Chapter 22 – Tylers Don't Back Down
Food was transmatted into the room around three hours later. Rose was the one to fetch it from the transmat shelf, bringing it back to the Doctor.
"You know, this is all they've been givin' me for weeks, but I still dunno what the heck it is," she said as she held it out to him, staring at the white block of seemingly nougat about the size of an AA battery.
The Doctor took it, looking at it. "It's a sustenance chew. Contains all the essential vitamins and fibres and whatnot to feed a single person for a day. Compact and cheap."
"Single person," Rose repeated.
He nodded, then broke the nougat-thing in two, handing one half to Rose before waking up Leah and giving her the other half.
"Eat it slowly," the Doctor told the girl gently as he helped her to sit up. "Make it last a while."
"Mmkay," Leah replied tiredly, nibbling at the strange white block without question.
He found Rose was staring at him. "Make yours last too," he said, grinning.
She stared at him some more, than reached up to break her piece in half to make sure the Doctor got some, but the Doctor quickly stopped her.
"You're eating for two," he warned. "You need it. I can go for a bit without food."
Rose had to concede, but didn't look happy about it. Through the bond she could feel how hungry he was.
"Did you think of a plan yet, Daddy?" Leah wondered, still nibbling on the white block.
"Not yet," he admitted. "But I... Hold on, I'm vibrating."
Rose sniggered as the Doctor realised he still had his phone, quickly rummaged through his pockets and taking it out, flipping it open and staring at the screen. Unknown number.
"You had that?" Rose asked, frowning.
"I completelyforgot," he admitted and then held it to his ear. "Hello?"
Silence came back to him for a moment, before there was the sound of static and a very muffled whisper.
"You're wondering who forced you and your family here."
The Doctor straightened instantly, feeling Rose and Leah's eyes on him. "Who is this?"
"I'm looking at you all right now... Oh Leah's so pretty, isn't she? She's eating that chew a bit fast."
"Who is this?" the Doctor demanded again, looking around the room for a camera... "Are you the one that's done this?"
"Indeed, I am. Do you want to know how I did it?"
The Doctor swallowed. "Yes."
"Say please."
"Yes, please," the Doctor amended.
"I told the Shadow Proclamation a little secret."
"What secret?"
"Well I can't tell you, it's a secret, Doctor. But what's funny is they've been falling over themselves trying to hunt you and your daughter down ever since, corrupting themselves in the process. And I get to watch you struggle every step of the way..."
"Just tell me who you are," the Doctor said quickly. "Do I know you?"
"Oh, you know me, Doctor. You know me right now. Or at least, you know of me. But I'm not interested in that. The Master's betrayed you. How long until the saintly Doctor takes revenge?"
The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Tell me your name."
"The Master was an unexpected additional delight, I've gotta say. But not even he knows he's taking part in the game you're all playing. I wonder who'll win? I can't wait. But between you and me, Doctor, I'm rooting for you."
"Tell me who you are!"
"Ta-ta, Doctor, this next bit is going to be exciting, because the Master is coming towards your cell holding a knife – and he doesn't look happy."
The other person hung up. The Doctor blinked, staring at the phone.
"Who was that?" Rose asked.
The Doctor ignored the question when he heard the force field around their cell drop. He stood up as quickly as he could, gesturing for Rose and Leah to get in the corner. They quickly obliged without question, and seconds later the door burst open and the Master stormed in, staring at the Doctor with utter malice.
Rose suddenly burst into laughter, noticing the rather severe black eye the Master had. He looked at Rose, then back at the Doctor, drew out a knife and strolled towards the other Time Lord, who quickly backed away in the fastest limp he could manage until he hit the wall.
The Master quickly reached him, holding the knife to his throat.
"I wish I could kill you," the Master grated.
"Go on, then," the Doctor dared, staring at the Master unblinkingly.
"Don't tempt me," the Master replied. "I can't kill you, but I can make you suffer."
"Uncle Harry," Leah began, looking as thought she were about to cry. "What are you doing?"
The Master smiled slightly, pressing the knife to the Doctor's face and carving a bloody tear down his cheek.
"Watch and learn, little Leah," the Master said in delight, and then punched the Doctor in the stomach. The Doctor wheezed and doubled-over, holding up his hand as Leah squealed. Rose grabbed her instantly, holding her against her so as not to let her see what was being done to her father.
"Master," the Doctor whispered urgently. "This is all being manipulated, someone's playing a game with us and you're..."
The Master cut him off in mid-sentence, grabbing his neck and slamming him against the wall. "I've been waiting too long for this!" he yelled and threw the Doctor to the floor, placing a kick in his stomach.
The Doctor lurched. "Master," he coughed, lying on the floor. "Do whatever you want to me but don't you dare do this in front of my daughter."
The Master stopped, staring at him, as if considering. "Umm..." he began in a high-pitched voice, but the Doctor already knew there was a punch line on the way. "Nah, I think we're fine where we are. Because now little Leah..." He kicked the Doctor again. "Can see..." Kick. "How stupid..." Kick. "Her father..." Kick. "Was when..." Kick. "He trusted..." Kick. "Me. Me! Me of all people, Doctor. For some reason, you trusted me. And your sob story, it really touched me. How sad. But then I decided doing it this way..." Kick. "Would be more fun. And how right I was!"
The Doctor was lying curled up on the floor, coughing and bruised. He didn't reply.
"Tell me, Doctor!" the Master yelled, forcing the Doctor to lie on his back, pressing his foot lightly on the other Time Lord's broken collar bone, threatening to put on pressure. "Why would you even think of trusting me?"
The Doctor stared at him. "I thought you were Koschei," he croaked.
The Master's eyes widened, infuriated. "I am Koschei," he grated, and pressed down.
The Doctor couldn't help the tear of the scream that ripped from his throat as a consequence. "You're not Koschei," he gasped, his voice rough and filled with pain but rising to a yell, "you killed him! Whatever was left of my best friend is now completely dead and you killed him, so I have absolutely no problem in killing you!"
"Oh but little Doctor never kills, never hurts, he wouldn't do that!"
"You're the exception!" the Doctor yelled, and launched for the Master.
Rose was yelling, Leah was crying, and in the chaos of the moment that followed the Master gripped his knife and plunged it into the Doctor's abdomen.
"No!" Rose screamed, wanting to get up, but she had to make sure Leah didn't see this... but she already had. She watched as her father sank to the floor like a stone, blood spilling out of the knife wound and rapidly forming a puddle on the floor.
The Master took back his knife, and stepped back from the Doctor, looking at his work.
"Uncle Harry," Leah began, sobbing. "Why you hurt Daddy?"
The Master took one look at her sitting there crying in Rose's lap, his eyes full of hatred. He brandished the knife and walked straight up to the girl, wrenching her one-handed out of her Mother's tight hold and throwing her onto the floor, the knife covered in her father's blood held close to her throat.
"No! Let go of her!" Rose screamed, looking between her husband lying bleeding on the floor and her daughter at the Master's mercy...
"Your father is a worthless, stupid coward," the Master grated, ignoring Rose. "And you, you are a..."
He was suddenly cut off in mid sentence as the Doctor ploughed into the side of him, sending him careering into the floor, dropping the knife in surprise. The Doctor scooped up the knife and jumped onto the Master in less than a second, his knee pressing into the Master's stomach and the knife pressed again his throat as he stared down at him with utter hatred.
The Master looked up in utter shock as the speed the Doctor had moved. And by the expression on the Doctor's face, the Master was pretty sure he was about to kill him...
"Please don't kill me, Theta," the Master squeaked.
The Doctor just stared at him, those deep brown eyes boring into his without even blinking.
"Doctor..." Rose urged, already holding Leah again, comforting the girl as she sobbed.
The Doctor's expression didn't change. "Me, a coward?" he question with a steel edge to his voice, breathing steadily through the agony in his stomach. "I'm not the sell-out, here. I'm never going to forgive you for what you've done." He leant forward to the Master's ear, making sure Leah or Rose couldn't hear his next words. "I'm not going to kill you, not because I don't want to, but because my daughter is in the room. Another time, another place, Master, and you are dead. And I'll warn you now. It won't be quick. It'll be slow, agonising and humiliating, and I am going to enjoy every second of it. And if you so much as look at my daughter again, I won't save any of your dignity during it."
He drew back from the Master, throwing the knife across the room where it buried itself into the metal wall three inches deep. The Master quickly scrambled to his feet, backing away from the Doctor, apprehensive, before he turned and made for the door.
"Oh, and one more thing," the Doctor began, and the Master stopped dead in his tracks. "Don't ever call me Theta again."
The Master grabbed his knife and left quickly, the door slamming closed behind him. The Doctor rapidly collapsed to the floor, curling in on himself and holding his stomach before Rose moved over, her breath caught in her throat. Her husband was bleeding out, lying there struggling to stay conscious...
"Oh God," she croaked, pushing him to flop onto his back and peeling back his shirt to reveal a bloody mess. "What do I do, Doctor?"
"Pressure," he whispered. "On the wound."
She quickly took off her hoody and covered the bloody mess, pressing down. The Doctor writhed beneath her, crying out in pain. He was starting to pale.
"Keep pressure," the Doctor gasped. "Stop the bleeding."
"Please don't die," Rose whispered, keeping the pressure though her hands were covered in his blood.
"No," the Doctor breathed. "Won't die, promise. Keep pressure."
"I am, I am," Rose said quickly, fighting her tears, trying to be strong for Leah. She looked around to see the girl sitting where Rose had left her, staring in horror at the puddle of blood slowly creeping towards her...
"Leah," she urged. "Come here and sit next to Daddy."
Leah just stared, her eyes wide as dinner plates.
"Leah," the Doctor breathed. "Come here. Come talk to me."
She remained still.
"Leah!" the Doctor suddenly shouted with the energy he could muster. "Come here, now!"
Leah moved in a flash, scared. Her Daddy had never yelled directly at her before. She stood next to his head and he reached out to take her hand.
"Sorry for shouting at you," he said, breathing heavily to try and suppress the pain and gain some control. She didn't say a word, staring at him in horror. "Talk to me, Leah," the Doctor breathed, he had to calm her down to make it less traumatic. "That was really scary, wasn't it?"
She nodded as she sobbed, reaching down to hug his head. "Please don't die."
"I'm not going to die," he said weakly. "Cos I know you and Mummy are going to take good care of me. Everything's going to be fine, I promise. Did he hurt you?"
She sniffed and raised her arm. The Doctor took it gently, checking it over, but there was nothing wrong with it apart from a bit red where the Master had grabbed her.
"That'll heal up fine," the Doctor replied quietly, pulling her down to hug him again. "I'm proud of you, you're so brave, I would be crying my eyes out curled up into a ball in a corner right now I were you."
She giggled through her sniffs. He offered his best smile and kissed her forehead, before suppressing a yell as Rose readjusted her grip on the hoody pressing to his abdomen.
Suddenly there was the sound of synchronised footsteps marching towards them from outside the door. The force field was shut off again and the door opened once more, to reveal five Judoon standing in the doorway, guns as always pointed in the humanoids' direction.
"The child hybrid will come with us," one of the Judoon stated.
Leah held her Dad tighter in fear as Rose continued to put pressure on the wound, despite her hoody was fast becoming soaked in blood. She looked up at the Judoon with fury.
"Your prisoner's just been beaten and stabbed!" Rose yelled. "For God's sake, help him!"
"Unrelated case," the Judoon gruffed. "The child hybrid will come with us..." The guns clicked, the sure sign of being loaded ready to fire. "Now."
"No!" Rose shouted, feeling herself about to cry. "What are you gonna do to her?"
"Need to know only," the Judoon said. "The child hybrid will come now, or be forced."
"Need to know?" Rose almost shrieked. "I'm her mum!"
"Rose," the Doctor croaked, quickly grabbing her arm from where he still lay on the floor. "If she doesn't go they will shoot her..."
"Like hell they will!" Rose shouted, letting go of the hoody and taking Leah in her arms instead, shielding her from the Judoon.
The Doctor cried out as he struggled to sit up, one hand holding the hoody with the other propping him up.
"Rose..." he gasped, sweat lining his forehead. "I don't want it either, but if they don't get her, they will kill her..."
Rose knew he was right, but she just couldn't... "No," she sobbed, holding Leah tightly. "I won't let her go, Doctor, I won't let her go..."
"You have twenty seconds," the Judoon gruffed.
The Doctor struggled to his knees, crying out in pain before he managed to reach Rose's height. He fell onto them in a hug, kissing both of them.
"Rose..." he whispered warningly.
She looked at him through a mess of blonde hair, tears rolling down her cheeks. She wished she didn't, but they had no choice. They had to let Leah go with the Judoon. "I know," she muttered, kissing Leah again before setting her on the floor away from the puddles of her father's blood. "Be brave, Leah, really brave. We love you."
"They might do things you don't like, but just do whatever they tell you to," the Doctor whispered as he struggled to stay conscious, cupping her cheek. "But soon you'll be back here with us, and you can tell us everything. We'll be waiting for you, okay? Me and Mummy love you very much."
"Okay," Leah said quietly, still sobbing slightly.
"Dry those tears," he encouraged through pants for air.
"You're a Tyler, and Tylers don't back down," Rose said, trying to smile.
"Now!" the Judoon gruffed.
"Go with them, Leah," Rose whispered, letting the girl pass to go to the door. As she reached the Judoon, they nulled her metal wristband and picked her up under one arm. Rose took hold of the Doctor in a hug to help him to sit up but also for comfort as Leah disappeared around the corner, the door slamming closed behind her.
Rose held onto the Doctor tightly, unable to stop the tears then. But he didn't hug back. It was only then she noticed he had completely passed out, his face almost completely white.
"No, no, no..." she breathed, lying him back down on the floor again and trying to put pressure on the blood flow. "You promised, Doctor!"
The bond with him was screaming, but all she could do was hold a hoody to his bleeding abdomen and hope the Master hadn't won after all this.
A/N: What a random stabbing that just occured that. I didn't plan that. You should be worried :o