Disclaimer: Jen, Alex, Lucas, Trip, Circuit, Wes and Eric don't belong to me (borrowed from BVE without permission) but the plot, the Time Force organisational details, Marissa Detourny, Merck Taylor and Biocon do. You're welcome to borrow, but asking first would be nice.

With thanks to Ekat for beta'ing and putting up with me working this through; to Gamine for beta'ing and listening to me whine; to Selma for listening to me whine and for the plotting sessions (they might not have been my universe, but they've been a LOT of fun!); to Ecolea looking this over and for giving me something else to think about when I needed the break.

Many grateful thanks to everyone who said how much they enjoyed the prologue to this -- hope you like this new instalment.

Please offer feedback -- it tells me how I'm doing.

~*~

Max Force -- Conspiracy Theory

The Quadrangle was a beautiful, grassy area. To its left was the main Time Force headquarters, to its right, the Time Force Academy, while behind it sat the central courthouse. The main city thoroughfare framed the fourth side. It was an area Jen had come to love during her time at the academy. It didn't seem to matter how many other people there were sitting out on the grass, it always felt peaceful. It was a place she could sit and think.

Which was how she found herself sitting on one of the benches on the Quadrangle an hour or so before she was due to report back for duty after her four weeks of leave. What was she going to do? If she didn't accept the transfer to Alex's department then she would be posted to lead a precinct, which was fine -- except that she knew she wasn't ready to be an almost total desk jockey. On the other hand...

"Still deciding?"

Jen look up to see the speaker, Lucas. "How'd you guess?"

"Well, it took me four weeks to figure out whether I wanted to work for Alex or not -- and the only history I have with the guy is his time in 2001." Lucas smiled faintly. "I figured..." He left his sentence open.

"Yeah." Jen sighed and nodded. "What are you guys doing?" she asked, hoping that hearing their plans might give her some perspective on her own.

Lucas sighed as he sat down on the bench beside her. "Katie's leaving Time Force altogether -- you knew that, right?" Jen nodded, she had spoken to Katie several times during the four weeks and hadn't been surprised when the other woman had announced her intention to leave. "Trip's already joined Covert Ops." That too, didn't surprise Jen. Had Trip remained in the Crime department, he would have been expected to start leading a squad and that just wasn't Trip. "And as for me..." Lucas sighed again. "I'm gonna join. It's not exactly what I joined Time Force for but after spending four months in 2001..." He shrugged.

Jen nodded again. "I want to do it," she admitted. "But..."

It was Lucas' turn to nod. "But you don't know if you can work with Alex?"

Absently, Jen fingered Wes' gift to her. "No."

"Want some advice?"

"Sure."

Lucas smiled as he stood up. "Take the transfer and see how it goes. You find you want to strangle the boss -- you can always transfer back."

"And admit he got to me?" Jen snorted, also getting to her feet. "No way." Lucas snickered. "And you knew I was going to say that." Lucas inclined his head. "When did you get to know me so well?" Lucas smiled and said nothing. "Well, I guess we'd better go report in, huh?"

"Uh-huh." Lucas nodded and his expression turned more serious. "It'll be OK," he said gently. "Trip's absolutely positive about that and...so am I."

And so was Katie when I spoke to her last night, Jen mused. Why is it they can believe but I can't? "I guess."

"When have we ever been wrong?" Lucas retorted, just a hint of cockiness about the reply, as he started across the Quadrangle towards Time Force Headquarters.

Jen had to smile at that. "You want me to make a list?" she asked, following, but all she got in reply was a laugh.

They entered the building together. "Well, I'll see you later," said Lucas as he signed in. "When you're done with all the paperwork."

"Oh joy..." Jen muttered. "You had to remind me of the paperwork." She frowned. "Wait a minute -- how come you don't have any to do?"

Lucas smirked. "I came in yesterday to do it all." And with that, he headed into the labyrinthine headquarters building.

Jen sighed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

~*~

One, paperwork filled morning later and Jen found herself in a small, bare office.

"This is yours," the administrative clerk had explained. "It's basic but you're welcome to spruce it up a bit."

Basic, Jen thought wryly, is an understatement. Wes would probably call this a broom closet.

She made a mental note to buy a new fern and install it here on the grounds that it might last longer that way, but before she could think about sitting down at the desk to start looking over the complete brief for her new role there was a bleep. A moment later and the door silently slid open.

"Captain Scotts?" inquired the woman who was wearing a lieutenant's rank patch. "I'm Lieutenant Marissa Detourny -- Major Collins' aide."

Major who? Was Jen's first reaction, followed hot on the heels by, Oh -- Alex. Aloud, all she said was, "Yes?"

Marissa smiled, clearly guessing at least some of the thought process. "He's sent me to ask you if you're available for a meeting at fourteen hundred hours. He'd have come himself but he's currently having his ear bent by a member of Temporal."

Knowing how much Alex liked listening to temporal analysis; Jen had to fight not to laugh. Well, I knew I'd have to face him doing this job -- might as well make it sooner rather than later. "Of course."

Marissa smiled and nodded. "Thank you ma'am."

Before Jen could say anything about the mode of address, Marissa had withdrawn from the office and the door had slid shut behind her. I suppose I am 'ma'am' now... That was another thing that was going to take some getting used to.

She glanced at the chronometer on the wall. Thirteen forty-five. Not long enough for her to go to the canteen to grab something for lunch. Damn. She sighed. I might as well head on up to Alex's office. Better to be early rather than late.

Alex's office was on the floor above, and had she taken the elevator it would have taken her less than five minutes, but today, she chose to take the more scenic route and go via the stairs. Or maybe it's just because I've gotten so used to climbing stairs everyday that I'm missing that exercise... Jen shook off the thought as absurd. She was taking the stairs because the nearest staircase had a view out over the Quadrangle. Sure, and if I tell myself that enough times, I'll start to believe it, too.

She was still trying to convince herself that she wasn't missing the clock tower's stairs when she reached Alex's office. Marissa was seated at a desk in the anti-chamber.

"Is A...Major Collins available?" Jen asked, barely remembering to call Alex by his rank.

"Certainly, ma'am." Marissa nodded and waved Jen through.

Jen entered Alex's office to find Alex staring out of the window, apparently deep in thought.

"Captain Scotts reporting as ordered, sir."

Alex slowly turned to face her. "Jen -- please, have a seat." Jen sat. "Privacy lock, authorisation Alpha Red One."

Jen stared at Alex wondering just what was going on. Meetings with superiors were never conducted behind a privacy lock.

"Privacy lock activated," announced the computer.

As soon as the confirmation came, the cold, professional mask Alex had been wearing slid from his face to reveal a man extremely worried by something. Jen felt her stomach twist. This was not going to be good news.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush," he began. "We've got a hell of a problem." He ran his fingers through his hair and sat back in his seat. "Have you heard of Merck Taylor?"

"The name's familiar but..." Jen shrugged slightly.

Alex nodded slightly. "He was a friend of mine back when I was a cadet and in my early days as an officer. Things turned a little sour when he was turned down by the ranger project and I got accepted. I don't think he's spoken to me since." Jen frowned. Alex wasn't the type to wander down memory lane to no purpose. "He made captain about the same time you made Squad Leader, and got posted to a precinct in New England...which is where the trouble started." He grimaced. "While out there, he met a criminal who went by the name of Biocon. That name mean anything to you?"

This time, Jen nodded, feeling sick to her stomach. "That's the son of a bitch who wiped out Shendraville." Killing my parents. If I hadn't been staying with my uncle, he'd have got me, too, she added silently. "I thought Time Force had long since nailed him."

"So did Time Force," Alex agreed grimly. "According to our records, he died in a shoot-out not long after Shendraville. But no body was ever recovered." Jen stared. "I've spent most of this morning trying to find out why and I keep being stonewalled, so I've put Trip onto it to see what he and Circuit can dig up." Jen nodded, that made sense. What Trip and Circuit couldn't manage between them with a computer system just wasn't worth doing. "But the end result is, Biocon is very much alive and well...some when."

"Some when?" Jen didn't like the sound of that.

"Five days ago, Merck Taylor was declared rogue. He was apprehended and seemed to come quietly, but when he was taken to jail to await trial, Biocon freed him. They then stole the impounded timewarper Ransik used to travel to 2001 and used it to escape."

This all sounded like a bad dream. "How could they do that?" Jen asked.

Alex looked grim. "They had help. I can't prove it yet, but there is a third member of their little group. There has to be. I've got Lucas and Marissa researching Merck's time in New England to see if we can pinpoint any suspects. I need you to go after them."

Jen stared at Alex, incredulous. "You want me to do what?"

"I need you to go after Merck and Biocon."

"On my own?"

"Not exactly."

"Feel free to make less sense," Jen muttered dryly.

In spite of the situation Alex had just been outlining, he gave a faint smile at her comment. That was when Jen realised it was not necessarily the right thing to say to a superior officer. She opened her mouth to apologise, but he shook his head. "No, you're right. I'm not being very clear. Yes, you're the only person going back in time. No, you're not the only person going after them."

The realisation hit Jen like a lead weight. "They landed up in 2001."

"2002, according to the scan," Alex replied. "The reason for the close proximity to Ransik's touch down point has something to do with the timewarper's construction..." Alex gave a somewhat helpless shrug. "Temporal mechanics is not my strong point." Jen nodded. "But as things would have it, we're fortunate that they touched down in a time slightly after your return point."

"Wes and Eric."

Alex nodded. "Technically, it's against all rules and regs., since they're both citizens of the twenty-first century, but they both have ranks within Time Force now, albeit honorary ones. And, or at least so I believe from the reports I've seen, they and you make a formidable team."

"I guess." Jen had never really given the matter any thought.

"And this," Alex continued, "is your cover mission." He passed over a datapad.

Jen glanced at it, then looked back at Alex. "Cover mission?"

He nodded. "Until we find out who the third member of the group is, I can't trust anyone and the last thing I want to do is tip off Merck that someone's after him. The only people who will know your real mission beyond me, yourself, Wes and Eric will be Trip, Lucas, Marissa, and Temporal Director Nechev -- who conducted the scan for them herself rather than enlarge that circle any further. As far as anyone else is concerned, you're doing some fairly standard reconnaissance on some anomalous readings." Alex sighed. "The handy thing is, the readings are anomalous and the chances are, someone would have been dispatched from this department to check into them."

"What about the witnesses to Merck's escape? Surely there's a lot of people who know they've vanished?" Jen queried.

Alex shook his head. "There were no witnesses. Biocon saw to that. The reason we know about it at all is that Temporal put a tag on the timewarper so that if it was activated without authorisation, we'd know about it." Alex grimaced again. "That, plus the bodies of Merck's guards." Jen shuddered. "Director Nechev brought it to my office yesterday morning. There is one other officer in Temporal who knows anything -- and he has been sworn to silence. All anyone else knows is that Merck and Biocon are on the run. That way, as far as they're concerned, they believe they're home free."

Jen nodded and glanced at the cover mission brief.

Mission TFCO0015 -- R.o.A.R.

General Objective: Reconnaissance of the anomalous readings regarding the corporation N-Tek and if found to be relating to mutant activity, or relating to time-lost objects, take suitable action.

Time period: Early 21st Century. Specific year -- 2002.

Location: Del Oro Bay, California; possibly worldwide.

See files TFCO0015a through d for data on relevant individuals.

The files were also in the datapad, but there would be time to review them later. Looking back at Alex she said, "When do you need me to leave?"

Alex blinked. "You'll do it?"

Jen smiled faintly. "For a recon. mission you need someone able to blend in to the time period. Lucas, Trip and I have that skill without requiring any kind of memory enhancement or training. Lucas is better at research, Trip is better with computers." Jen finished with a shrug.

"You're the best officer for the task," Alex agreed. "That doesn't mean you have to do it."

"You also said you can't trust anyone outside that list of people you named. Who else are you going to get if I don't do it?" Alex opened his mouth, then closed it again and nodded. "I'll do it."

Alex glanced up at the chronometer on the wall. "In that case, there are some things I need to organise here first...you need to pack..." He looked back at her. "You leave at eighteen hundred hours."

"Eighteen hundred?!" Jen exclaimed. A glance at the chronometer told her that was barely three hours away.

"It's that urgent."

"How are you going to explain that?"

Alex smiled ruefully. "I won't need to. Time Force gossip is already wondering how long it'll be before you're at my throat...or I'm at yours."

Jen slowly shook her head. "Don't they have anything better to do?"

Alex shrugged. "Is two hours long enough for you to collect your gear?" he asked, returning to her imminent departure. Jen nodded. "OK. Meet me here at seventeen hundred. Privacy lock cancel, authorisation Juliet Red Two."

"Privacy lock deactivated," the computer announced.

"You can leave the mission brief here and collect it at seventeen hundred." Alex murmured. "Dismissed."

"Sir." Jen nodded once and headed out of the office.

~*~

Jen glanced around her apartment.

It was funny, now that she had time to pack and consider what she was doing; she had no idea what she wanted to take with her on this trip to the twenty first century. Doing things on the spur of the moment had some clear advantages. She realised with a dull jolt that there truly had been nothing she'd actively missed from this apartment when she'd been in 2001.

Alex is going to think you're weird if you turn up at Time Force HQ without any kind of baggage, she reminded herself.

She groaned and forced herself to walk over to the closet and pull out her duffle bag. If nothing else, she was determined that at least this time round she would have enough underwear.

That had been quite entertaining, Jen mused. She and Katie had very quickly ganged up on Wes and demanded he show them the nearest clothes shop. He had been reasonably OK with that -- until he realised that she and Katie were making straight for the lingerie department. Jen had never pegged Wes as someone who got easily embarrassed, but he had at that -- particularly seeing as they'd had to drag him into the department since it was his credit card that had paid for the assorted, necessary purchases.

Underwear duly packed, Jen turned her attention to the rest of her clothing. Considering how long she'd been in 2001 last time round, she actually had surprisingly little in the way of proper early twenty first century clothing. A couple of skirts, a couple of tops and only one pair of leggings. She frowned. Have to make sure the first thing I do is buy a pair of jeans.

What few items of thirtieth century clothing that she thought she could get away with also went into the duffle bag, along with a pair of tennis shoes and her knee high boots -- they weren't terribly practical but Jen was aware they might be useful.

Clothing dealt with, Jen moved on to the bathroom to pack up a few toiletries. Her makeup -- most of which was actually twenty first century anyway -- was put into its case from being strewn across the counter and the case went into the bag. It was followed by her toothbrush and paste. She glanced at the shower gel and shampoo and decided against it -- they were too thirtieth century to be a good idea. Besides, it wasn't as if shower gel was hard to get. Lastly, she collected her hairbrush and a couple of spare hair bands and clips and added them to the bag.

She moved back into her main room and took another look round. Was that it? Her eyes fell on the small, lop-eared dog that her parents had given to her as a baby that -- for some reason -- she'd named Gus. Wes and Eric would undoubtedly tease her as unmercifully as the trainee Time Force officers had if she took Gus with her but...

It was the only thing she had left to remember her parents by.

Nodding, she picked up Gus and added him to the bag. Let Wes and Eric laugh if they dared.

~*~

At seventeen hundred, Jen returned to Alex's office only to find him standing at the door, mission brief datapad in hand. Before saying anything, he handed her the datapad and she tucked it into her bag.

"This way," he gestured, pointing down the hall, in the direction of the Technical department. "We have to pick up your paperwork."

"Paperwork, sir?" Jen echoed.

"An authentic driver's license for the time period -- although it won't stand up to a full security check," Alex added, "but I know you won't get caught speeding."

"Unlike Lucas," Jen finished, unable to repress a snicker.

"Unlike Lucas, " Alex agreed. "There's also an assortment of identity documents for the time period, including a US Passport and a birth certificate. Again, they won't stand up to serious scrutiny but they will serve your purposes."

Jen nodded. "So don't get myself into a position where I have to prove my identity if I can help it. Right?"

Alex grinned. "Right."

He led her into one of the backrooms of the Time Force headquarters where Technical had set up all manner of antiquated print machinery. One of the officers in the room looked up at Alex.

"Here you go, sir," she said, handing Alex a number of documents. "Just need to take a couple of photos for the passport and driver's license."

Alex nodded. "OK."

"This way," ushered the officer. Jen followed her lead across the print room to an enclosed corner in which a camera was set up. "If you can just take a seat," the officer explained, pointing at the stool standing between camera and back wall, "and look straight towards me." Jen did as she was asked. "And smile."

The process took only a couple of seconds and then Jen was sent back to wait with Alex while the pictures were developed and attached to the relevant pieces of paper. Minutes later and the officer reappeared with both passport and license card.

"Here you go."

"Thank you," Alex answered. "This way," he added, and led Jen out of the print room. "There's also a couple of bits of hardware that you will need," he continued once they were back in the hallway.

"Sir?"

"Firstly," Alex explained, "you need your morpher." Jen felt a surge of relief to know that she would be getting that back. "Second," Alex continued, pushing open the door of another Technical lab, "you'll need a modified chronoblaster."

Jen recognised this lab as the weapons test bay. She had been shown this lab when she'd been a Cadet before they'd been invited to select which department they wished to apply for. Before Jen could say anything, however, another officer popped up.

"Here you go, sir, as you requested," said the man. He opened up the yellow hardcase he was holding to display what appeared to be a small hand gun of the variety Jen recognised as being popular in Wes' time along with a leather holster, matching belt and a device Jen couldn't put a name to. The technician took out the 'gun'. "It works exactly the same way a standard blaster works -- pull the trigger to fire; spin the barrel clockwise to dial up the power setting, counter-clockwise to reduce the power. Power cell is in the 'clip'." So saying, the technician depressed a button in the butt of the blaster to reveal a standard chronoblaster power cell. "Recharging is a bit more complicated," the technician continued. "On the primitive voltage supply, it will take twenty four hours, so there's a spare power cell and this," he pointed at the device Jen didn't recognise, "is an adapter. The tri-pronged section plugs into an electrical socket; the single pronged end plugs into this jack." And he pointed to a small socket in the top of the power cell.

"OK, thank you," Alex replied.

The technician smiled, returned everything to the case, closed it and handed it to Alex. "Most fun I've had in a long time, doing that, sir -- just let me know when you need anything else."

Alex smiled. "Will do."

He turned round and led Jen back out of the lab.

"Where now?" Jen asked as she followed Alex through the building.

"Time Ship bay 2. It's prep'd and ready for you to leave. Waiting with it should be a holoscreen -- you need to file a regular report on your reconnaissance, of course."

"Of course."

"And, so should your morpher," Alex added. "Probably along with someone from Technical waiting for you to sign it out." He sounded about impressed with the regs. about the morphers as Jen had been when Captain Logan had explained it to her.

"Sir."

At that moment, they came out into the time ship bay. As Alex had predicted, there was the member of Technical, with two hardcases at his feet.

"Ah, Major Collins." The Technical officer looked relieved. "Here are the two items you requisitioned. One holoscreen and one morpher. If you can just..." Jen watched in amusement as Alex grimaced and obligingly applied his thumbprint to the datapad being proffered. "Thank you, sir."

With that, the Technical officer departed rapidly.

"Been scaring the help, I see," Jen muttered.

Alex shrugged. "I can't help it if the regs. are just plain stupid." He sighed. "If you go and get changed, I'll program the autopilot and load up."

Jen nodded and headed into the small changing area in the bay. She debated what she was going to change into for a second, then decided that, while a skirt would look smarter, her leggings were more comfortable. She quickly changed into them and combined them with her uniform undershirt, her leather jacket and the tennis shoes. After a second's thought, she added her uniform boots to her bag then folded up the uniform pants and jacket and carried them, along with her bag, back out into the main bay.

"What have you done with your uniform?" Alex asked when he spotted her.

"It's here," Jen replied, holding out the pants and jacket.

"OK. I'll make sure it doesn't get mislaid." He tucked the folded garments under his arm. "The ship's set for departure in five minutes and is set to land in the usual place in Silverhills so that you can hook up with Wes and Eric. Everything you need is in the datapad."

Which means there's some encrypted stuff about Merck and Biocon on there as well, Jen realised, nodding.

"The last thing is, in the document pack is five hundred dollars so that you're not struggling until you've made contact with Wes and Eric. You might be able to do that straight away -- or it might take a couple of days. I don't know. I'd rather play safe and know you can afford a motel room for a couple of nights." Alex smiled faintly. "You can't rely on bumping into a friendly stranger two trips in a row."


"No, true."

For a second, Jen thought he was going to offer her a hug before she departed, but he settled for extending a hand. "Good luck. And keep me updated."


Jen shook his hand. "Thank you sir, I will." She turned to board the time ship. On a whim, she looked over her shoulder and added, "I won't let you down."

Alex nodded. "I know you won't."

The entry closed behind her and as she took her seat in the control room, carefully stowing her bag beneath the table, she heard the roar of the turbines as they started up.

As she felt the ship lift up she couldn't help but think, Here I go again...

TO CHAPTER TWO...