The Orphan and Her Family

Chapter Fifty-Nine

"Now then, peoples of the Earth," the Master begins, and faces the camera, "Please attend carefully." The Doctor glances over at his companions, and pulls the key off his neck. He takes off for the Master, but two of the men in black grab him by the elbows. The Master steps forward, "We meet at last, Doctor. Oh, ho. I love saying that."

"Stop it! Stop it now!" he begs his friend.

The Master laughs, "As if a perception filter's going to work on me." Jack and Martha step forward together, and the Master nods at the guards to stop them, "And look, it's the girlie and the freak. Although, I'm not sure which one's which." Jack races forward, shaking off the guards grasp. Saxon grins, and aims something vaguely like the Doctor's sonic at him. Jack freezes, and then collapses, dead on the ship of the deck."Laser screwdriver. Who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!" he grins.

"Master, just calm down. Just look at what you're doing. Just stop. If you could see yourself—" the Doctor pleads.

"Oh, do excuse me," he says to the camera, "Little bit of personal business. Back in a minute." He walks away from the camera, "Let him go." He turns from the Doctor, and meets Sophie's eyes. "My dear Miss McCoy, so happy you could make it. I do have just one word for you." He leans closer to her, and she can see the crazed look in his eyes, "Telic."

Sophie's mind goes blank, and her spine straightens, a peaceful smile on her face, "Master. What is it you would like me to do?"

The Doctor's face darkens, "You let her go, right now."

"Oh, how to shut him up?" the Master laughs. "I know. Memory Lane. Professor Lazarus. Remember him and his genetic manipulation device? What, did you think that little Tish got that job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time. And if I can concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver? But, ooo, if I only had the Doctor's biological code. Oh, wait a minute, I do." He pulls open a large metal briefcase beside him, and removes the hand in a jar. "I've got his hand. And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years?"

He once again aims his screwdriver, this time at the Doctor. He starts to convulse rapidly. Jack revives as the Time Lord shudders. He grabs Sophie's ankle, and she raises an eyebrow, and pulls away. "Sophie?"

"I'm afraid Miss McCoy is under my control now, Captain," the Master states.

Jack looks to his sister, and then back at the Time Lord, "You b*st*rd, let her f*cking go."

The Master stops zapping the Doctorz and he looks up, looking at least a hundred years older. Martha crouches on the floor beside him, "Doctor? I've got you."

"Miss McCoy, could you please get me out special guests?"

She nods, "Of course, my Master."

She steps out of the room, and grabs the cable ties that are fastening the Jones' families hands together. "We've flown them in all the way from prison," the Master smiles, and gestures to the family.

Martha runs at them, and wraps her arms around her mother, who almost immediately apologises.

The Doctor forces himself to a sitting position, "The Toclafane. What are they? Who are they?"

The Master crouches in front of him, and sets a hand on his chest, "Doctor, if I told you the truth, your hearts would break."

One of the male spheres flies over, and hovers above the Time Lords heads, "Is it time? Is it ready?"

The female sphere joins him, "Is the machine singing?"

The Master stands up, and checks the timepiece on his wrist, "Two minutes past." He heads back over to the cameras, "So, Earthings. Basically, er, end of the world," he shrugs, "Here come the drums!"

The song 'Voodoo Child' begins blasting all over the Valiant. Sophie follows the Master and his wife over to the windows, and watches as a tear appears in the sky above the ship. Thousands of Toclafane pour out of the tear.

"How many do you think?" the Master asks, leaning toward his wife.

She looks around, seeming overwhelmed, "I, I don't know."

"Six billion." He swings his hand downward, "Down you go, kids!" The spheres fly down toward the planet, opening fire on the way down. "Shall we decimate them?" he asks, addressing Sophie.

"Whatever you want, my Master."

"That sounds good. A nice word, decimate. Remove one tenth of the population!" he shouts. "Miss McCoy, help me with granddad over here," he states. They turn around, and Martha vanishes with the help of the Vortex Manipulator. The Master shrugs, as Sophie pulls the Doctor to his feet. She holds him up, so he can watch the slaughter of planet earth far below. "And so it came to pass that the human race fell, and the Earth was no more. And I looked down upon my new dominion as Master of all, and I thought it good."

Well folks, we've come to the end of Book 2. Book 3 will be out in the coming months, just keep your eyes peeled.