Red Lion here to project a change in style! First off now I'm going to list the date and time (military time) in the time settings for the chapters now. Great now let's dive back in!

Chapter 4: Heading out

June 23, 2282/One day after the meeting/9:00

*Lucky 38 Presidential Suite*

Leo's eyes shot open as his internal alarm clock went off. The first thing he saw startled him, right before his eyes was a young and beautiful girl sleeping soundly in front of his face. He flinched at how close their faces were and he his took on a light shade of red when he realized their legs were intertwined and he had his arm around her bringing her so close that their bodies were against each other. Her face reflected a bliss of heavenly comfort. This is definitely not good! I have to get away from her before she wakes up! Leo thought to himself almost mentally panicking.

"Good morning Leo, hope you slept well!"

...Too late, she was already awake with her bright green eyes wide open and a big smile on her face.

Any other guy in the world would have loved to wake up to someone as beautiful and voluptuous as Hayley Daniels snuggling up to them, but Leo quickly snatched his arm from around her and scooted backwards as quickly as he could, "Hayley! Your awake! I promise I was not coming onto you while you were asleep!" He clumsily sputtered out of his mouth.

"I know!" She retorted back still smiling.

"Wait, what? How do you already know? You were asleep." Leo's eyebrow raised in a way that it got lost in his jet black hair.

"I woke up about ten minutes before you did! When I went to snuggle up closer to you for warmth you threw you arm around me! It was soooo sweet..." She was beaming!

Leo scowled it was just like her to make a move like that. Yet here he was worried that she might've thought that he made a move while she was sleeping. His voice calmed back to a normal, controlled, velvet tone. "Hayley...you know what just get out I've got to get prepared for our mission." He sat up showing her his toned body. And then threw his legs over and his feet hit the floor.

"Not before I get my good morning kiss!" She threw herself on him and they both landed on the floor with her on top pinning his wrists down with her hands.

Before he even had time to react...

...the door opened

Leo looked at the doorway and Hayley turned around and looked as well. Preston walked in with his black armor already on except for the helmet. He took two steps in with his normal deadpan facial expression. He locked eyes with Leo then Hayley and then he turned around and walked right back out without changing facial expressions or saying a word.

Leo took the opportunity to get away quickly, he then pointed to the door. Hayley trudged to the outside of the room and turned around opening her mouth to say something but Leo shut the door in her face.

Preston walked to the kitchen and shook his head. Hayley sure does have a way with Leo huh? he thought to himself. He shook the image of a shirtless Leo being straddled by a tight tank top wearing Hayley out of his head. Preston's emotionless glare was focused in on the fridge as he continued thinking about the scene that unfolded in front of him and finally came to a conclusion as he opened the refrigerator door and grabbed a bottle of purified water,

"...He's one lucky son of a gun..."

Keenan stretched his back out as he held his pool stick to the ground. I wonder what's bugging Preston, when I passed by him he was headed to the kitchen but from the wide eyes and slight redness on his cheeks he looked like he just walked in on something awkward...oh well he shrugged it off. He turned to Taylor who just walked in waved the pool stick and asked, "You want to break?"

She rubbed her eyes as her red hair hung loosely in front of her face. "I don't feel like playing pool right now I just came in here to grab a nuka cola. What time did you get up?"

"Around 7:00 Preston and I got up and played a game of caravan. Went ahead and put on our armor so we wouldn't have to worry about that later." He replied as he hit the cue ball and broke the triangle of balls up.

"That's pretty early, I just woke up gotta start gathering the medical supplies and everything. So I'll be seein ya." She grabbed her cola from the machine and turned around to leave just as Keenan retorted back.

"Make sure you get yourself dolled up too, I hear Leo is starting to realize he's into feisty red heads." He chuckled a little bit after he said that. That is until he felt a small fist connect to his jaw. It made a dull pop. "Ouch! Dang girl I was just kidding!" He placed his hand where she hit him.

Her face was almost as red as her hair and she glared at him with her dark brown eyes, then with a huff she spun back around and stomped back out the door He still held his jaw but he laughed all the same These girls are going to be the death of Leo! But still though...

"He's one lucky son of a gun."

Hayley walked into the big bedroom with all of the beds and dressers. As she was heading towards her part of the room, she saw Grady mischievously coming from the bathroom area with a bucket. Presumably full of water. She put her hands on her hips like a mother about to scold her child. "What are you about to do Grady?"

Grady turned around smiling big his normally perfect, rich boy looking brown hair a little messy because he woke up just a few minutes ago. "I'm about to wake sleeping fatty up." With that he continued on and made his way to the part of the room where Aaron was.

Aaron looked like a mighty bear hibernating peacefully until...

SPLASH!

Aaron shot up and roared furiously, cold water dripping all over him. Grady took off into the center room cackling the whole way and yelling "Psycho rage!"

Hayley sighed as she heard an angry red head yelling and then the sound of two loud pops reverberated across the whole suite. Then she heard a deep voice call out from the center.

Leo yelled "Pull it together guys! Get ready for the mission ahead!" She smiled slightly looking down, she reached into her drawer and grabbed her ranger combat armor.

June 23, 2282/11:00

*Lucky 38 Casino Floor*

Leo stood in front of his team that was lined up shoulder to shoulder in front of the elevator. All of them donned their black armor that had their respective bullet holes, wear and tear, as well as their code names on their helmets. In front of them were twenty paladins each wielding a wide variety of weapons ranging from super sledges, gatling lasers, gauss rifles, and laser rifles. Each of them were clad in the T-51b power armor. It was an impressive sight as they all stood lined up in four rows of five. Elder McNamera was in front of them standing up straight in his blue robes. Mr. Falcon the courier was in between them wearing jeans, boots, a white button down shirt, and a Swat bullet proof riot vest. He had said he received this armor from a friend in New Canaan.

To the far left was Craig Boone an ex first recon sharpshooter with a dead eye and a scoped hunting rifle. Next to him was a pretty young lady armed with a caravan shotgun by the name of Rose of Charon Cassidy, Cass for short. Standing behind them was a sandy colored ghoul that had a sombrero looking hat on his head. He had his arms crossed and a 44 magnum at his side. These three served as the couriers personal escorts, a hardy and dependable crew.

Ed-E floated around the casino possibly having the time of its life. Curious and happy beeping came from its speakers. The courier invested a lot into the lively eyebot. Along with its armor and laser upgrades, it can create conventional ammo out of mere scrap metal and also manages to utilize magnetic repulsive technology. It can give away rechargeable magnetic repulsive shields that can block up too three bullets, it can even block an anti-material shot before breaking. The recharge delay of ten seconds is pretty long in combat, but some shielding is better than none.

In the ghost squad Aaron was at the far right. The Brotherhood were eyeing the tesla cannon on his back. Across his chest he had two holsters that held two sawed off shotguns. He had two bandoliers across his chest that held plasma grenades. He was standing arms crossed his brass knuckles showing on his fists.

Next to him stood Keenan who had the same black scoped and silenced assault rifle Leo had on his back. An infiltrator. In two holsters halfway hidden by his duster coat were two 12.7 mm smgs his hands were at his side ballistic fist on his left arm showing. His combat knife was sheathed handle up on his left shoulder.

Next up was Hayley. She had her anti-material rifle strapped to her back and at her side was the black 10mm silenced smg that she called sleepytime. Her hands were on her hips and you could see her spiked knuckles sticking out. Her combat knife was sheathed right behing her just above her butt.

After her was Taylor. She had a plasma rifle in her hands but normally it was on her back. At her side was her scoped hunting revolver in a holster. Combat knife was on her left side sheathed.

Preston stood beside her, his hands in his duster coat pockets. He had a pure black anti material rifle on his back, silenced 45 auto pistol at his side and a ranger sequoia holstered at his left side. A Chinese officer sword across his back making an x with his high powered rifle. A ripper was across his chest held by a special made scabbard.

Grady was the one at the far left. His right hand held his riot shotgun that was pointing downward. On his back was a Chinese assault rifle and at his hip was a ranger sequoia. On his left hip was a trench knife in another special made scabbard. On his left hand was a displacer glove.

The courier finally broke the ice, "Ace I hope you don't mind if we come along with you to Nellis. I figured you wouldn't mind the company. And besides I think Mr. McNamera would like a little preview of who he's investing some caps in."

"No problem Mr. Falcon, but I do have one question. How did you know we were going to leave at 11?" Leo asked. It was a sincere question.

"You left the coms on in your helmet. You forget Yes Man picks up on that from a pretty long radius!" As he said that he turned and motioned to his escorts and the brothers to follow him. "Time to go! Were off to Nellis!"

They walked out into the strip and were greeted by quite the surprise. A man clad in ranger combat armor unlike anything Leo has ever seen approached them. Leo and his squad made their way up to the front of the pack right behind the courier. His armor was pretty much almost the same as the any veteran rangers combat armor except the visor was an emerald green. Instead of jeans he was clad in khakis and on his fairly broad shoulders was some makeshift shoulder armor and on the knees was the same kind. He had a ranger sequoia at his hip and on his back an anti-material rifle. One like Leo had never seen before. It had a beautiful Stygian iron barrel that seemed to reflect the light from the sun like water.

"Courier?" He spoke in a rich bundle that hit your ears. His voice was disarming as he asked again "You are Mr. Falcon the courier correct?"

Mr. Falcon reached his hand out to shake the rangers hand, "Why yes I am, and judging by your attire you must be the desert ranger ambassador! It is nice meeting you uh...Mr?..."

The ranger took his hand in a firm handshake and replied "Dolus, Lance Dolus" when he let go he took off his helmet. He looked to be a man in his mid 30's with sandy hair, emerald eyes about the same color as his masks visor, high sharp cheekbones, and very lightly tanned skin. His looks rivaled that of Leo's except rather than more clean and princely he was a more rugged handsome.

As the Courier and Lance The Ranger talked over some things regarding the now broken up NCR, and the desert rangers seeking an alliance with New Vegas, everyone else began to talk about miscellaneous things. Leo looked over to the right of him as Cass nudged Taylor with her elbow. "Id love to get to know him better!" Taylor laughed and nodded her head.

Five minutes went by when they concluded their brief outside meeting Mr. Falcon gave the ranger some chips to go to Gommorah blow some time until he gets back and then they will talk some more. With that as a group the Brotherhood, The Ghosts, The Courier and his group all left the strip and began making their way towards the home of the Boomers.

And this concludes chapter 4 dear readers! Remember the contest from last chapter? Well the first to answer correctly was my dear friend:

Machiavellian Skulduggery

The answer was in fact Mordekai from Borderlands. So as a I secretly gave all of you an description of the main character from his story : Memoirs of a Desert Ranger. Be sure to check her story out it's pretty stinkin good I tell ya! Well with that I bid you farewell my friends! Until next time...
Red Lion Ranger is out.