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 :).

     Well, this is story number 43 in my series.  Enjoy.  Please.

Karone and Carlos

By

Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)

     Humming to herself, Karone leaned back in the swivel chair on the Megaship's bridge and examined her newly polished fingernails.  Although she had given up the tight leather and weird wigs, she had no intention of becoming plain and boring.  Of course, Andros had been hinting to her about Nunneriaria, a completely cloistered planet where everyone wore black habits and no men were allowed.  It seemed he had been extremely displeased about her almost-date with Zhane.  Speaking of Andros, Karone was glad his cabin door had 'accidentally' gotten welded shut.  Between his constant hovering over her and his constant bossing around, she recalled the pain he had been when they were children.

     "Ahem.  Since when does bridge duty include scanning one's fingernails for possible enemy attacks?"

     Karone jumped almost a foot in the air.  Her bottle of bright red nail polish spilled on to the communications console in front of her. 

     "Oooooooh, Andros is going to have a fit," taunted Carlos as he watched Karone frantically try to wipe the polish off the buttons.  "You're not supposed to mess up his ship at all.  Last week, Cassie left some of her cds in the engine room and Andros used them for target practice in the Simudeck.  Come to think of it," he mused, "That was just before he unexplainably received that green Mohawk in the middle of the night."

      "Oh, it's just you, Carlos," Karone grumbled as she tried to keep the liquid from dripping into the cracks.  "For a second there I thought I was in for another one of Andros' lectures."  Suddenly, the counsel began to crackle.  A strange alien with a gigantic green head appeared on the screen.

     "Hello, Megaship.  We have just received your…uh…call for licorice flavored underwear.  We were unaware of your people's desperate need for such things.  However…" suddenly he began to guffaw.  "We…we…only make tutti-frutti flavored underwear."  With that, the communication and the laughter faded away.

     "Oooooooh, Andros is going to be really, really mad."  Carlos clapped his hands in glee. "It took him years to get respect from the Melonheadians and you just blew it in five seconds."

     Karone groaned.  "I guess the on-ship rumors are right.  You really are the most immature Ranger ever.  I know five year olds with more sense."

     "Hey!"  Carlos began to complain.  "I…ooh!  Candy!"   With that, he began to dig into the box of multi-colored Kerovian perfume beads Karone had left open.  Three seconds later, he was spitting pink and purple blobs onto the communications panel.  "Ewwwww!!!!!   No wonder you aliens are so grumpy all the time.  Haven't you ever heard of sugar?"

     "Double ewwww!!!!  Haven't you ever heard of manners?"  Karone looked disgustedly at the colored blobs.  "No wonder Ashley dumped you for my brother."

     There was another crackle.  This time, an alien with an elongated purple head appeared on screen.  "Greetings, Rangers.  We have just received your desperate plea for life-sized Teletubby blow-up dolls.  Be if far from me to disrespect your personal lives but," the laughter was even louder this time,  "you guys are even kinkier than the inhabitants of Sluttovia."  With that, the transmission faded away with the alien officer rolling on the floor in hysterics.

     "Do..do you think Andros will also blow a gasket about our destroying his hard-earned respect from the Eggplantians?"  Karone felt a bit apprehensive of being at the receiving end of her gloomy brother's wrath.

     But Carlos didn't seem to hear her.  "Ashley!" he wailed.  "No!  Why did you leave me for that..that…sissified alien?"  He put his head in his arms and sobbed. 

     Karone casually examined her makeup in her hand mirror as she waited for Carlos to finish his little outburst.  "Now that you've gotten that out of your system, is there any particular reason you snuck up on me?  Or are you always this annoying?"

     Carlos picked up his head and wiped his eyes.  "Oh, I almost forgot."  He looked around to make sure no one else was around.   "I really wanted to ask you a favor."

     Karone studied him for a minute.   "Hmmm…sorry, but I only do Kerovians.  It's a personal preference thing.  I hope you understand."    

     "Not THAT kind of favor," retorted Carlos.  "I wanted to ask if you still have those wires from your head."

     Karone's face began to twitch as she briefly relived the time she had been under the control of Dark Spectre and Darkonda's evil technology.  "The…the wires?  Why do think I'd even keep that crap for?  What do you need them for anyway?"

     "Oh, I just wanted to study them.  I mean as the current Power Ranger's genius, it is my duty…"

     A loud chuckle interrupted him.  "Ge…ge…genius?  You've got to be kidding me."

     Carlos glared at her.  "Hey, I'm the one who fixed Alpha 6 when his voice was busted."

     "Fixed nothing.  From what the others told me, all you did was yank out a bunch of wires and whack him over and over again with a wrench crying 'no more yo's!  No more yo's!'  Andros is the one who installed his new voice chip."

     "Oh yeah," Carlos mumbled.  Then his face brightened up considerably. "Well, I'm uh…. the one who planned that strategy against the Psycho Rangers by having us all wear the same Ranger colors.  Green, if I recall it…"

     Karone rolled her eyes.  "Don't even bother with that one.  I watched the whole battle from the (  ).  And even in my brainwashed state, there was no way I could've mixed up blue with green.  Besides," she smiled, "TJ's already shown me the video footage from Decca where he unnecessarily painted all of those dolls…"

      "Power Ranger action figures."

     "…blue just to let you guys know it was possible to do the same to your Ranger outfits."  Karone paused to flick a speck of dust off her shirt.  "The dry cleaning bill for that escapade must've been astronomical.  So," she asked, looking back at Carlos again, "are there any other accomplishments you want to take credit for?  Perhaps you want to admit your complete infatuation with the Phantom Ranger?"

     Carlos' face fell again.  "Well, I'm…uh…I'm the one who…who…oh who am I kidding?" he bawled.  "I haven't done anything brilliant or interesting since I became a Ranger.  Everyone thinks I'm an idiot.  Even Justin got more respect.  No wonder Ashley dumped me for Skunk-hair boy."

     "Well that and the special pheromones KO 35 males use.  Drives the Earth girls crazy."  Karone smirked.  "Andros told me he had accidentally spilled a whole bottle of that stuff on himself the day he met you guys.  And now he makes sure to douse himself in it every morning."

     "WHAAAATTT?????"

     "I said Andros spilled…"

     "I heard what you said," growled Carlos.  He was livid.  "You mean to tell me that Ashley is in love with his stench and NOT with him?"

     "Well, I…uh…"

     Carlos stomped over to another control panel.  "Well, I'll take care of that.  Decca, where is Andros now?"

     "Andros is currently in his quarters with Ashley.  There appear to be moans of pain coming from their immediate vicinity.  Shall I intervene in any way?"

     "Damn," thought Karone ruefully.  "I forgot to check his closet before welding his door shut."

     "Sure," stated Carlos mischievously.  "They're probably getting really hot right now.  So how about you release the sprinklers in there?"

     "But Carlos…"

     "Opening of Megaship sprinklers now commencing."

     With that, water began to spray from the ceiling.  "My makeup!" screeched Karone as she dived under a console.  "You idiot!  Haven't you read the manual?  The sprinklers are all connected to each other!"

     Carlos smiled and shrugged.  "Well, it's a small sacrifice.  Once those pheromones wash off Andros, Ashley will drop him like a hot potato.  Then she'll want my hot body yet again."  He began to dance gleefully under the shower.

     "Just the thought of that is making me nauseous," groaned Karone.  "Oh, me and my big mouth.  Andros is definitely going to kill me."