Alternia Comics

   “Em?” Varrow called, stepping carefully toward the kitchen.
   “Yeah?” Em put down the coffee mug he had been washing as Varrow walked int to view.
   “Er.. don't you have a dish washer?”
   “Not worth running it. I only have four plates and three mugs anyway. What's up?”
   “I think I'm ready to log in again. With you.”
   “You sure? If you'll forgive the innuendo, you sound sorta dreamy. Something happen while you were in there?”
   “Sorta ... just some ... reminders.”
   Em decided not to press the issue and quietly walked back to the couch with Varrow. He sat down next to her, with the electrode halo on his head. She plugged the Key's lead into her auxiliary data port and inhaled deeply. “We can stop whenever you need.” Em leaned his head back and said softly, “I'm ready when you are.”
   She took a moment to watch him sitting there. He looked so much like he did when she first saw him, slightly cleaner shaven, but still gangly and a little gaunt. Varrow exhaled and sent the mental command to her cyberware to log in.

   Vex looked around slowly. The lights were back on, every node in Em's network reporting an active status. Everything looked normal. Vex quickly routed itself to The Gate.
   “Baub. I need you.”
   The tiny dragon wriggled out of his hole in the wall. As it left the gate, it grew in apparent size until it stretched nearly a meter from snout to tail. It's head was 12 centimeters long, 8 of which were jaw. The body was a uniform four centimeter diameter, save for the last 10 centimeters of the tapering tail. Its small legs, two a head's length behind its ears and two mid-body, looked almost perfect for helping it navigate the tiny tunnel of its home. “Who calls for me by name?”
   The response was short and to the point. “Vex. The Creator.”
   “Welcome back, Master. There have been four failed attempts since your last access.”
   “Thank you, Baub. I need you to grant access to a being called Em. He is half of me.”
   “Acknowledged. Accessing records.” The data dragon swum in a tight coil in the air in front of Vex. “Record found. Access granted.”
   “Thank you, Baub. You may sleep now. I'm going in.”
   “Acknowledged.” The dragon flew back to its hole. Vex stepped toward the wall as a doorway opened. A white light flooded out into cyberspace, washing out the light green background light of the network. Vex instinctively put its arm in front of its face to shield its eyes. It stepped forward and found itself in a white room, the file cabinet drawer lined walls stretching in all directions as far as Vex could see. The doorway closed behind Vex.
   “No use standing around” it said to no one. Vex called up a search program from Varrow's deck. A ruddy blood hound faded in to existance at Vex's side. The dog wore a collar around its neck, with a tag dangling below its jaw, naming it Kate. Kate started sniffing the air hungrily and pawing at the ground. Vex knelt next to her and held out a handkerchief; a representation of the serial number uniquely identifying the DataFlex switch used in the Teledyne robbery.
   Kate barked. She had the scent now. Vex stood and the dog ran full tilt. Vex watched as the dog disappeared in the distance. She barked once. A second bark a moment later was followed quickly by a third. The fourth came after along pause. Kate barked each time she found a matching file, pressing her right paw on the drawer, marking it. Vex heard 17 barks by the time Kate returned to its side. Vex nodded and the dog faded away again, the program unloaded from memory. Vex calmly walked the room, opening each marked drawer and pulling out the folders representing the data that had matched Kate's search.
   Vex returned to the doorway and tapped the blank wall. The door opened and light flooded out into the network again.
   “Baub. Wake up. I'm done here.”
   Baub's reply came from the wall, but the dragon did not show itself. “Acknowledged.”
   Vex, folders in hand, made its way to a glowing network node; Em's laptop computer. The glowing sphere looked inviting as Vex floated closer. It put its hand on the edge and found the structure was gelatinous. Vex's hand passed through the wall with minimal effort and the rest of Vex followed soon after. The inside of Em's laptop looked like Em's living room, but far less cluttered. Everything was piled somewhat neatly, organized in rows along the walls, stacked on the table and desk in the corner. Vex walked to the desk and copied the 17 folders, placing the duplicates on top of the least precarious looking pile, before logging out.

   Varrow spoke first. “I forgot how big that data store was ...”
   Em chuckled, blinking as his eyes readjusted to the light of the apartment. “A hacker's treasure trove, remember?”
   “Yeah, but ... damn. Baub's a lot cuter when he's not trying to kill you.”
   “Cute and deadly. You want to sort through your copy of the logs while I start on mine?” Em asked, standing up and stretching before walking to the his bedroom.
   “Sure. Just looking for the standard stuff? IP Location lookups and other clues to where the switch has been?”
   “Yeah, and anything else that catches your eye. Maybe this wasn't their first job and we could find something else someone wants. There's always time for a bonus payday.” Varrow couldn't see him, but she knew Em was grinning and absolutely serious about the possibility of holding another corp's data hostage.
   She closed her eyes and logged in to her internal cyberdeck to take a closer look at the logs. Em sat crosslegged on his bed, hunched over his laptop doing the same.