Post by Fitz Kreiner on May 21, 2009 13:23:35 GMT
The journey back to UNIT HQ was a silent one. Sergeant Lovatt lead the small convoy back through the early morning traffic, Captain Morris and the Doctor sat beside her in the cab of the truck. The look that the Doctor had on his face was a hugely troubled one. He’d returned from the inside of the factory after hours toiling at the equipment in the offices with bad news; he’d been unable to trace the energy back to its original source. He’d ruefully admitted that the Master had concealed the source far too well.
Morris also looked greatly pained. He’d lost seventeen men in the short battle with the Autons and now he had to write up the same report seventeen times and inform their families. Lovatt didn’t envy him that job, yet she would still offer assistance to help ease the burden. Those were the responsibilities that came with the extra stripes on her arm, and if she wanted to one day swap those stripes for shoulder pips.
As the truck jolted over a speed bump, she became once again aware of the cargo that was in the back; the molten remains of several Autons, plastic plants from the reception of the factory and perhaps bizarrely of all; a vending machine. The Doctor had been intent on their taking the vending machine to a place of safety, saying it was effectively the same thing as his Police Box, just with a different outer shell.
Yawning, Lovatt turned the truck into the back street behind the HQ. It had been a long day, with no sleep; she’d now been up pushing thirty hours and was looking forward to a rest. She wasn’t sure when she would get it, but she hoped that she’d be able to at least grab a couple of hours of sleep soon. Although somehow she doubted it, knowing the amount of work that she would have to do. No doubt the Doctor would be rather enthusiastically dashing about when he got back to HQ. His mood at the moment certainly seemed glummer than usual. He probably had the equipment in his TARDIS to trace the Master.
The HQ had been quiet all night, yet they had also been in a signal black-spot, not being able to send or receive any radio signals from the factory. Still, Corporal Loding and the Doctor’s two friends had been there all night, so there was a chance that they may have unearthed something for the investigation. The Doctor’s two friends certainly seemed more than capable, Lovatt remembered, thinking back to when she last met them.
Turning again, Lovatt pulled the truck up before the large garage doors, leading to the closed off loading bays at the back of the HQ building. Reaching forwards, she depressed the small red button that activated the electric doors. She looked up, expecting to see the doors rising, but was taken aback to see them still closed. Reaching forwards, she jabbed at the button again, hitting it several times.
“Something wrong Sergeant?” Morris asked, looking round the Doctor to her.
“The doors don’t seem to be opening.” Lovatt replied, looking up in time to see the smaller door to the side open and a private step out.
“Sorry sir,” he was saying as he approached the driver’s side window. “We’ve had a few electrical problems, including the doors. I’ve got a couple of the lads coming down to open them manually.”
“Electrical problems?” the Doctor asked, looking up. “Maybe I can help? I’m a dab hand with electrical items.” His eyes were sparkling again. Perhaps it was the prospect of being faced with an achievable task after his failure at Rutilus Allec.
“No need, sir,” the soldier replied. “The young man, Tom, fixed it during the night. We’ve just got a few hiccups now.” He turned back as the two large doors jerked open with a creaking noise revealing the cavernous garage within.
“Open sesame,” Lovatt grinned as she gently eased her foot on the accelerator, pulling the truck softly into the garage.
Swiftly opening his door, Morris jumped down from the cab and dashed to the back of the truck. Grabbing the canvas flap at the back, he lifted it up and peered into the gloom inside, the private he’d placed inside to guard the cargo looked up as the light flooded in and nodded. Nodding in reply, Morris let the flap drop back into place.
“Everything ok Will?”
The sound of the Doctor’s voice made Morris jump. He hadn’t heard the Time Lord approach. He turned round to see the Doctor stood before him smiling. He was still clutching the charred remains of his device that he’d constructed out of the CD player and radio.
“Just checking on things in there.” Morris admitted as Lovatt approached from the other side of the jeep.
“What about the rest of the lads, sir?” She asked. “I mean, we lost a lot of good men out there.”
“I am aware, Sergeant,” Morris nodded grimly and looking back to see the surviving troops disembarking from their vehicles. “I think we should get those lads down below and safe before we do anything more.”
Nodding in understanding, Lovatt turned and walked towards the grouping soldiers. Sighing softly, Morris pulled his cap from his head and ran his hand through his ginger hair.
“Well, that was rather a waste of our time, and seventeen good men’s lives.” He said bitterly.
“It was a trap, Will.” The Doctor replied sadly. “And unfortunately, we must expect this and many more horrific things like it if the Master is indeed involved.”
“I know, I’ve read the reports. I know about the Master.” Morris sighed. “I just didn’t expect it to be like this.”
“No, Will, you don’t know the Master. Not at all,” the Doctor almost shouted, attracting some looks from the few privates still about. “I’ve known him for centuries, and this is nothing more than a black eye or a bloody nose compared to what he’s capable of. With the help of the Nestenes and Autons, he could cause untold damage to this little planet of yours. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s done something like this.”
“Well, if he’s half the criminal you say he is, then why haven’t you, or anyone else, killed him?” Morris retorted.
“Because, Will,” the Doctor sighed rolling his eyes. “If I were to kill him it would make me no better than him, and he’s far too cunning, charismatic, and clever to let himself get killed. Believe me, many have tried, none have succeeded.” The Doctor stopped and his shoulders dropped and he bowed his head. “And besides, he was once a very, very good friend of mine.”
Morris’s eyes widened at the revelation and had to stand there for a moment to let his brain assimilate the information. It was something that had been kept out of all previous reports about the Master. Looking back at the Doctor; Morris saw a great sense of sadness deep within his brilliant blue eyes. Not too sure what to say in the situation, Morris put his hand on the Time Lords shoulder, in what he hoped was both a manly and reassuring way. The Doctor looked up at Morris, a brilliant smile on his face, as if he’d completely forgotten the conversation they’d just had.
“I think it’s time we checked on Jess and Tom, see if they’ve had more luck than us tonight.” He grinned.
The smile instantly dropped from the Doctors face as a faint scream echoed from the halls of the building and into the large concrete garage. Hearing it as well, Morris looked round, his eyes finally resting on the doors leading into the main building as the scream faded away.
“Jess,” the Doctor gasped, thrusting the charred remains of his device into Morris’s hands and running to the door, his coat tails flapping like a cape behind him.
Momentarily bemused by hearing a scream from his very own HQ, Morris paused as he clutched the shattered electronics he was now holding, thanks to the Doctor. Swiftly regaining his composure, Morris turned and followed the Doctor, running from the room, still clutching the charred and blackened remains of the Doctors device.
When he was sure that the garage was deserted, Private Baxter stepped out of the shadows, closing the door behind Morris and slipping the shovel he held between the door handles, barricading the door. His expression blank and unchanged, Baxter checked the backs of the vehicles. They were empty, except for some ammunition crates and hardware. The UNIT troops had cleared the bodies away to the morgue that was in one of the cellars on the HQ. Turning, Baxter crossed to the truck in which the Doctor, Morris and Lovatt had arrived back at HQ in. Reaching forwards, he lifted up the canvas flap at the back and leant in.
“Oh, Baxey, it’s you,” the private inside said, looking up as the light from the garage fell onto him.
Raising his hand, Baxter’s fingers fell away and the short stubby tube emerged. The private’s jaw dropped in shock as he realised what he was looking at. He had no time to cry out or raise the alarm as there was a puff of smoke from the end of the gun tube and his smoking corpse collapsed in a heap in the back of the truck.
Removing himself from the back of the truck, Baxter’s fingers snapped back up to the rest of his hand as he walked to the front of the jeep. Silently, and his expression still a blank mask, the Baxter facsimile climbed in behind the wheel and turned the engine off. With the roar of the engine, the Auton reversed the jeep containing the molten deactivated Autons and Masters TARDIS out of the garage and drove off.
Sitting at her desk, Andrea Rogers busied herself at her computer, typing and filing reports and correspondents. She glanced up at the open double doors to Lemaitre’s office. Getting to her feet, she walked into the office and up to the desk. Several reports sat open on them, each with shipping orders for the masks and mannequins that were being produced in the factory, and the other factories in both the United Kingdom and France. Collecting them all together, she walked back to her own desk and put them on the top of her own pile of work.
Sitting back on the chair, she pulled up her email and checked the inbox for more correspondents. Thankfully, it was empty. She already had enough work to do today; even more now that Lemaitre had passed away. Still, most of the shipments had been sent out, and the last shipment of the masks was being sent out at four PM this afternoon. Soon, the plan would be put into operation. It had been brought forwards, but would still be brought into full operation.
A bleeping from the intercom brought her out of her reverie. Reaching forwards, she pressed the button and opened her mouth to reply, but the Master’s voice cut her off before she could begin.
“Would you mind joining me down on the factory floor, my dear?” his calm voice came through, devoid of all emotion.
“Yes, of course, Master.” She replied, getting to her feet and walking out of her office.
Walking through the administration section, Andrea wondered what mood the Master would be in when she arrived in the security section. He had been furious when he had discovered which of the prisoners had escaped. Not only did it mean that if there was a problem with the facsimile, the original wouldn’t be able to be used to fix the problem, but it meant that they would no doubt destroy one of the Master’s more strategically placed facsimiles.
Andrea had been scared by the eruption of his anger when he checked the containment records. She actually felt relieved for Lemaitre, having suffered his death previously. Had he still been alive when the Master discovered who he had managed to lose, then his death would have been ten times worse. The Master had stormed down to the security area leaving Andrea to work alone.
Using her key card to open the door to the factory, Andrea stepped through the door reflecting on this. She knew that the Master would not show any malice towards her; after all, she hadn’t failed him. In fact, she was someone she knew the Master could rely on. She was sure that he’d grown to count on her in the past months, taken her into his confidence and promised her more than she could have imagined. She’d even seen things she couldn’t have imagined, not just the Autons, but the TARDIS and the places the Master had taken her in it. Granted; it hadn’t been many as there was a lot to do with the plan here on Earth, but it was a lot more than billions of other people had seen.
Grabbing one of the hard hats that hung on the hooks before the factory, Andrea put it on as she walked down the steel staircase. Smiling and nodding to the workers in the main part of the factory, Andrea crossed over to the security area. Reaching out, she found the door unlocked. The Master would have operated the lock from his office, watching on the security cameras.
None of the Autons looked round, or even acknowledged her presence as she walked across the floor towards the staircase leading to the office in the security area. She could see the Master up through the windows. From his motions, he looked rather composed, stood with his hands behind his back, looking out on the production lines below.
Knocking politely on the glass window of the door, Andrea opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind her. The Master turned his head to look at her and smiled.
“It seems that despite our initial misfortunes, we have just had two turns in our fortune.” He said turning back to looking at the windows he was staring at before.
Andrea looked at the windows. They seemed to be showing monitor screens, most probably heads up displays projected from the complex panel that sat before the window. Reams of data and information scrolled up them, the lights on the panels around the room were flashing a myriad of colours. Even the smaller computer terminals were showing reams of data.
“What is it?” Andrea asked. She’d not seen the office like this before. Even the brightly coloured masks that had adorned the wall had gone.
“A report from one of the UNIT facsimile’s; our former guest, Miss Lawton, has been seen back at UNIT HQ. She is to be taken care of. Meanwhile, it appears that the good Doctor and Captain Morris have survived their ordeal at Rutilus Allec.” The Master said, leaning forwards and flicking several switches.
“The Doctor survived?” Andrea removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I thought the plan was to trap and dispose of them.”
“Not at all, my dear,” the Master smiled, turning and placing his hand on her shoulder. “It was a demoralising exercise for our UNIT friends and a mere test for the Doctor. Needless to say, he believes that he has my TARDIS safe in the UNIT vaults, but, my dear, and this is the good news, our facsimile of Private Baxter is at this moment removing my TARDIS to a safe location.”
Andrea smiled at the news as the Master turned back to the screens. Placing both his gloved hands on the edge of the large instrument panel, he leant forwards to stare at the screens.
“You see my dear.” He said staring straight ahead. “Even with the loss of Mr. Rowan it will not stop us. Rowans facsimile has been activated and he will deal with our UNIT friends, meanwhile your charming self and I can prepare to advance our plans for full activation of the Autons and Facsimile’s tonight.”
“Then the plan will proceed with no complications?” Andrea asked.
“The plan will be completed before the remains of UNIT are even aware of what has happened.” The Master reached out and twisted a large dial on the panel before him. The thick cables coming from the small metal cabinet containing the Nestene Sphere started to pulsate with a blue light. “This time tomorrow, we shall have complete control.” The Master turned and smiled.
Morris also looked greatly pained. He’d lost seventeen men in the short battle with the Autons and now he had to write up the same report seventeen times and inform their families. Lovatt didn’t envy him that job, yet she would still offer assistance to help ease the burden. Those were the responsibilities that came with the extra stripes on her arm, and if she wanted to one day swap those stripes for shoulder pips.
As the truck jolted over a speed bump, she became once again aware of the cargo that was in the back; the molten remains of several Autons, plastic plants from the reception of the factory and perhaps bizarrely of all; a vending machine. The Doctor had been intent on their taking the vending machine to a place of safety, saying it was effectively the same thing as his Police Box, just with a different outer shell.
Yawning, Lovatt turned the truck into the back street behind the HQ. It had been a long day, with no sleep; she’d now been up pushing thirty hours and was looking forward to a rest. She wasn’t sure when she would get it, but she hoped that she’d be able to at least grab a couple of hours of sleep soon. Although somehow she doubted it, knowing the amount of work that she would have to do. No doubt the Doctor would be rather enthusiastically dashing about when he got back to HQ. His mood at the moment certainly seemed glummer than usual. He probably had the equipment in his TARDIS to trace the Master.
The HQ had been quiet all night, yet they had also been in a signal black-spot, not being able to send or receive any radio signals from the factory. Still, Corporal Loding and the Doctor’s two friends had been there all night, so there was a chance that they may have unearthed something for the investigation. The Doctor’s two friends certainly seemed more than capable, Lovatt remembered, thinking back to when she last met them.
Turning again, Lovatt pulled the truck up before the large garage doors, leading to the closed off loading bays at the back of the HQ building. Reaching forwards, she depressed the small red button that activated the electric doors. She looked up, expecting to see the doors rising, but was taken aback to see them still closed. Reaching forwards, she jabbed at the button again, hitting it several times.
“Something wrong Sergeant?” Morris asked, looking round the Doctor to her.
“The doors don’t seem to be opening.” Lovatt replied, looking up in time to see the smaller door to the side open and a private step out.
“Sorry sir,” he was saying as he approached the driver’s side window. “We’ve had a few electrical problems, including the doors. I’ve got a couple of the lads coming down to open them manually.”
“Electrical problems?” the Doctor asked, looking up. “Maybe I can help? I’m a dab hand with electrical items.” His eyes were sparkling again. Perhaps it was the prospect of being faced with an achievable task after his failure at Rutilus Allec.
“No need, sir,” the soldier replied. “The young man, Tom, fixed it during the night. We’ve just got a few hiccups now.” He turned back as the two large doors jerked open with a creaking noise revealing the cavernous garage within.
“Open sesame,” Lovatt grinned as she gently eased her foot on the accelerator, pulling the truck softly into the garage.
Swiftly opening his door, Morris jumped down from the cab and dashed to the back of the truck. Grabbing the canvas flap at the back, he lifted it up and peered into the gloom inside, the private he’d placed inside to guard the cargo looked up as the light flooded in and nodded. Nodding in reply, Morris let the flap drop back into place.
“Everything ok Will?”
The sound of the Doctor’s voice made Morris jump. He hadn’t heard the Time Lord approach. He turned round to see the Doctor stood before him smiling. He was still clutching the charred remains of his device that he’d constructed out of the CD player and radio.
“Just checking on things in there.” Morris admitted as Lovatt approached from the other side of the jeep.
“What about the rest of the lads, sir?” She asked. “I mean, we lost a lot of good men out there.”
“I am aware, Sergeant,” Morris nodded grimly and looking back to see the surviving troops disembarking from their vehicles. “I think we should get those lads down below and safe before we do anything more.”
Nodding in understanding, Lovatt turned and walked towards the grouping soldiers. Sighing softly, Morris pulled his cap from his head and ran his hand through his ginger hair.
“Well, that was rather a waste of our time, and seventeen good men’s lives.” He said bitterly.
“It was a trap, Will.” The Doctor replied sadly. “And unfortunately, we must expect this and many more horrific things like it if the Master is indeed involved.”
“I know, I’ve read the reports. I know about the Master.” Morris sighed. “I just didn’t expect it to be like this.”
“No, Will, you don’t know the Master. Not at all,” the Doctor almost shouted, attracting some looks from the few privates still about. “I’ve known him for centuries, and this is nothing more than a black eye or a bloody nose compared to what he’s capable of. With the help of the Nestenes and Autons, he could cause untold damage to this little planet of yours. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s done something like this.”
“Well, if he’s half the criminal you say he is, then why haven’t you, or anyone else, killed him?” Morris retorted.
“Because, Will,” the Doctor sighed rolling his eyes. “If I were to kill him it would make me no better than him, and he’s far too cunning, charismatic, and clever to let himself get killed. Believe me, many have tried, none have succeeded.” The Doctor stopped and his shoulders dropped and he bowed his head. “And besides, he was once a very, very good friend of mine.”
Morris’s eyes widened at the revelation and had to stand there for a moment to let his brain assimilate the information. It was something that had been kept out of all previous reports about the Master. Looking back at the Doctor; Morris saw a great sense of sadness deep within his brilliant blue eyes. Not too sure what to say in the situation, Morris put his hand on the Time Lords shoulder, in what he hoped was both a manly and reassuring way. The Doctor looked up at Morris, a brilliant smile on his face, as if he’d completely forgotten the conversation they’d just had.
“I think it’s time we checked on Jess and Tom, see if they’ve had more luck than us tonight.” He grinned.
The smile instantly dropped from the Doctors face as a faint scream echoed from the halls of the building and into the large concrete garage. Hearing it as well, Morris looked round, his eyes finally resting on the doors leading into the main building as the scream faded away.
“Jess,” the Doctor gasped, thrusting the charred remains of his device into Morris’s hands and running to the door, his coat tails flapping like a cape behind him.
Momentarily bemused by hearing a scream from his very own HQ, Morris paused as he clutched the shattered electronics he was now holding, thanks to the Doctor. Swiftly regaining his composure, Morris turned and followed the Doctor, running from the room, still clutching the charred and blackened remains of the Doctors device.
When he was sure that the garage was deserted, Private Baxter stepped out of the shadows, closing the door behind Morris and slipping the shovel he held between the door handles, barricading the door. His expression blank and unchanged, Baxter checked the backs of the vehicles. They were empty, except for some ammunition crates and hardware. The UNIT troops had cleared the bodies away to the morgue that was in one of the cellars on the HQ. Turning, Baxter crossed to the truck in which the Doctor, Morris and Lovatt had arrived back at HQ in. Reaching forwards, he lifted up the canvas flap at the back and leant in.
“Oh, Baxey, it’s you,” the private inside said, looking up as the light from the garage fell onto him.
Raising his hand, Baxter’s fingers fell away and the short stubby tube emerged. The private’s jaw dropped in shock as he realised what he was looking at. He had no time to cry out or raise the alarm as there was a puff of smoke from the end of the gun tube and his smoking corpse collapsed in a heap in the back of the truck.
Removing himself from the back of the truck, Baxter’s fingers snapped back up to the rest of his hand as he walked to the front of the jeep. Silently, and his expression still a blank mask, the Baxter facsimile climbed in behind the wheel and turned the engine off. With the roar of the engine, the Auton reversed the jeep containing the molten deactivated Autons and Masters TARDIS out of the garage and drove off.
*
Sitting at her desk, Andrea Rogers busied herself at her computer, typing and filing reports and correspondents. She glanced up at the open double doors to Lemaitre’s office. Getting to her feet, she walked into the office and up to the desk. Several reports sat open on them, each with shipping orders for the masks and mannequins that were being produced in the factory, and the other factories in both the United Kingdom and France. Collecting them all together, she walked back to her own desk and put them on the top of her own pile of work.
Sitting back on the chair, she pulled up her email and checked the inbox for more correspondents. Thankfully, it was empty. She already had enough work to do today; even more now that Lemaitre had passed away. Still, most of the shipments had been sent out, and the last shipment of the masks was being sent out at four PM this afternoon. Soon, the plan would be put into operation. It had been brought forwards, but would still be brought into full operation.
A bleeping from the intercom brought her out of her reverie. Reaching forwards, she pressed the button and opened her mouth to reply, but the Master’s voice cut her off before she could begin.
“Would you mind joining me down on the factory floor, my dear?” his calm voice came through, devoid of all emotion.
“Yes, of course, Master.” She replied, getting to her feet and walking out of her office.
Walking through the administration section, Andrea wondered what mood the Master would be in when she arrived in the security section. He had been furious when he had discovered which of the prisoners had escaped. Not only did it mean that if there was a problem with the facsimile, the original wouldn’t be able to be used to fix the problem, but it meant that they would no doubt destroy one of the Master’s more strategically placed facsimiles.
Andrea had been scared by the eruption of his anger when he checked the containment records. She actually felt relieved for Lemaitre, having suffered his death previously. Had he still been alive when the Master discovered who he had managed to lose, then his death would have been ten times worse. The Master had stormed down to the security area leaving Andrea to work alone.
Using her key card to open the door to the factory, Andrea stepped through the door reflecting on this. She knew that the Master would not show any malice towards her; after all, she hadn’t failed him. In fact, she was someone she knew the Master could rely on. She was sure that he’d grown to count on her in the past months, taken her into his confidence and promised her more than she could have imagined. She’d even seen things she couldn’t have imagined, not just the Autons, but the TARDIS and the places the Master had taken her in it. Granted; it hadn’t been many as there was a lot to do with the plan here on Earth, but it was a lot more than billions of other people had seen.
Grabbing one of the hard hats that hung on the hooks before the factory, Andrea put it on as she walked down the steel staircase. Smiling and nodding to the workers in the main part of the factory, Andrea crossed over to the security area. Reaching out, she found the door unlocked. The Master would have operated the lock from his office, watching on the security cameras.
None of the Autons looked round, or even acknowledged her presence as she walked across the floor towards the staircase leading to the office in the security area. She could see the Master up through the windows. From his motions, he looked rather composed, stood with his hands behind his back, looking out on the production lines below.
Knocking politely on the glass window of the door, Andrea opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind her. The Master turned his head to look at her and smiled.
“It seems that despite our initial misfortunes, we have just had two turns in our fortune.” He said turning back to looking at the windows he was staring at before.
Andrea looked at the windows. They seemed to be showing monitor screens, most probably heads up displays projected from the complex panel that sat before the window. Reams of data and information scrolled up them, the lights on the panels around the room were flashing a myriad of colours. Even the smaller computer terminals were showing reams of data.
“What is it?” Andrea asked. She’d not seen the office like this before. Even the brightly coloured masks that had adorned the wall had gone.
“A report from one of the UNIT facsimile’s; our former guest, Miss Lawton, has been seen back at UNIT HQ. She is to be taken care of. Meanwhile, it appears that the good Doctor and Captain Morris have survived their ordeal at Rutilus Allec.” The Master said, leaning forwards and flicking several switches.
“The Doctor survived?” Andrea removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I thought the plan was to trap and dispose of them.”
“Not at all, my dear,” the Master smiled, turning and placing his hand on her shoulder. “It was a demoralising exercise for our UNIT friends and a mere test for the Doctor. Needless to say, he believes that he has my TARDIS safe in the UNIT vaults, but, my dear, and this is the good news, our facsimile of Private Baxter is at this moment removing my TARDIS to a safe location.”
Andrea smiled at the news as the Master turned back to the screens. Placing both his gloved hands on the edge of the large instrument panel, he leant forwards to stare at the screens.
“You see my dear.” He said staring straight ahead. “Even with the loss of Mr. Rowan it will not stop us. Rowans facsimile has been activated and he will deal with our UNIT friends, meanwhile your charming self and I can prepare to advance our plans for full activation of the Autons and Facsimile’s tonight.”
“Then the plan will proceed with no complications?” Andrea asked.
“The plan will be completed before the remains of UNIT are even aware of what has happened.” The Master reached out and twisted a large dial on the panel before him. The thick cables coming from the small metal cabinet containing the Nestene Sphere started to pulsate with a blue light. “This time tomorrow, we shall have complete control.” The Master turned and smiled.
There could be a lot of trouble in store for the Doctor and co!