"It must be exhausting." Ferrando said.
"What must?" Helena asked.
"The two of you."
"The two of whom?" she demanded.
"You and your brother, Terry. If you have anything in common, like any aspect of your personality that came from your father."
"I have nothing in common with him. We both know that I don't even know him."
"But then-"
"But then it is mine. And Terry doesn't have his surname, either." she added.
"I already know I have no hope of finding out that secret or any other you guard so jealously."
"I'm glad you know."
"Unless you decide to tell me."
"Then you're just never going to find out. It is mine."
"Right."
"And I want to know if you are working on anything." she said.
"No." he answered.
"Good. Because I have something you can help me with."
"What?"
"I want you to impersonate someone for me."
"Impersonate someone? Doing what?"
He knew Helena wouldn't ask him to do anything dangerous, but no one but Ferrando knew just in how much trouble Helena's ideas could get them into. And it could be pretty risky.
"It wouldn't be anything that would hurt your image. You may even benefit from it." she said. "And it won't be difficult."
She took a disc and gave it to him.
"Here's everything you'll need to know for it."
Ferrando took it.
"Most of it has been made up, of course." she said. "But it's pretty credible."
"Made up by whom?"
"By me."
He still didn't look too sure about it.
"I don't know."
"If you'll see, it is nothing really dangerous. It's fairly simple. I would do it myself, except there's no possible way for me to do so, and for it to make sense. And it's something you must do for me, Nando." she said, using a Castilian diminutive for his name.
He still didn't look too convinced.
"Your ideas have gotten us into a lot of trouble before."
"This one won't." she assured him.
"That's what you always say."
"But this is something very important." she continued. "It...it would help me...find out something that...that could...it will mean a lot. You simply memorize what's here," she gestured at the disc. "and I see to everything else
"What is everything else?"
"Everything else will simply be something to confirm a suspicion of mine."
"I'll have to know what that it."
"No, you don't. I'm on a mission, and if you won't do it, I'll find someone else who will."
"What's your new mission?"
"What I said. To confirm a little suspicion of mine that I've had for a while. So will you do it?"
"Fine."