Drums of War
The Following fiction is not game canon, nor is it meant to step on anyone's toes. This is a fictionalized assembly of bits of a dream I had and is in no way meant to affect game play.
A signal back to The Master, a way out of the time lock, the Moment into which The Doctor had banished them. That was all the council knew of Rassilon's plans, but had they known the truly far-reaching effects of that simple four-beat tattoo which now wound its way through the vortex and planted itself into the brain of the young Master, they may not have been so eager to send it. That simple sound, tap-tap-tap-tap, was far more powerful than any of them could imagine, and Rassilon knew exactly how far it would truly reach once it was released...
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Koschei, the Fifth Doctor, and a younger incarnation of The Master who looked like Tremas of Traken sat shackled within an antiquated dungeon. All three could have easily escaped had it not been for the fact that the chains had been made of space-age material and deadlock sealed, technology clearly outside the reaches of the realm. The mind-controlled humans had thoroughly cleared all three of any objects in their pockets, even locating The Master's hidden trinkets and gadgets, much to his dismay. Whoever was holding them knew each and every one of them far better than they had realized.
They were huddled, trying to figure out a plan of escape when they heard the doors unlocking. One of the mind-controlled walked in, demanding each to get to their feet. Under threat of a weapon, they did as they were told.
“Good, stay standing, our Lord and Master will be with you in a moment. You won't wait long.” The Master looked irritated at the title, Koschei and The Doctor exchanged concerned looks.
“Lord and Master. I AM THE ONE TRUE MASTER and you will release me!” The Master shouted as the door closed. His shoulders hunched in anger, even with his hands bound behind his back. Koschei's eyes were wide, witnessing his older self's rage was frightening. The Doctor knew the outburst was a waste of energy, but didn't chide The Master for it. He could feel his own frustration at the situation bubbling to the surface, his hair falling in his eyes when they all heard the door unlocking again.
As it was being opened, The Master and The Doctor exchanged horrified looks, and only once a foot was inside did Koschei truly understand why. Harold Saxon, future Master, strolled into the cell and stood before the open door with a smug smile and a laser screwdriver in hand.
“Well, these are faces I haven't seen in a long time.” He smiled and walked to where he was just out of reach of the seething Master. “Still hatching half-baked plots and pitiful disguises against The Doctor?” He passed by The Doctor with a cruel smile and then looked down at Koschei's wide eyes with a laugh that sent shivers down his spine. Saxon knelt to the floor so that he was eye-to-eye with Koschei. “Oh, how naïve I was to the great plans ahead of me when I was your age. Can you hear them yet?”
“Master, stop this.” The Doctor demanded, even if his demands held no force behind them. Saxon just ignored him as he stood up, backing an arm's length away from Koschei and raising his screwdriver. “No, no, he's you're past! What are you doing?!” The Doctor's voice squeaked in panic as he pulled against his chains. The Master next to him writhed and nearly growled, he had no idea what this future self was doing, but he didn't like it, and he couldn't stop it.
“Just turning up the volume.” The Master's struggling stopped as his jaw opened slightly.
“You wouldn't dare.” The drums, the never ending drums. The sound which slowly grew with every moment, he knew exactly what Saxon was trying to do, and even he did not like the idea. It was a maddening sound that had no purpose, as far as he knew.
“Oh, you can't even begin to understand the importance of it all.” Saxon grinned a dark grin and before The Doctor could move, he pointed his screwdriver back at Koschei. The laser glowed red and Koschei grimaced in pain, slowly dropping to the floor. The Master and The Doctor stared in shock, but then The Doctor, who was closest to the young Time Lord, dropped over the top of Koschei's prone form. While he managed to block the signal, it also meant that his own mind, permanently weakened from the signals on the Pharos project, were taking the full brunt of the attack.
“Ah!” He grunted in pain, whatever Saxon had keyed his laser to, The Doctor could feel it working on his own mind. Surprised and amused by the turn of events, Saxon let The Doctor squirm on the floor a while longer as The Master looked on in horror, his chain preventing him from intervening. After a moment more of the torment, Saxon let up and looked with satisfaction upon the two huddled Time Lords on the floor before smiling over at The Master.
“Here come, the drums.” Saxon hissed at The Master before leaving them alone in the cell again.
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The escape had been anything but easy, and even The Doctor had been forced to draw on some old Venusian Aikido to help them. Still, they all made it out, and stumbled into the Guardian's TARDIS, quickly closing the door behind them. They had no idea if Saxon would be permitted back into the TARDIS, but all three hoped that he found himself stranded on the backwards planet. Koschei was wincing in pain and holding a hand to his head while The Doctor didn't appear that much better off. Still, he managed to hold himself upright as he addressed The Master.
“Perhaps you might bring Koschei to his room and see him settled. I think we all need some rest.” The Master on principle was reluctant to take orders from The Doctor, but this was one of those rare times where working together was as much in The Doctor's interest as it was his own. He nodded, escorting the young man back to his quarters. As he held on to his arm, the contact gave him access to the young man's mind, and he finally began to understand what Saxon had meant. The drums were much louder than he remembered at that point in his life, not so much as to change his personality, but he knew they would catch up with him much quicker. It could very well change the path of reality and he felt his rage boil at the insane man he would become because of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Koschei had been put to bed, and a carefully crafted draft had seen him to rest. The Master shook his head in frustration as he watched his younger self settle into a fitful sleep before closing the door. Just outside stood The Doctor, hardly a surprise as he started down the hall, gloved fists balled in rage.
“What fool would do that to himself?!” The Master raged, not particularly to The Doctor who followed alongside him, hands in his pockets. “It's absolute madness - Doctor?” The Master hadn't forgotten his rage, but he hadn't missed out on the fact that The Doctor had stopped. He stood in place, his form wavering as he put a hand to his head. “Doctor?” He repeated, walking over to the Time Lord when suddenly The Doctor seemed to recover, and waved off The Master wordlessly.
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Koschei had woken with a desire for tea and sandwiches. The Master was his own keeper and would not tolerate anyone else, so he found himself walking into the kitchen to partake in the domestic activity. He was surprised to find The Doctor who looked like he hadn't slept since the ordeal. In hand he held a mug, hunched over and for all appearances, oblivious to the world around him. The Master ignored his brooding enemy, until just as he set the tea to steep he heard a tapping sound which sent chills down his spine. He looked over at The Doctor, who seemed completely oblivious to what he was doing as he gently tapped the side of his mug with a nail. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.
“Doctor?” The sound stopped as The Doctor came out of his trance and looked up at The Master.
“Hmmm?” The Master could tell, right there, that The Doctor had not an inkling of what he had just been doing. He knew for a fact that Saxon had keyed the amplification for the sound of the drums, but it was impossible that The Doctor knew of the sound. He had never mentioned it to him, or even shared it with him. He had never been exposed - and that was when it hit The Master. The Pharos project.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been Rassilon's seemingly omnipotent insight which gave way to events. The Doctor, who had yet to even conceive of the Last Time War, thought his Watcher had come to tell him it was time. Rassilon himself had forced the matter, and in the perfect culmination of cause-and-effect, The Doctor had regenerated right underneath the Pharos project as it beamed The Master's mind into space. Even The Doctor had admitted his brain had been like a receiver, and that receiver had picked up on the faintest of inklings of the drums. Like a virus, it had spread and would define each successive regeneration from that moment onward.
In the President's chambers, Rassilon laughed darkly as he thought of how time would progress. The Doctor would have his mind repaired before leaving the Guardian's care, but the drums would remain. He would have not one, but two Time Lords prepared for the day the Last Time War came, and The Doctor himself would lead the first charge against the Daleks...
A signal back to The Master, a way out of the time lock, the Moment into which The Doctor had banished them. That was all the council knew of Rassilon's plans, but had they known the truly far-reaching effects of that simple four-beat tattoo which now wound its way through the vortex and planted itself into the brain of the young Master, they may not have been so eager to send it. That simple sound, tap-tap-tap-tap, was far more powerful than any of them could imagine, and Rassilon knew exactly how far it would truly reach once it was released...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Koschei, the Fifth Doctor, and a younger incarnation of The Master who looked like Tremas of Traken sat shackled within an antiquated dungeon. All three could have easily escaped had it not been for the fact that the chains had been made of space-age material and deadlock sealed, technology clearly outside the reaches of the realm. The mind-controlled humans had thoroughly cleared all three of any objects in their pockets, even locating The Master's hidden trinkets and gadgets, much to his dismay. Whoever was holding them knew each and every one of them far better than they had realized.
They were huddled, trying to figure out a plan of escape when they heard the doors unlocking. One of the mind-controlled walked in, demanding each to get to their feet. Under threat of a weapon, they did as they were told.
“Good, stay standing, our Lord and Master will be with you in a moment. You won't wait long.” The Master looked irritated at the title, Koschei and The Doctor exchanged concerned looks.
“Lord and Master. I AM THE ONE TRUE MASTER and you will release me!” The Master shouted as the door closed. His shoulders hunched in anger, even with his hands bound behind his back. Koschei's eyes were wide, witnessing his older self's rage was frightening. The Doctor knew the outburst was a waste of energy, but didn't chide The Master for it. He could feel his own frustration at the situation bubbling to the surface, his hair falling in his eyes when they all heard the door unlocking again.
As it was being opened, The Master and The Doctor exchanged horrified looks, and only once a foot was inside did Koschei truly understand why. Harold Saxon, future Master, strolled into the cell and stood before the open door with a smug smile and a laser screwdriver in hand.
“Well, these are faces I haven't seen in a long time.” He smiled and walked to where he was just out of reach of the seething Master. “Still hatching half-baked plots and pitiful disguises against The Doctor?” He passed by The Doctor with a cruel smile and then looked down at Koschei's wide eyes with a laugh that sent shivers down his spine. Saxon knelt to the floor so that he was eye-to-eye with Koschei. “Oh, how naïve I was to the great plans ahead of me when I was your age. Can you hear them yet?”
“Master, stop this.” The Doctor demanded, even if his demands held no force behind them. Saxon just ignored him as he stood up, backing an arm's length away from Koschei and raising his screwdriver. “No, no, he's you're past! What are you doing?!” The Doctor's voice squeaked in panic as he pulled against his chains. The Master next to him writhed and nearly growled, he had no idea what this future self was doing, but he didn't like it, and he couldn't stop it.
“Just turning up the volume.” The Master's struggling stopped as his jaw opened slightly.
“You wouldn't dare.” The drums, the never ending drums. The sound which slowly grew with every moment, he knew exactly what Saxon was trying to do, and even he did not like the idea. It was a maddening sound that had no purpose, as far as he knew.
“Oh, you can't even begin to understand the importance of it all.” Saxon grinned a dark grin and before The Doctor could move, he pointed his screwdriver back at Koschei. The laser glowed red and Koschei grimaced in pain, slowly dropping to the floor. The Master and The Doctor stared in shock, but then The Doctor, who was closest to the young Time Lord, dropped over the top of Koschei's prone form. While he managed to block the signal, it also meant that his own mind, permanently weakened from the signals on the Pharos project, were taking the full brunt of the attack.
“Ah!” He grunted in pain, whatever Saxon had keyed his laser to, The Doctor could feel it working on his own mind. Surprised and amused by the turn of events, Saxon let The Doctor squirm on the floor a while longer as The Master looked on in horror, his chain preventing him from intervening. After a moment more of the torment, Saxon let up and looked with satisfaction upon the two huddled Time Lords on the floor before smiling over at The Master.
“Here come, the drums.” Saxon hissed at The Master before leaving them alone in the cell again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The escape had been anything but easy, and even The Doctor had been forced to draw on some old Venusian Aikido to help them. Still, they all made it out, and stumbled into the Guardian's TARDIS, quickly closing the door behind them. They had no idea if Saxon would be permitted back into the TARDIS, but all three hoped that he found himself stranded on the backwards planet. Koschei was wincing in pain and holding a hand to his head while The Doctor didn't appear that much better off. Still, he managed to hold himself upright as he addressed The Master.
“Perhaps you might bring Koschei to his room and see him settled. I think we all need some rest.” The Master on principle was reluctant to take orders from The Doctor, but this was one of those rare times where working together was as much in The Doctor's interest as it was his own. He nodded, escorting the young man back to his quarters. As he held on to his arm, the contact gave him access to the young man's mind, and he finally began to understand what Saxon had meant. The drums were much louder than he remembered at that point in his life, not so much as to change his personality, but he knew they would catch up with him much quicker. It could very well change the path of reality and he felt his rage boil at the insane man he would become because of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Koschei had been put to bed, and a carefully crafted draft had seen him to rest. The Master shook his head in frustration as he watched his younger self settle into a fitful sleep before closing the door. Just outside stood The Doctor, hardly a surprise as he started down the hall, gloved fists balled in rage.
“What fool would do that to himself?!” The Master raged, not particularly to The Doctor who followed alongside him, hands in his pockets. “It's absolute madness - Doctor?” The Master hadn't forgotten his rage, but he hadn't missed out on the fact that The Doctor had stopped. He stood in place, his form wavering as he put a hand to his head. “Doctor?” He repeated, walking over to the Time Lord when suddenly The Doctor seemed to recover, and waved off The Master wordlessly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Koschei had woken with a desire for tea and sandwiches. The Master was his own keeper and would not tolerate anyone else, so he found himself walking into the kitchen to partake in the domestic activity. He was surprised to find The Doctor who looked like he hadn't slept since the ordeal. In hand he held a mug, hunched over and for all appearances, oblivious to the world around him. The Master ignored his brooding enemy, until just as he set the tea to steep he heard a tapping sound which sent chills down his spine. He looked over at The Doctor, who seemed completely oblivious to what he was doing as he gently tapped the side of his mug with a nail. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.
“Doctor?” The sound stopped as The Doctor came out of his trance and looked up at The Master.
“Hmmm?” The Master could tell, right there, that The Doctor had not an inkling of what he had just been doing. He knew for a fact that Saxon had keyed the amplification for the sound of the drums, but it was impossible that The Doctor knew of the sound. He had never mentioned it to him, or even shared it with him. He had never been exposed - and that was when it hit The Master. The Pharos project.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been Rassilon's seemingly omnipotent insight which gave way to events. The Doctor, who had yet to even conceive of the Last Time War, thought his Watcher had come to tell him it was time. Rassilon himself had forced the matter, and in the perfect culmination of cause-and-effect, The Doctor had regenerated right underneath the Pharos project as it beamed The Master's mind into space. Even The Doctor had admitted his brain had been like a receiver, and that receiver had picked up on the faintest of inklings of the drums. Like a virus, it had spread and would define each successive regeneration from that moment onward.
In the President's chambers, Rassilon laughed darkly as he thought of how time would progress. The Doctor would have his mind repaired before leaving the Guardian's care, but the drums would remain. He would have not one, but two Time Lords prepared for the day the Last Time War came, and The Doctor himself would lead the first charge against the Daleks...