Two chapters in one day. I am - a genius :D
And also very slap-happy at the moment. Apologies, my friends.
Badadadum, badadadum, badadadum, badadadum…
He wanted to tear himself apart. They Drums were getting louder and louder and louder with every passing moment. He could at least deal with the noise when he had other things to occupy what was left of his shattered mind. But now, there was nothing. Pure, thick, pitch-black darkness. He could barely think with the drums pounding away with their relentless beat. The noise reverberated through his conciseness, shaking his existence until he was convinced that he would go absolutely insane.
Badadadum, badadadum, badadadum, badadadum…
'Doctor! Doctor please, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor… Save me from this Hell!'
But would the Doctor save him? Come to his aid as always? He wasn't sure anymore. The Master was beginning to lose his grip on reality. Much longer, and he was sure there would be no going back.
Badadadum, badadadum, badadadum, badadadum…
'Doctor! Doctor please, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor… Save me from this Hell!'
The Doctor sat up in bed, hearts beating madly. The Master's voice still echoed in his head, begging for his help. That voice… It was like nothing the Doctor had ever heard before. So filled with desperation and terror. He felt such pity for the Time Lord, trapped within his own corrupt mind and unable to escape.
The Doctor looked to his left, where Jack was sleeping beside him. Memories of last night's activities came rushing back to him, and he felt a pang of guilt. He had grown so used to the Human. The Doctor might even say that he loved him. But the Master, he was so much more. The Master was his enemy, but also the only thing he had left. Their history went way back; too much had happened between them to just forget. And when they had really expressed their feelings for each other, the Doctor was elated. They could travel together until the end of Time itself, and nothing could get in their way.
But Jack on the other hand… Jack actually cared for him. He was a pleasure to have around, and also very nice in bed. He wouldn't have to worry about the Human dying either; he came back every time. Time Lords could die for good, but Jack couldn't ever die. He could make it to the very end of the Universe – the end of Space and Time – and he would still be alive to witness it all. The thought scared him. Jack was wrong. So very, very wrong… But he had a good heart. That was more than he could say about the Master.
The Doctor shook his head. No time to ponder; he had work to do.
Opening the door to where the Master was being kept, the Doctor was surprised to see that his hair had become a bleached-blonde color. He rushed forward, going through charts and information. Evidently, it seemed, the Drums were beginning to affect his body in a negative way. The pigment had drained from the Master's hair follicles. Soon, he would begin to deteriorate completely, and the Doctor couldn't allow that to happen.
Without missing a beat, he turned a dial to boost the signal from within the Master's head. He knew it would speed up the deterioration rate, but he had to take that chance. Grabbing an armful of tools, the Doctor rushed away into the console room. There, he began to work furiously on the TARDIS dashboard.
Badadadum, badadadum, badadadum, badadadum…
Searing pain shot through his mind. The Master screamed in agony; his head felt as if it were going to explode. His consciousness began to convulse violently, and the Drums became louder than he had ever heard them. It was like nails on a chalkboard, but a million times worse. His head throbbed and he wanted nothing more than to die right there.
Badadadum, badadadum, badadadum, badadadum…
'Doctor!' he screeched, twisting and shaking. 'Help me, Doctor!'
'Doctor! Help me, Doctor!'
The Doctor winced as the voice echoed in his head. Oh, this was not good at all. The Master was going through Hell right now, and the Doctor could only work faster. If he was lucky – if he was very, very lucky – he just might be able to use the Vortex to send a surge of energy through the TARDIS and into the Master's head, where they would almost definitely find the source.
Fingers crossed, he did just that. The TARDIS groaned as energy was shot through her system, and the lights flickered wildly.
"I'm so sorry, old girl," he murmured. "But it'll be over soon. Just please, please give me this. Oh just this once, let me have this one."
Suddenly – silence. The room became pitch black, and there wasn't a sound to be heard, except Jack shouting for the Doctor.
"Jack, shush!" yelled the Doctor. "Everything is fine." I hope.
Several more moments passed, and still nothing happened. Worried, the Doctor flicked out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the room, also effectively using it as a light source. He was shocked at what he found. The TARDIS had overloaded on power, blowing almost every fuse and gasket on the entire ship. She was dead.
Badadadum, badadadum, badadadum, badadadum…
The Master was worse off than ever. The Drums were getting louder still, steadily increasing in volume until he thought his brain would short-out altogether from the overwhelming noise. He screamed. It was just too much to bear. Louder, louder, louder, louder!
BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM…
His entire being was pulsing with the beat, like a mistreated stereo speaker with the volume cranked all the way up. The Master could almost feel his skull cracking under the unbearable weight of the Drums. He screamed again, reaching out, wanting – needing to destroy something. Slipping off the edge of sanity, he ripped apart his own mind, trying anything to rid himself of the relentless beating.
BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM…
BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM, BADADADUM…
The Drums. The Doctor could hear them. Like the sound of an army going to war, and the racing heart of a Time Lord in the midst of battle. The sound reverberated through the TARDIS, bouncing off every wall and slipping into the mainframe. The Doctor heard the engines whirring. They were dematerializing.
The room shook violently, sending both men flying. The Doctor slammed into a wall, hitting his head hard. Jack was swept off his feet and thrown into the console. There was a definite snap, and the Doctor could already tell that Jack's spine had been severed from the impact. He was already dead.
Then everything became still, as if the ship had reached its destination. The Doctor stood shakily, making his way over to the doors. He threw them open, and marveled at what had appeared before him. They were in dead space, but imbedded in an asteroid in front of him – was a White Point Star.
Well, that chapter was very exciting indeed. Also very fun to write. Let me know what you think^^