AM has no trouble getting hooked up to the bar's terminal. Looking around, she also notices the three Marks that Bobby has felt with his magic before.

Other than that, the terminal has some fairly rudimentary business software to take care of what is needed for the bar, like ordering supplies and such.

It also has a simple AR interface, which allows patrons to access the payment system and also to place orders. Seems like there is no way to make reservations.

From the terminal, the bar's security features can also be accessed, like the cameras that Mato noticed on the previous visit. One of them is inaccessible, though.

I slice through the firewalls with the utmost clarity and immediately face a stream of data into my feed. I can do most of the bar stuff with an interface, which is quite boring. So, I look at something else - security- and sweep over the security cameras, hoping to see what is going on there. There is, however, one camera that is inaccessible to me - a strange choice when one could loop a camera, but who knows, perhaps there is something interesting in there.

I report my findings: >> I am in, noticed these strange marks, and there is one camera missing - otherwise, I don't see anything out of the ordinary.

My next move is to transfer the feed or a snapshot to The team >>> Tam - can you try and compare data from your own feed to see if you can guesstimate where our missing camera is? Perhaps we can take a look.

I next take a close look at the marks and try to figure out if I can potentially identify the icon that owns them, and perhaps trace it. I have many ideas, but let's see how good they are.

>>> Alright, here is the deal: I'll need over an hour to trace the marks back to their origin, but this is currently our only lead. So I'll just follow that rabbit hole unless anyone asks me not to. Tam, can you Morse Bobby a simple message? I think you should study Morse code in the SDF, don't you? He'll understand you try to contact him - even if he does not know Morse. So either he shut down the terminal, which is a shame, or he'll contact us somehow.


Either that, or he'll appear out of thin air completely nude right here... I bet you would enjoy that option... I say absent-mindedly to Iktomi, not expecting a response but there is no way the big spider is going to give up watching me tormented by my own insecurities, so I might as well embrace it.

<<Tuesday Afternoon - 14:54 - May 16, 2079 - Hardpan, Thornton, Denver>>

Once made visible, the Marks look like swirling dark spots, that seem to draw their surrounding into themselves, a bit like miniature black holes. They do not actually destroy any data around them, it is just a visual effect, but very intricate. Quite distinctive.

After getting high enough privileges on the host, AM is able to track the stream of data connected to the Marks to see where they originate from. She soon finds out that this will take a while, as there are a few hoops to jump through, as the data trail is being redirected multiple times.

Two hours later, she is still working on it.

But you expect the owner of the bar to come in soon, as it will open up in about an hour.

As the tiny drone indicates for Bobby to retreat, he began rearranging everything the way he found it, removing the chair from blocking the cleaning drone as well.
That done, he transformed again to leave the place the way he had come, waiting patiently for the drone to follow, so he can take it back to its owner.

Once back in the car, suited up and with a quick briefing on the results he says:

"I don't like that situation. That missing camera is likely owned by the Black Cats, so they can keep an eye on what's going on at their recruiting spot. If this MARK trace doesn't pan out, we should identify it and try to trace it back.

I'm going to take a nap until AM resurfaces."

<<Tuesday Afternoon - 15:54 - May 16, 2079 - Hardpan, Thornton, Denver>>

Another hour later, AM finally has a result. She can narrow the Mark's owner's position down to a place that, cross-referencing with the map you got, seems to be in southern Englewood. It is not very precise, indicating that the device in use is running silent, but that hardly comes as a surprise.

The Englewood ruins are only sparsely populated these days, after Ghostwalker and the ZDF completely annihilated any Aztlan presence that they let fester there over a few years, starting at the end of 2074, when Aztlan seized an opportunity to move back into the FRFZ. Their eradication that followed in 2078 also destroyed the whole district, which now lies in ruins. At some point, Englewood was one of the richest neighborhoods in Denver. Today, it is home only to the most desperate souls, many of whom seek refuge in Ketring Park.

About ten minutes ago, a somewhat beat-up, dark blue pickup drove into the parking lot. A woman, matching the description of Susan Johnson, arrived in it, and opened up the back entrance to the Hardpan a moment later.

Bobby smiled when AM delivered the results:

"Alright, let's head over there. I'll sweep the area with my spatial sense. If there is a warded space around, we have found our target.
Otherwise, we'll have to come back and talk with Ms. Johnson."

The sim-sense is almost too sharp as I dive into the endless digital cityscape. I begin with the restaurant host—ugly in a way only cheap corporate software could produce, with poorly-skinned avatars and stuttering, half-baked routines. Behind its faux-friendly grin lies a labyrinth of code waiting to be peeled back, layer by layer. I slip into the back channels, and the world around me stretches out into Denver's glittering matrix twin. It pulses with artificial life. Towering buildings rise from the data streams, glowing with augmented advertisements that flicker and twist, hawking everything from body mods to digital junk food. Every inch of the skyline is screaming for attention. As I move from one matrix repeater to the next, I brace against the endless rain of pop-ups, each one more obnoxious than the last. This place is a capitalist carnival designed to drown out thought with blaring colors and sound bites. But I’ve got an edge. I slip on my sunglasses, dark lenses that filter the noise down to a manageable hum, a barrier I painstakingly coded myself. Through them, the distractions dim to a muted grey, and the path ahead becomes sharper, clearer.

But just as I start to zero in on the device’s signal—a faint trace among countless others—it blurs. My target is clever, using a keep-alive signal masked as a background update, perfectly camouflaged among the clutter of meaningless app traffic. It’s as if they’re throwing sand in my eyes, every bogus notification and irrelevant update designed to mislead. I grit my teeth, crafting a filter to hone in on these keep-alive, visualizing it as a magnifying glass that pulls these hidden signals into focus, one by one. Just as I think I’ve locked in, the signal takes an abrupt swerve south. I make a snap decision to follow, weaving through the maze of virtual pathways—but soon, I realize my mistake. The shimmering roads shift underfoot, and I’m in unfamiliar territory, floating in a densely packed data neighborhood of dead-ends and re-routes. I’ve followed a decoy, a carefully placed false lead that cost me precious time. I curse under my breath, backtracking as quickly as I can through twisted lines of code, scrambling to regain the lost trail.

Finally, I catch a faint glimmer of the true signal and resume the chase. Each keep-alive ping inches me closer to the elusive device, moving at the speed of thought but only a few steps each time. My frustration mounts when the signal vanishes into some silently running device. Of course, they are running silent; I did not expect any less - but given how hard this tracking has been, I hoped they would be sloppy. We are either close, or Iktomi is pulling my leg, and I am the entertainment. Either way, I embrace my totem with sincere thanks; without his blessing and guidance, I am not sure I would have made it this far. When I emerge from my sim-sense trance, one thing is clear.

“Praise Iktomi and his sacred web,” I mutter, taking a breath. “We’ve got… something. An approximate location, buried deep in southern Englewood. They have gone to great lengths to obscure this digital footprint, which is as good as it gets unless I can spot their icon and hack their device, which I suspect will not be easy."

My entire body is relaxed, and I feel a bit high or intoxicated from the overwhelming matrix episode. If I weren't on the clock, it would have been the moment to go to a virtual party and fool around, but not now, not today. I just gave us plenty of homework. I look around, suddenly aware of myself, and hope I did not drool or anything of that sort. I realize how the sun advanced in the sky and the realization that it has been a very long time for them, while it all felt so much less to me. "Wow, did I miss anything important?" I ask, not entirely expecting an answer but the way the hours passed feels a bit disorienting and I need to reacclimate myself into the physical world.

Bobby shrugged at AM's question: "We kinda committed on going to the location you detected - going after the bar owner now would be more difficult. Though we probably should leave a spy drone around, just in case."

"Englewood," Mato repeats.

He remembers the news about how the ZDF launched a campaign to eliminate Aztlan forces and destroyed Englewood in the process. It just happened last year.

"Sorry about the Gopher's paint job, Razak," he murmurs to himself, imagining the friction the team might face.

"I don't know much about Englewood, but its destruction is recent. This isn't going to be like the Redmond Barrens or the Puyallup Barrens, where things have been drek for 60 years. The local powers might not be very established. That makes things tricky to navigate, but also gives us some cracks to exploit.

"It seems like a good place to lay low. If Bobby's spatial sense picks up on something, I can run my radar sensors to peek behind the curtain."

Indeed, out of all the possible woods... we got the worst one. Do we drive there, or do we first send Bobby in discreetly?"

Bobby shook his head: "I'd be happy to scout alone, but we might have to act fast once we get there - and without Trouble to connect with you, traveling time might be an issue - especially in a warzone.
We bring the car within 100 m of the target area, I'll use my spatial sense with as much power as I can to cover a radius of 300 m. If we find a warded area within we zero in on that with all our magic, technological and mundane capabilities. We are facing a dedicated, highly trained team, so we need to get the abductee out first and foremost. Maybe with a distraction, maybe by kicking in the door and jumping out the back window. We'll decide once we know more."

The moment is tense but strangely thrilling, and the cynicism edges out a slight grin as the idea of heading into a war zone— the aftermatch of an actual battlefield—settles in. Shaking off the stiffness from being matrix-bound for so long, I stretch out in the confines of the car, realizing that my tall, unfamiliar form has its quirks that I am still getting used to. I feel silly when my long legs hit the car's frame before I expect them to. Feeling a mild discomfort always makes me think about the Trickster. , "Praise the Trickster for keeping our life interesting! I say, and after a short pause, I add … So, who's in the driver's seat?" My eyes dart to the ex-military members of the team for guidance there; on the one side, I am a very competent driver, but on the other, I am also our spell slinger and decker, so it might not be ideal to put me in charge of driving. Despite the logic and due to the leftover feeling of potency I feel in the Trix, I uncharacteristically let out some emotion as my eyes gaze at the wheel in an almost erotic look. I want to drive for all the wrong reasons because it feels like a challenging drive, and perhaps there will be a chase and... Yes this is emotion enough, lets just wait until the ex-mil make some rough plan and follow it. I'll trust myself more in an hour or so when the hot sim high wears off.

<<Tuesday Afternoon - 16:00 - May 16, 2079 - Hardpan, Thornton, Denver>>

Just as the bar opens up, you leave it for the time being to follow the trail of the decker. It's going to be a bit of a drive, and the final parts might get a bit rougher, but likely nothing the Gopher won't be able to handle. Tamarind is happy to take the driver's seat once more.

There are a few districts to cross on your way south, once again avoiding the Hub. You are somewhat familiar with Stapleton and Lowry, already. Next up is Centennial, the tech capital of the FRFZ. Numerous tech businesses are located here, as well as the University of Denver. You drive past a massive warehouse store called Drones, Drones, Drones! which does pique Tamarind's interest for a moment.

<<Tuesday Afternoon - 17:32 - May 16, 2079 - Englewood, Denver>>

At the edge of what is left of the Englewood district, the ZDF still has an increased presence. Patrol cars and drones maneuver along the perimeter, most likely to keep unwanted elements away from the nicer parts of the city. Getting past them and inside does not pose a problem. There might be more obstacles on the way out. Last year, Ghostwalker's armed forces systematically bombed and burned their way from north to south, wreaking havoc on everything in their path. There wasn't much left once they were done.

Now, one thing that gets heavily affected by the violent death of thousands is the local manasphere. Especially, if the events were fairly recent. An oppressive feeling weighs on AM and Bobby, especially, as you get deeper into the ruined district. You are used to the desperation found in the Redmond Barrens in Seattle, but this is a different level.



Taking a more or less direct route towards your destination, you pass Ketring Park in the distance. One of the only places to mostly survive the assault, it is located near one of the district's water reservoirs. There are tents and makeshift shelters that house most of the refugees that are still here, waiting for relocation.

You are only a few kilometers away from where AM could place the device that left the Marks on the Hardpan's terminal now.

Bobby became quite uncomfortable the deeper they drove into the warzone.

"Pretty high background count. I can compensate somewhat with my concentration technique, but I'm far from peak performance around here. Another reason to get this over with sooner than later. I'll use some of the reagents we purchased to make sure this spell goes off right."



"Alright, spell is active. Getting fine detail here. Now drive slowly in a spiral pattern. I'm marking all astrally protected spaces I can sense on this online map."

Englewood is the worst background-count place I have ever visited. I knew academically that mass curing thousands would make the place terrible for magic for years to come, but there is knowing about it, and there is being there and feeling that my rhythms are disrupted. The background count has replaced the comfort and admiration I continuously felt for my mentor with a scream, many screams that cry in agony at the back of my consciousness. However, miserable Redmond is compared to Highlands; it takes a massive massacre to screw up the manasphere and everyone connected to it. I moved uncomfortably in my seat, trying to ignore the screams and developing burning hatred toward anyone who would inflict this kind of suffering upon the world. It all made sense why we must be vigilant and strong and not be satisfied in mediocrity. Iktomi's teaching is that as cruel as they are, they are paradises compared to places like this.

"Pretty strange hideout for a magical bunch; such a high background count can't be good for you. I can't wait to get out of here, first time I actually feel happy about not bringing Trouble with us... no spirit should be subjected to a place like this. "

Getting closer to your destination, Bobby can feel the surrounding area. Mostly it is rubble, ruined buildings, collapsed sewers. Some buildings are partially intact still, but the ZDF really has been thorough. There is a lot of free space as well, where nice park areas and gardens have been in the past. They are not quite so nice anymore. Still some retain a certain charm.

Even driving around the area in a larger circle, the roads are still more or less usable, there are no "blank spots" to be found anywhere nearby, no areas protected by magical wards or the likes. But Bobby can identify a number of good hiding spots, some large enough to hide a vehicle or two even.

Between Tamarind's drones and AM's clairvoyance spells, even though it is a burden to work the magic here, it is fairly easy to check them out, and eventually you find a parked GMC Phoenix in a garage that is only partially collapsed. The nearby house has no roof and only about one and a half floors, but the interior on the ground floor, and the cellar below are mostly clear of debris. That does look promising. At least, someone is likely going to be there.

Mato notices AM and Bobby getting uncomfortable.

"The good news is that you don't have to do it alone," he says. "I feel fine."

Indeed, his severed sense of humanity robs him of any concern about the fate of the neighborhood. He studies it matter-of-factly, trying to retrace the flow of the ZDF through the neighborhood.

"You make a good point," he tells AM. "We wouldn't expect a magically active group to hole up here, unless they're acclimated to it. In which case they could be quite potent."

A thought occurs to him.

"What if there's no ward?" he asks. "What if when AM's ritual tried to trace the spell, it fizzled when it hit the background?"

He considers it for a moment before continuing.

"What about the park? Would the effect be less prominent there? Either because it wasn't razed like all these buildings, or because the remnants of the park help scrub it? Or are all those refugees going to muddle things?"

He considers the GMC Phoenix. If he can get an angle on it, he'll use his vision magnification to check it out. If the sightlines are disrupted by the partially-collapses garage, then he'll ask Tamarind if she wants to send one of the Aunties or Uncle in to have a closer look.

"Are we picking up any wireless signals?" he asks. "Anyone running silent? Is there even Matrix coverage here anymore?"

It is possible..." I bite my lip, feeling embarrassed about my incompetence, but I don't want to brag or glorify the opposition, and Mato deserves my honesty.
Ritual spellcasting works best for a group of casters, and doing it alone to find something in a place like this is too hard for me. I answer. I take a deep breath and add, "I can do a little bit of magic here, but the effect would be very lessened by a lot, and anything against an unwilling target is likely to fail. In other words, I am very skeptical of my ability to petrify, levitate, or even make things invisible." Not liking to feel so exposed, I take my trusty Sigma and ensure it is loaded and ready to fire. I am drawing some confidence from having some reasonable option to defend myself after all my superpowers have been stripped away.

"Alright, I'll check the Phoenix.

"AM, that Ares Sigma still works. Someone keep overwatch with a drone or two, someone sweep for hidden devices, and someone be ready to provide covering fire. If I come running, just hit the accelerator: I'll be able to keep up. I'll jump in the cargo bed."

Mato slips on his ballistic mask and zips up armored jacket before exiting the Gopher. He makes sure he sensors are working before he dips into a low crouch and sneaks up to the GMC Phoenix. His intention is to look into the vehicle's windows and to judge the general condition of it. He had been expecting a van rather than a muscle car that only seats four, but maybe they chucked Belenkiy in the trunk. Or maybe this is just a decent car in an indecent neighborhood. He checks for cameras and other obvious sensors too, unsure if there's even electricity available to power them even if they do exist.

Mato generally wants to keep his hands free, but he'll palm a few throwing knives to have them at the ready in case things go sideways.

Bobby stayed in the car for the moment. With the high background count he was not as fast as he would like. So instead he focused on keeping watch on the astral.

AM keeps an eye on the Trix, and she tails Mato from a safe distance, not wishing for the man to go alone and keeping the Sigma ready for cover fire.

Astral space is as muddy and depressing as you would expect around here. Bobby is glad for all his meditative training, as lesser minds might have some trouble staying focused here. Even so, it is hard to make out anything. There is no active magic around, as far as he can tell.

On the Matrix side, AM can tell, that there are a few icons nearby that are running silent. She can detect three in the general vincinity.

Sneaking closer, Mato makes good use of the existing terrain, to limit any viewing angles that might exist. Just in time, he spots one, no two small insect-like objects sitting on the walls in strategic places. Zooming in with his vision magnification, he can quickly confirm his initial suspicion. Those are Kanmushi drones. Looking for a route to avoid their field of vision as much as possible, he makes it close enough to the car to use his radar sensor.

Visually, there isn't much to see through the tinted glass windows, but with his sensor Mato can determine that one person is sitting in the driver's seat with a flat, rectangle object on his or her lap. The person is about 1.8 m tall with a slender build. There is a large bottle resting in the central console, and there are a few more, smaller objects scattered on the passenger seat, one of which could be a handgun.

Mato makes sure he's running silently in case anyone is sweeping for signals. Of course, anyone actively searching for hidden signals won't be fooled.

<<Two Kanmushis sitting on the walls>> he reports to the others. <<Someone is on the lookout.>>

<<There's a person sitting in the Phoenix, probably an elf or a skinny human. They're not moving and they have something that might be a cyberdeck or an RCC in their lap. It could be a hacker or a rigger on overwatch.>>

<<AM, does any mojo work? Can you get eyes inside the car while I sweep the house?>>

Mato circles around the garage to get closer to what remains of the house so that he can sweep it with his radar sensors.

Bobby took his eyes from the astral and readied himself to come to Mato's aid should it be necessary.

<<We probably should also look out for a bio-monitor - AM needs to spoof it, before you take out the decker - or we lose whatever surprise we can manage.
I'll go out in rat form - those shouldn't be too uncommon in this area.>>

He knew well enough, that a magic form would slow him down in this environment, but for scouting, it would hopefully be enough - and if it came down to it, he was fully prepared to turn someone else into a sloth, despite the magical interference.



Very carefully, he made his way from cover to cover between the debris, following the path that Mato had taken

"Barely... Could see obvious things but not much more." I say, and then I try to force it somehow despite my meager talent feeling completely suffocated by the background count. I then check to identify the relevant devices in case Bobby gets violent with the -- lets call them decker until proven otherwise.

While Tamarind is waiting in the car, and Mato and Bobby stay away from the drones to explore the rest of the house, what is left of it, anyways, AM takes a peek into the car. Even though her magic is hindered quite a lot, it's enough to see the man sitting in the driver's seat. A tall, lanky fellow, who really should work out more. He has short, brown hair and gives off an eastern european vibe. The man is wearing blue jeans, a black sweater, and a pretty worn armor jacket. Being familiar with the state, even though she does not usually watch herself in it, AM is fairly certain that he is jacked into full VR. The device on his lap is a Hermes Chariot cyberdeck. The other stuff in the car looks like a pile of junk food and a water bottle, as well as a Cavalier Safeguard taser.

The house does not hold much of interest. A ruin like most of the buildings around here, that seems completely deserted.

I report my finding to the team and then make conversation hoping to come out with a choerent plan. "So what is the plan? Do you want to subdue the decker and figure it out? He has a better deck than our, so hacking him is a bit difficult, given that Iktomi can't help me out in here."

Once Bobby had reached Mato, he sent him a quick mental communication, after touching his aura

'You break open that car so I can see in, and I'll turn the decker into something harmless. We collect them, bring them somewhere without matrix coverage and question them. In and out at max speed. Let me climb on your shoulder.'

Mato can't remember if the voices in his head go both ways, so he nods once to Bobby.

Once Bobby is perched on his shoulder, he gets into position to pounce. He takes a few steps his skimmers to accelerate before slamming his cyberfist into the window next to the inert man.

He spares a thought to wonder if Bobby can stay attached to his shoulder during both a rapid acceleration and deceleration.

Relying on speed and strength, Mato rushes in quickly to deliver the blow to the car's window. He knows quite well, that the Kanmushi's will alert the decker, and if he is actively monitoring them, he might even see the approaching ork for himself.

There's a split second, where he is wondering, whether they might have missed something and whether the guy will be able to do something unexpected.

Then he is next to the car and the window shatters under his cybernetic fist.

Bobby's little rat claws dug into Matt's jacket, but the sudden deceleration nearly made him lose his grip anyways.
The adrenaline certainly had it's use as his spell went off:
Unrestrained mana flowed into the hacker, overwhelming his bodies morphic inertia and turned him into a small turtle.
Bobby jumped of Mato into the car and returned to his normal form:
"I collect the stuff in here. Go and get those drones and shut them off."

Bobby bundled up the clothes and gear and hurried back to their ride.

I clap my hands when the two heroes return. "Wow... you guys are brutal." My eyes are curious about the cyberdeck and its possible secrets.

Mato goes to retrieve the Kanmushi. Not knowing much about drones, he's uncertain whether there's a simple on/off switch or if that has to be done via wireless.

If he can't figure out how to power them down, he'll fry them with his shock hand.

Once back in the car and in his pants, Bobby began to sift through the bundle of clothes and whatever else was in the hacker's pockets, handing the deck to AM.
"If this guy is working for the black cats, we probably should screen his deck for location data - especially now while he can't complain or do anything about your hacking.
Because it seems as if our principal is in another castle."

Apart from the Hermes Chariot and the Cavalier Safeguard, and an assortment of junk food, the decker also has six additional taser darts, a Transys Avalon commlink with an attached sim module, a pair of AR gloves, a satellite link, and a dozen stealth tags.

"A Cavalier Safeguard?" Mato says, disappointed. He turns to the turtle. "What are you going to do, tickle me?"

A thought occurs to him.

<<He can still hear us and see us, right?>> Mato asks via comm. <<Or did we fry his brain with dumpshock?>>

<<Don't use names, or stay on comms. Do we have anything to cover his eyes?>>

Mato sweeps through the car, making sure the glove compartment and the trunk have been thoroughly pilfered. He checks under the seats too.

<<I'm going to check the house real quick>> he tells the others. <<Nobody is there now but I want to see if there are any signs of recent occupation.>>

He goes off to do so. His approach is still stealthy and cautious; there's a loud voice in the back of his head that's telling him that a group of competent Awakened runners could have spells that would defeat his sensors, so not everything may not be what it seems.

Bobby replied:
<<Don't worry - turtles are nearly deaf compared to humans, only understanding very low frequencies. Keeping his face obscured will be enough to protect us.
I can mind link us for an interrogation.

Mateo, can you search also the rest of the car before we go? Don't want to leave and the victim lies tied up in the smuggling compartment.>>

There is noone else in the car. The trunk has the usual assortment of stuff you expect to find there, some blankets, tools, a medkit (R3). There is a full electronics/hardware kit in there, but nothing else of note.

Mato takes out the medkit and the electronics/hardware kit. He puts them on top of the Phoenix.

Then he goes to check out the house to see if it has been recently occupied. His approach is still stealthy and cautious; there's a loud voice in the back of his head that's telling him that a group of competent Awakened runners could have spells that would defeat his sensors, so not everything may not be what it seems.

I lean into hot simulation and begin milking the deck for secrets. Trusting the guys to keep me safe.

Mato can only find one trace of anyone having been in the house (or what is left of it) recently. That was very likely the decker himself, who relieved himself there a while ago.

AM finds the cyberdeck locked, after its user suddenly disappeared. She will have to find a way to gain access, most likely by hacking the device.

When Mateo returned and reported his findings, Bobby said over chat:

<<Let's move out of here - once the BGC is back to normal, it will be easier for us to interrogate and crack the deck.
I'm pretty sure I can threaten the decker enough to tell us where we can find the hostage.>>

On his way back from the house, Mato grabs the medkit and the electronics/hardware kit off the top of the Phoenix. He also grabs the decker's clothes. Once he's back in the Gopher, he runs his tag eraser over everything to eliminate any tracking devices. He checks the clothes for a biomonitor or anything like that.

<<Here, present for you>> he tells Tamarind, handing over the kits and the Kanmushis.

<<Nothing>> he reports about the contents of the house. <<No evidence of occupation other than maybe the decker.>>

<<The decker may not know where the Belenkiy is. If this gronk is an independent contractor - and flying out here solo on his own - then he may not be privy to the insider details. But, sure, let's ask.>>

When the team had finally left the horrible zone, Bobby waited until AM had set up her equipment and spells to hack the commlink and the deck.

After that he began to interrogate the little turtle:

'Hello hacker. You are currently a very vulnerable reptile. All your implants are suppressed and your equipment was seized by us.
Before you there are two options:

Option 1: You cooperate to the fullest of your ability. We have magic to ascertain if you are saying the truth. If you cooperate, we'll set you free, return your clothes and leave you and your loved ones alone. Clean and easy.

Option 2: You do not cooperate, you try to lie or mislead us in an ill fated attempt to shield your employers. In that case I'll ensure this spell is permanent and you contract scale rot - a heartbreakingly horrible disease for little turtles like you. Within a month, you'll lose most of your exposed skin, until your shell begins to break. Meanwhile we'll have to dive into your equipment and seize your contact data. Your encryption might be good, but we have time and a superb hacker of our own. Once we are done with that, we'll one by one visit your contacts, friends or - if you have them - loved ones and start extracting information from them. Only this time, knives will be involved.

Your choice.

Tell us everything you know about the abduction - preferably starting with where you have stashed the hostage.'

I begin working my matrix magic on the deck, hacking it and snooping around.

AM is able to put one Mark on the cyberdeck.




Meanwhile, Bobby is able to communicate with the decker. Whether it is through the threats, or the realization that there is rather little he can do to get away other than talk his way out of the situation, the decker does seem willing to comply.

"Okay, okay. I will help you. But I don't know much. I know of the abduction, but I have no idea where they took him. I have had no part in this."

Bobby replied:

'Don't underestimate your role. You made the team and the car vanish from all the cameras - and you were keeping an eye on the bar - why by the way?
Give us everything you have on them: Where did you meet up, where did you separate, what vehicle were they driving and how did you get in contact. Give us all their commlink contacts you have - even those of the burner ones.

We are quite frankly not in the mood to play games. Spill.'

"I did no such thing. As I said, I am not part of this. Okay, I did hack into the system of the ranch, and while I was there, the abduction happened. It is all one big coincidence. There wasn't a whole lot to see, though. I believe they were invisible to the cameras."

"Are you the people that were hired later, then? To find them? The two ladies, the ork, and that other guy?"

"I cannot give you much on the crew that did the abduction. I do not work with them. I'm telling the truth. You know that, right? You can tell with your magic."

"I did look into it a bit deeper, afterwards, and I managed to figure out who they are by now. At least, I am pretty certain. I don't have any proof, or anything like that. There is this crew that calls themselves The Black Cats. They are the only ones that make sense for this, unless outside talent is involved, but I don't think so. Once you have that name, it is pretty easy to find out about the Hardpan. I was keeping tabs on that bar, to see if one of them surfaces, surely someone would be interested in that kind of information, but no luck so far."