The request nudged him from his contemplation a bit, and he lifted his head, bewildered and resentful, to look at her.

He could just leave her here, he realized not for the first time. He was not the one, after all, stripped of clothing and tied to a pillar bare to the elements. It was up to the Master, after all, to decide whether to be merciful.

The song teased at him, worried his brain, and he abruptly pushed himself upright, using mostly the pillar behind her. With a disgusted and embarrassed air he refastened his trousers and pulled the laser screwdriver from the pocket of his overcoat.