The Great Game

If you’re new to the Great Game, please have a quick look at the blurb to your left, where you’ll find a short catch-up introduction.

“Control, can you please verify the presence of an alleyway on the west side of Devonshire for me, 10 yards closer to the 8th Avenue junction?”

The pause this time was unmistakable. Eventually, she said “Very well, Lieutenant.” There was another pause, and then, “Unable to verify that, Lieutenant. Location you describe is on record as the area headquarters of Associated Banking Group.”

…

The connection closed. I glared at the banking group’s office for several seconds. Nothing changed.

I swore bitterly, and seriously considered the possibility that I was actually going insane. Control was obviously satisfied that the street was as it should be. Were my memories of last night false? But Mortimer and a bunch of other officers were missing, and the woman at Cadogan Place was clearly concerned. Clear evidence that both my memory and current perception were valid.

Provided that I wasn’t imagining either of the calls, of course.

Still, it was better than nothing. I closed the pod door, and told it to take me back to Travis’s offices as swiftly as possible. Then I shut my eyes again, telling myself that I was just tired, and not scared of discovering the city was suddenly a strange place.

When I got back to the office, I made a beeline for my desk. I thought I heard Travis call out from across the room, but I ignored him. As soon as I got to my desk, I sat down and called up Overlook footage for the area I’d just been in. It took me a couple of tries to get a feed with a good viewpoint of the ABG building, but once I had it, I set the image running backwards at high speed. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Travis bearing down.

It took about ten seconds to spool back through the day and into the night before. Midnight. 11pm.

“Taylor,” Travis said irritably.

9pm. I flinched, and paused the feed. “What do you see there?”

“What? I…”

“On the Overlook feed, sir. What do you see?” I didn’t know what I wanted him to reply.

“It appears to be an utterly disinteresting office building.”

I sagged. “Yes. That’s from 9pm last night, just a few minutes before I met up with the crowd of Cadogan Place officers there, and picked up that finger.”

He frowned. “I thought you said that happened in an alley.”

“Yes,” I said. “With a gyros shack on one side and a cheap electronics store on the other. Right about… there.” I pointed to one of the windows. I looked up at Travis. He looked surprisingly haggard.

“You’re saying someone has tampered with Overlook?”

“According to Control, that office building has been there for four years. I can believe it, looking at the external weathering.”

“So what are you saying, man? I don’t have time for fucking games.”

“Control verified that my pod was at that spot last night, whilst I was meeting with the Cadogan Place boys. It’s the right place. Half of the Cadogan Place officers are missing today, including the guy I spoke to last night. His home is empty, too.”

“Christ on a bloody stick.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“No offence old chap,” said Travis, “but I want to get all of this verified. Control sent through a B-notice on you a few minutes ago. Why don’t you go and let the headhunters give you the once over whilst someone pieces your recent movements together. You know where medical is.”

 Loading ...

Today’s photo is Surveillance by Takoma Bibelot