The Master's Game (Doctor Who)

Something new

On their way back to the TARDIS Roka finally started to feel the exhaustion. Her steps slowed down increasingly, her head foggy and her eyes barely able to stay open.

"It's only a few minutes away," the Master snickered at her and Roka cursed quietly at his superior biology.

"Just a second," she panted and leaned against a tree.

Her head hurt and she wondered how it could be so warm, although it was still in the middle of the night. The mark on her chest hurt and had also started to burn like fire on her skin. Maybe the little bit of alcohol she had drunk hadn't been such a good idea after all. Small black spots started to dance in front of her eyes and when the Master let out a sarcastic remark she could only stare at him questioning, because the sound didn't reach her ears. Instead there was only a louder growing high pitched noise filling out her head.

All she saw was the Master suddenly reaching out to her, before everything vanished into blackness.

"Typical... I make an effort and you just drop dead," he remarked snidely as he caught her mid-fall.

Just unconscious, he noted relieved. But her body temperature was way too high, even for human standards. He placed a hand on her forehead and grumbled, before her threw Roka over his shoulder like a sandbag and covered the rest of the way to the TARDIS.

Whatever her stupid body was concocting he sure as hell wouldn't let her die now.

"Weird little human," the Master murmured to himself. "What have you done to me?"

----------------------------

She awoke with a start, breathing heavily, heart still racing from a strange dream she couldn't even remember anymore. Or had it been real? Maybe she was dead after all. It was so dark and her head felt heavy and dizzy. And it was incredibly cold, despite the blankets, so much that her body started shaking violently.

After a while she got the idea that opening her eyes might help. It took a while until they got used to the darkness and she could make out a few shapes. This was... her room in the TARDIS. How had she gotten back into it?

Something was off though. She couldn't point at it for a while, being distracted by the cold shivers. But then she saw it. There was a shadow where none should be. A vague silhouette of a person sitting next to her on the bed, head resting on folded arms on his knees. Was he sleeping?

It wasn't that dark, now that her eyes had adjusted. Lots of her souvenirs emitted light and faintly illuminated the room. She saw a bunch of opened packages of different meds lying on the floor, a roll of bandages, blood soaked tissues and other stuff.

Confused she looked down and found herself wearing a different shirt. The wound had been cleaned and bandaged.

"You're not supposed to be awake yet," came a low voice.

Roka carefully sat up and clenched her teeth at the pain, still shaking.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice a bit croaky. "And why is it so cold?"

The Master stretched out a hand to feel her forehead and cursed. He flung himself from the bed and got a glass of water and a few pills, reaching both to Roka. After a short, skeptic glance she swallowed it down, but still kept her eyes on him. He looked... tired. What in itself was strange enough.

"The wound got infected." He ran a hand over his face and blinked a few times. "I'm not a medic, no idea what helps best. It's just... antibiotics. Stronger than those from earth though." As he saw her still shaking he sighed. "That planet's days were a lot longer than what you're used to."