SMOKE AND MIRRORS

CHAPTER FIVE

River Song had remained tight-lipped on the journey back, refusing to answer any questions. Re-tracing the path they'd made in the snow on the way to Benidorm City, River told them to save their breaths. And in part, she was right. The climb up the snowy slopes of the hill proved much more exhausting than going down.. Still, now that they were safely back inside the Doctor's ship, Amy was not about to be put off.

"OK, so what's this Shadow Proclamation when it's at home?" Amy asked. She was standing defiantly with her arms folded, directly behind River as the woman piloted the TARDIS.

"Intergalactic police agency. A futuristic outer space version of your Interpol, I suppose."River replied, as she concentrated on sending the TARDIS to the correct point in time and space. "Only instead of proper policemen, they use freelancers, thugs for hire called the Judoon."

"So, you're like, turning yourself into the police?" Rory said, helping Amy out of her parka.

"It's a bit more complicated than that. And you can take my coat as well, Rory." River answered, pausing from her tasks to hold out her arms so Rory could remove her parka. "You asked what happened to Benidorm, Amy. The Doctor happened. He destroyed it. Only, he didn't remember, because technically, it didn't happen to him yet."

"I don't believe you!" A shocked Amy told her.

"I'm sorry Amy." River said softly, looking at her with saddened eyes. "I'm afraid it's true.

"But..." Rory stuttered, after he'd deposited the coats on the nearby jump seat, "I'm sure he must've had some kind of good reason. The Doctor I know would never do that sort of thing. He's a good man."

"Yes," River whispered to herself, turning back once again to the TARDIS console, "he's a very good man."

Flipping a switch, River watched the time rotor at the centre of the column fall still. For a long moment, she simply stood in front of the console, gearing herself up for what was to come. Then, she turned to face Amy and Rory. They were watching her, arms linked together as if for moral support, with the mixed emotions of anger, fear and confusion in their expressions.

"We've landed." River said with a forced smile. "Think I'll go and have myself arrested. Care to join me?"

River, Amy and Rory stepped out of the TARDIS and into a wide, cold, sterile looking and dimly lit main reception hall. A staircase led to an observation balcony. Rory felt Amy's hand grasping his arm, and gazed in open-mouthed surprise at what had just marched into the room. The three of them were immediately surrounded by giant creatures in enormous helmets, wearing protective upper body armour and black leather kilts. The only object in the room was some sort of computer console. Its holographic projection screen showed a Judoon trooper an analysis of the TARDIS. The glow from the computer gave the room a bluish hue.

One of the creatures removed its helmet. Amy and Rory both gasped at seeing what appeared to be a rhinoceros. It pulled out some sort of gun and pointed it at River Song.

"That's...ridiculous! It's a rhinoceros." Rory whispered to Amy, incredulously.

"Erm-yeah, I kind of noticed that, Rory." She whispered back to him.

"Noh, pro, clo, toh, fro, mo!" The helmet-less Judoon demanded.

"Oh. Go. Blow...it out your ear." River mimicked the rhino creature, sarcastically. "I'm here to see the Shadow Architect. I believe she's expecting me. You can scan me all you like," she told them, turning around with her arms raised, as the Judoon scanned her body with a hand-scanner, "I'm not armed. And these two with me are witnesses. They're not to be harmed in any way, you got that, big boy?"

A short while later, Amy and Rory found themselves alone in a small chamber. River had been marched away by a pair of Judoon, leaving the other two to be conducted to this place, by a taciturn but polite albino woman with red eyes. On a raised dais was a shiny black table and a matching straight-back chair. Just below the table and chair, was a small metal cage which also contained a chair. The place where Amy and Rory were sat was part of a row of benches. It looked remarkably much like an earth court room. They were left alone with a single, silent Judoon guard to watch over them.

"What are we doing here?" Rory whispered, shifting uncomfortably on the hard bench.

"How should I know, Rory?" Amy answered in a hushed voice. "Why are we whispering?"

"Erm-?" was all Rory could say, before he was interrupted by the sudden opening of the room's one door. When it slid open, the marching feet of a Judoon platoon could be heard, just outside, drawing closer. Abruptly, the marching feet stopped.

Rory and Amy both turned in their seats, to see what the commotion was about. As they looked on, River was marched in, in handcuffs, flanked by two guards. She was seated on a bench in the front row, on the opposite side of the aisle from them. Amy saw River smile and wink at her, as she went past. After a few moments, a tall older woman came in. She was also an albino, wearing a long black gown, with her white hair piled primly on her head. It didn't take any translation for Amy to guess that this was what passed for a judge.

Without speaking to, or even so much as glancing at anyone else in the room, the woman in the black gown seated herself behind the desk. The woman who had escorted Amy and Rory to the room, now reappeared with a sheaf of documents and what looked like a small laptop computer in her hands. She placed them both on the desk.

"These are all the files we have in regards to this case, Shadow Architect." the woman said with an air of humility. The judge behind the desk gravely nodded her acknowledgement. The clerk bowed subserviently to the judge, and departed.

"The witnesses are here. Let us now bring in the prisoner to answer to the charges." The Shadow Architect said to one of the Judoon guards.

Amy and Rory looked at each other, confused. River Song was already in the room, what other prisoner could they mean? The guard had left the room, but returned very shortly with a manacled man in tow. For just a moment, Amy almost forgot to breathe. She heard Rory suck in his breath.

"What the hell?" Rory muttered, staring unbelievingly at the prisoner. It was the Doctor!

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