Mick wasn't the sleeping type. Of course, his body demanded he rest, so he always got a few hours of sleep a night, but he was no stranger to staying up late and being awake earlier. He was always the first one to be working in the Ranger base, so when he awoke to hear some noises, and when he saw RedBot still recharging at his station, Mick had to wonder who it was.

He stumbled off his mattress and made his way over to the workstations. There, he saw Sarah tinkering with a small device. It wasn't anything he had been working on, so he assumed it was purely her own creation.

"Morning?" he said with a bit of a questioning tone. She looked up at him briefly and though her whole face screamed exhaustion, she smiled brightly.

"Good morning!"

"You're up early," he told her and noticed she had a couple empty containers of coffee on the table, with a third in her hand. "How long have you been here?"

"Uh… a few hours?" she said.

"So, you didn't sleep?"

"I couldn't," Sarah answered. "Too many ideas. I came up with this!"

She held out her creation for Mick to inspect. He took it in his hand, but couldn't determine what it was just by looking to it. He gave it back with a curious smile.

"It's a…"

"Time machine," Sarah said. "At least, it will be, once I figure out time travel, you know."

"Yeah, that's the big roadblock for us all," Mick nodded his head. "So, you want to… go back in time?"

"Exactly!"

"Why?"

"To save my dad."

"Uh…" Mick's face fell and he wasn't sure where to carry the conversation from here. However, he knew time travel was a bad idea. There wasn't a doubt in his mind about that. Going to the past would always have consequences on the present and the future. Time was such a sensitive dimension that even the travel itself could jeopardize everything, "W-Why? How are you going to save your dad?"

"I want to see what happened to him," Sarah said. Mick walked over a little closer and put his hand on Sarah's arm, taking her off her work for just a moment. She looked to him. "Mick…"

"Sarah, I don't think that's a good idea."

"They never found a body," Sarah told him. "Mick, I know I might not see what I want to see but… dad was out to lunch with his boss when Galvanax attacked. He was right in the heart of it. Everyone else was found but him. That should mean something, right?"

"Sometimes there's just no body to find," Mick said. He would much rather she hear it from him than learn first hand.

"I have to be sure."

"Sarah…"

"If I can see what happened to him, where he went or… something, I'll know what I can do for him now," Sarah said. "I'll know if he's gone or where to find him if he is still alive and I can come back here and…"

"Sarah, this isn't a good idea," Mick told her flatly. "You said it yourself, your father was in the heart of the attack. You'll be putting yourself in danger just to get some answers you may no like. I understand what it's like not knowing…"

"You can't," Sarah shook her head. "You can't, because if you did, you wouldn't be telling me…"

"You need to believe me, Sarah. There are a lot of questions I have that I've given up on finding the answers too," Mick insisted. "And I know how much it hurts, and how hard that is to do, but time was meant to travel one way. Going back isn't an option."

"It is," Sarah assured him. "And Mick, I have to know. Maybe living with uncertainties works for you, but it doesn't for me. I don't care if I go back and I watch him die. I don't care if I can't save him. At least… you know, at least that's better than wondering what happened. Wondering if he's still out there. He could be lost or scared or he could need help. Maybe he needs the Rangers to find him. If I don't do this…"

"Sarah…"

"Mick, I have to do this," Sarah insisted and pulled away from the mechanic. She grabbed her device in her hands. "You can't stop me. So either you let me work here, or I head back home and finish this up in my garage."

Mick felt he was at a crossroads here. He was certain that time travel was dangerous and he didn't want Sarah to risk herself just for a couple of answers he was sure were going to hurt her, but he knew the pink Ranger also tended to be impulsive, particularly when she was excited. If she could create a working time machine, and Mick had faith that she would figure it out, she would certainly jump right in. At least if she was at the base, under his watch, he could go with her to keep his eye on her, or he could have the other Rangers…

He shook his head. No way would he let the other Rangers travel with her. This was already dangerous enough. Sarah would be bringing herself right into the heart of one of the deadliest attacks Summer Cove had ever seen. Losing one Ranger would already be a tragedy. If Mick wanted someone to look after Sarah, he would need to do it himself.

"You can use my tools," he told her and the smile returned to her face. "As long as you let me help. Let me come along with you."

"Deal," Sarah agreed and rushed over to his toolbox. Mick let out a heavy sigh as he looked to her device. He just prayed this wouldn't end as terribly as her holo-clones.

-Ninja-Steel-

"So?" Jenny asked as she stood in her living room. Shane took his eyes off the TV for just a moment to see his sister dressed in… he wasn't sure.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he asked.

"You don't like it?" Jenny frowned and gave her outfit a second look. "You don't think it makes me look… hip?"

"Hip?" Shane shook his head. "Jen, you look like you went back in time to 2003 and stole all the clothes from my closet."

"Really?"

"Don't you have a job interview today?"

Jenny sighed and fell into the couch. She had decided that it was time she go back to work. Bill's life insurance would only take her so far and if she wanted to ensure a comfortable life for herself and Sarah, she would need money coming in very soon. She had to quit her job when she and Bill moved to Summer Cove, and hadn't gotten the chance to look for a new one since.

"I do."

"And you're going like that?"

"It's at a younger firm," Jenny answered. "My boss is easily six years younger than me."

"Seriously?"

"I didn't think he'd appreciate me walking in looking… old."

"You're hardly old."

"When I dropped off my resume, everything was so… casual," Jenny said. "And everyone working there was kids. I'm pretty sure they have more in common with Sarah than me. I don't want to stand out."

"Isn't that exactly what you want to do in a job interview?" Shane asked her. "You know, stand out?"

"Yeah, in a good way," she answered. "Like, 'wow, isn't she amazing'? Or 'she's really got something we want to bring in'. Not, 'look at the old, single mom coming in a pantsuit with her nose up'."

"If it helps, you're not a single mom," Shane said, earning himself a punch in the arm from his sister. "You're a single step-mom."

"Shane…"

"Jen, just go in there, be yourself. If they don't like you, then you wouldn't have enjoyed working there anyway," Shane assured her with a smile. Jenny sighed.

"So I should change?"

"Yes, please," he begged her teasingly.