Zerone walks cautiously around the facility, as if in a daze. The toll of maintaining spells, as well as looking about in the astral, make it difficult for him to focus.

"If you do not mind, Mr. Emilio, I am going to let the spell fade. I believe the threat of danger has passed," he says. Once the words leave his mouth, the golden white wisps of ether fade back into the astral. Zerone's eyes regain a bit of focus, though he still maintains the charisma enhancing spell on himself.

He looks at the tainted mana, the scarring that the acts of evil had painfully worn into the clinics astral essence.

I wonder... Can it ever be restored? he asks Follower.

If you mean through magic, my friend, then I am afraid the technique currently lies beyond your ability. However, there are other ways to undo the harm. The evil here is like a thorn, placing the rest of the area in pain. So long as the thorn remains, so will the wound. Remove the thorn, and in time, the wound will begin to heal...

With a nod to Eklipse, his flicking form paces through the corridors to stand outside the final patient's room. Standing off to one side and out of direct sight of the interior, he uses the barrel of one pistol to swing the door open. After several seconds, he cautiously glances into the room. There'd been plenty of time for her to awaken, and he'd already seen two of the other patients break free of their supposed "bonds".

Cypher
You see the green icons indicating the file looks clean or at least as far as you can tell. You watch as the data you selected is integrated into a template and then passed through the data collected from the clinic. You begin to shift your attention to another task when the search flashes and pulls up a singe cluster of data. You quickly look over the single result. An image expands tho show a woman reduced to medical scans and feeds. It seems she had been here and received a blood filtration procedure. Lacking the needed medical knowledge you pull up the database for the clinic's autodocs and run a simulation to see what the procedure entails.

An image forms and you see it cleans out the blood supply of the patient and restores it back to their body. You see information scroll by about it rejuvenating the patient and remove impurities. Looking over this woman's medical data you don't see anything that would suggest she needed it. You dig deeper and find the record of the actual procedure to see what was removed or why it was performed. Almost immediately words flash across your vision.

DATA DELETED

You switch tactics and try to trace the operation another way and switch to the accounting records kept by Dr. Takayasu. You scroll through the files and find her buried in the data. She is listed as PT1178 and she paid in certified cred about six weeks ago. Hitting another dead end, the only thing you know for sure is that she was alive when she got here and that her blood was filtered to remove something. With that thought you feel the sinking feeling grow in your gut - blood and the things you can store in them.

Ayo
You enter the room where the woman is still out. You see she is maybe in her late twenties. Her face is horribly scarred and a ruin of marred tissue. Looking over her body, you see the signs of her recent procedure. The angry red lines along her skin where incisions were made and then sutured up. She is fit and has lost anything on her that would say soft or feminine. You find evidence of scars from being shot and cut but no tattoos. Looking over her you get the impression of maybe latin or south american heritage, her skin being a warm bronze. Not Japanese as far as you can tell.

The Team
A text message arrives.

<<--Text Message-->>
//To: The Gang
//From: Aideen
// Thanks for the help. See the attached to receive payment and I attached a coupon for one favor.
<<--End Message-->>

A transfer of 5,000 sits flashing on the message - just needing a destination for the funds. You also see an icon attached that is built as a separate file - your coupon in a digital format.

Emilio
Accessing your commlink you see several message from Aideen asking for you to give her a call with the last message promising a reward to anyone finding your commlink turning it in to her. You see an icon of a new message arriving while you look it over to make sure it was compromised while out of your hands.

<<--Text Message-->>
//To: Emilio
//From: Aideen
// Welcome back. Not sure if you believe this but I had no part in planning your surprise party. I'm hoping my recent gift shows my true intentions along with a job offer. The guests you met at the after party have steady work that someone said you might be interested in. The host promises to out do your surprise party plus some. Let them know.
<<--End Message-->>

Breeze
Accessing your commlink to send the mass text with your information - you see an alert with a message waiting. Looking at the time stamp you see it arrived three minutes ago.

<<--Text Message-->>
//To: You
//From: Me
// Welcome back to the world. I have attached a payment to contract your services for the future. Please tell your liberators that their benefactor has asked that you work with them on the project. I will send more data to HR - they will know who I am referring to.
<<--End Message-->>

You see an electronic transfer of funds imbedded in the message for 10,000 .

Feeling the color drain from his face, Cypher schools his expression to be neutral. He begins the subprocesses to encrypt and protect the file, tasking one of the agents to begin a long term encryption project.

"She was here. I have a certified cred transaction from her coming in. Her blood was filitered and she left under her own power. The autodoc in the node called the procedure 'dialysis' if that means anything to you."

All
A loud knock carries in from the main entrance as the door the front team entered through is swung open.

"Hello?"

Widget's voice calls out - you can hear the hopeful caution as she comes into the hall. She visibly relaxes upon seeing all of you. She looks around and whistles softly. She pulls her goggles down and begins to walk around the clinic looking everywhere.

"Glad to see you're all alive and well. I'm getting to like you all. I haven't paid rent in advance.....EVER."

Following in her wake is a host of small crawling drones who likewise spread out. She gives out a small cry of despair at seeing the slag remains of the drones.

"Oh darlings, someone was rough with you. Drones aren't bad just their owners."

The drones swarm over the piles of broken machinery and extract a few small bits as she wonders down towards the kitchen. She looks a little paler at the sight of blood splatter and dead bodies. She talks out loud, either to herself or the drones its hard to tell.

"Easy, dead people are part of the scene - just walk by and tell yourself its just ground beef."

Her voice calls out from the kitchen area as she rounds the corner out of sight.

"What's with the smoking hole?"

Isabela snaps her head in the direction of the door knock.

Another foe?

No, she is a friend. She is the one who told us about this place and asked us to dispatch of its cruel masters.

Very well, young one. I shall consider her under my protection as well.

Isabela floats over to see the new arrival, her arc sheathed at her side. Upon hearing mention of the burned drones, she offers an explanation in a voice as placid as the marble mask that covers her face.

"These Tools of Man posed a threat that I could not overlook. Before they fell lifeless to the ground, they had incapacitated one of our number and nearly felled another."

Ayo pauses for a moment, gauging the necessary extra work in waking the figure up and explaining the situation to her. His tail twitches with anxious energy, and finally he turns away, expression literally black, thanks to the mask.

"Breeze, can you fiddle with that medkit a little more and see if you can wake her up? She's a fairly...athletic ork. It'd be easier for her to walk herself out. Plus, if she's got gear in here, it'll be easier to sort that out now rather than later, when we're trying to sell it. Speaking of which..." His question put to Breeze, he steps back out of the room, giving Widget a nod as she trails past him and into the kitchen, "...Who's in charge of collecting up the...supplementary compensation?" For emphasis, he drops to a knee near the body of the first guard Eklipse had dropped, unclipping the gun from it's sling and starting to tug items out of the man's pockets.

"That was a flash-bang in a small space. Drones came out, the rigger was in hiding, so I wanted to make sure he wasn't hiding by them."

Cypher smiles at Widget as she walks around. He follows with her to provide answers to other questions about shorted-out panels, blood splatter, and the like. As they walk, he sends a brief message to the young elf.

<<--Text Message-->>
// There was more hushed lips and poured tea here.
<<--End Message-->>

"If we don't think she's Yakuza - I can check and make sure of that, magically. If she's really just a bystander, we can always just drop her off somewhere else. She was out the entire time so it's not like she knows anything important. Anyone object?"

All
Widget startles at the sight of the flaming manifested spirit. She looks around for some sort of context and then just platers a smile on her face nodding to it.

"Of course........"

Cypher
She kneels down and cautiously pokes her head into the space. You send off your private message and watch her body jump, hearing the sound of her head hit something solid inside and her muffled cursing in what you think is Italian.

<<--Text Message-->>
// Nothing personal but I don't want to see it so when they break my fingers and toes I don't cost someone else their life. I wish I could unsee shit but here we are.
<<--End Message-->>

She comes out and her voice is a little strained as she speaks, she is rubbing the back of her head where some dirt and dust is mashed in her hair.

"Looks like a delivery system only back there so I am going to assume you find the person pulling the strings and that was that.

As Breeze was almost out of the building, the door opened and Widget came through, he just stood aside deciding not to get involved in someone else "post battle funds gathering" he watched her for a bit and was about to head out when he heard the call from the human calling himself Ayo, he looks at the open door with longing obviously wanting to get out of this place, but he sighs a bit and goes back, he does owe them.

"Yeah, sure I can help another patient in need"

His voice filled with humor his face smirking.

"I think that is a good idea, Mr. Fat Man," says Zerone. "There has been enough bloodshed today. If she is innocent, then she should be spared the shock of having to witness this."

While Breeze treats the unidentified woman, Fat Man casts the same spell he used on the woman they captured in the shipping container, looking to confirm whether or not she is part of the Yakuza. While looking, he also checks to see if she knows anything about the woman Eklipse is looking for, on the off-chance that she does.

Eklipse's heart soars for a moment, then comes crashing down. His stomach sinks as Cypher explains the procedure she underwent. He grips the decker's arms, more for support than anything else.

Alive! She's still alive. But why the procedure? What was in her blood? Mein Gott, do I have the same thing in mine? Is the dragon tracking me even now?

Centering himself, he releases his grip on Cypher. His voice is little more than a whisper.

"Danke, Herr Cypher. It is good to know I am on ze right track. But I do not know why she vould need this procedure. Ze last time I saw her, she was in perfect health. Could zere have been something in her blood? Perhaps something that her employer put there to track her?"

"You're welcome. Yes and no." Cypher glances concernedly at Widget making sure she is well out of earshot.

"There is a conversation that needs to happen with the whole team, this job is going to get much worse before it gets better."

When Isabela sees Widget's confusion, she offers context to her remarks.

"The others of the young one's group managed to help heal them, which speaks to the group's virtue of fellowship. It is something I am happy to see in all of His Children."

"Alas," she says, gesturing to the whole of the clinic and the tainted aura around it, "it is not a virtue shared by all."

Fat Man
You weave the flows of mana into a delicate structure that settles over the woman's head and begin to reach for the information you seek. You once again feel the internal snap as your spell builds the connection between your minds.

Her/your tears run down her/your face as she/you look in the only mirror she/you allowed in her/your small apartment. The scar tissue was everywhere - the acid and blades had done its work. The shame and rage swirls around her/your thoughts. The heat and disgust fills her/you with purpose. She/you reach for the smooth Noh mask. Her/your hands caress it - it's her/your freedom and cage. Her/your master taught her/you to use it to focus her/your feelings and awaken the magic sleeping within. Placing it over the ruin of her/your face - all she/you sees is the white and deep red. The unfeeling and closed face that she/you present to the theater of shadows where she/you work. The mask hums with her/your own magics and they pulse in unison. She/you wipe away the tears and let this person fill her/you and push the other woman out, the one that had a face.


You withdraw from her memories and you know her now. This is Yue Yi and she is an independent shadow runner. She works primarily in forceful extractions - thefts where they think there will be resistance and they need someone to take down security efficiently and quietly. She does some work on the side as a fence for rare pieces of art and antiques. She came to this clinic on an employer's dime who as paying her in trade. Taking a deep breath and reentering yourself - your face is whole and you are a man. Plunging back into the stream of her life you seek out anything connected to Heidi - the person Eklipse is looking for. You reach and nothing answers the call of the spell - she knows nothing about her.

All
Widget smiles big and inanely at the spirit, stepping around it as she speaks being careful to steer clear of the business end of its flame arc.

"I hate when people do that..........."

Her voice trails off as she quickly looks over the other end of the clinic. Her face mostly neutral but grimacing at the sight of more bodies.

"So campers I will check the box on the form that says you secured the clinic with very little property damage. Has anyone offered the viking in the surgical gown a spot on the team?"

She passes admiring Emilio's mostly naked form.

"If I didn't know you killed people for a living I would so get your drunk and take advantage of you annnnnd if everything is as big as what I am seeing right now - I would make you breakfast."

Her face takes on the that AR look briefly and an open look of confusion settles on her face.

"Uhm there is a person named Breeze here?

Breeze was finishing up his improvised First Aid and backs away a bit as Fat Man does his thing with magic, it is obvious that the Brit has had some experience with magic, but he was still suspicious of it, he continues to watch the magic and then looks over as someone calls his name...

"O'i ya, that be me love"

As he responds, he takes a few steps out of the surgical room and looks over to the woman named Widget, he leans to the side on the door frame and gazes at her, obviously giving her the full up and down "checking her out" look not making any pretense on attempting to hide the fact that he is assessing her body.

"How can o'l Breeze be at service to a fine lady like you"

He flashes what would be a charming smile, and if someone was looking only at his face, you would think he was just another charming Jame Bond type Brit, but then you take in the rest of him with the punk rock hair cut, the piercing and the tattoos all over...and the fact that he is scrubs.

Widget smiles but still looks confused.

"Just stand there and keep the charm flowing. Most guys who look like you are trying to beat the piss out of me."

She gives him a wink before turning to address the group.

"You are one whacked bunch and that means something coming from me. I have friends with scales, feathers and extra eyes. Ok team meet your newest member per the boss. I just got a message saying to add him to the payroll. You in Nordic boy toy?"

She looks to Emilio with a raised eyebrow.

Fat Man observed the human mating rituals with some level of interest, waiting to let the others know what he had found.

"Her name is Yue Yi. She's a shadowrunner, much like us, and not part of the Yakuza. She might not be an innocent, but I don't believe we have any reason not to simply let her go somewhere else."

Emilio curls each hand into a lose fist, places them against his cheeks, and in a high squeaky voice says, "Me?? Me??" He then bounces his knees up and down, saying, "Really? Me? Awwwwww!"

You think Japanese school girl.

He then raises up his Aries Alpha, and in a normal voice says, "Ooooo-ohhhhhhh! You mean to kill Yaks! Yeah Sure!" He then winks at Widget.

Ayo shrugs, inspecting a particularly customized pistol with a wide, flat blade stretching between the barrel and the trigger guard. He seems to focus on it for a moment, it's always hard to tell behind the material of the flat mask, and he drops it casually on the pile of other gear that had been collected from the clinic.

"Sure, leave her out then, and we'll dump her somewhere. Professional courtesy, if nothing else. With that being decided and the two new guys in tow, I assume we're clear for leaving this over-blown mall skin shop behind?"

"Agreed."

Fat Man is distracted by lingering thoughts from Yue Yi. Such is the price of looking to closely...but gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect. Better to have seen too much of her memories than for her to die for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A woozy Eklipse looks over the pile of gear stacked on the examination table. The fading adrenalin rush has left him weary and he can now feel the bruises from the flashbang and taser.

He picks up the silver-plated shotgun and turns it over in his hands, muttering a disdainful "Seriously?" to no-one in particular.

His attention is then drawn to the Type 84B SMG. He works the action and checks out the specs through his smartlink.

"Hmm, keine suppressor but eine state of ze art gas vent system. Very compact too. I vould be interested in acquiring zis if no-one else is to be wanting it."

"Anyone else want any of the rest of this stuff? And if not, anybody know anyone that would be interested in taking it off our hands?" He reaches out a toe to nudge the pile of equipment, gathered near the rear entrance of the clinic, carefully moved to a space clear of the various pools of blood surrounding the corpses of the clinic workers.

"I think it's time we take our stuff and bail, right? We've turned the place over to our employer, so work-time is done?"

"Um...I will take one of the medkits if you do not mind. This one has served me well, but I think the ones here are a bit more effective. I'll just transfer my kit's personality program into it once I get back home."

He glances over at Widget and fidgets a bit.

"I...uh...have another question. It's about what Sister Isabela said earlier. Do you know what our employer wants to use this center for? The astral around it has been harmed by the crimes committed within it by the vile doctor. Maybe if it is used for good, the traces of evil left here will fade in time?"

Widget nods and walks over to a wall in an exam room. Placing a foot against the interior wall she yanks a medkit from it's housing and tosses it to the Zerone.

"Happy birthday!"

She pauses as he continues to talk. Her face takes on a sympathetic but resolved expression as she hears his concerns.

"I wish I could say but I have no idea what our boss plans for this meat shop other than keeping it in business. Everything I heard about the twisted bitch that ran it I think it would be hard for this place to get worse. I wish I had something more comforting to tell you but it's all I got."

She nods to the line of little drones who begin marching out of the clinic with small bits recovered from the drones.

"Well kids time to pick up your toys and go home. If you need someone to sell it all I think Cypher can get you a deal with a hot red head with a knack for turning 'lost' things into nuyen."

The last is said with a wink at Cypher as she makes her way to exit the clinic.

As the crew begins shifting through all the gear around, Breeze puts away the last of his own personal gear, putting his two pistols away, but not before kissing each one.

He walks out of the room and looks at the rest...

"Well Gents, as I've said, it has been lovely but I got to get out o this here meat grinder of a building, thanks again for the service, as I've said before I owe you"

He turns and walks up to Widget with a smile, now donning his torn up jeans, raggedy t-shirt and leather jacket.

"Miss, it seems like you had something to do with my liberation from 'lab rat status' also, I owe you as well"

He takes a small bow, reaches for her hand, gently cradles it and gives it a soft gentleman's kiss.

"At your service"

He then turns towards the exit and jogs out, eager to get out of the building.

Eklipse stashes the SMG and is reaching for one of the commlinks when his eye catches on the katana. He had not really given it much attention until now, especially as he still had Heidi's sword strapped to his back, but something about it caught his attention. He clicked it out a couple of centimetres then drew the blade with a soft hiss.

Not bad. No, actually rather good. This is no cheap mass-produced blade but likely custom made for it's owner. Who did it belong to? he wondered to himself. Shrugging, he gathers it up and makes to leave, the commlink forgotten.

He pauses and addresses Cypher, "Unless you need any help moving all zis stuff, I am going to go and lie down for a day or two. Being blown up and tazered has left me somewhat weary."

Breeze
Widget blushes and a ripple of color passes through her hair - a wave of green and blue before settling back into its normal color. She shakes herself out of her daze and yells after Breeze.

"Hey Romeo! Don't forget to send me your info so I can get a hold of you when the next job is churned out."

As she finishes her sentence a small icon appears indicating a request to share information included is a small note.

If you find yourself near the Looking Glass, stop by for a drink and chat. My treat.

Fat Man
"Thank you, Eklipse,. You were hurt helping me; I wish you a fast recovery."

"I should go as well; the chi in this place is bad. Still, this went much more smoothly than our first task."

Seeing that none of the more technically-proficient wanted it, Fat Man picked up the second commlink.

I really should try to get better with these if I'm going to be living in the city.

Breeze accepts the request for information and sends a note back

Can never pass up a drink offered by a pretty lass

With his hands full of the random items that the team had found and left unclaimed, Cypher nods to Widget and heads back to the office. He stacks it up on the chair and wheels the desk chair out to the car.

Back at the safehouse, the wheels it inside. He runs scanners over everything to check for RFID tags, zapping any that he finds. The biohazard bag goes into the freezer, double-bagged for protection.

As the adrenaline wore off entirely, he began to shake. Tonight had been a good night, vengeance was his. So why was he still shaking, dreading the voice that he would find at the other end of the line and the data he was about to sell. Food, sex, alcohol, and sleep all pulled at him. There was work to be done.

Sliding into the soft leather, feeling the chair meld to every contour, Cypher decided there'd be time enough for three later. Now, he ordered Chinese delivery from a place down the street and got to work. It was time to put ghosts to rest.

Zerone nods, content with Widget's answer.

"I can be at peace with that answer. Thank you."

He looks at the others, "Is there anything Sister Isabela or I can...um...help with?"

Fat Man sighed in frustration. Clearly, this commlink was better than the cheap one he'd been using, but just as clearly he had no idea how to actually use it properly. He'd spent the last month and some tracking down better equipment for the next mission, but it had been physically exhausting maintaining the blessing of the shen on himself and mentally exhausting staying on his guard all the time around shady black-market types he knew only by reputation or as friends-of-friends-of-friends. On the other hand, it had let him put off actually figuring out this commlink thing.

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. Just like these adds for 'hot troll on gnome action.' Maybe this browsing program can find a native guide?

>Ever had an annoying shaman that couldn't understand digital security protocol if his life depended on it, even though you explained it a thousand times?

I think I might be the annoying shaman.

If only you could tell him to read the fuckin' manual. Well, here's a fuckin' manual to pass on to your teammates; it's what I pass to mine.

Maybe I should read this.

A few hours later, Fat Man had finished the manual.

Okay, I think I have the idea. So analyze is like assensing, agents are like spirits, and the off switch is like that thing metahuman magicians can do where they cut themselves off from the Astral. AR is like astrally perceiving, and VR is like astrally projecting. I think I should get some of those.

Despite being battered and sore, Eklipse makes the ride back to the Looking Glass without incident. He parks his bike in the underground garage and makes his way up to his apartment via the rear stairs.

With the door locked behind him, he strips out of his runner gear and stashes it all under the bed. He takes a quick shower and a few painkillers to ease his aches. He is beat but too wired to sleep, so changes into a colourful pair of cropped trousers, a flourescent t-shirt and matching sneakers and slips down to the Looking Glass. Finding a quiet spot near the end of one of the bars, he nurses a few import beers as his system winds down. As night turns towards morning he returns to his apartment and falls quickly to sleep.

It's not a good sleep though. His dreams are filled with images of Heidi, her blood being drained by strange machines. He wakes in the late afternoon, aching and feeling more tired than when he went to bed. He staggers to the shower and then drives carefully down to the temple where he spends several hours practising katas to ease his aches and soothe his mind. He leaves in the dark, the monks chasing him out with gentle hints and apologies so they can close up for the night.

With his head and the kinks in his muscles straightened out, he swings past a Fuchi store and picks up a tag eraser and a basic program suite for his commlink. He returns to his apartment and runs the tag eraser over all his equipment. Then he settles down into a full lotus position and starts making calls.

<<@Widget: Frau Widget, I have limited contacts here in Seattle and need some specialized equipment. Would you know of someone who could supply such items? Secondly, the person I am seeking had a medical intervention at the facility we recently visited. It may be that I also need to undergo the same procedure. Would this be possible and how soon could it be arranged?>>

<<@Cypher: Herr Cypher, you appear to have a good grasp of technology. Could you check some equipment for me to ensure that it is protected from unauthorized access and perhaps also advise me on possible software and hardware upgrades. I would of course recompense you for your time and advice.>>

He unfolds himself from his sitting position and returns to the Looking Glass. He seeks out Mr. BoBo and with a flash of white teeth and a swipe of his credstick transfers rent for the coming three months.

Eklipse
The simian head of security grunts in appreciation as you transfer credits to the Looking Glass. His face cracks into something you think passes as a smile for him.

"You must be a new friend of baby girl - none of her people even know what rent means."

As the nuyen slides away from your total - a host of AR bubbles pop up around you - messages from other residents and club goers though honestly you would be hard pressed to differentiate the two at this point. You have seen no less than ten different people exit and enter the apartment next to yours.

"AWESOME FUR!"
"Genemod or comet gift?"
"I would so love to brush you out!!"
"Party tonight downstairs for the Fun & Fur Set! Join us!"
"Have any images to share?"

You retreat to your space and send your messages. You are surprised by an almost instant reply from Widget.

<<Eklipse: Howdy! You are causing quite the stir with your sleek sexy furriness. Got slammed with all these requests to introduce you - i won't need to buy a drink or meal for weeks. Enough about me - you are looking for toys and I want to help especially since you all keep the rent money coming and at this rate I might get to buy my own toys someday. What are you looking for exactly? What kind of items?>>

Elsewhere
The crack of the whip echoed through the open space of the bar as the leather clad woman strode across to the small stage set up in the center of the space. Her boots click sharply as she grabs the small whip from the startled man's hand. He stands, dressed in skin hugging leather, poised over a woman draped in sheer lace on her stomach and her knees tucked underneath her. Her face encased in a sliver mirror mask and hands bound above the small of her back - her head and chest resting on a small raised block of aged and distressed wood.

"Idiot! I am not paying you to wave this thing around like a cheap extra in a shitty two bit gothic porn trid."

She grabs his face roughly and draws his face to hers. Her eyes hard and fixed as she speaks she lands several sharp lashes to the woman's thighs and buttocks.

"You are powerful!"

*CRACK*

"She is a willing vessel to be used!"

*CRACK*

"You are to make her body sing!"

*CRACK*

She shoves his face away and throws the whip at his chest, turning and walking off the stage. She bellows and it echoes through the air.

"THEODORE! No more actors or porn starlets or so help me I will skin you and hang it from my office wall for your replacement to see."

An athletic and trim man dressed in the latest corporate fashion - a sharp and custom fit suit that screams success - jogs up behind her - his face calm and serene as he falls into step beside her.

"Of course Madame Yin. My apologies - he came highly recommended and I'll make sure we screen more thoroughly in the future. You asked me to remind you about the street gang that's encroaching on the area near your other club. It appears they have contacted a few businesses in the same block for protection money."

He waves his hand in the air pulling up an AR tablet that he slides in front of her face. She glances up and pauses her pacing through the club to watch a grainy video showing several trolls entering a bookstore and preceding to harass the customers and the owner. Her mouth takes on a bitter cast as she watches. She taps the object pausing the playback and using her fingers zooms in the image on one of the trolls.

"Fucking fantastic - as if I needed this right now. Set up a meeting with my account and see that I have all the photos of the members we can get our hands on. It's time to balance the books."

She flicks the tablet away and it fades from sight as her assistant nods and opens a window in AR. He begins to write out a missive to someone named Ayo.

As Fat Man prepares himself to meet with the Hengeyokai once more, he reminds himself of the words Guan Yu sent him in a dream as he prepared to leave his homeland:

You can grind jade to dust, but you cannot make it lose its whiteness.

I might have traveled far from home and changed in many ways, but Guan Yu was trying to tell me that the world cannot force me to change who I am. Surely the Hengeyokai will see that.

As Fat Man walks to the meeting-place, outside the city and past the farms and ranches, his mind wanders back to the legends of his mentor spirit that he'd heard and read when he was younger - the time Guan Yu spent separated from his brothers, fighting in foreign lands, but never losing his honor or forgetting his true loyalties.

I can live in this city without becoming like all the other people here.

As he comes within sight of the barn where he'd meet Hito last time, he sees her waiting outside, both as a woman and as a bird. He waves hello, and then bows to her.

"Hito! I hope your artwork turned out well."

Fat Man
The elderly woman bows in return and a small smile plays along her features. She walks forward and gestures for you to follow her as she walks around the outside of the barn toward the field behind it. The sounds of the wind and small creatures wash over you. That same clean and light floral scent rises from her skin.

"Thank you for asking. It is done and I am pleased with it."

As you come around the corner of the rear of the barn you see a sculpture resting in the grass and earth. She pauses a moment to look at the work, her face radiant at the sight of it.

"I am seeking a home for it now. There are several places where I think it will bring out the most change but I must seek out the kami within it and know for sure."

She admires the piece for a moment more before turning away from it and bringing her attention to you. Her face looks happy and relaxed.

"I have met with the others and you are welcome to stand amongst us but before you accept this invitation there are details we must discuss. First, you must swear an oath to our code and to the others that you will do as required. As I mentioned before, we each seek the ideals laid out by the founder in our own ways but this freedom carries a cost. One can become lost and lose the balance - slipping too far to man or beast. If this imbalance threatens more than the lost soul that is mired in it then we act to restore that balance. To the point of releasing that soul from this existence if necessary. Can you honor that oath?"

She looks to you for your answer.

Fat Man pauses to look at the statue, taking a short time to contemplate both its physical appearance and its astral aura. He could see the lingering effects of the care and emotion that had gone into its crafting, even though he knew little of art.

"I wish you the best of luck in finding it a good home."

After hearing Hito's speech, and thinking on the oath, Fat Man bows and replies.

"I am grateful for your acceptance. I will gladly swear such an oath before the spirits of heaven and earth and will honor it as long as I live."

Fat Man
Her face lights up once more and she seems pleased with your response. She leads the walk back around to the front of the barn as she speaks.

"It has been awhile since a new seeker has joined our number. I would be honored to present your request and sponsor you. We meet soon and accept your oath. Return here in four days time and we shall set you upon the path."

Fat Man's apartment

"Are you, uh, entirely sure about this, Fat Man,? This stuff is ten times more potent than peyote."

"The shamans of this land use it to pierce the veil between worlds. They consider it a religious experience; it allows them to become more in tune with the spirits of this land,, Fat Man replies to his friend James.

"I don't normally try to talk people out of buying stuff from me, but, uh, are you sure it will work like that if you aren't a metahuman? Aren't you already in touch with the spirits and all that?"

"There are people called 'skin walker,' native to this land, wolves who can become men. Their shamans use it as well, so it should work."

"All right man, but don't blame me if you have a bad trip."

Fat Man takes the bowl of strange, foul-tasting soup from James and drinks it, becoming immediately grateful for his strong stomach. He hadn't wanted to admit it to James, but he'd been wholly unable to find inner peace since he had left home. He remembered meditation being easy and coming naturally to him... but it hadn't, not for years. He hopes the concoction of the desert shamans will allow him to pass the mental block.

Fat Man's apartment, 7 hours later

Fat Man's arm BURNS with a bright reverberation, the flames the sound of decay and the color of a howl. The mark on his arm where the abomination had struck him begins to spread, and his fur becomes matted and loud with blood, his hands become a claw, but not his claw, the abomination's claw. He sees himself killing the magician who had summoned it with that claw, and the knowledge that he had killed the man with magic does nothing to make the spray of blood less booming.

He sees a giant panda, its great black eyes filled with regret, watching him as he walks away towards a huge green-robed man with a beautiful black beard and ruddy face sitting astride a horse the color of blood. The man gestures towards him with a massive green saber, its blade the shape of a dragon's wing, as Fat Man approaches...

Fat Man could never remember the rest of what he saw, or even if there was more.

Fat Man's apartment, two weeks later
Visions swim before Fat Man's eyes. The floor is not a floor, because floors are not shaped like spheres and walls are not beyond the horizon. His table is not a table, it is a board. It is a grid, and in a world of ovals and spheres the squares were squares and they had black and white circles on them.

At one side of the board sits Guan Yu,, his immense beard resplendent as he contemplates the game. His white-eyebrowed opponent waits patiently as the general places his piece, but the other onlookers can only wince as they hear the scraping of metal against bone. As Guan Yu plays, a surgeon operates on the bone of his right arm, removing traces of poison from an infected arrow wound.

Guan Yu takes a drink from his cup and turns to regard Fat Man, showing no sign of pain, discomfort, or even having noticed the wound.

"Why are you afraid of the remedy?"

As Fat Man looks on his own arm, he sees it laid open to the bone and feels the same burning pain, but he forces himself to ignore the pain and instead watch the game of go. The vision ends as the game concludes.

As Fat Man travels to the meeting place of the Hengeyokai, prepared for the ritual that would bind him to their order, Fat Man reflects on the strange visions he'd seen. Guan Yu hadn't tried to operate on his own arm; the surgeon Hua Tuo had done it.

Guan Yu told me I was afraid of the remedy. But the wound is spiritual, not physical; the pain I experienced in my visions must have been a metaphor. I will have to ask Hito's advice after the meeting; she knows far more of such things than I do. For now, though, I must focus on performing this ritual properly; rituals have never been my strong suit as a mage.

Fat Man rounds the last corner on his path, anxious to meet the remaining members of the Hengeyokai and curious who else was among its members. He'd met no other shifters besides his own people and Hito; it would be an interesting experience to see some of his more distant relatives.

Eklipse is feeling both glum and slightly paranoid. Over the last week he has politely responded to various messages about his fur from the strange crowd that frequents the Looking Glass. Some were just curious, some were flirting with him and one, well that one was worrying. The person in question had started asking more probing questions about him like where did he come from, what corp did he work for, etc. He had stopped replying to the messages and even blocked the number, but he worried that the dragon was looking for him.

Which was a pity as the bar was about the only place in Seattle where he felt safe. His blue fur would make him stand out even more in any other location. So he had taken what precautions he could. Over the last week, he had several meetings with Widget, who delivered an assortment of new gear to him. The first item was a tag eraser, which he had ran over basically everything he owned including all the items he had bought or acquired since leaving S-K.

The second item was an almost carbon copy of his trusty HK227X, the old one belonging to S-K had fallen into the river along with his form-fitting armor in a tote bag fillled with several kilos of fast setting concrete.

And finally, having seen how efective Ayo's chameleon armor had been, he had requested a similar outfit but one that also had some electrical insulation just on the off-chance someone or something tried to taze him again. That had taken a few more days for the rigger or her contacts to track down but was now stashed under his bed along with all his other gear.

"Danke again, Frau Widget."

He raised his beer in a toast. The young woman smiled back at him, raising her vibrantly colored cocktail. Like several of the women who had approached him in the last week, something in her smile or her eyes reminded him of his missing Heidi. He felt even more glum.

"Any word on ze status of ze clinic. Zere vas no reason for ze woman I am looking for to have had ze procedure that Herr Cypher discovered in ze clinics records. Ze only reason I can think of is that she perhaps had something in her blood zat could be used to track her. Without revealing too much, let me just say zat I may be in the same ship."

"...same boat" corrects Widget.

He forces a smile. "Boat, ship, zese are ze same thing no? Anyway please let me know if and when it vould be possible for me to undergo ze same procedure. If someone can track me through meine blood, the sooner it is dealt with the better for us all, ja?"

Widget finishes her drink and leaves. Eklipse orders another beer but leaves it warming on the table. His eyes scan the crowd for anyone acting suspicious, quite a challenge in the Looking Glass. A young woman with purple hair, green skin and large cat's eyes gives him a wink across the room. Even she reminds him of Heidi. He sighs and drinks his warm beer before retiring to his apartment to sleep away the day.

The next few days passed in a blur with Cypher beginning to lose track of when he was online and when he was dreaming of dodging digital attacks. With the burden of off-loading Takayasu's head and heart done, he headed back to the Commune. Aideen was there and the people in the community were easy to get along with. They didn't ask too many questions about where he had been, but they gave him work to do. A few hours each day were spent buried in matrix feeds, sorting feeds from various friends and family members on the final disposition of patients. The rest of the day Cypher paid rent in long hours repairing commlinks, purification systems, and every other kind of electronic that could be scavenged from nearby sites. Some evenings were spent with Aideen when she had time for dinner, otherwise the hacker found himself sitting shoulder to shoulder with the solid folk of the community.

After two weeks, Cypher realized there was simply no more hiding from the data. It was radioactive and until he cleaned it up, there'd be doom spreading far and wide. With the last of the money settled, he went in for some surgery. The fact was that if his body didn't move as fast as his mind, he'd be dead. As he recovered, the hacker came to a decision. He needed an insurance policy.

Catching a ride into the city, he went to a matrix cafe and got to work. He bounced the signal through a dozen different proxy servers, setting up a dead-drop box. If he was off-line for more than 72 hours, it would transmit the information to every datahaven and news outlet he knew. Scorched earth was the plan of the day. The data had been scrubbed of every digital fingerprint except his own and and Dr. Takayasu's. He prayed that it would be enough to keep everyone focused on the power struggle and not look at who else might have seen the data.

That afternoon, he purged every trace of data from his commlink and switched to the link the team had recovered from the clinic. He hardcoded a new Access ID into the device and called Eklipse to hand it off. The hacker reviewed all of the gear for his German teammate, giving a second set of eyes to finding bugs. While he was in the Looking Glass, Cypher made use of the high traffic and noise sending a warning to Widget. Death plus three and she needed to find a deep hole.

It was time to find a new place to live. Some things could not be unseen, but he could limit the fallout and who would be caught in the blast radius.

Eklipse
As you begin to drift off to sleep - a small alert sounds letting you know you have a new message.

<<Eklipse: So first I want to say sorry about dropping the ball on the blood work angle of things. I went for the work that made money - I have had a serious money flow issue going on. I checked with HR and you are cleared to get your blood tested and cleaned all pretty like when you have the time.>>

Cypher
As you looked over the data in your commlink before wiping it clean - you notice that Breeze's records are absent from the clinic database.

Fat Man
Hitto meets you at the edge of her property or at least you assume she owns it since she seems to be living there. She smiles and waves you over to her side and begins walking away from the barn towards a small corpse of trees.

"I am glad you came. This is an important step in deepen your connection to the gifts inside you. The sacred space we share for our workings and seekings lies beyond that tree line. We have a friend - a powerful kami that shelters us and protects during the gathering."

She allows the silence of the night to fill in the void of sound as she finishes speaking. She guides you to just inside the first ring of trees and looks to you once more.

"We enter this place free of the trappings of the outside world and in the form of our lineage."

She slowly removes her clothes - taking great care to fold each piece and resting it gently on the ground. As she does so she continues to speak to you her voice echoing strangely through the trees.

"When done we will travel to the ritual space and be joined - heart and souls will be woven together so we may share our freely given thoughts. I will present you to the others and the Oath will be offered for you to accept. You may still refuse if you desire and we will depart from the gathering. All I would ask is that you hold the knowledge of this place only within yourself. No other burden is placed upon you for declining. When you accept the Oath the kami that watches over us will bind you to us and I will warn you - you may not recall much of the rest of the night. The experience can be confusing and takes time to sort out. Each gathering you will find the connection less chaotic and soon it will be as if we are speaking over a cup of tea."

She looks to you, waiting to see if you have any last questions.

The procedure is painless and takes only a couple of hours. The doctor's declare him more than healthy and that there is nothing hiding in his blood sending signals to anyone. They neglect to mention that he didn't really need the procedure, but do still bill him for it.

Eklipse looks at the rapidly diminishing numbers on his credsticks.

Easy come, easy go!

He decides not to go the temple or the bar, instead retreating to his apartment with the newly tricked out commlinks Cypher had set up for him. He spends the rest of day recovering from the procedure and scouring the matrix for anything that might help him find Heidi.

He emerges from cold sim several hours later with a pounding headache.

Ugh, how do deckers do this. I should just ask Cypher to do it for me.

Feeling somewhat less paranoid than before, he decides to chill out for a bit and picks out what can best be described as a short-sleeved hawaiian shirt, a pair of knee-length shorts and some fake-leather sandals. The doctor at the clinic had recommended that he drink plenty of liquids and stay off the alcohol for a while, so he orders one of the bar's more unusually named cocktails which contains mainly caffeine, vitamine C and fruit juice.

As he sips his drinks, he checks his messages and pings off messages to Thomas and Magda.

<<@Thomas O'Malley: Regarding your information about a possible yakuza chop shop, I think you will find that the premises are under new ownership and would take it as a personal favour if you did not investigate it too closely.>>

<<@Magda Reiner: It seems that our mutual friend is alive and well. Hoping to meet up with her soon. Gunther>>

He focuses once more on his surroundings, nearly jumping out of skin as he realises there is someone standing behind him.

"Nice furrrr" purrs the green-skinned girl he had seen a few nights before into his ear. She eyes him up and down with her big cat-eyes as he turns his head to regard her.

"Thank you, miss...?" he manages to reply.

"Just Katja" she replies running one hand through the fur on his chest. "Got a name, cutie?"

"Erm...Jakob" he replies after taking a moment to check which fake SIN he had loaded into his commlink.

To cover his hesitation, he quickly asks, "Can I get you a drink?"

As he turns to order, his blood runs cold. Sitting further along the bar is a human man, short cropped hair, dark glasses. He stands out simply because he is so normal. But what causes Eklipse to hesitate is the S-K logo on the lapel of his jacket.

The next hour is a nightmare. He does his best to keep up his end of the convesation with the admittedly attractive changeling, but even though the man pays him no attention, Eklipse is constantly aware of him. Eventually he excuses himself, taking her number and promising to call her next time he will be in town.

He spends the next hour huddled on the roof of the parking lot across the street from the Looking Glass, woefully underdressed for the weather, while watching for the man to leave. Only when he finally spots him leaving, accompanied by a young changeling woman, does the frozen night elf return to his appartment.

Fat Man also removes his clothing, taking longer than Hito because of the several layers he wears. He also carefully removes a set of black metallic bands from his arms and legs, and a pair of metal rings from his fingers, before assuming his animal form.

As he does so, he asks Hito, "can you tell me more of this particular kami?"

Fat Man
She pauses a moment before answering - seeming to think it over or at least how to answer.

"We all have an opinion of the kami that answered our call when this society was formed so I can tell you what I think of this spirit. I believe it is a combined reflection of all the souls that have shared in this place. It takes the noble parts of our being and adds a twin of it to itself. By creating this sacred site we awoke the spirit here and it drew purpose from our actions. It has not named itself but I think it is still waking fully. The magic that birthed this place was potent and I think this spirit has more potential within it. It has appeared as various animals and as of yet made no requests of us. We give offerings as is fitting and proper. It guards this site and keeps us safe during deep workings. Others will tell you that it is the founder - that she has passed beyond this life and now watches over us. Still others will say it is merely an avatar formed from the residual mana our rites leave in the astral - that it mimics consciousness like an echo. What we can all agree to is that it is benevolent and welcomed in our presence when we gather."

Placing the last bit of clothing on the ground, she stands upright and a ripple passes through her as she slides from this shape to that of an eagle. You see the bird stretch its wings and settle into its body. It looks at you with one eye and bobs its head before taking to the air. You amble along behind it till you arrive at a small clearing with a pond. Resting along the edge you see a collection of animals waiting. You see a fox, a seal resting partly in the water, two bears, two wolves and a leopard. You watch Hitto glide and land gracefully on a lower tree branch - you see it sag under her weight. As you enter the clearing the others turn and look you over.

The moment is silent and rests comfortably around you as they take your measure. You can see the astral space here pulses with life and purpose. It dances along your skin - the potential energy that has been gathered here over and over. Something lies just underneath the surface of this - a great and vast presence - half asleep or dreaming. The others turn to one another and without an outward sign a great ripple of mana passes through the astral and links all of you.

Your mind races with sensations - the air flowing over and under your body as you push yourself skyward - the warm rush of blood as it fills your mouth - the cold pressure of water all around you - you reel from the combined flows of their lives and experiences. You feel yourself being dragged down by it - like drowning until a signal thought calls out to you.

HERE

A force cradles your spirit and creates a center of calm - you are aware of the others but they seem distant now almost like whispers at the edge of your hearing.

PLEDGE YOURSELF AND JOIN US OR REFUSE AND LEAVE THIS PLACE

You give your assent and feel the mana sink into your blood and bone. It settles over you like a new skin. You feel the surge of welcome - the joy of finding another to share with. The pride of having you stand amongst them. This feeling sings through you and sweeps you from the eye you resided in. You feel the exultation of being accepted and loved unconditionally. The bliss fills you and you lose yourself in the sharing.

Your next lucid memory is lying in the barn and opening your eyes to the wane light of a few lanterns and Hitto's face above you dabbing an oil just below your nostrils. You see your things in a neat pile at the edge of your vision.

"Ahh good you are awake. As I said it will get easier and you will remember more with each gathering your join in. The others were pleased to meet you and look forward to introducing themselves in the time ahead. I have prepared food and drink so when you feel ready partake."