Drake could feel his heart pounding rapidly against his chest; he tried again and again but the morpher would not activate, almost as if it were a toy imitation. And what made it all the worse was staring right at him was Sky's battered body, his clothes torn, his face covered in blood, ribs sticking out in his chest …..he was a mess, a sorrowful sight. Mirloc just stood there laughing; the sight of their hopelessness brought pure joy to him. This was exactly the reaction he was hoping for, it would be so easy now to finish them off and then do away with the children, who would be an added bonus. He knew all too well who they would grow up to be and killing them would add to his victory.
Several feet away Megan and Sam hung back against a tree, their faces pale, not sure what to do now other than to listen to what Chase had told them moments ago, to remain where they were until further instruction. Megan kept her eyes locked on Sky's motionless body, hoping to see something, some sign that he was still alive, that he was still there, but she saw nothing. She knew what loss was …she had been to funerals, but they were no one she really knew, only her parents' friends. The closest she had ever come to losing anyone who was dear to her heart was when Trip, their dog, who had passed away due to old age ….and now she could be faced with another loss, a loss she wasn't ready for. "Come on Sky, get up," she pleaded softly to herself. Not even a second later she felt the comforting hand of Sam grip her shoulder, letting her know he was there, just like always, no matter what, he would be there for her …even at the cost of getting in trouble.
"He'll be okay….. Sky's a fighter, no one can beat him. He's the toughest guy I know." But even as Sam spoke those words, deep down in the pit of his stomach he was having doubts. His mother had been a true fighter, she was strong ….and she had died.
"Drake, maybe you should get yourself and the kids out of here. I'll take care of him," announced Chase. It was becoming clear to him that he might be the only chance they had left. He glanced down at Sky's limp body - his leader, his teammate, his roommate and his friend ….He felt a sick feeling in his stomach knowing that a lot of things had gone unresolved between the two and now probably would always remain that way. "…You should get… you should get…." But he couldn't even bring himself to say those words.
For a moment Drake was almost contemplating getting himself and the kids out of there, get them to safety …but that would only guarantee Chase's defeat. Mirloc was just far too powerful, more powerful than he had ever imagined him to be. How had Eric and Wes lasted long enough against him for him to be brought in? …But an even more important question was looming over and over in his mind: why wasn't he able to activate Sky's morpher? There had to be an explanation.
"….You are such a fool!" gloated Mirloc as he stood his ground. There was no need for him to make an attack because he had already won; there was no way they could stop him. No one could… "I would have thought you, Time Force, of all people, would have figured it out by now," he laughed in amusement. "…But it seems ignorance runs in the family."
What was he talking about? What hadn't he figured out? Drake began replaying the events over and over in his mind, but he wasn't seeing what he was missing. Was Mirloc just trying to play mind games with him, get inside his head? And then something hit him, not literally, but as if the lights in his brain turned on. "….Mind games." It was all starting to come together piece by piece. "….You can read our minds; you read right into our thoughts and use it against us, make us see what we want to see. What you want us to see..."
"….That's impossible, Omni was the only one with that kind of power," exclaimed Chase.
"You weren't there for the briefing. Mirloc is Omni's clone…." Drake was still putting the pieces together, but it was all starting to come together.
"I prefer: his better half." Mirloc's eyes glowed a bright yellow, enough to send chills down anyone's spine. "After all….."
"…You killed him," finished Drake his eyes widening as he shook his head. "I don't know how you did it, I can't explain it, but I know you did it. It's the only thing that explains your great gain of strength and power." Somehow Mirloc had killed Omni, but how? How did he do it?
"Perhaps you are not as ignorant as your two counterparts were…." Mirloc taunted at Drake, but in such a way that he found himself feeling gratitude at finding an admirable opponent. "…Would you like to know how I did it? I'll let it be your dying wish: to know how I killed Omni without anyone ever suspecting I was there." He laughed. "…After all, I had the perfect disguise…."
"…Commander Cruger, what do I owe this visit to?" asked Slate as he peered out of the shadows of his darkened SPD prison cell, where he had been ever since he was arrested. "It's not every day I get a visitor…" He was cunning and sly to say the least, but in the business he had been in, he had to be.
Cruger's face was grim, knowing getting answers from Slate or any Mimican wouldn't be easy. Not to mention the fact that you could never trust any words that come out of the mouth of one of them. Stealing people's identities and lying was one of their top specialties, but in this case and situation Cruger was hopeful that perhaps this time, for once, one of them would be straight with him. 'I don't come on good terms, I'm afraid…"
"Do you SPD officers ever?" Slate crossed his arms against his chest, knowing that Cruger wouldn't be here unless he wanted answers. ….Answers that only he could provide. "….Whatever it is you want, Cruger, you can forget it."
"I thought you might say that, but you might change your mind when you hear what I have to say…"
"There is nothing that you could say that would make me change my mind," he exclaimed firmly.
"Your brother, Zate …I'm afraid he's dead." Cruger paused for a few moments, looking into the eyes of Slate, seeing a slight change in the look on his face. The cockiness that had once been there had been depleted. And if there was any doubt… "…I have video footage to prove it."
Slate sighed slightly. There was no need for any video; he didn't need proof of any sorts. Words were enough for him to know it was true, because eventually it happened to all of them. They had been foolish all those years ago; they had basically all sold their souls to the devil, including any of their unborn. "..That won't be necessary commander."
"I didn't think it would be," answered Cruger knowing he now had Slates full cooperation.
"….What do you want to know?" It was all over now; most of his race had been depleted. He was in all likelihood all that remained of his race. He owed it to his brothers and sisters to finally let the truth be known. He owed it to them to help bring down the one who exterminated their race.
"Everything you can tell me about your work with Mirloc." Though the information he might learn may have come a little too late, it was still information they needed to know. Time Force knew very little about Mirloc, the creature that Omni had created; there was so much they and even he didn't know about him. But Slate had worked with Mirloc, or at least there was information that hinted that the Mimicans had a connection with the purplish beast. Information that no one else had.
"…It was the worst possible decision we could have ever made with both of them, …that is what my father told me." Though he had just been a young boy at the time of the decision, he remembered it well. Their planet was dying, and then these two powerful beings had shown up out of nowhere with promises of hope and plenty, but like all things strings had been attached. Terrible, horrifying strings they would learn far too late.
"Both?" questioned Cruger.
"…Yes, Omni and Mirloc."
Cruger remained silent as Slate told his story, a twisted turn of events that only made Cruger sick to his stomach. A feeling that caused him to feel sorry for the imprisoned Mimican, something which was very rare for him to ever feel for any criminal he had locked up. It was the kind of story you would find in a horror movie, something so unexpected that he himself couldn't believe it …didn't want to believe it, but knew it all to be true….
About a half hour later Cruger walked into the Command Center, to find Kat working away on her computer. She glanced up and saw a look in his eyes that she had never seen before: it was like he had seen a ghost. "…He told you, didn't he?" Kat was a bit shocked that someone as cunning and sly has Slate would actually cooperate with them and give them the information they needed to know.
The old dog had heard a lot of things in his years, but never had he heard anything like this. He sighed heavily and looked up at one of his oldest and dearest friends. "….I wish he hadn't."
The way he said it brought an eerie sickly feeling to her stomach, because she knew it took a lot to shake up this old dog. Whatever Slate had told him could not have been good. "It was that bad?"
"….We should have known. …..We should have known." He bowed his head down, slamming his fist against the console. "I should have seen it!"
"…Seen what?" asked Eric, as he and Lucas entered into the Command Center wanting to know what all the commotion was about.
"….No one ever would have suspected; it was so easy," Mirloc hissed as he began to tell his story, one he knew would come to a shock to the former Time Force officer. Already he knew it was the last thing that would ever have crossed Drake Alexander aka Alex Drake's mind. "…Your Ranger comrades didn't defeat Omni by mere luck, they defeated him because I was there and I allowed it."
"What?" Chase exclaimed and turned to Drake. "….Drake, what the hell is he talking about?"
"I have no idea…" Drake could feel his heart racing, fearing what the answer would be. And as Mirloc told his story, the once proud and strong-willed man watched as the world he had once known came crashing down….
Mirloc started his story off at the point just a few minutes before Omni's life would be claimed, back when Sky was being held captive, imprisoned in the body armor suit, and his only way out was to be teleported out by future Sam, but not without some help from his father….
""No one is leaving here alive!" hissed Omni, as he began reaching his long tentacles out towards the Omega Ranger, trying to prevent him from reaching the injured Sky.
"Oh no, you don't!" yelled Wes as he used everything he had to stop Omni from reaching Sam. He then quickly used his sword and poked Omni in the eye, knowing that would give them the time they needed. "Hurry Sam, just a few seconds."
Sam grabbed a hold of Sky, who was a little disoriented. He then looked back up at Wes. "I got him. I'm ready for you now."
Wes sighed heavily as his eyes fell onto his son. If only… "I can't." He hated seeing the hurt look in his son's eyes. "I'm sorry, Sky. But it was my time a long time ago." He bit his lips. "I just want you to know that I'm very proud of you, and I love you with all my heart."
"No. Dad, I can't lose you, not again!" He had just gotten him back; he couldn't lose him. It had been hard enough the first time; to go through it a second time seemed almost unbearable.
"You'll never lose me. I'm always here for you, just like today." No matter how far away he was.
Sky knew his father was right, as hard as it was he had to let him go. But at least this time he would get the chance to say goodbye. "I love you, Dad."
Wes smiled. "I know." His eyes then fell on Sam. "It's time, Sam."
"Right."
He watched, as the Omega Ranger teleported out safely with Sky. Then a second later, he grabbed a hold of his head, screaming out of pain, as bright purple bolts of lightning flashed around him. "…What's going on, what's wrong with you!" demanded Omni.
A sinister laughter then emerged and a bright flash that nearly blinded Omni. Once it was gone, Wes the red Time Force Ranger was gone, but in his place was Mirloc, staring back at him with his dark yellow eyes. "….Hello brother," he hissed.
"…Mirloc!" exclaimed Omni; he was in total shock. "You? ...How could you, I had him right where I wanted him! Did you forget the plans we made?" He was furious, his eye was fuming. "…And how dare you keep that secret from me!"
"There's been a little change in plans," he smirked. "….And I'm afraid you'll only get in the way."
"I created you, how dare you do this to me!"
"Yes. It is ironic to have your creature be the one to send you to your demise, but I should thank you - because if it weren't for you I wouldn't exist." He grinned in amusement as he began to transport himself out. "…It's been nice knowing you brother."
"…If I'm going down, you're going down with me!" But it was too late. Just as Omni reached out to grab him Mirloc was gone, just when the powerful self-destruct of the Q-Rex exploded.
Drake felt a lump in his throat, knowing that Mirloc was getting the reaction he wanted to see. This was unlike anything he had ever dreamed of; he was damn near speechless, he didn't know what to say or think ….or even what to believe. But it did bring a few things to his perspective that he had been confused about before. Things that hadn't made sense, until now. "…So you allowed Sky's life to be spared back then so you could have Omni killed?"
"…Perhaps I was wrong, maybe you are smarter than your ancestors," Mirloc gloated. "…But then again, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. With Sky's force field, a mere explosion wouldn't have been able to penetrate it. He needed to be out of the way…" He knew the only way to kill Omni was to save Sky's life that day so that his brother wouldn't use Sky's ability to protect himself.
"…I see. It's all starting to make sense now..." Drake nodded his head as he drew out his blaster, briefly glancing down at Sky's motionless body.
"Drake, where are you going with this…" asked Chase, not having a clue as to what the older man was trying to get at.
Drake ignored the young blue Ranger's question and continued on with his theory or what he believed. ….What he wanted to be true and not true at the same time. He had to push away the sick feeling in his stomach, knowing that what lay before him was far more important than how he was feeling inside. "…But you weren't exactly alone in your quest to kill Omni." He licked his lips and locked his eyes right on Mirloc. "…Were you?"
"…Now what on Earth are you trying to get at, Time Force?"
"Don't try to play me, Mirloc." Drake set his blaster onto its fullest power. "…I've figured it out, thanks to your little story." Mirloc remained still and silent, not moving an inch. "…You see, before I came here I went to Silver Hills, to Bio-Lab, to get Wes's morpher so I could bring your ass in." He felt his face stiffen. "…Only there was a problem, the morpher didn't work." He tossed Sky's morpher that was still in his hands and tossed it over to Mirloc who caught it. "….Just like Sky's."
"…That's a very interesting story, but what's your point?"
"…My point is, it's time to let the cat out of the bag." Drake pointed his blaster at Sky's body, his finger wrapping around the trigger.
"…What the hell are you doing!" exclaimed Chase, who could hear both Sam and Megan yelling at the top of their lungs for Drake to stop this madness. "Are you nuts, you have that blaster set to destroy…That can kill him!"
"He's already dead." Drake looked over his shoulder, eyeing Chase in such a way that showed he needed the young man to trust him in this decision, because he wasn't sure he trusted himself in that moment. "…Just trust me." He locked his eyes tight on the motionless body of his one-time son. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, knowing that once he did this there would be no going back; his theory would be proven right or wrong. Either way, he would have to live with the consequences. "…Please let me be right..." He pulled the trigger.
"…I can't watch!" Megan turned her head away, unable to watch as Drake pulled the trigger on Sky's lifeless body. She for the life of her didn't understand why he was doing this, but deep down inside her instincts told her there had to be a reason. Drake was not the type of guy to do something so reckless, there had to be a reason behind it.
Sam's young eyes were unable to watch as he bowed his head down, not wanting to watch as the powerful blast made contact with Sky's body, a man he had once called his friend. He didn't understand why Drake was doing this, he hadn't even really known the guy until today, but his gut feeling told him he could trust Drake …or at least that's what he wanted, to trust him.
Against his better judgment, Chase stood back and allowed Drake to blast away at his former partner. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was something about the look in Drake's eyes, the sound in his voice, pleading for him to trust him, to understand. There was something Drake knew, something about this whole situation. Something big was going on here, something so big that it was too much for him to comprehend. So he remained still, locking his eyes on the lifeless body of his former teammate, and waited.
The blast hit right on Sky's body, a bright light flash and a crackling noise emerged around them and shimmered away to reveal a still lifeless body, but not of who they would have expected …well, at least not to Chase, Megan or Sam, whose eyes all lit up in total shock. They couldn't believe it. They could all feel their hearts pounding against their chests. They couldn't believe it.
"…..A Mimican!" Chase uttered under his breath, there lying on the ground where Sky had once been was a Mimican.
"…A Mimican?" Sam turned to Megan. "Does that mean….."
"….God, I hope so," sighed Megan, knowing chances were slim, but she had to hope that there was a chance, even if it was a small one.
Mirloc wasn't at all pleased that the former Time Force Officer had figured it out, but he should have known that it wouldn't take long, in fact he starting to become pleased that 'the cat' had been let out of the bag. The look on Drake's face was enough for him to feel a great amount of pride in what he had done. "….So you've figured it out, have you? I should commend you for your efforts, Time Force, to bad you figured it out far too late. Otherwise you might have been able to prevent this from happening…."
Drake hardened his eyes, pointing his blaster straight at Mirloc, his finger wrapping around the trigger button. "…Let him go, Mirloc!" he shouted. "Release him now!"
"Now Time Force, do you really think I'd give him up so willingly?" Mirloc cocked his head as he walked back and forth, keeping his eyes in contact with Drake's. "…Besides, I'm the only thing keeping him alive. That was a real bomb I threw at him. He won't survive for long if I release him. ….He'll die and look just as pathetic as that Mimican."
"…I'll take my chances," answered Drake knowing he couldn't trust a word Mirloc told him. He wasn't going to leave Sky trapped inside Mirloc.
"If you want him so badly, come and get him!" exclaimed Mirloc, who was not about to go down without a fight.
Drake glared at the blue Ranger, knowing that he was going to need help with this. "…You up for this? Because there will be no going back after this."
"I'm not going anywhere. Whatever it takes, I'm with you…"
Megan and Sam stood back, watching, as both Drake and Chase attacked Mirloc head on, knowing that both of them were up for the fight of their lives. A fight they might not survive to see tomorrow ….or even their own time. With a question lingering in their minds: would they be able to free Sky, was Mirloc only bluffing that Sky would not survive if he was released from his imprisonment inside Mirloc, or was he telling the truth and Sky would die the moment he was released.
The young daughter of Eric Myers couldn't know for sure, but her gut feeling told her that Mirloc was telling the truth and what her gut was also telling her that if they defeated Mirloc, took him down for good, that too would sign Sky's death warrant. Either way he would probably die, she knew that. She knew the chances were slim, that even hope might not be on their side. …But if there was even the slightest, the smallest of all chances, perhaps maybe they might have a chance to save him, even if all the odds were against them. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she watched her brother and Drake battle it out against Mirloc, knowing that this might be their only shot, with Mirloc being distracted… She turned to Sam, knowing what she was about to ask him was the ultimate request and could be a very dangerous one for him, more dangerous than anything she had ever asked him before. "…Sam." She didn't understand his power or what limits he had at his age, but he might be the only shot Sky had. "…What is the extent of your teleportation powers?"
Sam could feel his heart skip a beat. He didn't need to know why she was asking. She wanted to know if there was even a remote possibility if he could somehow get Sky out of Mirloc. "…I don't know," he admitted, even he didn't know just how far he could push his powers. "…The most I've ever done with them beyond teleporting us from place to place, is teleporting a building full of people to a different location." He looked her right in the eyes, wanting to make sure she understood him perfectly clearly, that nothing was left out. "….I don't know if I can even get him out. I've never tried my powers without knowing where I was going." And both Kat and Cruger had told him not to overdo it with his powers; he was still young, still learning how to use them. If he tried something he wasn't ready for ….it could be the last time he ever tried it.
Megan could see the fear in his eyes, knowing he had every right to be afraid. She was scared too. She gripped his shoulder. "….I'll understand if you don't want to do it, Sam, I won't be mad. You don't have to do this." She knew it was a lot to ask of him. It was a lot to ask of anyone.
Sam didn't answer, just kept his eyes on the battle scene, watching as Mirloc continued to kick both Drake and Chase down. He sensed that with every second that passed Mirloc became stronger, as if he were pulling power from deep inside. His mind soon began to drift back to when he had been in trouble and how Sky and the other Rangers had gone out of their way to help him. If it weren't for them, he would be alone with no place to go, or somewhere even worse. I owe him… He gulped in heavily as he began to put all his concentration on Mirloc, with his mind centered on Sky, hoping that if he could picture Sky, that somehow, someway he would be able to find him.
"Sam?" Megan's eyes widened as a bight purplish-blue light began to shine around her young friend, something she had never once seen him be able to do.
"….I'm trying…. I think…..I'm almost….there…."
Back in the Command Center…..
"What are you trying to say?" asked Eric, who still could not believe the story Cruger just reiterated from having heard it from Slate, a being of a race of people which was known for telling lies and making up stories.
Cruger sighed heavily, knowing Eric had every right to be angry and even have good reason not to want to believe it was true. It was just too crazy of a story. Even he himself didn't want to believe it, while another part of him wanted it to be true, but then that would mean that everything they had done might have been for nothing. "….What I'm saying is the Commander Collins we buried almost fourteen years ago might have been Mimican," he announced finally getting the heartwrenching words out.
"How dare you!" roared Eric. He was about to go up to Cruger and confront him with intentions of taking a swing at him, only to be held back by Lucas.
"Easy Eric," exclaimed Lucas as he held him break from going after Cruger.
"How dare you even say those words!" Eric clenched his fists together, and then raised one up, pointing it straight at the old dog. "You can't believe any bullshit that thing tells you…"
"Why would he lie, Eric?" questioned Kat, though she understood his reasons for not wanting to believe any of this. She didn't like the sick feeling in her stomach that she too had missed this. They all had missed it. "….What reasons would Slate have to lie?" There was nothing Slate would gain from telling them this.
"You can't tell me that after all these years, that there is even a remote possibility that he's still alive…" Eric loudly exclaimed as he broke free from Lucas grip to face Commander Cruger. "You can't tell me he's been alive all this time!"
"That who's alive?" asked Hayley, as she and Tommy entered the Command Center, having just arrived at the academy moments ago.