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heads. Because C team decided to kill nine hacked Valkyries rather than try to get their brains back. Not because V team said a damn name. Violet thought it all but didn’t shout it. Vibeke shouted instead.
    â€œYou told us you searched it! You told us Mishka wasn’t on the Black Crag. You missed the bitch, and you fucked up! We have proof that—”
    â€œWe didn’t miss her,” Cato spoke softly. “We lied to you.”
    They fell silent. Churro looked at Cato, then spoke again, calmly.
    â€œWe never bothered to check for her. We don’t go there unless we have to. If a job can be done in five minutes on the Crag or five years in reality, we take the long road. Mishka isn’t going to take down Valhalla. I doubt she wants to. She wants to be left alone. I won’t tell you to leave her alone, but you need to think about your priorities. One is defense. The Black Crag can take down Valhalla. It damn nearly did, and you already seem to have forgotten it. You’re still talking about that damn Crag. Why?”
    Vibeke didn’t lose a second. “Mishka’s log from Poshchim Bangla shows—”
    â€œYes, Mishka is there,” mocked Cato. “You did a great job. You’re doing a great job and chasing a great chase. But it just ended.”
    â€œThe hell it did,” Vibs barked.
    â€œThe hell?” Claire chimed in. “Let’s say there is a hell. Mishka’s dead, and she’s in hell. Do you follow? Do you drag Valhalla to hell with you?”
    Vibs had the good taste not to answer the way she wanted to. Claire went on.
    â€œIt’s not your choice if you would. If you set foot there, you put us all in danger. We told you we checked because we need it out of your mind. We still need it out of your mind even if you know for a fact she’s there. We saw Mishka’s missing barriers too. But did you consider what that little bit of clever tracking means? Without contact barriers, anyone there gives up all their security, all their protocol. There’s no such thing as hack armor there, they don’t have to wait for you to touch them to read your mind, they can grab you and kill you or reprogram you without any warning. Valhalla does not go there.”
    â€œWe go there every day!” Vibs scowled. “It’s called the real world. You can get shot, and you can get followed and get hacked. And it’s not like we’d go in unarmed, all the shit they can do, we can do better. And we have Aloe to watch out for us.”
    â€œYou’re missing the big picture, Vibeke.” Cato kept his voice soft and demeaning. “If you have our computer with you, they can take her over. Sure you know your net combat, and Aloe has the best tricks in the biz up her sleeve, but imagine what would become of Valhalla if she were taken over by a pirate? Or rogue company? There are things in this ravine even you don’t know the danger of.”
    Bullshit. Violet knew. They showed her everything. There were no secrets, and she hated Cato enough to speak up. “Like what?”
    â€œLike me,” he replied in all seriousness. Pathetic. He leaned in toward Violet. He nodded severely, tried to be intimidating. Violet hated it when he tried to be intimidating. Violet’s foot hated when he tried to be intimidating. Her foot decided to launch toward his throat. Cato would hardly be a senior team Valkyrie if he couldn’t block a kick. In fact he might be called merciful for not breaking her leg again in the process. He didn’t even flinch. He just blocked, stood, and spoke. “We’re watching you like a Geki. You can’t go, so try elsewhere. Or better yet, lay off the Russian sheila for a while and take a job from the crank file. Maybe nuke Tunisia. Meeting over.”

Chapter II: Nikkei
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    T HE FLIGHT to Venus wasn’t scary. Dr. Mowat had been to Luna, Mars, and Station 9. Space flight was 90 percent