We proceeded down several flights, finally arriving on the main floor. Patrick glanced out the small safety-glass window in the door. “Shit, there’s someone out there, looks like a civilian, with a suitcase-like object in one hand.”

“So we have either a Lorann or a collaborator.” I glanced around. “Stairs continue down to parking levels. Should we take the chance?”

Patrick nodded. “Anywhere else is safer than near that detector. I just hope they don’t have more than one.”

We hurried down the stairs to the first parking level. Again, Patrick glanced through the small window. “Nothing.” He opened the door and we stepped through.

I glanced around. “We could just turn invisible and go out the parking ramp.”

“That sounds too easy,” he said, “but let’s at least check it out.” He reached down to his belt and disappeared.

I copied the action and subvocalized, “Heading for the ramp now.”

“Stop running, doofus. You’re making too much noise.”

I slowed to a walk, and felt myself brush up against something. I grabbed a handful of invisible shirt sleeve. “This doesn’t mean we’re dating,” I muttered.

There was a soft snort from empty air.

We arrived at the parking lot exit in less than a minute, to find two problems. One, the exit was gated, and two, a couple of cops stood on the other side of the gate, presumably watching for anyone trying to leave. If we activated the gate, the cops would be on alert, and might even know enough to be watching for invisible fugitives, if that statement even made sense.

I was about to suggest we head back, when a van, with the logo of a computer-support company on its side, drove up to the gate and over the rubber sensor hose. The gate began rising and the two cops drew their weapons and took up positions to block the vehicle. The driver rolled down his window and began yelling at them.

As the cops settled into a loud exchange with the van driver, I felt Patrick tug me to the side, and we made our way up the ramp to street level. I glanced back several times to make sure the van hadn’t started up the ramp. It would probably get at least one of us in the narrow space. But the driver and the two cops continued to exchange threats and insults.

We reached the sidewalk and the normal downtown foot traffic. I subvocalized, “Sheldon, give us random businessman appearance.” A pedestrian jumped in surprise as the two men apparently appeared out of nowhere, but I hoped the normal human reaction to rationalize it away would kick in.

We began walking along the sidewalk with the heaviest traffic flow. I subvocalized, “Sheldon, change our appearance a little bit every few seconds. Nothing big, we just want to gradually look like someone else. Just enough to confuse any kind of camera-by-camera tracking.”