best_enemies | Rec: Ring of Truth by The Android

I am very late starting my recs, I know! But I can still get a good round in if I post daily till the end! Which I am planning to do!

Also, I decided that in search of obscurity, I would go for age. So my recs will all be stories that were written before John Simm was ever the Master.

Title: Ring of Truth
Pairing: Three/Delgado
Length: Short story
Warnings: none!
Author on lj:

theficklepickle
Author website: The Android's Dungeon
Why this must be read: Have you ever read a story where, upon reading it, it slots itself so securely into your personal canon that you're half-convinced it was filmed? This is one of those. It's one of the first D/M fics I read, back when Nine was still the Doctor and I was just exploring the fandom, and it took me a bit, when looking for it, to remind myself that yes, it was a fic I was remembering, and not a re-run. It starts with a slow, simple scene - the Doctor visiting the Master in prison - but it's so on-tone, so inevitable, so *them*.

There's a longer sequel set during the Five era, Moment of Truth, adapted from a story first published in a zine in 1988, which gets slightly too happy-ever-after for me to rec it wholeheartedly, but you should still read it if you haven't found these yet and have any affection for old!who at all.

Excerpt: The island's governor, Colonel Trenchard, was surprised to see him back again so soon, and raised an eyebrow at his request to re-interview the prisoner.

"Something you forgot to ask?" he suggested, his crusty tone making it clear that he felt his extravagantly-dressed visitor was a fool occupying far too much of his valuable time.

The Doctor smiled at him distractedly. "Memory not what it was," he said. "Began to decay a couple of centuries ago; now I have a lot of trouble remembering my own name." He concluded this remark with a grin so outrageous that Trenchard feared for his sanity. "My dear fellow, feel free to speak to the Brigadier if you're not happy about it," he added, winningly.

"Ah ... uh, no, no, that won't be necessary, I'm sure. No sense in troubling the Brigadier over a small matter like this. Take as much time as you want - anything to oblige UNIT."

"Then you won't object to withdrawing the guards and the video surveillance for the time being, I take it?"

"Withdraw the ... ! Doctor, I hardly think the Brigadier would approve....."

Now there, the Doctor thought, I agree entirely. Lethbridge-Stewart doesn't much approve of me in the first place; if he ever got wind of any of this he'd choose a nice comfortable cell for me right next door to the Master. And would that be such a tragedy?

Ring of Truth