That was the last part. Only a few screws needed to be tighten up and...

"Yes, it works!" She held the device up so the Master could inspect it. "But don't touch the strings."

He crouched down to her, inspecting the thing. It was a small round socket with multiple metal arms and other metal extensions. And emitting from those came two strings of light that faded very quickly and were spiraling each other.

"Amazing, right? I've never seen it like that!"

"No reason to be so childish. It's just light."

"Hey! As if you wouldn't act childish all the time! Let me have some fun. And besides..." She took it back from his hands. "... it's not just light. It only emits some. But the strings are actually pure opposing energy. See? They are eternally spiraling, but are too different." She smiled. "Kinda like two people dancing around each other. Never able to stop, never able to look away... and never able to ever touch, cause they would just cease to exist."

"Your head is weird." His eyebrows raised.

"Huh, why now?"

"It spins a fairy tale out of some lights... Is that device of any use at least?"

Roka had given up on the chemistry part and opted to try out different ideas that, favorably, wouldn't destroy the whole planet. Why the Master let her do it in the end was unknown to her. Maybe it was to test her, maybe he just wanted to see her struggle and fail.

"Uhm... well... not so much. Before you mourn, we just need the right catalyst..." She looked at him and grinned. "And then... Boom!"

"Alright, I start to like it."

"Well, it's not a very visible explosion though. It's more of a... err... How to put it... In theory it should internally shutter the structure of all surrounding matter with the same frequency. A chain reaction of energy blasting through the surface of whatever I tune it into. More or less just dematerializing it."

"You know what? I'm actually... almost impressed."

"Ha! Told ya, I'm good!"

"Almost... we don't have a catalyst. So it's just another useless idea."

"Maybe, but since you're so much smarter than I..." She put a batch of papers in his hands. "...you can surely find something compatible. Here are the requirements."

"How do you even know of that?" He flipped through the pages and looked actually a bit impressed. "This isn't stuff the Doctor would teach a human. You clearly got some knowledge you shouldn't have."

Roka laughed. "That's the advantage if you're invisible. No one can stop you from spending decades reading through the coolest library in the universe."

"Decades...?" He lay down the batch of papers and stared interestedly at Roka. "That doesn't match with your age."

Roka gulped. She shouldn't have said that.

"I... err... was quite young when he..." But a mean grin had already spread on the Master's face. He knew she was lying. And it was no problem for him to just read it from her mind if he wanted. "Uhm... alright, but I don't quite understand it myself... It seems my glitch was somehow threatening to the TARDIS, so the automatic defense system... froze me in time."

"Now that is interesting." And without a warning he lay a finger on her forehead and closed his eyes for a few seconds. His grin got wider. "Very... very... interesting. You're not lying. I can't feel your time stream moving." The Master grabbed her collar, dragging her into a standing position. "Now I'm really eager to find out if you still can get hurt."

Roka stared at him with a mean look on her face.

"High pain threshold, eh? Or rather... no pain at all? Is that the reason you're not afraid of me?"

"Alas I do feel some. My senses just seem to be a bit messed up. Only gives me migraines though." She frowned at him.

He let go of her and Roka rubbed her throat. "I tested it thoroughly. I simply don't age, everything else seems to be unaffected."

"I wonder if you can still... die."

Roka didn't like that look.

"Obviously... I never tried that out."

"Oh, we could change that... I always wanted to test this stuff on someone." He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small object with a pointy end. "That's a very nice poison, you know..." He tapped against it with a wide grin. "It attaches itself to your nerve endings, sending waves of pain through your whole body." Somehow he managed to sound very happy about that.

"No thanks." She gulped. "Doesn't sound like a pleasant death."

"Oh, it's not even what kills you." Now his grin got really mischievous. "It also slows down your heartbeat. Bit by bit. Until it... just... stops."

Roka made a step backwards. She really didn't like that look.

"Sounds familiar. I read about it." She stood straight and grinned at him with a mean glint in her eyes. "Would be really stupid to use that."

"So? You're just bluffing." He stepped closer. "I think... it would be fun." And faster than she could have reacted, he hit the needle right into her neck.

Roka's eyes got wide of surprise. The Master grabbed her by her shoulders.

"You've got around... five minutes?" His voice was cheery. "Let's play..."

"Ugh, that stuff works fast." Already feeling a little shaky a first wave of pain hit her. It felt like all her veins very cramping. She tried to breathe, but it was so hard. It hurt a lot more than she had ever imagined, waving through her whole body and making her feel sick to the stomach.

He put his hand under her chin to make her look up to him. "How about you finally tell me where the TARDIS is hidden?"

"How about... I don't?" She frowned.

He reached inside his pocket once more and got out another needle, grinning widely. "Look at that... an antidote. Tell me and you'll get it. Isn't that a fine game?"

She really had trouble to breath. The waves run through her, making her shiver and squirm. Her mind was racing, what could she do? There was no way she could tell anything. "It's a stupid game. You can't even win it." She tried to get the meanest smile on her face she was able to at that moment.

"So? I told you, I'll think of something fine to get the info. Surprise!" He smiled down to her.

Another wave of pain made her gasp. Her legs got weak, she had trouble standing, but as she sank down on her knees the Master caught her, going down with her, forcing her to stay awake.

He shook her. "You're dying! Just tell..."

"Ugh... do me... a favor then. And let me go without annoying me." She sank against his chest. Not that she wanted to. But it was so hard to keep control over her muscles. Breathe... just breathe. But it was so hard. Her whole body was shivering like mad.

"Hey, don't just give in!" He shook her once more. "How can you be so stupid!? He doesn't even remember you!"

"It's not even about... the Doctor." She couldn't help but laugh. "I just enjoy defeating you at... your own game. Ugh... that bloody hurts though..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. Roka stared into his eyes.

"Idiot... there isn't an antidote for it." She actually enjoyed seeing the surprise on his face. "What you got there... only buys me some time." Another wave hit her, letting her breath getting heavier. She could barely feel her heartbeat anymore. "Ugh... if the amount is low enough, my body could withstand until it gets out of me... But... you... idiot... just used up the full dose..."

"You're lying." He let go of her chin and she could feel a needle prick in her shoulder. "There, see? It's working... right?"

Nothing happened though. Roka shivered, she felt so cold. But suddenly all she could do was laugh at the absurdity of this.

"I don't get you..." His voice sounded completely confused. "How can you laugh? Why are you not screaming and crying and... whatever people do when they die."

"Heh... it's just... fun to ruin your day." She mustered all her strength to look at him. Into those gaping holes that held all the stars of the universe in them, although it was more a feeling than an actual image. Old and sad. No, she hadn't imagined it.

He stared at Roka, shaking her once. "There is no fear in you. Why? How?"

She smiled, letting her head sink again, as her muscles refused to obey. "Cause... there is nothing left to be... afraid of."

She could hear his hearts beating. This fascinating strange doubled rhythm. Not her own anymore though... not long. Maybe a minute or so... She could barely speak anymore, but at least the pain had stopped. Had it been too late? She felt her head getting foggy, her thoughts slowed down. Not long... and there might be nothing more. And still... she could not feel fear. Not even a bit of it. No, why should she? It was strangely warm, leaning against him like that. At least...

"I do... have to thank you though... in a way," she mumbled, probably barely understandable. "I always thought... I was cursed to die all alone... forgotten by the whole... universe. How ironic..." She smiled. "Don't get the wrong idea though... I still don't like you."

No answer... She raised her head once more. Still just this confused and angry look. Those eyes would be the last thing she would ever see, Roka realized.

"Good night... grim reaper." She couldn't feel her body anymore, her thoughts faded and everything went dark.

Silence fell over the room.