Soul's Shadow (Doctor Who - SI)

Part IX (VI)

The Master spends days modifying the handcuff. With a bit of transdimensional engineering it's surprisingly easy to hide some useful elements in it. Mostly he only puts a bunch of tiny chips with different codes on them in it. To hack into the most common species' systems. That's always helpful. And can cause a fun little chaos when done right. Or wrong.

He decides to keep it slow and inconspicuous for a while. There is no need for the Doctor to find out just yet. He will, eventually, but not now.

There is the odd malfunctioning of whatever is in reach when they visit civilized planets. There are cases of people acting out of character once in a while - as if hypnotised, one might say. Things vanish and others appear in places they shouldn't be.

The Doctor doesn't suspect anything at first. Then he does and checks the handcuff - thoroughly. He can't find a thing. So his trust grows, as does his belief that the Master had changed. Only a little maybe, but it's a first step - right?

The Master only smirks whenever he gets away with mischief. These days he feels more like a trickster than a monster. And to his surprise it's not half as boring as he had feared.

Then they are on a colony ship, somewhere far out in the Ploreny galaxy. It's impossible for the Doctor to leave his TARDIS without finding trouble. Sometimes the Master suspects the ship to even find it for him. A perfect symbiosis. Nonetheless, they are in trouble, surrounded by men with weapons, all pointing at the two Time Lords. He only smirks, activates a mental link on his cuff and sends a psychic shock wave through the room.

Most men and women drop dead on the spot. Some are more resistant and only cry out in pain, paralysed and tormented, maybe never to be fixed or to have a proper thought again.

Of course the Doctor is shocked, of course he makes the Master hand over the cuff. Or so he tries. He has nothing to threaten him with, after all.

"We can't continue like that," he pleads. "I need to be able to trust you, Master."

A smile grows on his face at hearing his name. Almost he wants to command to say it again, just to hear it tumble from the Doctor's lips. He wants to feel the sound of it on his skin, wants it to echo through their shared minds. But that's not a thing they do anymore. Not since a long time ago.

"You can't trust me as long as you keep me imprisoned," is his dry answer. "Give me a Vortex Manipulator, I know you have a few. Let me go and mind your own business."

"And then what?" The Doctor throws his arms up. "You run back to earth and finish what you started? You go and enslave some other planet? Or do you plan to summon some ancient powers because you think you could control and command them?"

"I could do all of that in a sector of the universe that's far, far away from you." He just has to smile at the thought of doing all of those things. Those and many more the Doctor would never think of listing. "I'll spare the earth. That's my offer."

The Doctor only sighs and wearily shakes his head. "I can't," he mumbles. "I have a responsibility."

Of course he has. This self imposed bulshit. After that the Master hides in the TARDIS for quite some time. He's not in the mood to deal with the other man, not in the mood to get another leash attached. Instead he builds himself a new laser screwdriver and decides to resort to simple methods.

A simple threat of killing the Doctor until he runs out of regenerations. Maybe it won't stay a threat. The urge to kill his enemy grows stronger each day, maybe has grown ever since the Doctor ran away without saying a word.

Maybe then the drums will be quiet.

Maybe this is what they want him to do. All the times he could have ended the other one's life, all the times he hasn't...