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 Writers Guide to the Universe and Power Rangers Central for providing a lot of the information that I need.
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 forty-six.
Trip and Dustin
By
Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)
Trip looked up from the directions Jen had given him. He could see nothing but a waterfall in front of him. He frowned. This was great, just great. Why was he the one who always got the oddball calls for jobs? Just because Jen and the others were better than him…no…Trip shook his head and pulled the Electro Booster out of its dimensional pocket. "I am just as good as them….I am just as good as them," he chanted to himself as he rubbed his creation over and over.
"Gee, Trip," chirped his ever present…and ever annoying owl robot companion. "It looks like you need more 'happy therapy' from Wes."
Trip groaned. The constant hugs from the current Red Ranger were getting to be too much even for him. They were beginning to make his forehead gem crack. He had already begun sending secret messages including vague hints about a certain pink fiancée and a rich Red doppelganger to the future in hopes of luring Alex into the present. Soon, very soon, he would have his old Red Ranger back and Wes would be begging his dad for a new job.
"Yo, dude!" called a voice from the other side of the waterfall. "Get in here! It's bad enough you guys charge by the minute. There's no way I'm paying for you to just stand around all day."
Trip startled at the sight of the man who was sticking his head out of the waterfall. "What? You live in the waterfall? How do you stand being soaking wet all the time?"
Dustin stared at him. "Dude, this is a super secret Ninja Academy. Don't you remember it from your future files?"
"My what?!" cried Trip. "Who are you? How did you know…?" He narrowed his eyes and aimed the Electro Booster at Dustin. "Are you working for Ransik?"
"Hey! I remember that weapon!" cried Dustin enthusiastically. "I read about it in issue 355 or is it 356?"
"I just invented it. How would you know about it?" asked Trip as he continued to aim his weapon at the other man.
"From my Ranger Series comic books," replied Dustin.
"Comic books?" queried Trip doubtfully. "How can a comic book know about the future?"
Dustin shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, Dude, I just read them. I don't question how this Trent guy comes up with this stuff." Ethan had actually implanted a chip into his own head while helping the SPD Rangers in the future. It prevented Cruger from wiping his mind clean. He then sold the information from the future to his friends at a great profit. Trent used the SPD's knowledge of time travel to publish Power Ranger Comic books in the late 1980's.
Trip narrowed his eyes. "Well, my gem's not giving me bad vibes about you…just dumb ones. So, I suppose you're not a spy. Are you sure it's safe?"
"Of course, Dude, this waterfall is just an illusion."
Trip nodded and headed towards the waterfall. Three seconds later, he was splashing around the lake and sputtering.
"Oh, but the lake is real," completed Dustin lamely. Damn why couldn't he remember that only ninja Rangers could walk on water. With a sigh, he walked over and yanked Trip out. "Looks like someone needs swimming lessons."
"Just show me where I'm supposed to go," grumbled the Green Time Force Ranger. Trip was already calculating the lawsuit Xybria would be bringing to this jerk on his behalf.
"Sure," Dustin led Trip through the waterfall and onto the Ninja Academy grounds. "Now, we need to get to it very quietly. We can't let anyone know you're here. I already got Shane and Tori to convince Cam that I had played on his computers, so he'll be too busy scanning for every virus possible to come outside." Dustin wasn't worried about Sensei either. All he really did all day was mumble about some traitor brother and make elaborate plans in case he 'came back with Chooboo to take over the world.' Dustin and the others were already making plans to get him committed.
"No problem," said Trip. "It's not like anyone would notice me. No one ever notices me." He began to rub his Electro Booster even harder to remind himself that he was at least more useful than Wes.
Dustin stared at him. "Yeah, Dude, no way people aren't going to notice a guy with an emerald jammed into his forehead and green dye dripping all over his shirt."
"What?" exclaimed Trip as he felt his own hair. "Damn cheap stuff. I'm going to have to get some more before I get back to the Clock Tower." He had no intention of the others finding out that he wasn't truly Xybrian, but just a guy from New Jersey with a green hair dye job and a gem glued to his forehead. After failing the entrance exam into the Time Force Academy twice because of his inability to complete the physical portion, Trip had decided to get in on a diplomatic scholarship.
"Okay, Dude, here she is, here's my baby," Dustin pointed to a yellow motorbike that was lying around an empty building in pieces. "I need you to fix her." He suddenly began to sob.
"You expect me to fix that?" asked Trip. "I'm an odd job worker, not a miracle worker." He grimaced at the back wheel that was hanging off the left handlebar. "What did you do to it?"
"Nothing, uh…just a little crash, that all," replied Dustin quickly as he took out a tissue and blew his nose into it. He knew Tori had been a bit miffed because he had insisted on taking his baby into the restaurant on their first…and last date. But he didn't know how miffed until he found it in this condition the next morning.
Trip sighed. He had no choice but to fix it. He needed cash for his hair dye. Besides, Jen had a new rule that anyone who refused an odd job was not allowed supper. It seemed she was sick and tired of Lucas turning down any jobs that could mess up his hair and of Katie breaking down and crying she wanted to go home before she was finished working. "Fine, but I'm going to have to charge you quadruple the rate to fix this mess."
"Sure, Dude, I'll give you quadruple of what I was going to pay you," replied Dustin. Four times nothing was still nothing, he mused.
Trip pulled out some tools and began to work. He reattached the back wheel, knocked out dents, pumped up the flat tires, screwed parts back on, fixed the engine, etc.
Dustin paced back and forth outside the building for the next five hours as the Time Force Ranger worked. "Dude, what is taking so long?" He finally hissed. Cam was certain to be finishing that virus scan soon. Dustin had no desire to be the brunt of another one of his sarcastic sneers.
"Sorry, I was just letting the green paint dry," replied Trip.
"Oh, that's okay…wait, green paint?" Dustin stepped into the building and gasped at his now fixed bike, which was sporting a fresh coat of green paint. "My baby!!!!!" he screamed. "No!!!!!! Why would you put such an ugly color on it?" He fell onto his bike crying.
"It beats the girly color you had on it," said Trip who was proud of the little improvement he had made. "But, if you insist…He grabbed a bucket of yellow paint and poured it all over Dustin and the motorbike.
"Huh?" asked Dustin as he looked at his motorbike and saw that it was now his favorite color again. "Yay! It's not ugly anymore!" He jumped onto the still wet seat, and put his soaking wet shoe on the starter.
"Ahem, my check?" asked Trip as he held out his hand.
"Sure, here it is, Dude," cried Dustin as he tossed a piece of paper at Trip and then rode off laughing.
Trip ran off happily with the badly spelled fake check. Two hours later, he was dragged away by the cops while screaming that he had Xybrian diplomatic immunity and tossed into a jail cell for trying to pass off a bad check.
Dustin rode further and further into the woods…until his bike just fell apart and he had to spend the night keeping away from an amorous bear who thought the yellow paint on him was honey. Trip was glad he had installed the self-destruct button that was operating remotely from his jail cell.
