Chapter Eight: The Gathering
 
It's been over a couple of weeks and a half, and they were ahead of schedule. As the crew of the aircraft carriers and their escorts, make their way to the Sea of Japan, Fernando was in South America finishing up his team's mission.
 
They stayed at the presidential palace in Brazil, finalizing their notes. For the past four months they have went from site to site, taking notes and evidence. Two more rendezvous with mission sites and various personnel only added to problems. The Nazis are still entrenched in South America, but all over South America. Fernando decides to take what they can from the mission sites and burn the rest to the ground. Magnesium, Aluminum Oxide and Iron Oxide dust was scattered about the found labs and left to burn at ultra high temperatures to leave nothing behind. Fernando knows that in a couple of months somebody will return to survey the losses. But a couple of months he did not have.
 
They take the long drive back to the shore town off Rio De Jenrio where their seaplane, a former and heavily modified Marlin P6M rescue seaplane the government sold for next to nothing due to its issues of low power and short range. Fernando had taken care of those issues with larger more powerful and fuel-efficient turbo-fan engines and larger wings from a Boeing 737 he found in the airplane graveyards of the Nevada desserts that also have larger fuel tanks. The Marlin P6M seaplane was to be a military and coast guard search and rescue seaplane but problems during its development and flight trials with its engines and wings kept it from service. A civilian version was developed but never sold. Thus now many of the existing 24 Marlin P6Ms made are privately owned and heavily modified, and like them all, his interior has been widened, sound proofed and pressurized though Marlins were already pressurized and mostly sound proofed.  
 
Fernando walks about the pier the plane was in checking out its structure as Hondo climbs on top to check the fuel and its level. He gives a ‘thumbs up' to Fernando. With a press of a fob on Fernando's keys, they open the doors and walk into the inside fuselage of the plane, checking out the various compartments and see if anything was out of place. They sit into the cockpit when nothing unusual was found.
 
Fernando starts to flick switches on the various control panels as Hondo checks out their heading and navigation. Once the engines were running, Hondo puts the jet’s blades on a reverse pitch and backs the plane out of the pier. A sudden turn of the rudder makes the plane turn back ninety degrees. The jet's blades pitch was then turn to forward direction, and then the plane turns ninety degrees the other way. It picks up speed on the water until it lifts from the harbor. They share in the responsibilities of the aircraft's take off. Valentine sits at the radio or engineering section but nothing was there since things were modernized on the plane.
 
Fernando plans on flying around Brazil towards Columbia, Panama or Mexico for a brief stop-over and refueling. They sit back and let the automatic pilot take the plane through much of its course of flight.
 
"I'm going to get something to eat. Hondo, after refueling, let’s make a jump to California. I need to make a few phone calls. There's a private airport at the California/New Mexico border." Fernando tells him as he points to a map on a tablet.
 
"I think I know where that is." Hondo answers as Fernando walks to the rear of the plane where provisions are stored behind the wing's rear bulkhead.
 
Fernando returns to his seat with a few of cans of soda and some Twinkies in a plastic bag. He makes a garbage receptacle from the plastic bag he carried everything in.
 
"Nothing for me or Val?" Hondo complains.
 
"Nope. Thinking of myself again." Fernando says as he reaches over to Hondo and drops a can of soda and a couple of Twinkies on his lap. He then reaches behind his seat with a can of soda and a couple of Twinkies in their wrapper for Valentine.
 
"Thanks." Hondo says as Valentine grabs the soda and Twinkies Fernando was handing out.
 
"Thank you" Valentine says.
 
"Enjoy." Fernando says.
 
For a while they sit there eating the Twinkies and drinking the sodas. After the snack, Fernando grabs a lever on the bottom of the chair and pushes the seat back.
 
"Hondo, you take over. I'm going to take a nap." Fernando tells him.
 
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Hondo replies.
 
Fernando sits back and rests, trying to sleep in the chair while doing 300mph around 9000ft.
 
After refueling in the Yucatan in Mexico, it was another two-hour flight to a private airport in Nevada, known rarely to its inhabitants. There was no fuel depot; one has to go three miles back to the ‘Last Chance' gas station. Fernando takes the control to land the plane, not happy that Hondo took the last landing and take-off while he slept.
 
Landing gears down, flaps on full, and engines at 50%; Fernando takes the huge metal aircraft onto the landing strip. Modernized hydraulic brakes slow the wheels of the landing gears and bring the aircraft to a stop. Once on the ground, it was like driving a large military truck that lumbers down the road. He takes the Marlin to the end of the runway, making a turn onto the grassy sides. Holding onto the steering tightly, he turns the aircraft to face the runway and stops it from going any further. The engines are cut off and the brakes set to keep the airplane from being moved.
 
Fernando has Hondo and Valentine take the golf cart to the gas station to buy snacks and food. He looks over the fuel tanks and finds them to have more than enough to their next journey. When done with his inspection and still waiting for Hondo and Valentine's return, he turns on his cellphone, and dials a number. The phone on the other end rings a couple of times before being answered.
 
"Hello?" a growling voice answers the phone.
 
"NightRunner?" Fernando asks.
 
"Who's this?" the voice answers.
 
"It’s Fernando." Fernando answers.
 
"Fernando? Wait. You know what time it is?" the voice answers.
 
"I would not know. I've been globetrotting again." Fernando answers.
 
"Then let me tell you. It's freaking 9o'clock in the evening!" the voice answers.
 
"Then it’s not late, so calm down, NightRunner." Fernando tells him.
 
"I with a lady friend right now and you're interrupting." NightRunner tells him.
 
"Then I will make it short. Get the guys, and meet me at the Tokyo Hilton in three weeks. I'll have tickets for you all on JAL at Kennedy by tomarrow and the hotel room information when you arrive at the checkout in Japan." Fernando tells him.
 
"How about money?" NightRunner asks.
 
"One hundred thou when the mission is done and a couple of thousands per day for daily expenses on a credit card you will get at the pick-up. We'll discuss mission details when you and the guys get there." Fernando tells him.
 
"We'll be there. And don't call again." Nightrunner tells him. He ends the call.  
 
Fernando looks at his cellphone and shakes his head. He then starts to dial his cellphone, first to another group of friends in New York, with almost the same response from them, and then to JAL for a number of round trip tickets to Tokyo, Nippon Bank to establish the credit cards and to the Tokyo Hilton for several rooms; to be picked up at JAL's check out.
 
Fernando makes another call on his cellphone, "Hello Rachel?"
 
"Hi daddy. We're here." Rachel answers.
 
"Then you have seen my plane land. Bring the girls over, you know where I am." Fernando tells her.
 
"Then step out the door. We're at the LearJet 25 across from you." Rachel explains.
 
"I'll see you then." Fernando says before hanging up the phone. He heads downstairs to the vehicle storage before he steps out from the fuselage of the plane and walks out onto the grass.
 
Four individuals approach him from across the landing strip from a private jet; he recognizes as his daughters Rachel and Michelle, and the two skunks he rescued in Rome with Hondo: Sabrina and Tabitha. They step up to him, all carrying a large duffle bag over their shoulder.
 
"Here are our future sisters, daddy." Rachel tells him as she hands over the duffel bag she carried.
 
"Thanks. I'll see you both in Tokyo. You know to take the agent room at the Tokyo Hilton." Fernando tells her as he receives the other duffel bag from his other daughter, Michelle.
 
"We know." Rachel says.
 
"Good. Girls, get in the plane and unpack in the rear bed room and take a seat in the area just before the cockpit." Fernando tells them.
 
"Are you really adopting us?" Tabitha, the younger skunk sister asks.
 
"I am. I'm just having trouble getting your birth certificates. Once I get that, you two will be part of a larger family." Fernando tells them.
 
"Yeah, a family of all girls." Michelle lets out, then she and Rachel giggle.
 
"For women in your 30's, you two act like little girls at times." Fernando tells them.
 
"We will always be your little girls, daddy." Rachel tells him.
 
"Let’s go, Raych. His friends should be coming soon." Michelle says as she begins to walk away.
 
"Bye. Love you both." Fernando tells them as they walk away.
 
"Love you too, dad." Michelle lets out as Rachel climbs into the LearJet.
 
"Alright girls, get in." Fernando tells them.
 
They get in and unpack as they were told, taking the seats behind the cockpit, where a rescue crew would be seated on their way to a rescue. Fernando puts away the two duffle bags, and takes out some snacks and drinks for him and the girls. The high pitch whine of a jet engine turning on can be heard before Fernando closes the Marlin's door, heading to the passenger area behind the cockpit.  
 
As she sits down with them, Tabitha asks the question again, "Are you really adopting us?"
 
"You want me to adopt you or not?" Fernando asks.
 
"It would be nice." Tabitha answers.
 
"I'm almost 18." Sabrina adds.
 
"Even if you're 100, if I can and if you want, I'm adopting you both." Fernando tells her.
 
They remain quiet for a while before Sabrina says, "Thanks."
 
"Whether you agree with it or not, we're a family. I don't support homeless waifs because I can get a tax refund from you fluffy tails. I'm doing it to give you something so that you can give back to the world." Fernando tells them.
 
"And what would that be?" Sabrina asks.
 
"Love." Fernando answers.
 
"Love?" they both ask.
 
"Love to love yourselves and each other. Love me and your future sisters; and though I am adopting you, Love Tammy who would be your mother and Francesca your baby sister. Once you get that far, then you can have a real boyfriend, and not some touchy feely idiot who wants to get into your panties." Fernando tells her.
 
"He must mean Melvin..." Tabitha lets out.
 
"Tabitha!" Sabrina lets out.
 
"I also know about Malik too, Tabitha." Fernando points out.
 
Tabitha could only sit there embarrassed.
 
"Look. Just because I let the both of you live alone but supervised for the past year plus does not mean that I don't care. I was doing what I can within the extent of the law, and you being runaways, you needed to be alone. But I've been working on adopting you for the past year, but your parents and your town would not release your birth certificates in order for me to adopt you. Believe me, I have rooms in my house ready for you both. But like I said, when I get the paperwork, you two will be in my family if you want. I'm not forcing this on you both, just giving you an option for your lives." Fernando tells them.
 
"What if I turn 18 and want to move out?" Sabrina asks.
 
"You have that right. But you will also be welcomed back when you return. That is what family is about." Fernando answers.
 
"Alright. I'll move out when I go to college." Sabrina says.
 
"Don't want to go to NYU or Columbia?" Fernando asks.
 
"I can't go there. Don't have the grades, SAT Scores or the money to go." Sabrina answers.
 
"Would you like to go to Columbia or NYU?" Fernando asks.
 
"Like hell yeah!" Sabrina exclaims.
 
"You keep the grades you have or even improve them if you can, I'll hook it up for you." Fernando says.
 
"But how?" Sabrina asks.
 
"You're talking to the man who can do many things, who is friends with emperors and kings. Talk with your older sisters and they'll let you know what I can do. All I ask is that you do your best in your studies and your work." Fernando answers.
 
Tabitha gets up from her seat and literally pounces on him, holding him tightly, "Thank you, daddy..."
 
"It's a bit premature for you to be calling him daddy, Tabitha." Sabrina lets out.
 
"You maybe right, Sabrina. But it is my promise to you that I will if you want it." Fernando tells her.
 
"Will I have to change my name like I would be married to you?" Sabrina asks.
 
"That's your choice. Keep your name, hyphenate it with mine or take my name." Fernando answers her.
 
"Sabrina G?" Sabrina says to herself.
 
"Actually, it would be Princess Sabrina Gutierrez, of the royal Spain throne, yadda, yadda, yadda." Fernando answers.
 
"What?" they both say.
 
"My great-grandmother on my father's side was Queen Isabella the Second of Spain before she was exiled to the Caribbean and her youngest son took over the throne. My father's father was her eldest son, who was also exiled. It's a long story but among other things I'm Prince Fernando and King Juan Carlos is my cousin and as the eldest son I am rightful heir to the Spanish Throne. You two need to keep that a secret this family has. OK?" Fernando says.
 
"This better be the truth." Sabrina says to herself.
 
"It's best to ask your other sisters, or, after this is all over, ask Juan Carlos himself." Fernando tells her.
 
Sabrina could only give a smirk as she crosses her arms.
 
Fernando lets Tabitha on the floor of the plane before getting up himself, "Make your selves comfortable. Hondo and Val should be returning soon and I got to get this airplane ready."
 
"OK Daddy..." Tabitha says as she jumps into her seat and buckles her seatbelt.
 
Fernando walks into the cockpit and sits in the captain's seat. After a while Sabrina walks in and leans against the captain's chair from behind.
 
"I just want to let you know that we are not going to fall for that prince thing. We already have been through this with the ‘Stars in the Skies' movie company." Sabrina says to him without looking at him.
 
Fernando leans his head up against the chair and looks up at her.
 
"Your part time jobs would not be able to afford the room and board you two have, but that's not the point. My cars, my houses, my planes, and other things I own are mine, and not on some credit card. Whether I am a prince or not, I am insanely wealthy, and a part of that is for you and your sister to have once you leave my nest. That includes tuition for your college education at Columbia or NYU, which if you did the math, four years at either school will cost you almost a million. It's yours if you want to go; but you can still apply for SUNY New Paltz or Boro Community College if you like." Fernando tells her.
 
"Somehow I don't believe you." Sabrina says to herself.
 
"In the past year and a half you two have been with me, paid for the things you two need to live comfortably, given you two the keys to my house if you need to go there, praised you two for the excellent grades, birthdays and holidays, have I ever lied to you?" Fernando asks.
 
"No you haven't." Sabrina answers.
 
"So. All I ask is that you do your best in what you have to do for yourself and only show me the results. Like you, I do not want for you two to end up like you did with Stars in the Skies movie productions either. I don't know why you been grumpy ever since I rescued you two, but you were there with us all when we tried to return you to your family – they did not wanted you to return, and I can understand that is the worse thing to do to a child. You do not have to accept me as your father, but I would like you to accept the things I can give you." Fernando replies.
 
"That's why. You're not my father, but you are doing things for us that he is supposed to do but won’t for us." Sabrina says almost to herself.
 
"The world is a cruel place, Sabrina. If I can with what I got make this world better for one more person, I will. Right now I'm doing that for you, your sister, my wife Tammy and our new born daughter Francesca. And as a promise to you, I would never abandon you and Tabitha no matter what you do but I will get mad if you do me and this family wrong. Skunk or not I will throw you over my lap and spank that tail of yours if you do us wrong. We're a family, even if I'm a squirrel and you're a skunk. I protect them as I protect you. Got that?" Fernando tells her.
 
"Got it." Sabrina replies.
 
"Good. Now sit down with your sister before she comes in as well. It’s not that I don't want you two in here for one day I will teach you to fly this plane, I don't want Hondo or Val to think I threw them off the plane for you two." Fernando tells her.
 
"Alright. Where can I get another soda and put the trash?" Sabrina asks.
 
Fernando gets up from his seat and walks out the cockpit with Sabrina behind him. He signals for Tabitha to follow as well. They walk to the area behind the wing's rear bulkhead.
 
"Here is the frig, canned and dry food storage, toaster oven and microwave oven. Try not to eat everything in sight. We don't have that much, it’s just for a few days." Fernando points out to them. Then he walks back to the cockpit, "Take a plastic bag for your garbage and we will clean out the plane when we land."
 
"Why is there a bed in the back?" Tabitha points to the rear of the plane.
 
"This plane has five bedrooms in the back and two small bathrooms with showers. On the floor below us is where we keep the cars and other travel things. But this time I left the Porsche at home." Fernando explains, adding, "If we need to sleep and we can't get a hotel room, we can sleep here in some comfort. Everything else you need should be in your bags."
 
"Can I go look?" Tabitha asks.
 
"Oh, why not. But be ready to sit down when Hondo and Val returns. We have a long flight ahead of us." Fernando tells her. As she runs to the rear of the bed, Fernando says out loud, "No running! And No Jumping On The Bed!"
 
"OW!" Tabitha lets out loud as she lands on the bed. Though not like prison beds, they are mattresses on top of a metal frame.
 
"Go check up on your sister. I think I hear Hondo and Val returning." Fernando says as he goes back to the Marlin's door. He opens it and steps outside.
 
Two hours later Hondo returns with Valentine in the golf cart with bags of food and snacks, Fernando had returned to the cockpit quite some time ago. They take turns going back and forth in putting the food and snacks away in the plane and then drive the golf cart into the plane's equipment bay entrance in the rear.
 
They walk into the cockpit and find Fernando sleeping in his Captain's seat behind the controls.
 
"I swear, this squirrel is sleeping again." Hondo comments.
 
"I'm not sleeping. Just resting." Fernando points out before stretching in his seat, "By the way, have you two seen the girls?"
 
"What girls?" Hondo asks.
 
"If you did not see them then they must be in my bedroom sleeping." Fernando answers.
 
"Again, what girls?" Hondo asks in an annoyed tone.
 
"Tabi and Sabi are here." Fernando answers.
 
"Tabitha and Sabrina? What are they doing here and how did they get here?" Hondo asks.
 
"Who are Tabitha and Sabrina?" Val asks.
 
"They're a couple of girls we rescued from a pimp over a year ago in Italy. I'm thinking of adopting them." Fernando asks.
 
"They happened to be skunks too." Hondo puts in.
 
"Something wrong with that?" Fernando asks.
 
"Not really but I don't want any accidents." Hondo answers.
 
"They're a bit too old to be having accidents, they're not pre-school aged anymore." Fernando tells him, "Besides, the Bio Energy pill I gave them strengthen their control of ‘trigger.'"
 
"You gave them the immortality pill?" Val asks.
 
"I gave them the healing version of the pill. The immortality pill won't be given to them until they are in their 30s at least. You and Hondo are the youngest one I gave the immortality pill too. So don't abuse the privilege. Hondo can tell you, I know how to kill an immortal." Fernando tells her.
 
"Still have not answered my questions." Hondo states.
 
"Rachel and Michelle brought them over with the LearJet and they will be meeting me in Japan." Fernando answers.
 
"Why?" Hondo asks.
 
"Personal reasons for one. With the Rangers going to Japan, they will be alone at the café for two." Fernando answers.
 
"Alone?" Hondo asks.
 
"Among other things, stupid Chip told the Café Staff to go home and not open the bar or restaurant. They could spend the time at my place but they would be unsupervised, so I asked my older girls to bring them here. Notice that a LearJet is missing?" Fernando says and asks.
 
"I see. I do not see the LearJet missing... Uhm... Wait a minute." Hondo steps to the windshield and looks outside to his left "Shoot me dead for not noticing. It was right there, wasn't it?"
 
"It was, and it was them and how the girls got here." Fernando answers. He adds, "I'll be back, going to check on the girls."
 
It takes Fernando a couple of minutes to go check on the girls, finding them sleeping together in his bed. He takes the blanket and pulls it over their shoulders and activates its dampers to keep the bed even in flight as much as possible within a 30 degree swing in any direction. He returns to Hondo and Val at the cockpit in a few seconds.
 
"So what's the plan?" Hondo asks.
 
"Island hopping from here to Japan. First stop, Hawaii." Fernando says.
 
"How long you think that is going to take?" Hondo asks.
 
"No more than four days if we fly nonstop except for fuel and other things – thus the island hopping. Ten days if we don't fly at night." Fernando answers.
 
"I see. We are going to rotate for rest?" Hondo asks.
 
Fernando looks at Valentine, "Too bad Jeanette is not here."
 
"Why would you want that complaining wench here with us?" Hondo complains.
 
"It would give us one extra to rotate with. All right. Valentine – take a long nap, you're taking my place when we land in Hawaii. Then I take Hondo's place when we head to Midway, and Hondo takes your place at Guam. We'll stop there for clean up and a shower while the plane goes through fuel refill and a quick maintenance check. Meals every three hours, fuel and supplies at every stop. Got that you two?" Fernando turns to Valentine first and then goes back and forth between them.
 
"Got it." they both say at him as they sit down at their seats.
 
Hondo and Fernando go through the routines of starting the fuel pumps and turbo prop igniters, flipping switches and looking at the analog dials. Once the plane shows life, Fernando releases the brakes and they begin to roll off the grass and onto the paved runway. Flaps are extended, and throttles set to full gets them airborne half way down the runway. Taking to altitude slowly, Fernando puts the plane into a slow turn, lining up the compass heading with the GPS coordinates. Once at five hundred feet, he levels off the plane and follows the sun to their first stop.
 
It takes a while for Valentine to get herself to sleep but she manages. Hondo checks the weather patterns, finding it all clear for most of the trip but a satellite picture shows the fleet still in the water waiting for a cyclone to clear their path. He holds up the laptop to show Fernando.
 
"Impressive." is all Fernando can say.
 
"Worry that Tammy is in that?" Hondo asks.
 
"Nope. She'll be fine." Fernando answers.
 
"Alright. What was that comment about Jeanette?" Hondo says as he checks back at Valentine who is sleeping. He turns back at Fernando, "You were not expecting her to fly this thing, were you?"
 
"Jeanette can sit in that little area where the radio operator would sit or at the jump seat behind me so she can talk to me to death and keep me awake during her turn. After that little stint when she helped me fly the 737 in the first mission, I swear Hondo. It was unnecessary." Fernando tells him.
 
"What exactly happened?" Hondo asks.
 
"Nothing. She did amazingly well, like I expected. But when we got on the ground, she became a freaked out bitch. And it was not immediately after we landed, it was the following day she freaked out, yelling about not flying again, that she was afraid and making stupid comments. An uncalled for delayed reaction that should not have happened at all." Fernando explains.
 
"I don't know what to say about that." Hondo replies.
 
"I'll hang her outside the cargo bay doors of this plane if she does it again. Fear or not, when life is involved, I find no excuses to not do the job." Fernando tells him.
 
"That's easy for you to say. You have no fears. In fact you're reckless at times." Hondo comments.
 
"I do have a fear of heights and closed in spaces. But I have learned to control them and deal with them in most situations." Fernando explains.
 
"Closed in spaces I can see, but heights? You're a flying squirrel." Hondo says.
 
"Between five feet and twelve feet, I get edgy if I have to climb a ladder or is raised up by some other means. When I pass twelve feet, I am fine again. It's probably because when I was into the gymnastics as a kid, all my falls were within that space of distance. And I can't open my wings and fly out of it in that space of distance either." Fernando explains.
 
"Interesting." Hondo replies.
 
"It's under control at this point in my life so you can't see my discomfort when I'm in those situations, but the battle in my brain, you can't guess what's going on." Fernando adds to the explanation.  
 
"I can guess." Hondo responds, "But every man has his fears. If he don't, and then he's a reckless fool."
 
"I'll agree with that." Fernando throws in. "So another eight to ten hours before we land. What did you guys bring?"
 
"Just some cold cuts, breads, canned stuff, pastries, sodas, juice, instant coffee, frozen burgers, frozen hotdogs – the Hebrew National Kosher ones, frozen steak fries, frozen breakfast foods, fruit bars, condiments, lots of bottled water and Twinkies." Hondo answers.
 
"Hmm... Frozen burgers? Let’s hope the microwave oven does not blow a fuse." Fernando says almost to himself.
 
"I got the toaster oven working again." Hondo tells him, "It just needed a replacement heating strip I got from someplace else."
 
"Well let's hope that does not blow a fuse." Fernando tells him, "OK. I'm switching the flight panel board and the computers to battery backup and switching off my controls. You have control of her now. I'll be back"
 
"Make me a couple while you're at it?" Hondo tells him.
 
"I'll see what I can do. Now let’s hope we don't blow a fuse." Fernando says. In less than a minute he was in the tiny kitchen area at the wing's rear bulkhead. Finding the burgers and steak fries, he takes a few and puts them into the toaster oven and sets the temperature and timer. "Here goes nothing!" he yells to Hondo before pressing its power button.
 
The oven gets turned on without incident and begins warming up the food inside its heating chamber. Fernando gets the other things like the sodas to the cockpit and gives half of them to Hondo. He goes back to the toaster oven and checks on the food. In a couple of minutes he puts the burgers and steak fries on the paper plates before taking them to the cockpit with a bottle of ketchup. Fernando puts his food onto the side, and then looks over his control area.
 
"OK Hondo. I'm switching on my controls... there, and now switching over from battery back up to the flight panel, computers and charging the batteries." Fernando says. Things switch over without a problem.  
 
"Looks like things are still in operation." Hondo says.
 
"Not bad for a prototype. When we're done I'll do the same with the other plane we have stashed away for you. Too bad they require two people to fly." Fernando says.
 
"I can fly this thing by myself." Hondo says.
 
"We both can, but it’s better to have a back up if something were to happen to you." Fernando says.  
 
"Alright. I get your point." Hondo says, and then asks, "So how long for this mission?"
 
"Don't know. But just in case, I asked for back up from New York to meet me in Japan." Fernando answers.
 
"What kind of back up?" Hondo asks.
 
"Let’s see. Remember a group of tough guys at the wedding I did not show up for?" Fernando asks.
 
"I think I remember such a group giving Chip and a few others a hard time." Hondo answers.
 
"Them." Fernando replies.
 
"Hmmm..." Hondo says to himself and then to Fernando, "Expecting trouble?"
 
"Nothing that they can't steal or destroy." Fernando answers.
 
"These ruffians, they're former agency buddies?" Hondo asks.
 
"Try high school buds and neighborhood thugs I befriended when needed. They're a nice group of guys when you get to know them. If they let you into their inner secret circle." Fernando explains.
 
"How did you get mixed up with them?" Hondo asks.
 
"Same way I got mixed up with you. It's a mutual arrangement that is best for both our benefits. And since few know of them, they won't be tagged around in Tokyo like I will be." Fernando explains.
 
"And why would you be tagged around when you get there?" Hondo asks.
 
"Long before I met you, I was on a mission to help rescue the emperor's son. Long story short it was successful, and since then the press follow me around like some celebrity. I swear, I pick up some trash off the street and it becomes a national slogan. Pick up a penny from the floor and it becomes a new dance craze. I swear, Hondo. People are just strange over there." Fernando tells him.
 
"Looks to me that you're a national hero of sorts and they want to follow your example. That's all." Hondo replies.
 
"Wait until they find out Tammy is my wife and she uses cloth diapers on Francesca. All the disposable diaper companies will be out of business in a day." Fernando says.
 
"It can't be that bad." Hondo says.
 
"During my last trip there years ago, some paparazzi took a picture of me using my Mac 5300CE Laptop, an old laptop even for that time I was there. Before the sun set that day, prices on used Macintosh 190 and 5300 laptops on Ebay went up five hundred dollars and places dealing in refurbished Apple products had their entire stock of 190 and 5300 series laptops sold out. Then they found out I use Apple computers for most things in general, so they basically threw out PCs into the sea and Apple Japan saw everyone buying Macs and iPods. This is why I send people out to buy fast food and throw out the wrappers for me. If they see me enter a Burger King, McDonalds will die in Japan." Fernando explains.
 
"Maybe they will be more civilized when you get there this time." Hondo says.
 
"We can only hope." Fernando replies. He looks at his control panel and the computer display on his end. "Another eight hours to Hawaii." Fernando says to himself.
 
"You said it would take four days if we fly nonstop." Hondo tells him.
 
"Actually it will take less than four days. But I need to check the oil when we get half way there at Midway Island. It has been a while since she had her fluids checked and topped off." Fernando explains.
 
"Why at Midway and not Hawaii?" Hondo asks.
 
"Midway is the point of no return for many like us and they are stocked with parts and fluids for any plane that lands there. Hawaii won't have everything we need. They just service the big jets there, not a little private jet job like this one. Especially with its modifications." Fernando answers.
 
"This is not exactly tiny." Hondo says.
 
"It’s one of the bigger sea planes but it’s not as big as a 737, maybe three-quarters of its size." Fernando says.
 
"It’s as big as a B39 Bomber that nuked Japan." Hondo throws in.
 
"Maybe bigger. Definitely larger than a B29 Liberator, those things were made for midgets!" Fernando says.
 
"Well the average person back then was about five feet four, and we're over six feet in height." Hondo says and asks.
 
"This plane was also made to land on both land and water. Not many planes can do that these days. As both a plane and a small ship, it’s made to be bigger just to float and be light weight so it can do water rescues. You notice she's a bit longer than necessary." Fernando explains.
 
"It was designed to do a specific task." Hondo says.
 
"That it was, even with the wing and engine flaws it had, it was a great plane. Just very under powered." Fernando adds.
 
"I see. And the modifications you gave it?" Hondo asks.
 
"Just a larger wing replacement from a Boeing 737, and efficient turbo jets engines to give it an extra thousand miles on the fuel it originally has, faster speed and four times the power. The larger tanks in the 737's larger wings add more fuel for more mileage, lift and maneuverability. If this plane were built like this originally, we would be flying a Connie right now instead of a Marlin. And Connies can't land on water so we would be stuck as to where we could go." Fernando explains.
 
"What about this stuff?" Hondo points out to the controls and panel.
 
"Much of that is still stock, but I took out the redundant stuff. We did not need two altimeters and four fuel gauges to the same tank on both sides. So I moved a few things around and added the flight systems from a LearJet to add to what we have, including the glassware you see." Fernando says as he reaches to the glass panel and switches the basics controls to a GPS map. "I also updated the communications gear which saves space and weight. The main radios are on my side and the back ups are on your side. They can be removed if you pull on the handle and add a battery and antenna for a portable mobile system. You should have seen the original radio. I have it in my place to play with it for now."
 
"I can image. Tubes, Bakelite circuit board, metal framing and leather casing I bet." Hondo says.
 
"Yours will be more or less the same unless there are things you want on it." Fernando says.
 
"That's the second time you said something about my plane. You just saying that or are you getting one for me?" Hondo asks.
 
"I already have this one and the other is mostly rebuilt except at the time this one went airborne, that one was having its wings clipped for replacement. It's more or less by my design, but if you want things changed, make notes of what they are. Mind you, you won't be able to throw in the avionics of an F16 in here. You need to keep the yoke system it has but they can be upgraded from a 737." Fernando explains.
 
"What about weapons and defense systems?" Hondo asks.
 
"Chafe and EMCs for now. Adding guns and missiles will make this too heavy to fly on top of the other stuff it has though I'm thinking of putting a Phalanx from a modified A10 Gattling Gun. Outside of a BBJ Series, where do you find a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom set along with rescue equipment on a plane?" Fernando explains and asks.
 
"I would do without the living room. Seems unnecessary to me." Hondo answers.
 
"Where will you entertain guests then?" Fernando asks.
 
"I'll think about it when I get to that point." Hondo answers.
 
"Most New Yorkers would kill for a two story, one bedroom duplex with a living room and storage this place has." Fernando tells him.
 
"I'm not a New Yorker, but I understand the point." Hondo replies.
 
"Good." Fernando says.
 
Except for meal breaks, the flight was pretty much quiet. Landing and refueling at Hawaii was uneventful. Though he did not want too, Fernando switches seats with Hondo who switched seats with Valentine.
 
Though he checks on the girls in the bedroom in the back of the plane, Fernando decides to stay with the crew at the now empty radio/engineering corner. Leaning back on the seat like Valentine did before him, Fernando rests and goes into a light sleep.
 
The flight to Midway was long and boring, nothing but sky and water for over three thousand miles and 8 hours of flying. But until they get there, they can turn back around and head back to Hawaii. If it weren't for their GPS, they would have to have found the island in the middle of the Pacific by dead reckoning and lighthouse beacons.
 
Upon landing, Fernando tells Hondo and Valentine to take the night off and to rest, as any maintenance and repairs to be done on the plane was not going to happen at night. Until then they park the plane in a rented open hangar and sleep until the morning.
 
Being the most rested, Valentine wakes up first as the sun cracks the night in the red, orange and yellow colors of the dawn. She makes a simple breakfast omelet from ‘eggs in a carton' and a frozen burger thrown in the toaster oven and repeatedly checked until done. Hondo wakes up at the smell of food being made. Fernando does not wake up until a couple of hours later.

Chapter Ten: Family Bonds.
 
Hondo and Valentine return late in the evening, though during the day they discussed their activity. Fernando recommended a movie and a meal to enjoy the day and night with since the hurricane was not moving any time soon. After packing away the rest of the uneaten food meant for later consumption, Fernando sits on the captain's chair and slowly drifts to sleep.
 
But a few minutes later Tabitha stands besides his seat in a t-shirt and sweat pants and nudges him. Out of instinct reaction his left hand rises from behind him and presses something hard against her chest. She steps back with her arms raised up at the sight of his gun aimed at her. His hand slowly retreats back behind him.
 
"I'm sorry. I should have warned you about that." Fernando tells her. He rubs his eyes for a moment, "What's going on that needs my attention?"
 
"Uhm… Sabrina and I wanted to know if you want to sleep on your bed?" Tabitha asks.
 
"I prefer if I stay here." Fernando answers.
 
"You sure?" Tabitha asks. She continues, "You have not slept all the time we were on the plane, maybe longer. When was the last time you have any sleep?"
 
"Just now when you woke me." Fernando answers her.
 
"Then I have to ask you to come to bed and sleep..." Tabitha insists, trailing off to a quiet, "with us."
 
"What was that you said?" Fernando asks.
 
"Well. If you know our family, then you know that the six of us slept together in the same bed with our parents... so..." Tabitha tries to explain.
 
"The poorest of families have the highest of pride, having been there I know that. But I'm not your father and Sabrina has her doubts." Fernando replies before yawning.
 
"Sabrina does have her doubts and all but you have proven to us that you would not hurt us and you give us a lot more than what we need. It's time we accept you and pay back what you give us." Tabitha tells him.
 
"Now wait a minute girl..." Fernando sits up on his seat.
 
All this and the past times Tabitha has seen him in his captain's seat, she thinks if there was a way she could jump over the armrest and onto his lap. She calculates the distance, the strength in her legs and her weight; making a quick decision to jump over the armrest and onto his lap, needing to lift herself at the same time with a hand on the seat's back.
 
She wraps her arms around his neck and puts her nose to his, "It's not what you think, but it is showing you our love as our father."
 
"Can it wait until we get home and I finalize the papers after getting your birth certificates?" Fernando asks.
 
"We did not want to tell you but we have them. You could not get them because you're a stranger but at the town office Sabrina had copies mailed to us at the café." Tabitha tells him. "Come on, she has other things to show you as well."
 
"It better not be her in a sex negligee." Fernando says to himself.
 
"A what?" Tabitha asks.
 
"A negligee – a sexy see through pajamas for women to wear to show off to their husbands or intimate boyfriends." Fernando explains.
 
"Oh. A Baby Doll." Tabitha replies.
 
"A what?" Fernando asks.
 
"You know. A Baby Doll is one of those things you said. We got them but they are too thin to wear. It leaves me cold at night." Tabitha answers.
 
"You have one?" Fernando asks.
 
"They were our underwear when you rescued us." Tabitha answers.
 
"Oh." Fernando says to himself.
 
"Look. We may not say it or show it but we are thankful for what you do for us and love you for it." Tabitha says to him, "Yes love, with a capitol L - O - V - E. It’s how we feel but won’t say it. Well, at least until now, with me that is. Sabrina wants to tell you too but does not have the courage to say it. So, come to bed with us and spend some time together. And if you go to sleep we'll respect your space."
 
"I'm tired now and will be going to sleep again soon." Fernando tells her.
 
"Then I'll stay with you here when you sleep and maybe Sabrina and I can carry you to the bed." Tabitha almost jokes.
 
"Do that and somebody is going to get shot." Fernando looks into her eyes, "I mean that."
 
"But you won’t." Tabitha calls his bluff.
 
"Don't challenge me. If you do, you lose." Fernando tells her.
 
"Fernando... daddy...? Like you said about you and Tammy needing to work things out, we have to do the same for you. You showed us what it is to be our father; we need to be your daughters. And we can only show that being together with you." Tabitha explains.
 
"You're not taking no for an answer, are you?" Fernando asks.
 
"No we're not." Sabrina answers from above the seat. They booth look up at her. "I'm waiting." She tells them.
 
"I'm trying but he's not budging." Tabitha replies.  
 
"Look, ladies. I promise that one day I will do as you ask within the limits of a father/daughter relationship but not now and not during this mission. I - make that we - can’t get distracted by emotions and ideas of family where lives are at stake. You need to promise me that no matter what happens, you will do as I tell you no matter the outcome to me. Others will be there to protect you when I'm gone and you need to learn how to do the same for yourself and others. Until then we are going to have fun in witnessing history in the making. Then maybe afterwards, we can do as we must as a family." Fernando tells them.
 
Tabitha lets out a dejected "Aww..." while Sabrina replies with, "I'll hold you to that promise."
 
"I need you two to explain that to Tammy, for it is her I share my bed with. I can say yes but she can still say no even though we might be a family. But I have no problems sleeping with my girls because I have done so before starting with Rachel, Michelle, NIcole and Aiesha when they were girls and now with Francesca even though she is a baby." Fernando explains, "I would advise you both on talking to the girls about it first and get them on your side of this argument."
 
They look at each other for a moment and nod.
 
"And do you promise me that you will do as I tell you no matter what might happen to me?" Fernando asks.
 
"We promise." Tabitha answers.
 
But Sabrina makes her comments known, "You expecting something bad to happen to you?"
 
"In any mission you need to expect the worse, hope for the best and be prepared for anything." Fernando tells her.
 
"HMPH!*" Sabrina replies, "That's was an easy out."
 
"I need you to think." Fernando begins, "You study to prepare for your tests hoping to pass but you have a fear of failing it. That is why you do what has to be done and I am proud of your successes. The same applies to me but on a much larger scale. You two are not firearm trained so I'm expecting you to run to the hotel if and when things go bad."
 
"But with so many guards, all of them armed, how is something going to happen?" Sabrina asks.
 
"Remember, the Emperor's son was kidnapped with guards all around him and his nurse on a guarded street. Simply put, they were set up. I expect another set up in this. And mind you, there will be other heads of states there besides the Japanese Emperor and the South Korean Prime Minister. President Obama will be there, Chinese Prime Minister Lao Jo Chung will be there, North Korean Prime Minister will be there, Russian President Putin will be there, anybody ruling an island in the Asian Pacific will be there. Killing any one of them can incite war against Japan. Killing them all will start World War III. I can count over a dozen to the power of a dozen reasons why somebody would want to kill at least one of them." Fernando explains.
 
"Wow." Sabrina says to herself.
 
"I do hope that we will go to the parties, and I need to limit you girls to soda and juice, champagne only at the beginning and end of the ceremonies. I am not going to have to deal with a drunken skunk, and I will lock you in a closet in the palace if you get drunk and stupid. Got that?" Fernando tells them.
 
"Champagne?" Tabitha says excitedly, and then asks, "What's champagne?"
 
"It's a special alcoholic drink only grown-ups drink in special occasions." Sabrina answers.
 
"It’s more than that." Fernando responds, adding, "It’s made from grape juice like some wines but it has bubbles like beer or soda, and it’s made in a special way and does not have that much alcohol in it but it can make you drink too much of it and get you drunk. This is why I am limiting you to just a couple drinks."
 
"I won’t drink anything that you won’t allow me too." Tabitha replies.
 
"Eh, coke and juice. Well, they better serve good food." Sabrina says almost to herself.
 
"I'm sure that they would allow us to bring a grab bag from Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Can you girls like raw fish and can eat with chop sticks?" Fernando says and asks.
 
"Chop sticks?" Tabitha asks in shock as Sabrina asks in awe, "Raw Fish?"
 
Fernando shakes his head for a moment, "You girls never had Sushi?"
 
"General Tso's Chicken is as Asian as we ever eaten." Sabrina answers.
 
"General Tso's Chicken is more American than burgers and fries. It was ‘invented' in a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco by Chinese immigrants during the 1849 gold rush for cowboys because Bird's Nest Soup was too much for their ears to handle." Fernando explains. He continues, "Look. There will be food from all over the world at what receptions and ceremonies are to be held. Just don't be a slob and eat with your stomach, not with your eyes."
 
"What is that supposed to mean?" Tabitha asks.
 
"It means you are not supposed eat everything you see and end up wasting food when you can't eat it all." Fernando answers. He then tells them, "Now, how about some sleep?"
 
"Don't you want to see our birth certificates and adoption online website? If you're serious about adopting us you would do it now." Sabrina challenges him.
 
"After the mission is over we will do it, and we will do it over some government clerk's desk and my pen will sign the papers. Not on some website that will steal your cash and your identity." Fernando tells her.
 
"They look legit." Sabrina replies.
 
"Tell me – is it a dot-com, dot-org, dot-net or dot-gov? Only a dot-gov website will be legit. Any other website address is some idiot with a two dollar Go-Daddy website out to collect cash and people's private information." Fernando tells her sternly. After a moment he changes his tone, "Look. I'm here to protect you. Not take advantage of you like many out there would, which is the problem. Now, bring me that laptop."
 
Sabrina turns around and runs to the end of the aircraft where her laptop was on the bed in the master bedroom. She returns just as fast with her laptop, holding it in front of him and Tabitha. Fernando takes the laptop and looks at the screen, then takes the laptop, holding it with one arm and typing with the other.
 
"Let’s see... US_Adoption_Services.org? Hmmmm..." Fernando says to himself. Opening another window he finds the ‘whois’ domain registry information for the website and points it out to her, "This site is registered to... Boris Kasmolov, St. Petersburg Russia. That sounds like a legit American adoption agency to you? Who knows how many poor souls he has suckered out of their cash and identities."
 
Sabrina could only stare at the screen.
 
"Like I said, it's for your protection that I need to interfere like a parent. There are things for you and Tabitha to learn and learn you will. As is this a bitter pill to swallow, but what if you filled out their form and did a Paypal payment?" Fernando explains and asks.
 
"You would be out of money and we could get in big trouble." Tabitha says to her.
 
"Actually, that would be the least of your problems. With your social security numbers stolen and sold to somebody else, they could steal the money you earned for your retirement, they can implicate your name in crimes, and you can be arrested for those crimes. And that would be the beginning of your problems." Fernando explains. Looking at her he can see that she was defeated in more ways than one, "Look, Sabrina. I will teach you how to check for those things to protect yourself online. But after this mission is over. Right now my mind is on doing this mission without anybody getting hurt. Alright?"
 
"Alright." Sabrina answers.
 
"Look. You two need to go to bed and maybe when you both wake up we will be flying again. And we will deal with everything else when we return home." Fernando tells them as he closes Sabrina's laptop and hands it to her. Then he gently pushes Tabitha off his lap, "I'm not being mean but I need my rest and so do you too."
 
 
Meanwhile down below on the personal barracks on the USS Ronald Reagan, Tammy sits in the room with Francesca in her arms. Her room door is open for anyone to see her inside with the baby in her arms. Jeanette arrives with Misao behind her and knocks on the doorframe. Tammy looks at the doorway and nods when she sees for her to enter. Jeanette takes a step into the doorframe but stops and extends her arm to it, blocking Miaso behind her.
 
"There is one more." Jeanette says to her softly.
 
Tammy looks up at her and sees Misao behind her. "Everyone's allowed in if they respect the peace and don't wake the baby." Tammy tells her.
 
Jeanette puts her arm down and steps further into the room. Misao follows her in, and stands by the doorway of the tiny personal space. Tammy and Misao look at each other like lionesses from different prides around a kill. Eventually somebody has to make a claim.
 
"That gun placed in my purse is not mine." Misao tells her while being quiet but authoritative as possible.
 
"No it wasn't." Tammy replies.
 
"Then what do you know about it." Misao says without asking.
 
"I set you up to test you." Tammy answers.
 
"I demand to know why." Misao states to her.
 
"Before I answer that, let me state to you that Fernando has a Chrono Lock on me and the baby. Anything happens to us and anyone within our immediate vicinity will cease to exist as if they never had existed." Tammy begins to tell her. She then continues with her explanation, "There can only be one leader of this mission, not somebody who makes demands and don't know how to get out of a situation. In that, you failed."
 
"So you're saying that you are leading this mission then?" Misao asks in an annoyed tone.
 
"If I am, I am by default." Tammy answers her, adding, "I'm not making demands or ordering people to do as I tell them to do. You are. But I am willing to give something to this Motley Crew of rescuers something you can’t."
 
"And what would that be?" Misao asks.
 
"Getting everyone safe home with their tails intact." Tammy answers.
 
"Pray tell how are you going to do that?" Misao asks.
 
"Don't know, but I won’t be leading them into traps and be captured by those who are working against this mission. You told Chip that the Triads and Yakusa were minor gangs? No gang involved in organized crime is minor. Furthermore, the Japanese Mafia – the Yakusa are involved in nearly all facets of government and law enforcement. The Triads are part of Asian culture. We will be dealing with millions of organized crime members and you call them minor? Following you we go home in pine boxes if our bodies are found. Following me, at least we have a chance to live even if we leave with the mission not finished." Tammy answers.
 
"And where is your source of information?" Misao asks.
 
"I can tell you it’s not Wikipedia." Tammy begins with, "Above everything else I am a law enforcement officer, and as part of doing the job is doing the research to get the investigation done. And I can tell you that there is more Triad members than there are individual citizens in the United States and at last count the US have over 375million. Japan has a 120 million on its tiny islands but one in every ten is a member of the Yakusa, making over 12 million people – more than there are people in the city of New York. Now if you can't see the danger you are sending us into, then you are blind."
 
"No matter what happens, I will make sure everyone's protected." Misao tries to reassure her.
 
"As an ascended being you have rules to follow, I don't. You are sending us to our deaths and you cannot save us from that because non-interference of anyone who is not your kind is one of your rules. But let me tell you this, anything happens to this little bundle of joy I have in my arms, Japan will cease to exist, and you will exist elsewhere in Time. The ships that brought those space mice here long ago will never come, for they will die out in Space. Fernando will make sure of that. As for you, you will find yourself in your silk underwear surrounded by a troop of Troodons or Velociraptors trying to find out the true meaning of intelligence." Tammy explains.
 
"You don't trust me in getting the job done, is that it?" Misao asks.
 
"I don't trust you at all. You lied to us about the numbers of organized crime individuals we might be facing, you lied to us about the extent of the mission itself. You lied in everything about this mission and forced us by trickery into it doing it in less than 24 hours notice. It is because of the lack of safety in this mission is why Fernando refused it, and if he was not being forced into it because of you, he would still refuse it because Japan and China have not done anything to deal with their problems in organized crime and allowed it to be part of their culture unlike the US who has tried to do something about it." Tammy tells her.
 
"I see. I have new Intel to give to you girls in the morning. I expect you to be there to receive it." Misao tries not to demand.
 
"Morning? Not possible for I do not follow your schedule but hers. Why not give to me now?" Tammy says and she hefts the baby slightly.
 
"I'll make sure you get it." Jeanette puts in before Misao could say a word.
 
"Thank you, Jeanette." Tammy tells her. Then she turns to Misao, "If you don't mind, please leave. I'm putting the baby to sleep and I can't do that with you two here."
 
"I will see you in the morning then." Misao says to Tammy before turning around and takes a step to the door. She turns around and faces Jeanette, "Aren't you coming too?"
 
Not wanting to say a word, Jeanette grabs the doorknob and slowly closes the door behind them. Tammy sits in the room with her baby in her arms in deep thought of the events of the day and the mission at hand.
 
In a moment Tammy puts the baby in her carriage set by the room's bed as if it's a crib and tucks her inside the blanket. Looking over her infant child, Tammy thinks about how well she is taking this sudden move. After a moment she changes over to her sleepwear and climbs onto the bed.

Chapter 12: Good Morning.
 
As far as accidents go, dropping an empty frying pan is pretty minor, though it wakes up those who were sleeping. Especially Fernando, who was about to shoot up the place. Looking around Fernando finds the cockpit area empty but the smell of breakfast in the air told him he was not alone. He knew that the girls do not usually cook so it could not be them.
 
Tired from rest and sleeping in the captain's chair, Fernando gets up and walks to the kitchen area. Hondo was there making a full course breakfast meal of steak and eggs with all the fixings for everyone.
 
"‘Bout time you woke up. Daylight's been burnin' for couple hours now." Hondo tells him as he has start cracking the eggs.
 
"Where's Val and the girls?" Fernando asks.
 
"Val is in one of the single bedrooms and the girls are in their room." Hondo answers, then looks at him. "What about you?"
 
"What about me?" Fernando asks.
 
"Sleepin' in a chair ain't good for you, and though you're takin' the girls along for the trip, that's supposed to be your bedroom but they's usin' it. You could take one of the other bedrooms to sleep in." Hondo explains as he tends to the cooking.
 
"Don't worry about me. You worry about who and when to shoot, and not before. I'll be fine." Fernando explains.
 
"I see. Who's going to take care of the girls when things go Ape Shit?" Hondo asks.
 
"They got their instructions on what to do. The others will also be there to assist when needed." Fernando answers.
 
"I see." Hondo replies.
 
"So what are you making?" Fernando asks.
 
"Steak and eggs, home fires, pancakes, all the fixin's." Hondo answers.
 
"Alright then. I want my eggs easy over. I'll be in the cockpit checking the weather and planning our last leg of this journey. First I need to check on the girls and pick up a few things." Fernando replies before he starts to walk away.
 
Hondo just shakes his head for a moment before continuing with the task of preparing breakfast. Fernando continues down the hall to the end of the plane where his room was. Out of courtesy he knocks on the door.
 
Tabitha opens the door just wearing a t-shirt and panties; a bra was under the t-shirt. She takes Fernando by the wrist and hauls him into the room. Sabrina was sitting on the bed dressed the same as Tabitha, starting to put on a pair of pantyhose.
 
"Tabitha!" Sabrina yells at her.
 
Fernando tries to reach for the doorknob behind him but Tabitha takes his hands and holds him in front of her.
 
"Tabitha..." Fernando almost growls at her.
 
"It's OK..." Sabrina begins to say, "If you are going to be our father then I must get used to having you seeing us in as little as possible like it would in a family."
 
"If you're uncomfortable about it..." Fernando tries to say.
 
"No, it's not that." Sabrina interrupts him, "Tabitha should ask who it is before opening the door. That's what I'm complaining about." She gets up off the bed and pulls the pantyhose from her legs up to her waist, and tugs on the material slightly to adjust it in various places. She walks up to them. "Like I said, if I am going to have you as a father, I need to be comfortable being around you even if I have my underwear on or even less." She says as she takes one of his hands and looks up at him.
 
"Again, if you're uncomfortable with me being around..." Fernando begins.
 
"Don't worry about it. We're all must get used too having a father around again... Daddy." Tabitha tells him.
 
"And you used too having daughters again." Sabrina adds.
 
"It’s bad enough that Bink walks around the house in her underwear but usually when I'm sleeping." Fernando tries to say.
 
"Look. We spoke to Rachel, Michelle, and Aiesha and they told us about living with you and walking about the house in as little as possible. It's difficult at first as they explained but they said that everyone got used too it and that we all will too. It's a matter of trust and I have to trust you like a father like they did, even though Tabitha already trusts you like that." Sabrina explains interrupting him.
 
"Yeah." Tabitha adds.
 
"Alright. Now a problem: Tammy and how she is going to take it." Fernando tells her.
 
"Well, if her and Bink are sisters and Bink already walks about the house in her underwear then she is used to that. She just has to get used to us going the same as her adopted step daughters. Right?" Sabrina says and asks.
 
"And it's OK if you walk around us in your underwear. It is your place and your right to do so." Tabitha throws in.
 
"Now wait a minute." Fernando tries to complain.
 
"We seen the underwear you keep in the dresser..." Tabitha begins to say.
 
"Why were you going through my clothes?" Fernando asks, interrupting her.
 
"It’s nothing like that. We were moving things around so we could put away our things. That's all." Sabrina explains.
 
"You girls are reminding me how hard it is to be a father of teenaged girls again, and that is not always a good thing, you know." Fernando says to her.
 
"It may not be, but if you try to be the best father for us, unlike our real father, we will try to be the best daughters we can be for you." Sabrina tells him.
 
"Yeah, we promise that we won’t end up getting pregnant before we graduate from school and stuff." Tabitha throws in.
 
"Tabitha!" Sabrina holds back from yelling too loud as Fernando shakes his head.
 
After a few moments of silence, Fernando steps out from their crowding him at the door and towards the dressers, "Where did you put my things?"
 
"Second drawer from the top." Sabrina tells him.
 
"Yeah, we had to squeeze everything in there." Tabitha throws in.
 
"And what about..." Fernando begins to say.
 
"In its box inside the nightstand by the bed." Sabrina points to it.
 
"We didn't touch it." Tabitha adds.
 
"OK." Fernando says as he walks over to the nightstand. He pulls on the drawer and takes the box from inside it. He sits down on the bed for a moment before turning to the girls, "Look. Put on some pants or something. Hondo is making breakfast and will be done soon. Meantime I will be showing you some basic gun lessons. Number one; as you already know, there is a gun in this box. It is a tool for self-defense, and only to be used when your life is endangered and as a last resort."
 
The girls look at him for a moment before looking at each other. They take the skirts of the end of the bed that they had placed there before and put them on, leaving the polo shirts alone before sitting next to him and look at the box as he opens it. Inside was a North American Arms .38NAA.
 
"This is a semi-automatic pistol." Fernando says as he slowly takes it out and then drops the magazine. The bullet in the chamber is removed after the magazine is placed on his lap. "There are several kinds of guns: revolvers, pistols, semi automatics, sizes of the bullet, many factors. But they all have one thing in common: to put a hole in you to inflict pain or death with a bit of metal traveling at sonic or supersonic speeds. Push this part into the handle, called the trigger and the bullet will go in a straight line to where ever you aimed at until something or someone in its way stops it or in some cases slows it down and continues until something else stops it. But once you push that trigger, no force in this universe is going to stop the bullet from where it is going to go. And chances are it is going to kill someone."
 
He gives the girls a look to see their reaction before continuing, "If you see a gun, do not pick it up. I'll tell you why. On most weapons there is a tiny lever called a ‘safety.' With the safety ‘On' the gun it rendered in a safe and un-shootable state. You can push the trigger all you want, it is not going to be fired." He says as he points out the tiny switch on the weapon. "But some people do things to their guns like remove the safety so it can be fired all the time which makes a dangerous gun that can be shot by accident. They can tamper with the trigger by making it light and any pressure on it can make go off. This also makes a dangerous gun. So in finding a gun, you cannot know what condition it is in and it could go off at any time just by touching it. So you have to treat each gun you find as if they are armed and dangerous. Also touching a gun puts your fingerprints on it and can say that you shot it and not the person who did it. Any questions?" He further explains and then asks.
 
"Can you teach us to shoot that gun?" Sabrina asks.
 
"In time. Sooner than you dare think but now I'm saying that when you own a gun, you have a responsibility to it and the lives around you that it can take, even by accident. So respect it as a tool of defense but at the same time as a machine of death." Fernando explains before holding the gun to Sabrina's chest. "Right now if there was a bullet in this gun, it could easily shoot you dead at this distance. It is too close to need to aim." he says to her. He then starts to pull the gun away from her and points to the sites on the top of the gun; "To shoot straight in order to hit your target, you have line up these two parts with your eye at your target to aim. When they are lined up and pointing at your target can you shoot straight and hit the target. That takes time and practice. Practice you will get when we return home. Practice enough and you will be able to shoot without aiming because you will be able to know where you are aiming at; that is called hand-eye coordination and you can only get that through practice. Any questions?"
 
"No." They both say together.
 
"Alright. Go bother Hondo for your breakfast. I'm going in for a shower." Fernando says as he gets up to search the drawers for his clothes.
 
Eventually he gathers and takes them to one of the bathrooms to shower up and change his clothes.
 
While he is taking his shower, Hondo knocks on the door and yells, "Food is ready!" for him to hear. Fernando takes a couple of more minutes to finish and get dressed. Once he steps out of the bathroom, he takes slight detour to the bedroom to put his clothes in the hamper and then soon returns to the passenger area behind the cockpit.
 
"Your meal is over there." Hondo says as he points to a folding table in front of an empty seat by them.
 
Fernando walks to the seat and sits down, taking removing the cover off the meal. Three eggs easy over, large piece of steak, mini pancakes, home fries, and his large mug of coffee. Fernando begins his meal.
 
"So what's next, boss." Hondo lets out.
 
"The storm's moved enough for us to continue our flight. And stop calling me boss." Fernando tells him. Changing his demeanor, he continues, "All five of us will be in the cockpit so we will need to bolt down another chair by the former engineering section. It's a 3/4-inch bolt head and it screws into the holes in the floors. Val, you will be at the former navigation and radio section behind me in the captain's chair. Any questions?"
 
"No." Hondo says as he gets up with his empties. As he walks away he says, "I'll get the toolbox and rip out a chair. Any in particular?"
 
"Any will do." Fernando answers him as he continues with his meal. Then he looks at the girls, "When you're done, go to the bedroom and secure everything. We're taking off as soon as I finish the plane's inspection."
 
They nod as they continue with their meal though they are almost finished with it. In a couple of minutes they get up and walk to the kitchen area of the plane, followed by Val. Fernando finishes his meal in another ten minutes. With the plates put away, Hondo begins on moving and securing a seat inside the cockpit while Fernando does an inspection of the plane and its fuel.
 
A half hour later they were taxing down the runway. More than half way down the paved roadway the pressure of the weight on the wheels of the aircraft reach zero and the altimeters begin to spin through their numbers. Fernando keeps the altitude at 1000ft throughout the flight, checking on radar and GPS of the area they are flying through.
 
 
The fleet started to move to the West as soon as the storm begins to move to the Northeast in the early hours of the morning. After clean up a shower and breakfast, Tammy spends time in her room breastfeeding Francesca. After a diaper change, she dresses the baby up and takes her upstairs to a location behind the coning tower of the ship where a few deck chairs were set for the ship's guests. She sits on the middle deck chair putting her bag and baby carrier besides the chair and Francesca to her chest. The baby sleeps on her with her tiny thumb in her mouth.
 
"Remind me to get you another pacifier when we get to Japan." Tammy says to herself.
 
The seas were rougher than usual but not enough to rock the ship about, rather splashing harder and louder against the sides of it. She looks out to the ships besides the USS Reagan, the Battleship USS William Brady was closest to her, flanked by the smaller battle cruisers laterally behind it. Tammy lets her mind and body relax in the few moments that she can though she expects Jeanette or Misao to disturb her peace. She goes into a light nap.
 
"Are these seats taken?" a deep male voice asks with a lot of authority as a shadow goes across her.
 
Tammy wakes up but finding she was outnumbered to do anything as everything around gets into focus.
 
"President Obama?" Tammy asks as reality sets in.
 
"That's my name and title. Now, about these seats, are they taken?" President Obama says and asks.
 
"No." Tammy answers, "No they are not."
 
President Obama sits on the deck chair to Tammy's left, as his bodyguards close off the area with their bodies. Two of them look out to the ships in view with binoculars.
 
"So you're Tammy G. Squirrel. I remember seeing you at the UN Party over a year ago." President Obama says to himself.
 
"I am." Tammy answers.
 
"I don't remember you being pregnant then." President Obama says to her.
 
"I wasn't. She's only three and a half month old." Tammy answers.
 
"She should be an American." President Obama tries to imply.
 
"Actually she's a dual American and Italian Citizen. I was in Italy about to go home to America when she decided she wanted to come out into the real world – two weeks premature." Tammy interrupts him and explains.
 
"But she is an American. I'll be too old by the time she gets old enough to vote." President Obama adds, then asks, "You're not on my list of dignitaries, why are you here?"
 
"I got an invitation from the Emperor to come. You were not at the UN when he gave it to us." Tammy explains.
 
"Us?" President Obama says.
 
"Us, certain members of the rescues rangers who were on the Italian drug smuggling mission." Tammy answers.
 
"Oh. I see. So you're expected there then?" President Obama asks.
 
"I hope so, or this trip will be a big waste of time." Tammy answers. They both have a small laugh.
 
"How's your husband?" President Obama asks.
 
"He's fine. I should be meeting him in Japan but I don't know where yet." Tammy answers.
 
"Good." President Obama says, "I hope to see him."  
 
"I'll let him know that you're interested in meeting him, and maybe you can get your wish." Tammy tells him. Baby Francesca begins to wake up peacefully, pawing at Tammy's breast. She looks down at her baby, reaching down into the baby bag and pulls out a bottle of apple juice for her. Francesca goes for the bottle's nipple and starts drinking the sweet fruit juice.
 
"That has to be the quietest baby I ever seen." President Obama comments, adding, "My two daughters were always crying."
 
"I can’t say anything about anyone's child but this little one has been an angel since she was born, even though she gave trouble me being two weeks early." Tammy comments.
 
"Difficult pregnancy?" President Obama asks.
 
"Oh no, hardly. It's her coming out two weeks early that was a problem. The water broke in my friend's car who was taking me to the airport so I can give birth in America, instead I end up in St. Lorenzo Emergency in Rome to give birth to her instead of going home." Tammy explains.
 
"I see. That was interesting, though I know that all pregnancies are different because we are all different and our circumstances are different." President Obama explains himself.
 
With the bottle finished, Tammy burps the baby and starts to put things away and the baby in the baby carrier. "I need to take care of the baby's diaper so until we meet again..." Tammy tells him but does not offer her hand to shake his.
 
"We'll see you later." President Obama replies before Tammy gets up with her things.
 
Tammy walks past the guards who let her go by and around the coning tower. In less than a minute she walks to her room and finds an envelope taped to the door. She opens the door and puts the baby carrier on the bed before taking the envelope from the door. With the door to her room open, she sits down and opens the envelope, then reads the note inside.
 
"Dear Tammy, Meeting was cancelled for unforeseen reasons. Don't know if there will be another. ~Jeanette."
 
Francesca starts to cry softly signifying time for her diaper change.

Chapter 14: Japan.
 
Landing at Tokyo International was not a problem. Getting off the plane was. Though they and the plane were sent to a large private rented hanger along with a LearJet 25, Fernando and the crew were told to wait inside the plane until further notice. To irk them, Fernando walks over to the upper deck door and opens it, sitting on the floor with his legs hanging out from the plane. This gets their attention, needing to call the members of the Japanese Ministry of Law Enforcement, a.k.a. – the police.
 
A pair of female police officers arrives with a small battalion of officers with them, a few of the men take to an aircraft rolling staircase, and rolls it to the door Fernando was. He needed to take his legs in and gets up as they slam ladder against the plane. Fernando gives them the finger as the two female officers walk up the ladder, a shorthaired red head and her partner a brunette with long hair to her waist who is carrying a portable document scanner. They stop at the top step and look at him.
 
"If it isn't Kei and Yuri of the Dirty Pair. Now, what's the meaning of this detention?" Fernando asks as he rolls up his sleeve and holds out his arm.
 
"We're not the Dirty Pair!" the shorthaired redhead known as Kei lets out at him.
 
The brunette known as Yuri looks at the tattoo on his arm – a stick figure of a man with a halo. He looks at her and nods, passing his hand over it as to tell her to scan it, which she does as she walks up to him and pulls out the scanner from the carrying case. She swipes it a couple of times over his arm and then reads the screen for its results.
 
"Welcome to Japan, Fernando-san. Though we were expecting you, you're a couple of days early." The longhaired brunette tells him.
 
"Never mind that. Where are the ladies in the LearJet and how long have they been in Japan?" Fernando asks.
 
"Still in the LearJet after a couple of days of questioning. They claim to be your daughters and showed papers stating so." Yuri answers.
 
"We made sure that they were comfortable though they stayed in the plane after questioning." Kei adds.
 
"They are my daughters, like the two female skunks on this plane. They're adopted. A man does not have to be biologically tied to a child to be its father." Fernando explains.
 
They both stare at him unsure how to reply to his last comment, especially that Rachel in the LearJet is old enough have to have been his daughter when he was a teenager. Kei puts up her portable 2-way radio to her face and says something in Japanese. Several of the men at the ground floor walk over to the LearJet and knock its door. They signal to women inside to step out of the plane.
 
As they walk out of the LearJet, they look around and see Fernando with the women on the rolling stairs at his plane. The oldest one, Rachel, yells out, "Daddy!"
 
The two women momentarily look at her and then at him. Kei lets out, "I think this is staged."
 
"Think what you want while you send them to the Tokyo Hilton so they can freshen up and have a meal. Same with my friends and girls in this plane." Fernando tells her. After a few moments of silent staring at each other, Fernando takes a step back into the plane and turns towards the cockpit. "Hondo, get the girls ready to leave. We got two minutes!" He yells to the cockpit area.
 
"Will we be able to come back for our things?" Hondo loudly asks back.
 
"Don't know, so take what you can for now!" Fernando replies louder than needed. Val and the girls run to their rooms and start packing up their things. Fernando steps back to the doorway and looks at his older girls, "Raych, get everyone to get their bags and be ready."
 
"Where are we going?" Rachel asks.
 
"Tokyo Hilton. Wait for me at the lobby and I'll get one of the suite rooms for all of us." Fernando says loud enough for her to hear.
 
"Alright, daddy." Rachel replies.
 
Before she and the others can get back in the LearJet, Fernando asks a question, "Where's Aiesha?"
 
All of them look up at him with Michelle shrugging her shoulders. Rachel answers, "I don't know but she promised me that she would call when she gets here."
 
"Alright. I'll spank her rear end when she gets here. She is supposed to be with you two." Fernando replies.
 
"I know. I'll hold her down for you when you do spank her, daddy." Rachel replies.
 
"Behave yourselves." Fernando throws in before stepping into the plane.
 
Val and the girls step out onto the doorway, looking about the hanger. The two female police officers step out of the way and allow them to walk down the metal stairs. Once on the floor they gather together with Rachel and Michelle who were emptying out the rear cargo space of the LearJet.
 
Inside the Marlin, Fernando and Hondo discuss a few things. The two female police officers step in and listen to what was being said.
 
"The girls should have copies of their passports. If not I have copies of their paperwork." Fernando begins to tell him. He then reaches into his wallet and hands him one of his agency credit cards, making sure they see the transaction, "And see the hotel clerk and hand that to her. She will know what room to give you. When they give you something to sign, initialize it with a crossed ‘7' for the ‘F' and the ‘G' like on the card. I'll deal with everything when I get there."
 
"What you mean ‘when you get there'?" Hondo asks.
 
"I need you to take care of the girls. Take them to the room, have them freshen up and take them out to lunch. Twinkies, burritos and burgers for the past few days are only good for a few days. Take them to the hotel diner and get an American Meal, unless you like raw fish and sticky rice. That's all they have here." Fernando explains.
 
"No wonder these people look a little peakish." Hondo says to himself out loud.
 
"I know both our mothers and grandmothers would sit the lot of them and stuff their mouths with real food. But this is a cultural thing. Just look, respect and make no comments about it. And do me that fave." Fernando says to him.
 
"Why you're not comin'?" Hondo asks as he puts down his bag off from his shoulders.
 
"I have to set up my plan so that the Paparazzi don't find me. I'll only take a few minutes." Fernando answers.
 
"Alright, if you insist." Hondo replies.
 
"I insist." Fernando tells him. "And before you leave this place, tell Rachel to have a talk with the girls about behavior. Here women and girls are second-class citizens. Like I told you at the bar over a year ago."
 
"Hmmm..." Hondo scratches his chin for a moment then says, "Val is not goin' to like that."
 
"Like it or not, she is going to have to eat it." Fernando says to him, "Now go so I can meet up with you all later."
 
"Alright, I'm out here." Hondo says as he puts his bag back on his shoulder and gets ready to leave.
 
"And one more thing..." Fernando interrupts him from going any further.
 
"What is it?" Hondo replies.
 
"Along the way you see McDonalds, Kentucky Fried, Burger King and other such places. Don't go in them even though they have top notch service and better tasting meals." Fernando begins to explain.
 
"Why not?" Hondo interrupts him.
 
"A burger alone, not a Whopper or Big Mac will cost you $20. Special meals like a number one combo will set you back $75 easily. And if you want it delivered, add another hundred to the price tag." Fernando explains.
 
"That's down right wrong." Hondo complains.
 
"They have to import all that stuff to have it here and importing is what raises the price. Add the high cost of rent in Tokyo and normal things like bills which is more expensive here and a staff, a $1.50 burger here goes up more than 15 times in price. We can eat that stuff after we settle in. Right now you got a job to so as do I. And I get the largest bedroom of the suite." Fernando explains.
 
Hondo nods at him for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'll see ya later."
 
He begins to walk away as Fernando says, "Laters."
 
Once he gets down stairs, the girls gather around him as a black limo drives into the hanger. They get into the vehicle and are driven away with most of the police officers following them out of the airport. In the Marlin the two female officers approach Fernando.
 
"What shall we do with you?" Kei one asks of him.
 
"Nothing." Fernando answers her as they follow him to his room. He gathers a few things and takes them to the bed. The two officers stand in front of him as he sits on the bed. Closing his eyes he takes off his glasses and opens a small contact lens box. Inside is two nearly black pair of contact lenses. Putting eye drops into his eyes, he then puts on the contact lenses afterwards. He bends down for a moment blinking a few times until he gets used to wearing them. He looks up at them, "I don't like wearing contact lenses but this should be enough for the paparazzi to leave me alone. They'll be expecting some blind guy in dark glasses and an eye seeing cane."
 
"Fine. But that changes little. They do look for look-alikes as well." Kei tells him.
 
Fernando holds up a bottle of fur dye to her face, "Unless you want to search the plane or join me in a kinky shower, you two can leave. I'll see my way out after a long shower to darken my fur a bit."
 
"Aren't you married?" Yuri asks him.
 
"Marriage has never stopped anyone from some infidelity. Besides, unless you are going to give me some personal service, it's not going to happen. Now if you don't mind, you can leave. And take that ladder with you. I'll be leaving from the cargo hold downstairs." Fernando tells them, "And close the door behind you when you do leave, it will lock itself. And tell your supervisors not to mess with the planes. I will know if they did."
 
"Sure you will." Kei replies.
 
"Just as a warning, touching any bare metal part will send two million volts at a low amperage to warn you to stay away. If you decide to continue with the tampering, the amperage goes up beyond the point of killing a mouse or a squirrel, and definitely more than enough to kill a bull elephant in heat. So if you don't want to become a crispy critter, don't touch my planes." Fernando warns them.
 
"That verifies what happened to Officer Sato." Kei points out, and then changes her tone of voice at Fernando, "You're lucky he was not killed or everyone would have been arrested!"
 
"The emperor would have made a few calls to get us released. Now don't touch the planes or else, you know the consequences." Fernando tells her in the same angry tone she had to him.
 
Yuri leans over to Kei and whispers something in her ear. Disgruntled at the situation Kei leaves the room and can be heard walking to the open exit.
 
"Looks like I pissed off you partner again." Fernando says to Yuri.
 
"Everyone pisses off Kei. You're not the only one." Yuri comments to him.
 
"But twice within the same decade? I think that's a record, is it not?" Fernando tauntingly asks. Then he pushes is a step further. "I just noticed, where's your gun?"
 
"Don't mock me. You know we were banned from having firearms on your last mission here." Yuri tells him.
 
"I did not know that." Fernando answers.
 
 
On the USS Reagan, Tammy gathers her things and puts Francesca in her carriage. But instead of going to the stairs that leads to the exit on the flight deck, she goes to the elevator and takes it to the second from the top floor. Though the officers in the area look at her, they know who she is and leaves her to her trek. She passes several doors before reaching the last one at the end of the metal hall. Reaching to its doorknob, she opens the door and steps into the room with the carriage behind her.
 
"They treating you well Misao?" Tammy dare asks the single occupant of the room as she walks the carriage to the furthest wall in the room. As told, she presses on a panel on the wall. The blast panel opens up, revealing a window in the middle between two sliding gates of 2-inch steel. Tammy looks out the window onto the flight deck. After a moment of silence, Misao answers.
 
"They refused to take no as an answer." Misao lets out.
 
"Aren't you a god? Couldn't you just leave with a flash of light? Why not change their minds with a swipe of your hand?" Tammy almost taunts her.
 
"I have rules to abide by. They did not accept that." Misao answers.
 
"You have powers and abilities that few understand. Just like my husband who you dare called a coward, but he does things that you don't know about or could understand. And he takes action when he sees fit, not jump into a situation like you are having us do in this mission. So Misao, what do you know?"
 
Misao takes longer than a moment to answer but she eventually does, "There were two missiles that I sensed. One hit the Enterprise. The other hit a plane some five hundred miles behind the Enterprise, then things got fuzzy for a moment but the airplane was gone."
 
"I see. Did you know that my husband was on a plane somewhere behind and chasing the fleet?" Tammy says to her.
 
"I could never sense Fernando with the abilities I have. If he was on that plane, then I'm sorry." Misao replies.
 
"Don't count him out yet. He's come back from the dead before." Tammy states to her.
 
"I doubt he was dead at all. He is not me in such abilities." Misao replies.
 
"Like I told you before, ‘Believe in what you believe you know.' You do not know everything." Tammy tells her. She then walks over to the carriage and pushes it to the door before pausing there for a moment. "I'll see you at the palace in 24 hours or so, if they let you go by then. And do smile for the camera to make yourself more convincing." Tammy tells her. She then opens the door and pushed the carriage into the hallway. Not waiting for Misao to say a word, Tammy leaves the room, closing the door behind her.
 
In under a minute she approaches the elevator and presses its call button to take her down stairs to the flight deck.
 
She steps out of the elevator still inside the coning tower. Though the Reagan is with a minimal crew, a couple of flying squirrel captains from the ship's fighter squadron step out from the stairs about to head out to the flight deck. Seeing Tammy with the baby carriage, they stop in their steps and head towards her.
 
"Need any help, little lady?" One of them asks.
 
Tammy looks at the two gentlemen officers as the other make his statement known, "There's a 6 inch rise on the door's archway."
 
"When we get there, you can help lift Francesca out onto the flight deck." Tammy tells them.
 
"The baby is in there?" The second officer asks.
 
"Of course she is." Tammy answers before slowly opening the carriage hood to show them Francesca sleeping inside.
 
"Aw... she's a little cutie." The first officer says as they both bend down to look at the baby.
 
"I have an aunt named Francesca." The second officer adds to the conversation.
 
"She and all like her is the reason why we are here." The first officer reminds the second.
 
"Yeah, to smite those who believe in terrorism when they dare show their ugly heads to threaten us once more." The second office adds.
 
"You guys mind? I have a friend waiting outside with a car to take me to the hotel." Tammy complains lightly.
 
"Then let's go. I would like to meet your friend." The second replies.  
 
Tammy just rolls her eyes before pushing the carriage forward. In a few seconds they get to the coning tower's door and lifting the carriage over the lip of the doorway that extends from the floor.
 
They continue walking on the flight deck to one of many gangway exits where they help her with the carriage off the ship and continue on the pier to the docks. There, Tammy finds Jeanie next to an old limousine on the left side where the pier and the dock meet. Another limousine with American flags and several men in black around it were at the other side of the pier's connection to the dock.
 
The officers say their greeting to Tammy's friend before helping put the carriage and Tammy's bags into the trunk and putting Francesca into the baby carrier. At the same time President Obama steps off the pier and looks at Jeanie's limo, wondering how and why Tammy has access to such a luxury. He tells a couple of his security team to stop them as he and the rest approach them.
 
"Well, Ms Tammy. How can you afford such accommodations?" President Obama says out loud to be heard as he approaches them. Everyone turns around to face the president, the two-squadron captains salute him. President Obama gives a quick salute and tells them to be at-ease.
 
Before he could say anything more Tammy says to the captains, "Thank you for helping me out with the baby carriage. I'll tell your supervising officer how helpful you two were. Maybe you both can get a medal. How about it, Mr. President?"
 
"I'll see what I can do from my end for these officers." President Obama answers.
 
"I hope you can." Tammy says to the president. She then turns to the officers, "Thanks again for the help. If President Obama does not want you for anything, you two are free to go."
 
"Oh, of course. You men are free to go." President Obama tells them. He remains quiet for a while as they walk away and continues to speak when he thought they were far away from them, "You know the Navy is not your private doorman service."
 
"Oh no. They offered to help me off the ship, lifting the carriage over that high door seal, and carefully off on the gangplank. I did not tell anyone to do anything for me. I'm sure the ship's internal security camera will show you that." Tammy says to him, "As an invited guess, I have no right to order anyone around."
 
The president nods small and slowly before making his comment about their limo, "So how much is this cab ride going to cost you?"
 
"Nothing at all." Jeanie butts in before Tammy could answer, "This is my ride and my employees and I'm just helping a friend."
 
"I see. And who are you?" President Obama eventually asks.
 
Jeanie steps up to him, slowly and deliberately taking a business card from her small clutch purse and extends it to him, "I'm Jeanie Chin, president and owner of the Asian News Corporation. I make heroes out of nobodies and shift the minds of literally billions of voters for leaders during election times with just a mention in my media releases. My reach goes into the Asian communities of America, so be glad to know why 98 percent of all Asian voters voted for you."
 
President Obama tries to hide the gulp in his throat before replying, "I see. I'm not giving an interview right now so don't expect one any time soon."
 
"Don't worry about it. I too am an American or was before I moved back to Asia to marry, raise a family and run this mega conglomerate news media corporation. I am here to help a friend with her child and I am also invited to this special history making occasion by the Emperor himself."
 
"Good." President Obama says almost to himself, and then tries to change the subject of the conversation, "So how did you two get to know each other?"
 
Jeanie steps in before Tammy could comment, "I dated her husband back in high school a long time ago and we remained friends. I married here in Asia, she married my former boyfriend and I met her at the wedding to tell her how lucky she was." She pauses for a second to think and take a breath. She then adds, "Anymore questions Mr. President?"
 
"None for her, but for you – you being an American Citizen, I hope you paid your taxes on your gains." President Obama more says than asks.
 
"According to your tax laws, since I already pay taxes in Asia, I don't have to pay taxes in the USA." Jeanie answers before snapping her fingers. Her driver and chef Mr. Fung puts a brick of American Cash into her hands which she extends to President Obama, "But if you need some cash, I'll gladly you give what I have and can give."
 
President Obama looks at the cash in both awe and discuss, seeing the ‘200,000,000¥' (yens) marked on the paper band around the freshly made bills. He parries her hand out from his view but she quickly recovers under his arm and puts the money in front of him again.
 
"Take it and consider it as a campaign contribution." Jeanie tells him.
 
"I'm already elected into a second term." President Obama tells her, adding, "Presidents only have a two-term limit according to the constitution."
 
"Actually it’s an amendment to the bill of rights that says you have a two term stay in office, but that can change with the right influence. And you should have it. How many senators and congressmen are in office since the 1960s and 1970s that are currently dying in office, being elected into office again and again? If they can have an unlimited number of terms in office, so should the president. Don't you think so? Think of history, the first black president and being elected into office three or more time since Roosevelt!"
 
President Obama nods slowly at what she has to say but refuses the cash, "Thank you for your generosity but I have to refuse. And for what you are saying, I'll discuss this with my cabinet. I'll definitely keep in touch with you after the treaty signing."
 
"I'll be there to witness it. Maybe we can talk some more during that time, not as an interview but as professionals." Jeanie says to him before turning to her staff, "Let's get ready to go."
 
"See you later Mr. President." Tammy says to him as she steps to the limo's door. One of Jeanie's guards opens the door for her to get in, but she waits for a reply from the president. He eventually gives her one.
 
"See you later then, whenever that is. Maybe at the treaty signing." President Obama replies.
 
"I was hoping maybe dinner at the Emperor's palace, when ever that is." Tammy replies, "Not to offend you by not shaking your hand, but I have them full with the baby's needs if you know what I mean."
 
"Oh, sure. No problem, no problem at all. Take care then." President Obama says to her.
 
"You too." Tammy says before being helped into the vehicle by Jeanie's guard. Jeanie nods and shakes the president's hand before entering her vehicle along with her guards and driver. President Obama and his security team remain standing in place as Jeanie's driver puts the limo into gear and starts to slowly drive away.
 
"Interesting." President Obama says to himself.
 
The closest security member next to him leans over to his ear and whispers, "We got to get going."
 
The president nods before leaving for his limousine and driving away with his crew.
 
In Jeanie's limo, Jeanie looks over to one of her guards, "You got all that recorded?" He nods as he hefts a small digital camera at her. "Good." Jeanie says, "Tomorrow's headlines will be ‘Honest President Refuses Bribe'."
 
"You would not dare." Tammy says to her with Francesca on her lap.
 
"I can and I would. Fernando is right; he is letting the power go to his head. Proof is in his reaction not at the money, but when I said about changing the constitution to be voted into office again his reaction said it all." Jeanie says to her.
 
"That would be unfair to the man." Tammy says.
 
"That is the media. Don't dare think that my guard there was the only one recording everything. I have other photogs in the area recording everything as well. But be glad it was not the paparazzi. If they were there, tomorrow's headlines would have been ‘President Obama Meets With His Mistress And Love Child!' And Fernando would have been pissed if that happened." Jeanie explains.
 
"You think Fernando would be mad, what about Mrs. Obama and his daughters?" Tammy asks.
 
"That would be minor compared to his reaction. He would lay waste half this city to find those responsible of posting that article. Mrs. Obama would only slap her presidential husband, his daughters would never respect him again, and if he manages to open a third term election – he would lose it." Jeanie explains, adding, "You did look lovely standing with the president holding a baby carrier in front of you."
 
"Jeanie..." Tammy begins to say.
 
"Have a little laugh at the expense of the president. It is your right under free speech." Jeanie tells her.
 
"I'll think about it for a moment. But first, where are we going?" Tammy asks.
 
"The Emperor's Tokyo Palace. I verified the arrangements and he's expecting us to arrive." Jeanie answers. Tammy sighs for a moment before taking out her cellphone. Jeanie asks, "Who are you calling?"
 
"Fernando of course. I need to verify a few things with him." Tammy answers.
 
"Like?" Jeanie asks.
 
"I'm not revealing facts here but along the way the Enterprise was hit by some sort of missile and it's still out at sea doing repairs." Tammy begins.
 
"That would explain why there is only two carriers here and not three. So what happened?" Jeanie comments and asks.
 
"Well, in case the other ships were going to get attacked, they put us all in a helicopter for evacuation. That is when Misao opened her big mouth and said that it's only one missile attacking and no more. They detained her after that to answer a few questions." Tammy answers, making quotation marks with her fingers at ‘answer a few questions.' "I spoke to her about what happened when the ships docked and she told me that there were only two missiles, one that hit the Enterprise and according to her another one that hit the plane that was behind the Enterprise a few hundred miles behind. The only plane in the area was Fernando's plane and she says it was shot down because she could not ‘sense the plane after the attack'."
 
"Misao's lucky she was not keel-hauled for opening her mouth. Psychic powers or not, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong people can send somebody to an early grave." Jeanie tells her. Then she thinks about a few things for a moment. "The Emperor needs to know about this and have her released. Like it or not, and believe me I don't, but Misao's presence or absence can make or break these treaty deals. She needs to be released."
 
"Can I dare ask why?" Tammy asks.
 
Jeanie lets out a sigh before answering, "It is said that Misao has the Emperor's ear, and anyone with that kind of influence can make or break a deal like these upcoming treaties. Her not being there can have somebody else in the Emperor's ear, somebody who would not want such treaties signed for stupid reasons like national honor and start wars for Imperialism. At least Misao think these treaties are a step in a good direction or so my sources tells me."
 
"Kinda ridiculous for one person to have that much influence over a government and not be its leader." Tammy says.
 
"That's the way it is. And lucky for us Fernando has that kind of influence with the Emperor as well." Jeanie says.
 
"Lucky us." Tammy replies. She looks at her cellphone for a moment before she begins to scroll through her quick-dial list. She presses ‘SEND' before putting it to her ear. It takes a while for the cellphone to connect to a friendly network before making its connection. Its owner answers it in on the second ring.
 
"Hello?" Fernando answers his cellphone.
 
"Good, you're alive." Tammy lets out.
 
"Tammy... What's going on?" Fernando answers.
 
"Long story short, Misao said that your plane was hit by a missile when the Enterprise was hit. Is that true?" Tammy explains and later asks.
 
She can hear him sigh over the phone before he answers her, "Yes, there was a missile that tried to attack us but I took care of it. Right now I'm with Tokyo Police discussing a few matters, so I have to make this short. Sorry hon."
 
"It’s OK. I'll talk to you later." Tammy replies. Together they hang up the phone at the same time without saying goodbye.
 
"Sounds like he's OK." Jeanie comments.
 
"Yeah, he's OK but he's with the Tokyo Police. He did say that a missile tried to shoot his plane down but he took care of it." Tammy replies.
 
"Don't you think he would? He probably shot it own." Jeanie tells her.
 
 
 
"That was my wife, Tammy." Fernando tells Yuri.
 
"I would have known that. The change in your tone and demeanor, and the sound of her voice over the speaker told me who she was." Yuri tells him.
 
"So when are you leaving?" Fernando asks.
 
"As soon as I see your paper work." Yuri answers.
 
"Why not call the Emperor yourself? He gave me free reign to enter, roam and leave Japan as I please. He even gave me one of the Emperor's Guest Houses at the Osaka and Tokyo Palaces." Fernando explains.
 
"I know all that already." Yuri replies.
 
"So why do you want to deal checking papers?" Fernando asks.
 
Not wanting too, Yuri sits down next to him. "Look. I want to tell you that if you get into any trouble, call us for help. I don't want another close call and with you being a married man and a father, I don't want you to get hurt either." She tells him.
 
"What happened to Iris and Molly happened a long time ago and it was not your or Kei's fault. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time." Fernando tells her.
 
"Somebody had to take the blame." Yuri replies.
 
"I can talk to Sakamoto if you like." Fernando tries to reassure her.
 
"Do that, after all this craziness is over." Yuri replies.
 
"Alright. I can accept that." Fernando tells her.
 
Yuri gets up off the bed and walks over to the room's door before turning around to see him. "Somebody big in the media circle had paid off the paparazzi from hanging around during the treaty signing so it should be safe for you to come out from hiding for a while." She explains to him.
 
"I have to ask, will you and Kei be at the Palace and Treaty signings?" Fernando asks.
 
"Afraid not. We were only sent to make first contact with you and report to the office with a full report." Yuri answers.
 
"Alright then. I'll see what I can do." Fernando comments.
 
"Don't. We have our place within the service so leave it at that." Yuri tells him.
 
"I need people I can trust, not people hired to do a job they might not be capable of doing." Fernando begins. He then lets out a sigh, "Alright. Let's see what happens."
 
Yuri nods before bowing her head down and leaving the room and eventually leaving the plane. Fernando eventually walks to the plane's open door, finding it still open despite the ladder haven been moved away. As he looks about the hanger another a smaller LearJet 23 rolls into the hanger. He notices its tail number – N333FG, his personal jet he uses when the others are being borrowed by the girls or when he thinks a LearJet 25 is too big for a certain job or date. The only thing that comes to his mind is, ‘Damn you Aiesha. You better have a damn good reason for taking my personal 23 when there is another 25 to fly.'
 
The smaller plane finds a spot to park itself and power down. Soon the door opens and Aiesha steps out of the LearJet 23 and onto hanger floor. She looks around and finds the LearJet 25 in the middle rear of the hanger space and then the Marlin by the opposite wall to her. She finds her father with his arms crossed at the open upper door.
 
Before she could say anything, Fernando yells out to her, "You better have a damn good reason why you took my LearJet and not the other one!"
 
"Uhm... hi daddy..." She says as she looks up at him.

Chapter 16: Dinner, Breakfast and The Tokyo Arch.
 
Fernando slept as the girls had their dinner. With Hondo and Val there they kept their conversation to a minimum. At the end of their meal, Rachel orders Aiesha to go to her room as the rest of them clean up the table and area. When they are done, Rachel orders the girls to enter Aiesha's room. Not liking the secrecy, Hondo enters the room to confront them.
 
"'cuse me ladies, but I'm not liking what I'm seeing." Hondo confronts them.
 
"And what would that be?" Michelle snaps at him.
 
"Michelle..." Rachel warns her.
 
Hondo continues anyway, "You ladies are acting in secret around Val and me, like you're hiding something. Now I know you're his daughters and family can be stupid at times, but this is a mission and all that goes out the window. We need to be honest with each other to help one another. What problems you girls might have I can help but only if secrets are not being held against me and Val."
 
"This is a situation between father and us." Michelle lets out.
 
"Look, Hondo. You're right." Rachel begins then points at Aiesha, "This little squirrel puppy decided to take father's private personal jet and not one of the private jets that he usually lets us use. She said she did it because the other jet did not receive its maintenance it's supposed to get and deemed it a danger to fly. I'll back her up on that since it is overdue for its maintenance like the one I flew to Japan in with. But as you can see, father is pissed off with her for taking his personal private jet. That is what this is about."
 
"Then this is between you and him though if you told me about a potential situation, I might have been able to do or say something. Now about your jet, what does it need?" Hondo says and asks.
 
"A full tune up – change the oil, the sparkplugs, adjustments, all that stuff. I doubt you can do it." Michelle tells him.
 
"Jet turbines do not use sparkplugs, and if I need to, I can tune up an airplane. In fact I will be checking Jefe's Marlin and giving it the maintenance it needs. If you can get me the maintenance kit for your plane, I will do what I can." Hondo says to them.
 
"I'll put you up to that." Rachel tells him, "But right now we are dealing with a family matter. So give me about an hour and we can discuss about the planes."
 
"Sure enough." Hondo replies as he tips his hat before opening the door behind him. "I'll see you ladies later." Stepping out the door and closing it behind him, he stands beside the door, thinking how a den of female squirrels has some similarities to a den of female lions.
 
As he waits for Rachel to speak to him about the planes, he takes out his weapons, cleans the lot and gets them armed and ready.
 
At the Emperor's palace Tammy was in a private room given to her by the emperor himself and shown to her by his staff. During her alone time she took care of the baby's needs. By the time the emperor's staff came to get her attention for the meal, she had Francesca fed, changed and asleep.
 
"Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes." One of the service staff says to her as he stands by her door.
 
"I'll be there soon enough." Tammy tells the staff member.
 
"Good. I'll be telling the emperor of your decision." The staff member tells her before walking backwards away from her room.
 
Tammy gathers her things together and heads out pushing the baby carriage with Francesca in it. It takes her a minute to make her way to the emperor's dining area, finding a long table with seating for over 300 – 148 on each side and 1 on each end where the emperor himself sits at one of the ends. A secret PA system anyone sitting at table can speak to everyone else. She tries to walk into the dining area with the stroller but is stopped by the staff.
 
Miffed at the situation, Tammy leaves the area and back to her room.
 
As dinner starts without her, the emperor sends his staff to get Tammy to join him. She was packing her things to leave, and starts her way of the palace's spacious interior maze, trying to remember how she got in. She gets within 50 feet of the main entrance that exits the palace's meeting room before the staff runs past her and surrounds her.
 
"You need to report to the dining area." The staff supervisor tells her as he approaches her.
 
"I'm leaving." Tammy tells her.
 
"You can not leave." The staff supervisor tells her, "You need to report to the Emperor at his request in his dining hall."
 
"Can I take my daughter in there inside the stroller?" Tammy almost demands for an answer.
 
"No you can not." The staff supervisor answers her.
 
"Then you request is denied." Tammy tells him.
 
The staff supervisor stands there without saying a word; they stare at each other for a moment. Tammy pushes the baby stroller couple of inches towards the door despite the staff supervisor being in her way. He reaches to grab the front of the stroller to stop it but freezes in places as he hears the sickening sound of a gun being readied for firing.
 
"Touch my carriage and I will drop you where you stand." Tammy tells him. After a few seconds of silence, Tammy makes her demands known, "Open the door and get out of my way."
 
The staff group looks at each other before Tammy pulls back on the stroller and turns it away from the staff supervisor. She walks to the door herself, opening it and pushes the stroller out of the door. She looks behind her for a moment as she pushes the stroller onto the paved roadway. She realizes that it's going to be a long walk. She also realizes that the gate needed to be opened by security when she arrives to it.
 
"That was awfully bright of you, Tammy." She says to herself as she stops at the gate.
 
As she looks around for something to open the gate with, an old white stretched Rolls Royce Silver Wraith rolls up behind her. It stops a couple of dozen feet from her, shining its headlights at her. Its rear doors open with Jeanie leaving at the right and a tall male mouse in a suit.
 
"Tammy, why are you leaving?" Jeanie asks loudly across the distance as they both walk to her to close the distance. Other mice in suits step out from the vehicle and walk behind them.
 
"I will not eat at a place where my daughter is not allowed to be with me." Tammy tells them as they stop around her.
 
"Who said you can not eat without your daughter?" The tall male mouse asks.
 
"Your head of staff told me that I could not and his staff kept me from entering the banquet hall. Since I am not allowed to eat with you with my three month old baby, then I have to deny your request and invitation to have dinner with you." Tammy says before looking at her watch.
 
The emperor looks at his men behind him and says something loud and scornful at his men behind him. They all scatter from the area, leaving them alone. Only the driver of the Rolls Royce remains behind in the vehicle where he does his job. The emperor walks up to Tammy, keeping his distance from her stroller.
 
"I would like you and your baby to have dinner with me and other invited guests." The emperor says to her humbly.
 
"Will I be allowed to enter the dining area with this stroller?" Tammy asks.
 
He looks over the stroller; "It would need to be searched for weapons before it is allowed."
 
"That won’t be necessary." Tammy begins to say, and then take the hidden samurai blade from its hidden compartment. She holds it with her hand by the middle out to the emperor.
 
He slowly reaches for it and takes it, slowly pulling it out of its Saya. The blade seems to glow in the darkness of the night. He identifies it immediately in his mind.
 
"Where did you get this?" The emperor almost demands angrily.
 
"My husband gave..." Tammy begins to say but is interrupted.
 
"Your husband is Fernando G?!!" The emperor asks in awe.
 
"The one who I swore my life to and father of my baby girl? Yes." Tammy replies. The emperor stands there flabbergasted. Tammy reaches out to him in gesture almost demanding to get back the blade, "Give me the blade so I can give it back to my husband and we leave this wretched place."
 
"This I can not give you..." The emperor begins.
 
"Then let me out." Tammy interrupts him.
 
"And disgrace me? No." The emperor replies.
 
"You want my husband angry at you?" Tammy tells him as she pulls out her cellphone. She calls her husband's number but it immediately goes into voice mail. Shutting off the cellphone, she says to herself, "Damn you, Fernando!" She then looks up at the emperor, "If I'm not leaving then I'm declaring Diplomatic Immunity and demand to be sent to the American Embassy."
 
"This is my private residence. There is no diplomatic immunity here, or do you want to create a diplomatic situation between our two countries?" The emperor tells her, and then asks, "You coming back with me for dinner or do I have to force you?"
 
Tammy reaches into her purse for her gun. But as she reaches in, she feels a sharp stinging sensation against her shoulder before dizziness sets in and her muscles relax. Consciousness escapes her before she hits the ground.
 
 
More than 14 hours had passed as Fernando paces by the Tokyo Arch. Hondo had left earlier with Michelle to the airport to tune up the planes and Rachel takes Aiesha, Tabitha and Sabrina with her to who knows where. Though Fernando is a patient man, he does not like waiting, especially when in Japan, if you are a half hour early to meeting, you are considered an hour late and not allowed to attend. He looks at his watch, seeing that it is 11:55AM.
 
They arrive at 12:06PM, walking slowly in military battle uniforms with a large backpack that extends over their heads. At first Fernando sees them from over a block away but pretends not to see them. Thus he turns around and pretends to look at the other direction with his arms crossed as they approach him.
 
"Hey, we're here." Kei says out loud.
 
"I should not be accepting your attendance, you're both late!" Fernando tells them without turning to face them.
 
"Come on! These bags are heavy! And these boots are tight!" Yuri whines like a little child.
 
Fernando lets out a pent up sigh with a growl before turning around to face them, "Whine like that ever again and you can go back to traffic duty at Ichiban Drive and Nichimora Road. Now, before we go to my hotel room, I need a place that has American cuisine. I have a 10.9 Richter Scale headache screaming for some high potency coffee and not that watered down stuff you mice claim is coffee."
 
"Your hotel room?" Kei asks.
 
"You're too old to take me to a hotel room!" Yuri states.
 
"That's it!!!" Fernando yells at them, "Go Back To Your Traffic Detail And Hope A Mitsubishi Truck Flattens Your Scaly Tails!"
 
"NO!" They both say out loud, getting on their knees.
 
"We're sorry!" Yuri pleads.
 
"Not that! Please Not That!" Kei pleads as well.
 
"Both of you cut it out!" Fernando yells at them.
 
"We don't want to go back there!" both Kei and Yuri reply loudly.
 
"I would rather die!" Yuri adds to her statement.
 
"Me too!" Kei throws in.
 
"Get Up Off The Floor And Follow Me!" Fernando hisses at them, "And Be Quiet Or It's Ichiban Drive And Nichimora Road For The Both Of You!"
 
As he starts to walk away, they quietly get up and follow him, keeping their distance to a couple of feet away. Noticing this, Fernando stops and lets them walk up to him. They stop keeping their distance from him.
 
"This is not China, so don't walk behind me." Fernando tells them. Before either one can say a word, he throws at them verbally, "And Not A Word Out Of You Two!"
 
They try to comply with his demands as they walk to the Tokyo Hilton. Being rude to the other patrons and bellhops, Fernando commandeers an elevator for him and his guests.
 
He tells them to wait in the hall outside of the suite he walks in. He checks the place and finds it empty. He steps to the door and opens it.
 
"Come in and follow me" Fernando tells them. They do as they are told, following him to his room though they were not aware of it. Fernando sits on the bed for a moment before picking up the room phone on the nightstand, "Yes. This is the thirty-second floor pent house. We are going to need three large size American Coffees with cream and sugar on separate serving vessels, and a full continental American Breakfast for three, yes send up the steak and egg breakfast with all the options but no strawberries! Thank you."
 
Kei and Yuri look at him as if he was crazy.
 
"Well?" Fernando asks them.
 
"Steak and Egg American Continental Breakfast?" Kei asks.
 
"That's too much!" Yuri lets out.
 
"Whether you ate or not is on you. I'm starving." Fernando tells them, "Now take off the military gear and get dressed as ladies. We need to talk."
 
"You're not going to wait outside?" Yuri complains.
 
"This is my room for one, and the others should returning soon, so there is no place to change for now but here. Besides, in our last mission we had to change in front of each other and I already seen what your naked scaly tails look like." Fernando tells her. Then he thinks about for a second, "You got five minutes to change your clothes. And if any of my stuff has been moved or touched, it's Ichiban Drive and Nichimora Road for the both of yous!"
 
Fernando leaves the room by slamming the door behind him.
 
"Who in the hell he thinks he is!" Kei lets out.
 
"I'm The One Saving Your Damned Scaly Tails From Traffic Duty On A Deadly Highway Intersection!" Fernando is heard yelling through the door quite some distance away.
 
They look at each other in shock.
 
While they changed their clothes, the order of food comes in and Fernando takes the order, preparing it on the table himself for the three of them. They come out looking like bar sluts in their skimpy tight short dresses that does not leave much for the imagination. He just looks at them and shakes his head.
 
"What?!!" They both say at the same time as they look at each other.
 
"Sit down and have your meal, it may be your last." He tells them. They look at each other and then at him before growling. "Not only can I growl, I have the fangs to back it up." He tells them, "Now sit down and eat."
 
They both look at him before taking their seats and begin their meal. Fernando had set their meals in that they can select what they want from the middle of table between them while he had everything already on his plate. He gulps down half of his coffee before working on his meal, which he attacks like a Great White Shark on a Californian Seal. Adding to the scene was he eating the various things they would not touch and finishing his meal at the same time they were theirs.
 
As they were finishing their meal, Fernando's cellphone rings. He sees that it is Tammy's number and answers it, "Hello Tammy."
 
"This is not Tammy, Agent G." The voice on cellphone replies.
 
"Who are you and where's Tammy and her baby!" Fernando replies sternly though he silently got up and connected his cellphone to his laptop. He traces the signal from Tammy's Cellphone to a location near the Emperor's palace.
 
"You need to arrive at the Palace Gate and everything will be explained to you. Be there within the hour." The voice says before the call is disconnected.
 
He looks at the location and then at Kei and Yuri. "Alright ladies, arm up with your personal weapons only." He tells them.
 
"Where are we going?" Yuri asks.
 
"Why we need our guns?" Kei asks.
 
"You two do as I need you to do or get out of my face and go back to traffic detail!" Fernando tells them sternly. They both stare at him as if he was insane. "I'll be downstairs in the basement garage in a dark blue Mustang GT Convertible. You got 5 minutes to be there or else." He tells them sternly as he gets up and walks to the elevator doors.
 
They look at each other for a moment as he steps through the elevator doors. Deciding to leave what was left of the food there on the table, they go into the bedroom and arm up with their personal guns in their small carry all purses before heading back to elevator. They wait over five minutes for it to arrive.
 
They find their way to the garage, getting off the elevator where they find Fernando in the Mustang by the elevator. They quickly get into the rear seats and Fernando drives away.