Thank you to everyone who has left reviews and followed this story! I wasn't quite sure about posting this so I greatly appreciate the support and feedback! Please enjoy today's chapter. We are so close to the reunion and I can't wait to share it with you! But first we have a few loose ends to tie up.
Chapter 4 Training and Negotiations
SPOV - At Rangeman
I woke up the next morning showered and put on some black cargos and a long sleeve Rangeman shirt from the last time I worked there. It was a little snug so it was a good thing I was gonna be exercising again.
At exactly 8 am I knocked on Tank's office door and was welcomed in. Bobby, and Lester were sitting around the small conference table in his office and Tank was at his desk. I took the third chair at the conference table in front of several black folders.
"Okay Steph we've put together a plan for everything you asked for and some potential employment contracts." I listened as Tank explained the full schedule and the 2, 3, and 5 day contract options.
"This is wonderful you guys! Are you sure It won't be too much of a burden? We can totally cut some of this out. I know how busy everyone is."
"It's our pleasure Beautiful. We've been waiting for you to ask us to train you. Trust us everything in this plan is there because we want to help."
"Lester's right Little Girl. Now for the contract options. If you become a full time employee we will do a competency exam every month for 6 months with your training finishing in July. If you choose the part time or contract worker options we will do the exams every other month and finish in December."
"Wow I didn't really think about coming on full time but everything you've outlined sounds amazing. I don't think Vinnie would be too happy if I just took 3 days off and then quit. He may be a slimeball but he did give me a job when I needed it."
"Forget about Vinnie, Steph. You're doing this for yourself and your future don't let guilt guide your life. If it appeases your mind we can have Rangeman offer to do the low bonds until he finds a replacement. We've got some young new guys that could use the practice and they will appreciate the bonus since they're still on probationary pay."
"That would be amazing guys! Do you have a pen?" Tank handed me a pen and I signed the forms for the full time employee contract. After we all finished signing, Bobby and Lester gave me congratulatory hugs and left to get back to their normal activities. "Thanks guys I'll see you later today!"
"Okay little girl let's get started. Bring that chair around next to mine and I'll take you through how to do the duty rosters." I quickly moved the chair to sit next to Tank.
After going over some of the office paperwork with Tank at 10 I headed out to find Manny and Hector in the equipment room on the third floor. I was walking by Bobby's office when I heard movement in the room. Figuring Bobby was in his office I thought I would stop by and say hello before continuing on. The door was already slightly open so I pushed it open only to see Lester and Bobby in the middle of a deep kiss on the exam room bed. I quickly took a step back and closed the door all the way as softly as I could and hurried down the hall. Huh Bobby and Lester well that's something to ponder over later I wonder who else knows.
I opened the door to the equipment room and started looking around. I had never been in the room before but it was amazing. There was a wall of screens on one side that were displaying several client's houses, these must be back up monitors. Then on the opposite side of the room there were several rows of shelves creating aisles with bins that were labeled with different camera and sensor types. In between the aisles and the monitor wall were large tables with all kinds of electronics where they must prep all the installations. Finally, in the back were two doors that must have led to Hector and Manny's offices.
Hector cameout of his office first. "Hola Estephania! I am so happy that you have decided to join us! We can start over here." He led me to the first row of shelves. "This rack holds our basic door and window sensors for our residential installations." We moved along the aisles as he explained how the further back in the room the more expensive the equipment got. Finally we got to the last row. "This final row is where we keep the trackers" He pulled out one bin with basic trackers in. Next to it was a bin for car trackers and the last one said special. I pulled it out and looked inside there were pens, lipsticks, a few paperclips, and even a few items that looked like coins. "We keep special trackers for our most elusive tails and when we need to be sneaky" He explained.
"Well now I know what to look for when I get home!"
"You could but there you will never get them all." and he winked at me.
"Hmmph why do you guys keep so many trackers on me? And wait a minute you've been speaking English this whole time!"
"Si, I speak only when with trusted people. As for trackers at first Ranger just liked to keep tabs on you but it became more of a game between the guys who could plant a tracker on you without you noticing. Although since most of your trackers get destroyed it's actually saved your life a few times."
"Wow I've always thought Ranger was the only one planting them. As annoyed as I am that you made it a game, I'm touched that you guys care about me enough."
"Si, we care a lot. Now let's move into my office and I'll show you the computer software we use to connect all these devices." We walked into his office that had screens all across one wall but what caught my eye was a clear plastic display case at the back. "That's exactly what you think it is."
"You kept the door knob I shot off my door the first time you installed that system at my apartment? Why did you keep it after all this time?"
"As a reminder of the joy you bring to our lives." With that he motioned for me to sit down and showed me the software systems. Manny joined us for about an hour at the end he had been out on an installation. We reviewed how they print off blueprints and lay them out on the table then they circle different places on the print where they will be installing cameras and sensors and places to double check if they missed a vulnerable location. Then they gather the items from the different racks and place them near the locations on the prints after bundling and labeling them. Finally they put them in a special box they take to the installations. It was a magnificent process and I was blown away by the amount of planning and forethought it takes.
"Wow I'm so impressed I neve took the time to really think about this side of the business other than when someone breaks in and you guys have to go check it. I can see how frustrating that might be when you guys put in so much effort into these plans."
"Life is unpredictable, you can never truly plan for anything" Manny stated. I pondered that for a moment before smiling and nodding my agreement. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 12:15.
"Oh boy I'm late for lunch I better get going! Thanks guys, I'll see you tomorrow!" I quickly made my way to the elevator and back up to the 5th floor break room. There were several guys already there eating sandwiches. I grabbed a turkey sandwich, an apple, and a water before going to sit at an open table. I was half way through my lunch when some of the men I hadn't met walked in. They must be the new guys Tank mentioned.
"My aren't you a pretty little thang." One of them said and made to sit down next to me. "What to you do here? I didn't think Tank or Ranger had secretaries." He continued. The other guys stifled their smiles on their faces and I could see they were also curious.
"I'm Stephanie. I do the exact same thing you do hun but I bet I can do it better." I winked at him and ate the last of my lunch.
"The names Tag and well I doubt that darling. I'm a first lieutenant in the army and Fish over here is a navy seal, and Jace is an Airman." The other two nodded their heads at me confirming their ranks. "I don't suppose you have a rank do you? Or maybe it can be something like captain of my heart"
"You wish" I muttered. At that time Lester chose the perfect time to walk in.
"Hey Beautiful! I see you've met the rookies they started last month. They'll be doing your competency exams with you."
"Oh really well then it seems we will find out who's the best." I smiled and looked back at Tag.
"Are you ready for your afternoon? I'll be taking over your shooting lesson today since Ram is out sick."
"Yes I'm ready when you are." I gathered my trash and threw it away. I turned my head and gave the guys my best burg glare as Lester led me out.
I asked Lester about each of the guys I just met so I could try and come up with a way to get into their heads and beat them at their own games at the end of the month. He told me how Cal had saved Fish from nearly drowning when he got caught in the ropes when they were docking on a ship and almost got pulled out by the tow line. He had failed to tie his knots properly, lucky for him Cal also took the time to teach him how to tie the lines properly. He came to work at Rangeman so he continue to learn from his role model. Jace was actually recommended by Robert Ranger's brother; they went to college together and he was in ROTC so after serving his mandatory deployment he was looking for a job but didn't want to get into his family's accounting firm. Tag was much easier to pinpoint a weakness though he was the son of one of the General's that guys work with and was given the job as a favor owed to his dad.
I tucked away that information and focused on my hour of shooting with Lester. It went well today. He just fitted me with a couple different types of guns and then showed me how to properly clean each one. He said that when Ram gets back he'll take me through the actual shooting since he was licensed to do so. Once I received my first 5 lessons any of the other guys could supervise and give me pointers..
Cal showed up and took me down to the basement. There was another storage room I had never been in that held survival equipment, what looked like military packs, and a bunch of miscellaneous bounty hunter equipment. He gave me a lock picking kit and a pair of handcuffs. He first cuffed my hands in front of me and then placed the picks in my hand. He showed me how to unpick the cuffs and then had me repeat the process several times. For the last round of the day he cuffed my hands behind my back. It took me 10 minutes to get them undone when I couldn't see anything. He explained some improvements I could make for the next day. We discussed that we would continue working on breaking from handcuffs the next two days and then we would do various challenges consisting of doors, zip ties, ropes, and locks this month. As the months progressed I was expected to get faster and would earn points if I broke certain times.
Hal had shown up around while I was helping Cal put away the equipment. "Hey Bomber, are you ready to drive?" He handed me the keys and led me to the garage.
"Yes sir! What car are we taking?" I noticed he was leading me to the back of the garage that I hadn't noticed before.
"We will be taking one of the surveillance sedans today. It's much easier to learn evasive driving in a small car first so we will work our way up to the SUV's." We drove around Trenton for about 45 minutes with Hal giving me directions to make turns at the last second to test my reflexive thinking. I kept hesitating and then missing left hand turns so Hal had me pull into an empty parking lot. He smiled before explaining that I was to drive making donuts in the lot while avoiding the lamp posts. We did donuts for about 30 minutes before we were both sick to our stomachs. I had never had so much fun driving before but it really helped get rid of my apprehensiveness surrounding the sharp movements and the car not being able to keep up. We made our way back to Rangeman and I thanked Hal for the amazing first day.
I quickly stopped by Ella's apartment to change into my workout gear. Ella had always said that if I needed a private space to change or not be around the guys I could always come and see her. I quickly made my way down to the gym. It was empty except for Lester and Bobby warming up on the mats deep in conversation. I coughed to get their attention.
"Hey guys! Whatcha doin'?" I grinned as they both moved a few steps away from each other.
"Bomber! We were just going over the plans for your exercise and self defense today."
"Mmhmm sure. Are you sure you weren't planning a date night?" I asked as innocently as I could. Lester looked at me quizzically and Bobby spit out the water he had been drinking. "Relax guys I'm just joking with you but I would like you to know that I saw you two in Bobby's office this morning."
"Damn Beautiful it's your first day and you've already discovered our secret. Not even Tank and Ranger know. Only Hector knows cause he seems to just know everything well and he's also Gay." I walked over and gave each of them a reassuring hug.
"Don't worry your secret is safe with me although you should really lock your door Bobby. I'm so happy for you guys! When do you plan on telling everyone else?"
"We made a pact to each other that we would wait one year." Bobby explained.
"That's fair, how long has it been?"
"It's been 6 wonderful months." Lester answered as he smiled at Bobby. "Which means after you finish your training we should be out to the world and we can go and celebrate our collective achievements!"
"That's wonderful you guys but I'm sure if you told everyone sooner they wouldn't mind."
"We know but this way we get to keep something to just ourselves for a little while. Now let me wrap up your hands so you can begin your session. We are combining our efforts today so you'll be starting with some kickboxing which will serve as both self defense training and exercise today. We will be guiding you through several different styles of self defense in the next 6 months. Each of the men are efficient in their own styles so we will bring them in to help out when necessary. Each of the competency exams will be a sparring session with someone on the leadership team but the first month will actually be against some of the rookies you met earlier. As long as you take down one of them you pass the exam." Bobby stated as he wrapped up my hands.
I got into the ring and Lester took me through a bunch of different moves with Bobby supervising. We used the pads today but Lester explained that they were just so I could practice hitting my target more accurately and putting more weight behind my kicks. I asked what other defense styles I would learn. They said karate, Judo, street, boxing, jiu jitsu, weapons including knives and fighting with my gun, and even a few special international styles the guys had to learn from their time as rangers. When we finished the session Bobby had me do a 30 minute jog on the treadmill as a cool down. He explained how when starting to take up running it's easier to do everything based on time at first not miles. After finishing up in the gym Bobby and I went back to his office where he explained the dietary modifications he wanted me to follow.
"Now I know you probably think dieting means restricting calories, fasting, or even cutting out types of foods like sugar. But you'd be wrong, the best way to eat healthy is to reduce your intake of processed and added sugar foods and increase foods that are high in protein and other nutrients. I've come up with a grocery list for you and a few healthy easy meals you can make. If you want Ella has offered to teach you some cooking basics to get you started."
"That would be wonderful Bobby. Thank you so much for doing this!"
"No problem Steph. Ella is upstairs now preparing dinner. She said when we finished up here she'd love your help."
I said my thanks and got up and hugged Bobby before heading up to Ella's apartment. I stopped in the spare bedroom and changed first and then headed to the kitchen to help Ella with cooking.
"Hello my dear I set a cutting board and some carrots on the counter for you to chop."
"Okay! What size do you want them?"
"Just about the size of the tip of your pinky should be good we are making a chicken noodle soup. Once you are done with the carrots you may do the celery and the onion the same size and put them in this bowl here" she said pointing at a large glass bowl. I began chopping carefully so that I could make sure to get the right size for the vegetables. After about 10 minutes Ella looked over and saw that I had only made my way through 4 carrots.
"Now dear, why are you chopping so slow?"
"Well my mom always told me that everything in the kitchen had to be precise from the size of the veggies to the timing of the food."
"I see well with soup no one is going to notice the different sizes and when we put it into the crockpots to take up to the boys it will keep warm for as long as it needs to be out. Now desserts are a little more precise but most foods don't require uniformity. My mother always told me that a meal only needs love to be good."
"You're right Ella I've never really thought about that too much."
"There are a lot of recipes that you can even throw into a pot and come back several hours later to eat." She said as she moved to cut the onion so everything would be ready for the boiling water. We finished chopping up the veggies and she showed me how to select my temperatures on the stove and properly boil the ingredients so nothing spilled over. We added the precooked chicken and noodles Ella had prepared earlier and then Luis came home and helped us transfer the soup from the stove to the crock pots. We put it all on Ella's cart and delivered it to the break room. We returned to her apartment and had dinner together. Ella talked about some of her favorite dishes and asked if she could see the grocery lists Bobby gave to me. She looked them over and then offered to pick them up at the store for me tomorrow. Then after my training she would help me cook these meals and I would help her get dinner ready for the guys. We ate the wonderful soup and talked about my first day as a full time employee. After saying my goodbyes to Ella and Luis I headed out for the day.
I could already tell that everything with my first two resolutions were going to work out and I even could add cooking to that. I was excited to show the boys what I could do and was looking forward to the first competency test. Once I got home I quickly showered and went to bed. I was exhausted from my day. Before sleeping though I looked up classes at the community center. There was a beginner painting class scheduled to begin in February so I signed up for it.
RPOV - A Secure Location near Washington DC
After we touched down in DC I was taken to base to get some much needed rest and complete my physical and mental health checks. I didn't have anything other than a few broken ribs and some scrapes that would result in one or two new scars so the physical check didn't take long. I slept for 2 days before the mental check. That took a little longer for the doctor to ensure that I was of sound mind before entering my debriefs and contract negotiations. After I passed all of my evaluations and was shuffled into the interrogation room with my handler and the general to begin the debriefs.
By the time we started we were a week into January. We went over the problems with the first plan and aligned our details on the traitor. Next, I told them about the boy and the deal I made to get his family to safety. We went over details I had gathered about the operations of the Santiago family since now that the De La Cruz family wasn't poised to take over the government could begin plans to take down the operations completely. Next, we drew out maps of the compound where I apprehended the target, potential warehouses of the other family, and other locations I had observed. It took a few days to get through all of the questions but by the end they seemed happy with the results. We broke after three weeks of debriefing with the agreement to meet at 1000 on Monday to begin my contract review.
Unfortunately it took longer than I wanted as there were only a few days left in January. I was itching to get back to the real world and start on my personal operation. I was still pretty beat from the last couple of months so I took the weekend to relax and sleep so that when I got back to Trenton I could jump right back into Rangeman. I'm sure the rest of the core team is gonna want to take vacations so I need to be ready to take on the responsibilities.
On Monday morning the corporal dropped me off at the Pentagon where I checked in and made my way to the General's office. From there they led me to a conference room where we would be meeting. General Miller walked into the room. First I got up and shook his hand before he sat down. General Lewis, General Shaler, and a Captain I didn't know walked into the room next. The Captain set up a tape recorder and got out a notepad and a laptop so he must be one of the secretaries for the unit.
"Captain Manoso, welcome back." General Lewis got us started. "As you know your contract has come up and it is time to renew. We can offer you a two year extension at this time with a payout of 1.5 million per mission. Additionally you will receive a promotion to Major once completed. If you sign now we can get the paperwork started and have you out of here by the end of day tomorrow." He smirked a little as he finished his speech, the complacent bastard.
"I have decided I will not be signing an extension of my Black Ops contract." I stated. "I have reevaluated my priorities and have decided that it is no longer my interest to continue this line of work."
"What do you mean reevaluated your priorities captain?!" Lewis was standing now pacing on the other side of the table. "After everything the Army has done for you what exactly are you willing to give all this up for?!"
"Respectfully Sir, It's really none of your business." I replied through my teeth.
"None of my business! Might i remind you that I'm the one who recommended you for Black Ops. You wanted to be the next General of the U.S. Army and now you don't even care that you make it to Major. So fuck that none of my business shit and tell me why my protege is ready to give it all up." Now he was leaning across the table with his hands in front of him trying to stare into my soul.
"Your right I do want to be a Major, maybe even a Colonel and if you were to offer me a way to do so that didn't require me to leave the country for undocumented reasons for an unspecified amount of time I just may consider it. But my reasons for not wanting to resign remain confidential." Normally I would tell him as my handler and mentor but his unhinged reaction to me wanting to quit had me questioning his loyalty. Lucky for me most of my enemies have been slowly getting themselves killed or banned from international travel due their own enemies all over the world so it made me feel better about opening myself up to a relationship. So this wasn't the time to start making new ones. I don't want to put Steph in any more danger that she already could be in.
He thought about that for a minute trying to collect his anger. General Miller being the highest ranked General in the room and technically Lewis' superior decided to speak up. "Manoso, I'm sure you can understand how much of a loss this is for the United States Army but I for one respect your decision and would love to negotiate a new type of contract should you wish to remain connected and achieve higher ranks." He shot a sharp look at General Lewis causing him to finally sit down. "May I suggest a short recess say an hour. We will evaluate the opportunities and present a new contract to you then."
"Yes, that is okay with me. Thank you sir." I got up and left the room deciding to go for a walk around the Pentagon. I made my way around the building saying hello to those I knew and nodding to those I didn't. You never know when the need for contact would arise so it was important to play the pleasantries game. I saw Bones, a medic that once saved my foot from a nasty bout of athlete's foot in the middle of the Jungle a few years ago and went over to say hello.
"Hey Bones!" We exchanged a basic army handshake. "What's up with you? Still traveling around the world patching up soldiers in need?"
"Good to see you Ranger. Kinda, I'm actually on my way out. I have about a month left in my contract and I don't plan on resigning. Not sure what I'll do after but I should probably visit my family back in Maryland before making any decisions."
"Well there's always a spot open for you at Rangeman." I slipped him my card when I reached out to shake his hand. "Just give me a call." With that I turned and made my way back to the conference room. This building isn't terribly large that I couldn't make it all the way around within an hour but with the stops I made I needed to get back.
I made it back to just outside the room with about 5 minutes to spare. The unnamed Captain secretary who's name I learned to be Capt. Sully walked out a minute before the hour and invited me back into the room. I took the same chair across the table from the panel of brass.
"If you could please direct your attention to the screen." General Miller began. "We have come up with three options for you. We hope that you will choose one of them."
General Lewis stood up to present the first option. On the screen appeared a map of Spain pointing at the embassy location. "This option will require you to serve 2 years at the United States embassy in Madrid. You will serve as acting commanding officer for our troops assigned to the base and central check in for our men who are serving missions on that side of the country. You will receive a stipend of 1.5 million dollars per year and the rank of Major following the term." I nodded that I understood but chose to stay silent until I heard all the options. Although i specifically said I didn't want to leave the country anymore so not sure why he thought I would choose his option.
General Shaler was next. He was a quieter man and was the CO for military intelligence. "This next one is a position here at the pentagon. You will work with my team to draft missions for other black ops men specifically on the matters occurring in South America. The position is for 2 years, 1 million dollars a year, and a promotion following the completion of contract. You can still work from your home but it will require trips to DC every 3 weeks. So in a 4 week month you would work from Trenton for 3 weeks and then 1 week here in DC." I again acknowledged that I understood and turned to Miller who was preparing to stand up and present. While I appreciated that Shaler's offer kept me connected to my former work and kept me in the states, it wouldn't allow me to run my business efficiently.
General Miller turned the screen and showed a picture of Fort Benning, the base camp for the Army Rangers. This immediately had me intrigued but I kept my blank face throughout the presentation. I knew immediately that this was the option I was gonna choose. Once he finished presenting I turned to the men.
"I will agree to General Miller's proposal however I request that my checkin's be one weekend quarterly. I also request an increase of 250k making the full stipend 1.25 million per year. I thank you for offering me an opportunity to still achieve my Army goals and your support during my previous contract."
"HUA. The United States Army thanks you for your service Captain and we look forward to our continued partnership. We agree to your negotiations and Sully here will begin to prep the paperwork. Please return tomorrow to sign the paperwork."
I acknowledged the orders, gave a salute to each of the men and then shook Capt. Sully's hand before leaving. I made my way back to the reception area to find a corporal who could drive me back to the hotel they had put me up in. When I got back to the hotel I stopped by the concierge's desk to get a rental I could use to drive home after I signed the new contract tomorrow.
Feeling hungry since I hadn't eaten since breakfast as our meeting took us through lunch I decided to stop at the restaurant in the lobby of the hotel. I saw some working girls chatting up some guys at the bar so I quickly made my way to the back corner booth so I could avoid their inquiries. When I was a young soldier just starting out I might've taken their bait but now I had the most beautiful blue eyed curly hair goddess waiting for me back home and there was nothing that could distract me from operation someday.
I ordered a salmon dish with a mixed green side salad and asparagus for the early dinner. The waitress offered me dessert but I respectfully declined offering her my best smile. I paid the bill and left a 100 dollar cash tip before making my way back to my room for the night. I packed up my gear that had gotten spread out over the last month and set it by the door before heading to bed around 2200. I wonder what steph was doing now. I had felt a shift in the atmosphere on New Year's Eve but I originally thought it was because I was about to complete my mission. However a month later and the shift was still there which to me meant I haven't actually discovered what it meant yet. With that though I slowly drifted to sleep excited for what tomorrow would bring.