John was giddy when he woke, and when Claudia touched him he seemed excited, only this wasn't the look he got when he wanted to make love to her. That look was almost amusing. Today he looked inspired. It made Claudia want to kiss him.

      Instead, she helped to tidy up the basement, put her things together, and make sure she had her mobile ready to take outside, with the tools and peripherals she would use. These things took up much more space than the mobile itself, but where other people would have waited to reach an office in order to use a printer or scan a document, Claudia had mobile hardware.

      Claudia moticed the unopened packages, still upon the floor. She gave the one from America to John and watched him open it. He read the enclosed letter quickly, questioning something to himself.

      Along with the letter was a thin cash card, and in separate smaller gift box an old pocket knife. It was black on the outside, fairly large, and of the sort that included many blades and tools.  Claudia gathered John knew this had once been his fathers and that his father might say with this small gift that he wished his son to survive. "He's sent me a lot of money," John said quietly, "says Wendy was already taken care of."

      Claudia nodded, but she did not quite understand John's family dynamic. He had been a cab driver in Varna when they had met, and apparently not very well off. Joy had bought him all his nice clothes and thrown money at him. Now, Claudia saw his mother was living in a nice house with plently of room and even some antique objects and choice pieces of artwork. His father, she had learned, was an American filmaker who had been involved with successful films and stars, so he could be quite well off. Why did John never show this himself?

      "There was a package from Joy, wasn't there?" Claudia asked. It had not included Joy's name, but Claudia understood, just as John must, that she had sent the rectangular box. John was lifting it from the floor. This was more securely taped, and he used a blade from his gift knife to open the top. There were a number of items nestled within. John gave one envelope to Claudia, it had her name upon it.

      She sat and opened the otherwise plain envelope. Inside was a printed message. It was a list really, a list of names, businesses and cities. She knew exactly what it was when she saw it and trembled slightly. She had compiled similar lists herself, back in Paris. She and her father had used such contact lists to guide fugitives out of the country when he had run the Metro Noir.

      "What did they send you?" Claudia asked slowly.

      "More cashcards, maps, compass, field glasses, cigarettes, chocolate, perfume."

      "The last ones are for trade."

      "I don't understand. What did they tell you?"

      "It's just a message from my father. He worries. I know, because I recall, when we used to send people secretly across borders, that we made sure they had items to trade or bribe with. Anything that is a luxury item becomes like currency, after riots or war has gone through a place.  It is much like the inside of prisons. Sometimes they trade just for a photo of a beautiful girl."

      "Anyway, there's loads of stuff here. You'd think..."

      "They knew there was going to be conflict in the area," Claudia finished.

      John looked stricken with pain. Claudia was not pleased herself. "I don't get it," John said in a whisper. "there are Russians present this far into Poland, but there has not been that much fighting, has there? I mean, there were definitely fights, and people are scared."

      Claudia nodded. "There's something we're not seeing. Let's go to the Church. Anything else I should carry? Maps maybe?"

      John passed the entire box to her, holding onto only a small envelope that must have held message of relevance to him. Claudia put the map updates with those she already travelled with. Most of the items John would better carry but he had not mentioned the static free bags along the bottom. Claudia lifted each and looked through the plastic. She recognized these too.

                      †               †               †

        Wendy was in charge of caring for Alicja and helping her with her lessons, and Leo was at another game. But, Karina had agreed to meet Claudia and John and to drive them out to see Karl and Merideth. John's car was just too small. They came to the building Karina lived in, and went up to her small apartment. She had many herbs growing throughout in small pots, and her old computer was propped open in the kitchen and shamefully covered in dust, surrounded by bits of chemical formula or recipe printed onto paper and tacked to the cabinetry and walls. The rooms smelt of wax, apart from the vaguly herbal scent, and the furniture showed candle drippings.

      It was obvious she practiced. David knew something of Wiccan craft, and had described some amount to Claudia, otherwise, she had read of the practice. Karina was a spellcaster. She gathered a few things as they went, locking the apartment from the outside. "I've been wondering," Claudia said to her, "if you knew of any Darkling who had been out and living in Poznan, or hereditary witches?"

      "Sure there was the - well I haven't seen him recently - there used to be a winged man that worked at the media store across from the synagogue. And there was the grocer who most people new was 'Breed...but I haven't seen that store even open lately now that you mention it."

      "Do you think it was the Russians?"

      John studied them both with worry as they reached the street, listening to their conversation.

      "I haven't heard of there being any struggle, but I do hear that the Russians have orders to detain or slay Darkling, to consider them apart from the people to be liberated from the Union. There are many people who consider them evil because they are not Human."

      "There have always been people who thought that," John said dismissively.

      "My guess is that they ran before they could be discovered. Now that you bring it up, Claudia, I think many Darkling must be leaving their homes all over Poland. Many of them pass for Human, but often the neighbors know and could be persuaded to tell about them."

      "Do you think it's right they be targetted?" Claudia asked.

      "No. Why ask me that? I try to give everyone the respect I would like from them."

      Claudia shrugged. "I had to ask."

      They climbed into the old French made vehicle that was rather like a small van on a jeep frame jacked up off the ground and on four oversized tires. Karl and Merideth were in a park, this meant, John explained, they were campers. South of the city was a large park, as well as organized grounds for trailers and tents, and in the woods others often camped.

      Karl and Merideth had a trailer, but no obvious vehicle that might have pulled it. There were bicycles outside and lawn furniture. Merideth came down from the narrow door in the trailer, having seen them walk across the clearing. She kissed them all in greeting. Claudia wasted no time. "Merideth," she asked, "have you noticed, in your search for stories, any local Darkling at all?"

      "No," Merideth said, "but we believed there had only been a small population, and didn't notice an absense."

      "There have been almost no Vampyres, I'm sure, and few of the Faerie, they usually stay in Berlin or Paris for some reason. But, there should be a lot of the 'Breed all through the country. Vulkodlaks I think they are called."

      "You know a lot about their movement," Merideth said, as Karl came outside.

      "I do. I happen to know quite a bit about them. I have realized, suddenly, that there is an absense. Karina supposes they ran from their homes."

      "I'd think they would go into the woods," John said, looking about. Kindness toward Darkling was new to him and Claudia knew Woldbreed made him nearly as nervous as Vampyres.

      Karl shook his head. "There's a Russian camp in the city, in some paved, fenced-in lot..."

      "Yes, the old airport," John said. "Where would the Darkling go?" John asked. "We should help them. They make me nervous, but I know if I were chased from my home, I would not mind them helping me."

      "Clearly they are in hiding somewhere," Karl said.

      "Open protest would endanger too many people, and probably help little," Karina said. "But, if they are found, I would not be against giving them food or bedding.  I don't have much else."

      "Aconite?" Claudia asked.

      "Wolfsbane? It's poisonous!"

      Claudia shook her head. "In the right dosage, their teenagers are given it as a sedative to help with the growing pains."

      Karina shrugged. "I could get some."

      "We should be going to the Church," John said.

      Claudia waved him away for the moment. Merideth was offering to go along to the church. "Can I just get a photo of you before you go," Merideth said pointing out a position further north on the level ground so that the city was in the background.

      John nodded his agreement.  Merideth returned to the trailer for her camera. "Just stand there?" John was asking. He naturally fell into a pose, looked heroic. Merideth was pleased.

      "Do you have much other gear in there?" Claudia asked.

      "What? Oh, not like your machine," Merideth laughed.

      "But, you probably have a photo printer," Claudia said.

      Merideth nodded. She went into the trailer again and this time Claudia followed. It was cluttered but Claudia took in what she could in a glance. There were a pair of hunting rifles not far from the door. There was a radio, and video phone, but not an entire computer. Merideth did have a digital camera and a rather nice printer. There was a stack of photo paper and collection of magnifying glasses and cutters. "You can't edit here?"

      I actually have this old machine," Merideth said bringing it up from under the folding table. Claudia recognized its make, Japanese and old enough to have gone through school with Merideth. It was built for graphics applications but not equipped with a com port. It was mainly what photographers and forgers used for quick jobs in-house where they wouldn't be sending phtos to another location. Claudia swatted at her hair where it fell in her face.

      "It's perfect. Do you think Karl would go with John to the Church. His friend is a priest there and has a task for him, assisting a poor family I gather. I'd love to stay and play with the machines."

      "I suppose he would," Merideth said.

      Claudia opened the door and looked out.  John and Karl were both looking toward the Russian camp. Karina was still there, near the door. "Karina," Claudia called quietly, "Could you drop John and Karl at the church, then gather what medicinal plants you can and either meet us back here or find the boys at the church?"

      "Sure. Is something up?

      "I can't say yet," Claudia said truthfully. "Just being prepared."

      She watched the boys get into Karina's mini with her. Claudia waited until they were gone. She opened her bag then, and set her tools and the static-free bags she had received in the package earlier, along with her own ID. Merideth stood back and watched, and maybe it was with awe. In a minute or so, Claudia had the table in order and both graphics system and her mobile and printer opened up to reveal their circuitry. "Do you have any laminate sheets and a hot press? Or if not I have a bit of plastic, and know how to make a press of baking pans."

      "You're a hacker," Merideth said calmly.

      "That term's often misued, but, yes. Black hat, I'm afraid," Claudia said, "Quick, they call me."

      "Quick! I've heard of you. Did something to a big system in France..."

      Claudia nodded. "I need to burn myself a new ID. If it works, I can do others. It helps a lot if one is wanted in particular, gets rid of the old name and tags written to it. I'll need new photos."

      "Sure," Merideth agreed. "I think I do have clear laminate around here somewhere."