I luke up @ thi modil ov thi sun hangin ovir my hed. I stil doan feel 2 brliyint but Im a lot betir than I woz. I ½ a stretch & luke aroun. Lyin on a neerby desk thers thi pakidje I woz supoasd 2 delivir heer.
O I sez. Scuse me, is that pakidje 4 u then? & poynt @ it.
Whot? he sez, turnin & lukein @ it. O, i spose so, if u like, he sez, & turns bak 2 thi controls.
Ahem, I sez. I doan wan 2 apeer ungratfil or nuffin but I did neerli dy getin that pakidje up heer; wude u mind telin me whot woz in it?
In it? thi gy sez, frownin @ me. O, ther woznt actchooli enythin in it. He goze bak 2 thi screen. T, he sez, t t t. Hmm.
I stare @ him.
Wel then, hulo? am saying scuse me, but wel then; whot thi bleedin hel woz thi poynt ove me cumin up heer then?
Thi gy turnz & smiles @ me, then turnz away agen.
I juss sit thare shakin ma hed & feelin lyk a pryz idyit.
Thi chap wif thi goldin lox muttirs 2 himself & eventyerli gets a sorta silindir 2 apeer up outa thi desk. He reetchis inside & brings outa a cup ov stuf witch he shos me.
T? he sez.
I snif thi cup & shak ma hed. Cola, I sez. But itil do. Cheers.
Frangly its crap cola but begirs cant b choosirz.
Sumfin to eet? thi gy sez, lukin hoapfil.
I fink about this. Whot wude u rekomend? I ask.
I drink anuthir few cups ov soda – its getin betir wif eech cup – whyle thi gy trys 2 get sum cakes 2gethir but wifout mutch suksess. Hes starin @ a pyl ov steemin pink goo thi desks just prodoosed when he straitins & luks @ me, smilin & lukin ded hapy.
Then sumfin drops onto ma sholdir from abuv.
Its time to stare agen. So I stare.
Bascule; helo agen. Wel dun. Mishin akumplished. U no, I lost count ov thi times I cursed u 4 yoor damd persistins ovir thi past cupil ov days, when far 2 mutch ov ma time seemd 2 b spent makin arrainjmints 4 yoor saifti witch u seemd 2 dvote ol yoor efirts 2 frustraytin, but in thi end I needid help & u wer thare 2 provyd it. I thang u. Wel, sumfin 2 tel yoor grandchilrin, I supoas. Don’t u fink?… Bascule? Bascule, can u heer me?
I stare @ thi tiny litil thing sitin on ma sholdir.
Ergates? I sez hoarsly.
Hoo els?
Is it reely u?
U no eny uthir to kin ants?
Whot thi bleedin hel u doin up heer?
Deliverin a mesidje.
Thass whot they toal me, I sez, glansin @ thi blond gy, hooz stil mutterin & punchin butins.
A nesisery fabrikation. Whot u wer reely deliverin woz me.
U?
Me. Aftir I abandind my baloon I had got so far up thi steps from thi sentril shaft, but then it becaim obvyis I cude go no furthir bcoz ov thi doar – doars in thi plooril as it turnd owt – blokin ma way. Very frustraytin. I woz abil 2 contact thi lammergeiers but thi burd they sent 2 help me cude not evin reech me b4 thi por creetchir dyd. U wer lyk thi ansir 2 owr prayrz. I juss hopt on u as u pasd & hitchd a lift.
So I did heer u wen I tryd 2 kript! I fot I woz dyin!
Actyerli i think u wer, Bascule, but u also did heer me.
Nyway, I sez, poyntin @ thi blond puntir struglin wif thi food-desk thing, y cuden this gy ½ cum & helpt u?
He did not no I woz on ma way. Thi fass-towr is not thi eesiest ov plaisis 2 comyoonicate wif evin if we had wantid 2 anownse I woz on ma way. He onli new we wer heer wen I woz abil 2 activayt thi doar 2 thi botim-most live floar.
I juss luke @ that dam ant 4 a wile.
So r u this asoora evribod’s bin tokin about?
No, Ergates sez, laffin. Tho i woz creatid in a simla mannir. My task woz 2 act as a kee 4 thi towr axess sistims; they wer kept seperit from thi rest of the towrs funksins so that if thi towr AIs wer evir infectid wif thi kaos they cude not fasilitayt a fizikil invayzhin ov thi towrs upir reechis. I supose am a sorta micro-asoora if u lyk, tho ol ive reely dun is press a lift butin.
But whot abowt that bleedin lammergeier whot snatchd u from Mr Zoliparias; that woz ol a set-up, woz it?
Ov coars.
But u shoutid ma naim & went Eek!
Had 2 mak it luke convinsin.
U mite ½ sed gudeby.
I wayvd ma anteni; whot moar u wont?
Bludy hel. I stare in2 thi distins, then luke up @ thi mobile.
So whots goan hapin now? I ask. Whot were u doin up thare?
I woz deliverin a messidje 2 a receptor chip berrid in thi modil erth. Thi coad itself is meeningless but its supoasd 2 activayt thi relivint sistims. Evrything seems 2 b wurkin, tho ther r reportz we may not ½ tym 2 test thi elivaytirs. I ½ 2 say I didn xpect my arivil & that ov thi asoora 2 okur in qwite sutch close proximiti.
Cake! thi gy sez, & brings ovir a plate cuverd wif smol steemin brown lumps. I snif them.
Miby sumfin in thi savery line mite be moar apopryit, I sujest. Thi gy lukes like his crest juss fel.
O! # browns; my fayvrit! Ergates sez. Let me @ them.
Thi gy lukes hapier & ofirs thi playt 2 Ergates, who climes on2 it & lifts a crum bigir than she is & then returns 2 my sholdir.
Yoor Is r bigir than yoor stumik, I tel hir.
Im a ant; my Is r bigir than my stumik.
Smart ass.
Then thi goldin-Id geezir straytins, lukes unfocussd 4 a bit & sez, Ah, we ½ sumbodi reqwestin 2 join us. Elivater WesNorWes.
Am abowt 2 say, So? Whot u telin me 4? when Ergates specks;
Is it hir? she sez.
Yes, thi gy replyz. (I giv him a funy luke; I fot only I cude heer Ergates speek.) & 1 ov thi wingd emiserys, thi gy continuse, + anuthir she wil vowch 4.
I wude sujest we alow them 2 assend, sez Ergates.
Very wel, thi gy sez.
Weer goan 2 ½ cumpany, Ergates telz me.
There were three sets of doors; they hissed open in sequence, revealing a small cylindrical elevator with couches similar to those in the waiting room. A wave of cold air spilled from the lift’s opened doors. Gadfium and Asura walked into the chilly interior. The lammergeier hopped in after them, cackling excitedly.
The doors closed, one after another.
The elevator lifted quickly; Gadfium sat down along with Asura, who wore an expression that seemed both relaxed and concentrated at the same time. She glanced once at her ring.
The lammergeier looked uncomfortable under the vertical acceleration.
It went on for some time.
* * *
6
Translation
Wel heer we r, us exiles trapt in thi towr. Iss bin a hoal munf so far sins we tuk refuje up heer. Evribodi seems hapi enuf so far.
Thers me, Asoora, Madam Gadfyum & lots ov lammergeiers. Weev got a hoal bludy flok ov them birds up heer; a lode ov them manidjed 2 get 2 thi lift whot brot up Asoora & Madam Gadfyum, b4 thi Security geezirs found it. Now they cant get up & we cant get doun but I no whare Id rathir b. Asoora sez it doan matir nway as thers uthir lifts they ½nt fownd, tho we shuden b in eny hury 2 yoos thoas juss yet.
… Whot happind wen Asoora & Madam Gadfyum got heer woz ded simpil; Asoora went strate up 2 thi big globe ov thi sun & put hir hand up & tutched it & stayd that way 4 a minit or so wyle thi rest ov us luked on, then she sat down & cloasd hir Is.
Whot happins now? I askd thi golden-Id gy.
Weel no if its wurkd in 16 minits, he sed.
16 minits, I fot.
Rang a bel, sumhow, but I cooden fink qwite witch 1.
Let me mak sum introdukshins, I herd Ergates say…
Thi fass-towrs branes got thi kaos but it didn seem 2 b botherd. Thi golden hare-and-Is bloak dozen seem 2 ½ chainjed sins thi kaos got in2 thi towrs computirs but then frangli he woz a few fevvirs shot ov a fool wing 2 start wif so no chainje thare.
Asoora sez thi hoal naytchir ov thi kaos may b abowt 2 chainje soon nway, or @ leest thi way we luke @ it mai b abowt 2 chainje, witch wude amownt 2 thi saim thing. Furst we got 2 stop fitein it tho.