Acrylic holstered the still-smoking gun in a fluid movement. “There is no one around,” he noted, “but there are several units in the near vicinity who will be here in a few moments.” He wrinkled his brow. “Ah. Well, I have turned the cameras off. Now, my dear, we must hurry.”

“Why can’t you just shut down the traffic lights and everything?” I asked.

“You can’t do everything at once,” Acrylic said. “At least, not yet. A few low-level hacks here and there, yes, but at this stage, mass cracks would be catastrophic.” He gestured towards the wall. “Won’t you come in?”

“It’s a brick wall,” I protested.

“No problem,” he replied. “I’ll just ask the doorman to let us in.” He moved to the wall and tapped his knuckle on a brick about shoulder-height up. “Hello, Rudy,” he intoned.

Instantly, eyes opened on two bricks.

“Rudy,” Acrylic said, “meet Elsha. Elsha, Rudy.”

“Enchanté,” the brick being said. He shifted, the bricks hinging down, and revealed a gap in the wall.

“Down the rabbit hole,” Acrylic chuckled.