A bad influence?(open)

[Ben Bishop]

Ever since Ben joined the Time Force Rangers, Ben told his parents that he was working part time at a shop called A Nick of Time Odd Jobs. While Ben did sometimes work there, he mostly spent his working hours hanging around with the team or fighting criminals as the Spacetime ranger. Today was one of the few days Ben was working where he usually spent most of his time sitting behind the clerk's desk after he was finished with school for the day. Since nobody came in since his shift started, Ben took out a newspaper the bought at a newspaper stand on his way to the clock tower. Like most teenagers, Ben really didn't read the newspaper since you can just watch the news on T.V or read the new from a computer screen.

But this newspaper in particular caught the teenager's attention as it had a picture of Ben in his Power Ranger form making the finishing blow on a monster with a headline that read "The New Ranger saves the day again".This was the third headline Ben had come across so far since he became a ranger and he couldn't help but feel somewhat important and proud of the fact that he was getting noticed for his work. And because of this, he has been cutting out the articles from the newspapers and placed them in a shoe box under his bed. His parents knew that he admired the Power Rangers so if they were to ever find them, he could just say that the Spacetime Ranger was his favorite Power Ranger and that he wanted to keep tabs on him.

As Ben read the article, he couldn't help but notice how the author of the article briefly mentioned that little kids have seemed to take a liking to him and have been imitating what he has been doing whenever they played. This made the young teen's happy smile become a frown as he began to wonder if he was setting a bad example. Sure it was just kids being kids, but Ben knew first hand how play fighting sometimes end up in an accident since he had accidentally broke his friend's nose while playing Power Rangers when he was little.

[kim]

She was in town driving through to visit a friend when she had stopped to get breakfast when she had seen the headlines and frowned. The picture was a ranger that she didn’t know a quick phone call told her that the Time Force Rangers were in this area but none that were matching the one that she described on the paper getting what she needed she paid for her food and left the restaurant. It would be her job to make sure that this one knew what he was doing as a ranger otherwise she would have to make sure that he was trained.

Pulling up to the clock tower she parked and got out and glanced around and walked inside and up the stairs. She had only met Wes and Eric once or twice when they had come around but never had she had never visited the tower. As she opened the hatch and climbed through she glanced around and spotted a teen…not much older than she had been when this had all started excuse me are Wes and Eric still here? she didn’t think they’d recruit a teen way to young and Jen was a hard one to please…wasn’t she?

She had heard of how depressed the red ranger had been of course when they had left the past to go home. Glancing at Ben she smiled slightly my name is Kimberly Oliver or Kim for short it’s nice to meet you she would have to make sure this one knew about the rangers before she identified herself otherwise she was never going to say anything about it. For all she knew he had come up and looked around in hopes that he could find a safe place to stay. Smiling softly she leaned against the wall glancing around…a neat mess as always for the time force rangers but she couldn’t complain.

[Ben Bishop]

The young teen looked over to the hatch as he saw it beginning to open and figured that one of the Time Force Rangers was coming in. But instead of one of the Time Force Rangers, a woman that appeared to be 25 years of age came out of the hatch. She must be a customer thought Ben before the young woman asked if either Wes or Eric was here which Ben found odd. The two rangers she mentioned really didn't work here since Eric was the leader of the Silver Guardians and Wes was the co-leader. And they only came here to speak with the other rangers, not to work here. He could rationalize while she thought Wes was here, but she had no reason to ask if Eric was here.

Could she be another Power Ranger? thought Ben as the young woman him her name. Ben knew that he could directly ask if she was a power ranger or he might draw suspicion to himself and in the worst case scenario expose his identity as a Power Ranger.

"How do you know that Wes and Eric come here?" asked Ben with a hint of suspicion. Normally, he would have introduced himself to Kimberly, but this matter was too important for introductions yet.

[kim]

The look on his face was enough to make her realize neither of them seemed to be overly confident in each other. As she looked at him as she questioned her she paused unsure. True he knew them from the sounds of his voice and what he said that he knew Eric and Wes which was a start. Swallowing calmly she walked over and looked outside the window to the ground below you know most introduce themselves to people before questioning she glanced at him as she rested her hand against the clock face from the inside and relaxed.

I worked with Wes in the past before the silver guardians and was hoping to make up some time she told him it was a half-truth the two had never really worked together but the rangers were a family in many ways she knew he would back her up if it could be helped. Pulling her pink jacket close she smiled slightly at him it’s a bit cold…not sure how you guys deal with it they needed heat in here at least to her then again maybe they were just used to it more.

Shuddering slightly she paused as she looked at him it’s a pleasure she offered him her hand which showed the dino bracelet doubting he would realize what it was anyway.

[Ben Bishop]

"Sorry about that, we usually don't have people coming here asking about those two at once or just Eric" explained Ben as he watched Kimberly touch the face of the clock. She would then proceed to tell him that she had worked with Wes before the Silver Guardians which gave him the impression that she might be a Power Ranger. She's either a Lightspeed Power Ranger or a Wild Force Power Ranger? What should I say to make sure she's a Power Ranger thought Ben as Kimberly asked him how did he and his coworkers deal with the cold.

"You get used to it the longer you stay up here. Eventually, you'll be able to sleep here without a problem. Just be sure not to tell my boss that" said Ben with a light smile. The others really didn't care if he had slept here when he wasn't at the counter seeing how this was the place where the other four rangers slept. The 23 year old woman would then offer him her hand saying that it was a pleasure as her dino bracelet showed. Unfortuently, Ben assumed that it was just a piece of jewelry and the young teenager shook her hand. As he extended his hand towards his, a small piece of his hoodie went down revealing a small section of his morpher.

"It's nice to meet you Kim, my name is Ben Bishop" said Ben as he shook her hand.

[kim]

he knew them and the rangers stayed here so she doubted he didn’t know the rangers somehow or another as she paused I know what Wes and Eric do as side jobs besides being silver guardians she said after a moment and took a breath and saw her own in the air and shook her head before she turned her eyes on him and smiled you could say that I am in the same profession at times with helping people maybe that would be enough.

Then it dawned on her as she realized something….the rangers wouldn’t let a risk in and an out and about new ranger she paused so tell me….how are Jen and the others? she knew that this had to be her man when she put the puzzles together it just fit to well to only be a coincidence that he had to be here when someone else did the rangers identity was to much a secret to let out a risk and that would let her know how the others were doing.

She had never planned to stop in and see them they had barely spoken really. Besides the few times the rangers would get together she had liked Jen and the others when they had met a few years before the woman had been called back to the future wherever that had been which seemed further along than SPD had been at least.

[Ben Bishop]

"So you know them from school?" asked Ben trying to figure out what Kim meant by that seeing how Eric was part of the Silver Guardians when he became a power ranger. But when Kimberly asked how Jen and the others were doing, it all became crystal clear for the young ranger as he realized that she was indeed a power ranger.

"Oh my god, your a power ranger" said Ben upon his realization. The young teen couldn't help but feel a bit foolish now as he felt that he should have recognized that she was one after asking for Wes and Eric in a place like this. Ben would then get out of his chair and go into a room in the back. A few seconds later he would come out with a wooden chair and placed it on the wooden floor of the clock tower.

"Sorry about not realizing that sooner, I've never met a ranger outside of Time Force before since I'm the new guy on the team. Here, have a seat. Is there anything I can get you to drink?" asked Ben trying to be polite.

[kim]

Yes she had been right he would recognize the time force ranger’s names no one else would have. As she looked him up and down she nodded softly and paused the original pink ranger actually she said after a few moments as she found a place to sit down and sighed quietly I take it you’re the new one running around than? she asked curious knowing she would have to update the data base when she would get back to reef side it was something that kept them all together when the numbers were growing slowly but surely.

As she looked at him she paused it’s good to have some new people that would help when the times came rough. Eliza and Kelly had been two of the newest ones that had joined the past few months when war had all but broken out among them and they’d had no choice otherwise they would have been overrun by now or close enough so did Time Force send you back or did you find a morpher? she asked him curious as she made mental notes in her head…maybe they would be getting more help soon…that was her hope at least.

[Ben Bishop]

"The original pink ranger?" repeated the young teen in awe as he couldn't believe that the woman right i front of him was one of his childhood heroes. Sure it may not have been his favorite hero when he was a boy mostly because of her color and gender, but she was one of the people that made him want to be a power ranger. Kim would then make the guess that Ben was in fact the new ranger that has been running around fighting monster which he really didn't surprise him that she made the correct guess since he knew the secret identities of the Time Force Rangers.

"That's me alright. Do you think I'm doing a good job so far as one of the new guys?" asked Ben hoping that he would at least get some sort of praise from one of his heroes.Kim would then explain to him that it's good to have new people when the times were rough and mentioned two rangers Ben had never seen or heard of before. But that was mostly because the only rangers he has seen other than Kim was the Time Force Rangers. Kim would then ask Ben if he was sent from the future or found the morpher.

"I found the morpher in school when some monster took everyone there hostage. Luckily for me, I wasn't one of the hostages since left school during my lunch break. Found the morpher when I was trying to sneak back in, morphed and saved the day. Since things have been difficult with all of this evil from 2012, the Time Force Rangers deputized me and let me join the team. So, how did you become a power ranger anyway?" asked Ben after giving Kim a brief explanation on how he became a ranger.

[kim]

She could see the surprise in his eyes as he realized who she was and smiled warmly at him as she sat down and listened to his story a teen like herself when this started years ago. It was amazing that teens were able to come and help the word when it was needed the most at times. Shaking her head to clear it she listened to his story and smiled softly it sounds like you handled it well you should be proud she closed her eyes and bit her lip as he asked about how she had become a ranger and explained it to him as easily as possible.

Relaxing completely she paused and thought back even now I think they were the best years of my life we stay in touch…all of us do its special she admitted as she reached behind her and pulled out her morpher and took out the coin and smiled kind of primitive don’t you think? she asked in a soft voice joking a bit. She had seen most of the newer morphers since she had been with Tommy most did make the coin and morpher look outdated but the originals would always be the best.

As she brushed her hair from her eyes and sighed quietly so how do you like being a ranger? Not many wouldn’t want to be you right now she admitted. Then again they were backed up against the wall so to speak she doubted that they would all want this much trouble now she just hoped they all would come home at the end of the day. It had become harder when Kat had been killed leaving them all a bit out of it in the end.

[Ben Bishop]

"No, I just got lucky the first time I saved the day. You see, the reason why Time Force sent that morpher into the past was to test their time traveling technology. Unfortunately, that morpher got lost in time and it was a miracle that it ended up in 2004 at my school of all places" explained Ben after Kim told him that he should feel proud for handling that situation. Sure he felt flattered that the original pink ranger complimented him for handling that situation, but Ben felt that what happened at school and how he joined the Time Force Rangers was a result of sheer luck. If he didn't get that morpher, thought that he would have left the school to save himself after finding out that everybody in it was being held hostage. The teen only hoped that he wasn't letting the rangers down with this new power that he had or even worse, be a burden.

Kim would then tell Ben that he years as a ranger were the best years of her life before reaching into her bag and took out a morpher. After she took out the morpher, she took out the coin and softly joked how it look primitive. Ben leaned forward to take a closer look at the coin which appeared to be the source of her powers before leaning back to his original position and said "Just because it's primitive doesn't mean that the ranger you morph into is weak. The morphers Eric and I have are older the other morphers the Time Force Rangers have and yet the power of the Spacetime ranger I have and Eric's Quantum Ranger powers are stronger than theirs"

The teenager would then roll up his sleeve revealing his Spacetime morpher which looked exactly like Eric's save for the fact that the parts that were red were navy blue. If Kim had seen the morpher's of the other Time Force rangers, she would definately notice how different their morphers looked. Kim would then ask Ben if he liked being a ranger before mentioning that there wouldn't be a lot of people that didn't want to be him.

"To tell you the truth, it's like a boyhood dream come true. I mean how many people can say that they fight monsters and save the world on a daily basis?" said Ben with a light smile on his face as he remembered fondly of how much he admired the rangers as a boy.

[kim]

She listened to him as he spoke he already sounded like he had grown in more ways than one. Then again when you were fighting for your life day in and day out they were always fighting for what they believed in one way or another. Listening to his story she kept her head down. Unlike the others he had no team and had done what he could when it came time. She had not had that feeling and even now she felt bad for him but at least Wes and Eric had found him and helped him which was always a plus but the best thing was that he had handled himself well as a ranger he had found his own path.

Saving the world something every child would dream of it would seem. Even when she had been little it had been a part of a game that they would play when they were bored or just wanted to have fun. Now it was her life in many ways and she wouldn’t have traded what she had gained from new friends to a lifetime where she would be able to help people “your right…it is a dream come true you have a good head on your shoulders the morpher choose you well” she smiled gently at the young teen her eyes soft.

The biggest thing to her was that hopefully they would all make it to the end they had lost three friends since the start two if you counted Kat having shown up randomly it was not a failsafe business to say the least have you eaten today we can get something now the motherly side of Kim showed towards him as she worried about everyone that was a ranger weather it was her team or the others they were all in a way one big family that needed each other to stay afloat or fall she wanted to know this one.

do you live up in the clock tower? she asked curious. She knew it was the command center and the time force rangers had once used it as their base but it was in the past. Closing her eyes she put her morpher and coin away before she leaned back and relaxed completely around him…he seemed harmless and good hearted both good qualities in a ranger.

[Ben Bishop]

"That may be true, but I still think that the only reason why I got this morpher was the fact that I was there at the right place and time. I mean, if anybody else had found the morpher that person would be talking to the first pink ranger instead of me, especially with the constant threat the Earth is in now explained Ben showing a light smile as he mentioned that someone else would be talking to Kim instead of him if someone else had found the space time morpher. The fact that the new ranger mentioned the peril the Earth was in might send Kim a clue that Be felt that the only reason why he still had his morpher is the fact that Power Rangers need every ranger they can get.

"No I haven't eaten since lunch. Do you have anything in mind?" asked Ben after Kim asked him if he wanted anything to eat. The young ranger figured that the senior ranger was hungry and asked him if he wanted anything to eat because she probably thought that it would be rude to eat in front of him or wanted some company while she ate. Kimberly would then ask Ben if he lived up in the clock tower like most of the Time Force Rangers from the future did.

"No, I work part time here which gives me the perfect excuse to leave my home when I need to fight as a power ranger. The last thing I want is for my parents to know that I fight evil everyday after school" explained Ben.

[kim]

She liked this one he had a good head on his shoulders and that was saying something even now he was modest which struck her as a good trait when it came to it. A few thoughts were going through her mind as she listened to his own thoughts that another could have found the morpher and then they would have been there and not him you have to remember that said person theirs a chance that they would not have done as well as you have since you got it or could have turned out to be evil as well don’t be down on yourself you have done a good job so far she offered with a smile.

She laughed softly as he said that he didn’t want his parents to know even to this day ours don’t…never figured out why we always disappeared suddenly I would guess she admitted after a moment. She had sometimes felt guilt that she had let them not know what she did even when she had come home she had gone straight back to Tommy when she could have had almost anyone in the school at the time. Even when she would go to a school near him they had so many questions but the bond they had shared…it was stronger than ever.

Standing up she stretched slightly as she paused I had only been here once or twice with Tommy…my husband and the original green ranger it’s nice to see that the others are back it had been Wes and Eric mostly when they had been in contact but she also knew their story as she opened the trap door she motioned for him to go ahead “don’t forget the new guy has to wash all the zords by the way mines waiting outside she said in a teasing tone.

[Ben Bishop]

"Thanks Kim, I really appreciated what you just said. It means a lot coming from you" said Ben after his self esteem improved now with the praise the pink ranger gave him. Now that she mentioned it, Ben realized that she was right, there were some people in the world that would either be too afraid act or use those powers for evil. After all, if there weren't any evil people that would abuse this power, then there wouldn't be any forces of evil to fight against and thus no reason for power rangers to exist.

"I don't know whether or not that's a good or sad that our parents aren't aware of our double lives" said Ben with a smile on his face. Sure he was doing a lot of good with his ranger powers, but what did it say about the parents unaware of what they're children were actually doing? After all, a good parent wouldn't be ignorant to all of the changes to the lives of their children. Like the fact that they are making up excuses to explain their tardiness or whether or the need to urgently leave. Kim would then mention to the young ranger that she had been here once or twice before with someone who immediately caught his attention the moment he was mentioned, her husband the original green ranger!

"Wait, your husband is the original green ranger? The one who on more than one occasion attacked the Angel Grove with his own zord?" asked Ben looking quite surprised. The seventeen year old still remembered how morally ambiguous this green ranger when he was a boy since he was first seen as a bad guy before join the power rangers. The last time he was seen was when he was fighting against the white ranger as a bad guy and since he never appeared again, Ben had always assumed that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers destroyed him. Unfortunate, before Ben could get any more information out of the senior ranger, she went opened the trap door and told him that the new guy had to wash the new zords.

"Would you like a pine scented air freshener in your zord?" joked Ben as he went through the trap door.