Ranger smiled slightly at the feel of cold steel against the back of his neck. He always knew that there was something slightly off about Rey. Looking at Collins' accomplices, he had no doubt that Rey was unknown to them. Not standard operating procedure to send a cover operative known to your population, they could unwittingly give him away so Ranger wasn't surprised. He lowered the gun and spoke softly.
"Drop the gun, Rey, or my knife will be in your stomach before your bullet hits my brain." Ranger lowered his gun but didn't put it back in the holster, Rey did the same.
"Now we can talk like regular people," Collins said turning slowly and smiling casually as though they'd been stuck in a crowded elevator. Only a professional would note the doubt that flickered across Collins' features as he glanced at Rey. Ranger was nothing if not a professional. He turned to Rey.
"My guess is that you haven't met Tony Collins," he waved at the tall, blond, man standing next to him. "I can't say that I'm sorry you broke this up because it was all getting a little tense but I think that now is the time you tell me who you work for."
As soon as Rey fished the folded case from his pocket, Collins and Ranger knew that he was a Federal Agent.
"Feds," they said together,.
"I should have known," Ranger said, "who else would come alone into a fight against five guns."
"Special Op trained guns," Collins elaborated.
"It worked," Rey said. In actual fact he was peeved to have had to break his cover but he could not let Ranger kill Collins. As much as the Agency believed Rangeman skirted the law, Collins was the enemy they wanted to keep close. Too much time with Collins and he might reveal that he had been the one acting outside of the Agency and holding Stephanie in that basement. Rey felt the sting of loss as it had been his co-workers who died when they escaped and for that he'd liked to have killed Collins himself but, for now, they needed him alive. As soon as Rey had reported to his superiors, Collins had shown up and Rey didn't believe in coincidences.
Ranger turned back to Collins, "I still want to know what you're looking for here."
"Information, Manoso," he said. "I know you're big on acting first and thinking later but my philosophy is that you can never have enough information."
"Try again," Ranger said. Ranger's posture was calculated to reach his knife as soon as he needed to do so. Collins' pretended not to notice but Ranger knew he did. Instead Collins turned to Rey.
"What's your agency telling you about Minardi?" he asked.
Rey nearly spit at him. Was the FBI no longer talking to Collins or was he playing a part for Ranger? Rey only knew Collins by reputation but he seemed to have a bad habit of striking hard and quick.
"I haven't heard anything," he said, "My assignment is strictly Rangeman." Ranger's eyes narrowed.
"But you can find out?" he asked.
"I could," Rey said slowly. "It may not be much more than you have."
"I'm tempted to allow Tank to throw your ass out of the front window but if you're going to be useful to me, I just might let you live." Ranger said, his stance betraying the superhuman ability to keep his temper in check. Ultimately, his concern for Stephanie won over his sense of betrayal. That Rey could see the battle raging within the usually supremely composed Ranger scared him.
"I think it's time we all leave," Tank said from the hallway where he stood with Collins' agents. He could imagine the girl was in severe pain from the metal frame of the drop ceiling. "Ranger and I have been through and there's no one here."
"Works for me. I found what I was looking for," Collins said.
Tank hung back while everyone else walked out though Collins' agents gave him an odd look.
"Gotta hit the can. Too much coffee today," he said before running down to lift the girl out of the drop ceiling.
"This is why you stay out of trouble, kid," he said as she rubbed her limbs. "Remember this when you have kids."
