One on one? (Closed!)

"That is wrong on so many levels." Alison shuddered.

He shrugs, "Eh. I'm used to it."

"Anyways, I'm going to go check on the Doctor. It might not be best to follow me, though. Things might have…. escalated, if you get my drift. Probably not, but better safe than sorry, right?" she asked nervously.

Nico nods, "If you want I can handle it. After all, I know what you mean. It wouldn't be the first time." He shrugged.

"Erm… yeah, let's sort of drop the subject please? I'll be back in five, don't worry." Alison said.

Nico nods and watches her go, chuckling softly.

"Ah, Doctor, erm, you alright?" Alison asked, knocking on the door of the infirmary. "Yes, fine, I just sent the Master off to set up one of the monitors to connect to the outside feed. In other words, a communications array. I'll just pop off to the wardrobe, get a change of clothes. If you could go check on the Master, that would be lovely." the Doctor said. "Why don't you talk to him yourself?" she asked. "There's a planet to save, Alison. I don't have time for his histrionics." the Doctor said. "So you did that whole kissing thing just to shut him up, did you?" she asked. "More or less, I'm afraid. Look, Alison, I'm going to start putting something together for when we go out again. If you're so worried about the Master, why don't you go check on him?" he walked off. "Maybe I will," muttered Alison at the Doctor's retreating back. She found the Master in a room right off the control room, fiddling with a circuit board. The room was full of electronics, tools, and bits of metal, and the Master looked both more and less mechanical, surrounded by these reminders of his nature. "Miss Cheney," he said. "Did the Doctor send you to check on me?" the Master asked. "No," she said, and then thought about it. "Well, maybe. What are you doing?" "The Doctor asked me to set up a monitor for him." He pointed at a blank screen that was sticking out of the wall on a metal pole. "Presumably something to do with his precious little war." the Master added, a little coldly. "I almost forgot about that," said Alison with a start. "I mean, I know people are dying, but it all feels so distant." she added. "Yes," said the Master, his mouth tight. "Distant." He fiddled with some wires idly. "I finished the Doctor's project, so now I'm hiding a program in the TARDIS to help me monitor his location when he's off-ship. Then I'll be able to materialize the TARDIS around him if you run into any trouble." "He'd throw a fit if you told him about that," said Alison. "He has no reason to know." the Master said. "Why are you telling me?" said Alison. "I'll need you to contact me if he gets into anything he can't get out of." the Master glanced at her, then back at his work. "My dear Miss Cheney, I am inviting you to become part of a secret organization. Its purpose shall be the prevention of the Doctor's suicide by attempting to negotiate with violent primitives. I trust I have your support?" he asked. "I suppose," said Alison. "I'll call you if he's dying again." she said. "Unacceptable," said the Master, finishing the connections. "You are to call me before he gets injured, if at all possible. I simply will not be put through a day like today again." "He wants to adventure," said Alison. "He won't be able to if I keep calling you every time he does something dangerous." she added, as if to deter the mechanical man. "I care less for the Doctor's feelings than for his safety. Here," he reached in a drawer and produced a tiny earpiece. "Just press this if you have need to call me. It will connect straight to my auditory input sensors and allow me to hear you." he explained. "You can't keep him completely safe," said Alison, but she took it anyway. "You'll drive yourself mad by trying." she said. "It's merely a matter of trying to keep him alive. If I have to curtail his freedom in order to do so, so be it. If he would only make more sensible choices, I shouldn't have to even think about it." the Master's mouth was tight with worry again, and Alison looked at him for a long time, slowly fitting the transmitter into her ear. "Would you lock him up and hide him, if you could, just to keep him safe from himself? That's not love, or whatever you two call what you have." she criticized. "I'll thank you kindly not to speculate on my relationship with the Doctor," said the Master, lightly, and picked up the circuit board, carrying it back into the console room. "And in any case, what do you think he's done to me, Miss Cheney? Made me safe, made sure that I turn off if I do anything he would disapprove of." he said matter-of-factly. "That's different," said Alison, watching the Master plug his work into the TARDIS. "The Doctor said that you've done terrible things." It'd been one of the first conversations she'd had with the Doctor after coming aboard the TARDIS, and one of the last to contain any useful information. There's the bathroom, there's the homicidal maniac, don't touch that button, it might give you hives. "He's keeping everyone else safe from you." she said, unsure if this statement was entirely wise but saying it anyway. "Is that what he told you," murmured the Master. "Anyway," said Alison, frowning. "You still have free will, you just can't follow through on certain choices." she argued. "As does every being," said the Master, looking away from the TARDIS and straight at her. "We all have choices, but often the ability to act on our decisions has been taken away. I simply propose to do the same for the Doctor, just as you might deprive a man who has tried to commit suicide of his razor." he said, a weary expression on his face. Alison didn't know how to respond to this, so she changed the subject. "Well then, I'll try to follow through on this… this plan. Anyways, I'm a little bit preoccupied-" "Attempting to console Mr. Di Angelo about the state of his partner, yes? I won't keep you." the Master said, waving her away. Alison walked back to the kitchen, fiddling with the earpiece a little. She had mixed feelings. On the one hand, she actually did want to keep the Doctor safe, and this was as good a method as any, on the other, she felt like she was betraying the Doctor's trust a little, which made her feel a little guilty.

(Good morning!)

Nico returned to Will with the tea. Will nods in thanks, slowly sitting up as he does so. He groans in pain, before taking the cup. "Thanks love."

"Hey, Nico, Will. Anyways, I suppose that we'll be heading out again soon. Glad to see you're up, Will." Alison said brightly.

Will nods weakly, and takes a breath. "Yeah…" He mumbles, drinking slowly.

"I think that the Doctor and the… robot are angry with each other. It just feels strange, not ever being told anything, or not having anything explained, and then a whole patch of their history explode in my face all of a sudden. Sorry, that probably sound self absorbed. I'm just worried about them." Alison sighed.

"Ah. It's alright." Will says softly, smiling warmly.

"Honestly, the sooner this whole thing is over, the better." Alison sighed.

"No kidding." Nico agreed, taking a breath. He sighs softly.

Alison chuckled at Nico's response. "Anyways, this will be done sooner if things are actually happening. Might as well head out again, if the Doctor's ready that is. Which he probably is, or at least is going to say he is even if he's in no state to go out again yet." she clarified.

"Yeah. Will, are you up for that?" Nico asks gently. Will shrugs weakly.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, either of you." Alison offered.

Nico looks at Will. "I'll come." He replies. Will shakes his head. "I'll stay."

"Okay. Thanks, I'm not sure I could deal with those two on my own. Either way, you should get some rest, Will." Alison said. "Come on, Nico." she said, walking back to the console room, the Doctor already there. He appeared to, like Alison and Nico, have only just arrived. "Did you set up the monitor?" he asked the Master, paying no heed to the newer arrivals. "Yes, Doctor," said the Master, gritting his teeth. "I am perfectly capable of doing the menial tasks you assign me in short order." he said. "Excellent," said the Doctor. Alison (just barely) resisted the urge to smack their heads together. The Doctor walked to the side room, gesturing at them to follow. The Master did so immediately, surprising Alison; she had expected him to sulk more. In the room, the Doctor spun dials and knobs, and the monitor flashed with static. "What are you doing?" said Alison. "I'm setting it up to send and receive signals from one of the general's radios. We still need to end this war, after all, and my time on the field has given me some leverage." the Doctor explained. "You see?" said the Master, quietly. "He nearly dies, and he talks about what an advantage that experience will be." "Well, it will," said the Doctor, not even looking at the Master. "Ah, Nico, Alison, glad you could make it and whatnot. Is Will alright?" the Doctor asked.

"Will is fine." He replies, taking a small breath. "He'll be alright soon enough anyways." He looks around. "Now what?"

"All right," she said. "We'll call him up, tell him he's responsible for your injury, and demand he stop shelling?" Alison asked. "Exactly," said the Doctor. "But the general isn't technically male- Ah. General." The alien's face had appeared on the screen, their whiskers were wrinkled back. "Doctor. I was in the middle of a conversation with a critical agent. You have interrupted our feed." the general said. "Dreadfully sorry," said the Doctor, not looking sorry at all. "I need to talk to you about something that happened while I was touring the fields-" The general listened impassively to the Doctor's story, as far as Alison could tell. She was as bad at reading alien expressions as she apparently was at guessing their genders. When the Doctor started hinting about the great consequences should the Time Lords' emissary be permanently damaged, however, the general interrupted. "I offer the deepest condolences for your injury, Doctor. Are you sure it was one of our shells?" the general asked. "The rebels don't have that sort of armament," said the Doctor, frowning. "A crate of various munitions was recently stolen from our depot, Doctor. Perhaps that was where this particular shell came from. Unlikely, I admit, but a possibility?" the general asked. The Doctor didn't say anything, only giving a mild glare of condescension.

Nico watches curiously, his eyes watching the conversation with a look of boredom.

"Well. What would you have us do, Doctor?" the general asked. "I demand at least a conference between the government and the rebels. I remain certain that your differences are reconcilable. But if they are not- well, my injury gives me the ability to involve the Time Lords on whichever side I should like." the Doctor said. "Is that a threat, Doctor?" the general asked. "Merely an observation. My assistant, Miss Cheney, will await your answer, General." The Doctor cut the feed. "Assistant?" said Alison, unsure whether to be honored or offended. "Are you willing to assist me, Alison? I'll have to start figuring out a plan for what to do if the government refuses to meet with the rebels." the Doctor asked. "I guess." Alison said. "Thank you very much. Master, could you help me find the diplomatic corps books? I need to find out if I really can ask for more help…" The Doctor strode out of the side-room, the Master following behind. Alison sighed, and sat down on a stool near the monitor. Maybe she could get one of the other screens to show solitaire. "Well this is boring." she speculated.

(Good morning!)

Nico stood beside her. "Honestly, I thought that war was the only thing that tore people apart. Now I'm really starting to realize that it brings people together." He says, sitting next to her.

"How d'you mean?" Alison asked.

"Will and I became a thing after a battle, I met you guys… while war tears apart, it also brings people together."

"All I'm seeing here is tearing people apart, quite literally in some cases." Alison sighed.

Nico nods. "That's understandable."