Chapter 10: Timelines

One victory, one mission, had already given way to another. The Chronic Storm Rangers, with assistance from several Ranger teams out of time, defeated the resistance and repelled the invasion of Earth. However, they now faced a much more daunting task: Admiral Axl, the elder brother of General Axis and former Triforian ruler. Recent reports label him as the primary suspect in an attack on the Zordina that left the entire planet crippled. The Rangers were currently on their way to Zordina, a planet located a considerable distance from Earth, to look for any clues as to the nature of this attack. The journey this time around would be close to a day, even with the Astro4's hyper drive operational again. The length of the trip gave the Rangers time to take a step back from everything, catch their collective breath, and enjoy each other's company. Even with Axl now looming over them, there was a palpable air of confidence from the team. All of them were certain of victory. All of them, except their leader.

On the Astro4, Carter was walking around the empty bridge, caught inside his own harrowing thoughts. He could almost hear it as if it were still happening all around him. The exploding ships, the eerie shrills of anguish before the comms cut off. Carter would look in the mirror some mornings and run his finger through the newfound strand of gray. It was easy to forget that it had only been five years. After two, he couldn't remember their names, even some of their faces. After two, all he could see was their colors. All he could recall were those back-up morphers being forced into circulation. It became no more complicated than replacing a faulty machine part. Another mission. Another team. The faces changed, but the colors never did.

Taylor approached the bridge while Carter was still lost inside his thoughts, trying to rub the irritation out of his heavy eyes. She walked up to him and gently nudged him, springing him back into reality. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah… yeah, just fine." Carter's tone was decidedly low in pitch, contrasting greatly from his customarily strong and assured delivery.

The weakness of his words was not lost on Taylor. "Are you sure about that?"

"Just… tired. I'll be sure to get some more shut eye after we discuss the mission."

"Good… We need you sharp out there."

Kendrix, Jason, and Ethan made their way to the bridge. The team then began discussing what they knew so far.

Ethan had been using a fair bit of time to try to uncover more about Admiral Axl. But his stoney expression told a clear tale. "I've been looking for hours through every channel and pathway that this ship has access to. But so far, all we have is a name. And no way to access Triforian servers either. They've got those things locked up tight."

"Axis wasn't engaging in hyperbole with his older brother," Jason said. "Not only did he end a race of strong and respected people, but he knows how to stay off the grid."

Taylor shook her head in disappointment. "If we can't even get intelligence on this guy, how do we even know he was the one responsible? Axis had plenty of allies out there during our last battle. Queen Diane isn't exactly short on enemies."

"My mother has dealt with the Triforians more than anyone. If she thinks that one of them did this, we ought to believe her. Plus, Zordina isn't allied to anyone."

"Guys," Carter added. "We need to focus on the bigger issue. We're dealing with someone who can take out an entire planet. A planet much bigger than Earth. We need to find out the what and the how and report it back before that kind of force can be used again. The who should come naturally."

"What's our plan for taking down Admiral Axl when we do find him?" asked Jason.

Carter sighed. "Hopefully, we can find a solution that doesn't involve a direct confrontation. Our mission is to gather more intelligence and let Queen Diane make the next call."

"Come on Carter, we're Power Rangers." Jason replied. "Think of what could happen if we let Axl slip through our fingers. More planets could suffer while we work out the political stuff. I say if we have a clear shot we take it."

"We don't know enough about what's going on to risk being rash. If we're forced to fight, we will, but I think we'd be better off sticking with our orders and our mission this time around."

"You've seen my new power in action. Between that and, you know, being a team, there's nothing we can't—"

"Jason, that's enough," Carter stated firmly. "Those weird powers of yours are another wildcard right now. We know nothing about them or what affects they might have on you if you keep using them. What's more, you tried playing hero once and if it wasn't for Alex, who knows what could have happened. Those are my orders."

The bridge grew deadly silent. Even Taylor was caught off guard by Carter's unusually aggressive stance. Jason started to get up and walk out of the room.

"We aren't done discussing the mission yet." said Carter.

"Oh, really?" Jason asked. "Well I think I am, seeing as how our mission is a pretty dumb one right now. I'll just head over to my quarters where my trying to do the right thing isn't a liability for anyone." Jason walked away.

"Jason, wait." Kendrix got up. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him." She followed him down the hall.

Carter sighed and walked back towards the front of the bridge to take a seat. "Ethan, keep looking. Whatever you can find. We've still got a couple hours."

"I'll get right on it." Ethan got up and walked out of the bridge.

While in his quarters, Jason was still reeling a bit from getting called out by Carter. He didn't want to sit there and take it back in the meeting, but he knew that Carter was right. He thought long and hard about everything he had been through to this point. I know he's right. I know I screwed up sometimes looking for a fight, but I was doing the right thing… right?

Just then, Jason heard a light tap upon his door and a soothing voice right after, "Is it okay if I come in? You're not naked in there right?"

Jason rose up and opened the door for Kendrix. "Hey… I'm sorry about getting carried away at the meeting. I just… I don't even know…"

"No need to apologize. It takes guts to stand up and challenge a guy like Carter, who you seem to have a lot of respect for. We both know he didn't mean to come off so harsh. He just cares about you. It kind of reminds me of the Corbett brothers from back home."

Jason was caught off guard by the comment. "I remind you of Leo…?" Jason smiled proudly to himself. "Heh, cool… wait, are you two…?"

"Haha, no, nothing like that. Maybe we could have been, for a time."

"For a time…?"

Kendrix smiled. "You don't need to worry about that. Although, your jealous side is kind of cute."

"Hehe… Ahem, anyways…" Jason's awkward smile was flipped into a fearful expression. "Truth be told, I'm really not looking forward to fighting another war for Earth against a guy we can't even find a picture of, let alone understand. Axis was one thing: he had a face and a few clear motives. But we still barely beat him. The idea of facing someone even worse… quite frankly, it scares the hell out of me. The real Ranger world, it's so much more complicated than the archives… I worry now that someday… I won't be able to figure it all out in time."

Kendrix held his hands. "I'm sure you also know that as a team, there's nothing we can't accomplish together. But that doesn't mean we have to go jumping into a brawl with every intergalactic villain that pulls out a big gun. We can outsmart this situation too, use what we do know and figure out more. I've never been a highly trained combat specialist, nor was most of my old team. I'm just a scientist, so I know that there's more to fighting than, well, fighting."

Jason took in her words and finally cracked something of a smile. "Does it ever get boring, being so right all the time?"

"Haha, not really."

They gave each other a big hug before Kendrix started to depart. She gave him one last warm, assured smile before she went off to her own quarters.

Her smile. It made Jason believe in things he assumed were nothing but fantasies before now. Like a cloudy sky penetrated by rays of sunshine offering a reprieve from the cold rain, her smile made Jason think, Maybe… things will be alright.

Just as soon, Jason began to have a horrible flashback to the time General Axis was torturing Kendrix right in front of him. The tears, the screams, the blood, the maniacal laughter. Jason tried to shake the thoughts away. No…! I can't let anything like that happen to her, happen to anyone, ever again!

Meanwhile, Carter had made his way up to the observation deck. The whole time, he had been trailed by Taylor who had yet to remove her concerned look. Neither said much to each other until Carter finally broke the silence. "I know, Taylor, I know… There was a better way to handle that."

"Yeah, that, and it's supposed to be my job to keep the kid in line. But I wanted to ask you something else."

Carter turned to face her.

"You're just like Ethan, Kendrix, and I; a Ranger from a different time. But you've been here, in this time, for what seems like a very long time. How'd you end up here? And why have you stayed so long?"

Carter looked to the ground and slowly nodded. "Assemble the team. I think it's their right to know the whole story."

Taylor contacted everyone to meet back inside the bridge. Jason walked a bit slower than normal, hesitant to get berated once more. Eventually, the team was all present. But when they looked at Carter, they didn't see frustration. They saw distress. It brought on concerned expressions amongst the group before Carter began to explain.

"Guys, there's a reason that I haven't been home in five years. And, as my teammates, you all deserve to know the truth."

Jason still vividly remembered the day Carter appeared. It was an exciting time for him and the kingdom. But, even for as long as he's known Carter, he had never heard the full story of his arrival.

The year was 2001. During this time, the Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers were still operating in and around a city called Mariner Bay through their underwater Headquarters called the Aquabase. They were a few months removed from having stopped a demon named Queen Bansheera and her underlings; the biggest threat to the world at the time. The team was still around however, ready for whenever they would be called into action once more. As fate would have it, a demon general named Vypra resurfaced during that year. It took Carter's Lightspeed Rescue team and the Time Force Power Rangers to stop her. The true beginning of Carter's time traveling tale however, began immediately after, when the team returned to the Aquabase after helping put away Vypra again.

"Woo, I'm beat," said Kelsey, the Yellow Lightspeed Rescue Ranger. "I'm thinking lunch!"

"I'd second that." replied Joel, the Green Ranger.

"You guys go on ahead," Carter added with a smile. "I'll catch up after I deliver a full report to Captain Mitchell."

The team raced to the Aquabase kitchen to begin preparing a celebratory feast while Carter entered Captain Mitchell's office. Mitchell was sorting through some paperwork when he noticed Carter and rose from his chair. Carter stood at attention.

"The mission went well?" asked Mitchell.

Carter nodded. "Vypra returned, sir. But with the help of the Time Force Rangers, we were able to stop her. Hopefully for good."

Just as soon, a proximity alert sounded. Something was approaching the Aquabase from the outside. Mitchell immediately got into contact with the lead scientist on the Aquabase: Ms. Angela Fairweather. "Ms. Fairweather, what do we have?"

"One very weak signature, Captain. It's not a demon, but it's fading quickly." replied Ms. Fairweather.

"Sir, we can handle this." added Carter.

"Approach with caution. Weak signature or not, we have to believe that Vypra's return wasn't an accident."

"Understood, sir." Carter quickly left Mitchell's office and joined his team.

The Rangers made their way outside and were shocked to find an injured and crawling woman just outside of the Aquabase doors. She was a slightly older looking, scarred, bruised, and bloodied Queen Diane. "P… Please… h-help… me…"

Dana, the Pink Ranger and medical expert, moved quickly to assess her condition. She then called for a stretcher to come out from inside the base. "We're going to get you inside, don't worry."

Dana and Carter both helped Diane onto the stretcher that came out while she faded in and out of consciousness. They then followed her inside while Dana began observing and treating her wounds.

Kelsey looked upon Diane with a mournful expression and shook her head. "Who could have done this?"

"She looks like she's been through war." replied Ryan, the Titanium Ranger.

"Maybe Captain Mitchell was right," Carter said. "Maybe Vypra wasn't the only demon to come back."

"Aww man!" Joel reacted. "I am not putting off another honeymoon. That cruise was non-refundable."

Just then, Diane's body started quivering and her eyes began to slowly open.

"Guys, she's finally waking up." said Dana.

Diane's eyes darted back and forth, confused by her new location. Then, she looked to Carter. "C-Carter… Grayson."

Carter's eyes widened. "You know me?"

"I… know of you. My son… he's an admirer of your work." Diane lifted herself out of the hospital bed and stood on her own two feet. Her breathing was still labored and her legs started to quiver under the weight of her body.

"You shouldn't be walking yet." Dana stated.

Diane waved away Dana's concerns. "My health is of no consequence. Carter Grayson, I need to speak with you. It's a matter of life or death."

"Life or death…?" asked Carter.

"I'll start with this: I'm not from this time, not even close. My name is Diane Cahill, and in my time, I am Queen of Earth as well as the grand unifier of the universe. As such, many also refer to me as Queen of the Universe."

Joel chuckled a little. "Dana, I think you missed a spot upstairs."

"Not funny, Joel." replied Dana.

Diane glared at Joel. "Do I look to be in a joking mood? Do you believe my injuries were caused by, what? Mere happenstance!? No… we were caught off guard… and the Earth paid the price for my lack of awareness…" Diane's eyes started to water thinking back to the horrible war she endured. "I… lost my son… I lost everything…"

Carter calmly approached her. "Ma'am, I'll hear out what you have to say. And if I we can help, then we will."

Diane took a deep breath, wiped the tears from her eyes, and took a few moments to ready herself. Then she explained, "In the year 2985, my Universal Monarchy was officially established. Shortly after, the Triforians began banning together rogue star systems and leading a resistance against my rule. We would go on to battle them for years with moderate success, but then, a new General by the name of Axis started giving us problems for which we had no solution. It wasn't the savagery or bruteness of the battles before. He was cunning, conniving, calculating. And then… five years after that war began, the war was lost and the Earth fell… My good friend Professor Knox found a way to finish a prototype of a time warp device. The Triforian forces were closing in on my palace to make the end official. In a state of desperation, I used that technology while I watched my allies and comrades mercilessly slaughtered before me, swearing to them that I would rectify my greatest failure. My son, he often spoke of the Power Rangers. He knew practically everything about the heroes lost to time, but capable of unparalleled wonders. He often spoke of you, Carter. That's why I'm here. To save the future, the Earth, and the entire universe, we need the Power Rangers to return."

The others stood in complete shock upon hearing the story unfold. They all looked around at each other, but none could come up with a response. None except Carter, "What exactly do you need me to do?"

"Carter, are you seriously buying this?" asked Joel.

Diane started coughing up blood and fading in and out of consciousness. Dana approached her, but Diane motioned her away. "There's… nothing more that… can be done for me… This is it… You are my very last hope, Carter. I need you to… travel back to the year 2985, before the conflict starts… Convince a younger version of myself to bring back the… Power… Rangers…"

Diane fell to the floor. Her life continued to fade away. She used what remained of her strength to place a blue, circular device in Carter's hand that looked more advanced than anything he had ever seen before. "This device… it shall explain… everything… Save… the universe… save… my… s… son…" Diane's breathing suddenly stopped as her body remained still on the floor.

"Dana, can you save her!?" asked Carter.

Dana observed Diane's condition and quickly took her pulse. She then shook her head in disbelief. "She's gone… her injuries were far too substantial to recover from. It's a miracle she even lasted this long."

Carter stared intently at the device in his hands. It looked somewhat similar to the Time Force technology he had seen just a day ago.

"You're actually thinking about going through with this?" asked Ryan.

Carter held tight to the device and nodded. "She wouldn't have come all the way here for nothing. She died… just on the off chance that I could help."

"If you're going, we're going." stated Kelsey.

Chad, the Blue Ranger, nodded in agreement.

Joel was less than enthusiastic about the idea, but he still nodded all the same. His team needed him, so he was going to be there.

"Guys, that means a lot," Carter said. "But Mariner Bay still needs the Power Rangers too. Yesterday it was Vypra. For all we know, it could be Diabolico tomorrow."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Ryan.

Carter nodded. "This is the right thing to do."

Soon after, just outside the Aquabase, Carter activated the device and a blueish-white time portal opened up right before him. His team looked on astonished by the advanced technology. Carter looked back at everyone and gave them a confident nod. They all nodded back.

Dana walked up to him and hugged him. "Come back soon."

"I will." Carter embraced her back. "Keep an eye on these guys. Especially Joel."

"Heard that." added Joel.

Captain Mitchell gave Carter a confident nod. "Go save the world."

"You can count on me, sir." Carter turned back around, took a deep breath and entered the portal. As his body disappeared through the swirling hues, the portal closed behind him. Carter was then instantly transported to Earth, 2985. The bright sights and loud sounds immediately struck his senses as he turned his gaze upwards. His jaw dropped as lines of flying ships painted the purple, midday sky. Tall white buildings covered the skyline and busy streets defined the surface level. And just behind, a silver and dark green colored palace that stole away the entire scene, dwarfing the other buildings in height.

Carter's eyes and head darted all over, taken aback by setting. Every new vantage point was a novel discovery, images he could never have even imagined. "Incredible… So this is the real deal."

Carter then regained his focus and observed the device Diane had given him. After some fiddling, the device started to churn and beep before projecting directions and beginning a voice communication. Carter could tell it was Diane's voice, "Carter, explaining things to my past self may prove troubling at first. Lead with this specific date." A date appeared alongside an explanation of its significance. "Knowing me, the rest should handle itself."

The communication faded away and Carter began traversing the kingdom to search for the Diane of the past. He didn't have to search for long, as he found her in the middle of some kind of city-wide celebration. It looked to be a parade of some sort with hundreds upon hundreds of people filling up the city streets. Carter tried to push himself through the commotion once he witnessed Diane waving to the jubilant crowd while riding on a heavily armored vehicle. She and Jason who sat next to him were also under the watchful eye of a platoon of heavily armored, heavily weaponized soldiers.

He tried to move in closer, but a pair of guards stopped him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I need to speak with the Queen. It's urgent."

Diane noticed the commotion Carter was causing. A 19 year old Jason also noticed the commotion. His eyes were about ready to pop out of his head upon recognizing the man at the center of it. "Mother! Mother! That man right there! He looks just like Carter Grayson!"

Diane rolled her eyes. "Not this Power Rangers obsession again. Would you give it a rest for even a moment?"

Carter tried to get Diane's attention as her vehicle drove past. "Queen Diane! I need to speak with you! My name is Carter Grayson!" But his words didn't seem to be getting through the crowd noise. Carter sighed, realizing he had no choice as he looked at his morpher.

"Lightspeed Rescue!"

Carter morphed into the Red Ranger, much to the amazement of the onlookers and shock of the guards. The Queen's guards wasted little time surrounding him as the festivities grinded to a halt. Carter placed his hands above his head. "I'm not here to cause any trouble. But I need to speak to the Queen."

Then, Jason jumped out of the transport and ran up to him.

"Jason! Get back here!" cried Diane.

Jason squeezed through the guards and stared up and down at Carter's Lightspeed attire with jaw firmly agape. "No… way… no way! You're really him!"

"You must be the son." replied Carter.

Diane got in front of Jason and glared at Carter while her guards forced the horde of civilians back. "You'd better have a damn good reason for interrupting my festival."

Carter nodded while slowly undoing and removing his helmet. "There's trouble coming. I'm here to help stop it."

"Help? Just who are you?"

"Carter Grayson, Lightspeed Rescue Red Ranger."

Diane looked at Jason's giddy expression before deeply sighing. "You've got to be kidding me…"

"I wish I were, ma'am. Your son seems to know me. If needs be, I can prove my identity."

Diane gave him a serious look before turning back to Jason. "Go on then."

"Me!? Really? Okay okay… um… Oh! I got it! Before you were a Ranger, you were what?"

Carter nodded. "A firefighter."

"That's correct! But, why did you become one?"

"When I was a little boy, I was saved by one after my house caught fire. Turns out, the man that saved me was none other than Captain Mitchell, leader of the Aquabase."

Jason smiled. "There's no doubt about it. He's THE Carter."

Diane sighed again, already drained by the afternoon's events. "Very well, THE Carter. I shall grant you an audience. But be warned, I am not tolerant of wasted time."

"Understood, ma'am. I'll get right to the point."

"But not here. If these matters of yours are as dire as you claim, we'll discuss them privately in my meeting room. Guards, escort us back to the palace at once."

After settling the confusion, Diane invited Carter to her personal meeting room. It was one of several very large, very high ceiling rooms inside the immense palace at the center of the city. Carter continued to be floored by the interesting mixture of advanced and old fashioned that defined the palace. Old-timey pillars would suddenly transform themselves into transportation pods to get to other palace floors.

Carter then explained Diane the situation so far, and how her future self had warned her about the coming threat of Triforia.

"Triforia…" Diane covered the scars on her neck. "Those senseless savages are nothing me and my forces haven't handled before. I know not of any General Axis, but their current ruler General Pyreus is as predictable as they come. He hasn't even attempted so much as an idle threat in over a decade. Why should I bother making any special preparations for their kind?"

"Because, they'll be back, ma'am. And they'll be back soon with a stronger resistance. And before too long, they'll have Axis leading the charge. Your future self told me he's not like other Triforians."

Diane thought carefully about his words. "Time travel has been lost to us for centuries. Not even my brightest mind can fully decipher its intricacies as of yet. I didn't come this far in life by taking people at their word. For all I know, you could be a spy sent specifically to incite an internal unrest, thus granting this so called resistance an avenue to cease an advantage. Given that, give me one good reason to believe your remarkably unbelievable claims."

Carter nodded. "I'm a Power Ranger, ma'am. Keeping the world safe is what we do. I think your son knows that too."

"My son and his spandex fascination make for a very unconvincing argument."

"Okay, fair enough… August 31st, 2975. That's the day, isn't it? The day you realized you were pregnant?"

Diane's eyes widened as she rose from her chair. "Who told you of that day?!"

"You did." Carter undid his morpher and placed in on Diane's desk. "We have five years to prepare for Axis, but we have much less time to stop the resistance. In the future, the war that's coming is a war we lose. But with the Power Rangers, we've got a shot."

Diane calmed herself down. She picked up Carter's morpher and carefully observed it. "It took years of conflict and strife to build my kingdom from nothing. And I'm about to place my future, all of our futures, in the hands of my son's fairy tales."

"With all due respect, they weren't fairy tales for us, ma'am."

Diane looked out her window and took a deep breath. "Tell me more about these Power Rangers."

"It would be my honor. But I only know so much myself. The Aquabase didn't exactly offer a class on Ranger History."

"Not to worry. Thanks to my good friend Professor Knox introducing my son to your tales, we have more recorded and archived accounts of you and your adventures than I'd care to admit. For as intolerable as his rabid fandom proved to be, it was impossible for me to not pick up on a few things. Hmm, do you ride around in a dragon, or was that someone else?"

"Umm, no ma'am. Don't think I've ever seen a dragon either."

"In any case, don't think you've earned my trust quite yet. I'll be keeping a very close eye on you while we work through this process. Professor Knox learned of your legacy through his Time Force associations. He'll be able to help us keep the legacy going."

"Time Force…?" Carter then remembered his previous team up. "That's right, they come from the future too."

"I can more than provide the resources, but you'll need to provide the training. As it stands, you're the only being on this planet who knows what it takes to be a true Power Ranger."

Carter nodded. "Give me a few months. By then, I'll have a team that you can put your faith in."

Over the next few months, Professor Knox and his team of scientists spent long days and frustrating nights studying and analyzing Carter's morpher from the laboratory inside the Moonbase. It took tedious work, but in time, Knox managed to unlock the secrets behind Carter's connection to a peculiar biological energy source known as The Morphing Grid. And with the discovery, a brand new set of morphers were created. Copious amounts of trial and error went into testing the morphers before the scientists had finally found a way to materialize a very basic looking, red-colored, tight fitting uniform that could withstand several times the wear and tear a normal human body could. There was jubilation across the Moonbase. Phase 1 had been completed.

Phase 2 meant creating multiple morphers and fully designing the suits and weapons. There was a great deal of debate over what the final suit designs should look like. During the process, several of the scientists started watched the Ranger archives for inspiration. The result: a divided lab where some wanted animal themed suits and others prefered a sleeker, more professional design.

Diane eventually broke the standoff by suggesting using the old Operation Overdrive suits as a basis for the current iterations, specifically the silver-colored Mercury Ranger design. She didn't have a particular reason to side with the sleeker look, she just like the name of the Ranger team itself. Suffice to say, none on the side of animals dared to speak up against her. Unlike the Overdrive team however, there was to be a Green Ranger instead of Black. Talks of a Sixth Ranger naturally started to stir, but no Sixth Ranger morpher was ever authorized. And with that, the designs were revised, including wrap around visors, highly effective blasters, and a variety of advanced gadgets, including a portable EMP device. A hexagonal logo would grace the chest area of each Ranger suit as well, symbolizing the latest team of Power Rangers.

While Phase 2 continued on, Phase 3 arrived: recruitment. Carter and Diane built and established the Ranger Academy: an institution specifically designed to teach and train the future protectors of the kingdom of Earth, and the universe. It was a simple but functional all white building with a giant communications tower positioned at the top. Within this "Ranger University," so to speak, incoming students would learn all about Ranger History, methodology, technology, fighting of course, and the myriad of ways that threats could appear. There was a limit to the more traditional subjects in order to focus on preparing future Rangers, but courses in advanced chemistry, physics, engineering, amongst others, were deemed necessary. Such knowledge could go a long way in dealing with opponents who utilize based in those fields.

With months now having passed, both Carter and Diane grew increasingly anxious of the promised threat. However, they had yet to hear much from the Queen's sources of intel beyond their sector of space. Neither Triforia, nor the resistance was making any noise, and that was perhaps even more disconcerting. But if nothing else, it allowed Diane to eventually see Carter as someone worth trusting, worth placing her faith in.

Diane and Carter were walking into the Academy one day. Diane was occupied with her thoughts, and then gave off a slight chuckle.

"A rare laugh. Should I be worried?" asked Carter.

"An idea occurred to me just now. This team of Rangers we're constructing requires a proper title. My son was… well… acting out a scene he was watching, I suppose. Something related to the Rangers giving someone a headache. Some oddly clad witch with a high pitched voice. In any case, it gave me an idea: Chronic Storm."

Carter did not looked convinced. "Chronic Storm…? No disrespect, but it sounds more like a really bad disease than a team of heroes."

Diane smirked. "Exactly. We shall give our enemies headaches, or what have you. We will make them ill at the mere mention of our name. We will let them know that who we are, what we're doing, will not go away. That's why I decided to add those clock hands to the chest design."

Carter was starting to get the idea. "Clever. I think I can get behind that. I don't know if it'll sell with the team though."

Then, an alert sounded throughout the Academy. Diane and Carter immediately rushed to the top floor, a floor that held a Central Command Center from which to monitor the goings on both domestic and abroad. It was there where Professor Knox awaited them.

"My Queen!" he said. "We have a reported attack on KO-35."

"Who dares attack a unified nation?"

"It's the Triforians, just as you had feared, My Queen."

Diane grew frustrated. "A tad later than we expected."

"Times have changed," Carter added. "And the result will too. We can handle it, ma'am."

Diane nodded. "Assemble the team you think best and wipe them out."

"Wipe them out…?"

"An attack on a unified nation brings with it the immediate dismissal of diplomacy. Wipe them out. End of discussion."

Carter hesitated to speak.

"Did I make myself clear?"

Carter nodded. "We'll take care of it, ma'am."

Carter raced out of the room and pushed a button on his morpher, activating communications with his four best students to this point. All four were relatively young, none older than 22, and only one having seen true combat beyond the bounds of this building. A bit removed from Carter's more refined age and experience. He issued them their new uniforms and morphers, thus officially minting Chronic Storm's first ever team of Power Rangers.

Gavin and Rio, the Yellow and Green Rangers respectively, had become good friends over the course of their time at the Academy. They could hardly contain their excitement, having been chosen together. The Pink Ranger, Rydel, was a favorite student of Carter's. She was both disciplined and likable all in one. The Blue Ranger, Keanu, didn't say much, but there was a bit of relief and excitement buried under his stoic expression. He was by far the most talented fighter among this team, perhaps even more skills than Carter himself.

Carter remembered their names, their faces. Both were etched into his mind. As he recanted the tale however, he started to have doubts regarding his memories. He couldn't say for sure if the faces he was remembering were from team 1, possibly team 3, maybe even team 6…? His recollection grew foggier by the minute. He couldn't even tell his current team which number they were.

The brand new team had no Zords. Diane couldn't justify the hefty price tag what with perfectly viable space vessels already at their disposal. Plus, she was adamant that they'd be shot out of space long before any thinking enemy would allow them time to transform. But the silver and green assault ships they did have seemed more than capable of handling themselves in the dogfight to come. The team blasted off towards KO-35, making the jump to lightspeed once they were clear off the Earth's atmosphere.

Only thirty minutes passed them by before they dropped out of lightspeed. As soon as they entered the scene, Triforian ships had already begun firing upon them. Every single one of them was built with a thick coat of black to better blend into the backdrop of space. Tracking them down the more traditional way was an implausible tactic.

"Everyone, ready weapons," Carter ordered. "We disable their engines and take them prisoner, understood?"

"Understood!" replied the others. But within seconds, Rio's ship was blown up, lighting up the void of space with a white explosion.

"RIO!" Gavin cried out.

"NO!" cried Carter. "Evasive maneuvers! Now!"

The four remaining ships ducked under the incoming laser fire. But they kept on taking hits and their ships shields became progressively compromised. Inside one of these Triforian fighter ships, a younger Axis was leading a squad of five towards where the Rangers were fending off the assault. As he observed them, their design caught his attention. "Hmm, those look like Earth-based vessels. Fighters 4 and 5, peel off left and flank the incoming squadron. Aim to kill. General Pyreus desires no survivors."

The two fighters peeled off to deal with the Chronic Storm team, coming at them from behind. The Rangers took on heavy fire, but managed to survive the first barrage. Carter and Keanu quickly turned his ship around and blasted the pair of Triforian fighters right out of existence.

"Two down!" Carter stated.

"And a thousand more to go." added Keanu.

Axis noticed his fighters exploding, but did not panic. In fact, he couldn't help but smirk a bit at the newfound challenge of this unknown adversary. "Interesting… I'm going after them. Fighters 1, 2, and 3, cover me."

The remaining trio of fighters followed his craft towards the Rangers and immediately started firing upon them.

"Taking on heavy fire!" Carter's controls were starting to jam up\. Out of the corner of his eye, in the middle of the madness, he could see his Rydel straying off from the others. "Rydel! Wait, stay in formation!"

"Lieutenant Axis," stated one of the fighters. "That stray fighter is approaching General Pyreus' ship."

Axis observed the ship and considered his options. "Let it go. Formation R-12. Let's end this." Axis' fighters spread out wide and soon overwhelmed the other two Chronic Storm vessels on either side of Carter. They quickly were blown away, with their cut off communications of anguish filled screams left as a lingering memory. Keanu and Gavin had fallen.

"All too easy." said Axis.

"NO…!" Carter then realized his ship was moving backwards. It was overriding his control and employing an automatic retreat. "What's going on? No, stop, we have to keep fighting!"

Diane's voice sounded through the ship's communications, "That's not up to you to decide. We've lost this one."

Carter could only stare helplessly into the void of space while KO-35 sent ship after ship to face off against the invading forces only to have each and every one mercilessly gunned down by the might of Triforia.

"Don't worry Carter," communicated Rydel. "I'll make sure there's hell to pay for this." She fired at the overwhelmingly large lead Triforian ship, a ship that would someday soon belong to an up and coming Axis. But not a speck of damage was done. She was quickly shot out of space. There was no outcry on anguish. Just a silence splattering of bright light before fading away into emptiness. Rydel was gone.

"Lieutenant Axis, we have good news," communicated one of his fighters. "General Pyreus was unharmed during that last run."

"Yes… good news indeed…" Axis collected his thoughts before re-focusing on the battle at hand. "Sweep around and deal with the remaining KO-35 pilots. Then, let us celebrate our latest victory, for all shall soon be made aware of the resistance."

Carter watched over the empty void of space through his ship window as it piloted itself back to Earth. His hands still shook from the ordeal, his heart pounding, his body heavy, while his mind raced to make sense of it all. He tried to piece together where he failed, what he could have done, if he could have saved them, but nothing was coming together in his mind. He wondered if he would ever see home again.

The second Carter touched down on Earth, he rushed towards Diane's main palace office. Diane noticed him and motioned him to sit down. She was going over the footage and data readouts of their last fight. "Excellent work, Carter."

Carter looked up at her in unsettling amazement. "What are you…? We lost everyone!"

"We lost a few pilots. We have an entire Academy of those. But none of this works without you leading it. In any case, we gathered valuable information regarding the attack patterns of their ships. We'll be better prepared next time."

Carter shook his head in disbelief. "You wanna tell that to the families of the four brave Rangers that died today? You wanna tell them that we just lost a few pilots?"

Diane glared back at him. "That fight is over. Bury it. Leave it behind. Now is the time to prepare for the next one. Assemble a new team and have them ready for the next Triforian offensive. Professor Knox should already have four new morphers ready."

Carter removed himself from his seat and started to walk out, but then stopped and turned back around. "...Did you know…? Did you know you were sending them to their deaths?"

"Of course I didn't know. But this is war. There's nothing more we can do for the dead. Focus on protecting what's still alive and we might just win. That is all."

Carter left Diane's office, still in a dazed and confused state. He soon found Jason sitting near the door, clearly trying to listen in on the meeting. The hopeful look on his face told Carter that he didn't hear much.

"Did you win?" asked Jason.

Carter didn't have the heart to tell Jason the truth. He tried to push the last mission to the back of his mind. "Not yet, Jason… But we will. The Power Rangers always do."

Jason smiled widely. "Can I come next time? I can fly a ship you know. Professor Knox taught me. I'm tough too. Mother never wants to teach me how to fight, but I can learn pretty fast."

"Maybe someday… But for now, stick close to the ground, where it's safe."

Jason started to pout. "Awww, but I'm always safe. It's no fun."

Carter began walking away, trying to focus and straighten his fractured mind, as he now had to put together a brand new team. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that perhaps Rio was actually the second Green Ranger.

For five long years, Carter would be putting together the team after team. For five long years, team after team fell at his feet, whether the mission was successful or not. For five long years, Knox needed to order new parts for replacement morphers. For five long years, names and faces faded away, turning into nothing but bodies and numbers inside color-coded suits.

Back in the present day, the rest of the team was taking in Carter's tale. They could all feel his devastation, his lose, despite his attempts to mask it behind his poised, emotionally balanced story delivery.

"So let me see if I'm getting all this," Taylor said. "Queen Diane from a different timeline fought and lost a war. But she was able to go back in time to find you and bring back the Power Rangers?"

Kendrix added on, "And you stayed here all this time, leading missions with the Rangers you helped train."

"That's the sum of it," Carter replied. "I wanted to go back home to my time, to my team, but I couldn't. Diane kept finding ways to convince me that these Rangers weren't ready yet and that I was the only one who could lead them… Just as I began thinking my work here was done, there was more on the docket for us. Sometimes it felt like seconds in between missions, kind of like how it feels right now… It took such a toll on them… so many good Rangers and better people, lost forever… because I couldn't do enough to save them."

Carter started getting visibly emotional for the first time that Jason could ever recall. "Aliens, wars, time travel… I'm just a firefighter…"

After a few moments of contemplative silence, Jason stood up. "I couldn't understand the gravity behind many of your words before, Carter. But I understand now."

Carter looked at him and faintly smiled. "No more solo missions?"

"Heh, only if you order it."

"But then who's Taylor gonna yell at?" Ethan asked.

Taylor glared at Ethan. "When we finish this mission, I won't have to yell at anyone. We'll be your last team, Carter. And after that, I think you'll have earned yourself some vacation time."

Carter chuckled a bit. "Captain Mitchell always tells me the same thing, but I never get around to using those days."

"Same here," added Kendrix. "Commander Stanton had to force me off of my work station."

"Really?" Ethan asked confused. "Am I the only one here that actually likes vacation?"

"I've only been one one, sooo…" replied Jason.

"We'll think about all that later," Carter said. "Right now we have a mission to see through."

"And some intel to collect," Jason replied. "No need to turn every mission into an all-out brawl, right?"

Carter nodded and patted him on the back. "I don't know Taylor, looks like he's growing up to me."

Taylor half smiled. "We'll see."

The team meeting brought with it a new, refined air of resolve, of confidence. Taylor, Kendrix, Ethan, and Jason. Carter would not soon forget these names, these faces.