They met at Bio-Lab, Wes spotting Jen, Trip, and Katie walking in just as he and Eric were starting to look for them. The five of them gathered in the middle of Bio-Lab’s reception area, now almost empty, the employees evacuated except for the Silver Guardians.

“Wes, are you all right? Where’s Alex?” Jen greeted him.

“I’m fine. Alex was injured, a cyclobot caught him unmorphed with a blaster shot.”

“Where is he? How bad is it?”

“Hospital. He was conscious. I think he’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?” Jen exclaimed. “We should check on him.”

“No time, Jen,” Katie said. “Doomtron could be back any minute.”

“But...” Jen stopped, her face falling. “You’re right. We have to stop this attack.”

“And without Alex, we’ve got a real problem,” Trip said. “If we don’t have the Q-Rex…”

“We do have it. Eric, show them.”

Eric had been watching and listening quietly. Now he held up his left arm, letting them see the morpher on his wrist. Stunned silence followed for a few moments.

“How did you get that?” Jen demanded.

“Alex gave it to him.”

“But you’re… you’re not trained… you’re not a Ranger!”

“I am now,” Eric said. He frowned as the three of them exchanged uneasy glances. “Look, Alex gave me this morpher, and I’m keeping it as long as it takes to kick Doomtron’s butt. Get used to it.”

“All right,” Jen said, eyes narrowing. “I just hope Alex knew what he was doing.”

“Where’s Lucas?” Wes asked.

“At the prison ship.”

“The prison ship? You found it?”

“Nadira took us there.” She briefed him quickly, telling him about Nadira’s change of heart, Frax’s story, and their release of Ransik. “Lucas stayed behind, he and Ransik are working on repairing the prison ship,” she finished. “It has some weapons systems, could be useful to us.”

“Are you sure you can trust Ransik?” Wes was still having trouble taking in the possibility that their archenemy could be working on their side.

“I’m sure he’s sincere,” Trip said. “Once we showed him the effect of what he’s done… he doesn’t want it to happen any more than we do.”

“I guess. It’s just hard to believe we could be teaming up with Ransik…”

“Tell me about it,” Jen muttered.

“So -- now what?”

“Now, I get the hell back downtown,” Eric said, a hand raised to his headset. “Doomtron’s just been spotted again. See ya.”

“Eric, wait!” Wes caught at his arm. Eric pulled it away, but he stopped and turned back. “You’re one of us, now. We have to work together.”

“I’m a Guardian first. I’m not part of your team.”

Wes stepped closer, meeting Eric’s eyes. “You’re a Ranger. That means something. Alex gave you that morpher for a reason, so you could protect this whole city. Protect the future, for all of us.” He paused and added, “You’ve got to go beyond being a Guardian now. Work with us.”

Eric seemed to hesitate as the traces of conflicting emotions chased each other across his face. Then his expression firmed, and he nodded and said, “Okay, for now. Let’s get going.”

“Hand me that wrench…”

“Which one?” Nadira sighed a little, inwardly. She didn’t even know one tool from another. Wanted to help, but suddenly felt so ignorant.

“The big one, with the red handle.” Lucas took it from her, his head disappearing inside the console again as he made some unseen adjustment.

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’m not very good at this kind of thing,” she said.

“Not everyone can be a mechanic.”

“But you and Daddy are. I feel useless.”

His face pulled back partially into view, an eye finding her. “You managed to run all those timestream projections. I wouldn’t have been able to do that.”

“Only because Daddy showed me how.”

“You still did it, didn’t you? Your problem is, your father still treats you like a kid… and you still feel like one.” He slid out and sat up. “But I think you’ve been doing some growing up now.”

“She certainly has.” They both turned at the new voice, to see Ransik standing in the doorway, his disfigured face smudged with grease. He glanced at Nadira, his eyes quickly avoiding hers, seeming almost embarrassed. Or ashamed? “I’ve finished remounting the stabilizer,” he said.

“Good. We’re just about done, then,” Lucas said. He reached to pat the console paneling. “This bird’s about to fly again. Let’s get to the control room, check out the defense systems.”

“There’s not much power left. I’m afraid there won’t be much we can do,” Ransik said.

“Better than nothing. And maybe we can do more than you think.”

It was back. Wes swallowed hard, staring up as Doomtron appeared over the rooftops, quickly moving towards the five morphed Rangers. It was just as fearsome, just as deadly-looking as before. He used the sensors in his helmet to try to spot any sign of damage, and found none.

“Trip, scan for weaknesses,” Jen said tensely, echoing his thoughts.

“Already on it.” Trip had his scanner in his hand, head bent over the small screen. “Repaired damages on the right side of the upper body. Can’t tell if it’s a weak spot, but it’s a place to start.”

“We need the Q-Rex, Eric.”

“On its way.” Eric took a few steps away from the rest of them and raised his arm. “TF Eagle!” he called.

“What are you doing?” Wes asked.

“I’m going to fight that thing, of course.”

“Wait,” Jen exclaimed. “You don’t know what to do, how to use your weapons…”

“I’m a fast learner. And the morpher will help. I can use the Q-Rex better from the air.”

“I don’t like you going off on your own like this...”

He saluted them ironically with a wave of his gloved hand. “I know what I’m doing. Watch. Maybe you’ll learn something!” And with a leap, he was in the air, landing on the Eagle’s wing as it hovered, quickly sliding into the cockpit, then taking off into the sky, where they saw the Q-Rex flying to meet him.

“Damn it,” Jen growled.

“Never mind, Jen,” Katie said. “We have our flyers this time. Let’s go. Kick a little robot butt ourselves.”

It was amazing. Almost like being able to fly himself. For an instant Eric found himself wondering if this was what Superman felt like. Then he looked down, all other thoughts fleeing as he saw the full extent of the destruction to his city. No more, he promised silently. He’d stop that monster robot, once and for all, one way or another.

“Q-Rex, land. Attack Doomtron!” That had been Alex’s strategy, to fight on the ground. Eric swept into a turn, circling as the two machines faced each other, surrounded by heavily damaged buildings. If he could keep them there, the rest of the city would be safe… if he won…

Movement, as four small aircraft, a little bigger than the Eagle, rose into the air. The other Rangers. For the first time it hit him hard, he was a Ranger… not just the power he suddenly found himself in control of, but also the responsibility. He had the strongest weapons; if they failed, if more of the city suffered, it would be his fault. For just an instant, he faltered, wondered if this was a mistake… but then uncertainty faded. He was just as good as any of them. Maybe better. And he’d prove it.

But he should use the help he had available. Bringing the morpher to his face, he called, “Morpher! Describe the Q-Rex’s weapons systems!”

A pleasant female ‘voice’ answered inside his head. “Chest: blaster cannon. Right arm: laser cannon. Left arm: projectile cannon. Head: tracers, heat blasters.”

“Can you suggest strategy?”

“Yes.”

Eric waited for a beat before realizing his mistake. “Do it!” he ordered.

“Concentrate fire on recently damaged parts of target.”

“Sounds good. Q-Rex! Target the upper right side! Fire blaster cannon!”

It obeyed with a blaze of energy beams, rocking Doomtron back and sending a thrill through Eric at the sight of that huge and powerful machine following his orders. But it wasn’t enough, he saw quickly. Doomtron returned fire, showing no sign of weakness, and it was the Q-Rex’s turn to be driven back.

“Quantasaurus reports minor damage,” the morpher told him.

Minor, but for how long, if this kept up? Frustrated, Eric looped in close, behind Doomtron, and fired at it with the Defender, probably useless, but he had to do something. And the other Rangers joined in, firing from a greater distance.

“Eric!” The voice was Jen’s, coming from his morpher. “Don’t get so close!”

“Gotta do something!” he shouted in reply. The Q-Rex was already faltering. They needed more.

“I’ve found a weakened spot on the back,” Trip’s voice said.

“Everyone, line up and follow Trip’s lead! Focus your fire where he does!” Jen ordered.

“All right,” Eric muttered grudgingly. He fell into line, adding his fire to the others’. It did little good, as he had expected. There wasn’t much their small blasters could do, even the Defender.

But then, a new voice shouted from his morpher, “Guys!”

“Lucas? Where are you?”

“Look up! We got the prison ship flying!”

Eric looked up. A ship was rapidly approaching, at least as big as Doomtron or the Q-Rex. It was ugly, squat and bulky, showing signs of heavy damage. He found a moment to be surprised it was flying at all. It sped by, sending a beam of reddish energy into the attacking giant robot.

“No significant damage to the target,” Eric’s morpher said quietly.

“No good!” he called. “Can’t you put more power into your weapons?”

“No, the engines are almost shot. Power reserves are low, we can’t stay in the air for long…”

“Eric, order the Q-Rex to attack again, we’ll hit it at the same time! Lucas, you make another try!” Wes’s voice this time.

“Okay.” He gave the order and watched as the two machines blasted at each other again, the Q-Rex moving forward, taking more damage, he could tell. The Rangers in their flyers darted in formation to add their contribution, the ship fired again… and again no good, Doomtron was turning, sending a blast towards the other Rangers as Eric peeled away just in time. He heard cries over the morpher communicator, watched, heart thudding, as the four flyers spun dizzyingly and fell from the sky.

“Q-Rex! Stop Doomtron! Block it, protect the Rangers!” he shouted, diving for them as he saw the Quantasaurus lumber between the attacking robot and the fallen Rangers, so slow, just in time to block another shot with its own body, taking more damage. He fired again, desperately, knowing it would do no good. Q-Rex was faltering, pushing Doomtron back by walking into it, but leaving itself open for another concentrated blast. It began to fall -- he could see the other Rangers on the ground, out of their flyers and running, but they had no chance… He flew close again, hoping he could distract Doomtron, trying to ignore the danger…

“Get out of the way!” The shout, in Lucas’s voice, pulled his eyes up.

He saw the prison ship coming at them fast, looking even bigger close up. Saw it speed up as it flew over the Rangers, heading for the two giant robots. Darted out of the way, saw it barely avoid the Q-Rex and smash massively into Doomtron, consuming both robots and itself as a fireball exploded around them and rose slowly into the air.

“Damn it...” Wes was hardly aware of his own soft curses as they moved slowly through the wreckage, searching, dreading what they expected to find. Ahead of him, Katie bent to lift a twisted piece of metal, and dropped it when she saw nothing underneath. She stopped to wipe a hand across her face, leaving the streaks of tears.

Eric trudged next to him, his arrogant attitude gone, grim determination on his face. He had even laid a hand on Wes’s shoulder for a moment, in awkward sympathy. Jen seemed stunned, Trip was hunched over his scanner. It occurred to Wes that they had won. But at a high price. The destruction to Silver Hills would take years to repair. For many victims and their families, there would be no recovery at all. And now, Lucas. They had lost one of their own. Presumably Ransik and Nadira, too, although he couldn’t quite bring himself to mourn them.

“I’m picking something up!” Trip exclaimed suddenly. “This way!”

“What is it?” Jen asked.

“Not sure. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Where?” Katie asked, pushing by him.

“There…” He pointed at a large, vaguely barrel-shaped metal object, now dented and damaged.

“I think that was Doomtron’s ‘head’,” Katie remarked as she examined it.

As they all walked around it, they saw what appeared to be an access panel or door, already partially broken open. Katie stepped up, grabbed the edges of the wall and the panel, and pulled them apart. The panel broke off. A form slid out, still golden, but twisted and broken now, metal arms and legs sprawling, the head falling back, its mechanical eyes seeming to stare at them blindly. Wires, many of them broken, connected it to the machinery visible inside.

“Frax,” Jen said. “He was controlling Doomtron. Wired himself right into it.”

“Poor thing,” Katie murmured. “Dr. Fericks. He suffered so much. It must have driven him insane.”

“Yes. Even with the all the damage he caused… I feel sorry for him,” Jen said.

“I’m just glad it’s over.” Eric’s voice was harsh.

“So am I,” Wes said. “It is over, isn’t it, Jen? We’ve won?”

She sighed. “Yes, we won. The fight’s over. We’ll know soon if our timeline was restored. If it was, if everything’s all right… we’ll be going home.”

“Home…” Katie looked up, a wavering smile appearing on her face. “I thought I’d be so happy to be going home. See my family again. But now…”

“We’ll be going back without Lucas. I know, Katie.”

“All of this destruction. And Lucas. Maybe we’ve won, but I don’t feel much like celebrating.”

“Hey, wait… What the hell…?”

Wes glanced at Eric, and saw him staring past the rest of them, his face disbelieving. He turned. Stared. Heard Jen gasp softly as she looked in that direction also. There were people approaching, three of them, emerging from the haze of dust and smoke, finding their way through the rubble on the street. A tall man with long black hair, a pink-haired woman. And…

“Hey! You guys look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Lucas called to them with a grin.

“Lucas?” Trip was the first to move. “I had a feeling you were okay somehow, but I didn’t believe it…” He grabbed his teammate in a hug.

“You creep! Making us think you were dead!” Katie was hugging him too, now, leaving him gasping for breath.

“Lucas, what happened? How did you survive that crash?” Jen asked.

“Transporters. We left the prison ship’s transporter base unit in the woods, where the ship was hidden. I didn’t trust our repairs, knew we might have to get out in a hurry. So -- when I crashed the ship into Doomtron, we transported away before it hit.”

“Lucas was so brave,” Nadira said. “He made us go first. He stayed until the last second.” She gazed at him, beaming with admiration as he almost visibly swelled with pride.

“Yes, your teammate did well,” Ransik said. “He thought fast and acted decisively. He’d make a good mutant.”

“Thanks. I think.”

“Is that..?” Nadira asked, her eyes moving beyond them.

“Yes. Frax.”

She walked over to the golden robot and stood over him, then knelt at his side. “Poor Frax. He thought by destroying everyone he’d make the world a better place. Without hate and pain. I suppose, in his mind, he was doing the right thing.” She sighed, and reached a hand to touch his metal surface. When she looked up, tears sparkled in her eyes. “Do you have to tell everyone about him?” she asked. “I mean…”

“No,” Jen said. “As far as we’re concerned, Dr. Fericks died years ago, in that fire. No one else needs to know who Frax once was. Let him rest in peace.”

“I drove him to this,” Ransik said. “All of this…” He waved an arm to include the destruction around them, “is ultimately my fault. I also thought I was doing the right thing. But I closed my mind to the truth. Perhaps I was no more sane than Frax.” He took a few steps closer to Nadira. “I even made my own daughter ashamed of me.”

“Not any more, Daddy.”

He held out a hand to touch her cheek, and smiled. Then he turned to face Jen. “I’m ready to pay for my crimes,” he said. “You may arrest me.”

“Thank you,” Jen said gravely.

Wes watched as she held up a containment unit, as the pale beam played over the man they had spent so many months pursuing, the man whom they had all hated and feared, now somehow appearing very -- human. They all seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief as he shrank rapidly and disappeared. Then they exchanged glances, and subdued smiles. It really was over, Wes knew as his eyes moved back to Jen’s face. Except for the goodbyes.