Shadow slams the door, then remembers that her father is likely still sleeping. She listens for a minute but doesn't hear anything from her father's room. She turns and shows Brandeen and Cody into the living room.
Shadow is justifiably proud of her apartment. It's secure and quiet, a welcome reprieve from the constant danger and turmoil of the Redmond Barrens. The furniture is mass-produced but comfortable and durable. The household drones keep things clean and the multi-function soy processing unit has a respectable menu, even if it's a bit depleted right now. There's even some higher-priced real food in the fridge. Not enough to make a meal out of, but enough to supplement the soy. The walls are decorated and there are artistic knick-knacks on the shelves, most of which Shadow stole herself. At 100 square meters, there are two bedrooms (one each for Shadow and her father) plus a small patio for nice weather when the acid raid stops and the ash isn't blowing in from Puyallup. The neighbors are respectable white-collared types who are secretly afraid of Shadow, but they're mostly at work when she's home during the day so there's not much overlap to generate friction.
Shadow steers Brandeen and Cody onto a couch. The woman collapses, then starts to shake as shock sets in. Cody, to his credit, hasn't cried since the explosion. Maybe it rattled him, or maybe his eardrums ruptured and he can't hear anything. Either way, he's now silent while his mother starts to dry heave and sob.
Slowly, as Shadow plies Brandeen with tea and tissues and comforting pats on the back, the story starts to emerge:
"Cody is the son of Mel Cozi, a senior vice president for Alliance Designs," she says. "Mel isn't exactly single. He's married, and was married while we were seeing each other. He's refused to help support Cody because he doesn't want his wife to see that money is missing and make the connection. So I threatened to tell his wife unless he ponied up some child support. Well that obviously didn't go over well. Those men tonight were probably his solution to the problem. He probably did the math and figured it was cheaper to kill his own son than to pay child support!" She indignantly slams her hand down, then tears up again.
"He's always like that! So coldly analytical! Everything has a nuyen value, even life. I suppose that's how you get to be a senior VP, but God! What a psychopath!" She looks disgusted at herself for ever having been involved with him.
"I have to get out of town or he'll find me and finish the job. Maybe I can hide in Tarislar, or Tir Tairngire. But I'm a single mother... how am I going to make it?" Tears start to well up again as she faces the dismal prospects of her future.
