Present day…

Tommy was pounding a hammer against a piece of wood, driving the nail in. It had been a year since the destruction of his home, but since then a new one had taken its place; thanks to his old time friend Smitty things had moved along quickly and Tommy was able to leave the Collins cabin. He was just adding the last few finishing touches, when an old friend had dropped by, with an offer of a lifetime. It was almost too hard to pass up, but it was time for him to move on from that life.

"Andros, I appreciate the offer. Really. But I can't," he told him with a faint smile. "I promised several people I'd given that up." Tommy continued to work hard on his shed.

"Look, if it's the whole health thing that's stopping you, that can be taken care of. I know someone who can fix that, with treatment," Andros told him knowing that because of the different amount of ranger powers that Tommy has been exposed to there were concerns that his body and heart couldn't handle anymore.

"It's not just the health thing." Tommy stopped what he was doing and faced Andros. "I've been doing this since I was fifteen. In a few years I'll be in my thirties. I want to have a life, start a family."

"You can still have a family and do what you always loved, while getting paid for it," Andros wasn't about to give up. He knew Tommy was the best of any of them, he would be perfect for the job.

Tommy laughed at the thought. It almost seemed worth it, but… "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to find someone else."

"Tell me you don't miss it."

Tommy smiled faintly. "A part of me will always miss it, but I need to find what else is out there for me, than being a ranger." Tommy turned to Andros hoping his old friend would respect his wishes. "I'm sorry Andros, please understand."

Andros sighed heavily, nodding his head. "I understand." Andros knew it was a long shot Tommy had been a ranger for nearly as long as he has. "I had to try; after all, you are the best."

"Thanks."

"Well, I should be going, let you get back to your work." Andros bid farewell starting to make his way to his car to head back home to Angel Grove.

"But I will make a suggestion..."

"Jen…" It had been a year, since she left him, since she told him she didn't love him, that she still loved Alex. Although he had come to accept it, he hadn't quite gotten over it. He was hurting on the inside even though he wasn't showing it on the outside. He had been keeping busy, commanding the Silver Guardians and preparing for when one day he would take over his father's position. It was the only thing that kept him going, kept him from giving up on life. But sometimes, most of the time, even that wasn't enough.

Over the past three months he had taken on a lot of responsibility. Hayley had gotten a request to go work with the FBI in Detroit, Michigan. Tommy had been able to pull a few strings. He figured he owed her one. But this did put a damper on her relationship with Eric. For the first couple of months Wes could see Eric suffering. And he knew what he was going through. He too knew what it felt like to be so far apart from the one you love.

So Wes talked to his father and then the two talked to Eric, telling him, if he wanted he could leave the Silver Guardians to go be with Hayley. At first Eric had refused, but a couple of days later he had given in, but had said that he would return once Hayley's transfer went through, but that could take a while.

And now Wes was alone. His friends were gone. The woman he loved was gone. It was just him and his father. For the most part he had been keeping to himself, but did his best to stay in contact with Tommy and the others. In fact, a few weeks ago, Wes had gone to Conner's championship college soccer game; afterwards the two went out and celebrated.

Yet lately, Wes had been getting frequent visits from Andros Hammond, or rather his father had. He wasn't quite sure what the two had been talking about, but the past weekly reports had shown new design developments and listed several locations to expand the Silver Guardian bases, including New Tech City, an hour hour away from Silver Hills. Also there had been several business expenses that Wes couldn't quite figure out what they were for. It had nothing to do with Bio-Lab or the Guardians, or even any of the charities they took part in. So who or what was the money going to?

He hadn't asked his father what this was all about, but he knew sooner or later he would have to know, so for now he would just have to wait and see. Perhaps it was nothing.

He heard a knock at his door. "Come in," answered Wes, looking up from his work.

He watched as Andros walked in, one of the greatest rangers known and one of the few whom everyone knew had at one time been a ranger. It had been close to seven years since Andros and his team had saved the Earth as well as the universe from destruction.

"Andros, to what do I owe this visit," asked Wes, putting his work aside as Andros walked over and took a seat.

"Well, as you know, over the past few weeks I have had several meetings with your father."

"Yes. I'm aware of that."

"Do you know what it's about?"

Wes shrugged his shoulders. "All I know is it has to do with new developments and expanding the Silver Guardian locations."

Andros nodded his head. "Yes, that is part of it. As you know times are changing, slowly, but changing no doubt."

"Where is this going Andros?" Andros wasn't one to make social visits.

"In a matter of five years, I believe alliances with other worlds will start to take place. Earth and my home planet KO-35 in a manner of months will have finished negotiations, and will be allies in the universe; other worlds have taken notice of this and soon would like to start making negotiations." He eyed Wes very closely. "And I'm not just talking humans."

Wes leaned forward. "You mean….Aliens?"

Andros nodded his head. "Technically speaking, yes, but each of these different beings, races if you will, have their own species of names; we are humans and the list goes on."

Wes cracked a smile. "Look, Andros, I know you have special contacts with the President and other world leaders. But do you really think they're going to agree to this?" Wes knew it was a big step to allow others from other worlds to live on earth, especially when a number of aliens have more then once tried to take over the planet.

"They already has." Andros then pulled out a file and showed it to Wes, just stating what he had just said to him. "Saving the world, along with the universe, has its privileges."

Wes leaned back against his seat. "I'll say."

"You don't sound too pleased with the idea of sharing the Earth with an alien. Didn't you have a friend that's a Xybrian? Trip, right?" asked Andros.

"Yeah." Wes sighed. "Sorry, this is just a lot to take in right now."

Andros nodded his head, understanding. "I understand, since Eric Myers' departure you've had a lot to deal with. We can finish this conversation another time if you like."

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Next week, okay? This week I'll be traveling to Sirius and be meeting with one of its commanders, Anubis Cruger. It seems they've had several attacks on their planet. I'll be checking it out, along with my team."

"One of the alien planets seeking an alliance with Earth?"

"Yes." Andros nodded his head and got up from his seat.

Wes stood up as well to shake Andros's hand. "And what kind of, ah-"

Andros grinned. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Wes nodded his head. "Take care and be careful out there in space."

"Always am." Andros waved goodbye and left Wes's office.

Mr. Collins was just finishing up eating his dinner when Wes arrived home. Wes walked into the dinning room, took off his jacket and hung it over the chair, before sitting down.

"I would have thought you would have been home hours ago."

"Yeah. Something came up," answered Wes. One of the workers then set a plate of food in front of him. "Thanks." the worker smiled and left the room.

"Wes, son, is everything all right?" asked his father, looking at Wes, concerned. Ever since Eric had left to go be with Hayley, Wes had been down and distant.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Dad." Wes took a bite of his food. "Andros stopped in today."

"Did he? What'd you talk about?"

Wes smiled. "Not much. Just outerworld alliances with Earth."

"Ah yes." His father smiled. "I have had very interesting conversations with Andros about that."

"Really? Seems you two have been talking a lot lately."

"Yes we have," Collins finished his food and set it aside. "Did you know his home planet owns a satellite prison? It's a little outside the planetary system. Very protected and safer too, very few have ever escaped with their lives."

Wes wasn't sure what had gotten his father interested in law enforcement and the defense industry, first back in 2001 with the Raimei, and then leading to the creation of the Silver Guardians, with ranger-like blasters. Which at the time and even today seemed very odd to Wes; his father as far as he knew never showed any interest in this industry before. And what shook Wes even more was that the Raimei was twenty years in the making, a top secret project his father had started a few years after he had been born. Wes had always wondered where the technology for the Raimei had come from, and whether there were more secrets that Bio-Lab was hiding.

Wes had always known for the most part for his dad to be a good man, but everyone has their secrets. "Wow. Really."

"Yes. Much more sophisticated than our prisons here."

Wes watched as his father's eyes glowed, the more he talked about the alliances and the satellite prison owned by Andros' home planet KO-35. It was as if there was something his father wasn't telling him, hadn't told him as of yet, as if something would be changing very soon. Change. That was the big thing Andros had talked about, within five years everything here would be changed, and dramatically, in a short amount of time. It didn't seem possible to Wes, and it was as if these changes were already taking place.

"Dad, is there something you're not telling me?" asked Wes.

Collins' bright smile turned to a sudden frown, as if he had been caught off-guard. He sighed heavily. "Well I-"

"I am sorry to interrupt, but you have an important call waiting for you in your office, Mr. Collins."

"Tell them I'll call them back."

"I would sir, but it's a Mister Gunther Drew."

Collins fell silent, and Wes noticed the uncomfortable glance shared between his father and Philips. Something was up.

"Tell him I'll be right there."

Philips nodded his head and headed off to Collins' office.

Wes watched as his father stood up. "Dad, didn't a Gunther Drew used to work for you, one of your associates who oversaw the Venomark bite serum?" Wes had remembered the young man, late twenties to early thirties, who had overseen the whole process of the treatment being created along with several scientists and the Silver Guardians and himself.

"Ah yes, that would be him."

"Didn't he leave Bio-Lab a year later, shortly after his daughter was born?" It had been a good three years since Wes had seen or even heard about Gunther Drew. It always seemed odd to Wes, that Gunther Drew left his position at Bio-Lab from the few talks they had, Gunther always seemed like the perfect fit.

"I really need to take this call, Wes, we'll talk later," answered his father all too quickly, looking very uneasy and perhaps even frightened. He then quickly made his way out of the dinning room towards his office.

"What was all that about?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned with, Master Wes," said Philips, as he picked up Wes's dinner plate.

"The last time you told me that was when I was thirteen and a big merger with my father's company was taking place."

"Yes, you were thirteen and you needed not to be concerned about such things," replied the old butler.

"I'm not thirteen anymore, Philips."

The boy was too smart for his own good back then, some things never change. "No, you're not, but even so, this is between your father and Mr. Drew, so I suggest for the time being you stay out of it."

Wes was a little caught off-guard. Philips, for as long as he had known him, Philips had never talked to him in that way, not with such a tone or harshness, but it wasn't mean, it sounded more protective, like Philips was protecting him from something, but what? What could an old butler and his father be protecting a grown man from? It just didn't make any sense.

Wes walked past his father's office as he was on the way to his bedroom, but the yelling and shouting in the room caught his ear.

"Yes, I understand the payments haven't been as much as normal, but this new development has been taking a lot of time and money… Yes we still have our agreement, that hasn't changed….. No!... no I won't forget….please just give me time. This new project will benefit your daughter, as well as the rest. I can assure you of that… Yes I understand, that doesn't change our deal…. No he doesn't, he hasn't found the right-….. yes…. I know, I don't know what it's like…. Alright, goodbye."

"Payment? What payment?" Wes asked himself silently. Why would his father be paying Gunther Drew and what did Gunther's daughter have to do with any of it? What was going on here? And what others were his father speaking of? None of this was making any sense. What was going on that his father didn't want him to know about?