A/N - This Doctor who short story follows the 8th Doctor and Alex MacQueen's Master as seen in the Big Finish audio stories. If you haven't listened to them I really recommend they're great!

The Doctor groaned dramatically and picked himself up from the ground; hissing as his bruised muscles stretched outwards. He blinked against the harsh lighting and his eyes sought the flashing red light on the console.

"What is it old girl?" He was suddenly a blur of motion and the brief commune with the floor was forgotten.

The Doctor raced round the console like a mad-man; coat tails flying as his fingers flew like lightening over the controls. His brow furrowed as he took in the readings that were being spewed at him, something had gone terribly wrong.

"Arrghhh." He yelled in frustration several minutes later, and stubbed his toe in exasperation.

"There's nothing wrong with your systems, no power drain, no leaks. So why did we get shunted out of the vortex?" He strode around the TARDIS console questioning it. He knew the TARDIS better than he knew his own body and he couldn't find any reason to explain why they had materialised without his control.

"If the problems not in here…" He had a sudden brain wave. "…then it must be out there."

Not wanting to waste anymore time he raced towards the door; blistering across the space like a barely contained storm. He flung the inner door open and stepped out into the unknown without a second thought. He had often been called reckless but he preferred the word 'adventurous'.

He trotted out into the open happily and took in his surroundings with keen eyes. The atmosphere was easily breathable, not too cold or hot and clearly inhabited. The Doctor was surrounded on all sides by buildings and noise. He spun on the spot and took the whole environment in within a few moments. He deliberately hadn't checked the scanners for the planet's identity or space time. It was more fun this way.

He could see from the stars that this wasn't a world he was familiar with; it had too many moons to be earth and the star structure was all wrong for the milky way galaxy. His attention returned to the ground as he heard the distant sounds of explosions and blaster fire, it was then he realised that the buildings surrounding him looked empty and were dark. The whole area looked black actually, no artificial light and the sky didn't help matters. The only source of illumination was flaring out from fires that were dotted round the barren alley. Whatever he had landed himself into it didn't look pleasant.

Unperturbed by the signs of violence he strode onwards; he was never one to judge a book by it's cover. This could be anything as big as a war or anything as small as a riot. Either way he couldn't resist finding out what and of course something on this planet was affecting his TARDIS, which was very intriguing and worrying.

He came to a sudden stop as his eyes identified a humanoid no further than 100 yards away. The man was breathing heavily and looked to be in some pain. The Doctor's first instinct was to step forward and help, but his scuffling feet alerted the man to his presence.

The Doctor could see now that the humanoid resembled a male human with markings on his face. The guy suddenly became really skittish and backed up a few steps as the Doctor advanced towards flaming wreckage so the man would see him. He stopped when he reached the fire as the stranger continued to panic.

"Hi there." He tried friendly, non-threatening.

The man stopped shuffling backwards and suddenly looked incredibly suspicious at something over the Time Lord's shoulder. The Doctor followed the man's gaze and realised he was looking directly at the out of place TARDIS. The Doctor didn't have an opportunity to open his mouth again as the stranger beat him to it.

The man turned to the left and shouted to unseen people. "He's here!"

"What the hell." The Doctor muttered, his senses suddenly on full alert as he recognised the aggression coming off the panicked man. He tensed his body ready to move as more humanoids joined the stranger, all carrying weapons of some description. They all stared directly at the Doctor and then instantly they were moving as one.

The Doctor tactically decided to retreat as the enraged mob raced towards him. He turned tail and fled back towards the safety of his ship, not stopping to look back as he heard the oncoming angry footfall. He didn't have the best record with friendly relations but this was ridiculous even by his standards, he'd only said hello!

He had walked further away from his ship than he had realised and he almost stumbled on the surrounding rubble as he sprinted harder; his hearts were racing with adrenaline. Suddenly more bodies appeared between him and the TARDIS, he skidded to a halt and felt like an animal caught in a trap. His eyes sought an exit and found it in a doorway.

Without thinking about where this would lead he raced through the door and followed the winding corridors until he was back outside in another alley. He could hear the enraged shouts behind him grow louder and the heckles were getting more aggressive. What he hell had he done to these people?

He sprinted on and on away from the mob. The Doctor looked back over his shoulder desperately hoping the pursuers were giving up. Sadly they weren't and if it was even possible they looked even angrier. He was just about to reach another corner where there might be hope to lose his pursuers when he ran head first into a blunt object.

The Doctor's momentum carried him forward into the heavy pipe and his nose exploded with blood, it was agony. His body hit the cold floor with a heavy thump followed harshly by his head. The Doctor's ears were ringing from the impact and his head felt incredibly fuzzy. He clung onto consciousness and compartmentalised the banging in his skull.

He managed to open his eyes and tried to blink away the confusion. There were too many stars up in the sky, it was like everything had been doubled. He then realised it must be his eye-sight as he seemed to have two right hands as well. He groaned and went to haul his abused body up when suddenly there were faces above him and strong hands holding his chest down.

The Doctor opened his mouth ready to argue his innocence, ready to ramble about everything and anything to make these people believe they had the wrong person when someone's statement stole the words on his lips.

"He's the Time Lord."

What?

Before he could utter a single rebuttal the butt of a blaster phaser descended upon his face.

When the Doctor awoke he was in chains, strong manacles held his hands against the stone wall with a chain that had very little reach. He had only just started to take in his surroundings when the cell door swung open and four burly humanoids wandered in all swinging batons. The Doctor had seen hatred in his time but the anger radiating from these men shocked him to his core, he had never seen such cruelty and want for pain in somebody.

"Look… I think there's been some kind of mistake." He didn't get any further into declaring his innocence.

Boots, fists and batons rained down on him from all sides stealing what little breath he had with each contact. He tried to curl himself up into a ball as the assault continued, they grabbed at him when he ducked his head down, intent on causing as much damage as they could. The Doctor couldn't think straight, they hadn't asked any questions, he hadn't provoked them. What had caused these men to want to harm him so much?

The unrelenting assault carried on for what felt like hours, the Doctor felt bruises forming on top of bruises. He heard his ribs bend and break under the continued assault no matter how hard he tried to curl up into a ball and protect his body. His head took a good pounding too and he tasted blood pooling in his mouth, he wasn't sure if it was cut gums or a loose tooth. Whatever the cause of all the blood he just knew that he hurt.

Out of know-where the beating stopped, just as suddenly as it started. The Doctor kept his eyes closed and focussed on simply breathing which was harder than it should have been. He tried to uncurl his chest to allow more oxygen into his lungs but cried out when he shifted; he catalogued several broken bones and internal bruising. He didn't have the mental energy to work out all the damage that had been done, all he was focussed on right now was just breathing and staying conscious.

He groaned loudly and tried breathing deeper again and managed to inhale precious air as his chest heaved painfully. He squinted his eyes open and blinked away tears and blood; he felt the sticky substance all over his face. He recoiled away as he realised the four men were still in the room, in fact they hadn't moved from where he was curled up. The Doctor was confused until he saw another figure in the centre of the room and realised he must have stopped the beating.

The Doctor winced and tried to haul himself upright to ease the pressure on his chest. He hugged his ribs tightly whilst his frame was racked with coughs; he felt blood push itself up his throat which was not a good sign. Internally he was probably a mess. He kept his eyes warily on all the occupants in the room scared that at any moment he would receive another dose of violence.

"Where did you take the sacred relic?"

The Doctor jumped when the chief interrogator started speaking; the malice was positively dripping from his voice. His face furrowed with confusion as he deciphered the words and drew a blank. His head was banging and he decided maybe he was hallucinating.

"What?" The Doctor managed to hack.

The main guy nodded to one of his cronies. A baton was brought down on the Doctor's arm with enough force that he was surprised it didn't break. He yelled out in anguish as searing pain shot up his limb. He hand't been prepared for the sudden return to violence. The Doctor expected more blows and when they did not come realised the main interrogator had indicated for the men to stop.

"How did you take over this world?"

The man stared scrutinisingly down at his captive, not an ounce of pity or remorse in his gaze. If the first question threw the Doctor off then this one took the biscuit. Who the hell did these people think he was?

The men took the Doctor's silence as an answer. In less than a second another baton descended on him, his chest this time and he screamed after the impact. The Doctor sucked in breath through gritted teeth and rode through the fresh wave of anguish. It was clear after a few seconds that the blow would be the only one. He was beginning to learn the rules of this game and he didn't like it. He raised his head wearily and glared into the murderous eyes of his tormentor.

"Why did you destroy this world?"

"I'm not who you think I am!" The Doctor shouted back his anger getting the better of him after his beating.

The interrogator didn't flinch at the heated words and just indicated to the men. The Doctor was expecting the blow this time but it didn't help lessen the agony when the baton crashed into his thigh with unforgiving force.

The Doctor blinked back tears and watched skittishly as the chief interrogator walked towards him. He cradled his broken ribs and backed into the wall as the men knelt down in front of him.

"You have two hearts. You are the Time Lord." The man leaned in closer as the Doctor's confusion grew. "You will pay for what you did to our people."

The Doctor was shell-shocked and his brain couldn't work quickly enough. He had never been to this world before yet he was the most hated man alive here, what the hell was going on?

The interrogator looked down at his prisoner with disgust and then ordered a chilling command before turning and leaving. "Break his leg."

The Doctor screamed and yelled as the men grabbed at his leg and stretched it out. The Doctor was defenceless against all the hands and could only cry out as the batons rained down on his leg until it cracked under the strain.

A cloaked figure moved freely through the bustling streets; wondering all the way why the military patrols and curfew had suddenly been lifted. Had these bumbling fools finally given up looking for him? It certainly made moving round the city easier so the Time Lord didn't question it.

The Master was returning to his TARDIS and grinned giddily as his escape plan fell into place, it was going along much quicker now that the whole city wasn't being watched. He didn't know why these people had taken everything to heart, couldn't they handle a bit of chaos every now and again?

"Weak fools." He muttered and picked up the pace, hating the stench of the cesspool he had been stranded on.

Soon he would finally be able to access the central building and shut off the inhibitor that was blocking his TARDIS from escaping. He knew the layout of the building after holding the president's office of this pathetic nation for a small time; the manipulation had truly been child's play. It had all been going so well until a new faction arrived and saw through his hypnotic disguises. The crowds had turned ugly after that and he had barely escaped with his lives. He lashed out angrily at a nearby bin when he remembered the moment he realised he was trapped on this god forsaken place, only his TARDIS was a sanctuary.

The Master eventually reached his capsule and grabbed the materials he would need for his trip to the central building. He finally had all the right information from minions and had gotten a hold of the uniform and blaster rifles used by the guards there. He left his vehicle and stepped out onto the desolate world for the last time; fingers clenching happily around the weapon in his hands.

His suspicious mind watched the crowd as he moved and wondered yet again why the cordon had been lifted. He got his answer when he passed a notice board which had a piece of paper stuck to it; on said notice board was a picture of the last person he had been expecting: the Doctor. The Master's mouth hung open agape as he read the information.

The note read: Time Lord Captured! Execution date: 1738902.

The Master realised that the date was tomorrow. He seethed as he looked at the familiar face staring out at him from the board. The idiots must have thought he had regenerated if they'd tried the Doctor for his crimes. How the hell did the Doctor keep stumbling into situations like this; did he have a homing beacon for trouble?

The Master scowled at the poster again and then walked away hurriedly. He set off towards central to carry on with his previous task. The revelation didn't change anything. He would still escape. The thought of the Doctor imprisoned surprisingly made him furious; how dare these low-life beings kill the Doctor. It was embarrassing. Surely after all this time, all the effort the Master had put in he should be the one to kill the Doctor? He scowled and made his way into the central building unmolested, gun already drawn. He had two objectives now.

The Doctor had never felt agony like it no matter how hard he tried to shut it all off another part of his body demanded attention. He couldn't heal quickly enough before more bones were sprained or broken; he had bruises upon bruises and everything felt like it had been set fire to. He tried to shift and gasped as his leg jolted under the movement. Every part of him hurt but nothing was as angry as his leg. He remembered the misery he felt the first time the guards had broken the limb; he understood why. With a broken leg he would have no chance of escaping, not like he had a chance anyway. The beatings and interrogation had been so relentless that he hadn't spotted a single opportunity. It was all rather hopeless.

He laid his head back against the cool wall and closed his eyes to catch his breath. Even a Time Lord's enhanced healing was not quick enough to keep up with the beatings; he had only just started re-knitting bones when they would come in and compound the damage. One time he had tried to slip into a healing coma only to be brought out by a bucket of ice cold water, they had demanded he not try anything like that again and had broken his leg a second time incase he'd healed it. The same leg.

As a matter of fact he hadn't been able to heal it so now he had a leg which was broken in two places, and no way of fixing it. Not that it would matter for much longer anyway. They had started taunting his execution in the last few hours and had shown him the poster that was being circulated round the city. He had been giddily informed that he was going to be killed tomorrow, whatever that meant. He didn't know what the day was, and had lost all track of how long he'd been there.

He had always prided himself for never giving up, never giving in. The situation was impossible though these men wouldn't listen. The Doctor had no answer for any of their questions, he pleaded each time and they continued to torture him. He tried with all his might to make them listen, to make them hear him. He didn't know these people and he'd never even been here before.

They never listened. The beatings continued through the endless hours, days, he's not sure. They already confiscated anything they found on him so no sonic screwdriver to the rescue. He honestly couldn't see any way out, only the promise of more pain. In a funny way he was sort of looking forward to the execution, maybe they would transport him and he could find a way out. One way or another it was going to be an end finally.

He jumped as he heard a sudden commotion outside. He perked up as the sounds of shouting and blaster fire started ricocheting off the walls. It all went abruptly quiet after a number of bodies thudded to the floor. He heard scraping at the cell door so the Doctor scrambled back against the wall as far as the chains would allow, wishing he could get to his feet and at least try and defend himself.

The scraping stopped but then a shot blasted into the door and the lock mechanism went flying. The Doctor frowned at the detail, where did the keys go?

The question died on his lips and his mind froze as the last person in the universe he wanted to see stalked through the door, blaster held loosely in his grip. The Master… He thinks he's stopped breathing, it feels like his body is going into shock. How can this man be here? Why is he here? The Doctor started to think he was delusional when it all clicked into place: the Time Lord that these people had been looking for, the evil deeds they had been blaming him for, it must have been the Master.

The mad-man walked fully into the cell and looked the Doctor up and down distastefully. "Oh dear Doctor. The mess's you get yourself into."

The Doctor regained some strength in the face of his arch-nemesis; hating the man that was responsible for his situation and for the suffering of this world. His chains rattled as he tried to bring his hands forward, only getting so far. "This is your fault. You did those evil things to these people."

The Master shrugged dispassionately. "I didn't lock you up."

The Doctor scoffed not quite believing his eyes or ears. He had been suffering because of the Master again, and the man hadn't even blinked or acknowledged the cruelty he had wrought on this planet. "Why are you here now then? To gloat before they execute me?"

The Master's eyes turned dark, angry and possessive. "I'm not letting them execute you. Only I get to kill you Doctor."

The Doctor laid his head back against the wall in defeat, he was too tired to move. He couldn't get out of his chains; he had nothing left. He was defenceless and done with the pain.

"Get it over with then." The Doctor spat bitterly resigned to his death. In a way he was kind of glad that the Master was going to do it. He just hoped it would be quick. After all these years this was not how he expecting to go out.

After a while of nothing he opened his eyes, confused as to why he was still breathing and even more confused that the Master's gun wasn't pointing at him. The Master looked down at his old friend with a puzzled expression and then realisation dawned. "Oh no Doctor, I'm not going to kill you now."

The Master then swiftly moved to the Doctor's wrists and undid the clamps using some sort of device. The Doctor was too bewildered to even realise his wrists were free. Why was the Master helping him?

"What?" The Doctor began to question but was halted as he was wrenched to his feet by the Master, letting out a loud gasp as his broken leg buckled. The bone still shattered and non-functioning.

"What's wrong with you." The Master sneered at him pushing him against the wall with disgust, only willing to hold his nemesis up by pressing a hand into his shoulder. The shoulder happened to house a number of the Doctor's many wounds, causing the Time Lord to gasp and see stars.

"They broke my leg, twice." The Doctor eventually gasped and bit back a curse.

The Master scrutinised his foe with a bored expression. "That's unfortunate."

The Doctor scoffed at the understatement and tried to lessen the drums banging in his head. The Master glanced towards the door, then at the Doctor and scowled. He seemed to come to a decision. "Put your arm around me."

The Doctor nearly fell over in shock. "What?" He looked at the Master like the other Time Lord had grown a second head.

The Master threw him a dangerous glare, eyes aflame with madness and rage. "Don't make me say it again."

The Doctor couldn't help it, he barked out laughing. The reaction predictably turned the Master's expression more furious. "Or what? You'll shoot me? That's what you're rescuing me for isn't it, so you can kill me somewhere else? I'd rather take my chances here." The Doctor rambled, anxiety increasing as he watched the Master lose what little patience he had.

"If I was going to kill you Doctor, you'd be dead." The Master hissed heatedly through gritted teeth.

The Doctor still didn't understand and he wasn't exactly a dim fellow. "You've made it your life's mission to kill me. Forgive me if I seem suspicious."

The Master chuckled darkly and gripped the Doctor's arm forcibly putting it round his shoulders. The Doctor gasped and the grievances on his lips died as white hot pain raced up his side. The Master waited whilst the Doctor steadied himself as best he could.

"There's no joy in putting a dog out of it's misery." The Master muttered bitterly.

The Doctor frowned at the words. He still didn't really understand but he had no more time to think on them as he was dragged forwards and he had to grip the Master's shoulder tightly just to remain upright and conscious. He leaned on the other Time Lord heavily forgetting for an instant in his pain induced action who exactly he was gripping onto.

The Doctor tried to get his footing and had to settle for an awkward hop using the Master's support as a crutch for his broken leg. He hadn't managed to put any weight on the limb without almost passing out from the pain. He wasn't walking out of here alone and whatever his reasons the Master was a way out.

They made agonisingly slow progress along the corridor when the Doctor heard distant blaster fire. "What did you do start another riot?" He grimaced as another jolt of fire shot up his leg.

"Yes." The Master replied, void of emotion.

It was as simple as that for the Master. All the lives lost now, the screaming, it didn't mean anything to the monster. The Doctor felt revolted as they stepped over bodies in the corridor; the last thing he wanted to do was cling to the man that had probably killed them but what choice did he have? The Master was positively dragging him along.

A humanoid suddenly sprinted into their corridor, not looking in their direction. The Doctor saw the Master raise his weapon; too late.

"No!" He lunged at the Master's arm and was horrified as he saw the trigger depress and the bolt leave the gun.

The Doctor found his body falling forwards as he lost his footing and witnessed horrified as the guard fell to the floor dead, before he smashed into the ground himself. He had been too slow to react. The Doctor was gripped by his shoulder and crushed against the wall. The Master's hand clenched his shirt and pushed him back forcefully until his head smacked against the hard surface. The Doctor gasped as his abused ribs crumpled under the strain.

He stared into the Master's face and saw that the Time Lord was furious. This was the man that he knew. Dangerous, cold, furious. He saw hatred flash in the Master's eyes and the gun was up in his face. "What do you think you're doing." The master snarled nastily.

The Doctor frowned as the cacophony in his head reached a crescendo, it was obvious surely. "You don't have to kill people."

The Master clenched his fist tighter into the Doctor's shirt smiling as his sworn enemy grimaced in pain. "Where do you think we are Doctor? These people want your head."

The Doctor stared into the madness and wondered why the Master was staying his hand, he should kill him then and there. "Why won't you let them take it."

The Master snarled, he was suddenly distracted by the sound of oncoming boots. He glared down at the Doctor's crumpled body with hatred then made a decision. He dragged him up painfully and dragged them both forwards.

The Doctor fought back the darkness as the sudden movement jostled his leg. He moaned as they moved forward with more haste. The Master clasped him upright painfully, no longer caring how much damage he wrought. Thankfully the sounds of oncoming people died the further the duo stumbled on. The Doctor wanted no more casualties, and the Master didn't need any further target practise.

"I haven't put all my effort into destroying you for some inferior race to steal it away from me." The Master eventually snarled and dragged the Doctor around another corner.

The Doctor forced them both to stop with a lot of effort on his part; he held the Master still with a look. The Master pushed him against a wall and took the opportunity to check their escape route out a nearby window.

"Wait, wait. You're rescuing me because you're jealous of someone stealing your kill?" The Doctor was so confused, why shouldn't the Master just kill him. "Why not…"

The Master interrupted the Doctor. "… Kill you now?"

The Doctor nodded dumbly. The Master stalked into the Doctor's personal space and he again felt defenceless, barely keeping himself upright. The Master looked at him with repulsion. "Because of this. Any idiot could kill you in the state you're in. I'm not any idiot."

The Master was in the Doctor's face; snarling, spitting like a venomous cobra. The Doctor realised then he would probably never truly understand the man's reasons and he didn't desire too. The Master was insane and he had no wish to explore the insanity. If he wanted to rescue the Doctor then the Doctor would just let him get on with it.

"Alright." He whispered.

The Master raised his brows questioningly. "Alright what?"

The Doctor took hold of the Master's shoulder slowly; not making any sudden moves. He half expected the Time Lord to shove him off and he would crash to the ground again but the Master only twitched. "Let's get out of here."

The Master grinned. "That's more like it, Doctor."

The pair stumbled out of the central building and navigated around the bloody fighting in the streets, blending into the shadows as two injured people. The Doctor had managed to persuade the Master to not fire indiscriminately so as to not raise unwanted attention to them; the Master had agreed but made the point if anyone got too close he would kill them and the Doctor wouldn't be able to stop him.

The Doctor hardly needed that pointed out for him he hadn't been able to stop the Master last time, he just hoped people kept their distance from the stumbling pair. Eventually the Doctor spotted the TARDIS and realised he was on his last reserves of energy; he was so ready to collapse. If the Master hadn't been there he was sure he wouldn't have made it out of his cell let alone all the way home.

The Master deposited him and literally threw his fellow Time Lord at the TARDIS doors. The Doctor gripped on for dear life determined to stay on his feet until he got indoors, into safety. His leg was screaming from being dragged half way across the city, and his hearts felt like they were going to explode out of his chest from the exertion.

He watched warily as the Master dusted himself off, disgusted as he found the Doctor's blood on his clothes. The Doctor smirked at the action. He could hardly believe he had been touching the Master for that long and they were both still breathing.

"I've turned off the cities dampeners so you shouldn't have any trouble dematerialising." The Master spoke eventually already bored with the conversation he had just started.

The Doctor realised this must have been why he couldn't leave in the first place, and why the Master had stuck around. He had been trapped too. "Alright." The Doctor managed to mumble, feeling nervous all of a sudden and almost like a cornered animal. He fumbled for his key quietly desperate to get inside before the Master changed his mind.

The Master smiled at the action and backed off. "I'll see you soon, Doctor." The manic, dangerous glint back in his eyes, a promise. "Do get better now, won't you."

Just like that they were enemies again; as if the past half an hour hadn't happened and all the bizarre proceedings had been made up in the Doctor's pain-racked brain. He could hardly believe it had happened himself.

"Thanks for…" What the hell did he call what the Master had just done for him, he felt awkward as hell. What did one do in this kind of situation? Not finding an appropriate word he carried on. "…everything I suppose."

The Master looked feral, deadly and back in his element. "Watch your back Doctor. The next time you see me. It'll be your last." The Master snarled manically, turned and made his exit. Melodramatic as always he disappeared behind the smoke instantly.

"Unbelievable." The Doctor muttered to himself then finally put the key into the door and staggered in.

He wasn't sure exactly how he made it to the console but he somehow dragged himself agonisingly along the floor and pressed any button within reach. Not caring where he was going he dematerialised the ship into the time vortex before the hellish planet could trap him again. He'd had more than his fair share of this place.

When he was sure the ship was safe he laid his head down and started to enter a healing trance; his screaming body crying out for attention. The Doctor closed his eyes and reflected on the bizarre events of the day, the Master had been the last person he had been expecting and the fact that the Time Lord had just saved his life really didn't sit well with him.

What the hell was he supposed to do with that? The Doctor shook the thoughts away as his body fell into a deep coma to try and repair the damage his captors had wrought, he hadn't been this banged up in a while. He mulled on the Master's last words before he went under and sincerely hoped he wouldn't run into the Master again. The man was as unpredictable as the path of a tornado and just as destructive.

A/N - Hope you enjoyed this short story, just something that popped into my head a while back I thought would be fun to write.

Until next time...