The crate wasn't too big and thankfully not too heavy, but the way up still seemed to be much longer than it had been down.
When they reached the office again it had already gotten pitch black outside. The clock showed past 3 am, Roka noted surprised while sitting down the crate on the floor. "Aaaw, man, I don't feel the slightest tired anymore though..."
"Then make yourself useful and help me testing the things." The Master dropped his own crate and kneeled in front of it. "And no self experiments!"
"How am I supposed to..."
"Not so smart after all, eh?" He laughed. "I'll check them, see what they are and then you test whether they still work."
"Fine..." Roka pouted. "But just so you know... if my eyes weren't damaged, thanks to you by the way, I could tell what they do."
"I'm not feeling sorry about that." He grinned and picked out some random devices.
Most of the stuff was hopelessly broken, others completely useless, but some things actually did still function quite well and over time a very peculiar collection came together. Roka made a list in her head of all things that had potential to be crafted into something useful.
A bright flash illuminated the surrounding for a moment, followed by a roaring thunder. Eventually rain started to hammer against the windows, its shadows painting eerie streaks onto the walls. The storm got worse by the minute and sometimes the lights flickered. One particularly nasty lightning bolt seemed to fry something nearby, cause suddenly most of the lamps went off. All that stayed were two dim bulbs in the front part of the office.
"Spooky." Roka giggled, but got no response.
In the spare light it got hard to test the scavenged material. Roka flew a tiny drone through the room when she heard the Master cursing all of a sudden. He had been unusually quiet the whole time, but now he let out some things that would even make a Jurtarik blush. He got up and scrambled around in one of the cupboards, before sitting down again, holding a small first aid kit.
"God damn surgery bugs," he mumbled. "At least they are sterile..."
Roka devoted her attention back to the drone, thinking about how she could attach a camera to it to spy around, maybe even help her see again. Finally she landed it next to the crate and saw the Master still struggling with a bandage. His left hand was bleeding pretty badly and... shaking. He stared at it for a while, then leaned back against the wall. "Whatever. It'll stop on its own."
"Don't tell me you can't see your own blood," Roka teased him.
"Nah... had worse injuries already..."
She looked at him for a while, before finally getting up and kneeled next to him. "Let me..."
"Get away!" the Master pulled the bleeding hand out of her reach. "And don't dare to touch me!"
"I don't even have to see it clearly to know it needs tending."
"And I said, get away!" He angrily stared at her.
She took the first aid kit and started to get out another bandage, but The Master snatched it out of her hands.
"Now you're acting childish." Roka laughed and when he still didn't react, she sighed frustrated. "Gimme your god damn hand already. I don't bite."
"You're just making it worse!" He complained, finally giving in with a growl. "That's humiliating..." he mumbled, leaning his head back, looking down to her. "And actually... the shaking is your fault."
"Huh? I haven't done..."
"Getting you out of my head also drained me pretty badly."
"How so?" she asked curiously.
A dry laugh came out of him. "Because I am a really skilled psychics and you... are basically burned toast. Wouldn't have taken your mind more than a few minutes to get completely flooded and then literally burned up. It's exhausting to get someone out of that... lot more than I thought."
Surprised she raised her head. "Then why did you do it?"
"Hmm... no idea... Just wanted you out of there."
It still seemed odd, but Roka decided to pay not too much attention to it. "There, all done."
He glanced at the bandage, eyes narrowed. "That's... not bad. Can still move my fingers even." His head sank against the wall behind. "You shouldn't be nice to me. I won't repay it."
"Never expected that." Roka chuckled. "It's just human to help." She wanted to get up, but the Master grabbed her wrist.
"I mean it..." he mumbled. "Don't be nice. Don't help... don't... ugh, whatever." He let go of her again, rolling his eyes.
"Why?" That attitude annoyed her. "Are you so evil that everyone would just combust if they are nice?"
"Exactly." A grin spread on his face and he sat up straight. "Heh, I just got an idea... I'll let you and the Doctor watch from space while earth burns, how about that? And then I watch his stupid face turn white when I kill you in front of him." He poked her head. "How does that sound to you?"
"Like the most idiotic thing I heard today." She sighed and shook her head. "Whatever..."
"I just told you how you will die." He leaned towards her. "And you say 'whatever'?" She turned her head away, but he followed her. "I poison you and you laugh. You get blinded and it doesn't even seem to bother you." The Master grabbed her collar almost carefully and pulled her close. "Is there nothing inside you?" he wondered, cocking his head. "Are you just a hollow?"
"Would something change if I roll up in a corner and cry?" Roka asked quietly.
"Of course not."
"Then..." She looked up, a frown on her face, "...why should I do so? Just to amuse you? Sorry, but I won't be thatnice." And when he still didn't let go of her, she lowered her eyes again, muttering barely audible, "But yes. I am nothing but an empty shell. I don't even exist, so why should anything bother me?"
"Hm... I see..." After a second he abruptly let go of her and started to laugh. "You're just as broken as I am."
She sat up again. "Don't compare me with you," she spit out. "I'm nothing alike."
"Right... You're just a pathetic shrimp." A chuckle came from him and again he leaned down a bit, poking her chest. "So wretched and riven by your loneliness that you curl up on the first thing you see, even if it would normally kill you for that." His grin was wide and nasty.
"And you are disgusting," Roka mumbled, while throwing a venomous look at him, but then smiled cattish. "You let me. Doesn't that make you even more pathetic?"
He was up on his feet faster than she could react and before she even knew what was happening the Master already had Roka in a headlock. "Don't think you can be so cheeky all of a sudden." The grip got even tighter
"Ow, you're hurting me!" Roka gasped.
"That's the purpose, you idiot! I've been way too friendly to you. Let you far too deep into my head..."
Then his grip slowly weakened as if he couldn't hold it up any longer and a moment later he abruptly let go of her. "Whatever... not in the mood to kill you," he mumbled, swayed, then cursed.
Roka reacted without thinking and carefully pushed him a bit backwards against the wall. "You're drained more than just pretty badly," she stated surprised while seemingly thousand thoughts shot through her mind, one hunting the other. They weren't pleasant ones.
The Master gave a low laugh from him. "I know what goes through your mind... You should do it. I would."
She should. There probably never would be an opportunity as good as this, she realized. Right now it would be so easy to get rid of him. Roka glanced up. Was that a smile or a grim smirk? She couldn't tell with her broken eyes. Her gaze wandered to his belt, where the gun was. They both knew she was capable of pulling the trigger.
She hesitated. A tiny bit too long... and a tiny bit too consciously.
The Master leaned fully against the wall and suddenly put his arms around Roka, holding her hands on her back, so tight she couldn't move anymore. "Good girl. You have the right mind. But you're too slow."
"Let go of me!" She protested, but he just laughed.
"And give you a chance to kill me? I'm not as fearless when it comes to that as you are." Grinning he looked down to her, his voice, contrary to his words, full of sarcasm.
Roka tried to free herself, but even weakened the Master was far stronger and she had to give up pretty quickly. She felt his hearts beating against her own chest. What a strange feeling, it shot through her head. This doubled rhythm. They beat so fast... he wasn't lying. And he must be horribly weakened, so much that his usually inhuman reaction might not be fast enough to stop her from shooting him... if she really intended to do so.
"Just so you know," he said. "You won't find the keys to the Doctor's prison. I made sure of that. And I also instructed the guards very clearly."
"I've seen it," Roka said quietly. "Motion sensors everywhere. They get my position transmitted directly onto their goggles, right?" All she got was another chuckle as answer. "Clever. I can't hide from tech. Means I'd have to checkmate them. And the door is thick and heavy... no chance without the keys." She looked up to him and smiled viciously. "But with all that alien tech in here I surely could build a bomb."
"You're dangerous... I like that." He laughed.
"Still... let go of me." Roka tried again to get free, only to be forced to give up shortly after. "You can't stand there like that forever." She sighed frustrated, dropping her head against his chest.
It was warm and there was life in it, beating fast... so fast. It could stop, go silent. If she had the opportunity. Something inside her tightened painfully at that thought. In the end life was such a fragile thing. They both knew it.
And suddenly it made sense. That was what confused him so much all the time. How could someone like him understand how she could care so less about being alive? And now he really was convinced to die if he let go for even a second, she realized. And rightly so. Barely a week ago she had already almost shot him once, although she couldn't get back into that person she had been that day. Not while feeling the heartbeat of another living being. How in the world could she... How had she ever been able to pull that trigger?
"I won't do anything," she mumbled scarcely audible. "...never again."
If there had been bullets in that gun that day... A sudden cold shiver ran down her spine. She felt his heart rate slowing down a bit, the grip got weaker, but only slightly. Then he laughed and Roka looked up.
"What a stupid thing you are!" He grinned down to her. "I would just come back anyway. Remember... the Master always has a backup plan."
"Then let go!" she moaned.
"It's unpleasant though. And things can go very wrong."
"I don't want to kill you!" she exclaimed desperately. "No idea why I pulled that damn trigger!" Another shiver ran through her by the mere thought of it. Images flashed through her mind, of uncontrolled rage, red hands, empty eyes staring at her... Her own heart was suddenly acting strange. Racing, then skipping beats, then racing again.
Roka heard him laugh softly. "Finally you're scared." His grip got lighter, but he didn't let go. She put her head down again, now completely shivering. "And for all the wrong reasons at that." He chuckled. "I don't think I've ever met such a silly human."
Then he let go of her, in the same movement pulling out the gun with one hand, dropping the magazine to the floor, before throwing the empty gun away. "Should get something better than that anyway... There, I let go. You can go away now."
She didn't move, just mumbling, "I never wanted to hurt anyone."
"Not even me?" He put a hand under her chin, making her look up. "If so, you're the biggest idiot in the universe." A grin spread on his face. "Well, look at that. Never thought I would ever see some real fear in those."
He observed her eyes and Roka, still shivering, blinked a few times. Confused. Her sight got clear within seconds, then blurred again, only to get back to normal for good.
"Ah, that fixed it." The Master chuckled, but got serious fast again. "Don't look at me, I'm a pathetic mess right now."
He put a hand above her eyes for a moment, while leaning back at the wall. Roka didn't react, just trembling uncontrollably, wondering what in the world was going on. What fixed her sight? And why... She felt arms around her again, holding her firm, but not forcefully this time. Carefully she opened her eyes and peered up to see him staring at the ceiling with a blank expression.
It was warm.
I should move away, she thought, but instead just dropped her head back down and listened. Listened to that, now calm, strange alien heartbeat until she stopped shivering. And for who knows how much longer.
Eventually the Master pushed her back, as if suddenly realizing what he was doing, just saying harshly, "Be of use for once and make some tea," while fixating a point above her. Roka moved without a word.
Few minutes later she came back, balancing two big cups on plates. The Master sat on the floor again, staring at the ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Wordless she held one of the cups out to him.
"Huh, that's not tea." He stared at it.
Roka sat down behind one of the crates as if to look through them. But ultimately she just wanted to have as much distance as inconspicuously possible. She still was very, very confused and had no idea what to make of everything. And what had triggered her eyes back to normal? The Master hadn't seemed surprised about it. But why in the world had he...
"You've got to be kidding me." She heard him exclaiming. "Hot chocolate? That's for children!"
Chuckling she looked up from the crate. "Since you're acting like one, I deemed it fitting." She stuck out her tongue. "Not that you would deserve my special recipe... But there is nothing better for stormy nights."
Amused she saw him sniffing at the cup, before taking a sip. His eyes widened. "Oof... damn, you found the Whiskey..."
Roka took a sip herself, barely containing a laugh, but not saying anything, just fishing out some of the tiny marshmallows.
But actually she didn't really feel like laughing. Her mind was still racing, only slowly coming to a rest. She didn't want to think. The hot chocolate helped a bit, it always did. But not enough to dispel the cold that had settled into her bones.
Another lightning literally shook the ground and the two remaining lights flickered off, leaving everything in utter darkness. Roka barely noticed it.
"Great..." came an annoyed murmuring.
"Hmm...?" She looked up, now becoming aware of the missing light and fumbled after a torch she knew was lying nearby. A thought struck her, making her grin. That could be the exact right thing to distract her. Everything would do right now, if only she wouldn't have to think. Blocking off reality... after all she was very skilled in doing that.
"Actually... That's quite perfect. Since we're sitting around here with pouring rain, rolling thunder, all lights out and hot choco..."
"Err... I'm not sure I want to know where this is going..."
She flicked the flashlight on, holding it under her chin. "Do you know any good ghost stories?"