The Time That Never Was: Day 232

[notsoperfect10]

"The Time That Never Was: Day 232"
Who: The Doctor & The Master
When: During the Year That Never Was, Pre-Merge

His jaw had healed nicely but their attempt to break out had been impossibly mangled and now, the Doctor found himself hardly able to hold up his head.  He liked the bird cage much better than he liked the tent though, so there was that.  He

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[iehcsok]

"I'm a Time Lord, I have a degree in cosmological sciences and advanced engineering. You really think I need a TARDIS to travel to one set point?" He had a year of tinkering and he had managed to make a device he could travel with, he and Lucy went once or twice but it could only manage 12 visits before it burnt out and it took about 6 months to make so he was careful with it.

But no need to tell the Doctor, right?

"Just because you failed your exams, doesn't mean we're all as thick as you-- oh wait, my apologises, you did pass that one exam. What was it? Oh yes! Landscape gardening. So if I need your advice on where to set up my garden, I'll be sure to ask. Until then shut up."

The Master rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to Ianto with a playful smile.

"Sorry, he does gone on. Now, do you want to play? See the end of all creations? Accept the futility of life? Its funny, isn't it? You will live and die in misery, you will degenerate and become a weak and useless old man and then what? Do you think Jack will care to be around you?" the Master mocked, laughing in amusement. Like that could ever happen, immortal men feared the dead. "Why not make something of your life and come with me?"

[stopwatchlover]

While the Doctor groused that Landscape Gardening was, by far, the most beneficial thing that had been taught at the Academy ever, considering the professors and the barely mentionable administrators, Ianto swallowed and kept his eyes from Jack. Jack was a weakness that the Master really could not exploit.

He swallowed yet again, this time to permit himself to speak even though, oh, oh he could still feel Tosh's blood across his cheeks.

"I've no doubt in my mind, actually, that Jack won't care to be around me for too much longer." He sighed a little, smiling not-so-sadly but certainly not happily either. "Actually, I rather expect not to live to thirty. Comes with the job."

[iehcsok]

"Your life means nothing, you must have such a pitiful existence, its amazing how much life in the universe is pointless. There is no real point to living, is there? Nothing after life, you just stop one day and that is it," the Master whispered with such care that it left most around him that knew him almost dumbstruck. The Master wasn't usually like this. He was usually only like this with the Doctor, a deep sort of sorrowful contemplation he experience when the drums tormented him horribly. But it was nothing that lasted because it was gone in seconds, replaced with a dark smile as he reached out and grabbed Ianto's tie.

Yanking it hard, he tugged and dragged Ianto along, attempting to choke him as he stood up and yanked the tie like a lead.

"To the end of the universe! Oh its wonderful, isn't it Lucy?"

She merely stared blankly, the horror of the experience never left her. The screaming, the pain-- it was a nightmare.

[stopwatchlover]

"Right, yes, and that's it," Ianto agreed, being pulled along like a puppy. He didn't complain. Actually, seeing the end of time, he thought, might be rather interesting. He did feel small. He was sure he'd die alone, unloved, uncared for like his gran. And worse, that no one would remember him because he was Torchwood. His existence would be erased.

"Ianto," Jack called out, a warning. "Leave him alone!"

Ianto glanced back over his shoulder. "Jack, I'm fine, trust me." He actually smiled at the Master. "Just a little trip. You've seen it all. I'd like a shot."

"I have seen it!" But not really. Not really. Jack didn't know what the Toclofane were.

[iehcsok]

It was odd really, the Master disappeared from their sights and so did Ianto, leaving them behind in their little hell and bring Ianto to a different sort of hell. Standing there at Utopia as the world ended, the Master took Ianto on a guide tour. Through the screams and horror, the smell of burning flesh and hot metal - it wasn't pretty but the Master seemed happy. They were much closer to the ovens and the slaughter house now, it was like surround sound. Once he reached the top floor, the Master closed his eyes and embraced the noise.

Because all the screams were deafening and he couldn't hear the drums over them. He would stay forever but he knew it was drive him more insane than he was now. The boredom and the tedium, only suffering around him.

And, as he had promised those naive humans, the sky did indeed sparkle like diamonds.

He and Ianto watched the sky together as everyone around them cried and scrambled to hold onto their life. It was amazing how much beauty survived. "The human race may die but the skies will never go out."

[notsoperfect10]

As Ianto's mind broke, changed, warped, and he came to some understanding about himself, the Doctor tried to keep Jack's attention. He did his very best to make that man hold onto some sort of his humanity, even if Jack was now, very loose on the term 'human.'

"Jack. Jack Harkness--" But Jack was staring at Tosh and then at Owen. The Doctor had disappointed him again. And while Jack would forgive him, again, he couldn't let this go.

Not now.

So when Jack spoke, it was to Owen.

"Get Ianto out. Whatever you have to do, get the both of you out."

[iehcsok]

"What the fuck do you think I plan to do? Leave him?" Owen growled back, he always did have issues with Jack and this was really not helping them or their personal issues. Instead of making up, Owen rather wished he's left Jack dead and destroyed the world with the rift. At least no one would suffer.

Eyes flickering to Tosh, he swallowed hard. He knew now that he was going to end up like that, maybe worse. But he could still save Ianto.

When the Master did return, the smell of burnt flesh clung to them and reeked the room out. He let go of Iantos tie and let him drop.

"Mmm, nothing like the end of the universe to put you in the mood for cake, right Ianto?"

Walking over to the neatly slice cake, he picked up some himself and threw another piece at the Doctor, whacking him in the face with it so it splattered against him.

[notsoperfect10]

If only the situation had been better, the Doctor might have been happy for even a few chunks of cake that landed near his mouth. Now, the sugary taste made him feel ill. And seeing Ianto with such dark, hollow eyes made it even worse. He hugged himself. Rocking.

Jack was not any happier. "Ianto! Ianto, look at me!" and he did, slowly, lips trembling as if he wanted to speak but had forgotten all of the words. He swallowed.

He tried not to sick up. And he failed. A mess of vomit dropped to the floor in front of him.

[iehcsok]

"Oh see, now that put me off my cake," the Master cried, pulling a face. Disgusting humans, always spewing things about. Shoving the rest of his cake into his mouth, he used his communicator to call in Tish. Well, someone had to clean it up and he wasn't being around that all day.

Grabbing Ianto's sleeve, he dropped the idiot down by his friend, giving them both a warning look to not try anything before his attention landed on Jack once more.

"So, Jack, still want to trade? Lucy for Ianto? I think he'd like the future. I'll even make good use of your doctor here. He might enjoy being one of my children."

There was a dark look on his face. It was the reveal of the toclafane. Because yes, every and any human could be one. It was a never ending cycle.

[stopwatchlover]

Ianto's fingers slipped down Owen's arm before he snatched his cuff. "Just... Bullet in the head. You want a bullet in the head. That-- They did that--"

The Doctor had to interrupt. No need scaring everyone, though he was already sure that Jack could follow along with where Ianto was going. He was an exceedingly smart man, one of the brightest. The Doctor loved the clever ones. "Oh, come on, Lucy and Jack? Their complexion's all wrong!" he said as Tish was made to clean up the vomit.

Ianto shared the sort of dead eyed look that Lucy had, though his hand trembled in Owen's shirt.

[iehcsok]

"No one wants a bullet in the head," the Master pointed out, making a gesture to indicate Ianto was crazy. He was sure the Doctor knew and so did Jack but the poor little human Doctor looked completely stumped. He was out of the loop but hell, he had to get Ianto out of here.

Deal with the devil? "I'll do it if you let Ianto go."

The Master gave the human a look of amusement before bursting into laughter. Why would he make a deal? He could make him do it anyway! It was endearing how much humans cared for one another.

"Erm, no, I'll do that anyway. But I'm generous. What else can you offer me for your little friend?"

Owen gave Ianto a sideways look, the way the poor sod was trembling... fuck. "What do you want? Anything."

[notsoperfect10]

"Don't...don't Owen...don't..." Ianto was begging now, tears running down his face. "Don't let him--"

"I know," the Doctor said, eyes smouldering as he watched the Master. "He wants to pay me back for everything I've done to him. Horrible things. We were friends once. Best of friends. Inseparable, we two."

Well done, Doctor, airing dirty laundry in front of the freak and the humans!

"When'd it go wrong? After I dropped out of the Academy? No. My marriage? When I stole the TARDIS?"

[iehcsok]

"Shut up," the Master snapped, obviously not happy with this impromptu trip down memory lane. Because no, he was not in the mood for this discussion, this was a private matter that he hated for those so worthless to his life to overhear.

Turning his attention back to Owen, the Torchwood doctor met his gaze head on.

"I think you're mates trying to talk to you."

The Master scold in annoyance and whipped his head around. And, with the Masters head turned, Owen returned to trying to undo his cuffs like he had been for the past ten minutes. He nudged Ianto, whose hands were free and tried to prompt him to help.

[notsoperfect10]

Good, yes, the Doctor could see what they were doing and just had to keep distracting the other Time Lord. At least Ianto stopped flinching for two moments to do as he was told by looks and trembling gestures.

The Doctor cleared his throat as he looked up at the Master. Oh, it was futile, sure. They might escape the bridge but they'd never get off the ship alive.

"It's because I left you. Because you wouldn't come with me. And... Oh. Master, I did want you to come with me. You just never would."