Chapter 6

           `Youwantyouaparadise,’theFlatlineadvised,whenCasehadexplainedhissituation.`CheckCopenhagen,fringesoftheuniversitysection.’Thevoicerecitedcoordinatesashepunched.

           Theyfoundtheirparadise,a`pirate’sparadise,’onthejumbledborderofalow-securityacademicgrid.Atfirstglanceitresembledthekindofgraffitistudentoperatorssometimesleftatthejunctionsofgridlines,faintglyphsofcoloredlightthatshimmeredagainsttheconfusedoutlinesofadozenartsfaculties.

           `There,’saidtheFlatline,`theblueone.Makeitout?That’sanentrycodeforBellEuropa.Fresh,too.Bell’llgetinheresoonandreadthewholedamnboard,changeanycodestheyfindposted.Kids’llstealthenewonestomorrow.’

           CasetappedhiswayintoBellEuropaandswitchedtoastandardphonecode.WiththeFlatline’shelp,heconnectedwiththeLondondatabasethatMollyclaimedwasArmitage’s.

           `Here,’saidthevoice,`I’lldoitforyou.’TheFlatlinebegantochantaseriesofdigits,Casekeyingthemonhisdeck,tryingtocatchthepausestheconstructusedtoindicatetiming.Ittookthreetries.

           `Bigdeal,’saidtheFlatline.`Noiceatall.’

           `Scanthisshit,’CasetoldtheHosaka.`Siftforowner’spersonalhistory.’

           Theneuroelectronicscrawlsoftheparadisevanished,replacedbyasimplelozengeofwhitelight.