Fall 2001
5 years of intense studying, Tommy Oliver was finally done with college. He was officially an MIT graduate, and now had his doctorate in Paleontology. He had a lot to think about for his future, but on this day, he was just relieved to be done with school.

He was quickly met by his college best friend, Hayley Ziktor. Hayley was overjoyed and quickly hugged Tommy, "Congratulations Dr. Oliver! I'm so proud of you… after all the tutoring I had to do with you, I wasn't sure this day was ever going to come!"

Tommy laughed as he returned the hug, "Thanks, Hayley! I know I'm not a genius like you, but I really do appreciate all the help you gave me."

Hayley just smiled… the young rocket scientist had already graduated a year earlier, but she had to come and support her best friend. Hayley was currently working in the private sector, and she had some great news to share, "Well now that you graduated, what are you planning on doing next Tommy?"

Tommy shrugged, "I'm not sure yet… I'm ready to head back home to California. I'll probably just apply at some museums closer to home."

Hayley asked, "Have you thought about applying for a position with your mentor's company? That would be a great fit for you, and it's perfect since it's closer to your hometown."

Tommy had interned under Dr. Anton Mercer, a well-known billionaire and philanthropist, for his doctorate program. It was a competitive program, but Anton had taken a liking to Tommy and took a personal interest in his training. Anton was impressed with Tommy's work ethic out on his first dig and hoped to hire the young man for a huge research project his company was about to start.

Tommy replied, "That would be great… I learned a lot from Dr. Mercer, but I'm not sure if he'll hire me due to the fact I just graduated. A company like that wants people with work experience."

Hayley smirked, "I have a feeling you will get an offer. You worked hard to keep up your grades and managed to pull off a respectable 3.5 GPA. Besides, I would like to be able to see my best friend more often as I am going to be moving to Reefside soon."

Tommy grinned at the great news, "I'm so happy you're going to be close by! I'm sure your job here isn't too happy."

Hayley just smirked, "The new job offered me great money, but to be honest, I am getting a little tired of working in the private sector. I'm just going to work the job for a year or two to save up money, and then consider if I want to do something different."

Tommy teased, "You're too smart for your own good, Hayley… I wouldn't be surprised if you end up running your own business one day."

Hayley liked that idea, "Ooh, that sounds great. I'll really have to think about that. I'm going to look for your parents… I'm sure they want to congratulate you!"

Tommy laughed as Hayley went on her way… he was honestly happy that he had such a great friend in Hayley. He was glad that they would be able to continue their friendship, and now was honestly looking forward to returning home.

Suddenly Tommy heard a familiar voice behind him, "Well, Congratulations Dr. Oliver… I'm glad all your hard work paid off."

Tommy turned around to see his mentor, "Dr. Mercer! I'm so glad to see you. I wasn't expecting you to come to the graduations."

Anton grinned, "Please, Tommy, call me Anton. As a mentor, I wanted to be here to see my students graduate. And I have a keen interest in your future career, Tommy."

Tommy was surprised, "Well, Anton, I'm not sure what I want to do yet. I'm moving back home to California… I'll probably start applying for jobs after the new year."

Anton gave his protégé a look, "Well, you're in luck. I'm returning to my headquarters in California as well, and my company is about to start a huge research project in Reefside. Dr. Oliver, what do you think about combining Dinosaur DNA with Robot technology?"

Tommy was fascinated at the prospect, "Sounds interesting… sounds like you're going to have a lot of work on your hands with this project."

Anton then patted Tommy on the shoulder, "Tommy, you impressed me with your work ethic as I mentored you for the doctorate program. I want to hire you to work for me, and work on this project with me. We can do a lot of good to help the world… and I also hired several other of my former students for this. You would have to move to Reefside, and we would be based on Reefside Island throughout the duration of our research. What do you think?"

Tommy was shocked at the offer… he never expected to get a job offer so soon and was thrilled at the chance to work for his mentor. There was only one answer he could give, "I'm honored that you're offering me a job… yes, I'll accept the job."

Anton shook Tommy's hand in agreement, "Wonderful… I can't wait to work with you as a colleague Dr. Oliver. I'll have my assistant get in contact with you soon to start your hiring paperwork, and we'll be heading to Reefside Island after the holidays. Use this time to get your move in order… Reefside is a lovely city, and I know you will enjoy living there."

Anton excused himself to make his rounds to congratulate his other students and left with a smug smile on his face, pleased that he got Tommy to accept his job offer. Tommy was going to be a great asset to his company, and Anton had a feeling Tommy was going to be a huge help getting their research project off the ground.

Tommy quickly looked for Hayley and his parents and was so excited to share his great news. Hayley was thrilled that her best friend got the job; it was a bonus that she and her best friend would be living in the same town again! Hayley had already found a home in Reefside and offered to help Tommy with his move to the seaside city.

Tommy's parents were so proud of him… while they had hoped Tommy would return to Angel Grove for a while (Tommy had education credentials to teach science and could easily be hired as a teacher at his old high school), they were excited for their son and wished him the best.

Tommy was honestly happy… his future was looking bright. He could not wait to start his new job working as a partner with his mentor, but Tommy had no idea that working for Anton was about to lead him back into the ranger world.

I'm back with a new project! I'm still going to be working on I Will, but this could not get out of my mind. This will be my spin on Dino Thunder, so I hope everyone enjoys!