Happy was clearly not very at the moment.  After Ramac, this Elemental made the second super-bad-guy they'd ended up running away from.  Voltaje's reminder of the dangerousness of Happy's suggestions took the edge off his frustration, but not by much, and no better explanation seemed forthcoming from the team's leader.  On the other hand, it appeared he was the only FFer raring for a fight, so he finally made a high-speed hop into the rear of the truck, crossed his arms, and settled in for a good stew.  A little breeze kicked up inside the vehicle, fluttering the ladies' hair, as the team's gear magically appeared in the blink of an eye, piled in the rear next to the sour-faced teenager.  The raucous racket from the engine effectively drowned out his less-than-polite muttered-under-his-breath griping.<br/><br/>Moments later, the five foreigners plus one local were enjoying the chiropractic torture that passed for roadways in this part of the countryside.  J.D. kept an eye out the rear window on the treeline behind them, half hoping the Elemental would emerge and force a confrontation.  Meanwhile his grumbling stomach and aching muscles reminded him of the upsides of getting the hell out of there and returning to civilization.  A real mattress and a hot meal would go a long way toward soothing his aggravation over the team's strategy -- not to mention the desirability of a shower, as the sweaty stink inside his uniform reminded him.<br/><br/>Then again, he wasn't looking forward to the repercussions of the first deaths his team had failed to prevent:  who would be held accountable? and what would be the future of the military's Freedom Force program, now that much of their support staff had been permanently discharged?  One way or the other, the team's glowing reputation with the public was about to get seriously tarnished, unless their bosses were ready to hide the deaths from the media.  For all his bad attitude towards the brass, however, Happy trusted that they wouldn't stoop to a coverup.<em>'And besides, my partners would never stand for such a thing ... would they?'</em>