2 The View from the Bridge.
Ommera is looking out of the lift. "It looks like the spaceship bridge."
"The Cybermen have the bridge where they issue commands, but there is a separate flight deck where all the navigation is done," the Doctor shares his wisdom. "They may have a significant number of prisoners lined up for upgrade already. Shall we explore? Shall we try to find them?"
"We could find out where the Cybermen are – the Tardis can scan for them," Ommera suggests.
They look at the Tardis Console. Only two Cybermen are left on board. "That one is preparing the upgrade facilities," the Doctor says. "The other, I don't know what he's doing."
They go out of the Tardis onto the Cybermen's bridge. To each side there are pairs of doors, like star-trek doors. These open as they approach. "Very nifty," Ommera says. "Do you think they will notice when a door opens?"
"If one of them is by an operating console, they might," the Doctor says. "But most of them are off-board just now."
They walk through a corridor and they are faced with a choice of which way to go. Busy clunking metallic sounds come from one direction. "Do you think that's the Cyberman preparing the upgrade facility?" Crystelle says.
"Likely," the Doctor says. They go another way.
"How will we find our way back?" Ommera asks. "I don't want to get lost again just because we thought we could find our way back, then couldn't." She recalls getting lost in a cave system on planet Shale with the Doctor (in episode 2 Lateness in this series).
Crystelle recalls the story of Hansel and Gretel. "We could lay a trail of something. But we don't have any breadcrumbs."
None of them are carrying anything appropriate. "I'm wearing some black soled plimsols. I could make a small black mark?" Crystelle concludes. She marks the corridor floor where they entered from. Now they can proceed again.
Along the next corridor there is a door in one wall. The Doctor is inquisitive. He opens the door a little and peers around the door. He steps back. "The other Cyberman is in there," he says.
Ommera would like to see a Cyberman up close, she has only seen one on a monitor screen. She steps into the room. The Cyberman turns around.
This is a very tense moment. Ommera is in full view of the Cyberman. He is certain to have seen Ommera, yet he makes no aggressive move. The Doctor and Crystelle are unaware of the contact.
Ommera sees that the Cyberman is downcast, even sad. "You're crying," she says. "What's happened?"
The Doctor is startled. Ommera is talking to the Cyberman; and she is being gentle. He whispers to Crystelle. "We should stay out of sight – seeing us might trigger problems!"
The Cyberman tells Ommera that one of the prisoners is her own daughter. She is desperate that her daughter isn't upgraded. "Upgrade is so painful, and it's only one way. I can never go back to being human again."
Ommera is desperately sorry for the Cyber woman. "We will do everything in our power to save your daughter from the upgrade. What are you doing just now?"
The Cyber woman sobs. "I'm making the prisoners their last meal."
Ommera steps forwards and puts her arm around the Cyber woman. This is such bad news for her. Giving her own daughter her last meal.
"But aren't you in line to be upgraded?" the Cyber woman asks.
"No, we're just here to help.
The Cyber woman suddenly seems to have to fight an internal battle. She steps away from Ommera. "I don't want to kill you," she stutters. She starts to raise her arm. Gun nozzles appear near her wrist.
Ommera runs out through the door.
"She's losing the fight to stay with her humanity," the Doctor says as he closes the door hearing the whistle and thud of the Cybermen's armaments bombarding the kitchen wall. "We must run, or she will be out of there in a moment."
The end of the corridor has a more armoured door. A control plate beside the door responds to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, and the door opens. After they go through, the door closes. "I hope we can get back through," the Doctor says.
There are two cells nearly full of people. The Doctor has seen plenty. "This is where the prisoners are being kept," he says.
Crystelle approaches the bars. One of the prisoners comes across to her. "Are you coming for upgrade, too?" he asks.
"Not if I can help it," Crystelle says. "There's someone preparing a last meal for you just down that corridor. She is crying. Her own daughter is among you awaiting upgrade."
"We're all going off the idea of the upgrade," the man says. "We didn't think it would entail being kept prisoner. Any chance of getting us out?"
"That's what we've come to do," Crystelle says. "But I have no idea how we'll achieve that."
The Doctor wants to go urgently. "Is there another way out of this security area?" he asks.
"No, only that door," the prisoner tells them.
"It's like being totally hemmed in," the Doctor says. "Only one way out and that's past the Cyber woman. She is unlikely to be friendly now."
"We must try," Ommera says. "I'll listen at the door to see if she is just the other side. She might have gone back to her cooking."
Ommera positions her ear against the Cyber spaceship security door and listens. "No sound. Shall we run for it?"
"I think we have to," the Doctor agrees. "They aren't good at shooting at moving targets. Most of them have had no target practice at all." He zaps the door control with his sonic screwdriver. The door opens. The Cyber woman is standing there.
How can they get back to the Tardis past the Cyber woman?
The Cyber woman's battle.
Ommera steps forwards. She holds out her hand towards the Cyber woman. "I quite understand your sadness," she starts off. The gun nozzle is still revealed but is pointing floorward. "Could you let me and my friends help your daughter? We are her only hope."
The Cyber woman stretches. It seems like her way of fighting the internal battle. Then she folds her arms. "Run like the wind!" she instructs them. "I can't withstand this battle much longer."
They run past her and follow the plimsoll scuff marks back to the bridge.
As they retreat into the Tardis the lift doors close. Some life is left in the lift doors.
Waiting Four Hours.
They are sitting on the Slint park bench, which the Tardis had enclosed and brought with it some time before (in episode 2, Lateness in this series), and the two plastic chairs.
"Which game shall we play?" the Doctor asks.
"Could we play VibraTile?" Ommera requests. "It's so beautiful."
The Doctor goes to the Tardis Console and retrieves one of their games.
While the Doctor is away at the Tardis Console, Crystelle confides in Ommera quietly. "Ommera, there are times when I really wish I was home."
"Yes, I'm afraid sometimes," Ommera owns quietly. "But the Doctor needs us. You'll be alright."
"It sometimes feels so chancy," Crystelle confides.
"Yes," Ommera agrees. "But he does always seem to win out."
The Doctor returns with the game and they play the game.
The Doctor opens the box and the pieces jump out and glide across the floor. Pieces turn vibrant blue when the player looks at it; they love it.
The digital clock on the wall of the Tardis clicks round four hours.
"We should see how they're getting on," Ommera says. She looks at the Tardis Console monitor screen. "They've already set off from Cookerama. Doctor, how will we find out where they're going?"
"Listen at their bridge lift door," the Doctor says.
"But won't we be discovered straight away?" Ommera asks.
"No," the Doctor replies. "My sonic screwdriver put the lift out of action, so they won't find us until they repair it. That may be some time. I doubt they have any in-flight maintenance capability."
The Doctor gets up and goes to the Tardis door and opens it.
"I'm going to prise their lift doors apart slightly and listen," the Doctor says quietly.
Crystelle goes over to the Doctor.
Lift Space.
"We must be very quiet," the Doctor whispers. The Doctor prises the lift doors apart slightly with his fingers; the doors won't open much, though. "The bridge is empty. Bother. We spent too much time waiting. They've finished all their conversations that might have helped us."
"Never mind," Crystelle consoles him. "We can still look at the flight controls. They'll tell us where we will be heading."
The Doctor wafts his sonic screwdriver around the edges of the lift doors to open the lift doors more.
The lift doors open again. But then they creak and there is a bang and a small flame erupts from the lift control panel.
"Bother. It's fused," the Doctor says. "No power for the lift doors now."
"I guess we can go out and explore," Crystelle says. She steps out of the lift.
"This is a main lift. It will be noticed," Crystelle says. "Oh. They have already noticed. There's a notice saying the lift is out of order." She steps back into the lift. "I'm going to re-live stepping out onto the moon. There's no-one here. It's quite safe."
One Small Step onto the Bridge.
Crystelle steps out of the Tardis to beyond the lift doors, placing her feet slowly and carefully. "One small step for me…"
The lift doors close automatically! Crystelle is on the outside. Totally visible to the Cybermen if they enter the bridge. And nowhere to run or hide.
The Doctor yells from inside the lift. "I can't open the lift doors at all just now. But I'll come and rescue you."
"What happened," Ommera asks. She comes to the Tardis door where the Doctor is.
"Crystelle stepped out of the lift and the lift doors closed," the Doctor says. "Now the lift doors won't open at all."
"There's no-one else around. I'll be ok," Crystelle says. Crystelle is agitated and her fear begins to rise as she looks around for anywhere to hide. There is nowhere.
"Doctor, shall we move the Tardis to be on their bridge?" Ommera suggests.
"Yes, we may need to do that," the Doctor says. "But not just yet. The Tardis will be very visible if it is on their bridge."
A Cyberman enters the bridge from another door. He sees Crystelle and turns to face her.
Crystelle screams.
Ommera is very concerned. "What's happened?" Her voice is very muffled by the lift doors.
"A Cyberman…" Crystelle stammers. She is very scared.
The Cyberman interrupts aggressively. "How did you escape? Which batch are you from?"
"I… only just arrived," Crystelle says. She has no idea what to say, but this seems to satisfy the Cyberman.
"Come with me!" the Cyberman says gruffly.
"Don't resist," the Doctor calls out from inside the lift.
"Who is that?" the Cyberman asks commandingly.
"No-one," Crystelle says squeakily, she can only just manage to speak. "I just like talking to myself."
"I don't believe you," the Cyberman says gruffly.
The Cyberman comes across to Crystelle by the lift and presses the lift button to open the lift door.
Fortunately, when the Doctor opened the door for the second time it fused the door opening capability, then it had just closed automatically. Now, it was stuck.
"The door is jammed. Come with me." The Cyberman takes Crystelle away. She has to go with the Cyberman. They leave the bridge.
Where will Crystelle be taken to? Likely to be upgraded! Will the Doctor be able to rescue her before she is upgraded? Will the Doctor be discovered?