Before going on, let me say that any similarity between stories, situations and/or writers mentioned in this fic with actually posted stories or real situations and/or writers is ENTIRELY COINCIDENTAL. Really! Honest! I'm not trying to hit anyone! A usual, written on my lunch-break when I had nothing better to do. == DBK 18 February 1999 Vendetta A Quick Lunch-break Fiction. A This Time Round story. ******** The 5th Doctor sidled up to the bar as Adric was carrying on a conversation with a patron. He took a stool next to the customer, and tried to suppress the accompanying shiver up the spine. "Morning, Doctor. What can I get you today?" "Tea, please." the Doctor asked, and carefully watched the youth as a saucer, a cup, and a tea bag were produced, and hot water poured. "So," the Alzarian asked, "How was the con?" "Oh, fine, fine. Everyone was wonderful, as always." The Doctor took a sip of his tea, but continued to gauge the person on the other side of the counter. "You know..." the Doctor said evenly. "I heard some interesting stories over the weekend...." "Oh?" "Yes..." The Doctor took another sip, his eyes not leaving the bartender. "Do you remember an ADWC post from a few months back, the one that had you, umm, being sacrificed to Aliens?" Adric suddenly became rather stiff. "Uh, yes..." he said, his voice noticeably colder. "Well, um... I ran into the author at the con, and he said that a couple of weeks ago someone broke into his house and destroyed his computer." "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." The Doctor continued to watch him. "I didn't think much about it at first, but as soon as he mentioned that two others spoke up and said they'd recently had similar experiences." Adric shrugged. "Well... I suppose these things do happen..." "Yes, quite..." The Doctor took another sip. "And on Saturday night of the con, a fourth author's laptop disappeared... and was found the next morning in pieces." Adric looked thoughtful. "Perhaps it fell?" he suggested helpfully. "With bullet holes through the hard drive and CPU?" "Oh... I suppose not, then." he responded, in an utter deadpan. "It was almost as if someone was trying to send a signal." "I can't imagine what." There was a pause as Doctor and companion eyed each other carefully. "You wouldn't, by any chance, know anything about these... incidents... would you?" "And what makes you think I might?" "Well... the authors in question all seem to be, ahem, among your harshest critics." Adric's face suddenly changed. "Doctor..." he said, somewhat agitated. "I'm surprised you'd even suggest that I'd..." "Well, you are the only common denominator." "But, Doctor..." Adric whined, "You know me. I'm callow, ineffectual, bumbling, naive, and incompetent, not to mention easily misled, having a degree of misplaced arrogance, and rather low self-esteem. I could never do what you're suggesting; it would be so completely out of character... and no one ever goes out of character around here, now do they?" To his credit, he said the last part with a straight face. The Doctor continued to watch the young man carefully. "No, they don't." he said after a moments consideration, his voice trailing off. "No one ever does..." "Besides..." Adric said, choosing that moment to nonchalantly clean some glasses. "I was here on Saturday night, playing cards with Wes and Lucas. I believe they call that an alibi, don't they?" Once more, the two eyed each other carefully. "Adric," the Doctor said evenly, finally, picking up his tea cup and saucer. "Yes?" The Doctor continued to eye him, his voice quiet. "Be careful." he said, and turned back into the environs of the establishment. Adric silently watched the Doctor walk away, then turned back to the being he had previously been having a pleasant conversation with. "More scumble?" he asked. "YES. PLEASE." ***** A few hours later, Adric took a break from bartending and went out the back entrance, ostensibly to get some air. He met them just outside of the This Time Round, as they leaned against a wall along one side of the establishment. As usual, the two were loitering in that manner of frenetic indifference that had made them the bane of mall security the continuum over. "Yo! Adric, dude!" the more talkative of the pair said as the Alzarian approached. "Mission accomplished, man!" Adric flashed a wicked grin. "Good." he said, and handed them a six pack of beer, a carton of cigarettes, and a thick envelope. The other man, bearded and heavy set but much more silent than his partner, immediately opened the carton and extracted a pack. Adric glanced from side to side, just to make certain no one was watching. Satisfied, he produced a sheet of paper and handed it to the blond-haired man. It proved to be a print-out of yet another ADWC post. "Jay, Bob..." he said, his voice suddenly a little lower. "I've got another job for you two..."