"Why have you brought me here. I'm not one of your pets, I don't care what you want to show me."
"They aren't pets. And I wanted to show you something you'll enjoy." The Doctor looked unhappy. No, not unhappy, the Master realized. He looked like he was lost in memory.
"You can't fix me. I'm not going to magically turn into something you don't hate."
"I don't hate you Master." The Doctor said "And you will like this."
So the Master followed him out of the TARDIS. Onto a nondescript, but very familiar planet.
"Why have you brought me to Torreck? This planet hasn't been inhabited since before we left the academy."
"I came across this thing about century ago, well, this particular one, I've come across things like it before. But this one was different. And it was, amazing. Absolutely amazing. Like a window, a gap in time and space that went from Torreck to-"
The Master held a hand up, and the Doctor cut off. He was looking through a square, maybe the size of a mobile. And through it, he could see a forest. Not the dark, thin trees that surrounded them. But trees with silver leaves. So familiar that he swore for one second he could smell them, feel the warm breeze. That he was standing there, in that forest. Instead of this dark one on barren Torreck.
"Gallifrey..." The Master said softly.
"Not really. Just an image, far behind the days of the war. Someday it will catch up, disappear. But for now."
The Master didn't speak, he couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from that tiny window. From home. Home that he could never go back to. That no one could. It had been a long time since the Master had felt even slightly saddened by anything. But seeing Gallifrey, knowing he could never go back. Not even just for a second. It was hard to take. And underneath that sadness, anger started to boil. Because why couldn't he go back? The Doctor. The Doctor had destroyed it. Locked it away and made sure it could never escape. Well, that hadn't worked out so well. Davros, Khan, and he himself had gotten through that lock. Sure Davros had been destroyed...Again. Sure Khan had gone insane. And the Master's plan had turned against him when he realized Rassilon's true intentions. But it all went back to the Doctor.
"Just leave me here..." The Master said
"Master, you can't-"
"It's uninhabited, what could I possibly do, don't even have a ship."
"I-"
The Master spun to face the Doctor, tearing his eyes from Gallifrey with some difficulty.
"Did you not hear me? I said, leave. Me. Here. It's all your fault that Gallifrey burned in the first place. Now go before I decide I'd rather leave you here than stay!"
"I don't want to leave you-"
"I want you to go!" The Master snapped. Something about this place. Something strange. His anger felt wrong. Childish. As if the sight of home had made him a toddler throwing a tantrum. But he wanted the Doctor gone. So he could plan, so he could build a ship.
And he did get the Doctor to leave. Go back to the Scottish ginger woman. And it didn't take the Master very long to discover that Torreck, wasn't uninhabited at all.
… … … … … … … … …
Well that certainly didn't take long. Nice to know he hadn't lost that ability. Although, he really didn't think he would have. Most minds were simple things to bend and mold. The people of Torreck were no different. Spindly limbs and overlarge eyes. Of course, that might have come from living underground. They were incredible builders, that was evident. The city they had managed to construct. Just beneath the surface of Torreck. Well. It was incredible. The buildings were a mix of stone and pounded metal, built up to just below the ceiling of the caves.
And whatever they had, they willingly gave up. Because they were simple, and he asked.