Trevor and Spike arrived at the college dorm blocks, and it didn't take them long to figure out where the disturbance was. There were a bunch of students standing outside, staring in at the block while loud bangs and crashes came from inside. Trevor looked up at the building.
"That doesn't sound good." Spike declared, before looking around the assembled students. "Which one of you is the Building Supervisor?"
"None of us! That useless piece of shit is probably in his office playing Warcraft!" One of the girls called out in a panic. "When he's wearing his headphones he can never hear anything! I'm the one that called you!"
"What's going on?" Spike asked.
"He came over and someone must have buzzed him in!" She told them. "Next thing we know it's like the opening salvo of World War 3!"
"He's up on the second floor." Another replied. "Room 2..."
"214." Trevor sighed. "God Damn it Betty, not again!"
"You know who...?"
"Let's just say it wouldn't be the first time I've been called out here." Trevor muttered. "Normally Gary's got the brains to be gone by the time we arrive though."
"You want to...?"
"No, you just stay here and get some statements, try and find out who buzzed him in." Trevor told him. "I'll deal with this."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Spike asked, suddenly thinking back to Trevor's reaction to Keith. He knew the guy was having a difficult time lately and he'd already seen him snap at Laura's office supervisor when he came to the house demanding files. "I can..."
"No, I've dealt with them both a few times before." Trevor answered. "I'll be fine."
With that, he headed up the stairs, punching in the code and opening the door. Sadly, he'd been here so many times he had memorised the code. As he went inside, he looked around; finding the desk empty, but the commotion was still going on.
"Where is the Supervisor?" Psycho Green asked him. Trevor froze, this wasn't a good sign. He already knew that Psycho Green was trying to push back to the surface.
"Not now." He said, shaking his head as he made his way towards the stairs. It was the Building Supervisor's job to take care of any issues in the building and make sure everyone inside was safe. By all rights, it should have been him to make the call if he wasn't able to handle Gary by himself. He figured he could have that discussion later. Right now Betty's safety was the priority.
"People like him never learn. They never listen to reason." Psycho Green told him. "There's only one language they listen to."
"Shut UP!" Trevor said as he started to run up the stairs.
Over at the site of the asteroid crash, the Rangers were finding themselves quickly being tested. This new monster, Badonna, clearly wasn't Odious, but they were finding out that definitely didn't mean she was to be taken lightly! Brody felt like his ribcage was about to cave in as she kicked him into the side of the mountain.
"You're the Rangers that Madame Odious keeps talking about?" She cackled. "I'm almost disappointed! Maybe I'll have more than just the Super Ninja Steel to return to her as a gift. The only question is, do I take your head with the helmet? Or do I empty it out first?"
"Guys, I could really use a hand here!" Brody spluttered. "This Badonna is no joke!"
"On our way!" Hayley called out as she cut down one of the Basher Bots.
"Count me in too!" Calvin added as he finished off his opponent. They both ran over, putting themselves between Brody and Badonna. "You want him you're going to have to go through us!"
"That was kind of the plan Yellow Ranger!" Badonna yelled as she ran for them, spinning around and slicing straight through both of them, sending all three of them flying. Calvin sighed.
"I've really got to stop saying stuff like that." He muttered. "The bad guys take it as more of a challenge than a threat."
"What I wouldn't give for another Power Star right about now!" Levi called out as he swung his Rockstorm Blaster for Smellephant.
"Hell, I'd even take an Element Star right now!" Preston agreed, smashing into Smellephant. "This guy's about to go down, but we're just not doing the damage!"
"Guys, we have to focus here, prioritise what's important!" She reminded them. "Preston, you're with me, Brody, you join Levi. Let's cut down the odds! No kill like overkill!"
"I think I like what you're thinking." Brody answered as he got up, staggering over towards his brother, while Preston and Sarah joined Calvin and Hayley in keeping Badonna busy. "Are you ready bro?"
"Hey, anything that'll help me forget this guy!" Levi answered. He saw the way Brody was staring at him. "Sorry, I couldn't resist!"
"Lion Fire Armour! POWER UP!" Brody called out as he spun the Power Star in his morpher. He ran at Smellephant, slicing into him. "How are you guys doing over there?"
"Not great!" Sarah admitted as she was blasted away. "Finish him quick!"
"Lion Fire Slash!" Brody yelled as he powered up his blade, bringing it down through Smellephant again and again while Levi ran at him, turning into a large, spinning star. He surged through the monster, while Brody brought down the final blow. Smellephant let out a huge scream, before sinking to his knees, then flopping face first to the ground and exploding. Brody turned his back to him.
"Show's over, Ninjas..."
"NOT YET!" Levi reminded him. Brody shook his head.
"Oh...yeah, right...force of habit!" He rushed out as he and Levi joined their friends. Badonna stood, facing them down as she held the case up for them to see.
"Nice job Rangers, I'm almost impressed." She told them. "Emphasis on the 'almost'. Now, I would love to stay and play some more, but my mistress is expecting..."
"NOW!" Sarah yelled. Badonna was caught unawares as Hayley and Calvin leapt on her from behind, grabbing her arms and pulling them back.
"What are you...?"
"Levi, go for the eyes!" Sarah yelled. Levi opened fire, targeting Badonna's face. It wasn't enough to do any significant damage, but it definitely blinded her for a while. Sarah leapt, diving and grabbing the case, rolling away from her.
"GIVE THAT BACK!" She screamed. Sarah just shook her head.
"Yeah, like asking nicely would work so well if the roles were reversed!" She called out. "Preston, get this out of here!"
"Etativel!" He said, waving the Dragon Wand and pointing at the case. With a flick of his arm, it flew from Sarah's hands and disappeared into the distance. Badonna's vision started to clear up just in time to watch it disappear over the horizon. "Mr Romero, Mick, heads' up! You're getting an express delivery!"
"NO!" Badonna screamed, watching the case soar out of view. She turned on the Rangers as they all assembled. "Curse you! If I can't get the Super Ninja Steel, I'll just have to destroy you now!"
"Yeah...about that, we're ninjas." Levi stated. "So...we're not necessarily the forlorn hope type."
"Yeah, we're more the 'let's all life' kind." Brody answered, producing a smoke bomb. "NINJA VANISH!"
With a flash and a loud bang, the area was filled with smoke. By the time the smoke cleared, the Rangers were gone, vanished without a trace. Badonna raised her head skyward and let out a huge scream.
Trevor got to the top of the stairs on the second floor. He could hear banging and almost knew exactly what he would find before he got there. Rounding the corner, he found Gary pounding on the door halfway down the hall.
Gary was a reasonably big kid. Not quite as big as Trevor, but he was quite tall, and he was pretty strong for his size, at least compared to Betty who was less than half his size. He had brown, spiky hair and ear rings running around the entire circumference of both ears. He was wearing some rather threadbare jeans and a school t-shirt. He was pounding on the door with his fists, intermittently slamming his shoulder into it in an attempt to force the door open. It seemed this time, Betty had managed to lock him out, when she realised he was there, but that only angered him further.
"Look at him, preying on that girl." Psycho Green stated. "You can show him what it feels like to be afraid. To show him what he does to others."
"GARY!" Trevor called out, approaching him. Gary threw up his hands and yelled at the door.
"Oh great, you called the cops again!" He screamed. "BITCH!"
"HEY!" Trevor yelled at him, approaching him and interceding between him and the door. He stared down the younger man. "You're not meant to be here, you know that!"
"Says who?" Gary demanded.
"THE RESTRAINING ORDER YOU MORON!" Trevor yelled at him. "Now get your ass over to that corner before I haul you in for violating a court order!"
Gary stepped over to the corner, crossing his arms like a scolded schoolboy as Trevor knocked the door.
"Betty, its Trevor!" He told her. "Can you open the door?"
The door opened, and a young woman appeared. She was tiny in comparison to Trevor, perhaps only five feet in height, with soft brown hair. She was wearing a uniform from the nearby cafe, which suggested that Gary had either come just before she was due to go on shift or had followed her back.
"Look at me." Trevor told her. Betty looked up, at which Trevor saw that her lip had been split. Bile started to rise up from his gut seeing that.
"He did this to her!" Psycho Green whispered. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out; Trevor had seen her a lot worse.
"What happened?" Trevor asked her.
"Oh, that's right ask her but don't ask me!" Gary snapped.
"Back it down Gary!" Trevor answered angrily, before looking back to her.
"I...I...was coming back from my shift and I found Gary waiting by my door." She told him. "He started saying something about an I-pod..."
"She still hasn't returned it!" He yelled. "I've looked everywhere; it HAS to be in her dorm!"
"Do you really think if I had it I wouldn't have just given it to you?" She called back. "Do you really think I want you coming back here?"
"So you don't have it?" Trevor asked. She just shook her head.
"I got into the dorm and shut the door before he could follow me in." She told Trevor. "He wouldn't leave no matter how many times I asked him to!"
"Right, you have your answer, it's not here." Trevor told him. Gary looked like he wanted to protest, but knew better than to do so considering the fact Trevor already had a legitimate reason to arrest him. Trevor looked to her one last time.
"Your lip." Trevor asked her. "Did he do that to you?"
"Oh come ON!" Gary yelled.
"SHUT IT!" Trevor interrupted him harshly, before looking back to her. Trevor saw the heartbreaking look in her eyes and knew what was coming. She shook her head.
"He didn't touch me." She lied. "Please, I don't...I don't want any trouble, I just want him to go!"
"Alright." Trevor sighed, gesturing her inside. Betty went inside and locked the door behind her. Trevor just glared at Gary. "Alright, let's go!"
"I'm not going anywhere..."
"I have a set of handcuffs and a badge that says different!" Trevor told him abruptly. "Now, I can cut you a break and let the restraining order slide...THIS TIME...or I can haul you out in cuffs! It's your choice!"
Gary just performed a Nazi salute, clicking his heels together for emphasis, before walking down the hall, all the while ranting about police abuse. Trevor had seen and heard worse, but as he watched him go, his head felt like it was splitting open. The voice of Psycho Green echoed much louder than before.
"You're letting him go?" Psycho Green asked. "How many times must he come back before you do something?"
Trevor looked down the hall, seeing Gary dragging his heels, taking as long as possible to leave, testing his patience. The headache got progressively worse and he heard the voice again.
"He'll come back again, you KNOW he will! His sort ALWAYS do!" Psycho Green told him. "How long before you're coming back here with a coroner?
Trevor could see Gary continuing to yell and kick the walls as he went towards the stairs. He knew the statistics, he knew that these things often escalated, but without Betty pressing charges, he couldn't do anything about the assault since he hadn't witnessed it. He could haul him in for violation of the restraining order but he still wasn't sure how he got in. If Betty hadn't told him the truth about him being there when she arrived, if the security footage showed her letting him in, it could come back on her.
"She's only a little older than Hayley." Psycho Green reminded him. "WHAT IF IT WAS HAYLEY?"
That was the push that was needed. The last of his resolve fell away and he strode towards Gary, grabbing him and spinning him around to see him.
"You're such a big man aren't you? Splitting her lip like that!" Trevor snarled.
"Hey, you heard her, she said..."
He stared at Trevor in disbelief as his hand blurred across his face, slapping him hard, staggering him.
"Did you do it like that?" Trevor asked him. "Or maybe it was a back-hand...like THAT!"
Bringing the back of his hand across Gary's face, the kid hit the floor. He started scooting away from him on the floor, his eyes wide in fear before Trevor picked him up with one hand, lifting him completely in a dead-lift from the floor with one hand. His feet dangled above the floor as Trevor stared at him, his eyes turning a bright green.
"Or maybe it was a closed fist!" Trevor snarled. "LIKE THIS!"
Gary flew down the hall, at least fifteen feet or more before he hit the ground. He splurted up some blood before he could choke, and several of his teeth came with it. He stared up at Trevor.
"Hey...you've lost it man! You're a freaking PSYCHO!" Gary screamed. Trevor just smirked as he grabbed him off the floor once again.
"Oh...you have NO idea!" He told him.
Up on the Warrior Dome, Badonna arrived back, finding Odious waiting for her. She bowed her head in shame as she stood before her.
"My mistress, I am sorry..."
"Never mind that, I can discuss your failure later." Odious snapped at her. "Not many have sent the Rangers into a full retreat on their first try, so for that reason I'll keep you around but right now we need to press the advantage!"
She grabbed Cosmo by the scruff of the neck, thrusting him towards the stage.
"You know what to do!" She called out, kicking him up the backside and forcing him out. "Get on with it!"
"My, what a start to the new season am I right folks?" Cosmo said, regaining composure. "But his name is Smellephant, not Smallephant. Who wants to see more?"
The crowd let out a yell of approval.
"I didn't hear that, who wants to see more?" Cosmo called out again. This time the cheer was so loud the scale hit the top almost instantly. Cosmo danced over to the control console.
"Well, we never forget what you want!" Cosmo stated. "Pack your trunk; you're getting another bite at the cherry! GIGANTIFY!"
With that, he slammed his hand down on the button, activating the controls.
Back on the Romero Farm, Dane and Redbot were working hard to get the furnace up to temperature while Mick prepared some of the old moulds. The Rangers arrived back, breathless and fatigued, but still glad to have gotten out of their first fight back with something of a victory.
"Did you get it?" Brody asked, pulling off his helmet and looking to the Super Ninja Steel. "Is it...?"
"It's more powerful than we could have hoped! Weapons made from this will definitely give us the edge we need!" Mick assured them. "I've got all the old moulds, and we've got plenty of Super Ninja Steel. That asteroid had a HUGE payload! Like...the mother lode for sure!"
"So we can start replacing all the old power stars?" Calvin asked.
"We'll get to that as soon as we can." Redbot told them. "Unfortunately Super Ninja Steel, while similar, has a lot of different properties to Ninja Steel. It requires a much higher temperature to melt it."
"So how long before...?"
"Not long enough by the looks of things!" Dane replied as the alarm went off. The Rangers all gathered around the monitors, seeing Smellephant heading back towards the city. Sarah sighed.
"Oh great, that's EXACTLY what we need!" She grumbled. "What are we meant to do?"
"Find the world's largest bag of peanuts?" Calvin suggested.
"There's not much option." He said, pulling out the Lion Fire Zord Star. "We only do have one working Zord."
"Is that going to be enough?" Hayley asked.
"It's going to have to be." Brody replied. "For now at least."
"We'll send out more firepower as soon as it's ready." Dane assured him. "Stay safe son."
"Kick his ass bro!" Levi added.
"I'll try." Brody replied as he headed out of the door.
Back at the college, Spike was with the students outside the dorms, taking statements as they clamoured around. He put up his hands defensively as questions started being thrown at him.
"Have patience, we'll have this all resolved as soon as possible!" Spike assured them.
"Are you kidding? That nutcase sounded like he was trying to knock the building down!" One of the students stated. "Maybe if you cops actually did something about him..."
"I'm telling you, you need to remain calm, my colleague is resolving this as we speak!" Spike said, trying to calm them down. "Now, if you'll all remain calm I'm sure this will all be over very..."
Just then, there was a crash of breaking glass and they all turned in time to see Gary flying through one of the ground floor windows. He landed on the ground a little way from them in a bloody heap. Trevor stepped out of the door, dusting his hands off as he went. Spike could only watch as he casually got into the patrol car and sat down, while several of the students all started to look at Gary, some of them utterly silent while several of them started to cheer. Spike though was already pulling out his cell phone.
"Hi, this is Officer Skullovitch, I'm going to need an ambulance at the residential block of Summer Cove College!" Spike rushed out. "Um...somehow...I don't think you'll have much trouble finding exactly where!"