-/-

"It itches."

Rolling her eyes as Seb moaned for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes Osgood for once tried to emulate Missy's distinct lack of interest. Even if it was becoming harder by the second to ignore that the only clothing they had been able to scrounge up on Missy's Tardis was heavy and itchy and far too big for her.

At least Seb wasn't tripping over his feet every time he took a step but Osgood knew better than to complain, there was something to be said for perspective of the bigger picture. Of course Seb was probably sulking that he ended up matching her instead of matching The Master's outfit, yet there was only one set of reinforced armour and considering how constricting it looked Osgood had been only too happy when The Master had claimed it.

The timelady was a whirling dervish at her Tardis controls, one moment flicking switches then next her bright blue eyes would narrow locked on the display as she stared down at symbols and figures that made Osgood's head hurt just staring at them.

Occasionally Missy would speak out loud yet Osgood was as still in the dark about where they were going or why The Doctor was in danger as she was the moment they set foot on board Missy's Tardis and part of her smarted at being so completely dismissed and ignored.

"..he thinks he's so bloody clever.."

"Surely you must have something that isn't so scratchy."

"…thinks no one could ever think there way out of one of his little traps.."

"And I really don't think red is my colour."

"…well I'll show him…"

"How about something in blue or grey?"

"…I'll make him scream apologies…"

"Or black..."

"Please god just stop!" Osgood's scream of frustration surprised herself as well as the others; Missy's scowl at being distracted from her work had Osgood swallowing nervously, yet it was the growing smug smile on Seb's face that really pushed her over the edge.

"Careful Skip we wouldn't want our trip through time and space to come to abrupt end." Missy hissed. "Say by accidentally being pushed out of the Tardis whilst it's moving?"

"Just tell me what is happening, perhaps I can help?" Osgood added hopefully, shuffling around the console to where The Master was working, ignoring Seb's scoff.

"You help?" He commented derision dripping from his lips. "How could a mewling infant like you help anyone?"

Yet Missy tilted her head thoughtfully an almost smile playing about her lips. "But what if it was dangerous Skip? What if it meant risking that fragile little life of yours?"

"Are we going to save The Doctor?" Osgood demanded lifting her chin as Missy's smile only grew.

"Amongst other things, I'm afraid we'll probably die horrendously unpleasant deaths."

"What other things?"

"Why revenge of course." Missy replied simply as if the answer was so obvious it didn't need spelling out, yet her thoughtful look continued and Osgood continued to feel nervous as Missy smiled.

"There is something you could do Skip if you really do want to help save The Doctor…"

Nodding her answer Osgood could only step forward as the smirking mistress beckoned her forward with one crooked finger, like a spider enticing a fly into its parlour. She tried not to flinch as Missy seemed to ooze around her, the warmth of timelady's breath on her cheek as she pressed herself against Osgood's back and rested her chin on the younger woman's shoulder.

"See that little switch there." Missy pointed one painted nail at one switch that looked like all the others on the console, yet Osgood merely nodded pleased that she was about to learn something. "That switches on the communicator, I have already programmed in the correct frequency."

"Right." Osgood nodded yet she was still no closer to an answer. "So what is it you want me to do exactly?"

Giggling Missy enjoyed the way Skip seemed to tense against her as the timelady's amusement unsettled her.

"Why provide a distraction of course."

-/-

He couldn't remember ever feeling pain like this.

He had endured the agony of a Dalek's laser ripping through his body, the sharp severing of his right hand, the slow burn of radiation collapsing his cells…even the excruciating experience of having his body artificially aged at The Master's hand and that was merely the tip of the iceberg…but this was the worst of the lot.

And he had screamed…he had screamed himself hoarse…until his voice had given way and instead his mind had echoed with the agony he could no longer express and he could hear Rassilon's glee at his suffering bombarding what was left of his mental shields.

It was a blessing when his mind had caved in under the pressure of the physical and mental assault and he had finally passed out.

Yet now he wasn't certain…his mind a jumbled mess of lingering hurt and sensory overload as The Doctor hovered somewhere between unconscious and awake. The sensation of pain was strangely the only thing that seemed to hold him steady, the one thing he was certain was real. His other senses he wasn't sure he could trust.

Soon…be ready…

The clarity of the command was loud and alien and yet the moment after it had faded from his mind The Doctor was half convinced he had imagined it, after all his ears were clearly lying to him…

"Hello…Hello is anybody there."

Even frowning hurt and The Doctor quickly let his head fall back on the hard surface, his eyes closing as his lying ears tried to convince of what he knew to be impossible. No she was dead….unless he was also dying…

"Oh hello good there is someone there and I am sorry to bother you." The familiar voice called out and The Doctor couldn't suppress his wince as Rassilon's booming voice suddenly sounded overly loud.

"Who are you? How did you get this frequency?"

"…We sent out a wide signal…I guess we just got lucky…" The fake Osgood's voice sounded nervous and yet The Doctor could almost picture her familiar face, the brave smile she forced to cover up her underlying insecurities. Such a waste.

Blinking his eyes The Doctor tried to force them to focus…unable to believe what he was seeing as there on the large view screen in front of Rassilon was Osgood…no he must be imagining things.

"I have no interesting in providing you with any assistance." Rassilon sneered his hand reaching out to terminate the call.

"No please don't. I am sorry to bother you but this will honestly only take five minutes of your time."

"My time is infinitely more precious than yours; I have no interest in helping you."

"No it's not that it's just we found this…well I suppose it's a ship, well it's been impounded for being illegally parked and we're trying to trace the owner."

"What ship?" Rassilon questioned and The Doctor watched through still slightly blurred vision as the fake Osgood seemed to glance down as if reading from a display.

"Sorry I am just bringing up the details…damn machine is being slow today…Just a minute more…"

"No more minutes I am terminating this call."

"No wait here it is…It's sort of like a box, bigger on the inside…no registration I'm afraid." Osgood insisted holding up what looked like an iPad of all things up to the viewer, the image was hazy yet even to The Doctor's limited abilities it was discernibly a Tardis, or what a Tardis would look like without its chameleon switch activated.

Clearly Rassilon recognised it as he leant forward eagerly his fingers reaching out to caress the image on the viewscreen.

"Where is it?"

"I mentioned that didn't I?" Osgood bluffed frowning dramatically as she glanced down at something out of view. "It's been impounded."

"Yes but where?" Rassilon hissed his large framed tensed as his fingers tightened angrily around the edges of his console.

"Oh no I can't tell you that not until we are certain you are the real owner…regulations you see it's just not worth the paperwork." Osgood blustered through with a smile, struggling to keep it on her face as she was confronted with a fuming President of the Timelords whose very expression promised bloody retribution if he ever got his hands on her.

"You will tell me where my ship is now or I will…."

Yet Rassilon never had the opportunity to complete his threat and Osgood never learnt what her fate would be, the thick crack of metal against bone, and Rassilon was suddenly face down over the console and stepping up into his place…

Now The Doctor knew he was hallucinating, The Master was dead…Osgood was dead…they certainly didn't share a thumbs up...even if Osgood's did look somewhat shaky and her face a little pale as the trickles of blood from Rassilon's head wound now began to drip down the viewscreen.

So either he was hallucinating or he was dead and this was…hell…heaven?

As he watched Missy switch off the viewscreen and begin to stalk towards him, her face now healthy and full, her hair loosely pulled back from her face and leather armour that fit her quite snugly The Doctor quickly came to the conclusion that heaven or hell it really didn't matter just as long as he wasn't stuck there alone.

-/-