Chapter Thirty-Four
"Is everything ready?" the Master asked stepping into the laboratory.
"Yes, Master." One of the guards replied.
"Good."
He walked over to the lab table and stared down at his former partner. The bandages had been removed and he winced at the alternate Doctor's face. It was completely ruined and a couple of spots of flesh on his cheek and forehead had been eaten away almost down to the bone. His hair, from his forehead to halfway back on his head, was completely missing. His hands were not quite as bad as his face, but there was still spots were the flesh had been damaged beyond repair.
"Ugh, glad it wasn't me that got the acid." The Master muttered.
He smiled down at the alternate Doctor as his eyes fluttered open. He looked around in confusion for a moment and then seeing his wrists and ankles were restrained, looked up at the Master with rage.
"Let me go!" he snarled at him.
"I will, once I have you in my power!"
"Why are you doing this to me? We had a deal!"
The Master chuckled.
"Yes, but as I'm sure the Doctor probably told you, I'm not an honorable man. You see, I let you tag along because I sensed that at some point you would serve a great purpose for me in my whole grand scheme of things and now I've finally found it. The Doctor may be old, but as you've seen he's not feeble. I have spent 7 precious months building up my fleet and I'm not about to let a geriatric Time Lord and a human girl wreck it all. I am far too important to go down and look for them myself so I'm afraid dear Doctor, you are about to become my hunting dog and go fetch."
"I'll kill you for this!"
The Master yawned.
"Yeah, that's interesting. I'd love to stick around and hear some more of your empty threats, but I have a world to run. I'll be down to check on you after you've been put under my control, until then, see ya!"
He walked over to a guard as the alternate Doctor screamed curses at him.
"Turn it up to the highest setting." He said to him. "His brain is more advanced than a human's and I want to make sure the deformed sod is well and truly in my power."
He paused.
"And just to be sure, keep the ray on longer than you normally would."
"Yes, Master."
The Master waved to the alternate Doctor and exited the room as he screamed curses at him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rose finished cooking her and the Doctor a meal of burgers, chips and water. She carried the tray into the living room and sat it down on the coffee table. She glanced back and saw the Doctor was watching another alert about them on TV.
"Why are you even bothering with watching that, Doctor? You know it's either some warning about us or a bunch of propaganda from the Master. There's nothing else on."
"I'm trying to find out more about the missiles." He said to her as he leaned forward and grabbed his glass. "I want to know exactly where these missiles are, how many he's got, and what he wants them for. If I have to suffer through his bullshit to learn that, then I will."
Rose shrugged. She sat down beside him, picked up her plate, sat it on her lap and munched on a chip as she read a magazine.
If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of these two, please contact your security officer as soon as possible.
"Yeah, if you can get time off from building missiles to do that." The Doctor muttered.
The screen went black for a moment. Then they saw the Master sitting behind his desk.
"My loyal subjects," He began.
The Doctor snorted.
"If they're so loyal, how come they're revolting in the streets?" He muttered.
"I have taken time off from my busy schedule to address a rumor that has been going around lately."
The Doctor took a swig of water.
"Seems some of you may have heard of a woman named Martha Jones."
The Doctor nearly choked. He grabbed the remote and turned the volume up as Rose put down her magazine. Both of them watched the screen intently.
"This woman who is supposedly walking the world telling you about a man called the Doctor. A man who has already been identified as a dangerous criminal. I'm here to tell you that you should pay no attention to this woman. She is a lunatic who wants nothing more than to make trouble and hurt innocent people."
"No, that's you, I believe." The Doctor muttered.
"You see, after the attack, the poor thing went completely nuts and now she roams around the world rambling on about nothing and giving people false hope that a savior is going to free them. Well, I'm sorry, but there is absolutely no truth to her story."
The picture cut to a photo of Martha. The Doctor hearts ached staring at the photo of his girl and he wondered where she was and if she was alright.
As if in answer to his silent question, he heard the Master say.
"This woman is believed to be somewhere in China at the moment and making her way towards Japan.
"Geez, Martha's a long way from home." Rose said.
The Doctor smiled as his hearts swelled with pride for his loyal companion. Knowing she was out there doing what he asked of her gave him hope that his plan would succeed.
The camera cut back to the Master.
"Once again, my loyal subjects, I caution you about listening to this raving maniac. She is nothing but trouble, stay away from her before she goes berserk and slaughters you and your family."
"Oh puh-leeze." The Doctor muttered.
"And now before I go, I want to finish up by addressing two people in particular. The criminals Doctor and Rose Tyler.'
The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other and leaned forward.
"If you are watching this, Doctor, and I know you are, since I know you're trying to figure out what's going on since your escape; let me assure you that this will only be temporary for you and your little friend. Steps are being taken at this very moment to find you both and bring you back to the Valiant and rest assured, you will be caught. So, enjoy the little holiday because believe me, it won't last."
The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other.
"He has to find us first, and London is a big city." The Doctor assured her.
"Oh, and just so you know cause I'm sure you're wondering, your little friends who decided to participate in your escape, they're all still alive. 'Course, we had to break a few arms and beat them until they were near death, but they're still breathing and I'm sure in a month or two they will recover completely."
The Doctor gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as Rose put her hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut in anguish.
"So, my loyal subjects, let that also be a warning to you not to help these two criminals because I can assure you, you won't like the punishment you'll receive."
The Doctor stared at the screen, enraged, when he heard a voiceover say REJOICE, THE MASTER LOVES YOU! and the screen faded to black. He grabbed the remote, turned it off and got up.
"I'm sorry, Rose, I appreciate you making lunch for us, but I've just suddenly lost my appetite. I think I'll go lay down for awhile." He said setting down his glass and kissing her on the head.
Rose bit her lip as she watched the Doctor stomp out of the room. She turned back to the TV and stared at the blank screen in fury.
"I hope we do get caught, Master, because I can't wait to get my hands on you and tear you limb from limb." She muttered.