The Changing Man (Doctor Who Fan Story)

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The bodies of The Master and Gunner clashed with each other over and over again in a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand. Gunner still held the large combat knife in his right hand, the blade tainted with my blood while the Master crouched like a panther ready to strike. They dodged and lunged without any warning, Gunner wore a light sheen of sweat on his forehead while the Master was completely cool, his mind focused entirely on Gunner. I pulled myself to my feet, trying to ignore the pain that shot down my rib-cage, and made my way to crouch quietly behind Gunner, waiting for the moment to strike. 

The surrounding forest was completely quiet, except for the loud and exerted grunts that escaped Gunners lips as he swung his knife back and forth, trying to stab the Master with utter fury. But in the distance, I could hear gun shots and the calls for retreat echoing through the forest like waves upon waves. I then wondered if my family were ok among the battle in the distance, knowing my mother and father, they would run and try to get as many people out as possible, but people like Jack would prefer to go out with a bang, even though Jack would get back up in a matter of moments and start spraying bullets as if there was no tomorrow.

A wild and pained roar brought me back to my present location, Gunner had somehow smashed The Master into a nearby tree, where he slumped motionless in a yellow flowered bush. My blood ran cold as Gunner turned to me once again, he wiped the blood running from his nose and mouth with the back of his large hand, and smiled. He advanced towards me and I backed away slowly, but anger flared up inside my body as the thought of him hurting the Master made my hearts race and I let out a feral yowl and lunged. He obviously wasn't expecting me to rush at him with fangs and claws bared because he gasped in surprise and lost his footing in an attempt to get out the way. I had managed to sink my claws into his arm as he pulled himself back up, when a single word erupted in my mind.

"DUCK!"

I knew it was the Master, and I obeyed instantly without hesitation. I fell down to the floor like a limp fish, Gunner loomed above me with a triumphant smile when the golden winged beast flew over me, grabbing Gunner's arm in its powerful jaws and carrying him off into the wild, screaming in pain.

I smelt the metallic tang of blood and saw that the ground of the forest was covered in blood, then I saw it, hidden slightly by tall grass was a severed arm, the fingers twitching slightly and blood running from the other end. My stomach twisted slightly and I felt the urge to spew up last nights meal, but the distant shouting of retreating soldiers grew louder as they ran towards us in the distance. I began to panic. Where is the Master? My breathing increased which only caused my wound to sting even more. I knew calling for him out loud would attract the soldiers so I called for him mentally.

In response, the winged form of the Master burst through the trees, blood stained his golden fur and his pupils were big round discs, as he too heard the oncoming soldiers. He yowled at me quietly and I instantly got the hint and clambered up his shoulders to sit on his back, and without hesitation, he took flight, leaving the ground at an incredible speed.

The sky was beginning to brighten as the sun peeked over the horizon, spilling its golden warmth onto the landscape, allowing the plants and animals to burst into life. I still scanned the floor, looking for any sign of life, but only saw the dead littering the landscape, both freed people and soldiers alike. The Master flew lazily, riding the thermals that rose off from the rocks and into the air, allowing him to rise higher into the sky. We didn't talk. Either it was because he was angry at me for leaving. or we just didn't know what to say, where to start. His mind didn't reveal much either, he was focused on finding the people. I shook my head, and resumed scanning the world beneath.

A few hours later, the Master signalled movement, and we began to descent, lower and lower until we could hear voices. I let out a big sigh of relief when I spotted my father, his big brown eyes staring up at us, his eyebrows knitting together. I waved to him encouragingly as The Master landed gracefully with all four paws firmly planted on the ground. 

I hopped off and ran towards the Doctor, he smiled broadly as we embraced each other, and from the corner of my eye I saw Kara running out of a nearby tent and joined the hug, wrapping her arms around me.

"Are you alright?" She gasped

"Yes I'm ok, Gunner was here and he managed to cut me down my ribs, but other than that I'm fine. Why did the soldiers leave so suddenly?" I asked

"It seems a bunch of those Beta Wasp things thought it was a good time to attack, luckily for us, it distracted the soldiers long enough so most of us could escape" Jack appeared over by a tree with Donna and Martha by his side, both seemed relatively unscathed. 

Behind me, I heard the Master transform back into his normal form, and everyone in the camp froze for a moment, then reached for their guns and pointed them at him. I reacted quickly and threw myself in front of him with my arms spread out and teeth bared.

"If your going to shoot him, then your going to have to shoot me first!"