Chapter 11

The Doctor awoke, groggy and a tad confused, on the floor. The floor was hard and cold, just as a floor should be, he supposed. Reaching up to run a hand through his unruly hair, he heard the telltale jangle of chains. He looked down at his wrists; sure enough, his hands were chained together.

"Well, that was inevitable," he murmured to himself. He looked around at his surroundings. There wasn't much to it; he was essentially trapped in a cave with a gate blocking the way out. He shuffled on his backside to the bars. He could see only a few metres up and down a stone tunnel, not unlike the one the TARDIS had landed in. This didn't really surprise him either; Contesca was a planet where the entire population lived underground, the atmosphere above ground was toxic when the inhabitants were exposed for more than half an hour.

The Doctor attempted to reach into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver, trying to make as little noise as possible-he needed to get out and find the girls. He hoped they were alright; they probably hadn't escaped, but hopefully they weren't being treated too badly. However, he could barely navigate his hands with the chains encompassing his wrists, and even then, the tiniest movements still caused the chains to chink noisily. ''Shh, shh,'' he whispered. Then he froze. ''I just spoke to an inanimate object. '' he murmured in horror. ''I must be going crazy...''

''And now you know how it feels, Doctor, don't you?'' The Master's voice echoed down the tunnel as he approached the Doctor's cell. "Now you know, how I feel...every...single...day." He punctuated each of the last three words with another deliberate step towards the Doctor.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and jangled his chains pointedly. "I suppose my talking to chains and your drums in your head aren't quite the same types of craziness, but whatever floats your boat. I don't suppose you could let me out if these things, now we've found our common ground and all...maybe we could sit down and chat over a cup of tea...?" He attempted to sound light and airy, but it was a difficult task. All the time, questions were whirling around in his head; how did the ring resurrect the Master? What was he now planning to do? Why had he redirected the TARDIS? And where were Rose and Lucie? He longed to have them with him now; to have Rose on hand to ask all the good questions, and for her unwavering bravery, and to have Lucie by his side with her quiet resilience and her comforting gaze.

The Master's voice broke through his reverie. "Oh, wouldn't that be nice, having a nice little sit-down, doing a bit of catching up? How very...domestic," he smiled sarcastically. "But no, Doctor, that's not why you're here. Not in the least. I brought you here for a much more important reason." The Master crouched down in front of his captive, until their noses were almost touching through the bars. "You see...I need your help. Oh, and by the way, don't bother looking for your sonic- I've got it."

Then he stood up and walked away, leaving the Doctor to contemplate his words, and still no closer to escape.

Lucie woke on a hard surface, with a bright light shining in her face. Lifting a hand to try and shield her eyes, she started when she discovered that she could only lift her hand halfway up to her face before she met resistance. She tilted head and saw a thick black rope tying her wrist to whatever she was laying on. She tried lifting her other wrist, only to find the same result. The revelation that she was tied up caused sheer panic to course through her veins. She attempted to wriggle free of her bonds, but to no avail. She stopped thrashing and tried to get her bearings.

She was in a fairly small room, a room with no windows and a simple door in one corner. The only source of light was the one glaring into her eyes from above. That light was on a tall stand attached to the floor, and Lucie thought it looked like it would move rather like a lamp in the dentist.

"The dentist..." she murmured, a horrible thought forming in her mind. She twisted her head around as far as possible so she could see what she was lying on. She caught a glimpse of metal and her breath caught in her throat as her fears were confirmed; she was on a medical examination trolley - tied to a metal trolley, with a tray of tools glinting menacingly on a table above her head.

"Shit," she gasped, horrified, her mind spinning at the possibilities. Why was she tied down? What were the tools for? Where was everyone? Where was the Doctor? Was he tied up too?

"Doctor?" she whispered. "Rose?"

No answer.

"Doctor?" she tried again, a little louder. Maybe he was unconscious too, after all. But still she got no reassuring voice of the Doctor. Damn it, what had happened to all of them?

She attempted another wriggle, in case by some miracle she had imagined the bonds.

"You won't break free of them, you know," said a voice conversationally from the door. Lucie froze. The voice continued. "That cord you have around your wrists is stronger than steel rope. It's made of a polyfluorocarbourous compound which is only found in this galaxy, which I believe is a galaxy humans call 'UDFy-38135539', but is known to these people as the Phidasura Galaxy. Its 30 billion light years away from The Milky Way. You're a long way from home, Lucie Pagliari."

The Master stepped into Lucie's view and she glared at him. She had taken a fairly instant dislike to the man as soon as he started abusing the Doctor. "Save it for someone who cares. Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

The Master chuckled. "Ah, full of spunk, aren't you? I can see why the Doctor was attracted to you." He said, lifting an eyebrow. "I saw a lot of you inside the Doctor's mind. He thinks of you often..." If Lucie was flattered by this, she didn't show it. She just wanted to get her answers.

"You still haven't told me who you are. How do you know the Doctor? Why did you bring us here?" she told him in a harsh tone.

"Patience, Miss Pagliari, all in good time..." The Master responded with a patronising smile. "Pagliari...that's an unusual name. Italian, perhaps?" he tilted his head to one side. Lucie had a feeling that if she wanted answers of her own, she would have to play the Master's game and answer his questions.

"Yes," she said, attempting to nod her head before remembering she was lying down as she tapped the back of her head on the hard metal surface. "Ow. Yes, my maternal grandmother was Italian, and the name dates back to when her ancestors used to repair the thatching on everybody's roofs in the village. 'Paglia' means hay, or thatch." she told him, hoping that providing him with extra information would make him feel more appeased to share some information of his own. She could tell by the look in his eyes that she had the right idea. The Master nodded curiously.

"Do you speak Italian?" was his next question.

"I do."

"Say something in Italian, then," he ordered.

"What shall I say?"

He shrugged. "Anything you like."

Lucie thought for a moment before speaking. "Sto diventando estremamente frustrato con voi. Perché non vuoi rispondere alle mie domande? Dove è il mio Dottore? E perché mi hai legato?"

The Master laughed. "Very nice, very nice indeed...you are getting frustrated with me, hmm? Well yes, sometimes I have that effect on people, can't think why..." Lucie sighed in exasperation. The Master placed a single finger on her cheek. "All in good time, Lucie, all in good time...Your next question was why am I not answering your questions? In time, I might answer them. Now what did you say next? Ah yes, 'Where is my Doctor?' YOUR Doctor, hmm? Interesting...but yes, maybe he is your Doctor? He sees you as HIS Lucie, so maybe..."

Lucie blinked. She hadn't realised she had said 'My Doctor'. It had been sheer instinct, but now she thought about it, perhaps it wasn't so odd; she loved the Doctor, and from what the Master said, the feeling was reciprocated...

She brought herself out of her reverie. "You didn't answer my question. Where is the Doctor?"

The Master smiled. "He's quite safe; don't worry your pretty little head about it. Although, your head might not be pretty much longer...which brings me to your last question. Would you repeat it? In Italian, of course."

Lucie thought back to what she had asked, her stomach sinking as she looked at the Master's scheming face. Something told her he was planning something, something nasty, and something that could hurt her.

"E perché mi hai legato?" she whispered.

"Ah yes, why have I tied you up?" the Master said. "You see, there is something about you, Lucie Pagliari, that interests me. When you look at me, I see something in your eyes that shows more than a person's usual reaction. You can read me, Lucie. You know how to respond to me to get the best possible reaction. People can't normally read me, Lucie. And I want to know why you can." The Master stroked her cheek again. "There must be something there, something in your brain...what are you? The Doctor must feel it too; that might be a reason for his attraction to you..." he trailed off as if talking to himself. Lucie shivered under the finger still stroking her cheek, her thoughts spinning.

Abruptly, the Master drew back. "So I hope you don't mind, Lucie Pagliari, but...vorrei dare un'occhiata dentro la tua testa."

'I would like to take a look inside your head.' What did he mean by that?

The meaning became very clear when the Master placed a helmet on her head that forced three needles into her forehead. Lucie yelped in pain as the Master pressed a button and then turned and left, leaving Lucie thrashing and screaming behind him.

Rose stirred gently from her unconscious state. She felt a soft sheet and a comfortable mattress beneath her, and for a minute she thought that perhaps they had all escaped to the TARDIS, and she sighed happily. Then she realised that if this was her bed, it smelt and felt very wrong indeed; she never had a silk duvet cover. In fact, she had never had a bed this big.

An odd, sinking feeling washed over her as she opened her eyes and took in the room that was not her bedroom. She was laying in a four-poster bed, adorned with lavish pink and gold drapes. The walls were a gentle, complementary pink, with a border of gold around the extraordinarily high ceiling. Along one wall was a mirror bordered with gently glowing spotlights, and along the opposite side was a huge wardrobe.

Rose let out a low whistle and wondered where the Doctor and Lucie were. She assumed that they were nearby, waking up in equal luxury. It seemed odd, since the Master, as he had called himself, had not come across as a particularly hospitable character, considering he had tortured the Doctor right before their eyes, but maybe this was his way of making up for it?

She had no idea who the Master was. The Doctor seemed to know him, seemed to be almost...scared of him. It was clear that they had had some past together, but she had no idea what it was; the Doctor had mentioned a previous event in passing, when she had rejoined him in the TARDIS, apparently his previous companion, Martha, had met him. But when Rose had pressed him for more details, the Doctor had refused to share any more details, instead he just got a haunted look in his eyes and turned away.

And now, here they all were, separately being held on this planet, trapped with a man who haunted the Doctor so much. What did that mean? She looked around the luxurious room once more. Maybe the Master wasn't so bad, if he provided such luxury accommodation?

As she was reflecting on this, there was a knock on the door.

"Err, come in...?" Rose called out hesitantly. A small person, maybe only three feet tall, poked their head around the door.

"Miss Rose?" he said in a high-pitched voice. "The Master would like to see you now, if you would please come with me?" he beckoned to her.

Hoping that she would be reunited with the Doctor and Lucie, and thinking that perhaps she would find out more about what was going on, she followed the little man out of the bedroom.

Sorry this is so late; this chapter stubbornly refused to be written! But I think it is my favourite chapter overall...

Please vote on my poll (profile page just a click away); I need a new title for this story! It will be closing on FRIDAY 1ST APRIL, and the title with the most votes will become the new title!

Also, if you want something to read, check out 'The Gallifrey Choronicles: A New War' By GallifreanGirl (I have beta-ed a lot of the chapters, trust me, it's worth reading!)

xxx