The ring of glass and steel around Bristol served the same purpose as that around each of the cardinal cities. Hidden behind the AV glass, restored to its opaque state, software Sofi navigated through a separate gate reserved for military and maintenance use. Negotiating the maze of guideways, she avoided the agribots as they swarmed amongst the vegetation tending their green charges. A coded service door brought them out onto the street where they abandoned the AV and hailed a taxi for the hyperlink station at Temple Meads.
Helix ordered the taxi to stop at the bottom of the station approach, knowing camera surveillance would be clustered around the bottle neck of the station entrance. Using one of his stolen identities he pressed his fingertip to the payment terminal and joined Wheeler and Sofi on the pavement amongst the other passengers and holo-ads.
‘Remember, hats down, collars up, eyes towards the—’ He flinched towards the sound of approaching sirens. ‘Shit! What’s that all about?’ Assessing the threat, he counted three ambulances and two police AVs speeding towards the imposing mock-Tudor station entrance.
‘An incident inside the station,’ Sofi reported. ‘They’re not for us.’
Not taking any chances, Helix ushered them through a metal gate into an alleyway. ‘Move your arse, Wheeler, for fuck’s—’
‘Justin. What’s wrong,’ Sofi said catching his arm as he stumbled.
They’d both grown tired of Wheeler’s constant prodding at his neck but the egg-shaped protuberances now bulging from the sides of his throat were difficult to ignore. He slumped to the ground, his eyes rolling back.
‘What the hell’s going on, Sofi?’ Helix said.
‘It’s the dog collar,’ she replied. ‘I can’t access it.’
Helix loosened Wheeler’s tie and gave him a slap. Wheeler coughed and retched.
‘They’ve taken it down,’ Sofi said. ‘The entire system. The devices are trying to handshake with the server but it’s not responding.’
‘I thought these things had better resilience and backups. Does it detonate after a number of failed attempts to establish a connection?’ Helix asked, poking his fingers into Wheeler’s neck.
‘They do, unless someone wants to take the whole thing offline for a reason.’
‘The swelling’s reducing.’ He gave Wheeler another slap. ‘He’s coming round.’ Pulling him to his feet, he handed him his hat.
Wheeler blinked, pressing his fingers to his neck. ‘They’re gone,’ he said, checking both sides. ‘I thought—’
‘Stop thinking and start walking,’ Helix said, ducking through the gate. ‘Ormandy’s taken the system offline. I can still put a bullet in you though, so don’t get too comfortable.’ He checked over his shoulder to make sure Sofi was following. ‘On the plus side, it creates a diversion for us.’ Stepping through the main entrance, he counted three clusters of concerned onlookers, police and paramedics, helping others to their feet on the busy concourse. Fingers were pressed to necks, nods of reassurance administered. ‘You’re obviously not the only one getting a stay of execution,’ he muttered to Wheeler as he scanned them through the gate to the London platform.
‘I don’t understand,’ Wheeler said. ‘How could they be inside the city?’
‘The tags are configured according to the gravity of the misdemeanour. The punishment for breaking parole rules or curfew is the same as entering the city when you’re not welcome. Now, move it,’ he said, shoving Wheeler forward.
29
20 Hours
Helix loitered at the threshold of the red and silver hyperlink pod until the door closing signal sounded. His presence had discouraged anyone from attempting to fill the fourth seat for the fifteen minute journey to Paddington. With the pod sealed in an unlit vacuum there were no windows because there was nothing to see. Motion was minimal save the gentle but relentless acceleration as the bullet-shaped pod reached its cruising speed of 400 miles-per-hour. Three minutes out, the gentle pressure of the seatbelts as the pod decelerated heralded their arrival in London.
Helix squeezed Sofi’s hand causing the AI to open her eyes. The gentle kiss she’d given him before pretending to nap had caused an eruption of winks from Wheeler’s eye whereupon he’d titled his hat over his eyes and pretended not to notice. Sofi had passed the time analysing data and monitoring communications, streaming her thoughts to Helix. The net was quiet, Ormandy was playing ball.
The lift deposited them on the arrivals concourse that offered two levels of shops, dining and other ways to waste money and time. Artificial sunlight streamed from the roof, casting dappled shadows through the synthetic sub-tropical foliage. Colourful birds flitted between branches too high to tell if they were real or holographic.
Helix paused, scanned around and nodded to Sofi. ‘We need to collect some things from the left luggage and get out of here,’ he said, slipping his sunglasses from the top of his head. ‘You don’t see police or security at terminals unless they’re looking for somebody. Looks like we’re OK. For now.’
‘Justin Wheeler?’ a man’s voice said from behind them.
Helix turned around, putting himself between Wheeler and the holo-ad. ‘I told you to keep your eyes down.’ The hologram of a nameless celebrity who was no doubt getting a hefty kickback, shimmered and pixilated as Helix brushed it aside. ‘Unsubscribe and forget,’ he ordered, unsure if the latter part would be enough to stop any flags being raised. He grabbed Wheeler by the arm and dragged him towards a bank of luggage lockers.
‘Eyes right,’ Sofi said.
Helix glanced over his shoulder. ‘Bollocks.’ Two police officers stomped their feet as they stepped in through a side entrance and out of the rain. It was too soon to be anything other than a coincidence. Or was it? ‘Keep an eye on them,’ Helix said, ushering Wheeler into a cul-de-sac between two rows of lockers. At the end of the row, he pressed his thumb on a small panel. The door released with a click and a pair of
