THE ADVENTURES OF THE DOCTOR'S AMAZING HAND

Chapter Fifteen

After several minutes, the little band stopped and let the Doctor rest.

"Bollocks, I want my youth back," the Doctor panted while Rose rubbed his back.

Jack shook his head.

"We can't keep doing this. The guards are gonna catch up to us eventually. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not as fast as you used to be."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," the Doctor said. "I'm trying to go as fast as I can but…"

He trailed off when Jack came over to his side.

"What are you doing?" he said.

"Lie down on the ground," Jack said, pointing to his feet.

"Why?"

"Just lie down; we don't have time for an explanation."

The Doctor glanced at Rose. She helped him down onto the floor. Once he was there, he folded his hands over his chest.

"Okay, Jack, I'm down here, now wha…"

He gasped when Jack bent down and gathered him up in his arms.

"Jack, put me down!" the Doctor said. "I'm not that infirm."

"Doc, you're slow, let's face it. We need to go faster and we can't stop every few minutes and wait for you to catch your breath. Just relax; I know what I'm doing."

The Doctor eyed him.

"Two things, keep your hand off my arse and don't you dare tell anyone I was in your arms," he said.

"Yeah," Jack muttered. "Anyway, come on, Rose, let's move."

Rose bent down, picked up John and followed Jack as he ran with the Doctor in his arms. The Doctor sighed.

"If there is a God, please I'm begging you not to let the Master catch me in Jack's arms because I know I'll never hear the end of it from him," he said, his eyes skyward.

Jack and Rose ran down the corridor and found a set of stairs. They went up slowly, trying to be aware of their surroundings. They checked the hallway when they got to the top and then ran down it.

"Actually, this is quite pleasant having someone else do the running for a change," the Doctor muttered as they ran.

"Yeah, well don't get too comfortable, Doc," Jack replied.

"Really? I'm surprised that came out of your mouth just now," the Doctor said.

They passed by an open door and the Doctor stopped Jack and made them both go back. They went in and the Doctor told Jack to put him down. They were in the Master's office. John noticed the jar in the corner and shivered at the thought of being put back in it. The Doctor walked over to the desk and Rose followed him. There was a stack of papers on his desk and the Doctor quickly read through them.

"Work orders, execution orders, reports on Martha's possible whereabouts," he said to the others as he skimmed the papers.

He paused at one sheet of paper and read through it, puzzled.

"What is it, Doctor?" Rose said, nearing his side.

"List of planets," the Doctor said.

He turned the sheet over to see if it had any helpful information but there was none. He turned it back over and studied it.

"Most of these planets are near Earth," he muttered. "What does it mean though? Gotta mean something."

He picked up another sheet of paper and read it.

"This is an order for more materials, parts for something," the Doctor said to Rose. "Whatever it is, the Master needs a lot of metal. He's building something and I'm sure it's connected to this list of planets here."

He picked up another sheet and read through it.

"Report on the activities of the resistance," he said.

He smiled.

"Good, nice to know not everyone is completely under his influence then," he said. "One thing can be said about humans, it's very hard to completely kill your spirits. And according to this, there is enough of a resistance for the Master to be concerned and apparently Martha is helping to fan the flames of rebellion. Good. I was hoping that would happen when she was out there."

The Doctor opened his top desk drawer and grinned when he found his sonic screwdriver and psychic paper. He picked them up and put them in his pocket.

"Good, I was hoping to get my hands on my things again," he said. "Now we have more of an advantage."

"Doc, the paradox machine should be nearby. If we destroy it now."

The Doctor held up his hand.

"Not yet. I need more time. Martha needs to complete her mission."

"What mission? What did you tell her?" Jack asked.

"Yes, please enlighten us."

They turned and saw the Master standing in the doorway with two armed guards.

"I figured you might return here eventually, especially since I had your things," the Master said, coming inside the room while the guards stood by the doorway. "I should have given you senility along with your ancient body. Then perhaps you wouldn' t have tried to defy me."

"Let them go, Master," the Doctor said, stepping in front of his friends. "It's me you want."

"And have them join Martha and the so-called resistance? What kind of fool do you take me for? You are all my prisoners and you will all obey me, including the magical moving hand. Where is the little bugger?"

John was hiding behind Rose's body. She kept her legs together while Jack and the Doctor stood in front of her.

"Come now, where is the hand at? I know its with you," the Master said. "And if I have to torture you all to find out where it is, I will."

John came around Rose.

"No, John," Rose hissed.

John ignored her. It scurried up to the Doctor's feet and stood there. The Master stared at it.

"Care to tell me how your hand came to life?" he asked the Doctor.

The Doctor shrugged.

"No matter, I'll run tests on it and find out for myself," the Master said. "What matters is the little troublemaking body part is out of commission. Now, all of you put up your hands and…"

The Master was cut off in mid-sentence when John sprang up and put a fist in his crotch. Jack let out a triumphant yell as the Master sucked in air, grabbed his crotch and fell to his knees. All of them dived out of the way when the guards came inside and began to shoot.

"NOT HERE, YOU IMBECILES! DON'T SHOOT WHEN I'M IN THE SODDING ROOM!" the Master screamed at them.

Jack and Rose ran towards the guards while John ran towards the Master. Both John and Rose dodged the guard's guns when they tried to hit them with the butts and punched them out. In the meantime, the Master had staggered to his feet and was trying to step on John while he darted in and out of his legs. He let out an enraged yell when John got behind him, leapt up and pinched his butt before he ducked under a table. The Master stopped short and ducked when Jack took a swing at him. He turned and let out a grunt when Rose punched him in the face.

"That's for aging the Doctor!" she yelled at him.

She punched him again and the Master staggered back. He saw Jack and the Doctor about to join her and he quickly ran out of the room calling for the guards to capture them. The Doctor bent down, put John in his pocket and grunted when Jack snatched him up in his arms and held him close to his body.

"I'll be so glad when I become young again," he growled as Jack and Rose ran out of the room before the guards could capture them.

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