Part 2 (1/2)

'Not unless you want to.'

Jason thought about that. 'I don't,' he said.

'Well, then.' The cat turned away and sniffed at one of the lower shelves nonchalantly. 'So, what brings you out here this late? You're a long way from the living quarters.'

'I know,' said Jason. 'I couldn't sleep. There was a bit of unpleasantness before. We accidentally blew a planet up.'

'Oh dear.'

'Well, it was the Trods' fault really. They'd built this giant megatomic nuclear device, you see, and they were blackmailing -'

'You don't need to explain,' Power Puss cut in. 'It all sounds unfortunate to be sure, but I expect you've learnt from the experience.'

'Oh yes,' said Jason, nodding vigorously. A sly smile spread across his face. 'And it was kind of fun. I mean, we beat the Trods after all. They were still on Arcalis when it blew. I don't expect they'll get out of that in a hurry.' His attention was taken by a row of books behind him. Pulp crime fiction from the United States, early twentieth century. How come he hadn't noticed them before?

'You see? There's always a bright side. What did your new friend think?'

'He seemed a bit bothered at first,' mused Jason. He pulled out a book and flicked through it. It was almost, he thought, as if the TARDIS had antic.i.p.ated his tastes and placed the novels in reach. 'Now, I think he's forgotten about it. I expect he's more concerned with our mission.'

'Oh yes?'

'You remember how he caught his arch-enemy this morning?'

'You have told me,' the cat said. 'An evil megalomaniac, I believe, determined to destroy you.'

'That's right. But he can't now. We took him to Galactic Prison this afternoon.'

'It sounds very dangerous.'

'Oh, not really. Well, I wasn't here actually, not for the fight 17 itself.' Jason put the book back, deciding he liked the televised version better. 'But I'm sure I'd have been okay, I mean I'm sorry I missed it. I'm hoping to be in on the next big adventure.'

He turned, and frowned when he saw that the cat was no longer in sight. He wondered when it had left.

'Be careful what you wish for,' its voice purred, as if the animal had not moved but rather become invisible. 'In your case, it might well happen.'

Kat'lanna spoilt the moment.

She felt the cold, clammy texture of Thruskarr's scales; she realized exactly what she was doing; she flinched involuntarily; and the hurt returned to his eyes.

'Go home,' he told her, his voice low, his back turned.

'No!'

'You never wanted this, Kat. You don't want anything from me. Just an opportunity to defy your family and your rulers, to show how rebellious and free-thinking you are by flirting with a ”slimy lizard”.'

Kat shook her head, tears welling. She couldn't say anything.

His back was an impenetrable barrier, the dusty blue of his soldier's uniform masking a body made erect and immobile by the strength of resolution.

'Go home,' Thruskarr said again. He left in silence and, still speechless, Kat made no move to stop him.

For a long time after Thruskarr had gone, she stared unseeingly at the closed door of the hut. She wondered if what he had said might just be true. She didn't want to go home that night.

She lay back on the mattress and stared up through the hole and grieved at the mess that her life had become. The Miracle was directly overheard, hanging impossibly, alone in the black sky. Its crystal peaks twinkled with its own internal light and Kat still thought it was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen.

The Miracle had brought light to her planet. It had brought a vital source of power and provided oxygen, allowing the Detrians to leave their shelters. It had ended the centuries-long 18 Great Darkness and brought new life to those who had thought themselves doomed.

But it had brought little heat. The Detrians were still suffering - and the cold-blooded lizard people especially so. They couldn't step onto the surface without thick layers of additional clothing, and even then the temperature sapped their strength and made them vulnerable to human enemies. 'This is your Miracle, not ours,' Thruskarr had once said. 'It doesn't help my people.'

Kat gazed up at the crystal tonight and wondered again where it had come from. The scientists had been unable to explain it.

Some still worked on the problem, whilst others had long since torn up their doctorates and joined Enros's Cult of the Undying.

She was unconvinced by either school of thought. But she hoped that, whatever the origins of the construct, it should not prove to be unique.

Kat'lanna had already seen one Miracle come to Detrios.

Now, more than ever, it needed another.

For some, at least, that second Miracle might just have arrived.

It manifested itself elsewhere on the planet, in a place where bright lights shone on blue water and reflected off crystal and gold trim; where the squalor of the lizards' quarter and the poverty of Kat's home were but statistics to be bandied by those who remained unaffected. For this was the Citadel, and here the future lay. For those who could afford one.

Darnak was a low-level politician, entrusted with a small measure of responsibility but no more than was good for him. His eyes were sparkling and he rubbed his pudgy hands together with glee as he took in the incongruous sight by the marble fountain.

'And you say this thing just . . . appeared?' he asked the Captain of the Guard for the seventh time. The answer was positive, and thus no different to the first six. Darnak didn't hear it.

His mind had taken off on one of its frequent flights of fancy.

He was dreaming of what the Superior - or even, dare he hope, the Undying One? - might say to him when it became known that his discovery had brought Detrios's salvation. He certainly wouldn't find himself on call for the night-s.h.i.+ft again!

19.To Darnak, this blue box, with its indecipherable but obviously alien lettering, spelt 'Promotion Prospects' with two capital Ps.

When Kat slept, she lived in a different place.

The crystal still glittered above, but its surface was shot through with red and yellow and it radiated glorious warmth in which the humans and the lizards basked side by side. The heat evaporated the stagnant oceans; great white clouds formed, nudged across the sky by a gentle, fresh breeze. It started to rain and flowers sprouted in the desolate ruins of the Old Time.

A fierce crack shook her from her doze. She was of the mattress in seconds, springing into a defensive posture. There was no need for alarm. Her visitor - who had barged open the hut's uncooperative door - was Mortannis, her brother. The one she trusted, the one she had told about this place. The only one who hadn't rejected her. Even so, she was glad that Thruskarr had left.

'You startled me,' she said, relaxing slightly though her body was still shaking.

'Sorry. I thought you might be here. There's an emergency meeting.'

'What, now?'

'As soon as we can a.s.semble. We need to be ready.' Kat nodded, her heart pounding. Mortannis could always excite her like this. He was not much older than her, but she admired him none the less. She admired his courage, his strength and his resolve; the way in which he'd determined the course of his own life, walked out on the family and pulled the rebel group together. He was a natural leader, inspiring hope in his followers despite the hopelessness of their situation. He was everything they could want from a hero. He was muscular, upright, square jawed . . . and black.