Chapter Four

The Doctor pressed the button and the image of the Cybermen leader appeared on the screen.

"Is that a Dalek?" Zodiac asked. Before the time lord could reply, it began to speak.

"Your TARDIS is now under Cybermen control." the electronic voice spoke. "It will be collected and placed in our landing bay. Your craft will be boarded and you will be upgraded so that you will share the secrets of your vessel, Doctor."

"How did you manage to get a Dalek Debilatator or even rudimentary time travel abilities?" the time lord demanded.

"It was a major undertaking. Many of us fell, but in the end we gained the secrets of the Daleks."

"Wot? You lot against the Daleks? I seen first hand how that turned out before. Two million Cybermen against four Daleks and you were loosing! Probably more like scurrying around like rats in derelict Dalek ships till you finally found something useful."

"How we acquired the technology is irrelevant. Dalek technology and ours are quite compatible."

"Not totally. Judging by the condition of your ship. What happened?"

"Your attempt to evade us in the time stream did not succeed. The distortion within the time stream that forced both of our vessels off course and into this parallel universe damaged us, but did not destroy us."

"I doubt your ship would survive another trip through the vortex and even if it could, I doubt you salvaged anything from the Daleks that can help you find the way back to our own time stream."

"That is where you will be of service to the Cybermen, Doctor. Once you have been upgraded. And even if we cannot, we can begin anew on the world below us. Over 3 billion souls waiting to be upgraded. Prepare to be boarded. We shall see if Time Lord technology is compatible with our own." Before the Doctor could protest, the Cyber Leader switched off the connection.

"First, what is all this 'upgrading' he kept going on about?" Zodiac asked. "He kept saying it like it was a holy word or something."

"To a Cyberman, it is a holy word. It's part of the reason they even exist." The Doctor returned to his task of working the controls. He began to tell the gypsy of their origins and their misguided quest for perfection. He also told her about the Daleks as well. Their origins and how in the fullness of time they waged a war against the Time Lords themselves.

"I am not sure which one I feel more sorry for," she finally spoke when he had finished. "So when a person is 'upgraded' they have their brain removed and put into one of those metal bodies."

"If it was just that, it might not be such a bad thing," The Doctor said. "But the process removes the humanity of the subject as well. No dreams, hopes, fears remain. Nothing but another solider in an ever growing army doing what it is told to do and nothing more."

"So if they put your brain in one of those, you'll start telling them everything they want to know?"

"And more. They will be able to spread out across time itself in their quest. That cannot be allowed to happen."

"So why do you keep flipping the switches?" she was curious now. Outside of the conversation with the Cyber Leader, the Doctor had not stopped doing it.

"I am trying to help the TARDIS vent out the energy it absorbed. In time it would be able to do it on its own, but I am helping as much as I can without getting their attention."

"Cause if they see you doing it, they will just zap you again."

"Exactly. And each time the TARDIS would be hit, the more damage it would suffer."

The room lurched violently as something made contact with the time capsule. "They have grabbed onto us." The Doctor held onto the controls, waiting for the feeling of being pulled for several moments before letting go. "They have us, so why aren't they pulling us into the ship?"


"Leader."

"Report"

"The manipulator arm will not retract. It was damaged in the time stream incident."

"But the ship does have a grip on the TARDIS now?"

"Confirmed."

"Have the boarding team erect a docking ramp from the landing bay to the TARDIS. It is imperative we take the Doctor before he is able to complete any counter measures."

"Orders have been given, Leader."

"What have the bio scans shown concerning the crew of the TARDIS?"

"Two bio signs. One matches our previous scans of the Doctor. The second is a lower life form. Mammal. Possibly a dog or cat."

"Tell the boarding crew to ignore the animal. Their job is to secure the Doctor."

"Leader,"


"They are being busy little bees out there." Zodiac turned the monitor to show the Doctor the Cybermen at work.

"Boarding ramp. They will be able just to walk up to the doors and kick them in."

"Don't you have a force field or something to protect yourself?"

"The majority of the TARDIS' shields are not operational at the moment. The inner one to keep the atmosphere in place if the doors are opened is still holding but the outer defenses are down."

"And the doors?"

"Right now, that's all they basically are is doors. I need more time to help flush this out, but I doubt if they are going to give it to us." His hands moving frantically now.

Zodiac turned and looked at the doors, then back to the display. A soft thump echoed in the room as the ramp made contact with the TARDIS. "How much time do you need?"

"15, 20 minutes tops."

She nodded and looked at the Doctor as he worked. Why could she not have met someone like this under saner circumstances? She could have spent hours, days even, just learning from him. Sadly it seemed to be the pattern of her continued existence. If the bits of information and memories she had managed to snatch from his mind when he was distracted was any clue, she knew he could not end up in the hands of the Cybermen. The universe was bad enough as it was without time and space being tainted as well.

Zodiac brushed her fingers over the control council sadly as she wrapped herself in shadows again. "Goodbye" she whispered to the presence she had felt within the machine before. A moment later, the doors to the TARDIS popped open, only to close again.