Doctor Who_ So Vile a Sin - Ben Aaronovitch [91]
The kids all grinned. A servant stepped up, a tall woman with white hair. ‘Welcome to your suite, Mr Cwej,’ she said. ‘Your map contains details of the services and facilities, but if you have any questions or requests, please ask a member of staff.’
‘Thanks,’ said Chris. ‘This whole thing is my room, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, sir,’ said the servant. ‘I hope everything is to your satisfaction.’
She was like something from a sim. It was all like something from a sim, or a video game. Too Much Money! Live out your fantasies of wealth in this hi-rez VR environment.
‘I’m going to have a shower,’ he said to no one in particular.
‘And then I’m going to go and see what Aunty Roz is up to.’
‘Yes, sir. Will you require assistance with the bathroom?’
He looked at her. ‘No, ma’am,’ he said, sending the kids off into fits of giggles.
‘Are you going to talk to me, or are we just going to lob balls at one another?’
Leabie caught the tennis ball she’d been bouncing up and down in her hand. Roz walked up to the net.
Leabie looked at her from the baseline. Her sister looked quite a bit like her, just not so worn around the edges. With all the time travel, Roz was now younger than her younger sister, but she looked and felt older.
Some of it was health treatments, but most of it was the lack of stress. Leabie was taller and her hair wasn’t turning grey. Go and chase round after the Doctor for a few years, thought Roz, and see how you come out.
Leabie walked up to the net. ‘Just because you’re losing,’ she said, with one of her small smiles.
‘You’re mad with me,’ said Roz.
‘Of course not! I’m delighted to see you.’
‘Come on, usisi.’
211
‘You ought to have come to me for help, darling,’ said Leabie.
‘I know you wanted to set out on your own. We’re all very proud of your work as an Adjudicator, of course. But when things became difficult, you ought to have asked for help.’
It might have been a bit difficult, thought Roz. I was up to my arse in Sloathes at the time. ‘I’ve been travelling.’
‘And that’s another thing,’ said Leabie. ‘We looked all over for you, but you’d just –’ she gestured, the ball flying out of her hand
‘– vanished! And now you suddenly pop up from nowhere. I asked Mr Llewellyn to keep an eye on you, because I wasn’t sure how you’d react to an offer of help.’
Once you started her talking, thought Roz, it was hard to get her to stop. ‘That’s why you put me under surveillance?’ she said.
‘Of course,’ said Leabie. ‘I just wanted to make sure you’d be all right. You’ve been busy, Roz. What are you up to?’
‘Oh, you know. Following up a few leads.’
‘Now, you’re the one who wanted to talk…’ Leabie smiled.
‘Let’s go and cool off.’
Leabie caught up with her in the rain garden, after changing out of her tennis gear. Roz was standing on one of the side paths, still in her white shorts and T-shirt, watching the rain fall among the slick leaves of the jungle plants. An artificial sun shower, tiny droplets of cool rain falling down.
It reminded her, perversely, not of the legendary forests of West Africa as it was supposed to, but of Little Chalfont, England.
The TARDIS stood among the plants, just one of the sculptures among the trees. ‘What is that thing, anyway?’ Leabie asked, walking up to her.
‘Equipment,’ said Roz. ‘It’s not art. Why’d you put it down here?’
‘Well, if I put it in a vault, everyone will know it’s valuable.
This way, it’s disguised, whatever it is,’ said Leabie. ‘It was a tremendous surprise when it arrived with your note, usisi. We were all in a terrible flap.’
212
‘I checked my records,’ said Roz. ‘I was legally declared dead a year after I left. I didn’t know whether that was your doing, or the Doctor’s, or the Adjudicators’.’
‘Your Centcomp records were almost entirely destroyed.
Thandiwe believed you were dead, but I know the older children weren’t certain. I didn’t know what to think, and now, out of the blue, here you are back again… Why don’t you tell me what it is you’re trying to do?’ insisted Leabie.