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The Doctor grabbed at the lead that trailed from the back of the transformer to the wall, and yanked. The whole setup groaned into lifelessness.

He looked down at the Cyberleader.

'I think that's our lot.' he said.

scanning> scanning> signal detected> activate>

locate signal source> signal source located> signal source erratic> estimated distance two miles> scan for hostile life forms> negative> signal source fading> unable to compute route> unable to proceed>

shut down> maintain lowlevel scan>

'But there's so much missing,' the Time Lord sighed.

'Huge amounts of the memory were just erased as he stumbled around the city. He probably didn't even know who he was. An innocent.'

He was sitting in the front room at George Limb's huge oak table, the chess set at his back.

'The killings are all here, in garbled fashion,' the Doctor continued. 'Poor wretches. And before that... It seems that fate has been kind to us after all. He was section leader for a proposed army of sleepers.'

'Sleepers?' George Limb set a tray of tea down on the table.

'Dormant Cybermen, waiting to be revived on a received signal. His job was to prepare for the arrival of the sleepers.

To find a secure hiding place for them and to guard that hiding place from intruders. He was killing people even before this Lurker business, Mr Limb. He was just doing it less spectacularly.'

The Doctor idly rotated the saucer of the teacup that had just been placed in front of him. 'The Peddler factory is my guess.' 'What?' 'The proposed location for the sleeper army.

Given that I'm sure Peddler knew Wall before their meeting.'

'Doctor ' George Limb was shaking his head slowly 'where did they come from? Why are they here?' 'A very good question. According to our metal friend they came here from the far future as a result of a timetravel experiment.' 'Doctor...

time travel...' The old man's eyes were alight.

'Time travel, yes. the Doctor snapped, irked at the interruption. 'I thought they had evolved themselves again. It seems that their grasp of timetravel technology in the thirtieth century still isn't up to much. They're stranded here Mr Limb.

Earth, 1940.'

'This is really... well... it's all too much, Doctor.'

'Are you saying you don't believe me?'

'No, no,' Limb expostulated. 'Not at all, Doctor. Please, go on.'

"They did what they usually do when their numbers are low. They set up a production plant. They started turning humans into Cybermen on their filthy machines.'

'It's difficult to imagine, Doctor.' Limb sounded aghast.

'It's not so difficult, Mr Limb. Look at what's going on in Europe. And it's barely begun over there, believe me. The real horrors are yet to come.'

'I tend to agree, Doctor. I had ample opportunity to study the rise of Herr Hitler when I was at the Foreign Office.

Domination by conquest will never be enough for him, no matter how many victories he wins. He will always have to find another enemy. I honestly believe the man will stop at nothing until he has destroyed the world.'

And if he gets his hands on Cybertechnology he probably will. You see what we're up against, Mr Limb. Quite apart from the Cybermen themselves.'

A future technology has arrived in our midst. With all that that promises and threatens.' Limb rhapsodised.

'At the moment there's not much in the way of promise.

The threats are overwhelming. A future technology has arrived in our midst in the middle of a war. All sides are desperate for victory...'

'No side will hesitate to inflict the full force of this new technology on its enemy. I know. One of the things you notice in the service of government is how history speeds up during times of conflict. Another is how scruples go out of the window. In truth, that is why I left the civil service, Doctor.

That is why I kidnapped the beast. That is why I have told no one else about this, Doctor. Not even Ace.'

'You're a brave man, Mr Limb.' said the Doctor. 'And farsighted. In one way, though, the war is helpful to us.'

George Limb blinked