AN: The first of three or four short interludes from the Master's POV.
Long, delicate fingers combed through the Master's blond hair. He was in his favourite high-backed arm chair with Lucy draped over his lap while they listened to the radio reports of the disappearance and reappearance of Royal Hope Hospital.
"Eyewitness reports from the Royal Hope Hospital continue to pour in, and it all seems to be remarkably consistent. This from medical student Oliver Morgenstern."
"I was there. I saw it happen. And I feel uniquely privileged. I looked out at the surface of the moon. I saw the Earth, suspended in space. And it all just proves Mr. Saxon right. We're not alone in the universe. There's life out there. Wild and extraordinary life."
The Master paused the streaming radio on his laptop.
"Isn't it wonderful timing, Harry?" Lucy asked complaisantly. "Of course, you always would have won the election, but to have such proof of extraterrestrial life only days before…"
He ran a hand up and down her leg, then pushed her off his lap. "Go to bed, Lucy," he ordered. "I'll be up shortly, but first I need to take care of some business."
His wife left, but not without a few lingering looks. The Master made a mental note to pay attention to her attitude over the next year. If she became too clingy or difficult to manage, she could easily be removed.
So, the Doctor and Rose had met Martha Jones. It was time to put his next piece into play.
He picked up his phone and dialled a familiar number. "Lady Thaw?" he said when the woman picked up. "Harold Saxon here. I wondered if Miss Jones had given you a final guest list for tomorrow's gala event."
When Lady Thaw told him that no, she didn't expect the list until the morning, his politician's smile spread across his face. "Then I wonder if it would be possible to have you add two more names to the list when you see it—as a personal favour to me. An old school friend of mine will be in town tomorrow with his wife, and I know they'd be fascinated with Professor Lazarus' work."
Lady Thaw was always willing to oblige Mr. Saxon in anything he wished, of course. "Excellent. Their names are the Doctor and Rose Tyler. No, not Doctor Tyler. His wife is Rose Tyler, but he is just the Doctor." The Master's smile turned sharklike. "It's an old nickname that's stuck, I'm afraid. You should hear what he calls me."
