Chapter Text
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She was being ignored.
Normally being ignored by The Mistress would not be a point of concern, in fact there were planets out in the cosmos who would pay good money to be permanently ignored by the time lady. Yet there was a difference between being forgotten about and being obviously and deliberately blanked. It was a state of total blind avoidance that was so blatant that that is was impossible to ignore in response. A form of evasion so insidious that it crept into Osgood's scull and despite being chained up and threatened by an overgrown mollusc The Mistress's cold shoulder was literally all Osgood could think about.
Even when the guards returned and escorted them in silence down the hidden service corridors, and down into a more ornate part of the building. Osgood should have been looking and searching for a means of escape, or if nothing else taking the time to soak in what might have been her last few minutes alive on an alien planet. Instead all she could think of was the icy furious expression on Missy's face when Sil had incorrectly labelled Osgood The Doctor's mate of all things...where the hell he had gotten that idea from Osgood couldn't even begin to imagine.
Still at least it had gotten them out of that cell; there had been some rather nasty looking pieces of equipment in there that Osgood doubted had any pleasant applications. Their new surroundings were some sort of sitting room, and several closed doors that led off to who knows where. A few feet away from where they were restrained there were comfortable looking lounging chairs, not that they would be using them the guards had left them bound to some sort of trellis and Osgood's nose twitched as some pretty alien plant tickled her nose and caused her already strained eyes to water.
Great alien hayfever just what she needed...just as long as the damn thing wasn't poisonous... although knowing her luck...
Yet somehow despite their new more pleasing surroundings Osgood doubted Sil was about to back down from his threat. He wanted The Doctor, he was going to use Osgood to lure him here under the misunderstanding that she was his mate. Yet she wondered how long the mentor was prepared to wait for the time lord before he attempted more drastic methods to entice him here. That was assuming The Doctor would even bother to come and rescue the former UNIT scientist even if she was threatened with torture or death? Why would he risk himself to save the woman who had committed treason and had turned her back on his own offer to travel with him in favour of The Mistress,?
The very Mistress who still wasn't talking to her...or even looking at her...
"Missy..." Osgood hissed brown eyes wide and pleading as the time lady somehow managed to shift her bound form until her back was now pretty much all Osgood could see of her. "Please don't be like this..."
Sulking, Osgood was sure no one at UNIT would believe her if she told them about this, a two thousand year old time lady sulking like a stroppy teenager and why? Because some unpleasant oozing slug alien thought that Osgood was The Doctor's girlfriend instead of her.
"I don't see why you would care what a giant slug thinks anyway?" Osgood prompted turning around to face The Mistress's back. "And couldn't it be a good thing? We know it's not true but if it means he underestimates you we can use it to our advantage surely?"
It was a strange situation, one Osgood would never have dreamt a month ago, that she would be faced with trying to reassure the newest incarnation of The Master and sooth her ruffled feathers. Although to be honest a month ago she wouldn't have thought The Master had feelings that could be hurt. For a being who claimed to be the Queen of Evil bent on subjugating the entire universe to her whims The Mistress was surprisingly sensitive.
"It's not like its even true..." Osgood huffed impatiently; glaring as even her patience was being tested as her gaze bore into the dust stained back and the ratty pinned dark curls that were too heavy for the few pins valiantly trying to hold them up...already a few tendrils of hair had fallen out of the time lady's normally meticulous updo.
"Would you cease your pathetic ape babbling?" Missy's hissed reply was cutting in its coldness.
"Did it never occur to you that I simply don't care to reply to you? Why should I care what you or that equally mud crawling mentor think? You're both still lumbering about in the primordial slime, barely evolved enough to babble along deluded like squalling infants with your own sense of achievement and self-importance."
"Don't...Don't talk to me like that." Osgood stuttered over her reply, unable to fully put into words how deeply Missy's words cut her. Humanity may be a young species, less evolved than the vaunted time lords but that didn't mean they were any less important or it shouldn't but try telling The Mistress that.
"Why not? Does it hurt little Skip's feelings being told the truth? Hmm surely you've realised by now just how pitiful you really are? Whining, dull and so very predictable, just being trapped so close to you turns my stomach."
Osgood couldn't help but flush from a combination of anger and foolishness. Part of her was incensed that Missy dared to talk about her and her species like they were pond scum and yet most of her was more angry at herself for being such an idiot. She who knew what The Mistress thought about humans, mere pawns to be used and disposed of. She was the fool who had allowed herself to become deluded, to actually allow her pride to convince her that she was different from the rest because Missy had chosen her; The Mistress had asked her, a human, to travel with her.
To think that she, silly, speccy, boring Osgood was special in anyway...
Shrinking back into herself Osgood blinked her swimming eyes, trying to lie to protect her battered ego; it was just the damn alien plant induced hay fever.
Yet there was no hiding from the taunting words that were now on constant repeat in her mind, cruel words that now merged with the other cruel taunts Osgood had suffered through over the years. Stacey and her friends now joined The Mistress in a cacophony of sniggering at Osgood's many shortcomings. She had never felt anyone's scorn could cut deeper than her sister's but then Osgood had had years of practice with Stacey and her sister knew all of her sore points. Yet it seemed Missy's cruelty cut deeper, for some reason. A sharp deep stiletto that had been dug in and wrenched out again with such pin point clinical efficiency Osgood could feel herself bleeding inwardly.
It was actually a relief when the doors opened once more and in walked...
"Seb!" Osgood exclaimed with something approaching relief as the tall A.I. appeared, his dark eyes narrowing as he caught sight of them both tutting as he shook his head.
"No No No that will never do." He muttered reaching into his pocket and withdrawing what looked like a measuring tape as he approached the bound pair. "What on earth is that monstrosity?"
"Seb what...look I know you hate my clothing but now is not the time..." Osgood began as Seb's lip curled in disgust as he moved closer and picked nervously at the stained corduroy jacket Osgood was still wearing. The mud from the pool had caked into all the little ridges and despite the best efforts of Ood Navis and his little band of hidden outlaws there was no saving it. Still there was no excuse for Seb's preoccupation with her ruined clothing not when he should be focused on getting them out of here.
"That is not Seb." Missy's whispered flat tone surprised Osgood, who was half amazed by what the time lady was implying and half stunned that Missy was deigning to speak to her again.
"My dear anyone with eyes would loath this thing..." Seb sighed as he retrieved a piece of silky fabric from the pocket of his neatly tailored suit and decorously wiped his fingers on the pristine white cloth before immediately disposing of it; throwing it over his shoulder at a one of the hovering slaves who had to scrabble on the floor to retrieve it.
"Fortunately for you and my refined sense of taste neither one of us will have to look at it for very much longer!" He added smugly, waving forward the other hovering slave who was laden down with what looked like several garment bags. "Now I have no idea what your species would consider to be attractive so I have brought along a few selections."
"My species..."
"However I do have extensive experience with other humanoid species and there seems to be a recurring trend." Not Seb paused, a sly smirk pulling at the familiar features warping them into something hard and cruel. A look that despite his vileness Osgood had to admit she had never seen on the A.I.'s face and so despite not understanding how this could be someone other than Seb Osgood felt it in her gut that Missy was right. This was not the A.I.
Watching closely as Not Seb unfastened the garment bag Osgood blanched in horror for the second time in as many seconds.
"I am not wearing that!"
A wry snort of amusement from beside her had Osgood turning her ire on a smirking Missy who answered her ape's angry glare with an amused smirk. "Don't you mean you're not not wearing that?" Missy teased, blue eyes raking over the skimpy little outfit that would leave very little of Osgood's plump cleavage and other assets hidden from prying eyes.
"You know I think I preferred it when you were sulking and ignoring me." Osgood snapped back, her irritation only growing as Missy feigned a hurt pout which quickly warped into a sadistic smirk.
"What's the matter pet don't you think your "boyfriend" will like the new you?"
"You are such a bitch." Osgood hissed struggling futilely against her captors as they freed her from her restraints and the two slaves escorted her over to one of the closed doors which opened on their approach to reveal a sumptuous bathroom suite. Then prodded into the room the doors closed behind them cutting Osgood off from view.
Leaning back against her restraints Missy's smirk vanished at the same moment as her human pet. Bright blue eyes now firmly locked on the imposter wearing her A.I's flesh form.
"So now it's just the two of us." Missy innocently commented eyes raking over the imposter. "What happened to Seb?"
Shrugging elegantly the imposter barely spared her an interested second glance. "Oh was that its name?"
Her gaze hardening at the deliberate use of the past tense Missy mentally added this imposter to her list of people to kill before they left this hell hole. Seb was her creation; the only one who had the right to decompile him was Missy herself.
"I wouldn't worry my dear I doubt you will survive him long." Not Seb replied in a voice laden with faux concern.
"My brother has something special in mind for you. It's a shame as we might have gotten some decent credits for you." He added eyes raking over the bound female as despite her physical age she was still beautifully proportioned and that face was striking, in the right light someone might call her beautiful and those eyes...there were people who would pay good money for eyes like that. She might have gotten them a good price at one of the pleasure houses.
"Oh dear is this the part where you gloat and tell me all your nefarious plans and I pretend to cower in terror?" Missy all but giggled. It was so ironic being on the other side off this scenario. Missy was almost enjoying herself.
Raising his hand Not Seb backhanded the impudent female sharply across the face, his irritation growing as she merely smiled wider and slipped out a pink tongue to prod at her bleeding lip.
"You would do well to mind your tone."
"Hmmm why don't you make me love?" Missy baited him, watching as the foolish male stepped forward hand raised again yet instead of striking her he gasped her jaw, manicured fingernails digging sharply into her skin.
Skip almost had a point it was quite amusing that their captors seemingly had no idea just who she was and what she was capable of. Not that she would ever let her human pet know that of course. At the moment Missy hadn't decided just how best to punish the little imp, death seemed a little extreme and besides she had tried that once and it didn't seem to have the same effect on Osgood as on most of her victims, the damn girl just got sassier. She could leave her behind of course, a lifetime of slavery and humiliation might finally teach her her proper place in the universe and yet...
No it was just the idea of someone else having the satisfaction of teaching the impertinent little wretch her lesson that was upsetting her, that was the only possible reason for this otherwise inexplicable reluctance to part with a mere human.
True she made an excellent pot of tea and it was occasionally gratifying to have such a simple companion to deal with, humans were almost like having a pot plant; as long as you occasionally remembered to feed them and give them a little pruning they survived somehow. And speaking of simple creatures...
"I am going to enjoy watching you die my dear..." The human wearing Mentor hissed as he leant closer. "To watch all that foolish confidence bleed out of you as you scream in terr..."
The sudden blow to the groin took Not Seb completely by surprise and face ashen he reacted as human males had for centuries, curling up instinctively.
Heaving her weight up on to her bound arms Missy moved like a coiled viper striking, one leg lifting up and kicking him in the back of the knees bringing the spluttering Not Seb crashing down hard. Then curling and tightening Missy wrapped her leg around his exposed throat, tightening her slender thighs she watched with growing glee as his normally light brown skin turned a delightful reddish purple. Those once gloating dark eyes now locked in murderous horror, slowing turning bloodshot as thec apillaries in his eyes burst from the sudden pressure.
There really was nothing quite like killing with your bare hands. There was such a primal connection with your victim that mere disintegration couldn't provide. Savouring the slow realisation in your victims eyes that they were going to die, that there was no escape, the reluctant acceptance of that fact and the knowledge that you were the last thing they would ever see...it was a heady sensation and Missy could feel her skin trembling in anticipation...
It was primal like a good f**king and The Mistress couldn't believe that The Doctor found it so distasteful...or perhaps Thete did understand? The Mistress had long suspected that contrary to popular belief The Doctor was just like her, that killing and the sense of total unadulterated power that it held appealed to him just like it sang to her only he was just too much of a damn coward to admit and accept it.
Oh but if he did...a shiver of a very different sort ran through The Mistress's body and she allowed her eyes to fall closed as she savoured it...just the thought of those long strong fingers of his strangling the life out of some pathetic lower species and the running just as greedily over her body.
Upon opening her own bright blues her gaze once again met those brown eyes now dead and glassy and Missy allowed herself a moment to savour it. Then almost primly she removed her legs from around his slack neck and with one innocent nudge sent Not Seb's corpse sprawling back.
"One down." She sighed almost disappointed she couldn't revive him and kill him again.
Now with no onlookers to worry about Missy wiggled her wrists, grunting for a moment as she physically wrenched her bindings from their tenuous holding on the trellis, now able to twist properly she activated the control on her spiky bracelet which emitted a familiar sonic pulse causing her restraints to fall free.
Rolling her cramped shoulders and sighing in relief she reached up and removed the collar from her neck before picking the bits of broken trellis and Cardelian creeper out of her hair but Missy kept hold of one of the large verdant blue blossoms. Admiring her reflection in one of the ornate mirrors she tucked it behind her ear. Then reaching into her pocket she removed the hastily assembled disintegrator and weighed her options.
There really was no point leaving the place looking untidy.
Pointing her device at the slowly cooling corpse Missy depressed the button, a delighted smile lighting up her face as her new toy worked perfectly and Not Seb vanished in a rolling ball of flame leaving only a few lingering granules of inorganic mass behind. Resisting the urge to congratulate herself on her own brilliance Missy's eyes turned to the closed door that Skip had vanished through. Prowling closer her fingers running in nervous anticipation over her disintegrator Missy imagined the look of horror and shock on the human's face as she faced a second death at the time lady's hands.
Palming her hand against the door control Missy feigned a look of complete nonchalance as the doors slid open. She leaned against the frame blue eyes twinkling sadistically as a barely clad Osgood gasped in surprise, her embarrassed flush at being seen in this terrible outfit quickly shifting to horror of another kind as Missy raised her hand and revealed its contents.
"Hello Pet. Miss me?"
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