The Master couldn't help but feel a perverse pleasure at the reaction his entrance caused.
The Doctor stared at him, his mouth opening and closing almost comically. There was recognition on his face, even though he'd never seen the Master's newest body. He finally pried his gaze away and turned toward President Romana. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Now really, Doctor," the Master said reproachfully, his eyes gleaming, "you should know better than to speak to the Lady President in such a manner."
The Master's amusement only grew when both the Doctor and the President glared at him. It wasn't until the Lady President's pet human rested her hand warningly on a primitive knife and shot him a feral smile that he felt his good mood fade somewhat. He curled his lip in the alien's direction, causing her stormy expression to intensify.
President Romana shot him a cold look. "This is not a joking matter, Master. Do you honestly think we would have given you a new set of regenerations if this was not serious!"
"I still say you shouldn't have agreed to it," the Doctor muttered. "We can't trust him, Romana."
The Master laughed. "I highly doubt anyone but you ever considered trusting me." He tapped the side of his leg with his fingers, silently repeating the beat he knew no one else heard. "You are one of the few constants in the universe, Doctor."
The Doctor's expression grew icy and before the Master could even react he felt a strong hand close around his neck. Now, that was unexpected.
"Doctor!" The Master could see Romana's face over the Doctor's shoulder, her eyes wide with shock. "We need him!"
The human was suddenly there, her grip firm as she pulled the Doctor's hand away. "He is not worth it," she hissed, stubbornly meeting the Doctor's gaze. "This is not what she would want."
The Doctor's face fell instantly, and he stopped resisting the human's attempts to hold him back. Grinning, the Master slipped from the suddenly weakened grip. "Oh yes, I'd almost forgotten. Your dear little protégé was the leader of the last strike force. What was she calling herself again? Dorothée?" He smiled at the Doctor. "Have they found her body yet?"
Cold metal suddenly cut into the underside of his neck. The human glared at him with narrowed eyes. Her threat was unspoken yet painfully clear. Careful not to move too much for risk of accidentally slitting his own throat, the Master nodded in acquiescence.
"All of you behave," President Romana snapped as the human pulled the knife away. "We're fighting the Daleks, not each other."
Snapping her fingers, she spun around and headed toward the door. The human female followed instantly, remained close to the President's side. The Master tilted his head - perhaps there was some truth to those rumors after all. Then he shook his head and glanced over at the Doctor.
"Are we expected to follow her obediently?" he asked dryly. "Like one of those annoying animals that humans tame for pets?"
The Doctor sighed tiredly and reached up to run his fingers through his hair. "They're called dogs."
The Master raised an eyebrow. "I assume that translates into 'yes.'"
Ignoring him, the Doctor started toward the door. Before he'd made it more than a few steps, though, the Master had hurried forward and grabbed him by the shoulder.
"I am nobody's pet to come when called," the Master said, almost spitting out the last word. "Are you?"
The Doctor shot him a cold look. "The Daleks are winning the war."
The Master chuckled. "This regeneration of yours has a talent not answering questions." He paused for a moment. "It reminds me of your first body."
"Don't."
The Doctor started to push past him, but the Master tightened his grip on his arm. He pulled the Doctor toward him, giving him a forceful kiss on the lips.
For a second or two, the Doctor didn't react. It was shock, the Master suspected. Surprise at the unexpected kiss. Whatever the case, it took a moment for the Doctor to start fighting back.
The Master leaned forward even more, rubbing his body against the Doctor's groin. The physical reaction was instantaneous. Laughing in his head, silently listening to the drums that almost matched his speeding heartbeat, he bit the Doctor's lip until he tasted blood.
Then, just as suddenly as he'd kissed him, the Master pulled away.
The Doctor stood there a moment, a dazed look on his face. A thin trickle of blood ran from his bottom, and he distractedly reached up to brush it away. He stared at the red liquid on his hand for a second before suddenly snapping back into the present. "Why?"
"Why not?" the Master asked, shrugging. A few loose strands of red hair fell down into his eyes, and he reached up to brush them away.
A cold look appeared on his face, icier than anything the Master had ever seen before. Without saying another word, the Doctor stormed out of the room.
Laughing, the Master shook his head. He could still hear the sound of drums echoing through his mind, but for the first time in centuries they felt like a part of him instead of something that he needed to fear. It had been far too long since he'd enjoyed himself.
He started toward the corridor, but he paused when the President's pet human appeared in the doorway. Her weapons had disappeared again, most likely slipped inside her garments, but she still carried herself in a way that let him know she was probably one of the most dangerous creatures on Gallifrey. Other than himself, of course.
The human stared at him, her face expressionless, and for the first time he felt a shiver of worry run down his spine. Pushing that thought aside, he purposely reached up and wiped the blood from his mouth. Her lip twisted in disgust as she finally turned her back on him and walked back out into the corridor.
The Master smiled as he followed her.