Chapter Text
Fury. Pain. Rage.
In this moment, that was all that coursed through the Doctor’s veins. The Master had taken her body and soul, mocked her very name, then tried to completely overthrow her life. It left her helpless, and she never wanted to feel like that again.
Yaz watched her friend, nervous, as they headed for their next destination. After fixing everything, with the volcanoes, the daleks, the cybermen, and getting her friends home safely, there was one loose end still to tie up. She just wasn’t sure how the Doctor was going to do it.
The Doctor forcefully pushed down levers, jabbed at the console, throwing herself into flying the TARDIS, lest she remember everything that had happened. Yaz assisted, trying to not get in the way. The Doctor was hyper-focused, pushing the TARDIS beyond her limits. Yaz tried to soothe the time machine, by making sure her motions were gentle, attentive. For the first time ever, Yaz was scared of the Doctor.
The TARDIS landed, the telling bell booming around the echoey chamber. The Doctor looked up at the console, nodded, before turning on her heel towards the door, about to attack whatever lay outside. Screw that, Yaz thought.
Before the Doctor could storm outside, Yaz grabbed her gently by the elbow, pulling her back. The Doctor tried to pull against her, almost not noticing her, but Yaz tugged again. For a moment the Doctor turned, temporarily torn from her rage.
‘Doctor,’ Yaz began, not sure where to go from here. The Doctor looked from her locked arm, up to Yaz’s face. The rage fell from her face, to be replaced with concern and… and…
‘What is it, Yaz?’ She asked softly, now much more considerate. Yaz felt her heart skip a beat, but still felt all the tension, strung tight as if she’d been tuned to the Doctor’s very feelings. Yaz shook her head, pleading.
‘What are you going to do?’ She asked anxiously. The Doctor’s face seemed to be set in stone, her mouth fixing into a grim line.
‘I don’t know,’ she answered, perhaps the most honest she’d ever been with her friend. Yaz released her friend at that, very aware that right now, she didn’t recognise the Doctor. She tried to bring her back, with no avail.
‘Doctor, please…’
‘Stay here.’ The Doctor instructed her, pleadingly, before turning away and stalking towards the door, leaving Yaz alone. Not a chance.
‘Oh no you don’t,’ Yaz muttered to herself, instinctively following the Doctor outside.
Together, they emerged in 1916, to find the Master huddled on the floor. Injured, but very much alive.
That maniacal laughter started up, and Yaz couldn’t help but shudder. Not realising the Doctor had noticed, her friend looked at her, concern in her eyes, and rubbed her shoulder in comfort. It was so fleeting, as the Doctor turned back to their sworn enemy, that Yaz would have almost missed the lingering softness in her eyes.
The Doctor straightened up, as the Master glanced towards her, twisting on the floor towards her like a snake. He was clearly dying, writhing in pain, but for some reason, he’d thought he’d won. The Doctor just couldn’t tell why.
‘Doctor,’ he rasped out gleefully, which was so jarring against the pain he was clearly in. ‘Came back to taunt me, did you? To gloat?’ He still laughed, which made even the Doctor twitch. Something was seriously off.
‘Just to make sure that you were gone. And oh look, you’re still here. Clinging to life, like always.’ She almost spat out, fury burning in her eyes. The Master looked up at her from his position on the floor.
‘Are you angry I’m still alive?’ He asked, faux innocence
‘Yes,’ she said outright. The Master looked at Yaz, then the Doctor, then back at Yaz.
‘Did you hear that, Yaz? She wishes me dead. Now that’s not very Doctor-like, is it?’ He wasn’t wrong, Yaz couldn’t deny. But she had seen what he’d done to her friend. And if anything, she was angrier.
‘After all you’ve done, mate? I’m not surprised.’ Yaz ranted, taking a step towards the Master. He laughed again, just as the Doctor put her arm across her chest, stopping her from getting closer. The Doctor shook her head, eyes locking onto Yaz’s. She knew she had to back down, and reluctantly, she did. The Doctor moved away slightly, keeping Yaz in her eyeline.
‘Oh Yaz, you’d follow her anywhere, wouldn’t you? Like a puppet, you are.’ Yaz could feel the rage well up inside her, but given the look the Doctor had just given her, she didn’t give into it.
‘I would. Doesn’t make me a puppet.’
‘Oh Yaz. Little Yasmin Khan…’
‘Don’t you talk to her!’ The Doctor yelled out, taking a few steps forward. Her cheeks were blossoming into a stormy rage, with all the suppressed anger she was trying to hold down.
‘Or what?’ He countered, reaching into his coat for something. He pulled out a metal device, one that looked oddly familiar.
‘The miniaturising ray,’ Yaz uttered, sharing an alarmed glance with the Doctor. Now the stakes had been raised. The Doctor swallowed, pushing down the evident anger. That fury would surely get them killed.
’10 points to Yasmin Khan. I can see why you keep her around,’ the Master said smarmily, looking Yaz up and down. Yaz blushed, heat rising to her cheeks from the unwanted attention. ‘More than just a pretty face, isn’t she Doctor?’ He asked, rhetorically.
The Doctor didn’t answer him, stoically silent. He didn’t like that.
‘More than just a pretty face, ISN’T SHE DOCTOR?!’ He bellowed, now pointing the ray at Yaz. Her eyes widened in horror, looking to the Doctor for help. ‘ANSWER ME!’
‘Yes, more than just a pretty face,’ the Doctor answered, reluctantly. The Master grinned, moving the ray away from Yaz. Yaz released the breath she’d been holding, the Doctor looking at her apologetically. Yaz stared back, communicating that she understood. He moved the ray over to the Doctor now, holding her to ransom.
‘What number is Yaz, Doctor?’ He asked tauntingly. The Doctor glared at him, keeping her hands up in a form of surrender.
‘What do you mean, number?’ Yaz couldn’t help herself, now utterly confused. The Doctor now kept her gaze away from her, staring at her enemy. The Master cast his gaze over to her, keeping the weapon on the Doctor.
‘Oh, sweetie. You didn’t think you were the first, did you?’ Yaz felt her heart sink into her stomach. She’d met Tegan and Ace earlier that day. She knew about the Doctor’s other companions. She knew about Rose, and River, and Clara. Didn’t make it hurt any less.
‘Course not,’ she muttered, now keeping her eyes cast down.
‘What is she, Doctor? 10th? 20th? No, not… 200th?’ The Master taunted them, the Doctor’s rage clearly bubbling up across her face. However, she remained silent, tension staying in her shoulders. Yaz watched the exchange, and knew the Master was toying with them. It didn’t matter what number she was, not really. She was just happy to have been chosen.
‘I don’t care.’ Yaz yelled at him, trying to distract him. He turned to her in surprise, the ray back on her. The Doctor moved to get to her, but the ray switched back to her, stopping her in her tracks.
‘Oh really, Yaz? So, you don’t care that as soon as she’s done with you, she’ll just dump you back on Earth?’ Yaz ignored the jab, although she couldn’t deny that it had hit her somewhere, deep down. She looked away from him, hating that he was tapping into her very fears. He laughed.
‘See, Doctor, that’s what you do. Break hearts, wherever you go. What’s even the point, keeping humans around?’ The Master finally found his feet, still stumbling in his pain, but keeping his hand on the ray steady. ‘Oh, I know. It’s so they can bask in your ‘goodness.’ But deep down, you’re just as bad as I am…’
‘No, she’s not!’ Yaz countered, letting her loyalty slip out. The ray was back on her. The Master watched her with amusement, examining her. He looked between her and the Doctor, who was busy watching her companion to be focused on him.
‘And what is she, Yaz?’ He took a step towards her, stumbling again. Yaz looked at the Doctor, pleading, love evident all over her face. ‘Actually, don’t answer that. I already know you’re besotted. Humans are so easy to read.’ He turned towards the Doctor but kept the ray on Yaz.
‘You know what I’d rather know? I want to know how the Doctor feels!’ The Doctor glared at him, but panic was gleaming behind her eyes. The Master cackled. He swung the ray between them, keeping the pair frozen in place. ‘Come on Doctor, tell me the truth. I won’t tell.’
‘Tell you what,’ she answered monotonously, already knowing the answer. The Master was so giddy, he might as well explode.
‘Tell her how you feel. TELL HER, YOU COWARD!’ He bellowed, raising the ray to the ceiling and blasting it, causing a small explosion above them. Yaz and the Doctor remained frozen in place, fearing for their lives. Yaz glanced at the Doctor, who was looking resolutely anywhere but at her. She could feel her heart beating in her throat. It was all just too much. Finally, the Doctor looked her way, eyes shining.
‘Yaz… I… you need to know…’ she began, before the Master started cackling again.
‘Oh Doctor, you were always bad at feelings, weren’t you? Still, explains a lot.’ Seeming to have regained more of his composure, he pointed the ray down at the floor, swiftly moving towards them. The Doctor took the opportunity to reach Yaz, attempting to reach for her hand. She felt the Doctor’s coat brush beside her, fingers clutching hers tightly. Even if they were being taunted, the Doctor wasn’t going to leave her alone. Yaz took it. Over the Doctor’s shoulder, she heard the Master… squeal.
‘Oooh how sweet! The Doctor, protecting her companion. You were always so sentimental, Doctor. Oh, and how it will be the end of you.’
‘What do you mean?’ She spat out, clamping down on Yaz’s hand. Yaz desperately wanted to put herself in front of her friend, bundle her into her arms, but she had to trust that the Doctor knew best. Especially when it came to the Master.
‘Oh Doctor, you just don’t get it, do you?’
‘Get what?’ She asked, venom in her voice. Yaz really hated seeing the Doctor this angry. It went against everything she knew the Doctor to be.
The Master hissed, pain starting to overcome him but yet he still grinned menacingly.
‘My three-phase plan.’
The Doctor shook her head, not understanding.
‘Not following,’ she uttered, gently trying to push Yaz further behind her.
‘Did you really think my plan was about destroying Earth? About controlling the cyberman and the daleks?’ He moved joyfully towards them, holding the ray on them again. ‘It wasn’t even about becoming you. Sure, that would have been fun, for a while. I could have even used Yaz by my side.’ Yaz felt the bile rise up, not wanting to imagine a universe where she and the Master travelled together.
‘No. No, Doctor, those parts of the plan, they were to draw you in. To make you think you’d won, conquered and vanquished me. But now we move into the third phase. The part of the plan, where I destroy you.’
Everything passed in a blur. Yaz saw everything flash by her. The Master raised the ray, aimed, and hit her square in the chest. The last thing Yaz saw, was the maniacal smile on the Master’s face, and the horror on the Doctor’s as they watched her die, together.