Power Rangers GPX Episode 24: A Hard Day's Night
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It was a dark and stormy night.
Stupid rain!
Instead of going out on the town tonight, the Rangers and Bridget's family were stuck in the Rangers' house watching a Central Florida thunderstorm. It's not considered the lightning capital of the world for no reason. After several days without a cloud in the sky, reality came crashing down on them. And boy, did it suck.
"Rain, rain, go away, come again some otha day," Allie sang, trying to lighten the mood. If only it actually worked.
For the others though, it was easy. The sounds of dice hitting a table filled the kitchen and hoots and hollers followed. "GOOOOCH!" Kevin taunted Rob and took a sip of Smithwick's. Mandla/Aaron chuckled and took the dice, rolling a 1, the dice number required to roll again. "One hundred for Zulu," he said, already inebriated. Mandla/Aaron shook his head before rolling again.
"Two hundred!" he hollered. Kevin slammed his head on the table while Sean patted him on the back while holding his Budweiser. Mandla/Aaron rolled again.
"GOOCH!" Kevin hollered while Mandla/Aaron slammed his head on the table. "Mari's turn."
"Yeah, yeah," she said, taking the dice in hand. After a few shakes, she let them loose, and, "STRAIGHT!"
"Oh, 1-5, she gets a thousand!" Sean bellowed, earning some looks from the TV room.
"What are they doing in there?" Hitomi asked Bridget.
"They're playing a dice game," said Bridget. "I never liked that game."
"Because she always loses!" said Sean.
"That's a lie and you know it!" Bridget shot back.
"We always kick Bridge's ass," Sean said quietly. "She stopped playing 6 years ago."
"Because you were a poor sport," said Bridget. Maria had to laugh at the dig.
"Your turn," she said to Sean. "Goooooocccchhhh…"
"You know that's not gonna work… GAH! ! !" Maria doubled over in laughter. "Why are you trying to do that to me? This is totally out of character for you."
"Because it's funny," she said.
"Maria, be nice to him," said Bridget.
"Sean, what does your sister do?" Mandla/Aaron asked out of the blue.
"She's a Cast Member!" He replied. Aaron looked at him blankly. "I take it you haven't been to Disney World."
"She works there?" Aaron asked.
"You never told us that!" Hitomi exclaimed excitedly.
"You never asked!" Sean replied.
"But I would have told you," said Bridget. "I work at the Team Disney building, so I have a good-paying job. If you want, I can get you in for cheap!" Sean scoffed and Hitomi cheered in excitement.
"Sean, did you hear about the Power Rangers?" Rob asked as he took his turn.
"Other than the fact they haven't appeared for two days, no," said Kevin.
"Well Ben Dreck was talking abo—"
"Rob, seriously, you watch that asshole?" Sean interrupted.
"No!" he replied. "One of my co-workers showed a video of him talking about the Power Rangers." Sean gave him a look, but not enough to blow his cover.
"Forget what he says," said Mandla/Aaron. "The Power Rangers are vigilantes; no real contributions to society."
"Exactly, what have the Power Rangers ever done for us?" Sean asked.
"Fought bad guys?" Hitomi asked.
"What?"
"Fought bad guys," she repeated.
"Oh yeah," said Sean.
"Given us peace of mind?" asked Bridget.
"Oh yeah, I feel much safer," said Kevin.
"Okay, I'll give you those two, but what have they really done?" Sean asked, getting agitated.
"And fought crime," said Bridget.
"Of course they've fought crime; that goes without saying!" said Sean. "But apart from fighting bad guys, giving us peace of mind and fighting cr—"
"Keeping us safe?" asked Bridget.
"Stopping an alien invasion?" asked Hitomi.
"Okay," said Sean.
"Peace of mind?" Bridget asked again. Everyone murmured in agreement.
"Yeah, that's a big one," said Mandla/Aaron. Sean made an annoyed face before taking a breath.
"And it's safe to walk the streets at night," said Maria, "Especially considering a city like this!"
"Alright, alright, alright!" said Sean. "But apart from fighting bad guys, peace of mind, crime fighting, the safety, defense, and public safety, what have the Power Rangers ever done for us?"
"Saved us?" asked Hitomi. The sound you just heard was Sean's forehead banging on the table.
"Okay Rob, it's time for us to leave."
"It's only 10:00, are you sure?" Sean asked.
"I'm sure," said Bridget. "But, I was thinking we could go home alone."
"You want to leave the girls with them?" Rob asked.
"Yes," said Bridget. "I think they can handle them, and besides, we haven't had any," she snaked her arms around her husband's neck, "Privatetime lately." The look on Rob's face showed he wanted it.
"Okay then," he said. "Sean, can you handle all three?"
"I just have to give Allie a bath and put her to bed, right?" he asked. "Piece of cake!"
"We already have some pajamas and shampoo for Allie, diapers for Cassie, and some pajamas for Tommy," said Bridget. "Tommy, do you think you can stay here?"
"Why?" he asked.
"We'll let you stay up late!" said Sean.
"I'll stay!"
"You gotta know what they want," said Sean.
"Looks like they're in good hands," said Rob. "We'll see you tomorrow." She said good-bye to the Rangers, Tommy and Allie before she and Rob left.
"When will they be back?" Maria asked.
"Depends," said Sean. "Depending on how it goes, they might not be back until 3 in the afternoon." Maria only raised her eyebrow. Sean shrugged and turned towards the TV room. "Alright Allie, it's bath—where'd she go?" The sounds of a three-year-old could be heard running down the halls. "I'm in over my head aren't I?"
"Unfortunately," she said with actual sympathy.
"ALLIE, GET BACK HERE! !" He shouted. "Hitomi, could you please take care of Cassie? And Tommy, get dressed and ready for bed. ALLIE, COME HERE!"
It didn't take long for Sean to find Allie, but subduing her was the hard part. If only Bridget had warned him first. He eventually grabbed the girl and carried her literally kicking and screaming. "I'll let you play with your bath toys," he said. To his (happy) surprise, she calmed down and got excited.
"Hooway!" She cried out. Saved by the toys. Thanks to said bath toys, Sean had an easy time giving Allie her bath. Okay, the splashing and general rowdiness he could do without. She must have splashed his red White Sox shirt several times and got soap on it. Okay, so it wasn't as easy as the narrator is making it out to be.
Hitomi had it easy. Cassie's six months old. She just changed the girl's diaper (with the help of a very reluctant Kevin and a very disgusted Mandla/Aaron). Just… don't ask.
Tommy? He's 11, he can handle himself. He just got dressed and went back to watching TV.
"Alright, kiddo, time for bed," said Sean.
"BUT I DON'T WANNA!" Allie screamed. Sean sighed in frustration.
"I'll tell you a story!" Sean groaned, trying to calm the girl down.
"Okay!" she chirped. Sean collapsed on her temporary bed in frustration. "Don't laugh, Maria."
"Sorry," she said.
I'm bad at this, he mouthed. "Alright, what do you want to hear?"
"Pwincess," she said calmly. Sean tweaked his eye ever-so-slightly.
Great, Bridge, how much princess stuff did you bring home? Sean thought to himself. "Alright, you want to hear about a princess," he said. Allie nodded and Maria leaned against the doorframe in interest. "Is there anything else you want to hear about?"
"What ah the Powa Wangas?" she asked. Sean paused. Her face showed a toddler's curiosity but it made Sean and Maria very concerned.
"The Power Rangers are…" he paused. How to explain this to a three-year-old? "They're a bunch of superheroes who are trying to stop bad guys from hurting little girls and little boys like you." Maria raised her eyebrow in an impressed and concerned way. Hitomi, Kevin, and Mandla/Aaron (I'm going to keep doing that until it's made clear) had also gathered in the doorway.
"Who ah the bad guys?" Allie asked.
"FARIES!" he panicked. He glared at the others, who were trying to hold their laughter.
"But… Tinkabell's a faiwie," said Allie.
"So is Perez Hilton," Kevin whispered. It earned a smack upside the head from Maria.
"These are… bad… fairies," said Sean. "Mean ones."
"The ones who—" Maria silenced Mandla/Aaron before he could say anything.
"There are bad fairies," Kevin whispered to Mandla/Aaron. "Just read some Irish folk tales. You'll see."
"Bad faiwies?" Allie asked.
"Yes," sad Sean. "Bad ones. But don't worry; the Power Rangers are here to save the day!"
"What was that?" Kevin snarked. Sean positioned himself so that Allie couldn't see the one-finger salute he gave him.
"Look, just get to sleep," he said.
"I'M NOT SWEEPY!"
"Come on, please?"
"You not my mommy!"
"I'm your uncle, that's good enough!" he said.
"What about the Powa Wangas!" She whined.
"Okay," he said. This is harder than I thought. "You don't have to worry; the Power Rangers are not going to let the bad fairies get to you."
"Thanks Unca Sean," she said, lying down. Apparently she was tired.
"You sleepy?" He asked.
"Yeah," she replied. "Mommy gives me a kiss before bed."
"Alright," he said before giving her a kiss on the forehead.
"Aaaawww," Sean glared at the others, making them leave.
"Alright, please get to sleep," he said as he turned out the light. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Unca Sean!" Her voice was muffled as soon as he closed the door. He sighed and leaned against the wall. That was certainly not the best—
"What are you smiling at, Maria?"
"Real smooth," she said.
"Laugh it up," he replied before he walked away.
"How come you badmouthed us in front of Bridge and you called us heroes in front of her?" she asked as she followed him.
"I'm not going to badmouth us in front of a little kid!" Sean replied as he walked down the stairs.
"This Dreck guy is starting to concern me," said Maria.
"Who cares?" Sean asked. "He's a wackjob, he can't do anything!" He walked back into the kitchen. Tommy, Kevin, Mandla/Aaron and Hitomi were watching a movie. Also, the rain was letting up, ever-so-slightly. The thunder certainly sounded distant. Sean walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk and then a box of Frosted Flakes. "I want a midnight snack," he said to Maria. She shrugged before walking over to the couch.
"Sean, why were you calling the Power Rangers heroes," Tommy started, "When you called them vigilantes?"
"I already said this," he muttered. "I'm not going to say that to a little kid!"
"That's not a good excuse!" said Kevin.
"Well what would you expect me to do?" Sean replied before taking a bite of cereal. "Shay they're bad guysh?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Tommy shouted.
"Guys, stop being mean to Sean," said Hitomi. "He wanted Allie to get to sleep. I think he did the right think."
"Thanks Hitomi!" he said. Maria smiled and chuckled.
They spent most of the evening watching crap on TV; So-bad-it's-good kind of crap, like MST3K. That did not include Battlefield Earth. Part of this involved Maria heckling a video of Senate candidate Marco Rubio. "You're not a fucking exile!" she shouted, prompting Mandla/Aaron to bat her arm down. Sean uncovered Tommy's ears after that.
"Please don't say that in front of the kid," said Sean.
"I've heard you say worse," Tommy replied.
"Zip it," Sean growled.
"Remember when dad had—"
"What part of 'zip it', don't you understand?" Sean growled.
"I think we should get to bed," said Maria, "Or at least Tommy." Tommy groaned and drew his head back. Sean laughed when Tommy got up from the couch. "It might be a Saturday night, but even Bridge says you need to get your sleep."
"Sorry Tomas," said Sean "Can't help you." He laughed when Tommy stuck his tongue out like the kid he is. Sean shook his head and turned the TV channel to CNN. The topic in question was the Power Rangers themselves. In typical 24-hour news fashion, they had one pundit ("analyst") for the Rangers and one against. The anchor would at least try to moderate the silly debate.
"This is strange," said Maria. "My father would not let this kind of content on his station."
"I thought your dad was station manager, not owner," said Sean.
"He wouldn't allow either way," she replied.
"Well I say we get to bed," said Kevin. "I'm still getting used to this time zone and I need my sleep."
"I'm not sure if that's a good excuse," Sean muttered while Kevin went up to bed. He eventually followed them up to bed.
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But, this is Power Rangers. He's not going to get a good night's sleep.
The rain eventually stopped around 12:30 in the morning. About half an hour later, with the streetlights glowing, a platoon of Swabots appeared in the street. With the faint scent of rain still in the air, they snuck through the streets under the command of a… giant humanoid owl. Really original, Zordon! "Alright, listen up!" he said. "We're not here to wreak havoc. We'll do that once the Rangers are up!"
"NachtOwl, are you in position?" Kalderon radioed.
"Ready to go, boss," said NachtOwl. "How's Washington?"
"Vibrant," said Kalderon. "Prepare to act."
"Na-ha, you got it!" NachtOwl turned off his radio and turned to one of the Swabots. "Knock over a trashcan and let's have some fun!" The Swabot he was talking to nodded and kicked over a trashcan. "Ah, that's not gonna work," said NachtOwl. "It might get us a citation, not the Rangers. Ah, I know!"
He grabbed one of the Swabot's blasters and pointed it at a car parked in the driveway. We all know where this is going. NachtOwl cackled as the car burst into flames.
Meanwhile, Sean was awoken by his morpher's beeping. He reached for the morpher and in his drowsy state, answered. "What?"
"We have a situation," said the person on the other end.
"Can it was 'till morning?" Sean asked. "I'm tryin' to sleep."
"This cannot wait until morning," said the guy on the other end. "We have Zordonian activity in your neighborhood."
"That's close," said Sean. "So…"
"Do something!" the operator shouted. Sean growled as he got out of bed. Once out of his room, he noticed the other Rangers coming out of their rooms.
"Why now?" Hitomi asked.
"Let's just get this over with," said Sean. "We'll morph downstairs."
Once downstairs, "GPX, Start It Up!" Once morphed, their boot wheels began to spin and they rushed to the scene.
"Come on, how long does it take for them to arrive?" NachtOwl groaned. "I know it's nighttime, but—"
"Do you have any. Idea. What. Time it is! ?" NachtOwl turned around to see, judging from their posture and body language, five veryirritated Power Rangers. "It's two in the morning! We were trying to sleep!"
"Well sor-ry if we caused any inconvenience!" said NachtOwl.
"You destroyed a car just to smoke us out!" said Kevin. "Of course this is inconvenient!"
"You got three seconds to get out of here!" said Sean.
"Or else what?" NachtOwl replied.
"Or else this!" Sean lunged forward and punched at the nearest Swabot. The fight began in earnest.
Sean quickly blocked a pair of Swabot punches and then launched himself past them. His boots screeched like tires as he stopped. He jump kicked the first Swabot that came near him. Then he jump reverse roundhouse kicked the next one. He ducked as one Swabot rushed at him. He kicked the offending Swabot. As one bot rushed in, he jumped and gently vaulted off the nearest tree. His foot broke the Swabot's head into tiny pieces.
Kevin grappled the first Swabot that came his way and threw it to the ground. He ducked and grabbed the Swabot that tried to punch him. He threw it to the ground and stomped on it. Then he punched one in the gut, sending it into a group of Swabots. He grabbed a Swabot's collar and punched the face until it was pulverized. He picked up the robot's body and threw it at the other Swabots. "Strike!"
If you didn't know how strong Mandla/Aaron really was, you're about to find out. He picked up one Swabot, and just like Kevin, tossed it to the ground. As sparks flew, he revved up the wheels on his gauntlets and batted the nearest Swabot. The wheel began to spin, sending sparks, and soon the robot, flying. With a mighty yell, he charged the Swabots and pushed them like a stack of shopping carts.
Maria tumbled under several Swabots before jumping up and split kicking a couple. She ducked down and sweep kicked more off their feet. The next Swabot came in and swung its sword. Shew blocked it, and just like with Mandla/Aaron, used the wheel on the gauntlet. She front kicked one Swabot; the first was blocked, but the second one wasn't. The robot staggered back and she finished it with a reverse roundhouse kick.
You'd think the Swabots would be used to Hitomi jumping over them, but these things can't exactly jump. She used them like her personal trampoline, jumping on their heads and shoulders, kicking them in the head. When she did land, she flipped over backwards to avoid them. She blocked an attack and then retaliated with a roundhouse kick. She finished off the Swabots with a tornado kick.
Sean was in no mood to talk to NachtOwl. He simply launched himself at the owl monster and knocked it to the ground. After rolling off, NachtOwl got back up and threw a punch, which Sean blocked. Sean counter punched the owl's beak. "I just wanted some sleep, you nocturnal freak!"
"We are here to reclaim what is—"
"SHUT UP! !" He punched NachtOwl right in the beak. "I was trying to sleep!"
"Forget it Sean," said Mandla/Aaron. "He's dead!" He kicked at NachtOwl only to be blocked and flipped over backwards. However, he was nimble enough to land on his own two feet. Hitomi used his shoulders like a vault and leapt to punch NachtOwl just off its beak.
"Let's just make this quick," Sean said as Maria kicked NachtOwl right in the back of the head. He pulled out his blaster and let off a couple of rounds. Sparks erupted from NachtOwl and he fell near a fire hydrant.
By now, an unwanted audience had formed because of the noise being made at 2 in the morning. People in their robes and disheveled hair stood outside their houses yelling at the scene outside. "Damn it!" Sean growled. "Can we get this over with?"
"I'm on it," said Mandla/Aaron. He jumped and kicked at NachtOwl's face. NachtOwl landed just two feet from a garbage can. NachtOwl got up but Kevin threw a punch at him. NachtOwl retaliated with a nasty backhand that sent Kevin flying into someone's garage.
The Blue Ranger groaned as he tried to sit up. NachtOwl hit hard! But the sound of cracking told him something else was wrong. "Oh, feck," he said as he realized he'd destroyed a Mercedes. "Aw, feck," he said as he gingerly got off the car.
Things got worse. The owner happened to open his garage door. He took one look at the car and said, "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm terribly sorry!" Kevin said, trying to be diplomatic. "I didn't mean to—"
"Do you have any idea how much that cost?" The middle-aged, slightly overweight and balding man shouted. "You'd better pay for that!"
"Don't worry!" Kevin replied in his Dublin brogue. "You will be compensay-ted!"
"I'd better be!" said the man. "I've never had an accident before!"
"It could happen to a bishop and frequently does," Kevin replied.
"What does that even mean?" the man replied. "What are you going to do?" He'd gotten up in Kevin's face, making the Dub very nervous. He looked to see the others fighting NachtOwl.
"Give me your insurance," said Kevin. "You'll be compensated in the morning."
"I'd better," said the man as he wrote down his insurance. "Take it! I hope you've got a good lawyer, beca—"
"I don't need a lawyer," he said as he left through the very hole he made.
"AND YOU'D BETTER PAY FOR MY FUCKING GARAGE! !" the man shouted as Kevin retuned to the fight scene.
"Why didn't you try to help?" Kevin asked as he got back.
"Sorry!" said Sean. "I wanted to, but I'm a little busy!" Kevin growled and put it on the backburner before going back to fighting.
"Will you PLEASE be QUIET! ?" a woman shouted as Maria punched NachtOwl right in the beak.
"I'm terribly sorry!" said Maria. "We're trying!"
"Sorry doesn't cut it!" the woman replied. "If this doesn't stop, I'm calling the police!" the other residents voiced their agreements and also threatened to call the OPD.
Sean growled in anger. It was at this point NachtOwl remembered he could fly. "Now let's see what you can do, Rangers!" he said as he ascended.
"GAH! MotherFUCKER! ! DAMMIT!" Sean growled. He had his hands on his head and was letting loose with the obscenities. The impromptu crowd told him to keep it quiet. "Gah, forget it," he said. "Ke—I mean, Blue, Pink, shoot 'im down."
"Gladly," Kevin said as he pressed his belt buckle. The Touring Rifle manifested in front of him.
"Okay," Hitomi said as she did the same and the Am Bow manifested. The two aimed their weapons at NachtOwl before letting off a round. A shower of sparks sent NachtOwl tumbling to the ground.
"All right, I've had enough of this," said Sean. "What can we—Supercharged? That looks interesting." He took out his AcceleKey, jammed it into his Octane Blaster and turned it.
Supercharged Mode Ready, his HUD read.
"Now we're talking," he said. "Alright, Supercharge! Ready!" The other Rangers did the same and aimed their weapons at NachtOwl. "FIRE! !" He, Mandla/Aaron and Maria let of a couple rounds with their Octane Blasters. Kevin and Hitomi followed them up with shots from the Touring Cannon and the Am Bow.
NachtOwl howled before falling to the ground and exploding.
The Rangers did not celebrate. Instead, they left the scene just moments before the Orlando Police showed up.
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The next morning, after the Rangers got back as quietly as possible, they were greeted by this story in the local news:
"One neighborhood got a rude awakening… from the Power Rangers!"
"Oh, great," Sean said after taking a swig of coffee.
"This is not going to help," said Mandla/Aaron.
"What was that about?" asked Tommy.
"It's not going to help the Power Rangers," said Sean.
"Did that guy with the smashed car get compensated?" asked Kevin.
"Probably," said Sean. But he was more worried about the coming public backlash against the Rangers, and maybe the cops. "We'll have to form a relationship with the cops," he whispered to Kevin. "If we don't, we'll be in even more trou—"
"However, this man,who had his car smashed by the Blue Ranger, was surprised this morning."
"This guy calling himself 'Agent Smith' arrived with a new Mercedes," said the man. "And he gave me a check to pay for my garage door."
"I'm glad that worked out for him," said Kevin.
"Right," said Sean. "Media still concerns me."
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Postman Harold Gray swerved to avoid the robots that had swarmed the road. The hail of blaster fire made it impossible for him to get anywhere and his postal truck crashed on a curb. Luckily, the veteran post office employee was unhurt. But the robots were now swarming his truck and taking things from the back. "Hey! That's post office proper—who are you?"
"Prism FLASH!" The Swabots looked to see an absent, but familiar face.
"Choushinsei!"
"FLASHMAN!"
The Swabots attacked. However, they were no match for the Earth-born alien Power Rangers. Postman Gray watched as the Flash Rangers wiped the pavement with the Swabots. "Get out of here!" said the Yellow Ranger. Harold should not have listened, but he did anyway.
It didn't take long before the Flash Rangers were done with the Swabots. They lay in a sparking mess, barely even recognizable. "Powerdown!" they said.
The dirty-blond haired Red Ranger looked around at the Swabots. "Pathetic," he said. "I thought Zordon would send their best Swabots."
"They must be focusing on those GPX Rangers," said the dark-haired Blue Ranger. "Jon, what are we going to do about the mail?"
"Let the post office handle it Bon," said Jon, the Red Ranger. "Sara, what do you have there?"
"A package of some sort," said the South Asian Yellow Ranger. "But the box is gone."
"The Swabots must have been after it," said the Hispanic-looking Pink Ranger.
"I suggest we keep it," said Jon.
"Lu, what should we do?" asked Sara.
"Just deliver it to someone," said Lu, the Pink Ranger. "Kai, can you hold this?" The Green Ranger took the package.
"Let's leave it somewhere," said Jon.
It wasn't long before the Flash Rangers were in a residential neighborhood. "Just find a house," said Jon. Kai found a house that looked suitable. He left the package on the doorstep of the house.
"Come," said Jon. "The Swabots will be looking for us." With that, they left the area.
A few minutes later, a pair of hands picked up the package the Flash Rangers had left behind. "What's this?" The person asked. "A briefcase?"
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Hey guys, sorry it took so long to get this up, but I've been distracted. I hope this will be fine for now.