Welcome back to the Trench! It's starting to warm up outside, at least in my neck of the woods, and the nice weather helps get my creative juices flowing. That, and Face Off. So, with that, let's get into the stories. I own nothing but the OCs and idea. Enjoy!
"Myers! Collins!" A voice called out, causing Eric and Wes to look up from their desks. One of the SNCOs had his head in the doorway.
"Someone wants to talk to you two, in the meeting room." He barked at them. Wes looked at Eric.
"What did you do this time?" He asked. Eric glared at him as they both got up and made their way to the room.
"Why do you assume every time someone wants to talk to us, it is because of something I did?" Eric asked.
"Because you make up over half the complaints we get around here. You're too mean, you're too serious, you called someone crazy, you made me tackle and handcuff the drunk, naked dude." Wes said, gesturing with his hands in a back and forth motion with each point. Eric rolled his eyes.
"Not my fault I work with a bunch of snowflakes. And someone had to stay with the car." He grumbled. Walking into the room, they were met with a blonde woman. She looked young, but the air around her made her seem older, dressed all in white or light beige colors. Her eyes were bright blue, and she smiled brightly at the two men.
"Hello, Eric, Wes. My name is Cynthia Nostros. I would like to speak with you." She said, standing up to greet them. Wes looked at Eric with a raised eyebrow.
"What did you say to her?" Eric huffed, crossing his arms.
"I've never seen her before in my life. I would have remembered those eyes if I said something." He said. Cynthia chuckled, holding up a hand.
"Don't worry, I'm here to ask for your help." She said. Wes and Eric looked at each other.
"Why us?" Wes asked, sitting down. Eric sat down next to him, while Cynthia remained standing, smile now gone.
"Well, because you are both Power Rangers." She said, reaching into her coat and pulled out a badge of some sort. It was well worn, the profile of a German Shepard taking up the main with the word 'Police' above it. The picture was almost flush with the backing of the badge, it was so worn down. It had several nicks, smudges, and scrapes, and the metal almost rusted through.
"In my time. In my world. There is a great evil. I cannot speak Her name, because to do so would be to give Her recognition, thus allowing Her to find me." Cynthia began.
"That badge was given to me by the Rangers of that time. Now, only two remain, and they were mentors to the actual Rangers." She said, rubbing the badge a bit as she talked, eyes taking a faraway look.
"If she is not stopped, she will destroy my world, your world, and all the worlds in between. Time barriers mean nothing to a being older than the dawn."
"But why us?" Eric asked again.
"Because I need people who have either faced Her before or have been in the presence of death." Cynthia explained. Eric and Wes looked at each other.
"And, I need one member from Time Force. I can't risk jumping too many times myself, due to the trail it would leave for Her. So I went to Jen and asked her for a ship. She told me I would need a member of Time Force from around most of the time frames I'm going to be visiting. That means you two. Or, more specifically, you." Cynthia pointed at Eric. Eric looked at Wes with surprise. Wes was always the Golden Boy. The Red Ranger. The one everyone wanted for a big mission.
"Why me?" He asked. Cynthia regarded him with a quizzical look.
"You have been in Her presence. Or rather, been with someone who has met Her. I can't tell who the person is, but I am getting an animal, an eagle. Does that mean anything to you?" She asked.
Eric stiffened slightly at the mention of an eagle. Taylor was the only person he knew that had a connection with the bird of prey. He thought back to he most recent interactions with her, and noticed something. She didn't talk a lot, choosing more to listen to what he was saying, staring intently at him. Another thing he noticed was the look in her eyes. There was something behind them, almost like shell shock.
"Taylor." He said. Cynthia nodded.
"I remember her. Very good fighter, and kept more a level head than the red one."
"You fought with her?" Eric asked Cynthia adopted a guilty look, fiddling with her fingers.
"In a way. I was once apart of Her. The Angel to her Demon. We were separated by the team of Rangers I was talking about. Without me, she has no leash, won't pull her punches, and whatever idea she has, she will do without thought. It's why I can only remember parts of when we met." She explained.
The room fell into silence again. Wes looked at Eric, who was deep in thought.
"What is this mission going to be like? What could I be getting myself into?" He asked.
"I can't lie, it will be a suicide mission. The odds of you coming back are next to none. That is why I'm selecting people who have either seen death or Her. I sense in you the latter, and a hardness inside you. From your past." She said. She was about to say more when Eric held up a hand.
"Don't even go there." He said, making Wes wince. He was one of the only people privy to Eric's past, and that is how Eric liked it.
"And if I say no?" Eric asked.
"Then I leave. I find another way to get to the people I need to talk to. You would just wait to see if and when she comes for you." Cynthia said. Eric looked at Wes.
"It's all on you, man." Wes said. Eric thought long and hard, the moment stretching into an uncomfortable one before he looked up at Cynthia.
"Who do we get next?"