Doctor Who_ Attack of the Cybermen - Eric Saward [41]
‘There isn’t any need to sound so surprised,’ he snapped. ‘Especially when I’m feeling so angry.’
‘Angry or not, I might be able to help you.’ Staggering to a box on the far side of the room, she pulled off its already-unfastened lid. ‘It took me days to open this,’ she said, remembering the pain of her effort. ‘And even then I couldn’t do anything with it.’
The Doctor peered inside. ‘What is it?’ he asked, tentively scooping a little white powder onto his finger.
‘Vastial!’ He had not heard the name before. ‘It’s a mineral common in the colder areas of Telos. Not only is it very unstable...’ The Doctor rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, feeling its rough uneven texture. ‘... but you have enough on your fingers to blow your hand off.’
Frantically brushing his hands free of the powder, he gave Flast a particularly sour look. ‘Though at this temperature,’ she continued sadly, ‘it is quite useless.’
Otherwise the Cybermen wouldn’t have locked us up with it, he thought. The Doctor now felt foolish for not realising this sooner. ‘How hot does it have to get before it becomes unfriendly?’
Flast puckered her lips as she thought for a moment, and not coming to any real conclusion she simply shrugged. ‘Unfortunately I am not a scientist,’ she said carefully, ‘therefore I can’t be certain. But I hear that ten degrees above zero is enough – fifteen and it self-ignites.’
‘Are you certain?’
She was.
Much to Flast’s consternation, a huge smile spread across the Time Lord’s face. He patted his pocket and felt the friendly bulge of the sonic device nestling within.
Suddenly after so many disappointments, it seemed that the situation might turn to his advantage.
Stratton and Bates rushed along the ducting, their tireless limbs carrying them faster and further than Lytton and Griffiths could manage without pausing to rest.
‘How much further?’ demanded Stratton.
Lytton consulted a plan displayed on the tiny screen.
‘Not far,’ he said between laboured gasps for breath.
They continued to jog until they reached a vertical shaft of ducting. Bates glance upwards into the gloom. Built into the wall, and extending as far as he could see, was a ladder.
‘Up there?’
Lytton nodded. Bates leapt for the first wrung, caught it, and effortlessly pulled himself up.
‘I’ll take the gun,’ said Lytton, holding out his hand.
Stratton wasn’t certain. ‘I want to act as rear guard while you climb,’ he said indignantly. ‘If you don’t trust me now then we’re all doomed.’
Reluctantly Stratton handed over the Cyber gun. In exchange, Lytton gave him the plan. ‘Now move!’
Like monkeys, Griffith and Stratton swung up onto the ladder and rapidly started to climb.
Aching from the effort of the run, Lytton leaned against the wall for a moment’s rest. Staring into the gloom, back along the ducting they had just travelled, he was pleased to see that it was quiet and deserted. Unfortunately he did not look up at the ceiling above his head. There he would have noticed a tiny lens recording his every movement. This was one of many cameras which had monitored their presence since entering Cyber Control.
Lytton glanced up the horizontal ducting and saw that the ungainly shape of Charlie Griffiths had almost reached the top of the ladder. Taking a last look around, Lytton shouldered the gun and reached for the first wrung. As he did so, a metallic hand came from nowhere, grabbed his leg and savagely pulled him down.
Charlie heard a man scream and looked down.
‘There’s nothing we can do,’ urged Bates, stretching out a helping hand.
Below, in the gloom, Charlie could see the spread-eagled shape of Lytton surrounded by Cybermen. Although he had never liked him, the last thing he would have wished on his worst enemy was being turned into a Cyberman.
Completing his climb, Charlie glanced below once more and saw the Cybermen dragging Lytton to his feet. A moment later he had been taken away.
Stratton indicated that they move off. Reluctantly Charlie followed. He had been paid two million pounds to look after Lytton, but when the crunch actually