Sorry this took so long! Here's chapter 2, and there's going to be a plot twist! Feel free to review! Don't flame, but criticism is welcome! Enjoy the chapter! Some of this might be OOC because I don't know how to write from their point of view, but I am trying. I'm sorry it's so short, but I'll try to put another one up soon.
Liza's POV
Harold Saxon? That crazy guy? How could he be anything special? "Liza, if it's the Master, you have to be trained."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean your mind. It's strong, but vulnerable, so, so vulnerable. He can hurt you. You, more than any of us."
No. I don't want that pain ever again. "What do I have to do?"
"Imagine your mind is a net. Now think about other minds as little butterflies."
"Doctor? Can you do this another way?"
"Right. Sorry. Think. Imagine that your mind is flexible. You can only stretch it so far. Reach out with it. Are you doing that?" A rush of thoughts tumbles in to my head. They all sound like a voice, the voice of the thinker. River is on guard. Ash is worried. The Doctor is thinking about Amy and Rory. Huh.
"Yeah. Did you really make Big Bang Two?" He smiles.
"Well, there goes the next step. Once you can feel the mind, you can look around. Anyway, you can guard your mind. Picture yourself surrounded by something unbreakable. What are you picturing?"
"That we're in a zombie apocalypse bomb shelter."
"Well, that is a first." I smile. "That is definitely one way to put it. Nobody has ever done it that quickly. Congratulations." I smile at him gratefully. "Thanks."
"I mean it. I've never even heard of it." I can see and feel his wonder. I try my best to ignore it, but being a telepath really doesn't help when you need it to. I sigh. I grab Ashley's hand and we keep walking.
"We'll be okay." I say it for her sake, but I don't believe it. Nothing can make me believe it, not until we are safe for a long time.
"Liza, I need you to reach out. Try and see if he's watching us." I feel out, reaching out in tendrils. It comes to me in a flash. He's sending me something. The Master is trying to communicate with me. I concentrate, trying to see it.
If you want the others to live, meet me here in half an hour. I glance at the Doctor. He wouldn't let us get hurt, would he? The Doctor would be trapped, no way to save you. I could torture him; letting his hearts slowly give out, letting him regenerate again and again. Or you could come. Don't tell the others. I gasp. That did seem rather tempting now. I don't want to scare them. The Doctor looks at me.
"Anything?"
"Nothing."
The Doctor's POV
I'm worried about Liza. She has had a distant look ever since I asked her to reach out three minutes ago. I realize the Master probably threatened her. She's going to go. I can't let that happen. But how can I stop it? I can't hold her against her will, but he can't take her so that he can manipulate and hurt her. I can tell that River is thinking along the same lines, but she's known her for her entire life, unlike me. She has more at stake. I feel like I am being pulled in all of these directions, and I find that I don't know where to turn. I run my hand through my hair, thinking. I call on past memory, but I find nothing. The Master's plans always have one flaw, but I know I won't find it yet. There is no way to stop this, and that, of all of the things so far, scares me. I'm frightened; we all are, for her. If he takes her, who knows what he will do. Hurt her. Manipulate her. If the Master had a power like hers at his disposal… She won't cooperate. She can't. I pretend to sonic the area for life, but instead turn on a never-used setting on her phone. It turns on silently, and now I can hear everything that goes on. I tuck my sonic back in its pocket, shaking my head for effect. They seem to buy it. I look not at Liza, but at Ashley. Everything about her screams Pond. She has Rory's eyes, Amy's completion and hair color, but River's type of hair. She looks like Amy most of all. I miss her; I miss her so much. She could always find a way to make anybody laugh. I wish I could at least visit her, but that would tear a hole in reality. Sometimes I almost do it anyway.
Liza is staring at us like she's trying to memorize our every asset. No matter what I do, she'll still go. A minute passes.
Ashley's POV
I'm worried about Liza. She's been so distant these past five minutes. This Master guy probably threatened her. She's going to leave. How can I stop her? I need to knock her out. What? No! I can't do that. No. New plan. I need to restrain her. No! I can't hold my friend captive. He's going to force her to help him. He'll hurt her. I try to hold back tears. Another minute passes.
River's POV
I'm worried about Liza. She's been so distant these past eight minutes. He must have threatened her. I can't let her go. I just can't. There has to be a way to stop her. I could try to convince her, but I know she's so stubborn. She probably thinks she fooled us. He'll try to hurt her. She might try to talk him to death. No, she'd be too scared. Hmm… There has to be a way to stop her. I can't force her. I won't. The Doctor would never forgive me. I have to be careful. Dull doesn't matter. Careful, River, careful. You can't knock her out. You can't stop her. You can't stop her from going. Be rational and let her choose. You can't force her or knock her out.
I pull out my gun and shoot her with a tranquilizer.
Liza's POV
My lids are heavy, but I force them open. "Ash?" I try to say, but it comes out more like, "Whu?" They are crowded around me.
"Sorry about that." River says.
"Huh?" I meant to say something else, but hey, I've been drugged for who-knows-how-long.
"I had to drug you, so you wouldn't go running to the Master."
"How did you know?" Well, I can talk again. That's good.
"You aren't the best actress." I raise my eyebrow but say nothing.
"You can't believe anything he says, Liza. He'll only lure you into a trap." The Doctor says.
"I need to be alone for a bit. Think about things. You know?" The others look at the Doctor. He nods. They leave. Great. I try to tell myself to think about what I'm doing. Trap. That's all it can be. A trap. Don't go, I tell myself, don't go don't do it. I open the window and jump out. Why? I'm not fully sure. All I know is that I can't let him hurt my friends. From the sky, I can tell it's been hours. So much for in a half hour. I'm as good as dead.
I reach the clearing where I heard him, and immediately collapse onto the ground, holding my head.
BA-BA-BA-BA! BA-BA-BA-BA! That noise. It's not going to end. It hurts so badly. I'm gasping for air. I remember what the Doctor said and picture myself enclosed in a bomb shelter. It stops, leaving my lying on the ground, gasping for air.
I open my eyes and see someone is standing over me. It's a man with bleach-blond hair. He has greyish eyes that are glittering with interest, and his smile is nothing but evil. He is grinning at me. He crouches down next to me.
"Did you here it? The drums?"
I look at him, trying to stay silent, but I know the answer is written on my face.
"Ha! That's good. Very good, in fact. I don't think anyone knows just how powerful you are." Okay, this I was not expecting. A compliment? What is going on? I haven't gotten up yet. I stand up, brushing myself off.
"I'm here. What do you want?"
He stands. "Well, you see, what I want is for you to do something for me."
I glare at him.
"You've got this power. You could do anything with it once trained properly. You could have any kind of mind, even a Time Lord one. You're already half way there." I look at him, still not understanding. "With the proper technology, you could become one." My eyes widen as I realize what he means underneath the words.
"No."
"Yes." My world goes black.
Ashley's POV
I need to go in. I have to. How did we not notice the window! Finally, I ignore their protests and go in, finding an open window. "No! Nonononono!" I race to the window and look out. How long had she been gone? Could we catch her? I jump out before I can think things through and find myself heading to the clearing. She would. He probably threatened her with hurting us. I can't let him hurt her.
I'm crashing through the foliage, tumbling, standing, running. That's when it tackles me.
The Doctor's POV
I see something crash on top of her. I hear her scream. "Ashley!" I call after her. It's some kind of hairy beast, with talons about to rip at her. I run at it, pushing it off by surprise. It snarls and leaps at me. Its dead weight flattens me to the ground, but I roll over just as it swipes at my stomach. I kick at it, but it dodges. I hear Ashley screaming.
"River! Do something!"
"I can't! I might hit the Doctor!"
The rest of their words are lost in a series of yips and growls. It is circling me. I try to make a move just as it leaps onto me. The impact causes my head to hit the ground.
"Agh!"
It opens its mouth, and I know it is the end. Then there is a light and it falls to the side. I'm still dazed by the blow, but I know that I have to keep going. Liza's very existence is at stake.
"Doctor, are you okay?" I nod. I can tell they don't believe me, but they keep going. We don't really have a choice.
"How long to the clearing?"
"About three minutes." I try to give them hope, but I know that it is too late for saving her.
We hear a scream and run.
Ashley's POV
"No!" I can't let her be dead. Please let her not be dead. We are nearly there. Nononononono. "LIZA!" We burst through the trees to find her lying crumpled at the feet of a man that I recognize as Harold Saxon, except now his hair is blond. "Liza!" I ignore the protests of the Doctor and try to race to my friend's aid. River is holding me back, literally.
"NO! Let me GO!" I screech, fighting her. The Master looks up to see the sight of the Doctor behind River, who is barely holding me back.
"Ah. How nice of you to join us."
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER!" I scream at him.
"Ashley, she's still alive. He isn't going to kill her."
"Then what will he do? Probably something worse." I break free and run to my friend's side. Being fit, I scoop her up and move her away from that… thing. He's fast, though, and trips me.
"No!" I scream. I cover Liza with my own body. "No! You can't have her."
"I'm afraid that isn't your choice. Now stop it, or I shoot." I see he has a gun pointed to my head. I don't care. I look at River, and she understands. Quick as a bird, she swoops down and grabs Liza. I sigh with relief and squeeze my eyes shut.
"Just make it quick."
"Ashley!" I hear the Doctor, but it feels like he's distant, fading. River is screaming and Liza is awake.
"No!" She screams.
"Liza, go!" I shout. I hear them running. I'm glad. I don't want them to see me like this. The Master doesn't notice, apparently.
I picture all of my good times with Liza and know that I just saved her. She'll live, and so will the others. I hear the trigger on the gun being squeezed and a shot with such power hits me. I know I have less than a second, but time is slowing. I have time to think: Don't make it hurt. Something collides with excruciating pain for less than a sliver of a second. Then my vision goes red and I fall, for what I know is the last time.