PATRAS HARBOR, GREECE.

Behind a stone wall, a waterlogged equitaur looked himself over in a downpour.

Ñ̰ BEFORE I GET UP, ANY SIGNIFICANT INJURIES BEYOND THE BROKEN ARM AND SHRAPNEL?

⸎ A SHARPENED PENCIL BEHIND YOUR LEFT FLANK IS TOUCHING YOUR FEMORAL VEIN. PULL IT OUT BEFORE IT GOES IN MORE. IF THE SYRINGE ISN’T DAMAGED, THE NEW INJURIES MAKE THAT SHOT ESPECIALLY BENEFICIAL.

Non sighed as he spotted the eraser, then cursed as he pulled out the bloody pencil. A torn shirt made a sling for his broken arm. He drank from his rain jar as it refilled again. “If possible, inform authorities about the robotic secretary bird. According to a book I grabbed, it has the name Titus.”

║ I WILL DO SO WHEN POSSIBLE. LIKELY, THIS DISASTER AREA HAS HIGHER PRIORITIES.

Nearby, on some shelves with a tarp over them, he’d put the mecha remains of Claw Machine.

“The medicine has two shots left. What if I gave myself both shots? Decay rate versus OD effect.”

⸎ NO OD EFFECT. WE CAN USE THE EXTRA COMPONENTS. GO FOR IT.

Non dug out the syringe, medicine, fresh needle and alcohol swab. He filled the syringe, checked for air bubbles, swabbed a helpful bullseye, and gave himself the shot. “In game systems, regeneration is fast and easy. Just saying. Thanks, Coronis.” He rinsed the syringe and bottle out several times.

Singlehandedly, in a downpour, Non puzzled apart Claw Machine’s chest cabinet while knelt under the shelves. Finally, he saw a box shape wrapped in a rubber sheet. Carefully, he unwrapped it, enough to determine that the box inside leaked. With the syringe, he collected a good sample of the leakage. “Would be nice to have an inventory system. Just saying.” He wrapped up items for transport.

║ BOSS, ARPANET IS BACK. ICO ON HIS WAY.

Non stood as a very wet waggy pup stepped up. “Hey there, Ico. If I had a spare hand, I’d pat you.”

║ IT’S OKAY, BOSS! FOLLOW ME! I MET AGENT K9. SHE’S A ROBODOG!

The triage exam gave Non a better sling and placed him in the low priority tent. He caught up on reading, reports and copying files from Claw Machine. A query to Fetlock Holmes asked about the Zeppelin crime scene and items secured from Mayhem’s trunk.

The dot camera atop his wrist functioned, so Non checked how his head looked and got a better look at the pencil injury, but the low-resolution grayscale didn’t help much.

‼ FETLOCK: TO YOUR QUERY, 3338 GRAMS. WHY DO YOU ASK? ALSO ATTACHED IS THE PICTURE OF THE PRODUCT CODE.

Ñ̰ SEND THANKS. ARIESTA, CAN COMPOSITION OR CHERRY PICKING HELP TO MEND MY ARM?

Ā̱ I’LL FIND ADVISORS FOR THAT QUESTION.

Picoid landed on his shoulder and ear-whispered. “Here we are, all alone in a crowded tent. I like the black, white and red color scheme. Have you heard the word susurrus? Back at the shelter, I learned it in a discussion of the frequency illusion. I’ll get a better look at these wounds.”

Non chuckled, letting Picoid assess his ass. “I do like that word, as a sesquipedalian equinipedantic.”

“Think about armor. There’s no comparison to caparison.”

“Add armor to my ToDo list. Arpanet, private chat, EquusEngine-Nonagon.” Non waited a moment, then saw his father with watery distortion. A see-through gel wrapped Dad’s right eye.

Non spoke quietly—in a susurrus. “Hey Dad. Are you in water? If this is a bad time...”

Lagen looked over his shoulder. “I’m in a pond with your half-sister, Feamainn. We’re in an exercise park near Lerna Springs. She wants to try the water obstacles. Every single one.”

A very green, wet filly jumped on Lagen’s back. She slapped a frond of kelp over his shoulder. “Daddy!”

“What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive,” muttered Lagen.

“Which leads me to suppose the fact is—we really ought to get more practice.”

“Who’s calling, dear?” Naga came into view as Lagen twisted his arm. She stood outside of the pond while her snakes operated a real camera.

“Non. And I see Picoid, hey! Mama Naga’s getting pictures. Yes, good girl, Feamie, that’s an axolotl. Put it back. The Pelion gang is all over this park,” said Lagen, speaking to several people at once.

Picoid wing-saluted as Non went on. “So you gave up the old house?”

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“Grassleaf arranged boring portals for fifteen homes, including ours. Here’s your ball back, Feamie.” Lagen twisted his wrist to show a plateau on the side of Lerna Mountain. “Do you see Old Falls Ridge up there? There’s a forty meter rise to figure out before we properly connect to the town. Albrea’s checking the drainage and ground settling. She’s a great civil engineer, so we’ll be fine.”

“I see it. And I recognize the exercise park. That’s Our Park. I’ve been renting obstacle cabin 4.”

“Yes. Took me ten seconds to give up on childproofing your place. But we’re using it for storage. Someone recently crammed a cart, books and crates in there and we just added to it. Oh, and good news, Nessie and your brother got back together. Of a more morbid interest, Chyron and I figured out Lernea’s eyes, based on notes Beek left. I’ll send it to you now.”

‼ A SPECIALIZED CITRIC ACID CYCLE POWERS LERNEA’S NEW LASER EYES AND MEMORY AUGMENTS. A MONTHLONG PRE-INSTALLATION ANALYSIS VERIFIED THAT A MULTITON HYDRA GENERATES ENOUGH EXCESS WHITE CELLS FOR ASSURED FUNCTIONALITY.

“Got it. Very useful. Any chance you could head to my cabin?”

“Sure, I can see it from here. Are you having good weather? I still wake up in that thunderhead.”

“I got hurt in the Patras hurricane. I’m waiting in low priority triage. On a happier note, I found Psykter. He’s with me, but we’ll use a support portal to Athens. And I got a new dog, Ico.”

“Non,” Lagen started with a fatherly tone, but then shook out and dropped it. “Low priority is good for triage. Send us pictures of Ico and Psykter. Naga, could you watch Feamainn? No, stay with Mama. Okay, fine, you can both come along.”

Amidst cantering, a snake wrapped Lagen’s wrist to show Mama Naga. “Non, have you heard Duetta died? I used to work with her at Hydra Hydro, years ago. So sad. There will be a service tomorrow.”

“That’s one reason I’m calling. Could you weigh a Lerna Springs Select bottle from the scratched box? Then read me the product code?” Non dimmed the feed as Dad moved his wrist camera wildly.

“I’m unlocking the door. No going inside, Feamie. Scratched box with the expensive stuff? I see the scales I gave you. And that’s good that Psykter’s alive. If he plans to come here, have him write to me first so that it’s on record. Let’s see, looks like 3337 grams.” Lagen reeled off the product code.

“That’ll be enough. Thanks, Dad. My cabin is now a crime scene. Lock it all up.”

“A crime scene? What is the weight supposed to be, son?”

“3125 grams, Dad. May as well tell you, pretty easy to check.”

“There’s heavy water in this? Non, for whom was this meant?”

“The guy that gave you that eye. And I must go, Dad. A robodoggo with a badge arrived.”

“Agent Ñ̰, I’m Agent K9, Salvage division, here to pick up Claw Machine. It’s the former property of the combat hamster Vushi Klovel.” The canine helpfully pointed.

“Take it. The hamster got away. I filed a report. She shot at me with a rifle, among other things.”

“She filed a counter-complaint that you did not mention interference with her heads-up display.”

Non sighed and pulled up his report. “I see. Amending. Oh, she mentions a capture bounty.”

“Merc req to reclaim lost tech. Part of arranging surrender terms. Did you want to protest?”

“No. I have to keep in sight what I’m fighting for.” He watched as K9 carted off the CM scrap.

“Lerna Springs Select? Non, what have I been missing?” asked Picoid.

“All in good time, Picoid. Or see my recent files. Coronis, you have something?”

⸎ I’VE MADE A STATUS SCREEN FOR EACH OF YOUR INJURIES. MACRO SCALE, KEEP THE ARM STILL, PLEASE.

Curious, Non looked, then spent a few minutes guiding worker cells. ‘I miss my cell phone games.’

Picoid pointed to the Titus booklet. “What have you found in that?”

Non read from it. “Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow. Are those shy Eurasian footwear, cowboy chaps, or jolly earthmoving headgear? The deep mountains of karma—We cross them today. And we shall not have superficial dreams nor be deluded.”

“Is it code? That might be your doctor stepping up.”

“Pangrams. English, phonetic, Japanese pangrams. Writing practice for three pages. Times for waking up and turning off. Ah, hello, doctor. I broke my radius and got hit by shrapnel. My regeneration may fix it.”

A bright blue striped fishperson, nametag Dr. Sohol Tang, looked over Non skeptically.

“I see sutures and staples not from this morning. You should have mentioned your regeneration in triage. Keep your arm in the sling. Nurse, antiseptic here and here. May I send you to Athens?”

“I’d love Athens.” Non endured the antiseptic sting and surgical staples that followed.

Dr. Tang signed Non’s triage form, then walked to the next patient, a human with a splinted leg.

Ñ̰ GATHER UP.

Ico had had a grand time. The local emergency manager accepted the canine medic harness. “You did great Ico, thank you.” The pup beamed at the head pat.

Non also gave Ico a head pat. “Good boy.”

║ THANKS! FOLLOW ME TO THE OLD TAUR.

Ico took off at a sprint. Non evaluated himself by matching pace with his energetic collie.

Psykter had a new gray jacket and a new set of horseshoes.

“That should do it, sir,” said the swarthy human blacksmith. “No charge, thanks for saving my sister.”

“I appreciate it, citizen.” Psykter tried a few steps, then more. “Fantastic.”

The blacksmith put saddlebags on Non’s back. “You must be Psykter’s assistant. I bet you feel proud working for him.”

“Indeed I do,” said Non, rolling with it. “Psykter, there’s a portal waiting for us. But first, Dad needs you to send him a message that you intend to move to Lerna Springs.”

“That won’t be a problem. My online name is Alchimist and I’m paid up for three months.”

‘Online name,’ thought Non. “Mine is Nonagon. Dad’s is EquusEngine. Send him a note.”

Psykter set the pace as they walked to the portal staging area. A muscular dolphin-type anthro handed him a clipboard. “Anything declarable?”

“I’m emigrating here from Italy, moving to Lerna Springs. I believe there’s a form I need?”

The dolphin handed Psykter a form. Non stepped up and showed his badge.

“I took possible drugs off a suspect named Claw Machine. I’ll be getting them analyzed. And these are my dog Ico and bird Picoid.”

After completing forms and answering Customs questions, they all took the portal to Athens.