"Sweetie... is that a good idea?" River asked. Her eyebrows rose as she waited for the answer she secretly dreaded.
"I'm curious... Why only one ship?" the Doctor replied striding around the console twisting buttons, cranking switches and pulling levers, "why this planet? The population here has hardly grown and established yet... The Cybermen could take on huge planets with a hundred times as many people... why this little one? Assimilation of this planet would hardly leave a dent in the human population... you lot... well... you're off on all sorts of planets... in your millions... millions. I'll never get done saving you lot... you're everywhere!"
River clung to each word attempting to keep up with his erratic train of thought. She gripped a rail tightly as the Tardis shuddered into action. The Doctor sprung around continuing to pull the controls of the Tardis in a whole manner of directions.
"Okaaay then... let's see what we have here" River had hardly noticed the Tardis land, and as she shook herself from her thoughts the Doctor was already halfway out the door, "Stay there," he called, "I won't be long"
A large part of her wanted to run out all guns blazing at those desensitised tin cans. An even bigger part of her trusted and respected the lunatic about to confront them. River reached up and switched on the monitor, he didn't say she couldn't watch.
"Come on then!" the Doctor yelled bursting into the central control room of the Cybership, "The Doctor will see you now!" On board the Tardis River shook her head in despair, who in the universe had taught him that line? He found himself facing only five Cybermen in the, what seemed to be almost deserted Cybership.
"You are the Doctor," a metallic voice confirmed.
"Oh good... you remember me..."
"You will be deleted"
"...oh please..." the Doctor chuckled, "Not until you've answered my questions... now... you lot. One ship... what's that about? Where are the rest of you?"
"You are the Doctor. You will be deleted"
"Ohh sing a different Song," he glanced directly at River through the Tardis screen. She felt slightly unnerved but continued to watch on, "There's a reason you're 'boldly' assimilating this incredibly small population... What's wrong with a class five planet? I thought you were supposed to be 'feared'... can't you handle more than a few hundred humans? And of course... you can't assimilate everyone... not everyone is compatible here"
"The universe was deleted. Cyberships did not restore to full capacity"
"Full capacity...? The Pandorica restored everything... the light... from the Pandorica exploded everywhere... in every time... all at once"
"Parallels touched. Cracks formed. The Cyberships fell. The work of the Doctor, the elite have fallen. You will be deleted"
"Oh that's good... that's very good. Cyberships fell through the cracks... ceased to exist... wiped from history. Any ship brought through from a parallel would be restored on the opposite side of the cracks... the void between words... and your ship... the last ship of the Cybermen. You're rebuilding an army! Here... now..."
"Cyberships will be restored to full capacity" the Cyberman insisted in the same monotonous tone.
"So what... you're just going to assimilate the people here and run off with a readymade army...," the Doctor ran his fingers through his hair in mild frustration, "... I won't let that happen..."
The 'lead' Cyberman stepped forward clenching its fist in front of its chest, "You will be deleted"
"Seriously now..." the Doctor looked back again directly at River, "Sing a different Song" River looked at the screen in confusion; she looked right into those brilliant eyes. If only she could see into that brilliant mind.
"The assimilated will awaken. The Doctor will fall"
River held the PDA tightly in her hands, what did he mean? A different song...?
She let out a frustrated cry as she darted around the console looking for anything that the Doctor could be referring to. She put her hands to her head, gripping her hair tightly and she struggled to think. River took hold of the screen, making sure the Doctor wasn't about to be deleted. Her eyes took in the Cybermen just as they had done when she'd been taken to be assimilated. They were huge... they were metal... they... they wore the seal of the Cybermen...
"Activate the sentry"
River paused having heard the statement, "Activate the sentry..." she repeated slowly. The Doctor remained still as the four other robots returned to their stations to work.
River began tapping away at her PDA, "Sing... a different... song," she murmured. It took her less than a minute but she found it. The Cybership was transmitting a signal down towards the planet. River looked up again at the monitor examining the receivers that made up the head of the robots. If she could scramble the signal she could prevent the Cybermen down on the planet from being activated.
"Come on... River..." the Doctor muttered to himself watching the robots enhancing the signal they were projecting down to New Earth. His hands were slowly balling into fists as he grew more and more concerned that River hadn't gotten the message.
Her arms moved so quickly around the console they ached but she had to be quick. The only way to interrupt the transmission was by using the Tardis; her PDA was in no fit condition to do any more for her. The pressure she felt under made her want to scream. She'd kill that man when he got back... if he didn't get himself deleted before then. Tiny beads of sweat began to form on her brow; she frowned with concentration as her work approached its end. With a last burst of energy she slammed the final lever down with such a force she thought for sure that it would break off the console. River threw her head up to watch on the screen.
"Ahh," she cried screwing her face up in pain as the Tardis erupted into an over powering sonic buzzing noise. She fell backwards, the Tardis projected the sound with such a force that her legs gave way beneath her.
"Gahh!" the Doctor yelled clamping his hands firmly to his ears and dropping to his knees in agony, "River!" he tried to yell over the buzzing. He struggled to open his eyes, but as he did he noticed the Cybermen twitching and sparking; smoke billowing from their metal seams, "Stop it! Shut it off! Riverrrr!"