The school was abuzz with excitement as the next week began. Levi's concert was only a few short days away, and many of the students were going. Tickets had gone on sale and been sold out within minutes online, and even the ones that weren't going to see the concert were waiting to stream it live online, many of them from directly outside the concert venue just so they could be CLOSE to the concert while it was going on.
Mick walked through the corridor, greeting a few of his students cheerfully. Things were going pretty well for Mick all things considered, while the technology of Earth was considerably less advanced than that on the Warrior Dome, most of the stuff he worked on with the students was very reminiscent of the toys they gave children back home on his home planet deep within the Lion Galaxy. It was very much like he was literally getting paid to play with toys all day! He heard teachers constantly complaining about how they didn't get paid enough, but since he lived in the school unbeknownst to them, he essentially had no living costs, and having a very simplistic set of priorities he found his pay was pretty much all he needed to be more than happy.
The students for the most part also loved him. Mick's teaching style was...different...to say the least. He didn't really know what the curriculum was meant to cover, and so he kind of made up his lesson plan as he went along, tailoring it to suit the individual needs of the project that particular student was working on. He also cared more about ensuring the kids learned than whether or not their projects actually worked when all was said and done meaning that even when the kids did find their lovingly-crafted new project falling apart the first time they turned it on, they were more interested in figuring out what went wrong and repairing it than worrying if Mick was going to flunk them for one mistake. The upshot was that he was quickly getting a name as one of the more popular teachers in the school.
"Hey Kyle, that muffler you ordered arrived this weekend!" Mick called to one of his students. "If you've got some time at lunch I can help you install..."
He bumped into someone, turning and apologising as he helped pick up a few folders. He got up, realising it was Principal Hastings he was looking at.
"I'm um...I'm so sorry." Mick told her.
"It's fine; just try to watch where you're going next time." Principal Hastings grumbled out quickly. Mick noticed some bruising on her face and wrist.
"Sorry, I didn't think I hit you that hard..."
"It's fine, really." She insisted. "This weekend I had an...accident..."
"Really?" He asked. "Does this accident have a name? Is someone...?"
"Mr Kanik, I assure you I am absolutely fine!" She responded sternly. "Before you ask, no I am not being abused. I am currently between partners. I merely had a little...unpleasantness...this weekend."
"Unpleasantness?" He asked. "A moment ago you said it was an accident."
"An ACCIDENT that was UNPLEASANT!" She humphed as she snatched the folders from him. "Now if there's nothing else..."
"Oh, I was just wondering...do you still want to go to that museum?" He asked her. "I'd really like to see what these dinosaurs are all about. I'll be free this weekend..."
"This weekend I have another engagement." She replied before storming off. Mick watched her go and just shrugged.
"Guess another time then." He answered with a shrug, before he turned around, this time almost running into Sarah and Hayley. He held his hands up.
"I am REALLY bad at this walking thing today." He chuckled. "Hey guys, how are things?"
"Oh, not so bad." Sarah answered.
"Have...either of you heard from Levi?" Mick asked them.
"I'm afraid not. He's been busy." Hayley told him.
"Yeah, we were trying to get him to come to training but he's really snowed under with the concert." Sarah answered, cradling her folders to her chest and looking away a little dreamily as she got a massive, bright grin on her face. "But he did a great job up until now, and he's in great shape! I'm sure once he's done with that, he'll be around showing us what he's got."
"Show us what he's got?" Hayley said, looking to her as she shoved Sarah playfully. "Freudian slip much?"
"Well...of course I meant...his moves...I mean his FIGHTING moves." Sarah stammered out, trying to clarify her statement and get some of the heat off her. "Oh hey, there's Preston, he said he wants me to rehears a new trick with him! Preston, I'm just coming!"
"She's more than a little distracted isn't she?" Mick asked. Hayley just nodded.
"I'm just glad she's able to retain consciousness." Hayley answered. Just then, there was an uproar from the entrance lobby. They made their way over as everyone started to file around and gather near the door.
They barely managed to get to the front in order to see Victor and Monty coming into the school, Monty carrying Victor's books while Victor moved gingerly, one arm in a sling and using a cane to help him. During the attack someone had locked the doors of the mall trapping people in the main square with the kudabots. Victor had used his own body as a battering ram to break a shop window to let them escape into the safety of the mall.
Victor smiled and gave a little wave, taking in the adulation. He had spent the weekend in hospital to recover.
"Thank you, thank you, it really isn't necessary." Victor said as he tried to get to his locker.
"Come on people, clear him a path." Monty said, trying to play blocker and clear him a path to his locker. "Hero of Summer Cove coming through..."
"Yeah, real hero. Way to use your head for something useful." Ace called out, eliciting a laugh from some of his hangers-on. Other students quickly rounded on him, throwing cat-calls his way as they left. Sarah came across as Victor started to struggle with his combination lock.
"Hey, it's alright, I'll give you a hand." She told him. "Don't let what Ace said get to you. He's just a jackass."
"My cousin is a unique one, that's for sure." He sighed. She just furrowed her brows.
"Your cousin?" She asked. "I thought he'd be happy there's a hero in the family. What you did was pretty amazing."
"I don't think..."
"Victor, a lot of people were hurt, but it could have been a LOT worse." Sarah told him. "I'm pretty sure you saved lives that day. Um...what's your combination?"
"082317." He told her. Sarah started to input the numbers.
"08, 23...um...17?" She asked, before looking to him. The date was very familiar to her. It was the day she had started at Summer Cove High. "Isn't that the day...?"
"It sure is!" Victor said, looking around cautiously, making sure no one was looking, before unzipping his letterman jacket. Sarah looked on, shocked as she saw that underneath, he was wearing a Power Rangers t-shirt, one that depicted her team! "It's the day the Power Rangers were first seen in Summer Cove!"
Sarah felt a little relieved by this. It had briefly slipped her mind that it was the day she started that her life had changed in the most amazing way when she got her Power Star. It was pure coincidence that it was also the day she started. She was a little worried that he was still fostering false hopes of something happening between them.
"Right, the Rangers!" She said with a little smile.
"I am their BIGGEST fan!" He said, his eyes growing wide and bright, and his voice losing the usual tone of arrogance that he normally projected. "They're the real heroes, out there, fighting all those monsters...I...I try to live up to them but...well...I know I can be a little..."
"Hey, they're pretty good role models to have." Sarah told him as she opened his locker for him. "And seeing the way you helped those people, I'm sure they'd tell you that you did a pretty good job of it."
As he reached inside for some books, Sarah noticed some dog tags hanging in his locker. She caught a quick look at them, seeing a name on them.
"Sergeant Vernon Victor." She read aloud. Victor caught her looking at them and just closed over his locker. "Are they your dad's?"
"Yeah, they are." He answered.
"We need to get to class." Monty said, trying to hurry Victor away. Sarah though was still interested.
"Wait, I didn't see your dad at parent's night." She commented. "Where is he now?"
"Arlington." Victor shot back. Sarah's smile fell and she suddenly wished the ground would swallow her whole. It was no wonder Victor hadn't wanted to talk about his dad.
"Victor, I'm..."
Her words tailed off though as he walked away. She just picked up her bag and sighed.
"Good job Sarah." She muttered, leaning against the lockers, the back of her head hitting one of them. "Good job."
Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was heading to the engineering department, somewhere he rarely visited, after receiving a message from Wrench. He was just finishing up a call from the network as he arrived.
"Well I don't very much care if you're still getting heat from the Lion Galaxy, he knew what he was getting into when he signed on for the match!" Cosmo stated. "Oh? They're NOT lodging another complaint? Well what do they...?"
He listened with interest, holding up a finger as Wrench was picking up a control unit, preparing to activate his latest creation. He had been working on another creation for a while now, but since Cosmo had seen Sarah's reaction to finding out Wrench now worked for them, he had re-doubled his efforts.
It made Wrench nervous when Cosmo had started to muse and ponder this information. He was always looking for the next big-money feud. He already had Ripcon and his feud with both the Red Ranger, and now also the Gold Ranger, but when he started thinking about a connection between Wrench and Sarah, it started to stray into uncomfortable territory. Wrench very much liked his new position on the Warrior Dome. It was a VAST improvement over Sledge and his crew.
He had access to some of the greatest technology available. He had free reign over what he could do in his lab, and he had all the interns he could ever want to assist him. He was getting paid, and his new quarters not only dwarfed his old quarters on Sledge's ship, but Sledges' ship as a whole! He was even being given the opportunity to look at sending warriors into battle, something that brought with it a percentage of the viewing revenue. The last thing he wanted now was to spend time trading blows with the Rangers. Why would he want to risk what he had now?
"Really? The new ruler you say! Now that IS interesting!" Cosmo said with a smirk. "Well, an appearance on the show is bound to improve her approval ratings. Goodness knows the last thing anyone wants is an embarrassment as a leader."
He listened to the conversation on the other end and nodded.
"I'll have legal draw up a contract right away." Cosmo told him. "Yes, I look forward to hearing your terms. Bye now!"
He hung up and looked to Wrench.
"Wrench my boy; you had something to show me?" He asked. Wrench just nodded.
"I do sir, those improvements you asked for...I've finally finished them!" Wrench told him gleefully. He pointed to a monitor, which linked to a sealed testing arena. It was a circular room which had doors interspersed around it. The centre had a hatch which opened up, and smoke started to billow out theatrically. Wrench turned on some music for effect. Cosmo already had something else on his attention, so between this strange deal with the Lion Galaxy, the Red Ranger and the Gold Ranger, Wrench hoped that with just one more distraction, he might just give Cosmo more to think about than sending him into a grudge match.
"Sir, I'd like to introduce you to...the BASHER BOT!" He declared, as something rose out of the smoke. The smoke cleared as the music hit a crescendo. Cosmo just sighed.
"Really?" He asked. "It's a kudabot."
"Ah, sir..."
"It's a kudabot." Cosmo reiterated.
"But I've greatly improved..."
"It's a KUDABOT!" Cosmo said a little more forcefully. "It's a kudabot with a different head and a sword instead of a spear!"
"I know it may look that way, but I've upgraded virtually every aspect of the kudabot design." Wrench assured him. "Its chassis is made of Karnovian steel, so it's 50 percent lighter...but 67 percent stronger! Its servos have been re-worked to be faster and stronger, increasing its output by 89 percent! Its combat algorithms have been completely rewritten..."
"Spare me the techno-babble Wrench." Cosmo told him. Wrench punched a few keys on the keyboard, at which ten doors opened around the arena and ten kudabots entered. He typed in a few more keys.
"Setting the basher bot as a target and...here we GO!" Wrench said, directing Cosmo towards the screen. He sat and watched as the kudabots attacked. He was about to say something, but before he could, there were crashes and explosions coming from the testing arena.
"That...that is..."
"That would be one basher bot." Wrench said proudly as there was one more explosion, before the arena fell silent. "And that would be no more kudabots!"
"Interesting, very interesting." Cosmo said, stroking his chin. "How many do you have?"
"I have a dozen..."
"Perfect." Cosmo said with a smile. "Let me just go and talk to Ripcon. He swears he has someone that he swears is really going to shake things up for the Rangers."
"You're giving Ripcon another chance?" Wrench asked. "I thought Galvinax..."
"Galvinax is a little dark on him right now, which means he can only go up in his estimations." Cosmo told him. "I can send him down and take advantage of his popularity with the Red and the Gold Rangers. If he wins, we're up a Power Star. If not..."
He just shrugged.
"Either way, I'm the only one that wins." Cosmo stated, before pulling out his phone. "Hello, legal? Yes, I want to meet someone in my office right now! I have a contract that I need to negotiate pronto!"
Over at the Tien building, Al was working hard, looking through the latest set of takings when the mail came by. He looked up when he heard a loud thunk, and saw large package and an envelope being put on his desk. He looked up, seeing that the runner, Morgan, was standing over him.
"You going to keep us waiting all day?" He asked.
"What?" Al asked him.
"Mr Tien is such a tight-ass; he hardly ever gives away anything." Morgan told him. "You know what I got for a Christmas Bonus last year? A twenty dollar gift certificate for the pharmacy!"
"That's a Christmas Bonus?" Al asked. He just shrugged.
"Around here it is." Morgan stated. "Well, are you going to leave me hanging or what?"
Al reached to the package and opened it, finding inside a bottle of Scotch. Morgan picked it up, letting out a long, low whistle as he looked at it.
"Now THAT is a VERY nice bottle!" He commented. "Do you have any idea how much this costs? It beats the shit out of anything I'm expecting to get."
Al opened the envelope and looked to the letter inside. Morgan looked to Al, smiling, but it started to slip as he saw the expression on Al's face. He didn't seem to be happy at all with what he had seen.
"Al, is everything...is everything alright?" He asked. Al just grabbed the letter and got up from his desk, heading for the elevator. "Al, where are you going?"
"Enjoy the whisky!" Al snapped. Morgan just smiled.
"Really?" He asked, putting it in his trolley. "Waste not want not!"
By the time he got to the top floor, Al was livid. He didn't even care that no one saw Mr Tien without an appointment. He was just about through with all of the games and the pressure tactics, but this latest one had stepped over the line. He got off the elevator and headed for the door.
"Mr Tien is meeting with...sir; you can't go in there...sir!" The PA protested as he strode past her desk. The security guards approached, gesturing him to stop. One of them had his metal detector wand at the ready. Al just got in his face.
"I'm a convicted felon you moron! I couldn't carry a weapon if I wanted to!" Al yelled at him as he barged through the door. Inside, Mr Tien was practicing his putting, looking up at the rude interruption. Al was struggling as the guards grabbed him.
"Let him go." Mr Tien insisted. The guards released Al at his insistence, only for him to gesture him forward. "You made me miss my shot."
Al threw the envelope down on the floor in front of him.
"What the hell is this?" Al demanded. "You paid off my mortgage?"
"Consider it a gift." Mr Tien told him. "I can be very generous when I want to be."
"Tell that to the mail room guys who got a twenty dollar pharmacy voucher." Al stated. Mr Tien just looked at him coldly.
"Most people would be grateful to be in your position Mr Thompson." Mr Tien said with a considerably less friendly tone in his voice. "Don't mistake my generosity for weakness."
Al picked up the letter and held it out to Mr Tien.
"I don't live that life anymore." Al reiterated. Mr Tien just folded his arms.
"Enjoy the gift." He answered. Al just turned on the spot and strode out of the office, slamming the door behind him. The security guards escorted him back to the elevator, sending him back down towards his office. Al knew this wasn't the last he was going to hear about this. Mr Tien had made it clear that he was determined, and that he was not a man who liked to be told no.