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

Imbalance of Power - part 2
- - -

"Wha..." Eric bolted out of sleep, heart pounding. Sirens, bringing back flashes of memory of his Army days. Where was he? Not home... The experiment... Other dimensions... They were in the Silver Guardians barracks, in another universe.

"Damn..." he mumbled, throwing the covers off and rolling out of bed. "What time is it...?" A glance at his watch answered that. Just after 5 am. Too damn early for this - and he had lain awake late last night, thinking, wondering, missing his own Gaby, wishing this was over and he was home.

A quick fumble to get dressed and he was out of the room, looking around, missing his headset, reminding himself that he wasn't in command of this set of Guardians. Still, whatever the problem was, he wanted to be there.

The door to the next room opened to reveal Jen, looking only slightly bleary. Not bad for a pregnant woman, Eric caught himself thinking. A moment later another door down the hall swung open and Wes stumbled out, hair tousled and looking very bleary indeed.

Jen glanced at her husband and then deliberately turned her back on him. "Eric? What's going on?" she asked.

"Wish I knew. Come on, the Guardians will be going for their cars; we can find out there."

They found Steve Miller just inside the loading bays, directing Guardians into their SUVs. He turned when the three of them ran in. "Steve!" Eric called. "What's happening?"

"Another attack by those three morphants."

"In the city?"

"In the 'burbs."

"Where?"

Wes's voice came from behind him. "Jen, Eric and I can take care of this. You should stay here."

"Forget it, Wes, I'm going," she said.

"You have to think about the baby! What if-"

"I said forget it!"

Eric stopped listening as Steve looked into his face. "It's your house, Eric."

"My house?"

"The other Eric. His and Gaby's."

"Oh, shit. She's there?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go."

- - -

Wes and Jen were still at it in the back seat of the SUV as Steve pulled onto the street where Eric's house was. A flash of light flared from ahead. Blaster fire. A battle, and Gaby caught in the middle of it. She had the morpher, but... And there could only be one reason why the morphants had chosen to attack here and now.

"Jen, will you at least stay back? Shoot at them from cover?"

"I'm perfectly capable of fighting."

"I know that! I just don't want you getting in danger."

"I'll do what I have to do, Wes. Leave it alone!"

Eric turned to confront them from the front seat. "Okay, you two, can it! We've got no time for this now. Wes, shut up. Jen, you're pregnant. Deal with it. Both of you, decide what you're going to do and do it, and don't get in my way."

He turned away from their startled and angry faces as the car came to a stop, taking a quick look around as he shoved the door open and jumped out. His house - the version of his house in this dimension - was across the street, looking the same as when he'd left yesterday morning... except for the three large mutants attacking it. Two of them were on each side of the front door, the third at a broken window. The door itself was a smashed mass of broken wood. A flash of blaster fire from inside told him where Gaby was. The police were out in force; three patrol cars parked haphazardly with uniformed cops behind them shooting at the morphants, who completely ignored them.

"Hold your fire!" Eric shouted. "Stay under cover!" He raised his arm, shouted, "Quantum Power!" and ran forward as soon as the transformation was complete.

Too bad the morphing process was so obvious; they had seen him. Eric had the Quantum Defender in his hand and was behind a tree a second later, instinctively checking on Steve - safely behind an SUV, helping a group of Guardians set up a blaster rifle - and Wes and Jen - morphed and running across the street to the shelter of a low brick wall between his house and his neighbor's. Speaking of the neighbors, thankfully none of them was in sight.

One of the morphants - Mr. Muscles, Mesocon - leaped down from the porch and ran at them. He had a blaster in one hand and that same larger weapon from the day before in the other. As Eric took aim and fired a series of bolts, he ducked behind Gaby's car and fired back. Wes and Jen were both shooting now too, along with the Silver Guardians, and the other two morphants were shooting back. Bright beams crisscrossed the yard and street, hitting trees and cars in explosive showers of sparks, while a bright flash from inside the house showed that Gaby was still in action.

This wasn't getting them anywhere. Couldn't get a good shot at them. Gaby was trapped inside. "I'm going in!" he heard Wes call, and saw him running closer to the house, exchanging his blaster for his twin chrono-sabers, while Jen covered him from behind the wall with a hail of blasts. Eric broke cover and dashed after him.

Wes jumped onto the porch and charged into Ectocon, slashing at the thin mutant's arm and forcing him to drop the blaster, but Endocon moved with surprising speed, running into Wes with his considerable bulk and knocking him off his feet. Another blast from Jen gave him time to get up and side-kick his attacker.

Eric had reached Mesocon, and took a running jump to hit him hard with both feet. To his dismay, the morphant only fell back a step and threw a punch; Eric ducked the blow and kicked his opponent in the belly, followed by a slash of the Quantum Defender in sword mode. Mesocon hardly seemed to feel it; he just swung again, fortunately not very fast. Still, sooner or later he'd land a blow, and Eric had a feeling he didn't want to be on the receiving end.

He heard a cry and risked a quick look at the porch, to see Wes fly into a post with a thud and tumble limply off the edge to the ground. Shouting her husband's name, Jen left the protection of the wall and ran to jump onto the porch and meet the mutants with her own saber, a couple of vicious swings holding them back. They recovered quickly and attacked, knocking her off her feet, but as they closed in the Rainbow Ranger emerged from the house, a few blaster bursts making them transfer their attention to her. Now in close quarters, Gaby transformed her own version of the Defender into its sword form and hacked at the mutants with more strength and energy than skill. Eric cursed, forcibly reminding himself that she was a Ranger now, and more powerful than he was.

But the distraction had done its damage. Eric saw movement but was unable to dodge this time as Mesocon grabbed his arm with crushing strength, yanked him into the air and slammed him down onto the back of Gaby's car to the sound of tearing metal. Dazed by the impact, he felt himself being swung by the arm and thrown, to crash into Wes. A moment later Jen joined them, flying from the porch onto her back on the ground.

That left Gaby alone. Eric heard her cry out in rage or pain and saw the two creatures above slam her against the wall as she struggled in their grip.

In the driveway, Mesocon was raising his blaster again and aiming it at the three on the porch, the larger weapon ready in his other hand. In another moment they'd weaken Gaby enough to force a demorph, and then... Eric rolled up onto his hands and knees. No way to get over there in time, and even a blaster shot wouldn't stop it... unless... A glimmer of light and movement caught his eye, liquid dripping from the back of Gaby's car where his own body had smashed it. As fast as the thought ran through his mind he brought up the Defender, on which he had somehow kept his grip, and fired - not at the mutant but at the car.

The results were all he could have hoped for. There was a flare of flame from the leaking gasoline, a second before it flashed into the car, and then the blinding light and deafening roar of an explosion. Mesocon was thrown into the air, howling as he spun head over heels and landed a few yards away.

"Meso!" Eric heard the others call, before they abandoned Gaby and ran to their companion. They pulled him to his feet, Ectocon stopping to retrieve the strange weapon. "This isn't over! We'll be back, stronger than before!" he shouted, lifting it over his head before they all disappeared in a sparkle of transporter light.

Slowly Eric rose to his feet. After the noise and chaos of battle, it seemed quiet despite the crackle of fire from the ruined car, the wail of a siren approaching, and the sound of his own panting breath. He looked around. The front of the house was scarred with blaster burns, some of the trees damaged, the front door demolished. Gaby's car was a twisted mass of flames. Wes was up, apparently unharmed, and helping Jen to her feet. With a quick leap Eric ran across the porch and found Gaby slumped against the wall.

"Are you okay?" he asked anxiously, bending over her.

"I think so." She looked up and then out over the lawn. "Are they gone?"

"For now."

"But they'll be back." Her voice was flat.

"Come on, we should get back to base." He demorphed, waited for her to do the same, and took her arm.

They spent several minutes on making sure none of the Guardians and police were injured, and then a few more as a fire truck arrived and took care of the burning car. Eric rejoined Wes and Jen, watching silently as Gaby cast a last look at her home, her face blank and eyes dazed, and then let Steve guide her into the nearest SUV.

- - -

The silence lasted until they arrived back at Bio-Lab and left the vehicles. Eric saw Jen head for the main building, in the direction of their rooms, with Wes right behind her. With an inner sigh he followed as his partner reached out to touch his wife's shoulder.

She turned. "What?"

"The doctor is this way, Jen."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you got hit back there. You took a fall. You need to be checked out."

"I'm fine." Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What about the baby?"

For a moment Eric thought she would react in the obvious anger she felt, but she controlled herself and answered mildly enough. "The baby is fine. Stop treating me like I'm made of glass."

"Jen..." Wes took an irresolute step as she started away again. "Jen, please. Do it for me if you won't do it for yourself or the baby."

Eric crossed his arms, resisting the temptation to try yelling at both of them again as she hesitated. Finally she sighed, shot them an irritated glance and muttered, "All right. If it'll make you happy, fine."

Wes watched as she marched off, stiff-backed, this time in the direction of the infirmary. "Jen's got more sense than this. Why is she being this way?" he muttered.

"Beats me," Eric said. "She's your wife, rich- I mean Wes."

"Doesn't mean I understand her."

Eric shook his head. "Does anyone really understand anyone? Even your best friend can surprise you." He left Wes blinking at him and headed for his room.

- - -

A hot shower could do wonders to ease the aches and pains left by battle, but Eric could still feel every bruise as he padded across his small room, wrapping a towel around his waist. A second bleep sounded from his morpher before he picked it up and answered. "Yeah."

"Eric, it's Jen."

As if any other woman would be calling on his morpher. Except maybe Gaby, he reminded himself uncomfortably. "What's up?" he asked.

"Trip contacted me." Her voice hesitated, and wavered a little. "They've compensated for my - you know. He said they can transfer us back any time."

Eric stared at the morpher, wondering why that news sent his heart plummeting when it should make him happy. The memory of Gaby's face from an hour ago, so forlorn, told him - the twin of another face, another Gaby, the one waiting for him back in their own world. Strange, how he seemed to have the same feelings for both of them. Or was it only natural? They were the same person, after all, even if he had known one for years and only met the other yesterday.

"Eric?"

He raised the morpher again. "Yeah. That's great."

"Right. Uh..." Her voice trailed off again. "I guess--"

"Look, just wait a while, okay? There's something I have to do first." He frowned in decision. Or rather - someone he had to talk to.

- - -

Eric stared at the door. He had no wish to see the five pitiful bodies laid out inside, still living - just barely. Not when there was nothing he could do about it, and not when they were almost the same people he called his friends. Even more, not when the Eric Myers who belonged here had apparently run out on them. Still, Steve had said she was inside. As he was telling himself that there was no point in delaying and reached for the door, it opened.

The face of a middle-aged man, looking older and more tired than he remembered, confronted him with a startled expression. "Eric!"

"Mr. Collins."

"Eric... But you're the other one, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir. Although it depends on your point of view."

"True, true." Collins examined his face. "Amazing... and - and there's really another version of Wes and Jen with you?" he asked in a voice that quavered slightly.

"Yes, sir. Uh... if you want to see them..."

"No. No, I don't know if I could take seeing them healthy and - and walking around while..." Collins looked again at the door to the room where his own son and daughter-in-law lay in a coma. "Well, you know."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir." A smile broke through Collins' tired expression. "I'm always telling my Eric that. And you're not even my employee."

"I guess you're right. Is Gaby in there?"

"Yes." Collins hesitated before continuing softly, "You've already helped her, and all of us, twice. I know it's not much of a thank-you to ask you to do it again. I know the three of you are concerned about getting home, and that this isn't your fight or even your world, but... whatever you could do to help my son, and his wife, and their friends..."

Eric's heart sank another notch. "I understand," he said. "But I don't know if there's any way we can fix this."

"No." Collins gave another unhappy look to the door, his voice catching as he added, "Maybe nothing can. I'd better be going." Quickly, he turned and started down the hall, leaving Eric to watch his retreating back for a moment before opening the door.

She was sitting on a chair, between Wes's and Jen's beds, her back to him, head bowed. She must have known he was there, must have heard his voice, but she didn't turn around. Eric went nearer, and stood behind her. Inevitably, his gaze moved to Jen's face, and then Wes's. They both seemed asleep, quiet and almost motionless, yet there was a subtle tension around their eyes and mouths, as if they were having bad dreams.

"Thanks for saving me this morning." Gaby's voice was low and soft, but still startling against the silence.

"You seemed to be doing okay."

Her head turned to look up at him. "Don't lie!" she exclaimed, looking ashamed even before the echo of her voice had faded. "Sorry. I'm just - They would have beaten me. We both know it."

"Maybe." Eric watched as she turned her face away again. "Yesterday, when they attacked, were you already here at Bio-Lab?"

"Yes."

"And this morning they came to your house."

He saw her shoulders rise and fall in a sigh. "You're right; they're after me. Or the morpher, actually."

"So - you've figured that out."

"It's pretty obvious. When they used their special weapon before, they tried to drain the power from all the Rangers and take it for themselves. Instead the weapon misfired in some way, and they accidentally transferred it to the Quantum Morpher and bonded the morpher to me."

"And after that - I'll bet when they attacked again, they hit places like electronics stores."

"Right again." She smiled bitterly. "They stole parts and instruments."

"And the large weapon they have now - it must be the same as the one they used before, on them." He nodded at the five comatose Rangers in the beds.

"Yes. When the morphants disappeared for a few weeks, all of us thought they were gone, or hoped they were, but they must have been rebuilding their power-draining weapon. Making a new one, or fixing whatever went wrong."

He looked around, spotted another chair, pulled it over and sat close enough to see her profile. "They still want the power that's in your morpher. My guess is it won't work while you're morphed; that's why they didn't just use it right away. That's also why they tried to catch you alone this morning, so they could demorph you and use it. And they'll try it again. You need to stay here, where the Guardians can protect you."

"I thought I was supposed to be protecting them. And everyone else."

The bitterness in her voice surprised him. He hesitated before going on. "You need someone to help you. Like you said, they would have beaten you this morning if we hadn't been there. Hell, they almost beat all of us together; we were just lucky."

"And exactly who's going to help?" Gaby turned to face him. To his dismay, her eyes were red and sparkling with tears. With an impatient movement she wiped them away. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm the only Ranger left. You guys don't belong here; you can't stick around. There isn't anyone else. No one to come riding in and rescue me, I have to do it myself."

Eric blinked at her obvious anger, an anger that he recognized as coming from fear. "You could get rid of the morpher," he said after a pause. "Then they'd leave you alone."

"They'd find it. They must have some way to detect it. There's no way we know of to destroy it; believe me, Dr. Zaskin has tried. And then, they'd take its power, and..." She shrugged, looking down at her wrist, absentmindedly running her fingers over the morpher's surface. "Well, I don't know what they'd do, but I'm sure it wouldn't do Silver Hills - or the world - any good. I think they've already done enough to prevent Time Force from existing. Destroyed the future. Now they're after the present. I know I don't have a chance to stop them, but... I can't just give up and let them take it."

"Never give up. You make a good Ranger." It felt like an empty platitude, but he meant it. Not that it helped much; Gaby gave him only a tight half-smile. Eric tried to find some way to reassure her and make it look like everything would be all right, and couldn't. Silence filled the room again. Finally, he asked the question that had been one of the reasons he had come to this room, the question that had been bothering him ever since he had heard Gaby's story the day before.

"Why isn't the other Eric here now? What made him leave?"

Her eyes turned to him. Her mouth curved slightly. "You're him, aren't you? Can't you guess?"

Maybe, but he didn't like where that thought led. "Tell me anyway."

Gaby sighed again, staring blankly in the direction of Wes's face now. "He couldn't be a Ranger anymore. He didn't like it that I had taken his power. Not on purpose, of course, but that's still what happened. Oh, he tried to be helpful and support me at first, but I could tell it bothered him every time I morphed, and every time I went into action with the Guardians. It bothered him a lot."

"Maybe he felt - useless. Like he couldn't help, and no one needed him. Like he wasn't important anymore."

"He was important to me." Her head bowed again. "After the morphants stopped coming, we realized he wasn't going to get the power back, ever. I guess it really sank in. He got more and more angry, at everything, at me; every time he saw this morpher on my arm or saw me use it or saw me working with the Guardians. He got impossible. I was all on edge too; it was partly my fault. We had a horrible fight. He said I was letting it go to my head, and I was taking his place with the Guardians, and I should just take his job too. That he didn't want a girlfriend who had taken everything away from him. We both said a lot of things, and I said he should just get out because he was only making everything worse and I was sick of him feeling sorry for himself. I didn't mean it, not really..." She paused, eyes filling with tears again, "but that's what he did. He left. He didn't even say goodbye."

"I'm sorry," Eric said after a moment, not sure if he was apologizing for his double or for himself.

"You know, I used to think I'd love to be a Ranger. To be a superhero, and it would be all glamorous and exciting, and everyone would admire me." Another tear glinted on Gaby's cheek before it rolled down and dropped to land on her hand. "Now - I didn't ask for this, and I don't want it. Eric's gone because of it. And I'm scared. The morphants will keep coming after me, and sooner or later they'll win..."

"No." Eric stood up abruptly. Maybe his other self had let her down, but that didn't mean he had to do the same thing. There must be a way, and he was going to find it. "I'm staying as long as it takes to stop them, Gaby. That's a promise." He waited only long enough to smile as she looked up, and to touch her shoulder, before walking out.

- - -

TBC...