Enter: Riccardo

Riccardo waited patiently at the door. He'd been here before, and knew how big the house was. He knew his knocking would be heard, though... Sure enough, after about a minute, he heard footfalls inside, then the large, ornate wooden door swung open. Fendari stood before him, looking just as Riccardo remembered him. Tall, dark, and always wearing that mask. Not even Riccardo had ever seen what his face truly looked like... but he had an idea. Fendari stared down at him, and when he spoke, his deep voice sounded almost... disappointed.

"Riccardo."

Riccardo smiled. "What, aren't you happy to see me?"

"On the contrary. I've been expecting you. Where is she?"

"Your powers of deduction are still keen, I see. She's in the car. I've got her dog, too."

The cold, smiling mask stared back at him. "You're going to want to keep her away from the master. If he sees her, you know what will happen."

Riccardo stayed silent for a moment, then asked, "Did you ever find Lorenzo?"

"No. You can be assured, though, that he is no longer a thorn in your side."

Riccardo turned around. "So I'll keep her and the dog in the operating room, shall I? That is, until our friend Leonardo is out of the picture."

"It appears our goals are the same, Riccardo."

Riccardo stopped halfway down the steps. "Are they?"

"I have my own reasons. He shall be returning soon, so you had better get them concealed quickly."

Riccardo walked back out to his car, opening the back door and picking Fiona up. She was still sleeping, and she was actually very light. He would go out to the trunk later to get the dog. As he reached the doorway again, he turned to Fendari.

"...What do you want from me?"

Fendari kept the white mask fixed on him, staring at him, through him. Each time that man looked at him, he felt uncomfortable.

"When the time comes, you will know."

Daniella rounded the corner, taking the first door she saw, and making sure Poppy ran in with her, slammed it shut. He was right on her tail, most likely heard her enter... She looked frantically around the room for anywhere she could possibly hide. It was another bedroom, and there was only one place to go... under the bed. She heard his footsteps approaching. If he knew she was in here, he would certainly find her under there. But she had to do something. She slid underneath the bed, and Poppy stayed out, growling.

She heard the footsteps get closer, then stop. She heard the sound of the doorknob turning... he was coming in. Poppy barked twice, slowly backing up. She saw the agent's black shoes dragging across the floor, looking around. His shoes got closer and closer to the bed, each shuffling step striking more fear into her. She tensed, waiting to see his dead face appear, ready to kick it and try to escape... He stopped right in front of the bed. She felt sweat rolling down her face, her heart racing in her chest. He did not move for a second, then crouched down. He had found her. She waited for him to look underneath... but suddenly, Poppy's feet disappeared from the floor and the man stood up, yelling in anger.

She heard him shoot, and was afraid for a moment that he'd hit Poppy. But the dog landed back on his feet, running circles around the man, barking. The agent yelled something else, then started walking back toward the door. He walked out the entrance, not bothering to close the door back. Poppy continued growling, and Daniella stayed under the bed, thinking he might return. Poppy finally stopped growling and laid down, looking at her under the bed, head cocked. She looked once more nervously at the doorway, all of the shapes fuzzy and dancing in her vision, and then slowly rolled out from underneath, crawling over to Poppy and petting him.

"Good boy. Good... boy."

Poppy could tell she wasn't feeling well, and whimpered, licking her face. Stars exploded in her vision, everything she saw appeared liquid... She tried to stand up, but her legs wouldn't respond. It was just like before... in that tank...

Suddenly, Daniella remembered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the green beads. I hope I know what I'm doing... She thought as she put them in her mouth, one by one, and swallowed them. They tasted horrible, starting to dissolve as soon as they touched her tongue. But she took them all, and almost immediately she started feeling better. She stopped sweating so much, her vision slowly returning to normal. She was able to get up slowly, her legs still wobbling. Poppy brushed his head against her, glad to see she was all right. She knew this couldn't last forever... she knew it was the snake venom coursing through her veins, and the effects couldn't be stopped for long...

She reached down and pet her dog again, and then moved toward the door with him.

"Come on, Poppy... I've gotta find an antidote..."