Changi Airport was busier than usual, forcing officials to direct the incoming Qantas flight to an outdoor bay rather than allow it to approach the airport. Two blue buses were sent to collect the passengers who scrambled for their belongings, groaning at the sight of them. Tony debated whether he could survive the journey in his black jacket, deciding he would be forced to as he had no free hands left to carry it. You're tough, Almeida, you survived all kinds a' crap. You can take this! He regretted his hasty decision before he fully reached the open door. Two sweating pilots stood in the doorway bidding them farewell, longing to pull the door shut after the last of them disembarked and settle back into the relative comfort of the air conditioning. Tony followed Michelle down the stairs, each step akin to punishment as the sweat oozed off his forehead and into his burning eyes. Reaching the buses failed to bring the longed for relief he had anticipated as he stumbled along. A female official stood by the door of the nearer one with a sign stating the bus was reserved for first and second class passengers only. Three people boarded, wiping their faces. The remainder of the group was herded towards the second bus which appeared filled to capacity long before they approached.

'They gotta be kidding!' Tony exclaimed in disgust as two male officials pushed several passengers physically up the stairs. 'They're not seriously planning on putting over a hundred people on that bus? It's crazy, there's no way they'll fit.'

He was wrong. Years of experience enabled the two men, neither of whom reached his shoulders to give him a vicious shove, pushing him further into his mother, making room for Michelle. The door was slammed on her, leaving her jammed perilously against them. Cursing aloud and gasping for breath in the crowded humidity, he released his backpack and clasped her hand, prepared to save her from tumbling out the moment the doors opened. His bag remained near his knees, prevented from reaching the floor by the sheer crush of passengers.

A familiar hand reached his shoulder. 'Tony, I can't breathe.' He forced himself an inch closer to Michelle, freeing his mother who gasped in relief. The bus crawled forward, straining under the load, turning into an undercover car park before puffing its way to Terminal One. The door opened. He barely saved Michelle from an undignified entry as he was pushed forward by the crowd of passengers desperate to avoid suffocation. Once she was on the sidewalk he grasped his bag and stepped out, his father close behind, an arm around his mother as he attempted to shield her from the crush. A sign hung over an open glass sliding door. "Welcome to Singapore."

'Right,' Tony muttered, staggering up a flight of stairs behind Michelle. 'A real good welcome!' Reaching the main floor, he allowed his bags to drop onto a spotless blue carpet, leaning against the wall in his haste to unzip his jacket. Michelle moved away from them, returning with a trolley while he rubbed the salty sweat from his eyes. His father moved to help her load the hand luggage, followed by his designs. Someone removed his jacket from the floor, throwing it over the bags and his mother handed him a handkerchief.

'Wipe your face, sweetheart. There's a restroom up ahead, you can put water on it.' He nodded gratefully, following the trolley over to a group of pink armchairs. They sank down while he hurried to the restroom, determined to pour handfuls of cold water over his head. Phew Almeida, you're getting soft! Sergeant Wills back at boot camp would certainly have pulled you out for your dismal appearance and handed you a week of KP and for once he would've been justified in doing so! You look awful! He paused, one foot inside the men's restroom, frozen into immobility at the sight of a toothless old woman with dark skin, large black eyes and wispy grey hair sitting calmly on an orange plastic chair beside a bin. A female presence in the naturally male domain threw him, leaving him gaping uncertainly in her direction while she ignored him, knitting as nonchalantly as though she were seated within her family room. The sight of a man leaving a cubicle and heading across to wash his hands reassured him somewhat. Tony drew a deep breath and entered, slipping past the elderly female. He was only there to wash his face, after all!

'What's wrong, sweetheart?' Michelle exclaimed as he joined them, his face sheepish.

Tony reached for a coke in relief, nodding his thanks at his father. 'You wouldn't believe it if I told you,' he replied smugly, enjoying the cold taste.

'Come on Tony, nothing you can have seen inside a restroom can possibly surprise me,' Michelle insisted. 'Was there a…'

'No, nothing like that,' he replied rapidly, swallowing large mouthfuls of coke, the bubbles rising into his nose making him cough. 'She wouldn't have approved of that!'

Michelle and his mother stared at him in astonishment. 'Stop talking in riddles, Antonio,' his father chided. 'What was there in the restroom?'

Tony leaned back against the armchair, resting his head on his arm. Eyes sparkling, he beckoned them closer, noting with satisfaction that they fell for his trick, bending towards him to catch every word. 'A woman,' he whispered.

His confession was met with derision. 'Right,' said Michelle, frowning at him.

'Can't you come up with something more original, sweetheart?' questioned his mother.

'You've only gone a coupla yards away and you already invent tall tales,' remarked his father.

'I told you nobody would believe me,' Tony replied lazily, sipping more coke. The cold drink combined with the air conditioning and the fresh water on his face helped return him to his usual playfulness. 'Why did I even bother to answer?'

'What sort of woman?' his father questioned skeptically.

'You're welcome to go check her out,' he replied, his eye on his mother, failing to miss a warning flash.

His father sighed, studied him for a few seconds and rose. 'I better not be wasting a trip,' he warned, leaving them. He returned a moment later, shaking his head. 'He's right, there is a woman in there, knitting!'

'And you doubted my word,' Tony said sorrowfully. 'Marines don't lie, Papa!'

'So what does she look like?' Michelle inquired, her curiosity as to the possible appearance of a woman so out of bounds fully aroused.

Tony chewed his lip, thrilled to get a chance to explain. 'Like? What can I say?' He shook his head, rubbing his face. 'Absolutely gorgeous! She's got long black hair and oval brown eyes, with the sweetest smile…'

His father's exasperated sigh cut through his description. 'Some poor old lady assigned cleaning duty in lieu of receiving a pension, that's all. Disgraceful, really.'

Tony's mother shook her head sadly. 'There's another one,' she noted, indicating an old man stooped in the shoulders busily cleaning bins. Don't they have any heart?'

'We got five hours to kill,' Tony's father interrupted, checking their tickets. 'I doubt whether we can get our boarding passes yet. Why don't we go for a walk, we're going to be sitting inside a plane for the next twelve hours?'

They stared at him dismayed. 'It's a little hot,' Michelle protested.

'Papa can't help lining up for punishment,' Tony told her, finishing the last of his drink in a hurry. 'He's got this need to suffer!'

'It was only a suggestion,' his father said, looking at them hopefully. 'We've never been here before.'

Tony sighed aloud, reading the hope in his father's eyes. 'Ok, what can I say? You've been a great father. I'm volunteering to accompany you!'

'We'll all go,' his mother said reluctantly. Tony found some lockers to put their bags into, stripping to his t-shirt. He turned out to be the most fortunate of the group as far as suitable clothing was concerned, discovering a pair of slightly crumpled shorts in his backpack. Throwing them a wicked smirk he disappeared into the nearest restroom, emerging moments later with his jeans in his hands.

'I'm ready.'

They joined a line at customs, their papers scrutinized by an emotionless official who stared at them in silence for a full minute each before handing them a small card to fill in. He listed 'transit' as his reason for entering the country and watched as his card was stamped. "Welcome to Singapore" it stated in red letters across the top. "Warning, we have the death penalty for drug smuggling" it stated in larger letters on the reverse, just above the place which required a signature. The glass doors opened to his raised eyebrows and the full blast of the heat hit him anew. He flagged a taxi and waited till his family sat inside before entering, a strange unease nagging him. Pull yourself together, Almeida! You're a Federal Agent, for God's sake, act like one! Just because it's real hot and crowded doesn't mean you need to sink into paranoia. There's nothing dangerous about this country.

The taxi set off, entering a never ending stream of traffic amid loud honking. They turned right and waited in a line to enter a roundabout decorated with palms and colorful flowers, every leaf in place, every blade of grass identical. People with clippers worked inches from the traffic while the cars raced past them with complete disregard for their safety. Several yards further down a man washed a bench beside a bus stop with a cloth. Michelle's round eyes followed the spectacle in awe. 'It's a real clean place,' she exclaimed.

'Oh yes, Singapore is VERY clean,' the driver agreed. 'Very clean and very safe. We got no crime here. You can walk safe anywhere at night. Now I take you to shops?'

'No,' said Tony hurriedly. 'We want to see a little of the country. Take us round the coast.'

The driver stared in astonishment. 'You don't want to go shopPING?' His incredulous look and his emphasis on the second syllable of the word 'shopping', his tone rising into a whine grated on his nerves.

'No,' he said emphatically. 'We only got five hours here. We'd like to see the country.'

The driver threw him an irritated look before joining the stream of traffic on a freeway towards the coast. They drove along, noting fewer people as they spotted the sea. 'The Strait of Malacca,' the driver explained, pulling to the side of the road beside a park.

They piled out, telling him they would walk. The park was typically well maintained, not a leaf detracting from the golf course like lawn. Unfamiliar birdsong filled the air as they hastened to the shore, noting a few children racing about in knee deep water. The rest of the beach was eerily deserted. Tony stared at the murky grey water in silence, the temptation to walk into it as far as his knees lost. Absentmindedly he placed his hand in his pocket, unwrapping a fresh packet of chewing gum, sliding two into his mouth.

The children stared at him round eyed, edging nervously over to him. Shoving each other as they approached, the boldest one addressed him. 'Is that chewing gum, mister?'

Bemused, he nodded.

'Mister, would you give us one?' the boy persisted. 'We can't get that.' Tony nodded once again and handed over the entire packet, unsurprised. Their mothers were obviously too mean to buy any for the boys, he concluded. They snatched it from his palm eagerly and raced a little distance from them, stuffing their mouths full.

'The park's nice,' his mother observed, breaking the silence. 'Let's sit on that bench, I'm real hot!'

He followed the others over to a shady bench, wiping his forehead. To his relief the bench was situated directly beneath a few trees, as spotless as everything else he had noted since his arrival. He pushed an empty cigarette pack aside and settled down, longing for another cold drink. Michelle handed him her water bottle and he was forced to use every ounce of his self control not to finish the whole lot in front of her. 'Thanks honey,' he said, returning the bottle half full. She nodded, finishing the rest, dribbles of sweat running down her brow. Her curls hung limply down her back or plastered round her face, wet to his touch as he placed one gently behind her ear. Despite her hair's sorry appearance she showed more resilience than the rest of them, chatting cheerfully about the unusual fruit to be found growing on the trees. Tony's admiration for her increased as his eyes rested on his watch. 'We should get going if we're plannin' on catching our flight,' he said casually, aware they had another hour before they were required to return but unable to face that time without another drink. To his relief no one objected.

They left the bench, deciding to walk to the street and see whether they could find a taxi. Hardly had they taken two steps however when a short man in a white shirt and dark blue trousers rushed to intercept them, grabbing Tony by the arm. The first part of his sentence proved incomprehensible to any of them, the second half startling him. '…one hundred dollars.'

Tony removed his hand from his arm forcefully, determined to ignore the extraordinary intruder. The intruder, however, refused to be dismissed so lightly. His fingers closed round Tony's wrist with an iron grip and he repeated his sentence, slower. 'Littering is a serious offence in Sin nap oh,' he began, pointing at the bench. 'One hundred dollars.'

'I wasn't littering,' he protested, his senses dulled by the heat.

'What you call this, then?' the man demanded, picking up the empty pack. 'You leave this here on the bench. That is littering!' He pulled out a notebook and pen and began writing.

'That's not ours,' Tony replied as politely as he was able. 'We don't smoke.'

'You don't deny it,' snapped the man, scribbling furiously. 'I write you up fine. You pay!'

'Look here,' Tony began, outraged.

'Excuse me, sir, but it really wasn't ours,' Michelle said, her charming smile failing to soften their assailant. 'None of us smoke. It was there on the bench when we arrived.'

'Lady, I didn't ask you,' the man snapped, glaring at her. 'I was speaking to that gentleman!' He pulled out a badge, flashing it before Tony's eyes. 'Sin nap oh police,' he snapped, his tone harsh. 'Your ticket. You pay now, here.'

'No, I won't. That was NOT my pack, dammit. You can't just write people up for things, you gotta have evidence,' he protested, wondering whether the man was some escaped lunatic in the guise of a police officer. His irrational behavior indicated a lack of any legal sense. The man glared at him, pulling out a radio. A moment later he was joined by a fellow officer in identical attire. 'You pay now, or you go to court.'

'I don't have time to go to a trial,' he exclaimed, beginning to feel alarmed. 'My plane's leaving in three hours. Here, I'll prove this wasn't mine. I'm a Federal Agent.' He pulled out his own badge.

The two police gave it only a cursory examination. 'Very impressive, Mr. Almeida. Now will you pay your fine, or do we arrest you?'

'He'll pay,' Michelle assured them hurriedly, throwing him a warning look. 'How much was that?'

'A hundred dollar,' replied the policeman with a satisfied smirk, his eyes darting round the park. Just as she opened her purse, frowning in concentration as she counted out the unfamiliar currency his eyes noticed something. 'Hey, you kids, get over here,' he yelled, the shout so unexpected in the sweltering heat that Tony almost jumped. The boys walked over slowly, their faces pale. 'What have you got? Give that to me.' He snatched the packet from a boy's hand and shook him hard. 'Chewing gum! Where did you get that from?'

Tony noticed his mother close her eyes. Gee, what's the deal with this nutcase? You're dreaming, Almeida, you gotta be! You're gonna wake up on some plane. He chewed his lip uneasily. Never before in any of his dreams did he feel his t-shirt sticking to his back, or feel sweat trickling under it. Nor did young boys point fingers at him.

'Mr. Almeida,' the second policeman began, dismissing the boys with a cuff and a shake. 'You seem intent on violating all our laws! Chewing gum is BANNED in Sin ah poh.'

Tony shook his head in disbelief. 'What?' he muttered.

'Didn't you read the list at customs? Chewing gum and bubble gum are banned, they are unhygienic. We haven't had it here for years!'

'Excuse me, officer, we weren't aware of that,' Michelle explained mildly, laying a warning hand on his arm. 'Surely we're allowed a certain amount, like with alcohol? This was just one packet.'

They looked at her gravely. 'All incoming foreign nationals are permitted one packet, provided they declare it at customs. Did you declare it, Mr. Almeida?'

Tony shook his head, noting his father moved beside him, his muscles tense. Oh boy. Better pay whatever fine they name and get Papa back to the airport, before these cops turn nasty. 'No, I didn't declare it, I never read that list,' he admitted, shaking his head rapidly in his father's direction. 'You're gonna write me up a ticket for that too, right?'

'Oh yes,' replied the second policeman, with an open smile. 'Now you are American, so we'll be lenient this time. You pay only another hundred dollars.'

Gee, just as well we're friendly with these people! Wonder what they'd do to you if you came from some less admired country?

Michelle pushed over everything she had, hoping to placate them. They counted the money, dissatisfied. 'You need another eighty dollar,' the first one said. His parents produced another fifty dollars, his mother adding fifty US dollars to the pile as they were out of Singapore dollars. It was accepted after a lot of arguing and they departed warning Tony to behave himself or face the consequences.

They stood in the silent park, shaken. 'Let's go back to the airport,' his mother suggested, her face several shades paler than usual. 'It's almost time to board our plane, anyway.'

Gee, if mom's looking forward to boarding a plane, she must be really nervous. He slipped an arm round her. 'It's okay, mom. They're just jerks, trying to look important. I shoulda read the small print.'

Jack sighed aloud, glaring at the files that refused to remain stacked on top of each other, insisting on sliding to the floor. 'Fine. Stay there,' he snapped, turning to see who walked into his office. 'You wanted something, Chase?'

'Yeah. Mr. Chappelle called again, Jack. He's pretty keen on getting some of those reports. He also wants to speak to you.'

'How can I complete these reports if he keeps interrupting me?' Jack snapped in irritation. 'You know what, Chase. Take some o' these files and complete them! When was Tony supposed to return?'

'Tomorrow,' Chase replied, leaning on his desk. 'There's a small problem, though.' He glanced at his boss, waiting for his reaction.

'Of course there's a problem, Chase,' Jack sighed, leaning his face on an elbow. 'Is the plane delayed?'

'Yeah, for a week.' He held up a hand as Jack nearly leapt from his chair. 'Tony's returning a different way; he'll be here in another two days.'

Jack nodded and opened the top file savagely. 'Another two days! What the hell's taking him so long? Don't we have other flights to Australia?'

Chase shook his head. 'They're all fully booked. Tony's been rerouted through,' he pulled out the printed copy of the email, 'Singapore, Rome, and New York.'

'Rome,' Jack muttered, his lips tight. 'How long's he got to wait there?'

Chase studied the printout. 'Seventeen hours.'

The phone rang again, an external call. Warily he lifted it. 'Bauer.' Chappelle's voice came on the line, demanding to know what was holding up the reports. Jack sighed aloud, a picture of him wringing Tony's neck the only thing that kept his replies civil.

Changi Airport was more crowded than in the early afternoon. They waited half an hour to claim their boarding passes before they were allowed through passport control and into the international section of the airport, struggling to find their correct departure gate. 'Says D 34,' Michelle said, studying her boarding pass. 'Which way's that?'

'This is B,' Marco said, narrowing his eyes as he read the small signs. 'Gates B1 – B23, that way, B-24 to 34 that way. It's definitely not here.'

They wandered further on, Tony pushing the trolley with the hand luggage, occasionally pushing his father's drawing back into the center of the pile. They passed countless shops and cafés, a host of unusual smells wafting past them. They saw a large pool with an island in the middle, fountains of flowing water and the same birdsong they had heard at the park. Michelle stopped, tilting her head to search the trees in the islands. 'They sound real,' she mused.

'Just a recording, sweetheart,' Tony assured her. 'You don't imagine they got birds inside?'

She shook her head reluctantly, giving the trolley a small push to get it started when a shadow flew across the pool, brushing past their faces. Tony's mouth opened, he closed it rapidly. 'I was right,' she told him smugly. 'They are real. They live here, in the airport terminal!'

Indoor birds, indoor plants, indoor pools, indoor shops…Glaring security guards all round the rooms…They could've done an episode of star trek right here, some alien planet inside a bio dome…

'Let's go, Tony,' his father said, interrupting his daydream. 'We don't have much time.'

He nodded, pushing the trolley behind them. Yeah. Let's go!