[OOC] I Think CCC did a wonderful portrayal of what his character can do with the limitation imposed by its programming.
I would like to add that Furmanity (Furry version of Humanity) is not an equation but a condiction. Good and Evil are part of that condictioning. [/OOC]
As the sun rises from the East, Hondo walks into Fernando's room, waking up and having a .45 pointed to his nose. How fernando manages to do that, is an instinctive reflex that took years to develop.
Hondo (gently pushing the gun away): Yo- Boss! Chill with that!
Fernando (in a very tired and sleepy tone): This better be good... Is Rome burning again or what?
Hondo: CCC left.
Fernando: So?
Hondo: Dont you care?
Fernando (sitting up on the bed): I care, just I am not going chase after anyone who freely decides to take on their own actions whether they stay or not, or what ever actions they would so take as long as it does not interfere with the mission. All I can say to that it, Trust is something that has to be built from a strong foundation.
Hondo: That is rather cold of you...
Fernando: So be it.
Hondo: Alex II brought KITT over so we can meet Agent 47 later today.
Fernando (diving back under the blankets): Go on without me.
Hondo: You know- you make it difficult at times.
Fernando (stuffing his head under a pillow): Life is never easy.
Hondo: What was that? When I speak to somebody- I like to see their face and heard their voices clearly.
Fernando takes the pillow off his head and stares at Hondo with his eyes glowing bright red.
Fernando: I said- Life is never easy. Now if you want it to be easy- I can have you locked up in a mental insitution for the rest of your life where you will be served and waited upon, or give you the winning numbers for the national lottery for $237.3 million... and see what happiness that money get you. Better yet, how you like being Amish? Country living... nothing but tending to farms and animals and having lots of babies... The choice is yours.
Hondo: No thank you. I prefer working for what little I got.
Fernando: Then you know how I feel.
Hondo: I dont know what is gotten into you, but you are a changed squirrel.
Fernando: Believe me, I am not a changed squirrel. You just looking at another side of me that you never seen before. One side that many people do not like. Now, if you dont mind... I have a date with this bed, its blankets and this pillow.
Somebody knocks on the door.
Fernando: As you leave, tell who ever that is that I am not to be disturbed.
Hondo continues to stay there digesting on the words thrown at him. The one knocking at the door opens the door steps 1/2 into the room. It was Bink.
Bink: Mr. Fernando?
Fernando (to himself): Not another one...
Bink walks over to the bed.
Bink: Mr. Fernando. I'm worried about Tammy.
Fernando: What is wrong with her?
Bink: She hardly slept, crying all night long. And when she finally got to sleep, it was when you came in at 5 in the morning.
Fernando: You did not sleep either?
Bink: I'm worried about her, so I stayed up all night to make sure she was OK.
Fernando: I will deal with Tammy, after I get some rest.
Bink: Thank you...
Bink walks away from the room and closes the door behind her.
Hondo: Now you done it.
Fernando: Done what, Hondo?
Hondo: Tammy is all upset about what happened.
Fernando: Just find a bible and leave it on the dining room table. I will find some answer that will help her in all this.
Hondo: I hope so.
Hondo gets up and leaves. In his room he goes through his belongings and finds the 'good book', leaving it on the dining room table with a note on it say "For Fernando and Tammy".
Of all the passages in the biblical text that Fernando can run through his head, '2 Samuel 23:12' was one of the few that he could think of. But he hopes that it would not go that far, for as much as people may praise religion, it does not belong in the business of Furdom.
Fernando manages to get another 1/2 hour of rest, as the others leave to do various tasks, including some shopping that was needed to update dwindling supplies. Bink had left as per her sister's instructions with the girls for some shopping. Only Fernando and Tammy remained in the empty house. After a brief shower and personal hygene routine, Fernando gets dressed in casual attire and goes downstairs to make breakfast for himself.
Tammy walks downstairs (also in casual attire) to the dining area, seeing Fernando making breakfast in the kitchen. She takes a seat that faces his general area.
Tammy: Can we talk?
Fernando: Anything you want to talk about, go ahead.
Tammy: Do I have to worry about going to Hades?
Fernando: No.
Tammy: How can you be so sure?
Fernando: In whatever god you may believe in, He/She/It does not punish those who have acted in selfdefense or in the defense of others. In fact, I believe that he prefers it that way... in defense of self or others.
Tammy: But I took a furson's life last night.
Fernando: One who was going to do harm to you. One was ordered his men to prepare you to do things to you against your will. One who you saw tried to take my life away from me.
Tammy: Why aren't you dead then?
Fernando: I prepare myself for such battles to the best of my ability... Do you want some breakfast or something?
Tammy: No thank you.
Fernando: You sure?
Tammy: I'm sure.
Fernando: Look, Tammy... I asked Hondo to leave the bible there for us tolook over, but I realize that it is a book made from the blood of others, wars fought over it, men on robes who have written in it. To me, it is not a fair assessment of what one should think... But consider this- Good vs Evil, sometimes one side has to die in battle. Unfortunately it is often Good. Some times it is Evil. Most of the time I wish it was neither. In short, Tammy- Bad things happen to good people. And whether the rest of the group argees with it or not, you stood up for the first time and fought against something bad that would have happened to you...
Tammy: How many people have you killed?
Fernando: In the line of work? Too many to count. Personally? 1.
Tammy: Personally?
Fernando: Personally... out of revenge, out of anger, in a time where I cursed out God and all of creation for allowing a bad thing to happen to a good person. So I took an action that I should not have and opened the gates of Hades and hand delivered somebody who did me such a wrong that he dared take the life of the one I loved. So to answer that question- Am I going to heck? I am for that 1 act, not for the ones I did in the line of work and in saving and defense of others.
Tammy sits there stunnned, unable to say a word on the subject.
Fernando: I do not care about what others have to say about this about forgiving and love thy neighbor. Thy neghbor does not often love you. If you want to beyond all this, to be so good that you can be claimed as a saint- well... You should abandon Bink and go into a convent to become a nun.
Tammy: I would never abandon my sister.
Fernando slides a bagel omlette and coffe at Tammy, and places another for himself at the far end of the table.
Fernando: You ever went to see you mom's grave yet?
Tammy: No... I was too busy looking for Bink at the time.
Fernando: Maybe its time you should. Eat up... as we'll go when you're done.
Tammy: But...
Fernando: Eat.
They both sat in silence, having a small meal. Fernando puts away the plates and cups in the dishwasher when they are done. He then takes Tammy by the hand and takes her to his Porsche, telling the AI unit inside to find the location of the Former Mrs. Squirrel's burial site. The AI finds it in the public records, and plots a course for them to follow. They take along drive to the cemetary, on the other side of Rome. A note on the bible on the dining room table was left for anyone to read. Both their guns and holsters laying by the bible.
After a few minutes, they find the grave of Mrs. Squirrel. Her face carved on stone, her current married name above the date of her murder. 'Beloved mother of Tammy and Bink'. A few feet away, the grave of her stepfather who she blames for splitting up the family, now realizing that this was somebody who her mother cared for about that she would spend the rest of life with- and has. Tammy kneels down on the earth by the engraved stones and cries... releasing all that which has been held in for so long until now.
Fernando (to himself): To be dead is forever. To be remembered depends on what you leave behind.
_________________ Fernando's the name,
Swashbuckling's the game.
Damsel Saving, A Specialty.
(And There Were A Lot Of Damsels To Save!)
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