Doctor Who_ History 101 - Mags L. Halliday [110]
‘Thank you, comrade. If my paperwork is concluded for the day then –’
‘Anji?’ Pia was staring at her. The Italian woman’s eyes widened as she took in Anji’s appearance. Anji briefly wondered how bad it was. She could feel her upper lip had stiffened with dried blood.
‘You are mistaken, comrade,’ Blair was saying, indicating for them to continue.
‘Anji? What are you doing here? Where are you taking her, comrade Burton?’
‘It is not for you to question my actions, comrade.’
The soldiers were glancing between them now, clearly starting to wonder what was going on. Pia was moving forward, looking at Anji more closely. ‘What have they done to you?’
‘Take her down to my car.’ Burton was gesturing at the guards to continue whilst also shaking his head slightly at Pia. The nearest soldier pulled at Anji’s elbow.
‘No!’ Pia was barrelling into the nearest soldier, aiming a swing at his head. He staggered back and she followed by grabbing his arm and puffing, reaching to the firearm at his waist. She had it free of his holster before the guy could react. She stepped to one side and pointed the weapon at Blair’s neck.
‘Let go of her, slowly. Step back. We don’t want anything to happen to comrade Burton, do we?’
‘Pia...’
‘Shut up. Step back. Anji, take comrade Pedro’s gun. Can you fire it?’
‘I t-think so,’ Anji took in the basic mechanism and saw it was pretty standard. She didn’t touch the safety, or grip the trigger though. She had no desire to fire the thing accidentally.
‘Good. Now, we’re going down to the yard, where we will be taking comrade Burton’s vehicle. Burton comes with us. Pedro, you lead the way.’
The guard moved off, glancing back repeatedly at them. Anji fell in beside Pia, still not quite sure of whom to trust. What had been that stupid 90s slogan? ‘Trust no one,’ she muttered. Pia glanced at her.
‘Not a bad motto, perhaps.’
They were walking slowly down the wide staircase now, Pia glancing about constantly. Anji kept looking up the stairwell, bothered that their backs were exposed. Down and round, trying to keep their steps in unison. Pedro was dragging his feet, deliberately slowing their progress. Anji was starting to wonder what was going on: this was too elaborate for a Doctor-planned rescue mission, too reliant on too many variants.
‘Pia, what are you doing?’ Blair was hissing.
‘Getting Anji out. Quitting the Party, comrade.’
‘I was getting her out –’
Blair broke off as they entered the foyer. Anji took in the large number of soldiers in the space, the pillars and the wide expanse of floor between them and the doors. Not good at all. Anji felt like every pair of eyes in the room turned to watch them walk across the marble. She wondered how many of them could see the gun Pia had shifted down to Blair’s waist. Or the one she had half-hidden by her arm.
The first shot missed them narrowly, hitting the pillar to their left.
‘Damn!’ Pia pushed Anji behind the nearest pillar, lifting her gun up and squeezing off a shot towards the guard by the door. Blair ducked behind Anji’s bolthole.
‘Give me the gun?’
Anji stared at him. Was he for real, or was this some complex game to make her reveal stuff? Was she going to be ‘shot whilst escaping’ or ‘resisting arrest’ or some other euphemism? Blair gestured impatiently. ‘Anji, I don’t have time for this. I can fire that gun. Can you?’
Anji handed it over. Pia was behind the next pillar along, closest to the doors. She gestured for Anji to run over, then let off a couple shots of covering fire. Anji scrabbled across the marble, her feet skidding on the smooth surface. Pia nodded with satisfaction at her.
‘How many bullets do you have in that gun, Anji? I only have a few left.’
‘Er...’
Blair levelled the gun and fired over their heads. Pia was already reacting when she heard the groan behind her. Anji glanced and saw a man slumping to the floor, one hand clutching his shoulder.