Chapter XCVIII
Jack
They had pitched camp in an old warehouse for now – no CCTV around as far as they could tell, and Mira had claimed she would warn them when someone was coming for them – at least as long as they were human. He had not asked how she would do that, but he really hoped there would be time for them to have a chat later – once this was all over.
He had send Martha to get some food, hoping she would calm down a bit. It was a lot to take in for her, and he could even understand her anger towards the Doctor. But he was also sure she would eventually see that it wasn't his fault once she had had time to think about it, realising that travelling with him came at a price and it was up to her if she was willing to pay it.
"I don't think anyone saw me," Martha said, carrying a big bag of take-away food. "Anything new?"
"I've got this tuned to government wavelengths so we can follow what Saxon's doing," he replied.
"Yeah, I meant about my family," Martha said and walked over to the laptop.
"It still says the Jones family taken in for questioning," the Doctor said. "Tell you what, though. No mention of Leo."
The Doctor seemed back to his cheerful self he thought as he unpacked the food and handed it over to Martha, Mira and the Doctor. At least he was faking it pretty well as he doubted that the loss of the TARDIS and everything else was that easy to handle.
"He's not as daft as he looks," Martha said, then stopped and shook her head. "I'm talking about my brother on the run. How did this happen?"
"Nice chips," he said, trying to distract Martha.
"Actually, they're not bad," the Doctor agreed.
"So, Doctor, who is he?" he asked and sat down. "How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?"
"And what is he to you?" Martha added. "Like a colleague or..."
"A friend, at first," the Doctor said lightly.
"I thought you were going to say he was your secret brother or something," Martha said and tried to crack a smile.
"You've been watching too much TV."
"But all the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect," he said.
"Well, perfect to look at, maybe. And it was. It was beautiful," the Doctor said, looking into space. "They used to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the Continent of Wild Endeavour, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords, the oldest and most mighty race in the universe, looking down on the galaxies below. Sworn never to interfere, only to watch. Children of Gallifrey, taken from their families age of eight to enter the Academy. And some say that's when it all began. When he was a child. That's when the Master saw eternity. As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the Untempered Schism. It's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the vortex. You stand there, eight years old, staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad." He shivered. "I don't know."
"And you ran?" Mira asked quietly.
She had been sitting a bit away from them, munching chips, looking absently into space, though it seemed she had actually listened.
"I ran," the Doctor confirmed. "In fact, I never stopped."
Then the Vortex Manipulator beeped and he checked it, saying, "Encrypted channel with files attached. Don't recognise it."
"Patch it through to the laptop."
Oh well, he thought, now it would come to light. Mira had already made it pretty clear what she thought of Torchwood, and he had no illusions about the Doctor liking them with him being the very reason Torchwood had been founded all those years ago.
"You work for Torchwood," the Doctor said as the logo appeared on the screen and looked at him in utter surprise.
"Yeah, well, Mira already guessed it," he said and looked over to her. "You were right."
She had walked over to them, standing next to him now, looking at the screen as well.
"I know I was," she simply said as if stating a simple fact like the sky being blue.
"Wait," he said, suddenly feeling more than uncomfortable in his skin. "This sixth sense of yours – you're not a telepath, are you?"
"Nah," she replied with a lob-sided grin. "I can't read your thoughts if that's what you're afraid of."
"Torchwood!?" the Doctor repeated, this time rather accusingly.
"I swear to you, it's different," he hurried to say. "Mira was right saying they're a xenophobic bunch of idiots. But it's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now."
"Everything Torchwood did, and you're part of it?" the Doctor asked.
"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf," he said. "I rebuilt it, I changed it, and when I did that, I did it for you in your honour."
"That actually saved me a lot of work," Mira said. "Guess I have to thank you."
"What?" the Doctor and he asked at once, staring at her.
"Well, it actually was on my list... Sort of. I mean, I couldn't let them go on like this. So best to undermine them, replace the personnel with decent, normal people and start again. What?"
He realised he was staring at her. He couldn't say why, but somehow he believed that she would have been able to do the same as he had done.
"Nothing," he hurried to say.
Finally the Doctor hit play and the message started. A middle-aged, nervous looking woman was sitting behind a desk. Vivien was her name, he remembered now. He had seen a message from her once or twice before.
"If I haven't returned to my desk by twenty two hundred, this file will be emailed to Torchwood," she said into the camera. "Which means if you're watching this, then I'm... Anyway, the Saxon files are attached. But take a look at the Archangel document. That's when it all started. When Harry Saxon became Minister in charge of launching the Archangel Network."
That was the end of the message.
"What's the Archangel Network?" the Doctor asked.
"I've got Archangel," Martha replied. "Everyone's got it."
Well, that didn't quite answer his question, he thought, but Martha was simply assuming the Doctor had background-knowledge that everyone here at this time and place had. Which wasn't necessarily the case as he had learned the hard way a while ago - even though he was a time agent and trained for this sort of stuff. But it was a difference between visiting another time, and really having to live there, lacking a lot of shared recent history and knowledge – things so trivial that never made it into a history book – but yet so important at the same time.
"It's a mobile phone network," he explained. "Because look," he pointed at the screen where he had opened a page, "It's gone worldwide. They've got fifteen satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel."
"It's in the phones!" the Doctor yelled. "Oh, I said he was a hypnotist. Wait, wait, wait. Hold on."
They watched how the Doctor tapped Martha's phone against the table and it started beeping a rhythm. The rhythm Martha had been tabbing earlier. The rhythm everyone was tabbing.
"There it is," the Doctor continued. "That rhythm, it's everywhere, ticking away in the subconscious."
"So he modulated a signal manipulating people's thoughts onto the carrier signal of the network?" Mira asked. "That's bloody impressive, given the little time he had. They certainly don't have technology ready for creating such a signal, so he had to build it from scratch."
"Yeah," the Doctor replied. "But it's not direct thought-control. It's subtler than that. Any stronger and people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code, Vote Saxon. Believe in me. Whispering to the world. Oh, yes! That's how he hid himself from me, because I should have sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth. I should have known way back. The signal cancelled him out."
"Anyway, you can stop it?" he asked.
"Not from down here," the Doctor replied. "But now we know how he's doing it."
"And we can fight back!" Martha said and smiled at the Doctor.
"Oh, yes!"
Mira
She watched the Doctor taking parts from Martha's phone and the laptop, welding them onto their TARDIS keys. Whilst doing so, he was babbling and explaining.
"Four TARDIS keys," he said. "Four pieces of the TARDIS, all with low level perception properties because the TARDIS is designed to blend in."
"Is she?" she asked.
"Well, yes, why are you asking?" he replied and looked up for a moment.
"She's a big, blue box. There's hardly anything more obvious. She's sticking out."
"What? Oh! Right," he said and continued with his explanations, "Well, for most people she blends in. But now, the Archangel Network's got a second low level signal. Weld the key to the network and Martha, Mira, look at me. You can see me, yes?" he asked and stood up, one of the keys in his hands.
She nodded and Martha said, "Yes."
"What about now?" he asked and put the string with the key around his neck.
No change, he was still there. She turned her head to Martha who was blinking and tilting her head, as if she had difficulties seeing.
"No, I'm here. Look at me," the Doctor said and smiled.
"It's like I know you're there, but I don't want to know," Martha said, surprise in her voice.
"You're sure that's going to work?" she asked. "I can still see you just fine."
"Yes, but focus, Mira! It's really subtle, you're probably blocking it out all along without even noticing it."
And yes, indeed. As she focused on him, she could feel it. Low level, hardly making it to her conscious awareness. And yes, she was blocking it without even noticing it. Probably just as she had done with the TARDIS.
"Yeah, okay, it's there. It really is subtle," she said.
"Just as it is with the TARDIS," he replied. "You must have been blocking it all the time."
"Probably," she replied, slightly miffed about her obvious lack of attention. "She's in my head anyway, so I just missed that there's something else she's trying to do."
"She's not trying it," he replied. "That's just how she's been grown. But anyway. It shifts perception a tiny little bit. Doesn't make us invisible, just unnoticed." He handed the keys back to them. "Oh, I know what it's like," he suddenly added, right into Martha's face, "It's like... it's like when you fancy someone and they don't even know you exist. That's what it's like. Come on."
Talking about being subtle, she thought. Or rather, being tactful. And this time he didn't have the benefit of doubt. Not that she thought he had done it on purpose, he just had figured out a way to explain something to humans in human terms, and he had to spit it out instantly. But then again, the total lack of a filter between brain and mouth definitely wasn't an exclusively alien thing.
Doctor
They had arrived at the airport where the President of the US was about to meet the Master, where they hoped to work out his next steps. The airfield was full of cars and security – as humans obviously found it appropriate for a meeting between the President and the Prime Minister.
The Master stepped forwards, saluting Mr Winters.
"Who's that guy?" Mira asked.
"President of the US," Jack replied quietly.
He turned his head around and watched a big frown appear on Mira's face as she stared at Winters.
"Better not expect any help from him," she finally said.
"Could have told you that-," Jack replied, but he stopped him with a gesture of his hand.
He wanted to hear what they were saying.
"Mister Saxon," the President said, "The British Army will stand down. From now on, UNIT has control of this operation."
UNIT, he thought to himself. UNIT, Torchwood, the Master... Was there anyone who wasn't involved? He had tried to keep a happy face on earlier, and he thought he had succeeded – at least Martha seemed to be a bit in a better mood. He didn't worry too much about Mira when it came to keeping a cool head right now; but he still worried how much she had overheard from his phone call with the Master, and which conclusions she would draw from it. He had to talk to her. The Master seemed already suspicious of her, even though he was still underestimating her. But as soon as he got wind he would try everything, so it was best she would hear from him everything there was to hear – not from the Master. Maybe later, after they had figured out their next steps.
He focused again on the scene in front of him.
"You make it sound like an invasion," the Master said.
"First Contact policy was decided by the Security Council in 1968, and you've just gone and ignored it," the President accused him.
"Well, you know what it's like," the Master tried to explain, making it clear that he didn't take Winters seriously at all. "New job, all that paperwork. I think it's down the back of the settee. I did have a quick look. I found a pen, a sweet, a bus ticket and er... Have you met the wife?" he turned around to Lucy.
Who was she? Which role did she play in all this? How much did she know?
"Mister Saxon," the President said, "I'm not sure what your game is but there are provisions at the United Nations to have you removed from office unless you are very, very careful. Is that understood?"
The Master shut his mouth, making a gesture as if closing an imaginative zipper.
"Are you taking this seriously?" the President asked, and the Master nodded. "To business. We've accessed your files on these Toclafane. First Contact cannot take place on any sovereign soil. To that purpose, the aircraft carrier Valiant is en route. The rendezvous will take place there at 8am."
The Master wanted to say something, but he only hummed as his mouth was still 'zipped'.
"You're trying my patience, Sir," the President said.
The Master unzipped his mouth and asked, "So America is completely in charge?"
"Since Britain elected an ass, yes. I'll see you onboard the Valiant," Winters replied and turned to walk away.
"Hard to tell which country got it worse with the two of them," Mira whispered and nodded over to Winters. "Not sure if he's an arse, but he's certainly not the brightest star in the sky."
"It still will be televised, though, won't it?" the Master asked. "Because I promised, and the whole world is watching."
"Since it's too late to pull out, the world will be watching. Me!" the President said and finally walked away towards his motorcade.
"The last President of America," the Master said to Lucy. "We have a private plane ready and waiting. We should reach the Valiant within the hour. My darling," he kissed her, then she turned around and left with their guards. Then the Master turned around and looked in their direction.
"You're sure he can't see us?" Mira asked.
But just then a police car arrived and the Master ran towards it, sparing him an answer. No, he couldn't see them. He hadn't been able to sense the Master, so it was working in both directions.
The back door of the police car opened and Martha's parents where pushed out, yelling at the Master.
"Oh my God," Martha breathed.
"Don't move!" he said.
"But the-"
"Don't."
They watched how Clive and Francine were pushed into another car.
"I'm going to kill him," Martha said between gritted teeth.
"What say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?" Jack said behind him.
"Now that sounds like Torchwood," he replied.
"Still a good plan," Jack said.
"He's a Time Lord, which makes him my responsibility. I'm not here to kill him. I'm here to save him."
Now he had to worry about Martha and Jack doing something stupid? He trusted Mira not to – to an extend. She wouldn't just kill him for the sake of taking him out once and for all, he was sure of that. But if it was what it would take to stop him she wouldn't hesitate, just as she had shot at him when he was about to get away with the TARDIS.
"Aircraft carrier Valiant," Jack said, looking at the Vortex Manipulator. "It's a UNIT ship at fifty eight point two north, ten point oh two east."
"Great, so do we have steal a ship or to swim then?" Mira asked.
"Does that thing work as a teleport?" he asked Jack.
"Since you revamped it, yeah. Coordinates set."
Mira
It seemed to work pretty much like the transmitters back in her universe, judging from the dragging pain in her neck. At least this time they hadn't travelled that far through time, basically just from one place to the other, so no nasty side effects this time.
"So, what-" she started and turned around.
The others were rubbing their necks, hanging onto railing, and Jack even went down to the floor, all yelling and moaning.
"Seriously?" she asked with a grin, knowing that she was just used to that sort of transport, but she just couldn't help it. "Wimps! All of you!"
"Very funny," Jack said. "But I've had worse nights. Welcome to the Valiant."
"It's dawn?" Martha said and walked over to a porthole. "Hold on, I thought this was a ship. Where's the sea?"
"A ship for the twenty first century," Jack replied, joining Martha at the porthole. "Protecting the skies of planet Earth."
"Well let's find the Master then," she said.
The rushed off, trying to work out the way to the bridge or whatever the control centre was called on this vessel, but then the Doctor suddenly stopped, listening.
"We've no time for sightseeing," Jack said.
"No, wait," the Doctor said. "Shush, shush, shush, shush. Can't you hear it?"
"Hear what?" Jack said.
"Just remember our insufficient human ears and tell us," she added.
"Doctor, my family's on board!"
"Brilliant. This way," the Doctor said without explanation and a wide smile on his face, and all they could do was to follow him.
They headed down a long gangway until they came to a door. The Doctor opened it, and behind it was the TARDIS.
"Oh, at last!" he said and unlocked the door.
"What's it doing on the Valiant?" Jack asked.
They all rushed towards the door, and as soon as she stepped inside she knew something was wrong – she didn't need to see the red light and all the cage build around the main console. The TARDIS was screaming in agony in her mind.
"What the hell's he done?" Jack asked.
"Don't touch it," the Doctor said and walked around the console.
"I'm not going to."
"What is it?" she asked, wondering how he could bare to see her like this, with her essentially being a part of him.
"It can't be," he said, "No, no, no, no, no, no, it can't be."
"Doctor, what is it?" Martha asked.
"He's cannibalised the TARDIS," the Doctor finally said.
"Is this what I think it is?" Jack asked.
"It's a paradox machine," the Doctor replied quietly, tapping a gauge on the metal cage.
"What for?" she asked.
"I don't know," the Doctor replied. " But as soon as this hits red, it activates. At this speed, it'll trigger at two minutes past eight."
"First contact is at eight, then two minutes later," Jack said. "Can you stop it?"
"Not till I know what it's doing," the Doctor replied. "Touch the wrong bit, blow up the Solar System."
"Then we've got to get to the Master!" Martha said.
"Yeah. How are we going to stop him?" Jack added.
"Oh, I've got a way. Sorry, didn't I mention it?" the Doctor said smiled manically at them.
Whatever this plan of his was, he didn't bother telling them as they rushed off. Not much later they reached a huge room on the upper deck labelled as 'flight deck', sneaking in as Winters just started to speak to all of humanity.
"My fellow Americans, patriots, people of the world," he said, "I stand before you today as ambassador for humanity, a role I will undertake with the utmost solemnity. Perhaps our Toclafane cousins can offer us much, but what is important is not that we gain material benefits, but that we learn to see ourselves anew. For as long as man has looked at the stars, he has wondered what mysteries they hold. Now we know we are not alone."
"This plan, you going to tell us?" Jack whispered.
"If I can get this around the Master's neck," the Doctor replied, "Cancel out his perception, they'll see him for real. It's just hard to go unnoticed with everyone on red alert. If they stop me you've got a key."
"Yes, Sir," Jack replied.
"I'll get him," Martha said.
Well, not if she could prevent that. Martha would stay out of it. She had neither the training nor the experience to be a part of this. She would only get herself killed.
"No longer unique in the universe," Winters continued. "And I ask you now, I ask of the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane."
Four metal spheres appeared. They seemed to be robotic, but as she focused on them she realised they actually were alive. Probably something like the Posbis in her universe? Biological-positronical beings, having living plasma integrated into their system to allow them to have emotions?
"My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President Elect of the United States of America, and designated representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon," the President continued.
"You're not the Master," a sphere with a male voice said, and a female sounding one added, "We like the Mister Master!"
But there was something weirdly familiar about those spheres, about how the felt like, she thought, something...
Oh my God.
"We don't like you," the sphere said to Winters.
"I can be master, if you so wish," the President replied, seemingly uncomfortable in his skin. "I will accept mastery over you, if that is God's will."
"Man is stupid," another sphere said, and yet another, "Master is our friend!", followed by the female sounding one, ""Where's my Master, pretty please?"
"Oh, all right then," the Master said, stood up and stepped forward. "It's me. Ta da! Sorry, sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy."
The xeno-psychologist in her couldn't help but to notice similarities between the Doctor and the Master and wondered if it was just them or traits characteristic for their people. Quite similarly erratic and manic behaviour at times, charming and convincing, yet, despite the familiarities, they were nothing alike. They might share the same basic traits, but they managed to express it in a completely different way. And then, besides having more or less severe anger issues, the Doctor wasn't mad. He might be hiding things, been deeply affected by what he had seen during his life, probably even traumatised by it but not mad.
"Saxon, what are you talking about?" the President wanted to know.
"I'm taking control, Uncle Sam, starting with you. Kill him," the Master commanded.
And then, before anyone could help it, Winters got evaporated by the spheres. The next second guns were drawn by the security and a wave of beginning panic spread through the room. The Master was laughing and applauding.
"Guards," he said, making it clear on whose side they were.
"Nobody move! Nobody move!" a guard shouted and weapons were aimed.
"Now then, peoples of the Earth. Please attend carefully," the Master said.
Just then the Doctor took off his key and sprinted forwards. But before he could reach the Master, two man dressed in black grabbed him.
"We meet at last, Doctor," the Master said and walked towards him. "Oh, ho. I love saying that."
"Stop it! Stop it now!" the Doctor shouted, struggling to get free.
She wondered for a moment why he didn't just push them away, he surely would be able to do so. But then again, it would escalate the situation even further, probably leading to shooting – and that was the last thing he wanted. Apart from that, he was absolutely not into physical violence and force. And she knew how difficult it was for some people to actually hit and hurt someone else. Maybe it was just a trait he had in this regeneration, or a result of him fighting in a war – she couldn't tell.
"As if a perception filter's going to work on me," the Master said and looked over to her, Martha and Jack. "And look, it's the girlie and the freak and the weirdo who doesn't seem to exist. Although, I'm not sure which one's girlie and which one's freak."
She had a clear line of sight now and a perfect opportunity to shoot him; even though the Doctor didn't want that to happen. But most likely the Master wouldn't die anyway, probably just regenerate, and taken out for a few moments. Enough to overpower him. But what would the spheres do? They could kill everyone in the room and she doubted her small blaster would do much about them. Apart from that, they were flying – and fast and thus not easy to hit. Anyway, having her hand on her weapon wouldn't be the wrong thing, she decided, but then Jack ran forwards.
He didn't get far either, being zapped by the Master with something similar to the Doctor's screwdriver, falling dead to the floor. She had had no idea that this thing could actually kill.
"Laser screwdriver," the Master said. "Who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!"
"Master, just calm down," the Doctor said. "Just look at what you're doing. Just stop. If you could see yourself..."
"Oh, do excuse me. Little bit of personal business. Back in a minute. Let him go," the Master said and turned around.
"It's that sound. The sound in your head. What if I could help?" the Doctor yelled.
"Oh, how to shut him up?" the Master said and turned around to him again. "I know. Memory Lane," he continued and sat down on the stairs. "Professor Lazarus. Remember him and his genetic manipulation device? By the way, Mira, impressive little speech about immortality. You really shouldn't read that much Science Fiction though. So, Doctor, did you think that little Tish got that job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time. And if I can concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver? But, ooo, if I only had the Doctor's biological code. Oh, wait a minute, I do."
So he really didn't know who she was, she thought as she watched him opening a case, the jar with the Doctor's hand in it. There he was, just like most people drunk with power. Overestimating themselves and thinking they can see through anyone. Big mistake. She carefully and slowly moved over to Jack. They needed to coordinate their actions as soon as he would come back to life.
"I've got his hand," he continued. "And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years?"
And before she could do anything – apart from it being suicide anyway to jump forwards as Jack had – he aimed his screwdriver at the Doctor. She couldn't watch what happened next. She had to close her eyes, hearing the Doctor scream. She was sure he was killing him – no one could survive that.
Then, suddenly, she felt something in her hand, and as she opened her eyes again, she saw the Vortex Manipulator.
"Teleport," Jack whispered.
"I'm not running away now!" she said, now staring at the Doctor, screaming in pain.
"We can't stop him up here," Jack said. "Get out of here. He knows who I am, he never lets me get away. But he doesn't take you very seriously. Get out!"
She watched the Doctor collapse on the floor as the Master stopped whatever he had been doing. He suddenly looked like an old man, wrinkles covering his face, his hair almost done. For a moment she wasn't even sure if he was still alive, and she hurried over to him.
"I'll make him reverse it," she said and took his hand, fighting back tears as he was slowly touching her cheek, his hand weak and shaky, running his fingers down her face. "I promise."
"Ah, she loves you. They always do, don't they?" the Master said with a glance over to Lucy. "And, as everything's just sooo sweet right now, I also have a surprise for our Doctor-to-be."
Martha's family was brought in, their wrists tight together.
"The Toclafane," the Doctor said, his voice weak. "What are they? Who are they?"
Human.
"Doctor, if I told you the truth, your hearts would break," the Master replied.
She considered saying it out loud but she had no idea how far his influence went – he could have them all killed in an instance. Apart from that, the spheres themselves were a completely unknown factor as she couldn't predict how long they had been in that state and what being locked up in a metal sphere did to a human mind.
"Is it time? Is it ready?" one of the spheres said.
"Is the machine singing?" another one asked.
"Two minutes past. So, Earthlings. Basically..., er, end of the world. Here come the drums!"
He flipped a switch and a song she didn't know started to play. She saw how Lucy started to move to the beats, and the Master jumped around the room as well. It was just too grotesque.
Then a tear in the sky opened, clearly visible through the windows, spitting out thousands, billions of those spheres.
"How many do you think?" the Master quietly asked Lucy.
"I, I don't know."
"Six billion. Down you go, kids!" the Master said and the spheres rushed down, towards Earth. "Shall we decimate them? That sounds good. A nice word, decimate. Remove one tenth of the population!"
Jack's right, she thought. She couldn't do anything up here, not under the Master's eyes. But going down there? What good would that do?
"Mira, you have to leave," the Doctor whispered, and then, getting closer to her ear, "The Archangel network. Use it against him. I just need time. Do what you can do best. Unite them. Give them hope! Make them think a word, just one single word, all of them together... My name! One year from now! And-"
"But how?" she asked as he paused.
"No time to explain. Just do it. But- There's something else. If we don't see each other again, if he- You shouldn't hear it from him. It's true, Mira. The Time War, it didn't just end. I ended it. I killed them. My people, the Daleks. All of them. I... I'm so sorry. I should have told you."
He took her hands, and she could see his feelings for her, so much more intense than he could have ever put them into words – but they were overlain by fear, guilt and repulsion for himself. Then it changed and there was just one word in her mind: GO!
It was almost hypnotic in its strength, hardly leaving her a choice, but only just hardly. She knew he could have easily commanded her to leave, but he hadn't.
But what in hell had he said about the Time War? And why? Why now? Was it just tactics to- Yes, to achieve what? She got up and looked around, hearing radio messages about casualties, about the Toclafane attacking Earth. Then she stared at him again, for a long moment, slowly shaking her head, doubting she had heard him right. That couldn't be true. But he just looked back, his dark, alien eyes still the same despite his aged face, filled with infinite sadness and remorse, before he turned his head away, almost shamefully.
Then she saw the Master turning around to her and before he had a chance to get a grasp of what was going on, she hit the button on the Vortex Manipulator.
She materialised on Earth, outside of London. The sky was filled with spheres shooting at the people. Ahead, on the horizon, she could see the city burning, black smoke rising into the sky, sounds of detonations reaching her ears.
"Not again," she whispered, forgetting for a moment that in this universe Earth's surface had never been destroyed before. "You can put our brains in metal spheres, kill us, destroy our cities, but as long as there's at least one human left alive, we're not defeated. We never give up!"
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