The Way It Really Is
Note: This is just a small S.P.D. drabble I made (using the LiveJournal community "dt100"'s challenge no less). Nothing major. Rated K+.
Disclaimer: Power Rangers is in no way, shape, or form owned by me, although I wish it was, because I'd be filthy rich.
Challenge - dt100 Challenge 19
A. Song title from Lisa Loeb
B. Use the word "disillusioned"
D. Incorporate bread in the drabble
The streets were deadly quiet at this hour. Nothing penetrated that silence besides crickets chirping and the occasional burst of wind
"This is buggin'..." Jack muttered to himself as he took another curve with a screech of tires, as gentle a screech as possible so as to not wake up the neighborhood. The glistening body of Delta Runner 1 sent resulting flashes across hundreds of windows as Jack tore past S.P.D. Headquarters.
Yes, it certainly was buggin'. Of course, he was hardly talking about just the assignment. Jack had taken a few shifts of night watch in an attempt to orient himself with everything S.P.D. He figured that as squad leader, it'd be a good idea to try and act like one, before Sky and Cruger started riding his ass again. Apparently, it had been working. He saw Sky out of the corner of his eye that day he did the Mud Swamp on his own, and when the arrogant loner heard about him taking night watch shifts by choice, well... Sky still had his doubts, but at least he wasn't speaking those doubts out loud. As for Cruger, you could never tell what he was thinking, but less low growling was just fine with Jack.
But the entire leader job wasn't exactly roses either. Jack would've been perfectly happy continuing with his Robin Hood-esque lifestyle before getting picked up by the authorities. If not for Z, he would've been long gone, even if the other three were growing on him. Not only was becoming the powerful leader of a superhero police force a bit on the complex side, but the battles he dealt with some days made him come home to base with a migraine the size of the Megazord. Those rough fights had disillusioned him, and now he wasn't so sure he wanted to stick with it.
That, as much as getting away from the others, is what prompted him to take the night watch shifts more than anything. He could've easily taken a few proper leadership-related tasks during the daytime if he really wanted to look more like a leader, but he needed some time alone. And if Bridge tried to stick one more piece of toast in his face, he'd be forced to go off, even if Bridge's antics had a tendency to plaster a grin on his face. Not to mention Syd and Z's recent attempts to cheer him up after battles by pulling minor pranks.
"Man, I'm way too thoughtful tonight." Jack cut off the mental conversation and turned on the satellite radio onboard his vehicle. At least there was one thing he knew that rocked about being a superhero; you got awesome toys. Delta Runner 1 was no exception. Jack grinned as he unnecessarily pulled another corner tightly and drove onto the highway. While heading for the next patrol sector on his route for this evening, he started flipping through stations. Hearing nothing worth listening to, he switched over to the onboard data drive to listen to his own selection of songs. There was a tight jam he had just picked up from his favorite group and had been dying to listen to. But upon starting up the playlist rotation, he was greeted to all 300-some songs in his internal memory having been deleted and replaced with a solitary song. And older song, back from the mid-2000's if he remembered right.
It was "Patiently", by the rock star Kira Ford.
"Goddamnit Z!"