Page 45 of Capturing Perfection

Green Ranger: Gee. I think the local donut place got blowed up. Want me to run by the QT? Oh wait, that's like 6000 miles away.

Yellow Ranger: Forget it. Gas station donuts are like hockey pucks. Last time Markham chipped his tooth and cried.

Black Ranger: I DID NOT CRY YOU ASSHOLE. I GOT SAND IN MY EYE!

Pink Ranger: I have it on video

Delete that

Make me

Red Ranger: Focus. Briefing covers our next field op. Real deal. Bring your A-game and some actual working pens this time.

Blue Ranger: I’ll bring crayons for Markham

Black Ranger: You're just mad I color inside the lines better than you

Yellow Ranger: Can we also discuss that someone labeled all the MREs BioHazard, and somehow they're now more tempting?

Green Ranger: MREs are first come, first regret.

Pink Ranger: Especially the “beef” stew. I still don’t believe that’s a legally defined meat.

Red Ranger: ENOUGH! 0500. Show up, gear up, shut up.

Blue Ranger: Inspiring words. Clearly worthy of a nobel laureate.

God they'd had been such idiots. The text chain had been all the members of the Alpha team on Logan's squad. Markham or Black Ranger had convinced them to all pick code names based on the Power Ranger characters. His niece had been obsessed. Logan had gone with Blue Ranger and Adams was Green. Mya, as the only female in their squad, claimed Pink. Even though Greg had argued, why should she get pink just because she was a girl? That led to a heated debate about systemic sexism and the military. Their team leader, Staff Sargent Long, got coined Red Ranger and Greg ended up with yellow.

Logan's finger hovered over the space to type out a new text. He started to punch out a message, but stopped.

There's only Long and Markham left.

Of the people in the chain, Brian, Mya, and Greg were all dead. He didn't think he could type a message and then see a notification that Brian, Mya, and Greg's numbers failed to send, or worse, that someone else received them and responded, "Who is this?".

Logan found his old team leader's contact information. A tremor ran through his finger as he tapped the number. The trill of a ring resonated through his processors. With the bluetooth streaming capabilities, he heard the call in both ears, but Logan still sometimes used the captioning app for unfamiliar callers.

"Logan? Is that you?"

"Hey Red Ranger."

"Holy fuck. Where are you? How are you? Why didn't you call me back, asshole! Do you know how many voicemails and text messages I've left you?"

He did. And he hadn't listened or read a single one of them.

"I … I lost my way, Sarge. After … after that day…"

"Are you safe, Sergeant? I'm CONUS. Wherever you are, I can be there in a few hours."

Logan sniffed, and he inhaled and exhaled. He didn't know why, but he'd barred his head and heart from the survivors of his squad. His squad leader had always been not only his boss, but a friend. Logan realized in that moment he hadn't been one in return.

"I'm fine. Well not fine, but okay. I'm sorry Anthony. I'm sorry I disappeared."

"Where are you? I'm coming and I'm bringing Markham with me."

"You're in contact with him?"

"You could say that. Now stop stalling."

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