"What did you do Doctor!" yelled Leela as they sprinted for the trees.
"Not much..." said The Doctor breathlessly. "Used the sonic screwdriver to disrupt the firing mechanism in our friend's head for a moment. He should be recovering shortly."
The tree to their right exploded with bark and leaves flying and they ducked left.
"SEE!" The Doctor shouted. "All Better!"
Leela grabbed her mentor's arm and pulled him with her. The others seemed content to follow them. She led them straight to the TARDIS.
The Doctor opened the door and the men held back as he leapt through it. This time she grabbed West and shoved him forward, then Gordon who looked back at her as though she were mad to be shoving them all in that tiny box. She dashed in behind them slamming the door.
The Doctor looked up from his control platform. He had activated the magic window that let him see outside his ship. West and Gordon looked around with surprising calm, more interested in the window then in the dimensions of the ship that looked smaller outside then inside.
Leela watched as the Silver man stood halfway up the hillside staring at the tree line. Contemplating? She saw the frightened and awed tribes people fall on their faces before him. It was clear from the looks on some faces that they could scarcely believe that what their shaman had said was actually true. Instead of fighting the evil creature though, the tribe obviously saw the shaman vindicated and the white man Silver Totem warned them of being chased from their land. Some looked distressed, some cheered, some confused, all of them, though, dared not incur Silver Totem's wrath.
This was not good. Leela knew that awe, and fear, and being confronted by both God and Devil and how difficult it was to be convinced that neither existed...that what she had worshipped and feared was manipulating her tribe for selfish and insane ends. She looked away from the screen. It was painful to see.
"Well."said The Doctor. "That went as I expected."
"You expected that thing to try to fry us?" asked West as he looked around.
"I expected he would try..." The Doctor smiled toothily. "Not succeed."
"I take it you know that fella?" Artie grinned back. He seemed to appreciate The Doctor's sense of humor more then James West did...or even herself.
"Ohhh...maybe not that particular Cyberleader unit...but yes. The Cybermen know me. And I know them...too well." He sighed.
Artemus Gordon let out a whistle as he finished looking around. "Jim...this place reminds me of the paintings that Loveless trapped us in. Bigger on the inside then outside."
James West nodded and The Doctor, completely forgetting the current dilemma, looked at Artie with surprised curiosity.
"You're acquainted with trans-dimensional engineering?" He asked incredulously. Rarely was The Doctor ever truly surprised by anything.
Artemus looked around and nodded. "If that's what you call this. Dr. Loveless, the man we spoke of before...he invented it."
The Doctor drew himself up imperiously and looked down his long nose with a frown. "Nonsense! Humans...especially of this era are incapable of understanding the mechanics involved...."
"Doctor..." Interrupted Leela. "Doctor..."
"Even the societies with rudimentary temporal capabilities haven't mastered trans-dimensional physics...."
"DOCTOR!"
Leela pointed at the Magic Window.
On the hillside stood Silver Totem, straight and as firmly rooted as a tree.
"Doctor." Intoned the metal man. "This is a pointless exercise. You cannot hide in your time craft. You cannot leave. Cyberman historical records show that your emotional attachments to this species and this planet make you vulnerable to threats made against them. Possessing this flaw of....emotion...gives me a weapon. You WILL do as I order, or each hour five units of this species will be terminated. Once these units are eliminated I will self destruct my vessel and every organic creature in a 150 kilometer radius shall be terminated."
There was a whine of energy and the red beams lanced from Silve....the Cyberman's eyes and four of his closest worshippers fell like Shaker of Bones with unrealized screams showing on their mute, pain filled faces.
James West reached for the door, but The Doctor grabbed his shoulder and yanked backwards with a strength belied by his appearance. Artemus Gordon simply stared with horror. "Dear God!" he uttered in a strangled whisper.
The metallic monster hadn't moved so much as a centimeter.
"Your first hour begins NOW."
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"Not much..." said The Doctor breathlessly. "Used the sonic screwdriver to disrupt the firing mechanism in our friend's head for a moment. He should be recovering shortly."
The tree to their right exploded with bark and leaves flying and they ducked left.
"SEE!" The Doctor shouted. "All Better!"
Leela grabbed her mentor's arm and pulled him with her. The others seemed content to follow them. She led them straight to the TARDIS.
The Doctor opened the door and the men held back as he leapt through it. This time she grabbed West and shoved him forward, then Gordon who looked back at her as though she were mad to be shoving them all in that tiny box. She dashed in behind them slamming the door.
The Doctor looked up from his control platform. He had activated the magic window that let him see outside his ship. West and Gordon looked around with surprising calm, more interested in the window then in the dimensions of the ship that looked smaller outside then inside.
Leela watched as the Silver man stood halfway up the hillside staring at the tree line. Contemplating? She saw the frightened and awed tribes people fall on their faces before him. It was clear from the looks on some faces that they could scarcely believe that what their shaman had said was actually true. Instead of fighting the evil creature though, the tribe obviously saw the shaman vindicated and the white man Silver Totem warned them of being chased from their land. Some looked distressed, some cheered, some confused, all of them, though, dared not incur Silver Totem's wrath.
This was not good. Leela knew that awe, and fear, and being confronted by both God and Devil and how difficult it was to be convinced that neither existed...that what she had worshipped and feared was manipulating her tribe for selfish and insane ends. She looked away from the screen. It was painful to see.
"Well."said The Doctor. "That went as I expected."
"You expected that thing to try to fry us?" asked West as he looked around.
"I expected he would try..." The Doctor smiled toothily. "Not succeed."
"I take it you know that fella?" Artie grinned back. He seemed to appreciate The Doctor's sense of humor more then James West did...or even herself.
"Ohhh...maybe not that particular Cyberleader unit...but yes. The Cybermen know me. And I know them...too well." He sighed.
Artemus Gordon let out a whistle as he finished looking around. "Jim...this place reminds me of the paintings that Loveless trapped us in. Bigger on the inside then outside."
James West nodded and The Doctor, completely forgetting the current dilemma, looked at Artie with surprised curiosity.
"You're acquainted with trans-dimensional engineering?" He asked incredulously. Rarely was The Doctor ever truly surprised by anything.
Artemus looked around and nodded. "If that's what you call this. Dr. Loveless, the man we spoke of before...he invented it."
The Doctor drew himself up imperiously and looked down his long nose with a frown. "Nonsense! Humans...especially of this era are incapable of understanding the mechanics involved...."
"Doctor..." Interrupted Leela. "Doctor..."
"Even the societies with rudimentary temporal capabilities haven't mastered trans-dimensional physics...."
"DOCTOR!"
Leela pointed at the Magic Window.
On the hillside stood Silver Totem, straight and as firmly rooted as a tree.
"Doctor." Intoned the metal man. "This is a pointless exercise. You cannot hide in your time craft. You cannot leave. Cyberman historical records show that your emotional attachments to this species and this planet make you vulnerable to threats made against them. Possessing this flaw of....emotion...gives me a weapon. You WILL do as I order, or each hour five units of this species will be terminated. Once these units are eliminated I will self destruct my vessel and every organic creature in a 150 kilometer radius shall be terminated."
There was a whine of energy and the red beams lanced from Silve....the Cyberman's eyes and four of his closest worshippers fell like Shaker of Bones with unrealized screams showing on their mute, pain filled faces.
James West reached for the door, but The Doctor grabbed his shoulder and yanked backwards with a strength belied by his appearance. Artemus Gordon simply stared with horror. "Dear God!" he uttered in a strangled whisper.
The metallic monster hadn't moved so much as a centimeter.
"Your first hour begins NOW."
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