Chapter Three

"So, you built a paradox machine using the Doctor's TARDIS?" the alternate Doctor asked the Master as he and Rose followed him along the corridor.

The Master nodded.

"Yup, I have it stored in a very special place. Just follow me and I'll take you to it." He said.

The alternate Doctor glanced back at Rose.

"Don't get any ideas, Rose." He warned her.

"About what? Using the TARDIS? I don't even know how to fly it."

"Just checking." He said.

He smiled at her.

"You've been a good girl so far, Rose. Keep it up and I won't have to be mean and turn on the chip."

Rose rolled her eyes when he turned his head back around.

As they passed by reception, they stopped short when the receptionist suddenly ran in front of the Master.

"Mister Saxon! That man punched me in the face and knocked me out!" she said pointing at the alternate Doctor.

The Master looked at her black eye. He looked back at the alternate Doctor.

"Uh…yeah, sorry, she wouldn't let us by so I had to resort to extreme measures." He said shrugging.

"Should I call the police, Mister Saxon?" the receptionist said.

"Um, no, that won't be necessary, Mable. He's with me."

Mable's mouth dropped open.

"But…but he punched me in the face." She protested.

"Yes, but who around here hasn't wanted to punch you in the face, Mable; you're completely annoying." The Master said. "Anyway, you're alive, you're conscious. You don't have a concussion. You're fine, no harm done. Just forget about it. My friend tends to overreact sometimes. Then again, who doesn't at one time or another, eh?"

She patted Mable on the shoulder as she stared back at him in shock.

"Keep up the good job, Mable. Now if you'll excuse me, I and my friends have to get in the limo. See ya later!"

They walked past her as Mable watched them in stunned silence.

The Doctor laughed as they walked out the door and headed to the limo parked a few feet away.

"Ah, that was great, the look on her face was pure gold." The alternate Doctor said.

He looked back at Rose and saw her angry look.

"Of course, the little ape back here doesn't approve. But then again, she's a human and doesn't get Time Lord humor, so we have to forgive her for that."

They walked to the limo and the Master smiled as his driver opened the door for them.

"Guests first." He said gesturing inside.

The alternate Doctor got in. Rose hesitated wanting nothing more than to take off running down the street.

"Get in, Rose, before I activate mister chippy." The alternate Doctor called to her.

Rose sighed and got inside. She sat beside the alternate Doctor and flinched when he put his hand on her knee."

"What's wrong, don't ya wanna make out in the limo?" he purred as the Master got in beside her.

"Leave me alone." She muttered.

She gasped when the alternate Doctor seized her wrist and leaned in.

"I will do what I want when I want." He hissed in her ear. "You will not talk back to me in any way shape or form or I'll have that chip back on lickety split. You got that, Rose?"

Rose winced when he squeezed her wrist until she felt like he was gonna break it.

"You belong to me, Rose." He whispered. "The Doctor can't reach you now, so if I were you, I'd keep that insolent gob in check or I'll have Saxon over there send the TARDIS back to him with your body parts scattered all over it."

He released her and leaned back over as Rose fought back her tears and rubbed her aching wrist. The Master regarded them both silently. He remembered when he was Yana, hearing the Doctor talking to Jack about Rose and discussing where she might be. It was ironic to him that she had been here all this time with another version of the same man. It almost made him wish the Doctor did have a way to return. He was kinda curious to see the two of them battle it out. He looked back at Rose and decided to talk to her if only to ease the tension hanging over all of them.

He cleared his throat.

"The Doctor spoke of you. Your…Doctor, I mean." He said.

Rose and the alternate Doctor looked at him. The alternate Doctor let out a derisive snort and turned his head to look out the window, but Rose swallowed.

"What…what did he say?" she said hesitantly.

The Master paused and looked at the alternate Doctor.

"Is it alright to talk to her?" He asked.

"Go ahead," he replied, looking out the window. "If she wants to hear about the dimwit, let her."

"Well, I just noticed you got angry when she opened her mouth a moment ago."

The Doctor turned his head and glared at him.

"I don't object to her talking, I object to her mouthing off and being insolent." He said. "Whether she likes it or not, she is mine now and I will not tolerate her backtalk. As long as she is respectful, I will allow her to speak."

His eyes shifted to Rose and the Master's eyes widened in disbelief when the alternate Doctor's eyes became even blacker than they were before. She glanced at Rose and noticed she was looking him right in the eyes, completely unafraid. The girl didn't look like she was barely out of her teens, but the Master had to admit she had guts.

The alternate Doctor turned his head back to the window and Rose turned back to him.

"What did he say?" she asked with more conviction.

"Just that he was anxious to get back to you and hoped you were alright."

The alternate Doctor snorted as he stared out the window.

"How…do you know him? Do you know him?"

"Oh yeah, he and I go way back." He said. "We went to academy together and we were best friends then."

"What happened?" Rose asked.

The Master shrugged.

"Differences in ideology, I guess. The Doctor believes in helping people with no thought of reward and I believe in ruling over them with an iron hand. He believes in exploring the universe and I believe in conquering it. Needless to say we didn't end up sharing a flat or anything like that."

He glanced at her.

"What about you? Where did he find you?" he asked.

"Here in London. I…uh…was working at Henrick's department store in 2005 and the Doctor saved me from the Autons and I helped him destroy the Nestene consciousness. After that, he asked me to come with him."

"Hmm, Nestene consciousness and the Autons. That brings back memories." The Master mused.

He looked at the alternate Doctor.

"Did you have them in the other universe?"

The alternate Doctor looked at him.

"Have what?"

"The Nestene consciousness and the Autons?"

"Um…if we did, I never ran into them." He said. "I really didn't meet up with things like that. I mainly traveled through time and space plundering and killing. I'm not like my idiotic twin who actually goes looking for monsters to fight. I have more brains than that!"

He turned his head back around. The Master sighed disliking the Doctor's double more and more with each passing moment. He was starting to regret teaming up with him. He hoped that he wouldn't live to regret his decision.

Rose, meanwhile, had lapsed into silence. The Master watched her as she fiddled with the hem on her shirt. She was pretty. Not as pretty as Lucy was, but pretty just the same. He could tell she had brains as well as guts. This Doctor might have her under his control at the moment, but he could sense that it wouldn't last forever. The Doctor chose his companions carefully and he knew one of the things he looked for was brains. Rose might look innocent, but he could tell she was no fool. The first chance she got, he knew she would try to get away from the Doctor. He didn't know if she was capable of harming or even killing him or this other Doctor, but he wouldn't put anything past her. He had survived this long because he was vigilant and watched his back. Rose could be just as dangerous as the Doctor, if not more so. He would keep just as close an eye on her as he would on him.

He looked out the window when he saw they were nearing the airport and relaxed. At least they could get out of this enclosed car and he could get a bit of space between himself and them.

The limo drove around to the runway and he pointed to a helicopter.

"We'll go in that." He said to them.

The alternate Doctor and Rose looked at the helicopter and looked at him.

"Where is his TARDIS?" the alternate Doctor said.

The Master grinned.

"You'll see." He said.