Doctor Who_ Trading Futures - Lance Parkin [9]
‘I’ll have to open it,’ the Doctor decided, tapping the case.
‘It could be booby‐trapped.’
The Doctor drummed his lip. ‘True. Still – think of it as a challenge.’
‘Is there anything I can do?’ Fitz asked.
The Doctor shook his head.
‘Well, seeing as it’s a nice day, could I…?’ He didn’t quite have the nerve to ask.
The Doctor was peering at the case, as if he could open it by staring at it.
‘Doctor?’ Fitz asked.
‘He wants a day off, boss,’ Anji prompted.
‘Not a day. Just an hour or two, really.’
‘Go on, then.’
Fitz was already on his feet. ‘Coming, Anji?’
She looked over. ‘No. I think I’ll help here.’
‘Anji, there’s a beach, there’s the… er… it’s the Mediterranean, isn’t it?’
‘It’s the Mediterranean.’
‘Thought so. You’d rather be sat there than exploring?’
‘You go and enjoy yourself,’ Anji assured him.
‘Have a nice time, Fitz,’ the Doctor echoed. ‘Oh, and watch out for the owners of the case.’
Fitz and Anji looked at him.
‘Well, I imagine they want it back, don’t you?’ The Doctor asked, searching his pockets for something.
‘And who are they?’
‘The human military of this era.’
‘All of them?’
‘The British, from what I gathered last night. Or the EZ. It’s all much of a muchness now. Special forces, with state of the art equipment and weapons.’ He was holding the sonic screwdriver, made a show of adjusting some of the settings.
‘Well, I suppose a bunch of blokes in balaclavas will stand out here.’
‘I imagine they’re skilled in covert operations. The three of them on the hydrofoil saw my face, so they’ll be looking for me.’
‘Then why are we sat out here in the open?’
‘You said it yourself: it’s a nice day, it would be a shame to be inside.’
‘They won’t know me, though? I’ll be safe?’ Fitz looked over at Anji. ‘I mean me and Anji, obviously.’
‘They’ve probably got access to CCTV footage of the three of us together,’ the Doctor murmured. ‘We were together the whole of yesterday, and at the restaurant and hotel last night. So, enjoy yourself, but –’
‘Enjoy myself but watch out for the SAS trying to slit my throat?’
The Doctor grinned. ‘That’s the one.’
* * *
Chapter Three
A Pretty Girl is Like a Malady
Fitz left the Doctor and Anji behind, and wandered up to the road, a pedestrianised boardwalk. Most of the people here were middle‐aged, but this was a holiday resort, there was bound to be some sort of entertainment. He decided to cross the street to an amusement arcade he’d spotted.
Maybe he’d even learn the name of the island at some point. Yeah – he’d make that the mission for the morning. He’d been here more than a day now, so he felt a bit embarrassed asking Anji or the Doctor.
The amusement arcade was full of noise and light – but it was also air‐conditioned, so it was an easy decision to go in. There were rows and rows of games, all with a huddle of people around them. Kids mainly – everyone was at least half his age, from the look of them. The games were just space‐age fruit machines and pinball, as far as Fitz was concerned. He recognised the intense concentration, the frantic slapping of buttons, the lights and sounds.
Right at the back of the place was something more substantial.
RealWar.
There were six booths, taking up most of the back wall. Despite the number of machines, there was a short queue, and it seemed to be attracting an older crowd – people in their twenties. There was a man dressed as a soldier standing at the front, acting like an usher, working through the line, checking people’s identity cards. The screens were vast, letting everyone take a look – the quality of the images was completely realistic: a forest in midwinter, from the viewpoint of some vehicle or other. That was it – as he watched, Fitz saw that all six pictures were of the same forest, from slightly different angles. The players were all part of some military patrol, on some sort of