"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

The Dalek's scream came from nearby, followed by the familiar sound of their guns. Someone screamed, more silhouettes ran through the smoke of a burning war machine, then the sworn enemy of the Time Lords came in sight. It was only a single one, chasing after the fleeing people. All the dense smoke seemingly made it lose sight of them though and it turned around to search for a new target.

It found one, standing in the middle of a wide field, only strewn with debris and fire.

Too late Roka remembered the coat that made her visible. No time and no place to run for her. Hastily she reached inside the cloth and pressed the button to deactivate the cloak, begging to every god and devil in existence that the Dalek would forget her soon enough, while she slowly stepped closer to a pillar of black nauseating smoke.

It moved closer, not too fast, as if unsure whether or not it had found an actual target, but it's ocular never moved away from Roka.

She froze in place, tried not to move a muscle and steadied her breathing as much as ignoring the pungent stench of the smoke. The Dalek still came closer, it was only a few feet away now. Why didn't it shoot her? And if it had forgotten her, why did it still come closer? Roka could smell the hot metal, could feel the vibration the heavy machine creature caused in the air around. Her heartbeat rebelled, begged her to move. But she stayed where she was and finally closed her eyes when it stood right in front of her.

Moments later she heard it move away.

Gasping for air Roka opened her eyes and stared at the Dalek's back. Then she ran. Towards the nearby ruins of some houses and into their shadow.

This couldn't be! How in the universe had she ended up on Gallifrey? Roka shook her head and stared at the Vortex Manipulator at her wrist. It probably wasn't safe to use, after it had thrown her into this. But if not with that, how would she come back?

She made sure that there were no Daleks around, before she left her cover and wandered through the ruins of what probably used to be a city at one point. Everywhere around her rose the skeletons of buildings high into the sky, burned to black monstrosities, many still smoking and in flames. Here and there timelines collapsed and something flickered, reverted back to its unbroken state, only to crumble above Roka's head and snap back to normal before the debris could hit the ground. Sometimes there were people, running and screaming. Then they were gone, as if they had never been there in the first place.

Once she observed a scene of a soldier fighting a whole group of Daleks, decimating them with a big weapon. A moment later the scene flickered and the soldier had no gun and instead was running away and was shot dead. Seconds later he was alive again and shooting at the Daleks, then he was surrounded by three other soldiers and they won the battle. Then he was alone and no Daleks were around at all. The scenes kept repeating and changing endlessly as if that spot had created an eternal loop.

Roka kept seeing countless of these things. Timelines, created and collapsing everywhere around her. The city crumbling and screaming under the attack of thousands of battle ships, fires bursting out everywhere, only to vanish and then reignite in other places.

It felt like walking through a broken videogame and Roka started to wonder how many versions of herself were now stumbling in different timelines through the battlefield. How often had she already died? Crushed by debris, killed by Daleks or worse creatures? The thought made her shiver.

Roka had no idea where to go, didn't dare to try another jump, but also not to stop moving. It was weird to feel this lingering fear in her throat at all times. Had she changed so much? She must have, or otherwise the thought of maybe dying still wouldn't bother her much. Now it was horrifying, because dying meant she wouldn't be able to return.

Somewhere nearby a scream pierced the air. Roka wanted to ignore it, certain not to be able to help anyway. But then it came again, followed by sobbing and whimpering. It sounded as if it came from a child. Roka's heart clenched and she listened to determine from where the noises came. Shortly after she followed.

The sight made her stomach twist and almost forced her to let out the little food she had had. It wasn't clear what had happened there. Dalek weapons killed quite effectively without actual bloodshed, but maybe they had been modified, or it had been something else. There was a whole group of obviously civilians lying dead on the ground, surrounded by debris and flames. Their bodies shred and ripped open in ways Roka didn't even want to be familiar with. Everywhere was so much blood!

In the looming shadow of a crumbling wall was movement, another cry. Roka tried to ignore her surroundings and hurried towards the child, but then froze in place when she saw it. One leg was missing, the other broken and sticking away in a sickening angle. Something was with his chest and his face was covered in red streaks. The child cried in pain and fear.

Roka hastened towards him, kneeled down and tried to calm the boy. He only glared at nothing with wide eyes, sobbing and his face distorting in pain. He had lost so much blood! Roka had not enough knowledge to know if he was wounded deadly or not.

Then she remembered where she was. That wasn't a human. Even if he would die from these wounds, he would simply regenerate. But how long would he stay alive and had to suffer all that pain? Her hands started shaking when she looked into the boy's eyes, swallowed hard.

A sharp sound of a laser gun cut the air. Something hit the boy in his chest and he fell backwards, lay still for what felt like eternity, before his body started to glow golden.

"My, you are a stupid one," a voice behind Roka said snidely, then chuckled. "Or you're even more cruel than I am."

Roka spun around, surprised that he saw her, and froze. She knew that face, vaguely remembered it from the one time she had seen it for a brief moment. But that was impossible! She sprang to her feet and glared at him, her mouth tonelessly forming a single word.

"Master."

He had the appearance of this older man who had ran inside the TARDIS that one day, only to regenerate into his current self. Just a tad bit younger. But that meant...

Both of his eyebrows raised. "How do you know me?" Then he wrinkled his nose, a look of surprise appeared. "You're not a Time Lord. You're... human. That's not possible!"

"No..." Roka let out an desponded groan. "It isn't. I'm not supposed to be here. Not in this time! That's all wrong!"

"Stop shouting," he grumbled and looked around. "They'll hear you. Well... not my problem."

With that he turned around and simply walked away, leaving Roka and the now healthy boy behind. She looked at the child, then kneeled down to him once more and made herself visible to him. "Hide. Run. And stay away from the Daleks."

She had no idea if he was too traumatized to react, or if he would make it. She swallowed the lump in her throat, stood up and ran after the Master.

"What about that child?" she asked. "We can't just leave him there."

A mean laugh came from the Master. "Oh, I guess he'll get used to regeneration before he reaches a safe spot. If at all." He chuckled. "Not my problem. And yours obviously also not."

Silently she followed for a while. Being near him made her feel a lot safer all of a sudden, even though he did his best to ignore her very existence. Eventually they reached a broken house with a single intact door, which the Master now opened. A glimpse told Roka that it must lead into a TARDIS and she automatically wanted to simply follow inside. But before she had the chance to do so the Master spun around and roughly pushed her away.

"Stop following me, human. That's annoying."

"But I have no idea how I got here," she mumbled protesting. Of course it was dangerous to be around him before they knew each other, but right now he was the only anchor she had, and staying in the Time War definitely was the more dangerous choice.

"Not my problem."

"Wait!" she called out when he wanted to leave. "I need to get back into my time!"

Slowly the Master turned around, looked her up and down for a moment and then grabbed her throat, effortlessly holding her up to his eyelevel. She struggled for air and to get free, but his grip was merciless, as was his gaze. This face was worn and hardened, his eyes calm and cold and cruel.

The eyes of a warrior.

"Since you know who I am," he said, his voice as cold as his eyes. "How on Gallifrey do you think I'd care about any of your pitiful little problems?" For a moment he squeezed even harder and smiled wickedly at the pain on her face. "What? I can't hear you."

Roka tried to get as much air as possible, but she wasn't able to grind out a single word. Instead she only gave him her meanest glare and finally stopped struggling, knowing all too well that it was in vain.

The Master laughed at her for a bit, then sat her down again. "Not scared, huh?" His eyebrows raised. "Alright, I'm having fun. In with you, before those tin cans find me."

Roughly he pushed Roka into the TARDIS and she got greeted by greenish lights and mostly black controls. She looked around the unfamiliar interior, deciding its gloomy atmosphere to be quite fitting for its owner.

"Oh, yes, it's bigger on the inside. Boo!" He laughed and moved past her, then slumped down onto a padded arm chair. "You have exactly one minute before I throw you out again. Talk."

Roka swallowed and turned towards him. Sitting there like that made him look a lot older than his body actually was. And exhausted. How long was the war already going on for him?

"Uh... it's complicated," she started and decided it was no use to hide who she was. "Can you... erase your own memories? It would be unwise to remember me... really."

"Would it now?" With an interested look he put his fingers together. "So, you know my future self then. Yes, I can erase them. We don't want any paradoxes to happen, do we?" A sarcastic smile played on his lips.

"No, I've had enough of those." A sigh escaped her. "Something happened and my Vortex Manipulator brought me not only to Gallifrey... but as it seems also back in time. Quite a bit at that."

She watched as his face took on an amused smile, showing clearly that he wasn't the slightest interested in helping. He probably thought she might be a funny distraction from the war for a few minutes, before he would do who knows what to her.

Roka snapped and almost shouted, "I'm actually on my way to save your future's dumb butt right now! So you should really lend me a hand here."

The Master laughed out loud, stood and came towards Roka to let an in-depth look wander over her.

"What a pitiful sight you are," he sneered. "Save me? How? Making big kitty eyes at everyone?" Another mean laugh followed. "And why would you even do that? What have I promised you, eh?" He grinned widely. "Your own planet? Riches beyond imagination?" he mocked.

"Bloody hell! Can't you just let me help for once, you damn stubborn old alien!" Roka burst out. "Why's that so fricking hard?!" With a sigh she ran a hand over her face and looked at two amusedly raised eyebrows. "It's a way too long story, and you have to forget it again anyway," she added peeved. "Just bring me back and get lost." Angrily she stabbed a finger at him. "I've got nothing to do with that part of your timeline!"

There was a mix of all sorts of emotions on his face, ranging from amusement to irritation. If it weren't for the fact that she knew his future, Roka probably wouldn't even have survived this little outburst. At least she was certain of it, when she met his eyes once more. But all other emotions couldn't entirely overshadow the exhaustion and the haunted look in his eyes.

"Alright, you can live. You're funny." He chuckled, but got serious fast. "Do we meet after the war ends?"

Roka nodded.

"So, I will survive it. That's good. You don't happen to know, how?"

She opened her mouth, remembering the few snippets the Doctor had told. But was it wise to tell it? Would that alter his timeline? Or... she questioningly looked up and at him.

"No, it won't cause a paradox if you tell me what happens anyway." He grinned.

"Alright... You... used a chameleon arch to become human. Because like that the Daleks can't locate your double heartbeat. And you hide at the end of the universe until the war is over."

"Oh? Interesting." A few minutes passed, in which he paced up and down, thinking intensely. "It obviously works, so it's no useless idea. And something or someone also gets me out of it again, otherwise we two wouldn't meet." He then laughed and turned to Roka. "I was about to leave this war anyway. They can find themselves another soldier. I'm done with this. You'll help me."

"What? But I have to..."

"Afterwards," he interrupted coldly. "I need someone to implant new memories after using the arch. And I get the feeling you've been here to do that all along."

"Bootstrap paradox," Roka mumbled.

"Mhm, indeed. How amusing. Isn't it always fascinating?" he mused with a smile. "How things from the future ripple into the past. How everything interferes with anything else. Cause and effect. Or are they the very same in the end?" Not awaiting an answer he got the TARDIS moving. "Come on then, human. Let's get this done."

Roka thought about telling him that she had a name, but that was quite useless anyway. His words rang in her mind though. The future creating ripples into the past. Something at the edges of her consciousness tingled. Something that might one day make sense. But not now as it seemed.

The time machine landed without making any ruckus and the Master stepped to the doors to open them wide, breathing in the nightly air.

"Ahh... darkness," he said calmly. "This is where everything ends. Look at it."

She trod next to him and peeked outside. There was nothing. Literally. They hovered in the blackness of space, but not a sole star was visible anymore. They had all faded a long time ago.

"You know... I always wanted to conquer every single star out there," the Master spoke softly. "I don't even know why. And when I now look at this... one day they'll all be gone anyway."

Roka glanced up and into his face. He looked so incredibly tired. Beaten, defeated. The war had taken a toll on him, and not a small one. There stood a man who was willing to give everything up, because there was nothing left to lose anymore.

She nudged him slightly and smiled. "And that from your mouth. Aren't you all about living in the moment?"

"Huh? Are you sure there isn't an imposter running around with my name?"

"Impossible." Roka laughed. "There can only be one such a huge moron."

Again the Master arched a brow. "Are you always like that? Why haven't I murdered you already?"

But instead of harming Roka, he only ruffled through her hair and turned away from the doors. For another minute he did something on his console, then waved her over.

"Put your hand here," he commanded and Roka obeyed, placing it onto a small pad. "Think of time and place where you need to go. Oh? Earth again... where else."

After that he lead her into a room where the chameleon arch stood, big and foreboding. She remembered the Doctor using it, remembered that it was...

"...painful," the Master interrupted her thoughts. "Very..." He turned around to Roka and looked at her intensely for some seconds. "Are you sure we haven't met before? You seem... familiar."

"Uh... yeah, somehow. Long story, but you shouldn't remember it. Meeting with your future self and stuff."

If his eyebrows were able to move any higher they surely would. A small smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You survived meeting me three times. Remarkable," he mocked. "But that's not what I mean. You seem... too familiar. As if... I would know you for my entire life."

Roka shook her head and blinked confused. "No. We've never met before that."

"Peculiar..." He grabbed her hood, pulling it over her head. "Think of some nice story to tell me later. Something that fits into this place... I guess you also know about that anyway."

He stood into the arch and put on the machine. "When this is done, press the green, triangular button on my console. It will bring you back to your own time. And then..." His eyes turned sad as he looked around. "She will go back to Gallifrey and wait there... Well, no time to waste. I'll erase you from my memory now. Don't pull down that hood!"

It took a while. Roka had no idea how complicated that process was, or if he was simply mentally too exhausted to be very effective right now. Such a weird thing... that they had already met here. Somehow she ended up running into him everywhere, and then his words right now. It was as if there was an invisible thread connecting them, running through time itself... But what had created it?

The Master opened his eyes and looked around, before his gaze fell onto Roka. She hastily lowered her head. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Ah, yes... no. Not at all..." He shook his head with a grim smile. "But what does it matter, right? Pull that lever over there. Who are you anyway?"

Roka smiled and didn't answer. Instead she did what he had told her and then looked away, tried to ignore his painful screams, tried to convince herself that it was necessary. This was how these events would happen. It had to be done if she wanted to preserve this timeline.

The arch stopped and opened its grip to release the Master, who stumbled onto his knees, looking around confused and dazed. Roka came to him and helped him up. She couldn't resist putting a hand to his chest.

D-du, D-du, D-du.

A single heartbeat.

He groaned and leaned on her shoulder. "I must have hit my head... where are we?"

"Uh... a crashed ship. You wanted to get some parts for the Utopia project," she rambled, remembering all she knew about his life here.

Her gaze fell upon the fob-watch the arch had created and she snatched it from its socket, putting it into the Master's hand. "Don't forget this," she said with a sad smile. "It's broken, so you can't open it. But it is important to you. They... found you as a baby, only holding this watch."

"Ah, yes... yes, I remember. Thank you." He put the watch into his chest pocket and followed Roka obediently outside the TARDIS. "My, my, I must have gotten hurt badly," he mumbled behind her. "Can't even recall my own name..."

Roka remembered it though. Her memories wandered back to the story the Doctor had told. About the face of Bo, about his words and how they had come true.

You are not alone.

And then they had found the Master.

Then it snapped. Of course. That's why those words sounded so familiar. The name the Master had worn. It was constructed from them.

"You are... Professor Yana," she answered late. "You came here to help these people reaching Utopia, remember?"

"Ah, yes, yes. There is... I think I