To say that Jay was surprised the day that the Doctor announced they were going to the planet of the Ood was putting it lightly. She stopped what she was doing, even going so far as to drop the shoe she'd been putting on, and stared at the Doctor where he stood in the entrance of her room. He'd come knocking only moments before, as if the TARDIS had told him she was up and moving - and needed help. Her fingers were tingling violently to the point where she could barely feel anything.
"You want to go see the Ood?" she asked, skeptical. Jay, herself, had suggested it, not long after Mars, just to see what they might have to say since they were the first ones to tell the Doctor about his song coming to an end. The Doctor had very clearly stated that he had no desire to go back to the Ood's home. Never. So to hear they were going back now...but then, she'd known he was up to something for a while now. Following Mars, they'd gone to see beautiful things and cause problems - and fix problems, as they were prone to doing. The Doctor had even named a galaxy at the behest of a group they'd helped, amusing Jay to no end when he blurted the first name that came to mind: Alison.
She knew, of course, that his guilt wasn't going anywhere. He'd certainly not forgotten what had happened on Mars, and she knew it bothered him consistently. Jay had tried talking to him about it, but the Doctor was good at switching topics, avoiding the conversation like a plague. So, Jay'd given up, instead seeking the company of Martha to figure out what to do.
The Doctor had been anything but happy when Jay had declared she wanted to have a talk with Martha. Alone. The last time he'd left her alone with someone, he'd pointed out very sternly, she'd nearly ended up caught in a plague that was famous throughout history. Jay had dismissed his point with two words: "It's Martha."
So, much to her delight, the Doctor had agreed and taken her to Martha, though he'd given Martha quite the talking to, warning her about what had happened the last time Jay had been taken to visit someone. Jay wasn't sure Martha had been able to recall half of it later, for they'd shown up in her living room at three in the morning when she'd been trying to get a good night's sleep, but she'd certainly gotten the idea. No trouble. No danger.
It had been even more of a shock after the Doctor had left to discover that Mickey Smith now lived with Martha, and that the pair had grown quite fond of each other. Jay had been pleased, albeit a little weirded out. Still, Martha was happy, so Jay was happy for her, and she'd been content to bounce a few things off of them both in the morning over coffee and muffins. Martha had been surprised when Jay had told her what happened on Mars; Mickey had simply looked at her like he'd known that little piece of the Doctor existed, and Jay still wondered, despite the fact that she'd been back with the Doctor for some time, if he'd seen it first hand.
The conversation with Martha had been just what she needed. It had soothed any lingering fears and concerns, and Jay had come to firmly believe that the Doctor had simply been desperately frantic to try and change the fate others had laid down for him. He didn't want to die - whether it be through actual death or regeneration. And Jay couldn't fault him for that. People did some crazy things when death was on the table.
Still, Martha had been firm in her advice, and Mickey had agreed with every word she said regarding the Doctor. "The Doctor is amazing. We both know that, Jay. But the life you lead with him is dangerous. Don't forget what happens to those who are caught in the wake of it. Don't forget what happened to my family on the Valiant, or those left to clean up after the Daleks' invasion. The Doctor is worth the danger, but it doesn't mean it'll end well."
"Yes," the Doctor said calmly. "I want to go see the Ood." He made a small gesture when Jay went to scoop up the shoe she'd dropped with a scowl at it, flexing her fingers. She'd have an attack soon, she thought to herself. Still, she nodded curtly and the Doctor made his way over. He grabbed the shoe himself and helped her put it on, and Jay pretended as if her cheeks weren't flushing a bright red that gave her away. When he was done, she hopped to her feet, snagging the crystal. She needed it, if they were going to visit the Ood. As wonderful as their songs were, they'd deafen her quite quickly.
"Why?" demanded Jay. She followed the Doctor out into the corridor, and together, they made their way towards the control room. She paused suddenly and squinted at him. "And what the hell are you wearing?"
He beamed at her, touching the hat on his head. "Like it?" he said cheerfully and she sputtered. He wore a light-weight hat upon his head and what looked like a necklace of pink flowers around his neck. He'd even donned some sunglasses, though Jay had no idea where any of these had come from. "Party favors. Quite the party you missed, too."
Jay stared at him in exasperation, something she found herself doing quite often as of late. "You went to a party when I was with Martha? And why'd you put them back on?" He'd certainly not been wearing them when he'd picked her back up. Martha had commented after the pickup that she'd noticed the differences Jay had been talking about - mostly because the Doctor had seemed a little guarded with his old friends, nearly ignoring Mickey entirely.
It was like the cat rumor, thought Jay, recalling what Donna had commented on when they'd once come across an old cat sunning itself. She'd mentioned that she'd read online once that sick or dying cats would isolate themselves, no matter how much they loved their owners - some kind of self-preservation, though Donna had admitted she liked to think of it as the cats trying to forewarn the owners of something bad coming, like an omen. Jay hadn't understood what she'd meant at the time, only commenting that one shouldn't always believe what they read.
But Jay saw it now. She thought he'd even pulled back from her a little bit, which upset her. Still, she shook it off.
"I like them," he said defensively, looking down at the pink flowers. "They bring out my eyes."
"I can't even see your eyes," pointed out Jay with a grin, reaching up to pluck the sunglasses off of his face. He seemed to pout as she put them on her head, going to sit in the captain's seat. She'd need them on that planet of snow. Her eyes had hurt with the blinding white that had reflected the sunlight. She'd not forgotten that in their time away from the planet of the Ood. "Still, why are we going to see the Ood?"
He grew serious then. The Doctor made a small careless gesture, waving her off dismissively. "I was summoned a while ago. An Ood appeared. I figured it was time to see what they wanted."
Jay pressed her mouth into a tight line, uncomfortable with the fact that he'd not bothered to tell her about this. Rather than asking for more information on the matter though, because she could tell then and there that the Doctor was unlikely to tell her anything about it, Jay stopped before the TARDIS console, touched the crystal she'd hung around her neck, and then casually reached for a dial that had a light blinking beside it. She spun it until the light stopped blinking and beamed when the TARDIS seemed to chirp.
"To the planet of the Ood then," she said with forced lightness, and the Doctor hummed in agreement as he went to work on directing his ship. The TARDIS assisted Jay along as she had been for some time now, but Jay found that she was reaching for things long before the TARDIS needed to assist her, which only lifted her mood. She was finally understanding the TARDIS's massive, confusing console. At long last, she understood what she was looking at.
The TARDIS shuddered around them and beneath their feet before long. Jay tightened her grip on the console until the TARDIS had settled again, and when the Doctor bounced around, heading for the doors, Jay followed. She only paused once to snag the trench coat he'd left behind, pulling it on herself. If he wasn't going to bother putting it on, she certainly was, because she sure as hell remembered how cold the planet had been.
She was only proven correct. When she stepped outside, a cold blast of wind greeted her - as did the sight of none other than Ood Sigma. Jay smiled warmly at the Ood, who looked comfortable and free. Their work on this planet had been heartbreaking, but Jay fondly recalled it as one of their greatest achievements. How often did people get to say they'd freed an entire race from slavery in one day?
"There you are!" cried the Doctor cheerfully, and Jay knew it was all fake. Just by looking at her friend, she could see the way he shifted back and forth, nerves hidden in movements he couldn't stop. She pushed her freezing numb fingers into the pockets of the coat she'd borrowed and furrowed her brow when she found a -
"Doctor," she interrupted as he launched into a spiel about what he'd done over the last few adventures, many of which he must have had when she was with Martha. That, Jay found, sincerely worried her. Had he decided to reluctantly come back for her? Or had her call simply taken that long to reach him? Jay really hoped he'd not been thinking of leaving her behind entirely.
The Doctor cut off in the middle of the rant he'd been telling Ood Sigma about to look at her, cutting off mid-word about apparently getting married to Elizabeth I. Jay found that familiar feeling of irritation and jealousy rising in her chest, so she was glad she'd chosen that moment to interrupt him. She held up the banana she'd found in his pocket, confused, and he beamed as he said simply, "I always bring bananas to parties. Anyways," he continued, turning back to Ood Sigma with a snarky tone. "What'd you want?"
"Rude," muttered Jay, but Ood Sigma didn't seem to mind.
Instead, all Ood Sigma said was, "You should not have delayed."
"Sorry," Jay told him. "That wasn't me."
In his defense, the Doctor pointed out, "The last time I was here, you said my song would be ending soon. And I'm in no hurry for that." Ood Sigma merely started walking, and the Doctor and Jay fell into step behind him. Jay, silently sensing the Doctor's unease with coming to the planet, simply wound her arm through his as if they were on a stroll, her stomach twisting. She didn't like when he was nervous; it only made her own nerves worse.
"So, how old are you now, Ood Sigma?" the Doctor said, unable to keep quiet, eyes lighting up when they crested the top of a snowy hill and found themselves staring at a beautiful city. It was carved into stone and ice layered beautifully. Jay gasped at the sight of it, and the Doctor studied it with wonder, too. It was beautiful, one of the lovelier things she'd seen in her time with the Doctor, and the fact that the Ood, who she held a particular fondness for, had made it… "You've achieved all this in how long?"
"One hundred years," was Ood Sigma's response.
"Then we've got a problem." Jay sighed at the Doctor's statement. Everything seemed to be a problem lately. "This is all way too fast. Not just the city," he continued, turning his face towards Jay to explain it to her. "I mean their ability to call me. Reaching all the way back to the twenty-first century - something's accelerating your species way beyond normal, Ood Sigma."
"And the Mind of the Ood," said Ood Sigma calmly, "is troubled."
Jay frowned, concerned. "Why?" she demanded immediately, stomach twisting with anxiety. "Are...are you alright?"
Ood Sigma didn't deny or confirm whether the Ood were suffering physically. Instead, he told them, "Every night, Doctor, Jay. Every night, we have bad dreams." He didn't clarify further, instead leading them into one of the grand sculpted buildings the Ood had created. It was built into a rocky outcropping and when they stepped inside, Jay looked around curiously. It was a small cavern. Within that small cavern were a few simple things. A table, with something unlike anything else Jay had seen perched atop it. It released a thick smoke that made her wrinkle her nose. She couldn't say she liked the smell one bit. Regardless, when Ood Sigma informed them to join the circle of Ood that were seated around that table, she followed the Doctor's lead.
Jay settled between one of the Ood and the Doctor. She fought back a shiver when she heard all of those Ood - the Elders, Ood Sigma called them - chanting a simple phrase: "You will join." Jay glanced at the Doctor, and he gave a small nod. So, Jay slid one hand into his and the other into the hand of the Ood beside her.
The moment the circle closed, images flashed through her mind, and Jay couldn't help but rip away almost instantly, nearly retching as terror flooded every cell of her body. "No," she breathed, "no."
The vision had been simple, and by the look of horror on the Doctor's face, she knew she was right in whose face she'd seen. Laughter filled her ears even now, a laugh she'd never forget, and all she could think of was the look on his face - the sheer glee - of knowing someone else could hear the drums inside his head.
The Master.
Even the simple vision she'd seen had filled her ears with a drum beat she didn't think she'd ever be able to forget, and she kept a fist over her necklace, ensuring it was safely there.
"There is more yet," one Elder claimed, and Jay found herself recoiling away rather than joining the circle. So with a sympathetic, understanding look, the Doctor simply reached over to close the circle again without her, and the Elder continued as the Doctor took in the images they showed him. "Events are taking shape, so many years ago yet changing the now. There is a man, so frightened."
"Wilfred!" exploded the Doctor, and Jay's heart skipped a beat. "What about Donna, is she safe?"
Rather than answering, the Elder continued, warning, "You should not have delayed, for the lines of convergence are being drawn across the Earth even now. The king is in his counting house, and there is another - the most lonely of all, lost and forgotten."
"The Master's wife," recalled the Doctor upon witnessing whatever the Ood showed him.
"We see so much, but understand so little," the Elder told him. "The woman in the cage. Who is she"
The Doctor faltered, and Jay's nails tore into her hand as she clenched it into a fist. She hated that she was trembling, frightened by the realization that the Master was returning. Hated that even after so long, she was so frightened of him. Hated it. But the Doctor, as stunned as he was, could push on. "It wasn't her fault," the Doctor said quietly. "The Master, he's a Time Lord like me. I can show you," he offered, and the circle closed again. The Doctor explained as he showed them images Jay couldn't see.
"The Master took the name of Saxon. He married a human, a woman called Lucy, and he corrupted her. She stood at his side while he conquered the Earth. We reversed everything he'd done, so it never happened, but Lucy Saxon remembered. The Master is dead. I held him in his arms. We burnt his body!"
"And yet, you did not see." The Ood must have shown the Doctor something he'd truly not known, because he recoiled much like Jay had, horrified.
"Part of him survived," the Doctor rasped, immediately trying to rise to his feet to simply run and deal with whatever issue was arising on Earth. But the Doctor was trapped, the Ood tightening their grip on him. When he'd settled once more, one released his hand and gestured to Jay once more. With great reluctance, her face pale, Jay forced herself to crawl back over and rejoin the circle, her stomach roiling. She fought the urge to retch. Luckily, they didn't show them more images. Rather, the Doctor was even released, and he slipped his hand back into Jay's, squeezing it tightly to try and offer her some comfort. Jay clung to it.
"But something more is happening," another Elder said. "The Master is part of a greater design, because a shadow is falling over creation. Something vast is stirring in the dark." The Ood, all as one, lifted their heads to look up, and Jay flinched at the red in their eyes. It reminded her of the Ood that had gone feral the last time they'd been there. But these Ood didn't try to kill them. Rather, the Elder claimed, "The Ood have gained this power, to see through time because time is bleeding. Shapes of things once lost are moving through the veil, and these events from years ago threaten to destroy this future, and the present, and the past."
"That...what do you mean?" Jay demanded warily, even as the Doctor finally hauled her to her feet, desperate to get a move on. Jay could feel her own fear and worry echoing frantically in her chest. Donna. Donna was in danger. And Martha, and Mickey, and everyone else on Earth. If the Master was truly returning, then they needed to get moving and now.
And to make matters worse, it appeared the Master wasn't the only trouble that was coming their way.
"This is what we have seen," was all the Ood told them. "The darkness heralds only one thing: the end of time itself."
The Doctor didn't bother to thank the Ood for the warning, nor did he bid them farewell. Without prompting, he was hauling Jay forward, nearly dragging her out of the Ood's cave. Ood Sigma watched them go and Jay somehow found it in her to wave over her shoulder before she forced her legs to try and keep up with the Doctor. He released her when he realized she was running, too, although she found that she was struggling to keep up with him. Her limbs were spasming with pins and needles, and her breath was already rasping painfully in her throat.
Yet she kept running. She flew through the snow behind the Doctor, knowing they needed to get going and now. There was no choice in the matter. Earth was in serious danger once again.
It came as no surprise that when they hit the TARDIS, pain began to erupt behind her eyes, in her heart, in her lungs. "Doctor," she managed to wheeze as her knees buckled, her fingers digging into her chest and clawing at the coat she'd borrowed. Only then did the Doctor seem to shake himself free of the dread that had been driving him forward. He shoved the TARDIS door open just as she dropped, and he managed to awkwardly catch her arm. She barely felt the twinge of pain in her shoulder, her last word a loud swear before she couldn't breathe at all.
"Jay," the Doctor rasped, voice filled with frustration, concern, and desperation. The Doctor was cautious as he managed to help her get inside, feet itching to keep running but knowing that he needed to slow down for just a moment. He helped her slide down cautiously to the floor. "Jay, can you hear me?" She didn't respond, back arching as pain surged through her in violent waves, and he pressed his mouth into a hard line.
A choked sound escaped her when a particularly brutal and painful surge suddenly slammed through her, limbs spasming hard enough that the Doctor grunted when he was struck. Hastily, he checked the pulse at her neck and clenched his jaw when he found no pulse at all. He briefly wondered if the Master's return and the fear he knew Jay harbored for the Time Lord had made it all that much worse.
Still, he didn't move from that spot until Jay suddenly managed to wheeze air into her lungs. The Doctor ensured to keep track of time the entire length of her episode, and he was rather displeased to find that it had gone on for a minute or two. The attacks were steadily growing longer, and the Doctor was concerned about what would happen the day they went on a fraction too long. Her gasps for air were clipped for a moment before she began to breathe fully and her pulse returned, weak but steady.
Blinking tears out of her lashes, Jay managed to get out in a faint, hoarse voice, "Bad timing."
Despite everything, the Doctor gave a very curt, disbelieving laugh. "You think?"
"This," the Doctor was insisting, "is a bad idea, Jay." His eyes burned with agitation, even as he slammed the lever down and Jay, ensuring she had everything she might possibly need - which, to be fair, was what she usually carried. TARDIS key, phone, the necklace that kept her frown drowning in sounds that liked to fill her head, and even the coat she'd stolen from him earlier. She'd chosen to keep it after the Doctor had mentioned it was Christmas-time on Earth, remembering it was brisk and chilly.
"And we don't have any better options with only two of us," retorted Jay sharply. Martha hadn't picked up her phone when they'd tried calling her, nor had Jack. Jay had the sneaking suspicion that Jack wasn't on Earth and that Martha - and in turn Mickey - were either with him or busy with their own plans regarding the Master. If everyone was having the dreams the Ood had mentioned, then Martha would be getting the hell out of dodge - Earth, if she could manage it.
She'd even risked calling Donna's phone, planning on asking for Wilf. The Doctor hadn't known about it, and she didn't intend to tell him, because she wasn't really keen on the scolding she'd get. Jay's heart had been shattered when the voice on the other end had told her the number was no longer in service. Sylvia's doing, more than likely. Jay couldn't blame her, but still.
The Doctor raked a hand through his already messy dark hair, frustrated, but even he couldn't deny that they needed to find Wilf and ensure that one, Donna was alright, and two, they figured out what was happening on his end of things. "Be careful," he insisted as Jay, confident she had everything she needed, turned expectantly to him. She'd known this was coming. "If you see the Master-"
"Tell you right away, just like we've agreed," she said firmly. "And if I see Donna, walk the other way and let you know. If I get a call from Martha or Jack, let you know and get them to help us. If the attacks are bad when I get another one, let you know. If I get hurt or stuck, let you know. Doctor, we've already been through every single thing we might come across, and I know what I'm doing." She gave him a reassuring smile, grabbing his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I've been with you long enough now to know what I'm doing just a little bit, right?" A twinkle appeared in her eye as she said lightly, "Trust me?"
Despite his clear displeasure with what was going on, the Doctor couldn't stop the small smile that appeared as he parroted her own response back at her. "Always," he agreed, and Jay beamed, delighted.
"Alright then," she said, winking as she pushed her hands into the pockets of his coat and rocked back on her heels in a manner that she realized a moment too late was far too close to something the Doctor often did. She quickly adjusted her position, wincing. It couldn't be a good sign that she'd started copying his quirks, and she wasn't sure what to think about it. And, despite her own uncertainty if she was allowed to suggest it when she was doing her best to keep her mind on track and not straying off the path she had set for herself upon realizing just how strongly she felt for the idiot in front of her, Jay asked lightly, "Do I get a goodbye hug or should I just go?"
This time, the Doctor did give her a rather amused, sincere smile as he opened up his arms in an offer. Jay didn't hesitate to tackle him in a hug, pleased as she tucked herself against him. "Be careful," he murmured in her ear as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'll come find you as soon as I've taken a look around the place the Ood showed me."
"I will. You be careful, too," she said softly as she pulled back. She gave a final smile, searching his gaze, and then quickly rushed from the TARDIS. She'd barely closed the doors behind her before the familiar sound of the TARDIS dematerializing filled her ears. She glanced over her shoulder to watch as it did so before focusing on the situation at hand. She took a deep breath and then set off down the small neighborhood's near-empty street.
The Doctor had dropped her off in an area she was fairly confident about navigating: the small neighborhood Donna lived in. He'd warned her about knocking on Donna's door, not wanting to risk Donna opening the door for her, so Jay had come up with a simple plan. Judging the distance between the house the Noble family lived in and a few others, Jay finally picked a random house and knocked on the door.
A woman answered the door, and Jay, for some reason, found herself pausing at the sight of her. She furrowed her brow lightly, studying her a little closer. She was young, with dark hair and round dark eyes. A bit on the shorter side, she was a few inches shorter than Jay herself, though not by much. After a long moment in which Jay tried to figure out why this woman was so confusing to her, the woman offered a dimpled, confused smile and said cautiously, "Can I help you?"
Jay shook off her confusion immediately. "Hi!" she exclaimed. "Um, do you know Wilf across the street? Older man, quite nice and likes to look through telescopes?"
The woman nodded slowly. "Yes," she said, "I know Wilf. Why?"
"I can't knock on his door," Jay said, quickly coming up with a lie. "His daughter, Sylvia Noble, she hates me. Thinks I encourage his bad behaviors." She winked, and the woman chuckled softly at the idea, clearly knowing enough about Wilf to know that he had no bad behaviors. "I need to talk to him though. Could you maybe go let him know I'm down the street? It's really important."
"I would," the woman said, leaning against the doorframe, her arms folded, "but he's not there right now. Saw him head out earlier with a bunch of his friends." A snort escaped her. "They're in a bus, hard to miss. But I have the number of one of the people on the bus with him, Minnie. I guess they're out looking for someone." She eyed Jay a little closer then. "He said he's on the lookout for this tall, thin man in a big brown coat. One, I presume, that looks like the one you're wearing. One that I assume you're friendly with. Seeing as Wilf described a blonde friend who oftentimes is with him."
Jay perked up. Good old Wilf! The moment something had started happening, the clever man had gone searching for the Doctor. She felt a little honored to have been included in his announcement to his group regarding who to watch for. "Would you give that friend a call and let them know to meet me at the entrance of the neighborhood?"
"Sure." The woman pushed off the doorframe. "I don't know what you're up to, but good luck." She paused when a loud beep filled the air behind her and glanced over her shoulder with a grimace. "Sorry, one moment. Let me get that. I have a habit of burning my soufflés if I'm not careful." She flashed Jay a quick smile and then disappeared inside, leaving the door cracked.
Jay frowned as she heard the woman cheerfully and quickly doing just as she'd said she was going to do. She didn't have time to wait for this odd woman to get her soufflé out of the oven; she had to find Wilf and make sure Donna was okay so she could get back to tracking down the undead Time Lord that scared the hell out of her.
Luckily, she didn't take long. Within a few minutes, the woman had returned and even had a phone pressed to her ear. She quickly informed the person on the other end of the call that she had someone matching the description of the girl Wilf was looking for on her front doorstep, and Jay flashed her a grateful smile when she hung up and said, "They'll be there. Ten, twenty minutes tops."
"Thanks," Jay said, already whipping around to head for the meeting spot. She paused a few steps away, however, and spun back around. She walked backwards, careful not to run into anything and called, "I'm Jay, by the way! It was nice meeting you…?"
The woman gave a soft laugh, waving in farewell. "Clara," she said in return. "My name's Clara. Good luck!"
Jay grinned one more time and then turned and took off at a jog down the street, slowing to a walk only when she turned onto another. She let a frown creep onto her face as she looked over her shoulder once again, thinking hard. Clara. Something about Clara bothered her, and had the Master not been involved in their current situation…
Jay would have been willing to bet that she'd have heard an interesting song emanating from Clara, just as she'd heard when she'd first met Donna.
Despite everything that had been going wrong since they first reached the planet of the Ood, Jay couldn't help but hide a smile and stifle her giggles at the sight of the bus that pulled to an abrupt halt before her. It was filled with people well into their golden years, most of which were pressing their faces to the glass, gasping and pointing at her as they chattered amongst themselves. As the doors to the bus opened, Jay could hear Wilf hollering at the top of his lungs for them all to "leave poor Jay alone."
"Jay!" he said happily when he clambered out of the bus, and she had to fight back even more laughter when she saw the pair of antlers sitting atop his head. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes! I've been looking for you!"
"I heard," Jay giggled, warmly smiling. She adored Wilf, and was pleased to see him again. "It's good to see you again, Wilf. But if you don't mind, I needed to ask-"
Before she could finish, one of the many people on the bus suddenly yanked a window open and shouted, "Wilf! Wilf! June called! Sister says she spotted a big blue box and the man who came out of it was headin' east, towards that old shipyard!"
"The Doctor!" cheered Wilf, and Jay gaped as the people on the bus all cheered along with him. "Well, what are you waiting for, Jay, come on!" He climbed back on the bus, grabbing her wrist and pulling her onto the bus with him. Jay squawked a little, but eventually found herself squished between Wilf and an older woman who immediately beamed at her.
"You're as cute as I was told you'd be," she said, not hesitating to pinch Jay's cheek like she was a child.
Jay sputtered, and Wilf swatted at Minnie's hands, protesting, "Leave her alone, Minnie!"
"Wilf," Jay said, trying again, "I don't think...I don't think the Doctor's going to be too pleased-"
"We've been looking all over for him," Wilf told her gleefully, "and to think we found you both on the same day!"
Jay gave up after that with a heavy sigh, though she couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face as everyone on the bus began singing old Christmas carols, clearly delighted that their long search had finally come to a wonderful conclusion: they'd found the people Wilf was ever so desperate to find. At least, despite the danger in the air, people were still being people and enjoying their lives as they wanted to. "How's Donna?" she finally managed to say, and Wilf beamed at her.
"A star," he declared, though there was still somewhat of a sad look on his face. "She's a star, just like she's always been."
At least Donna was doing alright. Jay guessed from the sound of that that it was unlikely Donna was in danger - at least for now.
By the time the bus came to a stop at the shipyard they'd been told the Doctor had gone to, it had been nearly half an hour and Jay didn't think she'd ever been so grateful to step foot outside of any kind of vehicle. Especially given the aftershock that had ripped through her half-way through the ride, scaring Minnie so badly she shrieked. Wilf had been worried, but after some time, she'd recovered enough to tiredly reassure them, claiming she was simply not feeling well.
She squeaked when she was forced to pile out of the bus alongside everyone else. "It's him!" whispered someone, and Jay followed the direction everyone was pointing with a quick look. Sure enough, there was the Doctor, running as fast as he could. Jay's relief was replaced with concern. Even at the distance they were at, she could tell he was frantic, for he was scrambling up onto a pile of old metal as fast as his legs could carry him.
Jay broke away from the group, who'd Jay had been told by Minnie called themselves the Silver Cloak. She ignored the whispers as she briskly jogged over to the Doctor just as he climbed down, scowling. "Doctor!" she wheezed, still breathless and exhausted from the aftershock. He blinked in surprise at the sight of her, scowl fading. "What happened?"
"The Master," he said grimly. "I found him and now he's run off and I don't know where to." He ran a hand down his face and then paused when he realized there was a whole group of people staring at them, still cheerfully whispering. Minnie had even pulled out a camera and was photographing them. "I told you to check on Donna," he muttered, "not bring an audience!"
"I didn't," she protested. "It was Wilf! They had a whole group out looking for us."
The Doctor still looked a little lost when Wilf came hurrying over with his Silver Cloak group trailing eagerly behind him, declaring their victory. "Doctor!" he greeted with a smile, and the Doctor's frustrated worry faded a little more as he smiled back at Wilf.
"Wilfred, have you told them who I am?" he accused, exasperated. "You promised-"
"No," insisted Wilf. "I just said you were a doctor, and that she's a friend, that's all. And might I say, sir," he added, beaming at the Doctor as he saluted him. "It's an honor to see you again." He looked so proud that he'd found the Doctor at all that Jay couldn't help but smile and nudge the Doctor until he sighed and gave a near playful salute in return.
The Doctor was further confused when Minnie edged over, smiling warmly at the Doctor. "Oh, but you never said he was a looker, Wilfred. He's gorgeous - take a photo!" she insisted, suddenly shoving the camera in her hands at Jay, who froze as she stared at the odd device in her hands. The others all began squeezing in for the photo, too, and Jay was quickly bustled out of the way, standing in front of a bunch of people she didn't know with Wilf beside her. The Doctor looked as stunned as she felt as Minnie purred up at him, "I'm Minnie, Minnie the Menace. It's been a long time since I had a photo with such a handsome man."
"Minnie," scolded Wilf, trying to help the poor Time Lord out as he sputtered. "Just get off him and leave him alone, will you?"
"Hush, you old misery. Come on, Doctor, give us a smile." She pinched his cheek just as she'd pinched Jay's and the Doctor shot Jay a small glare when she simply pushed the camera at Wilf, not knowing how to use it at all, and snickered.
Still, the Doctor forced an awkward smile onto his face, and Wilf only sighed and took the picture at Minnie's insistence, muttering under his breath about just how much of a menace Minnie could be. When the picture was finally done, the Doctor looked distinctly uncomfortable for some reason, and Jay cocked a brow when he nearly bolted away from Minnie and said rather shortly, "Time to go."
"Where?" she prompted pointedly. "We still have to talk to Wilf." She paused and then murmured, "He said Donna's doing well. No problems."
The Doctor was immediately distracted, as she'd suspected he'd be. "Good." He exhaled a sharp sigh of relief and then grimaced when one of the Silver Cloak offered to give Wilf and the two they'd been looking for a ride to wherever they wanted to go. Wilf beamed and accepted it before the Doctor could protest.
Jay patted his shoulder fondly. "I'll protect you from Minnie," she said with a smirk, and the Doctor uttered a soft word of gratitude that only made her struggle harder to not laugh. Clearly, whatever had happened had been bothersome enough that the Doctor really was pleased he'd not have to ride beside Minnie. She rocked back on her heels as the pair waited for them all to finish up with whatever they were doing, and then, they were the first back on the bus. Together, they ensured they took up an entire seat on their own, simply so they'd not have to deal with Minnie trying to push her way in. Wilf was incredibly helpful, making Minnie sit with him as he told the amused bus driver an address.
"A nice little place. Small and comfortable," they were told when Jay questioned why they were going to that particular location.
Once the bus had set off towards the "little place" Wilf wanted them to go to, the Doctor and Jay bent their heads together and began to speak quietly, so as not to be overheard by anyone else. Jay relayed her relatively short story about what had happened, ensuring to reassure the Doctor the aftershock hadn't lasted long, and the Doctor did the same, explaining how he'd come to find the Master in the shipyard and what had come afterwards.
Jay was perplexed. "What do you mean he's using up his own life force? So what he's doing - just being alive the way he is - it'll kill him?" As much as she liked to think she was entirely for helping those who needed it...as much as she so desperately wished she could say that she wanted to help the only other Time Lord the Doctor had been able to have contact with for who knew how long…
A small, very tiny part of her that made the voice in her head purr was hopeful about it.
It had taken them a year and the help of several million people to be able to get past the Master last time. And while he was a little bit...different this time, not in power and a little confused and insane-sounding, Jay didn't trust the Master one bit. One wrong move, and he'd have power over them again. That was the last thing they needed.
The Doctor uttered a sound of dismissal, which Jay didn't appreciate one bit. She relayed that with a look. So, the Doctor explained, "Something must have gone wrong with the process. I'm not entirely sure what someone did to bring the Master back, but the fire that broke out in that prison...it wasn't something most humans in this time could produce. Some chemical could have been introduced, some tiny ingredient we don't know about."
"So…" Jay raked her brain for a comparison to try and understand. "Is it like Lazarus? Were things in his body altered to cause it?"
"Maybe." The Doctor smiled, proud that she'd at least tried to understand what he was doing. Donna and Martha would have simply stared blankly at him or even gone so far as to insult him. The bus continued rattling on for a short while longer before he said hesitantly, "I want to help him."
She took a deep breath, having expected this. "I know. And while I don't necessarily think it's a good idea to even try given what he's done in the past, I'll help you with what little I can do." She didn't know what it was like to be the last of her kind. But she knew that the Doctor often struggled with it, and the idea of there being someone out there like him, even if they weren't anywhere near him and were consistently trying to harm others...well, it was something she knew the Doctor craved more than anything else - except, perhaps, hearing that his song was never going to end.
Still, the Doctor appreciated her words, because the tension in his shoulder eased somewhat, and Jay was relieved. The Doctor was always running around helping her with things; it was nice to be able to offer at least something in return.
It wasn't long before they reached a little café, which the bus pulled up right alongside. As they climbed out, the Doctor frowned, looking uneasy about the kiss that Minnie blew him through the bus window. "What's so special about this place?" he asked Wilf as Wilf started for the café, clearly knowing what he was doing. "We passed fifteen on the way here."
Wilf waved him off and then paused when Jay stopped suddenly, furrowing her brow. "Coming?"
"No," Jay decided, and the Doctor frowned at her in disapproval, confused by her refusal. This was not the time, after all, to be wandering around. The Master was quite literally running around, and they had no idea where he could possibly be hiding for the time being. Jay knew that the Master had been exceptionally excited to know that someone else could hear the drums he heard, and the last thing she needed was to be caught up in his grasp once again. "I think I'm going to go back to the TARDIS," she said. A shudder suddenly shot down her spine, accompanied by a wave of pain that made her knees buckle. She grunted, throwing her arms out for balance. The Doctor caught her elbow with care, looking worried. "Whatever's going on...I need to wait this out first."
"Take the bus," Wilf insisted, suddenly waving down the bus again just as it prepared to pull away. "Where'd you leave that ship of yours, Doctor? They can take her. Not safe to be wanderin' around on your own. Not for you two."
The Doctor debated for a few moments. Finally, he said, "Oh, alright, but let Wilf know when you get there." He spoke sternly, and Jay's lips curved into a warm smile. "I don't know where the Master went."
"I will, and I'll be careful." She leaned briefly into him as he listed the location of the TARDIS, and then scampered over to the bus. She clambered in when the doors opened, greeted warmly by all of those aboard. "Hi, there," she chirped to them all. "Mind if I catch a ride? Need to find a big blue box." She beamed.
The entire busload of people gasped and began whispering, all clearly excited to find the big blue box.
The Doctor watched the bus leave, unable to shake off the worry that creased his brow. Wilf chuckled, and when the Doctor finally looked at him again, Wilf was looking at him with fondness. "I know that look," Wilf told him cheerfully, and the Doctor sighed heavily as Wilf waved for him to follow him into the little coffee shop he'd selected.
Wilf selected a booth at a window, and the Doctor seated himself in the booth opposite of him. The waitress came by before long, and Wilf calmly ordered some tea for both of them. It wasn't long before he lost his cheerful appearance and became uncertain as soon as the waitress left to get their tea.
The Doctor listened in silence as Wilf explained what he'd been seeing every night: a face in his dreams, laughing near maniacally. It was, the Doctor suspected, the same image the Ood had shown him. It clearly unnerved poor Wilf, and the Doctor quickly reassured, "We're working on it, Wilf, don't worry so much." Another thought was on the Doctor's mind, however, and he propped his hand in his chin as he studied him closely. "Who are you, Wilfred? People have waited hundreds of years to find me, and you manage it in a few hours." Jack was probably one of the best examples of that.
Wilf shrugged, looking confused. "Just lucky, I suppose."
It was like with Donna, thought the Doctor. Fate had resulted in the Doctor Donna, and to ensure it, time and space had brought Donna to him more than once. Now, it was doing the same to Wilf, which didn't bode well for the Doctor. "We keep on meeting, Wilf," he said, musing to himself. "Over and over, like something's still connecting us."
Wilf was absolutely baffled. He frowned deeply at the Doctor, blue eyes troubled. "Yeah, but what's so important about me?"
That was what Donna had always said. The Doctor shook off thoughts of Donna for the time being. Instead, he took a deep breath as the waitress returned with their tea. The Doctor sipped at his, savoring the taste, and murmured a quiet word of thanks to Wilf when Wilf declared he'd pay for it - as if knowing the Doctor couldn't pay for it himself. Suddenly, the Doctor found he couldn't keep his thoughts to himself and he practically blurted the words out.
"I'm going to die."
Jay would have hated his casual declaration. Wilf, however, simply shrugged. "So am I, one day."
"Don't you dare," the Doctor warned, a weak smile appearing for only a moment.
"Alright, I'll try not to."
The pair chuckled faintly before the Doctor sighed, "I was told 'He will knock four times.'" he took another deep breath, wincing at the reminder. "That was the prophecy. Knock four times, and then…" He shrugged, wondering what that might mean.
"But I thought when I saw you before, you said your people could change your whole body," Wilf said, somewhat confused why he couldn't simply do that.
"I can still die." The Doctor hadn't had this conversation with Jay just yet. She was clever enough to know what he was saying, he was sure of that, but...he wasn't sure she fully comprehended that he was serious. There was a good chance he might actually die rather than just regenerate. "If I'm killed before I regenerate, then I'm dead. Even then, even if I change...it feels like dying. Everything I am dies. Some new man goes sauntering away, and I'm dead."
"Does Jay know?" prompted Wilf, and the Doctor gave another weak laugh.
"Yes." It was something he thought about constantly now. Jay had tried to discuss the matter with him here and there, though she'd seemed to recognize that he had no desire to talk about it. Not with her. Not with the ever present fear that if he did regenerate, his future incarnation might not feel the same need to help her as he did. Sure, he was the Doctor. He'd worn many faces at this point, and had been different people. He'd not abandoned Rose or forgotten how fond he was of her upon regenerating the previous time. But who was to say that it wouldn't happen? This would be someone new, someone unrecognizable, and no matter what Jay said…
What if he was rude enough that she decided it wasn't worth traveling with him anymore? What then? He'd be alone once again, and the Doctor couldn't stand the idea of losing the one who'd stayed following so many others who'd left.
"Oi!" a voice, muffled by distance and glass, suddenly shouted, and the Doctor immediately twisted to look, recognizing the voice in a heartbeat. This was why Wilf had been so set on this little place, because there was none other than Donna Noble, standing across the street and glaring at a woman who looked as if she'd been inspecting the blue car Donna stood beside. He recognized that car, too.
"I'm sorry," Wilf said anxiously, looking nervous that the Doctor would be angry, "but I had to. Look, can't you make her better?" When the Doctor pleaded for Wilf to stop, the desperate man pushed on. "No, but you're so clever! Can't you bring her memory back? Look, just go to her now. RUn across the street - say hello."
Another person he'd failed. The Doctor exhaled sharply as he said softly, "If she ever remembers us, her mind will burn and she will die." He wished Jay was there now, if only to see her friend - and perhaps say the same thing to Wilf in a more gentle manner. She'd have loved seeing Donna, who began telling the woman across the street off in her typical way. A faint laugh escaped him. "She's not changed."
A man suddenly joined Donna as the woman shook her head and left, and Donna turned her head to beam at him, red hair nearly glowing in the light of the sun. "Shawn Temple," Wilf told him quietly. "They're engaged. Getting married in the spring."
"Is she happy?" the Doctor asked. "Is he nice?"
"Yeah," sighed Wilf. "He's sweet enough. Bit of a dreamer. Mind you, he's on minimum wage, and she's earning a tuppence, so all they can afford is a tiny little flat." He searched the Doctor's gaze, looking crushed that he wouldn't try and help Donna like he wanted them to. "Sometimes, I see this look on her face. Like she's so sad, but she can't remember why."
He watched the pair across the street as they began loading groceries in the car, and the Doctor murmured, "She's got him."
"She's making do," retorted Wilf, though he was more upset than angry.
"Aren't we all?"
Wilf turned his attention back to the Doctor, watching him again, and the Doctor got the feeling Wilf knew more than he ever let on. At least, he saw something that Jay occasionally saw, because Jay got that look, too, sometimes. She'd look at him for a few moments and just know. So, the Doctor figured that since he felt he couldn't say it to Jay, couldn't admit how he'd failed on Mars… He drew his hands down his face, hating that tears burned in the back of his eyes. "I did something," he admitted to Wilf. "Something that went wrong." His voice broke, and Wilf looked stunned as he gaped at the Doctor.
"Oh, my word," was all Wilf could say, and the Doctor decided against going any further. This wasn't something he could talk with anyone about. How could anyone else understand? He'd tried to alter a fixed point of time...and he'd only managed to ruin the lives of those involved. He had gone against the rules he'd followed for so long, and it had cost him. He would never forget the moment of hesitation in Jay's faith in him, the sound of the gunshot that had reminded him just how small he was compared to the mass of time and space. He was a Time Lord, yes, but even Time Lords had limits.
And, as if reading his mind once more, Wilf prompted hesitantly, "Well, maybe Jay doesn't mind so much. She looks at you like...like…" He made a small gesture as if that would explain it, and the Doctor sighed softly, amused with what Wilf was suggesting. He turned a purposeful blind eye to it and instead looked back out at where Donna was. She was leaving now, climbing into the car. He watched in silence as the car drove away, and Wilf told him, "You need Donna. You and Jay both. Good old Donna."
The Doctor could only nod in silent agreement, even as he knew he'd be unable to have Donna back.
Jay waved over her shoulder with a wry smile as the bus left, grateful to be off of it. The Silver Cloak had been ever so persistent in their questions and excitement over the fact that the people they'd searched for had been found. Minnie had pestered her for information about the "handsome young doctor fellow," and Jay had grown uncomfortable before long, fully understanding why the Doctor had been so eager to get away from them all. And, when they had found the TARDIS, they'd all needed pictures of it, so she'd had to wait for that.
Now, Jay was just happy to press her fingers to the familiar blue wood, smiling as the TARDIS seemed to hum beneath her fingertips. "I'm back," she murmured to the TARDIS before digging in her pocket for the key.
It was as she was doing so that something in her twisted with such black emotion that she dropped the key she'd finally found. It clattered noisily to the pavement beneath her feet, and slowly, Jay turned to look over her shoulder for a moment. Her heart was racing in her chest, and Jay couldn't say why. Cautiously, she ducked down to grab her key and then faltered as she looked over her shoulder for a few moments, searching the area.
Uncertain, she pressed her fingers against the wood again. The TARDIS was thrumming anxiously beneath her touch now. Jay took a deep breath and then spun away from the TARDIS entirely, putting her key away and replacing it with her phone. She had Wilf's number dialed within moments, the phone pressed to her ear.
"Hello?" greeted Wilf cheerfully a moment later.
"Hey there, Wilf," said Jay in a forced friendly tone. "Is the Doctor there? If he is, could you put him on the phone immediately? I need to talk to him." She tried to avoid sounding too nervous. She didn't want to upset Wilf, though she was sure he would have been a shockingly good person to have in her company if something was off. He was just so positive about everything.
Wilf agreed and only a moment later, the Doctor's voice was in her ear. "Make it back to the TARDIS?"
"Yes and no." Jay continued studying her surroundings closely, her fingers touching the crystal that hung from her throat. She was truly grateful to have it again, hanging from a cord that was much stronger than the chain had been. "I'm beside the TARDIS, but there's...I'm getting a really, really bad feeling. Like there's something around that isn't right."
The Doctor answered immediately, "Go inside the TARDIS. I'm on my way. Don't come out until I get there."
"Right." Jay took a deep breath then said, "See you in a few then."
"Be careful."
"Always am," she answered. "You're the one I'm worried about." She murmured a final farewell and then hung up, quickly fishing out her key again. She spared a final, suspicious look over her shoulder, seeing nothing, and then inserted the key into the lock, twisting. The reassuring click made her smile-
Pain shot through her, and Jay swore loudly when her knees buckled. It only lasted a few seconds, and wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been, but it was enough to momentarily blind her and unsteady her. She dropped the key again, and leaned heavily against the TARDIS, waiting impatiently for the moment to pass. Only when she was sure she'd not fall over did Jay duck to grab it.
A choked, startled sound escaped her when something suddenly seized the back of the long brown coat she'd borrowed, yanking hard enough to nearly send her reeling back. A startled yelp escaped her as she stumbled back. She narrowly managed to catch her balance before she hit the ground, only for a laugh to fill her ears. She froze in terror, the sound a familiar one. Her heart beat so fast, her chest ached, but that might have been because she found she couldn't breathe.
"The drums of war are loud now, aren't they?" sneered the Master, gripping the collar of the coat she wore so tightly she thought it'd rip when she whipped around. Her first instinct was to try and take his hand off of her, simply because she didn't want it to rip, but she supposed that might have been shock. He looked as if he'd been living rough; his hair stuck up all over, mussed and messy. His hair was ragged and dirty, too.
Determined to hide her fear and knowing she was in a bad spot, Jay glowered up at him, even as she hid her shaking hands behind her back. "I don't know what you're talking about," she retorted, attempting to twist away, but the Master only yanked her closer, ensuring she couldn't escape.
"Liar," he challenged, and Jay swallowed thickly. There was something about the look in his eyes - the Master had been insane before, when he'd stood aboard the Valiant and ruled the Earth with his rage. But now...it was a different type of insanity. This was a wild one, maybe making him even more dangerous than he'd ever been.
It took everything in her to not reach for the crystal at her neck, to show that it was the reason she couldn't hear them. She pressed her hands tightly together behind her back, her eyes blazing as she glared at him. "Fine," she lied, and the Master's eyes lit with triumph as he grinned down at her. She hated that look. As if he'd won some competition she didn't know she was participating in. "I hear them. I hear a lot of things. Why do you care so much?"
It wasn't something she'd meant to say, but she found that she was interested. Why did it matter to this crazed Time Lord? Why did it matter if she heard those drums he spoke of? Was he that desperate for someone else to suffer as he did from that incessant drumming Even now, she remembered the rhythm. Bu-bu-bu-bump. It was something that would haunt her for the rest of her days.
"Because I want to see the look on the Doctor's face," the Master told her, "when he finds out his little tagalong hears those drums, too."
"He already knows," Jay tried, but the Master only laughed.
"No, no, no, not like this, not like this." He dragged her closer, until their noses nearly touched, and Jay found she could barely breathe, frightened by the way he shook her once. "I want him to know the pain, to-" He suddenly groaned, flinching away. Jay stared in horror when his skin ever so briefly became translucent, his skull in full view. Agony streaked over his features, and for just a moment, the rage overwhelmed him.
Jay yelped when pain shocked through her shoulders, what resembled electricity crackling at his fingertips. It snapped and bit at her skin, even beneath the coat, and she hissed as she somehow managed to twist out of his grip. She stumbled back a bit, desperately reaching for the TARDIS. If she could just get inside-
His hand darted out and caught her again, this time by the warm. Jay winced when he whipped around, nostrils flaring as if he could smell something. A vicious smile crossed the Master's face and something in her stomach dropped. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. She tried to wrench her arm free, but it only hurt enough to make her hiss.
"Let's go for a little walk. Miss O'Connors, was it?" he nearly purred, and she recoiled as far back as she could get. "Just us and the sound of drums."
The Doctor felt a little bad for leaving Wilf as suddenly as he had, without a farewell. He was grateful to Wilf. Despite the pain that always accompanied the idea of Donna only being made worse by Wilf's pleas, he had been relieved to see that Donna was doing well. She wasn't suffering, she wasn't burning from the inside out. She was simply leaving her human life, something that he appreciated.
Still, Jay's call had sent alarm bells ringing in his head. It would have been faster to try and find a taxi, but the Doctor didn't have time to try and find a way to acquire money to get one to the place he needed to be. So, he was running. He ignored the protests of various people as he sprinted past them, shoving his way through if need be. Air burned its way down his lungs, hearts beating at a rapid pace - that familiar four-beat pace. He ran, and he ran, and he ran.
He rounded the corner of the street the TARDIS had been parked on and he slowed to a walk, panting for breath. He didn't usually struggle so much, thought the Doctor as he swiftly crossed the street, heading straight for the blue box he'd left in a hidden alleyway, hoping the Master wouldn't have a way of finding his way inside as he had before. That was the last thing he needed.
"Jay?" he called the second he reached it, leaning in to unlock the door. His mouth pressed into a hard line when he realized it was already unlocked, and as he pushed his way into the TARDIS, he muttered, "What have I told them about leaving the TARDIS unlocked? Every time, I tell them - I tell them to lock the door, because who knows what's - Jay?" he tried calling again, this time a small shout.
The TARDIS was eerily silent - enough so that he felt something churn in his gut. Something wasn't right. The TARDIS was emanating an odd, pulsing sound he couldn't recall her making in any recent times, and he could practically feel the TARDIS's immense fear and worry. Something was definitely not right, he realized.
"Jayden!' he shouted, whipping back around and shooting right back out the door. He stopped just before the TARDIS's entrance, scanning the area. His concern skyrocketed when there was no familiar call of his title. He groaned, gripping his hair with one hand in frustrated panic.
A gleam on the ground caught his attention, and his eyes snapped downwards. With a grim look, the Doctor scooped up the small familiar key that had been abandoned on the ground. He recognized it immediately, of course. It was Jay's TARDIS key. She'd made it to the TARDIS, and then something had gone wrong. He didn't need to question who it was; the Master had always had an interest in Jay, ever since he'd found out what she heard.
He tugged impatiently at the hair he gripped in his fist and then dropped his hand so that it slapped against his leg. He inhaled sharply and let it out in a loud, irritable gust. He should have never let her go alone, he thought bitterly. He should have made her stay with him and Wilf, or taken her back to the TARDIS before going with Wilf. He'd made a mistake. Again.
"Right," he muttered after a long moment, storming back in the TARDIS and over to the console, already directing the TARDIS to start scanning the city before he'd even touched the controls. He needed to find the Master, first and foremost. The Master was dangerous, even more so in his panicked dying state. With no goal in mind - at least, not one that the Doctor knew about - the Master would have nothing better to do but torment Jay and the Doctor through her. And by finding him, he'd certainly find Jay.
He'd made another mistake, but he'd ensure that it was his last one.
Seated on the cold cement floor of a warehouse with her knees drawn to her chest, the Doctor's coat drawn tightly around her, Jay thought that the Master might be a bit worse off than she'd expected. Her eyes remained locked on him, even as pain tightened the muscles in her body to the point of pain for a few seconds. When the aftershock had passed, Jay exhaled as quietly as she could, breath shuddering. The Master didn't hear, something she was grateful for.
He was pacing - had been pacing for some time now, as if he was simply waiting. Jay knew what he was waiting for; what else could he have been waiting for? There was nothing else that he wanted. Still, Jay could see it. The back and forth as he altered between focusing on the Doctor and then simple hunger. Then again, thought Jay, as he fell into one of those moments, pausing to utter to himself under his breath, rambling on and on about different types of food. Maybe "simple" wasn't the best word for it. This hunger...it reminded her of the monster in the dark, the way the creature had prowled up and down the corridors of its prison, seeking which person it would take for its next meal.
Suddenly, the Master stopped and seemed to sniff the air like a dog. Jay tightened her arms around her legs, nervous, and then suddenly noticed something: a figure, standing in the entrance of the warehouse. Her heart missed a beat when she realized who it was and a nervous, relieved smile flickered to life on her face, even as the Master spun around to look, scowling.
Slowly, the Doctor took a few steps forward. Jay could feel the tension in the air as the Master lifted his hands. Electricity crackled to life and a short cry burst from Jay's throat when he fired some kind of energy at the Doctor. Fearless, the Doctor pushed on, avoiding another burst. So, the Master rubbed his hands together, smirking.
The world exploded all around her as something burst through the cement at her hip. Jay shrieked as it crackled over her skin, and it distracted the Doctor just enough that the Master finally landed a blow. The Doctor hit the earth just as hard as she had, having been thrown. The Master grinned then, striding over to meet him, even as Jay rasped, "Doctor?!"
"I had estates," mused the Master as he squatted in front of where the Doctor was reeling, trying to clear his senses. "Do you remember my father's land, back home? Pastures of red grass stretching far across the slopes of Mount Perdition." The Master sighed near wistfully, looking sorrowful. Jay didn't believe the look on his face for more than an instant. She simply lingered, hand pressed over her slightly burned hip, and watched nervously. "We used to run across those fields all day, calling up at the sky...look at us now."
"All that eloquence," the Doctor gritted out, pushing himself up onto his elbows. Even then, it took quite a bit of effort. "But how many people have you killed?"
The Master only complained, "I'm so hungry."
"Your resurrection went wrong," said the Doctor. Jay recalled what he'd told her. He'd said something similar, earlier in the day. "That energy...your body's ripped open. Now you're killing yourself."
The Master made a wild gesture with one hand. "And that's human Christmas out there. They eat so much. All that roasting meat, cakes, and red wine-" He launched into another rant about food that made Jay ill. It was unnatural, the obsession - the way he described it… It made her uncomfortable. The Doctor urged him to stop, but he kept pushing on. So the Doctor shouted at him, and it seemed to snap him out of it.
"What if I ask you for help?" the Doctor demanded. He was trying a new tactic, it appeared. "There's more at work tonight than you and me. I've been told something is returning."
"And here I am," laughed the Master, throwing his arms wide.
"No," the Doctor insisted. "Something more. I was told the end of time-"
The Master didn't hear him. He pressed his hands over his head. "It hurts," he suddenly moaned, and Jay flinched as he continued. "The noise, Doctor, the noise in my head. One-two-three-four, one-two-three-four, stronger than ever before!" He whipped around to grin wildly at Jay, who tried to press herself as far back as she could without moving too far. "Can't you hear it? Listen, listen!" He began tapping the floor beneath them in that same four-beat pattern. "Every minute, every second, every beat of my hearts, there it is, calling to me - calling to her." He jabbed a finger at Jay as he turned back to the Doctor, and the Doctor's gaze met hers only briefly.
"I can't hear it," he said, turning his attention back to the Master. Jay uttered a nervous sound when the Master snarled, "Listen!" and suddenly grabbed the Doctor's head between his hands, pressing his forehead to his.
The Doctor ripped away with a startled gasp, and Jay knew he'd heard it, the sound that echoed relentlessly in the Master's head. "I heard it," he said uncertainly. "But...but there's no noise, never has been! It's just your insanity, it's the - what is it? What's inside your head?"
The Master rose to his feet, backing away, and the Doctor scrambled to gather his wits about him as the Master vanished into the night outside, laughing in delight, pleased to know the Doctor had heard the sound. The second he was gone, Jay was on her feet, bolting over to help the Doctor upright.
"Alright?" he demanded, taking just a moment to ensure his friend was alright. Jay smiled broadly at him, relieved to see him as he gently cradled her head between his hands. She nodded quickly in confirmation and encircled his wrists with her own.
"A little sore," she admitted, "but fine. You?" The Doctor gave a curt nod. "Good. Now, let's go, shall we?" She'd promised to do her best to help the Doctor help the Master, after all, and he already had a head start. With a mutual, rueful grin, the pair bolted after the Master. Jay ensured to stick close. She certainly didn't trust the Master after everything that had happened.
They found him standing atop a large pile of debris, dirt, and rocks. How he'd gotten up there so quickly was beyond Jay, and she eyed him nervously as the Master grinned down at them. "All these years," he shouted down at the Doctor, "you thought I was mad! King of the wasteland. But something is calling me, Doctor. What is it?"
As if in answer to his question, which neither Jay nor the Doctor had an answer to, a beam of light suddenly fell on the Master, who squinted up at it in surprise. Jay jumped when another fell on her and the Doctor, who grew defensive as it was accompanied by the beating of helicopter blades. Jay snapped her head back to look, blinded herself, and gasped when she realized two men were suddenly sliding down twin ropes, firing something at the Master.
The Master stumbled, falling to his knees. Not a gun, thought Jay as the Doctor lurched forward with a shout. Well, a gun, but a different kind of gun, one she'd not really seen before. Before the Doctor could get a step further, she heard familiar cracks of gunfire and didn't hesitate. "Doctor!" she shouted, lurching after him. She grabbed his arm and yanked him back just as the ground exploded at his feet, sprayed with bullets. He stared at it in alarm, and then cranked his head back to stare as the two men began the process of dragging the Master up their ropes and into the helicopter.
The Doctor stared up in frustration, but there was a calculating look in his eyes, one that Jay knew well. He was planning on following, figuring out where they were going-
A yelp escaped her when she heard the pop of one of those strange guns followed by the Doctor stumbling hard into her. She nearly fell over, tripping over her own feet as he staggered. "Doctor?" she rasped in horror. "Doctor!"
He simply reached up, grasping blindly at his shoulder, and yanked something out of it. He held a soft feathered device with a pointed end and stared at it blankly for a moment. "Tranquilizer," he slurred, just before his knees buckled. Jay cried out as she did her best to help him slide awkwardly to the ground, knowing for a doubt she couldn't keep him from falling entirely. For such a "stick of a spaceman," as Donna had called him, the Doctor was heavy.
"Doctor?" she prompted, shaking him urgently, but he didn't respond, entirely unconscious. When she snapped her head up, she found that the helicopters were leaving, abandoning them to the shipyard. She glared after them, trying to figure out where they were going, but came up empty-handed. She couldn't try and leave to follow them, not when the Doctor was laying on the ground unconscious. She just hoped he woke up soon.
Something cold suddenly landed on her nose and Jay shivered, her lips parting anxiously as she realized it had begun to snow. "Hold on," she muttered, knowing she couldn't simply sit out in the open with the Doctor until he woke up. She looked around desperately, judging the distance between them and the nearest shelter. Her heart ached when she realized the best she could come up with was the warehouse, which was a solid distance away.
Still, Jay took a breath, shook off her exhaustion, and slid her arms underneath the Doctor's.
She'd get him there if it was the last thing she did, because she sure as hell didn't think the Ood had intended for the Time Lord to regenerate because he'd frozen to death.
When the Doctor came to, it was to the sight of a strange roof overhead and cold cement beneath him. He groaned as he started to push himself upright, limbs struggling to cooperate as they shook off the last of whatever powerful drug had been capable of knocking him out. After a few moments, he rocked upright, head still swimming a bit but recovering the longer his eyes were open. He was in the warehouse again, in a hidden corner behind some storage container. He was baffled. How had he-
A sleepy murmur caught his attention and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he saw Jay huddled against the wall nearby, curled into a ball to keep warm beneath the coat she'd borrowed. Her head lolled uncomfortably against her shoulder, and even now, there were heavy bruises forming beneath her eyes. When this was done and over with, the Doctor was sure she'd sleep for ages. Still, they had work to do and the Doctor was running behind, having been tranquilized for at least the entirety of the night. That was certainly daytime streaming in through various windows.
Shaking off the remnants, the Doctor clambered to his feet, swiping dust from his suit and went to wake up Jay. He dropped into a crouch beside her, shaking her shoulder gently. "Jay, wake up," he urged, and her eyes snapped open almost immediately, alarm residing there. It faded after a moment.
"You're awake!" she cheered, yawning widely. "I'm glad. I couldn't get you to wake up last night. What did they hit you with?"
"Tranquilizer," he informed her. "Knocked me right out."
"I could see that," said Jay dryly before she climbed to her feet. The pair stood there for a moment, gathering their bearings. She caught him eyeing her when she rubbed her hip a bit tenderly and she admitted, "I don't know what that energy he was producing was, but it hurts like hell."
The Doctor could agree. The blast he'd been caught with had certainly hurt, but not nearly as much for him as it'd have hurt a human. "Come on, back to the TARDIS," he decided, grateful he'd left the time machine relatively close by this time. "We'll get something for that and get to work on finding him again. He's still on Earth, but he's just too far for me to find right now. Even with the TARDIS, I couldn't."
Jay agreed and they set off at a brisk pace, neither ready to run but walking as quickly as they could. The Doctor was relieved to see outside of the small injury the Master had caused when he'd arrived, she was relatively unharmed. "How'd you find us anyways?" she asked him, and the Doctor raked a hand through his already messy dark hair.
"Scanned the area with the TARDIS for you. She already had a good idea of what she was looking for, so it made it a little easier." The TARDIS had been frantic, seeking his companion with a ferocity that she usually didn't show. It warmed the Doctor's hearts to see his TARDIS as fond of his friend as she was of her. "I might not be able to track the Master, but human life form with a bit of something else mixed in? Easy."
Jay hummed, pleased, and then informed him, "He doesn't know I couldn't hear the sound." She tapped the crystal still hanging at her neck. The Doctor was grudgingly grateful to Jack for giving the replacement cord to her. Without it, they'd have been in trouble now. "He thought I could, so I just played along...did you really hear it?"
The Doctor grew wary for a moment, remembering the rhythm that the Master had shown him. Bu-bu-bu-bump, bu-bu-bu-bump. Over and over again, a never-ending beat. He couldn't fault his once-friend for being as he was if he heard that every second of every day. He simply couldn't. There was something more to look at there, something he wasn't aware of. Perhaps, he thought, it had to do with the warning the Ood had given them, regarding something else coming.
Shaking those thoughts off, the Doctor told Jay firmly, "Keep him thinking that." She frowned, unhappy he'd not answered her question, but he ignored her. They had far more important things to understand, like who'd taken the Master and where they'd taken him to. They still had to figure out how to help the other Time Lord, maybe even save him.
The Doctor's thoughts suddenly came to an abrupt halt, even as he continued walking. Jay was humming a soft tune, lost in her own thoughts. What would he even do if he managed to save the Master? Just because he helped to repair the Master's body didn't mean that there would be any helping his mind. The Master had been like this for a long, long time now, driven to insanity by the drums that echoed in his head. He knew the best place to keep him was aboard the TARDIS, secure and safe, but…
He knew for a fact that Jay would never be able to stay on a ship that held the Master. There were very few things Jay wouldn't do when it came to the life they were able to lead, but he got the feeling that living with the Master on the TARDIS was one of those few things. She'd run until she couldn't run any more. She'd risk her life daily to save others. She'd happily give up all the beautiful sights to ensure her friends and those she cared so deeply for were safe.
But somehow, the Doctor knew that Jay wouldn't be able to look the Master in the eye every day and be okay. Not after everything that had happened aboard the Valiant. Not without remembering the drums every moment she looked at him.
The Doctor forced himself to push on from such thoughts for the time being. It did no good to worry about things like that, not now. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it - and hope he didn't burn another in the process.
The TARDIS, much to the Doctor's relief, was where he'd left her at the edge of the shipyard. Jay's face paled upon reaching the doors and realizing she didn't have her key, but when she whipped around to say something, the Doctor was already holding it aloft for her, hiding a small smile. "Don't lose it again," he warned as she cradled it fondly between her hands.
"I won't," she said, throwing him a bright, happy grin before unlocking the TARDIS door and letting herself in. The TARDIS hummed as Jay led the way to the console, the Doctor only a slightly bouncing step behind her. He'd been worried about what might have happened to Jay in the time it had taken for him to track them down, and was exceptionally pleased to know that things had turned out well. "I'm going to go get something for this," she said, gesturing to her burned hip, "from the infirmary really quickly, and then I'll be all set to go." She took off before he could agree or disagree.
Shaking his head, the Doctor stared at the controls on the TARDIS console for a few moments, debating where the best place to go would be. He came to a decision just as Jay returned, somewhat breathless from running. She held aloft a cream she'd used more than once. It tended to encourage wounds to heal, and even dulled the pain for a while. She shed the coat she'd borrowed, dumping it temporarily on the captain's seat, and twisted to carefully begin applying it, lifting her shirt out of the way.
The Doctor frowned severely at the sight of the wound. He'd noticed the charred burn in his coat, but seeing the wound itself was concerning. It was a rather large one, and he suspected it was at least a second degree burn. Blisters had already formed, and the Doctor touched his chest, where he'd been struck by the energy the Master used. He'd bruised a little, but that was it.
Catching the look on his face, Jay surprised him with a wink and a grin, cautiously dabbing at the burn with the cream the TARDIS had supplied. "It'll be fine," she reassured. "I've had worse."
The Doctor supposed the venom that raced through her veins was definitely worse than a blistering burn, though it admittedly upset him to know that the pain she'd described was worse than anything remotely close to the burn she now sported. Still, the Doctor moved on. There would be time to nurse their injuries later. "Right!" he said cheerfully, whipping around and going to work. The TARDIS chirped cheerfully when Jay, finished only a heartbeat later, joined in, letting the TARDIS guide her as the Doctor set the coordinates.
"Where are we going?" Jay shouted as the TARDIS departed the shipyard, rumbling and shaking around them in her usual manner.
"To see Wilf!" he declared, lifting his voice to be heard. It had to be too much of a coincidence, running into Wilf so many times. The older man had something to do with what was happening, even past the Master's revival. Whatever was happening...Wilf held the answer, even if he didn't realize it himself.
When the TARDIS shuddered to a halt, the Doctor bolted for the door without hesitation, deciding they didn't have time to wait around. Jay snagged the coat she'd removed, yanking it on quickly as she followed him. When they ducked outside, mid-morning sunlight was nearly blinding, a fine layer of snow on the ground. Jay nearly slipped on it when the Doctor made a small gesture, indicating for her to stop as he peered around, ensuring Donna was nowhere to be seen.
He knew he should have parked a little further off, but they were in a hurry. Donna had mentioned bypassing all those alien invasions and attacks in the past; maybe he'd get lucky and she'd miss the odd blue box on the sidewalk across the street.
"Stay here," he ordered, and then took off for Donna's home. Jay made a frustrated sound behind him, annoyed that she'd been left behind, but he ignored her in favor of approaching the front door. He faltered as he stood there, unsure. If Donna answered the door…
But the Doctor took a deep breath and knocked sharply, rapping his knuckles on the door twice. He backed off immediately, stepping aside so that he could hide if it really was Donna who answered. Luck seemed to finally have been on his side though, because it was none other than the man he was looking for who pried the door open. "Wilf," the Doctor said, immediately stepping back into view, and Wilf gaped at him, and then Jay and the TARDIS across the street. Jay waved a little.
"You can't park there," protested Wilf, looking over his shoulder. "What if Donna sees?"
But the Doctor cut in quickly. He would be out of there as soon as he had the information he needed. "You're the only one, Wilf, the only connection I can think of. You're involved. If I could work out how. Tell me, have you seen anything? I don't know, anything strange, anything odd?"
Wilf faltered, and the Doctor grew hopeful, but after a moment he denied, "No, it's nothing."
Frustrated, the Doctor pleaded, "Think, think, think! Maybe something out of the blue. Connected to your life, something."
"Well," Wilf said slowly, thinking it through with another glance over his shoulder. "Donna was a bit strange. She had a funny little moment this morning, all because of that book." The Doctor perked up and Wilf asked him to wait a moment, gesturing to the side of the house and promising to meet him there. The Doctor agreed and as Wilf vanished back inside, the Doctor called Jay over.
Together, they hid in the shadow of the home. "Anything?" Jay asked softly.
"Not yet, but Wilf said there was a book Donna reacted oddly to," he answered. He was so, so hopeful that this would produce answers of some kind. He didn't even care what sort anymore. He just needed something to give him a direction to go in, and Jay had about as much of an idea of where to go as he did.
Wilf came back out a few minutes later, this time through the back. He gestured them anxiously over, pressing a book into the Doctor's hands. The Doctor studied the book closely, and then flipped it over. He uttered a sound of surprise, recognizing the man on the front even as Wilf said, "His name's Joshua Naismith."
"That's the man," the Doctor said, excited that he'd finally found something connected to the visions the Ood had given him. When Jay looked at him questioningly, he explained, "The Ood showed him to me. But it's all part of the convergence. Maybe...maybe touching Donna's subconscious." He grinned at Jay, who only furrowed her brow lightly in confusion. "She's still fighting for us, even now. The Doctor Donna."
That managed to draw a warm smile to Jay's face. She clapped her hands together in delight, and then sputtered, losing her smile immediately. "Oops," she muttered, and the Doctor looked over in time to see Sylvia Noble appearing around the side of the house, looking confused.
"Dad," she said, "what are you - you!" she cried, gaping at the Doctor and Jay. Both winced at her vicious tone. Sylvia glowered at them both, face set in a scowl. "Get out here! She can't see you! What if she-"
"Mum," called Donna from inside the house, and this time, the Doctor stiffened in alarm. He gripped Jay's wrist warningly, and she inclined her head, body tensed. They were ready to bolt if Donna tried to come around the side of the house. "Where are those tweezers?"
"We're going," the Doctor said hastily. Jay opened her mouth to bid the pair farewell, but the Doctor was already dragging her towards the TARDIS. She hissed irritably at him to let go, annoyed with being hauled around like spare luggage, and the Doctor released her only to continue ushering her on. It took him a moment to realize Wilf was following, Sylvia storming after them.
"Dad, I'm warning you…" Sylvia threatened as Wilf trailed across the street, following the Doctor and Jay closely. Jay grinned over her shoulder at the old man, as if knowing precisely what he was doing as he chirped a farewell to his daughter. "Stay right where you are!"
The Doctor paused as Jay shoved the TARDIS door open upon unlocking it, frowning at Wilf. "You can't come with us." It was far too dangerous for Wilf to come with them.
Wilf looked almost nervously over his shoulder at Sylvia, who was still shouting at them. to stop. "You're not leaving me with her," he said almost nervously, and the Doctor paused to consider before shrugging. Fair enough. He wouldn't have left anyone to one of Sylvia's lectures. So, he slid inside behind Jay, and Wilf was quick to shut the door behind them. Sylvia's muffled voice continued to shout at them through the doors, even as the Doctor paused upon realizing Jay was humming, already directing the TARDIS. A smile crept over his face. Jay had worked so hard to understand how to drive the TARDIS, and seeing her actually doing so was an absolute treat to him.
"Naismith, right?" Jay checked as he joined her, inspecting her choices. "I thought we would track him down. At least, that's what I expected - oh, Wilf," she added, grinning over the Doctor's shoulder as Wilf looked around the TARDIS with a hint of awe in his face. "Isn't she wonderful?"
Wilf glanced at them and then admitted, "I thought it'd be cleaner."
The Doctor frowned at the TARDIS console. "I should take him back home right now. Leave him to Sylvia."
"But you won't." Jay bumped him with her shoulder, stepping back so he could take over. "Naismith, right?" she added, echoing her earlier comment, and the Doctor threw her a proud grin that made her puff up with excitement over the fact that she'd gotten it right.
Slowly, Wilf made his way over to join them, looking at the console with wary interest. "Doctor, if this is a time machine...that man you're chasing, why can't you just pop back to yesterday and catch him?"
"Can't go back inside my own timeline," the Doctor answered, directing Jay to flip a switch. She did so quickly so he could continue working. "I have to stay relative to the Master within the causal nexus. Understand?"
"Not a word," Wilf replied, and Jay only laughed, agreeing with a nod of her head.
"Welcome aboard the TARDIS, Wilf," she said cheerfully, and the Doctor had to admit that the look of joy that appeared on Wilf's face was well worth the lecture Sylvia would probably try to give him the moment Wilf was dropped back off at home.
Jay knew it was a bad idea as they stepped out of the TARDIS into what she believed to be some stables, but she didn't hesitate to kneel beside the TARDIS, even as the Doctor began trying to convince Wilf to stay safely in the time machine. She took a deep breath and then slowly drew the cord over her head, neatly setting the necklace on the floor. Immediately, a familiar rhythm filled her head. It was a little distant, but close enough.
Bu-bu-bu-bump. Bu-bu-bu-bump. Bu-bu-bu-bump.
"He's here," said Jay, interrupting the Doctor, who'd begun scolding Wilf about swearing. The Doctor glanced at her immediately and sputtered as she rose. She smiled sheepishly and put the necklace back on. "It's fine, it's not like I haven't heard it before."
"I gave it to you for a reason!"
"And it's on now, and I'm fine, and is there something you can do to disguise the TARDIS? Because look at her." She waved wildly at the beautiful blue ship, which stuck out like a sore thumb in a barn full of curious, nosey horses. One poked its nose over a stall door by Jay's head and she lit up, offering her hand for it to sniff. Glancing at the Doctor as she rubbed its nose fondly, she said, "She's kind of obvious, and the last thing we need is for the Master to cannibalize her again."
The Doctor winced, clearly agreeing. So, he pulled his sonic screwdriver out, fiddled with it, and then pointed it at the TARDIS. As the blue tip lit up and the sonic screwdriver buzzed, the TARDIS's image rippled and faded out of view, making WIlf gasp in awe and amazement. "Right," said the Doctor. "Let's go."
They carefully left the stables after peering outside, ensuring to hide from a pair of armed guards who stalked by. "That book said he's a billionaire," Wilf whispered to them. "He's got his own private army."
"Of course he does," grumbled Jay, scurrying after the Doctor when he darted around the side of a building. He came to a halt at the sight of a pair of doors near the massive, beautiful stone mansion that towered over their heads. They were embedded in the ground at the gray building's foot, and the Doctor immediately unlocked them with the sonic, ordering them in.
Jay looked around as the Doctor closed and locked the doors again over their heads, ensuring Wilf stuck close. Without bothering to wait, Jay began edging down a flight of stairs and into what she believed to be a basement. She stopped when she heard a voice speaking, glancing back to ensure the Doctor was coming. He silently nudged past her and Wilf and peered around the corner. He gave a soft whistle when he saw a woman standing before a gate of sorts, clearly not from this time or place. Jay hummed her agreement. It was far too advanced for the likes of human minds. At least, at this point in time. People in her time hadn't even produced such technology.
"Nice Gate," the Doctor called, studying the dark-haired woman who spun around to face them, lips parted in surprise. Wilf and Jay waved in greeting as they followed him into view. Jay studied the woman, who eyed them with suspicion and wariness. The Doctor twirled his sonic screwdriver, unafraid, and Jay got the feeling he knew something she didn't as he said, "Look, don't call security." When the woman scowled, clearly not caring what he was requesting, the Doctor confirmed Jay's suspicions. "I'll tell them you're wearing a Shimmer. 'Cause I reckon anyone wearing a Shimmer doesn't want the Shimmer to be noticed, or they wouldn't be wearing a Shimmer in the first place."
"Say that three times," muttered Jay under her breath, drawing a surprised chuckle from Wilf.
"I'm sorry," the woman answered innocently. A little too innocently, in Jay's eyes. "What's a 'Shimmer?'"
The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver out and hit the button. "Shimmer," he said rather smugly as the Shimmer vanished, revealing an alien. Her skin was a bright green, her head covered in spikes. She rolled her eyes, sighing heavily at the realization that she'd been caught, and Wilf recoiled in surprise, having not expected it.
"Oh, my Lord," he exclaimed, "she's a cactus!"
"Miss Addams," a voice called over a nearby radio, and Jay realized there was going to be trouble rather soon if they weren't careful. She glanced at the Doctor, who was looking around the basement they stood in with interest. There were screens everywhere, too, listing information that Jay couldn't understand. This was clearly something that had been installed for a while.
"Right then," the Doctor said, pocketing his sonic screwdriver. "We've got a problem, 'cause all of this," he gestured to the technology around them, "is way too fast. Not just the city, but reaching all the way back to the twenty-first century? Something's accelerating your species way beyond normal." He told all of this to Wilf as he approached a screen peering at it. He frowned at the readings. "Whatever they had him working on, the Master got it working. What is it though?"
"Neither of us know," said Jay, rolling her eyes at the fact that he'd thought they'd be able to understand. The alien, Addams, scowled lightly at them all, clearly frustrated and unsure of what to do about these intruders in her workspace. It was only furthered when a dark-haired man suddenly ducked down into the basement, calling, "What's work - hey, what are you all doing here?"
The Doctor, still staring at the screen, handed Jay his sonic screwdriver after fishing it back out of his pocket. "Shimmer," he said almost absent-mindedly, and she knew immediately what to do. She used the sonic screwdriver to reveal another green-skinned alien, who sputtered at them, unprepared for what had just happened. "Now, you two, tell me quickly. What's going on? The Master, Harold Saxon, Skeletor, whatever you're calling him. What's he doing up there?" He suddenly paused and then turned to frown at the pair of grimacing aliens. "Hold on, who are you? I met someone like you. He was brilliant, but he was little and red."
"Bannakaffalatta," recalled Jay, a little saddened by the reminder of another that had died on their watch.
"That's a Zocci," snapped Addams, offended.
In a more patient voice, the male alien explained, "We're not Zocci, we're Vinvocci. Completely different."
"And," continued Addams, "the Gate they're using is Vinvocci. We're a salvage team. We picked up a signal when the humans reactivated it, and as soon as it's working, we can transport it to the ship."
Gate? Jay peered over the Doctor's shoulder, glancing at him in confusion, and quietly he explained. The screen before them was displaying an image, a near blue-print of a gate of sorts. The Vinvoccis' gate, if they were to be believed, which was being used by Naismith for some unknown reason. The Master had done something to it, too, only making whatever was going on more concerning. The Doctor indicated certain markers, showing her how some levels were much too high or too low for it to be at its proper placement, and that when compared to another screen, the information mismatched with the Gate's original plans.
"So," Jay asked, glancing over her shoulder at the male alien. "What does this Gate do exactly?"
"Well," he said, blinking at her in surprise. "It mends, simple as that. It's a medical device to repair the body. It makes people better."
The Doctor looked less convinced, muttering under his breath about the Master having changed something, ensuring that whatever the device did would be far worse than they anticipated it being. Wilf, looking rather confused about everything that was happening, simply questioned, "So...that's like a sickbed, yes?" When Addams nodded curtly, he said hesitantly, "Well, pardon me for asking, but why's it so big?"
"Ooh," the Doctor hummed, flashing Wilf an approving look. "Good question. Why's it so big?"
Addams rolled her eyes, and the male alien laughed at them. "It doesn't just mend one person at a time, that would be ridiculous!" she said. "It mends whole planets. It transmits the medical template across the entire population."
A chill ran down Jay's spine, and she felt the need to hide away in the TARDIS as the Doctor shouted, "It does what?!" and bolted. Jay, not daring to be left behind, rushed after him. She shouted at him to wait, just wait, because they needed to stop and think about what their plan might be. The people involved were dangerous. And if they didn't think things through-
"Turn the Gate off!" the Doctor bellowed as he emerged into a large room filled with other people, including the Master, Naismith, and who appeared to be his daughter. A massive device stood high over their heads - the Gate, Jay guessed.
The Doctor stopped immediately when a series of guards whipped around, guns lifted. When Jay slammed into him, caught off guard, he swept her safely behind him, placing himself directly between the guns and Jay. "No, no, no," the Doctor gasped, as the Master, who Jay realized was clad in some kind of material that strapped him safely into place, grinned at them, realizing why they were there. "Whatever you do, just don't let him near that device," pleaded the Doctor, glaring at Naismith.
"Oh, like that was gonna ever happen," the Master mocked, rocking his head to the side just once to crack it. With an explosive burst of the same electrical energy that the Master had used against them the night before, he burst free from the odd material and shot for the Gate with a laugh. The Doctor, unable to follow, stared in distress at the Master and the Gate. "Homeless, was I?" the Master sneered at Naismith, who tucked his daughter closer to him. "Destitute and dying? Well, look at me now."
"Deactivate it," Jay urged, looking at the nearest guard, who had faltered in stopping them in favor of staring in surprised alarm at the Master. "Stop this!" She wasn't sure what the Doctor had puzzled out regarding the Master's intentions, but she knew there was no way in hell it'd be anything but bad. Especially when Naismith complained softly of the master being in his head.
Only furthering her sudden fear was Wilf, who stumbled into the room, crying, "Doctor! Jay! There's this face-"
The Doctor ran to him, gently gripping his shoulder and giving it a small shake. "What is it?" he demanded. "What can you see?" He snapped his head around to look at Jay, worried, and she shook her head, putting a hand over the necklace she wore. Whatever was happening, she couldn't see what they saw, nor could she hear anything. And she was most certainly keeping it on. "Wilf?" When Wilf only stated he could see the Master's face in mind, the Doctor spun on his heel and raced for the controls.
He slammed a hand on the metal surface a moment later, frustrated. "Doctor?" Jay demanded, hurrying to join him. "What's going on? What's wrong?"
"I can't turn it off," he gritted out.
The Master smirked at them. "That's because I locked it."
"Right," the Doctor muttered, eyes darting around the room to try and find something of use. His gaze landed on a series of booths, clear and made of sturdy material. He knew what they were immediately. "Jay," he ordered, pointing to them. "Get Wilf in one, you in the other. Flip all the switches to mid-level except those marked for radiation, flip those all the way up, and then get Wilf to press the button on his side to let you out."
"Let me out?" she muttered even as she ran to do as he said. She grabbed Wilf's arm as he pressed his hands to his head, trembling. "Come on, Wilf," she urged, ushering him into the booth on the right. Wilf looked at her with confused fear, and she smiled reassuringly before closing him in. She stepped into the second booth herself, glancing over at the Doctor to double-check. He nodded curtly, still fighting against the Gate's locked controls, and she closed herself in, too.
She took a deep breath as she went to work, swiftly flipping all the switches to mid-level as she'd been told. She cranked the last two all the way up, just as the Doctor had said, and then looked up as Wilf called, voice muffled, "He's gone! I can see again!"
"Great!" Jay cheered, excited that it had worked. "Now press that button and let me out, alright?" It appeared that now that both had been closed, only one door could be opened at a time, and it was a definite issue. Wilf did so, and the second the door opened, she was racing back across the room. The Doctor neatly caught her by the arm as she tripped into him, smiling excitedly. "I did it!"
"Good," he praised, briefly smiling before glancing up as the Master commented that a countdown had started. His smile vanished. The Master was smiling up at the Gate, and Jay studied him closely, nervous about what was going to happen when that countdown hit zero. The Master smiled broadly at them, extending his arms wide to indicate those around him, who were all shaking their heads in discomfort, as if trying to dislodge the images stuck in their heads.
"Doctor?" Jay rasped as their heads began to shake a little more, the speed becoming unnatural. "What's happening?"
"What is it?" the Doctor fired at the Master, echoing Jay's question. "Mind control? You're grafting your thoughts inside them, is that it?" It unnerved Jay to realize that the Doctor knew about as much as she did about what was happening to these people.
"Oh, that's way too easy." The Master's eyes lit with triumph. "They're not going to think like me. They're going to become me. And zero!" He cheered as the people in the room all began to shake their heads so quickly their faces blurred. Jay pressed against the Doctor, horrified by the sight, and he kept his hand lightly on her back, ready to take off running if need be.
It was only made worse when Wilf began shouting Donna's name. Jay realized his phone was pressed to his ear; he was on the phone with Donna. Jay choked on the thought, her eyes round with terror for her friend as Wilf began shouting, "Doctor! She's starting to remember!" Wilf glared at the Master from the little booth he was hidden in. "What is it? What have you done, you monster?"
And then the shaking stopped, and Jay realized there were indeed worse nightmares than those she'd had aboard the Valiant.
For in every spot there had been a person, there was now a copy of the Master, who beamed joyously at all the versions of himself tucked around the room. Jay shivered at the way they all cheered and clapped, complimenting one another on this glorious victory. She pressed back into the Doctor's hand, terrified, when the Master sauntered over to them, the versions of him with guns sliding into place behind him. It was a clear threat.
Speechless, the Doctor could only stare as the Master stopped before him. Jay trembled when the Master smiled, turning all of his attention on her, as if expecting her to say something. When she didn't, his smile widened.
"Those drums of war are louder than ever. What do you think, O'Connors? Want to see what else I can do?"
Another update! And with the next chapter, a whole wonderful period of time comes to an end and we launch into the next section. I'm so excited, though I have been struggling with figuring something out. Oh, well. It'll work out in the end. ;)
AND we had a surprise little guest appearance from a certain someone. ;)
Thanks to reviewers (Spiffygirl90, Pfannkuchen07, savethemadscientist, and EchoMoment!) as well as those who favorited and followed, I truly appreciate it. :)
