Back at the car, Mato ushers Brent into the back seat. Brent won't recognize AM or Brent so Mato is the 'face' - somewhat literally - in this situation. At least he's wearing a respectable suit, even if it is wet.

"Here, take this," Mato tells Brent, handing him some cocoa after he shuts the doors behind him.

Mato is pleased that he had the foresight to buy some insulated mugs back at the gas station and fill one with hot cocoa and the other with some Cup-O-Soup ramen. They're not hot anymore but they're pleasantly warm.

"These will taste good," he says. Did that sound robotic? Mato is trying to sound caring, but he is part robot. He isn't the logical choice to be the Team Mom.

"I have some juice and crackers too, if you want."

Mato hopes that the food, the motion of the vehicle, and the fading of adrenaline will knock Brent out. If it doesn't, Mato will look to slip a tranq patch on the back of his neck.

"We'll get you home. Your friends are worried about you."

He comms the team: <<AM, I told the other crew we'd spot them two hours to arrange medical attention before we turned their mage back to normal. That's about how long it will take us to get to the border. If you and Bobby need to drop it before then, let me know and I'll give them warning to have a medkit handy.>>

<<I'll signal Seraphina when we cross the border, although Peshtigo may have already told her by then. We are on the clock for 24 hours of security after we get Brent home, plus a consultation on how he should protect himself. Plus some training for how the hacker's club should keep themselves safe.>>

"Praise Iktomi" she says quietly when she finally spots the boy riding an elk. The right one, not some prank the Trickster had enough fun watching them struggle, and strive. >> I'll wait for two hours then, glad that these people are away from me. How are we crossing the border this time? Shape changing in the glove compartment again?

Bobby changed back to human form and went into the warm car immediately. After putting on a pair of boxershorts, he began cleaning his feet and bandaging the various cuts and scrapes. Just one of the reasons he prefered flying in animal form.
That done, he also grabbed some of the fast food and stuffed his face until he felt somewhat warm again.

Putting on his trode patch, he finally was able to participate in the team's channel.

<<Maybe we should take shelter in a motel somewhere and delay our crossing. We all could use some rest - Brent especially. In the meantime we could let our contacts do some work - maybe there is a legal solution for bringing the boy back.

Alternatively yes, I'd turn you into something small and snuggly, that I can keep protected within my aura. We'd just say, we forgot some gear and had to turn back early from our wintersports outing.>>

<<I told the border guard it would be a short visit. I'd recommend getting home. We don't look like a family unit and I'd rather avoid scrutiny, especially since AM doesn't have paperwork.>>

<<Let's not complicate things with contacts. We thread our needle one way coming in; I think we should thread it the same way going back.>>

AM comments I agree about getting out the way we got in. she comments and smiles a smile that does not reach her eye. Acceptance of an unpleasant experience she is about to endure because it is practical and because it is one of the ways to worship Iktomi. Being the only great spirit that listened to her made AM uncomfortable in giving up on an experience just because it was hard. There was the being naked in the cold next to three men, and then being a kitten or a gerbil or whatever Bobby fancied. She had a disciplined mind, she had religious zeal, and she knew that following the spirits leads to uncomfortable compromises. That it is better if Iktomi is amused by her misery and does not feel a need to challenge them with spirits or some other dangerous encounter.

Bernt was another thing entirely, oblivious of magic to the point that he did not believe his eyes when it was right in front of him. A slave to his rationality, and logic and closed to the supernatural aspect of reality. Magic did not fit the rationality so it is must be ignored. She knew the type because she was like that before Iktomi. Even after awakening magic seemed too illogical to actually work. It took her years of studying universal magic theory to be somewhat at peace with the fact that the rules of physics just bend to her will, or stop working entirely in the case of Bobby's abilities. Could Bernt stomach the undeniable fact that magic is real, and that his own body and definition of self are twisted to some adorable but alien form? She tries to snap out of her inner monologue and text.

What about Bernt, do you think he can stomach changing his body without making a fuss? I mean I wiggled my tail nervously, despite myself. Can we trust him not to panic? Perhaps we should test his tolerance before the border patrol, prepare him and explain things?

She also texts Bernt >>I am AM, by the way, Peshtigo has been a great help in finding you. Are you okay? Is there anything we can do for you? She figures that if he is a Technomancer he'll appreciate the privacy of a private message rather than speaking out loud. She really did not know much about Tecnomancers though.

<<I trust him to keep still and keep quiet. He'll be asleep, either naturally or chemically.>>

Seems like a plan to me.

Bobby had begun, rather uncomfortably, to dress himself again. He was struggling currently with a sock that didn't appreciate the thick layer of leg hairs, Bobby had grown to keep himself warm while naked. Now they itched under the synthetic fibers. Finally he also had slipped on his shoes and could take on a more dignified pose. He turned to Brent, who had - without problems for once - followed Mato's instructions to the last dot.
"As the others probably have already told you, I'm Bobby. Sorry for turning you into a snake earlier. At that time it looked like the only option to get you out of your restraints in a hurry.
We are on our way home to your home. You have some really great friends by the way."
Bobby hoped by mentioning something nice first, he could soften the next part.
"Unfortunately, your kidnappers didn't fill in a visa application for you. So technically you comitted a fellony by illegally entering NAN territories. Of course, that could be explained, considering you didn't volluntarily do so, but you'd spend hours or days in a holding cell - and you being a Technomancer wouldn't help your case at all. And make no mistake, the mages employed in the interrogation part are some of the most accomplished aura readers. So, our best chance for getting you home safe, sound and quickly is to bring you out the same way we got AM in: By transforming you again into something inconspicious.
No need to panic. I've in- and exfiltrated quite a lot of people that way before. It's perfectly safe and won't take long. A lot of people actually enjoy the sensation of spending time as a little furry critter. Some even a bit too much in my opinion..." Bobby stopped himself from getting sidetracked. No-one needed to know about that little street rave he had attended a few weeks ago.
"Anyway, there is the option for you to sleep through the whole experience. We'll give you some benzos if you want. You'll wake up back at home. Or you stay awake and support us with your Techno abilities and your little techno pet. That would be very welcome.

The choice is yours. We'll do our best to make the whole experience as comfortable as possible. So what is it going to be?"

Once in the car, Brent had mechanically eaten and drunk as Mato had instructed, but once he had done that and stopped shivering he'd hunched up and started silently crying. He through apologetic glances at the others then pulled his feet up onto the seat, put his head against his knees, and either instantly fell asleep or more likely went into VR. Whatever it was some of the tension left his body.

It was an hour before he rejoined reality, and even then he didn't say anything for while, just quietly stared out the window. Elventually he said, to nobody in particular, "This is the sort of thing that people recomend therapy for. But I can't really tell anyone, at least for a while. Tough guys who never show their feelings look good in trids, but it sucks." After that he falls silent until the approach the border and Bobby brings up the subject of transforming him.

He ums and aws for a bit, then gathers himself enough to say "Give me a minute." and dives back into VR. When a minute is up he returns and says "I guess. Maybe a squirrel or something? Not quite as tiny as a mouse? Give me the illusion I could run if I have to? I'll go VR so I don't have to think about it, and I'll have Peshtigo with me. But please not for longer than you have to. This is going to be another one for my list of 'things I would talk to a therapist about if I could.'"

Mato can't really identify because, for the most part, he doesn't have feeling anymore. But he takes Brent at his word that it sucks. Mato can remember feeling weak and powerless when he was Brent's age - before all the cyberlimbs - and there is a very clear recollection that, yes, that did suck. Being kidnapped, drugged, and held for ransom would be hard on your psyche.

"You have friends," Mato reminds Brent. "The ones who were concerned enough about you to contact us and put their money down to locate you. Seraphina and Penumbra agreed to give up the club's deck fund to find you. Chet's teaching swimming and picking up life-guarding shifts. For you, to get you back." This with a point of a cyber-index finger.

Is this a good speech? It sounds good in Mato's head, but who knows how well he's delivering it.

"Those are tried and true chummers. You can talk to them. They didn't pony up tens of thousands of nuyen because you're the tough guy who never shows your feelings. They paid because you're you and that's who they want back."

<<Plus>> he adds as a mental aside to the team, <<they'll probably want to hear the story to get their money's worth.>>

Bobby nodded along to Mato's speech and added: "Also, you now have the contact of a kick-ass agency to help you out until you can formally come of age. If necessary we can simulate being your guardians or parents where you need the help of an adult. Your skills as a Techno would be very welcome in exchange.
But we can talk about that once we have crossed the border. Squirrel it is. Relax and don't sweat it. Seriously. Try not to give off any musk, or a guard dog might get excited. I'll keep you in my coat pocket, so don't twitch. AM - same goes for you. I'll keep you in my other pocket."

Once the car stopped and Mato took the wheel, Bobby concentrated - first on Brent then on AM - and changed them into their small critter forms.
"First time I have hacker squirrels in my pockets. Let's tidy up the backseat a bit, so it doesn't look like we had two more passengers with us."

Once the car was tidied up a bit and the clothing pieces in a backpack, Bobby got back into front passenger seat, careful not to squash his squared away squirrels.

By now he felt tired as a dog - running, fighting, walking against a fast flowing icy river, getting shot at, getting horrified by a spirit and eating service station fast food took a toll on a man.
To keep the spells running, he had to stay awake a little while longer, so Bobby decided to empty a bottle of water in one pull. A full bladder was still the best way to keep alert.

"Alright, hit it. The sooner we get home, the better."

The border guards seem suspicious of the two Sioux citizens wanting to enter the metroplex before dawn. Suspicious enough to run their IDs and see that they had left the evening before. At which point they seem to suspect that Bobby and Mato might be smuggling something.

Just when it seems that the next step is likely being invited inside while their car is searched, shouting breaks out at the other vehicle currently passing through the checkpoint. After a moment of indecision the person Mato is talking to snaps "You are clear to go. Go! Clear the area!"

Once they are a safe distance away and Brent has been returned to his usual form he smuggly tells them that he made a matrix illusion of a large amount of the grenades in the other car, adding "once they don't find anything I hope the people won't be in trouble." Ah the naivety of youth.

Bobby had to laugh when Brent told them about his inspired piece of hacking:
"Good work. It wouldn't have been good for my street cred to be booked for squirrel smuggling."
He yawned. "Now I need a serious nap. Wake me before we reach the city limits though. I don't think the mercenaries will try something, but they know where we are heading and at least their rigger might feel like he can take us when he has the element of surprise."

Mato looks a bit piqued at the guard as he looks at the border crossing in the rear-view mirror.

"I told them on the way in that we were traveling on business and that would be a short visit, less than 24 hours," he says in a huff. "Don't they keep records of these things?" He exhales. "I guess we stay overnight next time."

Mato gives a look to Bobby, the tries to reassure Brent in case he gets nervous. "They won't try anything. They need to find a street doc for their mage as soon as possible."

Then, not wanting Brent to hear the next part, lest he object to their arrangement, he messages AM and Bobby: <<It's been two hours. Time to drop the spells.>>

The border crossing was a tense and embarrassing moment. "For Iktomi" she hissed as she again stripped and placed her clothes neatly for when she'll be in elf form again. Being in a pocket was no picnic, and hearing the delay has got her to skip a bit and struggle not to try to move uncomfortably. Then the guards allowed them to leave. Sustaining the spell when stressed was a struggle, and she could imagine trickster spirits disabling her for lols and whatnot. Yet, things sorted themself out - or Bernt became a matrix wizard - literally a wizard because she did not know a way to accomplish what he did with hacking. She could not make icons where non where. Yes, she could install something that would look like a grenade matrix side- she'll still have to prepare it beforehand and then physically place it in the car - and if they looked carefully it would look like a data tag rather than a grenade.

No - what Bernt did was impossible - creating icons out of resonance where non where. That was amazing. Trying to mimic what he did had so many limitations. Like a physical device should have been made beforehand, and assigned to the other car, and turned on - and even then a close inspection would see past the wrapper program. Yet, she did not have much time to consider that, because while appreciating his technomaner powers she was naked and cold and vulnerable. She turned her back to the team, and quickly dressed, trying not to be to at least avoid Bernt figuring out the others have seen what they wanted to see already. Somehow, Bobby was dressing to keep them comfortable, whereas she was dressing to avoid feeling so vulnerable. She was comfortable under a thick fabric that obscured her feminine features. The business suit was precisely the opposite - but it was a disguise, not the way she'd dress for the barrens. The Trickster liked disguises, and he liked to watch her struggling. It was quite an eventful night - and it would take some time to process it all.

So they were back, and the oddness of the sharp change experience was starting to wash away. As the adrenaline faded, and she realized that they made a lot of money she began to feel the fatigue of the job. She is about to give Mato a remainder as to how long she has to hold the spell because she really wanted to doze off a bit. Then Mato sends it to her - it was very kind of him to keep track of the time. She happily drops the spell. Granting her enemy a fair chance for survival without turning to Christian values. It was quite an achievement for the atheist that could not remain an atheist after she directly talked with a great spirit first hand. Great destroyer, I gave them the morality of nature as they deserve. To live or die by their own strength. Then she sighed - things were simpler when she was an atheist - the world was less terrifying and it made logical sense.

She looks in her little mirror, disappointed at what that night and shapechanging did to her makeup. "It looks like someone exploded the eyeliner and pudra on my face" she thought and began cleaning her face. She does not need her war paints anymore, and would soon return to her oversized comfortable clothes. She notifies Mato>> Alright, dropped the spell. This is the way of the Destroyer. They'll survive if they are resourceful enough

Briefly after, once she made some progress with her face, and feels a bit more presentable she asks.
Where to now? Are we sleeping at Bernt's or at SIS or somewhere else? I don't think we should lay low do you?

Mato finds himself zoning out a bit in the car. Is it the warmth? The adrenaline wearing off? No, if anything he's lost in a moment of nostalgia.

Mato spent most of his youth in Butte, in the northwest corner of the Sioux Nation. The elevation was 1700m and Mato was no stranger to winter driving in temperatures reaching -15C or lower. Plus Butte is mountainous, with plenty of hills and varied terrain. Driving through the wild mountains of the Salish-Shidhe Council reminds him of his teenage years, learning to drive.

For all of his physical infirmities, Mato has always had good reflexes. Driving was one of his first 'physical' pleasures when he was growing up. In an alternate life he might have made a good rigger. But, here, now, behind the wheel in the snowy mountains at night, he feels like a kid. A weak kid, bad at life, with maybe more in common with Brent than he'd like to admit. This is why his thoughts are drifting while he drives. Luckily he has enough practice driving on ice and snow so that the mountain passes are formalities.

What snaps him out of his reverie is AM's question about where they're staying tonight. It's a good question and one he hadn't considered himself, somewhat to his embarrassment. He was going to drive back to Redmond just by muscle memory, but maybe Touristville isn't the best idea for a traumatized rich kid from Bellevue...

<<Good question. Let's ask.>>

Mato wouldn't have thought to ask, but perhaps Bobby's transparency with Brent's transformation has inspired him.

"Brent, we've been hired as security for the next day to make sure the kidnappers don't try anything. Are you comfortable staying at home or would you rather stay somewhere unknown where you're sure they won't come looking? If you want to sleep in your bed after a trying experience, we'll understand. We'll stand watch either way. Just tell us where you would be more comfortable."

Bobby waited for Brent to make up his mind, stretching as well as he could. The nap had given him some energy back, but he still felt drained.
Setting up shop in Brent's house promised to be interesting. Hopefully the boy realized that his home was his best option compared to what SIS could offer him in amenities.

Brent seemed a bit stunned to be given a choice, and looked down at the car floor for a bit. Finally he said "I think those guys were all over our house when my parents employed them. Not when i was there, but I think they looked over all of the security. I don't think I feel safe at home until I know things are settled with them. Can I stay at your place tonight? Or I guess today, since the sun is coming up soon. Or I guess a hotel would be OK too, I could pay for it but it would have to go through one of you because I'm too young to book a room. Or I guess a cheap motel where I could hack their system or something, maybe."

AM says "We'll do SIS, Jawsey is on a trip, so you can have his bed." She then eyes him menacingly "And don't touch any of my stuff." ... and then the opportunity to finally enjoy a private room was gone for AM. She did not need much privacy, there was a distinction between needs and wants.

"At least the Spyders did not kidnap and brainwash me..." she says to herself quietly, and absently strokes Trouble's black fur.

Mato detects a surprising level of menace in AM so he tries to quickly smooth it over.

"No need to hack a coffin motel; you can stay with us," Mato assures Brent. "It's not luxurious but it's clean and ..." - he almost says 'warm unless the gangs have shot out the electrical transformers' but thinks better of it at the last moment - "... safe."

'Safe', of course, is relative. There will be Crimson Crush and Halloweeners, but no kidnappers. Urubia's truce seems to be providing a level of stability. No more run-and-gun battles between the Brain Eaters and the murderous orks on combat drugs.

"I have a sleep regulator; I'll stay on watch until someone relieves me. Tomorrow - later today - we'll go to your house and scrub the security, make sure it's spic'n'span. We'll scrap it and start fresh if we need to.

"We'll teach the basics of what you need to do to stay low until you reach the age of majority."

"That leaves the question if we should drive by your place to get some of your things and look if everything is alright there." Bobby said, a bit disapointed at missing the opportunity to visit Brent's house.

"Even if we don't go tonight, we'll go tomorrow," Mato says.

"It's late and we're tired... but we can also be fairly certain that the other team won't be there right now. If Brent wants to go home to pack a bag, it would make sense to do it now."

After a minute Brent realizes that they are waiting for his input; he seems to be surprised. "Uhh, I guess it would be ok to go pack a bag?". At no objection from the team the decision is made.

Brent's family house turns out to be nice, but not as much of a mansion as might have been expected. Still, a lot more than 20 meters wide and at least that deep, in Bellevue, is worth a lot all on its own. A gate blocks the driveway, but opens at Brent's request. Cameras flanking the gate scan the area, but Brent assures the team that he knows how to clear them " they are pretty cheap, I think. Meant to be seen more than anything. "

The house has two floors above a finished basement, four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a full suite of the usual practical and entertainment rooms. It is all fairly nice, perhaps a bit more casual than might have been expected. Everything is of good quality, but not ostentatiously so.

After pointing out the kitchen and nearest bathrooms, Brent heads up to his room to grab some stuff.

Mato drives to Bellevue instead of Redmond.

Having grown up rich, the surroundings aren't as novel to Mato. However, he does have one question for Brent...

"What's with all the rooms?" he asks. "Four bedrooms? Wasn't it just you and your parents?" Perhaps there are some older siblings that have moved out, but if so that could potentially complicate Brent's legal situation.

AM tries to keep a straight face when she sees Bernt's home. It pains her existentially as it is a testimony that there is more to life than surviving. What she deems as her lifelong achievement is just effortless to some people. Their mind is free to think about other thoughts and pursue higher goals. It is a toxic environment for her, and she is eager to leave that place behind to her single bed in a shared room. "At least I'll have the lodge to study in when I wake up." she comforts herself, thinking about herbal tea.

Bobby took the opportunity for a walk around, noting any security risks - mainly based on his experience with entering places he wasn't supposed to.
The restrained oppulence registered as well with him - but unlike AM he saw it more as clutter. Things that weighed someone down, kept them from moving freely. Still, it was a nice place and he wouldn't have minded staying here and testing the jacuzzi. A hot shower later on would have to do the trick.

Bobby's assessment was that overall the house was not built for security: too many windows, too many blind spots, it even had sliding glass doors for the back patio. That said it did have a high fence and plenty of external cameras, so it wasn't open to casual intruders, but it would be hard to keep out professionals.

Soon enough Brent reappears with a stuffed tote bag, and indicates he is ready to go. On the drive back to SIS headquarters he asks "would you know anyone who might buy jewellery at a fair price? I sold off a few antiques and don't think I got ripped off too much. I'm trying to build up a war chest to hire lawyers soon."

Once at SIS he's happy to sleep in Jawsey's bed, quickly passing out into a deep sleep.

"Nothing will stop professionals," Mato says out loud, even though he knows Bobby and AM know it. "Except maybe other professionals. But if shadowrunners can extract big wigs out of zero-zone corporate arcologies, then there's no way to make a residential home in a residential neighborhood ironclad and watertight."

He pats the walls, using his radar sensors to get a sense of the spaces in between.

"Ultimately, your strategy doesn't look that different from what we used at Lord Pike's house: hunker down and wait for the cavalry to arrive. This is Bellevue, after all; Knight-Errant takes things seriously here. A panic room might be your best bet if you plan to stay here. You could probably string one together on 10,000 or 12,000 nuyen. Of course you can spend 50,000 or 60,000 if you want, get things like pressure filtration systems and astral warding."

Mato again considers the number of rooms.

"But ultimately you'll have to decide whether you want to stay here or downsize. Not to underestimate the sentimental value, but flipping a place like this could last you a nice little nest egg. You could coast for a long time on something like that."

Mato doesn't have any good advice about a good jeweler or fence, so he leaves that to Bobby and AM. He's still going strong thanks to his sleep regulator so he stands at his favorite spot near the front windows and watches the street below while the others sleep.

AM comments "Security is more about politics than fences." When Bernt comments about Jewelers she comments "That depends on what kind of jewelry, and if you have some legal proof of ownership, or you are going to fence them like stolen goods. she comments, You might also think about a talismonger as some quality jewels are good for enchanting. I'll let you know if you show me.

Bobby chimed in on the jewelry: "Don't bother with selling it if you don't have to. Jewelry - especially diamonds - are way overprised by the sellers with no real demand. The money is in the gold, silver and platinum. Unless you have some really spectacular artistic pieces you are better off keeping it in reserve if you need collateral - or insure it for the buying price and then get "robbed" while you use it as barter materials for things you want to buy off the books.
You've got your talent to tide you over. Get good at creating sprites and rent those out. I know a bunch of people who would be interested in a bit of non-standard matrix support."

"Instead of selling the house, I'd recommend renting it out, while you rent somewhere cheap. Cashflow is more important than lump sums.
We'll give you a good deal if you want a background check on potential renters."


When the team reached their base, Bobby made sure that Jawsey's stuff was squared away, so neither the boy nor his friend would have to deal with any private items.

<<Let's take turns on keeping watch - after my nap I'm good for another few hours. I think keeping Brent on our good side will be a good investment in the long run. I'm told that his talents are a rare commodity. Also I feel a bit bad for turning him into a snake against his will.>>

Mato is privately impressed with Bobby's suggestion to rent out sprites. "Non-standard Matrix support" was a pleasant euphemism, one that Mato enjoyed. He would have expected that from Jawsey, not Bobby. Perhaps the coded language is unnecessary if Brent's a member of the unofficial hacker club of Bellevue Village Green Private High School, but Mato can still appreciate the default discretion.

The suggestion about renting out the house is not a bad one. It's more involved as it likely involves a property manager - presuming Brent doesn't wish to be a landlord himself - but who knows what's in the young man's future. College? The shadows? Is Bobby corrupting him? Or saving him? It depended on your views of corporate life. Mato tended to think of it as a gilded cage. For some, that would be heaven; for others, it would be prison. Brent will have to make up his own mind. Mato wonders if Peshtigo will get a vote in the matter. He can ponder the matter while standing watch.

<<My sleep regulator lets me go 48 hours so I'm fine for first watch. Catch some zzzs and I'll crash when you're up. I only need three hours or so.>>

AM says >> Trouble does not sleep, so I'll have him keep watch with you all. He'll appreciate the company; I'll take the last shift if possible" Truth is, she tends to be a bit of a bitch if she does not sleep enough. She grins at the suggestion of matrix support. Bobby is indeed a manifestation of the Trickster, and she can feel the trap in these words. Indeed it would bring money - but being illegal is also a trap. The words of the Trickster from the shapeshifter mage. "thanks for bringing him to me." she says quietly to the great spirit, and she touches her spiderweb earring.


When they return, AM would dibs on the shower and wash quickly in the warmest water. She'll dress in her PJs, which are nothing spectacular, take a frowning look at Bernt - it is not his fault that the only free room is her room. She enters her bed and places her back to Bernt, trying to ignore him. Sleeping with a man in the same room is difficult enough, but it is even harder when the man is a stranger. Yet, she closes her eyes and smiles. Debt is almost over - and perhaps they can rent Bernt's place, and she'll have her private room again? She could at least fantasize and fall asleep happy.

Brent explains his predicament "I can't rent out the house easily because it is in my parents name. I can't rent a place for myself, because I'm under 18. There is an account for household expenses that still has a fair bit in it, so as long as I don't mess things up taxes and electricity and autocabs and even grocery deliveries are covered, but I don't have much free cash. I mean, I have a couple work around to pull cash out of the expenses account, but that just brings financial doomsday closer. I need to pay you, and then pay lawyers, once I turn 18, to get my parents declared dead., and I can't do all of that and stay in the house long enough for things through the courts, without raising more cash. And I guess build a panic room, although those guys got me with a fake autocab."

He sighs, then adds "Not your problem, other than me paying you. I've put things in motion and the money should clear on Monday to make good on what the club said they'd pay you immediately. For the rest, yah, once I inherit, or at least get the life insurance paid to me, I'm good for it, I just need to hang on that long."

"Doesn't sound like Mom's jewelry is worth much, but maybe I could sell the cars? Maybe some of the art is worth something? I think it was mom's new art obsession that got them killed, but I don't know that anything she bought is worth much. Anyway, for me to figure out I guess."

"Hey, you don't have to figure it out all at once or all alone."
Bobby continued the discussion during breakfast the next morning.
"Selling any kind of asset quickly will always cause significant losses.
What kind of car are we talking about here and do you have the necessary licenses to even sell it? For our fee we worked out a payment plan with your friends.
Renting can be facilitated of the books. We can help you finding a place that doesn't ask too many questions as well as finding renters not too keen on drawing notice.
For example, if we have clients that need to lay low while we solve their problems, we could stash them here, have them pay you for the privilege.
We have to discuss this internally of course, but I'm sure we can find a solution for our mutual benefits.

What I can tell you is: Don't do anything stupid like borrowing from a loanshark.
And if there is more trouble don't hesitate to call us. If necessary we can impersonate your parents to get things going."

If you have good art, I know how you can get good prices for it. I share your mother's interest in art. Show me what you got, and I'll see what I can do.

Mato nods along with what the others are saying.

"The Rights of the Living Dead," he says. "Absent Persons in Civil Law is a complicated topic.

"UCAS Law usually requires 4 to 7 years of absence to be declared dead, depending on the locality." Mato holds up his hand, lest Brent panic at this. "Did your parents have Corporate SINs? If so, the corporations are usually much more expedient in declaring a an absent employee to be missing. I've heard of some cases as fast as three days before the employee is terminated for job abandonment. The ex-employees loses their citizenship and security rights and becomes SINless and then..." He opens his hands. "Problem solved, at least from your end.

"Could save you a lot of money, as far a lawyers are concerned."

Brent shrugs "I don't know if it is good or not. Some of it is old, I think. She likes -- liked -- some kind of weird stuff." he stops, blinks several times, then changes course a bit "She had a lock-up for some of them. Stuff in the house doesn't have all the devils torturing people and stuff like that. I haven't tried to get into the lock-up yet, but maybe I could figure out how ... you could look at what is in the house I guess."

AM spends some time looking at the art before they leave, but do not mention it again aside from taking a few mental notes.
"How did they die?" she asks but would back off if Bernt does not want to say.

"Well we don't know, do we?" Mato interjects, trying to spare Brent from an uncomfortable topic. "Seraphina said they had disappeared."

But then a look to Brent to confirm if this is really the case.

"If we have something more concrete than that - a plane crash, for example - then the 'presumption of death' kicks in and it really accelerates the process of declaring them missing and, then, legally dead."

Mato's not going to mention it out loud for fear of being insensitive, but there's the thought <<Maybe could use some investigators to speed the process along...>> Mato wonders if there's a trip to Morocco available somewhere in there...

"Look," Mato says in hushed tones to AM and Bobby, "I'm just laying out options.

"Brent has some marketable assets at his disposal, and it actually serves his purposes to do business under-the-table. We can provide security to our investment, since it only pays out over time if it remains unharmed." This is a bit cold, referring to Brent as an 'it', as an 'investment'. But biz is biz...

"If we need to exit Redmond, a Bellevue address is respectable and gets us out from under the thumb of Andrew and Urubia and Big Stank and Nightmare and ..."

He holds his hand up and nods over Bobby's objections of barely knowing Brent and AM's objections of his house being a "toxic environment". Mato suspects that this is hyperbole but, not being a magician, he doesn't know for sure. He muses that AM can eventually be won over by the prospect of a bedroom to herself, but he'll save that argument for later.

"Let's table the discussion for now but not eliminate any possibilities for the future. It could be a win-win scenario over time."

Bobby shrugged: "Fine by me - we don't have to decide anything right now. Having options is great. Keeping an eye on Brent is the right thing to do anyway.
Right, looks like it's time to give our other clients an update on this situation. Less than 24 hours from hiring to delivering. Damn shame we can't put their recommendation on our matrix site.
I think, a conference call is in order. Let's get this over with, so we can focus again on more solvent clients."

The next day they eventually get an appointment with the hacker's club. seraphina had to wake up some of the club, and book a space.

Finally in the early afternoon Brent and the team returned to back room where they'd met before. A couple of the club members were missing, and Seraphina tersely explained "other obligations, we are authorized to speak for them."

There is some general welcoming back of Brent, asking of how he is doing, and the like. AM gets the feeling that they are all kind of avoiding the part where they have to talk to SIS.

AM is considerably less dolled up on the second day. Because she only has one good dress, instead she arrives with the characterizing oversized, clothes hiding most of her body. Underdressed for most events in Bellevue but a fashion spell makes her presentable. What she lacks in style, she'll make up for by feeling good about herself and her image, and Iktomi and Trouble help a bit too.

She lets the kids exchange some pleasantries, and then she says "It is a good day, we got your friend back safe, and we found who did it and why. It is people that Bernt's parents kept on a retainer but never paid them since they went missing. They were getting desperate, and did a desperate move but are unlikely to try again since they now know that there is nobody to pay them. This does not mean that they won't try to collect in the future, but kidnapping would not serve their goals. We also need to provide you with two hours of street training on keeping safe. When is your call, we can start now or perhaps later this week.

As for your side of the deal, you paid us 10k in advance, and now would be the time for another 10k payment.
The rest of the pay is up to you, but you agreed on eight 10k monthly payments. I expect that you have our second payment at hand?"

Damn, AM, straight to business, twist the screws, Mato thinks to himself, not with disfavor. He can tell that she's sticking it to the rich kids.

Mato isn't wearing his suit. Part of him thinks that he should, because it's Bellevue, but the other part of him refuses to wear it two days in a row. AM's magic had cleaned it and made it seem like Mato wasn't knee-deep in river water a few hours ago, but now it's the weekend.

The Ares HQ isn't that far from the ice cream shop, so Mato thinks that he should probably be dressing in something from the Ares Victory line. Everyone at the Ares Executive gym will be wearing Rapid Transit, mostly the Platinum and Diamond collections. Mato isn't price sensitive, but even he has to balk at the idea of spending ¥1,500 - ¥3,000 on workout gear. But if it helps you blend in... (And if you can write it off as a business expense... he muses.)

His attention returns to the present, where he goes back to watching AM rake the kids over the coals.

Bobby had forgone the nice suit from Mato as well. Now that no clients had to be impressed and instead only encouraged to pay, he had put on a pair of his better jeans as well as a real leather jacket. Not too crazy, but certainly not business chic.
For the purpose of getting the kids to pay, he simply kept starring at them, while AM did her thing. 80.000 Nuyen. It was mind boggling to him, that a group of teenagers would be able raise that amount of money between them in less than 20 years, never to speak of just 10 months. He didn't particularly relish what would happen if the group fractured over the expenses, individuals trying to absolve themselves of their share and sattling the others with it. Until Brent was left alone with it - and without friends. That made him sad.
On the other hand, he and his friends had been shot at in pursuit of Brent. Valuing your life was also fair.

"AM maybe we should give them some more details for their money. Just to make it clear that this was not an easy job despite us being able to perform it quickly.
You see, those contractors were comprised of a mage, a rigger and a street sam. The mage had three high powered, bound spirits at his service and the rigger commanded some realy nasty drones. They rigged Brent's prison on a small island on a fast flowing river with explosives and set automatic weapons plattfoms.
We had to turn the mage into a stone jelly fish and dump the sam in the river just to get to Brent. Then we had to walk a km in the freezing river bed, while avoiding military drones, to get Brent safely away from the all of this. We are all very lucky to be alive and mostly unharmed. That and we had to bring Brent back across the boarder without waiting for a visa to clear.
All of that took considerable skill, determination and also luck.
There were also Mammoths, Moose and Mice involved, but that would lead to far. Let's just say it was a super complicated operation with basically zero preparation time or reconnaissance.
Whatever else you think, you've gotten your money's worth with this little endeavour."

The kids looked stressed at AM's reminders, but Seraphina slid over the appropriate cred stick. She did give Brent a significant glance, and he said "They told me about the whole deal. I'll figure something out.". Everyone seemed to relax a bit after that.

Some of them seemed sceptical about Bobby's summary, but the Brent made a face and said " I don't remember much of it, but I do remember how mammoths smell. Going to take a while to get that smell out of my nose."

For training they agreed to the following Friday evening. They often met then so it would not draw much attention. The best location for it seemed to be Brent's house.

Mato scoops up the credstick and then does his best to be subtle when he taps it to his commlink to verify the amount.

"Friday then. Brent's house." He raps the credstick on the table to signal an agreement.

Mato wonders if after school at the end of a long week is going to produce the best, most-engaged students, but ultimately it doesn't matter if they learn anything: Mato just needs to check the box and then move on to his own improvement and his own training. These jobs, after all, were simply a means to an end, not the end themselves.

AM lets out a hint of a smile when Bobby starts explaining. She is a bit worried about oversharing - but she hopes Bobby having some military background would understand what every SINless kid knows. Sometimes you do illegal stuff, sometimes you want something which is not yours, sometimes you just do not have a choice and need to solve a problem, pay rent or survive for another week. You do what you have to do - but you never mention it to anyone. You do not brag about it even to your friends, and you do not even think about it when in public. The police can sometimes even read surface thoughts when they look for someone or something. You bury it deep down under the surface, and carry on with your life as if nothing happened.

Her tension drops a notch when she gets the second credstick. It feels real in her hands, and as she verifies the contents and then pockets it. She feels satisfied with an opportunity well exploited. She allows Bobby to tell his story and does not intervene much but she praises the Trickster quietly when he does not explicitly mention her name in that story. Of course, petrifying the mage is something she could do, but she kept invisible the whole time perhaps even Bernt does not even know she was there.

She tries to place herself in the place of the kids, and concludes that rationality bias would likely prevent them from taking the story at face value. Perhaps the biggest sacrifice she made to become a shaman is to give up on the illusion that science had the world figured out. Before magic, there were rules that governed reality, from thermodynamics to the preservation of mass. Yet, these rules were true in the past - but the world felt like someone just revised the rules - without science having time to catch up.

On Sunday a young man of Korean descent, sporting an impressive black eye, shows up at the SIS door, to drop off an envelope. He looks nervous, and happy to get out of the neighborhood as quickly as possible once he's dropped it off.

The envelope contains a pretty generic 'Thank You' card (Happy Memories brand, a pervasive and minimum effort maker of cards and the like). Inside is a note reading "Thank you for taking 'Seraphina' seriously enough to screw her savings out of her nicely. Hopefully she learned something."

It is signed "Bau Chou".

Bobby scratches his head. He never was good with names.
"Who is Bau Chou? Sounds familiar, but I can't place the name."