The Master pushed the gun into the face of his target and snarled. "You are going to give me all the information I want Miss Cooper."
Gwen nodded, knowing better than to say no to the Time Lord. With the Doctor, she would have had a slim chance of staying alive...but the Master; only death would be her reward if she refused.
"Good, question one, did you or that freak help that white coated bastard?"
"No, we thought he was dead," Gwen said, hyper-aware of the muzzle pressed into her cheek.
"Question two, did you cut his womb out?"
Gwen's eyes widened. "No, we saved his life."
"Question three, he had traces of sedatives in his blood, was that you?
"Yes."
"Why, and be honest."
"He was unmanageable, psychotic and he tried to harm himself...twice."
The Master stood back, but still trained the gun on Gwen.
"Then I thank you for that, but you tell the freak that if he or any of you get in my way, I will kill you."
He flashed a smile and pressed the door open button and ran out.
By the time Gwen could collect her wits and move out of the lift he was long gone.
With her heart beating wildly she dialled Ianto's phone.
The ambush site was crawling with soldiers and Military Intelligence, but Jack's written orders from the Prime Minister gave him unimpeded entry.
He was walking towards the abandoned ambulance when he was stopped by someone in civilian clothes.
"Are you Captain Jack Harkness?"
Jack nodded.
"I'm Doctor Ian Stoneleigh, I'm...well I was going to be Chief Scientist in studying the alien that was stolen. So I take it he was stolen by this Harold Saxon chap, who's another alien."
Jack scowled and reined in his temper. "The alien is called the Doctor and he's not for studying like some lab rat. And no, I don't think Harold Saxon took him and his real name is the Master."
Doctor Stoneleigh seemed unfazed by the veiled aggression in Jack's voice. "Then who do you think has him?"
"If I'm right and I hope to God I'm not, then we're in big trouble."
"How so?"
"Because you'll have someone who will use the Doctor as a blunt instrument to beat us with and you'll have the Master tearing this world apart looking for him."
With that he climbed into the ambulance and began looking round and Doctor Stoneleigh followed.
Jack held up the broken restraints. If the Master had taken him, he wouldn't have stopped at killing two MI men. He would have burnt half the county with it. No, there's only one other person I know who would have to money and the guts to do and that person is dead."
"Clearly they're not," Doctor Stoneleigh said and looked closer at the gurney. "There's a lot of blood in here and on the road. We can't identify the blood type."
Jack frowned. "He must have been injured in the struggle. He wouldn't have gone willingly, not if it's who I fear it is."
"Is this person someone the MI should know about?"
"No, not yet. Even if they did know, they'd never find him. We have to wait for him to make the first move."
"Why?" Doctor Stoneleigh asked.
"Do you want the easy or the hard answer?"
"Either will do," Doctor Stoneleigh replied.
"Okay, White Coat is someone who has pretty much the same attitude as MI. The Doctor is a commodity. For the last ten months give or take he's kidnapped, tortured, abused, exploited and damn near killed the Doctor in his efforts to keep someone that doesn't belong to him. Something happened recently, something I haven't got time to explain that led us to believe that White Coat was dead."
"That was a good thing then?"
"So we thought, but when this something was put right, the Doctor was not himself and we put him in protective custody for his own safety. Then your bosses decided they wanted him instead."
Doctor Stoneleigh let of a huff of air. "I wasn't happy with that decision. I wanted to approach you and study him there. But what has all of this got to do with this other alien you called the Master?"
"That's another story," Jack said. "But for now, we have to figure out where the hell White Coat has taken him."
The Doctor watched his captors carefully, looking for any sign of weakness in the persons watching. He carefully probed the minds of the men around him; they were easy to read, their brains simple and uncomplicated.
Without White Coat presence he felt more confident. Time to use those mind manipulation skill Koschei had taught him all those years ago.
In a voice he considered his most persuasive he said. "You know he'll dispose of when he doesn't need you anymore. Do you think this job carries a good pension and life insurance schemes? What will your wife, mother, children, sister do when the bailiffs call?"
He smiled to himself as he projected images of weeping and destitution into their minds.
"If you let me go, I can make sure your families never go hungry or without shelter for the rest of their lives," he said softly, almost purring, putting the right amount of empathy and sympathy in his voice.
The four men looked at each other then they looked at the vehicle in front. The driver stopped the 4x4 and undid the child-lock.
"Go," one of the men said.
The Doctor was out in a flash and was running. He'd gone fifty yards when excruciating pain filled his head and he collapsed to the floor.
He heard footsteps behind him and then the voice of his tormentor.
"I really should have gagged you. I shall have to study what part of your brain helps you do that unusual little trick. But for now, since you seem bent on escaping a think a little extra restraint is needed. Stand him up."
The Doctor could do nothing as he was hauled up, and then he saw what White Coat held in his hand and his eyes widened in fear.
"Ah, you do remember this then? Good, then you know what will happen if you disobey," White Coat said as he fastened the collar round his property's neck.
"There that's better. I would prefer to gag you as I really don't want to damage you too much. I think perhaps you should ride with me."
White Coat turned to the four men. "I can't have any weak links," he said and gestured to another man.
Gunfire shattered the night silence and four bodies lay in a bloody mess on the road.
The Doctor, despite his own predicament smiled at the four bodies and said. I told you so."
"Come along," White Coat said and the Doctor was shoved into the other 4x4.
He closed his eyes and thanked Rassilon that White Coat did not yet know about the bond between himself and the Master.
The Master had eventually reined in his temper and was going over the answers he'd got from Gwen Cooper.
He was currently flying over the area near the hospital; eyes closed his head thumping from the drums that were a constant in his life. How he missed the raging storm of the Doctor's madness that drowned out his own madness.
He closed his eyes and tried to quieten the drums and then he felt it.
"Inari," a soft voice whispered in his mind.
"Si'arila," the Master replied. "Where are you?"
"Not sure, the windows of this vehicle are darkened. He's here, White Coat."
The Master caught the tinge of fear in his lover's voice. "Can't you escape?"
"No, he has me contained."
An image of his lover wearing a collar and a shock of pain filled his mind. He snarled at the audacity of a mere human to use such a thing.
"Then do not resist. Keep our link open and tell me what you can see when you can. I will find you my Si'arila. No-one will keep you from me Thete."
There was silence for a moment and then the words he never thought he would hear came into his mind.
"Forget me Inari...even you can't fight the Devil."