Doctor Who_ The Also People - Ben Aaronovitch [131]
The maiden flight had attracted a large crowd, mostly friends of Dep's from the Weird Aviation Interest Group and a scattering of older people from iSanti Jeni. Even beRut had turned up with a vidpad, ostentatiously sketching away whenever he thought someone might be watching. God had manifested itself as a perambulating tree.
The crowd burst into loud applause when Chris and Dep walked onto the field. They were dressed in heavy flying jackets and leather trousers against the cold; the ornithopter's cockpit was nothing but an open framework at the centre of the machine. Bernice smiled to see Chris blush from the attention. The applause died away as the two intrepid aeronauts clambered awkwardly into the cockpit and lay down amongst the bizarre tangle of machinery.
The Doctor asked Bernice what she thought of it.
'It looks like something Leonardo da Vinci and Heath Robinson designed,' she said, 'while under the influence of some really serious acid.'
'You know,' said the Doctor, 'I've never seen an ornithopter that actually flew. At least not in this dimension.'
There was a coughing sound from the back of the ornithopter and a plume of white vapour rose into the still air.
'What the hell is it running on?' asked Roz.
'Steam,' said the Doctor.
'Oh Goddess,' said Roz.
'You do know your partner is completely bonkers,' said Kadiatu.
God waved a few of its branches around. 'You try and create a safe and stable environment,'
muttered the tree, 'and then they go and do this.'
'The things men do under the influence of testosterone,' said Bernice.
'Don't worry,' said the Doctor. 'I've got a parachute standing by with a friend.'
With an alarming clanking sound the metal and plastic wings opened to their full extent. There was a spluttering noise that sounded to Bernice exactly like that made by a lawnmower engine.
More steam was vented from the chrome exhaust pipes. The wings began to beat, slowly at first and then faster and faster until, with all the grace of an epileptic vulture, the unlikely contraption lurched off the ground.
The crowd cheered, Roz scowled and saRa!qava bit her lip until it bled.
Clanking, coughing and stuttering, the ornithopter rose vertically to a height of two hundred metres and hung in the air like an ode to human stupidity.
'The tricky bit,' said the Doctor, 'is the transition to horizontal flight. They have to adjust the pitch of their artificial feathers just right or the whole thing will fall out of the sky.'
'Thank you so much for sharing that with us,' said Roz.
Bernice gasped as the ornithopter slipped sideways, dipped suddenly and then, miraculously, lurched into forward flight. As it picked up speed, Bernice thought she could hear the sound of children laughing.
'God,' said the Doctor, 'I think it's time for your party piece. Before they get too far away.'
God perambulated out in front of the crowd. 'Ladies, gentlemen, machines and friends of the Doctor,' it boomed. 'As you can see I have nothing hidden up my sleeves, sorry, my branches.' It thrust its largest limb upwards until it was pointing at the sun. 'Regard this stellar object, with whom I have never worked before, and watch very, very carefully.'
The sun moved, falling out of the sky towards the distant ocean. As it fell it changed colour, deepening first to a brilliant orange and then darkening further, until by the time it reached the notional horizon it was a deep red that lit up the clouds in a display of amber and gold.
'I really hope God's doing that with mirrors,' said saRa!qava.
The sphere experienced, for the first time in its history, the glories of a full cinemascope Technicolor sunset.
Just so Chris and Dep could fly off into it.
The post-flight party quickly spilled out of saRa!qava's house and spread to the rest of the town.
The Doctor quickly fell into the avuncular persona that he kept stored away for