Part 26 (2/2)

'What the zark! I didn't order this,' the trooper grumbled, shoving the container back into the slot. It split, drenching Bernice with some sticky fruit drink. With a sinking sensation in her stomach, she heard the trooper's fingers pound the keys again. She fumbled around her feet again, but there was nothing but crumbs and sc.r.a.ps of wrapper.

'Oh s.h.i.+t,' she said, surrept.i.tiously pus.h.i.+ng the access hatch open a crack and thrusting her fingers through, hoping n.o.body would notice.

'What's wrong with this thing?' the trooper snarled.

Trickles of sweat dripped from her hair and down her temples, leaving an itchy heat behind them. Her coveralls were damp, and stuck to her body as she writhed, trying to find something anything outside the machine. Her fingers clutched vainly at empty air. It was useless.

Her fingers suddenly brushed against a plastic wrapper. Yes! It was one of the items she had shoved beneath the machine's rubber skirt to make room. She quickly pulled it in and shoved it through the slot, hoping it was the right thing. Or even close.

'What is the problem problem with this machine?' with this machine?'

Oh h.e.l.l, Bernice sighed. What was happening out there? Was the trooper's behaviour attracting attention? She twisted herself and tried to see through the buckled plate again. n.o.body in her line of sight was looking her way, but that didn't mean anything.

'Hey, popcorn!' the trooper in front of Bernice's food dispenser said, surprised. 'I didn't know this thing had popcorn.'

The heavy utility belt vanished from Bernice's field of view, revealing the refectory again. A wave of relief swept over her, making her nauseous and dizzy.

'You can't go down to Lucifer,' Miles said from somewhere in the refectory. Bernice twisted to see him. She hadn't been keeping track of the conversation, but he seemed to have pulled himself together over the past few minutes.

'I'm sorry?' Legion said.

'You can't go down to Lucifer.' Miles's voice was firmer.

'Trau Engado, IMC can do anything it likes.'

'No. You don't understand. You cannot go down. You will be prevented.'

'By whom?'

'By my daughter,' Miles announced.

A sound like an electric drill ran round the room. It was Legion's laugh.

'Your female offspring? As I understand it, Trau Engado, she is dead.'

'No,' Miles said obstinately. 'I've seen her. I've talked with her. She's alive.'

Bernice could see Legion's body splitting into a firework display of multi*coloured fronds, and slowly drawing together into a hairy black ovoid supported by three pipecleaner legs. The hairs on the ovoid waved gently in a non*existent breeze.

'I grow tired of the reasonable approach,' Legion said. 'The Earth Alliance of Corporations has bought out Earth Central. There are no limits any more. No rules. No regulations. Nothing about environmental impact, customer care, or good business practices. IMC have been given a free...'

There was a pause. Bernice heard Ace murmur something beneath her breath.

'...hand,' Legion continued, 'to exploit all planets colonized, occupied or claimed by Earth for their mineral wealth. This Project Eden of yours: five years and nothing to show for it. I personally do not have time for delays in this operation, and my approach has been ratified at the highest levels. You, Coordinator Engado, are a hopeless incompetent. I shall not be requiring your services any longer. Is there somebody called Bannen here?'

Alex Bannen's footsteps echoed hesitantly through the refectory. 'Yes, sir?'

'I am informed that you will be amenable to cooperation.'

Bannen's voice positively glowed with antic.i.p.ation. 'Oh yes,' he said. 'Oh yes indeed!'

Outside, Adjudicator Bishop cleared his throat. Events seemed to have overtaken him. To Bernice, he sounded suspiciously like a man whose job had evaporated, leaving him high and dry.

'I still have to find my murderer,' he announced.

'Well that's easy,' Bannen said nastily. 'Arrest Piper O'Rourke.'

There was a silence in the refectory.

'That is an as*yet unproven accusation,' Bishop said slowly, 'albeit with some corroborative substance to it. I shall require time to develop a case, to ama.s.s evidence '

'No time,' Legion said brusquely. 'IMC is the law here, and the law is death.'

'Wait,' Bishop and the Doctor chimed together. Bernice watched as the Doctor took a step forward and opened his mouth. Bishop grabbed his collar, hoisted him back and stepped in front of him.

'I am still an Adjudicator of the Guild of Adjudicators,' he announced, his voice ringing out around the refectory. 'And I will have justice done this day!' To emphasize his point, a ma.s.sive gun suddenly appeared in his hand. The troopers, reacting late, made Bishop the focus of their aim.

'Wrong on three counts,' said a gruff voice from the door. Bernice threw her weight against the side of the food dispenser, trying to swivel it discreetly around.

The refectory door was open again, and standing in it, filling it, was the most grotesquely fat woman that Bernice had ever seen. Her scalp gleamed as if freshly oiled, and p.o.r.nographic tattoos seemed to writhe across it with a life of their own. Her robes were long and black; the points of her collar rose high above her head. She stepped forward in a manner that was so delicate it was repulsive.

'The Adjudicators are finished,' she growled. 'IMC has ruled the Guild to be an illegal organization. And there is no justice.'

Bishop seemed to shrink within his robes.

'Staff Sergeant Ace,' Legion said. Its voice seemed to hover over them all. 'In accordance with IMC regulations, and at the behest of Trau Bannen, Coordinator Designate of Project Eden, take Krau O'Rourke away to somewhere private and have her made redundant. With prejudice.'

For a long moment, n.o.body moved. Finally Ace stepped forward. She gestured at Piper with her flamer. 'Come on,' she snapped. 'Let's go.'

Silence reigned after they had left.

n.o.body but Bernice caught sight of the devastated expression on the Doctor's face.

'You will all be segregated for the duration of the operation,' Legion announced to the a.s.sembled Project Eden team. 'To ensure a smooth transition of responsibility.'

Bernice had seen enough. She tilted her body sideways. The dispenser hummed as the null*gray units tried to compensate, and the machine juddered to one side.

Slowly, and with much complaining, the food dispenser wandered towards the door.

Piper slid from the Pit and into the transparent dome of the Belial Bridge terminal. Moloch hung overhead like a small but angry demon. Behind Moloch, the vast sphere of Lucifer cast a malignant crimson glare.

'Move,' Ace snapped behind her.

Piper stepped into the dome. Ace moved to cover her.

'Ace,' Piper said, 'I've talked to the Doctor. He said '

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