Doctor Who: Virgin Missing Adventures [011] - System Shock by Justin Richards

Author:Justin Richards
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780426204459
Publisher: Doctor Who Books
Published: 1995-08-12T22:00:00+00:00

0B

Snakes Alive

Order was restored relatively quickly after they dragged Hunter’s body away. Sarah had been pushed into the group of hostages. She could see that Ambassador Anderson was seething, his hands clenching at his sides. But he could do nothing.

The Duchess tried to calm him down. ‘You’ll get your chance,’ she told him quietly.

The rest of the guests were subdued. Those who had been crying were now reduced to the odd sniff, and the man who had fainted was blaming it on too much champagne.

Peterson was the only one who cared to complain, despite the Duchess’s whispered attempt to dissuade him. ‘You have no right to keep us here,’ he yelled at Stabfield. ‘I am a minister of the crown and I demand you release us immediately. I will not stand for this treatment.’

Stabfield let him rant, his head cocked slightly to one side, his gun lowered.

‘Leave it out, Peterson,’ Anderson said. Sarah tugged at his sleeve and shook her head, but he pulled his arm away.

‘If you let me go I shall be able to negotiate on your behalf. I can see your demands are met.’

‘Oh yes?’ Stabfield said at last. ‘And what exactly are our demands, Mr Peterson?’

Peterson looked lost. He turned to Eleanor, beside him, for help.

‘Still thinking of yourself, Clive?’ she asked. She pronounced his Christian name as if it were a music hall joke.

Peterson seemed surprised by her tone. ‘I – I,’ he stammered.

Eleanor snorted in disgust. ‘You couldn’t negotiate a whore out of her mini-skirt.’ She turned to Johanna, standing close by, gun levelled. ‘Here. I’ll do it.’

Johanna clicked her fingers and one of the waiters hurried over. He was carrying a silver salver. On it lay a cold Browning High Power handgun.

‘What – what’s going on?’ Peterson backed away as the waiter handed the pistol to Eleanor. ‘No – please –’

‘You snivelling, disgusting bloater,’ she spat as she took the handgun, holding it in both hands, legs braced wide to take the recoil.

‘El –’

‘And don’t call me El,’ she shouted as she pulled the trigger.

There was silence for a while afterwards. Eleanor stood still in position, red hair cascading round her head. It clashed with the blood spattered across her face.

Tableau.

‘Are all you terrorists actually aliens?’ Sarah asked after a while. It might help to get the truth out, if the Doctor’s theory was right. And she could not see how Johanna would have the strength to lift the crate of munitions otherwise. She remembered Carlson’s sudden transformation – the impossibly thin tongue that had swept over his lips. If any of the terrorists were human, they might yet win them over.

There were murmurs and even some laughter amongst the hostages. But Stabfield waved them quiet with his gun. ‘Pick a terrorist,’ he said to Sarah.

She was sure about Carlson, Johanna and Stabfield himself.

So Sarah pointed to an inoffensive looking young man holding a machine gun. ‘Him,’ she said.

Stabfield nodded. ‘Show them, Russell.’

Russell handed his gun to the waiter next to him. Then he unbuttoned his jacket.

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