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that. That they knew we wouldn't survive in a New Zealand prison on remand without any money to pay local lawyers . . . they were sure we would just accept extradition.”

From the police station, it was a short trip to the North Shore District Court where the four were reunited in the cells beneath the courthouse. Each was handed a copy of the FBI indictment, still sealed. Ortmann, realising by now the prospect of returning to work was drifting away, was still expecting the issue to be resolved. “They all seemed super nice. We got nice pie at the court house and we're thinking, it's not so bad.”

Oddly, the sealed indictment could still not be opened. Ortmann peeled back the edge and thumbed through the pages. He saw long lists of account numbers and again had a sinking feeling he wouldn't be returning to work quickly. Dotcom took charge, as he always had done. He turned to the other three and said: “Just allow the media because we need to tell our story. We need every one to witness what's happening here and we need to have people look at this case, follow this case and see how wrong it is.”

For Davison's first experience of Dotcom, it gave an early taste of the unpredictable and wild nature of the case which was yet to unfold. Dotcom says the legal advice was to resist the advances of the media — to control in a gradual process.

“I said, ‘We want to have the media.’ The guys agreed with me — I convinced them.”

The four filed out into the glass-shielded, reinforced box where the accused stand. Media applied for the right to take pictures, and as Davison rose to object Dotcom spoke over the noise of the court. “We don't mind,” he said loudly. “If people want to take photographs of us or cover this event, because we've got nothing to hide.”

The photograph of the four men in the dock went around the world — Dotcom the only one tall enough to have his head float above the clear barrier. “I knew early on that our best ally in all of this was going to be the public,” he said.

The court appearance was held mid-afternoon, even though the raid and arrest happened as the day was only just beginning. With the lateness of the appearance, there was not enough time to consider bail, meaning the four would spend at least the weekend in prison.

FROM COURT IT was across town to the Mount Eden Corrections Facility, the central Auckland prison mainly used for prisoners awaiting trial. They were streamed through an induction unit, where temporary

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