The Year 2332

(Please note, this was written before the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

11 March 3/3011)

Sector One

Huddled in a foetal position under a light grey sheet, up and over his chin, Ocho woke at six a.m. precisely according to his body clock and was instantly alert but remained absolutely still, not even opening his eye lids to peek out into the pitch blackness of his abode. He knew that there would be a tiny red speck on the ceiling that would grow at his slightest movement and the camera would pick up the precise time of his awakening, if he moved. It was New Year’s Day or morning to be precise and the year was 2332, the two hundredth anniversary of ‘The Happening.’ There would be much celebration out there for peculiar reasons but not so much here. He pondered for the moment how he should announce this important event to himself and also to his watchers. Should he just satisfy himself by jerking off or should it be a more radical display. The latter he though, was more appropriate for the occasion.

He flung off the sheet and jumped off his cot as it slammed back up against the cell wall. In two strides he padded swiftly across the floor shouting, ‘I need to do some REVOLUTIONS!’ stressing the key word.  Slam, slam went his feet echoing against the cell door as he ran up it, somersaulted over the top, twisted and was back upright on the cell floor. ‘I must ATTACK this!’ he shouted. Splat, splat, splat as he dashed across the floor to the opposite wall. Thud, thud as he ran up the opposite wall and back flipped over. ‘This is KILLING me!’ he shouted as his feet went splat, splat, splat across the floor followed by slam, slam as he stepped up the door and flipped over again. He continued this exercise six times shouting meaningful sentences and accentuating key words, ‘DANGER; TROUBLE; WAR,’ which he knew would be picked up by the surveying computer which would then automatically alert the guards. Ocho finished with a ‘Happy Anniversary and New Year to all!’ and then, breathing heavily he adopted a handstand position in the middle of the floor and started a session of press ups. He expected the sirens to sound but all he detected was the speaker in the ceiling crackling prior to an announcement.

‘OK Ocho, you can give up now. We got the message. Happy New Year to you too! I won’t report you this time. Don’t forget you have the appointment with the Governor at ten.’ Ocho raised his hand, still upside down, in acknowledgement.

 After twenty press-ups, twenty squat thrusts and a further twenty star thrusts he threw off his shorts and with a basketball jump shot, neatly shot them into the laundry chute by the door.  Glistening with sweat, he strode purposefully to the end of his cell, flipped down a toilet bowl and had a gratifying piss. Standing under the mist shower he waited with his face raised until all of his body was thoroughly wet and then he soaped himself, building up a good lather. After showering off the suds he switched on the air drier and moved and twisted under the strong jets until he was bone dry.

 Taking a T-shirt and shorts from a high shelf above his work bench he slipped them on as he worked his way over to the vending machine by the door. He selected an orange drink followed by cereal with milk, followed by a black coffee. It all slipped down the chute into the recess in thick plastic beakers, all of the same size and brown in colour. He quickly drank back the orange, casting the cup in the trash and carried the cereal and coffee to his bench. He twisted and flipped a seat from the wall, sat and pushed a button to switch on the built-in screen above his work bench. Drinking the coffee, he waited for the screen to come alive and go through the routine of check messages. He was alerted by a ping and looked at the screen, reading off a routine message wishing him a Happy New Year and reminding him of his appointment plus a warning that he was required to present himself correctly dressed. Next was a reminder of his daily schedule which he skipped and opened an icon which brought up the current programme he was working on. Reading through his notes as he munched his way through his cereal wishing they would allow him a spoon rather than him having to pour the stuff and then scoop the bits into his mouth with his finger.

Ocho worked solidly for three hours on his computer with total concentration. An automatic alarm on his computer reminded him that it was time to get ready for the meeting with the Governor. He washed his face in the flip down sink, wet and brushed his short black hair with his hand, looking into the built-in steel mirror and brushed his teeth with the electric toothbrush connected by a short steel cable to the wall. All that was left was to slip on some regulation steel grey socks, steel grey shoes, steel grey trousers with stay sharp creases and don a steel grey sweatshirt. Standing to attention he waited for the guard. A rattle in the lock announced that the guard was using his keys on the cell door. A knock and the door opened. A Guard nodded to Ocho in acknowledgement and glanced around the cell noting that all was in order. A slight nod of the head ordered Ocho to march forward out of his cell and fall in behind a second guard and march down the long winding corridors to the Governor’s office.

The leading guard knocked on the Governor’s office door, waited a split second and opened it allowing Ocho to march in followed by the second guard. The door was closed behind them with the leading guard staying outside. 

‘Morning Ocho and I return your greetings of this morning, Happy New Year to you. I enjoyed your novel way of starting the New Year. We’ll ignore the breaches of regulations this once. Now guard, please bring up that chair for Ocho to sit on. We are going to be some time.’ The guard swiftly brought a chair and carefully positioned it and clicked it into place about a metre away from the Governor’s desk. Ocho sat at the guard’s command and looked at the Governor. ‘Thank you guard, you can go now. I will call when we have finished. Right Ocho, I want to go through your report and some background information. Are you comfortable? Do you want a drink?’

‘Yes Sir, a beer would be welcome if you have one.’

‘Sorry but we are just out of beer. Water will have to do,’ replied the Governor, reaching behind him to a vending machine and punching a button. ‘Now before we get to the main matter I just want to go through your background, things that aren’t in this report. Now you were living with foster parents all your life until you got a job and lived in the hostel. How were the foster parents? Did you get on OK?’

‘Yes Sir. They were professionals so lots of babies went through their hands. I was one of six at any one time. They kept a strict house but were fair, I have no complaints. I didn’t cause them any trouble.’

‘Good, you were lucky then. The report says you built up a handsome number of social points since you were fourteen. How did you manage to do that?’

‘I took on a street cleaning machine from my elder stepbrother. I did an hour before school and an hour after, cleaning the streets and that earned me six points a day. I also collected the plastics from the street bins for recycling. I got ten social points per crate full and I usually managed two a week so I was always in credit. Officially I only needed five per week anyway.’

‘Very resourceful of you but you continued to amass surplus points when you were in a job?’ 

‘That was easy. I’m sure that my report tells you I am a basketball fanatic,’ said Ocho as the Governor nodded his head. ‘I played and coached every Saturday and Sunday plus some other evenings. Coaching kids earned me double points.’

‘Why didn’t you utilise the points to go on holiday. Most people do, to get them away from the city.’

‘Had no interest in going to Cannes or Las Vegas; been there with my foster parents when I was ten.’

‘Ocho, you have the incredible ability to amass these social points in various ways. You have accumulated so many whilst you have been with us alone that I have had to persuade the Governing Board that you should be released as soon as possible. Your stay with us was set at two years. You have now spent fourteen months and I cannot find any good reason to hold you any further.’

‘I was sent here under some special circumstances Sir!’

‘Yes, I understand that but I don’t see why we should hold you here just to protect some Government interests. I have backing of the Board and I am preparing your release in ten days’ time. That’s after your project is complete and entered for review. There is only one promise I have to get from you and that is at the insistence of the Board.’

‘And what is that Sir?’

‘Well how can I put it? I’m not totally in favour but I do believe it would be best for you if you didn’t pursue the line of enquiry that brought you into this establishment. Rather than journalism, why don’t you take up something in the food engineering line? Doctor Randall is going to miss you down in the cellars. He talks very highly of you and he thinks you could have a great future in food engineering. He knows what is going on here and wants you to promise to see him before you leave this establishment.’

‘I will, I will. He was most supportive and got me out of some of the more boring tasks.’

‘That didn’t go unnoticed Ocho. I turned a blind eye to your activities there since they were so positive. I will get the Careers Department to find a selection of jobs for you if you don’t mind. The obvious job was with the Security Services but you fluffed the final exam so that is out of the question. Any comments Ocho?’

‘What? About the exam results Sir?’

‘Not necessarily. I think I know the reason for that.’

‘I think I would like a career in computing, the engineering side.’

‘Good choice Ocho. I’ll get Careers to draw up a selection for you.’

‘Does this mean that in ten days I will be released, free, unconditionally Sir?’

‘That’s what I mean Ocho. You may have realised that I don’t go along with all this policy of shovelling problems under the carpet. Some of our politicians have a lot to answer for. Now don’t let me get on my soap box. I’ve summoned the guard to collect you and take you back.’

‘Thank you Sir. Can I really start to say goodbye to my friends in here?’

‘May I remind you Ocho that you’re not supposed to have friends in here or communicate with your in-mates. That is truly against the regulations but I know what you mean. As long as you keep your nose clean then I will be only too glad to send you back into the outside world. Guard, take Ocho back to his cell.’

Sector Two

Ocho lay back on his cot, just in his shorts, thinking. His thinking was muddled. He had no inkling that he was going to be released before his full term. He had expected that he would be retained in detention until the people outside had masked all the issues he had uncovered. No, it wouldn’t be easy or even desirable to erase all the evidence and more likely the security systems would have been altered. It would have been easier for them to reorganise the scam to become less visible and more difficult to detect. On the other hand he hadn’t divulged all of his secrets unless they had searched his computer. His boss at the news desk had only got the gist of his discovery and because of the gravity of the case his boss had immediately gone up higher for guidance. The next moment Ocho had been whisked off by security, questioned for hours and dumped into this detention centre. He didn’t even know where it was within the city. He presumed that security had gone through his computer and found the rest of the necessary information. All his contacts and sources would have by now been eliminated and neutralised in some way; probably hidden away in some other detention centre until the authorities had cleaned up their act.

 Ten days was all he had to finalise all of his research, complete his thesis and hand it in for scrutiny. He did have thoughts of just trashing the whole thing. Why bother? The bastards had locked him up in isolation for two years. Why should he care now? His more ambitious side won. He would complete his work. At least they had given him the opportunity to do something useful in here. He would finish his thesis but he hadn’t yet decided what he would do in the city. He suspected that any job in journalism would be blocked to him. The alarm sounded on his computer; time to get ready for his basketball session. He was going to miss that element when he left.

‘Governor, I think it’s Gustav Loben on line one. He insisted I put him through without announcement. He’s getting your ringing tone in his ear as we speak.’

‘Thanks Lucy, I’ll handle him,’ he replied to his assistant and allowed his phone to ring twice more before depressing button marked one. 

‘Arron Lomas!’ he answered sharply.

‘Gustav, its Gustav Loben. I need to speak to you urgently.’

‘You always do Gustav. Which innocent villain are you going to foist onto me now to clear up some Government scandal?’

‘It’s not like that. These people are a risk to national security.’

‘The only risk to national security they pose is that if their findings got out you and plenty of others would be out on your arses without your lucrative jobs.’

‘You can’t speak to me like that Arron. I could have you dismissed just like that.’

‘Gustav, quit the bullshit. You have no powers over me. Now what the hell is it you want?’

‘I have heard on good authority that you are about to release Ocho Sep in ten days’ time.’

‘That is correct. I would have released him today but I need to find him a suitable job in the outside world from which you snatched him.’

‘You can’t do that! You have no authority to do that. He is to stay for the full two years, then go through a full review procedure.’

‘He’s gone through the review procedure and just you lower your voice Gustav. The Board have approved his release and they are more powerful people than you and your cronies as members.’

‘They must have approved a secure position for him then?’

‘No, his release is unconditional and he can do what he wants. I did advise him to stay away from journalism and not to rock the boat with his discoveries but that’s up to him. I’m pretty sure he’s mighty sore about being locked up in virtual isolation. I hope he gives you hell.’

‘Can we get him into Security?’

‘Sorry Gustav, that line is dead. He fluffed his Finals and on purpose.’

‘Can’t we adjust the results to pass him?’

‘No way Gustav, he failed every question on purpose and that is difficult, just to avoid being trapped in a security job. He has a head on his shoulders that lad.’

 ‘But he didn’t do all that well in his public exams before. Very much average I would say.’

‘Well he’s proved that he can apply himself if he needs to and very effectively. He’s just in the process of finishing a thesis in computer engineering. That’s why I’m holding him for a few more days so he completes before he takes revenge on you no doubt when he gets out. The scam you’re holding him for is just disgraceful. I only hope you lot have cancelled it instead of covering it up?’

‘What do you know about it Arron? You are not supposed to interrogate your prisoners in any way.’

‘We don’t. We just try and keep them sane. I have my own sources and I think the whole thing is despicable.’

‘You’re not supposed to have an opinion Arron. We are the judge and jury on these matters. Now, what kind of a job have you in mind for him?’

‘Ocho has expressed interest in computer engineering and I will start finding possibilities for him.’

‘Now don’t do anything before I find him a position in that field.’

‘OK Gustav, I will include your job on his list. I suppose you will still want to keep an eye on him,’ and Arron slammed the phone down in disgust.

The guard let Ocho into a vast hall where a number of young men and women were warming up around the basketball ring in silence, only the thud of the ball on the floor could be heard. Ocho ran up as someone threw a basketball to him and he mouthed, ‘Hello, I’m being released in ten days’ time.’ The bouncing stopped as they all looked at him in astonishment then they all ran up hefted him up and started throwing him up in the air, all done in silence. Eventually they put him down and patted him on the back and then went off to retrieve their balls and continue their practise. A tall girl with black hair tied back in a pony tail came up to Ocho, gave him a hug, quick kiss on the cheek and mouthed, ‘I will miss you Ocho.’

Ocho blew a shrill blast on his whistle and they quickly gathered whilst he silently split them up into two teams. He threw the whistle to a tall lad with a red head band who picked up a ball and hurried to the centre ring of the court. Once the game had started the shouting and the noise level grew. The cameras and mikes would have a difficulty following and pinpointing all of the noise and activity. Whenever Ocho was approached with the ball there was some hesitation as a question was asked and answered with the mouth hidden behind the ball or a hand or an arm. By the end of the session Ocho was able to impart all the information he had about his departure. As they shook hands at the end Gitou palmed a memory stick into Ocho’s hand and looked pointedly into his eyes. Ocho didn’t respond just shook the next hand and stood in line ready for the guards to march them back to their cells.

After a quick shower and change into some steel grey overalls, Ocho stood to attention and waited for the guard to collect him for his next assignment. He was taken by a fast lift down to some darkened rooms or cellars where he was greeted by Doctor Randall who was waiting for him.

‘Hi Ocho, have you come to say your good byes?’

‘Hi Doc, the news travels fast around here. I’ve another ten days left. The Governor wants me to finish my thesis.’

‘Yes I know. I was the one who vehemently opposed your release. I said I couldn’t do without you on my project here. No, only kidding. When the Board heard your full report they all voted unanimously. We are all hoping that the security forces kick up a big fuss so that we can have a go at them and bring some sanity to the situation. Now I’m in the middle of preparing some mushrooms for a tasting. I won’t be a mo.’

‘I’ll check the computer for the state of the mushroom beds and pull off a report,’ answered Ocho as the Doc wandered off. Ocho sat at the Doc’s desk and logged into the computer using Doc’s password. He took out the memory stick and unwound the tape holding it next to his metal whistle. He hoped that the monitors and sensors hadn’t picked up the stick. For a moment he wondered how Gitou had managed to avoid being picked up. He checked the contents and was surprised to see that it contained a programme that Gitou had used to check cash machines in the big world as was his former job. There was also a subroutine which would allow him to charge up his card with cash. He then remembered that Gitou had been detained because he had discovered that Departmental Heads at the National Bank were fraudulently charging up their cash cards illegally. Ocho disconnected the stick and carefully wiped out any reference to him being in the Doc’s computer, including the keystroke count. He switched to his own section, perused the results and printed off the summary as the Doc brought in two plates with grilled mushrooms arranged around the perimeter. Ocho touched his pocket to ensure the stick was closely entwined to his whistle.

‘Here we are Ocho. I’ve arranged the mushrooms in order. We’ll taste them in order and you jot down the comments. A second opinion is always good and at least you have some former knowledge not like the people out there eating their processed stuff.’

‘Right Doc. Do you know what I like about this tasting best of all? It’s because I can use a knife and fork. They don’t allow that in the cells.’ Ocho chewed half a mushroom of each sample as the Doc looked on, made jotting and then finished the halves and corrected the notes, handing the finished paper to the Doc.

‘Very observant of you Ocho, the peppery taste of number three, I couldn’t quite place it. Yes number six is the reject, lacking in all favour but good texture. I think we are making a breakthrough. Now the grill is still on if you would like some more. Help yourself to as many as you want whilst I peruse the printed summary.’ Ocho nodded and walked off to the little kitchen area and put a dozen chosen mushroom under the grill. A vending machine provided him with a brown plastic beaker of coffee.

‘Since I’ve only got ten days in here, anything you want me to concentrate on Doc?’

‘Yes Ocho there is but I don’t want this to get in the way of you finishing your thesis.’

‘Fire away Doc. I can’t spend all of my time on that.’

‘Well I’d like you to finish off the specification of the automated mushroom picker that we’ve been working on. I’d like to put that out to tender.’

‘No worries Doc. If you give me a stick I can work on it in my cell. I’ll ensure it’s finished before they release me.’

‘The sticks are in my drawer. It’s locked but you’ll have worked out the combination by now,’ answered the Doctor with a smile. ‘The most recent version is on my file. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you my password.’ Ocho just slightly inclined his head in acknowledgement and rifled through the draw for a memory flash card. He worked on the report for an hour, helped the Doc on his rounds of the mushroom fields and was ready and at attention in front of the camera waiting for the guard to escort him back to his cell. Immediately a sensor detected a foreign object on Ocho and his guard stopped him. Ocho took out the memory stick and held it out clearly to the camera in the corridor ceiling. He clearly stated that the stick had been given to him by Doc Randall to take back to his cell. The loudspeaker crackled and an automated voice stated, ‘Checks with Doctor Randall being carried out.’ Ocho stood to attention and waited. A few minutes later the loudspeaker voice told them to carry on back to the cell. Ocho put the stick back into his pocket and marched on ahead of his escort.

Following a snack lunch from the vending machine saw Ocho standing to attention in his full dress awaiting a guard to escort him to the lecture theatre. Modern history was on the agenda and it was mandatory. Since it was the New Year’s Day and a special anniversary, Ocho surmised that he would be subjected to another repeat of a recorded documentary of ‘The Happening.’  As Ocho suspected, the lecture hall lights dimmed and the recording was played, starting in the two years preceding the big event. They showed the winters of discontent as they were labelled. Harsh winters with freezing rain that brought down telephone lines, power cables that resulted in mayhem in Northern Europe and throughout the World, even in countries used to severe winters. The winter of 2031/32 started in the same vein. Early snow falls in November, followed by freezing rainfall interspersed with heavy snowfall.

At 2.21 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time precisely on New Year’s Day a series of major earthquakes occurred out in the North Atlantic. The tremors reached Northern Europe and the Eastern seaboard of North America. They were of sufficient strength to dislodge the build-up of snow and ice on most roofs. Unfortunately, this included the slates, tiles and all the roof coverings stuck to the ice, which all slid to the ground. The shock destroyed all the flat roofs as the weight of snow caved them in. Millions and millions of households throughout the North Atlantic seaboard were left without a roof over their heads and without power supplies. The seismic recording centres saw their needles fly off the paper as more tremors occurred. A warning was sounded that Trans-Atlantic communication optic cables were all ruptured which suggested that major submarine mud avalanches were taking place. All this pointed to major tsunamis affecting all North Atlantic coastlines. The height of these was difficult to determine but the census was that they might be over a hundred metres high when they reached land fall.

All communications with Iceland were lost and both the US and UK air forces sent jet fighters to investigate. The army and civil defences were called out to evacuate all coastal towns. All airlines were ordered to fly their planes, loaded with evacuees to higher airports throughout Europe. Eventually chaos ensued and all physical forms of communication came to a virtual standstill throughout Europe and North America as the countdown for the tsunami strike started.

 Within three hours of the first earth tremor the first wave struck Northern Scotland, a much higher waves than predicted. Any land under a hundred fifty meters was inundated. Pictures showed the massive wave forcing itself through into the Irish Sea and engulfing all the low lying land. Buildings and vehicles were seen being swept ahead like match sticks. The pictures, taken at night were hazy and green in colour but the horror of the sight could not be avoided. Even the participants in the lecture hall all let out a gasp of horror as lines of vehicles, packed with people, were being picked up and swept ahead by the immense tidal wave. Millions and millions of people were lost in Europe alone and the geography of Northern Atlantic seaboard was redrawn as series of monstrous waves came crashing in there. The waves kept coming for seven days as new tremors struck.

The Icelandic volcanoes erupted and swept over the whole island. More volcanoes erupted along the mid-Atlantic Ridge and in the Mediterranean throwing up clouds of ash and sulphurous gasses into the air and into the high stratosphere for the jets streams to engulf the whole world.  The experts watched in horror as the Gulf Stream that kept Europe nicely insulated changed course. Not only was Europe engulfed by water but faced an extended winter of unknown dimension. Reports from the Pacific Rim, showed renewed fierce volcanic activity there. The Rim of Fire was becoming active again, no doubt triggered by the activity in the North Atlantic. 

They all watched as civil revolution developed. The remaining people, the survivors were rioting, looting and demanding food and shelter. All law and order broke down and more people died. Drowning, poisoning, exposure, hypothermia, rioting, starvation took its toll in the first month. The authorities had to take drastic action to regain control. The footage showed troops machine gunning gangs of armed looters. Other footage showed families freezing to death in makeshift shelters, hunched over small wood fires. The sky throughout the footage was dark and heavy. The snow covered scenes were looking dirty. Even as new snow fell it seemed tainted with brown volcanic dust. Then the shots turned to Vesuvius, Stromboli and Etna which were in glorious eruption with huge palls of smoke stretching for hundreds of kilometres into the upper atmosphere. Rotting bodies lay everywhere and all authority to handle the disaster quickly became overwhelmed and the police, army, hospital staff gave up their professional tasks in a desire to direct their sapping energy to self-preservation. The oxygen levels soon fell to those found in the high Planos of the Andes and most people couldn’t sum up the necessary energy to hunt for food and water. The lights in the hall went up and the projection stopped as a young lecturer jumped up to the podium.

‘OK, OK we don’t want to dwell on the matters. We’ve all seen this apocalyptic film on many occasions. You guys know the rest, how the world turned into a snow ball which killed off most of the oxygen producing plants and the volcanoes continued polluting the atmosphere. Civilisation reverted to the Middle Ages, more like the Stone Age of hunters and gatherers. Only a small core of the population survived and that was by living in cocoons where they could manufacture oxygen artificially needed for life. We have progressed somewhat since those days, particularly in the last fifty years. Now we live in huge fully enclosed vertical cities and live off artificially produced food and manufactured oxygen. We can’t go outside without space suits and have to commute via tunnels like earthworms if you know what those are. I’ll conclude this session by wishing you all a Happy New Year and hope that your wishes come true. Please wait for your guards to escort you back to wherever that may be.’

Gitou caught Ocho’s eye. Ocho gave an imperceptible nod. Gitou lifted to scratch his head with his thumb extended and mouthed, ‘Sock it to them!’ as a guard ushered him out. Ocho waited at attention and couldn’t help giving off a slight smile. A guard led him off back to his cell. He decided to make a show of Doc’s memory stick so that the automatic survey would detect it and report an unusual presence in Ocho’s cell. A guard would intervene and cancel the warning and turn it into a normal occurrence, not to be raised again automatically. That would hopefully safeguard his elicit stick. It still left him with a dilemma what to do with Gitou’s gift. He couldn’t keep two in his cell. They were regularly searched and it would be found. He pondered on the problem for some time until he came up with a solution. He would copy Gitou’s information onto Doc’s stick, add a fault message onto Gitou’s and return that to Doc, placing it back into his drawer. That way he would have a backup should his stick be checked and confiscated. He then doctored his own stick so that it would display the information only on Ocho’s own personal computer. He double checked everything meticulously. Satisfied he spent an hour on Doc’s project then decided to rest on his cot. His mind was whirling with all the possibilities brought on by his release. He needed to get his mind straightened out and priorities set. His first priority was to get a message to Avril. The girl he had made contact with on the basketball court earlier. She was to be released in a couple of months’ time and he wanted to see her again. He thought the feeling was mutual. He rubbed his hand where she had held it tightly and had kissed his cheek at the basketball session.

Sector Three

Ocho still had to come up with a workable plan to deliver his fraudulent findings to the ombudsman. Was the ombudsman totally impartial or just a lackey of the corrupt Government? He would have to find a way of testing that out. He lay back and cleared his mind or at least tried to. His thoughts led back to his job on the Chronicle. They took him on because of his statistical qualifications or more likely that he was cheap labour. His first job was to research the statistics on credit and debit card fraud. He wrote an article, his first and submitted it to the Financial Editor. The editor liked his style and especially that he had included some simple tips on how to combat fraud. It went out in that night’s edition. Monday was a slack day. Tuesday the editor called him in and thrust a handful of Email printouts into his hand and told him to answer them. He never looked back from there. He had a popular slot which was self-propelling in that the readers would bombard him with questions. He became the Financial Agony Aunt for the paper with two proper financial wizards researching the answers. By now he had his own Email address and was getting hundreds of questions each week and it was his job to organise and write a suitable column twice a week, no longer on Mondays but Wednesday and Saturday.

 His star was ascending when he got a compelling message that he should visit a kiosk at South Station if he wanted to find out what card fraud was really about. Following several visits he excitedly sent a preliminary report to his superior. In the next hour a team of Government security guards arrived and bundled him off to a detention centre. He would have to re-write and develop the fraud article with the incriminating evidence. The whole thing may have changed but nevertheless his sudden internment gave credence to his findings. He was detained to hush him up and allow the perpetrators to cover their tracks. He wondered if they had uncovered his source which he kept well hidden. He had destroyed the initial Email and all its tails even though it was anonymous and almost impossible to track its origin.

Ocho’s next thoughts tracked to more practical matters. Where would he reside once he was released. He didn’t particularly care for his last hostel pod and only persevered because it was close to his job and his girlfriend Jarri. He realised that he hadn’t thought much about her in his fourteen months of detention. She had been fun but rather self-centred. He couldn’t imagine her waiting patiently two years or more for his release. Anyway he was more interested in Avril. He would have to get a message to her. He would have to find a hostel. Any would do for the moment until he was settled in some job. His thoughts went to the property he owned. Could he go there? He didn’t think his tenants, seven women, would like a man in their midst. He smiled. He then thought through the upheaval he had to go through when he acquired the place. Joacim, his best friend and basketball partner had suggested that since he was doing so well at the Chronicle he should have his own apartment rather than some squalid, tiny pod or capsule in a hostel.

 Joacim’s brother Ali, in the real estate trade, would find him something. The brother did and quickly. It should have rung warning bells from the start but the excitement of it all carried him along. It was a large property, much larger than he needed but it could be divided up and he could collect rent, self-financing. The property was a shop which no longer functioned as a shop but as a store for paper documents. When they visited, it was stacked up to the ceiling with papers and boxes. Even the offices, kitchen area and spacious bathroom were stacked out. The whole storage system stood upright, held together with steel racking. It didn’t look too big at that stage and Joacim’s brother assured him that the bank would clear away the paper and racking. It was all redundant and would be destroyed. The bank had no longer need for storage space for paper records and wanted to dispose of this asset as quickly as possible.

The bank had obtained a decree from the local area council that the premises would be granted a change of use. It could be used for domestic purposes. Alarm bells ringing loudly but gone unheeded. Ocho had paid the deposit of six month’s rent and obtained the contract for the lease. He was excited until he contacted the bank and asked the simple question ‘when are they coming to remove the paperwork and racking’. The reply was simple. ‘Your problem, sue us if you dare!’ was the curt reply. Ocho, Joacim, and his brother Ali sat on a pile of boxes with the proverbial egg on face.

‘First problem is where do we dump this stuff,’ said Joacim despondently.

‘More important is how do we shift it? Look at it all. There’s a mountain of stuff here,’ said Ali, Joacim’s brother, holding his head in his hands and daring not to look Ocho in the eyes.

‘I know who will take all this stuff and the method of transport,’ answered Ocho, ‘but we need a ton of labour to get it out and load it on the trucks.’

‘Ali will help,’ volunteered Joacim, ‘and maybe we get some of our friends from the club. At least we could get a start.’

‘Who wants all this crap anyway? It will cost a fortune to dispose of,’ commented Ali, raising his head for once. ‘I could shoot myself for being taken in so easily. I should have smelt a rat.’

‘Paper is still required for recycling,’ commented Ocho thoughtfully. I know where to enquire. I can also get a couple of trucks and trailers there.’

‘OK, we have a plan,’ answered Joacim with a little more enthusiasm in his voice. ‘If we can clear the office, kitchen area, store room and bathroom then we can move in and offset your rent immediately Ocho?’

‘I’ll move in too,’ said Ali but without much enthusiasm. ‘Tell us when you need us Ocho. I’ll be there and I’ll get some mates to give a hand. I have some favours to collect.’

The next weekend Ocho had arranged to hire a couple of electric trucks with trailers from the recycling centre he had worked at as a schoolboy and they all arranged a dozen friends to clear out the basic rooms. All went well and by Sunday afternoon they had cleared the planned rooms but it seemed a minor dent in the mountain of stuff left in the main floor. They had uncovered desks, cabinets, office chairs, vending machine and lots of other shop paraphernalia that had been buried under the junk. They sat and drank their coffee from the large vending machine that Ocho had replenished with new stock when Yendi, his colleague at the Chronicle sidle up to him.

‘Quiet word in your ear Ocho. I have a proposal for you to consider. Listen me out please. Me and six other girls have been looking for discreet accommodation and this fits the bill. Now don’t look like that at me! You must have known all along. Come on Ocho. Now what if we help you out and take this place for ourselves. We would pay the rent and make sure there is a surplus. After all you need to make something out of it.’

‘But look at the place. It still needs a lot of work. You wouldn’t want to live in this dump would you?’

‘Look Ocho it’s better than the situation we are in at the moment. At least we can be together. There’s bags of room to park our broom sticks and we can dance around the burning fires in the middle here. You should see your face Ocho. It’s classic. Please consider it.’

‘OK, but there is another major problem?’

‘What’s that?’

‘Haven’t you noticed that we are next to the high speed lifts? You can pick out the whine and as we clear more of this stuff the noise is going to be unbearable. That’s why the bank used it as a storage unit, a depository for its legal junk. No retailer would take it on.’

‘You poor thing Ocho. This is getting worse by the minute. Wait, what if we put up a double row of racking against that wall and stuff it up to the gunnels with paper. That should deaden the sound. We could then look for an engineering solution. There must be a way. It may cost some but with seven rents we should be able afford to do something. So it’s settled eh Ocho?’

‘OK Yendi, but be it on your head.’

‘Look Ocho, I shall meet the girls tonight and if they agree then let’s say we pay you three month’s rent as down payment to show we are serious.’

‘That’s mighty generous but I’ll have to come each weekend to clear away the rest of this junk and build up the wall for you.’

‘Don’t look so despondent Ocho. We will help. It will turn out OK, I promise.’ Yendi kissed him on the cheek to seal the deal, a bit more amorously than was necessary he thought.

The situation worked out better than Ocho would have ever imagined. It took six more weekends to build the temporary soundproof wall and clear away the paper and racking. The girls had installed themselves and were planning on setting up separate cubicles against the far wall away from the lifts. An engineer had suggested that splitting up the large space would deaden the noise and he would get a contractor in to build a solid double wall against the lifts. In the meantime the workers had uncovered a couple of wall sized LED advertising screens buried under the paper. A friendly electrician commissioned them and they were installed temporarily against the stack of papers. Linked to a computer and some outsized speakers, sight and sound was delivered at a vast volume which totally obliterated the lift noises. Since this wasn’t a residential district no one was unduly disturbed. Ocho continued his existence in his cramped hostel pod and life went on as normal until the security gang showed up. Ocho laughed to himself at these thoughts and turned over in his cot for a cat nap.

Sector Four

The day of his release came. Ocho dressed in his formal wear, all in steel grey, stood to attention awaiting the guard to escort him for his final interview with the Governor.

‘Sit down Ocho, sit down. This is a glorious day for both of us. I hate retaining talented youth in this place. They should be out there making our world a better place but we can only strive in our limited circumstances. Now, I have a small folder for you. It contains details of the four jobs we have found for you. Go to the interviews and select a job you feel comfortable with. You must attend, it’s mandatory. Your credit card is there and it’s valid. I’ve checked. Your cash card with sixty dollars that you came in with and we have allocated you with another cash card with a hundred dollars on it. It’s not much but it will see you through. Your own bank balance seems healthy enough, I checked. Now apart from your watch, what else will you be taking out with you? I need to sign a letter of authority.’

‘I have my own personal computer belt that I have developed.’

‘Yes, I’m much impressed with that. You should patent it. I saw it when we did our usual routine searches. Miniaturisation to the N’th degree I would say. Anything else?

    ‘Yes, my basketball whistle as a souvenir and the memory stick that Doc gave me. It’s got the mushroom project we have been working on, again more of a souvenir.’

     ‘No problem with that. We have found accommodation for you on Somerset Street. Better than the last place you were in. It’s paid up for a month. Don’t look so dismayed. It’s not that you are under observation. Not from us at least. If you want to change then I’ve arranged with the manager that you get a voucher. Now, the only thing to tell you is that you will be supplied with you regulation oxygen cylinder on exit. If you have a problem out there and prepared to come to me, there is my Email address in the folder. I don’t expect to see you again Ocho so good luck out there.’

          ‘Thank you Sir,’ answered Ocho as he shook hands and was escorted out by a guard. Back in his cell, he put on the belt under his steel grey sweat shirt, put the whistle and stick into his pocket then stood to attention. A guard opened the door and came in which was unusual. They normally waited outside. He hadn’t seen this guard before. 

       ‘I’m here to escort you out Ocho Sep. Are you ready?’ at a curt nod from Ocho, he added, ‘Follow the yellow markers and I shall be behind you.’ They came to a lift and the guard inserted a card. The speed lift took them up to some point where they transferred to lateral transport then down to some more levels. Ocho realised that this was to disorientate him and it succeeded. They finally stepped out onto a busy street with bright lights all around.

            ‘Welcome to the real World Ocho,’ said the guard cheerfully. ‘This is Somerset Street. Do you know where you are?’ Ocho nodded. ‘Do you want me to show you the way to your hostel?’ Ocho shook his head. ‘Goodbye then Ocho and good luck,’ said the guard as if he meant it. Ocho returned a slight nod of the head in acknowledgement as the guard slipped back into the lift, preventing anyone else getting in with him. Ocho stared around him for a moment and saw a café on the corner. He wandered over, sat at one of the tables at the back and ordered a coffee. 

He scrutinised the contents of the folder, then turned on his personnel computer on his belt. It gave a slight vibration to announce that it was on and operational. He then studied his wristwatch health monitor and noted that the oxygen level was not as high as in the detention centre although his oxygen blood levels were fine. He then realised that they had forgotten to give him his emergency oxygen cylinder. It was for the good. He would have changed it anyway. He didn’t trust the authorities any more. 

Ocho sat there sipping his coffee and studying the people around him, trying to memorise them which was difficult since they were all suited up in similar steel grey uniforms, just like the one he was wearing. He assumed that he was being followed. He would have to act normally for the next few weeks until his surveillance had been abandoned. They wouldn’t keep it up for too long. It would cost far too much and they would revert to the automatic surveillance on the street and public places. He touched his computer on his hip as a form of assurance.

Leaving half of his coffee behind Ocho got up and walked purposefully across the busy street looking at his reflection in the shop window and trying to spot the tail. There didn’t seem to be one. His computer gave off an audible sound and he looked up to see he had been detected by a security camera or at least the scanner had picked up the signal from his watch and a camera had probably taken a few snaps as he passed. This happened twice more before he entered a store which sold oxygen cylinder kits. He bought one outright and was pleasantly surprised how cheap it was, hardly more than a usual replacement. He slung it on his belt and wondered if the authorities had set him up and would have picked him up for not being in possession of a regulation emergency cylinder. He smiled to himself and uttered, ‘Paranoid.’

On entering the hostel he was met by a porter who ushered him into the manager’s office. ‘We were expecting you Ocho. We have reserved a special pod for you for a month, all paid up. It’s slightly larger than most. The porter will show you around. I hope you will be happy here. We aim to please. If you need anything contact one of the staff.’ This was certainly far superior to anything Ocho was used to and probably more expensive than he was prepared to pay, certainly without a job. As he crossed the threshold he felt his computer announce a scanner. He noted the camera facing the door. He would have to change accommodation somehow without alerting the authorities. He lay down in his pod to think and work out a plan. Tomorrow he had to go for the four interviews but today he was free. He decided to get a snack at the vending area and then go on to his own apartment and check out on his old tenants. Yendi might be there.

Ocho double checked the location twice and each time he felt he was in the right place but in front of him, where the entrance to his shop would have been, was a huge LED advertising hoarding touting furniture. He was about to venture into the junk shop or as it advertised itself as an antique shop to make enquiries about next door when a panel, door size, went opaque on the screen and a young woman stepped out, facing Ocho. She looked and suddenly recognition crossed her face.

‘Ocho, it’s you! Ocho you’re back. Goodness gracious we didn’t expect you. Why didn’t you warn us? Come on in. We are all in apart from Yendi and she’s at work, should be back soon. I’m Mandi if you don’t remember,’ as she dragged Ocho in through the front door. ‘Look who’s here girls! Ocho our landlord! Come back from the dead at last,’ she shouted as the girls gathered around him, pushing and shoving to give him hugs and kisses.

‘You’ve changed Ocho,’ shouted Llana, pressing his biceps. ‘Feel the size of these girls. Oh you look wonderful.’

‘Doing a lot of sport Llana. Nothing else to do all day.’

‘What a shame to deprive the world of Ocho,’ shouted Xina putting an arm through and leading Ocho to a long couch. ‘As you can see we have transformed the place whilst you’ve been the classic absent landlord.’

‘I can see but what’s with the frontage? I didn’t recognise the place.’

‘There’s a long story to that but we won’t bore you with that now only to assure you that as landlord you don’t bear any of the cost,’ continued Xina pushing him into a plush sofa. ‘Gather around girls and let Ocho tell his story?’

‘Not a lot to tell girls. You know I was whisked off by government security because I had trodden on some delicate toes. I’ve been in a detention centre playing lots of sport and they let me out early for good behaviour.’

‘There’s more to that than meets the eye Ocho,’ intervened Avron with the red hair. ‘Yendi told us bits of it but welcome back. Where are you staying?’

‘The Government have put me up in a posh place on Somerset Street for a month until I get on my feet.’

‘Wow, that’s expensive. They must feel guilty in locking you up,’ answered Llana. ‘They have a concierge so you can’t sneak us in and they have their own swimming pool. Look, there’s Yendi back. Yendi! Yendi!’ she yelled at the top of her voice.’ Look who’s here? Ocho is back.’ Yendi ran up to Ocho as he stood up and threw herself into his arms.

‘Oh Ocho it’s wonderful that you are back. We weren’t expecting you to be let out for another year,’ she muttered breathlessly. ‘I suppose you have told the girls everything. Come into my cabin and tell me all. We are all getting ready to party. You must come with us.’ And they all nodded and shouted in assent. She sat Ocho in a comfortable chair and asked him to repeat all that he had told the girls. ‘Now don’t worry about me as I change. There’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before Ocho,’ as she slipped out of her steel grey work trousers and her steel grey top revealing her steel grey panties and steel grey regulation bra. She quickly donned some colourful underwear and a see-through short dress and sat on the bed close to Ocho, holding his hand and quietly whispered, ‘When the guards dragged you away, they were in too much of a hurry to take your computer. On the spur of the moment I made the decision to look in. I knew your password. Don’t look surprised. I knew you had submitted something controversial to the boss. You told me, so I searched and found your preliminary report. That was the one you gave in. I could tell by the print date. I also found your main report and I deleted all traces of that. No one could find it or reconstruct it. Don’t look so glum Ocho I have a copy, on an ancient DVD disc. Nobody copies data on DVD’s these days. They are only for music buffs,’ as Ocho leapt up and gave her a hug and kiss.

‘Oh thanks Yendi, you’re a star.’

‘Hey get off Ocho. I had the hots for you in those days but that bitch Jarri had her claws into you. She’s moved on to some other fool now. Anyway they came back a few hours later and took your computer and your bloody desk, filing cabinet and chair away. Complete idiots. We all looked worried just for the sake of it.’

‘Does anybody else know of the copy?’

‘Don’t take me for a fool Ocho. Don’t you remember you gave me that old DVD as a present? I didn’t know there was any data on it did I? No Ocho, I didn’t even read it, I only played the music and watched the dancers on an ancient machine that a friend had. I just kept it safe for you. You can have it any time but I suggest you don’t take it to the party. Come on we have to go now or we will be late.’

‘I feel overdressed Yendi.’

‘You’ll do Ocho. With bulging biceps like that no one’s going to argue the toss with you.’ Ocho looked in the mirror and decided that he needed to buy a regulation grey sweat shirt at least two sizes too big to hide his new physique.

Sector Five

The first three interviews were a bore and a strain with four people interrogating him intently. At the close they told him that they would let him know in due course. The fourth interview was a breeze and quickly developed to announcing his high starting salary, bonuses and immediate start date. He smelt a rat. This was a set up. He would be locked down without much room to manoeuvre. He politely suggested that his start date should be postponed for a week until he acclimatised to his surroundings again. The manager was a little doubtful and consulted his superior. Eventually it was agreed that he should start in five days’ time, reporting to their office on the three hundred and seventy sixth floor level. He was even given an identity card with his photo on the front. This would let him into the building and a special card to use the speed lifts. He looked the card over and decided to check it later for implants. Sure enough it was a double of his watch and alerted all the screening devices on the street as he passed.

His security course was paying off even though he had purposefully failed the final exam. Ocho went back to his pod to contemplate his next move. He was stuck. He had been sucked into the system and he had to extricate himself quickly before they set further traps for him. The Governmental security machine was working against him again. He went over to the cash machine in the hostel and requested three blanks. They duly dropped down from the vending machine and he went back to his pod. His first course of action was to use his computer to check if the pod was bugged. Ocho quickly found the hidden microphone and a camera secreted in the light fitting. He placed his computer in a prominent position and set his hologram in motion with loud music. He checked that the camera was focused on the moving hologram and the microphone would be picking up the music. Thus distracting the eavesdroppers, he proceeded to load the blank cards with small amounts of cash. He would test them out next day. He wasn’t sure that the blanks couldn’t be traced back to him. Anyway he was going to check them for validity then, throw them away. He hoped some lucky person would pick them up and use them, thus diverting attention directly from himself. The amounts on the card wouldn’t raise too much suspicion and no one would bother handing them in.

 Ocho would then have to find a source of used cards. That was easy. The bins next to cash machines were usually full of discarded plastic. Everyone wanted the latest fancy cards with the latest two dimensional advertising hologram printed on the front. His three dimensional hologram was something new that he had personally developed and was rather proud of. He decided it was time to go to bed. The showers and ablutions were down the corridor. He switched off his computer and carefully slung the belt onto a shelf and set the alarm to go off if anyone should tamper with it whilst he was away. He also fixed the door so that the pod alarm would go off if the door was fully closed. Ocho sauntered off to the ablutions wondering if anything would happen. Sure enough he heard his own alarm siren start to wail then the pod alarm went off as the door was slammed as the culprit made his getaway. A group of men surrounded his pod wondering why his alarm had gone off. The manager was there with the master key shutting off the noise.

‘Oh it’s you Ocho, the new boy. You need to learn how to set these alarms properly.’

‘Nothing wrong with the settings, someone’s been tampering with my things in there. That’s why my personal siren went off. The pod alarm was set to go off if the door was properly closed,’ said Ocho clearly to the manager and to the accumulated audience who were by now nodding their heads thoughtfully. A man next to him made the obvious point. ‘If somebody tampered with this pod it will be recorded on the tape. Let’s examine the tape.’ They all trooped off to the manager’s office and sure enough the tape did show a member of staff climbing into Ocho’s pod, the siren going off and the staff member dashing off, slamming the pod door, setting off the second alarm. ‘Sack that guy!’ shouted someone. ‘No, prosecute him. We can’t have this here. We pay top dollar for top security and then we catch one of the staff red handed.’ Other comments were made in the same vein as the flustered manager tried to calm the situation. Ocho slipped away and left him to sort out the mess. The whole episode had played into his hands. At least they wouldn’t be so blatant in future. Ocho sought out a member of staff on duty and insisted on him being transferred to another pod even if it was an inferior one. The staff had no option than to provide him with an alternative accommodation pod. A letter of apology from the manager was pinned to his pod door next morning including an additional week’s stay, on the house.

Ocho’s first duty of the day was to set tell-tail markers on his pod to check if it was tampered with whilst he was away. He then went to hunt for a larger sweat shirt to hide his frame and some spare clothing. On his way he collected a dozen discarded cash cards which he would charge himself. He had no moral compunction in doing that. It was his right to claim back his salary from the Government for the time they detained him plus a sum of compensation for wrongful arrest. That was his view on his predicament especially that they were already interfering with his life and freedom. He arranged to meet Yendi for lunch so that he could get hold of the DVD. He then went onto a public internet screen and checked out other hostel possibilities. 

He wondered if he should contact his old buddy Joacim but decided against it since he was still under surveillance. He didn’t want him mixed up in his problems and then it struck him that already he had involved Yendi. Security would suspect that she could be involved since she was a colleague at the Chronicle. He would have to cancel their lunch meeting. Ocho looked around for a public phone booth. They weren’t secure but better than a mobile phone. They were too easy to trace. He typed in a text message to the Reception at the Chronicle which simple stated that September was unavailable for lunch. Yendi would understand. He would call around to the apartment in the evening.

‘Colin, its Gustav, how did the interview go? Has Ocho Sep taken the job you offered?’

‘Oh, hi Gustav, yes, I think he has.’

‘What do you bloody mean, you think he has?’

‘Well he was a bit coy. He said he wanted time to get his bearings. He’s going to start in five days’ time.’

‘Didn’t you make it conditional that he started straight away?’

‘No, but he’s got our card so you can track him.’

‘I can track him anyway through his watch except another fool let the cat out of the bag at the hostel. He now knows he’s under surveillance. How did he stand up to the rigorous interview that you gave him?’

‘Gustav, since he was going to be offered the job we dispensed with that, too much man power.’

‘You bloody fools! He will suspect that this was a setup. Don’t tell me that you asked him to report to the high floors? God, who sends me these idiots? Everybody including your grandmother knows that the upper floors of the city are reserved for Government offices.’

Ocho sat on a bench out of range and sight of any security sensors and cameras and set up his hologram screen and keyboard. He then proceeded to disguise his identity on his watch and substitute it for random identities he had obtained illicitly from Ronnan. Ocho had met Ronnan in the detention centre. He had worked for the Public Registrar in the department handling the deceased. Ronnan had uncovered a scam where Government officials were fraudulently claiming benefits of people no longer on the planet. He was incarcerated when he reported the matter to his superior. This was all revealed to the inmates when a new history teacher arrived and began by introducing herself. Gitou immediately suggested that they, as pupils, should also introduce themselves to the new teacher and immediately told everyone of the cash card scam he had uncovered and that why he was here. There was a rule of silence in the detention centre and here was a golden opportunity to break it. Ronnan told of his benefit scam based on dead identities. Avril told of her lottery scam and Ocho managed to tell everyone of his fraudulent credit card scam when the guards rushed in, escorted the teacher out and her gullible pupils back to their cells. They never saw that teacher again.

 The outcome was that Ronnan had loaded up a programme on Ocho’s computer which allowed him access to the Register of the deceased; very useful if you needed to change identity. Now whenever he passed a scanner his watch would register him as some deceased person, no longer on the register. Security couldn’t keep a track of everyone so they tagged only the ones under current surveillance; everybody else was wiped off their system after twelve hours or even less. He could have removed the security chip in his watch but that would have been too obvious. His only problem now was the cameras which recorded his face. These were prone to malfunction and were a constant target of vandalism by kids who couldn’t be prosecuted. It was a badge of honour to be caught vandalising a security camera.

 The public in general were not too happy about being recorded going about their normal activities either and would turn on the security guards if they apprehended a vandal. The old cameras had a manual switch which the kids turned off if they didn’t have a spray can. The new ones had automatic switching which was easy to tamper with if you knew how and Ocho with his Finals Security Certificate (failed) under his belt knew all the tricks of the trade. He set his computer to alternate between switching the cameras off temporarily and making the picture fuzzy by affecting the focus device. He could now move about the city invisibly. His only problem was the identity card given by his dodgy new employer. He immediately saw a solution to that. He spied an electric unmanned street cleaning truck which he knew well. These moved about the streets slowly. He would secrete the card or at least a copy of the security digit under the seat and it would continue recording the card’s whereabouts until it was discovered. At least it might give him some respite for a while.

In a computer engineering class Gitou intimated to Ocho that they swap places. Since they couldn’t talk to each other they did it surreptitiously in sign language. Ocho sensed it was important and switched seats. Gitou gave Ocho a knowing look and made the cutting of the throat sign which Ocho understood to mean read and destroy. Everything looked normal except there was a subroutine that caught his interest. He investigated and saw to his amazement that it was a programme to check cash cards, transfer cash between them and alter the amount on the card. Virtually upload any monies onto the card without any funds to back the transaction. Ocho touched his nose then scratched it without looking at Gitou. This was the universal sign in the centre that ‘message understood.’ He reread it to ensure full comprehension and downloaded the routine to his belt computer and spent some time deleting the programme, even the key strokes that created it. There was no trace of it. He wiped his brow to signify that all had been cleaned up. Ocho noticed out of the corner of his eye Gitou touching his nose and smiling.

Ocho took a fast lift up fifty levels to a stadium where he would spend the time watching a basketball match which would occupy his afternoon comfortably. He dumped the cash card he was given at the detention centre since he suspected they would be tagged and he could be traced through the transactions. Some lucky person might pick it up and have a hundred dollars to spend.

‘Gustav, Ocho Sep has gone off radar.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘He’s bloody disappeared that’s what I mean; no longer registering on any of our systems. We found his tagged work identity fixed to a street cleaner. Delayed us a while that ploy. Thought we just had a slight malfunction and he was sitting in one place all the time.’

‘What about the video evidence?’

‘Go and teach you grandmother to suck eggs Gustav. Of course we tagged that. Iris checks the lot but he hasn’t turned up on any camera yet.’

‘So the bugger has gone to ground. We can’t afford manual tails, takes up too much manpower.’

‘Don’t forget we have to find him first. He’s either ensconced somewhere which is unlikely or he’s buggering up our security systems.’

‘Put a check out on all stations and verify all train passenger manifests.’

‘That’s already been done but he might have flown already.’

‘Now, where would you have gone to Ocho Sep, you bastard?’

‘If I was him I would go and hide in one of our vacation destinations or more likely in a penal colony. There he could change his identity and we would never find him.’

‘We must find him. Our jobs depend on it Col. Pull out all stops.’

Sector Six

After watching the basketball match Ocho rode the lifts and lateral transport for a while to waste time then arrived at his apartment as Yendi was coming home. She let him in.

‘Sorry Yendi, but I have got you involved in my problems. Have security been onto you yet?’

‘They have and I was very truthful. I said we met yesterday here and you came out to the party with us. We then arranged lunch and you cancelled. The text was a bit obvious so I came clear on that. They asked when we were going to meet next and I said that you were in the process of getting a job and will be in touch once things settle down.’

‘Did they ask any other questions?’

‘No they seemed to think I was being truthful. Oh, I did say you came around the other night to check on your property since you were the landlord here, not to see me specifically. I also told them you knew all the girls. They seemed satisfied. Now don’t worry about me. I can look after myself. What do you want me to do with this DVD? I did a copy onto a stick here. You can load it up more easily.’

‘Thanks Yendi. I’ll load it up now and then you can destroy the DVD and the stick. If security ask, then tell them I came to pick up some cash cards I’ve had secreted here. Don’t say I haven’t been here although I’m invisible to the screens. I don’t want you lying.’

‘I presume you are going to disappear now. Don’t tell me where you are going but best of luck. Give me a hug. That’s better. Now go and hide somewhere and let all this pass over. Do you need cash? You can have all my cash cards.’

‘No I’m fine Yendi. Thanks for your concern. Bye now.’

‘Bingo, we have found him Gustav.’

‘Where is he Col? Where is the bugger?’

‘Well we thought he might turn up at his own apartment that he rents out so we had people watching the screens in that vicinity and guess what? All the cameras became defunct in the area. He must have some clever way of knocking them out.’

‘Where is he now?’

‘I sent some people around but he had gone, only popped in to collect some cash cards that he had stored there.’

‘So he has cash. I wonder how much? He will need a lot to buy a new identity and get away from here. Any news from the stations?’

‘No but East Station reported a glitch on their entire security system. By the time we sent somebody over there it had come back up of its own accord. Funny! We checked the manifests and nothing obvious. Look Gustav, this is taking up an awful lot of my manpower. I hope you have a budget to cover this wild goose chase.’

‘This is serious Colin. We need to find and apprehend this guy and do it quickly. If you guys were more efficient then we wouldn’t have lost him in the first place.’

‘Oh don’t you put the blame on us Gustav. You let him go free. I’m taking a liking to this Ocho guy, who can so easily embarrass the great Gustav. Bye for now.’ 

‘Al, I hope you’ve ordered the superior version!’

‘Mo, the car’s due in ten minutes so get the kids ready and let’s not start an argument,’ shouted Al as he hefted a heavy bag towards the door. He thought to himself, ‘I work my guts out for this lot and all the appreciation I get is Mo wanting to spend a whole load of extra money, my money, on some stupid luxury car. They’ll be asleep as soon as we leave the station. What’s the point?’

‘The car is here dad!’

‘OK son, give me a hand to load up,’ before mum sees the basic car he thought to himself.

‘Al! Albert! They’ve sent a basic car again. Call them up and have it changed this minute!’

‘Mo, there’s no time for that. We’ll be late and miss our slot at the station. Come on son load the bags.’

‘I’m not going in that thing Al. I said that before.’

‘Yes dear. It’s happened again. That’s life. The neighbours won’t see you Mo. They are away. They also had a bog standard version as you remarked!’

Ocho rode a lateral from East Station to South Manchester Station and back. He had disconnected the sensors and cameras at the East Station and was now in the process of doing the same at the South Station. These were common occurrences but he was out to confuse the hidden enemy. It would take them some time to correct his bug if they ever found it and within ten to fifteen minutes it would reactivate and knock the security system out again later. They might suspect he was at a station but since they were both full of holiday makers all dressed in the uniform steel grey it would be difficult if not impossible to spot him manually. His problem was that all lines were clear and he was sixth in line to hitch a lift. As a hitcher he wouldn’t be on any manifest. The potential hitchers were lined up under the information board hoping some kind soul would take pity on them. 

‘Al, look at the board. It’s showing that there’s an incident on the line and there’s going to be a delay.’

‘Yes dear, we can’t do anything about that. We’ve got all night to get there. We’ve bought our goody bags. Let’s just go back to our car and see what happens.’

‘But I won’t sleep all night with worry Al. Can’t we get a driver who will steer us around these jams?’ Mo shouted.

‘Yes dear but where are we going to get one? They’ll all be taken by now.’

‘There, there are some there Al, standing under the information board. I’ll get one.’

‘What’s the use dear,’ but Mo pushed forward and grabbed a man. ‘Can you get us past the jams?’ she screamed.

‘Yes Ma’am, no problem for me,’ replied Ocho as he was being physically dragged back to their car as other interested parties started questioning the other lads offering their services. ‘Normal to have blockages at this time with all the holiday traffic,’ he added just to make sure there weren’t any second thoughts. Ocho was bundled into the car by a beaming and triumphant Mo as Al and the two kids looked on in dismay. Where would they all sit and sleep in this budget vehicle. Ocho answered that by positioning himself on the floor and plugging into the diagnostic socket. He switched on his hologram screen and that immediately caught their attention and interest. The first thing he did was to cancel the message on the board which now announced, ‘No Delays’ as before. 

‘Now look at the track diagram folks. This is where the blockage is. I can divert you via this track and we will bypass this problem section and be ahead of the rest of them. Now can I entertain the kids with my version of a Batman movie?  It’s going to be different to anything you have ever seen, the latest thing!’ Ocho flipped up a side table and suddenly a 3D batman appeared about twenty centimetres high. He set the hologram in motion as the family gazed with open mouths. The car moved forward into a tunnel and the shutters over the windows and doors slid over tightly as the car picked up speed, operating now on a magnetic rail, not the wheels and silently linked up with other cars into a train. The air in the tunnels was sucked out to create a vacuum, reduce any resistance so that they could travel at well over six hundred miles per hour and they were ready for the off. Ocho leant back against a seat in the corner and relaxed. He had made his getaway. He wasn’t sure if it was clean but he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

‘Gustav, your friend is up to his usual tricks.’

‘Where is he? Have you got him?’

‘Oh yeah Gustav, he came into the office and meekly said we can take him. Give me a break! The guy is smarter than that. He’s got the jinks in the security systems of both stations. As soon as we fix one it goes down again. The smart arse has planted a bug and we can’t find it.’

‘Instead of fixing the symptoms you should be manually searching for him.’

‘Why do they keep promoting you Gustav? I know, they only promote stupid people to get them out of the way.’

‘You can’t address me like that. I’ll have you fired.’

‘And who will be watching your back then Gustav, eh? We have our tech bods onto the system and I’ve sent my guys out to the station to spot your Ocho friend. Trouble is that it’s the height of the holiday season and the stations are packed. The passenger manifests won’t be of use and what’s the guessing that he hasn’t flown tonight but laughing his head off at you. I presume he knows of your existence by now?’

‘Colin, just stop the irritating drivel. It’s annoying me. Have you come across any hitch-hikers, drivers? Has there been any hold up or delay?’

‘Come on Gustav, get your slow brain in gear. There are hold ups. Bound to be in the holiday rush but they are not going to announce them and cause more chaos. We obviously targeted the hikers but haven’t come up with your fellow. Don’t forget he could have been picked up before we got there. Holiday folks are generous and will do young people a good turn.’

‘What next?’

‘Before you ask Gustav, we will scrutinise the film at all destinations if he hasn’t scrambled them and check if he’s got off at any intermediary stations. That’s going to take us at least five days to process thoroughly and by then his trail will be cold.’

‘Can’t you do it faster?’

‘Yes but we would miss him entirely. Since every youth these days looks the same with these regulation grey uniforms we have to do a manual iris scans on the suspects. Do you want to come and help? I presume by your silence that’s a negative.’

Al and Mo set up their bunks. They took the high ones and the kids settled in the lower ones and Ocho on the floor though one of the kids kindly offered him a blanket to sit on. They watched the holographic show for the third time when Ocho noticed his companions drop off to sleep one by one. He switched off the show and changed it to a screen to check on the freight traffic. He noticed it particularly heavy going into the new City of Frankfurt. He then checked back the busiest freight-only junction station that their car would pass. He made a decision to jump train at junction Thirty Four B and try and get a job as a train driver, speeding the freight traffic along the line.

Section Seven

The station was a dark, dusty dingy place which suited Ocho’s purposes.  All night cars and trains slowed down at major junctions to walking pace so it was easy for Ocho to disembark. The cold hit him hard as he looked for lights that might be an office or rest room. He found a stuffy office and barged in against a stiff door. An argument was ensuing as a clerk was shouting protectively down a phone. The shouting stopped for a moment as the clerk looked up in astonishment.

‘What do you want?’ he demanded aggressively.

‘Any driver’s jobs going?’ asked Ocho.

‘We might just have an answer!’ the clerk shouted down the phone, ‘I’ll call back in a minute,’ as he slammed the phone down in disgust and looked up at Ocho.

‘I’ve had experience. Done about six weeks and I’m a computer expert now.’

‘OK, I need you to get a train load of conductor cables to Frankfurt fast. They need them by yesterday. There’s been some harsh atmospheric activity over the Alps and knocked out most of the conductors. Frankfurt could be without power if these don’t get there in a hurry and I haven’t got a driver within three hours of here. The problem is that there’s no one senior enough on duty to get me Number One priority for the train. I can’t go myself and if I send it unmanned then it will get stuck in the system. I know it. Do you understand the problem?’

‘Well I know how to get the train through the junctions without too much delay if that’s what you mean.’

‘That’s part of the problem. This consignment is destined for Lisbon but I have to divert it to Frankfurt.’

‘Yes I know and at every junction I have to manually override the auto director so that we end up in Frankfurt and not Lisbon right?’

‘I’m glad you understand. The train is in Dock Seven. The cab is fully stocked. Here take this blanked to get there. It’s bloody cold outside and I don’t want you to freeze on me before you get to the train. I’ll be monitoring you from here so don’t let me down. Now bugger off and do your job. I’ll settle the formalities later. I’ll make sure you get a bonus if you get there quickly.’

Ocho picked up two blankets off the heater, wrapped himself up well and took the access card waved to him by the clerk who was already on the phone in better spirit. It took him a while to work out how to open the office door. It needed a crowbar. He was frozen as he swiped the card on the cab door. It hissed open as he scrambled in and hit the ‘close’ button. He knew the layout having done similar trips in his youth. Travelling around free was an adventure and the skill was to end up back home without having to pay for a ticket. He depressed the big green button and the lights brightened in the cab and he could feel movement as the magnetism lifted the cab and train off the rails. He checked the panel and set it for Frankfurt and checked the timing of the first junction down the line. Ten minutes. That would allow him enough time to set up his computer. He pressed two black buttons simultaneously and felt himself jolt forward as the hum grew. He checked the screen and tried to increase the speed but the auto regulator wouldn’t allow him to override the limit. He turned up the heat in the cab and then concentrated on by-passing the onboard computer so that he could fully control the system. A bleep told him that they were nearing the first junction. He watched both his own screen and the drivers screen as the priority switched to ‘One’ and destination fixed to ‘Frankfurt.’ Ocho relaxed, when he heard a crackle on the intercom.

‘How in the hell did you do that son?’ shouted the clerk back at the junction.

‘Drivers’ trade secrets!’ replied Ocho with a smile.

‘I’ll leave you to it then. Let me know if you run into problems. I’ll still be monitoring you.’

‘Sure thing boss,’ replied Ocho as he watched the priority slip to five, freight priority, lowest of the low. Once on a clear line priority didn’t matter and the train would be unmonitored. Priority ‘One’ trains were monitored closely all the time. He didn’t want to be watched all the time. A few key strokes upped the speed to maximum and over-rode the regulator. He noted that the train was relatively new and could therefore travel at maximum speed of the line or as fast as the weight of load would allow. The copper cables must be heavy he noted as the train settle to a steady speed of seven hundred miles per hour, some way below maximum. He then looked around at his home for five hours and checked the vending machine. It wasn’t fully stocked as the clerk had intimated and all the popular choices had gone. He checked the routing on his computer and found a quiet freight depot on the way and ordered a full restock. This would only take a few minutes, a pit stop, where the whole vending apparatus would be automatically removed and replaced with a fresh one. He then found a spray and wipes and cleaned up the cab. Drivers weren’t renowned for their housekeeping. 

He monitored the train through a couple of more junctions to check that all of his overrides were working and then settled down on the cot to sleep but sleep wouldn’t come easily. He had too much on his mind. He wondered how far the authorities had tracked him. Did they think that the outages at train stations were a ruse or had they followed the matter up? He decided that they would put a watch on all stations and see if he would turn up. Being a train driver was anonymous if he could do it continuously for a while, in the subterranean world of magnetic track and vacuum tubes. Once above ground he would be ripe game to the security forces. The only place to hide would be in one of the so called penal colonies, the old towns that existed before they built the high rise. Now anyone caught of any criminal offence of even social offence was given the choice of a term in jail or be shipped out to make their own way in life and never to return. Many chose the latter, some chose to move just to get away from the stifling clinical atmosphere in the cities. These old places were now thriving as heavy industrial zones making goods that nobody else wanted to make in the cities. He lay back in his cot and thought about the possibilities when the thought struck him that he hadn’t checked the oxygen levels in the cab. His watch showed that the oxygen levels in his blood stream were good but the air in the cabin was on the low side. One supply cylinder was empty the other half full which would last him the full journey but he decided to renew both at his next pit stop.

The journey was uneventful. The junctions were negotiated appropriately and he arrived at Frankfurt South Station, Bay Twelve F, in five hours as he had predicted. He reported back to the origin that mission accomplished and started putting his computer back on its belt and tidied up the cab, meaning folded up the blankets and sluicing down the bathroom cabinet. He kicked himself for not making use of the shower, as the communicator came to life.

‘Hey driver, that was ace job. What’s your name? Forgot to ask in the panic back there.’

‘Call me John.’

‘There are thousands of Johns out there. I’ll call you John The One. Now I want you to stay with the train until they have decided what to offload and what to leave on.’

‘No probs, I was going to ask if you had anything else for me?’

‘Yeah, I need you to bring that one back and pick some stuff up on the way. I will get you a full train to Lisbon. Stay with the train and I’ll get back to you with the details. You might want to replenish the stocks whilst you are there.’

‘Already done so boss but could you sign off on some clean clothes and towels.’

‘Drivers generally don’t bother about such things. OK, I suppose you know the ropes on the ordering. Code J46c… small C and don’t go over level 2. And another thing, I’ve heard Frankfurt has some fresh fruit. Tell the Freight Boss there that I told you. He will get you a crate. It’s a consignment that’s meant for the hierarchy but who says us plebs can’t have a nibble. Keep in touch Johnny, The Clean One!’

‘Hey driver, wake up, I need you to split the wagons and manoeuvre them into the lifts.’

‘I am awake and the wagons are already split off at least the back five. The rest I’m taking back to Lisbon. I’ve already had the order on the screen and am printing off the schedule.’

‘Good man, can you get down and get them into the lifts for me?’ said the freight porter.

‘I can’t do that. They’ll fire me for that. You do it.’

‘It’s a bloody emergency and I don’t know how to.’

‘Dead easy really. Here, a controller. Put in the destination here according to the list. Look I’ve done that for you plus the wagon reg. Best to scan them. Sometimes the paper work doesn’t match up. Then just press this ‘go’ button and stand back. It’s all done automatically. I will monitor you from here.’

‘Sounds a piece of cake, only the boss does this normally but he’s not here.’

‘Probably the only thing he can do apart from shout at you. Now a birdie tells me you have some cases of real fruit going. Can you get me a couple of crates?’

‘Where did you hear that? I’ll see what I can do if this goes well.’ An hour later the porter returned beaming. ‘Got commended for taking the initiative and getting the wagons up to them. Here, a case for you. Couldn’t get a second. Any chance of a hot drink? It’s bloody freezing out here.’

‘Thanks for the case. What will you have? Coffee, soup, goulash?’

‘All three, I’m starving, been on my own and currently working second shift. The bosses are pleased with you lad, saved the day. All the conductors are knackered,’ continued the porter as Ocho set up the plastic beakers on the bench. He was glad to be in his cab and avoid any possible scans. ‘Frankfurt is the highest city you know, four kilometres high and two wide at its base. That’s why we get most lightning strikes. Keeps the energy going but the conductors fail more quickly. Ever been to see the pit? It’s where the lightning is conducted. A huge pit of waste water and shit from the city you know. The electricity breaks the water down into hydrogen and oxygen, you know H2O. They use the oxygen to keep us alive and the hydrogen is used for power. You see, they can then control the power output. Yer can’t control lightning.’

‘Drink up, it’s going cold. You’ll lose the benefit of it,’ said Ocho trying to break up the monologue.’

‘Thanks. Not everybody knows that. All the waste and shit is sanitised and used to grow algae for our food. I bet you didn’t know that?’

‘I wondered why vend stuff always tasted like crap?’ answered Ocho as the porter fell about laughing at the weak joke.

‘Thanks mate, you’re a pal. Next time you’re in Frankfurt find me and I’ll look after you. It’s Gavin. The buggers are paging me already. Must fly.’  Ocho never got his controller back but he didn’t care, he had a case of fresh fruit grown in some experimental greenhouse. He would have to share it with the traffic clerk back at base. He sent a cryptic text through the system that second mission accomplished. He got an immediate answer to the effect that he must leave plenty for the clerk. The fruit were strawberries, a bit pale in colour and bitter to the taste. He ate too many and suffered stomach cramps as a result of his greed. 

Drivers never used their correct names though the freight bosses usually found them out from the scans that they occasionally passed through. Officially all drivers had to be certified and security cleared but since it was such a boring job only the itinerants usually took up the offer of a free ride, food and somewhere to sleep. Unmanned trains had to keep to minimum speeds and were often delayed. Ocho decided that he would continue his trips for some time until his trail had got cold. He had never been to Lisbon so switched on the screen to check. He found it was in the Pyrenees. He knew that the new city of Madrid was in the Atlas Mountains of what had been Morocco. The policy makers used old city names for the new cities but the location could be anywhere. He knew that Frankfurt was in the Swiss Alps and that his city of Manchester was in the Eastern highlands of Scotland. All the cities were interconnected by many steel tunnels carrying the high speed rail cars on magnetic rails in a vacuum. Ocho spent ten days in his underground environment before he surfaced at a penal colony of his own choosing.

‘Gustav, I’m afraid we have drawn a blank. I can’t do any more. This guy has beaten us. Our only way to find him now is for you to use your influence in the penal colonies.’

‘That’s going to be difficult. You know how secretive those people are.’

‘Surely we have spies there.’

‘We do but we don’t want them raising their heads above the parapets unnecessarily for some missing person.’

‘And I thought this mission was important?’

‘It is and don’t misunderstand me. Our guys are checking for some illegal plot to take over the world. Anybody checking on somebody else is likely to find their throats cut just for the hell of it. There are a lot of wanted people hiding in those places. As long as they don’t poke up in civilisation then we effectively don’t care.’

‘So what do you want us to do?’

‘Colin, I want you to keep looking for patterns and also to find out how the hell he managed to evade us so easily. I can’t imagine him being holed up in Manchester all this time. It would drive the lad crazy.’

‘Wasn’t he being driven crazy as you say in the detention centre you threw him in? Sounds to me that if he survived that he would survive anything.’

‘Those places aren’t as bad as all that Colin. Just find out how he evaded us and I’ll search for him in the penal colonies. He will pop up I’m sure. I think he might just be too clever for his own good and we’ll spot him.’

Sector Eight

His last move on the trains was for Ocho to inform his Traffic Clerk that he was going to jump ship at the Holiday city of Cannes. The clerk had wished him luck and he immediately jumped onto empty transport going to the penal city aptly calling itself Sydney. He had checked out on this place and it was a thriving industrial city with a modicum of law and order. Anyone caught doing harm to anyone else was simply asked to leave and escorted onto a freight train bound for another penal colony down the pecking order. He could hide there, find himself a job. Alternatively he could just live off his money but someone might suspect. He would earn just enough to live on and use his own cash cards for extras and most importantly keep his head down until he had developed a plan on how to reveal his findings to the correct authority.

‘Can I speak to the Station Master please?’ asked Ocho of the man sitting at a desk away from the high counter. ‘It’s urgent.’

‘And who the hell are you?’ answered the man not even looking up. ‘And what’s urgent in this world of yours sonny?’

‘Are you the Station Master or do I have to see someone else?’

‘Uppity with it too are we?’ answered the man looking up at Ocho. ‘Straight off the boat, are we? What would a whipper-snapper like you, straight from the city be wanting our Station Master for? Bugger off before I set the dogs onto you!’

‘Tell him that I want some help and advice from him and secondly I have some information about his computer communications that I want to warn him about.’

‘What could you know about his computer then?’

‘Tell him I hacked into it and it’s full of bugs. Tell him the security services are about to pounce on him.’

‘How the hell could you have hacked in? It’s got all the bells and whistles you can buy to protect it from so called hackers.’

‘Just tell him that at ten thirty this morning he had six unopened Emails and six from a guy called Roman and I’ve not been looking over your shoulder.’

‘OK young man, come this way and we’ll see if he’s in his office and willing to see you.’ Ocho followed the tall thin man, around the edge of the counter and into a large office full of cabinets. ‘Sit there and I’ll check the Station Master’s mail.’ Ocho sat patiently watching the man who he knew was the Station Master from a photo he had procured. ‘OK what have you to tell me that’s so important?’

‘I need your help and some advice. As you can tell I’m new here. For that I can give you some information that I have gleaned from your computer.’

‘Tell me first why you bothered to hack into my computer?’

‘I needed to know if you were the right person to help me and have decided that you probably can and to seal the trust, I can help you into the bargain.’

‘OK, I can accept that so far. Tell me what you have found first and then I’ll consider whether to help you. Don’t waste my time mind you. I’m squeaky clean.’

‘That may be so but you have recently been involved with purchase of some illegal material. Six wagons of it. I checked back on your so called clients and they happen to be Security people in Oslo. They want to take down your illicit operations. They have planted this load onto you and when it arrives and you start offloading, you’ll find yourself surrounded by a shit load of guards and be shipped off somewhere.’

‘That’s a nice story boy. Who has sent you with this cock and bull tale that I’m supposed to fall for? All I can say is they’ve sent a right idiot. I can see straight through you.’

‘OK, if I was planted by one of your competitors surely I wouldn’t be so blatantly obvious as this?’  

‘Maybe not, maybe it’s a clever ruse. Anyway, convince me you are kosher. If not I’ll put a bullet through your head and save myself some time from giving you advice.’

‘I’ll set up my computer on the edge of your desk and I’ll point out the issues you have.’

‘What’s this? Are you playing games with me?’

‘No, look on, this is the latest in mobile computers. Not on the market yet. It’s a holographic screen and keyboard, takes no space. Now this is what you are looking at on your mail screen. If I pick out a message from this Roman guy I can track back to his computer and pick up all the messages with reference to you.’

‘Hell! Can you transfer them to my PC so I can read them?’

‘No way, that would alert them straight away. They have planted bugs there to track all your email.’

‘How could they do that? This system is supposed to be bullet proof.’

‘Somebody has just made a sieve out of it. No system is bullet proof as you would like to call it. I got in easily and I’m just a whipper-snapper as you called me.’

‘OK, I’ll cancel this deal, what then?’

‘Your choice but they will only try again.’

‘OK smart arse, what would you do?’

‘I have a long standing dislike of our Official Security Departments. They don’t work for us but against us. I was incarcerated for two years and I would like to get my own back. You could for instance alert another rival security force, say in Madrid, that you suspect an illicit deal. When the wagons get here we’ll have two opposing forces at each other’s throats.’

‘I like it. There could be mayhem and we’ll have grandstand seats. I’ve nothing to lose. The deal has gone sour anyway. Now what do I do about the bugs. Can you clear them off for me?’

‘I can do that but I won’t. If I did it would do two things. It would alert them that you have been clever enough to discover the devices and they would flood you with more sophisticated ones.’

‘So I’m buggered then?’

‘What I will do is coral them. Fence them off so that they can look but not touch the grass unless you throw them titbits. They’ll continue to be active for the people who have seeded them but you can keep your secret information from them.’

‘Will they ever find out eventually?’

‘Oh yes but by then we will find who they are and send a reciprocal bug to their system.’

‘But won’t they have some smart Alec like you to discover them?’

‘They will but it will piss them off that they have been compromised. Just remember no communication these days is safe. I just hope that this office isn’t bugged.’   

‘Now before we get all paranoid. I will sack my current IT guy and employ you as my communications consultant. I’ll pay you well.’

‘That’s mighty generous of you but I should get your guy first to check out what I’m doing. I could be setting you up as you say. Secondly I need your help to set up home here and hide away for a while. I will need to be here for some time anyway to fix your security. If we change everything overnight then all the alarm bells will ring and the new system will be invaded within days with fresh and cleverer bugs. We need to keep those arrogant security buggers at arm’s length, thinking they got one over you.’

‘OK my lad, you want me to find you somewhere secure to stay and how to keep out of trouble. You can’t be a total recluse in these parts. How much cash do you carry?’

‘Enough for most things.’

‘Then I suggest you stay at a middle range pod hostel, not too fancy and not too expensive. You have to change out of your city steels. Plenty of clothes shops around to suit any style. Most important get yourself a hand gun that you can wear visibly on your hip. Does two things; people will leave you alone and secondly it will signal you have enough wear-with-all to afford a gun.’

‘Is that strictly necessary? I don’t even know how to use one.’

‘Everybody who’s anybody has one. If you go down the first street to the right, past the hostel and you’ll find a gunsmith. They will advise you. Now I didn’t ask your name nor do you have to tell me but I can’t just be calling you lad or son.’

‘Call me Dispatcher,’ answered Ocho thinking of the first word that came into his mind. ‘How do I get a job around here, something in computing?’

‘You’re lucky Mr. Dispatcher. Each week there is a kind of open job clinic in the central public hall. You go there, pays you money, they give you a pitch and you have to attract the punters. This is for professional and qualified people only and they are in great demand here. There’s one tomorrow. Come and see me after that and we’ll talk some more, but change your appearance. You look like an agent from up yonder. Good luck!’

Sector 9

Ocho left the Station Master, feeling rather smug with himself. He felt the delicate matter of the illegal deal had gone down better than he had thought. He was passing a café on the right advertising real cake. He’d heard about cake in the books but never tasted anything other than from a vending machine. He walked in and the place was empty. He looked around.

‘Sit yourself down,’ shouted a woman’s voice quite pleasantly. ‘I’m at the back and will be with you shortly.’ Ocho took a window seat with a view of the door and street. A young girl with huge purple hair and black vest top appeared behind the counter and gave him a big smile. She appeared very tall until she approached, stepping down to his level. He eyed her up and down. She was wearing black pants with black boots and a starched white apron tied around her waist. She made quite an impression on Ocho. She approached and sat opposite him.

‘You’re new around here. Visitor from the city or on business?’

‘So obvious is it. No I’m here to settle for a while.’

‘Been a bad boy then? Don’t look so hurt. You wouldn’t come here if you weren’t running from something. You look too fragile to have done anything criminal. Sorry I’m prying. What will it be, a coffee and delicious cake? Just taken a fresh one out of the oven; can you smell it?’

‘I wouldn’t know what real cake smelt or taste like, only seen picture of them.’

‘City Boy, you will have a treat of your life. Hang onto your seat. My cakes are the best in Sydney.’ She saw Ocho looking around the empty café. ‘This place will be heaving in the evening. Quiet at this time,’ she said in a lilting sort of voice as she busied herself behind the counter, looking much taller on the raised platform. ‘If you’re going to be staying here you need to shed those steels,’ she shouted over the noise of the coffee maker as it hissed away.

‘I intend to, only arrived an hour ago.’

‘But there’s no trains due in the afternoon. You came in on a freighter? Sorry my prying again. You just look too clean cut to be a hitch hiker.’

‘Yes a freighter. I’m just going to book myself into the hostel down this street.’

‘Nice one if you can afford it. Now here we have the usual ersatz coffee but I brew it up and it tasted better than vend and I’ve cut you a hunk of my cake plus a small slice for me. Eat it with a fork. You will enjoy it better. Mind if I join you? Bit lonely on your own at this time of the day.’

‘Please do. You may be able to advise me on what to wear?’

‘Well you certainly want to get out of the steels. Now do you do flamboyant or discreet?’

‘Probably something in between. I don’t want to stand out at either end, something professional. I’m a computer geek.’

‘Can you afford?’ Ocho nodded his head. ‘OK then, I suggest Haggard’s just about six doors down. Middle of the road, not too trendy and not too dull. How’s the cake?’

‘Delicious, never imagined that cake would be so good.’

‘Don’t wolf it, enjoy. That’s real wheat flour, ages old, been dug up from some ancient warehouse and reground. I have a supplier, gets me all kinds of ancient foodstuffs.’

‘Hasn’t it gone bad by this time?’

‘Don’t they teach you in history? It’s been deep frozen for years so I suppose it’s as fresh as when it was made. Now where was I? Eat up, you can have more. Get yourself a buff jacket, a bush type with lots of pockets. It gets cold around here. Get some coloured T-shirts. Good ones. Boots to match, those City pumps won’t last a minute in these parts. Black trousers I think or you maybe afford some jeans.. er antique ones, brought up from the past. No, they are a bit ostentatious. Now as a self-confessed computer geek you will need a satchel. You don’t know what I’m talking about, a bag, a shoulder bag, a man’s shoulder bag to hold your computer, bits and clutter. Goes with the image and don’t forget a hat or a cap to hide that City cut.’ A couple of customers walked into the café. ‘I have to go?’

‘Can I pay?’ Ocho asked holding her hand. She didn’t wriggle free he noted.

‘No, the first one is on the house but you have to promise to come back and then you might even have a name. I’m Tanya.’

‘I promise Tanya,’ he said to a retreating back as she skipped back behind the counter. He gave her a curt wave on the way out but she was too busy with her new customers.

Ocho kitted himself out at Haggard’s on Tanya’s suggestions. Probably more toned down than she would have liked. He looked himself up and down in the mirror and chose a black cap to go with the new image. He was about to tell the assistant to dump his city attire but decided to stuff it in his empty shoulder bag. The whole bill came to over two hundred dollars but he could afford it since he was printing his own cash cards. His next stop was at the Hostel where he checked in, paid a couple of weeks in advance for their largest pod and carried on down the street to the gunsmith.

Harvey and Thomas was the name emblazoned over a blank shop front. Ocho tried the door but it was locked. He then spied a discreet button at the side which he depressed but heard nothing from within. A quick scrutiny of the door frame and he saw what he was looking for, a miniature aperture that housed a lens. He hadn’t been alerted by his computer so he assumed that it was off. Maybe the shop was closed for the day and he had arrived too late but suddenly his machine gave off a bleep and he felt he was being observed except the picture would be fuzzy as his security programme played havoc with the focusing. After a while there was a scuffle at the door and a head poked out and tried to focus on the miniature lens above the door.

‘What do you want?’ said the head gruffly.

‘I believe you sell guns, hand guns and I would like to buy one.’

‘You better come in then,’ said the head, disappearing behind the door but opening it wide enough for Ocho to squeeze through. ‘A customer!’ shouted the head now behind Ocho as he strode along a dark narrow corridor towards the lights. It opened out to a large sales room with glass show cases displaying a variety of weapons. A man dressed in black materialised out of the shadows, behind a counter.

‘How can I help you young man?’ he asked curtly but politely.

‘The Station Master sent me, suggested I should have a hand gun.’

‘Ah the Station Master. Any particular type you have in mind?’

‘Not really. Don’t know anything about them but he said I should have one.’

‘He is correct. It will be an outward sign that you mean business and cannot be taken lightly,’ said the man as he slid a tray of hand guns onto the counter. May I suggest this one? It needs to be big enough to be noticed. The smaller ones are really handbag guns, toys but still pack a deadly punch when it needs to.’

‘Does it come with a holster and belt?’

‘It does but I notice you already wear a broad belt. The holster can attach to that. Now let me show you. Bit further to the front so that it can be seen. Now how does that feel?’

‘A bit heavy and cumbersome.’

‘You will get used to it after a while. The lighter ones are far more expensive. Does your budget stretch that far?’

‘Don’t worry about the budget but I’m wearing a belt computer, a new-fangled thing and I don’t want the gun to interfere with it.’

‘Oh I see. Then you might be interested in something special.’ He disappeared into an alcove and came with a second tray. ‘Now these are brand new, not on the market yet and only for special people. They are also multi-functional. Since we make them here we can show you, they are very light, feel one.’

‘Wow they are a fraction of the others. This is more like it. What are they made of?’

‘A special sort of plastic, including the bullets. They are being developed for the security forces. They can pass through screens undetected. In one of our special shoulder holsters they show up as a large diary or a notebook.’

‘I’ll have one but can you show me how it all works and could I try it out somewhere.’

‘I wouldn’t sell you a gun if I thought you couldn’t use it. There is a catch with these guns, once fired they have to be meticulously cleaned. You see, the carbon deposits would be picked up in the shape of a gun. The dust from the barrel you know. You can bring them in here and we can clean them and we also show you how to do it but it has to be done meticulously as I said, otherwise it’s useless as a hidden weapon. The other catch is the price. We sell these at three thousand dollars each.’

‘Oh I see,’ replied Ocho picking up the handgun again.

‘But we can supply you with this one for two thousand. We’ll say it’s shop soiled and business is slow at the moment.’

‘OK, I’ll have it but you will have to let me try it out.’

‘Before we can do that we need to know that this is a genuine purchase. Have you got that much on you? You can check your cards in the machine on the desk.’

‘I’d rather check them myself on my own computer.’ Ocho sat in a corner and uploaded several cards with various amounts well over the two thousand dollars’ worth. ‘I have enough. Here, check these three cards.’

‘Wow you have more than enough young man. Now before we do the transaction I will take you to our firing range and let you get the feel of a similar model. My assistant will check this one out and get the whole kit together for you. Follow me please.’

Two hours later Ocho left the shop with his purchases, feeling very pleased with himself and some two thousand and three hundred dollars the lighter.  Government security was paying for this latest weapon and they hadn’t even been issued out to them yet. He touched the weapon in its holster. It felt comfortable if not a little strange. He had made another appointment at the firing range since he quite enjoyed the experience, particularly when they put up figures of Government security agents to shoot at. He now was in possession of a much better and broader belt which now also housed his computer. The gun and holster clipped on as necessary. In his bag he had the shoulder holster and belts, plus the cleaning kit and a spare ammunition clip cleverly disguised as a mobile phone. 

Back at his pod he laid out all of his purchases and inspected each one minutely. Never in his life had he had so much cash and had spent so much in one day. He hoped it would be a wise decision. He set up his hologram on the side table and watched a movie in 3D. He fell asleep half way through and never discovered if the detective ever solved the mystery of the missing diamond.

Sector 10

Sydney was a horizontal or lateral city as the manageress at the hostel took great pains to tell him. It was unlike Paris, Madrid and Frankfurt which were vertical cities. She directed him to take the Number Seven trolleybus and it would pass through six zones or bubbles, as the glass domes were locally referred to. She also insisted that he swapped his oxygen cylinder for a larger one. Air was dodgy in the city as she claimed. Ocho had already researched the geography and knew all this but there was no way of stopping the woman once she was in full flow.

The Jobs Fair was held in an annex of the Public Hall. About twenty stations were already set up with about a dozen manned already. Ocho registered as the Dispatcher, Computer Consultant and was shown to a station. It comprised a small table, two chairs and a white board with pen tied firmly to a string. He looked around and saw what others were doing and decided to follow suit. He wrote up his qualifications under the title of Dispatcher, Computer Consultant. Government Security Finals (FAILED), Computer Engineering level 4, Food Science Level 3, Statistics and Mathematics Level 5, then he wrote, ‘Offering Part Time Consultancy.’ He stood around waiting then decided to set up his holographic display on the table top, a replay of Batman which would surely attract attention. Sure enough, he had all the stall keepers around questioning him about his device.

 The doors finally opened and a few people sauntered in looking more like shoppers out for a stroll than looking for consultants. One woman with a young boy came up to his stall. The boy took one look, uttered, ‘Wow!’ and wriggled out of his mother’s grip. Five minutes later he was back with a posse of youths staring at Batman, active on a white table top. Ocho decided that this wasn’t the interest that he wanted to generate and switched the holographic display to a boring computer screen. Amidst a lot of aggressive shouts and demands the kids finally dispersed. A tall man in flamboyant suit and a pistol on show, stuck in his waistband, came into the room looked around, spotted Ocho and walked directly over to him, thrusting a card in his hand.

‘The Barron wants to see you at three. He’s got some jobs for you. You can close shop here,’ he said quite firmly and strode off. Ocho looked at the card. It gave the name as Barry Blake and an address in Hightown which was the most salubrious part of Sydney, away from the industrial zones. He recognised the name as one of the more influential people in the city who was normally addressed as The Barron. Ocho had checked on this person who had major holdings and interests in the city, mainly in steel foundries and manufacture of construction materials. Since business at the fair was slack, he packed up his stall and found a café where he could set up his computer in peace. He spent two hours researching the Barron and felt he knew his business well plus his varied set of contacts, here in Sydney and also in the tall cities. He ordered some vend soup and beef stew which all came in the customary brown plastic beakers and waited until it was time to make his appointment.

‘What do you know about me?’ asked the Barron, a short man, sitting behind a huge mahogany, antique desk, wearing a bright blue waistcoat over a white T-shirt. Ocho stood in front of the desk with two minders close behind him.

‘We found this on him,’ volunteered one of the minders as he put Ocho’s new plastic handgun on the desk, out of reach. The Barron raised his eyebrows and then looked at Ocho expecting him to answer the first question.

‘I know you are an industrialist and very influential in Sydney. Your computer security is crap and you are currently playing off the Governments of Lisbon against Frankfurt who want to support you so they can also have some controlling influence in Sydney.’

‘How the hell did you find all that out?’ barked the Barron with his eyes ablaze. This is all confidential.’

‘I hacked into your computer this morning to update myself on your activities. Nothing is confidential on your computer, you should know that.’

‘Send in Charlie, he’s supposed to be my IT expert. The Station Master said you were bit of a wiz kid. Now what do you make of my dealings with Lisbon and Frankfurt?’

‘They both know the deals you’re making with each other and they are sharing your influence. The latest is that Lisbon is going to pull out and leave the field open to Frankfurt so that they can reduce your current subsidy.’

‘The buggers! How the hell did you find that out?’

‘Easy, I just backtracked the mails and read their files on you.’

‘Charlie, sit down and you, Dispatcher or whatever you call yourself sit down. Now Charlie, why is this young guy telling me you know shit about computers?’

‘It’s not that Mr. Blake, it’s just that I have completed the Security Course with the latest surveillance methods. They keep changing…..’

‘Yes, call me Barry and you failed! I know, I know it was so that you didn’t get roped in to a security job for the rest of your life. Now tell Charlie here why my security is a pile of crap.’

‘You have a number of bugs in your system that are scanning everything you do.’

‘But shouldn’t they be picked up by the fire walls and the screens?’ demanded Charlie. “And there’s all that encryption that makes things unreadable. How the hell did you break the code?”

‘The encryption is just to stop the inquisitive hacker reading your mails immediately but there are programmes now that break these codes with ease. Now on the matter of the firewalls the sophisticated bugs get through and sit there in your system they even spy on your encryption programmes. Yours are at least on another system so I had to use my own deciphering programmes which took slightly longer, enough time to get a vend that’s all.’

‘But how do they tag the messages if all they do is sit there?’ asked Charlie

‘Ah, they have a copy residing outside your firewall and between them they sift and route a copy of every message back to mother.’

‘So the whole world knows what I’m up to then!’ shouted the Barron. ‘So what’s the use of all this communication equipment?’

‘Mainly for disinformation to wrong foot your opponents Mr. Blake.’

‘So is there any way of passing information securely these days?’ asked the Barron with desperation creeping into his voice.

‘Yes, the old fashioned way. A courier with a sealed note on rice paper who eats it after it’s been read and hopes it hasn’t been poisoned.’

‘I like your humour young lad. You suggested a solution to the Station Master, have you one for me?’

‘Well I would advise to slow down your supplies to these guys to a standstill and start up negotiations with a third party. Building materials are in great demand and you control the majority. I would also go and see your competitors and set up an illegal cartel and squeeze the cities for all you can get.’

‘But my competitors wouldn’t want to work with me or anybody else. We are all independent and that’s what we fight for.’

‘I understand that Mr. Blake, sorry Barry, but you could get a courier message to them to agree starting talks on the net to set a false trail and get the cities worried for once. I will show you messages where purchase agents are getting huge bonuses for getting the best deals from you. They are bleeding you dry.’

‘The Station Master warned me that you could be a plant but so far I like your message. I’m going to employ you full time. You work exclusively for me and I can then keep an eye on you.’

‘I have some work to do for the Station Master. I promised.’

‘I know about that and you can do that but you are not to work for anybody else. Now go off with Charlie and update him on the crap in the system and what he can do about it. At six you can join me for dinner and by that time I’ll have thought through what you have said. My problem is that you are not on any system. You are invisible Mr. Dispatcher. I don’t know how you have done it but you are totally off the radar so I can’t check up on your background and I’m nervous and suspicious.’

‘I’d be grateful Barry if you would cease any further searches. I probably have a posse of security people trying to locate me. I’ve just been released from two years in solitary confinement and I still have incriminating evidence on me but I have slipped the net and that worries them.’

‘What’s going to tell me that you are not sending messages about all this to your superior?’

‘I haven’t got a superior and you could always get Charlie to hack into my system.’

‘Is he going to be able to do that?’

‘I doubt it.’

‘Tell me Dispatcher, with all your ruttling round in my and other associated systems, hasn’t somebody picked up on you and planted bugs?’

‘They have probably been alerted that something illicit has happened in their systems but each time I finish I virtually burn up my computer and start with a new one so if they had planted a bug and I hadn’t noticed then it would be cinders by now.’

‘You are too clever for your boots young man. You seem to have a pat answer to everything. I smell a rat here but you are bloody good at selling it, so good that I’m inclined to go along with you for a while. I’m warning you though. You’re dead meat if you’re not kosher. Charlie, go off and do your stuff with this lad and return him in time for dinner.’

‘Welcome Dispatcher. As you have noticed, the table is set for six. Apart from Charlie, the Station Master is joining us a, couple of other guys and my wife is she feels like it though I did tell her that grilling of a Dispatcher was on the menu. Sit over there opposite me so that I can watch your reaction as we fry you. Now on the real menu we have mushroom soup, not the vend rubbish but dried stuff that we salvaged from some ancient warehouse. This is followed by frozen Chicken Kiev packed in 2020 with peas and powdered mash from real potatoes. I serve it to my guests as guinea pigs. If they die then I don’t touch it. Don’t look so shocked Mr. Dispatcher I supply this stuff at ridiculous prices to the Governing circles and unfortunately they haven’t popped their clogs. Now Charlie, what rubbish has he been spinning you?’

‘He’s uncovered all kinds of things. We did our normal security screens but also did a diagnostic check on a parallel kit. We found a number of bugs in our system.’

‘I hope you zapped them all,’

‘Well no. The Dispatcher here suggested we leave them until we discover their origin then we fence them in so that they we can control them and feed them trivia. We also found a ‘fly’ the latest in bugs.’

‘We swat flies Charlie, did you swat it?’ chuckled the Barron, enjoying his own feeble joke.

‘Like a fly, it jumps about the system so difficult to swat as you say,’ answered Ocho. ‘We can’t fence it in like the other bugs and if we zap it I believe they are self-reproducing.’

‘Unbelievable. They’ve introduced sex into computing. It’s starting to get interesting now. What do we do? Bin the lot and turn to pigeon post? Ah, here comes my delectable daughter, Ratan, the first ‘A’ she insists is pronounced as in ‘Bay’ so you have to call her Raytan and not Ratan as I do. Now you know everybody here daughter except our newcomer, the famous Dispatcher. Our new Security Wiz Kid, the one who has done himself out of a job by making all my computers redundant and saved me a fortune. Station and my two advisors are joining us. It’s a business meeting but you can join us if you like.’ A slinky tall girl with stripy coloured hair, done up in a Mohican, dressed all in black, sauntered in and sat next to Ocho, drawing her chair closer so that their elbows touched. She didn’t say a word. At that moment the Station Master and two other men came in and sat down opposite Ocho and Ratan with the long ‘A.’ 

‘You’ve found him,’ announced the Station Master nodding to Ocho. ‘What do you make of him, is he kosher? I’ve had my guy check the system and couldn’t find anything to be concerned about.’

‘Charlie spotted the bugs and the Dispatcher showed him how on our systems. He also did it by himself without the Dispatcher in the room so he knew it was correct and not some bit of hokus pokus.’

‘My guy needs to learn new tricks it seems. We also have a bug that does sex on line. I could laugh but I really want to cry. If this Dispatcher kid is right all our schemes are compromised.’

‘Well not compromised but you are being used. They are letting you get away with stuff that’s not important to them. As for you Mr. Station Master I think they have set you up so that they can get rid of you and replace you with their own man. That’s what I gleaned from the mails I read.’

‘Well, they are going to shaft us good and proper Station Eh?’ said the Barron looking pointedly at the Station Master. ‘We need some counter strategy. The boy here suggests some kind of a slow down on essential supplies, chaos on the rail network. Can we engineer that?’         

‘Without doubt but we would be immediately implicated,’ answered the Station Master.

‘The kid here suggests we start a campaign of misinformation. He suggests that we plan, with our competitors and enemies, forming a cartel and forcing the prices up.’

‘Yeah but aren’t they illegal and they’ll spot them immediately as a scam since they read all of our mail now.’

‘The kid suggests we send couriers to tell our people that it’s a scam and to play along. If they suspect anything you will be slowing down the traffic anyway so they are more likely to believe that we are united.’

‘I see the point Barron but that is playing into the hands of our competitors but on the other hand everybody benefits and we get one over the Authorities and show them we are not mere lackeys.’

‘We need a plan. First does anyone still consider this kid as a plant? Because he is going to play a major role in checking the misinformation message to ensure it’s kosher. OK we go along with the Dispatcher on our side. Now let’s get on with the meal, I’m starving.’ 

Ocho kept silent throughout the meal as he listened to the plan unfold. These guys were masters of scheming but they were let down by their communication systems which were being scrutinised without their former knowledge until now. At the end of the meal Ratan leaned over as she dropped her fork and whispered that she would take him home. Ocho kept looking forward unsure what reaction she expected of him. At the end of the meal Ratan stood up and said, ‘I’ll show the Dispatcher out while you plotters continue with your scheming.’ She grabbed Ocho’s arm and physically dragged him out of the room.

‘Come on it’s boring in there. Where are you staying?’

‘Near the station. I have some stuff here though, a satchel and a handgun which they took off me.’

‘Jake, Jake,’ she shouted to a minder outside of the room. ‘Get Dispatcher his gear, all of it and meet us at the back door,’ she shouted as she steered Ocho down the stairs and along some passages. They waited by the back door until Jake arrived with Ocho’s bag. ‘Now you are on the other side of town. We’ll catch a trolley or better still have you any cash?’

‘Yeah, plenty.’

‘Right, I’ll get a cab so that we don’t have to mix with the plebs.’ Ratan used a mobile phone to call a cab and held onto Ocho’s hand as if to stop him escaping. The cab took them to Ocho’s hostel and Ocho paid off the cab with one of his cash cards.

‘You can’t lend me some money can you?’ asked Ratan suddenly, ‘Dad keeps me short.’

‘Here, there’s about sixty on this card. Take it as a favour.’

‘Thanks, now let’s get into your pod.’ They climbed into the cramped quarters built for only one person. Basically a bed on a low platform with small storage shelves above. Ratan slipped onto the bed, kicked off her shoes, slipped out of her black pants and carefully removed her top to avoid damaging her Mohican. ‘Now, they tell me that you have some fantastic programmes. Show me before we have some action.’ Ocho set up his holographic display on a small side table. He programmed in an action game and showed her how to use the holographic key board. Ratan played the game as Ocho lay back on the cot and stroked the green viper tattooed on her bare back.

‘Come on Ratan, give up now. I have been interned for ages and haven’t had sex with a woman. Come on.’

‘Just stop disturbing me. I’m getting to an interesting bit,’ she replied totally engrossed in the game on the white plastic table. Ocho woke up some six hours later with the hologram still playing away but the bird had flown. A single cash card lay pointedly on the table. She had taken all of his cash cards but left him with one. She hadn’t taken a lot since he had spent a lot that day but it peeved him that he would have to find a source of untraceable blank cards. He secured the pod door, switched off his computer and checked that his handgun was still there. He slept until nine o’clock in the morning and found a message to report to the Station Master as soon as possible. Ocho showered, breakfasted at the vend, deposited his underwear in the laundry and went out onto the street in the direction of the station.

Sector 11

‘Hey! You’re not going to walk past without saying hello?’ shouted Tanya leaning out of her café doorway. ‘Come and have some decent breakfast. We have mushrooms on toast and the bread is homemade.’

‘How can I refuse such an invitation but I have to pay this time.’

‘I can’t subsidise you all the time my friend. Sit over there so we can talk while I prepare your feast. Have you a name yet?’

‘They call me Dispatcher. Now tell me where I can get a supply of blank cash cards other than from a machine?’

‘You look great in your new gear. I almost let you get by. Cards? I have plenty here. The customers tend to leave them behind as tips if the payment comes up to about the same amount on their cards. Here check these out. I give them to beggars. There’s usually a few cents left on each.’

‘Thanks I’ll check them out to make sure you are not giving away a fortune.’

‘No chance of that. Here, a coffee and mushrooms on toast, one of my specialities.’

‘Are these mushrooms real? I mean are they fresh?’

‘Oh no, they are salvaged. I mix dried with tinned to give you something much better than from the vend.’

‘They are good but nowhere like the real thing.’

‘And what do you know about real mushrooms Mr. Dispatcher?’

‘I grew them when I was in detention. We had fields of them. What I mean is we had masses of trays and conveyors growing mushrooms. We cooked and ate them.’

‘Well next time you are in detention send some trays my way.’

‘Here, a card, I’ve made up the shrapnel to ten dollars to include payment for my breakfast.’

‘That’s far too much but thanks. Business is slack lately and the overheads are killing me. What do you do with the cards?’

‘Let’s say I recycle them.’

‘I must get a portable gadget like you have for checking the cash cards and transferring the monies between them. You end up with a handful, all with small change. I’ll keep them for you if you like Mr. Dispatcher. Make sure you call again.’

Ocho spent a few hours going over the systems with the Station Master’s IT guru and showing him how to spot bugs and flies then he had an appointment with the Barron or at least with one of his advisors where he had to go through the plan to deceive the Authorities and give his comments. It didn’t seem very thorough and suspected it was a setup to check him out. He didn’t fall for it and gave his low opinion of the work. He was sent home while they considered his comments. Ocho spent the time cruising around the city on the trolley buses and cabs, getting to know his new home town. He felt it safer on public transport than walking alone. The whole place was run down and dirty. The street surfaces were rutted and he spent some time checking his oxygen levels. On his way home to the hostel he popped in at Tanya’s for a coffee and she offered him a proper beef stew, out of salvaged tins, which was the signature dish on the menu that day.

‘What are you doing tonight Mr. Dispatcher?’

‘Are you asking me out? I thought you were working all hours to pay off your overheads.’

‘I close early tonight and I thought I would show the new boy here the more interesting elements of nightlife in this town. You can’t stay in your pod all evening.’

‘OK, that sounds fun as long as I can be the gentleman and pay all the expenses.’

‘A Princess wouldn’t be seen dead with cash cards in her purse. Meet me here at ten when I close up.’ 

‘Right, order a cab since I haven’t a phone. I don’t need one or want one if you’re going to ask.’

The cab was waiting outside Tanya’s café as Ocho approached. It seemed larger than necessary. Tanya dressed in some miniscule dress and incongruously huge footwear, appeared at the door and took a pose.

‘How do I look?’

‘A Princess but you would be locked up in the City for that outrageously revealing dress. I feel overdressed in my day wear.’

‘You’ll do. In Sydney it’s all about the girls, men don’t count. Come on get in, we have to pick up some more people.’ By the time they had circled the surrounding area the electric cab was packed and straining under the weight of people squeezed in. A girl in a tiger suit sat on Ocho’s knee and totally ignored him as she chatted away on her phone. It was a good job he had put on his shoulder holster and left his satchel behind. They finally arrived at the venue which was simply a cave in the rock but opened out into a huge four tiered hall. They had to pass through a security screen that didn’t check identities but only for bottles and weapons. He was quite pleased that his plastic pistol was identified as a harmless notebook by the scanner.

‘We are a bit early,’ offered Tanya. ‘We can grab a good table overlooking the dance floor and have a chat before the mayhem starts. Will you buy the first round of drinks darling? That would be nice, cheaper at this time.’

‘Right, can I open a tab, say a hundred dollars?’

‘Shush, that’s far too much. That would keep us all going all night. Say twenty?’ Ocho went up to the bar as the six girls and three other lads settled in capacious loungers around a low glass topped table. He asked the chief barman if they did deals on food and drinks if he guaranteed a certain spend level. The barman stroked his goatee and thought for a moment.

‘OK, if you spend say over fifty for that group I can keep you in drinks all night, another twenty will provide you with your own barman plus food, mainly nibbles, another twenty and you can have a bottle of bubbly before the main act comes on. OK?’

‘Sounds good, here is a card with a hundred on it. If the service is good then you can have the lot.’

‘You’re out to impress mate. I won’t let you down. You will have the works. I get the main man to come up and see you after the act. I’ll put my best man to serve you exclusively.’ Ocho handed over the card which was immediately checked and approved and went back to the table. Ocho rounded up the three other guys at his table and told them partly of the deal and asked them to cough up ten dollars each for him. They thought it a bargain.

‘Drinks on the way, put you order to our exclusive barman,’ announced Ocho and tiger girl jumped up, grabbed Ocho  and planted a huge kiss on his mouth to huge cheers from the seated group. Ocho untangled himself and looked rather embarrassed.

‘Let me introduce you to the Dispatcher,’ announced Tanya, He’s new boy and he’s mine for the night.’ To more cheering. ‘I’m sure you will all get to know him by the end of the night. And he’s negotiated a deal at the bar so we need to thank the Dispatcher for a good night to come.’ More cheers as room was made on the large lounger for Ocho to sit next to Tanya and the Tigress on the other side who again was engrossed in her phone. A warm up band started and the place started to fill up with people reserving the best tables. Ocho sat there imbibing the atmosphere and watching all the new comers and their strange garbs or lack of them in the case of the girls. It seemed that a chiffon scarf loosely wrapped around the body was being overdressed. Every now and again Tanya would lean over and point out an important newcomer.

 Directly opposite and one floor up was the VIP area and up to now it was empty. Tanya informed him that that area filled up later by people who wanted to be seen rather than to enjoy themselves. The dance floor started to fill with couples gyrating to the music which was getting steadily louder. The conversation at the table was getting louder to combat the noise. Tanya told Ocho that later the only way to communicate was via text messages. Maybe he should get a phone for these occasions.

‘Look over there my darling Dispatcher,’ said Tanya as she pointed to the VIP area where three of the tables were already occupied. ‘Now you see the newcomer with the Mohican, well she’s the top bitch around here. Now watch what happens. Her usual table by the pillar is occupied. Watch the people scurry away as she looks at them. Those two guys are her minders, makes her feel more important. She’ll be inviting people to come up to her table soon, the privileged.’

‘And her name is Ratan with a long A,’ blurted out Ocho and kicked himself for being so indiscreet.

‘How did you get into such high circles so quickly my dear Dispatcher?’

‘I’m employed by the Barron as a computer consultant and I met her at dinner there.’

‘You astound me! You’ve hardly been here two minutes and you’re mixing in the high society of Sydney.’

‘I’d rather be with you, now tell me about the tiger girl next to me. She hasn’t said a word and is constantly on her phone?’ asked Ocho to divert the attention from the VIP area. Tanya gave him the low down on Miss Tigress and how she was missing her boyfriend who was out in the wilderness on some salvage job. Ocho was dragged up to dance by Tanya and a couple of the girls and he hid his jacket and handgun under the lounger’s cushion. He was beginning to enjoy himself and started to relax. He couldn’t imagine the security forces spotting him in this night club. He blended in fairly well and wasn’t a loner that they would expect.

Following the interval the main act was to appear so everybody was back at their tables getting stocked up with drinks and food. The barman brought over two bottles of bubbly and some more nibbles. They were having a great time.

‘Hey Dispatcher, the girls tell me that you are a computer genius. Tell us what’s new in the geek world?’ asked one of the lads at their table. The others laughed politely and wondered how the Dispatcher would respond.

‘Funny you should say that. This provides me with an opportunity to give my sales pitch. Who would like to see batman cavorting on the table top here? All of you I hope. Now hold your breath as I perform some magic for your amusement.’ Ocho bowed and ran his hand over the table top to get the effect and focus the eyes then started the batman movie. A gasp of amazement went up from all around. Even the barman called over some of his colleagues to see the sight. Tanya gave Ocho a hug and a kiss on his cheek in appreciation. The party was swinging when Tanya nudged Ocho and showed him her phone and the text message. It was from Ratan, requesting the Dispatchers to her VIP table. 

‘Ignore it.’

‘You can’t ignore it. No one ignores that bitch. People around here would kill to be invited to her table. Just look at the grand people at her table already.’

‘I’m not going to look. Just ignore it and enjoy the show,’ said Ocho giving Tanya a reassuring hug. She responded by giving him another kiss. The show on the table was a great success and he had to give a repeat performance. Tanya nudged him and pointed to one of Ratan’s minders who was pushing through the throng of spectators around the table and pointed at Ocho and made the sign to follow. Ocho ignored him.

‘You there!’ shouted the man, ‘Get yourself over here.’ The crowd parted and watched attentively as the minder pushed up close to the table. He swept his hand trying to knock over the hologram but nothing happened and the display continued. People tittered at his fax pas.  When suddenly batman reared up, changed to a huge dragon and rose as if to attack the minder. The man fell back screaming, joined by many of the girls. The hologram disappeared as Ocho stood up and helped the man off the floor.

‘Tell Ratan that I am busy with my friends here. The Dispatcher may come up to say hello later.’ said Ocho to the shaken man loudly, enough for the surrounding crowd to hear and they booed the man on his way. ‘The show’s over folks. Batman has run out of juice.’ He whispered to Tanya that the final display had drained the battery completely. People clapped in appreciation and one of the watchers ordered another bottle of bubbly for their table. 

Three a.m. came and Tanya asked Ocho if he would take her home. She had a business to run and couldn’t afford to miss the breakfast session. The electric cabs were all busy outside the venue with a long queue. Tanya suggested that they walk across town to another street and pick up a cab there. Arm in arm she led Ocho along the wide streets which were virtually empty. Tanya suggested a short cut through a narrow side street which seemed harmless but proved the exact opposite. As they were about a quarter of the way along Ocho sensed that they were being followed. Tanya tensed and urged Ocho to run and he followed behind her. Tanya’s footwear didn’t help. The followers broke into a run so they picked up speed but it was unlikely that they would reach the end of the street before they were caught. Tanya tripped and fell headlong, the chasing men slowed down as Ocho turned to face them. Tanya yelled that these were Ratan’s minders. The one who Ocho had upset drew a knife and started to charge towards Ocho who made an instant decision. He suddenly knelt down, drew his plastic pistol from his shoulder holster and in one movement drew, aimed and fired twice. The man clutched his chest and started screaming. His mate took one look at Ocho, his pal on the floor screaming and ran off from the scene at speed. Ocho went up to the man, kicked away the knife and took the pistol out from his waist band. He then helped Tanya up.

‘Have you shot him? Have you killed him? He’s not bleeding. Where did you get that pistol?’

‘Slow down Tanya, he’s still alive and will be OK. He’s still screaming and he’s in agony but that will pass. I shot him with CSF gas pellets that broke on his chest and got into his lungs and eyes. He’ll get over it in a couple of days. Come on, his mate will come back and collect him. Come on, can you walk? If not I’ll carry you.’

‘I’ll walk but that frightened me, especially when he drew a knife. Come on, get me back to my place. Will you stay with me tonight? I feel quite shattered after all that.’ They found a cruising cab and got to Tanya’s minute apartment, just above her café.

‘Do come in. I can’t be alone. Come and sleep with me. I need a prince charming with what has happened tonight. You must have pissed Ratan off good and proper.’

‘You’ll have to be gentle with me Tanya. I haven’t had sex for years. Don’t forget I’ve just come out of detention.’

‘Poor Dispatcher, I’ll go easy on you.’

    

‘You hadn’t forgotten much during your incarceration Mr. Dispatcher,’ whispered Tanya in Ocho’s ear as he came down bleary eyed for breakfast. ‘I was tempted to wake you this morning but I was late anyway,’ she said as she thrust a mug of coffee into his hand and told him to find a seat. There were some dozen customers already in the café having breakfast. He stroked his chin and realised that he hadn’t had a shave. Tanya came around and refilled his mug telling him he would have to wait for his breakfast since she was busier than usual.

‘Right, the breakfast rush is over, here’s yours, scrambled eggs on toast with beans. The eggs are dried and the beans were tinned. I make it all up and add some spice to improve the flavour. I wish I had more customers. I think they are put off by the prices I charge. Any lower and I’d go broke.’

‘Your overheads kicking in? I presume you rent this place?’

‘I lease it from Hogan and he keeps putting the rent up. I tried to buy the place off him but I’ve given up trying. He’s the other influential bod in Sydney.’

‘Why are your rooms so small? There seems plenty of space around here.’

‘This is the old part of town near the rail station. Originally they were tight for space and living quarters were built tiny to accommodate everybody and the practise has stuck apart from Hightown where your friend Ratan lives.’

‘That reminds me, do you think that she set the dogs onto us or did they decide on their own to get their own back?’

‘I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s a nasty piece of work to all accounts. I keep out of her way.’

‘What’s behind this street?’

‘Just solid rock. We are on the edge of town and the first bubble starts about here. The city then expanded that way, away from the railway station.’

‘So these shops and dwelling were dug out of the rock?’

‘I suppose so. They gave them a pick and shovel and told them to get on with it.’

‘What’s to stop you digging out further?’

‘Hogan, he wouldn’t allow it unless he put up the rent. I have to clean up. Come for lunch,’ said Tanya, gave Ocho a kiss as she skipped off behind the counter.

Sector 12

Ocho called in at the hostel, showered, shaved, changed his clothes and trooped off to the gunsmiths to have his pistol cleaned.

‘What will you give me for this monster?’ asked Ocho as he placed the handgun he’d taken off Ratan’s minder.

‘Interesting weapon, a little bulky, I’ll check it out whilst you are on the range young man and give you a price.’ Ocho spent over an hour on the range, enjoying shooting at the targets of security agents. As he was reloading a realisation came to him.

‘Shit, Shit, Shit, Double Shit!’ he exclaimed to himself. ‘I have been an utter idiot, a complete fool. If the security people haven’t picked me up by now, then they are totally useless. I made a display of myself last night. There may have been an agent in the place and he would have reported any unusual happenings. A holographic attack would constitute an unusual happening,’ he thought to himself. ‘I will have to be more careful and maybe change my appearance. I haven’t come across any scans or cameras but I need to be more vigilant in future. No more public displays and I have to change my appearance, particularly my irises.’

‘We can let you have five hundred dollars for that piece young man.’

‘Can you keep that on account please? Put it down to the Dispatcher. I’ll be in a few more times to the firing range.’

‘Your weapon has been cleaned and checked. The two gas pellets replaced.’

‘Thank you. Have you a directory of services for the city?’

‘The screen over there will you provide you with what you want and if it doesn’t then ask and I’m sure we can advise.’ Ocho spent a few moments checking the screen and then left the premises feeling that at least he had a plan for evasion. He actually found the services he was looking for directly on his street, only a stone’s throw away. He entered an opticians shop and bought a box of contact lenses which would alter his iris or at least make it difficult to register. He then found a hairdresser and asked for some application that would streak his growing hair. The assistant persuaded him to have it done properly otherwise he might look too strange. At Hoggard’s he bought himself another jacket and satchel in a different style and colour so that he could change his overall look from time to time. He felt better as he went back to his hostel to have some rest in his pod. He found messages from both the Station Master and the Barron waiting for him.

‘Where the hell have you been?’ was the greeting from the Station Master.

‘Out partying last night and just surfaced.’

‘OK, how far have you got with the system and the bugs?’

‘Proceeding well. We’ve isolated them and your man will tell you how to feed the bugs and keep them happy. Just feed them routine stuff. For anything secret then use a courier.’

‘So you’ve done bugger all to protect my system.’

‘As I’ve said before even the best systems can be cracked so it’s imperative that you don’t use it for stuff you don’t want to become common knowledge.’

‘So how is it you can crack into the security system and get all that information?’

‘There is something called ‘Arrogance’ and the security guys and Government bods have been implanted with a double dose of that. They believe as you did that they were impregnable or in your words bullet proof. Well they’re not.’  

‘I can do without the lecture Mr. Dispatcher, I’m depressed enough. Now what’s the latest from my compatriots in Oslo? Are they still playing or have they also discovered that you’ve been through their drawers and pulled the plug on this deal?’

‘I’ll check this afternoon when we do some more tweaks to your system. Have you decided which security force to use on your side?’

‘I have but I’m not telling.’

‘Wise move Station Master. You are learning but how are you going to find out if these forces aren’t in cahoots with each other and they ending up both against you.’

‘OK teacher you win. I’ll take a gamble on this one. We still don’t trust you completely.’

‘That’s what they taught me on the security course. Trust no one and you’ll survive longer. Now what can you tell me about Hogan?’

‘Nasty piece of work, likes young girls and boys, would like to take over Sydney totally.’

‘I haven’t yet worked out who runs this city?’

‘It runs by itself sort of with spheres of influence, manors we call them, an old gangland term. The guy in charge of a particular manor runs his area as he sees fit. Like a little government, seeing to the services, infrastructure and ensuring his flock behave and pay their dues.’

‘Talking about dues, whose arse do I have to lick?’

‘I believe you are in Hogan’s territory, mine stretches the other way. I lost a bit to him in our last fracas.’

‘So why isn’t there a bloody war going on here all the time?’

‘That’s past because we have a top boss, the Barron, who keeps every other boss in check. If he’s toppled then we are back to the bloody wars again. The good thing is that we behave like the old American Indians. We make a lot of noise, put on faces, shoot a few arrows but avoid any serious conflict because somebody might get hurt. It’s kind of self-regulating. Now bugger off and do what I’m paying you to do!’  

Sector 13

‘Where the hell have you been? I pay you good money and you’re out gallivanting all night and day.’

‘Getting to know the social side Barry. And by the way I haven’t seen a contract or even a dime my way.’

‘Don’t be a smart arse with me son. Are you short? OK then stop complaining. We’ll sort something out. Now I have a problem out in the sticks, a computer problem they tell me. Oh, here comes my delectable daughter, all smiles and cheeriness, my foot,’ as a sullen Ratan walked in and plonked herself on a settee on the far side of the room. Ocho gave her a curt nod of recognition but she ignored him. ‘It’s a production site, manufacturing building blocks from volcanic lava. I sent my man there but things are going from bad to worse. He tells me there is a computer glitch that controls the whole process. I want you to go there and check it out and get it back to full production again.’

‘I’ll go with him Dad,’ said Ratan approaching the table. ‘I’ll show him the ropes.’

‘Look Ratan, I sent that burke you are keen on away there. He’s a wanker and you’re too good for him.’

‘That’s in the past Dad, I’ve thing going with the Dispatcher here.’

‘Well OK. I suppose you can keep an eye on him. You can catch the train tomorrow. The Station Master will give you the times. Any questions?’

‘Yes, what if the programme is OK?’

‘I presume you mean that the personnel are at fault.’

‘It’s unusual for a programme to develop a fault without closing down the works so I just presume that there has been some manual intervention. What do I do?’

‘Just let me know and I’ll sort that out but keep my daughter away from that wanker. Stay there for four days and make sure all is operating correctly.’

‘I presume you want me out of the way for four days?’

‘You presume right. Your answers are just too pat for our liking, anyway enjoy yourselves you two.’

Next day Ocho met Ratan at the station and were shown to the cab of a long empty freight train. Ocho checked the vending machine and found it empty and the oxygen cylinders were also at danger levels. The inside was filthy.

‘What do you expect,’ shouted the Station Master down the communicator. These trains are unmanned most of the time so why waste time on luxuries. Go and choose another cab and I’ll get that one cleaned up sometime.’ Ocho checked on several cabs until he found one in an acceptable state but ensured that the vend and oxygen cylinders were restocked. He took two clean blankets from the store and some cleaning materials.

‘How do you know all about this?’ asked Ratan. Last time I travelled this way it was terrible.’

‘I served my time as a hitcher so I know all the ropes. You have to travel in comfort on these long journeys. These freight trains take for ever being so slow.’

‘Why are we attached at the rear of the train?’

‘You ask a lot of questions Ratan. I’ve left the first one on the front and we’ll keep this one as a base just in case the conditions out there are bad. At least we will have basic comforts. Now I’m going to set us away so choose a seat.’

‘I thought we might choose the bunk together. It’s a long journey as you say and you fell asleep on me the other night. I want to test out the Dispatcher and check if he’s only good for computers.’

When they arrived at Alpha Z station, Ocho followed the instructions, detached the cab and guide it through the airlock. They were met by a tall guy who introduced himself to Ocho as Gav. Ratan didn’t need introduction because she fell into his arms immediately and wandered off together arm in arm. Ocho found an office and reported his arrival and that he wanted to keep the cab for the return journey. The transport clerk parked it for him and gave him a key to a cabin and told him how to get to the canteen which doubled as a general office.

‘You are the Dispatcher, the computer geek that head office sent down. I’m Chad, I was the manager here before they sent Gav down to up production. I suppose you want to check the programme?’

‘Pleased to meet you Chad. I’ve checked your computer and there’s nothing wrong with the programme. There’s a link to head office. Now could you show me around please? All I know is, you produce hollow brick and solids and make more profit on hollow bricks.’

‘You’ll have to don the space suits to go outside. No Oxygen and the cold would freeze your balls off even though we are in an active volcanic zone. We tap the volcanic vents and direct the Diorite lava onto our machine that moulds into hollows and solids and chucks it out at the other end to cool. I’ll show you.’ 

They had to move slowly in their bulky suits with built in heaters and talk through microphones. Chad was saying, ‘This is the hole that we drill into the vent or lava tunnel. It lets the lava flow out. As long as we let the lava flow freely then the vent hole stays open. If it closes then we have the bother of drilling another one and repositioning the machinery, wastes a lot of time.’

‘How often do you have to drill Chad?’

‘Once every two weeks sometimes three.’

‘You’ve been drilling more than twice a week recently. Why is that?’

‘Gav insists on moulding only hollows and they take longer to fill and it gums the works.’

‘You mean it slows down the flow because you can’t handle it as fast.’

‘That’s what I said.’

‘So by switching to the designed method the production would go up?’

‘Overall production would go up but Gav wants just hollows.’

‘Can’t you just dump the solids?’

‘We could but Gav says we don’t have the manpower.’

‘Is this conversation being picked up at base?’

‘It could be but I doubt it. Gav is in the sack by now.’

‘Does Ratan come down frequently then?’

‘Often enough but we are not allowed to talk about it. I don’t think the Barron approves.’

‘OK Chad, I’ve seen enough. Show me the workshops and the stores. I’m also an engineer. I might be able to help you get the spares checked over and you can show me the drills that you use.’ 

There was no sign of Gav and Ratan for two days. Ocho helped the two guys with checking, cleaning and repairing the spare parts and sent a curt message to the Barron that he should return Station Alpha Z to its former state. He spent most of the time in his cabin working on improvements to his holographic programmes, refining the output and improving the colours. The four days went by and they returned back to Sydney with a full train of hollows. Ratan slept throughout the journey and wasn’t in a good mood when they arrived.

Sector 14

‘We’ve been having fun here whilst you were away,’ greeted the Station Master. ‘You should have been here when the load arrived. The first lot of security guards were ready to pounce as soon as we broke the seals and the second lot were in the wings waiting to pounce on the first lot. I had a few of my guys up in the rafters to start the shooting to get the party going. That didn’t work but you should have seen their faces when they realised that they were both on the same side and it was a set up.’

‘The Barron shipped me off to the boondogs to get me out of the way.’

‘Ah yes, a good move, anyway they opened all the wagons and found that the last four were empty and it was then time for me to get indignant that they were going to shaft me twice over. You should have seen the scene I put up.’

‘But they wouldn’t have done that to a Station Master. One look at the manifest and the constant check weight would have told you something was amiss. They would know that for sure.’

‘But four wagons were empty and I was furious.’

‘Pull the other leg Station Master you crafty devil you. So where did you hide the other wagons from them? How did you perform the disappearing trick then?’

‘For you to find out and for me not to tell. You’ve come good on this one dispatcher my lad but we’re still suspicious of you. The Barron wants you to investigate Hogan. He wants to see you tonight. Be there for dinner tomorrow and we’ll set you another test. How was Alpha?’

‘Bloody cold and boring.’

‘How was Ratan? Don’t tell me, she was shagging that useless bastard Gavin. I don’t know why the Barron puts up with him. I do know, he’s related.’

‘Did she mention the incident the bitch?’ asked Tanya.

‘It was if she didn’t know a thing about it. She was more interested in seeing this Gavin fellow.’

‘So what did you do on the journey?’

‘She sulked all the way back.’

‘And you shagged her on the way there is that it?’  

‘Well there was nothing else to do being cooped up together like that.’

‘Just unbelievable how you suddenly got into the high society so quickly and easily. Are you staying for dinner tonight and some action after?’

‘Please, I would like that but let me go back to the pod shower and change.’

‘You do that and scrub off the smell of that tart.’

There was a council of war at the dinner table, even Ratan was curtly told to go away. Ocho was called in when desert was being served so he missed the main meal.

‘Now Dispatcher,’ said the Barron as a way of introduction, ‘I’m not going to introduce these guys. Some you know already. We’ve called you in to use your computer skills to find some information for us. What do you know about our Mr. Hogan?’

‘Well he’s influential and would like to take over the city from you. I checked or hacked into his system and it seems that Mr. Hogan is seeking to develop alliances with people in Government circles in Brussels and is currently in the midst of negotiating a generous deal.’

‘Well you seem to know more than we do lad. Have you names and evidence?’

‘The Station Master,’ looking over at the man sitting to his side, ‘intimated that you were interested in him so I checked on his mail and main contacts to be armed with a bit of information for you for this evening.’ There was silence then the Barron continued.

‘This boy is a mind reader. I don’t quite know what to make of him. We suspected something about Hogan. Our spies in his organisation provided us with some inkling. For now we have to believe the Dispatcher. What’s Hogan getting out of all this?’

‘With the help of Brussels he hopes to knock out all his competitors here including you Barry so he would be all powerful and could then do his own thing.’

‘You mean have a continuous supply of young boys,’ one of the men remarked and smirked.

‘He also gets a fat subsidy which he is still in negotiation.’

‘And what do Brussels want for their piece of cake?’

‘Stability here but mainly an uninterrupted supply of construction materials. They think they can infiltrate Hogan’s organisation and control him totally.’

‘He’s no fool Hogan. Can he see through this?’

‘His aim is to set all this up, hand it over and retire somewhere. He’s planning an exit strategy and he considers the days are up for these colonies.’

‘Thank you for those comments. My man will see you out whilst we discuss what you have said. We may call you in again. I’ll get the chef to feed you.’

Ocho wondered what he could or should have said to improve on his presentation as he tucked into his beef hash, salvaged from some ice covered warehouse. It tasted good but since it was the first time he had eaten something like this he didn’t have any comparison. He would have to consult his Tanya for more information. About two hours later Charlie entered the antechamber and asked Ocho to accompany him to his office. He wanted Ocho to demonstrate how he discovered all of his data. How he had hacked and traced the messages.

‘Look Charlie, hacking into Hogan’s computer is a piece of cake but to follow his messages into the Brussels hierarchy is too dangerous on your system. They’ll discover your intrusion and follow it back to here, to your system in minutes.’

‘So how were you able to do it on your system without compromise? You see, the guys in there have difficulty understanding the minutia of this. They consider you are just feeding them information but as yet they don’t know why? You are puzzling them.’

‘Charlie, as I have explained I have a series of computers on my belt which keep regenerating themselves so as soon as I have one message from a distance source my computer sends it to my screen and then burns up leaving no trace of itself. All the home computer gets is a hiccup and then normal activity. I read and digest the message and then hit the next one. It’s quite laborious at the moment. I’m in the process of building a sub-routine but that’s dangerous. It could be detected so I attack the enemy computer in various ways to put them off the scent. Look at it this way. You have a bank of a thousand computers. After each message sent or received you scrap one. That’s what I do.’

‘Firstly that’s impossible to understand clearly and secondly impossible to explain to those guys in there. What the hell are we going to do? I’m not sure that they will accept you using your own machine. It looks too improbable but I do understand the principles and do believe you Dispatcher. Look, I don’t want to scare you but our lives could depend on this.’

‘Charlie you appreciate that as soon as we attack the Brussels set up, your computer will be compromised and out of action in minutes. These things are done automatically. There are hundreds if not thousands of hackers doing what I’ve done each night and they wonder why their machine has suddenly died on them. We can do that to prove a point but it’s such a waste of your computer.’

‘Can we produce something tangible on paper?’

‘We can do that but you’ll have to lie through your teeth. Can you risk that,’ said Ocho as Charlie nodded his assent. ‘OK set up your fastest printer and I’ll set up a sub routine on your system to screen print off mine.’

‘Can you do that? Can you also save it on my system?’

‘If you want incriminating evidence on your machine that might be read, be it on your head. Now I have to concentrate so don’t disturb me, I have to get this right.’

They were invited back into the chamber and Charlie presented the sheaf of papers to the Barron with a brief explanation.

‘Do you believe they are kosher Charlie?’ asked the Barron.

‘I would put my life on it.’

‘You may have to. Now how do we read these, ah I see they are all numbered. OK I’ll read the top and pass it to the right.’ Half an hour later the Barron coughed to get their attention. ‘Right, we have seen more than enough. Anybody object to plan B? None, OK thanks Charlie. You and Dispatcher can go home. Get my chauffeur to take you and stay out of circulation for the next few days. Dispatcher, you better shack up with that Tanya. I’d rather you be there than in the Hostel. Tell Tanya you will have a number of unsavoury characters constantly at her café. They are there to protect you guys. Another thing I don’t like guns in my presence. Dispatcher, in future, leave your fancy pistol at the door. Leave us now to consider our plan.’ 

‘Gustav I think we have located your man. He’s somewhere in Sydney.’

‘So you’ve seen him Col.’

‘No but I think I have amassed enough evidence to point in that direction.’

‘OK, sock it to me.’

‘That Governor of the detention centre contacted you the other day about Ocho Sep.’

‘Yes about his thesis. What’s that to do with anything, I couldn’t tell the guy we didn’t know where the hell he is?’

‘I don’t suppose you checked on the subject matter of his paper. I’ll tell you, computer generated holograms.’

‘What’s new about that?’

‘It’s not what’s new but the fact the hologram is generated by a laptop or mobile computer. I could go on but the thing is one of these turned up at a Jobs Fair in Sydney. The guy showing it quickly disappeared. We don’t know why. I’ve asked our contacts there to follow this up.’

‘That’s not enough for me.’

‘Right, but we know this guy is a genius, a true geek. Someone has been spying on, and intruding our systems. We don’t know who but Oslo set up a scheme to oust the Station Master, failed dramatically and our people lost four wagons of contraband to boot. Secondly our new man geared up for takeover of Sydney has been neatly assassinated and his empire split up. Someone knew exactly what was going on and our knowledge of the experts in any of the colonies who could do all that is ziltch. There’s a new boy on the block who is sending shudders through our systems. This must be our boy and Gustav, you let him go. I’d pay millions to have him on my team. Did you realise he was so good?’

‘But this lad was only mediocre at school and college. He’s no genius.’

‘Yes, but the clever Gustav sent him to the best university in the world with a mission to get his own back on us. You bloody well breed criminals in these establishments.’

‘Colin, stop trying to annoy me, and do everything to find the bastard.’

Sector 15

‘It’s nice that I have you all locked up to myself Ocho,’ whispered Tanya in Ocho’s ear as they snuggled together on her bed.

‘How in the hell do you know my name?’

‘There was a piece on the news this morning. Some Governor of a detention centre trying to find an Ocho Sep who’s disappeared soon after release. He wants to award this Ocho with some academic award for some brilliant work on Holograms and computer design. He said it was a significant breakthrough and they are going to award you with a Doctorate for your work if they can find you and a position at the University. So Doc, I put two and two together and came up with you. Do I collect the prize?’

‘Shit, the security people will now find me easily. I’ve been a bit arrogant showing off my holograms.’

‘There’s also been another significant local development. Hogan has disappeared or moved on. His territory has been split up. This street has been allocated to the Station Master so maybe I might have some luck in buying the place off him. The rumour on the street is that someone put a bullet through Hogan’s head and dumped him in some volcanic vent. Good riddance I say. Cheer up Ocho I’m sure we can find some way of hiding you. I like a man in my life.’

‘Are the goons still there?’

‘Yeah and costing me a fortune. I think they are enjoying the food too much.’  

‘Look Tanya, I’m sorry I’ve got you into this. They were put there by the Barron to prevent any trouble emanating from this Hogan thing.’

‘You weren’t directly involved Ocho. You were here all the time.’

‘Yes, but I uncovered the plot that was brewing and please stop calling me Ocho. I’ll have to suddenly have a fatal accident and disappear under a false name and identity.’

‘But you’ve only just come into my life. I’m going to miss you terribly.’

‘Are the goons still there? If so I want to get a written message to the Station Master. I’ll fund their costs so you won’t be out of pocket and if you want some investment in the business then let me know, I’m quite flush. Now hand this note to one of the goons.’

‘Now lad, the simplest way to hide you temporarily is to get you out into the sticks with one of Barron’s salvage teams,’ said the Station Master. ‘They regularly deliver their scrap at the Furnace Gate so they can take you but we need you away immediately. I have an answer. Come with me. I have two snow mobiles, especially developed and built for the Security Services to police the outback but they found them too expensive and they couldn’t find any volunteers to man them. Look they are bigger and more powerful than the machines that the salvagers use and they also have a range of weapons and other gizmos. They run on a hydrogen cell as normal. Easy to use and drive, just a steering wheel and throttle.’

‘That’s fine but how the hell am I going to find my way out there.’

‘Easy mate, the salvagers have set up beacons with a range of about ten kilometres. You just follow them. These things also have a radar which plots the landscape for you in a snow storm so that you don’t fall into a ravine. Once you are out there we will arrange an accident and secrete you somewhere with a new identity Doc.’

‘So the news is out.’

‘I’m afraid so, caught out by your own cleverness and stupidity in showing off your wares.’

‘Now what will I need in terms of equipment and things?’

‘I’ll take care of all that. I’ve had my engineer check this thing over and stock it up. There are two space suits in there if you ever intend going out for a stroll and I’ll supply you with an extra-large trailer. This machine will handle it so we expect a lot of extra quality scrap from you.’

‘Where are you sending me?’

‘To join your old friend Gavin. Don’t look so pleased, at least Ratan won’t be there. The Barron has a soft spot for our Gav. You might want to fund some extra supplies to stock up their vend and some extra cylinders. That OK?’

‘Yeah I can fund that.’

‘Now have you anything left in the pod if so then I’ll get someone to save it for you otherwise I want you to set off as soon as possible.’

‘Nothing of importance just some steels. How long will it take me to get there? 

‘If it’s clear and you’re not hit by storms then about five to six hours should do it. It could take days but you are self-contained in the pod. I wouldn’t advise you to travel in a storm, layup and sleep it out. The communications are a bit basic and work depending on the electric activity. You won’t have contact with us when you leave so all the best.’

‘Thanks and you’ll look after Tanya’s interests for me?’ but the Station Master had gone.

The engineer showed Ocho how the machine operated especially the beacon finder, the radar and the communicator. He also informed him that the pod was all stocked and the weapon system locked and loaded. He finally plumbed in the coordinates of Ocho’s destination and wished him well. Ocho’s final act was to hitch up the trailer and drive slowly to the double door lock and then he would be out in the wild, all by himself. The weather was clear and in the dim light he could see tracks leading him to the next beacon. He set the auto pilot and set about familiarising himself with the controls. The large screen provided him with all the instructions he needed and he spent the next hour with one eye on the feeble track ahead and one eye on the instructions. The radar he found not only provided him with a clear topographical map ahead but also with a weather forecast. 

He turned on the communicator and learned that it would roam and pick up any active channels out there. So if he listened in he would possibly hear other gangs within range. He left it on as advised by the instructions. He also learned that the radar had a devise that could make his vehicle invisible to other radar. He could hide if necessary. He couldn’t quite see the purpose of this but it did seem interesting. He then concentrated on the driving, setting the speed higher and trying to cover the distance more efficiently. He discovered that the auto pilot steered him directly to a beacon which was usually set on some high point and he learned to take over the controls manually to stay in the tracks below. The weather was good even though the sky was dark with all the dust in the upper atmosphere from the active volcanoes. The ground was all covered in snow and ice but a dirty grey brown in colour from all the dust.

The radar bleeped and picked up some dots over to his right. He punched the identifier and the screen showed him a picture of a deer, so he assumed a herd of a dozen or more to his right. The thought of venison caught his mind as he remembered reading about the old hunters in books at school. He wondered if he could shoot one so he swatted up the instructions on the weapons system. He had an automatic rifle, a heat seeking missile and a grenade launcher all fired from inside the cab. He had passed the herd but hoped he would come across another one. A gift of venison might just sweeten his arrival.

He identified another herd ahead and slowed the machine watching the dots. They hadn’t noticed his machine so he continued slowly and set up the automatic rifle. The sight came up on the screen and required him to enter the target. He keyed in ‘deer’ and an image came up. He then had to set the area to hit and the type of round to use. He chose explosive which meant that it was more likely to kill the beast on impact rather than just penetrating the flesh. He then set it to automatically fire two rounds. The weapons system then took over the steering and he approached closer. He didn’t see the beasts through the windscreen when the gun fired but he saw the dots race off on the radar leaving two. Realising he would have to go outside to load the carcasses onto his trailer he donned his space suit and checked the heating and air levels. 

The instructions told him to open the doors and leap out quickly and they would shut automatically. Having done that he realised he should have read the instructions on getting back in again first. A wild thought came to his mind of him being stranded out there for ever. There was a winch on the back of the trailer which made the job easier. He was glad to see that the two beasts died instantly with their heads being completely blown off and the blood had congealed and was freezing. He winched the two beasts on board and was thankful that the entry instructions were clearly printed on the door panel. 

The communicator bleeped and alerted him that he was getting a signal. He adjusted the volume, noted it was on channel 2 and adjusted the antenna for maximum reception. He heard two guys ahead communicating about the time they would be back to their cabins which didn’t seem too far away since he was still three hours away from his own destination.

‘Hi guys, I’ve shot a couple of deer on the way. Would you care for a carcass, share in my bounty.’

‘Who’s this?’ 

‘Alf bound for zone six. Passing through your zone, being friendly.’

‘Mighty kind of you Alf, be back to you in a mo.’ Ocho noticed that they had switched communications to channel five. His communicator he noticed changed to channel five automatically so he listened in to the two guys talking.

‘There’s a guy calling himself Alf on his way to zone six offering some venison. What do you think Zac? Do you think what I’m thinking?’

‘He must be the same fellow the Security we’re after at Furnace Gate. He must have given them a slip.’

‘Aye and they’re offering a thousand dollar reward for his apprehension. Easy money if you can get it. He must be important. I’ll get him to divert to our beacon Three Beta and we can take him.’

Ocho listened into this conversation and later reluctantly agreed to switch course and join them at beacon Three Beta for the transfer. He tracked their two machines on his radar heading for the beacon but Ocho had no intention of doing the same. He continued along his chosen route, putting on a spurt.

‘Hey Alf where are you. We are expecting you. You should be diverting now. Back track and follow the beacon and you’ll reach us.’

‘Sorry guys but I missed the turning, can’t afford the time to back track. Maybe meet up another time.’

‘He’s buggering off. Has he heard us? We switched channels. Does he suspect something? Let’s head him off. He’s still on the track.’ Ocho followed the conversation and continued his course as he watched the two snowmobiles speed up and try and cut him off. Looking ahead he saw the landscape change to undulations and small indentations. The two would be on him in twenty minutes at his speed. He didn’t speed up since that would alert them. They were probably tracking him on their own radar. As he went over a dip his radar lost the chasers for a moment then picked them up as he rose up the other side. He would have to find somewhere to hide. Visibility was only a hundred metres so he didn’t need to go far off track. As he went down the next dip he slewed off the route with the intention of following the valley along but at the same time he turned on his invisibility screen and hoped that it worked.

Two hundred meters along, he turned up a side gully, stopped and turned off his motor which would reduce his radar image still further. He watched and listened as the two joined his track at a position that would have cut him off and started to backtrack to meet him except he wasn’t there. The conversation got heated as they searched. Eventually they gave up deciding that he was ahead and had speeded up and they were never going to catch up with him, maybe another time.

Ocho listened to all this relieved that his screen had worked and joined the original track as he watched the chasers disappear off the range of his radar. He calculated he had wasted over an hour with the venison shoot and the diversion but it taught him to be more careful. He checked his screen and it informed him that he would be at the destination in about three hours at an economical speed. The visibility was worsening and he slowed down hoping he wouldn’t be hitting a storm even though there was no warning of one on his weather screen. He felt tired and all the adrenalin of the shoot and the chase was draining him. He chose a sweet drink from the vend to comfort him.

‘Alf coming in to Zone 6, where do I park?’

‘Who the hell are you?’

‘You should be expecting me, the new guy.’

‘You mean the one we were supposed to pick up at Furnace Gate?’

‘The same.’

‘Well I’ll be dammed. You gave them the slip. They were waiting for you. Park in bay four. I’ll open the doors.’

‘I’ve got some provisions, gas and a couple of deer carcasses that I shot on the way.’

‘This is Stefan on late watch. The others are asleep. I’ll meet you in the bay once I have closed the doors and the air is back to strength. Welcome to the end of the world.’ Ocho carefully manoeuvred his larger machine into the bay and watched the doors close behind him. As he switched off his machines the lights flickered on and a small guy appeared through a doorway wearing a thick coat. Ocho stepped out of the cab and was hit by the cold. ‘Bugger me if it isn’t a ‘T class.’ Where the hell did you get one of those? They only made two and they were stolen after the show.’

‘Can you take me out of this cold please I’m freezing.’

‘Sorry, follow me, you should have a coat, a thick one. Come on before you freeze to death. We’ll unload tomorrow.’ Stefan showed him into a cramped control room where he was on watch and turned up the heater. ‘We were supposed to pick you up and having seen the security around the Gate we decided you had rightly changed your mind. Where did you get that machine? How is it? Must be great to drive one of those? You must let me have a go.’

‘Can I get a hot vend around here, I’m freezing.’

‘Sorry Alf if that’s your name. I’ll get two coffees, you hug the heater.’ He was back with a tray of four beakers and placed them gently on the desk.

‘I didn’t spot you on the radar. Only picked you up when you spoke. Did you have that invisibility screen on?’

‘Sorry must have switched it on by mistake. I was learning the ropes on it. What will you do with the carcasses?’

‘Dunno. In suppose we’ll look something up and follow the instructions. We usually only get a small joint given, not a whole bloody animal. We’ll have to swat up on butchering skills. We love venison here but they are buggers to shoot. Did you use the automatic tracking on the ‘T?’

‘You seem to know more about the machine than I do Stefan.’

‘I’m the engineer around here when I’m not doing the gofer jobs. Since Gav came I’ve been relegated. I’m a machine geek. I love anything that is mechanical.’

‘Good then you can work out all the capabilities of this machine and show me.’

‘I know already. I have all the specifications, even a small model but never seen one in real life. This is great. Oh, I’m going on aren’t I? I’ll show you to your cabin. You can have Gav’s for the moment. Ah, you don’t know. There’s been a development. Let me tell you. Gav came to take over from Alex and things have gone pear shaped. He insisted that we tackle the pylons that carried power in the old days. They are a bugger to dismantle. Looks easy on paper but those that have been here some time avoid them like the plague. Gav insisted and also liked playing with the explosive we use to bring them down before cutting up. He likes a big bang our Gav. He sets up the explosive but doesn’t clear away the ice well enough. We get the big bang, uses far too much and a clod of ice sheers his head off. We took him back when we were supposed to pick you up. Alex will sort things out. The problem is that we are now way behind on our quota of scrap and all the easy pickings have gone in this zone. Sorry for going on like this. Don’t get much chance to talk. It’s a lonely job out here and you’re a new boy. Will this do?’

‘It will do Stefan. I’m knackered after that ride. Wake me up when the others get up. I need to meet them at breakfast at least and get my instructions.’  

‘Hi I’m Alex, what do I call you?’

‘Hi, pleased to meet you Alex, call me Alf. Sorry to hear about Gavin.’

‘Well you are the only one. I’m back in charge. I’m not sure about the instructions about you. Gavin kept them close to his chest. He basically told us to pick you up and look after you.’

‘That’s part of it Alex. I’m here to get away from security and bounty hunters. They’ve put a price on my head and a group on my way here tried to claim the prize.’

‘Ah, the word is out. I’ll get a message back to the Barron about that.’

‘Look, whilst I’m here there’s no point in me moping. I want to help out, if I can be of use.’

‘I’ll get Stefan to look after you today and show you around. You can also do something with the two deer you brought. We will welcome a change in diet. I need to go off and catch up on our work. See you sometime in the evening.’

‘Hi Alf, how’s it going?’

‘Oh hi Stefan, had a good night and just seen Alex.’

‘He wants me to baby sit you so what do you want to do. It will only take five minutes to check the place out, nothing to see. Living quarters, vend, store and workshops.’

‘I’d like you to take me out to say the sites you’re working on so I can see for myself what you actually do.’

‘I hoped you say that. I want a go on your machine. We are currently trying to excavate the ancient town of Stuttgart and find solid iron and steel for scrap. Most of it we’ve moved but there’s still bits that we have missed. The skill is finding it.’

‘How do you do that? With maps and directories?’

‘We do that but the problem is translating them from German and French, not always easy. We probably have missed places like ancient scrap yards and metal factors which would be a gold mine. We now take on old warehouses that have collapsed and cut up the girders. We want big structural stuff not flimsy pylons. Sometimes we uncover other things of interest and if it’s still in good condition then we pick it up and make good money. We are scavengers really, vultures is an apt description.’

‘OK, we need to offload my trailer.’

‘That’s been done and probably gone off by now. It’s bigger than ours you see and can get more bulky scrap on for cutting up in the workshop. Come on let’s get going before they have us cutting up scrap. I’ll get you Gav’s coat to keep warm in the bays.’

‘This machine is a dream and look at all the gizmos, must be worth thousands? Ours are very basic and the vends don’t work. Right we are about centre of the old town by my reckoning.’

‘Stef, let me look at your map. It’s a bit old and tatty isn’t it?’

‘It’s only a print off the computer with streets and a bit of directory at the side.’

‘Let me see what data there is already on my onboard computer. Right here is a map of Stuttgart showing the roads and bridges. Have you done the railway station?’

‘Yeah, that was cherry picked first.’

‘What about the goods yard?’

‘That too but it’s under so much ice that it’s hardly worth excavating.’

‘Right here is the main street and that leads to the old town around the antique district. Do you guys pick up, salvage, antiques?’

‘Only if we come across them by chance and they are not crushed.’ 

‘Right take me to the Cathedral if you can pinpoint it.’

‘I know where that is. We stripped the lead from the roof long time ago. Not much left there.’

‘No I just want to pinpoint myself on the map.’ 

‘Right Alf we are about here. This corner and the square is this hollow and that street leads off there.’

‘Tell me what you do now if you want to excavate?’

‘You see that jib on the back of the trailer. We link it to the power and the large metal drill sinks a hole through the permafrost and through the roof of the place. We then look down with our camera and check what’s there before we do ought.’

‘An exploratory hole. OK, if I position ourselves above these antique shops could we make a hole and look-see?’

‘Don’t see why not but aren’t we wasting our time?’

‘Look Stef, if we hit real antiques then they are going to be worth ten times, fifty times more than what you get for scrap.’

‘Oh, I know that but you have to strike the correct pay lode and not just bugger around.’

‘Haven’t we just done that by pinpointing this antique district? Of course we have, we are using our heads and if it comes to a problem you were just training me in the use of your equipment. Now let’s get on with this. Am I right that the older buildings were built stronger and therefore less likely to cave in under the weight of ice?’ 

‘That’s the principle but…. OK let’s get on with it. I can always blame you, another Gavin with wild ideas.’

They drilled a hole down to the shop floor area and the cameras picked up furniture, old grandfather clocks and bits of china. On asking the question what they would do next Ocho was told that they would winch somebody down to check. Stef was happy that Alf volunteered so they donned their space outfits, set up their winch and communication systems plus a few canvas bags for bringing the stuff up. Alf went down and reported that they had struck gold and that he would be sending up the small items first and that Stef would have to be extra careful with them when stacking in the trailer. Alf found some antique rugs and wrapped them around the tall clocks, bound them and sent them up. Eventually Stef reminded Alf that they had to get back and deal with the carcases. The guys would be expecting venison for dinner. Alf was winched up and they packed their gear away and ensured their treasure was stowed safely in the trailer. Alf reminded Stef that there were still plenty of pickings left for the next day, so to stop the snow and dust blowing in they placed a sheet of metal over the hole and left lumps of ice to hold it down plus a beacon.

‘OK we have managed to cut some steaks off the small animal but how do we cook them? They need cooking we can’t eat them raw,’ said Alf to Stefan as they closed down the screen which demonstrated how to butcher a carcass.

‘That’s the easy bit. We simply fry them on the exhaust of the heating system. We uncover the pipe and slap them on. We’ve done it before but I hope the meat is not too tough.’

‘What do you do with the tough bits,’

‘See this old oil can. It’s clean. We put the bits in there with some water and a couple of beakers of beef soup from the vend and cook it for a long time over the exhaust pipe. We just need to make sure it doesn’t dry out. We should prepare some from the bits we’ve got and we can put it on overnight and have it for breakfast. Beats the stuff from the vend.’

‘OK, let’s do it, you’re the chef Stef.’ The venison steaks were appreciated but Alex was most impressed with the hoard of antiques.

‘I only wish we had a decent outlet. I’m sure the buyers at the Gate rob us. They tell us it’s worthless.’

‘If you think it’s worth getting more of this then I think we can fill at least two trailers. I’ll take it back to the Station Master and have him ship it directly to a shop I know and we can then miss out on the middle men,’ said Alf considering the antique shop next to his apartment. ‘At least we’ll get more than from the dealers.’

‘OK Alf you and Stef concentrate on the antiques but make sure you have the meals ready in the evenings. I’ll go along with that. At least you’re paying your way Alf. I’m not sure I’m keen on the idea of you going back to base. What if security are waiting for you, also all the salvagers out here know you’re here? Someone might just be tempted by the reward.’

‘I’ll be careful, very careful.’

Stefan driving and Alf relaxing they set off back with two trailers in tandem, loaded carefully with antiques, strapped and covered with double thickness of tarpaulin to provide some cushioning and protection. Two trailers because the freight was relatively light compared to steel and iron off cuts. Alf was determined to make a contribution to the team effort and was contemplating what Kate at the antique shop, next to his apartment, would make of his haul. He hoped that Kate would see this as a challenge and find an appropriate way of disposing of his treasure. He hoped that she would place the larger items to auction and keep the smaller ones to fill out her shop and attract more punters there. He planned to contact Kate via a hand delivered letter rather than blow his cover using his computer.

‘Hey wake up dreamer we have company. Two bandits on our starboard side. They’ve seen us or at least noticed us on their radar.’

‘OK, do they look hostile or are they friendly?’

‘Dunno yet but the lack of chatter worries me. Salvagers are like a bunch of women, chatting all the time. Not these two.’

‘Have they changed course?’

‘I would say they are at point slightly ahead of us and tracking at a distance. Since we are following the normal trail they are out in the rough which again is unusual if they are just cruising. Still no chatter Alf. What shall we do, out run them?’

‘No we just damage our delicate freight. We can’t afford that. Just track them and we’ll see what they do.’

‘They’ve split up now, one is heading towards the track ahead of us and the other is continuing along the trail. The first one has stopped on a hill by the track and getting out of the cab. He must have had his space suit on. Takes time to get into one of those.’

‘Keep an eye on him. What will he be up to,’ asked Alf as a bullet hit some metal part of the machine.  ‘He’s bloody shooting at us, what the hell.’

‘Shall I put a bullet through his head?’

‘No we’ll disable his snowmobile. Send a mortar bomb.’

‘Will do captain. Watch on the radar. Direct hit, he’s scurrying back to look at the mess.’

‘What’s his mate up to?’

‘Off the radar but well ahead. Must be setting up an ambush ahead me thinks.’

‘Can we leave him behind or will his mate pick him up?’

‘Not without communication. He’s buggered. He’ll freeze before he runs out of air.’

‘Slow down and stop. We have to pick him up.’

‘There’s no way he’s getting in our cab if he’s been shooting at us.’

‘The instructions say that he could plug in and ride at the back on the jockey seat. Look he’s coming our way. Fix the megaphone and tell him to leave his weapon.’ The straggler plugged in his oxygen and power plug for the heater and sat, holding on, wondering what fate might bring. At least he wouldn’t die just yet. 

‘No 2 is on radar. Stopped in similar position. What shall I do?’

‘Switch to all channels and tell him that we have his mate on the back. Tell him he can take a pot shot at him if he wants. That will cool his spirit.’

‘What if he’s out of the cab and not able to hear?’

‘Then send a flare over his head to show we have seen him and warn him off.’

‘Done captain. Look he’s standing up, he’s seen us and waving his fist.’

‘If he follows we’ll drop a mortar bomb in his path to warn him off.’

‘Quite some excitement Alf. Never had so much fun for a long time.’

‘You wouldn’t be pleased if he parted your brain with a bullet.’

‘No chance the screens are bullet proof or didn’t you know. You didn’t and you still let him shoot. I would have taken him out earlier.’

They arrived outside the station where Ocho had departed and the doors opened to let them in. They had radioed forward to announce their arrival. After a few minutes the Station Master appeared with a couple of men. 

‘Hello Dispatcher, what brings you home?’

‘Salvager bearing gifts and a crab who tried to shoot at us and rob us of our gold.’

‘You’ll have to have some good answers for us. The Barron is here and he’s none too pleased with you, so no smart arsed back chat please.’ Ocho followed the Station Master back to his office and met the Barron behind a desk talking on a phone.

‘You are a pain lad. You are causing me trouble. All my teams of salvagers are more interested in nabbing the bloody genius called Ocho than hunting for iron. I should have put a bullet through your head earlier. Now why the hell have you come back? I reckon I could collect the thousand dollars on your head myself but I hate these Government agents more than you. Now what have you to say for yourself?’

‘I’ve brought some gold to placate you a little. Two trailers of antiques that are worth fifty of steel.’

‘How am I going to get rid of antiques?’

‘I’m going to sort that out for you. I have someone who will put them into auction to get the best deal.’

‘Sound better already.’

‘There’s more where they come from. Stefan will confirm.’

‘I see you have brought a prisoner, one of my men and he tells me you destroyed one of my machines.’

‘Well, he would take a pot shot at us with his rifle. I could have taken him out instead.’

‘A machine out there is worth six men. Men I can get plenty. Now get into my car and keep your head down, you’re going to my place, we unfortunately need you. Your mate can take the machine back. Station Master, I want you to come with us and you can get the detail out of this lad on the disposal of that junk on the way. Now get out of my sight.’ 

Sector 16

When they got to Barron’s mansion, the chauffeur drove into the garage and the doors closed behind them.

‘Take the Ocho kid to the conference room and I’ll join you shortly. Are you satisfied with what this kid has told you?’

‘If this first consignment goes as he says then we switch business to this junk. We’ve been robbed by the dealers for long enough. In future small lots we auction off at the Furnace Gate rather than make individual deals. Your lad says we should also set a reserve price and not go below. I know we know bugger all about this market but the dealers are not to know and we’ll get someone who can learn the ropes quickly.’

‘He’s gone up one notch in my book. Now take him away and I’ll join you in a while.’

‘What’s he brought me here for?’

‘Something important has turned up and we need your help to get behind a few things. It doesn’t matter that people know you are on our side. We need to settle an outstanding issue and need some more info. The Barron will explain. Let’s get some coffee from the vend.’

‘Station Master, have you done anything for Tanya?’

‘Oh of course, I’m forgetting that you have been out of the picture for a week or so and don’t know the developments. You will see her after this meeting and I need to tell you that you owe me a shed load of money as an investment in our joint venture. Now let’s join the others and don’t butt in. Less said is more important.’

‘Now guys we have Ocho with us who’s going to confirm our understanding. He needs to know the background so he can collect the right info. Now nothing in here has to be mentioned outside of this room. Now I have a situation where the outside world wants to buy my influence to keep the supply train running smoothly, but I believe that they are undervaluing my services and those of my competitors, some who are in this meeting. There are specific people in Government circles who would like complete control and effectively turn these places into old fashioned penal colonies. I believe we have moved on from there. Yes, we are rough at the edges but we provide essential services and should partake in the huge cake that is shared by the cities as part of their development. We need an influx of cash to improve our own infrastructure just as they do. They only give us what I call bribes. This is where you come in Ocho and Charlie. We need to know what these people are planning and head them off. They think they can push us about but we need to show them we have clout and can impact on their comfort zone. Any comments so far?’

‘Yes, to get at these people, you have to attack their comfort zone as you mentioned. We did that to some extent with our information gathering and they were probably shit scared that we could penetrate their systems any time. You need to shatter their illusions that they’re invincible.’

‘No doubt you have a suggestion Ocho. Let’s hear it.’

‘Well most of these government guys you deal with, push buttons and expect the same response each time. They have no concept what you guys look like and they don’t really want to. What if you walked into their offices and requested a face to face meeting? That would frighten them to death. They don’t want to deal with you guys directly. They like playing with you at the end of a line but if you should suddenly flop onto their desk then they would freak out and suddenly realise their own frailty.’

‘So you propose we jump on a train and pay these bastards a visit?’

‘They wouldn’t let you in through the station door.’

‘Exactly so what do you propose?’

‘I think I could get you in to a government office of your choosing. Probably only once but that would show them that you are capable of penetrating their defences.’

‘And you consider that you could get me and some henchmen in and out?’

‘Well I would have to accompany you.’

‘Why is it Ocho you always spoil the party? You immediately make me suspicious that you are planted. Tell me why you have to be there?’

‘Because, I have the equipment to knock out their surveillance systems.’

‘Can’t you just teach Charlie here you tricks?’

‘I think that Charlie would agree that each situation needs special action and I cannot predict at this time which one you will meet. It would take too long to teach anyone and you probably want to take action in the next few days.’

‘So you say you could take me in and get me out, how?’

‘If I knew your target I can discover discreetly his office location, ensure he’s in at the time and get you in there with sufficient witnesses to ensure the intrusion gets widespread publicity.’

‘But how in the hell are you going to get us all into the offices on the top floor? We can’t just walk in. They would spot us in two minutes.’

‘We don’t walk in. We get a governmental limo and travel in style right to their front door. That’s how we get in and out. Being inside a cab prevents us being constantly under surveillance and increases our chances.’ 

‘But you need a card or code to access the government lifts.’

‘I have one and gave it back but first copied the code. I need to check the validity but they are pretty slack about that. I planned to visit the guy who’s been bugging me in security but I haven’t yet found out his identity.’

‘I know, it’s Gustav Loben, he’s the one who set the bond on your head. Now let’s not get off the subject. What will you want from us?’

‘To get into the inner office we have to convince the outer office that we are senior officials and are used to barging through. We will all have to change our appearance into steels. In many ways that will work to our advantage because it’s quite difficult to tell one official from another. It’s just the way they behave. An underling can frighten the shit out of a senior figure only by his brashness and confidence. You guys are streaks ahead in that game.’

‘Go away with Charlie and this man here who I won’t identify and work out a plan. He won’t say a word just observe and report back to me.’

‘If you give me the name of the target then we can dispense with the hacking into his mail and possibly risking warning him.’

‘Charlie knows and bugger off before my good sense tells me to be rid of you.’

The Station Master organised two governmental limos with smoke glass windows as used by high ranking officials. The Barron, a minder called Hank and Ocho joined the limo’s at a siding in Las Vegas, the holiday retreat exclusive to high ranking government officials. The two limos, one being empty, linked up with a train of similar limos leaving the main station. Along the line their limo cab and a few others peeled off and headed for the city of Manchester. At South station Ocho poked his card out and stated the floor, out of a slightly lowered window and a porter scanned the cabs into the lifts. All was well so far. The cabs exited and automatically drove their way to the desired office. The three disembarked with regulation attaché cases and purposefully marched towards the office doors. A guard opened them and stood to attention. The security screens recorded government hierarchy, the video was fuzzy. The staff at in the inner office stood and Ocho demanded that the Office Manager lead them to Mr. Faulkner’s office. The manager baulked but showed them into the inner sanctum where the private secretary stood up barring their way stating that Mr. Faulkner was in conference and not to be disturbed. The Barron grabbed the man by the arm and directed him towards the door. Hank grabbed the outer office manager whilst Ocho opened the door and the party burst in.

‘What’s the meaning of this? Get these people out of my office. I have an important meeting going on. Who are you anyway?’

‘You know who we are and sit down and keep your hands visible on the table. I’m the Barron from Sydney and I don’t like the way you, Mr. Faulkner, are so dismissive of my case. I came in person just as a demonstration that I can do it and that you cannot hide from me. I need a decent budget transfer from you to upgrade my infrastructure. You only offer piffling bribes. If I don’t get a fair result then I will make your job unbearable. I will bring all the construction in this city and others to a stop. The builders will down tools so don’t test me. Have you anything to say?’

‘Get out, get out of my office this minute,’ shouted Faulkner going purple in the face.      

‘Not before you assure me that you will take my request seriously,’ added the Barron and nodded to Ocho who took out his gun from his case. ‘Look we can bypass your security with a live pistol.’ Ocho stepped forward and shot an electrical current through Faulkner’s leg which left him speechless. ‘You’ve never in your life been subjected to such treatment, have you? Now you know what it feels like to be on the other side of the fence. Now if we don’t get a reasonable settlement we will be back and also have a little chat with your superior.’ Ocho fired another shot of electricity into his knee and Faulkner stiffened and crumpled in his chair unconscious. ‘Now ladies and gentlemen you have just witnessed our visit. Sorry for the discomfort we have inflicted on you. We are leaving now. The security systems are all switched off so don’t try any alarms. The door knob is wired so don’t try to leave here for ten minutes. We are leaving now. Have a good day.’

They left the offices, climbed into their limo cab and drove off to the bank of lifts. One cab was programmed to go one way and their cab another. They finally arrived at South Station and linked onto a Governmental train to Las Vegas. At some point along the line they pointedly diverted to Sydney. They arrived to a welcome party and celebrated a job well done.

‘Hey Gustav, you have upset your lad again so he’s come to get you. Unfortunately he mistook a governmental official, a Mr. Faulkner for you and left him with a severe headache.’

‘Leave off Colin have you apprehended him?’

‘I would have if you hadn’t poked your neb in and offered a ridiculous bounty on his head. It had all the guys down there fighting each other for the prize whilst our man slipped away.’ 

‘Your guys are just incompetent. Get some new ones.’

‘I need a new boss not new men! This Ocho now knows who his enemy is and I have to surround you with security to watch your back. He may come in and put a spark up your arse. What in the hell made you give the game away. Before that we were just a misty cloud of security now he has a defined target. You’re going soft in the head Gustav.’

‘He can’t touch us, don’t be paranoid.’

‘Just mark my word, by the end of the week our systems are going to be compromised. We can inflict that on others so why can’t an idiot from the penitentiary do the same except maybe tweak things a little so that they might be more painful. I should stop sending out emails until the coast is clear or you might infect other systems. I would advise you to go on holiday for at least a week and I’ll tell you when to come back.’

‘Don’t forget that you work for me Colin and I am already looking for a replacement.’

‘That’s what I wanted to hear, you’ve made my day.’ 

Three days later Gustav’s system and anyone’s he contacted in the last five days found a harmless bug had invaded and although it didn’t affect any programme it did multiply and reproduce rapidly and clogged up the systems completely. It took a while but the wiz kids found a killer bug and wiped out the invaders but unfortunately the original bug mutated into numerous strains that were unaffected by the initial killer. It took weeks and countless man hours to eradicate and cleanup the systems. Colin was promoted to a higher position with a new boss and Gustav took his vacation until the fuss died down. He was still determined to nail this Ocho Sep but now realised he had a worthy adversary. 

Sector 17

Ocho was in hiding in the Barron’s mansion, somewhere in a small apartment in the depths of the building. Charlie and Tanya were frequent visitors though Tanya would come via a circuitous to avoid being followed and give the game away. Ratan and her minders kept a safe distance from him and ignored him. He heard from the chef that Ratan blamed Ocho for Gavin’s demise.

‘Ocho, you asked me do some searches for you whilst you were out in the boondogs.’

‘Yeah, about a girl called Avril. How have you got on Charlie?’

‘Do you know how many Avrils there are out there of similar age? Thousands. It must have been a popular name. I tried to narrow it down through the search engines but still ended up with too many possibles to handle easily. You know when you’re stuck and reach a difficult point, your mind wants to solve something simple for a change so I looked at the few Avrils I had as second names not first.’

‘I only knew her as Avril. Avril what I never found out but go on Charlie.’

‘The last on the list was Quatro Avril, a strange name and I’m not sure a girl would want to be called Quatro and would use Avril instead. Whilst musing over that I somehow linked Quatro Avril with Ocho Sep, fourth of April and eight of September, you birthdays and that made sense. Then the big breakthrough came and I’m not sure you’re going to like the next bit but I remembered an article about a fertility clinic near here in Sydney where a woman had given birth to over eighteen children and named each one by the day and month of their birth day. Don’t ask me what she did in naming twins but from that it was straight forward to trace your Avril.’

‘Do you mean Charlie that you have discovered my mother?’

‘I don’t want to upset you Ocho but you were born in a clinic down the street here but your mother and father are still an unknown quantity. You see this clinic have a side shoot in producing babies to order and to increase the population. They implant fertilised eggs into these women who live pampered lives there and they produce babies to order that are then taken away, adopted or fostered as in your case.’

‘So Avril and I were produced in a baby factory?’

‘I’m afraid that is the case Ocho I hope that doesn’t upset you. It’s pretty normal these days. They are trying hard to increase the population. If you want I can find out who your natural father and mother are and even the name of the surrogate mother but I expect you won’t want to know?’

‘So you discovered Avril. Where is she?’

‘I traced her life right through to when she was working as a cub journalist like you on the Herald and writing regular articles on the City, European and Worldwide lotteries and listing meaningless statistics which people gobble up about their increased luck if they bought their tickets at certain outlets or used certain numbers. Then suddenly she disappears for two years. You told me she used to work at the holiday centres as a maid so I checked the one in Cannes and bingo she appears there on cue.’ 

‘Any idea what she is doing there?’

‘Yes, an entertainments officer but recently has applied for a position at Las Vegas the strictly Governmental place and was turned down on security reasons.’

‘Charlie, I need to get a written message to her and a reply. I need to know if she is still keen to bring the buggers who incarcerated us to book for their crimes. I need to send it by hand because she is likely to be under surveillance particularly if she has applied for Las Vegas.’

‘I presume she wanted to be near Government Officials to find one that might further her case.’

‘Yes but in doing so has exposed her hand and is now probably being watched.’

‘I know somebody whose daughter was thinking of applying for a job at Cannes to sample the holiday atmosphere. I’ll send her out there with you message.’

‘Brilliant Charlie, I owe you.’

‘No Ocho I owe you. Before you turned up I was a nobody, a tech guy in the background and they wouldn’t invest in security. You’ve shown them that it’s easy to breach and now they are spending money to allow me the latest updates to improve their systems. Yes don’t say it. I know they all can be breached but we were at risk to any Tom, Dick or Harry to mess with our thing. Now we know that it will only be the upper echelon and they are likely to take our misinformation more seriously. The Barron now uses four hand couriers. We are going back to basics and at least having a fighting chance against the Big Brother.’

‘Tanya, explain to me what’s going on and why the Station Master intimated that I owe him mega bucks?’

‘Can’t we talk about that later love? I haven’t seen you for days.’

‘Let’s get it out and over then I can concentrate otherwise I will be a flop.’

‘Can’t have that darling. Now it’s quite involved. The Station Master has taken over our street and my café from Hogan. You already know that. He approached me and I said that I wanted to buy the café outright so that I didn’t have to pay the ridiculous rents that Hogan demanded. You must have primed him. He said that he would agree on the basis he had twenty percent of the business. I got him down to ten, I get fifty one and you have thirty nine.’

‘So that’s why you want my money.’

‘Well I know you’re flush and I suspect you print it but I needed a partner. I couldn’t afford the lot even though he wanted a reasonable price. I think it was payback time for what you have done for him.’

‘So I’m now a proud owner of a café in Sydney.’

‘Part owner but things get complicated and I need your money, lots of it, for further investment. You know the time I suggested you take a pick and shovel and extend my living quarters. Well I got Tim the builder, the guy you met at the party, to come and see if it was feasible and give me a quote to extend my living quarters. He chipped the walls, muttered something and hurried off. I didn’t see him for two days and he came back with a drilling rig and they turned the place into gorgonzola cheese. They drilled everywhere.’

‘Was there a structural problem? Was the place going to collapse?’

‘No, just listen. They sat me down and told me I was sitting on a gold mine. The stone is valuable and if they excavated it all they could develop various apartments as well as a new café cum restaurant.’

‘So what’s this stone then and why is it just there and not all along the street?’

‘Tim explained it was volcanic betonite which is a superior type of cement when it’s ground down. It was laid down in volcanic lava tunnels and my café happens to be slap bang in the beginning of one. He wants to excavate it all and build multi story apartments underground and my café at street level, my restaurant adjoining. We rent the apartments out and enjoy the proceeds.’

‘You’re hesitant now. What’s the problem?’

‘Money is one, that is to develop the whole thing and secondly Tim’s come across an old steel rail tunnel. It’s closed off at the station end but collapsed and open to the elements at the other.’

‘How long is it, the whole length?’

‘I think it’s half a kilometre to the station and maybe two the other way. The problem is that if he cut’s it out the rock above, it may make it unstable and might collapse. He would like to leave it alone but there’s betonite beyond but that goes outside the boundaries of the bubble but still underground.’

‘So the cost of shoring all this up is prohibitive is that the picture?’

‘Yes, in a nutshell and fraught with some danger. We would need to bring in structural engineers to check this all out.’

‘I presume he cut an opening in the steel to get into the tunnel.’

‘Yeah, he got a man in a space suit to check it out. The copper rail has gone, salvaged, but apart from blown in dirt it’s still OK apart from the collapse at one end.’

‘Can we get access to this tunnel other than through your café?’

‘Of course I wouldn’t allow them to work inside. I have a business to run. They can get in at the side, where I keep some junk and bins.’

‘Is it big enough for an electric truck to ride through comfortably?’

‘Yes I suppose so. The previous owner parked his motor in the recess. Why all these questions?’

‘I think I have a use for these tunnels. We can grow mushrooms in them and make a good business out of it.’

‘And what do you know about mushrooms?’

‘I’ve been growing them at the food research place located at the penitentiary to provide cheap labour. I can write you a book about growing mushroom. Now I want you to bring me a supply of used cash cards, not new ones, ones that can’t be traced back to me or you and I will transfer sufficient funds to them. I want you to get an architect and engineers to work it all out so that it doesn’t all collapse around our ears and get Tim to extend the apartments beyond the tunnel even though he might have to burrow under the rail tunnel. Get word out to the salvagers that you will pay good money for conveyor belt in working condition, any amount.’

‘Where are we going to store all this stuff?’

‘In the tunnels of course. Get an engineer to set them up to my plan. Get Tim to block off the ends and make them airtight, put in rudimentary ventilation and we’ll grow mushroom and grow rich and fat on it.’

‘I don’t think I could do this all on my own Ocho.’

‘Tanya, get a helper in the café and we’ll have to employ a professional project manager to see all this through. You may have to abandon the café during the turmoil.’

‘I have planned to move to a new site nearby.’

‘Good but I have to tell you that I’m planning to disappear for I don’t know how long to settle old scores. I’ll be back and hopefully we can live a peaceful life. Now where were we? Ah, yes, you were going to abuse my body again.’ 

‘Gustav, its Murray.’

‘What have you for me Murray?’

‘We’ve definitely located Ocho Sep. He’s holed up in the Barron’s stronghold and hasn’t been seen for a while.’

‘Who have we got in there?’

‘Nobody at the moment, Gavin got killed in a salvaging accident but he wasn’t much use, he was always being sent off.’

‘We need to get someone in there quick.’

‘Not so easy, the Barron has put word out he will pay a thousand dollars for a Government spy and he will fry them personally on Mount Ebo, the volcano nearby Sydney. People are offering their mother’s up. Our current lot are deserting by droves even though we said we would denounce them if they did.’

‘OK, what about associates.’

‘We can only trace the Station Master, the Barron and a girl who runs the café, Tanya. We have her under surveillance but she’s seeing a guy called Tim so we don’t know what to make of it.’

‘Any other strange activity going on that we can link to our security genius?’

‘They’ve tightened up their system’s security and they are actively zapping our spy bugs with impunity, not even corralling them as they did at the beginning. Even the flies are useless. I would doubt anything that a fly picks up anyway. We are being fed with misinformation.’

‘I presume you have warned people?’

‘Gustav if I did it would admit that our flies are not what they are cracked up to be and we would have egg on face. We are working on new ones.’

‘What messages have you intercepted?’

‘Nothing of significance. They are using old fashioned couriers.’

‘Have we intercepted them?’

‘We have and they are in code but they are playing with us on this. They use a code which is easy enough to crack but the last two messages were ‘Ef Off you Security bastards, we are onto you!’ so we are no further forward. Faulkner has had a nervous breakdown, the poor sod. That visit of theirs has sent a shudder amongst our people at the top.’

‘The Minister has made a provisional payment to the Barron and other top men just to placate the situation and buy us some time. You heard about the stoppage in Oslo?’

‘Yeah the false Annual Construction Holiday that lasted almost a fortnight and brought everything to a halt. Nice idea Gustav. We should have one for security.’

‘The Minister considers that we are on permanent holiday the way we are performing. It’s a good job he doesn’t realise it’s the workings of one guy. Our jobs are on the line if he finds out and we can’t apprehend him.’

‘You think he’s still going to take up his issue and take it to higher levels?’

‘I suspect he is and I want all ombudsman offices monitored in all cities especially Brussels.’

‘We have our man in there. Do you think he is planning another bug attack against you?’

‘Don’t bring that up Murray. I suspect you might just enjoy that prospect. May I remind you that he’s not a popular hero but a criminal.’

‘Yes Gustav.’

Sector 17

‘Here, we’ve given you a new identity and a valid position at Cannes to work in the entertainments department. Your name is to be Alec May and the real lad has been incarcerated in Barron’s cellars. You have his watch and identity and don’t be a smart arse out there. Keep your nose clean. And don’t go there wearing you steels. Don’t forget you are from Sydney, a scruff.’

‘Yes Station Master.’

‘There you go, insolence again. That will be your downfall Ocho. Make sure that Alec May survives. Your supposed mother is not of good health so you may have to come back and see her occasionally when we need you. Now you’re going on normal public transport so behave excited like the others around you but keep that hologram under lock and key. Be off with you lad.’

Ocho joined a crowd of other young people on the platform as the cabs arrived and they piled in all excited and eager to start a new adventure away from home and Sydney. Ocho behaved more as an onlooker than ringleader but didn’t look out of place, appeared rather shy. A girl called Lucy took a fancy to him and spent most of the journey telling him about herself and how this was the second time for her to go to Cannes as a housemaid. Ocho questioned her about the holiday centre as any novice would and she didn’t pry into his background. On arrival they were met by staff managers and allocated accommodation and given a list of regulations. He was back to living in a cramped pod in a large hostel exclusively for male staff members. It was dingy and the vending machines were always breaking down or running out of choice. The ablutions were smelly and filthy. Since he had a supply of cash cards he could at least feed himself elsewhere he thought even though the charges were higher but quickly realised that that action would immediately differentiate him so he joined in the complaints with the others about the conditions.

He was given a reception job in an office where he had to allocate activities for the holiday makers, or at least he was the office gofer, getting vend, directing people to the right venue and being at the beck and call of the office manager. The systems were frail and constantly going down causing problems and delays. Much of the problem was that the young staff weren’t trained properly so Ocho would frequently help out his fellow staff and get them back on track. This made him popular in the office even though he was the lowest of the low on the pecking ladder. The work schedule was also a problem with many glitches which meant that many workers were allocated double shift whilst others disappeared off the system. It was unfair and caused much aggravation amongst the young staff.

 Ocho for his own sake restructured his own allocation on the system and made it all more robust which made the office a happier work place. Being the office gofer enabled him to get to know the site whilst he was being sent off on errands, finding missing holidaymakers or showing them to their activity venues. He soon found the sports arena and sports hall and caught a glimpse of Avril on a basketball court. He bided his time and would make himself known at an appropriate time.

‘Alec, come into my office,’ called the manager. ‘I’ve got a problem with this machine. It’s all seized up. I must have pressed the wrong buttons. Can you help me out?’ Alec turned the machine off and brought it back to life good as new. ‘Were you trained in computing Alec? You seem to know a lot about them. Very useful in the office you are.’

‘No, self-taught,’ he lied, ‘Got a kit as a kid and built my own. It didn’t work very well but it taught me how to fix them and even out the glitches in the system.’

‘I mentioned you in our management meeting and other departments wanted to use you, seems waste of your ability to be a gofer. There would be a pay rise in it. I’ll let you go as long as you promise to fix ours as a priority.’

‘Where will I be based?’

‘Oh you’ll just be called when we have a problem and go and fix it. We’ll give you a pager.’

‘OK when do I start?’ answered Alec thinking that this was a good opportunity to be a freelance and move about the place unheeded and with an official purpose and opportunity to meet up with Avril.

‘Your replacement is here so here’s the pager. Go and find a café and wait for it to call you.’

The first request came from the Director and he only wanted to check the response time and made some excuse that his keyboard was malfunctioning. Ocho cleaned up the keyboard and screen so it shone and then inserted an intermittent fault so that he would be called back. He needed the use of a computer and the Director’s office had free vend with a bigger and better choice. After his introduction to the Director he raided the vend and found a bench overlooking the tennis courts and watched four attractive girls playing half-heartedly. A call saw him go to the medical suite where the receptionist was having problem with printing. Alec cleaned the printer, vacuumed out all the paper dust, replaced the ink cartridges and restocked the paper and left a beaming receptionist.

 Other trivial jobs came up and he signed off for the day after adjusting his schedule to provide him with a better timetable. He switched off his pager and lay in his pod for a cat nap and go over his day. He’d raised his head above the parapet again and was become noticed. He would have to change his tactics and become less mobile and obvious. He was about to get ready for sleep when there was a banging on his pod door.

‘Alec, are you there? Alec, are you in there?’ Alec opened his pod door. ‘Thank goodness we found you. Can you come to the medical centre quickly, there is an emergency and some of the monitors aren’t working. Can you come and see what you can do?’

‘OK but don’t rely on me. I can check the basics but if it’s really technical then I’m lost. I’m a computer geek not and technician.’ They reached the medical centre at a run and Alec saw the nurses looking on in despair.

‘The monitors have developed a fault and we can’t check our patients. One is in critical condition and we don’t know what to do.’

‘Let me check all the cabling and power. Just leave me to it for a while and I’ll tell you what I can do but get hold of a proper technician and electrician.’ Alec checked all the cable connections and the power leads. He also checked the same equipment on different power supplies, until one by one the monitors came to life and gave constant and reliable readings. Alec could feel the relief in the air as the nurses got back to their vital duties.

‘Thanks young man. We frequently have a problem here but never as bad as this. You fixed it,’ said a senior nurse. ‘Sorry to get you off shift but we had an emergency with one of our patients.’

‘No problem but who is your technician that sets up your monitors and electrical equipment?’

‘We don’t have one. The nurses set it up themselves. Why, they normally do that in the main hospitals?’

‘They may do but you have a jumble of equipment here requiring different voltages and things. I found that some of it wasn’t plugged to the correct supply. The cabling is a mess and needs tidying up and labelling then you will be OK.’

‘Could you do that?’

‘Yes, but you will have to transfer me full time. I can set up the equipment and do basic checks. I won’t be able to repair it. It’s too critical and you will have to send it to a lab to calibrate the monitors at the correct level and things.’

‘Will you report here tomorrow and I’ll make sure you are transferred. We need to get the medical facility right. I know we don’t get critical cases here but nevertheless we need to be prepared. See you tomorrow at ten. Thanks again. Its Alec isn’t it? You’re not wearing your badge. I know you were dragged out in a hurry. Go and get some rest now.’

Alec turned up and was immediately approved by the Chief Medical doctor and he set to familiarising himself with the equipment, cleaning it up and labelling up the cables. He made himself useful as a porter and at the reception. He became part of the medical centre, no longer being visible to the general public. He also got transferred to a closer hostel so that he could be on call if needed. It was much better than his last accommodation. He then concentrated on how to make contact with Avril without throwing suspicion since he assumed that she was under security surveillance. If he made open contact they would easily suspect him. He would have to engineer a meeting. He thought through various options and made a plan.

A few days later a girl was brought in on a wheel chair with a strained muscle. She was inspected by the doctor who suggested some light physiotherapy. Alec set up the apparatus and carefully showed the girl how it worked, demonstrated it and set her off and quietly retired. Throughout the demonstration they had talked to each other unobserved by lip reading as they had developed at the penitentiary. Alec’s plan had worked. He had gone to watch a basketball game and at the end as the girls had filled out into the changing rooms their fans had patted them on their shoulders and shook their hands to congratulate them. Alec had palmed a note to Avril and had quietly disappeared as one of the keen spectators. Next day she had developed a serious leg strain that needed urgent treatment.

 For the next week she came regularly for physiotherapy and they talked; talked more openly, once Alec had checked that the medical centre wasn’t bugged or monitored by security. He learned that Avril was still keen to pursue her findings to a higher level but wasn’t sure of the process. Alec was more or less in the same position but he had checked on the procedure of submitting grievances to the Supreme Court in Brussels but didn’t know which level to trust. He was constantly suspicious that the security forces had their agents in that system somewhere. Avril had recurrent problems with her leg and came for more treatment. On frequent occasions Alec followed Avril to see if she was being followed or tracked. Other than the normal scans they agreed that Avril was not under close surveillance.

On occasions patients had to be transferred either home or to hospital and staff were needed to accompany them. Avril and Alec agreed that the next occasion that a patient was being transferred to Brussels Alec would volunteer and Avril would take a leave of absence and they would meet up and hand in their findings to the ombudsman. The opportunity arose the following week and whilst arrangements were being made Avril took a leave of absence and Alec followed on with a patient in tow being transferred to hospital. He got permission from the doctor to take a few days off since he’d never been to Brussels before. It all seemed innocuous.

Sector 18

‘Gustav, Ocho Sep has popped up with a petition to the ombudsman.’

‘Where and when?’

‘Here in Brussels and it’s tomorrow. It’s not as clear cut as him walking in and handing documents over the desk to us.’

‘I’m listening.’

‘He’s naturally suspicious and he’s bothered to go a few levels up in his contacts and he’s set up a meet in the Grand Place, the carbon copy of the former square.’

‘Have you got the details Murray?’

‘Very precise is our Mr. Ocho.’

‘Well pick him up?’

‘But what if this is a set up or dry run?’

‘If it isn’t then Ocho has total immunity and we are then powerless, totally buggered and our friends are going to turn nasty. Can’t afford the risk, I’d rather failure.’

Twenty three minutes past ten, Ocho and Avril were in position on a balcony with a grandstand view of the square. Avril turned on the camera and started filming the people sitting in the street café. It wasn’t busy and they watched and filmed their man walking up purposefully up to a table in the square, glancing at the clock and sitting down facing the café. He caught the eye of a waiter and signalled for two coffees. They came quickly in little china cups and he carefully placed a newspaper directly in front of him with a cup precisely in the middle and placed the second cup on a large white envelope directly in front of him. He took a glance at the main clock. It was twenty seven minutes past.

‘Do you see anything suspicious Avril?’

‘No, there are two gentlemen and a lady having breakfast nearby. She has a shopping bag. There are a number of single people and couples but no one has glanced towards our man apart from a guy over to the right who seems to be people watching.’

‘Keep filming even after the handover. I can’t believe we haven’t been discovered.’

‘There’s movement. The two guys have lifted our man bodily off his chair and the woman is sweeping the newspaper and envelope into her shopping bag and straightening the chairs. He’s being bundled into that stationary electric cab. Smartly done, as you predicted Ocho.’

‘Keep filming Avril, that people watcher has stood up, he’s noticed I think. Yes he’s looking up at the clock. It will chime the half hour any second. He must be our man from the ombudsman’s office. He was keeping to the instructions only approach after the clock has chimed. Look he’s approached the table and now looking around, puzzled. You can stop now and let’s split and clear off. We’ll meet at twelve and decide on our next move. Get a copy of that film. It will be our evidence that we have something serious to offer the ombudsman and that their office has been compromised.’

‘I hope they are not too hard on our student. At least the twenty dollars will sweeten things for him.’

‘It was a set up Murray as we had thought but at least prevented a handover.’

‘There wasn’t much in the envelope. Just the preliminary report that we’ve got and some blank paper to bulk it out. However there was an envelope addressed to a Mr. Gustav Loben. I haven’t steamed it open but I would love to see the contents. You might share them with me sometime. Watch your back Gustav, you could get the full force of a cattle prod up your arse when you are least expecting.’

‘I expect you guys to watch my back. What’s happened to the stooge?’

‘We set him free after frisking him and some questioning. The usual, approached by a guy who paid him handsomely to do a simple switch. The guy suspected it might be drugs or porno material. We checked all the scanners and cameras in the vicinity and haven’t spotted Ocho yet. I’d love him on the payroll to teach us a few things. Mind you if he’s got a solid identity then he would pass easily.’

‘Have you checked the incomers, people outside of Brussels?’

‘Ninety percent are outsiders coming here on business or just to gawp at our replicas. We haven’t come across any undesirables or the dead. He’s stopped using that ploy but it means we have had to treble the size of our data base. Do you know he’s not the only one using that deceased ploy? We picked up a Minister on some urgent errand using the identity of some bygone person. Bit of egg on face there.’

Sector 18

“Alec, we’ve got a message from Sydney that your mother is ill. I presume you will want to go back and see her?” said the Chief Medical officer at the Clinic.

“Yes, she has been in poor health for some time. Could you give me some time off please? I haven’t had any time off since I’ve been here.”

“That’s true. You’ve done good things here since you came and we are all grateful for your expertise. You’ve been a boon. Take whatever time you’re entitled to and hope your mother gets better.”

“What kept you? We expected you back quicker than this,” said the Barron rather severely, shaking his finger at Ocho to make the point.

“I had to wait for scheduled transport to Sydney and it only runs twice per week. I didn’t want to raise my head and be noticed again.”

“OK, OK, but we have an issue at Auckland, our neighbour just like us. The headman needs your expertise to solve a problem with the authorities and I need to repay a favour, I’m sending you out there with a couple of my men to look after you and keep you out of trouble. I hope you haven’t been in touch with anyone here?”

“I came straight here or at least to the safe house as planned and your guys sneaked me in here.”

“Good, I’m sure we are all under surveillance here even though I pay good money to informers. Go with these two men and ensure you do whatever Reyner wants but don’t spend too long there. I want you back under my control.”

Ocho was taken to the station via a couple of safe houses with the two accomplices and boarded a train cab destined for Stockholm which routed via the penal colony of Auckland. There they were met by two of Reyner’s bodyguards and whisked off directly to his palatial lair. During the journey Ocho researched Reyner’s background and hacked into his various email accounts and so far hadn’t found anything to worry him although he was concerned that surveillance may have picked them up travelling directly from the station to the headquarters.

“Glad you could make it but I expected you earlier,” uttered Reyner in a very annoyed manner. He was a big guy with a ruddy face, unusually long brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Ocho took an instant dislike to him. Reyner looked and acted like a bully and his manner and slouching in his settee didn’t improve Ocho’s impression. “My man will take you to my assistant and he will tell you what I want. Don’t fail me!” and he waived us away.

Two of Rayner’s men took Ocho firmly by the arms and frog marched him out and into an office, sat him down and stood guard over him. In came another large man, almost a carbon copy of Rayner but dressed in a flamboyant shirt and antique jeans and positioned himself on the side of the large desk, towering over Ocho.

“I don’t know what they have told you? Hopefully nothing. We have an important task for you which I understand you are capable of doing. I want you to go to Milan. You will be accompanied by these two men and you have to find a way of delivering a message, a letter to a Minister. Can you do that?”

“I don’t know. You will have to give me more details.”

“You don’t know! Why the hell has the Barron sent you if you can’t do it?”

“Tell me what the complication is then? Why can’t one of your men here do it? Why have your sent for me?”

“Don’t get uppity with me. You are supposed to be the expert and this Minister is securely guarded. There’s been an assassination attempt against him.”

“So as far as I understand you have a personal letter that I have to hand to him and only to him and nobody else and you want me to find a way through his security.”

“That’s what I said if you had been listening. You apparently know how to get to these people or so we have been told. Can you do it?”

“I don’t know?”

“Don’t know! Is that all you can say? Give me a break someone. Why do they send me fools?”

“I presume you want me to get his schedule and find an opportune moment to hand over this important letter. Is that all?”

“You have some cheek! Is that all? You say! We haven’t been able to get close to this man to do the task ourselves. He’s surrounded by armed security all the time. I hope you are not wasting my time?”

“Give me the name of this Minister and let me have the use of your desk and I’ll check out this Minister’s schedule and itinerary for the next few days and select the opportunities we may have.”

“OK, I’ll give you an hour and don’t use up all my vend,” said the man and stormed out leaving the two guards behind who immediately attacked the vend machine.

Ocho seated himself behind the desk in an enormous high backed chair and scrutinised the desk carefully until he found a box of cards belonging to the departed owner. He memorised the name Harry Sayer and his email address and closed the box. He then did a security check on the room for any bugs and as a secondary measure he set up a screen that would disable any surveillance systems that might be turned on whilst he was working. On the desk was a large blue envelope with the name of the Minister neatly hand written on it in black ink. It was addressed to Minister Malcolm Hunter, PERSONAL, HAND DELIVERY ONLY. Ocho quickly hacked into the Minister’s website and his email and got the relevant information required and then check for any recent suspicious messages that referred to him, Harry Sayer, or Rayner. He then set a marker on these to warn him of any relevant mails in the future.

He turned to the two guards and told them that he had the relevant information and was going to reconnoitre the town and the possible drop off places since he didn’t know Milan at all. He would leave the letter on the desk and pick it up when he was satisfied that his plan would work. The two guards insisted that they would have to follow him and he told them that firstly they were likely to be recognised as working for Rayner or Harry, secondly their identity scans would be picked up by the frequent scanners and spotted by the CCTV cameras. They would give the game away. He would go by himself to Milan as a tourist, totally unknown to the security authorities as innocent Alec May. They finally agreed and got them to drive him two hundred metres from the station where he boarded a train cab and was whisked to Milan on the fast tube in under an hour.      

    

     His first visit was to the University Union to the canteen where plenty of students gathered. He talked to a group, bought them a vend and asked them if they would deliver a letter by hand to the Minister Malcolm Hunter who was actually going to visit the University that day. He showed them six blue envelopes, opened them to show a letter in code to show there was nothing harmful in them and offered them forty dollars if they were successful in the task. When questioned why six and why didn’t he do it himself he replied that the Minister had a lot of security personnel always surrounding him and he had been unsuccessful on his own. He wanted a blitz and offered a further forty dollars to the one who succeeded. They were suddenly interested mainly when they heard the encrypted letter was a petition to improve student grants which had been frozen in Milan for some time.  He told them that the encryption was easy to break but it would induce the Minister to have it translated. He also told them that if they were successful then they could hand the spare letters to the press for further publicity. They all seemed eager to carry out the task especially for the money and when Ocho outlined the plan they thought it was quite simple and straight forward. 

They were to approach the Minister immediately he walked through a security gateway where he would likely to be alone and not surrounded. They were to hand the letter to him and likely as not he would automatically take it, then briskly walk away. Ocho showed them the Ministers itinerary and the possible security scans he would have to go through and allocated the placements. When asked why Ministers would bypass security he reminded them that all Ministers and senior officials had to make a show of going through security screens as a matter of course to allay any fears in the public. He added that probably they turned the cameras off but the public weren’t to know. He gave them a cash card each and told them to disperse and he would contact them in turn to check if they had been successful. What he didn’t tell them was that he had scrambled their identity on their wrist watches for the next two hours of operation. They went off quite happy and eager to carry out some subterfuge against the authorities.

Ocho positioned himself on the balcony overlooking the security gate to one of the many entrances to the University but this particular one had been closed and cleaners were at work making the place sparkle for the grand entrance therefore the area was void of students. An obvious security person was checking out the machinery and no doubt adjusting it so that arms they carried wouldn’t be recognised as they went through. Ocho recorded this on his video camera. Two minutes to twelve three additional security men, part of the Ministers’ contingent walked through the gate with no beep, thumbs up to the guard at the screen and walked on ahead as the main party arrived. Two guards walked through and positioned themselves well ahead in the hallway and the Minister made his way to the gate ahead of his entourage. At the same time Ocho saw his student walk out of a side door with a clip board in hand, approaching the gate as if he was official and checking off items on his list. As the Minister walked through the student gave him the envelope, smiled and promptly walked off in the direction of the side door. The Minister was astonished for a split second and suddenly held up the blue envelope for the guards to see, as a prearranged signal when suddenly a dull pop was heard and the student was collapsing to be prevented from actually falling by two guards that grabbed him and manhandled him out of sight. 

Minister Malcolm Hunter was immediately surrounded and again manhandled out back the way he came. All this was caught on Ocho’s video and he quickly left the balcony and disappeared amongst the student throng. The hallway was deserted since notices everywhere stated that there would be no entrance or exit for two hours for maintenance reasons. Even if a few students were there they probably wouldn’t have witnessed the disturbance. Safely away Ocho sent messages to the remainder of his students to abort the mission as it was too dangerous. He then sat and waited for any messages flowing to Rayner or Harry mentioning his name or incident. He didn’t have to wait long or even for an alert. He saw a news flash on the television screen on the wall in the canteen that another attempt had been made on Minister Malcolm Hunter’s life but the assassin had been shot dead by vigilant security guards. No mention was made where in Milan this took place and the screen returned to the sports round up.

Ocho was aghast by the news. This was a second attempt on his life but this must have been deliberate. Question occurred to him why Minister Malcolm Hunter wanted him dead? Was he implicated in Ocho’s revelations? He needed to check and sure enough Mr. Malcolm Hunter, as a junior official, three years ago was caught on camera helping himself to funds with a rogue card then transferring the cash onto an untraceable cash card at the Southern Station in Manchester.

“What are you doing here? You unfortunately died in action according to Rayner and he had a go at you for botching up the job I sent you out there to accomplish for him? Anyway I’m glad it wasn’t you shot. I presume it was to do with that turd Minister Malcolm Wanker or Hunter whatever he calls himself. It’s all over the news and guess what? He’s gone into hiding, probably to avoid any further public engagements. I bet he’ll turn up on a sun bed in Las Vegas. Well, are you gonna tell me or do I have to pull a few finger nails?”

“You got a message from Rayner ‘Mission accomplished but my student got a bullet in the head!’ so I presume you weren’t involved in Rayner’s scheme?”

“You must have some powerful information on these Ministers for them to take the ultimate sanctions.  Do I have to be more careful and what the hell are you doing snooping about in my mail?”

“Can I advise you and anybody associated with you not to mail or open any mail from Rayner or his side kick Harry for the next week or so. I’ve sent them a bug that will make their communications totally inoperable and also any of their contacts. I’ve also sent the Minister a message which comes up on his screen and any of recipients ‘Murderer’. That should keep him amused for a while. I’m off back to Cannes. If you need me again for a sensible mission then you know how to get in touch with me.”

“Be off with you my lad. I knew I should have put a bullet through your head the first day we met. I’m glad I didn’t, you’ve made us Colonialist a fortune and I hope you will continue to give advice. I’m even sorry I sent you. I don’t do much apologising around here. Now don’t get your head blown off on the way to Cannes. I’m sure you are aware and happy to know that your mother had a miraculous recovery and is back home from hospital. My man will take you to a tram stop so that you can get to the station. Don’t stray.”

On leaving the Barron, Ocho’s last task in his cab on the way to Cannes was to send an innocent looking bug to Minister Malcolm Hunter, Rayner, and Harry that would drive them and their associates to desperation. Not only was it a superior version to the one he had sent to Gustav Loben but it had the infuriating habit of hibernating whenever a computer technician opened the diagnostic files then everything turned normal. Woe be tide any technician who would foolishly link his own computer to the recipient of the bug then all hell would be let loose a couple of hours later when the technician’s computer would go berserk. Apart from wiping out the memories it would take vengeance on the data by mixing it and scrambling it at will. Before the technician left, a shouting match would probably ensue with each party blaming the other for incompetence and wasting time. Unfortunately Ocho would miss all that but at least he would have the satisfaction that mayhem ensued and that the Minister would be constantly reminded that he was a murderer.  

Sector 19

‘What is our next step Ocho? We know the office is compromised so how do we get an audience?’

‘Our next step Avril is to send this material plus the film as proof of our genuine claim and that the security authorities are perpetrating a massive cover up.’

‘But won’t that be back to square one.’

‘We’ll send one copy to our original office. Watching that film again I seriously think that people watcher was the genuine fellow from the ombudsman’s office. They’ll get a copy and I’ll get one to an office at Ministerial level. I’ll ask them about sanctuary.’

‘What you mean, grabbing hold of a knob of a Cathedral knocker and you’re safe as in the old days?’

‘That situation still exists but there is little information on it. I will ask the Minister to publish an article in the paper, reminding people of the system and that it is still in place.’

‘What if all fails and we are caught. It won’t be back to the old detention centre for us Ocho. It will be curtains I fear.’

‘If anything like that happens I’ve arranged that this information is disseminated on all public web sites and keep reappearing periodically so that the public is reminded. Not very effective but that’s all we can do.’

‘It’s a pity the newspapers aren’t independent. In the old days, they were the watchdogs over the politicians and brought scandals to light. We don’t have anything like that now.’

‘More’s the pity Avril. We should set up an independent website to air these things and claim immunity from the security forces.’

‘There was one a few years ago but it was accused of peddling untruths and just frightening the populace. I must admit I was brainwashed against it at the Herald but I’m much wiser now.’’

A Government produced article appeared in all newspapers and websites describing the existing position on Sanctuary and encouraging people to use it in extreme positions. The television news also gave it brief coverage with footage of its use long ago.

‘Well Gustav, he’s broken through our screen again, clever this use of Sanctuary. He knows his history I give him that. Even I didn’t know it operated in these days.’

‘I reckon it’s one of Ocho’s clever smoke screens so that we spend enormous manpower watching the sanctuary sites for him to turn up. The system is too crude for our Ocho.’

‘Careful Gustav you are showing the guy respect.’

‘I suppose I am but to find the man you have to get inside his skin and predict his next move.’

‘Which will be?’

‘Certainly not sanctuary, we’ve had too many idiots play that ruse since the article appeared. He somehow has to get into the Ministry or directly to a Minister.’

‘We have increased security so he can’t just walk in as he did in the past. He must find a way to get to our man by breaking through the cordon. That’s you next job Murray. Get your team of great minds to find a way. A simple way, an effective way that’s not going to be noticed; it won’t be a diversion or a mock attack it will be simple and quiet.’

‘OK Gustav, you still haven’t revealed the contents of his letter?’

‘It’s not pertinent to this exercise but I’ll let you read it. No threats in it and tells me I’m misguided in my protection of my superiors. What’s new in that then? I think it was more to tell us that he is fully aware of us. Throw the cat amongst the pigeons you might say.’

‘There seems to be always a double motive in whatever this Ocho does. The Sanctuary thing is a classic. We either flood it with manpower or we ignore it. If we ignore it we let our guard down. How many other chinks will he discover in our armour?’

‘You’re right Murray, we are not infallible so we must use all our intelligence to counter his next move. Go to work Murray.’

“Before I go what do you make of this shooting and possible assassination plot against a Minister in Milan. Wasn’t he a lowly clerk in Brussels some years ago who bought his way up the ladder or so the rumour mill peddles. An innocent student by all accounts was shot dead and the University is fighting back, counter claiming that it must have been an accident and that they are not breeding or radicalising rebels or anarchists.”

“Yes I had a word with my contacts in Milan and apart from some smug faces initially the subject has been closed down, not even a no comment.”

“I know but it has the unfortunate trademark of Ocho stamped all over it. People in the Ministry, in contact with Hunter are finding messages appear on their screens calling Hunter a murderer. Then their computer goes on the blink just like yours did and still does. The clever thing is that if you open the diagnostic programmes or virus searches, the computer behaves as good as gold.”

“More reason we must apprehend this fellow.” 

Alec and Avril were back in the Cannes holiday centre going about their jobs and scheming their next move. Alec took a weeks’ vacation and openly went back to Sydney to visit his mother who was in delicate health. In a safe house he met up with Tanya and they went through the plans of their joint business venture. Photo’s of the café and the adjoining building showed it was all demolished and conveyors were bringing up crushed stone from subterranean depths and depositing them into heavy wagons.

‘Where is this stuff going to?’

‘Tim says it’s going to be crushed, processed and then shipped out as special mortar to various building sites around Europe. It fetches a mind blowing price.’

‘Now what about the tunnels?’

‘Tim has blocked off both ends, made them airtight and put in ventilation as you requested. We are currently storing bits of conveyor belt materials in them until we get a plan of how to erect it. Tim says he hopes that you will rack it so that he can extend the supports up to the roof to prevent the tunnel collapsing as it has done further along.’

‘It’s fairly simple and I’ll draw up the plans and you get him on it straight away. As soon as we have a thousand metres of conveyor I want you to start the mushroom growing.’

‘Hey I don’t know shit about growing your mushrooms.’

‘It is all about shit, processed shit that the mushrooms grow in. You will have to employ some labourers and someone who can follow simple instructions and start the process. It will take a few days to prepare the beds and water them. In about two days you will see the first sign of activity. White threads on the surface and then a few days later you will see the first heads appear. Start picking a few by hand and serve them in your café. Depending on the temperature in the tunnels the crop will be ready when the surface is all white with caps. You then pick them automatically with a machine that separates the caps from the soil. What you can’t use you sell at a high price to the food manufactures.’

‘You make it sound simple.’

‘It is simple Tanya, we’ve made it simple and automated so that little can go wrong. It’s all in the manual that I’ll print out with all the specialist machine suppliers and outlets. I will give you enough cards to cover all costs.’

‘I’ll get some people in. There’s a crowd at the site looking for work and I’ll get Tim to select me a crew of mushroom growers. Now just look at the plans here for the new buildings, they are fabulous. The living accommodation below the café and restaurant will be on two levels around a large atrium. The atrium will be the social centre for all the apartments. It will be surrounded by plasma screens, floor to ceiling, that will project movies or during the day scenes from the past. It will be like living in a country park and looking out through the windows.’

‘I hope you have reserved an apartment for us Tanya.’

‘Not here, we have an apartment above the café. Well there are going to be two apartments, huge ones that will take up the whole space.’

‘Why two?’

‘You should see your face there Ocho. One for us silly and the Station Master wants the other.’

‘Good, what about the excavation beyond the rail tunnel?’

‘Not sure yet, we are divided about the plans. The Barron got to know and wants to extend the city in that direction. Maybe build a bubble or go skywards. We have enough on our plates so far. Now you will be pleased to know that at the end of the tunnel, the end we blocked off, I modified the plans for your benefit. There is a workshop and then a garage with a double door leading to the outside. I persuaded the Station Master to park his second snow mobile, fully stocked, there just in case anybody needs to make a quick getaway.’

‘I can’t fault any of this and can’t wait to be back and enjoy it with you. There have been some developments.’

‘The Station Master pointed out the article on Sanctuary and said it smacked of our Ocho’s doing. How far have you got with your issues?’

‘We have got to the stage where we could have a total breakthrough or be compromised. In the latter case I don’t think we will see each other again.’

‘Give it up then Ocho, it’s not worth it.’

‘I can’t I’ve gone too far. If I give up now they will continue to pursue me, find me and then lock me away for good or worse.’

‘Well do be careful. The Barron has a job for you tomorrow and Charlie needs some advice. Now I have the night free to enjoy your company and don’t you go to sleep on me Mr. Ocho Sep. The bitch has been bad mouthing you.’

Sector 20

Two weeks later Alec and Avril were making their ways separately to Brussels for the next step in their campaign, Avril on leave and Alec conveniently escorting another patient home. They met the following night outside the cab park of a conference centre where some Governmental conference was being held. From an innocuous café opposite they watched and identified the delegates entering the centre from their parking area. Alec had set up his own scanner and monitoring post and both he and Avril, at separate tables would hear the bleep as their target was registered and they could identify him.

 Five minutes before the official start of the conference the target showed up in somewhat of a hurry. He had the porter park his vehicle. This was extremely convenient for Alec since he could read the identifying number and this made their plan simpler. Alec left the café as the porter finally decided to park the cab. It was parked close by in a reserved area. The porter obviously had prior knowledge that the placement wouldn’t be occupied and it was easier than some distance away. He could just point rather than have to bring the car up for its owner at the end of the conference. Secondly there would be problem with access since he needed a special card. All in all the porter took the sensible way out which played into Alec’s hand.

Once the conference was underway the porters and doormen disappeared for refreshments as was their custom. Their boss would be in the conference room attending to last minute details. Alec made his way to the reserved parking zone, ducked under the barrier and knelt beside the cab. Ten minutes later he had the combination to open the door. A bleep told Avril to come over and as soon as she appeared he opened the doors and they dashed in and closed them before the courtesy light had time to fully brighten and make them conspicuous. The windows were tinted so they couldn’t be seen from the outside. Alec pulled down the high bunk beds and they climbed up. They hoped that the Junior Minister Halliday wouldn’t notice the alterations to his cabin in his hurry to get home or back to his office. The last change that Alec did was to connect up the controls up to the high bunk so that he could monitor their progress. 

They waited there patiently and in comfort until they heard the pneumatics opening the doors and they crouched down hoping they would be unnoticed. Minister Halliday flung a briefcase onto the bench, opened it and shuffled some papers then tapped in the instructions and destination, satisfied with the screen he settled back, swung out a table and shuffled his papers totally unaware of the intruders. Five minutes later he made a call back to his office that he would be going home and placed the phone by his side on the table. At that moment Avril and Alec swung their legs down from above, jumped down, more slid than jumped, and sat on the bench opposite.

‘Don’t be alarmed Minister Halliday, we mean you no harm,’ said Avril as had been arranged before, less threatening than a man’s voice. ‘I want you to listen to what my partner has to say and then we will leave you in peace to go home or do as you wish.’

‘My name is Ocho Sep. You may have heard of me. Your Minister Strandfeld instigated the Sanctuary articles recently, prompted by the message I got to him. We have been attempting to reach the ombudsman and failed as you may recollect.’ The Minister registered some recognition and visible relaxed although he glanced at his phone and the alarm button which was out of reach. ‘We have some disturbing information about fraudulent activity that has been perpetrated at the highest levels. When we attempted to highlight this to our own superiors we were both incarcerated for a couple of years.’

‘I’ve read your resume but it doesn’t give any detail, names and facts. When presented for scrutiny we were informed it was based on spurious evidence and unlikely to be acceptable by the law courts.’

‘The resume was just a taster but we have names, dates, times ID scans and film evidence of the perpetrators. Not just a couple but hundreds of occurrences recorded and documented. They are all here on file in hard copy and digitised.’

‘OK, what do you expect of me?’

‘To take this information, scrutinise it and take action against these people.’

‘Why have you targeted me personally? I’m in a junior position.’

‘But you have the ear of your immediate superior Minister Strandfeld.’

‘You were easier to apprehend and we were already foiled since your office has been compromised by the security services.’

‘Fair enough but what if I am that security agent and all I do is destroy the evidence.’

‘I’m sure you are not because we checked you out and hacked into your computer. You will find a bug in your machine called a fly that has been tracking your messages and messages of your recipients for the last two weeks. There is a list of the last logged transactions on the front cover. You might just want to destroy that. We also have further copies of our detailed information and if anything happens to us then we intend to flood the public web with these allegations and all the evidence and the fact that the ombudsman’s office is a sham.’

‘Sounds an interesting idea and quite painful. Now what do you two want out of this deal? I’m sure it’s not just pure altruistic, a touch of revenge is what comes to mind.’

‘Firstly we want sanctuary because this evidence will require a lengthy trial and we will be key witnesses. Secondly we want you to locate these detention centres, free the innocent people in there and listen to their stories. Their cases may not be so well documented since we have journalistic backgrounds and these people were just ordinary guys suddenly uncovering fraud on a big enough scale.’

‘So you are intimating that this is just the tip of an iceberg?’

‘Probably and the security services are being used to protect these people rather than prosecute them. That tells you that the perpetrators are in the upper echelons of the hierarchy.’

‘Sounds like we will be opening up a can of worms?’

‘Isn’t that you’re role, isn’t that what your office was designed for to protect the public and protect the whistle blowers?’

‘I wish I had gone on vacation and escaped all this but at least I’m at the front end of this investigation now. Now what happens after this to you two? This could go on for years.’

‘We suspect you might want a show trial, quick and harsh to restore public confidence in your office. A lengthy trial would be a cover up and the public would see it that way. I expect that we would be free in a year and all we ask is that you that you allow us to go our own chosen way, we don’t want compensation.’

‘That could be arranged I’m sure, even change of identity though I understand that you can arrange that yourselves quite happily.’

‘I have to divert and go straight to my superior’s house and present this to him.’

‘We suspected you would do that. If you let us out here and continue to the Grand Place, park outside the hotel on the corner of the square commonly called the prison and leave this cab there. This will be our sanctuary when you call us in. The details for contacting us are in the folder. We can control this cab independently so it won’t be left at the Grand Place. It will be constantly on the move and we will be watching your email. Let us out here and the cab will continue to the Grand Place on its own. Don’t try to change the destination.’

‘I wish you both the best of luck and hope this all results in what you had hoped for but remember we are only a small cog in the system. Bye and thanks for the interesting evening.’

Alec and Avril separated and made their own way back to their lodgings as Alec monitored the cab stop at the Grand Place and then the envelope with its marker made its way to Minister Strandfeld’s apartment by a hire cab with Minister Halliday. Alec wondered what the outcome would be. At the worst they would then be picked up by security and disposed of permanently or picked up as planned and remain in sanctuary for a year or more as the investigations slowly progressed. That evening Alec monitored the Junior Minister’s email and the key word cropped up in his second message to a friend. Minutes later the same keyword appeared in another innocuous message to his boss as a reminder. The keyword appeared in the Junior Minister’s work schedule for the day and a reminder to send his cab to the apartment for the minister’s wife to use. Ocho and Avril were being called in immediately and the cab was to take them directly to the Strandfeld household. He contacted Avril with a prearranged phone message and directed the cab to a parking area convenient to him. He would arrive there by foot the same time as the cab. At the last minute he changed the instruction and picked it up on the street. It was empty and no sign of anybody searching or tampering inside it. He had left hidden telltale markers and all was in order. With Avril they directed the cab to the Ministers apartment by the shortest route. On arrival a message flashed on a sign over the covered garage that they were to drive under cover.

This was the moment they feared. They expected to be surrounded by security men instead they saw a woman in expensive clothes not steels, waving to them and blowing them kisses. They got out and were immediately engulfed by this single woman.

‘Darlings you are here,’ she cried, ‘Oh, how I’ve missed you,’ and she kissed Ocho on the cheek and whispered ‘it’s for the cameras, look cheerful.’ She hugged Avril as she broke into a smile and Ocho couldn’t help but fall in on the joyous occasion. ‘Come on up, hurry, they all want to see you.’ The woman bubbled on all the way relentlessly until they were ushered through the door of the plush apartment. ‘There you are dear, got them up as you requested, even got them smiling.’

‘Sorry for the charade. We are actually expecting my daughter and husband but much later so your arrival at this time was quite appropriate. You know Halliday. Thank you dear. We will be ensconced in my office some time, no disturbing us please. I do have a vend in there,’ and he ushered them into his office and seated them around his desk.

‘These are the two who apprehended me so successfully this evening. This must be Quatro Avril who uses Avril and this is our famous Ocho Sep who has run rings around our wonderful security department.’

‘Welcome and I’m glad you came in out of the cold, by your own free will. We have been keeping an eye on you Ocho for some time. We have our own informers in security and when your award surfaced then we stood up and noticed. We actually contacted the Governor of your establishment and gleaned a lot of information but we were powerless without actual witnesses. Now let me continue. We were aware of our security leak or spy in our office and we allowed them to stage the interception hoping to get to you at a later date. It proved you had something to offer and for security to hide. Apart from our rather obvious man who you no doubt spotted we had several other spotters in the Grand Place. Security were too arrogant to send in a full team. My people spotted you filming the event which is going to be extremely useful and were ordered to hold back. I wanted to check how ingenious you were. I expected some contact and was followed everywhere by a security team. I even objected and they replied it was for my own good and protection. I suspected you would choose Halliday and he even approached security as a possible plant in my organisation. They left him alone knowing or suspecting him to lead you straight to them. Ocho do you know the original thousand dollars on your head has risen considerably. Halliday would be a rich fellow if he had taken the purse.’

‘As you have heard from Minister Strandfeld we have been following you closely Ocho. Avril popped up later. Your association with Barron and Station Master were masterful. The only element that puzzled us was the finance. You seemed to have endless funds.’

‘It will come out in the end but I was printing the money. One of the guys inside was there because his bosses were printing money for themselves.’

‘I presume this is one of the people who can’t defend himself?’ asked the Minister. 

‘Correct but I can prove that can be done. What if I produce a cash card with say one million or even ten million dollars? You can read it but you can’t spend it without a code. It will demonstrate that I can do it illegally and other people are doing it illicitly because people are being locked up.’

‘I think that would be a marvellous demonstration but let’s keep that under the table for the moment. With the information you have given us and our own secret investigations I believe we have information to rock the establishment and their complacency. It is my role to uphold law and order but it seems that some important people have been at the trough and illicitly using the security services as a shield. I am going to make an example of them. Arrests will be under way over night and guess where these people will be incarcerated. We will free the people there first. They will be in solitary confinement without all the niceties offered you and Avril. Now our problem is what to do with you. Unfortunately we have to isolate you again, but in nicer premises. You can stay here overnight and we’ll make arrangements tomorrow. A document, a copy, will be sent to the Chief Prosecutor with express orders not to digitise it. We understand how vulnerable we are once the information is on the system. You can teach us something about that Ocho. We expected you to hack into our system, almost welcomed it but we didn’t discover your fly. Now stay here and I’ll arrange for the guest rooms to be made up for you. I will ask you to go there immediately with Halliday who will question you a little further to fill in our gaps. We are not as useless as the world thinks but it is sometimes a good cover. Our enemies underestimate us until we strike. You will be provided with sumptuous food so make the most of it. Thank you for your concern and bringing the matter to us so well presented. I must leave and make some preparations.’ 

‘Does that mean we have made it Mr. Halliday? Have we succeeded?’

‘I think you have Avril. You two can relax. You have led us a merry dance. We were planning the whole thing differently but your sudden intrusion with solid proof was most welcome. When this is all over both our department and security are going to be fighting over your services. We would love someone who fails his Finals. Relax Ocho, I know you can’t believe it. The hunt is over and this isn’t a set-up, relax if you can. You have made mistakes but hell you wouldn’t have been sent out into the field without extensive training, you survived on your wits and very little luck. You pissed off our Gustav good and proper. I’m sure that he would like to meet you and shake your hand he’s a good loser. He was doing a job for some nasty people but he was also working for us. What pissed him off more than anything else was that he wanted to catch you and present you to us on a platter and take the glory. Don’t underestimate him. His mistakes as you may have detected were a deliberate ploy to make you feel good, superior and fall flat on your face. The most unfortunate thing was when he put a bounty on your head. Some mistook it in the old fashioned way, ‘dead or alive’ and had us sick with worry. I, we, take our hats off to you. You made our life hell but it all added credence to your assertions.’ Why would an organisation spend so much manpower on one guy and for what?’

‘Do you mean I could have saved myself all the bother by presenting myself tits up to Gustav?’

‘Every day you were out there creating mayhem the criminal fraternity as we have to call them now were panicking and exposing themselves. We are going to apprehend lots more people, some not connected to the case who have popped their head up inadvertently.’

‘What will happen to them?’

‘Avril, we will have a wholesale clear-out of deadwood. We have needed this for some time. We might even bring in elections. Our current undemocratic system it dead on its feet. The Barron in Sydney runs a more democratic system would you believe it? There is more consent and discussion than we have. Your suggestion Ocho of creating a cartel of suppliers was magic. By the way, Charlie says hello. He’s much brighter than you gave him credit for although he has high regard for you. Sorry I don’t want to belittle your efforts. You were a gift from the gods. We held sweep stakes on what you would come up with next. No one collected.’

‘You mean I was just a pawn in all of this?’

‘Ocho not a pawn more like rampart queen on the chess board with no rules. Some of us even thought the mistakes you made were deliberate. Don’t forget we were looking and assessing in hindsight all the time. At the time we cringed and then cheered as you succeeded. The trouble is you made Gustav look an incompetent fool at times. That was dangerous and his superiors wanted to sack him. We needed him to get you legitimately and then we would step in with a snatch squad.’

‘Now what?’

‘You should be joyful at the outcome and we are all proud of you. Now come and enjoy the food. No fresh mushrooms I’m afraid Ocho. An interesting and profitable venture I hear.’

‘Where was the Barron in all this and the Station Master? Were they controlled by you?’

‘No, they will always be their own men but useful props for you. The wagon scam that the Station master pulled off against all odds had us all in stitches for ages. We know you prompted him and he knew he was going to lose out but we still haven’t worked out how he managed to snaffle four wagons from under the noses of two security teams. It was a classic. We seem to have got rid of the wrong people. You know they suspected you were a spy for a long time. You have to thank Charlie for protecting you. You taught him a lot. He picked up a lot from you and he’s no fool. He’s our oldest operating agent, so don’t go back there and sell him. He’s retiring soon, we’ll miss him.’

‘Where did Hogan figure in all this?’

‘He was an upstart who wanted to oust the Barron and was trying to make a deal with influential people on this side. The Barron dealt with him in his usual way. We weren’t sorry to see him go. We know you had a hand in it although Charlie would have done something similar. You just covered for him in an open way.’

‘Did you follow me to Cannes?’

‘No we lost you for ages. Even Charlie didn’t know where you had gone to for a while. Do you know who found you? It was Gustav and he sent some stooges in to confirm you were there. We were concerned that you had given up the quest but you then met up with Avril with the bad leg. Very convincing until we tracked her back to you and the penitentiary.  You then contacted us at a low level. Testing the water. We wondered how you would get over here but you just simply turned up with a stretcher as cool as a cucumber if you have ever seen one, brilliant. Gustav flumped the snatch. We wanted a higher approach from you. More convincing if you came straight to a Minister not some office Junior and you obliged.’

‘Avril and I discussed how well you took our hijacking. We thought we had fluffed it.’

‘You took us by surprise and frightened me to death. I wasn’t expecting you even though we knew you were here. We expected you to target Strandfeld. I was flattered to be Ocho’s target. We thought we were using you, directing you our way but you were the circus master, you were in the cage with the lions. You kept us on the hop and were always a step ahead of us. I’m telling this from hindsight, at the time we were tearing our hair out. Even the great Gustav was telling us his boy Ocho was doing good. He is considering sending all of his agents to that place for training. I suppose the difference is that you had a chip on your shoulder.’

‘Was Gustav responsible for sending me there?’

‘Oh God no, he only came on the scene when the Governor agreed to release you and then lost you immediately. He got it in the neck at the time. We were going to secretly bleed you of your information but you go and bugger off. That wasn’t meant to happen but as thing went on it played to our favour, flushing out all kinds of worried flotsam who thought that a loose cannon was free amongst them in the system and ready to denounce them at any moment. You see that crafty Governor Arron Lomas hinted to the press that prior to your release you had amassed details from all the other detainees about their issues they had uncovered. We and Gustav gave further credence to that and watched the panic and culprits popping up right left and centre.’

‘What’s going to happen to them now?’ asked Avril meekly.

‘We are going to hold a show trial with you and Ocho as key witnesses. They are going to plead ‘not guilty’ until they see the evidence then there will be a scrimmage to settle some plea bargaining to get lower sentences. That will no doubt flush out more culprits and the chains of fraud where we need to close all the loop holes.’

‘I mean what will happen to the people indicted in the trial?’

‘Oh, first of all they will be fired from their jobs. A real clean out will take place. The ones we haven’t got a solid case against will have their cards marked and will never hold down a responsible job. There will be suicides and we will end up with mental cases trying to avoid the labour camps. The Security System will be reorganised on lines where it is independent of local influence. We can’t have the security acting like secret police for a few influential people. The whole structure of society in the Cities will be altered significantly. The decision you want to hear is that we are going to close down all these secret detention centres that have sprung up, largely created to protect individuals.’

‘It sounds as if there could be thousands found guilty. What are you going to do with them all? Where are you going to put them?’

‘We are building a new city of Warsaw and they will be the workforce there. Some will go off to penal colonies like Sydney but the likes of the Barron’s are getting a bit picky with who they will accept. Most will end up doing a stint of hard labour for a number of years where they don’t have influence.’

‘Working for the Barron I got the impression some senior people were trying ingratiate themselves to him as if he would look after them in hard times.’

‘Well they will be in for a shock. I don’t think the Barron or the likes of him will honour any deals. They’ll send these people off to the volcanic mines, making building blocks rather than allowing them an easy time. There is a shortage of labour in the lower ranks and these people will fill that gap for a while. If they keep their noses clean they may end up with their own businesses and grow prosperous once again but they won’t hold down any political office. If they start up criminal gangs then we will deal with them harshly.’

‘When will all this start?’

‘I presume you’re asking about your involvement? In your case you will help the lawyers build up the cases and when the main show trial starts with test cases then you two will be involved. We want this to be quick so maybe in a month’s time you two will be in court. Once the test cases are over then the local courts will take over and you folks will be free. Now go and get some rest. It’s been quite an evening. I will be working with the Minister all night ensuring that all our plans and exact orders are adhered to. There will be lots of surprised faces greeting early morning unwanted visitors. I’ll leave you now and see you possibly in the morning. Good night.’

Sector 21

Avril and Ocho continued their discussions to the very early hours of the morning, discussing the conundrums that they had discovered. Ocho was confused and wondered who were the good guys and which were the bad in all of this? They gave each other a congratulatory hug and hoping that this was all over. Ocho finally fell asleep on a sofa and Avril found a more comfortable bed. In the morning a fresh set of steel grey clothes was provided plus a sumptuous late breakfast. At eleven a guard escorted them to the underground cab park and whizzed them off in an official cab to an office complex. There they were shown into a large apartment and told that they would be staying there, locked in for the next few days. The vend machines were well stocked and the entertainment consol was extensive.

‘Here we are incarcerated again Ocho, like old times.’

‘That’s what I was thinking but at least we know where we are. The driver didn’t try to disorientate us and we are free to do what we want. No pressure, no regimentation, no guards to stand to attention before but you’re right. We are not free.’

‘No basketball or mushroom factory for us then?’

‘I miss the basketball, haven’t played since the last time we were together.’

‘If they move us Ocho we will have to insist on a court or access to a court.’

‘I wonder who our next visitor will be?’

Mid-afternoon there was a buzz on the front door bell of the apartment and two officials came in, introduced themselves and suggested they all sit around the dining table and go over some routine questions they had for the two. They were mainly about dates, sequences and how they both had come about their information. Ocho was reluctant to identify his source but one of the officials handed over a cutting out of the Chronicle describing how a stall holder at South Station had died suffering from a long illness and had spent his last few months in hospital.

‘You can check this out Ocho. He left a letter for you addressing it to the young lad from the Chronicle. He would have been an ideal witness if he had survived and we had known what you two got up to at the time.’

‘We will be having a few more sessions like this to clarify our understanding of your findings,’ said the second fellow and continued, ‘Later today you will get a visit from an official who is responsible for housing witnesses and he will discuss your requirements. We want your stay with us to be as comfortable as possible within the security remit. You are key witnesses and are under a protection programme. We need to look after you so let us know what you need and we will do our utmost to comply. We will visit again tomorrow to continue our investigations.’

Junior Minister Halliday brought visitor who was a lady who looked after the wellbeing of witnesses.

‘Now I have some choices for you. You can stay here but it could get tedious or you could join some other people we holding in similar position to you. Minister Halliday has another suggestion which might be more appropriate for two young people like you.’

‘Yes, I don’t want to drive you two crazy being cooped up here, just the two of you with limited recreation could be a bore. Gustav suggested to me and you might just like it, the only drawback it’s to do with Security. Each month the Security department hold special training sessions for new recruits. It’s a month long and the recruits are totally isolated at a training centre. Being trained for security, they have to maintain the anonymity throughout. It’s part of the training. The other side is that they all try and breach each other’s anonymity. It’s a bit of a game. Each trainee has a separate programme designed for him but they do the physical education and socialising together so it’s a lively place with lots of facilities. You two will not be part of the training but you will be pulled out frequently for discussions with us so it will appear quite normal. The main thing is that you will be with people of your own age.’

‘Is there a basketball court there?’ asked Avril.

‘Huge gym and even a swimming pool where you can learn to swim. Water and space for swimming pools is precious in the cities so this will be an opportunity for you.’

‘Can we stay here for a while and just get our bearings?’

‘Yes Ocho, you can stay here as long as you like but I think this place with all the facilities will be better for you and it is completely secure. We’ll leave you to think about it.’

That evening they sat on the sofa watching a sitcom on the TV.

‘Ocho you’re not watching this rubbish, shall I switch off? What are you thinking about?’

‘Not a lot Avril, I’m trying to clear my mind but all kinds of hidden meanings are coming up to the things around us.’

‘What do you mean? Do you think this place they are sending us to is a prison?’

‘Sounds like it where everybody is suspicious of everybody else.’

‘I see your point but we could play basketball and I’d like to learn to swim. The holiday place has two swimming pools but all we do is splash about.’

‘Yeah and pose for the boys in your skimpy swim suits.’

‘Oh so you have noticed that we are different.’

‘Don’t forget that I worked in the medical centre and it was by the main pool. I had my telescope out of the toilet window spying on you all.’

‘You didn’t, but there were some dirty old men who wanted to touch us up. Usually got water chucked over them. Ocho I feel so lonely here. Generally I mean. I know you’re here but I get the feeling that I’m alone and fighting the world all by myself. It must have been worse for you. You were being pursued all the time. I couldn’t have coped with all that pressure. Ocho, have you got something going with someone?’

‘Well sort of. There is a girl that’s been close when I was in Sydney and we opened a business together. Have you got someone special?’

‘Not really, I’ve been having problems developing relationships with anyone since our detention. I get suspicious. There are a few lads I’ve been out with at the holiday complex but they don’t mean anything to me. You are more special, I know you had the hots for me at the detention centre.’

‘We all had the hots for you Avril. In a way, looking back we must have all looked foolish competing for your adoration. You spread your affections widely but I could have killed when every time you kissed the basket scorer on your side. You didn’t kiss me when I scored. Sorry you did once and I didn’t wash that spot for a week.’

‘Well you were a sort of teacher, you took charge and organised the games. It felt awkward to kiss you in celebration.’

‘Was that it? Now you tell me! I would have swallowed the whistle if I’d known or realised.’

‘Ocho, will you sleep with me tonight?’

‘I’d love to but you do know don’t you?’

‘Yes, they told me and I’m quite excited that we are sort of related but not in an incestuous way if you know what I mean. She was just a mother cow and who knows whose sperm and egg we come from? I suppose it’s like fertilised eggs in an incubator. I haven’t bothered finding out and I don’t care, do you?’

‘No, I don’t care. I did go and see her. Not directly but visited the place on some excuse and saw her. She was pregnant again and happy she seemed. I had no feeling for her just the knowledge that this is where it all began for me, a baby factory.’

‘So we are probably total strangers and have met in unusual circumstances. You will sleep with me won’t you? I need your strong arms about me. I hope you have been keeping up your exercises for me Mr. Ocho Sep?’  

Sector 22

    

The move to the training centre was a success and they both admitted that they should have agreed earlier. Ocho was welcomed by the trainees since he took control of the basketball and organised the games. He was the natural leader and the strongest and fittest of the men there. He led them through the various exercises and encouraged the weaker ones. Avril held her own with the men at basketball but was a natural swimmer and was in the deep end well before the stragglers. The courses were designed for each individual and their future job so often people disappeared and reappeared. It was normal for Ocho and Avril to meet up with lawyers and security men carrying out the donkey work of the investigation. The course Director had allocated two separate but adjoining rooms but handed Avril the key to the adjoining door. Their life improved especially when Ocho eventually managed to get his feet off the swimming pool floor and swim his first width. The coach by this time was teaching Avril different strokes and diving. One day Ocho was called into the Director’s office on a routine matter and found Halliday with another gentleman standing next to him.

‘Ocho, I would like you to meet Gustav,’ and he swept his arm towards the man next to him who smiled and put his hand out to shake. Ocho went hot and cold as he met his former adversary face to face. ‘His bark is far worse than his bite Ocho,’ remarked Halliday. ‘Please sit. You sit there Ocho, I’ll sit here and Gustav, you sit opposite Ocho. Now Gustav you have a request.’

‘Pleased to meet you in these more pleasant circumstances Ocho. I had to keep up a pretence and also had to apprehend you before others got to you. You gave us all the slip and improved the chase. I’m glad it’s over and you are safe. I hope that you are reasonably happy here. This is the best we could do for you. The dominoes are starting to fall and hundreds of high officials are feeling the fire. Others are worried and so they should be but you know all that. I came here firstly to meet you and I have a request to make of you. Tomorrow some of the students begin a higher computer security course. Something more complex than what you did for your finals and I’d like you to sit in on it. You might learn something but on the other hand you might be able to give us some pointers to improve the content. Our expert on computer security in the field was Charlie that you got to know. He thought you were the most advanced student he had come across. You had some ingenious ideas and tricks. By the way he has retired through supposed ill health and would like to meet you again if that’s OK?’

‘Yeah, I’d like to meet him if I may. He was a good friend and stood up for me. I must admit he had me fooled. I thought he was an old codger with a modicum nous of security. I should have realised when he showed he was a very quick learner.’  

‘A fault that he should have spotted himself but you had survival on your mind. I would be most grateful if you could sit in and just observe. Things change so quickly and people like you are inventing new bugs every day. By the way that bug you infected my system which keeps regenerating in new forms and I can’t kill it. I have had three new machines but it keeps coming back. I know how you did it but we can’t spot it. What do you say?’

‘First adage of security is trust no one and second beware of flattery.’

‘There I go falling down at the first hurdle Ocho. I should have prepared myself more carefully for this meeting with you. I would still like you to attend but you are under no obligation. Apart from hearing your comments you might just be interested in new developments.’

‘OK, I’ll give it a try but it’s not one of the classes where you have to be silent is it?’

‘No Ocho, the students can ask questions and there are no restrictions apart from a modicum of manners and respect shown to the teacher. I wouldn’t think you would have a problem there. Good that’s settled. The Director will give you a schedule and make sure you have a position free to yourself. I have one more question for you. We believe that you were somehow involved in the incident in Milan where a student was shot. We only picked up on your connection by the mayhem that evolved in communications in the Milan area that had your trademark. Were you anyway involved?’

“I’m afraid so Gustav. I was tricked by Rayner and his henchman Harry to hand a letter over to Minister Malcolm Hunter. I suspected some trickery so I set up a test with a bunch of students that went horribly wrong. It seems that I was the target and Minister Hunter wanted to get rid of my evidence against him. He was heavily involved in drawing huge sums of illegal money from a cash machine that is central to my case.’

‘We have had Hunter under close observation for some time but he is an elusive character,” added Halliday. ‘I’m glad that your evidence will seal his fate. I hoped we would have more evidence against him in this student case.’

‘I have the whole incident on video for you. Having observed it a number of times it seems that I was being set up and the trigger was the blue envelope that I had to hand to Hunter. He took it and immediately showed it to his guards who shot the student and bundled him off. I was shocked to have been involved in this. I should have published the video on the web at the time but there could have been some wriggle room for Hunter since he was a target of a previous assassination attempt.’

‘Please give us a copy of the video Ocho and we will act immediately and suspend our nasty Minister Malcolm Hunter and even place him in custody. This will also allow us to rid ourselves of the two real nasty characters of Reyner and Harry.’

‘I’m glad of that,’ answered Ocho. ‘I felt totally responsible for the death of that student.’

Next day Ocho was shown to computer position and the class of nine students started with a quick competition to unlock an imaginary lock on a safe. This was an ice breaker and most completed it successfully, then followed a series of code breaking exercises which seemed pointless since it was simply depending on selecting the correct programme. After about thirty minutes Ocho was getting restless. When the teacher set a series of exercises to spot the bugs in a number of different programmes the catch was that there was a time limit and if it wasn’t beaten the computer screen would show huge explosions. It was routine for Ocho since he had by then connected his own computer to the system and was using his own engineered routines. The girl next to him, Chance, was having a problem and he assisted by pointing out her mistakes to prevent some embarrassing eruptions on her screen. The teacher Ocho decided was boring and his confidence needed shaking up. He sent a multiplying bug to his position and suddenly the teacher jumped up as his machine started to sound alarms and closed down. Ocho wondered how he would react and how he would continue. The teacher didn’t have a clue and called a coffee break. 

‘OK you guys, some smart arse made a fool of me and quite rightly. I was complacent. I am going to send a bug out to you and I want you to kill it dead otherwise it will close down your machine. At least you know that it’s coming. OK, here goes.’ The teacher sat back smugly as his pupils checked their fire walls and set up hunting routines. Within five minutes the first student stood up and admitted defeat. Soon a second followed. Ocho prompted the girl with advice but she finally succumbed at the ten minute mark. Others dropped out at regular intervals until at twenty minutes only Ocho was left struggling to keep the bugs at bay. The students surrounded his pod and watched the screen as he tapped commands and the screen would record how many invaders had been zapped and how many were still attacking. He was sweating profusely as screen after screen popped up showing differing results, finally, at the thirty five minute mark his machine jammed up and he had lost the fight. His subroutines hadn’t been good enough even though he was using his own computer and only the key board and screen on the desk to show the results. He had destroyed fifty of his destructible and self-regenerating drives but the audience didn’t know this. The teacher clapped and the other students joined in.

‘Good show young man. We have jumped from lesson one to lesson sixteen. I think I underestimated you guys. We will have to work differently. I don’t know what the hell you were doing but you managed to keep that bug at bay for all that time. Unfortunately it’s a recent introduction and it mutates. You can’t kill it manually. You have to have another computer working faster than the brain to outwit it.’ Suddenly Ocho recognised it as a vastly improved version of his own bug. ‘I hope that’s sets an example of what we are up against. What we’ll do is to study how this bug works and the only way or at least the only tested way of killing it. We have a closed system but out there this bug will linger and once killed off may re-infect again. We don’t know how but we have to be prepared for it.’

‘Can we work in teams Sir? This seems beyond me. I could do with a second brain as back up.’

‘OK groups of three and find how to dissect the bug into strains and kill them off one by one. Work out subroutines and eventually you may succeed. It took us two months to find this method. You are at an advantage because I will be here giving out free advice.’

‘Ocho, you are a genius, your innate mischief has upset one of our greatest minds and turned him into a true teacher rather than a plodder,’ announced Halliday as he shook Ocho’s hand. ‘Gustav is pleased with you. I hope you will continue. The teacher still doesn’t know how you kept the bug at bay for over thirty minutes.’

‘Well he didn’t know I was using up some fifty machines in principle to try and tame a bug I recognised as originally mine. It was an updated version and I couldn’t work fast enough against it.’

‘I won’t let on but would you continue in there?’

‘Well let’s say that things got more interesting after that than going through boring routines.’

‘The students are all handpicked computer geeks but need some marshalling. There are some incredible brains amongst that group. Check them out and in your opinion tell us who is the brightest. You have had practical experience under extreme duress, these are just fresh kids out of college but don’t underestimate them please.’   

Ocho, Chance and Slim, the team were having a break in the vend alcove.

‘What happens when these bugs take over the whole drive? Do they continue multiplying ad infinitum or do they slow down and stop when they’ve used up all the bytes?’ mused Chance talking to no one in particular.

‘Now you are onto something Chance, come on spit it out?’ answered Slim, handing out the plastic beakers of coffee.

‘I know, you are going to fence them in, coral them until they stop multiplying,’ answered Ocho, ‘But you have to stop them mutating. Eventually a mutant will develop the ability to jump over the wall.’

‘Yeah but have you seen the film ‘The Seven Samurai?’ 

‘Brilliant Chance, you isolate the mutants then zap them. You have to zap them and get rid.’

‘Hey guys and gals come over here and hear Chance’s solution. She has solved it so down tools and come on over,’ shouted Slim who was anything but slim. As they crowded around, sat on the floor in the alcove, Slim picked up the petite Chance and sat her on the high bench. ‘OK sock it to us Chance.’

‘Right you have all seen the Samurai film?’

‘The divide and conquer one,’ shouted a voice.

‘Yeah well bear that in mind. As the bugs invade we build a stockade, a fire wall, two or three and allow the enemy to penetrate selectively. The doorman checks their identity and lets them through to be zapped, if they haven’t the right credential he takes their pulse, sends them to the back of the queue and shouts to Max in the storeroom, ‘Antidote for one with brown spots! Our army can then let more in to Zap.’

‘But they are multiplying like mad out there, faster than you can zap them Chance.’

‘So we send over some condoms for the boys and pills for the girls to slow down the generation.’

‘But they don’t have genders Chance.’

‘Shut up and listen moron, Chance is just sexying it up a bit, that’s all!’

‘But what if the guys don’t like condoms and the girls forget, then we have a resurgence.’

‘Yes but by that time we have developed a battle plan. The good Lord took advice from Darwin and suggested that for the survival of the species they don’t split evenly. That way the chromosomes get broken and you get mutants. Mutants with long legs jump over the fence so we shout to Max to make some antidote for long legs then we zap them. Max then comes up with an idea, he tells teacher to go and get the bugs to line up and split evenly so there aren’t any mutant and we can zap them all.’

‘Very neat Chance but I pretend to be dead and lie about until the battle has finished and creep up on you.’

‘Ah but we perform the ‘coup de gras’ on all, the bullet in the head jobbie.’

‘But I’m only wounded and I dig myself out of the grave and haunt you.’

‘We don’t bury them but cremate them and turn them into moon dust.’

‘Brilliant, let’s go and play some ball, we’ve cracked it.’

‘Hey Johnson it was Chance that did it. We’ll call it Chance’s Samurai Move.’

‘Hey you guys, no work out there?’

‘We’ve cracked it teach or at least Chance has done it. No point in doing anything further, some second level rookie could do the subroutines for this.’

‘Who’s going to explain your solution for me?’

‘Well let Slim do it, the rest of us are off to play some ball.’

After that most of their work was done in the cramped quarters of the vend alcove, squeezed in on the floor, using plastic beakers as props solving the problems Teacher threw at them. The brain storming managed to swat the elusive fly, hook the goldfish, woke the hibernator and many others. They then started creating their own mischievous bugs. The teacher complained that he was virtually redundant and all that the group needed was a note taker to record their creativity. Ocho enjoyed the broad based discussions which not only centred on bugs and computers. The normal range of topics arose and got thoroughly thrashed that any young intelligent group would raise in normal discussion. Ocho was sorry when the course finished after two weeks and the group disbanded. His court duties would soon begin and he watched numerous trials on film and both Avril and Ocho took part in mock trials as part of their training.

Sector 23

The trials began exactly two months after they had contacted Junior Minister Halliday with their findings. With thousands of high ranking officials being arrested and out of office throughout the cities of Europe, this was a high profile case and the proceedings were being televised live. Avril was the first witness to be questioned by the Chief Prosecutor.

‘Please tell the court your full name.’

‘Quatro Avril, but I use Avril.’

‘Birth details?’

‘Fourth of April 2310, in Sydney to a surrogate mother.’

‘Where did you reside?’

‘I lived with foster parents in the city of Oslo, completed a journalistic course after high school and became a cub journalist for the Herald.’

‘Tell the jury about the regular articles you wrote for the Herald.’

‘I was asked to write articles about the City and Pan European Lottery, interview winners, write statistical articles about the numbers, the frequency that they came up as winners and so on.’

‘Was this a regular feature and was it popular?’

‘Twice a week and it grew to about half a page in length. I had two assistants handling the mail. I believe it still running strong under ‘Avril’ though I haven’t written the articles for over two years.’

‘Now tell the jury the sequence of events that made you suspicious that all was not in order at Lottery House.’

‘I did statistical analysis of the number of times certain numbers appeared as winners which interested the readership and I also checked the times each number was chosen by the players. A statistician would expect the numbers chosen to appear evenly but for each draw there was a spike. I watched each televised programme of the draw and immediately wrote up my article for publication next day. I wrote the numbers down on my pad in sequence they were drawn by the machine and in each case the first three numbers coincided with the spike.’

‘Can you describe, to our jury, another unusual feature of the draw that puzzled you?’

‘Yes, the public wanted to know if there was a correlation between the machines or locations and the winning numbers. I listed the top ten but found that certain locations occurred too frequently to be normal in mathematical terms.’

‘And can you tell our jury the location of the most frequent winning machine.’

‘It was at Café Greco situated in the Social and Arts Foundation building which also houses the Lottery offices.’

‘Didn’t that raise your suspicions straight away?’

‘No because it is a busy venue but what did raise an eyebrow was that the winnings were all in the fifty dollar band with only a few above.’

‘How could that come about statistically?’

‘Only if you entered the three first drawn numbers correctly.’

‘So you say that someone was able to illegally enter the numbers in the draw?’

‘The drawing of numbers is long and drawn out and there is more than sufficient time to enter them if the closure of the draw is delayed by a minute or so.’

‘But the lottery is closed before the draw.’

‘That’s what the public understand but technically there are some checks and it closes a minute or so later and these numbers are the last to be input by the machine in Café Greco. The entry is computerised so the transaction only takes a split second.’

‘So you are telling me and the jury that some unscrupulous people at Café Greco are watching the television, waiting for the first three numbers and buying enormous quantities of tickets, before the machine closes down.’

‘The Café Greco staff members were not aware of this and not involved. It was done elsewhere and switched to their machine.’

‘So tell us about the quantities of tickets bought.’

‘Over two thousand tickets bought and each won a fifty dollar prize and this took place twice a week for all the lotteries. The published records reveal this if anybody cared to scrutinise them carefully.’

‘Quite a sum and who were the benefactors?’

‘The anonymous box was always marked on the tickets so it was difficult to track the winner but I found that a thousand dollar sequences of tickets were being reclaimed and that struck me as mathematically wrong. The blocks were issued to various people as far as I could determine, the same ones twice per week.’

‘So some people collected fifty thousand dollars plus each week. That’s a lot of money and how long has this been going on for?’

‘I only established that this activity was going on for three years until I was stopped.’

‘Ah yes please tell the jury what you did with your findings?’

‘I checked lotteries in Madrid, Lisbon, Manchester and Las Vegas and detected similar activities so I presented my findings to my editor who apparently took the matter higher and within an hour I was physically arrested and taken to a detention centre where I was held for two whole years.’

‘Since your release have you delved into the matter?’

‘Yes, I helped the security services to check my findings and investigate the current situation.’

‘So was this scam still continuing after your incarceration for two years?’

‘Apparently so but the perpetrators were no longer so naïve and the issue of tickets was well hidden.’

‘So how did you discover it or uncover it?’

‘We worked backwards. We followed the payment chain. Security had access to bank accounts and could put names to the participants. These people continued to receive huge sums each week so Security could easily track back and discover the hidden methods.’

‘I have a request from the defence for an adjournment. We will resume this investigation after lunch at two sharp.’ 

At two the court proceedings resumed but only for a few minutes as the Chief Prosecutor explained that the defendants had change their plea to ‘Guilty’ and the case was closed and would resume at another time for sentencing. The comments in the press and TV were that the evidence was overwhelming and produced so simply. This was followed by a public outcry with letters to the press demanding the resignation of the Government. The Government reassured the public that the perpetrators and the beneficiaries of the fraud were behind bars awaiting sentencing and a completely new organisation had been appointed to run the lottery. 

Ocho’s requirement at the next trial was brought forward by a week and he was sworn in as chief witness in what became known as the Bankers Massacre. 

‘Please give your name, date and place of birth,’ ordered the Chief Prosecutor.

‘Ocho Sep, born eighth of September 2319 in Sydney to a surrogate mother.’

‘What was your first job after college?’

‘A junior reporter on the Chronicle, writing articles on Credit Card fraud and general domestic money matters.’

‘You were a Financial Expert on the Chronicle?’

‘No I was a statistician who wrote articles on the amount of card fraud going on with simple self-help messages but I received letters requesting other financial advice and a team of experts provided the answers and I wrote them up in my style.’

‘What made you suspicious that some other things were happening?’

‘I got a tip from someone that he had evidence of large scale card fraud.’

‘I understand that this person has passed away and there is no need to keep your source secret.’

‘This person wrote me a letter giving me permission to use his name openly to follow up the case.’

‘Can you describe in your own words the events that you uncovered?’

‘I was given a tip off that a small stall holder had details of card fraud and I visited him at his kiosk on South Station, Manchester.’

‘Can you describe his operation?’

‘He operated from a small alcove off the main platform, selling papers and candy. His position was out of sight of the main platform and next to a card machine. He himself had been almost blind but had had a successful operation but continued to wear dark glasses and pretend he couldn’t see.’

‘Why was that, can you explain?’

‘He wouldn’t be able to recognise anybody and he was also a showman. When customers requested cards he would shuffle them, fan them out and let his customer choose a card, that way the numbers were out of sequence and couldn’t be easily traced back to that customer.’

‘What were the cards used for?’

‘They were blank cash cards and the customers would take a blank and top up an amount on it at the cash machine from their normal credit card since it was an anonymous transaction. That is there was no record of the transfer on the Card other than the cash. People use them freely for small amounts and there is no record going back to their bank account. Once the card is spent it’s generally thrown away. Kids usually pick them up for the remaining cents still on them.’

‘That’s all normal so why all the drama?’

‘The stall holder consumed hundreds of cards, vastly more than normal and suspected that it was more than just his showmanship. One customer bought goods with his credit card rather than cash card and the stall holder saw and remembered his pin. The customer then absentmindedly left his card behind on the stall counter. The stall holder subsequently used the card on several occasions for small amounts expecting the transactions to be blocked but they weren’t and he continued to use it for larger amounts.’

‘Continue please.’

‘He suspected that these customers were coming to him expressly that he was blind and couldn’t identify them. They also liked the anonymity of receiving a blank card that couldn’t be traced to them. These cash cards couldn’t be linked back to the original card so when the customer transferred monies from his credit to his cash card, the transaction couldn’t be traced. The stall holder was a sort of amateur magician and could remember the sequence of the cards he proffered up, not that this identified the perpetrators until a well-known Minister became a good customer. This raised suspicion.’

‘Why didn’t he report this to the authorities straight away?’

‘Firstly he had no real evidence and secondly he was helping himself to monies from the lost credit card. That’s why he contacted me having followed my column in the paper.’

‘Let me be clear, the stall holder, how did he make his living? He couldn’t charge for the blanks so why would he be providing them so prolifically.’

‘Part of the service, and the recipients were obliged to purchase something small as a sort of tip.’

‘So how were you able to amass all this evidence with photos, numbers and names plus amounts?’

‘Between us we installed a second machine directly behind the first; a skimmer.’

‘Why was that and where did you obtain such a machine?’

‘The original machine in the wall was an old one without video record and identity scanner. That’s why the perpetrators used this particular machine. I bought an updated one from a recycle yard. It was defunct and I wanted it as a decoration for my hostel pod I told the man.’

‘Carry on please.’

‘We set the machine frontage, behind the first and also installed a camera and identity check. The cards passed through two readers and the whole transaction was recorded including the picture of the card holder. We also recorded their identity number held on their watch. Since these were prominent people it was easy enough to put names to the images.’ 

“How many people did you identify?”

“Well over five hundred but we only did this for a short time so I can’t tell you the total number of these false cards in circulation with no banking account to support the transaction.”

“Wouldn’t somebody at the bank suspect this great loss?”

“There had seemed to be some self-regulation as to how much was taken at any one time. The numbers ranged from two to five hundred dollars and the people we checked only came once a week. They may have been using others in different locations.”   

‘Thank you and I presume this ‘skimmer machine’ as you called it has been disassembled?’

‘I wouldn’t know that. As soon as I presented my preliminary findings to my superior I was carted off to a detention centre.’

‘Why was that?’

‘I suspect it was to suppress my evidence and give the perpetrators time to cover their tracks.’

‘What happened on your release? Can you describe to the jury the sequence of events?’   

‘For some reason I was released earlier than expected. Security, I discovered, found me a job so that they could monitor me. They didn’t know, at that time, how much I knew or the details. This didn’t appear on my preliminary report and my computer data were deleted by a colleague but a copy kept. I disappeared and security had been after me for some months. I handed my preliminary findings to an ombudsman but I was compromised by security but manage to evade them. I subsequently managed to contact the Junior Minister in that office and they took up the case.’

‘Thank you, you may stand down. I’m calling an adjournment and we will resume in one hour.’

Again the plaintiff changed his plea to ‘Guilty’ and the proceedings ended, awaiting the sentencing. Ocho and Avril met up with Minister Strandfeld, his assistant Halliday and Gustav in a guarded room in the court house.

‘Well done you two. We feel a bit cheated that the trial didn’t go on for longer. All the plaintiffs were encouraged to change their plea by their Defence Council to get much lighter sentences. You two should be pleased with yourselves. You presented the evidence so simply. The media lapped it up and have published it in most cases word for word.’

‘Is our role officially over now Minister Strandfeld?’ asked Avril.

‘It is but we have to minimise your appearance to the press. Maybe one interview for each and then we set you free.’

‘Well not completely free until we are sure that there won’t be any vengeful attacks on you,’ answered Halliday.

‘Well in the case of Avril, she is in a safe area and since she has some sort of affinity with a certain swimming instructor at our establishment then she is in safe hands,’ said Gustav. ‘Now you are the problem one Ocho. You have developed too many enemies and you need protection. I propose that you join the service but that is probably unpalatable to you and I can understand.’

‘I’d simply like to disappear again in Sydney as the Dispatcher and continue my life there.’

‘That can be arranged as long as I can place a few of my security people in your business to protect and watch over you. You are a too valuable asset at this moment and we need you to finish the development of your new holographic computer that regenerates itself. Never goes wrong.’

‘I’m not sure that I would like the protection all the time. I don’t think Barron and his likes would be too pleased to have Government security residing openly in Sydney. They would probably fix that problem by eliminating me.’

‘OK but hire your own security, your own minders, that’s what successful people do in Sydney. Now compensation will obviously rear up and you will have to accept some as well as an official apology.’

‘But we said that we didn’t want any,’ said Avril.

‘True but you must accept some to cover for loss of earnings, loss of advancement and loss of freedom. The public would expect the Government to be fined for its lack of good housekeeping. We will also reimburse you both all the social points you have lost during your stay with us and in the detention centre, though I do notice Ocho that you are still in credit.’

‘Ocho, you will have to give up the practise of printing money. The compensation you will be awarded should be enough for you to invest in the business. I know it’s silly of me to ask you to delete the programme because I know you could reconstruct it but make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. I still have the cash card you sent to rile me for ten million dollars. I’m not going to ask for the key code.’

‘Ocho, Avril, say your goodbyes to the Minister and Gustav. I will ensure you get back safely to your chosen locations once we are sure that you won’t be needed at the courts.’ 

                                KONIEC