Chapter 8: The Time Shadow

It was a day that was very unusual. It was late in the afternoon and the city has been peaceful all day. I wasn't that worried I figured maybe even Ransik and his mutants took a sick day but Jen said that's the not the case. We all hoped he wasn't stalling for something big. It seemed the mutants would get tougher and tougher with a few easy ones like that punk rocker one from a few weeks ago.

Circuit suddenly woke up, "Rangers! There is a mutant attacking Biolab!" Biolab! Oh man what if my dad is in there? I know we have been having problems recently but he was still my father and I didn't want him to get hurt or worse.

Jen ordered, "All right guys let's move out!" We morphed and headed on our vector cycles. I led the way since I knew where it was. When we arrived it seemed pretty quiet. We headed to the front entrance and hid on each side of the staircase. "All right let's split up!"

I responded, "Right." Jen, Katie and Trip went one way and Lucas and I went another. Lucas and I went to the front door to find two cyclobots guarding the main hall. We blasted them with our chrono blasters and continued down the main hall. I said, "Come on the lab's this way." We eventually made our way to the lab. We opened the door and saw cyclobots surrounding the scientist and a few board members. I yelled, "All right everyone down!" We had our blasters pointed at the bots. When everyone was down and out of range, Lucas and I fired at the bots and took them out. "All right good, let's get them out of here." Lucas nodded and we started helping people up and ordering them to exit the building. As I watch the people on Lucas' side leave I saw one person who stood out in the crowd. It was my dad. It was so weird seeing him for the first time since that incident with the kids and ransom money. It was even weirder that he looked straight at me and had know idea that I was his son. I almost felt relived he couldn't recognize me in ranger form. But at the same I wish he did so he would know the reason why I did what I did. "Hey da-" he looked back for a second but I didn't finish because I don't feel I can trust him to know my identity. Lucas continued to order everyone to leave. I want to trust my dad but because of everything that happened recently I just couldn't.

Lucas looked back at me and said , "Ok I think that's everyone. Let's go!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and remembered I was still on a mission, "Oh yeah right." I followed Lucas outside. We saw the mutant was attacking the others.

He said, "Now to go find the others!" On que Lucas and I jumped out of our hiding places and sneaked attack the mutant.. We flashed our badges.

At the same time we yelled, "Time Force!"

Lucas said, "You're under arrest! Put your weapon down and come peacefully." I know that it what we are suppose to say but I really doubt he is going to come peacefully.

He screamed, "Never"! He fired his weapon at us. We dodge in just enough time to not receive a direct hit but a little scratch. Lucas fired a blast from his chronsaber. I noticed that Lucas like to connect his two sabers together to form one blade. I'll have to try that some time. Anyway Lucas' blast was able to disarm the mutant of his weapon as it blew up in his hand. While he was distracted by the loss of his weapon I hopped on Lucas' shoulders and flipped off of them and use a time strike. While he was feeling the effect of the time strike the others fired their V weapons at him and took him down to his knees.

He got back up and yelled, "I won't be finished until you rangers are destroyed!" He exposed his mutant DNA and began to grow. Time for the megazord!

Lucas called circuit and the time flyers were on the way. When they arrived we hopped into our cockpits and formed mode blue with the time jet formed into the pistol. The mutant didn't do anything at first he just stood there laughing. He managed to get his weapon back when he grew. Suddenly he kicked a pile of rubble at the megazord and fired his weapon while we were distracted by the rubble. We tried firing at him but he dodged it and fired his weapon and managed to knock the pistol out of the megazord's hand.

Jen was looking around and yelled, "Whoa! It's a trap." I looked to see what looked like mines. Before we could do anything they exploded around us. The damage was so bad that megazord was knocked off it's feet and we had to eject. We demorphed because of the damage we suffered and landed hard on the ground.

The mutant laughed, "Not even the power rangers can stop me!" He was about to finish off the megazord until out of nowhere the time jet flew back in the fight and fired a bunch of lasers at the mutant and was able to freeze him. The time flyers then went back to the time portal.

We never got beaten this badly before but the real victim was the megazord. When the portal closed I said, "Megazord really got hit hard." It's hard to believe but I guess even Megazord does have it's limits.

Jen said, "Let's get back and find out what Ransik is up to." We agreed and headed back to the clock tower. After all that just happened I could really go for some coffee.

I asked, "Anyone want some coffee?"

Jen said, "I'll have some thanks Wes." I nodded and made two cups of coffee. When I was done I went back to where the others where on the computer. I asked, "The Zyruim powder is useless, so what would Frax want with it?"

Circuit answered, "Hmmmm the powder is useless but with advance knowledge it can be made into a powerful crystal!"

Trip said, "Trizyruim crystals!"

Jen said, "But Trizyruim crystals should be discovered in another hundred years." This is the disadvantage of being the ranger who isn't from the year 3000 sometimes you don't know what the hell your team is talking about.

Lucas grumbled, "Power like that could change the future." Before I could ask what this all means the alarm off.

Jen said, "Let's move"! Man I can't believe Ransik sent out another mutant all ready. Maybe that why he stalled today to have more than one mutant ready right away. When we arrived at the city it was being destroyed not by a mutant but by a giant robot? I ran to where the robot while moving citizens out of harms way. "That robot will destroy the whole city!"

I responded, "Not if we can help it we need megazord power!" I called circuit, "Circuit!" After a minute we didn't see the time portal.

Trip said, "Something must be wrong the megazord isn't coming."

Lucas contacted circuit, "Hey circuit what's going on?"

Circuit answered, "The captain can't send the megazord." As he said this the robot destroyed another building and we dodged the debris.

I yelled, "What time force megazord isn't coming?"

Lucas asked, "What does that mean?"

I answered, "It means we fight without it." I knew we have no chance but I refuse to believe there is no hope.

Circuit came down, "Over here Rangers!" We went over to him. He explained, "I'm afraid I have bad news. Captain Logan said the megazord was too badly damaged and he needs time to repair it."

Lucas asked, "Circuit is there anything you can tell us about the mutant?" I thought we established it was a robot? But maybe Lucas didn't hear Jen and I when we said it was a robot

Circuit said, "First of all it's not a mutant it's a robot. You're gonna have to destroy it freezing it will not work!"

Jen asked, "But how can we without our megazord?"

Circuit answered, "I don't know". Suddenly he gasped and we all felt a vibration. Almost like a earthquake. Suddenly we saw the source of it. Some kind of tank.

I asked, "What is that thing?" Suddenly the tank started firing at the robot. "Hey guys looks like help has arrived.

Katie asked, "Great do you think they can destroy Tronacon?"

Jen responded, "Well let's give them some help."

I said, "Right, Vortex blasters!" We took out our v weapons and fired at Tronacon. We did some damage but he fired back at us and destroyed that tank. I hope people weren't inside that thing. I 'm amazed were still alive after that huge blast we all just took. It continued firing at us and we tried avoiding as much as we could. I don't think I could go on much longer..

Circuit asked, "Is everyone ok?"

I responded, "Yeah I think so." Except I think I broke my back or my ribs. I saw that there were two guys in that tank. "Come on" I completely forgot about my pain and we headed over to check on them. A pipe was on top of them and preventing them from getting up. "Give me a hand!" Katie was able to lift the pipe with her strength.

Jen yelled, "We need to get them out of here right away." We helped them and noticed they were able to walk themselves. The further away from us the less danger they be in. Jen, Katie and Trip tried the v weapons again but it had no effect.

I said, "It's not working come on!" We started running away from it. I don't know where we could possibly run to but we can't give up, not till there isn't a breath left in our bodies. Suddenly we ran into a dead end. "Oh no we're trapped!"

Jen yelled, "Blast him again!" Again it did nothing. It pointed it's gun directly at us. This was it we were done for. Suddenly it became dark.

Trip said, "Look at that sun." It looked like an eclipse was happening.

Lucas yelled, "Something is coming out of that eclipse!" A time portal opened and some ship that I never saw came out of it.

I asked, "What is that?"

Circuit said, "I have no idea!" The weird looking ship began to fire at Tronacon. It disappeared into a beam of light and then started firing again at the robot. The ship was visible again as it flew up to the moon. It then began to form into what looked liked a megazord! Circuit said, "It's sending me data. This is the Time Shadow megazord and it's here to help us!"

Jen amazed, "It's fantastic!" The Time Shadow stood there on the rooftop. It was not a big as the megazord but it was still pretty big. It had two blades on each of his hands and had a wing shaped head and chest. Tronacon got into attack mode as the time shadow looked liked to be in defense mode. Tronacon fired missiles that the time shadow was easily able to dodge. The time shadow then began to fire missiles of it's own that did a lot of damage to Tronacon. Tronacon was knocked off it's feet and made Frax crash through the building he was stepping on top of the whole time. We met him on the bottom as he crashed.

He say us and yelled, "Rangers!"

Jen yelled, "Give up Frax! You don't stand a chance against the new Time Shadow!"

"Ahhhh but I'm not fighting the Time Shadow I'm fighting you!"

I responded, "Which means you're very outnumbered!"

Katie said, "5 to 1!"

Frax yelled, "Wrong!" Suddenly some cyclobots appeared. I took out my sabers jumped in the air landed by the cyclobots and began slashing them all. The others did the same as well. When we finished the bots off we heard a explosion. We turned to see that Tronacon was destroyed thanks to the time shadow. Frax cried, "Tronacon!"

I said, "He's destroyed Frax! And it's time you and Ransik surrender."

"Surrender? No not this time Rangers we will meet again!": He then teleported away.

Katie said, "You can count on that Frax. And with the Time Shadow on our side you won't be so lucky." As the time shadow left the sun rises again. This was a tough one but thanks to our new friend we succeeded. We went back home. The guys went to go report to Captain Logan and I went to go lie down after that long battle. Jen came over to sit by me looking puzzled. I sat up a bit.

"What wrong Jen?"

"Nothing. It's just Captain Logan said that he wasn't the one who sent the time shadow."

I became confused, "What? Then who did?"

"I'm not sure but the captain is on it"

I smiled, "Well whoever it was we owe them big I can't wait to see the time shadow in battle again."

Jen smiled, "yeah me too. Wes you really came through for us today."

I gave her a confused look ,"What did I do."

"You really showed what kind of leader you are out there. You never gave up on us and you kept battling and even had us help those two pilots."

"Hey it was nothing you're the real leader thou Jen not me I just do what I can."

"Well I just want to say you are a big help to the team and I'm glad you're with us." She then kissed me on the cheek smiled and walked away. My face became as red as my ranger suit. She then came back and said, "Oh and if you tell anyone that I kissed you just now I will beat you down so bad"

I laughed, "Ok you're secret is safe with me, thou I like to see you try to beat me."

Jen smirked, "Tomorrow you and be at the park 6 am."

"You're on."

((Next chapter: Future Unknown. A mutant from the infamous X vault is released to attack the rangers. Meanwhile Katie is wondering if the changing the future because of their actions means that she will never see her family again. Also Wes and the rangers get to try out the new Shadow Force megazord! Can Wes and the others convince Katie she has something to fight for while taking of the X vault mutant?))