In the kitchen of the Dino Bite Cafe, Chase was furiously working on making up food orders. He was pretty accustomed to manning the grill; it was one of his more frequent functions since he had a real talent with it when he wasn't almost burning the restaurant down by being too distracted by girls. However, what Flash was asking him to do was well beyond the wheelhouse of an experienced barbecue amateur.
In his attempts to bring up profit margins, inspired by some art galleries that had gourmet restaurants in their premises, Flash had declared that he was planning to turn the cafe into a gourmet restaurant. While no one was against expanding the menu necessarily, they did think it was odd to be talking about putting things like steak tartar, lobster thermadore and steamed clams on a menu that once boasted a "Stegorific Surprise Pasta".
His choice of Chase as chef was also somewhat less than convincing. While Chase was one of the more frequent grill operators, he was far from a chef, and Flash had told him directly that he chose him because he heard Mrs Allister loved pavalova, ordering it in practically every restaurant that she reviewed with a four star or above rating. Being the deep thinker he was, Flash took the fact Chase was from New Zealand to automatically mean he loved pavlova and clearly knew how to make it. Unfortunately...the reality was a little short of the mark!
Chase was desperately rushing around, putting together ingredients on a few dishes while checking on his latest incarnation of the dessert, just as Allison came back into the kitchen, straightening out a new t-shirt.
"So, how's the latest semtex surprise going?" She asked him.
"I swear to God, I don't know what happened!" Chase told her again. "My aunt texted me over that recipe but I swear, I have no idea why it did that!"
"Well, I'm definitely looking forward to getting home and getting a shower." She told him. "That stuff went everywhere...and I do mean EVERYWHERE!"
"Really?" Chase asked, arching an eyebrow. "Do tell."
"Maybe later if you're lucky." She teased him, coming over and kissing him. Flash came into the kitchen, finding them.
"Alright you two, I don't pay you to knock boots on my time." He said, interjecting between them. "I just got word that Ms Allister is here, we're officially on."
"Well...not quite. I can't seem to find Tyler anywhere." Allison said, looking around.
"Well, you're hardly likely to find him at the back of your boyfriend's throat are you?" He asked in response. "No, I've had him getting changed into his new uniform."
"New uniform?" Chase asked, looking a little surprised. "Another one? You only just gave us these...things!"
"I just thought an up-scale restaurant requires an up-scale look." He told them. Allison just sighed.
"Of course this isn't something I should know about or anything." She grumbled. "I mean, it's not like I'm the supervisor or anything."
Flash took her by the waist and lifted her, literally putting her in the corner, before patting her head like he was dealing with a defiant toddler. Chase and Allison exchanged a couple of looks. Chase hadn't seen Flash treating her like that before, Allison hadn't told him about the time he all but threatened her job just for questioning one of his decisions regarding stock orders. A gentle shake of the head from her told him to let it drop for now, they would talk later.
"Ah, there he is." Flash said as Tyler walked in, wearing black suit pants, a white shirt, and a bow-tie that was just hanging around his neck, since clearly Tyler had no idea how to tie it. He had a waistcoat that was short enough that the bottom of the shirt could be seen tucked into his pants. "Tyler, what about the tie?"
"I told you, I don't know how to tie it!" Tyler answered. "I'm a clip-on guy at best!"
With a loud grumble, Flash came over and tied the bow tie for Tyler, almost strangling the Red Ranger as he did so. He straightened out his hair and handed him a napkin, which he folded over Tyler's left forearm. He, Chase and Allison just beheld the image in front of them, though Flash seemed a lot more enthusiastic than they were.
"There, what do you think?" He asked.
"Um...I'm going to have to plead the fifth." Chase stated.
"That only works for citizens." Flash reminded him. Allison just gestured to Tyler.
"It's...something alright." She admitted as she struggled to keep from laughing. Flash then just looked to Tyler.
"Now, just like we practiced." He told him.
"Do I really have to?" Tyler asked. Flash just crossed his arms, indicating he wasn't to be denied.
"Good evening, how may I serve you?" Tyler said in what was possibly the worst, most stereotyped version of a French accent ever uttered! It sounded like a combination between Inspector Cleausau and Pepe Le Peu if they were suffering from a lisp! Chase and Allison just stared blankly at each other.
"Um...why?" Was all Chase could ask as he heard this ridiculous and farcical voice.
"Does he LOOK French to you?" Allison asked Flash. The man didn't seem at all deterred though.
"Perfect! Oh, there she is! Go on, just like that! Make me proud sonny Jim!" He declared, shoving Tyler out the door. He then turned to Allison and Chase. "Now, make sure everything goes smoothly. Oh, and when you give her the bill...it'll all be gratis of course, it's just a symbolic thing, make sure you leave this in the bill wallet."
"Five hundred bucks?" Chase asked as Flash handed him some cash.
"Bill wallet?" Allison asked. Flash handed her a black leather bill wallet, at which she just sighed. "Sorry I asked!"
"Now, make me proud! This could be HUGE!" He declared proudly, before leaving the kitchen. Allison went to the window as soon as he left.
"It'll be huge alright." She chuckled. "I'm not missing this for the world!"
Tyler made his way across the dining room, seeing a stern-looking woman perusing the menu, and immediately knew this was the woman he was here to see. For a start, she was the only one looking at the new menu; everyone else had the usual menu. There were candles on her table, and crystal glasses, but being such a cheapskate, Flash hadn't bothered putting this on the other tables, obviously waiting to see if his experiment worked before forking out for the new gear. Finally, while the rest of the restaurant had their usual clientele, she was there in designer clothing. Tyler made his way across, and took a deep breath before beginning, hoping not to sound too ridiculous.
"Good evening, how may I serve you?" He asked, looking to her. The woman looked up from her menu and eyed him up and down in a judgemental gaze that made Tyler believe she could see through the farce without even trying. She glanced once more to the menu.
"I'll have the Bronto Burger please." She said, picking out the signature dish, which was a common practice for critics. If a restaurant couldn't make a good showing of their flagship recipe, then there wasn't really much hope for the rest of the menu. "And for dessert...oh, you serve Pavalova! I'll have a slice of that please!"
She sounded pleasantly surprised by the last part; clearly Flash's research into her reviewing habits had paid off. Tyler just bowed.
"Excellent choice." He said as he headed for the kitchen, sprinting inside.
"Chase, is that Pavlova done yet?" He asked. "She just ordered a slice!"
"Well...we're having some quality control issues." Chase admitted.
"I can attest to that." Allison replied, shifting a little uncomfortably. Being unable to get a shower, she still hadn't had a chance to clean up properly and was still feeling a little sticky at bits.
"Still, hopefully third time's the charm!" Chase told him. "Now, where's that whipped cream and fruit?"
Heckyl was in his ship, just getting a few things prepared before he could bring his latest monster into the city. Wrench had done an impressive job creating Fortress as a near-unstoppable destructive force, but with this monster came a few things that he needed to consider. While powerful, in order to make it controllable, Wrench had to remove much of its intelligence. Without someone to direct it, the monster was pretty much all but mindless. In its normal mode, it would need someone nearby to relay instructions to it, but the real strength in it was when it was grown. Once it had been hit with the Magna Beam, Heckyl would have his own Megazord to battle the Rangers, once that had all the Zord moves programmed into it. It would only need someone inside that could activate the correct response protocols.
Heckyl had been spending a while on a simulator, getting used to the controls. He smiled as he saw on the screen the Megazord blowing up for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"I always wanted to say this." He stated. "Rangers Extinct!"
"Master Heckyl, you're really getting the hang of this!" Wrench complimented him, giving him a round of applause. "When you get out there with the real thing, the Rangers won't know what hit them!"
Just then, there was an alarm, and Heckyl turned to view the screen.
"There's something approaching the Earth, it looks like some kind of ship!" Wrench told him.
"Can you tell who it is?" Heckyl asked him. Wrench sent out a signal to see if he could pick up any more details.
"It looks like it's similar to Singe's ship...but it seems much bigger." Wrench told him. Heckyl smiled.
"Well, if Singe thought he would shake things up by bringing a couple of friends along for the ride, then I guess he's going to be in for a big surprise." Heckyl announced. "Wrench, get Fortress ready. I feel like taking him for a test drive."
Back at the Dino Bite cafe, Tyler had returned to Mrs Allister's table, finding her picking at the burger, dissecting it in what could only be described as a bizarre form of post mortem. He could see she had a notebook out and was scribbling down notes as she took tiny bites off her fork, considering each bite and combination of flavours before taking down her thoughts.
"Is everyzing alrights wiz your meal?" Tyler asked, inwardly feeling all his self-respect leaving his body quicker than the silly accent Flash had forced him to adopt. Mrs Allister pushed the burger towards him.
"The burger was fine. It was a little underdone for my taste, but the salad was dressed brilliantly." She told him. Tyler picked up the plate.
"I'll speak to the chef about your Pavlova straight away." Tyler told her, before taking the plate away. He got into the back, finding Chase putting the finishing touches to it.
"Chase, she said the burger was fine." He told her. It wasn't exactly an overwhelming compliment, but at least so far the meal hadn't gone too badly that they had to worry about one of her more barbed reviews. Catherine Allister was renowned for her reviews, not necessarily because her views were especially better or more valid than anyone else's, but because she was extremely articulate about them, especially her bad reviews. She had a way of dissecting any restaurant that didn't meet her expectations with her pen that had all the grace and mercy of a public crucifixion! It was said her one, and more notoriously zero star reviews had closed more restaurants in Amber Beach than the Health Department!
"No worries, I think I've got this just...right!" He said, proudly placing a New Zealand flag on the top.
"THINK?" Tyler screamed, now starting to panic. Chase picked up the plate.
"Well...it's not exploded like the last two." He answered honestly. "Maybe a little personal introduction from the chef will help."
He took the plate out to the table, setting down the whole thing before Mrs Alexander. She looked up to Chase, seeing him standing over it, grinning at her.
"I ordered a slice." She reminded him. He just nodded.
"Ah, yes well...I just wanted to present it personally." Chase told her, his accent making her sit up and take notice. "This is the Pavlova, a favourite dessert of my home country of New Zealand."
"Well, a Pavlova made by an actual New Zealander! I'm expecting great things from this." She told him, looking to Tyler. "Unlike...whatever that accent is meant to be."
Tyler just forced a smile as Chase handed over a cake knife, allowing her to cut her own slice from the cake. Before she could touch it though, there was a rather disturbing gurgling sound. Mrs Allister paused and looked up to Chase, whose face was in complete panic.
"What was that?" She asked him.
"Oh...it's just...it looks so good, I'm getting really hungry." He told her, rubbing his stomach. "You know what we kiwis can get like when there's a Pavlova sitting around."
"Well, I can tell you I get the same way." She replied with a smile, the first one she'd had on her face since she stepped into the restaurant. She returned to the cake, preparing to slice it, but the second the knife touched it, the whole thing exploded, showering the whole area with cream, pastry and fruit. Mrs Allister stood up in horror, shrieking as she looked at the mess all over her designer clothing.
"I'm so sorry!" Chase protested, grabbing Tyler's napkin and starting to clean up in a somewhat futile effort.
"This is a designer handbag!" She screeched, picking up her handbag, which was full of the mix, pulling it shut as she slung the bag over her shoulder. "You call yourself a New Zealander and you can't even make Pavlova?"
"I swear, I followed the recipe to the letter..."
"Well, I wouldn't worry; you're not going to need that recipe again." She hissed angrily, pointing a finger at him, throwing cream straight into his face as she did. "This restaurant is going to get my WORST REVIEW EVER!"
As she stormed out, Allison came in from the kitchen, carrying a mop and bucket.
"So...that went well." She commented.
"I'll go tell Flash." Tyler grumbled, pulling off his bow tie as he left. Chase just looked down to the carnage that had been his latest attempt at the dessert.
"Don't worry about it. Flash should have checked whether you could make it." Allison tried to reassure him. "It's not your fault he's a narrow-minded jackass."
As she started to mop up, Chase just took a seat at the table and took off his hat, staring at the result of his culinary disaster.
"I don't even like Pavlova." He muttered.
Meanwhile, deep within the city's business district, an asteroid ship, much like the one that had brought Singe to Earth, streaked through the sky in a trail of fire. It slammed down through a building, coming to rest in a huge crater on the ground. People ran screaming for their lives as it opened up. Singe was the first one out, scanning the area for signs of resistance before he signalled to his comrades. The next one out was a huge creature, that looked like gigantic black bird, whose wing tips were trimmed in a deep, flaming red. He wielded a huge, barbed sword as he surveyed the surroundings for any sign of resistance.
"So, this is Earth huh?" He asked. "This planet looks like a trash heap!"
"Appearances can be deceptive." Singe reminded him. "The Energems are here, as are Heckyl and the others."
"Lord Arcanon, allow me to welcome you to your latest conquest." Singe said regally as he took a knee, gesturing to the last inhabitant it was safe to leave. "Welcome to Planet Earth!"
Arcanon was an evil-looking creature, swathed in a crimson cloak, and wearing ornate, armour over his entire torso and head. His helmet bore long spikes from the top, and a skull-like visage that was terrifying to behold. On his shoulders, he had a long, arched horn coming from the right shoulder pad, but the one on the left had been sliced off about a quarter of the way along, giving him an uneven appearance. He was carrying a book in his left hand, with a golden symbol on its cover.
"Silence Doomwing. I did not make it this far by underestimating my foes." Arcanon told him. "The last time I did that cost me a great deal."
"Oh, look, they saved us the bother of looking for them." Singe said, pointing down the street, where Heckyl, Wrench, Fury and Fortress were making their way towards them.
"How dare you return to my planet Singe?" Heckyl demanded angrily, staring at the turncoat he had banished only a short time before. "I made it clear what would happen if you returned!"
"He came on my orders!" Arcanon informed him. "Long ago, I hired Sledge to capture an army for me, made of some of the best and brightest of the scum of the universe! Now, I've come to collect on that contract!"
"It's...it's true!" Wrench stammered as his memory banks made the connection. "Sledge was hired by a creature named Arcanon! It was one of the only monsters he was ever afraid of!"
"You...you're Lord Arcanon?" Fury asked, seeing the creature standing before him. He had joined Sledge later as a partner, but even he had heard of the warlord who had laid waste to whole star systems.
"Sledge's ship and his monsters belong to me! I've come to pay my contract and collect my monsters, including you Heckyl!" Arcanon stated with authority.
"I belong to no one. No one will ever put me in chains again." Heckyl told him, slipping his goggles up from around his neck and over his eyes, before powering up his hands. "If you want to take my army, my ship, my planet...you'll have to take them by force!"