Chapter 10 – To the Rescue
The Doctor opened the TARDIS door a crack.
"YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!" He slammed it shut.
"Shit," he said out loud, his mind racing. What were they doing here?
"Daleks," said the Master calmly. "I've never seen you so scared, Doctor." The Doctor turned to face the man beside him
"Is this your doing?" he asked, his eyes flashing furiously. "Is this part of your plan?" The Master shook his head.
"Oh Doctor," he said, smirking. "You clearly don't know me very well. I'm surprised. You've been in my head long enough."
"But this is just your style. Recruiting millions of metal cased aliens and trying to destroy the world."
"Oh, no. My style is about getting to you. Spearing the tenderest part of your heart. Using your precious humans against you. The Toclafane were the future of humanity and watching you tear yourself up over that was worth every moment of this Rassilon-forsaken bond."
The Doctor glared at the Master, but quickly realised that doing so wasn't going to help anything. He darted over to the control panel, his eyes searching for his prize. There is was. He reached out and pulled hard on a large, red lever. Immediately the entire inside of the TARDIS began pulsing with bright red flashing lights and piercing warning tones began searing through the air.
"Why did you do that?" the Master asked angrily, shouting to be heard over the sirens. The Doctor didn't seem to notice that the other Time Lord had spoken.
/Why the hell did you do that?/ the Master asked again, this time directly into the Doctor's head.
The Doctor flinched. After that brief period of time where he had his head to himself, this breach of his privacy came as a shock.
/I've always wanted to/ he shot back, once he had regained his composure.
/So it was unnecessary?/ asked the Master, his eyes flashing dangerously.
/Oh no, it was necessary. It just didn't do anything to help. Now... Where has Martha got to? I was sure she was in here only a moment ago.../ he trailed off, glancing around the control room. The lights and sirens were still blaring.
/Can you turn this stuff off?/ the Master snapped, covering his ears with his hands. /It's giving me a head ache/
The Doctor sighed. /You're no fun/ he moaned, reaching over and switching off the sirens and their corresponding lights. /You spoil all of my fun.../
The Master cradled his head. /I need some air/ he said. His voice inside the Doctor's head sounded weak and feeble.
/Go on then/ replied the Doctor, gesturing towards the TARDIS door. /Now what was I... Wait!/
The Master slammed the door shut behind him, sending the Doctor a rather obscene image through their bond.
/Well if that's how you're going to behave.../ muttered the Doctor, turning back to the control panel. The daleks could exterminate him for all he cared right now.
XxX
The Master stood outside the TARDIS, unable to move any further than a foot from the wooden door. It was clear from the destroyed foliage and the tiny fact that he was still alive that the daleks had moved on.
"Stupid bond," he muttered, out loud so that it didn't pass through into the Doctor's head. He rubbed his temples. His brain felt as if it was pulsing, trying to expand until his skull shattered and it exploded out of his head. He paused for a moment. Now, that would be an interesting death. He wondered if he could replicate it in the Doctor's head. It certainly would be fun to watch.
He shuffled his feet, already bored. He edged his toes forward, further away from the TARDIS. His entire body was straining as he pushed against the invisible force tying him to the Doctor's side, but try as he might, he just couldn't move more than a foot away from the small blue box. So he gave up and sat down on a tree root that was snaking its way past the TARDIS. His began to tap absent mindedly on the gnarled wood with his fingers; tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap-tap.
The scream came out of nowhere. High pitched; a woman's scream. It rang through the forest, causing flocks of birds to take flight from any tree or bush they had previously sought refuge in.
After the scream the air was deadly silent. The Master wriggled uncomfortable on the tree root. It was completely against his nature to feel worry or guilt or remorse when other people got hurt but he knew that the Doctor would want to hurry off into the depths of the murky forest on a rescue mission. That man never could resist trouble.
Only a few seconds went by before the Doctor burst out of the TARDIS, tripping over the Master who was still sat in front of the door and falling flat on his face in the mud. The Master burst out laughing.
/That's what happens when you're always trying to be a hero/
/Get up. Now!/
/You get up. You're the one on the floor, Doctor/
The Doctor pulled himself to his feet and dusted off his suit. /Move/
/What's got your knickers in a twist?/ asked the Master, smirking.
"Martha!" called the Doctor, attempting to move away from the TARDIS. An invisible force held him back though, because for the first time the Master had more control than he did. /Get up and come with me/ He gritted his teeth and pulled harder, trying to prise himself away from the Master's grip.
/What's in it for me, Doctor?/ asked the Master. Beads of sweat were appearing on his face but he didn't budge.
"Just do it!" roared the Doctor, and the volume shocked the Master, who lost his concentration.
/No need to shout/ he muttered bitterly as the Doctor dragged him through the forest. /Use your head voice/
/Shut up/
/Or what? You have no power over me, Doctor/
/Oh really? Then why are you following me? Answer that!/
After that, there was silence. Inside their heads at least.
"Martha!" shouted the Doctor. "Martha, where are you?" He listened carefully, but he heard nothing but the sound of the wind in the trees and the occasional howl.
/Is that a wolf?/ asked the Master finally. He didn't like to admit it, but he wasn't keen on the thought of wandering through a forest full of blood thirsty animals with huge teeth, ready to rip him to shreds.
/Dog/ said the Doctor. /Nothing to be scared of/
/I'm not scared!/ lied the Master, hating that the Doctor could read his thoughts.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
/What was that?/ asked the Master. The Doctor peered into the dense trees in front of them. There was a shadow moving towards them.
THUD! THUD!
/Oh brilliant!/ exclaimed the Doctor, with no trace of sarcasm. /Time to meet the locals!/
/I've met enough locals already/ muttered the Master, hanging as far behind the Doctor as he could manage.
/At least try to be friendly/ the Doctor responded, stepping forward towards the approaching creature. "Hello, I'm the Doctor," he said, holding out his hand. "And you might be…?"
The huge creature stepped forward into the light.
"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper o' Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts," he said, shaking the Doctor's hand and almost crushing it. "Who's yer friend?"
It was at this moment that the Master passed out.