Jack hadn't quite expected the Master to lash out like that. He momentarily tightened his hold but decided it might be better to take a more direct route. It'd make him feel better, anyway. Without a word, Jack released him, but just as soon as he was loose, clubbed the Master in the back of the head with the side of his fist.
"The more you struggle, the less pleasant this whole experience is going to be," he growled. With a sympathetic look, he glanced to the Doctor. God that looked painful. "You going to be okay over there?"
The Master was seeing stars after that one, eyes rolling in his head as he tried to refocus. It was funny really because while it hurt like hell, was entirely worth it. That was a beautiful hit, right in the soft spot and judging by that glorious whimper, it hurt like hell. Even though his head felt like it could explode after that hit, he had to laugh. It was brilliant, the perfect revenge.
"Oh Rassilion, your face!" the Master laughed, grinning smugly at Jack just to show how little he cared. Hey, he was having a terrible time anyway, may as well struggle and hurt people. "That had to hurt!"
"Uh-huh." That was all the reply to Jack he managed at first, only slowly uncurling, still keeping his hands in front of himself just in case. "Gods..." The Doctor turned his head to glare at the Master. "If my next regeneration is a woman, we'll know what caused it." Alright, if he had been in less pain this would have almost been funny. In some ways they couldn't get out of the schoolboy stage it seemed.
Jack sighed. At least the Doctor was mostly all right. Recovering, but all right. With the threat of the small device in his shoe gone, Jack felt a little more comfortable with letting the Master go. Now came the question about what to do with him. "So now what?" He asked when he stepped round to help the Doctor up.
"He's right. We can't just leave him like this, and you didn't seem too keen on tossing him in a cell.. so what are the other options? Is there somewhere we can put him where we can keep an eye on him?" Jack glared back over his shoulder at the Master. "He's made it pretty clear that he can't be trusted to act on his own."
"I'm fine alone, I just don't like when you touch me with your disgusting freak hands," the Master remarked bluntly as he pulled himself up onto his feet, shaking his head to try and clear it. Woah, that last blow nearly knocked his brains out, how big were Jack's fists? Good thing he never took the cuffs off Jack on the Valiant or that year might of ended a little faster.
Looking at the collection of his things, the Master took their distraction of debating his future to try and use his foot to get his screwdriver back. If he used his shoe-free foot, he could get the screwdriver.
The Doctor sighed and looked back at the Master, then raised an eyebrow and watched for a while. When he had finally actually managed to roll the screwdriver around himself he stepped around Jack, still a bit unsteady on his feet, and bent to pick it up, allowing himself one smug grin directed at the Master.
"The TARDIS will have a room for him. And we can just have one of the monitors show it." He pocketed the laser screwdriver and shrugged. "Now the only question is how to get him there."
Jack watched the Doctor move, waiting for any unsteadiness in his step of signs that he might be more injured than previously thought. He shrugged and got to his feet, dusting himself off and straightening his trousers out. "I could carry him. It might actually be easier than if we both do. Four hands is a lot of places to try and wiggle free from. Unless..." He stepped over to the Doctor, making sure to get in close to tug his tie free from his suit and loosen the knot.
"We could use this for his legs at the very least. Can't get far if he can't move his feet, right?" Jack smiled, though, rather liking how close he'd put himself to the Doctor.
The Master growled without realising he was because it annoyed him to see that freak touching the Doctor. His Doctor. Almost baring his teeth, the Master tugged against the handcuffs, wishing he'd managed to get that screwdriver without being seen. These two were determined to annoy him to the brink of insanity. Which maybe too late given his mental state.
"Like to see you get close enough to tie it," the Master threatened as he pushed himself onto his feet, trying to stand up before they advanced. It'd be easier standing, he could kick more that way. And get a better aim. Plus no one could sit on his legs. "Come on freak, see how well and how fast you can tie a knot."
"Oh." Jack taking his tie off? Well, that was new. But the Doctor held still, letting it happen. He nodded then. "I suppose. Makes as much sense as anything."
He stepped around Jack toward the Master, feeling his throat a little awkwardly, still not sure what to make of the man just taking his tie off. It wasn't as if the action didn't add up with his words, but then there was the smile and, well. It was Jack. It was definitely Jack and nothing was ever innocent.
"You're making this so difficult. Look, we could just walk there together if you stopped behaving like a stubborn... kick boxer."
There was a snort and an amused smile from Jack at the Doctor's joke. It wasn't a great one, but that's part of what made it so funny. "Kick boxer?" He teased. Still, he turned back to the Master, pulling the silk tie through his fingers, rather enjoying the feeling while being as threatening as a man could be with a silk tie.
"So what'll it be?" He asked. "Behave and walk like a good boy? Or I tackle you and tie you up like a sheep and take you there whether you want to go or not."
"As much as I'd absolutely love to see you two even try to tie my feet together, I think I'll be a good boy. I'm ever such a nice guy when you give me a chance," the Master said with the fakest smile possible. His plan was simple and easy. Get uncuffed, punch Jack in the face as hard as he could, knock the Doctor down and leap out of the TARDIS.
No matter how he died, he has a resurrection set up and he'd be back on Earth in no time. It wasn't so much death as a long sleep. Besides, it was a thousand times better than being locked up here with the Doctor. No, that was the worst possible fate.
"Come on then, I'll behave. But you have to undo these cuffs so I can walk."
The Doctor looked over his shoulder back at Jack, raising one eyebrow meaningfully while he got out his sonic screwdriver. No, he didn't trust the Master, but he'd give it a shot and he was sure Jack was ready either way. He trusted him.
"Good. I don't want this to get any more painful for anyone." With that he turned back and walked around the pillar, aiming the screwdriver at the Master's cuffed hands and unlocking first one and then the other. Now to see what he'd do.
Jack looked somewhat disappointed when the Doctor decided to comply with the Master's request. That hadn't been what Jack meant at all! Still, here he was, being released, much to Jack's surprise.
"Wait, what? Are you serious?" Jack watched the Master closely, ready to pounce on him at even the slightest twitch toward the TARDIS doors or console. Did he seriously trust the Master not to escape after everything he just pulled to get his weapons off him?! Sometimes, Jack thought, the Doctor could be very, very stupid.
The Master pulled his hands forward, trying not to smile too big as he rubbed his cuffs. He'd cut into his flesh fighting and there was a track of blood on his arm, going onto his shirt's cuffs. What a pain, blood took forever to get out. The Master looked between them both and, hands in the air in a neutral manner, he actually started to comply, walking towards the corridor trying to look as innocent as he could. "This way? I assume. You know those cuffs were so brutish. Next time ask," See, look, so well behaved. And, of course, once it looked like both of them almost even slightly seemed to believe him, that was when he ruined it.
Slamming into the Doctor as hard as he could, he knocked him off his feet and made a mad desperate dash for the door. His legs pumped as hard as they could as he valiantly managed to slide into door, hastily fiddling with the handles and --
Oh shit. Locked. Spinning around, he flung his fist out, assuming Jack would be coming for him and hoping he at least landed a hit before he was tackle down.
The Doctor landed on the floor, not especially shocked at the development overall. He quickly tried to get back up, smiling when he saw that the doors wouldn't open. Well, there was always someone who came through for him. "Thanks, old girl."
Everything was happening very quickly, but the Doctor's next move was toward the console, so he could stop the Master from messing with it should he intend to.
The Master was right, Jack was heading for him within seconds, and had full expectations to slam him against the unbudging TARDIS doors to knock him down, but was met with the Master's fist instead. It didn't do much to stop him, but he was somewhat dazed when he slammed his shoulder hard into the Master, sending him crashing into the doors he so desperately had tried to escape through.
With his attack complete, he struggled to pull the Master's hands behind him and yank them upward as hard as he could, just so he could bind them together with the Doctor's tie. "You are stubborn, aren't you? Stubborn and stupid."
That was true, the Master really was stubborn. And even if he'd basically been smacked into the doors very hard by Jack's shoulders, effectively winding him very painfully and once again slamming his head into something, he still struggled and fought every inch of the way, managing to kick Jack in the shins as he tried to get away, arms unable to do much than pull against the tie, trying to slip free or break out. Once they were successfully bounce, the Master cried out in frustration.
"You can't do this! It's not fair, you can't!" The Master never knew how to react to losing, it was such a hard concept to grasp and yet it happened so often to him that he should have adjusted by now. And yet. "I'm not your prisoner, you have no right to lock me up! We're the last ones, you can't just stick me somewhere like a collectable!"
Looking at the Doctor, he growled in anger, his pride and his body now very much wounded. "Get your freak off me. Now!"
"I don't want to lock you up. I'll let you out when I can trust you enough." Hitting him where it hurt, of course. The last ones. The Doctor leaned back against the console, clutching it hard enough to turn his knuckles white. He bit down on his lower lip and then spoke again, his voice quiet but insistent. "You know that's not the way I want to do this. We are better than this. All we have is..." He broke off and shook his head. "Please, Master. Please, just stay." Stay with him, stay sane, stay alive.
He shook his head sadly and pushed away from the console, heading toward the corridor the Master had turned to before. "Come, Jack. I'm sorry."
Jack had dealt with whiny prisoners before, and instead of replying to him, he just yanked his wrists up his back and kicked him in the heels to get him walking forward. "You can apologise to me later once we've got the boy tucked in," he said flatly. His patience was paper thin by now, held together only by the Doctor's presence. He was certain that had he been left to take care of the Master by himself, that he'd have removed at least three or four of his teeth by now.
"Kick me one more time and I'll pull all your skin off. And you know I can do it too, you've seen first hand," the Master snarled angrily as he stumbled along, fighting the whole time because he refused to give in and willingly be a prisoner. He was a Time Lord, they weren't locked away in rooms, they were supposed to be out in the universe. He shouldn't even be punished for killing those apes, he had the right to! They weren't worth anything more alive than dead.
"And don't call me a boy," the Master snapped, trying once more in vain to turn around. He skidded his feet to a halt the best he could, trying to use his shoulder to force Jack back. Maybe he could still convince the Doctor not to do this? He couldn't seriously want to lock him away! That wasn't fair. "Doctor, you can't be serious. This is insane! I'm not your prisoner, you're not a jailer either. No one really died so what does it matter? The year didn't count!"
"I'm not locking you up as punishment. You're right, I'm not a jailer. But I can't trust you not to hurt someone again, so I'll have to keep you from it." The Doctor smiled, if it could be called that. It certainly didn't reach his eyes. "I hope I can trust you enough to at least let you roam about the TARDIS freely soon."
It was true, actually, as idealistic and naive as it sounded. The way his hearts broke when the Master had been dead in his arms... He never wanted to feel like that again. The Doctor stopped next to a door and opened it for the Master and Jack, catching Jack's eyes. He didn't say anything, but the 'we can talk later' was definitely there. Then he turned to actually look into the room and his eyes widened, he quickly shut the door again. It had been about the size of a broom closet with no furniture and absolute darkness.
"Come on, old girl. Don't be petty." He waited a few moments, then opened the door again, this time peering in first. "Right, alright. There we go then."
This time the room was considerably bigger and there was a bed, bookshelves and even a desk and chair, as well as a door leading somewhere, presumably a bathroom.
Once the room was finished assembling itself, Jack peered over and into it. It was actually fairly nice. Nicer than anything he'd have given his prisoners in Cardiff, anyway. Especially the homicidal ones. He didn't even need the order to be given before Jack was untying the knots he'd done in the Master's bindings and shoving him toward the room. No reason to be gentle. After all, he wasn't exactly a "guest". Even the TARDIS thought so. That thought actually made him smile a little.
"You've practically got your own little flat here. Not bad." he said. Jack wasn't happy that the Master had been given so much when he hardly thought he deserved even the bed to sleep on.
The Master stumbled into the room, seething with anger and wishing he could escape and just go. He didn't want to be in this room, he didn't want to hear the Doctor talk down to him and he certainly didn't want to look at that freak any more. The lamp sitting on the soon met an unfortunate and ugly end when the Master threw it in the Doctor direction, unfortunately missing him entirely and just landing in the hallway, dented and half broken.
"I won't stay in here, I'm not your prisoner," the Master glared at the room, annoyed he'd missed the Doctor with his lamp. It didn't even match the décor of the room! "You're going to have to let me out eventually, I'm not just going to stay here."
The Doctor had held still when the lamp was thrown, watching the Master have his tantrum in silence. He parted his lips to say something, but finally he just shook his head and, without another word, shut the door. He used his screwdriver to lock it before turning and gathering up the lamp, considering it and then heading back down the hallway.
"Broken. But I think I can fix it." He was talking about the lamp. Mostly.
Jack frowned at the lamp, folding his arms and shaking his head. "I told you this was a bad idea," he said with a sullen voice. "I just hope you don't end up regretting it."
Jack reached out and pat the Doctor on the shoulder before turning to walk toward his room to sort out his thoughts. What a disaster.
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"The more you struggle, the less pleasant this whole experience is going to be," he growled. With a sympathetic look, he glanced to the Doctor. God that looked painful. "You going to be okay over there?"
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"Oh Rassilion, your face!" the Master laughed, grinning smugly at Jack just to show how little he cared. Hey, he was having a terrible time anyway, may as well struggle and hurt people. "That had to hurt!"
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"He's right. We can't just leave him like this, and you didn't seem too keen on tossing him in a cell.. so what are the other options? Is there somewhere we can put him where we can keep an eye on him?" Jack glared back over his shoulder at the Master. "He's made it pretty clear that he can't be trusted to act on his own."
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Looking at the collection of his things, the Master took their distraction of debating his future to try and use his foot to get his screwdriver back. If he used his shoe-free foot, he could get the screwdriver.
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"The TARDIS will have a room for him. And we can just have one of the monitors show it." He pocketed the laser screwdriver and shrugged. "Now the only question is how to get him there."
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"We could use this for his legs at the very least. Can't get far if he can't move his feet, right?" Jack smiled, though, rather liking how close he'd put himself to the Doctor.
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"Like to see you get close enough to tie it," the Master threatened as he pushed himself onto his feet, trying to stand up before they advanced. It'd be easier standing, he could kick more that way. And get a better aim. Plus no one could sit on his legs. "Come on freak, see how well and how fast you can tie a knot."
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He stepped around Jack toward the Master, feeling his throat a little awkwardly, still not sure what to make of the man just taking his tie off. It wasn't as if the action didn't add up with his words, but then there was the smile and, well. It was Jack. It was definitely Jack and nothing was ever innocent.
"You're making this so difficult. Look, we could just walk there together if you stopped behaving like a stubborn... kick boxer."
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"So what'll it be?" He asked. "Behave and walk like a good boy? Or I tackle you and tie you up like a sheep and take you there whether you want to go or not."
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No matter how he died, he has a resurrection set up and he'd be back on Earth in no time. It wasn't so much death as a long sleep. Besides, it was a thousand times better than being locked up here with the Doctor. No, that was the worst possible fate.
"Come on then, I'll behave. But you have to undo these cuffs so I can walk."
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"Good. I don't want this to get any more painful for anyone." With that he turned back and walked around the pillar, aiming the screwdriver at the Master's cuffed hands and unlocking first one and then the other. Now to see what he'd do.
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"Wait, what? Are you serious?" Jack watched the Master closely, ready to pounce on him at even the slightest twitch toward the TARDIS doors or console. Did he seriously trust the Master not to escape after everything he just pulled to get his weapons off him?! Sometimes, Jack thought, the Doctor could be very, very stupid.
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Slamming into the Doctor as hard as he could, he knocked him off his feet and made a mad desperate dash for the door. His legs pumped as hard as they could as he valiantly managed to slide into door, hastily fiddling with the handles and --
Oh shit. Locked. Spinning around, he flung his fist out, assuming Jack would be coming for him and hoping he at least landed a hit before he was tackle down.
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Everything was happening very quickly, but the Doctor's next move was toward the console, so he could stop the Master from messing with it should he intend to.
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With his attack complete, he struggled to pull the Master's hands behind him and yank them upward as hard as he could, just so he could bind them together with the Doctor's tie. "You are stubborn, aren't you? Stubborn and stupid."
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"You can't do this! It's not fair, you can't!" The Master never knew how to react to losing, it was such a hard concept to grasp and yet it happened so often to him that he should have adjusted by now. And yet. "I'm not your prisoner, you have no right to lock me up! We're the last ones, you can't just stick me somewhere like a collectable!"
Looking at the Doctor, he growled in anger, his pride and his body now very much wounded. "Get your freak off me. Now!"
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He shook his head sadly and pushed away from the console, heading toward the corridor the Master had turned to before. "Come, Jack. I'm sorry."
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"And don't call me a boy," the Master snapped, trying once more in vain to turn around. He skidded his feet to a halt the best he could, trying to use his shoulder to force Jack back. Maybe he could still convince the Doctor not to do this? He couldn't seriously want to lock him away! That wasn't fair. "Doctor, you can't be serious. This is insane! I'm not your prisoner, you're not a jailer either. No one really died so what does it matter? The year didn't count!"
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It was true, actually, as idealistic and naive as it sounded. The way his hearts broke when the Master had been dead in his arms... He never wanted to feel like that again. The Doctor stopped next to a door and opened it for the Master and Jack, catching Jack's eyes. He didn't say anything, but the 'we can talk later' was definitely there. Then he turned to actually look into the room and his eyes widened, he quickly shut the door again. It had been about the size of a broom closet with no furniture and absolute darkness.
"Come on, old girl. Don't be petty." He waited a few moments, then opened the door again, this time peering in first. "Right, alright. There we go then."
This time the room was considerably bigger and there was a bed, bookshelves and even a desk and chair, as well as a door leading somewhere, presumably a bathroom.
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"You've practically got your own little flat here. Not bad." he said. Jack wasn't happy that the Master had been given so much when he hardly thought he deserved even the bed to sleep on.
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"I won't stay in here, I'm not your prisoner," the Master glared at the room, annoyed he'd missed the Doctor with his lamp. It didn't even match the décor of the room! "You're going to have to let me out eventually, I'm not just going to stay here."
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"Broken. But I think I can fix it." He was talking about the lamp. Mostly.
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Jack reached out and pat the Doctor on the shoulder before turning to walk toward his room to sort out his thoughts. What a disaster.