Doctor Who:The Fate of the Jedi (Doctor Who x Star Wars)

The Long Game Pt. 2

Suki gasped and lifted her hands off the pad as though she had just received an electric shock. The other members of staff were forced to lift their own hands too, and the lights in the walls turned off. The compressed information stopped streaming into Cathica and the door in her head closed. Suki rubbed her hands, breathing heavily.

"Come off it, Suki," Cathica said annoyed "I wasn't even halfway, what was that for?"

"Sorry," Suki apologized "must've been a glitch..."

Cathica stood up.

A loudspeaker sounded over the room and a projection sprung to life on the wall. "Promotion,"

"This is it. Come on. God, make it me. Come on, say my name," Cathica prayed.

The Doctor, Rose, Tiaalen, and Adam looked at her with mild concern.

"Say my name, say my name..." she pleaded, her eyes screwed shut.

"Promotion for...Suki Macrae Cantrell."

The words flashed on the projection. Suki's mouth dropped open. Cathica looked gutted.

"Please proceed to Floor 500,"

Suki stood up and stared at the projection as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "I don't believe it...Floor 500..."

"How the hell did you manage that?" Cathica asked, "I'm above you!"

"I don't know, I just applied on the off-chance...and they've said yes!"

"That's so not fair, I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years!"

"What's Floor 500?" Tia asked the Doctor.

"The walls are made of gold," The Doctor replied

***

The Doctor, Tiaalen, and Cathica stood by the life to say goodbye to Suki.

"Cathica, I'm gonna miss you! Floor 500..." Suki looked at Tia "Thank you!"

"I didn't do anything!" Tiaalen retorted

"Well, you're my lucky charm!" Suki hugged her "For the rebellion,"

Tia pulled away from Suki and looked at her confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, my God, I've got to go, I can't keep them waiting..." Suki picked up her bag, rushed to the lift.

"Suki...wait!" Tiaalen shouted

"I'm sorry!" The lift doors closed.

"Good riddance," Cathica said sourly.

"You're talking like you'll never see her again. She's only going upstairs," The Doctor said

"We won't. Once you go to Floor 500 you never come back,"

The Doctor closed his eyes feeling the murderous gaze of Tia on him.

***

Suki stood nervously in the lift, which was zooming up to Floor 500 very fast. Suki paced agitatedly in the lift. Finally, it reached Floor 500 and the doors opened. She looked out beyond the doors, Floor 500 was covered in frost and snow, snow which was gently falling from the ceiling. Suki picked up her bag and walked out of the lift. Suki looked around at her surroundings nervously. Behind her, the doors bleeped and shut. Scared, Suki threw her weight against them, trying to open them, but to no avail. She gave up and took a torch out of her bag. She walked cautiously onto Floor 500, holding it before her. There was a small sound from one of the side rooms. She edged into it slowly. Suki shined her torch around-it appeared to be a disused room, like the one where she worked. She placed a hand on the chair in the middle of the octagonal platform and shrieked as a rotten corpse fell into view. Shining her torch around, she found there were eight other corpses, sitting around the edges of the platform. She backed hurriedly out of the room.

Suddenly, a shaft of light fell on the floor. Having no other indication as to where she should go, Suki followed it.

Suki found herself facing the Editor, in the place where the other deceased members of staff were working on the computers. She turned off the torch. The Editor waved, and she placed it back in her bag, walking up some steps towards him. "Who're you?"

"I'm the Editor," The Editor replied

"What's happening? There're...bodies out there, what's going on?"

"Well, while we're asking questions, would you please confirm your name," he snapped his fingers, and a projection of Suki appeared between them, obviously recorded from the time when she was applying for her job.

"My name is Suki Macrae Cantrell. I was born 1-9-9 apostrophe 8-9 in the Independent Republic of Morocco," The Projection of Suki said

"Liar,"

Suki looked at him with something like defiance in her eyes.

"Hobbies include reading and archaeology. I'm not an expert or anything, I just like digging,"

"Liar!" he snapped his fingers again, the recording was forwarded to a different point.

"I want to work for Satellite Five because my sister can't afford university."

The Editor shook his head. Suki looked from him to the projection.

"And the pay scheme is really good..."

"Liar!" The Editor shouted

Suki stared at him defiantly.

"Let's look at the facts, shall we?" he snapped his fingers again. The projection now showed Suki in a trench, wearing army attire, firing a gun and shouting to her comrades. "Ah, hidden behind a genetic graft, but that's still you. Eva San Julienne. Last surviving member of the Freedom Fifteen! Hmm, self-declared anarchist, is that right?"

Suki suddenly produced a gun and pointed it at the Editor. Her voice had changed-it was now harsh and cold. "Who controls Satellite Five?"

Looking shocked, the Editor raised his hands slowly in the air. Then, he burst out laughing and lowered them.

"There's the truth!"

"The Rebellion has been monitoring Satellite Five's transmissions. We have absolute proof that the facts are being manipulated. You are lying to the people," Suki said unfazed.

"Ohh, I love it. Say it again,"

"This whole system is corrupt. Who do you represent?"

"I'm merely a humble slave. I answer to the Editor in Chief,"

"Well, who is he? Where is he?"

"He's overseeing everything. Literally everything."

Suki narrowed her eyes.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to have to refer this upwards," he clicked his fingers and pointed upwards. The roaring voice started again. Suki immediately pointed her gun at the ceiling instead.

"What is that?" Suki asked scared.

"Your boss. This has always been your boss. Since the day you were born,"

Suki fired ineffectually in the direction of the creature. But it bore down on her. Suki screamed.