Bork triple-checked everything again. All of his systems were operating within acceptable parameters. It wasn't easy working this way. The more direct the linkage was, the easier it was to breach security systems. Immersed in their pod-induced comas, wandering the digital landscape of the internet was second nature to all of his siblings. They saw the ebb and flow of data and the patterns that indicated watchdogs and security. It was easier and more fun to do things close up and hands-on—also more danger of being caught and compromised.

More than once in the early days, they were forced to abandon comfortably hidden bases of operation because one of them had made an error, and someone had traced a signal. Whether that would have resulted in a raid or not didn't matter. They didn't take chances. They would be away from that place within minutes, and another mysterious fire or explosion would destroy any evidence they had been there. It was expensive, but that was just money. Each of them was more concerned with failure. No one liked to screw up in front of their family. It was embarrassing.

Bork, least of all. The others could laugh it off, but he pouted for weeks, even when he knew the others forgave him. This is why he so rarely got caught and why he was working at a distance today, through remotes and cut-outs, reading data from his extensions rather than feeling it and tasting the flow. This target was too smart. If they hadn't already suspected that Milo had something to do with Claw Master, the amount of security at this corporation would have made them curious, making the place an automatic target. They loved a challenge. And Claw Master was proving to be a very difficult nut to crack.

Nina had been the first to try. Her report was amusing at first. They were using McGruff Security for their firewall. The company hadn't updated in decades. No one took it seriously, and as Nina had suspected, there was a second layer. This also caused some laughs. Encrypto was a very good security system used by many corporations. It was affordable, updated regularly, and a very good choice for small to medium companies. It had one flaw in keeping Nina out: She'd worked with Onyx to create it. They were still getting royalties from the security software a decade after selling the rights to Interlocking Technocracies, complete with the backdoors they had built into the code. Behind the Encrypto system, Claw Master had been wide open. She'd found the files she wanted on the gloves, their creator, and several other interesting things.

And that was when she was attacked by seven different probes using different methods to backtrack her signal. She almost panicked; it had been a long time since anything so aggressive had noticed her. She blocked what she could, set off an alarm, and got help from the others. They'd lost a small facility in Singapore that was compromised and another in Hungary, but that had bought them time to disengage. Nina was not happy about the situation. "Not polite at all. Who the hell behaves that way? No finesse at all, no attempt to lure me in, just launch probes and scare me off."

Algernon patted her shoulder. "But it did the job. The big, bad watchdogs barked loudly and scared you away. I'm sure whoever they have in their security division is showing off what they did and asking for a raise. Don't worry about it. You made my job easier. I'm going to peel this place like an onion."

Two days later, there was a mysterious fire in a warehouse in Sacramento that burned the building to the ground. The owners collected their insurance, and the firm renting the building was mysteriously gone. Drug residue was found along with the remains of a laboratory. The alphabet was in a private jet that would take them halfway around the world, and Algernon was trying to explain what happened. "I was working my way in, slowly. Each layer was subtle, and I had to take control of the security program at multiple points. My onion analogy was accurate. They had over seventeen layers of security that made up the system. If I'd screwed up on any layer, it would have triggered the probes again. So I took it slow and steady."

Bork asked. "And?"

"They were peeling my system like an onion, taking their time and moving slowly, identifying each strand and working their way back. I didn't know what was happening until all the layers reconfigured and the probes were past my security and digging into my computer. I hit the panic button and ran for the transport." They all looked at each other, exchanging glances and gestures that conveyed thousands of words. Then four of them turned and looked at Bork. He nodded. "Right, my turn. Give me a week to set things up."

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So here he was, nestled in a new command center that fed information to his pod but kept him at a distance from the advanced security surrounding Claw Master. He would take his time and slowly work his way in, gathering data. It would take him weeks at this pace, but he would crack them open this time.

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Wally brought up the attacks with Steven. "They are trying once again and getting smarter. Whichever corporation is behind this, they are determined to find out the dreadful secrets of the mysterious Claw Master corporation!"

"You're having fun; admit it."

Wally grinned, reminding Steven of Ralph. "Damn right, I am. I enjoy seeing humans get better and smarter. If this is the same group, they are learning and being patient. Of course, I'm patient as well. This could take weeks for them to get inside, at which point I think I'll let them download the file with a picture of the new advertisements we plan to run, maybe a day early. If I can find who leaks them, that will be a clue."

"Have you mentioned this to Milo?"

"Of course not. He pays me to handle such mundane things as corporate espionage and marketing. Milo is the research arm of Claw Master. We need to leave him in peace to see what else he makes." Wally spun in his chair and showed Steven a letter, which he opened and read. "Listen to this; I think it's very promising. One of our early sales of the first run of the gloves was to a research group at Rhebus Biotech Laboratories. They are making some very impressive strides in cloning replacement limbs for accident victims. They think Milo's technology can help the cloned body parts learn to work with the patient's nervous system. They sent along a synopsis of their first experiment."

That got Steven's undivided attention. Rhebus did a lot of good work in the world. "What are they asking for? A research grant?"

Wally winked at Steven. "Just the opposite. They know that a breakthrough in their cloning procedures has the potential to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decades, along with the improvement in the lives of millions. They want to license the technology for research and use it to advance their cloning technology. The basic deal is generous: Claw Master receives royalties from any patents related to Milo's technology, and they will pay an advance on those royalties of five billion dollars. They want the usual non-disclosures and exclusive use of the technology for medical purposes related to their work."

Steven nodded as he read the synopsis of the deal. "It looks good. One thing I wonder. Will it work on Milo? His physiology and nervous system isn't normal."

Wally held up his hands. "No way to know, but I share your doubts. The cloning process is designed for normal humans. It might be decades before they could adapt it to his singular biology. But I'm guessing he won't mind an additional five billion dollars in the bank."

"No, I don't either. I'm wondering what he will spend that much money on, or if it will just sit in an account gaining interest."

Wally shrugged. "My guess is that he will find a use for it, and it will be something interesting. I look forward to finding out just what it is."

Sometime that day, in San Diego, California, a salesman named Frank looked at an online brochure for a vacation he would never take. He had two weeks off from his job at AnytimeTaco Inc., but the vacation cost was out of his reach. Maybe in a couple of years. As he debated going home, something everyone else had already done on a Friday afternoon, a deliveryman came into his office with a package he had to sign for. Curious, he broke open the envelope and looked at the order that had been delivered by a special courier. Someone was having a party for 2000 people and needed a rush order of frozen MexTex snacks sent by refrigerated delivery to Philadelphia. It was prepaid with a sizable certified check. He made calls down to the warehouse and got things moving. No one else was around the office, so this was all on him.

Three hours later, his wife called. "Yes, I know we had plans to go over to the Simpsons tonight, but something came up. I'm working late. But I'm glad you called. I went over the budget again, and we can afford two weeks in Cancun this year. So pack your bags and get the kids ready to go. We leave as soon as I confirm a shipment arrives in Philadelphia.