The Doctor stood tall; gun in hand, aiming at the Time lords. At Rassilon, the Time Lord in question glanced at the gun in distain before looking into the Doctor's frantic brown eyes stating, "Choose your enemy well. We are many. The Master is but one."

From behind the Doctor the Master piped up, "But he's the President! Kill him and Gallifrey could be yours!" Then the Doctor turned, pointing the cold metal gun at the Master's head, his hand shaking minutely. The Master's brow furrowed slightly, "He's to blame, not me. Oh, oh. The link. The link is inside my head. Kill me and the link gets broken, they go back." Staring into the Doctor's soulful panicked chocolate brown eyes, even with the drums pounding deafeningly in his head the Master knew, "You never would, you coward. Go on then. Do it!"

Whipping around the Doctor once again pointed the gun at Rassilon and the other Time Lords as energy crackled through the air. "Exactly! It's not just me it's him! He's the link! Kill him!" The Master shrieked ecstatically, clapping is hands together; a crazed smile overtaking is features.

Rassilon focused on the Doctor with his steely cold grey eyes and said, raising a single eyebrow, "The final act of your life is murder. But which one of us?" Behind him one of the Time Lords, a woman, lowered her hands from her face. It was a low tactic, using a member of the Doctor's family. His mother no less. She gazed at her son, shedding a single tear before glancing at the white point star. The Master really hadn't expected this sudden family reunion between the Doctor and the Doctor's mother at that and he could barely think with the drums pounding in his skull, it felt like they were about to break out, even so he still managed to follow her gaze. His eyes widened and he looked back at the Doctor in surprise.

The Doctor turned back towards the Master, meeting his eyes and saying in a voice full of conviction, "Get out of the way." The Master quickly took a few steps to the side and a loud BANG ripped through the air as the Doctor fired, hitting the white point star. Breaking the link.

The Time Lords behind Rassilon were sucked back into the time lock, but Rassilon didn't seem to care much; his face morphing into an ugly smile that didn't at all match the cold angry glare he gave the Doctor. The Master could barely focus on any of that though, it felt like his skull was being ripped open, like his very mind was tearing. It hurt! It hURT!

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All the Master could think of was how much he wanted it to stop. How much he needed it to stop. The drums were so loud, louder than they'd ever been. All the Master could do was clutch his head tightly with boney hands and release a small, almost inaudible pained sound as he folded in on himself.

Through the resounding din that seemed to split his skull the master heard the Doctor, heard Theta, yell to Rassilon, "The link is broken! Back into the Time War, Rassilon! Back into hell!"

The President of Gallifrey snarled back, "You'll die with me, Doctor!"

The Master forced his head back up in time to see Theta calmly state, "I know."

No, no no no no. He couldn't. The Master wouldn't let that happen.

Koschei wouldn't let that happen.

As Rassilon raised his gauntlet the Master stepped forwards and repeated the Doctor's words back to him, "Get out of the way."

The Doctor and the Master locked eyes and the Doctor stepped away in shock. The Master fired his life energy at Rassilon; he was overflowing and the drums were screaming in his head, as he directed all he could into his attack. All the while he screamed, "You did this to me! All my life! You made me! One! Two! Three! Four!"

Rassilon was forced to his knees as the light got brighter and the drums crescendoed in the Master's head. He could feel himself being pulled into the time lock after Rassilon and all he could hear was the drums, all he felt was pain and terror.

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around his midsection tightly, holding him back; the Master struggled against them but they only held on tighter. It felt like forever and the Master was half convinced it would never end until it simply did. Like everything snapped into place and it was silent.

He barely registered that he had hit the floor. He only knew that it was silent. It was silent. The drums weren't thundering in his mind like they always were. It was quiet save for the ringing in his ears. Panic drove out even the pain as the world swam before his eyes.

He thought he might have heard the Doctor's exclamations of 'I'm alive!' before slipping into blissful unconsciousness.