3
GAME CHANGER
Regarding the Doctor with wry amusement the tall, bald, purple skinned man who had pretended to be one of the 'prisoners' gave a mock bow of acknowledgement.
"I am sigma," he confessed, "Are you surprised?"
The Doctor was but was also determined not to show it, never give your opponent an advantage was his motto.
"To begin with you may have had me fooled but your distinctive scent gave you away," he inhaled it again as he took in the features of the man, "You're from Betelgeuse, one of the outer rim worlds Vargon or Casmier; I haven't been there for a while but purple skin is not uncommon."
Eyebrows rising Sigma gave an appreciative nod, "I was born on the former and educated on the latter where I began my first business," he said, "You do get around Doctor, I'm most impressed."
Refusing to be flattered the Doctor said, "So what is your business now, apart from abducting, hunting and killing people; what is the point of all this?"
Sigma chuckled, "I'm surprised you haven't worked it out that it isn't obvious to a man your intelligence."
Having a number of theories the Doctor worried his sharp chin, "At first I thought you were just being cruel hunting people for pleasure because you could, then I reasoned there had to be more to it than that some sort of commercial enterprise, possibly you were recording the hunts to sell as entertainment; but then why only 12 contestants why not more."
Sigma nodded, "What did you finally conclude, please tell me I'm all ears?"
Given the size of the alien's ears the Doctor was moved to grin, "It has to be some sort of selection process, a way of weeding out the unsuitable to find a candidate who meets your criteria."
"Oh bravo," giving a short clap Sigma beamed at the android on the door before turning back his eyes bright, "Splendidly deduced and you're quite right of course."
"Except," said the Doctor, "That you kill all the candidates in the hunt."
"Not quite and not all," said the bald man, "One is left alive the best the person who impresses me the most, who is adaptive, devious, ruthless and cunning enough to join my business empire."
"Someone like you in other words, a chip off the old block, a sigma mark 2," head shaking the tall man mused that all megalomaniacs no matter where they came from wanted sycophants around them who acted as mirrors to their own inflated egos, birds of a feather then another thought occurred more worrying, "It's not me is it," he asked, "You don't think I want to be your apprentice?"
"No Doctor I can see that would never work you are far too rebellious and free spirited, you'd never fit into the corporate universe."
Well that was something as the time lord had never been a huge fan of corporations or business empires, "So whom did you select out of the twelve," he asked?
"I didn't select any of them, you did," Sigma waved and another android brought Delva into the room holding her by the wrist; so the girl hadn't succeeded in avoiding capture after all, Sigma crowed, "You picked my next apprentice and here she is," he offered Delva a sickly smile, "Welcome Delva you have demonstrated considerable smarts in sticking with the Doctor, you worked out at once he was a survivor and problem solver and allied yourself to him just as I would, cynical manipulation is key in business as is astute networking." Delva just looked puzzled but the Doctor couldn't hide his disgust.
"You judge everyone by your own paltry standards Sigma."
"Paltry," this struck a nerve in the purple man who puffed out his chest and prodded it with a finger, "I am CEO of 350 companies my net worth is…"
But Delva interrupted, "Lives lots of innocent lives all wasted in your fake plastic jungle, how many people have your droids killed Sigma where are the bodies buried?"
Silenced for a moment by this tirade the bald man blinked in surprise, "You make it sound a bad thing my dear, aren't you impressed by how cleverly I set this whole thing up, how well designed the jungle is, how I segue myself into the prison population so I can get the inside track on who's who and what they think?"
Clearly not clearly disgusted Delva looked at the Doctor, "How do we get out of here," she asked, "Because I've no wish to be this man's servant or follower no matter what salary he's offering, murder is murder no matter how you dress it up?"
Impressed the time lord picked up his sonic, it had not been idle in fact he had set it to scan mode and what it had been scanning were the brains of the androids, their positronic net, now flashing soft green along the side the screwdriver was announcing that its task was completed.
Smiling the Doctor thumbed the base of the pencil shaped device altering it from scan to transmit, "We get out like this," he said raising the sonic like a microphone, "Androids I'm speaking to you directly, I think it's time you stopped acting like mindless puppets so I'm activating your discretion chips…now," a sharp buzz filled the air echoing not just around the room but inside the head of each and every droid.
Sigma blinked hand son hips, "Am I meant to be impressed," he asked dryly, "I see no robot's rebellion Doctor," a guffaw escaped the thin lips, "My guards are totally loyal they cannot defy me nor can they be turned against me."
Looking at the droid on the door the Doctor frowned this should be working now, he had sent his signal directly into the discretion chip to reactivate it all such models had one, "Androids you are free," he said, "You can make your own choices now," he went over to the one on the door peering into its glassy eyes, "Come on old chap respond."
The droid did raising its weapon to the Doctor's face threateningly whilst Sigma chuckled to himself not in the least concerned by any uprising. Delva had a stricken expression,
"It hasn't worked," she sobbed.
"But it should," the Doctor insisted, "I'm sure this is the right frequency."
"Try another," Delva urged so he did flicking the frequency switch up and down with no apparent effect.
"There must be some kind of counter signal, I'm sure I can't have made a mistake."
"Perhaps," said sigma, "I just design better droids than you're used to, sorry Doctor it was a nice try but you've lost, my droids are totally loyal, now switch off that annoying noise there's a good chap."
Reluctantly doing so the Doctor seemed crestfallen he stepped back pale and bemused squeezing the sonic tightly in his hand, rarely let down by it in the past, how could he have miscalculated so totally.
"I'm sorry," he told Delva, "I seem to have made a fool of myself."
The pain in her eyes was worse than any recrimination he was capable of, now they were truly trapped, "What now sigma?"
"Simple Doctor another hunt only this time there will be only one candidate, yourself."
"Back to the jungle is it," asked the tall man?
"I'm afraid so but this time there will be no handy skimmer to hijack no glamorous female assistant, no mad dash back to the dome, you will be on your own against my droids all of them; fox and hounds I think they say on earth with you as the fox."
So much for a game changer thought the Doctor who was now in a worse jam than ever, he threw Delva a disconsolate look, "Good luck," he said although he would need more himself.
Sigma said, "My assistant won't need luck she has me, whereas you are about to get fired Doctor in a rather permanent way."
NEXT EPISODE 'Where Secrets Lie'