The man before Ruri narrowed his eyes, glancing down at the gun she was holding, then back up to her face. He then smirked... She didn't like it.
"Let him go?" He repeated in a questioning tone, raising an eyebrow. His face turned serious before he burst out, laughing in a mocking manner again. He seemed to like mocking others. "Oh, I don't think so." He snarled, stepping towards her. Ruri still held up the gun, trying not to let her fear show.
"I'm warning you..." She spoke again, moving her hands on the gun slightly, pointing it again at him. His expression softened as it then turned into a shocked look... He lifted up his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. Ruri watched closely, still feeling uneasy. "Right... The Doctor, let him go. Whatever you've done to him, change him back." She attempted to make it sound like an order, but instead it sounded like a request.
"Why would I do that?" He dropped his arms down to his sides, the smirk reappearing. "I'm so clever already, and now I'm a million times more clever." He stated, stepping forward again. "And what a brain. Not a human brain, not even slightly human. I mean, I'm going to have to completely rework the neural interface, but this is going to be the most efficient Cyberplanner." 'Cyberplanner?' Ruri questioned in her head. "Not a great name, that, is it?" He asked rhetorically. "I could call myself Mister Clever. So much raw data." He then grinned. "Time Lords. There's information on the Time Lords in here. Oh, this is just dreamy." He laughed slightly, clapping his hands.
"Human will be upgraded." A cyberman finally spoke up, causing her to turn to it, holding the gun in its direction.
"I don't think so." Ruri shook her head. "I'm not becoming anything like you."
"She's right." She heard 'Mr Clever' say, she turned in shock. "She could be useful."
"I wouldn't quite say that." Ruri nervously laughed. "What do I know about all this stuff?" She asked, lowering the gun briefly.
"You are the Doctor's companion, are you not?" He stepped forwards again, causing her to back away. "He doesn't just pick useless non-important people..." He paused. "I should know... I'm in his head." He smirked. "And his head is full of information... Bursting with information..." Then he seemed to change... His whole body language and facial expression. It was the Doctor. "Ruri!" He exclaimed. "You have to get back to the TARDIS." He told her, looking like he was fighting whatever was in his head. The cybermen began to be aware of the fact the Doctor had taken back control as they turned to Ruri. "Go!" Ruri quick turned, dropping the gun, and ran back to the TARDIS, hearing the stomps of the metal men behind. The Cyberplanner had taken back control. "Go! Get her!" He shouted, following the metal men. Ruri kept running, not looking back as she reached the TARDIS, opening it and running in, slamming the door shut behind her, locking it. Silence. She heard nothing, which scared her more. Her heartbeat sped up as she tried to calm herself down. She then heard a sound from the console, she looked up to see the Doctor stood by the centre. She narrowed her eyes, unsure as she slowly approached him.
"Doctor?" Ruri asked softly, her voice faltering slightly. He looked like a hologram?
"Incorrect, I am the TARDIS interface." It stated in a monotone voice.
"You're like a hologram then yeah?" She looked up at the interface as it looked directly ahead.
"Correct." It said with no emotion. "Is this form compatible?"
"What do you mean?" Ruri folded her arms, confused by the question.
"Do you wish for another form?"
"I still don't understand." She shook her head, blinking. When she opened her eyes, the hologram had changed... It was her. An exact look-a-like. "Hey! Why are you using my form?" She questioned, putting her hands down at her sides before shaking her head. "Never mind. That's not important. The Doctor's in danger... Something called the 'Cyberplanner' has taken control of his mind." She explained.
"Searching records for 'Cyberplanner'." It stated. It was odd to hear herself speak, she see herself in front of her... Sort of. "Results for 'Cyberplanner'. Upgrade of the Cybermen, modern technology." It paused, a vacant look on its face. "Cyberplanner wires into the brain, taking over in a cyberspace, cyber-hive, cyber-network."
"Okay-okay, that's all well and good but how do I help? How does he get the Cyberplanner out of his head?" She asked urgently. "He has this metal piece on the side of his head... I'm guessing we can't just pull it off?"
"Affirmative." It confirmed. "However, early cybermen systems can be affected by gold." It told her, actually turning to look at her, which creeped her out slightly.
"So, I need to find gold and somehow stick it to the metal piece thingy?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Where would she find gold?
"Correct." It turned its head back to its original position.
"Where will I find gold?!" She exclaimed, frustrated at the situation. She then began to pace, thinking.
"You have a ring." She heard a voice say behind her. She turned to see the interface staring. Ruri looked down at her hand, seeing her gold ring she could when she was little. "It is very little, almost pointless, but it will help and break the link for a while." The interface was beginning to sound less like a robot.
"For how long?" She asked, curious.
"3 minutes and 45 seconds to be exact before the Cyberplanner gains control." It said, tilting its head.
"Should be long enough... Right?" She asked, panicked. "But what do we do then? Will the Doctor know what to do?"
"The Doctor will do what he always does." There was a moment silence. "Go on a whim." Then the interface disappeared, leaving Ruri alone. She took a deep breath before turning and heading to the door. She peered out again, seeing two Cybermen going back down the corridor. She quietly stepped out of the box, following the path of the metal men. However, what she didn't realise was that one cyberman was hidden behind the TARDIS. It stepped out, seeing Ruri following the other two. It crept up on her, stopping behind her. Ruri felt uneasy again... She felt another presence...
"You will be upgraded." She heard a cold voice from behind her, causing her to jump and turn, seeing a cyber before her. She gasped as it grabbed her arm before she could get away. It began to drag her along, towards another room, further away from the TARDIS. She passed the room the Doctor was in, looking to see he was no longer in there. Where was he?! She didn't try to struggle, she was too scared to try. The corridor became darker as it was lit up with only little blue lights stuck to the panels on the walls. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears... The doors opened to reveal a massive room, bigger than the others with a larger chair in the centre (similar to the one in the room the TARDIS was parked). However, it wasn't empty... The Cyberplanner sat with his eyes shut, wires attached to the metal piece on his head... 'Why?' Ruri wandered. 'Perhaps their technology wasn't as updated as they made out...' The cyberman dragged her towards another chair that was smaller and looked worn out. It sat her in it. It stomped away. She narrowed her eyes, confused. She tried to get up when she realised she couldn't. There were metal restraints over her wrists, keeping her in the chair. They were tight, trapping her. She wanted to shout and scream for help, but knew it was coming... She felt tears beginning to form as she hung her head, letting them silently fall. She sniffed as she tried getting her wrists out of the restraints, even though she knew she wouldn't.
"Doctor..." She whispered. "Please..." She spoke louder. "If you can hear me... You're stronger than it. You're stronger than the Cyberplanner..." Still there was no movement.
"Come on... Wake up."