“Hey, guys! Look what I found!” Wes looked up and smiled as Trip charged into the main clock tower room, waving a boxy old-fashioned camera. “It’s an antique camera!” he exclaimed.
“It’s pretty old,” Wes said, getting up and taking a closer look, “but not quite an antique. It’s an instant camera. If the film’s still good, I can show you.” He took a picture, waited a few seconds, and peeled the film apart. “The picture develops right in front of you,” he said as they all watched the image slowly appear before their eyes. It was faded-looking and the colors were off, but Trip and Katie seemed to be thrilled.
“Oh, take one of me!” Katie exclaimed, moving back a few steps and posing.
“Me! Me!” Trip said, pushing in front of her.
“Hey, slow down!” Wes laughed, and snapped them both as they struggled to get in front of each other. For the next few minutes, the old clock tower echoed with laughter, as Lucas joined in, grabbing the camera, holding it at arm’s length and snapping a picture of himself, only to have it snatched away by Katie.
The only ones who didn’t join in were Jen, who watched with an amused expression, and of course Alex. The two of them were sitting at a small end table, playing a game of chess, an indication of how much Wes’s double had changed his attitude recently. Surprisingly, he gave them a distant smile when he saw Wes looking at him.
Wes dropped onto the couch and watched Lucas, Trip, and Katie until the camera ran out of film and they drifted back to their various occupations. It had been a nice little break, a few minutes of fun, sorely needed. The general atmosphere had improved in their little group during the past two months, much of the tension and hostility was gone, mostly because Alex had unexpectedly lightened up. But it was still depressing a lot of the time.
What did it feel like, to know your whole world was gone? That was what the others had to live with. What Alex had been keeping inside all that time. Couldn’t really blame him for the way he had acted. Wes found it disturbing enough, and he would never see it. The others had no home now, unless they could undo what Ransik had done.
“Nice to hear them laugh again,” Jen said softly.
“Yes, it is.” Alex’s face softened as he watched their teammates playing.
“Not going to tell them to get back to work?”
He glanced at her, the shadow of a smile lightening his eyes. “I suppose I deserve that. No. Let them have a good time while they can.”
“You talk like something bad’s going to happen.”
Now his eyes moved away. “We still have to face the final battle.”
Jen blinked. “Final battle?”
“Frax and Nadira are still out there, remember. They’re bound to make a move, sooner or later.”
“But without Ransik, they’re leaderless. How much of a threat can they be?”
“I don’t know. But our history hasn’t reverted. Trip fixed the communicator weeks ago, but we still can’t contact anyone in our time, meaning our own timeline has not been restored. Whatever Ransik set in motion is still happening. There’s bound to be some sort of disaster.”
“We’ll be ready, Alex. We can handle it, whatever it is.”
“I hope so.” His eyes were unfocused and sad. Then he seemed to shake himself, smiled, and touched her hand. “I’m sure you’re right. We’re Rangers, after all. And we never give up.”
Two months, all alone. She hated it. Nadira sat in the prison ship control room, going over specifications and damage readouts again. She was actually starting to make some sense out of the condition of the ship, to her own surprise. But that didn’t get her any closer to fixing it.
Without the cyclobots, she had been afraid to leave the ship for weeks, but boredom and loneliness had finally driven her out. With the help of a wig, she had ventured into town, and found some comfort in simply walking the streets or sitting in the park. They were only humans, of course, but slowly she had become used to them. Had begun to recognize the same people in the park where she went every day. Even began to look forward to seeing the children at their daily games, the office workers on lunch breaks, the couples walking hand in hand. The thought had come to her more than once that they weren’t so different from her after all. Maybe even not so bad.
Still, there was her father to think about. And she was homesick. So one day she had taken a scanner and begun to examine the damage to the ship from when it crashed. She wasn’t an expert by any means, but she was intelligent, she had the ship’s manuals, and she had plenty of time. Much of it had already been repaired by Conwing and Steelix. If only a few more parts were replaced, she could escape this dreary time and go home, hopefully to a better world. If only she knew more about it, had access to the right parts, and the right tools, or knew what to use as a substitute. If only Ransik were here. If only...
She was so used to the silence now, the distant sound of a door closing brought her to alertness with a jump. Heart suddenly hammering, she listened. There were footsteps, coming closer, a slow, deliberate sound of metal on metal. Only one being walked like that.
Sudden panic propelled her to the door. She ran for the only exit from the command section of the ship, already knowing it was too late. Almost made it, but a tall, golden form blocked the way out. She almost ran into him.
“Frax!” she hissed, backing away.
“Hello, Nadira. You’re looking well.” The robot’s voice was impersonal and metallically cold.
“What are you doing here? What do you want?” She flattened against the wall, cornered.
“Thought I’d inquire about your father. Is he dead?”
“No, he’s not dead!” She could have bitten her tongue as soon as she said it.
“No? Might I ask where he is, then?”
“He’s -- he’s where you’ll never find him!”
“In Venomark’s cryogenic containment unit, no doubt. If you had managed to get more serum for him, he’d be up to his usual tricks by now.”
“I -- I won’t tell you anything!”
“Such loyalty. How touching.” Frax moved closer, his metal hand reaching to brush its fingertips lightly over the side of her face as she twisted her head away. “Ransik really doesn’t deserve it, you know.”
“You don’t know anything about my daddy!”
“I knew him before you were born. Or didn’t he tell you? It’s a fascinating story, how we met.”
“He told me.” Nadira looked up at him again, the memory suddenly sending a pang of shame through her. “I’m sorry for what my father did to you. It was terrible. But revenge won’t make anything better.”
“But it’s all right for him to have his revenge against the humans, I suppose?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Why do you think you’re here, in this time? I suppose Ransik told you some story about making mutants powerful enough to fight human tyranny, to achieve equality, by eliminating Time Force. But the truth is he wants enough power to turn the tables. Mutants ruling over humans, committing the same abuses they were subjected to. And of course, with Ransik ruling over the mutants… What he wants is power and revenge, Nadira. He’s blinded by hate. Sick with it…”
Frax had raised a hand and curled it into a fist. He stopped, and lowered it slowly, his metal face turning to look at hers again. “But what he’s done won’t turn out quite the way he planned. Oh, no. He’ll have his revenge against humanity, all right, but mutantkind will suffer just as much. Ironic, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?” Nadira gasped, not at all sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“It’s quite simple… In our timeline, several organizations used mutation-inducing technology to create mutants for their own very special purposes. They went beyond the usual enhancements in strength, intelligence, and talents, the kind of milder genetic manipulation that produced those two Rangers, Trip Regis and Katie Walker. No, they created mutant soldiers, powerful and deadly, minds and bodies designed exclusively for killing.
“Time Force was the only thing that stood in their way. The only ones who could stop the production of these mutants, the only ones who could fight the mutants who had already been created. They kept the problem from becoming unmanageable.
“Then Ransik came here, to 2001. He set events in motion that will result in Time Force never being created. Without them, there will be the war that Ransik predicted, but it won’t end with a mutant victory. The sides will be too evenly matched, and the weapons too powerful. No one will win, there will be total destruction, human and mutant, a bare and lifeless world, all thanks to your father!”
Nadira shook her head. “No! That can’t be true! I don’t believe you!”
“What you believe doesn’t matter. It’s happening. All I have to do to make sure of it is to complete Ransik’s plan… attack Silver Hills, cause as much destruction as I can…” With a quick movement, he reached to grab Nadira’s arm. “I want Ransik to see it! I want him to know what he’s done! Where is he?”
“No! I won’t tell!” She winced as the grip on her arm tightened, tried in vain to twist free. Tried to hold it in, but a cry of pain and fear escaped her. His fingers closed on her flesh, harder and harder as she struggled… Just as she felt her bones would surely break, he abruptly let go.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s here, somewhere. When Silver Hills lies in ruins, I’ll be back to show him his great victory, and exactly what it means.”
Panting, Nadira rubbed her bruised arm, watched him walk out, his steps as deliberate and unhurried as before, and tried not to whimper as tears spilled from her eyes. “But why?” she shouted at his retreating back. “You’re human, underneath! If you know what’s going to happen, why don’t you stop it?”
He paused, half-turned, his hollow voice echoing between the walls. “Humans, mutants, they’re all infected with the disease of bigotry and hatred. Let them destroy each other. I’ll return to a world cleansed of all of them. And the robots will inherit the Earth!”
“Hmm. How many more? Ten? Fifteen?”
Eric glanced down at Alan Collins’ head as it bent over a desk scattered with papers. It had become a familiar view. He was standing in the place he had come to feel comfortable in, at the side of that large desk, in his employer’s office, in an at-ease position, hands linked loosely behind his back. “I can use as many more Guardians as I can get,” he answered. “There’s plenty of work. Seems like more clients every day.”
“Haven’t been any mutant attacks lately.”
“No. I think that’s making people nervous. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, I guess. And of course we’re also a protection against human criminals.”
“Yes. That’s the direction we should be going in. Someday the mutants will be gone.”
“You intend to keep the Guardians going after that?”
“Of course.” Collins’ face raised to look at him. “You’ve turned out to be a valuable asset to Bio-Lab. I’m not planning on letting you go.”
Eric felt himself flush slightly with self-consciousness, and lowered his eyes. The compliment had been meant for the Silver Guardians, as an organization, of course -- but Collins gave him a slightly amused, almost affectionate smile before he looked down again.
He certainly couldn’t complain about the turn his life had taken in the last two months. His promotion to commander had plunged him into more work, increased responsibility -- and he felt as if he had found his true calling. Being in control was deeply rewarding, of course, both to his ego and to his craving for power. But it was more than that. He liked the demands, the satisfaction of accomplishment, the knowledge that he was doing something important, and doing it well. He cared about the men and women who worked for him, and had become strongly protective. And he knew he had won their loyalty in return, even that of Steve Miller, whom he had replaced.
As for the Rangers, he had formed a working relationship with them, if not a friendly one. With Wes, it was a little different. While he couldn’t say they were close, they at least had made some tentative steps towards re-establishing their school-time friendship, even having lunch together once when Wes had come to visit his father. There hadn’t been a lot of conversation, both of them feeling uncomfortable, but it was a start.
It made him feel good, all of it. But it also frightened him. Whatever he had, only meant he had something to lose. The job, his house, this city, even the man sitting at the desk next to him, they had all come to mean entirely too much to him. And they were all still in danger.
“Fifteen, then,” Collins was saying. “Unless you think more...”
“Excuse me, sir,” Eric interrupted as a voice came from the headset he always wore while on duty. He raised a hand to his ear, listening intently. Collins looked up, his eyes narrowing at what he saw on Eric’s face. He waited quietly.
When he had heard it all, Eric looked down at him. “The other shoe’s dropping,” he said. “Some kind of giant machine, along with a bunch of cyclobots. Attacking our north warehouses. I have to go.”
“Of course.” Collins’ voice came again as Eric reached the door, stopping him only long enough to nod in acknowledgement as he heard, “Good luck, Eric.”
They stood in a line and raised their arms together, the light flashing over them. It changed them, replacing their clothes with the fighting Ranger suits, sending a surge of energy and strength through them, the feeling, just for a moment, that they were invincible. But Wes knew better than to believe it.
The summons had come only moments before, Circuit alerting them to the news reports of an attack on Bio-Lab. There were no mutant lifesigns, this time. Only cyclobots, and -- something worse.
Swiftly the team expanded their Timeflyers from the toy-sized form they were stored in, while Alex summoned his Eagle, and took off from the clock tower roof, taking the risk of someone seeing them. He knew it might not matter any more. He could feel it. The final battle was approaching.
They soared over the city, Wes squinting as the afternoon sun beamed through his cockpit window. Then they were over the fields north of Bio-Lab. And they saw it. Only a column of smoke at first, then a large building in flames, an odd feeling of hurt coming over him at seeing his father’s property being destroyed. And then something moving into view, turning towards them, sunlight glinting off metal.
“Alex, what is that thing?” Jen’s voice came over the communicator built into his helmet.
“I don’t know. Probably Frax’s work.” It was a machine, that much was obvious, as big as the Q-Rex, in fact rather similar. It had a stocky body, almost humanoid in shape, with arms and massive legs. Weapons bristled from it everywhere they could see, from its arms and chest, even its box-like head.
“Watch out!” He heard Lucas shout as the head turned up, and it raised an arm to point at them, a thick energy beam stabbing toward them. Wes swept into a steep turn, avoiding the attack, a quick glance showing that the others had also escaped.
“Open fire!” Alex shouted. They joined in a ragged formation, making a run over the robot, raking it with their flyers’ weapons. It moved back, surprisingly fast for such a large machine, but at least three beams hit. It didn’t seem to do much good, he couldn’t see any damage.
But they hadn’t used their most powerful weapon yet. He heard Alex’s voice, shouting, “Q-Rex!” Then they were on the attack again, sweeping back, trying to drive the giant robot away from the building, where he could see cyclobots attacking running people, the black SUV’s of the Guardians, blue-uniformed troops fighting back, even thought he picked out Eric’s red beret. Had to keep that monstrosity away from them, couldn’t let anyone get killed... They fired yet again.
A shadow flitting over the ground told him the Q-Rex had arrived. He looked up to see it overhead, already on the attack, firing a massive burst at the destructive robot. It hit, the machine staggered back, but it raised its ‘head’ and defended itself, sending a stream of fire shooting from its mouth to flare around the Q-Rex.
As the Rangers fled, the two giants exchanged another concentrated burst of fiery energy. It seemed to explode between them, almost blinding for a moment, setting the trees in the immediate area afire. The Q-Rex lifted up and circled, coming back for another attack.
But Frax’s robot seemed to have had enough. It abruptly began to change form, body telescoping, arms and legs unfolding into wings, then it was taking off, swiftly flying past the Q-Rex, which wheeled to pursue.
They followed, quickly outdistanced, but it was no use. When they caught up to the Q-Rex, there was no sign of its opponent. They circled, searching, for several minutes. But it was obvious it was gone. “Head back for the attack site,” Alex ordered finally. “We should assess the damages.”
And the damage was heavy; the cyclobots had disappeared but the building was still burning, fire engines arriving, but they wouldn’t be able to save much. The warehouse would be a total loss. But that wasn’t what worried Wes most. He spotted Eric, walking around the outskirts of the fire, and ran to catch him.
“Eric! Are you okay? Did anyone get hurt?”
Dark eyes stared at him for a moment before he answered. “No. We got the building evacuated in time, everyone seems to be accounted for. A few minor injuries is all.”
“Good. Sorry we didn’t get here in time to stop this.”
“It happened so fast... we got here only a few seconds before you. And there sure wasn’t much we could do. What the hell was that?”
“We don’t know, except Frax must have built it.”
Eric sighed, looking up at the smoke trailing into the sky. “Did you guys destroy it, whatever it was?”
“No.” Alex’s voice came from behind Wes; he turned to see the others had joined them. “It wasn’t even significantly damaged. I have the feeling this was just -- an opening shot.”
“You mean it’s coming back?”
“I’m sure it is. This was just the warm-up.”
“Damn. I don’t think any of us are going to like the main event.”