And the power of the people shall come to believe they do rule

[mickey-cops.livejournal.com]

((Continuing from this post.))

In the passageways beneath the park, where a group had gathered to break down a long-closed door, a laser beam was widening, and a broad circle began to blacken the surface of the wood, the locks melting and streaming down in shining rivulets, to puddle at the doorstep. The room was getting hot, now.

Outside, all at once, the rides all stopped. Animatronic figures jolted still; boats bumped each other confusedly; rollercoasters fell to the bottom of their tracks and did not continue up. The lights inside the buildings flickered off; the perpetual background noise of music and soundeffects went silent.

Below, the hole in the door began to crackle and spark around the edges, and for just a moment all the eyes trained on the door could see through it a fathomless darkness. An odd, organic silence filled the air; everyone's breathing and small movements were audible, but so too was a new absence of sound, as though the walls were all holding their breath.

And then the air around the door began to shimmer.

Comments

[hear-the-drums.livejournal.com]

Her laughter was contagious in that moment, both the irony and the pressure in his head proving to be too much for him. "I wish I knew," he answered, honestly, but in truth it didn't make sense, it wasn't fair--

–da-da da-da, da-da da-da–

He cringed suddenly, laughter dying out in favour of a rough gasp.

[markoftherani]

She looked at him sharply. "What is it? Has he done something?"

[hear-the-drums.livejournal.com]

He shook his head abruptly at her, swallowing hard and raising the heel of one hand to the side of his head. "No, he's trying to... to leave, he'll be here soon...."

He hadn't really realised just how angry he had gotten, and it was driving him a little--

–"Call me mad one more time, Magnus, I swear to you it will be the last time that–

[markoftherani]

The Rani looked genuinely surprised at that. "Leaving his precious little human creatures? He really has changed."

She was watching him still, though, wondering what exactly had brought on that sharp reaction. If it had nothing to do with the Doctor, then—?

[hear-the-drums.livejournal.com]

The Master wanted to say something about the fact that they hadn't exactly been the last three Time Lords in existence before –or maybe the fact that the Doctor actually defended her, both of you, no–, but he couldn't manage speech if he was going to get it under control.

His shoulders started drawing up like they'd been caught by a shiver, but he forced them back down, made sure the Doctor was still walled off from it, that he couldn't hear. Leaning back against a nearby wall, he tried to draw deep breaths, to focus in on that recent feat of fixing points in Time the way they did in the natural Universe, of gaining that balance back even if it wasn't lasting.

[markoftherani]

The Rani stepped up in front of him, looking at him hard now. "What is it? What's happening to you?" And it had to be only him—if it were something in the fabric of Time she'd have felt it too. There was, as far as she could imagine, only one possible cause...

"Break the link," she snapped, and raised a hand to touch his temple, step right in if that's what it took. She wasn't as good at it as he was –never had been– but she was damned if she was going to let him fall apart now—

[a-lonely-god.livejournal.com]

At the same moment, the Doctor emerged from the open doorway and smacked her hand away.

"Don't," he said brusquely. -in their minds he drew back from the Master a little, giving the other more space in his own head and hopefully less worry about (he wishes the Master didn't still, after everything the Doctor has seen, feel like he had to be) hiding the drums. But his own end of the link he widened, almost as wide as he had opened himself for Psyche. (No more hiding from you.)-

"Ninety three thousand eight hundred fifty six point six five eight three nine."

[hear-the-drums.livejournal.com]

The Master heard the Doctor's approach, the sound of the Rani being thrown off –thank Rassilon, there was no way you could have kept them both out at once–, and there was an instant relief in his head, like someone had drained a blood clot in one of those torturous human hospitals.

He let some of that extra emotion, the stuff taking up all that space next to the drums, filter into the Doctor's mind at the same time he gained access. It was like a rush over the edge of a waterfall, and he's suddenly hip deep in it, but he didn't go far; having all that freedom to move around in the Doctor's head was more tasking –(frightening)– than he was willing to admit, and he was starting to turn in on--

Oh. That was a new spin on it.

"Twelve point twenty-one."

[a-lonely-god.livejournal.com]

The Doctor accepted the mess that poured over from the Master's mind without questioning, offing an unobtrusive mental hand when the Master floundered. His choice entirely, what (if anything) he wanted from it.

A soft snort, and no need to communicate -Easy. You'll have to do better than that.- any other way.

"Eight billion, six twenty five million, forty thousand, five hundred and six point six zero five zero four zero five two six eight."

[markoftherani]

A sharp retort died on the Rani's lips as they began to –that old game? she'd never been as good at it as they; she disliked it, in fact, for that very reason– exchange the numbers in the patterns that they seemed to know best.

She knew better, though, to ask what was going on. They'd tell her in time. –or not– Didn't mean she had to be gracious or patient about it. She folded her arms and waited.

[hear-the-drums.livejournal.com]

"Two million, two hundred and twenty-two thousand two hundred and forty one point one four two repeating." There. Feast on that one.

It was obviously helping. The Master opened his eyes and looked over at the Doctor with an exhausted expression. "TARDIS," he said, and though the inflection didn't suggest it, it was a sort of a question. He hoped they would both go along with it.

The Doctor's TARDIS had developed something of an affinity for him. –sort of terrifying, considering what he had done to her, but then she was every bit as (no, don't say that word)– Her energy would help.

[a-lonely-god.livejournal.com]

Oh. Oh that one was bloody good. So not fair.

"TARDIS," he agreed with a disgruntled expression, and glanced at the Rani to include her in the question/invitation. -he needs a nine and a six to complete the next pattern, he knows that straight off, but it's actually the ones that make this a really tricky puzzle, and if he could just...-

"Nine..." he started. "Nine... nine thousand and-" no. "Nine hundred twenty six thousand, nine hundred forty one point one four nine six two nine. Ha!"

He started off in the direction of Toon Town, picking his way a little more carefully than usually necessary, in the dark.

[markoftherani]

"Ninety-seven," the Rani retorted, which was her sort of lateral thinking at its best. Or worst, depending on how you looked at it.

As they set off in the dark, she followed them –exactly why was something she was not about to admit to anyone, least of all herself, but it had something to do with the darkness and the fear that she never acknowledged–. After a moment, there was an annoyed snort; she raised her braceleted arm and flicked a switch. A pale white light illuminated their path.

[hear-the-drums.livejournal.com]

The Master gave pause, then glanced briefly in the Doctor's direction. Very briefly, to be sure the Rani wouldn't notice.

That's not... right, I don't think. But he wasn't about to the be the one to say something, least of all now, and certainly not when he could finally see the ground. He hopped over a pile of debris.

"Fifty two thousand, eight hundred and thirty point zero three eight two five."

[a-lonely-god.livejournal.com]

Ninety seven point seven nine would... no. Ninety four point four nine is the nearest you can get, I think, But he wasn't going to say anything either. Trust the Rani to come up with the most sensible and useful number to relate, but entirely miss the play on mathematical palindromes.

"Five hundred and sixty one point one six five," he added, after a moment's thought.