Chapter 20
The Cyber-Lieutenant walked up to the Cyber-Leader.
"The mission is going well. Queues 1 through 5 have been successfully converted."
"And the Doctor?"
The Cyber-Lieutenant paused.
"He has yet to be found."
The Cyber-Leader's hand tightened.
"He must be found at once! As far as he remains free, he constitutes a threat!"
Caleb Nichol, trying to ignore the screams of his fellow men, was listening to the conversation.
"How? He's just one man, isn't he?" he asked.
The Cyber-Leader walked over to the man who only a day earlier was the most powerful man in Newport.
"The Doctor is far more than one of you, Mr. Nichol! He is the single greatest threat to the continued survival of the Cyber-Race! Right from the beginning he has tried to wipe us out! It was he who destroyed our home planet Mondas, he who has thwarted our every attempt to rebuild our empire!"
The Cyber-Leader turned to look below at the conversion chamber.
"But that will end tonight. Newport is under our dominion. By morning the Doctor will either be converted or destroyed!"
- -
Ryan and Marissa held their hands tightly as they walked up to the Cybermen. One noticed them and aimed a blaster at them.
"Halt!" it ordered.
They immediately put up their hands.
"Wait! We're surrendering!" Ryan said quickly. The Cyberman lowered the weapon.
"Get in line"
As Ryan and Marissa walked towards the group, they heard the Cyberman again.
"Hold! Why does this one hide his face?"
They turned to see the Cyberman holding the Doctor, his face covered by bandages in hopes of not being recognized by the invaders.
"Uh, he got pretty hurt when the power went out" Marissa started. "You know, everyone was freaking out, and somewhat threw a broken bottle-"
"Very well" the Cyberman interrupted, satisfied. "His injuries will be repaired when he is converted."
"Uh, thanks" replied Marissa as they helped usher the Doctor with them.
Once with the terrified people, they began to search for one in particular.
"KIRSTEN!" yelled Ryan when he spotted her.
Kirsten acted shocked, as if she didn't believe he was there. Once convinced, she ran over to him and trapped him in a hug.
"Ryan, oh God, Ryan, you're okay" she moaned as she buried her head in his shoulder. Ryan felt the tears on his shirt.
"It's okay, Kirsten, everyone's okay" he said, as he patted her back. Part of him felt uncomfortable. He was reminded of comforting his own mother like this, after a date turned bad. Kirsten was different than Dawn, though. Ever since he had met her, Kirsten Cohen was powerful and in-charge, never one to break down when things gone tough. To see her like this, like…like Dawn, it disturbed him.
Marissa smiled at the site, though inside she wondered how her own mother was fairing.
- -
Julie Cooper always felt odd in Harbor High. While all the other Newpsies would reminisce about their high school years and the memories every room held for them, Julie could only smile and try to forget her high school, one much less impressive. It was an unwelcome reminder that she was not to the manor born, so to speak. Still, it didn't nearly feel as weird as this; walking in a darkened school, with her ex-husband, a new friend, two of her daughter's friends and her secret lover to go to a chemistry lab to make weapons against invading alien cyborgs.
"God, this place is creepy at night" whispered Summer.
"Yeah, I'm expecting vampires to come out" whispered Luke.
"Relax, Luke, vampire aren't real, only murderous robot-men" whispered Julie.
"Actually…" began Ace, causing them all to stare at her. "Relax, as long you have faith in something, we'll be fine"
"Why are we whispering?" asked Seth.
"Look, here's the lab" said Jimmy in a normal voice.
Seth grabbed the knob and tried to turn it.
"It's locked" he explained.
"No shit, Cohen, it's night!" commented Summer.
"Out of the way, Cohen, I'll get it open" said Luke as he brushed Seth aside.
"Fine, fine, Luke can handle the muscle, I'll just wait until we need someone with half a brain. Then, it'll be my time to shine!" Seth muttered as got out of the way.
Luke grabbed the handle and started to slam the door with his side.
"This is what you're doing, I could have done this" muttered Seth.
"Almost…got it" moaned Luke as he felt the door start to give.
Finally, the door broke down, and Luke sputtered in.
Before he could celebrate, he felt a sharp blow to his head.
- -
"Ryan?"
Ryan turned to Marissa.
"Yeah?"
"We have to do it now"
"Do what?" asked a confused Kirsten. Ryan ignored his foster-mother and reached into his pocket as he approached the Cybermen.
"Uh, hey" he began, unaccustomed to starting chats with cyborgs.
"All humans are to stay within the perimeter!" the Cyberman shouted. Ryan stuttered
"Uh, sure, but first there's something-"
The Cyberman aimed his blast at him.
"Move back!" it barked.
Here goes nothing thought Ryan as he tossed a small marble-like object at the Cybermen. On contact, the Cyberman sparkled with electricity, and it moaned in pain. Ryan quickly ran as the electricity spread throughout the entire troop.
"EVERYONE RUN NOW, THIS WON'T LAST LONG!" Ryan screamed as he ran towards Marissa, Kirsten and the Doctor.
"What was that?!" asked Kirsten.
"A Chelonian electric marble, made for celebrations, the electrical version of fireworks, so to speak" began the Doctor as he unwrapped his face. "A little adjustment, and its power can be used to temporarily paralyze a Cyberman's circuits"
"You, you're that guy from the coffee shop" started Kirsten.
"Halt!" yelled a metallic voice. They looked to see the Cyberman back up and recapturing people.
"Like I said, temporary" said the Doctor. "Come on, we have to go"
"The car's just over there" said Marissa to Kirsten, grabbing her hand.
As they ran, they noticed two Cyberman gaining on them.
"Jesus, they move faster than they look" muttered Marissa.
"You will halt-" the Cyberman was interrupted when a golden golf club struck it.
"Sandy!" screamed Kirsten when she saw their rescuer: her husband, wielding a golf club coated in gold, a present from her father for their anniversary, when he was trying to get Sandy into the sport.
"Kirsten, they need you!" he yelled as he struck another one. However, the gold was crumbling off the club.
"No, I'm not leaving him" she yelled when Ryan tried to drag her.
"Kirsten, I'll be okay!" yelled Sandy. Distracted, he didn't notice a Cyberman grab arm, snapping.
Ryan tried to ignore Sandy's screams, telling himself he couldn't help him now.
"Sandy!" screamed Kirsten again.
She could only watch as he was dragged away.
- -
The Cyber-Leader watched the screen, showing UNIT forces.
"How are you going to deal with them?" asked Caleb, trying to hide the joy in his voice that these terrible machine men would be defeated.
"We won't have to. They will soon have other concerns, along with the rest of your world" replied the Cyber-Leader.
"What do you mean?" asked a now-worried Caleb.
The Cyber-Leader pressed a switch, and the screen switched to somewhere very dark, and very hot. They were Cybermen walking around some giant machine.
"Where are they?" asked Caleb.
"Deep in the crust of your world. The machine you see is one we developed long ago on Mondas, back when we were forced to flee inside the planet for survival" the Cyber-Leader intoned. "It can effect the tectonics of your world, can cause great quakes"
Caleb continued to stare at it.
"We shall a great quake, one that will cover the entire planet. Your civilization will crumble instantly. Anarchy will reign through out the entire human race. Mankind will cry out for order."
"An order the Cybermen will provide."