Doctor Who_ Attack of the Cybermen - Eric Saward [39]
‘Almost,’ said Lytton.
‘You want to see what Cybermen do?’ Stratton snarled.
While Bates picked up the Cyber gun, Stratton removed a glove then rolled up his tunic sleeve, revealing a robotic arm.
Feeling suddenly ill, Charlie stared at the wire tendons and metal bones. ‘How much of you is...’ His voice trailed away as though too embarrassed to go on.
‘Arms and legs.’ The sleeve was rolled down. ‘Their conditioning process doesn’t always work, so you finish up only partially Cybernised.’
‘You mean you’re sort of rejects?’
Bates grunted. ‘That’s one way of putting it.’
Charlie felt even worse. ‘Will they do that to me?’
‘Only if we’re caught,’ said Lytton smugly. ‘And I don’t intend to let that happen.’
‘What makes you so certain?’ sniggered Stratton. ‘We had no problems in taking you.’
‘That’s because I wanted you to.’
‘Oh, yeah,’ he jeered.
Lytton smiled. ‘We’re here to help you...’
Neither of the men could believe his arrogance, but Lytton ploughed on regardless. ‘What if I tell you we want to help you steal back your time vessel?’
Suddenly the jeering stopped and Bates angrily jabbed the gun into Lytton’s back. ‘Who told you we’re after that?’
he demanded.
‘You are Stratton and Bates?’ Their expressions answered for them. ‘There’s no mystery how I know who you are,’ he continued. ‘The Cryons told me.’ Lytton was back in control of the situation. ‘I also know they encouraged you to escape. And since the third member of your crew was killed, I am here to help you operate your ship.’
Stratton shifted his feet uneasily. ‘We don’t need you.’
Lytton pulled the electronic device from his pocket. ‘I think you do,’ he said, holding it up.
Bates snatched it. ‘What is it?’
‘It contains a safe route to your ship.’ Slowly Lytton lowered his aching arms, knowing that if they accepted his story, he would not be asked to raise them again.
‘All right,’ said Bates, handing back the device, ‘show us.’ He pointed his gun at Lytton’s head. ‘But any tiny hint of deception and you’re both dead.’ Charlie gulped in a silly, melodramatic fashion. ‘Now lead on!’
Charlie and Lytton turned back to face both the grille and the wind. Now behind them, their thin, spindly shadows appeared like sinister, mocking spectres waiting to witness death. Slowly, as though suddenly very tired, the four men moved off.
Apart from wanting to escape, Peri was also becoming concerned about the Doctor. For all she knew he was dead, killed by a marauding Cyberman. If that were so she could be trapped on Telos for the rest of her life. The thought did not appeal, especially as the climate was so cold.
Peri started to scan the enormous bank of monitors. As they seemed to cover almost every part of the underground city, she wondered if they could locate her friend.
Cautiously she ambled to where Varne and Rost were working at a nearby console. On a VDU she saw the mighty portal that was the TARDIS’ current image. ‘Hey!’
she said pointing at the screen. ‘That’s where we landed.’
Varne watched as Rost again played the mother-hen.
‘Come, child,’ she bustled. ‘You should be resting.’
Peri resisted being herded back to her ledge. ‘There isn’t time,’ she protested. ‘I have a friend – the Doctor. I need to know if he’s safe.’
Varne punched up the image of the Time Lord onto a screen. ‘He’s alive, but in Cyber Control,’ she said.
Peri was delighted. ‘Could we rescue him?’
Varne shook her head. ‘To enter that place would mean certain death.’
Turning from the screen, Peri walked back dejectedly to where she had been sitting. ‘What about the other people I arrived with?’
‘They are in the tombs,’ lied Varne. ‘We are searching for them now.’
Sitting down, she pulled the blanket tightly around her.
She felt sad and miserable. The nightmare that she might one day be trapped on an alien planet was on the verge of being realised. Not knowing what to do, she began to review recent events. Everything seemed to have happened so quickly that she felt confused about everything.