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Absently, the Doctor waved his hand. 'Of course, of course, but we're not leaving yet. There's something more to this place than meets the eye; boots that aren't boots and Justices of the peace that are something more in a village, straight out of some ghastly horror film.' He rose from his seat, pacing up and down, finger upon chin in deep thought.
'Now, the only place no one goes to in this village is the Courthouse as Leon told us. That has to be the final place in the anachronistic jigsaw puzzle...' He sank back into the chair again and went into a thoughtful trance.
Feeling that she was not wanted, Peri began to sidle towards the door. 'I'm going to see Leo's body...' she stuttered. There was no answer and so Peri turned and left.
A few moments later and Peri was back, babbling breathlessly. 'Doctor, Doctor, his body. It's gone. Someone's taken it to the Courthouse!' She shook the Doctor's shoulder which immediately shook him from his meditation and then he sank back into insensibility again. 'Oh forget it!' she snapped, 'Do I have to do everything myself?' Angrily, Peri turned on her heel and ran from the cottage.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 blackened, gangling mass of charred flesh was roughly thumped down upon a solid metallic slab.
It was a small, darkened room within the confines of the Courthouse, containing a metallic bench in the centre; a rack of gleaming surgical instruments; a large overhead operating table illuminator and a small neat control console and microphone.
Marlok sat at the console, his legs upon the lit surface. He watched with distain as three Justices in surgeon garbs, hovered like vultures around the corpse of Leon. With a dull voice he began his monologue into the microphone:
'Base One to Homeworld. Day 5204. Time: 22.10 home standard. Countdown to zero hour, eight hours, twelve minutes awaiting notification code and tractor order. Log 5204: This is Citizen Justice Marlok reporting an emergency procedure ten for Citizen Leon Flanders. Body is being prepared for zero hour, dispatch taking place in two, home standard minutes. Awaiting orders. Out.'
The snake like microphone retracted and Marlok watched, drinking in the scene before him, like some elegant bouquet of claret with an egotistic glee. He'd got rid of Leon himself.
The surgeons worked with meticulous ease as they began to dissect the darkened remains of Leon Flanders, cutting into the hardened crispy flesh, severing tendons and muscles until the final tearing of flesh from the bone. Yes, this was going to be a rare delicacy
The meat was tossed into an open wall drawer and once full of limbs and all the other vital organs, it automatically slid back into the wall. There was a 'hiss' of another door opening somewhere and then the drawer slid back out - empty!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 er instinctive inquisitiveness aroused by the events of the past few hours ( and the Doctor's, almost total, apathy ) made Perpugillium Brown decide to take the situation into her own hands. After all, all that would happen is that she could get caught by the Justices, then the Doctor would rescue her and sort out the whole situation. These thoughts did little to comfort her as she crept up towards the central staircase in the airy, gloomy lobby of the Courthouse. She kept to the shadows to conceal her presence.
Right on cue, two chattering Justices came from behind her, through a small door to what was obviously the cellar of the building. She pressed herself tight against the staircase as they swept past and she noticed the odour of aftershave. Yet another piece to the nearly completed 'jigsaw' as the Doctor had put it a few minutes earlier. Now she had a decision to make - upwards or downwards.
It was true, the cellar was nearer to her, and at least she did not have to risk being seen ascending the stairs...Her hand closed around the brass ornate door knob. The door creaked slightly so she only opened it wide enough to allow her to slide through onto the stairs beyond. But she had already passed through the thin beam of light at the level of her eyes...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 ithin the confines of the main monitoring room another Justice watched as chattering words lit up a tiny computer screen, bathing his face in an eerie pale green washed light.
'Retinal Pattern: Negative. Intruder in cellar area 3.' spoke the litany upon the screen.
Quinn was hurriedly notified by his link aid and was almost immediately at the Justice's shoulder. The Justice squirmed in his seat as Quinn rested a muscular hand on his shoulder and squeezed intensely. He knew Quinn was becoming excited, because the man enjoyed the thrill of the chase and the exhilaration of the kill.
'Turn on the camera, let's see who it is - though I have a pretty good idea.' He sucked in a sharp intake of breath and licked a tongue expectantly around chaffed lips.
 
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cursed pt2 page3
