Author's Note: I know I shouldn't have started another fic, but what can I say? I just watched The End Of Time - Part 2, and I'm obsessed with the Master. :) So read and review, tell me what you think and, of course, enjoy. :)

"What is it?" Jack asked, seeing the Brigadier and crossing the room towards him. Jack had returned to Earth two months ago, having had a brief affair with "Alonso", which wasn't actually his name.

"This." The Brigadier motioned to the view screen. On it was shown a plain concrete room, with a force shield around a corner of it. Inside the force shield a bumbling blue mass was crackling with energy.

"It's a portal," Jack answered. "When did it appear?"

"Two days ago. The two men that were in the room are dead. This is what's left of them." The Brigadier brought up another picture on the view screen. This time it showed two bodies, laid on tables. Or rather, it showed two skeletons. No flesh or muscle was left to be had. "The energy output has been steadily rising for the past 12 hours. It levelled off an hour ago.

Jack nodded, turned, and strode from the room. The Brigadier seemed to think for a moment and then followed him.

When they entered the room with the force shield, the two men guarding the inside raised their guns, lowering them again when they saw it was the Brigadier.

Jack approached the force shield. The force shield reacted by beginning to crackle angrily.

"I really don't think--" the Brigadier began. He was interrupted, however, by an unearthly scream, coming from the depths of the portal. "What the hell was that?"

Before Jack could answer again, there was another scream, and a man flew through the portal, skidding haphazardly across the floor, coming to rest against the force shield.

The Brigadier turned to one of the soldiers. "Get a medic in here."

"Wait!" Jack shouted, starting forward.

The man on the floor was breathing heavily, an arm slung over his face. As the portal faded from view though, the man raised his head shakily, staring right into Jack's eyes.

"Master," Jack whispered.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

"How should I know?" Jack responded. The Brigadier had been asking him the same questions for at least half an hour, and the balance was wearing thin. They were stood outside of the concrete room, where the Master was now kept behind the shield.

"You knew who he is. I didn't."

"Ah!" Jack threw up his hands, abandoning the Brigadier, and making his way back into the room, crossing to the edge of the force shield, crouching down to where the Master still lay. "What are you doing?"

The Master surprised him by scrabbling backwards, away from him. When the Brigadier joined him, Jack could see he was frowning too.

"What are you doing here?" Jack repeated, standing.

The Master's face was twitching, seemingly uncontrollably. "What?"

"What are you--"

"Don't know." The Master shook his head madly. "Not sure. Not definite. Not…" His voice trailed off, his hands coming up and tearing at his face. "Who are you?" He rose to his feet, screaming. "What have you done to me?"

The Brigadier and Jack exchanged uncertain looks.

"What have you done to me?" The Master started forward, stopping just short of the force shield. "What the hell have you done? Who are you? Why am I here?" When neither Jack or the Brigadier answered, he threw himself against the energy of the force shield, again and again, like a wild animal.

"What have you done?" The Master turned, throwing a fist into the concrete wall. "What…" He collapsed slightly, sagging against the wall.

"You don't remember?" Jack asked.

The Master whirled round at the voice. "No." He shook his head again, seemingly oblivious that with every shake he smashed it into the wall. "No. Don't know."

"Do you remember anything?"

The Master paused, panting, his tongue shooting in and out of his mouth, running over his lips and teeth. "Remember? Remember? Come on…" He smashed a fist into his temple. "Remember!" There was a pause. "Yes. I remember." He nodded, waving a hand at Jack, before stopping. "Maybe… I don't know. I know he'll come." He nodded again. "He'll come save me. He promised."

"Who?" asked the Brigadier.

The Master looked up, taking a few shaky steps forward. "Who. Who. Yeah… who?" He tugged at his hair, pulling a few strands out. "HIM. I… he promised he would make it go away. This!" His head shot backwards, until he was staring at the ceiling. "This… noise inside my head! You said you'd make it go away!"

He fell to his knees, quietly sobbing. "You said… Save me! You did it! Save me!" His hands bunched themselves into fists, and he screamed at the ceiling. "Doctor!"