Part 30 (2/2)
”Whoah, bad smell,” she said. ”Who threw up? Cal told Brian to keep out the winos.”
”It was me. Again.”
”Oh.”
”Brian's getting some sort of spray, says it'll clear the air.”
He rinsed the sponge in the bucket, and wiped some more. There was nothing left to clean up, nothing visible, but Opal was right: the stench remained.
”Hey, Opal.” Brian came in from the back, a huge yellow aerosol in hand. ”Stand by for some biochemical warfare. This is powerful stuff.”
”Maybe I should open the front door.”
”Probably.” Brian looked down at Richard. ”You must have started wearing a hole in the floor. It won't get cleaner than that.”
”Sorry.”
”That's the seventy-seventh time he's apologised,” Brian told Opal. ”I've been counting.”
”Not that many,” said Richard.
Opal asked, ”What did Cal say?””He hasn't been in, thank G.o.d.” Brian waved the aerosol, slos.h.i.+ng the contents. ”Let's keep him none the wiser.”
”Oh, right. He's probably at South Bank.”
”And you're here about tonight.” Brian pointed at her backpack. ”Equipment check, right?”
”Uh-huh. So, you want me to open this door? Cause I'd like to breathe.”
”Sorr” Richard stopped himself.
”I've a better idea,” said Brian. ”Opal, close up, and we'll go in the back room.”
She locked the shop door and tapped the b.u.t.tons on the door frame. The gla.s.s shone with the word CLOSED, in reverse.
”Come on.” She took hold of Richard's sleeve. ”Let's get out of here.”
He picked up the bucket, dropped the sponge inside, and let her lead him out of the room. From behind came the sound of Brian sucking in a breath, followed by the prolonged hissing of the spray. Then Brian was pus.h.i.+ng him into the back room and slamming the door shut.
”That is evil, evil stuff. But when it blows away later, it'll take any other stink with it.”
Opal tapped Richard on the forehead. ”Don't say sorry again.”
He grinned and shook his head.
”All right,” said Brian. ”Take out your gear, and let's take a look.”
Around the workshop stood several wooden workbenches with clamps and tools, covered with bits of bicycles and other equipment, not to mention sawdust, metal filings and the heavy smell of oil, currently contaminated with sharp chemical scents leaking through the door. Opal made room on the least cluttered bench, then laid her backpack on top. From the pack, she extracted a pair of goggles and what looked like an ordinary white sweats.h.i.+rt.
Brian used a clamp to hold a spyball camera in place behind the goggles. Then, even though there were four wallscreens in place, he unfolded a small display and positioned it in front of the goggles. Then he tapped his phone, and the screen lit up, showing a rotating abstract pattern.
”Test pattern. Opal, let's have the blackout cloth.”
She rummaged on a shelf, then backed out bearing a folded black cloth. It looked flimsy as she opened it out, spreading it with Brian's help over the workbench, forming a tent over spyball, goggles, and the screen with the test pattern.
”The cloth's one hundred percent opaque,” said Brian. ”Lightweight but optically dense.”
”Oh.” Richard looked at the wall screen. ”You're testing the goggle's response.”
”Bright lad.” Brian pointed his phone at a wallscreen, causing it to show numeric data plus a copy of the changing test pattern. ”Now we cross-check the calibration.”
”It's all right, isn't it?” said Opal.
”Your long-wavelength response is a little skewed.” Brian pointed. ”So it ain't perfect. But safe enough to use.”
”Good.”
Richard looked from one to the other. ”Use for what?”
”Night run,” said Opal.
”Tonight.” Brian grinned. ”You'll see.”
”And the s.h.i.+rt.” Opal laid the sweats.h.i.+rt on the bench, clipped a thin cable to the fabric, and held out the other end of the cable. It had a phone connector. ”You got the downloads ready?”
”Uh-huh. How's it working at the moment?”
”All right, I think.”
”Let's see.”
Opal did something, then star-shaped splashes of sapphire blue and glimmering emerald radiated from the centre of the s.h.i.+rt, pulsing over and over. After a moment, the red outline of a gekrunner began tumbling through extreme gymnastics across the blazing background.
”Wow,” said Richard.
”It's so old.” Opal looked pleased anyway. ”Need something new for tonight.”
”I've got just the thing,” said Brian, taking the cable. ”Switch it off, and I'll run the download.”
”Lots of bright colours?”
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