As they stood outside of the new building that their boss had just purchased, their irritation levels began to rise.

"Really?" The tallest of the pair motioned widely to the structure, irritation plain on her face. "Did we really just spend four years followin' him around, waitin' on him to find the perfect place, only to have him turn around and settle back in Angel Grove?"

"Well, it wasn't a total loss," The other woman shrugged. "We got to travel the world, and hey, we're masters now! Definitely a plus."

"I know," Her friend whined, dropping her hands helplessly to her side, "but still…"

"I'd never have met those monks in Tibet to teach me all the defense techniques, and you'd never have trained with that weapons master in Japan…" The other added with a smug smile, her friend huffing, "Okay, I get it. Fine, you win."

"Yeah, the least you could do is give me this one," The darker-haired one teased. "You always win!"

"Yeah, well—"

Their playful arguing was cut off by their boss, who politely cleared his throat. They both glanced at him, and he smiled, "It's about the journey, not the destination, ladies."

"Not when the start point of said journey is the destination," The first muttered sarcastically. He paused only to give her a dry look before going on, "You two shouldn't have too much trouble finding your way around the area. I am going to the basement, where I am not to be disturbed. You two are gonna move everything from the truck, pick your rooms, and get yourselves settled. This is where the real work begins."

With that, he vanished into the largest and central structure. The women glanced at one another, the dark-haired one grumbling, "Who leaves a couple of girls to unload a U-Haul?"

"A douchebag," The other answered. "But we might as well get started. It's not like he'll do it if we leave it."

"Where do we start?"

-0-0-0-0-

The central structure was the largest, a two-story, pagoda-style structure with a basement. At the four corners of the property, far enough away for good privacy but within moderate walking distance of the center were four smaller buildings. The terrain around them varied.

The pair stood on the wrap-around porch of the central building, taking a break from their moving, having gotten half of the truck unloaded. The chocolate-haired female sat on the edge of the porch, while the tawny-haired one leaned against the column with her arms crossed. They looked out over the grounds.

It was a beautiful day, the sun high and warm, a gentle breeze blowing. The one seated pointed to a building washed in sunshine, "I think I want that one."

"They all need a coat of paint," Her friend commented. She rolled her eyes, "I guess you want the one on this side, in the middle of that thatch of tree?"

"No," She said indignantly. "I want that one in the middle of the trees. It's farther from the drive."

"Of course," The other snorted, rolling her eyes.

A soft breeze whistled lightly by, and the woman seated spoke, "Hey, Jess? You ever think we got in over our heads?"

"All the time," She laughed, pushing off the column. "All the time. Come on, Lil. We gotta get it done or we'll be out here all night."

"What does he need with so much crap?"

-0-0-0-0-

They drug themselves back to the center building, falling into two of the twelve dining room chairs they'd struggled with earlier. They were opening their mouths to begin a conversation when Shaw staggered from the door to the basement.

It was well after midnight, but Shaw looked awful, like he'd missed a few nights of sleep and been through a battle. He hadn't looked that rough when he'd gone down.

He weaved, falling into the closest chair, shoving a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. Lil and Jess looked at one another, the former shrugging as the latter called out, "What in the world are you doin' down there? You look like hell."

Shaw gave a tired, breathless smile, waving his hand limply, "Don't worry about it. It's not done. Any trouble with our things?"

"Your things, you mean," Lil shot back." What's it matter? We got it all in."

"Good, good," Shaw muttered, then stood, swaying slight as he headed back to the basement. "Get some sleep, girls."

He closed the door behind him.

-0-0-0-0-

They both woke at about the same time, yawning as their on their make-shift bed of blanket, cushions, and pillows in the middle of the empty living room.

"Where's Shaw?" Lil asked, stifling a yawn. Jess did yawn, "Dunno. Basement, I guess."

An educated guess, yes, but incorrect all the same. He swept into the room, a bakery bag in his hand, and a white grape juice and hot tea in the other. He beamed down at them, fresh as a daisy, "Morning ladies! Rise and shine! Today is an important day, for you both, and it's time to get started!"

They groaned, but obeyed, digging through the bakery bag while Shaw pulled up a chair. He was sipping on one of his trademark, fancy coffees, and a satisfied smirk on his face, "Ladies, are you ready to hear about your plans for today?"

"I don't recall making any," Jess said dryly, but she was ignored as the man continued, "I finished the morphers last night. I won't tell you how many, because that isn't important. Yet. But I will say that three of us are not enough to train, guide, and protect our charges. Our prospective number of students had doubled, and we need to up our number of staff."

The pair remained silent for a moment before Lil posed a question, "And how, exactly, do we do that? Can't exactly put an ad in the paper."

"Eccentric, obscene millionaire genius and mismatched assistants offering position to train Power Rangers," Jess snorted, rolling her eyes.

Shaw cleared his throat, and began again when they focused back on him, "No worries about that, either. I've called around and found a couple hopefuls."

The women glanced at one another then looked back to their boss. Shaw, however, focused on Lil.

"The one you'll be going after is close." He said. "At the NASADA headquarters. He's one of their best, and that's why I want him. He probably won't be surprise to hear me calling, and I won't lie. It's going to be difficult to recruit him."

Lil nodded, so he focused on Jess.

"I know all about the guy you're going after," Shaw smirked. "But I'm not gonna tell you anything. And he's already agreed to join, provided you follow his instructions."

"Excuse me?" Jess bit out. "Follow his instructions? I don't even know the guy!"

"Because you just listen so well when you know someone," Lil jabbed. Jess gave her a harmless glare, "I'm not about to take orders-"

"You can't take your car," Shaw continued as if she'd never spoken. "Public transport, walk, whatever. And you'll meet him at Jungle Karma Pizza. RJ will instruct you further."

"Who the hell is RJ?" Jess sputtered, "And where is Jungle Karma Pizza? What the hell is goin' on?"

"It's a couple hours north of here," Shaw smiled. "Have fun."

"You bastard."

-0-0-0-0-

"So, you leaving tomorrow?"

They both sat on the porch, legs swinging as the sun slowly began to sink below the horizon. Jess snorted in irritation, showing a hand through her hair, "I guess. It's probably gonna take me a day to get there and a day back, and then however much time I have to spend with this RJ dude…we've got time, but not a lot, and I don't wanna waste any more than I have to."

"Ah," Lil nodded. "I'm gonna go, too. My mysterious stranger sounds hot, though."

"Lucky you," Her friend snorted once again. "Mine is going to get an earful, I can tell you that."

"Starting the relationship off on good terms, are we?" Lil laughed, then added sagely, "We are gonna have to work with these guys, so you might wanna make an effort to get along at least a little bit."

"I will make that decision after I meet him," Jess said dryly. "I have to say my first impression is less than stellar."

Lil didn't say much, only pulled out two shot glasses and a small bottle of Jack Daniels with a grin. Jess laughed, shaking her head. Lil shrugged shamelessly, "Liquid courage. And I see you didn't turn it down."

"Well of course not!" Jess cried out theatrically. "I may be crazy, but I'm not insane."

"To new associates," Lil laughed while Jess smirked, "To not killing them before they get here?"

"That works, too."