Post by Fitz Kreiner on Mar 8, 2012 20:07:59 GMT
“Stop!”
James Duncan’s voice echoed around the small courtyard, the Ikthaari troops turning at the intrusion. Kortaths’ eyes glowered in anger at the intrusion. Duncan was stood, framed in the doorway, behind him stood Ashfield, a woman and two soldiers.
“How dare you go behind my back like this, Kortath?” Duncan fumed.
Silent with anger, Kortath crossed the courtyard and grabbed Duncan by the arm and pulled him to one side.
“How dare you interrupt my execution and humiliate me in front of my men?” he hissed.
Stepping into the courtyard, the two soldiers drew their guns and were immediately met with the Ikthaari firing squad turning their guns on them. The two sides stared each other down awaiting the order from their commander.
“You seem to forget yourself, Kortath,” Duncan said. “Whilst you are here you are to consider yourself under my orders, was that not quite clear? I am the one with the means for your arrival on this planet; I am the one with the means of your restoration within your government.”
“You made that clear,” Kortath hissed. “This matter is a personal affair. I have explained to you the dangers that this man,” he pointed towards the Master.
“And I told you that he would be dealt with,” Duncan said softly. “At the very least, despite his rudeness to me, Lethbridge-Stewart is an honourable man and a hero to this planet. And Miss Humphreys is an innocent civilian. I wish no harm to come to them.”
“And the other?” Kortath asked, eyeing Tom suspiciously.
“Categorise him in the same bracket as the Master,” Duncan said. “But you are to remember your place. If we are to kill those two, it will be done when I say it is to be done.”
“It is dangerous to keep them alive,” Kortath hissed. “They will do all within their power to sabotage our plans.”
“Will they?” Duncan asked. “I’ve recently had a change of plan. I’ve been re-reading the reports by the UNIT people, I think that if I offer them an opportunity they cannot refuse, then they are to be more willing to help us.”
“That is a very dangerous plan,” Kortath said. “They are not to be trusted. The Master will do all within his power to either disrupt or seize control from us. You must let me kill him.”
“Let’s see how he reacts to the offer first,” Duncan said. “I wish to study him a bit more. It’s indeed a rare opportunity.”
“No,” Kortath said, raising his voice. “I do not like this, not at all. Remember, it is we who are offering you the power you wish for.”
“And it is I who is offering you the power you wish for,” Duncan said. “My rise to power was well under way before you arrived on the scene general. You are merely a coup de grace for me, whereas you, you are reliant on my help to redeem yourself. You would do well to remember that or I will withdraw myself from these plans. You need me more than I need you.”
Kortaths’ mouth twisted in a snarl of anger and annoyance before he relented. “Stand down,” he said, turning back to his troops before turning back to Duncan. “Do not think this is over,” he hissed. “I do not take kindly to being humiliated in front of my troops.”
“And I don’t take kindly to disobedience, general,” Duncan replied. “Remember, you are my guest on my planet. Do not over step yourself.”
With a final snarl, Kortath stalked out of the courtyard, his men following him in single file, their weapons held at ease.
“What was all that about?” Kelly asked Tom.
“Lovers’ spat?” Tom shrugged getting to his feet and holding his hand out to help Kelly up.
“I’ve faced death before,” the Brigadier muttered, “but I believe that is what is called the nick of time.”
Stepping over, Tom held his arm out to assist the Brigadier to get to his feet. “Would someone grab the Brig’s cane for him?” he asked.
“Thank you,” the Brigadier said, nodding his approval.
Her face white, Kelly stood close to Tom, still holding on to him, afraid that her legs would give out any moment. “If this is part of your world, I f**king hate it,” she said, wiping the tears from her face with her free hand.
“Hey,” he said, pulling her into a hug and gently stroking her hair, “it’s alright. It’s not something I particularly enjoy, being held in front of a firing squad.”
“Yeah, but you’re used to it. In a couple of days I’ve had someone try and run me over, been shot at by soldiers and been about to be executed.”
“Allow me to apologise most profusely, Miss Humphreys,” Duncan said, coming forward and taking her hand.
Snatching it back, Kelly glowered at him. “You’re sorry? You’re the one who ordered this.”
“No, no,” Duncan said, stepping back and holding his hands up in protest. “I can assure you that what I said earlier was all bluster. I would never cause harm to an innocent. I only hold malice for those who are the enemies of you and I. Good Lord, we’re British, we should stand shoulder to shoulder my dear.”
“Excuse me, sir,” the Brigadier said cutting in and taking his cane from one of the soldiers who approached him with it, “but it sounds as though you’re trying to play us for dunderheads. Earlier today you were accusing us of being traitors and now you’re apologising.”
“Indeed,” Duncan said. “I have to; earlier in the day was a bad time for me. The stresses of being head of state are somewhat still new to me and I still find them stressful. What I said earlier was unforgivable, I appreciate that. But please understand; I was irritable and speaking out of anger. I am a reasonable man, what I said was an irrational attempt to dispel you with fear. It seems that Kortath is unaccustomed to the complexities of human emotion and took what I said as read that it was what was to happen. I mean, how many times have people said to someone that they are going to kill them out of anger? I’m sure even you have, Brigadier, Miss Humphreys.”
Kelly shifted uncomfortably and looked up to Tom, who seemed to be eyeing Duncan suspiciously. Behind them, the Master pursed his lips, raised his head and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Duncan.
“Quite a change isn’t it?” the Master asked simply stepping forwards. “Do you expect us to believe it?”
“Welcome to how we feel about you,” Tom replied sardonically.
“It’s an apology,” Duncan said before turning to the two soldiers. “Would you kindly take these people back to their cell?”
“If you’re apologising, how come we’re going back to our cell?” Tom asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Because at the moment you’re still criminals,” Duncan replied. “We’ll see how things change in the morning.”
Silently, the four prisoners were herded out of the courtyard, passed Ashfield and the woman. Tom paused briefly and looked at her. There was something vaguely familiar about the woman, and not just the fact that she was the woman they’d passed on their way to the courtyard. He was pushed out of his thoughts as one of the soldiers behind him pushed him forwards. As he did so, Tom thought he saw the woman make the slightest of movements directed at a member of the party. Glancing round he saw the Master behind him and to his right. Could it really have been he who the woman indicated to, or was he just imagining it?
“That-?” he began softly before trailing off, loosing himself in thought.
In one of the lower chambers of the Tower, an area where Kortath had made his, albeit temporary, planet based headquarters, Kortath stormed into the room, his face a picture of rage. The few Ikthaari in the room kept their heads down at to their work for fear of attracting their commanders’ wrath.
“My General.” Kortaths’ trusty sergeant Sarengh, who had been beside him on all his campaigns and at the humiliating last stand, stepped forwards out of the shadow “Something vexes you?”
“That Human slime lizard has the gall to order me what to do, the mighty Kortath,” Kortath almost screamed. “I, who commanded the Ikthaari through the great Battle of Neverwhere and defeated the Legions of the Voratoth.” Pausing, Kortath turned and strode towards Sarengh, directing a finger at his sergeants’ face. “He had the audacity to humiliate me before my very troops. Rest assured my loyal Sarengh, I shall see that despicable little man dead before too much longer. I will not stand back and let his behaviour continue.”
“What have you in mind, my general?” Sarengh asked.
Kortath’s mouth curled in thought. “At present I shall play the humans’ game,” he mused looking at a screen which displayed his home world. “We still need him so that we can regain our standing with the Senate, at least for the moment.”
“Agreed, general,” Sarengh said falling into step beside Kortath as he paced the chamber. “If not him, then at least one of these creatures we can coerce.”
“Yes,” Kortath mused. “If our dealings with this human fall through, we can restore the previous head of power for this island. We helped to get him here, we can help remove him.”
“And if we are seen to be instrumental in discrediting him and restoring the original head of power, then that would improve our standing on this world and our chances of restoration to our rightful place,” Sarengh added.
Kortath gave a short, sharp laugh. “What would I do without you Sarengh?” he laughed.
“I aim to please you, my general,” Sarengh said.
“You do more than that, my dear friend,” Kortath said, clapping his subordinate on the shoulder. “We shall see what this human has in mind, and if he decides to change his mind, then we shall change his future.”
“And what of the Master?” Sarengh asked.
Kortath snarled. “That man resists all attempts to kill him,” he growled. “I had him in my power before Duncan decided to intervene. I will see that perfidious Time Lord die by my hand before my work is done this day.”
Watching the prisoners herded back to their cell, Duncan walked across the courtyard and up to the woman stood with Ashfield. “Thank you for that, Karen,” he said.
“You’re welcome, sir,” Karen replied before turning and walking back into the Tower.
Waiting until she was out of earshot, Ashfield turned to Duncan, a look of anger evident across his face. “I thought the plan was to get rid of the Master?” he asked, almost spitting the Time Lord’s name.
“The plan hasn’t changed, Daniel,” Duncan said. “I shall make sure that the Master is no longer a problem, Rowan as well.”
“Leaving them alive for longer than is necessary just increases their chance of escaping and causing us trouble,” Ashfield said, barely unable to contain his anger. “You’re falling into the trap of a cliché in keeping them alive.”
“Daniel,” Duncan said, his voice rising, “I know what I’m doing. Don’t question me on this. I’m aware that the Master will be against us, no matter what, but I plan to drive a wedge between our little band, I will offer them things they cannot refuse. Lethbridge-Stewart is not a stupid man, he is a hero to many due to his actions; you cannot rush dealings with such a person. Miss Humphreys on the other hand is a frightened little girl. If I offer her a way out and protection, she will fall to my will. She clearly has the hots for our friend Rowan, but she doesn’t like his lifestyle. I doubt that his looks will keep her interest in the face of that. If the Time Lords don’t want to play ball, then they will die, it’s as simple as.”
“I hope you’re right,” Ashfield muttered.
“I am, Daniel,” Duncan said. “The Ikthaari won’t be a problem, I’ve ways of dealing with Kortath, and if needs be, then I have another card up my sleeve, one that not even the Ikthaari know about.”
“What do you mean, sir?” Ashfield asked, his curiosity peaked.
“That’s for me to know, Daniel,” Duncan replied. “But if our deal with Kortath doesn’t go according to plan, I have the means and methods of making sure that the Ikthaari won’t bother us anymore.”
*
“I don’t trust him,” the Master said.
The door had been closed by the soldiers some minutes previously and since then the four cellmates had sat in an uncomfortable silence. The Master was the one to break it.
“Give the man a cigar,” Tom sighed. “I thought you were meant to be intelligent.”
“Don’t mock me young man,” the Master said, a heavy edge to his voice and a fire flashing in his eyes.
“Tom,” the Brigadier warned, laying a hand on his shoulder.
“Sorry,” Tom replied, holding his hands up. “Stress, I snapped.”
“Now that I believed,” the Master smiled.
“What do you mean?” Kelly asked.
“My dear Miss Humphreys,” the Master said, “allow me to elaborate. Whilst what our friend out there, Mr. Duncan, said about his losing his temper with us, it was all true, yet at the same time, it wasn’t.”
“What the devil are you talking about?” the Brigadier cut in.
“If you will allow me to finish, Brigadier?” The Master sighed, rolling his eyes. “What Duncan said was more than a double bluff. I have every belief that he intends to have at least myself, if not Mr. Rowan here as well, killed in the near future, I do not believe he intends to harm either yourself, Miss. Humphreys, or you, my dear Brigadier.”
“Well that’s reassuring at least,” the Brigadier muttered.
“I still don’t get it,” Kelly said.
“Mr. Duncan knows that I pose a threat to his plans,” the Master replied. “He also knows that Mr. Rowan poses a threat to his plans. Therefore the logical option would be to eliminate those threats. Your good self and the Brigadier, your threats to his plans are like the threats of a mosquito biting through the armour of a Martian warrior; negligible.”
“Well, yeah,” Kelly said, “I wouldn’t know how to bring down the government or anything, I’m just a student.”
“Exactly,” the Master smiled. “Therefore you’re no threat to him, and he’ll probably let you go after making you sweat through a night in a cell first. I’m guessing you’ve never been in any trouble before, and therefore this will be a rather horrific experience for you. He might, if you’re lucky, offer you a bribe or offer to try to sway you to his side. My advice is to refuse it and just say that you wish to return home. You’d be safer that way and he’d have no sway over you. Don’t worry about myself or Mr. Rowan; we can take care of ourselves.”
“And I’ve no plans on being executed in the morning,” Tom muttered.
“Neither do I,” the Brigadier sighed.
“I assume that you’d fall under the same bracket as Miss. Humphreys here,” the Master replied.
“Alright then,” Tom said. “What do you suggest? He’s made an apology to us, but what about Kortath, judging from what I overheard of their conversation, he’s not going to let sleeping dogs lie. I guess he was rather pissed off about being made a fool of in front of his men.”
“Spot on,” the Master replied. “But don’t worry about Kortath, leave him to me. He made things personal on our first meeting, and I get the feeling he’s going to attempt to make them a lot more before the end of the day.”
“So trying to kill you wasn’t personal?” Tom asked. “Alright, suppose we accept all that, there’s one thing I want to ask you.”
“Which is?” the Master asked raising an eyebrow.
“That woman,” Tom said, “the one we passed on our way to the courtyard, the one who arrived with Duncan and Ashfield. She’s the same woman who was in the makeshift office in Duncan’s office.”
“Very astute, well observed,” the Master said.
“That’s not it,” Tom said. “She’s familiar. I’m sure I know her from somewhere. And if I’m not very much mistaken, she made a gesture to you as we passed her earlier. She knows you and I’ll be damned if I’m wrong. Who the hell is she?”
“Her name is Karen,” the Master replied, “and she’s Mr. Duncan’s secretary.”
“I don’t believe you,” Tom replied.
“I’m telling the truth,” the Master replied.
“Ok, who is she really?” Tom asked, studying the expression on the Master’s face. “There’s something about her, I’m sure I’ve met her before.”
Tom trailed off as realisation slowly dawned on him. He had seen her before and suddenly he knew where from.
“It’s her isn’t it?” he asked. “What’s her name? The woman who helped you with the Auton thing? You’d planned it all along for her to get off.”
The Master gave a small wry smile. “Surely you can’t begrudge me a contingency plan?” he asked softly.
“That’s how you knew everything,” Tom replied. “She came to visit you in Wingmoore pretending to be Jess, she’s the one who tried to run Kelly over, you had her planted on Duncan so that you could control him or something.”
“Not quite,” the Master replied. “He interested me, so I had him investigated. Miss. Rogers is fulfilling her task admirably. Mr. Duncan firmly believes her to be Karen Witherstall.”
“And the real Karen Witherstall?” the Brigadier asked, only just able to keep abreast of the conversation.
“There is none,” the Master replied.
“And why are you telling us this now?” Tom asked.
“I told you that I was honest with you, you just never asked. I’m not going to reveal my hand to you whilst in the middle of the game.”
“But you just have,” Tom smiled. “What if I were to tell Duncan about all this.”
“Ah, but you won’t,” the Master smiled. “To do so would be to cut short your investigation. She’s able to gather more information in a day than you have in the past four months of your investigation. You know as well as I do that we need her cover to remain in place for us to defeat Duncan.”
Tom’s mouth twisted as he thought. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said eventually.
“You know I am,” the Master replied.
“Alright,” Tom said, fixing the Master with a steely stare, “but you need to start being forthright in all the info you’ve got and everything from now on, we need to work as a team to beat this bastard.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Rowan,” the Master said, lying back on the bunk and making himself comfortable. “I’ll keep you informed of all you need to know. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s best we get a good night’s sleep, I imagine we’ve got a rather full day ahead of us tomorrow.”
An hour later, the Master was snoring softly, lying on his bunk. Kelly and Tom were sat on the floor, Kelly on a pillow the Brigadier had given her. He, himself, was stretched out on the other bunk dozing. The hour had drawn on slowly, Kelly huddling herself close to Tom to keep warm in the chill of the night.
“Are you awake?” she whispered.
“Yeah,” he whispered back, shifting slightly.
“What do we do?” she asked.
“There’s not much we can do until tomorrow,” he replied, stifling a yawn. “As loathed as I am to say it, I think the Master’s right. We’ve got to get some sleep and be prepared for tomorrow. He’s got some big game plan on the go here. He got Andrea Rogers in with Duncan some time ago for her to get this far up with him. He’s known about the man for some time and frankly that worries me.”
Kelly shivered; part through cold and part through fear. “When you say that you’re worried, that scares me to be honest,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” Tom replied, looking down at her. His ice blue eyes seemed to shine at her. “I never meant for you to get caught up in all this. I promise you that I’ll get you through this alright. Stick with me and it’ll be alright. I promise.”
“I hope you can keep that promise,” Kelly said, resting her head on Tom’s shoulder.
After several long minutes, Tom looked down at Kelly, her eyes closed and her breathing soft. “So do I,” he said softly, “so do I.”
James Duncan’s voice echoed around the small courtyard, the Ikthaari troops turning at the intrusion. Kortaths’ eyes glowered in anger at the intrusion. Duncan was stood, framed in the doorway, behind him stood Ashfield, a woman and two soldiers.
“How dare you go behind my back like this, Kortath?” Duncan fumed.
Silent with anger, Kortath crossed the courtyard and grabbed Duncan by the arm and pulled him to one side.
“How dare you interrupt my execution and humiliate me in front of my men?” he hissed.
Stepping into the courtyard, the two soldiers drew their guns and were immediately met with the Ikthaari firing squad turning their guns on them. The two sides stared each other down awaiting the order from their commander.
“You seem to forget yourself, Kortath,” Duncan said. “Whilst you are here you are to consider yourself under my orders, was that not quite clear? I am the one with the means for your arrival on this planet; I am the one with the means of your restoration within your government.”
“You made that clear,” Kortath hissed. “This matter is a personal affair. I have explained to you the dangers that this man,” he pointed towards the Master.
“And I told you that he would be dealt with,” Duncan said softly. “At the very least, despite his rudeness to me, Lethbridge-Stewart is an honourable man and a hero to this planet. And Miss Humphreys is an innocent civilian. I wish no harm to come to them.”
“And the other?” Kortath asked, eyeing Tom suspiciously.
“Categorise him in the same bracket as the Master,” Duncan said. “But you are to remember your place. If we are to kill those two, it will be done when I say it is to be done.”
“It is dangerous to keep them alive,” Kortath hissed. “They will do all within their power to sabotage our plans.”
“Will they?” Duncan asked. “I’ve recently had a change of plan. I’ve been re-reading the reports by the UNIT people, I think that if I offer them an opportunity they cannot refuse, then they are to be more willing to help us.”
“That is a very dangerous plan,” Kortath said. “They are not to be trusted. The Master will do all within his power to either disrupt or seize control from us. You must let me kill him.”
“Let’s see how he reacts to the offer first,” Duncan said. “I wish to study him a bit more. It’s indeed a rare opportunity.”
“No,” Kortath said, raising his voice. “I do not like this, not at all. Remember, it is we who are offering you the power you wish for.”
“And it is I who is offering you the power you wish for,” Duncan said. “My rise to power was well under way before you arrived on the scene general. You are merely a coup de grace for me, whereas you, you are reliant on my help to redeem yourself. You would do well to remember that or I will withdraw myself from these plans. You need me more than I need you.”
Kortaths’ mouth twisted in a snarl of anger and annoyance before he relented. “Stand down,” he said, turning back to his troops before turning back to Duncan. “Do not think this is over,” he hissed. “I do not take kindly to being humiliated in front of my troops.”
“And I don’t take kindly to disobedience, general,” Duncan replied. “Remember, you are my guest on my planet. Do not over step yourself.”
With a final snarl, Kortath stalked out of the courtyard, his men following him in single file, their weapons held at ease.
“What was all that about?” Kelly asked Tom.
“Lovers’ spat?” Tom shrugged getting to his feet and holding his hand out to help Kelly up.
“I’ve faced death before,” the Brigadier muttered, “but I believe that is what is called the nick of time.”
Stepping over, Tom held his arm out to assist the Brigadier to get to his feet. “Would someone grab the Brig’s cane for him?” he asked.
“Thank you,” the Brigadier said, nodding his approval.
Her face white, Kelly stood close to Tom, still holding on to him, afraid that her legs would give out any moment. “If this is part of your world, I f**king hate it,” she said, wiping the tears from her face with her free hand.
“Hey,” he said, pulling her into a hug and gently stroking her hair, “it’s alright. It’s not something I particularly enjoy, being held in front of a firing squad.”
“Yeah, but you’re used to it. In a couple of days I’ve had someone try and run me over, been shot at by soldiers and been about to be executed.”
“Allow me to apologise most profusely, Miss Humphreys,” Duncan said, coming forward and taking her hand.
Snatching it back, Kelly glowered at him. “You’re sorry? You’re the one who ordered this.”
“No, no,” Duncan said, stepping back and holding his hands up in protest. “I can assure you that what I said earlier was all bluster. I would never cause harm to an innocent. I only hold malice for those who are the enemies of you and I. Good Lord, we’re British, we should stand shoulder to shoulder my dear.”
“Excuse me, sir,” the Brigadier said cutting in and taking his cane from one of the soldiers who approached him with it, “but it sounds as though you’re trying to play us for dunderheads. Earlier today you were accusing us of being traitors and now you’re apologising.”
“Indeed,” Duncan said. “I have to; earlier in the day was a bad time for me. The stresses of being head of state are somewhat still new to me and I still find them stressful. What I said earlier was unforgivable, I appreciate that. But please understand; I was irritable and speaking out of anger. I am a reasonable man, what I said was an irrational attempt to dispel you with fear. It seems that Kortath is unaccustomed to the complexities of human emotion and took what I said as read that it was what was to happen. I mean, how many times have people said to someone that they are going to kill them out of anger? I’m sure even you have, Brigadier, Miss Humphreys.”
Kelly shifted uncomfortably and looked up to Tom, who seemed to be eyeing Duncan suspiciously. Behind them, the Master pursed his lips, raised his head and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Duncan.
“Quite a change isn’t it?” the Master asked simply stepping forwards. “Do you expect us to believe it?”
“Welcome to how we feel about you,” Tom replied sardonically.
“It’s an apology,” Duncan said before turning to the two soldiers. “Would you kindly take these people back to their cell?”
“If you’re apologising, how come we’re going back to our cell?” Tom asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Because at the moment you’re still criminals,” Duncan replied. “We’ll see how things change in the morning.”
Silently, the four prisoners were herded out of the courtyard, passed Ashfield and the woman. Tom paused briefly and looked at her. There was something vaguely familiar about the woman, and not just the fact that she was the woman they’d passed on their way to the courtyard. He was pushed out of his thoughts as one of the soldiers behind him pushed him forwards. As he did so, Tom thought he saw the woman make the slightest of movements directed at a member of the party. Glancing round he saw the Master behind him and to his right. Could it really have been he who the woman indicated to, or was he just imagining it?
“That-?” he began softly before trailing off, loosing himself in thought.
*
In one of the lower chambers of the Tower, an area where Kortath had made his, albeit temporary, planet based headquarters, Kortath stormed into the room, his face a picture of rage. The few Ikthaari in the room kept their heads down at to their work for fear of attracting their commanders’ wrath.
“My General.” Kortaths’ trusty sergeant Sarengh, who had been beside him on all his campaigns and at the humiliating last stand, stepped forwards out of the shadow “Something vexes you?”
“That Human slime lizard has the gall to order me what to do, the mighty Kortath,” Kortath almost screamed. “I, who commanded the Ikthaari through the great Battle of Neverwhere and defeated the Legions of the Voratoth.” Pausing, Kortath turned and strode towards Sarengh, directing a finger at his sergeants’ face. “He had the audacity to humiliate me before my very troops. Rest assured my loyal Sarengh, I shall see that despicable little man dead before too much longer. I will not stand back and let his behaviour continue.”
“What have you in mind, my general?” Sarengh asked.
Kortath’s mouth curled in thought. “At present I shall play the humans’ game,” he mused looking at a screen which displayed his home world. “We still need him so that we can regain our standing with the Senate, at least for the moment.”
“Agreed, general,” Sarengh said falling into step beside Kortath as he paced the chamber. “If not him, then at least one of these creatures we can coerce.”
“Yes,” Kortath mused. “If our dealings with this human fall through, we can restore the previous head of power for this island. We helped to get him here, we can help remove him.”
“And if we are seen to be instrumental in discrediting him and restoring the original head of power, then that would improve our standing on this world and our chances of restoration to our rightful place,” Sarengh added.
Kortath gave a short, sharp laugh. “What would I do without you Sarengh?” he laughed.
“I aim to please you, my general,” Sarengh said.
“You do more than that, my dear friend,” Kortath said, clapping his subordinate on the shoulder. “We shall see what this human has in mind, and if he decides to change his mind, then we shall change his future.”
“And what of the Master?” Sarengh asked.
Kortath snarled. “That man resists all attempts to kill him,” he growled. “I had him in my power before Duncan decided to intervene. I will see that perfidious Time Lord die by my hand before my work is done this day.”
*
Watching the prisoners herded back to their cell, Duncan walked across the courtyard and up to the woman stood with Ashfield. “Thank you for that, Karen,” he said.
“You’re welcome, sir,” Karen replied before turning and walking back into the Tower.
Waiting until she was out of earshot, Ashfield turned to Duncan, a look of anger evident across his face. “I thought the plan was to get rid of the Master?” he asked, almost spitting the Time Lord’s name.
“The plan hasn’t changed, Daniel,” Duncan said. “I shall make sure that the Master is no longer a problem, Rowan as well.”
“Leaving them alive for longer than is necessary just increases their chance of escaping and causing us trouble,” Ashfield said, barely unable to contain his anger. “You’re falling into the trap of a cliché in keeping them alive.”
“Daniel,” Duncan said, his voice rising, “I know what I’m doing. Don’t question me on this. I’m aware that the Master will be against us, no matter what, but I plan to drive a wedge between our little band, I will offer them things they cannot refuse. Lethbridge-Stewart is not a stupid man, he is a hero to many due to his actions; you cannot rush dealings with such a person. Miss Humphreys on the other hand is a frightened little girl. If I offer her a way out and protection, she will fall to my will. She clearly has the hots for our friend Rowan, but she doesn’t like his lifestyle. I doubt that his looks will keep her interest in the face of that. If the Time Lords don’t want to play ball, then they will die, it’s as simple as.”
“I hope you’re right,” Ashfield muttered.
“I am, Daniel,” Duncan said. “The Ikthaari won’t be a problem, I’ve ways of dealing with Kortath, and if needs be, then I have another card up my sleeve, one that not even the Ikthaari know about.”
“What do you mean, sir?” Ashfield asked, his curiosity peaked.
“That’s for me to know, Daniel,” Duncan replied. “But if our deal with Kortath doesn’t go according to plan, I have the means and methods of making sure that the Ikthaari won’t bother us anymore.”
*
“I don’t trust him,” the Master said.
The door had been closed by the soldiers some minutes previously and since then the four cellmates had sat in an uncomfortable silence. The Master was the one to break it.
“Give the man a cigar,” Tom sighed. “I thought you were meant to be intelligent.”
“Don’t mock me young man,” the Master said, a heavy edge to his voice and a fire flashing in his eyes.
“Tom,” the Brigadier warned, laying a hand on his shoulder.
“Sorry,” Tom replied, holding his hands up. “Stress, I snapped.”
“Now that I believed,” the Master smiled.
“What do you mean?” Kelly asked.
“My dear Miss Humphreys,” the Master said, “allow me to elaborate. Whilst what our friend out there, Mr. Duncan, said about his losing his temper with us, it was all true, yet at the same time, it wasn’t.”
“What the devil are you talking about?” the Brigadier cut in.
“If you will allow me to finish, Brigadier?” The Master sighed, rolling his eyes. “What Duncan said was more than a double bluff. I have every belief that he intends to have at least myself, if not Mr. Rowan here as well, killed in the near future, I do not believe he intends to harm either yourself, Miss. Humphreys, or you, my dear Brigadier.”
“Well that’s reassuring at least,” the Brigadier muttered.
“I still don’t get it,” Kelly said.
“Mr. Duncan knows that I pose a threat to his plans,” the Master replied. “He also knows that Mr. Rowan poses a threat to his plans. Therefore the logical option would be to eliminate those threats. Your good self and the Brigadier, your threats to his plans are like the threats of a mosquito biting through the armour of a Martian warrior; negligible.”
“Well, yeah,” Kelly said, “I wouldn’t know how to bring down the government or anything, I’m just a student.”
“Exactly,” the Master smiled. “Therefore you’re no threat to him, and he’ll probably let you go after making you sweat through a night in a cell first. I’m guessing you’ve never been in any trouble before, and therefore this will be a rather horrific experience for you. He might, if you’re lucky, offer you a bribe or offer to try to sway you to his side. My advice is to refuse it and just say that you wish to return home. You’d be safer that way and he’d have no sway over you. Don’t worry about myself or Mr. Rowan; we can take care of ourselves.”
“And I’ve no plans on being executed in the morning,” Tom muttered.
“Neither do I,” the Brigadier sighed.
“I assume that you’d fall under the same bracket as Miss. Humphreys here,” the Master replied.
“Alright then,” Tom said. “What do you suggest? He’s made an apology to us, but what about Kortath, judging from what I overheard of their conversation, he’s not going to let sleeping dogs lie. I guess he was rather pissed off about being made a fool of in front of his men.”
“Spot on,” the Master replied. “But don’t worry about Kortath, leave him to me. He made things personal on our first meeting, and I get the feeling he’s going to attempt to make them a lot more before the end of the day.”
“So trying to kill you wasn’t personal?” Tom asked. “Alright, suppose we accept all that, there’s one thing I want to ask you.”
“Which is?” the Master asked raising an eyebrow.
“That woman,” Tom said, “the one we passed on our way to the courtyard, the one who arrived with Duncan and Ashfield. She’s the same woman who was in the makeshift office in Duncan’s office.”
“Very astute, well observed,” the Master said.
“That’s not it,” Tom said. “She’s familiar. I’m sure I know her from somewhere. And if I’m not very much mistaken, she made a gesture to you as we passed her earlier. She knows you and I’ll be damned if I’m wrong. Who the hell is she?”
“Her name is Karen,” the Master replied, “and she’s Mr. Duncan’s secretary.”
“I don’t believe you,” Tom replied.
“I’m telling the truth,” the Master replied.
“Ok, who is she really?” Tom asked, studying the expression on the Master’s face. “There’s something about her, I’m sure I’ve met her before.”
Tom trailed off as realisation slowly dawned on him. He had seen her before and suddenly he knew where from.
“It’s her isn’t it?” he asked. “What’s her name? The woman who helped you with the Auton thing? You’d planned it all along for her to get off.”
The Master gave a small wry smile. “Surely you can’t begrudge me a contingency plan?” he asked softly.
“That’s how you knew everything,” Tom replied. “She came to visit you in Wingmoore pretending to be Jess, she’s the one who tried to run Kelly over, you had her planted on Duncan so that you could control him or something.”
“Not quite,” the Master replied. “He interested me, so I had him investigated. Miss. Rogers is fulfilling her task admirably. Mr. Duncan firmly believes her to be Karen Witherstall.”
“And the real Karen Witherstall?” the Brigadier asked, only just able to keep abreast of the conversation.
“There is none,” the Master replied.
“And why are you telling us this now?” Tom asked.
“I told you that I was honest with you, you just never asked. I’m not going to reveal my hand to you whilst in the middle of the game.”
“But you just have,” Tom smiled. “What if I were to tell Duncan about all this.”
“Ah, but you won’t,” the Master smiled. “To do so would be to cut short your investigation. She’s able to gather more information in a day than you have in the past four months of your investigation. You know as well as I do that we need her cover to remain in place for us to defeat Duncan.”
Tom’s mouth twisted as he thought. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said eventually.
“You know I am,” the Master replied.
“Alright,” Tom said, fixing the Master with a steely stare, “but you need to start being forthright in all the info you’ve got and everything from now on, we need to work as a team to beat this bastard.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Rowan,” the Master said, lying back on the bunk and making himself comfortable. “I’ll keep you informed of all you need to know. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s best we get a good night’s sleep, I imagine we’ve got a rather full day ahead of us tomorrow.”
*
An hour later, the Master was snoring softly, lying on his bunk. Kelly and Tom were sat on the floor, Kelly on a pillow the Brigadier had given her. He, himself, was stretched out on the other bunk dozing. The hour had drawn on slowly, Kelly huddling herself close to Tom to keep warm in the chill of the night.
“Are you awake?” she whispered.
“Yeah,” he whispered back, shifting slightly.
“What do we do?” she asked.
“There’s not much we can do until tomorrow,” he replied, stifling a yawn. “As loathed as I am to say it, I think the Master’s right. We’ve got to get some sleep and be prepared for tomorrow. He’s got some big game plan on the go here. He got Andrea Rogers in with Duncan some time ago for her to get this far up with him. He’s known about the man for some time and frankly that worries me.”
Kelly shivered; part through cold and part through fear. “When you say that you’re worried, that scares me to be honest,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” Tom replied, looking down at her. His ice blue eyes seemed to shine at her. “I never meant for you to get caught up in all this. I promise you that I’ll get you through this alright. Stick with me and it’ll be alright. I promise.”
“I hope you can keep that promise,” Kelly said, resting her head on Tom’s shoulder.
After several long minutes, Tom looked down at Kelly, her eyes closed and her breathing soft. “So do I,” he said softly, “so do I.”
