Chapter 3 – Assault
"Delete the Doctor!" came the shrill cries of the Cyber-leader. In unison the Cybermen raised their rifles and leveled them toward the Doctor who was now picking himself up off the ground one more time.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Superman said through grit teeth. "Are these more of your playmates Doctor?"
"Old friends really. Ok, so friends would be a bit of a stretch. More of acquaintances really. We've run into each other a few times before. They are more dangerous than they appear. I urge you to use caution." The Cybermen let loose a volley of plasma force toward the Doctor. Much like before Superman intercepted each of the blasts, catching them in his palm. Once the last beam was dealt with he shook away the wisps of smoke from his hand.
"Who are you?" Asked the Cyber-leader as it stepped forward scanning the man of steel.
"I am Superman, protector of this planet. The Doctor has something very important to me."
"The one designated Superman is superior to humans. Genetic material would vastly more durable than human material. Delete the Doctor. The Superman will be upgraded."
"Delete the Doctor! Upgrade the Superman!" the remaining Cybermen chanted in unison.
"Who are these clowns Doctor? Or should I ask the real question. Why do they want to destroy you so badly that they threaten the earth?" Superman spat out. He stood calmly between the Cybermen and the Doctor.
Superman focused his gaze on the Cyber-leader. Layer by layer his x-ray vision stripped him away. Initial layers showed thick dermal plating. General machinery and circuitry provided the machine with power and a mock circulatory system. It was when he stripped down the cybernetic plating around the skull that he saw that beneath the cranial plating that threw him for a loop. A living, organic, presumably human brain hardwired with circuitry.
The Cybermen took several steps forward unleashing plasma bolts along the way. Superman was still in shock from his discovery. The bolts caught him upon his chest, in his legs and one even took him square in the forehead. He was staggered back and dazed, dizziness taking him. The Doctor scrambled behind a nearby air duct. The bolts kicking up the rocks and dust upon the roof top where he had been.
Shaking the cobwebs out his skull Superman had to move quickly. He focused his gaze and a beam of heat vision erupted forth. A single beam narrow and surgical swept across the Cybermen's rifles immediately slicing them into useless pieces of scrap.
"These things were human?" Superman asked out loud. He wasn't really expecting a response, yet the Doctor felt fit to supply with him one.
"I assure you; while they may have been human at one point they aren't any longer. All form of humanity has been stripped away from them. They use human organ and tissue to build their armies. They upgrade humans from their frail docile selves into these monstrosities, removing any and all emotions. Becoming the perfect human or so they say."
"The Doctor knows too much. Delete the Doctor." Cried the Cybermen. Dropping their now broken weaponry they began to shamble forward with outstretched hands. Superman was now locked in combat with his own inner turmoil. Simple machines he could destroy, but these were far from being simple. Things had just gotten infinitely more difficult. He took in a deep breath and exhaled coating the rooftop with a thick layer of ice, rooting the Cybermen to the spot they stood. However it didn't last very long.
"Upgrade the Superman. Delete the Doctor." Came the mechanical voices. They continued to march forward, their legs shattering through the ice that bound them.
"If you can destroy them you need to do it. You would only be doing them a favor." The Doctor yelled from behind cover.
"Are you mad? They are human. Or at least part of them is. Now I'm beginning to see who the real monster is. I'm beginning to think that you are more responsible for this than you let on. If there is any ounce of humanity in them they deserve to live Doctor. Just like you. Just like me." Superman shouted over his shoulder.
The machines marched toward the Doctor forcing him from behind cover. The Doctor slowly backed his way toward the edge of the rooftop.
"Yes, they were human once. But any part of them that was human is nothing any more. Superman, you have to see that each moment for them would be filled with torturous agony were they able to feel pain. All form of humanity had been stripped from them. Memories wiped out. Feelings erased. Even pain is no longer a factor for them. Anything that had ever made them human is gone. You wouldn't just be saving the rest of humanity from their upgrades but you can free the ones who have already been…"
His words were taken from him as he backed a little to close to the edge. He turned and waved his arms trying desperately not to topple over the side. In a flash superman was behind him gripping the back of his blazer.
"Sorry Doctor, I still need you." Superman answered. Just then a massive shock coursed through his arm where a nearby Cyberman who had been marching toward the Doctor had gripped him. His arm twitched tossing the Doctor onto the roof top heavily. Superman felt his arm go numb and fall lifelessly to his side. The Doctor looked up at the man of steel and coughed shaking his head.
"That was the grip of the typical Cyberman. It would have been instant death for me or a normal human. I guess it's a good think you're not exactly human. But that does leave us in a quandary now doesn't it." The Doctor sputtered.
Superman clutched at his dead arm as the Cybermen marched ever closer. It would be easy enough for him to destroy the machines true enough, but what of the remaining pieces of humans that were inside them? He could avoid them, they were slow, but he couldn't avoid them and protect the Doctor at the same time. The Cyber-leader grew closer while the remaining Cybermen circled around the two. With grit teeth and a heavy heart he fired his heat vision once more, this time severing the Cyber-leaders legs just above the knee.
"They can be stopped without being destroyed Doctor. If there is even a shred of humanity left within them than I have to believe that they can be saved. I would say the same for you but from what I've seen and heard about you, you may be more of a monster than they are." Superman growled. He hated being forced into this situation but forced he was. He turned in a slow circle targeting each of the Cybermen and slicing through their legs. It was just as the last of the Cybermen fell that Superman felt the cold clamp of steel upon his leg. He turned to face the Cyber-leader just as a surge of electricity poured through his leg.
Reflexively his leg shot out, catching the Cyber-leader in the side of the head before going numb. Superman fell to the rooftop while the Cyber-leaders head was ripped from its torso and went clattering across the roof. With his leg and his arm numb Superman grunted as he pushed himself into a sitting position.
"Downloading Cyber-leaders cortex. I will be the new Cyber-leader." Said the metallic voice of one of the nearby Cybermen. It's eyes flashed an electric blue for just the briefest of moments. "New orders from Cyber-command. Upgrade the Superman at all costs." With the order issued the Cybermen stopped their pursuit of the Doctor and began crawling toward the man of steel.
xXxXx
The Doctor's eyes went wide when he saw Superman collapse to the roof. It was amazing how much punishment this being could actually take. He felt a wave of relief when he saw the man in blue push himself up. His gaze shifted to where the Cyber-leaders head now lay. The wheels in his head began to spin. His thoughts were chained together into a clear path. Logical events were pieced with fragments of the past, and knowledge of his enemy. They were sewn together into the fabric of a solution. And all this occurred within the blink of an eye.
The good Doctor wasn't sure at first if running into the Man of Steel was a good thing or not. After all he seemed hell bent on making him produce some missing person or another. The man was convinced that the Doctor was a kidnapper of all things. But watching him work was truly amazing. Couple that with the fact that he practically handed the Doctor the means to locate the source of the Cybermen and possibly save Mrs. Hagen's daughter, well that was a gift horse that he couldn't ignore.
He traversed the rooftop as quickly as possible; leaping over the occasional outstretched arm that tried clumsily to stop him. Quickly he scooped up the detached head of the ex-Cyber-leader and scurried toward the nearby fire escape. Let's not forget that Superman served as an excellent distraction; a distraction that he didn't seem to have to worry about like River or the Ponds. He was of far sturdier stock. An enigma wrapped in a riddle he was. But the Doctor couldn't stop to unwrap that particular puzzle box at the moment.
"Well I see that you have things well in hand Superman. I'm just going to pop on back to the Tardis for a tic. I think I have discovered a way to stop this whole thing. Just keep away from them for a few minutes. I will be back." He shouted out. Superman grunted as he tried to push himself back up to his feet. The Doctor surveyed the area one last time to make sure the Cybermen were far enough away from him as not to pose any real danger. Once done he scrambled down the fire escape with the head tucked firmly beneath his arm.
As he neared the bottom he could hear the clang of metal and the pounding of steel. Perhaps the Boy Scout was finally taking him at his word. It's a shame more people didn't listen to him. They would save themselves a lot of trouble in the long run. I mean, he was the Doctor after all. He mentally shrugged as he turned the corner. Quickly he scanned the area to get his surroundings, and then ran toward the Tardis' location.
He swallowed hard, his chest heaving, his fingers trembling with excitement. He should have known he wouldn't have stayed bored for very long. He never really did. The air was crisp and invigorating. Or at least it would be if he had a chance to enjoy it. The world whipped past as he raced down the street, frantically dodging people in his path. Finally he arrived at the Tardis. So now not only was he in a rush to rescue Jenny and reunite her with Mrs. Hagen, but he had to shut down the Cyber-command and hopefully the rest of the Cybermen at the same time. All before they overwhelmed Superman. Piece of cake... for a time lord.
He ran inside and shut the door behind. Immediately he went to the central console and began pulling at levers and twisting knobs. He slid out a small tray from the console and placed within it the bloody pink scrap of cloth he had found in the alley. He quickly began the DNA sequencing of the blood found on the cloth. Next he ran over to a far panel ripped it open and removed two wires. He flipped over the head of the Cyber-leader and connected the two cables to a bit of the exposed circuitry.
"By calibrating the psycho sematic traces of the Cyberman's cerebral input device and cross referencing the genetic makeup from the blood on the edges of the torn sweater I found in the alleyway, I should be able to calculate where Jenny was as well as the source of the Cybermen." He said aloud. He always enjoyed telling the Ponds how things worked. How the pieces of his plan linked together. It helped him to verbalize and confirm that said plan was the correct one. It was never as exciting when he just explained it to himself. "That's the theory anyway." He added with the arch of a brow.
The Doctor smiled at himself as his plan worked just as he had predicted. He quickly began switching levers and inputting coordinates. He flipped a couple switches and prepared the Tardis for takeoff. The all too familiar hum of the Tardis began to throb within him. It washed over him and like an addict it seemed to set him at ease. As if for that split second all was right with the universe.
"DOCTOR!" boomed the Kryptonian's voice. There was a pounding at the door. It hit the Tardis so hard that it actually knocked the Doctor off his feet. He had to clutch at the nearby railing for support. The Doctor lurched over to the console and flipped another switch or two confident in the fact that the Superman would not be able to get in. At least he knew that he escaped the Cybermen well enough. But his confidence didn't last very long at all as a muscled blue clad arm came crashing through the front door.
"What?! No! No, no, no, no, no! What?!" He cried out in alarm.
xXxXx
The soft beeping was the only noise to be heard in the otherwise silent office. Even with its incessant shrill beep it took the sole occupant of the room several moments to recognize it was even there. Lex Luthor sat in his chair staring out the window at the sprawling cityscape below. His fingers tapped softly against each other in a rhythm only he heard. His mind was lost in a waking revere, focused on the one thing that consumed his thoughts on a daily basis. Superman. The man of steel. The protector of Metropolis.
He sneered as his own thoughts became filled with their past confrontations and his past failures. Oh how he loathed the alien. How the mere thought of the abomination churned his stomach. Each time he thwarted even the best laid plans. He shook his head ever so slightly. Superman was a god among men, but even so he was not without his weaknesses. Soon Lex would either dominate the alien, or destroy it. He was getting closer with every attempt. It wouldn't be long before…
The beeping grew increasingly louder, invading even Luthor's thoughts. Luthor collected his thoughts, took a deep breath, and swiveled his chair to face his computer. He cast a furtive glance at the monitor before tapping one of the keys.
"Eye-drone 792A reporting from Cardiff England." Came a soft mechanical voice over the computer feed.
"Report." Lex responded coldly.
"The subject was confronted by mechanical beings of unknown origin and capabilities. The machines were to be designated as Cybermen. Initial scans report their intent was hostile but motives are still unknown. The weaponry used, while deadly to humans, had great effect on the Kryptonian though not proving to be lethal. The weaponry had a paralytic effect on the subject's limbs rendering them useless for a limited time. Despite the efforts of the hostile machines, the Superman was able to defend himself and destroy his attackers."
"Of course he did. He wouldn't be Superman if he couldn't take on a handful of robots." He said with a twinge of anger in his voice. "Display the recordings on screen." The eye-drone complied with the command. Luthor leaned forward, lacing his fingers beneath his chin, and gazing intently at the screen. He watched the brief battle unfold and several things became apparent. First was that Superman was hesitant about attacking the machines. He could have destroyed them in an instant, but it wasn't until they overwhelmed him that he destroyed them. "Curious." He said under his breath.
Secondly, the particle beams that the weaponry fired didn't have a vast effect on the man of steel, yet when the machines had touched him, that was when his limbs went limp. Their grip seemed to have a great affect. He stroked his chin gently as he continued to watch the footage.
"What was the compositional makeup of the machines?" He asked.
"Initial analysis of exterior shell revealed iron, steel, copper, and unknown substances. Further analysis warranted."
The footage showed Superman rushing to a blue police box, like one that would be found in old England. Lex arched a brow watching the footage. He sure seemed eager to get inside. His arm went through the front door. But what happened next was more amazing. The box, with superman attached, disappeared. A slight grin played at his lips. What an interesting turn of events. Perhaps his dealings with the Kryptonian were over. He highly doubted it. It would never be over until Superman's cold dead corpse rested at his feet. Lex took out his cell and dialed.
"Yes sir." Came the voice from the other end.
"I need a cleanup team. I'm feeding the coordinates now. Package all debris individually and returned to floor 37 at Luthorcorp Towers. I want it done yesterday." Before the voice could even respond Luthor collapsed his phone and tossed it onto his desk. He tapped a couple keys on his computer and the display looped the footage of the mysterious disappearing blue box.
"What are you? Where did you go?" Lex silently asked himself. His finger traced the image of the box as it disappeared.