Halfway Out Of The Dark || The Doctor

Last of the Time Lords

It had been a year since the Master had seized control of Earth. The Shadow Proclamation had wisely declared the planet off-limits to space-faring races. The planet was in a terrible state, with it's resources having been plundered by the Master to fuel his thirst for conquest.

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In the early hours of the morning, a stubbled man stood on a beach waving a lamp, signalling to a small boat which signalled back. The boat made shore and Martha Jones disembarked. She was dressed in black combat gear and looked rather battle-weary. "What's ya name, then?" she asked the man.

"Tom Milligan." he answered, "No need to ask who you are, the famous Martha Jones. How long since you were last in Britain?"

"365 days." she replied wearily, "It's been a long year."

"So what's the plan?" Tom asked as they began to walk along the beach.

"This Professor Docherty." Martha replied, "I need to see her. Can you get me there?"

"She works in a repair shed, nuclear plant 7. I can get you inside." Tom answered, "What's this all for? What's so important about her?"

"Sorry, the more you know, the more you're at risk." Martha told him.

"There's a lot of people depending on you. You're a bit of a legend."

"What does the legend say?"

"That you sailed the Atlantic, walked across America. That you're the only person to get out of Japan alive. 'Martha Jones, she's gonna save the world'. Bit late for that."

Then Martha noticed a pickup parked nearby. "How can you can drive?" she asked him, "Don't you get stopped?"

"Medical staff. Used to be in paediatrics, back in the old days." Tom replied, "But that gives me a licence to travel, so I can help out at the labour camps."

"Great, I'm travelling with a doctor." Martha snorted, getting into the vehicle.

"Story goes, you're the only person on Earth who can kill him." Tom remarked, getting into the driver's seat, "That you and you alone can kill the Master, stone dead."

"Let's just drive." Martha said briskly. Her long mission was nearly complete and there was no time to lose.

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On the Valiant, Scissor Sister's I Can't Decide blared over the speakers as the Master swaggered into the conference room, full of smug arrogance. Everything was going well for him. He had Earth under his control, the Doctor overpowered and he felt that nothing could stop him. He went over to Lucy and gave her a forceful kiss, then swivelled in a chair, then took a cup of tea that had been brought up by Francine Jones, who was dressed in a maid's uniform. He spat the tea out, threw the cup away, then pranced onto the steps and rang a bell.

The aged Doctor crawled out of a tent by the stairs. The Master grabbed him by the lapels and threw him into a wheelchair. The Doctor had been silent and stoic all year. He hadn't seen the Artist since the day after the Master took control. He'd tried to sway her to join him, but she'd simply given him a black eye, so he'd put her in solitary confinement. The Doctor couldn't sense her anymore and suspected the Master had put a mental dampener on her.

The Master wheeled the Doctor over to a porthole. "It's ready to rise, Doctor." the Master crowed, "The new Time Lord Empire." A squad of Toclafane whizzed past. "It's good, isn't it? Anything?" The Doctor didn't answer, he just stared solemnly at the Toclafane. "Oh, but they broke your hearts, didn't they? Those Toclafane." the Master taunted, "Ever since you worked out what they really are. Your lovely Artist was the same. She cried, the silly girl....They say Martha Jones has come back home. Now why would she do that?"