Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When it comes to space travel, a sense of scale can be a problem. It can be hard to get one’s head around just how big some phenomena can be, especially when the spaceship you are travelling on is already vaster than your mind could comprehend. That was the problem that this particular spaceship had faced. A hundred miles wide and four hundred miles long was just impossible to visualise. The length of a spaceship spanning the size of an entire country. It was easy to get complacent, to think that such a vast spaceship was invincible, to forget that, on the cosmic scale of things, you were still insignificant.

Until you’ve seen a black hole up close, it is also impossible to imagine just how huge it is. With event horizons of up to four hundred times the distance between the Earth and the Sun, it is impossible even for the most imaginative person to grasp the concept. Perhaps that was why the ship had been able to get so close to the event horizon of this black hole before noticing; or perhaps the gravitational pull had been so great that it had taken right up until they were on the cusp of the point of no return before they had been able to reverse thrust and channel enough power to the engines to inch away from it. Regardless of the reasons, it was almost certainly too little too late; especially given that within less than a day, life forms that none of the crew recognised had appeared from below, snatched up the entire human crew, and left behind just the minority of other lifeforms in minor positions. But still, the ship continued its painfully slow crawl away from the gaping maw.

Two days after command had managed to start reversing from the black hole, there was a loud wheezing, groaning sound on the bridge. Along with it came a sight which most certainly didn’t belong there. A small, blue box faded into view. The markings along the top designated it as ‘Police’, although when the doors opened, the figure that waltzed forward couldn’t be further from what might be imagined as any sort of Police! Not that there was anyone around to see, with the human crew missing. There was, therefore, no one to appreciate the bizarreness of the woman in Edwardian style clothing prancing from a blue box! Missy – earpieces in place, hat askew, umbrella twirling, and apparently completely unaware of her lack of audience aboard the ship!

“Hello!” she exclaimed, cheerful and exaggerated. “I’m Doctor Who! And these are my plucky assistants.” She gestured to the door of the blue box where her two unwilling companions were stepping out with expressions of reluctance, frustration and disdain. “Thing one, and thing two!”

“Bill, Nardole,” the bald man chipped in, with a near resignation in his voice as he indicated the two of them in turn – it was clear there was no one here, but who knew who could be watching on a monitor. And besides, the Doctor had told them to play along for now.

Missy ignored them, spinning around and continuing her spiel. Unknown to her two companions, every movement had purpose, every flourish and turn revealing something new. For instance, she’d felt the pull of the black hole the instant she’d stepped from the door – relentless and hungry, doing its utmost to draw them into its dreadful maw. She’d tested the artificial gravity – holding incredibly well against the pull of the black hole, perhaps the reason progress away wasn’t higher, as it must be taking an incredible amount of power for it to hold so beautifully. Twirling around the room gave her the layout of the place – the lift shafts, the screens, the angle of the screens, everything she could take in. There were a lot of warning signs, which she filed under ‘deal with once it’s more obvious what’s going on’.

After another few moments of Missy’s prattling and Bill and Nardole’s disgruntled responses, mainly fixating on the term ‘assistant’; the room lit up red, a rhythmic alarm sounding out across the room. They’d been noticed. A smile spread across Missy’s face, as she danced across the room to the rhythm of the alarm.

“So, someone is watching!” She smirked in the direction of the TARDIS. “Mmm, and quite a good beat, really, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Maybe we should be moving on?” said Nardole, mildly irritated as he watched the infuriating Time Lady completely ignore everything they were supposed to be doing. They’d told the Doctor this was a bad idea, and she wasn’t exactly doing anything to disprove that, was she?

“Yeah,” chipped in Bill, apparently not quite willing to drop their previous line of conversation, regardless of any danger. “And he calls us friends.”

A look of utmost disgust crossed Missy’s face for a second, and it took every ounce of Bill’s restraint not to punch her in the face – not that she was unaware of how unwise such a course of action would be. She knew all too well how dangerous the Time Lady could be and given that she was still totally against this happening, she wasn’t exactly keen to exacerbate things by acting irrationally. She had a feeling she’d regret it.

“Ew, Doctor!” Missy proclaimed, as she deposited her parasol on the main chair, and began to unpin her hat. “But think of the age gap!”

The Doctor had made the decision not to get involved in the inevitable bickering taking place. There were certain things that had to happen if there was any chance of this going well, and unfortunately the sniping at each other was one of them. He had been observing proceedings from within the TARDIS, ready to jump in at a moment’s notice if things took a turn for the worse – be it from some external factor, or Missy herself. That’s what he’d told Bill and Nardole to help persuade them to take part in his little test, and to let him do it, anyway. In reality, he was sitting with his feet up, and very much enjoying the show and the contents of a packet of crisps.

Missy’s accusations about age gaps were not in the least bit surprising, and merely earned her a roll of his eyes. There hadn’t been a chance in hell that she’d let something like that go, especially when she always did take great pleasure in seeing the Doctor squirm when it came to conversation about ‘the strays he picked up’. But then she’d never really understood anyway, and there was no chance that Bill and Nardole did either. Particularly Bill, which explained why it had practically come to blows between the two of them.

It had taken him a while too, but he felt like he finally understood the differences between the human and Time Lord concepts of ‘friendship’. It probably came from the many years he’d now spent in the company of humans. And away from his own species. What had once been a necessary annoyance was now a huge part of his lives that he couldn’t imagine being without. How humans treated friendship was completely different to how Time Lords did, though. Human friendships, from his observations at least, seemed more fleeting – easily forged, but easily shattered. Difficult but not impossible to repair once broken. And certainly a good representation of the relationship that he forged with those bright, shining examples of humanity that he took with him. So important, but worlds away from his understanding of friendship prior to leaving Gallifrey. Worlds away from Missy’s understanding. Even after all these years, he wasn’t entirely sure what the human equivalent would be – he had found nothing that conveyed the depth, complexity, strength or permanence. Or the pain it brought, for that matter. Perhaps they would discuss it later. Perhaps it would never be mentioned again. But now certainly wasn’t the appropriate time.

“Stop mucking about and concentrate!” he settled for, although he was fairly certain that Missy was already several steps ahead of the other two, and possibly even him. For all her flaws, she always had been brilliant and very quick.

“And Nardole? Do something non-irritating!”

Nardole hid a weary sigh – but it was nothing less than he’d been expecting from two completely smitten (and in utter denial over it) Time Lords!

“On it, sir!”

Nardole settled himself at a nearby computer terminal and started to tap at the keys. Missy, however, wasn’t quite ready to have her train of conversation shafted, nor to give up her casual, over-the-top acting. To look at her, it would seem that nothing remotely interesting was happening – certainly not alarms and a black hole – as she took the time to inspect her makeup.

“Time Lords are friends with each other, dear,” she continued to admonish the Doctor as she did so. “Everything else is cradle-snatching!”

It didn’t take Nardole long to find information in the computers – the sort of things that couldn’t be picked up through direct observation, which Missy silently admitted was a bit useful as he read out the dimensions of the ship – although it was still somewhat amusing to her to think that he could still miss the obvious, him and Bill. And of course, she’d never tell him it was useful! That would be counter-productive! Still, it allowed her to start to build up a clearer image of the situation in her mind, piecing together all the information she’d gathered so far from her very deliberate spins and flourishes. Every little detail, even the things others might overlook she filled in, all the while looking for gaps, anomalies, clues and information that might hold the answers as to what was happening here, and why they were here in the first place.

“It’s big,” the Doctor was saying in response to Nardole. “Even for a colony ship. Anything else?”

Missy suppressed a grin. It didn’t take long for him to get tired of waiting for them to figure it out, did he? But it was the prompting that Nardole needed, looking around and then finally up to take in the gaping maw sucking in everything from its surroundings over their head. How these stupid primitive creatures survived so long without noticing such obvious things was beyond her! It would explain how the ship had got to be quite so close to the event horizon though!

“Er… Oh look at that! It’s heading towards a black hole!” Nardole said, ignoring the disparaging comments about ‘watching plants grow’ coming through his earpiece from the Doctor.

Missy looked up too, despite knowing exactly what she would see, and for a brief moment all acting slipped, all façade of this being a game dropping leaving only how truly uncomfortable it made her being here, now. There was always something unsettling about black holes. The way it consumed anything and everything that ventured too close indiscriminately – dominated the surrounding space for vast distances. Nothing was immune – not matter, light, or even time itself. That was, perhaps, the most unsettling of all. The out of sync time, even between her head and her feet. And she could feel it jarring against all of her senses. It was enough to make any Gallifreyan uneasy. She could resist the relativistic effects to some extent, of course. Privilege of being a Time Lady! But this close to the black hole, where it was so strong… well, neither she nor the Doctor stood much chance of fighting it beyond syncing up their extremities. And on top of that, there was something not quite right with Nardole’s observations too.

“No,” she said, matter-of-factly – she was damned if she was going to let the Doctor steal her moment of showing off, even managing to beat his response by a few seconds – a feat she was rather proud of, especially considering that he was most likely using the TARDIS sensors to monitor every inch of the ship rather than relying on his senses as she was having to do!

“It was heading towards a black hole,” she continued, indicating the surrounding monitors. “Until somebody noticed. Now they’re trying to reverse away from it. Reverse thrust, see?”

Nardole looked almost impressed. Almost. But then he was used to the Doctor, so this was just daily stuff for all of them. And he was no more likely to compliment her than she was him.

“Oh. Well, it’s succeeding.”

Missy nodded. But she’d been running calculations in her mind since the moment she stepped out. Basic stuff really, long since embedded in her memory from the academy. By her calculations even the few people that were left alive here now wouldn’t be by the time it made it out, though. The progress was far too slow. And even if they did make it out, the rest of the universe would have moved on. Significantly.

“It is. Very, very slowly.”

Bill peered in, to comment on the distress call, probably to make herself look useful and justify being here, Missy thought – she never saw the point of taking along humans, especially when it was obvious his so-called-friends didn’t want to be there with her. Both she and they would have been perfectly happy if they were not present. But the Doctor insisted, and she wasn’t exactly in any position to bargain just yet. Give her time and a few successful trips where she proved far more competent than him. How he’d managed to persuade the two of them she was less sure though.

“So, a four hundred mile ship, reversing away from the gravitational pull of a black hole. Are we having fun yet?” the Doctor asked as he wandered back to the TARDIS console, fitting the scanner back in place as he did so.

Missy couldn’t help the sarcasm practically radiating from her fake smile at that – having fun indeed. Like any of them would have chosen this as an activity! Any of them apart from the Doctor, of course! This was his idea of a great day out, just like killer emoji robots, a spaceship devoid of oxygen or killer light-eating beasts. Not that Missy couldn’t see some of the appeal, of course. It was just the purpose behind it. Purposefully going out of his way to track down distress calls and help people, for Gallifrey’s sake! That wasn’t ‘goodness’, that was reckless idiocy! As she considered the best sniping response, however, movement on one of the viewscreens caught her attention, dropping it for the sake of interest. There was plenty of time for that conversation later!

A man had appeared on the screen, peering into the camera, presumably trying to see in a screen of his own who it was on deck, and whether they were anyone he recognised, or possibly just figure out some unfamiliar controls, depending on who it was and what exactly was happening on the ship.

“Hello? Who's there? Hello? Please report status.”

Missy looked up gleefully at the figure on screen – the Doctor wanted her to play nice with the crewmembers? Prove that she could do things his way. Well, she could! But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a bit of fun and exercise the ‘play’ part of it to its very limits! Especially as she was sure she could hear the occasional crunch in the background which, if it continued, she would definitely be having words about!

“Oh, hello. What have we got here?” She prowled closer to the screen, to regard the figure there, every word calculated (as usual) to cause maximum impact. “You’re probably quite handsome, aren’t you?” she continued, an ounce of flirtation inching into her voice, admittedly mainly to see if it was possible to get the Doctor a bit hot around the collar, and if so, how he would deal with it in front of his pets. One of her favourite games! Obviously, she didn’t find the man on screen in the slightest bit attractive. She had standards, unlike some! “Well, congratulations on your relative symmetry.”

The figure on screen had the gall to completely ignore everything she said! Well, that was just rude. But understandable, given the circumstances. And she was being good for the Doctor. She’d let it slide this time.

“Who are you?”

Missy grinned, back in her stride, it was all too easy to play this game, all too easy to make it nigh on impossible for others to know quite how serious she was being!

“Well, I am that mysterious adventurer in all of time and space, known only as Doctor Who. And these,” she gestured vaguely at Bill and Nardole, standing behind her, “are my disposables, Exposition and Comic Relief.”

“We’re not functions!” interjected an increasingly unimpressed Nardole, but Missy just brushed him off with a slight wave of her hand.

“Darling, those were genders!” She flashed him a wink. Humans and their funny concepts of gender. That would probably have them in confusion for weeks.

“Please, stay exactly where you are for your own safety,” said the man on screen, evidently too preoccupied by something to notice the odd behaviour of his latest guests. “I’m coming through.”

Missy grinned, still unable to contain herself, continuing to act like it was all a game, but it was still a façade to conceal the workings beneath, the deep calculations and theorising to work out exactly what it was about this whole setup that just felt so wrong. Because there was definitely something off about the whole thing. But she hadn’t quite put her finger on the factor that would unlock the whole puzzle. So, instead, she kept playing – what she once might have described as circling her prey, keeping them off-guard until she was completely ready to strike, although she’d have to come up with a better metaphor if she was really going to play it the Doctor’s way!

“He likes me. So exciting!” She turned, spreading her arms, while still taking in the room, playing it up to detract from her searching eyes, scheming mind. “Hurry, my stallion! And if I'm in the shower, just bring me some beans on toast.” A grunt of disgust from Nardole, echoed by Bill’s expression as she spun around only seemed to encourage her. “That’s roughly human flirting, isn’t it?”

The look on Bill’s face could not be less impressed. If it was down to her, they’d be out of here already – maybe return sans Missy if the Doctor insisted, but this was a waste of time – it was obvious that this Time Lady had no interest in playing things the Doctor’s way and was just going to mess around. Why should she and Nardole play along with this silly charade? But they were here, and she’d reluctantly agreed to it, and it didn’t look like the Doctor was planning to intercede any time soon. That didn’t mean she was going to take everything lying down though.

“Why do you keep calling yourself Doctor Who?”

“Because I’m pretending to be him.” Missy looked bored for a moment, showing through her previous act, Bill thought. It was all one big production to her, evidently. “Because that’s the whole point of this ridiculous exercise.”

Missy rolled her eyes as the Doctor’s voice came through into her ear, through the crunching of crisps – and pedantic as ever. This really was taking the biscuit. Or crisps perhaps. What did she care if it was a turn of phrase, she could suit it to her own needs! Not that it was any great surprise. What else would she expect from that ridiculous man?

“Are you eating?”

The Doctor, hidden within the TARDIS, hastily dropped the packet of crisps guiltily.

“No.”

“Yeah, well don’t test me eating crisps!” Missy said as she continued to pace around the control room, indignant. Typical, that was. She was out here figuring the situation out, doing things his way, and what was he doing? Sitting around stuffing his face. At least when she watched him on adventures, she did something useful like TARDIS maintenance! Well, someone had to, and it was never going to be him! Then again, that was probably for the best. Knowing him, he’d connect the wrong thing and blow up the TARDIS. Again.

“Yeah,” said Bill, as she moved round to intersect Missy’s path. “But he’s called ‘The Doctor’, so…” She punctuated her speech with her hands, and a slight smile on her face, reflecting a little of the ridiculousness of the whole situation. It was almost too bizarre to feel like reality, although that’s what travelling with the Doctor seemed to bring her.

“He says: ‘I’m the Doctor’, and they say: ‘Doctor who?’” Missy responded, as though explaining to an infant – which from her perspective she essentially was! She echoed Bill’s hand movements before adding more of her own – it was so much easier to wind people up, she’d discovered, when you took on some of their mannerisms, things from their culture and took them out of context, exaggerated them, and made them look like there was absolutely nothing out of place about them. It unsettled people. “See, I'm cutting to the chase, baby. I'm streamlining. I'm saving us actual minutes.”

She finished it off with a dab – something she had learned about during her time in the vault, the many hours with nothing but the internet and a grand piano to entertain herself. (Well, that’s what she’d say anyway, although in reality the Doctor had left her ample entertainment with many of her less outrageous requests fulfilled. And when he came to visit, that was the best entertainment of all!)

Bill just rolled her eyes and shook her head. She was done with this game.

“Yeah, okay, whatever.”

“Also, it’s his real name.”

It almost sounded like an aside. Something barely worth mentioning, by-the-by and irrelevant. Which was, of course the idea. If Missy had made a big deal of it, it would have stood out as a wind-up from a mile off. But doing this, it caught Bill off guard, caught her interest again just as she’d been ready to quit. Just as intended.

“It’s what?!”

It was at that moment that something clicked for Missy, her distraction techniques had paid off, given her that vital time to assess the information and finally figure out what was off, what didn’t quite sit right with her. And now she had that, the whole thing could finally start to unravel, to reveal its secrets.

“Look at the screens.”

“Slow today, Missy,” came the Doctor’s voice, but she ignored him, sitting herself down in the command chair. Well bully for him if he noticed it earlier while lounging around eating crisps. No one else had noticed it, and for all she knew, he hadn’t either and was just pretending now she’d pointed it out to make himself feel cleverer! She certainly wouldn’t put that past him.

“All those screens have been angled to a single viewpoint.” Missy looked around at them all, everything pointing to her, centre of command. “But not originally – they’ve all been moved.”

“Which means?”

“Giant ship, single pilot, but not designed that way.” Yes, that’s what had felt wrong. There’s no way that a ship this big would ever be designed to have a single person in charge, and while the lack of people in general had been a worrying sign, this definitely consolidated that. “Something’s happened to the others.”

“Yes. And now it's time for you to figure out what.”

It almost felt like a simulation. Some game where they’d just unlocked the first level. The right words had been spoken, the right set of instructions found, so now the game could start properly. Almost as though to prove them right, right on cue the security cameras fixed to the ceiling swivelled, focussing on the intruders sat in the control room.

“Uh oh. Someone else has noticed us.” Nardole watched the cameras as they each swivelled to face him. That meant the clock had started ticking. It was time to start work.

Bill, however, was still stuck on her previous point. It was unsettling, somehow, to hear Missy talking about the Doctor’s ‘real name’. After all the adventures they’d had, despite her initial misgivings, it really didn’t feel right to think of anyone talking about the Doctor’s real name, much less it being something like that.

“Sorry, what do you mean, it's his real name? Nobody knows the Doctor's real name.”

“I do, because I grew up with him,” said Missy, increasingly annoyed and animated as she went on – another part of her intricately crafted plan to simultaneously wind up the human and buy herself thinking time. “And his real name is Doctor Who!”

“Bill,” said the Doctor, kindly but firmly. “She’s just trying to wind you up.” Bill gestured with an almost passive-aggressive shrug – after all, how was she meant to know one way or the other with these two. Being wound up and it being true were equally plausible at this point. Missy, meanwhile, completely ignored him.

“Chose it himself, you know, trying to sound mysterious. And then he dropped the Who when he realised it was a tiny bit on the nose.”

“Stop teasing her and focus.” The Doctor was beginning to sound impatient now, but that was all the more of a victory for Missy of course! But to Bill there was something off about his tone, which was the only reason she had to try one more time.

“Is she serious, though, Doctor? Is your real name Doctor Who?”

Once again, though, there was no time for a response, as doors into the control room slid open, and the figure from the screen stepped through. Holding a gun. There was a moment’s silence before…

“Oh, you're blue. Nice. I should go back to blue.”

The man completely ignored Nardole’s comment – most likely because of whatever situation he found himself in, but there was a chance that there was a small element of being rather used to people commenting on his blue-ness, and not having the time or patience to deal with it right now!

“Stay where you are.”

“Stay calm,” the Doctor cautioned, moving closer to the monitor – he was starting to pay more attention now, as he knew from experience how volatile scared people with weaponry could be. And if Missy hadn’t taken on what he’d been teaching her, this could end badly indeed. “He’s very frightened.”

“Deary me, I thought you were handsome,” Missy said wryly, as the blue man spun around the room, training the gun on her. She fixed him with a pointed expression with just a hint of anger. “And now you’ve gone all cross and you’re pointing a gun at me.” Her tone remained dry, even as the sentiment changed, very much part of a strategy. “Is this the emotion you humans call spanking?”

The man continued around the room, training the gun round to Nardole who instantly raised his hands, while Bill on the other side of the room stood stock still, a look of slight panic crossing her face while she willed herself to stay calm.

“Are there only three of you? Are any of you human?”

Nardole shook his head, but neither he nor Bill seemed inclined to answer. But then, this was where Missy was supposed to step up, play her part, figure out the situation. The Doctor may play his games and try to work it out from subtle hints, but what was the harm in just straight up asking sometimes? So, she did.

“What has happened to this ship and how long have you been here alone? You're looking very sickly.”

“Two days.” The man turned back to Missy, gun returning to her head. “Are you human?”

“Now don’t be a bitch.”

“How did you get on board?” He looked up to the incongruous blue box standing prominent in the middle of the room. “Is that your capsule?”

“Yep!”

The Doctor sounded concerned in Missy’s ear, but she ignored him – there were more important things to attend to – such as the lift shafts that the blue man was now looking at the displays for.

“There, look! Three lifts. They're coming.”

And indeed, the displays showed three lifts climbing, one slightly ahead of the other two. As they climbed, Missy kept a mental count of time – she had a sneaking suspicion that every bit of detail relating to time would be needed if things went wrong, and she was hardly going to let herself get behind on anything that could help them. The question, which Nardole vocalised to little response, was what it was that was in the ship. Missy rose to have a better perspective.

“Super-fast inertia lifts.” Although the pull of the black hole had to be helping them, of course. Even anti-gravity systems this impressive couldn’t completely negate the effects of a black hole. Apart from anything else, she’d know about technology that remarkable if it did exist.

“Well, what’s inside? What’s coming up here?” Nardole repeated, more urgently, but the blue man just shook his head slightly.

“Things. I don't even know where they came from.” He lifted the gun once more, training it on each of them in turn, on edge. “One of you must be human. They only come up if they detect human life signs.”

“What for?” Bill asked. She sounded nervous, understandably. After all, she was the human. Missy just hoped that she wouldn’t blurt it out too soon – especially with the gun being so freely pointed around, and she had a suspicion that it might not end well.

“They take them away.”

“So those are the lift doors, yeah?” Nardole gestured to the doors back up the steps, to the left of the TARDIS. “That’s where they come out?”

“I’ll be right with you.” The Doctor’s voice rang through their earpieces. Evidently there was something that he’d picked up on from his viewpoint in the TARDIS, maybe that even Missy had missed. Or maybe it was just the fact that time was quickly running out, with the lifts nearly here. Regardless, Missy wasn’t sure it would do much good. If this man was on edge with the three people who were out in the open, surely the appearance of another person who had until this point kept themselves hidden would only exacerbate the situation. But it was too late for that now. And she couldn’t say anything to him without drawing further attention to his presence anyway.

“Which of you is human?”

Missy glanced at Bill, silently urging her to keep quiet, at least until the Doctor emerged – why didn’t the fool say anything to her to buy them time? But it was too late. Even as the Doctor stepped through the doors, and the man’s gun trained onto him, she spoke up.

“Me. It’s me, I’m human.” The gun pointed at the Doctor for mere seconds before it whipped back round to target Bill – presumably her intention was to keep the Doctor safe for long enough for him to come up with a plan and save them all, which was admirable, if stupid. “I'm the only one. Just… just me.”

The Doctor’s face said it all. They were walking on a knife edge, and he needed to act fast.

“Please stop this. Stop right there, now.”

Missy shook her head, getting to her feet as she did. It wasn’t going to be enough; she could see, she could tell. Possibilities flying through her head, none of them ending well, particularly for Bill. There was only one thing that could possibly work at this stage, if only they were fast enough.

“Doctor, you’re wasting time. We need to get her back inside the TARDIS. Now.”

He gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement, stepping up to meet Bill, but there was no sign of any understanding from the man; no sign that he would even consider stepping down. That didn’t surprise Missy. As far as this man was concerned, the TARDIS was a wooden box which wasn’t going to do much good against whatever was coming. He didn’t back down, if anything becoming more set in his resolve, a sort of determination, combined with that same fear in his face as the Doctor picked his way round closer.

“I’m sorry. I'm so sorry, but you're the reason that they're coming.”

“Put it down. Put that down now.”

The blue man shook his head, he was acting like a cornered animal, and somehow the Doctor wasn’t helping too much. Missy could see how this was likely to end unless they were very lucky. All she needed to work out was how to rescue it.

“Doctor…” she said, warningly, glancing at the TARDIS again, then back at Bill. A plea to let her try.

“They won’t come if she’s dead.”

The Doctor shook his head slightly in warning at Missy, before glancing off to one side, holding up a single finger. The significance was lost to everyone but Missy. But she understood instantly, nodding her acceptance of his plan. The Doctor could see where this was heading too, and as far as he could see, the only chance was to talk, either to persuade him, or to distract him for long enough for one of them to make a move. It was worth a try. She started to edge closer too as the Doctor moved in, turning so he could see the man’s face, address him properly and distract him from Missy’s movements. But they were running out of time, with the lifts already at floor 45 and slowing.

“You don't need to do this. I can get her off this ship. I can shield her life signs.” He gestured to the TARDIS. Every motion as comforting and persuasive as he could manage. But even as she approached, Missy could see the look on Bill’s face, and on the blue man’s face. They were really running out of time.

“You know what, Doctor? I said this was a bad idea!” Bill said as the lifts inched closer and closer. Missy had to make an effort not to roll her eyes. As if things would have gone any better if she hadn’t been here. At least she was trying to help. Once upon a time, she would have thrown Bill in the firing line, and possibly even pulled the trigger herself to save her own skin. But humans weren’t rational at the best of times!

“Please, listen to me. Look at me. Go on, look at me.” The Doctor waited a second until he had the man’s attention before continuing. “That's good. That's very, very good. Now, do you see this mad woman?” He gestured at Missy, who stopped a little way away – this wasn’t helping to get her in position, but she could see that the Doctor had managed to get close. She just hoped it would be enough. “Her name isn't Doctor Who. My name is Doctor Who.”

“It’s not, is it?” asked Nardole, as though momentarily forgetting the unknown approaching danger. Missy hadn’t though, tensing, but not moving, following the look on the Doctor’s face, although every instinct told her to take out the blue man and get Bill to safety now, while there were still eight levels left on the lift. Seven. The Doctor smiled at her for a second.

“I like it!” His attention turned back to the blue man. He was close now, and Missy wondered why he hadn’t made his move yet. But he had a plan. He had to have a plan; this is what he did! “You don't know it yet, but in a short time, you will trust me with your life. And when I save you and everyone on your ship, one day you will look back, and wonder who I was and why I did.”

And then, it was too late. It all happened in a fraction of a second. The lift pinged, the man flinched, Missy and the Doctor were both moving instantly, but too late. A shot fired. The Doctor’s hand closed on the gun seconds later. Too many seconds. Too late. And Bill? The very picture of horror. Stunned silence, and with a smoking hole through the middle of her chest, but somehow still standing. It was too late, and they had failed her. A minute and a half there had been since the lifts had started climbing – Missy had counted every second of it, tracked it all. She even had an idea of how she might have changed things. But she’d trusted the Doctor. They all had. And now Bill had paid the price.

Chapter Text

A few days earlier

Bill and the Doctor were walking through the university together – Bill was on her way to work in the kitchens, catching a quick breakfast as they walked, and she was not at all impressed by the Doctor’s suggestion. Not surprised, mind you – she’d seen it coming a mile off, ever since the Doctor had started to allow the murderous and utterly terrifying Time Lady to accompany them in the TARDIS and watch them on their adventures. Without even asking their permission, which was a bit rude as far as she was concerned! For Missy’s continued education and development, he’d said, but she wasn’t so sure. There was something more to this, that much was obvious. It was just what exactly that was troubling her.

“Doctor, this is a bad idea.”

“No, it's a good idea. A test run. She thinks she can be me. Let's try her out.”

“Why?” It was a valid question, Bill thought. And covered a multitude of questions without spelling them all out. Why do you believe her? Why are you even considering trusting her after everything you’ve told me she’s done? Why are you even asking me if you’re just going to do it anyway (because I just know you are)? Why now? Why do I think that this has less to do with wanting her to be good and more to do with something else entirely? Why?

“She got us home from Mars.”

Bill looked horrified the moment she realised that was the entirety of his reasoning. As if he didn’t know all too well how easy it was for someone to play along, to curry favour with someone, to gain more and more privileges by acting the part and then turn on you when it was too late. As if he and Missy hadn’t each done it to the other uncountable times in the past. As far as Bill was concerned, Missy needed to prove herself a lot more than that before being given any second chances.

“She’s a murderer,” was her cold reply. That should have said everything it needed to, but – of course – the Doctor just had to be difficult. Facetious.

“Enjoying your bacon sandwich?”

“Why?”

“Because it had a mummy and a daddy. Go tell a pig about your moral high ground.”

Bill was speechless. What do you say to that? How do you argue that it’s completely different, when you know it is, and you know that he knows that it is? The man who argued that hungry looked very much like evil from the wrong end of the cutlery. But Missy wasn’t hungry. She didn’t kill to eat, she killed for fun. Burned things just to see the chaos. She’d said so herself. Whole cities just to see the shapes the smoke made. But still she didn’t have the words for an answer, and maybe it was a waste of time coming up with one anyway. She’d come to know the Doctor well enough over the past few months to realise that he was stubborn. Incredibly so. And if one argued too much, sometimes it only served to make him worse. She shook her head, turning in to the kitchens for work. They could talk about this later.

Later turned out to be about two minutes, when it became clear that the Doctor wasn’t going anywhere and was determined to hang around as she chopped potatoes ready for the lunch rush on chips. He stood watching her until she rolled her eyes and turned to him again.

“Well tell me what you had in mind, then.”

“I pick a scenario, we drop her down into it, and we see how she does.” The Doctor sounded confident, like there was nothing that could possibly go wrong. Like it was a perfectly sensible, well thought-out suggestion.

“How does that work?” asked Bill, curious, despite herself. It was a good job it was just her on prep today – this would be an utter nightmare if anyone else were there to listen in. Then again, she wouldn’t be having this conversation right now if anyone else was working, and the Doctor certainly wouldn’t be standing around in the kitchen! Not that anyone would stop him, of course. The Doctor seemed to get away with things that no one else would, even considering his position as a long-standing professor of the university!

“Well,” the Doctor was saying. “We just take the TARDIS for a spin, and we graze for distress calls. We pick a good one. Our usual Saturday.”

Bill picked up her pile of potatoes, moving over to the deep fat fryer and tipping them into the pan, staring at the Doctor as if he was completely insane. Which, to be fair, he probably was.

“And, er, what if she just waltzes out and slaughters everyone just for a laugh? From what you’ve told me, it’s the sort of thing she’d do!” She shook her head. Why was she even having this conversation? Even a concussed walrus would agree it was a bad idea! And the Doctor was definitely more intelligent than a concussed walrus! He was just… good at hiding it sometimes.

“Well, I’ll be monitoring you the whole time.”

Bill nearly choked, whirling back around to stare at him incredulously.

“Me?”

“Yes. You and Nardole. You can be her companions. It’ll be great!”

The Doctor spread his arms grinning wildly, madly – it almost looked as if he genuinely thought this was the best idea he’d ever come up with. The expression on Bill’s face, however, couldn’t have been clearer. Well, at least it explained why the Doctor was so insistent on talking her into it. But if he thought…

“Uh, nah! Forget it, mate. Absolutely no way!” she turned away from him, walking back through the kitchen. Ridiculous.

“Nardole agreed!” said the Doctor, as though that settled the matter. Which it definitely didn’t. Especially since…

“No, I didn’t!” said Nardole, who had just walked in through the door, sounding rather indignant. Why did they do this to her when she was at work? And how did the two of them have the uncanny knack of being in the right place at exactly the right time? It was downright creepy if she thought about it! Did they hang outside doors waiting for the precise moment for a dramatic entrance? To be honest, she wouldn’t put it past them!

The Doctor shrugged.

“You did in my head, which is good enough for me.”

Bill rounded on the Doctor again, trapping him between herself and Nardole. She had back-up now, and if they were going to do this in her work, then she was damn well going to get answers. Not that Nardole looked to be much help, standing there eating, but it made her feel better about it nonetheless!

“Why do you want to do this?”

“She’s my friend!” said the Doctor, sounding as though this was the most obvious thing in the world, like he really shouldn’t have to say it, but also starting to get a little defensive. “She’s my oldest friend in the universe.”

Bill raised her eyebrows at him.

“Well, you've got lots of friends. Better ones.” She looked him dead in the eyes. He had to know that she wasn’t going to drop this until she got a real answer. “What's so special about her?”

“She’s different.”

Bill and Nardole exchanged glances, but Nardole just continued to eat, evidently happy to let Bill do the grilling – maybe they’d had this conversation before, and just possibly she was making more headway. Well, whatever worked!

“Different how?”

“I don’t know.” He enunciated every word, slowly. An almost petulant answer, more suited to a child than a couple of thousand years old Time Lord! He turned, walking away from Bill and Nardole back into the kitchen. That told Bill everything she needed to know as she followed him, firm and unyielding.

“Yes, you do!”

The Doctor seemed to pause at that, taking a moment seemingly to get his mouth around the words before finally speaking, finally vocalising something a little closer to the truth.

“She's the only person that I've ever met who's even remotely like me.”

Bill paused a moment, considering what he’d said for a moment, trying to get her head around just what was going on. Wanting to vocalise it, make sure she understood correctly.

“So, more than anything, you want her to be good?”

Nothing. No verbal response, anyway. But there was definitely a flicker of something below the surface. Something ticking away deep down, threatening to show itself in an entirely uncharacteristic manner. Nardole frowned, studying the Doctor’s face. The Doctor quickly realised, turning his back, which didn’t entirely help his case! Nardole walked round, coming to his side and gently taking his arm.

“Are you having an emotion?”

The Doctor turned back to face Bill, softer now, less petulant, but still sounding just as certain in his convictions. As he spoke, Bill started to soften a little too. This wasn’t over. Not quite yet. But at least she could begin to understand. She needed time though. Time without either of them there. Time to think it over.

“I know I can help her.”

“Yeah! Look at that face, he’s having an emotion!” Nardole turned back to Bill, smiling. He poked at the Doctor’s face, which looked a little annoyed. “Yeah, look at that bit. He’s doing emotions!”

Bill shook her head incredulously, she was starting to get a little exasperated – she was supposed to be working after all and did feel a little sympathetic towards the Doctor.

“Oh, leave him alone!”

She walked away back to work, ignoring the two… idiots as Nardole insisted on taking a selfie with him, as proof or something. Honestly, the two of them could complain about humans all day long, but at the end of the day they were definitely worse! No doubt about it.

Later that night, after Bill had taken some time to mull everything over, she agreed to sit out with the Doctor on the roof, looking out over the campus with portions of chips. Anyone would have thought she’d have got sick of chips by now, working at the canteen, but that hadn’t stopped Bill! Nothing could beat a good portion of chips. As they were eating, Bill turned to the Doctor. Now that she’d had time to think, she wanted some answers.

“So, what is it then?” she asked, before clarifying, “between you and Missy, I mean?”

The Doctor looked a little startled for a fraction of a second before shaking it off.

“It’s com-“

“Doctor, if you say ‘it’s complicated’,” Bill interrupted before he could finish. “I will take you and I will personally lock you in that vault myself. Everything’s ‘complicated’, and yet somehow, deep down, it never really is. Please.”

There was a long pause, and for a moment Bill was sure that she wouldn’t get an answer. Just when she was about to give up ever getting anything from him, he sighed and then launched straight in, through mouthfuls of chips. The more he talked, however, the happier he sounded. The more enthused.

“She was my first friend, always so brilliant, from the first day at the Academy.” He smiled, evidently caught up in the memories of their younger selves. “So fast, so funny.” Bill smiled, but then his next words caught her off-guard. “She was my man crush.”

Bill blinked, as if to check that she’d heard him properly.

“I’m sorry?”

The Doctor nodded turning his head a little.

“Yeah. I think she was a man back then. Fairly sure I was too, actually. It was a long time ago, though.”

Bill’s confusion only deepened, but she tried to make sense of it as best she could – she always preferred when she could piece things together herself and then check her hypothesis rather than skipping straight to asking for an answer. That felt like cheating somehow.

“So,” she postured, “Time Lords, a bit flexible on the whole man/woman thing then, yeah?”

“We’re the most civilised civilisation in the universe!” The Doctor sounded almost insulted at the question. “We’re billions of years beyond your petty human obsession with gender and its associated stereotypes!”

Bill raised an eyebrow, trying to resist the urge to snort with laughter, particularly at the indignation the Doctor seemed to feel.

“But you still call yourselves Time Lords?”

There was a pause as the Doctor tried to come up with a witty answer – at least that’s what Bill assumed he was trying to do. He evidently didn’t find one though.

“Yeah. Shut up!”

Bill smirked, before backtracking a moment.

“Okay. But man crush, Doctor? Really!?” She gave him a critical look. “According to you, you’re ‘beyond our obsessions with gender’ right? But you still have to qualify?” She shook her head slightly - it was bad enough having this bizarre culture on Earth, but for some alien to have it too? “What exactly do you mean?”

The Doctor looked confused.

“I mean he was a man, and I had a crush on him? What else would I mean?”

Bill raised an eyebrow at him. But it did make sense that he wouldn't have the same understanding of phrases as her, she supposed. Still, she couldn’t help but sound a little sceptical.

“Riiiiiight...”

There was a brief pause. When the Doctor spoke again, he sounded nostalgic. Almost sad. Echoes of what could have been. Should have been, perhaps.

"We had a pact, me and him." He looked up to the sky, gesturing out to the pinpoints of light scattered across it. "Every star in the universe – we were going to see them all. But he was too busy burning them. I don't think she ever saw anything." He sounded saddened. Disappointed, even. But Bill could understand, at least to some level. That feeling of never quite making it to where you wanted to be. But she also understood that sense of having being given a second chance. And of wanting to make the most of it, before it was too late. But she was still sceptical and couldn't quite keep a hint of it from her voice.

"And you think that if she did, she'd change?"

The Doctor looked to Bill, nodding.

"I know she would," he said, and Bill could hear the conviction. Could see it, staring back at her from his eyes. It wasn't just some foundationless hope to him, he truly believed in what he was saying. "I know it."

"You're a bloody idiot! You know that, yeah?" Bill laughed slightly, but it was hiding something else beneath it.

"Of course!"

Bill smiled, but then paused, churning the words over in her mind and nervously licking her lips before getting the courage to admit her main reservations to him, in a small voice.

"She scares me." She turned, looking at the Doctor, before looking back, continuing when she got no response. "Like, she really scares me." There was another long pause, as the Doctor gave a small nod, acknowledging it at least. "Just... let me think about it, yeah?"

The next morning, Bill went and tracked down Nardole. The Doctor was, fortunately, elsewhere. Nardole wasn't entirely forthcoming on where he might be, and Bill had a strong suspicion that it might be with the woman who was the cause of so many of their problems. But she knew better than to keep asking. If nothing else, Nardole might actually give in and tell her, and, to be honest, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know what two Time Lords got up to when no one else was around. The TARDIS, at least, hadn't moved anywhere, which was something she supposed!

It wasn't uncommon these days for the two of them to have a conversation regarding the Doctor and his terrible decisions when he wasn't around. And this, without a doubt, was one of the worst suggestions either of them had heard from him. Which is why they also both knew, without a doubt, that it would end up happening sooner or later whether they approved of it or not! That was just the way of things.

"You've known him for a while, yeah?" Bill started as she settled herself in one of the chairs. "How likely is it that if we say no, he'll drop this, or try something different, or is he just going to pester us anyway until we say yes just to shut him up?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Bill!"

"Well yeah, but there was always a small chance..."

She shrugged. It still scared her though. The very idea of it – could the Doctor not see that Missy was still unstable at best? And much as she appreciated the necessity of it, surely her having been isolated for so long couldn't have been good for her, couldn't have helped? Almost as if reading her thoughts, Nardole spoke again.

"He's always been a bit blind when it came to her, you know. A bit lenient."

Bill looked across at him, interested, but didn't comment, gesturing for him to continue. If it was inevitable that she'd have to play companion to this woman, she might as well learn what she could!

"I've only heard stories, mind. From him and his missus."

Bill stared, unable to contain herself, her mind immediately jumping to one conclusion.

"You mean Missy's his wife?!"

Nardole raised an eyebrow.

"Oh no, although I'm not sure why the tone of surprise – they're a proper old married couple if you ask me!" He grinned at the look on her face, and then shook his head. "But no, not who I meant." He pointed out the photo on the Doctor's desk. "That's her, - River Song."

Bill looked at the picture. She'd noticed the two photos the first time she'd been in here but hadn't ever quite been brave enough to ask about them.

"River Song. Right. Gotcha. Who's the other one?"

"Susan. Granddaughter, I think. From way back. Hasn't seen her in... well, a very long time. Long before he even met River. Probably." He shrugged. It was hard to keep a track of 'befores' and 'afters' when dealing with time travel. "From his perspective, anyway."

Bill nodded. It seemed the only reaction really. It wasn't a surprise necessarily. It was just that she preferred not to think about her tutor's... alright, her friend's private life so much. Or, in fact, at all. And to hear Nardole talk about it as though it was the most natural thing in the universe was a little disconcerting. Then again, he'd had longer to get used to the idea.

"Okay. So, wife, granddaughter, woman locked in vault who may or may not be wife slash ex. Gotcha."

Nardole looked vaguely impressed at both the handle she seemed to have on the situation, and how calmly she seemed to be taking it. It was only because if she didn't take it calmly, she was going to have a complete meltdown over it, but Nardole didn't need to know that. She smiled and nodded for him to continue.

"Well, from what I gather, they grew up together – both at the Time Lord academy on Gallifrey, blah blah blah... Smitten with each other, closest of friends." Bill raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "Well, I'm sure the Doctor's told you, they took very different paths. The Master – that's what Missy called herself back then – he was all about ruling the universe and destruction, chaos." Bill nodded, that sounded like what she knew, although she couldn't help but choke slightly at the name 'Master'.

"I've heard of having an ego, but that's taking the biscuit a bit, isn't it?" She shook her head, looking bewildered, before something clicked. Nardole could almost see a lightbulb come on over her head. If such things happened out of cartoons. "Ahhhh, right. Master. Mistress. Missy. Makes sense now."

"Yeah. So, he – the Master – regularly switched between trying to brutally murder the Doctor, offering him the universe to rule at his side, and working together to fix the mess where his plans had backfired." Nardole rolled his eyes. Idiots, the pair of them. "I think it's basically Time Lord flirting, given how he and River went about it."

Bill shook her head violently.

"You know what, I really don't want to know about strange Time Lord mating rituals, thanks!"

"Fair enough. Point is, if it had been anyone else, literally anyone else in the universe, the Doctor would have put an end to it a long time ago. Or tried to, at least. They've got some..." He trailed off, searching for the right word. "Connection, I suppose. Both of them want to fix it, they've just never got around to getting on the same page as each other before. Missy's idea of fixing their friendship involved presenting the Doctor with an army!"

"Right, yeah, I can see why that might not go down so well!" Bill shook her head. She wasn’t sure she’d ever understand the Doctor or his species. Maybe it was better not to think about it too hard!

“Well, anyway, a while back, Missy was sentenced to death. Crimes finally caught up with her, or something. Doesn’t matter!” Bill nodded, she’d heard a little bit of this after the incident with the monks, although admittedly not the full story. “Now his missus.” Nardole angled his head towards the TARDIS in lieu of the Doctor actually being there. “She found out about it somehow. She knew the Doctor would be there. Knew that he would be the executioner. But after all these long years, all this time and all the terrible things Missy had done, it was less clear if he would go through with it. So, she sent me.”

“What, to make sure he did? You didn’t do a very good job, did you? Why couldn’t she come herself anyway?”

Nardole shook his head at Bill’s words.

“Oh no, quite the opposite. She wanted to make sure he didn’t do it. He’d never have forgiven himself, and she knew it. I was there to make sure he didn’t do it, and to make sure that he kept to his vows afterwards. Okay, so maybe not doing such a good job on that front!” He paused before answering her next question. “And she couldn’t come herself, Bill, because she died a long time ago. Sort of. She’s saved in a library computer. A data ghost. Don’t ask!”

Bill nodded. If Nardole thought it was better not to ask then, on this occasion, she'd take his word for it.

"Right. But why? I mean you're saying he's been far too lenient but then you stopped him from completing a sentence that, presumably, would have ended a threat."

"Because it's good for him, I think. For both of them. And if it works, then surely that's better than the alternative!" Nardole shrugged. He wasn't entirely sure why River had been so adamant that he stopped it, if he was honest. Or why she ever thought that the Doctor would ever succeed in being anything but lenient when it came to the Master. To Missy. He'd only had to spend a few days around the two of them to see that, despite what he might say, the Doctor was still completely obsessed with her. Smitten.

"And if it doesn't work?" Bill's concerns weren't going to be assuaged that easily. 'If it works' didn't quite cut it.

"If it doesn't work, then he's got her contained. Win-win, if you like!"

"Except for Missy. I doubt she'd see it as a win-win if at the end of it all he decided to just keep her contained anyway. Not that I'm arguing it's a bad thing. But if she's served her sentence, as it were, and then is kept imprisoned anyway. I'm no law expert, but I suspect she'd be angry. Rightly so, even." Bill shrugged. It was hard to even know what was the right answer with this. It certainly would have been easier if she'd just been executed, even if she wasn't convinced that was the right answer either. "What I'm saying is, she's dangerous. We all know it. And a caged wild beast is still a wild beast. A wild beast on a lead is still a wild beast. Given a bit of slack, what's going to stop her from turning on her handler. That may not have been my best analogy."

Nardole laughed.

"Unfortunately, with a beast such as Missy, there's no real way of knowing without trying it. And well, to take what you're saying further, if she really is making an effort, and we continue to ignore her, what do you think that's going to do?" Nardole shook his head – he was already repeating the Doctor's excuses – but he had a point. And if it was later into her imprisonment, he might even have been happier about it. He was, after all, the one who had allowed her out to get him back to Mars.

"Right. I suppose. But where does that leave us if she does decide that her way is more fun?"

"That's what I said to the Doctor. He takes you on enough dangerous adventures without her being there. When he's supposed to be staying here with her, mind you!"

Bill raised an eyebrow at that, but Nardole hastily continued speaking before she could say anything.

"That's entirely on the Doctor, by the way. He's hopeless, completely hopeless. Besides, a test run isn't what I'm worried about per se! It's what happens after that which could be a problem. Say it does go well, and why wouldn't it? Regardless of her motives, Missy's bored of her confinement. She's perfectly capable of keeping an act up for an adventure or two, if it means more freedom."

Bill nodded slowly. He had a point. Missy going out on a rampage would be a one way ticket back to the vault, with any trust the Doctor might have gained in her wiped out in a second.

"I suppose so."

"The real danger comes later, as far as I'm concerned. As she starts to gain his trust. He slackens the leash little by little, to use your analogy, until suddenly the tables flip, she's in control and he's imprisoned. And then he'll realise too late that the wide eyes and grand statements were all an act. Or maybe I'm just cynical."

Bill nodded. But that didn't make her any more inclined to go along with the Doctor's plan. If anything, it made her want even less to do with it.

"So, what we're saying is, if we let her out and she goes on a killing spree, that's bad. If we let her out but she doesn't go on a killing spree, but later gains the Doctor's trust enough to stab him in the back and then go on a killing spree, that's also bad. If we let her out, and she's actually changed, that's okay. On the other hand, if we don't let her out, and keep her locked up to the end of her sentence, then release her, and she hasn't changed and goes on a killing spree, that's bad. If we keep her locked up, release her, she has changed, but is annoyed for not having been given any chances despite having made an effort so does something to spite the Doctor, that's also bad. If we keep her locked up, don't release her at the end of her sentence, she's really annoyed and probably finds a way to break out, that's really bad. Does that about sum it up?"

Nardole nodded.

"Pretty much. So, it seems there's only one viable option. Give her a chance and hope for the best."

Bill swallowed. She'd hoped to persuade herself that keeping her locked up was the best option. Apparently, she'd managed to do the complete opposite.

"Okay. Okay, but we stay vigilant, right? Whatever the Doctor believes, however much he starts to trust her, we stay suspicious until there's no doubt, yeah?"

Nardole nodded again. Missy wouldn't be happy about it, and neither would the Doctor, but what else were they supposed to do when the Doctor was... well, the Doctor!

A little while later, after a good deal more discussion on the subject of the two Time Lords, and how ridiculous it was that they had to be babysitters for two ancient beings who liked to play God but pretend that they didn't, the Doctor finally emerged from the TARDIS. He looked between the two, and Bill suddenly wondered how long he'd been listening in on their conversations.

"You two look cosy!"

Nardole grinned at him, before getting to his feet.

"Must be off! I'll leave the two of you to it, yeah?"

And with that, he was gone. Bill looked up to the Doctor, who came to sit in the chair Nardole had been occupying.

"So, was there a reason you came to my office?"

"I've thought about it. Okay. So, just promise me one thing, yeah?" Bill said, looking across at the Doctor earnestly. "Just promise you won't get me killed."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow, as though that was the most unreasonable request she could possibly make.

"I can't promise you that!"

"Thanks." Bill's voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, combined with an almost bitter laugh. Because obviously that was exactly what she wanted to hear from the man who she entrusted herself to every time they went off on some excursion together.

The Doctor softened a little.

"I mean, look. You're human. And humans are so mortal!"

"Cheers!" The sarcasm didn't leave. That didn't make matters particularly better as far as she was concerned. If anything, it made it a bit worse.

"I mean, you pop like balloons! I mean, one heart?" He looked at her, sympathetically. "It's your most important organ, and you've no back up. It's like a budget cut!" He shook his head - it wasn't Bill's fault, he knew, but still, he couldn't go around making promises like that anymore. That just made people cross. And reckless. If he promised they won’t die, they take risks. He’d rather have her cautious and alert.

"Oh." There was a pause as Bill churned it over in her mind, before settling for a response. "Well, you'll try and keep me alive?" She looked at him, wanting to make sure he understood that was the least he owed her!

"Within reason."

She rolled her eyes but nodded. That was about as good as she could expect to get, she supposed. Her tone softened a little.

"Thanks, mate."

Chapter Text

Now, on the spaceship  

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The Doctor and Nardole stared, horrified, at Bill. Missy, the only one who seemed to keep her head at all in the face of this disaster, was at the side of the blue man, wresting the gun from his grasp. She should have done it before. Or the Doctor. But there was no sense taking any more chances. Neutralise the threat without hurting anyone else. If things hadn't gone so badly already, she was sure the Doctor would have been at least a little impressed. The blue man, meanwhile, seemed to realise that he really shouldn't have done that, and that it hadn't helped matters at all.   

"I'm sorry," he murmured uselessly.   

Bill started to fall, toppling backwards as what had happened set in, as her body stopped working and supporting her. This seemed enough to shake the Doctor from his shock, as he rushed to her side, taking her hand. He was just checking her pulse as the lift doors slid open. A figure stepped from each, each looking as though they'd stepped straight out of a hospital – IV drips, a long gown. To make the image more bizarre, though, each figure had a bag over their head, hiding all facial features. Creepy, that was the only word for it.   

Missy looked concerned. There was a look of recognition in her eyes, although she couldn't say exactly why. Again, the pieces were failing to fall into place. But they were bad news, or could be, that much she was certain of. It was almost as though there was something she was forgetting.   

"You're too late, she's dead." The Doctor stood as the figures continued their approach, coming right up to Bill's body. He did not look pleased. Angry even. "Don't you touch her," he warned gravely. "Don't you lay a finger on her!"   

The figure pressed at buttons on their keyboard. The voice that followed was mechanical, not quite monotonous, but definitely not with the proper rhythm or intonation of any fully organic species.   

"Stand. Away. Stand. Away," the voice said. It wasn't a sentence, with each word distinctly separate. A final lift arrived behind them – more of a cargo lift than anything. Out of it, two more figures wheeled what looked like a hospital bed, complete with additional IV drip. "She. Will. Be. Repaired."   

"Repaired?" The Doctor sounded anxious, with just a touch of hope. But still, he backed off - just a little. Hope mixed with fear – a dangerous combination, thought Missy as she watched the proceedings, trying to put a finger on just why she didn't trust these hooded figures. Why 'repaired' might not be the blessing that it sounded like.   

"Stand. Away."   

The two figures who had arrived in the cargo lift moved to gently lift Bill's body onto the bed, while the Doctor watched anxiously.   

"You can help her? Is that what you mean?" There was a touch more hope in his voice now, as he watched Bill placed, lifeless, onto the bed. It was her only chance now, and he knew it. They all knew it. But it didn't mean any of them had to like it. "Where are you going? What are you going to do with her?"   

The figures started wheeling the table with Bill's body lain on it towards the lift.   

"Repair."   

The Doctor started towards the lift, but the blue man's arm shot out, stopping him from moving any further.   

"Don't try and stop them," he warned gently. "They'll snap you in half."   

Missy breathed in sharply. It set her alarm bells ringing all the more, but there was a fuzzy spot in her memory. Something that she couldn't quite recall. Something that was stopping her from putting in the piece of the puzzle that would clear the answer for her. Show her the real problem.   

"When do you bring her back?" the Doctor asked urgently as the figures finished their journey into the lift.   

"We. Will. Not."   

And with that, the lift doors slid shut with a finality. The Doctor rushed forward – it was too late to stop them now, so there was only one thing he could do. He touched his hand to the lift doors, murmuring to it.   

"Wait for me!"   

"What are you doing?" Missy asked, although she was fairly sure she knew. But she wanted confirmation of what needed to happen before going ahead. Hopefully they both had the same plan!   

"Leaving a message in her subconscious."   

Missy nodded, turning to Nardole for a moment, and handing him the gun she'd confiscated. She wasn't going to take any chances, but it was still in her best interests to comply with the Doctor's way of doing things.   

"Keep an eye on our blue friend, will you?" she murmured quietly, before turning and moving towards the set of three lifts. The fact that they were moving away from the black hole at all was a marvel in itself, but the speed at which they seemed capable of travelling was nothing short of miraculous. Something told her there was another force at work. She could count on one hand the number of species capable of constructing or adapting such things. And none of them were very likely matches!   

Missy watched the display for a moment. The set of three lifts seemed to move slightly faster than the singular one – both up and down, so if they were to have any chance, that was the way they had to go. Hopefully they could at least start the process of following Bill before she arrived at her destination.   

The blue man, meanwhile, was still talking to the Doctor.    

"How? She's dead!"   

The Doctor shook his head.   

"Those things are going to repair her, so clearly she isn't! Not quite."   

The Doctor moved away and joined Missy at the lifts. She was using the sonic device concealed in her parasol to work at the lift’s programming. He joined her. Between them, they should be able to recall at least one of the lifts. Fortunately for them, one of the lifts had remained empty on returning – they would waste at least a minute and a half getting down, plus whatever time it took to get the empty lift back to them. And both of them knew that in a situation like this, poised on the edge of a black hole, every second counted. The only question was how much it counted. As they worked, Missy and the Doctor fired words back and forward at each other.   

“Assumption.”   

“Deduction.”   

“Hope.”   

“Faith.”   

“Idiot!”   

The Doctor couldn’t help but grin at that, looking at Missy for a moment.   

“Always!”   

“Step away from the doors. You’ll just bring them back!”   

The blue man was at their side again, and Missy was suddenly very glad that she had taken the gun from him.   

“What do you care, Smurf?” she shot at him, slightly viciously, not turning from her work. “They’re not even interested in you!” She turned her head for a moment to smirk at him. “What’re you gonna do about it, anyway?” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I took your gun!” She bit her lip, unable to resist that pretend guilty look that she used to love giving the Doctor when letting him in on her genius! She turned back to the Doctor and grinned. “Well, I couldn’t risk him shooting you, could I?” The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Well, dear, if somebody kills you and it's not me, we'll both be disappointed!”   

The man sighed, before shaking his head. Apparently, he’d got stuck on the whole ‘Smurf’ thing.   

“Jorj. My name’s Jorj.”   

“Good for you. Well then Jorj,” Missy said, stretching the name out. “How about you do something useful and tell us what those things are !”   

Jorj shook his head.   

“I don’t know.”   

The Doctor turned around from the lift, which was now heading their way. If his calculations were correct, it should arrive with them about thirty seconds after Bill’s lift arrived at the bottom of the ship – if that was indeed where it was headed!   

“How can you not know? They’re on your ship!”   

“The ship’s supposed to be empty – brand new, on our way to pick up the colonists, you see? There were only about fifty of us.”   

Nardole tapped at the console, bringing up a plan of the ship with life signs. The top of the ship was sparse, with the four of them bringing the average up. Further down, however, in the lowest portions of the ship, there were vast clusters of lights.   

“It’s not empty now though, is it. Look, thousands of life readings.”   

Jorj shook his head. His confusion was evident.   

“Two days ago, there was nothing. Those readings came out of nowhere.”   

“You were boarded, then,” said Missy. It was one of the more obvious conclusions. Although there was another. It just depended just how close they were to the black hole’s event horizon, something she hadn’t had time to calculate yet.   

“No.”   

Missy swallowed. She wanted to be wrong. Wanted to be far enough away that it couldn’t be that. She made one last try to shrug it off.   

“Your ship was taken over. It happens.” She couldn’t help but smile. When she was around, it usually happened because of her. It was almost refreshing to see it from the other side!   

“No.” It was the Doctor’s turn to chime in this time. He was obviously having similar thoughts to her, except he’d had the time to study their distance from the black hole. Possibly even work out some of the relativistic effects. Or have the TARDIS do it for him.  

“Doctor?” Nardole asked. He wasn’t quite keeping up with the train of thought.   

Missy turned to the Doctor before he could continue.    

“Look, Doctor, as interesting as this is, the lifts will be here soon. Time is, I think you’ll agree, of the essence. Your TARDIS won’t be able to accurately get down to the lower levels of the ship because of the black hole, am I right?” The Doctor nodded in response. “But not if there’s some sort of signal for you to latch on to. Something to ground her, say? A triangulation point if you like.” Another nod. “Well, what I’m suggesting is I go ahead.” She held up a finger as Nardole moved to protest. “I’ll take old Eggy too, if you still want monitoring duty! I find Bill, make sure she’s okay, and then send a signal for you to home in on. I can explain on the way down, while you explain to old Smurfy, we get everyone out of here, save the day, everyone’s happy, hooray!” She smiled, that sweet and yet perfectly dangerous smile that suited her so well. “What do you say?”   

Level 1056  

Bill awoke slowly. Everything seemed to be foggy, not quite fully there. She was sluggish and unresponsive, and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. Still, no point in rushing things that apparently weren’t rush-able, so she took her time. As time went on, all the sensations from around her began to slowly trickle through – the eerie near-silence only punctuated with the odd ‘beep’, the smells of disinfectant and something she couldn’t quite place, everything that would filter through until all that was left was to see it. She let her eyes open, slowly, adjusting to the light level and blinking a couple of times. She didn’t recognise the place at all, although most of the room was obscured from her viewpoint – pretty much everything except the ceiling, actually! Overhead was a bright piercing light which obscured her vision rather than helping it. Within a few moments, a man in a white surgeon’s outfit was looming over her. She was suddenly and forcibly reminded of a dentist’s surgery, although that was quite clearly ridiculous! Why would she be waking up at the dentist? But then again, why was she waking up here anyway? Where was here? What had happened to her? It was all rather disconcerting, particularly as she didn’t recognise the man at all, and she didn’t seem able to move.   

"Hello. Back with us?" The man said – it was more of an observation than a question. It felt like something out of one of the horror movies she’d watched, and she definitely wasn’t the right profile to survive one of those. Black and a lesbian? No chance. Well, it was a good job she knew better than to fall into horror movie tropes, wasn’t it? Bill took in a breath, trying to respond, to do something that would prove she was still functioning as she should be. She was interrupted before she managed to form any words, the man speaking in what he obviously thought was a kindly voice, although it came across as creepy to Bill. The horror film thoughts might have had something to do with that, though!  

"No, don't try to speak, just relax. You'll be fine. Full conversion wasn't necessary, though it will be in time."    

Bill wasn't sure what that meant, but it certainly sounded ominous. She didn't have time to question it though, the man was adjusting something, and then she was drifting off to the blackness once more.   

The next time Bill woke, she’d been moved somewhere else, and she was sure she'd heard something move out there. Perhaps that had been the catalyst to bring her out of the deep, drug-induced sleep. At least, it didn't feel like a normal sleep. There was something still slow and sluggish about it, although it seemed to be wearing off. Everything felt a little clearer than before. But not fully there still. Something was definitely wrong. She let her eyes slowly open again, taking in what she could of the room. It was darker than the other room, but it still had something of the hospital feel. Not a modern hospital, though, and probably not one of the better ones. It felt old. Run-down. Dilapidated.   

And then a figure moved into Bill's field of view. If she'd been more awake, she might have shouted at him. As it was, she barely managed a quiet groan. He took a long time to come into focus as Bill looked up, but not quite as long for his voice to gain clarity. When he spoke, he had a strong accent, although Bill wasn't quite awake enough to place it.   

"Oh, awake, is it?" He said with a grin. "Awake now. Good." He waved his hands at her for a moment, and there was something almost hypnotic in the way he said the next word, something that almost made Bill obey his instruction unquestioningly, and even nearly head back to sleep again. "Settle."   

The man watched for a moment, still grinning, before turning and leaving with a speed and agility that didn't quite seem to fit with his stooped posture, looks and mannerisms. It took Bill a moment, but she quickly fought off the renewed urge to just lie there and go back to sleep. She'd done plenty of that already, thanks!   

Sitting up was hard work. It took Bill a while to get enough energy to even attempt it. But before she'd managed to muster the strength, she realised that something was wrong. Very wrong. She looked down. In place of her usual clothes were hospital robes, unflattering and shapeless. More concerning, however, was the shape protruding from her chest. It was boxy, metallic, and most certainly did not belong there. For a moment she was in panic, forgetting momentarily all thoughts of getting up, and instead clawing at the opening in the robe she seemed to be wearing, grasping at the box, trying to figure out what it was, what was happening, what had happened, where she was, whether this was some sick prank that she’d been subjected to, or if she really had wandered into a horror movie, where the Doctor was, where Nardole was, what...   

A memory erupted into her mind suddenly. The Doctor's face, whispering to her.   

"Wait for me!"   

And then, for a brief moment, she was convinced she could see him, there, standing over her bed. She called his name, scared, reached out for him, for his help. And then, as suddenly as he'd appeared, he was gone. A memory. A psychic imprint. Still, it was somehow what she needed. It was something to cling on to, to get her past the panic. To give her the necessary nudge to regulate her breathing and gather the strength that she was certain she’d need.  

She wasn't any less on edge, though. There was something very wrong. That feeling, and the horror movie vibe were only exacerbated as a new sound started to filter through into the room. It was a voice. Mechanical. Emotionless. And it just repeated the same word, over and over, rhythmically.    

"Pain. Pain. Pain," it said. Over and over. There was no nuance, and it certainly didn't sound like any expression of pain she'd heard before. It wasn't continuous, or quite a repeating pattern. But it never stopped. And, if anything, that just made her more curious. Bad horror movie trope or not, she had to find out where it came from. Mustering all her strength, Bill finally pulled herself first to sit up on the bed, and then to her feet. She used the IV drip as a support, leaning on it slightly as she slowly, painfully trudged her way to the door, taking in her surroundings as she did. There was a clock mounted above the door as she approached it, with two sets of times showing. She wasn't sure quite what it meant though, so didn't give it a second look. She was sure she'd figure it out later!   

Bill followed the noise out into the corridor. The corridor had a similar feel to the room she'd been in, a little dingy, dilapidated. There were sets of doors all down it, leading to one large set of doors at the end. The inscription over the doors read "Conversion Theatre". A red glow came from within, and she could hear a faint whine, presumably coming from there. It just added to the vibe she was getting from the rest of the place, and it gave her the creeps. The word 'conversion' brought back memories too. From the first time she'd woken up. Full conversion wasn't necessary. What did that even mean? She glanced at the box, sticking out from her chest. Was that her non-full conversion? Bill shook her head and filed it under 'questions to answer later', before turning to give the corridor some attention. Most of the rooms seemed dark, so she paid them little mind for the moment. There were only two rooms which seemed very interesting at a first glance, positioned either side of the Conversion Theatre. On one side of the corridor, a room with a sign labelled 'In', while the opposite side read 'Out', each with frosted windows. In and Out patients perhaps? It would fit with the old hospital feel, she supposed.    

Bill moved to 'In' first. In her mind, it made sense that someone on their way in to a hospital, waiting for treatment might be in pain. She cautiously pushed the door open and peered in. There was no sign of the source from within that room, and the sound didn't seem to be coming from there anyway. She took a brief look over the room anyway, though. The room was filled with rows of beds, each occupied by someone. There was very little movement, not even a twitch. It was uncanny and definitely didn’t feel right.  

She turned away and moved to the door marked 'Out'. The voice seemed to get louder as she did, still repeating its one word.   

"Pain. Pain. Pain."   

Bill decided that this must be the source, carefully pushing the door open, and slowly trudging her way in. The room was dark, the only light source a few high up, barred windows, each leaving a small patch of lighter floor, but not really making much difference. It was empty down the middle, with lines of patients (presumably) down each side. The image was creepy, with nothing to set any of them apart - each one was sat, no slumped in a wheelchair, their head covered with a knitted bag, fastened at the neck with a metal collar, some sort of IV drip attached to the chair, and a pad full of keys. The only difference came in one at the far end of the row. The only one to show any animation, any sign of even being conscious. They were jabbing at one of the keys on the pad. Over and over. In time with the electronic voice. Bill moved her way down the line, leaning in when she reached it. The figure reached out towards her, slowly, as if it took great effort. Bill's breath caught.   

"Who's making all that noise? Who is it?"   

The voice took Bill by surprise. Female, and not far off. Bill had the sudden realisation that being caught here might not be the best idea. She didn't know what was going on, and she didn't know if anywhere was off-limits. She also didn't know what was in store for her. And those horror vibes probably didn’t help! It would probably be best, she thought, to wait until she knew more before allowing anyone to get too close. There was a curtain, not too far away from her, covering a set of French windows. It would be fairly obvious she was there to anyone who looked properly, but it was the best she had. She tucked herself in behind it and waited. Maybe she'd learn something.   

She didn’t have to wait long. There was the sound of the door opening, and then footsteps across the hall. There was no change in the voice. It just continued to repeat, emotionless. That was, perhaps, the most unsettling thing about it. The lack of emotion. The way it just repeated, endlessly, without any nuance. With nothing, besides the word, to suggest that there was anything wrong.   

"Right, what's the matter with you, hmm? Making all that fuss," said the female voice, much closer now. In some ways it was reassuring to hear another voice with a proper rhythm, intonations and speech patterns. A real, human voice. Well, some species capable of human speech, anyway. Probably. Or the TARDIS was translating. Wherever she was. Although, to be fair, she didn’t even really care which species the voice came from at this point. The fact that they sounded alive was a good start. What Bill wasn't so sure about was the condescending tone of voice that went with it.   

The electronic voice hadn't stopped. Over and over, it repeated.   

"Pain. Pain."   

"Let's see now."   

Bill chanced a look from around the curtain just in time to see a nurse – she looked human enough, but then so did the Doctor and Nardole, appearances were deceiving – adjusting a knob at the top of the IV drip. The sound stopped. A moment later, Bill realised that the nurse wasn't alone. She was accompanied by the scruffy, bearded man who had been there when she'd woken up. And he was looking directly at her. She was all but ready to panic when she realised he was gesturing to her. Telling her to hide. She slipped back behind the curtain, still on guard but cautiously hopeful that perhaps, just perhaps, she had a friend down here after all.   

"That's better isn't it?" the nurse was saying. "Right then, Mister Razor, might as well do the rounds, now I'm here."   

Bill felt a momentary jolt of panic at those words – surely if she was doing the rounds, they'd find her gone and if the man... this 'Razor' chap thought she should be hiding, that probably wasn't good, was it? She peered out again as Razor responded, in his thick accent.   

"Rounds? Yes, it is. Rounds. Good. Yes."   

He turned as the two of them reached the door, and gestured at Bill again to hide, before quickly – again, much more so than his stooped posture would suggest was possible – leaving and closing the doors behind him.    

Bill waited a moment to be sure they weren't coming back, and then extracted herself from her hiding place. There was something odd with what had just happened, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly it was. She turned back to the patient who had attracted the nurse's attention. The only thing that had changed was that there was no noise. They were still jabbing at the same key, over and over.   

Bill leaned up – she had to strain on tiptoes to see properly – and as she did, she realised exactly what it was that was odd. The knob that the nurse had turned was labelled 'volume'. Bill swallowed and reached up to it. Time to test a theory. She turned the knob, and instantly the robotic voice started up again.   

"Pain. Pain. Pain."   

Bill felt her breath catch.   

"Sorry, mate," she whispered, before turning the volume back down. No sense in attracting the nurse again. "I'm really sorry."   

She swallowed, then turned to look at the patient sat behind her. He was hitting buttons too, now she looked closer. Or maybe he had just started. She walked over cautiously, turning up the volume for a few seconds there too. The same robotic voice rang out.   

"Kill. Me. Kill. Me. Kill. Me."   

"Sorry, sorry!" Bill murmured. And she meant it. It was horrendous, whoever or whatever these things were being just left here, in horrific pain, ignored and silenced. Somehow even worse than the horror genre stuff she’d been considering. Was that what was going to happen to her? Bill jumped as the voice of the nurse called out, louder again. Closer.   

"This way, Mister Razor. Look sharp!"   

Bill waited a moment, but they didn't seem to be coming back into the room she was in, so she turned to the curtain. Maybe she could find out a bit about where they were.  She walked back, pulling the curtains apart, and stared out of the window. It was a city – as run down and dirty as the facility she'd woken up in. Signs of industry were all around, belching out pollutants into the sky. The most peculiar thing, though, was the sky... no, ceiling over the city. A ceiling, over the city, stamped with the number 1056.    

As Bill was contemplating that, more memories inching their way back to the front of her mind – a big spaceship, the Doctor, Nardole, Missy – she didn't see the patient rising from its chair, reaching out and walking towards her. Didn't see it coming up behind her and reaching for her neck. It was only as it was right behind her that she realised she could hear something. Could see something reflected in the glass. She turned to see the hand right there, reaching for her. Oh well done, Bill. Proper rookie horror film error. Now they’ve got you! And then-   

The figure collapsed, down into a heap on the floor, and there, right where it had been standing was a face. The face of Mr. Razor. He grinned at her. Bill was too shocked to respond.   

"Would you like some tea?"   

Razor took the lead. He peered out into the corridor, checking it was empty, before ushering Bill out.   

"This way, this way."   

Bill looked back, uneasily, and slightly sickened by everything that was going on. She couldn’t help it. It wasn’t in her nature to just leave them without trying to help.  

"What about him?"   

"It's alright. They don't feel pain."   

Bill shook her head. That wasn't right. That couldn't be right, and she had a suspicion that the strange man knew it too. So why was he saying that they didn’t? She was quick to correct him.   

"Oh, I think they do..."   

Razor didn't even hesitate before agreeing.   

"Yes, they do."   

"So why did you say they don't?" Bill was still horrified. The attitude towards all these patients, in pain and being ignored. It was horrible. And as soon as she was strong enough, she was determined to do something about it. But for now, information was key.   

"It was a clever lie," Razor said evasively, shrugging. In some ways that reminded her of certain Time Lords of her acquaintance. It was exactly the sort of thing they’d do with no explanation, no apologies. But it wasn't exactly an uncommon trait, unfortunately. "But you see straight through me. Come, tea, this way." He gestured down the corridor turning to go. Bill held out an arm.  

"Hey, what are those things?"   

"People." Razor repeated the word a few times, increasingly animated. "They're people."   

"What are you doing to them?" Bill asked, not even trying to conceal the combination of confusion, concern and anger she felt. Why should she? What was happening was terrible, how could she be expected to stand by?  

"Curing them." He turned, gesturing again. "Come!" He ran off down the corridor, leaving Bill looking around, bewildered. She looked back to the now slightly open door of the Conversion Theatre. There was still something ominous about that room, although she couldn't put her finger what it was exactly, apart from the general creepy old hospital vibe of course. She turned back when she heard Razor's voice again. He was standing by an open door. "Psst! In here!" She took one more glance back, before following him down the corridor and in through the open door.   

It was a small room that she entered, full of shelves and racks which were, in turn, covered in bits and pieces – mostly junk, at least to the eye, although Bill would never be so rude as to say it to the man's face. She'd only say something like that to someone she knew really well, and who she knew would take it well. The Doctor, for instance. Now that she knew him relatively well, she'd be more than happy to poke fun at him for having a big pile of junk lying around. Let’s be honest, he definitely had multiple big piles of junk hidden away in the depths of his TARDIS, if only you had time to go looking for it!   

She was just looking in, finding the room empty, when the peculiar man she'd been following suddenly appeared again, as if from nowhere. Bill nearly jumped out of her skin. In retrospect, she knew she should have been expecting it. It was a text book horror film move. That didn’t mean it was something you prepared yourself for though, even somewhere like this.   

"Do you want the good tea or the bad tea?" Razor asked, seriously. Bill raised an eyebrow, but she was still a little startled.   

"What's the difference?" Razor remained serious as he stood watching her.   

"I call one good, one bad!" he answered. It was hard to tell whether he was being serious or not. And she usually liked to get to know a person before guessing. Better safe than sorry, though!  

"Er... I'll take the good one."   

"Excellent, positive attitude! Will help with the horror to come." He turned, walking away from her, but Bill felt nauseous for a moment.   

"What horror?" she blurted, unable to help herself. Razor turned back, his face straight for a moment, before breaking into a smile.   

"Mainly the tea!"   

Bill decided he was probably either trying to wind her up, or to gently ease her into his company, in his own unique way. She decided to play along for now, at least until she got a better idea of his character. She walked slowly into the room as Razor moved to make the cup of tea, taking a look around as she did. There was a small sink area, a couple of chairs and a lamp, but mostly shelves and shelves of books, bits and pieces. She decided that maybe it was time to move on to some of her more pressing questions.   

"Where am I?" All she could remember was that spaceship, but this was so different to what she remembered. And she had no idea how she would have got here, regardless of where 'here' was anyway!   

"Hospital."    

"Yeah, but where?"  Bill sighed. She'd hoped for something a bit more helpful than the obvious. The whole place, with the possible exception of this room, screamed hospital. Not a particularly good one, or in a particularly good condition. But still hospital.   

"The ship." Razor turned back from the stove, where a kettle was now warming to look at her. "You are on the ship."   

Bill shifted uncomfortably, thinking to the memory that had come to her. Bright, advanced spaceship. Enormous. Sleek. Beautiful, even. But certainly nothing like this.   

"I was on a ship, yeah... but it wasn't like this!"   

Razor looked at her, as though it were obvious. It wasn't.   

"You were at top of the ship, now you are at bottom."   

Bill just looked confused, so after a moment, Razor gestured to her, before scurrying off to find something within his small kitchen. He soon found a tin of beans, turning triumphantly to show her. He gestured at the can.   

"Ship. Top. Bottom." He tapped at each end of the can in turn. "See? Yes."   

Bill let her face show an understanding that she wasn't entirely sure she felt, so the strange man put the can back down and returned to the kettle. Bill pressed on, despite not really feeling like her question had been answered.  

"How did I get here?"   

"You were sick, very sick." Razor looked genuinely upset at this. "Broken. Heart broken." He tapped at his chest, in the position that the box was on Bill's own chest. "New heart. Good, is it?"   

Bill swallowed. She'd been trying not to think too hard about the contraption in her chest, but that at least gave some explanation of what it was for. Even if she couldn't quite remember why it had been 'broken' in the first place. What could possibly have happened that would require a massive metal contraption to be protruding from her chest in place of her old heart? She looked down, nervously, then shook her head with an anxious smile.   

"I haven't dared look yet!"   

Razor smiled.   

"Is good. Is very good. Shiny." He gestured with his hands again – he always seemed to be moving them, although Bill wondered silently to herself how he knew that it was shiny, if she hadn't seen it herself. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. "You can carry it off. Not everybody can." He waved dismissively. "For some people it all goes a bit, you know." He stopped, and Bill shook her head. No, she didn’t know!   

"What?"   

"Vending machine!" Bill managed to laugh at that, and Razor did too. It warmed Bill slightly. Joking with this strange man! Razor came back over to where Bill was standing, holding out a mug for her. "Drink it while it is very hot! The pain will disguise the taste!" He had that straight face that Bill couldn't make out again. Her eyebrows furrowed a little, and her voice wasn't entirely sincere as she took the mug.   

"Thanks." She paused a moment, before blurting out her next pressing question. "How long have I been here?"   

"Oh weeks. Many weeks." Razor stopped, thinking for a moment, before adding. "Maybe months."   

"God."   

"Is good. You get strong!"   

Bill was on edge again now. Months. God. And the Doctor hadn't come for her yet? Where was he? What was keeping him? Was it whatever had 'broken' her? Was he hurt? Was it Missy who was stopping him. Had she persuaded him to leave her, because they thought she was beyond help? Or maybe it was something Missy had done that meant she was here in the first place, and the Doctor had been doing his utmost to contain her before coming for her? She swallowed, trying to keep her voice calm.   

"Yeah, but I came here with people? My friends!"   

"Oh, they don't look so bad!" He gestured to a screen behind Bill. It looked ancient. Like the sort of old telly that you see in really old sci-fi movies, that were meant to be futuristic, but then were obviously just old TVs with a few flourishes stuck on for effect, and really dated it. And on it, there was a frozen, black and white image. An image displaying the TARDIS on the left, the lift shafts with Missy stood by them to the right, then in the foreground, Nardole at a console, a man she vaguely recognised and had an odd feeling was blue standing beside them, and the Doctor facing up towards Missy, apparently in deep conversation.   

"That's them! That's my friends!"   

"I know. I make picture for you. You like?" Razor was smiling again. Had he been watching them from the start? Or near the start? Or had he trawled the footage after she arrived to find it? That seemed more likely. But this must have been weeks ago. Months! Something must have happened since then... Mustn’t it?  

"Where are they now? Are they okay?"   

"Well, they are fine. Look at them!" He sounded unconcerned, but it didn't help alleviate matters for her at all. She could look at them all she liked, but it didn't explain how they were now ! This was old footage.  

"Yeah, but are they okay now?"   

"That is now. That is right now. That is them. Is live."   

Bill just looked confused. How could they still be up there? Months later, and they'd made no progress whatsoever into getting down here? And besides that, there was the obvious flaw in what he was saying.   

"Yeah, but the picture, it's frozen!"   

"No."   

"Uhhhh, yeah it is, they're not moving." She gestured at the screen. It was obvious. Anyone could see that. "Look at them!"   

"They are at top of ship." Razor looked at her as if that explained everything. When the puzzled look on her face didn't diminish any, he continued. "Top of ship very slow. We are at bottom. Bottom much faster." He laughed. "Very fast bottom!"   

Bill was looking at him as though he was mad. Maybe he was. It would explain a lot. Or maybe she was. Or in some crazy dream, inspired by whatever had happened. But it didn’t feel like a dream. And if it wasn’t a dream, then it certainly didn't make any sense to her at all! She shook her head.   

"Yeah, I don't understand."   

"Ah. So, you don't know?"   

"About what?"   

Razor smiled, sitting himself down and gesturing to the seat beside him. It seemed Bill was in for a long explanation!   

Chapter Text

Level 0

It had taken almost until the lift had arrived back with them for the Doctor and Nardole to agree that Missy's course of action was the best one. Jorj refused to go with them in the lifts, but the Doctor refused to just abandon him to the black hole, which would likely prevent them from returning to him. And besides, having his TARDIS accessible was definitely a better option then abandoning her up here to be inaccessible to them from below. Even if it did put her at risk from whatever the lifeforms down below were. She would be no less safe than she was here in close proximity to a black hole, and it would be an easier escape from below than it would up here, on the brink of calamity. It made sense, but that didn’t mean that they had to like it!  

"If anything happens to her," the Doctor warned as the lift arrived. "I am holding you personally responsible."   

Missy looked hurt but nodded. There wasn't time to argue that it was hardly her fault that his pet had been damaged in the first place, and perhaps if he hadn’t barged in when there was the slightest sign of resistance and let her do things her way they wouldn't be in this mess!   

"Fine. But if anything's happened to her before I get there, I'm holding you personally responsible for the consequences, dearest! Fair’s fair, and all that!" She smiled dangerously, before stepping into the lift. "Come on Eggy, let's go save the day like epic heroes!"   

The moment they'd gone, the Doctor started pacing, like a caged lion.   

"It's worse than I'd thought. Much worse." The Doctor turned to Jorj. It was time for that explanation he'd promised, but first he needed to be sure of all the details. "So, fifty of you, you take your shiny new ship straight from the factory to pick up some colonists." Jorj merely nodded. "Then two days ago you nearly bump into a black hole. Then what?"   

"We tried to reverse out of it."   

"And sent a team to the other end of the ship to reverse the rear thrusters?" Jorj nodded again. "How many people were in the team?"   

Jorj considered for a moment.   

"About twenty."   

"And then you never heard from them again." The Doctor nodded. Everything was just confirming his suspicions. They were a lot closer to the event horizon than he'd thought. It really was an incredible feat of engineering that the ship was having any success in moving away at all, even more so when you factored in the artificial gravity and lifts. He still wasn’t quite sure how the lifts were overcoming the pull of the black hole so well, they seemed to have made their journey down in astounding time. "Then the whole ship just lit up with all these new lifeforms?" He gestured to the monitor.   

"Exactly."   

"So, then what?"   

"Well, those creatures arrived and took the rest of the humans away. They weren't interested in me though. I did try to fight, but they were too strong. I was lucky they didn't kill me." Jorj paused, before blurting. "Do you know what they are? Did they come out of the black hole or something?"   

The Doctor shook his head.   

"Nothing comes out of a black hole. Nothing boarded the ship. I'm afraid you won't be seeing your crew again." Jorj still looked confused, so he continued. "Black hole, four-hundred-mile-long spaceship. It's all a matter of Time."   

The Doctor stopped pacing, moving to one of the glass screens, while pulling his sonic screwdriver apart in the middle, revealing a marker pen. He stepped up to the board to start drawing.   

"Pay attention!"   

The lift, heading downwards.

Missy and Nardole were having a similar conversation. Nardole was fairly quick to grasp hold of the concept, considering. As Missy didn't have anything to draw on, so she had opted for props.   

"Here, hold that there!" She held out her hat for him to take, indicating where he should hold it. "Good. Now, that's the black hole, right? This," she held up the umbrella so that it extended away from the black hole, "is the spaceship. Time moves faster here," she indicated the far end of the umbrella, away from the hat, "than it does here." She pointed at the handle, held so it was almost touching the hat. “Relativity. We’ve been up there a few minutes. Who knows how long has passed below. Depends how close we were. Pretty close though, I’d say. Could be anything from days to… well, years! ”  

Nardole nodded slowly.   

"I think I see. Oh, it’s the gravity, right? Slows down relative time? The other end will be closer to real time, yeah?"  

Missy nodded in agreement. Relatively painless. But Nardole had always been quicker off the mark than humans. Marginally.   

Level 0   

The Doctor wasn't having quite such an easy time explaining. His version had been a crude drawing on the glass screen. Jorj, however was still looking blank.   

"If you're standing in your garden, your head is travelling faster through time than your feet." The Doctor was saying. "Don't they teach you this stuff at space school?”  

Level 1056   

Over the weeks and months that followed in the hospital below, Bill and Razor had watched action playing out on the bridge. She'd almost got used to the idea of the differences in time streams between herself and the Doctor, and the incredibly slowly changing picture. They'd watched through the Doctor and Missy's brief argument. Bill greatly enjoyed recognising things in the Doctor's face and, less frequently, Nardole's and Missy's, and had taken to occasionally pointing them out to Razor.   

"Oh, he's got his angry face on now! Look at that!"    

"Mmmm, he is not liking something."   

There had been a moment of great elation when they finally saw the lift arriving at the top level. It was quickly shattered, however, when Bill realised that the Doctor was staying with his TARDIS, and only Missy and Nardole were heading down towards her. It put her a little on edge, especially after what had happened – the details of which had slowly come back to mind with a little prompting from Razor. And even if they hadn’t happened, she was still scared of Missy. But either way, she would definitely be happy to see Nardole again!   

It was quite a blow to realise, however, that while the lifts appeared super-fast from the top of the ship, it would take over a year for Nardole and Missy to reach her down here. Still, that gave her time to think. To contemplate what had happened, and most importantly to begin to realise that this could have happened regardless of whether Missy had come with them. It wasn’t her fault. Not completely, anyway!  

Some months later, a few days before the lifts were due to arrive, Bill and Razor were once again in his little flat. Bill had long since gone past the need to have an IV drip and hospital robe. Razor had managed to find her some old, baggy jumpers to wear instead, as the hole right through the chest of her own clothes had made them impractical. The jumpers were surprisingly comfortable, in fact – she’d thought they would itch, but they seemed to be made of the softest wool. They must have been ancient, as there was no sign of anywhere here to get new wool from! Razor sat in a chair, reading a book, while Bill studied the screen. The Doctor was mid explanation to Jorj, and Bill nodded knowledgably.   

"See he's raising that eyebrow? That's his sarcasm face! I think he's making a joke."   

Razor didn't seem too interested.   

"He's been raising that eyebrow for a week!"   

Bill shrugged, before moving on.   

"So, when are you going to tell me?"   

"Tell you what?" Razor put his book down to survey Bill with some interest. He most likely knew exactly what she was going to say. They'd had the same conversation enough over the last year or so!   

"When Nardole and Missy arrive, how they'll be able to get me back up there to him!"   

"I already told you. You can't leave here. I'm sorry."   

Bill shook her head. The Doctor would find a way. She knew he would. She'd even place bets on Missy being able to do it. Possibly even being willing, if she was still trying to impress the Doctor. And as it was considerably less time for Missy than it was for Bill since they last met, she probably was. Well, according to Razor she'd only have to wait a few days now. Then she could ask them the plan herself!  

She was deep in thought when the nurse who Bill had seen on her first day awake here walked in. Bill had got quite used to her now and didn't find her quite as scary as she had on the first day. Razor had introduced them once he thought Bill was well enough to face company. She'd become quite fond of the man now. He might be a little strange, and creepy at times, but he seemed to take a genuine interest in her wellbeing and know when and where to draw the line.  

"What are you doing in here?" the nurse asked Bill. She sounded annoyed. Bill rolled her eyes. Razor looked across at her.   

"She works for me now. We agreed!"   

The nurse looked unimpressed, surveying the two of them sternly.   

"Everyone here works for me. Now, there's a floor out there that needs cleaning!"   

Bill sighed and got to her feet, turning to the door.   

"Running all the way," she said dryly, making every step take just a little longer than absolutely necessary.    

"I know you dream of leaving."   

"No, me? Never." Bill's voice was heavy with sarcasm as she looked right into the woman's face. The other woman didn't flinch. She remained calm, reaching out to gently tap Bill's metal chest. Her voice took on the slightly patronising tone that Bill remembered from that first day.   

"This is your heart now, and outside this hospital, it will stop working." Her expression didn't change. Bill wondered, not for the first time, whether she was even capable of emotions. It was somewhat tempting to try something, just to see if she could find something to make the woman snap. Smile, laugh, shout, cry, scream, anything. But she wasn't quite brave enough.   

"Ah." The sarcasm didn't leave Bill's voice as she continued to stare the nurse down. "It's a good thing you've got all these locks then, in case I accidentally wander off!" She gave her a wry smile, before turning back to Razor. "Yeah, better get mopping then. Don't change the channel!"   

Razor grinned back at her.   

"A week, raising his eyebrow? Why would I change?"   

He really sounded sincere, Bill thought. It was odd, but there was little left to surprise her about him at this point.   

A few days later, the lifts were finally due. When Bill found out, she was absolutely insistent that she be there when they arrived. Razor seemed reluctant, but after an hour or so's pestering, he begrudgingly agreed to show her to the lift shaft to greet the two of them, on the condition that under no circumstances would she attempt to leave.   

"Is bad for heart. Heart no work away from hospital. You stay?"   

Bill agreed, if only to be allowed to go. She desperately wanted to see Nardole, even if Missy did still scare her a lot. But she had little choice but to give her one last chance, if the Doctor was apparently still willing to. That didn't mean that she'd be going around trusting her, though. Not just yet. She hadn't proved herself by any means.   

Razor led the way down the corridor. He unlocked the Conversion Theatre and showed her through, past the operating table with its pile of instruments which really gave her the creeps, and into a small anteroom to one side. In the back of this room was another door, almost concealed. He unlocked it and ushered her through, glancing around, before closing the doors behind her quietly. It was almost as if he didn't want to be seen.    

It was very different through here, although no less run down. But certainly more similar thematically to the bridge up on level 0. While the hospital felt like something out of a horror film, this at least felt closer to what a spaceship should be. Perhaps still out of a bad, dated sci-fi movie, but it still felt more, well, welcoming to Bill.   

The timing wasn't too bad, considering that it had probably taken a year and a half for the lift to get down to them. Bill and Razor were probably only waiting for an hour or so before the lift finally pinged. The lift doors slid open, and there were Missy and Nardole. They were both tensed, fully on guard and each pointing a weapon out of the lift. For Missy, it was her umbrella, but Nardole was pointing a gun out of the lift. A gun which Bill instantly recognised and shied away from as memories flooding back of that fateful moment.   

"Bill?" Nardole sounded shocked to see her standing there before him, waiting for him to arrive. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but this certainly wasn't it. He lowered the weapon, ensuring that it wasn't going to accidentally fire, and stowed it in his jacket. Missy, on the other hand, was still on edge, umbrella pointed directly at Razor.   

"Step away from her and maintain a minimum separation of three feet. I am trying very hard not to kill anyone today, but it would be tremendously helpful if your major arteries were out of reach, and you weren't threatening the human." Missy looked annoyed, and certainly not in the mood to mess around. Bill wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but she shook her head.   

"It's okay, he's with me. He's a friend! Been looking after me for the past couple of years."   

Missy didn't lower her umbrella, but Razor smiled, looking her right in the eyes. He laughed, seeing the steely determination there.   

"I have been so looking forward to meeting you!"   

"Right." Missy looked entirely unimpressed. “I'm happy for you." She sighed, but lowered the umbrella before adding, "Don't you go thinking this leaves me at a disadvantage. I'm quite possibly the most dangerous person you've ever met."   

Bill looked between the two uneasily. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but she knew who she'd take bets on coming out better in a fight, unfortunately. It was lucky, then, that her new friend didn't seem the sort to pick fights. She turned to Nardole.   

"So, what's the plan then? Is the Doctor coming?"   

Missy grinned at her.   

"No, he's decided to send me and Eggy down here, and then bugger off and leave all three of us stranded here!" The tone of sarcasm was subtler than Bill ever managed to pull off, but it was still there. She rolled her eyes.   

"We're here to make sure you're okay, keep you that way, then send a signal up to the Doctor so he can get the TARDIS here without the black hole interfering with the piloting," said Nardole. Missy nodded.   

"Mmmm, without me and my genius, he'd probably drift by a few hundred years and miss you!" She grinned and shrugged. "Or bring us all the slow way, with no escape plan. Always was an idiot!"   

Bill gave her a sarcastic smile.   

"I didn't know you cared."   

"Oh, I don't beyond getting off this place. Something my dear Doctor won't allow without first collecting all his pets." She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, leaning in before adding, "That's you!" Missy raised her eyebrows, and then turned to look around.   

"So, send that signal up to the Doctor, and we can find somewhere to wait it out until he gets here then."   

"Alright, alright, I'm doing it!" Missy said, exaggerating everything as though she were some petulant child, not a several-thousand-year-old Time Lady. She flicked a switch on the end of her umbrella, and then showed it to Nardole for approval. "There, happy?" She turned to Razor. "You, Fagin. Anywhere I can put this where no one will find it. I don't want someone moving it while I'm not looking, and I'd rather know exactly where the Doctor's going to show up!"   

Razor grinned, apparently happy to help despite Missy's tone with him, pulling the set of keys from his pocket, and scurrying over to a small cupboard, unlocking it and gesturing to her.   

"Here. Here. I have only key. Is safe. You have. I give you key. Safe. Good!"   

Missy was slightly wary as she walked over, but she stowed the umbrella in the cupboard, locked it away and pocketed the key. She glowered at Razor for good measure, as if reminding him that she would perfectly happily kill him if she wasn't doing her best to make an effort.   

"And now we wait," said Nardole, looking from Missy and Razor to Bill and back again.   

Razor led the way back to his little apartment, again ushering the others along, as if it wouldn't do to get caught. He settled Nardole and Bill in his rooms, leaving them to look at the live image of the Doctor above, before beckoning to Missy. She raised an eyebrow, but after a moment sauntered over to him.   

"What is it? I know I'm going to have to tolerate your presence for some time, but if you value your organs, I'd suggest you stay out of my way." Razor smirked, and Missy blinked. That wasn't a look she'd imagined on the strange man. She ignored it.   

"You will like here. Is nice. You recognise?"   

A look of confusion mixed with irritation crossed Missy’s face. It was clear that she was losing her patience.  

"Why would I recognise it? And it's a dump. If you can't recognise that you're more of an imbecile than I thought."   

Razor grinned and shrugged, gesturing around.  

“I think is nice. Is cosy, with all one, two, three, four of us…”  

There was a sharp intake of breath from Missy. She glanced at Bill and Nardole, now deep in conversation over the events of the past few hours for Nardole, years for Bill, before turning back to Razor. Her voice was less than a whisper when she spoke.  

“You mean…?”  

Razor gave a sharp shake of his head, before leaning in close to Missy, so that only she could hear. Bill glanced over as the other two went quiet, seeing Razor apparently whispering to Missy, and for a fraction of a second, she could have sworn she saw a look of panic on Missy's face. But then it was gone, and it was quite easy to convince herself that she had imagined it. After all, what could her new friend say that would panic Missy?   

As the weeks and months passed, Bill soon forgot about that look of panic. Nardole was quick to volunteer to join in with duties around the hospital, while Missy and Razor spent a surprising amount of time together, considering the hostility that practically radiated from Missy every time she was around the strange man. There were other times when one or other of them seemed to disappear entirely. But Bill put that down to the need for space. Maybe Missy had got used to having lots of time alone? It would make some sense, and she did seem to be quite solitary by nature. Comparatively, anyway.  

Watching the Doctor talking to Jorj on the screen became a favourite group pastime. In an evening, they'd all sit around in Razor's now rather crowded living quarters and see how much had changed since the last evening. Usually the answer was 'not much'. But tonight, Bill pointed to the screen, where the Doctor's sonic screwdriver was now mid-air.   

"He's going to do an explanation! This could take a while..." She glanced at Nardole and Missy, who rolled her eyes, although Bill had a suspicion it was for show. Razor merely grinned.  

"The months will fly by!"   

Level 0

On the bridge, Jorj was still looking bewildered, but then only a few seconds had passed for him.   

"Space school?" He was saying, bemused in response to the Doctor's question. "I'm basically the janitor!"   

The Doctor smiled fondly.   

"That's a good job. I was a janitor once! But you've got to concentrate more. Now, listen!"    

The Doctor tossed his screwdriver in the air, catching it, and going into full university lecturer mode. He returned to the glass he'd been drawing on, standing in front of it, as he would at his blackboard at the university. He pointed at his crude drawing of the black hole.   

"A black hole isn't just any old gravity. It's Superman gravity! You really want to slow down time, park next to one of these guys!" He turned back to the board, indicating the two ends of his spaceship diagram. "Trouble is, one end of the ship is closer to the Superman gravity than the other. You only just turned around in time, you know. Any closer and boom!" He shouted the last word, making Jorj jump – he always enjoyed making people do that! "Point of no return, bye bye spaceship, bye bye Jorj, bye bye creatures below. But that starts to get complicated. Forget I mentioned it!"   

Jorj looked for a moment as though he was going to argue, but then deflated. Perhaps it was the realisation that he wasn't keeping up with the Doctor as it was, so if the Doctor thought something was too complicated, it definitely was! He turned to indicate the screen showing the life on lower levels.   

"What about these lifeforms? What are they? Where did they come from? How can there be so many?"   

"Those are descendants of your crewmates. It's been two days for you, but generations for them."   

Jorj nodded slowly, as if beginning to grasp the idea.   

"But what about the creatures? They're not human. They don't look human, and they're strong. Incredibly strong, in fact."   

The Doctor nodded.   

"Well, that's the big question, isn't it? The million pound question. No going fifty-fifty, no phone a friend, no ask the audience. It's all or nothing." He grinned, that was exactly the sort of question he liked. "So, let's go and find out, shall we?"   

Jorj backed away a little.   

"We? I'm not going anywhere near those creatures. Leave me out of it!"   

The Doctor shook his head.   

"Like it or not, I'm your only way out of here. You really think this ship's going to hold together long enough for you to get away?" Jorj started to interrupt, but the Doctor silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Oh, up here won't be a problem. You'll be just fine, waiting it out. But the fact remains that you're reversing incredibly slowly. It'll take what? A year to get away? Two? And while the time differences will start to get less, the fact remains that, at best guess, your two days so far equate to over a thousand years below. That sort of time will do damage to anything! What powers your engines?"   

"I'm the janitor! They don't tell me stuff like that!"   

The Doctor shook his head but didn't comment. He moved to tap in data at one of the screens.   

"Mostly solar energy, with a touch of fuel to boost it." He nodded. "Well, sooner or later, your fuel supply is going to run out. Probably sooner. The engines are making a valiant effort, but if they're not far enough away when it does run out, you don't stand a chance! You get to see a black hole really close up. Trust me, this is more than close enough!"   

Jorj swallowed, but it was clear that, while the fine details were still beyond his sphere of understanding, he understood enough to know that he was in trouble whatever the outcome.   

"Why are they only interested in humans? Not that I'm complaining, of course."   

"Well look who's asking all the right questions! Something else to find out. So, what do you say? Come with me? I mean, you can even stay in the TARDIS if it bothers you that much. Nothing gets through those doors! I was going to give you an analogy, but I doubt it’ll make sense… It’s a little Earth-centric!"   

"You don't have to mock me, I'm not a complete idiot just because I’m the janitor. It’s made of wood. The doors are made of wood. Those creatures would break through in seconds."   

"Oh, I'm not mocking, Jorj. And besides, all the best people are idiots! Tell you what, why don't you come inside, then you can be a judge of how safe we are in there!"   

"If I don't agree, you'll let me back out?"  

The Doctor nodded, although it was evident that he was certain of what Jorj's decision would be.   

"Naturally. This way, then!"  

Level 1056

Over the months and years while the Doctor made his explanations, life below continued to plod on. Bill was certainly grateful for Nardole's presence, although she had still made a firm friend in Mr. Razor. The fact that Missy didn't seem too pleased about this just made the friendship all the stronger in Bill's mind. Whatever her reasons for disliking the friendship, Bill simply didn't trust Missy's motivations. As far as Bill was concerned, if she was so desperate to break up their friendship, that was about as good a character reference as you got for someone!   

Most of the time, Missy kept to herself. Bill wasn't entirely sure what it was that she did. But it didn't seem to disrupt anything, so that was about as much as she could ask for. She did start to notice, however, that after her occasional chats and excursions with Razor, where the two of them would disappear for hours on end, she always seemed to come out with one of two moods. The first was one of quiet glee, as though she'd won a great victory, or had some great scheme that she was hatching that was coming to fruition. Bill wasn't sure which of those ideas was more concerning. The second mood, however, was one that made Bill nervous. She seemed almost subdued, in a way that Bill had never seen the Time Lady in all their encounters since the Doctor had finally revealed the contents of the vault to her, all those long years ago. If she was perfectly honest, she wouldn’t have thought anything would even be capable of subduing her like that. And she didn't like it.   

The trouble was that she simply didn't understand it, but neither did she have the courage to ask about it. Although, to be fair, even if she had, she was less than likely to get a truthful answer from the Time Lady anyway! But that didn't stop Bill from worrying.   

Still, there were some things that Bill was grateful for. Not that she'd particularly noticed until Nardole had pointed them out. Once upon a time, he'd said, Missy would most likely have killed them all, blamed someone else when the Doctor arrived, and then used that to play him and his emotions. Get a rise from him. Manipulate him into doing things he’d regret. The fact that they all hadn't been murdered in their sleep meant that there was some progress! It was a small consolation prize, perhaps, but in the Doctor's absence it was all they had.    

Additionally, when Missy wasn't with Razor, or keeping her own company, she did sometimes help out with patients. She had a few tricks up her sleeves, which seemed to be effective in lowering the pain levels in the outpatients. It didn't eradicate it entirely, but once Bill got over her own prejudices towards Missy (a process which took a good year or two) she was actually quite impressed. She wondered if maybe the Doctor's methods had worked, at least a little. It didn't stop her from being sceptical, of course. She wasn’t about to start trusting her any time soon! This was Missy after all, and from what she'd heard from Nardole, playing the long game was her speciality! But she did gain a sort of grudging respect.  

One of the things that concerned Bill most of all was a look that she caught in Missy's eyes occasionally when she examined the technology of the hospital. It was another that she didn't display often, and it never lasted for long, especially if she realised Bill was watching. It was one of fear. Recognition and fear. She still wasn't brave enough to ask. She did mention it to Nardole however, and it turned out that he was. Even he couldn't get a straight answer from her, though. It was unnerving. But there wasn't much Bill could do about it if she couldn't get an answer. She still hadn't got a good one from Razor about the patients either. It didn't stop her asking though.   

It was one quiet day. Missy and Nardole were both occupied elsewhere in the hospital, and Bill was leaning on the doorframe at the entrance to Razor's flat, watching one of the hooded figures framed in the doorway of the Conversion Theatre. Razor was tinkering with some equipment. It seemed as good a time as ever to broach the subject.   

"What kind of treatment is it?" Nothing. Razor seemed to ignore the question. Either that or he was too engrossed in his work. Bill still found it hard to be sure. "Why won't you ever explain?"   

Razor didn't look up as he answered.   

"I do explain. They are the special patients."   

Bill sighed. It wasn't exactly an informative answer. But then it never was. Nardole didn't know, despite all the snooping he tried to do, and if Missy did, she wasn't telling either. So, Razor was the only chance she had. She hoped her friend might be a little more willing to tell her something. But apparently not!   

"So," she tried instead. "When do those bag things come off their heads?" It was definitely a creepy look. Text book creepy in fact. And she really didn’t like it.  

"They don't." Razor still didn't look up, whatever it was he was doing taking most of his focus.   

"They don't?"   

"Conversion is permanent."   

"Why?" Bill was distressed, as well as confused. It made her uneasy, and she definitely didn't like the idea that all of these patients seemed to have been stripped of so much that made them unique. That made them individuals. Voice patterns, appearance, even personality it seemed. Razor looked up, then stood. The tone of her voice seemed to have had some impact. He turned to her, speaking softly.   

"We are dying. All of us on this ship." Bill looked round to see his face. It was sincere, straight, bitter. Unhappily truthful. "Dying."   

Razor moved to the door in time to watch the nurse leading a group of patients down the corridor, past the two of them. Bill felt a shiver go down her spine. The more she thought about it, the less she liked them.   

"They are the cure. They are the future." Razor looked grim as he said it. It was the closed thing to an answer Bill had got, but she still had a feeling there was something Razor was keeping from her. One of the patients started speaking as they walked past. It was that same emotionless, robotic voice they all shared, that creeped Bill out. It seemed that this batch hadn't received Missy's updated treatment yet. Bill still wasn't sure why they didn't just implement it from the start. Or maybe it was something that only worked after the event.   

"Die. Me. Die. Me."   

Bill shivered again. She would never get used to that. The voice or the things they said.  

Razor had turned away, looking for something, although Bill didn't notice, unable to tear her eyes from the figures outside the door. He spoke again, apparently oblivious to her discomfort.   

"To survive, they are what we must all become. I will show you!"   

Razor had returned now. He handed Bill a coat and scarf. Bill looked down at them, then up at him.   

"Where are we going?"   

"Outside. You always want to go outside. So, we go outside."   

Bill blinked. He'd never let her go out before. None of them had. Even Missy and Nardole had seemed to agree that it was best that they stayed here for now, although Bill had sneaking suspicions that Missy had made it outside at least once. Possibly other places outside of the hospital too. She hadn't deemed it necessary to share that information, though, or anything she'd found. Not with Bill, anyway. She turned to follow, a familiar echo flickering through her mind as she did, accompanied by the figure of the Doctor, the one that still looked just as real as it had that first time, in her hospital bed. Lurking in the shadows.    

"Wait for me."   

She swallowed, then turned back. Razor was gesturing for her to hurry up, and when she glanced again, the image of the Doctor was gone; so, she turned and followed Mr. Razor instead.   

Outside, everything was rundown, dilapidated. The remnants of a city, long since out of the resources needed to restore it. People were in the streets, but they didn't stand tall, nor even hunched over screens like the people of Bill's time. In many ways their way of walking was similar to that of Razor's – stooped and slouching – but unlike Razor, there was none of the excitement, the speed or the interest. Adults and children alike. No one seemed to have the energy, or the resolve to do anything.   

"Everyone looks so sick." It saddened Bill. Surely someone could do something. Something productive. Surely, she, Nardole and Missy between them could come up with something. It wouldn't prolong their lives indefinitely of course. But surely there was some way to improve their standard of living?   

"This was a good place once, hundreds of years ago, when the settlers first came here," said Razor as he led her through the alleyways. It took Bill every ounce of her resolve not to run to help every child they passed. Every adult. Every person who looked like they had lost all hope. To whisper that it would be okay. That it wasn't the end. That they could help. That her friend was coming, and he would help. She followed Razor more and more reluctantly. "But this ship is old," he was saying. "Everything is dying. Our world is rust, our air is engine fumes." He coughed. Bill could smell it too. It permeated everywhere, but the hospital was somewhat shielded from it. She wasn't quite sure how. It didn’t exactly look shielded.  

"So, we must evolve to survive. But evolution it is not fast enough." Razor sounded more animated. For a moment.   

Bill watched as a row of people, sick and fading, were guided towards the hospital by a couple of the hooded patients. She wondered if they found the idea as creepy as she did, or if they were so sick that they'd gone beyond the point of caring. She hoped she never reached that point! She would rather die than be stripped of her identity, that was a certainty that she had known for a long time.   

Razor pointed to the hooded figure.   

"The special patients, they are strong. Soon we will all be upgraded like them."   

"But they're in pain... even with what Missy's done, they're still all in pain. How is that better?" Bill didn't like it. She really didn't like it.   

"The pain will be cured, and the exodus will begin."   

"Exodus?"   

Razor nodded, looking up to the ceiling. To the enormous number printed on it, forever reminding the citizens of exactly where they were. Just another thing to add to the creepiness of this place.   

"Operation Exodus. We will leave this city, we will climb up through this ship, and we will take command." He continued to stare up, as if dreaming of how much better it must be above.   

"You could just go up right now!"   

"We have to be strong."   

"But the lifts. They'd take you. Easily. You'd be away from this place." Bill looked around. Well, it couldn't be worse than down here, could it? Maybe a change of scenery would do these people some good. Up at the top of the ship, the air had been clean. Surely there were some sort of living quarters up there?   

"There are many dangers."   

"But I've been there! The Doctor. He could help. Or. You know, he could take us all away from here.”  

Razor shook his head, almost sadly, turning to face Bill.   

"You do not understand the dangers." He paused, considering how best to say what needed saying. "Many years ago, there was expedition to floor 507. It is largest of solar farms. Grass, trees, air. Good for you, we think."   

"And?" Bill sounded excited. It sounded perfect, exactly what these people needed.   

"Nothing. Silence. They never come back. Never send message. Time difference not so big there. But we no hear anything. Something happen, I think. There is something up there. We must be strong!"   

Bill was ready to argue, when suddenly something was very wrong. There was a pain in her chest, and suddenly her legs were giving way. She grabbed on to Razor's arm for support, to stop herself from hitting the ground. An alarm was sounding out through the city, and a voice rang out.   

"Return to the hospital," it called. Mechanical and emotionless, just like everything else.   

"I don't..." Bill struggled to get her words out, just about managing to catch her footing again with her friend's help.   

"You see, my dear? You must be strong to leave the hospital." He started to guide her back towards the building, slowly, carefully. It was almost as difficult and painful to walk as it had been in the early days. "And you will be. Soon. Very soon."   

Bill was in too much pain to concentrate on the implications of his words. How ominous they sounded. Nor did she notice the hooded figure, looking down on them from one of the windows. One of the special patients, but subtly different. A slightly newer design, with new mouth plate and chest piece. It watched on, silently.  

Level 0

The Doctor opened the door to his TARDIS, and guided Jorj inside. The man's jaw practically hit the floor!   

"But..." he stammered as he looked around the vast room. "I... How?" He stopped, taking a couple of deep breaths. "How did you fit so much in here? I... I need to sit down!"   

The Doctor guided him to a chair with a grin. That was always one of his favourite parts, seeing people overwhelmed by his beautiful TARDIS!   

"So, think you can deal with helping me out? You can stay here and help me out."   

Jorj nodded dumbly. He was definitely safer in here than he was on the bridge, and while he was well out of his depth, it was clear that this was his biggest and best chance of escaping the ship. Possibly his only chance. He just couldn't quite find the words yet!   

"Right. Good. Now let's see, signal from Missy, signal from Missy..." The Doctor moved to the console, fingers tapping away expertly until he found what he was looking for. "Perfect. Triangulate, calibrate..." He flicked a few more levers, checked the screens, frowned for a moment and then grinned. "Hold tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride!"   

Chapter Text

Level 1056  

When Bill noticed the Doctor was getting nearer to the TARDIS on the screens, she started to get excited again. Years, it had been since Missy and Nardole had arrived. Years of her life spent in a creepy hospital, and she now had a metal heart that wouldn't function outside of it. Although she had some faith in the Doctor to rectify that, at least, even if he couldn't change her completely. She'd more or less got used to the extra weight and the strange shape protruding from her chest now. That didn't mean she liked it, but it was better than the alternative. Immediately she'd gone to speak to Razor, Nardole and Missy. She wanted to go and wait for the Doctor. Be there when he arrived. Razor had glanced at Missy, catching her eye for a moment. She swallowed, almost imperceptibly, but smiled. It was that innocent smile that made Bill all the more suspicious. Razor took Bill's hands.    

"You are dear to me. You are my dearest person. You are like..."   

Bill smiled, swallowing back some emotion.   

"I know," she murmured softly.   

"A mother to me," Razor continued, with certainty.   

Bill stopped at that, not quite sure how offended to be. She stared at Razor, indignant. He had to be at least twenty to thirty years older than her! Maybe more, depending on whether he really was human. The fact that he didn’t seem to have aged at all over the past decade (give or take) was slightly disconcerting actually, and definitely didn’t help with guessing his age.  

"Definitely not a mother!"   

"Or an aunt?"   

"No!"   

Bill was bewildered. Although in some ways it reminded her of the Doctor. He didn't seem to understand their age difference. Seemed almost blind to it. Could it come from a similar thing? Or was it just another one of Razor's strange quirks? She wasn't quite sure. But sometimes it was better not to know and just to ignore it.  

"But this question you must not ask."   

Bill sighed. It was always the same, wasn't it? Must not this, must not that! She was really getting tired of being told what to do.  

"Why not?"   

“Because if you do, I think I might say yes!”   

A wide smile spread across Bill’s face at that, her arms flying round Razor, pulling him into a tight hug. Nardole laughed, and Missy shook her head in disgust.   

“Ah, sorry mate!” Bill grinned. “Guess what I'm about to do!”   

“Do not!” Razor insisted. “Do not do this!”   

"I'm going to ask you again!"   

Razor looked like he was going to argue for a moment, before he softened.   

"When you hug me, it hurts my heart!"   

Bill's smile widened.   

"Awww, sweet!"   

Missy looked like she was going to kill someone. Apparently, the sentiment was repulsive to her. Good, thought Bill!   

"No," said Razor. "Your chest unit – it digs in!"   

After further discussion, it was decided that it would be better if Bill remained within the hospital for the moment. It was common enough for the TARDIS to land a little off course without the effect of the black hole weighing on it. The chest unit would protest if she were to wait around in the main spaceship for too long, and the TARDIS was likely to be out by at least a few hours. It was decided that Nardole would go on ahead to meet the Doctor, and Bill would stay behind with Razor and Missy. She wasn't too pleased with this suggestion, but it was better than letting Missy go out there on her own, or worse just being left alone with Missy!   

After a few hours, when Bill saw the TARDIS disappear from the display screen, however, her resolve to be there when he arrived was redoubled. She tracked down Razor, who eventually agreed to take her. Missy was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't matter to Bill. It was probably for the best and meant that she would actually get to go anyway! She could just see Missy insisting on her staying just to annoy her. It seemed to be one of her ways of coping with pretending to be good (as Bill was still sure it was, rather than her making any actual progress) – do every little thing to inconvenience everyone else without actually technically harming them.   

It was night, or at least the spaceship’s simulation of night, so the corridors were deserted. Razor ushered Bill out from his quarters, glancing around the place. He was wearing a mask, covering his eyes. It seemed entirely pointless to Bill, as it would be obvious to anyone but a blind aardvark who it was.   

"Are you sure about the mask?"   

"Is burgling mask."   

"Why?"   

Razor shrugged and smiled mysteriously at her.   

"Just in case!"   

There was a moment's pause as Bill churned it over in her mind.   

"In case of what?"   

"Shhhh!" Razor hushed her, taking a moment, listening for something – Bill wasn't entirely sure what. But apparently, he decided it was fine, gesturing for her to come with him.   

Bill took a torch from her pocket, turning it on and shining it down the dark corridor. It certainly didn't help the horror movie vibe in this place! Still, she followed him down to the Conversion Theatre, through which she knew was the entrance to the main part of the ship and the lifts, where the Doctor would be materialising. She pushed on the door.   

"But it's locked!"   

Razor held up a key with a grin.   

"I have burglary skills! They don't let just anyone wear a mask like this, you know!"   

He winked, and Bill shook her head despairingly.   

"Okay, one: it's got your name on the label, and two: You've let me through here before remember!"   

Razor grinned and hushed her, before opening the door to the Conversion Theatre, and ushering Bill through. The room was even creepier at night. The table, full of its instruments; the two patients, slumped motionless by the wall. Bill couldn't help but gasp. There was something different about these figures to the ones she'd seen before. Improvements perhaps? Something Missy had been helping out with, maybe? One seemed to have eye pieces on the face covering – Bill had wondered about that, how they saw, but had never got a satisfactory answer! The other had some sort of metal headpiece on. Bill moved closer, peering at the still figure. It didn't make them look any less creepy, as far as she was concerned. More so, in fact. No, she definitely didn’t like them.  

"it's all right. It's just, you know, work in progress."   

"So, are we going to the lifts?"   

"Soon, soon." Razor leaned to look at the motionless figure, before tapping at the metallic headpiece. "Hmmm, I like the hat! I'm going to ask for a hat when it's my turn."   

"Your turn?" Bill asked, sounding confused. There wasn't time for any more conversation on the topic, though. The lights came on, and Bill turned to see a familiar figure standing in the doorway, with a smile on her face that Bill could only describe as bordering on sadistically evil.   

"Not today, I'm afraid poppet! That honour goes to you! How exciting!" Her tone was that of a parent, speaking to a child who she knows won't want to do whatever it is she has in mind, so is trying to butter them up first. It wasn't working. Bill spun round to stare at Razor, who was just smiling.   

"You? Both of you? You didn't. Please tell me you didn't." Bill looked from one figure to the other. Not now. Not just when the Doctor was about to rescue her. She'd told him Missy couldn't be trusted. So had Nardole. But she hadn't reckoned on her new friend turning on her too. Maybe she should have seen it coming.   

"Is for your own good. Make you strong. Ready for exodus." He turned to Missy. "Where is surgeon?"   

Missy shrugged and looked behind her.   

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be along soon. Got a wee bit waylaid, poor dear! Tell you what, I'll stay and finish up here, you go and delay the Doctor for a wee while. He has the unfortunate tendency to show up early just when you don't want him to. Wouldn't want him to walk in before his wee surprise was ready, would we? Besides, you waiting to greet him would be a lovely little bonus, don't you think?"   

The two of them laughed, apparently sharing some in joke that Bill didn't understand. She turned to Missy, pleading.   

"Please don't do this. I thought... I thought you wanted his trust!"   

Missy laughed again.   

"Oh, I played along a while, but this is much more fun, wouldn't you say dearie?"   

"You're not turning me into one those things. You can't. They're in pain. Every second, every day. Screaming."   

"Oh, do pay attention, pet, I've been working on that!" She held up a handle-shaped headpiece for Bill to see, smiling wickedly. "It might not stop the pain, but… well, you just won't care anymore!" She stalked closer, taking Bill by the arm. Her grip was like a vice. It was too late, Bill realised. She was out of time. She had waited for the Doctor, and he had abandoned her at the critical moment. She had waited.   

"Wait for me."   

The voice echoed in her head as she tried to stifle the tears. 'I waited for you, Doctor,' she thought. 'Where are you?' Too late.  

By the lifts  

As predicted, the transition between the TARDIS dematerialising above and materialising below wasn't precise. It was a good couple of hours more before finally the blue box flickered into existence by the lifts. Nardole, who was sat at a chair by a computer console, had long since drifted off. The sound of the TARDIS engines jolted him awake again. He was on his feet by the time the Doctor stepped out. He had intended to do some research into the ship before the Doctor arrived, but somehow it had got the better of him. He was becoming more human by the day, he was sure!   

"Doctor!"   

"Nardole. Where's Bill? Is she okay? And Missy? What's happening?"   

Nardole smiled. Nearly laughed in fact, although managed to restrain himself. This was the Doctor, alright. Pretended not to care, then revealed that he actually cared far more than he should within seconds of materialising.   

"Bill's fine. Well, she was when I left her a few hours ago to wait for you to arrive. Missy and Razor are watching her. She'll be fine! You've been ages, you know. Missy's been getting stir crazy. Although, surprisingly helpful around the hospital."   

The Doctor nodded, but visibly relaxed.   

"Good. Well, if that's the case I think we can say Missy's passed this little test with flying colours! How long have you been down here?"   

"Oh, I'd say about..." Nardole paused, counting it over in his mind. "Six years probably. Seven?"   

The Doctor's eyes widened a little, but then nodded. He made a few quick calculations in his head, evidently trying to figure out the relative time. He nodded again.   

"Well, if she can last six to seven years without laying a finger on anyone, I'd say that's a very good sign. Especially if she's being actively helpful. What of this Razor?"   

"He seems relatively harmless. I did wonder for a while. He and Missy were... actually, I don't know what they were. Sometimes they seemed thick as thieves, other days Missy was about ready to tear him apart. But that might just be Missy!"   

Another nod, as the Doctor moved to take a seat at the console where Nardole had been, looking at the screen.  

"Sounds like her. I'd quite like to meet this Razor. Who is he anyway?"   

Razor chose that precise moment to emerge from the shadows of the corridor which led towards the hospital. He grinned.   

"And I have been looking forward to meeting you, Doctor. It's been a long time coming."   

The Doctor looked up and raised an eyebrow.   

"Heard a lot about me, have you?"   

"Ah, your friends, they no stop speaking about Doctor. Doctor this, Doctor that, Doctor will save me!"   

A slight suspicion started to creep in. A feeling that there was something wrong. Something very wrong. Something didn't feel right, and there was something about those creatures from before. Something the Doctor still hadn't put his finger on. But he was close. And he was sure that the answer was staring him in the face. Probably quite literally.  

“Why did anyone need saving?"  

Razor grinned, moving up closer to the Doctor. He was straightening up now, the stoop gone, and there was an air about him very different to the one that Nardole had seen in all the years he’d spent with him.  

"Oh, you know, from this, from that. From fumes. From failing metal box in chest." He leaned in a little closer again, looking the Doctor up and down, slowly. "You don't remember me, do you? Then again, neither did she. What have you done with her to make her so... blind?"   

An uncomfortable feeling had started to settle in the Doctor's chest. There was something about the man in front of him, now he said that. But he couldn't put his finger on what it was, what made him so familiar. And oh yes, there was definitely a familiarity now that he said that. Something… old.  

"I haven't done anything to Bill."   

"Oh, not her , the other one. But then, she wouldn't remember it here, would she? Wouldn't remember being here before, for instance."  

Cogs were whirring in the Doctor's mind. He got to his feet, looking at the mysterious figure. Nardole was on edge too. It was clear he'd missed something. Something very important. And if he had, then leaving Bill with Missy and Razor... oh dear. That was bad. Very bad. A big mistake.  

"What have you done with Bill?"   

"Who, me? I've done nothing. Well. Depends how you look at it I suppose. I guess I have, from certain way of looking at it. I mean, I had planned to anyway. And you know, you would never have forgiven her either way. But this was so much juicier. Much more fun. Do you know how easy it was to wipe away all those years of work you put into her?"   

The Doctor's face had fallen, along with his eyebrows. It was angry now. Angry, and a little confused - it was clear he hadn't figured it out yet.   

"What are you talking about? Where's Missy? Where's Bill ?"   

Razor grinned, his accent dropping more with every word he spoke.   

"Do you like disguises, Doctor? I love disguises. You never could see through them, could you my dear?" He grinned as a look of understanding crossed the Doctor's face.   

"No."   

"Oh yes. Of course, disguises are rather necessary when you happen to be, oh I don't know, someone's former Prime Minister, say?"   

Razor stepped back, pulling at the skin at the bottom of his face to reveal a mask. A full face mask. He peeled it off with a flourish, revealing the face of one Harold Saxon. The Master. He was bearded now, but neatly trimmed. Refined. The Doctor just stared for a moment, before full realisation set in.   

"You and Missy? You mean...?"   

"Oh yes, you had her well and truly entranced. Took quite some work to get back to her old self and snap her out of it. But of course, if anyone could do it, it was me!" He smirked, leaning in close to the Doctor, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Say my name…”   

“Master…”   

He smiled, a devastating smile that could win over many a lesser being.   

“Give us a kiss!”   

The Doctor stared for a long moment, as Nardole watched with horror. Two of them. He’d been living with two of them for seven long years. And. Oh. That wasn’t good. That was very not good. Apparently, the Doctor had come to the same conclusion, as he staggered back.   

“Bill. We have to find Bill.” He turned to the corridor that Razor had come from, gesturing for Nardole to follow him. “Now.”   

The Master laughed, his cruel deep laugh. The Doctor shivered.   

“Oh, by all means Doctor, go run to your little pet. I think you’ll rather like what we’ve done with her!”   

The Doctor and Nardole didn’t stay around long enough to ask him what he meant, the Doctor letting Nardole lead the way until they reached the door into the Conversion Theatre. Nardole showed him through. The whole room was dark now, the tables empty, the door locked. Nardole moved to another computer terminal to tap some lines in, while the Doctor took a look around. He was not impressed. Nardole was just finding files when a noise caught the Doctor’s attention. A figure in the doorway to a small antechamber. Tall, standing to attention.   

“There’s something here about ‘Exodus’.” Nardole was saying. “Everything talking about Exodus. I’ve heard it mentioned once, but I still don’t know what it is. And here. Bill Potts. Latest in a list, although no indication of what for.”   

The figure in the doorway stepped out into what little light there was, and the Doctor nearly staggered backwards. There was no mistaking that silhouette.   

“A Mondasian cyberman.” Everything had fallen into place, but it was too late. Far too late. And Missy had been involved. Missy, with her track record in Cybermen. Missy who had been so close to reforming, left down here with her own past, to corrupt her. His hearts sank. He had failed. He turned to the Cyberman. He looked the Cyberman over. “You’re brand new, fresh out of the factory. Not ready for a fight quite yet.”   

“Mmmmm, he does look a bit ready to me!” Nardole chipped in.   

“Bill Potts. Do you know where she is?” The Doctor asked. It was all he could think to do. To hope that it wasn’t too late. That he wasn’t too late.   

“Doc-tor…” The Cyberman voice was almost sing-song, not like the robotic voice that Nardole had heard from the patients before at all. This was a true Cyberman. No IV drip, no supports, and more importantly no emotions. The Doctor peered at the Cyberman.   

“You know me?” he asked, although it was more to use the time than anything else. He has this horrible feeling, which he hoped was wrong.   

“Doctor, I think...”   

The Doctor shushed Nardole. He didn’t want to hear it. The speculation said out loud consolidated his fears and he wasn't going to let that happen until he was absolutely sure.   

“You are Doc-tor.” Well, it was only natural that Missy would give the Cyberman knowledge of him, wasn’t it? It didn't mean anything. Couldn't mean anything! The Cyberman stepped forward, and the Doctor backed away.   

“We mean you no harm! We’re just passing. Looking for a friend of mine – Bill Potts.” The Doctor’s hearts were beating fast now. He was desperate to be wrong. For the Master – the younger one – to be wrong about his older self. For Missy to have learned something. To have done things his way, not her old way.   

“Bill Potts.” The Cyberman repeated, and the Doctor nodded encouragingly.   

“Yes. Bill Potts. You're a Cyberman. Can you find her? In the neutral net?”   

The Doctor waited with bated breath. If he believed in any gods, he would have prayed to them. He didn't, of course.    

"Bill Potts. Locating Bill Potts." The Cyberman said. There was a brief pause, where the tension was tangible, until it spoke the answer the Doctor had been dreading. "I am Bill Potts."   

The Doctor's face fell. After everything, this was the result. This was his reward.   

"Oh Bill. What have they done to you?"   

"Operation Exodus, whatever that is," Nardole answered.   

"Oh, wrong name, for a start!" Neither the Doctor nor Nardole needed to turn to know who that voice belonged to. The voice coming from the opposite antechamber. She drifted across the room, a smile on her face as she took up position at the Cyberman's right shoulder. For a moment she looked like she was trying to get the Doctor's attention about something, but then it was gone as a second shadowy figure entered the room from the door the Doctor and Nardole had entered through. "After all, it's not so much an exodus, is it? More of a beginning really." She smirked, as her younger self joined her at the Cyberman's other shoulder.   

"I waited." The sing-song voice of the Cyberman cut through everything.   

"In fact," the younger Master chipped in. "do you know what I'd call it? I'd call it a genesis!"   

He caught Missy's eye, and then they both turned to stare at the Doctor, a glint of victory in the Master's eye. It was something else the Doctor caught in Missy's eye, however. It was subtle, invisible to the untrained eye. But he'd spent a lot of time with her lately. He knew her. There was something she wasn't saying. Couldn't say, perhaps. Missy, nodded to her left, indicating her other self.   

"You've met the ex?"   

"Oh Missy... what have you done?" The Doctor's voice was quiet, almost pleading. Missy smiled, as though gratified.   

"Specifically," said the Master, just a little more loudly, "the Genesis of the Cybermen!"   

"I waited for you." the Cyberman's voice rang out, as its hands reached for the Doctor. It was too late. He had gambled and he had lost. And once again, Bill had paid the price.   

Chapter Text

Waking up from being knocked unconscious was never pleasant. The Doctor’s world seemed to spin, even through his still closed eyes. He knew better than to open them yet – it would only disorientate him as the world shifted in and out of focus. Better to wait and filter through his other senses instead – assess the situation and the danger before revealing his alertness.  

The first thing that filtered through the haze was the bindings around his wrists. So, he was tied up. That figured. It wasn’t exactly an unexpected turn of events, considering who he was dealing with! He suppressed a groan. Everything seemed to ache, which was most likely down to the same reason he was tied up. The Master. And of course, the Master. Two Masters. The Master and Missy. Why did this always have to happen to him ?! Out of all of the random selections of distress calls he could have picked for a test scenario for Missy, why did he have to pick the absolute worst possible one? The one most likely to make her regress? Because that was his luck, that’s why. He wanted something, the whole universe would fight tooth and claw to make sure he didn’t get it. It seemed terribly unfair!  

He allowed the sounds to filter into his awareness. The first sound was music – there was something quaint, almost old-fashioned to it (although as a time traveller, that was a ridiculous thought in some ways. But it was still the first sense that he had). A waltz, somewhere aboard a Mondasian spaceship, where the first Cybermen were, as he listened, being created. It was a jarring contrast. He let the music filter out a little more, to listen for anything more important. Conversation. And there it was, the distinctive sound of two voices. Except they technically belonged to the same person. Which shouldn’t really happen, but it did with worrying frequency, especially to him. But then neither of them had ever been particular sticklers for the laws of time! So, it was hardly the most concerning point of the day.   

"So," the younger Master was saying. "You never did tell me. I imagine you're the next one along?"   

"Hmmm? I'm a bit hazy on the whole regeneration thing, I'm afraid. Next? Next but one? It’s hard to keep track, sometimes."  

It might not be the most important topic of discussion, but it still managed to catch the Doctor’s attention. Hazy memories of regeneration could mean a number of things of course – regeneration was always unpredictable in his experience, but he usually had some recollection of what had happened – at least until the next regeneration. There was only one time where he really didn’t recall the details, and that was when he had been with his future selves as it was beginning to happen. It was only after living through it in the last version involved in those events that he really remembered it. Could something similar be at work? It was hard to tell, but certainly something to keep in mind.  

"You mean," said the Master, sounding rather put out by the thought, "I'm going to turn into a woman, and you don't even remember it happening?!"    

The Doctor fought the urge to open his eyes just so that he could roll them. Beyond the petty human obsession with gender? Apparently not. Then again, the Master always had been obsessed with their appearance, and using it to their advantage, so why should this be any different?  

“Oh! Am I a woman now?” Missy asked, with an air of surprise, shock even, as though she hadn’t even noticed the difference, and this was a complete revelation to her. As though she didn’t make it explicitly clear that she was a ‘Time Lady’ now, and correct every single being who called her ‘Time Lord’ instead. As if she didn’t take great offense at every such indiscretion. As though she hadn’t fully embraced the femininity of her new body. Flaunted it even. Used it to her advantage to manipulate others. Even changed her name – something the Doctor had always thought them to be overly obsessed with, and had certainly never expected to be changed, especially not for a more diminutive version of it. Not that he would ever argue with her about it, of course. Even he knew that would be rude! It was just a little surprising after so long knowing them.  

“Well, kinda, yeah…”  

The Doctor decided to risk opening his eyes. His head was spinning much less now, and he couldn’t feign unconsciousness forever. It didn’t make much difference anyway, as the two Masters were far too caught up in each other to have any attention left for him. A whole new level of narcissism, even for the Master! Of course, it wasn’t all that surprising to the Doctor. If anyone would become obsessed with themselves like this, it would be the Master. The two were holding each other close, dancing to the waltz. Occasionally the younger Master would spin his female counterpart in a twirl, before returning to hold her close. If it wasn’t so disturbing, so dangerous, and if Missy hadn’t betrayed him so completely, the Doctor would have absolutely adored the smile he saw on Missy’s face. She looked so happy, so content, so… free. It had been so long since he’d seen her looking so happy, enjoying herself so much. Maybe, he mused as he watched the two dance, he should have taken a little more time in the long years when he held her in the vault to devote to making her smile. To enjoy her company, not just help her to be good. Although he knew Nardole would argue that he was far too lenient with her, too kind and gentle, spent too much time giving her gifts and trying to make her happy. But maybe that was where he’d gone wrong. One way or the other. It was too late to find out now, though.  

“Hold me.” Missy grinned at her past self.  

“Kiss me,” came the counter. Missy smirked.  

“Make me!”  

That was the final straw. This was all far too much to keep watching in silence. He couldn’t bear another second of it.  

"Do you two want to be alone? Which, in your case, means more than it usually does."   

The Master scowled.   

"Urgh, Grandad's back!"   

He pressed a button, and the music stopped. He released Missy from their dance, and instead moved to stand at her side, his arm sliding round her waist. The two of them standing there together very much gave off the feeling of a creepy old couple from some fairy tale. The sort of couple who would be all sweetness and light, offer you sweets and shelter, and then once you were in their lair, eat you. Which, to be fair, was dangerously close to the truth.  

“Where’s Bill?”  

The question was predictable, he knew, but it was still what he really wanted to know, despite everything. He didn’t want to see what they’d done to her, but also wanted the confirmation. The Master just rolled his eyes, while a moment’s apology flickered through Missy’s expression – brief, yet unmistakable. Maybe it hadn’t been a complete waste of time then. He’d taught her to feel some remorse. It was a start, but too little too late for poor Bill. It didn’t last long though, before she was back to gazing at him hungrily.  

"You know, my dear," said Missy, as she watched him. "Junior and I, we've been wondering how many times you've died. How many different ways?"   

"And," added the Master, conversationally, "debating the best way to kill you."   

"Mmm... so many choices, so little time!"   

"Have you burned, Doctor?" There was an almost steely look in the younger one's eyes that the Doctor couldn't quite hold. He knew exactly which incident they were all remembering. He wasn’t sure he’d ever quite be forgiven for that. By them or himself.  

"I know you've fallen!" Missy smirked. Well of course they knew that. It was their fault, after all. So many lifetimes ago.  

"Have you ever drowned?"   

"Have you felt the blade?"   

"I suppose what we're really asking, my dear," said the younger Master as he leaned in closer, that hungry look now echoed in his eyes too. "Is... well..."   

"Any requests?" Missy completed, smirking at him. The Doctor shivered. He couldn't help it. The two Masters looked at each other triumphantly.   

"We thought we  could  chuck you off the roof, for old time's sake," said the Master, stepping back a little to regard the bound figure before him.   

"But  I  wasn't sure how many regenerations you had left," Missy added.   

"Mmmm, could have been up and down the stairs all night!" He exaggerated a yawn. "Boring!"   

"We  could  shoot you, but it's a bit vanilla for the two of us, don't you think dearest?"   

"But old school, that might be nice for a change!" The Master stroked his beard absently. The Doctor ignored them both. If they thought he was going to play their stupid game, he was sadly mistaken.  

“I said, where’s Bill?” The Doctor’s voice remained calm, but somehow all the more dangerous for it. Not that his two taunters seemed to care. In fact, it only seemed to encourage them.  

“Oh, my dear Doctor, if we told you that I’m afraid you’d be rather upset,” the younger Master said, with an expression that said it wouldn’t bother him in the slightest if the Doctor was upset, a sentiment proved as the two Masters chanted in unison.  

“So… she’s right behind you!” There was a smug look on both of their faces as the Doctor struggled against his bindings to turn enough to see the figure standing behind him. Sure enough, there was a Cyberman, standing tall and silent, watching over them.  

“Oh, look at her!” Missy said, sounding patronising. “Poor dear, ground up and squeezed into a Cyberman shell. Doomed to eternity as a bio-mechanical psycho-zombie.” A look of feigned sadness crossed her face for a brief moment, and she shook her head. “Such a shame, such a shame! ” She broke into a grin and laughed. “It was hilarious ! Besides, I always did have a bit of a soft spot for my Cyber-dears!”  

“You sent dear Lady-me ahead of you to do your work. Did you really think you could turn her into one of your little pets?” the younger Master sneered, disgust evident at the very idea of it. “You know, you should really know us better than that by now, dear! Although you have to admit she’s one hell of an actress! She told me all about it!”  

Missy grinned at him.  

“Why thank you, dearie, but you really give me far too much credit. One, he’s always been an idiot, especially when it came to us! Two, we always knew just how to pull his strings, make him dance for us didn’t we? It was simple!” She chuckled, moving round behind the Doctor to lean on his chair, and let a hand rest on his shoulder. She put on her best damsel in distress voice. “Oh, Doctor! What are these feelings Doctor? I never realised how wrong I was, Doctor! Oh, do you really think there’s still a chance we can be friends again, Doctor?” She laughed, cruelly and dropped the voice. “He ate it up, every single word, like the desperate idiot he is! Even Bill saw through me better than you did darling, and she’s human! Well. She was, anyway.”  

The Doctor didn’t respond, but it was clear that he was absolutely furious with the two of them – a fact which, of course, didn’t go unnoticed by Missy.  

“Aww look, he’s internalising! I do love it when he’s Mr. Volcano!” She strutted back over to her younger self, turning back as she did to wink at the Doctor and blow him a kiss.   

The Doctor ignored her, turning instead to her past.  

“You know, last time I saw you , you were heading back to Gallifrey. What a day that was. I suppose you’ll be wanting my undying gratitude for your moment of gallant self-sacrifice and saving me?” There wasn’t a touch of gratitude in his voice, dry sarcasm instead taking its place. Still, it would be a shame to waste an opportunity to ask about a day that had been imprinted on his mind for so long.  

“Saving you? You think that was me saving you? You’re out of touch, Grandad!” The Master sneered at the Doctor, then shook his head. “It was revenge, my dear. Pure and simple. You just happened to be in the way. Besides, you really think I’d give Rassilon of all people the satisfaction of killing you? After everything he did to me?! That’s my pleasure, and mine alone!”  

Missy grinned and nodded.  

“I told you, if someone kills you and it’s not me, I’ll be very disappointed, and do many unspeakable things to the perpetrator.”  

“Mmmm. And as for Gallifrey, I didn’t stay there. Obviously. I mean, why would I want to stay there ?”  

The Doctor was unimpressed.  

“You mean they kicked you out. They cured your little condition and kicked you out.” It wasn’t a question. They knew each other far too well for that.  

The Master just shrugged.  

“It was a mutual kicking me out. I never saw the appeal in the place anyway. Neither did you, as I recall Doctor. Couldn’t wait to leave.”  

The Doctor ignored that too. Missy seemed disinterested in the entire conversation. She looked bored and was amusing herself by fixing her lipstick and making a few adjustments of settings in her umbrella. The Doctor took another look around.  

“And then you ended up in this dump. Or what, are you going to tell me that this place was more appealing somehow than Gallifrey?” He grinned momentarily at the Master’s expression. “Well, you never could drive!”  

Missy looked across at that.  

“Right, because of course that was always your forte, Mister I-failed-my-TARDIS-test!”  

The Doctor ignored that as well.  

“So don’t tell me, let me guess. You showed up here, just because, nothing better to do, but then your TARDIS got stuck. You killed a bunch of people so you could take over the city. Then, you lived like a king for a while, until there was a big fat rebellion against your cruelty.” He grinned again. It was always so satisfying to wind up his old friend. “And ever since then you’ve been hiding out in disguise. That ridiculous ‘Mr. Razor’ mask, I mean really! Couldn’t show your real self, because everybody here knows your stupid round face!”  

“Round?!” The Master sounded offended by the very suggestion, as if that was the worst accusation in the Doctor’s speech, never mind the cruelty or killing people!  

“It is a little bit,” Missy chimed in helpfully.  

The Master hushed her, before taking the wheelchair they’d tied the Doctor into, and wheeling it to the edge. The Doctor wondered for a brief moment whether he’d changed his mind and was planning to tip him over the edge anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time such things had happened, and the Master was particularly volatile and violent in this regeneration. But in many ways, he was still ever so predictable. He always had loved the opportunity to gloat.  

“Just look at my city though, Doctor! Beautiful, isn't it? This is what it looks like when you're too late and I outsmarted you, see!” And there was that trademark smirk. It wouldn't be a proper gloat without it! “When you're too late to save your little pet, and… well, everyone else besides. This used to be a hospital but look.” He pointed down to the street below, where large groups of people were being rounded up by a handful of Cybermen. There wasn't even any resistance – not so much as flicker of it. For their own good, that's what they were being told. And they believed it, as so many before them had, all across the universe. “Now it’s mass production. The brand new Cyber Factories. And all thanks to me and me!”   

“The whole city is a machine to turn people into Cybermen,” Missy added. “What do you think? Exciting, isn't it? Watching the Cybermen get started. Beautiful, even.”   

The worst thing was that she really did sound excited. Like she was really enjoying this. That was, perhaps, the most horrifying part of everything to the Doctor. How far she seemed to have regressed in such a short space of time. Nearly a century’s work worn away in a few years. It had been too early for this sort of test – facing her past self without regressing. A simple test, yes, but not this. Not yet. Maybe not for another few hundred years. If he’d known what she’d have to face, he would never have brought her here, and certainly never have sent her on ahead to care for Bill. But it was too late for that now.  

“They always get started. Anywhere there's people, there's Cybermen eventually in one form or other! Mondas? Earth? Telos? Planet 14? Marinus? All those and countless more, independently developing some form or other of Cybermen. It's an inevitability of the universe, like my idiocy and your smugness!”   

Missy faked a yawn.  

“Oh, he does go on, doesn’t he?”  

The Master laughed cruelly, returning is attention back to Missy, and leaving the Doctor perched perilously close to the edge of the roof, looking out over the city.  

It was Missy who noticed something wrong first. There was a signal, pulsating from a tower, just across from the Doctor. A blue light, transmitting out to the whole city. It was unclear exactly what it was, but it definitely wasn’t a part of the plan, which meant it had to be something to do with the Doctor. Well, him or his little Eggy friend.   

“Doctor, what have you done?”  

The Doctor once again ignored her in all but the quirk of a smile and the continuation of a train of thought.  

“People plus technology minus everything that makes them human. The internet, Cyberspace, Cybermen. There's always a motivation. Noble even, for the advancement and survival of the human race. But it always ends this way.” He shook his head. Humanity could embody the best and worst of the universe, often simultaneously! “Read the comments. One day they'll be an army!”  

Missy looked down to the surrounding buildings, and the ground below them, a sense of panic sweeping over her as she took in their environment. Something had changed, and it didn’t look good.  

“Look. Look, they’re coming. They’re coming for us!”  

“That doesn’t make any sense.” The younger Master sounded a combination of confused and concerned. He reached into his pocket to produce a very familiar device. His laser screwdriver. Missy, beside him, had brought her umbrella up to attack position. The two Masters, preparing for a fight. Nothing changed. They always managed to miss something.  

“Doesn’t it?” the Doctor asked, coolly. He was as calm as anything, almost as though he’d been expecting something like this to happen. Waiting for it, even.  

“Well, they’re primitive, brand new, and unless it’s human they don’t care. Their primary objective is to find humans for conversion, and unless something gets in the way of that, they leave it well alone.” The Master looked at Missy for a moment, a look crossing his face suggesting that he was perhaps wondering about her integrity, or else her ability, before pointedly adding: “I programmed them myself!”  

“You always were slow when it came to realising you’ve missed something, weren’t you?” The Doctor grinned at them, in his element, despite still being bound to a chair, incapacitated, with an army of Cybermen headed his way. “Tell you what, how about I give you a hint? Might save you some time next time round – if you’re winning, and I’m in the room, you’ve missed something! Since when did your plans ever work out in the long run when I’m around, eh? Any success is always temporary, because you always miss something!”  

The Master looked absolutely livid, glaring at the Doctor for a long moment, before begrudgingly speaking again.  

“And? What exactly have we missed then?”  

A short while ago, in the Conversion Theatre  

The Master and Missy had come for the Doctor ruthlessly, attacking without mercy. They’d obviously been planning this and had many years' worth of frustration to take out on him. The Doctor hadn’t made any attempt to stop them. When Missy’s umbrella had struck him hard, sending him tumbling onto a computer terminal, though, he’d taken his opportunity. It was still left primed from Nardole’s use of it, Nardole himself having fled when the two Masters had turned violent. He had kept himself leaning against it, as though struggling for strength, while really, he was typing, ever so carefully and subtly.  

Now, on the rooftop  

“You know, you should really be more careful where you hit me, Missy. I’d been waiting for my chance, and you practically handed it to me on a platter! What, did you think I was too weak to get back up?” He smiled, with a raise of his eyebrows. She should know better than that by now. Both of them should, but they were always so sure of themselves. “You really think I would pass up the opportunity to do a wee bit of reprogramming? It just took a little while for the changes to be shared in the neural network. But looks like everybody’s up to speed now.” He took another look down. The Cybermen were getting close now and would most likely start climbing up to reach them any time now. But if Nardole was doing his job, he should be here with a way out any second. “I didn’t have very long to do it though – even you two morons would have noticed that. I just expanded a definition a teeny bit. Changed a one to a two. So now, they’re looking for anything with two hearts, which I suppose puts us on the menu! Oops?” He grinned widely.  

Missy, while the Doctor was talking, made use of the time to secure the doors. No sense opening themselves up to more attacks than absolutely necessary, although she was sure that once their Cybermen started to use their ingenuity they would realise it was quite easy to break the doors down. The Master, meanwhile, paced the perimeter, shooting down the Cybermen that were climbing the fire escapes. It was evident that it wasn’t going to be enough, though. There were already a lot of them, with more being created by the minute.  

“You can’t fight a whole city of Cybermen, you know,” the Doctor said, conversationally. It was a valiant effort, but the two of them never planned ahead for such possibilities, despite the fact that it was practically inevitable by now that their allies would turn on them before their plans came to fruition, they never seemed to expect it. “You know the stories. There’s only ever been one way to defeat so many Cyberman.” He grinned. “Me!”  

Another Cyberman met its end from the Master’s laser screwdriver. Then another and another. He made his way along to the wheelchair the Doctor was still tied to, continuing to destroy their creations as he went.  

“Then do it,” he growled. “Stop them!”  

“Begging for your life already? That must be a new record!” His grin spread, almost smug. “Congratulations on that!”  

The Master turned away again in disgust. If the Doctor thought he could taunt him, then he could stay tied up there as an easy prize for the Cybermen for all he cared! There were two TARDISes just waiting for him in the hospital! All he had to do was make it to one of them, and he was away. Well, preferably the Doctor’s given that his wasn’t working, but either would do as a base, away from the Cybermen. Then he and lady-version would make their getaway to travel the universe. Now wouldn’t that be something? Causing chaos together with his own future. A much better idea than begging for the Doctor!  

“I’m not begging for you, Doctor. In fact, I think I’d rather die!”  

The Doctor’s smile only widened, much to the Master’s frustration.  

“Guess it’s your lucky day then!”  

“Oh yeah? You really think you’re so smart? If you can do it, then I can. Especially when there’s two of me. We don’t need you! It’ll be a piece of cake. Not like they’re difficult anyway! They’re only Cybermen, and primitive ones at that!”  

“Well go ahead! Knock yourself out!”  

The Doctor smiled. He knew it was only a matter of time before one or both of them realised that it was too much for them to handle, and they ended up working together. Then, the Master would attempt to turn the tables again once they were safe. Either that, or he’d make a run for it. It was well established history. Their way of flirting.   

Still, he didn’t quite expect what happened next, although he perhaps should have, given her words on her execution day. But he didn’t see it coming, and Missy’s younger self certainly didn’t. One minute, the Doctor was winding the Master up with carefully sculpted monologues while the younger Master equally carefully ignored him; the next Missy was pirouetting, umbrella swinging out, and hitting her past self in the back of the head. He was down and unconscious before he even realised what had happened! Missy turned back to the Doctor, with a prim curtsey.  

“Your wish is my command!”  

She was soon at his side, dropping to her knees, and starting to untie him from the chair. When she next looked up, it was almost like a mask had dropped. Or perhaps been added, it was hard to tell which. But it was like the Doctor was looking at a different person to the one who had been dancing, the one who had been teasing and taunting him. There was raw emotion there, ones that he’d just been beginning to unlock, or at least thought he had. A smile came to her face. The Doctor could almost believe it was genuine.  

“I was on your side all along, you silly sausage!”  

The Doctor stared at her for a moment. He wanted to be able to believe her, he really did. But evidence to the contrary was stood behind them!  

“You betrayed me.” It wasn’t a question. A statement, pure straightforward and emotionless. Empty. She had broken his trust, the one small, fragile piece of trust that he’d had left in her. That she’d earned through her time in the vault. If it had taken a hundred years to gain that, it would be many more centuries before he made that mistake again.  

“No.” Missy’s response was the same tone. But the Doctor could detect no hint of a lie in her face as he stretched and got to his feet, looking down at the still kneeling Missy. No hint at all, but then she was a well-practiced liar, and had been leading him on from the start with all the things he’d wanted to hear.  

“You promised me she would come to no harm! We planned it all, you and me!” Emotion was starting to seep into his voice now. Anger. “Is this really what you class as no harm?! There is no other word for what you’ve done. You have betrayed me, and that’s that!”  

“No. I know you won’t believe me, but that doesn’t change the fact that I never betrayed you, despite Junior’s best efforts!” She paused, a pained look passing her face. “I considered it. He nearly had me sometimes, and… well, you might even say I was in two minds!” She gave him a fleeting smile. “But he didn’t succeed. I chose you and I didn’t betray you.” Her voice dropped, barely a whisper. “Without hope, without witness, without reward.”  

“Then explain it to me!”  

“I can’t. Not here, not now. Not with Junior liable to wake up any second, and Cybermen about to take us out. It’s too dangerous. If he knew…” she shook her head, and he could see a real fear in her eyes. “I’m not sure either of us would make it out alive. Not with them converging on us.” She held out her hand in desperation, still kneeling before him. “Get us out of here, and I’ll tell you everything! I’ll prove to it to you! Just save me. Save us!” She paused, but Missy was beyond the pride of her past self, mostly. She swallowed, then whispered, “please.”  

The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment, a hand over them, pressing at his temples, thinking. When he opened them, they had softened. He reached out to take her offered hand and helped her back to her feet. Although he would never have admitted it, he had a real soft spot for Missy, perhaps even over her past regenerations.  

“Just tell me one thing. Give me something, why I should help. Why I should give you another chance.”  

Missy paused, then nodded. She glanced at the stationary Cyberman behind them, then leaned to whisper in the Doctor’s ear. She said three words, and the Doctor’s eyes widened. He turned to look at the Cyberman too, then back to Missy, searching for something. Some clue as to how truthful she was.  

“How do I know you’re not lying?”  

She smiled, sadly.  

“You don’t.”  

The Doctor nodded. He still had her hand clasped in his, deep in thought. But then the moment was gone. He let go of Missy’s hand and thumbed on a communicator.  

“Nardole, what have you got for me?”  

“Well, assuming your plan actually worked, the way back to the TARDIS is blocked now – I think I could get through, as I don't register as human or Time Lord, thanks to how you rebuilt me! But you wouldn't, and the corridors are absolutely swarming with Cybermen now”   

“Well thank you! So very helpful. Anything useful for me?”  

“Well, it’s a good job I found this in the loading bay, isn’t it?”   

A moment later a small shuttle craft appeared over the edge of the rooftop, piloted by Nardole. It didn’t appear to be equipped for interstellar travel but would do an excellent job within the ship. The Doctor smiled. At least he had Nardole to rely on! A moment later, a rope ladder dropped from the ship. He turned to Missy.   

“You get Junior on board. I’ll follow.”  

She nodded.   

“Don’t tell him, Doctor. He can’t know yet, or we’re all in trouble!”   

The Doctor merely nodded, and instantly Missy's face was changed again. Cruel, calculating calm. Masks upon masks upon masks. It was uncanny and only made the Doctor more suspicious. But there’d be plenty of time for explanations and proof later. For now, getting away was priority!   

Missy was by her younger self now. She started to lift him up, but the movement seemed to stir him as she did. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head, ignoring her assistance and sitting up.   

“You hit me really hard!” He stared at Missy accusingly. She didn't flinch.   

“I know! I think I've still got the bump!” Missy rubbed at the back of her head – it was hard to tell if she was serious or just mocking him. But that was the way she liked it. “Anyway, one of us had to do something, and you were wasting time being petulant. It's about time we learned when to accept help, don’t you think? Keeps us alive much longer, you know!” She smirked and indicated the ladder. “So, after you!”   

He didn't argue, after all, saving his own skin was always top priority, even over his own future’s safety. Missy turned, just in time to see the Cyberman behind the Doctor, closing in on him. For a brief moment a touch of panic and concern flooded into her expression. She couldn’t help it.  

“Doctor!”   

But it was too late. The Cyberman was on him, and electricity was coursing through him. He was screaming in pain – not enough to kill, or even fully incapacitate a Time Lord – they were designed to take on humans, after all – but enough to really hurt! Missy pressed a button on her umbrella and raised it to try to take aim at it, but she couldn't get a clear shot past the Doctor without risking hurting him.   

A moment later, however, the Cyberman holding the Doctor exploded. As the light cleared, and the remains of its body fell, followed by the Doctor collapsing in pain, another shape became clear behind them. A second Cyberman. The one that had once been Bill. Missy gave a brief smile, adjusting a setting on her umbrella, before she turned to grab the rope ladder with one hand, raising her voice just a little – enough to carry a bit further.   

“What was that, Doctor? You'll only slow us down? Yeah, you’re probably right!” She glanced at the Cyberman once more, before putting the umbrella in her mouth and starting to climb.   

Inside the spaceship, Nardole waited at the controls as the two Masters joined him. The younger took the seat at his side. Nardole made every effort to ignore him, although that was a hard thing to do when someone as egotistical as the Master was involved. The Master looked smug as he sat.   

“The Doctor’s dead. He said he always hated you! Let's go!”   

“No.”   

A few moments later Missy joined them. She caught the Master’s eye, then Nardole's.   

“The Doctor’s dead. He said he always hated you!”   

Nardole smiled as sarcastically as he could manage. Seven years spent with those two had been bad enough, but now that they weren't pretending to be different people? Honestly, it was going to be a nightmare!   

“Yeah, I heard you the first time!”   

The Master sighed. Possibly because he hadn't been given the opportunity to say something similar first! He made a reach for the control stick, but Nardole slapped him away.   

“We wait for the Doctor.”   

“Yeah, it’s alright for you Eggy, the Doctor didn't see fit to put you on the menu!” Missy snapped, sounding bitter.   

“Come on, we need to get out of here,” added the Master. “Find a hole in the roof. Or make one - doesn't bother me! Is there a big gun on the front? That would be good. I'll man it if you like.”   

There was a sudden lurch of the shuttle. Nardole smiled as he looked down at the swing ladder below.   

“Well, that's that decided then! Let's go!”   

The ascent was slow until the Doctor and the Cyberman version of Bill were safely on board. There was a moment's argument as to which way they should go, but it was quickly decided that up was the only realistic option – find a quiet level, settle down, heal, regroup, and plan how best to get back to the TARDIS without being converted by Cybermen. Simple!   

They made it quite a way up. The plan was to be far enough away to be out of the immediate reach of the Cybermen without going so far that time dilation would massively disadvantage them. It took Missy a couple of minutes’ calculation, but before long she had the answer. Even halfway up the ship wouldn't see a significant difference. Not for the amounts of time they needed for planning anyway. A couple of weeks at most she hoped. So, they kept going. Level after level of the ship, looking for somewhere safe. In the end it was decided for them. As they breached the floor of level 507, something gave in the shuttle. The shuttle just made it through the dividing section before pitching and returning to the floor below with a tremendous thud. Smoke rose from the wreckage.

Chapter Text

All was quiet on level 507. There had been an attack last night, but they’d fought it off with minimal casualties – it was nothing they hadn’t dealt with before anyway. There was some concern amongst the people, though. The creatures who had attacked seemed more advanced than anything they’d faced before. There would come a day, they were sure, when their firepower wouldn’t be sufficient to hold them off. But still, they took their time, every one of their defeated attackers strung up, almost like scarecrows, but for the fact that these artificial fields had never seen a crow. Hanging there as a deterrent for any future would-be attackers, and a reminder to their children to remain vigilant, and keep to curfew. They were scared, but they weren’t unprepared, and every attack renewed their resolve to keep fighting back and keep winning. They would be ready for whatever they threw at them next, whenever that attack came.  

Of course, what the people of level 507 didn’t consider was where the attackers came from. It had been so long, living up here in the solar farms, so many generations had passed since the ship had departed that they had all but forgotten where they were. If it weren’t for the giant numbers, stamped on the ceiling to denote this as floor 507, one could almost imagine that this was just a normal piece of countryside back home. On Mondas. The engineers, plant biologists and other scientists had done their job well – from the blue skies above, complete with pseudo-random weather cycles (although it never rained – water for the plants was strictly regulated from below by the spaceship, to allow the perfect amount of water to keep the crops growing optimally); night and day patterns; trees, grass and crops. There was just one thing that was missing to make this place feel less than home. There was no wildlife. Not a single animal, besides the humans. Even the necessary pollination was mechanical. It made for a very eerie world, with silence but for the distant whirr of engines, which all of them had tuned out long ago. It was all that any of them had ever known, with generation upon generation having been born aboard this spaceship. None of them had ever seen home, beyond the books and files left by the original crew. As far as they were concerned, this was home. This enormous metal box, teetering on the edge of disaster. But it was failing, slowly but surely. They could all sense it but pretended not to notice.  

When the shuttle broke through the ground below, leaving a gaping hole leading down into the lower levels, it was rather a shock, therefore. It was easier to pretend that there weren’t lower levels, just the ground and maybe a planet’s core. It was like the shattering of an illusion.  

It was one of the children who first saw the shuttle arrive. She was running in the fields, playing. The adults thought it was safe. After years of watching for patterns, attacks were never less than a few months apart. It was unthinkable that something might happen so soon, especially by day. But where the adults would have panicked – attacked on sight and asked questions later – the child was just curious.     

She wandered closer to the strange metal box that had appeared out of the ground and peered at the hole it had come through. She only stopped as several figures pushed their way from it. There was one creature there that she had been taught to be afraid of. Tall, all in white, masked. A Cyberman, although she did not know that was its name. They had never taken the time to find out, because that would be too dangerous. But there was something different about this one. Enough to give her pause, anyway. Curiosity raised, she even ventured a little closer. She had never seen one of those figures so gentle before. Carefully carrying someone, as though they were the greatest, most precious thing. That wasn’t what they normally did.  

The girl stopped a little way away, just watching, silent and curious, uncertain. The person in the creature’s arms was old. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen someone who looked so old! But he definitely looked human. One of them rather than one of the creatures. He was grey, she noted – that meant he must be really old! And he was evidently injured, somehow. Perhaps it was from the crash. Following behind were three more people - two male, one female, all in very strange clothing, the female most of all. She carried an umbrella too, although the girl didn’t understand the importance of it – what could be so vital about an umbrella that it was her utmost priority to salvage it from the wreckage of the ship?  

“What level are we on?” the woman was asking the others.  

“Must be one of the solar farms. Hologram sky, bit of atmosphere,” said one of the men – he was wearing black and bearded.  

“Well, I think we’ll have to say here for a while,” said the other man, who was shorter than the other two and bald. “The engines are completely blown.”  

The little girl plucked up her courage and stepped forward. “Who are you?” she asked, much more bravely than she actually felt.  

“Oh, hello little girl,” said the bald man with a smile. “We're from downstairs, and, er, I think we're going to need your help.”  

The young girl, whose name was Alit, had quickly fetched adult help – Hazran, who was probably the adult that Alit trusted the most, had warily followed her young charge down to the crash site. It took some persuasion from Nardole and Missy (the Master was no help whatsoever, as he didn’t want anything to do with what he saw as a primitive and inferior people), but the presence of the unconscious Doctor who was evidently in need of help along with the fact that the Cyberman accompanying them made no attempt to attack, or do anything beyond what Missy asked it to, eventually persuaded the residents of the solar farm to accept the new arrivals – at least until the Doctor was well enough to speak for himself. It was, however, under the condition that the Cyberman remained shut in one of the barns – despite Missy’s reassurances that this one was fully under her control, they didn’t see fit to trust it just yet, and wanted some warning if it did turn on them.  

Missy, of course, volunteered to take her Cyberman to the barn – she still appeared very proud of her creation, and wasn’t going to let anyone else near it if it was to be locked away!  

She was under no illusions though that part of the reason that they didn’t trust the Cyberman was down to the fact that they didn’t trust her. It wasn’t exactly difficult to see that they were all afraid of her.  

Over the next couple of days, Missy and Nardole took it in turns to care for the Doctor – this amused the Master greatly, and he seemed almost impressed at how much Missy was still managing to get her own way with him, despite their track record. He didn’t take a turn himself, although he grudgingly agreed that if it was absolutely necessary, he might take a turn. There was no point sabotaging a potential route out of here just yet! And besides, as they had always said, if anyone but them were to kill the Doctor, they would ensure that revenge was wreaked upon that person or creature with all the ferocity they possessed.   

While Missy and Nardole were tending to the Doctor, the younger Master spent most of his time out in the fields. He was already tired of this spaceship, the black hole, the Doctor, these humans. He wanted out, and even if he didn’t yet have a full plan of action, he was going to find the lifts back down. That’s where the TARDISes were, so that’s where they needed to get.  

Missy, when she wasn’t either tending to the Doctor, or spending time with her younger self, also disappeared from the farmhouse regularly. She would take her umbrella, and a supply of food with her, disappear for a few hours, then return minus the food. She never divulged her whereabouts to any of them and was very careful not to be followed. It was generally decided that it was probably better not to ask – this was partly down to fear from the residents, and years of observing the Time Lady from Nardole’s point of view. The Master, for the most part, didn’t seem to care.  

Meanwhile Nardole, it turned out, was a natural with the human residents of the solar farm, particularly the children. It probably helped that he was the friendliest and least dangerous of the group and, while the Doctor was out of action at least, the most willing to take time to appreciate the hospitality of their new hosts. In an evening, he would often sit in the kitchen of the farmstead with a small circle of children gathered around him (and often some of the adults who quite often forgot to pretend that they were working) hanging onto his every word as he told them rather implausible sounding stories of his and Bill’s adventures with the Doctor.  

Alit was easily the bravest of all the children, and probably of the adults too. She was wary of the Cyberman hiding in the barn, of course, but after an initial meeting between Missy, the Cyberman, Hazran and Alit in which Missy displayed how she could completely control the ‘scarecrow’, as Alit still referred to them, Alit was the only one who was brave enough to visit it. In fact, before the Doctor recovered enough to get out of bed, she and Missy were the Cyberman Bill’s only visitors, and Alit even seemed to have taken a slight shine to Missy, and when her younger self wasn’t around, she could sometimes be seen talking secretively with the young girl.   

When Nardole quizzed her about it, she just smiled secretively and said, “Girly things dear, nothing to worry about!”  

The Doctor was soon back on his feet – Time Lords always healed quickly, he told them, even from Cyberman attacks - and these were primitive Cybermen, new-born, designed to target humans. Of course, all that would be changing down below. The reports would have reached back through the neural net and design modifications would be underway already. And with the foundation that the two Masters had put in place, progress would be significantly faster than it might have been otherwise. They still had time, though – the Doctor was fairly sure of that! With no more than a week and a half on level 1056 to every week spent on level 507, advancement would take place over the course of months, rather than the weeks or days that it might have been had their journey ended at a higher level. Not that he thought it would come to that. They just had to be clever.  

On the day that the Doctor recovered, when the Master returned from his daily exploration of the farm, he had found the Doctor, Missy and Nardole to be conspicuously absent – so, the Doctor had finally got out of bed, then? Shame.  

He'd stalked around the farm and been directed to one of the barns by a terrified looking lady. He found it most gratifying that he could still inspire fear just by merit of being there – it was most likely the sense of power and indifference that radiated from him. He grinned as he reached the barn door. Well, he always had enjoyed a dramatic entrance! He pounded on the barn door. One. Two. Three. Four times. It reminded him of the old days.   

He gave it a moment, to let it settle in, before repeating the rhythm. He called out, loudly so that the Doctor could hear.  

“Oh Doctor! Brooding in the barn, are we?”  

He pushed the door open, looking into the darkened room. Over to one side, Nardole was stood, apparently examining the Cyberman who was once Bill very intently. It didn’t take long to realise why he was quite so studiously ignoring the other two Time Lords in the room. The Master’s face broke into a smug grin.  

What he saw, was Missy. She had the Doctor pinned against a barn support, using her whole body. Although the younger Master didn’t know it, it was reminiscent of a kiss that had happened long ago for Missy and the Doctor, and some time in the future for him – there had been a completely different Cyberman army then, and their surroundings had been a lot cleaner, sharper, more modern. Very little else was different though, and there was certainly no more restraint on Missy’s part, although maybe a little less panic showing in the Doctor’s eyes.  

“Oh, what’s this? ” The Master sounded almost jubilant as he stalked closer to where the Doctor and his past self were entwined. “Well, you didn’t tell me this was on the cards my dear… how remiss of you! And here I was thinking life on a farm would be dull!”   

Missy very pointedly took no notice and continued to kiss the Doctor deeply for a good few more seconds before pulling back, a smug, victorious look on her face as she turned to face her past self.   

“Oh, I was feeling… nostalgic!” She smirked at him. “Cyberman armies were our first date in these bodies, I just couldn’t quite resist with my little Cyber-Bill over there!” She gestured at the Cyberman standing in the middle of the barn, which Nardole was still peering at. He looked mildly concerned.   

“Well, isn't that interesting!” He stalked closer, tongue flicking to his lips, a hungry look in his eyes. “My dear Doctor, I think you and I are long overdue a proper reunion!” He glanced at Missy, who stood back, taking her hands from the Doctor's lapels, although there was a hint of reluctance just for a moment. It was promptly gone, and she smiled wickedly instead.   

“He's all yours!”   

The Doctor made to protest, to move and escape this new onslaught, but too slow, and he was once again pinned in place, the Master's face close to his, his breath warm, his face the epitome of carnal desire.   

When the Master’s lips met the Doctor's, they were rough. It made Missy's attack on him seem almost restrained and gentle, compared to this – it was practically assault. He was, at least, marginally more prepared than he had been the first time, all those years ago on Earth, and knew without a doubt who was kissing him! The Doctor groped around for some sort of support, but without a full wall behind him, there was little choice but to grasp at the back of the Master’s jacket. He made a half-hearted attempt to fend him off, but the Master had always been strong, and he’d been expecting a struggle. Seemed to enjoy it, even. It wasn’t long before he gave in to the inevitability of it. His panicked gaze caught Missy’s calm one. There was something almost reassuring in her gaze, gentle even. The gaze lingered for a long moment, before she shrugged, and blew a kiss at him.  

When the Master finally pulled away with a triumphant grin, the Doctor was stunned. It wasn't even necessarily that he didn't like the kissing, the passion or the ferocity. In the right circumstances he could be persuaded to enjoy it, he was sure! These weren’t the right circumstances. It was the suddenness, perhaps that totally threw him, or the total lack of control - the assumption and audacity. He hadn't learned to cope with it any better.   

“I think we could work with this you know. The three of us... They say three’s a crowd, but when three is only really two...” he smirked. Missy grinned back, but it looked slightly forced. The Master didn't seem to notice. He released the Doctor and turned toward Missy, who regarded him for a moment.   

“You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I always wanted to try this...”   

She was on him in a flash. It was something else, seeing the two of them together. If you had to describe it, you might say it was closer to a fight - two wild beasts trying to best one another, with no clear winner until suddenly the Master was pinned against the barn door and Missy was victorious. She smirked.   

“You know, you should really stop underestimating me, dear!” She produced the Master’s own laser screwdriver, levelling it at her past self, square in the chest. “I could kill you, just on a whim. Make you regenerate. You might turn into me! Now wouldn't that be an interesting kiss, hmmmm?”   

The Master grinned at her.   

“Oh, I don't doubt it for a second, my dear! Is it wrong that I...?” He glanced down, meaningfully.  

“Yes. Very!” Her voice was dismissive, almost disgusted, although he wasn't sure why. And then it was gone, replaced by that thrilling, dangerous edge. “Say my name...”   

“Missy...”   

“Not that one!”   

There was a moment's hesitation, but then he smiled. Laughed.   

“We never change, do we? Always liked hearing our own name. How could I deny such self-indulgence, my dear Mistress!”   

She grinned, and then stepped back, letting him up. She tossed his laser screwdriver in the air, before catching it perfectly.   

“Think I might keep this a while! Nostalgia, you know?” She didn't wait for his permission, tucking the device safely into a pocket, and turning back to the Doctor. He hadn't moved and was staring at the two of them. She grinned. “Close your mouth, Doctor, we are not a cod fish!” She could practically see the Doctor's mind churning, but she'd spent long enough with her dear Doctor to know how to snap him out of it. Quote one of his silly little Earth films, and he'd soon be back on the ball, if only to show off his knowledge.   

“I always said you looked like Mary Poppins!” There was a hint of a smile, and something else behind it – something soft. Missy shook her head just a fraction, and it fell as the Doctor’s gaze fell back to the Cyberman still standing in the middle of the room.  

“Shut up!” Missy’s response wasn’t the snappy annoyed one that her other self had given before, but more akin to that of two friends poking fun at each other – something that came up so regularly that it was practically an in joke now. “Now, where were we before I got distracted? Ah yes, I was telling you about my advanced model Cyberman! Your lovely pet. She was a pretty thing, wasn’t she? And it was about time you picked one who wouldn't be interested in you, dearest. You've spent far too much time playing with Earth girls with a crush on you. Although you still call this one your friend! ” She turned to her younger self, a look of disgust on her face. “Can you imagine it? Unthinkable, right?”   

“Really Doctor? That's disgusting!”   

“See that's what I told him! Doesn't listen though. No change there, I suppose – ah, now don't interrupt dear, that's rude!” She held a finger up to the Doctor, who had made to say something.   

“You’re a right one to talk about rude!” Missy turned to glare at Nardole. She seemed to be enjoying herself.   

“Now what did I just say? Hush! Mummy’s talking!” Nardole rolled his eyes but stayed quiet. “Now where was I? Oh yes! Well, I made some improvements just for your dear Billie girl! The factories below, they have the standard model, but she's deluxe! Can access the neutral net of course, but not controlled by it. More autonomous thinking than those drones below. Couldn't risk her turning on her dear creator if someone were to do something stupid!” she gave the Doctor a pointed look. He allowed himself a moment’s sarcastic smile and a slight bow in response. “Unfortunately, I think she still has a wee touch of personality in there. Hence this idiot still being with us! Although I’m sure we can find a use for him, hmmmm?” She grinned at her past self who nodded, stalking closer.  

“You didn’t tell me you’d perfected isolating it. Do you have ultimate control over it, or is it some sort of autonomous being?”  

“Of course, I have control! Regardless of what he thinks,” she nodded at the Doctor, “we are capable of learning from past failings. You know, Doctor, maybe I did get something out of your lessons! ‘My allies always turn on me’, you said. So, look, I planned for it!” She raised her umbrella, pointed it at Cyber-Bill, and pressed a sequence of instructions. The Cyberman broke into a dance, which the Doctor quickly recognised as the Macarena!  

“Very good. Congratulations on your success.” The sarcasm couldn’t be plainer, but Missy ignored it and smiled sweetly.  

“Oh, thank you dear! That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me!”  

“Well don’t get used to it.” There was a twinkle in the Doctor’s eye though, and a touch of a smile. Missy returned it for a fraction of a second, before the more manic one returned to her face.  

“Don’t worry, I can see those eyebrows. Some things never change, dear. Still worried that they’ll drop off if you make a genuine attempt to smile?”  

“Do I get to join in the taunting, or is it an exclusive club for in jokes?” The younger Master looked annoyed. Missy grinned at him.  

“Not at all, me! Be my guest.” She looked back at the Doctor who was frowning. “Oh, look at that frowny face. All old and Scottish. Tut tut!”  

“Mmm, what happened to you Doctor? Bit overcooked? I think it’s all those lesser life forms you spend time around, you know!” The Master looked pointedly at Nardole and the Cyberman.  

“Just because I’ve gained some maturity…”  

Missy, the Master and Nardole all laughed at that, although they were all different types of laughter. The Master’s was derisive, Nardole’s a snort of disbelief and Missy’s almost fond. The Master glanced at Missy, and there was a flare of fire in his eyes for a moment. She shrugged and grinned at him, as if to remind him that they’d always been fond of the Doctor in their own way.  

“Oh, shut up, all of you!”  

“Is he always so rude?” The younger Master asked.  

“No, usually he’s worse!” Missy grinned and moved back to forcibly thread her arm through the Doctor’s. “So, what’s your plan then, Doctor? Oh. Let me guess. You waltz in with no plan whatsoever, cock everything up, blame someone else, and then when something happens to fall in your favour, pretend that was the plan all along and magically save the day, with everyone falling down at your feet and calling you a hero!” She mocked a swoon, and then grinned. “Sound about right?”  

“Oh, and then,” the Master chimed in brightly, although there was a hint of bitterness behind it that even the Doctor couldn’t miss. “Then, you either leave me and her to die horribly, looking terribly guilty but not really caring, or you go and try to keep us like a pet, or maybe you let us get dragged back to Gallifrey, and don’t even bother to come and find out if we’re still alive!” He shrugged. “Somehow none of them quite appeal, don’t know why.”  

“Right, because your conduct in this all has been entirely blameless, I suppose.” The Doctor sounded weary. He always started to sound like that when he spent too long around his oldest friend and enemy. Particularly when they were determined to play the latter role. More particularly when there were two of them ganging up on him.  

“Well, that told us !” Missy sounded part amused, part annoyed. “So, what is the big plan then, Doctor? We can’t go back down in the lifts, even if myself here finds them, because they’ll know we’re coming, and the moment we step out of those doors, we’re toast! Someone took away my vortex manipulator.” She looked pointedly at the Doctor, who was quick to protest.  

“Hey, that wasn’t me, remember. It’s hardly my fault you went and got yourself sentenced to death!”  

“Skaro, Doctor!” Missy responded angrily.  

“Well, isn’t this fascinating !” The Master smirked, looking between the two. “Sentenced to death, Skaro? I can hardly wait!”  

“Can’t this wait?” Nardole spoke up, looking across at the Doctor.  

“No!” Missy and the Master spoke simultaneously. The Doctor raised an eyebrow.  

“Well at least let’s take it inside? I, for one, don’t particularly want to stand around fighting in a barn!” Nardole's look was insistent. He looked concerned, as though he was worried about what might happen if they stayed in the barn any longer. As if there was something at risk.  

"Well don't let us stop you, little Eggy android!" The Master grinned at Missy. "There's no need for you to be here anyway, this is between me and me and him!"  

Nardole looked at the Doctor, almost pleadingly now.  

"Don't I get a say in this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  

"No," the younger Master responded, matter of factly. This didn't surprise the Doctor too greatly. This incarnation of the Master had always seemed to enjoy doing anything possible to purposefully counter the Doctor, even if it was in the pettiest way possible.  

"Well, I want to go inside." Missy sounded decisive. "I'm not listening to him complaining about his old bones getting cold. Anyway, I can get a drink inside. And deny him one at the same time. Win win!"  

That decided the matter. Especially when Missy winked at her other self, with a slightly suggestive look.  

Inside, Nardole had whispered a few words to the Doctor, then a couple more to Missy, who looked most affronted.  

"Get lost, Eggo!"   

Nardole just grinned, before following her instruction, leaving the Doctor with the two Masters, alone in a quiet back room in front of the roaring fire. One look from the Master had ensured that they wouldn't be disturbed.  

The Master picked the largest, plushest chair in the room, lounging in it, while Missy perched on the arm of his chair. They looked quite the pair.  

The Doctor didn't sit. He paced instead, looking at the two figures sat before him as he passed them. They, in turn, watched him with interest, as if trying to figure out what was going on in his head. Or maybe they were taking a private bet as to how long before he kicked off. The answer was one minute, twenty-four and a half seconds. (And Missy won the bet.)  

"Why should I help either of you off this spaceship after what you've done. You." He stared at the younger Master, lounging there was a look of amusement. "I expect it from, but I thought you knew better by now. Why should I put in any more effort, if every time I do, you break my trust, betray me, prove that everyone else was right."  

The Master yawned. Missy just smiled sweetly.  

"Well, where to start, my dear Doctor? You'll help him ." She smiled at her past self with a raise of her eyebrow. "Because otherwise you create a paradox. He doesn't survive, he never becomes me. He never becomes me, I never go through your silly little murder rehab program. I never go through your silly little murder rehab program, you never become a professor at that tedious university. You never become a professor at that tedious university, you never meet little old Bill. You never meet little old Bill, you never come here. You never come here, he's never at danger from the Cybermen. He survives. Paradox." She smiled at her past self, who nodded.  

"Now, we all know I have no problem with creating paradoxes. But you were always a bit of sissy, Doctor. Never had the stomach for it! So, I have to make it out alive. And if you don't help me, I'll make sure that I'm the only one who does. Along with myself of course!" He gave a flirtatious smile to his future.  

"Are you sure you don't want me to leave you two alone together?" The Doctor asked, sarcastically.  

"Maybe later.” Another smirk at the Doctor. “Or we might even let you join us!"  

The Doctor didn't dignify that with an answer.  

"Okay, so you have to make it out alive. Fine. She doesn't. I have no doubt she will. You always do. Just keep coming back, like a bad penny! Why should I help you?"  

"Because you just can't help yourself, Doctor. Should you have listened to me when I told you I'd be good if only you saved me? Of course not, I thought even you could see through that !"  

The Doctor's shoulders sagged slightly.  

"I wanted to believe you could change."  

"Hope is a cruel Mistress, hmmm?" Missy laughed at her own joke. "How many times have we been here Doctor? From both sides of the fence. Something goes wrong, one of us helps the other, it's like old times, then someone stabs the other in the back and runs off laughing. We've both done it, and we've both been disappointed that we haven't seen straight through the ploy in the first place! But then we do it all over again. How long have we played out this dance? Obeying whatever law of gravity it is that governs us, never daring to get too close lest the pull gets too strong because we know that the only thing that can happen is that we'll crash and burn. And yet never quite able to get away. In constant orbit around one another, teetering on the edge of disaster. So why should you help me? You shouldn't. But you will. Because it's what you do. You're a sentimental old idiot."  

"And what if I decide you're right? I shouldn't help you? What if I don't get you out alive, only him?"  

"My dear Doctor, do you learn nothing?" The Master smirked at him, stretching luxuriously.  

"Death is for other people, dear, I keep telling you!"  

"The whole universe knows I'm indestructible!"  

"Alright, alright, I get the picture!" The Doctor interrupted before the two of them could go on any more. "Suppose I do help you. Will you come back with me?" He looked at Missy. They all knew the younger Master had his own path to play out first. Missy glared at him. "Don't give me that look. I know you could have walked out of that vault any time you wanted to. But you didn't. You wanted to be there. You still want my friendship back."  

"But not on your terms, Doctor!" There was a brief look, almost understanding between Missy and the Doctor for a moment. There seemed to be a question in the Doctor's eyes, which was answered by a curt nod from Missy. The Master raised an eyebrow but didn't make comment. "I would have given you the universe, to rule at my side. You never wanted that. I gave you an army of Cybermen, you pushed me away. I came running when you were dying, you wanted nothing more to do with me. I even offered you my hearts." There was a soft look now, reminiscing, remembering, mourning a loss. "And instead, you opted to kill me, on your little pet's instruction." She grinned, manically. "How did that turn out, eh?"  

"You've made your point, Missy."  

"Maybe, but it's so much more fun to make you squirm, wouldn't you say, dear?" Missy rose to her feet, walking up to the Doctor to take him by the collar, pulling him down close to her face. She whispered a few words in his ear. The Doctor's eyes widened. He paused a moment, then whispered a few words back. There was a look of understanding in Missy's eyes, a pause, and then she drew back in anger, a snarl coming to her face. The was the loud CRACK of skin against skin, as she slapped the Doctor hard around the face, before releasing his collar and stalking back to stand by her past. "Don't you dare, Doctor."  

"Ooooh, can I have a go?" The Master's eyes had lit up with delight. He didn't wait for an answer, getting to his feet and squaring up to the Doctor. He leaned in close, the whisper coming close to the Doctor's ear. "I saw how she was about you, Doctor. I saw what you did to us. You tried to turn us into your pet. Into you. You very nearly succeeded. And I will personally make you pay for that." The Master's slap struck exactly where Missy's had, with another CRACK to echo it. He smirked at the Doctor. "Why didn't you succeed, I wonder?" He continued, before smirking and laughing. "Oh yeah, me!"  

"Enough." The Doctor's face hardened as he glared at the two of them. "You're like spoiled children! There'll be more than enough time to argue over the niceties of what we've all done after we get off this ship." He shook his head, shoving the Master away from himself and returning to pace the room. "So, plan. We need some way of distracting all the Cybermen below to get through to our TARDISes, then we need to get you two, me, Nardole, Bill and everyone from this farm out."  

The Master's face distorted into one of disgust. "You can't be serious, Doctor? They'll be dead in the blink of an eye anyway, why bother?"  

"Because if we don't, they'll all be turned into Cybermen, before being consumed by a black hole. What sort of life is that? Anyway, I don't much care whether you like it or not. It's part of the deal. We all get out, or none of us do."  

Missy and the Master exchanged looks which were something along the lines of 'not if we have anything to do with it'. The Doctor either didn't notice, or decided it wasn't worth the effort.  

"So, there's you two, me, Nardole and Bill. I can only trust Nardole." There was an almost apology in his eyes as he said that and met Missy's. It only lasted for a moment though, before he hardened again. "So, options. We can't just go down. We wouldn't make it out of the lift before they got us. I could try to send Nardole down as an android, but that would tell them where we are, and there's still a risk he'd be captured before he got to the TARDIS. Cybermen are never stupid, even when they were designed by you two."  

" Excuse me?!" The Master sounded outraged. Missy merely shrugged. She knew that was the whole point. If they were outraged, they missed important things. The Doctor ignored his outburst, in full flow now.  

"I've got some ideas, but we need to do some work. We need the lift shafts. We need weaponry. We need a way to keep everyone else safe. Any volunteers?"  

"I can do weapons!" Missy sounded ecstatic at the idea, her eyes lighting up with the prospect. Maybe it was because she had been denied the privilege for so long, that not only being able to work on weapons, but with the Doctor's approval that she was so excited for it.  

"Okay, but Nardole will help you." The Doctor sounded stern, but there was a slight softness behind it. "I'm sure between you, you can find something worthwhile. Why don't you keep looking for the lifts? I'll trust your... self-preservation will keep you from using them before we're ready!"  

The younger Master gave him a wilting look, but then shrugged.  

"I suppose so. At least I won't have to spend time listening to you wittering on! Well, if we're done here, I think I'll be off. Coming, lady-version?"  

"Hmmmm? Oh, no, I need a few choice words with our dear Doctor over here. I'll catch you up!"  

The Master looked for a moment as if he might argue, but then shrugged, before stalking from the room.  

When the Doctor and Missy emerged a short while later, they were looking distinctly dishevelled – there was an obvious lipstick mark on the Doctor’s neck, visible thanks to the now open collar of his shirt. Missy was humming happily to herself, looking like the cat that got the canary. The Master raised an eyebrow, but she just winked at him.  

Chapter Text

The following days were full of activity on the farm. As agreed, Missy and Nardole worked together to investigate the available weaponry. There were a few clashes in personality, as was to be expected, but on the whole, they worked well together. They found that anything already existing on the farmstead was primitive and clumsy. It would keep the one or two Cybermen who made occasional excursions upstairs at bay, but not much more. So, they had to get inventive. In his searching, however, Nardole had come across a computer interface – the farmers didn't know it even existed. It was all too easy to forget on a solar farm like this that they were actually in an enormous spaceship, even with the floor number stamped into the sky like a strange sign from the gods. So, he and Missy spent a good deal of their time typing away into the system, looking for solutions.  

The Master continued his search in the grounds. It suited both him and the Doctor to allow him his alone time. He could be volatile and was tired of being cooped up on this spaceship. It made him restless, and a restless Master was more likely to become a murderous Master! At least having a job that kept him away from others helped to alleviate some of his tension, and some of the risk - although with Missy hanging on to his laser screwdriver, the risk was lower anyway. But the Master was nothing if not inventive and could quite easily have murdered everyone in the farm in the blink of an eye. Small, scared, tired, vulnerable humans were easy.  

The Doctor, meanwhile, spent some of his time in the barn with Bill. The Master commented regularly how futile it was, and that the only reason that 'Bill' hadn't murdered them all in its sleep was due to his own future self's genius. The Doctor ignored him. He also refused to refer to her as anything but 'Bill'. As far as he was concerned, the fact that she now had a Cyberman body didn't make any difference. They even seemed to be capable of holding some conversations (something else that the Master put down to their own genius!)  

The rest of the time was spent building defences at the farmhouse, or encouraging the residents to do so, searching the house for something, although he wouldn't say what, and generally trying to get everything prepared. He had a plan, he said, although he wouldn't divulge that information either. Not until everything was in place, he said. Nardole suspected that this was because he didn't, in fact, have a plan, and was making it up as he went along! This was a fair suspicion, as that was what the majority of the Doctor's plans consisted of!  

Outside of the work that they were doing, the Doctor spent a lot of time alone with Missy. This irritated her younger counterpart greatly, especially as he seemed mostly unable to locate them when they did this, and when he did find them, the door was inevitably locked.  

"What are they doing?" He grumbled to an irate Nardole one evening. Nardole didn't meet his eye and shrugged.  

"Why ask me? She's you! He's... him !"  

"I don't like it. You're right, she is me, so I should be there! It's not like it'll change anything. Laws of time, remember? Couldn't remember this even if I wanted to. She's here, she's forgotten, so I must too. Tedious. But all the more fun the second time round!" Nardole was slightly sickened by the lecherous look on the Time Lord's face, but wisely chose not to comment. It was usually better not to! Instead, he returned to the computer interface he was tapping at. He studiously ignored the Master, and anything that he might or might not have been saying for a good few minutes. Eventually he looked up again.  

"Oh, are you still here?" He asked, conversationally.  

"Fuck you!"  

"I'd rather you didn't, if it’s all the same." He kept the same conversational tone. The Master scowled. Nardole continued before he could protest. "I suggest if you have a problem with it, you raise it with them. What's the matter? Don't trust them?"  

"Of course, I don't trust them! He's the Doctor, and she's me ! I never trust myself if I can help it!"  

"Well, that explains a lot."  

"Look, she's a fine version of me, but that means that she'll stab anyone in the back to further her own cause, including me. Metaphorically speaking, of course!"  

"Of course. And you, naturally, would do the same to her."  

"If the need arose, yes."  

"That's disgusting."  

The Master grinned at that, raising an eyebrow. "Why thank you, I do try!"  

Nardole shook his head despairingly. "Why don't you go and do something useful?"  

"Like what?"  

"Use your imagination!"  

"Well, I would, but what I had in mind involves either myself, the Doctor or both, if you know what I mean..." He smirked.  

"Just leave me alone!"  

The Master grinned, it was always much more fun when you could successfully wind someone up, especially when it required little to no effort. Just a few choice words and expressions. He winked at Nardole, then stalked from the room. Nardole hoped, for their sake, that the Doctor and Missy had chosen a good hiding place.  

It was several days before another argument broke out which was, as far as Nardole was concerned, a huge achievement. Missy, the Doctor and Nardole had all been hard at work, when the Master stormed into the farmhouse. He gave Missy a dangerous look. She raised an eyebrow, but nodded, before turning and beckoning to Nardole. The Master had already stormed off in the direction of the Doctor.  

"Come on," Missy whispered to Nardole. "I think you're going to need to mediate this. He's like fire, once he starts raging, it takes a lot to tame him." Nardole nodded, following her through to where the Master now had the Doctor's lapels bunched in one hand, and something held in his other hand. Nardole couldn't quite make it out.  

"What's this?" he shouted at the Doctor, waving it at him.  

"Well maybe if you held it still, I could tell you!" The Doctor sounded calm, as though he wasn't currently being yelled at by an angry Time Lord.   

"I found it in the barn. You think I wouldn't recognise the scarf I let your little pet borrow when I befriended her?"  

"So, someone here has a similar scarf. Big deal."  

Nardole glanced at Missy with concern. She shook her head, then briefly mimed at him. He nodded in understanding and returned to watch the conversation.  

"Right, because the residents of a now hundreds of years old Mondasian spaceship just happen to have an identical scarf. No one could have one like this. It's unique, as you well know, Doctor !"  

"And why would I know that?" He asked, as innocently as possible.  

"Because you know exactly where it came from, you bastard!"  

"Do I? How lucky for me!"  

"Don't play dumb, Doctor, you may be an idiot, but you can't fool me!"  

The Doctor grinned, leaning closer.  

"Are you sure about that? Only, it wouldn't be the first time, would it?"  

"Shut up." The Master growled.  

The Doctor shrugged, for once obeying – but only because he knew it would annoy the other Time Lord more than any response. It only took a few seconds for the Master's temper to break again.  

"What's it doing here?"  

"Well, if you're so sure I'm playing dumb, why don't you tell me?"  

Missy and Nardole both winced at the crack of skin on skin as the Master slapped the Doctor hard, although it was only a moment's flicker on Missy's face, barely an instant, and barely noticeable if you weren’t looking closely.  She caught Nardole's eye, and he nodded, stepping forward.  

"You know," he started, gingerly, keeping just out of reach of the Master's arms – just in case. He'd been disassembled by Missy often enough, and he had no doubts that her past self would have an equal affinity for the same. "Sometimes there's a very simple answer, hardly worth the effort of flying into a rage, or exacerbating problems, if I might say so, Sir!" He directed the last part at the Doctor, with a raised eyebrow. The Doctor didn't respond. The Master rolled his neck around until he was facing Nardole, not letting go of the Doctor's lapels for a second.  

"Oh, do share, little Egg. I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear."  

Even someone who had never met the Master before could have read the danger in his tone of voice. It was that charmingly venomous voice an inch away from striking.  

"I brought it. Once I heard what you two did to Bill. I passed your rooms on the way to finding the shuttle. Sentiment, nothing more." Nardole's tone had turned to ice. It was rare to hear him anything but his usual chirpy self, but the thought of Bill's fate was evidently enough to trigger something.   

"And say I don't believe you." The Master's grip had loosened slightly on the Doctor's lapels, a fierce predator who's found a more interesting prey within grasp, perhaps. Nardole stood his ground.  

"That's your problem."  

"I could make it your problem!" The Master was practically growling now, the Doctor forgotten as he stalked closer to Nardole.  

"Enough."   

Missy's voice cut through above the two voices. She stepped forward between Nardole and the Master, facing up to her past self.  

"A word, if you please, my dear?" She said, sweetly, taking his arm, and escorting him from the room. Nardole and the Doctor exchanged dark glances.  

Missy walked her past self to a secluded room before turning on him.  

"Look, as much as I endorse physical violence against the Doctor and his little pet, perhaps we could wait until we have some idea what his plan is? That is if you want to make it off this ship. Want to make it to being me!" She smirked.  

"That all depends on whether I believe the Egg, doesn't it Missy?" He emphasised her name, her choice of the diminutive, the lesser version, as though he might actually believe it. That she could be lesser than him.  

"And what, exactly, do you mean by that, dearest?" The sweetness in Missy's voice belied the danger behind it. Both were equally dangerous, and equally capable of destroying the other, in their own ways.  

"You're hiding something. All three of you. And sooner or later, I'm going to find out what it is." He moved closer, hand moving to her waist, holding her close to himself. Missy raised an eyebrow, but returned the favour, hand moving to his back, nails pressing in just a little too hard. After all, where was the fun of it if there wasn't a little give and take of pain?  

"Maybe, but you're not an idiot, despite the appearance you love to give. Honestly, you're almost as bad as him." She nodded at the closed door behind them, to indicate the Doctor. "You need us to get out of here. Remember that. You and me, our fates are intwined. Of course. So, if you want a future that doesn't end here, you need to get both of us out. Remember that!"  

"Oh, I do, but that doesn’t make me any less wary."  

"You know some would say it was a bad sign, psychologically, to be wary of yourself."  

"And you?"  

"I'd say given who we are, it would be foolish to be anything but wary."  

The Master grinned and nodded.  

"Quite. So, what do you say, while they're busy, you and me...?" He gave her a suggestive look, one that could only be construed in one way. The flash of disgust and near panic on Missy's face lasted the merest fraction of a second, and if her younger self noticed, he didn't comment.   

"As much as I'd love a moment of self-indulgence, not in some little human shack. Get me safely to a TARDIS, and maybe I'll consider it."  

“Oh, don’t make me laugh,” said the Master, derisively, “You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing with the Doctor whenever you get the chance? You’ve not exactly been subtle!”  

Missy rolled her eyes. “Do I have to remind you that we’re Time Lords, not animals? Honestly, you’re worse than those humans , and at least they have the excuse of their silly little hormones!”  

She extracted his hand from her waist before he could respond, turned on her heel and stalked from the room.  

Finally, though, everything was starting to fall into place, or so the Doctor said – he was still keeping whatever plan he had close to his chest. The final piece had arrived when the Master discovered the Doctor once again visiting Bill in the barn where she was hidden away. It wasn’t that the Doctor wanted her away from the rest of them, of course. But the humans were frightened of the ‘scarecrow’ who was living among them.  

Bill seemed upset when the Doctor arrived at the barn that day – as upset as her lilting Cyber-voice could give away, at least. Alit had brought her a mirror, and she was staring at her own reflection. He had done his best to explain to her what had happened to her, what she had become, but there was something very different about seeing it for yourself, especially when the ‘upgrades’ that Missy had made shouldn’t have allowed her to have this much personality still. And yet here she was, apparently still seeing herself as Bill Potts, not as the Cyberman that everyone else saw her as. And it upset her.  

The Doctor had tried his best to keep her calm, of course, but of course, no matter the danger, she had a right to be angry with her situation. Unfortunately, angry was one thing she couldn’t afford to be. By all rights, she shouldn’t have had any anger left either, but there was obviously something that had meant that the conversion hadn’t been a full success. It seemed that, instead, her anger was in some way linked to the weapon that had been built into her, and as she got angrier and more distraught, it had blown a big hole in the barn door.  

Fortunately, Nardole was not easily shaken by big explosions (that came from spending a lot of time around the Doctor – big explosions did tend to happen fairly often!)  

“Right. Everyone, back to work. Nothing to see here,” he said, before the humans had too much chance to overreact. “Somebody broke the barn, no biggie. Come on, defences don't build themselves.”  

As the Doctor had started to reassure Bill was when the Master had started his approach.  

"It's okay. They're just frightened,” the Doctor said to Bill, who was standing there, staring at the newly formed hole she had created.  

“People are always going to be afraid of me, aren't they?” she asked, in her sing-song voice, a tear forming in the corner of her metallic eyepiece. The Doctor reached a hand up to wipe it away. “What is that, engine oil?” she asked.  

“No. It's an actual tear,” said the Doctor, amazement in his voice. “But it shouldn't be.”  

The Master, by this time, had made it over to them, and looked at the two of them in disgust.  

“There you are, Doctor. You can’t stand around chatting up Robo-Mop all day, you know. I've found it.”  

The Doctor looked at him with a withering look. “Took you long enough. Maybe if you didn’t spend so long chatting up yourself , you’d have found it before now.”   

The Master ignored him, instead turning to Bill, letting his voice slip back to the one he had been addressing her with for so long as Mr. Razor. “Oh, hello, my dear.” He sneered at her, his voice returning to normal. “My God, you were so boring for all those years. But it was worth every day of it, for this.”  

“Bill,” said the Doctor, softly, “don't let him upset you.”  

"Though, didn't you used to be a woman?” continued the Master, with a look that said he was enjoying every second of childish taunting. “I'm going to be a woman, fairly soon. Any tips? Or, maybe, I dunno, old bras?”  

"I am not upset,” said Bill, in her emotionless voice.   

The Master’s face fell again. “Oh. Well, doesn't that take all the fun out of cruelty. Might as well rile a fridge. Come on, this way.”  

As the Master led the way through the countryside, the Doctor continued to talk with Bill, telling her about the small community of people living on the farm, the occasional attacks from the Cybermen and the scarecrows that the people made as a warning.   

It was as he was talking that an unbearable wave of pain hit him. He gasped, staggering until he could reach a nearby tree to lean against, a flash of regeneration energy lighting up one hand for a moment, although it soon faded. This was not the first time it had happened since reaching level 507, but it was the first time he’d been unable to hold it back when there were others around. It wouldn’t be long before he could no longer keep it a secret.  

“You alright?” Bill asked, and the Doctor nodded.  

“Yes, fine,” he said dismissively, considering for a moment, before breaking off a dead branch, and using it as a walking stick.  

“What was that?” Bill asked. The Doctor ignored her, instead picking up where he’d left off, telling her about the Cybermen trying to steal away the children.  

They soon reached a clearing, where Missy was waiting for them.  

“Had to rope yourself in to help, did you?” asked the Doctor.  

“Well, they do say two heads are better than one,” said Missy, cheerfully. She looked across at Bill. “You absolutely had to bring her, did you?”  

"Her?” There was disbelief, and even a hint of suspicion on the Master’s face as he looked at Missy. “It's a Cyberman now. You made it a Cyberman.”  

“Oh, yes, sorry.”  

“You know, I’m surprised the Doctor still has any time for you at all. What, still think you can make her good ?”  

“Darling, he’s obsessed with me, he just can’t help himself,” said Missy, prancing over to the Doctor and leaning in close to him. “Can you, sweetie ?” She emphasised the word, with a raise of an eyebrow.  

“Don’t,” said the Doctor, his face growing dark. “Just... don’t.”  

“Ooooh, touchy!” Missy laughed and patted him on the cheek. “Too soon?”  

The Doctor pulled away from her with a frown. “Stop messing around. Where is it?”  

“Alright, keep your eyebrows on!” Missy grinned. “It’s right here.” She ran her umbrella from head height towards the ground, and a shaft of light appeared. “Since someone refuses to use a sonic, he completely missed it.”  

The Master gave her a withering look. “Well maybe if I still had my laser screwdriver, I wouldn’t have.”  

The Doctor rolled his eyes, and took out his own sonic screwdriver, running in a similar motion to analyse the beam.  

"Hologram,” the Master said, sounding disgusted. “Mustn't ruin the pretty forest. Ugh, it's a wonder more people don't turn to genocide!”  

Before long, Missy and the Doctor between them had revealed three lift doors, which just seemed to hang suspended from nothing in the trees.  

“Well, I think we should be ready to make our move soon, then,” said the Doctor, sounding pleased.  

He moved to examine the controls, deep in thought, so he didn’t notice Missy raising her umbrella to the call button, until it was already too late.  

“What are you doing? You just called the lift!”  

"Well, yes,” said Missy, as though she was talking to a particularly slow toddler, “we're going to need them, aren't we? You just said we should be ready to make our move, so why not?”  

The Doctor gave her a withering look and matched her tone. “The lift was downstairs, and quite possibly not empty!”  

Missy’s face paled, ever so slightly. “Oh.”  

“Well can’t you lock it down?” asked the Master, sounding cross. “With those oh so useful sonic devices you keep banging on about.”  

“Not before it arrives, no.”  

"Stand aside.” Bill stepped forward. The Doctor exchanged a look with Missy, before stepping back.  

"Do as she says.”  

“’Do as she says’? Ugh!” the Master said, glaring at the Doctor. “Is the future going to be all girl?” Still, he did step backwards to allow her to step up before the lift doors – after all, why not put the Doctor’s pet Cyber-Bill in the firing line before the rest of them?  

"We can only hope,” said the Doctor, with a hint of a smile.  

The Master shook his head darkly, then reached into his pocket, searching for a moment, before remembering. He rounded on Missy. “Missy, give me my laser screwdriver.” There was a pause, and he could swear the Missy was glancing at the Doctor, as though he had anything to do with it. “ Now , Missy!” Missy rolled her eye, but still a moment later it had emerged from one of her pockets. She tossed it across to him, and he snatched it from the air.   

By the time the lift arrived, Bill had taken up position in front of the three Gallifreyans, and the Doctor’s sonic, Missy’s umbrella and the Master’s laser screwdriver were aimed and ready. The doors slid open, to reveal a Cyberman, but they had obviously been making further developments in the weeks since they had left – the style was similar enough to Bill, of course, but this one appeared to have some form of armour built in.  

“Fire!” the Doctor shouted, the instant it was revealed. Between the four of them, it didn’t take long to take it down, but a lone Cyberman wasn’t likely to be the problem.  

“Missy, help me sonic the lifts. We need to keep them here. Force them to find another way up to us.” Missy obliged, each of them taking one of the three lifts.  

“And why don’t we just use the lifts to get back down to your TARDIS, Doctor?” asked the Master, watching the two of them work, but not offering any help of his own. “We could be out of here in no time at all.”  

“Because by the time the lifts reach the bottom of the ship, that area will be swarming with Cybermen,” he said, once again in the tone of someone explaining to a young child. “Do you really want to have to fight through a whole army to get us into the TARDIS? No, we have to find another way.”  

As they worked, Bill studied the other Cyberman. “But why's it different?” she asked. “Why does it look like that?”  

“It evolved,” said the Master, darkly.  

“Exactly.” The Doctor had moved on to the next lift now, running his sonic screwdriver over the control panel. “Since we left, they've built a weapons-grade version to come after us. Faster than I would have liked too, I thought we had more time before they’d reach any level of sophistication. And we just gave our position away. Well done, the genius twins.”  

"Excuse me ,” the Master said, face full of incredulous annoyance, “I had nothing to do with it! Just because your idiocy has rubbed off on lady-bits over here,” he nodded at Missy with a sneer, “don’t blame me!”  

"Oh, shut it, man-bits,” said Missy, over her shoulder.  

"Seriously?!” The Doctor had stopped what he was doing now, turning to look between the two incarnations of the Master incredulously. “You’re getting worse than the humans, with their stupid obsessions with gender and genitals!”  

Missy turned towards him, a flirtatious smile spreading across her face as she approached him, not stopping until she was right in his face. “Oh, but Doctor,” she all but purred, “I thought you liked my lady-bits!”  

This seemed to have the intended effect, as the Doctor turned a bright red. “Shut up!” Missy just grinned triumphantly, before returning to stand alongside her younger self.  

“He rather suits being flustered, don’t you think?”  

“If you’re quite finished,” said the Doctor, who was still blushing furiously, “we’d better get back to work. We’ve got less time than I hoped, and I need to brief Nardole. Bill, can you bring one for us to study?” Once he had agreement from Bill, he turned his back on the other two and walked back towards the farm, still using the stick he’d found earlier as a walking stick and followed closely by Bill, who carried the new Cyberman model.  

When the two Masters reached the farm, the Doctor had already disappeared off somewhere with Nardole, Bill and the new Cyberman, presumably to study and plan out their next steps.  

“Come on then, lady-version,” said the Master. “Looks like we can afford a bit of alone-time!”  

“Very well,” said Missy, following him into the farmhouse. As usual, when the Master was around, the humans had soon left the room, leaving the two of them alone. “You know, I’ve been thinking – your TARDIS is at the bottom of the ship, right? Your quarters as Mr. Razor were an extension of it?”  

The Master shrugged. “Obviously. What, you never even tried to get in there? You surprise me, Missy!”  

She smirked. “Well of course I went into my TARDIS! I was just being polite, honey!”   

The Master scowled at her. “And your point is?”  

“Well, I think part of the Doctor’s plan is luring the Cybermen up here, although he still won’t tell me what’s next – and if that’s the case, we might not all be able to go down in the lifts, but what’s to stop the two of us going back to your TARDIS and getting out of here?” She smiled at him with just a hint of flirtation. “Oh, the havoc you and I could wreak, taking on the universe together for a while.”  

“I like the sound of that, dearest,” he said, eyeing her up with a predatory smile, “but we can’t because it doesn’t work.”  

“Because?” prompted Missy.  

He sighed. “I landed here. Higher up. I had trouble taking off. I was too close to the event horizon.”  

“And you screwed up. You went too fast. And you still think I’m the one who has had idiocy rub off on them.”  

The Master scowled at her. “Yes, well, I blew the dematerialisation circuit mid-flight. Ended up down at the bottom of the ship with no way out.”  

Missy’s smile widened. “Which reminds me,” she said, examining her nails for a moment, as though deep in thought. “A funny thing happened to me once.”  

"What?”  

Before he had a chance to react, Missy grabbed him by the lapels, pushing him up against the nearest pillar, with a look of triumph, bringing her face right in next to his, her breath warm against his cheek. “A very long time ago,” she said, “a very scary lady threw me against a wall and made me promise to always, always carry a spare dematerialisation circuit.” She released one of his lapels, to reach into her pocket. “I don't remember much about her now but, she must have made quite an impression.” She held up the spare dematerialisation circuit, waving it in front of his face, before tucking it into one of his pockets instead. The Master looked impressed.  

“You know you basically have me to thank for this!”  

Missy let him go and dipped into a sarcastic little curtsey. “You're welcome!”  

The moment that she had let him go, the Master made his move, deftly flipping their positions, taking her by the lapels of her own jacket, and slamming her back against the pillar instead. “You know, much as I’ve enjoyed our little encounters, I much prefer things this way around.”  

“Mmm, I’ve no doubt you do.” She gave him an appraising look. “Well, I suppose a little self-indulgence never hurt...”  

His grin was almost feral, and most definitely triumphant as he moved in on her, his lips meeting hers in a fiery kiss, demanding, carnal and unrestrained. He kept her there, pinned in place, practically devouring, and yet never for a moment did Missy appear anything but in full control of the situation. When the Master pulled back, it was to give his older self a slow, lecherous look. “Oh, I have been looking forward to this...”  

“I’ll bet you have!” she returned the look, glancing down meaningfully for just a moment, before looking him in the eye. “Well, maybe I can let you persuade me, just this once.”  

“I knew you’d see it my way in the end,” he purred, leaning in close to her again, kissing her roughly along her jawline, even letting his teeth graze her skin. “Say my name.” His breath was warm in her ear.  

“Our name, dear!”  

“Say it...”  

“Oh, get a room you two!”  

Two pairs of eyes snapped around to fix on Nardole, who was watching them with some level of disgust from the doorway.  

“It may have escaped your noticed, little Egg, but we are in a room, and were quite alone until you decided to stick your nose in.” The Master glowered at him. “Now shove off. Lady-self and I have some unfinished business to attend to.”  

“Believe me, I’d much rather not be witness to whatever this is,” Nardole waved a hand at the two of them. “But the Doctor sent me to find you, said it was quite urgent, in fact.”  

“The Doctor can go fuck himself,” said the Master, then smirked. “Unless he'd rather-”  

Nardole looked even more disgusted, and interrupted before the Master could get any further. “I get the picture, thank you.” He glanced to Missy, almost pleadingly. “Bill’s found something. We don’t have much time.”  

Missy sighed, dramatically. “Oh, very well,” she said, looking at her younger self. “There’ll be plenty of time later, you know,” she said, patting his pocket with a meaningful look. “I’ll make it worth your while, Master. ” She smirked at the expression on his face.  

“You know, I think I like it even more when you use my name than when the Doctor does,” he said, eyeing her up again.  

“You would. Come on then, can’t keep eyebrows, tin-can and Egghead waiting, can we?” She grinned, slipping out from his grip so easily it was as though she’d never been pinned there in the first place. She walked away from the Master towards Nardole, and if he hadn’t known better, Nardole could have sworn he saw relief and maybe even a little gratitude in her face.  

The news that Bill had was unsettling. She still had access to the neural network, although thanks to Missy’s modifications the network had no control over her, and now, apparently, instructions and information were being transmitted to all active Cybermen.  

“Operation Exodus is ready to go,” Bill told them. “All units are to report in for the latest upgrade in armour, weaponry and transportation, and make ready for invasion of the upper levels.”  

“Anything else interesting?” asked the Doctor.  

“Apparently some of the new weaponry has been developed from some preliminary plans left behind by Mr. Razor, who is reported as missing.”  

“Ah, the genius twins strike again,” said the Doctor, glaring at the two Masters. “So, how long do we have?”  

“They start ascending in one hour.”  

The Doctor nodded. “Right, we’d better get to work then. Nardole, start getting the humans together. You two are with me.”  

Missy and the Master exchanged a look, and then Missy shook her head. “No Doctor. Myself and I have decided we’ll be off now. Good luck with it, Doctor. If you make it out alive, maybe I’ll come and find you again, for old time’s sake.”  

The Doctor’s face fell. “But I thought-”  

“You can’t save them, you know,” interrupted the Master, off-handedly. “Whatever your plan is, it won’t work.”  

“I’ll do the best I can with what I’ve got. Like I always do.” He looked between the two of them, as though trying to put something together.  

“But you can’t win.”  

“I know! And?”  

The Master’s lip curled in disgust, turning away from him. “I don’t know what you see in him.” He held out a hand to his past self. “Coming, lady-version?”  

She took his hand and shook her head. “I’m beginning to wonder myself.”  

“No.”  

The two Masters ignored the Doctor and started to walk away. The Doctor, however, wasn’t having any of this, his face dark, near anger.  

“No! When I say no, you turn back around!” He chased after the two of them, catching up before too long, and standing right before them. “Hey! I'm most likely going to be dead in a few hours, so before I go, let's have this out, you and you and me, once and for all.”   

The Master made to move around him, but he reached out, catching his arm in his hand, stopping him with a glare. The Master sighed melodramatically, but both he and Missy stopped anyway, him looking unimpressed, releasing her hand to fold his arms; her completely unreadable, watching him almost transfixed.  

“Winning? Is that what you think it's about? I'm not trying to win. I'm not doing this because I want to beat someone, or because I hate someone, or because, because I want to blame someone. It's not because it's fun and God knows it's not because it's easy. It's not even because it works, because it hardly ever does. I do what I do, because it's right! Because it's decent! And above all, it's kind. It's just that. Just kind. If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there's no point in any of this at all, but it's the best I can do, so I'm going to do it. And I will stand here doing it till it kills me. You're going to die too, some day. How will that be? Have you thought about it? What would you die for? Who I am is where I stand. Where I stand, is where I fall. Stand with me. These people are terrified. Maybe we can help, a little. Why not, just at the end, just be kind?” He looked between the two of them, impassioned, hopeful.  

The Master almost laughed. “See this face? Take a good, long look at it. This is the face that didn't listen to a word you just said.” He turned away, walking off in the direction of the lifts.  

The Doctor turned to Missy instead. He had always known that the younger Master would never stand with him. But that wasn’t what his speech had been for. Not really. There was so much he wanted to say, but with the younger Master still in earshot he couldn’t quite risk it. "Missy. Missy.” He reached out, a hand gently on her shoulder. “Please, I know it went wrong this time. I know you made a big mistake, and that’ll take a long time to work through. I know you betrayed me. But I know what you're capable of. I know you’re capable of change. Stand with me. It's all I've ever wanted.”  

There was no mistaking the emotion in Missy’s face. There were even a few tears welling up in her eyes, although she tried to disguise it. “Me too. But I can’t. Sorry. Just, no.” She reached out, taking his hand in both of her own, holding it tight for a moment. “But thanks for trying.” She leaned forward, whispered something in his ear, pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, then turned on her heel and strode away, not looking back once.  

They made it to the lifts without incident. Missy took a moment to check the time – it would be no good if they made their move too soon and found themselves swarmed by Cybermen as soon as they reached the lower levels, but as soon as she was sure, she quickly reactivated one with her umbrella, and a few minutes later, they were both aboard.  

“You know,” said the Master, conversationally, leaning against the wall as the lift started moving down, “I was beginning to think for a moment I’d got it all wrong, and you were with him all along.” He grinned triumphantly. “And yet here we are. Escaping while he makes some damn stupid grand sacrifice.”  

Missy smiled, but it had lost so much of the cruelty and fire that had been there the past few days. “Oh, you know the Doctor. Stubborn to the end. Whereas you and me...”  

She beckoned him over, holding her arms out and pulling him into her embrace. “I loved being you,” she practically purred into his ear. “Every second of it. Oh, the way you burn like a sun. Like a whole screaming world on fire. I remember that feeling, and I always will. And I will always miss it.”  

There was a look of understanding on the Master’s face as she released him. “Now that was really very nicely done.”  

Missy stepped back, pulling the blade that she had just embedded in his side free, and dropping into a curtsey. “Thank you.”  

“It's good to know I haven't lost my touch,” he said, pressing his hand to his side in an effort to lessen the flow of blood.  

"You deserve my best.”  

The Master leaned against the wall of the lift, trying not to show his pain to his past self. “How long do I have?”  

"Oh, I was precise. You'll be able to make it back to your Tardis, maybe even get a cuppa, although you might leak a little.” She shrugged. “It might even hurt, I’m afraid I don’t remember. Obviously.”  

"And then I get to regenerate into you.”  

“Sooner or later. Welcome to the sisterhood.”  

“Missy? Seriously, why?”  

“Oh, because he's right,” she said, with a fond smile. “Because it's time to stand with him. It's where we've always been going, and it's happening now, today. It's time to stand with the Doctor.”  

“But why now? We’ve won . His little pet a Cyberman, all those stupid little humans about to be destroyed. We would have been unstoppable together.” His face fell, as he saw the look on Missy’s face. “What have you done?”  

Missy’s smile spread wider. “Well, it’s a bit of a long story. But then again, you’re not going anywhere, are you dearie? I’d take a seat if I were you...”  

Level 507, a few days ago 

The first thing the Doctor wanted on his recovery was the conversation with Missy that he’d been denied on the rooftop back on level 1056. After her request to keep it quiet from her younger self, they waited until he’d left for the day to hunt for lifts. Once the Doctor was sure he was gone, he’d called Missy and Nardole together. They met in a quiet room, locking the door behind them so they couldn’t be disturbed so easily. Once they were all sat, cups of tea in hand, the Doctor turned to Missy.  

“I think it’s time for that explanation. You said you couldn’t fully, back on the rooftop. Not with Junior able to listen in. Not with the Cybermen closing in on us.”  There was hope in the Doctor’s eyes as he looked at his friend, but it was guarded. The hope of one burned far too many times, barely daring to risk it this time. But he did. He couldn’t quite help it. He had to, or it would destroy him.  

Missy merely nodded. She looked nervous, as if worried her story wouldn’t be good enough.  

“So, will you tell us now?”    

She nodded again but didn’t speak. Not yet. There was a story to be told, and they both needed to know everything. The Doctor and Nardole. How did you start when both people in the room were convinced you’d done something unforgivable?  

When she still didn’t speak, the Doctor looked disappointed. “You say you didn’t betray me, but I find that hard to believe. Months we spent working together, years, trying to find a way to get Bill safely out of that hospital! How much of that was you stalling me while the two of you worked together to enact your own plan? I mean you didn’t even tell me who Razor was! You knew. You knew all along he was you, and what he had in mind, no doubt!” There was a fire in the Doctor’s eyes now. Anger, disappointment swirling there. In any other circumstances, Missy might have played with that. Stoked it, encouraged it. But not now. Not with the stakes so high. “But no, you keep it a secret, then right as we’d cracked it, right as I was returning to pick her up, you go and turn her into one of your Cybermen!” He sighed. “Just tell me the truth. One way or the other.”    

It wasn’t Missy that spoke next, though. Nardole had interrupted before she had the chance, and he looked momentarily confused.  

“Hang on, what do you mean months of working together? You were up at the black hole! Missy was with me!” He stopped as a look of comprehension crossed his face. “Oh. Oh sir, you are naughty. Very naughty.” He looked at the two of them. “Why didn’t you tell me?”    

The Doctor looked at Missy, then back at Nardole. “Okay, let’s do this properly. There’s a story to be told, so let’s start at the beginning…”

Chapter Text

Several months ago 

“Hold tight! It's going to be a bumpy ride!”   

The TARDIS was soon in flight, and sure enough, it was bumpy, even by her usual standards. It's what came from the delicate balance of getting up enough power to pull away from the gravitational pull of the black hole without driving so hard that something blew out. A time ship caught inches from the jaws of an entity consuming time, light and matter from all that surrounded it. Of course, she was going to struggle. In fact, it would have been nigh on impossible without Missy's beacon guiding them in – the closer they got to the signal, and the further from the black hole, the easier it became. It was as they got nearer, and the navigation and travel seemed to get easier that the Doctor made his decision. It was a foolish decision, no doubt, and under any other circumstances he would likely have dismissed it out of hand (but then again perhaps not – what were a few rules of time when your friends were in danger?) So, he adjusted a few time settings and the time component of the spatiotemporal co-ordinates as the relative time around them sped up, murmuring to the TARDIS as she groaned in protest, all the while making sure that the spatial part was unaltered. It was difficult work, and he was a little out of practice, but despite the TARDIS’s protests, it seemed to be working! He made a mental note to get Missy to help him give her a good check over if they got out of this! 

A few seconds later they materialised silently in the corridors near the lifts – the Doctor was rather thrilled that he had managed to achieve silent materialisation as well as his other adjustments! Although perhaps the TARDIS just knew how important it might be. He patted her console in thanks anyway, then turned to Jorj.   

“As I said, feel free to stay here! You'll find anything you need aboard. Enough supplies to last several lifetimes!” He turned, walking over to the chalkboard and began to scribble furiously. “Now, if my calculations are correct, we haven't left level 0 yet. Well, we have, obviously, but we’re still there too!”   

Jorj looked at the Doctor blankly. He was still reeling from the dimensions of the ship, and it was all becoming a bit much for him!   

“This is a time machine,” the Doctor explained. “I can arrive before we left, be two places at the same time. Not strictly supposed to when it’s technically crossing my own timeline, but I've never been one to follow the rules! Besides, the black hole means time is all over the place anyway! It'll be fine.” He paused for a moment, considering the chalkboard. “Probably!”   

Jorj didn't seem any the wiser, but he was sensible enough to realise that understanding was probably beyond him, and to enquire further would only add to the confusion, so he just nodded instead. The Doctor turned to the door, walked over, seemed to think better of it, and then walked back. He pondered for a moment, then smiled as though remembering something incredibly helpful, lifted a device from his pocket, pressed a few buttons, spoke a few words into it, and then returned it to his pocket. 

“What did you do?” 

“Well hopefully, I just summoned an old friend.” 

Missy had been getting some time alone and doing her best to avoid Mr. Razor – her younger self – when the message had come through. To be honest, she hadn’t realised she still had it, having thought it long since lost on Skaro – a loss which she had taken very greatly at the time – so it took a while to realise what was happening. She smiled as she dug through her pocket to produce the source of a faint warmth and subtle vibration to find it. The Doctor must have found it wherever she’d left it and returned it to her in secret. She pulled it out and examined it for a moment – the brooch he had given her, so long ago. The brooch which was capable of stabbing through Dalek casing. The brooch with a secret communication device in it that only he could access. The brooch that was oh, so precious to her. She pressed the concealed button and listened to the message he’d left, smiled and got to her feet. He was here. He was back early. Perfect!   

She made her way to where he had parked the TARDIS, doing her best to stick to the shadows and go unnoticed – it had been a little harder when it came to breaking out through the conversion theatre, especially as she didn’t have either her sonic umbrella to break through the lock, or the set of keys that her younger self owned. Fortunately, she was an extremely good pickpocket, and had soon stolen the appropriate key, unnoticed! Even if she hadn’t, she was also a good lock pick, and her hairpins would have done a good job too. As she unlocked the door and worked her way towards the lift shaft, her mind was churning. How much did she tell the Doctor? She couldn’t tell him everything yet – that’s what she told herself, although “wouldn’t” might have been closer to the mark. But she had been working hard to persuade her younger self that it had all been an act for their foolish Doctor, that she was playing a long game with him. In reality, it was much more complicated than that, and she was most definitely in two minds about what to do. But it would put them all in danger the moment her younger self thought that she was beyond his influence, that she’d gone running to her precious Doctor the moment he showed up like one of his pets and told him everything. No, better to keep them both guessing, never show her true intent, and even if she did, play it off as a joke! She’d leave it to the Doctor what she told the others of his early arrival.   

The door to the TARDIS swung open as she arrived. She rolled her eyes, but smiled – he always had been flash, and enjoyed showing off. And to be fair, that was something that they had in common! Showing off, trying to make each other jealous, or otherwise impress each other. It was about as natural as trying to kill each other, killing Daleks together, threatening world domination or setting traps. Just another way they flirted! She strutted in through the TARDIS doors with a smirk on her face.   

“My my, Doctor, we are naughty, aren’t we? Two places at once, tut tut!” she chided, with a grin. It was hardly a surprise that he’d do so, and naturally it didn’t bother her in the slightest. As far as she was concerned, the laws of time didn’t apply to them! The rest of the Time Lords were hiding out at the end of the universe anyway, so what were they going to do about it?  Exile them? 

“So, what’s been happening? How’s Bill?” The Doctor sounded worried. Missy just smiled.   

“Alright, alright, keep your eyebrows on!” She grinned, never able to resist a quip about those eyebrows. “She’s doing just fine. Alive and well, helping around the hospital with odd jobs. Nardole’s more that capable looking after her.” Missy moved to the console, then turned to look at Jorj. “You kept the Smurf, I see! Can’t say I’m surprised. Always picking up strays, you are!”   

Jorj started to protest, but the Doctor hushed him. 

“Leave him alone. We don’t just abandon people on the edge of black holes, Missy. I thought you were starting to understand.” The Doctor sounded disappointed. Like she had failed some test.   

Missy rolled her eyes, sounding a little petulant.   

“Ugh, I know!” She tapped a few commands into the TARDIS console, and then turned it round to show him. There was Bill, busily mopping in the hospital, metal box sticking very obviously out of her chest.   

The shock on the Doctor’s face was palpable. It was clear that he was going through similar thought processes to the ones that she’d gone through, although she’d managed to internalise them on the most part in front of Bill – she didn’t want to panic the girl. But he was probably coming to the same conclusions as she had, a suspicion which was confirmed by his next question. 

“Missy, where’s this ship from?” She didn’t answer. Her look was enough, but that didn’t stop him. “Missy, tell me. I know you know.”   

“So do you, Doctor. You’ve worked it out.” He nodded but gestured to her anyway. He desperately wanted to be wrong. She could see it in his eyes. “Mondas.” There was no way of sugar coating the answer – he knew already, and the technology was just so evident, even if she hadn’t looked at the databanks for her own confirmation. In the hope that she’d be wrong. They really were getting more alike. 

“So, what are we going to do then?” 

“Oh, I’ve got a few ideas in mind!” Missy grinned but didn’t elaborate just yet. “Of course, the main problem is getting Bill out safely. There’s some sort of design flaw in her chest unit. I haven’t had a chance to investigate it thoroughly yet, and I don’t think she knows, but from what I’ve gathered from the nurses, if she’s out of the hospital too long, it loses signal, and something cuts out. She’ll be in total agony, and if not returned to the hospital quickly… well, it won’t be pretty! I suppose it’s theoretically possible to reproduce the signal from the TARDIS, but that’s only a short term solution if it even works.”   

“Right.” The Doctor clapped his hands together. “We’ve got work to do!”   

Over the following months, Missy sneaked out to the TARDIS on a regular basis, although she only stayed for a few hours at most, so as to not arouse too many suspicions. Given that she had been disappearing for hours at a time regularly since they arrived down on Level 1056, Bill and Nardole didn’t bother to ask her whereabouts – they perhaps knew well enough by now that they wouldn’t get a straight answer if they did! Her past self, meanwhile, was happy to accept that she was using her experience of Cyberman creation to further his plans in private (in order to avoid any awkward Bootstrap paradoxes by showing him everything she was doing! It was important that he start from scratch with that other Cyberman Army and even accounting for the memory-loss that always came with multiple incarnations in the same time and place, there was always a chance it would impact his future.) And it was easier to believably persuade her part self of this when, from a certain perspective, she really was working on improvements for the Cybermen. Whenever she got the opportunity, she would also sneak some of the patients out from the hospital to the Doctor’s TARDIS so that they could work out what exactly was needed to allow Bill’s chest unit to function properly without always having to return to the hospital.   

It was nice being able to work with the Doctor again. It really felt like the old days. Her and the Doctor, amiable, working together for a common goal – and for once not because her plans had gone wrong, or to try to escape something, but just because they wanted to work together. Because she really wanted to change. That’s what she told him, told herself even, although the Doctor was still struggling to believe it. It just seemed too good to be true. But he hoped. He had to hope.   

When she wasn’t working with the Doctor, Missy spent the majority of the rest of her time working with her past self. A large proportion of this involved keeping secrets, lying and keeping up a façade. It all came exceedingly easily to her - it was, perhaps, concerning quite how easy it was to lie to what was, essentially, herself. To keep up that charade and convince him utterly that she was working to the same goals with only minimal suspicion. Then again, perhaps it shouldn’t have come as that much of a surprise. After all, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that she’d spent most of her lives doing it. 

The progress with the Doctor was slow, and so Missy ensured that her progress with ‘Razor’ went similarly, even though she had the knowledge to easily complete that work within a few days. She had agreed with the Doctor that it would make sense for her to help progress the Cybermen in her own way. It would give them a chance of having some element of control if anything were to go wrong. It would also give the Doctor a way in if he needed it as he would already know the workings of the system. They had decided not to tell Bill or Nardole that the Doctor was there, mainly because they both knew that Bill would want out immediately and they couldn’t accommodate that yet, and because the Doctor thought it would be funnier to surprise Nardole! That’s what he said, anyway, but Missy suspected that another part of it was probably that the Doctor thought that Nardole wouldn’t be impressed at him breaking laws of time, even on such a small scale.   

Not all days were easy for Missy, though. This didn’t go unnoticed by the Doctor, particularly on the worst of them, when she would seem dejected, upset, scared of something perhaps. But she absolutely refused to talk about it. Insisted that she couldn’t talk about it to him. Not yet, anyway. Maybe when they got out of here. If they got out of here. Of course, it was mostly down to the influence of being in such close quarters with her past self. Sometimes she loved it, seeing herself as she was then – on fire, motivated, burning. Those were perhaps the most dangerous times, because it stirred the parts of her that were, of course, still there deep down. Made her want to rebel, turn on the Doctor, show him that she was still just as dangerous. Other times, however, it was very different – to see what she had been, compared to how much she had changed, how much she had learned in the company of the Doctor – after everything they’d been through, she found that there were days when her past self’s behaviour, the way he talked, his casual attitude to Bill and how he planned to destroy her just to upset the Doctor, well, it absolutely disgusted her. To say she was in two minds was perhaps the best way to put it, especially when there was a near literal-ness to that which definitely seemed to fit. Her past had come back to haunt her, and there were days when it would be so, so easy to fall back into old habits. To give in. But others when she wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, and perhaps inevitably, her past self wasn’t completely inobservant. He soon began to notice her flickering between enthusiasm and utter reluctance, and the fact that the latter seemed to be winning out, slowly but surely. So, he began to demand proof of her loyalty. That the Doctor would never succeed in breaking them and turning them into another one of his pets. He would get it, Missy promised. Wait, she would say, until the time is right. But she didn’t know how she would give it to him without ruining everything. She put it to the back of her mind, kept her head down, and kept working.  But she knew she was running out of time to figure it out. 

As time ticked on, and the surveillance cameras showed the Doctor up on Level 0 getting closer to his departure, work became more frantic. The Doctor desperately wanted to be able to help Bill by the time he appeared to land down on their level. To be able to leave immediately, without having to face the inevitable threat that the Mondasians would produce sooner or later. That they always produced, given enough time and sickness. Fortunately, there was little chance of them ever escaping the ship, and soon enough the black hole would deal with the rest – the Doctor when he wasn’t working on fixing Bill’s problem had checked up on the engine stats. They didn’t look good, and it wouldn’t be very long before they packed in and the pull towards the Black Hole would increase significantly. So, all they had to do was get away before that happened. Unfortunately, there was still something that they were missing. A piece of the puzzle that wouldn’t quite fall into place. 

Still, between her work with the Doctor and Razor, Missy had made some excellent progress on reducing pain in the patients who had already gone through the primitive conversion surgery. It had been a bit of a stretch to make the technology from her own Cyberman army compatible with the horribly primitive technology here, but Missy wasn’t keen to give them anything too advanced, as that could seriously hinder her own plans. 

It was the nurse who finally gave Missy the answer to the problem they were having with being able to help Bill. She hadn’t paid the woman much attention before – just another orderly, unquestioningly following orders, ignoring patients and their pain and making sure that no one had to hear about it. It was as she was applying one of her upgrade patches to help decrease the patient’s pain that one of the nurse’s offhand comments suddenly struck a chord. How they would control the patients, she was asking, if there was no pain to keep them in order? If there were no consequences to them wandering their own way? And there it was. What they were missing. It wasn’t a design flaw that was hurting the patients so much, but something purposefully written into the programming – it was probably hidden in one of the seemingly-irrelevant sub-routines. They should have seen it, but if it was piggybacking on some other vital system…   

 It took the two of them two days to finally find where the sub-routine was hidden. It was tiny, easily missed and, as suspected, linked into other seemingly unrelated, vital systems. A very well disguised element of programming, someone as expert in Cyberman technology as Missy, and at tinkering as the Doctor! They had found it, though, and overwriting it seemed comparatively easy. What they really needed, though, was a prototype to test it on. 

It took another few days before Missy was able to select the correct candidate and persuade her younger self that this was a necessary part of their plan, that she steal away one of the patients for her own private work. He seemed suspicious, but let it go. She could tell that his patience was wearing thin, though. 

As they worked their final push, Missy became more withdrawn from the Doctor. She worked with him, but she was on edge. She couldn’t seem to hide it, however much she tried. She had been working on a plan, but she knew it was risky, and while she was sure she could make it work, could play her part perfectly, it was enough to make her worry incessantly. She risked losing everything she’d worked for, and her way out of here if it all went wrong. But if she didn’t, it would be worse. Far worse. If she didn’t do it, she knew exactly what her younger self would do. Or if he somehow saw through her plans. And it would mean the end of the line for her, for Bill, and possibly the Doctor and Nardole too. So, everything hinged on her plan falling into place perfectly, for once. It was the only choice she had. Wasn’t it?   

The worst part for Missy was the waiting for everything to fall into place, but finally Bill noticed that the Doctor was leaving level 0, and everything started to move into action. Missy sent a message to the Doctor at the earliest opportunity, to ensure he dematerialised before Nardole arrived to wait for him – and of course made sure to orchestrate it so that Nardole was the one to go and wait for him. Then, the waiting resumed. 

Of course, Missy knew what was coming, so all she had to do was keep a careful watch on her younger self and Bill to know exactly when it would happen. And sure enough, her younger self had allowed himself to be ‘persuaded’ by Bill to take her to wait for the Doctor – at least that’s what he told her. In fact, it had been Missy’s suggestion, to a certain extent. It kept things a little more under control, that way.  

“Wait until he’s on his way,” she’d insisted to her younger self. “That way it’ll hurt him even more when he arrives, just minutes too late.” Truth. The key to a good lie, and the best way to fool her own self. Carefully sculpt the lies, mixing them with truth, and it was far more difficult to detect. 

She’d watched the Master leading Bill from his flat, then waylaid the surgeons before joining them at the Conversion Theatre. Waylaid in this case meaning rendered unconscious. They would have ruined everything. Maybe the Doctor wouldn’t like it, but even if he didn’t, he’d have to admit it was a step up for her. Previously she’d have simply murdered them in a manner that was equal parts gruesome and ironic. Although that wasn’t to say that the option wasn’t still on the cards! 

Fortunately, it had taken much less work than she’d expected to convince the Master to go and wait for the Doctor without her. But he wanted to know for sure that she was on his side, and how could he if he was watching over her shoulder the whole time? The results would tell him, and the Doctor, everything that they needed to know – that’s what she convinced him. Of course, it wasn’t quite true. She just had to be very clever. Which, naturally, she was! 

She waited for the moment that her past self was definitely out of ear-shot before allowing her whole demeanour to change. She let her voice drop to a whisper as she ushered Bill out of the Conversion Theatre, back to Razor’s rooms.   

“Come on, dearie. There’s not much time. The surgeons will wake up soon, and if you’re still anywhere near, you’ll be the one on the slab! But we’re going to change that, right?”   

Bill looked confused. Confused, horrified and above all scared.  

“What’s going on? You… Razor… all of it! I thought he was my friend, but he wanted to… and you were going to… but now you’re not!” She stopped, shaking her head, bewildered. “I don’t trust you, Missy. Why would I?”  Another pause, and then… “Should I? Give me a reason.” 

Missy looked up, her face serious, and – what was it? Scared? No, this was Missy. She couldn’t be scared. But Bill wasn’t quite sure what other emotion she could attribute to that expression.  

“Okay, there’s not much time, so short version. Razor is me. Was me. No, that’s not right – will be me. I was him, a long time ago. Not supposed to happen, does surprisingly frequently. Actually, not so much for me, but the Doctor on the other hand...” 

She smiled. He was always going on about her breaking the laws of time, messing things up, blah, blah, blah, but he was always a far worse culprit!  

“Anyway, that’s a story for later. Point is, Razor’s me before I went through the Doctor’s ‘cold turkey from murder’ program.” She gave Bill a smile that suggested she still didn’t think much of the idea but was willing to overlook it for now. “And, he’s a teensy bit mad with the Doctor. Well, who can blame him? He can be an insufferable git! Unfortunately, his way of dealing with that is hurting the Doctor’s friends. If he knew I was helping you, helping the Doctor, we’d both be in trouble. So, a wee bit of play-acting and a few little fibettes. I’m good at it. Lot of practice, you know?” 

 “But if you are helping me – and I’m not saying I believe you are, right, but say you were. Why aren’t we both in trouble anyway?” 

“Well look who’s asking all the right questions,” said Missy in an uncanny impression of the Doctor. “We aren’t in trouble, because I have a plan, of course. Just because the Doctor’s an idiot who wouldn’t know a plan if it whacked him over the head with a sonic umbrella doesn’t mean that the rest of us are similarly challenged!” She looked at Bill who just raised an eyebrow, before gesturing for her to continue.  

“Well, first, we need to fix up that chest unit of yours. Shouldn’t take a tick. Been doing a wee bit of tinkering in the software over the years. Got it sussed now.”  She raised a hand to tick the item off on her finger, before raising the next finger. “Then I need a decoy – think that nurse should do the trick, never did like her. I mean, the Doctor might not approve, but she’s next on the list anyway and as I keep trying to tell him, his version of ‘good’ is not the only one that counts!” She checked that item off her finger too, raising a third. “Finally, I do a wee bit of tinkering in her mind, she goes through the procedure, I write something into the neural net – and Bob’s your uncle, as you funny little humans say!”   

“I don’t understand.”   

“I don’t imagine you do, dearie.” She glanced at the nearest clock and shook her head. “But we really don’t have time for that. You’ll just have to trust me, and stay out of the way until it all kicks off, then make your way back to the TARDIS and wait for us, okay?” 

Bill took a moment to process it. Her mind was screaming at her, but she slowly nodded, although she still didn’t sound entirely convinced.   

“Okay, but if you pull anything, I’m running to the Doctor now.” 

“You got it girlie! Now, let’s get you fixed up.”   

It only took Missy a minute or so to make her changes to Bill’s chest attachment and explain that it would allow her to leave the confines of the hospital without the intense agony and possible death that she would have experienced before. She hushed the rest of Bill’s questions, slipping silently from the room and returning to the room where she’d left the unconscious surgeon and nurse. It took a few moments of complex telepathy and mind work, but they were primitive, and their minds easily manipulated. It would be possible for another telepath to detect what she had done, but she was certain that even if there was the time, the other two telepaths aboard this ship would see no reason to even look. 

Soon, her work was done, and the surgeon was awake – he didn’t seem at all concerned that he had been unconscious, or that the nurse was his new patient, which meant that her meddling in his mind, at least, was successful. After a moment’s deliberation, she decided not to stay to watch the surgery. To be honest, she wasn’t quite sure she had the stomach for it any more - and there was that irritating, lingering guilt that hung in the back of her mind.  

But it was working. Her plan was working. There was just one slight modification to make before the new Cyberman was born. A slight addition to the programming, something that she had been working on alone, without either the Doctor or her past self’s input. It was similar to what she had developed for the army she had presented to the Doctor. A line of code that allowed her full control of that particular Cyberman, channelled through a device of her choice – in this case the sonic umbrella. She was fast running out of time, though, or she might have taken the precaution of some more detailed upgrades for any future Cybermen. The one of them would just have to do.   

 Soon, Missy’s new Cyberman was safely hidden in one of the alcoves. With the mental and physical re-programming in place, everything should go perfectly smoothly without her. So, if her calculations were correct, she had a few minutes to explain and give Bill some advice for when everything inevitably kicked off in a few minutes’ time – this Conversion Theatre was out of action for the moment as per her instructions, but that wouldn't last long, and the others would already be ramping up for production. That meant that there was a limited window in which to get Bill safely to the TARDIS before she was at risk again. Bill agreed, with a little less reluctance this time, and took the Conversion Theatre and TARDIS keys from Missy. 

Missy left her cautiously. This was the most crucial part of the operation – the most likely to go wrong. And the trouble was that Missy didn't remember this time at all. Her own presence here meant that this place was a blank. It was almost always the same. You meet yourself from the future, you forget everything until after it’s happened for the second time. But it's too late by then. Most of the time it’s okay, because it's yourself, so you're on the same wavelength, at least to a certain extent. But when you've changed, grown, are struggling to improve, to impress, to be better, it’s a nightmare. Especially when your past self is so volatile, unpredictable and likely to make everything to go tits up!   

Fortunately, everything went about as well as could be hoped from them on, right down to hitting the Doctor onto a computer terminal to allow him the opportunity to take control, although she did feel a little guilty at the damage both she and her past self were inflicting – she made sure to keep that well-hidden though! That was proving to be one of the hardest parts. Keeping up the façade of cruelty, and not crumbling under the weight of the disappointment and betrayal that the Doctor was so obviously feeling. But it was still too dangerous. 

She’d played along with her past self’s games, before finding an opportune moment to talk with the Doctor. Whispered into his ear the only thing she could think that would grab his interest enough to help them all out of it. 

“That’s not Bill.” She’d murmured, as she glanced at the Cyberman standing behind her. She’d known the Doctor wouldn’t believe her, but she also knew what hope could do for him. It would keep him going on until he could determine the truth. Keep him fighting. 

The only thing that didn't go as planned was the Cyberman attacking the Doctor. As she couldn't send the lethal strike on it herself without risking hitting the Doctor, she made the most of her control of the Cyberman that wasn’t Bill, activating it from a switch in her umbrella. It added further weight to her allegiance as far as her past self was concerned to look like she was leaving the Doctor behind, while programming her Cybermen to bring him instead, so proving to the Doctor that she stood with him all along. Everything was progressing according to plan! 

Chapter Text

Level 507, a few days ago  

Nardole was gaping at the two Time Lords as Missy finished her part of the story, unsure of how to respond or what to say. The Doctor, meanwhile, merely surveyed Missy critically. It was clear that he wanted to believe her but couldn’t quite bring himself to yet. He’d been hurt too many times, and taking Missy’s word for it wasn’t exactly the top of his list of wise things to do!  

It was Nardole who finally broke the silence.    

“So, you’re saying Bill’s safe? She’s back at the TARDIS with Jorj?”  

There was a moment’s awkward silence, and a look of slight embarrassment crossed Missy’s face.  

“Not exactly…”  

“Where is she?” The Doctor barely let Missy finish speaking his face filled with concern, but it was evident that anger could return any moment if he wasn't happy with her answer or if it turned out that she really was lying through her teeth.    

“I'll show you.” She held out a hand to the Doctor. It was hopeful. In search of redemption maybe. The Doctor was hesitant, but eventually he took it. It was conditional. Missy and Nardole could both sense that just from the way he held himself – he was tense, his ever emotive eyebrows reflecting everything within, and a constant reminder for Missy that she really was on a knife’s edge. Her final chance, and one more than he’d planned on giving her.    

The journey was tense, silent. Even Missy was worried what would happen. This despite the fact that she had been completely confident that she’d done the right thing. There was very little about what she’d done to try to make best of the situation that she would change, and those mainly for aesthetic and similarly inane reasons. The Doctor would be pleased at the effort she’d gone to, she told herself over and over. Would be thrilled at the progress she’d made. Impressed that she could put things right, even with her past rearing its head and threatening to tear everything apart. He had to be! She stepped ahead of the Doctor as she led the way to the barn, cautiously pushing the door open and glancing around. She had to be sure her younger self hadn’t spotted them.  

“Bill?” she called out when she was certain there was no sign of him, trying to keep the anxiety from her voice. “Where are you dearie?”    

“Running a bit late, aren't you?”    

It was Bill’s voice. It was Bill's actual voice, coming from the back of the barn. Missy could see the hope spreading into the Doctor's expression. The hint of a smile starting to come to his face.    

“Bill?” The Doctor couldn't resist it any more, calling out into the shadows. He couldn't see her yet. All he could see was the figure of the Cyberman standing motionless. He was just willing himself not to think of the possibility that Missy had fooled him. Trying so hard to believe that Bill really was there, and not just a Cyberman with Bill’s vocal patterns programmed in. It seemed like the sort of thing she might have once done. The next few moments were torture, until...    

“Doctor?” Bill’s voice rang out, there was a blur, and then... She was there, her arms wrapped around the Doctor in a tight hug, the metal box at her chest digging uncomfortably into his chest. But he didn't care. He didn’t even mind the hugging! His hand squeezed Missy's for a moment, before letting go to pull Bill back into a tight embrace. The relief was tangible.    

Missy looked across to Nardole. He gave her a nod of approval, even looking sort of impressed, which was as much as she could ask for really. Of course, the Doctor was the important one. Missy had already made a decision though. One that she wouldn’t, couldn’t have made when they’d arrived on this spaceship. She’d decided that she wouldn’t argue with the Doctor, whatever his reaction. She’d worked with what the situation had given her, and tried to turn it to their benefit in the best way she could think of. Whether it was enough for him was another matter though.   

She watched the Doctor and Bill with hope as they hugged – it was almost touching to watch, although she’d never admit it, of course. There was almost a desperation about her, emotions starting to show through again. That kept happening. She wasn’t entirely sure that she liked it!  

When their hug finally ended, Bill caught Missy's eye. They'd spent more time alone together over the past few days than ever before, and Bill was sure that she'd seen a different side to the Time Lady. Maybe it was because they were alone, maybe it was because the stakes had changed, or maybe it was because Bill realised that Missy had saved her life, but Bill had found herself starting to warm to the Time Lady – something that she had never expected to happen.     

“What are you doing here?” The Doctor asked Bill, concern slipping back into his voice. “Missy said she gave you the TARDIS key.” There was almost an accusatory note to his words. Evidently Missy was still being judged.    

“Nice to see you too mate!” Bill couldn't stop the sarcasm from entering her voice. She raised an eyebrow but couldn’t keep a straight face for long before the grin broke back onto it. Still, there was a look in her eyes, one of understanding. After her time alone with Missy, she knew how much was hanging on this conversation.   

“She did. She told me to go back to the TARDIS and wait. And I nearly did, but… well, then I saw Nardole running past. So, I followed him! I mean, what if he needed help or something?” She shrugged. It would hardly be fair for any of them to complain at her for it. They would all do the same! “By the time we reached the shuttle, Cybermen were swarming in the corridors, no way back without getting myself back into a big old mess! So, I snuck on the shuttle and hid!”  

The Doctor observed Bill and Missy for a moment, looking at first one, then the other. He smiled at Bill, then nodded his understanding. She nodded too. There was a pregnant pause in which nothing seemed to happen, and silence fell. After a moment, Bill glanced from the Doctor across to Missy, meaningfully. The Doctor just looked back blankly. Typical! She raised her eyebrows, then beckoned him forward to whisper something in his ear. The Doctor looked around for a moment. Stared at Bill. He looked like a deer caught in headlights.    

“But I didn't...”    

“Now, Doctor!”    

Missy raised an eyebrow at Bill, who just shrugged. Sometimes the Doctor needed a nudge in the right direction. Other times, he needed to be dragged there. At least it wasn't actually kicking and screaming this time!    

The Doctor turned to face Missy. He reached forward to take her hands in his own. There was a vulnerability in Missy's face as she looked up to him, a desperation to have impressed. Earned some level of respect or maybe something else unnameable, indescribable. She waited, treasuring every moment of tender touch, of contact with her Doctor, as though starved of it. The Doctor smiled. It was genuine, warm, true.    

“Thank you. I... You did well.”    

Missy smiled back, and Bill hadn't seen a smile like it from her before. That vulnerability still there, the slight shock, combined with a sort of quiet pride. It was clear that even a stumbled praise from the Doctor meant everything to her.  

The Doctor took a step closer to Missy and reached a hand up to rest tenderly against her cheek, so gentle and affectionate. Missy’s eyes closed, her head leaning into his hand as though it was the only lifeline that was keeping her grounded. Maybe it even was. When the Doctor’s lips met hers, Missy’s breath caught in surprise. It was so soft, gentle, and chaste. Perfection.  

To Missy it felt like both an eternity, and no time at all. It was everything, absolutely everything. The tears that came to her eyes she couldn't quite stop, bottled emotions slipping from her, and the pure adoration in her gaze was unmistakable.   

“Doctor...”   

He nodded.   

“I know...”   

The Doctor’s voice was soft, full of understanding, and Bill had a sudden glimpse into their relationship, how deep it went. The understanding between the two of them was incredible, and she wasn't certain she had the words to do it justice. She caught Nardole’s eye and nodded to one side of the barn, where she had been sleeping. They probably owed the two of them some privacy. Nardole seemed to agree, following her.  

Once they were out of sight of the two of them, Bill pulled Nardole into a tight hug too. It hadn’t been as long since she seen him but given that he’d thought she was a Cyberman too, it seemed only fair!   

“Thanks for looking after me, mate!” Bill smiled as she released Nardole. “What have I missed?”   

While Nardole updated Bill on the recent events, and Bill did the same, mostly corroborating Missy's story, the Doctor and Missy were making the most of their relative privacy. They both knew their time was limited before they had to put on an act again for the younger Master. But that was a conversation for later. Missy had closed the gap between the two of them, and the Doctor's arms were around her. She was practically clinging to him as though they might be torn apart at any moment, and she couldn't bear the thought. Her head rested against his chest, and they just held each other in a long-lost embrace. There was no need to speak, no need for anything but each other. They had both gambled, but for once it had paid off. The prize money each other. A friendship so deep and complex renewed. Still fragile, still in progress. It probably always would be. But renewed, healing, beyond what either of them had dared hope for.   

After a long while of just holding each other, Missy was the first to move. She leaned up, catching the Doctor's mouth with her own. It was just as soft and chaste as the first and she almost seemed scared that he might refuse her. Might change his mind, push her away. But he didn't, one hand staying resting in the small of her back, the other after a moment coming to the back of her neck. He held her there, lips pressed together. The change in Missy was palpable as she seemed to realise this was real. He was sincere. She relaxed into his embrace, her grip on him relaxing too. Had anyone been watching, they might have thought them to be two lovers, sharing their first embrace, first kiss after a period of separation.  

They both looked different in a way when the kiss ended. Younger, perhaps. There were still concerns of course, still so many things to sort out before they could really look to the future, but that seemed somehow unimportant right now.    

“Does this mean...?” Missy's eyes were wide, bright, full of hope – the sort of sparkling hope that lit her very being, animated her. She looked happier than she had in months. Years. Maybe even centuries. It was hope in a near certainty, not a far-flung possibility. The Doctor nodded.   

“I think so, my old friend...” He smiled, and that too was a more genuine true smile than Missy had seen for a long time. “Will you come and see the stars with me? I have a promise to keep.”   

“I would love to, my dear.”  

Of course, they all knew that this moment couldn't last – the calm before the storm that was the Master. Bill and Nardole gave the two Gallifreyans their space of course, but before long the Doctor had ushered them back over to start scheming. The Master couldn't be allowed to find out about Bill, that much was clear to them all, and so Missy, the Doctor and Nardole would have to keep up their acts. They agreed it would be easier if as few people knew as possible for the time being, with their only confidante from the humans living on the farm being little Alit. She had already proved herself and seemed excited to be involved! It was Missy who had the idea to send Alit to keep an eye out for her younger self so that they would have a few minutes warning before he arrived, as she knew how sneaky the girl could be (especially after a little extra tutoring from Missy!) and was sure she could do so without the Matter noticing. She also suggested that Alit casually drop into a conversation with Hazran or one of the other adults where they were so that they could put on a bit of a show (with Alit’s warning allowing them to hide Bill in time)  

“Before he arrives, Doctor,” said Missy, seriously, “is there anything off-limits? I want to convince him, of course, but I know I've gone too far in the past. If I could stop him from doing so too I would, but that would rather defeat the point.”  

The Doctor smiled, that affectionate smile that she had so rarely seen.   

“Thank you, Missy. That means a lot.” He paused, considering for a moment, then shook his head. “You have my full permission to do what you think is necessary to be persuasive. If I'm uncomfortable, that just makes it all the more convincing, doesn't it?”  

Missy smirked.   

“Always the masochist, dearest!”  

“You know how to snap me out of it if I do get overwhelmed. Just don't make it too obvious. So, what did you have in mind then?”  

By the time Alit came running back in to tell them that the Master was on his way, they had a fair number of ideas agreed on. Bill and Alit retreated together to hide away as well as they could while still able to watch and see what was happening, while Nardole took up position studying the Cyberman who the Master still believed was Bill, and Missy backed the Doctor up against one of the barn supports.  

“You’re sure about this, Doctor?” she asked, softly.  

“Certain.”  

When the knocks had come at the door, and the Master’s voice rang out, the Doctor gave Missy a nod of encouragement. She had her whole body pressed up against his before the door had even had a chance to open. Kissing him hard and fierce.  

Bill kept herself as closely hidden as possible while the conversation took place. This kiss between the two of them was a lot closer to what she might have imagined kissing Missy would be like. Not that she'd ever imagined what a kiss with Missy might be like of course. Why would she do that? That would be madness! (Okay, so she totally had. It was hardly her fault that the Time Lady was insanely attractive and that she was a hopeless lesbian!) It was interesting to see the two at work. She’d always known that they were both excellent liars, and this only confirmed it. When Missy finally pulled away from the Doctor, it was almost as though someone had flicked a switch back, all hint of vulnerability had gone – strong, vicious, ruthless. It was almost scary how much she could change, and though Bill could catch a glimpse here and there of emotion that Missy wasn’t quite quick enough to hide, she could see that the Master was buying it.  

They had all kept up their acts pretty well, and with Alit’s help, Bill had managed to get out of sight every time the Master had come visiting in the barn. The scarf had been a bit of a mistake. She didn’t even realise that she had dropped it until he had picked it up off the ground, and immediately flown into a rage.   

Bill had also continued to have occasional conversations with Missy, although these were less common now that the Doctor was able to visit her.  

“You know,” Bill said to Missy on one of these visits, “the Doctor told me that Time Lords were billions of years beyond the human obsession with gender or something, but then I watch you and the Master, how can he be so...” she trailed off, not quite able to find the right words.  

“Ah, well for some reason, when I was him, I was misogynistic little twerp,” said Missy, rolling her eyes, “don’t know what I was thinking, but I was. As for me?” She dropped her voice, leaning close as though sharing her deepest, darkest secret. “It’s all an act, dearie. Well, mostly anyway – I am quite enjoying the being one of the girlies. I’m much more dangerous if I’m underestimated, and there’s always someone like him who’ll see me using a diminutive nickname instead of asserting my authority, and playing up the feminine, and they start to forget just how much of a threat I am. Some of you humans, with your funny little ideas about gender – well, they’re even easier.” She smiled at the look on Bill’s face. “Besides, do you always believe the Doctor?”  

“Good point,” said Bill, laughing. “So - and you don’t have to answer me, I know it’s very personal, right. But what’s it like for you – if your whole body changes, and suddenly it’s... well, a completely different shape. Is it like an expression of how you feel when you change, or is there a mismatch or does it just not matter to you?”  

Missy actually laughed. “The Doctor’s right – you humans do have funny ideas about gender. I was me before, and I was me after. It wasn’t a choice or anything – it's a bit of a lottery really, most of the time. Although I did meet one Time Lady who had incredible control over her form. Tried on bodies as though they were outfits in a shop until she found one she liked. Maybe it’s because mine and the Doctor’s tend to be a wee bit more violent.” She grinned, just a hint of her more chaotic side showing through for a moment. “But that’s half the fun, of course.”  

“Hey, Missy?”  

“If you’re going to say I’m so fine, I already know, dear,” said Missy, winking.  

Bill laughed again. “Are all Time Lords as insufferable as the three of you?”  

“Darling, they’re far worse. Why do you think we left?”  

It was surprisingly easy to talk to Missy, now that Bill wasn’t so frightened of her. She didn’t let her guard down completely, of course – she wasn’t stupid. She’d learned a lot more about the Doctor, and the past that he shared with Missy too, much more than the Doctor would ever have told her she was sure, although how much was completely true was another matter entirely.  

It was weird sharing a barn with a Cyberman who everyone talked to and about as though it was her, at least when there was any risk of being overheard, but she understood that it was necessary. As the Doctor’s plans moved closer and closer to fruition, though, a horrible thought had crossed her mind. She had broached it with the Doctor the next time he came to visit.  

“Doctor, how can I ever go home, even if we do make it out of here alive? I’ve got a giant box sticking out of my chest, I’ll stand out a mile. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad to be alive, but I’m ten years older, and I’ve got this. I’ll never fit back in. I’ll never see my friends again.”  

The Doctor, for a moment, had no words. He put an arm around her shoulders and held her as Bill started to cry. It was so unlike her usual sunshine demeanour, and so very human.  

“I’m sorry,” he murmured to her, because that’s all he could say. “We’ll work something out. Somehow.” But they both knew that he was just trying to be kind.  

A few of Bill’s tears fell to the floor, and where they fell, something very strange was happening, for the moment unobserved by the two friends. There was a growing pool of water, much more than might be expected from the few tears that had fallen. It was only as a figure rose up from its surface, dripping wet, that it finally caught the Doctor and Bill’s attention.  

“Heather?” Bill was the first to speak, stepping forward towards her, surprise and hope rising in her chest, tears almost forgotten. “How did you find me?”  

Heather smiled, offering a hand to Bill, who took it immediately.  

“I left you my tears, remember? I know when you’re crying them.”  

“You are really here, aren’t you?” asked Bill, still barely daring to believe it. “Not just a hopeful dream?”  

Heather smiled fondly, then leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.  

“Does that feel like a dream to you?”  

The smile lit up Bill’s face. “I missed you,” she whispered. “I barely knew you, and I still missed you. But why now?”  

“Because I can help.” Heather looked at the Doctor. “I can help all of you, if you like.” She turned back to Bill. “I can make you like me, if you like... or I can make you fully human again, no ‘upgrades’ required. It’s all just atoms. And then there’s your little Cyberman problem. I think I have an answer...”  

Heather and Bill had moved to another one of the farm buildings after that – it was safer, with the Master more frequently poking around, especially after the business with the scarf, and it meant that the Doctor could play the part of visiting the Cyberman while the Master was watching without putting them at risk, it was more comfortable than the barn, and also meant that Bill and Heather had a little more privacy to get to know each other a little better. It was, of course, Heather’s tears that the Cyberman pretending to be Bill had cried – her idea to make it even more convincing to the Master. The personality showing through had been another of Missy’s little tricks. There was no strong personality there really, of course, and it did make the Doctor a little uneasy sometimes, but it worked, and between the Doctor, Missy and Heather, they had done rather a good job of pulling it off.  

Missy calling the lifts had also been a vital part of the plan – they needed to get as many Cybermen up to level 507, and away from the lift shafts as possible to give the two Masters enough time to make it to their respective TARDISes without being caught. So, all that remained was for the final part of the plan to be put into action.  

The lift, now 

The Master was gaping at Missy, his face contorted with rage, the two of them sat in opposite corners of the lift.  

“You see, dear, you should really pay more attention, and stop underestimating us girlies.” She tilted her head to one side, thinking for a second. “How many times in a row is that you’ve been killed by a girl? Chantho, Lucy, Lucy again , and now me. Don’t you ever learn?”  

The Master ignored that, apart from a scowl.  

“All those times you were off with the Doctor, locked away, what were you doing?”  

She shrugged. “Oh, you know, this and that, planning, after care from our little scenarios with you... the rest you’ll just have to wait and find out for yourself, won’t you?” She winked at him. “But I think you’ll rather enjoy it!”  

“You’ve made up your mind, then?”  

“Absolutely. It’s time for a change, dearie. He’s right. He was always right.”  

“What did he do to you? To me ?! No, I’ll never stand with the Doctor. I’ll never be one of his little pets !”  

“Yes, you will, my dear,” said Missy. “It’s been a long time coming. You know, it was surprisingly easy to fool you.”  

There was a look of surprise, mixed with pain on Missy’s face as the full blast from the Master’s laser screwdriver hit her square in the chest. She should really have seen it coming, he thought bitterly. The Doctor really had made her blind.  

“Oh, and don’t bother trying to regenerate, that was full blast,” said the Master, laughing cruelly. "You see, Missy, this is where we've always been going. This is our perfect ending. We shoot ourselves in the back.”  

When the lift doors slid open a few minutes later, the Master staggered out and in the direction of his own TARDIS, still chuckling to himself, and leaving Missy for dead on the lift floor. He didn’t even glance back at her.  

Chapter Text

Level 507  

When the Doctor returned to the farm, he looked worried. He soon found Nardole, Bill and Heather, finally no longer needing to hide themselves.  

“They’ve gone?” asked Nardole. The Doctor nodded, although his mind was churning.  

“Doctor, What’s wrong?” Bill asked, concerned. “Did something happen? Did he do something?”  

The Doctor shook his head. “No, no everything went according to plan. They’re heading back down to the TARDISes. He didn’t suspect a thing.” He half smiled. “I even did a big rousing speech! That annoyed him.” His face softened a little. “Missy played her part well too. But...”  

“But what Doctor? What happened?”  

“She had a knife. She showed me before she left. I think she’s going to force his regeneration. But that’s a dangerous game to play, he’s so volatile right now, and...” he paused, voice shaking slightly. “And I’m scared for her.”  

“Oh, Doctor,” said Bill, understanding crossing her face, “she knows the risks as well as you do, you know. Maybe even better. She’ll come back to you. From what you’ve said, she always does. One way or another.”  

“I know. But I can’t stop thinking something is going to go wrong. That it’s too good to be true. After all these years...”  

“Yeah,” Bill glanced across at Heather with a shy smile, “I know what you mean. She’s more than capable of looking after herself, though, you know that.”  

He sighed but nodded. “You’re right, of course you’re right. I’m just an idiot.”  

With the Master safely out of their way, they could finally introduce Bill and Heather to the rest of the humans. Time was moving quickly, and it was only a matter of time before the first wave of Cybermen reached them, so the Doctor finally filled them in on the plan. He and Nardole had managed to find an old service hatch, hidden within the farmhouse, which they intended to use to get all the people to one of the higher levels, where there should be another solar farm, potentially with other humans also living there. Nardole and Bill would guide them, and act as protectors. The Doctor and Heather, meanwhile, would remain on level 507 and keep the Cybermen occupied, until it was time to enact the final stages which should at the very least incapacitate, if not wipe out the remaining Cybermen completely. Hopefully, Missy would return with his TARDIS before it came to that point. He had set up a pulse from his sonic screwdriver for her to fix on, to once again help guide the TARDIS through the influence of the black hole. But if not... Well, if not he wasn’t about to let the Cybermen go after the humans, and he would do what needed to be done.  

“Nardole, Heather will come and find you once we’re ready. When she does, activate this. It’ll create another signal for us to collect you in the TARDIS.” He handed Nardole a small device.  

“You’re sure everything will work?” Nardole asked, as he put it in his pocket.  

“Of course, I’m not sure,” said the Doctor, “but what other choice do I have? We’ve already been over it so many times, this is the only chance to get us all out. We all stand, or we all fall. One way or another, it ends here.”  

They had just started to assemble everyone together when it began. It started with a loud, electronic siren sounded throughout the farm and, the Doctor knew, probably the rest of the spaceship.  

“Nardole, what is that?” Hazran asked. Nardole glanced at the Doctor.  

“The Cybermen don’t have fear, but they know how to use it. They’re announcing their arrival. They’re on their way.”  

“And what are we meant to do?” she asked, glancing at the newer Cyberman model which was still laying on the table from their examinations, and the older model who was still overseeing it (Missy had transferred all control of her decoy Bill to the Doctor before leaving with her past self, so that they had one more weapon to work with, and while the Doctor still wasn’t overly comfortable at the idea of having his very own Cyberman to control, it was certainly better than the Master, or other Cybermen having control). “Our guns will never shoot through their armour.”  

A grin spread across Nardole’s face.  

“Oh, I was hoping someone would say that!” He took up one of their rifles and aimed it out of the farmstead. “Is that windmill important?” he asked.  

Hazran looked confused. “I suppose not. Why?”  

Nardole fired the rifle, and there was a phenomenal explosion. “No reason,” he said with a shrug, as Hazran squealed in alarm. “How about that bush over there – shoot that,” he said, nodding to the other humans. One of them obliged, and another explosion shook the countryside.  

“You think you’re quite something, don’t you?” said Hazran. Nardole grinned at her.  

“I just try not to miss the obvious.”  

“But how is that even possible?” asked the man who had shot the bush.  

“Because,” said the Doctor, before Nardole had the chance to answer, “this isn’t the countryside. It’s a spaceship. If it can fool you, then it can fool them – they come from you. They're robots, but they've got monkey brains. You can always fool a monkey brain with a little bit of theatre!”  

“Doctor, don’t be rude,” said Bill, rolling her eyes.  

“Sorry,” he said, but he didn’t really sound sorry.  

Soon, all the barricades were in place, all the people gathered, and everyone ready.  

it wasn't long before Alit, who being both the boldest, and the sneakiest had been on lookout duty around the hole in the floor where their shuttle had broken few two weeks ago, came sprinting back into the farm. “They’re here,” she said.  

“You know what you need to do?” the Doctor asked. She nodded, tossing an apple in hand that he’d given her earlier.  

“I’m ready.”  

It was a chilling sight, a whole squadron of Cybermen, marching in perfect formation. There was something slightly unnerving about the way that they marched in absolute perfect time, completely synchronised with one another. Alit left the safety of the house, stepping forward with a confidence that the Doctor couldn’t help but admire. When they saw her, the Cybermen came to a halt.  

“Hello,” said Alit, as calmly as though she was talking to one of her friends.  

“You will not be harmed. You will be upgraded.” The lead Cyberman took a step towards her.  

Alit pretended to consider for a moment. “Mmm, no thanks,” she said, before throwing the apple at them. It landed in the middle of them. There was a moment’s pause, as the Cybermen turned as one to look at the projectile. Then, inside, Nardole pressed a button on his laptop. The explosion was phenomenal, sending Cybermen flying in all directions. Alit grinned, running back into the safety of the farm buildings.   

“Do you get it now?” Nardole asked Hazran. “This whole floor, under the soil, it's fuel lines and fusion turbos. And if you happen to be a genius with insane computer skills, you can remote-spark a critical failure and boom!”  

“Boom!” Alit echoed with some glee. Hazran just looked bewildered. But there wasn’t time for further explanations just then.  

"Incoming, about a hundred and twenty feet,” one of the men shouted.  

“On it. Three, two, one.” Nardole worked quickly at the laptop again. Another explosion shook the farmhouse.  

“So, any second now,” said the Doctor, as Nardole and the humans worked together to set off another couple of explosions, “the Cybermen will decide that we have significant weaponry, which means that they will change their campaign parameters.”  

"What do you mean?” Hazran asked, still looking confused.  

“Well, up till now, this has been a mercy mission,” the Doctor said. “They want to upgrade you,” he added on seeing Hazran’s face. “That's why they come for your children. But now they think we're a military target, so they will fall back, regroup, and plan a much bigger assault.”  

"Oh, well that sounds wonderful ,” said Bill, rather sarcastically.  

"Yes, it's just what we want,” said the Doctor, “because it means they will stop tracking the children, which means...”  

"They're moving back,” one the humans interjected. The Doctor grinned.  

"Time to go.” The Doctor stepped forward, opening a trapdoor in the middle of the room, which led down to the cellar.  

"But we're surrounded.”  

The Doctor’s grin only widened. “Oh, I love being surrounded. It means everyone's looking at me. Hazran, let's get going.” He and the decoy Bill led their way down the stairs into the cellar. In the cellar was a large, rusty looking metal door. At a signal from the Doctor, the decoy Bill Cyberman triggered its weapon, blowing a hole in it.  

“We’re on a spaceship, remember?” the Doctor explained. “This is an old service duct. You can use it to get up to one of the other solar farms – level 502 looks like a good bet to me.”  

He climbed out of the cellar, leaving the way clear.  

"Right then. Come on, you lot,” said Hazran, calling the rest of the people. “Everybody down to the cellar.”  

As the people started filing down, the Doctor turned to Nardole and Bill.  

"Are you two ready to lead the evacuation? I’ll see you soon – a few hours at most, I’d like to think.”  

“I still don’t like this, Doctor,” said Nardole. “What if you need me?”   

“We’ll be fine,” said the Doctor. “I know what I’m doing, and I’ll have Heather with me if anything goes wrong.” He put his sonic screwdriver to the laptop, downloading everything. “Thanks for the software – I've got it all from here!”  

“Well, don’t do anything stupid,” said Nardole.  

“You worry too much!” He shook his head. “Go on. Besides, one of us has to stay down here and blow up a lot of silly tin men, and one of us has to go up there and look after a lot of very scared people and keep them safe. If something goes wrong, which one of us is stronger?”  

There was a long pause, before Nardole’s face fell.  

“Damn.”  

“My condolences. Anyway, it won’t go wrong. I’ve got you two. I’ve got Heather. I’ve got Missy. I’ll be up there to collect you before you know it.”  

“You’d better be. Otherwise, I’ll have to name a town after you. A really rubbish one.”  

The Doctor laughed. “Oh, I’m counting on it!”  

“And probably a pig!” Nardole added.  

The Doctor turned to Bill. “You keep safe too. And look after Nardole. Make sure he doesn’t get up to any trouble. Last time I left him alone, he started a black market!”  

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. You just concentrate on coming back alive!” She turned to Heather, with a soft smile. “Both of you.”  

“I’ll always come back for you,” said Heather, with a smile, which Bill returned. Heather leaned across, pressing a short kiss to her lips. “Keep that safe until I do!”  

“We’ll be fine,” said the Doctor, patting Bill on the shoulder. “Now go on, before the Cybermen start their attack.”  

Once Bill and Nardole had left, and the evacuation had started, the Doctor turned to Heather. “I think you should keep yourself hidden, until it’s time to strike,” he said to her. “You’re my secret weapon as it were.”   

“If you’re sure you can handle them?”  

“I’m sure,” said the Doctor. “I’ll give you a signal when it’s time.”  

Heather nodded, and then melted from view, until all that was left once more was a small puddle on the floor.  

When the Doctor stepped from the farmhouse, decoy Bill following behind him, he sonicked the door shut behind him. He took a moment to survey the scenery, but the Cybermen had retreated for the moment. It wasn’t long, however, before the siren sounded once more.   

“They do love to advertise,” he said, even though his companion didn’t really understand him. “We need to buy them time to get clear. Come on. You can help. Cover me.”  

Before long, they were surrounded – it would be impossible not to be, with only the two of them fighting. Still, between the augmented weapon that Missy had given her Cyberman, and the software from Nardole now programmed into his sonic screwdriver, they were so far managing to keep them at bay. There were some narrow misses, with shots from the invading Cybermen coming their way, but for a while, it seemed to be working. But the sheer volume of Cybermen were increasing. The Doctor glanced at one of the displays on his sonic screwdriver. Missy should have reached his TARDIS by now. And his signal for her was beaming out strong and clear. Soon, she would be there, and they could destroy the Cybermen once and for all. But there was nothing. No blue box. No tell-tale sound of the TARDIS engines. More and more Cybermen exploded around them, but it seemed no matter how many they blew up, they were replaced by more and more, and they were getting closer.  

It was the decoy Bill who fell first. It was a fluke shot from one of the invading Cybermen, but it hit her full in the chest. So now he was alone. And he was running out of time.  

“Missy, where are you?”  

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a couple of deep breaths, and preparing himself for what needed to be done. If he left it too much longer, he would be overrun, and it would be too late. When his eyes opened again, there was no doubt in them. He reached into his pocket to pull out the device that they had rigged up.  

“I’m ready,” he said. From the sky above, a strange thing started to happen. For the first time ever on level 507, it started to rain.  

Level 1056 

All was still in the Conversion Theatre now. No Cybermen left, all of them converging on the levels above. A trail of blood splatters led through from the lift area towards the living quarters. In the lift area, the doors to one lift were still open, although the rest were still locked down. The lift itself was now empty, but for a small pool of blood. A blue box – the Doctor’s TARDIS – still stood in the area, conspicuous amongst the stark white of the corridor. Impregnable to the primitive Cybermen, who wouldn’t have known what it was, even if they could get in. The door was open now, a flash of purple disappearing inside. The door swung shut, and a few moments later a strange sound rang out and the TARDIS faded from view.  

Level 507 

The rain was falling hard and fast now – not just here, but all through the lower levels of the spaceship – anywhere that Cybermen were, and people weren’t. The Doctor had just resigned himself to the fact that there was no other way, when a new sound started. He spun around in its direction. There was nothing that could make the Doctor’s hearts sing more than the beautiful sound of his Tardis materialising, and then the sight of Missy, his Missy opening the doors and holding her hand out to him. He started towards her, his face breaking into a dazzling smile.  

“Doctor, behind you!”  

Missy’s call was a fraction of a second too late. As the Doctor wheeled round, sonic screwdriver at the ready, a blast of energy hit him in the side, causing him to cry out in agony and fall to his knees. It didn’t make it to a second blast however, a burst of light from Missy’s umbrella disintegrating the Cyberman instantly. Missy limped from the TARDIS, obviously in pain, but caring far too much about getting the Doctor to safety to let it hinder her. Once she reached him, she glanced around, checking and double checking, more bursts of light disintegrating more and more Cybermen until she was sure that none of them were close enough to do any damage before they made it back. There were hundreds of them now, but all far enough away. She hoped.  

“Come on, Doctor. Just one last stand!”  

The Doctor nodded, and she pulled him to his feet, letting him lean on her, despite her own pain.  

“Is everything ready?” she asked, as she guided him back to the safety of the TARDIS.  

The Doctor looked around, and there, where there had been no-one before, emerging from the rain, was Heather. She nodded, and so he nodded too. “We’re ready. Would you like to do the honours?” he asked, looking at Missy, as she closed the TARDIS door.  

“Together,” she said, softly. He smiled at that and nodded. It was such a tiny action, pressing the button that they had rigged up, triggering an electrical surge that spread out through the ship, conducted by the water provided by Heather, and electrocuting every single one of the Cybermen. But somehow it meant a lot, the first action of a future together – not as enemies, not at an imbalance with him imprisoning and teaching her, but as equals. As friends.  

A moment later, it was all over, and the figure of Heather appeared again within the TARDIS.  

“It’s done. I’m going to find Bill. Come and find us when you’re ready.” She looked at the two Gallifreyans with understanding, before disappearing.  

Missy smiled fondly at the Doctor, taking his hand, and leading him towards the TARDIS console, limping again as she did. He reached out and stopped her.  

“You’re hurt, what happened?”  

So, Missy told him about what her past self had done in the lift. The Doctor’s face fell. “Let me take a look at you!” But Missy shook her head.  

“Please, it’s not that bad – you really think I didn’t know what he would do when he found out? Why do you think I stole his laser screwdriver? I made a few little tweaks, of course – he was always underestimating me!” She grinned at his dumbfounded expression. “Of course, if I’d made it completely harmless, he’d have seen right through it, so painful, but not lethal. And certainly not enough to stop me being able to regenerate. Same trick you pulled at my execution. I’ll be fine, Doctor, I promise.” 

“Have I told you lately that you’re completely brilliant?”  

“I could stand to hear it a few more times,” said Missy, squeezing his hand. “Now come on...”  

They only made it a little further, before a look of pain crossed the Doctor’s face, and a glow of regeneration energy briefly lit up one hand again. He stumbled, gripping onto one of the TARDIS supports for a moment. Missy was back with him in a flash, letting him put an arm round her shoulders, taking more of his weight this time and gently leading him to the nearest seat.  

“How long have you been holding back your regeneration, Doctor? You know as well as I do how dangerous that can be!”  

“As dangerous as trying to fight off a Cyberman army and potentially two of you while freshly regenerated and maybe even dealing with regeneration sickness?” he countered. Missy’s eyes widened, unable to hide her worry.  

“That long?” she asked as she knelt before him, clasping his hands in her own. “Why didn’t you say something?”  

He shrugged. “I didn’t want to worry you. There was a chance we wouldn’t get out of this alive anyway, so why would I trouble you with something so insignificant? Anyway, it wasn’t so bad then. I think the Cyberman shooting me just now made it worse.”  

“My dear Doctor, have I ever told you how much of an idiot you are?” said Missy, fondly.   

“Frequently!”  

“We're safe now, so why don’t we...”  

“Not until the others are completely safe too,” he interrupted. “I want to say my goodbyes first. I have time, I promise. It may be killing me, but it’s killing me slowly.”  

“You are naughty, Doctor,” said Missy. “Don't you dare leave it too late. I’ll never forgive you if you go and die on me just as I finally got my friend back.”  

“If I die, you’ll kill me sort of thing?” said the Doctor, smiling despite himself. “How very original!”  

“Hush!” Missy said, but it was clear she didn’t mean it. “You know only I get to kill you, Doctor! So, you’d better not die – besides, didn’t you say you had a promise to keep?”  

The Doctor laughed, although it was evident that it hurt to do so. “I’ll do my best!”  

“Good. Now let’s go pick up your little pets, and we can get out of this dump!” said Missy, with a twinkle in her eye, offering a hand to help the Doctor to his feet. The Doctor accepted, shaking his head fondly.  

“You really must stop calling them that, you know," he commented as they crossed to the console. “Humans do take offence quite easily! What did you do with Jorj, by the way?”  

“Oh, I expect he’s around somewhere. I think he was hanging around your library last time I looked, although I didn’t really have the time to check in on him, what with you preparing to zap all those Cybermen with or without the TARDIS to keep you safe, just to let Eggy and friends escape.” She caught the raise of an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, Nardole . He knows I don’t mean anything by it. It’s a nickname!”  

Soon they were dematerialising. The Doctor was leaning heavily on the console now, so Missy did most of the work, expertly moving around and flicking switches while the Doctor mostly watched.  

Before long, Missy had rematerialised them a few levels up – a trickier than usual manoeuvre with the impact of the black hole, but she was nothing if not a quick learner. Besides, she had already given the spare materialisation circuit to her past self, so it was imperative that she didn’t make the same mistake again.  

Soon, Bill, Nardole and all the human refugees had been ushered into the TARDIS. The Doctor sent Nardole to settle the humans in some of the spare rooms, out of the way for the moment, while Missy did a final scan of the ship – as the Doctor said, that was no way to end your days, on a doomed spaceship disappearing into a black hole.  

“So, where are we taking all these people?” Missy asked, once Nardole had returned. “We are not travelling the universe with a whole colony of humans!”  

“We?” asked Nardole, but the Doctor hushed him.  

“I’ll put in a call to Kate Stewart,” he said. “I’m sure she and the Osgoods can make the necessary arrangements, and Mondas was Earth’s twin, so I’m sure they’ll fit in just fine. It’ll be much easier than with the Zygons.”  

“I think I’d better stay out of the way for that one,” said Missy, quietly, a look of regret crossing her face. “I’m not sure they'll be ready for that conversation just yet. And I can’t say I blame them. I want to make amends, but... this isn’t the time.”  

The Doctor smiled at that. “I agree. One step at a time. You have a lot of challenges in store if you really do want to keep on this path.” He took her hands in his once again, looking into her eyes. “But I know you can do it. You’re strong. So strong. You’ll have wobbles. You’ll backslide. You’ll have days when you want nothing more than to take out all your pain and frustration on the universe. But you’ll get past them.” He smiled. “If I can do it, then you can too. With maybe just a little bit of help from your friends – those shining stars who remind you what’s important. And you will fly !”  

“No,” said Missy, her face betraying the full range of emotions, “my dear Doctor, we will fly.”  

Soon the TARDIS was in motion once more, the dematerialisation much slower and bumpier than usual, but as they left the influence of the black hole, the engines finally quieted, the shaking subsided and finally they stilled, back into normal time, for the moment safely floating around a nebula until everything had been arranged. The Doctor was soon in calls with Kate Stewart, he and Nardole making arrangements for the humans now in their care.  

To Missy’s surprise, she found herself pulled into a tight hug by Bill. She raised an eyebrow.   

“And there I was hoping that I might have retained some of my intimidating qualities!”  

“Sorry mate,” said Bill as she released the Time Lady again.  “You saved my life, kept me company when the Doctor was out of it and kept me hidden from... him. I think we've long passed that point!” She smiled that sunshine smile at Missy.  “Thank you. Really.”  

“I suppose you’re not too bad... for a human anyway!”  

“High praise indeed.”  

“You two could travel with us a bit, if you like,” said Missy. Bill raised an eyebrow and the Doctor looked up from his call in surprise. Missy just smiled. “I’m not stupid, Doctor. For whatever reason, you’re always happier when you’ve got your favourite Earth girls around. Besides, I’ve grown quite fond of this one, and her girlfriend’s not even fully human, so that’s always a plus!” she winked at Bill, who was blushing a little. “I mean it though. If you like?”  

Bill glanced at Heather, who smiled and nodded once. “We’d love to. But I think I need a few days. It’s been... an experience! I think I’m about owed some normality!”  

“If you’re looking for normality, honey, you shouldn’t have caught his attention.” Missy nodded at the Doctor, who was now relaying instructions to Nardole.   

“Or mine,” added Heather, softly, taking one of Bill’s hands, and lacing her fingers through it. “You don’t mind if I come with you?”  

Bill smiled, laughing. “Of course, I don’t. I think we’ve got time to fit in a couple of proper dates before we go off, adventuring through space and time with ‘Doctor Who’” Bill grinned at Missy. “Oh, and I swear to god, if you let him interrupt another date with the Pope, or a squadron from UNIT or anything else in my bedroom, I will personally exact my revenge on the both of you!”  

“You got it,” said Missy. “Although if you ever need tips for exacting revenge, you know where to come!”  

“Missy!” The Doctor was giving her a stern look across the console room, although she could tell he didn’t mean it.  

“What? A girl’s gotta get her kicks somehow!” She winked at him.  

The Doctor, meanwhile, was in conversation with Nardole.  

“So, you’ve really decided to let her out for good then?”  

“How could I not? If she could stand up to her own past self, still do what’s right despite his influence, how could I go and lock her up again? She’s my friend. So, I have a promise to keep, from a long time ago.”  

“You’re right, of course, sir. But what about your vow?”  

“Nardole, as you well know, all I promised was to look after her body for a thousand years. No one said anything about keeping her locked up, just like no one said anything about her being dead. So, a few hundred years of traveling time and space together. I think it’ll do us both good. And I’ll look after her body, just like I said.” The Doctor actually blushed as he spoke, and Missy, still standing with Bill, looked utterly thrilled.  

“Sir!” Nardole looked scandalised.  

“Oh, shut up!”  

Soon everything was ready. Unfortunately, in this time, the Doctor experienced two more painful flashes of regeneration energy, pushing them back down each time. Missy tried to help, to look after him, but he ignored her. “Don’t fuss. I’m fine!”  

“What’s happening?” Bill whispered to Missy, when she thought the Doctor wouldn’t hear her. “Is he okay?”  

“Not really, dear. He’s just dying a little bit – no wait.” She held up a hand at Bill’s look of dismay and outrage, before she could protest too loudly. “He’ll be fine. I'm sure he’s mentioned we have a way to repair ourselves. But it can be quite... explosive. And he’s an idiot, so he’s holding it back until he’s said his goodbyes to you lot. I’ll look after him. Just... the next time you see him, he won’t be him. Well, not this him, anyway. Like me and junior. Same process, you know. He’ll be different, but he’ll still be the Doctor, and he’ll still be an idiot, no doubt! He’s not okay. But he will be.”  

“You’re sure?” Bill sounded worried. “And there’s nothing we can do?”  

Missy shook her head. “Just be there for him after, whatever he may look like, whoever he may be. Be his friend.”  

Bill raised an eyebrow at her. “I thought you said Time Lords were only friends with each other?”  

“Oh hush, don’t ruin it! I’m trying, okay?”  

Bill laughed. “Yeah, sure."  

They dropped Jorj off first, taking him back to his home, with reassurances from Bill that she didn’t hold it against him. The rest of the refugees from the spaceship were next, filing out into UNIT headquarters, followed by Nardole.  

“Hazran would miss me,” he said to Bill, with a grin. “Besides, I promised the Doctor I’d oversee things until they were settled in at least.”  

“You look after yourself, right?” said Bill, pulling him in to a hug. “And don’t forget to visit!”  

Finally, it was Bill’s turn. She stepped from the TARDIS to find herself in her own bedroom. Missy winked at her with a knowing smile. “Last time, I promise,” she said.  

Bill ran back, pulling the Doctor into a tight hug. “Thank you, Doctor. For everything. Don’t change too much.”  

The Doctor smiled, hugging her back. “Thank you, too, Bill. Take care of each other. I’ll see you both soon.”  

“You better!”  

And then, it was just the two of them. The Doctor groaned as another flash of energy emitted from his hand.  

“I think you’d better regenerate soon, dearest,” said Missy, gently, as she started the dematerialisation sequence, the TARDIS fading from view from Bill’s room. It didn’t take long for the short hop, and soon she fell quiet again. “Come on, I'd rather not have you regenerating in here – who knows what sort of damage you’d do after holding it back for so long, and I’ve only just got your maintenance up to date! I’ve taken the TARDIS back to your rooms at the university. We’ll be safe enough here.”  

She led him from the console room, letting him lean his weight on her. It didn’t take long to find somewhere suitable, and she sat, letting the Doctor lie, resting in her lap, holding him tenderly in her arms. She smiled fondly, taking his hands in her own.  

“Missy... thank you,” his voice was hoarse now, full of pain, “you’ve learned so much, and so have I. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind.” He paused, before murmuring softly, more to himself than anything else. “Doctor, I let you go.”  

The Doctor leaned up, letting his lips catch hers, and as he kissed her, a soft, gentle kiss, he finally let go, letting the regeneration energy flow freely, engulfing him – seeming to surround them both as his whole body began to change. She held him close, surprised to realise that her own pain was fading away to nothing too. She wouldn’t change, of course – it was his regeneration that was doing this, not a regeneration of her own. The regeneration energy which could be so destructive to one's surroundings, especially after being held back for so long, was instead partially being diverted to her in a way that she was sure couldn't be accidental.  That was just like the Doctor – sentimental to a fault! She never let go, not for a second, holding her Doctor protectively as his whole body changed.  

When the light faded, the Doctor in Missy’s arms was rather more petite, the clothes that the Doctor had been wearing now baggy. Missy smiled fondly.  

“Oh, I think you’ll like this one, Doctor. It looks like you got your wish. The future is all girl!”  

A dazzling smile spread across the Doctor’s new face – a new, younger face, with jaw-length blonde hair. “Oh, brilliant!”  

She kissed Missy again, with a smile. A new start, a new adventure. Together.