Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers. So don't try to buy them from me. Please don't get all offended because I mocked your favorite Ranger. I try to mock them all. Besides, it's just for fun. I really do enjoy the show :). 'Hi" to all from AFPR…especially my fellow Psychos. Please let me know if I make any errors. I have no difficulty with receiving constructive criticism. Thanks to Joe Rovang and SirStack for their Writer's Guide to the Power Rangers Universe, which I rely on a lot. Also thanks to the makers of the Power Rangers Central Database.
If you haven't done so, please read the first hundred stories in "When Rangers Meet" and "More of When Rangers Meet."
This is story number 48.
Cole and Sydney
By
Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)
"Ahhhhh," said Cole as he stretched out on the mat in his tree house. He loved his little room up high. He could feel the wind blowing through the tree. He could talk to the squirrels and birds. He could look up and feel closer to the stars. But, most importantly, he could 'accidentally' knock leaves, twigs, and old bird poop onto Taylor's head. It was his best revenge for her stupid rule that he couldn't sleep naked.
Well, today, he was breaking that stupid rule. After all, he was the only one there. Alyssa had finally convinced Princess Shayla and Merrick to go to the mall with her to get clothes from this century. Luckily, for Cole, he had the sense to hide in his Lion Zord's mouth so he could avoid such a horror himself. That left poor Taylor to get stuck with the job of dragging Max and Danny to the emergency room because they had body slammed each other unconscious. So there he was, in his birthday suit, just relaxing as comfortably as he could. He didn't need to worry about anyone seeing him because no one was due back until the evening.
"Ooooh!" cried a child's voice. "This place is sooooo pretty!"
"What the?" gasped Cole as he peeked over the side of his tree house. To his dismay, he saw a little blonde-haired girl wandering around the Animaria.
"Hello Mister!" Sydney called as she waved up to Cole. "I like your tree house. Can I come up so me and Peanuts can have a tea party with you?" She held out a brand new stuffed elephant. She had received him only a day ago as a bribe from her older sister so that Sydney would stop turning her hands into stuff from the garbage can and then shoving them into her face.
"NO!" Cole cried in alarm as Sydney began to climb up. Frantically, he grabbed his pants and yanked them on just as the little girl reached the top.
"Hi! I'm Sydney. My mommy says I'm gonna be a princess and marry a handsome prince and ride off on a snow white horse and live in a castle…" she paused in thought. The other kids at school said she was already a princess. But that was a bit puzzling because the way they said it didn't seem nice. "…either that or I'm gonna be a super hero rock star model."
"Uh, yeah. I'm Cole." Cole grabbed his shirt and yanked it over his head. "What are you doing here? This is a super secret place."
"I don't know." Sydney rocked back and forth on her heels. She didn't want to admit that she had actually been playing around with some scientific equipment while she and her mom were waiting for that funny Cat Lady to come back. Supposedly she had to take some stupid tests at the PSD place to see what kind of weird things her hands could turn into. She just remembered pressing some buttons and pulling a switch, and here she was.
Cole sighed. "Great, I'll have to talk to Princess Shayla about the security here." The last thing he wanted to do was baby-sit some kid he didn't even know.
Sydney's eyes opened wide. "Princess? You know an actual live Princess? Oooh, where's her palace? What does she look like? Can I see her ball gowns? What is her prince like?"
Cole rolled his eyes. "Princess Shayla does not have any ball gowns. She's a thousand year old woman who wears a white nightgown, lives in a cave, and sings off-key for a mechanical deer. And her so-called prince hasn't even asked her on a date yet. He'd rather hang out in a pool hall."
"Oh," said a suddenly disillusioned future Pink Ranger. "I guess I'll be a super hero rock star model instead."
"What?" asked Cole.
"I said I'm going to be…"
"You think she's a silly girl? Yeah, I agree with you."
Sydney stared in confusion at Cole who seemed to be addressing a bird perched on the edge of a branch. "Huh?" She asked as the bird tweeted some more.
Cole began to laugh. "Yeah, she is a bit of an airhead isn't she?"
"Hey!" cried Sydney offended. "I'm not an airhead. My head happens to be stuffed with cotton candy." She announced proudly. "Everyone says so."
But Cole didn't even acknowledge the little girl. "You and the Mister are going dining at the bug infested tree at the other side of the Animaria? Oh sure I can watch your nest tomorrow night."
The little girl suddenly brightened up. "You're talking to that bird? Wow. That's amazing."
Cole looked at Sydney with a smirk on his face. "Well, when you are as in touch with nature as I am…"
"I didn't know grown-ups could be so crazy. But, then again, you do have your pants on backwards, Dr. Dolittle." Sydney sauntered over to the other side of the tree house and began feeding Peanuts some imaginary tea.
"Oh?" Cole looked down and noticed that the butt of his pants were indeed in the front. "Oh, well, that's a new style. Yeah, it's going be all the rage this year."
"No it's not," replied Sydney as she attempted to burp her stuffed elephant over her shoulder. "I come from the future, remember?"
"How do you know, Smarty Pants?" retorted Cole. "You said you didn't know how you got here."
"Uh, because people from my time aren't as dorky as you?"
Cole looked at her unconvinced.
"And people from my time know how to dress?" Sydney was getting desperate. She didn't want him finding out that she had fooled with that big machine in the Cat Lady's office. She didn't want to get scolded and have her swimming pool privileges suspended for a whole hour tomorrow.
Cole crossed his arms and glared at her.
"Okay, okay. We, uh…. we have super special powers that you guys don't have. See?" With that, Sydney gripped the wooden edge of the tree house and concentrated.
"Testing for termites? That's your power?"
Sydney sighed. "Yeah, I guess you got me there. You know, let's start over. Hi, my name is Sydney." She held out her hand.
Cole grabbed it without really paying attention and began to shake it. "I'm Co….yeeeeeoooowwww!" He shrieked as he pulled his hand out of her wooden one. He stared miserably at his now throbbing hand that was full of splinters.
"Told you I have special powers," stated Sydney with a grin.
"Go home," ordered an annoyed Cole as he began yanking the splinters from his hand.
"What? No!" cried Sydney as she stomped her foot. "I don't wanna. It's fun here. I wanna live up here and not go to that stupid stuffy prep school and not go to those stupid dances they make me go to. I wanna see the crazy house men drag you off for thinking you can talk to animals."
"Oh, is that so?" asked Cole. He leaned over to a nearby squirrel and whispered something to it. Then he turned back to Sydney. "Now, go home. I don't need to be explaining why I have a little girl up here with me."
"No!" Sydney said stubbornly as she stomped her foot again. "I don't wanna!"
"Well why not?" asked Cole as he took a few steps back.
The little girl began to sniff, and then she burst into tears. "I don't know how!" she whined. "I pushed some buttons and 'poof' now I'm here. I want my mommy! I want my daddy! I want my six million dollar life-sized dollhouse mansion! I want…." Bonk! Sydney stopped as an acorn hit her. "Hey! Doctor Dolittle, tell your buddy there to stop…" Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk Bonk… "Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" yelled Sydney as she covered her head while a gang of squirrels pelted her with nuts.
"That's it guys! Keep it up!" Cole called to the squirrels. "She'll go home soon."
"Ow! I Ow! can't Ow! you Ow! idiot! Ow!" screamed Sydney. She ran to the ladder and climbed down.
But Cole didn't listen; instead he began dancing around with joy. "You're going home! You're going home!" he sang.
CREEEEAAAKKK! Came the loud sound from the tree house floor.
"Huh?" asked Cole as he paused in his dancing. "Whoa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he cried as the wooden floor suddenly gave way causing him to fall to the ground.
Sydney stood at the foot of the ladder giggling. "Hey, look what I found! She held up a flashing device that had a large red button on it. "It's the doohickey I was playing around…uh examining. It must've come with me. Well bye!" She pressed the button and disappeared.
"Owwwwwwwww!" Cole moaned feebly.
