Doctor Who_ The Also People - Ben Aaronovitch [99]
She had finished the assembly and was painting on the insulation when Chris woke up and asked if he could help. She showed him where the central drive needed to be stripped down and restructured.
Chris flourished the reciprocating arm in triumph and handed it to Dep. She threw it at the lathe and told the machine what changes she wanted. 'We can't do anything until the insulation dries.'
'I heard your mum used to design hyperspace systems,' said Chris while they waited. Dep was trying to wipe the worst of the grease off his face.
'She used to,' said Dep.
'I was thinking of asking for her help. We need to know who was capable of creating the kill harmonics in the lightning burst.'
'Apart from Mother?' asked Dep.
Chris's face fell. 'Gosh,' he said, 'I'm sorry. I wasn't implying that –'
Dep leaned forward and affectionately brushed noses with him. 'I was teasing,' she said.
'Oh,' said Chris. 'You've got grease on your face.'
'Never mind that,' said Dep. 'We've got to get this thing finished before . . . before my mother tries to talk me out of it again.' She finished lamely.
Chris obediently got back under the engine.
Life, thought Dep, was much simpler before I met you.
FeLixi checked the time on his ring terminal and wondered if Roz was coming. He let his eyes wander over the featureless dove-grey walls of the station. There were no decorations or seating as one didn't expect to wait down here: a capsule was always waiting when you stepped out of the lift. It was this very utilitarianism that had led feLixi to choose it as a meeting place, neutral territory. Behind him the waiting travel capsule pinged every minute or so, as if to emphasize its own impatience. Occasionally he felt a slight vibration through the soles of his feet as other capsules picked up passengers and carried them away. He resisted the urge to check the contents of the hamper again.
He was about to call up some entertainment on his ring terminal when the lift doors opened and Roz stepped out. She was wearing a loose white sleeveless top and matching stretch shorts that set off the dark skin of her bare arms and legs, and button-down pumps on her feet. A couple of the bracelets that had so intrigued him at the party jangled on her wrists and ankles. He grinned as he waved her over; she had so obviously made an effort to dress casually but it still managed to look like a uniform – it was the way she walked, he decided.
They sat down opposite each other in the travel capsule. 'I'm sorry I'm late,' she said. 'I was just checking out some data and lost track of the time.'
FeLixi watched as she crossed her legs, noticing the fine line of her calves, the muffled curve of her breasts as they shifted beneath her top.
'Did you find anything interesting?' he asked.
She gave him a half smile. 'Nothing important,' she said. 'Filling in a few blanks and chasing down some leads. Ninety per cent of an investigation consists of digging away at a big pile of shit until you find something.'
'What's the other ten per cent?'
'Knowing what isn't shit when you find it,' said Roz.
'Do you trust me?' he asked when they stepped out at their destination.
'How long do I have to answer that?' asked Roz.
FeLixi put the hamper down on the platform, unclipped the lid and drew out the blindfold. Roz looked at him suspiciously. 'I want it to be a surprise,' he explained. 'You don't have to if you don't want to,' he said.
Roz hesitantly took the blindfold from his fingers and placed it over her eyes. 'You'd better not run me into anything,' she said.
Promising to be extra careful he put his hand on her shoulder and guided her into the lift. It took half a minute to reach the top of the shaft. He could feel the heat of her skin through