An Unwelcome Truth

Chapter Eight

It was whirling around her head; what he had said. The reality that he had to spell out for her. Stupid, stupid, Doctor! She knew it existed; she knew that it happened - and it was terrible. It was an experience that no one should have had to go through; whether it be man, woman, or child. Alien or human. Villain or hero. And it made her feel sick to the stomach; how she had not realised - how it had not dawned on her. It ruined people's lives! How could she have been so NAIVE?

And he had saved her! Him! The Master, the one person who would have wanted nothing more than for her to destroy everything in their last encounter. The person who would relish the idea of The Doctor being ripped down to his level. She liked to think she UNDERSTOOD The Master - for the most part. His ambitions, his goals - they had, after all - always been the same. Whether it be world domination or destruction, the idea behind his actions had always been never changing. Her. Her attention. Her drive to stop him. Her destruction, if it came to it.

This countered all of that. And she could think of a reason for it; the sudden need to PROTECT her - the thing that had driven him to work with Tecteun, of all people. She could assume; she could ponder, but even if she was right, she wouldn't know how approach it with him. She had been oblivious to it when it was staring right in her face, and The Master? Well. He wasn't exactly one to cry into her arms and reveal his deepest and darkest secrets, now, was he?

The lump was still in her throat, and the silence of the TARDIS was getting to her. The only sounds were the low living rumble of the engine, Tecteun's flickers of the switches, and her own breathing. The Master was just... waiting. Watching her. Under normal circumstances, she would take that as a pressure, but the look in his eyes - he was being patient. Letting her process what he had just said; letting her think.

She swallowed awkwardly, backing up just a little; withdrawing, her eyes finally scanning the foreign TARDIS. She remembered the last time she was in here; flying away from Gallifrey, alone. It was the same one she had taken to escape, she could tell. But he had done something with it. Or Tecteun had. Changed the background. Focusing on the cracks; the ripples that moved over the dark purple background, she took a careful breath. She had to chose her next words carefully, because there was a story here, between Tecteun and The Master. And there were answers to be found.

"Tecteun." She spoke, and there was a breathless moment where her eyes found the woman, who had been busying herself at the console. The name drove an emotion into her hearts like no other. There was a moment, and she found it difficult to say the next bit; the amount of possibilities running around her mind clouding her words.

Her eyes fixed back on The Master.

"What did she tell you?"

A silence.

"She told me that I was her son."

...Out of everything he could have said, that was perhaps the thing she had least expected.

And she wanted to say he was lying; but nothing about that look told her he was.

She was suddenly dizzy; a push of adrenaline moving throughout her as her blood ran cold. Because that couldn't be possible; it couldn't be. She grew up with him; in this life. In the life that she was living now. She saw him; she ran in the fields with him and she remembered the times that they had together. Hearts skipping beats; she felt a pounding in her head; a confusion suddenly rising up in a way that completely mystified her vision.

"Doctor-"

Suddenly, he was in front of her; and it brought her out of her panicked state. She looked at him, and she took her first breath in what seemed like forever.

There was disbelief, and she staggered back, rising a hand to The Master to indicate that she needed space. The Master simply rose his hands, and gave her exactly what she needed.

Breathing. Yes. Right. Of course. Breathing was a good idea. That helped her mind. That eased her hearts.

Another swallow.

"Do you believe her?"

The question escaped from her before she was ready to ask it. But now that she had, now that the words had dropped from her lips, her breath caught again. Her eyes just dug their way into The Master, waiting. Hanging on his every expression; waiting on his every word.

"She showed me." He spoke, quietly.

"...Doctor."

The unwelcome voice rattled her, and her eyes darted up; moving immediately to Tecteun, who had moved around the console to their side. And there it was - suddenly - an anger bubbling from deep within her. It had been less than a day since Gallifrey for her - she had barely had time to process what The Master had shown her in the first place. But now? Looking into the eyes of the woman who had used, abused, and killed a child that had been lost and abandoned? A child that had relied on her, who had looked up to her?

And now, the mother of the person who she had thought she had known?

She closed her mouth; pressing her lips together; gritting her teeth, and she charged forward, coming to a stand still just in front of Tecteun.

Because now, she had not only destroyed her life, but she had hurt her friend. And as different as they were, The Master and The Doctor; Koschei and Theta - there was something personal about that.

"Say one word to me." The Doctor spoke; a warning; a threat, deep in her voice - despite how quiet she spoke. "...Go on. I dare you."

Another silence. Tecteun and The Doctor stood there, staring at each other. And the tense moment was only broken by a huff; an intake of breath, and a clap of some hands. As much as The Master was enjoying this, he considered this TARDIS to be his new home - since his old one had been destroyed in the same moment as Gallifrey. He hopped forward; raising his hands up as he glanced in between the two.

"Sorry to bother you; believe me - I get your anger." He directed his hands towards The Doctor, and nodded, stealing a glance to Tecteun. "But let's move this outside. Shall we? There's something else you need to know. More to the story, as it were."

And for once, The Master wasn't irritating The Doctor. In fact, he was helping her. She had been stuck in the midst of anger, pain, and inaction - her old friend was a buffer of sorts to it. Perhaps he had known - or perhaps he had just gotten bored and wanted something more to happen, but regardless, it allowed The Doctor to finally tear her eyes from Tecteun, and relax. She looked to The Master, and with one final glance over to the woman, she moved past him, exiting the TARDIS into a circular, white room.

The Master took a breath; eyes shifting to his mother as he gave her a small shrug.

"Tense. I told you; my anger is nothing compared to hers." He reached forward, and patted the console, meeting her eyes. "I'm keeping this, by the way. So move it." He cocked his head to the door, "Forgive me if I don't trust you to be the last one out."