//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 Past and cost part 3 // Story: Night-Mares in Steel // by Bronycommander //------------------------------// Chapter 6 Past and cost part 3 Opening their eyes, the group looked at a recessed metallic structure with double doors in the middle. On either side were images of a Cyberman. A group of humans held the Doctor, Jamie and a woman in a dress at gunpoint, but the former managed to calm down the group, as apparently, one of the group’s members had died through elocution as he touched the doors. One of the men in the group, called Parry, explained that they are here to find the remains of the Cybermen, who apparently died out centuries before. The expedition was funded by Miss Kaftan, who was accompanied by her giant manservant, a dark-skinned man called Toberman, and her colleague, Eric Klieg. Knowing that the Cybermen were involved, the Doctor decided to accompany the group and placed a magnetic voltmeter on the handles, checking the reading and removed it. “It's perfectly safe now.” He announced, yet Parry looked with horror at him. “You'll be killed!” “No, don't touch him!” Another archaeologist by the name of Peter Haydon warned yet the Doctor touched it without any danger, showing it was really safe. He then grabbed a handle and pulled but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move it. “I'm afraid it's beyond my strength.” “Let me, Doctor,” Jamie said and tried it, but also was unable to move it. “Aye, well, I've not had much exercise lately.” “Quite. I think here is a gentleman who can open these doors for us.” The doctor looked confident at Toberman but Kaftan protested. “He is my servant. I will not have him risk his life.” “Surely it was for just such a contingency as this that you insisted we bring him with us?” Parry asked in return. “Oh, there's no danger now. Unless of course he's afraid.” The doctor added, only for Toberman to start walking towards him. “Oh, no, no, he's not afraid.” He added in a surprised and slightly afraid tone, stepping aside and the dark-skinned man pulled both doors open with ease. The Doctor warned the expedition to be careful but they marched in, paying no heed to his warning. Entering the darkened inner chamber, the group found a control panel with a series of levers and switches, large, hidden doors and a sealed hatch. The doctor took a look at the levers. “One in that section, and one in that section over there. Activated, I imagine, by this simple logical system over here. Here we are, I think.” He moved the levers 6, 4 and 5, there's a beep and a door to the right of the entrance slid up. “Yes, splendid, splendid. A simple logical gate.” Then he did the same with another set of levers and the door opposite the entrance lifted open. “Doctor, you seem to be very familiar with this place.” Klieg asked with suspicion in his voice. “Oh no, not really. It's all based upon symbolic logic, the same as you use in computers. The opening mechanism for this door, an OR gate. you call it.” He explained in a neutral voice, “Yes, yes, I can see that, but how did you know in the first place?” “Oh, I use my own special technique.” Klieg raised an eyebrow. “Oh really, Doctor? And may we know what that is?” “Keeping my eyes open and my mouth shut.” The doctor deduced him before Parry spoke up “We're far too many to explore together. I think we'd better divide up. If you, Mister Viner would take that door with er-“ “Jamie.” The companion of the doctor reminded him and he nodded. “Jamie and Mister Haydon. Mister Klieg, the Doctor and myself will make up the other party.” “Well, what about us?” Victoria asked. “I think the women had better remain here.” The leader replied and she waved a hand. “Oh, rubbish. We can make a party.” “Certainly. With Toberman to guard us we need fear no one.” Kaftan added. “Right. Mister Klieg, will you take them along with you?” “I prefer to stay here.” Was his answer to Parry. “As you wish. Mister Viner, will you go along with the women?” Parry asked a fellow man, who gave him a nod. “If you like.” “But get back to the spacecraft by 1630. You all know the temperature drop at night, so we'll meet back here at 1625. If anyone is missing that'll give us an hour to look for them before we have to leave.” “Come on, then. We might as well try that opening over there.” Viner said to the women and took the lead “We'd better keep close together. Kaftan advised Victoria, who shook her head. “I'm all right thank you.” Upon splitting up, Victoria, Viner and Kaftan came across a chamber with a sarcophagus-like box facing a projection device that was apparently used to revitalize the Cybermen. In another room, Jamie and Peter Haydon found a small silver caterpillar-like object on the floor. Noticeable was that it had crystalline eyes and antennae, resembling an oversized metallic silverfish. In the control room, the doctor and Klieg tried to restore the power, as a big dial was lit up now, and flashing blocks of numbers as an indicator finger swung to and fro. “Well?” Parry asked his collogue. “Well, the basis of this code is binary to digital conversion with an intervening step involving a sort of Whitehead logic. Well, when this Burrier series is complete, there is no more to be done." “Yes, but why do it at all?” The doctor asked and Parry looked at him in slight surprise “Really, Doctor, for an archaeologist you seem to be curiously lacking in curiosity.” “Some things are better left undone, and I have a feeling that this is one of them.” He simple told the two men “What do you mean by that?” Klieg did not understand. “Well, it's all too easy, isn't it?” “Easy?” “I wouldn't call this an easy survey, would you, Klieg?” Parry asked into the round. “Everything here is designed to keep their secrets, whatever they are, insoluble.” This caused the Doctor to raise an eyebrow. “Insoluble?” “But take this-“ The doctor cut him off. “Oh, I wouldn't say that.” “But take this mathematical sequence, for example. I'm really no nearer to its solution. I've tried every possible combination. You'd hardly call that easy!” Klieg countered and the doctor read his notebook, giving a slight smile “Yes, well, what you've done here is mostly right.” “Why, thank you.” “You see, if you take any progressive series it can be converted into binary notation. If you take the sum of the integrants, and express the result as a power series, then the indices show the basic binary blocks. Only I wouldn't do it if I were you. Oh no, I really wouldn't do it!” He advised Klieg with concern. “Of course. You're right.” Eric walked to the row of levers below the dial and started moving them. “Look! Sum between limits of one and nine one integral into power series. Yes! yes! Then you differentiate-“ A sound of increasing power generation cut him off and the lights started to flicker. “You fool! Why couldn't you leave it alone!” The doctor cried out in alert, causing Parry to wonder. “What's happening? “I don't know. Perhaps the Cybermen aren't quite as dormant as you imagine. We must find out what has happened to the others.” As he reached the room, the man found Jamie and Haydon experimenting on a machine and rushed to turn off the console. Before he could intervene, a humanoid silhouette came into view. It turned out to be a Cyberman, sliding into view and a gun fired. The shot hit Haydon in the back before he could react, killing him. He fell to the ground, slightly smoking, an empty expression, with all looking in horror at the scene. Then the cyborg slid out of view again and Parry asked, “What happened?” “He's dead. Don't you see, he's dead? It's this damn building. It's alive. It's watching us! It'll get us all! We've got to leave!” Viner yelled in fear and terror, yet his leader rolled his eyes. “All right, Viner. This is terrible. How did it happen?” “We've got to get out of this building. It's deadly! They'll kill all of us if we don't get back to the rocket.” Viner yelled, much to the Doctor’s confusion. “They?” “The Cybermen! Didn't you see it?” “Cybermen? A live Cyberman? My dear Viner, they've been dead for the last five hundred years.” Parry corrected him in disbelief. “I tell you it was a Cyberman and it came out of there, that screen thing.” Viner pointed to it and Jamie noted. “He's right.” In response, the Doctor deduced that the gun was at the back of the room. They reenacted what Jamie did before, pulling two levers and a big button. To the surprise of the ponies, a figure of eight patterns appeared on the wall and a Cyberman slid out in front of it. A weapon, looking like a laser gun, came out of the opposite wall. It was defiantly a laser as it fired at the cyborg. It decapitated the Cyberman, falling to the ground. Victoria screamed at the sight, being startled as she looked in horror and surprise. As the doctor exanimated it, he came to a conclusion. “It's all right. I think. I think it's all right now. Yes. You see, it's just a mock-up, a model. No, don't touch that. That gun may be wired up too.” “It's a trap.” Parry countered with worry, yet the other man was not fazed. “No I don't think so. I think it's a testing room for weapons. This is a purely robotic Cyberman. There's no human material in it at all. He's a target for weapons.” Parry decided to abandon the expedition and return to Earth. But the pilot of the ship, Hopper angrily revealed that someone had sabotaged the rocket ship — no-one would be leaving until he could effect repairs and no-one would be allowed aboard until his crew had done so. Klieg jumped on this delay to take advantage and explored the area, but needed the help of the doctor to crack the code to open the hatch. “That's it! I've got it! Finally, a Boolean function of symbolic logic.” The former cheered, only for the doctor to add, “Logical, yes, but-” “Everything yields to logic. Our basic assumption, Doctor.” Kaftan cut him off and he gave a nod.” “Really.” “Six, cap, B four, if and only if, C is cap function of two A,” Eric mumbled as he adjusted the controls, pulling a lever but nothing happened. “I think perhaps your logic is wearing a little thin.” The doctor commented, yet Eric wasn’t fazed by it. “I must have made a mistake. I'll do it again more carefully. Six, cap, B four, if and only if, C is cap function of, ah, that's it, two F not two A.” This time, the hatch opened as he operated the switches, with light coming from below. “I've done it! I've done it!” Krieg cheered and the doctor gave a weak smile. “Congratulations.” Everyone except Victoria and Kaftan were to go. Victoria protested, but the Doctor asked her to stay and keep an eye on Kaftan, which she agreed to. There was a ladder, leading to a cavern and the eyes of the ponies went wide. The walls of the cavern full of frosted compartments reaching high above them. 5 rows, connected by two ladders at each side, with 4 frosted compartments each. Somehow, it looked majestic, yet so simple. Like a balcony or staircase where a Royal individual would descend from. Still, there was a chill of coldness going through them. A feeling of unease filed their minds, as the tombs looked very old, like they hadn’t been touched in centuries, no mark on them or anything. That it was never supposed to be found. “Behold, gentlemen. The tombs of the Cybermen!” Parry announced, yet Jamie looked around in confusion. “Tombs? I don't see any tombs.” “In there, Jamie. Frozen forever. All their evil locked away with them. And so it must remain.” The Doctor explained and Eric commented, “Like a gigantic honeycomb. Like bees waiting for the signal to arise from their winter sleep.” “A signal that they're never going to get.” “We'd better get busy. Everything must be recorded. It's too cold to remain for long.” Viner warned. “Unless we find some way to warm things up,” Eric added. A thud sound started them and they noticed that the hatch got closed. The group tried to find a way to open it. Krieg found a code on a console and speculated it must open the hatch. However, it shocked the ponies to see while the others were distracted, Eric turned to the vast network of tombs with a smile, as they started to defrost. “It is them. Gentlemen, they are perfect. This is unique in archaeology.” Parry commented at the sight and Viner in shock and panic, reached for the levers. To everyone’s surprise, Klieg produced a gun and shot him. “Back. Keep back!” Eric warned, “Let's see what happens. As the Professor says, this is a unique archaeological event. It would be such a pity to miss it.” “You know, Doctor, I have a feeling that man's planned it all. He knew that that control wouldn't open the hatch.” Jamie said to him, who nodded, “So did I, Jamie.” “You knew, Doctor?” “I wanted to know what he was up to.” “And now you know, Doctor.” Klieg taunted him but Parry wasn’t convinced. “We know nothing. This is the action of a lunatic. “Lunatic? Not at all, Professor. A necessary detail, that's all.” Klieg stated sternly “But why? ”Logic, my dear Professor, logic and power. On Earth the Brotherhood of Logicians is the greatest man intelligence ever assembled. But that's not enough by itself. We need power. Power to put our ability into action. The Cybermen have this power. I have come here to find it and use it.” Eric explained. “So that was your motive in financing my expedition.” “Precisely. Your complete lack of administration made it ideal for our purpose.” Eric taunted the professor, yet the doctor dared to ask, “You think the Cybermen will help you?” “Of course. I shall be their resurrector.” Klieg sounded confident and Parry pointed to the tombs. “Look!” The Cybermen started to rip their way out of their cells and climbed down the ladders at either side of the block, around 8 in number. All humans save for Klieg and the doctor looked with slight fear at the cyborgs but that changed to confusion as they got completely ignored. Instead, the Cybermen gathered in front of a cyber logo at the base of the wall. They opened it to reveal a slightly different design of Cyberman. This one lacked a chest unit and the ponies saw that instead of handles, he had an enlarged, dome-shaped semi-transparent braincase lit from the inside and the metal suit was grey instead of silver. It took the ponies only seconds to realize that this Cyborg had to be a high-ranking one, as the other Cybermen saluted him, with Jamie wondering and the doctor answering him. “I think it's their leader, their Controller, Jamie.” Then the cyborgs faced the group of humans and Eric started to speak with slight excitement, “I am Klieg. Eric Klieg. I have brought you back to life. We of the Logicians have planned this. You are alive because of us. Now you will help us. We need your power. You need our mass intelligence.” He said but the Controller did not react, just staring at him. “Are you listening? Do you understand me? Now that I have released you-“ He raised his hand, only to cry in pain as the Controller grabbed his wrist, forcing him to kneel. “Let me go! I set you free! It was our plan!” The Controller then tossed him back and his mouth hatch opened. “You belong to us. You shall be like us.” “How did you know that we would come to release you? You could have remained frozen forever.” Parry asked with slight fear. “The humanoid mind. You are inquisitive.” The controller replied, enough for the doctor to conclude. “Ah, I see, a trap. A very special sort of trap, too.” “What do you mean, special trap?” The expedition leader asked him confused. “Well, don't you see? They only wanted superior intellects. That's why they made the trap so complicated.” He explained, only for the Controller to add, “We knew that somebody like you would come to our planet one day.” “Yes, and we've done exactly as you've calculated, haven't we? In response, the cyborg leader answered, “Now you belong to us.” “Excuse me. May I ask a question? Why did you submit yourself to freezing? You don't have to answer that if you don't want to.” The doctor asked in an attempt of false flattery. “To survive. Our history computer has full details of you.” This answer of the Controller caused the doctor to raise an eyebrow. “Oh? How?” “We know of your intelligence.” “Oh, thank you very much.” He replied before understanding. “Ah, yes. The lunar surface.” “Our machinery had stopped and our supply of replacements been depleted.” “So that's why you attacked the Moonbase.” The doctor concluded and the cyborg added, “You had destroyed our first planet and we were becoming extinct.” “What difference does capturing us make? You'll still become extinct.” Jamie did not understand. “We will survive. We will survive. Now you will help us.” Was the only reply of the Controller. “What makes you think we're going to help you? That murderer doesn't speak for us.” Parry pointed out, yet the cyborg paid no attention to it as he explained “You will become the first of a new race of Cybermen. You will return to the Earth and control it.” Parry’s eyes went wide in horror. “Never! Never!” “Everything we decide is carried out. There are no mistakes.” “A new race of Cybermen? But we're humans. We're not like you.” Jamie protested, only for the cyborg to reply. “You will be.” The group of Cybermen tried to get hold of the scientists and Toberman. Jamie managed to escape but got zapped as he was about to reach the ladder. “Please, please, please let me go! Please, let me go!” Toberman cried as he struggled with a Cyberman. However, the cyborg managed to lift him up and threw him into a pile of barrels. Then the humans were forced to sit down on the ground, with the doctor tending to Toberman before the Controller walked up to Klieg. “We have decided how you will be used.” “Yes?” He asked with fear in his voice. “You are a logician. Our race is also logical. You will be the leader of the new race.” “You will listen to my proposals then?” “Yes, we will listen, but first you will be altered.” “Altered?” The man dreaded to imagine. “You have fear. We will eliminate fear from your brain. Yes. You will be the first.” “And you will be the next.” A fellow Cyberman added, looking at the others “I? No, no!” Parry yelled in fear. “You will be like us.” “To die is unnecessary. You will be frozen and placed in our tombs until we are ready to use you. Your lives will be suspended.” The Controller explained, then turned to another Cyberman. “Prepare the tombs. “They really mean it. They're going to freeze us.” Parry shivered slightly and Jamie shook his head “Not me.” “No, Jamie. They're coming back.” The doctor tried to give the group hope. Barely had he finished, several bangs followed and smoke filled the room. It disoriented the Cybermen as they looked around, trying to figure out what was happing, giving the group a chance to escape. However, Klieg took a wrong turn getting separated from the group and Toberman was struggling with two Cyberman. A third came and used it’s electro attack to zap him. He was getting weaker, yet still struggled, required another zap to be knocked out. “This humanoid is powerful. We will use him. Prepare him.” The Controller ordered his minions. As the doctor reached the hatch, a Cyberman grabbed him by the shoulders, he struggled against it. Victoria grabbed a thermos from the table and started hitting the cyber man's arm with it. It let go of the Doctor and grabbed her instead, trying to pull her in as he leaned half out of it. One of them the crew member, called Jim Callum, moved the lever and the hatch came down on the Cyberman. It had to let go of Victoria to try stopping the hatch cover coming down. The cyborg struggled but failed, beating on the hatch after it closed, fracturing it a bit before giving up. While glad it had worked, the humans realized that Toberman and Klieg, however, were left behind. “The humanoid has escaped?” The controller asked his fellow Cyborg. “Yes.” “Guard the passageway.” “Yes.” As both walked away, Klieg, who managed to hide, climbed to the top of the ladder, knocking fairly gently on the closed hatch in fear of being heard by the Cybermen, a slight scared expression on his face The party topside was reluctant to open the door as they heard the knocking, but the Doctor convinced them that it is Klieg or Toberman due to the softness of the noise. They swiftly opened the door long enough for Klieg to escape. He and Kaftan were moved into the testing range to keep them out of mischief while the others decided on their next course of action. Captain Hopper went back to the ship. Blinking, the scene went back to the Tombs, with the Controller testing a level at the controls. “Release the cyber mats. We will use the power of cybernetics.” Three of those caterpillar-like drones were taken out and the controller added, “Activate them. The brain of this humanoid will be their target. Now.” The Cybermats were put on the floor near Toberman, but they didn’t move and the Controller realized why. “These Cybermats are dormant through lack of use. Inspect them.” The others did as told and shortly afterwards, one Cyberman reported, “The Cybermats are ready.” “Stand clear. Now.” In response to the Controller’s words, the Cybermats trundled towards Toberman, appearing to inspect him for a short moment. “Enough. These humanoids are not like us. They still have fear. Place the Cybermats on the runway.” As ordered, the Cyberman put the Cybermats on a small ramp leading into a hole in the wall. “Cybermats will attack.” With that, the scene switched back to the humans again, the expedition was asleep with Victoria and the Doctor keeping guard. As Victoria fell asleep too, her friend put his cloak around her as she settled by the table. He was unaware of a Cybermat closing in on him, a high pitched beeping tone came from it. It bumped into his shoe and he looked down in surprise. “Jamie, Victoria, Callum, wake up. Wake up!” He yelled in alert, just as the second Cybermat jumped onto Callum's chest, who did not react, still asleep. “Don't move, Callum. Don't move.” The doctor warned as he carefully closed in, then knocked the small cyborg creature off with a whack of his hand, helping a startled Callum up. “Now get back to the controls, all of you. Steady, don't make any sudden movements.” He advised as the second Cybermat landed on the side, struggling to get up before succeeding. “Parry, Parry. Wake up, Parry. Wake up. Wake up.” Parry startled slightly as he saw the Cybermat, with Callum having his hand on his holster. “Don't panic. Come back with us. Steady. Now we'll all go in the other room and lock them out.” Victoria screamed, Jamie clutched her protectively as the first Cybermat was heading for them. “Let's get out of here. The main doors. No, look.” Callum warned as the third Cybermat blocked the way “Oh Doctor, we're trapped.” Victoria cried in horror and he advised, “Back against the controls, everybody.” The Doctor picked up a big power cable. “Here. Give me a hand, quick.” “What?” Parry did not understand. “Lay this down on the ground. Come on!” “They'll go over it, Doctor.” Jamie protested, yet it didn’t matter for him “Come on!” He and Parry helped the doctor to lays the cable in an arc in front of the control panel. “Let's blast the filthy things!” Callum yelled, firing three shots into of the Cybermats, who started, smoking, it’s beeping sounds fading as it dies “You're wasting your time. There are too many of them. Now, do what I say. Come back!” The doctor warned as he put power through the cable by using a switch. It started to smoke and the Cybermats started spinning in apparent confusion. “There you are, you see.” The Doctor commented at the sight, much to Parry’s confusion. “What are those creatures?” “Well, they're a form of metallic life. They home on human brainwaves and attack.” The doctor explained as all Cybermats were lying on their sides, not moving anymore. “Are they safe now?” Victoria asked unsure and the doctor nodded with a grin. “Yes, quite safe now. The power cable generated an electrical field and confused their tiny metal minds. You might almost say that they've had a complete metal breakdown.” This caused Jamie to groan “I’m so sorry, Jamie." “What about Klieg and Kaftan? They've probably attacked them as well. His female friend realized with worry “The testing room.” Parry pointed to the door. “Come on. Now mind your feet.” The doctor took the lead, only to see both waiting at the door for them. “Most ingenious, Doctor. Now, let's see what you can do against this.” Klieg raised a laser gun, the same that had been used in the testing room and fired. Victoria screamed as the laser hit Callum, as he pushed the Doctor out of the way. He screamed in pain as it hit him in the shoulder, clutching it as he fell to the ground. Everyone else dove to the floor, with Parry attempting to help his wounded friend, yet was forced by Klieg to hand his gun over. “You've killed him, you murderer,” Parry said in disgust “No, he is fortunate, I spared him,” Klieg replied calmly, only for Jamie to point out, “You mean you missed him.” “Silence. I could have destroyed him if I wanted to. Shall I kill them now?” Klieg asked his female helper, who shook her head. “No, no, that will not be necessary. I'm sure the Cybermen will have a good use for them. You will make excellent experimental specimens.” “Oh, let me help him, please.” Victoria pleaded, not able to see Callum in pain “No tricks,” Klieg warned as he allowed it and the doctor asked with distrust, “You still think you can bargain with the Cybermen?” “Certainly. And this time on our terms.” Klieg gave a grin as he opened the hatch and shouted down, “I wish to speak to the Controller!” The Cybermen acknowledged it, yet the Controller had other plans. “The humanoids must first be destroyed. You will re-enter cells to conserve energy.” “He is now prepared.” A fellow Cyberman reported, pointing to Toberman lying on a table. “Release him.” Toberman sit up, staring at nothing and with a metal-looking arm, the same as the Cybermen had. The other Cyborgs climbed back into their tombs and sealed themselves up again. Though, the observers noticed three Cyberman that only pretended to seal themselves up as the Controller and Toberman went to the ladder. “That's better. Now you are under my control. We know you must be revitalized or you will perish. If you agree to my terms, I shall let you survive.” Klieg offered and the Controller replied, “I will listen.” “Make them release Toberman,” Kaftan demanded with slight worry in her voice “If you think they'll listen to you, you're even dafter than I thought.” Jamie taunted with a disgusted expression, only for Klieg to give him a glance. “Silence. Sit down.” He warned and turned to the cyborg. “First, you release our man.” In response, the Controller's brain sent energy into Toberman's head. Toberman walked out of the hatchway, not looking where he was putting his feet. “Toberman, it is good that you are back. Watch them.” Kaftan was relieved, obvious to his unusual behavior, which Jamie noticed with an unease expression, whispering to the doctor. “Doctor, he seems er-“ “Yes, Jamie, yes.” The Controller was coming down the steps as Eric made a stop gesture. “Stay where you are! Now, do you agree to accept our plan?” “Plan?” The doctor asked dumb folded. “The conquest of the Earth.” “What?” Parry exclaimed in disbelief, “You must be out of your mind.” “Silence! Your answer?” “We accept. We will give you some of our power devices.” The controller replied to Klieg’s question. “Good. I knew an understanding could be reached. I shall let you be revitalized. To survive, it must be now. Come forward. Slowly.” “Eric, be careful.” His female partner pleaded with worry and he gave a weak smile. “Leave this to me.” The Controller walked to the door to the power room “You're absolutely crazy to trust them!” Parry exclaimed, yet Klieg gave him a smirk. “Do you think so? Then perhaps you and your colleagues had better join him. Go on, go on! The girl stays with us!” He pointed his gun at Victoria, who gasped and the doctor exclaimed in slight anger, “No!” “Any trouble, she is our hostage.” Klieg pointed out calmly. Kaftan then ordered Toberman to close the hatch, but as he did not respond, she did it herself. In the power room, the group noticed that the Controller was recess, stating that his energy levels were low. The Doctor helped him in with the intention of trapping him inside, putting a rope against the recess lid. However, the revitalization procedure kicked in remotely. The Cyborg punched his way out easily and faced the group. “You will remain still.” He then transmitted strong energy waves through the walls. In response, Toberman walked up to Klieg as he had his back turned, knocking him unconscious with the cybernetic arm. The controller then moved in, taking possession of the Cyber-gun. “You have done well.” He said to Toberman and Kaftan called out to him in shock, only for the cyborg to add, “Silence. He is now under our control. Open the tombs.” “No. You have broken your promise.” The woman stated firmly. “Cybermen do not promise. Such ideas have no value. Open.” Kaftan refused again. Realizing it would lead to nothing, the Controller opened the hatch himself. As he walked away from the switch, the woman used it to close the hatch again, and pulled out a gun from her bag and fired. The bullets bounced harmlessly off. “That gun will not harm me.” Came out of the Cyberman’s mouth and he fired his gun in return. Kaftan fell dead to the ground with a scream, her wound slightly smoking, everyone looked in shock at it. “You will report to the surface”. The cyborg called down and the doctor noticed that Toberman was twitching at the death of his employer and walked over to him. “Look what they've done. You're not like them. You're a man like us. You must help us! He has killed Kaftan! You must help us.” He said with a slightly pleading expression. Without any hesitation, the former servant walked towards the cyborg leader, attacking and struggling with him. The gun got dropped and Jamie rushed for it. Then Toberman lifted the Controller over his head and threw it onto the control panel in a shower of sparks. Moments after, a Cyberman climbed up the ladder and Jamie fired. Smoke emitted from it as in died, with the man pushing it down and fired down the hatch at another Cyberman. It filled the ponies with pity as they saw Toberman cradling Kaftan's body in grief as the doctor decided to make sure the Cybermen were no longer a threat, comforting Toberman. “Toberman, you see what these creatures have done to you? They've tried to make you like them. Do you understand? They've tried to make you their slave. They just want to use you. They are evil. Think of Kaftan.” In response, his expression became one of slight rage. “Evil!” This caused the doctor to grin. “They must be destroyed, do you see? Evil must be destroyed. Now, come!” “Destroy!” The two were unaware that Klieg had regained consciousness and quietly followed down with the cyber-gun while the others tended to Callum. Once back in the cave, the doctor pulled the levers to freeze the Cybermen permanently, much to Klieg’s shock. “The cryostat! You're freezing them!” He pushed the Doctor aside. With a surprised expression, the man caught himself. His eyes went wide in shock to see how Eric operated the levers in the opposite directed he had turned them. In response, the ice that had frosted moments ago, warmed. Drip by drip fell on the ground, forming a small, but slowly growing puddle. The frost, faded slowly, revealing what was behind. Cybernetic mummies slowly awakening from icy slumber, watching like crows as their permafrost prisons slowly came undone. “No! No! You'll wake them up!” The doctor exclaimed in horror, only for Eric to smirk. “That is exactly my intention. You still don't understand, do you? Their Controller is dead. Now I shall control them. They'll do what I say. You see, Doctor, yours is the privilege to witness for the first time the union between mass power and my absolute intelligence.” He saw the Doctor motioning to someone behind him and pulled the gun on him, calling for the figure to emerge. It was Jamie, a neutral expression. “Over to that wall, all of you. All of you! Now.” “Yes, as you say, such a combination between intelligence and power would make you formidable indeed. Why you'd be commander of the universe with your brilliance! It makes the imagination reel with the possibilities!” The doctor taunted. “Why, Doctor, if I had only known you shared my imagination, you might even have worked for me.” “Perhaps it's not too late?” “Doctor!” Jamie exclaimed in disbelief, yet his friend gave a smile. “No, Jamie, don't you see?” He asked on return as the Cybermen were waking but Klieg had his back to them. “Don't you see what this is going to all mean to all the people who come to serve Klieg the All Powerful? Why, no country, no person would dare to have a single thought that was not your own. Eric Klieg's own conception of the, of the way of life!” “Brilliant! Yes, yes, you're right. Master of the world.” Klieg appreciated the doctor’s compliment, only to receive a smirk. “Well now I know you're mad. I just wanted to make sure.” “And so you have forfeited your right to survival. I shall make an example of you to all who question my intelligence, and the supreme power of the Cybermen.” Klieg explained with a dark expression, but the Doctor was not fazed. “You know, I've heard all this before somewhere.” “You know your trouble? You talk too much.” Jamie added to the taunt. “Oh, you're stupid. You still think that your puny minds can survive against us? You're decadent, weak. Do you know that? Weak!” Klieg exclaimed in slight rage and the doctor smirked. “All right. Go ahead, kill us.” “No, I have a better idea. Much better idea. I shall leave you to the Cybermen. I'm sure they'll have some use for you. Or parts of you.” But before he could do anything, a Cyberman came from behind and started to beat him. Klieg in a fit of panic, tried to defend himself by blocking, screaming. It was in vain as he got beaten to death. The cyborg then went to the control panel, only to be tackled by Toberman. While they struggled, both the Doctor and Jamie operated the levers, with the former stating, “Last time they were frozen for five centuries. This time it must be forever.” They were unaware of three Cybermen getting to the hatch and climbed up. Toberman and the other cyborg were evenly matched, but the human managed to get it on its back and smashed open the chest unit. Foam oozed out as it died, clutching its chest. Upon going up the hatch, the Doctor ushered the others out as he reprogrammed the computer and set up a circuit to electrify the hatch, the control panel and the doors, to prevent anyone from entering the city again. “Doctor. Doctor!” Jamie tugged his coat in alert as they checked if the hatch was firmly closed. To their horror as the doctor turned around, the Controller was up again, staring at them. “Jamie, you go that way, I'll go this way. That way will give us more of a chance. When I say run, run.” The Doctor calmly instructed and both slowly circled the table. “Run!” They both made a dash for the exit, confusing the cyborg before he gave chase and both started to push the metal doors to close them but the Doctor realized a mistake. “Wait! Stop!” “What?” Jamie asked. “We'll get a shock. We must find something to insulate. I know, that shoring timber over there! Hurry up! Hurry up, he's coming!” He pointed to it and his friend came back with the wood to push the doors shut as a Cybermat scuttled out between their feet unnoticed. “Okay, Doctor!” “Quickly! We must keep him inside or else all our work'll be wasted.” They all pushed with all their strength but the cyborg held the doors open. Without any warning, Toberman pushed them aside and put his strength against that of the Controller. “We must survive. We must survive.” The cyborg said, only for Toberman to react by replying, “You are evil!” The doors slowly closed, and in full knowledge of the consequences, he finished, “They shall never pass Toberman. The door is closed.” As the metal doors met fully, electricity burned through the Controller and it fell to the floor, smoking and writhing. Toberman slowly slid lifeless to the ground. Everyone looked at him in pity, mourning him. It was then were Parry and Hopper return to their ship after saying goodbye to the Doctor and his companions. They were unaware if the Cybermat watching them. Up on a hill, the three Cyberman watched the group as well, before entering a saucer-shaped ship behind them and flew away. With that, the scenery became the white void. “So that explains the attack on the Moonbase,” Luna started, “Understandable, given they lost their home planet." “Yes. And yet, it wasn’t the end of them.” Time Turner added. “Indeed, we are about to see how they lived on.” Her horn lit up once more to cast the next memory.