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-nine. It was requested by Superspyder CJ.

TJ and Mack

by

Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)

"Welcome to TJ's Terrific Transportation!" announced TJ as the new customer walked into the showroom. "What are you looking for? I have cars, trucks, jeeps, and a few leftover Zords."

"Well I…" began Mack.

"Actually that last one's a joke. No Zords here." TJ had gotten sick of all the nut jobs who kept coming in hopes of getting a Zord just because he had been a Power Ranger. "I can get you into a sporty new car today, sir," he insisted just a bit too eagerly. He really had no idea of how to sell cars; nor was he really interested in being a salesman. But Cassie had insisted…no... demanded he get rid of his dear Lightning Cruiser because he spent more time with it than with her. TJ had briefly considered just leaving with the car. But that would also mean walking away from the millions his wife was making as a famous heavy metal singer. So he had simply purchased the dealership in order to hide his precious among the hundred other cars in hopes of fooling his wife.

Mack looked around slowly. "Actually, I need a car…a uhhh…yellow race car. And I need it fast." How was he to know that Ronny had souped up her engine before he had 'borrowed' it to make a run to the supermarket? He hoped she wouldn't see the local news report showing her car sticking half way into the produce section.

"Yellow?" scoffed TJ. "Well, I'm no one to judge, but I'm sure we could toss some paint on something." He led Mack to the sports cars.

Mack looked around at the cars as TJ described them. He tried to imagine them yellow, but nothing matched closely enough to fool Ronny. "Do you have anything else?" he asked desperately. He had no desire to be the victim of one of the Yellow Overdrive Ranger's combined wedgie/swirlies. Nor did he want her fiancé to go after him. Tyzonn might seem like a mild-mannered alien, but when provoked… Mack's ribs had only just finished healing from that time he had accidentally spilled coffee on him while he was in mercury form. No wonder Vella had run off with Dax first chance she got.

"Maybe these SUVs?" asked TJ as he carefully steered Mack away from the corner that was blocked by several large screens.

"SUVs as race cars?" asked Mack skeptically.

"Uh, yeah sure," replied TJ. "They're all the rage in racing circles."

"Really?" asked Mack who had just seen the screens. Curious, he began to edge towards them.

"Yeah, all the great racers own one. They use them to uh… run over their competitions' dinky little cars. Why, the great Tommy Oliver owns two. And that mystery racer Sucal owns three…Hey!" cried TJ who had finally looked at Mack. "What're you doing? That's off limits!" He ran to where Mack was just as the Red Overdrive Ranger stepped behind the screens.

"That's it!" cried Mack at the sight of Lightning Cruiser. "That looks like Ronny's racecar! How soon can you paint it?"

"It's not for sale!" replied TJ fervently. He would never sell Lightning Cruiser. That car had saved his life more than once. They were bonded forever. Well, not in the way Justin was to Storm Blaster, but TJ still couldn't understand what the younger man was doing with that jar of superglue anyway. But still, he and Lightning Cruiser were inseperable. Nothing would change that, not Cassie, not his friends, not even if Zordon and Dimitria came back to offer him the greatest powers ever. Nope, nothing at all would….

"I'll give you a million dollars."

"Sold!" cried TJ enthusiastically as he dumped a can of yellow paint on Lightning Cruiser and quickly spread it around.

"HONK! HONK!" said the car.

"Sorry, old pal," replied TJ. "But now I can put that down payment on my very own baseball team!"

"HONK! HONK! HONK!" (Hooray! No more smelling your big moldy feet when you take your shoes off inside me.)

Mack stared at TJ as he continued to talk to the car. "Wow," he thought, "I guess being a Red Ranger made him nuts. Sure glad that didn't happen to me."

"Hey, pal!" he called, interrupting TJ's argument that his feet smelled better than the car's seats when wet. "Do you think you could have that delivered as soon as the paint dries?"

"I'll need to see your ID. And we'll have to arrange the first down payment."

"I'm not wasting time trying to figure that out," mumbled Mack as he wrote out a check for the whole amount. "Here" he said as he handed it over with his driver's license as well as a name and address. "Have it delivered to Ronny at that address. Do it quietly, so she doesn't notice."

"Sure," replied TJ as he looked at the identification and then the million dollar check in awe. "Maybe, you'd like a car for yourself as well?" He asked. The Hartfords could certainly afford a hundred cars easily.

"No need," replied Mack as he pressed something on the side of his neck. Suddenly, he transformed into a red sports car. "My dad made some cool upgrades on me." With that, he drove himself away.

"Wha….wha…wha…." gasped TJ just before he dropped the check into the open can of paint as he fainted dead away.

AN- Yeah, this one was shorter than usual, but I like how it came out. And yes, they do seem to like dumping paint on vehicles, don't they? Oh, and I actually wrote most of this while waiting for my car's oil change at Subaru.