Doctor Who_ Illegal Alien - Mike Tucker [28]
The Cyberman reentered the gloomy laboratory. There was no sign of the two humanoids. It pulled the stubby tube of its Cyberweapon from the housing under its chest panel.
Internal processors switched its visual circuits to infrared and it began to sweep back and forth across the room.
Ultrasensitive audio receptors could hear sounds of movement from the far side of the laboratory and the Cyberman began to move towards them, pushing benches and equipment out of the way. There was another noise from the gloom of the lab. The Cyberman triggered the stud on its gun and bolt after bolt of energy surged across the room.
Ace clamped her hands over her ears as her hiding place was torn apart. Wooden splinters showered around her as the energy beams shattered the bench.
The noise stopped. The Cyberman continued its remorseless advance. Ace waited until the Cyberman was almost level with her, and then leapt into the open. She pressed the flash of her camera right up against the Cyberman's face plate and pressed the trigger.
The flash lit up the laboratory, momentarily overloading the Cyberman's infrared sensors. It staggered backward.
'Now, McBride! Now!'
Ace was hurled to one side as the Cyberman lashed blindly out at her. Internal computers transferred optical circuits to battle conditions and the Cyberman tried to reestablish a target. There was suddenly a dazzling plume of light as the flame of an oxyacetylene torch arced through the darkness.
McBride lunged at the Cyberman, sweeping the flame down and slicing through the stubby Cybergun. It exploded in a shower of sparks. Dodging the lethal, chopping arms, McBride swept the flame back up the length of the towering figure, and the lab was lit up in an orange glare as its trench coat caught light and the towering monster was turned into a pillar of flame.
'Way to go, McBride!' Ace was ecstatic.
'Don't get your hopes up, kid' McBride nodded over at the Cyberman. Although the clothes were burning, the creature itself was completely unscathed. It tore off the burning garments, scattering them over the lab. Ace and McBride dived for cover as the Cyberman lifted one of the heavy workbenches and hurled it towards them.
In the reception area of the Peddler building the young army corporal staggered to his feet, leaning on his rifle for support. He shook his aching head, trying to lose some of the grogginess. What the hell had happened? He brushed at his uniform. He was covered in a thin layer of white powder, like talc. Some of the dust caught at the back of his throat and he coughed violently. He remembered the white mist pouring from under the door. Gas! He'd been gassed. They were under attack! As if to reinforce the fact, there was suddenly the sound of breaking furniture from the lab. He punched the fire alarm with the butt of his rifle.
Wall was sitting in the cab of the truck, rocking back and forth, murmuring happily to himself when the sound of the alarm tore through the evening air. He shot upright in his seat, his head twitching in panic. 'Something's gone wrong'
He turned to the Cyberman crammed into the passenger seat alongside him. 'Get that alarm off!' The Cyberman squeezed itself out of the cab and lumbered towards the building, rain streaming off its silver casing.
In the reception area the young corporal heard the crunch of heavy boots on gravel. He struggled with the latch of the front door, eager to hand responsibility to some senior authority figure. But the door was torn from his hands as...
something hurled it open. The soldier backed away from the advancing silver monstrosity, raising his rifle with shaking hands. 'I'll shoot! I mean it.'
The thing reached for its gun and the young soldier unleashed a barrage of shots at point blank range. The silver