Ficlet: Key Perception

[unfeathered]

Title: Key Perception
Fandom: Doctor Who
Author: unfeathered
Characters: Jack, the Master, Tenth Doctor
Rating: Gen
Word Count: 270
Spoilers: The Sound of Drums
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: The Master has Jack. Jack still has his key. But not for long…
Beta: jadesfire2808
Author’s Note: Set in jadesfire2808's 'Keyverse', which all began with her drabble The Key, which she then expanded into a fic, also called The Key. And then it started getting drabbled all over… :-)

My previous contributions are: Key Recovery and Key Possession, both set after this one, after Last of the Time Lords.

(Cross-posted to torch_wood, new_who and galactic_conman)



He knew it was coming. Knew he couldn't expect to have possession of it much longer. Any second now, the Master would remember that Jack still had his key. Martha had escaped with hers; the Doctor's was lying abandoned on the floor where he'd dropped it amidst all the flailing. Jack was the only one who still had his hanging round his neck.

Not, he realised, that it was working as a perception filter any more. The soldiers had been able to see him as soon as the Doctor had taken his off. Presumably, once the spell had been broken, it stayed broken. Which only made it even more likely that the Master would notice him soon.

Sure enough, when the Master finally stopped gloating out of the window and came lightly down the stairs to the main room, the first thing he did was stalk over to the Doctor's key and snatch it up. It disappeared swiftly into his pocket. He started to straighten, and paused, halfway up, head cocked as if listening to something Jack couldn't hear. Then he stood up and turned to Jack, and the hairs rose on the back of Jack's neck at the predatory smirk that twisted the Master's face. He got slowly to his feet as the Master sauntered over to him, looking him in the eyes as if he could see into the very depths of Jack's soul, and held out a hand, palm up.

And as he passed his key over, despair hit Jack harder than it ever had before, because this time, he really didn't expect to get it back.