Chapter 24: Back at the Coppola.
"How much do you know about the girls in the SWA? If you can answer that in a manner that I am looking for, and I will tell you why Tammy and Bink cannot return to America.", Fernando asks.
Anne was short with her answer, "I know they were given nothing but a mechanical body, a handful of bullets and a life too short to enjoy. If you are asking for something more personal, Angelica's favorite book is The Prince of the Kingdom of Pasta. At the Chinese restaurant where we ran into each other more than six months ago, you compared the SWA to a pimp who abducts children and forces them into adult services. Tell me, what has changed since then outside the fact the SWA is now going after LSD traffickers?"
"You believe that only adults, who happen to be better trained than Tammy, should go after these traffickers?", Fernando asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do.", Anne answers.
"Do you value Tammy's life?", Fernando asks.
"To an extent, yes. It is really Bink who I am concerned about... Rather all the girls in the SWA. I value Tammy's life in the sense she is the only family Bink has left.", Anne answers.
"In the land of America, where people sip from the bowl of Agency Alphabet Soup, many would want to pay big bucks to get their hands on Bink. And I'm not talking about millions of dollars, but tens of millions of dollars. For that reason alone, The Rangers can no longer protect Tammy's life if she were to return with Bink. And I thought about taking on the other girls as well as Bink, but realized that no one would who care for them be safe, because the care givers to these girls would be targeted for elimination and the girls captured for what ever evil schemes there may be. I would rather have the SWA give something to Tammy that we Rescue Rangers cannot give: protection and training to protect herself.", Fernando tells her.
"Could you do me a favor? Keep Tammy in the SWA compound until she takes her job and her training serious.", Anne says.
"That depends on them, I can only give a recommendation and have a long talk with her. She already went through 6 months of training.", Fernando says.
"In that case, Tammy is no more safe here than what she would be in America. Furthermore, her inability to take her job seriously is putting Bink's life on the line as well.", Anne says.
"She is safer here, because I would rather have her die on the job fighting than having some organized group break into her house to kill her and kidnap Bink while she sleeps.", Fernando says.
Anne does not respond. She knows the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
"I would rather have her die with a commendation and a medal than to be a dot on some government statistical chart.", Fernando says.
"We get the point already.", Hondo says.
"In short, Tammy Needs To Grow Up.", Fernando says.
After a bit of silence and a few bites out of their meals, Fernando adds the following, "I don't know if you see it on a global scale, Anne, but these girls are worth tens of millions of dollars to anyone who can get their hands on them. Every technologically advanced nations; the Germans, Americans, British, French, Italian and Japanese have their own cyborg warrior program going on. Each one is willing to steal the other's technology to see at what level they are on. Furthermore other less technologically advanced nations, and large organized groups would pay double to have them and put them into their forced labor or military camps or worst- dissect and implement the technologies onto others. The seriousness of this nature supercedes the drug and political crisis everyone here has their heads spinning about. As far as I am concerned- all this left wing - right wing bull is for the birds!"
Anne carefully puts her thoughts together, "Without the training there is only one place on earth more safe for Tammy and her sister Bink and that is the Rescue Ranger Headquarters. The Rescue Rangers poses technology, which the SWA does not. That is because they are inventors, not soldiers."
"For Tammy and Bink to remain safe, they would be confined 24/7. Essentially they would be prisoners.", Fernando points out, "Here, they have a chance to be free."
"Which is true and if she was given the choice between living in a high tech fortress and living here as a soldier, my money is on her staying here.", Anne responds.
"What's the point?", Fernando asked.
"If she understands that she does have choice between two evils, she might be more accepting of a decision she made than a decision that was thrust upon her."
"You are conceding that the SWA is a lesser evil?", Fernando continued.
"As much as I despise the SWA for what they did, I am.", Anne replied. "Understand this, if I find out that they have conditioned another child there will be Hell to pay."
Fernando has some reservations about the last thing Anne said. "The SWA has eliminated what you calls 'bad apples' in the Republican Faction. Explain to me how there will be Hell to pay if the SWA is able to take out your garbage."
"I, not the RF, have access to a piece of technology which the Rescue Rangers poses. It just might be enough to turn the tide on the SWA.", Anne was not gloating in her statement. There was something different. "Unless the SWA is back to their old tricks, going against them would be pointless. All that would have been accomplished is shattering what sense of security these kids have."
Information seems to be the one of the few things that they both agree on.
What the SWA does to the children is but a matter of opinion, though they both don't agree on having the girls live shorten lives and in service to the government agency that deals in death of corrupt criminals because the entire government is corrupt; from the lowliest traffic agent to the highest court judge. But there is something about the SWA that sets them apart from all others; self-righteousness. A perverted self-righteousness that makes them believe that they are the answer to the country's problem, dispensed from the business end of a gun.
"Wait right here, I have something in the car for you.", Fernando says before getting up. He walks out of the restaurant.
Fernando returns to the table with a briefcase. From inside, he pulls out a folder containing medical files and pictures of the girls before the SWA took them in and turns them into cyborgs:
Cyborg Medical Files
Bink- only survivor of a massacre of a family of 6 by a violent gang attack; severely beaten, mutilated and raped multiple times by the mutilated bodies of her dead family. Left to die by the gang. Tried to commit suicide while at the hospital. The mutilation done to her includes: slicing off right ear, destruction of left eye, amputation of right leg above the knee, amputation of left arm above the elbow, amputation of right hand, injury to reproductive organs with a mechanical instrument, multiple broken bones. Additional injuries from suicide attempt.
Triela- Found in Amsterdam in a child sex slave ring; was found raped and mutilated. Died and resuscitated several times on way to hospital. Mutilation includes amputation of digits by each joint on each hand, amputation of both hands at the wrists, amputation of feet at the ankles, partial disembowelment, large incision across the larynx.
Rico- Born with severe multiple birth defects which leaves her unable to move; of these birth defects includes Spinal Bifida.
Angelica- At age 6, was ran over by her father to collect on death insurance claim. Multiple broken bones, including a broken neck and a fractured skull. Severe organ and neurological damage; paralyzed from the 3rd thoracic vertebrae down.
Claes- Age 10, fell out of a 6th story window after a family argument, both parents were arrested for the incident. Multiple broken bones, including broken neck and fractured skull. Die and resuscitated enroute to hospital.
Elsa- only survivor of jetliner accident in Milan Italy, which includes both her parents, 1 sister and 1 brother. She had multiple broken bones and second and 3rd degree burns over 65% of her body. Note: Deceased; killed while protecting her handler, who was also killed.
"Consider that these girls were better of dead, the SWA gave them new bodies and new lives. In fact both Triela and Claes were dead. I still don't agree with what the government does with these girls. But I don't agree with building bombs to kill people and destroy property to make a point either.", Fernando says.
Hondo just sat and listened. He didn't trust red headed gals one bit. It might not be a true for all opinion, but it was his. Besides this woman had an air of suspicion about her.
'Ouch!' Hondo thought as Fernando made his last comment. Hondo agreed with Fernando on this totally. The woman sat there with a look between anger and indignation. She was obviously trying to keep her composure. Hondo just hoped she would leave soon so Fernando could fill him in like he had planned on.
Anne looks over the files and pictures. "This goes back to which is the lesser evil.", Anne takes a breath. "The SWA has given these kids a new chance at life. A life that, which you pointed out, will never be the same. They would have to be guarded for the rest of their lives.", Anne closes the folder. "Back to the man who sent Tammy and Bink to the hospital. Do you want to pick him up yourselves or do you want him delivered? There are no strings attached. We just want to get this scum."
"What would you do if you did not have a cause?", Fernando asked.
Anne does not answer.
Fernando slides over a business card to Anne. It contains a phone and room number on the back of a hotel's business card.
"For now, That is where I will be staying. As for your prisoner, do with him as you wish. I'm too angered to be questioning low lifes, and may send him as a wrapped up package addressed to the to gates of Hell.", Fernando says.
Fernando releases a sigh and then takes to his coffee.
"Don't take my actions personal. You should be worrying about all these involved factions splitting Italy into Total Civil War. I prevented that the last time I was here, but that prevention is only a delay to the inevitable if these factions do not get together and hammer out an agreement on how to deal with the corrupt government. Right now blood is flowing in the streets, when it should be flowing in the offices of those guilty of selling their own people short.", Fernando explains.
Anne takes the business card, "Tomorrow morning you will get a phone call from Nemi Law and Public Safety informing you they just got a lucky break in the case."
"You are showing a lot of trust in the system.", Fernando observed. "This is unlike you, Anne."
"I need to go back to the hospital. The director would have a word with me for walking off the job. Fernando, because I am no longer admitted in Tammy and Bink's room, keep me up to date on their condition. Thank-you for breakfast.", with that, Anne leaves.
Hondo's skepticism was obvious, "A terrorist volunteering at a hospital?"
"Anne is another good girl hanging out with the wrong crowd.", Fernando adds.
Hondo did not expect that, "The Republican Faction the 'wrong crowd?' That's an understatement."
"Its like this, Hondo. The United States Republican Party hiring the army to roll tanks into congressional hall to evict the Democrats. The Democrats take arms and then start to commit crimes to get their evicted offices back, but it only get them into more trouble. Add a few rich boys who want power and spoil brats with chips on their shoulders, and you will have the problem Italy has now. Add a few more problems and issues like moral disintegration and apathy, drugs and a few political assignations, and you will have civil war, which Italy is on the brink off. Hold on, I have to make a phone call.", Fernando explains.
Fernando takes out his cell phone and makes a phone call to the hospital director.
"Hello, Dr. Salvatore? Yes, This is Officer Guccioni. I want you to excuse a hospital volunteer, short, thin, red haired mouse... Anne? Yes, that's her. She was at our offices taking care of a personal nature, she was just released and should be returning soon. No, she is not in any trouble, not at all... She was filling a witness report for us. Yes... Thank you. Oh, by the way, talk to Dr. Bianchi for me... Yes, the one with the goatee mustache and beard. Have him allow her to work with his patient- that red headed squirrel. Yes, I think that's her name. Thank you.", Fernando asks.
Fernando hangs up the phone.
"Isn't like putting the lamb with the lion?", Hondo asks.
"Anne might be a terrorist, I don't see her as such. But even if she was, she is somebody I can trust and she can trust me. Oh I know that there is the danger of having that trust betrayed, but until now, we take advantage of what the other can do for us.", Fernando answers.
"If she is not a terrorist, then what is she?", Hondo asks.
"She's bomb builder...", Fernando answers.
Hondo's jaw just drops.
"She's a sophisticated bomb builder... Not these little snot nose kids who build a cell phone in a back pack bomb some suicide bomber wears. Her devices are a major threat to large buildings and hundreds of lives. Furthermore, she does not plant them on targets, but she builds them and sells them to the highest bidder. Just like a gun manufacturer.", Fernando says.
"That's will a terrorist to me.", Hondo says.
"Every once in a while, when she thinks her device is being used where innocent people could be killed with, she's the anonymous call that the police gets to stop the device. Personally, I received two such calls from her. So if she is a terrorist, she's a terrorist with a conscious.", Fernando says.
"Still a terrorist to me.", Hondo says.
"Welcome to the World of Cloak and Dagger then; where everything is not what it seems and double dealings come from double agents from all levels. Where trust is a toy that can be easily broken and the kids play a game of live and let die. If you can find a double agent you can trust, you treat that double agent like family. Now, you may not like certain members of your family but you love them for who they are.", Fernando says.
"You got that right...", Hondo says.
"Welcome to my dilemma.", Fernando says.
"Well, I still don't trust her, but I trust you.", Hondo says.
"Are you sure you can trust me? Remember what I said about trust in this business.", Fernando says.
"You are above all that, I believe. You could have used me worse last time, but you didn't. I can trust you. All I ask is that if she betrays us, you shoot her or don't stop me from shooting her.", Hondo says with a hard look in his eye. Fernando looks at him a little surprised.
"You want to shoot her? I though you were against shooting women?", Fernando asked with a raiss eyebrow.
"For the most part I am, but too many lives are at stake for us to let her go and do more damage if she proves untrustworthy.", Hondo says with not as hard a look, but still a firm look. Hondo hated the thought of killing a woman, but he had determined if it must be done to save the others then he would do it, even though that might actually make him start drinking which he firmly stood against.
"Don't worry. If she betrays us, you probably will not get a chance, but I believe if she was to betray us, she would tell us first. People in this type of business have an odd sense of honor or no honor at all. She has some honor, she has proved that.", Fernando says.
"True.", Hondo says.
"Besides if she does that then we have a better chance of stopping her from betraying us and locking her up. Would you not prefer that?", Fernando asked.
"If we can, yes.", Hondo says.
"Just keep an open mind and be willing to accept an open deal. But as you know- if its too good to be true...", Fernando says.
"I understand. Now, what was this plan you wanted to tell me about?", Hondo asks.
"Well, you heard most of it as I spoke with Anne. The rest is cheesy details of history, which is not necessary at this point. I just wonder though- Why LSD? Why not all or most drugs across the board?", Fernando asks.