Tank picks up Ranger, ignoring the kicks and punches, and carries him onto the jet. Ranger is too distraught to put up a good fight. Bobby recognizes one of the men examining Stephanie. He raises a brow when the man immediately turns his back on Bobby and Tank. Bobby wants to confront the man, but he follows Tank, knowing they must sedate him for the trip home. Lester approaches Carl and asks, "Where are you taking her?"
"Chicago, to her grandparents. It's where she wants her family to bury her," Carl replies. "I'll send you the details."
"Thanks, man," Lester says. He stares at Giuseppe before turning on his heels to climb aboard the Rangeman jet. Ranger lies on the bench seat, drooling from the sedation Bobby injected into his arm.
Tank rubs a hand over his cleanly shaven scalp. "Was the body Stephanie's?" he asks, hoping for good news and anticipating the worst.
"It is," Lester confirms. "Carl says they're taking Stephanie to Chicago for her burial. Why wouldn't she want her funeral in Trenton with her family and friends in attendance?"
"Stephanie doesn't like the attention," Bobby replies. "Who is the boy with Carl and Diesel? He looks an awful lot like Stephanie."
"Probably her long-lost brother or another close relative," Lester says. "We need everything from Ranger's laptop."
"I'll order Hector to send us the details," Tank replies. He places the call. Hector's reluctant to invade Ranger's privacy but does as Tank orders.
Tank waits until the pilot allows them to roam the cabin freely. It takes seconds for Tank to connect to the laptop and wifi on the jet. He retrieves the email from Hector and reviews the photographs and facial DNA results.
"What did you find?" Lester asks when Tank raises his brows.
"Wolfram Braun and Stephanie Plum are likely Giuseppe's biological parents," Tank replies.
"Isn't Wolfram ancient? How and when did Stephanie have a relationship with him?" Lester asks.
"It wasn't a relationship," Tank replies. "Haven't you read the research on Wolfram?"
Lester shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Only what I needed to share with Diesel," he says. "Was there something in that file that could have prevented Stephanie's death?"
"Wolfram is an evil unmentionable. He impregnates other unmentionables to create offspring in hopes of extending his life by replacing his failing organs," Tank explains. "None of the women consented to having sex with Wolfram. He drugged them, and most of the women never knew Wolfram raped them. About half carried the child to term; the others aborted."
"Why did he impregnate Stephanie? She isn't an unmentionable," Bobby says.
"She must have been, and someone removed, or she lost her powers around the time of Giuseppe's birth. I never questioned where she got her spidey sense. I assumed she had minimal unmentionable abilities like Ranger," Tank replies.
"I can't understand why she never asked us for help," Lester whines, crossing his arms and pouting.
"We must learn why she left before we can determine why she never asked for assistance," Tank explains.
"If Stephanie had her abilities removed when she had Giuseppe, wouldn't it stand to reason that she knew Diesel had to restore her powers before confronting Wolfram? Not having them for over fifteen years would overwhelm her system, and they could explode from her," Bobby says. "Not involving us kept us from harm."
"But Ranger knew where to find her before we received the intel," Lester says, attempting to dispute Bobby's claim.
"Which only confirms my suspicions. There must be something else we're missing," Bobby replies.
"What's that?" Lester asks.
"The catalyst. What happened to Stephanie to initiate everything?" Bobby says.
"What are you thinking?" Tank questions.
"Was Stephanie pregnant?"
"You think a pregnancy could have started this? Who's baby?" Lester asks.
"Mine," Ranger mumbles. "Stephanie hasn't spent time with Morelli in months. We had sex before I left for Miami three weeks ago. Her last tampon purchase was a few weeks earlier. Do we know if she was pregnant?"
"No. We need an autopsy or a blood sample to confirm," Bobby replies. "Since Stephanie was a healthy female, the coroner will likely complete an autopsy to determine the cause of death."
"Stephanie would have told me if she was pregnant," Ranger says.
"What if she didn't know?" Bobby challenges.
"She would know," Ranger insists. "Her cycle is regular, and she is rarely late. I can't believe she's gone. Why did you drug me?"
Tank rubs his head by habit and replies, "One of the men examining Stephanie is with the Unmentionables Committee. We aren't allowed to interfere, and you weren't letting us pull you away from them without putting up a fight. I had to carry you out. Bobby sedated you by jabbing you in the ass." Ranger glares at Tank when he grins.
"Why do you think Stephanie was pregnant?" Ranger asks.
"It's a theory," Bobby says. "Why would a doctor working with the Unmentionables Committee examine Stephanie's body?"
"I didn't see any doctors examining her," Ranger argues.
"He was wearing Airport Security clothes," Bobby says. "I recognized him before he turned his back on us."
Ranger checks his watch. "Where are we going?" Ranger asks when it becomes apparent that they aren't flying to Miami.
"Chicago for the funeral. Would you rather go home first?" Lester replies.
"How long does an autopsy take?" Ranger asks Bobby.
"It depends on what they find," Bobby replies. "Some tests can take up to a week for the results."
The pilot interrupts their conversation to announce, "We're landing in fifteen minutes. Everyone, take your seats."
Their jet lands ten minutes before the one carrying Stephanie. Ranger waits for everyone to disembark, praying Stephanie will walk off the plane. His legs are weak when Diesel and Carl carry the body bag secured to a backboard down the stairs. The coroner rushes forward with his assistant to collect the body. He unzips the bag to check Stephanie's face against the image on his phone. With a nod, they load Stephanie's body into his van.
Lester wipes the tears off his face. "I thought she would be alive when she got here. Couldn't the unmentionables bring her back to life?" he asks.
Bobby scoffs, "Lester, there is no coming back from the dead. Wolfram Braun prolonged his life with his actions. Eventually, everyone dies. I want Stephanie to be alive as much as you do, but it isn't possible. She gave her life to save others from Wolfram."
"What about other children like Giuseppe?" Lester asks. "What will happen to them?"
Diesel steps forward to explain, "Most of those children were found and exterminated by the Unmentionable Committee. We were fortunate to find ways to keep Giuseppe safe. Stephanie unknowingly protected him during the pregnancy. Part of her abilities included shielding others. While she gave birth, her powers were seemingly uncontrollable, but we realized a few hours ago that she protected her baby. Carl, Giuseppe, and I should have died from the explosion of her powers. We're only alive because she shielded us from the impact. Carl thought I protected us, and I thought it was him. Giuseppe suggested it was likely Stephanie shielding us from her energy."
"She always said Ranger was Batman, and she always wanted to be Wonder Woman," Lester says, smiling.
"Indeed, she was Wonder Woman," Ranger says. "The world lost a loving, generous, and kind woman. I'm honored to have known her."