Prologue
A puddle of oily water splashed up onto the surrounding road as the battered blue van sped through it down the streets of Paris. The van almost flickered in and out of reality as it passed under street lights, was briefly illuminated, then plunged back into early morning darkness again. The two men sitting in the van were not nervous despite having undertaken an especially dangerous task, they were going to fight, fight for what was right, fight for their lost friends and most importantly, in Mickey's mind, fight for Rose, he had a sense she would see this universe again and he would make sure it was rid of Cybus Industries and he had liberated all remaining Cyberman factories by the time she did.
Mickey's partner, Jake, was half in shadow, his face lit by the multitude of lights that was the dashboard's many buttons, dials and screens. He was in the process of taking his AK-47 apart before meticulously polishing it, checking the parts for signs of warping then putting the gun back together. Jake was not as personally involved as Mickey, he did not know Rose or that weird doctor but despite this lack of intimacy he was still determined because he knew the true horror committed under the name of Cybus Industries and because this damn company had caused the deaths of his brief friends; Ricky, Mrs Moore, thin Jimmy and so many others.
As Jake stowed the gun away the van took a sharp left turn, went up a short driveway and crunched to a halt on the uneven gravel forecourt; a stylised C shaped logo fixed Mickey and Jake in an accusatory stare.
Chapter 1
"We need to sneak in, like wear a costume" suggested Mickey
"Well if you have an empty Cyberman shell lying about be my guest" said Jake,
"They're not all converted, we'll just be a scientist or something" Mickey decided,
" You as a scientist!" Snorted Jake,
"Just watch me, I've picked up a lot of that techno babble".
"I could bring my AK" Jake said pointing in the direction of the gun,
"That would be so subtle, anyway we're hopefully just snooping around the place, see if anything's happening"
Mickey and Jake cautiously moved over to a side entrance, the better to observe the staff entering through the doors 100 meters to the right. They saw that every one of the Cybus factory workers had been issued with an electronic security pass that allowed them to enter the building; they would need one if they wished to proceed. After 10 minutes the stream of employees had thinned and Mickey and Jake decided to make their move soon.
"I run forwards, stun her and then you steel her pass" said Jake pointing at a tall middle aged lady,
"Stun her with what?"
"With this, top of the line, only several hundred like it" said Jake enthusiastically, holding up a pistol like taser,
"It's a bit small isn't it! Don't we have anything, you know, better" asked Mickey, his nervousness starting to show,
"Excuse me it's was one of Mrs Moore's favourites, she swore by it" Jake replied,
"Fair enough" said Mickey, before muttering "still, fat lot of use it did her"
"Pardon?" Said Jake,
"Oh nothing" Mickey answered.
The figure of Jake proceeded to run across the gravel towards the woman and point the taser in her face, she reacted with surprising force and struck out at him with a balled fist. Mickey heard a sickening crunch as her hand connected with Jake's nose, he rushed forwards and tried to subdue her as Jake reeled backwards, his arms spinning, silhouetted against the morning sky. He grabbed and restrained her as Jake quickly recovered and hastily pulled the short pointy trigger, before propelling the electrified barbs into her exposed, elongated neck. With a spasm the woman crumpled to the ground,
"Bitch" said Jake, wiping at his bleeding nose,
"Don't blame her, you attacked her" said Mickey,
"Well she deserved it, Cyber creep".
Mickey reached down to her body, opened her wallet, and retrieved the prize this had all been for; a metal grey swipe card, about 5 by 3 cm in diameter.
"Wow!" He shouted, giving Jake a slap on the back,
"Keep it down you idiot" Jake snapped,,
"Oh yeah, sorry, wow" whispered Mickey sardonically.
"What should we do with her body?"
"These" Jake said triumphantly, producing two familiar capsules.
"Another of Mrs Moore's baby's? asked Mickey,
"Nah, these came from my mate Chrissy, she's a bit of an anarchist but good at her job"
"What do they do?"
" They're modified Cybus Industries ear pods, they emit an energy wave that keeps the wearer asleep" explained Jake,
"Let's hope they last long enough" said Mickey before dragging the woman into a dense bush and letting Jake slip the ear pods in.
Chapter 2
Trying to look as if they should be there the duo scuttled into the cyber factory lobby. Micky had held onto the woman's security pass whereas Jake put her coat on because, according to him, it looked "official". They approached a receptionist sitting at a desk opposite them.
"Do you know French?" Jake asked Mickey,
"No, but I have a hunch, just watch".
"You trainees?" The man barked,
"We are" said Mickey, remembering the security pass "here to see Mrs Tennent",
"She's not here, never checked in" said the receptionist bluntly,
"You go find Mr Porter, he'll sort you out" continued the man,
"Scan your pass here" he said holding out an electronic pad.
Mickey ran the stolen pass along the pad and heard a satisfying beep in response, to his relief the man was too lazy to look at the image brought up on his monitor by swiping the card.
"Proceed" he said dully.
Mickey turned to Jake and realised his friend would not be able to follow him,
"I must have lost my pass" said Jake, making a show of checking his pockets,
"No pass no entry" stated the receptionist,
"How about I go find Mr Porter then he'll come and help you?" suggested Mickey,
"Sit there"
"Sure" Jake said anxiously, "I'll wait here" he said taking a seat in the foyer.
Chapter 3
Mickey knew immediately what had happened, what had the Doctor called it, the translation matrix, it must have still been working as he had recently travelled in the Tardis, it also explained why Jake had not understood the man, because he had never been in the blue box. Micky rounded a corner and spotted a cavernous, winding staircase and set of to find Mr Porter and do some snooping around.
Feeling confused, Jake obediently sat in the waiting room, how could Mickey speak French and how were the pair supposed to liberate Paris now they were separated. He would have to find a way to acquire a security pass. Covertly glancing into a reflective vase Jake could see that the receptionist was distracted, looking at a printed document. Jake hastily rose from the peeling, laminated chair he was pondering in and rushed towards the metallic grey doors.
Mickey snuck up uniform grey corridors to see if he could find any suspicious activity. He had come across several blank white locked doors and wondered what was hiding behind them. Suddenly a whispering voice came at him,
"And what might you be doing?"
"Nothing", said Mickey, "trying to find Mr Porter",
"How come you are up here then?"
"I'm new, I got lost" stammered Mickey, a little too quickly. The short but slim man gave him a questioning look before demanding "follow me" and walking, Mickey at his heels, down the corridor.
Jake stood, his head bowed by the gate at the entrance to the forecourt. He twiddled his thumbs anxiously as he waited for a worker to enter. Finally one did, a short man in a tweed jacket with his security pass clipped to his belt using a key fob. Jake decided to skip the theatrics this time, his nose a painful reminder of how they went last time. As the man passed the spot where Jake waited Jake jumped out behind him and fired his taser into the base of his skull. Spasmodically shaking, the man keeled over sideways and Jake silently punched the air. Hiding the man in a bush next to the unconscious Mrs Tennent, plugging his ears with pods and taking his security pass Jake hurried across the forecourt and entered the building to try his luck again with the officious receptionist.
As Jake went to push open the door a heavy set man in a brown leather duster pushed past him into the foyer.
Upstairs Mickey followed the man as he was led towards the office of Mr Porter. There was a shout, reminiscent of a distant gunshot, that echoed up the stairs. This peculiar sound was followed by a repetitive drumming as someone ascended towards the foot steps drew closer and closer, the pitch rising in frequency until a muscular man in a brown coat stormed past them and shoulder barged his way into Mr Porter's office.
Chapter 4
Jake carried on through the doors cautiously, and to his horror found the receptionist in some kind of trance, unable to move, what the hell he thought. Jake checked his pulse, found he was alive, then left him slumped in his polythene office chair and began to make his way up the stairs to find Mickey. He steadily ascended the stairs, careful not to make a sound because his pass would not be sufficient identification if someone actually looked at it and thinking that this seemed like a international electromatics plan, the evil bastards.
Covertly waiting with the strange man Mickey was equally as confused as Jake was. The sound of a bolt being slid across Mr Porter's office door only added to his confusion, he thought why would the remains of Cybus Industries show no defence against someone attacking their own company and briefly wished the Doctor was here, he'd know why immediately. As quickly as the thought entered his head Micky shot it down, that dismissive doctor only cared about Rose and would just move the focus onto them, he was nothing more then a tin dog to the doctor..
Micky suddenly spun around having heard a second set of footsteps rising up the stairs, "not another one" said the man escorting him, Micky braced himself, preparing for the conflict that may insure when he came face to face with whoever was coming up the stairs. The slow, even steps tapped towards Micky until finally it sounded as though they were almost on his level. A dark looming silhouette rose towards him and walked into the light, It was Jake, his heart eased.
Thinking fast Jake restrained himself from greeting Micky as a friend as he did not want to reveal them to the man with Micky.
"The man, the receptionist, what happens?" Splutter Jake to the pair,
"Excuse me? Replied the confused man in French,
"Oh yeah" muttered Jake realising the man with Micky could not understand him,
"He doesn't know French, he said that something has happened to the receptionist" said Micky, somehow in French again,
"Bugger!" The man exclaimed before running for with a surprising lack of dexterity for someone who looked so nimble, twisting the door knob, then finally rapping his balled hand on the locked door. No sound came in response to the knocking, Micky and Jake edged a little closer to the enraged man.
He ejaculated in French "why going on, they should have told me if there's an emergency drill",
"I don't think it a drill" said Mickey, having understood the man "let me have a listen". Mickey pushed past the angry man and put his ear to the dark door, he heard nothing then beckoned Jake over to him. The pair listened but again heard nothing, then as they were about to stop and look for other ways to find out what was going on a monotone, metallic voice rang out "reactivation complete, delete" the frightened duo turned to each other and gasped one word "cybers" followed by the imperative "run!"
I.
There was light being picked up by my retina sensors, a panicked scrambling was heard by the device mounted to my metal head. Everything was cold in here, so cold, it didn't bother me. I was in a harness threaded with wires in a dark room, with a computer on a table to my left, why had I been powered up, why was I alive? This question was answered when I became aware of an organic life form cowering at the feet of my imposing form.
"You work for Cybus Industries? it enquired,
"Yes" my voice was unusual, a robotic drone, I thought it was completely normal,
"Can you carry out the unfinished plan?
"Yes"
I tore out of my harness with unexpected strength.
"Stop, what are you doing!" the man shouted,
"The plan, you will be upgraded."
This was why I was alive, to upgrade humans.
Chapter 5
The man protested when Mickey and Jake pushed him,
"Come on, have you any idea how much danger we're in?" Demanded the pair,
"I'm sure we're not in danger, the company has it all in control" he answered,
"Since when do corporations care about the little people, we're nothing to them, I'm willing to bet when they hear what's happening they'll be running to hide" said Jake passionately
"Not Cybus Industries, they value every single worker,
"Doesn't mean they won't abandon you when the time comes" added Jake.
Mickey cut off the mans retort,
"We can argue later, now we need to get out of here,"
All of a sudden there was a load crunching sound coming from the end of the corridor, the office door had been ripped of its hinges and shredded into pieces, it was thrown down into a corner revealing the silver, angular form of a Cyberman a terrifying picture framed in the remains of the door liner.
See what your company does to those it "cares" about?", said Mickey "we have to get away from here."
Chapter 6
"Where's somewhere safe?" demanded Jake,
"This room" said the man, pointing at the fourth generic white door they passed "it's the lab where they experiment with radiation, the walls are thick, it won't get through,"
"How can you tell, they all look the same" asked Mickey,
"Guess" interjected the man before swiping his pass over the pad then pulling the pair into the room after him.
They were in a white room, a plinth in the middle, a cylindrical see through experiment tube on an extendable arm tucked out the way, attached to the ceiling. All around the walls were lined with computers and shelves baring a variety of scientific instruments. There was a sterile, clean smell that masked any hints of what cruel experiments had happened here.
The three panted as they hid in this apparent safe haven. Jake caught his breath first and feeling (slightly annoyed) said
"What's the plan now, there's only one way out?"
"Well we're safe for now, then we can reason with it" said the man, Jake and Mickey were astounded, no one could reason with these emotionless metal terrors.,
"Everyone wants something, we just have to give it what it wants" he continued,
"Make friends with a Cyberman" laughed Jake "good luck with that",
"I don't see why not, anyway what else can we do?",
"They're emotionless cyborgs, they brain has been cut out of their bodies and shoved into that shell, they've been programmed to upgrade us all and if we resist they'll delete us" explained Mickey "that's why it's pointless reasoning with them, they want to get rid of us not help us."
A few tense seconds passed in which Jake and Mickey kept glancing at each other as if they were attempting to telepathically communicate and work out a plan, when to their surprise the man spoke.
"They can't be emotionless, they are probably just repressed, it's our duty to help them as equal sentient beings",
"Ahh!"shouted Jake, "can't you just accept we're right?"
"No, Cybus Industries would not, they could not have done something this awful, I need to talk to it",
"Why?" shouted Jake "why is it so hard to see that this company you love is run by evil sadists?"
"Because it's not!" The man shouted, before backing away and unlocking the door,
"No, it's suicide" called Mickey and Jake before the man opened the door and went out to face the machine.
II.
I felt determined, I'm not sure why, I had to make all like me, to set them free. A figure walked in front of me, another human that needed saving from emotion.
"You don't want this" he said "let me help you",
I was confused, help me, help me why?
"Why?" I commanded,
"To help you become like me, like all emotional beings"
"And why would I want to be like you?" I said,
"You don't have to be like me, you can be like anyone you want, someone brave, someone angry, someone scared"
"Are you scared?"
"Yes, yes I am".
I thought for a second then I said,
"Why would I want to be controlled by emotions like you, I could set you free from your fear"
"He was right, I can't win" the man gasped "I'd never want to be like you",
"Then you will be deleted".
My arm reached out towards his cowering form and my fingers closed around his shoulder, 5000 volts shot down my arm and erupted out of my fingertips; the man screamed, spasmed, then collapsed to the pale blue vinyl floor.
Chapter 7
Mickey and Jake did not have time to see the man crumple to the floor, they were running, running towards the gaping dark mouth that was the landing above the staircase. As they ran they were taunted by the flashes of uniform white doors, each one offering temporary safety. The thuds of the Cyberman's footsteps were increasing in volume as it moved towards them.
"Downstairs! We can lock it in" panted Mickey,
"That won't stop it, anyway there's bound to be another way out"
"What else can we do, we don't want to die like, wait what was his name?"
"I don't know, but even if it was stupid how he tried to reason with it, at least it helped us escape" "we owe him" Jake replied.
The pair reached the stairs and leapt down them, away from the pursuing monstrosity. Barging through the doors separating the stairwell from the waiting room Jake and Mickey almost ran into the now conscious, angry, receptionist.
"What did you do?" spat the man "I could report you".
"We didn't do anything, I promise" stammered Mickey giving Jake a worried look, "sir you have to run" Mickey replied,
"Something knocked me out, I've never seen you before, I blame you",
"We, we didn't" spluttered Mickey backing away,
"I bet you robbed the place too, John Lumics money is for Cybus Industries not for you",
Jake suddenly shouted "All that money going to one man, it's wrong",
"Cybus Industries helps people with that money"
"Yes, it helps John Lumic",
"Why?"
"He's dead" said Jake "same as you'll be soon.
Jake raised a hand from his pocket " are you threatening me?" said the man before a jagged beam of orange light burst from the adapted ear pod in Jake's fingers and engulfed the man. The man reeled, then fell backwards onto the checked blue carpet,
"No more left" muttered Jake,
"No more what?" asked Mickey,
"These pods, I only had three"
"And how did you make it shoot like that?" enquired Mickey,
"Overloaded it, I made it emit all its power at once".
"He's alive?"
"Only knocked out" answered Jake, turning around and locking the door behind them.
Turning towards Mickey Jake seemed to know what he was about to be asked
"How can they understand you, this guy and the one upstairs both did?"
"I think it's got something to do with the Cybers" he replied,
Continuing, Jake said " they use like a telepathic link so that everything speaks the same language and they can understand them all, right?"
"Yeah they change people with it before talking to them",
"Well" said Jake "I think as the Cyberman has seen me I'm someone it wants to talk to and it's made me able to speak to it and understand it, I can speak French!"
"Shit, that's crazy" said Mickey,
"No more crazy than what you've told me about the Doctor",
"I guess, regeneration is pretty crazy" said Mickey. All of a sudden there was a booming noise coming from the stairs,
""We need to hide" said a panicked Mickey,
"Where?" Countered Jake,
"Outside, it's our best, sort off plan", the pair grabbed the receptionist before unceremoniously dragging him outside.
III.
My retina scanners picked up the descent that was the staircase. Slowing down, steadily I stood at the apex of the slope, I carefully stomped down, going from step to step, each time my foot hit the step a loud boom rang out as if it they were alarm bells that alerted anyone nearby; I was coming, upgrading was coming. A locked door blocked my way, I knew this would only momentarily delay me. I pulled back my arm and let it fly forwards straight into the door hinge, demolishing it. The door fell inwards with the sound of splintering wood echoing around the hall and I barged through the clouds of disturbed dust and proceeded into the waiting room.
The room was empty, my unwilling candidates had left, there was a thin beam of light refracting through the front door window illuminated a chair that had been knocked over onto the checked blue carpet. Someone had recently been through this way, of course this could have happened ages ago but I was willing to bet that it had been caused recently by someone not paying attention. I had to go this way, I had to find those I hunted. The door was heavy duty, thicker then the one at the bottom of tHe staircase, a saw extended from my arm and I began to cut it down.
Chapter 8
"Let me go!" moaned the semi conscious receptionist "this is against my human rights",
"Human rights, you won't be human much longer if you don't hurry up" laughed Jake,
"But, but, ok" the man stammered.
The trio went over to the bushes where Mrs Tennent and the man whose identity Jake had stolen lay.
"There's two now?" Asked Mickey in surprise, he had only been aware of them knocking out Mrs Tennent,
"Yeah, I needed this one's ID" answered Jake,
""Good grief" muttered the receptionist.
There was a high whining noise as Jake knelt down and removed the ear pods from the short man in tweed before suddenly his eyelids shot up and he gingerly began to move his arms.
"Brian, funny seeing you here" mumbled the receptionist "Brian you have to help, I'm being kidnapped by these mad men"
"Brian is it?" "We're not mad we're helping you escape these crazy robots who want to remove everything you are, make you all the same" said Mickey,
"to be fair their their already all the same, the same cloths, hair and routing" added Jake,
"Not helpful Jake, shut up with your anti conformist views"
Taking two steps forward Jake set to work reviving Mrs Tennent who looked particularly cold lying on the short, damp grass Beneath the bushes, Jake regretted taking her coat. Now more aware of his surroundings Brian looked very confused,
"Where am I?" he asked,
So as to not anger him Micky lied, "you were attacked, we brought you here"
"Attacked, by what?"
"I told you, the robots, who want to make everybody like them"
"That can't be true, can it?"
"It is, let us help you" interrupted Jake having just awoken Mrs Tennent,
"Why, who even are you?" Brian uttered,
"We're the Preachers, here to remove any trace of Cybus Industries " announced Jake.
"Who?" started Brian, before Mrs Tennent made him pause, by asking
"Your what?!"
"Oh Rebecca you're here too" pointed out the receptionist,
"We're the Preachers" said Mickey, "we're saving you"
IV.
The door was deadlocked, it would take a while longer to cut through. I was concentrating, concentrating hard on completing my objective. Bits of saw dust were flying backwards as my saw cut away at the door, a memory came to me, I was trapped, a harness holding me of the ground. I didn't like the memory, I had never had memories before, I was wrong, a true Cyberman would never feel dislike; what was happening to me? My saw juddered as it ground to a halt, I had cut through. I raised my arms and launched my fists at the door flew several meters across the grimy forecourt.
Chapter 9
A hulking silver man, at least it looked like a man, emerged through a newly formed jammed hole in the entrance room wall,
"Bloody hooligans" muttered the receptionist,
"It the Cyberman!" shouted Mickey, "Jake you get everybody to safety",
"What about you, will you be ok?"
"If we want to liberate Paris we're gonna need a martyr",
"No, you can't! We're a team, we have to stay together"
"I have to try and stop it, to save all of you,"
"I've already lost so many Friends" said Jake " I can't lose another",
"You've already lost Ricky once, this will be the same again",
"You're not Ricky, you said so yourself"
"I survived beating the Cybermen once" said Mickey "perhaps I'll do it again"
"your gonna definitely do this aren't you"
"Yes"
"Then I'll follow your orders" said Jake " you lot, follow me" he told the Cybus Industries staff "and Micky, good luck" Jake said before turning and leading everyone away.
V.
A single dark figure stood in my way, The four other humans were moving hastily towards the exit of the car park.
"Stop" the human shouted at me, he needed to join me, to become like me, become a Cyberman. Almost unwillingly I heard my voice ring out in its robotic drone,
"Come with me for upgrading"
"Why would I want to be like you?" he asked rhetorically,
"I'm pure, I don't bare the burden of emotions",
"We need emotions, they make us who we are",
"No you don't, you need upgrading".
What was I saying? Part of me knew this was right and the way forwards but part of me disagreed and believed emotions were important; this side seemed more powerful right now.
The dark figure dodged around me during my moment of confusion and ran away from the other human, back into the Cybus Industries factory, my prison.
Chapter 10
The doors were lying where the Cyber man had flung them on the gravel. Looking over his shoulder Micky saw the monstrous creation moving towards him, he was utterly terrified of it but had to lead it away from Jake and the others, far away. The waiting room was a mess, chairs tipped over, windows broken and a fine layer of sawdust covering the blue checked carpet. To his relief the door leading to the stairwell had evidently not been set to auto lock after it was used. Allowing himself a momentary glance behind him Mickey saw the smooth, reflective Cyberman entering though the demolished door, he pushed through the unlocked door and proceeded to ascend the stairs.
Mickey's footsteps made a light pat as he ran up the echoing staircase, this contrasted massively with the Cyberman's bass like foot falls, they were nothing alike, at least for now. He burst through the door at the top of the stairs and leapt onto the pale blue vinyl. The body of the unknown man was lying prone on the floor. A gruesome sight on the innocent looking carpet. Mickey forced himself to look away from the body and consoled himself with the thought that he was not to blame for the mans death, it was his own stubbornness that got him killed. Moving on a few metres past the standard white doors, Mickey heard the pneumatic stomps of the Cyberman reaching the door and entering the passageway. The silver menace raised its arm and to Mickey's horror he saw that it was armed with an inbuilt wrist cannon.
VI.
Orange bolts of energy shot from the grey, pen like gun that had previously been concealed in my arm. The human ran forward and hid in the room with a demolished door in which I had been trapped. Steadily moving forwards I approached the room but stopped in my tracks at the sight of my second kill. His eyes were empty, I had eradicated all life, a single oily tear rolled out the hollow socket in my face and trickled down my cold cheek. I realised that I had ceased firing my gun but felt no incentive to equip it again and hunt the human.
Chapter XI.
The noise of laser blasts coming from outside the room had stopped, I was left alone with no sound, apart from my own ragged breathing filling the darkness. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light I began to become aware of the rooms interior and looked around, hoping to find a weapon. There was nothing that I could use at short notice, nothing that I could use as a bat or something. The only objects of note were the advanced looking computer 10 degrees to the right of my person, the tangle of wires and straps that had been thrown in a mess on the floor and the dead man in a brown leather duster; a frozen look of surprise of his face. If I had had preparation time I could have devised a plan involving most of these items, such as ensnaring the robot or setting the facility to lock down so that the Cyberman could not escape; but sadly I did not. I resigned myself to standing in the shadows, to wait in anticipation for the Cyberman.
It entered the room, a dark silhouette, blocking out the hallway light as if it were an eclipse. My heart began to race at the sight of it, when suddenly I became aware of the black, tar like beads of liquid running down its face.
"So much death" it wheezed, pausing to look at the body in the duster,
"Pardon?",
"I cannot kill any more it's wrong",
"But you're a Cyberman, nothing's wrong to you", I continued, "Cybus Industries removed any morals you had", "they modelled you on themselves" I muttered, channelling a bit of Jake's attitude.
" I feel guilt for every human I have deleted and pity for those left behind" it groaned,
"Then just stop killing",
"I can't, it's how I'm programmed"
Resist" I countered,
"It's too strong" uttered the Cyberman before lunging forwards with its arm raised, attempting to grab my neck. Just before I jumped back it visibly recoiled at its own actions,
"What am I ?!" It cried,
All of a sudden a memory came to me, back in London the Doctor had said that Cybermen had emotional inhibitors, I thought the ones guarding John Lumic had gone crazy when I had deactivated theirs; this Cyberman must have a damaged inhibitor as well -I had a plan.
"You're not working as you should" I said "your inhibitor's damaged",
"What can i do?"
"Shut yourself down, permanently, If you truly feel guilty about all the people you've killed, then become the same as those people",
"But what about the plan, I have to upgrade?",
"And make more like you" "you don't want that and neither do I" I said,
Another tear trickled down his face,
"Will it hurt?" It asked!
"No" "now be better then John Lumic, just let yourself die".
The Cyberman's hand rose to the stylised C on its chest, unscrewed it, then extended its shiny forefinger and pressed a green glowing button,
"Goodbye" it said before slumping forwards and falling at my feet.
Chapter 12
Mickey spotted Jake outside the compound with the (now angry again) receptionist, it appeared as if Mrs Tennent and Brian had run off.
"Ok, ok calm down sir" urged Jake!
"You destroyed Cybus Industries property, you should be hanged" the receptionist spluttered.
"I'd imagine they have a little more to worry about than a bit of damaged property" said Mickey jovially, walking up to Jake and the man "they'll be more concerned about the massive lawsuit they'e about to face, oh and all the employee deaths" he added,
"Mickey!" shouted Jake before embracing his comrade.
The receptionist still looked indignant that Mickey had dared to say something against, in his opinion, infallible employer.
"It can't have been Cybus Industries fault, someone else must be to blame
"Here we go again" grumbled Jake " another gullible fool who believes all the marketing",
"Cybus Industries are to blame, they created that robot saw destroy the building" said Mickey. The receptionist did not have a chance to answer however as Jake had pulled out a modified Cybus Industries ear pod and activated it, engulfing the man in orange light and rendering him unconscious,
"Damn, twice in one day" shouted Mickey triumphantly before adding "you told me you had none left?"
"I lied, I like to keep this one in case I meet any brain washed centrists I need to shut up", Jake said, before hastily adding "it wouldn't have worked on cybers anyway",
"How come you haven't used it on me?" laughed Mickey,
"You're the exception" Jake said before the pair climbed into the blue van they'd parked inside the gate on the uneven gravel forecourt.
Epilogue
The van slowly gained speed as it drove away from the preachers first victory in their liberation of Paris, Mickey turned away from the meagre traffic on the desolate road and faced his partner,
"it feels good to have done something, doesn't it?"
"It does, we kicked their arses" Jake said,
"We sure did" said Mickey "by the skin of our teeth"
"Why?"
"We barely had a plan, we just kind of got lucky"
"Ah luck, the best friend of those who don't bother to plan" sighed Jake, "anyway" he continued "where should we preach the truth to next?"
"Nowhere" joked Mickey "I'm just about done in",
"You chose to do this Mr Smith"
"Yeah I guess I can't complain"
There was a momentary lull prevented from reaching silence by the patter of rain falling from the thick, heavy cloud Mickey and Jake had just driven into.
"I heard Germany has lots of Cybus Industry's factories, it sounds like it needs liberating" said Jake.
"We've got a long road ahead before we can think about Germany" replied Mickey as he turned to face the slowly brightening skyline of central Paris.