Twenty years later…
"Ricky, Uncle Diesel is here," Stephanie yelled up the stairs. Stephanie gave birth to Ricardo Carlos Manoso the third thirty-seven weeks after she married Carlos.
Diesel leaned against the kitchen counter, eating fruit he grabbed from the refrigerator. His dark blond hair was slightly disheveled from his fingers running though the strands. Stephanie smiled at her friend. She opened the fridge to get some water. "Is Ricky ready?" Diesel asked.
"I think so," Stephanie replied honestly. "Ricky stopped blowing things up a few months ago. Why didn't you warn me?"
"It was destiny. I worked hard to keep you alive. Your four boys are needed to keep humanity safe. Didn't you question why I appeared whenever your life was in danger?"
"No. I was thankful you arrived when you did," Stephanie replied.
"Anyway, back to the reason for keeping you alive. Ricky inherited your latent ability to deflect explosions." Stephanie snorted, disrupting Diesel's explanation.
"Deflect my ass," Stephanie joked. "With a tiny spark, Ricky can blow things up. Thank goodness Raphael protected us. We could've been blown apart."
"Nah. Ricky can manipulate fire. Rafie absorbs energy. Frankie can sense people's intentions," Diesel explained. Each of Stephanie's sons inherited one of her traits. Those traits combined had protected Stephanie during her days working as a BEA. None was potent enough to get on the Unmentionable Council's radar. Stephanie wished the same was true about her sons.
Carlos possessed the same traits on a lesser level, which got magnified when they created the boys. Frankie and Tory were the only boys working part-time at Rangeman. Neither boy wanted to waste time attending college or joining the military. Carlos wanted the boys to complete high school before ruling the men at Rangeman. Ricky and Rafie worked with Diesel capturing criminals on the Unmentionable spectrum. They felt their skills were better served helping Diesel protect civilians from the evil within the Unmentionable realm.
"Yes, Diesel. I know, and Tory never misses. Whatever weapon Hector uses, he hits the mark," Stephanie said. "His Tio Hector, and namesake, had fun teaching him how to use every knife made. Carlos, Lester and Ram trained Tory on every gun. I don't know any sixteen-year-old boy with that much talent with weaponry." Stephanie knew Tory would be the perfect sniper in the military, but he didn't want to be in the Army and get called to serve with the Unmentionables. His brother, Frankie, felt the same way.
Diesel put his arm around Stephanie's shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. "Carlos doesn't miss," Diesel reminded her. Stephanie rolled her eyes. She already knew.
It took months for Stephanie to understand what Diesel tried to explain. The elixir he gave Stephanie the day she nearly died twenty years earlier only worked quickly on men and women possessing latent Unmentionable abilities. Unfortunately, the elixir also permanently enhanced her capabilities. Stephanie was still at the lower end of the spectrum, but the Unmentionable Council took notice and watched.
Over the years, Stephanie assisted Diesel on his missions. The boys tagged along when they turned sixteen. Carlos and Stephanie refused to send their children into danger without the maturity to handle the situation. Stephanie was on those operatives, keeping a close eye on her children.
A tear slid down Stephanie's cheek when Ricky appeared. Carlos entered the room behind his son. "It's too soon," Stephanie cried.
"Mom, I'll be fine. You, Dad and my horde of uncles taught me everything I needed to know. Diesel and I will neutralize the asshole who kidnapped Julie," Ricky promised.
Rachel had called the previous evening when Julie didn't come home to pick up her children for Jana's soccer practice. Carlos and Stephanie found where Julie's kidnappers had her secured. However, the man was on the high end of the Unmentionable spectrum. Stephanie and Carlos had to let Diesel rescue Julie.
It was Ricky's first official mission after his training with Diesel ended. Rafie and Frankie ran down the stairs to stop Diesel and Ricky from leaving. "Tio Diesel, you have to take us," Frankie announced. "It's the only way for you and Ricky to survive."
"I can take Rafie, but Frankie, you're underaged. It would be best if you had permission or a parent come with us," Diesel replied.
Stephanie and Carlos exchanged a silent conversation. They learned to read each other's minds. Carlos thought Frankie should go if his abilities were required to bring their oldest son home and ensure the mission's success. Stephanie wanted to go, but she sensed danger. It was the same when she thought of Carlos leaving. The decision was made without their approval. Frankie had to go. His intuition was always on the mark. There was no other choice.
"Frankie, keep your brothers safe," Carlos said. Carlos pulled Frankie into his arms and rested his forehead against his. Stephanie knew Carlos was praying for Frankie's safety. Once his prayer was done, Carlos pulled Stephanie, Rafie and Ricky into his arms. "Te amo," Carlos and Stephanie said.
"Te amo," the three boys replied. Another body joined the huddle. Tory squeezed his way into the centre.
"Please, come home," Tory begged. "Watch each other for cues. Frankie, listen to your intuition. You can keep Ricky and Rafie safe. Work together. We need you to come home."
"Don't go crazy, Hector," Ricky said, using his dad's famous words to their mother.
"Don't get shot," Hector replied. Stephanie kissed her boys before letting Diesel take them on their mission. She didn't want them to go, but they had to save Julie.
Stephanie and Carlos flew Julie's children to Trenton to stay with them while Rachel and Ron took their vacation. They had saved for several years to take the Mediterranean cruise. Since Rachel had her heart set on their trip, Carlos asked Ace and his wife Bonita to escort the children to Trenton when they came up for their visit. It seemed ridiculous for Ace to fly from Miami to Trenton to collect Stephanie and Carlos when Ace and his wife could bring the children.
Jana and Mateo were excited to spend time with their Manoso grandparents. Eight-year-old Jana loved spending time with Stephanie, while ten-year-old Mateo preferred to work at Rangeman with his Abuelo Carlos.
Julie's husband, Seth Cooper, was in the middle of his six-month deployment to San Francisco, assisting the medical staff working with Doctors Without Borders. It was all hands on deck after an earthquake levelled half the city. Men and women worked tirelessly to rescue those trapped inside their vehicles or fallen debris. Seth had an important job and couldn't leave thousands of people needing help. He wanted to come home, but Carlos talked him into helping the multitude requiring his assistance. Stephanie promised to call when Julie got rescued.
"Are we making the right decision?" Stephanie asked while the children were eating an afternoon snack.
"Abuela Stephie, are you wondering about making Dad stay in San Fransisco?" Mateo asked.
"I am. Maybe we should have brought your father home to find your mother," Stephanie replied. Carlos and Stephanie didn't need to tell the children that Julie was missing. They already knew. Julie never missed a soccer game or practice. When Grandma Rachel took her to the soccer field, Jana knew something was wrong.
"Mom would have wanted you to leave Dad with his team, helping the rescuers," Mateo said. "Abuela, those people need Dad more than Mom. She has Tio Ricky, Rafie and Frankie searching for her. Jana and I know what that means."
"You do?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes. We know our uncles are Unmentionables. Whoever kidnapped Mom must be Unmentionable, too. Dad would only get in the way. Jana and I want our uncles to stay safe," Mateo explained.
"When did you get so smart?" Stephanie asked.
Mateo shrugged and returned to stuffing his mouth with the peanut butter brownies Stephanie and Jana had baked a few hours earlier. Stephanie shook her head, then went to the fridge to pour another glass of milk for Mateo. She set the cup on the table and grabbed the ingredients to make dinner.
Tory entered the house with Hector and Camilo. "I found these two guys lurking at Rangeman," Tory said, sitting across the table from Mateo. "Did you leave any for me?"
"I made a tray just for you," Stephanie said. She passed Tory a plate with two brownies. "Hector, Camilo, would you like some?" Stephanie set another plate on the table with a few brownies.
Camilo smiled at Hector before taking a brownie. Stephanie knew there was an inside joke between them. She suspected it had to do with their method of burning the calories.
"Abuela, why don't you call Tory by his name Hector?" Jana asked.
Mateo replied, "It's less confusing for Hector and Tory. Rafie's name is Raphael, but Abuela's has a friend named Raphael."
"Like we have a great grandpa Frank, but we call Tio Frank by Frankie?" Jana asked.
"Yup," Mateo replied, shoving the last brownie into his mouth.
Hector and Camilo helped load the dishwasher and prepare dinner, letting Jana and Mateo play video games with their cousins. Stephanie diced the chicken for the casserole while Hector chopped the chillies.
"Do you need a hand?" Bonita asked, entering the kitchen with a bottle of wine.
Carlos removed two wine glasses from the cupboard and poured the drinks for the women. "Babe, spend time with Nita."
Stephanie washed and dried her hands. She opened the patio door for Bonita to follow her outside. The women sat out in the afternoon sun and enjoyed their drinks. Carlos refilled their glasses when he announced dinner was ready.
"Handsome and a chef? You are one lucky woman, Stephanie," Bonita said.
"I was a dreadful cook before Carlos taught me," Stephanie confessed. "Doesn't Conor cook?"
"He does, but he's afraid to use spices," Bonita replied. She tucked her dark hair behind her ear. Bonita and Carlos were cousins. She met Conor and Caleb at Rafie's baptism. Despite Conor and Caleb being identical twins, Bonita felt drawn to Conor. Bonita laughed at his joke that he was Ace because he was born first. Stephanie had to correct her assumption. Conor was the firstborn, but he earned the moniker Ace when he outflew everyone, including his twin brother.
"Conor, how long are you staying?" Stephanie asked. She served some casserole onto her plate before passing the platter to Bonita. Conor and Bonita planned to stay until Julie got rescued. They wanted to help Stephanie with her grandchildren.
Bonita and Stephanie rinsed plates and loaded the dishwasher. Stephanie wasn't surprised there wasn't any leftover food. Her youngest son ate more than the average teenager.
Tory exercised for nearly two hours daily. His muscles were lean and stringy, unlike his brothers. Carlos said he built muscles in the same manner as Tory.
Ricky and Rafie resembled Stephanie more than Carlos, except Rafie had brown eyes. Rafie was several inches taller than Ricky, the male version of Stephanie. Frankie was the carbon copy of Carlos. He was the same height, too and the shortest of the boys. Tory resembled Carlos in all ways except height since he was the tallest. It seemed strange that the tallest and shortest of the four boys were practically carbon copies of Carlos. Rafie was the perfect blend, and his skin was slightly darker than Ricky's skin tone.
It took two weeks for Diesel, Ricky, Rafie and Frankie to catch the man who kidnapped Julie. They returned looking a little rough. Julie broke her arm during the ordeal, but she was otherwise fine. Stephanie and Carlos pulled their five children into their arms and hugged them tightly. "Where is he?" Carlos asked, referring to Julie's kidnapper.
Julie replied, "Dead. It was the only way to free me. Frankie realized everything was going wrong and sharply whistled twice. Rafie returned with a long whistle and Ricky with one short whistle. I didn't know what they were doing, but everything went sideways. The man shoved me off the catwalk. My arm broke when it hit the bar I tried to catch. Diesel got injured and passed out on the floor."
"How are you here?" Stephanie asked.
"Frankie," Julie answered.
Carlos looked at Frankie, who shuffled his foot, refusing to return his father's look. Stephanie touched Frankie's face and gently persuaded him to look into her eyes. "Frankie, how did you save Julie?" Stephanie asked.
"Ricky and Rafie were busy fighting the bad guy. I saw Julie falling and dove after her," Frankie explained. Stephanie gasped.
"Continue," Carlos ordered.
"I kind of floated to Julie and got her safely to the ground. Mom, I didn't know I could do that," Frankie confessed.
"Mom, he flew," Julie added. "My brother saved my life. I should have died from that fall."
"Mi hijo, does that mean you change your mind about running Rangeman?" Carlos asked.
"No, Papa. Tory and I want to "rule Rangeman," as Mama called it," Frankie replied, chuckling. "I'll help Ricky and Rafie whenever they need me, but my career is at Rangeman."
After hugging each child, Stephanie examined her boys for injuries. Ricky had sutures above his left eye and his face bruised. Rafie had similar injuries, but the cut was on his chin. Frankie was relatively unscathed. Diesel was at headquarters, where the medic tended to his trauma. "Why didn't you drink the healing elixir?" Stephanie asked.
"The medic said we could only drink it when close to death; otherwise, it would shorten our lifespan," Ricky replied.
"Mom, Dad, I changed my mind. I want to work at Rangeman," Julie announced.
"I'm proud of you, Jules," Stephanie and Carlos replied. Julie enjoyed her job as a social worker, but that feeling dissipated when a client kidnapped her.
Stephanie closed her eyes. She could see Frankie and Tory running Rangeman, taking it national to be the largest security company in the world.
When Frankie turned twenty-five, Carlos Manoso handed the company to Frankie and Tory. It was time for the next generation to take over.
Did the boys work together? Yes. Every few months, another Unmentionable got power-hungry. It took the combined efforts of the four boys to neutralize them and Diesel to strip their powers.
Grandma Mazur passed away a few weeks after Ricky's fifth birthday. Frank and Helen were still happily married. Their marriage improved when Helen accepted Stephanie's life choices. Frank was pleased to have five grandsons and six granddaughters, including Julie. He retired from the Army after sixty years of service.
Valerie and Albert Kloughn divorced after the fifth girl was born. Albert couldn't handle raising children. Valerie never remarried, but she was living with Bobby Brown. He was content to help Valerie raise the children. Bobby didn't have children of his own.
Joseph Morelli got fired from the Trenton Police Department when he kept harassing Stephanie and Carlos. Morelli married Terry Gilman. They didn't have children to carry on the Morelli genes. Terry took drastic measures and had her uterus removed.
Eddie Gazarra became police chief, which surprised everyone except for Stephanie and her family. His father, Edmond, passed away peacefully in his sleep after a long battle with prostate cancer.
Joe Juniak was New Jersey's senator. He decided to resign from politics when his term ended.
Lester and Tank remained single. Neither man found a woman worthy of marrying. The only woman they loved was married to Carlos Manoso.