Child of the void (Doctor Who)

Part V (II)

The books and movies didn't help and I didn't know enough about electronics to do something useful with the tech in the room. As another evening drew nearer I found myself on the windowsill again. It stretched wide enough to offer room to sit and with a pillow under me I even felt comfy there. It didn't help with the boredom, but what did was the pouring rain that started in the evening. Thunder rolled through the air, sometimes distant, sometimes way too close. A forked lightning bolt twitched through the streaks of falling rain, illuminating the office for several seconds.

I was alone right now and had dimmed the lights so I could appreciate the spectacle better. Thunderstorms always calmed me down and I never got tired of watching them; witnessing the raw force of nature from a safe space soothed me in a way not many things can. Time moved slowly and I drifted with it, sliding deeper into a half slumber until I felt a presence behind me.

"You're still here."

I hummed sleepily. "Where else would I be?"

"The rain is so strong it would overshadow the sound of your steps and the cameras would have a really hard time seeing you. Maybe the guards would, but I doubt it. They are dumb as bricks."

The Master stood close enough so I could feel his body heat and catch the scent of his aftershave reaching towards me. It reminded me of how his room in the TARDIS had felt, so strangely familiar that all I wanted to do for a moment was to lean my head against him. But the urge vanished quick enough to keep me from doing it.

"Right... 'n then some sniper would have shot me." I yawned. "'Sides, I like watching and I don't like to get so wet."

The Master chuckled and moved closer. My head brushed the cloth of his shirt and my longing for warmth and comfort returned with a force that almost hurt.

"Mhm, this planet truly has marvellous thunderstorms." To watch out of the same window he now loomed there, definitely touching now, his arm resting on my shoulder. But only for a few seconds before the Master removed it as quickly as if I had called him out on it. He didn't go away though, just stood there next to me in silence.

A little shy I peeked up and saw he stared at the rain and the lightning with a calm expression, almost serene.

"You like it too, huh?" I commented.

The Master didn't budge, but his lip twitched upwards a little. "It's soothing. And the drums get muffled."

Drums. A memory stirred in my mind, refusing to fully resurface and when I tried to focus on it the headaches returned with full force. I let out a pained groan and held my head, breathing slow to make it vanish again. Hands reached for me, gently taking my face between their palms. I blinked away tears and found a worried expression on the Master's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, searching my face for an answer.

"It always hurts when I try to remember." The pain faded and I drew back, releasing myself from his surprisingly gentle hold. "I know about your drums, but that's all. I can't get any more."

"Then stop trying if it hurts you!"

"But I want to," I muttered.

The Master sighed. Relieved? Annoyed? "No, seriously. That whole memories bullshit? It makes no sense. It shouldn't hurt. They shouldn't be gone in the first place!" He growled.

"Thats why'm trying so hard," I whispered, a little spooked by his outburst. However, I immediately flinched in pain when I tried again.

"What part about stop didn't you understand, idiot?!"