Ramone jogged through the entrance doors, with Anne-Marie close behind.
“There’s a game on at the stadium this evening,” Pascal said over their headsets, “That’s why it’s so busy.”
Fans were milling around, hundreds of them, with blue-and-white scarves wrapped around their necks.  Some were raucous, swigging cans of lager.  Others were guarded, holding small children close to them.
Ramone scanned the building with his eyes.
Brendan’s voice spoke over the coms: “Guys, Tom and Dick have separated.  Dick has gone into a corner-shop.  Tom has carried on, towards the train station.”
“Stay on Dick, Brendan,” Pascal said.
“You sure?”
“Yes.  Positive.  We don’t have to worry about Tom.”
“Ok...” Brendan said.
Anne-Marie’s eyes darted around the station.  It was bedlam.  People everywhere... kids running, mothers shouting, security staff looking alert and serious in blue uniforms.
“Dick is out of the shop,” Brendan said, “He’s heading up the road.”
“I see him,” Pascal said.
“I see Harri!” Ramone said.  He spoke quickly and quietly.
“She’s about to come through the turnstiles,” Anne-Marie added.
“The timing looks perfect.” Pascal said, “Harri will leave the station and walk past the taxi rank.  Dick is going to reach the top of the street at the same time as her.  That must be where it happens... in ninety seconds.”
“She’s still queuing at the turnstiles,” Ramone said.
“Follow her, when she leaves the station,” Pascal said, “Brendan, stay on Dick.”
Ramone and Anne-Marie drifted closer to the turnstiles.  Impatient passengers heaved and shoved their way through the crowds.  Security guards shouted instruction, trying to keep order.
Harri’s progress was slow and stinted.
“She’s still waiting at the turnstiles,” Ramone said, “The guy in front of her can’t get his ticket to go through the machine.”
“Dick is near the top of the street,” Brendan said, “How long now, Pascal.”
“Sixty seconds.”
A note of doubt had crept into Pascal’s voice.
“There’s no way she’ll get through this crowd in the next sixty seconds.”  Anne-Marie said.
A security guard glanced at her, wondering who exactly she was talking to.  She met his eyes briefly, then looked away.
Ramone spun around, surveying the busy station.  “I see Tom!” he said, speaking in an urgent but hushed voice, “He’s just come in through the main entrance, pulling his dog along behind him.”
Anne-Marie and Ramone had got separated in the crowd, each drifting to a different side of the turnstiles, ready to latch on to Harri.
“Thirty seconds...” Pascal said, “I don’t understand it...”
“Pascal, are you sure it’s not Tom?  He’s right here...”
“No.  I’m positive it’s not Tom.”
“Then, maybe we’ve got the whole thing wrong?” Anne-Marie said, “There’s no way Dick and Harri are going to be together in the next twenty seconds.”
“No way.” Brendan confirmed, “Dick has turned left, into Mill lane.  He’s going in the opposite direction to the train station.”
“She’s through the turnstiles,” Ramone said, “She’s walking towards me.”
He looked over his shoulder.  Tom was approaching from behind him; Harri was approaching from the front.
“Fifteen seconds...” Pascal said.
“It must be Tom.” Ramone whispered, “He’s going to crossing paths with Harri in a few seconds.”
Anne-Marie had fought her way through the crowd.  She appeared at Ramone’s side at the same time as Harri.
Harri glanced briefly at Ramone.  Their eyes locked for a moment, then she side-stepped him.
Ramone turned with her.  Tom was two steps away, and moving in Harri’s direction.  Ramone glanced down at Tom’s dog.  The dog looked wild and panicked.
“Ten seconds,” Pascal said.
“It must be Tom!” Ramone whispered.
“No,” Pascal said, “I’m sure it’s not...” he started muttering to himself, “... it started with Tom... but he passed the negativity on to someone else... Dick...”
“Passed it on to someone else... or something else?”  Anne-Marie asked, fixing her eyes on Tom’s evil looking dog.
The dog was growling and showing his teeth.  Tom mercilessly yanked at his lead, dragging him through the crowd of people.
“It’s the dog,” Ramone whispered.
“Two seconds...” Pascal said.
For Ramone, the world eased into slow-motion.  His body lapsed seamlessly into super-natural mode.  Harri was two paces away, but he covered the distance in a split-second, just as Tom’s dog shook his head viciously and reached his mouth out towards Harri’s leg, jaw open, jagged teeth ready to close around flesh and tear it to shreds.
Ramone grabbed Harri and pulled her sharply to the side.  The dog’s teeth snapped together, right where her bare shin had been moments before.
Harri squealed in shock.  She spun round and stared accusingly at Ramone, completely oblivious of the dog – and the malicious injury that Ramone had just prevented.
“Excuse me!” she said, curtly.
“Sorry,” Ramone said, backing away.
Harri turned and promptly paced towards the side entrance.
Anne-Marie appeared at Ramone’s side.  They shared a relieved smile.  But their silent congratulations were cut short.
“Oh, shit,” Pascal said.
“What?  What is it?” Ramone asked, staring at Anne-Marie.
“Whatever you just did, it’s had a negative effect,” Pascal said, “The white-count on the Navitas has just dropped... by more than the original event would have caused.”
Anne-Marie pursed her lips, “I told you it was dangerous to meddle with these things!”
“It must be the dog.” Pascal said, “... he’s going to do something worse now...”
Ramone glanced quickly at the dog.  Tom was still dragging him through the crowd; the dog was straining against the lead and growling aggressively.
People bustled around; dozens of feet landing beside the dog, then moving along...
“Kill the dog,” Pascal said.
“What?  No.” Ramone barked.
“We’ve already made things worse,” Anne-Marie added, “Should we really–”
“Trust me!” Pascal snapped, losing his cool for a rare moment, “You must do it.  The dog is evil.  It will do great damage...”
Ramone barged through the crowds, closing in on Tom.  “There are no evil dogs,” he said, angrily, “Only evil masters.”
“And his master is evil.” Pascal said, “And the evil has been passed to the dog.”
“Are you sure this time?” Anne-Marie asked, side-stepping a small group of passengers who were wrapped up in blue-and-white scarves.
Pascal didn’t answer.
Ramone extended his arm and placed his hand on Tom’s shoulder.
Tom stopped and turned round.  He looked mean and impatient, “Help you pal?” he asked.
Ramone stared him down for a moment, unsure what to say.
Anne-Marie appeared at his side.
“Do it.” Pascal whispered, “Kill the dog, Ramone.  You’ve got a needle of cyanide with you... inject the dog.”
“Sorry,” Anne-Marie said to Tom, “I thought I recognised you.”
Tom scowled at her, but a smarmy smile slowly crept onto his face, “You can grab me anytime darling.”
She managed a fake smile.
“I can’t do it,” Ramone whispered, “Not to a dog...”
“Do it,” Pascal hissed, “You must do it.  Put the poor thing out of its misery, before it does anything else.”
Ramone hesitated.
“Sorry,” Anne-Marie said, buying Ramone more time, “My mistake... but you do look a lot like someone I used to know.”
Tom’s sickly smile widened.
Ramone was still hesitating.
“Do you live in Cardiff?” Anne-Marie asked.
“Barry Island,” Tom answered, “And you?”
“I’m from out of town... just here on business...”
Ramone suddenly turned on his heels and walked away.
Tom started saying something to Anne-Marie, but she ignored him, and followed Ramone through the crowds.
“Well, fuck you then!” Tom shouted after her.  He turned and tugged at the dog’s lead.  But the dog didn’t respond.  Tom yanked viciously and kicked the dog’s side.  But still dog didn’t move.  When Tom glanced down he realised that the dog was sprawled out; his eyes were closed, and he was perfectly still.
Brendan met Ramone and Anne-Marie by the entrance.  “Guys.  What’s happening?”
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Ramone said, barging through the doors and making a beeline for the Range Rover.
“Well done, Ramone!” Pascal said, “It worked.  The white-count has jumped up; only very slightly, but...”
“What happened?” Brendan asked.
“We did it.” Anne-Marie said, meeting Brendan’s eyes, “We stopped ‘Dick’ from hurting ‘Harri’.”
Brendan looked confused, “But Dick was never anywhere near her... I followed him...”
Anne-Marie shook her head, “I’ve no idea who you followed, but ‘Dick’ turned out to be a dog.”