Power Rangers Time Force
"A Calm Before The Storm"
Original Air Date:10/27/01		Maxax related footage from: Timeranger #47 - Don No Saigo (Final Moments Of The Don) Frax battle footage from: Timeranger #42 - Hakai No Datenshi (The Harbinger Of Distruction)
*Season 9, byte 37 *Official Fox Kids Show Number PR-1137 *37th episode of PRTF *415th total Power Rangers episode
Writers: Judd Lynn & Jackie Marchand		Director: Worth Keeter
Starring Cast: Jason Faunt _AS_ Wes (Red Ranger) Erin Cahill _AS_ Jen (Pink Ranger) Kevin Kleinberg _AS_ Trip (Green Ranger) Deborah Estelle Philips _AS_ Katie (Yellow Ranger) Michael Copon _AS_ Lucas (Blue Ranger) Daniel Southworth _AS_ Eric (Quantum Ranger) Vernon Wells _AS_ Ransik Kate Sheldon _AS_ Nadira Edward Laurence Albert _AS_ Mr. Collins		Additional Cast: Jason Faunt _AS_ Alex Ken Merckx _AS_ Dr. Michael Zaskin Douglas Fisher _AS_ Philips, the Butler [Flashback footage] Brianne Siddall _AS_ Circuit (voice; credited, but unheard!) Eddie Frierson _AS_ Frax (voice) Neil Kaplan _AS_ Gluto (voice)

SUMMARY:

Deep within the heavy greenery of the Silver Hills forest, is the lopsided Prison Ship. Ransik, mutant mastermind, opens an upper cold-storage cabinet on the detention center wall, finding nothing within but a well-lit plum of icy mist. He then opens the cabinet below it, finding it too is empty. Ransik tries the third and final cabinet on this vertical row, bending down and peeking inside, finding it devoid of any Chrono-Frozen mutant, just like the rest! He lifts up the door to a cold-storage cabinet located in the middle, but alas, this one as well is tapped out of its mutant prisoner contents. Ransik runs his leather-gloved hands across the icy-cold metal of the shelf's interior, proclaiming in angered disbelief, "ImPOSSible. There's GOT to be MORE!!!" Nadira comes walking in from the opposite hallway, with two Cyclobots at her side. She worriedly informs her father, "The X Vault, is totally... EMPTY!!" (since when did anyone but Frax know about it, and have the key to it?!) Ransik turns to his daughter, and asks with enraged rhetoric, "I have no more MUTANTS?!" Where have all the mutants gone? Why, over to the Clock Tower! There, Trip places the most recent Chrono-Capsule canister into their trusty super-secure storage freezer. The front of the capsule is frosted, so as to prevent us fans from seeing what the final mutant looked like. The storage freezer is packed with numerous canisters (over 30 at the least), but luckily, this last one fits on the left side of the top shelf with ease. Trip shuts the silver reinforced door, sets the lock, snaps down the latch, and leaves the recaptured Time Force prisoners to chill out for the remainder of their cryogenic sentences. Trip turns to his teammates, sitting at the table behind him, holds out his arms, and exclaims, "That's IT! The LAST mutant from the prison!" Katie points out, "Except for Ransik. And ONCE we have HIM..." Lucas finishes her dubious statement with the realization that, "... We're going home. We're going HOME!!" He puts his arm around Trip, as they both begin laughing joyfully, along with Katie, who also gives Trip a hug. Wes joins in on the celebration, hugging Trip & Katie, while smiling and laughing out loud. Basically, one big old group hug! The cheering of the four of them is drowned out by Jen's inner turmoil. She's the only one not celebrating, just standing away from them, arms folded, mind wandering. Jen eventually turns around and departs the cheerful room. Wes' smile fades when he spots her leaving, and wastes no time in curiously following along behind her trail. Katie, Lucas & Trip remain hugging, appearing beyond quite excited. Circuit's over on his perch, flapping like crazy.

[Opening Credits]

THigh above the Clock Tower, on the edge of the roof, Jen sits upon the cemented ledge, with her legs dangling over the side. There's a stone gargoyle at either ends of the ledge, not to mention numerous leaves, branches, and pigeon nests. In fact, there are a couple of pigeons around, one of which looks like one of those doves that seems to infest the building. The roof is a pleasant place with a GREAT view of the surrounding skyline of Silver Hills. Around the corner of the roof (which has Bald Cypress shingles), Wes carefully crawls around the front ledge, and peeks over the top, searching for Jen. He spots her, and gradually hoists himself up to the side. You can tell Wes is a bit nervous by the danger of this location, as there's no guard railing of any kind to prevent him from falling to his doom for the 40TH time this season! He scales close against the shingled roof, keeping an eye on the mostly narrow space he's stepping across. Jen doesn't look up at him even once, instead staring down at the multistory drop below. Wes makes his way around her, and once he's by her side, he cautiously slides into a sitting position. Jen gives a bit of a distant smirk, and he finally gets comfortable, Wes asks with playful facetiousness while staring out, "Heh. You keeping the pigeons company?" Jen admits with casual honesty, "I like to come up here when I have a lot on my mind. It's so QUIET, and beautiful." Wes eyes the roof, and comments with a grin, "Now, don't tell me you're gonna miss this... drafty OLD Clock Tower!" Jen smirks and considers it, before explaining, "Actually, there's a LOT I'm gonna miss." Wes hears the tenderness in her voice, and presses for more, asking, "Really?" She doesn't answer. Wes turns his head, giving us a sly bottom-lip-lifted & top-lip-frowning expression, as he wonders teasingly, "Like what?" Jen looks at him, and begins to emotionally reveal, "Like...", before realizing she's about to too much, and backs into a generalization, "... LITTLE things. Umm, pizza! The cookies we made!" Wes's eyes widen, and he sharply turns his head to look at her, not getting the ego-boosting answer he was expecting. He goes with the flow, remembering said baked goods from "Time Force Traitor", and concurring nervously at first, "Ohh. Yeah! Heheh. The cookies! Those were GOOD." Jen quickly questions with some awkwardness, "How 'bout you?! I meant, I'm... SURE you're not gonna miss ME at all. I mean... the way I was always bossing you around!" Wes argues honestly, "Oh, you weren't THAT bossy. Sometimes... I deserved it." Jen looks at him, shakes her head as the light breeze brushes through her hair, and states seriously, "No. You were ALWAYS a GREAT Red Ranger." Wes is somewhat confused, remarking, "Wait a minute... when you first met me, you didn't... even want me to BE a Ranger." Jen grins & nods, "I guess I WAS kinda tough on you."

['Jen gives Wes the Chrono-Morpher during the battle' scene from "Force From The Future, Pt. 2" plays. It's mostly edited down to the Wes & Jen interaction, but is pretty intact through the morph.]
During this reminiscence, Wes narrates, "I was SO proud the first time you let me help."
['Jen takes the Chrono-Morpher back from Wes, prompting Wes to leave' scene from "Force From The Future, Pt. 2" plays. It's similarly edited down. Notice, the VERY end is an alternate take of Lucas & Jen talking, shown from afar, rather than close up like it was originally.]
Wes then narrates, "Maaan! I thought you REALLY hated me."
['Jen roughs Wes up after he took on Nadira alone, then scolds him' scene from "Something To Fight For" plays. It's QUITE trimmed down.]
Wes narratingly notes, "But you DID help me learn a few things about myself."
['Wes admits to Jen at the beach that he has something to fight for, and then gets a second chance as a Ranger' scene from "Something To Fight For" plays. It's also quite edited to be short and to the point.]
['Wes returns the Morpher, only to have Jen admit the team needs him' scene from "Something To Fight For" plays. It's also quite snappy, and Jen-Wes focused.]
['Jen wakes up in bandages, finding Wes asleep at her side' scene from "Jen's Revenge" plays. It seems mostly intact.]
Jen comments over the scenes, "I guess we BOTH had a lot to learn. And... I THINK I started realizing how good of a friend you were becoming." The flashbacks end, with Jen chuckling, as she mentions, "We've been through a LOT together." Wes nods, and replies somberly, "We sure have." He then states with his voice breaking somewhat, "I AM gonna miss you." Jen turns, her eyes wide, her mouth agape in shock. Wes immediately stammers, and nervously corrects himself, "Uhh... I'm gonna miss ALL of you! Heh. I'm gonna miss... all of you." Jen sighs, and looks downward. The breeze continues blowing through her hair, as Wes looks at her, the two remaining up on the ledge. Literal AND symbolic, as neither are willing to take the plunge off the safety of the balcony of their own hearts!

Inside the Clock Tower, Katie beams about, "I can't WAIT to get back to the year 3000. I can get to see my FAMily again!" After she sits at the table, where Lucas sits with an equally big smile, saying, "The first thing I'M gonna do is tune up my car!" He then motions his hands like gripping a steering wheel, adding, "And get back on the RACEtrack! Heheh!" Trip walks around them, and past a silent Circuit, commenting with his arms crossed and a waning smile on his face, "Sounds good! But... I think I'm gonna MISS the year 2001. The people... the CITY!" He spreads his arms, and then steps up onto the rusty gears of the clockworks, continuing with a happy smile, "Even the CLOCK Tower!" Trip somberly looks around, smile fading again, as he admits, "It kinda feels like HOME now." Katie grins, as she turns and asks him, "Remember how we got IN to this mess?" Trip smiles widely, snickering lightly and nodding his head. Katie brings it up, "Our FIRST big assignment as Time Force Officers." Lucas smirks, and remembers, "Yeah. We thought it would be SO easy."
['The four TFs escort Ransik to prison, only to have Nadira & Frax attack the convoy' scene from "Force From The Future, Pt. 1" plays, edited down somewhat.]
Lucas narrates, "Ransik all locked up in the truck. NOTHing could POSSibly happen." As the scene plays our, Lucas admits, "We should've KNOWN better. We drove RIGHT into his trap." Katie comments when Ransik is shown breaking out of his constraints, "But then, Ransik escaped to the PAST. And none of us would have ever GUESSed that we would have to FOLLOW him there in an untested Time Machine."
['The Time Ship takes off into the Time Gate' scene from "Force From The Future, Pt. 1" plays. Cut down directly to the point.]
['The Time Ship has crash landed, but Trip helps everyone get out before the explosion' scene from "Force From The Future, Pt. 2" plays. Most of these scenes are really just clips, considering how edited they are.]
['Wes shows the four from the future the Clock Tower for the first time, including the interior' scene from "Ransik Lives" plays. It's trimmed down, duh!]
Trip narrates, "And when we SAW this place, we were CERtainly less than happy."
['Katie makes a toast about them being her family now' scene from "Future Unknown" plays.]
Katie adds, "And you STILL are. We've had some good times here." The flashbacks end, and Katie continues while glancing up at the ceiling, "It-it'll be nice to get home. But... you're RIGHT, Trip." Lucas smiles, and agrees, "Yeah. It's pretty cool here." Trip smiles, nods gently, and also looks around at the ceiling.

Déjà vu, it's a scene from the previous episode! Frax walks down a small flight of steps with his large, metal feet. He approaches his new little workshop room, where the latest of his robotic masterpieces lays atop a table, electricity crackling beneath the silver sheet covering its body. Frax grabs an hourglass container with a Trizirium Crystal within, off a stack of about 8 of them on a bench! He chuckles with a soft wickedness at first, before remarking aloud, "Ahh... YES. The Trizirium Crystals will SUpercharge my creation, giving it unbeLIEVable power!" Frax sets the crystal container down for a moment, and pulls back the silver sheet draped over his robot's body. The navy-blue metallic monstrosity (named later as Maxax) simply lies there, showing us what amounts to its head, rather small in proportion to its body, with a very tiny face of two coal-black eyes. Frax laughs maniacally, before removing a single Trizirium Crystal from its container, and placing the orange, star-shaped energy source onto a small piece of glass. The glass slides itself into a brightly lit device, causing Frax to continue giving sporadic bits of gentle laughter, including a giggly, "Ye-es!" He pulls down on a joystick control over on the console, and the Trizirium Crystal, now firmly secured within a tiny glass oven of sorts, begins to gleam with an orange & red light. The crystal is converted, before our eyes, into the massive amount of pure energy that makes it such a dangerous anomaly in any time period.

At the headquarters of the chemical conglomerate known as Bio-Lab, is the office of the company chairperson and CEO, known only as Mister Collins. Two Silver Guardians leads a man in a labcoat into said office, one opening the door and the other seemingly guarding the man. Seems the man is Bio-Lab's top scientist, good old Dr. Michael Zaskin. He's got a slim silver briefcase with him. At the desk, Mr. Collins sits and goes over some paperwork. Silver Guardian Command, Eric Myers, stands by his side, also checking out certain documents. Collins tells Eric on a business level, "So we're agreed, then! 50 new Silver Guardians." Zaskin steps up to the desk, sets down his briefcase, and urgently informs his boss, "There's been a breakthrough in the Zirium Powder research." He opens up the briefcase, showing us what lies inside: two small containers with red Bio-Lab medical symbol logos atop and several orange crystal chunks within, and a small vial of the sandy Zirium Powder. Dr. Zaskin, likely having been researching the Zirium since Frax sent Izout & Cyclobots to retrieve some of it way back in "The Time Shadow", picks up a container, hands it to Collins, and states with restrained excitement, "Our team is determined that this powder is NOT just a useless byproduct. Its molecular structure? Can form a crystal." Presented with the small container, Mr. Collins sets it down on his desk. Eric watches closely, as Collins opens the container atop a Bio-Lab Status Report, and removes a tiny chunk of what will one day be known as a Trizirium Crystal. In this 'half' form, it's likely called a Bizirium Crystal. Collins fiddles with the spikey formation, and wonders, "What's so special about it?" Dr. Zaskin enthusiastically replies, "The energy in ONE crystal could... light up an enTIRE city! If we could just comBINE the crystals to be large enough..." Just on a whim, Mr. Collins holds the flat ends of two Biziriums together, and to his surprise, visible electrons begin to flow between the two orange pieces. The crystals themselves start to glow with a powerful light, making a radiant noise. The light glows brighter, swallowing Collins' hands as he holds the chunks together. He can't help but smile delightedly, and gasp, "Ahahaha! That's inCREDible!" Eric stands to the side, not admiring this discovery, but appearing to recognize exactly what the crystal truly is. Mr. Collins pulls the crystals apart, then presses them together again, and once more pulls them apart. He halts the amusing lightshow, and simply asks, "Can we combine them?" Dr. Zaskin grins and nods affirmatively. Collins orders calmly, "Well, get your best scientists on it." Eric lowers his head uncomfortably, realizing the prospect of this project may prove disastrous.

[commercials]

A lone black SUV belonging to the Silver Guardians drives along an empty three-lane street. In the driver's seat is Eric, who rides solo, staring intensely at the road like the weight of the world is being deliver upon his rugged shoulders. Soon, he arrives at a place we've never seen him at before: the Clock Tower! Specifically, the Nick Of Time Odd Jobs office on the tower's ground floor. Eric opens the creaky door, then gives it a double knock. Jen is behind the front counter, with Wes on the other side of it. Both seem stunned to see him there, with Wes surprisedly asking, "Eric! Hey, what's... up?" Eric glances around the room as he enters with his arms swinging casually, before holding them in a stern solider position in front of him. He relays helpfully, "I thought you'd wanna know that... Bio-Lab is, doing some research. They're trying to make a Trizirium Crystal." (somebody have informed Eric of their importance, since not only were the crystals not public knowledge, they were last used before his time on the show!) Jen appears quite aghast, stepping quickly around the counter to Wes' equally dreadful expression-faced side, as she remarks, "TriZIRium Crystals? But they shouldn't be made for a HUNDRED years!" Wes shakes his head in agreement. Eric just stands there bemusedly, explaining calmly, "Well, if it's up to Mr. Collins, they'll have one a lot sooner than that!" Jen seems a bit furious at the situation, but Wes is nearly dumbfounded. Eric suggests, "I think you need to have a talk with your father, Wes." Jen breathes rapidly, and looks at Wes, at he simply looks downward. Having delivered the message, Eric grunts, "Well...", spins on his heel, and begins to depart. His exit is paused, when Wes calls out his name. Eric turns his head, seeing Wes gratefully commending, "Thanks for the information." Humbled by this acceptance, Eric smiles slightly, nods, and continues on his way, leaving Jen & Wes frantically discussing a game plan. Elsewhere, in Frax's secret lab hideaway, a small red light beeps as it switches to green, above a keypad. Frax proclaims, "Power UP, Maxax! Huhuhahahaha!", as his navy blue robot's fuel-tank slot flips open its lid. This allows Frax to insert one of those hourglass containers into the power-hole, showing us that the Trizirium Crystal within now appears to be more diamond-shaped, and green! Once the fuel cell is installed, the two tiny eyes on Maxax's small head blip to life with a bluish color. Frax comments as his navy-blue robot slowly sits up on the table, "It's TIME for you to deSTROY!"

In the waiting lobby of the Bio-Lab building, Wes sits on a cushiony bench, as people pass by him. Contemplating his relationship with the owner of the company, Wes' thoughts are privy to us, as he thinks, "My father and I NEVER saw eye-to-eye about my future." Wes looks over, and sees someone, prompting him to sharply stand up, as the camera zooms in directly to his face.
['Wes & Mr. Collins discuss the ransom out in the hall' scene from "A Parting Of Ways" plays. It's brief.]
['During the press conference, Wes tells his dad he's making his own future and leaves' scene from "A Parting Of Ways" plays. Slightly edited.]
Wes narrates, "THAT was the HARDest decision I've ever made." When his father smiles at him in the footage, Wes confesses, "And I know it was the RIGHT one."
['Mr. Collins disapproves of Wes cleaning up trash' scene from "Worlds Apart" plays. Barely cut!]
['Red TF Ranger takes a hit for Commander Porter, his visor is broken, Collins witnesses it, then confronts his son, who soon walks away' scene from "Worlds Apart" plays. Cutting out ALL of Eric's involvement!]
Wes narrates over Collins' mad ranting about him walking away and regretting it, "But when he stood up to Ransik? I KNEW he really loved me."
['Mr. Collins faces Ransik at Bio-Lab, and gets blasted' scene from "Dawn Of Destiny" plays. It's cut down considerably. Irony: Wes is flashing back to a scene he only heard about from Zaskin!]
[A NEVER BEFORE SEEN alternate take of the "Collins gives Wes his okay" scene from "Destiny Defeated." Compare it to the original version (see my old spoiler): Wes, in his blue shirt with red tie, sits on his father's hospital bed. Mr. Collins is neatly tucked INTO the bed, appears wound-free, wearing a robe, and tapping his thumb to his forefingers on his right hand. Collins smilingly brings up, "I heard you took my place in the company while I was away." Wes admits, "Yeah, I did, but..." Mr. Collins cuts him off by reaching up and gently placing his right hand on his son's left shoulder, stating with utmost pride, "You listen to me. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. But you're NOT a businessman, son." Wes smirks, realizing his dad makes sense for once. Collins deeply proclaims, "You BELONG with the Rangers." Wes begins to argue, "Wha..." Mr. Collins smiles even more pleasantly, as he cuts him off again, urging with near playfulness as he says, "For ONCE in your life... listen to your father."]
The flashbacks end, with Wes still standing and staring intensely, thinking, "THIS time... I hope he listens to ME."

Wes soon enters his father's dark & atmospheric office, just as a man & woman depart, having completed a business meeting. Mr. Collins steps out from behind his desk, and happily calls out, "Wes!" He meets his son halfway, prompting a firm handshake, which leads to a loving hug. Collins asks joyfully, "How are ya?!" Wes hugs him deeply, patting his back, and replying with delighted chuckles, "You look GREAT, dad!" Collins pats his son on the back as well, breaking the hug and smilingly commenting, "That's exACTly how I feel. What can I do for you?" Wes exhales with fraught confidence, finally admitting after a moment's pause, "Well, there's something I have to tell you. It's something I should have told you a LONG time ago." Mr. Collins raises his eyebrows, remarking curiously, "Okay," before motioning his head, as he sits atop his black desk. Wes puts his hands against the desk, and leans forward, confessing slowly, "My friends... the other Rangers... They came here from the future." Collins grins and shakes his head a tad, as he gives a surprised laugh of, "Wha-at?!" Instantly realizes his son is serious, he changes his expression to wonderment, while asking, "Yyy-you mean the.. FUTURE future?" Wes confirms, "Yes, the year 3000! Ransik escaped through a time portal. Their mission... is to bring him back." Mr. Collins hops off his desk, paces toward the window, puts his hand to his mouth, and exhales "Whew!" with shock. He turns and asks in flabbergasted belief, "And YOU're helping?!" Wes follows his father away from the desk, stressing, "Yes! We're trying to SAVE the future!" He quickly touches Collins' arm in caution, "And I-I KNOW... that you had other plans for me, dad." Mr. Collins nods to the side, giving a sort of shoulder shrug, and breathing out in such a way as to say "that's kinda obvious." Wes gets to the point, "Which brings me to why I'm here. I HAVE to ask a favor. I NEED you, to STOP researching the Trizirium Crystal." Collins denies with latent greed, heading over to behind his desk as he mentions, "Noooo... Wes! What does the crystal have to do with it?" Wes reveals, "It's NOT supposed to be inVENTed for another hundred YEARS! Dad, if you make it NOW... the results could be disASTrous." Mr. Collins contemplates this situation in silence, visibly torn between ensuring himself a profit and ensuring the safety of the timestream. Suddenly, Wes' Chrono-Morpher beeps. He lifts it up, as a tiny hologram of Jen (looking upward and holding her left arm up) communicates, "Wes! We've got trouble at the industrial center." Mr. Collins spots this strange sight, and nearly does a double take, intrigued by what he sees. Wes responds, "I'm on my way, Jen!", before pressing a button and turning her holo-image off. He looks to his father, and regretfully notes, "I've gotta go, dad." Collins is nothing less than proud, shaking his hand, and urging stoically, "Go!" Wes races out of the office, leaving Mr. Collins with a serious dilemma to consider.

A massive fireball explodes, sending a Japanese businessman flipping over in the air, as the crowd of fleeing civilians around him scream in fright. Maxax lowers his twin shoulder cannons, which extend outward from each side of his head. He turns and aims them, before firing a burst of purple energy. A police car rides on two wheels as it slams uncontrollably into another, parked police car, causing a massive sparking. A citizen trips over the rubble while fleeing, Maxax steps his two white-toed feet forward, a couple of businessmen flee through the smoke. Maxax approaches a cornered crowd of civilians, and apparently fires at them with his left gatling-arm. They scream and cover their faces, as sparks burst about the already heavily damaged rocky area. Other citizens flee across a courtyard, just as the two SG SUVs pull up to the scene. Eric exits the driver's seat of one of them, passing by some burning debris, as he points forth and commands, "Get those people to safety!" His Silver Guardians do as ordered as they pile out of the trucks, encouraged by Eric's slapping of hands and shouting of, "MOVE!" A gang of Cyclobots are racing about, sending civilians scrambling in different directions. One silver-suited Cyclobot ends up encountering a navy-blue suited Silver Guardian, who ducks under his Cyclo-Saber slash. The Guardian then grabs the bot's arm, and kicks it sharply to the chest, taking it down, only to have a second Cyclo rush in and pull him away. Near a stepway, two Guardians are taking on a couple of Cyclos. One Cyclobot kicks the first man directly over onto a chunk of rubble. The second man manages to kick one Cyclobot away, only to have the second robodrone then kick him over the side railing, making him clutch his ribs as he hits the debris pile. SG Commander Eric proclaims into his Quantum Morpher, "Quantum Power!" His Morphing sequence plays, and once emerging from the digital field, the Quantum Ranger poses with his arm out and wails a mighty yaah, before rushing into action. Meanwhile, inside the Prison Ship, Gluto waddles as fast as his stubby legs can take him, through the hallway, with two Cyclobots behind him. The horizontal barred doors slide open, as he enters the main room, frantically flaying his arms around while exclaiming the entire trip, "Yuuh, RAN-SIK! Dere's a giant ROBOT attacking da city!" (meaning this quick clip takes place later) Ransik turns toward us, and screams with enraged viciousness, "FRRRAAAAAAAAAAAX!!" He dashes off to seek his revenge, or so we think...

[commercials]

Blue, Pink, Yellow, and Green Time Force Rangers race across an empty parking lot, already morphed. Jen cries out, "Wes! Over here!" Red TF Ranger has also morphed, and meets them in the middle of the sunny & powerline-bordered cement lot. Wes wonders, "Who's attacking?! I thought we CAPtured all the mutants!" Blue Ranger stands with his arms crossed, and a hand at his helmeted chin in contemplation. Just around the corner, in front of the industrial center itself, stands Frax. He calls out in a singsong voice, "Heads UP, RangERS!!" The golden robotic mastermind holds out his left arm, causing the clawed hand to transform before our eyes into its black cannon-fingered mode. Frax immediately fires upon our heroes with golden beams of light, taking the five by total shouting surprise. Knocked off their feet, the Rangers roll across the pavement amid smoke. Red Ranger sits up and looks at their attacker, gasping, "Frax!" Frax walks forward, correcting them maniacally, "HE'S not a MUTANT! Hmhehmhehmm! He's a ROBOT... MY ROBOT! HA!" Wes gets back on his feet, and vows, "Mutant OR robot... we'll STOP him. You can COUNT on it, Frax!" Frax boasts back, "But FIRST, you'll have to get through ME, Ranger!!" Red Ranger eagerly replies, "Alright. Let's DO it!", before leaping into the air. As he springs across the lot, his double-bladed Chrono-Saber is unsheathed. Wes lands a slash at Frax, but the cyborg simply smacks the blade away with his hand. Blue Ranger rushes past with his double-bladed Saber, Frax smacks it away. Pink Ranger does the same, he strikes her in the chest sparkingly. Wes tries again, Frax chest-strikes him. Lucas tries again, Frax chest-strikes him. All the while during this, Frax laughs sadistically, getting good use out of both his hands! Yellow Ranger fails to learn from the mistakes of others as she comes in for a double-blade attack. Frax smacks her aback, before right-hand slicing into her chest sparkily not once, but twice! He then spins around and howls, "MAXAAAAAX!!"

Cyclobots escort the navy-blue Maxax robot through the smoking rubble of the industrial center. A lone dark-haired woman lies injured, screaming in agony and terror as Maxax approaches with his weapons drawn. Just then, the Quantum Ranger dives into the zone, firing his Quantum Defender on the way down. Maxax sparks and is jolted somewhat. Eric lands in front of the woman, and once two Silver Guardians appear to help the woman up, he orders, "Get her to safety. HUUH!" They do so, leaving the Quantum Ranger alone to face the silent robotic monster. Maxax raises his right arm, which fittingly has an ax for a hand, as he makes his way toward Eric. Nearby, Frax takes a jolly stroll across the lawn. His facial features snap open, as he proclaims singsongingly, "MY tuurrrrrrrn! HAHAAA!!" Red & Yellow Rangers cross in front of him, prompting Frax to aim his opened face at each one of them, firing off a golden blast beam from his gaping metal jaw! Wes falls in a swath of smoke, as does Katie. Blue & Pink Rangers follow suit, getting facebeam blasted down, just as well. Frax quips maliciously, "Why should I let Maxax have ALL the fun?!" Jen lies on the ground, a bit shaken up from the attack and backing away from the approaching cyborg. Green Ranger finally appears (where was he, off dyeing his hair?), and defends his target teammate, but calling out, "V-Weapon, FIRE!" Trip aims his V-3 at Frax, blasting him with a green bolt. Frax isn't phased at all, walking right through the blast, and despite his body smoking, jolting, & sparking, he merely laughs hysterically at it! He fires back at Green Ranger with his cannon-fingered hand, knocking Trip into yelping heap.

Elsewhere, the Quantum Ranger dashes forth, growling determinedly, as he draws his Quantum Defender in Blade Mode. Maxax's body is smoking, as he turns and watches Eric approach. Quantum Ranger begins to double slash into the robot, the background ablaze and the slashes trailing metallic blue. This is repeated, showing Maxax being struck directly. Much like with Tronicon, Frax must have installed synthetic mutant DNA into his robot, as molecules suddenly expand, and Maxax grows to a maximum height! On the way up to giant size, Maxax seems to actually roar, though he lacks vocal cables. Quantum Ranger summons into his Morpher, "Q-Rex!" Immediately, the Quantasaurus Rex is racing across the city. Eric presses a button on the Morpher, and activates, "Quantasaurus, Megazord Mode!" Q-Rex's body shifts into its upright & locked position. Eric presses another Morpher button, and calls for, "Thunder Fist!" Q-Rex Megazord charges up his left hand, and throws a punch into the air, sending his energized fist flying at Maxax. The robot is struck, causing a huge burst of smoke and sparks. Maxax staggers back, and lowers his twin shoulder cannons, firing a one-two discharge of purple energy. The Quantasaurus Megazord gets hit a few sparkily times, rocking his body roughly. Somewhere below, Frax, with his facial features still snapped open, has to remind our heroes of his presence, once more in singsong, "Rang-ERS! Did you forget about ME?!" The five Time Force Rangers turn around, having been distracted by the Megazord battle above. They don't get a chance to aid Eric in the fight, instead they dodge bursts when Frax fires his cannon-fingered hand at them again. Above, Q-Rex encounters Maxax up close, getting ax-handed in the chest as a result. Quantasaurus Megazord staggers and smokes, but regains his composure quickly. Quantum Ranger boasts, "It's time to send this METALhead BACK to the scrapheap." He presses a Quantum Morpher button, and commands, "Dinosaur Mode!"

The Q-Rex shifts his Megazord head back into his body, and reverts to bestial Zord mode. Quantum Ranger leaps fiercely, landing atop the Q-Rex's v-shaped head. He draws his Quantum Defender, and proclaims, "PLAYtime's OVER!" Maxax, whose white & blue shoulders kinda resemble elephant ears, and seemingly has white breasts that resemble turrets, slowly stomps toward his foe. Eric braces his weapon against his left arm, and activates, "Quantum Defender, FULL power!" The camera pulls back from the Quantum Ranger, as he fires the Q-Defender at Maxax. Instantly following that rapid charge of crimson laser, the Q-Rex unleashes its shoulder cannons, adding that firepower to the mix. The enhanced charge of energy courses together, and slams perfectly into Maxax's brainless metal hull. There's a blinding light, and when it dies down, Maxax stands there with smoke pouring out of his damaged body. His arms slump, and bursting resumes, until all that's left of Maxax is a massive fireball explosion. Frax turns around, and wonders what that sound was with a, "Huh?" When he notices it as being his creation, his previously closed facial features pop back open again, as he screams, "NOOOOO!!!" Pink & Yellow Rangers seize the opportunity, with Jen ordering, "Get 'em!" The girls grab Frax, causing quite a grunting struggle. He turns around again, and eventually heaves the both of them, knocking Katie & Jen into Lucas & Wes. They all roll back to their feet, with Trip in the background, rushing to their side. Frax spews another "HAHA!" beam of golden energy at the five TF Rangers from his gaping metal maw, taking them all down easily. Our heroes writhe in agony, their bodies smoking and sparking. Frax whines with faint triumph, "You RANGers got LUCKY and destroyed Maxax!" His face snaps back to normal, as he ominously informs, "But just WAIT and SEE what I have in STORE for YOUUUU!" Red Ranger recovers, and quickly urges, "GET him!" It's too late, by the time our heroes get on their feet, Frax (along with a few Cyclobots, one of which is carrying a briefcase for some odd reason) teleports away in a shimmer of greenish warping light, giggling evilly as he fades away.

The Rangers rush to the spot where he teleported, empty handed. Wes grunts frustratedly, and notes, "He GOT away." Lucas wonders about Frax's mysterious remark, "What do you think he MEANT by that?!" Wes replies unsure, "I dunno, but it DOESN'T sound good." Elsewhere, on a rooftop overlooking the center skyline of Silver Hills City, Ransik walks gently toward the edge, with Gluto antsily standing a couple of feet behind him. Ransik softly comments while gazing out, "Frax, my old friend. Back in the robot making business...? Hehehahah!" He turns around, and demands of what is essentially his last remaining mutant lackey, "FIND him. I want to know WHERE his lab is." Gluto eagerly "DON'T worry, Ransik! YOU can count on ME! He-huhh!" The bloated toad-whale bows before his master, prompting Ransik to give an uninterested wave of his right hand. Gluto begins to waddle off across the roof, preparing to make himself useful for once.

[commercials]

At the Clock Tower, namely the Nick Of Time Odd Jobs office, Eric finds the door ajar. He steps inside, and peeks around, spotting Wes sitting at the workbench. Wes is working on an antique radio, one of those arch-shaped wooden dealies. He picks up a vacuum tube or some sort of old part, and places it carefully into the opened radio. A smile crosses Wes' face has he successfully installs the part. He's so focused on this odd job, that he fails to notice Eric watching him, until Eric finally knocks on the door. Wes turns and stands, cheerfully greeting, "Hey!" Eric smirks as he walks into the room, carrying a small silver briefcase in hand, exactly as we saw Zaskin with earlier. He hands it to Wes, and states, "Your father asked me to give this to you." Wes quickly takes it, places the case on the worktable, and opens it up. Inside, is the tiny vial of Zirium Powder, and the two containers of recently created half-sized Trizirium Crystals. Wes picks one of them up, peers through the clear glass, and gives a chuckle as he smiles delightedly. Eric explains, "He's NOT gonna make the crystal." Wes looks at his old chum with bright eyes, basking in the wonderful news. Eric merely tells him, "See ya," before giving a small grin. Wes grins back, and Eric lingers for a moment. He finally marches off, still a bit uncomfortable with being a team player in any respect.

Wes watches him leave, still grinning with pride over both his father's and Eric's new attitudes. He looks down at the briefcase, just as the sound of rapid footsteps echo through the nearby stairwell. It's Trip, who urgently announces, "Wes! You need to come upstairs, it's imPORtant!" Wes closes the case and takes it with him, as he follows Trip up to the main room of the Clock Tower. They reach the picnic table, where Jen is sitting in front of the turned-off Holoscreen, with Lucas & Katie stand by her side, leaning against the table. Trip sits beside her, as Wes asks aloud, "Alright, what's UP?" Jen shushes him with a gentle, "Quiet! Wait." Immediately, the Holoscreen flips on, displaying a transmission of Alex from the year 3000. Jen locks her fingers and smiles, awaiting what she expects to be good news. Alex paces about the darkened Mystery Man chamber in his white leather suit, stating, "Rangers! Your mission is NEARLY finished. Only Frax, and Ransik, remain." He stops before his control console, where we see his Holoscreen tuned into a projection of Jen, Wes, and Trip. Wes puts his hands on Jen's shoulders, as Trip happily remarks, "We KNOW! And then we get to go home, right?!" Alex sternly replies, "No, Trip." The green-haired Xybrian's face drops a mile. Alex somberly explains, "According to the History Banks, you SAVE the future... But you DON'T survive, to make it back." The Holoscreen shows them an image from the very near future, something even Circuit hadn't witnessed. It's Silver Hills, and above the city is a massive, purple & black time hole. The sky around it is blood red, and lighting begins to surge out of the vortex. Skyscrapers are slowly lifted into the air, and sucked into the portal, one by one, ripping them out of their foundations hastily, leaving pockets of flames behind. All five of the Time Force Officers watch this image in horror as it unfolds before them in the flickering transmission. Not a happy face among them, our heroes gradually look away, as if shivering with a tremble of cold foreboding...

[No scenes!; End Credits]