So, this is how Zoe elbowed her way into our story.

It was sometime in October in 2039. This being New York in October, it was hardly surprising that the rain was especially obnoxious in its state of downpour. Henceforth, I found myself in a large-ish computer cafe’ on the corner of…um…some street or other.

A computer cafe’ in 2039 isn’t very much different from a computer cafe’ in whatever year you’re reading this in before ‘39, so don’t worry about a paradox being caused or anything.

[OK, I’m being told by Zoe to stop rambling on and get to the point – the point being her. (Clearly, she’s not a stickler for detail.)]

So, after buying a cup of hot chocolate ($7.23 is fraudulent!), I plopped myself in front of one of the semi-see-through holoscreens (another Apple innovation, of course) and started perusing the details (for which I am a stickler) of the first ever murder to occur on the moon.

And then this strange, red-haired girl wearing a leather jacket sat herself next to me…