Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

Author:China Miéville
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Tags: Fiction, Dissenters, Science Fiction, General, Strangers, Fantasy, Adventure, Steampunk fiction, Alienation (Social psychology)
ISBN: 9780345464521
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Published: 2003-01-01T19:02:05.207000+00:00

Chapter Thirty-One

Isaac nodded as if this revelation made sense. He prepared to ask her another question, but her eyes were no longer on him.

"I knew they’d escaped because of the dreams, you know?" she said. "I could tell they were out. I don’t know how they escaped. But it shows that their damn sell-off was a bad idea, doesn’t it?" Her voice was strained with desperate triumph. "That’s one in the eye for Vermishank."

At the sound of the name, Isaac felt himself spasm. Of course, a part of his mind thought, calmly. Makes sense that he’d be in on this. Another part of him was screaming internally. The strands of his life were throttling him like some unforgiving net.

"What’s Vermishank got to do with this?" he said carefully. He saw Derkhan look at him sharply. She did not recognize the name, but she could tell that he did.

"He’s the boss," said Barbile, surprised. "He’s the head of the project."

"But he’s a bio-thaumaturge, not a zoologist, not a theorist…Why’s he in charge?"

"Bio-thaumaturgy’s his specialism, not his only area. He’s mainly an administrator. He’s in charge of all the biohazard stuff: Remaking, experimental weapons, hunter organisms, diseases…"

Vermishank was in charge of sciences at the University of New Crobuzon. It was a high-profile, prestigious position. It would be unthinkable to award such an honour to someone antagonistic to the government: that was obvious. But Isaac realized now that he had underestimated Vermishank’s involvement with the state. He was more than just a yes-man.

"Vermishank sold off the…slake-moths?" Isaac said. Barbile nodded. A wind had picked up outside, and the shutters were rattling and banging violently. Mr. X looked around at the noise. No one else took their attention from Barbile.

"I was in touch with Flex because I thought it wasn’t right," she said. "But something happened…the moths are out. They’ve escaped. Gods only know how." I know how, thought Isaac grimly. It was me. "Do you know what it means that they’re out? We’re all…we’re going to be hunted. And the militia must’ve read Runagate Rampant and…and thought that Flex had something to do with it…and if they think Flex did then soon…soon they’ll think that I did…" Barbile began to snivel again and Derkhan looked away in disgust, thinking of Ben.

Mr. X walked over to the window to rearrange the shutters.

"So, look…" Isaac tried to collate his thoughts. There were a hundred thousand things he wanted to ask, but one was absolutely pressing. "So Doctor Barbile…how do we catch them?"

Barbile looked up at him and began to shake her head. She glanced up briefly, between Isaac and Derkhan who loomed over her like anxious parents, past Lemuel who stood to the side, studiously ignoring her. Her eyes found Mr. X, who was standing by the uncovered window. He had opened it a little, was reaching out to pull in the shutters.

He was standing quite still, looking out.

Magesta Barbile looked over his shoulder at a nickering wash of midnight colours.

Her eyes glazed. Her voice froze.

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