It was a dreary day, and it fit Eric’s mood perfectly. He stood in the drizzling rain alongside his fellow Silver Guardians, only half listening to the minister’s words, staring down at the lonely, empty grave. Turning his eyes to Commander Porter’s widow and two young children, he tried to direct his thoughts in the properly respectful direction. But something inside him rebelliously insisted; Porter was lucky to have someone who loved him. Lucky to have people who’ll remember him forever. I could die tomorrow and no one would notice.
Pity touched him at the sight of Mrs. Porter’s pinched face and reddened eyes. He tried to feel grief. He had respected Porter, but hardly known him beyond taking his orders. Most of what he felt was anger at the creature who had deprived a good man of his life, and deprived his family of a husband and father.
Even worse, his mind turned back to what it had been on almost since Porter’s death. Who would take over for him? The Guardians needed a new commander. Why not Eric Myers? He knew he could do it, and do it well. Years in the military, with some field command experience, made him at least as well qualified as any of the other Guardians.
And he needed this, needed to move up and better himself. To have so much power, respect, and money that no one could ever take them away from him. With a mental sigh, he acknowledged that it might not ever be enough. But he could try.
The day after the funeral Eric walked through the Bio-Lab corridors, looking for his employer. He had decided now was the time. No point in putting it off any longer. He found Mr. Collins in a hallway, in conversation with another Guardian, Miller, who had been Porter’s second-in-command. Waiting for his chance to speak, he overheard the end of their conversation.
“Sir, we still don’t have the firepower to match the Rangers. If only we knew how their weapons work… Sir, your son’s a Ranger. Maybe he could help us.”
Collins replied coldly, “Leave my son out of this.” He turned to walk away.
Seeing his opportunity, Eric stepped forward to stop him. He saluted and said briskly, “Mr. Collins, sir. May I speak with you?”
“What is it, Myers?”
“Sir, the Guardians need a new commander, and I want to be considered. I have an excellent record, and I’m very loyal and dedicated. I want to avenge Commander Porter’s death. And I don’t mind competing with the Rangers.”
Collins studied him for a moment before answering. “I don’t know enough about you to give you that kind of responsibility. Until someone else proves they deserve the position, the Guardians will be under Miller’s command.” He started forward again.
Eric stepped aside and saluted, not responding to Miller’s hard gaze as he walked by. Dropping the salute, he looked after them. Fair enough. To you I’m nobody. But not for long. He wasn't even aware that he had clenched his fists before turning away.
Nadira was enjoying her favorite entertainment -- outside of larceny -- her television set. She still had a preference for cartoons and children’s shows, and she was flipping through the channels looking for something suitable. Ransik stood nearby, curiously watching. Nadira happened across the news and actually stayed with it for more than a second, unfortunately for the Rangers. The story being covered was a strange discovery in an archeological excavation site on Bio-Lab property.
“This dig was started when construction of a new Bio-Lab storage depot uncovered several dinosaur bones. Bio-Lab generously suspended work on the depot while the site is explored. Today scientists entered a cave under part of the dig site. This is what they discovered.”
The camera focused on an odd, deep, silvery metallic box, with slanted ends, one end open, just big enough for a human hand and arm to fit inside. The reporter continued the story. “How it got there is a mystery, since the cave appears to have been buried and sealed for thousands of years at least. The box, as you can see, is obviously man-made and seems to be new.”
Ransik was no longer listening. He leaned close to the TV and said softly, “The Quantum controller!”
He straightened and paced excitedly. “Time Force must have sent it back to help the Rangers. But if I can get to it first… it will help me just as well!” He hurried away, shouting, “Brickneck! You’ve been idle long enough. I have a job for you!”
In the clock tower, Circuit monitored the same broadcast and alerted the Rangers. They also only needed one look to recognize the Quantum controller, the device for which they had been searching for months. Quickly, they headed for the dig.
The Silver Guardians arrived at the dig site at top speed in their SUV’s. Eric looked out to see a large jumble of trenches, exposed dinosaur bones being teased out of the ground, tents, packing crates, and various supplies and materials. A man with strange brick-red skin, dressed in body armor, stood near a group of cowering scientists, swinging a long and heavy saber and holding a carrying case. A swarm of cyclobots surrounded them. The distress call they had gotten had been accurate. They were facing another mutant, and a dangerous one.
The Guardians piled out and immediately found themselves under attack. Taking cover behind a row of packing crates, they exchanged fire with the cyclobots. But there were too many, and they quickly overran the Guardians’ defenses. The battle turned into hand-to-hand combat.
Eric and another Guardian tackled a cyclobot in mid-air, bringing it crashing down to the ground. Eric left it and ran to attack the main enemy, who was standing in the midst of the battle swatting Guardians like flies and leaving them in groaning heaps. He kicked at the mutant, who blocked him easily and hit him with the butt of his saber. Eric fell, landing hard and painfully on his face. Rolling over, he looked up, instinctively raising his hands to shield himself as his opponent raised his saber for another blow.
The next moment, a red body darted between them, blocking the descending weapon. The Red Ranger took the mutant by surprise, deflected the saber and struck back, hitting him and driving him away. The creature grabbed the case he had been holding and ran.
Wes bent over Eric and reached out to him. “Are you all right?”
Angry and humiliated, Eric swatted his hand away, shouting, “I don’t need your help!” He scrambled to his feet and went after the mutant. Glancing back, he saw a pair of cyclobots intercept Wes.
The Pink Ranger had caught up with their enemy and kicked him into one of the dig trenches. She jumped in after him. Eric ran down the sloping end of the trench, cautiously approaching to watch the battle from around a corner. He saw her attack with a flurry of kicks and punches, until the mutant hit her and pushed her back.
Pink broke off long enough to pull a blaster from somewhere and shout, “Give it up, Brickneck! The Quantum controller can’t be teleported, and we’re not going to let you take it!”
“You give up, Pink Ranger!” Brickneck retorted. “You’re not getting this box away from me! Ransik will use it to destroy you!”
The Blue, Green, and Yellow Rangers jumped into the trench and faced Brickneck alongside their teammate. A moment later, Wes leaped down, kicking the mutant from behind and grabbing the case. As he backed away, Brickneck drew a small blaster and fired. Wes dodged, and was jumping out of the trench when Brickneck fired again, catching him in midair and sending him flying. He crashed to the ground several yards away, obviously hurt.
The case also went flying from Wes’s hand, by chance falling right in front of Eric. He had overheard enough to guess how valuable and potentially powerful it was, and instantly he grabbed it and ran. He heard blaster fire behind him. Looking around when he came out of the trench, he saw the other Guardians regrouping at the other side of the dig. The nearest cover was the deserted, half-constructed storage depot. Eric ran into it, quickly finding a concealed spot behind the nearest building.
He had taken the case primarily to keep Brickneck from getting it. But… what to do with it now? There was no one else in sight. Who would he hand it over to anyway? The Rangers -- meaning Wes -- or the Guardians? Why not find out exactly what it was first?
Safely out of sight behind a stack of crates, he put down the case, opened it, and took out the box inside. He held it for a moment, examining the silver and gold markings, wondering what secrets this empty, strangely shaped and decorated object contained.
Curious, he slowly started to reach inside. As soon as his fingers entered the box, it flared with an intense light. He felt heat and a tingling sensation like an electric shock in his hand. And something whispered in the back of his mind with the promise of power.
Crying out with surprise and fright, Eric dropped the box. After a moment, uncertain and frustrated, he picked it up again. He stood for a few seconds, undecided. His conscience told him he should give it back to the Rangers. But he had felt it in his mind, felt what it could give him. There was no way he could give it up now. He looked around for a better hiding place. It took only a few minutes for him to find his way into an unfinished warehouse littered with crates and boxes and covered with dust and shadows.
As Eric moved into the middle of the warehouse, he heard sounds behind him and turned to face four cyclobots, two of them already aiming their blasters at him. There was no time to draw his own weapon, especially with the box in his hands. Slowly the robots advanced while Eric retreated. Suddenly the cyclobots raised their weapons, about to fire. Eric froze, knowing he didn’t have a chance of avoiding their blasts.
He heard a shot, but to his surprise, he was still intact. He saw movement in the doorway behind the cyclobots and saw someone fire another blast, then dash at the robots. His rescuer leaped and crashed into the cyclobots, bringing two of them down.
Eric quickly pulled his blaster and accounted for the remaining two. He saw it was the Red Ranger who had saved his life again, and exclaimed bitterly, “Wes!”
“Gimme the box, Eric!”
“No way! It’s mine!”
Wes turned as more cyclobots followed them in, surrounding them. Quickly they moved closer together and circled back-to-back.
“You don’t know what you have! Give me the box and get to safety!” Wes demanded.
“Run away after you saved my life? I don’t think so.”
The cyclobots moved in and they both faced attack. The Red Ranger knocked a robot off its feet with a kick and punched another one down. He used his blaster on a few more until they got too close and threw him to the floor.
Eric kept his hold on the box as he took some hard blows, drove his attackers back, and used his blaster to shoot several of them until his ammunition ran out. The two remaining cyclobots grabbed him and flung him through the air, to land hard on his back and lie groaning. Wes called his name and tried to get up, but one of the robots had a blaster and shot him with it, sending him to the floor again.
The cyclobot turned, ready to shoot at Eric. He made it back to his feet and, as it fired, used the only defense he had left, holding up the box in front of his face. The beam struck it, and was absorbed, leaving him unharmed.
He held it away and turned his face as it lit up with the same brilliant energy as before. He felt it flow through him, a sensation of incredible power, frightening yet exhilarating. As the light faded, he saw that the Red Ranger had used his blaster on the remaining two cyclobots.
Eric stared at the box, breathing hard. He had felt it again, the whisper inside him, telling him of what he could do, and what he could become, if he accepted what the box offered. He might never have another chance like this.
“It’s now or never,” he muttered to himself. Setting it on the floor, he held it in place with his right hand.
“Eric, don’t!” Wes pleaded. “That box wasn’t meant for you! You don’t know what you’re getting into!”
“Too late. No one’s going to stop me now!” Eric cried defiantly. He raised his left hand, then quickly thrust it into the box. It lit up as it had before, and Eric felt the same heat and tingling, but more intense. And the whisper was almost a voice. The next moment, the strange box had disappeared, and there in its place was a device securely strapped to his arm. It was as wide as his wrist, extended a couple of inches toward his elbow, and was black with red and white markings. He realized it was the same size and general shape as the device Wes wore, and undoubtedly served the same purpose -- to turn him into a Ranger.
As he stared at the device, wondering how to use it, he heard the voice -- a woman’s voice, speaking softly but clearly in his ear. Except he quickly realized it wasn’t really speaking -- he was hearing it inside his head, not with his ears.
“Speak the words ‘Quantum Power’ to activate voice lock and initiate morph.”
“It even comes with instructions,” he murmured.
“Eric! No!”
Eric looked over at Wes. He was still on his knees and said urgently, “Please, don’t do it! Just give me the morpher!”
Eric grinned savagely in triumph. It had all come down to this, the rich kid who had once thrown him a few crumbs groveling on a dirty warehouse floor, while he had all the power. And he was going to use it. Still looking straight at Wes, he raised the morpher to his face and shouted, “Quantum Power!”
He saw the display on the morpher light up, saw a brilliant flash of radiance and felt energy, heat, and raw power surge through his body, changing him, filling him with strength, washing through the dark places in his soul and -- for just a moment -- making him feel safe and complete for the first time in his life. In an instant of mingled victory and fear, he instinctively knew that for good or bad his life had just been changed forever.
On the grounds of the storage depot in front of the warehouse, the other Rangers were in a standoff. They had followed Eric into the depot, then engaged Brickneck while Wes went inside the warehouse. Brickneck, from the cover of a partly constructed wall, had hit each of them with his blaster, but they had been unable to get a good shot at him. They took cover behind a crate and returned fire. But they were pinned down with no way to get closer.
When it ended, Eric found himself on his knees, the overwhelming sensations rapidly fading. Slowly he got up again and stood silently, looking down at himself. He was a Ranger now.
He looked like a darker mirror image of the Red Ranger, his suit also mostly the same red, but with the white shoulder, back and chest areas colored black and the edges jagged instead of straight. His gauntlet and boot cuffs were also black instead of white. And there was a holster on his belt, with a large blaster in it.
Eric stood still until he heard blaster fire from outside. As he walked forward, Wes got to his feet. They exchanged a look through the blank faces of their helmets before Eric passed him and headed for the door.
Brickneck laughed, raising his blaster to shoot again at the already weakened Rangers. Eric fired at him from the doorway, striking his arm and laying down a circle of blasts around him, strong enough to stagger both the mutant and the Rangers. He was surprised and pleased at the firepower his weapon held.
Looking around, Brickneck shouted, “Who did that? Show yourself!” Then he spotted Eric, now casually leaning against the doorframe. “Another Ranger?” he exclaimed. Eric saw the Rangers staring at him too, even stepping out from cover for a better look.
He straightened and started to stride slowly forward, blaster held ready. “I’m not just any Ranger,” he called proudly. “Not by a long shot. I am the Quantum Ranger.”
“I don’t care what you call yourself. I’m calling you dead!” Brickneck shouted, quickly moving in his direction.
“Thanks for the chance to practice. I’m just a beginner.” Leaping to meet him, Eric squared off with the mutant. They circled each other, looking for an opening.
It didn’t take long. Brickneck holstered his blaster and attacked with his sword. Following his morpher’s instructions, Eric transformed his blaster into a heavy saber and sparred with Brickneck for a few minutes, enjoying the contest of strength and skill, striking the mutant several times. Obviously realizing he was losing, Brickneck then drew his blaster and fired. Eric dropped to the ground, letting the blast pass over him, and having turned his weapon back into blaster mode, fired and hit Brickneck cleanly, staggering him, then fired again. The mutant collapsed in a heap.
“Quantum Ranger. Remove the enemy’s teleporter and weapon to complete the capture,” the Quantum morpher said in Eric’s head. But he was still gripped by the excitement of battle and new power. Remembering how Brickneck had tried to kill him, he raised his weapon again and aimed it, wondering if it would be better to eliminate this threat permanently.
“Eric, don’t! We’ll take care of him!” he heard Wes call. Eric hesitated, but he had no real desire to kill anyone, even this creature. He bent over Brickneck, disarmed him, and pulled off the transporter. Brickneck stirred and started to push himself up. Eric kicked him hard, sending him back to the ground to lie motionless. Turning away, he walked closer to the other five Rangers, who were standing in a group watching.
Wes stepped forward to meet him. They stood facing each other silently for a long moment, until Eric raised his morpher and said, “Power down.” The others touched their morphers and also demorphed. Eric recognized Wes’s four friends from their previous encounter, all of them staring at him with suspicion, hostility, and a touch of fear.
He watched as one of them – a tall Asian man - went to Brickneck and held a small object over him. A barely visible beam shone down from it and the next moment the mutant rapidly shrank and disappeared.
“What did you do? Where did he go?” Eric asked.
“He’s been transferred into a containment vessel. He’ll stay frozen in there,” Wes answered, as his friend quickly rejoined the other Rangers. Eric faced him again.
“Are you all right?” Wes finally asked.
In a voice filled with self-confidence, Eric answered, “Never been better.” He smiled coldly, turned his back and walked away.