Exclusive Deleted Scene from A Quantum Mythology

Quantum MythologyTonight we return to the world of A Quantum Mythology for another exclusive deleted scene. We are delighted to welcome Gavin G. Smith back to the Gollancz Blog.  A Quantum Mythology is out in bookshops on Thursday  is a new epic space opera,  a wide-ranging exploration of the past, present and future of mankind. 

A Note from Gavin:  So, just a short one.  This is du Bois’s problem with authority again.  I kind of liked some of the dialogue and part of this is my irritation with people who want to establish dominance instead of resolve situations, but it was pointed out that I’m always mean about the police in my books.  (I’m not in Empires: Infiltration, there’s a very sympathetic police woman in that.)

 

“I am chief super…”

“I don’t care. Please stay out of our…” du Bois started.

“Don’t interrupt m…”

“You’ve got your orders. There’s no…”

“Is this some kind of joke…”

“If I tell you it’s an elaborate practical joke, will you stop talking…?” Du Bois was sounding quite pained, wondering why people wouldn’t just do what they were told to.  Feudalism had been so much simpler, he thought.  It wasn’t really true.  It was just something that he liked to tell himself.  Grace was grinning at him.  He forced himself to tune back into the screaming.

“Some little girl with piercings…!”

Du Bois grabbed the man by his piggy mouth, exerting more than enough pressure to hold it still.  Some of the Chief Superintendent’s men started to move towards them.  Du Bois was aware of Grace shifting slightly, readying herself.

“I will turn the bones in your jaw to powder unless you back your men off and shut up.  Understand me?”  Du Bois tried to make his tone sound reasonable, although he wasn’t really feeling reasonable.  The chief superintendent waved his men back, and then further failed to endear himself to du Bois by drooling slightly on his hand.

“You’re a bully, aren’t you? I can tell.”  The Chief Super tried to protest.  “I apologise, it was rhetorical.  I don’t want you to start making noise again.”

“I am in awe of your way with people,” Grace said.

“Do you want to do this?” du Bois demanded, exasperated.

“You heard him, they fundamentally don’t respect me.”  Grace really did not sound like she cared.

Du Bois turned back to the Chief Super.

“Obviously things are happening here that you have not been made fully aware of.  This upsets you, probably due to a series of complex psychosexual issues that you’ve developed during your life whilst struggling to achieve adequacy.  I don’t care.  I don’t care that you weren’t breast fed, that mummy and daddy loved your big sister more, that the other children picked on you, that none of the nice girls liked you, I just don’t.  All I need to know is whether you are quietly, and uncomplainingly, going to allow us access to this crime scene, or is your successor going to do it, and yes I am a big enough bastard to do that to you out of spite.”

Sometimes they looked at you with hatred, du Bois mused, but this one was frightened.  He let go.  Du Bois started walking towards the police cordon.  Grace fell in next to him.  There were a lot of angry faces glaring at them both.

“You’re such a bully,” Grace chided.  “Though at least this one didn’t wet himself.”

“Why can’t people just be reasonable?” du Bois wondered out loud.

“By reasonable do you mean ‘do what you want them to do’?”

“Yes.”

 

 Enjoyed this deleted scene? Hungry for more? Catch up with all the action in yesterday’s post

A Quantum Mythology will be available in bookshops and online on Thursday in trade paperback and eBook

Gavin Smith-detailGavin G. Smith is the Dundee-born author of the hard edged, action-packed SF novels VeteranWar in HeavenThe Age of Scorpio and A Quantum Mythology, as well as the short story collection Crysis Escalation. He has colloboarted with Stephen Deas as the composit personality Gavin Deas and co-written Elite: Wanted, and the shared world series Empires: Infiltration and Empires: Extraction. You can find out more about Gavin by visiting his website or following him on Twitter@gavingsmith