Hondo grinned at Rose as he nudged her in the ribs with his elbow.
 
"I told you he always has his reasons and he's not that unthoughtful. A bit to honest at times, but not unthoughtful." Hondo said. Rose smiled her beautiful smile at him.
 
"I know. I just hate those types of talks. I"m never sure what to say, and I didn't get to fix lunch for you!" Rose said. Hondo laughed and put his arm 'round her and gave her a slight shoulder squeeze.
 
"You'll have many more opportunities to fix me lunch. Fernando was right 'bout that, you know. It couldn't have been handled by a guy. You remember talkin' to me 'bout a quote form a book. It talked 'bout the things a man does, his responsibilities 'round the house and in life. Well, there are things a woman does too and that was one of them. If you think a man likes to do all the things he has to, your mistaken. We all have to do things we don't want to or even feel uncomfortable doin'. As some thing are things a man does, or needs to do, there are things a Woman does, or needs to do, Savvy?" Hondo said.
 
Rose looked off into the distance and soaked in what he said. they ate their sandwiches and sat close. Hondo waited for her to think and to respond. He knew as hard as this mission was on Fernando and himself it was twice as hard on her and the other gals.
 

Fernando continues to work on his laptop, as Tammy and Bink have their long overdue talk. A talk that Bink’s original handler should have had with her. He becomes too immersed in his work.
 
Marco: What’s next on the agenda? Dinner?
Fernando: Huh?
Hillshire: What is it that you are doing?
Fernando: the suckiest part of the job: Intell gathering.
Hillshire: Oh. On who or what?
Fernando: Trying to make connections: Onyx, Anne, Franco, Slovenia, LSD, Ergot, Padania terrorists, everything.
Hillshire: Let us know when you get something.
Fernando: Its like a spider’s web. Rays going out from a central point an a spiral connecting everything together.
Marco: You’re realizing that now?
Hillshire: Everything falls into that spider’s web analogy.
 
After several minutes of the three of them discussing this, Tammy and Bink leaves their room and walk downstairs to the dining area. They both stop by Fernando’s left side.
 
Tammy: Fernando, Bink has something to say.
Bink (quickly blurting it out): I’m sorry Mr. Fernando. If You and my sister want to be lovers, then its fine with me!
Tammy: BINK!
Fernando (continuing to stare at his screen with his fingers frozen above the keyboard): What was that?
Bink (very quickly): If you and my sister want to be lovers then I’m sorry for getting in your way…
 
Tammy can only shake her head as she covers her face with her paws. Fernando slowly puts the laptop to sleep and closes the case. He then turns to Bink.
 
Fernando: I am going to pretend that I did not hear that. You understand what I’m trying to say?
 
Bink nods her head. Then she begins to shout.
 
Bink (shouting): IF YOU AND TAMMY WANT TO BE LOV*---. . .
 
Two sets of tiny hands cover Bink’s mouth as Triela and Angie grab her arms and drag her away. Fernando gets up out of his chair and goes over to one of the kitchen cabinets, pulling out a out a bottle of aspirin from the small stash of meds he keeps in the kitchen. He then fills a glass of water and drinks with an unknown number of pills (4). He then goes back to the laptop and picks it up.
 
Fernando: I’m going to my room.. alone… and wish to be left alone!
 
Fernando goes up to his room.
 
Hillshire and Marco look at Tammy.
 
Marco: You and Fernando getting together or something?
Tammy (as she storms out): NO!
 
Tammy look for the girls, but cant find them. Marco and Hillshire refrain from laughing.
 
Marco: Cyborgs say the damnedest things.
Hillshire: You should hear my Triela talk about me like a dog.
Marco: I don’t have that problem with Angie, she is an angel among cyborgs.Hillshire: That you know.
Marco: What do you mean by that?
Hillshire: She might be a cyborg but she is also a girl, and girls will be girls.
Marco: Not my Angie.
Hillshire: We will have to see about that then. You think we may need to sit down with Tammy and have that talk?
Marco: Which talk is this?
Hillshire: The Handler/Cyborg talk?
Marco: I never had it.
Hillshire: Well, being the first, you miss out on a lot. Besides, you gave that talk to me and the others at time or another. It is most of us look to you for advice on how to deal with our girls since you have had yours for the longest.
Marco: Well, it is not as if it was easy. Angie has her own sort of problems to deal with.
Hillshire: But Angie has proven herself in missions when she was at her worst when most of our cyborgs would be at the med-lab going through diagnostics.
Marco: Angie is one of a kind.
Hillshire: You’re telling me. Anyway, about that talk; shall we?
Marco: I will do it myself. Lord knows Jose had issues with Bink, looks like Tammy is not going to be different on this regard.
Hillshire: And they were doing so well up to now.
Marco: Doing well in missions is the easy part. Doing the interpersonal relationship thing… That takes a bit more practice. Lord knows Jose had tried.
Hillshire: He was succeeding.
Marco: Lets go. I will need you to keep an eye on the cyborgs while I talk to Tammy.
 
Hillshire nods. After a few seconds of silent thought, they both get up and go look for Tammy. They find her near the rear entrance of the house. The girls, nowhere to be seen, probably behind the garage or at the bottom of the empty pool, though Hondo or Rose would have said something about them being at the bottom of the pool.
 
Marco: Tammy. We need to talk.
Tammy: Not until I find Bink first.
Marco: Let Hillshire do that. You and I have a more important matter to discuss.
Tammy: What would be more important than finding Bink?
Marco: You are more important. Now, let Hillshire find the girls while we talk.
 
Marco starts to walk inside the house and up the stairs to the second floor. Tammy thought he was going to either of their rooms, but as she follows, she sees him go past Fernando’s room and towards the storage room, where the stairway to the attic was.
 
Tammy: Where are we going?
Marco: You’ll see.
 
Marco keeps on going, up the next set of stairs to the attic. Tammy follows. Marco walks out of the attic and onto the balcony. Tammy continues to follow as he steps to the rear of the building overlooking the parking area and garage. He leans over the small fence that covers the perimeter of the balcony. Tammy stand just a couple of feet away from him, looking over the area, still looking for Bink.
 
Marco: That Fernando is quite some guy, isn’t he?
Tammy (annoyed): What do you mean by that?
Marco: Take it as you like, but to me, he single-handedly took down the SWA just for you and your sister to be reunited. On top of that, he put the SWA back together and made sure that it cant be taken down again- all within a few days time. The Padanias and 5 Republics have been trying to do this to us for years- and he did it in days. But that is not why we are here.
Tammy: Why are we here?
Marco: How you deal with Bink is your business, but you have to put your hand down and enforce who the older Sorello is.
Tammy: We always had a difficult time growing up. Mom had her when I was 9…
Marco: You are the handler. She is the cyborg. You are the teacher, she is the student, and she has a lot to learn from you.
Tammy: Its not that easy.
Marco: It never is. But you must try.
 
Tammy sighs.
 
Marco: Look, how Bink see things might be a bit skewed due to her conditioning medication. So when she says things like that- it is best to ignore until there is a more opportune moment.
Tammy: Its hard to ignore it when she says it in front of everyone.
Marco: We all been through this before with our cyborgs, so we know that she is misinterpreting what is going on around her. But that’s the problem, you need to teach her how to interpret things so she wont be making those mistakes again. Figuring out who is the bad guys and killing them is easy. Figuring out who the good guys are, that can be a problem if things are misinterpreted.
 
Tammy does not how to answer. From behind the garage, Hillshire comes out with the girls in front of him.
 
Marco: Tammy, you had lunch yet?
Tammy: I’m not hungry.
Marco: In other words, you had not eaten at all.
Tammy: No. I made lunch for Fernando.
Marco: Like I said- he’s quite some guy, aint he?
 
Marco thinks to himself- And she’s deeply in love with him.

After Hillshire has returned to the house with the girls, Marco and Tammy take their separate ways; Tammy goes down to speak to Bink and Marco goes knocking on Fernando's door. Fernando's refusal and denial only made Marco to allow himself in the room.
 
Fernando: I said I wanted to be left alone.
Marco: You, more than anyone here, knows that you cant have privacy on a mission. Now, what have you found.
 
Fernando pauses for a second, as he looks at his screen for a moment.
 
Fernando: Nothing yet.
Marco: Nothing? It would seem to me that several connections can be made with what you got.
Fernando: Anne and Franco connects with Padania. Onyx indirectly connects with Padania, but Anne and Franco does not connect to Onyx. Onyx is indirectly connected too the LSD and Ergot and perhaps Slovenia, but  neither Padania or the 5 Republics connects to the LSD and Ergot- it is not their style to deal poison. Its like a couple of pieces are missing to complete this, at least 1 big one.
 
Marco pulls out a USB pen drive and hands it to Fernando.
 
Marco: Try this.
Fernando: What is it?
Marco: It's a list of dealers, smugglers, assorted assassins and henchmen, and their leaders.
 
Fernando downloads the files to his laptop and parses the information on his pattern matching program. A few more connection are made, but enough to tighten the web. He hands the USB drive back to Marco.
 
Fernando: Not much improvement there.
Marco: Some is better than none.
Fernando: It just shows that the hired guns and mad bombers are affiliated with Padania- something we already know.
Marco (as he points to the screen): What about that one?
 
Fernando double clicks on the point that directly connects Padania with the LSD/Ergot and several henchmen. A window opens up, showing a picture of a red-headed squirrel, and its personal information.
 
Fernando: Bianca Scoiattolo? It says that she's a strong arm in Western Italy's mafia- mainly in assassins for hire and other former crimes. Started from a lowly drug dealer-selling Heroine, Cocaine and LSD. Not much of a connection there.
Marco: Well, if the LSD business is still going strong, she would know where the markets are and where to send the goods. In flooding the market, she can drive the competition out.
Fernando: But in the amounts being found, there is more to this than just flooding a market. We're talking enough to poison water supplies and send whole communities into disarray.
 
Fernando puts a copy of the DVD that Alex II and Agent 47 returned with.
 
Fernando: Strange. Most of the victims are children and teenagers. Hmmm.
Marco: What?
Fernando: You know about the story of the Piped Piper of Hamlin?
Marco: What of it?
Fernando: As the story goes, he used moldy rye to poison the candy treats used to reward the children in help ridding the rats in the town.
Marco: Moldy Rye has Ergot in it.
Fernando: You got that right. The Ergot sent the kids into a hallucination fit, and he used his flute to lure them out of town... you know, I wonder. Any of the girls musically inclined?
Marco: They all are, but not in the flute.
Fernando: Does not have to be the flute, could be a recorder or something else like that.
Marco: None of them play a winded instrument.
Fernando: Then they will need to learn. All we need is a simple melody for them to play, and get the kids to follow. Then we round up the affected kids into a large area, and treat them with Thorazine.
Marco: What about stragglers and adults who are affected?
Fernando: We are going to have to hunt them down. I think I may have some dart guns from the last mission somewhere. Damn, they are back in Naples.
Marco: Just give me a design drawing and I can get the agency to build as many as we need.
Fernando: And the girls with recorders. I think I can do a little something with the dots.
Marco: Huh?
Fernando: I can teach them a little tune for them to play. They play the tune, and get the kids to follow.
Marco: I don't think the chief wont like the girls in that situation but we can get something done.
Fernando: Just get me the girls and the recorders- alto recorders.
 
A couple of sheets of paper are printed on the printer and is given to Marco.
 
Fernando: Those are the plans for the dartguns we used in the last mission. Now take that to the chief along with my idea.
Marco: I'll get to him by tomorrow.
Fernando: Why not today?
Marco: He'll get it by tomorrow, meaning even if I were to drop by the office today, I know that he is not there. But I also know that he will be there tomorrow. So I'll use the PC downstairs to scan and fax the documents over to him, along with a mission status report and your idea later in the day.
Fernando: You're getting to be as snotty as I am.
Marco: Oh no- you excel on that on your own.
Fernando: Ha Ha... now, about that rest I wanted...
Marco: You want rest? How long have you been in this game?
Fernando: Too long.
Marco: Then you would know that there is no rest for the like of us.
Fernando: At least I would like to be able to too sleep at night and not worry about who is going to shoot me in my own bed.
Marco: At least you can sleep at night.
Fernando: What is that supposed to mean?
Marco: You seen the state of this nation. It sucks badly. How was it that you- 1 lowly assed squirrel could take down an entire government agency? How could you have rebuild what was destroyed?
Fernando: When you figure that out, tell me, because my head is still spinning on that ride. But most importantly, if you hadn't built a house from a deck of cards, it would not had fallen down at all!
Marco: The SWA is not a house of cards...
Fernando: Then explain to me why it fell?
Marco: One day, when its figured out, I will.
Fernando: Now, about my rest.
 
Fernando's Laptop beeped uncontrollably.
 
Marco: What's going on with that thing?
Fernando: It just made a find that is making a lot of connections...
Marco: Where?
 
Fernando clicks on the connection above Anne.
 
Fernando: A Mr. Christiano?
Marco: That would be Anne's multi-billionaire uncle.
Fernando its making definite connections to Padania and Onyx, and these two sub connections under him- are connecting to other places.
Marco: Click on them.
 
Fernando clicks on one of the two. A window pops open with text next to a picture of a middles aged scruffy looking rat with sunglasses:
 
'John Doe; retired CIA Agent. Hired hand and personal body guard to Mr. Christiano. Connected to several unsolved murders and missing person cases...'
 
Marco: John Doe?
Fernando: Yes, Its an American name used when somebody can not or does not want to be identified. Now Mr. Doe, Why does you look so familiar?
Marco: Who is the other one?
 
Fernando clicks on other one. A window pops open with text next to a picture of a lean blonde haired young mouse no older than early twenties:
 
'Pinocchio (aka Pino); Hired hand and 2nd  personal body guard to Mr. Christiano. Connected to several unsolved murders and missing person cases...'
 
Marco: I know that one. He's wanted for many crimes, but we can never find the bodies.
Fernando: Sounds to me he has 'a fixer.'
Marco: A what?
Fernando: A hired hand who takes care of bodies that organized crime need to get rid off. Most of them usually run funeral parlors or auto scrap & recycling centers.
Marco: That would make things easy on the disposal end.
Fernando: You find 'the fixer', you get the evidence. That is, if this does not turnout to be a shoot out.
Marco, You mind printing that out for us?
Fernando: Give the printer a minute, then I want you out of my room.
Marco: Oh, with this, we will leave you for as long as you like!
Fernando: Yeah, sure.
 
As soon as the printer finishes printing the file (all 6 pages), Marco grabs the copies, and walks out the room, running down the hallway, yelling, "HEY, Hillshire!!! We Got The Proof Of Connections right Here!!!" Fernando leaves the laptop on, on the desk as he walks to the bed and sits on it. The door remained slightly ajar. Fernando could get up and close it, but doesn't. He just lays on the bed and stares at the ceiling, letting his thoughts get lost for the moment as he tries to figure out a plan.
 
A certain red haired 'munk said, 'the only way Tammy is to be protected from all this is to have her marry the one person who can protect her. But I am not up to marrying no one ever again unless they can prove to me that they are worthy of that bond from me. Nobody has been able to do that since the first time... So why is everybody so willing to put me into that situation when they wont do it for themselves. In marrying her, she becomes a house wife who is a prisoner in the home that I provide. I would not do that to her or anyone else... and most importantly, I cant be there for her all the time, so she has to be able to defend herself as best as she is able. Going home to one more dead wife will be too much for me to handle... Where's Tinkerbell when I need her?
 
Fernando falls into a light sleep, though he may not have wanted too, but exhaustion has finally caught up with him and he releases himself to it.

John and Pino continued their search in Rome, asking questions to whoever they can get information out of. John managed to get access to the graveyard crew, asking questions and getting little in return. But sometimes little is enough- as in 'black fancy porsche car' and 'younger girl with older guy in darkglasses.' In fact, if it were not verified that the two they were looking for were squirrels, John would be getting worried at the term 'older guy with dark glasses.'
 
But with nothing else to go on, it will be a hard hunt to go on, but with some luck, who knows. Sometimes one has to look for luck in order to get it. They stop by a cafe and order a small meal they can munch on while looking over the Piazza di Spagna. If on another day, they may have gotten a catch. But today is a long day and the ones that they look for are many miles away resting.
 
Meanwhile back at the hideaway, Bink sits at the sofa with the other two next to her, holding her down in case she would try to make a break for it or stand up when she shouldn't as Tammy begins to have 'that talk' with her.
 
Tammy: Listen here Bink! Just because we are friends, does not make us lovers!
Bink: But you was in bed with him!
Tammy: So I was... But was I or he naked?
 
Bink hesitated.
 
Bink: No.
 
Tammy: Were we under the covers?
Bink: No...
Tammy: Were we kissing?!!
Bink: Not from where I could see.
Tammy: WE WERE NOT!!! WE ARE FRIENDS... HE HELPED ME GET YOU BACK... DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!! FRIENDS!
 
Bink can only look at her, holding back tears that would have came out on a weaker person. That blank cyborg stare throws everyone off though.
 
Bink: I'm... sorry...
Tammy: You Should Be! And Not Just To Me, But To Him As Well!
Marco: I believe he wanted to be left alone to get some rest.
Tammy: Nooo....
 
Tammy runs up the stairs, allowing herself into his room to  check up on him, finding Fernando asleep. Back down stairs, Marco and Hillshire exchange a few words as quietly as possible.
 
Marco: She's definitely has it for him. What you think- Florence Nightingale Syndrome?
Hillshire: Typical case if it were. What do you think of his end.
Marco: Its not returned, or if it is, he hide sit very well.

[OOC]
Florence Nightingale Syndrome:
Florence Nightingale Syndrome refers to an inappropriate attraction which can arise between two individuals, one of whom is receiving support or positive attention of some kind. In time, natural feelings of gratefulness and appreciation become exaggerated, turning into declarations of love.
 
Example: The receipt of medical attention is a prime opportunity for such interactions to take place.
 
Historical Reference: The relationship between Florence Nightingale and the soldiers of the Crimean War, who were said to kiss her shadow as it fell across their bed, gives rise to the syndrome's name.
[/OOC]

---

Tammy just sat there in Fernando's room, keeping an eye on him while he slept. She held back every urge of climbing into the bed with him, thinking that she would accidentally wake him up and that he would not be happy about it.
 
Fernando just lays there, hardly moving in the 2 or 3 hours in which he napped.
 
Downstairs, Marco manages to call Priscilla at the SWA-Section 2 headquarters, faxing the information to her. Further information is gathered and exchanged, which is given to Ferro- Section 2's  Support and Logistics. She gives the final order to gather the remaining Fratello and Sorello Teams, and have them patrol Rome.
 
The girls sit and watch TV as Marco and Hillshire awaits for further instructions for either end: Fernando or the SWA. Until then, they access the computer terminal at the far end of the house while the girls watched TV. Both Marco and Hillshire are no wimps on the keyboard, hacking away at various systems that they can get access too. Registered to Mr. Christiano are several cars, most through his business. But 4 Black Mercedes 780SELs are registered to him personally, 3 of the 4 have John and Pino registered as its drivers. One would think that they would be chauffeuring Mr. Christiano around, but they are not registered as personal limousines, rather as Personal Use Vehicles.
 
Hillshire: Why would one have a quarter million Euro car registered as a Personal Use Vehicle?
Marco: It probably costs more, considering that he would have made the car bullet proof.
Hillshire: But all 4 of them?
Marco: He has too much money and power than what he knows what to do with. Even if you take 100-million from him, personally, it would not put a scratch on his assets.
Hillshire: People like that should not be living in such excess.
Marco: People like that should not be paying terrorists to conduct terrorism.
 
Though 1 in 100 people in a given population may carry the gene for red-hair, perhaps half of them are females, and 1 percent of them are squirrels. That does not stop Pino and John from stopping the one or two that comes to any close appearance to their quarry. They do, however, meet up with Bianca and Michelle.
 
Fernando suddenly wakes up some 3 hours after he had passed out, sitting up suddenly, and taking his gun to aim at the shadow at the far end of the room.
 
Fernando: Who are you and why are you here?!!
 
Tammy hesitates in answering for a second.
 
Tammy: ...Its me... Tammy.
Fernando: Why are you here?
Tammy: Just wanted to make sure you were alright.
Fernando: Look- when I say I want to be left alone, I want to be left alone!
Tammy: But...
Fernando: No buts, Tammy. You still have a lot of training to go through and a lot of personal changes to make before we can continue.
 
Tammy thinks for a moment, wanting to change the subject. Fernando puts away his gun.
 
Tammy: Did you meant what you said the night before?
Fernando: What did I say?
Tammy: You said, 'Does it matter that I am at least twice your age?' and 'Does it matter that here and now we are going to put our lives on the line just for you?' What did you meant by that?
Fernando: How are you taking it?
Tammy: I need to know what you meant by that.
Fernando: I said to you that this is only an act.
Tammy: Is that all I am to you? An act?
Fernando: I was afraid of this... Look Tammy- I told you that this is a high pressure game we are playing, that people's feelings might get hurt if we are not careful. We can not let our emotions get in the way in this mission, because if we do, one of us is going to get hurt.
 
Tammy sits there looking at the floor, holding back the urge to cry.
 
Fernando: Look, we are friends. Nothing more. Where that friendship stands depends on where you place it. But as far as I am concerned, we are not going to be friends that shares each other's bodies for the sake of the relationship or for emotional expression. Nor are we going to extend ourselves to such activities for use as a pressure valve to release some steam. I do care about who you are and your well-being, so I am not going to extend what we have into those areas.
Tammy: Do you find me beautiful.
Fernando: Why do you ask?
Tammy: I want to know.
Fernando: I find nothing beautiful, not with this eyes of mine.
Tammy (interrupting him): I'm not beautiful to you?
Fernando: No- you misunderstand. I can not judge beauty by appearance because I never learned that step. To me beauty is on a different level, one that is measured from within. In there, you are, but I'm not supposed to tell you that.
Tammy: And why not?
Fernando: No man is supposed to allow his inner most thoughts to be exposed where others can see. I take that to an extreme, especially during missions. Maybe afterwards, we can go to a café and discuss this over a date, but now- lives are at stake- namely yours and Bink's. And I can not allow such thoughts and emotions cloud my judgment and slow down my reactions.
 
Tammy gets up and slowly walks to the bed where she sits by him.
 
Tammy: Why the kiss?
Fernando: What kiss?
Tammy: At the park...
Fernando: I told you before... it is only an act. You have to act the part of giving yourself in a mission.
Tammy: I can not do that.
Fernando: Seems to me you did well.
Tammy: No... I gave myself to you for real, not as an act.
 
Fernando looks at her, unsure how to answer. Tammy take his hand and places it on her chest between her breasts.
 
Tammy: Can you feel that? You have done that... to me. And I don't know how to handle it.
Fernando: Tammy... Look.... Understand... that... we can not allow our emotions get in the way during a mission. Maybe afterwards, but not now.
Tammy (holding his hand tighter against her): How long you expect the mission to last?
Fernando: Don't know. Two weeks, maybe 3 or more.
Tammy: And what about after?
Fernando: What would you want to happen after?
Tammy: What I want is something I can only get in giving myself to you.
Fernando: What I want is for a certain Ms Squirrel to be independent, strong and capable of defending herself because I may not be able to afterwards. Until then, I want nothing in return.
Tammy: What if we got married?
Fernando: Are you ready to take on such a step?
Tammy: No, but I can try.
Fernando: Look... I need you... to go downstairs and talk to Rose and the others about dinner. I don't care about where or when... in fact, lets go out and eat. No body says we can have a little fun in a mission. Maybe it will break the tension we are having now.
 
Tammy looks down at her lap, before closing her eyes, and slowly taking Fernando's hand from her chest and onto the side of the bed between them.
 
Tammy: Can we continue this afterwards?
Fernando: For as long as this mission lasts, when we need to talk, if you think we must then we will.  
 
She smiles a tiny smile before getting up from the bed and walking to see Rose to tell her what Fernando said. The door remained ajar when she left the room.
 
As Tammy walks down the hall to the stairs, Fernando thinks to himself, 'Why? Why here and why now?'