Wolf Pact
Chapter Seven: Master Race
by Lumendea
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.
AN: This chapter is for madrebelhunter who reminded me that this story was still desperately waiting for more updates. To my horror it has been more than a year. This story is nearing its conclusion though, I promise!
…..
Holding up her key, Rose listened to the thundering footfalls nearby. The guards would be on her any second. In front of her, the air rippled and Rose held her breath as the TARDIS reappeared. Someone shouted behind her. The footfalls increased and there was another order to stop. Slamming the key into the lock, Rose frantically turned the key and pushed open the door. Her key slid out easily and she closed the door behind her. The TARDIS muffled the sounds of shouting, but Rose was sharply aware that the guards were out there.
For a moment, she stayed by the door and struggled to breathe. She'd left the Doctor. That was… wrong. Alien. But she had, she'd left him. Her hands trembled and Rose's mind pulled her back to a horrible mission that had almost gotten John killed. She'd left him then too, only for a few minutes, but it had been long enough for everything to go wrong.
Shaking her head, Rose turned away from the door and marched up to the console. Before she could change her mind and do something stupid, she pressed the prepare flight button. The TARDIS shook for a moment before landing with a soft thump.
….
The Doctor ran through the corridors of the massive complex. Whole planets. The words were pounding in his head. Whole planets. He burst into a large room. The gate loomed ahead of him, so much smaller than he would have thought for something that could be used to commit genocide. Wilf reached the room a few steps behind him and breathing a bit loudly.
"Turn the Gate off right now!"
"At arms!" Danes yelled. All the guards turned their weapons towards him.
The Master was in a straitjacket, grinning behind the line of weapons. "No, no, no, no, no," the Doctor said. He stared right at the Master. "Whatever you do, just don't let him near that device."
"Oh, like that was ever going to happen," the Master scoffed. Then with a massive smile, he threw off the straitjacket. Gleefully, he released bursts of energy from his hands and vaulted over their heads to the gate. "Homeless, was I? Destitute and dying? Well, look at me now."
"Deactivate it. All of you, turn the whole thing off!" the Doctor shouted.
"Bwahahahahahaha!" The Master laughed.
"He's inside my head," one of the humans said.
"Get out of there!" the Doctor shouted.
The Master turned, releasing a blast of energy that knocked the Doctor down. Grimacing, the Doctor shook himself and started to stand.
"Doctor!" Wilf called. "Doctor, there's, there's this face." His eyes were glassed over, unseeing.
"What is it? What can you see?" the Doctor demanded, crowding Wilf.
"Well, it's him. I can see him."
The Doctor rushed to the computer, frantically pressing buttons. Frustration and desperation filled his face, but it was on good. "I can't turn it off."
"That's because I locked it, idiot," the Master taunted.
Turning to Wilf, the Doctor scanned the room. He pointed to a pair of clear cubicles with shielding and controls insides. The was a man on one side, shaking his head.
"Wilfred! Get inside," the Doctor order. "Get him out."
Wilf hurried forward, swapping places with one of the technicians. The Doctor jumped into the other side of the two cubicles
"Just need to filter the levels."
"Oh, I can see again! He's gone," Wilf said.
"Radiation shielding," the Doctor explained in a rush. "Now press the button. Let me out."
"You what?"
"I can't get out until you press the button," the Doctor said. "That button there."
Wilf nodded and pressed the button. The door opened with a hiss as Wilf's cubicle locked.
"Fifty seconds and counting," the Master crowed.
"To what?" the Doctor asked. He approached the gate.
"Oh, you're going to love this."
Wilf's phone rang and he pulled it out quickly. It was Donna, but his attention was split between her, the Doctor and the Master.
"It's Mum and Shaun. Something's wrong with them," Donna said. She sounded terrified.
"But wait a minute. I mean, what about you?" Wilf asked, "Can't you see anything?"
"I can see them," Donna answered.
"What is it, hypnotism?" the Doctor asked the Master. "Mind control. You're grafting your thoughts inside them, is that it?"
"Oh, that's way too easy," the Master scoffed. Around him, the gate was changing colors. "No, no, no. They're not going to think like me, they're going to become me. And, zero!"
Violet energy exploded around him, spreading from the gate. The Doctor shivered as it raced past him. It was strong. So strong.
"You can't have," the Doctor said.
"What is it?" Wilf demanded from his shielded cubicle.
…
Jenny looked up from the computer as a plate smashed. A strange noise was coming from the kitchen. Jumping up, she hurried over to the doorway only to stop in her tracks. Mickey and Martha's faces were shaking. Their whole heads were moving too rapidly. A smashed plate was on the floor in front of Mickey. Jenny stared in shock.
Outside, she heard the TARDIS land and inched towards the back door. Then the shaking stopped. Mickey and Martha had been replaced by the Master. He was still in their clothes and he- they looked at her in surprise.
"Well well," Mickey-Master said. "That old dog. He's been keeping secrets again."
Jenny didn't wait. She spun around and pulled open the back door. A pair of hands tried to grab her, but she twisted around just enough to throw them off her. One of the Masters laughed, but she didn't wait around to talk. Running into the backyard, she saw other Masters coming out of their homes and looking towards her.
The TARDIS door opened and Rose looked out at her. Jenny shouted a warning. Rose drew back, holding the door open. Behind her, the Masters started shouting for her come back. She could hear them following her. Jenny didn't stop. She crossed the threshold of the TARDIS and Rose slammed the door closed behind her.
"Mum!" Jenny gasped in relief.
"Jenny," Rose said. She swept the girl into a hug. "Are you alright?"
"Mickey- Martha, that changed," Jenny gasped. "They just… their faces started shaking and they changed into him."
"Biodata across the planet," Rose whispered.
"What?"
"You Dad and I tracked the Master to this rich man's home. He had something alien and powerful. Something that was designed to heal all planets via transmitting biodata. Your father told me to run to the TARDIS. I guess he knew the Master would use it for something to affect all humans."
"So that's why I didn't feel anything," Jenny said. "I'm not human." She hugged Rose again. "I'm glad you were in the TARDIS."
"Might not have worked on me," Rose pointed out.
"This wasn't the time to test that," Jenny said. She realized Rose and swallowed. "So… what do we do now?"
"I'm not sure," Rose said.
She went around the console and pressed a few buttons. Moving the screen, she turned on the news. The Master was sitting a news desk in a dress looking very pleased with himself. Rose changed the channel to a recorded sitcom. That was fine, but the next channel had another Master news anchor.
"Is it just in England?" Jenny asked.
Rose pressed another button, bringing up a Chinese station. There was the Master grinning and talking about the rise of the new "Master Race". Rose really wanted to punch him for that remark.
"It's everywhere," she said. "The whole planet."
"And Dad's at ground zero," Jenny whispered. "Mum, there's no way he'll be able to escape. Not if everyone around him is now the Master."
"I know," Rose said softly. "But don't panic, Jenny." She forced a smile. "Panicking won't help us."
The TARDIS shook again and Jenny flinched. "They're going to get in," Jenny said. She was staring at the door in fear. "They're Time Lords. Sooner or later they'll get in."
"I know," Rose replied. "I know."
"What do we do?" Jenny asked. "The Master has transformed all the humans into him. There's six billion Masters out there?"
Forcing herself to breathe, Rose tightened her grip on the console. It had been a long time since she'd been afraid like this. The Doctor would know what to do, but he'd been in the middle of that. In the middle of everything and Rose had no doubt he was a prisoner now. Those Vinvocci might be able to help him, but Wilf would have transformed too right next to them.
"Can we get to Dad?" Jenny asked. Rose didn't answer right away. "Mum? Can we get to Dad?"
The TARDIS shook and Jenny looked towards the door. Rose's eyes widened. "What are they doing out there?" she asked nervously.
"They used to be Mickey and Martha," Jenny whispered.
"Worse than that," Rose said. "It's not only them now. The Master knows the TARDIS. As soon as they transformed they would have known you were here and who you were." Rose shivered, a hundred worries about what the Master might do with Jenny creeping in. "Getting into the TARDIS will be a priority of every Master in the area."
The TARDIS shook again. Rose reminded herself that even the Daleks hadn't been able to break in, but the Master was a Time Lord. He knew this TARDIS well. Swallowing, Rose told herself to calm down and think. Jenny was looking towards the door with apparent terror. Stepping forward, Rose hugged the girl and gently kissed her head.
…..
The Doctor was strapped to an upright trolley and glaring at the guards nearby, unable to speak about the gag in his mouth. Wilf was tied to a chair across from him, looking horrified and angry all at once. If the old man had the strength, the Doctor knew that he'd be punching and kicking each and every Master that came near him. At least so far, no version of the Master made from Rose had appeared. It made him optimistic that he'd gotten her run in time. The TARDIS would have protected her.
The study was large and well equipped, which the Master was happily using. Via screens, he was talking to different versions of himself that had once been human leaders from around the world. The Doctor couldn't say anything as power and weapons were handed over to the Master.
"Enough soldiers and weapons to turn this planet into a warship," the Master said happily. He turned to the Doctor and smiled. "Nothing to say, Doctor? What's that? Pardon? Sorry?"
"You let him go, you swine," Wilf ordered.
"Oh, your dad's still kicking up a fuss," the Master huffed.
"Yeah? Well, I'd be proud if I was," Wilf said.
"Hush, now. Listen to your Master." A phone rang and the Master frowned, glancing around. "But that's a mobile."
"Yeah, it's mine. Let me turn it off," Wilf snapped.
"No, no, no, no, no. I don't think you understand," the Master said. "Everybody on this planet is me. And I'm not phoning you, so who the hell is that?"
"Probably Rose," Wilf said quickly.
"Ah yes…" The Master turned towards the Doctor. "I saw her, your little girl. How very sweet, Doctor. You'll be happy to know that the misses reached her before my new Martha model me grabbed her." The phone kept ringing and the Master turned. "Well, I think we should have a talk." He dug through Wilf's pockets, finding the revolver. "Ooo, and look at this. Good man!" Tossing the gun on the floor, he grabbed the phone. "Donna. Who's Donna?"
"She's no one. Just leave it."
The Master ignored him and opened the phone. "Gramps, don't hang up. You've got to help me," Donna said desperately. "I ran out, but everyone was changing."
"Who is she?" the Master demanded. "Why didn't she change?"
"Gramps, I can't hear you," Donna said.
"Well, it was this thing the Doctor did," Wilf said. "He did it to her. The Metacrisis."
"Oh, he loves playing with Earth girls. Ugh!"
"Are you there?" Donna asked.
The Master turned and tapped on a button to open a communication to the gate room. "Find her," he ordered. "Trace the call."
"Are you still there? Can you hear me?" Donna asked.
"Say goodbye to the freak, Granddad," the Master taunted. He held the phone towards Wilf.
"Donna, get out of there! Just get out of there. I'm telling you, run!" Wilf shouted. "Run, sweetheart, that's all. Run for your life!"
"It's not just them. I can see those things again. Those creatures. Why can I see a giant wasp?"
"Donna, don't think about that. Donna, my love."
"And it hurts. My head. It keeps getting hotter, and hotter, and hotter, and hotter, and hotter!"
A strange whoos sound came through the phone. On the other end, Wilf heard thumps. The Master was grinning, but then he flinched. Wilf was looking between the Master and the smiling Doctor.
"What did I do?" Donna asked softly.
"Donna? What was that? Donna? Donna, are you there? Donna.! Donna! Donna!"
The Doctor was smiling and winked at the Master. Glaring, the Master stomped over and ripped off the gag.
"That's better. Hello. But really, did you think I'd leave my best friend without a defence mechanism?"
"Doctor? What happened?" Wilf asked.
"She's all right. She's fine, I promise. She'll just sleep," the Doctor assured Wilf.
"I still know where she is," the Master growled. "Sooner or later, we'll get her. And I know where your TARDIS is with that little half breed of you."
"You could be so wonderful," the Doctor said. "You're a genius. You're stone cold brilliant, you are. I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. You could be beautiful. With a mind like that, we could travel the stars. It would be my honour. Because you don't need to own the universe, just see it. To have the privilege of seeing the whole of time and space. That's ownership enough."
"Would it stop, then? The noise in my head?" the Master asked softly.
"I can help," the Doctor promised.
The Master stared at him for a moment, but then he shook his head. Taking a few steps back from the Doctor, he looked heartbroken. "I don't know what I'd be without that noise."
