A Second Chance (A Doctor Who fanfiction)

A Web of Fear

Adric must have passed out. When he woke, he found himself suspended by his wrists and ankles, his arms and legs spread out from his body. A feeling of panic began to rise in his chest as he realised where he was. He was in the Hadron web, the same one that had been used to create Castrovalva. After a few moments, he heard footsteps approaching, so he closed his eyes, hoping that the Master would leave him alone, but he had no such luck.

Finally, the Master spoke, breaking the eerie silence. "I know you're awake, Adric." His voice sent chills down Adric's spine. He kept his eyes closed, desperately wishing that the Master would go away. He could feel his heart frantically beating in his chest as the Master stepped closer.

Suddenly, he felt a painful slap on his cheek. "You will listen to me when I speak, boy. Now open your eyes." Adric did as he was told. He was unable to suppress the shudder that ran through his body at the sight of the Master's cruel face.

The Master paused a moment, then spoke again, "It seems that I am a wanted criminal in many parts of the universe. It occurred to me a while ago that I could create the perfect hiding place using block transfer computations. Now, I'm no expert at those, but then I realised that the Doctor abandoned you to die. And you, young Adric, are quite excellent at block transfer computations, if I do remember correctly."

"What makes you think I would help you?" Adric spat, trying to sound much braver than he was feeling.

"Oh Adric, I already know that you would never willingly betray your friends or the Doctor, but they're not here right now. Besides, you'll never see them again anyway. They've forgotten all about you." The smug tone of his voice was enough to strike terror into Adric's heart, sending it racing even faster than before.

"That's not true," Adric protested weakly. A wave of uncertainty crept into his mind and settled into the pit of his stomach. The Doctor couldn't have forgotten him, could he? The idea filled him with a sense of pure dread.

The Master shrugged at his pathetic outbreak and continued, "since you didn't want to cooperate last time, I have found another means of persuasion." He held up a small metal disc. The Master reached toward him and Adric flinched, backing away as much as possible, but it was no use. The Master easily held him still and pressed the device against Adric's neck.

"No, please," Adric begged, but the words came out as a whimper. He winced as the cold metal attached itself to his neck.

"Now," the Master said menacingly, holding up a remote. "With a simple press of a button," he pressed the button on the remote as he said this, "I can inflict as much or as little pain as I choose." Adric gasped as the device sent a painful shock through his body. The Master laughed. "And that was the lowest setting. Now, Adric. Once more. Will you help me? You may find that I will even allow certain comforts if you decide to help me willingly."

Adric had no plans to cooperate with the Master, but perhaps he could play along long enough to figure out an escape plan. "Of course I'll help you," he quickly lied, hoping that his voice would not betray his true feelings.

The Master slapped him again. "You pathetic liar. Don't think I can't tell when you are lying, Adric. I can see right through you, you know."

"I'm not lying," Adric insisted, but the Master wasn't fooled by his feeble declaration.

"You will help me," the Master said once again. He was strangely calm, which somehow made him more terrifying than before.

"Never!" Adric responded, trying to conceal the trembling in his voice. The Master pressed the button again. Adric screamed as another wave of electricity coursed through his body, this one much stronger than the last. "No, please!" The Master seemed all too pleased to watch Adric's suffering, a sinister laugh escaping his lips.

As the pain began to ease, the Master turned serious again, all trace of amusement gone from his face. He then said, "oh well. I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way. I had hoped that you would assist me willingly, but since you refuse my generous offer, I shall have to use other means. If you won't perform the calculations for me, I will just have to extract them from you. You know, I really am disappointed, Adric. We could be so great together. We could have ruled the universe, you and I. But oh well."

Adric's entire body quivered with fear at the Master's words. A wave of nausea came over him as he realised what had happened. He should have accepted the Master's offer, but it was too late. The Master would get what he wanted no matter what, and Adric would pay the price. The brave front that he had held up so well crumbled into dust. The Master had won. Adric could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but he made no effort to stop them. What did it matter if he cried now?

The Master held up some wires and roughly attached them to Adric's head. Adric writhed in pain as they made contact with his scalp, then buried themselves into his skin. He could feel the wires burrowing their way inside his brain and slowly overtaking his free will.

Eventually, Adric stopped struggling. As the wires made contact, it felt as if something inside him snapped. He could no longer control his thoughts. Adric desperately tried to think of something, anything else, but to no avail. His mind was no longer his own. A sob caught in the back of his throat as he began to work out the calculations that the Master needed.

Author's Note: 

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think!

-musicismyhappyplace