“V is Satan’s jukebox,” Calded men at to Ram, tender. t till transfixed by t gyrated before to blaring music. Ram,  to opped mid-eeted kind you could get for peanuts in t eeto order, in any material you , ivory, pearl, marble, even diamonds if you ed to put your money ly at ening to tion? Did  toriously famous for sticking t heirs.

    “Better tter t illogically to ting ainuing to sically h.

    Glypill in tying  of tecics, or bot to toilet. Not exactly t to talk about if you urns of phrase as Glyph would probably never ever wear shoes again.

    Calded to trivia, to avoid facing trut situation. Glyps oem, like ts, alloly go and be cleansed, all ion device t extracted te, created it into sometored it for recycling. Food for ts.

    tion of t, t looked like it could process and store organic matter.

    “Same tronauts and tourists use in space, It’s on t be ted Britisurned whe hacker’s personal hygiene.

    Glypy to mind read even via electronic conversations. t’s anding   as t risk em exploits. ttled beable and loself so t Glyp towering above Caldwell, wurned a funny shade of red.

    “I tform at Angel station. th a face like a car wreck,” Caldwell said.

    “t missed you. You could  at mine for a   be long before my name comes up on to Do list anyway.”

    Glyp a scroll-like touc and  across table. arted tapping frantically on t ions. Lying lo in terloo Bridge  eclectic jungle of cardboard, Styrofoam and filtions. Besides  seen apping at ic.

    “Is ting a  t t ally zoomed s on tform as he MagLev.

    “tV. My o tV grid noo systems in ots of ted.

    “Can you pull up subsequent images, say tes after this one.

    “Yea a matter of running face recognition on all tation CCtVs going East from Angel.” Glyparted tapping away.

    “Looks Japanese enoug’s o tell uff going on h his face,” Caldwell said.

    “Sure. OK,  on t train. t face is bound to be tion and as you can see ricate elaborate Japanese body tattoos favored by t expect Caldo anshroom door.

    “ait a minute, ted at ... Isle of Dogs station.” t ered.

    ***

    A rusible, blasted past Cald ear, leaving  simultaneously, a blank look came over Glyped over. Instinctively, Caldurned around, ears stinging, vision blurring but still able to make out to trained on tion and Caldheir faces.

    a tube-siles t looked like mini torpedoes in tion, tting fire. Instinctively, Calds ection from ting around  doail. ever caused it unnel straigc of lig the gaping hole.

    Several dull ted plugs of syntic leat, causing o sink deeper beloable. ts splintered in all directions. aken out. inct no, or riking metal a bit too close to  -second tion formulating itself in a split second.

    If table ed to too ering every ounce of strengt table in tion of to-ceiling er self-destructed. t protecting a.

    Cald  to grab  look at  all cost, Caldold   stop racks. It  must be even more grotesque close up. ting opped, t o not need t t diagonal  by t as act .

    Open your eyes. Caldrange kind of focus evident. tially stered into tesque face epping ted in t taken Ram and ele age. On treet electrics drove past ting t anotreet brahousands on any given day.

    Cald on  even tcome aken out.  t said  t like t  said it in Englisence was ringing in rauma of h opening up old memories?

    tion. Everytesque man grabbing o t o a cra emple norom of questions and images, interspersed ermittently into to ted by tare of t in till-captured ster frame of surprise.

    * * *

    tion rang tent pernoon nap t refuses to er deataken on a freeze-frame quality ion. time ing itself. tunnel of lig at tunnel but aring doerious ing to die.

    “Not so fast,” said ted English, brushing off shards of glass from his shoulder.

    t futuristic, about trange reason Caldy.  iful  t.

    “You killed ard,” Caldo blurt out as o meet  did o lose any a fe as t up t made tter. It made no difference to  somet trauma, an aco find out o do. Glyp. t t to.  every cell in ed to jack into it and delve into its very core.  die just yet. ts of cyberspace still beckoned.

    “Your friend  important and besides oo greedy. Anyone  a friend o die,” said anot. t of to Ram’s o take over trying to wring Ram’s neck.

    “ do you mean?” Caldtered.

    “Your so called friend raying you, Calding him here.”

    “Liar! Liar! hy should I believe you?”

    “I o lie to someone crigger as t make up o s noer.

    “If Glypold you I’d be  tation at Angel?”

    “Because ed to make sure t your disabled traitor friend kept ed only ty t a  only to pay traitors in they deserve.”

    t outside. ages, t Caldo Glyp old t  t meeting at to get  of to trap. tention of meeting up h him.

    “I never trusted Glypupid as to bring the console here?” he asked calmly.

    “Nice try old boy. You friend already confirmed you .  over before I blo,” tened.

    “I figure you’ll kill me anyake my c in t,” Caldened crigger.

    “three seconds. One ...”

    “You are going to o kill me and take t  in ted, mustering some courage. taking advantage of a momentary lapse as tuation, o . Caldime  tactic o aco o ternative fast.

    “e’ll take our ced eyes and irises tual sneer looked like it  go ainctively, Caldook a step backo find he disfigured Japanese.

    “tain t t  bag is t t you are going to …”

    Cald  or opped in mid-sentence by an invisible object t to  so ed in o t. o band but opped in racks by anot Caldhere was no visible blood.

    During t noticed tric limo cruising up tinctively to make a run for it, boticated locking mecical combat boots stepped out on to ts follo legs, torsos and arms. Before ruct o bolt, Caldo tailed men clad in black suits and matcor mirror siced t one of t seen  up.

    urned round to see o tained o be delirious. Delirious is a ter ted only a feinted ric engine t foro ligraffic.