Eric, Wes, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.
Gaby is mine.

Rated T: mild language, some violence and sexual references.

A/N: This is a sequel to 'Crossroads' and part of my 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

Reversals of Fortune

What's Good for the Goose

- - -

"Your girlfriend," Wes echoed with a slightly choked sound. "Erica Myers."

"Yeah. She's one of the commanders of the Silver Guardians, at Bio-Lab." Gabe waved a hand at the buildings they could see several blocks away as his eyes moved from Wes to Jen. "Come to think of it, both of you kind of look like..." He hesitated, confusion and a hint of suspicion growing in his expression. "Who are you people, anyway?"

"Would you excuse us for a minute, please?" Jen said, and drew the two of them a few steps away.

"I think we just found another difference," Wes murmured. "And a pretty big one."

"Just a minor change in genetics," Jen said. "A Y chromosome instead of an X."

"Sounds like vice versa too."

"Man. Weird!" Eric exclaimed, glancing back at the male version of Gaby, who had a cellphone to his ear now, with an inner shiver. "Gabe... this is just... weird."

"Don't forget Erica." A twinkle had appeared in Wes's eye.

"Me as a woman? I don't even want to think about it," Eric said with a shudder.

"Why not? You make being a woman sound like a disease," Jen said.

"Yeah." Wes's twinkle had become a smirk. "I bet you make a really hot looking woman."

"Wes!" Jen smacked his shoulder, but spoiled the effect with a giggle.

"Hey, I'm just saying."

"Well, just say something else, rich boy."

"I think we should meet her." Wes returned his glare with an innocent look. "We're supposed to be investigating this reality. Why not talk to our counterparts?"

"Why should we?"

"We could ask them what those cyclobots are doing here, for starters."

"Wouldn't that be interfering with other realities or something?" He looked to Jen hopefully.

She smiled, crossing her arms. "Sorry, but Wes is right. We're in another dimension, not in our own past. Talking to our alternate selves shouldn't be a problem even if we tell them who we are, plus we need the information. That's what this experiment is all about."

"I still don't like it," Eric grumbled.

"Looks like we don't have a choice, anyway," Wes said, nudging Jen's arm. "Look."

A black SUV, exactly like one of their own Silver Guardian vehicles, was approaching rapidly from the direction of Bio-Lab. As they watched, it swerved to the curb. Almost before it had come to a halt the doors sprang open and two people jumped out. Two women, was Eric's first impression. Both average height, athletic and attractive figures, one with short black hair and Asian eyes, the other with longer dark blonde hair. They both stopped to talk to Gabe, the black-haired woman briefly grasping his arms, a concerned expression on her face. Gabe pointed. They turned, stared at Eric, Wes, and Jen, and came closer.

And then he was face to face with her - a square-jawed face only a little softer than the one he saw every day in the mirror, dark eyes glinting with suspicion and unconcealed hostility, mouth in a firm, cold line. For an instant it occurred to him that this was what most people saw when he looked at them.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded harshly.

"Eric Myers." He had the momentary satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen slightly. "And you must be Erica Myers."

"Yeah." She frowned. "I don't have any twin brothers that I know of. I'm going to ask one more time. Who are you?"

"Take it easy, Erica," the blonde woman interrupted. "We'd both like an explanation." She was facing off with Wes, the two of them like reflections in a distorted mirror. Erica shot her a glare but said nothing. Eric felt a shiver and fought it off.

"I'm Wes Collins," Wes said, starting to smile. "And don't tell me. Your last name is Collins, too."

"Not anymore." The blonde looked even more puzzled. "It's Wendy Collins Scotts now."

Jen stepped in as Wes looked startled and then grinned. "We do have an explanation, but it'll take awhile. Is there somewhere we can go?"

"I don't like this," Erica said, crossing her arms. "How do we know we can trust them?"

Wendy was examining Jen's face. "I want to hear this," she said. "We can go to Silver Guardians headquarters. And I think I'd better call Jon."

"Good idea," Wes said. He glanced at Jen and then at Eric. "This should be interesting, for all of us."

- - -

"Man, this is all the same. Exactly the same," Wes was saying, staring around as they walked through a familiar corridor towards the small conference room they usually used for meetings.

Not the same one we use, Eric corrected himself. Still, Wes was right. Everything was exactly the same. Or not quite everything... he blinked as what appeared to be a female version of Steve Miller passed them, returning his surprised stare.

"Now that is weird," Wes muttered.

"Yeah. This is starting to give me the creeps," Eric answered.

"Why?" Jen's voice came from just behind them.

Eric was saved from attempting an answer as they filed through the door and found seats around the conference table. Unfortunately, as he reached for his chair, another hand bumped into his. "Sorry," he said, letting a sarcastic note creep into his voice as he eyed the near-mirror image of his own face that looked up at him, "but this is where I usually sit."

"You mean where I sit." Erica yanked the chair out and gave him a faint but triumphant smirk as she slid into it.

"Fine," he muttered under his breath as he took the chair next to hers. "Ladies first." He took some satisfaction from her irritated glare.

"O-kay..." Wendy said from the other side of the table. She and Wes were seated side-by-side. They traded an amused glance. "I guess some things never change... Can we settle down now? I can't wait to hear this."

"Excuse me..." There was a tap on the still partially open door. They all looked up to see a tallish young man with wavy brown hair and a dusting of freckles across his nose framed in the doorway. Eric knew who he was instantly.

"Come on in." Wendy smiled at the man.

He bent to kiss her, his eyes on Wes. Then he straightened, facing Jen, and after a moment held out his hand. "You must be Jen," he said. "I'm Jon. Jonathan Scotts."

"Jennifer Scotts Collins," she murmured, at last looking somewhat shaken up. "I was expecting this, but I have to admit it's still a shock."

"For me too. I thought Wendy must be exaggerating, but... So you two are married, like Wendy and me?"

"Yes, for over a year now."

Wendy grinned up at them. "We were married on Valentine's Day."

"So were we!" Wes exclaimed. "Are you living in Dad's - your father's house?"

"No, my mother's. She owns Bio-Lab."

"Figures," Eric said. "Mrs. Collins instead of Mr. Collins."

"That's Ms," Erica corrected with narrowed eyes.

"Whatever. Seems like everyone is reversed here."

"Here?" His opposite number frowned. "Okay, your turn. Who are you? Where did you come from?"

Eric and Wes both turned to Jen, leaving it to her to explain. Jon took a seat next to his wife and looked expectant. Gabe sat on Erica's other side and leaned forward. Jen took her time, first explaining how Wes and Eric had been caught in the side effects when the Time Force of another reality had begun experimenting with dimensional travel.

"So - the two of you were accidentally shifted to another dimension?" Jon asked.

"Yes, we were," Wes said. "More than one. We had no idea at the time what was going on or how to get home."

"It must have been terrible," Wendy commented.

"Some of it was. Some was pretty interesting. Especially when we met alternate versions of people we know."

"Not of yourselves?"

"No. Maybe it's surprising, but this is the first time either of us have actually talked to - ourselves. Sort of."

"Then - how did you get here now? Another accident?"

"No. While we were lost, Time Force in our own dimension worked with the Time Force in the reality which had caused the problem to try and bring us back. That's how they got the technology. Now they're developing it, and this is their first trial run."

"Interesting." Jon drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "If events are parallel in our worlds, our Time Force should make the same discovery soon."

"Maybe. We saw worlds that were very much like ours, and others that were really different," Wes said. "This one has some obvious differences - but also, there's the cyclobots that were attacking Gabe. In our world we defeated Ransik years ago, and the cyclobots were all destroyed."

Wendy answered him. "We captured Ransika and her son, Nadir, years ago too. But Frax escaped."

"Frax? Male?"

"If a robot can have a gender - no," Jon said. "Frax is a robot with the transplanted brain of a scientist from my own time, Dr. Louise Fericks."

"It was Louis Fericks in our world. And in our world he died in the final battle, about four years ago."

"Here she survived, but her robot body was severely damaged. She disappeared and we thought she was gone, but a little over a year ago she found a partner, a scientist from Bio-Lab who's gone criminal. The two of them have been building more cyclobots."

"A scientist from Bio-Lab? Who?" Eric asked, suspicion sharpening his voice.

"Her name's Norma Ryder. She's brilliant in several areas, including electronics. Unfortunately for us."

Eric turned to look at the male equivalent of his girlfriend. "Don't tell me. She's also got a crush on Gabe."

"Well - yeah," Gabe answered, looking slightly embarrassed. "Also unfortunately. For me."

"And that's why the cyclobots were after you. In our world, pretty much the same kind of thing happened. Norman Ryder kidnapped Gaby and tried to brainwash her into falling for him." He watched as Erica reached for Gabe's hand. Somehow it was annoying.

"What about you, Jon?" Wes asked. "Did you have to go back to your own time after you captured Ransik - I mean Ransika? How did you get to stay here?"

"I did go back. Then there was another mission to this time, and I saw Wendy again - not for long enough..." He smiled at his wife and took her hand. "Later, another criminal from our time succeeded in altering history so that she could take over Time Force. In that new timeline, we - the Rangers - discovered what had happened. Lucie, Trix, Kevin, and Alex were killed trying to correct it."

"Alex?" Jen asked.

"Alexandra, my former fiancée. I escaped, and returned to this time. Together, the three of us put history back the way it was supposed to be, and the reality I came from was wiped out. My teammates were alive again, but my own timeline was gone. That's how I could stay here."

"Exactly the same as what happened to me."

"And now - we've just found out we're expecting our first child." Jon gave Wendy a warm smile and glanced at Jen inquiringly.

Eric had the impression that a look of what he could only identify as alarm crossed her face, so quickly that he couldn't be sure. The next moment she was smiling and saying, "Not everything's the same in our worlds. Congratulations."

"Yeah, congratulations! That's great!" Wes said. "We've been trying, and I guess we'll get there soon too, huh, Jen?"

"Sure. Soon."

Eric frowned, vaguely disturbed. Something was off. But he had no time to think about it, as the sound of a very familiar siren cut through the air. Beside him, Erica reached a hand up to adjust her headset, an abstracted look on her face as she listened to the earpiece. They all waited until she looked up, eyes wide.

"It's the main building. We're being attacked by cyclobots. A lot of them."

"What are we waiting for?" Wendy stood up and started for the door. "Come on!"

"Wen, wait! You can't be fighting in your condition!" Jon exclaimed as he followed.

"If you think I'm going to just stand around, you are so wrong..." Her voice faded down the hall as the two of them disappeared with Erica on their heels.

Wes was already on his feet. "Well? Are we going to help them?" he asked.

"Would it make any difference if I said no?" Eric asked as he got up.

"Nope. Jen?"

"Let's do it."

- - -

They charged through the doorway into the main lobby and stopped, confronted by a mass of cyclobots and shouting, screaming people. Robots ran across the floor, overturning furniture, chasing frightened employees. Wendy and Jon, a few steps in front of them, swung their arms and turned sideways together, brought their hands together and touched their morphers, shouting, "Time for Time Force!"

"Again the yelling?" Eric muttered as they morphed in a bright cascade of color. "What is it with these other dimensions, anyway?"

At almost the same moment, Erica lifted her wrist to her face and shouted, "Quantum Power!" and was transformed into Eric's familiar suit, although with some unfamiliar curves. Beside her, Wendy was now in red and Jon in purple.

"I was kind of wondering whether he'd be pink," Wes murmured.

"Never mind that," Jen said. "Come on!"

They morphed and headed for their counterparts. Jon appeared to be trying to stay between Wendy and any cyclobots who came near, while she tried in vain to get past him. Erica had been overrun by a clump of the robots and was struggling in their grip, pivoting on one hip to drive one away with a vicious kick. Eric charged into the group, shoving at them. He jumped, propping himself on a metal shoulder, and crashed feet first into the three holding her. They all sprawled onto the floor.

Erica was the first back on her feet. She yanked out her Quantum Defender and fired, putting two cyclobots out of commission in as many seconds. Eric was up by that time and moved to cover her back.

"I don't need your help!" she exclaimed, and dashed after a cyclobot which was attacking a man a few yards away.

"Ungrateful little...!" Eric growled.

"I heard that!"

Thinking dark thoughts, Eric took them out on the mass of robots around him, using his own blaster to quickly clear a space. Left with a moment to catch his breath, he looked around for more enemies - and saw an almost-familiar face on the other side of the large room.

She was surrounded by cyclobots but there was no mistaking who she was, as she pointed and shouted a command that sent a couple of robots running into a side corridor. Silvery hair and pale violet skin, an expression of rage as she caught sight of Erica. The female version of Norman Ryder.

Shouts and blaster fire announced the arrival of a squad of Silver Guardians. The two red Rangers and the pink and purple Rangers seemed to be having little trouble taking care of the cyclobots. Time to go after the source of the problem, before she had a chance to get away.

With a fist here, a kick there, and generous use of the Quantum Defender, Eric was across the room in seconds, diving through Norma's bodyguard of cyclobots as she backed away with a look of alarm. "Who the hell are you?" she shouted.

"I'm the Ranger who's going to stop you!"

"Get away from me!"

Eric reached for her as she turned for the door leading outside. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back around. She yanked away with a strength beyond that of a normal human, the effects of the mutating treatment that had changed her skin and hair color, just like the Norman he had fought before. Eric raised a fist. And hesitated, just long enough for her to pull a blaster and aim it at his head.

There was a brilliant flash of light - but no pain or shock. Eric blinked, and saw Norma staggering back, clutching her wrist. A glance over his shoulder showed Erica just behind him, weapon still aimed, before she sprang forward and drove a fist into Norma's jaw.

As the silver-haired woman dropped Eric looked around, but there was sudden quiet. The floor of the lobby was littered with demolished cyclobots. The other Rangers were approaching as Guardians moved cautiously around with drawn blasters.

"What's the matter, didn't want to hit a girl?" Erica demanded as she holstered her own blaster.

Eric turned away, growling under his breath, "The idea's getting more appealing by the second."

"I heard that!"

The others joined them as Wendy quickly knelt and checked Norma, and then looked up. "She's out. We finally got her."

Jon reached to rest a hand on Wes's and Erica's shoulders. "Great work, everyone."

- - -

"I kind of wish we could stay longer and see more of this world," Jen was saying to Jon as they all stood in the empty Silver Guardians' exercise yard behind Bio-Lab's main building. "But we're only supposed to spend a few hours in each dimension. We have to be getting back."

"Yeah... Too bad," Jon said, holding out a hand. "I want to thank you for helping us capture Norma. Without her, Frax shouldn't be much of a problem."

"It's been really great meeting all of you," Wes said. He grinned at his counterpart. "Congratulations again."

"Thanks. Yeah, it's really cool to see what I'd look like as a man."

"Hm. It's been... interesting," Eric said as he and Erica stared coldly at each other.

"Uh-huh. Same to you."

With the goodbyes said, Eric, Wes, and Jen moved a safe distance away. Jen pulled her sensor-communicator from her pocket, opened the lid, and paused, her finger on one of the tiny buttons inside. "This was a good start," she said, looking at their counterparts.

"Just hurry up and let's get out of here," Eric said. Jen nodded and bent her head over the communicator.

"What's the rush?" Wes asked. That same annoying twinkle appeared in his eye. "Don't you like it here?"

"Damn weird dimension. Women in charge of Bio-Lab and the Guardians. Women scientists, a whole bunch of women Rangers, a female Ransik, female Frax..."

"What's weird about that?" Jen asked. "You don't seem to think anything's wrong with our dimension, with so many male Rangers and men in charge of everything."

"It's just..." A glance at her face convinced Eric the wisest course would be to say nothing. And she was right, not that he was about to admit it.

"I still say Erica's pretty hot," Wes murmured.

"Then you've got lousy taste. That arrogant, pushy, rude, inconsiderate-"

"She's you, Eric," Wes said with a chuckle. "Down to the last mannerism, she's you."

"I'm tempted to think you don't like yourself very much," Jen added. As Eric scowled, ready to protest that he was nothing like Erica, absolutely nothing like her at all, and that the very idea was ridiculous and insulting; she cut off any further discussion by looking up and saying quietly, "It's here."

The same silvery whirlpool of distorted space appeared above their heads and descended swiftly. Eric felt Wes and Jen at his back as they instinctively moved away from the bright wall of energy surrounding them. This time felt different, though - a tingling, almost a pulling sensation, then a sort of snap as the light disappeared, leaving the three of them staggering to catch their balance.

"Wow. That was different," Wes said.

"Yes, it was. I wonder why," Jen said. She looked around. "Anyway, looks like we're back home, at Bio-Lab."

There was a noise. The sound of blasters. Not far away. Eric looked for the source and saw a flash from behind the shed where the Guardians kept their spare training equipment. "What's that?" he asked, even as he started for it.

The three of them rounded the corner at a run, and stopped abruptly at the sight that met their eyes. "Uh oh," Wes said softly.

An understatement, Eric thought. Before them, a fight was going on. Three large, strange, and ugly creatures which could only be mutants were attacking, large and equally ugly weapons in their hands. But that wasn't the part that brought an angry growl to Eric's lips.

"Christ. It's the Quantum bi-" He cut himself off. No, it wasn't Erica, not quite. She was wearing a Ranger suit, red with black trim and jagged edges like his, but the symbols on her chest and back were pentagons outlined in rainbow colors: red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. "Damn," he said. "Tell Time Force to go back to the drawing board. Looks like we're lost again."

- - -

TBC...