The Master's Game (Doctor Who)

It's just a game

The next two days went by in a blur. The Master behaved normal again - at least his kind of normal - and was busy most of the time, putting something together at his desk that was now littered with all sorts of parts and screws and what not. Roka tried to get a glimpse of what it was, but he shooed her away each time she came too close. So she spent the time augmenting the tiny drone with some extras. There she had the opportunity to sniff around. In those two crates were enough things that could finally give her some advantage.

But it was hard to think. Roka had trouble concentrating, cause she was so tired. Each time she tried to get some sleep she jolted awake shortly after with this strange feeling one gets after a nightmare they can't remember anymore. So she stayed awake as long as she could, disassembling devices, sorting out fitting parts and reassemble them into something useful. The Master ignored her most of the time and she exploited this tiny little bit of freedom.

And she repeated the words the Doctor had said to her over and over in her head: "Whatever he does. It's just a game. He tries to break you." Whatever this had been a few days ago, it only was part of the game. She had to be even more careful than ever before.

"What the hell are you doing now?" A halfway wondering, halfway amused tone came from directly in front of her and she looked up.

Instinct. Right now she actually couldn't see anything because of the blindfold. Well... she could see though.

"I have no idea what triggered my sight back to normal", she explained. "So in case it ever breaks again... I augmented this drone here with a psychic sensor, amplified the signal so even my weak abilities are enough and..." There was a tug at the blindfold and it got lifted. Roka pinched her eyes and flinched. "... can't separate the drone signal from that of my visual cortex though. Give that back."

"Wait... you see with that thing?" The Master observed the drone that was flying above Roka's head. "How does it move? You have no controller..."

She grinned widely, tapping against a tiny triangular device on her ear. "I intercept the signals from my brain to my eye muscles. There is only one drone though, so it's just 2D."

"You build an actual eye..." He said slowly, looking at the drone; very interested and a bit surprised.

"Uhm, yeah somehow. I should call it... Psye."

His face twisted. "Ugh, pleeease, no puns!"

Roka giggled and of course didn't tell him the actual use of that thing. Extending it's reach and the signal's strength would provide her with a nice way to spy around.

"Get up." He threw the blindfold onto her head and she put it back on. "Really? Well... as long as you don't run into me..."

"Down again?" It was a bit harder to walk and at the same time control the Psye. She decided to actually call it that.

"No. Just outside. Taking a walk."

Roka tilted her head. "What do you need me for then?" And since when did he...

The Master laughed. "You seriously think I let you alone with alien tech ever again after you build a psychic replica of an eye?" He snipped at the drone, but Roka evaded fast enough.

It was the first time since she had arrived here with the Doctor that Roka left the building. It felt strange, but controlling the drone kept her mind busy at least. She didn't want to think. And she was tired.

To her luck both, wind and rain, had settled. Otherwise her Psye would have been damaged very quickly. A red leaf sailed down. She had no idea in which time they were and also not in which season. But more leaves revealed that it had to be autumn.