Friday 22/07/61, Location: 22.32964, 114.23163, Time 13:30

"Just had a horrible thought… Hunter – can we get a signal scanner run over those slaves? Check them over when they're putting the clothes on, maybe?"

"Sure. Though I think we can just go and do it. That's the upside of having them be compliant…"

"I suppose. But if they've been messed with, it'd be good to make sure they've not been implanted with trackers – or worse."

"What's worse?" Tads asked. She looked quickly from side to side, then continued. "On second thoughts, I'm not sure I want to know. It's bad enough to put things inside you…"

"Bombs, Tads. It's not super common, but plenty of corps have put headware bombs in. Doesn't have to be big to kill you, when it's right next to your brain." Hunter shrugged as Tads blanched and then swallowed uncomfortably. "It ain't nice, but it is effective in making sure your top resources don't decide to leave the corporate home – if they know their head's gonna explode the second they set foot out of their arcology."

"I was right… I didn't want to know." Tads gave a little shudder and watched Hunter grab his bug scanner and head off to go check on the slaves. Her eyes flicked over to Spook, sitting on the bottom of the ramp, her child snuggled into her chest, gently rocking him back and forth. She was staring out across the building site, blinking occasionally, but didn't seem to be focussed on anything in particular. The side of her face had a number of prominent bruises, shaped like the butt of a gun, and she still seemed to be slightly off-centre from the experience – not that they could blame her. "So what next?"

"I guess we call Grandfather Fan and let him know what's going on. I'm not sure if Kowloon was his turf – I get the impression it wasn't. But if they were preparing to muscle in on his territory, then he'll want to know. And that seemed to be the case – else why kidnap Spook?" Kai looked around at the group and got nods of agreement from them. "Though actually… I'm going to put that on hold for a minute. Now I think about it, there's probably something a lot more important to worry about. If Shimazu's ready to share."

"Hmm?"

"You've been laid out on the floor for five minutes now, just staring at the sky. Then you suddenly curse, as if you realise something that's gone horribly, terribly wrong. And then you go quiet again. You don't normally do that, and it makes me nervous – so what's going on?"

"That place felt odd. We all realised that, right. The magic was twisted, but there was a feel to it as well. A feel… well, I didn't really connect it until we got here, and I was looking up at the smog. The way the haze disrupts stuff, shades it. It reminded me…" He took a deep breath in, held it for a few seconds and then exhaled slowly. "It reminded me of somewhere else. Some other time… a bad time. Something I think I've probably tried not to think about much. But I've seen it before. The thing that jumped out of the window. I know what it is, and what it wants. And it's here still… and that frightens me."

Shimazu's statement cut through them all like a hot knife through butter. He was normally someone that didn't display emotions, keeping things to himself, and generally quiet. When he did have something to say, it was often insightful and important, and the team had learnt to listen to him when he did decide to wax lyrical. But he was also generally seen as being brave, possibly to the point of being foolhardy, and acted without sign of fear or mortality. If there was a fight, he would be in the thick of it, doing his job without considering the danger to himself. So to hear him state that he was afraid was something that made them all sit up and take notice – especially those who had been on the roof and had no idea what he was talking about.

"You remember when we were back in the NAN, after meeting up with that elf bloke and Damian Knight? And we went up to the Indian burial site, and fought the horror?" The team nodded, some of them grimacing as they did so, remembering the unwelcome events of that night. "Well… when it threw that purple bolt at Kai, and I jumped in the way… I went somewhere."

"We thought you were dead. We couldn't pick up any life signs from you at all." Kai said, keeping his voice calm and toneless.

"It felt like I'd been pulled out of my body. I don't know if that's what it feels like for you, Tads, when you leave it behind, but I felt like I was just thoughts and emotions, with no flesh." She waggled her fingers at him, and he shrugged. "I don't know what happened. Never felt like it before, hope it never happens again. It's kinda hard to explain."

"Do you want to show us?" Tads asked, holding both hands in front of her and moving them up and down as if weighing something. "It might be easier than trying to describe."

"Sure. I guess. Some of the things there – I'm not sure I have the words for some of the stuff anyway." They gathered around, and Tads reached out to touch Shimazu, letting the others lay hands on her arms so they were all in contact, then gathered in the mana to her to connect their thoughts. "You might want to sit down, though." Shimazu warned, then started to replay the memories in his head, reliving the attack. They experienced the events through Shimazu's eyes, watching as he leapt in front of the swirling mass of purple and black eldritch energy, intercepting it before it could hit Kai.

The blast hit, and the world twisted, fading to black in an instant though with lances of jagged pain that threatened to overwhelm them. Suddenly though the pain stopped, and they found themselves on the edge of a plateau, a green and verdant landscape stretching off to either side of them as far as the eye could see. In front of them was a chasm, a vast void that seemed to have no end, dropping away into a stygian abyss. The light, which seemed to have no source around them, faded away quickly into nothingness below them. It didn't feel evil though, or scary – it was just… nothing. Void. Bereft of feelings or emotions, or life itself. As Shimazu looked up from the void though, they could see a land on the other side of the chasm, teeming with shapes and movement. And while the chasm had been empty and emotionless, what lay ahead of them was evil incarnate. Even across the space between them, they could sense the malevolence and hatred oozing out of the beings, directed towards where they stood.

He lurched, and started to lift up and over the void. Eyes swivelling down from a head that lolled useless on his neck, he could see the ruined remains of his chest, with tentacles of purple and black energy gripping onto his being, and they got a sense of realisation, sudden awareness of a soul, or the essence of his form. The tendrils had latched onto it, and was drawing him up and over the void, towards the seething mass of horror that lay on the other side.

Floating forwards, they felt the wave of despondency and futility radiating out of Shimazu, his limbs useless, unable to defend himself or even obey his simple commands to them. Trapped in a useless flesh-form, his mind railed against his foe, unable to do anything to prevent what was going on, feeling powerless and weak, and hating the sensation as much as anything else that was going on.

As he was lifted up, further and further away from his starting position, they shared the sense of his soul unravelling, his spirit dissipating and weakening, positive emotions starting to fade away. All the good in his life, the laughter and joy, seeping away into the darkness. He could see the other side of the void now, a land covered in horrific forms, an army of insects toiling away in a seething undulating mass of evil. And they were building something, a promontory of some kind, rising up and out of their land, the start of a bridge between the two places.

He lurched, and his head lolled to the side, his muscles too weak to hold him in place, and his eyes flopped over to see another promontory further down their land, but this one was blacked and ruined, with a clear zone around it, where none of the evil creatures would go. His eyes swept across the void, and he saw with surprise a matching promontory on his side, a spur sticking up and out into the void – but at the tip there was a single golden figure. He squinted, but couldn't make out much detail – other than the figure seemed to be singing, arms thrown out wide to the void, channelling power out over the abyss… He didn't recognise them, had never seen them before in his life – but somehow they gave him hope. There was some element of purity about them, some inescapable zest for life. Even without knowing anything about them, a warmth ran through his heart, and a wash of contentment radiated throughout him. While the creatures on the other side of the void were unmistakeably evil, this was the polar opposite, a being that was innately good and pure.

His journey stopped as his body lurched to a sudden halt, and he felt the tentacles pulling at his soul, trying to rip him away from whatever new force had laid claim to him. Pain radiated out from his chest as his being was tortured and twisted, stretched and distorted. His head lolled again and he saw ethereal ghosts, reaching up from the land. Arms linked together they formed a human chain, anchored way down below. The forms were nebulous, inconsistent – different, but somehow all the same in some way. Certainly linked or bonded, and the dozens of bodies stretched towards him, reaching for him.

A jolt as the one at the end of the chain touched him, a hand reaching out for his, the tingle of power as their souls met. Warmth and love spread from the touch, suffusing his flesh and spreading up his arm towards the rest of his body. Slowly his body twisted, and started to move – this time back towards his starting point, towards the lush and green side of the void.

The writhing tentacles squirmed and pulled at him, sending fresh pain through his form, yanking at him and seeking to claim him once more, while a chitenous rasping that sounded like a roar bellowed through the quietness. But the grip of the chain of people was firm, pulling him backwards, back to safety. The ones below were pulling hard, trying to retrieve the ones above and pull them to safety, and slowly but surely the whole mass of souls moved back closer to the plains of life below.

Tentacles pulled out of Shimazu, releasing their grip on his soul, but instead lashed out to the being that was pulling him striking at him and worming their way into his flesh, penetrating through the eye sockets and ears, probing inside the ethereal form and delving through to reach the core. Wordless agony was evident in their writhing, but some element of rationality drove them, and they flexed, astral muscles pulling in Shimazu towards them, then passing over their own body, and pushing him down to the next in the chain. They seized him, and Shimazu watched helplessly as the one that had caught him was lost to the void, pulled away and consumed by the tentacles.

Further downward they were pulled, the tentacles growing more frantic as they tried to regain their prize, and Shimazu's sense of helplessness rising as they struck again, claiming another soul from the human-chain pulling him back. Another soul lost to the clutches of the vile force that was trying to corrupt his soul, before the one below managed to pull them to safety. As he landed on the lush field, it seemed like a scream of denial and frustration echoed through the land, rising and wailing – until with a blink Shimazu opened his eyes and looked up to see the team clustered around him, and realised the scream was his.

"That's what I felt. That's what happened. But the creature we saw up in the tower…" Fresh images washed over them from the mind-link, replaying the scene as the naked slave ran towards the window, launching themselves into the air and transforming into the reptilian monstrosity. "That thing – I'd seen before." The image changed, going back to Shimazu over the void, his head lolling as he saw the army of creatures below. His attention focussed for a moment, the scene slowing, and sure enough one of the creatures near the bridge foundation was an exact match for the one that had leapt through the window. It was directing a bunch of the smaller creatures, labouring to shape the dark stone into the base of the bridge, and for just a moment it stared up towards Shimazu, lips bared with a sense of loathing and hunger.

"It didn't look as big as the one we fought, in Tashkent and in the Sioux. But it was powerful, and just as evil. I don't know how much smaller or weaker than the other one, but it still felt like it was just made up of hatred and despair. And I'm sure that for just a second, as it smashed through the window, I felt the same thing from it. It's the same creature – I'm sure of it."

Shimazu fell quiet, and the rest of the team took a moment to process the thoughts and images he'd shared with them. Even Hunter's normally ever-present smirk was absent from his face, and Tads was shaking, little tremors rippling through her body as she processed the feelings of hatred and despair, the utter alien nature of the creatures and their clear loathing of everything that lived and breathed.

"That thing, then… do you think we drove it off?"

"No Kai. I think it was leaving, to avoid a fight. It wasn't running away, it was withdrawing, to fight again on a different field."

"But it might have been a lesser horror, smaller than the one we fought before. Maybe not by much, but maybe enough to make a difference." Aswon clarified.

"Smaller, yes. But I also got the sense that this one was 'over there', while the one we fought seemed to have been trapped here. That means that it's somehow managed to cross over. Maybe not the bridge it was building, but some other way."

"And what about the golden figure?"

"No idea, Kai. Other than I know it was guarding us. I really don't know for sure – but it looked like they'd tried to build a bridge before, and it seemed to be standing on our side of the void, watching over the place they'd tried. They all kept away from the other end, like they'd get burnt or hurt or something. But there's only one of them, and this new bridge is somewhere else…"

"And what about those things that grabbed you?"

"Those must have been the shaman in the ritual, Kai. Remember at the end, two of them just died. Collapsed in the circle, with no wounds – but Eirhan told us they were beyond saving? I think they gave their lives, sacrificed themselves, to be part of the energy bridge that pulled Shimazu's spirit back to us."

"Sounds to me like this one was a pathfinder." Hunter rumbled. His fingers drummed on his thighs as he stared at the rest of the group, sitting on the floor in a circle around him. "Makes sense – something with power, but not too big. Something that can hide. Come over here, do recon. Work itself into a place with control. I mean, if you're evil, where do you hide? In the middle of other evil. Disguise yourself with all the other feelings. And where better than someone that buys and sells flesh, abuses them and shows nothing but contempt for other people."

"That's… a disturbing idea. But sounds far too plausible to ignore. What was the bridge being made out of?"

"I don't know Kai. Maybe it was physically being built from rock, or from tortured souls, or maybe it's all just a metaphor, and the only way my brain knew how to process it. I really don't know. But whatever it is, they're working to cross that void and reach us."

"The first one was in the temple, and area that was a leftover from an earlier age. There was old magic there – things like Aswon's spear. I think it needed that magic to survive, at least until people turned up. And the place we fought – there was the same sense of magic there, too. Something potent about the place. I wonder if something happened here as well. Or if it's just the misery and dread of that many people living in such squalor and fear made it a beacon to it." Tads frowned. "Certainly we should be careful if we come across other places like that. Maybe it's easier to get into the astral plane. We've seen how much the mana around Hong Kong is a bit weird. The barrier between worlds is thinner here – like that storm we saw in the main road the other day, or the visible mana entities when we were putting up the wards around that corporate office last time we were here."

"Perhaps – yes, I think you're right. It was probably easier to cross here than a lot of other places. But then what it found…" Aswon shook his head sadly. "The humans here and their behaviour probably made it easier to stay, to gather power. It wouldn't have taken much, I think, for it to corrupt their minds and take over. "

"So, do we report this to anyone? Is there a group that hunts down horrors like these? We ain't up for the job, I know that much!" Hunter got a firm nod of agreement from Marius. "But we can't just leave it. When I looked over the edge… well." He concentrated for a moment, pushing his own thoughts over the mind-link. It felt a bit stilted, as if he was self-conscious about sharing his own memories, but then they saw the viewpoint from the top of the tower as Hunter had looked down over the edge into the massive heap of detritus below – and the human sized tunnel or opening down into the morass, as if some creature had landed and managed to worm their way down underground through the decomposing filth. "And we probably want to tell Spook. It's her city, after all…"

"It's influence is likely to spread – again. But I don't think we're up to chasing it. Especially not where it went. I can't imagine we could get in there without being seen, and we don't have the gear needed to go wading through that kind of filth without catching all manner of diseases."

"Hmm. I have a thought on that. But you're not going to like it." Kai fixed his gaze on Tads, and she shifted a little on her spot. "Yeah… you're not going to like it at all. At the moment, the only people who we can talk to about that thing, whatever it is – that are still alive, are those slaves. And they're too hopped up to be able to tell us anything useful, I think. And even if we wait a while, then they'll mostly be going into withdrawal from whatever drugs they had them hooked on. But they will have seen things, lots of things. Maybe not in a way that made sense to them, but they'll probably still have those memories…"

"Oh, no Kai. No. Please?"

"I know it won't be fun – but it could be really important. One of them might have seen this thing doing something particular, or dealing with a cult, or showing some kind of weakness or behaviour – something important that could be the difference between fighting and dealing with it, and losing."

"Fine. But I've got some other things to do first." Tads waved for everyone to remain seated as she rolled to her feet, then worked around the group, first sterilising the area around each of them and then using her magic to heal them, no matter how small the scrapes and dings were. "I'm not sure what state I'm going to be in after this, so I need to make sure it's taken care of."

"Spook? Can you come over? Yeah, both of you if you want." Aswon called out. When Spook arrived, he shuffled around a little and get her to sit down next to him. The child had mostly fallen asleep, no doubt exhausted from the events that had taken place, but displaying a level of childlike resilience that many of them envied. "So – before we go much further with this – do you know what this was all about? Your kidnap, I mean."

"A little. The guy in charge over there was Qiáng Wang - leader of the Black Chrysanthemums. Smaller triad, but quite vicious and certainly no slouches. Not exactly rivals to the Red Cranes or any of the bigger outfits, but they had pretty much total control over the Kowloon area, just like Grandfather does downtown. He didn't talk a lot about what he was up to – they were just getting reports of fights and you chasing after me, so he was telling people to get in the way. But from what he did say, I think he was going to make a move on Grandfather's turf – which doesn't make sense. He doesn't have the manpower or equipment to do that, and he focusses on different areas of crime – things that won't work in downtown like they do in Kowloon."

"But why you?"

"I guess because I'm visible in working with Grandfather, but I'm not technically part of the Triad. Maybe he thought it was a way to strike at him, but not directly, so he could back out if he needed to? Or he wanted to deliberately taunt him that he could take away his support structure? I'm not entirely sure."

"Well, we're not going to find out now. Not after the mess that Marius made of him. And I think his support structure is pretty much gone as well." Aswon didn't sound at all upset by this, and from the expression on Spook's face, she clearly wasn't feeling any regrets either.

"Ok. We're going to question some of the slaves, see if we can glean anything from them. Or rather Tads is – using magic. We'll be back in a few minutes, I guess."

"I will stay and keep watch." Shimazu stated, one hand gently touching the sword laid across his knees. Aswon nodded, and he stood, heading over with Kai and Tads towards the shell of the building they'd stashed the slaves into. When they got there it was gratifying to see that they'd managed to dress themselves in the flats that had arrived via drone, and were now at least somewhat normal-looking – though Aswon did have to stop two of the slaves from reaching over to him to try and undress him or reach into his trousers.

It took some wrangling to get the slaves sitting down and accessible for Tads to engage with and probe their memories without them trying to embrace her and sexually service her – during which time they also discovered that the slaves had some unusual hardware upgrades installed. Each of them had a chipjack, but they'd all been installed in odd places, like the armpit – locations that were atypical for upgrades such as this. They were somewhat hidden and less obvious, and it would be easy to hide them or at least not draw attention to them with some careful body placement, and they wondered if this was for recording their images or some other purpose. It also, however, explained their behaviour somewhat – each of them had probably been programmed or altered by a personality construct, essentially overwriting their sense of self with a programmed persona specified by the Triad. No doubt several of them were set to copy famous porn-stars, or to act in a way to duplicate specific tropes or styles – but they could probably be changed or updated with a new program as required. Adding the drug regime on top sealed the deal, no doubt guaranteeing mental and physical loyalty to the Triad.

"While we're away from Spook – I wanted to ask. Is this a coincidence? The horror thing? Is it drawn to this area because there's lots of magic, or has it come here and its presence has made the area more magical?"

"A bit of both I think, but why don't you want to discuss this in front of Spook?" Aswon's voice had a slight edge to it, and he stared at Kai.

"I don't know who we're going to tell about this. Or how much detail we go into. But she wasn't there, and she didn't see it. She was up on the roof – and that means if anyone asks her, she can quite truthfully say that she knows nothing about it, and had nothing to do with it. She genuinely has no idea what the horror is, or what it does. Mind you, we're not much better right now. But if we tell her, then she knows. Does that mean she has to tell Grandfather Fan? Other Triads. Other people she knows?"

"Ahh, I see." Aswon's face relaxed a little. "Then I agree. She has been through enough today. I would advise that we don't tell anyone else about this unless it's been thoroughly discussed between us first. But I have heard stories about things like this, creatures that feed on emotions and pain. I've heard them called 'nomads' before, but I don't know much beyond that. But they can control the minds of the weak, make people bully others, create behaviours that are abhorrent."

"Well, that sounds like what happened. I mean – those poor people that attacked us – with chair legs or frying pans. It's not like they stood a chance, is it? But if they were being controlled or forced into doing something…" Tads shook her head, then looked across the room at the waiting slave that had been selected and persuaded to sit down calmly with her hands crossed in front of her. "I'm going to go do this, before I change my mind…"

She crossed the room and sat beside the slave, pulling them over gently to lean against her, and then placed a hand on either side of the slave's head and concentrated, linking their auras and started to probe her mind. Kai and Aswon stood ready, watching the others out of the corner of their eye, but mostly keeping an eye on Tads and looking for any untoward signs.

A minute into the spell, they saw a few tears starting to leak out of her eyes, creeping down her cheeks to pool on her chin, the droplet growing bigger and bigger until it grew heavy enough to drop off, landing with a tiny splatter in the concrete dust and making a faint pattern on the bare floor. Aswon moved in a little closer, concerned about his friend, and saw her jaw was shaking too, almost imperceptible tremors that shook her face, while her eyes twitched frantically behind the closed eyelids.

She opened her eyes suddenly, releasing her hold on the head of her subject, then rolled away to the side and vomited noisily, retching and gagging, then gasping for breath. It only lasted for a few heaves, but she spat out the remains from her mouth, then turned to face them. Aswon was concerned, but also worried, and looked ready to strike – just in case something had latched onto her. She gave him a wan smile, then dragged the back of her hand across her lips.

"Don't worry Aswon, it's just me. But… the things… it was pretty horrible." She glanced over at the slave, sitting in the same position she'd been left, rocking slightly from side to side. "It's no wonder they're acting like this. I wouldn't want to think about what they've seen or done, and I've not been through it. Thanks." She took the proffered bottle from Kai and took a swig, washing out her mouth and then spitting out the contents, before taking a bigger drink. She struggled to her feet, shaking her head from side to side as if to get rid of the unwelcome thoughts, then poured out the rest of the bottle over the vomit, diluting it and washing it away, before holding a finger over the top of the bottle, and sending a cascade of clean fresh water back inside to refill the container, and passing it back to Kai. "Let's go get the others. I only want to have to describe this once. Let Marius remember it!"

They headed back out, and saw that Spook had moved away a little and was on the phone to someone.

"Talking with Grandfather, letting him know what was going on." Shimazu told them. "I have been watching her."

"Right…listen up… I don't want to say this again. I don't want to have to think about this again." Tads launched into a description of what she'd picked up from the mind of the poor slave girl. Much of it was distorted and weird, probably a factor of the drugs or perhaps the mind's desperate attempts to divorce itself from what was happening to the flesh. She described the images of being kidnapped and taken by men, abducted to some fetid dive and attacked, over and over again, the men forcing themselves on her, breaking her will as much as her body. Of being injected with drugs, or forced to eat pills, drink liquids, and of the terrifying hallucinations that followed, or worse the blank spots of memory, of waking up in the corner of a filthy room, covered in a scrap of blanket with fresh bruises and marks. Of the terror of being strapped down to a table, one arm extended so some filthy back-room surgeon could implant a second hand chipjack into her, before being hooked up to a machine, her essence stripped away bit by bit and overlaid with new feelings and compulsions.

She'd been noticed or selected, she wasn't sure how or by who, and taken up higher in the building. Cleaned up, and treated less harshly, actually fed some bland soy-food rather than scraps from the bin. She'd thought it might have been an end to things, but it was instead just a period to clean up and be made presentable for those higher in the organisation. The cruelty and abuse remained, but they were more intelligent and discerning, able to cause pain and terror without marring her flesh or 'damaging the goods'. Days merged into one another, and her sense of self diminished, stripped away until she was just a thing, to do others' bidding without hesitation, acting without shame or control.

But she'd been moved to the penthouse, and had seen the other slaves, the men, other women, the children and the non-binary. And she'd seen the one they were interested in. Tads tried to describe the memories as clearly as she could, but it was clear from her struggles that the slave-girl could barely keep the details straight in her own head, so badly fragmented was her mind. But she remembered one of the guards hitting the horror-slave, striking at him viciously for some imagined slight. But as the blow landed, the bruise appeared instead on the Triad member. Instead of the gun-butt crippling the slave and driving the wind out of him, leaving him rolling around on the floor winded and trembling, he remained standing, apparently untouched. Instead the goon with the gun found his head whipping around to the side, spitting teeth and blood all over the floor as he was struck with some invisible force.

She also confirmed that the mage they had killed behind the paper screen was the one they had been informed about, a sick and twisted individual that took delight in the use of his spells to cause agonising pain while illusionary fire crawled over the skin of his victims. There were vague details about the slave trade, things said around them, while they paraded themselves or performed their 'duties'. The Triad was heavily focussed on the drug and flesh trade, that much was certain, excluding most other forms of business to favour those two.

Tads talked on for a while detailing fragmentary sequences and thoughts, slaves coming and going, being sold or given away as signs of favour. But the horror-slave always remained, silent and watchful, near to the Triad boss. Untouched by the goons or anyone around him, but close by and always with a faint self-satisfied smug smile on his face.

When she finished her description, the group fell silent for a moment or two before Hunter sniffed, a giant gobbet of phlegm rolling around in his nasal cavities. With a final snort he sucked it back into his throat and then spat it out onto the concrete a few metres away.

"Nice fella. Couldn't have wished a better ending for him. Though I'd have to say, Marius, mate. Next time, just a single shot. In the gut. Let him think about things for a while…"

"That sounds like some kind of pact or bargain. I've heard of such things." Aswon frowned. "Never seen anything like it, but I have heard tales of strange spirits that can pass on the damage they receive to others. That sounds like such a thing. Imagine if Shimazu had struck him with his sword, but the horror remained untouched – and instead one of the other slaves, a child perhaps, was cut cleanly in half? That is a dangerous foe to try and fight…"

"So – we're pretty sure it's a bad spirit, or one of these Nomad things, or a horror, like the other one. So do we go after it?"

"No way, Tads. No. I doubt we can even get close to the place now. In fact…" Hunter pulled out his pad and quickly jacked in, directing it to pick up the local news feed. "Hah – yeah, no chance. Look'it this!" He spun the pad around and showed the screen to the others, revealing the live footage streamed from the Walled City. The block they'd been in was a raging inferno now, flames licking out of most windows and dancing across the roof. Both the buildings on either side were well alight as well, and it looked to be spreading to their neighbours, too. As the camera drone swooped along the side of the building they could see people streaming from the lower levels on the other buildings, struggling under armfuls of belongings, no doubt carrying whatever they could as they fled their homes. Others were trapped in balconies, trying to climb down the outside of the building or even jumping from second or third storey windows, risking the fall rather than being burnt alive. Occasionally someone tried from a higher point of the building, their bodies spinning and contorting as they fell before they impacted like a rag-doll onto the concrete below, all recorded in high-definition for a soulless audience – though at least the newscaster narrative was full of horror and describing the events as an appalling tragedy.

There were more fire-fighting appliances there now, nearly a dozen in all, but over half of them were just stopped at a safe distance, their fire crews not intervening. Others had hoses out and ladders extended, but were spraying the neighbouring buildings down, looking like they were concentrating on stopping the spread of the fire rather than extinguishing it. As the camera panned over, they could see a car marked up in the same livery as the fire trucks, and some people gathered around it – police, fire and men in suits, all engaged in a lively debate and gesturing to the building.

"Why aren't they helping ?" Tads asked, looking aghast at the scene. "There's people literally throwing themselves to their deaths, and they're not even trying to rescue them."

"Because they're non-people." Spook said quietly, walking back to talk to them just in time to hear the questions. "Nobody in the walled city has a SIN, least not a real one. It's been a thorn in the side of the Hong Kong administrators for years. But they've never been able to move in and get the place shut down. There's nearly a hundred thousand people living there – they think. Nobody knows for sure, they've never got a census, or even vague breakdowns of the population. But this fire is going to clean up that whole problem for them." She shook her head sadly. "Those politicians are probably having to do all they can not to rub their hands together in glee. It's the biggest opportunity they've had for a long time to deal with the issue."

"So what now?"

"I've spoken with Grandfather. He wants to see me, get a first-hand report. He doesn't sound happy."

"What do we do with those?" Kai gestured over to the building full of slaves. "We can't take them with us – we don't have the resources to manage them and care for them."

"Could we drop them off at a trauma centre? Or a hospital? Just put them in reception and leave, and let them take care of them?"

"Not likely, Aswon. Not unless you want them to end up on a slab as organ donors. Ain't none of 'em got a SIN either, so none of 'em are people, let alone have medical insurance. You might as well just leave 'em on the street and be done with it."

"If we leave them on the streets they'll be dead by nightfall, and you know it, Hunter."

"Exactly. Gotta find something else to do with them."

"Can't you find a charity maybe, something on the matrix?" Kai asked. "Someone who'd take them in and look after them?"

"The matrix ain't a magic wand for fixing drek, Kai. So probably not. If we did find a charity, and it was willing to take them in – then there's probably a good chance it's a front for organ leggers or ghoul butchers as much as a genuine organisation. They're all in the drek, up to their necks."

"With what has happened to them, they will need to be weaned off those drugs carefully, and probably get counselling to deal with the trauma." Shimazu said quietly. "They do need proper care, or they're likely to end up having an episode or severe break. And I agree with Kai – we do not have the time or resource to manage this problem, even if we had the expertise. And we could try it, but we have little experience in these aspects. So I do not recommend it."

"Spook – this might be out of the box thinking. But would Grandfather Fan take them in? I imagine he has the resources for this – both the drug side and the chip-programming side. Would he take them on, and give them new lives?"

"If he does have the facilities for fixing a persona like that, he can make them whoever or whatever he wants. I don't like it at all – but it's the best option I can think of right now. Better to be a mind-wiped taxi driver working for the local Triad boss than ground down for meat paste or face down in a ditch by twilight." Aswon frowned, not liking what he was saying, but finding his honesty wouldn't let him say anything else.

"Yeah… better to be a labourer on a construction site, or some low-level admin functionary than dead." Kai thought for a moment. "And if they are given new personalities, Grandfather can ensure they are loyal to him. That's got to be worth something…" He raised an eyebrow at Spook, before continuing. "It's not the most noble thing to do, but I think it's the most noble thing we can afford. Harsh and brutal, but the best we can do."

"I can ask him." She wandered away from them again, to make another call.

"Do we need to let someone know about this crap? And by someone, I mean someone with large scaly wings that we've probably done jobs for? One of them was all wrapped up in Triad stuff, wasn't he?" Hunter scratched at the side of his neck, keeping his voice down so Spook wouldn't hear.

"Assuming you're talking about Lung, and assuming it was actually Lung – then yes, he's generally believed to be associated with China and several Triads. But it's not like we can just call him up, and talk to him." Aswon similarly pitched his voice far quieter than he would normally speak. "But I'm not sure we have any favours or credit banked with him."

"What about the sweeper dude, or that scribe bloke? There's got to be someone."

"I think for all of those, if we did somehow manage to get in touch with them, and got them to believe us – they'd just tell us to sort it out ourselves. No, I think this one might just be better left alone, at least for the moment. If we find someone that's in the right line of work, I'm not saying we shouldn't tell them everything and let them sort it out. But I just don't think that we know anyone that will sort this for us. Possibly the most likely to succeed is just a post on the matrix describing this thing and what it did, and waiting for bounty hunters to show up. But that's also going to attract all the crazies, and they might feed it power!"

"Kai. The stuff we breathed in, in the drug lab. Is that going to be a problem for us?"

"It shouldn't be, Tads. We didn't get a concentrated dose, it was just loose in the air. Sure – there was a lot in the air by the time we'd finished smashing things, flipping tables and shooting stuff – but we still probably didn't get that much. And with the ahh… exercise we've gotten since then, we're likely on the way out of it. As long as we don't take any more, we should be ok – whatever it was."

"So, if Spook comes back and says that Grandfather will take them – are we all happy with that?"

"I don't know about happy, Tads. But I think we have to accept it." Aswon still didn't look entirely comfortable either.

"For Fan it's cheap labour for the rest of their life. Loyal, too. But they'll be better working in a factory or restaurant than out on the street or being farmed for their organs." Hunter shrugged.

"I don't like it either. But realistically it's the best we can probably offer them. They're not our responsibility, and they're not our fault. Anything we do for them is better than nothing." Kai looked around, and got nods from the rest of the team as they came to terms with the situation. "The only other thing I can think of is to try and get them adjusted – though I don't know how we'd do that – and take them home with us to live and work on the ranch."

"I'm not sure adding another dozen mouths to feed and look after is a good idea. Or if they'd be suited to the work!"

"Exactly, Tads. So they're probably better to stay here. Let's see what Spook has to say…" He gestured with his head as she turned towards them, ending her call.

"So, I've spoken with Grandfather – he wants to see us. All of us. As soon as possible. I don't think he's happy with the situation. But he has agreed that he can do something with the slaves, take care of them."

"Ahh – about that. I don't think it's safe to go get your van. We might have lost that, I'm afraid…" Kai apologised to Spook. "We sort of left it outside the building when we came in to get you."

"Don't worry, Kai – small price to pay for us being safe. But I spoke with Grandfather – if you're happy to give me a lift, he's told us to arrive by air – there's a pad further up the building we can use.

"I will start the aircraft. You can deal with loading." Marius gestured to Kai, and turned away quickly, before Kai or the others could respond. Hunter quickly followed him, leaving Shimazu, Aswon, Kai and Tads to herd the slaves out of their temporary accommodation and back into the cargo bay, dealing with the attempts to grab at them along the way.

The engines warmed up, and five minutes later they were ready for take-off, everyone stowed safely aboard. They were only a little over five kilometres from the casino tower in a straight line, so the flight time would probably be lower than the pre-flight time – but Marius was just as glad to not leave the aircraft again, and was happy to put up with the inefficient use of fuel for such a small hop. They powered into the air, pivoted neatly and then headed south, towards the waterfront development.

He had to be careful, of course, flying through the towers, especially as they weren't logged in to the Hong Kong traffic control system – the downside of being a completely unauthorised aircraft. He approached from the east, over the bay, limiting the exposure to the drone and air-taxi traffic to a minimum, then headed in to the giant landing pads that protruded out of the tower somewhere around the fortieth floor. After checking for other traffic he swung around, and then drifted backwards, floating over the pad and gently lowering down to land with his nose facing out over the bay, and the rear-ramp closest to the building. The team knew better than to wander near the edge and the low railings that surrounded the pad, but he had no faith in the self-preservation of the slaves!

Waiting by the building were Han-Li, the protégé of Grandfather Fan, along with a number of his men, all serious-looking individuals in drab suits. As the ramp lowered and the team emerged, they moved out from the shelter of the building to meet them. Han Li walked over to Spook, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ok?"

"I am… Aswon and his friends came for me."

"Good." Mr Li looked over at Aswon and gave him a curt nod. "Grandfather is ready for you. I would ASK you not to bring your weapons." The emphasis on his speech was clear. He turned though to look at Kai, and a slight smile brushed his lips. "Ahh – Konichi-wa!" He didn't wait for a response, but instead turned and ushered Spook towards the building, leaving the team to make their own decisions.

"Guten Taag! Mr Li," Kai responded, deciding that if you were going to be mocked, you might as well lean into it. "So – did that shoulder touch look sincere to you guys?" he added much more quietly.

"Yes – I was getting a vibe of very genuine concern from him. I think Spook is underplaying her importance to Grandfather, or the organisation. But I'm not getting any insincerity from him." Aswon flicked back into the astral and tried to sample his emotions again.

"I would agree." Shimazu grabbed some cloth and peace-bonded his weapon into the scabbard himself, but then pulled out his pistol and left it behind. "He seemed to care that she was ok."

The rest of the team divested themselves of their hardware, carrying only lightweight pistols well concealed inside their clothing with them, although Aswon 'forgot' to remove his knife bandolier when he left behind his spear and taser.

"My men will take care of our… guests. Grandfather has an opening, it seems, in a factory – they are to make noodles for him."

"Well, that ain't too bad, I guess. Come on you, move it down the ramp! Don't make me kick your ass!" Hunter stopped as he realised what he'd said and then sighed deeply as two of the slaves bent over to present themselves for abuse at his request… with some more careful cajoling they managed to get the dozen slaves down the ramp and towards the waiting guards, then watched with wry grins as the unwary Triad goons found themselves being pawed at and having to defend themselves from having their trousers unbuckled or fending off attempts at passionate kisses and embraces. "Huh – it's a lot more amusing when it's happening to someone else!" Hunter grinned, his drek-eating smirk clearly visible to the goons and no doubt causing some combination of embarrassment and annoyance.

Mr. Li led them inside the building and to a large elevator, just big enough for them to all cram in. The descent down towards the casino was quiet, but mercifully quick, with just side-long glances from the team to each other, either directly or as reflections in the mirrors on the side of the lift-car. But they arrived at the 5th floor quickly enough, and as the doors opened they were able to spread out into the corridor beyond, getting some personal space back. Mr. Li walked through the group, leading them into the tower and apparently into the back of the ship they had previously visited, stepping through a door that was concealed on the far side as part of the hull and into the familiar confines and low-ceilings.

"I didn't miss this bit," Aswon muttered as he stooped low, following along as Mr. Li led them to the audience chamber. Grandfather Fan was waiting for them behind his desk, watching a trideo display that showed the Kowloon towers, now even more ablaze than when Hunter had shown them. Most of the fire crews were now spread out, spraying the streets and surrounding areas, wetting them down and ensuring the sparks and flames that were occasionally ejected from the building didn't set anything else alight, rather than actually trying to put the towers themselves out.

"Ahh, Ms. Wan. It is GOOD to see you. And you, of course, do come in." Fan smiled at them and waved for them to approach. "Now, please be so kind as to explain to an old man, just what is going on?"

Spook started, telling the story of how she'd been kidnapped, taken to a van and then driven away – but how she'd managed to call out to Aswon and mute her speakers, then tell the tale of adventure to her son – all the way to where they were pulled out of the vehicle and about to enter the Walled City. She revealed that she had in fact seen the team arrive in her vehicle – or at least had hoped that she had, and that's why she had struck out when she did, aiming to wound someone badly enough to slow them down, or perhaps leave a trail.

Aswon took over the narrative then, describing their ascent through the maze of rooms and corridors, fighting off the inhabitants, destroying the drug lab, and getting to the penthouse and getting ready to assault. He glanced over to Kai, who picked up the tale, describing the negotiations and offers to back down, but then how the other man had fled, and the situation had devolved into a gunfight. He was careful not to mention the horror at all – never telling a lie, but failing to fully elaborate. It helped that he hadn't seen the creature transform or leap out of the window clearly, and instead he focussed much more on the death of the Triad leader at the hands of the drone, making it clear that he was gunned down by the flying machine, rather than one of the team. Marius twitched a little, but then stilled himself, realising that the way that Kai described it was impersonal, and the results of software or systems – not a choice made by the team. Again, Kai wasn't aware of exactly how the drone was being flown, but he didn't ask – and Marius made no attempt to correct him.

"These people are an affront to our honour. What they have done is beyond reasonable. They must be obliterated." Grandfather Fan sat back in his chair, staring at Han Li, who just nodded in agreement with him. The team tensed, getting ready to act, when Fan suddenly switched his attention to Kai. "My apologies – that must have sounded abrupt. Fear not – I am not discussing YOU!" He chortled slightly to himself, as if realising how it might have come across. Kai grinned, but his heart was still beating much faster than was welcome. "The Triads work with the people. He has consigned his people to a fiery tomb. Rivalry between Triads is one thing… this, though – this is not acceptable."

"Indeed, I see your point." Kai stopped, not sure where to go with that, and not wanting to dig himself into a hole. "Well, if nothing else, I can confirm that the leader is VERY definitely dead, as are his two senior assistants or guards, and his mage."

"You have rescued Sing for me, and you have my gratitude for that. We will look after those people for you, as you requested. However, given the nature of events, I would recommend that you look to leave the area soon. The death toll from the fire is rising steadily, and the financial damage will be significant. The authorities will be looking for someone to blame, and a bunch of foreigners would make a much more attractive target than a local crime boss."

"Ahh, yes – I see your point."

"Good. Then if you have no other business, I suggest you aim to be out of the city as quickly as possible."

"Well, our negotiations with the weavers were pretty much completed. I'm sure we can finish off with only a quick chat. It's only a few kilometres away, so if that meets with your approval, we can fly there and finish off, then leave?"

"Is this not something that could be done over the comm links, or perhaps the matrix, if need be?"

"I see your point. I suppose we can do that. Given the circumstances – and as you say, this is all over the news. I'm sure they will be able to piece together the pieces of the puzzle."

"Kai." Tads said quietly. "Sorry to interrupt. We did have one thing to arrange, which was some goods to take back. That's the only other thing we needed to do before leaving."

"Ahh yes, thank you, that's a good point. Grandfather – we had bought goods here to sell, to the weavers – in exchange for which our contact was seeking some guns or other weapons. We had started to look into arrangements, but had not gotten very far. That might prove to be difficult to arrange now…"

"What kind of guns?"

"Well, we had previously taken them some very basic assault rifles – low technology, but simple and reliable. They're after more of the same, but they have no particular requirements for brands or capability. I think our… friends… just want to be able to bring a gun to a gunfight, rather than a knife or perhaps some repurposed agricultural equipment."

"Ahh. I see. Mr. Li – your suggestions?" Han pulled out a pad and quickly checked through a list or matrix site of some sort, then looked up towards them.

"Grandfather, there is perhaps a good opportunity here. A container, down by the port, due to move on shortly. It contains a number of weapons that were destined for the Police Academy. Service pistols, patrol shotguns. Many weapon systems and associated ammo, all travelling under the same discreet packaging. We have men in place to effect a transfer, if needed." Mr. Li tapped a few more keys on his pad, then flipped it around, and showed the screen to the team, detailing the weapons in question. Hunter leant in, examining the screen more closely.

"Norinco Huo Yi Shotguns. Looks like tube magazine-fed shotguns, short and handy, suitable for urban conflict and door breaching, that kind of thing. Solid shot and flechette rounds. And some more Norinco guns, Kekao de pengyo – ahh, I get it. Trusty friend. Service side-arms. Lightweight pistols but decent mag capacity. Not the heaviest rounds, but good for the average copper facing off against street thugs. Yeah, our friends could make good use of those."

"Excellent. And what are the details in terms of costs for such a shipment?" Kai enquired.

"I believe that we could arrange for almost instant transhipment for these systems. You could fly in, get loaded and fly out with little intervention, if we can agree terms. I think…" Mr. Li tapped away on his pad for a few seconds, then continued. "Ninety thousand Nuyen, should cover the costs involved, I believe." They saw his eyes flicker over to Grandfather for a moment, getting an almost milimetric nod in return.

"And how many guns is that for?" Hunter asked.

"The manifest we have here details that there are one hundred of each, waiting for collection."

"He'll take it." Hunter said emphatically, nodding to Kai. "He says thanks very much."

"Yes, that sounds good, then." Kai glared at Hunter for a moment, but realised it wasn't going to make any difference. Mind you, he'd have carried on just the same if the situation had been reversed, so his frown twisted into a grin. "If it's convenient, we'll head over there straight away, once our business here is concluded."

"Very well. Then I have nothing more to say, other than to once again wish you well, and thank you for returning Sing to us." Fan smiled a little, his eyes focussed on Spook. "Sing, please stay – we have some things to discuss. Mr. Li will see you back to your aircraft, and give you the contact details for the docks."

"Thank you, Grandfather." Kai bowed deeply, with Shimazu joining him. The others gave respectful nods – though Aswon moved over to give Spook and her boy a big hug before they left.

"I'll call you, in a couple of days. Make sure you're ok."

"Thanks, Aswon."

The team headed out, following Mr. Li back to the lift and then to the helipad, climbing back aboard the Broadsword. Mr. Li beamed over some details of their contact, including a passcode to use – and took the payment from Kai for the weapons pickup from the team credstick.

It was only about three kilometres due west from the casino to the docks, but double that by the time they headed back out over the water and around the downtown area – there were far too many high-rise towers that would be above their flight level, drones, other VTOL aircraft, traffic systems and other miscellaneous hazards for Marius to feel comfortable navigating through. For once their advanced stealth design would actively work against them, and the last thing they needed was for some myopic noodle delivery drone to smash into them because they hadn't show up on it's primitive radar!

Approaching the port, though, was a different matter. When they keyed in the code they'd been given, they were routed down a very tight and precise approach angle to land on the concrete pier, near to a massive collection of containers. A small team of dock-workers were standing by, armed with fork-lift trucks and mech-suits that could shift entire pallets around with ease. As soon as they'd landed and popped the rear ramp, the work-gang sprang into action, loading four very large and heavy pallets full of goods into the back of the aircraft. There was some banter between them, but no discussion with the team at all – they just loaded the gear and got off the aircraft, back out of the way and then sparked up a bunch of cigarettes, continuing their discussion and making a point of not even looking their way.

Marius didn't need a written invitation, and powered back up, then headed out of the port airspace as quickly as he could and into the bay, getting a little more room to navigate. Continuing his west-ward track, he looped out around Hong Kong Island before heading south, heading out to sea, and avoiding getting any closer than he could help it to the international airport. He still had to keep low to avoid their approach paths, but the shipping channel was wide enough here that he could blend in with the sea traffic without running too much risk of collision. By the time they'd headed past Aberdeen, Hunter had checked the fuel status and worked up a course for them.

"Right mate, course 171 for about 1350 kilometres, to Elune's bay. Refuel from the stinky bint, then it's a short hop of three hundred and fifty klicks over to Ruby to drop off the guns."

"Affirmative."

They co-ordinated with Tads, who sent some spirits ahead of them to search the area around Elune's Bay and the western Philippines, looking for Japanese warships, but the patrol had evidently moved on to a different sector – or was busy chasing some other unfortunate smugglers down.

They contacted Ruby and arranged to land in the same area they'd dropped them off at, setting down in the open clearing and finding that Ruby was already waiting for them with a dozen of her men and some pack animals they'd managed to secure. As they started to unload the cases of guns and the accompanying ammunition, her attitude to them warmed immensely, seeing the fruits of their labour.

By just after 20:00, they'd unloaded all the gear and were ready to take off again, securing their stations and leaving behind the Huk cell with two hundred new guns to distribute to their other cells. Hunter had the next course laid in, and fed it through to Marius as they took off.

"Two and a half thousand kilometres now, course 310 for now. Heading for Dragon Ridge – the place on the north side of the reservoir."

"Roger that."

"First sixteen hundred clicks is over water, so should be relatively calm. Then we're over the Chinese mainland, so we might have some radar to dodge and mountain passes to run. Working on the details as we get closer…"

The Broadsword shot across the South China Sea, crew on alert for warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy or anyone else, for that matter, as well as corporate ships, other smugglers or shadowrunners, para-critters or pirates. Fortunately though the journey was calm, and they arrived at Dragon Ridge a little after midnight, refuelling from the smuggler stop quickly and quietly.

From there, they headed west towards Nepal, heading back to the stop known as 'Trafford', something that made a lot more sense to them now they'd been there once and knew a little something about the décor. The two thousand kilometre journey took another three and a half hours or so by their internal clocks, but they also crossed two time zones, arriving at a local time of 03:30. There again they refuelled, used the facilities, took twenty minutes to stretch their legs and top up on coffee and energy drinks – after checking that the crazy elf-impersonators weren't around – and then took off once more on the next leg of their journey.

The next hop of two thousand eight hundred and fifty kilometres took them across Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran – none of which were known for their calm and neighbourly dispositions. But between Marius' expert flying, Hunter's navigation, Tads' spirits concealing them and the finest radar deflecting technology available to the Royal Air Force, they sailed across the borders without issues. The five hours of air travel again only equated to a time difference of three hours by the reckoning of the world below them, bringing them into the 'Ski Lift' smuggler stop nestled in the northern mountains of Iran at about four thirty in the morning. They exchanged somewhat tired pleasantries with Rasheed and Nasrin while they refuelled, waiting while the primitive pumps slowly transferred thousands of litres of AvGas from the fuel tanks in the base into their own aircraft. Tads checked the time and insisted on a half-hour delay to let her summon fresh spirits as dawn broke to protect them for the last leg of their long journey, ensuring they were still concealed from anyone watching for them.

As soon as that was done, though, Marius had them saying good byes and taxing out from under the enormous netting strung across the valley and took off vertically, climbing carefully up between the peaks and threading their way through the mountain passes to the north – though it was a lot easier still than trying to ski down the mountains in their truck as they'd had to do the first time they'd come this way.

That left only about six-hundred kilometres to go to reach the ranch, much of it over the Caspian Sea. Marius slowed down a little – aware of just how fatigued he was after the long night of flying and determined not to rush his return and take unnecessary risks.

Crossing the scrubland of the eastern edge of the Trans-Caucus League, they crested the ridge and saw the welcome sight of the ranch below them, and Marius started his descent, running a full sensor sweep forward to check for trouble.

"There is an aircraft on the helipad – powered down, cold engines. Landing behind the hanger instead."

"Watch out for the tent, mate – looks like Nadia's been busy!" Hunter tapped on a command and highlighted a large area to the west of the hanger, where a huge marquee had been erected, covering an area over fifty metres wide and nearly eighty long. "No other signs of change though…"

They spiralled down to the landing site, continuing to run checks for anything suspicious, and feeding the sensor images to the passenger compartment, too.

"That chopper. Livery is for Bouygues Construction. Is that what Nadia was talking about? Seems like a big deal if they've choppered someone over."

"No, I do not believe so. She said there was a corporate booking, so I presume they arrived by chopper. But perhaps she then negotiated with them, once she found out they were involved in construction."

Setting down gently, they grabbed the minimum of gear – knowing that there were tourists staying at the ranch, the last thing they wanted to do was wander through the door carrying obvious weapons and illicit cargo. On the way to the house, they stuck their heads into the edge of the tent, discovering it wasn't actually a marquee, but instead a large latticework of scaffolding with material stretched over – far more temporary, but easier to customise. It looked like it was set up to shield a working area that had already been marked out on the rough earth below – survey posts defining a large square area with geometric precision, and some materials already laying on the floor on either side of the work area.

They entered the ranch through the kitchen door, finding Naena and Eteri working in the kitchen, getting some breakfast ready.

"Welcome home! Nadia is up, in the living room, along with some of the guests. You look exhausted – would you like food? Drinks?"

"Thanks Naena, perhaps a fresh pot of coffee? I think we might go to sleep for a bit after that. I think we've been on the go for twenty-four hours, and we're ready for a bit of a rest." Kai gave her a broad smile, then turned and headed through the dining room and towards the lounge, the rest of the team following along.

Sitting on the long settee they saw Nadia sitting next to a tall gentleman wearing a suit, who seemed to be holding Marius Junior in his arms, rocking him gently back and forth as Nadia smoothed over the fine downy hair on his head. Next to the suited man was a couple in their forties or fifties, both human, and dressed in a more casual style, but still quite smartly. They were supping at drinks, both holding their cups and saucers carefully in front of them.

As the team entered the room, all four of the waiting people turned their attention to them. Nadia pushed herself up from her seat, and then turned, ready to take the baby from the man in the suit – but he just gave her a smile and shook his head, telling her it was ok. She smiled back at him, then turned back, starting to cross the gap between her and her husband, ready to push her way through to reach him. Seeing her coming, Aswon and Shimazu shuffled to the side – but then frowned as Nadia slithered to a stop. She stared at Marius – who strangely enough, wasn't staring back at her at all. Instead his gaze was fixed on the older couple sitting on the end of the settee.

There was a crash, as the women let go of her saucer, sending it and the cup of tea tumbling to the floor, where it smashed to pieces, sending a small flood of hot brown liquid all over the wooden floor.

"Marius?" her voice quivered, her hand still held out in front of her as she stared at the pilot.

The team stopped, looking around in confusion.

Marius looked at them, blinking as he tried to make sense of what he could see. The fatigue of a ten thousand kilometre flight on top of an intense combat operation, as well as crossing multiple time zones made him doubt his own senses – but no matter how many times he blinked, the picture before him didn't change.

"Mutter? Vater?"

And the man in the suit grinned at them all…