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barricades looked higher than Carter remembered. A clutch of scrawny birds hovered on the other side before vanishing into the whiteness. Then, with a sharp click that made his neck snap back to watch, the doors of the Transporter pulled shut and the empty carriages darted back along the invisible track towards the sealed underground tunnel.
    â€˜They’re a wonder, those things,’ said a man who’d stepped off the Transporter just before him. He was older, somewhere near to twenty. He gestured towards the Transporter, the last of its carriages quickly being gobbled by the hole of the tunnel. It slipped into the darkness without a sound. The opening where the tunnel had been snapped shut.
    â€˜They’ve come a long way since I was last on one,’ he said. ‘They’d only just been invented then. Dirty, smelly things they were. Can you believe they can go above ground? And no drivers, it’s all mechanical magnets. Isn’t it amazing?’
    Carter nodded and looked up at the sky without replying. The space where the tunnel had been was gone, replaced by a skein of black trophene that covered the hole in the bank on top of which was the Barricade and beyond it, out of sight, the Black River. The spitting rain pinpricked his face and, as he opened and closed his eyes, he could feel the coolness underneath his eyelids. The ground felt refreshingly soft. Gradually the majority of the crowd that had disembarked began to peel off into groups and walk the rest of the way, but the man was still there, limpet-like at his side.
    â€˜My name is Osian,’ he said. ‘Osian Woolcroft. I’m old Academy as you’ve probably guessed. There’s a lot of us been brought back—did you notice? A lot of us from the Gilbert Pinkerton Era. Are you Pinkerton? No, you look a little later than that—I’ll bet you don’t even remember when Pinkerton was Controller General, do you?’ Carter shook his head. Gilbert Pinkerton was his parents’ era—a strong but fair, rule-driven Controller General who had given the Community some great stability. It had been expected that Professor Mendoza would have continued in Pinkerton’s footsteps in the following election until she was beaten by Alderney in the final selections. Carter remembered his father’s disappointment at the results announcement.
    â€˜I guess they’re preparing for the new Controller General,’ said Carter, ‘bringing in a supportive crowd.’
    â€˜I dare say,’ said Osian, his eyes searching Carter’s. ‘In fact, I think it’s going to be a young woman I met earlier. Elizabet she said her name was. Very confident.’
    â€˜Possibly,’ said Carter. ‘I’m sure we’ll find out in a few days’ time.’
    â€˜I’m sure we will,’ said Osian. ‘I’m sure we will.’ A layer of mist floated over the top of the Barricade and dispersed amongst the metal. The silence was almost awkward.
    â€˜Well, it was nice to meet you,’ said Carter. ‘Have a great return.’
    As he waited for Osian to leave, a light pattering of rain hit the leaves at the side of the trackway.
    â€˜Let’s go, let’s go,’ said Osian, looking up at the sky. ‘If we leave now, we’ll make it before the downpour starts. Who knows, it might even be a big one?’ The last of the stragglers swiped their cards at the FreeScreen terminals in the shelter and then started off down the track.
    â€˜I’ll wait for a while,’ said Carter, watching them blend shapeless into the darkness. ‘I want to clear my head.’
    â€˜You don’t want to be alone on your first walk back,’ said Osian. ‘You heard what they said about the dizziness and the blackouts. Come on, we’ll all go together. Rules are rules.’ He waved at the last group who were about to leave and gestured for them to wait. Carter shook his