The Master's Game (Doctor Who)

Silence

One, two, three, four. Pause.

He had started to count.

Tap, tap, tap, tap. Pause.

It helped a tiny little bit. A number. Each beat a different one.

One, two, three, four.

And there always was a small pause in between the next set, making it impossible to count further. It just didn't feel right. Because the next one wasn't a five or a six or a seven or an eight. It was always the exact same. So he stayed with the four.

And with the numbers there now was also a word in his head with every single beat. Not only a sound, but also a word. That helped. It was distracting. And it was a different word for each number, whilst the sounds always stayed the same.

"Master... do you listen at all?"

The voice joined the drumbeat, not drowning it out, only existing next to it. Such an annoying voice, simply because it belonged to the person he hated most in life.

No. That wasn't even true. No, no, no... it wasn't true. He didn't hate the Doctor. Not like that. It was much joy to see this overly merciful and friendly face suffer for a bit, to hit a good dent in that ego, to show him, what a weak and poor creature he was. Very much like he himself. But no, this wasn't hate.

It was simply the game they were playing since so long ago.

The Master blinked a few times when a hand waved in front of his face. Only now did he realize that the other Time Lord still stood right in front of him, his face covered in concern.

"Yes, I'm listening," he growled. "It's not as if anyone could overhear your squeaky voice."

"Alright, I will start the tests then. Tell me if something feels... err... funny. I'm not sure those machines work properly. Got them during the rebellion of the ljorkars. Year 384 of the reign of..."

"If you get as much a scratch on me, I'll tear you to pieces," the Muster grumbled and lay on his back, ignoring the Doctor's ramblings.

They were inside the same research room he had used to find out more about Roka's glitch. It felt as if that had been ages ago. The memories came back, reminding him that he had never found an answer as to why he had let her back inside the TARDIS that day, why he had agreed to help. Why he had agreed, when she had asked to travel with him of all people. And that with such a wide grin on her face as if that were the greatest thing that could have ever happened.

After all he had done to her.

She had felt so familiar. As if he knew her from somewhere, even though it was impossible. But each time he had wanted to kill that human, it had felt so... wrong. Yes... wrong. Finally he could put a word to it. Now that his mind was slipping away more and more.

One, two, three, four.

His fingers tapped on the plastic of the hard and cold bed-thing he was lying on.

One, two, three, four.

Pause.

The young woman sat on another of the plastic beds not too far away and watched everything the Doctor did, as if to make sure he wouldn't harm him. That made the Master smirk a little. As if the Doctor could harm anyone.

Well, of course he could. And he had. It was astonishing to how much violence the oh so friendly Doctor was capable. When his moral codex allowed it. Or rather... when he got an excuse for it.

Or when he had burned their entire race.

Some noises started to buzz through the air and a blue light bow appeared above the Master, sliding up and down over his head. Sometimes it stayed still, other times it moved rapidly. He tried to focus on it, to find a pattern to the movement, tried to let the buzzing noise inside his head, although it was annoying. But it was still better... tap, tap, tap, tap... than the never ending drums.