"It certainly would explain why someone would drive through a store window. Although, I doubt Lori knew well how t' drive a car in the first place." The Ranger chimed in as s/he stuck a female arm back up under the seats fishing around for anything else. Aside from spent brass nothing of much value remained.

'Brass in the cab an' guns in the trunk. New York's finest mus' be havin' a cow by now, thinkin' some kin' of radical neoconfederate's in the city.'

"It looks like it hit something before the window," The Ranger looked up and out to Lenna, moving blond hair out of the way with an irritated grunt."That'd usually be less prominent, if all they hit was glass. Looks almost..Hmm...."

The Ranger slid an arm out and pulled him/herself part way out of the car, sitting on the base of the window."Looks almost like what?" S/He then slid his female legs out and dropped onto the ground. S/he then walked over to see the dent.

>>"Looks almost like what?"

"Almost like Mars in full Red mode," Lenna finished, narrowing her eyes at the dent. She held her chin. "Hrm... seem to remember him making a big deal about one of his brothers not picking up when he called them the other day... think maybe one found you?"

If so, why hadn't Mars called them about it? You'd think they'd be right on top of that. Strange.

The Ranger stopped next to Lenna and scanned the dent. It defiantly did look like Lori hit Mars, or one of his brothers. And one of the brothers had neglected to answer his phone, perhaps because he had been forced by a piece of American muscle through a window into a store.

"It does seem likely. Though you'd think Mars would've heard an' then contacted us about this." The Ranger looked around, there were no lines marking off where a body had lay. So Mar's brother didn't die here, no large pools of blood indicating were a giant had been before being ushered off to a hospital. "It doedn't look like his brother was killed or badly injured... so why no contact with Mars?

Why no contact?

"Maybe he wasn't in the right mind to know how..." Lenna trailed. Or maybe he wasn't alive anymore... she didn't know many who could survive a crash like that. Lenna paused. That was a bad thought. She hoped it wasn't what had happened. She took another quick glance around the scene for anything else of note. There wasn't much. The police might have taken it all away.

"Anything else you see that'd point us in a direction?" She really wasn't a detective. The best she could do was guess.

"Anything else you see that'd point us in a direction?"

The Ranger glanced around, all the damage seemed to be caused more or less by the General. No outwardly broken glass elsewhere. Nothing to indicate they direction of travel.

"Nothin' in here, perhaps there'll be more clue outside. Urban areas are hard to track in, but maybe some cops were trigger happy and we'll have some shot up bricks pointin' the way."

The Ranger walked to the hole and peered out toward the collision s/he caused. Another cop had arrived but none of the three were headed back this way, they still had a little time. S/He scanned the street, to the right of the store there were long streaks on the road from tires. Most likely from police coming to a quick stop. The Ranger began to verbally process the scene.

"Possible police tire streaks to the right.... the left would be the better choice... The Ranger moved to the left and scanned the ground and wall. A little ways down the street some of the bricks were busted. "busted bricks, about chest and head level... My body's and Mars' chest levels..." S/He moved closer and moved his female fingers around a busted brick and fished around inside. Metal. "Bullets. They ran this way."

It quickly became apparent that Michael was a much better problem sleuth than Lenna could hope to be. He must have been part bloodhound. Or maybe he'd simply had more experience tracking people down than her. In her days as a hit-girl, she'd done it plenty. In those cases, the victims had been high-profile. It had been easy. This wasn't. She'd never gone hunting, and learned to sniff out clues.

When the Ranger started barking, and pointing to each and every sign, Lenna looked. She nodded. She followed, appreciatively.

"You're good," She said. "Lead the way."

"This was a major part of my job as a Ranger. So I've had practice.

The Ranger scanned the ground, Lori and Mars' brother had been involved with a car crash. There should be blood from at least one of them, and after only one day some of it should be still around coloring the pavement. The Ranger moved down the street and scanned closely at each intersection or at the entrance to an alley to see if the blood would lead the way. The trail was poor and the Ranger occasionally picked the wrong direction but quickly identified the mistake and regained the trail. Until s/he arrived at a coffee shop. There was a spot of dried and sun baked in blood with bits of fabric, tiny little fuzzy bits, attached, It proved to be the end of the blood trail, or at least a trail with spots close enough together to track.

"The trail appears to end here. The Ranger looked around the area. Nothing, it was in fact a dead end. They would now have to guess the next movement of Lori. "Where would they have gone?"

>> "This was a major part of my job as a Ranger. So I've had practice."

She approved. Lenna idly wondered what else he was trained for. He knew his way around a gun, and he could track people. A thought was brewing in the back of her mind. This man... she might be useful as a member of Slate's organization. If they got her his body back, maybe... Lenna held her chin, pondering that as she followed The Ranger along.

Eventually, the trail ran cold.

Lenna looked to Michael. Damn. Just when they looked like they were on to something.

"... What do you think would be on Lori's list of 'things to do' once she had your body..." Lenna pondered aloud. "Night club, sure, but she's probably done that before... what could she do only as a Man in your body she couldn't do as a woman in her own...?"

There was a long pause, and then Lenna looked to her. "Say, Michael. You still work as a Ranger?" The question came out innocuous, the driving logic behind it, simple. Why was a guy like him, with skills like his, out and about, workless, on the streets of New York... if, in fact, he was jobless? He could certainly be put to better employ.

The Ranger thought about where Lori would have gone, Lenna's idea to think about things she could do in his body that she couldn't do in her own seemed the best bet. Her body's power makes water an issue, so a bath or shower, or perhaps a pool. She has a mass of cash that would allow her to go almost anywhere. The Ranger's thoughts were interrupted by Lenna posing him a different question.

"Say, Michael. You still work as a Ranger?"

"Not anymore, my high an' tight days are all behind me. It turns out some a the generals, promoted beyond their usefulness, did not like a mutant bein' in the military. I probably would 've been kicked out sooner had I not been a Ranger. SOCOM had cast a blind eye on mutants 'cause we were useful." And then struck by an idea the Ranger changed the subject, "High end hotels and the like have pools! She has a lot of cash an' could never jus' go swimmin' before!"

So, he'd been a Ranger, but he wasn't any more... they'd kicked him out for having a mutation... that was rough. Lenna pondered.

Michael made a good suggestion, and Lenna compartmentalized it, filing it away for later. She wouldn't let him change the subject just yet.

"You ever miss it?" Lenna said. "You ever... wish you could do something to help out the world?"

The Ranger, wanting to return to the search for Lori, was curious as to why Lenna seemed to be more interested in information related to his being a Ranger. He decided to entertain her for now, get this over with so she'll be focused on helping find Lori.

"At times, even if what I did went unknown it protected people back here in the States. And yeah, I wish I could help the world, and I try to do what I can here in the city. As a former spec ops. shooter."

"I see." Lenna was silent a moment, then she went on. "What if I told you... I knew a guy who could put you to work doing something for the greater good?"

The Ranger raised a female eyebrow in interest. "Who might this man be, an' what kin' of work does he need doin'?" The Ranger assumed that if Lenna was discussing this guy after asking about his Ranger career that this guy would be pursuing more aggressive methods for the "greater good," which was good. The Ranger wouldn't bite on just helping peace rallys, that won't get anything done.

The Ex-Ranger's interest was piqued. Lenna went on.

"His name, I can't tell you straight up. He... sorta has something on me to keep those details under wraps. But he's good, and he's powerful. He wants to bring about peace on a worldwide scale... and I know, lots of people say that." She held up a hand to stall any dismissals. "I believe him. That's got to count for something. The fact he's already done something to prove his powers of control helps."

He'd done more than just that. Not only was he controlling her... he had her ex-boss under his thumb. She imagined he probably had others. It seemed like he'd done that before.

"As for what you'd be doing, I'm not sure. But I'm certain we could put your talents to excellent use. I need to contact him soon. He gave me a job offer the last time we met. If you wanted, I could give him information on you... once we get this body-swap situation under control. Would you be interested? I know from interactions in the past that he hires all sorts. Each gets to put their own strengths in play. I'm sure you'd accomplish something. I can promise you that much."

Lenna could not tell the Ranger the name of this man who is working to achieve world peace. Which by itself sounds unachievable, at least by most who are publicly seen working toward it. Though, if this man would have use of the Ranger than it would more likely follow along the lines of how the Ranger believed it would have to be achieved. Swiftly applied, and strategically placed, force. And if Lenna believes in this guy than perhaps he is capable of achieving the ideal.

"I'm defiantly interested, but in the meantime let's take care a the body-swap mess."

The Ranger was genuinely interested, but there was a more immediate issue. S/He would hate to end up working for this guy stuck as Lori.