"Got 'em," said Kyle.

"Good. Now what?"

"Now, we pay them a visit." Kyle told him. "But first I get my body."

Kyle opened his eyes, and immediately began the stretching exercises he used to rid his body of the cramping and lethargy that came with a prolonged jaunt in astral space. That was why it took a few moments before he noticed the large easel and the crayon-scrawled words "I'VE GONE TO WORK." There was nothing else; no other words, no signature, no sign-off to signify with what emotions she'd written the words. Kyle slipped back into astral space and examined the easel and the now indecipherable writing. He sensed a slight annoyance attached to the words, but there was something else. A touch of brightness, though tempered by the darker emotion.

He sighed. He should have kept better track of the time, should have been here when she woke up. Beth would have been irritated by the time she came downstairs, and seeing him sprawled on the couch, his spirit and attention elsewhere, would only have made it worse. If true to form, she'd have calmed down by the time she got to work. He'd call her there later, after he dealt with Knight Errant.

Finding his clothes in a pile on the now remade bed, he dressed and went back downstairs to call the Truman condoplex. A servant answered, and moments later, he was speaking to Hanna Uljaken. She was wearing a white business suit over a mandarin-collared silk shirt mat matched her eyes. She was trying very hard not to show her anger.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "Are you all right?"

Kyle started to ask her if Seeks-the-Moon had given her his message, but then realized that he'd taken Moon with him. The spirit was probably only now returning to the Tower as Kyle had instructed.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't let you know what was going on. I stopped by late last night, left a message with Moon, and then took him with me to help check something out."

"Well, that wasn't very smart." Kyle could tell she was still angry despite her smile and attempt at a bantering tone. Her reaction implied many things, but none of them he could deal with immediately.

"Is my car still at the staging area from yesterday?" he asked.

"Assuming it hasn't been stolen."

"I'll be back at the Tower in about an hour," he said. "I'll see you then."

"Don't you want to know what's been happening here?"

He tensed. "Anything critical?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Then I'd rather talk in person."

Her eyes softened. "Fine. Will you need Mr. Truman?"

"No. At least not right away."

"He's trying a full business load today."

"Good." Kyle started to reach for the Disconnect, then thought of something else. "Has Knight Errant reported in or briefed him?"

She shook her head again. "Not to my knowledge."

"If by chance they show up before I get there, stall them."

She nodded. "I will."

"Thanks. See you in an hour."

Kyle called a cab, and twenty minutes later was heading down Interstate 90/94 toward the Core. He looked to his right as they passed the Washington off-ramp, but the warehouse and Knight Errant's surveillance caravan were blocks from the highway. Minutes later he was at the Truman Tower, and being met by the normal retinue. Hovering in the background were a half-dozen Knight Errant troopers, though the security was markedly reduced. It seemed Knight Errant was less worried about the safety of the Truman family than previously.

He went directly upstairs, passed no extra Knight Errant guards along the way, and found Hanna sitting opposite Seeks-the-Moon in the large family room. A wooden board cross-hatched with lines and littered with dozens of rounded white and black stones sat between them.

"Who, dare I ask, is teaching whom how to play Go?" he asked.

Moon seemed pensive and his attention was focused on the board. Hanna, however, smiled and looked up. "I'm teaching him," she said. "He's very good."

Kyle laughed, but was surprised again. He'd tried a number of times to master the Japanese game during his student days, but had never quite managed it. She was probably exaggerating Seeks-the-Moon's abilities.

"Well, he seems to be deep in thought, so I'd be eternally grateful if you'd show me where I can clean up and change clothes."

Hanna stood up, straightening her jacket. "I'll be right back," she told Moon, who nodded, but did not look up from the board. Kyle followed her out into the corridor on this level. "That reminds me," she said to him, turning slightly, does he ever change his clothes?"

"Moon?" Kyle asked. "Yes, Moon."

"No. What he's wearing is part of his form. He knows a couple of spells. You saw him use the disguise spell when the Knight Errant combat team was here. But otherwise the clothes he's wearing are the ones I created him with."

"Here." She stopped in front of a door along the hall. "This is yours."

"Great." Kyle opened the door and stepped inside, then turned to her. "Come in for a minute."

She seemed to hesitate briefly, but following him in. Kyle closed the door and looked around. The room reminded him of a luxury hotel. There was a single, king-sized bed, night stands, dresser, and wardrobe, desk and telecom, and a small area off to one side, all modeled in the currently fashionable avante-Asian style. His datapad and portable telecom were sitting on the desk, and he assumed his clothes were already organized neatly in the dresser and adjoining wardrobe, but his interest was drawn to the gold and white marble bathroom he could glimpse through an adjoining door. He glanced in and confirmed the presence of a small whirlpool bath and shower.

"Very nice," he said.

"Glad you like it."

"I'm going to shower and change while we talk. Do you mind?"

"No, not at all." Hanna sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Good." He went to the dresser, searched through the drawers, and pulled out a pair of pale blue briefs.

Hanna flushed slightly and quickly looked away, but Kyle didn't let her see his smile. He went into the bathroom, closing the door partly. As he showered, he loudly told her what he knew about what had transpired at the first Brotherhood location at Harlem and Irving, and about his and Seek-the-Moon's investigations at the other sites. He told her they had not checked any of the other Brotherhood sites on the list, since the in-force presence of Knight Errant troops seemed a good indication that they'd found the point of interest.

"So you're hoping that nothing happens before you get back there?" she called out as he finished both his shower and the story.

"Yes and no," he said, toweling off. He could hear her moving around in the other room. "If they've already moved in by the time I get back, great. It'll be over and there'll be a scene to investigate."

"What if they won't let you?" she asked.

"Then I call in Eagle Security and they take over the situation. Knight Errant doesn't have the jurisdiction to override Eagle here in Chicago."

"They could still say no."

"They could, but that might provoke publicity they don't want." He slipped the briefs on and wrapped a towel around his waist. "They're operating in the city of Chicago, not on corporate territory."

He walked out into the main room and found her standing near the window, looking out across the city. If Hanna was embarrassed, she tried to hide it as Kyle stood obviously looking for something in the room. "Flat black case," he said, "A little larger than a briefcase."

She pointed at the wardrobe. "In there."

He took it out, and dropped it on the bed. Opening it quickly, he began pulling out items of heavy, white, semi-rigid partial clothing.