Chapter 7: The Masters Amphibious Plan Part Two
"You're not the Doctor?"
The once-powerful ruler of Newtopia, King Andrias Leviathan now lay on the floor, now at the mercy of the Time Lord. Not long ago, King Andrias had the Time Lord known who he had thought to be the Doctor at his mercy but now the roles were changed. Not only had the Time Lord managed to outplay both the salamander and his lordship known as the Core, but he also wasn't even the Doctor rather he was another that called himself the Master. Both he and the Core now lay on the ground helpless with the Master now kneeling down over them.
"Well, what gave that away?" responded the Master, sarcastically. "I thought it would have been pretty obvious from the beginning."
King Andrias only grumbled in response while the Master looked on smugly as he stood up. The newt did not want to show the Gallifreyan any pleasure in him being in this state or grovel like a lowly peasant. The newt once again tried to get up but he groaned in pain remembering his wounds inflicted by the Master as they still burned his flesh while damaging some of the cybernetic parts, now unable to stand.
"Still have some fight left?" said the Master, curiously. "You really are a stubborn one."
The Master then noticed from the wound on his right leg that wires and metal were now sticking out from it. It seemed to bleed a strange mixture of purple-colored blood and some green fluid (probably the cybernetics ran on). Upon seeing this, piqued the Time Lord.
"So you are more machine than man or should I say newt?" said the Master. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised given the limited technology you possess."
The Master then snapped his fingers twice, in which his Cloak-Bot then turned its head in response. "Would you mind restraining dear Andrias for me?" he asked. "I'd rather not take any chances of him trying to put up a fight."
In response, the Cloak-Bot then crushed King Andrias's sword in its claw-like it was cardboard before moving towards its target. The robot then wrapped its long arms around the salamander as he struggled and squired. When its arms were securely around the King of Newtopia, it then lifted him up so he was face to face with the Master.
"What do you want?" gritted King Andrias, trying to struggle in the Cloak-Bots hold.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" replied the Master, smugly. "But since you are so eager to know and I've got the time to gloat….."
Several Weeks Ago
It was a dark and stormy night in the town of Wartwood with heavy rain down poured all over. Sounds of thunder and lightning clashed with each other as The Master worked inside of his TARDIS's workshop, safe from the horrid weather outside. It was one of the rare times that Marcy was not with him and was treasuring it. Not having to put up with the girl's naivety as she slept in the Plantars so-called "Fwagon" was a blessing in disguise for him.
Currently, the Master was not working on fixing any part of his TARDIS but on a side project of his own design. After what Marcy Wu had revealed to him regarding the Soul of Omega, he knew that he had a shot at not only stopping the never-ending conflict between his species, The Time Lords, and the mutants known as the Daleks but also having the multiverse under his dominion. Just the dreams of unlimited power were too good to give up, so fixing his TARDIS was merely a secondary objective while also a cover story for his constant need for resources.
"There," said the Master, putting the final touches on his side project. "That should do it."
The design itself was very crude but given the primitive, limited technology and resources found on Amphibia (along with what was available in his TARDIS), it would have to do. All it needed now was the final gem of the music box to be recharged, the elimination of King Andrias and any other military forces in Amphibia but the latter two would be hard to do since he had no army. Mercenaries would not do, being neither efficient nor effective loyal soldiers as was the case in the past when he hired them to do his bidding only to be foiled by the Doctor and his companions (also the average intelligence of the local inhabitants did not help matters). Cloning was another option the Time Lord did think about. While finding a suitable template would be easy, the limited technology in his possession combined with the time to grow them would make the process far too long and resource-consuming. So building a robotic army would be a better option as it would ensure total obedience and ruthlessness without question or complaint (while also being fast and too not resource-heavy) was the best option.
He had already acquired one robot dubbed "Frobo" that one of Marcy's friends, Polly had found wandering into town. Judging by its design, one would not be enough to take King Andrias's forces, and even if he armed it to the teeth like a Dalek surely the entire population of Amphibia would eventually defeat it due to sheer numbers alone. However, when thinking of Frobo, this made the Master think and come up with a solution. The Time Lord then made his way to the control room, straight towards the console, and then pressed a button on the console. The TARDIS scanner then lit up with Frobo's face displayed on it.
"Frobo," spoke the Master. "This is the Master."
"WHAT ARE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS MASTER?" replied Frobo.
"Well it's good to see you are enthusiastic," said the Master. "I need you to access your files and search for any decommissioned robot construction factories near of position."
Immediately, Frobo's optics turned from their usual glowing yellow to a bright blue color as it began to flicker through all of its available data files. After a few minutes of cycling through data, Frobo's then returned to normal. "Error," he said. "Data on fatalities not found due to damage to memory prior to activation."
The Master then groaned in frustration. "Well isn't that just dandy?" he said sarcastically.
With the previous idea going nowhere, the Master tried to think of another. Then it hit him, Marcy's friend Anne Boonchuy had told of her journey to Newtopia with the Plantar's and how they stumbled upon some kind of abandoned factory. When asked about it, the Master played dumb saying it was probably some leftover technology from the invaders from centuries ago to mine resources and that they were perfectly harmless if left untouched. Blissful ignorance at its finest you might say.
"Frobo," said the Master. "On second thought, I need you to do a little searching for me."
"MASTER?" asked Frobo.
This caused the Time Lord to smile. "I need you to go to the Ruins of Despair," he said. "Your primary objective is to explore the internal structures of the ruins and then wait for further orders. Also, be a dear and try not to wake Marcy and her friends when you leave."
"I OBEY," replied Frobo as the scanner's image of it turned black.
The Master then exited the console room and walked towards the TARDIS's kitchen. Once inside, he then began to brew himself a cup of tea as he waited for Frobo to respond. With the upgrades given to it, the robot would make it to the Ruins of Despair in no time but given the weather, it may slow the robot down a little. Still, nonetheless, the Master saw it as no reason why he couldn't enjoy a nice hot cuppa (considering all his hard work) while having some time to spare.
After making his tea, he then walked back to the control room where a light on the console was flashing (probably Frobo completing his objective). "Well that was rather fast," he said, pressing a button as Frobo's face appeared on the scanner again.
"MASTER," announced Frobo. "I HAVE ARRIVED AT THE COORDINATES 11202141 KNOWN AS THE RUINS OF DESPAIR AND HAVE FOUND SEVERAL INOPERATIVE FACTORIES INSIDE THE STRUCTURES PRESENT. WHAT ARE MY NEXT INSTRUCTIONS?"
"Splendid work!" said the Master, taking a sip of his tea. "Now open a visual link and let's see what I can be of use to me."
"YES, MASTER!" responded Frobo.
Suddenly, the picture of Frobo's face on the scanner then to what looked like some sort of assembly line ready to be reactivated. While there was nothing really special about it, what the Time Lord found strange was that for an abandoned factory, everything that he saw was very clean and pristine. Was King Andrias or something else secretly maintaining these factories? The Master pondered at this but then before he could think of an answer, Frobo's visual link on the scanner showed a lever on top of an unusual-looking construct.
"Pull the lever Frobo," commanded the Master, putting his tea on a nearby table.
Without a second thought, the frog robot pulled the lever down, and then suddenly the entire room began to glow. The conveyor belt present then began to slowly start up. All of a sudden, a control panel with a screen displaying some sort of alien language appeared from where the lever was.
"ASSEMBLY LINE ACTIVATED," said the Computers voice. "ROUTINE PROTOCOL ENGAGED."
From the visual link, the Master saw on the conveyor belt that metallic pieces and parts began to be placed. As the line moved, the parts began to be assembled into what was assumed to be another robot. The perfect candidate for his army.
"Perfect," sneered the Master. "Frobo, interface yourself with the system. I want full control of this factory's systems."
"I OBEY!" replied Frobo.
The Frog robot then raised its left arm as it began to shift and then replace it with multiple wires. These wires then began to plug themselves into the main control panel as it began the process of taking control. The system running the factory, however, seemed to have another idea as the screen turned red and alarms started blaring out.
"SECURITY VIOLATION DETECTED!" blared out the AI's voice. "ACTIVATING-"
However, before the Computer could do anything, the screen on top of the control panel began to fuzz and spark. The panel along with the screen and the rest of the lights in the room then changed from its original red to a green color. The screen language also then changed from its original ancient Amphibian symbols to that of Gallifreyan.
"ACCESS GRANTED," said the Computer AI. "WELCOME BACK MASTER."
"Now that's better," muttered the Master. "I really should thank the Mechanoids for giving me the codes to their virus."
"WHAT WAS THAT MASTER?" asked FROBO from the scanner.
"Nothing!" replied the Master. "Just talking to myself. Now Frobo access all the files in the computer's system."
"YES, MASTER," obeyed Frobo. "I OBEY!"
Some of the wires connected to the control panel then unplugged themselves as they began to press the various buttons. On the screen, various blueprints and files began to display themselves. While most of them contained standard models such as grunts and heavy units, one model in particular caught the Master's attention.
"Interesting," murmured the Master. "This one will do quite nicely."
It seemed to be some kind of advantaged stealth and infiltration unit coded named Cloak-Bot, processing an active camouflage, lasers, and scouting drones. Even with those functions, the Time Lord could certainly make upgrades towards it and eliminate any weaknesses. A suitable minion for the seeds of his army and a definite step up from Frobo.
"Frobo!" commanded the Master. "Download all files from the computer and have it construct one Cloak-Bot."
"I OBEY," replied Frobo. "ANY FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS MASTER?"
"Indeed," said the Master, smirking. "Link all the factory controls and systems to my TARDIS. I want our new guest to be brought back to me quietly. Once you are done return to the Plantars and make sure they don't find out about your little journey. Also, expect to do a few more trips in the coming days."
"YES, MASTER!" responded Frobo.
The scanner visual link from Frobo then shut off as layers of codes from the factories began to upload themselves to his TARDIS. After a few minutes, the layers of code displayed on the scanner then disappeared, completing the transfer. Ancient Amphibian symbols then appeared on the scanner's screen, along with the factory's computer AI.
"ALL HAIL THE MASTER!" said the AI.
"Yes, yes," replied the Master, waving it off.
"WHAT ARE YOU INSTRUCTIONS MASTER?" asked the AI. "ALL HAIL THE MASTER!"
"I want a small army consisting of two hundred thousand troops constructed," ordered the Master. "Made up from both standard and heavy units. Once completed I want them to remain here, preferably hidden until I give further instructions."
"I OBEY," said the AI. "ALL HAIL THE MASTER!"
"Very good," responded the Master. "Before you start, I'll upload some modifications I want to be made. I'll also have Frobo come to drop you some supplies in the future to assist you in your work."
"YES MASTER," spoke the AI. "ALL HAIL THE MASTER."
The scanner then shut off, leaving the Master alone in his TARDIS, and sat down to finish his tea. Everything was going according to plan and best of all, there was no Doctor or Time Lords there to intervene. Now all he had to do was wait.
Present
As the Master finished his story, both he and King Andrias noticed something. The Core had stopped screaming and flailing around on the ground. Its eyes now drained of their original red color and now replaced with a dark and empty look as it lay still. Then after a minute passed, its eyes then lit up as it stood up and walked toward the Master. As it got closer, King Andrias noticed that the Core's eyes were now in the green color it had been previously fighting against.
"The Core lives to serve you, Master," spoke the Core in its many voices.
King Andrias looked in shock and the Core then kneeled to the Time Lord like it was bowing to him. "How?" he asked. "That's not possible!"
"Oh, but it is," responded the Master. "Well, thanks to some nanites containing the Mechanoid virus which I injected into my clone's body.
The Master then turned his attention away from King Andrias then to the Core. "Now, show me your entire knowledge of the history of Amphibia," he said. " Also while you are at it, your plans that involved Marcy Wu, Anne Boonchuy, Sasha Waybright, and anything else you are hiding."
As instructed, the hivemind then projected several holograms from its multiple eyes. On these holograms were displayed various information which ranged from locations of abandoned factories, history of all the greatest minds that the Core contained, and much more. However, one of these holograms did stand out to the Master as it displayed plans for using the music box to travel to Earth, draining it of its resources and then moving on to the next world before concurring the multiverse.
"Oh, so that's what you were up to," said the Master, looking at the hologram. "I must say your ancestor's idea on ruling the multiverse is admirable but flawed."
"Flawed?" spat out King Andris.
"Yes, flawed," replied the Master, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "For one, you never anticipated for a greater mind such as myself to intervene and look at you now. Helpless and defeated."
Before the Gallifreyan could gloat again, several holograms caught his attention. One of these holograms on display by the Core was a picture of a young King Andrias next two were a frog with a hoodie and a toad wielding a hammer. Another one that the Time Lord saw different was that of a video. It displayed young Andrias talking to an older newt (presumably his father).
"I think it is time to say goodbye to those childhood friends of yours."
"What? Why?"
"Because you are about to become King. It won't be long before those two start asking for favors. Using you."
"No. Leif and Barrel will never do that. Our friendship is true."
"Friendship doesn't last, son. Now, let me show you something that does."
The video then glitched before switching to another moment. This one in particular showed King Andrias and his father discussing future plans while looking at a projection of showing planet Earth.
"With the Core by your side, you will need no friends. Now, about your mission, we will be invading a medieval world called Earth. You must exterminate the savages so that we can mine their planet for its resources."
"What? Wipe out a whole race? Doesn't that seem a little extreme?"
"Invading other world is expensive, and we need all the resources we can get for our way of life to continue. This kind of work needs to be done."
In the video, the elder newt then pulled out a key to the music box. He then handed it to his son who received it nervously. When seeing this, King Andrias grimaced knowing fully what would transpire in the future.
"The key to the music box? But then I'm-"
"Officially in charge. Now, make me proud, son."
"Yes, of course, Father."
"Oh so you're a daddy's boy?" mocked the Master. "Now that's something I didn't really expect from the oh-so-mighty King Andrias."
King Andrias in response just grumbled and turned his head away in shame.
"No response?" asked the Master. "Shame, I was hoping for an outburst of some sort. Would have been more entertaining seeing you squirm."
The next video then showed the pink frog from the picture earlier stealing the Soul of Omega as young Andrias watched in horror. Present day Andrias tried to look away from the video as he did not want to remember his past mistakes and former friend. However, this did little to help to ignore these thoughts as the audio still rang through the salamander's ears.
"Leif, what are you doing?!"
"If you won't stop this, I will."
"DON'T!"
The video then cut off leaving the room silent however the Master began to chuckle. After putting all the pieces together, it finally had become clear to him what had happened to the music box and what events had transpired up to this point. "Well, well, well," he said. "Guess I was wrong about my original assumptions after all."
King Andrias then turned to face Time Lord with rage fuelled in his eyes. "About what?!" he shouted while struggling in the Cloak-Bot's grasp.
"That maybe you were actually some form of a challenge," mocked the Master. "A ruler with a secret agenda, working from the shadows and to one day show his true colors but you're not even that."
"Then what am I?" gritted King Andrias. "What's your hypothesis on me?"
"That you are nothing more than a pawn," replied the Master, condescendingly. "A puppet to the system. Just another cog in the machine and a son wanting to prove his worth to his father which you couldn't even do. Am I correct?"
King Andrias gave no response turning his head away, not wanting to talk further.
"No response?" asked the Master, mockingly. "No comeback? No oh but your wrong Master, I'm so much better than that. No smart comments? Pity."
The Time Lord made his way toward the giant salamander so he was right in front of him and staring at his face. King Andrias however refused to make any form of eye contact, with his head bowed in shame from his past actions and not wanting to give the Master any form of satisfaction. This was short-lived as the Cloak-Bot that was restraining him then forced the newt to look directly at the Gallifreyan.
"Look into my eyes Andrias," spoke the Master eerily. "Look deep into my eyes."
In an act of desperation, King Andrias tried to close his eyes to avoid looking at the Time Lords but the Cloak-Bot forced them open. The Master's voice began to echo inside his head, telling him that he should obey the Time Lord. However, the King of Newtopia would not go down without a fight and tried to block the Master's voice by using memories of his past. He began to remember the times spent with his former friends Leif and Barrel before they betrayed him as their voices echoed throughout his head.
"Hey Drias, come play with us!"
"Come on Drias! What's keeping you?"
Upon noticing the salamander's mental resistance, the Master then began to push further into King Andrias's mind in order to break his mental barrier but this did little to help. However, when further entering the King's mind, the Time Lord began to expose memories of his own past. Voices began to echo through both minds that where belonged to neither Leif nor Barrel and seemed to be that of two children.
"Get back here Theta!"
"You'll never catch me Koschei!"
Hearing this made King Andrias smirk a little (while still struggling) knowing the Time Lord had revealed something secret to him and causing the Master to push further into the newt's mind. The fight started to put a mental strain on the Time Lord (not expecting this much mental resistance) as drops of sweat began to drip from his forehead. Even after a good solid ten minutes, the King of Newtopia was still resisting when it should have taken a mere two or three and it seemed to become more of a contest of mind-bending like he had done during his time on Gallifrey.
"I'm impressed Andrias," struggled out the Master, "No one has resisted my hypnosis for this long but it's only a matter of time before your mind will submit!"
In response, King Andrias let a few grunts (most likely focusing on the mental battle rather than the Time Lord's comments) as he continued to resist.
As the battle between minds continued, the Master then thought of an idea that would turn the tide. "Core!" he commanded as the hive mind turned towards him. "Do something! As your master, I command you!"
"Yes, Master," replied the Core.
Suddenly, the hivemind's multiple eyes began to glow bright green as an eye morphed itself onto Andrias's crown. King Andrias then started to scream in agony as both the Core and the Master invaded his mind, causing him to lose the mental battle. As the King of Newtopia's mind began to submit to the Master's control, he began to hear the voice of his father.
"With the Master by your side, you will need no friends. He is the key to our survival. Now make me proud, son."
The giant salamander's face went to a blank expression and then stopped struggling in the Cloak-Bot's grip. In response, the robot released King Andrias from its arms as the newt then stood still in a trace state while ignoring his previous injuries. Upon no longer needing to put any more mental force, the Master began to relax and wipe the droplets of sweat from his forehead.
"You are the Master," said Andrias in a monotone voice. "And I will obey you."
"Good," said the Master. "Now kneel. Both of you"
In response, the giant newt then kneeled in front of the much smaller Gallifreyan as did the Core. "Yes, Master," he said "All hail the Master."
"All hail the Master!" spoke the legions of voices from the Core.
This made the Master smirk seeing the once oh-so powerful ruler of Newtopia now at his command along with this so-called Core. Not only had a face to hide his operations but now a fully operational battle computer/hivemind. To put it short, things were going along better than he could have hoped for, and soon not only would he would be able to end the Time War but also have control over the whole multiverse. He then began to chuckle to himself, remembering the factory's AI's last words to him, along with Andrias and the Core words too.
"All hail me."
Note: Here is part two and I think you all know what is going to happen next. Apologies if chapters are coming out slowly, having some family problems (also got into the Borderlands series). I'll try to get them out asap. Also, RIP Bernard Cribbins (the actor who played Wilfred Mott) who recently passed away on the 27th of July.