Disclaimers in part one. I think.
New Year's Celebrations
by Smittysgirl
part 5
Trent started attacking the monster. It cheerfully avoided his sword blows, chittering excitedly. It began to dance away, and Trent followed it.
Zeltrax rematerialized his axe from hammerspace and crossed the blade against his sword. Liquid green energy formed around the two and began to fluctuate.
"Trent, get down NOW!" he cried.
"Huh?" the White Ranger asked. "Oh." He dodged. Thankfully. Unfortunately so did Chipper Chupacabra, the laser blast doing little more than singeing the creature's immense hat.
"Elsa! Get to safety!" Zeltrax called. "I will retrieve the White Ranger!"
The monster continued to chirp, despite Trent's best efforts to get at it. Then the White Ranger seemed to lose focus again, and wandered off.
"You take care of it, I'll take care of Trent," Elsa called, taking off after Trent. Maybe Lord Mesogog would accept the fact that his son had passed out. At least until they could break the spell.
The creature squealed at Elsa's swiftly fleeing figure, materializing a spell of its own and preparing to enthrall her. Zeltrax's heart rose to his throat. "ELSA!"
The cyborg threw himself across the distance between them, summoning his shield and deflecting the spell back towards Chipper Chupacabra.
The monster cheeped... and disappeared. Zeltrax paused, waiting for the monster to come back.
It didn't.
"Grozit," he murmured. He began to turn towards the other generals before feeling the smack of Elsa's hand against his cheek.
"What the HELL did you think you were doing?!"
"I was saving your life," he said huffily. "Besides, with the monster... gone Trent should be returning to normal at any minute."
"Thank Dezu," Elsa muttered. "The last thing we need is a drunk, good Ranger." She paused. "I'll go get him. I have a feeling he's going to have a hangover. And I really need to talk to Lord Mesogog about home tutoring...."
"Are my ears burning?" the White Ranger asked cheerfully, slipping between the others. At their shared looks of confusion and displeasure he shrugged. "Hey, keep your secrets. It's all good."
Elsa groaned. "Let's just get back to Mesogog's party before he remembers we're gone."
In a flash the three returned to the island fortress.
.
.
.
Once there, Elsa bundled Trent towards his chambers. Hopefully, the White Ranger would sleep off the spell... and Mesogog wouldn't even notice his son's disappearance. Or at least accept it.
The mutant appeared from behind a steel awning. "Greeeeetingsssss," he hissed. "I see the two of you have changed to - formal dresssss."
Elsa swallowed noisily. Trent seemlessly moved besides his father, demorphing and grinning like a used car salesman. "You bet, dad. And we're right in the middle of securing YOU the absolute best present any power-hungry world despot could ask for. 2005 is going to be totally bitchin'."
Mesogog nodded. "Then I leave you to your... sssecuring."
Elsa breathed in relief. Heaven knew what the White Ranger had in mind. The only thing she knew was that she was probably going to regret it.
"What in the world was that?" She asked the instant Mesogog had returned to the main chamber.
Trent shrugged. "You made such a big stink tonight about how we couldn't go sneaking around without a good reason I might as well give us one. Plus I've been meaning to show Dad how much I care. It might soften the blow from the thirty thousand I just blew tonight."
"I'll have to do something about that," Elsa muttered. "In the meantime, why don't you just go to your quarters and stay there?"
"Can't!" he said. "Promised dad, now I gotta deliver. Can't make a liar of me, can we?"
With that, he reached out and brought up an invisiportal. And disappeared.
Elsa swore.
.
.
.
She reached out and entered the invisiportal, determined to find the White Ranger and knock him unconscious. Then, maybe, the party could go on.
She found herself smack dab in the middle of Anton Mercer's pier. Looking around in confusion she saw no sign of the boy anywhere.
"Trent!" she screamed, hoping that the boy would show himself and end her misery.
Silence.
Elsa swore under her breath and marched back towards the mansion, determined to find and subdue the Ranger before he brought the entire house of cards down on top of them.
But he was nowhere. Okay, if you were an enspelled Ranger trying to find the perfect gift for a power-hungry dinosaur-lizard, where would you go?
Back to the Cyberspace? Unlikely. He'd already expressed his fears about how much money he'd given away. Back to helping out random pedestrians? There'd have been more of a commotion somewhere.
Elsa sighed, flopping down one of the Mercers' many couches. There was nothing she'd like more than to drink herself into oblivion before Mesogog could take her there himself.
"Dezu," she muttered. "He's going to catch the Rangers!"
She snapped upright, nearly smacking her head against the lamp above her. Groaning she activated an invisiportal and vanished.
The invisiportal took her near a house. A cheery, white house with far too many lights. Way too many lights. And no Trent. She groaned again. "Trent!"
The sound of people stepping out onto a raised patio drew her attention, and she slipped beneath one of the support beams, lest she had arrest for trespassing to an already sizable list of mistakes tonight.
"So, what are you doing here?" the voice was the Yellow Ranger's. And her tone was cautious.
"Celebrating the new year," Trent said, sounding - to Elsa's ears - more than a little drunk.
"Come to hogtie me and take me back to Mesogog?" she asked, her voice lowering further.
Trent giggled. "Not hardly. I mean, I want to show m - Mesogog what he's meant to me, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you guys too."
"And so you're here because?" the Yellow Ranger asked, even more cautious.
"It's the new year. Time to put aside old differences and just enjoy life."
"You'll excuse me if I don't buy that," she bit back.
Elsa smiled, practically hearing Trent wince. "I suppose I deserve that," he allowed, "but that doesn't mean you're not important to me, Kira. In fact, I came to you with something like a proposition. A way to end this destructive conflict."
"Oh?" Kira asked, still obviously suspicious.
The wood above Elsa creaked. She flinched, guessing what was to come. "Marry me," he said. "A mutual heir for Mesogog's empire and for the Dino Rangers would FORCE Dr. Oliver and m - Mesogog to coexist."
A large smack filled the air, and Trent was flying off the balcony, not of his own volition. Elsa went to the place where Trent had landed and was fortunate to find him unconsious.
She quickly dragged him under the porch with her before the Yellow Ranger saw either of them. The sound of frantic footsteps from the front entrance implied that Kira was intending to inflict further grievous injury on the boy, and Elsa quickly teleported them both out.
.
.
.
"You found him?" Zeltrax asked.
"Finally," Elsa answered, upon assuring herself that the White Ranger had suffered no concussion from his flight. "And he's going to sleep for the next two days, if I have anything to say in the matter. At least until you destroy that stupid chipmunk."
Zeltrax cleared his throat, a sickening sound like nails on a chalkboard. "Elsa, you realize it's very likely that chipmuck destroyed itself. In which case it might not be possible to restore Trent to normal."
"I suppose we should just rent him out," Elsa said. "That might be all that he's useful for. Making people die from saccharine sweetness."
Zeltrax seemed to consider. "We could use him to infiltrate the Rangers once again! Dr. Oliver is a sucker for a sudden redemption. Why, if we could turn that Yellow Ranger's latent feelings for the boy against the four of them?"
"We can't control him, that's why!" Elsa nearly screamed. "He's as likely to help us as hinder us."
Zeltrax shushed her. "If only we could install a pavlovian response into the boy. If only we could put him in the Genome Randomizer or something."
"That's it!" Elsa exclaimed. "But we'll have to do it after Lord Mesogog's gone to be for the night...."
Zeltrax considered. "Mesogog and I could attack the Cyberspace. Dr. Oliver would be unable to defend himself in front of all those children."
"The only thing Lord Mesogog is interested in tonight is Karaoke," Elsa pointed out. "We're technically off the clock, remember?"
Zeltrax grunted. "I'm trying to help you. The only logical way we could get him to evacuate the premises would be..."
"Zeltrax, the only thing I'm interested in is living through this party. Nothing more, nothing less."
"He was mildly disgusted by your attempts to, ah, fornicate with me. If we were to persist in such behaviors he might be encouraged to leave the lab."
"Let's just tire him out and put him to bed before he knows what happened to his son. Then we can rouse Trent and make him useful."
Zeltrax shrugged. "Go ahead. He sent me to my room for being a, quote, buzz-kill. It's your funeral."
Elsa sighed. "Or we could just let Trent sleep it off and then hope we get a useable monster out of him when Mesogog's not around to see his son's appaling behavior...."
The alarm klaxon interrupted whatever thoughts percolated in the general's head, and the two quickly returned to the lab. Mesogog slumped over the sensor console, his eyes bleary and unfocused. "Ah, I sssss... I seeeee... you failed to properly dispose of the interloper, Zeltrax." The mutant hiccuped. "No matter. It ssssssss.... sssseems he is intending to desssstroy the Rangers for usssssss..."
"What?" Elsa proclaimed, before realizing that it was unwise to use that tone with her boss. Thankfully, Mesogog didn't notice, merely indicating the display with one claw.
It was something resembling Chipper Chupacabra in only the broadest of terms. The creature cackled, a sickening sound, as it tore through the Reefside Basilica Block Party.
Zeltrax swallowed noisily.
"Well, at least that's not our problem anymore," Elsa said.
Mesogog just looked at her. "Send the White Ranger to aid it."
"Um, sir," Elsa protested. "The White Ranger's out. Remember?"
"I don't CARE!" Mesogog yelped like an impudent child. "I must enssss... Enssss... Ensssure the creature's victory over the Rangerss!"
Elsa mentally shook her head. "I'll summon the White Ranger to battle at once." How she was going to cause that miracle, she didn't know.
New Year's Celebrations
by Smittysgirl
part 5
Trent started attacking the monster. It cheerfully avoided his sword blows, chittering excitedly. It began to dance away, and Trent followed it.
Zeltrax rematerialized his axe from hammerspace and crossed the blade against his sword. Liquid green energy formed around the two and began to fluctuate.
"Trent, get down NOW!" he cried.
"Huh?" the White Ranger asked. "Oh." He dodged. Thankfully. Unfortunately so did Chipper Chupacabra, the laser blast doing little more than singeing the creature's immense hat.
"Elsa! Get to safety!" Zeltrax called. "I will retrieve the White Ranger!"
The monster continued to chirp, despite Trent's best efforts to get at it. Then the White Ranger seemed to lose focus again, and wandered off.
"You take care of it, I'll take care of Trent," Elsa called, taking off after Trent. Maybe Lord Mesogog would accept the fact that his son had passed out. At least until they could break the spell.
The creature squealed at Elsa's swiftly fleeing figure, materializing a spell of its own and preparing to enthrall her. Zeltrax's heart rose to his throat. "ELSA!"
The cyborg threw himself across the distance between them, summoning his shield and deflecting the spell back towards Chipper Chupacabra.
The monster cheeped... and disappeared. Zeltrax paused, waiting for the monster to come back.
It didn't.
"Grozit," he murmured. He began to turn towards the other generals before feeling the smack of Elsa's hand against his cheek.
"What the HELL did you think you were doing?!"
"I was saving your life," he said huffily. "Besides, with the monster... gone Trent should be returning to normal at any minute."
"Thank Dezu," Elsa muttered. "The last thing we need is a drunk, good Ranger." She paused. "I'll go get him. I have a feeling he's going to have a hangover. And I really need to talk to Lord Mesogog about home tutoring...."
"Are my ears burning?" the White Ranger asked cheerfully, slipping between the others. At their shared looks of confusion and displeasure he shrugged. "Hey, keep your secrets. It's all good."
Elsa groaned. "Let's just get back to Mesogog's party before he remembers we're gone."
In a flash the three returned to the island fortress.
.
.
.
Once there, Elsa bundled Trent towards his chambers. Hopefully, the White Ranger would sleep off the spell... and Mesogog wouldn't even notice his son's disappearance. Or at least accept it.
The mutant appeared from behind a steel awning. "Greeeeetingsssss," he hissed. "I see the two of you have changed to - formal dresssss."
Elsa swallowed noisily. Trent seemlessly moved besides his father, demorphing and grinning like a used car salesman. "You bet, dad. And we're right in the middle of securing YOU the absolute best present any power-hungry world despot could ask for. 2005 is going to be totally bitchin'."
Mesogog nodded. "Then I leave you to your... sssecuring."
Elsa breathed in relief. Heaven knew what the White Ranger had in mind. The only thing she knew was that she was probably going to regret it.
"What in the world was that?" She asked the instant Mesogog had returned to the main chamber.
Trent shrugged. "You made such a big stink tonight about how we couldn't go sneaking around without a good reason I might as well give us one. Plus I've been meaning to show Dad how much I care. It might soften the blow from the thirty thousand I just blew tonight."
"I'll have to do something about that," Elsa muttered. "In the meantime, why don't you just go to your quarters and stay there?"
"Can't!" he said. "Promised dad, now I gotta deliver. Can't make a liar of me, can we?"
With that, he reached out and brought up an invisiportal. And disappeared.
Elsa swore.
.
.
.
She reached out and entered the invisiportal, determined to find the White Ranger and knock him unconscious. Then, maybe, the party could go on.
She found herself smack dab in the middle of Anton Mercer's pier. Looking around in confusion she saw no sign of the boy anywhere.
"Trent!" she screamed, hoping that the boy would show himself and end her misery.
Silence.
Elsa swore under her breath and marched back towards the mansion, determined to find and subdue the Ranger before he brought the entire house of cards down on top of them.
But he was nowhere. Okay, if you were an enspelled Ranger trying to find the perfect gift for a power-hungry dinosaur-lizard, where would you go?
Back to the Cyberspace? Unlikely. He'd already expressed his fears about how much money he'd given away. Back to helping out random pedestrians? There'd have been more of a commotion somewhere.
Elsa sighed, flopping down one of the Mercers' many couches. There was nothing she'd like more than to drink herself into oblivion before Mesogog could take her there himself.
"Dezu," she muttered. "He's going to catch the Rangers!"
She snapped upright, nearly smacking her head against the lamp above her. Groaning she activated an invisiportal and vanished.
The invisiportal took her near a house. A cheery, white house with far too many lights. Way too many lights. And no Trent. She groaned again. "Trent!"
The sound of people stepping out onto a raised patio drew her attention, and she slipped beneath one of the support beams, lest she had arrest for trespassing to an already sizable list of mistakes tonight.
"So, what are you doing here?" the voice was the Yellow Ranger's. And her tone was cautious.
"Celebrating the new year," Trent said, sounding - to Elsa's ears - more than a little drunk.
"Come to hogtie me and take me back to Mesogog?" she asked, her voice lowering further.
Trent giggled. "Not hardly. I mean, I want to show m - Mesogog what he's meant to me, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you guys too."
"And so you're here because?" the Yellow Ranger asked, even more cautious.
"It's the new year. Time to put aside old differences and just enjoy life."
"You'll excuse me if I don't buy that," she bit back.
Elsa smiled, practically hearing Trent wince. "I suppose I deserve that," he allowed, "but that doesn't mean you're not important to me, Kira. In fact, I came to you with something like a proposition. A way to end this destructive conflict."
"Oh?" Kira asked, still obviously suspicious.
The wood above Elsa creaked. She flinched, guessing what was to come. "Marry me," he said. "A mutual heir for Mesogog's empire and for the Dino Rangers would FORCE Dr. Oliver and m - Mesogog to coexist."
A large smack filled the air, and Trent was flying off the balcony, not of his own volition. Elsa went to the place where Trent had landed and was fortunate to find him unconsious.
She quickly dragged him under the porch with her before the Yellow Ranger saw either of them. The sound of frantic footsteps from the front entrance implied that Kira was intending to inflict further grievous injury on the boy, and Elsa quickly teleported them both out.
.
.
.
"You found him?" Zeltrax asked.
"Finally," Elsa answered, upon assuring herself that the White Ranger had suffered no concussion from his flight. "And he's going to sleep for the next two days, if I have anything to say in the matter. At least until you destroy that stupid chipmunk."
Zeltrax cleared his throat, a sickening sound like nails on a chalkboard. "Elsa, you realize it's very likely that chipmuck destroyed itself. In which case it might not be possible to restore Trent to normal."
"I suppose we should just rent him out," Elsa said. "That might be all that he's useful for. Making people die from saccharine sweetness."
Zeltrax seemed to consider. "We could use him to infiltrate the Rangers once again! Dr. Oliver is a sucker for a sudden redemption. Why, if we could turn that Yellow Ranger's latent feelings for the boy against the four of them?"
"We can't control him, that's why!" Elsa nearly screamed. "He's as likely to help us as hinder us."
Zeltrax shushed her. "If only we could install a pavlovian response into the boy. If only we could put him in the Genome Randomizer or something."
"That's it!" Elsa exclaimed. "But we'll have to do it after Lord Mesogog's gone to be for the night...."
Zeltrax considered. "Mesogog and I could attack the Cyberspace. Dr. Oliver would be unable to defend himself in front of all those children."
"The only thing Lord Mesogog is interested in tonight is Karaoke," Elsa pointed out. "We're technically off the clock, remember?"
Zeltrax grunted. "I'm trying to help you. The only logical way we could get him to evacuate the premises would be..."
"Zeltrax, the only thing I'm interested in is living through this party. Nothing more, nothing less."
"He was mildly disgusted by your attempts to, ah, fornicate with me. If we were to persist in such behaviors he might be encouraged to leave the lab."
"Let's just tire him out and put him to bed before he knows what happened to his son. Then we can rouse Trent and make him useful."
Zeltrax shrugged. "Go ahead. He sent me to my room for being a, quote, buzz-kill. It's your funeral."
Elsa sighed. "Or we could just let Trent sleep it off and then hope we get a useable monster out of him when Mesogog's not around to see his son's appaling behavior...."
The alarm klaxon interrupted whatever thoughts percolated in the general's head, and the two quickly returned to the lab. Mesogog slumped over the sensor console, his eyes bleary and unfocused. "Ah, I sssss... I seeeee... you failed to properly dispose of the interloper, Zeltrax." The mutant hiccuped. "No matter. It ssssssss.... sssseems he is intending to desssstroy the Rangers for usssssss..."
"What?" Elsa proclaimed, before realizing that it was unwise to use that tone with her boss. Thankfully, Mesogog didn't notice, merely indicating the display with one claw.
It was something resembling Chipper Chupacabra in only the broadest of terms. The creature cackled, a sickening sound, as it tore through the Reefside Basilica Block Party.
Zeltrax swallowed noisily.
"Well, at least that's not our problem anymore," Elsa said.
Mesogog just looked at her. "Send the White Ranger to aid it."
"Um, sir," Elsa protested. "The White Ranger's out. Remember?"
"I don't CARE!" Mesogog yelped like an impudent child. "I must enssss... Enssss... Ensssure the creature's victory over the Rangerss!"
Elsa mentally shook her head. "I'll summon the White Ranger to battle at once." How she was going to cause that miracle, she didn't know.
