Chapter 23

Sandy was sitting down, trying to think of what to do, how he could stop this.

"It will be okay, Sandy" a deep electronic voice told him.

Sandy looked up at the Cyberman.

"How'd you know my name? Did Cal tell you?" he asked, his voice filled with venom at the name of his father-in-law.

"We work together, Sandy. When you are converted, we will do so again" the Cyberman explained calmly, as if talking to a small child.

"Who are you?" Sandy asked point-blank.

"I'm Rachel, Sandy. Rachel Hoffman"

Sandy was speechless.

"No, you're lying. You could be anyone under that-"

"We met at Berkeley, Sandy. I was a friend of Rebecca's. She tried to set us up, before you two started dating."

Sandy couldn't believe it. It was true. One of his friends had become of these monsters. He thanked God Kirsten and Ryan were safe. Then he remembered Seth…No, he couldn't think like that.

"Rachel…God, Rachel, what have they done to you?"

"They have improved me, Sandy, as they will the entire human race. I was scared of the conversion as well. Now, I will never fear anything ever again."

"Improved you!? Rachel, you, these people…you all look the same, you talk the same, this is everything we ever fought against!"

"Individuality is a luxury we can not afford. Individuals cause conflict, war. With the Cybermen, everyone will be equal. On the contrary, Sandy, this is everything we have fought for."

Sandy just stared at her.

"You honestly believe that" he whispered, horrified.

"Things will be clearer when you undergo the conversion, Sandy. You will understand that the Cybermen are not our conquerors; they are our saviors."

- -

Ryan and Marissa again looked around the lab, searching for anything that looked remotely like a fire extinguisher.

"Jesus, we have to do something, I don't know how much longer they can hold out" moaned Ryan, referring to the Doctor and Kirsten, who were trying to occupy two dog-sized mechanical spiders, designed by the Cybermen to defend against intrusions.

The tensions raised more when they heard a scampering noise.

"Oh God" whispered Marissa.

"Come on, there's got to be something that we can use" Ryan muttered as he looked around.

"Here" said Marissa, seeing a pipe on the wall. She pulled on it, and it loosened, but didn't break.

"Here, let me" said Ryan as he pulled, all the while the noise getting louder and closer.

"Got it" Ryan moaned out when it snapped, falling back. There was a shrill cry, and the spider leapt out, only to be hit by the pipe.

"Come on, Ryan, get up" she said, holding her hand up.

"Where'd you learn to hit like that?"

"Tennis" replied Marissa, still holding it up, ready to use it again at any moment.

"Well, that made for a change" said Ryan, grinning.

"What did?"

"You saved my life for once."

Marissa frowned.

"First? What about Thanksgiving?"

"That wouldn't have killed me"

"Beating you with a crowbar wouldn't have killed you?"

"I'm tough" shrugged Ryan.

"Okay, fine, I saved your ability to read. But if we're only counting life-endangerment, then only Tijuana counts"

The spider leapt again, and Marissa swung at it again.

"What? What about Oliver's?"

"He wasn't going to kill me; he was going to kill himself"

"Then why did you call me?"

"Well, I didn't know that at the time!"

Marissa ran over to the fallen spider and started to hit it again and again. The outer shell cracked, and sparks flew out.

"I think you got it" Ryan told Marissa, who continued to pummel it.

"Marissa!"

"WHAT!?" she snapped, before calming down. "Sorry. I told you I had rage issues."

"What are you doing" they heard, and saw the Doctor walked towards them, followed by Kirsten.

"We were looking for a fire extinguisher like you said, but we couldn't-"

The Doctor walked over to a console, and lifted out of it a cylinder. Inside was a strange looking device.

A spider leapt up from behind. The Doctor casually turned and sprayed it with a white mist. The spider fell to the ground and shattered into a hundred pieces.

"Your species can be so dense at times" he muttered.

- -

Caleb marched into the Cyber-Leader's face with an angry glare.

"You sons of bitches!"

"What is the matter now, Mr. Nichol?" asked the Cyber-Leader with a bored tone.

"I saw the footage from the lab. Kirsten was done there!"

"And?"

Caleb was even more furious.

"And what!? You were trying to kill her!"

The Cyber-Leader ignored him and turned to one of the other Cybermen.

"I believe Mr. Nichol has outlasted his usefulness."

Caleb's blood went cold.

"What? No, we had a deal…" he stuttered.

The Cyber-Leader didn't even look at him.

This time, Caleb didn't pull his punches.

"You son of a bitch, we have a deal!"

He threw his fist, only for the Cyber-Leader to catch it. Caleb tried to pull out the fist, but the Cyber-Leader didn't bulge. Then, his hand began to feel crushed. His face twisted in pain.

"Cybermen did not honor promises made to lesser beings!" the Cyber-Leader said sternly.

Caleb looked down, and saw blood dripping down from his fist caught in the Cyber-Leader's. The pain was enormous.

"Please…let, let go" he pleaded.

The Cyber-Leader gave one further squeeze, then let go. Caleb fell to the floor, and cradled his bloody hand.

Lesser being. That was what the Cyber-Leader had called him. And that was what he was, he realized. All his time as the 'King of Newport Beach,' he was just denying his true nature. He was always small; the Cybermen just reminded him.

- -

The Doctor continued to type at the console.

"How's it going?" asked Ryan.

"Good. I think…" replied the Doctor.

- -

Sandy futilely struggled as he was dragged to the Conversion Chamber.

"Let me go you bastards! I don't want to be like you!"

The Cybermen ignored him as they strapped him down.

- -

"I think I almost got it…" said the Doctor.

- -

Sandy was now naked, some sort of liquid having disposed of his clothes and body hair.

He looked as devices came down at him…

- -

"Got it!"

- -

"What has happened!" yelled the Cyber-Leader. "Why has the conversion chamber stalled?"

"Someone has broken into our system" explained a Cyberman. "It will be repaired shortly."

"How many were inside at the time?"

"Four. However, we were able to finish the conversion of them by hand, though one of them misses a mask."

"Let me inspect him" the Cyber-Leader ordered. In a short time, a Cyberman, complete save for no mask.

"He will do well enough" the Cyber-Leader decided.

The being that was once Sandy Cohen was pleased he met his Leader's approval. Rachel had been right. The conversion had made everything clearer.