“AB four-four-one, any time you like.”

The message had been waiting for me when I reached the office, floating serenely in holographic splendour over the desk. I sat, in my chair, and re-read it for quite some time. I checked; the terminal was offline. No signal was being sent to the holographic projector. After three resets the message still cast its dim light upon the room – I sensed this would not be a battle I could win.

The sentry at the entrance to corridor 441 barely had time to raise a hand before I blew past him, leaving him blinking in the wake of my ultahigh security holo. Both my guards strode in lock-step just a single pace behind me, weapons at the ready.

Door AB was one much like any other, a reinforced security door with electronic unlocking and atmospheric seals, studded with bolts and printed with man-sized letters showing its location.

Then he melted out of the shadows and beckoned me in.