Wetworld by Mark Michalowski

Author:Mark Michalowski
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781409073284
Publisher: Ebury Publishing

Pallister allowed a grin to creep across his face.

His earlier annoyance that the Doctor, despite his promise, had not been to see him was almost forgotten in his joy at how absurdly easy the Council had been to manipulate. It was as if they’d left all their critical faculties, all their judgement, back on Earth.

The flood, whilst obviously disastrous for the settlement, hadn’t been without its upside: eight members of the Council had been lost that night, and the replacement members had been, at the very least, reluctant. So reluctant, so scared of exercising any power, that they’d been almost pathetically grateful to Pallister for taking charge.

Sunday needed firm government, Pallister had reminded himself, every day since the catastrophe. It needed someone capable of making harsh decisions, someone not scared of being unpopular. And if there was one thing that Pallister had never been scared of, it had been that. And, fortunately, he’d had an ally in that, someone who’d seen the strength of leadership he could provide. He wondered, briefly, where Col was and why he hadn’t heard from him about his trip to the ship. It must have gone OK, otherwise Col would have been back to tell him. Never mind – there were more important things to sort out now.

He’d almost had to laugh at the panic and confusion in their eyes – especially in the eyes of that stupid woman Marj Haddon – when he’d told them that an adjudicator had been sent from Earth.

‘Why?’ she’d bleated, going even paler than she normally was. ‘The flood?’

Pallister just shrugged, trying to give the subtle impression that he knew more than he was letting on.

‘But why have they sent an adjudicator?’ This was Dory Chan – one of the few Councillors to have challenged any of Pallister’s recent suggestions. She had a hard face and disturbingly penetrating eyes. ‘And why didn’t he make himself known to us all?’

‘He made himself known to me,’ Pallister pointed out gently, omitting the fact that it had been he that had had gone to the Doctor. ‘As for why…’

He let the silence hang for a while, knowing that almost all the Councillors (except, perhaps, Chan) would be desperately wondering whether they’d done something wrong – some silly little infringement of the Council rules, some stupid mess-up in protocol. And then, when he’d let them panic enough, he said: ‘I’ll handle the Doctor.’

The sighs of relief were audible.

But Chan wasn’t quite so ready to hand over responsibility to Pallister. She brushed her black hair back over her ear and coughed pointedly.

‘Would it not be a good idea,’ she ventured, an edge to her voice, ‘for the Doctor to meet with us? All of us? And if he knows something about the ship… I take it you’ve sent someone out to investigate? To check that he’s not lying?’

Pallister spread his hands.

‘It’s all in hand, Councillor Chan. And I would agree with you about us all meeting with him, but adjudicators are a law unto themselves, as I’m sure you know.

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