Chapter Text
When Missy got their life back together, the only thing they had left was the phone number to the Doctor’s TARDIS.
They had rebuilt before. They would rebuild again. But some regenerations were harder than others. The Doctor always seemed able to pick right where he left off. But other than a general idea of causing as much disruption and destruction as possible and going after The Doctor sometimes they really were working from a blank slate.
So they parked their TARDIS in an alley in downtown London to figure out the long game. They were thankful that they even had one, otherwise they’d be stranded. They couldn’t quite remember how they managed to get one, for all they knew a future incarnation left it. The desktop theme was an eclectic mix of themes they’d seen the Doctor use, a violent clash of coral and roundels and bookcases.
Plus it reminded them of the Doctor. No way they'd change it.
Once they got their regeneration under control, they looked for some sort of mischief and mayhem to cause. But not just run of the mill generic mayhem that any of the Doctor’s villains could cause, but a unique brand that would be unmistakably theirs. If that meant a very convoluted long game, then so be it.
Missy decided to search for the Doctor. It was one of their favorite pastimes to look him up and see what he was up to. They hadn’t been paying attention to his eleventh incarnation much since they were stuck behind the Gallifreyan Time Lock. Last time they sacrifice themself for him! But it was the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor who actually managed to save Gallifrey, allowing their escape. They found an interesting tidbit in his timeline. Before he went off to save their home planet, he got a job at a department store. A human department store!
They laughed out loud, but it gave them an idea. They'd do the same, just for kicks. As far as Missy knew, they hadn’t really interacted with anyone in this regeneration. They could only remember this TARDIS. It was time to stretch their legs finally. Who knows what they would find?
It was only a matter of time before they had fabricated a resume, and application. Missy walked through the wardrobe and found a dress that was inconspicuously Victorian, but still professional enough for a job interview. Unlike other regenerations where it was such a struggle to find the perfect outfit, this one knew exactly what it wanted and was practically screaming for Victorian dresses. Oh Missy would have fun with this one.
Before leaving for the store, they made sure to grab one more thing. Missy totally stole the idea of the psychic paper from the Doctor’s Ninth incarnation. Before they’d just hypnotise everyone to do their will. The paper didn’t have the same flair but they found it more energy efficient especially for their long games. They'd never admit this to the Doctor, but maintaining a hypnosis for several people at the same time for any long duration was taxing.
Outside was boring old London. Not much had changed since they had ruled the roost as Saxon. Course the Doctor had made sure nearly everyone had forgotten who Harold Saxon was, which was a shame. He never wanted to admit he even had power, while they loved to flaunt it. Clearly, the two Time Lords were made for each other.
Missy wandered into the department store. They walked through the fragrance section, throwing a death glare to the poor beautician who dared to approach. It didn’t take long to hunt down a manager.
“How can I help you?” they said.
They remembered to smile. “I was wondering if you were accepting applications? I’d love to work here.” They even battered their eyelashes for good measure. Previous regenerations were charmers, they were just using their particular gender to further their cause. The sad thing about humans was that Missy hadn’t even used their hypnotic powers or psychic paper but they could tell the manager was right where they needed them.
He looked at them once. “We’ve been doing applications online so we’ve stopped accepting resumes in person.” He quickly looked around before returning to Missy. “But I’ll make an exception for you. Just this once.”
They ended up in a cramped manager's office behind the shoe section. Various bits of inventory were scattered about, and the manager had to clear off a chair so Missy could sit. The dress made it a tight squeeze. They remembered to keep their scowl and displeasure off their face. At least until they got the job.
In the end they didn’t even need to hypnotize the manager. They showed him the psychic paper and name-dropped the Doctor as a reference. Before they had left the TARDIS, they tracked down the employees at the store during the time of the Doctor’s employment and made sure to talk to a manager who was still there. Seemed wherever the Doctor went he was well liked, so it was high time Missy used that to their advantage.
“Oh yes, The Doctor was a model employee. I don’t think his time with us was very long, but he was well liked by the staff and customers. I’m sure if he’s willing to be one of your references, you’ll be a fantastic employee as well.” The manager stood and shook Missy’s hand. “Congratulations, when you can start?”
Missy was taken aback by the sudden human contact but stood as well. “Thank you so much! How about next week?” Regardless of the actual start date, they would just jump in the TARDIS and travel to the day. They didn’t like any unnecessary waiting.
“Great! I’m sure we can get a quick training session for you next Wednesday. We open at 10:00, so be here at 9 am. The employee entrance is around the back. I’ll give your name to security. Speaking of names, what do you want your name tag to say?”
Missy flashed the biggest smile so far. “The Master.”