Disclaimer: Own nothing.

Ranger References: This chapter contains scenes from 'The End of Time Part 2', I have shuffled these scenes around from the way they were shown in the episode but they work better this way for my story! Also contains references to Mighty Morphing, Lightspeed Rescue and Dino Thunder. Episode title from a song used in Mighty Morphing which I love. As always thanks to my amazing reviewers, you make this story possible! Shout-outs at the end as always. Hope you like!

WE NEED A HERO

Among the ravaged cityscape, Ink and Alice reappeared in clouds of purple and silver smoke. Ink instantly stumbled and almost fell but Alice caught her and held her steady. There was concern clearly etched on the Protector's face as she scrutinised her trembling sister.

"They've gone, haven't they?" Alice guessed flatly.

"Yes, sister. The Red Ranger has sent them back to their own time where they will be safe," replied Ink slowly, gulping in air. "He will soon be back to aid Eric in his battle and we will be needed to help them."

"Can you see the future of this path?"

"I only wish I could. There is so much that could change it with a single action that I cannot accurately predict what the outcome of this final battle will be," sighed Ink. "We will have to remain and fight."

"Sister, you know how limited your battle armour is! It taps right into your life force," reminded Alice urgently. "I won't let you do that to yourself."

"Then I will not unless absolutely necessary," decided Ink. "I feel the loss of the Rangers keenly inside, with time it will heal. It is not as painful as before as there was no anger in the abrupt distance this time. I think I am feeling a little better."

"You look better."

Ink smiled and began slowly straightening herself out. She found she could stand unsteadily on her own two feet but Alice refused to let go of her, keeping an arm firmly around her waist. They both took in the wasteland around them. The air was choking with grey dust. People were struggling to help each other, binding up bloody wounds and Silver Guardians were gathering as many people into their vans as possible to take away from the carnage.

Then they both heard the sound of stamping feet. Lines of Cyclobots marched towards them like soldiers. Alice immediately took a step in front of Ink, a scowl characterising her face.

"If they want to try and destroy us, they've got their sights set on the wrong people," she muttered.

The Cyclobots halted and aimed their sabres at the sisters, carrying out their orders of destruction. As they fired deadly lasers, Ink ducked behind a nearby mangled car. Alice stayed put.

"Navy Titanium Protector Power!"

Her appearance changed in a dazzling blast of navy-silver light just as the laser fire reached her. She swung her cloak around to block their fire and then turned her fiercesome expression on them. Her eyes were glinting dangerously.

"Power Axe!"

A large black and gold axe appeared in her hands and slashed at the Cyclobots which had begun to surround her, sparks flying everywhere. Ink stood up and clenched her fists. Cyclobots were beginning to run towards her too. They would not spare her. To them, she was a civilian to be destroyed and so she would have to defend herself if she wanted to prevent more civilians from being killed.

"Purple Chains!"

Ink's twisted chain-like magic surrounded at least two of the robots and at a squeeze of her fist, crushed them into nuts and bolts. Alice was tearing through nearby Bots with obvious relish from her beaming grin and her silver arm-gauntlets flashed in the bright light as she swung the axe faster and faster.

"The more we destroy, sister, the less that can destroy the city," called Ink.

"I know, I'm working on it," Alice yelled back, pausing to gather her breath.

Two Cyclobots pounced, grabbing her arms and shoved her back against the nearest wall. Alice grimaced, being a Protector didn't mean you were immune to pain. All around her she could see flashes of gold and somewhere to the left; her sister was a blur of purple fighting against the teeming masses. Instantly the axe disappeared into silver energy and Alice kicked out at the Bots surrounding her. She began to fight to get to her feet.

"Battle Booster!"

A chunky red gauntlet glove studded with silver pieces wrapped itself around her right wrist and immediately she began striking out at everything she could see blocking her path. With showers of sparks, nuts and bolts rained down on her as Cyclobot after Cyclobot was destroyed. Alice got triumphantly to her feet and glanced round to see Ink striking a Bot hard as it tried grabbing her arm and then flipping it over her shoulder to land at her feet. Her expression was cool, calm determination.

"You don't need any help," she observed wryly, the Battle Booster disappearing.

"Sometimes you do not need to be my Protector but the Protector of the place our charges live in," Ink replied, leaning heavily on the car for support.

Alice frowned, noting the way her sister was breathing heavily and how her hand shook slightly.

"You're still in pain from the Rangers' absence, aren't you?" Alice guessed.

Ink nodded, licking her dry lips.

"Yes, Alice. I will heal soon enough as this was somewhat expected but it still hurts," Ink made a visible effort to stand up straight. "But no matter, I still have to fight. This planet is ours to defend until our time is done."

"It isn't done yet?"

"Not for while yet, sister. Soon, we will not be needed here anymore," Ink replied with a ghost of a smile. "And we will be able to return to Eltar."

Stamping feet heralded more Cyclobots arrival and Alice swung around in the direction they were coming from, her wide blue eyes narrowed to calculate where it would be best to attack from. Ink sighed, shaking her hands experimentally. She'd need to gather herself to help Alice as best she could.

"Bracio Staff!"

An elegant silver staff topped with a black and gold dinosaur head handle appeared in Alice's hands and she twirled it once, a smile growing on her face. Ink smiled to herself, bracing herself for what was to come.

"Bracio Staff, Energy Orb!" Alice commanded.

She swung the staff in a neat circle in front of her, causing a large purple-tinged bubble appear around her. With a shove of her hands, the bubble raced towards the incoming robots and exploded in the middle of them. The impact caused the ground to shudder and Ink nearly fell over but gripped the hood of the nearby car desperately to stay standing. Alice nodded satisfied as the rumbling stopped, the staff disappearing in her silver light. She immediately raced over to her sister to help steady her. Ink smiled gratefully, the usual calm light not quite filling her eyes.

"Well done, sister but there will be many more and we need to keep on fighting until the Red Ranger gets here and until Eric is finished with his battle," Ink told Alice.

Alice looked up briefly at the red figure atop the massive Quantasaurus Rex and then back down at her sister.

"He's not going to win alone like that, is he?"

"No, sister, he is not."

Q-Rex was firmly caught in Doomtron's grip and the robot wasn't letting go any time soon. Eric scowled, desperately pressed buttons on his Morpher to get his Zord to fight out of the grip but nothing was happening. He was helpless. Then he noticed Doomtron's large cannons that were starting to rumble.

"Watch out!" he blurted out.

The cannons fired and at close range, caused massive explosive destruction to the Q-Rex. Fire grew around Eric, he could feel the immense heat through his Ranger suit and he knew he had to get off but he didn't want to leave his Zord. He knew it was irrational but he felt some kind of connection to the dinosaur beneath him. They'd been through a lot together but it looked like this was the end. Vaguely, he thought he heard someone call his name but all that faded from his mind as Doomtron gave Q-Rex a hard shove and Eric found himself falling unstoppably towards the ground.

3000 years in the future, four people were waking up. One after the other, Trip, Lucas, Katie and Jen opened their eyes. All four sat up, their memories hazy and looked around confused. They were in a white room lying on simple med-beds. It was all strangely familiar. As Katie leapt to her feet to gaze out the window, they found they were dressed in Time Force Officer uniforms and Katie echoed the thought in all of their minds.

"We're back."

Jen swallowed a gasp. They were back? Then it all came rushing back to her. Wes had tricked them and then trapped them in the Time Ship before sending them back to the year 3000. Wes was gone. She'd never see him again. So many conflicting feelings coursed through her; anger, regret, frustration, fury. It was all tempered with an insane amount of passionate love – for Wes, for Ink and Alice, for Silver Hills, even some for Eric. That had been their home and they'd left it to be destroyed.

Before she could voice anything, a door slid open and a figure stepped through. Alex stood smiling at them in full Time Force Officer uniform and Jen noticed subconsciously that he wore an olive tee beneath the tunic jacket, marking him out as a Captain. He looked pleased to see his troops back.

"Welcome back, Rangers. I'm glad to see you came to your senses and returned to where you belong," Alex said.

His words felt like icy cold water to Jen and from the expressions on the others' faces, they felt the same way. This was all too much at once. Alex thought they'd come back willingly. How could he think that? Didn't he know how much they'd loved 2001 and everything in it? Slowly, feeling her limbs protest, Jen walked towards her fiancé and as she reached him, felt her legs give out beneath her. Alex easily caught her and helped her steady herself.

"Whoa, take it easy, Jen. You travelled a thousand years; it can be a little disorientating," Alex gently took hold of her hand and rubbed her arm lovingly. "Now that you're home you can relax, enjoy the life you left behind."

Jen stared at him incomprehensibly. That was the last thing she wanted to do. How could he be so insensitive? Her anger burned into a small hard knot in her stomach. As she slowly stepped back from him, finding her steps were steady now, she realised to her dull numb horror that she didn't love Alex Collins the way she had done once. Her heart was buried somewhere back in 2001.

All Eric was aware of was rubble and dirt. Dust clogged his lungs and pain shot through him everywhere, particularly somewhere around his ribs. He grimaced and with a terrific effort, shoved off whatever was pressed against his back. It proved to be a relatively light sheet of metal and he'd never been so happy to see sunlight as it poured down on his face. His mind processed a million different thoughts; the city was destroyed, he'd fallen a long way down, he couldn't see Ink or Alice though he could feel Ink somewhere nearby. He tried getting up but the pain stopped him and he fell harshly onto the concrete which ripped a yell from his throat. Then he remembered and looked upwards. His Zord looked mournfully back, chunks were missing and small fires were burning through its tough metallic skin. Pain exploded inside of Eric as he looked up.

"Q-Rex!" he yelled, extending a helpless arm upwards.

Before he could do anything else, laser fire showered down on him. Eric tried to find out its source but before he could explosions blew up around him and one lifted him high into the air before he felt the crunching pain of slamming into something hard and unyielding. As he looked up, he noted wearily it was an abandoned car. Cyclobots surrounded him, slashing at him with their sabres. There was no seconds spare to morph. He'd have to do this the old-fashioned way. A grim smile formed on his face. Just the way he liked it.

The Cyclobots were untiring. Eric felt his energy drain from his body as he desperately tried to stay on top of the fight but he realised, to his dismay and inner disgust, he couldn't. He wasn't enough to keep this city safe alone. Hell, he wasn't even enough to fight off this small squad of robots. The Cyclobots grabbed him by his ripped shirt and threw him onto the car's bonnet. He rolled off with a groan and found himself staring up at a line of aimed sabres.

This was it.

This was how he was going to die. From Ink he could feel pain, exhaustion, worry. It didn't seem like things were going so well for her either.

Ink, I fucking need some help!

If that was the last thought he sent to her, then he was sorry. Before she could reply, a familiar figure leapt through the air with a determined yell. Wes exploded among the group of Bots and as Eric used the car for leverage to get to his knees, he had to grudgingly admit that the Red Ranger had skill. Whether he was going to tell Wes was another question. He'd thought his time was up but Wes had saved him. That meant he owed Wes big time.

"Eric!"

Wes rushed to his side, hurriedly and carefully helped him to his weary feet. A million thoughts flew through Eric's head, he had no idea what to say to his unlikely saviour so he settled for his first instinctive emotion; wounded pride.

"I was managing just fine, thanks," he growled out.

"Right!" snorted Wes with total disbelief.

Quickly the two began half limping, half walking away from the scene. Where they were going, Eric had no idea. He hoped it was somewhere he could regroup before heading out again. Explosions blossomed behind them, fire eating at their heels. Eric bit back a groan. He'd never felt so tired, so completely drained of energy but he had to keep going. If he didn't, more people would die and in the city he was paid to protect, that wasn't going to happen.

Then he felt a wall against his back and Wes drop him down gently. He glanced up to Wes glaring down.

"Stay here!" he ordered before disappearing.

Eric rolled his eyes; he wasn't going anywhere until he'd patched these wounds up sufficiently so that he could walk properly. Then he'd leave. He felt something drop into his lap and his fingers quickly found his headset.

"Commander Myers, Code Red! This is Commander Myers, Code Red! Do you read me?" he barked into the mouthpiece.

He got nothing back, his headset was fried. Disheartened he threw it down beside him and felt a soft breeze and Ink's strong calm presence. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flutter of purple.

"He's still alive," stated Alice neutrally as she hunkered down beside him. "Thank the gods Wes was here to pick him up; he'd have been toast otherwise."

"I was managing fine on my own," snapped Eric, jerking away from Alice's surprisingly gentle touch. "I didn't need his help and I don't need it now."

Ink was staring at him, he could feel it. Sure enough as he turned his head painfully she stood beside him, her face impassive and her body still. The skirt of her dress was glittering in the harsh sunlight; it was long to her ankles and seemed to be made of purple sparkles. The bodice held the same faint glitter and was corseted tightly. Still she said nothing and she seemed to Eric to be like a mirage he could be imagining, glowing softly beside him. He noted that for the first time since he'd met her, her arms were bare and that they were as pale as milk. It was bizarre what you noticed when you were badly injured.

"I am pleased to see you safe, Eric," Ink spoke at last, her voice measured. "Your Morphed Powers hold great protection in your armour."

Alice was inspecting his arm now and Eric winced as she hit a sore spot. She didn't apologise and her serious concentrated expression didn't change either. Eric reached out mentally for Ink's feelings and found tiredness, despair, calmness, determination, strength. He looked at her face, it was totally impassive.

We're both good at hiding our feelings

Indeed. I am glad you accepted Wes's help and that he was able to save your life

Eric sent a rueful mental smile her way. She knew what had happened and wasn't going to change her opinions on it. Ok so Wes had saved his life, it didn't mean he had to shower the guy in gratitude or be eternally grateful. They were comrades in arms, sort of, and that was what happened. You save a guys life, you get over it.

There was the sound of hurried footsteps and Wes appeared again. His face broke into a completely relieved smile when he saw Ink and Alice.

"Am I pleased to see you two," he said happily. "There are Cyclobots everywhere; I don't know how we're going to save the city." He glanced at Ink who'd remained completely still and asked in a voice mixed with hope and trepidation. "Do we save the city?"

That seemed to drag Ink from her trance as she blinked rapidly and wrapped her bare arms around herself. Her cloak immediately appeared around her shoulders in a shimmer of purple light and she held it tightly round herself so that her arms weren't visible anymore. Eric looked at her concerned, knowing that she could feel his worry, but he got nothing in return from her. He caught sight of Alice smiling as she watched him closely. He tried not to scowl at her. So he cared about Ink, so what? She was his Guardian; he could be worried about her. She looked so fragile right now. Just as Wes was about to repeat his question, Ink turned her face to him.

"I do not know, Red Ranger," her voice was soft with affection. "I have been trying since the attack started to see what destination lies ahead but all I see are tangled paths with no ending. There is too much at stake with too many possibilities for me to see anything solid and sure. I guess we will discover our destination when we get there."

Wes nodded and for the first time Eric noticed the absence of the other Rangers. They never usually strayed far from each other. He glanced around but only saw Alice get to her feet to stand by Ink's side. Then Wes bobbed down into view and pulled apart Eric's jacket to try and get a look at the painful gash beneath it.

"How you holding out?" he asked concerned.

"I'm fine, you should get back to your friends," replied Eric roughly, grasping Wes's shoulder for leverage to a crouching position.

"Nah they're gone, back to the year 3000," Wes's voice was soft and casual but Eric heard the pain beneath it. "From now on, it's just you and me."

"And us," added Alice indignantly. "We're not here to watch."

We flashed her an apologetic half-smile and turned his attention back to Eric who was staring at him in shock. In Wes's face, Eric could see the loneliness and the helplessness. Wes was alone, maybe for the first time in his life. There seemed to be some cruel irony there. Eric resisted the urge to smirk, feeling Ink's disapproval.

Now I have to feel sorry for him?

You understand his situation better than most, Eric. You have always been lonely, for Wes this is a new experience. This is a time you will truly need each other.

I don't need anyone.

You have certainly proved that. Was that sarcasm Eric heard in her voice? Do you not need me?

You're different.

Because I'm not human.

No, because you're…..God I don't know, you're just different alright?

Ink was silent; Eric could feel her amused smile and grimaced back at her. Wes's plight was no concern of his. They could both fight to save the city but they could do it separately.

"So your friends abandoned you, huh? Well, I told you, I work alone," Eric managed out-loud.

Stubbornly, he tried to get to his feet but just as he almost stood up, his left leg gave out to a spasm of pain and he crumpled onto the ground. Gritting his teeth, he crawled into a sitting position and saw Wes sit down nearby. Ink and Alice remained silent, watchful presences at the edge of his vision. This apparently was something he had to handle alone.

"What is it with you!" Wes's voice, sharp and frustrated, buried its way into Eric's consciousness. "For years I've tried to be your friend but you don't want anything to do with me!"

Eric let the words sink in for a moment and glanced back at Ink. She remained frozen in place, her cloak flapping frantically in the dusty winds. She wasn't going to interfere. Whatever he wanted to say, he could say it.

"My friend…..you don't know the first thing about me, Wes," the words rolled off his tongue coated in distaste. "I had nothing, I was dirt poor. And I have struggled for as long as I can remember to pull my life out of the gutter. No one helped me, not even for one minute. Unlike you who's had everything handed to him on a silver platter," Eric paused, noting the comprehension and determination on Wes's face. He raised a finger to point at the Red Ranger. "You and I have nothing in common."

All those feelings, bottled up for so long, poured out in one stream of consciousness. Eric could feel Ink's pride and her smile. It confused him.

I am proud of you, Eric because you have finally told Wes how you truly feel about your differing positions. Only good can come of this.

"No, we may have grown up differently but we have a lot in common! We both fought to change our destinies and we both succeeded," Wes declared, moving to crouch beside Eric's broken form. Eric glared at him, refusing to confirm what Wes had said. With frustration, Wes wrenched Eric's Morpher wrist to align with his own Chrono-Morpher. "Look at this! We are Power Rangers, Eric! And friends or not, we're the only hope this city has right now!"

"He's right, Quantum," voiced Alice, walking through the rubble to reach the Rangers' sides. "You two are all that stands in Ransik's way. Apart you could save a little but together you could save a whole lot more."

"As a team maybe we could save the city and the future that Alex saw. Alone we would struggle," added Ink, striding forward to stand beside Alice.

Look into your heart, Eric. What does it tell you?

That I should never have put on the Quantum Morpher

Sarcasm is not always the best defensive weapon when I can see through it. Surely you know that now this bravado must stop and you must work with the Red Ranger to save Silver Hills.

There was a strength and anger to Ink's words that Eric hadn't heard before and it put him completely off-kilter. He knew that working with Wes was the best logical step and that it would achieve the most. Could he really work with Wesley Collins after everything?

Maybe it is not a question of whether you can. It is simply that you must.

That's the worst thing about it.

Ink smiled widely and Eric sighed. Wes seemed to sense his change of mood and squeezed his wrist lightly in understanding, offering no sarcastic victory remarks. One thing Eric could say for Wes, he knew when to shut up.

"Let's do this!" insisted Wes.

There was no other way. It was that simple. Eric realised he felt surprisingly safe with Ink and Alice stood beside him and Wes hunkered down next to him. They were a small rag-tag group of heroes but, Eric realised, they were all the city had. He was no good to the Guardians without being able to contact any of his squadrons but to these people, he mattered, he was valued on the same level. He wasn't made to feel helpless and he wasn't looked down on. Here, among burning buildings and civilian screams, he was able to make a really big difference and here, he felt at home.

AUTHOR SHOUT-OUTS

White Time Ranger: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter; I really enjoyed writing the final Time Ship scene as I love watching it myself! You are such a star; you truly deserve your second dedication! Thanks for always being there for me! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Blooming Violets: I'm glad I got the emotions across. It was super hard to write that final scene as I wanted it to be full of the seriousness of the moment. Did I say there were 6 chapters left? I don't remember. There are certainly a few left to go and I do plan to include one chapter of the Time Force/Wild Force team-up episodes as they are my favourite episodes of PR ever! Thanks for reviewing, hope you liked this chapter!

TF Princess: LOL thanks for the short but muchly appreciated review! I'm glad my creative expanding of the real Time Force episodes works well and that you enjoy them. Keep on reading, hope you enjoy this chapter!