After some minutes of work, El observing the hallway to make sure no Cyber-Slaves snuck up on them, the Doctor and Meadows had finished synthesizing the anti-serum for the Cyber-Probes.

The Doctor held up the vial of clear liquid, placing it into a syringe. "There. It can't save the ones who've already been converted… But this should help Chisolm, at least."

"Glad to hear that." Meadows nodded. "You go deliver the serum; I'll be here waiting when you get back."

The Doctor nodded and turned to El. "Come on."

Taking the lead, grasping El's hand, the Doctor proceeded out the airlock, across the icy yard to the security tower. Pressing a finger to the button, the Doctor spoke into the intercom.

"Chisolm, it's me." The Doctor said. "I've got a cure for the Cyber-Mat bite here. Please, come out so I can give it to you."

"…Are you sure it'll work?" Chisolm responded, the door opening. El yelped, grabbing the Doctor for protection.

Parts of Chisolm's body had already been replaced, hand covered in grey rubber, as on his face, skin morphed into metal, slowly.

"I've seen what happened to the others." Chisolm stated. He still had his mental faculties, at least. Even if his body wouldn't return to normal because of the serum, it would stop being converted, and then the Doctor could probably get UNIT to pay for the surgeries needed to get Chisolm looking normal again.

"I don't know how long it'll take to work, if it reverses the conversion at all." The Doctor admitted, injecting the cure into the little patch of skin Chisolm had remaining. "But it'll stop the conversion, I swear it."

Chisolm nodded gratefully, as the Doctor discarded the syringe. "Did you find anybody inside?"

"Yes," The Doctor nodded. "Doctor Meadows."

Chisolm looked relieved to hear that. "They didn't get her?"

"Apart from a broken arm, she looked totally fine." The Doctor answered, "Come on, I'm sure she'd be happy to see you herself."

Chisolm nodded, and let the Doctor lead the way.


The three came back to Meadows's lab, stopping when they crossed the threshold. Meadows was gone.

"Doctor Meadows?" The Time Lord called. "Are you here?" He let out a sigh. "Don't wander off. That's all I ever ask of anybody, is don't wander off, is that so hard to understand?"

El frowned, looking around. "Where could she have gone?"

"…The excavation site." Chisolm spoke up, looking to the lift at the other side of the room.

"Um," El looked wary, "Isn't that where the slaves are digging?"

"This whole project is hers. Her team… she'd do anything to save them." Chisolm said, moving over to the lift's control panel. "It's a closed environment, with a retinal scanner to log whoever goes down there." He explained, placing an unconverted eye up to the scanner.

The lift doors opened, and Chisolm stood up, ready to move, when he suddenly let out a gasp of pain, and fell to the floor.

"Oh, oop!" The Doctor caught Chisolm, gently letting the man down. "I don't think you're going to be able to go any further. Stay here. Let the serum do its job. El and I are more than capable of handling things from here."

Chisolm slowly and reluctantly nodded, as the Doctor and El stepped into the lift.

The Time Lord hit the button, and the lift shuddered as it began to move down.

"Bottom floor: Appliances, tunnels, and homicidal Cybermen." The Doctor remarked, bobbing up and down absently as the lift came to a stop.

The Doctor peeked his head out first, stepping into the carved tunnel, before motioning El to follow.

"Careful…" The Doctor warned her. "This place is absolutely crawling with Cyber-Slaves."

El furrowed her brow, looking around. "What's with the tunnels?"

"Standard digging practice." The Doctor answered. "You do a cross-pattern of trenches -or in this case, tunnels- until you find what you're looking for."

"And they found it." El recognized with a sigh.

"They weren't looking for what they found." The Doctor replied. "…If only they stopped while they were ahead." He turned to El and motioned for her to follow.

The two rounding a corner, they spotted a Cyber-Slave marching up and down the tunnel. Before it could call the two out to its brethren, or otherwise react, El's hand shot out, and she slammed it into the wall, the metal cranium popping off, before the body fell down, bloodless.

Quietly wandering through the maze-like tunnels, the two eventually came to a ladder in one corner. The Doctor ushered El down first, and climbed down after her, emerging on another level of the tunnel network.

Two Cyber-Slaves were marching down this tunnel, before being quickly dispatched by El once again. Heading to another corner, they climbed down another ladder, and proceeded through the final level of tunnels, taking out more Cyber-Slaves along the way.

Eventually, the two emerged in a large cavern, a geometric structure poking partway out of the ice. There were two massive octagonal holes in the structure, with several smaller blocks of hexagonal vents surrounding them.

"What is that?" El whispered to the Doctor.

"The stern of the Cyber-Ship." The Doctor answered, looking at the metallic framework the humans had installed around it. "Fleeing from the Time War, I'd say, before it crashed down here, and the ice froze back over it."

"It's been waiting down here." El said, looking at the vessel.

"Waiting for some humans who had no idea what they were messing with to come and unearth it." The Time Lord replied. "The automated systems must have detected the expedition and sent out the Cyber-Mats to start the excavation. Clever stuff… deadly. Once the Cybermen are awake, they're going to go for the nearest human settlements, and continue their mission… the conversion of humanity into Cybermen. We have to stop them." The Doctor resolved, leading the way across the icy cavern.

They came to a cargo lift and stood on it. Sonicing the control panel, the Doctor sent the lift up.

"One Cyberman." The Doctor anxiously spoke aloud, as they walked across the scaffold to the next lift. "That's all it would take."

"Is that why we're going up there?" El asked, pointed to the control room as they took the next lift, and proceeded.

"Yep." The Doctor answered, taking the lead through a small access port in the side. "Here it is… the heart of the Cyber-ship."

The Time Lord looked around, before spotting the figure hunched over a control terminal. A Cyber-Leader, similar in appearance to the standard Cyberman, just with a black faceplate and transparent cranium allowing the brain to be seen, sat in the chair, two standard Cyber-Units on the floor next to it.

They all looked like they were wearing futuristic suits of armor, big and bulky metal segments all interlocked with black cabling and artificial muscles underneath, as opposed to the rather slim build of the Cyber-Slaves. A little logo, reminiscent of the Cybermen's own faces, were stamped on the breastplates of each Cybermen, where the sternum would be if they were human.

"Doctor Meadows!" The Doctor pleasantly recognized. "I was afraid the Cyber-Mats had gotten to you."

The woman straightened herself upright, the back of her head silver, as she turned around. Her skin was a pale grey, blue veins popping out from the areas surrounding her eyes, as a headpiece similar to the cranium units of the Cybermen just without the faceplate was jutting out of her skull.

"Ah." The Doctor blinked, as mechanical stomping suddenly approached.

Six Cyber-Slaves had surrounded them.

El's hand shot out, but the Doctor grabbed it. "Don't. There's no way you could take out all six at once." He looked to Meadows. "You're not looking too good there. Perhaps a lie down?"

Meadows scowled. "Humor is a redundant application of intellect."

"I dunno, I find it comes in handy when in a tense spot." The Doctor tugged his jacket. "So… The conversion already looks like it's progressed quite a bit, certainly farther than Chisolm's since it appears to have gotten your brain, but since you're not blankly moaning 'delete' like a zombie, I'd hazard the guess that you're not a standard Cyber-Slave, are you? The Cyber-Mat that got you must've had command routines plugged in, seeking out the smartest person on-site to bite." The Doctor clasped his hands. "So, the Cyber-Probes that started converting you must've been more advanced units, designed to keep as much of the brain's higher functions intact as possible."

"What for?" El asked, looking to the Doctor.

"To create a Cyber-Planner." The Doctor answered, looking seriously at Meadows. "The actual commanding force behind all these slaves, directing them to free the Cybermen from their icy prison."

"Correct, Doctor." The Cyber-Planner confirmed. "And to facilitate this… you will assist us."

"Assist you!?" The Doctor incredulously repeated, huffing. "Like hell I will!"

"If you do not," Three of the Cyber-Slaves, grabbed onto El, "Your child will be upgraded."

"Don't lay a finger on her, don't you dare touch her!" The Doctor struggled, as the other three restrained him as well. "You've already got the excavation running, why do you need me!?"

"This ship was caught in the Battle of Skull Moon." The Cyber-Planner stated, the Doctor's blood going cold as he froze. "A computer virus of Time Lord origin has infected the ship's databanks, locking it in the state you see now. A state that we cannot reverse, but a Time Lord can. And what better Time Lord… than the Butcher of Skull Moon himself?"

"That's irony." The Doctor recognized. "Cybermen don't have a sense of irony… You still have your emotions, Elizabeth, you can fight it!"

"Do not attempt to appeal to me, Doctor." The Cyber-Planner ordered. "Or I will simply give the order for your child to become the first in a new line of Cybermen."

The Doctor looked to El, the girl returning his gaze, terrified, before the Doctor turned back to the Cyber-Planner.

"Okay…" The Doctor sighed, "Okay, I'll help you."

"Excellent." The Cyber-Planner sent the command for the Doctor to be released, but the slaves still kept hold of El.

Stepping aside from the console, the Cyber-Planner observed as the Doctor worked to fix the system. A computer virus was tame, especially by the standards of the Time War, but what worked worked, and the Time Lords took every advantage they could. That was why the Battle of Skull Moon had happened in the first place. The Cyber-Controller, an AI connected to every Cyberman in existence at the time, had established its base on Skull Moon, a key strategic point which could allow the Cybermen access to more than three-dozen humanoid species, all compatible for the Cyber-conversion process.

The Time Lords had sent the Doctor in, back when he was actually taking orders from them, with more than five-thousand Time Lords by his side, gave him the virus, and ordered him to upload it into the Cyber-Controller directly to cause the most damage.

The Time Lords had succeeded, and the Cyber-Controller had shut down, along with every Cyberman connected to it, but out of the five thousand… only a dozen or so survived. The Doctor had all ordered them to their deaths, either knowingly or unknowingly, which was what earned him that title.

Just one of the many, many tales from the Time War that haunted the Doctor, even now.

The Doctor sighed, looking up from the terminal as the last bit of the virus was purged from the Cybermen's systems.

The Cyber-Leader's head slowly looked up, whirring. The Cyber-Slaves, suddenly having control wrenched from them by the Cyber-Leader, released El, the girl running over to the Doctor, the two warily watching as the activity in the room began to skyrocket.

"Cyber-Leader," The Cyber-Planner bowed, "I've awakened you."

"Your protocol has been successful." The Cyber-Leader spoke in a deep, synthesized voice. "You are no longer required. You will be deleted."

"B-But I restored you!" The Cyber-Planner spluttered.

"Indignance is an emotional response." The Cyber-Leader stood up, the regular Cybermen getting to their feet as well. "Emotional responses are a malfunction. Malfunctions will be rectified. Delete!" It ordered, taking aim with its arm. A red laser shot out from the blaster on its arm, and Meadows screamed in agony, before she fell to the ground, dead.

The Cyber-Leader then turned to the jumpsuit wearing slaves. "Cyber-Slaves are now redundant units. Redundant units will be deleted."

The Cybermen by its side took aim, and fired off shots at the Cyber-Slaves, the robotic creatures screaming as they died as well.

The Cyber-Leader turned to the Doctor and El. "You are no longer required. You will be deleted."

Before it could say anything, else, it suddenly sparked, crackling with red electricity, before it slammed into the ground. More shots quickly fired in the direction of the other two Cybermen, taking them down as well.

The Doctor and El, whipped around to face the source.

"Delete this." Chisolm held the smoking blaster arm from Meadows's office, looking perfectly human once again.

"Mister Chisolm!" The Doctor beamed. "Feeling better, are we?"

"Indeed I am." Chisolm looked down at the dead Cyber-Leader, scowled, and kicked its leg.

"Cool." El laughed, turning to the Doctor. "What about the Cybermen? They've already woken up."

The Doctor snapped his fingers anxiously, pointing at the girl, as he turned back to the computer terminal. "That they have. And since those ones have been killed," He glanced to the dead ones on the floor, "The rest of them down here are going to be hardened against it."

"Well, how do we stop them!?" Chisolm asked with worry. "The nearest base is Fort Cecil, they'll be slaughtered!"

"Dad," El looked to a screen on the map, showing an arrangement of blips moving across a topographic map, "They're moving. Fast."

"Blimey, already?" The Doctor asked. "Think, Doctor, think…" The Time Lord snapped his fingers repeatedly. "Can't write a new virus in time, can't just blow the ship up and go cause that'll leave the ones on the surface, can't fight with weapons because they'll just adapt to it!" The Doctor suddenly gasped. "Adapt… I've got it!" The Doctor typed something into the terminal, before running over to a Cyberman.

"What are you doing?" El asked.

"Turning their own power against them. Literally!" The Doctor pressed the sonic screwdriver to the Cyberman's breastplate. "I'm going to blow up its power cell, and to the automated upgrade systems, it'll look like the power core just blew up by itself!"

Chisolm gasped, understanding what the Doctor was getting at. "They'll adapt against their own power sources! They'll be without power in the middle of the ice, they'll die!"

"Yep!" The Doctor confirmed, pulling El and Chisolm back as the Cyberman's body suddenly exploded.

"Upgrade in progress." The automated voice of the ship suddenly announced.

"There's all the Cybermen, receiving the software patch!" The Doctor stated in satisfaction.

"Warning. Self-destruct in two minutes. All Cyber-Units, evacuate immediately."

"Oh, did I neglect to mention, I activated the self-destruct countdown?" The Doctor asked, grabbing the two by their hands, running out through the way they'd came in.

Sprinting down the stairs of the scaffolding, the Doctor hit the cargo lift and waited as it took them down to the middle level of the scaffold, connected to the top level of the tunnels.

As the alarm from the Cyber-ship sounded, the Doctor, El, and Chisolm sprinted into the tunnels, jumping over dead Cyber-Slaves, and dodging inert Cybermen.

Finally making it to the lift, the Doctor ushered the other two in first, before ducking inside, hitting the button to go up. Anxiously bobbing, the lift stopped on the main floor, and the three sprinted out, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the dome as possible.

Just seconds later, the Cyber-ship's engines exploded, sending up great chunks of ice, bits twisted metal, and smoke into the air, raining down on the entire area.

Luckily for the three, they had just made it to the outside of the TARDIS when the explosion occurred, the sapient ship protecting them from the explosion.

"Well…" The Doctor blinked, getting up from the ground. "That was certainly a show. Have to say, I love it when things go to plan." He commented, helping El up.

The girl frowned. "Aunt Sarah said you don't make plans. You just bumble around and hope you don't mess up."

"Silly girl, that is the plan." The Doctor replied, as the sounds of rotors echoed overhead.

Chisolm looked up. "That'll be the Fort Cecil plane. They run supply drops to the base. Or…" Chisolm looked around. "What's left of it now."

The Doctor drew his lips into a solemn line. "I'm sorry about your colleagues. They were too far gone… I couldn't reverse the process like I did with you."

Chisolm looked to the damaged dome. "There were risks… but most of them expected it to be frostbite and exposure." He turned back to the Doctor. "There's going to be questions."

"And most of them asked by someone from UNIT, I expect." The Doctor replied. "Just mention my name, it'll be fine."

Chisolm frowned. "You never mentioned it…"

"The Doctor."

Chisolm raised an eyebrow. "Doctor Who?"

The Doctor smiled, pushing the TARDIS door open to allow El in first. "Just the Doctor." The Time Lord stepped in behind her and shut the door.

A moment later, the engines engaged, and Chisolm watched, stunned, as the TARDIS vanished in slowly pulsating light, leaving no indication it was ever there other than an indent in the ice.


Out in the icy fields of the arctic circle, a legion of Cybermen stood, completely still, their bodies freezing over. A silent monument to just how close the world nearly come to ending.

The Doctor flicked the switch on the monitor, the view going dead as the Time Rotor moved up and down. "Now… with that done, what do you say to a vacation?"

"A vacation?" El tilted her head.

"Well, duh!" The Doctor replied. "While Sarah Jane's decompressing from us, we can relax as well! Or did you think I was just piloting the TARDIS around wildly?"

"Yes." El honestly answered.

The Doctor glanced at her, spluttering. "Okay, well, maybe a little bit, but come on, it'll be lovely!"

El crossed her arms. "It won't end badly this time, will it?"

"Of course not," The Doctor turned to her, "What gave you that idea?"

"Every time we've tried to go somewhere nice, it didn't go well."

"Now, that's not true!" The Doctor vehemently denied, pointing.

"Delirium Archive, Venice, Rio." El listed off. "Actually… name one place you went to where things didn't go bad."

"Well, there was Brighton Beach-" The Doctor cut himself off. "Actually, no, that didn't end well. There was a lovely time in Paris-" The Time Lord stopped again. "Wait, Romana and I got caught up dealing with something that time too…"

El leaned on the console. "Still thinking?"

"Trouble seems to follow me around…" The Doctor muttered.

"Yeah," El nodded. "That's true."

"And it's almost never my fault, of course." The Doctor continued. "Sometimes, things just happen by themselves."

The engines suddenly began to warble in an unstable manner, as the console room shook like the TARDIS was caught in an earthquake.

"What's happening!?" El shouted, holding onto the console for dear life.

"We're still in the wrong section of the time vortex!" The Doctor answered, checking the readouts on the panel closest to the door. "Something's wrong!"

"Can you fix it!?" El asked.

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, when the doors suddenly sprung open, air blowing out.

The Doctor was pulled from the console, grabbing onto the railing on the platform. The Time Lord tried to keep his grip, when it slipped, and he went flying.

"Dad!" El screamed, as the Doctor was blown out into space.


I'm a bit excited about this one, so, for your perusal, a little preview of an early Christmas special. No, it won't be replacing A Christmas Carol, but I will start uploading it after I finish with that.

The train bent, like no ordinary train should bend, as it climbed up around the outer rim of a mountain, the night moon bathing the train and the snow around it in a heavenly glow, almost as if the train itself was a chariot of the gods.

"Watch your step, watch your step." The Doctor warned as they walked on the top of the coal car. "It's tricky walking up here, it' slick, slickety, slick!"

Mike screamed, as he suddenly slipped, about to fall off the side, before the Doctor grabbed him, pulling him back up.

"There we go! What did I tell you?" He rhetorically asked, once Mike's feet were planted. "You know what, it was my first run on this train… I was up on the roof, making my rounds, when I slipped on the ice myself!" He regaled the other two. "I reached out for a hand-on, but it broke off, I slipped and fell, and yet!" He pointed, setting foot onto the ladder on the back of the coal car, looking the other two dead in their eyes. "I did not fall off this train."

"Someone saved you?" Holly asked.

"Or something." The Doctor corrected.

"…An Angel." The girl guessed.

"…Maybe." The Doctor granted, beginning to climb down.

"Well, what did he look like?" Mike asked, frantically climbing down after the Doctor, guessing that the same kind hobo who'd saved them before was also the one who 'saved' the Doctor. "Did you see him?"

"Not at all!" The Doctor replied, handing Mike his lamp as he helped Holly down from the ladder.

"Then… how'd you know something was there?" Mike responded.

"Welp, seeing is believing, but sometimes, the most real things in this universe, are the things we can't see." The Doctor offered his wisdom, taking the lamp back. "I'd like to see someone argue with me about gravity on that front…" He mumbled, opening the door to the next carriage.