Naturally. [Because humility, what's that? The only problem with the plans he did have, is that they required them moving elsewhere, somewhere with access to the dwindling power grid, and the sewers under the city. Sewers were a very bad idea. There didn't seem to be many of them down there, but close quarters was not a place to be with the creatures.
He didn't tense or pull away at the contact, much like he would have a few weeks ago. He'd more or less become used to her small habits of that sort. He did carefully extricate his wrist from her grip so he could find a pipe which he'd kept near the door, but stopped... He thought he heard the scuffing of claws against the floor.]
Damn. [It seemed to have heard them, and there was a sudden crash of a body against the door. No barking, but the typical sounds of a creature infected with the virus. He discarded the pipe, and produced a flashlight for Rose, offering it to her.}
Take this and watch the area behind us. I'll take care of our four-legged friend here. It's only one. [He hesitated, hand on the doorknob, and looked back to her. He wasn't doing this because he cared. He was doing this because she was the only source of pure human DNA left. He was doing it because he could use her to...]
You don't open this door until I knock again, do you understand?
[She heartily protested another trip to the sewers. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea- who on Earth was going to be in the sewers?- but it hadn't been fun. Miles and miles of darkness and narrow corridors, twists and turns and alcoves, the sound of water and rats muffling the scuffling off feet and things reaching out of the murky sewer water. And the smell.
She didn't hear the claws, hearing far less acute than his. The crash and snapping jaws, however, were all but audible. Dogs. Faster, more agile, with stronger mouths. She shifted, taking the flashlight, flicking it on with no small amount of relief. No point in trying to stay subtle, not with the racket that thing was putting out.
For once, miraculously, she didn't fight him. Just gave him a tiny nod.]
Be careful.
[Sincerity. That one probably was because she cared. Gross. Of all of the sentimental humans to get stuck with, he got Rose, the clingy teddy-bear wrapped in a fix-it complex.]
After this one, we're switching to cats, I don't care what the children think. [She mumbled under her breath, turning to face down the darkness behind them, hands twitching toward the rifle already, just in case.]
[Smell and all the things lurking about underneath the murky water aside, it was safer than wandering about topside in broad daylight. He didn't much care for getting run into an alley and barely escaping with their lives again.]
You'll make me think you care about my well being at this rate, Ms. Tyler. [He waiting until it seemed to back up off the door in order to attack again, and when he heard it lunge, he pushed open the door with all of his weight (and strength) behind it. There was the sound of the impact, followed by its body hitting the floor. He stepped in, gun out, and quickly shut the door behind him. His steps could be heard, dodging the snapping jaws of the dog, and then a gunshot followed quickly by silence.]
[Call her crazy for choosing the option in which she could see. It was all well and good following him around, but that required a certain level of trust that she sometimes felt like an idiot for placing in him. Not that he's steered her wrong so far, what with the whole 'still being alive' thing, but still, it was a bit harder to completely and totally pin the Doctor's death on him when she almost liked him. Which she didn't.]
Don't get a big head.
[She glanced over her shoulder at him as he stepped in, and turned quickly away again and down the hall as the door shut. Tried forcefully not to let herself turn and watch the door. She couldn't see through it, and it would only distract her if one of the walkers managed to wander through thanks to a bisecting tunnel or spillway.
Typically, they kept the area pretty clean. It was a more frequent route, and picking off stragglers thinned them out, which didn't mean they didn't keep coming.
Gunshot. Silence. A second ticked by and he didn't emerge. Then another. Then another. Was that a footstep? Shuffling? A groan? Paranoid, Rose. Not used to being alone for any semblance of time. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Another second. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stupid to have abandonment issues at a time like this. Maybe because of a time like this.]
Oi, hurry up in there, this isn't Sunday lunch! [She smacked her hand against the door.]
[He didn't need anyone to put the blame on him for the Doctor's death. He already blamed himself. He should have stepped in when he'd seen it beginning to fall apart instead of trying to help the Doctor save the day. He should have told him it was time to go, that they couldn't do anything about this.
But he didn't. Now he wondered why. Why hadn't he halted their progress when he knew where it was going to lead? It didn't matter now. What mattered was finding a way to reverse the mutation.
After making sure that the stairwell was free of any others, he rapped his knuckles on the door.]
And here I'd brought crisps for the guests you invited over. I'm going to be cross if I went out of my way, and they don't show up with anything at all.
[Really, if she knew he felt that way, or if she knew he knew she felt that way, she'd probably be overrun with guilt. It didn't help, blaming him, and what had she done? Blindly followed, like an idiot. Trusted him until the end, under the naive assumption that everything would turn out alright, like it always did. Another close call to have a shaky laugh about.
It wasn't.
She pushed the door open, followed him in, and closed it behind her. A frown of distaste curled around her lips at the sight of the dog, feral and patchy, sprawled and bleeding on the ground. That was just... it was a sight she'd have been happier not seeing. Then again, considering the way the world was, these days...
She started up the stairs after him.]
Don't be mean to the dinner guests, love, I hear we're in a bit of a recession. [Her voice sounded wobbly even to her. Pathetic. She bit down on her tongue.]
[A universe without the Doctor was wrong. There would never be anything right about that. He kept his silence though, he didn't want her to pity him, and he would never accept it if she did. It happened, all that was left was try to get through the mess of what was left.
It also wouldn't have been the first time he considered traveling back along his own personal timeline in order to change something that had happened. Only he was certain that the TARDIS, even now, would not react well to his trying to pilot her. She held a grudge very well, that ship.
The Master didn't cast a glance to the fallen animal as he made his way up ahead of her.]
I'm sure they won't mind my being less than hospitable. [He stopped then, turning back to her, and then canting his head to listen more carefully to their surroundings.]
No, I think only the one managed to get inside. I don't hear anything else. [Yet, at least.]
It doesn't mean we should take our time though. I'll feel more at ease once we're on the roof.
[She wholeheartedly agreed. Having spent some time in a universe without the Doctor, she'd had the opportunity to compare. At least then, though, she had the reassurance that he was still alive, living on and being a supernova. Now, though... things seemed bleak. It was hard to see through the darkness, and this time, although applicable, she meant metaphorically.
She kept the flashlight on, though it was a bit lighter in the stairwell, following him with a bit more distance than she'd done a minute ago. Maybe it was because she could see, maybe it was because she was stamping down on those stupid, niggling fears.]
I think they'll find you hospitable enough when they try and eat your face off. [She panted, jogging up the fourth flight, and then the fifth.] What d'you expect to find in this facility, anyway? A cure?
How rude of them. Last time I agree to a housewarming in this neighborhood. [He kept a few steps ahead, taking the steps two at a time.]
Information. I think they were working on a cure before it all went downhill, but they weren't able to finish. By the time they realized how fast it spread, it was too late. [He stopped a few steps before the door leading out onto the roof, and turned to her.]
You've seen the clusters. You've seen the dogs. You haven't been to this level of the facility yet, I had to bypass a number of security protocols to get access to it.
[It was a testament to how close, despite their general dislike for the other, they had become that he was taking the time to prepare her.]
It's not pleasant. [And the Master had seen just as much, if not more, than the Doctor. He'd done a great many terrible things. And this unsettled him.]
I'm afraid the whole place has gone downhill lately. Just a different class of citizen all the way around. We might just be the only civilized pair left.
[She puffs. Stupid jerk and his superior alien whatever. She finally managed to catch her breath when they arrived on the correct floor, a hand braced against the wall for support.]
I didn't expect it would be. Pleasant doesn't exist, anymore. And you'll be able to finish it, then? This cure? [It wasn't doubt. She knew how clever he was. It was almost stupid of her to ask. He could probably do it backwards and in his sleep, if he just had the right information.
After a moment of breathing, she gave him an appreciative nod indicating she was ready. She could handle it.
I will. [Provided everything was as he left it, and he could find the rest of what he needed.
He listened, again, at the door leading out onto the roof. Once he was sure it was safe, he opened it and headed out into the afternoon light. It was bright, even for him, and he blinked rapidly as he waited for his eyes to adjust.
Even with all that had happened, it was still eerie to come out into what used to be a bustling, thriving city and hear nothing.
[Bright for him, nearly blinding for her. How long had they been holed up down there in the darkness? A few weeks? She squinted, rubbing her eyes, and blinked to clear them before joining him on the roof. Blimey, was she pale.
The silence was overwhelming, and she crossed the gravel roof, moving toward the edge to get a look down over the street. It was safe, up here above them. It wasn't as though any of them looked upward. Ever. Not without prompting. Buildings were more or less untouched. No looting, because there were no people. Some fell into disrepair, but other than that, things looked... frozen.
She stepped away again, hesitantly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.]
D'you think... if you fix this... there's any way... any way we could change it?
[Save him. No. Probably not, but she couldn't stop herself from asking.]
[A few weeks at least, and with very little to do but wait. He followed her, and took a look around. There were a few walkers here and there, but no large groups which was good.
He rested each of his hands on the ledge as he surveyed the dilapidated city that stretched out before them. A city that was one of hundreds of others. The Doctor, he knew, would scoff at something like this, and he had. He'd said it was easy with a cocky grin, bouncing on the balls of his feet like an absolute idiot.
But he was not the Doctor. He was the Master, and wasn't that so much more? He could bend whole planets to his will. He could beat death. He could manipulate time and bring the end of the universe to the present in perfect harmony.
His face was set in grim determination, eyes narrowing on this ruined planet.]
[She flicked her eyes up to him in surprise. She hadn't been expecting a yes. She'd been expecting him to call her stupid, to yell, to... something, but definitely not a yes.
Something inside her told her she should be concerned. She shoved it down rather forcefully. Did it matter how he went about it? No, not as long as the Doctor came back. The rest was just detail. There couldn't be a universe without the Doctor, just like this couldn't be the end of the human race.]
Okay.
[As simple as that, just a word and a nod to show she believed him, utterly.]
[He watched her a moment, before going to where he kept the climbing equipment ready in case they needed it. A quick check of the ropes, and the harnesses showed they were still in good condition.]
Do you think you can do this on your own? [That way they ended up on the ground at around the same time. It was either that or she went down with him.]
[She followed him, glancing over the side of the building again, swallowing visibly but nodding all the same. Did it get a bit higher than she remembered? Well, at least it wasn't a barrage balloon.]
Jericho Street Junior School- under sevens gymnastics. [A grin.] I got the bronze.
[Bring on that harness. She can totally do this. Probably. Maybe.]
He didn't tense or pull away at the contact, much like he would have a few weeks ago. He'd more or less become used to her small habits of that sort. He did carefully extricate his wrist from her grip so he could find a pipe which he'd kept near the door, but stopped... He thought he heard the scuffing of claws against the floor.]
Damn. [It seemed to have heard them, and there was a sudden crash of a body against the door. No barking, but the typical sounds of a creature infected with the virus. He discarded the pipe, and produced a flashlight for Rose, offering it to her.}
Take this and watch the area behind us. I'll take care of our four-legged friend here. It's only one. [He hesitated, hand on the doorknob, and looked back to her. He wasn't doing this because he cared. He was doing this because she was the only source of pure human DNA left. He was doing it because he could use her to...]
You don't open this door until I knock again, do you understand?
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She didn't hear the claws, hearing far less acute than his. The crash and snapping jaws, however, were all but audible. Dogs. Faster, more agile, with stronger mouths. She shifted, taking the flashlight, flicking it on with no small amount of relief. No point in trying to stay subtle, not with the racket that thing was putting out.
For once, miraculously, she didn't fight him. Just gave him a tiny nod.]
Be careful.
[Sincerity. That one probably was because she cared. Gross. Of all of the sentimental humans to get stuck with, he got Rose, the clingy teddy-bear wrapped in a fix-it complex.]
After this one, we're switching to cats, I don't care what the children think. [She mumbled under her breath, turning to face down the darkness behind them, hands twitching toward the rifle already, just in case.]
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You'll make me think you care about my well being at this rate, Ms. Tyler. [He waiting until it seemed to back up off the door in order to attack again, and when he heard it lunge, he pushed open the door with all of his weight (and strength) behind it. There was the sound of the impact, followed by its body hitting the floor. He stepped in, gun out, and quickly shut the door behind him. His steps could be heard, dodging the snapping jaws of the dog, and then a gunshot followed quickly by silence.]
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Don't get a big head.
[She glanced over her shoulder at him as he stepped in, and turned quickly away again and down the hall as the door shut. Tried forcefully not to let herself turn and watch the door. She couldn't see through it, and it would only distract her if one of the walkers managed to wander through thanks to a bisecting tunnel or spillway.
Typically, they kept the area pretty clean. It was a more frequent route, and picking off stragglers thinned them out, which didn't mean they didn't keep coming.
Gunshot. Silence. A second ticked by and he didn't emerge. Then another. Then another. Was that a footstep? Shuffling? A groan? Paranoid, Rose. Not used to being alone for any semblance of time. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Another second. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stupid to have abandonment issues at a time like this. Maybe because of a time like this.]
Oi, hurry up in there, this isn't Sunday lunch! [She smacked her hand against the door.]
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But he didn't. Now he wondered why. Why hadn't he halted their progress when he knew where it was going to lead? It didn't matter now. What mattered was finding a way to reverse the mutation.
After making sure that the stairwell was free of any others, he rapped his knuckles on the door.]
And here I'd brought crisps for the guests you invited over. I'm going to be cross if I went out of my way, and they don't show up with anything at all.
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It wasn't.
She pushed the door open, followed him in, and closed it behind her. A frown of distaste curled around her lips at the sight of the dog, feral and patchy, sprawled and bleeding on the ground. That was just... it was a sight she'd have been happier not seeing. Then again, considering the way the world was, these days...
She started up the stairs after him.]
Don't be mean to the dinner guests, love, I hear we're in a bit of a recession. [Her voice sounded wobbly even to her. Pathetic. She bit down on her tongue.]
D'you think the noise...?
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It also wouldn't have been the first time he considered traveling back along his own personal timeline in order to change something that had happened. Only he was certain that the TARDIS, even now, would not react well to his trying to pilot her. She held a grudge very well, that ship.
The Master didn't cast a glance to the fallen animal as he made his way up ahead of her.]
I'm sure they won't mind my being less than hospitable. [He stopped then, turning back to her, and then canting his head to listen more carefully to their surroundings.]
No, I think only the one managed to get inside. I don't hear anything else. [Yet, at least.]
It doesn't mean we should take our time though. I'll feel more at ease once we're on the roof.
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She kept the flashlight on, though it was a bit lighter in the stairwell, following him with a bit more distance than she'd done a minute ago. Maybe it was because she could see, maybe it was because she was stamping down on those stupid, niggling fears.]
I think they'll find you hospitable enough when they try and eat your face off. [She panted, jogging up the fourth flight, and then the fifth.] What d'you expect to find in this facility, anyway? A cure?
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Information. I think they were working on a cure before it all went downhill, but they weren't able to finish. By the time they realized how fast it spread, it was too late. [He stopped a few steps before the door leading out onto the roof, and turned to her.]
You've seen the clusters. You've seen the dogs. You haven't been to this level of the facility yet, I had to bypass a number of security protocols to get access to it.
[It was a testament to how close, despite their general dislike for the other, they had become that he was taking the time to prepare her.]
It's not pleasant. [And the Master had seen just as much, if not more, than the Doctor. He'd done a great many terrible things. And this unsettled him.]
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[She puffs. Stupid jerk and his superior alien whatever. She finally managed to catch her breath when they arrived on the correct floor, a hand braced against the wall for support.]
I didn't expect it would be. Pleasant doesn't exist, anymore. And you'll be able to finish it, then? This cure? [It wasn't doubt. She knew how clever he was. It was almost stupid of her to ask. He could probably do it backwards and in his sleep, if he just had the right information.
After a moment of breathing, she gave him an appreciative nod indicating she was ready. She could handle it.
She hoped.]
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He listened, again, at the door leading out onto the roof. Once he was sure it was safe, he opened it and headed out into the afternoon light. It was bright, even for him, and he blinked rapidly as he waited for his eyes to adjust.
Even with all that had happened, it was still eerie to come out into what used to be a bustling, thriving city and hear nothing.
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The silence was overwhelming, and she crossed the gravel roof, moving toward the edge to get a look down over the street. It was safe, up here above them. It wasn't as though any of them looked upward. Ever. Not without prompting. Buildings were more or less untouched. No looting, because there were no people. Some fell into disrepair, but other than that, things looked... frozen.
She stepped away again, hesitantly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.]
D'you think... if you fix this... there's any way... any way we could change it?
[Save him. No. Probably not, but she couldn't stop herself from asking.]
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He rested each of his hands on the ledge as he surveyed the dilapidated city that stretched out before them. A city that was one of hundreds of others. The Doctor, he knew, would scoff at something like this, and he had. He'd said it was easy with a cocky grin, bouncing on the balls of his feet like an absolute idiot.
But he was not the Doctor. He was the Master, and wasn't that so much more? He could bend whole planets to his will. He could beat death. He could manipulate time and bring the end of the universe to the present in perfect harmony.
His face was set in grim determination, eyes narrowing on this ruined planet.]
Yes.
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Something inside her told her she should be concerned. She shoved it down rather forcefully. Did it matter how he went about it? No, not as long as the Doctor came back. The rest was just detail. There couldn't be a universe without the Doctor, just like this couldn't be the end of the human race.]
Okay.
[As simple as that, just a word and a nod to show she believed him, utterly.]
Let's get a move on, then.
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Do you think you can do this on your own? [That way they ended up on the ground at around the same time. It was either that or she went down with him.]
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Jericho Street Junior School- under sevens gymnastics. [A grin.] I got the bronze.
[Bring on that harness. She can totally do this. Probably. Maybe.]
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