Part 30 (2/2)

Click.

The Doctor opened his right eye, then his left. He sighed, obviously relieved. The Doctor spun the barrel and offered the weapon to Wolff. The German shrank from it. 'This is not a test of skill, but of luck. A childish display - an activity for drunken degenerates, not an honourable soldier.'

'I agree. But by your own logic, if you don't take up the challenge then I win: you've proved that you are a coward. If you kill yourself you've won because you are brave. Lunacy.'

The Doctor spun the barrel and again placed the gun at his own temple and pulled the trigger. He kept his eyes open this time.

Click.

'This little game is a demonstration of destiny, of bravery, but above all it's a demonstration of futility. You can't create anything with a gun, Herr Wolff, let alone Utopia, authority or truth. You can dress up in a scary black uniform and talk about destiny. You can use the full power of the state to rewrite biology, mythology, genealogy, history and geography. Burn all the books that you disagree with, burn all the people that wrote them or read them. Hold a parade in every street, attend a thousand Party rallies. Gang up on the weak, persecute the minorities. Win the war. It still won't make you right.'

The Doctor nervously licked his lips as he pulled the trigger for the third time.

Click.

The Doctor spun the barrel and tossed the gun over to Wolff.

Wolff began to edge the gun up to his temple. Then his arm straightened and the pistol was pointing squarely at the Doctor's chest. The Doctor didn't try to move.

'You are a fool,' the German spat. He pulled the trigger.

Click.

'You're right, I am a fool. But you are a coward, Herr Wolff.'

Click.

'You've got the gun now. You've got the authority - that's what you said. Use it. Force me to obey you. Force me to agree with you.'

Click.

'You cheated me! This gun isn't loaded.'

'You're the one that cheated - if you remember I did stipulate that you pointed the gun at yourself, not me,' the Doctor reminded him.

Wolff checked the barrel.

'There are three bullets there,' the Doctor repeated.

Wolff looked up helplessly, his eye watery and pale. He was aiming the pistol at the Doctor once more, but his hand was shaking now.

'You're beaten,' the Doctor said wistfully. 'There are no more tomorrows for you, Joachim Wolff. You have no authority, you have no destiny. History is written by the winning side, and there's no part for you. You can keep the gun. Goodbye.'

As the Doctor closed the door behind him, there was a single shot from inside the cell.

Or perhaps it didn't happen like that at all.

Forrester stepped up to Munin, ran her hand along its rough underside. Reed had also returned to the plane. He stood peering up into the bomb bay, a shopping bag in his hand.

The church bells were still ringing, and now the air-raid sirens had started up, too.

'It's filled to the brim, Roz. There must be ten thousand pounds of explosives up there.'

'Yes,' she said simply.

Benny caught up with the Doctor as he strode through the park towards the TARDIS. She grabbed him by the shoulder.

'Doctor, what happened in there? I heard a shot.'

'I never discuss my patients,' the Doctor said darkly.

'That's not good enough this time, Doctor.'

'He's dead. He'll never do what he did to you again. Not to anyone.'

'Will you?'

The Doctor stopped in his tracks and whirled to face her.

'That was uncalled for.'

Benny was crying again. 'Doctor, one of these days you're going to leave it just a little too late and one of us is going to die.' She couldn't think of anything else to say, and instead she stepped over to Chris.

The Doctor stood for a moment, lost in thought. He looked up sharply, then joined his companions.

'What's Roz doing?' Chris asked, pointing over to Munin.

'I wouldn't stand there,' the Doctor said. He had pulled out his abacus, and after a second or two's calculation, he took nine steps back. 'Move behind me.'

Chris scampered across. 'Why mov-'

Munin exploded, a detonation in the bomb bay lifting the plane slightly, cracking its fuselage into an inverted V-shape.

The wings buckled and snapped, then the fuel tank erupted.

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