Rage in Heaven

The Master crouched down on the dusty earth, his hand running over the metallic helmet of the dead soldier. His head cocked to the side, a sadistic flair in his eyes. “You fought you could beat me with mere guns and armour?” Blood trickled from the corpse’s chest. It wasn’t the only one. The rocky plain was covered in bodies as if a war had been fought, and in a way one had been. “With a stern look, I turned you against each other. You were less than nothing compared to me.” “Then we’ll see how you judge me,” a voice echoed across. The Master turned to face the blond-haired man in the brown trench coat, a cigarette clamped in his teeth. “And you would be?” The Master demanded.

“A Stranger.” The figure stepped towards him, grim determination set on his face, “Or I was, when I wasn’t you...” The Master smirked: “So you’re the imposter I’ve heard about then...” The Stranger shrugged: “I am the Hive, in mind, body and soul.” The Master’s smirk turned to scowl. Hive. A word he’d heard so much these last few years. The Hive had made him a daughter, let her seem innocent for just long enough he’d grown to care for her then sent her to kill him. He’d had to end his own child’s life. The Hive had pursued him across distant galaxies to kill him with their silly metal soldiers. The Hive had created a replacement for him, a stranger with no purpose but extermination. The Hive had taken his best friend from him. The Master was not amused.

The Stranger’s form flickered to a different one, an unexpected upgrade. Now he stood in the face of the Doctor. Not the one that running around now: the first one. The one from the Master’s youth. “I’m here to end you. I’m sorry. It has to be done.” The Master growled and clenched his fist: “You’ve dogged me for years, tearing apart everything I come to love. Am I at least allowed to know why?” The form shifted again, this time to his daughter: Steph. “Because if we don’t you will live. And if you live, you will destroy everything. It has been foretold.” The Master stood his ground, unflinching. “Then let me start with you...”

The Stranger now stood as his sister: Sonya, a sword in its hand. “So be it, you will fall.” The Master picked a sword from the grip of a dead man and raised it to do battle. With a cry, the Stranger lunged forwards but the Master parried. The swords clashed together, hilts locked. The Stranger changed again, to the white-haired girl with the eye of Horus. The swords twirled and danced as the two did the battle of a lifetime, neither giving ground to the other. The Stranger changed from one part of the Master’s past to another and another. Finally they stood opposite each other, now the same in appearance. “You must think you’re a hero, come to vanquish the villain and save the galaxy...” The Master spat, “In a way, I guess who are... because you played fair. I didn’t.”

A laser blast broke through the Stranger’s chest, extinguishing his life. His body collapsed to the ground, returned to its initial form with a gaping hole in its chest revealing mechanical systems inside. The sound of retreating footsteps disappeared into the distance. The Master gave a small salute, knowing his future self had just won the battle for him. Then he collapsed to his knees as a tidal wave of emotion rushed over him. His eyes screwed up and he clutched his temples, retreating into a ball-shape.

The world they fought on, Krahnn, was known as the Spirit World for a reason. The Master could feel the essence of the Stranger flooding into him, memories, feelings, everything. He hadn’t raised a finger to harm the soldiers earlier but he’d killed the Stranger himself, and that meant he’d have to live with him forever. The curse of Krahnn. A changed man, the Master’s eyes flickered open as the pain subsided. He pushed himself to his feet, straightened out his suit and strode off into the distance, a changed man. The Master was back, and he was bringing hell with him.

“And that’s how it happened?” Nate asked as he finished his pint. “Not a single lie,” The Master told him, taking a sip of his own. “...Right,” Nate said with a grin. “So why come to me first, you never knew me.” The Master shrugged, “I have his memories so I know you like he did. You’re a good friend.” “Thanks,” Nate replied, “What’s the real reason?” The Master grinned, getting to his feet as he downed the last of his drink, “I guess I wasn’t up to meeting anyone who actually mattered yet. But it’s a start.” And then he was gone. Nate shrugged ordering another drink, The Master would be back. The Master always came back...