The hollow eyes of the Cyberman stared inscrutably outwards, its head mounted inside a rounded alcove in the wall like a tribal death-mask in some twisted collection. Cyrian shivered slightly as he pushed the roundel cover back into place, obscuring the metal monster from view. He had encountered the Cybermen before, when he had been stranded on the planet DV Acrol 8. They would have killed him, or worse; they could have converted him into one of them, replacing his flesh and blood with steel and circuitry, replacing his humanity with the cold, calculating machine logic that drove their race. But he had been rescued, and he had the Rani to thank for that.
The Rani was a Time Lord and a scientist, and while she was not altruistic by nature, she had seen in him a potential usefulness. Currently he was acting as her assistant, helping her to catalogue her incredible collection of specimens. Moving on to the next open roundel, he was confronted by a humanoid man dressed in a skull cap and a large, winged collar that framed his expressionless face. A Time Lord from Gallifrey, a fellow member of the Rani's own race, pinned like a butterfly to a board.
The specimens had been gathered from across the entire universe, so he had been lead to believe, a menagerie of every sentient creature in existence. Or at least, almost every sentient creature in existence, for there was still one more that needed to be collected, one that the Rani had deliberately left for last.
An Earthling.
'The Menagerie is almost complete,' Cyrian said, replacing the cover on the trapped Time Lord and turning to face his benefactor.
'Time is literally of the essence,' The Rani replied, striding towards the large hexagonal console that dominated the centre of the room. Moving from panel to panel, she began flipping switches and making adjustments. 'The Doctor is teetering on the edge of a precipice.'
This was why she had left the Earthling for last. Cyrian's understanding was that the Doctor was another Time Lord with whom the Rani had an intense rivalry. He had stood in her way before, defeated her and ruined her experiments. But for some reason, he had a soft-spot for the human race. This Time-Trap she had set was for him, using Earthlings as bait. Using the power of her TARDIS - the machine with which she travelled through time and space - she had punched a hole through reality itself, creating a massive Time-Tunnel.
But all this energy and effort she was expending just to eliminate the Doctor, when she could have just stolen an Earthling like she had all her other specimens without raising any alarm, left Cyrian with an uncomfortable feeling. Even now her TARDIS, in the form of a bulbous, rust coloured space station, was orbiting the chaotic maw of the tunnel, like a spider circling a drain, waiting for the Doctor to spring her trap.
'You're obsessed,' Cyrian said, his voice ringed with concern. 'Don't forget what we came here for.'
The Rani looked up from the control panel she was manipulating, her face dark. 'Earthlings pose no threat to my technology, imbecile,' she vehemently spat. 'It's the Doctor I want out of the way!' Turning her back on Cyrian and the console, she pressed a button hidden on the control bracelet she wore on her left wrist. On the facing wall a panel slid open, revealing a monitor screen. On the screen resolved the image of a blue box-like shape spinning through space. In fact, it was a Police Telephone Box of the kind that had been used in London in the 1960's. It was also the rather unassuming form of her enemy the Doctor's TARDIS. Knowing his place, Cyrian glanced down at a read-out on the console in front of him.
'Interception in 5 seconds, Rani.'
The Rani looked back at him, a contemplative look on her face. 'Although I will miss the challenge,' she said with a note of what could almost be called disappointment in her voice. On the view screen, the TARDIS was getting closer and closer as Cyrian counted down from the five second mark. When he reached one, the Rani almost shrieked at him to activate the surprise they had prepared for her enemy. Obediently, Cyrian pushed the necessary button and a bolt of blue light lanced out towards the Doctor's TARDIS. There was a flash and then the Police Box shape disappeared, leaving nothing but stars...