Chapter 5: A parting of ways.

Ransik gave us a surprise attack today as he sent out a mutant bright and early. It was now starting to become a daily routine to take out mutants. The guy we were fighting was a joke he looked liked someone out of a punk band. I said, "I got this guys." I ran up to him and I yelled, "Time Force!" I then jumped into the air and gave him a dropkick. When he got up I punched him hard enough to send him crashing on a wall. He then exposed his mutant DNA. I contacted circuit and the time flyers came just in time. We formed Jet mode and made a tornado to distract the monster while we formed mode blue. I commanded the megazord to do some punches to him that send him flying through a building.

Lucas said, "This mutant is pathetic let's just end this already and get some breakfast."

I laughed, "Good idea. Time force megazord mode red!" Mode red was formed and I went right for the saber. "Full power!" I then slashed the sword as did the megazord and I said the famous line, "Your time is up!" He then blew up.

I said, "I seriously woke up for that."

Jen said, "Think of it as practice for more dangerous mutants." We all nodded our heads in agreement. We separated the time flyers, they went back to the future, and we put the mutant in containment, powered down, and picked up some bagels on the way home. We got back to the clock tower and ate breakfast. My father probably doesn't even know I'm gone. I had to sneak out of the house this morning when Jen called me. Ever since I became a ranger living in the mansion has become really inconvient. It probably would just be easier if I lived in the clock tower. But I don't want to burden the guys and money is tight for them as it is.

After breakfast I went and sat by the window and looked over the city of silver hills. This was always the best spot to think about certain things and at the same time clear your head and just enjoy the view. I heard Jen's voice, "Something on your mind?"

I turned to look at her. I responded, "Na, I'm just thinking. You know its funny how you least suspect it life can suddenly take such amazing turns."

Jen asked, "You mean like becoming a ranger."

I looked at her. She got my thoughts just like that. "Yeah."

"Well I'm glad life is so funny. You are a great red ranger." Hold the phone did she just say I'm great. She stared walking away. I went back inside and followed her.

"Really? You think I'm great?"

Jen then started denying it. "Well…yeah …you're pretty good."

"Whoa whoa wait. You just said great not just pretty good".

"Well… I meant…above average…barely." Above average? I keep talking I might just bring to "ok". I then realized she also said barely.

I laughed, "Barely? Wait a sec." I about to continue bothering Jen until she admitted what she said until my cell rang. It was dad. I answered, "Hi dad."

He responded, "Wesley? Where the hell are you? We have another conference to go to get home now." Man it's like I work in that company already. I ran out and yelled, "Later guys." I then ran back up and pointed to Jen, "Jen. This conversation is not over." I than ran out got on my bike and headed back home to change.

After the meeting about god only knows what we walked back to my dad's limo. He then started this crap about taking me over the company again. I could barely make out what he was saying since I had my head in the clouds. I kept thinking about Fighting mutants, Riding my vector cycle, and Jen. Wait, why would I be thinking about Jen? I didn't hear anything come from my father's mouth so I went for my default response, "Yes sir."

He then said so other stuff and I responded, "Yes sir."

He turned my body to face him and he said, "Listen to me. There is no substitute for experience" he was about to say something else until I heard a noise. It was the sound of a baseball hitting my dad's limo's hood. My father picked up the ball and just looked at it.

A kid ran up to him and said, "Sorry mister."

"Do you know what I think? I think I'm going to keep this. Let that be a lesson to you" I then looked at my dad. I never knew he could be so cruel especially to a little kid who probably just wants his damn ball. I still wonder how I am related to this man. He ordered the kid to leave.

I tried talking some sense into him, "Dad, he's just a kid."

"He's a kid that just learned a good lesson." What lesson is that you hit the ball on the limo and you never see it again? "I'll see you at dinner, throw this in the trash." He threw the ball to me and I just looked at it. I waited for dad to leave. When he did I went back on my bike. I called the kid over, "Hey kid." He looked at me and I gave him a finger motion telling him to come over. I tossed the ball to him and he caught. Now here's a real lesson he should learn. I told him simply, "Hit a homer."

He smiled, "Thanks." He then ran back to his friends and they all cheered like they just won a war or something. It's amazing how the little things impress kids. I rode my bike back to the clock tower. We all said hi to each other and before I even got to sit down Circuit yelled, "Emergency. Mutants on the old highway."

Jen yelled, "Let's move." We morphed and headed for the old highway by taking our vector cycles. We saw the mutants in side a school bus with kids inside. We speed up to the side of the bus. I recognized the kids. They were the same kids from the park.

Lucas assured the kids, "Hang on kids we'll get you out of there." The mutant opened the door and launched his tentacle out at Lucas. Great another tentacle mutant. He launched his other tentacle at Jen and knocked her off her bike and dropped Lucas.

I yelled, "We'll take care of them." Trip, Katie, and I sped up to catch up to the bus. The mutant came out the back door and threw something into the street. It looked like a bomb. "WATCH OUT". But before we could react it was too late. The explosion knocked us off our bikes. We all hurt pretty bad and had trouble getting up. I noticed a piece of paper lying on the street. It looked like a ransom note. Jen and Lucas came over.

I picked up the note and read it out loud, "If you ever want to see these kids again, bring ten million dollars to the fountain at noon."

Jen responded, "Ten million dollars?"

Katie said, "By noon?"

Jen continued, "That's impossible." I then was so angry that Ransik had the nerve to hold an ransom on a bunch of innocent kids. I knew there was only one way to get that money. I had to go my father. I crumpled the note and threw it down the street and I angrily got back on my vector cycle. My right arm hurt a little from the impact of the bomb but I didn't care.

Trip asked, "Where are you going Wes?"

I responded, "You guys try finding those kids. I'm going to get that money." I rode off to the mansion in a hurry. Thank god I had the vector cycle it saved a lot of time compared to my regular bike. I hid the bike in a bush and demorphed. I ran inside and upstairs to my dad's office. I saw him in another meeting. "Dad? Excuse me I need to talk to you."

He responded, "I'm sure it can wait."

"No! I mean it can't." He then gave in and went outside with me.

"I hope you know I'm right in the middle of a major business deal."

"Look dad the kids in the park have been kidnapped. The ransom is ten million dollars."

"Ten million? You don't expect me to hand it over do you. No this is a problem for the police to handle."

"There's no time. Dad you're their only hope please."

"No the police not me I got to get back." I can't believe this. Its ten million dollars, for a guy like him that should be nothing. I looked over to see what was so important about this business deal. My feet went numb when I saw my dad actually hand over a ten million dollar check to those business people. This man can't be my father he can't be. How could hand over the same exact money amount to these people instead of using it to save children's lives. I went over to the stairs trying to think of another way to get that money. Phillips was coming up the steps.

He noticed me and asked, "Do you need anything master Wes?"

I responded, "Yeah I do need something. Doesn't look like my dad is going to give it to me. You know Phillips I always thought I would follow in his footsteps. But now I don't even know. It's like I wonder if…

"…If maybe you want to make your own footsteps."

"Exactly."

"Only you can decide that. Follow your heart; you'll do what's right." Phillips is right I have to do what is right. The right thing to do right now is to get that money and save those kids but how? I heard the people that have the check leave the house. I then got an idea. It may not be the right thing but in this case it is. I ran downstairs and followed them.

I knocked on their car window. He opened the window and I said, "I'm sorry the check my father gave you is for the wrong account." As he went to go check it I grabbed it form him and said, "Don't worry I'll take care of the problem." I then ran back to my vector cycle and rode to the bank to deposit the check. I was able to deposit the check easily because the people of the bank knew who my father was. I put the money in a silver suitcase that was given to me by bank. I then morphed and headed for fountain. I parked my bike and saw no one there. I yelled, "Nadria! Where are you?"

I then hear her voice, "What a good little soldier. I like when people do what they are told to. Now give me the money! A bunch of cyclobots surrounded me.

"I kept my part of the deal. I slid the suitcase over to her." The cyclobots opened the case up for her to see if I wasn't lying or not.

"Now give me the kids!"

She then picked up a phone that a cyclobot handed for her. I guess she was calling that mutant. She said, "Tentacrawl…Destroy the kids!"

"No!" Great I was tricked. Well it's time to trick them back. I guess the cyclobots knew what I was up to because one of them hit me form behind. I fought back. I then jumped up and landed on my cycle. I hope this works. I rode my bike to Nadria and knocked some bots over at the same time. I took out one of my chrono sabers. I yelled, "Think fast!" I then swung my saber in the air. They all lifted their heads up to dodge my slash. As they did that I grabbed the money from Nadria.

I contacted Circuit. "Circuit? Where are the other rangers?"

He responded, "They are at a factory fighting Tentacrawl. That where the kids are being held. I'll download the coordinates to you."

"That's all right I know where it is." I sped up to the factory. When I got there I saw the rangers fighting and I also saw these kids and their bus driver being trapped in some kid of electric force field. The chrono saber should be able to break through it. I sped my bike up and jumped off and stabbed the machine with my saber. I went up to the driver. "Is everybody okay?" I cut off the driver's ropes with my saber."

He said, "Yes thank you."

I told the kids, "Everyone follow the driver he'll take you to safety." I saw a baseball lying on the ground. It was the same ball from before. I saw the same kid from before. "Hey kid. Hit a homer." I threw it to him.

"Thank you I promise." I then joined the fight and started slashing some cyclobots. The cyclobots were eventually cleared out and it was just us and Tentacrawl.

He yelled, "I won't go down so easily."

I responded, "We'll see about that!" Out of nowhere he launched tentacles at us.

"Where did that come from? Scan mode." I use scan mode and saw they came from behind him. I took out my saber and blasted his tentacles off. That takes care of those pesky tentacles I jumped In the air and tried doing a time strike but out of nowhere a little head attacked me. It send me back to the ground and the other rangers helped me up. It just kept ramming into us until Jen got it with her V- weapon.

She ordered, "Time to use the vortex blaster!" We formed the vortex blaster and fired at the little head and that put it in action figure size. Meanwhile Tentacrawl got pissed and exposed his mutant DNA. I contacted Circuit for the time flyers. We went to mode blue He kept slashing us. Jen yelled, "Tentacrawl is tough even without his head."

I said, "Maybe but not tough enough." The megazord then did some dropkicks to him. I called for the time jet. The pistol charged up. When it was ready I yelled, "Fire!" Mode blue actually finished the job this time. We jumped out of the megazord and the time flyers went back. Jen put Tentacrawl in containment mode.

I said, "Guys there's something I've got to take care of I'll catch you later." I went back to the mansion with the briefcase of money. This wasn't going to be pretty. But at least I got the money back. So maybe he won't be as bad. I ran up to his office.

He yelled, Wesley! How dare you take that money after I told you not to!"

"There was no choice the kids…

"I don't want to hear it!" he checked the money to see that not any of it was missing. "After all I have done for you." I just shook my head. The kids were safe and he has his money yet he is still upset at me. I just don't understand him. Suddenly My dad's secretary called on the phone.

"Mr. Collins. Some reporters are here to see you."

He looked at me, "Reporters. I knew this was going to happen." We went downstairs and saw a bunch of TV cameras and news reporters demanding answers.

One reporter asked, "Mr. Collins, is it true you provided the ransom money to free the kidnapped children". My dad was in a tight spot.

He said, "I… Yes the money was mine. All that matters now is that children were safe." I was about to throw up. He was this cold hearted man now when there is a TV camera in font of him he's suddenly Mr. Rogers? But I decided to help out hwile getting under my dad's skin at the same time.

I said, "And that's not all. Even thou my father got his money back, he decided to donate all ten million of it to the children's hospital."

He smiled and said, "Anything for the little tikes." I knew that this was it. It was tie mot make my own footsteps. I don't want to be par of my father and his company anymore.

I whispered to him, "Forget all of your business and all your plans, I'm going to make my own future now." He looked shocked as I just left the house. I looked back at Phillips as he smiled and I nodded back to him. I decided there was only one place for me and that's the clock tower. I went inside carrying a bag with me. Katie was the first to notice me. The others turned around as well. "I was wondering if you had room for one more?"

Kaite asked, "What do you say guys?"

Circuit was begging, "Say yes, say yes!"

Jen smiled, "Welcome home." I breathed a sign of relief. Jen shook my hand and Trip welcome me with open arms, literally.

((Next chapter: Short circuited. Circuit us kidnapped by Nadria and mess up his programming so the rangers can't contact the megazord!)