city streets are busy with some running ceremony, joggers snorting like horses as i brush past them on my mission. 'city to surf' makes no sense to me on my opposite trajectory. i'm travelling from the surf into the metropolis looking for two books that popped up on my radar. 
i grab them from the jap bookshop and a copy of 'slow bullets' alastair reynolds new book 'slow bullets' from galaxy and jump back on the train. i have my head buried in the final pages of my novel when a guy called adam introduces himself. 

'you look switched on, ' he says in a strong germanic accent.

'positively,' i say. 

i deduce from his general demeanour that he is indeed a time travelling anarchist, he's wearing clothes that are from another century and has that mad glow in his eyes that only prophets, born again christians and time travelling anarchists have.

anyway i settle down in the train to hear what he has to say, apart from complementing me in my sunglasses he seems to think i should pass a message on. he's quite intelligent and i kinda like the fact he has also embraced some contemporary music.

'what ya listening to?' i point at his i phone.

'shriekback, english band from the eighties, still pumping them out.'

'ah yeah, i like them to. saw them in london and i saw barry when he played in xtc.'

'okay that's impressive. i knew i chose the right man.'

'for what exactly?'

'well you gotta get the word out there mission.'

'what word and how did you know my name.'

'i know far more than i should, it's true. now i heard you wrote a blog, and sometimes i even read it.'

i'm surprised, i didn't know people read my blog, i know a few people say they have heard of it but i never think that they actually read it. so i sit back and relax in the chair, the city seems to pass very slowly.

'the message is this...'

i raise my hand. i know what your message is, i know everything about you,'

'i'm impressed.'

'it's a shame man, your message was stolen by a guy called marx and made famous by his work in which there is no reference to you.'

'yeah plagiarism, he took my ideas and wrote that wretched book.'

'das kapital.' 

'yep, but it's a perversion of my idea.'

'yeah and yours was a perversion of something else.'

'are you suggesting i stole the idea.'

'no, it did originate well before you, i think you can follow it all the way back, all the way to solomon.'

'okay, i'm offended. i'm getting off here, next stop.'

'hey, you said i was switched on adam.'
'illuminated indeed. see ya mission. i'm heading back to bavaria.'