Doctor Who_ Combat Rock - Mick Lewis [7]
The haggler seized his opportunity ‘Penis gourds, lady.’
His smile was one big flirt. ‘The people of my land wear them to – to show power in bed.’
Victoria was now a violent purple shade. She gaped at the Doctor in horror, waiting for him to defend her modesty against this rascal. The Doctor swallowed his mouthful and hastily intervened. ‘These Mumis sound rather interesting, don’t you think so,Victoria? Would you care to tell us about them?’ He gave the dark-skinned man one of his most charming smiles.
‘Maybe you want Wemus show you them...’ The man was a born salesman, and was already taking an empty seat at the table, fishing a battered pack of cigarettes out of his pocket as he did so. Evening had descended and the square was alight with candles and strings of gaudy lights set above the stalls and shop fronts. ‘I promise strange sights and marvels.’
‘I wonder,’ said the Doctor with a childlike look of curiosity on his face. Victoria frowned, sensing trouble ahead.
‘Are these marvels far from here?’
Wemus grinned even more widely, and Victoria was amazed at how that was possible. ‘Mumis are in Papul, my homeland,’ he said proudly. ‘It is only a few hours journey by sea. We can go first thing tomorrow. I am official Papul Guide.’
‘Indeed,’ said the Doctor ingratiatingly. ‘And Papul is very different from, er, from... here...’ Victoria looked down in embarrassment. He was obviously fishing for some clue as to where in the Universe they were.
‘My... Uncle... is a hopeless amnesiac,’ she interjected quickly, as if the guide with his stained Earth-style T-shirt, old jeans and halting English would understand such a term. ‘He doesn’t know where he is half the time.’
Wemus sat back, pulling contentedly on his cigarette.
‘How you get to anywhere if you not know where you are?’
The idea seemed to amuse him. ‘But everyone know when they in Batu. It is island of pleasure.’
‘Batu...’ the Doctor repeated ruminatively. He was about to ask another question when he noticed two soldiers approaching the table.
They wore dark-green combat fatigues and had what appeared to be advanced pulse rifles slung over their backs.
They were finer-featured than Wemus, though their faces were far less friendly as they stopped next to the guide. One of them shoved him on the shoulder quite brutally and said something in a language the travellers could not understand, but which was obviously antagonistic. Wemus spread his hands appetisingly and replied in a rather cowed, apologetic manner.
The soldiers surveyed the Doctor and Victoria with hard, mistrustful glares and then carried on across the square.
The Doctor watched them depart, noticing the obvious change in Wemus’s demeanour. His smile had gone, and he was sitting slumped and subdued in his chair, gazing at the end of his cigarette as if he had forgotten the two travellers were there.
‘I take it they are not friends of yours,’ the Doctor asked gently.
Wemus looked up and there was a momentary hardness in his eyes that soon evaporated as he caught the Doctor’s grave expression. Once again he was all smiles and charm.
‘Oh, they are just Indoni military. No worry. So you want come Papul tomorrow, see the Mumis? I give good price.’ It was evident he was hiding something under his false cheer.
‘Indoni?’ The Doctor was not about to let the subject drop.
And what might they be exactly?’
Wemus looked behind his shoulder. A surreptitious gesture that might have meant nothing. ‘They are the people of Batu and Javee and the other islands, except my island, Papul.
But even there they rule. But come, meet with Wemus by the quay in morning. He take you good journey to see his home.
You like very much, I think.’
‘They didn’t seem very friendly.’ Victoria too had grown curious about the soldiers and their behaviour towards Wemus. He was trying so hard not to be concerned that he only drew attention to the matter more keenly.
Wemus smiled blandly. ‘They invade Papul with their army.’ Again, a quick glance over his shoulder. At the next table, a dark-skinned couple