THE MASTER, THE DOCTOR AND THE WOLF

Chapter Seven

The Master stood over the unconscious clone and gazed at him in triumph. It had all been so easy. Just get him to talk to Xelok and when he wasn't looking, hit him with a discarded brick on the back of the head. He tried not to kill him or give him brain damage when he hit him, he wouldn't be useful that way.

Except, something was wrong. The Master had keen ears and he could hear the heartbeat of a Gallifreyan. He heard Xelok's double beat and it was soothing to him, he had to admit. But when he squatted down to examine the clone; he frowned when he heard only one beat of his heart. He got down on his knees and bent over until his ear was against the clone's chest.

"What the…" he said when his suspicions were confirmed.

He bent back up and stared at the clone in confusion.

"Why the hell would you only have one heart…"

Then it dawned on him and he grinned.

"So, mate, you decided to put your identity into a fob watch then?" he said to the unconscious Doctor. "Only reason why you would have one heart. You made yourself human, eh? And if you are, that means you're vulnerable and susceptible to my hypnotic influence. Oh, this is just brilliant! The Doctor as my puppet. At long last, I have him in my thrall. Xelok, help me carry him. We need to find someplace where we can have a bit of privacy!"

He directed the boy to grab his legs and he stood up and put his arms under the clone doctor's armpits. He and Xelok raised him up and looking behind him, the Master walked backwards out of the alley.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(A half hour later…)

The Doctor, Clara and Rose walked out of Chez Bella on their way back to the TARDIS. All of them were unaware of what had just transpired outside the restaurant and there was no sign of the Master, Xelok or the Clone Doctor.

"Well, now that I've eaten, I can tackle the problem of fixing the console," the Doctor said as they walked. "You lot can spend the night partying or watching the telly or whatever it is women do when they're together."

"You're sure you don't want to join us?" Rose said as she walked by his side.

"I can't. I have to do this. You and Clara get to know each other. Once I get the console sorted out we can go somewhere. Is that okay?"

Rose nodded. Her eyes widened when the Doctor surreptitiously took her hand and squeezed it. She smiled and squeezed back, happy that he was willing to show a little affection at least. She wondered if she really could make him better the way she did before and with that knowledge, she fell into a comfortable silence with him and Clara as they headed back to the park.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Master grinned as the clone Doctor sat on the side of the bed, completely in a trance. After convincing some hapless homeowner to let them into his house and let him phone for an ambulance for his injured friend, the Master killed the man and took over his house, taking his sweet time in hypnotizing and brainwashing his prey. He had managed to convince the human Doctor that he was really a ruthless, evil person but at the same time subservient to the Master so he could still be controlled.

He had done that while his captive was still unconscious, going into his mind and doing a bit of creative rewiring of the Doctor's mind. Now that the clone Doctor was awake, the Master was ready to test him and see if he really was evil.

"What is your name?" the Master said, hoping he would use the name Julius that he implanted into his mind.

It wasn't the greatest of names, the Master had to admit but he'd always admired Julius Caesar so he went with it.

The clone Doctor thought for a moment before speaking.

"Jul…"

He started to say his name but then cut himself off and fell back into thought. The Master shifted nervously, this wasn't a good sign if he couldn't even say his new name. Perhaps he needed to go back in and do a bit more work since there seemed to be signs of resistance already. Then the clone Doctor smiled a twisted smile.

"My name is the Valeyard," he said confidently.

The Master did a double take. He remembered that name. Long ago when the Sixth Doctor was on trial for his life. He had been intrigued by the thought of an evil Doctor then and wondered if there was a possibility that his adversary would really turn bad. Was he the one then that gave birth to this dark Doctor?

"Who is your master then?" the Master said, hoping fervently the answer would be him.

The Valeyard laughed, a laugh that sounded evil, impressively evil in the Master's opinion.

"I am no one's master," he said with a sneer.

"Oh shit," the Master muttered under his breath.

"I want to thank you, however. What you have done is awakened me. I am now manifest in this clone body."

"Clone?" the Master said, taken aback.

The Valeyard laughed again.

"I wasn't entirely unconscious, fool," he said to the Master. "I was conscious enough to hide my true nature from you and guide you towards awakening me. Seems even you can be controlled at times."

The Master felt his blood run cold.

"So the Doctor is still out there?" he said, dreading the possibility of two Doctors on his hands.

"Indeed. He isn't far away and he has something I want. Actually, several somethings come to think of it."

"The TARDIS?" the Master guessed.

"Well, yes, that's one of the things I desire. I also desire his companions and his lives. After I have his lives, you may have him and do whatever you want with him."

"So you're going to obey me then?" the Master said, hoping against hope.

He stepped back when the Valeyard jerked upwards to his feet.

"No, you're going to obey me, Master. I am superior to you in every way!"

Shit, the Master thought. I've created a monster. Still, I can pretend obedience and gain the upper hand over this arrogant prick.

"Very well, I will obey you, Valeyard," the Master said, bowing his head.

The Valeyard snorted and before the Master could do anything, he lunged at the stunned Time Lord and put his fingers against his temples, forcing himself into the Master's mind. The Master tried to resist but the Valeyard was too powerful for him, knocking down mental walls as fast as he was putting them up. The Master tried to fight him off but he could feel the Valeyard's darkness overwhelming his mind and after a moment or two the Master finally lost the battle and the Valeyard sneered as he began to reprogram the Master's mind and make him his slave.

Back                         Home                              Doctor Who Main Page                          Next