Here Come the Drums

[Lucy Saxon]

Her Majesty's Prison Broadfell

It was a cold lonely place filled with dark secrets.

And inside sat the most lonely of all; lost and forgotten.

The Master's wife.

Lucy sat alone in the moonlit cell. The pale silver light shined in on her. Tears coursed down her face as she stared out the window. This is how it was going to be, wasn't it? Forever. She was going to be alone locked in this cell forever for killing a man that no one even remembered.

Oh but she remembered. Lucy remembered all the terrible things she and her husband had done. Over the past year she had slowly been waking up from the haze Harold had left her in. Though so much had been reversed she still thought about all she had seen.

There was a far off clank of metal and Lucy found herself straightening where she sat. She was still as she listened carefully. Footsteps could be heard approaching in the corridor. Rubbing the backs of her hands over her face, dabbing at the tears, she tried to compose herself. It wouldn't do to be found like this.

Another sound again; A key in a lock. The familiar click as it unlocked and then was swung open. Looking up from where she sat on her bed she looked up. A startled look crossed over her features as she saw many people gathered at the door. If she weren't mistaken it was more people than she'd seen in her past year being locked up here.

The woman at the front in the blue uniform motioned for her to come to the door and she stood up. Fists clenched she walked rigidly over. She found herself ushered out of her cell. The formation walked in silence and she found her unease growing. Thoughts flashed through her head as she tried to keep a blank face. Where were they taking her? What did they want now? Were they going to kill her?

A woman stood at the head of the room. Lucy stopped after a few steps into the place, looking around slightly.

"Mrs. Saxon. Let me introduce myself. I'm your new governor. I'm afraid the previous governor met with something of an accident...which took quite some time to arrange." Didn't sound much like an accident to her Lucy thought as she listened to the woman.

"Miss Trefusis . If you would prepare," she heard the new governor say.

"You kept your silence well Mrs. Saxon. Your trial was held in secret with no jury. So, no one knows who Harold Saxon was. Where he came from. Why you killed him. Make her kneel."

Alarm flashed over her face. They were going to kill her weren't they? Payment for her killing her husband.

"There are those of us who never lost faith. And in his wisdom Harold Saxon prepared for this moment. He knew that he might die and he made us ready. Tonight Mrs. Saxon, he returns."

Looking up Lucy saw Ms. Trefusis holding the one item she hoped never to see again. that ring. Harry's ring. Just looking at it she knew he would be back. The look on her face changed from alarm to pure horror. "Ooh," she breathed out.

The woman sounded amused and proud as she spoke now. "As it was written in the Secret Books of Saxon. These are the potions of life." Lucy watched as one of the other guards in the room poured things into a bowl on a pedestal.

"Listen to me," Lucy said. "Whatever he told you, you've got no idea what you're doing."

"Ms. Trefusis. The catalyst," was all the Governor said in response.

"What are you doing? Leave me alone. DON'T," she cried out. "Don't," she sobbed as the woman pulled back on her hair. She's going to slit my throat and kill me, she thought. The woman pressed a cloth to her lips. Lucy froze, perhaps they were going to chloroform her. But the cloth was only pressed to her lips for a moment before being pulled back.

"You were Saxon's wife," she registered hearing the governor say. "You bore his imprint. That's all we needed. A final bio-metrical signature." She blinked in surprise as she was let go completely. Ms. Trefusis walked back to the bowl and held it above, showing the lipstick mark from Lucy's lips.

It clicked in her head as the cloth fluttered towards the unseen liquid below it.

"You can't bring him back, you can't!" she sobbed to them. The cloth touched the liquid and a burst of bright light filled the room. It swirled up above the concoction and Lucy stood up, taking a step backwards.

"I'M BEGGING YOU," she yelled above the storm beginning to rage in the middle of the room. "STOP THIS NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE."

The Governor ignored her however and stared joyfully at the swirling lights. "And give ourselves. So that Saxon might live." The woman and her fellow followers all began to kneel as a similar light to that shining out of the bowl flowed from them to connect with it.

"CAN'T YOU SEE?! HE LIED TO YOU," she continued to yell. "HIS NAME ISN'T EVEN HAROLD SAXON!" She had yelled this last bit of information hoping for some sense to go into the other woman when she heard her words. This would not be the case as it would seem. "And this was written also, for his name is The Master!"

Lucy watched on in horror as the swirling mist in the light began to change.

[The Master]

It was always the women. Every time he dropped his guard, or trusted, or - dare he say it - love a little. It was always the bloody women who ruined everything. Ailla... his first companion. The bitch hadn't even been human... a Time Lady sent to spy on him. That one had hurt... he liked to think that had played a part in what he had become... he might even have been right.

But Lucy... beautiful, mad Lucy. He had loved her. Really he had. True he might not have been very good at loving her... he had so few examples to learn from. But in his own way he had loved her. And she had killed him. Shot him. It had stung a little, and he had had trouble figuring out what exactly he had done to deserve such treatement from her. He knew he wouldn't be winning any awards for Husband of the Year, but really. How had shooting him been necessary?

The Master, fortunately, was rather clever, and the moment he landed the TARDIS on Earth he put events in motion that would prevent any death he might suffer from being permanent. He had not expected to be shot by his own wife, nor had he expected to not want to regenerate, but he had planned for the possibility and for that he was thankful.

The Secret Books of Saxon... they sounded rather pretentious didn't they? But no matter, they did there job. Desciples... gullible humans willing to do whatever it took to bring him back... At first he had been surprised, but of course, humans were destroying themselves all over the place... giving them a 'greater cause' only seemed to make them do it faster.

And the fact that he was conscious enough to have this train of thought meant that it had worked. His wonderfully gullible humans had done there job. They were bringing him back.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

The drums.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

The never ending drums.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

There was a flash of light and the Master felt himself dragged from wherever he had been before and into life. A body... well... almost a body. It would be complete soon enough. He could almost laugh with triumph. It had worked. It had all worked.

"Never, never, never never, never," he whispered to himself. "Never dying. Never dying! Never dying! NEVER DYING. NEVER DYING." He would never die. Not when he had so many humans willing to lend him their life so that he might live himself.

Soon, his eyes adjusted to his surroundings and his chanting ceased as his eyes fell upon a certain beautiful betrayer. "Oh Lucy!" He called to her, reaching his arms out as if he would touch her. "Sweet, Lucy Saxon. My ever faithful... Did the widow's kiss bring me back to life."

[Lucy Saxon]

Disbelief washed over Lucy as she watched a head and torso form before her eyes. "Never, never, never never, never. Never dying. Never dying! Never dying! NEVER DYING. NEVER DYING."

Never before had Lucy been so frightened. He was supposed to be dead. She was supposed to be in jail and he was supposed to be dead. The past year of her life had been wasted for nothing.

'NO,' she wanted to scream. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. She looked around at the dying 'faithful servants'. "Oh Lucy!" her formerly dead husband called to her, reaching his arms out as if he would touch her. "Sweet, Lucy Saxon. My ever faithful... Did the widow's kiss bring me back to life."

Ignoring his question she tore her eyes off of the people slowly giving their lives for the man above them. "YOU'RE KILLING THEM," she yelled at him.

[The Master]

The Master didn't have to see the human's below him dropping to know that they were dying. This was a necessary part of the plan. He grew stronger as they grew weaker. Quite perfect really.

"YOU'RE KILLING THEM,"

He looked at his wife... former wife...? He looked at Lucy, disappointing crossing his features. Of course it would have been to much to hope that she had willingly helped along his resurrection. But it was clear from the look of horror on her face that she was wishing it had never happened at all. Well... that was upsetting.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

"Oh let them die," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "They're just the first. The whole stupid, stinking human disgrace can fall into the pit!"

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

Tipping his head back, the Master placed his hands on either side of his head, listening to the pounding of drums through his head.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

"Can't you hear it Lucy?" he asked her almost pleadingly. "The noise? The drum beat?"

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

"The drums... the never ending drums..." he laughed, then, hardly a joyful sound. "Oh I have missed them!"

[Lucy Saxon]

"Oh let them die," he said. "They're just the first. The whole stupid, stinking human disgrace can fall into the pit!"

Lucy's eyes went back and forth between him and the kneeling figures. She wanted to just grab them and throw them out of the room. She'd sacrificed her so called life to save people...not so people could basically commit suicide in his honor. It scared her to see the people so under his control. She remembered what it was like.


"Can't you hear it Lucy?" he asked her almost pleadingly. "The noise? The drum beat? The drums... the never ending drums..."

She looked at him as if he were insane...which to be fair he was. She'd heard him mention drums before but she'd never known what it meant. She still didn't know. "Oh I have missed them!"

Taking a deep breathe while he went on in his madness she took a step forward. "But no one knew you better than I did," she started. "I knew you'd come back." Her courage grew as she spoke. Yes. She had known he'd returned. She'd hoped that she would be wrong but it certainly had paid to be ready for such a case.

Always be prepared for an ex to ring round.

"And all this time your disciples have prepared but so have we!"

Taking a few steps back she reached for the bottle the guard behind her was holding out. She flashed an odd smile at The Master.

[The Master]

"But no one knew you better than I did,"

That... unfortunately... was true. Lucy knew him far too well. It had been okay while she had stood by his side... but now... now she was in a position to use that to her advantage. Which was no longer the same as his advantage.

"I knew you'd come back."

He stared at her, a mixture of confusion, fear and anger crossing his features. Of course she knew he'd come back... but what did that have to do with -

"And all this time your disciples have prepared but so have we!"

Lucy took a bottle out of the hands of the guard behind her and his eyes momentarily flicked to the guard. That person was not part of the plan... what was going on? He was so close... so close to being himself again.

"What are you doing?" he called down to her. This... this had the potential to be really really bad. When would he learn to never trust the women?

[Lucy Saxon]

"The secret books of Saxon spoke of the potions of life," Lucy said, holding the bottle tightly. She gripped it as if her life depended on it…which in a way it did.

"And I was never that bright," she said almost sarcastically. She'd been told that her whole life. Just be a pretty face and smile Lucy. Shut up Lucy. Well now she wasn't going to be quiet. "But my family had contacts."

"People who were clever enough to calculate the opposite," she said, starting to remove the top of the bottle.

Lucy kept her gaze locked on him the whole time. She joyfully watched his face fall as she explained just what was in the bottle. Salvation for mankind. The death of her husband. She would kill him again and hopefully this time it would be permanent.

[The Master]

"The secret books of Saxon spoke of the potions of life,"

The Master watched his wife closely as she gripped the tiny bottle in her hands tightly. That bottle... she didn't even have to explain. He already knew where this was going.

"And I was never that bright, But my family had contacts."

It was becoming difficult to hide his fear and, unbidden by him, his eyes widened as he continued to watch her. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. He was so close... so bloody close to being whole again. And she was about to take it away from him within moments.

"People who were clever enough to calculate the opposite,"

"Don't you dare," he growled as he watched her remove the top of the potion. "I'm ordering you Lucy!" Fear and anger were evident in his voice. "YOU WILL OBEY ME!"

[Lucy Saxon]

"Don't you dare," he growled. "I'm ordering you Lucy!" Fear and anger were evident in his voice and still the smallest of chills crept over her. "YOU WILL OBEY ME!"

No, she thought. She was going to end his rule once and for all.

"Till death do us part…HARRY!"

And with that she threw the potion at him yelling.

This would end it all. The nightmares, the tears, the pain.

[The Master]

Lucy had never disobeyed him before. Not in the entire official year and a half that they had known each other... there were times when she'd though about it and he'd quickly shown her why that was a bad idea, but looking at her now, it was clear she was thinking of doing just that.

"Till death do us part…HARRY!"

"NOOO!" he screamed as she tossed the bottle and it's contents at him. The liquid reacted with the light surrounding him and there was an explosion of blue and white light radiating from where he was.

But he was still alive. Which had certainly not been Lucy's intention. He had dropped to the ground in the middle of the explosion and now lay curled on the floor, naked and slightly bruised, but very much alive.

He pushed himself to his feet and examined his hand and arms closely. Solid flesh. He tested for his hearts, both there. Both working. It was fantastic. Lucy's stupid potion hadn't done anything except start burning the building down.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

And the drums.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

They were still there.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.

He was completely himself. Completely normal. At least, as normal as he could be.

A deep sound rumbled from his chest, and had anyone been listening, they would have heard a deep, maniacal laugh of delight.

[Lucy Saxon]

The last thing Lucy saw was the looking of fear on the Master's face before an explosion of blue and white light burst before her. Letting out a scream as it shone towards her she threw up her arms to protect her face before falling back.

Even with her eyes close Lucy would see the bright light as if they were wide open. Wrapping her arms tightly over her face she squeezed her eyes shut tighter as she let out a scream. This was it. This was the end of it all.

Oh sweet release….

And with that she passed out, missing the laughter that started to fill the now broken room.

[The Master]

Oh life. He had missed it. Really he had. That had been close though, Lucy had nearly ruined everything. Again. Though to be fair, last time she had saved him from a life of captivity. But the Master probably would have figured a way out of it. He was quite clever really.

Speaking of Lucy, the Master stopped his laughing and scanned the room for his wife, spotting her lying in the middle of the floor, the building burning around her. Slowly, he made his way over her and crouched down, checking her pulse and her breathing. She was still alive, merely unconscious. His eyes narrowed. He should kill her. She did try to kill him, twice. She was a dangerous traitor.

But he couldn't do that to her, not Lucy.

Maybe he could leave her there though. The building was going to be consumed in flames soon, if he just left her there, she would be taken care of... and it would be her own fault for her ridiculous potion throwing.

But he couldn't do that either.

Sighing, he reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair off her face. Stupid bloody Lucy Saxon. It seemed he would never learn about women and not trusting them.

With another sigh, he lifted her into his arms and left the building as quickly as possible before it all came crashing down. He needed to go somewhere quiet. He needed to go somewhere safe. He needed... to find some pants.