THE ADVENTURES OF THE DOCTOR'S AMAZING HAND

Chapter Thirty Three

Rose, Martha and Ianto found another abandoned warehouse to hide in. They moved deep into the interior of it, trying to get away from the sight of the Toclafane. They found the break room near the center of it and put down their gear. There were two large windows on both sides of the cinderblock building and at the back; a TV was mounted on the wall. Underneath it were several vending machines. Some of them still had food in it and Ianto studied them, seeing if he could find a way to open them and get at the food still inside. Martha turned on the TV to test it and found it still worked. She flipped through the channels while Rose laid their sleeping bags out under the window on the left side. John watched her and helped her straighten them out when she laid them down. She gave him a fond smile when he pulled on the end of her sleeping bag and straightened it out.

"Wonder how long it's gonna take to get through Paris?" she said to John. "We don't have all the time in the world."

We'll find a way, he signed to her.

"Yeah, we've been lucky so far but I'm just worried about the Doctor. I wish there was a way we could get him here so he wouldn't have to stay with the Master and keep on being tortured. What if he kills him while we're gone?"

He won't, he's too valuable to him, John signed. Besides, I doubt he'd kill him even if he wasn't.

"Why is that?" Rose said as she straightened Martha's sleeping bag.

John was silent and Rose gave him a questioning glance. Then he came nearer to her before he signed to her again.

They were lovers once.

Rose's eyes nearly popped out of her skull.

"Seriously?" she said. "The Doctor's gay?"

More like bisexual but what he and the Master had was mainly a fling at the Academy. Same sex relationships weren't that unusual. It never carried the stigma that some people give it here.

"But even if the Doctor no longer loves him, the Master still fancies him?" Rose said.

Perhaps but he loves toying with the Doctor, cat and mouse and all that, John signed.

"So…you're saying this whole aging thing is giving him some kind of perverse thrill that he's getting off on?" Rose said.

Dunno, but I know that he likes seeing the Doctor helpless and in his power, that's why they call him the Master.

"There must be some way to get him away from there," Rose said, shaking her head.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Martha. She pointed to the TV and Rose picked up John and turned so she could see what was going on. She noticed there were photos of her and Martha and Ianto on TV as part of a terror alert.

"They're calling us terrorists when the true terrorist is sitting high up in the sky," Martha said to Rose.

"So now we're not only gonna be hunted by the Toclafane but the survivors will be after as well," Rose said as Ianto came up behind her.

"I have a feeling the survivors will be less likely to hunt us down than the Toclafane," Ianto said. "After all the Master's done, they won't turn in people who are trying to stop them."

"All the same, I think we better leg it out of Paris as fast as possible," Martha said. "I'll use my perception filter and try to find someone who can take us to Yvette's friend. Even if I have to trade talking to another group of people for it, it'll be worth it. You and Ianto stay here and rest up. I'll be back soon."

They nodded and Martha patted John's back when he waved goodbye at her. Martha grabbed her rucksack and headed out while Rose, John and Ianto finished watching the transmission. After the terror alert ended, a similar one came on but in French.

"They're making sure they know who we are," Rose said to Ianto.

"Yeah, but like I said, I doubt people will be rushing to turn us in," Ianto said. "Are you gonna stay here because I was gonna try to find a storage cupboard and find some tools so we can get at those crisps. I know we have food but I'm bored and it's something to do."

Rose chuckled.

"Yeah, we'll be here," Rose said to him.

Ianto patted her shoulder and walked out of the room. Rose continued to watch the broadcast even though she only had a rudimentary understanding of French.

"They're not gonna stop until we're dead," she said to Jonathon. "How are we gonna keep fighting off those Toclafane, especially since we only got one perception filter with us? It seems hopeless, John. We can't travel the world and just expect the Master to stop his hunt for us."

John bristled with anger at what the Master was doing, to his friends and to the Doctor. He kept trying to give Rose hope that they could make it through this nightmare world but it was getting harder and harder with each passing moment to keep her spirits up.

Please turn it off, it's depressing you, he signed to her.

"Yeah, it is. You're right, shouldn't be watching this," Rose said, going over and turning it off.

John looked at the vending machine. He snapped his fingers and pointed at it. Rose turned to it and looked down at him.

Put me in the slot, maybe I can get you a bag of crisps, he signed.

Rose raised her eyebrow.

"Ianto just went to look for some tools to open it and you could have gotten into it all along?" she said.

Perhaps, but it would take time to get all the food, I just wanted to get you one bag of crisps, John signed.

"Better not let Ianto see you then," Rose said as she walked over to the slot at the bottom of the vending machine.

She pushed back the metal flap and set John inside it. She let go of the flap and knelt down beside the machine, watching what John did. She giggled when John sprung up and grabbed the second rack, hanging onto an empty metal ring that kept the food in place. He hung there for a moment while Rose watched with fascination. Then he gathered up his strength and managed to propel himself up to the next level where a bag of barbecued crisps was nestled. He paused again and then took a short spring to the top of the crisp bag, the weight of his hand caused the bag to go to the side and it and John fell back to the bottom. He lay flat as Rose opened the flap and took the bag out. She put it on the linoleum floor and then took him out.

"I'm beginning to wonder if there's anything you can't do," Rose said. "Now…go into the drinks machine and fetch me a Coke."

She giggled when John twisted his hand left and right in a no response. She stroked the back of his hand and picked him up along with the bag. She walked to a wooden table by the sleeping bags, set John on it and pulled out a wooden folding chair. John laid himself on the table and rested while Rose opened the crisps bag and ate her snack.

The Doctor sat in front of his tent, twiddling his thumbs. He had finished his dinner and the tray with the empty plate and glass sat beside him, waiting to be taken away. Nothing fancy, just spaghetti and garlic bread with some milk. He had to admit it was good, whoever made it knew how to cook but this was the sixteenth day in a row he'd had spaghetti for supper and he was tired of it. Being confined for long periods of time always made him antsy and he knew he had a long wait ahead of him before Martha, Rose and Ianto returned. He spent a great deal of time thinking about them and wondering if they were okay. He didn't know Ianto that well but he knew he used to be one of Jack's team and he knew Jack well enough to know that he allowed only the best to work with him so he was sure that all three of them could survive. Not to mention his hand was with him. A smile spread over his face as he thought of his hand looking after Rose for him. He also wanted him to be safe.

He looked to his left when the door opened and he knew it was someone coming to get the dinner tray. But to his surprise, Lucy came into the room by herself. The Doctor watched her quietly, staring at the large purple bruise on her right cheek. He sighed angrily and shook his head. Lately, he'd been seeing a lot more signs of abuse on Lucy and it sickened him that she was also falling victim to the Master's abuse.

"Good evening," he said, trying to be polite.

Lucy walked up to him and stared down at him.

"Harry is angry," she said to him.

"And that's big news because…"

"He's angry because your friends keep escaping him."

"Is that why he put his hands on you then? Venting his anger on the nearest thing?"

Lucy lowered her eyes and her hand fluttered up to the bruise.

"No, this is for something different," she said.

"Really? What caused him to give you that bruise?"

"I…wouldn't have sex with him," Lucy muttered.

"I see. And the Master doesn't like people not obeying his commands, right?"

Lucy sighed angrily and looked at her hands.

"He's being unfaithful to me with the girls who give him his massages," Lucy muttered as she stared at the ground. "I hate that and I told him I wouldn't have sex with him since he's been getting enough sex as it is and he beat me."

"And this is what you want in a marriage? A megalomaniac who beats you if you don't cater to his every whim? Why did you even agree to all this? You're not evil. What do you see in him? Millions of people dying every day and you stand at his side and just gloat. This is your planet, your people, don't you care?"

Lucy hesitated while the Doctor's eyes bored into her as he waited for her to respond. She looked down at the floor.

"Harry is good to me," she murmured.

"As long as you obey him, that is," the Doctor said.

"Look, I don't have to listen to you…"

"No, that's your problem, you don't listen to anyone," the Doctor said, cutting her off. "You keep rationalizing everything away because you like being powerful and you like that "Harry" can you provide you with everything you desire, but it comes at the cost of your species suffering down below, not to mention the suffering of the people on board this ship. Is it all worth it, Mrs. Saxon? Is all that pain and suffering worth a diamond necklace or a round of hot sex with the Prime Minister of the ruined and burning Earth. For your sake, I hope he doesn't become bored with you because you aren't gonna like it when he tries to get rid of you. And believe me, it won't be pretty. He uses people, Lucy, I keep telling you that. You might have deluded yourself into thinking he loves you but you're little more than a pawn on a chessboard to him. I've known him far longer than you have and he'll never change, even if he has found love, which I seriously doubt he has."

"What about you? Don't you have a lover down on Earth? Rose, isn't it?"

The Doctor's eyes flashed anger.

"I'm not like Harry, I don't abuse Rose and force her to do things she doesn't want to do," he said. "I don't beat the crap out of her if she doesn't want to service me, can you say the same about your husband?"

Lucy didn't respond. She picked up his dinner tray and glared at him silently for a moment before she turned and walked towards the door.

"You can spend your entire life in denial if you want to, Lucy Saxon," the Doctor muttered to himself as she left. "But when the time comes to undo the damage and stop the Master, you'll be stopped along with him. If you want to stick with him while he conquers the world, you'll stick with him during his downfall."

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