INSUFFICIENCY PART 1.

SYNOPSIS: Kal and John must learn to coordinate and forget their grudges.

20:00

Kal, Shayera and Barry, the three best friends were having charity time with each other. They were playing an electric ball, a game in which the ball had an electric charge and it bounced off all walls, even any object, and the players wore a metal glove; you could throw the ball in any direction, but someone had to catch it; There were no winners, it was just for fun. But if the ball were sent from the entertainment room, Commander Wayne would surely give them exemplary punishment.

Kal threw the ball towards Shayera, and she threw it towards Barry, he dodged the ball but crashed into a lot of walls, locked Barry in the wall, even got into a fetal position, until the ball was deflected towards Shayera, who caught the ball.

Barry got up and hid that nothing had happened.

"You know this ball is naughty," Kal said.

"Shayera is the naughty one," Barry said.

Shayera gave him a flirtatious and mischievous look instead of her. A second later, Shayera threw the ball at Barry, but he dodged it... and crashed into Diana. Kal caught the ball.

"Nice shot," Kal said.

Shayera and Kal clasped their hands in friendship. Diana glared at him, in part because she'd been hit with the electric ball. She was upset in part because she didn't like the electric ball very much, like John, but she was upset that she wasn't invited to play. Diana wanted to bond with the other members besides Shayera, but apparently it was very difficult with the three of them playing alone. This interaction with his fellow Rangers was insufficient.

John meanwhile, had just arrived at the entertainment center. At least he would not hit an electric ball like Diana. It had been a week since he and Diana had had a good time without speaking, but they had not interacted well for a while. John still did not trust any of his fellow Rangers, but he thought that additional supervision would make them more effective. He was like the lawmaker among the Rangers, so he was inflexible and very serious. It was very difficult for him to smile.

At that time, the base alarm rang.

The Rangers ran to the conference room, where they found Major Wayne and J'onn J'onnz, the base scientist, looking through the monitor. There was a red light blinking in the middle, which meant something bad.

"Rangers, robbery in Goth Corp's lab," Major Wayne said.

"Ready?" Kal asked.

"Ready," said the others.

"Justice League, activate."

In their vehicles, the Rangers headed for Goth Corp. They still didn't know much about Gotham City, let alone Goth Corp, so they assumed Commander Wayne would brief them on the situation some time later. Now they had to stop the robbery.

"Listen everyone, we must go down the streets closest to Goth Corp, all as a group. We must stick together and keep our eyes open, be alert if you see or hear anything," Kal said.

"We should split, we'd find it faster," John said.

"No, it's better this way. The criminal can be dangerous." Kal answered.

"We don't even know what was stolen." John replied

"I said my order, John." Kal said.

The Rangers were driving three-quarters of the way down the road at average speed, until John found someone running down a dark alley. John informed Kal, who then gave the order to run towards the thief.

"We should separate so he doesn't run away," John said again.

"No. We should catch him in a group. Barry, you know what to do."

Barry led the group, while the other 4 Rangers were behind him. The thief started running faster, Barry too. The Rangers saw Barry being attacked, but not by a weapon, but by an electromagnetic pulse. The Rangers took advantage of the blow he gave Barry to attack the criminal. Kal and Diana beat the criminal, who pushed him back, but the criminal counterattacked, causing Kal and Diana to be knocked down. John used metal gloves created by his mind to hit the criminal, but this guy had good strength so that the objects created by John did not cause much damage.

Shayera tried to hit the criminal, but she was also electrocuted. Kal and Diana tried to strike back at the criminal, but he dropped a bomb that knocked them all to the ground. The criminal left the Rangers stunned and managed to escape. The Rangers couldn't see it.

XXX

20:30

Back at the base, Kal and John walked down a corridor. They had been ordered to go to the laboratory, so they were going in that direction. They wanted to know if there were any improvements, or if they had anything new to announce to Commander Wayne.

"I told you we should split up, and we didn't. Look what you did," John told Kal.

"Yes, I admit we could have, but, like I said, we don't know anything about Goth Corp or what it stole."

"But you are so confident that you think you can do everything."

"Hey, I thought he was a very skilled thief so I wouldn't have beaten him even with your help, John."

"I would have done better than you, and I would have given orders, but in a better way, instead of looking like a boss."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Yes, I would."

"Enough! Being Power Rangers means fighting the enemy, not each other," J'onn said.

The stubborn and spiteful Rangers fell silent and lowered their hands, but still scowled. They both had a lot to figure out.

Barry and Shayera were amazed at how Kal and John seemed to want to fight every time one of them made a mistake. Kal was already taking his role as leader seriously, but he still resented John. They knew Kal, Diana, and John were in serious trouble, but they couldn't interfere.

Diana still had a bad attitude towards her male companions. She couldn't believe that her male partners hadn't resolved any conflict. Diana believed that men were not good enough human beings who did not deserve to lead the team. The only thing that stayed good for her was Barry and Shayera, but Kal and John were the most important on the team, so they had to resolve that conflict. Simply, Diana only believed that men only lived to fight.

"Also, I think this will make the day happy." J'onn said.

An automatic door opened and revealed three motorcycles. One red, one green and one yellow.

"Oh, Christmas came earlier this year. Thanks, Santa J'onn," said Barry, as he stroked the yellow motorcycle.

"Hey, we can beat you in a sprint now," Kal said, stroking the bike like Barry.

"In your dreams."

Men, Diana thought.

Diana's thoughts and motorcycle worship were interrupted by Commander Wayne's swift entrance. He had something in his hands, so he must have something new for them.

"Cadets, I saw through the cameras the flight of the criminal who was chased. Unfortunately I lost him. I asked J'onn to analyze the camera samples, but we could only see electromagnetic pulses. I even saw his entire fight against the criminal, but I saw that there was no success. We tried to find out who the mysterious criminal was, but we also found nothing. We will have to wait more. In the meantime, you should know the following. "

A hologram was displayed again, but this time with images and Goth Corp files. The commander spoke again.

"Goth Corp is one of the largest companies, providing weapons and technology to the Justice League. Its former boss, Ferris Boyle, was arrested three years ago and is still in prison for mistreatment and near murder against an employee. However, I believe this is not the last we will see of Goth Corp or this mysterious criminal. Now that you know this, rest cadets and investigate later. "

Major Wayne left the lab and left the Rangers and J'onn alone.

XXX

20:45

Barry, Kal, and Shayera rested in Kal's room. After Commander Wayne left the lab, they spent a few minutes worshiping the bikes before J'onn told them they would be in the hangar, so the male Rangers would always use them in case of emergency. Hearing this, the Rangers went in opposite directions: John to his accommodation, but Diana tried to talk to Shayera, but she told him that she would go with Kal. So here they were again.

"I have to say that you and John need to hang up more," Barry said.

"You try to socialize with him. He is more difficult than you think." Kal said.

"Although dividing and ambushing the criminal, it is not a bad idea." Shayera intervened.

"I gave my order and I hope he was respected," Kal replied.

"John was right, Kal. You're being very bossy," Shayera said.

"Well, I'm new to this, so please give me time."

Barry and Shayera shook their heads. Kal knew that he and John had to work out their differences, but he couldn't find a good time. They hoped it would be soon.

"At least the bikes the commander gave us are sure to get John and Kal on little rides," Barry said.

"Maybe, if something doesn't break your motorcycles first." Shayera said in a very mischievous tone.

This made the men laugh out loud. But Shayera really hoped they would give her a motorcycle.

XXX

Diana entered the conference room and found J'onn standing at the center table. He was writing something on her board. Who knows if J'onn had written down much more information.

"Uh, hi Diana," J'onn said.

"Hello, J'onn."

"You need something?

"Well, I wanted to know why you gave motorcycles to men and women who didn't. I thought that here men and women received the same. "

"Commander Wayne ordered me to make motorcycles for the male Rangers because both you and Shayera can be in the car for two without being interrupted by the men. The commander knows he has a hard time adjusting to the men, so this would help you deal with your partner in a better way before dealing with men. "

"I can't believe this. Thanks, J'onn. By the way, where is the commander?"

"He is reviewing the files he received from Goth Corp... He thinks he will help if he does some research. He asked me to watch him while he went through the files."

"Why didn't he ask for your help or ours?"

"Because he likes to do a lot on his own. I recommend you don't bother him. Nothing can distract him when he's doing such a job."

"Thanks, J'onn."

Diana was surprised that Commander Wayne wasn't there and that she was investigating. She admitted that the commander was someone very intriguing, but the time she had was not enough to continue the conversation they had started a few days ago, when the commander gave her his nickname "Princess". She was almost downstairs to go to her quarters when she ran into Commander Wayne.

She had a folder in hand, so she had to finish the document review.

"Princess."

"Mr. Wayne."

Commander Wayne was surprised that she spoke to him like that, but he knew that she was returning the favor by giving him a nickname of her own.

"Do you need help, Mr. Wayne?" Diana asked in a very playful tone.

"No, thank you, princess," replied the commander with a half smile.

"Are you sure Mr. Wayne?"

"Yes, princess."

"Any progress with the investigation, Mr. Wayne?"

"I have something, and it confirms that we will still have to wait for the next robbery."

"Okay, Mr. Wayne." But I have to tell you that I can perform with both men and women, so you could have given us the same privilege as men. "As well...

"Princess, we don't have the resources to make any more motorcycles, so you'll have to get used to riding in the car with Cadet Hol. And don't try to steal a motorcycle or you'll be punished hard."

"No punishment is that harsh, Mr. Wayne."

"Just don't do something terrible if you don't want real punishment, princess."

With that, Commander Wayne walked again, leaving a smiling Diana, to return to the conference room. The commander had new information to share with J'onn, and he couldn't afford distractions, not even a playful cadet. Although, that little conversation was fun for him. He just hoped that such a conversation wouldn't be repeated much. Meanwhile, that conversation full of nicknames "Princess" and "Mr. Wayne" was enough for Diana, at least for today, as she had fun joking with Commander Wayne himself, but she hoped to speak again at another time. Just when she intrigued the next mission as Power Rangers.

Arriving at the door of her accommodation, Diana was surprised by Shayera, who touched her shoulder to get her attention.

"Yes?" Diana asked.

"Would you like to join us in today's chat? I think you need to interact with us more, Diana. Do you think you could?" Shayera asked.

Diana considered it for a short time before answering yes. Diana thought of simply resting in her quarters, but when Shayera asked if she wanted to join in on her talk, her sense of duty was activated. Diana wanted to bond because it was her duty, so she could not miss the opportunity.

The conversation was pleasant for everyone, including Diana. However, Diana still had to see if her companions were trustworthy. She still had to be patient.

XXX

The next day

15:00

John was training with a punching bag in his room. He had brought it with his luggage when he was recruited. He was a soldier in his old area, so he had the opportunity to decorate or add items to his quarters in that area. John didn't travel anywhere without his training tools.

"Training?" asked J'onn, who was standing in the open door of John's room with his board in hand.

"I care about doing this right," John replied.

"But the other Rangers are training in the simulator."

"I wasn't invited, what did you want me to do?"

The conversation was interrupted by the alarm. Surely the criminal attacked again, just when Commander Wayne said it would happen. It was time to get back into action.

NEXT: INSUFFICIENCY PART 2.