2
"The ccriminal has been app-rehended."
"Yes, that's very nice, but you see I had someone with me, and what I could really use is help finding her right now, so if you don't mind-"
The city guard on his left cocked her emu-like head, staring down at the Doctor. "You will follow us please, and wit-ness ccriminal rep-rimand."
"I'm sure you've got a lovely justice system," the Doctor replied quickly, "but right now I'm a little more concerned-"
"Wit-ness follow, please." Said the guard on his right, turning on one leg.
The Doctor let out a frustrated sigh. He just wasn't getting through to these three. The guard in the lead had already begun to walk away, holding the little bundle of feathers that they'd labeled 'the criminal' in her talon-like hands. Apparently the little thing had stolen something out of Jenny's pack. That the guard seemed to have very clear in their bird brains, though they couldn't seem to get the fact that he was more interested in finding the girl whose things had been stolen than the things themselves.
Fine. Go with them, get it over as fast as possible, and then get going. He needed to get out there and find her. Shouldn't take too long as long as it was in the city court. One part of his mind told him to calm down.
The rest of his brain was taken up with finding Jenny's signature. And panicking. Could she have been transported out of the city? No. No, the planet of Pa'aqui had an electromagnetic shield around it. She had to be here. Unconscious, then. She had to be unconscious; that was the only explanation for his inability to pick her up. Or…no, unconscious. He wouldn't accept the alternative.
The guards pushed through the crowd, the Doctor walking in their wake. Where was she? What in the name of the Seven Systems could've put her out of commission? Certainly not the little fuzz bundle being carried in front of him.
Finally, they entered a low, wide building. Leading them into a chamber, the lead guard dumped her charge into a clear plastecine tub, closed the lid, and took up a place behind it. A small bell rang somewhere, and four female Pa'aqui filed in, taking their positions on large embroidered cushions. In their places around the room, the guards trilled.
"Honor to the Sisters of Justice. The Little Ccourt begins."
It was dark. Pain. Back of the head. Voices somewhere above; indecipherable currents of sound washing overhead.
Wake up. Focus. Got to focus. Anything broken? No. Got to wake up.
"…down through the undergrating while it was open. Must've…"
"….brainless idiot…trying to get us caught…stupid damn… you ought to be…"
"….going to do with…"
"and dump…out in the street. Check for valuables. Maybe she has something on her we can sell."
Everything clicked into place. Jenny's eyes snapped open. Four humans present; one held her satchel. Another held a thick-bladed knife, about half a meter long.
Check her for valuables? You wish.
As quick as thought, Jenny kicked out. Her left leg knocked one opponent out, and she was on her feet. The one with the knife came at her. Duck under, grab the arm, twist hard. Bone snapped, knife dropped.
Running footsteps. Tunnel to the left. More coming. How many? Jab to the stomach. Uppercut. There had to be a way out somewhere around here. Where?! Chop down on another knife hand, turn, duck, punch. Five down. Six. Seven.
Pain. Damn. Back of the head again.
Nothing.
She was there, just for a few minutes. The Doctor took a deep breath. So she was still in the city. She must've been unconscious then; must be coming out of it. But even so, he needed to get out of here and figure out where she was.
At the head of the room, the four Sisters of Justice sat in a ruffle of feathers. Sisters of Justice. The Doctor searched his memory. Judges and lawmakers in this country, trained from a very young age and specifically gifted. A rare genetic quirk called the Light Eyes allowed them to see the electromagnetic fields around living things, making them very reliable lie detectors. It was said that the truly skilled ones could see the electromagnetic patterns of the universe, and read a hint of the future in them. Not sure if he believed that one, but interesting all the same.
"Name of the acc-cused?" said the Sister on his far right. Of course. Four Sisters; one to record, one to speak to the defendant, one to speak to the witnesses, and one to pass judgment.
There was a tiny chirrup from the box.
"Name of acc-cused recor-ded Sha-Ta. Name of wit-ness?"
"The Doctor, but I really must-"
"Name of wit-ness recor-ded Doc-tor."
Beside her, the next Sister spoke. "Acc-cused Sha-Ta, you have been seen pil-fering from this vis-itor." She turned her head, looking the Doctor in the eye.
"Vis-itor wit-ness, what have you seen?"
"Not a lot, really. I heard my companion call out, and when I turned round she was chasing somebody into the crowd."
"Was it this acc-cused?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Can't be sure; I really didn't see much. But if I could-"
The Sister inclined her head, then turned on her cushion. "Guard Dre-Yal, what have you seen?"
To the left, a guard spoke. "I saw the acc-cused fleeing from a visi-tor who called out a-gainst her. I heard her demand her goods re-turned."
"And did you happen to see where the visitor got to?" the Doctor interjected. Seven pairs of yellow eyes stared at him.
"Do not inter-rupt" the Sister on the far left ordered. She turned to the guard, nodding.
"I took cust-ody of the acc-cused." The guard resumed. "I found these on her per-son." Flaring out her wings, she approached the cushions, displaying six blue rods.
The Sister in the center left ruffled her feathers. "Sha-Ta, what is your hatch-ing line?"
"Not known." The girl chirped, her head still lowered.
"Your home?"
"Braka Sum."
"Guar-dian?"
"None."
"Did you take the cred-its?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Hun-gry"
"Sha-Ta, you have not come be-fore this court be-fore."
"No."
The Sister nodded.
Turning, the Sister in charge of recording faced the end of the line.
"Infor-mation has been heard. Your judg-ment now."
Dark still. Head…not quite optimal. Okay. A long way from optimal. Hurting like hell, actually. The world took longer to come back into focus this time. Well, at least it was upright.
Jenny opened her eyes. Not such a good thing, maybe. It was upright, because her arms were set into restraints, clamped into the wall. She sighed to herself. I hate it when this happens.
She started to reach forward-and squinted as the movement made her vision swim.
Better wait until this damn wound stops hurting. Hold still and gather reconnaissance.
From what she could see, she was in a circular room, with tunnels leading off it. Storage chamber of some sort; boxes were stacked in every direction. Refrigeration boxes, the kind you used to store fresh produce. Nothing much else.
In the tunnels, there was occasional movement. Men passing back and forth, dressed as civilians. Civilians on the wrong side of the middle-class line. The air smelled of earth and water and something else, something organic.
What was this? A group of thieves? Maybe the pickpocket who'd gone for her was one of them. Or smugglers? Whatever they were, they were afraid of being caught. If her head would only stop pounding…
There had to be an exit. That was what she needed. The way out. Think…
The smell was stronger for a moment. Pungent. Acrid. Organic. Jenny glanced up from beneath her lashes, careful to remain limp and still. There was a man walking into the room, his clothing covered in a long white apron. He hefted up a box. The lights in the room made the red stains across his chest leap out. Then he turned, and disappeared into the corridors.
"Shix." Jenny whispered into the empty room.
She should've known. Blood was one of the substances that always smelled the same.