Hi guys (hangs her head in shame) sorry for the delay in posting this... (but the next chapter is waiting in the wings - 20+ reviews and it's yours!)
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your wonderful comments, you twisted people! ;o)
Hope this chapter is worth the wait, more shenanigans...!
Dawn raised its despondent head and smiled weakly down on the hanger that held the core team and their crew. Ranger sat quietly in one of the canvas chairs, nursing a cup of pale caramel, sugar laden coffee. He figured he needed the caffeine, the calories and the sugar hit if he was going to make it through the day without tearing someone's head off…
He sighed as he swilled the coffee in the huge china mug which was clasped between his long fingers, hoping to fill his hands with warmth.
He was NOT supposed to be feeling like this! He mentally pouted.
He was supposed to have been rested and filled with good food, not cold, tired and hungry, he thought, petulantly.
Dios! He whined internally then shifted in his seat as he thought about the one person who had caused his discomfort. A wry chuckle slipped from his lips.
He really should have known better than to underestimate the Bombshell Bounty Hunter, he realised as he slowly raised his mug to his lips and took a deep draw, mentally saluting her for outplaying him. He'd get his own back though…
Looking out of the corner of his eye he could see Hector and Lester in discussion, clearly plotting some form of payback, but they were going to have to wait. Revenge was a dish served cold and he intended for it to be filled with ice cubes.
"Over here, Hector! Lester!" he yelled causing several heads to snap up and look as the pair wandered over. "I know you're plotting something, but this needs to be planned with utmost care. I realise it has to happen while we're still here, but…"
"Ha!" Hector snorted. "Plans don't work with Angel. We need surprise!"
"Yeah" added Lester angrily. "I didn't stand still at all on my watch last night. I swear every team came down for a go at us once they'd heard what had happened. We'll never live it down, our reputation is shot to shit!"
"Si" Hector scowled, folding his arms across his chest and nodding his head gravely.
Ranger rolled his eyes and blew out a large sigh. "Boys… Boys… boys... We are the master of surprise and the longer we wait, the more wired she, er I mean they will be." He explained like a patient father.
"Why do I think we're gonna live to regret this?" Lester groaned, shaking his head. "So. What's the plan oh Exalted Leader."
"Not a fucking clue." Came the bemused yet stoic reply.
o0o0o0o0o
The walkie talkie crackled into life and Pike picked it up from its resting place in the middle of the command centre table.
"Atlanta here."
"Logistics team needs to be ready for 1105 hours at the hanger. Assault course team, 1150 same location. Do you copy?"
"Copy, Red Leader." He replied with a grin.
"?!"
"Sorry, always wanted to say that…. Star Wars…"
"Ha fucking ha" came the slowly rolled sarcastic reply followed immediately by static.
"Guess you pissed them off, eh?" Steph said as she wandered over.
"Think we're already on their shit list." Pike said, shaking his head to stifle the chuckle that was threatening to come out.
"Yeah, could be right. We need to really keep vigilant. I'll tell the others we've had our latest orders" She added before ducking out of the tent in search of Connor.
o0o0o0o0o
"Well, according to my calculations Atlanta are way, way out in front." Tank said as he wrenched his glasses off and flung them down on the planning table as he ran his empty hand frantically across his exasperated face.
"How do you work that out?"
"Well they were leading after the distraction games and if we add points for the two men they retrieved and gave them points for being sneaky bastards then they're in the lead by …. 12 points on… Miami who are their nearest rivals."
"You what?!" Ranger said grabbing the score sheets from his second in command. "But we only have … 5 things left to complete" Ranger whined out, looking down the list "I can't believe you gave them 5 for taking over our camp!"
"Even if we only gave them 1 point they'd still be 8 points in front and there'd be 15 points between them and New York who are currently last." Tank said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.
"I'd rather we deducted points…"
"You know we can't!" Tank replied dully as he looked up at the ceiling for Divine Intervention. "They out foxed us and should be rewarded accordingly."
"Couldn't we just allow them to be smug as they eat our food and use our toilet paper and leave it at that?!"
"I wish! But no, we need to be fair about this. New York forfeited four points when we captured three of men on their failed snatch and run mission. Atlanta should at least be given one point for breaching our defences, a point for locking up our guys, another for the clever use of theft to kill our morale and a further two for getting Ink and Ralph back." Tank added reasonably as he counted his observations out on his huge fingers, holding up a splayed hand with all five digits showing.
"Don't want to be fair about this…" Ranger muttered grumpily as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and jerked backwards in his chair like a stroppy teenager.
Tank laughed at his best friend and business partner and then sat in silence for a few minutes, trying to figure out a way to even things up.
"Who said we need to play fair?!" Tank finally said as an idea started to take shape. "You know how to play a Joker, right?" He said slowly as he leant forward, steepling his hands and dancing his fingers together in front of his lips. "Wellllll… how about double or nothing for each team on the remaining games?" he continued as a grin spread across his face and his eyes snapped to Ranger's.
Ranger thought about the suggestion for a few moments. "Like it… Tank." He said slowly, as he pondered over the possibilities. "10 points for playing the winning Joker, with the rest getting usual amounts. Last place if you play the Joker and don't win. Hmm. This could even up the figures quite nicely."
Ranger looked at the list again. "Atlanta might do best in either one of the body guarding tests but they can't win both and the others teams have different strengths and weaknesses. I think we need to play to Atlanta's perceived secret weapon - Steph providing a woman's touch... Tank, I this could be one of your finer moments." He said as he leaned over and put his hand out for a high five.
"Hoah!" came the enthusiastic reply as their open palms met.
o0o0o0o0o
"They want us to play a Joker?" Mungo asked, clearly confused as he listened to Connor explain what he'd just been told over the walkie talkie.
"Yeah. Double or nothing. And we've got just 10 minutes to decide on what to bid for." Connor added.
"So that means we get twice the number of points if we play our Joker and win, but last place if we lose?" Steph asked in clarification.
"Yup."
"Wow…" said Steph with a grin slowly spreading out across her face. "We must be so far in the lead that they're getting pissed." She added smugly.
"How did you work that out?"
"Well, going in we were the total underdogs, right?"
"Yeah."
"But at the end of the distractions we were leading and that was before they even got back to the hangar, right?"
"Yeah."
"And we beat their asses and stole their equipment from under them."
"and don't forget the toilet roll…" Chase added with a snigger. Several eyes were rolled. "What?! That was a stroke of genius." He added pretending to look hurt.
"They must have given us points for our little stunt." Connor concluded happily. "And now they're trying to even things up a bit, aren't they?" he added as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Maybe we could win this thing after all…"
"Yeah, but where do we play the Joker?"
"Good question." Connor added.
"Body guarding the kid." Mungo stated flatly.
All eyes turned to stare.
"We won't stand a chance on the logistics gig. And with Silvio out of the running, New York are probably the next best at that one. I can't do the assault course and although Jed's a good replacement, he and Conrad have never worked as a team before and aren't completely aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses, so we have a built in disadvantage there. Planting evidence could involve anything so I'd say that was an even playing field which leaves us with two options. Of the two, I'd say looking after a snippy assed celebrity is easy, we just ignore and protect but a looking after a kid takes a subtle touch and let's be honest Steph's good at subtle…."
Someone sniggered and tried to hide it with a cough.
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, I think." Steph said, looking round the group.
"Well, Mungo's logic seems to make sense,so that's it settled, then, I guess." Chase said with a finality to his voice. "Are you okay with this, Steph?"
Steph nodded. "We really haven't many options, do we?"
"Ok, then. I'll let Tank know our decision."
o0o0o0o0o
Tank rubbed his hands together with glee. As predicted Atlanta fell for it and played their Joker against body guarding a child while Boston played theirs against the celebrity. New York plumped for logistics, just beating Trenton at getting their bid in so they went with planting evidence, leaving Miami with the assault course.
"All set?" Ranger asked.
"Yeah."
"Good. As per our conversation, I had a word with Lester and Hector and they've managed to change the kid we had originally booked for one that will give all the teams a bit more of a challenge, so to speak."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah… Enzo…Franelli."
"Enzo Franelli! Enzo Franelli?! Not Enzo Franelli… the 14 year old punk ass kid with the pyrotechnic tendencies?!"
"One and the same." Ranger said with a grin. "This is going to be really entertaining."
"Atlanta's insurance is up and good, huh?"
"Oh fuck yeah!" Ranger added with a grin as he strode over to the coffee pot for a refill.
"Oh, fuck yeah, let the headaches begin!" Tank echoed as he joined him.
o0o0o0o0o
"See you later… good luck!" Steph yelled out happily as she watched some of her team mates climb aboard their SUV's and head off.
Mungo stood at her side. "Can't believe tomorrow afternoon is the cook out…" he let his thoughts trail away for a few moments.
"Coffee?"
"Good idea."
The two of them ducked into the mess tent and found themselves alone as they made their way to the coffee machine where they quickly grabbed a drink before sitting down near the portable heater.
Steph smiled. "…yeah. I can't believe it's nearly all over either." She added with a sigh. "Gonna miss this. The lows as well as the highs. I sorta understand why Ranger feels the need to go play Rambo now."
Mungo snorted. "He needs to stay here, with you. You're where he belongs now." He added, giving her a pointed look. "Look… Steph…" he said before taking a large mouthful of his coffee to give himself some time to put his jumbled and troubled thoughts together. "I really want to thank you, y'know."
Steph opened her mouth to speak but Mungo gestured at her to stop so she closed it again.
"When you walked into my life, our lives, as in Rangeman Atlanta, well you just pissed us all off, big time."
Steph didn't say anything but waited while Mungo took another swig to allow the statement to linger in the air. It was obviously a huge and ugly thing to admit and he needed her to understand.
"I fucked up, well, we all fucked up!" he gritted out to the ground before looking up at her. "You coming to Altanta was the best thing for all of us but none of us saw it to begin with. Okay, Little Sis, I won't lie we all resented you. All squeaky clean, with your perky hair, fuck me heels and bright shiny smile. Miss Goody Two Shoes. The golden girl sent from on high to preach about the wonders of women to the darkest, meanest bunch of emotionally retarded men that ever worked in one building together."
Even as he said it all, Steph could see he was embarrassed by the words he spoke, so just sat and rubbed his sweatshirt covered arm gently in encouragement. Mungo looked down at the movement and put his hand on top of hers.
"Even now, you're not judging. By rights you should be ripping me apart for my comments, but you're not. You're amazing Steph. One in a million."
He smiled, squeezed her hand gently then moved his own away. Steph cocked her head slightly and he smiled in response so she began caressing again.
"But you came at us, all guns blazing – or should I say all stun guns charged - and shook us to our roots. You kicked our jaded asses and made us stop and re-evaluate everything. Your passion for Rangeman surprised us all. Your… your relationship with Ranger shocked us – after all, he had a rep for being the mother of all mother fuckers and yet you'd tamed him. Tamed him! You took all of our crap but never used it against us when you could have. You made us want to be better… and you wriggled your way into our hearts and minds and set up camp there. In the short time that we have known you you've change us all - me, Connor, Chase, even Pike and Robbo don't seem so monotone and automatic."
Steph looked embarrassed. "Well, I don't think I've done…"
"Steph! Don't! You are just… I'm not trying to pretend you're a saint or anything. But… just thank you."
He put his mug down and cupped her face gently between his hands. She looked a little shocked and nervous. "Shhh, Lil Sister." He said, gently caressing her face with his thumbs as he pulled her closer then tipped her head down so he could kiss her forehead tenderly. "Just… thank you."
You know the drill, R & R guys Mwah!