justprompts; Mollify
The Doctor knows, all too well, that he can’t make everyone happy. ‘Making everyone happy’ falls into the same category as ‘saving everyone’; a special category of bitter, jaded truths about the way the universe works.
That doesn’t stop him from wishing Martha and Jack could be happy with this decision.
“So that’s it then. You’re just taking off with that psycho and leaving us?” Jack’s voice bites into him in a way he wasn’t expecting. Hurt, betrayal, abandonment. And really, he has the right to feel that way, with or without this decision.
“He’ll leave the Earth alone. I can handle him from there,” the Doctor says, busying himself with the TARDIS. It would normally take much longer to reconvert a Paradox Machine into his old Type 40 but he has only two hours to do so. The Master and his love of deadlines.
“But he’s got my family, Doctor! You can’t just leave! He’s got everything under his control.” The brilliant Martha Jones. Even after all he’d put her through, Martha was still standing there, still ready to help him. She deserved something better than what he could offer her.
“He’s letting them go.” The Doctor speaks through the wires held in his mouth. He plucks two free and twists them together, winding them around a wheel. “That’s the deal. Earth’s free, your family’s free, no more Archangel. He’s calling your team back in, Jack. Everything back to normal, like he was never here. Problem solved. Well, except for the government. Erm, sorry but you’ll have to handle that. I know you’re up to the task.” But for all the Doctor’s assurances, he can’t quite meet their eyes.
“You’re just going to…battle across the universe with him?” Martha is suddenly at his side and the Doctor is forced to look at her. It hasn’t sunk in yet. There’s just an enough shock and disbelief to dull the edge in her voice. He turns away to pull off another piece of the paradox binding. “Doctor! Answer me!”
“Yes!” He doesn’t mean to snap at her but it only earns the briefest wince, a flicker of pain in closed off eyes. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. If he wants to fight, fine, but we’re not fighting here. Not on Earth.”
“And destroying other planets, that makes it all right?” In the low red light of the cannibalized machine, Martha’s features only look more twisted and hurt. “My God, I can’t believe this. It isn’t right, Doctor. Just let us kill him!”
“I’m with Martha.” Jack’s head pops around from the other side of the half fixed console. “He’s a killer. He’s worse than that. If you’ve got his trust, then when you go back to that meeting place all we have to do is sneak in with you. All it takes is one bullet.”
“No. No one is killing him. Understand? We’re not killing him.” The Doctor grabs another grated panel and rips it away a little too hard. He feels the metal tear at his palms. They want to kill. Is that what he’s taught them?
“But why?!” Martha puts her hands over the Doctor’s, her hold so fragile that the Doctor actually stops for a moment. “What is he, Doctor? After all I’ve seen you do, with the Daleks and the Family…it was different. So why…? Just tell us.”
“It’s complicated.” The Doctor doesn’t even understand it. It’s the most reckless and crazy decision he’s made in a very long time. ‘Fight across the constellations’, he said. He hadn’t expected the Master to agree. But some part of him had hoped so; that crazy part of him tearing down the Paradox Machine with sick thrill.
“Doctor, please. Just tell us why,” Martha begs. The Doctor looks up and sees Jack wearing the same look. He wonders if he’s going to see them again. Maybe he doesn’t deserve to. He’s leaving them a country to clean up. But he knows he’s saving them from something so much worse. Why can’t they just understand? He’s doing it for everyone! For them!
“Because I’m not the last one anymore.” By their looks, it’s too simple of an answer. Even the Doctor knows it doesn’t do the situation justice. But what could? There’s a reason he only ever says ‘He’s the Master’ to explain it (besides his annoyance at explaining anything).
“You and that psycho fighting some war forever,” Jack mutters, the resentment breaking through. “Now that’s a good life to leave for.”
“But…what will you do?” Martha’s tone is hesitant and soft. She’s pulling at straws and they know it. “You can’t just fight him like that!”
“I’m going to save him.” The Doctor tears away the last panel, freeing his TARDIS. Martha and Jack exchange a look that says everything. No one speaks as they finish the work.
It sounds daft. Completely mad. And it is. The Doctor isn’t even sure if it’s possible. The Master’s spiral into insanity has been a crash course for so long, there might not be anything left to save. But he has to try. It’s a second chance.
If he can just save someone…
If he can save his former best friend…
It’s almost perfect. A second chance to save someone he lost so long ago, without fear of the Earth and his friends being harmed. All he has to do is stop him on other planets. It almost sounds easy. It’s the best choice.
He watches Martha and Jack walk away and just hopes that one day they will understand.
Note: Based on an AU with savagestime where the Master agrees to the 'fight across the constellations' deal during Sound of Drums.
That doesn’t stop him from wishing Martha and Jack could be happy with this decision.
“So that’s it then. You’re just taking off with that psycho and leaving us?” Jack’s voice bites into him in a way he wasn’t expecting. Hurt, betrayal, abandonment. And really, he has the right to feel that way, with or without this decision.
“He’ll leave the Earth alone. I can handle him from there,” the Doctor says, busying himself with the TARDIS. It would normally take much longer to reconvert a Paradox Machine into his old Type 40 but he has only two hours to do so. The Master and his love of deadlines.
“But he’s got my family, Doctor! You can’t just leave! He’s got everything under his control.” The brilliant Martha Jones. Even after all he’d put her through, Martha was still standing there, still ready to help him. She deserved something better than what he could offer her.
“He’s letting them go.” The Doctor speaks through the wires held in his mouth. He plucks two free and twists them together, winding them around a wheel. “That’s the deal. Earth’s free, your family’s free, no more Archangel. He’s calling your team back in, Jack. Everything back to normal, like he was never here. Problem solved. Well, except for the government. Erm, sorry but you’ll have to handle that. I know you’re up to the task.” But for all the Doctor’s assurances, he can’t quite meet their eyes.
“You’re just going to…battle across the universe with him?” Martha is suddenly at his side and the Doctor is forced to look at her. It hasn’t sunk in yet. There’s just an enough shock and disbelief to dull the edge in her voice. He turns away to pull off another piece of the paradox binding. “Doctor! Answer me!”
“Yes!” He doesn’t mean to snap at her but it only earns the briefest wince, a flicker of pain in closed off eyes. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. If he wants to fight, fine, but we’re not fighting here. Not on Earth.”
“And destroying other planets, that makes it all right?” In the low red light of the cannibalized machine, Martha’s features only look more twisted and hurt. “My God, I can’t believe this. It isn’t right, Doctor. Just let us kill him!”
“I’m with Martha.” Jack’s head pops around from the other side of the half fixed console. “He’s a killer. He’s worse than that. If you’ve got his trust, then when you go back to that meeting place all we have to do is sneak in with you. All it takes is one bullet.”
“No. No one is killing him. Understand? We’re not killing him.” The Doctor grabs another grated panel and rips it away a little too hard. He feels the metal tear at his palms. They want to kill. Is that what he’s taught them?
“But why?!” Martha puts her hands over the Doctor’s, her hold so fragile that the Doctor actually stops for a moment. “What is he, Doctor? After all I’ve seen you do, with the Daleks and the Family…it was different. So why…? Just tell us.”
“It’s complicated.” The Doctor doesn’t even understand it. It’s the most reckless and crazy decision he’s made in a very long time. ‘Fight across the constellations’, he said. He hadn’t expected the Master to agree. But some part of him had hoped so; that crazy part of him tearing down the Paradox Machine with sick thrill.
“Doctor, please. Just tell us why,” Martha begs. The Doctor looks up and sees Jack wearing the same look. He wonders if he’s going to see them again. Maybe he doesn’t deserve to. He’s leaving them a country to clean up. But he knows he’s saving them from something so much worse. Why can’t they just understand? He’s doing it for everyone! For them!
“Because I’m not the last one anymore.” By their looks, it’s too simple of an answer. Even the Doctor knows it doesn’t do the situation justice. But what could? There’s a reason he only ever says ‘He’s the Master’ to explain it (besides his annoyance at explaining anything).
“You and that psycho fighting some war forever,” Jack mutters, the resentment breaking through. “Now that’s a good life to leave for.”
“But…what will you do?” Martha’s tone is hesitant and soft. She’s pulling at straws and they know it. “You can’t just fight him like that!”
“I’m going to save him.” The Doctor tears away the last panel, freeing his TARDIS. Martha and Jack exchange a look that says everything. No one speaks as they finish the work.
It sounds daft. Completely mad. And it is. The Doctor isn’t even sure if it’s possible. The Master’s spiral into insanity has been a crash course for so long, there might not be anything left to save. But he has to try. It’s a second chance.
If he can just save someone…
If he can save his former best friend…
It’s almost perfect. A second chance to save someone he lost so long ago, without fear of the Earth and his friends being harmed. All he has to do is stop him on other planets. It almost sounds easy. It’s the best choice.
He watches Martha and Jack walk away and just hopes that one day they will understand.
Note: Based on an AU with savagestime where the Master agrees to the 'fight across the constellations' deal during Sound of Drums.