The City & the City - China Mieville [128]
“What? Where?”
“Copula Hall. The only militsya who weren’t sent onto the streets were the border guards. They recognised his photos. Been there for hours, they told me, must’ve headed there as soon as it all kicked off. He was inside the hall earlier, with everyone else who got trapped when it locked down. But listen.”
“What’s he doing?”
“Just waiting.”
“Have they got him?”
“Tyad, listen. They can’t. There’s a problem.”
“What’s going on?”
“They … They don’t think he’s in Ul Qoma.”
“He crossed? We need to talk to Besźel border patrol then—”
“No, listen. They can’t tell where he is.”
“… What? What? What the hell’s he doing?”
“He’s just… He’s been standing there, just outside the entrance, in full view, and then when he saw them moving towards him he started walking … but the way he’s moving … the clothes he’s wearing … they can’t tell whether he’s in Ul Qoma or Besźel.”
“Just check if he passed through before it closed.”
“Tyad, it’s fucking chaos here. No one’s been keeping track of the paperwork or the computer or whatever, so we don’t know if he did or not.”
“You have to get them to—”
“Tyad, listen to me. It was all I could do to get that out of them. They’re fucking terrified that even seeing him and saying that’s breach, and they’re not fucking wrong because you know what? It might be. Tonight of all nights. Breach are all over the place; there was just a fucking closure, Tyad. The last thing anyone’s going to do is risk breaching. That’s the last information you’re going to get unless Bowden moves so they can tell he’s definitely in Ul Qoma.”
“Where is he now?”
“How can I know? They won’t risk watching him. All they’d say was that he started walking. Just walking, but so no one can tell where he is.”
“No one’s stopping him?”
“They don’t even know if they can see him. But he’s not breaching either. They just… can’t tell.” Pause. “Tyad?”
“Jesus Christ, of course. He’s been waiting for someone to notice him.”
I sped the car towards Copula Hall. It was several miles away. I swore.
“What? Tyad, what?”
“This is what he wants. You said it yourself, Dhatt; he’ll be turned back from the border by the guard of whichever city he’s in. Which is?”
There were seconds of silence. “Fuck me,” Dhatt said. In that uncertain state, no one would stop Bowden. No one could.
“Where are you? How close are you to Copula Hall?”
“I can be there in ten minutes, but—”
But he would not stop Bowden either. Agonised as Dhatt was, he would not risk Breach by seeing a man who might not be in his city. I wanted to tell him not to be concerned, I wanted to beg him, but could I tell him he was wrong? I did not know he would not be watched. Could I say he was safe?
“Would the militsya arrest him on your say-so if he was definitely in Ul Qoma?”
“Sure, but they won’t follow him if they can’t risk seeing him.”
“Then you go. Dhatt, please. Listen. Nothing’s stopping you just going for a walk, right? Just going out there to Copula Hall and going wherever you want, and if it happens that someone who happens to be always in your vicinity tips a hand and turns out to be in Ul Qoma, then you could arrest him, right?” No one had to admit a thing, even to themselves. So long as there was no interaction while Bowden was unclear, there would be plausible deniability. “Please, Dhatt.”
“Alright. But listen, if I’m going for a fucking walk and someone in my maybe-grosstopic proximity does not turn out for certain into Ul Qoma, then I can’t arrest him.”
“Hold on. You’re right.” I could not ask him to risk breaching. And Bowden might have crossed and be Besźel, in which case Dhatt was powerless. “Okay. Go for your walk. Let me know when you’re at Copula Hall. I have to make another call.”
I disconnected and dialled another number, also without an international code, though it was in another country. Despite the hour the phone was answered almost immediately, and the voice that answered was alert.
“Corwi,” I said.
“Boss? Jesus, boss, where are you? What’s happening? Are you okay? What’s going on?”
“Corwi. I’ll tell you everything,