Saturday 9/10/2060, Location:51.50211, -126.14977, Time 19:54

Kai adjusted his position, his feet crunching on the fresh snow as he made sure he was stable, before his mischievous nature got the better of him.

"What's up, Doc?" he muttered, quietly. Just because he was a paragon of chaos didn't mean he had to be obvious about it. "Greetings, we're back!" he continued, much louder.

"Yes. Yes, you are." The voice in their head was dry, and he couldn't tell if she'd heard him or not with the first comment. Oh well…

"We got you three solid deckers that should serve your needs!"

"Indeed. All three of them have been in touch with my agents, and have been tasked with some basic jobs. I am pleased."

"Good – if you're happy, we're happy."

"So – how go your preparations for travelling back to defeat the Horror?"

"Ahh…" Kai's happy mood slipped a little and he took a breath to consider the situation. "We're actually going to have to do it soon. It turns out it's escaped from where we thought it was, and has actually made it's way over here. Well, not here, like right here, but this continent. And we have to go deal with it. So that's our plan."

"I think you need a better plan." Tads and Aswon nodded in agreement, and Kai glanced around unhappily.

"Yeah, I know. We just got a message to go meet someone on the 16th, and they would help us. All very mysterious."

"So where are you going?" There was a slight edge to the mental question, a sharpness - it wasn't an idle question, but one tinged with the edge of something.

"Sioux lands. Some road junction. Near some place called Wounded Knee. We've found a Sioux local that's coming with us to act as a local guide and help us out a little."

"Wounded Knee? The 16th? Hmmm." The rabbit stopped chewing and stared off into space, falling quiet for a good thirty seconds. Kai and the rest of the team stood waiting, feeling slightly uneasy.

"Confirm for me exactly where it is you're going. Be precise." It wasn't a question now, nor did it feel like a demand – more an instruction that she just expected to be carried out.

"Hunter, pull up the map and confirm the details of where we're going will you?" Kai called out.

"We're to head to the junction of Highway 18 and the Big Foot Trail, at co-ordinates 43.04697, -102.37747, on the 16th and meet a contact there, who will give us further instructions." Hunter called out over the comms, Kai relaying it to Ice Maiden.

"We can ask our guide to come out and discuss it with you if you wish. She's… not aware of your true nature. I'm not sure how she would react." Aswon offered.

"No – that's fine. But this doesn't feel like a co-incidence. Tell me – what do you know of the history of the area?"

"Nothing, really. I mean none of us are really history buffs. We've picked up little bits here and there of course, and some of us know stuff about specific bits of art, culture or military history. But not a great deal." Kai gestured to the rest of the team standing with him. "We're always open to learning new things, of course. Knowledge is always good."

"Well, this may take a while to tell. So… where to start. Let me see…" The huge rabbit scratched at her flank with a back leg while she pondered for a moment. "Well – first of all the timing seems to be bad. I don't believe in co-incidences. Not on a subject like this. The date and location are significant you see – it will be… just a moment, carry the 1, account for the leap year – yes – 170 years since the Massacre of Wounded Knee. And for you to be told to go to a place like that, on the anniversary of such a notable event – that does not bode well."

"Massacre of Wounded Knee? Sorry, never heard of it."

"That does not surprise me, Kai. It was not well recorded in the history books, and the reasons for the massacre have been clouded and obscured. You see, the Indians were performing the Ghost Dance - the FIRST Ghost Dance, with the Lakota Tribe being on the front lines of the negotiations with the encroaching US forces."

"The Ghost Dance? I thought that was after the magic came back, that's what formed the Native American Nations and killed the old United States, wasn't it?"

"That was the more successful Ghost Dance. But it was not the first. The original Ghost Dance was attempted much earlier, as I said – long before the mana had risen high enough to be really safe. But it might have worked – were it not for the intervention of enemy forces. Let me recall the facts – I want to make sure I'm getting this right."

"The U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by… Major Samuel M. Whitside, yes, that was his name, approached Spotted Elk's band of Miniconjou Lakota and thirty-eight Hunkpapa Lakota near Porcupine Butte and escorted them the eight kilometres westward to Wounded Knee Creek, where they made camp. The Europeans had gradually been pushing westward, displacing the Indians from their land and swallowing it up for their increasing numbers. Treaties had been made and broken a number of times, but in the face of increasing aggression, a new treaty had been proposed. The Lakota were due to hand over their weapons and demilitarise, in exchange for assurances of protection from the colonists."

"The remainder of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, led by Colonel James W. Forsyth, arrived and surrounded the encampment. The regiment was supported by a battery of four Hotchkiss mountain guns, set up on a ridge line and looking down upon the camp. At this time there were several hundred Lakota, most of the tribe, including their young and old were in the encampment, ready to hand over their firearms and agree to the terms of the peace treaty."

"The official records state that one Lakota refused to hand over his weapon when the time came, starting an argument that led to a scuffle. Some of the history texts that survived even go so far as to say the native was deaf and did not understand the terms, and the impatience of the 7th Cavalry officer led to the altercation. But all of the texts seem to agree on what happened next."

"According to 'official' records - by the time the massacre was over, more than two hundred and fity men, women and children of the Lakota had been killed and fifty-one were wounded – with some of the men and women and children dying later from their wounds. Some estimates placed the number of dead as high as three hundred. Twenty-five soldiers also died and thirty-nine were wounded, many of them from 'friendly' fire. You see, the Hotchkiss guns up on the ridge were turned upon the mostly unarmed crowd, opening fire with indiscriminate, heavy, and sustained raking fire down into the depression."

"Following the action, twenty soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. According to 'official' records as well, the massacre took place on December 29th – nearly all of the texts state that specifically, though they all trace back to the same source reports, so that is hardly surprising."

"It actually happened on the 17th October though, when the 7th Cavalry arrived to disrupt something they knew only as a "Ghost Dance". Army intelligence reported that spirit talkers, wisemen and elders had travelled from all over the lands of the Sioux, representing more than a dozen tribes to engage in some ritual to fortify their position and protect their lands from the white man. That was the reason the 7th Cav was sent in - and spent more than two months combing the countryside executing every man, woman and child they could find without mercy or quarter. The official story is the excuse that was circulated afterwards, the cover to protect the truth of what actually happened."

"The 7th already had a reputation you see, amongst the natives and the US army, after the fighting and obliteration of Custer and his men. General Custer was sent without support to a fight where he was grossly outnumbered and refused to back down, his reinforcements being distracted by events at Reno, and his forces were nearly annihilated. As a result the 7th Cavalry felt they had a score to settle with the natives. With their 'history', they attacked with zeal, never questioning the rightness of slaughtering babies and young children, women with child or old men. That was when they were cursed, with every drop of blood they spilt, the stain on their souls becoming darker and darker."

Ice Maiden's mental voice felt slightly different, somewhat strained and deliberate, as if she was trying very hard to be dispassionate about the subject and report only the facts, and not to reveal her true feelings. She also had a surety about her, a conviction about the subject matter that seemed to indicate that she was certain about the events and the history. Her speech was littered with little details and anecdotes, tiny descriptions of events or places, people or things that seemed to add veracity to her recollections. The team listened carefully, trying to remember as much of the story and detail as they could, assuming that at some point this would all become relevant to what was going on.

"The 7th became a cursed affair, their service marred with tales of evil. During the Philippine war of 1899-1902 for instance, reports were received from soldiers returning from the Philippines that, upon entering a village, American soldiers would ransack every house and church and rob the inhabitants of everything of value, while those who approached the battle line waving a flag of truce were fired upon and slain without mercy. One soldier sent back an account of the action." Ice Maiden closed her eyes and concentrated, and when she spoke again it was with a slightly different 'voice' as she relayed a passage of text word for word. "He said 'The town of Titatia was surrendered to us a few days ago, and two companies occupy the same. Last night one of our boys was found shot and his stomach cut open. Immediately orders were received from General Wheaton to burn the town and kill every native in sight; which was done to a finish. About a thousand men, women and children were reported killed.'"

"In the 1916-1917 Mexican Punitive Expedition, the 7th Cavalry were used to range far and wide across Mexico, hunting down troops to slaughter and torture for information on the location of Pancho Villa."

"Mexico? Is that what is now called Aztlan?" asked Aswon

"Yes, that is correct. Part of Texas was once land belonging to the Mexicans, and there has been conflict over it for hundreds of years." Ice Maiden confirmed. "Again, during that period the 7th Cavalry raided towns, villages and communities, slaughtering countless civilians and plundering the wealth of the natives."

Ice Maiden continued, describing a number of police actions and minor wars or border skirmishes, highlighting the role the 7th Cavalry had played and a number of atrocities that had taken place, many of which had been whitewashed by the 'official' history books, but which left enough loose ends or nonsensical details to make anyone who looked at the history objectively question the account.

"During the second world war, they were one of the few units to advance ahead of their operations schedule - capturing their objectives in Leyte Island before they were expected to due to "the vigour of the 7th Cavalry's advance" and the absence of any captured enemies or remaining non-combatants in the area. I will leave you to imagine what happened to the enemy forces and indigenous peoples that they happened to encounter during their advance."

"The battle for Antipolo was marked by bitter struggle in unforgiving terrain, and the 1st Cavalry Division was relieved by the 43rd Infantry Division on 12th March after finally capturing the ruined village. Out of the ninety-two Silver Stars awarded to men of the 1st Cavalry Division in their drive to Antipolo, the largest share went to men of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, with forty-one being awarded for their actions."

"For their massive headcount you mean?" Aswon added, somewhat bitterly. His experience with mercenary operations and some of the people he'd ended up facing, or worse, working alongside meant that he had an excellent understanding of what that kind of record probably meant.

"Indeed, Aswon. Unfortunately, this continues… During the Korean War, the 7th Cavalry, under the command of Colonel Cecil W. Nist, was the 8th Army reserve at Pohang, but when the 5th Cavalry to the north was attacked in great force, the 7th moved up to reinforce them on 25th July. Between 26th and 29th July, 7th Cavalry troopers were dug in astride the main highway a hundred miles southeast of Seoul, but were unprepared for the waves of refugees fleeing south. Commanders feared the refugee columns might harbour North Korean infiltrators, and orders came down to stop refugee movements, with gunfire if necessary. The troopers and officers of the 7th Cavalry opened fire on innocent civilians, mostly women and children, in the No Gun Ri massacre, slaying countless unarmed people fleeing the conflict."

"This history, this bloody and shameful tally, was all bought about by the curse placed upon them by the dying breaths of those Shaman, calling down the wrath of the Sioux peoples upon them, for their actions in the massacre of Wounded Knee."

"They were cursed by blood, their line marked with the deeds of their forebears. Powerful magic. The pattern continued - Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq - numerous encounters with civilians or non-combatants, mistakes made, death and destruction. All bought about by a curse over a hundred years old. Though the mana cycle was too low to carry out the Ghost Dance at that point before the enemy could stop them, the tribes still had power, still remembered the old ways. Take heed, and fair caution.

"So the lesson is, don't cross the Sioux!" Aswon stated.

"Yes, indeed, that is one valuable lesson to learn."

"By the people or the place?" Aswon wondered. "I mean – the Shaman carried out the cursing, I'm sure. But I wonder if it was just their actions, or if it was because of WHERE they were, rather than WHO they were."

"Maybe you should find out!" Ice Maiden suggested.

"Not sure we have time... We have a week to get back there and get set up, and I think we're going to have to make some additional preparations."

"Ahh – on that note. I have something to offer to you." Ice Maiden stopped for a moment, then transformed, growing once more into the huge form of a silvery blue dragon before them. The voice returned to their head, more serious than before, and carrying an undertone of threat.

"I am going to offer you something, something of considerable value. Consider this an act of trust. I'm sure most of you will be aware of the significance of this action, and I'm sure you will impress upon the others the value of what is about to take place. I would just remind you that it is not wise to cross a dragon – any dragon. I may not have the power and reach of some of my kind, but I assure you it is sufficient if I bend my will to a matter. But, to aid you in your quest, I will gift you a few of my scales – so that you may use them to create some wonderous object of power."

"Isn't that going to hurt you?" asks Kai. Next to him both Tads and Aswon had fallen silent, their mouths agape at the offer.

"Of course it will. It will cause significant discomfort. But, you have taken on a task of great import, and you will need the help – if not in this encounter, then in the next. And of course, a gift such as this will, as you say, leave you owing me one. One that I will surely collect upon in the future. But the scales will allow you to make something truly unusual, given the rarity of its form and structure, and the innately magical nature of its being. I'm well aware that until it is transformed into an item of some kind then it will potentially be useful as a link to track me down – but I'd remind you that doorways can swing both ways. And of course, I KNOW you won't even consider selling the scales for something as crass as profit, rather than using them for their intended purpose." Ice Maiden glanced over at Tads who had managed to close her mouth, but only because she appeared to be on the verge of hyper-ventilating. "And I think your enchantress would likely kill you or turn you into something slimy and insignificant if you tried it…"

"That is a most generous offer, and we are very grateful. All of us are – even if they haven't said as much." Aswon shot a glance at the others, who nodded in agreement. "But will we be able to do anything with this in the week we have before we have to go and face this creature?"

"Oh I doubt it. I doubt it very much. You'll need time to prepare and gather other materials, for your enchanter her to work out a formula of suitable design. It's going to take you months. But this is so that when you defeat this creature and banish it from the world, where it will report to something even more grotesque and disgusting…when THAT creature tunnels through to our world and seeks to gain dominion – well it will be a useful weapon or defence against such a thing."

"And how do we defeat this horror?"

"I would suggest disrupting its physical form with a very strong dose of unreasoning violence applied with great zeal. With the physical form disrupted, the spirit will be banished for some time – perhaps long enough to allow you to prepare for a more final and permanent solution to its presence.

"Huh. If it's like a spirit, that would give us a lunar month at most – probably even less, given its power level. That's not long."

"You are somewhat correct – while the being will be able to return to the plane where it was bound or formed, and that cycle is tied to lunar observances, when it returns it will no doubt not be at its full strength. Whilst a spirit makes a body out of mana, this creature is inhabiting a physical shell. While the spirit is away, the shell will decay, becoming weaker and less wholesome. When the spirit returns it will need time to fortify itself, to recoup its strength. So you may have longer than you would think."

"Oh? Well, that's something I suppose. But we're still going to have an uphill battle trying to deal with this thing, I think. But, at least it can be done. I don't suppose you have any contacts in the Sioux nation do you? Anyone we can call upon for help and support. After all, if there's a great evil rising in their country, it would be in their best interests to help us." Aswon looked hopefully at the giant dragon head only a few metres from his own.

"Alas no – my network of contacts is not well developed there, though that is something I am seeking to rectify. Something the deckers you have recruited for me will no doubt manage for me."

"Oh – on that note. Top tip – don't ask the deckers what their favourite things are, not unless you're really ready for the answer. Just offer them payment or tell them what they're getting. Just trust me." Kai added, shaking his head sorrowfully. "I'm not even trying to be funny here – somethings are better just left alone or unsaid."

"I'll make a note of that." Ice Maiden said wryly, her voice back to its usual light-hearted self. The dragon took a deep breath, a very noticeable act when your head is several metres long, then reached out with her back left leg and clawed at the wound on her flank, drawing out two scales from the edge of the old scar, exposing pinkish white flesh underneath and causing a dribble of blood and fluid from the wound. A rumbling sigh escaped from her mouth as the wave of pain washed over her, but that was all – then she waved the claw containing two scales at Tads. "Here you go, my dear. Make good use of them."

"Thank you – I promise to do something appropriate with them. That wound… may I heal it for you? Or at least try." Ice Maiden nodded, and Tads passed the scales over to Aswon to hold, then spread her hands wide, one at each end of the scar, summoning mana from the area and channelling it into the huge wound. Golden energy lit up the snow, glistening and sparkling like a sunset reflecting off the slopes, and the wound eased closed, new scales forming at an accelerated rate. Despite the purity of the area and the unsullied natural form of the dragon, it was still very hard work – Tads putting it down to the unique physiology of the dragon itself and her complete unfamiliarity with their body processes.

While Tads worked on healing the wound, Aswon examined the two scales. Each was perhaps fifteen centimetres high, and about ten wide, tapering from a centimetre thick at the top down to just a few millimetres at the bottom. He glanced over at Ice Maiden, holding the two scales one on top of the other, trying to gauge the level of overlap between them and compare them to the scales elsewhere on her body. If he had it right, there was a good fifty-percent overlap on all sides of each scale, meaning the dragon had upwards of fifteen millimetres of armour over her entire body, with much smaller and more densely packed scales around the joints and limbs, while the largest plates stretched down her back. The two scales he had were light, but incredibly hard – there was no flex in them at all, and they felt at touch as the ceramic or titanium plates in their own body armour – but considerably lighter and thinner for the same level of protection. Tads was no doubt going to come up with some interesting ideas, but he could see them being worked into a centre-piece of some armour perhaps, that would give as much protection as a heavily armoured tank or security vehicle, or fashioned into something like an axe head that would cleave through creatures like a hot knife through soy-butter.

The golden light faded, and Tads stepped back to reclaim the two scales, clutching them to her breast carefully. The scar remained, but was closed, no longer an angry slash of bare meat exposed to the elements, but once more showing the mottled discoloured set of scales that was all that remained of the attack some time in the past.

"To echo Tads – thank you for the gift. We WILL try to use them wisely, and as best we can. But just by the way…" He gestured to the scar on her flank. "If you want a good deal on some action against whoever did that to you, just let us know and I'm sure we can work something out." He grinned at her as he felt and saw the tenseness wash over Tads, Shimazu and Aswon. "You know, mates rates or something."

"I might just take you up on that Kai." Ice Maiden stared at him, pretending not to see as Shimazu and Aswon face-palmed as Kai once more signed them up for 'getting involved in stuff with little profit and copious danger'. It wasn't like they were that surprised to be honest, but they also knew they'd have to explain it to Marius and Hunter when they got back, and also explain why they hadn't stabbed him…

"Oh, a thought. Or a question really." Aswon said as his hand slid down his face. "The horror thing. Or whatever the creature is. Will it have a true name – or what we think of as a true name. Like a spirit, a magical name that will command and bind it?"

"I believe they will, for though they come from…elsewhere, they are creatures of a magical realm, and it seems to be the way of things. However, I do not believe that the true name of a creature such as this would be pronounceable by one such as you – not without inviting madness and death as entities pluck at your being and consume your soul."

"Ahh – that doesn't sound like fun. Hmm. I wonder if we could sign it… I'll have to think about that." Aswon frowned and stared into the distance, thinking about the Sioux sign language that Maisie had been teaching him. Rather than crude word association and short-forms, the Sioux language was massively more complex and fluid compared to other sign languages, allowing for the discussion of complex concepts like philosophy and ethics. Perhaps the name could be communicated in that way, without speaking – he wondered if that would work to prevent the madness that Ice Maiden had warned off, or if just contemplating the magical resonances that made up the name would be sufficient.

Kai thanked Ice Maiden again, and led the team back to the tilt-wing, getting everyone aboard and then calling to Marius to lift off and head back to Seattle.

"So, was this trip worthwhile?" He called back once they were in the air. "I hope so, otherwise it was a very expensive one thousand kilometre trip." Kai looked over to Tads who was sitting strapped into her seat, examining the two scales very carefully, a look of wonder on her face.

"I'd say so – very worthwhile in the long run."

"Hey! Look at this! Does this box belong to anyone?" Maisie pulled out a large plastic box from under her seat, with a small bow on top. She looked around and saw lots of head shaking and some suspicious looks. She carefully pried open the top and glanced inside, then smiled. "It's from Eyes! It's a good luck cake. Double chocolate and salted caramel – my favourite. Would anyone like a slice?" She unbuckled and moved around the team, sharing out her cake and for a few minutes the tilt wing fell silent as people chomped down on the cake. For being a soy derivative, it was pretty good, and they wondered how much it had cost – and whether it was simple enough that Tads could recreate it with her spell. A sad and mournful expression on her face told them not to hold out too much hope for that as a plan though…

While she was eating the cake, Tads had a chance to think in quiet, looking down at the pair of scales by the side of her seat. Wiping the last of the ganache from her lips with a wistful finger, she cleared her throat, activating her comm-link.

"Ice Maiden was right – there's no way to do enchanting in a week, and come out with any kind of useful product. It just can't be done. I don't know why, but the process seems to be tied to the lunar cycle of the earth, and I have never heard of it being done quicker than that – not in any of our tales or myths, not in any of the stories told to me by my elders. And not in anything I've ever heard of or seen while I've been on my walk, or since I joined up with you all. So there is no time to use these to make anything useful for what we're about to face."

"So what good are they then?" Kai asked.

"Some… recipes if you like…call for strange things. Like…ohh, imagine if Shimazu wanted a sword that bound the force of elemental flame into it, so when it was drawn from his scabbard it burst into fire and boosted its abilities to damage magical creatures. To do that we might need to find and defeat a powerful fire or lava elemental, or find a nugget of pure unsullied metal ore from a volcanic eruption, to use as the focus for the enchanting. If we wanted to make an amulet for someone that would allow them to fly, we might need to find the primary flight feather of a Roc or a Harpy, ritually slain with a natural weapon. And these… well, I can think of half a dozen things that might benefit from the incredible hardness of a dragon scale, or the lightness, or the protective value, or the innately magical nature. I have no doubt we can find some good use for them – if anything it will be deciding what thing would be worth using them for, as a precious resource that cannot be gathered again."

"Hey – I just had a thought, what she said about it being a link thing. That's the same kind of thing you were doing to find the kid back in Hong Kong right, doing a magic tracking ritual and following some weird myffic trail."

"Something like that, Hunter."

"Well, didn't we get some bit of that creature, out of one of Rocket's team. Didn't they have some kind of weird bit of it implanted in them, and we had to use the Valkyrie module they had in the truck to do surgery on them."

"Yes – I remember." Tads shuddered as she recalled the writhing worm like parasite that had been removed from the body of one of the team that had been unlucky enough to be interred down in the temple. "But I also remember that we dropped it into a container of acid to destroy it."

"Oh… oh yeah. So we can't use that to try and do a tracking ritual on it. Using like the power from the scales or something."

"No – and I think if we actually had a sample, we could just do a ritual to find it – we wouldn't need to use the scales."

"It does raise an interesting point though," Aswon interjected, "In that the creature can invest part of itself into another being. What I mean is that being separated from the host creature didn't kill it. So if we fight it, and chop a bit of it off – it may stay alive. And if it does, we have a suitable link to it, that we can use to track it and affect it with. It may be useful if we banish it or disrupt it for a while, we can keep trying to do a tracking ritual, to work out when it's back!"

"That's an idea, Aswon – though I'm not sure that will help us now. Without Vadim, I'm not sure I can do a tracking ritual – we need someone in the circle sending the power and a spotter to follow the trail, and I can't do both things at once."

"Can't you use a spirit?" Hunter asked.

"No… they don't work well in a ritual fashion. It just doesn't seem to be something they can do. They can search on their own, through their own domain – but not take part in a ritual tracking rite. Unfortunately."

"Well – one thing I think we should definitely make sure of, is that we keep that thing away from the memorial site." Aswon said firmly. "I don't know what it is, or if the land has power there – but letting a magical creature go sit on a place like that CAN'T be good for us. Not at all. I don't care if the people or the land were the original source of the power, a place like that builds up power over the years as people remember what happened and venerate the memories of those that fell. If the land didn't have power, I bet it will have now. And besides – it's wrong on a moral level to let something like that go despoil a memorial."

Maisie had been watching the team as they looked at each other, occasionally waving their arms around or nodding at each other, making small gestures or shaking their heads violently. They were clearly using a sub-vocal com-net, and having an intense discussion about something – presumably whatever they'd learnt or done on the frozen side of the mountain they'd flown up to. It hadn't taken long, and she got the feeling they were heading back to Seattle at the moment. Still, it wasn't any of her business, and though she was curious, she kept her head down and concentrated on her book. When they needed her help on something, they'd ask, she was sure – until then, she'd made a commitment to keep out of their business, and that was easy enough to do. She gave a start as Aswon touched her knee, breaking her concentration.

"Maisie? Can you tell us much about the memorial at Wounded Knee?"

"Only a little. I've only been there once, when I was small. Must be more than a decade ago. But it's very famous – everyone knows about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's taught about in school – it's used as an example of our history, talking about trust, pacts and agreements, and the impact of the Anglo on our way of life, and how it fits into our tribal history and culture. It's part of the school curriculum I think – so pretty much every Sioux knows about it. A lot of people will go there at least once in their life to pay respects to the site and what happened, like a pilgrimage I suppose. But the site is very important to us, as a people. A lot of people will go more often, to pay their respects and to look after the place." She had to raise her voice quite loud to be heard over the noise of the engines and the airflow as it rattled past the hull of the aircraft, and Aswon found himself quietly relaying her words over the com to Hunter and Marius so they could hear too.

Marius flew them back into Seattle, low and slow, dodging between hills on the edge of Salish and flying down a fast flowing waterway low enough that he sent a metre high swell racing along the river after them in a sweeping V – but once more managing to spoof the border and slide into the city where his focus changed to avoiding the patchwork craziness of corporate air-space and impatient air-cabs rather than border guards looking to shoot him down – and it was a close run thing as to which was the most stressful. Once they were back at the church and had paid for their fuel tanks to be topped off, they gathered together to discuss what to do next. It was only ten in the evening, so Maisie made her excuses and headed back to see Eyes at the training centre, realising that they were not heading off anywhere soon.

"As I understand it, this Horror is a magical creature that shares some similarities with magical spirits and beings, correct?"

"Yes Marius. Different, but of a similar nature in several respects."

"Indeed. So it is likely to be resistant to some weapons. We know for instance that the average assault rifle is likely to be ineffective against it, as will a hand-gun, even one of a large calibre." Marius gestured at Shimazu's hand cannon hanging from his waist belt. "But I believe that certain types of weapons are more likely to be effective – those that have an incidental natural effect, such as the blast wave from explosives?" He saw Tads and Aswon nodded in agreement. "In which case I would suggest getting some high-grade explosives to fashion into demolition charges – I am sure that Aswon can provide those. And perhaps obtain some White Phosphorous."

"Um, I'm not sure that's a good idea at all." Aswon countered. He saw the look on Tad's face and turned to Hunter. "Can you dig up some footage of a willy-pete barrage and show Tads please, so she understands what we're talking about." Turning back to Marius, he continued, "Whilst I appreciate your faith in me, I know enough about demolitions and explosives to know that's not a good idea. I'm just not good enough to be handling that kind of stuff and trying to fashion improvised hi-explosive bombs. If that's what we're after, we need to find some military suppliers and throw money at someone until it's not a problem. Using demo – sure, I'm your guy. Making it – no way. Not until I've had a lot more training. This isn't the kind of stuff that's very forgiving." He stopped talking as he heard a gasp, seeing Tads watching the video footage of a white phosphorous mortar shell hitting the ground by the edge of a river, the incandescent white flames and sparks making the camera sensor overload and distort as the burning metal ate its way into the ground or illuminated the river depths as it plunged towards the bottom.

"Why isn't the water putting it out? How is it doing that?"

"WP is almost impossible to extinguish. The explosive mix has oxygen bound up inside it, so it can burn underwater or even in an oxygen free environment. It just burns until the fuel is extinguished, eating and melting through anything it touches." Hunter explained. "When it burns, it forms phosphorus pentoxide, which is a massively hygroscopic material… ok, hygroscopic means it bonds with water vapour really easily, and that turns it into polyphosphoric acids. But all of that still has copious amounts of oxygen as part of its chemical formula. It also burns at over 2700 degrees Celsius, forming banks of thick white cloud that block thermal and visual scanners – the military use it a lot for laying smoke screens and obscuring terrain. But the stuff burns like a motherfucker, and you don't want to get too close to it." Hunter looked like he was about to crack some kind of joke, but he saw Tads swallowing, struggling not to be sick as the video switched over to showing the effects of a WP barrage on a civilian caught in the area of effect, and managed to restrain his somewhat morbid sense of humour.

"That's part of the problem with that idea though." Aswon pointed at Tads. "Not you personally, Tads – but most people have no idea what this stuff can do. Can you imagine how the Sioux leadership would react if they found out someone has been throwing willy-pete around on a national monument? They'd go ballistic, and I don't think we'd ever hear the last of it. Imagine doing something so bad that you get on the shit list of an entire nation. An entire nation, I would point out that had enough mojo a hundred and seventy years ago to curse a cavalry regiment with something that makes them fuck up their jobs on an ongoing basis. That is not the kind of people I want mad with me!"

"So what do you suggest?" Marius responded.

"I agree we need some firepower. It may be that we use some phosphorous – if we can deliver it safely and accurately. If that monstrosity is in a field next to the monument, and your grenade launcher is full of WP shells, then sure – go to town on it. It'll look like we're defending the monument from something to anyone watching and that's fine. I'm just saying we need to be careful with this stuff – really careful. But your plan itself is sound – we need really high power weapons to punch through the magical protections and wards that these creatures seem to have. I'm not even sure the door guns on the tilt-wing are strong enough to do the job."

"I may want to borrow your big gun again, Aswon." Hunter asked, getting a nod of agreement from the tribesman.

"Did it cast spells at us last time we met it?" Kai asked, fixing his gaze on Tads principally but glancing around at the others too. Tads swallowed a mouthful of water and looked over to him, making sure she didn't see any more of the video or images of the phosphorous attack.

"I'm pretty certain it did. It certainly seemed to exude an aura of fear and despair, though I think that was more in the nature of a power or innate ability rather than a cast spell. It's an important distinction," she added, seeing Kai open his mouth to speak. "My shielding and spell defence techniques work against spells, the manipulation of mana by a spell caster or slinger. But a spirits powers are unaffected by those techniques. I have learnt how to nullify some of those powers – but I can only use one of those advanced techniques at once. So we need to work out which is the most likely to harm us and disrupt our attacks, so I can guard against it."

"I feel the powers are more likely to be dangerous. This creature is horrific, and the dread we felt walking through that tunnel was enough to stop most of us in our tracks, at least for a moment. And we've seen, do see on an ongoing basis how effective the concealment power offered by your spirits are whenever we're running a border or trying to stay hidden. Those Salamanders back on the volcano had a heat aura or flame aura kind of power, and they weren't fun to fight against either."

"I think I agree with Aswon. The powers are likely to be the thing we encounter first and most. Spells tend to be directed at a particular target, and I can try to defend people when I see them, even if I'm trying to counter-act a power using some of the more advanced techniques."

"Ok, that sounds good, then. What about its natural defences? I remember when we stabbed it, it started spraying acidic blood everywhere. That's something we need to try and counteract too."

"We should check with Nadia. Remember – we asked her to look into acid-resistant or proof armour for us. We did only ask her to look into it, but she's a resourceful person, and not short of initiative. And we've probably got enough time to get something shipped over from the ranch to us here, if we get started soon?"

"Good call, Tads. Ok, Marius – you're probably going to want to call her and speak to her anyway. Can you do that when you call?" The pilot nodded to Kai, then checked on his watch, working out the time difference to the ranch, before pulling out his sat-phone and wandering back into the tilt-wing to get some privacy.

"I did try to levitate it down in the temple – it didn't work so well because of the weight and the low ceilings, but I recall it did have to hang on to the side of the pool with a few tentacles, to stop itself from moving. So it can be shifted around and knocked off balance – can we get big nets to trap it?"

"Ohh, I like that idea," Kai burbled. "Maybe something like we used for the scorpions down in the desert, that Ludmilla wanted?"

"Taser nets. The taser blast may also be able to work its way past the defences of the creatures, if the charge is big enough. We need some troll-sized taser nets from somewhere, and some net-guns."

"How about crash foam? The stuff they put into the cars to save you if you have an accident?" Hunter asked. "Doesn't that stuff set really hard once exposed to air, forming a cage around you to cushion the impact? Just thinking that it might be something we can spray or drop on it to tie it down or stop it moving around so much."

The discussion flowed on, as the team outlined various plans they could try to disable or slow the horror using a variety of different weapons and systems, sketching out some 'game plays' for how a fight might go down based on their experience fighting it in the temple. It was generally agreed that Shimazu was their primary melee specialist and would lead the charge against it, while Aswon could provide support and flank cover against it. Tads was no slouch with her quarterstaff either, adding another possible flanking force, and now that Kai had spent some time attuning the punch-dagger to his aura, he too had a weapon that should be able to defeat the magical armour inherent to the creature. Hunter should be able to provide additional support with the fifty-cal sniper rifle, though as they all knew by now, any more than two or possibly three shots, and everyone inside a kilometre would know that there was a big fight going on. Marius, meanwhile, could possibly supply support with his grenade launcher – though the guns on his drones almost certainly lacked the penetration required to breach the creature's carapace.

FAB grenades – fluorescing astral bacteria – were briefly discussed, though cautioned even more firmly than the white phosphorous. FAB had a tendency to breed and latch on to magical targets, consuming and feeding on the mana until there was none left, and a number of breakouts had led to highly publicised incidents around the world. It wasn't quite the doomsday weapon that some sensationalist media outlets made it out to be, but with two-thirds of the team being magically adept, it represented perhaps as serious a risk to them as to any enemy they used it against.

They also remembered the pool that the creature had been found in, and discussed their fragmentary memories of that – wishing that Marius had been in there with them rather than remotely piloting the drones. His incredible memory might have provided them with some more concrete information than the jumbled mish-mash of fleeting looks and glances they'd recalled of the terrifying and chaotic combat deep under the mountain. The creature had managed to regenerate some of the damage that it had taken during the fight, they were pretty certain of that – but whether it was the pool of liquid it had been lying in that provided that ability or an innate magical power of the creature itself, they couldn't say.

However, it was possible that the pool – or rather the liquid in the pool was relevant. Certainly it could be easy to imagine that the pool was filled with the blood of sacrificial victims, and that the creature drew it's vitality from there. If so, then perhaps it might try and create something similar at the memorial site. If so, they discussed ideas for using materials such as riot foam or crash foam to try and create a barrier between the creature and the pool, or to contaminate it with some other substance – perhaps that being the best use for a white phosphorous or FAB grenade, to render one particular spot uninhabitable for a while.

Hunter called his friend Julius in Stockholm, fortunately catching him at home having breakfast. After the usual catch up and pleasantries, he asked Julius to see if he could get any maps of the area around Wounded Knee and get them over to him. Julius sounded somewhat surprised by the request, but agreed, promising to get them back over to him as soon as he could around work – and hopefully quietly enough that they'd not have to go assassinate anyone afterwards…

Kai made a call to Anahita, checking up to make sure she was ok and asking her if she knew of any Sioux artifacts or historical items floating around on the black market that were available. She didn't know of any, but said she'd have a little ask around to see if she could locate anything, and get back to him. He explained to the team that perhaps if they approached the authorities with something historical that they could repatriate, then perhaps it might help them make their case – or keep them out of trouble when things went sideways.

Hunter also tried getting in touch with Rocket, hoping that he and his team might be interested in participating in 'round two' against the horror – but all he got was a bunch of strange clicks and beeps as his call was relayed, before reaching a slightly garbled mailbox that asked him to leave a message. He disconnected and fired up his deck, connecting up his com-link and then calling again, running a trace on the call as it was progressed. He watched the signal bounce around from the Seattle grid out to a relay in low earth orbit, then back down to Europe, making its way south to the bottom of Italy and then hopping on a fibre trunk across the bottom of the med into Africa. There it got patchy and tough to follow – not so much because of the security, but because of the awful quality of some of the matrix lines in the dark continent. Eventually though he saw the call terminate in Azania, right down in the bottom of the African continent.

Tads called a couple of spirits to her, made herself comfortable and then went astral, rising up through the roof of the hanger and taking a moment to orient herself and then heading off to the east. She'd had a good look at the map, and had memorised a number of major landmarks. Fly east until she was descending from the Rocky Mountains, then follow the foothills south east until she spotted the expanse of Yellowstone Park and some prominent mountains. Turn east again and fly onwards until she saw the north-south line of the I-25, then follow that south to the city of Casper – but not too close, as it was the major city of the Sioux and she didn't want to bump into trouble. From there she turned east again, following the general line of the North Platte River and keep heading east until she could see the shape of Whitney Lake. From there is got more tricky, with the mountains and plains lacking anything obvious she could see – but she would be within a hundred kilometres at that point and if need be could just follow the lines of the highways, manifesting to look at the signposts and follow those along…

She shot off, the spirits flanking her with orders to guard and protect her, keeping her safe from magical attack and harm. Shooting through the air at several thousand kilometres per hour she shot over the mountains and descended down into the plains, following her route before slowing as she approached the local area, finally locating the turning and travelling at a much more pedestrian speed to go up the road to the memorial site and slowly survey the area, dipping down lower to sample the area and get a feel for it. When she felt like she'd got a good general impression of the area and had stopped to 'taste' the mana around the site, she headed back quickly, shooting along in a straight line back towards the smog and angst filled city of Seattle.

"I've been for a quick scout of the area." She announced as she landed back in her body, sitting up from where she'd carefully laid her head down over the table. "It's quiet – right out in the middle of nowhere. There's a small number of houses and trailers not far west, but it's a quiet sleepy place, in a secluded valley. Almost no traffic, didn't see any cars moving on the local highways at all, and very little in the way of light or movement. Lots of critters and wildlife, fairly natural area. Lots of farms and cattle grazing by the looks of things. But the area around the memorial site, the whole area felt flat. Almost no mana there at all. Not barren or dead – things were growing, and there's nothing toxic about the place. But I definitely wouldn't say it's a power site. Not at all."

"What do you mean flat?" Aswon asked, his mind whirring as he thought about the impact that might have on their plan of attack and what they knew of the area.

"Washed out in a way. Used up. Like someone had already used the mana up in the area, and there wasn't much left. Stuff was still alive and growing, but the place just felt… low. It might be difficult to cast magic there, or to summon spirits. I don't think it would affect you all, but I can't be certain."

"Hmm. Sounds like a mana ebb. I've served in a few places out in the wilds where they've developed due to whatever crazy schemes some corp has been up to, or just because of damage to the local ecosystem. Seem to fit what you've described anyway."

"Sounds about right. So if that's the case I need to summon my spirits away from that place, and take them in with us. It's going to be no good trying to summon them there. And we probably shouldn't count much on any spell support from me while we're there. But otherwise, I didn't pick up anything worthwhile.

"That's enough, and its more information than we had before. But, now that you're back – I've had another thought as well for some of this stuff. We should contact that Trophy fellow."

"The one who about shat himself when you dropped your masking?" Hunter asked with a grin, always happy to enjoy another's misfortune.

"Yes, that one. But if what he said was true – and I don't doubt it in this case – he's a fixer that deals with capturing or obtaining magical critters. A lot of this kind of stuff might be right up his street, or at least won't raise eyebrows. And if he can't get it directly himself, he'll probably know somewhere or someone that can."

"Yeah, fair shout I suppose. So, what have we got?" Aswon didn't answer Hunter, but instead beamed the list from his p-sec to Hunter, to display on the bigger screen.

"Ok, so first of all – Firepower. First on the list is a Panther assault cannon with carry harness and boxes of ammo. This is a big boy, so might need Hunter to carry it, but it's one of the most damaging portable weapon systems I think we could get, short of a top end missile system from the military. Laser weaponry – I've heard that Ares now have a man-portable laser rifle system that is feasible – the weapon attack is a form of elemental damage, so likely to help defeat the magical defences of the horror in some way. It's also cool as all hell, and I'll admit I'd like to see one – but it's also likely to be extremely efficient at burning a hole through the target. White Phosphorous grenades either sized for throwing or in mini-grenade form to be fired from a grenade launcher. Flamethrowers – again Shiawase make a range called the 'blazer' that has a pretty solid rep, and setting the thing on fire is going to be easier to control than launching willy pete barrages at it. Net guns with normal or preferably taser nets, once again the electrical part of the attack is likely to help overcome any innate magical defence it may have. Grenade launchers and improved explosive or blast grenades, stun grenades – maybe even napalm or incendiary rounds."

"Second part is the utility stuff – riot guns, slip spray, freeze foam, crash barrier – all stuff used by the police to contain rioters, or by manufacturers to try and save your life in a car crash. The foam hardens quickly and might set around its tentacles or body making it hard to move. It'll probably break free quickly enough – but its going to use up time and effort to do it, and we can hit it with something else. The slip spray might help keep it off balance, again not for long but every little bit helps.

"Third – defensive stuff. When Marius comes back we'll find out about the armour situation, but otherwise we can look for some heavy duty combat armour as we'll be out in the middle of nowhere and we're not going to draw attention to ourselves in armour any more than carrying some of this variety of weapons is already going to do. We can also maybe look at some anti-acid gear, maybe something from an industrial manufacturer that deals with production."

"Fourth – magic. One thing we could try looking for is some anchored spells – magical bombs in effect. They're expensive as all hell, and only usable once. But if ever something needed a magical bomb putting down its throat, it's this thing – and being a pure magical attack, it's going to rip straight past any defences or immunities it might have. And, we should give Tads some time and resources as needed for whatever spells she feels will be best suited to getting the job done, and some time in a lodge to learn them."

"Nice list, Aswon." Kai steepled his fingers in front of him for a moment, staring down the list and thinking deeply. "Ok, that all sounds good to me. We've still got a bunch of money on this credstick. Let's not go silly, and we need to make sure we keep a good operational slush fund – don't want to run into the same problems again with no money for fuel. But for now – let's go shopping!"