Bits in Between
Chapter Thirteen: Warning From an Old Friend
By Lumendea
AN: This takes place during Mission in Time, the first episode in Time and the Trickster, soon after Rose uses the dart she found with the Master's help to return home. Just to mix things up a bit, this follows the Third Doctor's Point of View.
…..
The Doctor wasn't sure what was going on. Nothing about the village really stood out. In theory, it was like any other small town on this island on this small planet he'd been exiled to. He'd been rather excited when his instrument picked up odd temporal energy. It was an excuse to leave UNIT HQ and have a bit of fun. He wasn't making any progress in repairing the TARDIS or rediscovering the knowledge the Time Lords had taken from him.
Still, UNIT had rolled out. They'd evacuated the area when the readings grew higher just to be safe. Still, he didn't have any luck finding the source of energy. He'd been near the main square when news came that the Master was in town. Honestly, he should have known.
It had been difficult not to laugh at the news that his best enemy had been brought down a peg by a knee to the crotch. He did feel a hint of sympathy for the old boy, but maybe he'd be a bit more cautious in threatening humans now. The Doctor had met the young woman who had come stumbling into town.
Something about the blonde woman bothered him. She didn't look like a threat, but something about her clothes kept coming back to him after she'd been escorted away by Jo. It nagged at him, but he kept wondering about her timelines. The name Marion Jones didn't jump out at him, but she surely had to be important to Earth's future. It was a puzzle, but not one he had time for.
Then she'd vanished. Jo had been called away, and when she came back, Marion Jones was gone. They'd searched all over, but no sign of her. Worse, the energy was completely gone. Not lower, not spread out, just gone. He didn't like it and wished that he had taken the time to properly take a look at Marion Jones. Her timelines had been too bright, but he'd allowed the Master to distract him.
Still, he searched the town himself, striding through the small streets with long irritated strides. The small detector he'd managed to rig up in his hand told him nothing. Then as he passed by a side street, he caught sight of a figure all in black stomping towards a nearby house. He almost smiled and quickly took off after him. The Master wasn't paying any attention to him and went straight into the garden of the house where a small shed was waiting. It took the Doctor less than a second to realise it must have been the Master's TARDIS.
The Master opened the door of his TARDIS with a sharp, almost violent tug. The Doctor actually hesitated, reading the tension and fury in his old friend's shoulders. None the less he stepped forward, calling to the Master and the Master whirled around. It took the other Time Lord only a moment to school his features. He straightened up and gave the Doctor a smug smile as his eyes scanned the room.
"No backup, Doctor?" the Master asked. He patted his TARDIS almost fondly. "I'll just be on my way."
"Why were you here anyway?" the Doctor asked. His curiosity was certainly roused. "What were you doing?"
"I was doing nothing," the Master answered. He stepped into his TARDIS but kept his eyes on the Doctor. "On the contrary, like you, I was simply investigating the temporal signature."
"Ah." The Doctor checked the Master's empty hands. "Any luck?"
"No," the Master answered. The Doctor believed him. "We were not alone here."
"Oh? I didn't sense another Time Lord."
"It was no Time Lord," the Master said. Then he paused and examined the Doctor for a moment. "I suppose… just for the sake of old times, I'll give you a warning. It was an agent of a Guardian."
"A Guardian?" the Doctor repeated. He couldn't quite keep the surprise out of his voice. "Here? Why?"
"An object of power. Several objects, in fact, with the ability to alter fixed points," the Master answered. He shrugged slightly, looking both bored and irritated that they would never know. "Immense power, and she was carrying it around in her pocket."
Both Time Lords shivered at the words, though for different reasons. Frowning, the Doctor inspecting the Master. There was a faint slice across his neck. It was already healing, but it hinted at some sort of confrontation. He couldn't help but chuckle.
"Got in their way, did you?" The Doctor gestured at his own neck.
"She was very rude," the Master countered. His frown deepened. "She needed my help in locating the object and then turned a sword on me."
"I suspect that you tried to take the object," the Doctor said knowingly. He smiled slightly when the Master gave him a look. "Dangerous to make enemies of the Guardians Master. Even the High Council avoids contact with them."
"I'm aware." The Master shook his head. "She was a strange creature. I was certain that she was human, but her timelines were-"
"Blonde?" the Doctor cut in. he remembered the young woman that he'd briefly encountered and held up a hand. "About so high. Bright timelines."
"And clothing that was out of place," the Master added. "Or did you not notice that."
"Vaguely," the Doctor said. He didn't want to admit that he hadn't properly noticed until later. "I was more interested in you being here and her timelines. I supposed her being an agent of the Guardians explains that." He rubbed his neck slightly. "I was concerned about where she'd gone off too when the energy trace vanished."
"Vanished would be correct. When she found the object, a time window opened, only a few a second, and took her away," the Master explained.
"Well then, nothing more we can do on the matter." The Doctor began to reach into his pocket, pulling out a whistle. The Master gave him a doubtful look.
"Truly Doctor?" The Master asked. When the Doctor didn't bring the whistle to his lips, the Master chuckled. "I have no doubt we will see one another soon enough."
He stepped into his own TARDIS, and the Doctor watched silently as it vanished. A soft sigh escaped him, proving that he'd been around humans too much. He truly needed to find a way to restore his own TARDIS. Being grounded did not suit him at all. Still, Earth was proving to be interesting enough for the time being. Though he did hate to leave a mystery unresolved.