Title: Into the Future
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: VRD challenge - Yellow, 5_prompts
Prompt: Yellow wall
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own Ianto Jones or the Tenth Doctor. Please do not sue.

***

"He isn't here, Doctor." Ianto's voice sounded discouraged; the Doctor didn't blame him for that. It was yet another dead end, another fruitless search. It seemed that no matter how close they got to the Master, he still managed to elude their grasp.

But maybe that was a good thing, the Time Lord thought to himself as he walked slowly down the flight of steps he'd run up to see if there were any rooms above the ones they'd already searched. There hadn't been any; there was only the empty space of a long corridor.

He was so sure that the Master had been here; he could almost feel the other man's presence, feel the Master laughing at him from a distance, mocking his inability to see what was more than likely right in front of his face.

He knew what the Master would say. He had become soft from loving a human; he'd let his emotions take over his common sense. He'd lost his edge, and he had become so enamored of the human race that he should no longer call himself a Gallifreyan.

How many times had he heard all of those things before? Too many, he told himself, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. They had never been true in the past, and they weren't true now. He was a Gallifreyan -- in spite of his half-human heritage.

That was something that he'd never denied, had never wanted to deny. It had been one of the many things that had set him apart from everyone else -- even when he'd wanted to be just like them. And for a long time, he'd hated the side of himself that was human.

It had been a long time since he'd felt like that, he reflected, his steps slowing as he neared the bottom of the steps. Now, he embraced the human side of himself -- and he would do anything within his ability to protect the planet that humans called their own.

"I really thought he'd be here," Ianto sighed as he emerged from the hallway that he'd gone down in search of the renegade Time Lord. "It was almost like I could feel him the moment we stepped out of the Tardis. He was here. That's obvious."

"Yes, he was," the Doctor agreed with a sigh of his own. "But he's long gone now, I'm afraid. He weren't quick enough -- or else, he knew just where we were, and how long it would take for us to get here. He's teasing us, Ianto. He's leading us a merry chase."

"The question is why," Ianto murmured as he leaned against the wall, pressing his cheek against the brightness of the yellow paint. That color almost made the Doctor blink; he didn't think he'd ever seen anything so bright in his life, at least not painted on a wall.

"I'm sure he has his reasons -- and I know him well enough to know that they won't be apparent until he points them out in his own inimitable way," the Doctor muttered, feeling irritated and helpless. It seemed that this time around, the Master was always one step ahead into the future.

Maybe that would stop once they got to Earth and talked to Jack and the rest of the Torchwood team, he told himself, feeling his spirits lift a bit at the thought. He didn't usually like asking for help, but this time, it seemed inevitable that he would have to.

They had to catch up to the point where the Master had gotten away from them -- and somehow, to get one step ahead of him for a change. It wasn't going to be easy; it might not even be possible. But they had no choice but to try.

If they didn't .... then there was no telling how much worse things would get, both for himself and for Ianto. Their dreams were still disturbed, and even though they didn't seem as virulently horrifying all the time, they weren't getting any easier to stomach.

Of course, he had no absolute, concrete proof that the Master was causing those dreams -- but he knew that it was true. Something this subtle, this insidious, could only be caused by someone who knew him well. And, unfortunately, no one knew him better than the Master.

No, that wasn't entirely true, he thought, brightening at the realization. Ianto knew him much, much better than the Master ever could. Ianto had become a part of his hearts and soul in a way that the Master had never been, and could never hope to be.

He was bonded to Ianto. This was the man he had given all of himself to -- and that was obviously what had brought the Master's desire for revenge to a boiling point. The fact that the Doctor had chosen to bond with a human, rather than with him.

With another sigh, he reached for Ianto's hand, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Let's get back to the Tardis and head for Earth," he told his boyfriend, casting a final glance around them. "It's more than obvious that he's not here. We would have had some sign by now."

"Unless he's trying to hide from us -- and mocking the fact that we can't find him," Ianto said with a frown. "But I don't think that's the case. I think he's eluded us again, Doctor. We'll just have to keep looking -- and hope that we find him before he causes a disaster."

"Somehow, I think that may be much more easily said than done," the Doctor murmured, following Ianto out of the building. He glanced behind him once, back at the bright yellow walls, hoping that they could give him any of the answers that he sought.

But of course, they couldn't. They merely seemed to stare back at him with blank faces; he knew that they had seen the person he was hunting for, but they couldn't tell him what he needed to know. He still had no idea where the Master was headed next.

They would find the other man, the Doctor vowed. And whatever he was up to, they would stop him. He wouldn't be worthy of calling himself a Time Lord if he couldn't achieve that, with or without anyone's help. He always had in the past -- and this time would be no exception to that rule.

***