"Hey guys, look at Mack! He's doing the robot!"
Laughs rose up from the group of costumed superheroes as Mackenzie Hartford, one of their own, began doing the strange mechanical dance in his cardboard robot suit. His father Andrew Hartford, who had quickly thrown together a mad scientist's getup, stared in shock from afar, unaware that his son had made his costume so quickly. The young man hadn't even decided on his costume by that morning, and the day had been eventful enough to keep production of the somewhat elaborate suit hard to get to during the day.
Perhaps he had been concealing his costume idea until the party, Andrew wondered to himself.
Mack looked over at his surprised dad and smiled happily, then went back to dancing with the group.
"Sir, I must say that I was impressed at the speed in which the Rangers got this entire party completed in." Spencer, the Hartfords' resident butler who had dressed in an admiral's uniform, commented. "And their costumes are top notch as well! Master Mack's is very elaborate for the amount of time he had to make one."
"I agree. I'm just glad to see them all in good health after today's events." Hartford replied.
"As am I." Spencer smiled. "Ah, here comes Rose."
Rose, who was dressed as a pink catgirl, walked over to the two and smiled. "Hello Mr. Hartford, Spencer." A quick smile was flashed to both.
"Hey Rose. Do you need something?" Hartford asked.
"Well, I saw you two just standing over here, and I was gonna come over and get you guys out here dancing. It's your party too."
"Oh, Miss Rose, my dancing days are long done. Besides…this is not the sort of music I dance to." Spencer replied.
"Ah, well…I'm not a good dancer…I wouldn't want to embarrass you guys in front of the group you've gathered…and anyways, this is your party." Hartford replied.
"Oh, those're all bad excuses!" Rose replied. "C'mon, this is your party too!" She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him out.
Mack continued dancing until he bumped into Ronny, who was dressed as a vampire, knocking her out of her groove. "Oh! Sorry. Hard to see where I'm going in this costume." Mack commented nervously.
"Hey! No big deal, Cardboard-Tin Man." Ronny joked. "Care to dance with me?"
"Sure." Mack replied. They began to dance together to the music playing above, and Mack felt the urge to ramble on overcome him. "Today, I, uh…I was very worried about you."
"You were? Why?"
"Well, we didn't know where you were because my dad wouldn't tell us, and then we didn't know what was happening to you, and you were alone the whole time and…well, I started to worry about if we were going to get to you in time."
"Well, you guys did, didn't you?" Ronny smiled. "Nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, I know…" Mack smiled. "I shouldn't be so worried about you. I mean, you can take care of yourself. It's just that…well, I know you would be worried if it were me who was missing, or Tyzonn, or Rose, or any of us, really."
"Well, you're right. I would be quite worried if any of you guys went missing and we couldn't get a hold of them." She hugged Mack as best as she could. "Thanks for the concern, though."
"You're welcome. How are you feeling now?"
"Like a million bucks!" Ronny replied. "Now, let's stop talking and just dance!"
"Don't have to tell me twice." Mack smiled widely and broke into another round of the robot dance.
Nearby, Dax, who was decked out in the same mildly provocative 'leather daddy' costume he wore last year, scoped out the area for someone to dance with. Most girls hovered around Will or were entranced by Tyzonn's peculiar brand of dancing, and finding a dance partner of his own was proving to be difficult.
His eyes seemed to follow a young woman whom he had been watching ever since the party started. She seemed to be addicted to the cider and cider donuts, and seemed to be more interested in the mansion itself than the party. Her long black hair sat loose upon her shoulders, her face hidden behind a blue-feathered, bird-like mask. Her long navy Chinese dress stood out with gold feathers embroidered into it, and a pair of black angel wings were strapped to her back.
Dax watched her walk down the hallway and back into the main party room before striking up the courage to approach her. He quickly and stealthily snuck up beside her. "Hello there."
The woman remained silent, content on chewing on her donut.
"…You wanna dance?"
She looked at him coldly. "I don't dance."
"Ah, c'mon! Why're you here then?"
"I'm…here with friends." Her reply seemed too slow for him.
"Well then, we can just chill out, right?"
The woman deeply sighed, becoming increasingly annoyed with Dax. "Fine, you wanna dance?" She finished off her donut quickly. "Let's dance." She fiercely grabbed Dax's hands and began forcefully dancing with him.
"Whoa! You're feisty!" Dax commented as they danced into a corner.
Ronny yawned, causing Mack to frown. "Tired already?"
"Ya know, Robot Boy, just because you can dance the night away doesn't mean I can. I've had a long day." She winked.
"I know, I'm just teasing." Mack smiled. "Get to bed if you're gonna go."
"You sure you're okay with that?" Ronny asked slyly, poking the box above where his stomach was.
"I'll…go find Rose or someone…"
"Well, I think Rose's preoccupied already…" Ronny seemed to gesture behind Mack, where Rose could be seen dancing with a reluctant Hartford. "He sure knows how to cut a rug…" Ronny sarcastically commented in a tone that suggested that she was trying to be humorous. "I should be trying to count some sheep, though. Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow."
"Alright. See you tomorrow." Ronny walked over to Tyzonn and hugged him tightly before walking upstairs. Mack felt empty for a moment as the lack of a dancing partner became evident.
Hartford watched Ronny go upstairs, then thought of a way to get out of partying. "Rose, I hate to cut this short, but I'd like to start deciphering that tablet before I get to bed, alright? Why don't you go dance with Mack?"
"Oh? Sure!" Rose smiled. "Good luck!" She walked over to Mack as Hartford departed.
"Have a good time dancing, sir?" Spencer asked.
"I'd rather be getting this done than spending time dancing." Hartford replied as he made his way downstairs. Spencer followed him.
"And I suppose you wonder why you've yet to find a suitable mate with that sort of attitude." Hartford looked up, giving Spencer a dirty look. "I am just saying, sir, that dance skills are important in the pursuit of a woman these days."
Hartford pulled off his headgear and looked down, shaking his head. "As much as it bothers me that I haven't found a good wife and good mother for Mack, right now isn't the time to be worrying about things like that. We have the Corona Aurora to protect."
"Then perhaps you should put in some thought for the future…?" Spencer commented as Hartford set up his translation guide on the computer.
"I'm trying to concentrate, Spencer." Hartford blew him off, and Spencer took the hint, making his way back upstairs.
Hartford began his studying of the pictographs and hieroglyph translations, and eventually one picture seemed to stand out and pierce him in the chest. His eyes widened as a feeling of dread overcame him. He gripped the edge of the counter tightly as he recognized the legendary artifact depicted. "I…hoped you would be last…" Hartford muttered to himself, his voice shaking.
Upstairs, Mack watched as everyone slowly made their way to their respective places; Dax and his dance partner soon parted ways as Dax left for his room on the second floor, Tyzonn grew tired of dancing and candy corn and departed for his own room, Rose briefly danced with him before deciding to do trigonometry until she passed out in her room, and Will had collected the numbers of all the sexy witches and nurses who had clamored around him before the entire gang split.
One by one, everyone but Spencer had left Mack alone in the party room, and Spencer happily turned the music off. "Shouldn't you be heading off to bed as well, Master Mack?" He asked.
"I'm just…looking around…" Mack replied. "Is this the biggest party we've ever had here?"
"To my recollection, I believe so." Spencer replied.
Mack's voice seemed to shift to a more innocent and vulnerable tone. "Have we…had a lot of parties here?"
Spencer gave Mack an annoyed look. He recognized that tone of voice, and he was not prepared to deal with it at this time of night. "Now listen to me, young man, I know where this conversation is going, and I will not continue it any further." Spencer replied, cleaning up the mess left by several partygoers regarding the punch bowl.
"…Right." Mack voice switched back to normal, and he began to walk upstairs to get his costume off.
"To answer your question, Master Mack, we've had several parties here, mostly holiday occasions." Mack nodded to let Spencer know he heard him before continuing up the stairs.
Several hours later after a long night's rest, Spencer awoke to begin the day's chores by making the Rangers and Hartford breakfast. On his way out, he spotted Mack, who was still in the clothes he had worn the day before, lying in the hammock outside, staring up at the still night sky. Spencer frowned and made his way outside.
"Master Mack, have you been out here all night again?" He asked, taking Mack's attention away from the starlit sky.
"I've just been thinking again." Mack replied, slowly sitting up. "…What would you do with the Corona Aurora?"
"I would wish for the collective happiness of the residents of the mansion…and for you all to not be so messy." Mack nodded, and began to speak, but Spencer stopped him by setting a firm grip on his shoulder. "And I know what your wish would be, Master Mack, so you needn't speak it."
"I'm that predictable, huh?" Mack asked.
"Yes, you are. Now, go to sleep and stop worrying about things you and I cannot control."
"…Alright." Mack lied back in the hammock, but Spencer frowned and he noticed it. "…What?"
"It's still quite brisk out here. I'd hate for you to catch a fever."
"Spencer, I could stand out here in the middle of January in my underwear with snow up to my kneecaps, and my nose wouldn't even run!" Mack replied as he got up. "But I'll go in if it makes you feel better."
"Thank you for at least listening to me, then, even if you're averse to the idea."
"Anytime, Spencer." Mack smiled. "Hey, the light for the stairs downstairs is still on…did dad ever go to bed?"
"Oh, it is?" Spencer looked; Mack was correct. The light usually turned on for those traversing into the basement and into the Command Center was still on. "I'll go check to see if he passed out again."
"Good night, Spencer." Mack said.
"Good morning to you, Mack." Spencer replied as he made his way to check on Hartford.
Downstairs, Spencer found Hartford asleep in his chair, still in most of his costume, sitting in front of the large screen. A prompt box was up, waiting for Hartford's confirmation.
Spencer lightly tapped Hartford on the shoulder, and he violently jerked out of his sleep. "Huh? What?" Hartford asked in a hazy stupor. He looked up and looked at Spencer. "What time is it?"
"It's quarter after five in the morning, sir. You fell asleep down here again."
"…Oh." Hartford replied, slowly waking up. "…How was the party?"
"It was a success, sir. The Rangers all looked as happy as they could be after yesterday's events."
"Good." Hartford smiled.
"I suppose I don't have to send you off to bed as well?"
"…Mack again?" Hartford asked, sounding concerned.
"I found him stargazing in the hammock again, as usual."
Hartford sighed. "That's the second time in two months."
"I am concerned for him as well, sir. He's having these moments in closer intervals. Perhaps we should divulge a little truth to him?"
Hartford looked over at the tablet. "…Perhaps we might have to do so sooner than I wanted to…"
"Perhaps you could explain this while I do my morning work, sir?" Spencer asked.
"Of course." He took his lab coat off and grabbed the tablet, following Spencer upstairs.
Upstairs in his room, Mack felt the urge to claw his way back outside. He could only imagine feeling comfortable in his hammock, reading a book or stargazing. He couldn't stand his room, the walls, he felt caged and alone, even when knowing that his best friends were all within walking distance from him.
This feeling had plagued him as far back as he could remember…a timeline which still haunted him by its briefness. A little flash here and there, but nothing enough to make him feel content that he wasn't still a failure for making up for what he lacked.
That feeling that he was letting everyone down was killing him, and the pulsing in his chest didn't help as the tears welled up in his eyes.
He flopped down face-first on his bed and cried silently, as the pulsing grew stronger and made him feel increasingly numb to everything around him until he fell dormant, resting soundly in a deep sleep as the tears rolled down his face.
In the room farthest from Mack's, Ronny's eyes shot open as her internal clock sounded off. She sat up, wide-eyed and ready for a new day. She slipped on her yellow bunny slippers with the cute red eyes and nearly made her way out her door.