Chapter 7

TheharshbiteofJanuarymorningnippedviciouslyatCaldwell’sears,ashehunchedintohisworndarkbrownsheepskinjacket.HehadboughtitsecondhandinthebazaarsofPortobelloMarketforlessthannothingduringbettertimes.Itwaseasilyhisfavoritepossession,assumingofcoursethatthemysteriousconsolewasstillthepropertyofKenzoYamamoto.Thebulkoftheconsoleweighedheavilyintheknapsack,alongwiththefewthingsthatCaldwellhadmanagedtograbfromthecapsule.EverythingelsewasexpendableandCaldwelltraveledsuperlightanyway.HehadbroughttheSlav’svialofdeathwithhimasinsurance.

Hisamber-huedeyeswereonhighalert.Iftherewasanyoneonhistail,hewantedtomakesurehewasawareofit.Apartfromabeardedhomelessman,wearingenoughtatteredclothingtofillaSalvationArmystore,dousingamakeshiftfirebyurinatingonitandcursingtohimself,thestreetsweredeserted.ItwasNewYear’sDayafterall,andthecitizensoftheUnionwerestillsleepingoffthemassivehangoversbroughtonbythepreviousnight’sfestivities.

ToCaldwell,NewYear’sDayheldasmuchsignificanceashisbirthdayandthefactthatthetwofellonthesamedaydidnotmakeanydifferencewhatsoever.Hedidn’tcelebrateNewYearandhedidn’tcelebratebirthdays,botheventsrequiringastheydidapremeditatedattempttoproactivelyseekthepanyofothers.Besides,hewasn’tevensureifthefirstofJanuarywasreallyhisbirthday.

Inthedistance,aMaglevhummedtowardsAngelStation,athinboltoflightcuttingsilentlythroughthemorninggloom.TheroughoutlineofcapsulecityandtheAngelCapsuleHotelfadedjerkilyintoarapidlydescendingfog.Caldwellhadafeelinghewouldn’tbeseeingitagainforalongtime.Hehadafeelingofimpendingdoom.Hismigrainehadsubsidedgivenhimtherespiteheneededtoreflectonthegravityofthesituation.

Cad,getthehelloutofwhereveryouare.Theyareafteryou.Yourlifeisinsomuchdangerdude.MessagemefromThePuzzlepub,IsleofDogs.

WhotheywerehehadnoideabutheknewhehadtomakecontactwithGlyphtofindoutwhathisstrangeunexpectede-mailwasallabout.Wasthisfalloutfromsomepreviousjob,ahackintoacorporatesystemlongagothathadreturnedtohauntTheHUBanditsperpetrators?WhywouldGlyph,whohehadnevermetinperson,requestaphysicalrendezvous?Itdidn’tmakesense.

Yet,CaldwellknewbetterthantodistrustGlyph’sinstincts.Themessagewassentat5.38AM,afactthatsuggestedthatGlyphhadprobablybeenupallnightaswashishabit.HewasasnocturnalasCaldwellwas,afirmbelieverthateveryhourspentinbedwasanhourwasted.GlyphprobablylivedinthevicinityofThePuzzle,whichthewhitepagessearchdescribedasarespectableenoughpublichousedowninthehistoricDocklandsarea.Oneofthosenew-fangleddrinkingestablishmentsheavyonwroughtmetalandtechnology.

Couldthemessagehavebeenahoax,sentbysomeonewhohadmanagedtohackintoGlyph’ssecurenetbase?ThemessagehadbeenencryptedwithGlyph’sencryptionkey,onethehackerhadbuilthimself.Andhegavethedecryptionkeyonlytotrustedonlineassociates.Onlysomeonewhohadaccesstothekeycouldunlockit.Orsomeonewithlotsofmoneyandaccesstothecuttingedgeofquantumputingtechnology.Caldwellhadreadsomewhereincyberspacethatrelativelysmallquantumputerscouldbreakeventhemostelaboratecryptographiccodes.Butveryfewindividualscouldactuallygettheirhandsononeunlessitwassomekindofuniversityresearchlab.Evenso,theywouldhavetohavearealhard-onforGlyph’smunicationstogotothatkindoftrouble.

Glyphwouldneverpromisehisencryptionalgorithms.Hewastooanalforthat.TheUnionhadeyeseverywhere,inplacesoneleastexpected,watchingandwaitingforthosebeyonditsreachtostumble.TheUnionhaddeclaredwaronallthoselivingoutsidethesystem.Theywouldrathercitizenswereroundedupanddigitallybrandedlikecattle.Itwasallfortheirownbenefit.AndGlyphtookhugeexceptiontothat.Exceptiontranslatedintoprecautions,measures,counter-measures,surveyingthesurveyors,monitoringthemonitors.

So,itwentwiththeterritorythatGlyphtrustednoone.Glyphwasaninsiderturnedoutcast.Heknewhowtoplaythegame.Caldwellwasanoutcast,althoughhemaywellhavebeenaninsider.Whoknew?Buthewasnotgoingtospendhiswholelifeworryingaboutit.Hehadinthepastattemptedtotrackdownhispastbutwithlittlesuccess.Hestillhadnoanswertothemostpellingofquestions.Whowerehisparents?Wherewasheborn?Whywasitheofficiallyneverexisteduntiltwoyearsago?Hisidentificationchipheldonlyhisnameandhisdateofbirth,hispriorhistoryablankmystery.

CaldwellhadoncehadtheSlavrunthechipagainstariggedupstolengovernmentreader.Dataghostseverywhere.Hispasthadbeenmysteriouslyanddeliberatelyerased.Andthathadpromptedhimtoleavenostoneunturnedtofindoutthetruth.Yethehaddrawnblanksateveryturn,thedesiretodiscoverthetrutherodingwiththepassageoftime.TheSlavhadbeenunabletohelpandhadsimplyshruggedhishugedroopingshouldersandstartedpotteringaroundinhisworkshopmutteringtohimselfaboutlettingthepastbe.Caldwellmightnotlikewhathediscovered,theSlavhadreasoned.

BeforeleavingAngel,Caldwellhadtakenonelastnostalgiclookaroundhiscapsule,theoppressiveextrudedcavitythathadbeenpunchedintodurableplasticaccordingtothedictatesofsomefabritect’soldmould.TheAngelCapsuleHotelhadbeenhisabodeforthelastfewweeksandhehadfeltwhatwasdecidedlyapangofnostalgia,nostalgiaandfearintermingledbutnostalgiaallthesame.Why?Theyalllookedthesamethesecapsules.Madenodifferencewhichoneyoufoundyourselfholedupin.Memoryfoammattressmightbealittlemoreoralittlelessfortable,lightsmightbedimmerorbrighter,slotmaysuckcreditalittlefaster,butonceyou’dstayedinonecapsuleyou’dstayedinthemall.ProbablyallrunbythesameUnionconglomerateoutofAntwerporRotterdam.ButthecapsulehadbeenavaluablebufferbetweenCaldwellandthecoldhardrealityofWaterlooBridge.Nobuffernow,onlythecoldfingeroffear.

CaldwelldescendedintothestalerecycledairofAngel’ssubterraneanMaglevstation.Agrowingcrowdofsleep-deprivedrevelers,overworkedcorporatedronesmakingthemostoftheNewYearholiday,movedred-eyedthroughtheheavilyfortifiedtunnels.Theratracehadbeengivenatemporaryrespitefromtheirdailyroutineofbeingembalmedintheirstaidfeaturelesscorporateweaves.Nottoday,themechanicalmanipulationofcookie-cuttermorningpapers,ordoomedattemptsatmeaninglesscrosswords.Nottodaythezombie-likepreoccupationwithadvertising.Withmyriadconfigurationsofalcoholcoursingthroughtheirtiredveins,thecitizensoftheUnionwereretiringhometocoldlovelessbeds,vaguememoriesofsomenightonthetownreceding.

Caldwellremindedhimselftogivetheratraceawideberthifhecouldhelpit.Scanningfacesnowandthen,frombehindthefrayedrimofhisjacketcollar.

TheautomatonsofmodernUnionlifeneverceasedtoamazehim.AnotaltogetherstrangereactiongiventhatCaldwellhadneverreallyworkedinanofficeoranytypeofcontrolledenvironment.Societyexcludedhimfromworkingforcorporations.Whichwasjustaswellashereckonedhe’dratherstarvetodeaththanundergothehumiliationofbeingownedtwenty-foursevenbythesystem.

Therewasanotheradvantageofnotbeingchipped?Youdidn’thavetopaythesystemforthepleasureofridingtheMaglevs.Andifsomeonewasonyourtail,someonewithaccesstothesystem,andyouhadimplants,youwereasgoodasdeadmeat.Therewastalkofanewsystemthatcouldreadthechipinyourpocket,buthehadyettoseeevidenceofthat.Sofar,morelikeurbanlegend.Caldwelldoubtedthatwhoeverwaslookingforhimneededtoresorttosuchmeasures.They’drathertrackyoudowninyourcubbyhole,likeapythonafterarat,heatsensorsonalert.Arattrappedinadeathtrapofhisownmaking.Heclearedtheticketbarrierwithinchestospare.

Ontheplatform,asthemagneticlevitationtrainswhizzedbackandforthtovariousdestinations,Caldwellwastreatedtotheshutter-effectofUnionfacesencasedinPlexiglas,snapshotsofthemundaneaquariumthatwaseverydayUnionlife.Hewassocaughtupinthephilosophyofthisthathedidn’tnoticethathistrainwasslowlypullingintotheplatform.TheMaglevscouldbetoosilent.

Ashelungedbetweentheclosingdoorstotheacpanyingorchestraofbeepsandputerizedfemalevoicesurgingpassengerstopleasestandclearofthedoors,hedetectedsomeunusualactivityattheperipheryofhisvision.Hewassurenowthathewasbeingfollowed.They,whoevertheywere,wereontohim.He’dprobablyneverhavenoticedthemanifhe’dbeenpayingattention.Itwashisassailant’ssuddenreactionwhenCaldwelllungedfortheclosingdoorsthatgavehimaway.OneminutehewasstandingstillandlookinginCaldwell’sdirection,thenexthewasdoinghisutmostnottobeleftbehindontheplatform.Themanwastoolate.Thedoorsswishedshutashepulledhisarmawayjustintime.Evenwiththetrainpickingupspeed,Caldwellwasabletodecipherthebluroftheman’sface.Itwasafacesurgicallyreconstructedintothestuffofnightmares.