Disclaimer:  I don't own Power Rangers.  Someone else does.  I don't know who because it keeps changing.  Please don't get offended if I insult your favorite character.  Some pairings are easy to write a story for while others are really tough.  So please realize that some of my stories will be better than others.  Hi to all my fellow AFPR's including my fellow female Psychos :).  And I really appreciate the reviews :).

     Ummm…I can't think of anything to say about this one.  I hope it's ok. 

Trip and Zhane

By

Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)

     "I'll be right there!" called Trip as the other Time Force Rangers headed away from the battle area to put the latest mutant into deep freeze.  Looking around the now seemingly deserted alley, he quickly demorphed.  "Ok," he mumbled to himself, "now I know that go go bar store is just around that corner, let's see how effective this gem really is."  With that, Trip took off his hat and pulled back his bright green hair to reveal the gem in his forehead.  A minute later, he was leering as it glowed.

     "Oh, great, I just can't get a break," mumbled a male voice from around the corner of a nearby building. 

     Trip frowned as his connection to the free show was suddenly broken.  "Whose there?  Wes?  Lucas?  I was uh, just uh, trying to see what Ransik's up to now.  Honest."

     "Oh, don't even bother to give me that," said a strange man as he stepped into view.  He was slightly older than Trip, slightly taller and had very light colored hair. 

     Trip was even more startled to see stranger.  "Oh, uh, hehehe just trying out my new fortune telling outfit.  For the uh," Trip spotted a worn out poster on the side of the building.  "For the county fair.  I'm going to make a lot of money."  Hmmm.  Not a bad idea, he thought to himself.  Anything to keep from doing those idiotic Nick of Time jobs.  "Name's Trip by the way," he stated as he proffered his hand.

     Zhane snorted as he shook the green haired man's hand.  "Zhane, and that poster is over five years old.  Besides, I heard what you said about the go go bar." 

     "Really?" asked Trip, he face turning a bright red.  But it wasn't in embarrassment.  "Then why the hell, did you interrupt me?  Do you know how difficult it is to get any action when you have to constantly give this image of an innocent geek?"

     "What?  Is that another stupid Power Ranger rule I've never heard of?" queried Zhane.

     "Power Ranger?  What do you mean?  I know nothing about…"

     "Do I really look that stupid to you?" asked Zhane.  "No," he continued as Trip opened his mouth, "don't answer that.  I really don't want to know."  He leaned against the red brick wall and smirked.  "I saw you unmorph."

     "Demorph."

     Zhane looked at the younger man strangely.  "You really are a geek aren't you?"

     "No!  No I'm not!" Trip denied the accusation fervently.  "I…I'm a really happening guy on my pla…" He instantly shut his mouth.

     "Planet?" queried Zhane as he completed Trip's last word.  "Don't deny it," he said as he saw Trip try to deny that as well.  "I saw that glowing gem on your forehead.  No way those stupid Earthlings have begun piercing their foreheads as well as every other part of their bodies.'

     "Oh," groaned Trip as he sat down on the ground.  "I'm dead meat.  How much?"

     "Huh?" asked Zhane.

      "How much to keep all this out of the papers?  I can't believe I didn't double check before demorphing.  I can't believe…hey, wait a damned second here!"  Trip's head shot up.  Then he jumped back up.  "What did you mean by 'those stupid Earthlings?'"

     Zhane grinned.  "I'm from KO35 myself."

     "Kopectate?" Trip was even more confused.  "What does anti-diarrhea medicine have to do with all this?"

     "It's a planet."  Zhane sighed with exasperation as Trip continued to stare blankly at him.  "I'm another 'alien' here."  Trip just blinked.  Zhane lifted up his hand and pointed to some aluminum cans littering the ground.  Slowly, they lifted up and began to juggle seemingly on their own.

     "Wow, that's neat," admitted Trip.  Then something else occurred to him.  "What were complaining about before?"

     "Complaining?"

     "Yeah, you said you couldn't get a break.  And why the hell were you spying on me in the first place?"

     "Oh that."  For the first time, Zhane looked a bit perturbed.  "Well, you see, the thing is, I wanted to be a Power Ranger again.  My morpher had gotten destroyed by accident and I missed out when the others had gone to help the Galactic Rangers.  And if that wasn't bad enough, there's a rumor going around that my girlfriend, who had joined the Galactic Rangers, has been messing around big time with their Red Ranger."  Zhane scowled at the memory.

     Trip stared, his face a mask of disbelief.

     Zhane continued.  "So, when I heard that there was a new set of Rangers in Silver Hills, I thought it was my big chance.  I mean, Silver Hills?  Silver Ranger?  I figured it was a sign that I was meant to go join them as their token alien Ranger."  Zhane sighed in disappointment.  "But, when I saw you with that stupid gem, I realized I would never get the opportunity to become a Ranger again so that I could to Mirinoi and rip that damned Leo apart."

     Trip was still staring incredulously at Zhane.  "You were a Power Ranger?"  Trip frowned as he tried to recall the list of all the past Rangers that he had been forced to memorize in school.  "That's impossible."

     "No, really, I was the Silver Ranger.  You know, the one who was with the Space Rangers when Astronema was defeated and Andros mur…uh liberated Zordon and caused that wave of pure goodness to destroy all that evil." 

     Trip brightened up at that.  "Oh yes, the Space team.  Their adventures were required reading in third grade history class."  He frowned.  "But there was no Silver Ranger.  Just Ashley the Yellow Ranger, Cassie the Pink Ranger, TJ the Blue Ranger, Carlos the Black Ranger, and Andros the Super Shiny Silvery Red Ranger."

     "WHAT???!!!  That jerk!" Zhane began to fume.  "I knew I should have checked the logs.  He told me that he had accidentally dropped my morpher and super silverizer into a black hole.  I should've known he was lying when I saw him with those goggles and welding tools."  Zhane continued to grumble to himself for a few moments.

     Trip looked skeptical.  "Look," he said patronizingly.  "I know you want to impress me since I actually am a Ranger and an alien with powers.  But, you don't have to, you are special just the way you are."

     "But I really was the Silver Ranger.  Honest I was."  Zhane was about to plead his case more, when something that Trip had said had struck him.  "Wait a second, did you just imply that I don't have telekinesis powers??!!"

     Trip said nothing.  Instead, he drew a chronosaber from a subspace pocket and slashed at the air between Zhane and the still-juggling cans.  Immediately, the cans fell to the ground.  Fishing line could now be seen dangling from the air.  "I do have to admit, you do an excellent sleight of hand."

     Zhane blushed as he pulled in the strings.  "I…well, you see it's kind of hard having a best friend who constantly brags about what he can do.  So I…" He frowned as he looked a bit closer at Trip's forehead.  "Wait just a damned second.  Is that dried glue on the sides of your gem?"  With that, he yanked hard on the green gem.

     Trip howled.

     "Whoops, guess not," said Zhane sheepishly as he shoved the gem back into the green-hair man's head.  "Well, I guess I'll be going now."  With a smile, he sauntered away whistling as Trip held his forehead in pain while cursing after his retreating form.