Doctor Who_ Attack of the Cybermen - Eric Saward [30]
‘Not when you build refrigerated cities with the ingenuity the Cryons did. Mind you,’ he added reflectively,
‘they needed to as they couldn’t live in temperatures above zero.’
Peri chilled at the thought of such an icy existence. ‘But why did the Cybermen suddenly need the cold?’
‘Hibernation, Peri... For some reason they needed to rest. Don’t ask me why.’ He waved a hand in the direction of the door. ‘You’d have to ask our tin friends for the full story.’
Peri still wasn’t satisfied. ‘It doesn’t make sense,’ she persisted. ‘Why didn’t they hibernate on their own planet?’
The Doctor glanced awkwardly at Lytton.
‘Well...?’ she urged, sensing there was something wrong.
‘That’s right...’ Charlie echoed Pet-i’s concern. ‘What’s going on?’
And for the third time that day, Lytton’s face cracked to produce a smile. ‘Yes, Doctor,’ he grinned, knowing the embarrassment involved, ‘what is the matter...?’
In the console room, the Cyber Leader had just finished reading the coded message from his base on Telos. ‘Fetch the Time Lord,’ he hissed to a guard. ‘Fetch him at once...’
Peri stood in front of the Doctor with arms folded across her chest. ‘Well?’ she insisted. ‘We’re all waiting.’
Again he cleared his throat, this time with far less confidence. ‘It’s a complicated story,’ he mumbled.
Peri smiled. ‘But I’m sure you can explain it simply.’
The Doctor scowled at her. ‘Mondas,’ he said awkwardly, ‘was the Cybermen’s planet.’
Lytton interupted mischievously. ‘Tell them what happened to it,’ he said.
‘I’m coming to that!’
‘Tell them how it was destroyed.’
The Doctor ground his teeth and angrily contorted his face, the only effect being to make Lytton laugh. ‘You’re enjoying this,’ he growled.
‘It’s not often I have the opportunity to watch a time Lord squirm.’
Peri was becoming annoyed. ‘Are you going to tell me what happened to Mondas, Doctor?’ He didn’t want to.
‘Well...?’ she insisted.
‘It blew up.’
‘How?’
The Doctor didn’t reply.
‘It blew up while attacking Earth.’ There was a certain gleeful tone in Lytton’s voice. ‘That’s why he didn’t want to tell you.’
The Time Lord was angry. ‘Take no notice of him,’ he urged. ‘He’s just trying to unnerve you. Your planet survived the attack.’
But Peri wouldn’t be distracted. ‘Then why were you reluctant to tell us?’
Embarrassed, he turned away. ‘I didn’t want to upset you.’
Lytton snorted. ‘Ask him when the attack happened.’
The Doctor glared at Lytton, and for a moment was tempted to stick the sonic lance in him.
‘Well, Doctor?’ she demanded.
He tried to prevaricate, but Peri remained insistent.
‘Nineteen eighty-six,’ he muttered.
Charlie was horrified. ‘That’s next year!’
As simple arithmetic mitigated against him, there was little the Doctor could do but agree.
‘There must be something you can do,’ urged Peri forcefully. ‘Inform Earth? Tell them what’s going to happen?’
He waved a hand, indicating the locked door. ‘From here?’ the Doctor shook his head. ‘How can I do anything?
I’m a prisoner.’
Lytton tut-tutted. ‘Even if you were free you couldn’t transgress the Laws of Time. The High Council of Gallifrey would destroy you if you did.’
The Doctor put his arm gently around Peri’s shoulder.
‘Don’t worry about it. Earth survived with minimal damage. It’s an historical fact.’
After having done so well, Charlie had finally lost the thread of the conversation. ‘How can it be an historical fact when it hasn’t happened yet?’
Lytton despaired. ‘It’s part of the Web of Time,’ he said.
‘It’s always happened; always will happen; the Universe would be destroyed if it didn’t happen. Do you understand now?’ Frantically, Charlie shook his head. ‘It’s the same with the Cryons: they have always been destroyed, as they must and always will be.’
Charlie still didn’t understand. In his mind history always meant the past. However Lytton turned it upside down, it would always remain so. It had to. For Charlie was confused enough without having to cope with the reversal of received