Author's note: This fic contains portions of "Birthright" and "Back from the future pt. II" from the Parallels series.

*-* Silver Hills, California * 2015 AD *-*

"So what's the verdict doc?" Tommy asked, sitting up on the examining table.

There were various wires and needles embedded in his arm, all of them hooked up to machinery next to the table. The doctor walked over to the equipment to take a reading, then confirmed it with the information he had on his clipboard.

TJ, Andros and Wes stood across the room silently, hoping the doctor would have something positive to say. After their battle against the Machine Empire, all of them were prepared to go their separate ways, but TJ discovered Tommy unconscious behind the abandoned warehouse. His skin was glowing a dim shade of green, and he was covered in sweat. The three of them weren't sure what was wrong, but were convinced that a traditional doctor would be unable to help him. Instead, they opted to take him to Bio-Lab.

Once there, they had their leading scientists and doctors examine him, hoping to find the cause of his illness. There was a point when the room was full of doctors, including Dr. Zaskins, the leading scientist in charge of the Quantum Ranger project.

"To be honest with you Mr. Oliver, we don't even know where to begin to determine how the illness occurred. Without knowing the cause, we can't even begin to fathom a cure," he said.

"But what's wrong with me?" he inquired.

"From all I can tell, you cells are being affected on a cellular level. If it persists, the damage to your cells will become irreversible. In a nutshell, whatever is happening to you will eventually kill you," he told him.

Tommy took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with the news. He quickly glanced over at Wes. "Do you think the other Time Force rangers would be able to do something?" he asked.

"I already contacted Captain Logan, he refused to help. He said it would alter the flow of time and there's nothing he can do," Wes sighed.

"So what? That's it? We're just going to let him die?" TJ protested.

"Actually, I have an alternative," the doctor brought up.

"Which is?"

"We have the technology to cryogenically freeze you, putting you in a state of suspended animation. You could left in suspension until some sort of cure can be found," he said.

"How long will that take?"

"I'm unsure. We'll take a sample of your blood and analyze it, study it, see if we can determine anything. It may take a week, it may take a month. Maybe even longer," he said.

"I need to discuss this with my wife first. See what she has to say," Tommy said, hopping off the examining table.

"If the suspension is going to work, it has to be now. Waiting any longer will allow your cells to continue to break down. If the deterioration becomes any worse, chyrogenics will no longer be a factor," he warned.

"You mean I have to make the decision now?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so," the doctor sighed.

Tommy walked over to TJ and the others. "I guess there is no other choice, is there guys?" he asked them.

"The people at Bio-Lab are professionals, if anyone can help, it's them," Andros told him.

Tommy turned to Wes. "I'm counting on you to get me out of this one," he said.

"You got it," Wes said, extending his hand to him.

The two of them shook.

"When they do it, I need you to go to my wife and tell her what's happened. Take care of her for me. Tell her I love her, and that I'll be home as soon as I can," he said.

"I will,"

"Thanks man," Tommy sighed.

"Alright Mr. Oliver, if you'll come with me," the doctor said, motioning for him to follow.

"Good luck Tommy, and may the power protect you," TJ said, patting him on the shoulder for luck as they watched Tommy and the doctor walk out the room……

Though it had been almost 20 years, he remembered all of it as if it were yesterday. 'I looked him in the eyes and promised him,' he reminded himself. For years, he felt guilty, almost ashamed of having feelings for her. Part of him felt as though he betrayed a friend, breaking a promise and using it to get close to her. In the beginning, he had every intention of providing for her; but as time went by, and he found himself spending more and more time with her, his intentions changed.

Originally, he tried to blame his feelings of Jen. 'I was vulnerable. I was still hurt after Jen left, I just needed someone…', but that excuse wasn't even enough for him. He knew there was more to it than that.

Wes paused for a moment, picking up a picture of Kim and Trinity sitting on his desk. It was taken years ago; Trinity couldn't have been any older than six or seven at the time. The picture was enough to force him to crack a smile. Some of the happiest times of his life had been spent with the two of them. Granted, part of him always felt as though he was laying on Tommy's side of the bed, laying next to Tommy's girlfriend, living in Tommy's house and taking care of Tommy's daughter. As much as it bothered him, he could never bring himself to ask Kim to move. After all, it was all she had left to remind her of Tommy.

It had eaten him alive for years, knowing that if he'd told her the truth, things would be different. There were times when he was stand in the cryogenic suspension area and simply stare at the unit that held Tommy, wondering if Tommy would approve of what he'd done.

Then it happened…

Almost 1000 years later, Jen and the other Time Force rangers were able to revive Tommy, and he became a part of their team.

When Frax and General Gerrock of the Machine Empire tried to take over the city, Time Force sent Jen, Tommy and the others to help. He was convinced that the moment Kim saw Tommy again, alive and well, she would want him back. He knew she would forget about the years they'd spent together and go back to Tommy…

… but she didn't…

Finally, after years of guilt, years of blaming himself for the way things turned out, Tommy gave him his approval:

"Wes…" he paused. "You take care of her, she's a hell of a woman," he said, extending his hand to him.

"I will," he promised, obliging him.

It was at that moment that he was able to put all the guilt behind him; all the feelings of betrayal were gone. Tommy had given his blessing, and now, he was looking forward to getting on with his life.

"Earth to Wes," he heard a voice say.

He glanced up as he saw Gaby and Eric standing in the doorway snapping her fingers, breaking his concentration and snapping him back into reality.

"Well if it isn't Mr. And Mrs. Myers? What's up?" he asked, trying to sound as if nothing was bothering him. Something told him that Gaby wouldn't leave it at that though.

"I should be asking you the same question," she walked in, sitting in front of his desk. "Wanna tell me what's on your mind?" she inquired.

He rubbed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm okay, its just that today is the big day," he said insincerely, hoping she wouldn't pry.

"I know, your father has that meeting about the merger. This could mean big things for Bio-Lab. I don't know much about the other company, but I've heard good things about them. Apparently they're responsible for the development of distribution of…" she said.

"I don't see what the big deal is. Bio-Lab has gotten along just fine without this other company for years now," Eric mentioned.

"Yeah, but with most of the scientists killed or injured, not to mention most of the Silver Guardians still in critical condition after the Machine Empire's attack, Bio-Lab needs all the help it can get," she brought up.

"This merger will be a good thing. It's a step forward for both companies," Wes added.

"If you say so, but something doesn't feel right to me," he snarled.

"You're paranoid. You always think there's some big conspiracy. Trust me, this is going to work out," Gaby told him.

Wes looked down at his watch. "Speaking of the meeting, we should get down there. It's going to start in a minute," he said, standing up.

"Do you really need me there? You're better at this stuff than I am," Eric pointed out.

"Dad respects your opinion as much as mine, I know he'd want you there. Besides, just in case there is a conspiracy, you need to be there to tell me you told me so," he said with a giggle.

"Whatever Collins," he groaned.

"You two boys run along now and play nicely," she stood up, kissing Eric warmly on the lips. "Just give me a call when the meeting is over and tell me how it went," she said.

"See ya," Eric said as he and Wes walked out the office.

~

The two of them walked into the conference room, where there was a group of people sitting around the table. Wes recognized some of them; Tanya Sloan from Z-Tech was sitting on the far right, Dr. Heather Zaskins, who replaced her father as the top scientist in Bio-Lab after he passed away, and of course his father, Alan Collins, who stood at the head of the table.

"Wes, Eric, you made it," he motioned for them to sit down. "Have a seat, we were just about to get started," his father said. Wes and Eric sat down; conveniently there were two empty chairs next to one another. "I'm sure most of you remember my son, Wesley Collins and his partner, Eric Myers. The two of them command the Silver Guardians," he mentioned.

"Of course," Tanya said.

Mr. Collins motioned to his left. "Wes, Eric, this is Mr. Bruce Wayne, head of Wayne Enterprises in Gotham City," he introduced. Mr. Wayne was an older gentleman, by Eric's estimation, in his mid 50s. His hair was a bit gray, but all things considered, he looked to be in good shape.

"Pleasure to meet you sir," Wes said.

"And this is…" he was cut short as another man stood up. This man considerably younger than Mr. Wayne, Eric noticed, with a bald head and a monotone look on his face. If he had to make a guess, he would have placed him in his early 30s.

"Luthor. Lex Luthor, head of Luthor Corp. Lets get down to business, shall we? We've all heard of the incident that took place in Bio-Lab only a few weeks ago. Apparently an experiment in robotics went wrong and most of your Silver Guardians were lost in the process. These robots made their way into your city, changing civilians into half human/half robot hybrids and were only hours away from taking over your entire city until…" he glanced down at a stack of papers in his folder. "… ah yes, the Power Rangers arrived to fight them off. They were successful in defeating the rogue machines, but the aftermath is devastating your company," he explained.

Mr. Collins cleared his throat. "Yes, many citizens are blaming us for the incident and have filed law suits against Bio-Lab," he mentioned.

"With all due respect, this incident was your fault. You allowed innocent people to be changed into… things," he paused again. "But we're not here to point fingers and place blame. We're here to access your situation and see what we can do to help. As a show of good faith, I have a gift for you," he picked up a small box, handing it to Mr. Collins. "I believe you'll find it works perfectly now," he said.

Mr. Collins opened the box, amazed at what he saw. "The Quantum Morpher," he sighed.

Eric stood up. "But how, it was damaged beyond repair," he brought up.

"I had my top scientists at Luthor Corp take a look at it. It was years beyond anything we could have ever come up with, but ultimately, we determined that it was nothing wrong with the technology itself, the power source had been destroyed. We then replaced the power source with someone even more powerful," he said.

Eric paused, not wanting to mention anything about the Trixyruim crystal, the same crystal that powered the Q-Rex and his Morpher. "What did you use?" he asked.

"We still don't have a name for them, but the nice people of Smallville refer to them as meteor rocks. They're harmless to humans, but emits a certain radiation which, when harnessed properly, can be used as a power source," he explained.

"And where did you get these meteor rocks?" Mr. Wayne asked.

"I have my sources,"

"So what is it that you're proposing Mr. Luthor?" Mr. Collins asked.

"I'm prepared to offer Bio-Lab a complete 50/50 merger, giving you access to all Luthor Corp operations in exchange for the same. Don't think of it as a take over, it's a merger in the strictest sense of the word. Luthor Corp will provide you with the funds needed to repair your building and secure more personnel, and also settle any suits against your company," he told them.

"What's the catch?" Wes asked.

"No catch, just a mutual partnership. I'll be honest, the security at Luthor Corp leaves a little to be desired, and I've heard that your Silver Guardians are the best at what they do. I don't have all the facts, but it seems that Silver Hills and the surrounding cities here in California are protected by the Power Rangers. There is a lot of sensitive equipment in Luthor Corp, and I'd feel much better if I knew that the Silver Guardians and the rangers were there to keep it safe," he explained.

"So you want the guardians to protect your dirty little secrets, is that it Luthor?" Mr. Wayne asked.

"I assure you, none of the classified information at Luthor is considered a dirty little secret, but there are certain aspects of our company that we wouldn't want to fall into the hands of the general public," he glanced towards Mr. Collins. "Certainly you can understand our need for secrecy now and then," he said.

Mr. Collins gave Wes a quick glance, then turned back to Mr. Luthor. "Yes, I do," he sighed.

"What I'm offering is a multi-billion dollar deal. Our scientists will work hand in hand with one another, sharing information and developing new technologies that will…" he was cut short as Wes stood up.

"I'm not comfortable with the idea of our scientists working hand in hand with anyone. Everyone on staff at Bio-Lab have been valued employees for years, and we have a certain trust between us. I don't like the idea of having complete strangers with access to Bio-Lab's information," he said.

"I'd have to agree," Mr. Collins said.

"I can appreciate your need for secrecy, I do, but to be blunt, you don't have much of a choice here. Unless something is done right now, within a year Bio-Lab will be bankrupt. Lawsuits will continue to pile up, staff will continue to go unpaid, hospital bills for Silver Guardians who were injured in the battle will get bigger and bigger. Soon, you'll find yourself so in dept that you'll all be flipping burgers trying to make some extra money. What I'm offering is a chance to save your company, save your jobs and access to files at Luthor Corp in exchange only for your help in keeping our buildings safe and working with other scientists," he told them.

"I've looking over some of the ideas that his scientists propose. All of it seems very promising," Ms. Sloan said, making her presence known.

Now all eyes were on Mr. Collins as the each awaited his response. Wes knew that Bio-Lab was in serious trouble; he knew that without financial backing, the company would fall. Most of their personnel were injured, or worse, and the company's stock had fallen over the last few weeks. Those who were still working were there because they cared about the business, not for a paycheck, and with the lawsuits rolling it right and left, Bio-Lab's future was bleak.

There was something about Luthor, something he didn't like. He wasn't sure if it was Luthor personally, or it was position they were in. Luthor Corp had them right where they wanted them, and there was nothing they could do about it.

It struck him as odd that Bruce Wayne was present in the meeting though. Wayne Enterprises was a well-known corporation, Wayne himself was a multi-billionaire. 'Why didn't Wayne make dad an offer?' he wondered.

"Mr. Luthor," he paused. "You have a deal," Mr. Collins said, extending his hand to him.

"Excellent, I'll have my offices send over the paperwork to make it official, but until then, a handshake will do just fine for me," he said as they shook.

One by one, each of them headed out the conference room.