When The Past Comes Back To Shove (Power Rangers Wild Force/Time Force Fanfic)

Rescue

The teams were dispersed as soon as they'd gotten to the house: Carter and Ryan, Zhane and Karone, Andros and T.J., Adam and Rocky, Kelsey and Jason, and Wes, Jen, and Eric.

The house itself was unassuming from the outside. It was a simple white craftsman with a neatly trimmed lawn and a white picket fence.

"How stereotypical," Jason commented as he climbed off his bike.

"That he is," Wes replied.

"Stay focused," Eric checked his rifle again. "Remember the plan?"

The others nodded and got in position.

Andros and T.J. carefully opened the front door and led half of the team inside while Adam and Rocky did the same with the other half. The rangers quickly and quietly took down the armed guards before splitting up into their groups.

"Anything?" Tommy asked from his position back at the Aquabase.

"Not yet," Eric grumbled.

Wes and Jen shared a worried look. While Eric was typically moody, he'd never acted quite like this. They weren't sure what he'd do if they couldn't find Taylor.

"I found something!" they heard Kelsey yell from the back of the house, and Eric was off.

What the yellow ranger had found was a trap door hidden in a closet. Jason opened the door, and Eric was the first one down, rifle ready at a moment's notice.

Within three seconds, he'd taken down four men who ran at him.

"It's a labyrinth," he heard T.J. comment over the radio.

That it was. The paths seemed to twist and turn but never end.

"Keep your eyes open," Eric said.

He rounded the next corner and that's when he saw it. It was hard to see in the dark, but through the bars of a very medieval looking cell, he could make out the figure of a woman sprawled out on her side against the back wall.

He eyes widened and he broke the lock by blasting it with his Quantum Defender and yelling, "Taylor!" before running to her.

He could hear Wes and Jen talking to the others, but all he could see was the growing crimson pool around his girlfriend.

The blonde cracked open her eyes. "Er....ic?" the question came out in a broken whisper.

"I'm here," his voice softened as he kneeled in front of her, and Jen showed up behind him. "She's bleeding," he said automatically to his partner's fiancée. "Tell Dana that we need her now!"

Jen relayed the message while Eric focused on the yellow ranger in front of him. He quickly found the wound and pushed down on it, careful not to hurt her more.

"Tay," he whispered. "Stay with me."

She managed a weak groan in response.

"We're gonna get you out of here," he continued. "You're gonna defeat the Orgs. And we're gonna find Gianna. We'll find your daughter, Tay." The usually stoic man had tears streaming down his face. "We'll find her, and you can explain everything. And we can start a family. I don't care if we have kids together or if it's just you, me, and Gianna. We'll be a family. I love you, Taylor Earhardt! Don't leave me!"

Taylor managed enough strength to put her hand on top of his. He gave her a teary smile at the gesture that took more effort than it should have.

He heard footsteps running across the concrete floor and suddenly Dana appeared beside him.

The former pink ranger kneeled down in front of the current yellow ranger and quickly surveyed the situation. "Hi, I'm Dana. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

Eric know what Dana was doing. She was trying to keep Taylor awake and, at least somewhat, alert.

"I heard that you're a pilot," Dana continued, wrapping up the wound enough to hopefully keep her from bleeding out before they could get her back to the Aquabase. "Our green was a pilot. His name is Joel Rawlings aka the "Sky Cowboy." He's a bit full of himself. Eric, can you carry her to the ambulance?" she asked without missing a beat once she'd finished wrapping.

Eric gently picked Taylor up, and she whimpered a bit at the sudden motion.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, holding her body close to his chest.

As quickly and carefully as he could, he climbed up the ladder and got Taylor out of the house and into the ambulance.

Please be alright, he silently prayed.