Chapter 19: Chip and Dale
 
(A few hours before)
 
The streets were dark, wet and cold with only the neon lights brightening the gloom and loom of buildings that should have been condemned and torn down years ago.
 
"It's a bright sunny day in Tokyo, Chip!" Dale throws at him.
 
"That is what they want you to think!" Chip yells at his friend with a finger to his face.
 
"We should have gone to the hotel and drop off our bags." Dale complains.
 
"Yea, these bags are heavy!" Monterey Jack says.
 
Chip looks at them for the moment.
 
"I'm going to the hotel." Dale lets out.
 
"Oh no you don't!" Chip grabs on to Dale's tail, "We got to find clues."
 
"Clues for what? Didn't Misao say we should be getting ready for dinner at the palace?" Dale asks.
 
Chip looks at him disgusted and angrily.
 
"It's gonna take me time to wash up and put on a suit!" Monterey Jack explains.
 
"So, where are your tourists going?" a thin mouse with a cigarette walks up to them in a denim jacket and grey knit hat.
 
"What's it to you?" Chip snaps at the mouse.
 
"Whoa, big fellla. Let me warn ya that if you keep heading down that direction, you'll be heading into Dragon Territory. But I got my cab over there and can get you back to Tourist Central for, let's say 150 thousand yens." The mouse says to him, knowing that it should only be 5 thousand yens or less.
 
"150 thousand? Who you get me for, a fool?!!" Chip yells at him.
 
"Yo Chipper, relax! It takes 10 thousand yens for one 1 US dolla, so it's about a 15 dolla ride!" Monterey Jack tries to explain.
 
"15 Dollars?" Chip asks.
 
"Yep." Monterey replies.
 
"And the Dragons are over there?" Chip asks.
 
"Yes, I would not recommend going there." The mouse says to him.
 
"Hmmm..." Chip says to himself with his hand stroking his chin. He starts to talk to himself, "If that is Dragon Territory, then it should be nothing but low level grunts there and we need to find those in government. Hmmm..."
 
The mouse leans over to Dale and Monterey Jack, "Is your friend alright?"
 
"He gets like that sometimes. I would not pay him no mind." Dale tells him.
 
"How would you like to be our driver?" Chip asks.
 
"Eh?" the mouse replies.
 
"You know. You take us to the hotel, then around 7PM we go to the Emperor's palace, you can pick us up and take us there. And around 11PM or so, we call you and pick us up and take us back to the hotel. And in the next days we need your service we can call you can you pick us up" Chip explains.
 
"Hmmm..." the Mouse thinks then speaks, "It’s going to be expensive."
 
"How so?" Chip asks.
 
"I'm going to need three million yens to get the palace permit to drive into the palace grounds, without it I  can’t take you there." the mouse plays off his lie, thinking more about getting access to the palace than the money itself.
 
"Monty, what's three million yens?" Chip asks.
 
"That's about 300 dollas." Monterey answers.
 
"Alright, you got a deal!" Chip reaches over and takes the mouse's hand, shaking it vigorously, Dale, pay the man so he can take us to the hotel."
 
"But I don't have the money." Dale replies.
 
"Gadget has the money case." Monterey adds.
 
Chip looks angrily at them.
 
"I accept Visa and Master Card." The mouse tells them.
 
Both Dale and Monterey shakes their heads and shrugs their shoulders.
 
"Don't tell me, Gadget has them too?" Chip asks, getting frustrated with each word.
 
"Who is this Gadget?" the mouse asks.
 
"That's simple. She is Chip's wife!" Dale tells him.
 
"Say no more!" The mouse says to them, "Allow me to take you to the hotel and when I pick you all up to take you to the palace, you can pay me then."
 
"Deal!" Chip says shaking the mouse's hand vigorously some more.
 
"But first I have to drop by the cellphone store and pick up my cell. The screen got cracked so it's being fixed. Then when you are ready to go to the palace, you can call me to pick you up!"
 
"So, how much for everything?" Dale asks.
 
"Let's see... the palace permit, the three rides..." The mouse calculates the numbers in his mind, "Hmmm… Let's call it three million eight hundred thousand yens."
 
"That's about 380 dollas, Chip." Monterey throws at him.
 
"I know! I was figuring it out myself." Chip throws back at him.
 
"Well, the cab is this way. Follow me!" The mouse says as he leads them to an old beaten up taxi that has seen better days.
 
They get into the cab thinking they have the better deal sit back smile and discuss mission secret details that should not have been said. The mouse mentally records everything that they say. He stops at a cab in Tokyo's technology area, where anyone can by any electrical device from computers, digital assistants to laser pointers and stun guns. The mouse comes back putting a brand new cellphone to his ear to test it before getting into the cab. He brags about how they replaced to casing and the screen, making his cell phone brand new, though it was brand new as it was a tourist rent-a-phone unit he just got. He writes on a slip of paper the phone number of the cellphone and passes it back to them. Chip takes the paper and nods before putting it in his pocket.
 
They stop at the Tokyo Marriot Hotel, just a couple of blocks from the Hilton where Fernando was staying. Chip shakes the mouse's hand and both agree for him to pick them up around 7PM but only after when Chip calls him to verify the exact time to pick them up.  
 
Monterey Jack looks at the mouse drive away in the beaten up cab before making this thoughts known.
 
"Is this the rite hotel?" Monterey Jack says.
 
"Gadget said the Marriot." Chip throws back at him.
 
Dale reaches into his pocket and hands Chip his cellphone, "Call her."
 
Chip gives Dale an evil scowl before taking the cellphone. He dials her number and waits for the call to be answered. It goes to voice mail. Chip sighs for a second before saying, "Gadget, we're at the Marriot and are going in to rest and wash up. Hope to see you soon."
 
He then hands the cellphone to Dale, "I left a message in her voice mail. Let's go."
 
Together they all go into the Marriot.

Chapter 21: Into the Night
 
With the Mustang parked in a private garage, Kei and Yuri walk about downtown Tokyo's theater and entertainment district. Though in their mid 30s, they act like they are in their late teens or early 20s, for that in them has not changed. Where women their age would get such relief from their husbands, Kei and Yuri has anyone with a Y-chromosome in their genetic make-up within range of where they can see.
 
At the edge of the curb facing a couple of theaters and an arcade Yuri points out a few things.
 
"How about that one, Kei!" Yuri says as she indiscriminately points about.
 
"He's more your type." Kei points out.
 
"I was just saying!" Yuri lets out loud.
 
"Besides, he's alone and I'm not sharing." Kei looks at her friend sternly.
 
"Then go get your own man!" Yuri tells her.
 
"Our dating mantra has always been we find a guy and see if he has a friend because we are always on the job!" Kei tell her.
 
The roar of several high powerful motorcycles breaks through the clatter and jabber of the crowded sidewalk. Panic and mayhem takes over the crowd as they can tell from hearing machinegun fire and the sound of a large car crashing hard into something. But Kei and Yuri takes out their firearms and stand behind a lamp post for shelter as the stampeding crowd rushes by. They step out into the cleared sidewalk surveying the scene.
 
Half a block away was a Lincoln Towncar with its nose wrapped around a lamppost with smoke or steam coming out from around the edges of the crumpled up hood. Kei and Yuri run to it.
 
"You got the license plates of those motorcycles?" Kei yells at her partner as they run to the smashed up vehicle.
 
"That was your job!" Kei yells at her, "I was protecting your skinny butt!"
 
They put away their weapons as they approach the vehicle.
 
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrives with sirens blaring, surrounding the scene and grabbing anyone for witness statements. Two detectives approach Kei and Yuri as they check the occupants of the car.
 
"They're all dead in there." Yuri says as she takes out her arm from inside the vehicle and look at Kei.
 
"Who is dead in there?" One the detectives say as they approach them with guns aimed at them.
 
"Let's see some identification." The other detective says as other police officers surround them.
 
Yuri hands over her police identification wallet, Kei refuses for a while.
 
"You too." The first detective says as he stretches out his arm to her.  
 
"You better not #$@!ing panic, or I swear..." Kei tells him off as she hands him her police identification wallet.
 
The other detective shows Yuri's identification to the first and looks over Kei's.
 
"The Dirty Pair..." The first detective says to the second who nods at him.
 
They both turn to Kei and Yuri but do not return their belongings, yet.
 
"What are the infamous Dirty Pair doing in Downtown Tokyo? Aren't you two banned from most of Tokyo?" The second detective says.
 
"And what happened here?" The first detective says to them.
 
"We're on a high level case. You can call the inspector about it, he can tell you everything." Kei begins to say.
 
"We were over there when several super bikes rolled by making a lot of noise, followed by machinegun fire and then we saw this car smashed against the lamppost and we decided to check it out." Yuri tries to explain.
 
"And you said that everyone's dead. How do you know that?" The first detective says.
 
"I checked their pulse and found none." Yuri tells them.
 
"Tampering with evidence..." the second detective says to the first.
 
"I did not tamper with evidence! I was checking for survivors to give first aid to any survivors!" Yuri yells at the second detective.
 
"A likely story..." The second detective says to her before the hand of the first detective goes onto his chest and pushes him back.
 
"Now that you found no survivors, what you did next?" The first detective asks.
 
"Nothing, that's when you rolled up on us." Kei tells him.
 
"So you don't know that this vehicle belongs to Emperor's Protective Services?" The first detective asks.
 
"No we did not know that." Kei tells him.
 
"What would the Emperor's guards be doing out?" Yuri asks.
 
"Anything. But the question is, was the Emperor with them?" The first detective asks.
 
"I did not see him in there." Yuri answers.
 
"Neither did we." The second detective tells her.
 
"If the Emperor's guards are here..." Kei begins to ask.
 
"As you know there are over 2500 Guards in the Emperor's Protective Services. These could have been out on break or a meal..." The second detective begins to explain.
 
"Or looking for nookie." Kei throws back at him.
 
The second detective looks at her sternly.
 
"Whatever the reason, there are six dead guards and a wrecked vehicle." The first detective explains as a police tow truck arrives at the scene.
 
"Wait – aren't these vehicles bullet proof?" Yuri asks.
 
"As you know, nothing is totally bullet proof. It only protects to a limited extent and that's it. And this being the guards' vehicle, it would have less protection than the Emperor's vehicle." The first detective explains.
 
"I would not be surprised if it did not have any protection at all." Kei lets out.
 
"No it doesn't. A bullet proof car should have bullet proof windows, but all the windows in this car have all been shot out." Yuri points out.
 
Though everyone looks at the car and the lack of windows on it, everyone's attention is drawn away with paper flyers raining on the area. Everyone manages to catch a flyer and compare it.
 
"We will not give into concessions?" Kei and Yuri say at the same time as they read their flyers.
 
"What does that mean?" one of the detectives asks.
 
"Don't know." Kei and Yuri say at the same time, though they believe it might have to do with the treaty signings. Kei throws in as a challenge, "Are we getting our weapons and identification back?"
 
"We will see." The second detective tells her.
 
"Hold on. What is the Dirty Pair doing here?" The first detective asks.
 
"Like we told you, we're on a high level case. Now if you want more details, you will need to ask Headquarters about it." Kei yells at him.
 
The first detective nods to the second before handing Yuri's shield and identification to her. The second reluctantly gives Kei's hers. After putting their things away, Kei grabs Yuri by the arm and hauls her away from the scene.

Chapter 23: An Expected Guest.
 
After a biometric security scan, Chip and other others are escorted to a large room with other dignitaries, mostly the high ranking officers of the American fleet along with the Fleet Admiral and captains of the USS Washington, which calls Japan its Home Post. Seeing Admiral Ready, Chip makes a Bee’s Line towards him, taking his hand and shaking it.
 
“How is it going, Charlie? How’s the Big E?” Chip shakes Admiral Ready’s hand.
 
Admiral Ready works his hand off Chip’s grip, “Things could be better. You were there when it happened.”
 
“So, how’s the ship? Received any help from these... mice?” Chip asks as he looks about to see if anyone was listening.
 
“We managed to limp to port and she’s under repairs as we speak. And though these mice did not offer to help, a certain flying squirrel did.” Admiral Ready explains.
 
“A certain flying squirrel?” Chip asks.
 
“Fernando.” Admiral Ready states seriously.
 
“What is he doing here? He’s supposed to be in South America!” Chip asks and then exclaims. Everyone turns to face them momentarily for a second before continuing with their business. Chip leans over to Admiral Ready, whispering, “What is he doing here? He’s supposed to be in South America!”
 
“I don’t know. But anywhere Tammy and her baby is, I can guess Fernando will be nearby.” Admiral Ready tries to point out.
 
“I know that Fernando is supposed to be in South America, I saw him being dragged out of his house...” Chip tries to explain.
 
“That was some time ago, Chip. You need to get your intel updated, I’m telling you that he is here in Japan.” Admiral Ready tells him.
 
Eventually Chip accepts the facts before asking, “What’s the hold up?”
 
“We were told that dinner will be served in a couple of hours.” Admiral Ready answers.
 
-
 
The elevator of the Tokyo Hilton stops at a Penthouse Suite on the 32nd floor. Its only occupant steps out from the confined space. He looks at the room’s occupant leaning against a couch facing him. He walks over to him. “This is a fine night.” He asks to the other.
 
“You arrived alone?” The other asks.
 
“For security reasons my staff is in the basement garage.” The first tells him.
 
“Aki... How can I say this? This is neutral territory, and I arrive by your invitation, not anyone else’s. We once had a friendship where I would put my life for yours. But under your responsibility your people attacked my wife and endangered my child. And now you have your staff downstairs where they can attack my room at any time. How am I going to do my job of protecting you, the emperor, if you continue do harm to those I care for?” the other tells him.
 
“Fernando, what harm that may have befallen on them was unintentional.” Emperor Akihito tries to explain.
 
“Then you should have apologized to begin with and not have others use mouth pieces in your name.” Fernando interrupts him.
 
“You maybe right.” The Emperor begins. Fernando crosses his arms tightly in front of him, not saying anything in reply. “Look, Fernando. I apologize for the actions of my staff against the members of your family.”
 
“You call that an apology?” Fernando asks.
 
“I’m sorry.” Emperor Akihito lets out.
 
“A thousand times better, but you will also need to apologize to both my wife and child for what was done to them.” Fernando tells him.
 
“We don’t know where they are.” The Emperor says.
 
“You don’t know because I have them. They are with me; technically Tammy is in our room healing from the drugs put into her system by your staff. And our baby Francesca is in the care of my adult daughters.” Fernando tells him as he points to his room, “Now that is a lot of trust I threw at you in telling you where they are. I expect it won’t be betrayed.”
 
“It won’t.” The Emperor tells him. After a long moment of silence, the Emperor asks, “When can I expect you and your family to come for dinner?”
 
“Not for a long while.” Fernando answers.
 
“A long while? Why?” The Emperor asks.
 
“Tammy has been filled with enough drugs to kill most people. Reason she is alive at all is a miracle within itself, considering the consequences if she would have died in your staff’s capable hands. In the very least every imperial palace in Japan would be burning right now if she died.” Fernando tells him, “She needs to be cleaned out of those drugs that were put into her. We won’t be around until she recovers.”
 
“How about just you?” The Emperor asks.
 
“And leave Tammy alone for your men to kidnap again?” Fernando points out, “I still have not accepted your apology and your reputation is very tainted to me at the moment.”
 
Emperor Akihito lets out a sigh, “So my word is not good enough for you anymore?”
 
“I did not say that. What I am saying is that you have a lot to atone for, and your apology was just a step in that direction.” Fernando tells him.
 
“What else I need to do to atone?” The Emperor asks.
 
“Like I said before, you need to apologize to my wife and child even though she is only three months old, you need to lower yourself to her level.” Fernando begins to tell him, “But most importantly, I do not want to see your staff. I do not want to see them following me or my group around, I do not want to see them when I approach the palace. I am more pissed off at them than at you for they cannot apologize for what they did to me, my wife and child, which forces you to do so for them. For their safety, I do not want to see them, ever.”
 
“That might be too much to ask.” The Emperor states, watching Fernando walk to a door, opening it. He follows Fernando outside to a balcony.
 
Fernando leans against the railing of the balcony, pointing out the wall and windows, then at the Palace out in the distance. “Ever since I arrived, I have been noticing little bright spots against the anodized mirrored surfaces coming from the palace. Laser beams sent to get a vibration from the panel materials as an ease-dropping device. But they can’t get a signal because the beam is scattered too greatly to be picked up by these anodized panels.”
 
“How can you know that?” The Emperor asks.
 
Fernando pulls out a large pen laser pointer and shines it at various spots on the wall with a bright green dot, “I designed this a long time ago, Aki. And my sensitive eyes can pick up Infrared, as can the sensitive eyes of my adult daughters so we see them all the time. So do yourself a favor and tell your idiot staff that they can try but they will not be able to get a signal from the reflected lasers they hit this place with.”
 
The Emperor looks at him dumbfounded at the request, more so when Fernando pulls out his cell phone and reaches to the Emperor with it. The Emperor looks at Fernando’s cellphone for the moment before taking out his own from his pocket. He scrolls through a list before pressing ‘SEND’ and puts the cellphone to his ear. Almost immediately the call gets answered as the Emperor almost but yells something in Japanese at the cellphone. Within less than a minute, the beams hitting the outside walls seem to stop.
 
“Thank you for now.” Fernando tells him before turning to face the palace. “Don’t you have a dinner celebration with your guests?” he asks.
 
“I was hoping that a certain invited guest would come with me.” The Emperor answers.
 
“I’ll just tell you as the Rolling Stone had said, ‘You can’t get what you what, but you can get what you need.’” Fernando tells him, adding, “In a few days when Tammy gets better.”
 
“I’ll be waiting then.” The Emperor replies before turning to face the door and grab the doorknob.
 
“Aki.” Fernando calls to him.
 
“Yes?” The Emperor replies.
 
“Don’t cancel any dinner celebrations on my account. People to need to see you, and if you cancel them, questions will be asked and you will get some negative press. I don’t want that to happen.” Fernando tells him. Fernando walks up to the door and opens it for the Emperor.
 
“I was going to open it.” The Emperor complains.
 
“Unless I tell you to get out, you are still a guest in my domain. It is I who has to open doors and offer refreshments if I have any for you.” Fernando tells him, “And as far as I remember, I might be angered by the actions of you and your staff, I have not thrown you out of my domain.”
 
“Not yet you haven’t.” The Emperor replies.
 
“Don’t give me a reason to kick you out of my domain.” Fernando warns him, “We above all are supposed to be friends. I don’t care about you being an emperor of this nation but I will come when you call me to help you. I expect the same from you within your ability to do so. This is why I’m angered at you. Now before you leave, you want a drink or a bite to eat?”
 
“What do you have?” the Emperor asks.
 
“Nothing here at the moment but I can order something to be brought up.” Fernando tells him.
 
“That’s alright. I need to get going for dinner with my guests.” The Emperor replies.
 
“OK then. I might be dropping by in the next couple of days to discuss you needs.” Fernando explains.
 
“Fine. I will be expecting you.” The Emperor replies as he heads to the elevator control panel. He presses the elevator call button.
 
“Aki.” Fernando calls to him.
 
“Yes, Fernando?” The Emperor replies.
 
“Do me a favor.” Fernando begins, “Do not leave here ‘En cojonao’. Everything will come in its time.”
 
“I will, except... I’m very fluent in English, and I never heard of the word ‘En koho nao.’” The Emperor explains.
 
“’En cojonao’ is Spanish for a feeling of bothered, unsatisfied, and angered to all that. No English word fits it and as I said, I do not want you leaving with those negative feelings. Everything will come in its time, including me.” Fernando explains.
 
“I see your point.” The Emperor replies.
 
“I’m glad you do.” Fernando says, seconds before the furthest of the three elevators opens its doors and ring its bell.
 
The Emperor takes a step to it but stops when two adult female squirrels step out of the elevator. One of them was carrying a baby car seat carrier, the other several bags of various necessities for the baby.
 
“Oh. You have company.” The one carrying the baby seat as she cautiously walk up to Fernando.
 
Fernando reaches into the car seat baby carrier and takes the baby out, “Ladies. This is Akihito Tenno-Mikado. You know him as Emperor Akihito.” But as soon as Fernando has the sleeping Francesca onto his shoulder, the other two elevators open and several mice in black walk into the room with guns out.
 
Emperor Akihito yells at them in Japanese, “Stand Down!”
 
They don’t, they are not of the Emperor Personal Guards though they look like them.
 
Emperor Akihito yells at them in Japanese again, “Stand Down! That’s An Order!”
 
Fernando calls Michelle, while pointing to the baby Francesca. Michelle cautiously walks up to Fernando to receive the baby and takes a few steps behind her father.
 
“Where Is That Woman Going!” one the men say, but that is all he says as a volley of bullets fly and take him and his companions out with a bullet to the head, except for one. He stands there with blood spurting out of his hand and his gun on the floor. Michelle manages to make a mad run to Tammy’s room with the baby unscathed.
 
Fernando walks up to the one remaining mouse as he pocketing his gun. He then grabs the mouse by his neck, lifting him up off the floor and throws him against the wall. As the failed villain crumples to the ground, Fernando unleashes several kicks to his midsection, with each kick he says a word to complete a sentence “You Attacked The Wrong Room! Now Your Ass Is Mine!”
 
“Fernando!” a female voice yells out.
 
Fernando gives three more kicks to the assailant’s mid section before he stops, “What is it, Tammy!”
 
Tammy walks around the room in drunken and unsure steps, seeing the bodies about the floor near the elevator with Michelle behind her carrying Francesca. “What the hell happened here?!!” Tammy asks.
 
“These goons just attacked the place.” Fernando tells her.
 
Tammy looks at the goons and at Fernando, finally spotting the Emperor. “What are you doing here? Kidnapping me was not enough?” She demands.
 
“He’s here under my invitation.” Fernando tells her.
 
“And his idiot guards decided to attack our place!” Tammy tells him.
 
“These are not his guards!” Fernando yells at her.
 
It takes a while for Tammy to realize what he said, replying in a more calm tone, “They are not?”
 
“They are not.” Fernando answers more calmly. He continues, “There are supposed to be microchips in their suits at strategic locations, I’m finding none here. And all these mother-#$@!ers’ right pinkies have been cut off half way.”
 
“What does the Yaccusa want to do with me?” The Emperor asks.
 
“Look, Aki. I know about their infiltration in your palace guards, but that is not the point. They are sworn to protect you, these assholes are not part of your group. Chances are your men have been killed off downstairs. Now think: are there any reasons why the Yaccusa would want to harm you?” Fernando explains and asks.
 
“None that I know.” The Emperor answers.
 
“What about the treaty signing?” Fernando asks.
 
“There are a few dissidents who protested against the territory loss, but it’s for the good of Japan that we return lands that we took in the past. The Yaccusa never involves themselves in messy political work, it is not their way.” The Emperor explains.
 
“Then we have questions to answer.” Fernando says as he picks up the assailant by his suit and shit collar. A quick search finds a wallet with identification, credit cards and some money, which he gives to the Emperor. He drags him to the balcony. The Emperor follows.
 
“What are you going to do to him?” The Emperor asks.
 
“I’m going to get answers to these questions.” Fernando tells him before sending the assailant over the edge of the balcony’s railing and holds him by his ankles from fall 35 stories to his death. The Emperor, Tammy and Fernando’s daughters steps out to the balcony to witness this. They don’t witness that Fernando had stuck a GPS microchip to the back of his neck under his hair and another inside of the assailant’s heel of his shoe.
 
The blood rushing to the assailant’s head wakes him up, whether he wanted too or not. Panic sets in as he begins to scream, yell, kick and flay his arms about.
 
“Stay Still Idiot, Or I’m Dropping You!” Fernando yells at him in Japanese. The assailant calms down a bit but is still nervous. “Now idiot, I hold your life in my hands. The choice is yours, answer truthfully and you walk home to tell your boss that I’ll be coming for him or you can leave a big splat as a message to your boss that I’ll be coming for him! Got that?!”
 
“Yes! YES! Just Don’t Let Me Go!” The assailant yells.
 
“Then Shut Up! Answer When I Tell You To Answer!” Fernando tells him.
 
The assailant becomes quiet for the moment.
 
“Now, Asshole, You got a name?” Fernando asks.
 
“Kendo... Kendo Wakatokasoma...” The assailant answers.
 
Fernando glances over to the Emperor, who nods his head as he holds up the wallet.
 
“Alight Kendo. You and your friends attacked the wrong house. Got that!” Fernando tells him as he lets go of one leg and holds him out further.
 
Kendo panics, screaming and yelling, apologizing and asking for forgiveness. He gets none.
 
Fernando grabs his other leg and pulls him back to the building.
 
“Now, we know that the Yaccusa does not deal with the messy job of politicking. Who is paying you for what? Why pick on the Emperor?!!” Fernando yells at him.
 
“I Don’t Know!” Kendo yells out.
 
“But Your Boss Does?!!” Fernando yells at him.
 
“I Don’t Know!” Kendo yells out.
 
“You’re a damn disgrace to your kind!” Fernando tells him.
 
Nothing but sobs and cries comes out of Kendo.
 
“Goodbye Kendo.” Fernando tells him.
 
“No! I’ll tell you anything you want!” Kendo tells him.
 
“But you said you did not know anything. That is what I do not want to hear.” Fernando tells him.
 
“Then asks me something else!” Kendo yells between his sobs.
 
“Goodbye Kendo.” Fernando tells him. Despite his protests, Fernando sends him from building wall and lets him go.
 
Kendo falls, flaying his arms about with a loud scream.
 
Fernando jumps off the railing after him, but remains behind him hidden from Kendo’s views. The windows seem to zoom by as gravity accelerate their descend to the sidewalk below. By the time the twelve floor passes them, Fernando grabs onto Kendo tightly and lets out his wings to catch the rushing air, turning their descend into a midair J-turn, missing the hotel’s awning by six feet. Fernando carries Kendo at high speed for another couple of blocks, ducking behind an alley to land. He turns Kendo around to face him who is now a babbling boob of released emotions and several pounds of released urine and excrement. Fernando slaps him around to calm him a bit.
 
“Tell your boss that he’s next, and I will not be there to save him like I did you.” Fernando tells him.
 
Kendo falls on his knees trembling and crying.
 
Fernando walks away from Kendo, leaving him to himself, his revelations, and his emotions.
 
In a couple of minutes, Fernando makes it to the hotel, seeing it blocked off by the police. With little recourse, Fernando walks a few blocks to another hotel and takes the elevator to the top accessible floor. There he takes the stairs to the maintenance area and then to the roof. Once he finds his hotel, he makes a mad dash to the edge of the roof and jumps outward. Stretching out his wings, he flies across the distance.
 
It was less than five minutes that he was gone when he arrives at the back of the wrap-around balcony of his suite. Walking around to the entrance of the suite, he finds everyone had gone inside. No one notices him walking inside.
 
“The bait is set.” Fernando says as he walks to the table of the room where he picks up his laptop.
 
“What have you done to him?” the Emperor says before anyone else could.
 
“I set him free to tell his boss that he’s next.” Fernando tells him.
 
“Why you did that for?” everyone seems to protest at once.
 
Fernando holds up his laptop to them, “I tagged his ass with a pair of GPS Microchips. Wherever he goes, I will know.
 
Everyone stands there in stunned silence as they watch the screen and a pair of dots on the screen move together.
 
“But that is enough. The GPS will record him wherever he goes, and I will follow him accordingly another time. Aki, call for back up, get you personal guards in here. I need to contact the others. Michelle, call Rachel. Aiesha, take care of Tammy and Francesca.” Fernando tells them. He then takes out his cellphone and starts calling Hondo and Yuri, walking away from everyone.
 
After the second ring, Hondo answers his cellphone, “What is it Boss Man?”
 
“It’s Fernando, We have a situation and may need to move out of the nest, so get your chaps and you gal over here as soon as you can. Call me when you get to the hotel if you can’t get in. It has to do with the situation that just occurred.” Fernando tells him.
 
“Will do that right now.” Hondo replies on the phone, and can be heard talking to Val before hanging up, “Check your guns, Val. We been called bac…*”
 
Fernando disconnects the open connection on his end and call Yuri. She answers after four rings, which upsets Fernando.
 
“I’m not going to ask why it took so long. You and Kei need to come back to the hotel now we have a situation here.” Fernando tells her bluntly and cold.
 
“Fernando-san. We too have a situation where we are at.” Yuri tells him.
 
“What kind of situation?” Fernando asks sternly.
 
“Long story short with all the details removed– One of the Emperor’s cars which the guards use to travel about was shot up in the theater district where we were. Five passengers wearing the guard’s uniform, no survivors.” Yuri explains.
 
“Take a half hour to get what information you can and come back here. If you find the place empty, we will be on the plane I was on. I’ll wait for you two to arrive but do not make me wait needlessly!” He tells her.
 
“Will do!” Yuri says before hanging up the phone.
 
Fernando looks at his cellphone as it goes through a series of notices: “Network failure.” “Connection terminated,” “Call ended.” He then turns to emperor friend, “We might have a problem.”
 
“What kind of problem?” The Emperor asks.
 
“Some of your guards drove into town and were killed in the theater district.” Fernando says.
 
“That is a problem.” The Emperor says.
 
“Michelle, you and Rachel rented a car?” Fernando asks.
 
“Yes, but Rachel has it with the skunk girls.” Michelle answers.
 
“They are your future sisters, Sabina and Tabitha, Sabi and Tabi for short.” Fernando tells her.
 
“Yeah, whatever.” Michelle says.
 
“You’re not too old for me to throw you over my lap and spank you.” Fernando tells her sternly.
 
“We’ll talk about it later, father. Right now we got a situation.” Michelle reminds him.
 
“I do not want to do this, but I have no other choice.” He says to her and everyone. He lifts his arm up to his chest and pull back on the sleeves of his suit and shirt, exposing an LCD Screen on his arm. He then says, “Chrono Server, on the count of 1024 I need the following done: One- teleport the Emperor to his private room in the Tokyo Palace. Two- Gather and teleport all personal effects and properties not on anyone of the mission crew to the second level of the Marlin in Toyko Hanger behind the passenger seats in the living area. Three- teleport all mission personnel to the passenger section of the second level of the Marlin in the Tokyo Hanger. Four- teleport and known vehicles in use by mission personnel to the Vehicle Bay of the Marlin in Toyko Hanger with engines turned off, brakes on and keys in palm of the hands of the drivers. You do understand these set orders?”
 
A female voice emits from his wrist, “Yes.”
 
“Count down to begin, Zero, One, Two, Four, Eight, Sixteen, Thirty-Two, Sixty-Four, One-Twenty-Eight, Two-Fifty-Six, Five Hundred and Twelve, One-Oh-Two-Four. Begin Orders and Operations.” He says to the LCD Screen.
 
Knowing that Fernando has access to some high-level technology, Emperor Akihito is not surprised when in a bright flash of light he is out of Fernando’s Hotel Room and in his private suite at the Tokyo Palace.
 
The orders continues their operations in the processing centers of the Chrono Server, the second order was harder to do as it speculates who had what within the past 24 hours in Tokyo before teleporting the items into an organized pile by owner. The third order was easy, as everyone was gathered up from their locations and teleporting them to the Merlin’s passenger area. The fourth order was also simple, as three vehicles are teleported from their locations and put into the Merlin’s Vehicle Bay with their engines turned off and brakes on, with the ignition keys in the palms of the vehicle’s drivers.
 
Everyone looks at each other before turning to Fernando who was leaning against the doorway to the cockpit.
 
“For the rest of us who do not know, the Emperor was at the hotel room for a visit with me so we can air out a few differences. But the Emperor’s guards were attacked at the hotel and impersonators tried to kidnap him. Long story short, I killed them but one, and that one has a GPS Tag on his ass so I know where he is at all times. I gathered us here because the hotel is no longer safe. Kei and Yuri found some more of the Emperor’s guards killed in the theater district. Something is going on. I did not expect things to happen so soon. Now, Kei, Yuri, Michelle and Rachel, go out to the airport’s restaurants and get a Chicken Tariyaki dinner and a large sushi platter, Miso or Ramen soup to go with it and several large sodas for everyone. You got one and a half hours to do this; we will be sleeping in three. Tabi and Sabi, I need you to vacate the main bedroom for Tammy and the baby and take the closest bunk-bed room to the main bedroom on the right – right as in your right when you are in the hall facing the cockpit. Hondo, help Aiesha bring a folding cot to the main bedroom and another folding cot to one of the other bedrooms without bunk beds. Take one of the bedrooms for you and Val. Kei and Yuri, you can take the other bunk-beds room and Rachel and Michelle can use the other non bunk-bed rooms. Sabrina and Tabitha, you are not to leave the sight from any adults here. We can deal with our stuff after dinner.” Fernando says to them. They all look at him as if he was crazy at first until he tells them “Get it done now!”
 
Everyone scurries about the plane, Rachel leading the others going with her down a spiral staircase to a lower level and out the plane. Hondo takes Aiesha to the storage room to get the folded cots, Sabrina and Tabitha goes into the main bedroom and move their things to the bunk bed room on the right of the main bedroom as Tammy goes into the main bedroom with Francesca. She sits on the bed holding the baby as she watches the girls go about their moving out of the main bedroom.
 
Fernando goes into the cockpit and sits on his captain’s chair as all this goes on. He closes his eyes to think not to sleep. Though there was more time than needed, those who had finished go though their things to take to their rooms. Tammy asks Aiesha to bring the baby carriage and other baby things to the main bedroom. A few minutes Tabitha walks to the cockpit, finding Fernando asleep at the controls. She quietly walks up to him and jumps on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. He wakes up holding back the urge to kill somebody and realizes who it is.
 
“What is it now, Tabitha?” Fernando asks her.
 
“Nothing, but everything at the same time.” Tabitha begins, “For one - Is this mission over since we left the hotel?”
 
“No, it is not. We are to stay here for now until I can get a safer place to be in, but understand that they came to attack us in attacking the Emperor. If we were not there, they would have attacked the Emperor and that’s it. But in attacking him so soon in this mission means that it is more dangerous than ever and Hondo and I need to take care of this before we can go back to any hotel.” He answers
 
“You, Hondo and the rest of us.” A voice says at the cockpit doorway. Several footprints can be heard approaching his captain’s chair, revealing Kei, Yuri, Rachel, Michelle and Sabrina. He looks at them as they look at him, Sabrina takes Tabitha by her arm and pulls her off his lap.
 
“Some things are not possible.” He tells them.
 
“We all have been through missions with you before, more dangerous than this one so far. We can deal with what dangers are thrown to us like we have before.” Rachel tells him.
 
“Stinky One and Two here need to learn how to deal with such elements. We can teach that to them.” Michelle tells him.
 
“They are not flying squirrels like we are; they can not jump out of the window and fly away like we can.” He tells her.
 
“No, but they can stink up the place something fierce, and that would chase away what threats that would be there.” Michelle tells him.
 
“They have no firearm experience, no self-defense training except for the anti-rape class I sent them too, nothing that will save them from a lot of hurt.” He tells her.
 
“I know we do not know much but we can learn, and our sisters can teach us.” Sabrina adds to the argument.
 
“The lessons to be learned here can be an expensive one.” He tells them.
 
“We’re not flying squirrels or skunks, but we manage.” Kei tells him.
 
“But they are too young.” He says.
 
“I was 12 on my first mission with you.” Rachel says.
 
“My life was one mission after another before I met you, and it cost me my wings that you got back for me.” Michelle tells him.
 
“We already have been through hell and back with Stars in the Sky Movie productions.” Sabrina points out.
 
We outnumber you six to one, ten to one if you add the others.” Tabitha points out.
 
“You two have not even had your first Time Travel Jump.” He tells them.
 
“One day they will.” Rachel tells him.
 
“No winning this, right?” He asks.
 
“If they are going to be our sisters, then they need to know how dangerous having a father who is a government spy can be, and need to be able to handle anything life throws at them like we had.” Michelle tells him.
 
“Who says they are going to be your sisters?” An all too familiar yet annoyed voices let out. It was Tammy, walking up to the captain’s chair holding Francesca in her arms and Aiesha behind her. Once she is next to Fernando’s seat, she hands Francesca over to him, “You listen here, mister. That is your daughter. Not these two former street urchins you rescued back in Italy.”
 
“You want them to go through Foster Care, going from family to family, getting forced to do who knows what with who knows who as the government send them from house to house?” Fernando almost tells her in asking.
 
“I really don’t care. They made their decision long ago when they decided to run away with Stars in the Skies Production and began doing those things hookers and whores do on film.” Tammy tells them.
 
“They may have ran away from home to search for fame and stardom, but everything else they were forced to do, they were drugged up, beaten, threatened at knife or gun point to do those things. Through Hondo and I, they have recovered a lot they have lost and even tried to get them back to their family but their family do not want them to return, once they leave, they leave for good. They now have no family, and if it weren’t for Hondo and I, they would be in the streets doing what they did in Stars in the Sky Productions in order to survive. I am not going to allow that to happen. Just like I have not allowed that to happen with my other daughters. In some cases, people in need do need a second chance to make things right. Thus far they have been doing right by me.” He tells her.
 
“You adopt these two, you do so without me.” Tammy tells him before reaching over and taking Francesca away from him. She leaves to their bedroom at the back of the plane.
 
Once everyone hears the bedroom door closes, they all turn to face Fernando.
 
“Looks like you won’t be adopting us.” Tabitha says sadly.
 
“I knew it was too good to be true.” Sabrina adds.
 
“I said I would adopt you into this family and I will.” Fernando says.
 
“What about Miss Tight Ass back there?” Michelle says in a demanding question.
 
“I’ll handle Miss Tight Ass as you call her. This is my decision to make and go through with.” Fernando tells her.
 
“This decision we all agree with, and we will go through it with you, daddy.” Rachel tells him.
 
“We will talk with her about this, and make her see things your way.” Michelle tells him.
 
“Don’t. I have to do this and do this alone.” Fernando tells them.
 
“We need to talk with her too. We are no longer like we were when we were with Stars in the Sky Productions. That pill you gave us healed us.” Tabitha says.
 
“You gave them the Immortality Pill?” Michelle asks in shock and horror.
 
“No, I gave them the healing pill to restore them to before the ordeals they underwent with Stars in the Sky Productions.” Fernando tells her, “They are not ready for the immortality pill for a long time.”
 
“I see...” Michelle replies.
 
“Immortality pill?” Sabrina asks.
 
“You think we’re in our thirties?” Michelle answers.
 
“Without the pill, I would be in my 40s right now, Daddy in his 50s. And Rusty Butt here would in her late 30s” Rachel explains.
 
“You’re the one with the rusty butt.” Michelle throws at Rachel.
 
“Let's not argue like little girls.” Fernando tells them, “Now since the four of you have returned, I assume that dinner is ready. All of you can eat out at the passenger section while I eat here. Tammy will probably eat with you all or alone in the room. Either way I’m not eating anywhere near that demanding bitch. Go get Hondo and Val and begin your meal. We will have one last meeting before we go to sleep.”
 
They all look at him for the moment.
 
“You all need to go now! And tell Tammy dinner is ready.” He tells them.
 
They all do as they are told, setting up a meal at the passenger section of the plane, and gathering Hondo, Val and Tammy to dinner. It was a very tense meal as nobody spoke. As everyone begins to eat, Tabitha begins to set another plate for Fernando. But as she got up to get it to him, Tammy catches her attention.
 
“Where are you going with that?” Tammy asks sternly.
 
“To give Fernando his dinner.” Tabitha answers.
 
“And who told you that you can? You are not his wife.” Tammy asks and says.
 
“No one, but he needs to eat too.” Tabitha answers, and then throws at her, “And I’m not his wife but I accepted him as a father because he’s so kind and generous to us when our real father would not and let us suffer in the streets.”
 
“Why you little whore...” Tammy lets out, followed by the deliberate dropping of forks and spoons on to the set area of their meal. Before Tabitha could reply, Rachel lets Tammy have it verbally.
 
“Call her a whore, and you are call us whores, including yourself.” Rachel lets out, “You think it is easy to live in the streets, abandoned by your parents because in their eyes you got in their way and were an unnecessary expense in food, clothes and rent which they could spend on other things like alcohol and drugs? It is not. Before Fernando rescued and later adopted me, I was raped several times and I was not whoring myself like you say they did. They went through the same thing I did and have been raped as well. We all were, but what about you? You ever been forced to give what is intimate of yourself to somebody who does not care about you except for being a means to get his jollies off? No you haven’t!”
 
“You do not know what it is to be held down by force and have a knife put into your side and parts of you cut out. Fernando gave me back my life, he gave me back my wings – something that was impossible to do. So what they whores, they were forced into that life. As were we.” Michelle throws at Tammy.
 
“Even Aiesha and Nicole have been through it. But like a father should, he got us through that and made things better. You never have been through that, so you do not know. No matter what you been through is nothing compared to what we been through. So if dad wants to adopt these two, it's fine with me, and I will consider them as my sisters as I did for the others. And if you do not like that, you can run away like the other women in his life and then abandon your daughter to him years later – like the other women had done to him.” Rachel tells Tammy.
 
“I never been through...” Aiesha says out loud to defend herself.
 
“We all know about when you were twelve with your summer camp counselor.” Michelle interrupts her.
 
Aiesha gets out of her seat and runs to the main bedroom, slamming the door closed in the back of the plane.
 
“This conversation is over.” A voice says sternly from the cockpit doorway. It is Fernando, adding, “Who I rescue and who I put into my family is my prerogative, Tammy. I do not care for one’s lifestyle, sexual orientation or sexual preferences of doing it twenty-one times a day for money. I’ve known girls, ladies, women and queens in that regard. I do care about helping those who need help, in giving that help as needed. And like you said, I will adopt Sabrina and Tabitha without you, this way you are not their mother but I am their father. Whether you want to continue this marriage after this is on you, but you are not going to divorce me for everything I own or parenthood of the girls. You leave me and you leave with what you came with cleanly. Hondo, we’ll talk later. Right now I got things to deal with.”
 
Fernando walks over to the rear of the plane. Not caring about anything, he lets himself into the room, finding Aiesha crying on the main bed. He sits down next to her, giving her rear a sharp slap to it to get her attention.
 
“OW!” Aiesha jumps up from the bed. She eventually gets on her knees rubbing her rear end as she looks at her father.
 
Fernando looks back at her, not caring about what he has to do as a father for he will do it.
 
“Why you hit me?” Aiesha asks.
 
“You were not going to listen to me if I asked you gently.” Fernando begins. After staring at each other, he continues, “I do not care who you drop your panties to and have sex with. That is your business, not mine unless you involve me in such things. But if you were forced into doing something, then it becomes my business. Now, you were still under your mother’s care when you were twelve but if I knew anything about it, I would take action. Now, tell me the truth before I call up the Chrono Server and review the actions of what happened for myself.”
 
Aiesha looks at him for the moment, not knowing what to say or how to say it. But she finally says something, “I do not know if you can call it rape, because I allowed it and I want it to happen but yes, I had sex with my summer camp counselor... many times... that summer.”
 
“Can I ask why?” Fernando asks.
 
“Because I wanted to do it... with him...” Aiesha says.
 
“And your mother never found out?” Fernando asks.
 
“Never.” Aiesha answers.
 
“And you wanted to have sex with anyone else since then?” Fernando asks.
 
“Wanted too, yes. Actually did, no. Not until recently.” Aiesha answers.
 
“And ‘your father’ your mother brought home at the time ever did anything to you?” Fernando asks.
 
“No. I mean, he would touch me in certain ways, but what father doesn’t do that to their children?” Aiesha answers.
 
“That depends on what kind of touching is involved.” Fernando replies. Then he continues, “If anyone ever forces you into sex that you do not want, if anyone dares tries to rape you, touch you or molests you then let me know and I will deal with it.”
 
Aiesha looks down at herself for a moment.
 
“I can’t do that, daddy.” Aiesha then says.
 
“Why not?” Fernando asks.
 
“Because you would kill them.” Aiesha says.
 
“You’re a doctor. Ever seen what happens to a Rape Victim?” Fernando asks, but then adds immediately, “Apparently not or you would know what would happen to them. But if it were not for a little silver pill, and a lot of love and caring, the four rape victims outside would be very scared, very angered, very bothered with what had happened to them. You think in that, shoving a lot of mental problems on a female not worth the lie of some creep of a male who do not deserve the penis between his legs, and would rape again and put another female into the same situation as the first and continue with another female again and again... and who knows if he’s given them a disease, or HIV or got them pregnant. He only deserves to die. If he did it to any of you girls, my girls, then he deserves to die with my name written onto the box for cause of his death.”
 
“And that’s the problem, dad.” Aiesha tells him.
 
“You need to sit down and talk with your sisters.” Fernando tells her. He gets up for a moment and takes a few steps to the door of the room, stopping as he grabs on the doorknob, “You are my daughter. I will do anything short of dying for you. I will give you anything you need. I will support you in anything you need support in. But never stop me from doing what has to be done, Because I Am Your Father.”
 
He opens the door and steps out, letting it go and close on its own as he walks to the cockpit. Fernando does not care as the others look at him as he walks into the cockpit to take his seat. Though it’s rarely closed, Fernando grabs onto the sliding door of the cockpit’s doorway and slides it closed very hard, with a very loud metallic bang that makes everybody jumps, even the baby Francesca flinches in her mother’s arms.

Chapter 25: Win or Lose in a Rat Race, You’re Still a Rat.
 
A lone Mustang drives into the Hilton’s underground garage. In a couple minutes the elevator doors to Penthouse on the 32nd floor opens and a lone figure steps out onto the Penthouse’s floor.
 
“‘Bout time you got home.” A voice in the in the large living says loud enough to be heard.
 
“What are you doing here, Hondo?” Fernando asks.
 
“Wonderin’ when you will get home.” Hondo replies.
 
“Answer to that is ‘Eventually.’” Fernando tells him.
 
“Why you left in the first place?” Hondo asks.
 
“I won’t lie to you, part of it is Tammy herself.” Fernando answers.
 
“Tammy?” Hondo asks.
 
“She should be at home raising Francesca like a mother should, not bouncing about from mission to mission where she and the baby could get hurt.” Fernando begins, “As is, she has been caught, captured, and drugged. If it were not for the Bio Pill I gave her to heal her wounds long ago, she would have died from an overdose they injected into her.”
 
“I ‘gree with you on that, but I sense there is more.” Hondo tells him.
 
“With Tammy, I do not care if she accepts Sabi and Tabi as hers when I adopt them. I already accept them as such, it’s just the paperwork involved is so stupid, especially with them being runaways and their parents not willing to accept them back. Tammy thinks that in adopting the girls, that I would forget Francesca. Now, how did you get here and why?”
 
“How, I took the rental sedan I got. Too bad they did not have any pick-up trucks.” Hondo begins, “As to why, you have left without warnin’. Somebody had to look for you. Now where were you and why?”
 
“I decided to go the Emperor’s private function and see who was there for they will be in the future functions.” Fernando explains.
 
“And what brings you here?” Hondo asks.
 
“If I am being followed, I do not want to be followed to the airport where we would be found on the plane when we were attacked here.” Fernando tells him. “Bad enough I have to meet the Emperor here in the morning and Jeanette before noon.”
 
“Why would you want to deal with her?” Hondo asks.
 
“She made a promise to Tammy and I am going to make sure she lives out that promise to Tammy without that lab rat of a mouse getting into our affairs.” Fernando tells him.
 
“If Jeanette was there, I’m goin’ to assume that Rat Misao was there. Who else was there?” Hondo asks.
 
“Besides the usual dignitaries, Admiral Ready was there as was Chip and his rescue ranger idiots. They all think they are going to be there on some mission where they are going to get some huge reward from.” Fernando explains.
 
“Figures. They got that stupid mindset of ‘The Second Mouse Get The Cheese.’” Hondo says just loud enough to be heard.
 
“I am not going to be the first mouse to be caught by the trap, they are.” Fernando throws back at him.
 
“Then what is your plan.” Hondo states.
 
“First, and above all, we will be gathering intel on who is who and who is the threat. With most on political power in line with organized from, for me those are not targets to go after but the targets to watch. If they are to make a move, we need to trip them up on their moves and make them fail. Nothing more.” Fernando tells him, adding, “Their plan is to go and gather those in high seats of power and arrest them. That will back fire on them because they will wake up their friends in high crimes and get them in a lot of trouble while they get released from jail. They will be damned lucky if they don’t end up dead or disappeared.”
 
“Damn last thing I want to see is that stupid ‘munk’s face on the milk carton I pour into my cereal with ‘Have You Seen Me?’ under him.” Hondo spits out.
 
“I really do not care. Even if widowed Gadget comes to me and offers me what she has inside her purple panties to help find her missing husband and friends, I would not do it. He deserves what he gets himself into as far as I am concerned. And I know he is doing nothing more than endangering himself and every one of us with his stupid actions and following Misao for a reward.” Fernando replies.
 
“I would not touch that skank with your manhood.” Hondo tells him.
 
“The feeling is mutual.” Fernando throws back at him, “But mark my words: Chip and his pals disappear, Gadget is going to want us to rescue them even though both you and I know they will be found dead.”
 
“No great loss there.” Hondo throws back, “Somebody has to take out the garbage, let it be those they are hunting.”
 
Fernando goes to the kitchen area of the agent suite and finds the refrigerator empty. Hondo looks at his actions.
 
“You still hungry even you had all that party food?” Hondo asks.
 
“Exactly, it was party food. Nothing filling, just empty calories. And I’m thirsty too.” Fernando points out.
 
“Well, like New York, this place never sleeps. We’ll go out after I make a couple of phone calls.” Hondo says.
 
“Besides Val, who else are you going to call?” Fernando asks.
 
“Just Val. But everyone is going to want to hear what is going on and take the phone from her so it will become a party line.” Hondo explains, “Just give me a few moments of privacy.”
 
“Yeah... will do.” Fernando says before walking out onto the balcony that wraps about the penthouse. He leans against the handrail and looks out at Tokyo for all it is worth. Some 10 million people in the size of Brooklyn in NYC, only Mexico City is a lot more crowded. But for a city that is all lights and glamour, daylight seems to be 24 hours non-stop. More electricity is used up here than most third world countries combined.
 
Hondo steps out onto the balcony, “Val says Tammy is pissed off but other than that, most of them agree that it would be better if those two police officer mice you dragged in go with us.”
 
“What for?” Fernando asks.
 
“Better to have the police on our side if anything were to go down.” Hondo answers.
 
Fernando shakes his head for a moment, “You know who the Dirty Pair is, right?”
 
“Yes, I know of the Dirty Pair.” Hondo replies.
 
“You know that ‘THEY’ are the Dirty Pair?” Fernando asks.
 
“They are? Why would you have the Dirty Pair work with us?” Hondo asks in return.
 
“Because I worked with them before and they are somebody I can trust.” Fernando tells him, “No way am I going to work with somebody who I can not trust. With nearly everyone in power being in the Yacusa, there is not much who I can trust.”
 
As if on cue, the elevator door opens and Kei and Yuri step out into the penthouse lobby.
 
“No way you two just got out of hiding to get here so fast.” Fernando turns to them.
 
“We followed your friend to here and waited in the garage.” Kei replies.
 
“No one followed me.” Hondo states out loud.
 
Yuri throws a small box a Hondo to catch, “Next time check your vehicle for a GPS Tracker.”
 
“We left 5 minutes after you did and ‘followed the red dot on the screen’ to here.” Kei points to her smartphone.
 
Hondo can only scowl at them for the moment before tossing the GPS Tracker onto a nearby table.
 
“Like I said, I can trust them. I can’t trust everyone else.” Fernando tells him.
 
“HMPH...” Hondo lets out.
 
“I still trust you but in this part of the world, friends are few and far between. I worked with them before and know them before I met most of you guys that is why I can trust them above everyone else around here.” Fernando interrupts him.
 
“Since they are here, let’s go eat as you wanted.” Hondo states.
 
“Eat? You had a meal hours ago!” Yuri throws at him.
 
“It would be enough if I went to bed. But being active, I get hungry again.” Fernando tells her as he walks to the elevator bay. “Let’s go.”
 
The night life in Tokyo is more active than the day life, as very few people work but more are out. Restaurant, bars and convenience stores are open. Fernando, Hondo and the girls find someplace out of the way that serves up midday meal in the late hours of the night that is not of the American or Japanese Fast Food industry. Hondo gets a Beef Teriyaki while Fernando has a Salmon Teriyaki and the girls share a Seafood Tempura, all with beers as their drinks. It is followed with a couple rounds of Sake. As much beer and sake the average Japanese drinks, they like their contemporary Asian Orientals cannot handle their liquor well.
 
After a late night supper, the guys take the girls to the hotel room and put them to their beds in their room and let them sleep it off. Making sure that they are asleep, Fernando and Hondo leave the hotel room.
 
Once outside, Fernando and Hondo take a walk to the shadier side of town. Fernando follows a signal on his smartphone. Hondo follows without question or comment for the moment. They walk into a bar that roughly translate to “The Kitty Cat’s Scratching Post.” But to get in, they had to pass by the guards and skip the line behind a velvet rope.
 
They both look at each other and nod. Fernando walks right up that guard at the main door and pinning him by the neck against the door with his arm and opens the side of his jacket to show him his firearm.
 
“Kendo Wakatokasoma in there?” Fernando asks in Japanese.
 
The guard just nods nervously. Fernando nods at Hondo who walks into the establishment. Fernando turns to the crowd while holding the guard and yells in Japanese, “If you value your life, then leave!” The crowd starts running, knocking down the velvet rope to make their escape.
 
Following Hondo, Fernando walks into the facility, closing the door behind him. Giving Hondo a nudge, they both walk to what looks like a bar within the establishment. He grabs the barkeep by his collar who was trying to ignore him and show him his firearm in his jacket. “Kendo Wakatokasoma...”
 
The Barkeep gulps before pointing to the general direction of a group of men grabbing and molesting the establishment’s female entertainment. Fernando and Hondo walk to their general direction, Fernando recognizing Kendo from the rest of the group. They both stand by the table for a couple of minutes to see how long they would be ignored. Fernando gives a quick nod and Hondo flips their table over. Though guns quickly come out and point in their direction, they stand there unfazed.
 
“Kendo Wakatokasoma. You and your boss take us to a private room now.” Fernando tells him in Japanese loud enough to be heard.
 
An older gentleman speaks out, “And who this stupid foreigner?”
 
“I am the one who is going to save your face from a lot of BS that is about to come your way.” Fernando tells him.
 
“Who the #$@! are you!” The older gentleman yells at him.
 
“Kendo, want to fly down another 35 floors again? This time I won’t save you...” Fernando tells him.
 
Kendo just nods for a second before saying “He’s somebody you should see, sir.”
 
“No one comes to see Ryuunosuke without an invitation – not ever!” the older gentleman says out loud to hear.
 
“Then before you end up losing in the next few days, You, Kendo, I and my friend will see you in private now.” Fernando tells him.
 
“Taichi – teach this foreigner some manners!” Ryuunosuke almost yells out loud.
 
A set of fast footsteps can be heard charging to their direction no one is seen moving. All of the sudden, a large man in a suit lands face first in front of Ryuunosuke with his arm pinned behind his back by Fernando.
 
“You, me, Kendo and my associate in a private room now, before we walk away from a blood bath here. Which shall it be?” Fernando looks at Ryuunosuke.
 
Ryuunosuke nods before slowly getting up and walks to the back of the establishment in silence. Kendo cautiously follows. Hondo follows Kendo and Fernando enters the area last. They enter an office room and the door locks behind hen as soon as it closes against the latch.
 
“What is the meaning of this intrusion.” Ryuunosuke demands for answers.
 
“Forgive me for my crudeness of getting your attention.” Fernando begins, “Now let me explain. There has been some strange goings on with many being killed in the streets of Tokyo, many being the Emperor’s guards, and many in the Yacusa from trying to get the emperor himself. I am here to forward this message to you, it is I who will be guarding the emperor, no one else. But your target should be Misao Sakimoto, who has the Emperor’s ear. She’s trying to make sure that everything goes her way. You make sure to have a talk with her and make sure things go your way as it does for her way.”
 
“I do not deal with the Emperor’s consorts and concubines.” Ryuunosake throws at Fernando.
 
“Then think like that when the police handcuff you, as Misao is working on getting the likes of you and your connections in high places removed from those high places, including political office. Right now, I have her in a corner where she is to either cooperate in unifying the Japanese people or fail in civil war. It is in the Emperor’s best interest to keep the peace. It would be to your best interest that everyone is on the same side, sir.” Fernando tells him. “Let me say this much, ‘He who has Misao’s ear, has the Emperor’s ear.’ Think about it. I’ll be here tomorrow night. Mr. Sackett...”
 
“Yes Jefe?” Hondo replies.
 
“Lead the way out of this place.” Fernando tells him.
 
“Yes Jefe...” Hondo replies before taking cautious steps out of the room Fernando follows in reverse steps of walking backwards. It takes less than half of minute to get out of there, and another minute into the crowded but seedy streets of the slums of Tokyo.
 
As they make their way back to the bright lights of downtown Tokyo, Hondo asks, “I know my Japanese is minimal, but did you just make a deal with those low lifes?”
 
“I did.” Fernando answers.
 
“Why?” Hondo asks.
 
“I’m making sure that the damage Misao and Chip does is at a minimum and without loss of life. That is why I made a deal. Now if Misao or Chip screws up and manages to get somebody hurt or killed, that is on them to deal with. For now there is a peace for all to be involved, even if that peace is on shaky grounds.” Fernando explains.
 
“How am I to believe you? You tried to do the same thing in Italy and it all fell apart.” Hondo asks.
 
“You have the right to doubt me, Hondo. But my intention is to save as many lives as possible and in the end no one gets hurt. But if somebody breaks the deal, then somebody is going to hurt if not killed because of that. Then it is for me to make sure that those under my care are not hurt in the process. You get what I am saying?” Fernando explains and then asks.
 
“I git where you’re comin’ from. It’s just something Benedict Arnold about it.” Hondo replies.
 
“If it is being a traitor, it is being a traitor to Miaso and those idiots, and not to my friends or employers – the Emperor of Japan in this case.” Fernando tells him, “It is no more than being a traitor than they are, thinking that they can have certain members of parliament and the Emperor’s guards arrested due to their associations with local criminals when it is they who hired them for protection in the first place. It is they who are biting the hand that’s feeding them.”  
 
“We will have to wait and see how this turns out.” Hondo states.
 
“Well, I have an 8o’clock with the Emperor tomorrow morning and a 12noon with Jeanette, both at the hotel. How you want to deal with that is on you.” Fernando tells him.
 
“I’ll stay behind to meet the Emperor, but dealing with Jeanette, I ain’t down for that.” Hondo tells him.
 
“Fair enough” Fernando replies as they walk to the Tokyo Hilton and the Agent room on the 32nd floor.
 
- 6:30AM
 
Hondo and Fernando wake up in the Agent’s hotel room and prepare for the day. After dealing with personal hygiene and getting dressed in separate bathrooms, they order up a large American Continental Breakfast of Steak and Eggs with all the trimmings and fixings. Fernando walks into the girls’ room to wake up Kei and Yuri. He does so by lifting up the end of each bed about an inch and then dropping it. The shock wakes them up.
 
“Hey!” Kei lets out as Yuri asks, “What’s going on?!!”
 
“You ladies got 20 minutes to get washed up and dressed. Duty calls!” He tells them. They complain for the moment before Fernando yells at them, “20 minutes to get washed up and dressed!”
 
“Alright already!” Kei yells from under her blanket. Yuri just grumbles under hers.
 
Fernando walks out the room and heads to the dining table. Hondo stood nearby as to wait before eating.
 
“Let’s start breakfast without them.” Fernando tells Hondo.
 
“Sure you do not want to wait for them?” Hondo asks.
 
“They are in the bathroom washing up. You want to wait that long? We don’t have that much time.” Fernando asks.
 
“I see your point.” Hondo replies before sitting down at the table. Giving a simple Grace and thanks for the meal, they start eating.
 
The girls come out some 15 minutes later, walking to the table.
 
“Another American Mega Meal?” Kei asks.
 
“Looks like a waste of food to me.” Yuri points out.
 
“You going to eat a morning meal or stand there and complain? Later there might not be a meal to have.” Fernando tells them.
 
Kei sits down at the table and starts to serve herself a plate of food. Eventually Yuri joins them. They eat without saying much to each other, making it a very quiet meal time. Clean up at 7:30 was just as quiet. Once done, Fernando lets his thoughts known.
 
“Soon the Emperor will be here to finish off a deal he and I had. This is between he and I, nobody else.” Fernando begins, “You have a choice to hide in the bedroom while I conduct this business with him or be or in the open for him to see you there.”
 
“We’ll stay outside in plain sight.” Yuri says.
 
“Hondo, Kei?” Fernando calls to them.
 
“Like Yuri said, we’ll be outside.” Kei tells him.
 
Hondo just nods.
 
As they agree to arrangements, decisions are already being made for them as the elevator door opens without warning. They turn to see who it was as a lone figure steps out of the elevator car.
 
“Aki, you’re early. And I hope alone.” Fernando says to him.
 
“I have my men holding all but one of the elevators and there are 4 in this one, I will admit to you.” The Emperor begins, “Now, I thought we would be alone as well.”
 
“We’re discussing mission plans for the day. They were to have left before your 8o’clock arrival.” Fernando explains.
 
The Emperor nods as he walks to their gathering at the table. He points out the two female mice that was there and then at Hondo, “You two I know. Kei and Yuri; also known as the Lovely Angels and later as the Dirty Pair. I can never forget those who helped Fernando rescue my son. But you, you I do not know.”
 
“Hondo, introduce yourself.” Fernando says loud enough to be heard.
 
Hondo gets up and extends his hand to the Emperor, “Hondo Sackett is the name. Been part of Fernando’s rescue team in these many recent years.”
 
The Emperor takes his hand and shakes it firmly, “Good to know Fernando has excellent people working for him. As you may already know, I’m Emperor Akihito of Japan.”
 
“Pleasure to meet you, sir.” Hondo replies before they break their handshake.
 
“What brings you here so early?” Fernando asks.
 
“Something I overheard you say to that Squirreling in the Blue Dress last night, ‘The culture of Japan is that you are to be at your appointed meeting 15 minutes early or don’t show up at all.’ Though that is a Business Mantra, it is in all seriousness how we operate. So to hold true to that Mantra, I am here, 15 minutes early.”
 
“That was not meant to you, it meant towards them.” Fernando points out.
 
“I know that all too well.” The Emperor replies.
 
Fernando lets out a sigh. “OK then.  Since you are here, would you like something to drink? All I have is coffee and orange juice.”
 
“Thank you for your offering, but I had a rather large morning meal myself.” The Emperor says.
 
Fernando gives a slight nod.
 
The Emperor continues, “Before I give this back to you, is there anything, no matter how small or insignificant my people should know?”
 
“Hondo, think it is too early to release our findings in South America?” Fernando asks.
 
“It is premature and unverified, but he should know somethin’ in the least.” Hondo replies.
 
Fernando nods before turning to the Emperor, “Mind you, like Hondo says it is premature and unverified but we found a plot to create a genetic poison that works on Lantean genes. In light of this, you should have your brightest minds work on an antidote or cure.”
 
“Interesting. You have any reason as to why anyone would want to start this horrendous plot against us?” The Emperor asks.
 
“It’s all far-fetched and sounds like a fabricated story. But let’s say this, Nazi German reunification in South America, expanding on their eugenics work, which includes eliminating those not like them.” Fernando points out.
 
“Interesting.” The Emperor says.
 
“I may have something for your brightest minds to work on; a possible sample of the poison but it is in storage in America. I can have it in your hands in a couple of days.” Fernando explains.
 
“It would be greatly appreciated.” The Emperor says. He then looks at his watch. “It is time.” He says, walking up to Fernando and holds out the family samurai blade in its sheath along the palms of his hands. He bows down to Fernando, “Accept my humblest apologies and take my sword.”
 
Fernando slowly takes the blade into his hand and holds it in front of him, “I accept your apology and your sword.”
 
The Emperor puts his hands together and bows deeper for a second, “Thank you.”
 
“Thank you.” Fernando bows to the Emperor. They break off from their semi-formal apology. Fernando puts the sword on the table, “Aki, your apology with me has been settled. Unfortunately my wife and child are not here, and you need to apologize to them sometime in the near future. When, I do not know but hopefully sooner than later. And it does not have to be as formal as you did here, just enough to be accepted and forgiven.”
 
“That is acceptable. Let me know when they are ready and I will see them.” The Emperor says.
 
With one last handshake and man-hug, the Emperor leaves the Agent room without incident. The place remains quiet for the moment.
 
“Well. That is over.” Fernando says.
 
“What now?” Hondo asks.
 
“I need you guys to deal with the day as needed. I have to meet with Jeanette at noon and bring her to the airport before the end of the day.” Fernando tells him.
 
“It’s going to be a mistake bringing her along.” Hondo points out.
 
“It’s my mistake to make, as it was Tammy’s mistake to accept her before I did. I will deal with her as needed and I see fit.” Fernando tells him.
 
“Who is this Jeanette?” Yuri asks before Kei could.
 
“Hondo, explain it to them as you three go out.” Fernando tells him.
 
“Come ladies. We got work to do.” Hondo tells them as he walks to the elevator bay. They are gone as soon as the elevator arrives.
 
- 11:30AM
 
Fernando waits, looking out of the balcony of the Agent Suite. As he looks out, he thinks about lunch, and lunch in Japan is expensive, especially in Tokyo. More so with American Specialty Restaurants, it is better for one to go to the side street and order a seafood tempura with a drink for a couple dozen Yen.
 
He steps out of the balcony and back into the Agent’s Suite, closing the door behind him. He ends up on the main lobby at 11:35. Jeanette should be arriving in another 10 minutes. He hopes that she will be alone though chances are she may not be. At least the lobby has a couple of rest stops where one can sit for a while as they wait for their guest can come in. He takes a seat that faces the window to the main street and the door. Life seems to move at fast forward as he sits there and observes. 11:48 Jeanette arrives with a rolling luggage and though she seems to be alone, Fernando sees Misao outside through the window. He stays there a few more seconds to observe their movements.
 
They seem to be saying something to each other but yet Jeanette looks about and shakes her head at Misao. From across the street, Fernando can see Chip and the other Rangers with him, trying to hide within the crowd but they were easy to spot as the crowd moves about them. Fernando gets up from his seat and walks around the lobby as to not to be seen, and walks to Jeanette from the opposite direction than the direct one.
 
“You late.” He tells Jeanette.
 
Jeanette looks at her watch as she signals to Misao to hide, “You’re the one that is late.”
 
“If you would have looked at the sit down area over there, you would have seen me.” He point to the other rest area at the other end from where he was at. “Let’s go. We got things to do.”
 
He turns away to walk away from her and begins to walk to the elevator bank. Jeanette turns around to follow him. As they walk away, Misao enters the hotel to see where they had gone. Chip and the other Rangers walk up to the hotel entrance, unknown to everybody, they were following each other. Fernando and Jeanette enter the elevator before the others could spot where they were going.
 
“Call Misao on your cellphone to leave the hotel before I have her arrested for stalking.” Fernando tells Jeanette. He then adds, “And tells her to take Chip and his pals with her.”
 
“Chip and the others were not with me, as neither was Misao.” Jeanette tells him as she turns away from him and closes her eyes for a moment.
 
“First off, I seen her outside through the windows and I seen you giving signals to her. Second, you can’t lie. You turn away and close your eyes when you do and you just did.”
 
“You think you know me that well that you can tell when I’m lying? Do not kid me.” Jeanette tells him.
 
“If I did not married Tammy, as per your request to save her, I would have married you, or at least proposed to you. Whether you would have accepted or not remains to be seen.” Fernando tells her.
 
“You and I could never link up as husband and wife.” She tells him.
 
“In a parallel Universe, not too different from this one, we are married, you’re the captain of a Lantean starship and I do this job I do here on top of us being Rescue Rangers EMT. At best we are happy, and at worst we work things out.” Fernando tells her before the elevator stops at the 32nd floor. The door opens and Fernando turns his key to ‘Stop/Hold’ on the switch. He steps out of the elevator to the floor’s lobby area and he shuts down the other elevators from entering the floor. He continues with his little story, “The Jeanette is almost exactly like you here. The only difference is that things were different enough that we were married and not Tammy and I like here. Other than that things were the same.”  
 
“Then let me ask this, why were things that different?” Jeanette asks as she looks about the suite.
 
“One thing did not happen there that happened here.” Fernando answers.
 
“And what was that?” She asks.
 
“The assassination of Rebecca’s husband, her murder and Bink’s injuries that sent her to the SWA never happened. The husband was killed before their wedding in a plane crash.” He explains.
 
Jeanette looks at him in disbelief in hearing what he said.
 
He continues, “Look, we were dating off and on before Bink became a Gunslinger because of what happened to their family. It is that event and your decision afterwards that broke us up and made Tammy and I as a couple. If it were to have never happened, then we would have married. Plain and simple.”
 
“What about the other Gunslinger Girls?” She asks.
 
“We would never have found out about them.” He tells her.
 
“And the Italian Drug Dealing and Terrorist mission?” She asks.
 
“The USA would never had gotten involved.” He answers.
 
“And this mission?” She asks.
 
“It would happen but with different reasons as to why it is happening here right now.” He says.
 
“I see. Anything else I should know?” She asks.
 
“At the time I was there, you were pregnant. Thus at this mission, you would have our child then and there, like Tammy has Francesca here and now.” He throws at her.
 
For some reason, the thought of her being pregnant with Fernando’s child made her mentally gag.
 
Fernando adds, “As far as I know, it was a girl, and she would be born with red hair but light color fur like yours, like Francesca has red hair but dark color fur from Tammy. Coincident or not, the two universes are closely parallel in that respect.”
 
Jeanette takes her time to gather her thoughts together before she asks, “What about the skunk girls Sabrina and Tabitha. You found them in Italy and saved them from a life of hell and even restored their virtues to them. In that other universe, if we never went to Italy on the Gunslinger Mission, you would have never met them.”
 
“I rescued them on the second Gunslinger mission, not the first. And sent them home on the third. But you are right, without the first, there would not have been a second mission or a third. But oddly enough they do exist in that universe and you accepted them into our little family after I rescued them. They were runaways and forced to live a life of drug addiction and prostitution with their virtues restored upon their rescue from such a life they were having but as to where they came from, I do not know that history and nor did I ask.” He explains.
 
“There is no way I would adopt them.” Jeanette says.
 
“Frankly I do not care what you have to think or say at times. If it is not coming from your heart in doing the right thing for others, I do not want to deal with you. I adopted those girls over there because it is the right thing to do, not something to get my jollies off or to make a harem of some sort. They needed help, in that help I adopted them, so biological or not, they are my daughters.” He tells her.
 
“I have no issue in helping others when I can but I do not have the resources some have.” She tells him. She then adds, “Where’s Tammy? And the others?”
 
“All in due time. Right now, you and I in a lunch date, and be truthful with me.” He tells her.
 
“It is you that need to be truthful with everyone.” She tells him.
 
“Withholding the truth is of itself lying.” He tells her, adding, “Don’t withhold nothing with me.”
 
“What do you want to know?” She asks.
 
“We’ll discuss it over lunch. Now as for the lunch, there is a nice Tempura place a few blocks from here. If you do not like Tempura, they have Teriyaki, Udon and Ramen.” He explains.
 
“No burgers, chicken and fries?” She asks.
 
“You want to spend $150 for a Burger and Fries in McDonalds? No f’ing way.” He tells her.
 
“Somehow I do not believe you.” She throws at him.
 
“To have American Fast Foods, they have to import everything. Plus the high Tokyo rent, a $4 burger in the USA is almost 30-times more here in Japan. It is a lot cheaper to eat their food.” He explains as he walks up to her and takes her hand with one hand and her rolling luggage with the other. He then guides her into his bedroom, where he rolls the luggage to the bed.
 
“I hope you are not getting any ideas.” She tells him.
 
“It’s been a while but we have slept together on missions and on dates. Not that I am getting ideas like I did not then. It was all respect between you and I that we did in those days. Not that it matters now, to you at least. Or so it seems to me.” He tells her.
 
“First off, you’re a married man.” She tells him
 
“Married to her because you said I had to in order save her from herself. We could have been married but are not.” He reminds her.
 
“Having marital issues?” She asks.
 
“We do not see things eye to eye at times, but that is true with any relationship. Even you and I did not see eye to eye, even when we first met or even dated.” He answers.
 
“We hardly agreed on anything. Why would you want to marry me? I mean before you married Tammy as per my request to save her?” She says and asks.
 
Fernando turns to face her taking her by the waist and pulling her towards him. Though slightly uncomfortable about, Jeanette does not complain or make move to stop it. In truth for her, she has not been held by anyone like this in a very long time, not since Fernando’s marriage to Tammy and currently welcomes being close to him again though something tells her that it is wrong. She reaches out and holds onto him though looks away from him at the same time.
 
Fernando gives her the answer she already knows, “One - I’d rather marry a friend than an enemy. Two – whether we agreed or not, we did respected each other for who we are and three – we did admit to certain feelings we had for each other. But when I proposed to you, you said that it would be better that I marry Tammy in order to save her life because she was in no way capable of being the secret agent that I am, and that for you it would have been better to have 2 friends married to each other than to be married with only one and the other in the ground.”
 
“Those same feeling you had for me you also had for her.” She tells him in an annoyed tone.
 
“I’m not going to point fingers or accuse anyone of anything, but since Misao came to the café, you virtually abandoned me. When I taught you how to use the Chrono Server and entrusted you some of its technology to help me, you in turned gave it to Misao where she has been using it to promote and advance the Lantean population on this planet. That is a prelude to an invasion, no matter how you or she tries to sugarcoat it. Then came Tammy’s Rescue mission and from that your request for me to marry her and the marriage itself. Now, if the Time Lords had not decided for Misao to continue as my Nemesis, I would have stopped you from giving her something that was only meant for you. What was on your f’ing mind – giving some stranger Time Travelling equipment?!!” Fernando tells her.
 
“She was a trusted friend, that is why I gave it to her.” Jeanette argues back.
 
“I’ve known you for years before I decide to give and teach you Time Travel. You gave it to her in just a matter of days of meeting her.” He tells her.
 
“Not true, it was 3 months and I did not give it to her, just let her use it to help her with her people’s problems.” She tells him.
 
“96 days, 7 hours, 13 minutes is when you gave her access to the equipment as to help her. She barrowed it and she has not returned it to you since.” He begins, “And she never will.”
 
“I can get it back anytime from her.” She argues back.
 
“Then get it back today and show it to me tonight, then I won’t doubt you or her ever again.” He challenges her.
 
“I need more time than that.” She tells him.
 
“As a Time Traveler’s Number 2, Time should not be an issue with you. Tonight or never.” He tells her as he pulls out his cellphone to give to her to call Misao.
 
She parries his hand with the device inside from her view, “I’ll call her later then. First it is Lunch, then you take me to Tammy, wherever she is.”
 
“Before we go out, let me say this-” He begins.
 
“You can say whatever you want. I have the right to listen or not to what you have to say.” She reminds him.
 
“Well, if you so insist.” He looks down at her.
 
“We can lay down on the comfort of this bed while we wait for lunch to be delivered or we can go but first as I was saying, what could have been and what became of us are two very different things. Seeing how things turned out in that parallel universe tells me so. If things were to have been different here, I still trust you enough with many things some tell me I should not have. If I would have listened to them, I would not have selected you in the first rescue attempt and in rescuing Tamara and Gadget in the runaway DeLorean*.” Fernando tells her.
 

---

*Note: See – The Gadget Infinity - http://www.hondosackett.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1299108174 & https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6774237/1/Gunslinger-Bink-0-The-Gadget-Infinity-Pre quel

At the ‘Gusto’ Cafe (103-0027 Tokyo, Chuo City, Nihonbashi, 2 Chome−3−4), a few blocks away from the Tokyo Train Station, Fernando and Jeanette take a seat for the simplicity of dining as they are one of the few restaurants that deals in International Cuisine. He orders Savory Pork with Tasty sauce and vegetables, she orders a similar Savory Beef with Tasty sauce and vegetables, both with white rice. She uses the spork to eat with though like many Non-Oriental Asians, their hand start cramp up from eating with chopsticks after a while. He continues to eat with chop sticks as he is more used to eating with them having been around the Asian communities around the world. The closest thing to a RootBeer was a Dr. Pepper they had. Fernando has a cherry flavored seltzer water instead.
 
“As you were saying, if Tammy’s mother was not assassinated but her husband to be was before then, we would have gotten married and have a child? I don’t believe that, especially since we only had a few dates besides those missions we were in where we had to sleep with each other.” Jeanette asks and explains.
 
“I’m just saying what I saw and was explained to me by of all people – you. You of that universe.” Fernando tells her.
 
As they talked, three foreigners surround their table, though Fernando is not paying attention to them. To him, the Japanese local gangs would be more of a worry than some foreigner Otaku Fan Boys. One of them does speak, catching Fernando’s ear.
 
“I say we sit right here so these two can go pay our bill.” The voice says to them. Jeanette turns to them to see a tall Black Squirrel and 2 grey squirrels, one as tall as the black squirrel, the other much shorter than the other two. Fernando does not turn to face them for despite the odds, and unfortunately the mess to be created, he can defend himself and Jeanette from whatever they would throw at him.
 
“Never saw such a sorry ass couple in my life.” The short one says.
 
“I’ll take the female so she can do my bidding.” The tall grey one throws in.
 
“After I get through with her, you can have the sloppy seconds.” The black one throws in.
 
“What was that?” Fernando gets up and faces them, ready to put up a fight if he had too. He and the black squirrel stare at each other for a long hard moment. “NIGHTRUNNER! YOU OLD DOG! YOU’RE FINALLY HERE!” They begin to hug each other.
 
“You requested for us to come.” The black squirrel points out, adding, “Now, about our money.”
 
“You and the others should have gotten an envelope from JAL Airlines with your papers and cash to hold you down for the mission.” Fernando tells them.
 
“They said they knew nothing about it.” NightRunner says to him.
 
Fernando looks at the others who nod at him. He asks them, “Then, where did you sleep at night?”
 
“Who said we slept? We partied with the locals!” The tall grey one named Toro (Spanish for Bull) answers.
 
“We even drank a few of them under the table!” The short grey one known as Shadow, adds. Shadow, despite his size, is Toro’s older brother.
 
“I’m not going to ask how you got breakfast.” Fernando says to himself.
 
“They pass out, their money is ours.” NightRunner says.
 
“None of them want to touch the ‘Flaming Skulls!’” Shadow throws out.
 
“You want to introduce the Flaming Skull to the people who only drink Rice Wine? Jeesh...” Fernando says to himself.
 
“Who are these people?” Jeanette let herself known.
 
“How about a seat? And paying for our food.” Shadow throws out.
 
“Go get some chairs to sit in.” Fernando tells Shadow, before answering Jeanette’s question, “They are the main core of the 117th Street Goon Squad, also known as Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
 
“Somehow I do not want to know...” Jeanette asks.
 
“And who is this little lady?” Shadow returns with a chair with the others behind him.
 
“She’s an old friend and Tammy’s Wet Nurse, so she’s off limits to you ruffians.” Fernando tells them.
 
“Ruffians?” Toro asks, throwing in “Just because you wear a suit everywhere you go does not make us ruffians.”
 
“You get down and dirty with the rest of us.” Shadow throws in.
 
Before NightRunner could say anything, Fernando asks, “Where ‘The White Man’, ‘Golden Heart’ and ‘Ivan The Terrible’?”
 
“They could not come.” NightRunner answers.
 
The waiter comes to the table, not happy with the situation she is seeing there. Fernando looks at her, saying “Add whatever they want to the bill. They’re with me.”
 
“I’ll take this Egg thing, and a beer.” NightRunner points to the pictured menu to what looks like Chinese Egg Foo Young with gravy poured over it..
 
“Make that two- Another Egg thing and a beer.” Toro adds.
 
“I’ll take, hmmm...” Shadow looks over the menu.
 
“He’ll take the Egg thing and a beer as well.” Fernando throws in.
 
“Hey! What if I wanted some sushi or something?!!” Shadow throws in.
 
“This is an international restaurant, they do not serve Sushi here.” Fernando explains to him.
 
“I’ll take the Egg thing and a beer then.” Shadow retorts.
 
“How about some names?” Jeanette asks.
 
“So the little lady does speak.” NightRunner replies, he extends a hand, “NightRunner’s the name. Running into the night is the game. Drinking and taking down heads – a specialty.”
 
Jeanette takes his hand and shakes it with a nod.
 
“Toro here. That’s Spanish for ‘The Bull’.” Toro says as he takes Jeanette’s hand.
 
“I am The Shadow. Anything on anyone you want, I can get it for you.” Shadow tells her before taking her hand to shake it.
 
NightRunner leans over to Jeanette, “And what is your name, Little Lady? And how you got mixed up with this poor excuse of a gentleman?”
 
“Jeanette Miller. And for a long while, he was my EMT Partner.” Jeanette answers.
 
“Still is if our schedules would match.” Fernando lets out.
 
“You don’t need him when you have us.” Shadow points out.
 
“All you guys would do is full up the ambulance with more bodies.” Fernando throws back.
 
“If people were more cautious and less reckless, there would be no need for ambulances.”  Shadow throws back in return.
 
“Hmm... Jeanette Miller... any relations to Jeanette Miller of the Chipettes?” Toro asks.
 
Jeanette glances over to Fernando who gives him a nod before she answers, “The one and only.”
 
“You definitely should not have said that...” Fernando points out.
 
“Why not? You’re always spoiling the party!” Shadow says out loud.
 
“Let me put it to you this way, she will not be singing to anyone unless it is to put my baby girl to sleep and  she will not be doing Karaoke or any other show for anyone. She has a job to do like you guys have a job to do.” Fernando tells them, adding, “After breakfast, it is a trip to the hotel to pick up a few things and a drive to the airport. After dropping her off, you guys come with me to deal with JAL and the papers and money I left with them for you guys.”
 
The waiter comes by with the Egg dish and a side of rice for all of them and a Sapporo Beer each. With food in front of them, discussing details become a moot point.