Episode 18:
Errand Boy
Breathe…
In…
Out…
Like the ripples of water…
The tide upon the shore…
With every breath, Johnny felt his body relaxing further. With his eyes shut, sitting cross-legged on the dojo floor, it felt like the first true moment to himself in weeks. In all likelihood, it would be his last one for a good long while.
Still, it was good to take the chance to blow off some steam.
Beside him, he could the sound of stamping feet as the junior class continued next door. Hard to think it was so long ago, when he was in his old dojo back in Reefside, trying to master the basics for the first time. He could practically hear his old sensei echoing from the back of his mind, insisting that he still hadn't.
His ears pricked up. The door to the room had slid open, feet touching down on the mat behind him. He was no longer alone; someone else had entered. And they were getting closer.
Johnny didn't move, retaining his calm exterior, focusing on his breathing as the footsteps inched closer and closer. Then he heard it, the stretching of the mat as the intruder increased their weight on a single point.
Now!
His eyes snapped open, spinning to sweep with his leg and strike the unsuspecting assailant. His ankle cracked beneath the feet, tripping his attacker and crashing him into the mat. But as his opponent fell backward, he rolled, handspringing into a standing position to bounce into a fighting stance.
It was only then that Johnny saw the intruder and grinned.
"Not bad," Ray laughed, dressed in his own Taekwondo Dobok and bouncing on his barefoot toes. "I was hoping to get you in a headlock."
"Appear weak when you are strong," Johnny quoted with a smirk. "You're late."
"Sorry, got caught up," Ray admitted. "Hilary needed with…"
All Johnny needed to stop his friend mid-sentence was a pointed raised eyebrow.
"You know what?" Ray decided, "It doesn't matter. Show me what you've got."
Johnny was all too eager to comply. He lunged in, stamping down where Ray was standing and forcing the Red Ranger to move. He spun as Ray shifted, fist swinging wide to cut off his escape and keep him on the back foot. But Ray pressed in, catching Johnny's arm at the joint and grabbing hold.
He twisted, tugging at the wrist to flip the Black Ranger on his back. It was then that Johnny slipped his leg behind and reversed, sending Ray sprawling to the mat. Ray never hit the floor; his hands releasing and dropping down. Touching the ground, he pushed off and flipped to his feet before Johnny could close back in the finishing strike.
"Not bad," noted Ray with a puffing smile. "Give it a little longer and you might be able to beat me without me pushing you."
"I've got to be making some headway if you're resorting to sneak attacks," Johnny agreed.
"Yeah," Ray laughed, "Couldn't resist."
And so they continued, sparring back and forth across the dojo for the next half hour. At last, they slumped down onto the ground, both puffing exhaustion and completely spent. By the end, neither could remember who had actually won, and both admitted that neither honestly cared. Then, as they rose to their feet, they helped each other back into the changing room to get out of their gear.
"That was good," Ray decided. "It's been ages since I got a workout like that without some Byte-Bots swinging at me."
"You might need a few more," Johnny jested. "You keep moving like that and the blows they land will be more than lucky."
"Oh, that's how it is?"
"Oh, that's how it is."
The two boys laughed their way out of the changerooms, stepping out of the Rising Sun dojo and back out on the bustling Cranston street. Then at last Johnny looked at his watch and realized he'd lost track of time.
"I've gotta run," he said to Ray, "I'm meant to be at work in fifteen minutes."
Ray gave him a very confused look. "Work?"
"Yeah, I've got a work experience spot at the Cranston Chronicle."
Ray looked at his watch. "You're cutting it a bit fine, aren't you? I mean the paper's office is all the way across town."
But Johnny simply replied with a cheeky grin. "Dude, look who you're talking to."
He'd flashed into a blur before Ray could even concede the point.
Were he being truly honest, Johnny would have later admitted that he'd misjudged the actual distance between the paper and the dojo, along with his ability to sustain the speed after such a busy workout. But he made it; just. He skidded to a stop in a nearby alley, barely a moment to catch his breath before striding through doors as the clock hit eleven.
The building was frantic, the air filled with the sound of ringing phones as the floor was constantly being crossed by reporters dashing back and forth. At the front desk was a receptionist, who barely glanced up from her computer screen with the phone at her ear as Johnny stepped forward, raising a finger in a warning to wait.
"Uh-huh," she nodded. "And you can go on the record with that? Okay, I'll pass it on."
She hung up, hands snapping the keyboard she blew a stray hair away from her eye before looking up to see Johnny waiting patiently.
"Can I help you?" she asked, so abruptly it caught Johnny off guard.
"Ahh… yeah," he said quickly. "I'm Johnny Ford. I'm here for the internship?"
She nodded and returned to the phone.
"New kid's here," was all she said before hanging up. Then she returned to the computer, not even looking at him as she added, "Mr. Quesada is waiting for you in the board room."
"Right, thanks." Johnny nodded.
Determined not to get on her bad side, and uncertain if he already was, Johnny moved in the direction she'd nodded to as he made his way down the corridor.
"Oh, and Johnny!" she called down the hall, causing him to stop and face her once again. "Just a warning, he can be a little… full on."
"Thanks for the heads up." Whatever that meant. He turned around and continued down the corridor, bracing himself for what was to come and not wanting to even think about what that woman's definition of 'full on' could be.
But this building was huge! Every turn was another maze of cubicles, the walls filled with screens covering every news channel Johnny could think of, and then some. Were it not for the signs on the walls, Johnny would have been completely lost, and doubly certain he'd have never found his way out on his own. But at last, he navigated the chaos to find the board room, just as a large group of people hurrying out. They all had the same look on their faces, and it was one that Johnny knew all too well.
The same look he'd seen on people fleeing from a monster attack.
Gulping down to steel his nerves, Johnny peeked into the board room. "Mr. Quesada?"
What greeted him was closer to a ball than a man, his turquoise shirt a size too small, strapped behind stretched, red suspenders that seemed to be barely holding it all together. A wide, mustard tie followed the curve up the center of his chest, drawing a path to the cigar that poked from beneath the greying handlebar mustache. His face was already scrunched tight, a vein pulsing through his forehead as his entire complexion was gradually turning the color of beetroot.
"You Ford?" he gruffed.
"Yes… yes, sir."
"Well, better find a way to make you useful. Come with me."
For his size and shape, Quesada moved exceptionally briskly, almost barreling past Johnny and out into the bullpen.
"You do one favor, one time," he grumbled, knowingly well in Johnny's earshot. "Then suddenly they think you want to do it every year." He reached the freshest maze of desks and raised himself to his does, chest inflating to twice its size as his mouth stretched wide and bellowed above the cubicle walls. "HANK!"
A small head popped out from behind a desk, glasses resting on his forehead. "Yes sir?"
"This is, Ford," Quesada announced. "He's interning from the high school. Find him something to do, and don't forget I still want that story on my desk by this afternoon."
Hank flicked a look at Johnny before rolling his eyes. "Sir," he protested. "With all due respect, I don't think we're going to catch the Power Rangers doing anything untrustworthy."
"Not untrustworthy, huh?" Quesada sneered, "So why is it that they're always wearing masks? What have they got to hide?"
Johnny's back straightened, daring not to look at Hank as he realized what his new boss was after. But Hank didn't look shocked, not even dumbfounded. From the lack of amusement in his voice, Johnny had to guess that this was not the first time they'd had this conversation.
"I want that story on my desk by five pm." ordered Quesada "No excuses!"
Then he spun on his heel and waddled out of the cubicle row at a pace even faster than he'd entered, leaving a speechless Johnny behind. Hank, meanwhile, spun on his chair and returned his computer.
"Do you want any pictures of 'Spider-Man' to go with that?" he grumbled. "So, you're the intern, huh? Welcome to the show."
"Why is he so determined to tarnish the Power Rangers?" asked Johnny, approaching cautiously and fully aware that Hank was handling him under sufferance.
"Because if you do this job this long enough and start having a hard time trusting," Hank replied. "And he's been doing it a really long time. Luckily, bad-mouthing the Power Rangers without any proof won't sell papers. Not when everyone loves them. Don't worry, our colorful protectors' reputations are safe."
Then he sighed and spun around on his chair, finally giving Johnny his direct attention. "So, Ford, you got a first name?"
"Uh, yes sir. It's Johnny."
"Well Johnny, unfortunately, I haven't got much to show you right now. It's meant to be Quesada's job to entertain the work-experience kids. Right now, it's mostly typing things up and making phone calls."
Johnny's shoulders sunk. So much for an exciting opportunity. Seeing the teen's deflated mood, Hank sighed with a fresh thought.
"Tell you what," he decided. "If I get a buzz about a story, I'll bring you along with me. But in the meantime, I guess you can do the rounds and find out what everyone wants for lunch."
Johnny didn't know what was worse, twiddling his thumbs or playing gopher. "You just want me collecting people's lunch?"
Hank simply shrugged and gave him an understanding smile.
"Sorry kiddo, I know you probably want something far more interesting to do, but it's all I've got for you. But hey, a job's a job. At least you're getting paid for it, right?"
With the amount that people piled on him, Johnny would have thought that no one in that office ever got a chance to eat at all. The moment Hank made the announcement, nine other journalists rushed to the intern, hurriedly spewing out their orders before bolting back to their desks. He'd barely had a chance to write them all down, let alone who they belonged to.
But work was work, as Hank had said, and it at least it gave him something to do. Having called ahead, Johnny walked out of the Shack with lunches, desperately trying to juggle all ten of them in his gasp.
"This so isn't worth seven-twenty an hour," he grumbled, carefully stepping to avoid the curb and spilling the food all over the ground.
When he'd put his hand up for the chance, this was the last thing he'd expected to be doing. He wanted to be out there, chasing stories, reporting on the news; not acting like some glorified errand boy. Were it not for the food he had promised to deliver, it made him wonder if he should even bother going back.
But his thought was broken by a voice behind him, one that ground his teeth and sent a shiver down his spine.
"I sure hope that isn't all for yourself," Mileena warned as Johnny spun around. "You wouldn't want to ruin your dinner."
Great, just what he needed. And she wasn't alone either; she had a whole group of Byte-Bots huddling menacingly behind her.
"You know, I'm in a pretty bad mood right now," he said, "So can we just skip straight to the part where you yell an insult before running away?"
Mileena laughed. "I don't think so. I could use the workout."
The Byte-Bots lunged before Johnny could reply, forcing the Black Ranger to duck and weave away. The lunch was too heavy, too bulky, and far too numerous to stay in his hand. Even as he tightened his grip he felt a squish beneath the brown paper, causing him to wince.
But now he had more immediate problems. The Byte-Bots were surrounding him and not letting up. He narrowly skidded past a kick, watching it stamp the ground where he'd just been standing as he eyed a nearby bench.
Perfect.
He jumped, snapping his foot into the face of the closest Byte-Bot before flipping around and dumping the package on the seat. Then, with a moment to spare, he slipped his hand into his pocket the hit the distress beacon on his Morpher.
Just in time; the Byte-Bots had already caught up.
"Now come on, fellas," Johnny reasoned. "No reason for anyone to get hurt over this." The foot soldiers replied by lunging in. Johnny lashed up his hand, snatching the first one and spinning it around to slam it like a shield between the flurry of incoming attacks. Planting his shoe in the Byte-Bots, he kicked it back to its buddies to knock them over. "Well, not me, anyway."
The Byte-Bots jumped to their feet and Johnny flipped backward, somersaulting over the bench to put some distance between them. As the goons rushed to catch him, a small piece of wood caught his eye. A skateboard; likely abandoned when the Byte-Bots showed up.
It would do.
He resumed a fighting stance and waited, luring the robots closer. As the first engaged, Johnny kicked the board, wheels sliding beneath the feet to topple the Byte-Bot over. Another came for him, kicking up the tail and slamming into the shins. Then he jumped, spinning the deck around to crack into the one behind him.
But he wasn't out of the woods just yet. The next Byte-Bot had dropped low, sweeping for his legs.
Nice try.
Johnny snapped off the board, kickflipping it into the goon's face before snapping it up to his hands. With a mighty swing, he cracked it into the nearest Byte-Bot, smashing the wooden board in half.
Alright. He'd had enough.
He breathed in and timed slowed, the Byte-Bots turning sluggish before barely moving at all. With a smirk, Johnny rushed in, peppering the robots with strikes before skidding to a stop and returning to normal speed.
The Byte-Bots collapsed behind the bench, crumbling in a sparking heap as Johnny returned his attention to Mileena. "There, I beat your goons. Can I go now?"
Her smile was not encouraging. "Not yet."
With a gleeful laugh, she unleashed a wave of energy from her sword, the strike exploding at Johnny's feet to send him hurling backward. He tumbled through the air, the bench behind breaking his fall as it crumbled into splinters. Groaning, Johnny felt a squelch beneath him. To his horror, the ten lunch bags lay crushed beneath the wooden wreckage.
"All right," he growled back as climbed to his feet. "Now I'm really in a bad mood."
He snapped a look over his shoulder. Everyone had already run from the robots, leaving the street well and clear of witnesses. As Mileena raised her sword and charged, Johnny used his speed to shoot past her and whip out his Morpher.
"Data Squad! Digitize!"
The light burst from the device, the suit forming around him as he turned to face his foe. Mileena didn't look even the slightest bit annoyed. If anything, she seemed to welcome it. It was downright unsettling, but she gave him no time to dwell on it.
His staff was already in his hands, slicing the air as it battered away her sword. He parried another blow, finding a gap in the onslaught to reply with a flurry of strikes. Mileena leaped back, and Johnny followed. Flourishing the weapon in his hands, he battered away her sword before thrusting inwards. As she dodged, a sneering grin caught his eyes through the visor as the end of the staff glided past her.
Just as he'd hoped.
The staff shot downwards, haft cracking against the ground as Johnny reefed it from beneath her feet. Mileena's eyes bulged as he flung upwards, legs swept from under her. Then Johnny spun, bringing around the staff with all his might and batting her away like a fastball.
The warrior tumbled along the ground, skidding to stop in a crouching pose as her head snapped upwards. But to Johnny's surprise, she was still smiling.
She was enjoying this.
"Well," said Mileena lazily as she dusted herself off lazily. "Good thing I brought an Ace in the Hole."
Light surged through the air, cutting the sky as the bolts suddenly surged into Johnny's back. Small explosions peppered his body as the suit overloaded, the force impacting hurling back into the wreckage of the bench. With a wheeze he rose to his feet, staring down Mileena and the source of the strike. A jellyfish, two of its tentacles waggling like arms with a pair of legs poking out from beneath the rest.
"You've got to be kidding me," he groaned as the two of them stared them down.
"Stinger season's no joke!" the jellyfish yelled. "Ready for round two, or are you jelly?"
Mileena raised her sword to the kneeling Ranger. "Tentakill?" she decided. "Let's end this."
The virus cackled raising its arms as sparks began crackling between them. Downed and cornered, Johnny braced himself for what was to come. But the strike never came.
The air filled with roaring engines, as a barrage of lasers erupted from beyond his sight. The round exploded into the pair, causing Mileena to stumble back and Tentakill, sending his lighting bursting into the air.
Johnny's head whipped around to source, and Kyle's ATV ripped into view. The Security Ranger screeched to halt, wheeling the vehicle between Johnny and the monsters before dismounting.
"Sorry I'm late," he apologized.
Johnny's reply was drowned out by more engines as the other four Data Cycles pulled up to the fight. Leaping from the saddles, the four Rangers landed at Johnny's side and helped him to his feet.
"You okay dude?" asked Jake.
"Yeah, I'm fine," said the Black Ranger. "That jellyfish thing just took me by surprise." Finding his second wind, Johnny stepped forward with others to face Mileena down. "Looks like you're not the only one that can bring some friends," he taunted.
"We better take these guys out fast," Ray decided beside him. "Let's put it together!"
"Right!"
The air flashed as each Ranger's weapon materialized in their hands, but not fast enough.
"I don't think so!"
More electricity surged from the tips of the tentacles, ripping through the air and enveloping the Rangers like a razored web. The energy released, convulsing into a giant fireball that hurled the six of them backward. Undeterred, the team leaped to their feet, ready to try again. Mileena had other ideas.
"I think we've had our fun." She announced lazily, "Later, Power Losers."
Then, before any of them could think of a witty reply, she and Tentakill vanished in a flash of light, leaving the stunned Rangers alone in the street.
"Why do they keep doing that?" Ben demanded.
"Because she's sadistic," decided Hilary. "Are you okay Johnny?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He nodded. "It's weird though, she just appeared out of nowhere."
"We need to be careful," said Ray. "This isn't the first time Mileena's tried attacking when one of us is alone. She could be coming for any of us."
"Let's head back to the warehouse," Kyle agreed. "Maybe Benson's got an idea of what's going on."
The rest of the Rangers nodded, but all Johnny could do was stare at the oozing mess of crumbled lunches among splinters and debris.
"You guys go on ahead," he decided. "I think I've got some overtime to do."
Yup, he decided as he demorphed and headed back into Shak to replace the order, sadistic pretty much summed it up.
