Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum series belong to Janet Evanovich. The movie "Men In Black" is also not mine. No copyright infringement is intended
Pairing: None
Rating: Suitable for all ages
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Ranger, Man In Black
By TT

Stephanie’s head jerked upward as she came awake suddenly.

Reaching up she rubbed the side of her face, wincing slightly when she felt the impression of her wrist guard.

Eventually, she was awake enough to figure out she was still at Rangeman in her cubicle. A glance at the clock on the wall revealed it to be just after two in the morning.

Standing, she stretched before reaching for the final report. It was just one more in a painfully long line of them she had been running.

As she moved through the finally-silent halls, she couldn’t help but wonder what, exactly was going on that was keeping Rangeman so busy. Normally they were busy, but this was busy at a higher level.

Stifling a yawn, she decided she would drop this last report off in Ranger’s office and head home.

The door to Ranger’s office was opened a little and a light shown within.

Stephanie hesitated, debating if she should knock or just enter.

Another yawn overtook her and she decided to just step in, drop off the papers and leave.

In keeping with her plan, she stepped to the door, pushed it open and took a step into the room.

She noted Ranger and Tank standing over the small conference table in the corner of the room and figured she could slip in and out without garnering their notice.

Just as she set the pages in Ranger’s inbox, she overheard what he was saying.

“Make sure Ella has the Martians taken care of. We can’t afford to have their presence become known in or out of the building,” Ranger commanded.

Stephanie stood frozen. She shook her head to clear it, but was still almost positive Ranger had said… “Martians?” she said aloud. Her eyes grew wide as Ranger and Tank turned to look at her, finally noticing her presence.

There was a slight hesitation before Ranger said, “Martians? I said marshmallows. You know they’re contraband.”

Stephanie just continued to look at Ranger. She knew what she had heard, but Ranger’s blank face was letting her know she should forget what she heard and believe the lie about marshmallows. Nodding once, she backed toward the door and said, “I think I’m just going to go home. I’m obviously tired enough that I’m hearing things.”

“Why don’t you sleep up on seven tonight, Babe?” Ranger suggested.

Stephanie felt her heart speed up as she continued to walk backward to the door. “Nah, I’ll just go home. I’ll be fine to drive that far,” she assured.

Ranger just nodded and let her go.

“Martians. Marshmallows. Mush for brains at this hour,” Stephanie grumbled to herself as she quickly gathered her purse and headed toward the elevator.

Back in Ranger’s office, Tank looked at his boss. “Will she be a problem?” he asked, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a cylindrical silver device with a light near the top.

Ranger contemplated the question for a moment. “No,” he decided. “I’ve planted the seed. Her ability to deny will take care of the rest.”

“If her curiosity doesn’t get her first,” Tank cautioned.

A small smile tugged at his lips and a calculating glint showed briefly in his eyes. “We’ve got work,” he stated, turning back toward the conference table.

The subtle signs had not been lost on Tank. He shook his head slightly. He had wondered why Ranger had left Stephanie sleeping at her desk. Apparently, Ranger was looking for a new recruit.

End

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