A/N: Thanks to GoddessAmanda1984(I love 10 and 11 too, but I agree that it's fun to read some Classic Who every now and then. Thanks for reviewing!), to mysterious Guest, who either didn't feel like leaving a name or was just really, REALLY clever(Thanks so much! I know, I sometimes try to read other stories with the Master but they usually involve him behaving like he never would. Naw, me? Cliffhangers? Never! :D), and to Exact Estimate(Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy my stories!) for reviewing! And thanks to Exact Estimate for also following and favoriting!
On with the show!
Debts
By Trinaluv33
~Chapter 2~
The darkness swirled around him, trapping him in a cocoon of madness and despair. He was aware of a dull pain, but it was too far away for him to worry about. The Doctor struggled to break through the fog in his mind. It felt as if he was drowning in the sea of his own subconscious. He sputtered and fought against the pull of his inner darkness, but it felt as if he was failing. He couldn't break free.
Doctor.
The Doctor furrowed his brow in confusion, a faint light breaking through the haze. He began to hear distant sounds and sharp voices. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was landing the TARDIS and then... nothing. Had something gone wrong with the primary stabilizers again?
Doctor.
He tried to respond, but found he was unable to speak. Something barred his speech, whether it be a mental or physical cumbrance, he wasn't sure. The pain was becoming more evident as the light in the distance grew brighter. His limbs suddenly grew heavy and stiff. The noises were clearer now, and he could hear a steady beeping.
Doctor!
Gasping, his eyes shot open, and he began to struggle against his binds. There was a rope-like gag in his mouth that tied under the head of the bed he was strapped to. The blurry image of a woman appeared in front of him, startling him and causing his hearts to race. She smiled at him in a sickly sweet way, causing his stomach to do little nervous flips. He tried again to pull away, but to no avail.
"Ready to begin?" The Doctor shook his head. He may not be sure of what was going to happen, but he had a feeling whatever this woman had planned would not be fun. "Good. Let's get started, then."
The woman disappeared from view, and for a moment the Doctor thought he was left alone, his only view being the grey ceiling tiles above his head. He silently tested the strength of his binds and was dismayed to find them secure. However, maybe with enough pulling he could weaken the bonds until they snapped. Or, he could try to get this woman to free him. She seemed the sensible type beyond the glint of fascination in her green eyes. That or maybe the guards would help him.
A slight vibrating noise distracted the Doctor from his plans of escape. Before he could ponder what the strange noise could be, an electrifying shock surged through him, his body arching against his bonds and nearly snapping from his force. It felt as if his lungs were being crushed by a metal compressor and forced to stay that way, making it nearly impossible for him to take a breath. His muscles burned as he was caught in an unending seizure; the electricity flowed through him and wrapped its fiery tendrils around his hearts.
The Doctor wanted to scream, needed a way to release all the pent-up agony that was trapped inside his mind. His hearts beat out a sporadic rhythm, and he felt incredibly light-headed and nauseous from the lack of oxygen. A burning sensation erupted in his chest, and his eyes grew red with exhaustion and uncontrolled pain. He could vaguely hear the woman taking notes, something about "endurance" and "stamina levels."
It felt like he was in the last leg of a race, and his horse was about to give out- and then his horse gave out. A scream wrenched its way through his throat and broke through the mental barriers of his agony. His heart labored painfully to do the job meant for two, his breaths finally coming in short gasps as the vibrations ceased. He collapsed back into the bed, sweat pouring off of him from exhaustion. His face flushed as his vision swam hazily in front of him, and his eyes rolled back into his head to the sounds of insane approval and "total success."
Doctor...
The Doctor swirled on the edge of consciousness, close enough to feel its unwelcome presence but too far away to grasp it. As the Time Lord grew more aware of reality, he also became aware of an intense pain that resided in every fiber of his being. He wished desperately to return to the blissful state of unconsciousness, but something continued to drag him towards the light.
Doctor.
He blinked his eyes wearily, an unbearable headache nearly blinding him. His muscles felt like lead, weighing him down as he sank deeper into the watery pit of despair. His throat burned, and he tried to swallow through the pain. As his vision cleared, he became more aware of his surroundings. He appeared to be in a small holding cell. His arms hung weakly from where they were bound above his head by rusty chains that bit into his wrists. A face came into focus a few feet away from the Doctor, chained in a similar manner.
Shaking his head slightly to try and clear the cobwebs fogging his mind, the Doctor appraised the Master. "A-are you o-" His voice broke and he coughed to clear his raw throat. It took a lot of energy just to talk, and when he did he could barely be heard. However, he knew the Master would be able to understand him. "-Okay? Are you okay?"
The Master stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Only the Doctor... "Yes, I am fine." He silently observed the Doctor, the way he hung limply from the chains, the way he rested his head against the wall, and the way he took fast, shallow breaths. His forehead was creased in pain, and his arms were trembling, causing his chains to rattle in return. "I don't need to ask how you are, I see."
The Doctor laughed softly and shook his head. He winced as a tug of pain embraced his torso and traveled through his body. He could feel the strained beating of his heart. He wasn't completely sure how much longer he could manage with only one heart.
The Master stared at the Doctor in concern- no, that definitely wasn't it. He wasn't concerned about the Doctor, he was annoyed. Annoyed by his unending kindness towards others, by his weakness. He was growing soft in his old age, too easy to defeat. The Master hated easy.
Concentrating, the Master probed the Doctor's health telepathically. The injured Time Lord must be at his last breaking point if his defenses weren't upheld. The Doctor's muscles seemed strained to the max, and his throat was raw. However, that wasn't what alarmed the Master. It was the fact that only his left heart was beating.
With a viscous expression, the Master turned his gaze to land on the guard posted outside their cell. "Hey, ignoramus. Maybe you should tell the good doctor that she'll lose one of her precious subjects if she doesn't take precautions. Perhaps she needs to be reminded that we have don't survive on one heart alone."
The Master succumbed to rolling his eyes as the guard fumbled nervously for his walkie-talkie and spoke quickly, and quite unintelligibly in his opinion, to Dr. Crawford. He could vaguely hear the mad woman's angry shrieks as she ordered the guards to do something about it. The Master noted that the Doctor hadn't made note of any of this, as his eyes were pinched tightly closed as he concentrating on breathing through the pain, which was getting more difficult by the second as his remaining heart threatened to give out, too.
The aforementioned guard rushed in with what looked like a home-made defibrillator and pulled up the Doctor's tan shirt, connecting the leads in the proper spots.
The Doctor opened his eyes when he felt the cold metal being applied to his skin. The Master was surprised when he glared bitterly at the human. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
The guard chose to ignore him as he started up the defibrillator. Without warning, he flipped the switch, sending a shock through the Doctor and effectively, but painfully, jump-starting his right heart. Without a word, the guard packed up the defibrillator, pulled down the Doctor's shirt, and left, returning to his stoic position outside the cell.
The Doctor let his head hang in exhaustion. It was nice to finally have both his hearts working again, but the extra shock had depleted any energy he might have had left. The Master smirked at him. "Looks like you're a little worse for wear."
The Doctor chuckled. "Just a bit." He raised his head to make eye contact with the Master, thanking him without words because he was knew full well if he mentioned it, the Master would deny the fact that he might have saved his mortal enemies life- at least temporarily. The Doctor's head fell to rest against his upheld arm. He was just so tired... It was getting more and more difficult to keep his eyes open. His body fought him as he tried to resist the pull of unconsciousness, but he knew it was a losing battle.
Sleep, Doctor. The end is near.
The Doctor's eyes slipped shut, a welcoming presence in his subconscious calming him towards an almost-restful sleep.
A/N: Hey, kind of ended on a happy note this time, didn't I? Not including the Doctor being tortured and all that jazz, but nonetheless, sort of a happy ending. Anyway, hope you enjoyed Chapter 2! Please don't by shy; drop a review into the box on the way out!
Luv Trinaluv