Eric paced the emergency room waiting area, his agitation not letting him sit still for more than a moment. Small groups of Bio-Lab staff and relatives of the victims stood or sat around the room. Several other Guardians were there also. The Bio-Lab executives were there in force, conferring in hushed voices or talking on their cell phones. The paramedics from the ambulance had told him Mr. Collins was in very critical condition. He had remembered Wes, and contacted him. Now there was nothing to do but wait.

He leaned against the wall for a few moments, trying to relax. Next to him two Bio-Lab board members, Taylor and Jennings, were talking. Hearing their voices, his first impulse was to move away. Both of them disliked him, apparently because they considered him too low-class to associate with as anything approaching an equal, and they had made their contempt very clear in the past. As far as Eric was concerned, the feeling was more than mutual. But he hesitated as he realized what they were talking about.

“We’ll hold the board meeting as planned. We need to deal with the attack, and put together a recovery plan. But we need to decide who’s going to be making the decisions in the immediate future. We can’t let the company fall apart because Collins is out of the picture,” Taylor was saying.

“I agree. And we need to start thinking about new leadership if he doesn’t recover,” Jennings responded.

“You two can’t wait, can you? Mr. Collins built this company, and you’re all set to step in and take it over!” Eric interrupted angrily.

They eyed him with disdain. “This is an executive matter. It doesn’t concern you,” Taylor said dismissively.

“I see,” Eric said just as coldly. He walked away, all his tension returning with a vengeance. Then he turned as he saw a familiar figure charge into the room. Wes stopped for a moment at the nurses’ station, and then ran into the main emergency area, where Eric had been forbidden to follow his employer. Family only allowed. And Wes never even noticed him.

Alex looked around with a disapproving glance as the group of Time Force officers entered the main room of the clock tower. Jen watched him silently. “This is your headquarters?” he asked. “It hardly seems secure. And where’s your computer and scanning equipment?”

“This is our computer,” Trip said, pointing to Circuit. “It has a scanner attached.”

“This? This isn’t a standard issue computer. And this is only a limited-range scanner.”

“I built Circuit myself. It’s just as good as the standard ones. Just looks different,” Trip replied defensively.

“Our long-range scanner was destroyed when our timeship crashed. Along with our teleporter base and most of our larger equipment. This is the best we could do,” Jen explained.

Alex looked them over. “What are you wearing? Contemporary clothing? You all look ridiculous.”

“The clothes let us blend in. We have to survive here, you know. We have to avoid attracting attention,” Jen answered, starting to be annoyed.

“You’re on a military mission. I want you to get back in uniform.”

Jen traded glances with her friends, and nodded. “All right.”

It took her only a few minutes to change. She went back into the main room. The others took their time, giving her some time alone with Alex. She found him standing at the window, looking out at downtown Silver Hills with a pensive expression.

“What’s the matter with you?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You seem so tense. And you don’t seem too happy to see me again. And why didn’t you contact us before, let me know you were alive?”

“Jen -- reality has changed significantly. I’m not really the same Alex you knew. He’s... just gone, forever. And you’re not the same Jen I knew. It wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to contact you before it became necessary. And now that I’m here, this mission is more important than our personal feelings or problems. I have to make sure we succeed. That includes getting you people into shape.”

Jen was quiet for a few moments, feeling a sharp pang of renewed grief for the Alex she had loved, the one who was still dead. But, she realized, now he wasn’t even dead, he had never really existed. Somehow it seemed even worse. With an effort she dragged her thoughts away, and back to the immediate problem. “It’s not like we’ve been playing around here. We’ve been working hard.”

Alex held up his hand. He was holding one of the snapshots they had taken only a day ago. The one showing Wes kissing her. “Right. It looks like you’ve been working really hard.”

Jen gave Alex a glance but decided not to respond. After a pause he turned back to the window.

“How did your version of me die?” he asked quietly.

“He tried to stop Ransik from coming back to this time. He died bravely. Trying to do what he became a Ranger to do.”

“I hope I have as much courage as he did.” He didn’t look at her, his face filled with sadness.

Jen watched him for a moment. “One more question,” she finally said. “In the new timeline, did we come back on the same mission we’re on now?”

“In my reality, there was no mission. Our version of Ransik was killed trying to escape. We intercepted echoes of transmissions from the original timeline. And -- you’re part of history to us. That’s how we knew about your presence here.”

“Are there two of me now? Is ‘your’ Jen waiting in our time?”

“No,” Alex answered evenly. “For years we’ve been fighting a war with the mutants. Many good people died. She was one of them.” He turned to smile slightly at her and lightly brushed the side of her face with his fingertips. “So you see, both of us are… touching a ghost.”

Jen stared at him for a moment. “I’m sorry,” she murmured as the others marched in. They fell into line, now fully uniformed. Jen went to line up with them.

“That’s better,” Alex said. “Now, I can explain a few things.

“There is going to be a major attack on Silver Hills. Frax has broken away from Ransik and has built a battleship, similar to the Q-Rex. He’ll be attacking the city with it any time now. If this attack succeeds, there is a high probability that the formation of Time Force will be prevented and the timeline will revert to the previous one. You all know what that means. Before we have to go after it… any questions?”

Trip spoke up immediately. “What was it we did that made Time Force exist again?”

Alex hesitated for a moment. “You understand, you must not reveal any of this to the people of this time. That includes Wes.” They nodded. “All right. You saved Eric Myers’ life, and the Quantum powers put him in position to become commander of the Silver Guardians.”

“Eric? What’s he got to do with Time Force?” Lucas asked.

“It must have occurred to you by now that the Guardians are the precursor to Time Force. And history records the importance of the Guardians’ first commander. Ransik obviously figured it out; he had Conwing assassinate the Guardians’ true original leader. But he didn’t realize his real problem was Eric, that Porter has been largely forgotten, and Eric is the one remembered by history as the first commander. Bio-Lab will soon suffer major losses. Eric will be instrumental in pulling them through. He will give Bio-Lab and the Guardians the strength they need to survive and eventually grow into Time Force.”

“We wondered about the Guardians. But Mr. Collins only created them in response to Ransik’s attacks. Does that mean Ransik actually caused Time Force to exist, by coming here?” Katie asked.

“Maybe. Maybe Collins would have started the Guardians anyway. At this point, we have no way of knowing for sure what happened in the original timeline. And according to theory, that type of paradox is possible.”

“Eric. Of all people. I guess now we have to be nice to him,” Lucas said.

“You must not tell him, or treat him differently. Don’t interfere with his destiny. Our mission is to make sure Eric, Bio-Lab, and Silver Hills survive the attacks that are coming up.”

“What’s our time like now?” Jen asked softly.

“Conditions are hard. There’s still a war going on between humans and mutants. But we’re winning, and it’s almost over. Time Force was able to prevent the massive destruction in the previous timeline. We’ve executed the mutant leaders of the revolution, and almost succeeded in isolating and imprisoning most of the rest of the mutants in the world.”

Shocked, Jen said nothing. She saw Trip and Katie exchange a frightened glance.

Wes leaned against the large window in the wall of the trauma room where his father was being treated. When the doctors had left, he had feared the worst, but they told him Collins was stabilized for now, and would soon be moved to intensive care. He pressed his forehead against the glass, watching the nurses clean up and prepare to move their patient, trying to catch a glimpse of his father’s face.

With shock starting to wear off, Wes felt overwhelmed with grief. If Alex was right -- and he had been so far -- it was hopeless. And whatever their differences, he and his father were family. They loved each other. Thinking back, Wes now could only remember the good things his father had done for him, the care and concern he had always shown. It seemed obvious -- now -- that even his plans and ambitions for Wes had come out of love. They had had arguments, and some painful things had been said. But Wes had been just as guilty as his father. And none of it should have been important enough to keep them apart for so many months.

A few minutes later, he wandered back to the waiting area, to wait for Collins to be settled into an intensive care room. As he stood, staring blankly, two of Bio-Lab’s executives, Taylor and Jennings, moved in on him.

“How’s he doing?” Taylor asked gently.

“Stable. For now. But it doesn’t look good.”

“We’re all praying for his recovery.” When Wes didn’t respond, Taylor went on. “All of us are very concerned for your father, and I know you want to concentrate on him now. But we need someone at Bio-Lab to carry on, make the decisions until he can take over again. That someone should be you. Your father would want it that way.”

Wes looked at him hopelessly. “I guess you’re right.” As the two men smiled, he added softly, “It’s my destiny.”

Wes let Taylor and Jennings take him back to Bio-Lab, brief him on the agenda for the emergency meeting they wanted him to attend, and even find him a suit to wear. It was easier to do what they wanted, too much effort to argue. Two hours later, he stepped into the Bio-Lab board conference room behind Taylor. Inside, the familiar board members and executives were sitting around the familiar table. All of the faces turned to him. One of them was new; Eric sat at the table, his face showing his surprise. Again Wes was struck by how far Eric had progressed in Bio-Lab; outside of Wes he was the youngest employee at the meeting, and certainly the newest.

Taylor stepped up to the table, cleared his throat importantly, and made his announcement. “We’re all aware of the sad circumstances of this meeting. But I’m happy to tell you that Wesley Collins has agreed to return to Bio-Lab and take over in his father’s place.” He turned to usher Wes into the chair at the head of the table.

Wes sank into his chair and shuffled the papers in front of him, more for appearance than because he was interested. He looked over at Eric again and saw him staring bleakly at the table in front of him.

Eric barely managed to keep the anger out of his face when Wes walked in and took over. He might have known. Wes, the son and heir, the one who always got the breaks. And where did that leave him? Having to report to Wes and obey his orders, having to call him sir, and salute him. Working for a man who had every reason to distrust and dislike him. Eric stared blindly at the table, seething, struggling to control himself. A sudden cracking sound startled him. He realized he had gripped his pencil so hard it had snapped in his fingers.

A few minutes later, his resentful thoughts were cut off by a tap on his shoulder, and one of the Guardians leaned down to whisper in his ear. Glad of anything that got him out of this room, he stood up, glancing over at Wes to see him watching, his expression anxious, maybe even envious. Eric turned his back and walked out.

“Rangers. There are news reports of a large flying machine attacking Bio-Lab buildings. It’s not the Q-Rex,” Circuit announced.

The Rangers stood up, looking at each other uneasily. Jen put a look of confidence on her face and nodded to the others.

“This is it. Let’s go,” Alex said.

They found a scene of chaos. A flying warship, painted to look like a dragon, was systematically blowing up a complex of Bio-Lab storage facilities. The Silver Guardians were out in force, along with the police, conducting an evacuation. Fortunately, the Dragon flyer was not attacking the fleeing employees, targeting mainly the buildings that were already emptied.

The Rangers arrived on their flyers, and sped to the attack. Jen, Lucas, Trip, and Katie immediately fell into the same strategy they had used against the Q-Rex, separating to attack from different directions, not allowing the machine to focus on any one of them. Alex had different ideas. “Fall into v-formation!” he commanded. “Attack from the flank!”

“I don’t think we should group together! Makes it too easy for it to get us all with one shot!” Jen protested.

“I’m doing the thinking here! Get into formation!”

The Rangers obeyed, and true to Jen’s prediction, the Dragon immediately targeted them. Jen, Lucas, Katie, and Trip broke away just in time, distracting the machine from Alex. They came around for another pass, firing steadily but with little effect. Fortunately reinforcements arrived just in time as they saw the Q-Rex approaching swiftly, swooping down into the battle. The TF Eagle was flying next to it and broke off to circle them.

“The Quantum Ranger. Just in time,” Jen heard Alex say.

The Q-Rex attacked and the two flying war machines exchanged a stream of energy fire that quickly increased in intensity until it threatened the retreating Bio-Lab employees, Silver Guardians, and police. Eric was obviously trying to direct the fight away from them, with only partial success. Finally the Q-Rex broke off and the Eagle attacked alone, firing bursts as it looped around the enemy and then fleeing into a safely evacuated area of the complex. The Dragon took the bait and followed. The Q-Rex promptly attacked again, allowing its master to escape safely. The Time Force Rangers flew in to add their efforts to the battle, following Alex’s lead.

As they approached they heard Eric’s voice from their morphers, shouting, “Stay back, you idiots! You wanna get killed?”

Jen, Lucas, Katie, and Trip kept up the attack from a safer distance, but Alex continued to fly closer. The others did their best to draw fire, serving as a distraction that allowed the Q-Rex to get close enough to inflict damage on the Dragon, blowing a deep, sparking hole in the side of its body. The Dragon flew a tight circle, firing a last blast at the Q-Rex, and retreated as suddenly and rapidly as it had come. None of the Ranger flyers were fast enough to follow, and the Q-Rex had suffered some damage itself.

“Return to base,” Alex commanded curtly.

Ten minutes later Jen stood in line again, along with her teammates. Alex paced up and down in front of them, his face stormy. “Your performance today was disgraceful,” he began in a deceptively quiet voice. “You disobeyed orders. You failed to follow me in combat. If you continue like this, we don’t have a chance. Do you realize what could happen?” His voice grew louder and angrier. “You must have had easy lives in the original timeline. It’s made you soft. Or maybe it’s the time you’ve spent here.” He paced back past them. “Do you care what happens in your own time, to your families and friends? Or have you forgotten about it completely?”

“We haven’t forgotten! We care as much as you do!” Katie burst out angrily. She controlled herself with an effort as Alex glared at her, adding, “Sir.”

“I hope so. Unless this mission succeeds, there won’t be anything to remember.”

“Your orders would have gotten us killed. Eric saw that. Why don’t you?” Jen asked.

Alex turned on her. “You’re not in command of this mission anymore. It’s not your place to question me. Next time you will all follow orders. Dismissed!” He stalked away, into one of the side rooms.

Lucas stepped forward, fists clenched. “I’ll dismiss you,” he muttered.

“How can he say that?” Katie asked. “We care about our world more than anyone. What did we do to make him so mad?”

“Nothing. We didn’t do anything wrong,” Jen said.

“What did you ever see in that guy?” Lucas demanded, still boiling.

“He’s not the same Alex I fell in love with,” Jen said quietly and miserably. “Not the same person we all knew. You can see that.”

Trip sat down at the picnic table, looking dejected. “I kind of miss Wes.”

“We all do,” Jen said.

Eric was still angry and frustrated when he returned to Bio-Lab after the battle. Seeing Taylor and Jennings conferring in the hallway near his office did not improve his mood. He started to pass them when Taylor stepped into his path.

“I understand your flying machine caused some of the damage today. That was irresponsible.”

Eric’s already frayed temper snapped. “I was trying to save lives. If you think you can do a better job, you go out there and fight!”

“You’re supposed to be protecting Bio-Lab property and Bio-Lab personnel. And today you failed. Twice.”

Eric’s voice lowered dangerously. “I’m doing my job. Now get out of my way.”

Taylor smiled frostily. “Bio-Lab is under new management now, and I don’t think Wesley will protect you like his father did. I’m going to make sure you won’t be wearing that uniform much longer.”

Eric saw Taylor flinch back and knew the fury he felt was showing on his face. Hitting the man was not a practical option, so he shot him a final glare and stormed into his office, only letting himself feel fear when the door had slammed behind him.

Frax paced impatiently as he watched his cyclobots swarm over the Dragon flyer, starting the work of repair. A trail of smoke drifted from the hole the Q-Rex had blasted in its hull, and Frax’s sensors detected fine particles of burnt wire and insulation in the air. Had he still been human, he would have smelled the acrid odor.

“I never would have thought they could damage you,” Frax said to his creation. “Next time, I’ll have to take a more active part. Luckily, I have another device to use against the Rangers.” He moved to one of his worktables, and fondly touched a large rifle-like weapon. “With this to dampen the power of their weapons -- as soon as I can get close enough, I can shut the Rangers down. Destroy them if I have to. I can’t let them harm you again. And I can’t let anything stop me.”

After the Bio-Lab board meeting broke up with an announcement summarizing the latest attack on Bio-Lab, and the Rangers’ successful defense, Wes wandered to his father’s office for lack of anywhere better to go. He was grateful that his father and the Guardians had always kept his involvement with the Rangers as secret as possible. He didn’t think he could stand anyone asking why he had been sitting in a meeting room instead of fighting along with his teammates.

The office was dark and bare as always. But now it seemed gloomy and empty, without its rightful occupant. Wes stared at the chair behind the desk, almost seeing his father in it, the way Wes had usually seen him, busy on the phone or with his head bent over a pile of papers. Unwilling to sit in that chair, and unable to stay still, Wes paced around the office.

He looked up when Taylor appeared at the door and asked, “Are you free for a few minutes? There are some matters Mr. Jennings and I would like to discuss with you. It concerns the Guardians.”

“I think I should get back to the hospital. Doesn’t Eric take care of the Guardians?”

“If you want to go back to the hospital I’ll get the limo for you. With your permission we’ll ride with you. One of the things I want to discuss is Mr. Myers.” Taylor pulled out his cell phone and gave orders as they walked to the front entrance, collecting Jennings along the way. The limo was waiting when they got there, the driver holding the door.

“Right this way, Mr. Collins,” he said.

Wes almost looked around for his father before realizing he was Mr. Collins now. Somehow it seemed to sum up all his grief and fear, not only for his father but also for his own loss of freedom and choice, the loss of the future he wanted for himself. He slid into the seat, and watched the door slam shut and lock.