There was a whistling in the darkness, and the Master opened his eyes to see white. White cloth in squares. He moved his arms to either side to assist him to situp.... or at least, he would have if he could have moved his arms. They seemed to be stuck to his chest. No, no they weren't stuck. His arms were simply bound back in a straight jacket. He sat up and looked down at his feet, which were also bound together.
He sat in silence for a few minutes, looking around to see what was really going on here. In the hall, there were two voices. Two very familiar voices. His Doctor, and the Doctor he had apparently been married to. He couldn't really make out what was being said, as everything seemed pulled and unfocused.
The Time Lord wiggled and rolled over to what looked like a door and laid there, listening to the two men discuss how this was best, and he was out of the way for good. They even mentioned something about a dosage of drugs, and laughed about how he was already addicted, so he'd adjust easily. The Master's hearts pounded in his chest as he fought to keep himself from screaming out. It was then that he noticed what was missing.
His drums were gone.
That was the final straw and the Time Lord let out a scream of sheer anger as he fought to get to his feet, only to end up toppling over onto the padded floor. This couldn't be his life, he refused this, it wasn't fair, it wasn't right. Panic and anger and betrayal and disbelief ran through him and circled back to run through him again. He let out a sob and felt himself start to give up, but he couldn't do that, could he?
It would be so much simpler to just stay here until he died, effectively giving up to let them win. He would have no pain, no wants, no cares, and even time would simply cease to exist. This tiny room could be his universe, and he its Master. 'Yes,' he thought, nodding as he let out a sigh. 'Yes, this is mine.'
The Time Lord opened his eyes and looked out onto library, a frown coming to his face. Hadn't his eyes already been opened? Yes, they had, and this most certainly wasn't his universe. Though, it was. This was his Doctor's TARDIS. He frowned and got up to find the man, deciding that he simply needed a break instead.
Stepping out into Earth's sunlight, he glanced between the TARDIS and the street. Theta wouldn't do that to him without his consent, would he? What if he had? What if this was all simply a thought? Conversely, his tiny padded realm might also be nearly a thought. The door was closed behind him and the Master moved onto the sidewalk, mingling with the Humans as his mind worked through what had just happened. It had felt so real....
