“So, do you think you can help us with this case, Commander?”

Wesley Collins sighed as he looked at the pictures clipped onto the folder. The blood on the floor, the room dislodged, and the burn marks on the wall all made his mind flip in circles. How could someone cause all this damage in seconds?

“It’s amazing this girl wasn’t killed, judging by the struggle that went on,” Wes said and looked at the pictures again.

The Detective laughed from over the speaker phone, “Well, she isn’t just a girl, Commander. Her and her sister, Vida, were both part of the Mystic Force Power Rangers team here in Briarwood three years ago. We figured you and Commander Myers would be able to help, considering you were both Power Rangers.”

Wes glanced at his left wrist. A wrist watch replaced where is Chrono morpher sat almost ten years ago. “That’s ancient history, Detective.” He glanced at the pictures in the folder. “She was nineteen?” he shook his head. “Hold on a sec, Detective,” he said and pressed hold on the keypad.

“If you ask me, we’d be getting into more trouble with this case, Wes,” Eric said. “That’s a job for the FBI, or the CIA, or another three letter abbreviated government-run company.”

“But the FBI and the CIA are both baffled. They have no trace of this girl whatsoever. Besides, she was a Power Ranger, Eric,” Wes sighed. “The least we can do is take a look around; maybe we’ll see something familiar.”

“Alright Wes, but when you’re in more than you can handle, don’t come crying to me.”

Wes grinned at the Quantum Ranger. “Oh I will, considering that you’ll be working with me.” He pressed the same button on the phone. “Detective, Commander Myers and myself will be happy to help to the best of our ability.”

“Thank you, Commander. I’ll forward the address and the information we have collected to your office immediately. Friday we shall meet up and discuss what ideas you have. Until then, and thank you again.”

Wes responded and hung up the phone, then looked at Eric. His expression was a little bit more than aggravated with his partner.

“Friday it is, then,” Wes stood up with Eric as they left to get lunch.

--

Alyssa Enrile smiled as a young woman with bright blonde hair stepped into the Cornerside Café. She hadn’t seen her in over two years, roughly due to Taylor’s commitment to the Air Force.

“Alyssa, it’s been too long,” Taylor insisted as she hugged Alyssa.

“It has,” she sat down. “So how have you been? I assume the Air Force has been treating you fairly?”

Taylor nodded. “Yeah, actually.” She paused and sipped her coffee. “So tell me, how’s the teaching business going? Have you heard from Max, Danny or Cole?”

Alyssa chuckled. “Teaching has been going very well. My kids like to hear the old stories back from when we were Power Rangers. Max and Danny have been traveling around the world together; I get post cards from them every couple months.” She paused before moving on. “I haven’t heard too much from Cole. He wrote me a letter a few months ago, saying what he’s been up to. He was down in South Africa working to save the rainforests and whatnot.”

Taylor grinned. She remembered how Alyssa and Cole always had a little thing for each other. A small crush, and a night out here and there. But judging by the sound of Alyssa’s voice, she really missed Jungle Boy.

“Did  . .” Taylor began but stopped as a young man with brown hair walked in and took a table behind Taylor. He ordered a coffee and turned his eyes towards the TV. Taylor turned back to Alyssa and lowered her voice slightly. “Did you hear what happened in Briarwood?”

Alyssa nodded as she sipped her coffee. “Frankly, I’m worried about her. The girl was nineteen for God’s sake.”

“But she’s not the first,” Taylor whispered.

“What do you mean?”

Taylor lowered her voice even more. “The Government is trying to keep this under wraps, so not to cause a state-wide panic. At least five other girls are missing, all throughout California, from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Angel Grove, and now Briarwood. Eric called me last night and told me. The FBI called Wes and Eric yesterday asking for the Silver Guardians’ assistance. I don’t think it’ll be long before this guy makes his way to Turtle Cove.”

“I don’t think there’s much time left,” Alyssa muttered. Taylor followed her gaze to the TV where a breaking newscast as broadcasting.

Taylor stood up, “Hey, turn that up!” She hollered as the TV was made louder and the crowd quieted.

“This just in,” the woman spoke. “A man has been found dead in a library in Reefside, California. It is unknown why or how he died, but the Police are leaning towards one explanation: Murder.”

“Oh my god,” Alyssa muttered.

The man sitting behind Taylor stood up, his eyes glued to the TV in disbelief. “No, not Reefside,”

“The Police gave no comment about this murder. The name of the victim has been withheld. We will have more on this story at five.”

The café was quiet as the man besides Taylor frantically began searching for his cell phone, but could not find it. Alyssa grabbed hers and stood up. “Excuse me, sir,” she said and held her phone out.

“Oh, thank you very much. I’ll only be five minutes,” he said and walked towards the window. “Kira? Oh thank God, you’re alright . . .”

Taylor sighed as her and Alyssa sat down again. “Unbelievable, do you think that’s the same guy who has been kidnapping these girls?” Alyssa asked, and Taylor shrugged in response.

The man who Alyssa lent her cell phone to walked back over and handed it to her. “Thank you very much, ma’am.” Alyssa nodded as he quickly gathered his things and rushed outside to where a red jeep sat parked in the parking lot.

“Wonder what that was all about?” Taylor’s eyes followed the jeep until it was on the road and out of sight. “He seemed to be in an awful fast rush to get out of here.” A few moments of silence followed her as Alyssa finished her coffee.

“Well, I should be off, Taylor,” Alyssa stood up and grabbed her bag. “It was great to see you—don’t let be another two years before I see you again.”

Taylor stood up and hugged her friend. “Definitely. Stay safe.”

“You too,” Alyssa replied and headed towards the door. Waving she exited the café, leaving Taylor alone with her thoughts. There was something else going on with these kidnappings than what was being said, and she had sneaky suspicion that Eric and Wes knew more than what Eric told her last night.

After finishing the remaining few drop of liquid from her cup, she stood up and pulled the light jacket on over her shoulders. The cold air from the week before had since moved out, and the little flurry of snow they received melted away. The normal December California weather was returning to the pleasant sixty degrees it normally was.

Taylor walked out of the café and threw her stuff in the back seat of her car, then started a drive for the city of Silver Hills.

--

The speedometer on Conner McKnight’s jeep hit eighty miles per hour as he sped towards Reefside, his heart racing. After hearing how distraught Kira was by the murder in their home city, he left the café he sat at in Turtle Cove. That was after he returned a cell phone from a woman in the café. But this call he made and how Kira sounded gave him a very sick feeling in the put of his stomach. Something was wrong, he knew that.

Thirty minutes later he pulled into the resort Kira was staying at, she was on tour for her new CD. Screeching into the parking lot, he jumped out of the car and banged his knee against the side, aggravating an old injury from college. He bit his lip and cursed slightly as he shut the door, then made his way towards the hotel lobby. He tried to find her among the chaos of the lobby, but she found him first.

“Conner!” Kira jumped up from her chair as she saw him and ran into his arms. “God, I’m so happy to see you,” she said and hugged him.

He returned her hug and smiled slightly, happy to have her in his arms again. But he could tell something was not right. “Kira, what’s wrong?”

The smile that greeted him slowly left as she let out a sigh. “It’s Doctor Oliver,” she said. “He’s . . .”

Conner’s heart sunk. “Was he the man . . .?”

At first she didn’t answer, but slowly, Kira opened her mouth. “Come with me, let me show you. It’ll make more sense when we get there.” Conner’s head fell as she took his hand and walked out of the hotel. After getting into his jeep, the two drove a few blocks over to where the Reefside library was now blocked off with Police Tape and camera crews.

--

The sun began to set low over the sandy beaches that lined the highway. An orange and pink glow put Jen at ease as she drove down the highway and headed back towards Millennium City. From the passenger seat of her SUV, Dave let out a long snore, tired from his day at the beach. The weather became warmer within the past few days as the cold front that swept the city, a change she hoped for. Now it began to feel like California.

Christmas for her brought along a nice time out with her son. They spent the weekend over down in Corona Beach scuba diving along the edge of the Santa Anna Coral Reef. Seeing her son’s face light up as the colorful schools of fish passed around them in a rainbow swirl was enough to make their more enjoyable.

Jen smiled to herself as she turned on the radio and continued on down the highway. The drive was about another hour or so north. With Dave asleep, she was sure he’d sleep through the night no problem. Setting the car on auto-pilot, she pushed her seat back slightly and watched the sunset. She always found this peaceful and beautiful. Nothing could mess up a sunset, she decided. Nothing. A soft glow of yellow now blended in with the ocean blue as the sun slipped beneath the horizon. She turned the music slightly louder in order to defeat Dave’s snoring.

But as Jen’s eyes followed the sun’s setting path, she failed to notice her cell phone had several missed calls, and words message waiting flashing across its screen.

--

From their view from the hallway, Conner could see the dead man’s hand lying coldly on the floor, and medical examiners and police personnel all crowed the room. In the lobby outside the room, a man sat with his head down in his lap, tears streaming from his face.

Kira held Conner’s hand firmly as the young man stood by the doorway. Crimson blood covered the once white floor. The place was in ruins, Conner could clearly see that.

But there was one object that struck him as odd. A pair of cracked glasses rested by the man’s body. If there was one thing he was sure of, the Doctor Oliver he knew didn’t wear glasses.

He turned to Kira, his mind filled with curiosity. “Did . . . did Doctor O. ever wear glasses?”

The man in the chair picked his head up and looked at Conner, who let out a sigh of relief to see him. Doctor O. was alright, that was enough to put Conner’s nerves at ease. Kira walked over to where he sat and hugged him. “Never needed them, no,” Doctor O sighed quietly.

Conner’s eyes trailed back to where the body of the man lay quietly. “Then, who’s—”

Dr. O answered him. “A friend of mine who has saved my ass more times than I can ever thank him for,” he paused. “He . . . left us a while back. I can’t explain the entire story here, but maybe somewhere else, away from wondering ears.”

“We can meet back in my hotel room, Doctor O. You can tell us his story there.” Kira said and smiled to him. Doctor O nodded in thanks.

“Who is he, though?” Conner asked.

Doctor O sighed. “A scientist named Billy Cranston . . .”

--

The second that she pulled back into town, Jen knew something was wrong. Two Time Force Officers stood by a gate, checking cars as they entered and exited the city. Dave also stirred slightly and opened his eyes to see what all the commotion was all about.

Jen put her window down as the officer stepped forward. “Oh, Lieutenant. I’m sorry; I didn’t recognize your car.”

“It’s fine, but what in the hell is going on here, Officer?” she asked.

He leaned in closer to her. “A mutant from the X-Vault has been released. He’s been causing damage all over the city, and we can’t find him.”

Jen sighed. “Brilliant.”

“And also, Lieutenant,” the officer added quickly, “Commander Drake requests that you meet him at Headquarters, he needs to show you something.”

“Why didn’t he just call me?”

The officer shrugged. “He said your phone was off, and if you passed by here to tell you.” Jen confirmed his statement by checking her phone, to reveal several missed calls from him as well as a few messages.

“Very well then, thank you.” Jen said and drove through the check point.

“A mutant escaped, Mom?” Dave asked. Jen nodded as she turned onto English Boulevard and headed towards Time Force headquarters. After pulling up in front of the building, she shut off the engine and exited the car, instructing Dave to do the same.

Sticking close to him mother, Dave’s senses were keen to the surrounding area as they walked through Time Force. He looked at Jen to see she held her blaster in hand. That told him something was wrong. Once he looked around more, he noticed what set Jen’s nerves on high.

The entire place was deserted. Not one other officer stood in the lobby. There was no one in this entire building, which Jen knew was wrong.

“Lieutenant Scotts please report to the hanger, Lieutenant Scotts please report to the hanger . . .”

Dave jumped as the announcement echoed through the empty halls. Jen too tightened her grip on her blaster, her heart racing. “Dave,” she said quietly. “Stay close, kiddo.” That was one command Dave did not question.

He held her hand as she cautiously made her way towards the first floor level of the hanger. Making the last winding turn, they came to a corridor where a single officer stood against the door.

“Officer, what is going on here?” she asked and walked towards him quickly, but she got no response. “I’ll say it again, Officer,” she approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. “What the hell is—”

Dave screamed as the officer fell to the ground to reveal half his face being blown off. Jen grabbed her son and covered his eyes from the gruesome sight.

“It’s amazing what one of these things can do,” a voice called from inside the hanger as Jen and Dave approached it. She snapped her blaster up immediately and held Dave close. A man with pale white skin walked into the middle of the floor, a smug grin plastered his face. He twirled a blaster around his finger.

“Kane,” Jen muttered and shook her head. “I should have known.”

“He’s a mutant?” Dave asked in astonishment. Jen did not respond, but kept her eyes focused on the mutant standing ten yards in front of her, her finger rested over the trigger.

“Oh, come now, Jen—” he smiled. “May I call you Jen, Lieutenant? I’m sure you wouldn’t have problems with that, now, will you?”

“I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, Kane, I’d prefer you stick with one,” her eyes were still trained on him, not moving.

His eyes lowered as he raised his left hand in the air, and a metallic sword materialized in his hand. “Very well then, have it your way, Lieutenant.”

The next thing Dave knew he was shoved behind a wall of crates and was covered in a shower of splinters. His mother ran across the room as her weapon fired off round after round at Kane, who deflected her shots. Jen rolled on the ground and was back on her feet in seconds, a pink light flashed around her as a Chrono saber deflected the sword Kane had in his hand.

Dave watched in horror as Kane and Jen fought, with Kane having the upper hand in this battle. For every swing Jen took, he blocked it then struck her back. Breathing heavy, he ran for another wall just as Jen was sent crashing into the boxes, knocking both her and Dave to the ground. He felt a cracking sensation in his wrist as Jen rolled down and fell to the ground with a hard landing.

“Mom!” he said and crawled next to her. Kane stepped towards them; an evil smile crossed his lips.

Jen panted as she held her side; no doubt a few cracked ribs were causing the pain she felt. “Get back under cover, Dave,” she said loudly and tried to move, but could not.

“How brave of you, boy, to try and save your mother,” he spoke and raised his sword. “Too bad that won’t be happening!” Dave closed his eyes and braced for impact, but snapped them open just as Kane was sent flying across the room.

“Don’t lay a hand on them!” Alex tackled Kane as they skidded across the floor.

“Alex,” Jen said happily as Dave helped her sit up. But she could see Alex already had a previous engagement with the criminal. Her eyes caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a time ship a few feet away from where they sat. She bit her lip as she watched Dave’s amazement in watching Alex fight.

“Dave, honey,” she said to him, “Listen to me, go hide over there in that ship. I need to help Alex fight.”

He shook his head and protested, “But Mom, I don’t want—”

“Damn it, Dave, I said to go there now!” Jen snapped. “Please,” her voice softened. “As soon as the coast is clear I’ll come get you, I promise.”

Dave looked at her, and ran into the ship, then closed the doors. Slowly, she stood and ran to where Alex was now pinned against the wall. “Alex, Dave’s in the time ship. We need to protect him,” she said and helped him up as Kane also recovered from Alex’s hard attack.

“I can do one better,” Alex said and hit a remote he held in his pocket. The time ship suddenly shook to life.

Kane stood up and saw the ship powering up. “Oh no, I’ve worked too hard for this to happen now.” Jen watched in horror as Kane raised his weapon towards the ship.

“No!” she yelled and jumped on the six foot tall man, holding his sword up and away from the ship.

“Mom!” Dave screamed in horror from the time ship as it hovered against the ground. He banged his fists against the glass and started to cry.

“Alex, send it now!” Jen screamed. With all her energy, she kicked Kane out of the way, and he fell hard. Kane’s anger grew towards Jen as he tried to reach Alex, but she would not allow it. ‘God please watch over him.’ Jen prayed as the ship began to transport.

“Begin time shift!” the computer said as the ship shook violently, sending Dave flying against the wall. Immediately he was knocked unconscious as a small trickle of blood began to flow from the cut on his forehead.

“You fool!” he hollered at Alex and aimed his sword for him. “You’ll pay for that!” He stood up and fired a fully powered blast at where Alex stood. Alex prepared to take the blow entirely, but was shoved out of the way as Jen morphed and in return fired her saber full blast back at Kane. He was sent flying across the room and into the wall.

Alex watched in slow motion as the blue flame engulfed Jen entirely, ripping her apart. The flame swirled around her and drained every single ounce of energy she had. Slowly, she fell to her knees, the breath escaping from her lungs.

“Jennifer, no!” Alex screamed. Explosions rocked the building around them as Jen collapsed to the ground, which also gave way to explosions. The floor around her was scorched black from the fire, her entire body covered in cuts.

He ran to her unconscious body and held her close. “Oh God, Jennifer,” he cried. A large laceration crossed her stomach and extended towards her back. Kane was gone by now, but Alex did not care. Jen lay in his arms quietly. With a bloody hand he reached for his radio and pressed the call button.

“This is Commander Alexander Drake, from the hanger. If anyone can hear me, send paramedics right away.” He put his lips to her forehead and prayed she would wake up.

“Received Commander, we’re sending units in now. What is the nature of your emergency?”

“Officer down,” he cried into the radio, cradling Jen’s body in his arms, “Officer down . . .”

--