Menagerie - Martin Day [102]
He stood alone, staring at the dark canvas of the city's shadows.
Jamie pushed open the front door of the house and saw the young woman sitting at the bottom of the stairs, her head in her hands. She glanced up, smiled in recognition —
and then saw the look on Jamie's face. 'What's happened?'
'It's all over,' said Jamie. 'Zaitabor is dead, and your city is safe.'
'And Cosmae?'
Jamie sat down next to Kaquaan and placed an arm around her shoulder. 'He died in the explosion. I'm sorry.'
Kaquaan blinked back the tears. 'I ... I wasn't able to rescue him again.'
'Zaitabor threatened to kill Cosmae to stop the android attacking him. But his death wasn't in vain.'
'Oh, Jamie, but it was. So futile! I hardly knew him, but he charged after me all the same.'
'I think Defrabax asked him to —'
Kaquaan wasn't listening. 'I've coped with too many deaths in my life! When will it end?'
'It ends now,' said Jamie, knowing that he was saying the first thing that came into his head. 'You'll see.'
'Everything sunny from here on? I don't believe it. I just don't believe it any more . . .' She started crying, and buried her head in Jamie's shoulder, turning Cosmae's name over and over on her lips like an evocation.
Jamie patted her back awkwardly. 'It's all right, my wee lassie. Things'll be better now. You'll see.'
A sort of silence drifted over the old man's house, and for a long time Jamie just stared into space, struggling with his own feelings of anger and sadness and not knowing how best to comfort the young woman.
'Stay with me for a few days,' mumbled Kaquaan through the tears. 'Please.'
'Well, I expect the Doctor will be keen to go. He usually
—'
'Please.'
'Aye, well, the Doctor said he wants to do some tests, make sure I've not caught the disease. I suppose we could stay, just for a day or two.' He stroked the woman's hair.
'Aye, of course we'll stay.'
'I'd nurse you if you were ill,' said Kaquaan, forcing a smile. 'You too were very valiant in coming to my rescue.'
'Ah, well, I often rescue damsels in distress,' said Jamie.
Kaquaan ran a hand through her hair. 'Most have long, flowing locks, I'm sure.'
'Maybe. But Cosmae thought the world of you. And I think he was right to.'
Kaquaan blew her nose on the sleeve of her blouse.
'Things seemed so very different when I first came into this house. So much has changed — and so much that might have happened has been snuffed out.'
'Aye. Well, I'd better be getting back to the Doctor.
There's a lot of things to —'
Kaquaan grabbed Jamie's face and kissed him on the lips.
'I don't care how embarrassed you are,' she said, noting his flushed cheeks. 'You'll stay with me for a while.'
Her tone of voice indicated that further argument would not be tolerated.
Epilogue
This is it?' said Defrabax, pointing to the tall blue box in the alleyway. A broken gutter was dripping water on to its roof, and some street urchins had left a pile of scavenged bricks against its side. 'You travel to the stars in this?'
'Never trust appearances,' said the Doctor. 'You of all men should know that.'
'The next few days will seem very quiet,' said Defrabax.
'That's no bad thing,' said the Doctor. 'You must use your new influence wisely. Captain Oiquaquil will need all the help he can get if he is to negotiate successfully with the Rocarbies and the Dugraqs.'
'Rest assured we will do all we can to accommodate the creatures from the menagerie who wish to emerge into the light,' said Defrabax. 'That has always been my intention.
And those who wish to stay below ground — like the Taculbain — we shall strive to protect.'
'And the people of your city?'
'We will I am sure improve things — but the impetus, the desire to change, the technology will be ours.'
'A tutor of mine once said that sometimes it is more important to strive than to achieve. Dull chap, full of clichés. But perhaps he spoke the truth.'
'We shall see. Will you ever revisit us?'
'Ah,' said the Doctor, rubbing his chin. 'That's beyond my control. But if we ever come here again . . . I'll know which public