The clock hands in his basement slowly turned its hands
over large roman numerals as it slowly ticked away time. With every tick the seconds clicked away and with ever tock, Thomas
Oliver felt even more distraught. He had been up for nearly twenty-four hours straight trying to fit the pieces together.
The notes that he and Billy had taken lay scattered across his floor. Red and blue pen now covered the once clean lined sheets
of paper that sat in his lap. For hours he tried to decipher it all, and for hours he kept falling into dead ends.
He rubbed his eyes and reached for his dinosaur coffee
mug, a childhood keepsake that he could never make himself throw out. Once empting the mug of its contents again he rested
his head back again and closed his eyes for a brief second.
“Some months ago we picked up a disturbance in
the morphing grid. It was hard to pinpoint the exact point. After that, it was quiet, our sensors didn’t identify anything
for about seven months, and we assumed it was just a small glitch. But then last week the same reading came through again,
and it was stronger. That made us rethink the last event. We were able to obtain a satellite image of what was causing the
first disturbance.” Billy turned the computer monitor towards Tommy. He watched curiously as the video became fuzzy
then was clear. Billy paused the video feed and played it slower. “Look,” he pointed.
“Is that a person?” Tommy blurted out. The
outline of a body could be made out as it stepped out of what looked like a vortex of some kind.
“Yes. Ever since we discovered this feed, strange
things have been happening. Enough to make me worry and leave Aquitar for a few days to tell you. Those girls being kidnapped
were no coincidence. Someone is trying to stir up trouble. From what past history we’ve seen, I think this is something
you should be aware of, Tommy.” Billy sighed. “You never know when you’re going to end up dead.”
Tommy opened his eyes and glanced at the clock. “If
there was a way we could turn back time, Billy, you could help me figure all this out. I could really use a mad scientist’s
brain at this point.”
--
He blew his
whistle loudly as the soccer balls went flying across the field. The students on the field all laughed as Conner kneed a stray
ball expertly and sent it off behind him.
“That’s enough practice for today, boys, bring
it in!” He called and grabbed the bags. The boys each grabbed a ball and threw it in the net. “Good practice,
guys,” Conner said, “If we keep this up perhaps we can finally beat Morrisville and make it into the semi-finals.
Have a good night and I’ll see you all tomorrow!”
The boys cheered as they all headed off towards the school
to go home. Conner finished scribbling his notes on his clip board and threw it into the back of the golf cart alongside the
bags of balls that rested in the back. He sat down on the seat and sighed while rubbing his knee. All this trouble for a torn
ligament, and not an ice pack in site, he thought. To think, right now he could be sitting in a hot tub with team members
of the USA Soccer Team.
He was that close to making it to the National team, but
in his second to last game blew his knee out, which put him on the sidelines for the rest of his career. But some good did
come out of it. Conner decided to pursue a career as a physical education teacher. Straight out of college he was hired at
Reefside and has been there for a few happy years.
As he drove back to the school gymnasium he saw a little
boy and his father playing on the tennis court. His mind flashed back to the young boy that rested in Saint Joseph’s
Hospital in Briarwood. Conner hadn’t had heard anything about him since that guy Kane attacked the hospital two days
ago. That night he had met some new faces, including those twins Alex, the boy’s father, and Wes. But Conner was convinced
that there was else about Alex and Wes that no one had mentioned. As normal he tried to keep out of business where he didn’t
belong, but he couldn’t deny he was curious.
With the equipment away and his office locked up Conner
left the school and sighed. His stomach grumbled in protest of not being taken care of. Conner sighed as he passed a music
studio and grinned. He pondered on a thought for a second, then opened his cell phone. Dialing a number he held the speaker
close to his face.
“Hello?”
“Hey Kira, it’s Conner,” he said and
turned into Wilshire Boulevard, “I was curious, are you still in town? I’m getting off work now and wanted to
know if you would like to go out to dinner . . .”
--
“So what
happened, I mean, how did Dave get this way? From the looks of it, Alex took quite a beating, too.” Wes glanced into
the room where Dave was relocated to.
The boy smiled
brightly as the nurse revealed a cheese pizza for dinner. He took a delicious bite as his eyes turned back to the TV and watched
anxiously as Timmy and the Crimson Chin saved Chincinnati from the evil Bronze Kneecap. Even though he had only been in the
hospital for a little more than four days, The Fairly Oddparents had quickly become his favorite TV show.
“Hell, if you were in a fight with that Kane character
and got the shit kicked out of you, I think you’d look like that, too.” Eric muttered as he read a magazine.
Lucas sighed. “I don’t know if Alex would want
me telling you this, as you can already guess, Kane is from our time, the year 3008. A few months ago, his partner, Samira,
escaped from jail and we haven’t been able to find her yet. We believe that she helped Kane get to this time.
“Before Kane escaped from the future, he was able
to get into our Headquarters, and he killed several officers, afterwards, he was able to pull Jen into the main hanger. Their
fight . . . didn’t go well. Alex tried to help, but he took a beating, like you said. He doesn’t show it, though.
In order to protect him, Alex sent Dave back in time in a time ship and he ended up here.”
By now Eric was paying attention as well to the story Lucas
told. Wes bit his lip. “And . . . what happened to Jen?”
The Blue Ranger shook his head. “The last we saw,
she was still in critical condition. The doctors put her into an induced coma to help relieve some tension on her heart. She’s
lucky to have survived what Kane hit her with.”
The doors swung open as Trip and Katie entered. Behind
them Xander and Chip walked into the room and smiled at Wes.
“Xander, Chip,” Wes stood up and shook their
hands. “Nice of you two to drop by.”
Xander smiled at the Red Ranger. “Well, we wanted
to know how our little buddy made out.”
Chip chuckled as Dave slipped through the TV channels.
“From the looks of it he’s doing quite well. He made a speedy recovery, too. Fastest one I’ve seen from
injuries like that.”
“Come on, I’ll introduce you,” Katie
said and placed both hands on Xander and Chip’s shoulders.
--
“I’m
sorry, Commander, we don’t have any updates on Lieutenant Scotts’ condition at this time.”
Alex sighed as he shook his head. “Thank you, Doctor,”
he muttered and shut the computer down. He had called into the Infirmary in the year 3008 where Jen was held, but her status
was still the same. How was it that the technology in the future was so advanced, yet they could not save a woman from dying?
He heard the pills in a bottle in his pocket shake, reminding
him why. Those pills were the actual reason Dave had made such a fast recovery. With the new medications created by scientists,
these pills were made special to help officers who were nearly on the edge of death to recover rapidly and be healthy when
they recovered. However the medication was expensive, and was only given to certain hospitals and trauma centers around the
city. They had used the same medication on him when Ransik nearly killed him. This medication was the reason why Alex was
still alive. It was the reason why Dave had survived.
Before he left, the Doctors had pulled him aside and gave
him the bottle. They had said that there was a good possibility that Jen would not survive, and to give them to her son. By
taking half the normal dosage, Dave recovered faster than the average human being. Every time Alex administered the drug his
heart ached, knowing that Jen could be doing just as well, if she had it, too.
Alex sighed, defeated. Maybe he just wasn’t meant
to win this battle. He had lost Jen once already, and he wasn’t ready to lose her again. Alex quickly pulled his thoughts
back together as the doors behind him opened widely, and Eric Myers came out.
“Taylor, I’m sorry, but I need to cancel our
din—” He began but stopped. “I know it’s the second time I’ve had to do this but—”
His face suddenly became red. “Your parents can wait for another dinner for me to join them . . .” Slowly, Eric
gritted his teeth. “Well there are some things that are more important than some stupid dinner plans!” He groaned
angrily and rolled his eyes. Eric looked over at Alex and saw the look on his face. “Taylor, let me call you ba-”
he clenched his fists tightly and bit his lip. “Fine, I won't. Good-bye!” he said and slammed the phone shut.
Eric muttered something under his breath and looked at
Alex. “Sorry about that.” He paused and extended his hand. “We never were really introduced, Eric Myers.”
Alex nodded and shook it. “Alexander Drake.”
“So I guess you’re Wes’s . . .—”
Alex cut him off. “I don’t think you’d
like to say ‘great’ thirty-two times over. So yes, Wes and I are related, but not that closely.”
Eric’s cell phone began to ring and he looked at
the caller ID. “For Christ’s sake, can’t she leave me alone?” he said and hit ignore as Taylor’s
cell phone number appeared.
“Maybe you shouldn’t say that, Eric,”
Alex said.
The Quantum Ranger raised a curious eyebrow. “Oh?”
he asked sarcastically. Who was Alex to be giving him relationship counseling?
“I’m just saying . .” Alex said, drifting
off.
--
“How
did Time Force follow me back here?” Kane muttered to himself as he paced slowly in an abandoned prison. He aimlessly
swung his weapons around as he walked, his mind raced with questions. “I thought that I had destroyed all those time
ships, I must have overlooked something . . .”
He retraced
every single step he had taken since he escaped from that cursed prison back in the year 3008. Obtain weapons, destroy time
ships, and kill the Lieutenant. His main objectives were complete, as far as he knew. Still, he paced, trying to figure out
where he went wrong.
“Pacing like that never really helps thinking, you
know that?”
Kane’s head turned to where the sweet, yet deceptive
voice called to him. His grin turned upwards into a twisted smile. The outline of her body was shadowed by the moonlight as
it cut through the clouds. She walked towards him slowly and placed her gun back in its holster in the small of her back.
The blue-black glow of her hair shined brightly as she stepped into the light.
“Samira,” Kane as his eyes ran over every curve
of her body. Her tight black pants clung to her slender legs and the shirt she wore was cut a few inches above her belly button.
The woman stopped as Kane encircled her, a lion eying his next meal. “Looks like you have been quite busy,” he
said as he pointed to a nasty cut that was just beginning to heal.
She chuckled lowly. “You have no idea,” she
said and turned around to meet his eyes. “I’ve been doing everyone you asked me to, Kane.”
Kane felt her teasingly press against him as the lust in
his eyes became visible. “Well, if I asked you to do one more thing, as a favor,” he moved closer to her lips,
but she pulled away.
“You’re not that good.” She turned and
walked towards the prison cells that rested in the darkness. Kane bit his lip and shook his head. Just like him to be played
by a woman. “I expect payment,” her voice cut through his thoughts. Kane followed her to where the outline of
several bodies could be seen leaning up against a wall, their wrists in chains. “The last one was particularly hard
to capture. I’ll be charging you double for her.”
Samira stopped in front of a young woman who rested quietly
against the bars; a large cut ran across her forehead. The clothes on her back were now reduced to shreds and her skin dirty
with grime and dried blood. Her once shining eyes had now lost their shimmer, her hopes gone.
“This one put up one hell of a fight,” Kane
said as he eyed the healing cut on Samira’s stomach. “You would think a little girl wouldn’t be able to
defeat an acclaimed bounty hunter like yourself, Samira.” He turned to the young woman. “Tell me, child, what
is your name?”
The woman remained silent, which was greatly aggravating
Samira. She raised her foot and kicked the girl hard in the gut through the bars. “Answer, you piece of filth!”
The woman gasped for breathe as her eyes opened again and
a small tear dripped from her eyes. She wasn’t who they thought she was… how could she tell them? Another kick
from Samira sent her doubled over in pain and gasping for breath.
“Vida,” her gasping breaths lied, “My
name is Vida…”
--
