Doctor Who_ Rags - Mick Lewis [44]
‘There will be a skeleton police and security force protecting her of course, but the vast majority of the constabulary will be at the other side of town. Supervising those infamous travellers will be far more of a stringent issue than watching the princess visit her university of choice. How jolly accommodating of her to decide to eschew Oxbridge, and how grateful you should be to those ragamuffins for deciding to bring their odious tour to Bristol.’
Willis stroked his moustache thoughtfully. ‘You really are a lucky man, Pole; things couldn’t have worked out better for you.’
‘Or for you: don’t forget what you’re hoping to gain out of this.’
Willis ignored this remark, preferring to continue his condescending assessment of the situation. ‘This is what your whole life’s been building up to, Pole, even if your riots haven’t -
as you promised me so vociferously they would. The biggest coup of your activist career, and you’ll hardly have to organise a damn thing. The travellers will stage it all for you.’
Pole scratched the thinning hair on his scalp, and leant forward, his small eyes squirrel-like and hard. ‘And you get to stamp in the face of your political opponents, don’t you, Willis?
What better way of discrediting the present Government than by having the bloody princess kidnapped? Cos people still revere the monarchy, don’t they? They still soddin’ love the parasites. The whole country will have to stand up and listen to your lot then, eh?’
107
Social unrest caused by joblessness, homelessness, lack of public spending and cuts to every service, resulting in the monarchy itself receiving a body blow in protest.
‘Let me tell you how it is, for a change,Willis. If the Government falls at the next election because of my coup, you know exactly how well you’ll stand should your crowd get voted in. Just how popular is your leader? He’s a weak puppet figure and you, and all your powermonger cronies, know it. He’ll go before the election, leaving you with a very good chance of becoming the next leader of the opposition. And then come polling day... well, you never can tell. You’d do anything to achieve that, wouldn’t you, Willis? Even dirty your hands dealing with me. And that’s far more offensive to your senses than taking out the princess. It’s just a crime that I have to work with you to get what I want.’
‘Who else would finance your volatile endeavours? Not to mention your magazine?’ If Pole had hoped to get a rise out of the politician he was sadly disappointed. Willis remained cool as the proverbial long green fruit, but many times more unsavoury.
And so the two sat opposite each other in a greasy-spoon transport café, class standing between them like a canyon. Each was repelled by the other as if by a physical odour - and yet they had formed a twisted bond, and their mutual need was greater than they could force themselves to admit. Pole, thinning hair, grubby T-shirt, worn jeans, would sell his soul (and sometimes, working with Willis, he was convinced he had done so) to destroy the monarchy he had detested all his life; Jeremy Willis, immaculate, suited, conservative side-parting, hungry eyes and soft white hands had ambitions that were entirely more self-directed. We’ll leave them there for the moment, contemplating each other with distaste, and with more in common than they would ever allow.
Bessie took the ford too fast and a clutch of indignant geese were sent squawking off in all directions as twin waves plumed from under the Edwardian roadster’s wheels. The Doctor didn’t even 108
notice, so intent was he on the pulse emanating from the sensor rigged to the dashboard.
It had taken him days to isolate the second pulse from the first and to triangulate exactly where it was coming from. It was very weak and buried under layers of electromagnetic noise, but he had finally succeeded in excavating it. The first pulse was faint but constant, beating