The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief as they got out of the cupboard, stretching as soon as he could move his hands.
"Let's go back into the vents where it's safer."
Clara nodded and headed over to the ventilation grate they had climbed out of. She pulled it off, when she heard the Doctor caution her.
The Doctor stepped forwards and scanned the hole with his Sonic Screwdriver.
"I need to check it's safe," he informed her. He scanned the vent, and the device beeped.
"What does that mean?" asked Clara .
The Doctor stepped back from the vent and raised his eyebrows at her.
"Humans," he said simply.
She folded her arms.
"What is that supposed to mean? I can't tell what your screwdriver is saying from a single beep, and there's no need to insult my whole ra-" She cut herself off as she realised her mistake.
"Oh," she said, "you meant that there are humans down there, didn't you?"
The Doctor nodded slowly.
"Yes, Clara," he said, trying to refrain from rolling his eyes. "The humans are clearly here now, and possibly being stored in the vents... I don't know, let's find out," he grinned before jumping down the vent.
Clara hesitated, and then jumped down after him.
"So how exactly would they be... stored in the vents?" she asked .
The Doctor laughed.
"I didn't particularly mean stored within them, rather just... in a.. ah a frozen state within the corridors," he said, rushing to the left where he could see the silhouette of a person.
"And you coul- are you even listening?" He said to the stranger in irritation. "Completely blank," he sighed, turning his head to Clara.
Clara was staring at the person.
"Doctor..." she said. "I don't think...I don't think they're alive."
The Doctor already had his screwdriver out and was scanning the frozen female.
"They're not dead... just not particularly alive either. Sort of in a state of... hibernation?"
Clara crouched next to the woman.
"How is that possible? Is it like cryogenics?"
The Doctor raised his eyebrows, obviously impressed.
"Well... yes, that's exactly what it is."
Clara grinned.
"Not too shabby for a human, eh?" Her expression grew serious again. "So what does this actually mean? Why have the Cybermen frozen them?"
The Doctor shrugged.
"That I do not know"
Just then, a loud white-noise type sound began to go off and the bodies began to move.
"But I think we're about to find out," he said loudly over the constant noise.
Clara jumped up and stood next to the Doctor.
"We need to get out of here," she said.
The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder.
"No... we need to follow them," he said darkly.
She looked up at him and sighed.
"You do know that all this is going to do is take us to more Cybermen, who are going to try and kill us again, right?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes.
"We never run when people need help. Remember?"
"I know!" she said, "I'm not saying we should run. I just think we should... proceed with caution."
The Doctor nodded.
"We shall. Ready?" He asked softly, the noise quieter now.
Clara took a deep breath.
"As I'll ever be. Let's go." They followed the last of the people through the dank vent.
The Doctor let Clara go in front of him and leant down to whisper to her.
"Act like them, it'll make us more inconspicuous."
Clara nodded surreptitiously, and tried to keep her body as limp as possible. She trudged along behind the half-dead men and women, trying to see anything new through the gloom.
Ahead of them, a light was shining. They were obviously getting close to the main hub of the ship. The Doctor tried to not tense.
Clara slit her eyes, trying not to look at the light. Suddenly, the line stopped moving. Clara, caught unawares, carried on for half a step too long and slammed into the man in front of her. She could almost feel the Doctor rolling his eyes as the man turned around.
The man seemed to have been brought back to consciousness by the jolt. He seemed startled and looked like he was about to yell. The Doctor rushed forwards and placed his hand over his mouth.
"Be quiet if you want to survive," he hissed.
The man's eyes flicked wildly from the Doctor to Clara. Clara looked guiltily back at him, knowing that if this man died, she'd be the reason he'd be conscious for it. Finally, the man nodded and the Doctor removed his hand
.The Doctor glanced around to make sure there were no Cybermen nearby.
"I know this sounds bizarre, but you're in an alien ship, being taken to your death." Clara jabbed him at that.
"Oi," he hissed at her. "But if you stay quiet and act... like them, you have a better chance of surving. We're going to help you all," he whispered to the man.
Clara rolled her eyes at the Doctor and turned to face the man again. "Don't worry," she whispered. "We're going to find a way to sort this all out. But for now, you just have to play along." She could hear the metallic clunk of a Cyberman making its way towards them from the front of the line.
They all slipped back into position, acting as still as possible, although the Doctor could see the man visibly shaking. He gritted his teeth and hoped for the best.
The Cyberman reached the man and paused.
"You will follow the other subjects to the testing area." It ordered. The man didn't reply, and after another pause, the Cybermen moved on to Clara. It stared at her, eerily silent.
The Doctor held his breath, preparing for the worst. He almost sighed in relief when the Cyberman moved on from Clara, but as it moved to him, it was obvious it wasn't going to be that easy.
"You do not register as human," it said in an eerie voice.
Clara's breath caught, and she clenched her fists. She winced as the Doctor cheerfully replied "No, that's probably because I'm not."