Taming of the Screwworm

Plans of the Pangs
Agent Shaniqua Tamery alerts Hea that Icy Finger are everywhere in the area, and that Hea and John need to figure out a plan quickly. If given the order to take Hea in, Shaniqua will have little choice. Hea informs Shaniqua that she is already forming a plan. Hea gives John an experimental new Gray Champion suit that will streamline him, allowing him to become better at infiltration and take Celia's place if Celia is captured. Pablo and Anna Ramirez leave with Hester's Locket and John to meet up with the Purge-Flare in Italy. Hea informs Marge and Tabby of her plans for the rest of them. Since Hea is popular at the museum - and they already know about the Kirby Act warrant against Hea - they stated that they'd hire Hea back just as soon as her Kirby Act affairs are over with. The girls are to stage public incidents to get themselves in the least amount of trouble possible. Tabby shivers at the thought, but Hea assures her it would be better than letting the media know the whole truth.

Tabby understands better than any of the rest of them what she'd be giving up, however. She gives a sigh, then agrees to the plan - for John and Frank's sakes. She is barely able to hold back her tears of anger over the fact that Toklisanan officials would actually uphold the Beliah Amendments - thus making Tabby an outlaw in spite not having done anything wrong. She decides that if they've ruined her plans for her life to such an extent already, she'd have to use the situation to her advantage to make sure they regretted it. The girls plot to have Marge get drunk and stage an incident in public, while Tabby gets caught loitering outside the bar. Hea would travel to Houston without them, and attend the meeting. She would then alert Shaniqua on a street corner where she was and turn herself in.

Attack on Lambrelli Labs
As Lex Philippine and Mallorie Wade discuss with a senator the ethics of the Kirby Act, Cupric is being transported en route from SCALLOP Men's Containment Center to a state prison - this in spite SCALLOP personnel strongly objecting to the measure. The Icy Finger intercepts, resulting in an investigation being launched into who the mole was. Cupric escapes and the Icy Finger offer him a job - and his equipment back. His first mission is an attack on Lambrelli Labs. Ron and Roger activate Pilltar and Ponicatar to aid the company's security in fighting off Cupric and the Icy Finger agents. SCALLOP personnel alert Ron that they're coming to his aid, but that they also have a warrant for his arrest. Ron tells Roger to watch over the company, as the Gray Champion escorts him away to Italy. Cupric manages to steal some copper ore; but is ordered to call off the attack due to Pilltar buying the National Guard and SCALLOP time to respond. Ron makes a conference call to the staff at Lambrelli Labs, inventing an excuse why he had an emergency need to go to Italy. He also alerts them that Stephanie is in trouble again, and to make preparations until she can return.

Tabitha arrested
Hea attempts to go to the bank to collect gas money for her trip to Houston. However, she discovers that her debit card had been hot-flagged. She attempts to leave the area, especially when suspicious vehicles how up. She only gets a short distance from the bank before Shaniqua pops out and confronts. Her. Hea surrenders without incident, even confessing to Shaniqua what Marge and Tabby's plans were to distract the media. Shaniqua scolds Hea for agreeing to such a plan. Marge attempts to go to bar with Tabby. However, the Icy Finger identifies the Team Gray girls in a matter of minutes. Marge leads the fighting away from Tabby, then returns to bar to get drunk after her work as Mapacha is done. She makes sure to amble around in public once drunk, and is arrested for public intoxication.

Tabby attempts to flee from the Icy Finger, but one of their agents begins pursuing her. She decides that if she's in trouble with the authorities anyway, she may as well break a few actual laws along the way to escape. She runs through traffic and narrowly avoids getting hit several times. Her Icy Finger pursuer continues to chase her, growing visibly irritated by her antics. Once she enters the mall across the street, she discovers a group of drunks. She tricks them into fighting each other, which results in a massive brawl. She uses this diversion to reach the second floor while her pursuer retreats from the mob on the first floor.

She then remembers that she has the Pusher's Ruby in her pocket. However, she feels that using the ruby on herself would violate Team Gray's code of ethics. She instead attempts to pawn it off to a store owner. The owner doesn't believe Tabby could possibly own the ruby herself, and drags her behind the desk. At gun point, he gets her to confess it's a Marlquaanite ruby. He hides her until the Icy Finger agents abandon their search, but scolds her for thinking he would be dumb enough to buy such a deadly weapon. He informs her that the sale of Marlquaanite rubies, under the Kirby Act, is a serious felony - on par with selling nuclear material on the black market. Horrified by the reality of the mistake she'd made, Tabby tearfully agrees to wait in the back room while the store owner calls for police to arrive. She confesses on the spot to her whole motive - and to everything else she'd done. She begs to be taken into SCALLOP custody. Police on the scene arrest her immediately, and take her to the station. The now-quieted mob stares in awe as they witness an almost-13-year-old child being hauled away in cuffs. The media reports only that Tabby was caught attempting to sell illegal jewelry. Her friends in the homeschooling association view the news feed in disbelief.

Shaniqua's backup hauls Hea away to Houston, alerting Hea that Tabby has been caught and that she'll be okay. Shaniqua herself heads to the station and picks up Tabby. She promises Tabby that she'll be placed in a safe location - but warns her that only Tabby's juvenile status will work toward a softer sentence. She warns Tabby that as an adult, under certain circumstances, unlawful sales of Marlquaanite rubies under the Kirby Act can earn even stiffer penalties than murder. Tabby explains that as long as the Icy Finger doesn't have it, she's thankful.

Stephanie's honeymoon from Hell
By this point in time, Stephanie has finally decided to marry Jonathan Tannuli. However, they eloped behind the backs of their parents. Stephanie is given time off from Lambrelli Labs, with a position ready to open up for her in a few months. She uses the first 13 days after that to plot moving in with Jonathan. She also reveals to him on the 13th day that yes, she really is a month pregnant. Their celebration of her pregnancy annunciation is cut short when Icy Finger agents break in. Jonathan reaches for his shotgun to blow the intruders away, while Stephanie reaches for the controls to a Strawberry. The Icy Finger agents continue to raid the house, and Strawberry secures an exit via the bedroom window. Jon carries Stephanie to safety while Stephanie makes Strawberry head back inside the house to fight off the agents. Said agents being raiding the floorboards in search of Lambrelli tech they can confiscate. They assemble an MPF generator to locate and trap Stephanie. Strawberry battles to disable the generator. However, several agents gang up on the robot and abuse it brutally. Stephanie decides to implement "the near-nuclear option," sighing under her breath that history is repeating itself. The Strawberry damages the MPF generator, then self-destructs. The blast kills several Icy Finger goons, and the flames detonate and trigger the house's self-destruct. The Tannuli family watches across the street in a neighbor's yard in horror as the house that symbolized their marriage burned to the ground right in front of them.

As the couple hear fire sirens in the background, they realize they're technically trespassing in a neighbor's yard - fortunate that no one is home to complain. Jon explains he can't afford to get into any more trouble with the law. Stephanie reminds him that she's wanted under the Kirby Act anyway. She'll take the heat, but he needs to lay low. He tells her to negotiate for solitary confinement to protect the baby. She states she'll do what she deems necessary. Stephanie kisses Jon goodbye, then tells him to find his family and lay low. Stephanie boards a bus for Houston, and goes to attend the conference Jack arranged.

The Conference
The Sodality members not yet captured all convene at the secret underground headquarters established for them. They are surprised to see Lex as the main speaker, apologizing that Jack was unable to make it. Mingmei, in shackles, backs up what Lex is saying as the guest speaker. Lex informs them that they have to decide which strike team to join. Team Spaghetti Liberation will be awarded with MPF deflectors - which SCALLOP has in short supply. He also informs them of how serious a deal it is that the Phaletori and Icy Finger have joined forces. The rest will be expected to join Team Caged Dove.

Only Navyrope, Meerkat, and Mukade have been given free passes for the time being. The latter two only on condition they never leave Louisiana. John Domeck appears on the side opposite of Mingmei, offering volunteers for Spaghetti Liberation an opportunity to go to Italy with him. He warns them of the dangers they face. Mingmei takes the floor as the representative for Caged Dove. She discusses how those with actual criminal records will stand a slight chance at entering the state's prison system. From there, weeding out Icy Finger recruits is critical.

John, Anna, Pablo, Eric, Jeral, Anna, Ron, and Shing get transferred via wires to Italy. Jordan and Chris greet them, and they get settled in to Venice and try to lay low while they get a support staff in place. Emily, Michelle, Angelo, Stephanie, and Celia all take cards from Lex, telling them to use the info on those cards to negotiate with police when turning themselves in. Emily goes straight to the nearest police station ahead of everyone else, taking pains to ignore anything that gets in her way. Stephanie gets distracted by the cries of a child trapped in an apartment ladder. She encourages the child to remove his shoe and jacket, and then she catches him when he falls. The bullies that originally trapped him find him with Stephanie, and attempt to attack her with a crowbar. However, police arrive on the scene and the bullies flee. As Stephanie is hauled away, the boy Tyler tells Stephanie that she's his hero. She thanks him, saying she needed that reminder. Police promise to locate the bullies.

Sodality of Florence to the rescue
As Angelo, Celia, and Michelle are on their way to the police station, a giant mecha shaped like a punctate flower chafer erupts out into the road. Icy Finger agents reveal themselves to be inside. They begin tearing apart the road and buildings in their area. Police also discover that the mayor has been abducted by a Phexo known to most only as "Lionfish," horribly mutated and desperately without friends. Originally interned by SCALLOP when he fled to Earth from Phaelon three years prior, the Kirby Act has seen him persecuted similarly to how he was on Phaelon. He tries to take city hall hostage to negotiate for exception from the Kirby Act - or to take revenge if not granted it. Celia reveals that she has spare Zeran wardrobes for herself and Michelle. As Cocklebur distracts Lionfish, Taterbug frees the city hall officials. She reveals herself to be Celia to them, and pleas for leniency during her sentencing when she turns herself in for her own crimes. The mayor promises her that he'll do what he can.

Cocklebur uses the brief moment of gratitude between Celia and the mayor to charge his power, thus making himself strong enough to resist Lionfish's venom and fight back to completion. Feruga battles the Icy Finger's robot, and eventually captures both pilots. The pilots detonate themselves rather than be captured. The scene caused results in the public cheering for the Florentines. However, Lex has Shaniqua arrive in a SCALLOP helicopter and order the Florentines to surrender. They do so, publicly, as crowds continue to cheer them on. Celia and Michelle take off their masks before being handcuffed, so the media can identify them. Angry senators begin calling Lex and Mallorie, complaining about how the public loves the Sodality of Florence in spite their crimes.