Valiance and Future Rememberances
Chapter One: Game of Vengeance
The Master smirked as he stared out the window of the good ship Valiant. He knew the day ahead would be delightful. He had moved all appointments from his schedule so he could spend the quality time with his new pet. Speaking of which, where was he now? The Master whistled loudly "HERE DOGGY DOGGY!" The Time Lord grinned at the pitiful man before him. He could never get enough of this. "There you are! Thought you might have run away! But then I remembered.." He gestured to the wheelchair, grin growing even wider "YOU CAN'T!"
The Doctor stared silently at the neurotic form of the only other Time Lord. He was immobilized, but not broken. He would never be broken. All that he did was sit and stare, reduced to this pitiful form. He had been busy, though, hacking into the Archangel network, however hard it may be without tools or access to anything. Hard, but not impossible. The Doctor stared at the Master intensely, unable to move. Everything ached from age. The sonic laser had left him frail and vulnerable, caught in the grasp of the Master. The Time Lord ranted and raved, day in day out, and sometimes forgot the Doctor even existed. He was insane, all there was to it. Granted, he had always known, just hadn't wanted to believe.
The Master began to circle the immobilized man's chair "You know, pet. Today is a very special day. Because today, I took everything off my calendar, and am spending it playing with you, my little doggy! Isn't that great!?" He growled at the Doctor's lack of response and harshly grabbed his nemesis by the collar, nearly picking him up off of the chair "I SAID. ISN'T THAT GREAT?"
The Doctor was unfazed. He only stared deep into the crazed man's eyes. Behind them he saw hatred, pain, and fear. Despite how weak he was, the Master still feared him. A smirk tried to play at his lips, but he forced it back determined to give the Master no reaction. His spine cracked at the sudden stress, but he'd had worse during his "stay" on the Valiant.
Without warning the Master threw the Doctor roughly on the floor and kicked. Hard. The Doctor would to what he asked, dammit! The kick landed in his ribs hard and sharp. A few cracked and the Doctor was forced to gasp for air. He cried out in pain and lay limply on the floor. No. The Master would not get the best of him.
The Master chuckled darkly at the Doctor's pained response. He picked up the elderly body and happily tossed it back in the chair. "Now. Have we learned our lesson?"
More dark stares and ragged breathing were the only response. "You know the only thing I have to say to you," he whispered softly, breath raspy and harsh.
The Master crossed his arms, amused. "Oooooh! And what might that be?"
The old man beckoned weakly for the Master to come closer, intending to whisper it. The crazed Time Lord, youthful and cocky, casually strolled over and bent down to the Doctor's level, face only a foot from his enemy's. "Well?"
"I forgive you," he whispered softly, eyes set in grief and resiliance
The Master groaned in annoyance. Honestly, could his little pet be any more disgustingly good? Well, the Master thought, as a grin grew on his face, let's see just how forgiving little Doctor really could be. "Oh Doctor!" The Master sang as he began twirling the wheelchair around. "It's time for a little game!"
'Oh, brilliant, what now?' the Doctor thought in annoyance. Nothing the Master was excited about was anything he particularly looked forward to. It had been months of this cycle of attention and forgetfulness and quite frankly the Doctor was tired of it all. At least Martha was fine. He knew she would be fine, she was resourceful and stunningly clever. She would be fine... She had to be fine...
The Master started pacing excitedly about the room. Now THIS would be interesting. "You see, Doctor. I've been getting fed up with your little friend... Martha? I've been getting fed up with your little friend Martha's family. So, dear Doctor. The first round of the game is this. I offer you a choice. Either I age you 200 more years AND "forget" to feed you for the next two weeks, or I kill them! Which will it be?"
The Doctor's hearts skipped a beat apiece. Terror crossed his eyes involuntarily as he stared at the Master. All the power belonged to this monster, either the Doctor agreed or they died. He didn't put it above the Master to go against his word and kill them anyway, but he wasn't taking a chance. He dropped his eyes and slumped even more, dejected and defeated for the moment being
"Having a hard time deciding, my pet?" The Master grinned widely at the Doctor's obvious fear "Well then, I'll make the decision for you! GUARDS! BRING IN THE JONES FAMILY!"
The Doctor shook his head softly and gasped for air again while clutching his side. "Let them go... I'll do it," his aged voice barely rasped out.
The Master raised an eyebrow. Breaking the Doctor was going to be harder than he thought. He turned to the exiting guards as he fished in his jacket pocket for his laser screwdriver "You heard the lady!"
The insult rolled off of the Doctor easily. He'd had worse. Instead, he braced for the aging process. It was painful, but it was better than allowing the Jones' harm. The Master found his screwdriver and, after a quick adjustment, began to age the Doctor, humming happily to himself. The pain seared through his every cell, raging and furious. The Doctor screamed and the world sped up around him. The Master's hatred fueled the awful transformation and tinged his victim's every fibre, every thought. His bones became more brittle, his flesh sagged and wrinkled, and the Lonely God began to fall from the wheelchair as he involuntarily flailed about in pain.
The Master grinned lazily, and shut off the device, after the 200 year mark was reached. He stood over his foe and grinned "I like the new look. Are you ready for round two, Doctor? Because this part is my favorite!"
The blanched man looked up at the Master with tenderness and pain. His clothes were too big by about two sizes and he simply couldn't move much more than his head. His ribs hadn't mended and his sore muscles and bones only hurt more
The Master turned once again to the guards "BRING UP THE NYMPHOMANIAC! AND MAKE SURE HE'S RESTRAINED!" The Master turned once again to the Doctor "Just because your little friend can't die, Doctor, doesn't mean he can't feel pain. And I intend to make this round as painful for him as possible." The Master began rummaging in a drawer until he found what he was looking for, a large straight razor. "And the best part? You don't have any way of stopping it this round! No way to put yourself in his place! No way to take the pain! You're just the audience. You just have to sit there and watch."
The Doctor was too tired to react, but the pain was evidently felt. Jack was the strongest man he knew, he wouldn't break. Ever. But the pain was still real for the both of them. "Please," he gasped, voice nearly inaudible, but he knew there was no point.
The Master began pacing again "So Doctor... Doctor, Doctor, Doctor... tell me. Have you ever heard of Lingchi?" The victim remained silent and stared, pain creasing his brow and ruining his focus. The Master only smirked "Well, in case you don't, its a form of torture your precious humans so creatively came up with! You might have heard of it's other title. Death by a thousand cuts." Suddenly, the door to the room creaked open, as four guards escorted a tightly bound Jack into the room. The Master strolled, and grabbed some of the Captain's hair and pulled tightly, "Just the man I wanted to see! Hello again Harkness. Your little Doctor over there heard me talking about my expertise in human torture, and wanted to observe my methods. So I naturally thought of you as the perfect test subject!"
Jack was shoved roughly into the room. His bonds cut deep into his already battered flesh, but he pretended not to care. He fixed his most winning smile upon his face and beamed at the Master. He feigned ignorance to the Doctor's presence, best to save him what little pain he could. Harkness was appalled to see the creature that the Master identified as the Doctor. The poor soul... He was drawn out of his reveries by a sharp tug on his hair by the true monster behind this nightmare. The Master. The blonde beast yanked tightly and he fell to the ground, unable to catch himself. He grimaced, but the smile stayed fixed through the pain. "I've always been a good model, why not?"
The Master smirked as he flicked open the straight razor. "Track 8." He'd always loved this song, he mused to himself as he put a well polished shoe on Jack's back and examined the blade. "When You're Evil" described his personality to a tee. As the screeching violin squealed over the intercom, Jack laughed. "For someone in charge of the world you really need a better taste in music, sounds like a cha-cha between two cats in heat." The shoe landed on his back as he giggled at the lyrics. "Fits you well, though, must admit." He smiled sideways up at the Time Lord prepared for the pain.
The Master hissed in anger and began violently slashing away at Jack's back, careful to keep the cuts shallow, in order to maximize pain and minimize blood loss. Each cut seared more than the last, but Jack continued to smile luminously and closed his eyes. His head bobbed as he focused on the music blasting through the Valiant. He began to hum softly along once he got the hang of the melody. "Really is catchy..." The warmth of his own blood began to trickle down his sides as the slashes continued to slither across his muscled back.
The Doctor watched silently as the Master sliced away, terrifying anger tinging his features. He was helpless to stop it, but tried to watch Jack. Now was a good time to continue assimilating into the Archangel network, the only way he could help Harkness was to progress their plan.
The Master moved from the back, downwards onto the lower back and legs, continuing his bloody rampage. Between cuts, he threw in a few well placed kicks for good measure.
As the track looped, Jack became almost hypnotized by the music. His mind went fuzzy and focused on the nearest lifeline to escape the unbearable pain. The music was it. He stared at the Doctor, or rather through him, unaware of the whimpering gasps that left his lips. The music blasted his skull mercifully to carry him away from the pain. He was far from escaping it, though. Each kick yanked him back to reality with a jarring cry and shortness of breath.
The Master stopped for a second, to stretch, happily. He was right. It was a good day. He wiped the bloodied razor off on a guard's uniform and moved to the sole's of Jack's feet, where he knew it would hurt immensely. Once his feet were assaulted, even the music couldn't soothe him. Harkness screamed in pain as the tender skin of his soles were attacked brutally. The screeches drowned out the violin and the engines of the Valiant, but he was in too much pain to care. Insanity set upon him, "ALL YOU GOT? WHY NOT JUST KILL ME?!" he bellowed between screams and rasping breaths. The blood was pooling about him, rippling and smearing as he struggled on the floor.
The Master looked up to meet the Doctor's horrified eyes "I can break anyone, Doctor. And I love that kind of power." He violently rolled Jack over, and began slashing away at the tops of his feet.
However, the impossible man saw his chance and made other plans. Jack rolled onto his side in an involuntary reaction to the slices on his back meeting the cold floor, but turned it into a semi-launch at the Master. Mashing his elbow into the floor, he tensed his core and shoved at the crouching Time Lord, bound feet first. He looped his heels around the back of his blonde head and let gravity do the rest as the Captain's weight dragged the neurotic beast down to the floor. He rolled onto his head and struggled to get the best hold he could as a human snake. "Never underestimate me, blondie," he screamed over the music as the blood from the floor spattered over his face.
The Master growled in surprise and pain, as he was dragged to the floor. He struggled against Jack's grip as his guards rushed in to separate the pair. The guards finally managed restrain Jack as the Master picked himself up, a new even fiercer ferocity in his eyes. As the guards pinned the ex-con artist down, the Master began to slash away at Jack's inner thighs and crotch area furiously. Jack simply smiled and laughed madly. "My charm too much?!" he shrieked, "Don't worry, not interest-aaaah!" He screeched in pain as the edges of his vision began to blur red behind the veil of his own blood. He wouldn't last long at this rate. The pain was unbearable, by far one of the worst ways to die, and he doubted he'd had worse before this. This was the worst experience, helpless before the one who had it worse. As bad as this was for the Captain, he knew it was only a show for the crippled being in the corner. He gasped desperately and did his best to nod at the Doctor in his struggles against the razor.
The Master slowed, and moved up to the face, making several well placed cuts on Jack's forehead, cheeks, nose, and inside of his mouth. He wanted Jack alive. But in as much pain as possible. He studied his work and turned back to the guards, grinning darkly. "Lock him up again. And make sure he doesn't die for as long as possible, or at least until he heals somewhat."
The taste of iron flooded from his lips and down his throat. His breathing was shallow and irregular, vision blurred and useless, smell, only the sweetness of his own blood, and his ears were filled with an infernal ringing. Nothing was observable through the pain and the overload of his senses. Everything was numb and filled with unestimable pain simultaneously. He felt his functions shutting down as he waded in his own blood. Images danced in his mind, pointless images... Then it was all dark. He was at peace for the time being... Jack Harkness slipped into the chill of death. Again.
He cursed in frustration, kicking at the lifeless body before him. "Goddammit." He looked up at the Doctor and smiled "Looks like it's time for round 3! Guards, lock Harkness up again. I'll have fun with him again tomorrow. Now, Doctor. It's time for another choice!"
The Doctor closed his eyes in defeat and grief. He knew the pain of dying, the hopelessness and the urge to have it and shove it away. The pointless choice as you watched yourself float away... He opened his deep eyes and fixed the Master with a glare so full of tenderness it was terrifying. "I forgive you."