stood a chance, although they fought valiantly. The city fell, defeated, Frax remained in control as the government tried to find a way to defeat him. They sent in a team of SEALS, all highly-skilled, but still no match for Doomtron; all twenty were killed in one day.
Frax was about to expand his control to the outer reaches of California when a new team of Rangers came into being, assembled by a veteran Ranger. Fresh, strong, and undefeated, they went straight to Frax instead of trying to battle his robot; in close combat, they destroyed him, taking back Silver Hills. After nearly four months of horror, the city was free . . . Ransik was dead, Frax was destroyed, and Doomtron was harmless without someone to control it.
Connor McKnight, Kira Ford, Ethan James, and Tommy Oliver were heroes, they would live on in stories and museums even into the 31st Century. But six other Rangers would soon be forgotten: Eric Myers, Wes Collins, Jen Scotts, Katie Walker, Trip Regis, and Lucas Kendall were never discovered---no one ever knew that they were the Time Force Rangers. A memorial was built in their honor, but soon outdone by the one erected for the Dino Thunder Rangers that had saved the city.
He pulled up to the tall building and walked inside, slowly making his way up the stairs and into his apartment; he unlocked the door and went inside, falling onto his bed as soon as he reached it. He slept for a few hours, reliving the same nightmare over and over again . . . it was around two in the morning when he sat straight up, gasping for air.
"Jen!"
It had all become clear, what he needed to do to save the lives of the Rangers; he couldn't prevent what would happen to the city---but he could still prevent their deaths. Of course, they wouldn't like it, but under orders from Time Force they would have no choice.
They would all be coming home . . . soon.
TBC