A wall. The first shot hit the wall. Maya had pulled herself to her feet, but had hesitated when it hit the wall. The man was fighting with all he had, and fired more into the wall. She moved away, and reached up to the necklace, the ring. ‘Maybe those dreams aren’t dreams.’
Martha had a key, and keys went to places. Maya saw it, before she darted out of the room, within the pocket on the Master’s suit jacket. One deep breath was taken and she walked forward. Another bullet struck the floor so near her foot, so near him, but she walked, knelt at his side, and pinched the chain. She pulled it from his pocket, and she ran.
The Master would no doubt get over his moment, and Maya didn’t want to be anywhere close when he got a grip on himself. ‘But he never—’ Maya wasn’t about to trust it, nor waste time.
She sprinted into the room with the Doctor, trapped and alone as he was in his cage, and came to an abrupt halt before it. “Doctor,” she calmed her voice, though her heart was in her throat, and her breathing erratic from the run. “I don’t have very long, so tell me, what was Martha going to do with this?”
The Doctor fixed her with a hard stare. The guards in the room looked between each other, seeming uncertain what to do. So far as they knew, Maya still had all the authority in the world to do as she liked. “Tick tock, Doctor, really, really don’t have the time. You didn’t want him dead, so tell me—how is everything fixed?”
A very slow understanding found itself on his face. The broken look threatened to show hope. “It opens my TARDIS,” the voice hadn’t been used in days, and it was dry. Dehydrated. “Which he turned into a paradox machine. It holds the paradox he created in place.”
Paradox machine? This was not something Maya knew about. “Is it here, on the Valiant?” There was one room she’d never seen.
“Yes, but—” the Doctor was going to say he wasn’t sure what to do about it, but Maya made her decision.
Break the machine, break the paradox. She didn’t think of the consequences to the TARDIS, didn’t care about the consequences as she went running again. She didn't even know exactly what the consequences of ending the paradox would be, but also, didn't care. Perhaps she should have stayed to get more information, but time was not something she had.
And besides, certainly Jack would know something. Right?
She snatched an automatic weapon from one of the other guards with no explanation, and burst right into Jack’s room.
There was a manic grin on her lips, “We have things to do and no time!” She informed him and went about undoing the restraints, quick as she could. She intended to keep the collar on. While the guards were still ignorant, she’d use that to her advantage. Having Jack walk around as he pleased would break that illusion.