I’m trying something new with this story; chapter by chapter author’s notes. The following is a collection of my comments on the story, some explanations and background; and where I thought it worked well - or has weaknesses.
Chapter 1 - Strangers in the Night
First scene: Wes and Eric meet, after Eric has been away. Background here, a mention of the events in ‘Red Fire’ that established their relationship. Also an introduction of one of the main themes; Eric’s being firmly in the closet as far as letting anyone know about him and Wes, with a hint of their trying to keep it secret from Wes’s father in particular.
First Jen and Alex scene: A little futuristic touch, with the mechanical waiter. I think it’s important to establish the feel of a different time. This conversation briefly mentions the elements of the main plotline; the new Quantum morphers (with the same old ineffective security system), and Andrea, with just a hint at a problem in her past. More obviously, it establishes the fact that Jen and Alex are back together, although Jen still has some thoughts of Wes.
Wes/Eric hallway love scene: Establishes the intensity of their romantic and sexual relationship. They’re still very much in the ‘honeymoon’ stage at this point, hence the ‘can’t keep their hands off each other’ remark. I also wanted to show Wes as the sexually aggressive one in this sequence; with this pairing it’s tempting to see Eric as dominant, and Wes as - less dominant. I see them as pretty much equals, but with big differences in personality. Eric is certainly more aggressive in general, more decisive, more realistic. Wes, however, is stronger on a deeper level, more resilient. In later chapters, he’s often the one supporting Eric emotionally.
Alex/Jen proposal: In the first version of this story, Jen turned Alex down, saying she wasn’t completely sure of her feelings. I changed it for several reasons; it’s more dramatic this way, it makes sense (Jen loves Alex, she never expects to see Wes again at this point), and it fits better with later developments in their relationship. The point is also made that she still has strong feelings for Wes, and some uncertainty, which is of course another major subplot.
Wes/Eric singing in bed scene: The first part brings out Wes’s humor, and the fact that he brings out a humorous side in Eric. Hopefully, this scene and all their interactions portray them as a truly loving couple; very different personalities who complement each other well. So many fics never give much sense of what a couple finds attractive in each other beyond physical appearance, I wanted throughout the fic to show them playing off each other, having fun together and also talking seriously. The rest of the scene is one of those serious discussions, establishing Wes’s optimism vs. Eric’s pessimism, raising the issue of whether they should tell Mr. Collins (which of course becomes a major subplot), and showing them being able to disagree without an argument.
Side note - the singing in bed was based on an ex-boyfriend of mine, who did indeed sing Strangers in the Night to me in bed.
Chapter 2 - Hidden Faces
Alex at Time Force: The first few paragraphs bring us up to date, establishing that three weeks have gone by. Alex is happy about their engagement, but is well aware that Jen still has Wes on her mind. Alex’s jealousy and resentment of Wes are introduced. The rest of the scene is the beginning of the main plotline, the theft of the new Quantum morphers.
Eric and Mr. Collins at Bio-Lab: In this scene, we see that Mr. Collins and Eric have a warm relationship, one that approaches father-son. We see the nicer side of Collins’ personality, and his affection and concern for his son. Eric’s guilty feelings at the way he and Wes are deceiving Collins is also apparent. And now the pressure is on for the two of them to reveal the truth.
Alex and others see Andrea on the surveillance tape: Fairly straightforward; the Rangers see that Andrea is the thief who took the Quantum morphers. One subtle note: Alex’s emotional involvement is obvious from the way he doesn’t want to believe it’s her. Also there’s another hint at her past.
Wes/Eric: A critical decision is made. Wes feels forced to tell his father he’s gay, and that Eric is his lover. Eric reacts very strongly, we’ll find out why later. We see more of the dynamic between them, as they instinctively bond together in a tough situation.
Andrea and her team escape: Our first real look at Andrea. She’s both seductive and menacing with Alex; we hopefully get a sense of the personal anger she feels for him, and of the way she uses her beauty as a weapon. We’ll see more of both later. There’s also a brief hint that she’s up to something bigger than just taking the morphers.
Chapter 3 - Feet of Clay
This was originally going to be the title of the story, until I discovered Rach has an upcoming story by the same name (which may now be delayed). She didn’t ask me to change it, but I felt it was better this way; ‘Fall From Grace’ actually plays into the story’s themes at least as well. But I used the original title for this chapter.
Wes tells Mr. Collins: One of the most important scenes in the story. I did research on typical reactions of parents to learning their son or daughter is gay, and it pretty much reinforced my own feeling about how Collins would behave. A rather painful scene, but realistic. Both Wes and Collins are totally unprepared for this, and handle it in exactly the wrong ways. In the second part of the scene, we see Collins fastening on Eric as a good target for blame, and Wes immediately trying to protect him. As it ends, the situation is unresolved, only to blow up later of course.
Jen and others trace Andrea: Basically moves the plot along, as the Rangers find out Andrea and her team escaped into the far future. We also find out a little more about Alex’s former relationship with Andrea.
Jen and Alex in timeship hanger: Another interaction between Jen and Alex, showing more of their relationship. Alex is concerned and supportive but also jealous, Jen withdraws but knows she’s not being fair to him. There’s a lot of ambivalence between them. Another reminder that Jen still has feelings for Wes, and a statement of the obvious, that seeing him again will be a major challenge for her and her relationship with her fiancé. Also moves the plot along, we see the reason for the two sets of Rangers to join up again.
Wes/Eric scene at Eric’s house: Wes’s hurt and anger at his father come out. Eric again reacts with fear and pain, this time we find out why as he tells the story of his foster parents. By the way, I originally had him telling this at the end of the story to Mr. Collins, but one of my betas pointed out that Eric would be unlikely to tell such a personal thing to someone he had little reason to trust at that point. We see Wes comforting Eric, and Eric doing his best to reciprocate. Again, they bond well under stress.
Chapter 4 - Over the Edge
Andrea’s story: A major chunk of exposition and background. Hopefully by this point, there have been enough hints about Andrea to make the reader want to know about her history. The entire incident with Razor is told at length and in detail (possibly too long) in order to build the emotional impact that makes us understand why Andrea would be motivated to kill him and why that killing would be accepted by Time Force. This was a tricky bit; Andrea had to be guilty of something bad enough to keep her from becoming a Ranger, yet not bad enough to hurt her career as a Time Force officer. Alex had to do something that made her hate him, without looking like a jerk. A hint is included about Andrea’s growing hatred of mutants, and her possible mental instability.
Wes and Eric go to the Collins house: Another very important scene, and another painful one. Wes and his father have both had just enough time for their anger to build, but not enough to calm down and be rational. We see Wes’s temper here; it takes a lot to make him really angry, but when it happens, watch out! We also see Eric truly furious, and have the surprise of seeing him cursing at his employer and father figure. However, they leave Collins with something to think about.
Chapter 5 - Into Tomorrow
Wes/Eric in the timeship cabin: Another relationship scene, Wes is feeling a little insecure about Eric’s feelings for him. Eric is obviously very depressed, but he’s still able to reassure Wes although a good bit of defiance towards Collins creeps in.
Alex with Wes in the morning: Reinforces Alex’s jealousy, and the fact that he has no clue what to do about the situation. Wes was about to say he’s not interested in Jen any more, but thought better of it. He’s picking up Eric’s caution.
They arrive in the far future: Now the sci-fi part really gets going. Personal problems are temporarily forgotten, we see the Rangers working smoothly as a team as they travel to the year 7000. The rest of Andrea’s team is introduced. I aimed for an eerie atmosphere here, strange and uncertain, a mix of the familiar and the totally unexpected. Something different. My beta said she suspected the truth - or part of it - at this point, I suppose some readers will do the same. All I’ll say here is that I was inspired by part of Larry Niven’s The Mote in God’s Eye.
Side note - my beta made the comment that she thought, ‘It’s five thousand years in the future, maybe no one goes out on Tuesdays,’ and I liked it so much I had Eric say it in the story.
Chapter 6 - Anachronism
* Some big spoilers here, read the chapter first! *
At the clock tower and ‘Bio-Lab’: There’s another clue, as the Rangers speculate on why someone would have rebuilt the clock tower so exactly, and discover the plaques on it and other buildings. Same situation when they reach ‘Bio-Lab’; they know in Jen and Alex’s time it no longer exists except as a decaying abandoned building, but here it is, reconstructed down to the last detail, and with more of those plaques. What kind of place features reconstructions of important historical structures? Hmmmm.
Anyway, here and throughout the story we see the professional aspect of Jen and Alex’s relationship, as they work together as part of the team. Alex is a natural leader, as is Jen. She backs him up and takes over when he’s not there. They are a pairing of similar personalities with a shared purpose; they have a great deal in common, they understand and reinforce each other. Whatever the strain in their relationship, they always have that bond to fall back on.
Finally, the Rangers guess part of the truth, although it brings up more questions. No time to worry about that, as they find Andrea and her people. Eric, typically, takes off after them alone. The chapter’s cliffhanger is set up as the last we see of him is as he falls to the ground after being blasted from the sky. Is he dead? Gone forever? If you know my writing at all you can make a good guess that I’m not done with him yet.
I got the museum idea, as I said before, from Larry Niven’s The Mote in God’s Eye. In part of that excellent novel, two characters are stranded on an alien planet that has had a series of catastrophic wars, and find a giant museum that has been maintained for what may be millions of years. It contains a collection of exhibits from different eras, meant to help the effort to rebuild after another war.
Chapter 7 - Forever (last minute chapter name change)
The Rangers return to the ship: Some plot development here, repeating some facts about the detection of morphers with scanners, and note that Trip and Katie aren’t feeling well.
Wes and Jen in his cabin: Most of this chapter is an exploration of the Wes/Jen and Jen/Alex relationships. This scene shows Jen practically coming out and saying she still loves Wes, while he tries his best to discourage her without actually telling her he’s gay, something he’s not prepared to tell any of them yet. As it ends, she seems to have gotten the point, and she leaves, confused and upset. My theory in this fic is that Jen loves both Wes and Alex just about equally, but Wes of course has the advantage of being unattainable, which can be a very attractive quality.
I included the mention of Reinforcements From the Future in order to conform to canon; partly for the challenge, partly to deflect the inevitable comments (or at least thoughts) of, ‘What about Wes and Jen in Reinforcements? What about Eric and Taylor?’ Also note the explanation of memory adaptation.
Jen and Alex on the beach: There’s an explanation of the different ways in which Jen is attracted to Alex (he’s steady, reliable, they have a lot in common, but he’s reserved and unexpressive most of the time) and Wes (he’s different, he challenges her, brings out her emotional side). Then there’s a surprise for her; Alex takes a page from his rival’s book. He really talks about his feelings for Jen for the first time, then he finally confronts her, demanding to know if she still loves Wes, and breaking their engagement when she can’t/won’t answer. Jen may be re-evaluating her opinion of him as he does the completely unexpected; betrays the depth of his emotions in that last kiss.
Eric and Andrea: Well, you didn’t really think he was dead, did you? Andrea has a perfect setup here, Eric’s morpher and Ranger suit match the rest of the Quantum Rangers, by all appearances he’s a part of their team. And with his memory gone, appearances are all he has to go on. Note how seductive Andrea is with him; but of course it’ll have less effect than she thinks.
Chapter 8 - Forgotten
This is a fairly straightforward chapter, advancing the plot and containing a little action.
Eric’s scenes: All of these basically continue the theme of Eric’s ‘seduction’ by Andrea. She is charming and sweet, tells him she and her friends saved his life, that they’re trying to save humanity from the evil mutants. She tells him she needs him and asks for his help. With nothing else to go on, he has little choice but to believe her. For now. Just a couple of hints here that he remembers a little, and that his seeing Wes again may upset Andrea’s applecart.
Wes’s scenes: Wes is half-crazy with worry about Eric, but he notices something wrong with Trip and Katie. In the fight, we see both of them weaken quickly and demorph. And Andrea mentioned a virus in one of her scenes. Hmmm.
You can’t hypnotize or brainwash someone into doing something that’s against their basic moral standards. Eric may not have his memories, but he still has the decency that helped make him a great Ranger. He saves Trip, but to Wes’s disappointment, takes off with the bad guys again. But he hesitated. We’ll see next chapter what impression that encounter made on him.
Chapter 9 - Hard Truth
*Spoiler warning, read the chapter first!*
In the cabin with sick Trip and Katie: A lot goes on in this scene. We see just how sick Trip and Katie are, we learn that they are the only ones affected (presumably) because they are mutants. I worked in the concept I used in Year of Time, that both of them are mutants, while still keeping Trip an alien. Actually, I think this works quite nicely, also explaining how an alien could be so human, and how Katie could be so strong (which was never explained in the series, I think).
Jen confronts Wes: Then, Trip opens his big mouth (he’s semi-comatose, so we’ll forgive him) and spills the beans about Wes and Eric. I think Wes was close to telling anyway. Alex and Lucas are surprised, but Jen is shocked, not out of homophobia, but because of their previous relationship. Alex has just broken up with her, after all, now she finds out the other man she thought truly loved her is gay. Poor Jen, she’s managed to go from two men to none in record time.
Eric at ‘Time Force’: Meanwhile, Eric is struggling to remember, feeling a strong response to seeing Wes last chapter, and then finding out some unpleasant truths himself, by overhearing Andrea and Morgan plotting to use and eventually dispose of him. Try to imagine finding yourself in danger, and having no idea who you might be able to trust for help. I wanted to emphasize both his confusion and the way he senses the connection between himself and Wes, without being able to remember anything definite.
Why doesn’t the Quantum morpher tell him what’s going on? I thought about this while writing, and finally found a way to mention it briefly in the story. The way I see it, the morpher is telepathic, and I’ve written it that way in the past, but it’s still basically just a computer. It will do what it’s programmed to do, which is assist the Quantum Ranger to use his weapons in battle. It can’t make judgments about who’s a friend or an enemy. If it could, it might have told Eric to stop attacking Wes early in his QR career.
But in any case, Eric at this time doesn’t remember enough to know he could ask it questions, and the morpher won’t do or say anything it’s not told to do or say. In the series I think we saw it ‘speak’ only when Eric asked it for something.
Wes goes after Eric: Having failed to persuade Alex to stay and rescue Eric, Wes makes the only decision possible for him. Whether you want to call him foolish or heroic is a matter of opinion, as he takes off on his own to rescue his lover, and immediately walks into a trap.
Chapter 10 - Rescuers
*spoilers - you know the drill by now*
Alex deciding to go after the Quantum Rangers: I had a lot of trouble with the communication factor here. I didn’t want Alex wasting time on phoning home, and wanted to leave him in an uncertain situation, although on second thought he could have called Time Force and Logan could have told him they had to think about it. Anyway, I went from having a response take a day to having it take a few minutes. Doesn’t much matter, Alex knows he can’t wait for rescue.
Wes and Eric scenes: Well, we could all see Eric’s rescue of Wes coming. We see Morgan’s viciousness again, and suspect he’s in this more for fun than to save humanity from evil mutants. When they reach relative safety, Wes realizes what’s happened to Eric. He reaches out, and Eric, typically, withdraws, suspicious to the end. But he does remember a little. I tried to make this part sweet, and a little reminiscent of their relationship in Eric’s early appearances in the series.
The second scene continues the theme from Eric’s POV, as he has some tantalizing flashbacks and realizes he and Wes have a romantic relationship. We see that his condition seems to be deteriorating. Another scene intended to be sweet, and remind us of their ‘courtship’, such as it was, in ‘Red Fire’; with their roles reversed this time.
Alex, Jen, and Lucas vs Andrea: A more or less straightforward action scene. Andrea gives us a few more hints about her mission, and shows her own viciousness. Alex and Jen work smoothly as a team here and throughout the chapter, again we see their professional relationship at its best, hinting at how well they understand and trust each other. Then, Jen reveals the depth of her feelings towards Alex as the scene, and the chapter, end; a depth she may not have been fully aware of until now.
Chapter 11 - Fallen
*you guessed it, spoilers.*
Lucas and Jen, after Alex’s disappearance: Jen is frantic to find Alex, it should be obvious how much she cares for him.
Eric and Wes: Just a couple of lines of personal dialogue, but they show the two of them falling into the same kind of interaction as before, despite Eric’s amnesia. Then they go into action, working smoothly as a team. I wondered whether to explain that they came out to find the source of the blaster fire they heard last chapter, but decided the reader would make that assumption.
Alex and Shirley: Shirley is of course named for Shirley Chong. I’ve named several of my characters after my fellow fanfic writers, Dagmar and Sierra appeared as scientists in Double Time, Rachel Trench appeared in Double Time and Valentine’s Day, Rick Quinn in The Time Tunnel and Valentine’s Day. One of Norman Ryder’s robots, Silver, was named after SilverRider in Unreal Life and Violet.
This scene is somewhat pivotal, it explains several things; how the Ranger’s timehole was disabled, and why Andrea couldn’t remember her previous trip to that time (at first). Andrea’s plan is given more detail. We learn that humans are not extinct or anything like that. Naturally, Shirley isn’t going to tell too much, not to Alex anyway, and not at this time.
I had considered making Shirley a year-7000 Ranger and having her join the fight, but thought that might be a little Mary Sue-ish. Besides, it makes more sense for her to interfere as little as possible.
Jen, et al, in last fight with the Quantum Rangers: I think this scene is probably a little too short and fast, but there was already the fight involving Wes, Eric, Trip, and Katie, and a dramatic confrontation coming up, so I made it quick. Tried to work in a bit of visual drama with Morgan crashing through the window.
Then, we get to see Jen back in her leadership role, taking charge with decisive effectiveness. She doesn’t even stop to ask Trip and Katie what happened (a minor logical oversight, but the reader really doesn’t need to see it again), just gives everyone their orders and goes after Andrea.
Eric has finally collapsed, and Wes and Trip stay with him; Trip again demonstrates the attitudes of his time as he obviously approves of Wes and Eric’s relationship.
Alex and Andrea on the roof: Andrea makes her last stand, falling back on her usual weapons of seduction and charm to make a last attempt to win Alex over. Of course it doesn’t work. She clears up any questions we still have left about her and her plan before attacking him. There’s hopefully some sense that Alex still has a few feelings for her, even if it’s mostly pity.
I wanted the last part to be very dramatic and shocking. The reader will have to decide how dramatic it is; my beta commented, ‘I totally knew she was going to kill herself!’ Sigh.
Chapter 12 - Coming Home
Wes and Eric at Time Force: Establishes that Eric has recovered, and shows the two of them resuming their relationship, complete with a bit of teasing.
Jen and Alex: I had a lot of problems writing this, and was fiddling with it right up until posting time. Finally got the last two paragraphs so that I’m mostly satisfied with them. The challenge was to convince the reader that Jen has had a genuine change of heart, even as she has to convince Alex. A couple of reviewers commented that Alex would wonder whether she’s only settling for him because Wes is gay; I wrote that in, with Jen saying that she had always known she couldn’t be with Wes and this doesn’t really change things. Hopefully both reader and Alex are sure she’s sincere by the end of the scene.
Goodbye on the beach: I added this scene shortly before posting, to give more closure to the Wes/Jen relationship. Again, a review prompted me to add Jen’s apology to Wes.
Wes and his father: All along, I intended to portray Collins as a basically good-hearted man who’s been confronted with something outside his experience and handled it badly, demonstrating that a lot of prejudice comes out of ignorance and unfamiliarity. Now he’s had time to think about it and has realized his mistakes. He apologizes, and Wes, who’s a forgiving sort, understands. Wes’s little speech about not being ashamed was also a late addition; I wanted throughout this story to make that statement. Hope it came out that way without sounding preachy.
Eric and Collins: Another plot thread is resolved as these two make up and resume their almost father/son relationship. Eric of course expresses his hurt in terms of anger, Collins shows how far he has come in accepting Wes and Eric’s relationship. And all is as it should be.
Epilogue
Wes/Eric: To me, this scene is kind of bitter-sweet. The sweet part is obvious. The bitter part is the fact that they’re still hiding their relationship from everyone except Wes’s father. Should they have the courage to come out and tell the world, make a real difference, and perhaps make their own lives miserable in the process? I won’t make that judgment.
Some people seem to think that a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy means tolerance and acceptance. Absolutely untrue; as long as homosexuality is treated as a dirty little secret not discussed in polite society gay people will grow up ashamed and confused and straight people will grow up thinking homosexuality is some kind of bizarre aberration (like I did). There won’t be real tolerance until gayness is thought of like left-handedness; unusual, different, but perfectly acceptable, the kind of thing you mention casually over dinner. And now I’m done preaching.
Jen/Alex: By contrast, Jen and Alex can look forward to marriage, a home together, and probably children. This experience has strengthened rather than weakened their relationship; now both of them know Wes is out of the picture forever.
The first few paragraphs were a late addition; I realized all of Jen and Alex’s scenes together were deathly serious, and I strongly feel a couple needs to be able to be comfortable enough with each other to joke and tease. So the beginning of the scene is intended to show that they’re now a little more relaxed than in the first chapter.
Shirley: This scene is meant to both round out the story and wrap up the last few questions the reader might have. Also I took a liking to Shirley and wanted to show her again.
I had a great time writing this, and took full advantage of the opportunity to both tell a story and present some of my own social and political views. I hope all of you enjoyed it too.