Revery of Madness (Doctor Who)

Prologue

Act 𐐅 - Prologue

Memories and fading dreams. Reality?
Are you awake?
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"You endured travelling with the Doctor only to make Roka smile again?"

A smug smirk is tugging at the corner of the Master's mouth, his eyes flash towards Amy, his arms folding in front of his chest. "Who do you think I am, matchstick?" he sneers, "Of course there was more behind it."

ȯ̶͕Ö̴͓ò̶̡~̸͘͜\̶̅ͅ ̶͎̃~̸̖͛ ̷̮́\̷̯̈́ ̶̥̏~̸͔͝ ̸̡̄\̸͊ͅ ̸̪͝~̵̳̅ ̸̗͝\̷͓̔ ̶̖̈́~̷̦̔ ̸̪͠\̵̳̾ ̷̫̃~̷̭̐ ̷̱̈́\̸̳̊ ̷̣̒~̷̺̃ ̴̙͗\̶͕̎ ̶̌͜ ̷͈͛ ̷͇͠O̴̞͌n̴̡͋ȩ̴̀ ̵̻̿ ̸̯̉ ̴͓̽~̴̗͊ ̶̼̓\̵̧̅ ̷̀͜~̷̜̎ ̸̣̉\̶͇̊ ̴̜̉~̸̣̄ ̴̃͜\̶͎̇ ̴̣̚ ̸̞̈́\̶̠͗ ̷͕͐~̸̗͆ ̵̜͛\̸͕̉ ̶̬̈́~̵͇̎ ̵̻̂\̵͓̈́ ̸̭̈́~̴̹͒ ̴̿ͅ\̶̨̛ ̴̼͗~̴͍͠o̵̩̓O̵̠͝ò̴̰

"No one could perceive my existence, no one could keep me in their memory for long. Except for the Master." Roka casts her eyes to the stars, the glimmering lights above their heads she knows he loves so much. "I was a glitch in reality, an impossibility. Until he took my life."

ö̴̘́O̷̤̓ȯ̷͓~̸̻̆\̴̳͝ ̷͕̄~̸̼͆ ̷̕ͅ\̴̚ͅ ̸̃ͅ~̶̙͠ ̷͕̅\̷͍̀ ̸͚̐~̵͚̈ ̶̤͐\̴̞͑ ̸̹̓~̵̺̚ ̸̖͋\̸̪͘ ̸̹̎~̷͚̈ ̵̮͝\̶̟͂ ̸͕̉~̸̮̒ ̴̖͋\̸̺̔ ̶̯̀ ̵͍̎ ̴̟̓T̸̩̒w̵̠͘o̴͚͂ ̷̼̍ ̷̰̿ ̵̤̕~̸̮̂ ̴͓͑\̸̼͋ ̶̟́~̸̢́ ̸̯̒\̶̻̌ ̶́ͅ~̶͉̾ ̵̩̆\̵͙̋ ̶̪͝ ̴̄ͅ\̶̪̕ ̴̯̍~̶̮̑ ̵̦̽\̸̡̄ ̷̧͗~̷͈͋ ̵̛̜\̴̥̈́ ̵͎̄~̸͕̾ ̶̝͝\̴̘̑ ̶͚̚~̶͇̈́o̵̙̔O̴͚̿o̷̯̒

He pushes her against the console, the heated kiss stealing her breath, his hands trailing down her sides, grabbing her hip to draw her closer to him. They have all the time in the universe, but are still so impatient. And he enjoys to watch Roka's pupils getting wider as his fingers slip under the cloth of her jumper, how her breath hitches only because he so much as looks at her.

Roka can't help it. She knows she should be running from him, knows the Master often has no control over himself, knows he might end up seriously hurting her, one day. It doesn't matter. Her hands drive into his almost white hair, her mind mesmerized by his hazel eyes. She lost him once, to the time lock, to the drums in his mind. Both are nothing but a dream now. A nightmare she had endured for over a century.

o̴̢̕O̷̹͝o̸̗̐~̷̯͌\̴̭̐ ̵̼̒~̸̤͗ ̶͚́\̶͕͌ ̸̖̀~̷͓̐ ̶̙̒\̶̮͌ ̴̜̒~̵̬͐ ̴͙̋\̸̡̃ ̶͛͜~̴͈͊ ̴͕̄\̷̞̆ ̵̤͊~̸͙̔ ̷̯͝\̸̳͝ ̴̦̅~̸͖͑ ̴̖̀\̴̪͑ ̷̤͂ ̵̯̃ ̴͔͑Ṭ̸̌h̴̠̾r̵̹͌e̷̹͝ē̸̩ ̴̰̄ ̵̯̒ ̵͕̍~̴̹̐ ̶͙͗\̵͈͛ ̶̜͒~̷̱̓ ̴̪́\̷̢̃ ̷̦͗~̶̜̓ ̴̻̋\̵͓͊ ̶͕̃ ̸̮͝\̴̜̀ ̷̠̆~̶̣̔ ̶̧͊\̷̝́ ̵̻̈́~̷̘̅ ̵̣̊\̸̪͊ ̶͂ͅ~̶̦̆ ̶͇̈́\̴͖́ ̸̗͛~̷̫̒ȍ̸̬Ỏ̷͕ǒ̶̥

"I saw my father die when I was only a child. I watched my brother growing up and he never went missing! How can he be gone before I even left him?"

It's clear the Doctor has no answer. Roka can see it in his sad, clueless eyes. It's not him, but the Master, who finally speaks up.

"You traveled time for too long. It ripped you out of your own timeline. This past is not yours anymore, nor will it ever be again."

o̵͇̾O̷̥̍o̶̜̓~̴̣͐\̷̪̈́ ̸͇͘~̶̫͆ ̵̺̾\̵̢̅ ̸̰́~̷̺͗ ̴̰̅\̷̨̌ ̴̫̒~̵͉̈ ̸̛̙\̷̥̽ ̵͛͜~̵̗̋ ̷̗̎\̷̨͒ ̸͑ͅ~̶̲̽ ̴̦͠\̵̧̅ ̸̟̿~̷͇̌ ̶̥͝\̷̨̈́ ̵̰̏ ̵̹͑ ̴̬̀F̸̮͆ö̶͍́u̸̮̓r̴͔̈́ ̷̪̓ ̴̈́ͅ ̵̳̅~̴̤̾ ̸̭͝\̸̘̀ ̸̢̈~̵̮̒ ̷͚͐\̴̥̽ ̵̈͜~̵͎͠ ̴̰͂\̸̫̌ ̴̡͊ ̸̰̀\̶̱͑ ̶̩͊~̷͇̊ ̶̤̊\̸̗̄ ̶̘̅~̴̧͝ ̵̯͂\̶͕̐ ̵̲͊~̸̠͛ ̷̝͝\̴͉͑ ̷̯̀~̷̜̊o̶̯̒O̸͉͋o̷̩̎

All he can do is laugh, loud and with more than only a hint of all consuming madness. "Oh, Doctor. Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. You understand nothing!" The Master cackles and grabs the other one's collar. "Once, and only once did I take a life to do good." A mad grin splits his lips. It's too late. It always has been. "Look at what it did to me!"

o̶O̴o̸~̶\̷ ̴~̷ ̸\̸ ̵1̴ ̵\̵ ̶~̸ ̵\̷ ̷~̶ ̶\̴ ̷2̵ ̵\̴ ̴~̶ ̷\̴ ̴ ̴~̴ ̴\̵ ̷3̸ ̶\̵ ̸~̵ ̸\̴ ̵~̴ ̷\̸ ̸4̵ ̸\̵ ̸~̴ ̴\̴ ̶~̸ ̵\̶ ̵~̷o̴O̶o̵

"Let's travel the stars together, little crow," the Master offers with a warm smile, a hand stretched out to Roka. "Just you and me? No rules, no morals. We'll find your brother, promise." The smile grows wider, almost wicket. "What do you say?"

Roka says nothing.

She only takes his hand and grins back.