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The gold light of the sun bathed the laboratory of UNIT headquarters where the Doctor was working. All of his attention was on the experiment he was performing. He had repeated this experiment multiple times already because it needed complete silence, and every single time someone had interrupted him. This time, however, Jo was on a trip, which meant one less variable of sound to account for, and if the universe was in his side, maybe this was the time he would successfully finish. That was not the case. The door to the room opened, invading the room with sound.
- Doctor, you have to hear something
- You just interrupted my experiment, Brigadier, so it better be important
- It's the Master, he sent us a message
- A message? What is it? - said the Doctor, letting go of all the annoyance he had for the interruption.
- I think it's better if you hear it.
And with that, the Brigadier went out of the laboratory the Doctor following him behind, through the hallway to the communications room.
- Sergeant Benton, show the message to the Doctor.
Benton pressed some buttons in response, and the voice of The Master filled the room, and everyone but the Doctor tensed up at the sound of it.
"Hello, Brigadier. I'll be quick with this, and I'll simplify it so your mind can understand. I need the 'secret ingredient' as you have been calling it, and you will give it to me or in the next hours I'll send my newly acquired pet to destroy some nearby town. I'll be waiting in the soap factory that is 20 Grummas away from the Headquerters. The Doctor will know where that is, just send him. Alone. No else. If you sent your squad, I'll just leave and set my pet free. Make your decision quickly, you have only 3 hours"
- Another of his brilliant plans. what is this 'secret ingredient' he wants? - The Doctor asked.
- It's a substance that we have been working on for a while, but we are not gonna give it to him. He shouldn't even know it exists. It’s very dangerous and if the government discovers a criminal knows about it, we'll be in trouble - the Brigadier replied - So the plan is we send you, as he asked, with a fake and hope he doesn't notice while we evacuate all the nearby towns and prepare to fight the pet creature he has. The only thing is that we don't know the location of-
- Ah, yes, give me a map, I'll mark you the locations - The Doctor interrupted.
- Sergeant.
Benton took out a map and placed it on the table.
- Great now be quiet while I make the calculations, It won't take long but It needs to be precise and I can't focus with you talking - The Doctor said while signaling with his hands for them to get out.
Once he was alone he sat and started making the conversion of grummas to kilometres, he had never done it before but it’s not like it was complicated it was just a rule of three simples that also required a few extra variables. He marked the radius in the map and looked for where the factory was.
- There, now, where is the fake substance you want me to give him.
~~~~
Five towns had to be evacuated to be prepared for the worst result of this operation, the general annoyance of the people could be felt from the distance even. UNIT's troops swaddled the area and got their weapons ready, in case the creature was sent out to cause destruction. The Doctor had tried to tell them it would be a waste of time to shoot the creature, since whatever the pet was, it clearly wasn't going to be from earth and it was very likely immune to bullets, but the Brigadier wanted to try any way and wouldn't hear any objection.
~~~~
The air had some artificial lavender tint residual from the years of productions and shadows projected across the space where the natural light couldn't reach. It would have been quiet if not for the echoes of the Doctor resonating through the place. He reached the main room of the factory, and in the middle of the empty space, there was standing the Master. And by his said a creature, that had the size of an adult. It was green and looked sticky but also dangerous: it had five mouths; a red eye; and tentacles as arms. It was a skaratid. The Doctor wondered where on earth could have the Master found it.
- Hello Doctor, have you missed me? What do you think of my new pet? - said the Master to break the weird tension that there was always between them.
- I can't say I missed you - The Doctor lied expertly - And that is one dangerous pet there, do you even control it? It seems to be too grown for that.
-Of course I do, I trained it very well, now where's the substance.
- Here - the Doctor said whilst getting a tiny vial of a liquid out of his pocket - this is it, what do you plan to do with it?
- Just some experiments, Doctor - answered the Master, walking towards the Doctor - Did you know it has atron energy? Barely an Atto-Omega, but still. The humans don't understand what they have, but I'll make it of use.
The Doctor handed the Master the vial. They were so close, and there were so many things both of them wanted to say but wouldn't even dare. The Master looked away quickly and walked away towards a wall. His Tardis was there on that wall, very well hidden in a way the Doctor hasn't hide his in years.
The Master hadn't walked even four steps before turning back to face to the Doctor, with a calm anger in his face
- This one is fake, I assume the Brigadier didn't think I would notice. Quite insulting to my abilities - He dropped the dial to ground, and it broke.
- There was no need to be dramatic, I'm surprised you didn't notice sooner.
- Well it's doesn't matter anymore, pet, go, food - said the Master to the Skartid, and pointed to the wall behind The Doctor.
The green goo then moved, and passed right by the Doctor and went to it the wall. Strange crunchy noises were made by the creature trying, and succeeding, to eat the wall. A big hole was made in it enough for it to go through it to one of the town's. But it didn't, instead it continued on eating the wall. A trace of suprise manifested in the Masters face, barely noticeable to most, but not to the Doctor who recognised it immediately and knew what it meant.
- Pet. Stop. Go different direction - The Master yelled while pointing to the outside of the building, where at the distance the UNIT's troops could be seen. But the Skaratid continued and so the Master kept on screaming - I am the Master and you will obey me. Stop.
But the Skaratid didn't listen, and had already eaten almost half of the wall.
- Doctor, it seems we now have a common goal - said the Master trying to compose himself, barely hiding his despair despite of what he thought - How do we stop it?
- I'm not sure, I've never had seen one before, but they do eat anything don't they?
- Yes, it's a very hungry creature.
- Then we have to make it eat his own destruction, I have the things needed in my lab to make it explode, if you take me there we could-
- Not necessary, I can get everything from the Tardis. Wait here Doctor - The Master said and rushed to the Tardis.
He came back out with a bunch of materials and ingredients accommodated everything in the floor and started working. The Doctor soon joined.
Both of them were hiding how much they were enjoying it. They were under a threat and they were only worked togheter to survive it, was what they both were telling themselves. But they actually loved working toghether, close as they were now. It was like when they were young and still not enemies. During times like this it was that they dared to hope to be on the same side once again, like they both longed. But it was just a moment, and it didn't last long. They finished the bomb and the Doctor grabbed it and called out to the monster.
- FOOD HERE.
The monster stopped eating, it had already consumed an entire wall and a bit more. The Doctor yelled once again and this time the creature started moving in his direction with and open mouth.
The Doctor masterfully threw the bomb and scored. The Skaratid ate it and exploded almost immediately. Everything was covered with a green goo and a weird smell that was a mix of lavender and chemicals that were probably toxic to humans if they were exposed to them for long periods of time.
The Doctor turned around to talk to The Master only to find that he had left during the commotion, without even saying goodbye. He knew they would meet again, but the Brigadier was going to be disappointed at the fact that the most wanted criminal had escaped. Once again. And just as the Doctor was thinking that UNIT'S troops got closer to the building, the Brigadier started saying something about piles of paperwork.