Doctor Who_ Match of the Day - Chris Boucher [39]
„And if you go chasing after speculative terrorists you are unlikely to do so, Major Benovides.‟ The minister sipped his own wine appreciatively.
For the first time Sita wondered if the attack was an exercise after all and reporting her conclusions to this idiot had been a mistake. „It‟s the only reasonable interpretation of what happened,‟ she said.
The minister looked amused. „Reasonable you say?‟
„What‟s your explanation then?‟
His amused expression changed to one of irritation and he said coldly: „I do not have one. At least as far as a major is concerned I do not have one. Now I want to hear no more of this. You will continue with your assigned task, unless of course you would prefer a moon posting?‟
The threat was slight but it was there, so Sita smiled and said: „Not really.‟ She picked up her glass and drank. It was a passable sec. As he always did, he was watching for her reaction. „Mm... Superb as ever,‟ she offered, and the minister, a dangerously powerful man, smiled fatuously at this compliment to his taste and expertise.
„Tell me,‟ he said after a moment, „how is your father these days? I believe I owe him a lunch, do I not?‟
Now that he and Leela were no longer prisoners the Doctor found the Court of Attack lock-up was suddenly swarming with helpful staff. It appeared that it was, as he had suspected, deliberate policy to isolate the lock-up prisoners from any outside human contact. Although direct access to the in-house computer terminals was not available to him any more, the warders, or lockup administrators as they preferred to be called, were more than ready to process requests for information and search the computer database on behalf of any visiting non-prisoner.
„You don‟t have a visitor pass, sir,‟ the skinny young man remarked as he returned from the central control and monitoring complex to the waiting area with the print-out for the Doctor. „Neither does your... pretty friend.‟ He smiled a small hopeful smile at Leela. She did not smile back and he looked away shyly. He did not seem put out, indeed her reaction seemed to be no more than he expected. „It‟s not important, sir,‟ he said. „It‟s just that regulations... you know how it is.‟
The Doctor took the print-out. „I do indeed,‟ he said. „But we‟re not actually visiting. In fact we‟re leaving. Almost immediately.‟
„I know,‟ the young man said, and he looked again at Leela.
„You must have fought often to be as good as you are?‟
„Why do you ask?‟ she said, peering through the glass panels of the airtight security doors that blocked access to the inner complex.
„I wanted to see your record of duels but I couldn‟t, it wasn‟t there. At least it wasn‟t available.‟
„Why does this matter to you?‟
The young man shook his head and shrugged uncertainly.
„I just wanted to know more about you that‟s all. I‟m a fan.
I‟m really looking forward to your next fight. I‟m a recruit. I shall be right there with you.‟
„The voices,‟ Leela said. „The whisperers who give orders.
Are they in here?‟
The
proximity
speakers
are
operated
from
the
communication centre, yes,‟ the young man said, clearly eager to show off to her, „and the communication centre is a sub-department of the administration complex where I work.‟
„It is not communication if it cannot be answered,‟ Leela said, dismissively.
The young man was enraptured. „There you are, you see.
That‟s what I mean. You‟re so much more aware than most fighters. So much more thoughtful. I‟m definitely a recruit.‟
„What does it mean, you are a recruit?‟
„When you fight in the arena I‟ll go for all your angles, closest package I can afford. In fact I‟m ready to sign up for an option now before your price gets way beyond me.‟
Leela turned away from the doors. „What are you talking about?‟ she demanded. „Doctor what is he talking about?‟
But the Doctor had been too busy reading the details of the interrogation and the verdict in