'Trip, this is Tommy. Come in,' a voice said.

Trip stopped what he was doing, walking over to the control panel on the other side of the room. "Right here Tommy. What's up?" he asked.

'We're at the transfer point. Get us out of here,' he said.

Trip glanced over at Camille, who had opened one of the panels to work on it. "I need a few minutes to get the targeting censors back on line," she told him.

"Gimme a second to realign everything," Trip said.

"You should have just told them what was going on, it's going to take a little longer than a second to get the Slipstream back on line," Camille pointed out, never taking her eyes off her work.

Trip headed over to the panel next to hers, going on the readings on the screen. "I'm detecting an ionic flux in the Slipstream. Can you compensate for it?" he asked.

"I'll try," she paused. "I can't bypass the flux, but it doesn't look like it will interfere with the targeting censors," she told him.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying we can get them back, but we're going to have to shut down the Slipstream down for a while to figure out where that flux is coming from. I'll need a few hours," she said.

"Have you tried modifying the multi spectral emitter?" he asked.

"Yes. No effect,"

"Did you calibrate the new targeting sequence?"

"About ten minutes ago. Nothing,"

"Did you……"

"Trip, I've done everything I know how to do. After we bring them home, the Slipstream is going to have to come off line for a while. I'm a professional, remember?" Camille reminded him.

She didn't need to tell him, he was already aware of what she was capable of. He'd seen her work out complex calculations in her head; the same calculations that would have taken him ten minutes to work out on paper. When it came to the Slipstream, she knew just as much as he did, and that appealed to him. Most of the people he knew wouldn't know what an ionic flux was if it walked up and bit him on the nose, so to finally have someone who recognized what it was and knew what it took to fix it, was enough to make him smile.

"Sorry," he sighed.

"Don't be, you were just being thorough," she mentioned.

"Thanks,"

"Anytime," Camille said.

Trip headed back over to the Slipstream. "Beginning reactivating sequence," he paused. "Now," he told him.

The blue swirling vortex appeared, but seemed to be swirling a little faster than normal. It was only a few second before Jen and Tommy came through the portal. Without a word, Trip shut down the slipstream.

"Welcome home guys," Camille said.

"Thanks. What the hell happened here? Looks like a cyclone hit in here," Jen said, glancing around the room.

The science lab was all but destroyed with holes in the walls and smashed up equipment. "Was there a fight in here?" Tommy asked.

"You can read our full report on it a little later. Right now, Camille and I need to get to work on the Slipstream. Tell Captain Logan that until further notice, the Slipstream is off line," he told them.

"Why?"

"Like he said, just read the reports," Camille said, never taking her eyes off her work.

Tommy and Jen looked at one another, back around what was left of the science lab, then headed out the main door.

(*)

Katie sat in the conference room with a nervous look on her face. When the counsel contacted her and informed her that they wanted to speak to her, she immediately knew what it was about. 'They're going to blame me for killing CaSteel. They're going to say it was my fault,' she thought to herself.

Granted, she wasn't really her who'd killed anyone, the figure prints, DNA scan, and video footage would give another story. All fingers would point to her, and it would probably mean the end of her career in Time Force. Maybe even a court martial. Her counterpart had done so much damage in such a short amount of time; she wondered why security wasn't waiting for her as soon as she stepped through the portal.

Her thoughts were broken as the door behind her opened, and a woman stepped in. She was in her early thirties with a short brown hair and a monotone look on her face. She seemed familiar, but Katie couldn't remember where she'd seen her before.

"Hello," Katie whispered, waving slightly.

The woman didn't respond.

Shortly after, three figures stepped into the room, making their way to a podium that seemed to be elevated over the rest of the room. Because of hoods and cloaks, it was impossible to see their faces, but Katie knew exactly who they were.

"Rise," one of the figures said. Katie and the woman stood up in respect.

"You may be seated," another said, allowing Katie and the woman to sit back down.

"Kathryn, do you know why you have been called here?" the third asked.

"I believe so your honor,"

"Time Force has documented proof that you were responsible for the death of Lt. Roger CaSteel. Video surveillance systems recorded you viciously murdering him in cold blood, releasing a convicted criminal and attempting to overthrow the science lab. The counsel has no choice but to sentence you to……"

Katie stood back up. "With all due respect your honors, it wasn't me. Well, it was me, but not the me you think," she told them.

"You dare question us Kathryn?" one of the figures called out in a firmer tone.

"I'm innocent. The person responsible for Roger's death was me, but was a Katie from a parallel universe. On my last mission, I was knocked out and my counterpart took my place," she explained, not realizing how bizarre it sounded until she heard herself say it.

"She's trying to get out of her sentencing. Chyro containment isn't good enough for her, my family and I want the death penalty for her," the woman snapped.

Katie turned to her. "Who are you?"

"Her name is Cynthia CaSteel, she was Lt. CaSteel's wife," one of the figures said.

"Oh my God. I am so sorry for your lose," she sighed.

"Save it. You killed my husband in cold blood and now you're trying to apologize to me for it? Go to hell," the yelled.

Katie turned back to the counsel. "Your honors, surely you're aware of the project I've been assigned to. My unit and I work with the Slipstream Interdimensional Portal; it's our job to travel to different worlds everyday. Commander Scott and Captain Logan can verify everything I'm telling you," Katie told them.

"We are aware of the work you do Kathryn. We know of the slipstream, and we know your counterpart was responsible for the murder, but our laws constitute that you be punished for your counterpart's actions," the figure said.

"You mean you believe her?" Cynthia asked.

"She speaks the truth, but justice demands that she be held accountable for her actions," the last figure said.

"But I didn't do anything," Katie sighed.

"Kathryn, you will be placed in containment until 0900 tomorrow morning where you will be sentenced to death," the figure said.

Cynthia sighed.

(*)

"It's incidents like this one that proves that Jen cannot handle a project the magnitude of the Slipstream project. While she was gone, Time Force itself could have been destroyed and she wouldn't have had a clue," Alex snapped, sitting in front of Captain Logan's desk.

The captain leaned back in his chair. "I understand your concern Alex, but Jen is more than capable. Have you read some of their reports on the worlds they've traveled to? Jen and her team have done an excellent job ever since this project started," he told him.

"Yes sir I have read the reports. From what I've seen, she attempted to remain in an alternate time line to be with Wes, violated temporal directives by moving the population of an entire planet to a new world without consent of the counsel, allowed a convicted criminal from another world to travel here and attempt to take over Time Force, not to mention……" he was cut short as Jen walked into the room.

"Nice to know you still think so highly of me commander," she said.

"This has nothing to do with what I think of you personally. This is strictly a professional opinion. You aren't equipped to deal with a project this size," he said, standing up and standing face to face with her.

"And why is that?"

"Because where you go, anarchy follows. I'm surprised the project itself hasn't fallen apart under your command," he said.

"Oh, I guess you're much more qualified than I am, right Alexander?" she snapped.

"As a matter of fact I am, Jennifer," he answered.

"This has nothing to do with how qualified either of us are. This is about you. You're the head of Temporal Investigations, the single most important branch in Time Force. You're responsible for protecting the time line and preserving the peace, but when the time line was being altered, you found yourself ill equipped to deal with it. Who was it that had to clean up after you? Me. Now the Slipstream project is the single most important branch in Time Force, and not only does it burn you up that they didn't offer you the head of the project, they didn't even incorporate you into the loop when it came to the project. You're pissed off because you went from one of the most respected men in Time Force to 'just another guy', and it eats you alive that the person you trained was given such a huge responsibility. Oh yeah, not to mention that the counsel saw fit to take the Chrono morphers from you and assign them to my unit. It worries you doesn't Alex, that any day now the counsel may cut the finding for your branch and you'll find yourself working in containment," Jen told him.

"You little……" he was cut short.

"That's enough, both of you," the captain stood up. "Commander Collins, your concerns have been noted and officially put into internal documents, but in my opinion, there is no one is Time Force more qualified to head up this project than Commander Scott," he explained.

"But sir, I think that……"

"That will be all Alex," Captain Logan told him.

With a frustrated look on his face, Alex stormed out the door. Jen quickly closed the door behind him, sitting down in front of the Captain's desk.

"You know you're in some serious shit, don't you?" he asked her.

"Sir?"

"Trip did his best to cover up you and Tommy's little adventure to the 21st century, but as a result the modifications he made have been fused into the slipstream. He doesn't know what the long terms effects will be, but he's sure the slipstream will never be the same again," he told her.

"I had no idea sir,"

"You should have. I put you in command of this unit because I thought you were responsible enough to not use the slipstream for your own personal benefit," he mentioned.

"I am sir,"

"Then explain why you and Tommy went to the past to spy on Kimberly Hart? Explain why the time line shifted as soon as you returned. Did you know history was altered as a result of your little excursion to the past?"

"No sir, I didn't. How was the time line affected?"

"I'm not in a position to disclose that information to you. Jen, you screwed up. Bad. You're the most qualified person for this position, but the next time you disobey direct orders like that, I'll have your ass giving out parking tickets for the rest of your career," he snapped.

"I understand sir,"

"Dismissed," he said.

Without a word Jen stood up, making her way out the office.

(*)

Ransik knocked on the door, unsure of what to expect. After Camille informed him of what happened to Katie, he couldn't think of anything else to do. Going to the counsel wasn't going to help, they're laws were absolute. There was simply right and wrong, no sense of in-between. He thought of going to Jen and Tommy, but it wasn't much they could have done either.

There was only one person who could help……

"Can I help you?" a woman asked as she opened the door.

"Yes ma'am. I'm Ransik, from Time Force. I was hoping you have a few moments on your time," he said sincerely.

"Come on it," she said, inviting him in.

He walked in, closing the door behind himself, and then followed her into the living room, sitting down across from her on the couch.

"First of all, let me offer my condolences to you and your family on your lose Mrs. CaSteel," he told her.

"Thank you,"

"Do you recognize me ma'am?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I don't"

"I'm Ransik. Not too long ago, I was a mutant. In the present, I killed hundreds of innocent killed and destroyed half of the city in an attempt to take over. In the past, I altered the time line and tried to take over the entire future. I brutally assaulted anyone; men, women, children, anyone who got in my way. It wasn't until my daughter was injured that I realized the error of my ways, and I turned myself in. When I returned to the present, I was sentenced to life imprisonment, but I was released early so I could assist the rangers," he stopped there, not wanting to tell her too much. "My mutant half was destroyed in an explosion, and now I'm allowed to lead a normal life," he explained.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because the law stated that I was suppose to be in containment the rest of my life, but because of unforeseen circumstances, I was given another chance," he said.

"What do you want from me?"

"Katie isn't responsible for Roger's death. This is a unforeseen circumstance, and you should take that into consideration before they give my friend the death penalty," he told her.

"Its out of my hands now, the counsel……"

"I am well aware of how the judicial system works: when someone is murdered, the counsel asks immediately family what punishment they feel is fitting. You asked for the death penalty, even though you know Katie wasn't responsible. You can save Katie, you can stop this," he explained.

"Why would I want to? Because of her my husband is dead. I have no interest in saving her," Cynthia snapped.

"Because of her the city – the world – has been saved more times than I can count. She risked her life everyday to help others and never asks for anything in return. If she is sentenced to death, it will be a slap in the face to everything shes ever done to help anyone… including Roger. I beg you ma'am, you can stop this, you can save her life. I hope that when the time comes, you do the right thing," he said as he stood up, heading for the front door.

"Why do you care so much about her?" she asked as Ransik stepped out the door.

He stopped, turning around. "Because when I needed her, she saved me. Despite everything I'd ever done to her and her friends, she gave me a chance," he told her, walking away.

Cynthia sighed.

TBC……..