Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.
Chapter 17 – Wormhole
To say that Tommy and Kim weren't thrilled about the Rangers' trip to the future was an understatement. They demanded every single detail from them, praising Lightspeed and the Silver Guardians' formation of S.P.D., awing at their friends' future children, rolling their eyes at what was no doubt an exaggeration of said children's attitude, cheering when they pushed back Gruumm…and then they came to Kira finding her power. They saved that for last, knowing that would become the focus of all their concentration and the rest of the story would be lost on them, which is exactly what happened. Tommy and Kim nearly felt their hearts stop hearing their suspicions about the cost of her power were correct. They grabbed their daughter to them, holding her tight between them as they cried at having nearly lost her without even knowing it, and assured themselves she was ok before the yelling and ranting started. For thirty-two minutes and fifteen seconds, Connor had counted as he sat through it with Kira, though Trent and Ethan had escaped after the first five minutes, they lectured her about her irresponsibility and the dangers of what she had done, which apparently there were many more then just her dying. They had to cut the lecture off when Eric woke from his nap demanding attention and Connor and Kira took that time to escape outside, where Kira knew Connor would begin his own lecture.
"You're wrong about that." He said. "I think you've been lectured and yelled at enough by your parents." Kira sighed in relief, though it was premature.
"I am, however, going to make sure you know just how much you scared me and that I'm seriously thinking of ordering you never to do that again, even if you'd hate me for it." The two were by the stream and as Kira looked up into Connor's eyes he let everything he'd felt in that moment through their bond, causing her to flinch.
"Ok I get it." She said once she'd sat through all his memories, believing at least that he deserved that of her. "Would you really order me not to use my power?"
"If it saved your life, yes." He said without hesitation. "I know you get scared for me when I'm in danger, and I know you can feel through the bond what I feel when you're in danger, but you seem to be in danger, or dying, a lot."
"The last time I was dying wasn't my fault!" She defended.
"Yeah I know, it was mine. But no matter who's fault it was, it doesn't stop the fact that you nearly died. I nearly lost you." He murmured. "And I nearly lost you again today, and I might lose you the next time you use that power." He was practically talking himself into just giving her that order.
"But you can save me. When I use my power you can order me not to die and then I can still help people." She countered, glad at least that no matter how close he was to just making a decision he was still discussing it with her. "I have an ultimate power, Connor, a power no one can beat. I can basically do anything, make anything happen. No matter how hopeless a situation gets I can get us out of it, I can save everyone. I know the prophecy says it might go the other way and I might destroy everyone instead, but…we don't know that, I might save people…"
"I'm sure you will." Connor concurred. "But helping people that way might cost you your life. I know you might be willing to gamble with your life, but I'm not."
"But you can save me!" She said again. "You don't have to order me never to use my power, to never help people, like we've sworn to do, if it comes down to it, you can just order me not to die!"
"But what if I'm not there?" He countered, her attempt at guilt over their duty as Rangers not working. "What if I'm not there when you use your power? I can't just give you a generic standing order not to die, it won't work, and we don't know if the order will work through our bond, and there's no way we're testing that…there's just too many things that could go wrong." The two were silent for a moment as they thought things over, Connor eventually coming to a decision.
"Alright, we'll compromise." He said. "I am not willing to risk your life, not one bit, so if I have to order you never to use your power I will, and I don't care if you'll hate me for the rest of your life so long as you have a life." Although she hated orders and the thought of someone controlling her, he'd proven he wouldn't lord it over her, the only time he seriously considered giving her an order being when it came to her safety, which she admittedly couldn't truly find fault with.
"The compromise?" She asked.
"You aren't to use your power unless I'm physically there with you."
"And you want to make that an order." It wasn't a question, and Connor didn't respond to it, but he didn't need to.
"Do you know how demeaning it is to have no choice but to obey someone?" She asked quietly, though he noticed through their bond this wasn't her trying to guilt him into not doing it, but rather to educate him on her feelings on the subject as he did earlier. "Like you're their slave or something?"
"Kira-"
"I know it's not exactly like that cause you'd never actually use your power over me like that. But that power still exists, you still have choice…I don't. Not unless I want your…mark of ownership to burn…" She indicated to her left hip where they both knew the symbol of Connor's Animal Spirit was engraved in her skin. "Every time you give me an order, purposefully or not, or even just consider giving me an order, I feel like nothing but a thing, your property. I know you'd only purposefully do it for my safety, at times like this, but even so that's how I feel. You feel like you're doing it to protect me, I feel like you're doing it to ensure my obedience." Connor said nothing, what could you say? What could a person say to something like that?
"I'm not trying guilt you or anything, I just…thought you should know that's how I feel." She murmured allowing him to pull her into a hug. "I trust you, Connor. No matter how I feel about the power you hold over me, know I trust you with it. So go ahead."
"Kira…"
"Did you know dad gave mom a similar order years ago and that she's still under it?"
"What?" Connor asked, shocked. He knew Tommy had the same power over Kim that he had over their daughter but he hadn't known his teacher had actually ever used that power.
"I heard them talking shortly after we bonded. When they were still using the Original Ranger powers, mom's Power Coin got stolen. Their Coins are similar to our Gems and are tied to their life force, so without it she was dying. My Aunt Kat was evil at the time and everyone suspected she had stolen the Coin. While my dad went to Rita and Zedd's Moon Palace to get it back Aunt Kat laid a trap for mom, pretending to be in danger, and even though she was probably the reason mom was dying in the first place, mom still went to help Aunt Kat. That battle nearly killed her and dad was so scared that he ordered her never to put herself in that kind of danger again. Even all these years later he's never taken the order back. Mom told him not to, that it was ok and she understood. As far as I know he's never given her an order since."
"You're using that as justification for me giving you an order?"
"What I'm saying is that like mom understood what dad was feeling, I understand what you're feeling. So it's ok. You're not trying to control every aspect of my life, or stop me being a Ranger, so it's ok. Like you said, it's a compromise." She smiled up at him and Connor stared down at her. A part of him wanted to say screw it, go back inside and leave things be. But a bigger part needed this assurance, like Tommy had, that his mate would be ok. For like Tommy, there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep her safe.
"You're never to use your power without me physically being there with you."
-C/K-
The next month went by fast and things returned to normal. Even for Connor and Kira, who certainly had what they'd call a shift in their relationship, things were alright. Kira did not resent Connor his one order, she had meant it when she said it was ok, though knowing how she felt about the power he held over her, Connor could not entirely believe that she was truly ok with it. Tommy and Kim helped them with that, the two having confessed about Connor's order pretty soon afterwards. They'd said that the two couldn't go on society's perceptions on something like complete control over another human being, not when it was something so personal between just the two of them. That being said, it was still a touchy subject that they knew they'd always be treading carefully on.
As April drew to a close everyone began gearing up for Eric's first birthday on May 4th. With everyone so spread out across the country, and in some cases, the universe, it was decided to be a relatively quiet birthday, by Ranger standards of course, with only the more immediate family, Kim and Tommy's parents, David, Hayley, Ernie, Bulk, Skull, Alpha, the Originals and spouses, attending. Ethan and Trent were also invited; as a part of a team containing both Kira and Tommy they, along with Connor, were considered immediate family, however, the two were in the middle of finals so declined the invitation. One afternoon on May 3rd, Tommy and Kim were out getting the final preparations for their son's party the next day while Kira and Connor babysat, having taken Eric to the park. In true Ranger fashion, and with true Ranger luck, that peaceful scene of Kira and Connor playing outside with her baby brother, who'd now taken tentative first steps and wanted to walk everywhere, though with the safety of someone holding his hands, was interrupted in a way that only the lives of the Power Rangers could be interrupted: by the arrival of a new enemy. Although the day was clear, thunder was heard, drawing Connor and Kira's attention to the sky where they discovered it wasn't thunder but a spaceship or hovercraft of some kind. It quickly passed over them before disappearing, but it was enough to put the two supposedly former Rangers on edge. Kira bent to pick up Eric and held him close, the child oblivious to what had just happened.
"It looked like one of Zeltrax's machines." Connor said.
"But that's impossible." Kira muttered. "He's gone. And so is Mesogog."
"We should contact Dr. and Mrs. O." Kira nodded and the two began packing up and trekking back to the car. Small towns always seemed to have large parks so after ten minutes of walking they still hadn't reached the parking lot, but were stopped in their tracks by some very familiar faces.
"You sure about Mesogog being gone?" Connor asked as he fell into a fighting stance facing the Tyrannodrones.
"I thought we both were sure about that." Kira grumbled as the Tyrannodrones attacked. There weren't that many of them so Connor was able to handle them while Kira protected her brother, who while not sure what was going on, was no longer oblivious.
"Good work out?" Kira asked once Connor had finished the last one off.
"I seem to remember Tyrannodrones being tougher." He replied.
"Ok, now we really need to get home. Hopefully mom and dad can give us some answers."
"Or they could." Connor said, pointing behind Kira. She turned just in time to see the arrival of another spaceship, though this one bearing a familiar logo, and disembarking familiar people.
"Connor, Kira." Jack greeted. "Nice to see you guys again."
"And who's this little guy?" asked Bridge. "No, let me guess. This is Eric, though when he was a baby."
"Yeah..." Kira got out through her confusion. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Gruumm escaped through a wormhole with temporal properties." Z explained. "We followed him to bring him back before he can change the future."
"You mean Gruumm's here in 2006?" Connor asked. The S.P.D. Rangers nodded.
"That would explain the weird spaceship we saw twenty minutes ago. But it wouldn't explain the Tyrannodrones." Said Kira.
"Tyrannodrones?" Jack asked.
"The foot soldiers we fought when we were active Rangers." Connor explained. "But they were destroyed along with Mesogog nearly a year ago…or so we thought."
"We really need to get back home." Kira said. "Mom and dad need to know what's going on. Can you guys hide your spaceship? Does it have a cloaking device or something?"
"Of course." Z replied, pulling out some kind of remote and pressing some buttons. Their ship shimmered for a moment before disappearing from view, much like Tommy's invisibility power.
"Ok, follow us." The S.P.D. Rangers did just that, ending up squished in the back seat of Connor's car on either side of Eric's car seat. With Connor's driving it didn't take long for them to arrive at the Oliver residence where they were met by Tommy and Kim who came rushing out of the house and grabbing their daughter to them.
"Thank god you're alright." Kim said. They hadn't given her enough time to get Eric out of his car seat but they knew she would have contacted them immediately if something had happened to him so for the moment they were content with only hugging one of their children.
"We saw the spaceship and thought the worst." Tommy added.
"You weren't that far off." Connor replied coming over with Eric in his arms, he'd gotten over his aversion to holding the child once he no longer looked quite so fragile, and dutifully handed him over to Kim. "Dr. O, Mrs. O, meet Jack Cooper, Z Delgado and Bridge Mitchell, three of the S.P.D. Rangers we told you about. Guys, this is Tommy and Kimberly Oliver, the Original White and Pink Rangers. They've been a bunch of other colours and teams, but we'll stick with those."
"It's an honour to meet you." Jack said, coming to shake Tommy's hand, knowing Sky would be so jealous.
"You too." Tommy replied. "Just wish it was under more pleasant circumstances."
"We're guessing that spaceship was from the future and that's why you're here?" Kim asked unnecessarily as she shifted Eric on her hip to shake their hands as well.
"That would be correct." Said Bridge, whom Kim noted bore a striking resemblance to Ryan; she didn't need to know his last name to know that this was the S.P.D. Ranger that was Ryan's son. "And unfortunately, Gruumm himself is on that ship."
"Great." Tommy muttered. "Well let's get inside and work out a plan."
"Dad there's more."
"What is it Kira?"
"Not long after Gruumm's spaceship showed up, Connor and I were attacked by Tyrannodrones."
"What?!"
"That's what we said." Connor muttered and Tommy sighed.
"Alright, we need to contact Anton, see if he knows if Mesogog had any minions that we didn't know about. And we need to bring in Ethan and Trent." He lamented that fact for they were cramming for finals, but the safety of Earth did come first. "We're gonna need all the help we can get." He turned to lead the way into the house but was cut off as an alarm blared from one of the S.P.D. Rangers' pockets. Jack pulled out his Morpher, which apparently had many functions, his eyes widening at what he saw.
"Krybots." He said. "I'm getting three separate readings."
"Well that's not good." Said Bridge.
"You guys stay here, this is our battle!" Jack called as he, Z and Bridge turned to go.
"You really gonna try that again?" Kira called after them, though it apparently wasn't needed, for as soon as he'd said it, Jack stopped and turned back towards them.
"No…you're right. " He said. "We could use your help." It was his form of an apology, one that Tommy accepted in his own way.
"Old habits die hard." He said, before looking to Kim.
"You guys go. I'll call in the others. Besides if Tyrannodrones show up, you guys are better equipped to deal with them." She said. Tommy nodded and gave both her and Eric a quick kiss before he, Kira and Connor followed the S.P.D. Rangers into the woods. The Rangers split up, a Dino Ranger following an S.P.D. Ranger, as they headed towards the three separate coordinates that had Krybot readings. Kira ended up with Z, not due to their colour this time, but simply because Z had grabbed Kira and run off when they'd had to split with the others. Why she would want Kira around after the greater animosity they had with each other compared to with the others she didn't know, but she knew she'd find out eventually. It didn't take them long to find the Krybots, which followed standard foot soldier procedure and immediately jumped into battle without a second thought. They fought without their Ranger powers for a bit, both Yellow Rangers learning the other possessed some kind of ability in their un-morphed state, until Kim's prediction of Tyrannodrones joining the battle came true, at which point Z discovered that just because these monsters didn't possess futuristic technology, didn't mean they weren't worthy opponents.
"You gotta watch out with these guys." Kira said as she helped Z up. "Your Krybots are programmed for strength but they're still robots and can't think beyond their programming. Tyrannodrones are alive, in some weird mutant dinosaur DNA way, and they've got a brain, technically speaking, and are trickier opponents because of it."
"Right." Z nodded. "Well as much as I'd like to learn from a new opponent, we don't have the time, so what do you say I'll handle the Krybots, you handle the Tyrannodrones."
"Agreed." The two then morphed, they were feeling the punches and there were enough of them to warrant the extra protection and strength that the suits offered. With their added power, the fight against the foot soldiers didn't last too long and before they knew it, the two were powering down and heading back towards the house.
"So…what did you want to talk about?" Kira asked after they walked a bit in silence.
"What makes you think I wanted to talk?" Z countered and Kira snorted.
"Considering we've been at each other's throats since we met, it's the only reason I can think of for you choosing me to be your partner in this." Z had to concede that whatever she'd thought about this kid wasn't true. She wasn't a bratty know it all, but was smart, perceptive and far more mature then her age suggested.
"I wanted to apologize." She said finally. "I'm not really a jerk. You can't be raised by my dad and naturally be a jerk."
"Why's that?"
"Right, forgot you haven't met him yet. He's the nicest guy around, honestly. He's this great big hulk of a guy who's Ranger powers is that of the Iron Bison Wild Zord, but he's just a big teddy bear. He's best friends with Jack's dad, Max, and according to Supreme Commander Meyers the two of them were complete goofs in their Ranger days, and they still kinda are. You'll know immediately what I mean when you finally meet him."
"When you say Supreme Commander Meyers, you mean your dad's teammate Taylor right? Not Eric."
"Yeah."
"Haven't you known her your whole life? You really call her Supreme Commander Meyers?"
"Well, in private I call her Aunt Taylor. But she's like Sky, a big stickler for the rules."
"You know I actually can't say I know what that's like." Kira laughed. "Every Ranger from the Originals through to the Space Rangers are either my parents, a big brother, or aunts and uncles, and not one of them loves rules. Sure some will follow them more closely then others, but not one of them would ever let me call them by a title."
"You all sound really close."
"We are. My brother's first birthday is tomorrow and we're having a party with just the immediate family. But the immediate family consists of my grandparents, my one biological uncle, the other four Original Rangers, one of my cousins who's the daughter of the Red and Yellow Rangers, the spouses of the Blue and Black Rangers, one of whom is the Pink Turbo Ranger, three civilians who've been in on the Ranger secret since the time I was born, the Dino Rangers' tech advisor, the other Dino Rangers themselves, and a robot who was the tech advisor for the Original Rangers. And that's just the immediate family."
"That's a big family." Z muttered and Kira nodded her head vigorously.
"With a family like that, becoming a Ranger was just an inevitable formality. I'm eleven years old, but if you couldn't physically see me you probably wouldn't be able to tell I was still a kid. Even though they try to tell me otherwise, I've got a lot to live up to and I've grown up fast because of it, and it can make me hard and sarcastic and a bit of a know it all. What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry too. It's not just your attitude that had us at each other's throats." Z smiled softly but didn't respond. Although it was nice to clear the air and discover you don't actually hate someone when you thought you did, it was a bit too much of a Kodak moment for her, and Kira was only too happy to follow her lead. Upon returning to the house, they discovered that they were the last to return and while they were gone Trent and Ethan had teleported in, ready to kick some ass for tearing them away from studying, and Anton was there along with Elsa, the two remembering everything they could about Mesogog and his minions, while Hayley too had arrived and was running a scan in the rebuilt Dino Lab looking for Tyrannodrones and any other energy readings belonging to Mesogog.
"Anton and Elsa were just telling us that as far as they know Mesogog and all his minions are gone," Kim said filling her daughter and the Yellow S.P.D. Ranger in. "But his island laboratory was never destroyed and still stands, with any remaining Tyrannodrones and monsters were just awaiting his orders."
"So it's possible Gruumm found his way there and is taking advantage of what Mesogog left behind." Kira concluded.
"That's what we hope at any rate." Said Tommy. Just then Hayley came up from the basement command centre with a peeved look on her face.
"Nothing!" She grumbled. "Once you defeated the Tyrannodrones, Mesogog's energy signature disappeared and I can't locate it anywhere, not even through the Invisi-portals on Mesogog's island! By the way Anton, thanks for telling us how to break through his shields." Never before had they been able to get a reading on Mesogog's island, his shields were too powerful.
"So what does that mean?" Trent asked.
"It means that either there's no more Tyrannodrones or any of Mesogog's monsters left anywhere on Earth, or someone's blocking their energy signature."
"Gruumm." Jack said. "You've been unable to track the Troobian energy readings right?" Hayley nodded, their futuristic and intergalactic technology being beyond the capabilities of her current scanning system. "Gruumm is hiding his ship, even we can't find it. If there are any Tyrannodrones or whatever inside his ship, the Troobian energy neither of us can track would be blocking them."
"So for now we have to operate under the assumption that Gruumm has some of Mesogog's goons left." Said Ethan.
"That's right. And until they make another appearance, we can't do anything about it." Tommy added.
"I'm not gonna get to study tonight am I?" Ethan grumbled. "I have my final final in two days."
"Dude, you're a certified genius. I think you'll be fine." Said Connor.
"So just cause I'm smart automatically means I know everything about microphysics and its theoretical analysis?"
"Ok you guys that's enough." Tommy intervened before a fight could break out, though he had to grudgingly admit that he'd missed their bickering.
"So what do we do in the mean time?" Trent asked, agreeing with Tommy's intervention, but also the fond smile that graced his former teacher's face; he'd missed his friends too.
"Now we wait. There's nothing we can do until Gruumm sends his goons out again." Which wasn't until the next day, much to everyone, though especially Tommy, Kim and Kira's, annoyance, for it was now officially Eric's birthday. The only consolation was that they were dragged from bed by the alarms before the birthday boy had even woken up, meaning they might have the chance to defeat these guys, who had just happened to appear in the park, quickly and have the rest of the day for the party.
"Is this a trend in the future too?" Kira grumbled as they ran through the park at top speed to intercept the Krybots before they made it out of the park and into the city proper. "Enemies always appearing in the park?"
"No." Bridge answered. "Newtech doesn't have a major park like this, but some small ones. They usually just appear on random streets."
"There they are!" Jack called as they finally arrived and took fighting stances in front of their enemies.
"That's a lot of Krybots." Said Bridge, attempting to count them all but giving up pretty quickly.
"Hey, at least things can't-"
"No Z don't!" Kira cried.
"-get worse." Kira, along with the other Dino Rangers, groaned.
"You had to say it didn't you?" Kira muttered. Sure enough, seconds later three monsters appeared, one of them leading a group of Tyrannodrones.
"Guys, I think it just got worse." Said Jack. At the monsters' commands, both Krybots and Tyrannodrones alike spread out and surrounded the Rangers, who huddled back to back, covering each other.
"It's time to go to work." Tommy said.
"Ready?" Jack and Connor both called as they all took a step forward to have more room to morph while still covering each others' backs.
"Ready!"
"S.P.D. Emergency!"
"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"
"White Ranger, Dino Power!"
Once the Rangers were fully morphed it was like a gate had been opened and the monsters and foot soldiers all charged the Rangers. With so many Krybots, intermingled with what was left of the Tyrannodrones, there was more then enough to go around and so each Ranger found themselves fighting individually, surrounded by enemies. Just when the sheer number of Krybots began to push the Rangers back, reinforcements came in the form of four more S.P.D. Rangers.
"Sorry we're late. Someone forgot to send us an invitation." Cruger said as he helped Tommy up from where one of the monsters had knocked him down.
"Better late then never I always say." Tommy agreed.
"Wasn't that, like, your philosophy in high school dad?" Kira called from her fight not ten feet away. "At least according to Uncle Jason."
"And you believe everything your Uncle Jason says? I thought your mother and I raised you better then that." He quipped back as he and the Shadow Ranger both came to help Kira out, for she was definitely getting a bit overwhelmed.
"Well when mom and Aunt Trini both agree with what Uncle Jason said…" She let the sentence drop but the implication was obvious. The fight continued, the Rangers eventually, and inevitably, breaking off into groups by colour as the number of Krybots and Tyrannodrones dwindled. Trent paired off with the Omega Ranger and Tommy with the Shadow Ranger while Bridge joined the Blue Rangers and Syd the Yellow Rangers. Jack and Connor both called on their Battlizers using them to finish off the final monster as the others dealt with the last of the Krybots.
"Yeah!" They both cried as the monster fell and exploded behind them. Their celebration, however, was premature, for as soon as the monster was down, Mesogog's hydro-regenerator appeared, growing the monster they'd just felled, proving at least one of the monsters had come from Mesogog's lab.
"You've got to be kidding me." Connor muttered.
"How did Gruumm even know Mesogog's island existed, let alone how to actually get there and use his toys?" Ethan asked.
"That's a good question Ethan." Said Tommy. "And I'm open to theories, cause I have none. But after we defeat this guy."
"Our Zords are in 2025. Dammit!" Said Jack.
"Then let us deal with it." Said Connor. "Let's show them some Dino Zord power."
"Right!" Hayley must have sent the Brachiozord the moment the monster grew big for it was already arriving, allowing the Rangers to call on their Zords and for the Megazord.
"Thundersaurus Megazord!" Trent and Tommy stayed back, allowing the other three to have the first shot, which thankfully was enough. After a battle of only a few minutes, the Dino Drill attack finished him off and the Rangers returned their Zords to their hiding place.
"I gotta say…I've missed our Zords." Connor said once they were back with everyone else, all of them having de-morphed.
"Yeah, well I haven't missed Tyrannodrones and the other goons, let alone them growing big, so by extension, I haven't missed our Zords." Kira countered.
"You just love shooting me down don't you?"
"It's my mission in life." Kira said with a smirk, earning a playful shove.
"Not that this isn't all very entertaining." Said Cruger. "But we need to be getting back. The wormhole's closing, that's why we came."
"But if it closes…" Bridge started.
"Then we won't ever be going back."
"Is Gruumm gone?" Jack asked. "Has he gone back through the wormhole?"
"I've no doubt after his defeat here that he would have left immediately." Cruger said confidently. "Otherwise he'd have to re-conquer all those other galaxies since they haven't been conquered in 2006."
"And he's not gonna go through all that again just for a chance at conquering Earth now." Sky agreed.
"Right. So let's move out Rangers!"
"Yes sir!" The Dino Rangers gave the S.P.D. Rangers an escort back to their ships, the second of which had been purposefully landed in the same location as the first. Upon arrival, however, an alarm was blaring from the inside of the ship Cruger, Sky, Syd and Sam had arrived in.
"Oh no." Cruger said as he rushed inside the ship.
"Commander what is it?" Jack asked. Cruger came back out holding a device, which he merely held up in answer.
"…7, 6, 5…" The device counted down.
"Please tell me that's not counting down the time until the wormhole closes." Bridge begged. When the device reached one, however, the look on Cruger's face was enough to tell them that's exactly what it was.
"So we're stuck here?" Syd asked. "Like, actually stuck in 2006?"
"And with Gruumm having gone back, and us not there to fight him…he wins." Said Sky.
"Don't discount the other Rangers." Said Connor. "There's a lot of Power Rangers out there. What we lack in powers specifically created to fight Gruumm, we make up for in numbers."
"And that's supposed to make us feel better?" he countered.
"A bit yeah. It means that until we get you home, Earth of the future will be safe." Ethan said.
"I'm sorry, but maybe you didn't hear correctly, we're not going back. The wormhole's closed."
"If there's one thing I've learned as a Ranger is that there's always another way." Said Trent.
"Trent's right." Tommy agreed. "We'll get you home."
"I don't see how." Sky muttered.
"This coming from the son of a woman born in the 30th century." Kira said with an eye roll. "Or did you forget that part?"
"You think the Time Force Rangers of this time may be able to help us?" Cruger asked.
"It's worth a shot." She answered with a shrug.
"I think Kira's right." Tommy said. "I remember Wes and Eric telling me once that their Zords had to come from, and return to, the future because we didn't have the technology required to maintain them."
"Didn't the Q-Rex get to stay though?" Kira asked, vaguely remembering that conversation.
"Yeah something about it being self-sustaining, I don't exactly know. Anyways, we'll head back to the Dino Lab and contact them from there. Besides, I can hear Connor's stomach growling from here." Tommy shot a smirk at his former student who smirked right back.
"Hey, so long as I'm eating your food and not paying for it, you can say whatever you want about my eating habits." For simplicity's sake, Tommy had Hayley teleport them all into the Dino Lab where he was welcomed by his son who had toddled the three steps from Kim's arms, his mother having let go once she knew Tommy had fully materialized.
"Hey buddy! Happy birthday!" he said with a bright smile, picking his son up and throwing him in the air before catching him again, much to the baby's delight. "For those of you who didn't meet him yesterday this is my son, Eric. And my wife, Kimberly, the Original Pink Ranger." Those last three words had the standard effect on a Ranger who was meeting the one who'd started the legacy of their colour; Syd rushed over and introduced herself. It also had the effect of reminding Sky just whom he'd fought with not five minutes ago.
"Sir." He saluted Tommy, who really tried not to laugh, and thankfully succeeded where Sky's friends didn't. "It is truly an honour to meet you. Your exploits as a Ranger are legendary. All of S.P.D. still learns from your time as a Ranger."
"He's memorized the book you wrote…or will write." Syd said from her spot still at Kim's side.
"It makes up the majority of the S.P.D. Handbook." Sky defended. "Everyone should have it memorized." This earned a few snorts of derision until they remembered that Cruger was there and they'd basically just admitted to their commanding officer that they didn't know the handbook.
"Well…I'm glad to be of some use to future generations." Tommy replied, leaving it at that and turning to Kim. "What time is it, and when is everyone getting here?"
"It's just ten o'clock and the guys should be getting here to help set up just after lunch. Everyone else is coming for two."
"Awesome, we got a few hours." Tommy said. "It's Eric's birthday." He offered in explanation to those who'd been too occupied taking in the Dino Lab when they'd first arrived and missed Tommy greeting his son. "He's a year old today." He said proudly.
"Well happy birthday to you Eric." Cruger said, drawing the little boy's attention, as well as a shocked look and a point.
"No, don't point, buddy." Tommy said, slightly embarrassed as he lowered Eric's arm. "Sorry about that."
"It's quite alright. It'll be some years until aliens become a common sight on Earth."
"Yeah…anyways, we should call Wes and Jen."
"Can't it be Katie, Trip or Lucas? Or even Eric?" Sky asked instantly, not looking forward to possibly having to see his parents in this time.
"I thought we were getting breakfast." Connor complained at the same time.
"If, in almost two years, you haven't learned where the fridge is yet, I'll call Elsa and get her to revoke your diploma." Tommy deadpanned.
"Tommy be nice." Kim scolded before turning to Connor. "But the sentiment remains. If you want food go get it yourself." Connor sighed, having hoped for a hearty breakfast after an early morning battle instead of just toast or cereal, but did as he was told.
"Hayley can you-" Tommy started once one complainant was dealt with; they were ignoring the other for now.
"Call up Wes and Jen?" She asked from the computer where she hit one button and initiated the video call, obviously having punched in the number already. A few seconds later a haggard looking Jen appeared on screen, trying to hold on to a very squirmy toddler.
"Hey Tommy, hold on a sec." She said before covering her son's ears and yelling to somewhere off screen. "Wesley Collins if you don't get your butt down here in five seconds you will be on the receiving end of my Chrono Sabre!"
"I'm coming!" They heard Wes yell and a few seconds later saw him appear on screen.
"Take your son." She growled releasing a young Sky who immediately ran off. "And don't you dare let him get dirty! We're having brunch with your father in an hour."
"Yes dear." Wes replied before turning around, gasping and taking off in the direction his son had went. "Sky no, not the finger paint!" The S.P.D. Rangers all laughed while the adult Sky covered his face for a moment in embarrassment before coming up with a plan of attack.
"Laugh it up Sydney, Elizabeth. If I recall correctly both of you have been born already as well." This sobered the two of them up, especially Syd as she remembered that in May of 2006 she was old enough to do embarrassing things as well.
"Sorry about that, I'm sure you remember the terrible twos." A much calmer Jen said, taking a seat in front of the screen. "What can I do for you?"
"We're actually hoping Time Force can help us." Tommy replied. "Commander?" He handed it off to Cruger.
"Supreme Commander." Cruger saluted, even if she wasn't yet his Supreme Commander.
"I'm sorry?" Jen asked confused.
"My name is Anubis Cruger, I'm the Commander of S.P.D. Earth in the year 2025. Myself and the B-Squad Rangers came through a temporal wormhole to the past to stop Emperor Gruumm from taking over Earth in this time. Unfortunately the wormhole closed before we could get back to our time. The Dino Rangers have been helping us and informed us that you may be able to contact the future and get a time portal opened so we may return to our time. I am certain I do not need to tell you, of all people, the disastrous effects us not returning to 2025 could have on the even further future."
"No, of course not…you said S.P.D.? As in Space Patrol Delta?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"S.P.D. became Time Force." She said remembering her history from her Time Force academy training. "And…you called me Supreme Commander?" Cruger sighed quietly hoping to have avoided all of this, but unable to deny it was a lot to take it.
"Yes. Long story short, in a few years the Silver Guardians and Lightspeed Rescue will join forces and form S.P.D. The Lightspeed Rangers, along with yourself, the other Time Force Rangers, and the Yellow Wild Force Ranger, will lead as the Supreme Commanders. S.P.D. would not have been formed without you."
"So that's why Alex didn't fight us staying in the past." She murmured. "He knew we'd be key in forming S.P.D., without which Time Force would not exist…"She then seemed to remember that she had an audience and cleared her throat, returning to the task at hand. "Of course we will contact the future. It might take some time though. Trip has taken Circuit on a vacation to god knows where, and the only other way to contact the future is through our holo-computer which is in lock up at Bio-Lab for safety. Wes and I will have to talk to his father who'll take us to get it, then we'll have to come down to Tommy's and contact the future from there. Time Force regulations prohibit the opening of any time portal without just cause, and though you have one, Alex and Captain Logan will need proof that this isn't a trick…"
"How much time do you anticipate?" Cruger asked.
"A few hours, maybe more." Jen admitted. "So long as they agree to open a time portal we'll get you home today, but that's all I can promise you."
"It's good enough." Said Cruger. "Thank you."
"A sitter." Sky hissed to his boss. "They can't bring my younger self here."
"Oh right. Might I request that you leave your son behind?"
"Why?" Jen asked. "It's Eric's birthday isn't it?" She asked Tommy and Kim. "I know we're probably crashing a party, but they get along well. And it might do Sky some good to run around with a kid his own age for a bit."
"This is the reason." Cruger replied, pushing Sky forward, knowing telling the truth would get things moving faster. He also highly doubted the knowledge of what their son looks like grown up would change the future.
"Is this really necessary Commander?"
"State your name Cadet." Sky sighed but did as instructed.
"My name is Schuyler Collins. I'm your son, aged 21." Jen's expression was priceless. It was a mix between shock, wonder, horror, and awe; how she pulled it off no one knew.
"Wes!" She yelled, never taking her eyes off Sky, who wouldn't meet her eyes. "Get in here!"
"Sky got into the finger paint, I gotta give him a bath." He called back.
"Get in here first!" Wes' grumblings could be heard as he approached the screen.
"What?" he asked, grumpily. Both he and the child in his arms were covered in multi coloured paint, causing both Tommy and Kim to laugh, remembering when they'd been in a very similar situation with Kira.
"I'll explain the whole story later," She said pointing to the screen. "But they're from the year 2025 and he's…that's…look at him Wes!" The Red Time Force Ranger did as instructed and had his mouth falling open a second later. Even though the adult Sky wouldn't meet his parents' eyes, the resemblance between him and the man on the screen was apparent, though there was certainly some Jen in him as well.
"What…2025? Are you trying to say…?" He pointed to their young son in his arms then to the grown up on the screen and Jen nodded.
"Sky? Oh my god…"
"Yes, it can be disconcerting to meet your adult son while still holding him as a baby in your arms." Cruger agreed. "But that is the reason we must ask that you leave young Sky at home."
"Of course." Jen agreed immediately, knowing from Time Force training that the same person couldn't be in the same time period at once or they'd start to disappear. Even with the distance between the two, one or both of them would eventually disappear if they didn't get S.P.D. back to their time, but bringing the two together would speed that process up exponentially.
"Wait, what?" Wes asked, having missed the entire conversation.
"I'll explain later." Jen said to her husband before turning back to the screen one last time. "We'll be there as soon as we can." After she hung up Kim took everyone upstairs for breakfast, where Connor complained that he'd been told to make his own breakfast, and Kira told him to stop being more of a baby then the actual baby. Of course having already had one breakfast did not stop Connor from having a second; he was nearly as bad as Rocky. Sam, the Omega Ranger, was the only one who didn't eat, explaining briefly that he was from further into the future and came back to help S.P.D., but something had happened to his body so he remained morphed. The Dino Rangers simply accepted it. Around noon Jason and Trini arrived with Lily, inciting some more hero worship in Jack and Z, the difference between S.P.D.'s hero worship and other Rangers' being that they had taken classes on Ranger history and knew almost as much about their predecessors as their predecessors themselves.
As they were interrupting a family gathering and taking advantage of others' hospitality, Cruger offered up his and the S.P.D. Rangers' services for setting up, which they gratefully accepted once Zack, Angela, Billy and Kat showed up, Sky showing some rare pride in his capacity as Blue Ranger, instead of longing to be the Red Ranger, by having some hero worship for Billy. The two godfathers had deemed it necessary to go all out for their godson's first birthday and so they'd combined their presents into a rather massive playground for the Olivers' extensive backyard; which they all happily let the S.P.D. Rangers set up. Eventually everyone else showed up and the party began, with still no sign of Wes or Jen. With the simple explanation that they were Rangers from another time waiting to get back home, the S.P.D. Rangers were welcomed by everyone, all of them used to weirder things then time travelers. They ended up having quite a bit of fun, and enjoyed learning about these Rangers of the past, and the dynamics they had as a family. They were all very close, which was not too surprising, they were after all used to the closeness of their parents' friendships, but it made them wonder if their own friendships would last when their time as Rangers came to an end.
"I know I said you guys sounded close before, but now I know it." Z told Kira as she cut them both a piece of cake.
"Yeah we are."
"You and Connor seem especially close…" She trailed off, S.P.D. profile training allowing her and the others to see the closeness there, how when one of them moved the other did as well.
"He's my mate." Kira admitted, though why she wasn't entirely sure.
"Your mate?" Z asked shocked. "Like a life mate?" Kira nodded. "You're eleven!"
"We bonded not long after my tenth birthday."
"B-bonded?" Now Z was truly shocked and confused.
"Yeah. I won't, and can't, get to much into it, a large part of it has to do with that highly classified matter I can't talk about." Z nodded in understanding, but still waited to see if she'd say more. "One of our powers, that has nothing to do with the Dino Gems, is that of Animal Spirits. Your Animal Spirit is a part of you, and when it finds its mate…its found its mate, doesn't matter what age you are. Because I'm still young it's nothing inappropriate, Connor doesn't feel that way for me, believe me if he did dad wouldn't have let him live. He's simply just my mate, a part of me just as I am of him. Whatever that means for us now, and whatever it'll mean for us in the future…he's my mate." Z nodded, not entirely sure if she understood, but thinking she got the gist of it at least. "And my grandparents know absolutely nothing about it." Kira continued. "Nor will they until I'm much older, so please don't let on to them. If you wanna tell your friends and Commander, fine, I haven't told you anything I'd care if they knew. But I will have to kill you if you tell my grandparents."
"Don't worry I wouldn't. Even if I did have time." Kira turned to where Z was pointing and saw the arrival of Wes and Jen. With a quick word to their friends and family, Tommy, Kim, the Dino Rangers and S.P.D. excused themselves and went into the house.
"Thank you both for this." Cruger said as they settled into the kitchen.
"It's not a problem." Wes and Jen kept shooting looks at their future son, but didn't let it hinder their set up of the holo-computer, which thanks to 31st century technology, was two poles and a remote. It wasn't long before Captain Logan came on screen.
"Wes, Jen, it's been a long time." He couldn't help but wonder who the people behind the two Time Force Rangers were, and why they were getting a glimpse of the future.
"These are our friends, and fellow Rangers." Jen said quickly before explaining the predicament the S.P.D. Rangers found themselves in. It didn't take long for Captain Logan to see the truth in the matter and to agree to have a time portal opened, it was after all, one of the main reasons S.P.D. became Time Force, to protect the timeline.
"I shall open one directly above Reefside in exactly ten minutes." He said. "It shall only remain open for thirty seconds, so please try not to miss it."
"We won't, thank you Captain." Cruger assured him, both he and the Captain saluting each other, Cruger noting that the salute used in S.P.D. was different then the one in Time Force, and in fact Time Force stuck with an older salute. "Alright Rangers, say goodbye and return to the ships. We have to be ready to enter that time portal."
"Yes sir." Quick goodbyes were said and the S.P.D. Rangers were teleported back to their ships. The others returned outside, looking to the sky as the ships hovered somewhere over the treeline before speeding into the time portal when it appeared, sending them back to their time to continue the Ranger legacy and protect the future.
A/N - And there's Wormhole! So as I was writing this chapter I realized that in the last chapter I implied that the S.P.D. Rangers had no idea who Kira and the other Dino Rangers were, even though they would have grow up around them being the children of other Rangers themselves. So here's my sort of explanation for this: they know the future Dino Rangers as friends of their parents, possibly having even met them once or twice, but they were never close and the connection that they were Rangers was kept from them due to the "highly classified" matter.
Then we arrive at this chapter, set about a month after the last chapter, and that's changed somewhat. Their time with the S.P.D. Rangers caused not just the Dino Rangers, but other Rangers as well to bring Lightspeed, Time Force and Wild Force (they finally met the Wild Force Rangers) into the fold more, bringing, them and subsequently their children, closer. The future shifted a bit because of this. If you remember back to the Time Force season, Alex told the Rangers the future was changing because of their time spent in the past and he was fully aware of those changes.
The same thing is happening here. The new found closeness between these teams of Rangers caused their children to grow up together, thus the reason Bridge knows Eric, because of this change to the future the two became friends in the future whereas they weren't before the change, and so they knew more about everyone. This means that when the Dino Rangers got pulled into the future, the S.P.D. Rangers knew who they were, and it was a very different experience then what I wrote last chapter because of it. The S.P.D. Rangers, and those touched by The Power (for future reference, because it will be brought up again, those "touched by The Power" include Rangers, mentors and tech advisors) know of the changes to the future, just like Alex did.
To try and make a bit of sense here, cause this is confusing even me, The S.P.D Rangers knew that the events of the Dino Rangers coming to the future happened like I wrote it last chapter, and they also know that because of those events the future changed and a much more friendly team up took place. So even though S.P.D. is aware of the events of last chapter, due to the changes to the future those events never actually happened. I really hope I'm making sense here, trying to explain time and what would happen if you played with time is hard...and confusing...
Anyways, next up is Once A Ranger!
Review please!