Chapter Text
“You.”
“Me. Hello, old friend.”
The Doctor stood, breathless, at the sight of… well, his old friend.
His hair was a little neater, face a little older, but it was definitely him. The Master.
The Doctor picked up the spanner he hadn’t realised he’d dropped and averted his gaze. The Master tutted.
“Don’t you want to know how?”
“That’s neither here nor there.”
“Ah.” He rounded the other man. “But!” He hopped up onto the Doctor’s workbench. “I’m here and you’re there.”
The Doctor gave him a withering look.
“You’re even more insane than you used to be.”
“Oh, and haven’t you missed it?”
“No. I haven’t.” The lie stuck in the Doctor’s throat. “And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s been a while. I’ve moved on.”
“Oh dear. Perhaps I should remind you…” The Master tilted the other man’s head towards his own. And received a jab to the ribs for his troubles.
“I don’t have time for you, Master. I’m busy.” He rounded the bench and picked up the boost reversal circuit, studying it intently.
“Doctor…” The Master whined. “Always so prickly, so vicious. I prefer your previous incarnation. At least he always said hello.”
“Hello.”
“Thank you, now-“
“And goodbye. If you’re just here to bother me, then consider that task completed. Go and destroy a planet or whatever it is you do nowadays. Won’t matter anyway, with the universe collapsing about our ears…”
The Master sighed and twiddled a lock of hair. He kicked his feet petulantly. He tutted. He sighed again.
“Well?”
He turned to see the Doctor glaring at him. He hopped down from the bench.
“Weeell… If you let me speak…” The Master raised his eyebrows. No word from the Doctor. “Then I’ll tell you. The Time Lords have gotten wind of your involvement in the War.”
“And what of it?”
“They’d like you to do some errands for them. Things they’d rather not dirty their hands with.”
“You mean I’ve been conscripted. Huh!” The Doctor slammed the circuit down. “I told them! I wouldn’t fight and I certainly wouldn’t fight for them. I’m trying to save people, not continue this war on in perpetuum. For goodness’ sake…” The Doctor threw up his hands. He ran one hand down his face, resting it on the beard he was beginning to grow. This had taken too long.
“So, that’s a no?”
“Of course it’s a no! They use me, they exile me, they put me on trial, and now they have the gall to, what? Use me as their attack dog? I think- Master? What are you doing?”
The Master had started fiddling with a small device.
“Teleporting us back to Gallifrey.”
“What? Why? No!”
“Well the problem is…” The Master plucked at the Doctor’s shirt sleeve. “I’d already told them you’d say yes.”
Teleport exchange started to gather around them.
“What? No. No, no, no! Master!”
They were gone.
Even in the midst of war, the Doctor found the High Council to be utterly stifling. He let his mind wander as they dictated, pleaded, and eventually threatened him to fight for them. The only thing that stopped him from simply walking away was the fact that they had a point. They could disable his TARDIS if they wanted to. They could ground him on Gallifrey. Or Earth. Again.
And then there was the Master. Clearly, they had some sort of hold over him too. He’d mentioned acting on their behalf in the past, but why didn’t he just walk away? The Time Lords had never cared about him before… The Doctor’s curiosity eventually got the better of him and he agreed to the Council’s terms.
Work with the Master. Follow their orders. End the War.
The Doctor belatedly realised that his new, rather genteel demeanour might have misled the High Council into thinking he could be civilised.
To disabuse them of that notion, he kicked the door of the chamber open upon exiting. Once out of the Council’s sight, he started hobbling.
“Hurt, did that?”
“Yes.”
“Worth it?”
“Absolutely.” And he meant it. He leaned against the wall as the Master adjusted his teleport. “So what now?”
“Now,” The Master watched the Doctor massage his foot, “We go back to your TARDIS and set about our first task.”
“My TARDIS? Why not yours?”
“Because this is only good for one more trip. And it will take us back to where we came from.”
“On a tight leash, hm?”
“Naturally. They didn’t resurrect me for nothing you know.”
“Huh. Interesting.”
“What?” It was the Master’s turn to fix his friend with a steely glare. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at this.
“Oh it’s nothing. Nothing.” The Doctor straightened and took the Master by the arm. “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
There was something hanging in the air, they both could feel it. Tension? Words unsaid?
Or maybe it was just the teleport exchange.