"Looks like Virginia's doing her part to improve PRIMUS-UNTIL relations."
-- Agent Riley

The next day, Agents Brown and Kestler continue their surveillance of Shamrock on the beach, while Agents Johnson, Miller, Riley, MacGowan and Mahan go to the airstrip and wait for UNTIL to arrive.

They do, in spades. Spanish-born commander Cordero Montoya arrives with four of his agents

· Hewitt Blakenship, a British man with bad teeth
· Audrey Mouleaux, a Belgian woman who refuses to speak to the Americans,
· Ari Mogens, a tall Dutchman with a wide grin
· Javier Arantes, from Argentina

Also with the UNTIL agents is the Norwegian superhero Magnus, a tall, handsome man wearing a blue mask to match his UNTIL uniform and cape.

Agent Miller asks Magnus why he wears a mask. "To protect my family," he responds, in a deep voice. "The enemies of UNTIL may wish to strike at me through my family, and I do not wish for that to happen."

"So, does your family include a wife?" she asks.

"No. Does yours include a husband?"

The upshot of this repartee is that Agent Miller ends up with a dinner date - and leads Agent Riley to comment that it "looks like Virginia's doing her part to improve PRIMUS-UNTIL relations."

Meanwhile, on the beach, as Agent Brown is watching Shamrock and his fan club, a little girl runs up to him, obviously upset. A chimpanzee dressed in a striped shirt follows. Shamrock looks bored, until finally he raises his hand to the girl. Agent Brown steps forward and interrupts the "discussion," asking the little girl what's wrong. "He killed rare birds," she explains. "He threw rocks at them."

Agent Brown finds out the girl's name is Eliza Thorton, and that her chimpanzee is named Darwin. She and her family are here because her parents, Nigel and Marianne Thorton, are renowned naturalist filmmakers. Wishing to keep the girl out of trouble, Agent Brown sends her inside the resort to buy a newspaper, and tells her to wait there.

The remainder of the PRIMUS agents, along with their UNTIL counterparts, arrive at the resort. Agent MacGowan and Agent Montoya have a bitter argument about who will be permitted to bring Shamrock in, and finally a solution is reached - the UNTIL agents will have first crack at him, but if they need help, PRIMUS will step in.

The agents move into position. Agent Riley and Agent Kestler take a picnic basket nearby, with their blasters inside.

The first to move is Magnus, who leaps from his position to directly in front of Shamrock. "You're under arrest," he informs him. Shamrock responds by hauling back and punching him - sending the Norwegian brick flying out…out…into the surf, where he lands in chest-deep water.

The PRIMUS agents decide that UNTIL has had their chance - and they fire their blasters…at once. Seven shots strike the Irishman…and when the blue smoke clears, he's collapsed in the middle of his adoring fan club. The girls panic.

"You, accessories!" Agent Riley yells at the girls. "Stop running around and sit!"

The girls stop panicking long enough to stop, though the PRE attack isn't quite enough to get them to sit.

While Agent MacGowan and Agent Montoya resume their argument over what to do with Shamrock, Agent Riley drags Shamrock away from the beach. "Kestler, go get a cab," he whispers.

The other UNTIL agents protest, with Audrey Mouleaux stamping her foot and yelling at Agent Riley in Flemish. Meanwhile, Agent MacGowan waves Riley on while continuing to distract Montoya.

Eliza Thorton runs up to Agent Brown with a copy of USA Today. "Here's your paper," she says.

The headline reads: Silver Avenger Chow on the run, sought for questioning

The article is brief, but states that Silver Avenger Chow is the subject of a Department of Justice investigation. It is alleged that she has sold secrets to VIPER, ranging from top-secret experimental equipment to details of everyday PRIMUS operations.

The agents pile into the waiting taxi and head to the airport, leaving their luggage behind at the hotel. Agent Johnson contacts Base Commander Thurmond and asks what they should do with Shamrock. After a long delay, while the agent is on hold, Thurmond comes back and says in a tired voice, "You are instructed to return to San Francisco immediately."

During the flight, Agent Brown and Agent Kestler secretly remove Shamrock's green Speedos and replace them with one of the pilots' pairs of white boxers, instead, in the hopes of selling the Speedos on ebay (while donating the proceeds to his victims, naturally).

The agents discuss Avenger Chow's situation. Agent Johnson thinks they should find her and bring her in. The others object, insisting she's obviously been framed. "She'll get a fair trial," says Agent Johnson.

There are two vehicles waiting for the agents at SFO - one is a Sherman (complete with plasma cannon on the top) and the other a 1980s Jeep Cherokee with the vanity plate "SCOUT." Agents from the Sherman take Shamrock away, while the Golden Avenger emerges from the Jeep to wave the agent team over. He instructs agents MacGowan and Mahan to catch up to them, while Agents Kestler, Riley, Miller, Johnson and Brown pile into the Jeep. Agent Johnson gets shotgun.

The Avenger introduces himself to the agents and brings them up to speed about the charges against Chow. He believes she has been somehow framed, and points out that it may not necessarily be an attack against Chow - for by attacking her, whoever is responsible is also attacking Chow's allies in PRIMUS, Avenger Johnson included.

Instead of heading for the PRIMUS base, however, they pull up to a nice house in the Sea Cliff neighborhood nearby. The Avenger's house is nicely furnished - in the three or four rooms that have furniture.

"Do you think it's normal procedure for the Director of Intelligence to give orders to an Avenger's staff?" he asks. "And to send them to Tahiti afterwards?" He goes on to explain the anomalies behind that and says that until Avenger Chow is cleared or another Avenger takes her place, they will report directly to him, as the Director of Avengers.

He warns them about what to expect during the investigation. Members of the PRIME Team will be present, and will likely carry whatever the agents say back to Colonel Vasquez. "Is that a problem?" asks Agent Johnson.

Avenger Johnson says that one person who is traveling to San Francisco is someone the agents may trust - DoJ attorney Christine Hailley, the wife of Silver Avenger Hawkins and a good friend of Avenger Johnson's. "If you learn something," he says, "I may not be available. But you can tell Chris."

Agent Brown suggests they beat the truth out of Agent Doran, who skipped the trip to Tahiti - and met with Vasquez personally in Washington, instead. She points out that if he wants to know where they've been, they should tell him they attended a post-Shamrock party.

The session ends with the agents munching on barbequed steaks and sampling the Avenger's large collection of exotic near-beers and cigars.

EPs: 2
BPs: None Assigned