Red Eye - 02 by James Lovegrove

packaging, all of it suggesting relatively recent human habitation. No Sunless detritus yet.
    Then he spotted bones. A jumble of small white skeletons, rodents and mammals, strewn by the trackside.
    A good sign.
    There were more piles of bones further on, and then Redlaw and Tina came to an area where three sets of tracks converged. At least one of them was still in use, judging by the service lights affixed to pillars alongside it at infrequent intervals.
    “Turn off the torch,” he said to Tina. “We can manage without it for now, and those things eat batteries.”
    She did as told, slipping the flashlight into the rucksack she was carrying. At the same time, she produced a camcorder and thumbed its power button on.
    “What’s that?” Redlaw demanded.
    “Duh! What does it look like?”
    “I know what it is. I mean what are you doing with it?”
    “I’m going to start videoing.”
    “Videoing what?”
    “You, stupid. The great John Redlaw, on the case.”
    “Give it to me.”
    He made a grab for the camcorder. Tina was too quick for him, stepping aside and pulling it back so that his fingers just missed.
    “What the fuck are you on?” she yelled. “What’s up with you?”
    “You can’t record this.”
    “And why not?”
    “Because I say so.”
    Her laughter was scornful. “You need to give me a better reason than that.”
    “Because I’d prefer you not to.”
    “Same difference. Uh-uh. Don’t you dare.” Redlaw had braced himself to make another lunge for the camcorder. “Try that again and I’ll kick you in the balls. I know self-defence, too. Hapkido moves. I can have you on the floor with a thumb lock, crying like a baby.”
    “If you believe that’ll happen, you’re sorely mistaken,” said Redlaw. He took a deep breath. “Tina, please put the camera away. I can’t be in any footage you shoot. I just can’t.”
    “Well, tough, because you’re a story, my story, and I’m getting you down on disk whether you like it or not.”
    “For what purpose?”
    “To show the world what you’re doing.”
    “I really don’t want the world to know what I’m doing,” said Redlaw. “Couldn’t we have discussed this beforehand? You never even asked my permission.”
    “Would you have given it?”
    “No.”
    “That’s why I didn’t ask for it,” said Tina. “What’s with the camera-shyness anyway? You’re not that bad-looking, if that’s what you’re worried about. For an old guy, I mean. You’re in okay shape. Still got most of your hair. Your eyes are pretty scary, but apart from that...”
    “For one thing, it’ll be distracting having you pointing a camera at me the whole time. For another, I like to maintain a low profile. I’m... I’m not in this for publicity.”
    “And that’s it? Nothing else? No other justification?”
    “Absolutely none.”
    He could see she was sceptical. She knew she wasn’t getting the whole truth. How could he tell her that the last thing he needed was SHADE finding out where he was? Khalid would have search bots scanning the cybersphere for the slightest mention of his name.
    “Well,” she said, “then we have ourselves a problem, Mr Redlaw. ’Cause I only took you down here on the understanding that I could film you at work.”
    “An understanding you never actually voiced.”
    “I thought it was obvious.”
    “It was not.”
    “You saw me pack my camera as we were leaving the apartment.”
    “No, I didn’t.”
    “You should have been watching more carefully, then,” she said. “It’s not my fault you weren’t paying attention.”
    Aggravating little...
    Redlaw reined in his temper. “Tell me,” he said, “what are you planning on doing with whatever you film here? Upload it onto the internet, presumably.”
    “Hey, check out grandpa, all hip with the modern computer jive! Yeah, I’d edit it down, post teaser clips on Facebook and wherever. YouTube, of course. Various other places, all linking back to me. I’ve got my