‘Kill!’ Legion’s body stretched and altered as it pulled itself further into the moment, blossoming into a shaggy, many-eyed mass supported on three spindly limbs.
‘Not for you, Legion,’ Ace said quietly, and threw the gun to the Doctor. ‘And not for you either, Professor. I make my own choices from now on.’
The Doctor stared at the gun. ‘I have often felt myself to be at a disadvantage when confronting evil,’ he said to himself, ‘given that I would rather have somebody other than me pull the trigger. I condemned untold billions to death by not destroying the Daleks at the moment of their birth, and I could have saved billions more by shooting down Davros like a mad dog when I had the chance.’
He sighed, and looked up at Ace. ‘I have come to recognize that manipulating others into doing my dirty work is almost as evil as the acts of those I choose to fight. I have been so careful not to stain my hands that I have stained my soul instead.’
He glanced over at where the Adjudicator’s shredded body lay amongst his bloodstained robes, then up at Legion, and both Cheryl and Ace took a step away from the ferocity they saw in his eyes.
‘Welcome to hell, Legion,’ he said, and suddenly the gun was pointed at the dark bulk of the IMC Captain. Legion’s body split and shimmered as it tried to pull itself out of the area, but the Doctor was too fast. The gun jerked in his hand, and a small grey node which had been blossoming above Legion’s body exploded with a wet splat.
The Seventh Doctor, Lucifer Rising by Jim Mortimore and Andy Lane
