Chapter Eight
The Master paused to take a break after working the Doctor over. The Doctor, who was restrained into a leather chair, gasped and panted. His face had been bruised and bloodied from the numerous punches the Master gave him. The Master switched off a boom box that had been playing music while he roughed him up and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off his hands. While he wiped his hands he glanced at his aged adversary.
"Aren't you tired of this by now, Gramps?" the Master asked him. "It's been going on for a month now. All this constant pain and suffering, don't you want it to stop?"
"I won't tell you what you want to know so you might as well kill me," the Doctor gasped out.
"And have you miss my hour of triumph? I think not," the Master said.
"And what is your hour of triumph?"
The Master snickered.
"Oh, it's a secret. Course…we could always trade information. You tell me what you're up to and I'll let you know what my plans are for this mud ball and the universe in general. So how 'bout it?"
The Doctor kept silent and the Master threw his hands in the air. Throwing the towel back down on the counter, he stomped over and leaned into his face.
"You know, I don't know if you've realized this yet but you're not as young as you used to be and it wouldn't take much for you to regenerate. You're wasting your time, old man. Whatever Martha's up to, it's not going to work. You've lost, admit it! So you might as well stop beating around the bush and tell me what I want to know."
"Never."
The Doctor stared at the Master calmly while he silently fumed. Then suddenly, an evil grin spread over the insane Time Lord's face and he chuckled as he leaned back up.
"I know what'll loosen that tongue of yours, old man. Everybody has some sort of weakness and I know yours now. Rose."
He grinned when the Doctor stiffened at that.
"Leave her alone," the Doctor growled.
"Her too? First you tell me to leave Martha alone and now I can't touch Rose? Aren't I allowed to play with any of your companions? I'm guessing however that unlike Martha, Rose is very special to you and if you listen to her scream long enough you'll tell me anything I want to know, is that right?"
He leaned in again.
"You know, my dear Lucy was correct. I can use the paradox machine to bring her back here. Your poor lost love reunited with you. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
The Doctor tried to show no emotion at that. The Master leaned in closer.
"Your Rose, here in this very room," he said in a hushed voice. "Here by your side. Holding your hand, kissing you, telling you everything is going to be alright. Don't you want that now? When you finally do close your eyes and go to your eternal reward, wouldn't you like her face to be the last thing you see before your hearts' stop forever?"
"I said, leave her alone."
Suddenly without warning, the Master seized the sides of his head. Closing his eyes, he entered his mind. The Doctor tried to throw up psychic barriers but he wasn't fast enough and he swallowed hard when an image of Rose came to the forefront of his mind.
"So, that's what she looks like, eh? I see I'm not the only one who fancies blondes. So pretty and so young. I suppose it was an enormous boost to your ego to have a young blonde woman fall in love with you, huh?"
The Doctor gasped when he took his hands away.
"Well, now that I know what she looks like, I can bring her here," the Master said.
"Don't you dare. Leave her alone!"
"What do you mean? Don't you want her here? I mean, it might be fun having your lover on the Valiant. Then we could double date. You and me and Lucy and Rose out for a night on the town. Perhaps dinner, the cinema, some snogging down at the park, how 'bout it?"
"If you touch her…"
"Touch who? Lucy? I've touched her thousands of times….OH, OH you mean Rose. Sorry, I got mixed up there for a moment. Anyway, what would you do to me if I touched her? You haven't done much yet since I made you into an old man so tell me…what would you be able to do to me with this feeble, ancient body of yours?"
"I could make your life a living hell and you know it."
The Master folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the counter.
"So do it. Unleash hell, you old codger. Make me tremble."
The Doctor glared at him.
"Is that hell, those angry eyes you're giving me? Because if it is, hell's a pretty tame place. Come on, Grandpa, do your worst. I'm bored with roughing you up so rough me up now!"
The Doctor continued to glare at him and the Master laughed.
"Yeah, that was absolutely terrifying alright. Now I'll have to go and change my soiled underpants. Anyway…where were we? Ah yes, Rose. You know, I always love meeting your companions and this one looks to be very charming so I think I will use my paradox machine and bring her over here. I don't want to miss the tender reunion between you and her."
"No! Leave her alone."
"Nah, don't want to. So…I'm going to go and get her and you just sit here and bleed and try to unleash hell with your evil eyes. Cheers."
The Doctor fought against the restraints while the Master walked out of the room whistling cheerfully.
"Oh Lucy, darling," he heard him say as he exited, "set another place at the dinner table. We're gonna have company tonight!"
"No," the Doctor grunted as he tried to break free. "Not Rose, I won't let you harm her!"
He paused when he saw John hop up onto his leg. John quickly scurried over to the restraint around his wrist.
"That's it, hurry," the Doctor said. "We have to stop him bringing Rose over here."
John loosened the restraint on his left wrist.
"Cheers, my handy little friend," the Doctor said.
Suddenly, John heard voices outside the door. The Doctor cursed and laid his wrist back in between the restraint. John laid the leather restraint back over his wrist to make it look like it was still tight and then he quickly hopped off the Doctor and ran under a nearby table. Lucy entered the room with two guards.
"I heard we're going to have a special guest tonight," she said, walking over to him. "It must be exciting knowing you'll see Rose again."
"Stop him. Stop your husband. I'll tell you anything you want to know, just leave Rose alone."
"Oh, so now you'll cooperate? Now when we're threatening your beloved?"
"Please, you aren't like him. You can change. You can choose to do what's right. You can help me defeat him! Please!"
"And miss out on meeting Rose? No, I'd rather stay with Harry."
"Oi, mate, that wasn't funny!"
Lucy turned to the guard standing behind her. He was glaring at the guard beside him.
"What? What did I do?" the other guard said.
"You smacked my ass, that's what you did. Now keep your hands to yourself."
"I didn't smack your ass, George. I was nowhere near your ass," the guard said.
"Well, someone smacked it," George replied.
"Ahem!"
Both guards snapped to attention when Lucy cleared her throat loudly.
"That will be quite enough of that, thank you!" she said.
"But he smacked my ass," George said.
He muttered an apology when Lucy glared at him. She turned back around to the Doctor.
"Sorry, good help is hard to find. Anyway, as I was saying, I'm dying to meet Rose and…"
"Now you pinched it!" George said to the other guard.
"Pinched what?" the guard said.
"My ass, David, you just pinched my ass."
"No, I didn't. I haven't touched your ass," David said, incensed.
"Will you two stop it?" Lucy roared.
"But he pinched my ass," George said to her.
"I don't care if he puts your lips on your ass and kisses it, be silent!" Lucy growled at him.
"Yes, Ma'am," George said.
Lucy sighed and turned back to the Doctor.
"See what we have to put up with around here?" she said to him. "Anyway, there's no use resisting or trying to plead for us to stop. Rose is coming over here and joining you now. Perhaps I'll even ask Harry to age her so she can be the same as…"
She paused when she felt something hit the back of her head. She turned and noticed a wadded up piece of paper behind her. She glared at the guards.
"I didn't do that," George said quickly.
"Neither did I," David said.
"Really? Who did it then? A ghost?" Lucy said.
The guards shrugged. Lucy narrowed her eyes.
"I don't see anyone else in here. I was facing the Doctor so it wasn't him. Which means it must have been one of you and I'm warning you, if you don't want to end up in the torture chair, you'll behave yourselves!"
"But we didn't do it," George protested.
Lucy turned completely around and glared at them both.
"I'm not a fool so don't treat me like one," she snarled at them. "I don't know what sort of game you're playing but It'll stop this instant and…"
She yelled out in pain when she felt a hand grab her hair and jerk it. She spun back around and noticed the Doctor was in the chair staring at her calmly. She looked at his hands and saw they were both restrained.
"Who did that?" Lucy said to the Doctor.
"Did what?" the Doctor said, feigning innocence.
"Pulled my hair!"
"I don't know. I didn't see anyone," the Doctor replied.
He grunted when Lucy slapped him hard in the face.
"My patience is wearing thin, old man!" she snarled at him. "I don't know what's going on here but I have a feeling you do and if I have to have Harry torture you again to get the truth from you, I'll do it."
Suddenly, they heard the fire alarm. Lucy spun around and noticed the confused guards.
"Well…go find out what set off the fire alarm, idiots!" she growled at them.
They saluted and hurried out the door. Lucy glared at the Doctor.
"I'll be back shortly so don't get any ideas about escape," she said.
The Doctor watched while she hurried out the door. He grinned when John leapt back up onto his leg.
"Brilliant, my friend. Sheer genius," he said proudly.
John fell back on his wrist and bowed with the front part of his hand.
"Now hurry," the Doctor said, taking his free hand out of the restraint. "We have to find the Master and stop him from finding Rose."
