End of all things [L&M]

[lasttimelady]

In the TARDIS, there is a dark-haired girl in a skirt and jumper and a dark-haired man in a suit.

"What do you wear to the end of the universe?" Gail asked, perched on the jumpseat and watching the Master pilot the TARDIS with a bit of awe. "I mean... is it hot, cold, vacuum

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[andco]

"A bit on the cold side, actually," the Master says, smiling. "Nothing too unpleasant. More chilly than anything." He's moving around the console, practically dancing as he flips switches and pushes buttons and works that absurd little bicycle pump that the Doctor's grafted on.

Really, a miracle that the Doctor was able to do so much with so little after the Time War, but the Master could do so much to improve on it...

And he will. Eventually.

"This may be a bit shocking, Abby. It won't be pleasant. But you should see what I'm working to change."

[lasttimelady]

Gail gets up and grabs her coat off one of the struts (a white coat she found in the wardrobe, and she's not sure why it seemed like it was hers, but she took it anyway) shrugging into it and taking a deep breath. "Yeah, no, I'm ready."

It makes her nervous, how serious he's been about this, but... she thinks she wants to help. She does want to help. If she can.

[andco]

The TARDIS lands with a bit of a shake, and as soon as he's recovered his bearings, the Master strides to the TARDIS doors and throws them open.

"Welcome to Utopia," he says. "The last refuge against the end of everything."

It's cold, yes. Cold and dark, without a star to light the sky, the last of humanity's efforts devoted to conserving what light and heat they can hold onto, and outside this small packet of life, there's nothing. Even in the last great refuge, the lights are subdued, the air just a bit colder than is comfortable.

They come to him, then, the last of the humans, floating towards the TARDIS in their tiny shells, each carefully constructed to keep the occupants alive with a minimum of resources.

"master?"

"is he here? is he come again? mister master came back?"

"our master our master our master will save us, save us from the dark and the cold..."

"we've been so frightened..."

[lasttimelady]

Gail gasps a little, wide-eyed, and steps back, her hands pressed against her mouth. She wasn't... well, she knows aliens exist, of course - she's heard the proof at night with her ear pressed to Harry's chest. But he seems human, and these...

"What are they?" she asks faintly, her eyes flicking from one to another to another, never staying still - much like the orbs themselves.