My Name Is The Master
Chapter Two:
When the Doctor tried the rusty, metal door, she was unsurprised to find it locked. She shot her fam a sheepish smile and turned back to the door with her sonic screwdriver held out in front of her. A press of a button and a familiar buzz later, and the door clicked open.
"Aha," the Doctor grinned and pushed the creaky handle downwards. Another push opened the door until it got stuck half way open. The Doctor tried to budge it a bit more, but it wouldn't move due to the rust keeping it frozen.
"Might be a bit of a squeeze," she told her friends with an apologetic smile. Graham rolled his eyes, not surprised that even getting through a door would be a difficult task with her. "Come on then, fam," she lightened up and slipped through the gap between the door.
Sharing a look with Ryan and Yaz, Graham followed behind the Doctor into the cold building. He wasn't sure how to describe the feeling he got entering it, but he knew that something wasn't right. Usually he wouldn't mind the quiet (it was all he'd ever wanted since he started travelling with the Doctor) but in that building, it made him uneasy. It smelled old- if that was even a smell- and musty. A look at the off-white ceiling above him, revealed a few large rot patches.
Graham made a face and threw a look at the Doctor who he could see was eyeing the ceiling, too. She was wrinkling her nose and looking around suspiciously, but when she noticed him watching her, she replaced her slightly disgusted face with a friendly smile. He turned back to make sure Ryan and yaz were alright, and when he was sure, he started after the Doctor who'd continued further into the building. Following the Doctor, Graham tried to ignore the one or two rat-like things he'd seen scurrying about
As they walked further and further, Graham peered into the small windows of the less-rusty doors lining the cold corridor. Each room was empty and only a few had a single bed placed neatly in the centre of them. The beds had a part at the top that was clearly used for people's heads. On either side of the bed were brown leather straps for the occupant's wrists, and two more at the bottom for their ankles. He rose an eyebrow, wondering what on Earth (well, not literally) this place was.
"This is proper creepy," Ryan stated, breaking the silence had fallen upon them since they'd entered the building.
"You're tellin' me," Graham agreed, taking one last look into one of the rooms. He shuddered, not getting good vibes from it, and looked towards the Doctor. He wasn't sure if she'd payed any attention to the rooms, but the worried look he spotted on her face answered that question. He sometimes forgot the Doctor was a lot more observant than he gave her credit for. The amount of times she'd gotten them out of trouble because she'd noticed something utterly ridiculous that he never would have in a million years was astounding, he had to remember.
"Ah, cheer up, you lot," the Doctor chastised jokingly, turning to face them, but not stopping walking. Neither of them said anything so the Doctor turned back around, unbothered, just in time to stop herself before walking into the door in front of her.
This time when she tried to open it, she found it unlocked. Unlike the door before, this one wasn't rusty or practically falling off the hinges. It was was in surprisingly good condition compared to the rest of the building so far.
The Doctor opened the white, metal door to reveal a large room that Graham was sure wouldn't have even fit inside the building judging by the size on the outside. The only way Graham could describe it was 'TARDIS'. It wasn't that much bigger than what it had seemed from the outside, but the curved ceiling that reached up at least fifty feet was a slight give away.
"Woah," Ryan breathed, stepping into the room with Yaz.
"Yeah, woah," the Doctor nodded with a frown that didn't seem very 'woah'.
"How can this be bigger on the inside?" Yaz asked. "It is like the TARDIS?"
"No, this isn't a ship," the Doctor said, "it's just a building."
"Then how's it bigger on the inside?" Graham found himself questioning.
"Time Lord technology," a male voice answered him before the Doctor could even open her mouth. It didn't seem like she was going to say anything, anyway, what with the way she was looking around in confusion. Perhaps she didn't know the answer herself, Graham mused.
"What technology?" Ryan asked, the first to cover from the shock of a new person appearing in the room with them.
Graham turned around to see a man with short brown hair and a goatee stood in the doorway. He was wearing a smart suit and shiny black shoes, a massive contrast to the falling apart corridor they'd just left.
The man ignored Ryan and stepped forward into the room, and just a little bit further until he was stood face to face with the Doctor. The man was a good few inches taller than the Doctor, making him tower above her. Not that his alien friend was any less intimidating with way she was stood staring at the man. The man looked at the Doctor like he could see into her soul itself, and it was the same with his friend. They stared at each other like they knew each other more than the other knew themselves. Graham wasn't sure whether they were friends or enemies, though. Maybe they were both, Graham thought, watching as the man finally smiled and let out a small chuckle.
"Doctor," he said in a way of greeting, "what a surprise."
"Did you send out that distress signal?" The Doctor asked, getting straight to the point.
"Not even a hello? No?" The man mockingly frowned, feigning hurt. "Fine, yes," he admitted when the Doctor said nothing, "I sent out the distress signal."
"Do you need help? Or was it just another ruse to get me to come find you?" Were the next questioned the Doctor threw at the man.
Said man chuckled once again, putting his hands up. Graham didn't miss the way the Doctor tensed as if she expected he man to do something, then relaxed slightly when he didn't. "Oops, you got me," he said. "I was hoping you could stay and chat a little longer, but you always want to get right to the point, Doctor," the man sighed melodramatically.
He reached a hand into his pocket, to which the Doctor quickly grabbed Graham and Yaz's arms and dragged them behind her. Ryan was already behind her, so he stayed exactly where he was.
The man pulled out a black pistol from his innercoat pocket and held it out in front of him, straight at the Doctor's head as if he percieved her to be the greatest threat and Graham and the other two weren't even worth taking notice of.
"Put the gun down, Master," the Doctor said slowly, her arms still held out to keep Graham, Ryan, and Yaz behind her.
The Master laughed at the Doctor, like what she'd said was the most incredulous thing ever. Suddenly, his gun was aimed at Yaz and Graham's heart skipped a beat. He stared wide at at the Master, shaking all over for Yaz's sake. He didn't know what he would do if the man shot Yaz, and God-knows what the Doctor would do.
"Step away from you little human pets, Doctor," the Master ordered, suddenly very serious. "Or I shoot her."
The Doctor turned to look at Yaz, obvious confliction in her eyes. It all fell away, though, when she turned back to the Master then stepped away from them all.
"Good," the Master grinned, his gun still trained on Yaz, "now, your little pets are going to follow me to one of the cells in the hallway, and you're going to stay here."
He looked to the Doctor as if making sure she understood. The Doctor stayed still for a moment, merely glaring at the Master, before she nodded her head.
With the Doctor listening to him, the Master gestured for Graham, Ryan, and Yaz to lead the way back out into the hallway. Graham was the one to make a move first, Ryan and Yaz most likely too shocked or scared to comprehend when things had gone to shit so quickly, so to speak.
It was only when the door to the room the Doctor was in slammed shut, did Graham realise that his grandson and Yaz had eventually followed him out and the Master was there pointing a gun at them still.
"What do you want with the Doctor?" Yaz demanded. Graham turned to look at her, silently pleading with his eyes for her to stop, but she kept her eyes trained on the Master, unbothered by the gun. "You obviously know her, and she knows you. Who are you?"
The Master huffed a laugh at her, seeming to find her questions amusing. "I'm the Master, the Doctor's childhood friend and closest enemy," he answered.
"'Closest enemy'?" Ryan repeated with confusion.
"Yes, we're always trying to kill each other- it's our flirting," he grinned then aimed the gun at the nearest door, "get in."