New Year's Celebrations
by Smittysgirl
part 4
"Trent!"
The idiotic clatter of Elsa's voice woke Trent out of sleep. However, he was in too good a mood to be irritated. "Yes, Elsa?" he asked cheerily.
"There's a monster attacking the city," she yelled. "Your father is very upset. This is your big chance to prove yourself to him!"
Trent raised both eyebrows. "I thought we attacked the good guys," he said, failing to see what part he had to play in all the commotion. "Good night."
Elsa blanched. "But... Innocent people! Doesn't that just set your soul ablaze? Doesn't the thought of that monster massacring your beloved Kira infuriate every fiber of your, um, very being?"
"Elsa, I'm in a good mood. I was dreaming about Kira. She's fully capable of taking care of herself and then some. Come on. GO back to bed."
Elsa gave a small cry of exasperation and pulled the young man to his feet. "Listen you festering little hangnail. I am NOT sticking my neck out for you any longer. Mesogog is going to gut us both like fish if we don't start producing results. Maybe you're eager to see what your intestines look like as outerwear, but I'm not! Now you are going to morph, march out there, and kill that blasted creature before we three of us are used as fodder for the Genome Randomizer!"
Trent sighed. "All right. If only to see Kira."
Elsa nearly whooped with joy. Trent fought back a smile, knowing his fellow general would not appreciate the good cheer.
"Come on," she said. "There's an invisiportal about a block away. With luck we can still salvage the holiday."
"All right," Trent said. "I probably should get back to moving cars about after the monster's destoryed anyway."
Elsa shrugged. "Whatever you want. It's your bloody night for all I care, so long as I don't bear the blame."
"Good," Trent said, bringing up his morpher. "Happy New Year, Elsa!"
"Happy New Year," she started, quickly trailing off into a long and convoluted elaboration on Trent's lineage.
The White Ranger shimmered out via invisiportal and troubled her no more.
.
.
.
"Man," Ethan groaned as the monster punched a dent into his Tricera Shield, "this guy just keeps on coming!"
"You said it," Kira said, flipping across two Tyrannodrones and blasting at it with her Dino Blaster.
"Hey, guys," the White Ranger called cheerfully. "Need help?"
"BASTARD!" Conner yelled, instantly crossing the battle field and summoning his Tyrannostaff. "What's your game tonight, Trent? Trying to coerse the kids of Reefside into doing your bidding? Nothing doing! The Power Rangers can't be bribed!"
"Um, actually, I think I'm supposed to be destroying the guy you're currently pounding," Trent said helpfully.
"Like I'd believe that," Conner sniped back. Ethan was thrown into a street light and screamed in agony.
"Bro, right now I'm willing to let panhandlers help us."
"Or maybe it was to turn him good again," Trent muttered. "I can't remember what Elsa said about that."
"Hang on, guys! I'm-" Dr. Oliver stopped short as he took in the four Rangers attempting to talk in the midst of a battle. "I think I missed something here."
"Not a problem, Dr. Oh," Trent said. "Think of this as a New Year's present! See, the good guys and the bad guys can cooperate for one night." He hiccuped.
The Black Ranger twitched. "Okay. Whatever Mesogog's playing at, I guess I'm willing to stomach it for one night."
He unshealthed his Brachio Staff. "I don't suppose anyone told you how we're supposed to destroy this thing?"
"No, Elsa just said to get my butt down here and do something with it. I think it's supposed to be good or something....."
"A good monster makes about as much sense as a good White Ranger," Conner murmured. Kira thwaped him with what seemed like affection.
"Anyway, Elsa sent me down, so I guess I'm with my peers tonight," Trent said, aiming a blow at the monster.
"Someone tell me I'm dreaming," Conner muttered.
"Nah. You should have some of our punch after it's done, however...." Trent told him cheerfully. "It packs quite a punch! And you haven't lived until you've seen Elsa and Zeltrax do karaoke....."
Conner grunted a profanity as Dr. Oliver heaved him towards the monster. In a flash he converted to Super Dinomode, and tore into the once chipper chupacabra with ferocity.
Trent giggled and switched to a mode nobody had ever seen before. And would never see again. "Giddy mode!" he called.
Ethan choked back a laugh as Trent began toÊ serenade the monster with what looked like a lute.
"My bonnie soars over the ocean, my bonnie soars over the sea, my bonnie soars over the ocean, oh soak that poor bonnie for me!"
Without warning the nearby tide of the ocean began to churn rapidly, foam increasing along the surface and waves of growing height lapping against the loose sand below them.
"Tsunami!" Dr. Oliver called. "Incoming!"
Trent just giggled.
"Do you think, if we hit him over the head, it'll go away?" Conner whispered to Ethan.
A massive tidal wave shot over the concrete barrier, slamming down atop the monster with an almost impossible trajectory. With that the wave began to slink back towards the ocean, carrying the monster with it.
Dr. Oliver darted forward, snapping components on his Brachiostaff into position. "We only get one shot at this! ELECTRICAL STRIKE!"
"Electric darts!" Trent called.
"Z-Rex Blaster!" Conner yelled, the other two Rangers kneeling beside him and snapping their power weapons together.
The three beams shot out across the wharf, snaring the creature in the midst of the tidal wave.
"We got him, we've got him...."
"Trent, this isn't a fishing expedition!"
"Just a second longer!" the Black Ranger called, reconfiguring the staff again. "Energy Orb, ENGAGE!"
A massive sphere of power erupted from the weapon, striking the chupacabra, still torn in two directions, and destroyed it explosively. The backlash threw the team to the ground.
"Ow," Kira muttered.
"Kira? You okay?" Trent asked, rushing over to her.
"That's supposed to be my line," Conner said, grumbling as he got up and assessed his bruises.
"Back off!" The White Ranger snarled, looking back at the girl in confusion. "Did... Are you hurt?"
"I'll be okay. Just need a hot bath... alone."
"Are you sure? I'm a really good scrubber...."
"Back off yourself!" the Red Ranger barked, helping Kira to her feet. "I bet this is all part of some evil scheme of yours, trying to get us to invite you into one of our homes, isn't it?"
Trent partially shrugged, his posture somewhere between confused and hostile. "I... No, it's not..."
"Trent?" Dr. Oliver asked.
Trent sighed. "Excuse me. I left some drivers stranded."
The helmet aside, Oliver clearly blinked. "I ... alright."
"Have a happy new year!" Trent called as he leaped up on his zord and flew off.
.
.
.
The Dracozord swept low across the fertile fields on Reefside's outlying areas. Trent laughed giddily, relishing the feel of the bitter breeze against his uniform. Why hadn't he been doing this all the time?
Ah yes, he remembered with an abrupt clarity. The Rangers. Their plans to restore the planet to the age of the dinosaur had been indefinitely postponed. With it he could no longer enjoy the fruits of his powers.
Ah well. He shook his head and patted the forehead of the zord beneath him. Live in the moment or don't live at all, that's what his birth-father had always told him.
Dracozord landed, and he whooped. "Everybody! I'm here!" he called.
The commuters stranded in each side of the bridge honked in what he hoped was appreciation. "I'll start moving everybody across soon enough, okay?"
He patted his Zord's head. "Let's get to work."
.
.
.
Elsa collapsed against a chair in her quarters.
"It could be worse," Zeltrax opined. "For instance, he could have actually joined the Rangers."
"I just hope he returns to normal when he comes home, or Mesogog is going to kill him. And us." Elsa sighed. "As it is, I have to find some way to ban him from school until I can coerce the student population to return his money...."
Zeltrax shrugged. "I can handle that myself. I'll simply visit each and every member of the student body in the next few hours, and persuade them. You do keep a database as part of your cover identity?"
Elsa nodded. "Of course." She reached to one side and brought out a PDA. "Have fun."
Zeltrax bowed and accepted the PDA. "Mesogog's money should be returned by tomorrow morning."
Elsa nodded in relief. "And I'll make sure the White Ranger gets an extra dose of sedative today. He's going to need it."
"That would be ... for the best," Zeltrax allowed. "And perhaps you should seduate Lord Mesogog's breakfast. Though I doubt the children could spend much of the money between the hours of 11 and 5 on New Years, I further doubt any bank would be open for me to return those funds."
Elsa nodded once again. "At this rate, I think that both of them deserve a full day's sleep."
"And we don't?" the cyborg chuckled. "Every part of me aches, even the parts without pain receptors."
He gestured to her couch. "Do you mind?"
Elsa shrugged. "Not at all. At least we can rest until Trent gets tired of playing with cars."
Zeltrax lowered himself onto the furniture, mindful not to break anything with his sheer bulk. He sighed contentedly. "This is the first time I've had that I could think in the last twelve hours."
"I'll remember to tell Lord Mesogog that we had a great party," Elsa said absentmindedly. "We really didn't get to see much of that, either."
"Perhaps that's for the best," Zelrax said. "Though brilliant, Mesogog has little sense of recreational activities."
The two let that hang in the air for a moment, lost in their thoughts. "How did things go with Dr. Oliver earlier?" Zeltrax continued.
"I got stuck conversing with him and his concubine when Trent refused to leave the stage," Elsa said shrugging. "I was too preoccupied to really worry about it."
Zeltrax chastised himself for pressing the issue. "I'm curious if they've found a way to undo the morphing predicament he's in. He appeared ... normal. A good soldier gauges the emotional state of his opponent."
Elsa laughed with genuine mirth. "Soldier. You were a scientist, Terrance. I know you've got a banana in your pipe because of Oliver, but really now."
She took a moment to finish her giggles before continuing. "And for the record he seemed to be shimmering at odd times. I think that woman of his is field testing some sort of holographic cloak."
Zeltrax nodded thoughtfully. "I would hope that he is getting tired of the morphed state. Or that his physical state is deteriorating because of the continued morph."
She leaned backwards over the arm so her eyes could meet his. "Must you kill him? The man might yet have ... uses for our organization."
"Dr. Oliver? You would want Dr. Oliver?" Zeltrax's voice raised in alarm. Then he seemed to relax. "Ah. As a... bed partner."
Elsa's eyes widened for a moment. "That ... wasn't quite how I meant to be construed, but I won't deny the idea has some appeal for me. Does that pose a problem for you?"
"Every beautiful woman should have her harem."
"Terrance Smith, you're drunk."
Zeltrax laughed, a tacit confirmation. "And you, Elsa? I believe these are the most civil words we've had for each other in years."
"I might have... had a little punch. Though not in the quantity that our dear White Ranger did."
Zeltrax laughed again, causing the couch to reverberate. "Neither of us could injest that much and live. Perhaps another of his magical abilities is a dinosaur liver."
"Perhaps he's taking after his father." Elsa looked thoughtful. "Lord Mesogog would be happy."
"It would be nice," Zeltrax allowed, "to let things sort themselves out and not have to ever do anything ever again. Sit back on the porch and watch our children play."
Elsa raised her eyebrows. "That's it, we're all stoned out of our minds."
A huge crash resounded outside her door. "Dad! I'm home! And I brought a present!"
Elsa groaned.
Zeltrax hobbled onto unsteady feet and fell flat on his face.
Elsa levered herself out of the chair, and sat down with a groan. "Never mind," she muttered. "I'll let Mesogog deal with him." She watched Zeltrax as he attempted to get up several times, failing each time.
"Little help?" he asked, his voice muffled by the carpet.
Elsa sighed. "Right." She got up at righted her fellow general. "Let's just stay here and let Mesogog worry about Trent. I don't think we could even get out of my quarters at the moment."
Zeltrax shook his head in amusement. "To think, I finally get you ine ... ine... drunk, and I'm too messed up to do anything about it."
"Just take the couch and go to sleep. That's what I'm going to do."
Zeltrax looked at her in confusion. "On the couch?"
Elsa glared at him. "No, dummy. You're sleeping on the couch. I'm taking the bed."
"Oh." He shrugged. "Okay."
He took five steps before faceplanting again. Elsa knelt beside him before a loud snore convinced her it was futile.
She rolled her eyes. "Tomorrow is another day," she muttered, before retiring to her bed.
.
.
.
Trent was groaning the next morning. Elsa, having discovered a very expensive Mercedes parked outside her quarters, wasn't very sympathetic.
She whalloped the boy on the side of the head. "Are you damn well evil enough yet?!"
Trent glared. "Watch it, or I'll have your intestines for party decorations."
"That's my boy!" she cheered, kissing him on the forehead and running down a corridor in jubilation.
Trent looked at her in confusion, and considered how he was going to deliver the Mercedes to his father. Maybe put in front of his father's quarters, instead of Elsa's.
Elsa rounded a corner, smashing headfirst into Zeltrax's chest. She careened to the floor.
"Are you all right?" the cyborg asked.
"Help me up, you idiot," Elsa hissed.
Zeltrax extended a hand. "Dr. Mercer's money has been returned to him."
"Thank heaven for small favors!" she spat. "No thanks to you we came this close to getting our genes resequenced!"
"Indeed. And the White Ranger's, though that would have probably been a favor."
She fought back the urge to smile, largely succeeding. "Just don't think because of how things ended last night that I'm going to start treating you any differently! You're still my biggest impediment to Mesogog's favor."
"As you wish, my lady." He gave her a deep bow. "Happy new year, Elsa."
Elsa sighed. "Happy new year, Zeltrax."
-end.
by Smittysgirl
part 4
"Trent!"
The idiotic clatter of Elsa's voice woke Trent out of sleep. However, he was in too good a mood to be irritated. "Yes, Elsa?" he asked cheerily.
"There's a monster attacking the city," she yelled. "Your father is very upset. This is your big chance to prove yourself to him!"
Trent raised both eyebrows. "I thought we attacked the good guys," he said, failing to see what part he had to play in all the commotion. "Good night."
Elsa blanched. "But... Innocent people! Doesn't that just set your soul ablaze? Doesn't the thought of that monster massacring your beloved Kira infuriate every fiber of your, um, very being?"
"Elsa, I'm in a good mood. I was dreaming about Kira. She's fully capable of taking care of herself and then some. Come on. GO back to bed."
Elsa gave a small cry of exasperation and pulled the young man to his feet. "Listen you festering little hangnail. I am NOT sticking my neck out for you any longer. Mesogog is going to gut us both like fish if we don't start producing results. Maybe you're eager to see what your intestines look like as outerwear, but I'm not! Now you are going to morph, march out there, and kill that blasted creature before we three of us are used as fodder for the Genome Randomizer!"
Trent sighed. "All right. If only to see Kira."
Elsa nearly whooped with joy. Trent fought back a smile, knowing his fellow general would not appreciate the good cheer.
"Come on," she said. "There's an invisiportal about a block away. With luck we can still salvage the holiday."
"All right," Trent said. "I probably should get back to moving cars about after the monster's destoryed anyway."
Elsa shrugged. "Whatever you want. It's your bloody night for all I care, so long as I don't bear the blame."
"Good," Trent said, bringing up his morpher. "Happy New Year, Elsa!"
"Happy New Year," she started, quickly trailing off into a long and convoluted elaboration on Trent's lineage.
The White Ranger shimmered out via invisiportal and troubled her no more.
.
.
.
"Man," Ethan groaned as the monster punched a dent into his Tricera Shield, "this guy just keeps on coming!"
"You said it," Kira said, flipping across two Tyrannodrones and blasting at it with her Dino Blaster.
"Hey, guys," the White Ranger called cheerfully. "Need help?"
"BASTARD!" Conner yelled, instantly crossing the battle field and summoning his Tyrannostaff. "What's your game tonight, Trent? Trying to coerse the kids of Reefside into doing your bidding? Nothing doing! The Power Rangers can't be bribed!"
"Um, actually, I think I'm supposed to be destroying the guy you're currently pounding," Trent said helpfully.
"Like I'd believe that," Conner sniped back. Ethan was thrown into a street light and screamed in agony.
"Bro, right now I'm willing to let panhandlers help us."
"Or maybe it was to turn him good again," Trent muttered. "I can't remember what Elsa said about that."
"Hang on, guys! I'm-" Dr. Oliver stopped short as he took in the four Rangers attempting to talk in the midst of a battle. "I think I missed something here."
"Not a problem, Dr. Oh," Trent said. "Think of this as a New Year's present! See, the good guys and the bad guys can cooperate for one night." He hiccuped.
The Black Ranger twitched. "Okay. Whatever Mesogog's playing at, I guess I'm willing to stomach it for one night."
He unshealthed his Brachio Staff. "I don't suppose anyone told you how we're supposed to destroy this thing?"
"No, Elsa just said to get my butt down here and do something with it. I think it's supposed to be good or something....."
"A good monster makes about as much sense as a good White Ranger," Conner murmured. Kira thwaped him with what seemed like affection.
"Anyway, Elsa sent me down, so I guess I'm with my peers tonight," Trent said, aiming a blow at the monster.
"Someone tell me I'm dreaming," Conner muttered.
"Nah. You should have some of our punch after it's done, however...." Trent told him cheerfully. "It packs quite a punch! And you haven't lived until you've seen Elsa and Zeltrax do karaoke....."
Conner grunted a profanity as Dr. Oliver heaved him towards the monster. In a flash he converted to Super Dinomode, and tore into the once chipper chupacabra with ferocity.
Trent giggled and switched to a mode nobody had ever seen before. And would never see again. "Giddy mode!" he called.
Ethan choked back a laugh as Trent began toÊ serenade the monster with what looked like a lute.
"My bonnie soars over the ocean, my bonnie soars over the sea, my bonnie soars over the ocean, oh soak that poor bonnie for me!"
Without warning the nearby tide of the ocean began to churn rapidly, foam increasing along the surface and waves of growing height lapping against the loose sand below them.
"Tsunami!" Dr. Oliver called. "Incoming!"
Trent just giggled.
"Do you think, if we hit him over the head, it'll go away?" Conner whispered to Ethan.
A massive tidal wave shot over the concrete barrier, slamming down atop the monster with an almost impossible trajectory. With that the wave began to slink back towards the ocean, carrying the monster with it.
Dr. Oliver darted forward, snapping components on his Brachiostaff into position. "We only get one shot at this! ELECTRICAL STRIKE!"
"Electric darts!" Trent called.
"Z-Rex Blaster!" Conner yelled, the other two Rangers kneeling beside him and snapping their power weapons together.
The three beams shot out across the wharf, snaring the creature in the midst of the tidal wave.
"We got him, we've got him...."
"Trent, this isn't a fishing expedition!"
"Just a second longer!" the Black Ranger called, reconfiguring the staff again. "Energy Orb, ENGAGE!"
A massive sphere of power erupted from the weapon, striking the chupacabra, still torn in two directions, and destroyed it explosively. The backlash threw the team to the ground.
"Ow," Kira muttered.
"Kira? You okay?" Trent asked, rushing over to her.
"That's supposed to be my line," Conner said, grumbling as he got up and assessed his bruises.
"Back off!" The White Ranger snarled, looking back at the girl in confusion. "Did... Are you hurt?"
"I'll be okay. Just need a hot bath... alone."
"Are you sure? I'm a really good scrubber...."
"Back off yourself!" the Red Ranger barked, helping Kira to her feet. "I bet this is all part of some evil scheme of yours, trying to get us to invite you into one of our homes, isn't it?"
Trent partially shrugged, his posture somewhere between confused and hostile. "I... No, it's not..."
"Trent?" Dr. Oliver asked.
Trent sighed. "Excuse me. I left some drivers stranded."
The helmet aside, Oliver clearly blinked. "I ... alright."
"Have a happy new year!" Trent called as he leaped up on his zord and flew off.
.
.
.
The Dracozord swept low across the fertile fields on Reefside's outlying areas. Trent laughed giddily, relishing the feel of the bitter breeze against his uniform. Why hadn't he been doing this all the time?
Ah yes, he remembered with an abrupt clarity. The Rangers. Their plans to restore the planet to the age of the dinosaur had been indefinitely postponed. With it he could no longer enjoy the fruits of his powers.
Ah well. He shook his head and patted the forehead of the zord beneath him. Live in the moment or don't live at all, that's what his birth-father had always told him.
Dracozord landed, and he whooped. "Everybody! I'm here!" he called.
The commuters stranded in each side of the bridge honked in what he hoped was appreciation. "I'll start moving everybody across soon enough, okay?"
He patted his Zord's head. "Let's get to work."
.
.
.
Elsa collapsed against a chair in her quarters.
"It could be worse," Zeltrax opined. "For instance, he could have actually joined the Rangers."
"I just hope he returns to normal when he comes home, or Mesogog is going to kill him. And us." Elsa sighed. "As it is, I have to find some way to ban him from school until I can coerce the student population to return his money...."
Zeltrax shrugged. "I can handle that myself. I'll simply visit each and every member of the student body in the next few hours, and persuade them. You do keep a database as part of your cover identity?"
Elsa nodded. "Of course." She reached to one side and brought out a PDA. "Have fun."
Zeltrax bowed and accepted the PDA. "Mesogog's money should be returned by tomorrow morning."
Elsa nodded in relief. "And I'll make sure the White Ranger gets an extra dose of sedative today. He's going to need it."
"That would be ... for the best," Zeltrax allowed. "And perhaps you should seduate Lord Mesogog's breakfast. Though I doubt the children could spend much of the money between the hours of 11 and 5 on New Years, I further doubt any bank would be open for me to return those funds."
Elsa nodded once again. "At this rate, I think that both of them deserve a full day's sleep."
"And we don't?" the cyborg chuckled. "Every part of me aches, even the parts without pain receptors."
He gestured to her couch. "Do you mind?"
Elsa shrugged. "Not at all. At least we can rest until Trent gets tired of playing with cars."
Zeltrax lowered himself onto the furniture, mindful not to break anything with his sheer bulk. He sighed contentedly. "This is the first time I've had that I could think in the last twelve hours."
"I'll remember to tell Lord Mesogog that we had a great party," Elsa said absentmindedly. "We really didn't get to see much of that, either."
"Perhaps that's for the best," Zelrax said. "Though brilliant, Mesogog has little sense of recreational activities."
The two let that hang in the air for a moment, lost in their thoughts. "How did things go with Dr. Oliver earlier?" Zeltrax continued.
"I got stuck conversing with him and his concubine when Trent refused to leave the stage," Elsa said shrugging. "I was too preoccupied to really worry about it."
Zeltrax chastised himself for pressing the issue. "I'm curious if they've found a way to undo the morphing predicament he's in. He appeared ... normal. A good soldier gauges the emotional state of his opponent."
Elsa laughed with genuine mirth. "Soldier. You were a scientist, Terrance. I know you've got a banana in your pipe because of Oliver, but really now."
She took a moment to finish her giggles before continuing. "And for the record he seemed to be shimmering at odd times. I think that woman of his is field testing some sort of holographic cloak."
Zeltrax nodded thoughtfully. "I would hope that he is getting tired of the morphed state. Or that his physical state is deteriorating because of the continued morph."
She leaned backwards over the arm so her eyes could meet his. "Must you kill him? The man might yet have ... uses for our organization."
"Dr. Oliver? You would want Dr. Oliver?" Zeltrax's voice raised in alarm. Then he seemed to relax. "Ah. As a... bed partner."
Elsa's eyes widened for a moment. "That ... wasn't quite how I meant to be construed, but I won't deny the idea has some appeal for me. Does that pose a problem for you?"
"Every beautiful woman should have her harem."
"Terrance Smith, you're drunk."
Zeltrax laughed, a tacit confirmation. "And you, Elsa? I believe these are the most civil words we've had for each other in years."
"I might have... had a little punch. Though not in the quantity that our dear White Ranger did."
Zeltrax laughed again, causing the couch to reverberate. "Neither of us could injest that much and live. Perhaps another of his magical abilities is a dinosaur liver."
"Perhaps he's taking after his father." Elsa looked thoughtful. "Lord Mesogog would be happy."
"It would be nice," Zeltrax allowed, "to let things sort themselves out and not have to ever do anything ever again. Sit back on the porch and watch our children play."
Elsa raised her eyebrows. "That's it, we're all stoned out of our minds."
A huge crash resounded outside her door. "Dad! I'm home! And I brought a present!"
Elsa groaned.
Zeltrax hobbled onto unsteady feet and fell flat on his face.
Elsa levered herself out of the chair, and sat down with a groan. "Never mind," she muttered. "I'll let Mesogog deal with him." She watched Zeltrax as he attempted to get up several times, failing each time.
"Little help?" he asked, his voice muffled by the carpet.
Elsa sighed. "Right." She got up at righted her fellow general. "Let's just stay here and let Mesogog worry about Trent. I don't think we could even get out of my quarters at the moment."
Zeltrax shook his head in amusement. "To think, I finally get you ine ... ine... drunk, and I'm too messed up to do anything about it."
"Just take the couch and go to sleep. That's what I'm going to do."
Zeltrax looked at her in confusion. "On the couch?"
Elsa glared at him. "No, dummy. You're sleeping on the couch. I'm taking the bed."
"Oh." He shrugged. "Okay."
He took five steps before faceplanting again. Elsa knelt beside him before a loud snore convinced her it was futile.
She rolled her eyes. "Tomorrow is another day," she muttered, before retiring to her bed.
.
.
.
Trent was groaning the next morning. Elsa, having discovered a very expensive Mercedes parked outside her quarters, wasn't very sympathetic.
She whalloped the boy on the side of the head. "Are you damn well evil enough yet?!"
Trent glared. "Watch it, or I'll have your intestines for party decorations."
"That's my boy!" she cheered, kissing him on the forehead and running down a corridor in jubilation.
Trent looked at her in confusion, and considered how he was going to deliver the Mercedes to his father. Maybe put in front of his father's quarters, instead of Elsa's.
Elsa rounded a corner, smashing headfirst into Zeltrax's chest. She careened to the floor.
"Are you all right?" the cyborg asked.
"Help me up, you idiot," Elsa hissed.
Zeltrax extended a hand. "Dr. Mercer's money has been returned to him."
"Thank heaven for small favors!" she spat. "No thanks to you we came this close to getting our genes resequenced!"
"Indeed. And the White Ranger's, though that would have probably been a favor."
She fought back the urge to smile, largely succeeding. "Just don't think because of how things ended last night that I'm going to start treating you any differently! You're still my biggest impediment to Mesogog's favor."
"As you wish, my lady." He gave her a deep bow. "Happy new year, Elsa."
Elsa sighed. "Happy new year, Zeltrax."
-end.