32 // [Dream]

[neverendingbeat]

[The Master rarely sleeps. As an old acquaintance of his said once, "Sleep is for tortoises." And that's at least one thing he's said that the Master can agree with. Why sleep when there are so many more, interesting options for what he could be doing?

Of course, given long enough, he does need sleep, but that's not what's happening tonight. Tonight

Comments

....I think this is what comes of writing whilst tired. Sorry, man.

[neverendingbeat]

"Right!" says the Master. "Where was I?! Oh yes." Pulling his arm out of Lucy's, he runs over to the window, yelling, "Down you go kids!" as millions of Toclafane stream from a red crevasse in the sky. He watches for a while, and then turns around, speaking to Xemnas.

"That's Earth, down there." He gestures violently at the window. "Mine. All mine." He bounds over to Lucy and kisses her with equal violence, bending her back as one hand grips tightly in her hair. "Lucy," he says, after he breaks the kiss. Lucy smiles absently and lowers her eyes. "My wife. She'd do anything for me. Lovely, loyal--NO." He grabs her arm before she can raise the gun that is suddenly in her hand. "Wrong!" He wrenches it away from her and sideswipes her to the ground. She maintains the absent smile throughout and eventually, he smiles back fondly and then strides over to the Doctor.

"The Doctor," he announces, ruffling the Doctor's hair. "Also mine. In fact, I see no reason to even age you, Doctor, really. I know what happens. And you'll be so good anyway, won't you? Well?"

"I have only--" the Doctor starts to say quietly before the Master rolls his eyes exaggeratedly and kicks him sharply.

"Wrong! You're all getting it wrong, you don't understand! This is my dream!" He gives Xemnas a conspiratorial smile. "Some people just don't learn!" He leans down, suddenly very serious, to hiss into the Doctor's ear. "Try again."

"Yes," says the Doctor dully. "I'll be good. Master." The Master is abruptly jovial again.

"Good. Now. You. Xemnas, yes?" An expansive gesture, encompassing the room. "Mi casa es su casa. I have killing machines everywhere on Earth, I have a room full of people that I can do whatever I so choose with and why don't you decide what to do? It's only fair. Politeness to guests."

'sokay~

[letxequalnull]

'Earth'. A rather uninteresting name for a world. But it's not any world he's familiar with, and that's what's of the most interest at the moment. A world with people. A world with hearts. A world he can use to make more Heartless to fuel his Kingdom Hearts.

And that, in turn leads him to a particularly interesting option.

"Are you familiar with what the being we term Heartless?"

That would be 'we' as in 'people from his world'.

[neverendingbeat]

"Why don't you explain them to me?" says the Master, walking over to sit down in a wheely chair and scoot it over, closer to Xemnas. The Freak gasps, coming back to life and the Master casually shoots him down without looking, putting the laser screwdriver away and leaning toward Xemnas attentively.

[letxequalnull]

"They are creatures born of the darkness," Xemnas begins, not batting an eye at the fact that someone was just casually shot down. He can't care for a stranger. "Creatures of little more than instinct that hunger always for the one thing they call food. Living hearts."

It's not a pleasant death either, and he knows it.

[neverendingbeat]

"Oh, I like that," says the Master, incredibly interested now. "Tell me, how do you go about making one of these...Heartless."

"Don't," says the Doctor hoarsely from his corner and the Master shuts him up with a look. "Did I ask you?" he says, turning back to Xemnas. "I assume they can be made. Well, there's an entire planet of humans down there to work with or..." And he scoots his chair backwards across the room, sliding to the edge and then stands, walking the short distance to where Martha struggles in the grip of his guards. "...you can use her. Might be more convenient." Martha is still silent, but her eyes widen in terror.

"Please," says the Doctor quietly, fervently, "Please don't do this, Master." The Master ignores him, waiting for Xemnas' response.

[letxequalnull]

Xemnas smiles, and ignores the Doctor as well. He's clearly not terribly important in this dream and really, if Xemnas brings the Heartless anyone here could fall to them.

At least, in theory. It's not his dream, so he supposes he can ask them to not go after a few people, if he must.

"Every heart that is stolen by a Heartless becomes a Heartless in turn," he explains. "Thus the most expedient way is to use one of the previously existing Heartless. However, since I do not see any currently in residence, we shall mostly likely need to use the method by which the were originally created." A pause, and he smiles. It's not a pleasant smile by any stretch of the imagination. "If a heart becomes too full of darkness, it collapses. That collapse is what creates a Heartless."

[neverendingbeat]

The Master claps his hands excitedly, a short burst of applause. "Oh, wonderful! Of course, I have no idea whether the same physics are applicable here but I'll make it work, don't you worry. It does sound a little figurative at the moment but I'm sure I'll understand if you give me a demonstration." He strokes Martha's cheek and she hangs her head. No world-saving plans from Miss Jones this time. "How does one go about filling a heart with darkness?"

[letxequalnull]

If the physics of it apply in the City, Xemnas is pretty sure they'll apply here. But he doesn't say as much much as he looks Martha over.

"The fastest way is to quite simple inject the appropriate amount of darkness. I'm afraid I didn't think to bring the tools with me, but perhaps a syringe could be found?"

He makes no comment on where the darkness will be coming from, mostly because he'd rather not give up too many secrets.

[neverendingbeat]

"Well?!" the Master calls out. "Look lively! Go fetch me a syringe!" He could just make one happen, but there's a certain pleasure in making the humans do it for him. As his guard leaves, the Master notices movement out of the corner of his eye and his expression turns to surprise when he realises the Doctor is standing again, looking defiant.

"This is getting a little bit ridiculous, don't you think?" he says to the Doctor. "Before you say anything predictable, no, I won't use you instead of her. Well, not yet, anyway," he adds thoughtfully, and as the guard returns to place the syringe in his hand, he asks, "What happens if there are two hearts to be destroyed by darkness?"

[letxequalnull]

That comment, off-hand though it's probably intending to be, gets a moment of silence from Xemnas. Most of the beings he knows are beings with single hearts, and in theory there should only be one emotional heart for a being.

But it's just a theory and theories can always be proved to be wrong. So after a moment he speaks up again.

"I do not know. It's never been tried before."

[neverendingbeat]

"Oh good," says the Master. He looks at the Doctor, grins, and then shoots Martha. "We start with him, then, and find out. Up you come, Doctor, over here. Obey your Master." The Doctor looks a moment as if he's not going to do it, and then his shoulders hunch and he stands and walks over to stand in front of the Master, his eyes sad. "Get rid of that," the Master says to the guards, and as they carry Martha off, the Master grins eagerly at Xemnas. "Come on! You have me on tenterhooks, whatever those are."

[letxequalnull]

Well, things are certainly looking up, there's no mistake about that. There's only one thing missing, and so as the syringe slow begins to fill up with darkness, he turns to look at the Master.

"Does he need the both to live, or can he survive on one alone?"

A very important detail if part of the process (usually) involves death.

[neverendingbeat]

"He can survive on one, even though it hurts," says the Master smirking at the Doctor. "You'll fill both, though, won't you? Otherwise we'll miss out on the most exciting part of the experiment!"

[letxequalnull]

"Of course," Xemnas answered with a smile. "It would hardly be complete otherwise."

He has all the data he needs on what happens when the heart of a being who only has the one collapses. This is something entirely different, and thus he will quite gladly take it as far as is necessary.

So with any particular fanfare he sets about injecting the Doctor with enough darkness to collapse a single heart. He has no idea with the effects will be, but he'll learn.

[neverendingbeat]

The Master pulls up a different chair and sits to watch the show as the Doctor goes very pale and collapses back against the wall. His eyes are blank and wide, as he focuses inwardly.

"Come on," says the Master, grinning viciously. "Give in." He turns to Xemnas, looking a little puzzled. "What exactly is it that he's giving into? With as little symbolism as possible if you wouldn't mind."

"You killed Martha," growls the Doctor suddenly, his voice low and the Master perks up and turns back to face the Doctor.

"How observant--" he starts to say before the Doctor interrupts him.

"I destroyed Gallifrey," he says, his voice still low and dark. "I killed all of the other Time Lords. I had to. But when it comes to killing you...why do I even hesitate? You're destroying Earth out there. You've destroyed so much of what I love, so why should I bother trying to fix you, to give you such infinite mercy when others only get one chance, when it's so much easier, it would all be so...so much easier just to destroy you."

The Master raises his eyebrows and gives Xemnas an amused look before saying, "Well? What are you waiting for?" The Doctor clenches and unclenches his fists. "Kill me!" There is a pause as the Doctor closes his eyes, breathing deeply and then opens them, screams incoherently, and begins to lunge at the Master. Who promptly shoots him with a different setting of his laser screwdriver, forcing the Doctor back against the wall.

The Master considers him a moment, and then calmly says, "Inject him again."

[letxequalnull]

Xemnas doesn't answer the question until after the Doctor's outburst. He could have spoken over him quite easily, if he wanted, but the outburst is intriguing. Flawed at bent though it may be it's still more than he had about the man before.

"It is the antithesis to the light," he begins as he the syringe begins to fill once again. "One of the two elements that define our world, equal and opposite. Even emotions will bend to their will, and it is this that he now fights. The 'darker' emotions, and all that they bring with them."

By the time he's finished speaking, the syringe is full, and he wastes no time in injecting the Doctor a second time.