Dino Thunder: Chemical Beast!
Chapter 8: To laugh or not to laugh?
"Now that Stevie's taking a nap... And that I made the mold for the mold for the artificial egg, I'm off to see my beasty!" Fists lifted into the air as her boots clicked through the halls. She seemed distracted by the events several hours ago and frowned. Why did he lean into my hand? Wait- after a couple of times that I did that, did he react the same way? With a finger to her bottom lip, her eyes watched the ceiling during her trek and thought about how calm he was when she petted him. "Oh, I know! Yes, hahaha! I know just how to test my theory! I... Will catch him... Off guard!" Beaming with mischief, her hand took out a phone and opened her music list. The Mission Impossible theme reflected in her eyes as she read its title, the mere thought broadened her playful smirk.
"Where is he? If I can find him... Hold up- he mentioned he was waiting for the Dino Gem to be unconcealed! Which means... This could be the episode where the White Dino Ranger, Trent, emerges.~ I might have missed out on a lot! So, he's probably in there with his minions, Zeltrax and Elsa," The top of the phone repetitively tapped at her chin as she pondered. "Which also means, I can't interfere until he's done doing whatever he's supposed to do, according to the storyline," She mumbled, continued to contemplate in silence, and hummed curiously.
"Oh! Oh, oh, oh, oh! I know! If I can catch him alone in a room..." For a moment, she trailed, thought long and hard until a better idea crept out from the recesses of her mind. "Today is going to be a fun day.~ I'll save my Mission Impossible idea for last- maybe if everything else fails! My goal today is to make Mesogog... Laugh! Muahahahaha!" Throughout the halls, her fake evil laughter rang, for her hands lifted high above her head and pretended to be triumphant as though she'd already achieved it.
~~~~
"Again, let me express how sorry we are," Elsa, who was being tortured by Mesogog's telepathic power, was hunched over from the pain alongside Zeltrax.
"I'm not interested in how sorry you are. I'm only interested in how you plan to fix it!" Furious, the dino beast was. To have his hope sparked to life by the thought of getting the dark energy from the gem, just for it to be crushed by the inconvenient thief who so happened to stop by and steal it, made him completely livid.
"We're formulating a plan, my lord," It was as if Zeltrax's words were music to his ears, Mesogog released his hold on them and wandered about.
"Well. It had better be ingenious! Because somewhere out there is my future! The future of our planet! And in the end, the future of... The two of you," With aggression and malice he threatened when he leaned close to Elsa. "And right now... None of them looks very bright," Between them now, his exhales proved how much he wanted to scare them if getting close to their faces was anything to go by.
"Yoooou're not very briiight, right now eitheeeer!~ You're all grumpy!" Into the room strode Amelia, who he saw behind the two with a playful grin and wiggly fingers in his direction. Her exhales and attempt to copy his tone, surprisingly didn't stir much agitation from him this time. "Anyway- I made a mold for the egg! How's everything going?! Besides... Being all grumpy and stuff?!" Seeing her bright smile and not phased by his antics around the two closest to him, brought the memory of her hand on his head.
Anger and confusion boiled within his chest, because no matter how much he questioned her ability to make him feel that way, he couldn't come up with any plausible answer. "Someone stole my gem, as you're probably... Already aware," Growling, stepping past the two, he began to circle the redhead to see what she had up her sleeve, which made him find a sense of calm among the storm in his mind. Mere inches to the side of her face, his exhales somehow tickled her ear since she began to giggle and rub it. "Since you know so much... Tell me who took it! Your knowledge will be useful to me," His golden eyes watched her head turn to him and as always, didn't appear affected by his tactics to intimidate, for she blinked at his demand and smirked.
"Ah- ah- ahh!" Her finger wiggled back and forth, clicking her tongue as if she were a Teacher scolding a child. "I can give you hints, but I can't tell you who, exactly!" He saw it, a glint of mischief in her eyes. He wasn't in any mood to be messed with and he planned to make sure she knew that.
Just when she was about to pat the spot on his head, his claws caught her wrist and he yanked her closer to him with a dangerous growl. "Answer me or I will throw you into the Energy Transfer Chamber!" He ignored Zeltrax and Elsa who stood taken aback by his bold move, because, she was too close to his body. He didn't seem to care though, as long as he got an answer.
From her lips, which he caught himself drifting down to stare at, came a playful gasp. "But if you do that- I'll be like that energizer bunny from those commercials! Wait... I already am, hahaha!" There it was again, her face brightened, most likely from their closeness, and it irked him. His warning growl pushed her to answer him properly especially when he used a claw to threaten the safety of her smooth neck.
"Hey- hey, no need to get so hasty.~ Anyway! Tall, dark hair, tan, goes to school.~ I'm sure you can figure it out from there!" Her giggles never ceased, nor did the red tints on her cheeks. However, he didn't let go, the look in her bright eyes and how unaffected she was by his attempt to scare her, made him wonder if what she said was true. About how she could deal with him a lot easier compared to Solar, which meant her old boss was much worse in terms of behavior and experimentation.
After what felt like several minutes of him staring at her, he had to snap himself out of a daze he found himself in, and let go of her wrist. "Go... All of you," He needed space, he needed some time to think and recompose himself. They did, thankfully, the sound of the door closing behind him as he strode around the room told him he was finally alone.
"Tall... Dark hair, tan... And goes to school?" Close to a chemistry station, he placed both of his hands on the surface. So lost in thought that he stared into the space before him and hadn't noticed the redhead come back in and tiptoe up to his backside. Upon the scent of lavender, it eventually became evident that she returned. Of course, he ignored her and stayed there to ponder.
However, when he felt his armpits move, he looked down to see her tan arms push through and her fingers wiggle about. "Oh noooo! Mesogog grew an extra pair of arms! Now he can really get some things done!" He watched in amusement as her arms flailed without reason and began to feel around the surface of the station. His head tilted when he watched both of her hands turn into some sort of puppet, clamping their fingers and thumbs together to make it look like both of her hands had the head of a monster.
"What are you doing, Dr. Ray?" Hand number one curled its fingers to make it look like its mouth was baring its teeth. While Hand number two, slowly looked over at One and opened its mouth to hiss.
"Hiss! Back I say! Back!" Hand Two spoke with a deep voice and swiped at Hand One.
"Back?! Hahahaha! Who do you think you're talking to?! I am evil! The most vile creature of all! Muahahahaha!" Hand One's fingers opened wide as if to make it look like it was laughing.
"Oh no, not Evil! Wait... Is that supposed to be your name?" Hand Two leaned back a bit and closed the fingers tight, tips of the fingers curling down a bit to show a scowl.
"Hah! ….Yes. But that is beside the point! I am Evil! Fear me!~" Hand One cried out and tackled the other. Amelia made her hands wrestle in the tiny space between Mesogog's limbs. Countless, ridiculous, sounds came from her to make them look comedic, especially the dramatic growls and wolf-like snarls. "Om, nom, nom!" Hand One bit Hand Two's head and spat it across the space close to Mesogog's left arm. When Hand Two fell, she made a tiny fart noise for comedic purposes and made its fingers twitch to appear convincing.
"Yes! Hahahaha! Now all that's left is..." Hand One trailed off, slowly moved its supposed head toward Mesogog's face, and curled its fingers to make it look like was baring its teeth. "Aaaaah! Too much! Bleck-" Hand One, shook upon the sight of Mesogog, fell onto its back with twitching fingers. "And there we have it.~ The creature once known as Evil, was defeated... By a simple stare from another... Evil. The Ennnnddd. Or is it? Dun, dun, duuuuun!" After her little show, Mesogog's jaw clenched and gradually turned his head to Amelia, who he saw move her hands behind her back.
"Are you done?" There was an amused glint in his golden eyes when he cocked his head at her, the clench in his jaw came from a sensation that he's never felt before. What is this feeling? Confused, in his mind, he questioned and examined her when she began to giggle.
"Nope! Not until the end of the day! My goal for today... Is to try and make you... Laugh!" He noticed both of her fists clenched, eager to do as she claimed, but there was a problem.
"I have never laughed. If I had any sense of humor at all, it would be to watch others write in pain," He moved his hands behind his back as he studied her expression. With her brows knitted, her lips pursed, and her eyes moved to the floor, he could tell she was thinking.
"Soooo like..." Amelia began until a grin formed on her lips. The same mischievous grin that he began to realize was never a good sign. "Hahaha! Hold on!" Her mad giggles escaped when she pulled out her phone, which was far more futuristic than the flip phones he'd seen in his world. Unbeknownst to him, she unlocked her touch screen on the Galaxy Grande 5000 and tapped in her passcode, which he leaned over to watch. Her fingers scrolled through saved videos, some funny and some not. "Yes! Here! Here we go!" The title of the video was called Human Fails, and she clicked play. It only took a couple of steps to scoot next to him so he could see and she stifled her laughter upon watching a guy attempt a stunt on a local street in the snow.
The guy slid across the icy road on ski shoes, as if he were in a ski resort, pushing and laughing along the way. But when he turned wrong, he fell on his butt, slid, and ran into a finely powdered tree. The impact was strong enough to make all the snow land on top of him and the one who recorded the video, laughed pretty hard.
Mesogog couldn't believe how stupid a human could get, nonetheless, he clenched his jaw to hold back the same sensation he felt and averted his gaze rather quickly. "Amusing... Now, leave," Shaking his head, and moving away, all he heard was a sigh before her boots clicked across the room and left him alone.
~~~~
"Alright! Human Fails didn't work. My goofy hand monsters did nothing. How about..." Trailing off, Amelia pondered as she wandered through the halls aimlessly. "He said dark humor. He finds pleasure in seeing others in pain, but it seems Human Fails didn't exactly hit the mark. Let's see- I could try... Oh, I know!" Once again, her mad giggles irrupted and she sprinted until she came across another room.
Some time had passed when the redhead exited with dark green paint all over her face. On her head looked to be an ax that was made to appear as though someone cut it into her skull, for fake blood trickled down the sides of her scalp. Returning to the room Mesogog was in, around the edge of the opening door she saw him mixing two chemicals and couldn't help but grin.
Hehehehehe! Zombie acting, engage! Excited, and mischievous, she was, as she flattened her expression to hide every bit of emotion on her face. Slowly, she began to limp, her arms dangled as she dragged one foot across the floor. Her lab coat was completely closed in the front to hide most of her legs to be more convincing. Green-painted hands reached toward him and let her fingers lazily stretch out. Her fingernails were painted black to look dirty, fake blood that sat around her mouth made her look wounded and her glasses were covered in dirt.
When she saw him look over at her, she could've sworn he flinched at her appearance and did her best to not show any reaction to it. Hahahaha! He flinched! I'm getting somewhere then! It was so hard to not crack a smile, but surprisingly managed and kept a straight face. To make things more convincing, her movements started to get aggressive.
She ran to him, hissing, exhaling, making sounds from the more modern zombie movies in her world, and made attempts to bite his arm when she got close enough. It was difficult not to break her act, especially when he jerked his arm away and stepped back to put space between them. Her head jerked, her teeth bared to show aggression until she sprinted and tried to lunge at him. It all failed when he side-stepped and let her fall face-first onto the floor. "Ow," Muffled by the hard surface, it wasn't long until she felt herself get flipped over by a pair of sharp claws, and came face to face with Mesogog. "I mean... Haaaah!" Playfully, she reached her hands up toward his face, and opened her mouth in an attempt to bite, but was only met with a hand forcing her back to the floor. She didn't care if he loomed over her side in a crouched position, she was too busy laughing her butt off from her stupid stunt.
"A Zombie?" There, she noticed, another glint of amusement in his eyes, and watched him pluck the conveniently placed ax from her head to see that it was hollowed in the center. The fake blood was just some simple dye here and there, which was probably why he didn't look convinced.
"I was trying to seem convincing! You like dark humor, so I figured, a zombie failing to bite you and not taking the situation seriously- would work!~" She could tell he was thinking when he kept staring at her in silence for roughly ten seconds or so.
"Falling on your face... Was more amusing," Barely did his head tilt when she saw his expressionless face become more distant upon standing at his full height.
"Dang it!" Ray didn't hesitate to rush to her feet and pout. It was getting later and later, she knew it, she felt it, and it caused her to sigh. "Alright! My last and final- ditch effort! I shall not stop until you laaaaugh!" As fast as she could she sprinted out of the room, of course, her fake evil laughter resonated through the room like a horrible actor at an audition.
A bit later, she found herself following behind him and planning the many possibilities that could trigger his laughter. I have not seen or heard him laugh in the series and I won't stop until he does! Confidence poured off of the redhead, it was enough to tug on her lips. The idea of hearing it for the first time gave her a newfound determination and pulled the phone out with the Mission Impossible theme all ready to go. It was now or never, given the fact that she waited a while, and followed him around. Wait! Whoa! Hold on! I know.~ Her blue hues watched his backside several spaces ahead.
Out of her many pockets came the recording device she used before arriving at his lair. With a click of a button and a bit of a hasty trek to get within earshot, she giggled. "Here... We see a predator in their natural habitat.~ Positioned to kill, should anyone attack! Look at how it carries itself. All tense! It could be a defensive state.~" As she recorded, giggles were held back to the best of her ability when she saw him peek at her from his shoulder and growl. "Ah- and it sees us, or could it be that it smells its prey nearby? Let's watch and see what happens.~" Her last sentence seemed to have struck a nerve, for she watched him whip around to face her and snatch her recorder. "Hey! I need that!" Many times she failed to grab it from his claws, to which he lifted higher and higher above her head.
However, once she jumped to try and snatch it from him, his free hand latched onto her neck, pushed her against the wall, and lifted her an inch or so to his eye level. "So you can disrespect me further? Give me one good reason... Why I shouldn't crush your recorder," Threat laced his words when he dug his claws a bit more into her soft skin, she could feel and see his anger.
The piercing look, the predatory vibe he carries, and his incredible strength had the redhead grinning despite the hold he had on her neck. Ah! Why is he so hot?! Why haven't I gotten over him by now?! Why am I into scalies?! Why am I questioning my weirdness?! The more she stared, the worse her cheeks reddened, and her smile broadened at their proximity. "Because... It has vocal recordings of my accomplished plans, plans I have for the future, statements regarding Ace Solar's many projects, and my diaries.~" The lack of air and pressure on her windpipe made it hard for her to speak, but she managed nonetheless.
It was as if he was pondering her words carefully. Amelia was watching his yellow gaze when black spots began to blotch her vision, thankfully it didn't last too long since he let go and let her catch her breath. Gagging for air and holding her throat, more giggles escaped. "Thanks.~" Her crimson cheeks still hadn't faded, for inappropriate thoughts plagued her mind, and did her best to shove them back into the depths where they belonged. Had she been a normal person, she would've fought and screamed in horror at his aggression or become terrified just being around him. Fortunately, she knew he wanted her around so she knew that if he killed her, it would be his downfall. "Anyway- I have one more attempt," Despite his threat, she still wasn't phased, and trotted in the direction she came.
Once more, after several minutes to an hour passed, she found him in his supposed Throne Room near one of his contraptions. Blue eyes peeked around the edge of the large doors that opened upon her approach and lo and behold, the Mission Impossible theme began to play.
It was at max volume so it could easily be heard. Rolling into the room sloppily, she crawled on all fours to reach a corner. "Target spotted. I'm going in," Again she rolled, drew closer, and did stupid Spy stunts for no particular reason.
Underneath a table, she grinned, watched his head shake in disbelief, and adjusted something on one of his contraptions. "I'm nearing the target... It appears he's doing something... Suspicious.~" This time she did an army crawl on her belly and elbows, with a quick 'ouch' and a clunk, after she hit her arm on one of the metal legs. She stopped the second she saw his feet shift, so when her gaze lifted, their eyes met and immediately she stood. "Abort mission! Abort, abort! Mission's Impossible! I have been found out!" Quickly around the contraption, she crouched down to hide on the other side away from him, and peeked over the edge of it to watch him; the song ended the moment she was spotted.
For the first time in her entire life, she saw something she didn't think she'd ever see from him. His body hunched over the side of the contraption and his head lowered, brought up his claws, and facepalmed with shaking shoulders. It was as if he tried to hold something back, for his claws raked across the metal he leaned over and marks were created in the process.
"Are you..." Blinking, standing up, slowly a smile grew and she was filled with pure excitement at the sight. "Woohoo! Yes! I did it! Your shoulders are shaking and you're hiding your face! You're laughing! Quiet or not, I still got one out of you!" Laughter filled the room and a victory dance was underway. She replayed the Mission Impossible theme, did the moonwalk, and bounced around happily to the doors of his Throne Room. "Who's awesome?! I am! I got the big baddie to laugh where no one else has! Woo!" With an arm raised, her hips and head swayed to the song before the doors hissed closed on her way out.
~~~~
What... Has she done to me? Mesogog began to question his lack of composure because when she entered the room moments ago, he already started to feel a bubbly sensation in his chest that he didn't care for and it irritated him. He was in the same position as before, hunched over with his claws to his face and piercing his other ones into the metal of his contraption.
He was able to hear her small mumbles earlier as if they were loud on purpose, it didn't help with the song playing from a movie, which he recalled Mercer watching a long time ago. Unfortunately, he was able to see some of his memories since he was a part of that blond's body. "She called that... Laughter? I see. Strange... Why was she so adamant about doing this? For self-amusement?" The longer he stood there the stronger his desire to be lazy and sit in his chair, became.
When he was about to sit, he froze upon Elsa's voice. "Come on Zeltrax, hurry!" With that, he turned around, his mood was kind of lit from Amelia's earlier display. Nonetheless, his head lowered, and both hands were placed behind his back.
"I've been waiting," Annoyance soon crept into his mind when he recalled the stolen Dino Gem.
"You have, master?" The goth questioned and from what he could tell, she appeared rather uneasy.
"I feel... Something. He is nearby," It was true. Aside from the strange bubbly sensation and his laughter from before, just recently he could feel a man's presence. The guy wasn't in his lair, however, but they were around Reefside where he would place his Invisiportals. He had a hunch as to who it was that took the gem, given Amelia's little hint.
"He, my lord?" Elsa, who Mesogog didn't notice had knitted brows, questioned.
"The one who stole my gem. The one who calls himself, White Ranger. He is near," The dino beast had just walked away from the goth to ponder the presence he felt. At last, it felt like he was close to retrieving what was rightfully his and he could almost taste it.
"Shall we bring him to you?" The cyborg's question made the beast want to roll his eyes at his stupidity. How could he ask such a thing when they could barely fight the Power Rangers themselves?
"You have not been paying attention, Zeltrax!" The small space between him and the cyborg was closed within seconds after he pointed his claw out and inched his face close to his. "It will take an army of the likes of you to accomplish that!" His inability to show facial expressions, save for opening and closing his jaw to react to certain things, the tone he used made up for it as he degraded his minion and earned a quick 'yes, my lord'.
"Well!" Elsa's voice caught his attention, like a dinosaur, his head tilted down and moved to the goth who he saw sitting comfortably in his Throne. "It seems as though even the mighty Rangers themselves are no match," she explained.
He didn't like that. Seeing her in his seat, made his prehistoric blood boil, and rushed to the chair arm with his hand over her wrist. "And why is that a bad thing?" He had half the mind to yank her off of it, if she hadn't moved and much to his luck, she understood his body language and stepped away. He didn't waste a second to take her place so he could watch on the screen that hung above his side.
"If they destroy him... The powers will be theirs," The goth made sense, if the White Ranger were to be taken down then they would be at a disadvantage again.
"Correct. Elsa, you know what to do," Slowly over to her, he saw her look at her nails with expectation in his golden hues.
"Fortunately, I do," Overwhelming confidence leaked from her like a broken pipe, for she strode over to apparently, a Geno-Randomizer, that the author could have sworn was in another room.
"Good," Pleased to hear her, he observed from his seat and watched the Randomizer work.
"A creature as strong as cast iron. Meet, the mighty Angor," She wasn't the least bit enthusiastic about her announcement, if anything, she seemed almost annoyed and thankfully it went ignored.
Mesogog watched a creature step out, saying how it was ready to fight, and was sent to town through an invisiportal that he made to appear above its head. "Angor... You created this thing to fight the Rangers? I would like to see Dr. Ray create a creature from the Geno-Randomizer. Test her, to see her creativity," He began, moved his claws about as he explained, and looked at a contemplative goth who returned to his side moments ago. "If she is capable of such inventions, then she should be able to create successful creatures," Neither he nor Elsa noticed Zeltrax wander about and talk to himself, for he was too interested in the idea of using Amelia's scientific mind to his advantage. To see if she can create a powerful creature.
"Of course. However, there is a small possibility, that she may refuse your demand. Zeltrax told me not long ago that she filled in for me while I was away a couple of days and denied helping him formulate a plan against the Power Rangers," An inaudible gasp escaped her black lips when Mesogog hissed and got close to her face.
"I will have her listen to me then! Now is the time for her to be more useful. Ace Solar has not returned since she took me through that world and back. It could be some time before they find our location," Back to the screen, he growled, and pondered the future creations that she'd pump out of the machine. If she can create life through artificial means without a machine, then she can create a powerful one from the Geno-Randomizer. I will make her do as I say. The thought of putting her to the test to see what her mind's truly capable of was bringing a surge of excitement to his otherwise expressionless prehistoric face.