A/N: Here's chapter nine, and I left you guys with a little surprise at the bottom. I hope you like it.
"Well, what do you think?" Andrew smiled, showing off his newest creation to the Rangers.
"That's the sweetest thing on wheels I've ever seen," Ronny smiled, looking at the new machine with love in her eyes.
"And it can walk too," Rose smirked.
"What's it called again?" Will asked.
"Transtek armor," Andrew said. "When we track down Kamdor and Miratrix, you're going to need all the firepower you can get."
"Let me guess," Kaylee frowned happily, playfully teasing her mentor. "It has Mack's name all over it."
"Actually," Hartford smiled. "When this bad boy is finished, you all get a turn."
He looked at each of the Rangers, happy to see their smiling faces, especially Ronny's, but noticed he was one Ranger down. "Speaking of you all, where's Dax?"
"Wait for it," Will laughed. He was using his superhearing, and he could hear someone sliding down the pole from the top floor. Within a few seconds, the Blue Ranger was on the ground, rubbing his butt.
"Guys! Guys!" Dax called, jumping up while holding a magazine in his hands. "You're not going to believe this! I don't even believe it myself. It's... unbelievable!"
"Slow down there, chief!" Will laughed when he noticed Dax wasn't breathing.
"Look what I found in a trade magazine!" Dax smiled, waving the magazine in front of his friends' faces so they could get a better look. "New big-budget movie, Ninja Rumba, is holding open auditions for a handsome actor, who can perform his own stunts... I'm perfect!"
Kaylee smiled nervously as she took the paper from Dax, patting him on the shoulder. "That's great Dax, but we're kind of in the middle of something important here," she said. "Remember? Saving the world. We need you."
"I know," Dax pleaded, hoping Kaylee would change her mind. "But it's only a one day shoot. Please, can I go?"
"Sorry Dax," Hartford frowned. "But Kaylee is right. You're needed here. I'm going to have to say no."
"I'm really sorry about this Dax," Kaylee smiled sympathetically. "But Kira and I did a little acting and nothing ever happens on time. A one day shoot can turn into a weeklong shoot, or even a month. Ideas change, money comes and goes, scripts are modified... I can't risk you being gone for God knows how long."
Dax nodded, hoping the others didn't seen his disappointment.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
Later on, Dax was in the game room, pacing as he read over his lines once, before trying to act them out.
"I will not give up! Never as long as the blood is still flowing in my veins! I've come for the Tacuna idol, and I won't stop my quest until I have it in my hands!" he said. He laughed as he thought of his performance. "Yeah, I'm pretty good!"
"What are you doing?" Kaylee asked as she and Rose stood by the door, watching Dax's performance.
"Nothing," Dax answered, hiding the script from his leader. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you're acting," Rose answered, reaching behind him and pulling the papers from his hands.
"I was," Dax smiled, happy someone noticed. "I was reading the lines for that audition I'm going to miss."
"Yeah, about that," Kaylee sighed. "I felt bad about keeping you from your dreams, so Rose and I came here to coach you, so that next time you audition for a role, after our Ranger thing, you'll get it for sure."
"You, you don't think I'll get this one?" Dax asked, a little hurt.
"It's not that," Rose started. "But it really looked like you were acting, which isn't a good thing. The objective of acting, if to not look like you're acting, while acting."
Dax' jaw dropped in confusion, turning to Kaylee in hopes that she would explain.
"When I was in that movie, I had to play a character who was... well, who was nothing like me. So I had to make it look like I was actually my character, without making it look like I was trying. It had to come naturally." Kaylee smiled. "Really, I think that's the only thing you really need to work on, once you know your character, the rest should come naturally."
Kaylee hugged the older Ranger as she walked out to the kitchen.
"You know," Rose whispered when Kaylee was out of sight. "Hartford didn't say you couldn't audition. Well, technically he didn't. So do the audition. If they choose you, just say no, you're budy doing somehting else. It's a win-win situation."
"You think?" Dax smiled, happy someone was backing him up on his dream. "I do the audition, rock their world, they offer me the part, and I just say no."
He shook his head in approval. Now he knew why Rose was the genius.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
Dax stood in line, watching a group of people working with microphones, lights and cameras. Dax was next in line for the audition. He was preparing himself mentally when the director called out.
"That's it! You're perfect! You got the part. Send the rest home!"
Dax looked around noticed that the man in front of him had gotten the role. The director hadn't even watching his audition!
Dax ran up to the director and grabbed his arm, catching his attention. "Uh, you didn't even watch my audition... I'm perfect!" he said nervously.
"Listen kid," the director started. Dax looked at his strangely. Kid? Dax was no kid! His was the oldest Power Ranger on his team. Hell, the director wasn't that much older than he was. Maybe a good... ten years. Okay, so maybe he was, but that was no reason to call a grown man kid. "I need a hero. He looks like a hero, you don't. Better luck next time."
Before Dax could defend himself, the director walked off. Dax sighed in disappointment as he grabbed him bag. Just as he turned around, he saw one of the movie lights topple over just over the director. With only seconds to spare, Dax dropped his bag and pushed the director out of the way of danger. Both men landed on the ground, with Dax on top. The Blue Ranger quickly got off.
"Uh... sorry," he grabbed his bag and turned to walk away, but the director got up and grabbed his arm.
"Whoa, whoa... that was amazing!" he smiled. "You saved me! You really are a hero! What's your name?"
"Dax- Dax Lo."
"You got the part, Dax Lo," the director smiled. "This is your big break. We shoot your scene in an hour. Can you do it?"
Dax thought for a minute, remembering the plan Rose had come up with. They offer me the part, and I just say no.
"YES!" Dax exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
Mack, Rose, Ronny and Kaylee slid down the poles into the base, running up beside Will and Andrew by the computer.
"We heard the sensors," Ronny told the two men as she looked up at the monitors, watching as a new monster, Scaletex, fought Kamdor and Miratrix.
"It's a battle for the parchment," Hartford told the young adults. "We need to..."
Hartford looked over at each of the Rangers. "Where's Dax?"
"He's uh," Rose spoke up, being the only one who knew where Dax was. "He's taking a walk."
The other rangers eyed her suspiciously, especially Kaylee. "What?" Rose frowned, avoiding the glares. "He needed some alone time. Actors..." Rose rolled her eyes, hoping for her sake, and Dax's, that she had convinced the others.
"Fine, but grab him on your way out," Hartford ordered.
Mack, Rose, Ronny and Will ran out, but Kaylee stopped before she reached the door. She looked up at her mentor and frowned. "I don't buy what Rose is selling. Mind if I check out the set?"
"I was just about to do that," Hartford smiled. "I'll call if the others need your help."
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
Dax walked out of his trailer, dressed for his part in the movie. The director walked up to his, slapping a hand on his back as he prepared Dax for his scene.
"Okay, Dax. Now when I call 'action', I want you to come running in here looking for the idol," he pointed over to the set. "Then, ninjas drop from the sky. You fight the ninjas, then you grab the idol. Then I want you to turn to the camera and say your line!"
"I don't have to cover my face, right?" Dax asked, just making sure he wasn't dreaming.
The director laughed, thinking Dax was just kidding. "Well, I'd prefer it if you didn't. You do know your line, right?"
"I've been rehearsing for this moment all my life!" Dax exclaimed.
"Great!" The director smiled, picking up a megaphone. "All right, we're shooting!"
As Dax does all the stunts the director asked him to do, Kaylee walked on set. Dax noticed her and his excitement died.
Cursing her fame, Kaylee was forced to hide from most of the cast and crew of the movie as Dax ran up to her. "Didn't you hear your tracker?" she asked him as she pulled him behind a trailer.
"I uh – I... I forgot it in my trailer when I was getting changed," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"C'mon on you nitwit!" Kaylee yelled, pulling Dax away. The director looked over at his new actor and frowned.
"She's uh... my agent!" Dax yelled to him, coming up with an excuse. "We just need to talk!"
"Kaylee Hanson, an agent?" the director muttered to himself. "I didn't see that in her biography."
------Operation-Overdrive------
Dax and Kaylee arrived in the fight as the Rangers parted from Scaletex. Sadly, Miratrix and Kamdor had fled the scene before the two had arrived.
"Dax?" Rose asked, seeing her friend being pulled into the fight by their green Ranger. Dax was stilled dressed in his costume for the movie, spilling his secret to the others.
"You went to the audition?" Mack frowned. "My dad told you not to!"
"Well... technically he didn't say I couldn't go to the audition," Dax told the red Ranger as he glanced over at the pink Ranger. "He just said I couldn't take the part."
"And?" Ronny asked.
"I got the part!" Dax exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air, forcing Kaylee to let go of his arm. "But I promise, I tried to say no, but yes came out instead."
Kaylee noticed the monster open his mouth, ready to blast the Rangers with an energy beam - or really bad breath.
"We'll talk about this later!" she yelled, grabbing each of the Rangers.
ZWOP!
As the Rangers reappeared behind the monster, Dax noticed Kamdor and Miratrix were still on the battlefield.
"Guys!" he yelled, grabbing his tracker and morphing. "They're heading to the cave! And they have the parchment!"
The Rangers turned to where Dax was looking and saw he was talking about the two ninjas. Mack was about to run after them, but a group of Lizards jumped him and the others, leaving Dax out of the fight.
"Dax, get it!" the Red Ranger yelled.
"Right," Dax nodded. As he ran for the caves, Scaletex jumped in front of him.
ZWOP!
As Kaylee landed on the dragon monster, she looked up at Dax. "I'll cover you, go!"
"Cover this!" Scaletex said from under Kaylee as his body started to spark. Kaylee knew that electricity was a water Ninja's worst enemy (especially when it meant Blake and Tori... Kaylee was still angry at him for stealing his sister away), so she quickly zwopped away.
"Drive Lance!" Mack yelled, charging at the monster with his lance. Scaletex wasn't expecting an attack from the red Ranger but recovered quickly when he kicked the lance away.
"Drive Slammer!" Will called as he tried slamming down his hammer, only to miss the monster. Ronny and Rose tried their hand with the Drive Claws and the Drive Geyser respectively, but failed as well.
"See ya next time, Power Losers!" Scaletex laughed as he disappeared.
"I think I heard that one before," Kaylee frowned. "Why don't they come up something different? Like, Power Retard! At least it still has the PR part."
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
The Rangers, minus Dax, walked into the base, entering from the elevator, and the stairs for Kaylee.
"We almost had them!" Ronny whined, sitting down on the step. Rose sat down beside her and the boys and Kaylee stood up. "Those slippery slugs slipped away."
"Where's Dax?" Hartford asked, looking over at Kaylee.
"At the stupid audition," Kaylee grumbled. "And I'm not going back there! Everyone acts like they've never seen a celebrity! Is it a cheap studio?"
"I own the studio," Hartford told the girl, making Kaylee look down in embarrassment. "Either way, Dax chose to disobey me, and doing so, disrespected you all."
Rose stood up, fed up with the lack of respect for her friend. "Now wait a minute, Mr. Hartford. It was Dax' dream to be an actor! He just wanted to audition to see if he was good enough... with a little encouragement from... well, a lot of encouragement from me. I'm sorry."
Hartford took a small step back, pointing at Kaylee. "She said no too."
"Yes, but I went up to him later to help for future auditions," Kaylee smirked. She stuck her tongue out at her mentor and laughed.
"Alright, and apology accepted, Rose," Hartford sighed. "Let's hope Dax realizes what is really important without any encouragement."
Suddenly, the monitors beeped, signalling an attack.
"Looks like Kamdor and Miratrix found some help," Andrew groaned. "Think you guys can handle it? You're only five..."
"Six!" Dax smiled as he slid down the pole, joining his team.
"Dax! You're back!" Ronny smiled, hugging her friend.
"So," Hartford frowned. "How was your first starring role?"
"it was great!" Dax admitted. "But right in the middle of it, I realized that the acting thing was... something I I wanted just for me. This Power Ranger thing is something I do for a lot more people. My movie career can wait. Sorry guys."
"It's alright, Dax," Hartford smiled. "Consequences to come later."
"Wash Ronny's socks!" Kaylee smirked.
"Now you guys have a job to do," Hartford said. "Good luck out there."
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
"That was awesome!" Ronny smiled, jumping up and down as the Rangers returned to the game room after the fight. "I can't believe the Transtek's power!"
"it was off the hook!" Will laughed.
"So far off, it circled the world and came back on, backwards!" Kaylee giggled, stopping the laughter from the others as they stared at her.
"She means it was wicked."
Even Kaylee's face fell as an eight voice joined the conversation. She looked around the room, thinking she recognized the voice, but saw no one else.
Mack tried counting the heads in the room, and reached eight. He was shocked when he didn't see someone out of place, but laughed when he realized he had accidentally counted Karly.
"Up in here!"
"THE HELL!" Kaylee yelled, looking around and noticing a vent on the wall. She walked over to it and yelled.
"Oww... okay..."
The voice faded as a man in yellow walked in, extending his arms for a hug. Kaylee's eyes widened as she sprinted for the entrance, jumping into the man's arms and accepting the hug.
"And he is...?" Mack asked the green Ranger as she broke away from the hug.
"Dustin!" Kaylee answered, as if it was obvious. Sadly, only Rose and Ronny understood.
"Dustin?" Will frowned.
"Her other half," Rose explained.
"Oh, that Dustin."
"Who else do you know named Dustin?" Kaylee frowned. "I might like to meet other Dustin!"
Spencer cleared his throat as he appeared beside the former yellow Ranger and the current Green Ranger.
"Everyone who thinks they don't deserve latrine duty, step back one pace," the butler smiled, finally noticing that the rangers had recovered the parchment from Miratrix and Kamdor during their battle, as it sat on the table. But that wasn't important now.
All the Rangers took a long step back.
"Rose and Dax, not so fast," Spencer frowned.
"Hehe," Kaylee giggled, poking the butler. "That sounded like a song."
"Me?" Rose frowned, knowing Dax was in trouble for disobeying Mr. Hartford. "What did I do?"
"Aiding and abetting in a deception," Spencer explained. "And the consequence..."
"Washing Ronny's socks, washing Ronny's socks!" Kaylee hoped, crossing her fingers and shutting her eyes. That proved to be stupid when Ronny easily elbowed her in the ribs. "Ow..."
"You two get to clean all the bathrooms!" Spencer finished, placing a mop and bucket in the two Ranger's hands.
"That's not so bad," Dax smiled, shrugging off the punishment.
Mack tapped Dax on the back, smirking, "My friend, you don't know how many bathrooms we have."
"Twenty-seven to be exact," Spencer smirked.
Rose and Dax groaned as they got started. Spencer laughed as he watched them go, then turned to Kaylee.
"Seeing as your little friend is visiting for the weekend, I'll ask Master Hartford if you guys can take a vacation," he smiled.
"Paid vacation?" Kaylee asked, pushing the boundaries slightly.
"We'll see," Spencer smiled.
"OHH!"
A/N: Okay, now I need to ask your opinon. For the next chapter, I'm not sure if I should keep going with the episodes, or add a little filler chapter so Dustin can visit Kaylee. So you guys can vote. But I'll have you know, if you vote filler, there will be no monster fight. The Rangers are on vacation. But, you can give me ideas for what they'll do on their vacation.
So Filler, or Face to Face Part one? It's up to you. I'll wait a few days to get reviews, then I'll see what you guys want.
So review with an idea for what I should do next!