It's all AU.

Perhaps the most disorienting part of his TARDIS materializing in the nexus was not the memories of being there before, but the memories of regenerating when he was quite sure he hadn't. ( Cut for length )

He spun on his heel as soon as he stepped through the door into someplace that wasn't the cell he was being shoved into, and cursed loudly and at length when all he saw was a blank wall. Especially as memory returned, finally giving him a clue as to when and where he'd regenerated.

Only when he ran out of breath did he stop the stream of invective, leaning against the wall, and regarding the scenery around him. Not what he remembered, but looking far more advanced than the sleepy little town he'd enjoyed manipulating his last visit. And last regeneration, he thought bitterly.

"Well, at least it's not going to be quite as boring as Torchwood's cells," he said aloud, pushing away from the wall, and started looking for gym, or perhaps a race-track. He didn't want a repeat of his last visit, and he especially didn't want to find himself confined to any TARDIS. At all.

After leaving the freshly regenerated Master alone to sleep what she hoped was a long enough period of time, she went to go see him, and get a feel for the new personality. The Doctor's blaster still in her pocket, but not out in her hand. She stepped in his room/cell and sat in a chair.

The Master watched the cameras that showed the lobby, toying with his fork impatiently before taking another bite of the dinner he'd sat down to when the remodeling was finished. Where was...

A smile spread across his face, watching the revolving door start to spin. He leaned back in his seat, transferring the view of the lobby - dimly lit and small as it was now - to the large screen directly in front of him. Peeling paint over flaking plaster for walls, and a dusty concrete floor with some scraps of carpet still glued down.

He waited until they were all inside before activating the one-way com on the receptionist's desk - painted particle board and plastic, to match the rest of the decor - directly across from the door.

"Welcome to my home, gentlemen, Lady Romana. I must say, I didn't expect quite this turnout. Now, I shan't keep you long, it's a bit of a puzzle ahead of you before we meet face to face.

"As you can see, two passages to your left, one and a lift to your right, and two behind the desk. Only one of them actually leads to where I'm sitting right now. Good luck on figuring out which one. Oh, and do mind your step."

He flicked off the com, settling back in his chair to watch their progress. With any luck, there would be some entertainment to be had before he had to play the polite host.

Jack had stayed in the TARDIS for a while after the Doctor had stormed out, half-waiting to see if he'd come back.

Then he decided he wasn't actually ready to face the Doctor again just yet, so he left too, in case the Doctor did come back.

He walked about the town as it got dark, kicking at things and grumping a bit. He wasn't furious anymore. He was just frustrated and pissed off.

He kicked hard at a streetlamp - and then hopped away, cursing.

The Master pauesd outside the library, regarding it for a long moment before stepping inside. He had a large collection of books back at the office building he'd taken over, but they were all books he'd read.

He was looking over some interesting books on supernatural phenomena when he caught a glimpse of blond hair out of the corner of his eye. He turned, raising an eyebrow at the young woman standing nearby. "May I help you with something?"

Continued from here.

The Master strolled along the row of shops in the town proper, a bland expression on his face as he watched the handful of people on the street. Mentally categorizing them, dismissing some as not worth the effort, others as potentially too well connected to safely separate out from the rest. Ever the calculating predator, even if he had no intentions to go for someone new. Well, not entirely true, but he wasn't sure who John had been protective of. Certainly not Jack - Jack was more than able to take care of himself.

Dismissing the thought with a small sigh of irritation, the Master scanned the street again. And smiled. Oh, there was a face he hadn't seen in centuries. He strolled over to the man outside a cafe.

"Now, that is not a face I had expected to see here, after all this time. Good afternoon, Doctor."

( Cut for length )

He'd gone swimming in his new pool, hauling himself out of the water when he heard the ping from the lift announcing someone had decided to visit. He made a mental note to add motion sensors and an alarm to the lobby. Careless not to have done so already, but nothing to be done about it now.

He wrapped a towel around his waist, heading for the door out of the pool as the lift opened to let out its passenger. The Master smiled serenely, pushing open the door. "Ah, John, how good of you to return. I expect you've been behaving yourself?"

( Cut for length )

Setting the note on the table with the book, the Master closed the door to the room, and focused a moment longer, adding the promised intercom to the desk before going upstairs. Rest and a meal would do him some good while John slept.

The door to the office was open, faint music playing from hidden speakers, tea with all the frills laid out on the table next to the window. Little knick-knacks and a handful of pictures scattered on the shelves among the books, a sleek, small computer on the desk, all the small details that he loved when setting a scene.

A stage waiting for the players to take their places and the game to begin.

He plucked a book from the shelf, one with a bookmark in it, and settled into one of the chairs to wait, fingers loosely curled around a tea-cup, to all appearences lost in his reading. Waiting for the ploy with Lucy to bear fruit, after some fashion or another.

The door to the office was open, faint music playing from hidden speakers, tea with all the frills laid out on the table next to the window. Little knick-knacks and a handful of pictures scattered on the shelves among the books, a sleek, small computer on the desk, all the small details that he loved when setting a scene.

A stage waiting for the players to take their places and the game to begin.

He plucked a book from the shelf, one with a bookmark in it, and settled into one of the chairs to wait, fingers loosely curled around a tea-cup, to all appearences lost in his reading. Waiting for the ploy with Lucy to bear fruit.

Lucy wandered aimlessly into one of the empty office buildings on the edge of town, wondering why on earth they were there. It wasn't as if anyone actually worked here.

She ran her fingers lightly over the shiny surface of a desk, then froze, as she caught a movement from the corner of her eye.

"Is anyone there?" she asked cautiously.

The Master settled into a comfortable chair near a window in the library, an original copy of Machiavelli's The Prince in one hand, and a bottle of wine and glass in the other. He carefully poured a measure of the deep red porto into the glass, taking a sip and smiling. Perfect. An amusing book, a good wine, and some quiet. Excellent way to spend an afternoon, if not his favorite. Hard to spend the afternoon moving pawns around in an elaborate game when one was trapped in a pocket universe, after all.

He'd only been reading a few minutes when he heard the soft tread of someone moving around, looking up from his book, waiting, watching, his hands deceptively still on the book. "Is there someone there, or am I starting to hear things?" he called out, letting a hint of sardonic amusement slip into his tone.

The Doctor went tearing through the town, looking. There was a niggling voice in the back of his mind that said, "There's a reason you went together to track him down earlier. The Master, your Master, would tell you to stop. To think."

He wasn't listening. Now that he'd seen this other future Doctor, who seemed so lost. He wanted to see. He wanted to know. What could have been.

And, yes, he hoped he could talk some sense into the other Master. But he'd take him down, if he had to.

Leaving Adric to think over what they'd been talking about, the Master ambled down the street, looking for all the world like a man just out for an afternoon stroll. Well, perhaps a wealthy and a bit arrogant man, but nevertheless, trying his best to look like he was harmless. He glanced at various buildings around him, cataloguing them. Shops, a handful of office buildings, some open spaces with greenery. Some pubs, what gave the appearence of a club, a coffee-house that he made a note to return to later for further examination. A library further along, and a hotel.

All in all, rather a bland place so far. He stepped into the hotel, looking around the lobby, his lips twitching at the decor. Not a place that would be expensive, if he had to pay for it. And somehow, if this place was outside of space and time, he doubted he would have to. Not that he had any intention of doing so, even if they wanted some form of payment.

Ah, and there was who he was looking for. He smiled, the expression lighting up his eyes with a dangerous glint. "Jack Harkness. What a delightful surprise to find you here."

( Cut for length and relevence )

Finding a lift, he carefully stepped inside, giving the buttons a once-over. Three floors and a lobby. He jabbed the button for the lobby with perhaps a touch more force than neccessary, tense until the door opened to reveal a nearly empty lobby. Just one person there, and the Master stepped out of the lift, his expression carefully calm as he approached them.