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Disclaimer: Rangers - BVE - no profit - anything else? No? Okay. This takes place shortly after "Passing of the Torch II"; all of the former Rangers are back in Angel Grove, except Billy, who is still on Aquitar. Warning: Some nudity, some bad language, and a few scenes which might be disturbing to younger readers; rating is PG-13, just to be safe. Thanks go to Peregrine who pointed out a TS Eliot poem to me for the title. Comments, please? DB


Times Present, Times Past
by
Dagmar Buse





/Angel Grove - April 1998/

The spring sun was bright and warm, and a group of eight young adults met at the lake in Angel Grove Park, taking advantage of the sunny weather. None of them had reached their twentieth birthday yet; indeed, they'd only graduated High School the previous summer. They were friends, all of them - some since childhood, others only for a relatively short time, but the bonds binding them transcended time. Trini and Tanya chatted quietly, getting to know each other while they were spreading blankets on the ground. Aisha helped Kim set up Zack's boom box, trying to hide Rocky's mariachi CDs and sneaking in a few ballads. The guys were firing up the grill and lugged coolers with drinks and food from their parked cars.

"Hey, Tommy, where's Jason?" hollered Rocky. His back was still acting up at times, and he was irked that he couldn't pull his full weight. "We need his muscles here!"

"He's picking up Kat at her house; she wants to bring a picnic basket from her parents, with real plates and knives and stuff. Also, I think she said something about dessert."

"Oh, okay," Rocky subsided, cheerfully ignoring the others' laughter. "If he's bringing dessert, I guess I can carry the rest of the food."

The gang settled down, relaxing, having fun, enjoying the fact that for once they were all together in one place again. Old friends and new, the ties among them created through their service as Earth's Rangers were strong and sure, and it was a new experience for all but a few of them to be together like this without having to fear their communicators going off. For even the last of them - Tommy, Kat, Adam and Tanya, were /ex/-Rangers now, graduated from AGH and involved in other pursuits. Only young Justin was carrying on the legacy with a new team, hand-picked by their predecessors, and the current Turbo Rangers were doing their job very well indeed. The "Old Guard" felt that from now on, their lives would be free of worry - or at least as much as any other teenagers' could be, concerned with college plans and what to do on a weekend like this, rather than having to save their world on a regular basis from hostile Space Aliens.

They were wrong.

*

Jason held the door open for Kat as she balanced a covered plate with freshly-baked sheetcake in both hands. She smiled her thanks and watched as he locked the door and dropped her keys into the picnic basket he was carrying. Climbing into his car, the ex-Gold and ex-Pink Rangers made their way through early rush-hour traffic to the park, chatting animatedly about their plans for the afternoon. Jason glanced often at his pretty companion, thinking to himself that Tommy was one lucky guy to have found a girl like Kat. He'd been sorry to hear about the breakup between his best friend and Kim, but he was glad for both that they had found each other. Their shared experience of serving under Rita connected them in ways that none of the others could entirely comprehend. Sure, most of them had been controlled by evil at one point or another - Jason still had nightmares about what Maligore had done to him and Kimberly - but nobody had suffered as long and as severely as Kat and Tommy. They more than deserved any happiness they could find.

"Jason? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Kat." Jason divided his attention between the traffic and his blonde companion. "What is it?"

The Australian hesitated for a moment. Then, blushing slightly, she turned serious blue eyes towards her boyfriend's best friend.

"Has ... has Kimberly ever talked to you?"

"About what? The letter?" Everybody in the whole group knew that even after more than a year, the infamous letter was still a very sore point between Tommy and Kimberly.

"Yes; I know that Tommy is still very uncomfortable around her ..."

"Can you blame him?" Jason made the turn to the park's parking lot. Slowing down so as not to endanger those who were returning to their cars, he cruised around until he inched into a space convenient to where they wanted to go.

"He was hurt pretty badly by what she did. And yes, we talked some ... that is, we started to, just before that mess with Divatox and Muranthias happened. Since then, she's hardly talked to anybody. Kim has really withdrawn from all of us."

Kat gently laid a hand on the broad shoulder as Jason lifted the picnic basket out of the back seat.

"So have you, you know."

She was taken aback as her friend briefly lifted haunted dark eyes towards her.

"Kat ..." The deep voice was choked with remorse.

"Jason, we understand. All of us do, but especially Tommy and I. It wasn't your fault, neither yours nor Kim's. Let it go."

"That's easy for you to say," he protested, but blushed embarrassedly as Kat just gave him a Look. "Sorry," he mumbled, realizing that if anyone besides Tommy had a right to tell him that, it was Kat. He momentarily turned away as he locked his car, hiding his flaming face. The blonde stood next to the front fender, waiting for him to finish. Gripping the plate with the cake more securely, she bestowed an understanding smile on Jason as he hefted the basket, slung a couple of blankets over his shoulder, and the two slowly made their way over the grassy rise down to the lake shore, where they knew the rest of their friends were waiting for them.

Coming back to her original question, Kat kept part of her attention on her former teammate.

"Jase ... I'm not asking just out of curiosity, you know. Kim is my friend, too, and if at all possible, I'd like for her and Tommy to at least be friends. They've been so close for so long ... and I know he's feeling guilty about what I might think, that being around Kim is making him so fidgetty ..."

Jason thought for a moment. Kim had told him some of what had been going through her mind before she broke up with Tommy, but it had been in strictest confidence; he couldn't go back on his word not to tell. However, Kat obviously was sincere, and his admiration for the erstwhile Pink Ranger rose another notch. Choosing his words with care, he veered off the paved way across the grass, followed closely by Kat.

"I really can't tell you much, Kat. I gave Kim my word ... but I know that she has regrets. About the way she handled the situation, about the fact that she hurt Tommy pretty badly, and yes, also about breaking up with him in the first place. But you can be sure that she won't do anything to come between the two of you. Whatever her feelings for Tommy may be now - and she still has some, I can tell you that much at least - all she ever wanted was to make Tommy happy. And any fool could see that he's happy with you."

"You really think so?"

Jason had to smile at the hope evident in the softly-accented voice.

"I know so. I admit, I was a bit skeptical at first, but I know Tommy pretty well. He loves you, there's no doubt about that. Maybe not the way he loved Kim - and he /did/, make no mistake - but just as much, if not more so."

"I love him, too," Kat confessed in a near-whisper. They were slowly closing the distance towards their friends, who had just spotted them.

*

"There they are!" Tanya remarked brightly as she caught a glimpse of pink approaching. Kat's fuchsia t-shirt and matching cardigan contrasted sharply against Jason's black sweatshirt, but privately, from a purely aesthetic point of view, she liked it far better than the usual colour clash with Tommy's bright red sweater. Maybe now, since we're not Rangers anymore, we can get away from our signature colours! she thought somewhat facetiously.

The dark-skinned girl rolled her eyes in fond exasperation as she observed her friends' reactions. Rocky, predictably, zoomed in at once on the covered plate Kat was carrying, Kim smiled hesitantly after sneaking a wistful peek at Tommy, and the former Red Ranger got up leisurely from his sprawl on the blanket to go help his girlfriend and best friend. The others just looked up briefly. However, their attention was caught almost immediately as something weird started to happen right before their eyes. Instantly alert, all eight sprang to their feet as it became obvious that Kat and Jason were in serious trouble.

Tommy exchanged a horrified glance with Adam, Rocky, Aisha and Kim as he recognized the nature of the seeming atmospheric disturbance that had their friends in its grip. Before he could utter a single word or take more than an instinctive step forward, however, the phenomenon swallowed up the two most important people in his life next to his family, making them vanish without a trace. He choked in horror, stunned. This couldn't be happening ... not again!

"NOOO ... "

*

Before Jason could answer Kat's quiet statement, he was suddenly gripped in a strong current, and he cried out in surprise as he was buffeted around by unseen forces. He looked frantically towards Kat, who had dropped the plate and was fighting the same unknown influence. Instinctively, he reached out with his free hand and grasped hers in a firm grip.

"Hold on!"

"I'm trying! Jason, what's happening?"

"I dunno, but I get the feeling it's not good!"

The two former Rangers writhed against the force holding them while trying to escape the suction that drew them towards an empty spot of air somewhat to the side, where microscopic particles began to shimmer and coalesce into a vaguely circular, polychromatic shape. Kat tightened her hold on the warm hand, suddenly deathly afraid.

"Tommy, help! Nooooo....." her voice rose to a panicked shout as she stared at the swirling vortex before her. Kat lost her balance and tumbled forward, dragging Jason with her. Both teens fought with all their might to regain their balance, but to no avail. They felt their feet lifting off the springy turf as they were inexorably pulled into the center of the abnormality, and their cries were abruptly cut off as the swirling circle engulfed them, irising open and shut as Jason and Kat suddenly disappeared seemingly into thin air, with only the dropped plate, one blanket and scattered bits of cake a reminder that they had been there only moments ago.

*

"What in blazes was THAT?" Zack asked as he recovered his wits. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"We have, more's the pity," Aisha muttered, exchanging a grim look with Rocky.

"A time hole," Adam breathed, stunned.

Kim nodded in agreement, automatically going to Tommy and laying a calming hand on his arm. She could feel the rigidity of his muscles as she touched him; remembering how tightly he had held her once she'd gotten back from 1880's Angel Grove, she had a pretty good idea of what he was going through - again. Only this time, it was worse. Not only was his girlfriend caught up somewhere - somewhen - in the timestream, but also Jason, Tommy's best friend. Plus, they were all ex-Rangers now ... they no longer had the resources of the Power Chamber behind them. And no more Billy.

That, however, gave Kim an idea. Looking around her, she could see that all of their friends seemed to be still in shock. Small wonder, really; they had retired from duty - things like this were not supposed to happen to Civilians! Drawing a deep breath, the petite young woman shook Tommy lightly, then harder as she got no response.

"Tommy? Tommy, listen to me!"

At last, her insistence broke through the former Ranger's mental and physical paralysis. He shook himself - literally.

"Huh? Sorry, Kim, I ... I ..." he lost his train of thought again as his eyes zoomed back to the empty spot of air that only minutes ago had swallowed Jason and Kat.

"Tommy, listen! Justin's still a Ranger, right?" Kim had gotten to know the newest Blue Ranger after Muranthias, as had Jason.

"Yeah, so?" The light baritone was listless, as if Tommy couldn't care less.

"Don't you /see/?" Kimberly tried to break through Tommy's understandable despair. "If we talk to him ... Kat and Jase have been Rangers, too, like the rest of us ... maybe the new team and what's-her-name, Zordon's replacement, would be willing to help us find them? You know, sort of as payment for services rendered?"

Tommy's eyes, which had been lifeless and dull, suddenly lit up as her meaning registered.

"Of course! Kim, that's brilliant! C'mon, guys!"

The others quickly agreed on this plan and threw their things together. Hurrying to their cars, the eight drove off to the Youth Center as fast as safety allowed and rushed inside. Sure enough, the new Turbo Rangers sat at the customary 'team' table, talking quietly among themselves.

Tommy approached the five a bit hesitantly; although he was dying inside to think of Kat and Jason trapped in the timestream somewhere, the old promises of not using the Power and anything associated with it for personal gain still beat strongly in his mind. He soothed his conscience with the fact that he wasn't going to ask for himself, but for two former Rangers who had both served with honour and distinction. Coming up to the table, he caught TJ's eyes, the rest of the former Rangers clustering at his back.

"Tommy!"

TJ Johnson's dark face lit up with pleasure at the sight of his predecessor, but any good humour he might have felt vanished as soon as he took in the anxious expressions on the others' faces. The Red Turbo Ranger knew only Adam, Rocky and Tanya personally, but had seen pictures of the others both at the Power Chamber and in Tommy's room, when Tommy had filled him in on the background and details of Rangering after he'd passed the Power on to him. He got a strange sinking feeling in his stomach. Something was very definitely wrong.

"What's up?" TJ's voice had lost its customary cheerfulness. It brought the rest of the Turbo team around, and any laughing comment somebody might have made died down before it could be uttered.

"Teej, I need to talk to you. Now." The urgency in his predecessor's voice was unmistakeable, and the Red Ranger took in the worried glances of the rest of the group. Making a snap decision, he summoned the rest of the Turbo team with a slight jerk of his head, and the whole troop of teens wandered outside. In a quiet corner of the Youth Center's parking lot, Tommy and the others filled the Turbo Rangers in on what had happened to the former Pink Zeo and Gold Rangers.

".... so we thought that maybe Dimitria might allow us just this once to scan for Kat and Jason; after all, they've both been Rangers - good Rangers - and we have no other method of locating them. Please, TJ - we can't just leave them stranded God knows where, or when!"

The fear and concern for his girlfriend and best friend were plain to hear in Tommy's voice. Those who knew him well could sense the tension their former leader was under, and it was echoed in their own eyes.

"Well, you know I can't speak for Dimitria - it'll be her decision to let you use the Power Chamber's resources - but there's certainly no harm in asking. But you'd better explain that to her yourself. C'mon, Tommy, I'll take you there. The rest of you wait here," Red Turbo instructed his team. It spoke for his abilities as a leader that no-one, not even the former Rangers, even thought of contesting his quiet command. He put a hand on Tommy's forearm and activated his communicator. The group of teens watched the two young men teleport out in twin streaks of red and white - the latter scintillating with green and red flashes.

*

"... Dimitria, please!" Tommy concluded his report with something very close to a sob in his voice as he looked imploringly at the being who had replaced Zordon not all that long ago. The native of Inquirus was their only hope if they wanted to find Kat and Jason, and get them back.

"Do you think this is a wise choice, TJ? Do you, and the other Rangers, want to help your predecessors? Do you, as a group, feel it is your duty and in everybody's best interest to try and search for Katherine and Jason?"

The Red Turbo Ranger had listened to his predecessor with great concentration. Tommy's first account had been hurried; now that he had all the information, it was very obvious that coming to him had been Tommy's only viable option. In his mind, he completely agreed with the racer - he'd read the Ranger Annals kept at the Power Chamber. His respect and admiration for Jason as a former leader were almost as great as for Tommy, and as far as Kat was concerned ... she'd impressed him the moment he'd met her, and watching her in action, getting to know her even if only briefly had done nothing to change that. However, this was something he couldn't just decide with his heart; committing the Power Chamber's resources to such an extent required a cool head, as well.

"If it were just up to me, I'd say we'll help, of course," he said slowly after a few moments' thought. He sent an apologetic look at Tommy before he could speak.

"However, I can't make this decision alone. The whole team would have to work on this - it's definitely more than a one-man job."

"Then would it not behoove you to put the question to the other Rangers?" Before TJ could contact them, though, Dimitria added something that gave a little hope to Tommy. "Will you ask them to convey a request to the others to wait in a closed-off area - together?"

"Sure." With a reassuring grin at Tommy, TJ spoke softly into his communicator.

The former Red Ranger started to pace as he waited. He was peripherally aware that the other Turbo Rangers teleported in, but paid no attention, his mind focussed only on his two friends. He'd felt a flash of anger as Dimitria didn't immediately follow his reasoning, but old instincts kicked in, and the rational part of his mind, the leader part, started to analyze the situation. He didn't like to admit it, but the Rangers' Mentor was right in advocating caution; if the Power Chamber started a search, it would seriously strain their sensors' capabilities. If Divatox should choose this time for one of her nefarious schemes ... Tommy wrenched his thoughts away from this. He didn't even want to think about what might happen then. A part of him knew that no matter what his personal feelings were in this matter, the Earth's safety came first. And if that meant they had to ultimately sacrifice Kat and Jason ... he shuddered, closing his eyes in anguish.

God, Kat ... bro ... I just hope you're okay. Where ... when are you?

He raged inwardly.

It's so unfair! We're retired; these things don't happen to Civilians! It was supposed to be over for us!

*

Angel Grove Park, the Past

"I thought things like this didn't happen to ex-Rangers?"

Unconsciously echoing Tommy's thoughts, Kat groaned as she sat up. Her head was spinning and she felt slightly nauseous from having been caught in the swirling vortex. Next to her, she heard someone moan and mutter something she was glad she didn't quite catch - it included some choice, not very flattering remarks about possible ancestry and personal habits, sounded anatomically impossible and contained quite a few dire imprecations against whoever or whatever had sucked them into the anomaly. Involuntarily, Kat grinned as she turned her head and saw Jason's black-clad form sit up and shake his throbbing head.

"Man, what was that? I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

"I have no idea; did you at least get the number?" she murmured facetiously, taking refuge in humor when all she wanted to do was curl up and whimper; there was something about her surroundings that sent shivers down her spine which had very little to do with the cool breeze blowing in from the lake.

Jason grinned back at her briefly, straightening and taking a look around.

"Sorry, kiddo - must have blindsided me," he said. "Maybe the others have an explanation for what got us ..."

The deep voice died down as he looked in the direction they had last seen their friends. Not a single soul was in sight; in fact, the whole lakeshore was completely deserted. No rowboats out on the water, no swimmers ... no beachclub at the far bend, either, and now that Jason had noticed these discrepancies, he became aware that even the distant,dull roar of traffic and the usual noises from the park were missing. He slowly got to his feet, a sick, sinking feeling settling in his stomach.

"Kat? Do you see, or hear, anyone?"

She scrambled up to stand next to her friend, looking around with growing panic.

"N-no. Jason, where is everyone? I've never seen the park this empty. Or ..." a thought occurred to her that made her swallow convulsively, "... or are we somewhere else entirely? I ... I don't think I've ever seen this place before!"

Their eyes swept over a broad expanse of water, calm and serene, surrounded on all sides by high trees and thick shrubbery, both of which grew nearly to the water's edge. There was no trace of a lifeguard stand, the picnic benches or the walkways and paths leading through the park to the lake. In fact, the view before them looked as untouched by Human hands as any wilderness the two teens had ever seen, be it in real life or on a TV screen. Instinctively, Kat stepped closer to Jason who automatically draped a strong arm around her shoulders, trying to ward off the chill that swept through both of them as they slowly realized that they definitely weren't in Kansas anymore.

Or Angel Grove Park.

After an almost interminable silence, Jason turned his head and looked into the blue eyes of his companion. She could read an equal amount of confusion in the dark depths as was probably in her own. Kat gulped down her rising fear.

"Jason?"

His arm tightened briefly around her, then he squared his shoulders.

"I'm almost certain we're still in the park. Somehow. Let's take a look around to make sure. But be careful - there's no telling what, or who, might be lurking around here."

Staying as closely together as possible, never out of hearing or viewing range of the other, the two former Rangers explored the vicinity, cataloguing things they thought they recognized, and areas that seemed totally unfamiliar. The landscape around the lake and the lake itself appeared to be mostly unchanged - a bit bigger than they were used to, more overgrown and the water was much cleaner; Kat scooped up a handful and took a careful sip, finding it sweet and fresh. Both slaked their thirst as they tried to assess their situation.

Walking back slowly to where they'd left Kat's picnic basket - it served them as a kind of beacon to mark the spot where they'd landed - Jason once more scanned their surroundings. He'd grown up in Angel Grove, and was able to identify some very few landmarks. He knew, for example, that he was looking in the direction of the city, but he could see absolutely no sign of civilization - no roads, no houses, no people; it looked as if he and Kat were the only two Human beings on the face of the Earth. Old history lessons from school came back to him slowly. Jason swallowed hard as it dawned on him what must have happened, improbable as it might seem. During his time as a Ranger, he never had experienced temporal displacement in any form, but he knew that it was possible. Besides, the evidence definitely pointed in that direction, and anything else made even less sense. But, how was he supposed to tell that to his friend?

The former Gold Ranger stole a glance at Kat. Outwardly, she seemed composed enough - after all, she had faced enough weirdness as a Ranger - but he saw the nervous looks she darted here and there, the slight quivering of her lips that she couldn't quite control. It looked as if Kat was trying very hard not to cry. Jason couldn't blame her; he felt none too emotionally stable himself. Despite his growing concern, his heart went out to her. Nevertheless, as much as he wanted to spare this gentle girl, Jason had never believed that ignorance was bliss. If his suspicions were correct, they both needed to accept the reality as fast as possible in order to ensure their immediate survival. Old instincts kicked in, and he slipped into the role of leader without thinking as they stopped almost directly where the vortex had dropped them. He drew a deep breath to calm his nerves. Time to face the music.

"Kat .... I'm pretty sure we are still where we were - see that rock formation on the far shore?" The young man pointed out a small cliff from which Kat had often seen kids dive during the summer. "That's exactly where it's supposed to be. Same goes for that group of oak trees over there - I've collected acorns there for school more often than I can count. No, we're still in Angel Grove Park, where we were - I think we're not anymore when we were, though."

"Wh-what are you saying?" the blonde asked, forcing the words through her suddenly dry throat.

"If I'm right, we may have been swept through some sort of rift in time. As far as I can tell, there's no sign of civilization anywhere; the only explanation that makes any kind of sense at all is that somehow we've landed in the past. That would also explain the denser growth and stuff, and that we can't see any people."

"In the /past/?" A memory began to niggle at Kat's mind. Something that had happened not to herself, but before she joined the Rangers ... something Tommy and Kim had told her about ... Kimberly! Of course! Her sharp intake of breath brought Jason's eyes back to hers; he had scanned the lake and their surroundings once more for any sign that he might be wrong, but had been unsuccessful. Kat fought down a sudden rush of tears.

"Oh my God, Jason ... I just remembered something Kim told me when she passed her Powers on to me. Before the team got the Ninja Powers, Kim fell through a time hole, I think she called it, and ended up in 1880's Angel Grove. She described it as a coruscating, multi-colored vortex of light ..."

"Just like the thing that sucked us in," Jason nodded grimly, but allowed himself a small flicker of hope. "Well, obviously Kim got back. That should mean there's a way back for us, too. Did she tell you how she managed that?"

Kat nodded unhappily. The expression on her pale face let that hope die a quick and painful death.

"She accessed the Command Center, and Zordon of the past helped her. And in her real time, Billy traced her with some sort of device and adjusted two communicators to tap into hers and teleport her back. I think her Power Coin was important for that, too."

Their eyes met. They would have loved dearly to deny it, but they were intelligent and experienced enough to face realities without flinching. Still, it took Jason long moments before he could formulate what was on both their minds. His deep voice was hoarse as he spoke at last.

"We don't have Power Coins anymore, or communicators. We don't even have Billy to look for us. And while I know where the Command Center should be, if it's there at all, we have no way of getting inside without being connected to the Morphin' Grid in some way." He swallowed once, hard, before he stated the obvious. "We're trapped."

The two teens stared silently at each other. Kat knew in her gut that Jason was right, and wrapped her arms around her middle, attempting to ward off the chill the realization produced. Slowly, her blue eyes began to cloud, and first one, then a second tear spilled over, coursing down her pale cheeks. Soon, glistening tracks of salty liquid wetted her quivering lips, and Jason pulled her into his arms, to comfort not only her but himself as well. As Kat sobbed quietly into his shoulder, he looked unseeingly outwards, over the strange/familiar landscape, feeling lost as never before.

*

Present day Angel Grove

"We'll help you."

TJ's calm pronouncement made Tommy's shoulders sag with relief. He knew that it was not a guarantee that they'd be able to track Kat and Jason, but without the Rangers' help, there was no chance at all to find and possibly retrieve his girlfriend and best friend from whatever time period they had landed in. Maybe they'd even get lucky, as Kim had that one time, and meet their ancestors. He completely forgot that Kat couldn't possibly do that since her family had never lived in the United States before, having emigrated to Australia from Europe. And even if he had remembered, it wouldn't have mattered to him.

Tommy watched as Ashley teleported the other former Rangers in. Trini, Zack, Aisha and Kim were especially wide-eyed as they noted the changes from the old Command Center, but even that could wait. Introductions were quickly made all around, and Trini, Adam and Tanya moved closer to Justin, who gave them a brief rundown on operations. Soon, a number of consoles sprang to life, beginning the process of scanning for their missing friends through the timestream.

"What can we do to help?" asked Tommy, chafing under the inactivity. He was highly tempted to pace, but knew it would only distract the others from their work.

"Nothing, really," TJ sighed. He knew how his predecessor felt; every time the team had to wait for an analysis or test results, he got just as impatient. "Alpha, do you have any ideas?"

"Yo-yo-yo, TJ, no. I think you'd better haul your butts over to the park, though - there's a bunch of reporters snoopin' around."

The currently unoccupied current and former Rangers looked at the viewscreen. A collective groan rose at what they saw.

"Jack Boswell. I should've known," Tommy groaned. He remembered the insistent reporter all too well. Nothing short of outright rudeness would deter the man from asking intrusive questions when the Rangers had had much more important things on their minds - like checking the city for possible casualties after monster attacks. Right now, he and his equally obnoxious camera operator were plaguing other visitors in the park with question after question; obviously, someone had seen the time hole swallow up Jason and Kat, and had informed the authorities. Two squad cars were at the lake as well, and uniformed policemen were trying to secure the area with yellow tape.

"Guess it's better if the Rangers show up and explain what's going on," Carlos said quietly. He did not relish dealing with the press, but usually got landed with the job since he had the most experience with reporters; his status as Angel Grove High's best soccer player made him a much-sought-after interview partner.

"Right. You and Ashley deal with the situation in the park," TJ directed. "Tell them that two citizens were caught in a .... Justin, what do we call this?"

"A temporal anomaly," the young genius supplied, not looking up from his scanners. Zack and Rocky fleetingly grinned at each other, being eerily reminded of Billy as they watched the boy in blue work the machinery.

"Okay, and that the Rangers would do anything in their power yadda, yadda, yadda. You know the drill. Also, that there's no sign that Divatox is involved, and the other citizens are most likely safe. Random occurrence, and all that." The Red Ranger thought of something else and grimaced. "Tommy, what about their identities?"

Tommy sighed. He did not like this; never had.

"Too many people have seen us and know who we are. Even if they haven't recognized Jase and Kat specifically, they can make an educated guess. I'd better come with you and give some sort of official report," he suggested resignedly.

"Right. Carlos, Ash, set Tommy down near the parking lot, then teleport directly to the scene. Get your stories straight, though."

Both teens nodded, morphed and teleported out, Tommy held between them, to do some damage control.

"If the police and the press know about this, shouldn't someone inform the Hillards and the Scotts?" Kim ventured a bit hesitantly. "I know my mom would freak if something like that had happened to me and she'd have heard it on the news, or something."

"You're right," Cassie realized. "Teej, why don't I teleport with Kim to the Hillards' house, and you take Rocky or Zack and tell the Scotts?"

Unhappily, TJ conceded. He turned to Rocky.

"What do you say? Do we keep this among the same color Rangers, like the girls?"

"Might as well," Rocky decided. "Man, I hate this!" He stepped up to the Red Ranger, watching with a touch of envy as the dark-skinned boy morphed into his uniform.

"You and me both, buddy," TJ muttered as the two teleported out in a stream of red, white and a few blue particles.

Zack, Aisha and Kim looked at each other, the only Rangers currently not involved in some task.

"What do we do now?" Aisha asked her friends, wishing there was something - anything - she could do to help and knowing there wasn't.

Zack looked once more at the viewscreen, watching Carlos and Ashley deal with the situation in the park. Tommy was already being questioned by the police, with an impatient reporter fidgetting in the background, microphone at the ready. His dark eyes swept the Power Chamber where the technologically-minded teens were helping Justin, who was issuing orders to a busy Alpha Six. Dimitria looked on from her stasis tube with serious eyes. Her face was mostly hidden behind her veil, but the former Black Ranger would have bet his Zord that she was just as worried as the rest of them. He lifted troubled dark eyes to Kim and Aisha.

"Now, we wait."

*

/Angel Grove Park, the Past/

Jason and Kat had marked the spot where the time hole had deposited them with a small cairn of stones; they had no idea where, if and when another vortex would appear through which they might leave this era, but they wanted to be able to find the place again. Right now, they were sitting on a small rise overlooking the lake, taking stock of their situation. As Kat slowly unpacked the contents of the picnic basket and Jason rummaged through his pockets, a thought occurred to her.

"How far in the past do you think we are?" she asked, her voice still a bit clogged from the tears she'd shed. She felt a bit embarrassed about having lost it, but Jason had just held her until her tears subsided, never saying a single word of censure or making fun of her. Kat was grateful for that, as for the understanding smile he'd given her when she got her emotions back under control.

"Over three hundred years," was Jason's reply, shocking the Australian.

"That far back? How do you know this?"

"If I remember correctly, Angel Grove was founded in 1702; at least that's the date on the earliest document in existence where the name 'Angel Grove' is mentioned. There may have been a couple of settlers before that, but they wouldn't have built their homes too far away from a source of water. We can't see any houses, so ..." he shrugged. The logic was inescapable.

"I don't think California was settled by the Spanish any time before 1600, though. I don't remember. Anyway, my guess would be we're at some point in the seventeenth century."

"What makes you say that?" Kat inquired, intrigued despite herself. "You have no reference at all; if there are no people here, we might as well have landed much earlier."

Jason grinned fleetingly as he leaned back, letting the sun relax his muscles.

"Well, I'm not Billy, but for one thing, the vegetation is rather similar to what we're used to - remember those oak trees I showed you? Naturally, they're much bigger and older now, but I don't think even oaks survive much longer than that, and they're rather young trees now; I doubt they're much older than ten years or so. For another, I recognize the landscape; if it had been longer, it should have changed more."

"Of course - while erosion has occurred until our time, it hasn't been enough to alter things completely," Kat realized, remembering her lessons and the experiments she'd done with Alpha to free the other Rangers soon after she'd joined the team.

"Right. Unfortunately, there's no way we can let the others know that," Jason sighed. "If we could, there'd be a better chance for them to find us."

"You think they will? How?" Kat dared not show too much hope.

"If it were up to me, I'd contact the current Ranger team," Jason argued. "We know who they are, and I hope the new guy - gal - whoever agrees to let them scan for us."

Kat perked up a little.

"Oh, I hope so! Dimitria is a bit more ... rigid, I guess, than Zordon, but if Tommy and the others explain things to her ..." her voice trailed off. She looked into Jason's dark eyes, and he smiled reassuringly at her.

"Let's not think otherwise, okay? We'll need our wits about us without going off the deep end and fall into a depression, or something. There's no way to tell how long we'll be here, and frankly, I refuse to believe that the gang will give up on us anytime soon."

"You're right, of course," Kat said, feeling slightly comforted. While Jason had offered her no false optimism, he had given her much-needed reassurance that their friends would not abandon them. Kat felt that, as long as Jason still had hope, she could allow herself the same.

"How long do you think we'll be stranded here?" she asked after a while.

"I dunno, but to be on the safe side, we ought to look for shelter and food. No matter if it's just for one night or a week, I'd feel safer if we were prepared for anything. At least the wildlife will be familiar." Jason decided not to mention right now that in the past, bears, wolves, cougars and the like were a very definite danger. "Let's see what we've got by ways of supplies, then we can look for a place to spend the night."

"Right," Kat agreed, blushing slightly at the thought of having to share sleeping arrangements with Jason. She and Tommy had fallen asleep together in her parents' house on a few occasions, but that was different. However, she knew she could trust Tommy's best friend implicitly, and she was realistic enough to know that there was no other choice - for both warmth and security. She tried to cover her embarrassment by unpacking and enumerating the different items from her picnic basket.

"Well, we have one blanket, hard plastic cups and plates, a couple of larger plastic containers with lids - we could use them to store things in, I guess - four sets of spoons, knives and forks ...."

Jason interrupted her.

"Are those real metal?"

Kat examined one of the knives.

"Yes; stainless steel, actually. But they're not very sharp. Just enough to cut through a burger, I think."

"Doesn't matter; I bet I could sharpen one or two on a rock, or something; they'll make better cutting tools than my Swiss Army knife." He glanced ruefully at the small multi-purpose instrument. He'd bought it in Geneva more as a keepsake than anything else, and it was useful for a number of things, but far too small to cut up wood, or meat, if they should manage to catch some unsuspecting animal.

"Man, why didn't I join the Boy Scouts back in Grade School?" he groaned a bit theatrically.

"You mean you didn't?" Kat had to grin at his tone.

"Nah; I was too involved in karate already. Scouting was Kim's thing, really; she was very much into it for a while."

"Too bad you're stuck here with me instead of her, then," Kat teased, momentarily ignoring their predicament.

"Thanks, but no; look how the last time Kim and I did something outdoorsy together turned out!" The two teens sobered at the reminder of the Muranthias near-disaster. Recalling herself with a small effort, Kat surveyed the rest of their combined belongings.

"Four cloth napkins, a tablecloth, a miniature sewing kit, a tin can half-full with cookies and a cigarette lighter. That's all." Kat held the disposable lighter against the sky, estimating the amount of gas visible behind the clear plastic. "It's almost full."

"That one's good; it means we can have a fire without having to look for flints. I have my knifelet, a comb, my wallet with six dollars and fifty-three cents, and a packet of tissues. Plus, my and your keys. Not an awful lot," Jason added.

"I guess it could be worse," Kat said somewhat dubiously. "There are enough cookies for maybe one meal, but they won't last long - the body burns sweets much faster than more solid food."

"We'll have to go look for fruit and stuff; maybe we can even make some sort of fishing line - does that sewing kit have strong thread?"

"Not really - it's more for emergency repairs - torn-off buttons and the like."

"Well, at least it has needles and scissors." Drawing a deep breath, Jason began to pack their meager possessions back into the sturdy container, then got up. Looking around, he came to a decision.

"Let's look for shelter first."

*

Angel Grove, the Present

"How did it go?" Aisha asked for all as, one by one, the Rangers returned to the Power Chamber. Kim, Rocky and Tommy had stayed behind, to answer what questions they could and to comfort the distraught Scotts and Hillards.

"As well as can be expected," TJ sighed as he demorphed. "Justin, any success yet?"

"Nothing," the young Blue Ranger replied, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Adam told me Billy had been scanning for chronoton particles that time Kimberly was zapped into the last century, but I've not been able to turn up anything yet."

"He had to use two communicators to bring her back," Adam supplied, recalling that day with astonishing clarity. "He tuned them in to Kim's unit, and created an artificial timehole right next to her."

"That's not an option here, Adam," Trini interjected. "Neither Jason nor Katherine have communicators anymore. Our only hope is to find them, then somehow detect a naturally-occurring timehole, redirect it as close to the point where the original one snagged them as possible, and keep it open long enough for them to see it and go through on their own accord."

"That's assuming they stay in the general vicinity of where they come out, that it's even possible for them to be close to it if we succeed, and that they take the chance of stepping through without knowing where they'll end up."

Tanya's words brought frowns and unhappy expressions to the nine teens' faces.

"How likely are they to take that chance?" Cassie finally asked. "I mean, they have no way of making sure the timehole will get them back here, right?"

"If I know Jase, he´ll think a small chance is better than no chance at all. He'll go through." Zack was quietly insistent. He'd known the former team leader the longest, and found his opinion corroborated by a small nod and smile from Trini.

"What about Kat, though?"

"She'll follow Jason on this, I'm sure," Aisha mused. "When she wrote to me when he rejoined the team, she seemed pretty confident about his instincts. Besides, they've served together and know each other's strengths and weaknesses. It's not as if they were marooned somewhere with total strangers."

"That's still an awful lot of ifs and maybes," Tanya brought the discussion back to the point. She drew a deep breath, knowing that her friends might not like what she had to say.

"I agree with everything Zack and Aisha said - remember, I know them both, and I'm pretty sure that, as long as they manage to stay together, Jason and Kat will be fine. However, we can't afford to think of what they may be going through; it'll only hinder our ability to come up with a way to help them. I know it's going to be hard, but we'll have to trust them to stay around on their end - in whatever time period they're in. Our job is to make sure there is a way for them to come back."

"Right," Ashley agreed. "Justin, is there anything we can do to help?"

"Not right now," the young genius replied. "But I'm sure there will be. The most important thing will be to keep Tommy out of my hair. You know how he can get when someone on his team is in danger. With it being both Kat and Jason ..." he didn't need to say more. All the former Rangers suppressed groans and shared rueful glances.

"I hear you, Justin," Zack grimaced. "And I'm not at all sure which of us will have the more difficult time - you scanning for Jase and Kat, or us trying to calm down Tommy."

*

"How did they take it?" Rocky asked Kim in an undertone as a visibly disturbed Doris Hillard ushered the Scotts into the family room of their comfortable home.

The former Pink Ranger tried to smile, but couldn't quite pull it off.

"What do you think? They nearly freaked," she murmured back, watching the two blond women embrace tearfully as Robert Hillard offered a stiff drink to John Scott. She knew both men weren't really into drinking hard liquor, but under the circumstances, she couldn't blame them. "It's a good thing they knew each other through us before this happened; this way, they can at least support each other."

"Yeah. It also helped that the Red Ranger was there with me and explained things:"

"Right. Cassie did a good job of calming them down - if that's possible. God, can you imagine yourself telling a thing like that to your friends' parents? Officially, I mean?"

"Uh-uh. Man, I was glad TJ took most of the heat and sort of assumed responsibility. All I had to do was tell what we'd seen, and let him do most of the talking. Still, I had the feeling Mr. Scott would have loved to blame me for Jason's disappearance - if only because I was /there/, and couldn't do a thing to help prevent him being sucked into that time hole."

"I know. Kat's mom was the same. - How do you think Tommy's doing with that creepazoid Boswell?"

"I dunno, and frankly, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes, either. It was bad enough dealing with the guy when we were still in uniform, and he couldn't see our faces."

Before Kimberly could comment on that, the adults noticed their presence near the door.

"Rocky, thank you for driving us over," Helen Scott said with a strained voice. "I doubt John or I would've been in any condition to ..." she trailed off as fresh tears threatened to choke her, and she turned her face into her husband's broad shoulder. John's arm tightened reassuringly around his wife.

"You, too, Kimberly," Mr. Scott added to his wife's words. "Bob and Doris feel the same, but if you kids don't mind, we'd like to talk over the things the Rangers have told us. We'll keep all of you posted if we should learn something new."

Rocky and Kim exchanged a glance. They would have dearly loved to tell the four distraught parents that they would be in a much better position to gather information, but since their connection to the Rangers had to remain secret, they couldn't do so.

"That would be nice, Mr. Scott," Rocky said carefully. "But don't bother to call all of us - I guess we'll stick pretty close together until the Rangers get Jason and Kat back. Isn't that right, Kim?"

"Definitely," Kimberly said, stepping forward and impulsively hugging both Helen and Doris. "We feel bad enough about this as it is, and we can probably reach each other much sooner. We just hope they'll get back soon - we're worried, too."

"If you should need any one of us for anything, just call," Rocky added as he took his leave, along with Kimberly. "Jason and Kat are our friends, and we'd do anything to make this easier for you."

"Thank you, Rocky. That means a lot, to all of us," Mrs. Hillard said with a brave but wobbly smile.

The desperate look in her eyes, though, remained with Kim and Rocky for a long time as they drove slowly back into town.

"What now?" Kimberly asked as they neared the park. "What can we do, except wait?"

"Get Tommy away from the press and the police and back to the Power Chamber," Rocky said seriously. "TJ left a spare communicator with me, so we have access. Then, we'll see if Justin needs any help. I guess they'll want to question you pretty intensely."

"Right," the gymnast sighed. "Poor Tommy - he must be frantic by now. I just wish there's more I could tell them, but all I did that time was hang around with your ancestors until Billy created the portal and signalled me I could come back. I didn't do anything myself."

"No, just fight Putties, Goldar and that Cactus Monster," Rocky snorted. "But I know what you mean. We'll see, though. Look, there's Tommy, still with Boswell. Let's at least rescue him."


To Be Continued ...