A/N - This is my first venture into doctor who fanfiction, the new big finish war series inspired this little story. As the title suggests this takes place towards the start of the time war and follows the 8th Doctor.
An ancient building towered proudly beneath a sunset crimson sky encompassed by white-peaked mountains; existing in the centre of chaos. In the ancient corridors everything was motionless, silence reigned supreme. Suddenly a harsh wheezing sound echoed followed by a boisterous commotion; however the new sounds were immediately overtaken by a set of booming explosions starting distantly but growing closer by the second. Each crash was accompanied by a slight tremor running through the walls and shaking them faintly; as if they were under bombardment.
The eerie rumblings were drowned out slowly and footsteps echoed throughout the ancient corridors; militaristic marching grew louder and louder as the group advanced. The troop consisted of 6 members of the Chancellery guard all dressed in customary crimson robes, and equipped with standard issue stasers. All of the weapons were pointed warily at the 7th member of the party; their captive. The Time Lord in question was held securely between two of the guards as they frog-marched him swiftly through the corridors.
The man showed no signs of physical ailments as the stony-faced group strode forward; the only outward sign of his emotions was the bitter scowl stretched across his face and the occasional bristle against the guards firm grip. It would only be clear to any that knew this particular Time Lord that the Doctor was absolutely livid.
"Where are you taking me?" He spat gruffly.
After a few seconds of nothing he glared into the faces of the men gripping his arms; his brows shot up in a look of bewilderment as neither man even acknowledged he existed.
"Oh the silent treatment is it? Typical." He muttered bitterly whilst shaking his head. No matter how many years passed he had never managed to get on with his people; how could he with their policy of shoot first ask questions later?
The Doctor refused to give in and remain restrained so he continued trying to get any reaction out of his new friends. "Well I know that this is Gallifrey that much is obvious by the friendly greeting." He tugged on the guard's tight grip roughly to emphasise his point.
As he expected his words were met with nothing but silence and expressionless faces; these guys could give the Beefeater guards outside Buckingham palace a run for their money.
"It's obvious from this architecture that we're in the citadel… hmm who would want to see me here?" He looked from guard to guard for any change in their expressions.
The Doctor sighed uselessly as they remained as expressionless as ever, and the only outward reaction of them even hearing him was their grips tightening on his arms. The entourage turned another corridor and started descending steps; the Doctor had never been in this area of the capitol before and couldn't help but allow his anxiety to get the better of him. The silent guards didn't help ease his apprehension; they were becoming rather unnerving.
Whatever he had been brought here for it was not going to be good news; they hadn't taken any chances during his capture. There were no messages requesting his presence back home; there had been no warning at all before he found his TARDIS spinning out of control and caught in the Time Lord's grasp.
With a huff of frustration the Doctor dug his heels into the floor and went lax in his captors arms; he slipped himself quickly from their grip and turned to face the men head on; nostrils flaring with barely contained rage. He noted the staser guns all coming up to aim at his face and the shocked look on the 2 that had lost hold of him. The Doctor felt a small spark of satisfaction that they had underestimated him.
"Right I've had just about enough of this." He spat bitterly standing his ground, and not batting an eyelid at the weapons. "You hijack my TARDIS, storm my home, drag me out at gunpoint and refuse to tell me what the hell is going on!"
The leader of the Chancellory guard contingent stepped out in front of his comrades glaring at the Doctor with utter contempt; what on earth had he done to upset this man?
"Turn around and move." He gruffly ordered; the Doctor held the man's gaze, and his stomach fluttered nervously as he recognised the dangerous look. He eyed the man's clenched fists and realised the guard was close to loosing his cool entirely.
"So he speaks…" The Doctor muttered with a triumphant glint in his eye; he had finally managed to crack their silence. "I'm not moving another step until you tell me why I'm here."
The Doctor observed the guard's face twitch in anger, and he stepped closer to the Doctor until he was right in the other's face. The Doctor had faced too much in all of his lives to flinch away from the intimidating stance.
"Move… or I'll make you move."
The Doctor felt his stomach clench tighter; he had seen that look in his foe's faces all across space and time. He would recognise that look anywhere; this guard wanted him dead. The question was why? He assessed the situation in front of him and could see no obvious way out; he had 4 guns trained at his chest and would end up stunned in less than a second if he made a run for it. Either that or Mr Cheerful would let leash with the baton he was currently reaching for.
The Doctor sighed in defeat and turned around putting his backs to the guards. "Fine, fine lead on."
He jolted in surprise as a heavy force crashed down upon his shoulder blades; the Doctor felt his legs give way beneath him and he tumbled to the ground with a crash. The Time Lord saw stars when his face collided with the ground and he groaned in surprise. He hadn't expected the guard to lump him when he had his guard down; what had he been thinking turning his back on a man who so clearly wanted to do him harm?
Before the Doctor could attempt to regather his wits he was hauled onto his feet by two iron-clad grips which didn't relinquish when he was vertical again; he swayed for a few moments and it took a few more for his vision to clear entirely. A quick internal scan revealed nothing broken he would just be very bruised in the morning. The guards only gave him a few moments to find his feet before they were all marching forwards again at an increased pace; the Doctor observed the formation had changed since he had been getting acquainted with the floor. There were now two guards in front leading the way, two cutting off the rear not to mention the two hauling him along. They weren't going to give him a chance to pull a stunt like that again.
The Doctor huffed in frustration as the silence stretched on; only being broken by their footsteps and distant rumbling in the far distance. Soon the convoy turned onto a long dim corridor with just a single door situated at the end; this was his destination.
When they reached the door the two guards in front opened them inwardly; the Doctor didn't have much of a chance to peek inside before he found himself flying forwards uncontrollably: the guards had launched him into the room! For the second time in a matter of minutes he found himself colliding painfully with the floor; at least this time he managed to bring his arms up to protect his face from another thump.
He groaned loudly and half expected to be hauled up by his arms again any second; the sound of a slamming door and lock turning informed him why he hadn't been manhandled yet; they had locked him in.
The Doctor rolled over onto his back and swiftly climbed to his feet; he was a lot less shaky this time which was something but he certainly didn't appreciate being thrown around like a rag doll. He raced back towards the door and pounded on it with both fists.
"Hey! Hey! You can't just leave me in here!"
His raving was met with silence. The Doctor placed his ear against the surface and listened intently for any signs of life; he could hear faint muttering outside which informed him his guards weren't gone. Even if he managed to find a way out of this room he would have the trigger-happy men to contend with too.
The Doctor sighed and rested his head against the door tiredly; if he still had his sonic screwdriver then he might have been able to get through but that had been confiscated as soon as he had been dragged out of the TARDIS. What had he done to deserve being hauled to this god-forsaken place? He had been avoiding it like the plague ever since he had witnessed the beginnings of a war; his people had taken things too far and now the entire universe was going to suffer.
He thought back to the events that led up to his current unpleasant predicament. The Doctor had been relaxing in the console room pouring over a good book; coat slung over the armchair and cup of tea in hand. It had been one of the rare occasions that he was actually doing and enjoying something peaceful; the peace hadn't lasted long.
The Doctor almost spilled his tea all over him as numerous wailing and beeping sounds emitted from the console simultaneously. He dashed over to the distressed console with confusion etched onto his features; the TARDIS had been perfectly safe a few seconds ago.
"What is it old girl?" He asked his oldest companion soothingly.
Before he could ascertain the problem he was almost hauled flat on his back as the TARDIS whirled into motion; he had to have an iron-clad grip on the console just to remain upright. The Doctor couldn't help but feel his panic creeping upwards; the TARDIS didn't just fly itself something was very wrong.
The Doctor grabbed the terminal and scanned over the readouts at an impossible speed; he began muttering to himself as his lightening-quick brain started to understand the problem. He had been caught in a time scoop which could mean only one thing.
"The Time Lords…" He whispered sourly.
The Doctor tried everything in his power to reverse the effects; he tried to reestablish flight control, and he attempted to use the power from a passing galaxy's supernova but nothing worked. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't pull his TARDIS free from the pull of the time scoop. It wasn't long before he and the TARDIS reached their intended destination and he experienced a rather rough re-materialisation; this time the Doctor didn't manage to catch himself.
The Time Lord groaned as he crashed into the ground and listened as the warning sounds died out with a whine. When he opened his eyes he found the console room had lost power; the only dim light source emitted from the emergency power. The TARDIS wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.
The Doctor jumped to his feet and began flicking switches without any success; the TARDIS was dead. Suddenly the doors flew open and the Doctor realised he was not alone; an entire squadron of the Chancellory guard barrelled in and headed straight towards their target.
"What on earth is this all about?" The Doctor indignantly queried.
The guards completely ignored his words and strode forward to grab their prize; The Doctor's attempted action to scamper away was quashed when stasers aimed at him buzzing with electricity. The men proceeded to drag the Time Lord out of his home without another word.
The Doctor was brought out of his musings as the recollection came to an end. He turned his back on the guarded door and began to survey his new surroundings; there had to be something he could use to find a way out. The room was larger than he expected but mostly empty; the only items present were a long elegant table surrounded by high-backed official-looking chairs positioned exactly in the centre of his prison.
As cell's went this was rather new. The space certainly had a gloomy atmosphere but it's primary function quite obviously was not imprisonment; this was a meeting room. The Doctor sauntered over to the handsome table and marvelled at the thick layer of dust his finger picked up; this room hadn't been occupied in a very long time.
He sighed loudly to himself and began to check the surrounding walls for any chance of exit; he knew the capitol buildings were littered with hidden tunnels. The Doctor had only just started his search when a heavy scuffle began on the other side of the door; the Time Lord sprinted back towards the interruption just as said door flew open and a bundle of black was thrown in unceremoniously.
The Doctor stopped in his tracks and felt his stomach clench painfully as a nasty thought flew into his mind; it couldn't be him could it?
"You incompetent buffoons!" The bundle of limbs screamed in the general direction of the door.
Yes it was definitely him.
The Doctor stumbled backwards a few paces without even realising what he was doing; his body was reacting to the threat that had just stumbled into his life yet again; the Master. He schooled his features as best he could when he observed the Master pick himself up and brush dust off of his suit; the other Time Lord either hadn't noticed him yet or just wasn't acknowledging his presence.
A million thoughts shot through his mind at the latest development and he had to admit he was flabbergasted; the last person he had expected to come through those doors was the Master. What on earth were the Time Lord's playing at? The thought did cross his mind that the Master could in fact be behind his own imprisonment; he wouldn't put it past the other man to try and fool the Doctor by inserting himself into his prisoner's cell. Even as the Doctor thought about the plan he couldn't help but feel that wasn't what was going on; this didn't feel like the Master's usual style.
'Time to face the music.' He muttered inwardly as he prepared to engage with his life-long nemesis.
"What in the hell are you doing here?"
The Doctor noted the Master's shoulders tense as he learned the identity of his cell-mate; the evil Time Lord turned around slowly until both men were facing one another. From the look of surprise on the other's face the Doctor was almost sure that the Master knew no more than him about this. That meant someone else was pulling the strings…
"You!" The Master spat viscously. "You're behind this?!"
The suited Time Lord started forward aggressively forcing the Doctor to move backwards frantically in an attempt to get the considerable table between the two foes; the Master evidently had come to the wrong conclusion with his rage clouding his judgment. The Doctor felt sorry for the poor souls that had been charged in capturing the Master; the other Time Lord was deadly when cornered.
"Don't be stupid! I was thrown in here just as you were. Do you think I would put myself in a room with you willingly?" The doctor babbled quickly hoping to get through the Master's enraged haze.
The Master stopped in his tracks at the foot of the table as he finally thought the problem through; the man wasn't stupid but when he was angered the Doctor noted he often acted on pure emotion. The Doctor felt himself release a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding as his enemy's stance loosened and something flickered over the other man's face; he was probably as in the dark about this whole mess as the Doctor was.
"What are you doing here then Doctor?" The silky dangerous tone still held a heavy of dose of suspicion.
"I don't know. One minute I was in my console room and the next thing I knew I was caught in a time scoop. I was dragged out and dumped here with no information about what this whole spectacle is."
By the time the Doctor finished he realised the Master had dismissed the idea of his involvement; he could tell by the Master's reaction that this was exactly how he had been brought here too. The Doctor eyed his enemy warily as he started doing precisely what the Doctor had just moments ago; checking the structure for any weak points. The Doctor was no fool just because the Master seemed less hostile didn't mean he was any safer. In fact it was most likely the opposite; a calm Master was far more dangerous than an emotionally charged one.
"No other exits…" The Master mused as he stalked around the edges of the room.
"And there are guards on the other side of that door." The Doctor added helpfully.
The Master dashed back towards said door and pressed his ear up against the surface. "5 men."
"What does it matter? Even if we could get through that lock they have stasers."
The Master glared at the Doctor as if he had just offended him personally. "Guns don't make very good weapons in close combat." The Master smirked at the thought.
The Doctor shook his head at his foe; he had never met anyone who enjoyed violence as much as the Master.
"I wouldn't know." He allowed his distaste for the Master's methods taint his voice.
His enemy noticed immediately and climbed down from the entrance steps; his smirk now directed firmly at the Doctor, and his head cocked with interest.
"Wouldn't you?"
The Doctor ignored the implications unwilling to rise to the bait; he would not allow the Master to goad him. Instead he broke the eye contact and started to move around the table.
"Well we're on Gallifrey and it's evident the only people who could snatch the both of us from the vortex are the Time Lord's…"
"Obviously." The Master snapped impatiently.
The Doctor threw his new companion a withering look before continuing. "The question is who brought us here and why."
The Doctor's head snapped round to the Master as the other Time Lord began cackling madly; for a moment the Doctor thought he had made a mistake and the Master was about to reveal himself to be the mastermind of all of this.
"Why?" The Master managed to choke out. "It's obvious why we've been brought to Gallifrey Doctor; the whom hardly makes a difference."
The Doctor's attempts to keep his frustration off his features obviously failed as the Master's cheshire grin grew exponentially.
"Oh this is brilliant. The great Doctor doesn't know something I know!" The Time Lord was positively beaming with the news.
The Doctor lost his patience abruptly. "Just tell me!"
The reaction only served to make things worst; the Master broke out in a full fit of laughter and leaned on the head seat to keep himself upright. The Doctor's mood grew darker by the second as his enemy withheld the information he needed; he hated being in this position with the Master; it was humiliating.
"Oh look at you!" The Master was interrupted by another fit of giggles. "All worked up… You just can't stand not knowing can you?"
The Master finally pulled himself together but a faint smile still remained over his victory. "We've been called home for the war Doctor."
The Doctor felt his entire body stiffen and grow cold; the faint gnawing in his stomach turned into a full blown ache and his hearts constricted painfully. It was a few seconds before he remembered to breath again. He realised he had completely frozen and his reaction hadn't gone unnoticed. The Master's brow rose inquisitively at his foe's reaction; he clearly hadn't been expecting to see the Doctor so shocked by the news.
"The war." The Doctor managed to stammer out as he finally got words past his tongue; he hadn't allowed himself to even think of this possibility. He realised it was stupid to think he could outrun the blasted thing; that didn't change the fact he wanted nothing to do with it.
The Master smiled sweetly and spoke to the Doctor as if he were speaking to a small child; mockingly. "Yes Doctor the war. You know: death, destruction, good against evil. Just the sort of thing you go in for."
"I will not fight in a war." The Doctor snapped hotly. His absolute resolution stunned even him; the thought of being apart of such barbarism brought bile to his throat.
The Master looked genuinely puzzled for a moment and looked the Doctor up and down as if re-evaluating his foe. "Well this is a surprise. This is what you do Doctor."
"It's not who I am!" The Doctor roared. "I won't do it."
The Doctor felt his fists clench and sought to control his temper; it would do no good losing his cool with this man of all people.
The Master however continued to stir the pot. "Oh Doctor, Doctor. What have you been doing since you stole that antique TARDIS of yours; since you first landed on Skaro."
The Doctor whipped his head round towards his enemy barely keeping a check on his rage; when had the Master moved closer to him? He knew what his foe was doing he was messing with his mind and it appeared to be working.
"It wasn't planned; none of it was planned!"
The Master grinned wickedly and continued to move closer to the Doctor; he imitated the Doctor's voice. "Look at me I'm not fighting a war! While you battle the Daleks all the way through space and time. The Doctor doth protest too much me thinks."
The Doctor stood his ground against the rapidly approaching Time Lord; emotions clouding his judgement.
"I never asked to be part of it. They're the ones who attack, invade, destroy; what else can I do but stop them."
The Master was just a foot away when he stopped advancing; stupid smirk still plastered to his face. "Is that your excuse? They started it? No you can't help yourself."
He leaned forward into the Doctor's personal space and lowered his voice to barely more than a whisper. "Not fighting a war don't make me laugh. Doctor you're a one man army."
The Doctor remained silent and studied his enemy warily; he could see by the triumphant glint in the Time Lord's eye that the Master was toying with him and he had let him. He refused to comment or acknowledge the Master's hurtful words, and stepped past the suited man. The Master chuckled quietly as the Doctor passed him; it was just too easy to wind the Doctor up and he knew just exactly which buttons to press.
"That's it Doctor run away."
The Doctor flinched mid-stride and berated himself for showing such an obvious reaction; why was it always the Master that could get him riled like this? Because he knows you… His mind supplied helpfully.
The two Time Lords spent the next few minutes in silence; The Doctor with his ear to the door in an attempt to gather information and the Master sat at one of the chairs with his feet up on the grand table. The Doctor kept a weary eye on his foe's movements fully aware of the danger he was in being trapped in a room with this madman. The Doctor was grateful for the few minutes peace; it allowed him to get control of his emotions and re-strategise a plan of attack. They needed more information.
After hearing nothing more than the guards the Doctor sighed heavily and jumped down from the stairs making a bee-line for the Master; the other Time-Lord didn't even make a move to stand as the Doctor approached he clearly didn't see his enemy as a threat.
"What are you doing here?"
The Master's brows furrowed in confusion, hands clasped behind his hand.
"I told you…"
The Doctor interrupted. "No I mean in this room; with me."
The Master's expression shifted immediately in understanding and he swung his legs off the table to stand. The Doctor had peaked his attention.
"Ah… Now that is an interesting question." The Master mused dangerously.
"I've been thinking about it and it doesn't make any sense; why leave us in here together. The Time Lords know our history." The Doctor rambled as he paced in front of the centre-piece.
"Quite." The Master replied in an amused tone. "Perhaps they wished to see some entertainment."
The Doctor stopped in his tracks at the remark with confusion sprawled across his features; had the Master finally taken leave of all of his senses. "Entertainment?"
The Master nodded happily immensely pleased with his idea. "Yes entertainment." The sudden drop of his tone had the Doctor on edge immediately; he knew that voice.
The hairs erected all over his body and he felt his heart-rate increase involuntarily; at his stunned silence the Master continued on with his suggestion.
"Perhaps they threw us in here to see how long it would take for us to murder one another." The manic glint in the Master's eye was back, and the Time Lord pushed himself away from the table to stand in front of the Doctor.
"I don't think that's it." The Doctor replied cooly carefully eyeing his enemy's body language for any sign of aggression. The Master stood tall and looked powerful as he squared up to the Doctor; he was truly in his element.
"Oh I don't know…" The Master cocked his head to the side rather like a snake preparing to strike. "I think it could be fun." A smile tugged at the Time Lord's lips at the thought. "Just like old times…"
The Doctor fought to stay calm outwardly; inside his body was a mess of reactions. His mind was screaming at him to run but he knew there was no where to run. The only option he had, as unpleasant as it was, was to stand his ground.
"You don't have any weapons." The Doctor reminded his nemesis quickly.
The Master's smile widened as he answered in a silkily dangerous voice; never once breaking eye contact with the Doctor. "Oh… I don't need weapons I assure you."
The Doctor felt his stomach clench tightly as the implications became clear and a thousand violent images played through his mind; he honestly didn't know who would come out on top if the Master decided to strike but he wouldn't bet on himself. The Master was a bonafide murderer.
The tension in the room was palpable as both men stood their ground; the silence was deafening. The Doctor schooled himself for what he was about to do watching carefully for any movement from his foe; taking a deep breath he broke eye contact and walked away with a quickened step. He half expected to be grabbed or struck from behind and was completely shocked when he made it one of the chairs unmolested. He plopped down in the seat and finally allowed himself to look at the man he had just turned his back on; that had been a very dangerous move and it seemed the only reason he was still standing was because of the Master's shock at his action.
The Master's body trembled fiercely and his voice shook with rage. "How dare you turn your back on me."
The Doctor responded by kicking his feet up on the table nonchalantly just as the Master had; his outward appearance was far calmer than he felt inside. Inside he was a nervous wreck.
"I'm not playing your games Master." He cooly replied.
The Master's eyes almost bulged out of his skull and he began blustering. "This isn't a game!"
The Doctor smirked at the sight; the tables had turned and now he was making the Master uncomfortable.
"Of course it is. You're a spoiled child; you have to get what you want or everyone suffers."
The Master seemed to regain control of his motor controls as he stalked dangerously closer to the Doctor's seated position; his hands clenching at his sides and a feral snarl on his lips. The Doctor remained seated but adjusted his position incase he had to scamper quickly; as much as he wanted to remain outwardly calm it was becoming harder and harder to do so.
"How dare you…" The Time Lord spat cruelly.
The Doctor laughed at the Master's indignation. "You haven't changed one bit. You're still a sadistic child pulling the wings off flies."
The Master's eyes blazed furiously; the Doctor realised he had pushed too far as they flared dangerously with fire. In a blur of movement the Master launched himself towards the Doctor's seated position bowling over numerous seats in the process.
The Doctor was on his feet in a matter of seconds and moved to defend himself; the Master reached his prey with a snarl and grabbed a hold of the Doctor's shirt. The Doctor almost lost his balance with the force behind his enemy's attack, but he just about managed to keep himself from being hurled backwards onto the table. He grunted and took a hold of the Master's suit to steady himself and try and keep the snapping beast at bay.
"Stop!" A booming alien voice echoed off the tall walls.
A/N - There should be 2 more parts to this most likely.
Until next time...
