Evil Genius (Part 9)

Part 3: 6 Months Later

Chapter 1

Ivan stood frozen in the center of his courtyard, straining to hear. There was nothing to be heard save a few crickets to his left. He glanced in their direction and soon they too were silent. Suddenly he heard a very small rustle in the brush to his right. As faint as it was, it was all he needed. In a flash he dove towards the bushes just as Meg exploded out of them, dagger at the ready. She raised the knife back quickly to get a little weight behind it, but before she had even started her forward thrust he was on her. One arm shot straight at her neck while the other secured her wrist. He twisted her wrist hard and she cried out. As determined as she was to hold on to the knife, her muscles just would not obey her and it fell to the ground with a soft plop, at which point the Doctor threw her to the ground away from it. He bent down and picked up the knife. Meg started to scramble to her feet, but as she leaned on her twisted wrist she cried out again and decided to just stay on the ground. There was no point in getting up.

“How many is that now Ms. Courtland?”, Ivan asked rhetorically; “I believe we’re up to 92 failed assassination attempts up to and including that last little exercise.”

Meg just continued laying there. The searing hatred was still there, but it was no longer capable of fueling her.

“The mistake you keep making is being passive. You’re waiting for me to come to you. The problem is that my senses are far sharper than yours could ever hope to be, so by simply waiting you’re giving me an unbelievable advantage. If you recall, in your first attempt, the one you were almost successful with until you gave yourself away, you weren’t passive at all. You were aggressive. You didn’t wait for anything to happen. You made it happen.”

Meg just continued to lie on the ground, looking up at the night sky impassively. It was a nice night. The sky was clear and the stars were bright. The stars had been very bright these last few months since the power had gone out in most of the major cities. No more light pollution for the heavens to compete with. And thinking of the sky as the heavens was never more appropriate, since it very clearly was now hell on Earth. She tried as much as she could to tune out the words of The Doctor. He was pacing back and forth a few feet from her as he continued.

“In short, you were the predator and you turned me into your prey. That’s the right way to do it. Now you’ve just transformed yourself into the helpless teenager hiding in the closet with a butcher knife waiting for the axe-wielding maniac to find her. That never works for them, and it won’t work for you. So, for tomorrow night’s attempt…”

“No.” Meg cut him off. She was still staring up at the sky as she said it. She stated it simply and in a matter of fact way.

“What do you mean, no?”

“Just what I said. I’m done with this.”

The Doctor had stopped pacing now. He was genuinely surprised.

“Do I need to remind you of the alternative to your participation?”

“My head as an ornament on the Mall. I don’t care. It’s obvious you don’t believe I can succeed or you’d never keep giving me these chances. And you know what? I think you’re right. And the fact that you’re getting some enjoyment out of this, and that I’m a part of it, is just too much for me to take. So I’m done. Do whatever the hell you want with me; that’s what you do with everyone anyway.”

Ivan looked her over carefully, attempting to discern if this was some kind of bluff and decided that it wasn’t. He grabbed a small flashlight on his belt and used it to signal the guards nearby. Instantly he heard the faint scurrying sound of boots trampling over grass and dirt and a moment later they were before him.

“I’m finished with Ms. Courtland for the evening. Wrap up her wrist and lock her in her room. She has a lot of thinking to do this evening.”

Meg remained silent and motionless as the guards picked her up by her arms and legs. She didn’t even cry out under the strain on her twisted wrist, though the pain was sharp enough to bring tears to her eyes.