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Fisher helped carry her used brushes, jars and palettes tothe laundry, and had made a good start on cleaning them by the time shereturned from stowing the paints and canvas in the study.
"Thanks," she said, and took one of the palettes.
"Will you have enough paint to complete theportrait?"
"I should. Butnot for the third canvas. When we touredthe other North Building apartments this morning I saw a computer with agraphics tablet, and I was thinking of teaching myself how to properly use adigital art program. I don't think Icould talk Noi into the importance of art supplies to my continuedexistence."
"They are, though, aren't they?" He was watching her face in his deliberate,considered way. "It's so central toyou. I sometimes wish I was sofocused."
"You mean you can't decide what you want to do?"
"I wanted to study astrophysics. And biochemistry. And archaeology. And words, and a great many things said withthem. Year Ten was when we startedseriously choosing courses, and I had to face that I couldn't sign up for everyunit, that–"
"There's never going to be enough time," Madeleinefinished. "Oh, I know how thatfeels. There's so many things to try, toperfect, so many different techniques and media and–" She lifted her hands at the enormity of herhoped-for future, and shared a look of mutual comprehension with Fisher. "Does the fact that you saidastrophysics first mean that's what you'd chosen to do?"
He shrugged. "TheSciences are where I've started – I've been allowed to study ahead for a fewdifferent courses. I can hope toself-study the Arts, at least to a basic understanding, but Science tends torequire a little more equipment."
"You were seriously going to try to study themall?"
"Eventually. Those and more." Fisherpaused, then added: "To try to be aRenaissance man."
"Renaissance man?" He wasn't talking time travel.
"Someone who has multiple areas of expertise. Think da Vinci – mathematician, artist,inventor – so many things. The ideal ofthe Renaissance man is to be a fully rounded person – to embrace the Arts andSciences, languages, society, sport. Knowledge both broad and deep." The tips of his ears had gone red, and he smiled with self-consciousamusement. "I don't usually talkabout this – it makes me sound so greedy."
"Not really," Madeleine protested. "Intimidating maybe." Which was not what she'd meant to say, andshe wished she had a quarter of Noi's ability to jokeand tease, but pressed on gamely: "Did they have Renaissance women?"
"Some. A Greekphilosopher called Hypatia is the earliest knownexample. One of my mother's heroines –my mother was a mathematician, an architect, cellist, linguist. She's the ideal I measure myselfagainst."
"I'm sorry," Madeleine said, and his dark browsswept down – puzzlement, not anger. Thenthey lifted and he shook his head.
"My parents died when I was ten. Though I'm sorry too. Did yours make it to Armidale?"
"Day before yesterday. They want me to try to make a break for it, but people recognised mefrom the beach broadcast and are, well, paying attention to see if I showup."
She realised they were both rinsing perfectly clean brushes,and with a murmur of thanks shook water out of the last of them and went backupstairs to stash them away. And washher face.
When she returned she helped Fisher bring the 'portraitcouch' forward to fill its original position in the semi-circle before thescreen, feeling distinctly like they were giving everyone a bit of extraentertainment to go with the alien dominance challenges.
"Just in time," Noi said. "There weren't any good cameras on theManila Spire, but webcams on other Spires are picking up movement."
Min handed over one of the laptops, which showed the SydneySpire via a webcam set in St Marys Cathedral, giving a clear view of where theSpire had risen through St James Station and then the fountain at the north endof Hyde Park. One of the fountain'sbronze statues was visible, resting in a tumbled tree: Apollo inverted.
The fountain was named for the same person who hadestablished the Archibald Prize. Madeleine stared at the tumbled remnant, thinking of all the hours she'dspent pla
"He looks excited."
"Yeah, it's a sporting commentator feel, which istotally the wrong tone to take." Pan frowned at the screen. "But he's not the only one like that. Just this past day I've noticed it. Most are still aching to hit out, but thenon-infected...well, they've got this end date now. Stay out of it for a couple of years and youget your world back."
"Once people work out what these challenges mean,they'll start betting on them. Guaranteeit." Min, smiling cynic, sat backas if the idea pleased him.
"Two years until we get our world back too," Emilypointed out, more in defiance than certainty.
"That's what we're aiming for Millie." Noi changed cha
A terse voice told them they were looking at a view of theMumbai Spire, which had one of the closest webcams available. A dozen Blues were standing together, holdingumbrellas to keep off heavy rain, and someone at the broadcaster was drawinglines on the image pointing out the Core, who was a slim man in his earlytwenties. The image looked slightly off,and that was because the Blues held themselves in an attitude of conversation,but didn't move their mouths. SpeakingMoth.
Two of the Blues handed their umbrellas to a Green standingto one side, and then turned and walked into the Spire. Seamlessly, without an opening or a ripple,as if the star-studded darkness truly was the night sky, and they had beenswallowed by it.
Nash had already been sitting unhappily upright at theappearance of his home city, but at this he turned to Fisher: "Could it bethey brought their shield down? Havethey just shown us an opportunity?"
"Possibly." Fisher was reserved, not ready to be drawn.
"Still, these challenges could mean a missile at theright moment–"
"We're cutting to a broadcast direct from Manila,"the presenter said, as the image changed to a different Spire, surrounded bymany more people, with more arriving, walking out of the darkness of the Spireto spread over closely maintained grass. The presenter helpfully pointed out what Madeleine had already seen: thetwo Blues who had walked into the Spire at Mumbai had emerged a few momentslater in Manila.
Noi, sounding a
"It felt like stone when I touched ours," Madeleinereminded her.
"Either you weren't at the In point, or it has an on andoff mode." As alien song began tosound an accompaniment to the images Noi glared at the screen, then slowly letout her breath. "Guess we get towatch the Olympics after all. Ijust...seriously, have they really half-wrecked our world for a pissingcontest? They couldn't decide theirprimacy shit on their own world?"
"They said 'and business of our own'." Min had risen to his feet to approach thescreen, but glanced back at Noi. "I've a bet of my own – this other business is nothing we're goingto like. Maybe when they leave they takeall our water, or our sun or something."