“Since dinner is over, shall we take our places at the table?” Malcolm asked.

Everyone followed Malcolm into the main negotiating hall.

“It is beautiful,” Alexei said.

“What is?” Hunter asked.

“The sunset. I find that you gain perspective by taking time to appreciate the beauty around us.”

Hunter said something under his breath.

Everyone was greeted by a young woman.

“I’m Melissa. I will be documenting the proceedings.”

Hunter looked at Melissa for a long moment, then nodded approval. If I didn’t know better, I’d think young Hunter is smitten, Alexei thought.

Malcolm reminded the group of the rules. Once a verbal “I agree” was issued from each participant, he said, “Let the record show that the current time is 7:31 p.m. on December 25th. The floor will be given to Black Iris for opening remarks. Remember, no interruptions. Who will represent Black Iris?”

“I speak for Black Iris,” Hunter said. “On November 26th, a bounty, placed by Gregor, an active member of The Collective, was issued and a deposit was made. On December 4th, the bounty was removed. Using my right of reactivation, I decided to collect on the bounty. That action caused a worm to awaken and infect our entire Black Iris site. Our researchers determined that the worm was related to GreyWorm, which was written by Gregor. Also, no existing traces of this variant of the worm can be found anywhere on the surface or Dark Web, which means it is unique enough that no one but Gregor or The Collective could have it. We demand the five million Digibit that was stolen from us. Other demands include the cost of downtime to our systems and estimated member costs, which is worth over 300,000 pound sterling. Also, as a gesture of good faith, we demand the services of Natasha Solikov for three weeks. That is what Black Iris demands.”

Malcolm took a pause for dramatic effect, then said, “The Collective may respond.”

“The evidence presented so far is circumstantial in nature, and I demand additional proof of the breach to Black Iris systems,” Alexei began. “Furthermore, Gregor was burned around the time of your system breach. He had no official support from anyone from The Collective. I’m prepared to reimburse you for your actual loss of Digibit, but I require proof, such as ledger transactions from wallets, network traffic logs from the time of the breach, etc. I want restitution for my associate, who suffered directly when Hunter was carrying out the bounty on Nigel Watson.” Alexei pointed at Julius’s arm sling to make his point. “Nigel should not have been targeted. He is an intern that has not been completely read into the inner-workings of The Collective. He is at a disadvantage and should not be targeted. Also, Natasha will not work for anyone but me. You may ask her directly, but I can assure you the answer will be no.”

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“I suggest we take a small break before continuing. Private break rooms are available for members of each group,” Malcolm said.

Hunter glared at Alexei before getting up and motioning Jony to follow.

Alexei motioned for Julius to join him in the other break room.

“What do you know about Hunter?” Alexei asked.

“I know he is deadly. Rumor has it he received extensive ninja-like training since he was a child. He also has a temper.”

“And his rank in Black Iris?”

“Word on the street is he’s related to the founder.”

“Dahlia? The Black Heart herself!”Alexei shivered at the memory of Black Heart.

“Have you ever had any run-ins with Black Heart?” Julius asked.

“I met her about twenty years ago. I had just ended my mandatory two-year service with the military. We worked for the same person, a ruthless man named Sarrin. We were an item. I ended it because her appetite for blood was more important to her than I was.”

Julius followed Alexei back to the meeting room.

“I trust that the meetings were productive?” Malcolm asked. “Are we ready to resume the dialogue?”

Both Alexei and Hunter nodded in agreement.

“Black Iris will have the opportunity to respond.”

“We demand that The Collective pay what is owed. No exceptions! The damage to Julius is covered under collateral damage rules. We feel that The Collective needs to pay in full for what they did to us or we’ll—”

Jony kicked Hunter under the table, and he abruptly stopped talking. He shot a murderous glance at Alexei.

No one spoke for at least a minute. Malcolm broke the silence. “Black Iris, do you have anything else to add?”

“No!” Hunter snapped.

“The Collective will now be given the opportunity to respond.”

“Our counteroffer is fair and reasonable. I offered full monetary restitution for the stolen Digibit, but I need proof. Otherwise, what will stop any other organization from demanding payment for future unsubstantiated behavior? The demand for 300,000 pounds is preposterous. The Dark Web runs on Digibit, not British pounds!”

Hunter rose suddenly, his chair thrown to the floor. He slapped the table hard enough to make it shake. Alexei was close enough to notice the faint outline of a scar that ran across his left cheek, ending at his mouth.

“It’s not your turn to respond. I will not tolerate another outburst!” Malcolm said.

Jony grabbed Hunter by the wrist and motioned for him to be seated.

“It is late. I suggest we conclude for the evening. I trust that cooler heads will prevail in the morrow,” Malcolm said.