bigapplesauce | Prerequisite for Rescue [closed]

After his communications with the Doctor, Andrew catches the next train up from Chelsea, arriving what seemed like a long time later at the doors of the TARDIS. He raps smartly on a wooden panel, though he knows it's unnecessary, and stands back expectantly.

When he awoke this morning, it took him a while to recall all the events of the dream he'd had the night before. In a past life he might have dismissed the dream, or at least been more inclined to doubt it. Here, though, where shared dreaming takes place every week and a half, almost like clockwork...well. That his smaller self would appear to him in a dream isn't all that implausible, really. As soon as the memories fell into place and he talked himself into believing it had really happened, he knew he couldn't do this on his own. As much as it pains him to seek help from his progenitor, he isn't stupid, and he knows full well that assaulting the Master's TARDIS (assuming he can even find it) would likely result in the Master possessing two Andrews.

As for the other matter that has troubled him in recent weeks, Andrew has finally all but put it out of his mind. Since Daine's proclamation, there's been no sign whatsoever that her ludicrous claims were correct. No morning sickness, no mood swings -- well, alright, mood swings, but that's just him -- no growing belly. Nothing. And really, doesn't he have enough to worry about without adding an imaginary, biologically impossible pregnancy?

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The Doctor is not exactly in a sparkling mood. He doesn't even look at Andrew as the doors almost immediately open for him. He's currently flipping switches and turning knobs, though their primary function at the moment is occupying him while he grumbles and dreads what has to be done. There's a chance it will go down smooth, but probably not a big one. There has to be consequences for what has already been done. At the absolute least, a stern warning for the Master, unlikely to put them on great terms.

"Have any plans about how to approach this?" he asks, not yet turned around to face his double.

Andrew steps inside, taking just the briefest of moments to breathe in and appreciate the atmosphere of the TARDIS before he shuts the door behind himself and jogs up to the console. "If we try to get into his TARDIS, best case scenario is she turns her guts into a labyrinth," he comments to justify his next statement. "I hate to say it, but we need to try to talk him into cooperating."

The Doctor nods. "Glad you agree." Although he doesn't exactly look glad. "It might be easier than you think. He's been... manageable, since coming here. Might also be harder. Doubt he's less unpredictable."

He glances over at Andrew, then straightens up a bit. Compares their height, just for a moment - barely noticable, but, enough. He gives a sniff. "Have you spoken to him at all here?"

"No. I only knew he was here because the TARDIS told me. The other me might not've told him there'd be another of me...if he could help it."

He swallows and glances away from the Doctor, embarrassed at the admission that he's aware he's not a match for the Master. If they want the other Andrew back, though, all the relevant information needs to be on the table. "He wasn't able to tell me much before he woke up," he admits.

Well, the Doctor isn't going to bother with, well, even acknowledge the fact. It's a given for him - Andrew's mind is inferior in probably most ways. And while when in a particular mood, this might cause him to be snarky about it, this is not one of those moods.

"We could probably reach him again through the Dreaming - I've asked the TARDIS to keep a look out for him. But we don't know how much he's been allowed to sleep. Or much about his conditions, unless he's told you something. Which means we probably shouldn't leave him for longer than necessary."

He feels decently certain the Master wouldn't actually kill the other Andrew - even if he discarded him as having no real value, he'd still figure it -- he could make an good bartering chip, probably.

"He seemed relatively coherent," notes Andrew. "Confused at first about being in the dream, but whatever the Master's done to him, he hasn't broken his mind. Yet. Do you know where the Master has his TARDIS? He picked up Andrew in the Ramble, but that's all I got from him before he vanished."

If the other universe's Master is anything to go by, Andrew feels fairly certain this one will have decided the tiny meta-crisis is a curiosity worth keeping about for his own amusement, if nothing else. Then again, the other universe's Master had progressed to the point where it would have been a real shock to find out he'd taken an actual hostage.

"I've been keeping tabs on him," the Doctor affirms. "It's not terribly far. Didn't think I'd let the Master run around unchecked, did you?" The Doctor can be irresponsible in a lot of ways, but, well. He'd like to know what the Master is up to out of general curiosity too. "Though apparently we haven't been following closely enough," he adds, displeased at the situation. "The other you would've been too small to notice easily."

"Well -- he did take me captive right under your nose," notes Andrew, lifting an eyebrow at the protest of vigilance. In some small way it makes him feel better to make it sound as though this is all down to the Doctor's negligence, even when he knows full well it's his own fault for fleeing the scene of the accident instead of trying to gather and recombine. "Other knows what else he's been up to."

"Yes, well, you're about the size of my nose," the Doctor answers in defense. "I said not unchecked, not 'I'm sitting around day and night worrying about his every move'." Though as they both know, that can sometimes happen to. But that's probably a discussion they don't want to have.

Andrew sneers at the Doctor for just a moment before the expression dissolves back into one of worry. He rubs his eyes, thinking again of what the other Andrew must be going through. What's the Master done with him? Why did he disappear from the dream so suddenly?

"Back home -- back in the other universe -- I think I was friends with the Master that had this face. Can you believe? And here...."

He sighs. "I should probably get used to him turning on me every time I've got used to one of him."

Prerequisite for Rescue [closed]

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