The Unexpected Hero

The Bad Wolf

*Rubie's POV*

Breakfast here is a communal military affair. I've gotten used to it, but with the Master at my side it no longer seems as boring as it has over the last two months.

People greet me as I pass them, something I was happy about when it first happened, and I still don't take it for granted. I smile in return at the people who will be fighting in this endless, bitter war. They deserve to be here far more than I do. What do I know about these kinds of things? I'm just a simple Earth girl. I don't even understand why the Master likes me as much as he seems to.

After we choose what drivel we would like to get us through the morning til lunch where we will be served yet more drivel, we find a small table in the back corner of the room. Hopefully we are far enough away from the other occupants that our conversation will remain private from prying ears. The Master shares my suspicions that perhaps the Cyber Controller is not to be fully trusted as yet, and that we must maintain our privacy while still seeming to be utterly loyal to the Alliance. Which we both are, so we're not deliberately disguising anything. If anything, we're merely maintaining a sense of dignity within ourselves, something that cannot be done when a roomful of soldiers eavesdrop on yoir conversation in order to give every detail to the their Master. Not my Master, by the way. That would be weird.

The Cult of Skaro arrive today. The Cyber Controller was telling me about it yesterday. They've been holding out on the Alliance for a while now because they were working on a weapon of mass destruction that we could use to bring the Doctor down. The only trouble with their plan was that in the past when they've tried to use something like that against him, it's always backfired. This time it took them a little longer to be satisfied that their plan would actually work because they knew they needed someone who had once been incredibly close to the Doctor to engage the weapon. This was the Bad Wolf they had spoken of in that mysterious phone call and even stranger dream two months ago.

I was actually a little excited to meet them. It's not every day you get to meet four genius cyborgs that have practically seen the turn of the universe.

But I'm twice as excited to meet the Bad Wolf!! Rumour has it around this place that he's the greatest warrior alive today, and probably even throughout all of history. Apparently he survived being stuck in a parallel universe, and then found a way back!! Nobody knows how, of course, the greats must always keep their secrets. Otherwise they'd lose all their power over us. Maybe it was just an accident? Who knows?

Of course, I know not to rely too much on the truth of rumours, but there must be some grain of truth in them. Otherwise how would they have started in the first place?

"The Cult of Skaro will be arriving soon. All hail the Dalek fleet!" booms the voice of the Cyber Controller from the speaker installed in the ceiling just above where we were just served our food.

"All hail the Dalek fleet!" intone the Cybermen, weeping angels, oods and the sontarans. They all have such different voices that echo around the room, yet they sound incredibly powerful. If I were the Doctor I'd be terrified right now.

"Are they nuts?" the Master whispers to me from across the table and I really wish he hadn't. Maybe he doesn't know that practically everyone in this room has superhuman hearing, even over their remarkably loud chanting they'll still be able to hear him.

To avoid this happening, I just shrug a reply at him. Hopefully he'll know what I mean.

Why aren't you talking to me? The Master's voice asks softly in my mind. I forgot Time Lords had telepathic powers. Handy.

They have superhuman hearing. I reply.

Even over the cacophony of their chanting?