Adam's Reckoning [4 Year Anniversary One-Shot]

Space flickered and warped, as if it were being contorted. And then it ripped open, revealing nothing but a howling void of chaos and destruction. Out of that rip in space emerged a mass of writhing silver tendrils, reaching out into the black void, finding nothing. The tendrils retracted, coiling around each other, and forming a gleaming sphere, which moved forward with no visible propulsion system. It carried with it the fire of 10 million suns from 10,000 different universes, and the soldiers necessary to eliminate every sentient being in the universe.

The Sphere was hungry, and it had just wandered into an all-you-can-eat buffet.
---
In a very expensive-looking casino in Las Vegas, the patrons gambled their cares…and their money…away. At the bar sat a younger patron, wearing his finest tuxedo and sipping a martini. Going on adventures every couple of days could tire one out, which was even more curious, considering he didn’t have an actual body for him to get tired.

As he kept his eyes on the nearby craps table, he listened for any…interesting conversations that may attract the attention of an alien wanderer. His wish wasn’t granted. The patrons of the casino all seemed to be concerned with their games, their money, or how good their significant other looked in their clothes.

Something in his pocket began to buzz and vibrate, jerking him out of his near trance-like observations. He fished into his pocket, pulling a thin piece of glass out of his pocket. He tapped the piece once and lifted it to his ear.

“Adam here.”

“Ah, Adam. So sorry to disturb you, old boy.” A very old, stuffy English accent sounded from the other end of the phone conversation. “There’s been a spot of interesting stellar activity, and I thought you might want to take a look at it.”

Adam smiled and laughed. “I’ll be there as soon as possible, my friend.” He stowed away the phone and downed the rest of his martini, placing the glass delicately on the bar as he left.

---
“Are you quite sure he’s coming?” A middle-aged gentleman asked his far more senior companion as they sat together in a park, an aging brass telescope close by. It was the dead of night, and, save for the occasional homeward wanderer, the park was empty. A perfect night for stargazing.

“He has never been late in all my years of knowing him.” The older man replied. “Don’t be so impertinent, David.”

The younger man simply glanced down at his golden watch. The time was exactly 11pm.

A rush of wind swept through the park, catching the two men off-guard. The younger looked unnerved, but the elder appeared far more confident.

“I told you he’d come!” he whooped joyfully. “I told you! Look, up there!”

David looked up, and his jaw dropped.

The Thunder Runner’s shuttlecraft was descending from the blanket of stars. The landing thrusters seemed to be whipping up a tiny storm. The branches of the trees rustled violently, fallen leaves rose in great plumes, and any nearby stragglers were forced to run away, lest they be swept up in the powerful winds. The small craft made contact with the ground, and the back door slid open. Adam Jonas walked out of the shuttle, and made to embrace the older man.

“Adam, my old friend!” The old man cheered. “You haven’t aged a day!”

“Hello, Nicholas.” Adam smiled, letting go of the older man after a moment. “You’ve aged well.”

“Thank you.” Nicholas bowed his head slightly at the compliment. “This is my son, David.” He added, gesturing to the younger man. David held his hand out stiffly.

“It’s nice to meet you.” He said. “Forgive me, but I thought you’d be older.”

“The good thing about a Zeon avatar is that aging is optional.” Adam explained, turning to Nicholas. “So, how can I be of assistance?”

“I was wondering if you would be able to help me with a problem.” Nicholas gestured to the telescope. “It’s easier to show you.”

Adam decided to heed his friend’s wishes, and took a look down the telescope. All he saw were stars. Each one was its own system. Some with life, some with planets, and some without. It was from here that he could see the entire of…a relatively tiny part of the universe.

“What am I looking for?” he asked after a moment. “I haven’t memorised the star charts in my ship’s databanks.”

“Stars are disappearing.” Nicholas said, pointing to the sky. “Particularly around this cluster.”

Adam frowned, putting a hand to his chin. “Disappearing? Do you have any idea how that might be possible?”

“The images from the society’s probes were transmitted just this past hour.” Nicholas reached into the folds of his jacket, withdrawing several papers which he handed over. Adam looked them over intently. The photographs showed several large black holes, surrounded by a field of stars.

“Wormholes.” He said after a moment. The pictures didn’t finish, however. As Adam watched, the pictures of the wormholes grew bigger and bigger until it seemed that they swallowed the probe entirely. The pictures soon turned into psychedelic blends of colours and patterns as the probe photographed the inside of a wormhole. Yet something seemed out of place in the photos, and when Adam saw the cause, it caught him by surprise.

A large blue and gold beast with four legs and a snarling mouth appeared in one of the photographs, yet completely disappeared in the next. Adam handed the photograph to David, who fished a pair of reading glasses out of his pocket and slipped them on.

“David, my boy, perhaps you can help.” Adam pointed at the beast. “What is that?”

David examined the photograph intently before speaking. “Forgive me, but it looks like a…like a Sphinx.”

“A Sphinx?” Adam echoed.

“You know, an ancient Egyptian monster with the body of a lion, head of a person.”

Adam nodded in response. “Yeah, I know what a Sphinx is. They give tough riddles.”

David looked absolutely dumbfounded. Adam turned to Nicholas.

“Where did you send the probe that took these pictures?”

“Let’s see…I think you called it the…Mirror system, was it?” Nicholas pondered.

“The Miryan system.” Adam corrected him. “That’s a system in free space. Host of smugglers in that part of the galaxy. It looks like it’s become a nexus of these wormholes.”

Nicholas suddenly looked worried. “That sounds awful. Did the people survive?”

“A star system in the middle of immense gravitational pull from…” Adam took a quick look at the photograph again. “…from 6 black holes? Not likely.” He sighed. “I don’t know if even I’ll be able to fix such a thing, or even make sure it never happened. Wormholes are tricky things.” He looked towards his shuttlecraft. “I should probably take a look up close.”

“Up close?” Nicholas sounded positively alarmed at the prospect. “What about the gravitation?”

“I won’t get too close.” Adam reassured him. “Have you told the society about this?”

“They already know. They’re going to send more probes to document it.”

“Good.” Adam dashed back to the shuttlecraft. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Take care, my old friend.” Nicholas gave him a brisk salute as the hatch closed.

“You too, Professor Brook.” Adam called, just before it shut completely. He moved to the cockpit and, within minutes, he breached the atmosphere, and caught sight of the Thunder Runner. He flicked some switches and began the docking sequence.

As the shuttle completed its landing, Adam exited the small craft and headed for the bridge. Once there, he plotted a destination into the ship’s computer, and activated the warp engines. There was a momentary flash of light and the Thunder Runner was launched forward, travelling at the speed of light.
---
The planets of Trebulon Prime and Trebulon Minor were, more often than not, locked in constant battle with each other. Between the two planets was a third, unnamed planet, rich in resources, that both planets wanted to claim for their own.

This time, however, both planets had formed an alliance. That had never happened in all the 2 million years civilisation existed on the twin planets. There was a common enemy to both sides, and it was winning.

Masses of silver tendrils burrowed their way into the surface of the planets, leaving great gaping holes that led right to the cores. Metal soldiers dropped from clockwork ravens and slaughtered every organic being in sight. Energy pulsed throughout the system as its sun was drained and became a supernova within a matter of moments. The attacking force remained undeterred, ending lives and destroying a pair of once mighty civilisations.

Its hunger satisfied for the time being, the Sphere recalled its troops and continued, leaving behind a dead star, and dead worlds.
---
As Adam reached the co-ordinates of the wormhole nexus, he slowed his ship to a halt, and took in the sight before him.

Six wormholes, just hanging there as if they were strung up on a cosmic coat rack. The sight was certainly a rare one, and he felt privileged to bear witness to such a thing.

One of the monitors started to bleep, and Adam rushed to check it. There was an unusual power reading coming from a spot close by one of the wormholes, and it sported a Zeon energy signature.

This revelation puzzled Adam. What would a Zeon device be doing so close to a wormhole? For that matter, how was it surviving the immense gravimetric distortions? Adam thought about getting in close enough to use the tractor beam to reel it in, but that would mean leaving the safe zone that lay just outside the gravitational pull of the wormholes.

As he considered his options, he heard yet more bleeping from the monitors. As he looked, his brow furrowed in confusion. It seemed there was another energy trace coming from one of the wormholes. It wasn’t an energy signature he recognised, though.

The bleeping of yet another monitor indicated the presence of another ship. Since they were within visual range, Adam put the image on screen. A spaceship seemed to be exiting one of the wormholes. Adam wasn’t familiar with the design.



The Thunder Runner seemed to want to bleep today, as this time the console bleeped. Adam checked the console. It seemed that the ship was attempting to make contact with him. Hesitantly, yet trying to keep an open mind, Adam put the message through. The image of a young man appeared on screen, staring right at where Adam stood. He seemed human, more or less. When he spoke, however, Adam felt extreme shock.

“Unidentified vessel, this is Captain Adam Jonas of the Institute Timeship Capaldi. Identify yourself.”

Adam had to take a step back. He had no record of any “Institute Timeship Capaldi”, and neither did any of the other Zeon. What was the captain talking about? What was the Institute he referred to? And why, in the name of the goal, did he have the same name as him?

Calming down, Adam cleared his throat. “I’m, um…also Adam Jonas…of the Zeon Consciousness.”

“What?” The other Adam looked very confused. “But…I’m Adam Jonas.”

“I know. And so am I.” Adam replied confidently. “Where did you come from?”

“Earth.” Other Adam said. “The year 3059.”

“But it’s 2014, and we’re a long way from Earth.”

The other Adam frowned. “Alright. I’m extending an invitation to you to come aboard our ship. We found another ship and have it in tow. Do you have functioning transporters?”

“Yes.” Adam replied. “I’ll be over in a moment. I’m curious about you myself.”

“The feeling’s mutual. See you in a few moments.” The other Adam must have deactivated the message, because his image disappeared from the viewscreen.

There was a stranger running around the cosmos with his name. It was disconcerting to say the least, not to mention…interesting.
---
Within moments, Adam had transported himself over to the other Adam’s ship. He was greeted by people in uniforms, wielding small firearms that were unfamiliar to him.

“At ease, gentlemen.” The voice of the other Adam addressed the crewmen as he stepped forward. Adam gave the other Adam a brief look over. He was dressed very well. The black and blue uniform he wore, while unusual, seemed neat. A series of pips on his neck indicated his rank as captain. Behind him stood a blue demon-like creature that showed no expression, and stared at Adam with deep black eyes.

“Well, now, this is certainly an unusual happenstance.” The other Adam said, eyeing Adam suspiciously. “How is it the two of us share a name? And how is it we came to be in 2014, on the edge of space?”

“You’re asking me?” Adam raised an eyebrow. “I don’t even know what the deal with this is.” He raised his arms, gesturing to each end of the room they were in. “You say this is a timeship?”

“Yes.” The other Adam replied. “Finest in the Time Institute’s fleet.”

“What is this Time Institute?” Adam asked. “I’ve never come across it before.”

“Really?” Other Adam narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “We scanned your ship. It has time travel capability. You’ve never heard of us?”

“Not at all.”

“Weird.” Other Adam scratched his head. “How could that be? Perhaps when we went through the wormhole…OH!” A look of sudden realisation dawned on his face. “Alternate timestream theory! This proves it!”

“Of course!” Adam smiled. “You’re me from a parallel universe!”

“But aside from the name, what do we have in common?” The other Adam asked, returning to a business-like demeanour. “I’m a human, you’re a…I assume you’re human.”

“Looks can be deceiving, alternate me.” Adam winked.

The other Adam’s mouth fell open. “You’re not! Are you? I’m an alien in this universe!”

“A Zeon, no less.”

The other Adam tilted his head. “I’m unfamiliar with that species.”

“You may want to update your databanks while you’re here.” Adam suggested.

“Would you be willing to contribute to that? If you were, we’d be willing to give you free reign in our databanks.” The other Adam asked.

“I can link my databanks to yours. Download should be problem-free.”

“Excellent.” Other Adam nodded. “In the meantime, what say you to a tour of this ship?”

“Sounds good. Lead the way, sir.”
---
Life in the Zola system was minimal. Its sun was a newborn, compared to other stars, so it had plenty of energy to burn. Several miniature planets orbited the star, each almost devoid of life, save for pockets of protozoa.

For the Sphere, it could not have been a more lucrative sight. Such a source of energy could fuel it for a long time, maybe even satiate the hunger.

As it approached the star, tendrils wrapped themselves around the small planets, crushing them. Another set of tendrils reached into the sun and began to glow as they siphoned off the energy the sun put out. In the space of minutes, the sun had turned yellow, then red, and then it stopped existing entirely. The Sphere retracted its tendrils, having feasted well.

Yet still, it was not enough. It craved more energy.

---
Both Adams walked down the ship’s expansive hallways together, Adam taking in every detail of the craft. It seemed to be very advanced for its time, incorporating technologies that he knew humans wouldn’t get their hands on until at least the next couple of centuries.

“Anti-entropic shielding, quantum flux regulators, refined anti-matter engines.” He listed off out loud as he read through the technological specs of the ship. “This is very advanced stuff. Are you trying to document the end of the universe or something?”

“Something like that.” The other Adam replied. “Like I said, the Capaldi’s outfitted with the latest technology. It’s an honour to be the captain of such a ship. Though…” he faltered. “…if I had the choice, I would have taken command of the Vesta.”

“The Vesta?”

“The ship I served on before this. After its first captain was convicted as a time criminal, it got decommissioned. Under investigation and all.”

Adam nodded. “I have another question, if I may.”

“Go right ahead.”

“When you exited the wormhole aperture, did your sensors detect another object close by? It would have had the same energy signature as my own ship.”

The other Adam nodded. “We did, actually. We tractor beamed it out of there. A team’s begun a salvage operation for it. We should actually be hearing from them any…”

“Nyssa to Captain Jonas.” A sharp voice interrupted the other Adam, forcing him to respond.

“Go ahead.”

“We’ve found the cockpit. There’s someone in here.”

“Who?”

“We don’t know, but he’s unconscious. We’re bringing him on board.”

“Understood. Jonas out.” He turned to face Adam. “Once he wakes up, we can ask him why he was so close to a nexus of wormholes.”

Suddenly, the craft shook violently, throwing both Adams off balance. As they both steadied themselves, a miscellaneous crewman who may or may not have been wearing the Time Institute’s equivalent of a red shirt, looked up from their assigned monitor.

“Sir, it looks like one of the wormholes gave out a quantum pulse.”

“Wormholes can do that?” Adam asked, striding to the monitor and gazing at it. It looked like one of the wormholes certainly did give out a quantum pulse. The ship had been caught up in it and, just for a moment, the shields had gone down. They seemed to be restoring themselves, but…

“Adam!” The other Adam cried. “Look!”

Adam did so, and what he saw confused him even more.

The image of another young man had appeared before them. His outline was glowing blue and rippling in some non-existent wind. He was donned in jeans, a brown jacket and a grey t-shirt. Over his eyes were perched glasses. He seemed just as confused as the others.

“Where the heck is this?” he asked, looking around the room. Quickly taking the initiative, both Adams began to scan the wavering form with some very sophisticated-looking devices.

“He’s not really here.” Adam said after a moment. “This is some kind of…projection through space.”

“What are you talking about? I’m here!” The image protested as it began to fade away.

“The quantum threshold’s destabilising.” The other Adam spoke, rushing to a monitor and plugging one of the devices he had been using into a socket on the wall. “We can use it to trace the origin of the projection.”

“I am not a pro…” were the image’s last words before it faded completely.

“Got it!” the other Adam cheered. “It’s coming from the wormhole approximately 2 mega-miles ahead.”

“We should follow it, then.” Adam said, sitting in the captain’s chair. “In your ship, of course. Mine isn’t equipped to handle the gravimetric distortions of a wormhole.”

“Agreed. Recall the salvage team and prep the medical bay. ” Other Adam moved away from the monitor and cleared his throat. Adam realised where he was sat, and got up, letting the other Adam take his station.

“All hands, this is the captain.” The other Adam spoke slowly and clearly, as he pressed a button on the chair. “Approximately 2 minutes ago, a projection of an individual believed to be from a parallel universe appeared on the bridge. We’ve been able to trace the origin of the projection through one of the wormholes. We’re going to travel through the wormhole to find what it actually is. Jonas out.”

“Do I really give mini-speeches like that in your universe?” Adam asked, taking a seat beside his counterpart.

“Apparently.” The other Adam said, turning to the blue creature on his other side. “Commander Teddy, are we good to go?”

“All hands report in.” The creature replied. Adam could tell that this “Commander Teddy” was very dignified. Almost like a butler.

“Helm, engage impulse engines.” Adam commanded. “Take us towards the aperture bearing 1:2:5 Mark 5.”

“Aye, sir.” The helmsman tapped the panel directly in front of her, and Adam felt the ship rumble as the Capaldi approached the wormhole.
---
Travelling through a wormhole was an experience neither Adam would forget as long as they lived. The intense gravimetric distortions pounded against the hull of the Capaldi, yet the vessel held firm as it pressed forward, heading for the light at the end of the cosmic tunnel.

The visual experience was incredible as well. All viewports were active, and everyone aboard had a clear view of the inside of a wormhole. It was chaos. Pure, unadulterated chaos. Energy streams of all colours moved to embrace the ship, and shied away, as if the vessel’s shields were deflecting them. Bits of rock, dust and gas floated around. No doubt they were the remains of the star system and who knows what else. Beyond that, however, there was simply the blackness of an empty void.

“We’re approaching the exit aperture.” The helmsman spoke up. “Increasing speed to compensate for gravimetric distortions.”

“Understood.” Other Adam said. “Once we’re out of the wormhole, let’s get our bearings before we go chasing the projection.”

“Exiting wormhole aperture in 3 seconds. 2…1…we’re out.”

The ship shook briefly as it emerged from the wormhole, into yet more empty space. Aside from the one they had just appeared through, the wormholes had completely disappeared, and in the distance, there sat an intact Miryan system.

“Helm, status report.” The other Adam commanded.

“We’re through.” The helm said, running a quick diagnostic. “All systems seem intact. We’re approximately 4 mega-miles from the Miryan system.”

“That’ll give us our bearings.” Adam said, standing up. “We should get to tracing the origin of the projection.”

“Agreed.” The other Adam said. “I’ll meet you in the astrometrics lab. It’s on Deck 12, clearly indicated.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to talk to the person my salvage team found in that ship. I have some questions for them.”
---
Adam studied the computers in the astrometrics lab intensely. They were a wealth of knowledge regarding the parallel universe, and this universe’s version of himself. Apparently, the other Adam had far more experience with Earth, and had made friends in several different time periods. A few familiar names popped up, and he accessed information regarding them. It surprised him to learn that the captain of a famous group of space pirates in his universe was a human in the other universe. Fascinating.

The doors slid open, and Adam looked up from his studying. The other Adam stood there, as did a young man Adam didn’t recognise. He had dark hair, darker eyes, and wore completely black clothes. The only real spattering of colour was around his wrists, where two golden wrist braces sat. He looked quite beat up, but it was nothing compared to the expression he wore. It spoke of lost friends, lost family, and lost everything else.

“Is this the guy from the Sphinx ship?” Adam asked.

“How did you know it looked like a Sphinx?” the other Adam responded.

“A friend of mine showed me photographs from a satellite.”

The other Adam nodded. “Yeah, this is him alright.” He turned to the other man. “Tell him your name.”

The man sighed and lifted his right wrist, showing off the morpher.

“Adam Jonas. Blue Zeo Ranger.”

Adam could only say “You’re kidding.”


---
“So, you’re me.” Adam pointed to the other Adam, who he was now forced to call “Institute Adam” in his mind.

“You’re also me.” Institute Adam nodded. “And so is he.” He added, pointing to the third Adam.

“This must be some grand cosmic coincidence or something.” The new Adam spoke up. “What are the odds of three different versions of the same person coming together?”

“Far too slim.” Adam replied. “There must be something going on that’s far bigger than any of us.”

“The Sphere.” The new Adam said.

“The what?”

“I don’t know, myself.” The new Adam replied. “It’s…it’s a giant, silver sphere that drains the energy from stars and turns them into black holes.”

The other two Adams thought for a moment. The Sphere? Why would they be pulled together to stop such a thing?

“I must say, I’ve never heard of anything just called “The Sphere.” Institute Adam said, bringing up a holographic display of various sphere-shaped objects. They were all different in aesthetics. One had a ring around it. Another was just a polished metal ball. A third seemed to be splitting into two semi-spheres.

“There have been lots of sphere-like ships and weapons in my time. There was the Sphere of Gargath, the Orbitian superweapon, and then there was the time where the entire Zangyack capital world was turned into a warship. That was an ordeal and a half. But nothing just called “The Sphere”.”

“It wouldn’t be in your databanks.” The other Adam said, almost forcefully. “It’s not from your universe.”

“Then where…”

“Captain Jonas,” a voice rang through the room, and Institute Adam looked up. “We’ve found the source of the projection. Report to astrometrics.”

“On my way.” Institute Adam headed for the door, the other two Adams following close behind.
---
“The projection originated from an isolated region of subspace.” One of Institute Adam’s crewmen pointed to a holographic image of an illuminated strip of space. “It’s not only closed off to us, but it’s giving off lethal doses of tachyon radiation. If anyone goes in there unprotected, they’ll be dead in a matter of moments.”

“Are there any backdoors in?” Institute Adam asked, studying the display.

“There’s a window open at regular intervals.” The crewman replied. “But even then, it’s closed off without some kind of access frequency.”

“Can you work on finding the access frequency before the next window appears?”

“I can try, but the next window will open in 40 minutes.”

“Keep me apprised of your progress.” Institute Adam glanced at the other two Adams. “You two, my ready room.”
---
The three Adams sat in the captain’s ready room together, each on separate chairs. Institute Adam was nursing a steaming hot cup of green tea, while the other two seemed deep in thought. Adam could detect strong feelings of sadness and anger emanating from the other Adam. He wanted to question, but at the same time, he didn’t want to pry, lest he open some wound.

The other Adam was the first one to break the silence.

“Why are we here?”

“What do you mean?” Adam asked in response.

“We should be preparing for the Sphere’s arrival.” The other Adam stood up. “It’ll only get more powerful the longer we delay!”

“One thing at a time, Adam.” Institute Adam said, sipping his tea. “Working out what’s bringing the different versions of us together is our top priority. We don’t even know what “The Sphere” is, so how can we prepare for it?”

“I’ve fought it before. I can help both of you prepare your universes for it.” Other Adam protested. “Trust me. It’s a serious threat.”

“We do trust you, but we’re tackling things as they come. When the…”

“Captain, we’ve isolated the access frequency.” The voice of the crewman from astrometrics interrupted their discussion. “Report to shuttle bay 1.”

“On my way.” Institute Adam put down the green tea. “You two had better come too.”
---
“The entire ship can’t get through, but we can send a shuttlecraft.” The crewman explained as the three Adams and Teddy stood by the open door of a shuttle. “There are EV suits on board. If any of you decide to go outside, put them on or the tachyon radiation will reduce you to dust.”

“Understood.” Institute Adam replied. “We’ll maintain contact as long as possible.” He stepped into the shuttle, followed by Teddy and the other Adams. “Can you keep a transporter lock on us once we’re in subspace?”

“I don’t know, sir. There’s a lot of interference in there.”

“Well, at least try to. We’ll let you know if you find anything.” The shuttle doors closed, and the four sat at various stations, looking at computer consoles.

“We have 4 minutes until the subspace window opens again.” Teddy said, interpreting an intricate display in front of him.

“Understood.” Institute Adam flipped several switches. “Let’s get off the ground.”

The shuttle lifted off the ground, and headed for the emptiness of space.

“Adam, begin transmitting the access frequency.” Institute Adam turned, addressing the other Adam, who complied.

“Frequency transmitting.”

“Good. The window’s coming up.” Institute Adam tapped a part of his console. “Computer, go to sub-light in 3 minutes, 26 seconds.”
“This shuttle has sub-light capability?” Adam asked, looking around the cockpit.

“You sound surprised.” Institute Adam said, not looking away from his console.

“I guess I am.” Adam conceded. “Where I’m from, sub-light ships are a bit bigger than this.”

The four of them travelled forward slowly. Institute Adam was trying to stay within communications range of the Capaldi, just in case something went wrong, which, according to Teddy, was almost a weekly occurrence.

“The window’s coming up.” Teddy noted. “Less than 40 seconds.”

“Alright, everyone, strap in.” Institute Adam said. “We’re going to sub-light.”

Black leather straps shot from the corners of the chairs, and criss-crossed around the torsos of the group, connecting in the middle.

“Sub-light in 4…3…2…1.”

The stars seemed to stretch for a second. Then there was a bright flash, and the shuttle began to shake violently. Adam caught the briefest glimpse of a multi-coloured sky, before it was obscured by sandy stone.

“We’re going down!” Institute Adam exclaimed. “One of the engines has failed!”

The ground drew ever closer as the small craft sped downwards. Everyone was frantically pressing their consoles and shouting information at each other.

“Inertial dampeners have failed!”

“I can’t get the engine back online!”

“Intensify forward shields!”

“Too late! Brace for impact!”

In a plume of dust and stone, the shuttle hit the ground, and hit it hard.
---
Adam stirred. His head felt like it was spinning. He couldn’t hear anything. His vision swam in and out of focus. Groggily, he reached a hand up to the back of his head, which seemed to be the area where he felt the most pain. His fingers brushed against hair, flesh, blood, and exposed wires and mechanics.

Well, that explained a lot.

“Adam? Adam!” The other Adam shakily moved himself away from a fallen panel. “You’re damaged!”

Of course, Adam couldn’t hear him. He couldn’t feel or hear anything. His vision, terrible as it was, was slowly fading.

“What’s happened?” Teddy struggled to get up, his station fallen close to his legs.

“His telepathic relay module’s been damaged.” The other Adam said, pushing back his sleeves. “It’s what lets him maintain control of his avatar in different time zones and places.”

A-and you know how to fix it?” Teddy wondered, watching the other Adam place circuits back into place.

“I’m fairly familiar with Zeon avatar science.” The other Adam said as he worked. “You should go and help your captain.”

Institute Adam was still strapped into his chair, but his head was hanging and he was unconscious. Beside him, a monitor was bleeping loudly, as if it were attempting to put off everyone in the shuttle. The main viewport sported a crack that extended from one corner to the middle, and it was slowly growing.

“I’ll check that.” The other Adam moved away from Adam, who could feel his vision and hearing returning slowly. The other Adam checked the monitor as Teddy got to work reviving Institute Adam.

“We’ve got incoming.” He said, practically alarmed. “500 metres and closing.”

“What kind of incoming?” Insitute Adam asked, holding an ice pack to the side of his head.

“Unknown, but it’s moving quickly. 350 metres and closing.”

“Course?”

“Headed towards us!”

There was a mad rush of panic as Teddy and the Adams scrambled for the EV suits. As they squeezed into them, a screech echoed across the strange landscape. Taking that as an indication to get moving, the group opened the door, and were greeted with a rush of wind. The faceplates of the suits slapped down over their faces, and began to pump oxygen into the helmet. They could all see a large bird-like beast heading in their direction, flapping gigantic reptilian wings and screeching from a sharp-looking beak, which hung from an extended neck.

“It’s a Gigandeath!” Institute Adam gasped.

The four began to run, the Gigandeath closing in on them. They kicked up sand and dust clouds behind them as they left the ruined shuttle behind. Their last sight of the craft was the sight of it being incinerated by a stream of fire from the Gigandeath’s beak.

“Capaldi, this is Jonas! Do you read?” Institute Adam called as he ran across the dusty ground. “Capaldi, do you copy?”

There was no response. They had lost contact with the ship.

Above them, a swirling rainbow gateway opened, and train tracks extended from it, looping around the Gigandeath.

“Train tracks? What?” Adam wondered, trying to keep his eyes on the path ahead.

“I’ve seen those before.” The other Adam said, with renewed confidence. “But it can’t be!”

Right on cue, a slim azure bullet train emerged from the portal, following the tracks and looping around the form of the mighty Gigandeath. As the group watched, the cars of the train seemed to open up, revealing a mighty, if odd-looking, arsenal of weaponry. The train began to fire on the beast, which writhed and howled in torment. They watched as it was hurled backwards by the blasts of the laser cannon, battered with the…dog head laser cannon, smashed by the tactical ball shooter, and with a final attack from the flaming bird cannon, fell to the ground and dissolved into a harmless mountain of golden sand.

The train looped down to the ground and came to a halt in front of the group. The door opened and an unfamiliar voice said “You should get inside. There might be another one.”

They approached the train with a slight sense of apprehension. It seemed inviting enough, but none of them were sure what lay beyond the door. Their apprehension rose as an exact replica of Teddy came into view.

“I’ve been told to prov…oh.” The other Teddy halted and stared at his counterpart. “I’m sure Adam will have some questions for you.”
---
Yet another Adam Jonas joined the group in the dining car. This one was, by far, the most unusual. He had a head of short brown hair, and wore glasses.

“So…you’re all me?” he asked tentatively.

“Yes.” The Adams said simultaneously.

“Okay.” He replied, sitting with them.

“You don’t seem as surprised as we were.” Adam pointed out.

“I’m pretty familiar with a few alternate universes.” The new Adam gestured to a shelf on the wall to their left. There were several assorted objects and displays on that wall, including a threaded map, an unusual-looking wrist strap, and a sinister metal hand.

“Well, that’s good.”

“Yeah, but I have to wonder what brought all these different versions of me together.”

“We’re still trying to work it out ourselves.” Institute Adam spoke up. “But this me might have an idea or two about it.”
The other Adam looked up. “Might I?”

“The Sphere? Didn’t you say that it was going to destroy the universe?”

“Well, yeah, but I don’t think that’s the reason.” The other Adam said. “I mean, it could be, but I don’t know for sure.”

“If we had some of the…”

The entire train shook violently and the Adams and Teddys were thrown around like rag dolls. Sparks flew from one corner of the car to another as several items dropped from the trophy wall.

“What was that?” Adam asked, getting up.

“It had to be another Gigandeath.” Other Adam replied as he sprung up as well. “We need to get out of here.”

“I’ll see to it.” The new Adam, or “Time Adam” as Adam had to call him, dashed towards the front of the train. “We need to get out of time.”

“Hey, wait!” The others followed Time Adam to the front of the train. Another shake of the ground indicated that the Gigandeath was getting closer.

The front of the train was very different to what Adam had expected. Rather than several elaborate control panels and mechanisms, there stood a single solitary motorcycle, locked into the ground. As Time Adam got on the bike, the other Adams filed into the room. Time Adam revved up the vehicle and the train began to move forward.

“Any ideas for a destination?” he asked. “This train can go anywhere.”

“Hold on.” Institute Adam stepped up to the bike. “Try these tempo-spatial co-ordinates.” He leaned in and began to press buttons as a destination was input. Another multi-coloured swirling portal opened and they sped through it. For a moment, there was nothing but a swirl of lights, and then the cold grey metal of the Capaldi’s shuttle bay hit them.

The train stopped, and all the Adams and both Teddys left through the door.

“You guys go to the mess hall.” Institute Adam addressed the others. “Teddy and I need to go to the bridge, and we’ll join you there in a moment.”

“You should plot a course back through the wormhole to my universe.” Adam spoke up. “I need access to my ship’s instruments.”

“Understood.”
---
“I think it might be my fault.” The other Adam said, breaking the conversations of the other Adams. They all looked at him, with curious expressions on their faces.

“What do you mean?” Time Adam asked.

“The wormholes, I mean. I think I caused them.” Other Adam replied.

“What makes you say that?” Institute Adam pressed.

“It…the entropy accelerator.”

“The what?”

“The Sphere was ravaging my universe.” Other Adam began to explain. “It seemed like the only way to stop it at the time.

“We didn’t know where it came from, but it appeared in Logi space one day and destroyed hundreds of planets, consuming their suns for energy. At first, we ignored it because it was getting rid of our enemies. Biggest mistake we ever made, if you ask me, because then it headed for other regions of space.

“At the time I was staying on Earth with some friends of mine. We were Rangers, all of us.” To demonstrate his point, he lifted his wrists up. “Zeo Rangers.

“We were given powers by the Zeon to defend the Earth against interstellar threats. We managed to repel all these threats, but we weren’t prepared for the Sphere. When it headed for Earth, we thought we were well-prepared. A lot of aliens pledged to help us. We had lots of weapons and warships. They were all useless against the Sphere.

“The Battle of Earth, the survivors called it. We put up a fight, but it wasn’t enough. The Sphere consumed the sun and destroyed the Earth. I lost my family, and my friends. The few survivors headed to the furthest corner of the universe and settled on a desert planet. There, we worked on our final defence: The entropy accelerator.

“It was supposed to create a lot of energy, and accelerate the heat death of the universe. If we couldn’t stop the Sphere, we would die with it. I was sent to activate it. It should have worked, but something went wrong with the machine. It didn’t activate properly, and it exploded.
“I found myself falling through time and space, and I woke up in this ship’s medical bay.”

There was nothing but silence as everyone took in the story.

“That’s terrible.” Institute Adam said after a moment.

“It was.” Other Adam said. “It didn’t work. The Sphere’s still out there, and all I did was cause wormholes.”

“That was you?” Adam wondered.

“When the entropy accelerator malfunctioned, it caused a quantum flux. It tore holes in reality.”

“And that’s what caused the wormhole nexus.” Adam finished. “The…”

A bleeping sound from Adam’s pocket drew his attention. He reached into his jacket and withdrew a scanner. He pressed a button and a holographic display sprung into the air. It indicated his location, but also indicated something moving towards them at high speed.

“There’s something converging on our position.” He told the others. “It seems to be travelling at high warp.”

“The Sphere.” The other Adam said ominously. “It’s arrived in this universe.”

“It’s probably just another ship. They’re quite common in this region.” Adam replied. “I say we…”
He was cut off by the sight of the gigantic silver sphere, which had only recently dropped out of warp. It closed in on them, metallic tentacles unravelling and speeding through the void towards the Capaldi.

“Red alert! All hands, battle stations!” Institute Adam scrambled for a nearby turbolift, the others following suit. Out of the corner of their eyes, they could see purple energy streams launching from the ship and striking the surface of the metal orb. It didn’t seem to have much of an effect, because one of the tendrils slammed into the side of the ship, sending everyone and everything reeling.
---
“Damage report!” The Adams arrived on the bridge, thoroughly shaken. Institute Adam and Institute Teddy took their stations, while the others stood to the side, making sure to not intrude upon the other crewmen.

“Hull breaches on Decks 12 through 16! We’ve evacuated the affected sections and erected force fields, but they won’t last!” The helm shouted over the red alert klaxon.

Institute Adam sat forward, looking determined. “Bring us around and prepare to engage Tactical Assault Mode.”

“Aye, sir.”

The Capaldi’s nacelles compacted and shifted forwards, towards the saucer section. At the same time, the front half of the saucer closed like a vice, obscuring the secondary deflector dish from view. Two glowing blue cannons protruded from the front and pointed forward. The Sphere lashed at the ship again, but this time, the tendril bounced off a glowing blue cocoon of energy, which encompassed the entire craft.

“Shields are holding, sir.”

“Fire the cold fusion cannons.”

As the ship was brought around fully, it brought its weapons to bear. Two streams of bright blue energy struck another extending tendril. It seemed to have an effect, as it retracted the now fractured tendril, leaving small pieces of debris floating in space.

“Quick! Salvage those bits of debris!” Institute Adam said, a thought having occurred to him. “Then take us through the wormhole! Warp 4!”

“Warp speed through a wormhole? Are you out of your mind?” The other Adam shouted. “You’ll…”

He was cut off by a violent shaking sensation as the Sphere grew closer. As they watched, the mass of writhing metal seemed to unravel, and a tunnel, just wide enough for the Capaldi to fit through, opened up.

“We’re caught in a tractor beam of some kind!” The helmsman said frantically. “We can’t break free!”

The Sphere loomed over them as the ship travelled through the hole, past layers and layers of swirling metal tentacles. Some of them glanced across the shields, while others avoided it. Then the metal was pushed away, and a planet came into view. It was a gigantic mass of technological advancement. Cities were visible through the atmosphere, with lights constantly gleaming and giving it the look of an iron star.

“What is that?” Time Adam asked, stepping toward the viewport.

“Looks like a planet.” Institute Adam gazed at the mass with awe. “This whole thing is a Dyson Sphere.”

“Hardly.” Adam pondered. “My planet’s in a Dyson Sphere. This one’s too small, and there’s no sun.”

“I’m detecting two technological anomalies on the planet surface.” A crewman said, staring at their console. “Human in origin.”

“It destroys universes.” The other Adam said. “It’s probably taken an Earth or two in its time.”

“Even so, I’d still like to investigate.” Institute Adam stood up. “Don’t tell me you’re not at least curious about it.”

“I don’t know.” The other Adam said. “It’s possible that it might be a trap.”

“Maybe, but I’d rather be sure.”
---
Mere moments later, the Adams were transported down to the planet, weapons drawn. The ground under their feet was hard, metallic, and dull silver in colour.

“Stay sharp.” Adam said, looking around the deserted urban area. “I don’t think we’re alone. I can hear someone’s thoughts.”

“Where are they coming from?” Time Adam asked.

“There’s a lot of interference, but…” Adam closed his eyes and raised his finger, turning on the spot until he faced a long tunnel that led under a tower. “…it sounds like it’s coming from down here.”

“That’s where the anomalies are located.” Institute Adam pointed a scanner in the direction of the tunnel. “I guess that’s where we’re headed.”

The Adams began to make their way through the tunnel, keeping a look out for any kind of interference or technology. The tunnel was a short one, and the exit soon came into view. No sooner were the Adams out of the tunnel, than a blast of wind knocked them all backwards.

“What was that?” Adam struggled to get up.

“That was way too well placed to be a random gust of wind.” Time Adam placed his glasses back over his eyes. “That was magic.”

“Magic?”

“Yes, magic.” A new voice spoke out as another gust of wind struck the party. As they were sent flying backwards yet again, two people came into view. Adam could see that they were both red Rangers, yet aesthetically were very different from each other. There was no way that they could be part of one team. One had a short red cape attached to his shoulders and carried a staff-like weapon, while the other seemed heavily armoured and carried a gun.

“Who are you and where did you come from?” The gun-wielder asked, aiming his weapon right at them. Adam raised his hands in a sign of peace.

“I’m Adam Jonas…and so are these people.”

“What?” The gun-wielder tilted his head. “But…I’m Adam Jonas.”

“Oh, great.” The other Adam threw his arms up and let them flop to his side. “Another one. At this point, why not?”

“If it makes any difference, I’m Oliver Jonas.” The cape-wearer raised his hand as the two of them demorphed and walked up to the party of Adams.

“This is just too weird.” The new Adam said, shaking hands with all the other Adams. “Are you guys all, like, me from parallel universes? Because that’s what Oliver here is.”

“Pretty much.” Institute Adam replied. “How did you two end up here?”

“The Sphere came for my universe.” The new Adam explained. “Oliver got me out before things got really bad, but we both ended up in here.”

“This thing’s alive. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Oliver said. “Where did you guys come from?”

“It’s a bit of a long story.” Time Adam said. “Is there a safe place we can discuss it?”

“My ship’s just beyond that block of towers.” Oliver gestured. “We have functioning shields, so we’ll be relatively safe.”

“Wonderful.” Time Adam smiled.
---
True to his word, Oliver’s ship was situated on the ground, just past the tower block. As the group ascended the lowered ramp, Adam looked around the hold in which they found themselves. It appeared to be filled with odds and ends from all corners of the universe, and beyond. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the other Adam crouch down by a cylindrical object, as if he were examining it closely.

“Excuse the mess.” Oliver said, seeming embarrassed. “We’ve been scavenging parts and technology from other parts of this planet.”

“How’ve you been getting around? This is bigger than some of the other technospheres I’ve seen.” Adam asked.

“I brought my car.” The new Adam, or “Akiba Adam”, as he had come to be called, replied. “Well, it’s technically a mech that turns into a car.”

“Where did you get this from?” The other Adam asked, having not moved from his position by the strange object.

“I found it on the south pole of the planet.” Oliver said. “Be careful with it. It absorbs energy. Completely knocked out main power when I first brought it on board.”

“I know what it does.” The other Adam replied. “How can it be here?”

“What is it?”

The other Adam swallowed, as if he had eaten something bitter. “Remember I told you about the entropy accelerator? Well…this is it.” He pointed at the machine. “This is how I destroyed my universe.”

“He what?” Akiba Adam raised his eyebrows in shock.

“I didn’t think it survived.” The other Adam ran a hand along the polished chrome of the device. “I thought it blew up and took my universe with it.” He pressed his thumb against the monitor, and the device sprang to life.

“It hasn’t even been used.” He muttered. “Must be from a parallel universe.”

“Adam.” Adam said. “Step back.”

The other Adam seemed to take his advice, and stood up, shaking his head.

“I don’t know what I was thinking.” He said, looking despondently at the machine. “Some radical notion entered my head.” He closed his eyes and turned away.

“Come on. We’ll go to the mess hall.” Akiba Adam slapped his hand against a red button and the hold closed behind them.
---
“We haven’t been able to get the ship out of here.” Oliver spoke as the group were, once again, sat around a table. “The Sphere’s keeping us locked in.”

“I’ve got a ship in orbit around the inner sphere.” Institute Adam said. “I have some of my best scientists working out a way to damage those tendrils. You’re welcome to join us once we find a way.”

“Thanks.” Akiba Adam replied as he lay on the ground, tossing a red die up in the air. “What about finding a way to destroy the Sphere itself?”

“The entropy accelerator is the only way to destroy it.” The other Adam said. “The Sphere is its own self-contained universe.”

“How do you know that?”

“I once had the opportunity to go into the Sphere to find out more about it. My team and I discovered that it was its own universe. It doesn’t have any energy, so it steals the energy from suns and planets by consuming them. Only I made it out alive.”

“How?” Institute Adam asked, leaning forward.

“Our ship experienced a deflector malfunction and we emitted a burst of energy.” He explained. “I can’t remember what kind, but it opened up a hole in the tendrils, and the ship got out...more or less.”

“More or less?”

“Only the five Zords got out. We had to leave Pyramidas behind.”

“That means it could still be here.” Adam pondered.

“Pyramidas? As in, the pyramid?” New Adam sat up. “Yeah, it’s still here.”

“It is?” The other Adam gasped. “Where?”

“In the northern polar region. I can drive you there.” Akiba Adam said.

“Not right now, though.” Oliver said cautiously. “The Sphere’s probably looking for you. Stay here for another couple of hours.”

“Looking for us?” Institute Adam asked.

“The Sphere can defend itself in so many different ways.” Oliver explained. “Foot soldiers, fighter craft, all self-generated.”

“How Logi of it.” Adam muttered.
---
Mere hours later, Adam, Akiba Adam, Time Adam and the other Adam set off in New Adam’s car. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but everyone was able to fit in.

“Question, Adam.” Time Adam piped up.

“Yeah?” Akiba Adam said, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Where are you getting fuel for this?”

“You can thank Oliver for it.” Akiba Adam replied. “He installed a miniature warp reactor in the fuel tank.”

“Wait.” Adam suddenly looked concerned. “So, this car runs on anti-matter?”

“I guess so.” Akiba Adam nodded. “I don’t know the science behind it, exactly.”

“That a bad thing?” The other Adam asked.

“Not really, I guess.” Adam conceded. “But I wonder. Do you think this car can reach warp speed if it’s got an anti-matter drive?”

“I’m not willing to find out just now.” Akiba Adam said. “I don’t want my car coming apart. I love this car…look, over there.” He pointed at a giant golden pyramid, which loomed into view as they passed through another block of towers.

“My God…” The other Adam just stared at it. “Pyramidas. It’s still here.”

The group pulled up to the pyramid and exited the car.

“Devices on, everyone.” Adam said, making sure the Kandor Stone was still on his belt.

“Already taken care of.” Time Adam pointed to his waist, where a dull golden belt sat. The other Adam pulled back his sleeves, revealing his golden morphers, and Akiba Adam produced what looked like a doll.

“In we go.” Adam raised a hand to a metal door, which slid open, revealing a darkened room.

“Hold on, I’ll get us some light.” The other Adam stepped inside and began to fiddle with a panel on the wall. The chamber was suddenly flooded with light, revealing what appeared to be a living space.

“Did you live in here?” Adam asked, stepping inside. The other Adams followed suit.

“In a sense, yes.” The other Adam said, taking a look around the living area. “This was our command centre.”

“Who were your team?” Time Adam wondered, as he approached a table and picked up a picture of five people in coloured spandex.

“We were the best of friends.” The other Adam reminisced. “I was the Blue Ranger. We were led by Suzie Cross, the one in pink. The Green Ranger was Airi Sutou. Then we had the Miyazaki siblings, Sanyu and Karazu.”

“The space crusaders?” Adam wondered. “At least, that’s what they are in my universe.”

“You’re familiar with them?” Time Adam asked.

“Not as much as I could be.” Adam admitted.

“In mine, they were my greatest friends. Sanyu’s the Red Ranger in that picture, and Karazu’s the Yellow Ranger.” The other Adam said. “We were defenders of the Earth, protecting it from the threat of the Robonix Star Empire.

“We were told that we were powerful as a team, but when the crystals were united, we would become more powerful than we had ever known. I still don’t know what it means. We never really had a chance to work it out.”

“The Sphere.” Adam assumed.

“Claimed their lives.” The other Adam nodded. “When they died, I got these.” He lifted his arms, showing off his morphers.

“I found the computer.” Akiba Adam called from the back of the living area. The other Adam moved over to the computer and began pulling up malfunction logs.

“Let me see…here. Pyramidas’ deflector put out a Polaronic Tetryon pulse, and that seemed to repulse whatever metal those tendrils are made of.” He read. “Not by much though. It was a small window, but certainly not big enough to fit everyone’s ships through before it closes.”

“Any idea what we’d have to do to make the window bigger?” Adam asked.

“We’d have to increase the Polaronic Tetryon output up to seven times the amount Pyramidas’ deflector generated.” The other Adam said. “But…what if…what if we created a wormhole inside the Sphere itself?”

“It would certainly get us out.” Time Adam mused. “But what about destroying the Sphere?”

“We’ll think about that once we’re out of here.” Akiba Adam said.

“Right. Let’s get back to the Capaldi.” Adam said. “We’ll figure out our next move there.”
---
The Adams left the same way they came in. In an instant, they were surrounded by what appeared to be metal warriors, all uniform in size and shape. They all seemed to carry the same glowing blue blade.

“You will submit.” They all spoke in unison with a monotone that could break glass.

“Foot soldiers of the Sphere?” Time Adam asked.

“Yeah.” Akiba Adam confirmed.

“They don’t look like much.” The other Adam said, almost sounding cocky.

“Appearances can be deceiving, remember?” Adam said cautiously. “These things kill planets.”

“You will submit.” The soldiers said again.

“No way in Hell.” The other Adam said viciously. “Let’s do it!” He raised his arms and brought the morphers together. “Zeo Ranger III! Blue!” he cried out. A net of green light surrounded him, and blue light worked its way up his body, transforming him. “You guys had better do the same.” He addressed the other Adams.

“Understood.” Adam unhooked the Kandor Stone from his belt and held it up to the sky. It flashed brightly and caused violet lightning to strike him, forming his own armour.

At the same time, Akiba Adam cried “Jumosou!” and Time Adam said “Henshin!” Akiba Adam’s doll compacted and formed the gun that he had wielded before, and he donned the red armour and helmet. Time Adam’s belt simply said “STRIKE FORM” as Time Adam moved a black pass over the buckle, and strange blue particles formed into the armour of Kamen Rider New Den-O. The four Adams stood together, weapons raised, awaiting the enemy’s inevitable strike, which came quickly. In fact, it came before they were done transforming, breaking the rules of a transformation scene. A lone foot soldier attacked Akiba Adam, who blasted its midriff as he finished transforming.

“Let’s take them all down!” The other Adam cried, and ran headlong into the crowd of foot soldiers, shooting and slashing them down. The remaining Adams hefted their weapons up and ran for the crowd. In that moment, every single one of the Adams felt like they were Braveheart as they took on enemies, cutting them down or destroying them with laser blasts as they kept on advancing. Yet, in traditional mook fashion, they kept on coming. Unlike the mooks that every Adam seemed to have fought before, these ones actually seemed competent in combat, and were able to get in a few good attacks before they fell.

Before long, however, the Adams found themselves growing tired from the duration of the fight, and they were forced to retreat towards Pyramidas’ door.

“This isn’t good.” Akiba Adam panted, blasting another foot soldier in the head. “They outnumber us.”

“You don’t say?” Time Adam grunted as he locked blades with a pair of foot soldiers.

“Hold on. I have an idea.” Adam ran for the Pyramidas door and opened it. “Everyone, get in!”

The other Adams took the hint and broke combat. Once they were all inside, Adam closed the door, crushing a foot soldier beneath it.

“Will the door hold them?” Time Adam asked.

“It’s durasteel.” The other Adam replied. “It’ll keep them busy, but they’ll get through eventually.” He turned to Adam. “Was that your idea?”
“Not quite.” Adam admitted. “Do you think this still has flight capability?”

“It should do.” The other Adam admitted. “I’ll go to the cockpit and check.”

“Hang on!” Akiba Adam protested. “What about my car? It’s still out there! If they break open the warp reactor…”

“I’ve thought of that.” Adam replied calmly. “If we get airborne quickly enough, we’ll tractor beam your car out of here and rendezvous with the Capaldi and Oliver’s ship. Once we’re all together, we’ll open a wormhole and get the heck out of this self-contained universe.”

“Where will we go?”

“Back to my universe. I can retrieve my ship and we can work out a way to destroy the Sphere.” Adam headed in the same direction as the other Adam. “Did you get that?” he called up to where he assumed the cockpit was.

“Heard everything.” The other Adam replied. “I’m contacting Oliver and the Capaldi now.”

“Good.” Adam dashed back to the living quarters and demorphed. The other Adams took the hint and did the same. They all sat together on a couch, feeling Pyramidas rumble beneath them as it took off and tractor beamed Akiba Adam’s car away with them.

“We’ve rendezvoused with the other ships. The Capaldi’s generating a wormhole.” The other Adam called down. “Don’t worry; we’ll soon be out of here.”

“Excellent.” Adam smiled. “I just hope the foot soldiers didn’t follow us.”
---
The rest of Adam’s idea went off without a hitch. The convoy of ships ended up in another universe. From there, the Capaldi had located a wormhole that led back to Adam’s universe. Adam had been reunited with the Thunder Runner, and the other Adam had rediscovered his Zord. All the Adams and Oliver had come together in the Capaldi’s conference room, pondering their next move. They had begun running simulations about various solutions. So far, none of them had yielded the results they had wanted. Luring it through a wormhole and then closing it wouldn’t work, as the Sphere travelled through universes, so what was to stop it from opening another wormhole? Bombarding it with a superweapon was out of the question. Everything they had come up with was just glanced off by the impregnable Sphere. It was then that the other Adam had an idea.

“What about using the entropy accelerator?”

Institute Adam frowed and assumed the Gendo Pose. “It’s a possibility, but how would we get it inside the Sphere itself?”

“Use a Polaronic Tetryon pulse to make a hole in the exterior, and drop it inside.”

“Not possible.” Institute Adam protested. “As soon as we close the hole, the tendrils will stop it.”

“So we make a bigger hole.” The other Adam continued. “One that’s approximately six times the size of the hole one pulse would make. It should deter the tendrils enough to make a successful drop.”

“It’s plausible.” Adam agreed. “But we’d have to close the hole quickly, unless we want it to take out whichever universe we’ll make this move in, too.”

“We’ll just need to set the accelerator on a timer.” Akiba Adam said. “Can you even do that to a doomsday weapon like that?”

“It has a timer function.” The other Adam nodded. “All the same, can I use your science lab to make some final checks on the machine?”

“Be my guest.” Institute Adam nodded. “Alright, return to your vehicles and make whatever preparations you need to. We attack when the Sphere reaches the brink of the Vosin-teel system.”
---
The Sphere cared little for preparation. It just acted.

It found a gate to another universe. It acted.

It arrived in that universe, and acted without hesitation.
---
The shape-shifting people of the Vosin-teel system of the Zeon Adam’s universe had achieved a state known as multiversal awareness. It was basically what it said on the tin. They were aware of multiple realities and multiple versions of people. Soon, all that they knew would turn to dust, as the Sphere was closing in on their system.

In the coming crisis, their elders had ordered a mass evacuation. Soon, everyone had gone, save for themselves. They wished to remain to protect the Great Perceiver, their equivalent of a high priest. They thought they were going to die. They were wrong, and they knew that when a stranger made contact with them.

“Hello? Vosin-teel elders, do you copy? This is Adam Jonas.” Institute Adam sprang into view as a holographic image. Next to him, another hologram of a person.

“Hi. Also Adam Jonas here.” Adam said, giving a brief wave.

“And Adam Jonas as well.” The other Adam spoke as he appeared.

“Three of the same person.” One of the elders spoke up. “What could you hope to obtain by doing this?”

“Right now, we’re flying our vehicles to the Sphere.” Adam explained as he directed the Thunder Runner towards the gigantic metal ball.

“We’re preparing a concentrated Polaronic Tetryon pulse to fire at the surface.” Institute Adam said, directing his helm to take the Capaldi closer.

“Just about ready to do it.” The other Adam said, as he sat in Pyramidas’ cockpit, and directed it through space.

“What do you mean by that?” came the Vosin-teel reply.

“We’re going to destroy the Sphere.” Adam said.

“What? How?”

“We have a device that can destroy it.” The other Adam interjected. “If we can get it inside the Sphere, it’ll destroy it.”

“How will you get it inside? Our best quantum weapons failed to breach the surface.” The elder asked.

“That’s where we come in.” A hologram of Time Adam appeared in the elder’s chamber. “Hi. I’m also Adam Jonas.”

“And so am I.” Akiba Adam’s hologram appeared alongside the others. “Hi there.”

“I’m not.” Oliver’s freshly-appeared hologram said. “I’m Oliver Jonas.”

“Don’t worry, elders.” Time Adam said. “You’re going to be safe.”

The Thunder Runner, the Capaldi, Pyramidas, the red Time Flyer, the Machine Itasha in robot mode, and the New Denliner approached the Sphere with determination.

“Prepare to fire the Polaronic Tetryon pulse on my mark.” Time Adam said, raising his hand.

Everyone got ready. Hands wavered over switches, ready to let their secret weapon loose. The Sphere seemed to sense their apprehension, as it drew closer.

“Now!” Time Adam shouted, his hand racing to the switch that controlled the pulse. Six different pulses fired at the Sphere, hitting the surface. At first, it had no effect, then the metal tendrils that comprised the surface began to withdraw slowly.

“It’s working.” Adam said, flipping switches and glancing at monitors. “How’s the timer look, Adam?”

“The rate of retraction’s too slow.” Came the voice of the other Adam. “We need to increase the pulse rate.”

“We can’t do that without one of us burning out our deflectors.” Time Adam said. “There are only six of us.”

“That, my friends, is where you’re wrong.” A new, unfamiliar voice with an Australian brogue came across everyone’s com. Out of one of the wormholes, a silver rocket ship appeared and directed itself towards the Sphere. It began to fire a seventh Polaronic Tetryon pulse from its nose.

Inside the rocket ship, gloved hands pressed buttons and worked switches, as yet another Adam Jonas watched the effect of the combined pulses through compound eyes.

“That’s doing it!” Adam cheered. “It’s a big enough hole, Adam! Launch the entropy accelerator!”

From the bottom of Pyramidas, a silver cylinder was launched. It fell through the hole, towards the visible inner technosphere.

“It’s in. Cease the pulse.” Time Adam said, switching off his own pulse. The other Adams did the same, and as soon as the rocket ship had arrived, it left through the wormhole it had come through, which closed up immediately afterwards. The assembled vehicles backed up as the outside of the Sphere began to buckle inward. The vehicles backed up as large, visible cracks began to appear on the surface as tendrils were ripped inwards. Then, the Sphere just drifted apart. It was finally dead.
---
The Adams and Oliver got together for the final time in the New Denliner’s dining car. They all sat around a table again, this time with an air of triumph apparent.

“How’s the destruction operation going?” Akiba Adam asked of Institute Adam.

“Progressing nicely.” Institute Adam said, smiling. “There was a lot of dangerous tech on the Sphere. If it got into the wrong hands in this universe, well…I’d rather not take that chance.”

“I agree.” The other Adam smiled. “Better safe than sorry.”

“Well, we have to get going.” Oliver and Akiba Adam stood up. “I’m taking Adam to live in my universe.”

“Be sure to close the door when you pass over.” Adam said. “We don’t want any more interdimensional sun-eaters getting through.”

“My best to you both.” Time Adam nodded his head at them. Akiba Adam and Oliver headed through one of the many doors in the dining car, back to Oliver’s ship. A wooshing sound outside indicated they had left.

“I do have to wonder who that person who provided the seventh pulse was.” Time Adam pondered.

“Might have been another version of us.” Adam guessed.

“May have been.” Time Adam conceded. “Still, you have to wonder about where they found out they had to emit a Polaronic Tetryon pulse.”

“Guess there are some things you never really know.” Institute Adam said.

“Maybe.” Time Adam nodded.

Institute Adam stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to return to my ship, and my universe.” He gave the group a quick salute. “It’s been an honour, but I can only imagine what kind of horrors debriefing will bring.” He tapped his badge and with the words “Jonas to Capaldi, one to beam up.”, he disappeared in a flash of light.

“So, where to next for you, Adam?” Time Adam asked after Institute Adam had gone.

“The Vosin-teel have agreed to integrate me into another universe.” The other Adam said. “I’m getting a fresh start.”

“Use it well.” Time Adam smiled. “Do they have your Ranger team there?”

“I don’t know.” The other Adam shrugged. “I guess I’ll find out when I get there.” He smiled, and fished a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket. He unfolded it to reveal a copy of the picture Akiba Adam had found aboard Pyramidas.

“I miss these guys so much.” He said. “But…but I think destroying the Sphere gave me, um…what’s the word?”

“Vindication?” Adam suggested. “Reconciliation? Vengeance?”

“Catharsis.” The other Adam concluded. “Well, I’d better get going.” He turned, and exited through the door on the other side.
---
On board Pyramidas, the other Adam assumed his Ranger form, and took the controls. As he did, the white of his gloves began to glow a faint gold. Adam, of course, didn’t notice this until the glow grew brighter.

“What?” he gasped, looking at his hands. Then it hit him.

“Oh, I see.” He smiled underneath his helmet. “The crystals are united.” As the flow of energy reached the rest of his body, he relaxed, and let it wash over him. The blue spandex of his suit turned black, the golden parts of the costume seemed to expand out and become armour in themselves, and the triangle that comprised his visor began to change into a stranger shape.

Adam Jonas, the newly-made Gold Zeo Ranger, felt content as he crossed over into the alternate universe, to begin his life anew.
---
Eventually, Adam and Time Adam were left alone together.

“I suppose I’d better get out of your hair, then.” Adam smiled, moving to get up.

“Actually, before you go, I have some advice for you.” Time Adam said.

“What sort of advice?”

“When we were on board Pyramidas, you said you didn’t know the Miyazakis as much as you’d like.” Time Adam recalled. “My advice is this: Get to know them. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Can I ask why?” Adam raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“In my universe, we’re friends.” Time Adam began. “And in all those other universes, too, apparently. The friendship we have has changed and defined us both in ways we couldn’t even imagine.”

“I don’t know if it’ll work in my universe.” Adam admitted. “They’re space pirates, and I’m a time traveller.”

“You’ll find a way to make it work.” Time Adam said, leaning back in his seat.

“How can you be sure of that?” Adam asked.

“If there’s any hint of me in you, then I know me, and I can find ways to make it work.” Time Adam winked at him. “You might even be surprised." He extended his hand, and Adam shook it. “It’s been fun.”

“I’m sure we’ll meet again.” Adam smiled, striking two fingers against his wrist, and watching the interior of the train dissolve around him, to be replaced with the Thunder Runner’s bridge. Switching on the main viewscreen, he watched his alternate counterpart’s vehicle disappeared through one of the wormholes, and felt satisfied as the last of the wormholes closed, putting an end to the whole affair.

“I’ll make it work.” He said to himself as he switched off the viewscreen. He moved to a console, and plotted a course for Earth, 21st century, England. He planned to take his alternate counterpart’s advice to heart, but first he had another matter to attend to.
---
Deep underground on some backwater planet in a forgettable star system in some unknown time, a lone Vosin-teel lay strapped to a medical bed in a grey chamber full of machinery. He didn’t struggle, but there was an obviously pained look on his green scaled face. To his left was a tall, glass canister, full of a swirling golden gas.

“This wasn’t part of our agreement!” the strapped down alien snarled to what appeared to be the air.

“You failed in your last mission.” A deep, sinister voice echoed through the chamber. “The Sphere didn’t make it to Zeon space. You knew there would be consequences.”

“Please!” The Vosin-teel pleaded desperately. “I won’t disappoint you again!”

“We will restore it, but only if you succeed in your next mission.” The voice sounded dark, and positively dripping with malicious intent as it spoke.

“But…but you’re disabling me!”

“You won’t need telepathic powers where you’re going.” The voice replied. “Proceed with the extraction.” A slender metal probe slowly made its way towards the Vosin-teel’s head, and soon the chamber was filled with the alien’s screams.