Paradoxical Paradox Chapter 3
“Remember, we should be quick and try not to activate anything if you can help it,” the Doctor said as the Tardis’ doors opened and they entered.
“This way,” Amy said, dragging Rory off into the corridors.
“Quit pulling, Amy,” Rory said as he followed her, almost bent over by the force of her.
The Doctor ignored them and rooted around in the storage spaces, looking for the one device that he wanted. It took him a couple of minutes, but he finally found what he was looking for; something that would be able to fuel the car without having to worry about gas. The Master had delighted in showing him just how bad the world had gotten during his one year rule, so he knew how bad it could get.
“Oh, Doctor,” Amy called out as she entered the main room once more.
“What are you up to?” the Doctor asked. He turned around and gasped. “My outfit.”
“We found it,” Amy said. “For some reason it was hanging from the ceiling fan in the wardrobe.”
“You should really clean up in there,” Rory said.
“Why?” the Doctor asked as he stepped forward to grab the outfit.
“Because you don’t look comfortable, even if it is more fashionable,” Amy said.
“This outfit just isn’t me,” the Doctor said, picking at his shirt. “It’s so, flimsy.”
“Well, for something put together on the fly, none of it’s too bad,” Amy said. She shook her head. “Now hurry and go get dressed, and don't forget to empty the important pockets of that suit.”
“You’re going to have a great life together,” the Doctor said as he clapped Rory on the shoulder.
“Oh, yeah,” Rory said, shaking his head.
“We’ll head back to the car,” Amy said.
“I’ll join you in a minute,” the Doctor called out. He quickly got changed, made sure that everything in the Tardis was sleeping once more, and then headed back out. Amy and Rory were only about a block ahead of him and he easily caught up with them, throwing his arms around both of their shoulders.
Martha had moved into the third seat in the backseat, but she climbed back onto Jack’s lap when the three approached. “Nice outfit; it reminds me a bit of the schoolteacher.”
“Ah, yes,” the Doctor said, tugging at his coat. “But much cooler.”
Amy sighed. “He’s not the Doctor without the bow tie.”
The Master burst out laughing when he saw and curled up in the back, laughing too heavy to even speak. The laughter disturbed the others, but it was better than the Master’s cutting words, so they kept quiet about it.
The Doctor hooked Donna’s car up to the device with her help before they got back in the car. Donna started it up again and started driving, this time heading towards Cardiff.
The area around the Tardis was still deserted, but the closer they got to the down town area, the more people there were. Amy and Martha ducked their heads after a while, unable to take the sight. The people left in the city were not in good shape; the people left over from the Toclafane’s first rush of killing. Yet, Donna drove by without blinking at the sight, though her fingers clutched tight on the steering wheel.
A couple of people tried to stop the car, but Donna did not let them. She drove around them with moves that shoved the people in the car into one another, even though they were already squeezed close together.
The Master continued to laugh, although at this point it was more thanks to the view outside the window than the Doctor’s choice of style. Of course, the Doctor was quite sure that the Master was also laughing at that as well as the horror out on the streets.
It got better once they reached the countryside, although there were still people out on the roads. Clearly they were people who had abandoned the city, walking along the side of the road. They waved at the car, hoping to be picked up for the ride. Donna just drove past each group; knowing that they had a full car even if they could chance that the person they picked up was a decent person.
Finally, after a long time traveling, they reached Cardiff. Jack clutched Martha around the waist as they drove through the city; the Doctor giving Donna directions to the Hub.
“At least my team wasn’t here for this,” Jack said when they finally reached the Hub. The large fountain had been destroyed at some point, and the tourist information office that Ianto Jones manned was also taken out.
They all piled out of the car, stretching their legs. Jack ignored them all and headed over to the remains of the fountain, kicking away rubble from a particular bit of pavement. “This wouldn’t really be the way that I recommend going down after this, but the other quick entrance looks like a pancake, so this is the only way down,” Jack said when he cleared the square off.
“You wait here, I’ll go down and find what I need,” the Master said as he walked forward.
Jack stopped him with a hand on the Master’s chest. “You are not going down there.”
“Sure, I am,” the Master said. He tried to step around Jack, but Jack stopped him once more.
“You are not going down there on your own,” Jack repeated. “This is my headquarters, not yours.”
The Master scoffed. “That means nothing to me. I could have chosen this as a base if I really wanted to, but really, a flying ship is so much cooler.”
“You choose your headquarters based on how cool it is?” Amy asked.
“And how rich it looks,” the Doctor interjected.
“Of course I do,” the Master said. “No one would take me seriously if I didn’t.
“Right,” Amy said, shaking her head.
“In any case, I’ve got to go down there.” The Master glared at Jack. “And I’m not afraid to kill you to get past you.”
“Now, now, let’s not get too hasty,” the Doctor said, stepping up between the two. “No need to cause Jack unneeded pain.”
“Killing him is unneeded pain?” Amy demanded.
“Jack’ll come back,” the Doctor said with a shrug. “How about this, I’ll go down with the Master and make sure he doesn’t get into anything he’s not supposed to.”
“Him going down there would be getting into something he’s not supposed to,” Jack said.
“I don't get what the big deal is,” the Master complained. “I’ve already been down there a couple of times already. Of course, it hasn’t happened yet, but I still remember.”
“Master,” the Doctor softly said. “I’ll keep an eye on him Jack.”
“I don't know,” Jack said.
“Tell me, do you like Donna?” the Master asked in a low voice, so that only the three of them could hear.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Jack asked.
“She doesn’t belong here,” the Master said. “She has so much time energy in her that she’d break a hole in the walls of the dimension when it starts to collapse after it’s all played out.”
“What?” Jack said. He turned to look at the Doctor. “Is this true?”
“It’s possible,” the Doctor said. “I was planning on locking her memories up, feeding the energy into the Tardis, once I learned about her.”
The Master chuckled. “Thinking about how much you screwed up, eh, Doctor? Well, don’t worry; it’s easily fixable, if Captain Undead here allows us down into his precious Hub.”
“What are you talking about?” the Doctor asked.
“There’s a device down there that fell through the rift. Ralaporian, I believe, that will take care of all of her problems. Takes care of the time energy and that will halt the progression of her brain. Or, should I call it the degradation of her brain?”
“Stop it, will you?” Jack snapped. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “All right, you can go down there, as long as the Doctor goes with you.”
The Master snickered, glancing over at John Smith. “I’m enjoying this.”
“You would,” the Doctor said.
“Watch out for Myfanwy and Janet,” Jack said as he stepped back.
“You’re letting him down there?” John Smith demanded, looking upset over not being included in the discussion.
“The Doctor,” Jack motioned to the right Doctor, “will go down with him and keep him from getting into any trouble. Because, if one thing gets destroyed, I will set my team out on you.”
“It didn't do much good the last time around,” the Master said. The Doctor shoved him towards the elevator, giving him a dirty look at the same time.
“We’ll be back soon,” the Doctor said.
“Just as long as it’s not twelve years,” Amy called out.
“You’ll never let me forget that, will you?” the Doctor asked, turning towards her for a second.
“Four psychiatrists,” Amy replied.
“Ah, yes,” the Doctor said. “Well, let’s go then.”
“It’s about time,” the Master grumbled, smirking all the way.
The Doctor and the Master went over to the elevator that was the stone square that Jack had cleared off. The Doctor activated it with his sonic screwdriver and down they went.
The Hub had withstood the attack rather well. A few of the beams had fallen down, dislodging a whole lot of dust, but the two Time Lords were able to get to the bottom of the elevator without a problem.
“Where is this device you were talking about?” the Doctor asked.
“Over in the archives,” the Master said, heading that way himself.
The Doctor followed after him, peering around the room. “You know, I’ve never really had a chance to look around down here.”
“Well, you don't have the time right now,” the Master said.
“So, beyond the device for Donna, what else are you up to?” the Doctor asked.
“What makes you say that I’m up to something?” the Doctor asked.
“Oh, there’s just he little fact that you’re doing something kind for someone,” the Doctor said.
“Who says I can't be kind?” the Master asked.
“You do,” the Doctor said. “You do claim to be evil, right?”
“All right, all right,” the Master said. “I am after something for myself and thought that the Ladies Man would be more likely to let me in if I gave him a sob story that he would fall for.”
“Plus, you can use the device to smuggle out the other one that you’re going to take, right?” the Doctor said.
“Be careful, Doctor, or you might turn into even more of a thief,” the Master said.
The Doctor shook his head. “So, what exactly are you looking for?”
“You won't let me take it out of here unless I tell you, right?” the Master asked. “Fine, it’s something that will stabilize this body of mine. It held up well in the time lock, but I can feel that it’s already starting to degrade here in this pocket dimension.”
“You’re planning on coming back with us,” the Doctor said.
“Maybe,” the Master said. “But, you won't stop me right now, because I need to find the device for your companion.”
“Well, technically Amy and Rory are my companions,” the Doctor corrected. “Though, the others never really stopped being mine.”
“What is up with those two?” the Master asked.
“Who? Amy and Rory?” the Doctor asked.
“They’re just so not like you, although the girl is stubborn enough, I suppose,” the Master said.
“Things happened and they’re really great people once you get to know them,” the Doctor said.
“If you say so,” the Master said. He stopped in front of a room filled with walls of safes.
“Are you sure this isn’t the morgue?” the Doctor asked.
“My mind isn’t that far gone,” the Master said. “Just give me a minute and I’ll find everything that we need.”
The ceiling above them rumbled and the Doctor froze. The Master continued to move, heading towards the safes. “What was that?” the Doctor asked.
“Probably me and my forces,” the Master said.
Chapter 4