Doctor Who and the Final Confrontation (The Future Doctor Chronicles Part Two)

Chapter Twenty One

Fortunately for Sylvester the Master was so preoccupied with the Doctors demise that he failed to notice the Tardis door open. He spotted them immediately and to his profound relief saw that it wasn't too late. The doctor was now only inches away from the force field but the Master appeared to be taking his time and enjoying his revenge. Any attempt at rescue had to happen now. Any delay would surely cost him his life. 

Sylvester had no choice but to use the element of surprise coupled with as much brute force as he could manage. He raced to the airlock and slammed into the Masters left side with right shoulder. The shock of the impact caused the Master to release his grip on the Doctor and spin around. With nothing to hold onto to steady himself he fell backwards and before he had time to react he'd passed through the force field. 

Realising what was about to happen the Doctor stuck his arm out and managed to grab hold the Masters lower arm. The rest of his body had passed through into the intense cold outside. There was no way he could hold him there for very long, the pull of the vortex was just too strong. 

"Give me your other hand." he shouted in desperation. 

"We've been here before haven't we Doctor. The saintly Doctor willing to save the life of his mortal enemy. Don't you ever get tired of being so good?" 

"I saw good in you back at the Academy and I see good in you now." 

"You're a fool Doctor. You've witnessed so much death and destruction in your life yet you're still willing to forgive. Tell me Doctor how is it that you remain so calm when your own personal losses are so high."  

The Doctor remained silent but as he stared deep into his eyes the Master noticed something he hadn't expected to see. 

"Anger burns deep within you Doctor doesn't it I can sense it. An anger that once released never leaves you." 

The Doctor lowered his head to avoid the Masters penetrating gaze. He could sense he was smiling but he had a horrible feeling that whatever his dark and twisted mind found amusing wouldn't be pleasant for him. 

"Wait a minute Rassilon never said why he'd had you locked away. You finally cracked didn't you Doctor. You finally succumbed to the anger that hides deep within us all. It felt good didn't it to make those that wronged you suffer but believe me it's never enough. Maybe Rassilon was right to be cautious given the amount of pent up anger and aggression you must have built up over the centuries." 

The Master let out a short laugh as the pieces of the jigsaw finally fell into place. 

"The dead Cybermen were your handy work. I don't say this very often Doctor but I'm impressed. The level of destruction on Damnos more than matched anything I've ever done. We're more alike than you'd care to admit." he said knowing full well the effect it would have. 

"I'm nothing like you." the Doctor shouted. 

An anger he'd not felt for a long time welled up inside him. It filled his whole being and completely clouded his judgement. He gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on the Master's arm and dragged him up so his face came through the force field. 

"How many have died in your name Doctor? They all trusted you and you practically threw them in front of the enemy and each time you survived." 

The Master's words touched a nerve and the Doctor found he could no longer control his actions. He raised him up until they were face to face and noticed for the first time a glimmer of fear in his enemy's eyes. Yet it wasn't enough to make him feel pity.  

"This ends here." stated the Doctor as he let go of the Master and watched as he fell through the force field and into the swirling vortex. 

He had no great desire to watch him being torn apart so he turned and secured the airlock before heading for his Tardis. A shuffling noise coming from behind stopped him in his track. He spun round to find Sylvester staring blankly into the vortex.  

The reality of what he'd done finally hit him but he still felt oddly detached from it as if it was someone else who'd done it. The Master's words of warning filled his head. Would he struggle to control the burning anger inside him for the rest of his life? Whatever his future had in store though he wouldn't allow himself to be incarcerated again he was certain of that.  

"Come along Sylvester we've got unfinished business to attend to." he said pushing aside any negative thoughts for the moment.  

The monitoring station was dark and silent. The latest attack on the citadel had left them with barely enough power to run the life support systems. Rassilon hadn't lost all hope yet. He'd come back to the room so he could be there if the power returned. As he paced up and down the distant rumble of the on-going battle could be heard. It was a constant reminder of how he'd failed to protect his people. 

He stopped midway through his pacing and listened. The background noise had stopped but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Maybe there wasn't anyone left to kill or had the Doctor managed to bring them back from the brink of extinction.  

A gentle hum emanated from the monitor and built up until with a bright flash it came back on. The image it displayed caught him by surprise. It showed Gallifrey but where only hours ago they'd been thousands of ships there was now nothing. Whatever the Doctor had done it'd completely altered the previous timeline. This meant the Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarons had never been there at all. 

A voice coming from behind him interrupted his theorising. 

"The Doctor's returning Lord President." announced Montag. 

"Excellent. Are the Chancellery Guards on standby as I requested?" 

"Yes Lord President. There ready and waiting for your order." 

A wheezing groaning sound filled the room signalling the Doctor's arrival. Rassilon tensed as the door opened and the Doctor walked straight towards him. He gave Montag a slight nod and watched as he silently left the room. He hadn't noticed at first but the Doctor had something in in hand but he couldn't quite make out what it was. 

The Doctor lifted the electrical component up to waist level and then dropped it at Rassilon's feet. Rassilon tried to speak but he just turned and made his way back to his Tardis. Before he'd got halfway there two guards appeared from the shadows and blocked his way. He turned his head around and gave Rassilon a disapproving stare before pushing the two startled guards aside and unlocking the Tardis door. 

It took Rassilon a few moments to react to what had just happened and by then it was too late, the Doctor had gone. At his feet lay his only means of controlling and capturing him and his Tardis.