One on one? (Closed!)

"Well, I just did, so hush. Now, I'm about to do something really stupid that can and probably will injure me quite badly. I'm going to connect myself to the telepathic circuits of the TARDIS, wrench Axos' grip off the children." the Doctor said. "Oh no you don't, you're already in enough trouble with me tonight, I advise you don't cause more." the Master hissed. "Oh, do shut up, nobody asked your opinion." the Doctor said. "Doctor, I won't let-" the Master's words died on his tongue as the Doctor deactivated him. "Good riddance, his opinion is the last thing I need tonight." the Doctor muttered, opening a panel on the TARDIS console and attaching wires to his head, plunging his hands into some sort of honeycomb shaped mini-conglomeration. His eyes flashed silver for a second, and there was silence in his mind.

His mind travelled through a sea of memories, thoughts, pure emotion, trying to find his way to Axos, but coming to a sudden block.

The cylinder spun, the smooth tick-tack of it echoing in the silence. The Doctor brought the revolver to his head and fired. The hammer clicked on an empty chamber. "You next," he said, and slid the thing across the table to the Master. "Hm." The Master picked up the heavy wood and metal gun and ran his own gloved plastic and metal hands along it, almost fondling the weapon. He played with it for a while before looking up at the Doctor. "Should I spin the cylinder again, or not?" he asked. "Leave it." The Doctor rubbed at his face and wished for a drink. "So the odds are worse than they were before," concluded the Master. "One out of five. How much do you actually want one of us to die?" The Doctor waved the hand that wasn't massaging the bridge of his nose. "Get on with it." he said nonchalantly. "You know, in some versions of Russian Roulette they play with only one empty chamber." The Master raised his arm and set the gun at his head. His eyebrows quirked. "You could have tried that if you were so attached to death." the Master said.

"No, no, I don't want to see that! Take me to Axos…." he murmured, pushing his consciousness through waves of the memory he had been suppressing for so long, he had almost forgotten what had happened. Almost. The Doctor eventually found Axos. "Well then, hello there. You must be the giant blobby alien. Hello, I'm the Doctor." he said.

Nico watched the doctor carefully ad he worked. His eyes were on the vital signs he could see when a person was flirting with impeding doom and death. He fols his arms across his chest. "This is gojbg to takr a while." He mutters.

"We are Axos. We remember you well, son of Gallifrey." it said. "Oh, now don't be so dramatic. Gallifrey was hardly ever my home, in fact-"

"Theta, look at the sky! It's a meteor shower!" a dark haired boy, the Master, Koschei said, as the Doctor, Theta, who was much younger, and also blond, was sitting next to him. The Rani, or Ushas, who had brown hair and glasses at the time, smiled slightly, laying down in the red grass. "This is much better than a stuffy old party, thanks Kos." Theta said. "You're welcome, Thete." the other replied. "Hey, parties are fun!" Ushas protested. "Only when they're proper parties with dancing and music and all that." Theta pointed out. "You're right. And with mind altering substances." Koschei joked. "Actually, you're right on that one. Ushas can do things to you that make your genetic coding shiver at the thought." Theta said. "I try." she laughed, as they all scooted closer, watching the meteors streak across the sky.

There were ten of them, Theta, Koschei, and Ushas being the closest of the ten Deca. But they were all like family, as the members of the Deca stood by each other at graduation, waiting to be called up. They had, for a while, been happy. They left the Academy feeling fulfilled, happy, oblivious to the later tragedy. But Ushas had grown bitter, left Gallifrey as a self enacted exile, knowing nobody would accept her into society again. Theta and Koschei travelled for a little while, before Theta had met That Woman and left Koschei. Heartbroken, the both of them, they ended up travelling again, but this time both were alone. Except…. Susan. His granddaughter. She had been left on Earth. The Doctor knew it was for the best. But it still hurt, even now.

"You don't know a thing about Gallifrey. About who I loved, who I lost. So do stop mucking about. Leave this planet, now. Or I will have to destroy you." he said.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Alison murmured. She shot a glance to the robot, lying off to the side like a discarded puppet, eyes empty. If he were awake, this foolishness might stop….

Nico walks to Will, and the son of Apollo looks up. They high breifly before walking back towards the doctor, a silent conversation in their eyes. Will looks at the doctor, his eyes inspecting the man in front of him.

"Heart rate is… well, hearts, but it's much faster than it should be for a Time Lord." Cece said, scanning him with some sort of beeping, blinking metal wand. "Let's disconnect him then!" Alison said. "No! Do that, and you kill him! We just need to wait." Cece said hurriedly.

"We are the most deadly predator of the cosmos. We have taken a billion worlds with us. What do you have that could possibly stop us? You may have done it once, but you cannot do it again, I assure you." Axos said. "I must say, I'm getting tired of all your ooh. Arrête de gémir says the Time Lord jury. Tell me honestly, am I irritating you yet?" he asked. Axos sent a telepathic shove, trying to expel the Doctor from it's mind. "You'll have to do better than that. Look how strong the Time Lord is! Look how he stands up to you! A billion worlds? Top predator of the cosmos? You're just a one-penny slime blob!" the Doctor said, focusing all his energy into breaking Axos' connection with the children-turned-Axons. It worked, this greatly weakened Axos. Roaring with pain, it started to shrink away. The Doctor could feel it dissipating, folding in on itself and dying. He pulled his mind out of the telepathic circuits, and everything went dark.

Alison watched with horror as the Doctor was thrown across the room. She immediately rushed to his side, checking to see if he was alive. Which he was, but barely.

"You said you were on our side!" Axos roared at Umiko, but she didn't look much like that little girl anymore. Her eyes were glowing white, she wore a suit that looked like a nebula, the deepest depths of space, as she levitated. "It is a worthy sacrifice, it will allow a new life to emerge from darkness." she said, watching as Axos crumbled before her.

"What the hell is happening?" Will mutters, limping over to the doctor, checking on him carefully as Nico looks towards Cece. "Did it work, or did something happen?" He asks, walking towards her. His obsidian orbs look curious and filled with anger, despair, hurt and something else that wasn't completely place able.

"It worked alright." Cece said, looking at the scanners. The Doctor say up, groggy, his vision clouded for a moment, but cleared up somewhat. "Leave…. we should…. back to UNIT." he muttered, standing up and limping over to the console. He reactivated the Master, who said nothing, but gave a furious glare. They landed back at the main UNIT base, but as they did so, the Doctor collapsed. "Doctor!" Kate and Alison said in unison.

Nico nods and smiles faintly, although it was quickly gone. He sighs softly and shakes his head as he watches Will walk beside the doctor, his gaze curious and nervous at the same time. Nico returns his attention to the scanners, nodding to the doctor as he makes it to the console. He had to try his hardest not to snicker at the look the Master was giving the Doctor at the moment. When they landed, Nico gave a relieved sigh, before starting when the doctor collapsed and Will dived to catch him.

"Take him to the infirmary, quickly." Cece said, helping stand the Doctor up, supporting him as she dragged them both through the hallway. "Miss Oswald, allow me." the Master said, picking up the Doctor bridal-style and carrying him with android strength to the infirmary. "Wait outside, I'll tell you when he's fine." Cece nodded to the others, then rushing off.

Will hands the doctor to Cece, his blue orbs filled with concern. Nico walks to his boyfriend, hugging him as Will leans against him in defeat. He was ready to go back home and just sleep. Nico ran a hand through Will's golden locks, making the son of Apollo fall asleep in his grasps.

"Pass me the tissue regenerator, Miss Oswald." the Master said, setting the Doctor down onto a bed and preparing to operate. Cece complied, they began to mend the Doctor's injuries, one by one. The problem arose when the Master attempted to curl his fingers around a roll of bandages, but couldn't. "Close." he told his fingers, but they wouldn't budge. He resolved to using the other hand, deciding to fix it later.

"He's fine now, you can come in and see him." Cece said an hour later, walking back to where Alison was sitting, head in hands. Kate had left, and it was rather quiet now, as Will was still asleep, and Alison hadn't made any conversation with Nico.

(Just got back from church, how are you?)

Nico was leaning against a wall, the look on his face thoughtful and concentrated. Will snoozed soundly, his face peaceful and relaxed. Nico looks up. "He's good now?" He asks, tilting his head.

"Well, he's out cold, but alive, yeah." Cece said. "I want to see him." Alison said. "I need to know if he's okay."

Nico nods and smiles a little, glad the doctor was okay.

"Come on, then." Cece said, leading Alison down the hallway. "You can come too, if you'd like." she nodded to Will and Nico.

Will shifts in his sleep and Nico shakes his head. "Maybe later."

"Suit yourself." Cece said, she and Alison disappeared down the corridor. Alison walked into where the Doctor was resting, the Master nowhere in sight. "Oh my God….." Alison said, looking at his face, even more pale and gaunt than usual, his breathing slow and labored. She pulled up a plastic chair, sitting by the side of the bed, where wires were sticking out of his arm, and a few wires connected to his forehead. "Oh, Doctor, please wake up." she said, placing a hand over his.

"It won't really kill either of us," muttered the Doctor. "I'd repair you. And I'd regenerate." he added. The Master made a face, and pulled the trigger on himself. Another click, and he turned the gun, offering it handle-first to the Doctor. The Doctor took it and tried shooting himself again. It didn't work this time, either. He slid the gun back at the Master, feeling wretched. "This isn't a healthy method of coping," said the Master. "I haven't got any healthy methods of coping," said the Doctor. "Do you want me to forget her, like I have all the others?" he asked. "Why not?" The Master shrugged. "You did all you could. She's gone. I hardly see how being fatally melodramatic will help. Besides, I've gotten over it. You need to move on eventually, dearest." The Doctor stared pointedly at the gun. The Master sighed, and took his shot. Nothing happened. No kick of an exploding cartridge, no spray of electronics. "Last turn," said the Master, not moving the gun from its place at his temple. "Either you die or I will." he said. "Temporarily," said the Doctor, staring at the gleaming weapon. "Russian Roulette is always a gamble," said the Master, ignoring the Doctor. "And a gamble means there's something to win. So let's see - if you get shot, then you get to change into someone else who might not care about her as much as you do. And if I get shot, then you get a nice little distraction as you try to repair the damage to my positronic brain." he drawled. The Doctor nodded along reluctantly, his eyes glued to where the muzzle of the gun was abnormally still against the Master's skin. "But I never get to win," said the Master, and took away the gun at last. There was a little round mark where some residue from the gun had rubbed off on the side of his head. "Why should I continue to play?" he asked slowly. "What do you want?" asked the Doctor, his eyes still on the gun, watching the Master's hands toy restlessly with it. "Never to do this again," said the Master, bluntly. "If I survive, then you put this behind you and get on with whatever errand the Council has for you next." he ordered. "Done," said the Doctor, not even thinking about it. If the Master survived, then the Doctor probably wouldn't be worrying about anything much for quite a while.

"The Master is trying to steal my body so that he will live and… I will die!" the Doctor said to Grace. He had just regenerated, his eighth face, long brown hair and innocent blue eyes alike. This plot, stealing the Doctor's body, was hardly outrageous compared to the Master's other plots, but with his still regeneration addled brain, and his only chance at any help a woman who thought he was mad, and no TARDIS, the appropriate term would be "screwed." But it ended with the Master burning, the Doctor turning away, no regret. As it nearly always did.

"You can't die now. You and me, we've got things to do, places to see, eh?" the Doctor asked, his brown hair matted and dirty with ashes. "No, Doctor, you heard what they said. It's a fixed point in time. Now go, save yourself." the young girl, blond, with golden eyes and black lips, standing out against her ghostly pale complexion. "Andrella, I'm sorry. It's my fault. This should be me here." the Doctor said.

He woke up with a start to see a strange woman by his bed. A hospital bed. In…. yes, his ship. The TARDIS. And she wasn't strange, she was Alison. But that probably amounted to the same thing. "Where is he?" the Doctor asked, his voice dry and raspy. "Drink some water, Doctor." Alison said, handing him a glass with ice and water slowly. "No, I need to know where he is. The Master, he was… I don't…." he trailed off.

Will woke up after a little while and Nico started talking with him, explaining what had happened, the doctors condition, etc. Will could only nod and listen. He felt weak. Weaker than he had before he had fallen asleep.

"I need to see… where is that stupid android?" he asked, starting to sit up, swinging his legs around the bed. "No, Doctor, you need to rest!" Alison said, but he pushed her aside, walking out the door and into the console room, the only thing on his body even close to clothing being a hospital gown and a bedsheet. "Doctor, get back here you idiot, you still need rest!" Alison snapped, running after him.

Will leans against Nico, his breathing shaky. Nico knew they needed to head home soon. Back to camp halfblood.

"Ah, Will, Nico, have you seen the Master anywhere? He and I really do need to talk. Maybe over a cuppa and a fried egg sandwich? Fried egg sandwiches sound quite nice right now. Maybe not a cuppa, I can't deal with tea right now, it's infuriatingly British. Possibly a glass of brandy? Yes, that sounds good, and while I'm at it, I need to repair the Arionite Diverter and the thermo-couplings." he said, almost as if he knew they were there but wasn't quite acknowledging it. "Doctor! Come back!" Alison said, running up the corridor.

Nico looks up. "Last I saw he was by the console." He replies, running a hand through Will hair, looking at the doctor curiously.

"No, he wouldn't be there now, statistically. Hello, I'm the Doctor. I think. There's a high chance of it. And you two are Will and Nico, correct? It's good to meet you. No, I've already met you. Well, there's a second time for everything. Or is that a first? I don't know, it's crazy." he said, obviously not entirely right in the head. Alison grabs him by the shoulder firmly. "Doctor, you need to lie back down. Now." she said.

Will and Nico look at the doctor in confusion before looking at Alison for an explanation.

Alison mouthed a quick "no idea" to Will and Nico before turning back to the Doctor. "Okay, just calm down." she said, but the Doctor pulled away from her grasp, pacing around the hallway. "Don't worry Nyssa, all will be well. Tegan, Adric, could you go look up Venusian martial arts in the index file? I'm a bit rusty on them, need to practice." he said to Will and Nico. "Oh, and I'm forgetting something, something important. Oh, yes, where is Andrella? She said she'd… she'd be here. No, that can't be right, unless something happened to my personal timeline to place you lot here. Now come along you three, work to do! Adric, reverse the polarity of the neutrino field for me, Nyssa, find me a sonic wrench, Tegan…." he trailed off when his eyes landed on Will, but he wasn't quite seeing Will there. "Ah, Tegan, just stand there looking beautiful or whatever it is you do, we'll get you to Heathrow Airport soon enough!" he babbled on randomly.

(Hi! Lovely evening, how are you?)

(I'll be better in a little while. You?)

Will and Nico glance at each other, then towards Alison for an explanation. What was going on with the doctor?

(Alright, I guess. You wanna talk about it?)
"Doctor, our dear Miss Oswald just told me about how you rushed off, and I must say that-" the Master ran up the corridor, but stopped as very obvious fear filled the Doctor's eyes. "You. How can you…you can't be… how is this possible? How can you be here in my TARDIS?" the Doctor asked, terrified. "You've made quite sure that I'd be staying around, dearest. Now come lie down or I promise you that I will drag you back to your bed, no questions asked." the Master said, clearly not noticing the Doctor's altered state, or otherwise not quite caring much, focusing on only one thing at a time. Or possibly he did care, but didn't quite know how to remedy it without the Doctor at least holding still for one moment. "Doctor, you need to lie back down, you got injured by Axos when we were running from it, and that's just the tip of the iceberg! You were seriously injured in that psychic battle!" Cece said, running down the hall.

Will and Nico watch the interaction almost as if they were watching a very intense pingpong match. Nico hums and looks down and takes deep breath.