Five sightings · zero arrests
Wanted
Belfast. Amsterdam. Wellington. Shanghai. Tokyo. Five cities where the signal was picked up and the source was not. The notices are printed in the studio’s own hand, the charges are accurate, and the reward is nothing, because nobody is paying.
A parody notice for a fictional pirate persona. The issuing authority is invented.
Case BFS-01 · filed 14 NOV
Belfast
Northern Ireland · Europa Hotel · Belfast
Charges
- Broadcasting without a licence, a budget, or permission
- Checking into the most-bombed hotel on Earth
- And asking for the quiet floor
Reward: none offered. Nobody is paying.
Capture
A rain-lashed cobbled alley between brick terraces. One sodium lamp. The shipyard cranes black against the clouds beyond the roofline. 
Case AMS-04 · filed 02 FEB
Amsterdam
Netherlands · Prinsengracht · Amsterdam
Charges
- Running a pirate feed out of a canal-house attic
- For nine days on a stolen aerial
- Paying for none of the bandwidth
Reward: none offered. Nobody is paying.
Capture
A canal-side quay under a bridge arch. Bicycles racked along the railing, the water flat and oily, gabled houses receding into fog. 
Case WLG-09 · filed 28 JUL
Wellington
New Zealand · Oriental Bay · Wellington
Charges
- Transmitting into a southerly gale
- Until the aerial left the roof entirely
- Refusing to come down off the hill
Reward: none offered. Nobody is paying.
Capture
A steep wet street of timber villas climbing a hillside. Power lines whipping, the black harbour and container wharf far below. 
Case SHA-11 · filed 19 MAR
Shanghai
China · The Bund · Shanghai
Charges
- Selling a counterfeit of a counterfeit
- Back to the factory that printed it
- And filing the receipt as evidence
Reward: none offered. Nobody is paying.
Capture
A wet promenade at the river railing. The supertall skyline burning across the water, a barge wake, rain on the stone. 
Case TYO-07 · filed 05 OCT
Tokyo
Japan · Golden Gai · Tokyo
Charges
- Taking a lucky cat off a bar shelf
- In a bar that was gone by morning
- Smuggling authenticity past the immune system
Reward: none offered. Nobody is paying.
Capture
A narrow alley of shuttered bars. Vending machines glowing, cables overhead, an elevated train crossing the gap of sky.
