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Not a Waste (Earth: Final Conflict/Power Rangers Time Force)
"Not A Waste" is one of several Earth: Final Conflict crossovers I wrote with Power Rangers. It's entirely different in universe from "Shuttle Troubles", and a bit darker. I'm not sure I like it too much, but it and its predecessor (it's a sequel) are notable because they feature Wes married to Katie.
Disclaimer: Katie, Wes, and their teammates belong to Saban. Liam, Renee, Da'an, and the Volunteers belong to Roddenberry-Kirschner, among others. Pa'aol is mine.
Spoilers: E:FC: Dark Matter, general season 2 and season 3. PRTF: Series in general, Parting of the Ways
Rating: PG for language.
Author's notes: This follows up "No Room for Regets". It's a very basic crossover between Earth: Final Conflict and Power Rangers Time Force, complete with expository lump. It was written in less than 24 hours and is, unfortunately, unbetaed (and it probably shows). This is to be considered AU to both series, E:FC especially.It's very E:FC heavy at the beginning but comes more to the PR stuff towards the end.
For those not familiar with E:FC, the basic premise is this: The Taelons, an advanced alien species, comes to Earth in the near future. A group of humans, convinced that the Taelons want to use us for something, have formed a group called the Liberation and have successfully managed to insert several people close to the Taelons to find out their true mission on Earth.
Not a Waste
by Selma McCrory
copyright 2001
"Da'an, why is a large group of Volunteers being sent to the city of Silver Hills? I wasn't aware of anything that required their presence there."
Da'an looked at Liam, and replied in a soft voice, "We have recently become involved in a... co-venture with a Doors International subsidiary named BioSynth, and as part of that cooperation, the Scientist Pa'aol is overseeing efforts there. Given that he has no embassy to work from and be protected, I have seen to it that BioSynth's security is supplemented with Volunteer forces. Ms. Palmer and I worked out the arrangements, and she has told me that she will inform the executive officer of BioSynth of them."
Liam tried not to grimace. The head of BioSynth, a young man named Wes Collins, was Liberation. Liam had met the young man several months before at a wine-and-dine attended by some of the city's richest, and Mr. Collins had seemed to be a quiet but fervent supporter of the Liberation. He didn't know the young man well enough to decide whether or not he'd take a resident Taelon in stride, but he hoped so. For the sake of the Liberation.
Realizing that Da'an was looking at him, he responded, "It is unusual for a Taelon to be stationed outside an embassy. Will he be residing there, or portalling up to the mothership?"
"I believe that a portal is to be installed," Da'an told him. "While it was possible to install an energy shower in the building, Pa'aol asked to be allowed to retain his quarters aboard the mothership."
"Okay, Da'an," he said, apparently giving in. He shifted in his chair. "I'm going for lunch now." He got up, hoping that Da'an wouldn't realize that he was going to get information from his Liberation contacts.
Once out of the building, he rapidly dialled Augur up. The computer genius answered the screen in a less-than-happy mood, and Liam knew he'd have to put his request in very carefully. "Augur, can you get into the Mothership's computers? No hurry."
"What do you want to know now, kid?" the hacker asked. His expression said that he was less than delighted, but then, Augur was usually less than delighted when Liam asked favors of him. The only reason that Augur did anything for him at all, Liam suspected, was that Augur regarded him as a responsibility.
"I'm interested in why the Taelons are setting up an operation in Silver Hills, Washington. Da'an tells me that it's because of a Taelon co-venture that requires the supervision of a Taelon scientist, but I have a feeling that it's more than that."
"A feeling, or a *feeling* feeling?" Augur asked carefully.
"Just a feeling," Liam told him. He knew Augur wanted him to admit the occasional abilities which came out of his blended heritage, and truthfully, this particular ability came from his mother, but he was still uneasy about some things.
"Okay, kid. I'll look when I have a spare moment." With that, Augur signed off and Liam was free to call Renee, current head of Doors International.
"Liam," she greeted him. "And this has to do with?"
"Silver Hills," Liam said. "The co-venture?"
"Oh, right. I assume Da'an told you he was sending Volunteers over to watch over our loaned Taelon scientist?"
"Yeah. But that many... doesn't sound right, Renee."
"I'll agree with you there. I've got Wes warned, he and his people'll try to find out what they can. I'll put you through to him." Before Liam could utter a word, Renee blanked out, replaced by the face of Wes Collins.
"Protector Kincaid. What can I do for you?" the businessman asked.
"I hear you're hosting a co-venture with the Taelons. What's it about?"
"BioSynth is a firm specializing in practical biological modifications.We're Doors International's genetic engineering arm, and currently we're working with the Taelons on an application to deal with certain bodily regulations, which we hope someday will cure things like sickle-cell anemia. The Taelons say they want to cooperate with us because they want to improve human health... but, well, you are aware as I as to why healthy humans are important to them. We're hoping that they fix our health problems and then go away."
"Doesn't look like any time soon," Liam offered.
"Not really. But there's always hope. We'll keep you up to date... if we can. All these Volunteers coming in are making me nervous."
"Me too. Keep me posted."
"Will do."
With that, the screen went blank once more and Liam went to his appointed lunch.
* * *
"I've got something for you."
Liam frowned at Augur's image in his global as he relaxed in his chair. "What?"
"Seems that dear ol' Pa'aol isn't the only reason for the Volunteers. And this co-venture isn't his only reason for being in Silver Hills, either.Ever hear of some group called the 'Power Rangers'?"
Liam searched through his memory, from his own experiences during the past year of his life, as well as what he could recall of his parents' memories. "Some group that went around in silly costumes with helmets to hide their identities?"
"The people of Silver Hills might think differently, Liam. Anyway, I did a little digging and what they're really there to do is to look for all traces of these Rangers and their technology."
Liam leaned forward in his chair. "Silver Hills is the only place where these 'Power Rangers' appeared?"
"Looks like it. They apparently scouted the area when Da'an was at a function there. Apparently they think some of the tech is still in place. And, given the information they've gathered, the Power Rangers were apparently real... and so was their ability to not get cut in two by blasters."
Liam whistled. "So we've got to find these 'Rangers' and their technology before they do."
"That's pretty much it," Augur told him. "I'd be interested in the applications myself."
The screen blanked and Liam found himself unable to repress a grin. Of course Augur would be interested in anything profitable. He pulled the address book and found the private number of one Wesley Collins, the head of BioSynth and local Liberation head, and dialled it up. The slightly less-than-usually-immaculate face of Wes Collins came on the screen, and Liam could see Katie, his wife, in the background behind his left shoulder. "Sorry to bother you," Liam told him.
"No problem. What gives?" the young man said smoothly.
"One of my people found the reason for the Taelons' sudden interest in Silver Hills," Liam told him. "Have you ever heard of the Power Rangers?"
In the background, Katie's expression twitched, but it was Wes who answered. "Anybody who lived during Ransik's rampages did. I know that a lot of people who didn't live here at the time think they're myth, but trust me, they were real."
"Right. Apparently the Taelons do too. They're trying to find the Rangers and/or their technology."
Wes shrugged. "We haven't seen hide nor hair of the Rangers since 2001, when the Rangers defeated Ransik. Don't know where they are or where their technology is. It's not like anybody knew who they were. In fact, we thought they were aliens!"
Behind him, Katie's lips twitched in a brief smile. Liam said, "Aliens or not, the Taelons are going to be covertly poking through a lot of Silver Hills. Now that you know, can you see if they find anything?"
"Will do," Wes responded. "I doubt they will, but who knows?"
Something about the man's response bothered Liam, but he let it pass."Thanks," he said.
* * *
Liam hadn't had much time to think about what the Taelons had been doing in Silver Hills, with much more pressing matters to deal with. All he knew was that Wes Collins had been funnelling negative reports through Renee. If the Taelons had discovered something, the Volunteers' actions hadn't been changed to reflect that, and Pa'aol's actions had been no stranger than usual.
Still, Da'an had scheduled a visit out to the area that afternoon and Liam could not help but be worried. What if, despite his peoples' best efforts, the Taelons had found something and they hadn't? Pa'aol seemed to be neutral in his politics but one could never tell with Taelons....
Liam just resolved to stick close to Da'an and hope Pa'aol, not knowing he understood Eunoia, the Taelons' language, would accidentally let something slip. He slipped into a private changing room to ready himself for the event and then set out to do pre-flight checks on his shuttle.
* * *
Da'an's visit came with about forty thousand press people, or at least that's how it seemed to Liam. The mayor of the city had somehow belatedly realized that she had a Taelon in the city, no matter that it was a scientist and he never left the BioSynth labs as far as anybody knew, and she wanted to call attention to that fact. So Da'an had apparently agreed to attend the celebration, along with Pa'aol, who was scheduled to attend only part of the event.
Shaking his head at both human and Taelon attempts at public relations, Liam continued to stay close to the two Taelons, acting as the protector he was. Still, he was enough out of Da'an's and Pa'aol's space that he hoped the Scientist would blab something useful, paying no mind to the protector. And it wasn't like Da'an could convey to the other Taelon that Liam understood Eunoia. After all, Liam wasn't an Implant and no non-Implants could understand the complex Eunoia.
Cocking his head, he heard Pa'aol start to speak, apparently having forgotten his presence. "We have not had much success in discovering any links between the humans and these 'Power Rangers'. However, one of the human Volunteers assigned to my security, a Sergeant Oland, thinks he has discovered a link between these beings and a human family called the Collins. I have sent him to place 'bugs' within the dwelling of the younger Collins, as he is the one reported to have the link with the 'PowerRangers'."
"The younger Collins is not on his premises to object?" Da'an asked.
"He is at this gathering, as he is the president of the company that is the subsidiary of Doors International. His... wife... is with him. The Sergeant has also arranged for a story to be run about the 'Power Rangers' this evening or the next evening, in particular about a kidnapping of children that occurred early in their time there."
"Very well," Da'an told him. "I am not in support of this project, Pa'aol, but T'than seems to think it is of benefit, as does the Synod. I will not block your work."
"This is all I ask of you, Da'an," the Scientist responded. The two Taelons soon found themselves in the company of the overeager mayor, and Liam resigned himself to keeping Da'an safe despite all the well-wishers.
Sometime later, as Da'an was talking to the city council and important representatives of Doors International and BioSynth, Liam found himself approached by a familiar figure. "Katie Collins," he greeted her, wondering if he should tell her about the bugs in her house.
The young black woman grinned. "Glad you remember me. Say, I wondered if you were free after this event. I have a few friends who would love to meet you."
"I'll see what I can do," he replied, knowing that he had to do something about the bugs. "I should be free after Da'an finished here."
"Thanks. Dinner is at five. See you there!"
With that, the young woman cheerfully jaunted off into the crowd, and Liam could see that she had joined her husband's side.
Da'an stepped beside him, almost startling him. "You seem preoccupied."
"Mrs. Collins just gave me a dinner invitation, which I accepted, Da'an. I felt like I could use the break this evening."
"Very well, Liam. I shall release you after this event is over." Da'an told him, and he wondered, not for the first time, if Da'an guessed that he was actually going to meet Liberation members.
* * *
Pa'aol provided no more useful information, at least not within Liam's earshot, and Liam was forced to end the evening without any further information to give to the Collins. He remembered that Mr. Collins had notseemed entirely truthful, or at least he wasn't saying anything, about the Rangers or any possible involvement with them. Maybe he should turn the Volunteers' bugs to his advantage, not merely turning them off, but making use of them.
And it would be nice to know if one of his cell leaders was a blabbermouth.
He made sure Da'an was safe and well-guarded before changing back into a more casual outfit, and was shortly on his way back to Silver Hills.
* * *
Katie Collins had generously sent him directions to her home. He was a little surprised to see that the Collins family lived in a spacious, but not that pompous, home in the suburbs of Silver Hills. His investigations said that the Collins family was very wealthy and owned many properties in the area. Still, it was their choice as to where they lived and maybe the family liked the place.
Liam opened the channel to the family's line, not surprised when the image of Katie Collins appeared on the screen. "Where can I land?" he asked.
"The backyard is fine, Major Kincaid. We have plenty of space back there."
Indeed they did, he found. It was a wide yard, with a child's playset and a pool and plenty of space for running about. It looked like there was space enough in the back for his shuttle and he landed it there.
Satisfied with his landing, he shut off the virtual glass, finding Katie striding towards him. He stepped out, reactivating the glass behind him. She was soon striding past the pool and towards him, and he found himself in an enthusiastic hug that threatened to force the breath out of him. She released him and he took a deep breath. "Sorry," she apologized. "Wes always says that I don't know my own strength."
Liam took a few more deep breaths. "That's quite all right," he responded. "I'm a little early."
"That's quite okay, I could do with a bit of company. Wes had some things to take care of and I'm glad that you could come at all. I'm not going to begrudge you being a bit early! Make yourself at home."
That was exactly what Liam was intending to do, so he just smiled as Katie led him inside. She sat him down on a couch in the living room and left him there, presumably to work on dinner. He waited until she was out of sight to program his global to look for any transmitting devices.
Filtering out anything usual, like the family's wireless devices, he soon discovered five bugs: one in the living room, one in the dining room, one in the guest bathroom, one in the master bathroom, and one in the master bedroom. He moved into the dining room, scanning with his global to find the bug. He soon located it, noting it was a familiar model that Augur had shown him how to do all sort of interesting things with.
With that knowledge, he quickly set things up so that it would burn out in an hour or so - when there were people in the house besides himself and Katie. He did the same with three of the other bugs.
Acting on his feeling, he did something a little different with the living room bug. As soon as he and the other guests left, the bug would start transmitting a pattern of normal living room noise to the Volunteers. He hoped that they would assume the Collins, apt to be paranoid, had found the other bugs, but had unfortunately missed this one. At the same time, the bug would transmit to his global for another twelve hours before burning itself out. Handy little bug.
By the time Katie came in to check on him, everything was done, and he was invited to help the cook do a taste test. Grinning, he agreed, and was soon hauled to the kitchen.
* * *
Katie wasn't a bad cook, and Liam found that he had enjoyed the evening and the other guests. It was quite a while later before he could say his goodbyes to his hostess and the other guests and make his way out to his shuttle to leave. As he powered the shuttle and took off, he made a mental note to go to more gatherings like that. The guests, although awed by his authority, were obviously more interested in just being together rather than who the newest member of the dinner party was, and Liam liked that just fine.
After he returned the shuttle back to the bay at the embassy and returned home, he set up his global to record any noise coming from the Collins residence.
Some time later, he checked it and transferred the current data to a disk while letting the program continue to run. Sitting down in his chair, he stuck the minidisc and its data into a portable player and started to run it.
For a while, nothing interesting happened. He could hear Katie still talking to some of the other guests, and then the vacuum cleaner. And then it was quiet for a while until he heard the voice of Wes Collins.
"Katie! How'd the party go?"
"Oh, pretty good. You finally got that work done you needed to do?"
"Yeah. Sorry about that; I needed to work a while to get the Taelons out of my system."
"I know. But if everything goes right, at least they'll be gone in a year.We have that to look forward to."
"Wish we could tell the rest of the Liberation that. But what would I say? 'My wife is from a thousand years in the future and she knows these things'?"
"Not to mention that things might change," Katie responded. "And we still don't know if the we caught all the stuff that the Taelons might use. One good clue and they can tie us to the Rangers."
"As far as I know, we got rid of all that stuff years ago, except the viewscreen," Wes offered. "At some point the Taelons are going to give up. Hopefully before we get rid of them."
"I hope so," Katie said, sounding doubtful.
"With luck they'll do it soon. I'm so tired of having to deal with Pa'aol and the Volunteers. Knowing that the Taelons just hide behind a friendly face... I'm so glad that we have truly friendly aliens out there. That I got to know Trip...."
"It'll get better, Wes. Trust me, I know."
Wes chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you would. I just wish I could tell the rest of the Liberation. Between the Taelons and the Jaridians... it's amazing that we were willing to even talk to the next friendly bunch we ran across."
"This century never ceases to surprise me. I mean, like tonight. Women are still expected to do things like cook and hold dinner parties."
Liam could almost hear Wes shrug. "We're getting better, but there are still some things we have to work on. I'm just happy that we got to the point where nobody blinked that a female was the leader of the Rangers. If we hadn't, I could see Jen being a lot angrier than she was."
"Yeah. At least it wasn't too bad tonight. We all had a good time, even Major Kincaid. He's a really nice guy, Wes. Even if he works for the Taelons."
"If you say so. I know he's a double agent and all... but I have a hard time trusting, knowing what I know."
"It's been a long day, Wes. Why don't we head up to bed. Tomorrow's another day."
"Sounds good. I'm bushed."
Katie laughed, and then he could hear footsteps, presumably the couple going to bed. He listened for a while longer, but nothing came of it.
* * *
Liam called the Collins family at a bit before nine their time the next morning, after reviewing the rest of the transmission log from the bug in their living room. Wes' face stared out of the viewscreen. "Major Kincaid? What can I do you for this fine Sunday morning?"
"I have to speak to you and Katie. It's important. When can I see you?"
"Um... we're about to go to church... around ten-thirty or so, unless it has to be taken care of right now."
Liam shook his head. "Not this minute, no. Can I meet you at your house?"
Clearly mystified, the young man replied, "Sure. Meet you here then."
With some time to spare, Liam had a leisurely lunch before heading off at an equally leisurely pace to the nearest portal, taking care not to arrive too early. For once, he wanted to travel there inconspicuously, and the best way to do that was to not take his shuttle. Besides, he had ways of preventing the Taelons from knowing about his travels.
It was a little cool when he arrived in Silver Hills, but nothing he couldn't handle. After a bit of impromptu sightseeing, he hailed a cab in front of the train station and gave the driver the Collins' address. He was pleased to see that he would even be a little late, giving them some breathing space.
He knocked on their door, which was opened swiftly by Katie, Wes standing just behind her. Katie turned, giving him enough room to slip through. "What's going on?" Wes asked.
"I thought you might want to know... the Volunteers bugged your house last night," Liam told him. "Fortunately, I was able to find that out before anything bad could happen."
"Bugs? House security should have taken care of them...." Wes' voice trailed off as he went to a hidden panel. "Or at least it should have, if it hadn't been disabled," he finished in a rueful tone.
"I disabled most of them last night while Katie was setting up for dinner... but I wanted to know how vulnerable you were, so I left one running."
He pulled the data minidisc out of his global, handing it to Wes. The young CEO only needed to hear the first sentence to pale and shut the thing off. He looked up at Liam. "Obviously I need to work on my security system," he said.
"Yes, you do," Liam said mildly. "Look, is there anyplace that's safe to talk?"
"Actually, there is," Wes said, looking thoughtful. "Let the two of us get changed; it's not the kind of place for Sunday bests."
* * *
The two of them took Liam to a clock tower outside town. "Only Katie and I really know this place," Wes said proudly, producing a key to the door. "I can practically guarantee that nobody would have bugged it."
That being said, the young man ushered his wife and Liam through the door, locking it behind them. He then walked over to a staircase. "Let me show you a really private place."
Several dozen flights of stairs later, Liam found himself at the area behind the clock tower. The couple was grinning, obviously reliving some memory about the place.
Liam cleared his throat after doing a quick scan of the place. True to Wes' proclamation, the area was clean as far as he could tell. The couple looked up with twin slightly guilty expressions. "Hate to interrupt your lovefest, but I have a few questions I want to ask you."
"Go ahead. I guess at this point we have a little explaining to do," Wes replied, still looking a little cowed. He sat down at a picnic table near the entrance, Katie following suit. Liam did the same.
"Well, assuming that you two were telling the truth last night and Katie's from the future, I guess that's how you know that the Taelons are going to leave. Or at least you think so."
"The future's not set in stone," Wes explained, "But that's what happened in Katie's timeline, yes. The Taelons in this solar system get hit by something which makes them very vulnerable to a Jaridian attack, and the Jaridians take advantage of that, and then follow through by eliminating the rest of the Taelons. They come back to eliminate us 'corrupted' humans, but Ronald Sandoval convinced them, with help from humankind, that we were nothing more that a naive young species who had been fooled by the Taelons. After they were satisfied that we weren't going to seek revenge for the Taelons' destruction, and making sure most Taelon stuff on Earth was destroyed, they left us alone. By the time Earth had become a galactic power, the Jaridians had died out."
"We're pretty sure that things are going as the history books said," Katie commented, "because I'm still here."
"Katie's kind of the barometer. If something goes wrong, I lose her. Of course, I won't remember it, but... I'll still lose her."
"So, if you're pretty sure this is going to happen, why are you two with the Liberation?" Liam asked, puzzled.
Wes shrugged. "Because we want to play a part in making sure the future happens. Sure, Ronald Sandoval convinced the Jaridians to leave us alone, but we believe it was the Liberation that set things up for him and convinced humanity that the Taelons were bald-faced liars. Besides, knowing that there were truly friendly aliens out there made me upset knowing that the Taelons were just pretending to be our friends."
Satisfied, Liam remembered his true reason for contacting the couple. "What ties do you have to the Rangers?"
"You're looking at two of them," Katie said simply. "I was yellow, Wes was red."
"The rest of our team and our tech is in the thirty-first century, where they belong. Our powers came from there, as did Katie and our teammates. We didn't want twenty-first century humans getting their hands on thirty-first century technology. Looks like it was a wise decision," Wes added.
"Yeah," Katie reasoned. She looked up at Liam. "We didn't even know about the idea of Rangers until we'd met other species throughout the galaxy. Several of them had had Ranger teams for millennia, and we'd never had one because we'd never been threatened. But our scientists got ideas, and gradually we came up with a set of stable Ranger powers. By the time the year three thousand rolled along, we even had a red Ranger - Wes' predecessor, Alex."
"And before you ask," Wes said, "Yes, it's kind of a weird thing. Katie's bunch coming here altered time so that the Ranger powers existed a thousand years before they were discovered, and that's how the scientists knew they'd been put together."
"So there's no danger of the Taelons getting the powers?" Liam asked.
"None at all. Our bodies carry no trace of them, and even if they did they'd have difficulty connecting us to the Rangers. I made sure of that," Wes replied firmly.
Liam nodded, and remembered one loose end. "When I found out about the fact that they were planting bugs in your home... they mentioned something about a kidnapping situation with some kids."
The couple looked at each other. "Tentaclaw," Katie said.
Wes' eyes grew distant. "He kidnapped some kids for Ransik's daughter, Nadira, and we had to pay a ransom for them, which I grabbed without dad's permission but managed to get back. Fortunately, we know how to handle that one. Dad is too afraid for his public image to admit that I stole the money from him. He was not happy when I got back to him with the money intact and he doesn't even know about my side job as a super hero. He's convinced that I gave the money to the Rangers against his will."
"I'm surprised he gave his company to you, then," Liam said to him.
Wes shrugged again. "I think he couldn't bear to run it after Doors International acquired it. It's funny, he was willing to sell it but not to let it out of family hands. It was the first time I'd talked to him in years."
Liam was silent for a moment, thinking about his own father. "I guess that answers things then. Just be careful, you two."
"We will," Katie promised. "Even if we have to go to the thirty-first century for a while."
"But not forever," Wes said to her. "We are planning on Alex to be born, right?"
Katie grinned. "Right. I wouldn't forget, Wes."
Wes smiled back at her, and Liam got up to give the couple some space. "I'll go down to the car."
"Be with you in a moment," Katie offered, and he was soon joined by the two of them. Katie stopped him by the car as Wes wrestled with the building's lock. "Major, I didn't tell Wes this, 'cause he doesn't want to know these kinds of things... but I studied this time period and I know what you are." Liam found himself stiffening, but Katie continued on. "I hope you find peace within yourself, Major."
She smiled at him and he found himself relaxing once again. "Thank you, Katie."
* * *
Several months after Liam's confrontation with Katie and Wes, he found himself checking over security measures once again. "Has Pa'aol transferred back to the mothership?" he asked Da'an. "I see that the squads assigned to him have been reassigned."
With a graceful motion, his employer offered, "Pa'aol found that he had helped as much as he could at Silver Hills and requested transfer back to the mothership. Therefore, there was no need of the extensive Volunteer presence and Agent Sandoval has since reassigned the Volunteers to their previous locations."
In other words, Liam mused, He never found what he was looking for. I guess Katie and Wes know their stuff.
"Why are you smiling, Liam?" Da'an asked.
"Just... remembering," Liam offered, which seemed to satisfy Da'an. Continuing to grin, he went back to his work.
-end
Disclaimer: Katie, Wes, and their teammates belong to Saban. Liam, Renee, Da'an, and the Volunteers belong to Roddenberry-Kirschner, among others. Pa'aol is mine.
Spoilers: E:FC: Dark Matter, general season 2 and season 3. PRTF: Series in general, Parting of the Ways
Rating: PG for language.
Author's notes: This follows up "No Room for Regets". It's a very basic crossover between Earth: Final Conflict and Power Rangers Time Force, complete with expository lump. It was written in less than 24 hours and is, unfortunately, unbetaed (and it probably shows). This is to be considered AU to both series, E:FC especially.It's very E:FC heavy at the beginning but comes more to the PR stuff towards the end.
For those not familiar with E:FC, the basic premise is this: The Taelons, an advanced alien species, comes to Earth in the near future. A group of humans, convinced that the Taelons want to use us for something, have formed a group called the Liberation and have successfully managed to insert several people close to the Taelons to find out their true mission on Earth.
Not a Waste
by Selma McCrory
copyright 2001
"Da'an, why is a large group of Volunteers being sent to the city of Silver Hills? I wasn't aware of anything that required their presence there."
Da'an looked at Liam, and replied in a soft voice, "We have recently become involved in a... co-venture with a Doors International subsidiary named BioSynth, and as part of that cooperation, the Scientist Pa'aol is overseeing efforts there. Given that he has no embassy to work from and be protected, I have seen to it that BioSynth's security is supplemented with Volunteer forces. Ms. Palmer and I worked out the arrangements, and she has told me that she will inform the executive officer of BioSynth of them."
Liam tried not to grimace. The head of BioSynth, a young man named Wes Collins, was Liberation. Liam had met the young man several months before at a wine-and-dine attended by some of the city's richest, and Mr. Collins had seemed to be a quiet but fervent supporter of the Liberation. He didn't know the young man well enough to decide whether or not he'd take a resident Taelon in stride, but he hoped so. For the sake of the Liberation.
Realizing that Da'an was looking at him, he responded, "It is unusual for a Taelon to be stationed outside an embassy. Will he be residing there, or portalling up to the mothership?"
"I believe that a portal is to be installed," Da'an told him. "While it was possible to install an energy shower in the building, Pa'aol asked to be allowed to retain his quarters aboard the mothership."
"Okay, Da'an," he said, apparently giving in. He shifted in his chair. "I'm going for lunch now." He got up, hoping that Da'an wouldn't realize that he was going to get information from his Liberation contacts.
Once out of the building, he rapidly dialled Augur up. The computer genius answered the screen in a less-than-happy mood, and Liam knew he'd have to put his request in very carefully. "Augur, can you get into the Mothership's computers? No hurry."
"What do you want to know now, kid?" the hacker asked. His expression said that he was less than delighted, but then, Augur was usually less than delighted when Liam asked favors of him. The only reason that Augur did anything for him at all, Liam suspected, was that Augur regarded him as a responsibility.
"I'm interested in why the Taelons are setting up an operation in Silver Hills, Washington. Da'an tells me that it's because of a Taelon co-venture that requires the supervision of a Taelon scientist, but I have a feeling that it's more than that."
"A feeling, or a *feeling* feeling?" Augur asked carefully.
"Just a feeling," Liam told him. He knew Augur wanted him to admit the occasional abilities which came out of his blended heritage, and truthfully, this particular ability came from his mother, but he was still uneasy about some things.
"Okay, kid. I'll look when I have a spare moment." With that, Augur signed off and Liam was free to call Renee, current head of Doors International.
"Liam," she greeted him. "And this has to do with?"
"Silver Hills," Liam said. "The co-venture?"
"Oh, right. I assume Da'an told you he was sending Volunteers over to watch over our loaned Taelon scientist?"
"Yeah. But that many... doesn't sound right, Renee."
"I'll agree with you there. I've got Wes warned, he and his people'll try to find out what they can. I'll put you through to him." Before Liam could utter a word, Renee blanked out, replaced by the face of Wes Collins.
"Protector Kincaid. What can I do for you?" the businessman asked.
"I hear you're hosting a co-venture with the Taelons. What's it about?"
"BioSynth is a firm specializing in practical biological modifications.We're Doors International's genetic engineering arm, and currently we're working with the Taelons on an application to deal with certain bodily regulations, which we hope someday will cure things like sickle-cell anemia. The Taelons say they want to cooperate with us because they want to improve human health... but, well, you are aware as I as to why healthy humans are important to them. We're hoping that they fix our health problems and then go away."
"Doesn't look like any time soon," Liam offered.
"Not really. But there's always hope. We'll keep you up to date... if we can. All these Volunteers coming in are making me nervous."
"Me too. Keep me posted."
"Will do."
With that, the screen went blank once more and Liam went to his appointed lunch.
* * *
"I've got something for you."
Liam frowned at Augur's image in his global as he relaxed in his chair. "What?"
"Seems that dear ol' Pa'aol isn't the only reason for the Volunteers. And this co-venture isn't his only reason for being in Silver Hills, either.Ever hear of some group called the 'Power Rangers'?"
Liam searched through his memory, from his own experiences during the past year of his life, as well as what he could recall of his parents' memories. "Some group that went around in silly costumes with helmets to hide their identities?"
"The people of Silver Hills might think differently, Liam. Anyway, I did a little digging and what they're really there to do is to look for all traces of these Rangers and their technology."
Liam leaned forward in his chair. "Silver Hills is the only place where these 'Power Rangers' appeared?"
"Looks like it. They apparently scouted the area when Da'an was at a function there. Apparently they think some of the tech is still in place. And, given the information they've gathered, the Power Rangers were apparently real... and so was their ability to not get cut in two by blasters."
Liam whistled. "So we've got to find these 'Rangers' and their technology before they do."
"That's pretty much it," Augur told him. "I'd be interested in the applications myself."
The screen blanked and Liam found himself unable to repress a grin. Of course Augur would be interested in anything profitable. He pulled the address book and found the private number of one Wesley Collins, the head of BioSynth and local Liberation head, and dialled it up. The slightly less-than-usually-immaculate face of Wes Collins came on the screen, and Liam could see Katie, his wife, in the background behind his left shoulder. "Sorry to bother you," Liam told him.
"No problem. What gives?" the young man said smoothly.
"One of my people found the reason for the Taelons' sudden interest in Silver Hills," Liam told him. "Have you ever heard of the Power Rangers?"
In the background, Katie's expression twitched, but it was Wes who answered. "Anybody who lived during Ransik's rampages did. I know that a lot of people who didn't live here at the time think they're myth, but trust me, they were real."
"Right. Apparently the Taelons do too. They're trying to find the Rangers and/or their technology."
Wes shrugged. "We haven't seen hide nor hair of the Rangers since 2001, when the Rangers defeated Ransik. Don't know where they are or where their technology is. It's not like anybody knew who they were. In fact, we thought they were aliens!"
Behind him, Katie's lips twitched in a brief smile. Liam said, "Aliens or not, the Taelons are going to be covertly poking through a lot of Silver Hills. Now that you know, can you see if they find anything?"
"Will do," Wes responded. "I doubt they will, but who knows?"
Something about the man's response bothered Liam, but he let it pass."Thanks," he said.
* * *
Liam hadn't had much time to think about what the Taelons had been doing in Silver Hills, with much more pressing matters to deal with. All he knew was that Wes Collins had been funnelling negative reports through Renee. If the Taelons had discovered something, the Volunteers' actions hadn't been changed to reflect that, and Pa'aol's actions had been no stranger than usual.
Still, Da'an had scheduled a visit out to the area that afternoon and Liam could not help but be worried. What if, despite his peoples' best efforts, the Taelons had found something and they hadn't? Pa'aol seemed to be neutral in his politics but one could never tell with Taelons....
Liam just resolved to stick close to Da'an and hope Pa'aol, not knowing he understood Eunoia, the Taelons' language, would accidentally let something slip. He slipped into a private changing room to ready himself for the event and then set out to do pre-flight checks on his shuttle.
* * *
Da'an's visit came with about forty thousand press people, or at least that's how it seemed to Liam. The mayor of the city had somehow belatedly realized that she had a Taelon in the city, no matter that it was a scientist and he never left the BioSynth labs as far as anybody knew, and she wanted to call attention to that fact. So Da'an had apparently agreed to attend the celebration, along with Pa'aol, who was scheduled to attend only part of the event.
Shaking his head at both human and Taelon attempts at public relations, Liam continued to stay close to the two Taelons, acting as the protector he was. Still, he was enough out of Da'an's and Pa'aol's space that he hoped the Scientist would blab something useful, paying no mind to the protector. And it wasn't like Da'an could convey to the other Taelon that Liam understood Eunoia. After all, Liam wasn't an Implant and no non-Implants could understand the complex Eunoia.
Cocking his head, he heard Pa'aol start to speak, apparently having forgotten his presence. "We have not had much success in discovering any links between the humans and these 'Power Rangers'. However, one of the human Volunteers assigned to my security, a Sergeant Oland, thinks he has discovered a link between these beings and a human family called the Collins. I have sent him to place 'bugs' within the dwelling of the younger Collins, as he is the one reported to have the link with the 'PowerRangers'."
"The younger Collins is not on his premises to object?" Da'an asked.
"He is at this gathering, as he is the president of the company that is the subsidiary of Doors International. His... wife... is with him. The Sergeant has also arranged for a story to be run about the 'Power Rangers' this evening or the next evening, in particular about a kidnapping of children that occurred early in their time there."
"Very well," Da'an told him. "I am not in support of this project, Pa'aol, but T'than seems to think it is of benefit, as does the Synod. I will not block your work."
"This is all I ask of you, Da'an," the Scientist responded. The two Taelons soon found themselves in the company of the overeager mayor, and Liam resigned himself to keeping Da'an safe despite all the well-wishers.
Sometime later, as Da'an was talking to the city council and important representatives of Doors International and BioSynth, Liam found himself approached by a familiar figure. "Katie Collins," he greeted her, wondering if he should tell her about the bugs in her house.
The young black woman grinned. "Glad you remember me. Say, I wondered if you were free after this event. I have a few friends who would love to meet you."
"I'll see what I can do," he replied, knowing that he had to do something about the bugs. "I should be free after Da'an finished here."
"Thanks. Dinner is at five. See you there!"
With that, the young woman cheerfully jaunted off into the crowd, and Liam could see that she had joined her husband's side.
Da'an stepped beside him, almost startling him. "You seem preoccupied."
"Mrs. Collins just gave me a dinner invitation, which I accepted, Da'an. I felt like I could use the break this evening."
"Very well, Liam. I shall release you after this event is over." Da'an told him, and he wondered, not for the first time, if Da'an guessed that he was actually going to meet Liberation members.
* * *
Pa'aol provided no more useful information, at least not within Liam's earshot, and Liam was forced to end the evening without any further information to give to the Collins. He remembered that Mr. Collins had notseemed entirely truthful, or at least he wasn't saying anything, about the Rangers or any possible involvement with them. Maybe he should turn the Volunteers' bugs to his advantage, not merely turning them off, but making use of them.
And it would be nice to know if one of his cell leaders was a blabbermouth.
He made sure Da'an was safe and well-guarded before changing back into a more casual outfit, and was shortly on his way back to Silver Hills.
* * *
Katie Collins had generously sent him directions to her home. He was a little surprised to see that the Collins family lived in a spacious, but not that pompous, home in the suburbs of Silver Hills. His investigations said that the Collins family was very wealthy and owned many properties in the area. Still, it was their choice as to where they lived and maybe the family liked the place.
Liam opened the channel to the family's line, not surprised when the image of Katie Collins appeared on the screen. "Where can I land?" he asked.
"The backyard is fine, Major Kincaid. We have plenty of space back there."
Indeed they did, he found. It was a wide yard, with a child's playset and a pool and plenty of space for running about. It looked like there was space enough in the back for his shuttle and he landed it there.
Satisfied with his landing, he shut off the virtual glass, finding Katie striding towards him. He stepped out, reactivating the glass behind him. She was soon striding past the pool and towards him, and he found himself in an enthusiastic hug that threatened to force the breath out of him. She released him and he took a deep breath. "Sorry," she apologized. "Wes always says that I don't know my own strength."
Liam took a few more deep breaths. "That's quite all right," he responded. "I'm a little early."
"That's quite okay, I could do with a bit of company. Wes had some things to take care of and I'm glad that you could come at all. I'm not going to begrudge you being a bit early! Make yourself at home."
That was exactly what Liam was intending to do, so he just smiled as Katie led him inside. She sat him down on a couch in the living room and left him there, presumably to work on dinner. He waited until she was out of sight to program his global to look for any transmitting devices.
Filtering out anything usual, like the family's wireless devices, he soon discovered five bugs: one in the living room, one in the dining room, one in the guest bathroom, one in the master bathroom, and one in the master bedroom. He moved into the dining room, scanning with his global to find the bug. He soon located it, noting it was a familiar model that Augur had shown him how to do all sort of interesting things with.
With that knowledge, he quickly set things up so that it would burn out in an hour or so - when there were people in the house besides himself and Katie. He did the same with three of the other bugs.
Acting on his feeling, he did something a little different with the living room bug. As soon as he and the other guests left, the bug would start transmitting a pattern of normal living room noise to the Volunteers. He hoped that they would assume the Collins, apt to be paranoid, had found the other bugs, but had unfortunately missed this one. At the same time, the bug would transmit to his global for another twelve hours before burning itself out. Handy little bug.
By the time Katie came in to check on him, everything was done, and he was invited to help the cook do a taste test. Grinning, he agreed, and was soon hauled to the kitchen.
* * *
Katie wasn't a bad cook, and Liam found that he had enjoyed the evening and the other guests. It was quite a while later before he could say his goodbyes to his hostess and the other guests and make his way out to his shuttle to leave. As he powered the shuttle and took off, he made a mental note to go to more gatherings like that. The guests, although awed by his authority, were obviously more interested in just being together rather than who the newest member of the dinner party was, and Liam liked that just fine.
After he returned the shuttle back to the bay at the embassy and returned home, he set up his global to record any noise coming from the Collins residence.
Some time later, he checked it and transferred the current data to a disk while letting the program continue to run. Sitting down in his chair, he stuck the minidisc and its data into a portable player and started to run it.
For a while, nothing interesting happened. He could hear Katie still talking to some of the other guests, and then the vacuum cleaner. And then it was quiet for a while until he heard the voice of Wes Collins.
"Katie! How'd the party go?"
"Oh, pretty good. You finally got that work done you needed to do?"
"Yeah. Sorry about that; I needed to work a while to get the Taelons out of my system."
"I know. But if everything goes right, at least they'll be gone in a year.We have that to look forward to."
"Wish we could tell the rest of the Liberation that. But what would I say? 'My wife is from a thousand years in the future and she knows these things'?"
"Not to mention that things might change," Katie responded. "And we still don't know if the we caught all the stuff that the Taelons might use. One good clue and they can tie us to the Rangers."
"As far as I know, we got rid of all that stuff years ago, except the viewscreen," Wes offered. "At some point the Taelons are going to give up. Hopefully before we get rid of them."
"I hope so," Katie said, sounding doubtful.
"With luck they'll do it soon. I'm so tired of having to deal with Pa'aol and the Volunteers. Knowing that the Taelons just hide behind a friendly face... I'm so glad that we have truly friendly aliens out there. That I got to know Trip...."
"It'll get better, Wes. Trust me, I know."
Wes chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you would. I just wish I could tell the rest of the Liberation. Between the Taelons and the Jaridians... it's amazing that we were willing to even talk to the next friendly bunch we ran across."
"This century never ceases to surprise me. I mean, like tonight. Women are still expected to do things like cook and hold dinner parties."
Liam could almost hear Wes shrug. "We're getting better, but there are still some things we have to work on. I'm just happy that we got to the point where nobody blinked that a female was the leader of the Rangers. If we hadn't, I could see Jen being a lot angrier than she was."
"Yeah. At least it wasn't too bad tonight. We all had a good time, even Major Kincaid. He's a really nice guy, Wes. Even if he works for the Taelons."
"If you say so. I know he's a double agent and all... but I have a hard time trusting, knowing what I know."
"It's been a long day, Wes. Why don't we head up to bed. Tomorrow's another day."
"Sounds good. I'm bushed."
Katie laughed, and then he could hear footsteps, presumably the couple going to bed. He listened for a while longer, but nothing came of it.
* * *
Liam called the Collins family at a bit before nine their time the next morning, after reviewing the rest of the transmission log from the bug in their living room. Wes' face stared out of the viewscreen. "Major Kincaid? What can I do you for this fine Sunday morning?"
"I have to speak to you and Katie. It's important. When can I see you?"
"Um... we're about to go to church... around ten-thirty or so, unless it has to be taken care of right now."
Liam shook his head. "Not this minute, no. Can I meet you at your house?"
Clearly mystified, the young man replied, "Sure. Meet you here then."
With some time to spare, Liam had a leisurely lunch before heading off at an equally leisurely pace to the nearest portal, taking care not to arrive too early. For once, he wanted to travel there inconspicuously, and the best way to do that was to not take his shuttle. Besides, he had ways of preventing the Taelons from knowing about his travels.
It was a little cool when he arrived in Silver Hills, but nothing he couldn't handle. After a bit of impromptu sightseeing, he hailed a cab in front of the train station and gave the driver the Collins' address. He was pleased to see that he would even be a little late, giving them some breathing space.
He knocked on their door, which was opened swiftly by Katie, Wes standing just behind her. Katie turned, giving him enough room to slip through. "What's going on?" Wes asked.
"I thought you might want to know... the Volunteers bugged your house last night," Liam told him. "Fortunately, I was able to find that out before anything bad could happen."
"Bugs? House security should have taken care of them...." Wes' voice trailed off as he went to a hidden panel. "Or at least it should have, if it hadn't been disabled," he finished in a rueful tone.
"I disabled most of them last night while Katie was setting up for dinner... but I wanted to know how vulnerable you were, so I left one running."
He pulled the data minidisc out of his global, handing it to Wes. The young CEO only needed to hear the first sentence to pale and shut the thing off. He looked up at Liam. "Obviously I need to work on my security system," he said.
"Yes, you do," Liam said mildly. "Look, is there anyplace that's safe to talk?"
"Actually, there is," Wes said, looking thoughtful. "Let the two of us get changed; it's not the kind of place for Sunday bests."
* * *
The two of them took Liam to a clock tower outside town. "Only Katie and I really know this place," Wes said proudly, producing a key to the door. "I can practically guarantee that nobody would have bugged it."
That being said, the young man ushered his wife and Liam through the door, locking it behind them. He then walked over to a staircase. "Let me show you a really private place."
Several dozen flights of stairs later, Liam found himself at the area behind the clock tower. The couple was grinning, obviously reliving some memory about the place.
Liam cleared his throat after doing a quick scan of the place. True to Wes' proclamation, the area was clean as far as he could tell. The couple looked up with twin slightly guilty expressions. "Hate to interrupt your lovefest, but I have a few questions I want to ask you."
"Go ahead. I guess at this point we have a little explaining to do," Wes replied, still looking a little cowed. He sat down at a picnic table near the entrance, Katie following suit. Liam did the same.
"Well, assuming that you two were telling the truth last night and Katie's from the future, I guess that's how you know that the Taelons are going to leave. Or at least you think so."
"The future's not set in stone," Wes explained, "But that's what happened in Katie's timeline, yes. The Taelons in this solar system get hit by something which makes them very vulnerable to a Jaridian attack, and the Jaridians take advantage of that, and then follow through by eliminating the rest of the Taelons. They come back to eliminate us 'corrupted' humans, but Ronald Sandoval convinced them, with help from humankind, that we were nothing more that a naive young species who had been fooled by the Taelons. After they were satisfied that we weren't going to seek revenge for the Taelons' destruction, and making sure most Taelon stuff on Earth was destroyed, they left us alone. By the time Earth had become a galactic power, the Jaridians had died out."
"We're pretty sure that things are going as the history books said," Katie commented, "because I'm still here."
"Katie's kind of the barometer. If something goes wrong, I lose her. Of course, I won't remember it, but... I'll still lose her."
"So, if you're pretty sure this is going to happen, why are you two with the Liberation?" Liam asked, puzzled.
Wes shrugged. "Because we want to play a part in making sure the future happens. Sure, Ronald Sandoval convinced the Jaridians to leave us alone, but we believe it was the Liberation that set things up for him and convinced humanity that the Taelons were bald-faced liars. Besides, knowing that there were truly friendly aliens out there made me upset knowing that the Taelons were just pretending to be our friends."
Satisfied, Liam remembered his true reason for contacting the couple. "What ties do you have to the Rangers?"
"You're looking at two of them," Katie said simply. "I was yellow, Wes was red."
"The rest of our team and our tech is in the thirty-first century, where they belong. Our powers came from there, as did Katie and our teammates. We didn't want twenty-first century humans getting their hands on thirty-first century technology. Looks like it was a wise decision," Wes added.
"Yeah," Katie reasoned. She looked up at Liam. "We didn't even know about the idea of Rangers until we'd met other species throughout the galaxy. Several of them had had Ranger teams for millennia, and we'd never had one because we'd never been threatened. But our scientists got ideas, and gradually we came up with a set of stable Ranger powers. By the time the year three thousand rolled along, we even had a red Ranger - Wes' predecessor, Alex."
"And before you ask," Wes said, "Yes, it's kind of a weird thing. Katie's bunch coming here altered time so that the Ranger powers existed a thousand years before they were discovered, and that's how the scientists knew they'd been put together."
"So there's no danger of the Taelons getting the powers?" Liam asked.
"None at all. Our bodies carry no trace of them, and even if they did they'd have difficulty connecting us to the Rangers. I made sure of that," Wes replied firmly.
Liam nodded, and remembered one loose end. "When I found out about the fact that they were planting bugs in your home... they mentioned something about a kidnapping situation with some kids."
The couple looked at each other. "Tentaclaw," Katie said.
Wes' eyes grew distant. "He kidnapped some kids for Ransik's daughter, Nadira, and we had to pay a ransom for them, which I grabbed without dad's permission but managed to get back. Fortunately, we know how to handle that one. Dad is too afraid for his public image to admit that I stole the money from him. He was not happy when I got back to him with the money intact and he doesn't even know about my side job as a super hero. He's convinced that I gave the money to the Rangers against his will."
"I'm surprised he gave his company to you, then," Liam said to him.
Wes shrugged again. "I think he couldn't bear to run it after Doors International acquired it. It's funny, he was willing to sell it but not to let it out of family hands. It was the first time I'd talked to him in years."
Liam was silent for a moment, thinking about his own father. "I guess that answers things then. Just be careful, you two."
"We will," Katie promised. "Even if we have to go to the thirty-first century for a while."
"But not forever," Wes said to her. "We are planning on Alex to be born, right?"
Katie grinned. "Right. I wouldn't forget, Wes."
Wes smiled back at her, and Liam got up to give the couple some space. "I'll go down to the car."
"Be with you in a moment," Katie offered, and he was soon joined by the two of them. Katie stopped him by the car as Wes wrestled with the building's lock. "Major, I didn't tell Wes this, 'cause he doesn't want to know these kinds of things... but I studied this time period and I know what you are." Liam found himself stiffening, but Katie continued on. "I hope you find peace within yourself, Major."
She smiled at him and he found himself relaxing once again. "Thank you, Katie."
* * *
Several months after Liam's confrontation with Katie and Wes, he found himself checking over security measures once again. "Has Pa'aol transferred back to the mothership?" he asked Da'an. "I see that the squads assigned to him have been reassigned."
With a graceful motion, his employer offered, "Pa'aol found that he had helped as much as he could at Silver Hills and requested transfer back to the mothership. Therefore, there was no need of the extensive Volunteer presence and Agent Sandoval has since reassigned the Volunteers to their previous locations."
In other words, Liam mused, He never found what he was looking for. I guess Katie and Wes know their stuff.
"Why are you smiling, Liam?" Da'an asked.
"Just... remembering," Liam offered, which seemed to satisfy Da'an. Continuing to grin, he went back to his work.
-end