"Hello Dante," Equinox said after letting the phone ring once.

On the other end, the snoop sighed heavily. "You never call me Phoenyx. Why is that?"

"The rubes who don’t know your value and pay you half your worth call you Phoenyx. I, on the other hand, know exactly what you’re worth. Therefore, I call you Dante."

"And what, precisely, am I worth?"

"You’re priceless; as my funds are finite, I pay you slightly less than that."

"I bet you have to beat the ladies off with a stick with lines like that."

Equinox’s smile was audible. "You didn’t call me for flattery. What’s on your mind?"

"Firstly, I got your payment - thanks for the bonus."

"Thank you for the usual job well done, although there’s still the candy surprise."

"The Shadownet node."

"Precisely. It’s yours as long as you give Rowena and Leopard the information they require."

"Do they know that the node’s being guarded by Thebian Band? Wasn’t he one of Fade’s lost boys?"

"They do and he is."

"Band’s no slouch, ‘Nox. Can she handle him?"

"Unprepared, I’m certain Rowena would have a very difficult time dealing with him. Unfortunately for the Boy, someone may have slipped her his dossier."

"Someone with an obsession with Armani and a wardrobe that could bankrupt some third world countries?"

"I prefer to think of it as a wardrobe that has a significant impact on the global economy."

"Seems to me it would have been better to send Koschei to take care of this one."

"Sarcasm. I do so enjoy it from you. Really."

"How come she slipped this one by you? Manipulating people is your stock and trade."

Equinox was silent for a full five seconds. "Of all my children, I’ve had the most difficult time understanding Rowena. I could never figure out what motivated her – if you know what someone desires, you can control them. It wasn’t until I spoke with Simmons’ that I understood why: it’s because Rowena doesn’t know what she wants. That’s what makes her dangerous."

"Seems to run in the family, then."

"Heh. I know what motivates me; I just don’t tell anyone else. It’s part of my whole mystique."

"Why did you get into this business, anyway? A smart fella like you would have made it big in the real world."

"When Nostrum asked me the same question I told him it was to get chicks. When I woke up an hour later, he informed me that my witticisms were neither warranted nor appreciated."

It was Dante’s turn to be silent. "You once told me that the key to a good lie is to lace it with a bit of truth, which makes me think that it really was about a girl."

"…maybe. I also told you I was bad at poker and you see how well that turned out for you."

"So really: why’d you do it?"

"Because little girls should be able to grow up without fear of steel-armored monsters killing them in their sleep for no good reason. Because daughters should grow up free of the chaos caused by power-hungry madmen. And because, well, I’m good at it."

"How much of that is true and how much of that is a lie?"

"I’ll leave that to you to decide." A muffled voice called Equinox’s name. "I’ve got to go. If there’s nothing further…?"

"Nothing else. Talk to you soon."

"Auf wiedersehen."

Thirty minutes later, it occurred to Dante that ‘of all my children’ was an interesting turn of phrase, especially for someone he knew to be meticulous about his choice of words.