First off I just want to thank you all so much for the love and kindness you've shown me and this story, I do apologize it's been a bit since the last chapter, but I have the next chapter already in mind so I'm hoping it will be done faster than this one was :D
Also! I figured this longer chapter would sort of make up for the time between chapters :)
Alright, love you all!
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
As I make my way down the hall, I can hear the Doctor talking with someone, though I can't tell who.
I pause before taking a quick stop in the kitchen to grab a piece of toast then heading on again, the Doctors coat over one arm.
I eat it quickly as I get closer to the console room, listening in again.
"She's new to all of us, remember, no spoilers" the Doctor says as she seems to be moving around the console.
I come into the doorway and smile fondly as I watch her moving around quickly, everyone else watching her.
"So again. To make sure I've got this right, we can't tell Rose about our past adventures? But she already knows about them? How does that work?" Graham asks.
I smile softly as I step in "because I've seen one future, but one without me in it" I explain.
They all look over and I smile wider "sorry, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to be a bit dramatic" I say happily.
"Oh, Doctor, I've also got your coat" I say, coming up the steps.
She beams at me and takes it as I held it out to her, pulling it on.
"Thanks. How are you feeling?" She asks, looking me over curiously.
"Still really sore and tired, but much better than before. How long did I sleep?"
"About 15 hours, give or take" she replies, taking my hands in hers, I nod and look down to see my arm was still bandaged but in new clean bandages.
"Thank you, for patching me up and letting me sleep" I say softly, meeting her green eyes.
My stomach drops as the music kicks in suddenly, loud off the bat, making me flinch.
She frowns sadly "already?" She asks, I nod sadly.
"I wish I could stay...hopefully I'll be back for you soon" she nods softly.
"Be careful, Love. I know where you're headed next" she warns, pulling me into a gentle hug, which I return.
"I will, you be careful too, you're headed for a bit of a crazy ride" I reply, pulling back enough to look up to her, then I look to the others in the room, smiling toward them "I'm sorry I can't talk to you all more, I can't wait until I'm back. Watch over her for me?" I ask, nodding to the Doctor, who playfully glares and tightens her arms around my waist.
They return the smile "will do' Graham says, Ryan nodding and Yaz smiling wider replies "we'll keep her out of trouble"
I nod and smile more, looking up to her again and gently pulling her down into a quick kiss before pulling back, gently cupping her cheek as I meet her gaze again "I love you" I murmur, the music getting deafening now.
"Love you too" she replies before I blink and everything is black.
I take a few deep breaths, closing my eyes and rubbing them a little, ignoring the twinge of pain from moving my arms around quickly.
'Where to now...?' I wonder as I look around, but something makes me pause, my eyes widening slightly.
Off in front of me, I can make out something, something like a very faint light, like seeing a candle flame through a forest in the middle of the night.
My stomach drops and I begin to walk towards it very slowly "what the..."
Though no matter how far I walk, I don't seem to get any closer to said light.
I gulp and try to fight off a shiver, my skin felt itchy and uncomfortable so I look away from it, turning my back to it and I feel instantly better.
I relax a little and shake my head 'surely it's nothing'
I close the connection as I realize I forgot to close it, and I can soon feel the burning from the tattoos appearing and the clock changing, though the bandages hide them from me, so I decide to not worry about it for now.
As I blink a few times, I'm suddenly left in a hallway, which I recognize to be a hallway in UNIT HQ, which means I'm with one of the early Doctor's.
I smile softly and walk a few steps to see a sign, pointing toward the lab.
Following it, I can soon hear shouting, so I speed up, opening the door into the Doctor's lab to see Jo Grant trying to get a military box open, smoke pouring from it, my eyes widen as I realize where I am.
"Stop her! That's a bomb!" The 3rd Doctor shouts.
Jo punches Captain Yates to stop him from stopping her, and she continues to try and open it.
"I've got to open it, I've got to!" Jo says in a trance.
I sprint in, Sergeant Benton pulling Jo away and I grab the box before the Doctor has time to, holding my breath and running to the window, tossing it through, shattering the glass and we hear it fall into the water outside, soon exploding.
I sigh in relief and look to the Doctor and Benton as Benton speaks "there's gonna be some complaints about that you know, Rose" he scolds, but I smile softly.
"Nice to see you too Benton" I joke.
The Doctor looks peeved though "my dear Sergeant, if that box hadn't been tied, you wouldn't be here to receive any complaints" he grumbles.
"Yes sir" Benton replies, the Doctor looking at him, and Benton realizes his mistake and quickly amends "I mean no sir"
I chuckle a little and look back behind us to see Yates standing back up, rubbing his sore stomach from Jo's punch.
"What gave you the idea that it was a boobytrap, Doctor?" He asks.
The Doctor looks to Jo as well "she did"
"Whats wrong with her" Yates asks, watching as Jo just stands there silently, staring off into space.
"Almost certainly post-hypnotic alienation" the Doctor replies.
"She's been hypnotized?" He asks.
"Well of course. Why else do you think she tried to blow us all to pieces?" The Doctor explains before leading the catatonic Jo over toward a chair.
"Come on, my dear, come and sit down over here. Get a chair, Captain Yates. Come on, you sit down. There. Good" the Doctor talks as she does so, sitting on the chair Yates brought over.
"Well, I understood that under hypnosis it was impossible for..." Yates begins but the Doctor talks over him.
"You thought that under hypnosis it is impossible for a subject to be persuaded to do anything that was against his nature?"
"That's right" Yates replies.
"Well, it's a fallacy, Captain. The Master can completely control the human mind"
"I can attest to that, the Master is incredibly skilled in taking control of human minds...I've seen what he's capable of" I speak up, raising my left hand to show a bit of the bandages under my sleeve, both Yates and the Doctor looks over, the Doctor's eyes widening for a second before they narrow and darken.
I meet his gaze and smile softly "but I'm alright now" I try to reassure, though he doesn't look very convinced.
"Did he take you under his control?" Yates asks in shock, I shake my head.
"No, but he took others, and used them" I reply.
"Do you need medical attention? I can bring up the bases doctor" Benton says quickly, I smile back at him.
"No, thank you. I really am alright, I'm well on the way to recovery, and I've gotten much needed rest before arriving" I reassure, he nods and smiles, seeming relieved.
"If you're sure you're alright. Then Doctor, can he control anyone? Any human I mean?" Benton asks.
"No, not quite. No, some minds are stubborn enough to resist hypnosis. In any case, it doesn't last. Away from the Masters influence, the mind struggles constantly to free itself" the Doctor explains.
Yates had crouched down beside Jo's chair and asks "is she in some sort of trance?"
"I think the current Jargon is schizoid dissociation. It's because she was forced to do something against her will and her conscious mind refuses to accept the fact. The result is a deep trauma"
"Jo? Where's the Master?" Yates asks her, in a level tone, hoping for anything, though she doesn't move, barely breathing she was so out of it.
"She won't remember that" the Doctor says.
"But she might. Jo, where is the Master?" He asks again.
I frown softly, watching her made me feel uncomfortable, remembering the humans that the Master, in the future, would control and use to hurt people.
I quietly move toward the Tardis, trying to not draw attention to myself, though the Doctor looks over as I quietly open her door.
"Rose?" He asks quietly.
I look back and smile a little "I'm alright, I'll be back in a few minutes" I reassure before quickly slipping inside.
I smile softly seeing the classic Tardis desktop, I pause at the console, resting against it gently as she hums warmly around me, then the door opens behind me.
I turn to see the Doctor coming in, I frown a little "you should be trying to wake up Jo" I say concerned.
"I need to check on you first, my dear" he says, coming over in long strides before stopping in front of me.
I smile up at him softly "I told you, I'm alright" I retort.
"You're lying" he says confidently.
I hesitate for a second, and he meets my gaze "you don't need to lie, not to me" he says softer now, raising his hand, he seems to hesitate for a moment before gently cupping my cheek in one hand, I lean into his touch, relaxing a little.
"You're afraid to meet the Master again so soon" he says, not really a question, but I nod anyways.
"To my knowledge, this will be the first time he ever meets me...and he scares me...he's predictable enough I believe I know what will happen when he sees me" I say honestly.
He moves closer and pulls me into a protective hug "then let me protect you. Stay with me at all times, I won't let anything happen to you"
I hug back tightly, relaxing more and closing my eyes "what if he tries to hurt you to get to me?" I ask softly.
"I'd like to see him try" he says confidently, I giggle a little.
"You'd fight him for me? My knight in shining armor" I tease softly, feeling his laugh thrum through his chest as he kisses the top of my head.
"Gladly, Darling" he replies softly.
"Alright, I'll stay with you, though I'd like to grab something if thats alright" I ask.
He nods and lets me go "of course, I will go work on waking up Jo" he says, I nod and hop up onto my tip toes, kissing his cheek happily before heading to my room quickly, my cheeks warm.
Once in my room I move to change, carefully changing into a pair of blue jeans, dark green shirt and my black coat with the dark red inner lining, then I pull on my boots, moving slowly and carefully so as to not agitate my still healing wounds.
I look in the mirror in my joined bathroom, fixing my hair to lay down more like a pixie cut now, as well as inspecting my eyes.
The blue ring had gotten bigger, taking up a little more of the space where the brown used to be, it's unsettling to say the least, but it didn't seem to be causing any harm, nor worry from the Doctor, so I decide it can't be anything bad.
I step out of the bathroom and can see a small bag on my bed, a satchel style brown leather bag.
I pick it up curiously and open it, finding my phone, a sketch book, my meds, pens and pencils, a few little trinkets I didn't know the use of, and a small black draw string bag in the very bottom.
I look up curiously "do I need to be concerned about all of this?" I ask aloud.
She hums warmly and I hear a flutter of paper so I look back down, finding a sticky note on the bag that reads 'not at all, he may just bore you'
I laugh softly "lots of hanging about then?"
She hums again with a bit of humor, I nod "alright, thank you. Try to keep yourself busy as well" I say as I pull my phone out and stick it in my pocket, then clip the bag closed and pull it on over my shoulder.
I head out of my room and through the hallways, humming a little as I go, trying to not focus on who we were up against now.
As I step out of the Tardis, Jo is awake and panicking.
I come over quickly, leaning down to be at her eye level and smiling gently "it's alright, Jo. Breathe. You're safe now and you haven't hurt any of us" I reassure.
"But I almost did!' She protests.
"I know, but that wasn't you" I glance up as one of the staff doctors comes into the room, then I look back to her "why don't you go with the staff doctor, he can check you over and you can rest" I say softly, helping her to stand slowly.
She tries to protest but we all assure her it was for the best, so she gives in after a while and is taken away to get looked at.
I push the chair she had been seated in, back against the wall where it had been before.
"Rose. I have a few things I need to work on, would it bore you terribly to keep me company?" The Doctor asks as the others had left for their own duties.
I smile softly "I suppose so. If I get too bored I may just take a nap" I say happily, being a little dramatic, my heart swelling seeing his fond smile and the roll of his eyes.
He gets to work on his projects, and I hang around, helping grab things for him, watching him or pulling my sketchbook out and sitting across the room from him, which grabs his attention.
"Am I distracting you with my humming?" He asks, not looking at me.
I smile softly and look up from my drawing "not at all, I enjoy it. I'm just working on something, so I needed a better perspective" I half explain, looking back down and continuing.
"Are you drawing me?" He asks, now looking up.
"It's possible I suppose. You'll have to wait and see" I shrug.
He chuckles softly but gets back to his work.
It's a good hour or two later when I hear the door open, so I look up to see Jo coming back in.
I frown worriedly and set my things down as the Doctor asks "hello Jo. you feeling better?"
"Yes, I'm fine thank you" she replies.
"That's good" he says, tinkering with something small.
I put my stuff back into my bag and throw it over my shoulders.
"I just wanted to say how sorry I am" she says sincerely.
I smile softly and come over to stand beside her at the table, leaning on it a little.
"What on earth for?" The Doctor asks.
"The bomb. I might have killed you all" she says incredulous.
"It wasn't your fault in the slightest. Don't blame yourself. The Master is a dangerous man" I tell her gently, making her look toward me.
"Oh but..." she's cut off when the Brigadier comes in.
"You're supposed to be on sick leave Miss Grant" he says, walking over, nodding to me with a smile, I return the smile and give him a small salute.
"I'm okay again now sir" she replies.
"Oh, so you recovered your memory then?" He asks.
"No, I'm afraid I haven't. I've tried and tried to remember" she explains.
"Yes, well don't. It'll only make things worse" the Doctor interjects.
"Leave your mind alone, something may pop up of its own accord"
"Yes, but we can't just sit about waiting for something to pop up from Miss Grants mind. If my agents don't turn up something soon, I'm going to surround and search every factory on that list" The Brigadier retorts.
"You know Brigadier, your methods have all the refined subtlety of a bull in a china shop" the Doctor retorts, I snort a little and shake my head, though now that I was thinking about it...
'Should I tell them...? I could save a few lives I think...but then again, it could also get a lot more people killed...damn it...'
I zone back in to see Captain Yates was here now.
"-and he found that a circus had just left"
"Uh? Where's the circus now?" The Doctor asks.
"Tarminster" Yates replies.
"I'll get some of my men down there with photographs of Philips. Someone at the circus may have seen him" The Brigadier says to the Doctor.
"I haven't been to a circus for years. I think I'll go myself"The Doctor replies.
"Alright, Doctor. I'll get you an escort"
"No thank you Brigadier. I'll go with just Rose if you don't mind. Don't want a lot of soldiers crashing about, do we?" The Doctor says, I nod a little and stand up straighter.
"Can I come?" Jo asks hopefully.
"Er, no, Miss Grant, I don't think so. Not just yet" he relies.
"But I'm fine now" she protests.
"Miss Grant" Alistair warns.
"I'll need some photographs of that man Philip" the Doctor says.
"Oh, they're in my office, but I still don't see why you don't want members of my company to come with you" Alistair retorts as he and the Doctor walk out, I move to go with, but I pause half way to the door as Jo speaks up.
"Why is he letting you go with him?" She asks me, I look back and smile softly.
"Because I'm...well...lets just say I've known and traveled with the Doctor for years, my whole life really. I know how to handle many of the situations and trials we come across, and I know that the Doctor will protect me. Be safe Jo, and you Mike" I nod to Yates before following after the Doctor and Alistair quickly.
I find my way to The Brigadiers office and meet up with the Doctor as he's leaving the room.
"Ah, perfect timing my dear. Shall we?" He asks, holding his hand out, I take it and nod, smiling more.
"I'm ready if you are"
We head down to the garage to find Bessie, I hop in with him and he starts her up.
"How are you doing? How is your arm?" He asks as we pull out of the underground parking lot.
"It's alright, still sore but much better than it was before" I say, flexing my left hand to test it.
He nods and seems to relax a little.
The rest of the drive is in a comfortable silence, and I enjoy it quietly, knowing soon we would be bound and tied inside a stuffy trailer.
We soon pull up into the circus, I hop out with the Doctor and we watch as the elephants are being led out of the large colorful tent.
I follow the Doctor as he goes to ask one of the men guiding the elephants if he'd seen the man in the photos.
I glance behind myself to see Jo peaking up from the back seat of Bessie, I roll my eyes and smile before looking back to the Doctor, moving casually so I stand in his view of the car.
The Doctor continues to go around asking others and I follow quietly, hands in my pockets as I watch, smiling fondly.
After striking out again and again, we wander away from the main tent and the Doctor notices something, a light sky blue truck with a dark blue line going all around it, I smirk as he seems to sense the thing was off.
We get to the back door and he looks to me "you should return to Bessie, wait for me there" he says seriously.
I pause for a second before nodding, which takes him a bit by surprise, so I smile softly.
"Alright, just be really careful alright?" I ask, he smiles and nods, kissing my forehead affectionately.
I quickly return to the car and watch cautiously as the Doctor is grabbed and taken away from the car.
I chuckle a little as I see Jo watching the kidnapping as well so I silently sneak up on her, leaning down to see past her shoulder.
"What are we looking at?" I whisper, making her jump and nearly yelp.
She presses her hand to her heart and looks to me in shock and then guilt.
"How did you know I'd be here?" She asks softly.
I smile more "I'm just full off surprises I suppose. Now, shall we scout around or follow them?" I ask.
She glances back around the truck we were hidden behind then back to me "follow, I should think, but first we should phone the Brigadier" she says.
I nod and smile more "sounds like a plan to me, lets find a pay phone" I say and we turn to go and find one quickly.
"Oh but I don't have any money" Jo says after we had found a phone, and she was checking her pockets.
I frown "ok hold on, my friend packed me a bag, lets see if she gave me any money" I say, pulling my bag open and looking inside, no money, but there was that little black bag.
I pull it out and open it, and I can't help the soft laugh as I can see down inside it, it was most certainly bigger on the inside, and I could see different currency from who knows where.
"Jo, what does the pay phone take?" I ask quickly.
She looks to it and says "pennies"
I nod and reach int, finding a few and I pull them out and hand them over, Jo was staring at me, and I realized it looked strange for me to put my arm up to my elbow into a bag no bigger than a modern woman's pants pocket.
I smile at her shock "you'll get used to it"
She nods slowly before shaking herself out of it and phoning the Brigadier quickly.
I keep watch quietly as she does, making sure no one would come to see what was going on.
After the call we sneak over to the parked trailers and begin peaking inside each one until Jo quickly ducks down from one window "he's inside here, with the men who grabbed him" she whispers quickly, I nod.
"Alright, we have to wait here for a few minutes, until that man..." just before I can finish, said man then heads out of the trailer to call his 'boss'.
We sneak around to the door and I open it a tiny bit, being as quiet as possible, I make eye contact with the Doctor and he gets to work keeping his guards attention.
"You've got no right to keep me here, you know. I've got a good mind to call for help. Help. Help. Help!" The Doctor says loudly, his guard comes over, grabbing a rag from the table and shoving it into the Doctors mouth to silence him.
Me and Jo move in, Jo grabs a glass vase near the door and I move around her quickly, getting into the guards view for just a second before the vase is broken over his head.
I rush around and begin untying the Doctor's arms as Jo removes the gag.
"What the blazes are you dong here? I told you to stay at headquarters. And Rose, you should have stayed at the car" he says angrily.
"Jo had the foresight to call for backup, and I supplied the coin" I joke happily, making Jo laugh a little.
I get the Doctor's bindings off and stand quickly.
"I've also seen Professor Philips" Jo says.
"Oh, where?" The Doctor asks and Jo points out the window.
"He went into that horsebox, over there" she replies.
The Doctor stands, I look out the window as Jo steps out onto the step in the doorway, looking toward said horsebox, with the Doctor looking out past her shoulder.
They both then come back into the trailer "what on earth is he doing inside a horsebox?" Jo asks.
"It isn't exactly a horsebox. It just happens to look like one" the Doctor explains.
"You mean there isn't a horse inside?" Jo asks, confused.
"No more than there's a policeman inside my police box" he says.
I move away from the window and look to both of them nervously.
"So what do we do now?" Jo asks.
The Doctor begins to speak "well..." but the mad Philips rushes into the trailer, holding up a silver rod in his hand.
I freeze as the other two turn to him quickly "wait! Philips wait! Don't move Jo, Rose" The Doctor orders us quickly.
"What's he holding?" Jo asks in fear, glancing to me but I keep my eyes on the man.
"Some sort of a grenade. Now, Philips, you listen to me. You are about to commit murder" the Doctor says seriously, he reaches back cautiously and gently grabs my hand, squeezing it so I squeeze back, not taking my eyes off the man.
"I must. He said I must!" The man retorts.
"Wait. You just listen. The Master is controlling your mind. You must resist him. You can resist him. You are professor George Philips of the Radio Telescope research center. You must resist him!" The Doctor orders the shaking man.
Philips turns and rushes out the door, gasping and whimpering in his struggle for his own mind.
My eyes widen and I let go of the Doctor's hand, rushing to the door as the Doctor yells for me to stop.
"Philips! Throw it!" I yell, but it's too late, I cover my face and turn my back as the grenade goes off, killing him then and there.
The Doctor runs over, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me away from the door for a moment.
I look out the door sadly to see the professors body laying face down, the bomb had gone off not far from ahead of him, killing him instantly.
The Doctor takes my hand and we rush out, I release the Doctors hand and he crouches down, turning the man over and he sees the man is clutching onto something in his fist.
Jo looks away but I keep watching sadly, the Doctor opens the mans hand and finds a key.
"What happened?" Jo asks sadly.
The Doctor stands and comes to us "he tried to get rid of it...poor chap" he says solemnly.
I nod and as the Doctor and Jo head off I kneel beside the mans body, removing his glasses and closing his eyes gently, setting his glasses onto the ground beside him before following after the others quietly.
Even after all this time, all of the death and destruction I've seen, death still hits me, especially when it was someone I could have saved, someone I should have tried harder to save.
I catch up with them as the Doctor hops into the horsebox, I hear yelling and turning around I see the owner and his circus cronies running at us with weapons.
I quickly step back as the Doctor steps forward to meet them head on.
"Now, wait a minute. Listen to me. Now listen to me, all of you!" The Doctor shouts, hands up to try and placate them.
"Tried to rob my caravan and killed one of my men with a bomb! Get 'em!" the owner shouts angrily, raising his bat.
I step forward quickly and without thinking, I raise my bag and let it take the baseball bat hit, sending a painful shock through my arms, the Doctor quickly pulls me back and away as a police car comes roaring in, sirens blaring as we are mobbed by the, well, mob.
Beating on us all with their weapons and trying to injure us as much as possible, I manage to grab one of their poles and yank it from the man, shoving him back with it, but I drop it as we are all pulled out of the mod of angry people and rushed into the back seat of the police car.
I let out a shaky breath as we are driven away, my hands shaking a little as I look to the two others "are you two alright?" I ask quickly.
"Bruised all over, but I'll be alright" Jo says, rubbing her bruised shoulder.
"What on earth do you think you were doing? Taking that hit?" The Doctor asks seriously, looking me over quickly in worry.
I grimace a little "I didn't really think about it. Just sort of did it on instinct" I say, shrugging a little as he sighs and shakes his head.
Figuring I was alright he reaches into his coat and pulls out the Tardis component.
"Thank heavens. Nothing damaged" he says softly before look to the police men in front of us.
"It's a good thing you chaps turned up when you did, otherwise we might have been lynched. Lethbridge Stewart must have sent them. Yes, it's nice to know he can use his head once in a while" he finishes looking to me and Jo.
I gulp and keep my eyes on the men in front of us.
"Doctor" Jo says, gently bumping his arm and he warns her to be careful but she ignores his warning.
"Where are they taking us?" She asks.
The Doctor looks up and around now "well it certainly isn't Tarminster" he says.
"It's some sort of a quarry" she says.
"Excuse me officer, could I see your warrant card?" The Doctor asks after putting the component back into his coat pockets.
The officer turns to us and I grimace seeing the dead soulless plastic face.
The Doctor leans forward and tears away the false face, making Jo gasps in shock and fear.
"Shit" I mutter.
The Doctor quickly acts, hitting the driver and sending the car careening off the road and into a large pile of boulders, stopping the cop car.
We scramble out of the car as the Autons try to follow, one of their doors being stick shut.
The Doctor had grabbed my hand and wasn't letting it go as we ran, however, as we go an explosion hits a rock right beside me, making me let go of the Doctor's hand and leap to the side to avoid being hit by the debris.
I look up to see Jo and the Doctor waiting for me, but I could hear the Autons close behind now so I gesture for them to keep going, the Doctor shakes his head and goes to speak but Jo grabs his arm and pulls him back.
I jump quickly down a small embankment that had an overhang a few feet down, so I slide down and into the cover, my heart pumping.
I cover my mouth with my sleeve to suppress any sounds of breathing, and I get an idea as I hear the Autons coming, so I reach down, making sure to stay hidden, and picking up a rock, I throw it a ways away, causing noise in that direction, hoping it would fool them into thinking I had continued running down into the gully.
Pressing my back into the dirt hill, I listen closely at the footsteps above me, after a few moments of silence, the two pairs of footsteps begin to move away, making me relax a little.
'Ok. Now to sneak out to meet with the cars...'
I wait another few seconds to ensure they weren't coming back, before I make a break for it out of the cover and back up the hill, I then head back toward where I can see a road leading out of the quarry.
I flinch and cover my ears as I hear gunshots not far from me, meaning UNIT had arrived just in time.
Then I hear the car being driven behind me, so I speed up, running to the road as the car sounded closer and closer.
I can hear yelling but I ignore it until I see the car come around a large bend, I stick my hand out quickly and wave them down, the car comes to a screeching halt beside me and the Doctor tosses the back door open, which I promptly jump into and we speed off.
I land in the Doctor's lap and sigh in relief as he pulls me into a hug, which I return.
"Good to see you made it out" he murmurs, I tighten my arms around him.
"Me too...I hate those stupid plastic bastards" I grumble softly, hearing both Alistair and Jo chuckle at that.
It's not too long before we make it back to headquarters, and once inside the building I relax more, tension leaving my shoulders as I step into the Doctor's lab, smiling fondly at the Tardis.
I pause for a moment as the Doctor comes in, looking to see he was already watching me.
"Are you alright? They didn't touch you, did they?" He asks, as we were now alone.
I shake my head and smile "nope, I'm all in one piece. I hid down a hill and under an outcropping. I don't think they even knew I was there" I say honestly.
He sighs in relief and gently cups my cheek, leaning down to be closer to my eye level "I'm very happy to hear it. I may have gone back to finish them off had they done something to you" he says, though it was in a joking tone, I knew he wasn't really joking.
I lean into his touch and giggle a little, slightly shaking my head fondly and taking his free hand into mine "you don't need to beat anyone up. I promise. Thank you though, it means a lot to me that you care" I say honestly.
His eyes soften even more and he gently pulls me into a kiss, which I return happily, releasing his hand and grabbing the front of his jacket to pull him in closer.
We both jump hearing someone clear their throat, I look to find Alistair smirking at us both.
I laugh and shake my head as the Doctor glares at him "would you mind knocking next time? And here I was thinking you had some semblance of manners" the Doctor gripes.
I gently smack his arm and then point at Alistair half jokingly as I say "no 'I told you so's or I will find a way to make you have way more paperwork than necessary for a whole week" I fire at him.
Alistair chuckles and holds his hands up in defense "I haven't said anything. I have no clue what you could be referring to" he retorts.
I chuckle a little and as the Brigadier goes to set up the presentation he was going to show, I look up to the Doctor "I think I'm going to step out and grab a cup of coffee, there's a good little cafe not far from here. Do you want anything?" I ask.
He thinks for a second before shaking his head "no. I'm alright. Though I don't feel comfortable with you going out on your own. Let me accompany you" he says, but I shake my head.
"You need to stay here and listen to the Brigadier" I say.
He frowns in an almost pout "really, I don't need to listen to his speeches. I'm sure there are enough men to satisfy his need for an audience" he retorts.
I chuckle and shake my head "Doctor, really"
"If we move quickly enough, we can be back for his boring routine. I'm sure he won't mind, even if we come back a little late" he bargains.
I sigh fondly "I'm not going to win this, am I?"
He smirks and shakes his head "not in the least, Darling. Now, do you need to grab anything from the Tardis before we are off?"
I shake my head and pat my bag at my side "nope, I've got everything I need here"
He nods and offers me his arm "then shall we?"
I nod and take his arm "we shall"
We head off quickly, not wanting to be caught by Alistair, we make it out without incident and head down the street.
The Doctor is quietly talking about this area, as he had ample time to explore it while being stuck here by himself, and instead of the cafe I had been thinking we should stop at, he instead leads me away from it and down a few side streets.
We end up at a nice small cafe that I hadn't even known existed, and we chat happily about anything and everything, though we veer away from discussing whats been happening and the Master, which I'm thankful for.
As we head off, a to-go bag of muffins for later in my hand, the other holding the Doctor's, the Doctor speaks up, though in a softer voice.
"You don't need to hold my hand, you know. I understand humans would find our relationship, well, rather odd at best" he murmurs, his grip on my hand loosening slightly.
I however tighten my hold, smiling up at him softly "you forget. I couldn't care less what humans think" I look ahead of us as we cross a street, making sure to not get run over "I love you. No one's opinion will change that, and it never will. And anyways, I'd like to let others know you're taken" I hum happily, feeling his grip on my hand tighten again, my heart warming as I see his smile widen out of the corner of my eye.
We make it back to headquarters and I part ways with him, telling him I'd be back soon before quickly heading deeper into the building.
I find what I'm looking for in the small room that Alistair had designated as my own little office/work room.
Setting the bag of muffins on the table, I go to one of the cabinets along the wall and begin to rifle through the papers inside, and after not too long I find the form.
The last time I had been here, I helped hire some people for Alistair, as he had been busy and I had set aside some of the profiles I wanted to look through thoroughly, and knowing it would be a little bit of time before anything else were to happen, I sit at the desk and pick out the one I had been wanting to see the most.
Opening up the folder I cant stop the smile as I see a photo of Clara, I look over her file, seeing she goes by Oswin Oswald here as well, she's looking for a job in UNIT, though it lists multiple different jobs she was looking at, so I grab a pen and without reading much more, I close the file, write on a small bracket area "Approved by The Doctor's adviser" before setting it onto the out going mail from my room.
I spend the next few days getting more work done, often bringing it into the lab to keep the Doctor company as he tries to keep his mind occupied and not get bored.
Though when I finish my work, I get more sketching done, the Doctor often coming over to see what it was I was doing, as he would work for hours on one small project then get bored.
I could tell he was beginning to get very frustrated about there not being any news on anything, Jo often there to check on us and bring us any news though there was so little she usually just came to hang out or bring us drinks.
I look up from my work, zoning in on the room to see Jo at the Doctor's desk, the Doctor holding a few stapled together papers as he stands, moving away from his desk a little, flipping through them a little aggressively as he reads aloud.
"-Nothing to report. Business appears to be proceeding normally. No unusual activity. Everything checked and found in order. Report completely negative. Nothing to report so far. Will continue to search. It's worthless! Absolutely worthless" he growls, tearing up the papers and tossing them onto the floor before he leans a little on one arm on his desk, the other moving to his hip.
I sigh softly as Jo chastises him.
"Days of exhaustive investigation by the Brigadiers banned of bloodhounds and what have they discovered? Nothing, absolutely nothing. The incompetent imbeciles" moving his hands into his jackets pockets.
"We're doing everything possible, Doctor" Jo retorts, obviously a little exasperated.
I set my pen down and close the folder I had been working in, watching closely.
"No news from any of those plastic factories?" He asks.
"Well, there were those reports of a promotional tour" Jo points out.
The Doctor had moved closer, standing across the table form Jo now, leaning against it with his arms "my dear girl, the Master is scarcely likely to advertise what he's doing" the Doctor chastises seriously, making me frown a little, knowing that was exactly what he was doing.
"I suppose not" Jo gives in.
"I will not give up. He's lying low somewhere and we've got to find him" the Doctor says seriously, rapping his knuckles against the table top once.
"Maybe he's given up" Jo says hopefully.
"The Master? Never. He's too conceited" the Doctor says seriously, moving away to look out the window, standing near to my desk now, and I see past him at the face Jo made.
I meet her gaze and share a small knowing smile before the door is opened by the Brigadier, bringing with him a man who carried a briefcase.
"Doctor. This is Mister Brownrose from the Ministry. He's come to us with a rather alarming story" Alistair explains.
The Doctor doesn't turn around as he rubs the back of his neck to try and release a bit of tension "yes, well, I'm no in the mood for stories" he retorts.
I roll my eyes and stand as the man looks to Alistair in aggravation "it this man a member of your staff?"
I smile warmly at the man as Alistair explains "the Doctor is our scientific consultant, along with Miss Rose there, yes. And his assistant Miss Grant"
"How do you do" the man says, nodding to me and Jo, before saying to Alistair "I hope he's qualified to deal with a matter of this complexity"
I nod as the Doctor finally turns, offended at the insinuation.
"I think you'll find, sir, that I'm qualified to deal with practically everything, if I choose"
I step closer to the Doctor as the man speaks to Alistair grumpily "try to be a little understanding, the poor man is obviously just as frustrated as you are, and probably hasn't slept well in some time" I murmur softly, he nods and softly kisses my forehead before turning his attention back to the other men.
"It's not something to be shuffled off onto some stray Baffin, you know" Brownrose says indignantly, making me grimace a little.
"Now just a moment, my good man. we at UNIT are very busy with a number of extremely urgent matters" the Doctor snaps, fixing the sleeves of his jacket before moving over toward them.
"Doctor, please" Alistair says, glancing to me as if to ask for help, but I just shrug a little and nod to the Doctor.
"The Brigadier has a great deal on his plate. You cannot expect his exclusive attention for your petty concerns" The Doctor fires off.
The Brigadier in question seems a bit surprised but stays quiet now as the man infront of us looks like an angry ruffled bird, obviously not used to being talked to like this, his indignation visible.
"Oh, can't I sir? Now, I'll have you know that my..."
The Doctor cuts him off mid sentence, not letting the man push his authority around "who's in charge of you pen pushers these days? Old Tubby Rowlands isn't it?"
"Lord Rowlands is head of our department, yes" Brownrose says, looking like he was physically restraining himself from hitting the Doctor.
"I was saying to him in the club only the other day, wrong sort of chap is creeping into your lot, Tubby, I said" the Doctor retorts.
"Well, of course, I didn't mean to imply anything offensive" the man retorts, putting on a fake smile.
"No. No of course not. Say no more about it. Right now, Brigadier, what's your problem?" The Doctor asks, seeming to relax a little, knowing he had won the little spat, looking to Alistair.
"Pretty serious, Doctor. A wave of sudden deaths all over the Home Countries" Alistair explains, walking closer.
"Cause?" The Doctor asks.
I speak up as I walk over "asphyxiation, heart failure, shock" using the words the man in front of us would have said, and it seems to do just what I intended it to, Brownrose now looked at me with wide confused eyes, and I just smile at him.
"In other words, no satisfactory explanation at all" Alistair says.
"I..." Brownrose clears his throat and continues, not looking at me now "I'm afraid not"
"Some kind of virus?" Jo asks.
"There's no evidence of infection" he continues.
"Any connection between the victims?" The Doctor asks.
"None whatsoever. Different ages, sexes and occupations. Apart from the first two deaths, there's no connection at all"
"What about the first two?" The Doctor asks.
"Well, the first was a man called McDermott, the second, Farrel" Brownrose says.
"Farrel?" Jo asks.
"Production Manager and retired owner of the same plastics factory"
At that, the Doctor and Alastair look to each other in realization and quickly everything gets moving, Alistair orders for a car to come and get them to go out to interview one of the deceaseds wife, but as everyone is getting ready to leave, the Doctor pulls me aside, I go to speak but he stops me.
"I'm not stopping you from coming, the opposite actually. I want you to stay with me at all times" he says seriously, I relax and smile a little, nodding.
"I won't be more than a few feet away at all times. I'd rather stay close for this one" I agree, he smiles and nods before we get moving quickly.
We make it to the woman's house and the others get to asking the poor woman about what had happened.
I stay standing quietly behind the couch the Doctor was seated in, not really focusing on the conversation as I look around the living room, then the woman stands and the others do as well, I watch as she shows them the horrid little goblin like doll, making me grimace a little.
"It's odd, you know" she says thoughtfully.
"What is?" Asks the Doctor.
"Well, when I went out of the room, the thing was on the radiator by the door" she explains.
"Yes?" The Doctor probes.
"But after they'd taken John away, I found it under the curtains. It was as if it was trying to get out" she says with a bit of a soft laugh, obviously thinking of it as a sort of funny thing, a little oddity.
Though looking at the thing, even from across the room from me, it gave me shivers, the stupid little plastic teeth.
We soon head back to UNIT and everyone gathers in the Doctor's lab to look the things over.
I sneak away and head into the Tardis quietly, moving to the console as I think, leaning against the warm humming metal.
"Hey...I have a request" I say aloud.
The ship hums around me curiously and I smile fondly " I'm...nervous. About seeing the Master soon...is there something I can use, something to give me a way to contact the Doctor, if my phone and bag gets taken? Something like a hidden tracker or something?" I ask.
After a few moments I hear paper fluttering and look down to find a note on the console, picking it up I read "my dear sister, surely you know the answer to how to contact him"
I sigh softly and look to the center piece "he doesn't know about that yet, and I don't know when he first finds it out. I mean what would happen if I opened it without him being aware of it yet? Or if it is even there for him now...I don't think it would be a good idea" I reply.
But I get nothing back, no other notes or sounds, making me sigh and stuff the note into my bag and leave the Tardis again.
I step out just as the Brigadier is stepping out, the Doctor looking to Mike and Jo.
"Jo, nobody it to touch that thing until I've had the change to examine it properly, all right?" The Doctor says seriously.
"Don't worry, I won't go anywhere near it. Blegh" she says more to herself and Mike as the Doctor heads out as well, holding the door as he looks back to find me following.
"You must stay close" he says softly as we head down the hallway.
I nod and smile softly "I have no intention of going anywhere else"
The Doctor grabs his cloak and we head down, meeting up with Alistair in the garage and then we are off to the factory.
I stay quiet on the drive, my nerves beginning to show up again.
The Doctor takes my hand softly in his own as he talks with Alastair, knowing I needed something to ground me to the present, I squeeze his hand softly in thanks.
Once we arrive I hop out after them and follow along behind them closely, not wanting to be more than a few feet from the Doctor, just in the off chance that something were to happen.
"Is anybody there?" Alistair calls out into the large empty factory, the large side bay door wide open, his voice echos through the room and then we head on, not stepping inside just yet.
We get around to a main lobby door and the Doctor pulls on the door, finding it unlocked even with seemingly no one home.
"It's open" he says a bit surprised, then we head inside, finding our way back into a large main office, and as I look around, the Doctor finds a yellow plastic daffodil on the floor and hands it to me "hang onto it for me, will you?" He asks, I nod and set it into my bag as the Brigadier asks.
"What do you want it for? They give those things away with soap"
It's plastic, Brigadier, and any plastic artifact, anything at all, can, in the Nestene sense of the word, be alive. First a doll, then a flower" the Doctor explains.
"What are you getting at, Doctor?" The man asks.
"Wish I knew" the Doctor says before going over to a large safe set into the wall, before he begins to mess with the combination lock "oh, have a look at that desk, old chap, will you?" He asks Alistair, who quickly does so.
"You never know, there might be something there to give us a lead" the Doctor says.
I look through different filing cabinets around the room, not finding very much.
"Oh, nothing much here. Unless this might be something" the Brigadier says as he finds a piece of paper on the desk top.
"Hmm?" Hums the Doctor.
"Farrell ordered a coach this week. A fifteen-seater"
"Well, maybe he's going on a works outing"
I move to lean on the desk quietly, watching as the other two worked, as I realized I didn't remember exactly what came next, so I close my eyes and try to recall the episode, I didn't want to be walking into a bad situation without knowing as much as possible first,
Just as I was getting lost in thought, I jump as I hear the Doctor shout "Look out! Auton!" As he got the safe door open.
I duck down behind the desk as the Brigadier drops to the floor as well, just barely missing being hit by the things shot.
The Doctor kicks the door shut and twists the knob, locking it back again quickly "Remarkably persistent, aren't they?" He asks as I look over the desk before I let out a breathy laugh, standing.
"I'm sure they'd take that as a compliment" I huff.
We leave the place quickly, heading back to the lab and when we arrive, we find Jo and Mike, with the plastic doll in pieces on the table.
I move off to the side to just observe for now, still partially trying to remember the episode while focusing on the conversation in front of me.
"This thing actually attacked you?" Alistair asks.
"It was going to if Mike hadn't shot it. It was horrible" Jo explains.
"Seems as though you may be right, Doctor" Alistair says.
"I usually am" said man replies, with a small knowing smile, I meet his gaze and shake my head, smiling softly at his cockiness, he returns the smile with a bright one of his own.
"Well, it's dead enough now" Alistair continues.
"Jo, where were you when this thing started moving?" The Doctor asks.
"I was on the telephone"
"And what about you, Captain Yates?" He continues.
"I wasn't here. I'd just gone out to, er...fetch some cocoa" Mike says as casually as he could, not looking to the Doctor.
"Yes, well something must have...fetch a tin of what?" The Doctor asks.
"Cocoa" Mike repeats.
"Are you trying to tell me that you were going to make cocoa in my lab?" The Doctor asks, incredulous.
"That was the general idea. I'm sorry, Doctor" Mike apologizes.
"Yes, well, Sargent...now wait a minutes. You didn't by any chance use my Bunsen burner, did you?" He asks.
"Well, yes" Mike replies, seeming to be ready for a good chastising, but the Doctor seems to have realized the possible trigger.
"Well thats it then. Heat! This thing was lying alongside my Bunsen. It must have triggered off by a pre-determined temperature" the Doctor realizes, moving to look to me, so I pull out the plastic flower and come over, handing it to him.
"Yes, that may account for Farrel's death, Doctor. What about all the others?" Alistair asks.
"If this thing is what I think it is, we may have the answer right here. Right, off you go, the whole lot of you" he says, and so Mike and Alistair leave, though Jo stays behind, coming over to stand beside us.
"Me too?" She asks.
"Yes, you too. No, no, you go down to the stores and see if you can chase up that Mister Campbell, all right?" He says quickly.
She nods "okay" before she heads off.
The Doctor sets the flower onto the table top before moving to hang his cape up on the stand beside the Tardis, and just then, the phone begins to ring, so he goes to pick it up as I look over the flower again.
"Hello, yes? What is it?" He asks into the receiver.
Then after the person on the other end speaks, he looks shocked and moves to sit down, I frown and then my eyes widen as I remember who it was.
"Who is this? What do you want?" He demands.
"Wait! No!" I shout, jumping forward, but its too late as a horrible ear splitting screech comes from the phone and the long phone wire begins to move of its own accord, quickly wrapping around the Doctor.
I grab the cable to try and stop it from getting tighter, but it doesn't do much, so I move to follow the wire, quickly pulling it from the wall and it falls limp, not being controlled any longer.
The Brigadier comes into the room in a concerned rush "what on earth is going on here? You alright Doctor?" He asks, as he comes over.
"Yes. More or less, thanks to Rose here" the Doctor replies as I help him get untangled from the cord.
"Well it seems Rose cut your connection" Alistair replies cheekily, making me smile a little and the Doctor to roll his eyes.
I wind up the cable and set it onto the table for later, my focus slipping as I try to recall more of this story, ignoring the Doctor and Alistairs conversation.
'What is the Master doing now...something...the daffodils! The Master will have them handed out...'
I jump slightly as a hand is laid on my shoulder, looking up I see the Doctor looking down at me in concern "are you alright, my dear? I've called you several times" he asks.
I relax and nod, smiling softly "yes, sorry, I was just thinking about all of this. I need to go and speak with the Brigadier" I explain, he seems to relax and then we part ways, me heading quickly toward Alistairs office.
However, as I turn a corner someone grabs me, wrapping one hand over my mouth and the other arm around me forcefully, I can't even scream as the hand was pressed so tightly over my mouth.
I'm dragged into a storage cupboard, struggling as much as I can, but the hand covers my nose as well now, cutting off my air supply, so I struggle harder, desperate to get out of here, and terrified that I'd be at the Master's mercy yet again.
I move to try and bite the hand, but all it is, is a slightly warm plastic, tasting awful and hurting my teeth.
My vision begins to darken, my limbs feeling heavy and my body frantically trying to breath, but its no use and everything then goes dark.
The next thing I know, I open my eyes to find myself laying on the floor on my side, arms tied and a gag in my mouth.
I blink wildly as I try to figure out where I am, and I realize I'm in the second floor of the Doctor's lab, a sort of half bedroom.
I roll onto my other side but I can see an Auton is standing at the stairway, staring me down, making me stop mid movement, my heart racing.
Then I hear it, someone was walking down the flight of stairs out of my sight, so I close my eyes and listen intently.
"Good afternoon, Doctor" the Master says, obviously heavily enjoying this power play of his "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important"
"No, no, indeed not. You've come here to kill me, of course" the Doctor replies.
"That and one other thing. But not without considerable regret on the part of your death"
"How very comforting" the Doctor drawls "and what is this other thing?" He asks, but the Master ignores his question.
"You see, Doctor, you're my intellectual equal. almost. I have so few worth opponents. When they've gone, I always miss them" the Master continues.
"How did you get in here?" The Doctor asks.
"Oh, don't be trivial Doctor. I see you've been working on the Nestene auto jet. My own small contribution to their invasion plan" the Master brags.
"Vicious, complicated and inefficient. Typical of your way of thinking" the Doctor says seriously.
"Now, come come, Doctor. Death is always more frightening when it strikes invisibly"
"Tell me, how do you intent to activate these flowers?" The Doctor asks.
I open my eyes and carefully sit up, struggling quite a bit, which seems to make the Auton agitated, so I stop moving once sat up, eyes staying on the plastic man.
"Oh, by a radio impulse which the Nestene will send. I shall open the channel for them. We've distributed four hundred and fifty thousand of these daffodils, so when four hundred and fifty thousand people fall dead, the country will be disrupted" the Master brags, feeling very high and mighty right now.
"And in the confusion the Nestene will land their invasion force" the Doctor guesses.
"Exactly. It's a shame that you can't be here to enjoy the chaos and destruction with me. Goodbye, Doctor. And don't worry about the little Flower, she's already mine" the Master says smugly, making me grimace.
Before the Doctor has time to speak, Jo comes running into the room, I can hear everyone freak out for a moment, everyone shouting at once as I know the Master was pointing the gun like object at them.
I struggle a little as I notice the Auton now coming toward me, I try to back out of its way but it bends down and picks me up without much effort, dragging me to my feet and leading me to the stairs and down them.
As I come into view of the others, my heart sinks, meeting the Doctor's fearful wide eyes, I try to smile, even through the gag, to show him I'm alright, but his eyes suddenly darken, narrowing as he looks back to the Master angrily.
"Let her go" he barks, holding up the dematerialization circuit from the Master's own Tardis, a threat.
The Master in turn, points the gun toward me, the Auton pushing me toward him with a tight grip still on my arms, I then feel the cold metal against the side of my head.
"I think I've made my point, Doctor" the Master says seriously, now standing behind me with one hand on my shoulder, holding me firmly in place as I try to spit out the gag, though it didnt work.
"Fine. Just do not hurt her" the Doctor growls angrily, even without the connection there yet, I could feel the energy coming from him, the worry and anger.
The Maser smirks triumphantly "it seems you've found yourself another woman. Did your first wife not satisfy you?" The Master asks, trying to anger the Doctor, and making my heart sink a little at that, I had forgotten he had a wife so long ago, forgotten he had ever married before I came along.
I glare back at the Master and try to shove his hand off my shoulder.
"I think I'll keep her for myself actually. No need to waste such a specimen like her. I think she will be very happy with me, dont you, Doctor? After all, we was destined to be mine in the end" He drawls, I take a sudden step back, managing to shove the Master back a little, trying to make him let go of me, but it doesn't do much more than making us both step back a step.
"I warn you. Let her go, now" the Doctor snaps.
The Master sneers "oh, I will, I mean, of course she would choose you over me, unless..." the Master then forces me to look back at him in the eyes, and instantly my mind begins to feel numb around the edges, like I'm being drugged, and I start to feel a little woozy before I realize just what he is trying to do.
"You wan't to stay with me. You do not trust the Doctor" the Master says seriously, trying to control my mind.
I get an idea and slowly nod, mouthing along with his words.
I can hear the Doctor shout "no!" Behind me, but Jo stops him from advancing, not wanting the Master to pull the trigger.
"Rose! Don't listen to him! He's playing with your mind!" The Doctor shouts, I can hear the fear and worry in his voice, but I manage to keep up the act.
"Now, you will accompany me back to the quarry, we will take the Doctor and Miss Grant with us, I think that should stop the UNIT men from blowing it up" he says, I nod slowly, acting as if he had a hold on my mind, like the many men the Master had mind controlled.
He chuckles triumphantly and has the Auton remove my gag, I stay acting, though it was getting hard with the Doctor constantly calling my name, trying to break the spell they thought the Master had over me.
The Master puts his hands on my shoulders as he looks me over "oh yes. I think you will do nicely as my wife" he hums.
Suddenly I smirk up at him, which seems to catch him off guard as his eyes widen slightly.
"You are an actual idiot Koschei. I'm not some human you can mind control" I laugh before launching forward, slamming my shoulder into the Master's chest and sending him a few steps back in shock, but before I can do much more, and before the Doctor has time to get to me, the Master has his gun pointed at the Doctor and the Auton grabbed me again, its hand folding open as it points its gun at my head.
I look back to the Doctor, smiling widely "don't worry Doctor, he can't control me. Never has been able to and never will be able to" I comment, meeting the Doctor's eyes, proving that I'm alright as the Master fumes beside me.
"Dammit! Stupid girl" he growls at me "it seems the plan has changed yet again. You will drive us to the quarry Doctor. Now" he snaps.
The Doctor agrees and we are all put into Bessie down in the garage, Jo and the Doctor sitting up front, me, the Master and the Auton in the back, both the Master's and the Autons guns trained on me to keep me still and the Doctor compliant.
The drive is silent and we soon pull into the quarry, being unloaded into the brightly colored van, the Master makes me sit on the floor with my back to the wall, the Auton that has been with us, now standing beside me and its gun pressed to my head.
I keep quiet though, we all listen as the Jet got closer and closer to us, ready to strike at any second.
Then it passes over us with nothing happening, everyone seeming to relax.
Then the Master snaps his fingers as he says "now tie these two up" meaning Jo and the Doctor.
The Autons quickly follow orders, tying them up and laying them both on the floor.
I look over to meet the Doctor's gaze, managing a little reassuring smile as his hands are now tied tightly behind his back.
"Farrel?" The Master asks one of the Autons.
"Farrel became undependable" it responds.
"Did he? His father would have been proud of him" the Master retorts, making me glare up at him, but I hold my tongue, not wanting the Doctor or Jo to get hurt more because of something I said.
As Jo is laid down forcibly she cries out in pain , the Master smirking a little and crouching down over them both "yes, Miss Grant, they are a little heavy handed. I apologize for your last moments on earth being so uncomfortable, Doctor"
He reaches down into the Doctor's jacket and pulls out the Tardis's dematerialization circuit "thank you" he says before standing again.
"Right, you come with me" he says and continues to talk to the Autons as I notice the Doctor whispering to Jo.
He glances to me and I nod subtly and look away, the Doctor begins to silently press the brake pedal, sending a Morse code message to Alistair and his men up on the hills around the quarry.
I watch around us silently, eyeing the plastic men all around us with nervousness before the Master finally turns back to us all.
"I hope you two have enjoyed your little rest. Right, the time has come for our final move" he says seriously, snapping his fingers again.
One of the Autons drags the Doctor away from Jo as I watch silently, then they move Jo as well, sitting them up against a wall on the other side of the van, though I can see Jo had one hand free now, and as they sit there, they get the Doctor's hands free as well.
Though I notice him watching me with deep concern, both of us knowing there was no way I could get myself out of the bonds on my arms and wrists.
I look up quickly as I see the man, Farrel, was conscious again and he panics, out from under the Master's control now as he lunges for the steering wheel.
As the van swerves all over, the Auton beside me loses its balance and I take my chance, jumping to my feet and the Doctor grabs me, pulling me out of the now open side door, we land hard on the ground, rolling and I get the air knocked out of me, my shoulders and elbows screaming in pain as they were still tightly tied behind me back.
The Doctor jumps to his feet, as does Jo, but the Auton that had been guarding me had jumped after us and was now standing over me, making me groan in both pain and exasperation.
The Doctor comes up behind the Auton and hitting it hard over the back of the head, he knocks it away, giving him time to help me to my feet and we rush back past the UNIT men now beginning to swarm the area, getting us out of harms way.
Jo has to sit for a moment as the fall had messed up her ankle, though I can't really focus right now as adrenaline was making my blood roar in my ears.
The Doctor tries to start untying me but I shake my head quickly "no time, Doctor. Go after the Master! He's off to the tower" I say quickly, he looks torn but gives in, knowing how much was at stake, Jo helps me back to my feet and we both sort of hobble quickly after the Doctor and farther from the main source of danger.
We can hear explosions and gunfire very close to us, and as we stop when the Brigadiers car pulls up, Jo looks behind us to point out the Master was already climbing the stairs to the radio tower.
The Doctor rushes off with Alistair and more men, but I stay leaning against the brigadiers car, not having the energy to continue on, and the thought of trying to climb with my hands behind my back made me uncomfortable.
A high pitched noise begins to erupt from the large radio disks not far off, making me a bit dizzy, but it soon stops, the Autons falling to the ground, dead. Or what ever dead is, for the living plastic.
UNIT begins to gather its wounded, and back toward the van, a few more gunshots ring out, then the van takes off, driving past us all quickly before it's gone.
I watch after it, glad the Master hadn't tried to grab me as he left.
I call over one of the soldiers and they cut me loose before returning to their duties.
I rub my sore wrists as I wait quietly for everyone to return.
It's not long before I see the Doctor running back toward us all, he seems me and instantly speeds up, I stand up and move toward him as well, smiling widely.
He catches me in a tight hug, cradling me close to his chest as he holds the back of my head protectively.
"You're alright. You're safe now, he's run off" he murmurs, seeming to both be reassuring me, as well as himself.
I hug him back tightly, nodding a little "I know. I'm alright. Nothing but a bit of bruising. Are you alright?" I ask softly, keeping a tight grip of his velvet coat under his cape.
He nods and kisses the top of my head gently "yes. Yes, I'm alright" he confirms softly.
I pull back and look up at him, giggling a little as he had some dried grass in his hair, and some on his cape as well, I reach up and brush the grass out of his hair, he smiles and leans down a little to allow me to, and once I'm done, I pull him down into a kiss, which he returns whole heartedly.
I giggle a little as I hear Alastair joking behind us, saying "and I thought women liked men in uniforms"
The Doctor laughs softly and we head back home. Well, to headquarters, but it definitely felt like a second home now, and even with the knowledge that it wasn't super safe, as the Master had snuck in, it still felt good to come back to.
I head into the Tardis, stretching a little as the Doctor follows me, hanging up his cape by the door.
"I think I'll have a shower then make something to eat. Want me to make you anything?" I ask as I look to him, smiling softly.
"No, thank you, Darling" he replies, coming to stand in front of me, taking my hands in his "now, are you quite sure you're alright?" He asks.
I nod softly and smile more up at him "yes, I'm positive. No lasting damage or trauma. No, I don't like him, but him being this young, I don't see him intentionally badly hurting me on purpose. I wasn't super worried, still worried, but not as much as Im worried about his future selves" I admit.
He relaxes a little and nods, letting out a soft breath "good. Then, have a calm shower and if you need me, I will be out speaking with Jo and the brigadier. Help them clean things up" he says.
I nod and gently squeeze his hands, standing up on my tip toes and softly pecking his lips "alright. Thank you" I say before heading off, though I stop it the doorway and smile to him once more "love you" I call before disappearing off to my own room.
I grab some clean clothes and then get into the shower, having unwrapped my left arm, wanting to see if anything else had happened to the wounds under the bandages from the rough landing and manhandling.
Thankfully the wounds were mostly healed now, only a slight bruise from the ropes left, so I take my time, letting the hot water just cascade over me for a while, calming down and resting a little before I get out and dry off, changing into the comfy grey sweatpants, blue t-shirt and warm thick pastel pink wool sweater over it, my boots and I fix my hair up to a pixie cut style.
I check my eyes in the mirror once more, the blue ring having again grown, just slightly, barely noticeable, but there.
I brush it off yet again, not having the energy to figure it out, and not sure which Doctor to ask, so I head out, finding my bag and pulling it on, just in case, then I head to the kitchen to make myself some food.
I hope you all enjoyed this!
I love writing the Master, no matter the incarnation.
I think possibly the next chapter is going to be fun with a small sad part, though it's a maybe so far.
Anyways, love you all!
Don't forget to drink some water and get good rest :)
~Ezra