Menagerie - Martin Day [89]
Kaquaan stood watching Defrabax's house, recent events fresh in her mind. She had slipped quietly through the city streets, desperate to remember the location of the old magician's house. As she had turned the corner she had seen a tall figure walking imperiously towards Defrabax's abode.
She had crept into the shadows and had watched as the red-robed knight pushed open an unlocked door and walked inside.
So, Zaitabor had returned to the surface. Why? The unlocked door suggested that Cosmae was not alone inside.
What did Zaitabor and his minion want with the boy?
Kaquaan had moved into a better position, watching the front door. She knew that there must be an entrance around the rear of Defrabax's house — she remembered her first encounter with the homunculus — but Zaitabor's assured manner seemed to indicate little interest in concealing his movements.
She emerged from her reverie, aware only of the slow passing of time. Her mind invented and refined countless scenarios, the most likely of which seemed to be that the knights had murdered Cosmae and departed through the back door. Only when she was about to run to the front to investigate was there some movement from within.
Zaitabor and Araboam emerged, both still wearing the robes of the brotherhood. Cosmae stood between them, his face bruised, his hands bound behind his back. A sword to his throat ensured silence.
Kaquaan took another step back into the shadows. She nudged into something that she knew wasn't a wall. A hand closed over her mouth.
The Doctor ran the words of the message over in his mind. With a chill of impossible remembrance he realized that he recognized the woman's voice from his waking deam. 'Who was that speaking?' he asked.
Zoe paused the playback. It's Dr Jenn Alforge, head scientist on Project Mecrim. A memo to a Ciaran Dugied at
—'
'Play the whole file,' said the Doctor, staring at the marks that were beginning to appear on the metal shutter. 'I think we've got time.'
Zoe tapped some commands into the console and then the voice started again.
'Computer-based syntax, punctuation, paragraph breaks.
Confidential letter from user to Dugied, insert date and time.
'Dear Ciaran,
'I'm finally settling in. Good staff here, reasonable surroundings. Less than happy about the Mecrim project itself, but then, you already know that. Nik's preliminary report appended to this.
'Is the dog still quarantined? It's a shame, I think — even though you know the good reasons behind it.
'Heard of some border skirmishes the other day — not reported on the civilian news, quelle surprise. You won't forget us, will you?
'Best wishes, Jenn.'
The voice changed from the woman's to that of the computer's own clipped sounds as it worked its way through the report.
'Genetically adjusted Mecrim creature, provisional classification. Order: Reptiloprimate. Family: Astridae.
Genus and species: Singropoda mecrimus. DNA owned and licensed by the Butler Institute.
'Height: 1.6 metres to shoulder. Weight: up to 150
kilograms. Sexual maturity: two to five years. Mating season: late spring to summer. Gestation: six months.
Number of young: one to two. External gender differentiation: none. Habit: Social, lives in large groups.
Diet: large mammals or equivalents, occasional carrion, sometimes supplemented by berries and bark. Lifespan: estimated to be over 20 years.
'Appearance and other factors: The Mecrim is a six-limbed bipedal humanoid. It has an internal skeleton, complete with humanoid rib-cage protecting vital organs, but its legs and primitive arms resemble those of an insect, featuring vestigial exoskeletal structures and secondary jointing. With the exception of its armoured head a Mecrim gives the appearance of having no skin, with the muscle and ligaments exposed. In actual fact, the top layer of Mecrim muscle performs this function, being incredibly tough "skin substitute".
'A Mecrim has four toes of equal length,