Author's Disclaimer: I would like to thank project314 for the use of the beginning of this story, which he personally penned. Every part taking place in Mariner Bay was originally thought up by project314.

Mariner Bay, California (Taking place during the end of "Power Rangers in Space" arc)

Tommy had only been waiting for a few minutes when the door to the Chief's office opened and a young woman stepped out to greet him. She couldn't have been more than a few years older than him, most probably a college student. Definitely easy on the eyes with her shoulder-length honey-blond hair and her cute smile, seeing her reminded him of Kat.

"Hi," she said, "extending her hand. "You must be Tommy. The Chief will be there in a few minutes, but in the meantime, I'll show you into his office and you can wait for him there."

"Thank you," he answered, shaking her hand and following her in the next room. Once she left him, he sat down, setting his case by his side, and started to look around, taking stock of all the plaques and awards that adorned the walls of this place.

As a Power Ranger, Tommy had always had the protection of the Morphing Grid when going up against monsters, which kept him safe from some of the most lethal hits and attacks they launched at him. He'd had it easy when compared to these guys, who always rushed into the unknown, never certain if they'd make it out alive or not, but still willing to put their lives on the line for others.

"Slightly intimidating, I know," said the man who then stepped into the room. "I've never cared for all of it so much, but I've always found that it inspires new recruits. The media love it, too. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Oliver."

"Thank you, sir," Tommy replied as he shook the man's hand and sat back down.

"Now," the Chief continued, installing himself behind his large mahogany desk "why don't you tell me a bit about why you want to join our ranks, son?"

"Actually," Tommy began, knowing that this is where it started to get tricky, "that's not exactly the kind of recruitment I had in mind."

"You'll have to enlighten me then," the Chief continued. "It seemed to me from the message left by Jerome Stone, that you were interested in joining us."

"Actually," Tommy said, beginning to struggle as his preparedness was falling apart, "I just really needed to meet you, and that was just a pretext."

"So, what is it you want from me, exactly, young man?" the Chief asked, a slight annoyance beginning to creep into his voice.

At this point, Tommy knew that anything fancy or elaborate he might have concocted would more likely blow up in his face. A direct and honest approach was his best shot.

"I'm here about your son, sir," he said, "I'm here about Ryan."

Those words had hit Chief Bill Mitchell like a brick wall. Over the last few minutes, he'd gone through quite a varied range of emotions, from cordial to slightly annoyed and now, with this unexpected revelation, he found himself overflowing with a mix of anger and sorrow.

"What do you know about Ryan?" he asked slowly, intent on making it clear that he expected a straight answer.

"I know that on March 25th, 1985, a demonic signature was tracked to and from the location where you and your family had an accident that took you off a road," Tommy Oliver answered. "You and your daughter were found by emergency personnel hanging on to a tree limb off the side of a cliff. Your son wasn't with you, although we have reason to believe he wasn't entirely lost to you that night."

A wave of sorrow washed over Bill Mitchell as he began to relive the traumatic events of that night. "The demon's name was Diabolico," he explained, "and when he arrived, Dana and Ryan were both holding on to me, but Ryan was slipping. Diabolico offered to save my son's life in exchange for his freedom. At first, I didn't want to go through with such a deal, but for Ryan's life? I didn't have a choice, especially once Ryan lost his grip on me and began falling. I called out for Diabolico and he saved my son, telling me I would see him again on his 20th birthday."

"I'm sorry I had to bring you back to that night, Chief Mitchell," Tommy continued once he'd heard all the details, confirming pretty much everything Billy and Zordon had been able to piece together regarding the event, "but I had to make you remember what you'd lost before I made you an offer I need you to accept, as the fate of the world might rest in your hands."

"What is it?" Bill Mitchell asked. "Though more importantly, who are you, really?"

"I truly am Tommy Oliver," Tommy said. "That wasn't a lie. And until a year and a half ago, I was a Power Ranger."

"A Power Ranger?" Mitchell countered, skeptical. "Can you prove this?"

"Unfortunately, no." Tommy answered. "All my power sources have been drained or destroyed over the years. However, I do have something in here that might convince you I'm being honest."

Bill Mitchell looked on as Tommy picked up the case that was by his chair and placed it on the desk. He then opened it and pulled out a smaller metallic receptacle. He took a small device from it and replaced the case on the chair next to him.

"What is that?" Mitchell asked, nodding towards what Tommy was holding.

"It's a new morpher prototype," Tommy answered, strapping it to his wrist. "It's linked to what we call the Morphing Grid and although the threads are slightly different than previous versions, these powers are just as formidable."

Just as Bill Mitchell was about to follow up with another question, Tommy stood up, took a fighting stance, and flicked a switch on the morpher, calling out, "Lightspeed Force, Power Up!"

A second and a blinding flash of light later, he stood before Mitchell in a skin tight red and white uniform, with a red helmet. "Satisfied?" When all Mitchell could respond was a nod, Tommy called out "Power down!" and was instantly back in his civilian clothes.

"So," Tommy continued as he removed the morpher from his wrist and put it back in its place, "now that I've gotten your undivided attention, I can tell you why I'm here. I need you to be the mentor to the next incarnation of Power Rangers, and defend Mariner Bay from the forces of Diabolico and his brethren."

"You want me to what?" Bill Mitchell had asked Tommy following the rather unique proposal that had been made to him.

"You understood me just fine," Tommy said. "These demons took your son and they did it for a reason. They knew, somehow, that you would be a major player once they got out, and so they tried to take you out of the running ahead of time by taking away your hope, by taking away Ryan. You have to take them on."

Bill Mitchell's head dropped briefly and he asked, raising his eyes slowly. "So how do I go about doing this? You give me this "morpher" and somehow I fight them and save the world?"

"Actually," Tommy said before pulling two thick files out of the case and handing them to him, "I'm going to give you a lot more."

"First file," he began, "contains information on individuals that have been approached over the past years and months, people who will help you make this happen. First off, your government and army liaison General Rodger McKnight, who will be able to grant you pretty much anything you'll need from budget, to manpower, to the latest technologies available on the market."

"Also, Commander Norquist, from NASADA, who is currently assisting in the final preparations of the Terra Venture project, and who will be putting any needed resources at your disposal. He's notably accepted to assign Angela Fairweather, his top researcher and creator, in charge of the Lightspeed project."

"Last but not least, Billy Cranston an ex-Power Ranger like myself, and Cestro, who reside on the water-based planet Aquitar. Our sources indicate that these demons have an aversion to water and therefore we feel Aquitian technology could give us the edge we need for the coming battle."

"This takes me to the second file," Tommy continued as Mitchell opened up a folder filled with diagrams and blueprints. "It contains plans for what we call the Lightspeed Aquabase. Inspired by constructions on Aquitar, it's an underwater base where you will lead your operations. It also contains basic information that will help Angela Fairweather with the design of morphers, weapons and zords."

"That's a great skeleton for this operation, Tommy," Mitchell said, still poring through the folder's contents, "but one important question remains. Who will be a part of this team?"

"We're leaving that to your discretion, Chief Mitchell," Tommy answered. "You need to select a group of individuals that you feel confident will be able to work together to face what will at times seem like unbeatable odds. I will suggest, however, that you make your daughter a part of this."

Mitchell raised his eyes from the papers upon hearing this. "Dana?" he questioned. "Why?"

"The demons went after Ryan to weaken you," Tommy stated, "they'll go after Dana the moment they're free to take you out once and for all. Make her a part of this team, and you'll be giving her the power to fight them off and teammates to watch her back."

Bill Mitchell nodded once, and Tommy could see that any questioning or uncertainty he might have felt had given way to firm resolve.

"And Ryan?" he asked, finally.

"Diabolico said you'd see him again on his twentieth birthday," Tommy said. "I'd count on that happening, although from personal experience, I wouldn't be surprised if he comes back as a pawn of Diabolico, to take on your team. You'll just have to be ready for him."

"When do we start?" Bill Mitchell asked, and Tommy smiled, just knowing that things in Mariner Bay would turn out all right.