“I hope you don’t think you’re going to get off this easily, Mr. Myers.”

Eric looked at Taylor and wrapped an arm around her bare shoulders as she pulled the cotton sheets up around her. Scooting closer he kissed her. “I didn’t hear you complaining last night,” he muttered and playfully bit her ear, causing Taylor to giggle.

“Blame that on the half a bottle of wine and the roses sitting on the dining table,” she said as he rolled over on top of her body. For a few more minutes they lay in each other’s arms, kissing softly and muttering things back and forth.

After missing yet another dinner with her parents, Eric had almost-apologized for blowing it off once again, and bought her roses. A bottle of wine later they found themselves half naked in his living room and slowly losing more garments as they moved towards his bedroom.

She had to hand it to him, when Eric wanted to he could be quite the romancer— a secret skill of his he slowly began to emit more of.

Taylor ran her fingers through his thick black hair and slid out from under him. “We can’t just lie in bed all day, Wes expects us at his house at six tonight, not to mention you have to go out and get that thing you needed to get.” Eric groaned, but she pushed him into his side of the bed. “Come on, get moving,” she said teasingly. “Don’t make me get my whip out.”

Eric sat up slowly. “I’d like that.” He stood and walked towards the bathroom. “If I’m correct, your last boyfriend did. You were the one taking it, Taylor.” Her jaw dropped as she threw a pillow at him. He caught it and threw it back, a grin on his face.

--

The sun shown brightly in the warm afternoon at the Collins’ mansion, and music filled the air around the Rangers. For Dave, this day was more exciting than most. Today was his ninth birthday, and what better place to celebrate it than in the past? The boy was ecstatic as he ran around the house waiting for his party. Wes took the liberty to invite those who helped him stop Kane that night at the hospital, the Wild Force, Dino Thunder and Mystic Force Rangers. But this day was also pretty hectic, trying to gather everyone at the same time.

Walking quickly in and out of the kitchen, Alyssa and Taylor searched around the mansion for a missing Quantum Ranger, who was no where to be found.

“It’s a mansion,” Taylor said as they trudged up the staircase. “There’s so many places he could be.” She ran upstairs with Alyssa at her side. “Eric!  Alyssa, you go down that way,” she pointed, “I’ll go this way.”

She heard Eric’s voice calling downstairs as she turned and headed back to the stairs. “Where were you?” she quizzed. “Alyssa, I found him!”

“We were looking for you two,” Cole said as he and Alyssa came walking down the stairs.

Taylor huffed at Cole. “This place is a maze, I’m impressed Wes can even find a bathroom around here.”

Eric laughed at her. “You have no idea. Come on, before another search party gets lost.”

--

Near the drink table, Kira chewed the rim of her cup curiously as she looked at Katie and Trip intently, her eyes focused mainly on Trip’s green hair. Where had she seen it before? She had seen it, some years ago . . . but where? She rolled her eyes and bit down harder trying to search her memories for that distant image of green hair.

“Easy there, Kira, or you might as well eat the cup,” Conner said and pulled Kira out of her trance. “What’s on your mind?”

Kira’s eyes remained fixed on the green wave. “Those two over there, Trip and Katie . . . I’ve seen their faces somewhere before.” She turned to where Lucas threw the ball to Tommy. “Him, too. I just can’t put my finger on it but I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere else before. I mean, they just randomly show up out of nowhere and suddenly they’re Commander Collins’ best friends? That doesn’t fly with me.”

Conner shrugged. “On your tour, maybe? Why don’t we go talk to them and maybe you’ll remember,” Kira gave him a look and nonchalantly walked over and smiled.

“It’s nice to have a day to relax and not think about the world being in danger,” Kira said and sipped her lemonade. Around her Conner, Katie and Trip nodded in agreement.

“You have no idea, trust us,” Katie smiled and nudged Trip, who laughed at a fond memory.

Unfortunately, the story brought up a name. And the mention of a certain Pink Ranger made Trip and Katie’s smiles fade, and even earned a glance from Lucas, who was busy throwing a football to Dave with Tommy.

Nick’s eyes flickered as he joined in the conversation. “Who’s Jen?”

Katie bit her lip, not wanting to tell the who truth about who they were. “Jen is Dave’s mother.”

“What happened to her?” Chip asked, but he received no response. Kira glanced to Conner with a suspicious sparkle in her eye.

Conner’s eyes drifted to where Alex and Wes could be seen preparing something in the kitchen. “I want to know exactly is up with Commander Collins and that Alex guy. They say they’re not twins.”

Vida broke her silence and looked at Nick. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped as she spoke softly again. “Something else is up with those two,” She paused her thought as Katie and Trip exchanged glances.

“Not to mention, Dave looks awfully a lot like Wes. Has anyone else noticed that?” Kira asked.

“Look, maybe the time will come to discuss that, but not now,” Katie said quickly.

Taylor, Cole and Alyssa exited the house carrying a tray full of drinks. “Come and get ‘em!” Alyssa hollered.

Dave came running up and grabbed a cup full of iced tea and began chugging it, the sweet liquid dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“Whoa, slow down there, kiddo, you’ll choke,” Taylor grinned as Dave gave a quick thanks and ran back towards Lucas as he threw the football again.

--

Back in the kitchen Wes and Alex were putting the final touches on the decorations for Dave’s cake. Wes wrote Dave’s name in vanilla frosting as Alex awkwardly placed nine candles around the edge of the cake. They worked in silence; the mirror images reflected each other’s emotions. Wes’s relaxed attitude versus Alex’s tense, awareness of his surroundings. The two were so different, yet very much the same.

“I . . . wanted to say thanks for letting us celebrate Dave’s birthday here, Wes,” Alex placed the fourth candle down. “I know it means a lot to him.”

“It’s the least I could do, Alex. Every kid should have a birthday party, even given the circumstances.” He put the bag of frosting down just as Alex set the final candle down. “Now, let’s get moving before that kid of yours has to wait any longer.”

But Alex wasn’t ready to leave, not just yet. “I know we got off on the wrong foot all those years ago, and I know it won’t do much justice if I were to say it, but Wes, you truly were an excellent Ranger. Jen has never spoken a bad word against you,” Alex sighed. “She really did love you, more than you know.”

Wes nodded, “I know. But I’ve . . . moved on, really. Abby, she’s wonderful. I do miss Jen, but— hell, she’s your wife, isn’t she?”

Alex frowned, confused. “We were never married. After we found out she was pregnant with Dave, I brought it up, but she turned it down. Never gave me a reason why, but I guessed.”

--

Dave sat eagerly as Alex and Wes immerged from the house, all nine candles lit. His eyes opened wide as the cake was set down before him and Rangers all sang “Happy Birthday” to him.

“Make a wish, mate,” Xander said as he bent down next to Alex. “And make it special. Where I come from, a wish always comes true.” Dave smiled at him, knowing exactly what to wish for. He drew in a quick breath and blew out all nine candles. “What did you wish for, Dave?” Xander asked.

The boy turned to where Alex sat. “I wished that my Mom could come home. Alex, can you bring Mommy home?” He reached out and took Alex’s hand.

Alex’s smile disappeared as the crowd fell silent and looked at Dave’s hopeful eyes. A hard lump began to form in Alex’s throat as he searched for the right words, but none came to mind. “I . . .” was all he could manage to say. Slowly, the hope in his son’s eyes faded with each silent second. “I can’t, Dave.” He shook his head and sighed slowly. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you but . . . I received a transmission this morning, from the doctors. Your mother’s gone, Dave.”

“What do you mean gone?” Wes asked in astonishment, but Alex ignored him and squeezed Dave’s hand. “Dave, I wanted to tell you another time but—”

Dave’s eyes filled with tears as he slowly removed his hand from Alex’s. “You promised you would protect her, Alex,” he muttered. “You promised you wouldn’t let anything happen to her!” He stood up quickly.

“Dave if you’ll let me explain!” Alex tried to take his hand but Dave pulled away.

“No! You said you wouldn’t let anyone hurt her again, Alex. You promised her.” His voice quivered. “You promised me, and you broke that promise,”

Alex stood as Dave jumped away. “Dave, please!”

“You promised!” He ran back into the house.

Alex was left alone standing by the table, all eyes on him. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, glancing towards Wes then back to the ground. “If you’ll excuse me,” he whispered and slowly walked through the crowd and also headed inside.

The Rangers all glanced at each other. Katie looked towards Trip, who turned to Lucas. He sighed and nodded. “I guess we might as well tell you who we are.” He walked inside just as the faint sound of thunder began to echo in the distance.

Collecting everything from outside, Wes was the last one to enter the house. It was hard to believe that only an hour ago it was sunny out. It was strange how at exactly the right moment would come along and it would start to rain. Hell, after what just happened, Wes’s mood was dampened, too.

After the crew gathered in the living room, Lucas, Katie and Trip began to tell how they came to be here. “Alex, Lucas, Katie and I come from the year 3008,” Trip said. “We’re Power Rangers—”

“From the future!” Kira jumped in. “I knew I recognized you guys from somewhere. Conner, you remember that day when Doctor O got the his powers?”

Conner nodded, and soon realized where she was going. “So you are the ones we saw in Doctor O’s video diary thing? You three are the Time Force Rangers?”

“The six of us,” Eric added. “Wes and I too.”

Alex nodded. “And Jen was the Pink Ranger.”

“So then how do you and Commander Collins’ fit into this?” Chip asked, his eyes shown his curiosity. “You guys say you’re not twins. So are you two, like, clones or something?”

The Commander shook his head. “No, Wes is my ancestor. There’s more than one-thousand years between us.”

With all questions answered, Lucas and Trip continued to tell the story of how Time Force made a trip again to the past, and how the whole mess started with. As their story went along the mystery of Wes and Alex began to unfold, and the real relationship between Wes, Jen and Alex came into play.

While this tale was being told Nick couldn’t help but read Vida’s lips as she muttered things to herself, a second or two before Lucas or Trip had said it. He watched as her eyes became wider and she looked away and mumbled something else again. Did she know something he didn’t?

‘Note to self: Find out exactly what has been making Vida to all nuts,’ Nick thought to himself.

As the rain began to pound heavier and their story became thicker, no one seemed to notice the small sound of the front door and a trail of muddy size six shoes walking out the door . . .

--

Alex knew from the beginning breaking the news of Jen to Dave would be hard, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad. Well . . . maybe he should have expected it. After all, it was the same news his father’s superior officers delivered the day the wars ended and his father’s brigade was coming home again . . . only this time they were one member short.

Eleven-year-old Alex sat up in his room writing down his math homework when a black Time Force car pulled up slowly in front of his house. Captain Bloom and Admiral Levin both stepped out, solemn expressions on their faces. Alex’s heart dropped immediately and he ran downstairs just as his mother opened the door and he heard the news.

His father was never coming home . . .

Alex opened his eyes as he stood in front of Dave’s door, the right words running through his head. “Dave,” he knocked. “Dave, open up, I want to talk to you.” No response came from the boy. He opened the door, his heart skipped a beat. “Oh no,” he whispered and sprinted down the stairs. “Dave’s gone!” he called and jumped down the stairs, nearly colliding with Tommy.

“We’ve got worse news, your computer has picked up Kane, and he’s in Gladmere Park now,” Tommy said as the others came in.

Alex cursed and held his head, his heart racing. “Dave’s not here, Kane is here, god what the hell is going on with this?”

Eric stormed out of the house just as a jolt of thunder rocked the house and the lights flickered. “We’ve got trouble, Wes! We’ve received numerous calls for injured civilians. Apparently your buddy Kane set off some type of destructive charge and it knocked people out everywhere within a mile radius.” He ran into his jeep and sounded the sirens.

“Alright, let’s go,” Wes said. “Those that have morphers, come with us. Those who don’t go with Alex to find Dave.” Alex nodded with him in agreement.

“We have to find Dave before Kane does, he’ll kill him. Let’s move out!” Alex said as the group sprinted outside and scattered into numerous cars, all heading in one direction.

Within minutes they came to the scene to find burning trees, despite the rain that fell heavily to the earth.

“My god,” Vida whispered as they sat in the car. “Who would do all this?”

“Oh shit . . .” Wes muttered. “Everyone out, now!” he hollered as the all scrambled out the door. Seconds later a large blue flame collided with the car and burst into flames.

Lightning lit up the scene as Kane walked triumphantly through the park, an evil smile plastered onto his face. He looked at each struggling Ranger as they stood up and moved away from the flaming car. Bits of glass and twisted metal littered the ground around them as Kane let out a hearty laugh.

“Collins, so good to see you again!” Kane said as the blue flames on his swords intensified. “And we brought back the friends, so nice to see that. It’s a shame that the precious Pink Ranger could not have joined you,” he said. “Instead, I will have some pleasure in giving you all the same destiny she had!”

Wes stood up and twisted his left wrist, where his morpher rested again and looked to Eric. “Not if we can help it, Kane,” Wes said and raised his left arm as Lucas, Trip and Katie did the same.

“Time for . . . Time Force!”

“Quantum Power!”

Xander grinned at Nick, who looked to Chip and Vida. “Well, we’re not just going to sit around all night,” he said and flicked open his morpher, an object they had not touched in three years.

However Vida stood quietly, not moving as Chip and Xander pulled out their morphers.

“Do not let him find you,” his voice echoed in her head. “If he does, he will kill you . . .”

“Vida?” Nick said and pulled Vida out of her frozen state. She stared at him, then opened her morpher slowly. “Let’s bring back the good old days,” Nick smiled as the Time Force Rangers went into battle with the monster.

“Magical Source . . . Mystic Force!”

Flashes of Red, Green, Yellow and Pink surrounded the area as the familiar rush came back to them, and left them standing in a brightly colored uniform.

Wes and Katie fell back hard and saw the comfortable look Kane held on his face. “Excellent,” he whispered and turned back to Katie and Wes just as Nick and Chip stepped in front of them.

“Come on!” Nick taunted and struck out to Kane who blocked it expertly and followed up his attack on Trip. To his right, Vida and Lucas ran in to attack but were stopped as Xander was sent flying into them.

Vida stood up and cracked her shoulder back into place while cursing slightly. A jolt of sparks flew from Wes and Eric’s chest as they tried to attack along with Chip and Nick, but they too got the same reaction. The Rangers stood again and Kane came charging in, striking all of them at the same time.

“Katie!” Xander said as he crawled over to where she had landed. “Are you alright?”

She nodded and huffed. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” She stood up and called for her saber. “Pace yourselves, guys,” she said and joined the fight between Lucas and Nick. Suddenly another rumble of thunder sounded as Kane unleashed a firestorm, knocking the Rangers to the ground again.

“We can’t keep doing this,” Wes said between lightning flashes. “We need to hit this guy for once. If not, this is going to be a long night.”

Nick nodded in agreement with his fellow Red Ranger. “I just hope the others are having better luck than we are.”

--

“Dave! Where are you?”

Their voiced bounced off the warehouse walls as they entered the dark room to where fresh footprints entered and suddenly left off.

Alyssa bent down and looked at the print alongside Tommy. He ran his fingers over the mud slightly. It was still wet. “They haven’t been here long,” he said and looked towards Alex and Conner. “Keep a sharp eye out, guys.”

“How could prints just, stop like that?” Alyssa asked, puzzled. There was no doubt in her mind that the prints were fresh, and that they were Dave’s. But the real question was— were they alone in this warehouse?

Something off of Cole’s right shoulder moved in the shadows, his senses picked it up immediately. Slowly he walked towards the area, his eyes trying to see through the darkness at the small figure that lay hidden in the black. He got closer and carefully stepped towards the bin. Small, quick breaths could be heard panting through the darkness as a small figure lay huddled against the wall. “Dave?” he said.

Cole watched as Dave’s eyes opened wide and he pointed. “No! It’s a trap, run!” Cole whipped his head around and was floored by a hard hit. After shaking off the haze Cole looked as Tommy, Alyssa and Taylor were fighting off what seemed to be—

“People?” Cole muttered and was suddenly lifted up and thrown towards the center of the warehouse where he collided with Kira and Alex.

“What the hell is going on here?” Tommy hollered as the group of humans surrounded their own kind, their eyes wide and unfocused. A sharp laugh came through the air as a slim figure walked out of the shadows, and a sly grin was fixed on her face.

She walked forward and placed a hand on her hip, the other rested on a rifle she flung over her shoulder. “Just like mice. Give them cheese in a trap and they can’t resist.”

“Samira,” Alex growled and tried to free himself of his captors. “I should have known!” But these people were stronger than he was and made Alex hold his ground.

Samira smiled at Alex, a smile that angered him even more. “Commander Drake, is that you?” Her words dripped with sarcasm, “I’m surprised Kane didn’t kill you. I suppose that ignorant Scotts played heroine, am I correct?” The angered expression on Alex’s face made her cock her head. “Good.”

“What do you want with us?” Alyssa spoke.

Conner rolled his eyes. “The usual, ‘kill the Power Rangers and take over the world’ gig, probably.”

She smiled at him. “I am a bounty hunter, dear, and I do what my Master tells me to.” She snapped her fingers and a purple light surrounded them and Dave, and in a second they were gone.

--

Eric and Xander fell to the ground hard as mud soaked into their Ranger costumes. Vida and Katie panted heavily as Wes was thrown like a rag doll into them. Lucas slowly rose himself on one knee and tried to strike Kane but he easily threw him back to the ground. Nick, Chip and Trip rolled over and gasped in pain, trying to get up, but each part of their bodies ached with the beating they received from Kane.

Kane’s laugh sent a shiver down their spines as he sent a shock into the ground, and it collided with each downed Ranger. The fact they were soaked in mud and rain did no help as the electric shock pulsated through their suits, weakening them even more.

“Kane!”

He turned around at the sounding of his name just as Samira stepped out of the purple haze and into the pounding rain with a knife around Dave’s struggling throat, and the rest of the Rangers in the hands of her minions. “As you ordered, Kane, the rest of the Rangers. However, before coming over here we gave them our own little beating to remember,” she said and nodded. All eight of them were flung towards the others already, discarded like a child’s toy.

Samira held Dave close to her, his eyes opened wide with fear. He could feel the knife’s blade against his skin, threatening to split it wide open if he was to move any closer into it. He looked around at the Rangers and saw the horrified look on Alex’s face. His eyes pleaded for help as Kane spoke again and walked through the rain with Samira on his side.

“Is this all the Power Rangers have to offer?” he asked and walked in the center of the circle their battered bodies made. “This is a shame, I expected more of a fight from you all,” he said.

Alex glanced over where Wes lay, and saw something that created a plan of attack in his head. Laying a few feet from Alex’s hands was the Red Chrono Saber. If he could only get to it . . .

Kane laughed and looked at Alex, his eyes hard. “Especially you, Drake. I think Jen would be quite disappointed to see that her knight in shining armor hasn’t lived up to his name.” Kane turned his back to Samira, his eyes focused.

Alex bit his lip, then jumped up, his heart pounding and his fists clenched tight. He bolted for Kane, and picked up the saber before giving a hearty yell. Instantly Kane whipped around and their swords clashed as they fought. Alex felt his veins swell with hatred as he attacked Kane once again. With every heart beat Alex felt more anger leaking out. A strength match erupted as they squared their weapons against each other, and Alex stared Kane in the face.

Samira pushed Dave into Kane’s arms and he held the boy tightly, placing his sword harder against Dave’s throat. Immediately Alex’s face changed, and at that moment Kane knew he had him. “I thought so. Drop your weapon, Commander.” Alex did not move. “I said drop it or I’ll spill the boy’s blood everywhere.” He tightened the blade against Dave’s pleading throat as he clutched the blade.

“I’m sorry, Jen,” Alex whispered and dropped the saber.

“I came here to finish what I started,” he threw Dave aside and raised his blade that was now surrounded in a bright blue flame, “And finish it I shall!” He yelled and whipped the blade around and sent the blast directly to Dave. He closed his eyes and waited for impact. But the only impact he received was the jolt he felt from being pushed to the ground. He stared in fear as another body took the heat of the blast and engulfed Alex whole.

The world seemed to stop as each Ranger watched the site in front of them. The flames surrounded Alex’s body and tore his clothes away, revealing fresh skin that the blast ate at hungrily. Cuts ripped wide open and leaked out his crimson existence onto every piece of clothing he had left. Alex stood silently as the blue tunnel spun faster and he fell to his knees.

Dave’s eyes opened wide as tears flooded his eyes as he watched the site. He reached a hand out and opened his mouth as his words echoed in the air. “Alex!” he screamed.

Seconds later Alex’s eyes closed as his silent body collapsed to the ground and explosions rocked from around him. Thunder mixed with the explosions as lightning flashed around once more. Then . . . silence.

Kane grinned and both him and Samira disappeared into a purple haze.

The world remained in an absolute stop as the rain continued to pour, and lightning lit up the skies. No one moved as Alex lay still in a cloudy puddle mixed with mud and blood. Dave jumped up and ran over to where Alex lay and shook him.

“Alex, please, you gotta wake up,” he pleaded, “Please! I didn’t mean all those things I said before, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, Alex,” he placed his head against Alex’s soaked chest and held his hands. “Please, Alex, I need my dad,” he whispered. “I love you, Dad. Wake up, please.” Dave squeezed his eyes shut and cried, praying for Alex to wake up. But Alex didn’t move.

Slowly each Ranger stood and gathered around their fallen comrade and Dave, unsure of what to do next. The only answer the received was from the crashing clouds of the thunderstorm above.

--

It had been a long night, for everyone, especially Dave. Everyone knew that as they sat up in Wes’s living room nursing their wounds, some worse than others. After carefully bringing Alex back to the house—barely alive—Lucas and Trip immediately set him up with the equipment Time Force gave them. Now it was just a matter of time before results would show if Alex would make it.

Everyone sat downstairs in solitude as Alex lay upstairs in the bedroom Wes set up for him. An icy blue liquid hung from an IV bag near the headrest of the bed while his injuries where fixed up to help heal. A small nasal oxygen tube rested on the perimeter of his cheeks and various pieces were attached to his chest and fingers to take readings.

The door to his bedroom opened quietly as the floorboards creaked at the gentle touch of pressure. Moving gracefully towards his bed Alex groaned slightly and tried to speak but was hushed by a soft finger. A cool hand brushed his burning cheek as his head spun from both a concussion and the medication. He slowly reached for one hand and drew in a shallow breath as a thumb stroked his cheek; it’s soft and gentle touch he knew to belong to only one person.

His eyes opened slightly as a set of concerned hazel eyes sparkled at him. Alex closed his eyes as the pain killers set again. One word slipped out between breaths before he fell into a lost darkness again…

“ . . . Jennifer . . .”