Ranger pulled up to the building and closed his eyes as he switched the rental car off and pocketed the key. He settled back and watched for a moment. Why didn't he bring someone with him? Tank? What did he know about children? He had a daughter. He'd married her mother when she got pregnant and now his daughter had a good life with a new father who had adopted her but Ranger had never been what you'd call "hands on." He got out of the car and stretched his back before heading for the Child Services building and pushing from the heat of summer into the cooled building.
He walked over to the desk and consulted the clock behind the receptionist. Right on time. She looked up and, as women do, looked stunned and a bit in awe. Ranger was not a lover of self but a realist and knew the impression he made and frequently used it to his advantage.
"I'm here to see Lindsay Cooper. I have an appointment," he said. The receptionist nodded and then seemed to shake herself out of her trance.
"Yes, okay, one moment. Have a seat," she said in a breath. Ranger walked to the farthest point and the room and stood with his back against the wall to keep a watch on all entrances. Before long a petite, older, woman came through the door leading from the inner offices. She looked around and spotted him, smiling before she walked over.
"Mr. Manoso?" she asked. He nodded. "You'll understand that I need to see some ID. I also need to scan your retina." She said, holding up a handheld device. Ranger's unique imprint was in the Department of Defense classified datatbase. He nodded and leaned forward. The handheld device beeped in a way that sounded positive. Lindsay Cooper nodded.
"Thank you, Mr. Manoso. You know the sensitivity of this matter so we can't be too safe." He nodded again.
"Call me Ranger," he said.
"Okay Ranger, follow me." She led him back into fairly standard looking cubicle space and into and area that looked like it contained observation rooms back into a living area. With each new area, she met an increasing number of security requirements. From fingerprints, to finger and eye, to face scanning. Ranger understood the level of security and felt trepidation at the idea that soon it would just be himself and the child.
"The child looks like you," Lindsay Cooper said once they were in the living area. "That will help and to be honest, one of the reasons we chose you for this task. Your reputation alone is impressive but, as you know, in this case we're dealing with some very clever people."
"Who could know that I'm here now," Ranger said.
"They could. We're counting less on your ability to walk out of her an invisible person and more on your ability to turn into one once gone." She said. Ranger nodded.
"I will do everything in my power to carry out the mission," he said.
"Do more," she ordered.
"You can count on me," he said. They walked into the nursery where a male toddler was playing with wooden trains.
"His bags are packed. I would suggest you leave as soon as possible," she said.
"Are they any special instructions? Any allergies?" Ranger asked. Thinking quickly he ran over what other things he should discover but couldn't think of anything else.
"Mr. Manoso. Paulo may look like a toddler but he is a bioweapon. He is a specially engineered human who will one day win our wars with his brothers and sisters but he is not only a test model, he is a child. I don't expect you've had extensive contact with children?" Ranger shook his head to indicate that he hadn't. "Child care is intuitive. Give them what they need and they're happy. They'll let you know what they need." Ranger went down to one knee next to the child. He had curly brown hair, mocha latte skin and dark brown eyes. Except for the curled hair, he did look exactly as Ranger did as a child. Ranger felt a pang of what he'd missed with his own daughter.
"Hello, Paulo," he said his voice calm. The child turned shy and dropped his train to run behind Lindsay Cooper's leg.
"You will go with Mr. Manoso, Paulo, he's going to keep you safe." She said in a tone so gentle that Ranger could hardly believe it was the same woman he'd been speaking with. He looked up at Lindsay Cooper. He'd gotten the brief about Paulo's ability and also about the number of attempts that had been made on in his life, even in the facility in which they were sitting.
"I will keep you safe, Paulo," he promised the little boy. "Now let's get going. You and I are going to have a great adventure together. Would you like that?" Paulo nodded, his index and middle finger lodged in his mouth.