Silhouette by Justin Richards Page A

chain in the ‘V’ of the neckline. It caught the unreal flames of the fire as she sat down, curling her legs up beneath her.
    Milton handed her a glass of pale, viscous liquid and sat on the adjacent sofa. ‘So, my dear, what have we learned?’
    Silhouette sipped her drink. ‘They are resourceful,’ she said, ‘if the girl escaped.’
    ‘This Doctor bothers me,’ Milton said. ‘He affects an air of ignorance and indifference. But beneath it are undercurrents of knowledge and curiosity.’
    ‘And the others?’ Silhouette asked. ‘The other young woman, the so-called Great Detective, and the …’ She hesitated, searching for the right word. ‘The gentleman that Empath encountered?’
    ‘I’m not sure,’ Milton admitted. ‘There is certainly potential there that we could exploit. What Empath saw was almost certainly an alien of some sort. Not enough information to determine the exact species, but it sounds if he has possibilities. Especially if he is as difficult to dispose of as Miss Clara Oswald. As for the others …’ He considered, holding his glass up and watching the reflected holo-flames of the fire dance on its surface. ‘Well, perhaps it would be simplest to kill them all.’
    ‘Kill them?’ It was a gasp, surprise and shock, that made Milton set down his glass on a small table beside the sofa and lean across to look at Silhouette.
    ‘That worries you?’
    ‘Yes. No …’ She frowned, then shook her head, confused. ‘I don’t know.’
    ‘It’s all right. I think your implant power source needs recharging. We can’t have self-will surfacing and attacks of conscience now, can we?’ He stood up andwent over to his desk, returning a moment later with a small tube-like device. ‘I’ve checking the shielding, so we shouldn’t give off another unfortunate power spike this time. Now just hold still a moment, would you?’
    Milton pressed the end of the tube to the red crystal hanging from Silhouette’s necklace. The crystal glowed for a short while after Milton had withdrawn the tube. Then gradually the glow faded, and Silhouette’s frown faded with it.
    ‘I really must develop a version that doesn’t need an inductive power source so close to it,’ Milton said as he returned the device to his desk. ‘If I understood more about the workings of the human brain I could probably remove a less important piece of it and put the power source actually inside your head. But as it is …’ He shrugged. ‘Now where were we?’ he refilled his glass and returned to the sofa.
    ‘You were saying it might be simplest to kill them,’ Silhouette said. There was no trace of confusion or regret in her voice now.
    ‘Of course. So I was.’ He sipped the drink and nodded. ‘And does that bother you?’
    ‘Not at all.’
    ‘Good.’
    ‘But you also said they could be useful. Perhaps we should let Affinity keep an eye on them until we can be certain which course is most advantageous to us.’
    Milton swirled the viscous liquid round his glass as he considered. ‘There is some merit in the suggestion,’ he said at last. ‘Yes, perhaps that is the best course of action, especially as they seem very capable when it comes to self-preservation. But,’ he went on, ‘the Doctor worries me. He could be an agent of the Shadow Proclamation who has finally tracked me down. He hasn’t taken direct action yet, so he can’t be certain. But he may have his suspicions.’
    ‘Kill the Doctor?’ Silhouette suggested, sipping her own drink.
    ‘If he is an agent, that might alert them. We must tread carefully, my dear. But whatever happens, the Doctor cannot be allowed to learn the truth.’

Chapter
11
    The Doctor waited until all was quiet before crawling from under the table. He dusted himself down, and made his way back through the main tent and outside.
    ‘So that’s where you been hiding, is it?’ a voice said close behind him as he emerged.
    He turned quickly, to find Jenny watching him, hands