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estinoseSummary: Wes is out of the Rangers' lives. Or so he thinks. (Vereco AU)
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Saban, not me.
Spoilers: Dawn of Destiny, earlier stories in this series
Author's Note: This is the third story in the "Vereco" series, falling a few weeks after "Rialtson's Legacy" and between the episodes "Dawn of Destiny" and "Destiny Defeated". It is AU - I'm pretty sure that my take on certain things will not mesh with the series by the time the events of episode 42 rolls around. It occurs late during the day of "Dawn of Destiny".
This story was originally posted in parts as "Finding Home".
New Interlude On Old Life
by Estirose
copyright 2001
Wes tried not to slouch as he slipped his suit jacket back on and turned to inspect himself in his room's mirror. He could feel the fabric slide over his shirt, over the place that up to today had housed a blocky piece of who-knew-what that Jen had called a 'chronomorpher'. He hadn't realized how much it had become a part of him until Alex had informed the team that he was returning as Red Ranger and Wes had handed his predecessor and parent the piece of equipment.
But now all that space housed was a watch, hardly a replacement for his chronomorpher or all that had gone with it. He'd left his father's house, thrown his lot in with his teammates, and now Alex had returned to take his place on the team. Now he was back where he started, in a room he hadn't seen since the Tentaclaw ransom, with no sign that he'd ever been a Ranger.
He should have known that his place on the team was only temporary. Jen had made it clear after that first battle when she'd taken his morpher away from him the one and only time. And then she had changed her mind. Of course, they all had thought that Alex was dead, too.
Wes had almost refused to give Alex the morpher, but he knew that the other man had every right. Besides, Alex had been right when he said that Wes' father was in bad shape. Wes' father had been in bad shape, and as far as he could tell, Alex would probably be right when he said that Wes' father would die the next day.
Of course, Jen had yet to report that Wes was Alex's clone, but Alex probably knew that too. He seemed to know everything.
And, it seemed as far as Alex was concerned, Wes was more Mr. Collins' son than he was Alex's son. If he held any emotion towards his inadvertant, and apparently unwanted 'offspring', he didn't show it.
Jen, who Wes had privately always thought of as the team's 'drill sergeant', had more emotions and concerns than Alex seemed to have. Wes was somehow glad he didn't have to deal with Alex, not like his teammates did. He wasn't sure if he could deal with his genetic 'parent' rejecting him on top of his adoptive father's tendency to plan out his life for him.
It seemed like that his father's spirit was reaching out from the hospital room to bring him back to a life he didn't want anymore. Eric wanted it, he could see that from the other Ranger's eyes, but Wes was the one stuck with it. If only he could trade places with Eric! He'd love to be a Ranger again. The boardroom was not where Wes belonged. Rangering was in his blood.
Rialtson, it seemed, had taken care of that. Even without the indoctrination, the forced growth, the brain imprintation, Wes had replaced Alex, and been left behind with no idea of where to go when Alex had come back again. All he had was this false life that Mr. Collins had planned for him, and that was no more him than Rialtson's plan for his life.
And only he knew that he was now going to be stuck in this plan forever, trapped by his father and his rotten luck to get adopted into the Collins family. His father, the man he had always regarded as father, was going to die. And apparently he was going to take over BioLab.
The staff was even now calling him 'Mr. Collins', all except Philips, who had taken one look at him and immediately called him 'Master Wes'. It was reassuring that he hadn't suddenly shifted into being his father, not to everybody.
In many ways, his father, Mr. Collins, was more a father than Alex had been or would ever be. Both had been absentee fathers, but compared to Alex, it seemed that his father had really cared. Sure, Alex hadn't had much of a chance, but once given that opportunity, he'd pushed his clone off to be a good little son and to continue the role that he'd been given before he'd met Jen and the others. It was as if Alex had resigned himself to not being a father, or at least not caring about the results of Rialtson's little scheme.
He ought to head up to the hospital again. His father was going to die, but Wes couldn't will himself towards the limo. He wasn't ready to take up the leadership of BioLab. He wasn't ready for anything but to be a Ranger again.
But now that was gone. Gone with Alex, and sure to stay that way. There was no way that his teammates would take him, ill-trained and from the past, over Alex, who had a long association with them. Or maybe just with Jen, he wasn't sure. He knew that Alex had made Jen who she was, but the others had never indicated anything of the sort.
Despite what moves the others had made towards aquainting him with the century of his birth, he still didn't know much about his teammates themselves. He knew Katie's parents and a brother were alive, and that they were close. Trip had mentioned his family once or twice, in particular a cousin only a few years younger. He even knew a thing or two about Lucas, who was rather tight-lipped about his life in the thirtieth century.
He had to let go. He had to give it up. He wasn't Wes-the-Red-Ranger now, he was Wesley Collins, acting head of BioLab, soon to be owner if Alex was right. There was no way he could go back to the life now. He had to sweep Jen, Katie, Lucas, and even Trip out of his life.
Would he ever fill the hole left in his life? He hoped so.
* * *
He somehow found himself standing on the balcony looking over the pool. The gardeners had been at work, he could see. The plants that had so nicely hidden Trip had been replaced by different ones. When had that happened? At the moment, he realized, he really didn't care.
What he wanted to see, really, was a certain green-haired teammate pop out from behind those bushes and call his name again. But that was an impossibility. The team didn't need him anymore, not with Alex back. The only reason that he'd gotten on it at all was because Jen had needed a Red Ranger badly enough that he'd been able to persuade her.
He closed his eyes, feeling tears prick at the corners. He had to give it up, he had to let it go. In a day, he'd find himself the permanent head of BioLab and any avenue he'd have to what he really wanted to do would be gone.
"Wes!" Trip's loud whisper reached his ears. He shook his head, trying to clear himself of the memory. That couldn't be Trip, there was no reason for him to be there.
"Wes!" the voice came again, urgently. Wes opened his eyes, staring out over the balcony and trying to remind himself that he was hearing things. His eye caught some moving bushes, and suddenly a very familiar figure peeked out from between the plants.
"Trip?" he gasped. Turning around to see that nobody was watching him, he jumped over the balcony as he had done once before. Landing securely on his feet, he moved towards the apparition, reaching out, half-expecting to have his hand pass through the form of the one he had called friend. But instead his hand met the cloth of Trip's orange jacket.
Trip smiled. Wes stared.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed to his former teammate, conscious of the fact that Trip had no doubt come in the back way, just as he had before.
"I wanted to talk to you," Trip said hesitantly. "About... what happened."
Good ol' Trip. "Haven't we had this conversation before?"
Trip's grin shrunk. "We all miss you, Wes."
"How's Alex doing?" Wes asked, trying to steel himself for the answer.
"None of us likes him very much, even Jen," Trip told him. Looking into his ex-teammate's eyes, Wes could see that Trip was not even attempting to lie.
"I thought you said that they were engaged to be married," he said.
Trip's whole body screamed his hesitance. The Xybrian was not a good liar, and not comfortable with lies. What little non-truth he said tended to be lies of ommission, or just letting people assume. There were no aliens on earth, so the green-haired guy had to have dyed his hair. Trip, after Wes had explained that to him, had never contradicted anyone when they assumed that he was human.
"They were. I guess they still are," Trip said. "I mean, if they broke off the engagement or anything like that they haven't told us. It's not really been on the top of anybody's mind at the moment. I mean, Lucas is about to strangle Alex, and I don't think any of the others would stop him if he tried."
"That bad, huh?" Wes asked sympathetically. Figured, he got replaced and they couldn't stand the replacement. He'd pretty much figured that he'd had a rough time of it in the early days because he reminded Jen too much of Alex. Were they now so used to *him* that Alex was having a tough time?
Trip's head bobbed in a nod.
"I thought you guys said that he was a good guy. I mean, FatCatFish managed to get himself almost *killed* for mentioning Alex getting killed!"
"He isn't the Alex we knew," Trip said softly. "At least not the Alex that Jen knew. I'm wondering if he's a Alex from a future that we created. Of course, we never served under him as Rangers, so I don't know what's going on with him. I think we could accept him if he wasn't being so cruel to Jen."
"Cruel?" Wes echoed. "Cruel how?" He tried to imagine someone being cruel to Jen, other than Steelix, her former partner, and of course Ransik and his forces. Somehow it didn't mesh with what he knew of Jen's fiancee.
"She's been waiting so long for him, I guess. And he's been so cold towards her. She's trying to react like this was the guy who encouraged her to take his morpher and go after Ransik, and he's acting like she's a disobedient subordinate, nothing more."
Wes whistled in surprise. "And I thought he'd put me in a bad situation. I guess you guys have it worse."
"Really worse," Trip responded gloomily, his voice tightening. "I don't know how long this can go on. I don't see the others putting up with Alex for much longer.
"But he knows what's going on!" Wes exclaimed. "I mean, he knew that Dad was in bad shape...."
"And he's known other things as well," Trip supplied. "But we're all getting tired of him yelling at us."
"Jen yelled at us all the time," Wes told him. "We liked her despite all that."
Trip shook his head. "There's a difference. Jen's tough... but she has compassion. Alex doesn't have that at all. It's like he's shut himself off from every emotion except anger. Jen never did that, even... before."
Wes nodded. "You're right," he realized. "But she was pretty intense in the beginning."
"I'd rather have Jen over Alex any day," Trip stated. "And I want you back, but I don't know what we can do about it."
Shaking his head, Wes wished he could say something to reassure Trip. But what could he say? If Alex was correct, and there was no reason to presume he wasn't, Wes' father was going to die, and he, Wes, was going to inherit that position. He hated it, but as Trip had just said, he really doubted that anything was going to change. Alex was going to lead the team, and he was going to be trapped being a good little CEO.
"I don't either," he offered. "If Alex is right, then I won't have a choice in the matter. Dad'll die and I'll somehow end up running my dad's company. I don't know why I haven't been cut out of the will and given the cold shoulder yet, but I guess Dad was confident I'd come back."
Trip seemed to shrink down a little at this. "You mean... you wouldn't be able to come back to us?"
"You can't believe how much I want to," Wes told his friend. Eric had been able to prance out the meeting room without a worry, and he'd been stuck in a world of figures. "I knew you guys were in battle when Eric got called out, and there I was, stuck listening to information on Canadian subsidiaries. Can you imagine how hard it was to just sit there?"
Trip just looked at him silently.
"I really don't want to be a CEO, Trip. It's slowly going to drive me nuts. I realize Rialtson didn't intend to start programming me until I was born, but I feel like somehow he did. I feel so much like I don't belong in the board room."
Trip looked thoughtful. "I wonder... I wonder if he did?"
"Who did what?" Wes asked, momentarilly confused.
"Rialtson. I wonder if he started programming you and the others before you were born."
"Is that even possible?" Wes asked. "I mean, can you do that to someone before they're even born?"
"It's never been tried before," Trip said. "But it kinda makes sense. Maybe he was worried that Time Force would find him and wanted a way to make his plan succeed even if he was caught. He may have started impressing Alex upon you before you were even born."
Wes fought a smile as his friend thought aloud about the possiblities. For a moment, all was forgotten as Trip put data together and tried to figure things out. "And ten or twenty years down the road, we'd all be at our 'parents'' professions?"
Trip nodded. "That's one of the reasons we haven't actually gotten around to telling anybody about you yet."
"The more I hear about your time, Trip, the more I'm glad Jen stopped getting the idea that I should return with you guys. I mean, I'm not going to even get the chance anymore, not with Alex in charge, but...."
"I know what you mean," Trip responded. "The more I know about this, the more we know, it's obvious that Rialtson's supporters would twist your time in the Rangers around to prove that clones are nothing but useful tools. Katie's afraid that even now it's too late."
Trip's voice was filled with a mixture of genuine puzzlement and outrage, and Wes had the feeling that the very notion of himself, of anyone, being just a *tool* bothered the Xybrian.
"If Alex is right, then maybe we can prove 'em wrong, Trip. I mean, I'm supposed to be spending my life as a businessman, right? Not a Ranger, not a police officer."
"It's not that simple," Trip responded, and then fell silent. Typical Trip. Can't lie, so didn't say anything.
Not for the first time, Wes wondered what it was like to grow up in a society where nobody bothered to lie because everybody could read the truth. A world where somebody could trust the words of another because there was no sense not to do so. It was only through his human friends that Trip lied at all, and it probably wasn't fun for him to go home to his people and get used to not lying again.
If what Trip was holding back was that bad, maybe it wasn't a good time for Wes to hear it. He was about to speak, change the subject, when Trip spoke up again. "I think Jen misses you most of all."
"She *does*?"
Trip grew a smile. "Would you believe that she called Alex by your name?"
Wes let out a laugh. "That's what she did to me the first time we met!"
His friend's smile diminished. "She did it in mid-battle. Alex was *not* happy."
"I guess I wouldn't be, either," Wes mused. "I guess she's gotten used to me."
"You could say that," Trip offered in response. The smile had come back up again, the kind of smile that on a human would mean that some secret was nestled up to his chest.
"I guess this is a good time to tell you that I'm in love with her."
The Xybrian nodded. "I know. We all know. Except maybe Jen."
"That obvious?" Wes asked, inwardly wincing. Not good. The whole team apparently knew he'd been acting like a lovestruck teen. Trip's nod only confirmed the bad news.
"At least Jen didn't," he muttered.
Trip was still smiling. He looked like he was about to say something and then stopped. "No, she didn't. She's been too busy."
His expression said that there was something to it, if Wes knew what to ask. But it wasn't as if tough-as-nails Jen was in love with him, Alex's clone. That was ridiculous and he didn't want Trip to have that as his last memory of his former teammate. "I guess so, with Ransik loose and all that's been going on, she's been busy."
Too busy to notice his availability, anyway. Like he'd ever had a chance! Even if Jen broke up with Alex that very day, did she really want to attach herself to a guy who looked and sounded just like him? And did she really want to stay in the twenty-first century? It wasn't as if he was returning with them, after all.
Wes looked over at Trip, who was still smiling secretively and looking at some point over near the wall. Trip seemed to snap out of it. "Anyway, I wanted to see you again. You probably feel like you've been deserted."
"It's not your fault," Wes told him. "If Alex is right, then I didn't have a choice."
"Just remember, we're your friends. Just because Alex is being an idiot right now doesn't change that. As for what he says... it might not be true."
"He seems to think it's written in stone," Wes said, belatedly realizing he was defending Alex. But why wouldn't he? Alex seemed so sure of himself.
Trip simply shook his head.
"I guess we'll know tomorrow," Wes said, wondering if that would hurt Trip or reassure him.
He was distracted by a door opening behind him. He looked over, suddenly paralyzed. What would the staff think of Trip?
It was Philips who emerged, who paused to examine Wes' companion before speaking. "Master Wesley, your limo is ready. Will your... friend be joining you?"
Wes looked over at Trip, who nervously shook his head. "I've got to get back before Alex misses me."
"Better go out the front door this time," Wes whispered to him. "I'll be at the hospital if... you want to see me."
Trip nodded, still nervous about Philips' presence, not seeming to notice Wes' change of direction. "Thanks," he said.
With that, Wes walked up the steps, acutely aware of Trip's presence behind him. His teammate followed him through the house, only parting from him as the driver opened the door. Giving Wes one last smile, Trip walked up the driveway and was soon gone.
Shoulders sagging, Wes stepped into the limo, mentally steeling himself. It was going to be a long twenty-four hours.
-end
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Saban, not me.
Spoilers: Dawn of Destiny, earlier stories in this series
Author's Note: This is the third story in the "Vereco" series, falling a few weeks after "Rialtson's Legacy" and between the episodes "Dawn of Destiny" and "Destiny Defeated". It is AU - I'm pretty sure that my take on certain things will not mesh with the series by the time the events of episode 42 rolls around. It occurs late during the day of "Dawn of Destiny".
This story was originally posted in parts as "Finding Home".
New Interlude On Old Life
by Estirose
copyright 2001
Wes tried not to slouch as he slipped his suit jacket back on and turned to inspect himself in his room's mirror. He could feel the fabric slide over his shirt, over the place that up to today had housed a blocky piece of who-knew-what that Jen had called a 'chronomorpher'. He hadn't realized how much it had become a part of him until Alex had informed the team that he was returning as Red Ranger and Wes had handed his predecessor and parent the piece of equipment.
But now all that space housed was a watch, hardly a replacement for his chronomorpher or all that had gone with it. He'd left his father's house, thrown his lot in with his teammates, and now Alex had returned to take his place on the team. Now he was back where he started, in a room he hadn't seen since the Tentaclaw ransom, with no sign that he'd ever been a Ranger.
He should have known that his place on the team was only temporary. Jen had made it clear after that first battle when she'd taken his morpher away from him the one and only time. And then she had changed her mind. Of course, they all had thought that Alex was dead, too.
Wes had almost refused to give Alex the morpher, but he knew that the other man had every right. Besides, Alex had been right when he said that Wes' father was in bad shape. Wes' father had been in bad shape, and as far as he could tell, Alex would probably be right when he said that Wes' father would die the next day.
Of course, Jen had yet to report that Wes was Alex's clone, but Alex probably knew that too. He seemed to know everything.
And, it seemed as far as Alex was concerned, Wes was more Mr. Collins' son than he was Alex's son. If he held any emotion towards his inadvertant, and apparently unwanted 'offspring', he didn't show it.
Jen, who Wes had privately always thought of as the team's 'drill sergeant', had more emotions and concerns than Alex seemed to have. Wes was somehow glad he didn't have to deal with Alex, not like his teammates did. He wasn't sure if he could deal with his genetic 'parent' rejecting him on top of his adoptive father's tendency to plan out his life for him.
It seemed like that his father's spirit was reaching out from the hospital room to bring him back to a life he didn't want anymore. Eric wanted it, he could see that from the other Ranger's eyes, but Wes was the one stuck with it. If only he could trade places with Eric! He'd love to be a Ranger again. The boardroom was not where Wes belonged. Rangering was in his blood.
Rialtson, it seemed, had taken care of that. Even without the indoctrination, the forced growth, the brain imprintation, Wes had replaced Alex, and been left behind with no idea of where to go when Alex had come back again. All he had was this false life that Mr. Collins had planned for him, and that was no more him than Rialtson's plan for his life.
And only he knew that he was now going to be stuck in this plan forever, trapped by his father and his rotten luck to get adopted into the Collins family. His father, the man he had always regarded as father, was going to die. And apparently he was going to take over BioLab.
The staff was even now calling him 'Mr. Collins', all except Philips, who had taken one look at him and immediately called him 'Master Wes'. It was reassuring that he hadn't suddenly shifted into being his father, not to everybody.
In many ways, his father, Mr. Collins, was more a father than Alex had been or would ever be. Both had been absentee fathers, but compared to Alex, it seemed that his father had really cared. Sure, Alex hadn't had much of a chance, but once given that opportunity, he'd pushed his clone off to be a good little son and to continue the role that he'd been given before he'd met Jen and the others. It was as if Alex had resigned himself to not being a father, or at least not caring about the results of Rialtson's little scheme.
He ought to head up to the hospital again. His father was going to die, but Wes couldn't will himself towards the limo. He wasn't ready to take up the leadership of BioLab. He wasn't ready for anything but to be a Ranger again.
But now that was gone. Gone with Alex, and sure to stay that way. There was no way that his teammates would take him, ill-trained and from the past, over Alex, who had a long association with them. Or maybe just with Jen, he wasn't sure. He knew that Alex had made Jen who she was, but the others had never indicated anything of the sort.
Despite what moves the others had made towards aquainting him with the century of his birth, he still didn't know much about his teammates themselves. He knew Katie's parents and a brother were alive, and that they were close. Trip had mentioned his family once or twice, in particular a cousin only a few years younger. He even knew a thing or two about Lucas, who was rather tight-lipped about his life in the thirtieth century.
He had to let go. He had to give it up. He wasn't Wes-the-Red-Ranger now, he was Wesley Collins, acting head of BioLab, soon to be owner if Alex was right. There was no way he could go back to the life now. He had to sweep Jen, Katie, Lucas, and even Trip out of his life.
Would he ever fill the hole left in his life? He hoped so.
* * *
He somehow found himself standing on the balcony looking over the pool. The gardeners had been at work, he could see. The plants that had so nicely hidden Trip had been replaced by different ones. When had that happened? At the moment, he realized, he really didn't care.
What he wanted to see, really, was a certain green-haired teammate pop out from behind those bushes and call his name again. But that was an impossibility. The team didn't need him anymore, not with Alex back. The only reason that he'd gotten on it at all was because Jen had needed a Red Ranger badly enough that he'd been able to persuade her.
He closed his eyes, feeling tears prick at the corners. He had to give it up, he had to let it go. In a day, he'd find himself the permanent head of BioLab and any avenue he'd have to what he really wanted to do would be gone.
"Wes!" Trip's loud whisper reached his ears. He shook his head, trying to clear himself of the memory. That couldn't be Trip, there was no reason for him to be there.
"Wes!" the voice came again, urgently. Wes opened his eyes, staring out over the balcony and trying to remind himself that he was hearing things. His eye caught some moving bushes, and suddenly a very familiar figure peeked out from between the plants.
"Trip?" he gasped. Turning around to see that nobody was watching him, he jumped over the balcony as he had done once before. Landing securely on his feet, he moved towards the apparition, reaching out, half-expecting to have his hand pass through the form of the one he had called friend. But instead his hand met the cloth of Trip's orange jacket.
Trip smiled. Wes stared.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed to his former teammate, conscious of the fact that Trip had no doubt come in the back way, just as he had before.
"I wanted to talk to you," Trip said hesitantly. "About... what happened."
Good ol' Trip. "Haven't we had this conversation before?"
Trip's grin shrunk. "We all miss you, Wes."
"How's Alex doing?" Wes asked, trying to steel himself for the answer.
"None of us likes him very much, even Jen," Trip told him. Looking into his ex-teammate's eyes, Wes could see that Trip was not even attempting to lie.
"I thought you said that they were engaged to be married," he said.
Trip's whole body screamed his hesitance. The Xybrian was not a good liar, and not comfortable with lies. What little non-truth he said tended to be lies of ommission, or just letting people assume. There were no aliens on earth, so the green-haired guy had to have dyed his hair. Trip, after Wes had explained that to him, had never contradicted anyone when they assumed that he was human.
"They were. I guess they still are," Trip said. "I mean, if they broke off the engagement or anything like that they haven't told us. It's not really been on the top of anybody's mind at the moment. I mean, Lucas is about to strangle Alex, and I don't think any of the others would stop him if he tried."
"That bad, huh?" Wes asked sympathetically. Figured, he got replaced and they couldn't stand the replacement. He'd pretty much figured that he'd had a rough time of it in the early days because he reminded Jen too much of Alex. Were they now so used to *him* that Alex was having a tough time?
Trip's head bobbed in a nod.
"I thought you guys said that he was a good guy. I mean, FatCatFish managed to get himself almost *killed* for mentioning Alex getting killed!"
"He isn't the Alex we knew," Trip said softly. "At least not the Alex that Jen knew. I'm wondering if he's a Alex from a future that we created. Of course, we never served under him as Rangers, so I don't know what's going on with him. I think we could accept him if he wasn't being so cruel to Jen."
"Cruel?" Wes echoed. "Cruel how?" He tried to imagine someone being cruel to Jen, other than Steelix, her former partner, and of course Ransik and his forces. Somehow it didn't mesh with what he knew of Jen's fiancee.
"She's been waiting so long for him, I guess. And he's been so cold towards her. She's trying to react like this was the guy who encouraged her to take his morpher and go after Ransik, and he's acting like she's a disobedient subordinate, nothing more."
Wes whistled in surprise. "And I thought he'd put me in a bad situation. I guess you guys have it worse."
"Really worse," Trip responded gloomily, his voice tightening. "I don't know how long this can go on. I don't see the others putting up with Alex for much longer.
"But he knows what's going on!" Wes exclaimed. "I mean, he knew that Dad was in bad shape...."
"And he's known other things as well," Trip supplied. "But we're all getting tired of him yelling at us."
"Jen yelled at us all the time," Wes told him. "We liked her despite all that."
Trip shook his head. "There's a difference. Jen's tough... but she has compassion. Alex doesn't have that at all. It's like he's shut himself off from every emotion except anger. Jen never did that, even... before."
Wes nodded. "You're right," he realized. "But she was pretty intense in the beginning."
"I'd rather have Jen over Alex any day," Trip stated. "And I want you back, but I don't know what we can do about it."
Shaking his head, Wes wished he could say something to reassure Trip. But what could he say? If Alex was correct, and there was no reason to presume he wasn't, Wes' father was going to die, and he, Wes, was going to inherit that position. He hated it, but as Trip had just said, he really doubted that anything was going to change. Alex was going to lead the team, and he was going to be trapped being a good little CEO.
"I don't either," he offered. "If Alex is right, then I won't have a choice in the matter. Dad'll die and I'll somehow end up running my dad's company. I don't know why I haven't been cut out of the will and given the cold shoulder yet, but I guess Dad was confident I'd come back."
Trip seemed to shrink down a little at this. "You mean... you wouldn't be able to come back to us?"
"You can't believe how much I want to," Wes told his friend. Eric had been able to prance out the meeting room without a worry, and he'd been stuck in a world of figures. "I knew you guys were in battle when Eric got called out, and there I was, stuck listening to information on Canadian subsidiaries. Can you imagine how hard it was to just sit there?"
Trip just looked at him silently.
"I really don't want to be a CEO, Trip. It's slowly going to drive me nuts. I realize Rialtson didn't intend to start programming me until I was born, but I feel like somehow he did. I feel so much like I don't belong in the board room."
Trip looked thoughtful. "I wonder... I wonder if he did?"
"Who did what?" Wes asked, momentarilly confused.
"Rialtson. I wonder if he started programming you and the others before you were born."
"Is that even possible?" Wes asked. "I mean, can you do that to someone before they're even born?"
"It's never been tried before," Trip said. "But it kinda makes sense. Maybe he was worried that Time Force would find him and wanted a way to make his plan succeed even if he was caught. He may have started impressing Alex upon you before you were even born."
Wes fought a smile as his friend thought aloud about the possiblities. For a moment, all was forgotten as Trip put data together and tried to figure things out. "And ten or twenty years down the road, we'd all be at our 'parents'' professions?"
Trip nodded. "That's one of the reasons we haven't actually gotten around to telling anybody about you yet."
"The more I hear about your time, Trip, the more I'm glad Jen stopped getting the idea that I should return with you guys. I mean, I'm not going to even get the chance anymore, not with Alex in charge, but...."
"I know what you mean," Trip responded. "The more I know about this, the more we know, it's obvious that Rialtson's supporters would twist your time in the Rangers around to prove that clones are nothing but useful tools. Katie's afraid that even now it's too late."
Trip's voice was filled with a mixture of genuine puzzlement and outrage, and Wes had the feeling that the very notion of himself, of anyone, being just a *tool* bothered the Xybrian.
"If Alex is right, then maybe we can prove 'em wrong, Trip. I mean, I'm supposed to be spending my life as a businessman, right? Not a Ranger, not a police officer."
"It's not that simple," Trip responded, and then fell silent. Typical Trip. Can't lie, so didn't say anything.
Not for the first time, Wes wondered what it was like to grow up in a society where nobody bothered to lie because everybody could read the truth. A world where somebody could trust the words of another because there was no sense not to do so. It was only through his human friends that Trip lied at all, and it probably wasn't fun for him to go home to his people and get used to not lying again.
If what Trip was holding back was that bad, maybe it wasn't a good time for Wes to hear it. He was about to speak, change the subject, when Trip spoke up again. "I think Jen misses you most of all."
"She *does*?"
Trip grew a smile. "Would you believe that she called Alex by your name?"
Wes let out a laugh. "That's what she did to me the first time we met!"
His friend's smile diminished. "She did it in mid-battle. Alex was *not* happy."
"I guess I wouldn't be, either," Wes mused. "I guess she's gotten used to me."
"You could say that," Trip offered in response. The smile had come back up again, the kind of smile that on a human would mean that some secret was nestled up to his chest.
"I guess this is a good time to tell you that I'm in love with her."
The Xybrian nodded. "I know. We all know. Except maybe Jen."
"That obvious?" Wes asked, inwardly wincing. Not good. The whole team apparently knew he'd been acting like a lovestruck teen. Trip's nod only confirmed the bad news.
"At least Jen didn't," he muttered.
Trip was still smiling. He looked like he was about to say something and then stopped. "No, she didn't. She's been too busy."
His expression said that there was something to it, if Wes knew what to ask. But it wasn't as if tough-as-nails Jen was in love with him, Alex's clone. That was ridiculous and he didn't want Trip to have that as his last memory of his former teammate. "I guess so, with Ransik loose and all that's been going on, she's been busy."
Too busy to notice his availability, anyway. Like he'd ever had a chance! Even if Jen broke up with Alex that very day, did she really want to attach herself to a guy who looked and sounded just like him? And did she really want to stay in the twenty-first century? It wasn't as if he was returning with them, after all.
Wes looked over at Trip, who was still smiling secretively and looking at some point over near the wall. Trip seemed to snap out of it. "Anyway, I wanted to see you again. You probably feel like you've been deserted."
"It's not your fault," Wes told him. "If Alex is right, then I didn't have a choice."
"Just remember, we're your friends. Just because Alex is being an idiot right now doesn't change that. As for what he says... it might not be true."
"He seems to think it's written in stone," Wes said, belatedly realizing he was defending Alex. But why wouldn't he? Alex seemed so sure of himself.
Trip simply shook his head.
"I guess we'll know tomorrow," Wes said, wondering if that would hurt Trip or reassure him.
He was distracted by a door opening behind him. He looked over, suddenly paralyzed. What would the staff think of Trip?
It was Philips who emerged, who paused to examine Wes' companion before speaking. "Master Wesley, your limo is ready. Will your... friend be joining you?"
Wes looked over at Trip, who nervously shook his head. "I've got to get back before Alex misses me."
"Better go out the front door this time," Wes whispered to him. "I'll be at the hospital if... you want to see me."
Trip nodded, still nervous about Philips' presence, not seeming to notice Wes' change of direction. "Thanks," he said.
With that, Wes walked up the steps, acutely aware of Trip's presence behind him. His teammate followed him through the house, only parting from him as the driver opened the door. Giving Wes one last smile, Trip walked up the driveway and was soon gone.
Shoulders sagging, Wes stepped into the limo, mentally steeling himself. It was going to be a long twenty-four hours.
-end
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