Fish in Troubled Water

by Stefan Petrucha

  Once he was sure that the students couldn’t see him, Billy pulled out his Power Morpher and yelled, “It’s Morphin Time!”

  Chapter 6

  Each of the Morphers that Zordon had given the five Power Rangers contained an ancient Power Coin imbued with primal energy. The Power Morphers looked a little like oversize belt buckles, but could easily fit in their pockets. To activate his, Billy held it in his right fist with his left hand open. At the same time, he called out the name of the prehistoric beast from which his Power Coin drew its power:

  “Triceratops!”

  In a flash of crackling light, he morphed. Billy Cranston’s strength, speed, and durability were greatly enhanced—and he now wore the helmeted uniform of the Blue Ranger!

  Even though Finster was far off among the tanks, his eyes snapped toward the flash.

  “I’d know that flash of light anywhere!” he said to himself. “It’s one of them!” With a high-pitched, cowardly squeal, the short alien turned and ran. Quickly as he could, he rushed behind one of the largest tanks, where he hoped he’d be out of sight.

  If one of Rita’s minions is here, Billy thought, there aren’t a lot of conclusions I can draw other than trouble.

  As the distance to the tanks disappeared beneath the Blue Ranger’s racing feet, his instincts told him to contact the rest of his team.

  “Power Rangers, emergency!” he said into his wrist-communicator.

  He expected to hear Jason, or one of the others, but all Billy got in response was crackling static: Kshhscrkl!

  Of course, he realized. The solar flares are still interfering!

  The Blue Ranger was on his own.

  “Finster isn’t exactly a fighter,” Billy mused. “At least if he’s by himself, I might have a better chance of stopping him on my own.”

  Unfortunately, the Blue Ranger soon learned that Finster was not alone. As he reached the far side of the tank, Billy found himself staring at a small squadron of the faceless foot soldiers known as the Putty Patrol.

  The pack of gray humanoids came at him, ready for a fight. When the first reached him, he managed to grab it by the arm and flip it into another. But there were too many for him to continue fighting hand to hand. If Billy didn’t do something soon, they could overwhelm him.

  He un-holstered his blade blaster and fired. Laser-like flashes flew at the rushing Putty Patrollers. Two Putties were hit and knocked right off their feet, but that didn’t stop the rest. Whether he could reach his teammates or not, Billy still needed extra help.

  It was a good thing that, thanks to the coins, each Power Ranger also had a special weapon they could call on when needed.

  “Power Lance!” he cried.

  At the Blue Ranger’s words, the double-headed lance, nearly as tall as Billy, magically appeared above him. It seemed to float for a moment. The blue-white sparks that surrounded it looked like a miniature lightning storm. Then it fell into his waiting hands, fitting Billy’s grip like a comfortable pair of gloves.

  The timing couldn’t have been better. The first of the Putty Patrol was just about to reach him. Billy held the lance out with both hands and spun. He moved so hard and fast, the front row of Patrollers was knocked aside.

  So far, so good, but how long can I keep this up? he wondered.

  Billy was confident in his ability to use his mind, and he had proven his bravery to Zordon and his fellow Power Rangers a thousand times. On the other hand, he wasn’t a martial artist, like black belt Jason or Trini. His limited combat style didn’t come close to Zack’s Hip Hop Kido, or the hard-hitting moves of gymnast Kimberly.

  But he had them all as friends and teachers.

  Besides, he thought, Jason’s always telling me that at least as much fighting is done with your head as it is with your fists.

  His current opponents, on the other hand, were not big thinkers. The Putty Patrol rushed at him any which way. They had no plan at all nor even a very good sense of what they should do when they reached the Blue Ranger, other than try to hit him.

  They weren’t even sure which should attack first.

  It made sense. Billy knew well that Finster had created the Putty Patrollers to overcome enemies with their numbers rather than with strategy. He realized that if he could knock enough of them out of the fight, the rest would fall, like a house of cards.

  As his confidence increased, he imagined Jason smiling and saying, “That’s what I mean by using your head to fight!”

  It was tough going, but the Blue Ranger worked at it. Rather than panic, he went step-by-step, taking his time to avoid making stupid mistakes. He twirled his lance, knocking out another two Patrollers, then butted some more with the tip, one at a time, before twirling again.

  Remembering how Kimberly had advised him to use all his limbs, Billy leaned back and kicked one Patroller into another. As he came back to standing, he thrust the lance at a Patroller right in front of him, then pulled it back to hit another trying to take him from behind. Twirling the lance to his left with one hand, he scattered a group on one side, at the same time using his free fist to punch another on his right.

  Finally, he split the Power Lance into two, trident-like Sai blades. Using the flats of the blades, he swatted the remaining Patrollers. Soon enough, they were all limping off. Scattered and battered, they collapsed back into the shapeless clay from which they were fashioned.

  I did it! I got them all in less than two minutes! Billy thought. But this is no time to congratulate myself. I have to find Finster.

  Pivoting this way and that, the Blue Ranger scanned every direction, but there was no sign of the wicked minion. The water in the tanks, lit by a huge skylight in the high ceiling, cast long, wavy shadows, creating lots of places to hide. Most likely, though, Rita’s canine-like minion was back at the Moon Palace by now.

  Even though Billy had beaten them, the Putty Patrol had served their purpose. They’d given Finster the time he needed to escape. At the same time, the Blue Ranger had a funny feeling that things weren’t over yet, so he decided to keep searching, just in case.

  Chapter 7

  Finster couldn’t leave, whether he wanted to or not. His mission was incomplete. So while the Blue Ranger battled the Putty Patrol, the stocky alien scrambled to a concealed spot along the building’s far wall. There, scores of barrels filled with different types of food for the marine creatures were stacked high.

  Some of the barrels were wrapped in protective tarps to keep the food in them cool and fresh. Desperate to keep out of sight, Finster grabbed one of the tarps and, despite an awful fishy smell, crouched beneath it and whimpered.

  This is madness! Finster thought. Normally, I would have teleported back to the Moon Palace the moment that Power Ranger saw me—but if I return to Rita without proof that my Enhancifier works, I’ll have to explain why I left in the first place. She’ll be furious!

  Peeking out from beneath the tarp, Finster watched nervously as the Blue Ranger kept searching. When he came close, Finster ducked back under and held his breath. That part was easy enough, given the fishy smell.

  At least it looks like there’s only one Power Ranger here, he thought. Better yet, from what Rita told me, the blue one is convinced he’s not a good fighter. Not that I’ve ever fought anything myself. I did have to wrestle a loose steam tube on the Monster-Matic once, but that’s about it. I’ll have to think of ways to fight him without fighting him!

  He’d been holding his breath so long that when the Blue Ranger moved on, Finster gulped in some of the foul air and nearly gagged.

  But first, he thought, I need a new hiding place.

  Chapter 8

  With Billy gone, the bullied students in the cafeteria went back to making plans.

  “We’re not going to hurt them,” Ira said. “We’re just going to show Bulk and Skull that we won’t be pushed around, right?”

&
nbsp; They all nodded bravely, until Bulk and Skull swaggered in. The mere sight of them brought back their fear. Immediately, the students abandoned the comfortable tables they’d pushed together and scurried off to crowd around a small corner table, hoping to be left alone.

  Seeing them, Bulk was tickled. Back home at Angel Grove High School, he’d never gotten a reaction this strong. Puffing up his chest and raising his voice, he said to them, “That’s right! You all stay there until we’re done with our lunch!”

  When a few nodded nervously, he happily slapped Skull on the shoulder.

  “See?” Bulk said. “They know who’s in charge here!”

  “Right!” Skull answered. But then he frowned. “Who?”

  Bulk sighed. He liked Skull, but there were times when he didn’t seem to get even the simplest rules about bullying. Using his thumb, Bulk pointed, first at himself, then at Skull.

  “Us!” Bulk said. “We’re in charge, of course!”

  “Oh,” Skull said. He nodded as if he understood but kept frowning.

  They strutted along a row of heated serving trays, filling their plates with enough to feed a dozen people. All the while, Skull was still thinking about what Bulk had said.

  Finally he asked, “Isn’t Willy, the head janitor, in charge of us, Bulk?”

  Bulk gritted his teeth. “Yes, but aside from him, we get to say what’s what.”

  Reaching the long row of tables the “nerds” had left, Bulk and Skull plopped into two seats without looking. Just as Bulk was ready to dig in to his meal, he smelled something funny. He sniffed his food. It smelled fine; delicious, actually. He looked around and saw the students’ stacked supplies on the floor near their chairs.

  One of the buckets had spilled its contents, splashing bits of goo everywhere.

  “Hey, losers!” Bulk said. “You were so scared of us, you knocked over your smelly science-nerd experiment when you ran off!”

  The students gasped. Even if Bulk didn’t know what was in that bucket, they did. But they didn’t know how to explain it without angering him.

  Ira, pushed to his feet by the others, cleared his throat and said, “Sorry. I really should clean that up before it sets. It’s easy, all you need is—”

  Bulk shook a warning finger at Ira, cutting him off. “Not now,” he said. “You clean it up when we’re done eating.”

  “No, you don’t understand,” Ira said. “That’s—”

  “Not another word!” Bulk said.

  “Yeah!” Skull echoed. “We’re in charge here!”

  Ira shrugged and went back to his friends. Not sure what to do, the students whispered among themselves, occasionally pausing to glance nervously at Bulk and Skull.

  Seeing them look at him, Skull smiled and waved.

  Bulk elbowed him in the ribs. “Don’t be nice to them! We’re bullies, remember?”

  But Bulk’s elbow didn’t just push Skull, it pushed his chair along with him. Bulk, not noticing, went back to eating. Skull was puzzled, though, so he looked down at his seat.

  Some of the goo from the bucket had splashed on it.

  Curious, Skull tried to shift himself closer to the table. When he did, the chair moved with him again.

  “Hey, Bulk,” he said. “Do your pants feel kind of strange?”

  Bulk kept chewing as he answered. “Strange like what? Like my pants want to get up and dance?”

  This time, Skull tried to stand, but he couldn’t. “No,” he said. “It’s more like, even if you did want to get up and dance, your pants wouldn’t let you.”

  Bulk stopped eating to stare at his friend. When Bulk tried to shift in his seat, his chair moved with him, too. Not only their butts, but their legs were stuck!

  The “losers” watching from across the cafeteria tittered nervously.

  “Uh . . . sorry?” Ira said.

  When Bulk angrily rose, taking the chair along with him, they all ran out.

  Chapter 9

  Still worried that Finster hadn’t left, the Blue Ranger kept looking for him. As the afternoon wore on, the wavy shadows in the huge space near the tanks grew even deeper and longer. With all the dark areas, Billy might never be absolutely sure the evildoer had gone, but his instincts told him to keep trying.

  He was making a third pass around the tanks when he heard some loud shouts and running feet coming from the halls behind him.

  It could be another attack! he thought.

  He sprinted toward the noise. It was coming from the long, wide corridor that led to the cafeteria. Reaching it, he stopped short, just out of sight of at least a dozen running, terrified students.

  “Hurry!” Ira screamed. “They’re gaining on us!”

  “But we tried to warn them about the glue!” Alani said.

  “I don’t think they care!” Randal shouted.

  Not knowing who or what they were fleeing, the Blue Ranger stayed hidden. If it’s another Putty Patrol, he thought, I can wait until they pass, then leap out behind them and take them by surprise!

  As the frightened students passed without seeing the Power Ranger, Alani pointed to a sign on the shiny floor ahead of them.

  It said CAUTION—WET FLOOR WAX.

  “Watch out for the floor!” she warned the others. Understanding, the students slowed down until they reached a turn, then sped along safely.

  The hidden Blue Ranger, meanwhile, had been expecting to surprise some monsters. As it turned out, he was the one who was surprised, as a growling Bulk and Skull came hobbling down the hall. Seeing them wasn’t the surprise so much as the strange way they were running: bent over and waddling—stuck to chairs!

  It was all the Blue Ranger could do to keep from laughing. But when they ignored the sign and hit the waxed floor, Bulk fell sideways and Skull went sailing over him. Billy winced. He sort of felt bad for them, even if they were always asking for trouble.

  Looking angry and dazed, they got back up and went back to the chase, chairs and all. As they turned the same corner as the fleeing students, Billy wondered if he should step in to protect them.

  I’d probably only have to show my face to break things up, he thought. But then I’d have to explain why a Power Ranger is at the research center. If Finster’s gone, I don’t want to worry everyone for nothing.

  But then Ira’s loud voice carried down the hall. “This is ridiculous!” he said. “There are only two of you, and we’re sick of running!”

  The sound of rushing footsteps continued, but now it was different. Instead of getting softer and farther away, it got louder and closer.

  When Bulk and Skull came back around the corner, they were the ones with the frightened, panicked faces. The students came up behind them, looking determined and gaining ground.

  “Bulk!” Skull screamed. “They turned the tables! Or is it the chairs?!”

  “Never mind!” Bulk said. “I’ve got an idea. On three, do exactly what I do. One . . . two . . . sit!”

  As the bullies reached the waxed part of the floor, they put the bottoms of their chair legs down. Rather than fall, they slid along in their chairs, gaining some distance on the students. They got back up to run without skipping a beat.

  “That was fun!” Skull said.

  “Not if they catch us, it won’t be!” Bulk said.

  Billy was pleased. Maybe his new friends had gone overboard with the glue, but Bulk and Skull could take care of themselves. And the Blue Ranger had bigger concerns. Even if Finster was gone, he’d been there for a reason. And how had he gotten past the solar flares to teleport?

  He tried his wrist-communicator again.

  “Rangers? Alpha 5?” he said.

  But all he got in response was static.

  Chapter 10

  Huffing and puffing, Bulk and Skull headed for one of the few safe places they knew at the research center—
Billy Cranston’s laboratory space. With the Blue Ranger still searching for Finster, it was empty.

  Inside, Bulk crouched at the entrance, nervously looking up and down the hall before closing the door.

  “I think . . . I think we lost them,” he said.

  “Phew!” Skull said. He plopped onto the chair still glued to his pants. “Huh. You know, it’s kind of handy being stuck to a chair. At least now I don’t have to go looking for one when I want to sit down.”

  Bulk made a face but didn’t bother answering. “See if you can find a pair of scissors or something,” he said. “Maybe we can cut ourselves free.”

  As Bulk looked through the lab’s cabinets and drawers, Skull’s eyes went straight to the goldfish bowl. Ignoring Billy’s warning, he smiled, slid over, and tapped in some more flakes from the food bottle.

  While the fish ate, Skull put the backs of his hands to his own cheeks and made a fish face at it. When Goo Fish Junior happened to turn his way to get at some more of the food, Skull’s face brightened.

  “Hey! I think Little Bulky likes me!” Skull said.

  Bulk looked up from his search and rolled his eyes. “Will you leave that fish alone?” But then his head snapped toward the hallway. “Quiet! I think I heard something!”

  Worried, he waddled over and put his ear flat against the closed door.

  Skull stared at him. “We’re not really afraid of a bunch of losers, are we?” he asked.

  “Of course not!” Bulk said. “We’re only afraid of what we’d do to them if they caught us!”

  But then his eyes went wide as saucers. “Ah! I think it’s them! They’re right outside! Quick! Hide! Hide!”

  The two rushed about looking for a safe spot.

  “Where? Where?” Skull cried.

  When they got too close to each other, the metal legs of their chairs tangled. Now they weren’t only stuck to the seats, they were stuck to each other! Spinning in a circle, they grabbed at the air as if they could hold on to it and pull themselves free.