The Sound of Drums
It wasn't looking good for us. The Master stole our TARDIS and we were about to be over run by a vicious mob of Futurekind. The Doctor tried to fix Jack's Vortex Manipulator with his sonic screwdriver, while Jack, Martha and I tried to keep the Futurekind.
"Hold still" said my uncle, "Don't move! Hold it still!"
"I'm telling you, it's broken!" said Jack, "It hasn't worked for years!"
"That's because you didn't have me. Teddy, Martha, grab hold!" said The Doctor. I took Martha's hand and placed it on top of the manipulator and put my hand on top of hers. "Now!"
The next thing we knew we were in an alleyway somewhere in London. We all started groaning, "Oh, my head!" moaned Martha.
"Time travel without a capsule," I said, "That's a killer."
Jack cracked his neck as we walked out of the alley and onto a main street, "Still, at least we made it. Earth, 21st century by the looks of it. Ha, ha, talk about lucky."
"That wasn't luck, that was me," said my uncle.
We found a place to sit Jack said, "The moral is, if you're gonna get stuck at the end of the universe, get stuck with an ex-Time Agent and his vortex manipulator."
"But this Master bloke, he's got the TARDIS," said Martha, "He could be anywhere in time and space."
"No, he's here. Trust me," I said. The Doctor and I looked around and saw :Vote Saxon" campaign posters everywhere.
"Who is he, anyway? And that voice at the end, that wasn't the professor."
"If the Master's a Time Lord, he must have regenerated," Said Jack.
"What does that mean?"
"It means he's changed his face, voice, body, everything. New man,"
I noticed a homeless man tapping a four beat rhythm on an mug, "Then how are we gonna find him?"
"I'll know him, the moment I see him," said The Doctor, "Time Lords always do."
"But hold on," Said Martha as she looked at the posters, "If he could be anyone… We missed the election. But it can't be…"
My uncle stood and started to talk towards a giant screen showing the news, and the rest of us followed, "Mr Saxon has returned from the Palace and is greeting the crowd inside Saxon Headquarters," said the newscaster.
I couldn't believe what I saw… Even though I never saw his face I knew that was my other uncle… The Master. He was wearing a nice suit and have a very pretty blond woman wearing a suit as well.
"I said I knew that voice," said Martha, "When he spoke inside the TARDIS. I've heard that voice hundreds of times. I've seen him. We all have. That was the voice of Harold Saxon."
"That's him. He's Prime Minister," said The Doctor.
"Mr Saxon, this way, sir. Come on, kiss for the lady, sir." said a photographer on the screen.
"The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain," I said, then he kissed the blond woman, "The Master and his wife."
Then, The Master stepped forward to speak to the press, "This country has been sick. This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that, what this country really needs, right now…is a doctor." Then he smiled into the camera… He knew we were there too…
Martha took us back to he flat, "Home." she said as she lead us inside.
"What have you got? Computer, laptop, anything?" asked The Doctor.
I looked at Jack and saw he was trying to call someone on his cell phone, "Jack, who are you phoning? You can't tell anyone we're here!"
"Just some friends of mine, but there's no reply…' He said.
Martha, handed my uncle her laptop, "Here you go. Any good?"
Jack took it and said, "I can show you the Saxon websites. He's been around for ages." he sat down at the desk.
"That's so weird though," said Martha, "It's the day after the election. That's only four days after I met you two."
"We went flying all around the universe while he was here the whole time," said The Doctor.
"You gonna tell us who he is?"
"He's a Time Lord,' I said.
"What about the rest of it? I mean, who'd call himself the Master?" asked Martha.
"That's all you need to know," I turned to Jack, "Show us Harold Saxon…"
While Jack brought up what information we needed to know about Harold Saxon, Martha checked her answering machine, "Martha, where are you?" asked the voice of her sister, Tish, on the machine, "I've got this new job. You won't believe it. It's weird, they just phoned me up out of the blue. I'm working for—"
Martha then shut it off, "Oh, like it matters."
Jack showed us a campaign commercial for Harold Saxon and then he read of some information about him, "Former Minister of Defense. First came to prominence when he shot down the Racnoss on Christmas Eve." Then he turned to Doctor, "Nice work, by the way."
"Oh, thanks," said my uncle.
"He goes back years. He's famous. Everyone knows his story. Look. Cambridge University, Rugby blue, won the Athletics thing, wrote a novel, went into business, marriage, everything. He's got a whole life."
"It's all a lie," I said.
Jack went into the kitchen to make us tea, "But he's got a TARDIS. Maybe the Master went back in time and has been living here for decades."
"No."
"Why not? Worked for me."
"When he was stealing the TARDIS, the only thing I could do was fuse the coordinates. I locked them permanently. He can only travel between the year 100 trillion and the last place the TARDIS landed. Which is right here, right now."
"Yeah, but a little leeway?"
I looked at my uncle, "What do you think? 18 months?
He nodded, "18 months, tops. The most he could have been here is 18 months. So how has he managed all this? The Master was always sort of…hypnotic but this is on a massive scale."
"I was gonna vote for him," said Martha.
"Really?"
"Well, it was before I even met you. And I liked him."
"Me too," said Jack.
"Why do you say that?" I asked, "What was his policy? What did he stand for?"
"I dunno," said Martha, kind of dreamy, "He always sounded…good." her fingers started tapping like the homeless man earlier, "Like you could trust him. Just nice. He spoke about…I can't really remember, but it was good. Just the sound of his voice."
"What's that?" asked The Doctor.
"What?"
"That! That tapping, that rhythm! What are you doing?"
"I dunno. It's nothing. It's j— I dunno!"
Just then a tune played on the computer and the words, "SAXON BROADCAST ALL CHANNELS" appeared onscreen.
My uncle turned on the TV, "Our lord and master is speaking to his kingdom."
On the screen, The Master was sitting in front of an ornate fireplace, "Britain, Britain, Britain. What extraordinary times we've had. Just a few years ago, this world was so small. And then they came, out of the unknown, falling from the skies. You've seen it happen—Big Ben destroyed, a spaceship over London. All those ghosts and metal men. The Christmas star that came to kill. Time and time again the government told you nothing. Well not me. Not Harold Saxon. Because my purpose here today is to tell you this—citizens of Great Britain…I have been contacted. A message, for humanity, from beyond the stars." He nodded to someone off camera and the picture of a black sphere came onscreen.
"People of the Earth, we come in peace," said the sphere. It had a child-like girl's voice, "We bring great gifts. WE bring technology and wisdom and protection. And all we ask in return is your friendship."
"Ooh, sweet," said The Master when he appeared on screen again, "And this species has identified itself. They're called the Toclafane."
"What?!" said The Doctor and I together.
"And tomorrow morning they will appear. Not in secret, but to all of you. Diplomatic relations with a new species will begin. Tomorrow, we take our place in the universe. Every man, woman and child. Every teacher and chemist and lorry driver and farmer. And every…oh, I don't know…medical student?"
The Doctor whipped around to look at Martha, then he turned the TV around and saw a bomb strapped to it. The Doctor grabbed her laptop and we ran out of the flat and just as we did the front window exploded.
"All right?" asked The Doctor.
"Fine, yeah, fine," said Jack.
"I'm OK," I looked at Martha, "Martha?" She was using her cell phone, "What are you doing?"
"He knows about me," she said, "What about my family?"
"Don't tell them anything!" said my uncle.
"I'll do what I like! Mum? Oh my God, you're there… I'm fine. I'm fine. Mum, has there been anyone asking about me?" Jack, The Doctor and I huddled around the laptop while she talked to Mom. Then all of the sudden she shouted, "Dad! What's going on? Dad? I gotta help them!" She ran to a car and started to get in.
"That's exactly what they want! It's a trap!" I said.
"I don't care!" she said as he got in the driver's seat. The Doctor got into the front seat, while Jack and I got in the back.
I hung on for dear life while Martha drove recklessly down the road, "Corner!" said my uncle as she took the corner tightly, squealing the tires.
Martha took out her phone and started to call someone else, "C'mon, Tish. Pick up… What's happening?! Tish!" She glanced at my uncle, "It's your fault! It's all your fault!"
We were all most to her Mom house when we saw men forcing Martha's parents in to the back of a black van. Martha's Mom shouted at us, "Martha, get out of here! Get out!"
The police officers started to take position, "Martha, reverse." said The Doctor.
They started to aim their weapons at us, "Get out, now!" I said. Martha reversed into a 3-point turn and then the police opened
"Move it!" yelled Jack, as bullets shattered the rear window.
"The only place we can go…planet Earth. Great," said Martha.
"Careful!" I said,
"Now, Martha, listen to me," said Jack, "Do as I say. We've gotta ditch this car. Pull over. Right now!"
We left the car behind and took off on foot. I turned and saw Martha lagging behind, "Martha, come on!" I shouted.
"Leo! Oh, thank God! Leo, you gotta listen to me. Where are you?" asked Martha, "Leo, just listen to me. Don't go home, I'm telling you. Don't phone Mum or Dad or Tish. You've gotta hide… On my life. You've gotta trust me. Go to Boxer's. Stay with him. Don't tell anyone! Just hide!" Then, Martha tone of voice changed from fear to anger, "Let them go, Saxon." I turned around and started walking toward her, "Do you hear me?! Let them go!"
I took the phone from Martha and put it on speaker so The Doctor and I could hear together, "We're here." said I.
"Theodora… Doctor…" said The Master.
"Master…" said The Doctor.
"I like it when you use my name."
"You chose it." I said.
"Psychiatrist's field day," said The Doctor.
"As you chose yours. The man who makes people better. How sanctimonious is that?" asked The Master.
"So… Prime Minister."
"I know. It's good, isn't it?"
"Who are those creatures?" I asked, "Because there's no such thing as the Toclafane. It's just a made-up name like the Bogeyman."
"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids, Doctor? Back home. Where is it?" asked The Master.
"Gone," said The Doctor.
"How can Gallifrey be gone?"
"It burnt."
"And the Time Lords?"
"Dead. And the Daleks… more or less. What happened to you?"
"The Time Lords only resurrected me because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War. I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me because…I was so scared."
I couldn't believe it… The Master did the same thing I did… I felt ill… "I know." I said.
"All of them, except for our niece?" asked The Master, "But not you, which must mean…"
"I was the only one who could end it. And I tried. I did. I tried everything," said The Doctor.
"What did it feel like, though, Doctor? Two almighty civilizations burning. Oh, tell me, how did it feel?"
"Stop it!"
"You must have been like God."
"I've been alone ever since, but then I found Teddy, and now you . Don't you see? All we've got is each other."
"Are you asking me out on a date?"
"You could stop this right now," I said, "We could leave this planet."
"We could fight across the constellations if that's what you want," said The Doctor, "But not on Earth."
"Too late," said The Master.
"Why do you say that?" I asked.
"The drumming," said The Master, as he drummed his fingers on table, "I thought it would stop but it never does. Never ever stops. Inside my head, the drumming, Doctor. The constant drumming."
"I could help you," said The Doctor, "Please, let me help."
"It's everywhere. Listen, listen, listen," he continued to tap the table, "Here come the drums. Here come the drums."
A man leaning on a building near us began tapping his hands against his legs in the same rhythm we had been hearing. "What have you done?" asked The Doctor, "Tell us how you've done this. What are those creatures? Tell me!"
"Ooh, look. You're on TV."
"Stop it! Answer me!"
"No, really. You're on telly! You and your little band, which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box. So, congratulations on that. Look, there you are! Ha!"
We looked and saw a TV in a shop window, and saw pictures of the four of us, "…They are known to be armed and extremely dangerous." said the newscaster.
"You're public enemies number one, two, three, and four. Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas so he won't be getting any help from them. Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the right?"
I looked up and saw a security camera, "He can see us," Then I took out my sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the camera, shorting it out.
"Ooh, you public menace," said The Master, "Better start running. Go on. Run!"
"He's got control of everything." I said.
"What do we do?" asked Martha.
"We've got nowhere to go." said Jack.
"Doctor, what do we do?" asked Martha.
"Run for your life, Doctor!" called The Master, over the phone.
"We run," said The Doctor.
So, we started to run. We found an abandoned warehouse and hide inside. We were getting hungry so Martha agree to go get food. When she got back The Doctor and I were looking at the laptop while Jack was tweaking his manipulator.
"How was it?" asked Jack.
"I don't think anyone saw me," said Martha, "Anything new?"
"I've got this tuned into the government wavelength so we can follow what Saxon's doing."
"Yeah, I meant about my family."
"It still says the Jones family taken in for questioning," I said, "No mention of Leo, though."
"He's not as daft as he looks. I'm talking about my brother on the run. What about your family?"
"Nothing yet…" I kept checking the websites of the Denver newspapers. So far nothing about the Duncan family being taken.
Martha passed out the food, I got up from the computer and sat down next to Jack. "Nice chips." said Jack as he ate a fry.
"Actually, they're not bad," said my uncle as he popped one into his mouth.
I ate one, "The fries are pretty good…" The others just looked at me, "Hey, I'm American… They are French Fries to me…"
Everyone laughed a little, "So, Doctor, who is he?" asked Jack, "How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?"
"And what is he to you? Like a colleague…" asked Martha.
"A friend, at first," said the Doctor.
"I thought you were gonna say he was your secret brother or something…"
The Doctor and Jack just stared at her, "You've been watching too much TV." said The Doctor.
"Well…" I said, "He is my uncle…"
"What?" said Martha.
"He married my birth mother's sister… He's not a blood relative like The Doctor."
"But all the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect," said Jack.
"Well, perfect to look at, maybe. And it was, it was beautiful." I said.
The Doctor leaned back a bit, "They used to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the Continent of Wild Endeavor, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords… The oldest and most mighty race in the universe…looking down on the galaxies below…sworn never to interfere…only to watch…"
"The Children of Gallifrey were taken from their families at the age of eight to enter the Academy," I said, "And some say that's when it all began. When he was a child… that's when the Master saw eternity. As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the Untempered Schism. it's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the vortex. You stand there, eight years old…staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired…some would run away…and some would go mad."
"What about you two?"
"Oh, the ones that ran away. I never stopped." said The Doctor with a mouth full of food.
"I ran too…" I said, I looked at my uncle and smiled, "That's why we get along so well…" He smiled back at me and then Jack's manipulator started to beep.
"Encrypted channel with files attached. Don't recognize it," he said.
"Patch it through to the laptop," I said.
Jack looked at me, "Um, since we're telling stories, um, there's something I haven't told you."
We walked over to the lap top and saw the Torchwood logo on the screen, "You work for Torchwood." I said with disgust.
"I swear to you, it's different. It's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now." He said to me.
"Everything Torchwood did and you're part of it?!" I yelled at him.
"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it. And when I did that, I did it for your uncle, in his honor."
The Doctor and I just glared at Jack before I opened the file, It was a video of a older blond woman, "If I haven't returned to my desk by 2200 hours, this file will be emailed to Torchwood. Which means, if you're watching this, then I'm… Anyway, the Saxon files are attached. But take a look at the Archangel document. That's when it all started. When Harry Saxon became Minister in charge of launching the Archangel Network." The screen changed to show a graphic of a spinning Earth with satellites around it.
"What's the Archangel Network?" I asked.
Martha took out her cell phone, "I've got Archangel. Everyone's got it."
"It's the mobile phone network," said Jack, "'Cause, look, it's gone worldwide. They've got 15 satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel."
The Doctor scanned Martha's phone with his sonic, "It's in the phones! Oh, I said he was a hypnotist! Wait, wait, wait. Hold on." He tapped the phone against the table and it began to beep in the same rhythm we've been hearing all day, "There it is. That rhythm, it's everywhere. Ticking away in the subconscious."
"What is it, mind control?
"No. Subtler than that," I said, "Any stronger and people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code… Vote Saxon. Believe in me. Whispering to the world."
"Oh, yes!" said the Doctor. "That's how he hid himself from Teddy and me. 'Cause we should have sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth. We should have known way back. The signal cancelled him out."
"Any way you can stop it?" asked Jack.
"Not from down here. But now we know how he's doing it."
"And we can fight back." said Martha.
"Oh, yes!" said the Doctor.
The Doctor and I took apart Martha's phone and laptop. We then welded the circuitry to all of our TARDIS keys and tied strings to them so they could be worn around the neck. "Four TARDIS keys," I said, "Four pieces of the TARDIS with low-level perception properties because the TARDIS is designed to blend in. Well, sort of, but… Now! The Archangel Network's got a second low-level signal. Weld the key to the network and… Martha," I picked up a key and took a step back, "look at me. Can you see me?"
"Yep!" she nodded.
"What about now?" I slipped my key over my neck. I could see Martha move her head away from me. Jack chuckled, "No, I'm here… Look at me.."
"It's like…I know you're there but I don't want to know," said Martha.
"And back again," Then I took the key off, "See? It just shifts your perception a tiny little bit. Doesn't make us invisible, just unnoticed. "
"Oh, I know what it's like," said my uncle, "It's like—it's like when you fancy someone and they don't even know you exist. That's what it's like. Come on!"
Then the four of us ran out of the building and into the street.
"Don't run," said my uncle, "Don't shout. Just keep your voice down. Draw attention to yourself and the spell is broken. Just keep to the shadows."
"Like ghosts." said Jack.
"Yeah, that's what we are. Ghosts."
We each then put a key around our necks and headed into the city.
They each place a key around their necks before heading into the city. Before we took apart the laptop, we found out that The President of the United States was on his way to Great Britain and thanks to our perception filters we were able to sneak onto the base.
We stood on the edge of the tarmac and watched Air Force One landed and park. Shortly after, The Master and his wife arrived with an escort. When the President walked up to the Master, he saluted him and said, "Mr. President, sir!"
"Mr. Saxon," said President Winters, "The British Army will stand down. From now on, UNIT has control of this operation."
"You make it sound like an invasion."
"First contact policy was decided by the Security Council in 1968. And you've just gone and ignored it."
"Well, you know what it's like. New job, all that paperwork. I think it's down the back of the settee. I did have a quick look. I found a pen, a sweet, a bus ticket and uh…have you met the wife?"
Mr. Saxon, I'm not sure what your game is but there are provisions at the United Nations to have you removed from office unless you are very, very careful. Is that understood?" The Master mimed zipping his lips and the President continued, "Are you taking this seriously?" The Master nodded, "To business. We've accessed your files on these…Toclafane. First contact cannot take place on any sovereign soil. For that purpose, the aircraft carrier Valiant is en route. The rendezvous will take place there at 8:00 am." The Master tied to talk through his 'zipped' lips, "You're trying my patience, sir."
"So America is completely in charge?" asked The Master.
"Since Britain elected an ass, yes. I'll see you onboard the Valiant." then the President turned to leave.
"It still will be televised, though, won't it? Because I promised, and the whole world is watching."
"Since it's too late to pull out, the world will be watching… Me." The president then walked to a waiting car.
The Master then whispered something to his wife, but we were to far away to hear what he said. Then, he motioned for his wife to go first into their car, "My darling." He turned and watched the president drive way. Then, he turned and looked toward us. I hoped that he couldn't see us. Then there was a siren and a police van pulled up. The back doors were opened and we watched as Martha's family was unloaded from the van. The Mast ran over to them like he was greeting old friends, "Hi, guys!" he laughed, "All will be revealed!"
"Oh my God," said Martha.
"Don't move," said The Doctor.
"But…"
"Don't."
The they were transferred to another car, "I'm gonna kill him." said Martha.
"Say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?" asked Jack.
"Now that sounds like Torchwood." I said as I turned to glare at Jack.
"Still a good plan."
"He's a Time Lord, which makes him our responsibility," I said as I pointed to The Doctor and myself, "We're not here to kill him. We're here to save him."
Jack pressed some buttons on his Vortex Manipulator, "Aircraft carrier Valiant. It's a UNIT ship at 28.2N and 10.02E."
"How do we get onboard?" asked Martha.
"Does that thing work as a teleport?" The Doctor asked Jack.
"Since you revamped it, yeah. Coordinates set." We all put a hand on the manipulator and the next thing we knew we were in one of the Valiant's engine rooms.
"Oh, that thing is rough," groaned Martha.
"I've has worse nights," said Jack as he cracked his neck, "Welcome to the Valiant."
"It's dawn," said Martha as she walked up to a porthole and looked out, " Hold on, I thought this was a ship. Where's the sea?"
"A ship for the 21st century. Protecting the skies of planet Earth."
I walked up to the porthole… All I could see was clouds below us and blue sky above us. We then started to run down one of the maintenance corridors. All of the sudden The Doctor stopped, "We've no time for sightseeing!" said Jack.
"No, no. Wait. Shh, shh, shh. Can't you hear it?"
I listened, "Yes… I can hear it…" I smiled.
"Hear what?" asked Jack.
"Doctor, my family's on board," said Martha.
"Brilliant! This way!" said The Doctor. We followed him down a couple of more corridors then he opened a set of doors to reveal the TARDIS. "Oh, at last!" he said.
"What a sight for sore eyes," I said with a smile.
"Oh, yes!" laughed Martha.
"What's it doing on the Valiant?" asked Jack.
We opened the door and all of our joy went away. The console had been stripped of parts and caged off. Instead of the warm inviting glow, it was bathed in red light. "What the hell's he done?" asked Jack.
"Don't touch it." said The Doctor.
"I'm not going to."
"What's he done though?" asked Martha, "Sounds like it's… sick."
"It can't be. No, no, no, no, no, no, it can't be."
"Doctor, what is it?" asked Martha.
"He's cannibalized the TARDIS," I said.
"Is that what I think it is?" asked Jack.
I nodded, "It's a paradox machine," I pointed at a gauge, "As soon as this hits red, it activates. At this speed, it'll trigger," I looked at Jack's watch, "at two minutes past 8:00."
"First contact is at 8:00 and then two minutes later…" said Jack.
"What's it for?" asked Martha, "What's a paradox machine do?"
"More importantly, can you stop it?"
"Not until we know what it's doing," said the Doctor.
"Touch the wrong thing and it would blow up the solar system."
"Then we've got to get to the Master," said Martha.
"Yeah. How do we stop him?" asked Jack.
"Oh, I've got a way. Sorry, didn't I tell you?" said The Doctor with a grin.
We walked into the conference room/bridge of the Valiant just as the President started to speak, "My fellow Americans, patriots, people of the world… I stand before you today as ambassador for humanity, a role I will undertake with utmost solemnity. Perhaps our Toclafane cousins can offer us much, but that is important is not that we gain material benefits, but that we learn to see ourselves anew. For as long as man has looked to the stars, he has wondered what mysteries they hold. Now we know we are not alone…"
"This plan, you gonna tell us?" asked Jack.
"If I can get this around the Master's neck," said The Doctor, "cancel out his perception, they'll see him for real. It's just hard to go unnoticed with everyone on red alert. If they stop me…you've got a key."
"Yes, sir," said Jack.
"I'll get him," said Martha.
"You can count," I said.
"And I ask you now, I ask of the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane." said the President as three spheres appeared around him, "My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President-Elect of the United States of America and designated representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon."
"You're not the Master." said one of the spheres, in a male voice.
"We like the Mr Master," said another sphere in a female voice.
"We don't like you," said the last sphere, in a male voice.
"I… can be Master, if you so wish. I will accept mastery over you if that is God's will." replied the President.
"Man is stupid," said the second male.
"Master is our friend," said the first male.
"Where's my Master, pretty please?" asked the female.
"Oh, all right then. It's me." said The Master as he stood, "Ta-da!" he laughed, "Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy!"
"Saxon, what are you talkin' about?" asked the President.
The Master turned and looked at the President, "I'm taking control, Uncle Sam. Starting with you." He looked at the spheres, "Kill him." One of the spheres shot the President with a laser and he disintegrates. Chaos erupted as everyone tried to leave the room. "Guards!" He called and The Master's Guards pull out their weapons.
"Nobody move!" said one of the guards, "Nobody move!"
The Master looked into the camera, "Now then, peoples of the Earth, please attend carefully."
Then, The Doctor rushed toward The Master, "Stop him!" shouted one of the guards. Two guards grabbed him and forced him to kneel on the floor.
"And the blond…" said The Master as he pointed at me.
Two more guards grabbed me, I struggled to free myself but they forced me to kneel next to The Doctor.
"We meet at last, Doctor," said The Master, "Oh, ho! I love saying that!" Then he looked at me, "It's good to see you as well, Theodora… It's been far too long…"
"Stop this!" I said, "Stop it now!"
"As if a perception filter's gonna work on me," said The Master, he looked up and saw Jack and Martha, "Oh, and look, it's the girlie and the freak. Although, I'm not sure which one's which." Jack rushed at him and The Master pulled out a laser and shot him. Jack fell to the floor dead, "Laser screwdriver, who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!"
"Master, just calm down," said The Doctor, "Just look at what you're doing."
"Just stop. If you could see yourself…" I said.
The Master sighed and looked at the camera, "Oh, do excuse me, little bit of personal business. Back in a minute." Then he looked at the guards, "let them go," The guards pushed us to the floor.
"It's that sound, the sound in your head. What if I could help?" asked The Doctor.
"Oh, how to shut him up?" said The Master, "I know. Memory Lane!" He sat down on some steps and looked at us, "Professor Lazarus. Remember him? And his genetic manipulation device? Did you think that little Tish got that job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time. And if I can concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver…But, ooh, if I only had the Doctor's biological code. Oh, wait a minute, I do!" He got up and ran over to a silver case and opened it, inside was The Doctor's hand, " I've got his hand! And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years?"
"NO!" I shouted.
The Master pointed his screwdriver at The Doctor and he started to scream as he went into convulsions. I turned away. I couldn't watch what The Master was doing to him.
I saw Jack wake up and watched as he gave Martha the Vortex Manipulator, "Teleport," he said.
"I can't," she shook her head.
"We can't stop him. Get out of here. Get out."
When the screaming stopped, I turned back and saw The Doctor was now a very old man. Martha and I crawled over to him, "Doctor, I've got you." said Martha.
"Aw, she's a would-be doctor," said The Master, "But tonight, Martha Jones, we've flown 'em in all the way from prison—"
The doors to the room slid open and the guards escorted, Martha's Mom, Dad, and Sister, "Mum…" said Martha.
"I'm sorry," said Martha's mom.
"Teddy… don't think I've forgotten about you…" said The Master. I looked and through the same door came my family, Mom was carrying Charlie and Dad was carrying Toby. I looked down in defeat.
"The Toclafane, who are they? Who are they?" asked The Doctor, breathing heavily.
"Doctor, if I told you the truth, your hearts would break," said The Master.
"Is it time?" asked the first male sphere.
"Is it ready?" asked the second male sphere.
"Is the machine singing?" asked the female sphere.
The Master checked his watch, "Two minutes past." he walked up the steps with his wife and looked into the camera, "So! Earthings. Basically, um, end of the world." He held up his screwdriver and said, "Here…come…the drums!"
Then the song "Voodoo Child" started to play over the speakers in the room. I looked out one of the widows and saw a large rift tears open in the sky above the Valiant. Spears by the thousand poured out of the rift. The Master and his wife were looking out the window on the bridge at the front of the room and didn't notice The Doctor whisper something into Martha's ear.
"How many do you think?" asked The Master to his wife.
"I don't know," she said.
"Six billion," He said, as he turned off the music and switched on the outside speaker, "Down you go, kids!" A few moments later he turned to her and said, "Shall we decimate them? That sounds good. Nice word—decimate." He switched the outside speaker again, "Remove one-tenth of the population!"
At that point I was grateful that my family was on board. If they were out there, there was a chance that one or all of them could have been killed.
I hugged The Doctor tight as we heard the messages start to pour in…
"Valiant, this is Geneva! We're getting slaughtered down here!"
Martha then stood. She looked down at me and I nodded. I knew what she had to do.
"Help us, for God's sake! Help us! They're everywhere!"
"This is London, Valiant! This is London calling! What do we do?!"
She looked at her family.
"They're killing us! The Toclafane are killing us!"
Then Martha activated Jack's Manipulator and vanished. The Doctor, Jack and I looked at each other before the Doctor and I turned our attention to The Master. Shortly after Martha left, The Master pulled The Doctor up to his feet, while his wife pulled me up and they took us to the window and forced us to watch the fall of Earth. He said to us, "And so it came to pass…that the human race fell and the Earth was no more. And I looked down upon my new dominion as master of all and I thought it…good."
To Be Continued…
A/N: I'm surprised no one took a guest at what I had hinted at in the previous chapter… I guess no one saw it… One person guessed the "family reunion" but that was really obvious and that wasn't it… The next chapter will bring what I hinted at in the previous chapter to the for front and I hope you like it because it will make an interesting addition to the story later on. Please send me your comments so I know what you think of this story. I like seeing people favorite and follow me but I want to know what you think…