She learned it the hard way. Some people were never meant to exist. Not even the Doctor wants her as a companion. But then the Master saves her from certain death and discovers that this human girl might be of more use to him than he expected.
Ranki...
"I'm going to investigate their headquarters," said the Doctor when I strolled in the next morning to enjoy my first coffee in the company of the TARDIS' humming. "It's close by and there is supposed to be a presentation."
"Presentation?" I parroted, leaning against the console.
"Yup. It's all for the press and important people. Want to come along?"
"And get into trouble? They wouldn't even let us in."
The Doctor only grinned and flashed his psychic paper. Right now it was empty, but I remembered what effect it could have.
"I could just blow the place up and all worries would be gone," announced another voice from behind.
My heart rate shot up in an instant, thudding painfully in my throat. I didn't dare turn around, afraid at what disgusted face he would make at my sight.
"Noooo! I don't even know if they do anything bad!" protested the Doctor. "We'll go and have a look and maybe I might get some customer data."
"I didn't agree..." I carefully objected.
An arm landed on my shoulder, casually propped up there.
"Playing detective?" the Master asked joyfully. "I thought you were too scared for this kind of thing."
I had no choice but to look up, anxious and shy and awaiting to find more of the repulsion he had regarded me with the night before. He was still facing the other man, but then turned his head and... flashed me a grin. An expression of boyish mischief and challenge.
A sharp pain shot right through my heart, so fast did it beat, so frantically did it try to escape its cage. I caught myself fast enough to not let him see through me, straightened and returned the challenging smile.
"I'm not scared, just you watch me."
There it was. I could prove to him that I wasn't useless, that I wasn't afraid of things I didn't know, and if I was anyway that I could overcome it all and be brave.
"So you're coming with me?" asked the Doctor, already grabbing his coat to slip in.
"Yeah. Just let me get a jacket."
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The presentation was rather boring. The Doctor had gotten us inside by busting a backdoor with his sonic and had then flashed his psychic paper to make anyone who dared ask believe we were from "Health and Security". Which ended in us sitting in the film cabin, watching how a blond lady in oversized glasses tried to convince everyone how great their product was.
To me it all sounded like made up bullshit.
A woman in the film hall started to ask some uncomfortable questions, clearly willing to rile the blonde one up and to get some nice headlines.
I barely listened to more babble about biology. A topic that had never fascinated, nor interested me. I knew the basics and probably more than most anyway, since my brain tends to soak up information like some sponge. It sounded pretty bullshitty anyway, even to me. As if a big company like them would tell in detail how their product worked...
