The roars of the crowd turned to screams as a whole section of the arena collapsed and then the stampede began.
The gates of the arena opened and soldiers poured out...rebel soldiers and mowed down anyone in the uniform of the empire.
In the ensuing panic, civilians were mown down in the crossfire; but the fighting didn't stop.
The Master had dived to the floor, covering the Doctor with his own body. With a snarl he finally hauled himself off of the floor and looked out over the balustrade.
His eyes widened in disbelief...how could this happen? He didn't however have time to answer his own question as he saw a wave of rebel uniforms heading for the balcony in the now destroyed and deserted arena.
The Doctor, Jack, Ianto and himself were hustled inside by their personal guard and the door bolted behind them.
If they thought this was protection they were wrong.
The sound of gunfire echoed down the marbled corridor and the screams of the palace staff rang out.
The Master scowled and turned to one of his guards. "Find my generals and tell them to do their jobs and get the Lord Consort to safety!"
The Doctor grabbed hold of the Master's arm. "No, I'm not leaving you!"
The Master placed a hand on the Doctor's face. "Brave but no, you're carrying our son. You have to keep him alive...for vengeance sake."
He nodded to the remaining guards. "Take the freak and the pet as well, go to the bunker."
Two of the guards gently took hold of the Doctor, who refused to move. "No, let me stay. I can still fight!"
The two guards began to drag him away, following the others who were herding Jack and Ianto towards a set of doors.
"No, no...please!"
The Master turned away and began moving back towards the balcony doors.
The explosive shattering of the other doors made him whirl round.
Rebel soldiers poured from the ruined doors and the guards were dispatched quickly and he found himself on his knees with a least half a dozen rifles in his face.
One of the rebels stepped forward and looked at the Master with disdain, then looked at the Doctor.
"Keep that one, take that one and kill him."
"No!" the Doctor cried and tried to free himself from the soldiers that were holding him.
"Shut it!" one of the guards growled and rammed his rifle butt into the Doctor's midriff, causing him to double over.
The shock that had overcome the Master disappeared in a wave of rage. "Leave him alone, you stunted apes!" he roared and with a surge of strength managed to free himself and began running towards his fallen lover.
He never got more than a few paces before the man that had ordered his execution fired and he fell to his knees.
He looked down in surprise at the blood already staining his clothes.
As the blackness overcame him the last thing he heard was the scream of the Doctor as his bond was torn away and he knew no more.
Jack had never been more happy than seeing Matthew; but that all changed when Matthew ordered the murder of the Master.
He wasn't fast enough to stop the soldier assaulting the Doctor; wasn't fast enough to stop Matthew from shooting the Master.
The scream that was torn from the Doctor's lips shredded Jack's nerves but there was nothing he could do as he was dragged out of the ruined door and both Ianto and himself were pushed along after them.
He managed to glance back and he couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw the Master move, and then they were out of view and into the palace courtyard.
The Master was forgotten for the moment as the sight of the place on fire took all of Jack's attention. But that was only for a second and then a figure took all of Jack's attention...a figure in a white coat.
White Coat smiled as he saw his property being dragged kicking and screaming into the courtyard.
He stopped as the man he'd done the deal with stepped forward.
"You kept your part of the bargain, I'll keep mine."
He raised a hand and two guards dragged the Doctor forward. His struggles stopped when he saw White Coat and he went very quiet.
White Coat stepped forward and ran a scanner over his property.
"Unharmed, good..." he paused and he raised an eyebrow. "Well, this new, you're with child. Interesting, something else for me to study."
It was then that the Doctor came to life and he let out a frightened keening wail...not out of fear of what White Coat would do to him, but fear of what he would do to his unborn child.