A/N: "Write a fic about the Doctor being tortured". Laura gave me that prompt on tumblr, which resulted in this fic which is a serious part of my Time War head-canon. The fic doesn't really explain how it got to where it starts, so just a bit of background - Rassilon found out the Doctor was planning on ending the War and destroying Gallifrey and took his captive. Please R&R, ly'all
Treason
Another shock hit the Doctor and this time he screamed. He had done so well not to for so long but that was the final straw, he couldn't hold it in any longer. The electricity ran through him. It was painful, excruciatingly painful, but not powerful enough to do any serious damage to him. They wanted him hurt, yes, but they needed him to still be able to fight at the end of it.
There was no mistaking the amusement on the face of his torturer when he finally screamed. And he didn't care. He had been sat there quietly, just taking it, quietly trying to work out how he could get out of it, but now, now it was getting too much. Now he was struggling against the binds holding him to the chair, now as another shock hit him he couldn't stop screaming. Now he wasn't thinking straight, he just knew he needed to get out.
"Gallifrey doesn't need traitors, Theta," The voice of his torturer was cold. The use of his old name unnerved the Doctor, he fell silent and just glared at him. "As Lord President it is my job to protect this planet even if that means from our own. Even if that means destroying our most infamous son."
"This planet has already been des-" the Doctor started but was forced to trail off when it was replace by a scream as yet another shock hit and ran through him.
"You will keep your mouth shut," came the short simply reply. "Traitors has no right to speak to me."
The Doctor ignored him, he knew he was making this worse for himself, but there was no way he was just going to sit there like a good little boy. "What happened to you, Rassilon?" he asked, speaking quickly so he had time to get it all out.
"The Time War happened, my dear Theta," Rassilon replied, sending another shock through the Doctor. "Now, keep quiet."
"No, I won't. You can do whatever-" another shock. He gritted his teeth, refusing to let himself scream any longer. His whole body was screaming out at the pain, but he didn't want to give Rassilon the satisfaction of hearing him screaming any more. "-whatever you want to me. It won't change anything."
Rassilon allowed the Doctor to continue talking as he moved towards him and untied the bonds.
"Whether it's me or someone else, eventually this War with be ended. It has to be."
"The War will end when Gallifrey is Victorious and every single one of those scumhas been destroyed," Rassilon replied, pulling the Doctor to his feet. The Doctor wanted to fight him off, to get away and run, but there was nothing he could do, currently too weak to even stand without Rassilon's support.
"You used to be a good man, Rassilon," the Doctor told him bitterly. "You knew the curse that Immortality was. You were the one that taught us that immortality wasn't a good thing, that there was a time to surrender, a time to die."
Rassilon slapped him, hard across the face and the Doctor barely reacted. He was in so much pain by this point that any addition barely even registered for him. "This planet needs to survive. I worked for this planet. I did everything for this planet. If you think I am going to surrender it to the Daleks now I will kill you along with them, is that clear?"
"If I end it, we haven't surrendered to the Daleks, it'll be over. Everyone will be saved."
"Everyone will be dead." Rassilon corrected, hitting him again, this time in the stomach.
The force of the blow caused the Doctor to double over slightly, but Rassilon forced him upright. The pain he was in caused a couple tears to run down his face, but he kept his voice determined, "That's the only kind of salvation we have in a Time War."
Rassilon hit him again, and again, laying into him silently for a few minutes and the Doctor had no choice but to stay there and take it. The wall Rassilon force him again and Rassilon's hold on his was the only reason he wasn't on the ground and there was nothing stop the tears from falling now. He hurt, by God is hurt so much. He wanted to give in. He wanted to apologise and say he was wrong just to make it stop, but he knew he couldn't do that. He knew this needed to end, he knew he needed to end it.
Eventually Rassilon stopped and let go of him. Instantly the Doctor fell to a crumpled mess on the ground. He made no attempt to get up, he knew he wouldn't be able to. Rassilon's image was dancing in front of him, blurry and repeated, he couldn't seem to get it to focus properly. Even when Rassilon grabbed his face and forced him to meet his eyes, he couldn't focus properly on what he was seeing.
"Did anyone tell you?" Rassilon asked, and the Doctor blinked desperately trying to focus, trying to listen and hear the words. "We found Koschei."
That hit him. He could barely focus on anything; he could barely hear any words. But that one final word hit him. Koschei. They had Koschei. Now he knew he had to get out. They could do anything to him but there was no way he'd let his Koschei suffer