AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, I'm putting up another chapter because I didn't want to put just an Author's Note up. However, I still want more reviews. I'm sorry, but I've only gotten reviews when I do this. So, I want 5 more reviews before continuing to put up more chapters, two of which I've already completed.

Chapter 24

"So, what now?" asked Ryan.

"Well, it will take some time for the Cybermen to repair the conversion chamber, at least a few hours."

"So, we stop them before they can"

"Exactly" replied the Doctor.

"Uh huh" said Ryan. "How the hell do we do that?"

"Now, now, strength doesn't mean everything. If it did, I would have died long ago."

"Oh. That's…great" muttered Marissa.

"First, I'm going to contact Ace" said the Doctor, ignoring her comment.

"How? Ever since that shield went up, the phones don't work" pointed out Kirsten.

"I'm taking care of that right now" said the Doctor, as he typed on the console more.

"There. Try calling now."

- -

Julie was surprised when she heard a beep.

"What's that?" asked Ace.

"My phone. It's working again"

"Well, answer it!" said Seth.

"All right, all right, jeez" said Julie as she pulled it out.

"Hello? MARISSA! Oh God, honey, are you all right?"

"Its Marissa?" asked Summer.

"Ask her about my parents! And Ryan" cut in Seth.

"Okay, everyone shut up!" yelled Julie, determined to gain control over the situation. "Marissa, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, mom, we all are. Listen, the Doctor needs to talk to Ace."

Julie handed the phone over to Ace.

"Professor?"

"Ace, you know that Nitro-9 you're not carrying?"

"Yeah?"

"Listen, I've shut down the conversion chamber, the Cybermen have no way to convert the populace. I think an uprising could be in the works"

"Gotcha, Professor."

"That's my girl. Oh, hold on, Mrs. Cohen wants to talk to know about her son."

Seth grabbed the phone from Ace.

"Mom?"

"Oh God, Seth, thank God you're all right" he heard his mother cry out.

"I am, mom, I am" replied Seth, his eyes tearing as well. "Mom? Mom, where's dad? I want to talk to him"

There was silence on the phone, followed by a burst of tears from his father.

"Seth?"

"Ryan? Ryan, where's my dad? Is something wrong?"

He heard Ryan sigh.

"Seth, Sandy is…they got him"

"What?"

"The Cybermen. They captured him. He distracted them, allowed us to get away."

"WHAT? Oh God, oh God!"

"Seth! Don't worry. Sandy's going to be okay, we'll get him back. The conversion chamber is down, and we're going to make sure it stays that way."

Seth started to calm down.

"You-your promise?"

"Yes, Seth, I promise."

- -

"Sandy?"

The Cyberman formerly known as Sandy Cohen looked down at the balding man.

"Sandy, oh God, what have they done?"

"You are Caleb Nichol" stated Sandy. Caleb flinched at the voice. It was Sandy's, yes, but it was covered with a thick metallic coat.

"Yes, yes. Listen, where's Kirsten and Seth?" asked Caleb, whispering and looking to see if other Cybermen were looking at them.

"Kirsten Cohen is in the basement with the Doctor. She will be dealt with shortly. The location of your grandson is unknown."

"My grandson, what…Sandy, they're your family, how could you talk like that!?"

"My former relationship with your family is now irreverent. The Cybermen are my new family, and they will be joining it soon."

Caleb was horrified.

"How could you-Sandy, we don't like each other, we've never kidded ourselves about that, but I always knew you loved Kirsten, and you would never let anything to her or Seth."

"And I am not. When converted, they will become stronger, live longer, and be free of all emotions."

"Free of all- Good God. You actually believe that, don't you? You believe that would help them. Dear God, this is all my fault. How could I have been such a fool…?"

"You took the logical course of action, as you always have, Mr. Nichol. You were right all along."

"Right? Right about what?"

"I was wasting my potential. I turned down power and influence to help the poor and weak. You always told me I was wasting my time."

"But you never listened. You were so god damn arrogant…" Caleb sighed wistfully.

"Forgive me, Sandy. Forgive me for what I did to you."

"There is nothing to forgive" replied Sandy, as he turned away.

"Yell at me, then. Say you were right all along, say that I've betrayed the human race, just react, damnit!" Caleb screamed. But Sandy just marched away.

- -

If anything, the fact that the line was no longer moving was scaring the people of Newport more.

"What's going on? Why did we stop?" asked Alex Kelly, to the Cyberman that was overseeing her and the others from the Bait Shop.

"Do not ask questions, all is under control!" it intoned.

Alex sighed. She wasn't going to get any answers out of these guys. She looked at the building, that the silver giants called the 'Conversion Chamber.' At least there wasn't any screaming coming from it anymore.

She jolted when someone threw a canister in the center of the Cybermen.

"Who threw this?! What is it!?" demanded one of the Cybermen. Before he could be answered, the canister exploded, and a huge dust cloud appeared over them.

Alex covered her mouth and ran, but then noticed the Cybermen coughing, and falling to the ground.

"Everyone, you can fight back!" she heard a female British voice yell. "They're vulnerable to gold!"

Alex didn't pay much attention to what she said, and she didn't have any gold in any case: then she saw someone throwing a gold necklace at a Cyberman. The Cyberman yelled, fell to the ground, as sparks flew off the body.

"Here" some curly-haired kid said as he handed her a rod coated in gold.

"Thanks" she said.

- -

"Sir, the humans outside are fighting back. They are using gold!" reported a Cyberman.

"This is the Doctor's doing" said the Cyber-Leader. "Bring him to me!"

"He has disappeared" said the Cyber-Lieutenant.

"What? He was in the basement lab just-"

"I know, sir, but he has vanished, along with the humans accompanying him"

- -

The air was filled with gold and sparks. The people of Newport fought back, many of them struggling for survival for the first time in their lives.

They fought with their wealth, appropriately. Golden trinkets, bought as objects of affection or displays of wealth, became weapons. Necklaces, bracelets, rings: all were being thrown. Some used the weapons supplied by Ace. One man rode on a segway, golden dust thrown from his sleeves at the silver invaders.

In any case, the people of Newport were feeling something they hadn't since this whole thing began. Hope.

- -

"Our forces are weakening" reported the Cyber-Lieutenant.

The Cyber-Leader thought, then spoke.

"We do not need all of Newport of converted; lethal force is authorize."

The Cyber-Lieutenant went to report the new order.

"Because the Doctor will show himself," said the Cyber-Leader, "when his precious humans start dying."

- -

We're winning, thought the people of Newport. They were showing these robots who they were dealing with.

Then, they brought out the blasters. Instantly, people started to die. The insides of their bodies twisted before they were able to do anything back.

"What's going on?" asked Summer.

"I don't know" replied Ace. The two froze as Cybermen aimed blasters at them.

- -

The Cyber-Leader looked down at the children who had started the short-lived rebellion against them.

"You are the companions of the Doctor!" said the Cyber-Leader.

"Actually, just me, they're just friends" replied Ace.

"Irreverent. The Doctor has failed. This is only a delay. Your world will be converted."

"How many times have I heard that before?"

Everyone looked up.

"You…" growled the Cyber-Leader.

"Yes. Me"

It was the man who walked in Eternity. The Oncoming Storm.

"Your plans have failed as always, Cyber-Leader."

Time's Champion. The Ka Furaq Gatri. The man the monsters had nightmares about.

"And I've come to stop you."

The Doctor had arrived.