I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please tell me what you think of it.
Defeat and Escape of the Master.
" Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe!" The PA system said in a perfect copy of the Master's voice, and made Martha wonder if the Master was overcompensating for something. It was bad enough with the statues. She and Romana were standing inside a corridor in a part of the Valiant that Martha vaguely remembered as being close to the control and conference room. There were two soldiers guarding them.
" Nervous?" Romana asked Martha looking at the Human to see if she was afraid, the Time Lady could see that even though she was putting on a facade Martha was terrified, and frankly Romana couldn't blame her.
Martha glanced at her friend, putting on a shaky smile, " No." She lied.
Romana caught the lie at once, but she didn't say a word. Whilst they were waiting Romana had time to think of what had happened since they'd been captured. The Master had had them thrown into a cell, they were given food and water, which surprised Martha but not the Time Lady. The Master knew she was a pure bred Time Lord, that any offspring they had would be pure, that she would have no choice but to care for them, Rose be damned. Romana knew such an action would irreversibly hurt the Doctor, but that was what the Master wanted. The Master obviously intended to keep her alive whilst Martha died, the first blood of the New Time Lord Empire. The thought sickened her. It wouldn't be an Empire, it would be a dictatorship, the image of the Time Lords destroyed forever by the Master. Whilst she wasn't proud of what her people had done and become during the Time War, it didn't mean Romana wanted their image, their reputation to be spoilt. Romana closed her eyes, thinking about the various issues with this mess. The Master's marriage to Rose wasn't perfect, if the vision of the Fourth Doctor had been accurate, and there was no reason to suggest he wasn't, and that Rose was expendable but Romana wasn't. Indeed the Master had barely said more than one word on the trip to the Valiant, not even stopping Rose from being tricked by her rivals. That was telling about their relationship. It was the plans the Master had for her that scared her.
The very thought, the idea, that the Master wanted to rape her and force her to carry his spawn sickened her, and she couldn't help but wonder what it would do to the Doctor; it would kill him, break his hearts to a point where he would never be able to talk, eat, anything. The thought almost broke Romana's Time Lady control.
If Martha was nervous, no not nervous, terrified, then Romana was wondering if jumping off a cliff would save her from a fate worse than death. No, she resolved, throwing the thoughts aside. She was a Time Lady, the Last ( or so she might think; indeed until she'd met the Doctor, and unfortunately the Master, she was certain she was the last of the Time lords) True Time lady in the cosmos, and she wasn't going to let her man down. The thought of the Doctor excited and terrified her at the same time; she knew Martha loved the Doctor, but the Doctor didn't love her in the same way. Romana was frightened of seeing him now, a television screen image was nothing compared to the real thing.
A guard held his hand to his right ear for a moment, listening to voice. The guard nodded to his friend, and they jabbed both girls in their backs with their guns.
" Come on, the Master's waiting."
Romana and Martha shared one last look. This was it. Romana's fingers wrapped themselves around Martha's, squeezed them reassuringly, then let go.
The Master was indeed waiting, just like the guard said. He was delighted his plans hadn't had any major hiccups, even Martha Jones travelling the Earth with Lady Romana wasn't a problem for him which surprised and concerned the Master. The Master had known one of his agents would be able to corner them, but he was still surprised slightly with how easy it had been to actually capture them. Lady Romana was younger than he and the Doctor, she had the same basic knowledge he and his greatest enemy possessed, yet she had let herself be captured without much of a struggle, that was what worried him. Paranoia was a constant companion with the Master, and now he was getting a feeling that something was off. The Master had prepared his contingency plans, knowing that if something did go wrong it would at this point due to the sensitivity present.
Deciding he'd had enough of waiting for the two prisoners, he gestured for a guard to come to him. " Bring them in." He ordered, making sure his voice was masterly and firm, the last thing he needed was these chimpanzees getting ideas and questioning him.
The Master and Rose, who was dressed in an elegant dress with copious amounts of makeup on her face, stood waiting on the platform overlooking the room. The Master cast his eyes over the room; the guards were stationed in key positions around the room, there was a guard standing very close to the mucky and disheveled Jack Harkness and there were two guards standing next to the Jones family, all three of them looked miserable but they were putting on brave faces. The Master turned his eyes towards the dwarf form of the Doctor, safe in his birdcage. He smirked, knowing it offended the other Time Lords dignity.
The doors opened, admitting Romana and Martha. The Master turned away from the window he was looking through, and walked over to the steps. He simply enjoyed the looks of the two girls, and took the time to survey his new Time Lady bride to be. He could see why the Doctor was enamored with her.
The silence in the room was so much that a spider could walk across the floor and it would be heard as the two girls entered the room. Martha and Romana walked in slowly, taking the time to look the people here. How time had changed this place, last time they'd been here it had been full of people. Now it was almost empty, the tension in the room was frightening, but it was the Master's oppressive presence that made things even more tense. Martha locked eyes with her parents, noting how close her mom and dad were, how worn they looked, how terrified they were of making one wrong move. Tish had a bruise under her left eye and Martha wondered how she'd gotten it, making her think she'd been roughed up by Rose or the Master. After hearing what had happened with that girl thanks to Romana, she was sure it was Rose but that didn't rule out her husband.
Both girls turned their attention to Captain Jack and the Doctor, both looking worse for wear. Jack looked like he'd spent the past year coal mining and hadn't had the time to wash himself. The former Time Agent was covered in blood in alarming shades of red, brown and black. His shirt was tattered and torn with holes and slash marks. But he was still upright, strong. His eyes smoldered with sorrow that both girls had been caught, but happy to see them alive and healthy. All three of the girls hearts froze with pity when they saw what had been done to the Doctor; wizened with a massive domed head, Romana knew that if the ability to regenerate hadn't been frozen they'd be dealing with a new incarnation right now. After what they'd learnt from Amy Pond, Romana was delighted the Doctor's timeline hadn't altered yet but that could change if the Master decided to torture him with a new regeneration crisis. Although if he did that he'd be foolish.
As they were being dragged into the room, the Master gestured a guard to grab Romana. The Time Lady struggled, but she knew it was no use, she'd expected something like this just not so soon. " Let me go, I've got legs." The guard ignored her. Martha gulped. Romana had told her when they'd been travelling what the Master might do to the pair of them at the start of his new empire. Martha would die but Romana, being a pure Time Lady would be forced to become the mother of the Master's children.
Martha wasn't sure if her fate was worse, at least she wouldn't have been touched by the Master, but she pitied Romana if things didn't go their way.
The Master stepped down from the platform a couple of steps, " Your teleport device," he said, holding his hand out. He smirked callously, enjoying humiliating Martha in front of the Doctor and the pathetic girl's family, " In case you'd thought I'd forgotten." He added in a voice that brooked no argument.
Martha took out the vortex manipulator, it was her turn to carry the time travelling space hopper, hoping to give it back in one piece to Jack, and threw it towards the Master, who caught it. There was no more running away. This was it, the deciding finale. Either the Master would win or they would.
The Master had a smug look of victory on his face as he took out his laser screwdriver and pointed it towards Martha, " Now," the Master smirked, savoring his victory, " Kneel." He drawled out the word, savoring the word as it left his mouth.
Martha gritted her teeth, but did as she was told. The Master chortled; delighted to have one of the Doctor's wonderful companions kneeling in front of him, it had just rounded off his victory.
" Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. 200,000 ships set to burn across the universe." The Master announced to everyone in the silent room, he grinned down at Martha.
Gleefully running towards the radio, like a little boy with a trainset, the Master sent a message, " Are we ready?" he asked, deftly pocketing the manipulator in his inner pocket whilst speaking to the Toclafane and the fleetyards over a radio. " Three minutes to align the black hole converters." The Master said, fiddling with an oddly shaped watch on his wrist. " Counting down!" he added as a clock started ticking.
With that insane grin on his face, the Master turned to his wife as it ticked down, " I never could resist a ticking clock."
The Master shouted, " My children, are you ready?"
In space, the Toclafane swarm hovered above the Earth, the planet of their birth, as the Sun started to rise above the world. There was something prophetic about the image; a swarm of spheres armed to the teeth with a demented Time Lord to command them, and a war fleet waiting to depart from Earth. In response to the Master's question, they all chanted with their collective voice, " We will fly and blaze and slice! We will fly and blaze and slice!"
On the Valiant the Master was still gloating about his ultimate victory, " At zero, to mark this day, the child, Martha Jones, will die." The Master announced, turning to the Jones family. He sounded like a preacher or a priest, his voice was solemn. He didn't sound like a lunatic despot. Then he spoilt it as he grinned down at Martha as he added, " My first blood. Any last words? No?" The Master frowned, screwing his face up as he marched down the steps to get closer to Martha for a better shot. He took out his Laser screwdriver, and said to the Doctor, " The days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the Time Vortex, cure diseases, create mathematical cities from nothing. This one's useless!"
" I agree with you there, darling." Rose smirked, looking over Romana and Martha with a superior air.
That sentence was punctuated by the sinister sound of the laser screwdriver being activated.
" Bow your head!" The Master snarled in a guttural voice, as if he was death personified. Then, in a voice that sounded almost religious, the Master carried on, " And so it falls to me, as Master of all, to establish from this day a new order of Time Lords. From this day forward..." The Master stopped and looked down at Martha when he heard chuckling coming from her.
The Master lowered the screwdriver, knowing the girl wouldn't be laughing without good reason, " What? What's so funny?" The Master asked curiously, but not without contempt for the girl.
Martha's head rose up slowly, she was going to enjoy this and put the Master in his place, " A gun?" She asked in a tone that suggested the Master and Rose were lunatics.
" What about it?" Rose asked believing the matter was closed.
" A gun in four parts?" Martha asked in a disbelieving voice.
Now the Master was getting impatient, and wished the stupid monkey would get to the point, " Yes, and I destroyed it."
" A gun, in four parts, scattered across the world? I mean, come on! Did you really believe that?" Martha asked, looking at Rose and the Master as if they were more stupid than they were.
Rose sneered, " You failed." She replied smugly, thinking there was nothing more to be gained from a gun. But her husband didn't agree.
" What do you mean?" The Master asked, humoring her. If St Martha wanted to play games then he'd indulge her for the time being.
The Doctor moved forward slowly, " As if I would ask them both to kill." He looked at them both, " How could you think that of me? You both know I would never kill if there was another solution. Did you two never know me, Master, Rose?" He asked sadly.
The Master jeered, " Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her."
" We both knew what Professor Docherty would do," Martha insisted, waving a hand in Romana's direction. " The resistence knew about her son. I told her about the gun so she'd get us here. At the right time."
The Master was on the cusp of losing both his patience and this temper, this was going on too long. " But you're still gonna die."
Romana had been silent up to now, now she wanted one of the other three Time Lords in the universe to know Martha wasn't alone on this.
" Don't you even wanna know what we were doing, travelling the world?"
The Master shrugged, realising at last that he had no choice in the matter, " Tell me." He ordered.
" We told a story. That's all. No weapons, just words." Romana said, gaining the Master's full attention. " We did what the Doctor said."
" We travelled the world, across the continents all on our own. And everywhere we went we found the people and we told our story. We told them to pass it on. To spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."
" Faith and hope? Is that all?" The Master asked disdainfully; he'd believed these two women were intelligent, Romana especially considering she was a Time lord, but clearly he'd been wrong.
Martha stood up slowly, proudly, " No, 'cause we gave them an instruction. Just as the Doctor said. We told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time..."
" Nothing will happen!" The Master spat scornfully. " Is that your weapon? Prayer?"
Romana smiled, " Right across the world."
" One word, just one thought, at one moment, but with 15 satellites." Martha completed.
It was like a bomb had dropped on both Rose and the Master. " What?" Rose whispered.
" The Archangel network." Jack whispered but everyone heard him.
" A telepathic field binding the whole human race all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word is ' Doctor.'"
As the clock reached zero, the cage the Doctor was in started to glow, the energy dissipated the bars, saturating the Doctor in energy. The telepathic circuits of the Doctor's TARDIS, in conjunction with the Human connection, worked its magic on the frail Time Lord. The TARDIS, enslaved by the Master for so long now, added in what energy she could to help her Time Lord.
In the conference room, and throughout the Valiant, and the rest of the world, people started chanting and adding to the already seductive message. It was intoxicating, the feel of everyone's minds, the thoughts and desires, their compassion, their desire for the Master to be vanquished, was poured into the word and thought " Doctor." Other thoughts joined into the chorus, hopes, love and loss. All topped by hope. Romana added her own power, opening her own connection to Archangel. She'd been preparing for this moment, and she added her own Time Lady mind and power and mixed it in. Her mind joined the TARDIS, and with the working telepathic circuits she added a more powerful force to the one the humans had made.
Rose was feeling torn; one part of her wanted to join in with the others, but the other side of her kept saying, No, they've gotten it wrong. The Doctor's way will destroy us. Only the Master can save us..." Because of that indecisiveness, she was left out, but she could feel it.
The Master was trying to restore order, but he was ignored. For the first time this year he was being ignored.
" Stop it. No, no, no, no, you don't."
As everyone started chanting " Doctor" the Master tried to say, " Don't..." but he was blotted out when screens showing the cities and the workcamps came alive with the ragged survivors of the Toclafane descent. All of the them chanting " Doctor."
The Doctor closed his eyes, feeling the telepathic energy wash all over him. This was like being in a blanket of emotion, he could feel every emotion on Earth; love, hate for the Master and the Toclafane, hope, desire for change, for everything to go back...He also felt his TARDIS singing to him, giving him strength, galvanising him and rejuvenating his small body. He could feel Romana too, the beautiful Time Lady was sending him memories of their times together when he was all teeth and curls. He could feel her love for him, her desire to make him see that he was no longer alone in travelling the cosmos. He returned that love with everything he got.
His body reverted back to what it had been before the laser screwdriver had aged him to 900 years past his original date. The Time Lord could feel his muscles and body become younger and stronger again...
" Stop this right now! Stop it!" The Master's desperate voice rose to a shout. The Doctor didn't listen to him; the Master had refused to listen to him in the hell he'd created thanks to the Human race's own twisted future, he'd refused the Doctor's offer to fight across the stars. Why should the Doctor listen to him now?
As his body became more and more upright and healthy again, the Doctor locked his eyes on the faces of his oldest enemy and the girl who'd betrayed him and her entire race.
" I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with it's matrices."
The Master still seemed to think he was in someway in charge of the situation, but he was coming off as pathetically desperate, " I order you to stop!"
The Doctor felt like laughing. Order? You think you're in charge Master ? Not any more.
By now the chanting was reaching crescendo, but it wasn't over. The bald aged Doctor was replaced by a younger Doctor, his messy brown hair grew back, his skin smoothed with the appearance of youth. His voice lost its reediness and became more stronger.
" The one thing you can't do is stop them thinking."
Martha, Jack and Romana laughed as the majestic Doctor rose in his energy blanket, hovering higher than where the Master was.
" Tell me the human race is degenerate now, when they can do this."
The Master was slack jawed, and he felt something in his chest as his mind rushed back to that nightmare he'd had, back when he was in his 13th life and tormenting the 3rd Doctor. The Master had always been afraid of an image of the Doctor, growing to gigantic proportions and laughing at him, the Master. Now that dream was starting to come true. The Master was afraid, but pride wouldn't stop him, even in the wake of his plans being ruined, his latest gamble being ruined...
He wasn't beaten yet. He was not beaten.
" No!" The Master yelled, firing two blasts into the Doctor, but the energy was absorbed.
" I' sorry, I am so sorry." The Doctor said compassionately at his old enemy.
The Master twisted his face into a snarl as he realised the Doctor couldn't be killed, he adjusted the settings on the laser screwdriver, and pointed it towards the huddled Jones family and Romana.
" Then I'll kill them." He hissed in homicidal joy.
The Doctor raised his hand, and the laser screwdriver was sent hurtling across the room, far out of the Master's reach. It took the Master a while to adjust to the fact that his weapon was no longer in his hand. He was helpless. To the humans, it was like seeing a cowardly bully about to be beaten up by someone stronger; for the past year the Master had killed, maimed, tortured and humiliated everyone on the Valiant. His evil wife was no better, but now, seeing the Doctor restored like this and seeing the Laser screwdriver torn away from his grasp, the Master looked like he was on the verge of a collapse.
" You can't do this! You can't do...It's not fair!" The Master yelled at the Doctor, furious with this latest defeat.
The Doctor's voice was ominous, as if he held the power of God at his fingertips. In a way he did.
" And you know what happens now."
The Master shouted, " No!"
He repeated the word, repeatedly as he backed away, down the flight of steps nearest to him, trying to get away from his fellow Time Lord, who was coming towards him.
" No! No! No! No!"
" You wouldn't listen." The Doctor's voice echoed around the room.
" No!" The Master yelled, the Leader of Earth, the supposed founder of the New Time Lord empire was now huddling against the wall, trying desperately to get away.
" Because you know what I'm going to say." The Doctor was saying as he came nearer to the ground.
" No." The Master was now clawing the walls, hoping for a quick exit.
The energy around the Doctor finally dissipated, his clothes and body unchanged and undamaged. It was almost as if he had put on the suit that morning rather than wear it for a whole year.
The Doctor walked over to the Master, bending down and embracing the cowering Time Lord in his arms. " I forgive you."
Rose shook her head, unbelieving about what had happened. She too was repeating the word, " No." Only for more selfish reasons than the Master.
The Master whipped his hands away from his face, revealing a mask made of anger. " My children!" He hissed, sending a desperate telepathic message.
In space, the neat and tidy Toclafane formations broke up. The spheres were in panic, " Protect the paradox. Protect the Paradox. Protect the paradox." They chanted.
Letting go of the Master, the Doctor jumped up, and shouted and order at Jack. " Captain, the paradox machine!"
Jack grabbed a rifle, and shouted for the guards. The Master's hold over them was broken. " You men, with me!"
The Doctor turned his attention back to the Master, and just in time. The other Time Lord had removed the vortex manipulator. " No!" The Doctor yelled. Both Time Lords struggled with the manipulator, and it was set off. In a bright light, both Time Lords vanished.
Romana was faster than a Human, even one as conditioned as Jack. The Time Lady caught up with the immortal Time Agent quickly. Jack did a double take when he saw her. " What the hell are you doin'?" He snapped.
" I'm helping you."
" I don't want your help. You might get killed." Jack retorted.
" No matter. I know how to deal with the Toclafane." She held up her sonic screwdriver, and the laser screwdriver.
Jack paled when he saw the Master's weapon. " Where did you get that?"
" I snagged it before I left the room. I'm trying to slave it to my sonic screwdriver, should bypass the isomorphic controls." Romana said, getting to grips with the delicate task. It was hard seeing as they were rushing through corridors.
" Should?" Jack asked.
" Best I can do Jack." The Time lady replied, reminding Jack of a distant memory of something he'd said to Linda Moss before she was killed by the Daleks.
The Doctor found himself on a hill, overlooking one of the many shipyards he'd seen from so many viewports and screens all year.
" Now it ends, Doctor!" The Master held out his arms, the thunder in the sky highlighting his words. " Now it ends!"
Jack, the guards and Romana had reached the storeroom where the TARDIS was located. Surrounding the time machine were 3 spheres, the only ones not in the formation. As soon as they saw the Humans with guns, they extended their weapons, armed and ready for battle. Romana ducked away, concentrating on the task at hand. Isomorphic technology was complicated, but all Romana wanted to do was slave the circuits of the laser, and not use her biometric field to aim the energy. It was one machine telling another what to do.
On the bridge, the remaining guard was holding Mrs Saxon at bay. Martha and her family crowded around the liberated staff. The Master had hypnotised the majority of them to do his bidding, but now they were free. Martha winced as she caught sight of a scantily clad woman, dressed in a revealing skirt. The Master sure had a nasty image of women...
Then she saw something on a radar screen in the chaos, something that made her insides freeze. " We've all six billion spheres heading right for us!"
Back on Earth, the Doctor was still counting his options. There weren't many, he hadn't made a counter plan for the vortex manipulator. The Master always had an insurance plan. The Doctor tried to buy time and reason with the Master; he had little to lose, besides it would give him the time needed to think of a way he could fight the Master and take them back to the Valiant.
" We've got control of the Valiant. You can't launch."
The Master smirked as he removed the watch he'd fiddled with earlier; the Master could hardly contain his rage and frustration that he'd come this close, thisclose,to winning, only for his chance to be snatched away from him by his hated enemy.
" Ah, but I've got this." The Master held up the watch, his last remaining card. " Black hole converter inside every ship."
The Doctor's face went slack as he realised what the Master was thinking about; black hole converters tore the gravity wells apart, focusing the matter in a small space would result in a black hole. With 200, 000 converters the Master would be able to create 200, 000 black holes inside the planet and destroy it.
The Master carried on, outlining his threat, " If I can't have this world, Doctor, then neither can you." Holding his arms out, he carried on, " We shall stand upon this world together as it burns!"
The Doctor's face reflected his fear, then that fear vanished, leaving behind a perfectly calm Time Lord. The Master was good at reading body language, and he saw the barely hidden disgust in the Doctor's eyes.
On board the Valiant, those on the flight deck watched with mounting fear as the Toclafane swarm came closer and closer. It was like watching a flock of birds, or a swarm of bees as they flew closer and closer. Martha could feel her blood congeal into ice. All year long she'd been taking a message for the Doctor, only now she was going to die. Where was the Doctor? He always came up with great ideas, Martha knew nothing the defence systems of the Valiant. They were finished.
Romana was trying to concentrate on her work whilst the soldiers Jack had found were trying to fight off the Toclafane. She was almost finished, she just needed a few seconds. A guard panted to Jack as they ducked out the way, two others weren't so lucky when they were killed.
" Can't get in, we'd get slaughtered."
Jack thought back on the amount of times when he'd been shot, sliced, diced, disintegrated, speared, incinerated, and said wryly, " Yeah, happens to me a lot."
He was about to jump out and shoot at the spheres again when Romana stopped him by placing a cool hand on his wrist, holding him in place. The Time Lady whispered, " Allow me."
Without waiting for Jack's approval, Romana stepped in front of the Toclafane, who stopped firing when they realised this woman wasn't armed properly, and holding up both the sonic screwdriver she'd made all those years ago whilst travelling with the Doctor and the weapon the Master had used all year. Flicking on her sonic screwdriver first, Romana aimed them at one of the spheres, and squeezed the control. A blast of energy destroyed one of the spheres. Realising that the spheres would kill her in a moment, Romana slowed time around her body, which gave the time necessary to kill the remaining spheres...
On the bridge, the cloud, the swarm, whatever you want to call it, was coming closer and closer...
On the Earth, the Doctor moved closer to the Master, talking as he went. " Weapon after weapon after weapon. All you do is talk and talk and talk." When the Doctor was close enough, he got to the point, " But over all these years, and all these disasters, I've always had the greatest secret of them all."
The Doctor's eyes were now level with those of the Master, how similar they were to his own, as he delivered his coup de grace. " I know you."
Looking over the ships in the shipyard, he carried on, " Explode those ships, you kill yourself. That's the one thing you can never do."
Holding out his hand, the Doctor said, " Give that to me."
The Master weighed his options. His plans were in ruins, he had no more weapons up his sleeves, he had surprises yes, but he couldn't do anything at the moment. The Doctor was right, about those ships. If he detonated those ships - another nice word, detonate - then he too would die. The one thing he could never do. Besides he could live today, fight tomorrow. Snarling slightly at this latest mishap, the Master bitterly slapped the watch into the Doctor's waiting hand.
Jack and Romana rushed into the TARDIS with the astonished guard; even though he'd been a member of UNIT, not every member had ever been inside the time machine of the Doctor, so he was awed. Jack held up his gun and Romana held up the two screwdrivers. " Ready?" The immortal Time Agent asked his two companions.
Romana nodded along with the guard in stereo. " Okay," Jack growled, cocking his rifle. All three of them let loose two barrages of bullets and laser blasts at the paradox components, destroying the machine. With the two men helping, Romana was able to remove some of the cage, just enough for her to point her sonic screwdriver at the controls on the console.
" What're you doing?" The soldier asked curiously.
" I'm setting the TARDIS on self repair mode and also to scan for any other nasties the Master might've left behind. He's quite capable. I'm also coaxing the ship to actually reject the components, like antibodies rejecting germs." Romana replied smoothly.
The guard didn't understand, then again she'd described the TARDIS as if it were a living being...
Suddenly, the ship jolted, creating a shockwave, and the Time rotor flared. " Right," Romana grinned at the two men, " The paradox is reversing."
The shockwave was felt all over the planet. It knocked the Doctor and the Master to the ground. The Doctor climbed on top of the other Time Lord and fumbled with the Vortex manipulator. In a bright light, they left the scene as thunder flashed in the sky.
On the bridge of the Valiant, the spheres came closer and then they vanished into a blackish mist. There came jolts that shook the ship, sending everyone reeling. Martha was sent flying...right into the Doctor's arms.
" Everyone, get down. Time is reversing."
As everyone got down, the Doctor and Martha grinned at one another. As time rewound back to the point before the paradox machine activated, they all felt as if their bodies were being stretched apart. Even the Master grimaced, although it was probably because of his plans being spoilt.
On Earth, the people vanished, they'd never existed like they had since the Master took power. The statues, the ships vanished, the damage the Master committed with his allies faded away, cities like San Francisco repaired themselves, the inhabitants none the wiser. The islands of Japan were restored.
By the time it was finished, papers were all over the deck. With his manic energy, the Doctor jumped up, " The Paradox is broken. We've reverted back. One year and one day, two minutes past eight in the morning."
The Doctor flicked a switch. This is UNIT central, what's happened up there? We just saw the president assassinated, A man over the radio asked.
" See. Just after the president was killed, but just before the spheres arrived." The Doctor proved his point. " Everything back to normal, planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror, it never was."
" What about the spheres?" Martha asked.
" Trapped at the end of the universe." The Doctor replied; only his eyes showed how sad he was about Humanities' eventual fall, but there was nothing about it he could do.
Francine was still getting to grips with what had happened. " I remember it." She whispered in horror, recalling the hideous memories as if they were a nightmare she'd had during the night.
" We're at the eye of the storm," The Doctor said solemnly, " The only ones who'll ever know."
At that point, the Master ran for the door. He'd been gathering his energies to escape. He was foiled because standing in the doorway was the freak Harkness and Lady Romana, the Doctor's whore.
" Whoa, big fella!" Jack said loudly, grabbing the Master. The evil Time Lord didn't struggle as he held his hands in a surrender gesture. Romana held out a delicate and dainty hand to the guard who'd come with them inside the TARDIS. " Cuffs, please." The guard gave them to her without a wording, training his gun on the Master as a clear warning.
Jack was smiling, " You don't want to the party." He said, taking the offered the cuffs and cuffing the Master's hands behind his back. With one hand over his shoulder, Jack looked at the Master's surly features. " So, what do we do with this one?"
Clive Jones had the answer, " We kill him." He growled.
Tish Jone's face became ugly, highlighting the mysterious bruise on her face, " We execute him."
The Doctor and Romana weren't going to have that; the Master was a Time Lord. He was their responsibility, not the Humans.
" No, that's not the solution." The Doctor tried to make them see sense.
" Oh, I think so." Francine whispered, holding out a gun. She'd picked it up when time had reversed, she held it with all the resolve she felt. The Master had lied to her, fed her lies about the Doctor and Martha. Her family, including Clive, had paid the price for it all. She looked into the face of the man who'd hurt her daughters, aged the Doctor, and destroyed her planet, and pointed the gun at him. " ' Cause all those things, they still happened." Tears were falling from Francine's eyes as she held the gun up. Who knew them to be so heavy?
" Because of him. I saw them!" Francine hissed.
The Master jeered, " Go on! Do it!" His face became perversely hungry, like a starving man. Only his meal was Francine Jone's fear and pain.
The Doctor had moved slowly towards Francine and he whispered into her ear, " Francine, you're better than him."
Francine tried to hold the gun up with all her strength, but her physical strength meant nothing; she couldn't do it. No matter how much pain and grief the Master had brought with his year from hell, she couldn't kill him. She dropped the gun, and broke down in the Doctor's arms.
The Master looked disappointed.
Leaving Francine in the capable arms of her family, namely Martha and Tish, the Doctor and Romana faced the Master. The other Time Lord looked at them both, he was furious, and both of them could hear him cursing and swearing bloody murder in their heads. Outwardly though he was calm when he asked his question.
" You still haven't answered the question. What happens to me?" The Master asked. He had a good idea what the Doctor was going to say, but he wanted to hear it first.
The Doctor was so predictable, " You're our responsibility," he gestured between himself and Romana, " from now on. The only other Time Lord in existence."
Jack moved closer so then he could stand near the Doctor, and maybe even shake some sense into him, " Yeah, but you can't trust him."
" No." Romana agreed, " The only safe place for him is the TARDIS."
" You mean you're just gonna keep me?" The look of disgust on the Master's hated face spoke volumes about this new development. Then he straightened up. Behind his back, his hand went to his ring...
" Sorry Doctor, Lady Romana. No can do." He grinned, tapping the ring with a telepathic command. The air around the Master blurred as the sound of a TARDIS dematerialisation echoed throughout the room. The wind blew again, blowing the papers around once more. Martha listened to the sound; it wasn't anything like the Doctor's, it was more...smooth, more advanced...
The Master's body became a blur as a more larger form appeared, that of the same grandfather clock form that the Master had hidden his TARDIS when he'd tried to destroy Gallifrey. The Doctor and his friends watched as the clock disappeared, only the face wasn't that of a clock, it was the Master's gloating features.
The Master's TARDIS dematerialised.
When the wind died down and the sound faded away, there was silence.
Romana broke the silence, " He hid it, all this time. His insurance. He must've programmed the TARDIS to take him away when and if his plans were defeated."
The Doctor's face was calm as he said wearily, " We can't chase him. Our TARDIS," Romana's face lit up at the word ' our,' " is too badly damaged. By the time she's ready the trail will be lost."
The Doctor grabbed both Romana and Martha in a hug, relishing the feel of them both. Unfortunately the moment was spoilt.
" Get your hands off him!"
The Doctor looked up and saw who'd interrupted his hug.
Rose.
Tish Jones, like the other maids, had suffered a lot under Rose Saxon.
" Why did he leave her behind?"
Romana pointed, " Look." She instructed.
They did, and they saw that Rose was...vanishing. She was fading away like the invisible man. Rose grabbed onto the fading parts, but she couldn't hang on. She looked with teary eyes towards the Doctor.
" What...? What's happening to me?"
" The Master sustained you here thanks to the TARDIS," The Doctor explained, " He'd used the paradox machine to reach back through the dimensional fracture and pulled you in, but since that hole closed and you've not been in this reality, the TARDIS maintained the paradox. The Toclafane used a simpler conduit when they came here and assassinated President Winters before he opened the rift. When the machine was destroyed, the TARDIS automatically rejected the machine. You're going back through, back to where I last saw you Rose."
Tears fell down Rose's rapidly disappearing face, " No," She sobbed. She held out her hands imploringly to the Doctor. " Help me."
" Why should I help you? You've helped my greatest enemy destroy the second home I've had, you've murdered thousands of people, including children. You betrayed me and your whole race. Why should I help you?" The Doctor asked coldly, repeating the last part.
Rose was really crying now, " You love me..."
" No you don't, you don't love me at all. Goodbye, Rose Saxon."
Rose's face disappeared, looking heartbroken as she finally vanished.
Clive frowned, " Where's she gone?"
The Doctor let out a long sigh, " Some time ago, Rose fell into a parallel universe. Contrary to popular belief, interdimensional travel's now impossible, especially since my people died out. They took the power to open portals into other realities with them. The walls were sealed off. There are still cracks in time that lead to these worlds, the TARDIS fell through one a while ago, shorty before Rose became trapped there. We met a new form of Cybermen, the metal men that appeared as ghosts. I sealed the crack, but later found there were others. I sealed them off too, but Rose became trapped there. I sent a goodbye message to her on the other side. That's where she's gone, Mr Jones. Back to the same moment in time she left. With no conscious memory of what happened here."
Tish was angry, " You mean she wont remember it?"
" I said no conscious memory, didn't I?" The Doctor smiled at Tish, frowning at the bruise before he carried on. " A side effect of travelling in time for so long, like me, Jack, Martha, Romana and, in this case, Rose, is that when history changes, the time traveller will always see it. For those that live in the changed time it becomes a reality, but for time travellers it's like the world went one way and the time travellers know the other. Say you know that JFK was assassinated, but you find yourself in the past and he's still alive. Back to the Future 2 dealt with the problem, an alternate society. In this case, Rose will recall what's happened to her via subconscious memory. Deep down she'll know she'd become a monstrous psychopath." The Doctor looked down sadly. He might not have liked Rose, but he didn't want her to become a monster.
Romana hugged him, " It's the Master's fault, Doctor. Not yours.
