“It is Christmas?” Amelia asked.

“June,” the agent said.

“Mariah is back?”

“No.”

“The ancient commercials are on again, m&ms creeping up on a fat man. Polar bears with bottles they absolutely could not possibly open without thumbs.”

“Not that I’ve seen, no.” The agent eyed her.

Amelia eyed him back. “So, this bear mutant.”

“Polar bear shifter.” He said.

“Not the one from the x mansion. The one who helped with—“

“With the wizards?” He finished for her. “Thank god, no. That one’s just a kid. He’s a grown man. Goes by Ursa Major,” he laughed.

“So repeat the situation one more time…?” Amelia requested.

“One moment. They’re about to let him in. There.” A door opened. “Thank you for coming,” he turned to address the newcomer. A male. Looked smart. “We brought you in because our agent needs backup on this.”

“I do?” Amelia asked. He continued, as if she had not spoken.

“A 30 year old drug dealer has stolen a shipment of cocaine. He must have tried some of it, to ascertain quality, or whatever, but the substance interactions with his mutation have been frightening. Currently, we are in hour two of his rampage in the warehouse districts by the docks. You know the ones. We have cleared the area of workers currently, and kept it off the news, but we need your assistance to take him down and bring him in alive. Local law enforcement wants to use him for information. Target is a full-grown polar bear shifter, high on cocaine, and angry-“

“Can’t believe this…” Amelia cut in.

“Mr. Hunter, can you help?”

Everyone in the room looked to the ranger for confirmation. The brown-haired woman in a black duster looked annoyed.

It wasn’t everyday there was a meeting about a situation that sounded like the plot to some bad movie. Polar bear shifter downed some cocaine and was on a rampage and refused to simply have a heart attack and stop.

There was a back and forth exchange between a few of the other agents. Ranger was interested in the case but until he was tasked he was keeping to his own investigations. Ranger managed some intel work but most of his work was when he got roped into someone else’s case or had one put on his desk by an analyst. Ranger was a troubleshooter.

If there was trouble, he shot it.

There were some in SUPER who bought into Ranger’s reputation as a cowboy who would blow a building up to stop the bad guy inside. His taunting of Pippa might have gone too far. It also meant that when things really went sideways or bizarre he would be the one to get tapped.

So when Ranger was asked if he could help with the living fizzy drink commercial, people took notice.

”Bring in a coked up bear tearin’ up the docks? Sure.” Ranger said, closing the file he had in his hands and dropping it back on a desk. ”Who’s got lead?” Ranger asked, wanting to know whose show it was. Ranger had learned that making it obvious at the start he’s willing to work for someone eased tensions of him being brought in to solve people’s problems when they didn’t want him.

Who had lead? She was Ill-suited to being the offensive end of this mission. Part of her incredulity had been due to the simple fact that her mutation worked on clothes, and the polar bear had no clothes. It had to have been a joke. But if they were serious, then she would take lead. And delegate. Be an offensive coordinator for coke bear mission.

“I will take lead.” She said. “But I value input. Follow me.”

Another part of her incredulity had been a bruised ego, and needing help. But she actually needed help, nudity was her number one weakness after all.

She nodded to the boss man, then started walking out the door: they could speak more in the car.

Along the way, she was quiet. Thinking. They would take her vehicle. The trunk was full of tools.

What did she know of this Ranger character? Not much. He shot trouble. She could use that. Again, delegate.

She unlocked the car and held the passenger door open for him. Then, she got in and started the car. Before she left, she turned to him.

“My power works on clothes and bears don’t wear clothes, so the trunk is full of tranquilizer rifles and assorted toys. I am hoping you will be able to help me here, and I’m not too proud to admit I value the help. I’d you have any suggestions before we leave, any gear you want got, we can get it. I can play coach but your power will be more useful today. You be quarterback. We will figure out the play.”

Agent Mellitus, Amelia, or Ami as Ranger had heard her called confirmed that she would take the lead. Ranger nodded. It was her case and he was voluntold to help her. Not an issue for him, but could be for Ami. Plus, to Ami’s credit she said she valued input.

A good start.

”I can always provide input, ‘r y’ can jus’ point me at what t’ punch. That’s what most people want me with them f’r.”

Ranger followed Ami out of the room and to her car. His eyebrows going up when Ami opened and held the car door for him. It had been a while since someone had done that for him. And at the time he had been a she.

Before they left Ami gave the rundown on her power and the hardware she had with her.

”Traqs y’ have should be good. My gear is a little more destructive. Not what this mission calls for. I’m more, ‘remove that whole building,’ and less, ‘soothe the savage beast’.”Ranger said, ”It’ll be hard t’ make a call before we’re on scene. Gut instinct is y’ take the traq an’ I restrain the bear. Y’ hold some… clothes… ready t’ assist. I’m strong but bears’re big. Hldin’ both arms an’ keepin’ my feet on the ground could prove challengin’.”

The standard established for Telazol use by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team is 250 mg per 100 lbs.; additional Telazol may be administered if needed via intramuscular hand injection. The dosage established for Telazol is 1 ml/100lbs. This is what lab people had told her, regarding tranquilizers.

The TeleDart RD706 remote injection gun is an extremely accurate, very high-quality dart gun, which is suitable for long distances of up to 70 meters (230 feet). This is what they had.

Smarter minds than hers had handled dosages long ago, for various types of mutants… but it basically amounted to “shoot it many times. Until you know.”

He could punch. He could shoot. He had more destructive things and so did she, but—the goal was to take the bear alive.

He said it would be a hard call to make until they were there. He could restrain the bear… and she could shoot it with the tranqs.

“That’s plan 1.” She said, without adding a well-deserved eye roll. “Suplex the bear.” They were serious folks, here. No sarcasm, nope.

—

They went to the warehouse district by the docks, where the bear was on a tear. It was not hard to find the bear there. He had a flare. For destruction. She had not even blared Taylor Swift on the CD player the entire ride over. Only some. Hey. She would stare directly in the sun, but never in the mirror.

Amelia unpacked a large bag shaped like a tube, and hung it over her back by a strap. Then, she unpacked the tranquilizer dart and a bandolier of darts. Slung those over her bulletproof duster. Tugged on her bulletproof gloves. Against a bear, none of that would likely matter. But it made her feel better, all the same.

She offered The Ranger a crack at what was left in the trunk. Lots of rifles and shotguns and handguns and flash grenades, and other stuff people had been very creative in assembling. Did she have accessories for vampires in the kitty? Who the hell did anyone think she was?! She never parked this specific vehicle on the streets, for obvious reasons. This was the company car… that she had played music in. Don’t judge.

Once they were set, they started hunting bear. It wasn’t hard. They simply had to follow the trail of overturned boxes and torn metal.

Ranger’s plan was designated Plan 1. Suplex the bear. Ranger got the impression that Ami found that idea a little silly. Ranger shrugged off the sarcasm. Ranger could suplex a fire engine. A coked up bear would be no problem.

At the warehouse district, destruction was their yellow brick road. They could follow it to their prey. Then Ranger could suplex the bear behind the curtain. Ranger might not have style, but this was not a delicate mission and out of the daylight Ranger could be quite the anti-hero. Shouldn’t create any bad blood between him and Ami, after watching him make his plan work, she could shake it off.

Ami listened to too much Taylor Swift.

Ranger pursued the offered arsenal while Ami got herself strapped with the tranq gun. Ranger had his personal sidearm on him and didn’t want to have to worry about a long gun on the mission. He opted for a few of the flash grenades. Those were always useful.

”Oscar Mike.” Ranger said as he turned and headed to follow the trail of destruction, the last clip for a flash grenade latching shut to hold it to his belt.

”So what’s plan two? Y’ know. If suplexin’ the bear doesn’t work.”

“I am so glad you asked.” Amelia smiled.

The woman kept walking.

—

It took them ten minutes to follow the trail, fifteen, tops. It wasn’t the difficulty following that was an issue, but rather the amount ground. Plus the man made big canyons, that turned like a maze. Some p arts, bear had plowed straight through. Others, it had daintily gone around. Then they found him.

He was in the end of a long metal shipping container. In darkness, his eyes seemed to glow red. He was fifty feet away, she surveyed through her scope. As he stepped into the light, further details became noticed. Foam at his mouth, box on his muzzle. Mainly near his nose. Sneezed red, sinuses torn. From Coca-Cola.

At 45 feet, he saw them. Recognition lit up his eyes as he approached. He sat back on his haunches for a moment, thinking. His paws also had brown and red spots. He had hit metal and wooden crates, hard. Consequence. He…

He rested his head on one paw, that arm propped against an arm that was across his lap.

It startled her. At first, Amelia thought the sound that came from him had been a throaty, running growl. But it has actually been a rough voice, like someone strained their throat with bloody screaming. Had he said…?

"HALLOOO!" He growled again, Louder. He had a thick Russian accent.

Then saw their weapons. Paw tapped forehead. Recalculating. “Think, think, think. Oh bother.” Could bears frown? He managed. “Noctua always says never get caught, and he is wise. If I were, they’d be mad and send Lepus to remonstrate me. Oh bother, what to do?”

After a moments thought, he stood… And adopted a fighting stance. It almost looked like… karate.

Quietly, she said to the ranger… “A ferocious bear who uses a variation of the Heihachi Mishima style of karate.” She realized she was quoting a fighting game character article.

“COME AT ME, bro.”

“Uh. F-fight him. I’ll shoot him when he’s open.” Amelia said.

Ranger shook his head. Of course after asking what plan two was there wasn’t actually an answer. Ami was destined for high places in government or at least a law enforcement branch thereof. Not knowing the plan wasn’t that big of an issue for Ranger. He was used to emergent situations necessitating new plans on the fly.

It was only ten minutes late that Ami and Ranger had worked their way through the path of destruction to a shipping container with their target. He was at the back end and had seemingly red glowing eyes. Ami observed through her scope and Ranger waited for her to give the word.

The pair moved closer and the bear noticed them, calling out in a thick accent. Then the situation changed.

Again the bear spoke, referencing a Noctua, before standing and taking a fighting stance, but not Sambo like Ranger would have expected. It seemed Ami recognized it though. It was no style Ranger had ever heard of. However she said karate, so Ranger changed his approach to work against that style of fighting.

Ami Gave the word to fight. Ranger nodded and brought up his hands as he stepped closer to the bear before surging forward.

Karate was effective against similar styles. It was good at weaponizing blocks. If your opponent strikes hard, your block can hurt him. So Ranger hit fast. Moving inside the bear’s guard with his power and striking up at the bear’s jaw.

The bear, he had a jar like a honey pot. Easily shattered. So, here He took a step back and pulled his head out of the way. Defensive. Her did not want to be shattered.

“Oh, Pooh,” the Russian drawled. “You make me guard.”

He sniffed sharply. A drop of red fell from his snout.

His moves were quick, or would have been if he’d had been prime. But here he had been into something He should not. His back pedal led to a raised guard by his head. It left his bottom half open. A shot whizzed by on his left, but the dart missed. He bobbed his upper half, and kept his guard up. He shuffled his feet, and readjusted himself- but again, He was open below. If someone rushed.