The challenge is this: 

Write a story that involves one or more of the following: Las Vegas, showgirls (dance hall girls), gambling, a casino and/or Elvis Presley.  To make it more interesting, please include the following words: Exciting, Midnight, Bright, Jackpot and Illegal.  One more thing. The story should be under 5,000 words. Since April 13th has passed, it is now time to POST!

You know by now I don't own these guys.

Main Character: Ezra (did I really have to tell you?)

Universe:   ^__^

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Vegas – Bright Midnight
-Celesta SunStar

***

Ezra surveyed the gambling hall with air of proprietary pride. The low murmur of voices mixed into a steady background hum, with the occasional Jackpot lights flashing from the slot machine area. He knew that the Bright Midnight Casino and Saloon was only his for the duration of his current undercover assignment, but he had been giving some idle thought to buying it once the assignment was over.

Assuming it survived the end of the assignment...

For a change, the whole team was ‘under’ for this stint, with easy (or not quite so easy) roles to play. They were only a part of a three-pronged operation to locate and close down illegal stills in the California/Nevada area. Hence their team was being ‘borrowed’ by the Nevada ATF, and stationed in Las Vegas. Ezra was acting as a buyer and distributor of bootleg alcohol, a fairly easy role in comparison to some of his latest undercover assignments. Vin was acting as a co-owner and seller contact for the ATF go-betweens for the still operators as he seemed to be more likely to ‘get his hands dirty’ with the illegal alcohol. JD got to be Ezra’s personal assistant, while Josiah was a bartender-bouncer, since he had actually been a bartender once. Nathan headed up the first aid staff. Chris and Buck were not ‘employed’ by the casino, as they needed some team members to be more mobile, so Chris was the resident ‘mean drunk’ in the saloon, and Buck was the resident Elvis impersonator. There were a few female ATF agents ‘under’ as showgirls, but they had managed to keep Buck away from them.

Still as much as Ezra was enjoyed basking in the atmosphere of a thriving establishment, he was looking forward to becoming an owner in absentia, and going home to Denver. However he was needed to choreograph a preliminary buyer meet in order to start drawing the suppliers into the ATF web. Only he, Vin and JD were going to be ‘in’ the meet, with the other four located in nearby rooms in case of trouble. Ezra rather doubted that they would be needed as the bootleggers were getting desperate for buyers, (due to an ATF-related shortage...)

Ezra was about to locate JD for another run over the script, when...

Yellow alert, all hands please report to battle stations... Yellow alert, all hands please report to battle stations...

Ezra sighed and shared a look with the Vulcan navigator across the room, why this had to happen on the off duty shift he had actually managed to get everybody except Captain Larabee and Commander Wilmington into the simulator...

He liked it when they got to schedule simulator breaks. Everyone’s favorite was when they got to go to the Old West, but playing in the ATF was another favorite of his. Vin shook his head ruefully at Ezra as he vanished out the door to the corridor outside.

“Computer, save and end program.” Ezra called out as he followed Vin out. He might have been a bit disappointed, but fantasy wasn’t always as exciting, or as stimulating, as real life. The buyer meet could wait another day; the Maverick crew had work to do.