Doctor Who_ Match of the Day - Chris Boucher [56]
The Enforcer of the Guild of Agents smiled back at him. His smooth, round face glowed with friendly good-fellowship. „If anything you‟re overqualified,‟ he said. „The way you‟ve been promoting that girl of yours is nothing short of inspired.
She‟s going to be system-wide, bigger than Coodar ever was.
Leela is going to be a brand to be proud of.‟
The Doctor was slightly taken aback. „Yes, I‟ve always found her quite challenging,‟ he said, and wondered whether he had let his enthusiasm get the better of him.
„There you go, you see,‟ the Enforcer chortled. „“I‟ve always found her quite challenging.” Brilliant! What can I say.‟
„Brilliant‟s fine,‟ the Doctor said.
„You‟re a natural.‟
„So I‟ve been told.‟
„All we need is your official ID and we‟re very much in business,‟ the Enforcer said. „And I may say it‟s going to be profitable business. Profitable for us and profitable for you.
Mostly profitable for you, of course.‟
„Of course,‟ the Doctor said. „I‟ll see what I can do and I‟ll get back to you shall I?‟
„There isn‟t a problem with that is there?‟ the Enforcer asked politely.
„With what?‟ the Doctor asked.
The Enforcer looked slightly embarrassed. He leaned forward so that his face filled the viewscreen. „With asking for your official ID?‟ he murmured delicately.
It was obvious to the Doctor that the Enforcer already knew the answer to that question. He must have done some background checks and naturally he had drawn a blank. „My official ID? There is a slight problem with that, yes. I haven‟t got one at the moment.‟ The Doctor contrived to smile and look depressed both at the same time.
The Enforcer shook his head and tutted sympathetically.
„Another bureaucratic foul-up. I tell you if we ran the Guild the way they run state security...‟ He shook his head again.
„There was some sort of mix-up,‟ the Doctor said, „when Leela and I were first arrested. Now no one seems to know who I really am. It‟s potentially very embarrassing.‟
„And potentially very expensive,‟ the Enforcer agreed. „Hard to enforce contract terms if you don‟t officially exist. And if you‟re not a member of the Guild.‟
„Exactly,‟ the Doctor said. „So if...‟
„So, if you have a talk with your friend the minister, presumably he can sort that out sharper than sparks from a wet skullcap.‟
„My friend the minister?‟ The Doctor wracked his brains as to who that might be.
„I saw you with him at the Baloch debacle,‟ the Enforcer said. „The State Security Minister?‟
„The minister,‟ the Doctor said. „Of course. My friend the minister.‟
„A charming man, I‟ve always liked him,‟ the Enforcer said, clearly lying through his teeth.
„He and I are going to be very good friends,‟ the Doctor said and beamed delightedly. „He admires my ambition and I admire his taste in very good friends.‟
„No problem getting your ID sorted out then.‟
„Go straight to the top,‟ the Doctor said. „Always a good plan.‟
„I‟ll expect to hear from you soon,‟ the Enforcer said.
„You will,‟ the Doctor agreed, „you will,‟ and thought: you will expect to hear from me soon, I mean. That‟s not a lie is it, not technically? Or am I lying to myself, he thought. I must get on with finding Keefer so that we can leave soon, he decided. This place is probably not good for Leela...
When finally he felt he had wasted enough time, Keefer paid the bribe and made his way through the freight-control galleries and out into the rest-and-recreation domes. It was obvious whoever had named these the Pleasure Pits was a PR
talent with a sour sense of humour. A poorly lit network of narrow
link-tubes
connected
half
a
dozen
basic
containments. No attempt had been made to disguise the crude prefabricated structures or differentiate them much except for colour-coding the entrance bulkheads. There was a communal eating area serviced by automatic food synthesisers old enough to qualify for a nostalgia park back home; an association room boasted little more than seating and off-focus tri-dee;