The house was modest but well cared for, with a small garden at the front and a little brick fence ran around the property. Jen opened the gate and walked to the front door, Bridge right behind her.
The front door was painted navy blue and had a small peep hole. She rang the doorbell. The sound of something similar to a full peel of church bells startled her since the sound suited a giant mansion rather than the small house they stood outside of. She and Bridge shared an amused look and she rang again.
"Hold on!" someone yelled from inside the house.
The door opened revealing a young man with dirty blond hair and green eyes, which were bright behind a pair of metal rimmed glasses. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, and was drying sweat from his face. They had obviously interrupted his workout.
Before either one could say anything, he looked at their uniforms and shook his head softly, smirking. "I was wondering how long it was going to take," he said, stepping to the side to let them in.
"How long what would take?" Bridge asked as they walked into the man's home.
"How long until people in color coded clothes came by asking questions about Doctor K," the man said.
"Doctor Cranston, I presume," Jen said, offering her hand. "Jen Scotts."
He shook it. "Billy, please," he said, offering his hand to Bridge, who shook it briefly.
"Bridge Carson."
"Pleasure."
"You were a power ranger," Bridge said with a tone that sounded more surprised than he intended.
"I takes one to know one, I guess," Billy said. "Please, sit. Can I offer you anything to drink?"
"Water is fine," Jen said just to be polite as she and Bridge sat down in the blue couch.
Billy came from the kitchen with three glasses and a pitcher of water and poured each of them a glass.
"What did you mean 'asking questions about Doctor K'?" Bridge asked. "Do you know what happened to her?"
Billy looked at both of them, his brow furrowed. "Something happened to Doctor K?"
Jen and Bridge looked at each other. "You first," Jen said.
"Doctor K and I exchanged a plethora of communication and assistance during the fight against Venjix. I helped her several times when she got stuck, which didn't happen often, to be honest. I assumed you were here because I am obviously her associate, if you will."
"Her associate?"
"Yes."
"Not her friend?" Bridge asked, cocking his head to one side.
"I wouldn't call what I had with Doctor K a friendship, no. It was more of a collaboration on a very complex project."
"Right."
"You said something had happened to her, but you sounded uncertain of her whereabouts. What makes you think something happened to her?"
"We were at her lab, in the garage," Jen started. Billy sat up straight in his chair but didn't interrupt. "And it was trashed. The computers were so damaged they wouldn't turn on."
"Damaged how?" Billy asked, bringing the tips of his fingers to his chin.
"You know, thrown around, cables torn out, smashed parts. Trashed."
"And the Ranger Series morphers? Were they there?" Bridge and Jen looked at each other and shrugged, shaking their heads. Billy got up. "Come on, I need to see the lab for myself."
"Why? Do you think something bad happened to Doctor K?" Bridge asked.
Billy looked at him and knew that when Bridge said 'something bad', he meant 'something that has to do with Venjix'. "I last heard from Doctor K about two days ago. She sent me a very concerned email explaining her apprehension about the possibility of Venjix surviving inside her Ranger Series Program."
"Wait, she thought Venjix may have survived?"
"Yes," Billy sighed. "And unfortunately, when it came to Venjix, she was rarely wrong."
"You think Venjix had anything to do with what happened in that lab?" Jen asked, she and Bridge getting up too.
"I can't tell until I've looked at it," Billy said, grabbing a hoodie from the rack by the door. "Let's go, we don't have much time."
They made their way back to the garage quickly since now they were using Billy's car, and once they got inside, Billy hastily made his was way toward the lab. From the door, he looked around at the destruction and took a deep breath.
"What do you think?" Jen asked.
"Why did you come here? Where you summoned here?" Billy asked in turn.
"No," Jen said. "We asked at the information booth for Doctor K's last known address and it sent us here. Why?"
"Because this is not Doctor K's last known address," Billy said. "She doesn't live here or use this lab anymore."
"Then why did the booth send us here?" Bridge said.
Billy let out a slow, calculated breath but didn't answer the question. "I need to scan every inch of this lab and every single piece of equipment before I can tell you anything for sure."
"Do you think it's Venjix?" Jen asked bluntly.
Billy remained silent.
"How long will it take you to scan the lab?" the Time Force officer pushed.
"I have to put it back together first," Billy said, his eyes still scanning the trashed lab.
"How long will it take you to put it back together?" Bridge asked.
"By myself it will take me way longer than we have, and there isn't a lot of people who know how to deal with equipment this sophisticated and delicate, not to mention Doctor K's operating system was unique to her." Billy closed his eyes and let out a sigh as if steeling himself to do something unpleasant. He opened his eyes and turned to the other two. "Are you two hungry? I'm starving," he asked out of nowhere and walked towards the door. "Do you like pizza?"
"Pizza?" The officers echoed. They both thought the trashed lab and the possibility of Venjix returning to power were slightly more pressing than pizza.
"Yes, pizza. Do you like it?"
Bridge pointed at the lab behind him. "What about-?"
"I can't think on an empty stomach," Billy said and walked towards the door of the garage.
"Pizza it is, I guess," Jen told Bridge and they both walked out, following the scientist.
He drove around for a short while, parked on the side of the street and got out, resolutely walking towards a local restaurant with a sign that read "Jungle Karma Pizza" hanging outside it. It was rather late in the day now and the street was deserted.
The inside of the restaurant was decorated with plastic vines and plants, little wooden animal figurines and photos of animals. The upholstery of the booths was animal print and there were some small, round tables covered in little colorful mosaic tiles.
Billy sat down in one of the booths and Bridge and Jen sat across from him, neither one really understanding what was happening.
"What are we doing here?" Jen asked Billy, looking around.
"Eating," Billy answered dismissively.
Bridge squinted at Billy. "No, seriously, what are we really doing here?"
A beautiful blonde girl wearing a green t-shirt with the pizzeria's logo on it, an orange apron and zebra-print pants approached their booth. They were the only customers in the restaurant.
"Good evening, welcome to Jungle Karma Pizza. I'm Lauren and I'll be your waitress tonight," the girl said as she handed them menus which featured pizzas named things like 'Soy Safari', 'Thrilla Gorilla' and 'Herbivore Heaven' on it.
Jen and Bridge had barely had time to look at the menu when Billy said, "We'll have a large Mount Kilimanjaro."
Lauren took the menu from Billy, who had collected them, with a smile. "Excellent choice. The chef makes those personally."
"I know," Billy said with a smile. "Is RJ still the chef or do you have someone new?"
"It's still RJ," Lauren answered happily. "I don't think anything will ever get him out of that kitchen. Are you a regular? I don't think I recall seeing you around before."
"I was a regular back in Ocean Bluff," Billy said. "I was happy when I discovered that good old JKP made it all the way to Corinth."
The smile on Lauren's face wavered the tiniest bit and then it was back in place. "Well, you'll be happy to know RJ brought all his recipes and abilities with him from Ocean Bluff."
"I'm counting on it," Billy told her, still smiling.
"Anything else?" Lauren asked, looking at Jen and Bridge, who had been watching the conversation in awe.
"I'll have a soda," Jen said clumsily.
"Me too."
"And I'll have a chat with RJ, if you don't mind," Billy said, his smile still there. He looked away from Lauren and crossed his hands over the table. "Tell him Billy's here to see him and while you're at it, tell him I know he's here, because you already messed up by letting that slip."
This time, the smile on Lauren's face did disappear completely. It was replaced by a worried expression and she turned, walking swiftly towards the kitchen.
"What was that?" Jen asked Billy.
"The only way to deal with RJ is to catch him in the act," Billy said mysteriously.
"Why would we want to catch him in the act of making pizzas?" Bridge asked, obviously confused.
"We're not catching him in the act of making pizzas," Billy said, glancing in the direction of the kitchen door.
Jen and Bridge looked in the direction of the kitchen door, which had a large glass pane with the restaurant logo in it, and they could see the chef craning his neck to get a look at their booth.
The door swung open and a man who somehow looked younger and older than Billy at the same time walked out resolutely. He had big blue eyes and stubble. His chef jacket was impeccable and he was also wearing an orange apron and zebra-print pants.
He approached their table with a wide smile on his face. "Billy!" he called happily. "Good to see you made it to Corinth!"
"Have a seat, Robert," Billy said coldly without as much as a glance at the other man.
"I'd love to but I have a pizza to make," the other man said, punctuating almost every single word he said with a gesture with his hands. "I'm actually the only one who knows how to make a Mount Kilimanjaro."
"We're not here for the pizza, Robert."
The man looked at Jen and Bridge and his smile faded a little, a hint of worry appearing in his eyes for a split second. He blinked and it was gone. He smiled widely again and gestured towards the officers. "Who are your friends?" he asked, his eyes lingering on Jen a little too long. She looked away, noticing she had been staring.
"Jen and Bridge," Billy replied, pointing at each of them. "Take a seat, Robert."
"Welcome to Jungle Karma Pizza," the chef said, offering his hand to Bridge who shook it. He offered his hand to Jen, his eyes fixed on hers. "The name's RJ," Jen shook his hand quickly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Sit down, Robert!" Billy snapped, having obviously lost his patience with the chef.
"Alright, alright," RJ said in a calming voice. He dragged a chair from a nearby table and put it by the table. "Are you sure you don't want to eat? I mean, you're already here and all."
Bridge and Jen shared a look and nodded. Billy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. What do you want?"
"I like pepperoni," Jen said in almost a whisper.
"Me too." Bridge said, now looking at RJ fixedly.
"Awesome!" RJ declared, turning to walk towards the counter, were Lauren was leaning, watching them with interest.
Bridge took off a glove, raised his hand and swept it in front of him, to read RJ's aura. He frowned, as if he was unhappy with the readings but didn't say anything because RJ was already on his way back from the counter. Having been instructed by RJ, Lauren had disappeared behind the kitchen door.
The chef got to the table and sat down on a chair he had dragged over to their booth, his hands on his knees and his eyes on Billy. "I'm all yours," he declared.
"Why don't you start?" Billy told Jen.
Caught off guard, since her mind had been wandering without her noticing, Jen gave a little startled jump when Bridge nudged her with his shoulder. "Sorry, what?"
"Why don't you tell Robert who you are and why you're here?" Billy repeated.
Jen took a deep breath and looked at RJ, who had only moved to take off his animal print bandana and reveal a mane of brown hair that stuck out at the ends. He looked at her and Jen had the brief impression that he looked like a wild animal, like a lion or a wolf. "Right, my name is Jennifer Scotts. I am a sergeant in the Time Force. I come from the future." She stopped talking to give RJ time to react to the information but he didn't seem fazed. "Bridge Carson is a cadet in Space Patrol Delta. He is also from the future. B-but not the same future."
Jen kicked herself mentally. Why was she stammering? He was a chef at a pizza restaurant and only Billy knew what possible reason he could have to make her tell him who they were and why they were there.
RJ nodded encouragingly and she continued telling him about her mission and why she had gotten Bridge, and how they had found Doctor K's lab and then Billy.
"And your first reaction to seeing this destroyed lab was coming here?" RJ asked Billy.
Finally, Billy looked at him. "Trust me. I ran through a wide range of other possibilities in my head before deciding to come here." He looked away again. "But you are my best option in this case. I need someone who can do delicate circuitry work and who also knows about programing."
Bridge raised his hand. "I know how to handle delicate circuitry and programing," he said. He looked hurt. "Why didn't you ask?"
RJ pointed at Bridge and got up. "Looks like your problem is fixed and you don't need me after all. Your pizza will be here soon," he declared and put the chair back where he got it from.
"Robert," Billy called after him. The chef turned around and looked at him. "Let's not act like we are not thinking the same thing."
RJ swallowed hard and pointed at Bridge. "Bridge can help you with the lab. I have a pizza place to run."
And with that, he walked back to the kitchen without as much as a glance back.
Billy turned to Bridge. "We needed him," he chided.
"I can help you with the lab," Bridge insisted.
"We still needed him."
"Why?" Jen asked. "What's so special about a pizza chef that required we told him everything about us?"
"He's a Power Ranger too," Billy sounded impatient. "And he's a genius. He just likes to pretend he's not. He claims it makes his life easier."
"Well, we don't have him," Jen said. "So we'll have to make do with what we do have."
Lauren was back with a large pepperoni pizza that looked absolutely delicious.
"Dig in," Billy said when Lauren went back to the counter for their drinks. "It's better while it's still hot."
They ate the pizza voraciously, since it was indeed as delicious as it looked.
From the kitchen, RJ was looking out at them, waiting for them to finish.
"Everything okay, RJ?" Lauren asked.
He looked at her and smiled. "Everything is fine," he lied. There was a chance, and not necessarily a small one, that the Venjix Virus was back but he saw no need to worry her.
He looked at Billy and felt an emptiness in his heart. They had once, shortly before Venjix had attacked, been very good friends, but their friendship apparently hadn't survived Venjix. It wasn't just the loss of his friendship with Billy that caused the sensation of emptiness in his heart though. It was something else - something Billy reminded him of. His right hand moved to his neck and grabbed one of the many necklaces hanging from it. He noticed what he was doing and let go, putting his hand in the pocket of his apron.
"They've finished eating," he told Lauren. "Go get their plates and tell them their meal is on the house."
Lauren nodded obediently and did as she was told.
RJ walked distractedly to the fridge, opened it and started rearranging the items inside without any particular intention.
"You alright, boss?" a voice asked from behind him.
RJ smiled sadly but didn't turn around. "Yes, Chip, everything is fine. Just spirits from the past, catching up."
With those mysterious words, he closed the fridge and climbed the stairs that led to his living space. Once upstairs, he took off his chef jacket and sat on a stool by his kitchenette's bar. He looked at his home, so similar and yet so different to his home in Ocean Bluff, and felt himself overflooded with sudden emotions he hadn't felt in a long time. The sadness, the frustration, the anger - they all came crashing on him at once. But it was the overwhelming longing that brought tears to his blue eyes.
He had lost so much to Venjix.
He felt a pair of tears slide down his cheeks and put his hand in his pocket, pulling out a fern print bandanna, neatly folded. He ran his thumb over it.
"I can't," he told the piece of fabric, as naturally as if he was talking to an actual person. "I just can't go through that again."
