Hello, my lovely readers! :) This chapter is slightly short, and I do apologize for that... My options were to either public this chapter as it is, or to make you wait for several more day before the second half of this chapter was ready for publication. After my previous, giant hiatus, I figured you guys didn't deserve that! Today's chapter lets us into a whole different mind-someone I find both fascinating and disturbing. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Master!

Chapter 11

This was it—the day of the election. The Master had fully integrated himself into the pitiful human society, created a background, married some feeble blonde, and was ahead in the polls. All before the Doctor managed to find his way back to this favorite planet of his. Within the next few hours, "Harold Saxon" would be the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Even the Doctor couldn't be ignorant of important privileges the humans bestowed upon members of authority.

The TARDIS was fairly quiet in his mind as well, though that had taken most of the eighteen months he had been on earth. Of course, the Master smiled at the thought, she was mostly docile because of the…rewiring that had been done in preparation. In a few days, he would need something to support a paradox much more than he would need something to travel through time and space. Not that she had been willing to do that for him. Whatever the Doctor had done to her was locked—he could only travel between here and the end of the universe, the human's blessed, bogus Utopia. No amount of dominance, rewiring, or plain anger towards the time machine could budge her controls.

If the Master couldn't create chaos across the entire universe, he would settle for the next best thing—creating chaos on the Doctor's adopted planet, slowly but surely decimating the human race before they would have the chance to expand out across the stars. If things went according to plan, the Doctor would arrive just in time for the fanfare. It just wouldn't be right if the Doctor missed this, after all. If the Doctor could stand tall after burning two almighty races, then the Master could stand tall after dominating one wimpy species.

There was a gentle knock at the door behind him, and the Master turned to respond. He had asked to be left alone today; there had better be an excellent reason to disturb him.

"Yes?" The door opened in response to his question, and the Master sighed, seeing his assistant poke her head into his office. "Tish, when I say 'yes,' it isn't permission to open my door, it's a request to state your business."

Tish—how smart had he been to employ the Doctor's companion's sister?—shuffled a bit before opening her mouth to respond. To his dismay, it wasn't to admit submission, but to protest his words. The Master held up his hand—poor girl, she was obviously even slower than her sister, if that was possible—shaking his head in disappointment.

"No, Tish, that doesn't mean you start talking now. It means you go out the door and we attempt this conversation again."

"But, sir, I really think you should hear…" Was she honestly still protesting?

"Out, Tish."

Finally, third time's the try.

By the time Tish knocked at his door again, the Master had moved from behind his desk to in front, leaning against the gift from his supposed father-in-law with his feet crossed, careless in his demeanor.

"Yes, Tish?"

"Sir, there's an urgent update just phoned in from Michael Ruthers," Who even was that man? "Who works in the Cardiff office. It's a level AA notification."

At that news, the Master's eyes popped open. He knew what that level meant—one of the Doctor's companions had been found, possibly caught in actions considered rebellious to the Master's cause. When he had landed on earth, one of his top priorities had been finding those who had traveled in the TARDIS. He wasn't sure, but chances were humans exposed to the telepathic time ship might be more resistant to any form of mind control exercised by his administration. Indeed, the Master needed Archangel Operation to be successful, none of his "friend's" old associates in his way.

The TARDIS had reluctantly given up a list—her mental complaints in his head were still constant in those early days—and the Master had gotten to work. He wasn't sure if it was the Doctor or the TARDIS herself who was so particular about records being kept, but the TARDIS logs had strict details on every companion. Their names, a picture, the date and planet they joined the TARDIS from, the date and planet they left the TARDIS, how long they stayed as a companion, which incarnation of the Doctor they knew. Of course, the Master had met a very small number of these associates, most recently with Martha Jones and Captain Jack Harkness.

It was funny, the Master's position of these two. When he first landed, Martha had never met the Doctor and Jack was working for Torchwood, attempting to form a branch separate from Torchwood One in London; at the same time, the Master knew they were fighting to send the humans of the future reach "Utopia". The Master waited until Martha disappeared with the young, attractive Time Lord (did the Doctor manipulate his appearance intentionally, trying to look appealing to the humans he surrounded himself with?) and when she popped back the next day, his men were ready to inform Mrs. Jones of her daughter's dangerous friend.

Oh, how the Master had enjoyed the CCTV of the slap the Doctor received from the angry momma bear. Honestly, it was a mistake he didn't have popcorn with him.

The lonely Captain Jack Harkness was harder to hit than Martha Jones. Martha was close to her family, cared deeply for her parents and siblings; to have her bow at his knees, all he would have to do was threaten her family. Jack formed fewer and fewer attachments over the years, making it harder to get close to him. However, Harold Saxon's position in the government meant he had access to Torchwood files and reports, even CCTV. How heart-warming it had been to see Jack construct a case for a hand he found—a hand Owen Harper's DNA tests confirmed to have triple helixes instead of the human double helix.

Yes, the Captain's soft spot was still the Doctor.

Previous companions had been located, gentle research preformed. They weren't recently contacted, with the exception of one Sarah Jane Smith, meaning they posed no threat until the launch of his "little friends." Until then, they could stay safe with their boring, linear lives.

There was only one companion the Master was even slightly interested in, but he couldn't have access to her anymore.

Rose Tyler. A pathetic little shop girl had somehow managed to sneak her way onto the TARDIS, the first since the Doctor had ended the Time War. The TARDIS had been reluctant to give up information on her; only half of her information had popped up. Obviously, she was important to both the ship and the Doctor. After all, the Master had seen the Doctor's reaction to losing her at Canary Wharf. Touching, really, the valiant sacrifice made by the Valiant Child to stay with her star-crossed, two-hearted, not-quite lover.

Until, of course, she was lost anyway.

What the Master wouldn't do to have Rose Tyler as a weapon against the Doctor.

"Sir?" Was Tish still at the door? Honestly? "Would you like to hear the report?"

"Fine, yes, come in." He supposed it was about Sarah Jane Smith; she seemed the most active of any of the companions, most likely to stir up trouble. Probably first to be killed as well. The only other companion the Master had been terribly worried about was Jack and, by the Master's calculations, he should have disappeared from Cardiff within the last 24 hours.

When Tish opened the door, she handed him the file, but waited there expectantly. Immediately turning towards the file and away from her, it was probably thirty seconds before the Master even realized Tish was still there. He looked up at her quizzically, then towards the door, then back at her. Honestly, this girl was too slow for her own good. Could she not take a hint?

"Tish. You can go." He nodded once more towards the door.

"Well, since I already read the file, I was wondering if you wanted me to debrief you." She looked so proud she had used some big words. The Master wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh at her or slap her.

"Tish, I can read. You can go now."
"It's just that it's important."

"Then I suggest you let me read." With one last nod, Tish left the room, smiling as if she had done something right.

Sighing, the Master returned to his reading. The basic beginning of any report, official stuff—blah, blah, blah—this Michael Ruthers stating his business walking through Cardiff during his lunch break—were his employees allowed to take breaks on such an important day? Shocking, Harold Saxon might have to start trimming the number in his campaign—when, finally, two words stuck out to him.

Rose Tyler.

The very girl he had wished for, not five minutes ago.

She was in Cardiff. And, by the sounds of it, very distressed.

Quickly, the Master turned back to the report, reading carefully now to discover where she was, noting the descriptions of her injuries with strange fascination. She was found by the Millennium Centre, right by the Hub of Torchwood Three. The description of her fit her picture—blonde hair, perfectly average face. There was every possibility that Rose Tyler—the Doctor's beloved Rose—was back in the right universe, just in time.

He needed CCTV to confirm it, but what was the rush? If she had been here this morning—and she hadn't been at the end of the universe, the Master was sure—then she was trapped. She had no Doctor, no Captain Jack, and no clue the future Prime Minister of her country had plans to kill her.

Smiling, placing his feet gently up on his desk, the Master sighed. Yes, there was no need to rush. After all, within two days, this planet would be his.

And the Doctor would beg him on his hands and knees—he had always had a flare for dramatics, after all—to spare the life of one little, insignificant human.

Rose Tyler, he thought, welcome back to his dimension.

In the next chapter, we'll reconnect with Jack, the Doctor, and Rose... Who might need a bit of help and quickly. (Because no one, especially Jack and the Doctor don't want her in the clutches of the Master). In the mean time, I have a question who any of my readers who are more familiar with Sarah Jane Smith, especially an who have watched the Sarah Jane Adventures! The show doesn't cover what she's doing during the Year That Never Was (I suppose because she doesn't remember it), but I would love to include her within this story. Does she have Luke by then? Any chance she would have been suspicious of "Harold Saxon"? Please leave me a PM or a review to let me know! :)

See you next week for more rising tensions!