The Doctor floated in his birdcage, his legs crossed. His hands rested on his knees. His eyes were closed, concentrating hard. If he could make himself float and move outside the laws of physics, maybe he could make other things move outside the laws of physics. If he discovered how to do that, he could bend the bars or burst the cage. He might even be able to lift the keys and move them into the lock. He didn't know if it was possible, but he had nothing better to do.
The psychokinetic concentration helped him with his flying at the same time. He hadn't flown for almost a year, and his skills were slipping. It felt good to fly again, even if he could only float in one spot.
The Master walked into the room, Lucy hanging on his arm. "We're opening up a rift in the Braccatolian space. They won't see us coming. Kinda scary."
"Then stop," the Doctor said, opening his eyes.
The Master walked toward him. "Once the empire is established and there's a new Gallifrey in the heavens, maybe then . . . it stops." The Master stared at the Doctor through the bars.
The Doctor crossed his arms and glared at him.
"The drumming. The never-ending drum beat. Ever since I was a child. I looked into the vortex. That's when it chose me. The drumming, the call to war."
The Doctor concentrated hard on making the Master fall backwards and hit his head, but nothing happened, just like always.
"Can't you hear it?" the Master continued, "Listen, it's there now. Right now. Tell me you can hear it, Doctor. Tell me."
"It's only you," the Doctor said.
"Good." The Master stared at him silently for a while. "How about now?"
"What?"
"Those secrets." He bounced on his toes. "To flying."
The Doctor couldn't help smiling. "You really want it don't you. I have something that you don't, and you want it," he teased, "Well you can't have it."
"Come on, please? Pretty please? Pretty please with an outrageously long multicolored scarf and a decorative celery stalk on top?"
"Ooh . . . . Tempting."
"I'll- I'll let you out. If you agree to show me how to fly, I'll give you a big, open room where you can fly all you want."
"First giving me a birdcage and then an aviary? What do you think I am?"
"Well . . . you're flying . . . you fit in a birdcage . . . ."
The Doctor glared at him. "No."
"Come on! What have you got to lose?"
"My chance to tease you."
"Fair point. How about, I give you an avia- . . . A big open room, and I let the family go free."
"They'd get slaughtered out there."
The Master sighed. "I see there's no point in bargaining. You're not going to agree to anything I'm willing to offer." He turned away. "I'll just keep destroying the world and you'll keep floating there, nowhere to go, nothing to do."
The Doctor watched him walk away. "Wait. It takes years to learn, and I'm going to stop you anyway . . . . I suppose I can spare a few tips."
The Master quickly turned around with a grin.
"The first step is to repeatedly bang your head against the wall."
The Master's face fell.
"It clears all unnecessary junk out of your head. Go on!"
"If you'd like I could find you a nice torture chamber," the Master snapped.
"I'm good."
The door opened and one of the deadly spheres entered.
"Tomorrow, the war," it said, "Tomorrow we rise. Never to fall."
"The one thing you can't do. Stop them thinking," the Doctor said, glowing in a field of energy.
Martha and Jack laughed with joy. The Master was utterly shocked.
The Doctor floated into the air without even trying. "Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do this."
"No!" the Master shouted. He shot a laser at the Doctor, but the energy field deflected it.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Then I'll kill them!" the Master shouted. He aimed the laser screwdriver at Martha and her family.
The Doctor thrust it out of his hand psychokinetically. He immediately knew it would take decades of concentration without fifteen satellites and everyone on Earth calling his name, and he didn't have that kind of time.
The Master panicked. "You can't do this! You can't do . . . . It's not fair!"
"And you know what happens now," the Doctor said. He floated toward the Master, who backed down the steps in terror.
"No! No!" He groveled on the ground. "No! No!"
"You wouldn't listen."
"No!"
"Because you know what I'm going to say."
"No!" The Master curled up against the wall, whimpering.
The Doctor's feet touched the ground and he let go of all the power. He walked toward the Master and wrapped his arms around him comfortingly. "I forgive you."