Deryn sighed, leaning against a convenient pillar that seemed to have popped up just a few moments ago to provide a resting spot. Though I would never have believed it, and I still don't fully, it does seem like this ship-place-thing has a mind of its own. The Leviathan was rather temperamental and had some rough intelligence, but it was just an animal. This TARDIS, I suppose it's called, really does seem to know what it's doing.
When the Doctor had said they needed a plan, she had imagined a quick, lively discussion, then off to Berlin. But what he really meant, apparently, was staring at the black box they had stolen and muttering while Alek tried to ask him questions about the TARDIS. To date, the Doctor had somehow still not managed to pronounce Alek's name correctly, and Alek was looking more and more frustrated as the Doctor continued to provide unsatisfactory answers to all his questions.
Deryn had stopped trying to listen to their conversation, whenever the Doctor did answer one of Alek's queries, the resulting babble of technical talk made her eyes glaze over. There was nothing worse than a pair of Clankers deep in conversation over their machines, and Deryn had decided that the Doctor was definitely like a Clanker, judging by how easily he slipped into explanations of his beloved TARDIS's special technology.
Deryn felt her eyes growing heavier by the second, the rhythmic hum of the ship surrounding her and lulling her into a sense of safety and warmth… despite how alien and wrong the ship was, it was surprisingly homey. Just as her eyes were closing, and she was sinking into a peaceful sleep-
"HA! I GOT IT!"
"Barking spiders!" Deryn yelped involuntarily as the triumphant cry pulled her from her would-be nap. The Doctor was beaming at Alek and Deryn with unrestrained enthusiasm.
"I figured it out! How to stop the Cybermen! And how we're going to get past their ships defenses!"
Alek couldn't restrain himself, joining in with the Doctor's good cheer.
"How are we going to stop them, Herr Doctor?"
"Good question, Alphonse-"Alek's face turned from smile to scowl in less than a second- "the trick is, these new Cybermen are networked, to a server housed on their ship. Almost always, the Cybermen are governed by a Cyber Controller or Cyber King or Cyber Planner or what have you, which is always highly defended and rather nasty. But these new Cybermen don't have a central leader. Instead, they're all connected to a server which houses their collective memory, knowledge, and strategies. This means that decision making is instantaneous, and they learn from their past mistakes constantly. It's as close to a democracy as the Cybermen can get, and it gives them a degree of cunning and independence you don't see in your average Cyberman. Naturally,-"
"Doctor, please get to the point." Deryn cut in. Any more talk of servers and networks would put her back to sleep as surely as another hour of waiting.
"Ah. Yes. Sorry. There's that getting off-topic that I promised to avoid. Anyways, the network gives them an advantage, but we can also exploit it. A network that large needs more than one server to support itself, especially when it's running an entire invasion force. And since they have infiltrators and soldiers spread everywhere, even in the heart of the British Empire, the servers can't all be housed in Berlin. Individual Cybermen can't transmit and receive that far. So they must have individual servers scattered all over Europe. If we can find one, sneak past the Cybermen that are undoubtedly guarding it, and gain access, we can gain all kinds of information about them. Particularly, we can learn how to get onto that Cybership and destroy it. And maybe we can cause a little havoc with the network, see if we can't mess with their heads a little?" The Doctor grinned with delight.
Alek nodded at him. "These 'servers' of yours certainly seem like they would be a vital target. But vital targets are always protected well, especially in wartime. I can't imagine it's much different with these Cybermen, even if they are metal men from space."
The Doctor nodded. "Very good, Alex."
Alek didn't even try to correct him that time, just scowled.
The Doctor continued, oblivious to Alek's reaction. "But we'll figure out how to get in when we get there. First, we have to find the location of one of their network servers."
Deryn headed him off with dread in her voice. "Is that… going to take a very long time?"
"Hopefully not. Now that I know what to look for, it should only take a few minutes. I've had nine centuries of practice to learn how to decipher Cyberman encryptions."
Part of Deryn, the ordinary part, the part that was used to daily life in Darwinist London, thought, shocked: Did he just say nine centuries?
However, that part of Deryn was slowly shrinking. Sudden and nonstop exposure to a world beyond her own was battering down the ordinary part of her brain. Deryn had always been one to adjust quickly, but she wasn't even sure if she wanted to adjust, to become non-ordinary. The best times of her life had been spent blending in onboard the Leviathan, hiding her own abnormality.
Then she snorted. They were about to attempt to break into an alien base to gain access to a ship that could wipe out everything on Earth, and she was worried about her own normality. The whole barking point of going chasing after the Doctor in the first place was that she would stand out enough for the Society to move her to a position in the field. And as soon as she was faced with the kind of adventure no one could even imagine, she wanted to go back to her bloody office at Trafalgar Square!
To her relief, the Doctor was true to his word and did not take hours to find one of his mysterious 'servers'. After just a few minutes he popped up, his face glowing with enthusiasm. Deryn was beginning to think that enthusiasm was the main emotion he was capable of feeling. It was like the man was a bottomless fountain of enthusiasm.
If he's this excited when we're trying to track down a fortress of angry machine-men, I don't want to see what can make him worried.
"Alright, Deryn and Eric, I've got it all lined up. We're ready to begin our little expedition, but before we dematerialize, I want to make a few things clear."
His voice grew sterner. "I haven't traveled with you two before. I don't know how well you react under duress."
Deryn butted in. "Trust me, Doc, I can handle myself in a firefight. I've been under plenty of duress before."
"Nonetheless, I'm taking a big risk. Usually when I take new people on board, I don't take them straight into dangerous, hostile territory. Usually we tour some less dangerous locales before trying to tackle something like the Cybermen. Especially these Cybermen. But the circumstances are a bit different now. As you have seen, they've begun infiltrating all over Europe. It's only a matter of time before they launch a full invasion. So, yes, this is a bit of a different start then you would normally get. But I need to be sure you know what's at stake."
He paused.
"An awful lot, that's what's at stake. So I'll need you two to stick close and do as I say. Don't do as I do, we can't have you taking any unnecessary risks on your first TARDIS trip. Even though this whole trip is a risk. At least it's not an unnecessary one."
"Doctor, I think we get your point. Deryn and I can handle it. Whatever 'it' turns out to be."
"That's the spirit, Alex, that's the spirit."
"Alek." Corrected Alek.
"Alright, you two. I suggest you find a seat or handhold while we're in transit. Should only be a few seconds."
And before either Deryn or Alek had had a proper chance to find a seat or handhold, the Doctor was at the center console, dialing on a rotary dial with one hand while flipping a row of switches with the other hand. Deryn dived for the stability of a pillar while Alek clung to a railing. The floor seemed to shift alarmingly beneath Deryn's feet, accompanied by a strange, repetitive sound that filled the room. Then there was a jolt, the floor leveled out, and the sound stopped.
"Quick trip." Remarked Alek as he extricated himself from the railing he had managed to get himself tangled in.
The Doctor pushed open the double doors to the TARDIS, and a few weak rays of sunlight pushed their way into the interior. From her position, Deryn could make out a grassy hill, crowned with a few trees. The sun was making an attempt to push its way free of the bleak cloud cover, a few rays making their way down to illuminate the hill.
Deryn stared out of the doors. The shock she had felt when seeing the TARDIS interior for the first time was mirrored when she saw that they had, in fact, moved to another place entirely.
"Where are we now?" Alek inquired. He had recovered faster than Deryn had, and was now studying the outside from the safety of the interior.
"Bedfordshire. Not too far from the Cyberman base where they house one of their servers."
The Doctor stepped outside. Deryn and Alek, not wishing to be left inside the TARDIS alone, followed. Deryn stepped onto the thick, silty soil outside with some caution, but any caution gave way to a rush of excitement as the soil proved to be, in fact, real. She hurried after the Doctor, basking in the glory of freedom from her office. It had been over a month since she had left London, making this unexpected trip to the countryside something of a euphoric experience.
"All right, stay close and don't go wandering off. This is hostile territory, you hear?"
It was a blissful day. But something was indeed off. The wind rustled the leaves, a few birds twittered, but the atmosphere was altogether too quiet. There was no sound of human activity, just the wind in the trees and a few songbirds in the distance.
As they crested the hill, Deryn got a better view of the land around. To the east, a small forest grew. Directly ahead, a few farmhouses stood placidly. A narrow lane wound around the base of the hill on the other side, making its way toward the solitary houses in front of them.
The Doctor appeared to sniff the air. He looked troubled. "Something is wrong here. But I can't tell what yet. Something definitely wrong."
He set off again, rather more hurriedly than he had before. Alek and Deryn set off after him as he marched down the hill and onto the road. He was heading for one of the charming little farmhouses lining the road.
In just a few minutes, they had reached the dwelling. The Doctor knocked firmly on the door.
There was no answer. Not even the sound of movement from inside.
Evidently, the Doctor did not have the patience to wait for the house's occupants. He reached for the door handle and turned.
The door swung open at his touch. When Deryn looked closer, she saw that the door handle had been roughly jostled out of place and that the lock appeared to be broken.
The Doctor noticed it too, because his face became grimmer. He pushed the door all the way open and stepped into the house. The interior was well lit by the sunlight streaming into the windows, so Deryn and Alek followed.
At first, all seemed normal. They were standing in a short hallway, which opened onto a cozy dining room. An open door revealed a functional yet homely kitchen. The dining room table held a bowl of rather dusty apples. The lights were off, but luckily the house was well windowed.
But as Deryn and Alek looked around closer, they saw a different picture entirely. One of the dining room chairs had been knocked onto the floor and no one had made an effort to put it back. A plate lay broken on the kitchen floor.
As they stepped into the kitchen, a disgusting stench hit their noses. Next to the sink were two plates laden with uneaten food. The plates were covered in flies and the food appeared to be accumulating a layer of mold. Something had definitely gone wrong here.
The Doctor sighed. "We're too late, by at least two days. The Cybermen raided this house. Odds are that they've done the same at every isolated household in the area."
He looked very resigned suddenly. "It's been two days. The people who lived here would have been converted in that time. But the Cybermen are probably holding others at the base. We have a chance to save their lives."
Alek, unable to contain himself, snapped out "But why in hell has no one done anything?! This is Britain! Britain in wartime, no less! In the two years that the war has gone on, the Clanker powers have never been able to strike on British soil. There's no way that these Cybermen, whatever they actually are, could have taken so many people! There are police, there are soldiers! There's a military fabrication facility right here in Bedfordshire, full of soldiers! Surely they-"
The Doctor sighed again, and cut Alek off. "You're upset, I know. I am too. I'm just more used to seeing things like this. You're young, you're still idealistic, but Allen-"
"MY NAME IS ALEK!" Alek was now angry, truly angry. "Why is it you can remember my girlfriend's name within a few minutes, but you still don't know mine! And I may be young, but I'm not some kind of gottverdammte idiot like you think I am! I'm a field operative for the Zoological Society! And I have seen people die, but I have never said that there is nothing to be done for them. I won't-"
"Keep your voice down!" hissed the Doctor urgently. "Just because the coast looks clear, you shouldn't forget that this is hostile territory!'
"Don't change the subject, Herr Doctor. We need to save those people. I don't know what the Cyber-things are planning to do with them, and I don't care. If there is a chance that they can be saved, then I will do my best to save them. I've had people die because of me. If these people die because I didn't try to save them, then the blame will partially fall on me. But it will mostly rest on you. You shouldn't want that."
The Doctor rubbed his eyes. "Ar- Alek, I see where you're coming from. And I am sorry that I haven't been paying you much mind. It's just… I've been traveling alone. I haven't had to deal with other people for a while. I haven't been trying very hard for a while. I thought that chasing down this Cybership might make me feel better. Might redeem me a little for letting Amy- sorry, I'm getting off subject. But I'm glad I brought you two along. You're the quintessential stubborn, good-hearted humans. And I suppose that's really what I've needed."
He grinned, the darkness suddenly gone from his face. "Thank you. I suppose I needed someone to yell at me. But now, we need to focus on our task. We need to stop these Cybermen, and to start we should-"
CRASH!
The front door was knocked off its hinges, and went skidding across the dining room floor. A blue ball of lightning was fired from the doorway. It hit Alek before he could move or even make a sound, and he shuddered and fell where he stood. The floor shook under the tread of metal-shod feet.
Deryn yelled, more out of shock than anything. A second burst of electricity was fired at her, but she was able to dive to the floor and evade the shot. She rolled over, but before she could get up, a heavy, cold metal foot descended on her shoulder, pinning her to the floor and sending waves of pain through her.
A cold, artificial voice rang out through the air. The disturbing thing about the voice was that it could almost have passed for human.
"Facial matches confirmed. Secondary targets have been apprehended for conversion. Updating server: Secondary targets are no longer a liability."
Deryn looked up at the Cyberman pinning her to the floor. It was regarding her with a passive but unmerciful expression. After a moment she realized that its face was actually a metal mask, frozen in a neutral but still vaguely threatening expression. Blue light streamed from the eye slits in the steel façade. Unlike the two tramps they had seen in London, this Cyberman was totally armored, with no trace of humanity about it.
A pair of Cyberman strode out of the farmhouse kitchen, roughly marching the Doctor between them. One of them had his buzzing cylinder thing clenched in a steel fist.
"Primary target has been apprehended. Updating server: Primary target is no longer a threat. Note: One unit was incapacitated by his sonic device and will require hard reboot."
The Cyberman above Deryn removed its foot from her shoulder, but roughly hauled her to her feet before she had a chance to roll away. A fourth Cyberman was impersonally slinging Alek's limp frame over its shoulder.
"Updating server: Status update: All targets apprehended. Now being transported to outpost for processing."