Author's note: This takes place during Personal Day. Thank you to all of you who have reviewed this series 100 TIMES. I appreciate your support and I hope you continue to give me your constructive criticism and positive feedback.

He found himself sitting across from Alex in his office, waiting silently. Alex was sitting behind his desk reading over papers, barely acknowledging the fact that he was in the room with him. Even now, after working with Alex on a few occasions, there was something about him, something that demanded respect.

Finally, Alex put the papers down, turning his attention to him. "Thanks for coming Tommy. I needed to talk to you," he said.

"What can I do for you sir?" he inquired.

Alex stood up, taking off his sunglasses and setting them on the desk, sitting down on the edge of the desk. "Lets drop the rank, shall we? Truth is, with your experience, you should be a commander by now and in charge of your own unit," he told him.

"Naw. I'm happy where I am with Jen and the others," he said.

Alex noticed the slight sparkle in Tommy's eye when he mentioned Jen's name, recalling that same spark in his eye not too long ago. "Yes, of course you are," he paused. "I read your report about what happened with the Turbo rangers and your brother. That was damn fine work you did," he told him.

"It couldn't have been that great, it cost a ranger his life," he brought up.

"Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. Its how you handle those types of situations that separate those who can lead, and those who only follow," he said.

"Sounds like the kind of speech you give before a promotion," he stood up. "Like I said, I'm happy where I am. I'm not really interested in a……" he was cut short.

"Just hear me out Tommy," he sat back down. "What I'm offering isn't a promotion, it's a special mission. Consider it a black bag operation," he said.

"What do you want me to do?"

"To you believe in self-fulfilling prophecies?" Alex asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't it seem strange to you that the history logs didn't give exact details about how Shin Getti was stopped in the 21st century? These types of events are carefully worded to avoid any confusion, to ensure that things don't become too complicated. Truth is, outside influence was necessary for the timeline to progress naturally. If you and the others hadn't traveled to that point in time, Operation: Lightspeed would have never gotten off the ground. Shin Getti would have taken over the world, and history would have been changed. That's why Time Force is important, especially the Slipstream division. You and your unit are the missing links in the timeline; ensure that things flow according to plan. The mission I'm offering you now is a chance to ensure that history once again flows smoothly," he told him.

"How?"

Alex walked behind his desk again, opening a drawer and pulling out a small white sphere, tossing it to Tommy. Tommy quickly caught it, getting a good look at it.

"What is this?" Tommy asked.

"It's a second chance," he sighed. "Come with me," he said as he headed out the office. Tommy stood up, following him out the room.

He followed him down the hall and around the corner, eventually coming to the hub of Temporal Investigations. "What are we doing here?" he asked.

"I'm sending you on a mission. What happens in the next few minutes is completely classifieds. No one must know what we're going here, it's imperative to maintain the continuity of the time stream. Not even your fellow rangers can know," he explained.

"I understand,"

Alex walked over to the controls and pushed a button, opening a door at the back of the room, revealing a time ship. "When you get inside, you'll see that the coordinates have already been set and the auto pilot is engaged. The parameters of your mission will be explained in the files you find in the ship, and after you read them, they must be destroyed. Follow out the instructions to the letter, then return here for de-briefing and memory adaptation," Alex instructed.

"Memory adaptation?"

"It's a standard procedure. When you return, memories of the mission will be erased from your memory to preserve the timeline," he said.

"Understood," he said as he nodded slightly, heading towards the time ship.

Alex watched as the launching procedures began, and the time ship lifted off. A temporal vortex appeared in the sky, and the time ship headed inside. Almost seconds later, the vortex reopened, and the time ship returned. Alex couldn't help but crack a smile as the ship landed. He headed towards the ship as the loading bay doors opened and Tommy stepped out carrying a long, black bag in his arms.

"Excellent work Tommy," he praised.

"Sorry it took longer than expected, there were……complications," Tommy told him.

"The time ship was set to bring you back to the exact moment you left Tommy. From my standpoint, you were only gone for a few seconds," he explained. "I'll take this, you get down to memory adaptation," he ordered, taking the black bag from Tommy as he walked out the room.

(*)

Captain Logan sat in front of the podium, waiting for the arrival of the counsel. Over the years, the counsel had become one of the focal points of the entire Time Force organization. The three of them were humanoid beings, but their exact race was unknown. They're ability to predict future events, to foresee things to come made them powerful allies, but there were times when they kept their true motives to themselves.

"All rise," he heard a voice say.

The captain stood up, showing respect as the three members of the counsel walked into the room, standing behind the podium.

"You may be seated," a voice said.

The captain quickly sat back down. "I was told you wanted to see me," he mentioned.

"Yes Captain, there is a matter of urgency we wish to discuss with you. It involves your participation in Project: Slipstream," one of them said.

"We've done our best since the project started, and have been able to help countless worlds since we……" he was cut short.

"The performance of you and the rangers have been nothing short of exemplary, but perilous times are ahead. Time Force will soon face one of its gravest threats, and it will become necessary to make changes within the program," another said.

"What kinds of changes?"

"You will be relocated effective immediately, your services will be needed elsewhere if Time Force will survive this encounter," one of them said.

"There will also be an addition to the ranger's team," the last one said.

"A new ranger?"

"Yes," another said.

"But why, Tommy and the others are doing an excellent job," he brought up.

"Yes, they are, but it will become necessary for a 6th ranger very soon. This ranger will have power beyond all comprehension, and will be instrumental in the survival of Time Force," the first one told him.

"What can I do to prepare?"

"Preparations are already underway,"

"Who will replace me on Project: Slipstream?" he asked them.

"A suitable replacement has been found and will be placed as soon as possible. Thank you for your outstanding job performance throughout your tenure. Your service record speaks for itself," one of them told him.

"Thank you," he said as he saluted, then walked out the room.

(*)

The doors to the science lab opened as Tommy walked in. "Whoa, what happened in here?" he asked as soon as he noticed a truck in the middle of the lab.

"It's a long story," Jen sighed.

"So how did your meeting with Alex go?" Katie asked, walking over to him.

He paused. "Um, I didn't even have the meeting. He was called away and we had to reschedule for another day," he told them.

"That's strange, you were gone for a while," she mentioned.

"Its no big deal," he glanced around the room. "Where are Trip and Camille?" he asked.

"They're taking a personal day, they deserve it. Besides, when they get back, they'll have their hands full with the silver morpher," Katie said.

"Silver? How did you……"

"I told you, it's a long story," Jen told him.

Just then, the science lab doors opened again as Alex walked into the room. Even with his sunglasses on, Jen could notice the look of distain on his face as he walked over to them.

"Do you have a minute commander?" he inquired.

"What can I do for you Alex?" she replied, walking towards him.

"I have orders from the counsel. Maybe you want to discuss this in private," he brought up.

She shook her head. "Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of my team. We don't have any secrets," she told him.

"As you wish," he cleared his throat. "Effective immediately, Captain Logan has been reassigned to a different position in Time Force. He is no longer your commanding officer for Project: Slipstream," he told him.

"What?" Katie snapped.

"Logan did good work, why did they move him?" she asked.

"The counsel felt his talents were needed elsewhere in the organization. A new commanding officer has been assigned to the project," he said.

"Let me guess, they assigned you. You've been waiting to come in here and get your hands on our project, haven't you Alexander? We've worked our asses off in here, and I refuse to let you come in here and undermine everything we've done," Jen snapped.

"Actually Jennifer, I wasn't assigned to the project. By the power vested in me by the counsel, I hereby promote you to the rank of Captain with all the rights and privileges of that position," he extended his hand to her. "Congratulations, sir," Alex told her with a heavy heart.

She obliged him. "Thank you commander," she sighed, shaking his hand.

"If I can be of any help, by all means contact me," he said as he saluted her, then walked out the room.

"Wow Jen, you're a captain," Tommy said, stating the obvious.

"I was happy doing what I was doing. I don't want a promotion," she said.

There was something about her statement that caught his attention. 'What I'm offering isn't a promotion,' echoed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

"Well, you're in charge of the entire project now. You can do what you want to do," Katie said.

"Yeah, there's no reason why you can't go on missions anymore," he mentioned.

"There's something going on in Time Force, something big. And I intend to find out what it is," Jen said with a look of determination.