Doctor Who_ Transit - Ben Aaronovitch [43]
Giant colour-coded arrows, hung above the various station gateways, indicated which exit led where. The signs were made of hand-crafted neon rather than the usual holograms. Mitsubishi was full of touches like that as the Japanese tried to hang on to their traditions. Following the blue arrows they found the accessway to the platform they wanted. As they approached the pair of ronin on guard stepped forward, politely blocking their way. Kadiatu wondered what their problem was when she remembered - the Doctor was white and this close to Pluto the ronin were making some broad assumptions. She wondered how she could have forgotten.
The Doctor said something in Japanese - at least Kadiatu assumed that was what the language was. Short staccato bursts of words with shortened vowels and hacked-off consonants. The two ronin looked at the Doctor in surprise and backed off. The Doctor strode on through the gate. As he passed by the ronin they performed deep bows of respect. Kadiatu trotted to catch up with the Doctor before whatever it was wore off.
She waited until they were two hundred metres down the corridor. 'What did you do?'
'I asked them politely to let us pass.'
'What was with the bowing and scraping then?'
'I used an eighth-century dialect that has since become accepted as the formal tongue of the Japanese royal family,' said the Doctor. 'I expect they were a bit surprised.'
'I'll bet.'
'And I doubt they understood more than one word in ten. Which is just as well.'
'Why?'
'Because what I actually said was "Make way! For I am the official keeper of the Emperor's penguins and I must hurry because his majesty's laundry basket is on fire." '
The platform was spotless. The few waiting passengers were clustered around a public-service TV at one end. It was tuned to one of the 24-hour Kabuki soap channels. It looked like a historical drama, Kadiatu caught glimpses of businessmen in black single-breasted suits striking attitudes in front of vast windows.
The indicator board at the far end of the station gave waiting times in Japanese characters, the regulation alphanumeric display was tucked away underneath. The next train was scheduled in five minutes.
They sat down to wait and Kadiatu opened up the paper bag and gouged out a handful of fufu. She offered the bag to the Doctor but he shook his head. Kadiatu kneaded the cassava dough into a sausage shape and dunked it in her fish soup. It was a bit too bland for her taste but you didn't expect that much from Kwik-Kurry.
The Doctor watched the TV, apparently absorbed in the unfolding drama of corporate infighting. A woman had entered the scene wearing heavy eye make-up, to identify herself as gaijin.
'What do you see in that?' asked Kadiatu.
'The principle of Kanzen-choaku,' said the Doctor, 'the reward of the virtuous and the punishment of the wicked.'
'Your eyesight must be better than mine.' Kadiatu pulled another lump of fufu from the bag.
'You eat a lot,' said the Doctor turning back to the TV.
'I get hungry a lot,' said Kadiatu, 'I suppose I've got a fast metabolism.' She reflexively glanced at the indicator board -the arrival time seemed to be stuck at five minutes. 'Why are we going to Pluto?'
'We have to rescue someone.'
'What makes you think they need rescuing?'
'Trust me.'
The Stop
Roberta was dead and the neighbourhood was on fire. The power grid had failed and with it the skylights. Main Street was coloured red and yellow by the light of burning shops.
Zamina stayed low, trying to pull Roberta's body to shelter A thick strata of black smoke had formed under the ceiling panels and visibility at street level was less than ten metres. She wondered how long it would take before the Stop's life support went into terminal crisis.
Zamina caught occasional glimpses of figures stalking through the haze. She didn't know if they were rioters or cops. There had been rumours earlier that troops were being sent but she hadn't seen any yet. She could hear the firecracker sound of gunfire in the distance.
Across the street was the bolthole Zamina