Operation Overdrive HQ, Sometime Last Week
"What were you thinking, Mack?"
That question had been asked too many times to count by now, but when uttered in that sharp tone of voice by the normally calm and gentle Tyzonn, everyone couldn't help but pay attention. Even Will had abandoned his habitually detached demeanor in favor of watching, half-agape, as the Mercury Ranger acted . . . well, mercurial, for once. Rose's expression was stormy as she ran computer diagnostics on Mack's circuits, Dax looked uncharacteristically stern and wasn't fidgeting, and easygoing Ronny had her arms crossed over her chest.
Mack glared sullenly at the floor. "I was thinking," he spat, the sarcastic twist on the word unmistakable, "that I stood a better chance of taking the heat inside that volcano than any of you guys did."
"It was still a stupid risk," Will said. "You could've gotten killed."
"So?" Mack asked. "Big deal. Mister Hartford can just build a new model. A better one. I'm totally expendable and you guys know it."
"Dude," Dax cut in. "That's so not true. Any other guy wouldn't be you."
Ronny moved in and put a hand on Mack's arm. "Yeah. Besides, your father would be really upset if he lost you."
"He's not my father," Mack retorted. "Androids don't have fathers. He built me, just like the Zords, and the S.H.A.R.C., and this place. He's rich -- he can do it again."
"Remember how hard he tried to stop you from becoming a Ranger in the first place?" Rose pointed out. "You don't think he'd have done that if he didn't care, right?"
Tyzonn nodded. "And you care about finding the last jewel, don't you?" When Mack nodded, Ty pressed on, "So do we. And if you keep doing these things, you're putting the mission at risk. We can't afford that."
"So get Mister Hartford to build a new android," Mack snarled. "And tell him to program it so it doesn't put the mission at risk."
"And break up the team?" Ronny shook her head. "Not this late in the game, Mack. It takes a while to build up the kind of trust we need to get the job done. Kind of like how it used to really throw things off when I got a new guy on my pit crew."
Mack sighed, suddenly realizing that he felt too drained to argue any longer. "So what do you want to do?"
"We talked to Spencer, and your dad," Rose explained. "They agreed with us that you could use a chance to just be a normal kid for a little while. Because you are a normal guy, as far as we're all concerned, even if you don't feel like it right now."
Mack's eyes widened. "You're taking away my Tracker? But you just said --"
"No," Tyzonn said quickly. "Absolutely not. You're still part of this team. But with the crown and the other jewels safe for now, we can breathe a little easier."
"Spencer found out about this school," added Dax. "In Louisiana. He thought it might be a good place for you to go for a while."
Ronny smiled at Mack, and reached down to squeeze his hand. "And make real memories of going to school."
Mack had spent a lot of time lately resentful of the fact that the memories he'd thought he had of his school days had been created, so he couldn't deny that it sounded like a good idea. But he bit his lip, hesitating. "You'll . . . you'll call me if you need me, right?"
"In a heartbeat," Will assured him. "Who knows? You could turn up some clues while you're there, even."
Rose's eyes lit up. "Louisiana has a fascinating history," she said. "It goes way back, and it's full of legends. I could download some of it into your memory banks if you're --"
"Don't let her get started!" exclaimed Will. "She'll never stop!"
That was more like the familiar, easy banter that Mack liked about his friends, and he laughed. "Thanks, Rose, but I think I'd like to learn it for myself."
"So you're fine with this?" Ronny bounced on her toes. "Great! Let's get Spencer to pack your bags, and we'll go down to the hangar and get in the S.H.A.R.C., and . . ."
"Ronny. Ronny!" Mack held his hands up to calm her. "I'm going to do this the old-fashioned way. See the country at non-superhuman speeds."
"Booking you a bus ticket, then," Rose said, and predictably got right to it.
Ronny pouted at him. "At least let me give you a ride to the bus station?"
"Like I could say no to that face." Mack gave her, and the rest of the team, a genuine smile. "Okay. You're on."
That question had been asked too many times to count by now, but when uttered in that sharp tone of voice by the normally calm and gentle Tyzonn, everyone couldn't help but pay attention. Even Will had abandoned his habitually detached demeanor in favor of watching, half-agape, as the Mercury Ranger acted . . . well, mercurial, for once. Rose's expression was stormy as she ran computer diagnostics on Mack's circuits, Dax looked uncharacteristically stern and wasn't fidgeting, and easygoing Ronny had her arms crossed over her chest.
Mack glared sullenly at the floor. "I was thinking," he spat, the sarcastic twist on the word unmistakable, "that I stood a better chance of taking the heat inside that volcano than any of you guys did."
"It was still a stupid risk," Will said. "You could've gotten killed."
"So?" Mack asked. "Big deal. Mister Hartford can just build a new model. A better one. I'm totally expendable and you guys know it."
"Dude," Dax cut in. "That's so not true. Any other guy wouldn't be you."
Ronny moved in and put a hand on Mack's arm. "Yeah. Besides, your father would be really upset if he lost you."
"He's not my father," Mack retorted. "Androids don't have fathers. He built me, just like the Zords, and the S.H.A.R.C., and this place. He's rich -- he can do it again."
"Remember how hard he tried to stop you from becoming a Ranger in the first place?" Rose pointed out. "You don't think he'd have done that if he didn't care, right?"
Tyzonn nodded. "And you care about finding the last jewel, don't you?" When Mack nodded, Ty pressed on, "So do we. And if you keep doing these things, you're putting the mission at risk. We can't afford that."
"So get Mister Hartford to build a new android," Mack snarled. "And tell him to program it so it doesn't put the mission at risk."
"And break up the team?" Ronny shook her head. "Not this late in the game, Mack. It takes a while to build up the kind of trust we need to get the job done. Kind of like how it used to really throw things off when I got a new guy on my pit crew."
Mack sighed, suddenly realizing that he felt too drained to argue any longer. "So what do you want to do?"
"We talked to Spencer, and your dad," Rose explained. "They agreed with us that you could use a chance to just be a normal kid for a little while. Because you are a normal guy, as far as we're all concerned, even if you don't feel like it right now."
Mack's eyes widened. "You're taking away my Tracker? But you just said --"
"No," Tyzonn said quickly. "Absolutely not. You're still part of this team. But with the crown and the other jewels safe for now, we can breathe a little easier."
"Spencer found out about this school," added Dax. "In Louisiana. He thought it might be a good place for you to go for a while."
Ronny smiled at Mack, and reached down to squeeze his hand. "And make real memories of going to school."
Mack had spent a lot of time lately resentful of the fact that the memories he'd thought he had of his school days had been created, so he couldn't deny that it sounded like a good idea. But he bit his lip, hesitating. "You'll . . . you'll call me if you need me, right?"
"In a heartbeat," Will assured him. "Who knows? You could turn up some clues while you're there, even."
Rose's eyes lit up. "Louisiana has a fascinating history," she said. "It goes way back, and it's full of legends. I could download some of it into your memory banks if you're --"
"Don't let her get started!" exclaimed Will. "She'll never stop!"
That was more like the familiar, easy banter that Mack liked about his friends, and he laughed. "Thanks, Rose, but I think I'd like to learn it for myself."
"So you're fine with this?" Ronny bounced on her toes. "Great! Let's get Spencer to pack your bags, and we'll go down to the hangar and get in the S.H.A.R.C., and . . ."
"Ronny. Ronny!" Mack held his hands up to calm her. "I'm going to do this the old-fashioned way. See the country at non-superhuman speeds."
"Booking you a bus ticket, then," Rose said, and predictably got right to it.
Ronny pouted at him. "At least let me give you a ride to the bus station?"
"Like I could say no to that face." Mack gave her, and the rest of the team, a genuine smile. "Okay. You're on."