But he didn’t need the Appaloosa’s combat capabilities just now. No amount of real-world firepower meant drek in the Matrix; cyberspace had its own rules. But Andy was hot there, too. He started with turtle stuff, priming a herd of gophers and unleashing them on the media and public records. While they were hunting, Andy jacked and did a little direct prospecting in the FedPol database. He slipped past the outer IC shell with an ease and sleaze that would have impressed even FastJack. Not that cracking it was hard; the police department computers handled too much data to put it all behind serious IC, and the Intrusion Countermeasures protecting the incoming reports and complaints were light, little more than speed bumps for deckers of Andy’s or FastJack’s skills. Andy collected copies of every file on Halfie activities, dumped them into his bag, and flew back to his couch aboard Sheena to do a sort where he’d be safe from prying eyes or inadvertent discovery. Andy didn’t like chance encounters in the Matrix; too much trouble and no reasonable expectation of gain.