When the Doctor did return, as the Master had expected he would, he came to quite a surprising change.
Most of Torreck's inhabitants had moved above ground. Building long, low standing, curve edged buildings. Almost resembling overturned boats. Amy was trailing along after him, looking quite unimpressed by the landscape, which was still very much reminiscent of Earth in November. Grey and grey and more grey. The Doctor kept shoving one hand in the pocket of his coat. Fingers brushing the box holding her engagement ring.
Rory... Oh he was still having so much trouble getting her to remember him. He knew it could be done. Or rather, hoped it could.
At first he hadn't even recognized the place where the window was. Mainly because of the town that seemed to surround it. His first thought was that he should probably make sure planets were still uninhabited.
"Did you bring us here on purpose? Or did the TARDIS just take you wherever it felt like? Because I don't see what's so spectacular about this place. You promised me purple jungles. So unless this place ended up-"
"Shhhh!"
"Don't shush me-"
"Shhhh! I don't want to draw attention to-oh!"
"Hello, Doctor," One of the...Hmm...What exactly to call them. He wasn't aware they'd even been there. Torreckians? Torreckites... "My name is Keeja if that helps at all?" Telepathic! Oh that was amazing. They had really progressed quite a lot since he'd last been there. This one was vaguely green-skinned. They seemed to range from that to brown. At least from the ones he'd seen. With large eyes and spindly limbs. Something that looked almost like a tail that he could see swishing behind Keeja.
Well, he supposed they would have had to having suddenly come into the view of everyone.
"Hello there, have we met? I don't think we have?"
"No, but Lord Master spoke of you often in the early days."
"Oh, and when was that?" The Doctor asked, frowning slightly. So it had been the Master who had coaxed them into this evolution.
"Some two and a half centuries ago." Keeja said "He came and brought us from our caverns. Our metalwork impressed him. We had remained below since we first settled here. The sun scorched our planet all day. And when at first it burned us, we stopped returning to the surface to check. But it has become old. And not so bright. At first he spoke to us little. But that has changed as the window has."
"The time window? Er...Thing..Yeah, that. I assume it's close to closing now."
Keeja nodded "We see fire through it. Fire and suffering. He has long since stopped watching it."
"He who?" Amy asked "They said 'Master' right. The same guy you sent me home to deal with?"
"Yes, same one. Not important really, but he...Leaves you alone? No huge disasters? Mass murder? Weird mind control?"
These words were met with a knowing smile, revealing rather shark-like teeth. "At first, to give himself authority. Though he has released us from it slowly. After which we bid him stay out of familiarity. And of his knowledge. I assume you wish to speak with him?"
"We don't? Right?" Amy asked, looking to the Doctor expectantly. "You told me he was dangerous, and insane. We don't want to talk to him."
"I'm sorry Amy, really sorry. But I do. I have to talk to him. I can't not. Especially after what he did here. He should know better than to interfere with the-"
"Blah blah blah, time-lines and things I don't care about." The Doctor spun full circle. But the voice came from nowhere.
"I do apologize for not warning you. Lord Master is sometimes wired to those speakers there-" Keeja indicated a post only a few feet from them. "-A way of speaking to the whole of the town at once."
"I would appreciate him not doing that again. If he can hear me. Which I'm going to assume he can." The Doctor grumbled. Grabbing Amy's hand and pulling her along after Keeja.
Hi and sorry for the total absence of updates to this story as of late. Or any of my stories as of late. I have been a bit sucked in to tumblr and getting a job and school and you know, life in general.
But fear not. It will have a more normal schedule now.
- Jenna