After parting ways with Gayle, Pawn gave in to his urge to check out the Java Script caf . From the moment he walked through the front door, he was amazed. It was like no coffee shop he had ever seen. Techno music throbbed gently in the background and the sleek, black, modern design of all the furnishings made the place somehow dark and sinister, but at the same time inviting.

The trendy feel of the place was interesting, but the two kiosks really grabbed his attention. Lined up along the counter, they resembled the selfcheckout systems he had seen in the grocery store, but more advanced.

Instead of heading right to the counter, he turned and surveyed a seating area furnished with low, black coffee tables and overstuffed, black leather chairs. One chair angled towards the counter, but its back faced an open window. Another chair back faced the wall, but it had open chairs directly next to it. That meant someone could sit next to him and start up a conversation, which was definitely no good. It took him almost a full minute to decide on a chair that's back faced the wall, angled towards the counter, had coffee tables on either side, was nestled in a corner, and still allowed a clear path to the front door. Pawn settled into his new favorite chair and just watched.

Although he rarely noticed things like security cameras, he counted twelve of them. He mentally calculated...