Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Power Rangers…this is for entertainment only…
RE-WRITE OF "TURN UP THE HEAT"
The test of the old chapter will show up in later chapters
SUMMARY: Jen has been taken captive! Can she survive through all of Vinnie's cold-heartedness? What will her reaction be when someone from her past comes back to help?
TheDreamerLady: The White Knight appeared in an episode of Time Force…it is how Wes got his powers for the Battle Fire. An evil black knight was trying to open a box that contained some sort of power. Wes defeated a dragon and was able to open the box, (due to having a "pure heart") and the spirit of the White Knight gave him the power of the Battle Fire. Don't worry about that right now…I've made some changes…
Bravo45: Sierra, thanks for pointing out the obvious! ::smacks head:: Hope this one is better suited for the story…I think you'll like this chapter better anyway…I do!
If anyone has problems with posting a review, you may need to sign out then write one as an "anonymous" reviewer.
For all of those who didn't read the first post of ch 9, first called "Turn Up the Heat" don't worry about it…
Enough of my blabbing…Now on with the story!
Red With Envy: part 1
(re-write of "Turn Up the Heat")
"No…" Wes muttered.
"So long lover boy!" Vinnie laughed as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, with Jen in his arms.
All that was left was Jen's necklace, which was covered in blood. Wes collapsed to his knees, his voice echoed throughout the empty square. "JEN!!!"
Each officer didn't move. Their eyes fixed on him. No officer dared to call her by her first name.
"Harting, when I found you, it'll be hell to pay!" Wes yelled. But a strong pain in the back of his head prevented him from continuing as someone struck him on the back of the head.
Sometime later
Wes's eyes opened to reveal a stinging light. He squinted.
"Wes, you're awake." A voice said. Wes turned his head to see Captain Logan sitting in his bedside chair. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I was run over by a friggen' Mack truck." Wes muttered.
"Sorry about that, Wes. You were talking nonsense." Logan said.
"Did we find Jen yet?" Wes muttered. But he all ready knew the answer.
"No, Wes." Logan said. "We can't get a trace on her morpher." He sighed.
"Damn." he injured officer responded. "There's got to be something I can do."
Logan shook his head. "No. There isn't I'm afraid. You just relax and rest up."
Wes closed his eyes.
"I'll check back on you later." Logan said and he left.
Command
Logan walked in to see a mess of activity going on. Computers were beeping and officers were running around. "Captain Logan!" a voice called
"Oh no." Logan muttered. The one person he didn't want to see now. He turned around to face Commander Datas. "Sir." He saluted the Commander.
"What the hell is going on, Captain?" Datas yelled furiously.
"It's Lieutenant Scotts, sir. She's been taken by Galden."
"Yes, I can see that!" the Commander retorted.
Logan continued his sentence. "But that's not all, sir. There's a new complication."
"Explain, Captain." Datas said harshly.
Logan drew in a breath. "It seems like an old boyfriend of Jen's has gotten out and is working with Galden. Vincent Harting almost killed her twice…"
"Then why the hell didn't we pop one in his head?" Datas screamed in Logan's face.
"I was going to give the command, but Officer Collins stepped in. Collins was just about to stop Harting from leaving, but Harting shot him and knocked the Lieutenant unconscious. He then took her somewhere." Logan said.
Datas sighed. "Damn. So now we're without our Ranger." He banged his hand against the table, causing a crack to develop in the wood.
"Do we have any back up for the Red Chronomorpher?" Jr. Commander Revue asked.
"No." Logan responded. "The class was suppose to start in February. But I don't have the time or the resources to train a new ranger. It takes months at a time."
"Why not get the Quantum Ranger and bring him here?" Jr. Commander Vida asked.
Logan shook his head again. "If we bring him here, the time stream will shift dramatically." An idea popped into his head. "Commander, what if we gave Collins the morpher back?"
Datas sent him a look. "No…that we cannot do."
"Sir, Collins has the knowledge how to use the morpher, not to mention he is just as qualified as Lieutenant Scotts is." Logan hoped this would work.
Datas smirked. "And so is Captain Drake."
The room grew quiet. "Logan, contact the Captain and have him come here. Drake is going back into the ranger business whether he likes it or not."
Logan was speechless. "Sir, he hasn't morphed with it in over six years."
"Neither has Officer Collins. Contact him, now." Datas said sternly.
Logan sighed. "Yes, sir."
"Good." Datas left abruptly.
Logan was left there, unsure of how Alex would react to being called back into action, and what Wes's reaction to having him there would go.
A few days later
After a long three days, Wes was finally released from the hospital. Most of his cuts had healed, and the gunshot wound was doing fine.
But his heart still hurt. He couldn't help feeling that he was to blame for Jen being taken.
"If I only got Harting when I had the chance to. When he first even looked at her, why didn't I do something?" Wes muttered to himself. "Maybe Jen would…"
"Nothing's for sure, Wes." Wes turned around to see Captain Logan standing behind him. "I see you're feeling somewhat better."
Wes bowed his head. "Not really."
Logan looked at him. "Wes, there's something I wanted to ask you. When Harting first surfaced, why didn't you do anything to stop him? I figured you'd be the first one up."
"Well…as dumb as it sounds, I guess I was waiting for the command to. Once a few minutes went by, and Harting kept beating her, I just said the hell with it and stood up."
Logan placed a hand on Wes's shoulder. "Guess we've trained you a little too much."
This caused Wes to smile. "Yea, guess so. Jen did her job." But the mention of her name sent a frown back on his face.
"We'll find her, Wes. I know we will." Logan said. Wes nodded in agreement. Now came the hard part. "Wes, there's something you should know."
"What is it?" Wes asked.
"Datas says we need a ranger, since Jen has been taken."
A light grew in Wes's eye. Was he going to get his morpher back? "And?"
"Datas wants a veteran ranger in on this." Logan let out a breath. "I have been instructed to contact Alex and have him go back into the ranger business."
The light in Wes's eye went dark. His eyes didn't focus.
Alex was coming here.
And he was the last person Wes wanted to see.
An abandoned house somewhere in Silver HillsThe moon cast an eerie glow in the small room. The feeling of coldness and darkness encased her, the taste of blood lingered in her mouth.
Jen sat on the cold stone floor of the house's second floor. Shadows of trees and a small bed hung over her.
"Have a nice nap, Jen?" a voice asked.
She opened her eyes to see Vinnie standing over her. But Jen couldn't focus. Her eyes lingered. He waved a hand causing Jen to shut her eyes closed tightly. "You bastard, you drugged me didn't you?"
He squeezed a syringe and a gray liquid squirted out. "My way of making sure you don't escape. Apparently this stuff works." he tapped the needle.
"Why don't you just kill me now?" Jen muttered.
"But then your precious boyfriend won't see you die." Vinnie said.
"Leave him out of this." Jen muttered dangerously. "What do you want? What do you expect out of this, Vinnie?"
He eyed her for a moment, then grabbed her throat. "What do I want? I want you to feel the pain that I've felt for 9 years. I want you to suffer as much as I did in prison. I want to watch you die. You ruined my life, Jen. Now it's my turn to return your favor." He paused. "Besides, I'd like to see how that pathetic excuse for a boyfriend tries to save you."
A smirk came to her face. "I see that this is about. You're jealous that he's with me and not with you, am I right? Even the men in prison wouldn't fuck you, huh Vinnie?"
With all his might, he kicked her hard. She let out a scream as she fell. Her face scraped against the wall.
"Enjoy your night, Jennifer" he slammed the door shut.
Jen lay on the stone coughing, trying to catch her breath. "Great. That's all I need is a psycho ex-boyfriend on the loose." She groaned.
"Eat before I give it to the rats." Vinnie's voice penetrated the door as he shoved a plateful of stale bread and warm water through thesmall opening at the bottom of thedoor.
"Gourmet meals served here." Jen stumbled as she took the plate and ate her rations. Jen sat against the stone, trying to figure out a way to escape.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed by. Jen lay against the cold stone, letting blood dry on her face. A light slowly advanced as someone came walking in.
"Vinnie, just kill me now. Before I do it myself." Jen muttered.
"Sorry, Lieutenant. But Vinnie is asleep." A soft male voice said. "He's ordered me to clean you up for tomorrow…whatever is happening."
Jen looked at this man. He had to be no older then 20, but his face vaguely familiar. "Who are you?"
"My name is Troy Burgess. Vinnie broke me out with him when he escaped." Troy said. "He always had talked about a woman that he wanted revenge on. I just never thought he meant the Lieutenant of Time Force."
Something clicked in Jen's mind. "Wait…Burgess…did I…"
Troy laughed. "Yes, Lieutenant. You put me away a few years ago for smuggling drugs. I'd never thought I'd see someone like you in this position though."
"Can't win 'em all can we?" Jen mumbled.
"Guess not." He pulled a small bag from behind him. "Here's some water to clean up with. My compliments."
Jen thanked him and took the bag. Troy left a few moments later. Inside was some rags and a few bottles of water. Jen laid them aside and lay down on the mattress. She was trying to relieve a headache that was slowly accumulating.
But her headache didn't get any better as her thoughts looming on what Vinnie had planned for her tomorrow.
Back at Time Force
Logan sat in front of the holo-screen as he pressed the communication button.
A man with cold blue eyes and strict hair answered. His eyes widened at the sight of Logan sitting there.
"Rob? Rob is that you?" Captain Drake asked. Logan nodded. "What can I do for you, Logan?"
"Alex, there's no time to chat. Jen's old boyfriend has returned." Logan said.
Alex's eyes grew. "Vincent Harting? How? He's been in prison for nearly ten years!"
"Broke out. But it's worse." Logan paused. "He has Jen."
Alex looked away. "No. How? Did she go after him?"
"He went after her. Knocked her unconscious and shot Wes. We can't get a lock on her morpher." Logan drew in a breath. "This is why I am contacting you. Datas wants you to come here, Alex, and be our Red Ranger."
The Captain didn't answer. "Datas wants…me to be the Red Ranger? I haven't even touched a weapon in over...six years. What about Wes?"
"Datas specifically wanted you for this, Alex. He thinks that Wes isn't trained enough and isn't as knowledgeable as either you or Jen."
Alex was silent for some time. "Fine. I'll be there tomorrow at 8:30PM"
Logan nodded. "Thank you, Alex. Logan out." The screen shut off.
Logan sat there for a while. Alex was coming back. He was going to be the Red Ranger. But he wasn't sure of Wes's reaction, let alone Jen's.
8:30PM-The next day
It seemed like forever since he was there. The open building brought back so many memories.
"Captain Drake." A voice called. Alex turned around to see Commander Datas walking towards him.
"Sir." Alex went into a crisp salute.
"Good of you to come on such short notice." Datas said.
Alex nodded. "The sooner we get this matter cleared up, the better. All that matters is that we get Lieutenant Scotts back here as soon as possible."
"Officer Delson will show you to your room, Captain." He handed Alex a box. "For when you are up in your room."
"Thank you, sir." Alex said. He followed the young officer up to his room.
So many memories here. So many of them shared with Jen. He passed a balcony on his way up, a sweet smile came to his face.
"I really should be working now." Alex muttered from beneath Jen's neck. He kissed her neck again, causing Jen to laugh.
"So should I. But do you see me behind a desk?" Jen said. A mischievous smile on her face. She looked into his blue eyes. "You work too much, you know that Alex?"
"How can I work too much? You keep me from my work." He protested.
Jen wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yea, officers like me do that a lot."
He smiled at her. "But I really need to get back to my desk. Captain Logan will wonder where I ran off to. I've only had this morpher for a few months now."
Jen giggled. "And you've only been dating me two weeks."
"And Ransik's been on the loose for years now."
"And you've only been dating me for two weeks." There was a hint in her voice. "Just five more minutes, please?"
"I'll always have five minutes for my girlfriend." Alex said happily.
Jen smiled at him as she gave him a heart-melting kiss.
"Here we are, Captain. Room 2219." The officer said.
"Thank you." Alex said. He opened the door and flipped on the lights. He chuckled. "My old room."
As he walked into the bedroom, he lay down on the bed. More memories flooded back to him.
The sun shone past the curtains and into his eyes, causing them to squeeze shut. But he opened them anyway. The sound of soft breathing beside him subsided as a young female rolled over.
He looked into her eyes and smoothed the hair from her face. "Hi."
Jen smiled back at him. "Hey."
"Sleep well?" Alex asked.
Jen gave him a playful nudge. "What do you think?" Something sparked in her eye. Alex wrapped his arm around her, Jen shuttered at his touch.
"Someone's ticklish, huh?" Alex smirked. He moved his finger up and down her stomach as she twitched.
"Stop it! I'm the most tickling person who lived!" Jen gasped as he attacked her, sending Jen into a frenzy. "Alex!" she laughed.
He pinned her down, gazed into her hazel eyes and kissed her passionately.
"So many memories." Alex said as he threw his shirt aside. But a jagged scar running diagonally down his back made all the memories come back. The ones he's tried to burry, but failed to every time.
He opened the box to reveal the Red Chronomorpher. Jen's voice echoed in his mind.
"Jen!" Alex called. His breath weakening, his vision blurring.
Ransik laughed as he threw Alex forward and slashed him across the back. He fell to the ground, electric surges pulsating through his body.
"NO!" Jen yelled.
Ransik laughed as he disappeared. "Alex…ALEX!" Jen ran to his side and rolled him over. "Oh my god." She whispered.
He knew his time was running out. "Take my…morpher." He coughed. "There's four more in the…time ship."
"No, I can't!" Jen said. Tears streamed down her face.
"You can." She took the morpher from him. "Promise me…that…you'll capture him." She didn't answer. "Promise!"
Her voice shook. "I promise I'll catch him."
He whipped her tears away. "You and me…" he trailed off. His eyes began to droop.
Her voice was small. "Forever."
Alex sat on his bed trying to remove this painful memory.
But his scar began to burn, reminding him of the many events that happen so many years ago…
ch 10 up soon…
I do truly like the changes I've made and the new idea I put in with Alex showing up and Datas appointing him as the Red Ranger…hope everyone else does to!
How will Wes and Alex react when they meet? Will Jen be rescued before time runs out?