Doctor Who_ Attack of the Cybermen - Eric Saward [44]
That was unless the Cyber Controller could change history.
The Doctor leapt over a decaying Cyberman and rounded a corner. A little way ahead was the corridor containing his TARDIS. Skidding to a halt on the frosty floor, he peered into the corridor and saw the mighty portal that was his TARDIS. Standing in front of it was a Cyber guard.
He withdraw his head and considered what to do next.
As he pondered, the door of a tomb behind him slowly opened. A moment later, something was prodded into his back. Raising his hands, the Doctor turned and found that he was staring into the barrel of a Cyber gun. Holding it was Varne.
‘How do you do,’ he said nervously. ‘I’m the Doctor.’
‘Unless you help us, you won’t be for very much longer.’
Her voice was without humour.
From behind Varne, inside the tomb, the Doctor heard the concerned voice of Peri call. ‘You must help them, Doctor, otherwise they will destroy the TARDIS.’
Followed by Rost and two other Cryons, she emerged from the tomb and embraced him. ‘Am I pleased to see you,’ she said with enormous relief. ‘I was afraid you were dead.’
He smiled and gave her a friendly squeeze. ‘You don’t get rid of me so easily,’ he smirked. The Doctor then turned to Varne. Now why do you wish to destroy my TARDIS?’
‘It would be more accurate to say that we do not wish the Cybermen to control it.’
That much he could agree with. ‘How many Cybermen are inside?’
‘We have no way of telling.’
‘Then we must find out.’
The Doctor peered into the tomb behind Peri, but its occupier had long gone. He then moved along the gallery until he came to a tomb with a sealed door. Summoning up all his strength, the Time Lord threw himself against it, but all he managed to do was bruise his shoulder.
Rost stepped forward. ‘Allow me,’ she said, producing a hook-like device. Inserting it into a small slot at the side of the door, she gave it a sharp twist. Slowly it slid open to reveal the hibernating Cyberman.
Feeling a little embarrassed by his empty display of machismo, the Doctor thanked her. He then eased his way into the tomb and started to dismantle the dead Cyberman’s face-plate. Fortunately time and corrosion had done most of the work for him.
‘What are you doing?’ asked Peri.
‘Cybermen have an inbuilt distress signal.’
‘But that thing is dead.’
He nodded. ‘Then it’s a good thing the signal is electronic and not organic.’
With the face-plate removed, the Doctor began to tear out the banks of micro-electronics. He then scooped out the decomposed remains of the Cyberman’s brain, revealing the tiny circuit he was looking for. ‘Now,’ he muttered, searching for its switch, ‘if there is enough residual power...’ He flicked it. ‘You might just transmit.’
They waited and watched, but nothing happened. As usual, Peri was confused. ‘What are you trying to achieve?’
The Doctor stared nervously at the distress beacon. ‘A reaction from inside the TARDIS. Cybermen have one weakness: they will react to the distress of their own kind.’
The Doctor pushed past the Cryons and popped his head into the corridor where the TARDIS was parked.
Much to his delight he saw two Cybermen emerging from the time machine. His trick had worked!
‘Ready or not,’ he whispered to Rost, ‘here they come.’
Rost rapidly barked out her orders and the Cryons dispersed along the gallery, hiding in open tombs, their guns ready for action. The Doctor and Peri followed, lodging themselves with Rost.
‘How many Cybermen are there?’ she asked.
‘Two plus the original guard.’
As they silently waited, frost began to settle on them.
The atmosphere was tense and Peri was convinced that her pounding heart could be heard the length of the gallery.
Suddenly two Cybermen lumbered into the corridor and the Cryons opened fire. The red-hot beams from the laser guns tore into their metal bodies. A moment later they exploded. Varne let out a cheer and ran forward. But before she could reach the smouldering remains of the first Cyberman, the Cyber guard appeared. Caught without cover, Varne started to fire