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.

If you haven't done so, please read the first fifty stories in "When Rangers Meet." Thanks.

This is story twenty-two. It was requested by rain.

Wes and Maya

By

Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)

"Ouch!" cried Wes as he slapped at his arm, "damn mosquitoes." For not the first time, he wished he were back in his air-conditioned office rather than on this so-called business trip to some dinky little island that his father had bought. He had been put in charge of supervising the clearing of the area so that his still-greedy father could have a five-star resort and golf course built. Wes had endeavored to show the other man an already-clear spot on the other side of the island, but his father insisted that the view wasn't as good.

"Ok guys!" he shouted in the direction of the bulldozers. "Let's get cracking here!" Inwardly he grinned at the sound of motors turning over, but not starting. A late-night session of wire-snipping would at least delay the destruction of the local forest. It would also increase his time away from Jen. His wife never missed a minute to remind him about all the futuristic things she was missing because she had given up her life just for him.

"Whump!" Wes grimaced in disgust at the wet ball of dung that had hit the side of his head. "Hey!" he hollered as he looked up at the tree it had apparently come from. "Maybe I should ask Phillips to try a new recipe for monkey stew!"

Another lump of dung hit Wes. "You dare to even suggest harming a defenseless creature?" called a female voice. "I'll call the humane society on you. I'll call Greenpeace on you and stop you from destroying this beautiful forest! I'll…" Maya's rant ended as the large branch she had been perched on snapped. Luckily for her, she managed to land on something soft.

"Ohhhhhh," groaned Wes as he pushed the scantily clad jungle woman off him. "What the hell is the big idea?" He glared at her. "Do you have any idea of how long it'll take to get the stench off me? Haven't you even heard of deodorant? Besides, what kind of nutcase throws animal crap anyway?"

"Well, I wouldn't have had to if you weren't trying to knock these trees down." Maya sighed. She thought she had found the perfect forest to practice her vine swinging in while vacationing on Earth. Not that any of the others had understood her need to do this. "What's the point of even coming here if you're just going to do that?" asked Leo. Karone and Kendrix, mentioning something about her wardrobe needing a serious update, had tried to take her to the mall. But the sight of the fake trees and water fountain in the middle had caused her to run out of the mall crying with homesickness.

"I'm not trying to knock down the trees!" retorted Wes. He looked in the direction of the still dormant bulldozers and realized that the workers had left to take their morning break as sanctioned by their union. "Or haven't you noticed that the bulldozers haven't moved an inch?"

"Really?" asked Maya. "But I thought…"

"Look," stated Wes as he wiped his face with a large leaf, "I have to be here supervising this project. My dad said so." He decided not to mention the contract Mr. Collins had tricked Wes into signing after convincing his son that he had truly changed his ways. It stated that he would work for Bio-Lab for the rest of his life. The penalty for breaking the contract would be the revealing of all the futuristic inventions that Bio-Lab had made their own copies of, all of the World Series and Super Bowl results for the next thousand years, and, worst of all, a hidden video of Trip, Katie, and Circuit in a threesome.

"Aw, a daddy's boy, huh?" mocked Maya. "You know on Mirinoi, children are made to build their own huts and find their own food as soon as they can walk." She knew this wasn't true, but couldn't resist saying it anyway.

Tears welled up in Wes' eyes. "I'm NOT a daddy's boy. You take that back!" He flopped to the ground in a pout and began to scratch miserably at the welts that were now appearing on his cheeks.

"You're not very bright either," continued Maya. "Even as a native of Mirinoi, I have sense enough not to rub unfamiliar vegetation on myself." She peered at the discarded leaf.

"Mirinoi?" questioned Wes cautiously. "Is that one of those new European…no, wait. That's the planet Terra Venture landed on a few years ago." He recalled seeing the newscasts about the open wormhole between the moon and their now sister planet. He also recalled the more recent newscasts of Mirinoins attempting to shut off the wormhole to prevent more 'wasteful pollution loving Earthers' from visiting them. Something clicked in his mind as he stared at Maya. "Wait a second, I remember you from Circuit's files. You're the Yellow Galactic Ranger."

"Yeah, and I for one regret ever helping you idiots to find our planet. We've already had to establish a garbage dump just to accommodate your wastefulness," grumbled Maya. She left out the real reason for her now negative attitude. Despite wearing her sexiest outfit around the other Rangers for almost a year, she was the only one who ended up with no one. Leo and Kendrix were engaged. Mike was going out with that Haley girl he had rescued in the lost galaxy. Kai only had eyes for that ice-skating Hannah. Karone had gone home to the Kerovian she had married. From what Maya had heard she and Andros received a box of dead bugs for their first anniversary from a still furious and disgusted Ashley. Maya had held some hope out for Damon, but he fell instantly for the real Shondra when he met her on Mirinoi. At twenty-four years of age, she was already considered an old maid by Mirinoin standards.

Wes stared at her. "But if you hadn't, your friends and family would probably still be statues. And you wouldn't have gotten to be Ranger. Being a Ranger is the best!" he finished excitedly.

"As if you would know, Daddy's Boy," snorted Maya.

Wes opened his mouth, but then remembered the stipulation on his contract stating that he could never let anyone know he was the Red Time Force Ranger or the Bio-Lab scientists would weld his morpher and weapon to Eric's and give them to the already power hungry young man.

"Besides," continued Maya, "with everyone else out of the way, I could've become queen of the jungle and had all the silence needed to talk with my animal friends."

"O…kay," said Wes hesitantly, "now I think you're taking the whole nature girl thing just a bit too far. Either that, or you've whacked your head on one of those trees and gone completely batty."

"There's nothing wrong with me!" shouted Maya. "All I wanted was a nice, peaceful vacation among the trees and flowers and cute furry animals. But what did I get?" She glared angrily at Wes. "I get you cretins and your tree-crushing machines."

"Well, don't blame me," began Wes lamely as he wriggled under her glare. "I'm doing everything I can to keep them from moving."

"The hell with that! I'm going to get rid of those monstrosities once and for all!" Maya then ran to one of the bulldozers and quickly climbed in.

"Try all you want," hollered Wes. "But I cut the wires on them. There's no way it's going to…"

"Vruuuuummmmmmmm…."

"Start?"

"Yes!" shouted Maya triumphantly. "Now to put it in reverse…" She played with the controls. The bulldozer launched forward, knocking down a tree. "No!" she screamed. "Stop! Stop! The river's back that way! Noooooo!" she cried as the bulldozer continued to knock down trees.

"Well, I guess the job's getting done anyway." Wes clawed at his welts. "I wonder if anyone bothered to pack some calamine lotion."