Doctor Who_ Match of the Day - Chris Boucher [117]
„No,‟ Leela said.
„You cannot refuse my challenge.‟
„I can refuse it. I have refused it.‟
Keefer raised the handgun. „I must kill you either way.
Fight me or die.‟
Leela stared at the gun. She could not stop looking at it.
She could see death was a moment away. The Doctor had said no matter what they must not fight. She had given him her promise. So had Keefer. She forced herself to raise her eyes to his face. It was expressionless. His eyes were as blank as the watching lenses all around them. He was waiting for her to make a move. He was waiting to kill her.
The Doctor struggled to free himself from the security men and get up from the floor. He couldn‟t see a screen any longer. He couldn‟t see what was happening. He hadn‟t planned to leave Leela and Keefer down there in the arena for so long. He hadn‟t planned for Leela to challenge Keefer‟s beliefs like that. He hadn‟t planned very much of this at all.
Then he heard the shot, it sounded deafeningly close, and he heard the gasps of excitement from the suite behind him.
Leela had no gun. It was Keefer who had the gun. „Let me up,‟ he demanded. „Let me up.‟ Without a word the two security men released him and he rushed back to look at the main screen, only to find that it was no longer showing the scene on the arena floor but was showing the tri-dee suite itself. Security men were filing in and it appeared everyone was being arrested.
The Senior Umpire and High Referee of Duel, his grey uniform spattered with blood, was standing over the body of Hakai with a smoking gun still in his hand. „Nobody takes the Rules of Attack into their own hands,‟ he said solemnly.
The Doctor thought he must be talking to himself but then he realised he was talking to several tri-dee cameras. „The Lady Hakai‟s co-conspirators will be taken into the custody of the Court of Attack. This matter is at an end.‟
Once the main screen had returned to showing the arena floor where Leela and Keefer were standing with their backs to one another, the High Referee nodded at the Doctor and said, „It‟s not at an end of course. After what you‟ve done there can only be chaos.‟
„After what I‟ve done?‟ the Doctor said.
„I assume your plan was to unmask the Lady Hakai to this little group, who were then supposed to deal with her?‟ He indicated the camera. „I...‟ He waved his hand vaguely. „I played your little drama to more people.‟
„You broadcast what happened.‟
„And now they know the death records can be tampered with, the interrogation computers are not reliable, there are machines masquerading as fighters.‟
„Was Ronick working for you all along?‟ the Doctor asked.
„Clever policeman, Ronick,‟ the High Referee said. „Very clever. If it wasn‟t for the fact that he‟s fat, greedy and corrupt, you wouldn‟t be able to trust him at all.‟
On the main screen the Doctor could see that Keefer was fiddling with his gun and Leela had her hand on the hilt of her knife. „My fighters,‟ he said.
The High Referee looked at the screen. „What about them?‟
„There are open contracts on them.‟
„Cancelled. Yours too.‟
„Would you mind telling them that?‟
The High Referee flicked a switch and said, „Nobody move!‟
On the screen Leela and Keefer both looked up. „I‟m coming to sort this out.‟
„That‟s more or less where we came in,‟ the Doctor said.
„It seems ungrateful,‟ Leela said. „That is all I am saying.‟
„It‟s not ungrateful,‟ the Doctor said, happy to feel the sound of the TARDIS whispering like a shiver across his skin.
„There is no other way to leave.‟ He closed his eyes and breathed in the rasping murmur as it rose and fell. „This is the way I do it. This is the way I have always done it. As far as I remember this is the way I always will do it.‟
Leela took out a whetstone and began to work on her knife.
„Benron and the others were pleased when they got your office back to how it had been.‟
„So was I,‟ the Doctor said. And I did say thank you.‟
„And then you put a complete stranger in charge of the fight school.‟
„He wasn‟t a complete stranger.‟ The Doctor