He looked himself up and down. The Doctor, dressed in a bright waistcoat, dark trousers and long frock coat. He had several variations of the same look, and was quite happy with it.
He looked around at the place he was – for now – calling home.
It was nice. Small, and all that, but… nice.
"Well," he murmured. "Nice."
So what did he need?
Sonic screwdriver. What on Earth was one of those? He was supposed to know – he knew he was supposed to know a lot of things. But he didn't. A sonic screwdriver though, would be pretty easy. A screwdriver that made noise. He picked up a screwdriver from one of the suitcases he had had moved. They were the property of a Mr Jackson Lake. The first victim of the Cybermen. He had gone through a couple of suitcases, finding nothing of value save a nice coat and a few watches, several of which was broken. Nothing else.
TARDIS.
After labouring long and hard, he had decided that TARDIS must be some sort of craft. A must be Aerial. Anything Aerial must be a balloon. What was a balloon? Tethered. Released to fly. Tethered Aerial Release – and it would be Designed In Style! TARDIS! Perfect!
So how did one do that?
He got together a few papers, and wrote furiously. Ideas were coming to him in great swathes. Thoughts that seemed to swamp him. Perfect. He liked it. Thinking was something that he loved doing, but not when it was inner thought. He thought outwards, about Cybermen. About stopping them.
Never inwards.
He knew he'd lost a lot in that first battle. But what had he lost? He kept thinking to himself, what, what, what had he lost…?
Bah, it didn't matter. He had a TARDIS to build.
--
The Ostermans Wharf.
She was waiting. Someone had promised to meet her – Jimmy Thomson, a nice young man. Worked as an accountant for a small company that made timber furniture.
She thought, perhaps, that it might lead to something. Something, but she didn't know what. Not that it mattered now, he wasn't coming… but then she saw something. A man, in the shadows. Tall. Wasn't jimmy, he was only five foot something.
"Who's there?" Rosita called out. "Jimmy?"
The thing marched out. Tall, silver. A man made of metal. That was… that was impossible. Wasn't it?
"You are not Cyberform," it said. It raised its arm, a smaller silver tube flicking out of it's arm. "You must be deleted."
"Hey, hold on," Rosita said. "Who are you, what…?"
"I am a Cyberman," it said, and it aimed the arm at it. "You will be deleted."
The tube flared, and Rosita ducked, as a bolt of red light tried to hit her – it blew a barrel to kingdom come, and she screamed, before running.
--
The Doctor looked up.
Someone was screaming. now, he might be a little low on memories, but he knew just who he was, and what he did when he heard screaming.
He ran to help.
--
Rosita ran, and tried desperately to find something. Something to fight that thing. What? What, what, what, what…
"Hello," a man smiled at her. He was older, nice looking, brown hair, blue eyes. Blue waistcoat, black coat, black trousers, white shirt. "Were you the one screaming?"
"Look," Rosita said quickly. "There's a silver man, tall, he's shooting lightening out at me, he wants to 'delete' me…"
The man was nodding, but looking over her shoulder. The silver man was back. The man stood up, looking the creature dead in the eye.
"Hello," he said to it. "You look familiar. In fact, you look like a Mark Two Cybus Industries Model Cyberman, unless I am very much mistaken. Very interesting."
"Identify yourself," the creature said, its voice flat monotone.
"Oh, I'm the Doctor," he smiled. "Simply the Doctor. The one, the only, and the best!"
His smile suddenly dropped from his face like a stone from a great height.
"You should not be here," he said. "You, girl, who are you?"
"Rosita," Rosita said.
"Well, Rosita," the Doctor said, "might I suggest you run very quickly?"
"Incorrect, you will both be deleted," the Cyberman said.
"No," the Doctor snapped. "You will never kill again, not while the Doctor lives. Not while I live."
"You are not the Doctor," the Cyberman said.
"I think," the Doctor smiled, "you'll find I am."
The Cyberman marched up to him, until they were face to face.
"You do not match physical appearance of the Doctor," the Cyberman said.
"Regeneration," the Doctor said. "I think. Memories, you know."
He grinned, and then jumped back, as the Cyberman tried to grab him.
"Ooh, that was naughty," he said. "I wouldn't try that again, my friend."
"Prepare to be deleted," the Cyberman said. The Doctor smiled at the Cyberman, then ran down an alleyway. Then, somehow, the woman Rosita was next to him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her as they ran.
"Watching you with that thing," Rosita smiled.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I want to know what that thing is!" she said.
The Doctor sighed, then stopped, and turned.
"Watch this," he said, and he quickly pulled a string..
They turned, and the Cyberman walked towards them, and then, somehow, a great big brick landed on the creatures head, smashing it in. Then another landed, then a whole large number of them, all landing on the creature and crushing its head.
"Marvellous," the Doctor smiled, and ran over to it. He quickly peered over the wreckage, poking it. "Brilliant."
"What is that?" Rosita asked.
"Cyberman," the Doctor said. "Creature from another world."
"Another world?" Rosita repeated, disbelievingly. "Pull the other one."
"No," the Doctor snapped. "What other explanation could there be, woman? A creature made of metal that seeks to kill women with lightening! Tell me what that is, if it isn't a creature from another world?"
Rosita had no answer for that, and slowly looked at the thing. He was right. What was it, if not a thing from another world?
"And who are you?" Rosita asked him.
"The Doctor," the Doctor said. "The man who's going to stop them."