Power Rangers Time Force
"Worlds Apart"
Original Air Date:04/21/01		Based on: Timeranger #28 - Saikai no Toki (Reunion Time)
*Season 9, byte 12 *Official Fox Kids Show Number PR-1113 *12th episode of PRTF *391st total Power Rangers episode
Writers: Judd Lynn & Jackie Marchand		Director: Isaac Florentine [Credited incorrectly as "Floretine"]
Starring Cast: Jason Faunt _AS_ Wes (Red Ranger) Michael Copon _AS_ Lucas (Blue Ranger) Kevin Kleinberg _AS_ Trip (Green Ranger) Deborah Estelle Philips _AS_ Katie (Yellow Ranger) Erin Cahill _AS_ Jen (Pink Ranger) Vernon Wells _AS_ Ransik Kate Sheldon _AS_ Nadira Edward Laurence Albert _AS_ Mr. Collins		Additional Cast: Daniel Southworth _AS_ Eric Marcus LaVoi _AS_ Commander Porter Alex Boling _AS_ Manager Matt Schaller _AS_ Rich Kid David L. Wilson _AS_ Reporter #1 Stacey L. Miller _AS_ Reporter #2 Brianne Siddall _AS_ Circuit (voice) Eddie Frierson _AS_ Frax (voice) Bob Papenbrook _AS_ Univolt (voice)

SUMMARY:

Inside the Silver Hills Clock Tower, in the main room, the hologram image screen is displaying some battle highlights from the previous episode! We see Electropede kicking four of the Rangers' collective keisters, as Green Ranger waits around the corner. Jen has a pointer out, aiming at the holoscreen, and reminding Wes, Katie, & Lucas adamantly, "This last fight was emBARassing, you guys." Wes watches, but soon yawns at her boring peptalk, covering his mouth and trying to look interested with sleepy eyes. Katie rests her chin against her hand, and pouts her lips to keep herself busy while being bored. Lucas also has his hand to chin, but looks more into the battle review than any of the others. Jen goes on to say, quite sternly, "We had this mutant outnumbered! LOOK, right here, you can SEE he was getting TIRED! And at THIS point, the mutant was VULnerable!" She points out the later fight at the power plant, all footage flickering in and out as they were shot by less than conventional means. Jen continues, "So, a stronger attack from us could have taken him down faster, AND with less injury to us!" Jen's so busy focusing on her new strategies, that she fails to notice Lucas shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth. He slides the bowl of it along the top of the table, which they're sitting on, discreetly allowing his two teammates to scoop up portions behind their backs as well. Jen's leadership scolding presses on, as she notes, "Wes, Katie... you BOTH are fighting like you HAD your mind on SOMEthing ELSE!" Indeed, as Katie & Wes secretly snatch up handfuls of popcorn, and wait for Jen to look away so they can eat it. Jen turns the peptalk towards Blue, saying disappointedly, "Lucas! You... YOU performed BELOW your potential." Lucas raises his eyebrows and seems intrigued. Jen aims the pointer at the holoscreen, stating, "Right here! You see?" The second she looks directly at the holoscreen shot of Electropede draining the four Rangers, Wes, Katie, & Lucas all slam their palmfuls of popcorn into their hungry mouths at once. As they chew quietly and hurriedly, Jen's pert nose begins to sense something buttery amiss. She sniffs loudly, turns around and wonders, "What is THAT?!" The stuffed-cheeked trio act nonchalant, pretending to be innocent and coy. Jen slaps the pointer against her palm, and angrily asks, "WHO is eating popcorn while i'm trying to WORK!?" Wes shakes his head and mumbles through his mouthful of kernels; Katie also mumbles "I dunno!", and accidentally lets several pieces of popcorn still in her hand fly upward; Lucas chews softly, also playing dumb. Jen screams, "I can't BELIEVE this!", staring at her teammates with contempt.

Suddenly, the missing Time Force member comes speeding up the stairwell (from an angle not used before). Trip yells excitedly, "HEY! There's a GUY downstairs who wants to HIRE us!" Jen asks, "To do WHAT?" Trip happily & anxiously reveals, "To pick up GARBAGE!" He grabs one of the white Nick Of Time Odd Jobs multipurpose painter's jumpsuits off the neatly folded stack. Jen waves her pointer at him, and remarks about the holoscreen review, "This is FAR too important! Besides, i'm sure that NObody wants to pick up trash." Katie sees this as an easy way out of the lecture, hopping off the table and mentioning, "Trash is good!" Lucas joins her, "I'm in!" Wes looks at the offended Jen, and comments, "Sounds great!" The three rush towards the stairwell, snatching up their workers uniforms on the way by. Wes pauses and tosses Jen her's, which lands on the end of the pointer she's holding upwards. Outnumbered, she gives in, sighing with a slight grin, "Alright", and follows along. Soon, outside of the Lou.... something (not Bega, thankfully)... Pavilion, the five get to work at the task assigned. Jen & Katie brush off the floor of an upper loading dock, while Lucas walks off it, lands on his feet, carrying a broken cardboard box. He heads over to the nearby dumpster, sticks the trash in a bag, and comments to Wes, "I went through ALL of that Time Force training for THIS?!" Wes ties up the bag and sticks it in the dumpster, noting, "Hey. These Odd Jobs pay the bills!" He dusts his hands off, and follows Lucas to continue the manual labor.

Just around the corner, the well-waxed, black expensive car of whatever high-costing make it must be, drives by at a reasonable speed. Inside the vehicle, in the backseat, sits Mr. Collins, head or whatever of Bio-Lab. He talks on the cellphone, saying annoyedly, "I don't CARE how you do it. I want those contracts signed by..." Collins' glances out the window, and spots the five Time Force officers. More specifically, he spots his estranged son, Wes! Collins orders the driver, "Driver, pull over!" (oddly not Philips the butler, for a change). The car pulls into the loading dock area, and slows to a stop. Wes finishes dumping the trashbag into the dumpster, turns his head, and recognizes the vehicle. He frustratedly tosses the bag in, and walks over to the side door of the car. Mr. Collins rolls down his window, and Wes leans down, and says without much joy, "Hi, dad." Collins looks over at the others, and asks his son directly, "This is what you left home for, to clean up other people's trash?" Trip, who seems to have been supervising (does he need to wear that backpack ALL the time?), stands beside Wes, and yells at Mr. Collins, explaining, "He does MORE than that!" Wes cautions him gently, "Trip.... it's okay." Collins looks down in dismay, and as he rolls up his window with the touch of a button, he looks at his son and tells him smugly, "I couldn't be more disappointed." As the window rises, so does Wes, standing silent and staring at his father through the glass. Collins orders the driver somberly, "Drive on." The car pulls off, leaving Wes standing with all of his teammates around him, watching the vehicle depart. Jen puts her hand on Wes' back for a moment, causing him to turn and look towards her for a second.

Not far away, two black SUVs drive down the street, so intent on getting to their destination that they even drive on the wrong side of the road! They pull up to the front of a shopping building, and screech to a sudden halt. Nadira, in her casual attire (black leather jacket, golden dress, her pink hair hanging down), exits the front door, and walks along freely. She swings her purse around, as she's followed by a group of Cyclobots. They're carrying bags of stolen, unknown merchandise. Nadira's carefree demeanor comes crashing down, when she spots the SUVs, and stops in her tracks. A man in a navy blue colored uniform and a red beret steps out of the passenger door of one of the vehicles. Before he even begins walking, his platoon of forces have already piled out of the vehicles, and begun setting up shop. All of them wear the same style uniform, with an eagle style badge on the sleeve, matching hats with the letters CGD on them, headsets, and sunglasses. They also have heavily strapped belts, and some even have backpacks. The men, many of which are Asian (even in American footage), are also equipped with small, pistol-style Blasters. Those who aren't aiming their tiny Blasters at the mutant & robodrones, are setting up several rocket launchers! Nadira watches them get into position, expressing intrigue on her face. The man in red beret, known as Commander Porter, is the last to join the troops, aiming his Blaster and announcing, "Halt! You are under arrest!" Nadira heeds the warning, and starts walking towards them without much fear. Porter orders, "Fire!", and the entire squad does so. The Blasters shoot off small bursts of yellowish energy, while the rocket launchers unload blasts of bluish power. The loud sounds of Blaster fire get the attention of the five Time Force Officers within the vicinity, probably wandering around searching for more trash, or taking a lunch break. Jen shouts, "Over here!", as she leads them to the direction of the shootout.

[Opening Credits]

The blasters of the mysterious troops continue firing at Nadira, striking the Cyclobots around her. One Cyclo ends up taking a fatal shot, falling backwards as his body sparks. The firing ceases, and Nadira angrily demands to know from the squad, "WHO do you THINK you ARE?!" Commander Porter lowers his weapon, and answers, "We are the Silver Guardians, hired to protect THIS property!" Nadira scoffs, "You MUST be joking! LO-SER!!" Just down the driveway, the five Time Force Officers make the scene. Wes is ready to jump into the fray, when he spots the Cyclobots and their mistress. He growls, "Nadira!", but right when he begins to make a move, Jen stops him, urging, "No. Wait!" They watch, as Nadira confronts the Silver Guardians. She steps up and egotistically asks, "How DARE you spoil my SHOPPING spree!?" Nadira begins to approach them, so Commander Porter aims his Blaster at her, and orders, "HALT!" She replies in a huff, "NO one tells ME to stop!" Porter gives the word to his troops, "Fire!", and the Blaster fire resumes. The split-second the bolts of energy are about to strike her, Nadira whips around her black leather coat, and in a flash of pink, reverts to her white leather outfit mode. The blasts bombard the Cyclobots, who are unable to fight back in time. Before you know it, only two Cyclobots are left standing, while the others are either in wiry pieces, or lying on the ground sparking & writhing. Nadira looks at the scrap heaps of nuts & bolts scattered around her, along with her loot of stole goods, and screams at the Silver Guardians as they cease fire, "NOW you'll PAY!" Within an earshot, Jen mentions, "Her Cyclobots are destroyed!" Nadira spots the five TFs nearby, and changes gears. She notes aloud in a near whisper, "You'll ALL pay." Nadira quickly spins around, changing her body into a pink light with a blue puff of some from here feet, teleporting away in a flash. The two remaining Cyclobots also teleport, their style being a warping zap of vertical lines. The Silver Guardians immediately move forward, and secure the sparking remnants of the trashed Cyclos. The manager of the business they saved rushes out, shakes Commander Porter's hand rapidly, and smiling with a flamboyant voice, thanks, "Oh, GREAT job! You Silver Guardians are worth EVERY penny!" Porter finishes the handshake, and merely replies, "Well, thank you, sir." The manager gives a happy salute. Commander Porter turns to his team, and orders, "Let's move OUT!"

The Silver Guardians drop their inspection of the still-twitching remains of the wrecked Cyclobots, and rush towards their SUVs. The five TFs just stand in the same spot they've been in for the past few minutes, and watch the rent-a-cops withdraw. One of the many soldiers slows his progression as he notices something out the corner of his eye, as he's reholstering his Blaster. The man, maybe in his late teens, slowly goes against the flow of SG traffic, and walks over to the five white-jumpsuited TFs. Notice, Jen stands with her arms around her back, at attention, a possible reflex from her years in Time Force. The SG Officer approaches the five, stops, and removes his sunglasses. The face of the square-jawed man, with a possible Asian descendance, causes a sudden, audible flash of recognition in Wes's mind. The man, in a Wayne Newton kinda voice, simply says with a grin, "Long time, no see, Wes." Wes smiles, a happy tone of remembrance greets, "Eric! What're you DOING here?!" He steps forward and extends his hand out to his old acquaintance, only to have Eric reposition his hands behind his back in a stance similar to Jen's. Shunned, Wes loses his smile and lowers his arm. Eric explains, "We're with the Silver Guardians. We protect the city now." He looks at Wes' jumpsuit attire, and queries, "And you?" Wes fibs a little, as he tells him, "Well, i'm just... hangin' out with my friends." Eric looks at the four from the future, and notes to Wes with a smirk of animosity, "Life's one big vacation for you." Over near one of the SG SUVs, Commander Porter shouts to the stray soldier, "Let's GO!" Eric turns to look at his Commander, then looks back to Wes, putting his shades back on quickly and bidding determinedly, "I've got work to do. See you around." Wes watches silently as Eric races off and hops in the SUV. It must be awfully crowded in there, considering the amount of troops versus the amount of seats in the trucks. The SUVs pull off almost as fast as they arrived. The five TFs remain standing there, watching the two black vehicles speed off. Katie remarks to Lucas, "That guy's got even more attitude than YOU!" Lucas gives a slight laugh of confirmation. Trip wonders, "Who WAS that guy?" Wes reveals, "That's Eric. We went to Prep School together."

Later, at the Clock Tower, underneath the large metal bell hanging overhead, the five Time Force Officers reenter the main room, and chuck their removed NOTOJ jumpsuits haphazardly onto the top of the barrel where they were neatly stacked upon earlier. Lucas states, "Silver GUARDians? Where did THEY come from?!" Katie gets territorial, as she adds offendedly, "I don't like it. We've been doing JUST fine protecting the city without THEIR help." Perched on a barrel a level above them, Circuit calls out, "Rangers! There's something on television that I THINK might interest you!" Trip picks up a strangely shaped, silver remote control, aims it at the holoscreen, and hits a button on it. The hologram imaging screen comes on instantly, with a clear transmission from a press conference occurring at the moment. It's Mr. Collins, standing at a podium, with the golden eagle CGD symbol encrusted upon it. A whole room full of reporters and cameramen are in front of him, with Commander Porter and a few Silver Guardian soldiers by his side. Collins informs the press, "My Silver Guardians have averted ANOTHER robbery today. I'm sure the entire city sleeps better knowing they're looking out for us." (makes you wonder if the CGD stands for "Collins Guard & Defense") A female reporter in the crowd begs the question, "Is it true that your Guardians ONLY protect clients who PAY for their services?" This question remains unanswered, but does strike an uneasy cord inside of Wes! An unseen male reporter then asks, "What about the Time Force Rangers?" Mr. Collins replies with a smug smirk, "The Rangers can't be EVERYwhere, now can they?"

As the press conference continues in the background (sorry, I can't make out what's said), Katie mentions to Wes, "So the Silver Guardians are another one of your father's business ventures?" Lucas remarks confusedly, "Wait, wait, wait. First the Raimei tank, and now THIS?!" Wes replies frustratedly, "Believe me, I'm JUST as surprised as you are! He's never shown ANY interest in the Defense Industry before." Trip happily points out, "Y-you're dad's helping to protect the city! Tha-that's a good thing, isn't it?" When he turns around, Wes snatches the holoscreen remote out of his hand, and stresses, "No, he doesn't CARE about the city." He turns the holoscreen off, and laments, "He's in it for the money." Jen questions the unsettled Wes, "I KNOW you and your father have had your differences, but do you REALLY think he's THAT greedy?" Wes angrily comments, "You HEARD the report! The Silver Guardians only protect people who can PAY for it. HOW I used to look up to that man! I wanted to be JUST LIKE HIM. But now I realize... all he really cares about is MONEY! ALL his BIG plans for me. Even I became just another... business venture." He walks off, with adequate steam blown off, and just before he tosses the holoscreen remote on the table, Lucas notes with a slight grin, "Your OLD friend Eric is working for you dad now." Wes honestly admits, "Well... we're not EXACTLY friends...." A flashback begins, taking us to the middle of a hectic karate class. Wes & Eric are sparring together rapidly. Wes voices over, "In Prep School, we trained in karate together. He was a GREAT fighter." We see Eric getting vicious with his attacks, sweating like mad and letting out intense grunts as he appears determined to beat Wes' nearly stunned behind. Wes remarks, "He ALWAYS had something to prove! Then one day, I heard he quit."

The karate flashback changes over to a later date, where Wes (with a slicked down hairstyle), comes running down the front steps of the Prep School. Eric walks slowly with his school uniform's jacket hung over his shoulder, and a backpack in hand. Wes calls out, "Eric! Hey! Wait up!" Eric halts, and Wes asks in disbelief, "You're QUITTING?!" Eric, chip firmly implanted on shoulder, grumbles, "This place STINKS! Bunch of lazy richkids wasting their time. I got BIGGER plans." He hands his backpack to Wes, and storms off. Wes stands there in a daze, unable to find any words, just shouting, "ER-IC!" to no avail. Eric exits through the front gates of the school, never once looking back. The flashbacks end, with Wes still turned away from his teammates, having dug up some uncomfortable old memories. Katie asks, "But THEN what happened?" Wes says, "NOTHING! I never saw him again... until today." Lucas eagerly walks around and optimistically announces with a smile, "We need ALL the help we can get, against Ransik. Maybe the Silver Guardians will do us some good. Right?" Wes doesn't share his views, explaining, "I DON'T think they know what they're getting into!" Katie, Jen, and Trip have the right to remain silent, which they do. Any emotions expressed on their faces can and will be held against them in a court of being undecided on the matter.

[commercials]

In a large auditorium, adorned with a giant golden CGD eagle symbol against the main wall, the entire army of Silver Guardians stand at attention before their big boss, Mister Collins. He's at the podium, speaking deeply into the microphone, "Our clients DESERVE the best protection possible. They're counting on each and every ONE of you to give 200%!" We see the front row of SGs, consisting of both sexes and many races, all still wearing their sunglasses over their stone cold faces. Collins continues, "FORGET fear! NOTHING can stop you! You ARE the Silver Guardians!" He smiles at his successful squad, as they all cheer in persuaded concurrence. Soon, Mr. Collins exits the auditorium, along with two other men in business suits. They head off one way, as the Silver Guardians being to depart the room as well. Eric gets out first, removes his sunglasses, and pauses his superior by saying, "Mister Collins!" The elder gentleman turns and asks, "Yes, what is it?" Eric salutes him quickly, and introduces himself, "I'm Eric Myers. I went to Prep School with your son. I understand that Wes moved out of your house. I saw him today, and I can help you find him." Collins informs him matter-of-factly, "Yes, he moved out of the house... but i'm not looking for him." The businessman slowly walks away, leaving Eric thinking to himself, "So Wes gave it all up. That's JUST like him."

Eric suddenly has a flashback to his Prep School days, where he's sitting on a bench outside the school. Wes comes over and hands him a can of soda, saying chipperly, "ER-IC! Got ya this!" He accepts the gracious offering, and thanks, "Thanks." Another student, a blonde Rich Kid, rushes over and hands an invitation to Wes, claiming, "Hey, Wes! My dad's throwing a party on the yacht. You're invited!" Wes takes the invite, and happily responds, "Hohahoho! Thanks!" He asks Eric, "Hey, you wanna come?" Eric seems delighted, answering, "Yeah, sure." The Rich Kid amends his original agreement to Wes, "Uhh, actually it's... kind of a small party. Only you're invited." Eric sighs like he knew that was coming, sets down the rather empty-sounding can, and remarks while standing up against the Rich Kid, "That's alright. I wouldn't go anyway." He walks off with his backpack in hand, prompting Wes to hand the invite back to the Rich Kid, and shout, "Eric, wait! Hold up!" He rushes over to his acquaintance's side, telling him anxiously, "Eric! Eric, wait, hold up! You know, i'm not going either! So how 'bout we find something else to do?" Wes goes on to say things about the other kids being stuck up, but it's drowned out by Eric's voice over. Eric sort of zones Wes' words out, ignoring him and walking on, turning a blind eye to his sympathy. Eric thinks back, "You had the money. All the right friends. But you didn't know how to use them to your advantage." The flashback ends with Eric then finally looking at Wes, who keeps gabbing in a futile effort to be nice to the shunned teen. Back to the present, Eric is now at the Silver Guardians' shooting range, wearing yellow tinted goggles. He concludes his resentful thinking, "Well, you might have been given all the breaks. But we'll see who ends up on top." Eric puts on earmuffs, raises his small Blaster, inserts a silver chip-clip into the side. Then he slowly taps the Blaster three times, patiently, against the back of his gloved left hand, pressed against his chest. Suddenly, be breaks that position dramatically, and aims his Blaster at the target. He fires off several bursting energy at the black ringed humanoid shaped target, hitting the bullseye with at least two of the four shots.

At the lopsided Prison Ship in the forest of Silver Hills, Frax sits alone in a very well lit room, which we've never seen before. The golden robot views a small green hologram diagram of several buildings in the city, with readout lines pointing to a pulsing circle point above a skyscraper. Frax remarks ominously, "It's TIME for me to take matters into my OWN hands!" He turns off the hologram, and stands up, wandering around the sterile commissary-looking room, with futuristic machinery about, and odd burn marks on the wall (including a gaping hole on one of them). Frax schemes to himself, "_I_ will show that windbag Ransik once and for all, how TRULY superior the robot race can be! Heheheh." He heads over to the charred-up door to the X Vault, and inserts his secret key into the slot, commenting, "He still hasn't figured out that it is _I_ who holds the key to the X Vault, holding the most DANGEROUS mutants of all!" The doors slide open, revealing roughly 6-7 cryo-canisters in cold storage. Frax is so evilly excitedly, that his facial features pop open, and he yelps, "Ha HA!" Sometime later, the X Vault villain that Frax picked offscreen begin his terrifying trek through the city. He's never named onscreen, just in the end credits as Univolt. He's a brown mantis-type mutant with a single red & green-speckled eye, a raspy voice, and a big-ass rifle. Univolt laughs wickedly as he marches down the street, causing a crowd of humans to flee in a screaming panic. This disturbance gains the omniscient attention of Circuit, who sits on his perch in the Clock Tower, and announces, "Mutant alert! Mutant alert! There's a mutant attacking in the city plaza!" The five Time Force Officers are in the room at the time of the alert (we see Katie setting down the bowl of popcorn on the table again, as Jen seems to be arguing with Wes), and quickly race towards the stairs the moment Circuit is finished. Jen shouts, "Let's go!", leading the way, leaving Circuit behind to flap his wings frantically.

Elsewhere in Silver Hills, the Silver Guardians are in their locker room, suiting up for battle. Commander Porter paces around and gives words of encouragement aloud, "Alright, listen up! This is our chance to really PROVE what we can do. Let's move OUT!" Porter motions his arm, and the troops head towards the exit. Eric's one of the last, as he closes his locker door and slips on his sunglasses, before nodding affirmatively. The Silver Guardians rush down a corridor, and soon roll out of the building in their twin SG SUVs. At the scene of the action, the five Time Force Power Rangers are already morphed, and in battle with a squad of Cyclobots. The fighting is intense and rapid, with Pink Ranger slashing her two Chrono-Sabers at the robodrones. Blue Ranger soon has his double-bladed Chrono-Saber out, and bashes a whole flock of Cyclos with ease. Pink changes her weapon over to, "V-5!", firing a few pink bursts at a trio of Cyclobots in front of a fountain. Jen then strafes left, and shoots down four more Cyclos in a fury of smoke. Yellow Ranger goes on an elbowing spree, taking three robodrones out with her elbows, before finishing it off with an explosive punch to a Cyclo-gut. Green Ranger presses a button on his Chrono-Morpher, causing a flash of the inner-lights, and a loud sound effect, as he summons the power of, "Time Slide!" (the name is unclear, but we'll go with that) Trip suddenly spins around with his arms held outward, going so fast that he's nothing but a blur. His hands rip into the Cyclobots around him, as he twirls all around them, beating them to a fiery & wiry pulp without slowing down. Red Ranger beats a final Cyclobot down with the butt of his Sabers. Univolt stands across the plaza with a few robodrones around him, calling out in a slightly muffled (as he has no mouth) voice, "RANG-ERS!" The five Time Force Rangers regroup, and Wes asks, "What do YOU want?!" Univolt explains causally, "Not much. Only to DESTROY you! Now, which one do I want first?" As the mutant rubs the area where his chin should be, Circuit (sitting out in the sunlight, somewhere in the city) urgently informs out heroes, "Careful, Rangers! He's from the X Vault!" Red Ranger looks at his Morpher and asks confused, "The X Vault?" Wes then arrogantly tells the mutant, "Well you're going RIGHT back to where you came from!" Univolt turns around and addresses his robo-troops, "Cyclobots! Let's show these Rude Rangers JUST who they're dealing with!" The mutant fires his rifle at the Rangers, causing them to be blown off their feet as the ground below them bursts into sparks. Yellow Ranger glances over at the impact spot, seeing a deep smoking crater having blown through the concrete, and gasps, "WOW! I don't think this guy's messin' around!" Blue Ranger yells, "Everybody, brace yourselves!", as Univolt darts towards them, firing his rifle with a mighty roar. Nearby, the remaining Cyclobots overhear the sound of sirens approaching. Three of them greet the predominantly Japanese police by firing their Saber-blasters at the cars. The cop cars explode, and crash into one another, like a bad episode of CHIPS.

[commercials]

The Silver Guardians' SUVs make the scene, finding the empty burning police cars littering the street. They pull over and park, with the squad all gathering around Commander Porter, as he orders, "Alright, listen up! I want this creature REMOVED without any damage to the client's property. Understood?" The SGs salute and reply in unison, "YES, SIR!" Three rocket launchers are set up in a row, with the whole platoon situated in crouching positions around them. Commander Porter stands and announces, "Attention mutant! You are trespassing on private property! I ORDER you to leave immediately!" (how is the plaza 'private', and who hired them?) The Cyclobots march down the sidewalk in two lines, fearlessly in their direction. Univolt is smacking Blue Ranger down with the side of his rifle when he's spoken to, replying anxiously, "Give it your best shot, SOLDIER!" Commander Porter aims his Blaster, and commands his troops, "FIRE!" The Blasters & rocket launchers unload endless blasts of energy at the swarm of Cyclobots. The entire armada of robotic drones are wiped out in a near instant, leaving nothing behind but smoking carcasses. Pink & Red Rangers take this distraction time to roll off behind a tree, to take a breather from the action. Wes spots the troops in the distance, and laments, "Oh, no! Look! My father sent the Silver Guardians again!" Jen notes, "They don't even know what they're UP against! This guy's even too tough for US!" This downtime gets interrupted when Univolt fires his rifle at the two of them suddenly. He pitches Green Ranger aside like discarded paper, and remarks, "Now for YOU pests!" Just behind the Silver Guardians, the black expensive vehicle belonging to Mister Collins rolls up. He rolls down his window, and looks outside, seeing the five Rangers in combat with the mutant. They're getting their butts kicked, especially Lucas, while Jen has a relapse of character and hides beside Wes on the ground. Mr. Collins mentions to himself, "The Time Force Rangers. I should of known they'd be here." Univolt bashes Yellow & Blue Rangers together, and chucks them aside. He laughs maliciously, and wonders, "Who's NEXT?!" Red Ranger tosses a high kick at him, which the mutant blocks, then returns a few rapid punches into Wes' gut. The final sparking sock to the chest sends Red Ranger flipping violently through the air, as Collins watches his descent from afar, silently realizing his troops may be in over their heads.

Univolt leaps into the air with a loud growl, and lands before the weary Wes. Red Ranger lies on his stomach on the ground, slowly attempt to crawl away, despite the fact his legs have given out on him. Univolt stands triumphant, and remarks, "Haw haw haw! This is MUCH too easy! I haven't even broken a sweat yet!" The mutant walks forward, intent on finishing the incapacitated Ranger, until the Silver Guardians rush in and stand in his way. Mr. Collins continues witnessing far from afar, as someone calls out, "Weapons ready!" The squad, all in a shoulder-to-shoulder line, aim their Blasters at Univolt. Commander Porter exclaims, "This is your LAST warning!" Univolt sarcastically asks, "Should I be SCARED?!" Red Ranger arises, and grabs the shoulders of the closest soldiers, which just happen to be Porter & Eric. He urgently explains, "No, WAIT! You can't beat him with those weapons! He's TOO powerful!" Commander Porter elbows the Ranger off of them, telling him to, "Move!", and then commanding, "FIRE!" The Silver Guardians fire their collective Blasters at the mutant, all aiming for the same one-eyed target. The blasts strike Univolt, but fail to do a single bit of harm, instead antagonizing him intensely. The mutant fires back with his powerful rifle, shooting a burst so strong that it knocks every SG off their feet, including Wes! Collins looks concerned, as Commander Porter falls onto his back, and loses both his red beret and sunglasses on the way down. He clutches his side and groans, while continuing to aim his Blaster at the mutant. Univolt quips, "See ya, soldier!", and aims his rifle at the weakened human. Red Ranger sits up and cries, "No, WAIT!" Commander Porter stands up groggily, and aims his Blaster at the creature. Wes shouts, "Look out!", and leaps into the air, grabbing Porter's Blaster and aiming it away. Just as he lands in front of him, Red Ranger is struck by the deadly blast from Univolt's rifle. The bolt of blue energy slams into Wes' stomach, causing a blinding flash of sparks, smoke, and light to flood the area. The explosion rocks the ground all around, sending Eric toppling over to his side and covering his face. Mr. Collins ducks down in the safety of his vehicle, peeking his head up over the window frame in gripped interest.

Red Ranger remains standing, even after getting struck. This doesn't last long, as soon his knees give out, and he falls forward amid the smoke, groaning in agony. Pink Ranger turns her stunned attention that way; Yellow Ranger has a Cyclobot in a chokehold and gasps, "Oh, no!"; Green Ranger lies atop a downed robodrone, and looks to Wes in disbelief; Blue Ranger yanks a Cyclo by the arm, remarks, "Whoah!", and glances in shock at the scene of his teammate's injury. Univolt slowly raises his rifle, and chuckles diabolically. Red Ranger's entire unmoving body lies in a huge crater in the cement caused by the mutant's explosive discharge. The Silver Guardians are in shambles around him, most dazed from the experience, while Commander Porter writhes on the ground nearby. Red Ranger begins to regain consciousness, as he grips his gloved fist in the mound of dirt he's lying in. He grunts, and gradually starts to lift himself up. Eric's positioned rather close, and stares at the Ranger suspiciously as he rises. Red Ranger's visor, despite having been fine when he fell to his knees a moment earlier, has been shattered open! My own explanation, is that the explosion weakened his visor, but when he fell down, a chunk of debris finished the job by cracking it wide open. Wes' eyes are blackened from the blast, with soot edged all around his eyes, now visible through the sharp shards of glass. Eric removes his sunglasses, and gasps in awe, "WES?!" Red Ranger looks over at him, his green eyes giving him away totally. Mr. Collins hears this, and blurts, "Wes?!" He quickly opens his car door, and gets out, glancing interestedly out towards the rising Ranger as he stands beside his vehicle. Red Ranger finally makes it onto his feet, and while breathing heavily, looks back at Mr. Collins. Notice, all of the other Silver Guardians are too busy groaning in pain to pay attention to the Ranger's exposed identity.

Univolt lowers his rifle, and gloats, "Now to FINISH the job!" Before he can fire, Pink & Blue Rangers rush him, and grab hold. They're able to barely hang on and guide him away from the defenseless forces. Red Ranger races off to assist his teammates, when the slightly injured Eric stands up and screams, "WES! WAIT!" Wes does so, stopping in his tracks, though only because his father stands in his way! Mr. Collins demands to know from his son, "Wesley, what's the meaning of this? You're a Time Force Ranger?!" Wes peers out through the broken visor, and admits, "I wanted to tell you, dad. But I couldn't." He cocks his head to the side, and looks over at the bruised-but-breathing Commander Porter (not enough to let him see his eyes, though) being helped off the battlefield by a fellow SG. Wes tells his dad, "Look, you DON'T know what you're up against here. People are getting HURT! All because you want more money! How much is enough for you, dad?!" Collins shakes his head, denying it adamantly, "No, that's not it at all! You don't understand ANYTHING about my business! I had the perfect future planned out for you!" Wes rebuts, "YOUR future, not MINE! For the FIRST time in my life... i'm REALLY making a difference." Mr. Collins glares at his son silently. Red Ranger nudges him aside and walks past, only to have Collins pause him, pleading, "Wes, wait, stop. If you'd just let me explain, you'd understand you're talking a bunch of NONsense!" Wes corrects him, replying, "No. ALL my life, i've done what YOU wanted me to do. But now i'm in control of my OWN future." Collins looks away for a moment, realizing the truth. Red Ranger rushes up the stairs, as his father requests, "Wes, son... HEY, don't walk away from me when i'm... WESLEY, you walk away, you'll REGRET IT!!!" Red Ranger stops for a moment, looks back, and then continues on. Collins screams, "WESLEY!" Eric chimes in, yelling, "Don't be STUPID, Wes! You should listen to your FATHER!" (with the Silver Guardians behind him. Oops, cover's blown totally now! Though I suspect Collins will order this information to be kept top secret. They're HIS troops, after all) Wes presses onward, refusing to bow to their whims. Mr. Collins gives a defeated sigh, while Eric glares angrily, likely annoyed that Wes has yet another break in life without having worked for it.

Elsewhere in the city plaza, the other four Time Force Rangers are getting blown up good. They soar through the air, screaming, as explosions burst behind them. They land in a heap together, their bodies smoking. Univolt aims his rifle at them, and approaches, boasting, "I REALLY thought you Rangers would have put up MORE of a fight! Heheh. Oh, WELL! Ahahaha!" The four desperately crawl away from him, but are unable to escape his wrath. Univolt's death march is halted, by the sudden streak of red laser energy striking him in the hand. He drops his rifle, his hand smoking, as he wonders, "Huh!?" The Rangers gratefully think the same thing in unison. The source of the blast is revealed to be Red Ranger, running in from the distance with his V-1 weapon in hand. He proclaims to the mutant, "We're not done YET!" Pink Ranger cries, "Wes, be careful!" Univolt aims his right palm at the oncoming Ranger, causing a squall of explosions to burst behind him. The still-broken visored Red Ranger remains unwavering in spite of the blasts, thinking to himself in a voice over, "I'm NEVER going to regret what i'm doing. You may not see it now, dad, but SOMEday, i'm gonna make you PROUD of me." His teammates witness his determination in a speechless enthrall. Univolt growls, and Wes exclaims, "You're going BACK to the freezer!" He aims V-1 at the mutant, and fires a red charge of light. Univolt is oddly struck with a glow of golden power instead, the exact same attack that the Electro Booster displayed last episode! He glows for only a second, before being blasted by a backlash of power when the gold light breaks. Red Ranger jumps into the air, positions his two Chrono-Sabers at the stroke of 12 on a red clockface appearing behind him, and initiates, "Time Strike!" The twin blade red-powered blow smashes into Univolt, causing his chest to explode with a puff of smoke & sparks. He falls backwards in slow motion, groaning as Red Ranger poses victoriously and shouts, "Hiyah!"

Wes looks at the camera through his exposed eyes, and summons, "Vortex Blaster!" The five V Weapons are brought together between scenes, and connected to make the Vortex Blast. The Rangers brace themselves around it, with Pink Ranger ordering, "Aim!" The green tinted targeting screen scans Univolt as he wearily stands back up. The readout flashes, "Lock On", and prompts the visor-damaged Red Ranger to command, "Locked on... FIRE!" The Vortex Blaster attack is spared the usual black background, and instead has the five standing next to the waterfall as the cannon discharges. The swirling beam of blue & white energy slams into Univolt, filling his body with the overload of power. The mutant cries in agony, as he suddenly explodes into a fireball of sparks. When the smoke clears, we see Univolt's body glowing brightly. He instantly shrinks down to Chrono-Froze size, as his DNA patch was apparently unable to deploy on cue. Mr. Collins & Eric make the scene, in time to see Red Ranger, with Green by his side, picking up the tiny mutant and placing him in an already formed cryo-capsule. Wes closes the lid, and hands the tube over to Trip, telling him to, "Put him in Containment with the other mutants." Green Ranger obeys, "Right, Wes!", and prances off. Red Ranger stands staring back at his father and former pal. The staring contest doesn't last long, before the visor-less Wes walks off with his head held high. Mr. Collins' feelings about his son being a Ranger are clear by his expression, as he smiles gently, quite proud as he watches him depart. Jen meets with Wes and asks, "Are you alright?" He confirms, "Yeah, i'm fine." Katie playfully hits his arm, and notes, "That was AWEsome, Wes!" Lucas slaps him a high five, saying, "Good job!" Trip holds up the safely-sealed mutant, and shouts, "Yeah! Alright, Wes! Whoo! Let's go!" The five stroll along together, Lucas with his arm around Jen, Jen with her arm around Wes, Wes with his arm around the two girls, Katie with her arm around Wes & Trip, and Trip with his arm around Katie. They happily head home. Mr. Collins continues looking on proudly, but Eric steps forward, and simply watches the team with a resentful demeanor.

[commercials]

At the Prison Ship, Gluto waddles quickly into one of the side rooms, likely in a frantic search for his missing voice, or a bathroom. In the main detention hall, Frax holds the X Vault key in his grubby paw, remarking to himself with evil glee, "The powerful mutants of the X Vault are under MY control ALONE! NO one must know my little secret! Heehee!" The sound of the central corridor door opens, and Nadira & Ransik enter the room. Nadira wonders loudly about the recent city disturbance, "Daddy, where did that mutant come from? I've never SEEN it before!" Ransik replies, "I don't know, my dear. But I INTEND to find out." They head into Ransik's office, where I believe either Univolt or a mutant similar to him has their wanted poster on a wall above. Frax turns and pops open his facial compartments, wailing nervously, as he fearfully states, "I've got to hide the key before he finds it on me!" The golden robot quickly opens one of the containment shelves, and sticks the silver arrow-like key into an empty chrono-capsule. He reseals the cold storage shelf, and breathes a sigh of relief. Just then, Ransik & Nadira reenter the room, with the mutant master commenting, "Making yourself USELESS as USUAL, Frax?!" Frax graciously confirms, "Yes, that's me! Doing the usual nothing I usually do! Huh huh, ha huh. Oh, yes. That's ME!" He pulls out a very dust rag, and rubs it on the iced over glass of the storage shelf behind him. Nadira gets suspicious, walking over to him with her arms folded, and mentions, "Hmm... If I didn't know better, i'd say you were UP to SOMETHING!" Frax chuckles heartily, and slaps the dusty rag over her pink-haired head, sending dirt flying into her face. He reminds her, "Oh, hoho! Don't make me LAUGH, Nadira! You know that robots aren't programmed to think for themSELVES! You know THAT!" She coughs a little until he stops waving the dusty rag around, when she realizes with a smug attitude, "Ah! That's RIGHT! Whatever was I THINKING!? Hahahahaha!" Frax gives a mimicking mock laugh in return, as Nadira walks away, following her father, who also laughs at this absurd idea. Ransik heads for one of the corridors, and as the vertical-barred doors slide open, he shoves two Cyclobots away and growls, "STEP aside!" Frax lifts his claw-hand hand into the air, holding it in position so that the camera sees it as if he's squashing Nadira with his three-pronged hand. The backstabbing robot whispers to himself, "The day will come when I will SQUISH them like INSECTS!"

Meanwhile, at a park in Silver Hills, the white jumpsuited Nick Of Time Odd Jobs crew has a new assignment. This one being the task of raking leaves! Katie seems most unhappy about the job, while Jen & Wes are playfully raking their piles into one another. Trip walks by, carrying a leaking bag of leaves. Lucas halts him, "Hey, hey! Watch it!", causing Trip to turn around and accidentally lose half of his bag of leaves all over the cleared lawn. The green haired alien teen stops and tries scooping some up with his hand, honestly crying, "I'm so SORRY! I'm so sorry!" Katie's annoyed expression turns to one of amusement as she smiles at Trip's mistake. Without warning, Mister Collins appears, and calls out with a smile, "Wesley! I'd like to talk to you. ALONE, please." Wes obeys, "Sure.", and drops his rake, joining his father on a short stroll. The other four TFs watch in silence, as Collins tells Wes, "You listen to me, son. If defending the city is what you want to do, then you need to join the Silver Guardians. My Commander was injured, I want YOU to be the new leader. With your Ranger technology, it could bring my company to a whole new level." Wes stops walking, and informs his father, "You just don't get it, dad. It's NOT about the money. Time Force Rangers, help EVERYone. Not just those who can afford it. I don't want to have ANY part of your team." He walks back over to his teammates, leaving Mr. Collins baffled. He says somberly, "Wesley, I TRY, but I just don't understand you." Wes turns around and replies, "I hope someday you will." He returns to his four friends, causing his clueless father to slowly walk back to his car, lost in distraught thoughts. Metaphorically, the leaves from the nearly bare trees above continue to fall in the foreground, a symbol of how the Rangers still have so much work to do, and it'll likely never end.

[Scenes from "The Quantum Quest"; End Credits]