Citizens

– …it was 2 AM in the morning and I’m there freezing my ass off.
— 2 AM?
– Yeah but he’s out there anyway, two jackets, toasty warm.
— Wait, where was this again?
– Kyoto.
— Oh wow. How was it?
– Nice, it was nice. It was real good. Cold.
— Yeah?
– It was very cold.
— Hey.
– Hi. — Hey.
— What’d I miss?
– Nothing, we’re cooling our heels.
— Really? …Strange.
— Strange why?
— The letter said 10 o’clock.
– What?? — What letter?
— … You didn’t get a letter?
– I got a text on my cell.
— Your cell?
— Courier.
Pause
— A courier came with a verbal message.
Pause
— Be at the Central Exchange at 10 PM, no equipment necessary.
— What do you mean equipment?
– She’s Spec Ops now.
Pause
— Jesus. And I thought I was the only civilian left.
– You are the only civilian left.
— It’s not like things are much different, just that now I have a CO.
— Too rigid for me. Still, you’re a case-study for cross-over.
— I just had a thought.
– What?
— All this jargon about Exchanges and Cross-over.
Pause
— Well, they won’t really get it.
– Who?
— Them. The readers.
– What readers?
— This is for the diary?
— Yeah.
– What diary?
— Which makes me think – exactly where does this exchange go?
— Don’t know, I’ve never been to the other side, only the Corridors.
– What are you talking about, I came from the other side of Central.
— What? — What?
– Yeah. It’s a beach down there. Nice place, a few houses.
— Um, so how did you get through?
– Surfing.
— Surfing?
– Yeah. Surfing.
— …How does that work… the waves were the corridors?
– I don’t know where the corridors were, it’s hard to explain.
— Did you come through by choice?
– …Yeah, I think so. I mean, I don’t mind being here, in the city, it’s great.
Pause
Silence
— I have a suspicion that tonight’s about Layered Constructs.
— I thought that was all theory.
– Strictly speaking, if the construct wants it, it becomes reality… Constructurally speaking of-course.
Pause
— You have a host on the other side?
– Yeah.
— Who?
– Guy named Jodi.