Holding the compass, Rose was leading the team of Rangers down the beach, following its directions carefully in search of the next jewel.
"A little more," she said, for the umpteenth time. At first, Kaylee had been counting, but there was a point in time where even the blonde got annoyed, and so, she had been distracted and forgot her place. "A little more... a little more... a little more..."
"Rose..."
"Stop asking! I'll let you know when we get to where the jewel is!" Rose sighed. "A little more... a little more..."
"Uh... Rose..."
"The six of you are as impatient as little kids on a car ride!" Rose groaned. She was too distracted by the compass to realise the Rangers at stopped long before, when the water at their feet was getting too deep, so she continued. "A little more..."
"ROSE!" all six Rangers yelled, finally drawing her attention away from the overgrown compass.
"What?" she snapped, turning to her friends and frowning when she saw they were a good seven feet away.
Mack laughed as he stood in water that was knee high, "There is no 'a little more'."
Rose looked around so see what he meant, and noticed that she was standing in water that came up to her chest. She laughed nervously as Kaylee manipulated the currents to bring her back.
"So where do we go from here?" Dax asked, reaching into his bag for a towel so they could dry off their feet, and Rose could dry herself off.
There was a splash and water spayed up on the Rangers, as Kaylee disappeared with the compass.
"Riiight," Dax laughed, "water ninja."
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
"She's back!" Rose exclaimed, jumping up from Mack's arms to greet Kaylee, who was holding a fancy blue jewels in her hands.
"Whoo, Kaylee!" Mack cheered, high fiving the smaller girl.
"Great job," Tyzonn smiled.
Meanwhile, not too far away, Miratrix was standing behind tree roots, by the edge of a ravine, watching the Rangers and the jewel with a plan in mind.
"This beach is hot!" Dax called, jumping slightly to keep his feet off the sand.
"Yeah, it's nice," Ronny agreed, not understanding exactly what Dax meant. "Maybe Mr. Hartford can let up spend a few days here."
"No, I mean it's really HOT!" Dax jumped from one foot the other, quickly making his way to the jeep parked not too far from the sitting area.
"Meh, you get used to it," Kaylee giggled, looking down at her bare feet and smiling. Suddenly, the seven trackers beeped, warning the Rangers of danger.
"Fearcats are approaching San Angeles in a giant robot," Hartford explained over the tracker. "It's time we cut the mission short. The city needs you."
"Dad, the mission is complete," Mack smiled. "We got the jewel."
"Oh, and by the way," Kaylee started. "A big giant robot, is a Megazord. Even in bad guy hands, it's a Megazord!"
Kaylee and the others could hear Spencer snickering in the background as Hartford sighed deeply.
"I know, Kaylee," he said.
"Didn't sound like it to me."
Mack smiled as he shut his Tracker and the Ranger grabbed their bags.
"Wait, what about the jewel?" Ronny asked, walking ahead with Kaylee. "I don't think it's a good idea to take it into battle with us. It could be what the Fearcats expect."
Kaylee nodded.
"Ronny's right," Rose added, just to make sure the point was clear. "Someone should get the jewel back to Mr. Hartford."
"I'll do it," Mack offered, seeing as he was second in-command, it felt like this was something he was responsible for. After all, Kaylee had to be with the team in battle.
"No, I'll do it," Will insisted, taking the jewel from Rose. "No one's better at handling precious cargo than me. I'll meet up with you guys as soon as it's safe."
Will playfully tossed the jewel from one hand to the other as the Rangers rode off in the jeep or their ATVs (Ronny and Dax getting the ATVs because they were too cool for jeeps). Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him. Turning, he saw Kamdor and Miratrix standing on the beach, eyeing the jewel carefully.
"Hello, Ranger," Kamdor smirked, pointing a hand at Will and firing an energy blast. Will fell to the ground as Miratrix laughed.
"Oh, why is it always seem to end up the three of us?" she smirked.
"It must just be your good fortune," Will said. "Overdrive, Accelerate!"
Will held onto the jewel as he charged towards the ninjas, smiling as he began the battle. For ever move he used, the two villains countered, until Will brought his leg up, slamming Kamdor in the chest. He swung his leg around, hitting Miratrix across the face, causing both to fall.
"He's strong..." Kamdor growled, "but he's not what we're after."
"Miratrix stood up, holding her dagger in her hand, before slamming it into the ground, causing a giant explosion to rip up under the Black Ranger. There was a blinding white light, and until it faded, Will was vulnerable to any attack.
"ARG!" Kamdor shouted as he dropped from the sky, blue lighting surrounding him. Will called for his defender vest, which protect him from the lighting, and the jab Kamdor had thrown at him with his sword.
Because of the vest, every time Kamdor tried to hit the Ranger, his attacks would bounce right off. Will laughed as he blocked Kamdor's sword with his hands, "Is that it?"
Kamdor finally got a hold of Will's hand, twisting it behind his back as he reached into the Black Ranger's belt, pulling out the sapphire.
"NO!" Will yelled, trying to grab the jewel back, but Kamdor tossed it to his sidekick.
Suddenly, just as they had appeared, they were gone.
"No..."
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
"...I was attacked by Kamdor and Miratrix," Will explained to Hartford, Spencer and Kaylee as he sat in Hartford's office.
"Will, the jewel," Hartford asked, not even bothering to ask Will if he was okay. "Where is the jewel?"
"I lost it," Will sighed, averting his gaze from his three commanders. "They have it... I failed."
Will reached for his Tracker and offered it to Kaylee, "I want to hand in my resignation," he stated. Kaylee pushed his hand away, hoping he would keep the Tracker, but Mr. Hartford reached in, snatching the little device from Will.
"You lost the jewel," Hartford said, as if it explained his brute actions. He handed the Tracker to Spencer, who could only take it from him.
Hartford walked out, looking crossed. Will watched him leave, then turned to Kaylee and Spencer. The old butler offered Will his Tracker back.
"I think this is yours," he said.
"No, really," Kaylee giggled, patting Spencer on the back. "He just handed it in."
"My resignation was accepted... I'm through!" Will frowned.
"Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger," Spencer smiled, putting the Tracker on the table. Will looked down at it, before Kaylee spoke up.
"No one accepted your resignation," she stated. "Hartford only took your Tracker. And you're on my team, and I say, you're still on it."
"But Hartford's in charge... he's the one who..."
"Hartford can kiss my ass," Kaylee growled. "You know just as well as anyone else that I don't give a damn about what he says."
"Miss Hanson and Master Hartford don't get along very well," Spencer explained, giggling slightly.
"The others are still in the middle of the battle, and I believe they really need some help. I need to talk to Hartford, so would you mind lending them a hand?" Kaylee smiled.
Will took his Tracker and ran out to help the others.
"Spencer, can you come with me?" Kaylee asked. "I need to talk to Mr. I-only-care-about-the-jewels Hartford.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
Spencer and Kaylee found Hartford sitting on a kitchen chair, staring up to the ceiling, lost in thought.
"I don't want to hear it," Hartford growled, turning to the two as they approached him.
"Tough," Kaylee frowned. "You're gonna hear it, and you're gonna like it."
"He lost one of the jewels of the crown!" Hartford said, getting up and leaning on the counter. "Do you know what that means?"
"Oh indeed, sir," Spencer said. "It means, he lost one of the jewels to the crown."
"And that's all it means," Kaylee added. "And who are you to talk, Mr. Bigshot! You lost the freaking crown!"
"That was different!" Hartford yelled, "You're missing the point!"
"Oh no, sir, it is you who is missing the point," Spencer frowned.
"Kamdor has one of the jewels to the corona! Will lost it..."
"Not on purpose!" Kaylee said, defending her friend, who was already having a hard enough time as it was, between losing Ronny and putting the world at risk. "Geez, Mr. H, all you ever talk about is the jewels... have you ever stopped to discuss something other than saving the world? Like, your team for instance?"
"Kaylee, you know the responsibility behind the Ranger suits! It doesn't matter how well I know my team if the world is dead!"
"It matters, because it means we can work as a team a hell of a lot better!" Kaylee screamed. "If you stopped to maybe introduce yourself properly, or if you spend a little time with the team, maybe we could respect you!"
"My team respects me!" Hartford replied, growing angry that he was being yelled at by a girl half his age, who was working for him.
"Yeah, Mack, Dax, Ty, Rose and Ronny might, but I don't think Will does right now, and I sure as hell never did!"
"Why not?" Hartford asked, crossing his arms. "What do you need? A bigger check? Your own room?"
"I need to be able to trust you," Kaylee growled. "When I first got here, you didn't give a damn about me, because you thought that I was experience enough to take care of myself."
"I've learned my lesson..."
"Every time we get home from a freaking mission, battered and bruised, first thing out of your mouth has something to do with the jewel, a clue to the next jewel, or your underwear being a slightly different shade than it was before!"
"That happened once!"
"Yeah, one more time that you ever giving a damn about bruises, strains, sprains, fractures, broken bones, pulled muscles or even life threatening injuries! What's going to happen next? An energy draining machine that's going to suck the life out of one of us Rangers, and you're going to send the rest of us to... to freaking Egypt?"
"What does this have to do with anything?" Hartford asked, glaring at the small girl.
"We need to be able to trust you," Kaylee breathed. "You're a mentor, a guide in the crazy, chaotic world of spandex and monsters. When we need help, or when we get hurt, we have to know we can go to you for help or advice."
"Kaylee, you know my door is always open..."
"Then why was Will terrified when he was sitting in your office?" Kaylee asked. "Why did he hesitate to tell you that he lost the jewel?"
"I..."
"He was scared you were going to yell at him," Kaylee frowned. "Whenever someone on this team makes a mistake, you think it's the end of the world and you freak out! I understand the guilt you must feel for unleashing such big-bad ass aliens onto this world, but we can take a few mistakes here and there. Ironically enough, it's not the end of the world."
"Your point to all this?" Hartford asked.
"I remember a certain ten year old, who cost his team a victory because he committed a costly error in an all star baseball game not too long ago," Spencer started up. Hartford looked over at him, wondering where all this was coming from.
"You found my glove in the trash, and you retrieved it, drove me back to the park and made me play," Hartford smiled at the memory, but a hand on his shoulder told him Spencer wasn't done.
"Oh no, sir; I found your glove, and I drove you to the park, but you made yourself play. And you were really rather good."
"I was, wasn't I?" Hartford smiled. "Where's Will? He made a mistake, it's not the end of the world. I need to give him back his Tracker."
"We already did," Kaylee smirked, winking at her mentor... or rather, her boss. "I don't give a damn about what you say."
Hartford smiled, patting the girl on the back, then turning to Spencer.
"Thank you, to both of you."
Hartford ran to the base, while Kaylee turned to Spencer.
"The guinea pig was a better mentor," she smiled. "And we had to make sure we fed him twice a day to keep him alive!"
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
The Rangers walked into the game room and all fell onto different couches or bean bags. Kaylee was already sitting down, watching the monitors and replaying something she thought was important.
"He's too strong!"
"NO! Never say that!"
"Huh?"
"There's something I haven't told you... I was attacked by Kamdor and Miratrix. They took the third jewel..."
"What?"
"Aw, man, now the bad guys have the crown, and a jewel!"
"But we've got two jewels."
"I've let the team down..."
"Will...?"
"I failed, but that doesn't mean the team has to fail. I won't let it..."
Kaylee rewound the tape and pressed play once again.
"I failed, but that doesn't mean the team has to fail."
"Why are we watching this?" Will groaned, throwing his towel at Kaylee, who frowned when it hit her.
"Because, I wanted to congratulate you," Kaylee smiled, "for not letting this lost get the better of you."
"Thanks... I guess," Will frowned, not sure where Kaylee was going.
"Being a Ranger is more than running around wearing multicoloured spandex and yelling cheesy one liners... it's about passion, determination and courage. Standing up even when you've been thrown down."
"Fighting in the war, even if you've lost a battle," Mack added.
"Exactly! And I think what Will said, really sums up what being a Ranger is all about. We may fail, but that doesn't mean we lost."
"You know how cheesy you sound right now, Kaylee," Ronny laughed.
"Meh, it's a part of the job."
"Rangers, please report to the base for a discussion about the last battle."
"Oh boy," Kaylee groaned, hearing her boss' voice over the intercom. "Not now..."
"C'mon guys," Mack called to his team, leading them to the elevator, while Kaylee took the stairs.
-----Operation-Overdrive-----
"Today, I was gently reminded that this is not a one battle fight," Hartford began, pacing around the base, looking each of the Rangers in the eyes. "Hopefully, with your ability, and your courage, we will win more than we lose."
"Will," Hartford turned to the Black Ranger and smiled, "thank you for getting up off the ground and showing me what you're made of."
Will smiled, accepting the thanks, and hidden apology, while Hartford turned to Kaylee and Spencer.
"Spencer, thank you for being the bulldog that you are."
Spencer nodded, smiling.
"Kaylee... thank you for standing up for the Rangers, even if it meant trying to drill into my hard head," Hartford looking at the blonde and smiled, but didn't get one in return. Obviously, he still had to earn Kaylee's respect, but he was happy she hadn't quit the team just yet because of it.
Kaylee looked up at Hartford, only letting a ghost of a smile appear on her lips, "Thank you for listening, even when I was yelling."
Hartford nodded, dismissing the Rangers.
Spencer approached Hartford with a smile on his face.
"I believe Kaylee's thanked you already," he started. "But that doesn't mean things are alright between you and her."
"I know Spencer... I'm going to try..."
"Mr. Hartford, you've trusted me with your biggest secret... why won't you let them trust you?"
"Because, Spencer, it's not important... he doesn't need to know..."
"Just because he doesn't need to know, doesn't mean he wouldn't want to know... or that he won't find out. And he's not the one I'm talking about..."
"Spencer, those jewels are the only thing protecting us from total destruction... I can't risk losing them."
"You can't risk losing your team... and the lives of the humans behind the helmets."
"I know, Spencer," Hartford smiled, patting his dear old friend on the shoulder. "I know it now. Thank you again."
"Trust and respects are things you earn. I hope you work hard at earning Kaylee's, just as I will tell her to work hard at earning yours."
Author's Note: Okay, so I know there wasn't a lot of action (fighting wise a guess), but I wasn't in the mood to write any battle scenes when I typed up this chapters. Hopefully all the original behind the scenes with Hartford and Kaylee will make up for that. I know this chapter isn't all the long, but really I just needed to cover the tension between Hartford and Kaylee, which will play in the future, and Will losing the blue sapphire.
Now, I have the next eight chapters planned for Once A Ranger. Yes, you heard me right, eight full chapters for that little two parter we had. I don't think I could dissect it anymore. Hopefully it'll be up soon but here's a little preview for it.
"Who's that?" Kaylee frowned.
"I am Thrax! Son of Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd..."
"The original Emo Barbie and Ken!" Kaylee giggled.
xXx
"Tori... Kira?" Mack asked, seeing two familiar faces in the new group as his team approached the Rangers.
Kaylee's eyes widened when she saw her friends had come to her help and started bouncing on the balls of her feet, until her eyes caught sight of the Black Ranger: Adam Park.
"ADAM! RIBBIT!" Kaylee screamed, jumping up and down as she started poking Adam. "RIBBIT! RIBBIT!"
xXx
"What's up Spencer?" Kaylee asked.
"It seems like a group of chillers and lizards are attacking a young girl," Spencer explained, bringing up live footage.
"What the hell does he want with her?" Will asked. "She's all the way out in Ocean Bluff."
xXx
Ignoring the disagreement going on between Kaylee and her retro friends, Ronny took another look at the video and screamed, before running for the door.
"Ronny, where are you going?" Hartford asked, grabbing her arm and holding her back. Ronny struggled to break free as she pointed to the monitors.
"She's my sister!" she yelled. "That's my little sister!"
xXx
"Wait..." Mack said, looking up to the glowing knight. "Are they... are they replacing us?"
The seven retro Rangers looked down in shame, refusing to look any of the Overdrive Rangers in the eye.
"I didn't have a choice," the Knight explained.
"Did you guys know about this?" Kaylee asked, walking up to her sister, forcing Tori to look down at her.
"I'm sorry Kaylee, but the Knight told me you were in trouble... I had to help! Even if..."
"Even if it meant beating me, again."
Hope you all enjoyed it! Leave a review!