best_enemies | Mind Melds 1/2 Doctor/Master (Reply)

Title: Mind Melds 1/2
Author:anomoly_fetish
Beta:jhumor
Characters/Paring: Ten!Doctor/Simm!Master
TimeFrame: Year That Never Was
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Contains scenes of torture involving telepathy, suggested sexual scenes

Author's Note: contains no spoilers, however it is suggested by the author that the audioplay Master is canon. And, as edzel2 kindly pointed out, you may have a bit of trouble understanding it if you haven't heard it. I apologize for that not being clear.

"The Woman" that appears in the story is supposed to be the personification of Death, however, her role will be more clearly understood if one listens to the audio play.

Part Two (which is soon to be posted) is spoilery.

"Oh, so just because I enjoy torturing you and the freaks - you enjoy plotting against me?"

The Doctor's face, though he's been aged back to look as young as he should, still looks old and haggard. But he says nothing. His silence speaking volumes as he simply stares into the blackened pits that are the Master's eyes.

He reaches out with his mind, almost tenderly, //Koschei.//

//That's not my name anymore.// the Master says it coldly, but he doesn't close all of his mind.

//Used to be, don't you remember? Better than Saxon...//

//That's for me to decide, not you. Didn't you always revel in beating me, Doctor? You and your sanctimonious names...//

//Don't - Kosch, please, stop being so distant - you're not -//

//That's right. I'm not.//

The Doctor's face twists briefly in pain, but only briefly.

//Don't you realize how vulnerable you are, Doctor? I could just rake through your mind, find out what you're hiding...//

He rips into the Doctor's mind, ignoring the cries of pain. Any telepath, when raking through another person's mind, knows just how to cause his victim enough pain to cripple him, at least temporarily. This is especially true of a gifted hypnotist, like the Master.

//Koschei, stop!// he pleads, weakly, as he realizes the Master isn't just looking for The Plan, the Master is raking his mind with long claws - leaving him mentally bleeding and shuddering in pain.

The Doctor slams doors throughout his mind, as he limps along, wounded and beaten, a couple of them become flukes just so the Master will try them. The psychic network is safely hidden in the back of his mind.

The laughter stings as though the Master is rubbing salt...

//Koschei, help...me...// he's too weak to run now. The Master bangs against a couple of fluke doors, briefly looking inside, before slamming them when he discovers they are no use.

Zagreus' possession...right after the Eye of Harmony,... after he thought he'd lost him forever...
Rose...and the Geth...and fresh pain.

The Master unlocks the next door...and a rise of terror shoots up as the Doctor realizes which door the Master is breaking down... //No! Kosch, please, you won't understand!//

//Ah? What have we here? What little bird are you hiding from your Lord and Master?//

//Kosch, you won't understand, please just leave it...// he's too weak, too violated to try and pull him away.

A brief flash of light as the door flings open...Rose running, laughing beside him, grinning like a right loon... their hands swinging, clasped intimately, smelling the apple grass...The wall between them. So close, and yet so far...

//Kosch...//

He doesn't need to be in the Master's mind to know the rise of jealousy that has overcome him.

//Ah, the human companion. The one you finally thought would replace me. Charley didn't cut it for you, so you tried again...you lost her, just like you lost me..."// the Master tuts, grinning savagely, his fingers poised to rip through the fragile fabric of his memories of Rose...

//Kosch, don't...// all he can do is reach out his hand to plead, but he is too weak to get up, too weak to battle the Master out of his mind...

But he the Master rips through them as if they are flimsy paintings, leaving blood spattered on his suit.

The Doctor cowers, covering his face with his hands, trying to hide his tears, shuddering in the corner, hiding.

The Master pulls out so abruptly that the Doctor gasps for air. There's no physical damage - other than that he's chained, and bruised, but the mental agony is far worse.

The Doctor shudders...shivering in pain. The Master traces a finger along his bruised cheek, the Doctor wants that touch...needs it desperately...

But the Master pulls his hand away, signaling to the guards to leave...and the door slams tightly behind him.

The Doctor sighs, shattered against his bruised shoulder. He never did know that once he found out that Rose wasn't the proper replacement, it was far too late, and his lonely heart was already broken in pieces.

----------

Even in the rare moments when the Master isn’t demanding control - when he’s asleep – he still tries to probe into the Doctor’s subconscious.

A week after the incident, the Master has seemingly forgotten the damage he has caused. The wounded Doctor is still recovering, his unconscious working to repair the damage - and is jolted awake by the Master’s unconscious fumbling through his bruised mind. The Doctor doesn’t need him waking up by shoving the Master away, risking his anger, even though it is the natural reaction.
The Doctor does the only thing he knows best to defend himself at the moment. He pushes himself into Kosch's mind. It's dangerous, leaving his own unattended, but the Master is asleep.
When they were young, not-so-innocent children of the Acadamy, they’d be spooned up against each other, every so often in each other’s dreams. There were the days before when Thete wished Koschei would be in his dreams – protecting him from nightmares of the Toclafane…

The Doctor brushes the memory back – it hurts too much to remember now. He has to find out if the person he fell head over heels for still exists…

The Master retracts, out of simple reflex, the Doctor narrowly slips through doors, knowing exactly what he's looking for. The Doctor pushes at the last door gently. It doesn't budge. He unlocks carefully –blindly because the corridor is pitch-black - hinging on desperation, careful not to make any noise, knowing he’ll wake a monster if he does... He knows Kosch's weakness, and nobody knows the Master's weakness. Nobody dares to know.

The final lock is undone, and the door creaks. The Doctor shines his torch and finds Kosch - the real Koschei - cowering in a dark corner.

Dirty, dressed in rags, cowering in pain, his head between his knees, and shivering with the cold. Kosch's hands are clutched over his ears and he moans softly.

//Kosch?// the Doctor's 'voice' sounds young and different to his ears. Kosch sniffles, wiping his nose on his sleeve, jerking his head up as though he's been burned, retracting from Theta's gentle touch.

//Tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help.//

//It won't stop - it never stops - why won't it stop?// Kos' 'voice' is hoarse with emotion, something the Doctor can never prepare himself for, especially now.

//Let me help, Kosch. Please.// he’s quietly pleading, whispering.

//Hold me Thete. I'm s-scared.//

And Thete willingly wraps his arms around the terrified child, gently running his small hands through his dark hair, //Shh,// he soothes, //You're alright, I'm here...It's just my heartbeat, Kosch, that's all it is.//

This is the first time he’s ever dared to presume what Kosch saw in the Untempered Schism. They never talked about it, and although Theta never pushed, he always did wonder what caused the drumming in the first place.

Kosch raises his head, his eyes glowing maliciously, piercing through Thete's twin hearts.

"HE IS MINE!" A female voice screams from his lips. "YOU GAVE HIM TO ME!"

//No Kosch, please, don't do this, no!// Thete tries to scramble away, to run, only to find the door has been locked behind him. He doesn’t need to be inside his own memories to know who the woman is.

//Don't do this, Kosch!// he pleads.

//I am the Master,// the boy roars angrily, sounding a bit more masculine, but with still the feminine lilt, //And you WILL OBEY ME!//

The Doctor pulls out of his mind, gasping for air.

The Master is stirring in his sleep next to him, mumbling incoherent Gallifreyan curses. The Doctor spoons up against him. He sighs, and tries to go back to sleep, fighting the guilt that wells between his two hearts, desperately wishing that the Master won't attempt to kill him in the morning.

crossposted from