Perdido Street Station - China Mieville [69]
“So, anyway . . . uh . . . I’m wondering whether any of you would be willing to come and do a couple of days’ work with me, show me some flight, let me take a few prints of your wings . . .” He took hold of Lin’s hand that contained the camera and waved it around. “Obviously I’ll pay for your time . . . I’d really appreciate some help . . .”
“What you doing?” The voice came from one of the garuda in the front row. The others looked to him when he spoke. This, thought Lin, is the boss man.
Isaac looked at him carefully.
“What am I doing? You mean . . .”
“I mean what for d’you need pics? What you up to?”
“It’s . . . uh . . . research into the nature of flight. See, I’m a scientist and . . .”
“Horsecrap. How we know you don’t kill us?”
Isaac started in surprise. The congregated garuda nodded and cawed in agreement.
“Why by damn would I want to kill you . . . ?”
“Just fuck off, mister. No one here wants to help you.”
There were a few mutterings of unease. It was clear that a few of the assembled might, in fact, have been prepared to take part. But none of them challenged the speaker, a tall garuda with a long scar linking his nipples.
Lin watched as Isaac opened his mouth slowly. He was trying to turn the situation round. She saw his hand go to his pocket and come away again. If he flashed money on the spot, he could seem like a spiv or a wide-boy.
“Listen . . .” he said hesitantly. “I really didn’t realize there’d be a problem with this . . .”
“No, well, see, that may or may not be true, mister. Might be you’re militia.” Isaac snorted derisorily, but the big garuda continued in his sneering tone. “Might be that the murder squads’ve found a way to get to us bird-boys. ‘Just come along to do research . . .’ Well, none of us is interested, ta.”
“You know,” said Isaac, “I understand that you’re concerned at my motives. I mean, you don’t know me from Jabber and . . .”
“Ain’t none of us going with you, mister. Simple.”
“Look. I can pay well. I’m prepared to pay a shekel a day for anyone prepared to come to my lab.”
The big garuda stepped forward and prodded Isaac aggressively in the chest.
“Want us to come to your lab to cut us open, see what makes us tick?” The other garuda stepped back as he circled Lin and Isaac. “You and your bugger friend want to cut me into pieces?”
Isaac was expostulating and trying to deny the charge. He turned slightly away and looked over at the surrounding crowd.
“So am I to understand that this gent speaks for all of you, or would someone here like to earn a shekel a day?”
There were a few mutterings. Garuda looked shiftily and uneasily at each other. The big garuda facing Isaac threw up his hands and shook them as he spoke. He was incensed.
“I speak for all!” He turned and stared slowly at his kin. “Any dissenters?”
There was a pause, and a young male stepped forward slightly.
“Charlie . . .” He spoke directly to the self-appointed leader. “Shekel’s a lot of moolah . . . what say a bunch of us go down, make sure there’s no monkey-business, keep it sweet . . .”
The garuda called Charlie strode over as the other male was speaking and punched him hard in the face.
There was a communal shriek from the congregation. With a tumult of wings and feathers, great numbers of the garuda burst up and out from the roof like an explosion. Some circled briefly and returned to watch warily, but many others disappeared into the upper floors of other blocks, or off into the cloudless sky.
Charlie stood over his stunned victim, who had fallen to one knee.
“Who’s the big man?” shouted Charlie in a strident bird-call. “Who’s the big man?”
Lin tugged at Isaac’s shirt, began to pull him towards the stairwell door. Isaac resisted half-heartedly. He was visibly appalled at the turn his request had taken, but he was also fascinated to see the confrontation. She dragged him slowly away from the scene.
The fallen garuda looked up at