From bad to worse, the adventure started off as an inquiry and quickly became a race against the little time they have, with an approaching Cybermen ship coming their way.
Abandoning the idea, Theodore tried to flee with Lila, but the Cybermen honed in on Al, enough that he can't function.
"Cybermen can't do that!" Lila found it impossible that the Cybermen disabled Al and he agreed with her as he felt his physical body locked down by the Cybermen's control protocols that broke through his firewalls.
Hand running through his wild hair, Theodore cursed as he's internally panicking, trying to figure out a way for them to escape, but Al tells him that he can't shake it off, it's like telemarketers after they find out the number works.
Trying as he might, they're keeping him locked to this place, and Al doesn't think he can break the coding in time.
Internally panicking, the trio tried to come up with an idea, which led them pitifully hiding in the one place Theodore didn't want them to go into, initially, the freezer.
Not before Theodore forcefully dragged out and stowed the decapitated Cyberman's body so the approaching Cybermen won't have a reason to look too far.
Fixed up the freezer door so it didn't look out of place and they're still able to escape from it if needed.
Theodore made sure that Lila didn't see the shelves stacked with bodies as Al hid himself among the crates of food with the limited power he had while trying to break the the override commands.
One of the worst situations anyone could've gotten themselves into.
Trapped by Cybermen that overrode the TARDIS's security system preventing them from simply escaping the mess.
His teeth chattering as he's thinking, Theodore's trying to think like his father would in this situation, what he would've done in his place, while clutching Lila close to him, keeping her warm in the bitter cold.
Al's unfazed by the cold, due to his nature, and he's able to move around, panicking, as he's going through everything in his internals trying to shrug off the lock imposed on him by the Cybermen.
"A-Al, what if y-you… powered yourself off?" Theodore called out to the pondering avatar that stopped in his place looking over at him with a lightbulb over his head.
Nodding, Al says he can power himself off, make it seem that he went offline, it should be enough to throw them in a spin.
"Unless of course, they accounted for that, then by me turning off, I won't be to turn back on," Al recoiled as he mentioned the possibility that the Cybermen have an ace up their steel arms.
They already know how to lock him down, it wouldn't pass Al if they know his tricks, too.
Sucking the cold air through his teeth, Theodore winces, before he then decided one of the stupidest things he ever did since primary school.
"Al, you stay here," Theodore tells the stunned AI that he's staying put.
Blinking, Al asks him what he's doing and mortified when Theodore tells him the plan.
He's going to confront the Cybermen.
"Are you out of your mind!?" Al looked at him with awe in his eyes as Theodore affirmed that he is indeed out of his mind and yes, he is serious about the confrontation.
Looking down at Lila who looked up at him like he's crazier than usual, Theodore tells her that they have no choice, the Cybermen would've found them anyway, they can't hide in the freezer forever.
"Wh-what're you going to do?" Lila quivered in his arms from the cold.
Theodore responds that he doesn't know for sure, but he knows they can't stay here forever, the Cybermen would've found them from tracking Al.
It's not a good plan, but they don't have much of a choice, besides, Theodore wants to know what type of person could've scared them so terribly that wasn't a Doctor.
"Oh no, buddy, you're not leaving me alone with Hammond," Lila won't let Theodore leave her with Al in the freezer.
There's no way she's going back to the library without Theodore and Hammond's not going to like hearing what transpired if all fails, that it's better for Lila to risk her life with Theodore than staying behind.
Chewing on his inner lip, Theodore agreed, telling Al to prepare in case all fails, and the AI watched at the two exited the freezer, locking it from behind, before making their way through the encampment, begrudgingly looking for the Cybermen.
"Why come here, I thought the guy disabled the trackers," Lila couldn't fathom how the next set of Cybermen figured out what happened, the culprit behind the murders made sure none of the Cybermen could've broadcasted their locations before death.
Running his hand through his wild hair, plucking off icicles that formed on the strands, Theodore responded that it's possible that the Cybermen weren't stupid this time around.
Much like him and Lila going out of their way to meet with the arriving Cybermen.
Unfortunately, this adventure is a first of many, and hopefully the last.
Internally, Lila's writing out her obituary, on account they're actively going towards the Cybermen without wanting to actively destroy them like usual, and without a way off this rock because Al's essentially disabled by the Cybermen.
"Can't you do your thing?" Lila broached the idea of Theodore using his abilities in opening a rift or tear, something big enough, get them out of this situation, then some, even if they must drag poor Al and his physical body with them, somehow.
A good idea, yes, but Theodore said that he couldn't do it, there's no energy for him to use, and it's dangerous for him to conjure something like that, it'll take too long to collapse, the Cybermen would've taken advantage of it the moment they get the chance.
Clinging to his arm, Lila walked with him as they heard familiar nosies in the distance.
Sucking air through his teeth, Theodore doesn't know how he'll do it, but he hopes that he can talk to the Cybermen.
They're looking for someone, reasonably, they're not going to look at Theodore and start something with him, because they'll be too concerned with their query, they won't bother, hopefully.
Maybe get them to ease off Al, get him ample time to make his escape, give them time to escape from the Cybermen, be off this rock before Hammond calls in.
If all fails, at least they'll be both dead before Hammond goes nuclear, so that's something.
Though, they'll miss the opportunity of watching Hammond going nuclear on the Cybermen that killed them, which would be a shame, because Theodore would like to see his big brother matching wits with the likes of the Cybermen, even they couldn't handle the mathematics he doles out to people who get on his nerves.
"Ready?" Theodore turned his head towards Lila as she mentally prepped herself.
Turning her head, Lila responded in her usual fashion, "Well, I lived a good life. Tinnitus from Daleks, sore muscles from everything else. I hope I haunt those headache inducing bastards until they're turned into trash bins."
Forcing the air trapped in their throats down into their stomach, the duo marched into uncertainty, when they encountered the Cybermen, having broken through the entrance in the encampment.
The tallest one with a pronounced decorative metal on its head, identified as the Prime, instantly took notice of Theodore and Lila, summoning the others to raise arms.
Yanking Lila behind him, Theodore shouts that they're not the ones the Cybermen are looking for, they're searching for answers, too, whoever Cybermen looked for's long gone, now.
Everyone in the encampment's dead and whoever they're looking for tampered with the tape.
The Prime ordered the other Cybermen to lower their arms, talking to Theodore directly, "We believe you."
This day's just full of surprises and Cybermen willingly believing Theodore and Lila's innocent of what happened's topping it!
"If you believe me, why did you lockdown my TARDIS?" Theodore demanded answers from the Prime and it told him that they needed to be sure that it was the Doctor's.
The vagueness in the Prime's words bothered Theodore and he begged for answers, but the Prime insisted that they needed to be sure that it was the Doctor's TARDIS.
"How did you know?" Theodore wanted answers from the Prime on how they knew how to disable his TARDIS and the Prime stated its answer in a mono voice, "We were told."