"Ah." At least he knew what the Master was referencing, not that he was in any way prepared on what to expect. All he knew was relatively vague and predictably ended with ranting about the Doctor, but so did just about any topic. Barty took a few steps to look around, reaching for his wand as he did so, just in case.
"The Valiant then?" He did remember what little he'd been told.
"Seems like," the Master picked up the canister and put his hand either side, slamming it hard till the thing collapsed down into a little round disk. When it was in his pocket, he turned to Barty and gestured for him to follow. "I'm not sure if I've conquered it yet or not. It was just a normal ship until I decided to take over."
As they moved through the walkways and ducked around the rooms in an effort to avoid the guards, the Master slowly but surely got them to the lift. Just as he got inside and pressed the button to go up, a voice came out of the loud speaker above.
"Citizen rejoice, your Lord and Master has good news. Assemble on the desk and don't be late."
Oh yeah, that was definitely his voice. Looks like it had been conquered then.
"Lord, hm?" The tone of voice he tended to use a lot with the Master, the one that made it very difficult to tell if he was teasing or not, definitely was very useful at times like this. He stayed close to the Master, wand in his right hand, just in case. There were ways he could make this sneaking around a lot easier, but he'd not bring that up unless prompted. The Master knew.
However, he was also not about to risk being caught off-guard.
"Oh shut up," the Master sniped as the lift played some rather annoying little classical music he purposefully picked to make these lift rides frustrating and yet oddly amusing. He had a strange sense of whimsy. "Okay, so, we can't get scene or we'll probably ruin everything so just stay back and keep yourself as blended in as you can."
Pulling his hood up to obscure his face, he waited for the lift to stop before he got off, his hand grabbing onto one of Barty's sleeves and pulling him through what looked like a maintenance closet. It was instead a serious of tunnels the Master had made if he needed to escape. Maybe they could get to the ground floor and watch? Could be fun! At least Barty would know he wasn't a liar.
Barty eyed the Master from the side, wondering if he believed his hoodie to have magical or, whatever, scientific properties, because whether he pulled the hood up or not, it really didn't make him stick out any less, given circumstances. Circumstances being that he looked like a hobo.
Even so he followed him, looking around once they were in the tunnels. "What if we run into you?" Threesome. Or, more seriously, he was actually wondering if there could be any kind of dangerous situation resulting from that. They had discussed it before, but hardly in a serious manner.
"It looks nice. I love what you've done with the space."
"What if we run into him? Well, probably kill you. Maybe kill me. I mean I was very trigger happy at the time. He'd think we were tricks," the Master admitted, pausing and trying to think of what they could do. What would be the best way to confuse himself. "We could claim to be the future versions of ourselves, I suppose. Or I could. You'd have to be the future version of the Doctor."
He looked at him for a few moment trying to see if that would work. If he could convince himself that this human was the Doctor? Probably not.
"Maybe I can pass you off as an inferior human clone. He might want to own you instead of killing you," the Master remarked as he kept moving through his little tunnels. "And thanks, it's lovely."
"That sounds like an excellent plan," Barty conceded. He didn't actually think so, rather obviously, but whatever. "Although, quite honestly, I'm not sure whether I particularly fancy being owned by that you." Just a subtle suggestion, maybe. "So I'm all for it, but possibly we could alter the plan a little. I mean, I don't even have a hood."
How was he supposed to conceal himself? Magic did the trick. He didn't wait for the Master to finally agree to it, because, well. He could only die the once and he'd rather avoid that happening any way soon.
"I don't know, it could be fun. I'm a good owner," the Master insisted though he really wasn't, he couldn't even take care of house plants. As much as he liked Barty, he did better when he was a free man who wasn't being claimed. So, okay, maybe any plan where they didn't get caught was better.
He didn't like to share, not even with himself.
"Fine, what did you have in mind for an altering?" the Master asked, curious to see what the answer was. Probably magic. Every plan boiled down to magic. And for reason, that was sane but his clone idea wasn't.
"I'm sure you are, but if this you decides to own me, what about your you?" It seemed like it would get very messy very quickly and he'd much prefer if it didn't happen.
"Nothing major, I just want to keep people from noticing us." He was already starting the spell. "It should work on cameras, too. It does back where I'm from." Which could potentially be crucial, he supposed. "I just don't want to get captured. Been there, done that."
He finished the spell and put his wand away for the moment, taking the Master's hand, because why not. "What now?"
"I suppose it'd probably be a good idea to stake my claim now, I'm not very good at sharing. I've tried, it never works. Not even with myself," the Master wasn't very good at dealing with himself actually, the Doctor tended to deal with his previous regenerations better. With his own, it always ended as a sneering contest in which they derail each other as much as possible.
He watched the wand move around with great interest, watching the spell with unease. He didn't like magic, he found it an unsettling and strange thing to do, especially given how much he relied on science.
Once it was done, he pulled down the hood and offered small sigh. "It better work, you know? I'm trusting you with this," he paused, debating what he wanted to do. "Erm, top floor? I should be giving an address."
"I've never failed you." Barty didn't believe in failing. He didn't doubt magic, not one he cast himself. He knew to trust himself.
"But let's go. I'd like to see." He had no idea how to imagine the Master as the king of the world or whatever he was precisely. It was a strange concept still, all things considered, after the way he'd seen him deal with the Doctor in Asgard. He was a bit wary, but at least they wouldn't be noticed.
"You haven't, have you? How rare," the Master muttered because it wasn't often that he was that impressed by people. Barty had a way with him, he supposed, it made him a lot easier to get on with than other apes. They tended to be rude, dumb and all together annoying, Barty had a good head on his shoulders. He knew what he was doing for the most part.
"Lucy? Why would you want to meet her? She shot me!"
And ruined his regeneration. He didn't hate her, he just didn't feel like empathising with her just yet. As he kept moving, he eyed the nearest exit with a small frown. Maybe this was the right place? It had been a while. "I think this is it. Just keep back, we don't need to ruin my past."
Barty smiled as he heard that muttering. Interesting, wasn't it? Definitely wiser not to comment on it further, so he didn't. But he did like that it was being taken note of. He liked being special, who didn't? And he wanted to keep standing out to the one person he had in this universe.
"I never said I wanted to." Although he did. He wanted to see who the Master chose. What she looked like, what she acted like around him. He was curious. But there was no need to admit that.
"I'll be careful." Even so he walked faster now, because he wanted to see. Naturally he made sure to stay at the Master's side anyway. "How long has it been for you?"
"I don't know, I'll be able to tell by what I'm doing and what the Doctor looks like," the Master insisted as he pushed the nearest door open, peering out at what seemed to be the back of some armed guards. Well, at least they were on the right track. Casually, he walked straight out, watching the back the guards very carefully. Did they notice them?
Didn't look like it.
He could hear his own voice not far away so, curiously, he started to move towards it. Who could help themselves? Especially when his voice is that brilliant. "This way!"
Rushing along, he assumed Barty was behind him as he came to stand outside the doorway, watching himself from a distance, Lucy by his side and someone kneeling before him. Oh, yes, he remembered this. That time he executed the man who let Martha get away. What a shining moment to show Barty. "Look, come see!"
"I'm seeing." And he was very glad that the magic he used should be strong enough to keep them covered, even if the Master started shouting for whatever reason. He made sure not to walk part the Master, stopping at his side as he watched the scene unfold. He could put two and two together, naturally, though his eyes were drawn by Lucy more than the poor sop that was about to die.
"Can't quite remember actually. I just knew he dropped the ball on Martha. Or, more likely, I blamed him for it because he was the closest one to me at the time who didn't matter," the Master remarked with a small tilted of his head, unsure if his version of things was right or if he was seeing it through a strange tint. As one often did with glorious times in their lives.
"I usually punished the nearest soldier to make it easier. I didn't want to have to work out who was who and who did what. I just wanted to send a message."
"It does send a message." Mostly a message of fear, because the man in charge was crazy beyond reason, but a message nonetheless. Barty had quite a bit of experience with those tactics and the effect they had on people. Not likely to breed true loyalty, but effective enough if one had the power to maintain it.
"Yep, that's why I picked her. Well that and her money helped too," Lucy was everything he wanted in a wife, the full package. Rich, beautiful, pleasing and loyal -- though that last one did got a little wayward at the end. How was he to know she'd shoot him? He had believed she was enjoying herself. She seemed happy, for the most part, until they saw the future.
Maybe that was a step too far? "I find her considerably less sexy since she shot me, though."
"Here I thought you might like the danger." Although he wasn't overly serious about that remark. Not that the Master didn't like it to some extent, but that extent was pretty exclusively reserved for the Doctor, in his experience. Barty finally stepped further into the room, looking at the Master as he stood there, more like the man he'd met in Asgard and at the same time less so.
There was curiosity, despite knowing better. He did wonder if this Master, on top of the world, would have ever gotten to know him. With a slight shake of his head he focused on Lucy again. So she'd end up shooting him. Good for her, he supposed, no matter the consequences.
"The danger loses it'd edge once you've been killed, then it just becomes annoying. I always thought she'd snap, I was just hoping she'd kill everyone but me. Not just me and no one else. What a cruel move," the Master muttered, clearly not understanding just what had caused the issue. With a small shrug, he started to move up the room, inspecting everyone that was about with either recognition or amusement. There was Martha's family, one of the girls that gave him a massage and, oh, handsome Jack. What fun?
Spinning around, he turned to look at the Doctor, slumped in his wheelchair. So angry, so uselessly defiant. He couldn't hold back the little amused noise that slipped out. "Oh, look, it's granddad."
Barty recognized Jack from Asgard, but everyone else seemed new. He only paid attention to the man in the wheelchair when the Master pointed him out to him and then it still took him a while to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. Finally he did and he took a step back, suddenly feeling sick.
This was a lot to wrap his mind around and he didn't entirely want to. How old... He didn't know, but was it ever an unpleasant reminder of his own mortality. He turned away a little too fast, just to not keep looking.
"Yes, I thought I'd give him a chance to really feel his age. Besides, it's a lot harder to beat me when he's old and senile," the Master sneered, his disgust obvious in his tone. Didn't work anyway, he was still beaten by him, still humiliated. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to do anything to win. Part of him wanted to kick the chair, the knock the foolish old man over and revel in his pain. No matter how immature that was. "Unless he cheats. Always cheats, don't you Gramps?"
Rolling his eyes, he turned away from the older Doctor and back towards Barty. What was he doing? He wasn't paying much attention. Was there something else more interesting?
"You should look. Watch his expression when this idiot dies, it's priceless. Oh he does love these astonishingly dumb apes," He could even pin-point the exact moment the poor bastards hearts begins to break. He remembered looking over afterwards, seeing that look. A mix of loathing and pity. Revolting.
"It's my face. I've never had another. It's strange to see it aged." And it definitely didn't feel nice to see that expression on it. He arched an eyebrow at the Master. Seriously? "Besides, you know I am one of those astonishingly dumb apes." More or less, at least. He swallowed and looked back at the Doctor, trying to adapt an uncaring attitude he'd ultimately never been good at, especially not when the man's appearance and some other factors made it impossible not to empathize to a certain degree.
It wasn't a shock to him that he preferred the Master when he wasn't in power. He had expected as much.
"You're not a dumb ape, you're an evolved monkey at worst," the Master remarked, though quieter than he normally spoke. Compliments weren't his area. He didn't like the idea of Barty being classed the same as humans. He didn't like the idea of his mortality nor his status. It was all a little jarring when he actually thought about it, he'd basically pulled a Doctor and got himself a companion.
Looking up at himself, he watched as that Master, with a manic smile, pulled out his weapon. And without warning, he fired at the poor human kneeling before him, snivelling and scared. With one great flash, the soldier went silent and slumped, his body smoking slightly from the laser. It was funny but ... he remembered it being funny.
As his other self laugh and clapped, the Master simply tilted his head. "They were hurting so much that day. The drums. I thought this would shut them up, I thought they were a real thing I could please. They were just a lie."
"Yes." Barty knew about the drums, of course, and he moved forward to close the distance between them again, although he didn't touch the Master. He wasn't sure how he should deal with it, so all he could do was be there, just in case. "At least you seem entertained."
Whatever by, he couldn't entirely follow but, well. He'd been out with Bellatrix, this seemed about the same. Quite disturbingly similar, if he was to be honest, but he kept that part to himself.
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"The Valiant then?" He did remember what little he'd been told.
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As they moved through the walkways and ducked around the rooms in an effort to avoid the guards, the Master slowly but surely got them to the lift. Just as he got inside and pressed the button to go up, a voice came out of the loud speaker above.
"Citizen rejoice, your Lord and Master has good news. Assemble on the desk and don't be late."
Oh yeah, that was definitely his voice. Looks like it had been conquered then.
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However, he was also not about to risk being caught off-guard.
"You sound lovely."
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Pulling his hood up to obscure his face, he waited for the lift to stop before he got off, his hand grabbing onto one of Barty's sleeves and pulling him through what looked like a maintenance closet. It was instead a serious of tunnels the Master had made if he needed to escape. Maybe they could get to the ground floor and watch? Could be fun! At least Barty would know he wasn't a liar.
"I loved this place. I wish I still had it."
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Even so he followed him, looking around once they were in the tunnels. "What if we run into you?" Threesome. Or, more seriously, he was actually wondering if there could be any kind of dangerous situation resulting from that. They had discussed it before, but hardly in a serious manner.
"It looks nice. I love what you've done with the space."
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He looked at him for a few moment trying to see if that would work. If he could convince himself that this human was the Doctor? Probably not.
"Maybe I can pass you off as an inferior human clone. He might want to own you instead of killing you," the Master remarked as he kept moving through his little tunnels. "And thanks, it's lovely."
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How was he supposed to conceal himself? Magic did the trick. He didn't wait for the Master to finally agree to it, because, well. He could only die the once and he'd rather avoid that happening any way soon.
"I prefer sticking to just one Master."
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He didn't like to share, not even with himself.
"Fine, what did you have in mind for an altering?" the Master asked, curious to see what the answer was. Probably magic. Every plan boiled down to magic. And for reason, that was sane but his clone idea wasn't.
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"Nothing major, I just want to keep people from noticing us." He was already starting the spell. "It should work on cameras, too. It does back where I'm from." Which could potentially be crucial, he supposed. "I just don't want to get captured. Been there, done that."
He finished the spell and put his wand away for the moment, taking the Master's hand, because why not. "What now?"
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He watched the wand move around with great interest, watching the spell with unease. He didn't like magic, he found it an unsettling and strange thing to do, especially given how much he relied on science.
Once it was done, he pulled down the hood and offered small sigh. "It better work, you know? I'm trusting you with this," he paused, debating what he wanted to do. "Erm, top floor? I should be giving an address."
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"But let's go. I'd like to see." He had no idea how to imagine the Master as the king of the world or whatever he was precisely. It was a strange concept still, all things considered, after the way he'd seen him deal with the Doctor in Asgard. He was a bit wary, but at least they wouldn't be noticed.
"So I'll meet your wife?"
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"Lucy? Why would you want to meet her? She shot me!"
And ruined his regeneration. He didn't hate her, he just didn't feel like empathising with her just yet. As he kept moving, he eyed the nearest exit with a small frown. Maybe this was the right place? It had been a while. "I think this is it. Just keep back, we don't need to ruin my past."
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"I never said I wanted to." Although he did. He wanted to see who the Master chose. What she looked like, what she acted like around him. He was curious. But there was no need to admit that.
"I'll be careful." Even so he walked faster now, because he wanted to see. Naturally he made sure to stay at the Master's side anyway. "How long has it been for you?"
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Didn't look like it.
He could hear his own voice not far away so, curiously, he started to move towards it. Who could help themselves? Especially when his voice is that brilliant. "This way!"
Rushing along, he assumed Barty was behind him as he came to stand outside the doorway, watching himself from a distance, Lucy by his side and someone kneeling before him. Oh, yes, he remembered this. That time he executed the man who let Martha get away. What a shining moment to show Barty. "Look, come see!"
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"What did he do?"
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"I usually punished the nearest soldier to make it easier. I didn't want to have to work out who was who and who did what. I just wanted to send a message."
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"Your wife is beautiful."
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Maybe that was a step too far? "I find her considerably less sexy since she shot me, though."
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There was curiosity, despite knowing better. He did wonder if this Master, on top of the world, would have ever gotten to know him. With a slight shake of his head he focused on Lucy again. So she'd end up shooting him. Good for her, he supposed, no matter the consequences.
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Spinning around, he turned to look at the Doctor, slumped in his wheelchair. So angry, so uselessly defiant. He couldn't hold back the little amused noise that slipped out. "Oh, look, it's granddad."
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This was a lot to wrap his mind around and he didn't entirely want to. How old... He didn't know, but was it ever an unpleasant reminder of his own mortality. He turned away a little too fast, just to not keep looking.
"The Doctor?" More rhetorical than anything.
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Rolling his eyes, he turned away from the older Doctor and back towards Barty. What was he doing? He wasn't paying much attention. Was there something else more interesting?
"You should look. Watch his expression when this idiot dies, it's priceless. Oh he does love these astonishingly dumb apes," He could even pin-point the exact moment the poor bastards hearts begins to break. He remembered looking over afterwards, seeing that look. A mix of loathing and pity. Revolting.
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It wasn't a shock to him that he preferred the Master when he wasn't in power. He had expected as much.
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Looking up at himself, he watched as that Master, with a manic smile, pulled out his weapon. And without warning, he fired at the poor human kneeling before him, snivelling and scared. With one great flash, the soldier went silent and slumped, his body smoking slightly from the laser. It was funny but ... he remembered it being funny.
As his other self laugh and clapped, the Master simply tilted his head. "They were hurting so much that day. The drums. I thought this would shut them up, I thought they were a real thing I could please. They were just a lie."
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Whatever by, he couldn't entirely follow but, well. He'd been out with Bellatrix, this seemed about the same. Quite disturbingly similar, if he was to be honest, but he kept that part to himself.
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