Deadlock

Chapter 17

Chapter Text

-/-

It was with a scream of protest from his abused body that The Doctor returned to reality, literally with a bump, hitting the floor after The Master had rolled them suddenly off of the table and onto the floor. Yet as his eyes flew open upon impact he caught sight of the blast of bright light that they had barely avoided, a blast that managed to set anything in its path alight.

"Move." The Master was issuing commands again but this time The Doctor didn't think to refuse, allowing her to half push, half drag him along the floor.

The Master literally shoved them both behind a bank of consoles, rolling out of the way as another blast licked at her heels. Crouching down, hands over his head The Doctor could feel the hairs on the backs of his hand singe, the heat was so intense.

"I knew I should have beaten that bastard's head in when I had the chance." Missy was muttering threats under her breath. "Damn Rassilon, too damn stubborn to just die."

"You are one to talk...Besides Murder is never the answer." The Doctor scoffed earning him an eye roll and a smirk from Missy as she frantically assessed their options which were limited, she was armed but as delightful as the wicked little scalpel was it wouldn't win in a competition with Rassilon's glove.

One thing was certain they couldn't stay here or it would like shooting fish in a barrel. They had to get out, get back to the Tardis somehow, his or hers it didn't matter and then deal with Rassilon.

"Fine then you stay here and try and negotiate with the man that was happy to fillet you like a fish and I'll look for a way out of this mess of yours."

"My mess?" The Doctor scoffed. "I was only here in the first place because of you...because you went and died on me again!"

"Yes well a girl's got to have a hobby, at least I have the sense of style to die dramatically, originally, not of something boring like old age." Missy quipped lightly, as if they were merely having a nice little catch up and were not currently in mortal peril.

"How about you change specialities and avoid dying at all...Just how many times have you managed to come back from the dead now? People will start saying you are just doing it for the attention!" The Doctor snarked reluctantly following The Master as she began to crawl along behind the bank of consoles, the rough grating chafing against his wounds.

Yet he had to admit the view was slightly better than expected and it wasn't like he could look anywhere else...he would if he could...he didn't want to be staring...only it was almost hypnotic....swaying back and forth...

"At least one of us has the sense to build in a back-up plan or two we can't all burn through regenerations at the rate you do hon."

"I wouldn't have to if a certain person wouldn't keep trying to find new ways to kill me." The Doctor muttered sullenly.

"Now that is gratitude. Is it just your age or does this regeneration have the memory of a goldfish, just who exactly came here to save your life?" Missy snickered, halting suddenly as she came to the end of their cover, scowling back over her shoulder as The Doctor clearly wasn't paying attention as he bumped into her.

"Goldfish have perfectly reasonable memories actually, besides once in two millennia does not make a trend..." The Doctor spluttered, an embarrassed flush staining his cheeks as he found himself bumping into her with nowhere else to go.

"Twice love! I saved you once before remember, it's not my fault you then got yourself irradiated... And I think you will find you are lying to yourself about your age again, you are definitely nearer three. Now do you think your old bones can manage a quick dash or do you need me to find you a wheelchair?"

"Look who is talking." The Doctor hissed grasping at the edges of his jacket and hugging it around himself as if to cover up his old bones. Yet he followed her lead and they managed to make it across the gap between cover without Rassilon lighting them up....Just...

"Please I am now much younger than you."

"In immaturity."

"In everything, it certainly saying something when I am the people person between the two of us, you have gone and turned into a right grumpy old man."

"Yeah I am sure all your victims would agree."

"They would, feel free to ask them when we get back to the Tardis. Now shush." The Master added shifting to the balls of her feet as she eyed the open exit with a hunger akin to longing...if they could just make it through there....

Yet the moment The Master made to move away from the cover provided by the now spitting and sizzling computers a wave of lethal white energy forced her back and The Doctor found himself uncomfortably crushed.

"Get off me." He hissed, pushing her away roughly, this regeneration's aversion to physical contact when combined with his recent experiences meant being trapped or pinned down in any way causing him to panic and lash out.

Reeling from the unexpected violence of The Doctor's reaction Missy landed awkwardly, hissing as one of his long flailing limbs caught her hard across the jaw and her head flew back with a snap. For a moment she lay there dazed, the foreign taste of her own blood in her mouth.

"That wasn't very nice." Missy mumbled around her tongue as she tested her teeth to make sure none of them were loose before spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

"I'm sorry...I didn't...Just don't surprise me like that." The Doctor replied defensively, his fists tightening on the fabric of his coat before he rammed his hands into the pockets, surprising himself and The Master when he suddenly pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

"What are you planning on doing with that love I don't think he needs any batteries changing?"

Scowling at Missy's flippancy The Doctor gestured up with those expressive eyebrows he had developed and Missy followed his gaze, an impressed smile pulling at her bloody lips.

"Why not we've got nothing else...And if nothing else there is something kind of romantic about going to our deaths together."

There was no answer to that, no answer that The Doctor could give that The Master wouldn't twist to suit her own version of the world.

"On three then." The Doctor suggested shifting into a crouching position, his concern growing as Missy's smile seemed to grow as if she was almost too eager..."One...Two...Th"

"Coming ready or not!" Missy called out before darting off in the opposite direction just as The Doctor pressed down on the screwdriver and fused the lights plunging the room suddenly into darkness.

Darkness now only lit by the sudden flashes as Rassilon tried to aim for his prey...prey that was now in two places at once and Missy was making quite a bit of noise...drawing his fire...keeping Rassilon's attention away from him...away from the door...giving him a chance to escape...

Three times...no longer an aberration and The Doctor had to stop himself from running down that rabbit hole of statistical significance.

Getting shakily to his feet The Doctor tried to keep his footsteps quiet. Yet it was now that escape was in sight that the reality of his physical condition was making itself known...his hands were shaking...the burnt soles of his feet screamed with every single step in the direction of where the door should be. Yet when he finally stumbled to where it should be; only the taunting smoothness of metal greeted his desperate palms.

Searching wildly for the control panel The Doctor had no choice but to use the sonic, the dull blue light confirming his worst fears....The door was shut; the escape route had been closed off and dead bolted. There was no getting out of here, not without going through Rassilon first.

The mocking taunt of the lights coming back on merely confirmed what The Doctor already knew in his hearts and he turned to face his fate head on, staring into the victorious face of Rassilon as he raised his glove once more.

"I can assure you neither of you are going anywhere!"

-/-