Doctor Who_ Match of the Day - Chris Boucher [37]
„Do you have ID, Mr Lung?‟ The girl smiled at him brightly from behind the glass.
Keefer looked around furtively. „Would you keep your voice down, please.‟
„I‟m sorry?‟
„I‟m Norbert Lung,‟ he murmured with all the bland confidence he had once seen Jerro use to con his way into a network executive‟s office.
„Yes?‟ The hostess looked slightly puzzled.
„Norbert Lung!‟ he whispered fiercely.
Now she was unsettled, „I‟m sorry, sir?‟ and beginning to get uncomfortable.
„So you should be. Do you normally announce your Class A passengers like that?‟
„I‟m sorry sir I didn‟t mean to -‟
Keefer interrupted her in the same angry mutter: „I told my agent this was a stupid idea. Incognito? How would that work? Do you have any idea what will happen if they realise I‟m here? Do you want a riot on your hands?‟
„I should say not, sir, no.‟
„Then stop wasting valuable time and get me on the flight.‟
Would she have the nerve to admit that she had no idea who he was? Would she insist on seeing Norbert Lung‟s ID?
„Well?‟
„The flight is full.‟
No she wouldn‟t. „So?‟
„I shall have to stand down a C. If you make your way to the boarding lift, sir, I‟ll take care of it.‟
He would have to thank Jerro for that one too...
If they ever saw him again, the Doctor thought, they would have to thank Jerro Fanson for this.
„In summary then,‟ the High Referee continued, „you have argued that the de facto referee denied you the opportunity to exploit your client‟s full potential thereby intervening in and breaching an already existing agent-fighter privilege. You further claim denial of your first subsection rights under Kill Rule Two and have argued that this was not an unconsummated kill but an involuntarily interrupted contest under Kill Rule Three Subsection Seven. We will vote on these submissions.‟
The Doctor got to his feet again. „There is one further argument I wish to make,‟ he said.
„We will vote on these submissions,‟ the High Referee repeated in exactly the same tone of voice, and small screens and touch panels folded out of the seats and swung round in front of the members of the court.
The Doctor sat down again. In the chair beside him Leela yawned copiously. „This is boring,‟ she said to him, not bothering to keep her voice down. „Boring and stupid. I do not care what these people decide.‟
„I think you‟ve made that clear,‟ the Doctor said quietly.
„Why are we listening to them?‟ Leela persisted. „Why are we waiting to hear what they will say? It is a waste of time.‟
„It‟s difficult to know what will be a waste of time until after the time has been wasted, by which time it is too late,‟ the Doctor said. „So predicting what will be a waste of time is something of a waste of time. Unless it gives you pleasure of course when it probably doesn‟t count as a waste of time.‟
Leela yawned again. „I am sorry I did not hear what you said, Doctor.‟
The Doctor smiled. „That was a waste of time then,‟ he said.
Above them the screens and panels in front of the members of the court folded away and the High Referee announced,
„The vote is nine. Your submissions are accepted. You are free to go.‟
The Doctor got to his feet. „Just like that?‟ he said. „I have another submission to offer. Another argument. I have an important point I wish to make.‟
„Irrelevant,‟ the High Referee observed. „Further arguments and submissions can have no bearing on this case.‟
The Doctor felt his wrist and ankle bands loosen and as he watched they unclasped and curled back on themselves forming small rolls, which then dropped off. He left them where they lay. Leela meanwhile was stamping on hers and kicking them away so that they skittered across the floor and hit the base of the tiered seats on which the High Referee and Senior Umpire of Duel and the Panel of Fight Replay still sat in solemn session.
„My argument,‟ the Doctor said, „is that the ruling of this court has made it legally possible to win a duel without the necessity of killing.‟ The High Referee ignored