Chapter One: Monster
—Don't Look at Me Like That—
"He's a half-machine; practically one of the monsters we fight every day!" Ranger Operator Series Blue, also known as Flynn McAllistair, was screaming.
"He's also our teammate," his yellow teammate, Summer Landsdown, defended.
Of course she would defend him, the blue ranger was thinking bitterly; she was one of the many fascinated by this rebellious, tall, brooding, douche bag of a hybrid.
Flynn, personally, felt no feelings of attachment to the new Ranger Operator Series Black, nor did he think he'd ever warm up to him. He was arrogant, sarcastic, ill-tempered, and adolescently defiant. It was almost pathetic. Flynn, to say the least, could not stand the black ranger – or "Dillon" as they had been told to call him.
"Well yeah, but he could at least act like it! You don't just go and do the whole solo ranger thing in your first month!" Flynn argued.
Scott interjected, "Look, I agree with you, Flynn; but Dillon's helping. He stays back and handles the Grinders while we do our thing in our zords." The Red Ranger paused, "I'll admit he's got a terrible attitude, but he gets the job done…and he doesn't overtly break the rules."
Flynn sighed. "I'm just saying I think the guy's a bad idea. When Mr. Semi-Venjix goes ballistic on us all and that Rocket Blaster's pointed at one of you, don't say I didn't warn you."
"Highly improbable," Dr. K snapped as she entered the room. "Your hostility toward Ranger Operator Series Black is illogical and, for the most part, irrelevant; you don't need to like someone to work with them. For example: Ranger Operator Series Green."
"Oh it's not just a matter of likin the bloke; it's a matter of trusting him. He's got Attack Bot written all over his insides; am I the only one who sees that?"
"Yeah, I'd say you are."
Flynn felt his blood cool instantly. Though it was previously boiling, the sound of Dillon's voice rebounding off the steel walls of Ranger Ops was enough to send shivers down the blue ranger's spine.
"Dillon…" Summer was attempting to make an excuse.
"Don't bother," the black ranger cut her off, "Ranger Blue clearly has something on his mind; why don't you elaborate?"
Flynn felt his hands clench into fists. "I'm sorry, but when you go off and pull stunts like you did; what, with you blasting like a madman and ignoring everyone else's safety like you're some medical expert, it makes me distrust you."
"Not to mention the fact that I'm part machine, right?" Dillon practically growled out.
"Well…"
"You know, you can hate me for a lot of things; like the way I act, or the way I don't work with you, or even the way I talk—those are all fundamental developmental things. But you can't just hate me because of something I didn't fucking want!"
By now, Scott, Ziggy, and Summer had all begun to creep forward to intercept the two arguing rangers in case it came to blows. Dr. K was giving them hardly a fraction of her attention. She no doubt chalked it up to their testosterone levels and penchant for creating inter-team drama.
"You think I like being part machine—to have my memories and my family torn from my hands by some computer virus? Is that what you think?"
Flynn was still speechless, all of his indignant feelings moot and nearly gone.
"I am not a monster," Dillon finished as he spun on his heel.
But before he left, before he took off for the garage, Flynn could have sworn he saw something reflective on the black rangers face. It wasn't the gleam of metal or some cybernetic implant; it wasn't some motor oil leak from the black ranger's eyes; it wasn't even a stray hair in those hazel eyes. No, they were teardrops; liquid formed by the secretion of saline through the lachrymal glands in response to either ocular irritation or, in this case, severe emotional distress. Dillon, Ranger Operator Series Black, was human. And he cried.
—That Boy is a Monster—
As Venjix would say, Subject D-44 was overly emotional. As Dillon himself would say, he was pissed. He had tried—really, honestly, and truly—to fit in with the rangers. He had taken on the role of Ranger Black and even done his best to adhere to Scott's ridiculous rules. He had endured the grueling social intricacies, and even grown to develop an affinity for every human on the team. He thought the same was true for the others. Flynn, on the other hand, was not of the same accord.
"Dillon," Summer whispered.
She was leaning in his passenger window again. God, he hated when people did that.
"Summer."
"You know, Dillon, usually when someone has an experience like that, they wanna talk about it."
"Yeah, well, I'm part machine." He looked at her with a scathingly content gaze, "I don't need, or want, to talk about it."
"You can't just shut us out like that."
He rolled his eyes. She was definitely right.
"Let's go for a ride," he grumbled.
She didn't speak, but she opened the passenger door and sat silently as he floored the gas.
Nearly 15 minutes later, he spoke. "I don't know what to do."
"Flynn's just afraid, Dillon."
"Afraid of what? What reason have I given any of you to be scared of me?"
"Not of you," she corrected, "of what you represent."
He glared at her.
"Not Venjix. The unknown."
Now his features softened as he looked at the blond yellow ranger. She was definitely the wisest of the group.
"Why do you do this?" Dillon asked. "Why do you chase after me, and…you know…help me?"
"You're worth helping," she smiled, laying a hand on his forearm.
The feeling was foreign to him. He had data on human copulation and the elaborate rituals of courtship, but he had never actually experienced either of them. What he did know is that he should have felt some stirring of emotion, but he felt his heartbeat and pulse remain exactly the same. Based on the heat radiating from Summer, however, that was not the case for her.
"So what do I do in the meantime?" he asked after a few minutes of quiet.
He was turning around now; heading back toward Ranger Ops.
"Just do what you've been doing; Flynn will take some time to get used to you. He doesn't know how to act around you, you know? Plus, there could be the jealousy factor."
"Jealousy?"
"Well, Scott's leader, Ziggy's the comic relief, and you're the mysterious one. Flynn is just…Flynn, you know? He might feel overlooked by your presence. Before, it was just me, Scott, and him—now there are two more guys on the team that he knows absolutely nothing about. Ziggy's not as intimidating as you are."
"Intimidating? Really?" he asked skeptically.
"It wouldn't kill you to smile sometimes."
"Smiles are a result of happiness; I'm not happy."
"Sometimes people smile just because, Dillon."
"I don't."
"That's the problem," she pointed out. "You're not very…inviting."
"You seem to like me just fine." He glanced down at her hand and she quickly removed it. "Sorry, that was…'awkward.'"
She cocked a grin, "yeah, just a little. You might want to work on that, too."
"I don't know how to be human. I don't remember it. You guys have had years to develop your humanity and all your social skills; I've been conscious of my being for about two months, and I've only been around other humans for one."
"Being human is natural."
"So is being a machine, for me."
"Forget the machinery, okay?" she finally snapped. "You're not a machine. You feel. You're sentient, okay? You're human. Stop trying to say otherwise."
He didn't respond.
For the rest of the ride, they were silent. When they returned to Ranger Ops, Dillon stayed in the car for several moments. He had so much to think about. All the data he had was on how to target human weaknesses—attachments, emotions, stress, deception, loyalty; the whole lot. Not one bit of data told him how to interact with a group of diverse people—only how to get them to all hate each other.
"Dillon…can I talk to you for a second?"
—He Ate My Heart—
The song "Monster" is by Lady GaGa.
This is pretty much random, but I've been rewatching RPM and got really into it again; all the complications and intricacies and whatnot. From the first time I watched "Ranger Blue," though, I've always thought of a possible Dillon/Flynn pairing. This is just chapter one. And yes, every chapter is going to have a Lady GaGa title. Get over it :p.
Hope you like it!