She makes all the pertinent preparations. She links both of them to the TARDIS console so that if something goes terrible wrong, the machine can help. TARDISes are capable of making deep meaningful connections between it and their pilots. In this particular case, she suspects the bond goes beyond the normal limits and she can use all the help she can get. She sets up a nutrition line in both of them, she does not know how much time it will take. She quietly cleans him up, changes his pijamas and shaves his face. Next she lies next to him and gently holds his large hand, cold and still and takes a plunge into the Doctor's mind.
As she enters The Doctor´s mind she finds it is not the dark pit she was expecting judging by the static she heard before. She is surrounded no by memories and thoughts, but a Doctirnesh she can´t possibly describe. As she makes the connection stronger and settles down a physic mental projection so she can explore, there are thousand of colors, caothic images and concepts floating around, everything brilliant, weird and fantastic as their owner. There is this fierce love and endless compassion, and she fears her hearts may burst, there is loneliness and regret and she feels like those same hearts will break. Everything the Doctor is, surrounds her and for a second he is like the Universe itself, truly the lonely god. The TARDIS helps her, her soothing presence anchoring her.
Suddenly she finds herself standing in the middle of a cold beach, and the TARDIS provides a name. Bad Wolf Bay. It is night, all the galaxies condensed in a single Earth sky and in the center of it, there is it, in the center of it all.
Gallifrey.
Turning and burning, and the Master finds it extremely beautiful. Good riddance. She has no love for her planet. She has no love for the society that leash her, mark her, manipulate her. (He is the only one she loved. Loves. Will love)
She shakes her head, focus her thoughts and blocking her own feelings. Looks around and finds there is no path, no road to follow. It is just an endless beach, the furious sea and the darkness with it´s thousand galaxies.
"Doctor" her voice breaks the static and she feels slightly better. "Doctor, where are you hiding?"
She walks following the line of the beach, calling the stubborn man. She can hear the TARDIS, singing, calling him.
"Thief. My thief. Where are you?"
She wonders not for the first time, how dependant the TARDIS and the Doctor are from each other. As she walks she finds ghosts from the past. The TARDIS whispers the names of those she does not recognize. There is the Freak and fierce Martha Jones. There is a girl name Rose Tyler, pink, yellow and soft. A ginger, loud and loyal, Donna Noble. AldricRomanaSusanSarahJaneSmithMikeSmithAstridPethAlastair They stare at her as she walks across the beach, and suddenly there are thousands, and the TARDIS falls silent, as apparently she does not remember all of them. She sees herself, as she was once.
She sighs and ignores them as they are not a threat. "Doctor where are you? I am not interested in knowing all the poor sods you have saved once" she says outloud just to slice the heavy silence that was settling down again.
"No friends. This is the people The Doctor destroyed" suddenly a tiny voice she has nor hear for centuries says next to her. She looks down and finds a very young Doctor, when he was still going by the name of Thete Sigma. He must be no more than seven years old, just about to become eight. Just before the schism.
"Doctor"
The boy makes a face and shakes his head "I am not the Doctor. He asked me to come and tell you to leave. Also consider this as your only warning"
"Oh, how considerate of him. What will happen if I choose to ignore his warning?"
The boy shrugs. "Then he is not responsible of what may happen. He is dying. His mind is a chaos too big. This was created for you, so you don´t get lost"
"Don´t you care he dies?" she asks, curious with the strange detachment in his tone.
"I am already dead. Just a memory, am I not? He is old, he is broken and he is done. Those were his words"
"So what, he is only going to give up?"
"Yes" The boy looks up at him and the Master smiles in triumph, got ya. Those eyes are too old and too tired, to belong to the boy he once was friends with.
She sighs and kneels next to him, so she is at his same height.
"You are a coward you know? After all the bitching you did about me not dying, you are giving up"
"The kettle talking to the pot. You ran away from the War!" the child answers back, angry and defensive.
"Yes I did. And hide myself. I am a psychopath but it was too much, even for me. The Nightmare Children. The Desolation. And then, the news you have stolen The Moment" she grabs thin shaking shoulders. "I was so afraid. You, The Doctor, driven to take such measures"
"I Am no the Doctor" the child emphasizes, trying to break her hold on him.
"Of course you are, even if you look as sweet as you were once"
The image dissolves, and in front of her appears the Doctor, as he was in his tenth incarnation. Slim and rigid, fabulous hair and wearing his brown strip suit. She remembers asking for a mini suit for him when her last incarnation convert him in the little dwarf he truly is.
While Thethe anger was amusing , the look the Doctor was given her, was threathening. Ah, the Oncoming Storm
She stands up. "That is better. Talking with an adult. But hardly makes it a difference, does it?" she manages to say.
"Leave. I don't want your help" the Doctor spats, his voice dark and angry.
"Oh, so rude. Not even a thank you, I am trying to save your skinny ass"
" I am not nice" he replies and smiles, his not nice at all smile. " I am known for being rude and not ginger. Leave"
"I just saved you and the whole Universe if you think about it. Can you imagine what kind of mischief an evil entity can do while wearing your body? So much knowledge and nearly immortal, with the trust of many powerful people in time and space. Oh, maybe I should snatch it"
The Doctor is not amused.
"Is why are you here? To torment me? But you know what…be my guest. Take the body and do whatever the hell you want" he finally says and turns around, walking towards a big tree that appear from nowhere. One she recognizes perfectly and finds it out of place in the middle of an earthling beach. It used to be her favorite tree, tall and proud, silver leaves reflecting the sun. How many times did they climb that thing?
"Oh I think I will keep this body. I kind of like it. What do you think?" she says as turns around. His expression softens a little, but his face is still marred with sadness and despair. She finds herself wanting to make him smile that stupid grin of his.
"You are very pretty. Mistress?"
"Master. It is my title after all" she sits next to him and stares at the horizon, where a dark cloud is forming. It is darkness and it is oblivion.
"You are so dramatic" she points out at the cloud.
"This is not a game!" The Doctor barks and looks up at her, taking her hands. He is too warm, and isn´t that strange, this is just a mental plane, her body and his lying in the infirmary, her hand resting on his chest.
"I need you to get out, this place is going to hell and I can´t have another death on my conscience. I am too tired. The Doctor is done, so please Koschei, if you once love me…just leave. The TARDIs will take wherever you want and then deactivate. The Universe will go on, and I will be able to rest" he says his voice sad. He breathes deeply and closes his eyes, shoulders slumped forward.
"You are actually giving up"
"Yes. The Shadow show me what I am. I have destroy countless people lives and my own planet. I have failed. I am not making the universe a better place. I am a monster"
She bites her lip and she is about to leave him, let him rot for all she cares, because this is ridiculous. The Doctor´s self pity is insulting to her. "Really Doctor? You have save thousands of billions. You have save the Universe countless of times. You have died for it! What the hell are you talking about being a monster?" she knows she sounds like one of her jumping female apes cheerleaders.
"LEAVE" he growls again and grabs her wrist, pulling her up while trying to push her out of his mind.
"NO" she screams and stubbornly looks up at him.
Suddenly the sky darkens and a lighting crosses the sky.
"Why? Why do you want to save me? When did you start caring?" The Doctor says in desperation, looking at her with eyes full of sorrow.
And that is why she hates him. Because he has never understood. The Doctor with all his genius and brilliance, does not see what is obvious in front of him. Because he has never seen her.
Before she answer him, the storm gets loose as the Doctor wails. All hell breaks loose and they are thrown in thousand memories.
She holds his hand and does not let go.