The city formerly known as New York had fallen in no time at all. Its heroes had been forced to retreat, its people had been Upgraded and its own defences had been used by the enemy. The once buzzing streets and roads, filled with thousands of people going to work, visiting lovers and escorting children were now filled with perfectly ordered lines of tall beings clad all in dull steel. They marched through the city in perfect step with on another, no unit falling out of rhythm. The huge screens in Times Square that had once boasted such logos as "Always Coca-Cola" were now replaced with a large 'C' within a circle, the moniker of the Cybermen. From the ashes of the City So Nice They Named It Twice emerged the Cybermen's base of operations. A towering metropolis of brick and steel and glass. This is no longer New York City, this is City001 – population approximately four million... all Upgraded. Many of the natives in this city had not complied with the order to Upgrade, and they had been Deleted with extreme prejudice. Those who complied were those who patrolled the streets now, as other patrolled streets throughout the rest of the Americas. And all along, the Cybermen made their plans to expand outwards and bring the Ultimate Upgrade to citizens across the world.
High overhead the Helicarriers drifted almost serenely through the sky, their aerial grace belying the true power each of them wielded. The Carrier that had formerly been under the command of Colonel Nicholas Fury, who was now designated 997-398, had been renovated, Upgraded and redesignated Cyber Control. From this location the CyberLeader looked down on the pristine city. The Cybermen had not had enough time to perfect it, but certain parts of it had become visions of the future. Soho was now the centre of activity, its shabby, inferior brick buildings demolished and in their place towering steel skyscrapers built to a geometrically perfect design. The lumbering figures of the Sentinels plodded slowly through the streets, each automated hunter attuned to the biosignature of humans and seeking out any who had escaped the Upgrade.
And it was in this city, close to the Baxter Building, that a furious battle was taking place. Masses of Cybermen were facing a lumbering, green figure that shrugged off their attacks as though they were merely insect bites. The attacker roared and slammed a fist the size of a lorry tyre into the ground. The Cybermen let out a cry that sounded like an out of tune radio and fell to the ground. Instantly the attacker leapt upwards and brought tonnes of muscle crashing on top of them.
"Hey Hulk. Take it easy on them. Don't forger they were once people too."
Captain America ducked behind his shield as he ran towards his own attackers. He jumped forwards and brought his shield crashing into the weapon of a Cyberman. He dodged its grasping hand which was capable of delivering lethal amounts of electricity into a body upon contact, and knocked its head off.
While all this was happening something strange was occurring nearby. In the alleyway between two buildings, from which had emerged the twenty Cybermen pioneers that had conquered this world, there was an odd sound. A grinding whirr, rising and falling as though pulsing, echoed through the alley as a bright light flashed in time with the sound. A shape began to form, a large blue box, upon which the words 'Police Box' were emblazoned in large white block capitals. Seconds later the sound and light stopped and the police box remained there, motionless. The door slid open and a tall man with dark brown hair stepped out. He wore a long brown trenchoat, a blue pinstripe suit and a pair of battered sneakers. He raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the buildings around him, the pinnacle of the Empire State Building tickling the sky in the distance.
"New York... no matter which Earth you visit there's always a New York. Wonder if they have hot dogs?"
The
man stepped away from the box and looked hard at the side of one of
the buildings. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small
cylindrical device which bleeped and lit up with a blue light as he
pointed it at the bricks. He remained still for a moment before
opening the door to the box once more.
The box was a conundrum.
Outwardly it was no taller than a regular telephone box, but inside
it was huge. The immediate room was the about the same size as
several kitchens and at the back a stairwell led upwards to more
rooms, and down into a wardrobe big enough to hold the costumes for a
Broadway production. The room the man entered had a large console in
its centre, and the entire room was bathed in a soft light. The
console was attached to a large column that extended to the high
ceiling.
The man tapped at a computer monitor, activated a camera
and spoke into it. His voice was pleasant to listen to and laced with
an obvious English accent.
"Okey dokey. I located another Breach caused by the Dalek Sphere. It led to 'a' New York City, though exactly where this New York is I don't know. I am going to fix the puncture... but not until I find a decent hot dog."
He left the box once more and strolled onto the street with his hands in his pockets. He stood at the edge of the alleyway and looked upward at the sun. The star's light glinted off a huge metal skyscraper in the distance as the man raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
All of a sudden he heard the telltale sound of fighting. An explosion resounded through the streets, smoke billowed upwards and what sounded like an animal roaring in pain. Without thinking he was rushing towards the sound, reaching for his trusty screwdriver and preparing for whatever he had to fa-
The only sign of the person who grabbed him was the whoosh of air as he passed. The man felt something grab the front of his suit and lift him off the ground. Then both of them were somehow flying through the air. He looked at the hand which was jet black with a white square on its back. He followed it up an equally dark arm to a chest which bore something resembling a large white spider. Then he looked at the face and gasped in shock. Two large white eyes stared back at him above a large grinning mouth full of sharp, yellow teeth and a long, wet tongue.
Within seconds they had landed back in the alleyway the man had emerged from. His 'kidnapper' stood in front of him and snarled, "What the hell are you doing in the streets? Get back to Strange's mansion now!"
The man stared at him for a moment in complete shock before answering. "What's going on? What was that shooting?"
"What do you mean 'what's going on'? We're at war that's what. Now I suggest you get back. NOW!"
The figure pointed its hand at the top of the building and shot a webline to it before swinging up to the roof. The man looked after him in shock for a moment before nodding to himself and mumbling, "He's probably right. I should just seal the Breach and not get involved. Don't get involved!"
He placed a hand on the box's door, pushed it open and moved to the console. He tapped furiously at it as the same whirring, pulsing sound began to increase in volume. As the sound grew he sat on the floor and leaned on the console. His hands tapped on his knees as he stared silently at the wall. The man quickly raised his head upwards and screamed in frustration. "AAARRGHH! I have to get involved! I always have to get involved!
