Disclaimer: Just to keep it simple: A. I don't own Power Rangers. B. I just make fun of them; so don't get upset if I mock your favorite. C. Please review. I don't mind constructive criticism. D. Thanks to Writer's Guide to the Universe and Power Rangers Central for providing a lot of the information that I need.
I also don't own Star Trek or Lost in Space.
If you haven't done so, please read the first hundred and fifty stories in "When Rangers Meet," "More of When Rangers Meet," and "Headquarters Where Rangers Meet"
This is story number eleven. It was requested by Rytanya
Madison and Mack
By
Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)
"Sorry your picture didn't come out the way you wanted," Madison called to the angry couple who were pushing a stroller as they stormed out of her studio. "But maybe you shouldn't feed her strained beets just before posing her." Ignoring the rude gesture from the man, she turned around and went back into her studio. Madison felt a bit bad for ruining their day. But, was it her fault that because of Vida constantly borrowing from her in order to make the 'most raddest and wickedest turntables ever' that she just didn't have enough film, batteries, etc. to take more that one picture of any of her clients? And forget videotaping. Her video camera was in hock yet again, this time to pay for her father-in-law's bail after he had a flashback to his Koragg days and attacked a Senior Citizens' center.
But, that would soon change, Madison thought as she smiled. She had combined all the videos she had taken of her fellow Rangers over the past two years and had compiled them into the most embarrassing video possible. Soon, she'd either win the $100,000.00 prize on the Stupid Idiots on Video show or get the others to pay a high price for her to burn it. Then she'd be able to afford Udonna's bail as well. Her former mentor had tried to stop her husband's rampage by making it snow, causing several seniors to fall and break their hips.
"Hello?" asked Mack as he stepped into the small mall-based photography studio. "Can someone help me with this?" He waved a photograph around.
"Welcome!" greeted Madison enthusiastically as she stepped from the back room. "Glad to see a new customer. What kind of picture do you want? I have all kinds of backgrounds," she began to point to different pieces, "…beach, outer space, mountain, waterfall, splattered marshmallow pizza…. crap! I've got to get Chip to stop bringing food in here."
"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with this picture here," said Mack with a desperate look on his face. "I need an expert opinion on it. You see, Dax thinks it's fake. But it's not; it can't be…because if it is, then what my dad said is true. But I think they're all just playing a practical joke on me. Because there's no way I could be an…"
"Wow, someone sure can't use Photoshop. It looks like someone cut that kid out of a magazine and just pasted him in," commented Madison. "Probably some old guy who has no idea how to use a computer."
"…android. Nooooooo!" moaned Mack as he turned away to cover his face in distress. "It can't be true, it can't be! I can't be an android! I can't…Hey!" he cried as he swung back around to face Madison, his right arm catching the tripod of her one remaining camera, "My dad's not that old. And he's a genius. He created and built the Rangers and their Zords. And it seems he built me." Mack suddenly wondered why, if his dad was such a genius, he needed Rose to do all that stuff. He'd make sure to ask him…as soon as he was finished with not talking to him.
"Hey!" shouted Madison who had caught the falling camera just in time. "Watch the equipment! I'm not made of money!" At least, not yet, she thought to herself. "And the Ranger powers and Zords weren't created by some middle-aged wannabe. They were created by wizards thousands of years ago!"
"Are you calling my father a liar?!" exclaimed Mack.
"No, not at all," replied Madison calmly as she repositioned her camera. She really had to stop letting Vida's overbearing personality rub off on her. Only yesterday she had threatened to beat up some clown who had been messing with her camera. She didn't come to her senses until he had pulled off his red squeaky nose and flung it at her head.
"Oh, well that's okay then."
"But I am worried about your mental state," Madison continued as she readjusted the controls on her camera. "I mean to think your father can do all that by himself."
"Well, Spencer did help. I'm not sure how but…"
"No guy's that great. They build themselves up to be great in your eyes and then they take their light and leave you." Madison face darkened as she pulled out a dirty old red blanket and began wiping the camera with it. "They leave you for over ten months without calling or at least sending a lousy postcard. They don't even bother to come back like they promised." After all, she wouldn't have gotten stuck with paying all that bail money for Nick's parents if he had come back with them. "No, they decide that they'd rather go on some stupid motor biking circuit with some guy who claims to be a…get this…Navy colored Power Ranger!"
Mack looked at her thoughtfully. "You mean I'm imagining all this? My dad's not a super rich super genius?"
"Of course not," replied the Blue Mystic Force Ranger as she began to wipe the floor with her newest cleaning cloth.
"He didn't create Zords? He didn't build me and program me?"
Madison rolled her eyes as she began to scrub some coffee stain off counter. "What are you, some Data wannabe? Or maybe you want to emulate the Robot from Lost in Space?"
"So then, if I'm not a Ranger then I can't do this? Overdrive Accelerate!"
Madison didn't look up as she wiped the outside of the garbage can. "That's the silliest made up morph I've ever heard. Well, not as silly as Chip's old 'super duper pooper scooper' morph call when we were kids, but still…"
Mack paused in thought. "So then, if I'm not an android, then I can't do this?"
"Do what?" asked Madison who was now using her red cleaning rag to wipe the toilet in the attached bathroom. CRASH! "What the…" She ran back into the main room. "My camera!" she cried in shock as she saw it lying in pieces on the floor. "I'm calling the cops…ahhhhhhh!" she screeched when she finally looked at Mack.
"Whoa, being an android's actually kind of cool!" exclaimed the Red Overdrive Ranger excitedly as he held his detached left arm in his right hand and swung it around. "I've got to thank Dad for making me like this! I've got to thank Spencer for not advising him to find an online dating service! I've got to…to…to…uh ohhhhhhhhhhh." Mack stopped moving as the last of his oil dripped from the exposed wires in his left shoulder.
Madison stared at the frozen Red Ranger for a minute. Then she grabbed some string, a stapler, and some Krazy glue and somehow managed to attach his arm to his shoulder. Then she dragged him to the photographing area. For the next three days she made a lot of extra money by having people pose with the 'statue of a Red Ranger' and taking their pictures with cheap throwaway cameras. That is until Spencer came in disguised as a certain Red Mystic Force Ranger, and dragged his boss' son out of the shop while Madison was busy in the back 'slipping into something comfortable.'
