‘Which, of course, you stole,’ the Doctor filled in.
‘Naturally.’ The Master was preening now. Donna saw that the Doctor’s earlier evaluation was quite correct. For some reason, defeating the Doctor wasn’t enough for the Master: he perversely wanted praise from his foe at the same time – confirmation of what he saw as his genius. ‘At this very moment, there is a computer at the base of the shaft that is decoding the entry protocols so that I can walk in and take the device.’
‘And you needed Haldoran’s power station to light up DA‐17,’ the Doctor guessed. ‘Which is why you came here in the first place.’
‘Precisely,’ the Master agreed. ‘And I shall have what I need very shortly. Then I shall leave this miserable, backward little planet and –’
‘Go on to conquer the universe,’ the Doctor completed. ‘Yes, yes, I know. I’ve heard it all from you before. So, what is this mysterious device that will hand the universe to you on a platter?’
The Master clicked his tongue and shook his head. ‘Really, Doctor, there’s no need to be so rude. Or for you to know exactly what I know. But the Daleks’ final transmission back to Skaro before you and your allies destroyed them signalled they were ready to begin testing. It never happened, of course, and so the completed device is sitting at the base of DA‐17, waiting for someone to claim it…’ He smiled. ‘And, of course, to use it.’
The Doctor nodded slowly. ‘And you’ve decided finders keepers.’
‘Exactly, Doctor,’ the Master said cheerfully. ‘I knew you’d understand. I will offer worlds the chance to ally themselves with me – or else face utter annihilation.’
Donna stared at him, appalled. ‘You’re insane,’ she gasped. ‘To threaten entire worlds…’
‘Don’t be so provincial!’ the Master snapped, clearly annoyed. ‘I’m talking of power on a scale you can’t even dream about.’
‘You’re talking, as usual, about death on a cosmic scale,’ the Doctor snapped. ‘And, I’ve no doubt, you’ve made your usual arrogant blunders in the process. This won’t work out the way you’re planning.’
‘Of course it will, Doctor,’ the Master retorted. ‘You’re as shortsighted and foolish as the pitiful humans whose company you enjoy so much.’ There was a sound in the corridor. ‘Ah, this must be Mr Downs returning, hoping to begin his pleasure. Well, Doctor, I shall leave the three of you in his more than capable hands. I’m sure he’ll enjoy killing you humans. But you, Doctor… you are mine.’
But it wasn’t Downs returning. Donna felt an incredible relief. She’d been tensing herself for unimaginable horrors at his hands, and it was something of a letdown to see only a worried guard hurry in.
‘Estro!’ the man exclaimed, breathing hard. ‘It’s Lockwood and his men – they missed their report. I tried accessing DA‐17, but there’s no reply.’
‘What did I tell you?’ the Doctor asked, crossing his arms. ‘Your best‐laid schedules always gang a-gley.’
‘Be silent!’ the Master snarled, his urbanity gone now ‘This is merely a slight glitch in my plans. I shall go there and take charge myself.’
‘You do that,’ the Doctor agreed cheerfully. ‘But I imagine you’ll be in for a shock.’
There was further noise in the corridor, and this time it was Downs returning. ‘I’m ready for them now,’ the soldier stated, ‘You’d better be done with them.’
‘I am,’ the Master agreed. ‘Take them, and kill them – the more slowly, the better.’
‘Believe me,’ Downs assured him, ‘I have no intention of allowing them to die quickly.’ He moved over to Donna. She couldn’t stop herself from trembling. He stroked her cheek. ‘This one I am especially looking forward to. This is going to be exquisite pleasure… for me, at least.’
Donna closed her eyes, felt her heart freeze with fear. She knew that he meant every word he said.
10
The Trap
As the Master strode away down the corridor, Donna glared at the Doctor, her expression half pleading, half accusing. ‘You promised,’ she whispered.
Somehow he heard her, or simply understood her ‘I always keep my promises,’ he said. Glancing at David, he added, ‘Eventually.’ He cleared his throat and stepped forward. ’Really, there’s no need for any violence,’ he said, smiling. ‘I’m quite willing to tell you anything I know.’
‘Really?’ Downs asked, smiling back. ‘And who are you?’
‘I’m the Doctor.’ He held out his hand, which Downs ignored. ‘So, where shall we start?’ He moved to put his arm around Downs’s shoulder. Angrily, the soldier slapped it off.
‘We start with you all screaming a lot,’ Downs snapped. ‘Do you think I’d trust anything you said unless it was dragged out of you?’
The Doctor sighed and shook his head. ‘You’re determined to have your sick fun, aren’t you?’ he said mildly. ‘I’m afraid I can’t allow that. You see, I promised Donna that she wouldn’t be hurt again, and you wouldn’t want to make me a liar, would you?’
‘I’ll make you a dead man – eventually,’ Downs vowed. He gestured to the two guards. ‘Escort them to the dungeon.’
‘Sorry,’ the Doctor said, shaking his head. ‘I have a prior engagement.’ He tipped a nonexistent hat, and started to turn his back on Downs. Furious, Downs grabbed his arm and spun him around, lashing out with his fist. The blow caught the Doctor on the right cheek, and sent him stumbling back with a cry. He collided with one of the two guards, and both of them crumpled in a heap on the floor.
The next few seconds were very confused. The second guard turned to where the Doctor was struggling to get back to his feet, and David took his opportunity. He leapt for the distracted soldier, and slammed him against the wall. Downs snarled again, clutching for the holster and his revolver. Which, somehow, wasn’t there.
He didn’t have time to figure out what had happened before something flew through the air from the Doctor towards Donna. She grabbed it automatically, and realised that it was Downs’s missing weapon. The Doctor must have lifted it when he was greeting the maniac. Donna spun the gun to hold it correctly, but in the moment that took, Downs launched himself at the Doctor, a knife in his hand.
Donna didn’t need to think. All of her fear and rage welled up inside her and exploded as she pulled the trigger. The shot caught Downs in the back of the neck, exploding through his face. He didn’t even have time to scream before he collapsed, dead, across the Doctor.
Pushing the body away, the Doctor managed to stand up. The guard he’d ‘accidentally’ collided with was unconscious. David had managed to subdue the one he’d jumped, and he, too, was out cold on the floor.
The Doctor glanced down at Downs’s still form, blood puddling beneath it. ‘Did you have to kill him?’
‘No, Doctor,’ Donna said, her voice steady at last. Seeing the bastard die had managed to exorcise some of her demons. ‘I could have let him kill you instead.’ She bent and wrenched the knife from the corpse’s hand.
The Doctor said nothing, and David looked up from the guard he’d felled. ‘Now what, Doctor? How do we get out of here?’
‘We don’t,’ Donna said firmly, before the Doctor could reply. ‘We’ve got work to do here. Haldoran has more of those Dalek guns the Master gave him.’
The Doctor looked at her with sympathy. ‘Donna, there’s trouble at DA‐17. I hate to say it, but I suspect it must be Daleks. And they’re more important than anything else right now.’
‘Maybe to you,’ Donna growled. ‘But those guns are going to be used against my family and my one‐time friends. They may all despise me, but I can’t let Haldoran murder them. We have to destroy the guns.’
The Doctor was obviously torn. His fingers twitched, and he blinked rapidly. ‘The Daleks are the most urgent,’ he insisted. ‘Haldoran may kill a few people, but the Daleks will wipe out the human race. They lost the last battle, and they’re unlikely to be calling it a day.’