Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Ink and Alice who are my own creations.
Important Author's Note: This chapter takes place just after 'Quantum Secrets' so quite a time after the first chapter. Shout-outs & thank yous at the end. Thanks for the support guys, it overwhelmed and inspired me. Female Phenom u r a star to post this, a thousand thanks!
PURPLE POWERS
"Eric I am sick of having this fight with you" Wes yelled angrily "you have no idea what you're dealing with, the power you've got is immense and you're using it for the right purpose - to get rid of the mutants but we've got to work together as a team and you've got to stop trying to do things all by yourself!"
"Who says Collins? You?" retorted Eric, one hand protectively over his Quantum Morpher "I work alone, its always worked fine for me before"
The Time Force Rangers stood facing Eric in a line. All of them looked angry and frustrated. They'd all just finished winning a particularly nasty mutant battle and after powering down in an empty street, had lapsed into an argument with the Quantum Ranger about his lack of team spirit. It was an old argument that never seemed to go anywhere new.
"Look Eric, we need you on our team we don't deny that" tried Jen, trying to keep her anger under control "we just need you to work as part of a team and not just go in there for yourself, this is all bigger than you, its for the sake of a whole lot more"
"You have your agenda and I have mine, they don't work together side by side" replied Eric, his eyes cold "this is the way its gonna be so deal with it now"
"Its doesn't have to be Eric! God you were always this stubborn, even at prep school" sighed Wes exasperated
"Oh yeah? Well you were always a snobby spoilt brat Collins" retorted Eric
"That's not true Eric and you know it!" shouted Wes, storming up to Eric so that they were literally face to face "I stood up for you and made friends with you, don't deny it! It wasn't my fault you left"
"You've got your own memories of our past Wes, you don't know anything about me so don't even try to sympathise" Eric said "now move out of my way so I can go and report to your dad"
"Not until we sort this out" Wes said angrily
Jen looked at the other Time Force Rangers. Trip was looking worried. Eric and Wes had resorted to the physical way of settling their differences before and it had always ended in a sort of stalemate. It looked like it was going to happen again. Although Jen didn't mind the idea of Eric being knocked around, she didn't want Wes getting needlessly injured in a fight with their insufferable reluctant team mate. She tried to step forward to speak but Wes extended an arm to stop her and looked back at her. Something told her to let him finish this one.
"You're going to leave me no choice but to kick your ass again Wes" smirked Eric as he raised his Morpher to his mouth
"Quantum Ranger! Stay your hand!" a loud strange voice issued from behind him.
Everyone turned. Where before there had been empty space there now stood a tall mysterious woman. She was clothed from head to toe in midnight purple; a dress that swept the floor and a huge patterned cloak with the hood drawn up. A scarf of the same colour covered from beneath her eyes downwards, utterly disguising her face. She looked as though she'd dropped to Earth from another time and planet. As the Rangers gaped at this unexpected presence, Jen realised that the cloak was covered in symbols. Symbols which Jen recognised from her classes in Time Force; they were symbols of past Power Ranger teams.
Behind the woman a little way back stood a short athletic looking blonde girl kitted out in a form-fitting navy skirt and tank top. She was adorned with a lot of silver jewellery; several chunky silver charm bracelets on each wrist, identical anklets on both legs and a thick choker of silver around her neck with a more delicate silver charmed necklace hanging below it. Her hair hit her waist and she scowled at the assorted Time Force Rangers stood before them both. The appearance of these strangers was so startling and unexpected that the Rangers were rendered speechless.
Eric was the first to recover and scowled at the intruder. Although her outward appearance was human, he had the distinct hunch she was more than she seemed. Her dress and behaviour seemed almost mutant-like.
"This doesn't concern you ma'am" he said, the last word drenched in contempt "or is that mutant?"
"Mutant?!" the blonde girl exclaimed angrily "no one insults the Keeper in that way"
She strode forward, two weapons appearing in her hands with a flash of silver light as she did. In one hand she held an Astro Blaster and in the other a large silver bat. She glared fiercely at Eric and dropped easily into a fighting stance
"Do your worst human!" she hissed "I am ready"
"Alice drop your weapons" the woman issued calmly
"No! I won't let him get away with associating you with those cretins!" Alice yelled over her shoulder "if he wants a fight, he's got one here"
The other Time Force Rangers watched in silence, transfixed by the confrontation unfolding before them. How had those weapons appeared in Alice's hands? And who was the Keeper?
"Circuit" said Trip to the mechanical owl fluttering beside him "are they mutants?"
"I'm picking up no mutant DNA in the immediate area Trip" chirped Circuit "they're definitely not mutants but they're not human either, I can't match their DNA to anything in my data banks"
"Eric! Did you hear that? They're not mutants" called Wes "step back"
"I don't take orders from you Collins, I can do what I like and I say they're under arrest" Eric retorted, striding forward also "they have no idea what they're dealing with"
"I think they do Eric" yelled Katie "she knows you're the Quantum Ranger, she must know what power you've got"
"If she knows then she can try to fight it" said Eric
He lifted his Quantum Morpher to his mouth, eyes never leaving Alice
"Quantum.........."
"Purple Chains!"
Eric didn't get a chance to finish his voice activated command as the woman suddenly lifted her arms with a command of her own. Bolts of twisted chain-like purple energy fired from her pale hands and lifted Eric cleanly off the ground, binding his arms tightly to his sides! He yelled in surprise as he found himself suspended in mid-air and unable to lift his Morpher to his mouth to morph. Alice stood up straight and smirked in satisfaction at his fate.
"Your telekinesis has not weakened in your sleep sister" she remarked
"I said to stay your hand Quantum Ranger and I meant it!" the woman said as Alice returned to her side
"I thought you said she wasn't a mutant Circuit!" exclaimed Jen
"I am not" the woman replied "I am older than mutants, I was formed of nothing and will return to nothing at the end of my time"
The Rangers looked at her in astonished confusion, completely unsure as to what to say. Alice laughed
"I think you succeeded in confusing them sister" she remarked "I believe they deserve better explanation than that"
"Put Eric down!" Wes found his voice at last "aren't you hurting him by doing that?"
"This? No your Quantum Ranger is perfectly safe" the woman "as long as he promises not to morph, he'll be fine, then I would have to start hurting him and I do not wish to tax myself in that manner"
Eric glared at the woman as she glanced up at him. Too angry to speak, he merely nodded
"Good"
The woman pulled her hands backwards suddenly and the energy released its hold on Eric, sending him crashing to the ground. He didn't move, seeming to be knocked unconscious. The energy retracted back into the woman, smashing into her like a vague purple mist. The Rangers got the distinct impression she was smiling.
"Alice put down those weapons, you'll make the Rangers defensive as though we mean them harm" the woman instructed
"As you wish"
The weapons disappeared in the same flash of silver light as before and Alice stood, staring unarmed at the Rangers. The woman regarded them for a minute in silence.
"Lucas, Jen, Trip, Katie and Wes" she said suddenly "it's a pleasure to meet you Time Force Rangers"
"How do you know who we are?" asked Lucas dumbfounded
"Because she knows everything" Alice interjected
"I think everything is an overestimation Alice" the woman laughed "but I do know a lot of things, things that have happened and will happen. Before and after; the paths people choose"
"Who.....what are you?" wondered Katie
"I am what you humans called in history a sorceress, created by those who created the Power Rangers all those years ago" the woman replied, her voice soft with remembrance "made of the light of goodness, protected by the fiercest of our time"
Alice nodded sharply at this comment and crossed her arms. The Rangers didn't ask how this title was decided; they didn't want to know
"You're from all that time ago?" gasped Trip "how did you survive? Its been so many years"
"Wait, there were other Rangers before us?" asked Wes puzzled
"You did not think you were the first and the last did you Red Ranger?" laughed the woman "the other Rangers know the distinguished lineage of the Rangers, they learnt it as part of their training for Time Force"
The Rangers looked at each other amazed. Again another detail that no one could have known unless they were from the year 3000. It unnerved them that this woman seemed to know everything about them.
"But there is much to explain and not much time" the sorceress said quickly "if you are willing to listen and to believe me, I am willing to share my knowledge with you, there is much you need to know"
The others looked at each other unsure. This woman had appeared out of nowhere, easily overpowered Eric who still lay in a crumpled unconscious heap on the street and seemed to know a lot about them. The woman looked at Trip
"Young Xybrian, you know much with your race's powers, can you feel that you can trust me?" she asked gently
Trip gulped and looked at her. When he looked at her, all he could sense was goodness. There was nothing threatening there at all.
"I believe her and I trust her" he decided out loud
"Ok, we'll listen to you" Jen said "but don't fool us around"
"I will meet you at your Clock Tower" the woman replied "I can teleport myself and Alice to the location"
"What about Eric?" asked Katie
"If he's interested, he can find his own way there" snorted Jen.
The woman nodded and swirled her cape around suddenly. Alice stepped forward so that she was in front of the woman and the purple cloak dropped to cover them both. In a flash of purple energy, the two were gone.
"Lets use the Cycles" Wes said, leading the run
"Do you trust her?" asked Lucas as he mounted his cycle
"I don't know, but by the look of it she's got things to tell us we're gonna want to hear" replied Wes
The others nodded and with Circuit neatly packed away in Trip's backpack, they began the short ride home.
TBC......
Author Shout-Outs
Thanks to all who reviewed (or just read) my short first chapter. Eric will be at the centre of this story. This is my first go at writing TF so please be gentle with me. This is the first chapter I wrote when I started the story - the image of Ink yelling 'Quantum Ranger stay your hand!' was the first idea that came to me and inspired the rest of the story.
Miz Greenleaf: well mysterious was what I was going for so am pleased u like it! Yeah Eric will be put through the wringer on this one but I promise it won't be all angst; Eric is one of my 2 fave Rangers ever so I promise I won't hurt him too much lol.
The Fink: am totally thrilled you have reviewed and approve. I adore ur work as u know ('Fire and Ice' is on my Fave Stories list) so to have ur mark of approval is wicked. I hope my punctuation has improved. If not then please email me with further details on how to correct it. I don't mind the criticism as long as its constructive lol. Thanks again for ur support, it means so much to me
:- )
White Time Ranger: hey fellow TF fic writer! I love ur work and am thrilled u like mine too. Thanks for the heads up on ur chapter update. It was wicked as usual. Ur work helps inspire this writer!
TF Princess: thanks for the compliments, I found the first chapter pretty hard to write having not seen the 'Quantum Quest' episode (relying on internet episode summaries) and having written this chapter first off. I think I nailed it pretty good though. Wow thanks for adding me to AA. Means a lot. I hope u enjoy this chapter just as much!