The Ranger felt rather silly sitting on Lenna's couch with a Polish General's garrison cap on his female head. Not to mention with the yellow dress s/he was wearing.

"It looks good. Let me go grab you that gun oil. Try and gather all the little pieces you can."

With that Lenna was up and out of the room. The Ranger slid off the couch and knelt down on the far side of the table. S/He began the process of collecting the parts that lay scattered across the floor and setting them on the table. It was rather irritating that s/he could not hold as many parts in these smaller hands as s/he normally could. Needless to say it took more time because s/he had to turn to deposit parts more than would otherwise be needed.

When the Ranger saw no more parts s/he arranged the parts on the table so that anything missing would become easily apparent. There was one piece missing, the firing pin. The Ranger couldn't see it anywhere. S/He decided to try and reclaim it the same way it was lost. S/He tried to pull all the metal that was in front of him/her to him/herself. After a few seconds a small ding was heard, and then another, and before long the pin bounced into view. The Ranger retieved it and stuck it on the table.

About that time Lenna returned with an box that looked to be for crafts, but when she began to dig around inside it became obvious that it was for gun maintenance. Lenna drew out a can of oil and held it out for the Ranger.

"Thank you." The Ranger said as s/he took the can and picking up the barrel s/he sprayed a small amount into the barrel. S.he turned back to Lenna and asked, "Cleaning rod, small brush, rag, and small square cleaning cloths?" With the last item the Ranger held his/her index finger and thumb an inch apart to indicate the desired size.

Done, done, done, and done. Lenna rooted through the maintenance kit, and passed him everything he needed. Look at them, doing gun maintenance in fancy yellow and red dresses, with one of them wearing a garrison cap. It was kind of a silly picture.

Lenna took a moment to absorb the oddity of it all as she sat there, watching the Ranger work their gun-maintenance magic. It looked like they were having a little difficulty with it, though. She probably wasn't used to the size of the pieces in the hands of someone with a different body make than his own...

They'd have to get that body back, soon.

After a while, Lenna commented. "So, the plan is that we'll start fresh tomorrow with the search. Hopefully, Mars has more information about 'Abyss', and his contact with Lori. If he doesn't, we'll just have to trace Lori's man-footsteps across the city, and check out all her regular haunts. Maybe, check some new ones she wouldn't normally be wailing in?" Mars had said Lori was unpredictable. He'd also said she was likely to try out every little new thing she could do in a man-body.


...

Lenna shook the thought away. "But for tonight, we'll just relax here. We both need it. Wouldn't want to spin our wheels... With that said, Poker." Lenna pushed up off the couch. "I'll go get the cards."

The Ranger thanked Lenna as she handed him the requested materials. S/He set them all down on the table except the brush, that was used to clear the residue from the outside of the barrel. The gun had not been fired in a long time before today, but the lack of proper maintenance had done irreparable damage which was now evident.

The Ranger moved from part to part, using the cleaning rod with small cleaning cloths attached to the end on the barrel, the brush and the oil to knock off rust and burnt powder from the pieces. The different size of his now female hands and the wires under the skin made the process more difficult. Pieces would be gripped wrong and slip out or not tight enough, it didn't help that s/he had to apply a abnormally high amount of pressure to break away caked on material. 'Why can't people just take good care of their guns?'

When the parts finally began to again look like the working parts of a firearm and less like metal scraped off a sunken ship Lenna spoke.

"So, the plan is that we'll start fresh tomorrow with the search. Hopefully, Mars has more information about 'Abyss', and his contact with Lori. If he doesn't, we'll just have to trace Lori's man-footsteps across the city, and check out all her regular haunts. Maybe, check some new ones she wouldn't normally be wailing in?" "But for tonight, we'll just relax here. We both need it. Wouldn't want to spin our wheels... With that said, Poker." Lenna got off the couch, "I'll go get the cards."

The Ranger nodded, s/he had finally removed all the difficult spots and the gun was ready to be reassembled. Once the firing pin was in place the reassembly was easy enough and when Lenna returned with cards the m1911 was back together and almost looked like a new gun. The Ranger chambered a round and then wiped off his female hands.

For the next few hours Lenna and the Ranger played poker. The Ranger learned fast enough but Lenna seemed to be beating him with almost every hand. S/He was good enough at reading people to know how they would react to a threat weather a punch or a gunshot, but when it came to reading a pokerface s/he was lost. It probably didn't help that the Ranger's inexperience with Lori's power led it to shift objects in the room at varying degrees, thus creating a tell the Ranger was unaware of. While they played they discussed a few things, mostly related to the game but the Ranger did inform Lenna the m1911 would need to be replaced or have a serious overhaul.

After night had fallen they played a few more hands, but the energy the Ranger had lost to water was coming back to haunt him/her. Th Ranger stood to go to Lenna's guest room and sleep but almost fell back into the couch, s/he was more tired than s/he had thought. And so the Ranger retired for the night, crawling into the bed with the flower print comforter and slipping off to sleep.

Cleaning a gun sometimes had a meditative quality to it, Lenna believed. The act of doing small repairs, and bits of maintenance could be calming. She supposed the same could be said of other minute tasks that took concentration and skill, but she preferred this over them. The way guns worked was so much more fascinating. They were built to launch bits of metal into other people. They were built to fire, and spin the bullet and increase its distance. Built for accuracy. Built for stopping power. They could be beautiful, if one thought about it that way.

They could also get covered with residue, and suffer irreparable damage. Her sympathy for the firearm grew.

Finally, she'd spoken. She'd sauntered off to grab a deck of playing cards. Then, she'd returned. A short while later, she was beating the pants off the pantsless, dress-wearing tail of Lori's body. A few games in, it was obvious the Ranger wasn't used to this sort of game. Even her powers betrayed her. They played until the point both their energies failed them. Lenna told Michael 'good night', and they both went off to sleep.

~*~

Morning came with an alarm clock wail. Lenna reached over to smack the buzzer off on the whale-shaped alarm.

She rose, and got to work on breakfast. She didn't bother to wake Michael. She figured that maybe the scent of bacon and eggs would draw the blond gender-trapped Ranger out of hiding. She'd let food do the shaking for her.

A torpedo tube opens in an old Russian, diesel powered submarine. The Ranger pulled himself out dragging his gear out behind him. His feet on the floor the Ranger strapped his gear to his back and took hold of his MP5SD3. The Ranger opened the door to the next area, two targets, he opened fire and dropped the men with barely a sound due to his gun's suppressor. He crossed a few more rooms and down a hallway before arriving in the submarine's command center.

The room was empty except for his C.O. who handed him a suppressed Sig 226 loaded with .357 Sig rounds. He would have to take one shot and with it kill the target while avoiding the hostage that the target held. When the Ranger entered the room he saw a man who the Ranger could not make out holding what looked to be the Ranger hostage, the Ranger shot the man in between the eyes freeing the other man that looked like him. The look alike thanked him, but used the word "ma'am" confused the Ranger looked down and saw that he had breasts and was wearing a pink dress.

The Ranger's eyes opened to blond hair in front of them and the smell of eggs and bacon. S/He had been dreaming. The Ranger crawled out of bed and stretched, then reaching for the door stopped. Normally the Ranger would have no problem walking around in what he wore to bed. Boxers and a wife beater were common to walk around in when he was deployed, but that had been with only a team of males. Yet, this time there was a woman but the Ranger was also. The Ranger had slept in not but undergarments and in the end decided to throw the dress back on for now since it was Lenna's house not a base, and he didn't know whether it was socially acceptable to walk around undressed even if the only people present are women.

The yellow dress back on, the sash in a nice sturdy, unfashionable knot the Ranger walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Where as his/her nose had told him/her, Lenna was preparing eggs and bacon. "Good mornin'." The Ranger sleepily said as s/he crossed over to the stove. And looking over at the eggs added, "You wouldn't happen to have jalapeños, and coarse black pepper would you?"

"Jalapenos..." Lenna paused. She glanced at the blonde, then nodded towards the fridge. "There should be a few in a paper bag in the drawer near the bottom of the refrigerator. If you want to get them out, and chop them up, I can toss them in with the eggs. As for the pepper," Lenna turned, and gestured to the cupboard on her right. "There should be a shakerful in there."

She returned her focus to the stove. Lenna couldn't help but notice Lori's body was still clothed in what she'd worn yesterday. Lenna had yet to give Michael spare clothes. Still, hadn't the Ranger had another set in their duffel bag? Lenna could offer to wash those clothes for her... him, if she needed. Lenna certainly wasn't wearing what she had the day before. Today, she was wearing a coffee and cream-striped t-shirt, and a pair of black jeans. She imagined Michael would be thankful for a change as well.

"I can grab you something fresh to wear in a bit, and we can wash what you need..." Lenna said.

The Jalapeños were in a bag in the fridge, and the pepper was up in a cupboard. The Ranger opened the fridge and withdrew the paper bag, a quick check to insure it had the peppers and then the s/he closed the door. S/He then located and removed from the cupboard the coarse black pepper as Lenna spoke.

"I can grab you something fresh to wear in a bit, and we can wash what you need..."

"I Think I have somethin' clean ta wear, I jus' left the bag in the livin' room las' night... Although other than the pink dress only the shirt is clean."

The Ranger set down the pepper by Lenna and searched out a knife. Having eventually located one s/he pulled a few jalapeños out of the bag and sliced them up. The Ranger paused and wondered if Lori's body was allergic to any foods, s/he had no way of knowing so s/he hoped that if there were any that the body wasn't deathly allergic. The Ranger brought the sliced jalapeños to Lenna for her to put in with the eggs. "Here we go.

>>"I Think I have somethin' clean ta wear, I jus' left the bag in the livin' room las' night... Although other than the pink dress only the shirt is clean."

"Sure," Lenna replied. They could definitely wash whatever. Apparently, it wasn't too urgent for Michael.

Well, with what she was cooking... obviously, there were more pressing matters, like food, on his mind.

Lenna picked up the pepper, and seasoned the eggs. When Michael was done cutting up the jalapenos, she added them to the mix. Everything was looking great. She finished preparing things, and turned down the heat.

"Grab a couple plates, and silverware for me," Lenna looked over her shoulder. "Set them on the table." While he was doing that, she finished dishing the food into a bowl. Lenna walked the bowl of eggs and peppers and bacon over to the dining room table, and sat it in the center. She looked to Michael. "You want anything to drink? Orange juice? Milk?"

"Grab a couple plates, and silverware for me," "Set them on the table."

"Wilco." The Ranger replied as s/he located the dishes and silverware. S/He then walked off to the dining room table with the pair of plates and silverware in hand. The Ranger set a plate down with silverware next to it at the head of the able for Lenna and then a plate and and silverware at the foot for herself. Before long Lenna came into the dining room with the eggs, peppers, and bacon. She set the food in the center of the table and then looked to the Ranger.

"You want anything to drink? Orange juice? Milk?"

"Orange juice, please."

The Ranger rested his female hands on the back of his/her chair. S/He would wait for Lenna to be in the room before s/he dug in. S/He then pondered other courtesies. Whether since he was now a woman he should not worry about standing when a woman enters the room or opening doors. They were not pressing issues but they were things he was raised to do and well should one seek to remain a gentlemen when prsently a lady.

"Orange juice, it is," Lenna replied. She walked into the kitchen, and filled a clear glass pitcher with juice. Lenna grabbed a banana from the bowl of fruit on the counter, then made her way back to the table. She set the pitcher down in front of Michael's glass, then sat down.

Everything looked delicious. Lenna nodded to Michael, and without prayer or preamble, dug into her meal.

Lenna left the room to fetch the orange juice and the Ranger pulled out and sat in his/her seat. The Ranger could hear Lenna collecting the orange juice and then pouring it, into what s/he assumed to be a pitcher. Lenna then made her way back to the table, sat down, and then dug in.

"Thank you."

The Ranger poured a glass and then shoveled bacon, eggs, and jalapeños onto his/her plate. S/He took hold of a slice of bacon and holding it in one hand and a fork in the other, stirred the peppers into the eggs while devouring the strip of pig belly. The glorious meat to trump the flavor of all meats. Sadly the Ranger knew s/he couldn't just devour bacon like s/he would had s/he been in his/her own body. The Ranger did not want to increase someone else's body's risk of health issues with one glorious bacon filled meal.

The eggs and peppers mixed up the Ranger dug into them. The fire of the pepper and jalapeños filled the Ranger's mouth, the love of good heat and delicious pain of spicy food thankfully was a mental thing. The Ranger did oh so enjoy spicy food.

>>"Thank you."

Lenna's fork wobbled in her hands as she nodded. Best not talk with a mouthful of eggs, if she was a lady. Another slice of bacon, another bite of jalapeno, thank you kindly. The glorious meat to trump the flavor of all meats quickly found its existence in question as Ranger and The Lenna made short work of the meal.

Lenna sipped her graciously-sized glass of orange juice, and finished the last of her eggs. She set her fork down, and nudged the plate forwards.

"That certainly hit the spot." Now, for the plan of the day. "I thought after this, we could go for a walk." A 'search-for-your-body' kind of walk. A bit of stretching of the legs.

Before long the Ranger had eaten his/her fill, and finished off downing the glass of orange juice. Lenna appeared to have finished as well, she pushed her plate forward and commented,

"That certainly hit the spot." "I thought after this, we could go for a walk."

Assuming Lenna was alluding to a foot search for Lori in his body, the Ranger questioned if that was the fastest way to handle it, but this being New York City driving would be out of the question. Limited parking and all the traffic would only slow a pursuit.

"That sounds good, and perhaps while we're out we could see someone about a new gun. I'm sure between the two of us we'll know a good back alley dealer on the way ta wherever."

Having a gun wasn't the absolute number one priority, but should trouble arise the Ranger wanted to have a gun that didn't have a firing pin on the verge of snapping.

>>"That sounds good, and perhaps while we're out we could see someone about a new gun. I'm sure between the two of us we'll know a good back alley dealer on the way ta wherever."

"I suppose," Lenna replied. Though she had enough firearms to supply him, should the need arise, there was no need to offer up some of hers. The blond probably wanted something fresh and her own, anyways. Far be it for Lenna to take that opportunity away from the 'gal'. Though, as for the matter of payment. Lenna paused. "How do you imagine you'll pay for the weapon? I have contacts, but they usually want cash. I could call them and arrange a meeting, but..." She trailed off. Money was a major factor in today's world. Word of God held that they'd need some if they wanted a new gun... and she wasn't about to volunteer her own funds to that end.

"How do you imagine you'll pay for the weapon? I have contacts, but they usually want cash. I could call them and arrange a meeting, but..."

The Ranger thought about it for a moment, s/he only had a few hundred which was defiantly not enough for a reliable, untraceable gun. "Hmm, well if they are an illegal dealer than there is no harm in a little aggravated bartering. Better the gun in my hand than some criminal's. That or I could probably break open an ATM, ends justify means after all."

The Ranger stood up and took hold of his/her dishes. S/He would first take these to the sink and then head to the living room to dig out the other dress and then change. "I'll just change real fast before we head out."