After learning about the link, she makes an effort to trace the link and access its geolocation functionality.

Mato doesn't seem to have any ego wrapped up in the competition or its adverse result. He responds matter-of-factly.

"With throwing blades, yeah, I'll drill a flea's ass mid-hop. But not with darts, which I've hardly ever used. Give me some practice though and, sure, I'll nail a mosquito to the wall.

"Darts aren't heavy enough," he continues unnecessarily. "I like to feel the weight of something. Makes it feel solid, real. Darts are these dainty little things. I need mass."

Tamarind is happy to have Mato back in the truck. Better than watching over AM's unconscious body on her own, and it was probably best not to go into the bar now that she thinks about it -- it is the sort of place where she could run into someone she used to know. For that matter, she could have come here at some point and not even remembered it.

About the darts she comments "Losing a close game like that is generally a good way to make yourself liked. A perfect outcome if you are trying to hang around and gather info. Not really what this visit was about, but I'd still call it the perfect outcome in the circumstances."

Working on the commlink, AM manages to mark it enough to begin the trace. The physical location of the commlink is not too far away, actually.

Just about one kilometer, and getting closer. It is coming to you.

"Shame, seems like they actually want to meet us. Once they arrive, someone should place a stealth tag on their ride. Makes us less dependent on hacking their devices."

Bobby considered for a moment then nodded.
"We need to listen in on their chat with their fixer. A sneaky drone would probably be best for that as I imagine powerful spellcasters will check the astral."

Praise the trickster! At least we didn't get caught. she says dryly clearly not amused that all this sophisticated hacking with nothing to show for but when you follow Iktomi, perhaps it is good to feel like a joke. We could probably try it later...

Mato slaps his knees.

"Right then," he says. "I'll go pretend like I just stepped outside for a minute.

"Bobby, if you're going to go undercover, do you want to do your Mind Link to stay in contact with us? Maybe with Tamarind, since she'll be less visible.

"AM, you okay on point? Let me know if you want me to join you. Otherwise I'll stay on overwatch."

Once the plan is set, Mato gets out of the Gopher and goes back inside to take his place at Cassy's table, hopefully with an angle to watch Susan out the corner of his eye.

Bobby shook his head: "Mindlink has limited reach - we are talking a few meters. I'll take a stealth tag with me and activate it when you should pick me up.
Otherwise, sounds like a plan - be careful when you talk about Razak. Make it clear we aren't circumventing their fixer - more that it's a networking opportunity.
You'll also have to admit that we weren't perfectly honest earlier."

"I'll do my best." She says

AM orders something to drink and wait for her meeting at one of the tables.

"Still around?" Cassy says, as Mato joins them after all. "Sorry! But your bottle already half done."

Susan puts AM's ordered drink on the table, as the roar of a motorcycle can be heard getting closer. "That could be Kyra. Where's your friend, Bobby? He seemed most eager to get in touch. No promises, though. Not sure how much time they got at the moment."

"Lets see if he is still around... He did seem eager." AM tells Susan as she texts Bobby >> they are almost here. She adds "Thanks for reaching out to them...

Bobby was in the process of getting out of his pants when AM sent the message: <<I'm getting ready. If they ask where I am, I just got an important call that I had to follow up on - setting up our livelihood in this area.>>

Tamarind launches one Flying Eye to hover up in the darkness and keep an down on the parking lot, then gather the input from that and the truck's sensors and packages it together on the team channel so that the others can see what is happening outside. When she has a clear window she'll go try planting a bug.

"Yup, back," Mato tells Cassy. "Don't worry about the bottle; I was well aware of the risk."

His ears perk up at the roar of the motorcycle, but he tries to keep a poker face. He decides to keep the table distracted with small talk.

"You all work at Apex Plasmids?" he asks. "I grew up in a Wind River family. Do you ever get used to the smell, or not really?"

It's potentially unwise to be revealing personal details, but Mato figures that it's worth the risk to build some camaraderie. He trusts that anyone working for Apex will know of Wind River Corporation, which became the largest corporate agricultural producer in North America after Horizon bought it in 2068.

Mato looks over at the large "No Smoking" sign that hangs behind the bar counter. Next to it, there are a number of pictures on the wall, all of them depicting faces that are clearly bruised or beaten.

"Who are they?" he asks. "Is that a Wall of Fame or a Wall of Shame?"

"You were a good sport, it's only fair that we get you a fresh one." The guys nod and Cassy orders one more bottle that gets delivered promptly.

They tell Mato that they are all co-workers at Apex, indeed. The question about the smell does elicit some laughter and a lot of head shaking. No, definitely not. But you just have to tolerate it. You gotta earn those Nuyen somehow, right?

When he asks about the beaten up images on the wall, Cassy says: "Not much fame to be had there, that's for sure. Let's just say, some people don't know how to behave. And we don't like that very much here."

Now, asking all those questions, it's just natural that some come back at him. "So, you do not work at Wind River then? What do you do for a living?"



Tamarind's drone is the first to notice the bike closing in. It's a black and red Yamaha Rapier. A single driver is riding the bike, female, with a slender figure, which could fit the images you have seen before. Clad in black biking leather and with a helmet there is not much else to see. The drone's sensors also pick up a bit of residual heat on the back of the seat, probably from a passenger, who must have been there not too long ago.

The motorcycle slows down and enters the parking area, where it comes to a stop. The woman dismounts and takes off the helmet, hanging it on one of the bike's handles for now. You can hear some clicking and clacking as the bike's automated locking mechanisms do their thing. She is amerindian, tall and fit, attractive features. Her dark hair is styled in a french braid. She looks around, and you are fairly sure that her eyes linger on the Gopher for a moment, before she picks up her helmet and gets inside, heading straight for the bar.

Bobby watched with interest as the bike arrived. This would complicate things for him as a stow away. Still, he turned into red squirrel, stashing a stealth chip in his cheek. When the lady was out of sight, he made sure his aura was showing only a harmless squirrel and made his way over to the bike - zigzagging like a real squirrel would, before carefully closing in on the motorcycle.
Sniffing a bit at the bike, he jumped up on the seat, posing as if he was grooming himself. Just before he jumped off again, he slit the chip into the seat cushion. Afterwards he quickly ran off so he wouldn't arouse suspicion.

AM is mildly aware of the happening from the group feed, but she does nothing but keep waiting. "Praise Iktomi for keeping my life interesting!" she says quietly as the adrenaline kicks in.

"I don't work at Wind River, no," Mato admits. "I saw what it did to my parents. It broke them in ways I didn't want to be broken. I think they saw it as the price of life, but I wanted to go a different way.

"I'm in security consulting and risk assessment. Surveillance, research, and analysis, that sort of thing. Freelance. Clients can still yank your chain now and then, but there's no long-term boss putting your neck in a noose." All reasonably true, but also appropriately vague. Hopefully it will side-step any negative connotations about being a private detective.

Mato nods to Cassy's explanation for the wall of shame. "Any good stories?" he asks about the bruised and beaten. "Any of them particularly deserving?"

Tamarind does some inspection of the matrix, to make certain that the biker didn't leave behind a drone of her own to monitor the parking lot. Then she leaves Bobby to his work -- if he can't manage it, she'll try something of her own.

matrix perception in parking lot: 12d6t5 4

"Oohh, fancy! Yeah, we do not really have a whole lot of options out here, so it is what it is. Work is tough, but it pays the bills. And more importantly... the beers."

"As for the wall... you don't end up there, if you did not deserve it. So, yeah, every one of them had it coming as far as I know."



While Bobby squirrels his way towards the bike to put a tag on it, Tamarind cannot find any traces of other drones in the area.



Kyra talks to Susan, and AM can see the head of the barkeeper / owner pointing to her table while they speak, and also over to Mato at the other table. Observant as he is, Mato also notices the same.

She turns around and heads over to AM, looking her over.

"Damn! And people think, I'm tall. You might even give Jen a run for her money. Hi, I'm Kyra. Susan told me that you and your friends are, uhm, quite some fans? You are lucky, that I was in the area. Wanna tell me what this is all about?"

She sits down across AM at the table, smiling confidently.

“I am AM, short for Amy Maka. Sioux Shaman and decker.” She smiles a shy smile when they made the height comment not entirely comfortable with the attention her new physique gives her. When they mention their group being interested she says in a conspiratorial smile "the most impatient member of our teem seemed to be more impressed than he should... I think you have a fan. "

Then she bites her lower lip feeling obligated to get to buissness rather than just chat “As for me... I figured I might want this introduction... I have indirectly run into your team, or at least its reputation... it seems like you are missing a decker. Not many shadow runners operate it so I figured you might want to know I am in town for a while if you'll have anything that requires a decker."
She looks around as if expecting Bobby to join though she suspects he is already a cockroach or something on their ride. "There is also a favor I was asked to deliver, our benefactor. ex- SDF... he was curious about you when we submitted a report. His name is Captain Razak, if you think it is worth your time I can set up an introduction. Perhaps you would click. “

"Hello, AM. You probably know my name, already. Nevertheless, I'm Kyra."

She gives you a friendly smile. But, of course, you know that she is a face and it could all just be a facade.

"I don't know what you heard, but we are not typically working with others, especially folks we do not know well. We work extremely well together, and we are not going to jeopardize that. We need trust."

Her tone does change a little bit as she continues.

"And speaking of trust, help me out here, you seem like a smart girl. Would you trust this? This whole thing. You come in here, three of you, asking for us, specifically. Then it's just you, and the rest is sitting over there, or outside in that truck of yours together with your driver. Why are they not here with you? I mean, I have a pretty good idea now. Especially, after that shapechanging friend of yours ended up squirelling his way towards my bike outside. That wouldn't strike you as odd? Neat trick, though, I will give you that."

AM is wondering, how Kyra can even know this part. Surely, she cannot have seen it. Someone else must have been watching them. Probably before Kyra arrived even. Very likely, this would be their shaman, Lena, since she would have the means to see inside the truck. Maybe astrally, or maybe with some kind of detection spell.

"The reason I am here is to figure out what this is all about. At first, it didn't even seem so weird. A bit unusual, sure. But now that I am here, there's just this bunch of red flags. Surely, you agree. So would you extend me the courtesy and tell me what is going on for real? As of now, nothing has happened, right? I would hope that we can keep it that way. Maybe then we can also talk about that benefactor of yours."

That warm seat on the motorcycle -- dropped someone off nearby? Or someone is invisible? They have lots of magic, so I'm thinking the latter. And that is fine. Well, it makes me envious, but sure, if you have magic then use it. And we are being paranoid, why shouldn't they? Still, it would be great to know if someone is standing next to the truck, waiting to blow it up. I guess I should probably check for such things.


She reaches out to Uncle, and had it turn on its ultrasound sensor, and fly back towards the truck, circle it, and start running a search pattern between the truck, the motorbike, and the bar, looking for the characteristic 'weak pings where there should be nothing at all' that is suggestive of someone operating under an invisibility (but not silence) spell.

AM lets out a breath—relieved, not that Bobby got caught, but that Kyra actually asked.
She rolls her eyes, more at the situation than the people. “My crew’s... a little eccentric. Tamarind, the one in the van, she’s got social anxiety. Prefers drones to people. Then there’s Bobby, the shapeshifter. He got very powerful magically and his paranoia grew with his might. I like the guy, his heart’s in the right place, but he is exhausting. She says truthfully letting out some air relieved to say it out aloud.

And Mato... he plays the strong silent protector, even though I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, and I may be naive but I don't feel the danger. These people are much to stomach, but don't make more to it then there is. Just a bunch of misfits each pushing the boat in a different direction. I talk to you because I... AM wants to talk to you they are just being impossible.”

She sighs, pushing past her hesitation. “Trust has to start somewhere, right? So let’s do this properly.”
Another pause, then she just rips the bandage off.
“When you extracted Mr. Belenkiy... we were hired to get him back. Not by Ares, but by the farm’s owner. Some disgruntled employee saw the whole thing, then tried to ransom the farm—half a million nuyen, or he'd ruin their reputation. Our job was to track him down, figure out what was really going on.”
She reaches into the plastic bag in her purse “This feather... I think it’s yours. You left it at the scene. Opened you to ritual tracking... Didn’t work, but still— a bit sloppy to leave behind.”

She softens slightly, more explanation than accusation. “Thing is, we’re getting paid because we found the decker who posted the ransom. No payout, no PR disaster, everything stays quiet. That’s all our client wanted.”
Another sigh—third now. She’s building up to something.
“I told Bobby to let it go. Told him that if you had were still entangled with the extraction, you wouldn’t be here meeting with us. I mean, if I had to babysit Belenkiy before a dropoff, I wouldn't have come to meet myself. I'd crawl under my rock and wait for him to be gone, especially with a megacorp that might be looking. So I figured it was a done deal—and I reached out because I wanted to offer something.”

Her gaze flicks down, lips pressing together before she bites the lower one, just for a second.
“Our benefactor, Captain Razak... he offered us a commission if we could arrange a meeting with you. We saw what you gals can pull off when we revisited the security cameras in the area. Good magical execution, but your decker was sloppy and just hacked the farm ignoring the other cameras that were not slaved to their host. Anyhow, we told Razak about you, and he was impressed with what we had to tell him. So in a way—you crossed our path, left a mark, and in return got a recommendation. And Razak... he’s done right by us. We trust him... I don't think there is any damage in meeting the guy, worst case you don't click.”

She shifts in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. This isn’t easy for her to market her own skills.
“And look, when the dust settles on this specific job, we’ll all go back to normal... And I’ll still be me. Still a damn good decker, and perhaps the kind of person you'll mesh well with. No hidden agendas other than self promotion. I genuinely think you’ll benefit from having my number around. Keep your options open for the next time you need tech work. I don't know if anything good would come out of it given your justified suspicion, but I did want this introduction for myself. I didn't expect to have my entire crew trying to get involved in a simple networking attempt and making it awkward... but well... they have done worse in the past.”

Kyra listens carefully, as AM explains the situation. When the ransom gets mentioned, she can even see a bit of surprise in her eyes.

Here and there, she nods acknowledgingly. At other times, she shakes her head slightly. A little more vigorously when that decker is mentioned.

As AM produces the feather, Kyra shrugs. "Some say it's sloppy. Some say it's bold. You can keep the feather. I can always get more."

She leans back a little, a bit more relaxed than before.

"Alright. I think, I can believe you. And you do happen to know a few things, that much is clear. A few things you got wrong, though. We had noone covering the Matrix for us. There was no need for it. Whoever did that, was not on our team. Maybe that ransom guy? What is up with that, anyways? Did he really put a ransom on someone, we took from the ranch? The nerve of some people."

"So, you are no longer looking for the suit? Not sure, I fully believe that part, so allow me to let you in on a little secret here."

She leans over, conspiratorially and continues in a hushed tone.

"I am not going to tell you exactly what our job was, but I can promise you this much... Belenkiy is being returned to the ranch in a few days, unharmed."

Settling back into her chair, she says: "We know Captain Razak. Well, not personally, but one of us has crossed his path briefly in the past. I guess, there is no harm in listening to what he has to say. How do you propose we get in touch?"



Outside, Uncle returns to the parking lot, scanning the area around the vehicles and the bar, but does not find any other persons hiding there.

Thanks for the feather then... what is it used for? I cracked my head about that for a while.

She asks, when she mentioned they didn't have trix support You had no trix backing, but the decker covered your tracks to make sure nobody discovers his bluff. It fits, and he missed the other cameras because he didn't actually have boots on the ground. All in all, dude did us both a favor. Had we found Belenkiy, it would have ended badly for one of the groups. This way there was no violence, and everyone walk home with a coin in their pocket.

Bold and stupid, but well he was trying to make half a mil in a scum which is kind of epic had it worked, especially if you return him to the ranch. Speaking about a Counting Coup, to take and return him like that... impressive power play.

Oh... and thanks for meeting Captain Razak, Shall I forward him your number or should we go through Susan?

Bobby had taken position on top of the bar, looking around for anyone noticing him placing the bug, before heading back to the car

Looking around astrally from his hiding spot on the roof, Bobby does not see anything out of the ordinary at first.

But then an astral form emerges from the Gopher. A projecting magician, clearly awakened. A woman, most likely the shaman of the Black Cats. She floats a bit higher and looks around.

A closer look reveals no intrusive cyberware, Essence as full as his own. Magic not quite as high. Healthy, calm. No visible spells or foci.



Inside the Hardpan, Kyra mostly nods to AM's words.

"Oh, where is the fun in just telling you that," she says about the feather, smirking slightly.

"Yeah, through Susan is good. Don't want to circumvent her. She's a good friend."

She pushes her chair back a bit, ready to get up.

"I guess, we are good then. It was nice meeting you this way. No hard feelings, I hope."

Her arm reaches out, extending a hand.

AM accepts the hand and shakes Kyra's hand. "It was fun... thanks for not losing your mind with my impossible crew."

Bobby saw the astral form emerge from the car and was immediately alarmed. It should not be possible for a mage to interact with the mundane world from there, but who knew what had happened to Tamarind. As fast as his squirrel legs could carry him, he ran back.

AM texts the team the highlights of her conversation with Kyra. 1. They return our guy unharmed to the farm in a few days, and 2. They agreed to meet Razak.

Bobby makes it back to the truck and finds Tamarind still in the driver's seat, monitoring the surroundings with her drones. She has not noticed anything about astral visitors.

Assuming, Kyra told the truth, there does not seem to be much else to do, but report back to Falcone, maybe wait a few days for things to settle down and work themselves out, and collect your payment.

After a quick retransformation, Bobby grabbed his trode patch and informed the team while he put on pants: <<We just got made - an astral projecting mage just exited the gopher - doesn't seem to have done anything that I can see. I'm coming in as backup.>>

AM updates Bobby with the talk to Kyra. "Its okay no need to track them. "

Bobby listened to the short report and replied: <<You are too trusting - we need a life sign from Belenky. I'll personally take her from her bike if we don't get an assurance that he'll be back unharmed.>>

>> Just back off, at least for now. We got caught with our hand in the cookie jar. Their mage caught you hiding on the bike, Kyra confronted me about it. I had to spin it out that you guys are crazy to get her to continue the conversation. They have no decker, magic tricks won't work but tracing a link might if you really want to burn that bridge.

Bobby replied: <<Alright, I'll leave it to your judgement - but if Belenky turns up dead or not at all, it's on you.>>

Made by magic, of course. We should have thought of that. Ah well.

I wonder if I should go inside? I could get a drink and meet some people? But possibly some of these I knew from past lives I don't want to dredge up. Heck, the 'Cats could have run with or against the smuggling enterprise I worked with.

But a beer would be good at this point.

... and that is really why I can't go in there. When did I start thinking that grabbing a drink was something that was OK for me to do? I've been down this path, one never feels like enough. Better to stay out here, out of temptation.

With a sigh, Tamarind messaged AM >>Anything in particular I should be doing? Going in? Staying here? Calling in our drones? Or just stay chill for now?<<

she texts Tamarind >> conversation is over. Kyra says they are going to release Belenky in a few days. We can either take their word for it or plan a trid shtick. I tend to be on the careful side, trusting Kyra on that one while Bobby does as Bobby does... So you can go either way... take a drone and do the spy thingy or let go and have a game of darts or pool, or Iktomi willing... a drink.

she sighs and texts Bobby >>Yeah, I can feel you. We can play it either way, the Trickster is strong on this decision. I tend to err on the side of caution, we get on Razak's good side for the introduction. If they do as they said then we'll get paid even more... So it feels to me like a good place to quit while we're ahead... but Kyra did sort of admitted they still have him, and if you managed to stay hidden... I would have played the cards differently.

Mato is a little surprised with AM laying out her cards like that but he's not one to be a backseat driver.

<<Come now>> he chides Bobby when he tries to put undue responsibility on AM for Belenky's fate. <<You know as well as I do decisions made in real time are never perfect. Don't second guess an operation, especially one that we specifically delegated to AM because she's the one with social graces. We all share responsibility for the outcome.>>

<<I don't know why we're worried about Belenky being dead. If he's dead, he's already dead. There's no need to sit on him for two days, then kill him. Nothing we can do about that at this point. We weren't hired to go on a spree of vengeance.>>

He sits and thinks about Belenky being returned unharmed.

<<So did Belenky extract himself?>> he texts, bringing up his pet theory. <<He seemed ready for it. Maybe he needed to duck out of an undesired responsibility? Or, who knows, maybe being extracted is worth social standing in corporate circles these days. Maybe Belenky did it to show how brave he was in the face of adversity, build up his cred.>>

That would be devious, he thinks to himself. I wouldn't even be mad about that.

Bobby replied to Mato: <<No, if he was dead, the other team wouldn't have to stall. Information extraction can take a few days to verify information. For all we know, he could be in the process of being tortured or mind probed right now.
And as I said, I'll let AM make the call - but if she doesn't press for a life sign, it's her decision. We are still dealing with an abduction here - voluntary or not, you never know if the people behind it actually want the meat or just the data.>>

<<I am not entirely up-to-speed on all the particulars of mind probes>> Mato begins, somewhat dryly. <<But I would think that a group with such potent Awakened capabilities would tear right through a man's psyche. Ritual magic would almost guarantee it, no?>>

<<Yes, verification could take a while, especially if they don't have proper Matrix support, but that doesn't mean they would sit on him in the meantime. If something doesn't check out, what are they going to do? Probe him again? Would the results be any different?>>

<<The way I see it, we can fight and make a big scene for no certain reward. Or, we can sit and wait for no certain reward.>>

Bobby replied: <<We just don't know - that's the point of verification. And we don't need to fight - we just don't have to appear as a pushover. That's what negotiations are about after all.>>

AM sighs and tries to explain to avoid having the entire thing disolves into a pissing contest of who is more paranoid or responsible or whatnot. She texts, and curses herself as she mentally type. >>> The reason I did not ask for any reassurance, is because I never admitted to be directly interested in Belenkiy. I told them we came to do a job for the ransome note, we found the decker job is over. We encountered them going through the files and as we were pulling straws as to how to find them, Razak was intrigued professionally so we agreed to set up an introduction. Whatever she told me about Belenkiy it was voluntary without me asking about him. So Ahm... I can't suddenly be interested in him and demand things.

I used my verbal gymnastics to get her to keep talking to me after catching Bobby hiding, Tamarind in the truck as if playing overwatch and Mato pretending to be interested in darts. Whatever you guys had in mind, Kyra saw it as very suspicious. If you really want to go there and start poking them around, I can trace their commlink again, as long as Iktomi smiles on me... and a spy drone if Tam has any would be harder to spot than a magical cockroach... but if I had to gamble, I'd just take her word that they are not there to murder Belenkiy... and saying they'll return him out of the blue it is an odd thing to just toss around.

We have to make a choice with a very real possibility of making fool of ourselves regardless of what we choose. Consider yourself Lucky to have Iktomi's attention in this particular manner.

<<Understood - you are on the ground and I'm not, so we'll see how it shakes out. The stealth chip is in place. No idea if they'll find it though.>>

Bobby replied.

<<Tuesday Evening - 21:32 - May 16, 2079 - Hardpan, Thornton, Denver>>

After a little back and forth, you decide to put some trust into what AM was told by Kyra. The Black Cats didn't have to come here, after all. If they suspected that you were after them, and why wouldn't they at least consider the possibility, their behavior clearly showed that they have been vigilant and covered their bases, it would have been easier and far less risky to just not be there.

The alternative would likely get messy, too. So, why take those chances? You secured half your paycheck, already. And there is a decent chance that you will get the second half as well. Plus, there is the deal with Razak, and it's surely a good thing to get him what he wanted. Going after the Black Cats now would very likely mess that part up.

So, you say your good-byes after a while, to Kyra, Susan, and also Cassy and her crew.

Kyra goes back to her bike and drives off. If you follow the tag, you can see her stopping about a kilometer or so away. A moment later, the tag goes dark. Cross-referencing with a map of the area you notice that it's a little elevated and a great place to put a sniper watching the parking lot.

For you, it's time to head back to Falcone's ranch.


<<Tuesday Evening - 22:22 - May 16, 2079 - Horse Trot Ranch, Brighton, Denver>>

When you return, Hafiz and Falcone are there, eager to hear what you have learned.

Bobby looked at his team mates with a questioning look, shrugged and gave a compact but accurate report about what they found out about the black cats and their abductee.

Tamarind has only two comments on the way back to the ranch.

"I think we can start calling this an 'extraction' rather than an 'abduction.' Probably should make that clear to our employers, too. Lowers the temperature on recovery in some ways."

And later: "Their remote work is good, they have a good understanding of what each other is doing, without needing to check, speaks to their experience together and the work they've put into executing as a team. Not that our job requires the same generally, but it is maybe something we can think about more, having communication plans and 'do thing A until-slash-if Trigger-1 happens, then do thing B.' Just some some simple planning and communication would probably make us more effective."

"Briefly, we identified the shadowrunner team that extracted Belenkiy, we met with them and asked them about it. They admitted to extracting him and to having him, but also told that he'll be back at your ranch in a few days.

We had a short debate about our action, and decided to avoid escalating it further since we have no evidence that Belenkiy is in danger. When we took the job we thought he was in serious harm, now it looks like some extraction or a power play, and we are not sure mr. Falcone would like to meddle in it, and put Belenkiy in danger with an extraction he might not need. We felt like this is the path that reflect your position the best, regardless of our compensation."

Mato still can't believe he got out of the Hardpan without a bar brawl. Dare he say it, the locals were even nice. Maybe that's because Mato had the right look: a blue-collar Sioux.

His mind plays through various bar brawl scenarios. He would cover up with his cyberarms, rewarding any punches to his head with a hard greeting. Brawlers don't always know how to pace themselves; after a bunch of punching, they're often gassed, gasping for breath, ripe for the picking. But of course Mato can't just smash; a strike from his cyberfist would crack a skull, put someone in a coma or underground. No, he'd have to be more moderate: grappling, joint locks, submissions, and throws. Maybe toss someone through a window - that was a classic - although it generally sliced them up pretty badly. He'd be on the lookout for broken bottles trying to shank his ribs, or pool cues swung at his head, maybe someone would break a chair across his back. Judo, jiu jitsu, maybe some aikido, that would do it.

Mato snaps out of his daydream, returning to the present and the discussion at hand. He nods to what AM said.

"The Cats are exceedingly competent. In our professional opinion, given their expertise, reverse-extracting Belenkiy would pose equal - if not greater - risks to letting this play out. There's a reason why hostage negotiators would rather talk things through rather than resolve matters with a shootout. If the abductor says they will release the hostage, and there's a plausible chance of it being true, and no confirmed threat, then you let it play."