Doctor Who_ Tomb Of The Cybermen Part 19

Kaftan nodded and went over to the control board. None of them noticed particularly when Toberman came over to stand behind by Klieg. He would be an extra bastion against the invading Cybermen.

The revitalisation process was now in full spate. The bioprojectors were pulsing and inside the sarcophagus form, the electronic neuro-charges were blasting full power into the Cyberleader.

'Quick,' said the Doctor. 'Those cables. Tie them around the form.'

'Aye. Those doors won't be strong enough to hold him,' agreed Jamie.

The three of them cut cables from the walls, coiled them around the great coffin-form and pulled them tight, tying them in enormous knots, devised-by Jamie. The pulsing light from the bioprojectors was reflected on the faces of the three men as they watched the sarcophagus anxiously, to see what would happen.

Finally the projectors changed from buzzing and humming to a high-pitched siren whine. Red lights flashed to show that it was time to turn off, that the Cyberman's energy cells were now fully recharged and were now approaching overload. Still the Doctor left the switch on.

From inside the sarcophagus-shape came an insistent hammering from the now fully powered Cybercontroller.

Boom-boom-boom.

The Professor looked anxiously at the others. What if he should get out? Fully charged with power?

Boom-boom-boom-the sarcophagus was shaking with the impact of the blows. Cracks began to appear on the surface. There was a louder crash and the sound of rending metal, but still the solid metal casing held together. The great cables leading up to the form now began to smoke, the control panel lit up and shook with the vibration, the bioprojectors turned from red-hot to white-hot-the form itself began to reek smoke from the cracks of the seams.

'Keep back, it's smoking!' shouted Parry.

All, the humans backed away.

'Maybe we shouldn't have touched it!' cried Jamie.

'Turn it off! It's out of control! It'll blowup!' Professor Parry, shaken, ran forward to the throbbing control panel and reached out towards the hot metal. CLICK! At that moment it turned itself off.

He started back.

'It's taken over,' the Professor said terrified. The unbearable scream of the dynamo whined down, the lights dimmed.

'I think not,' said the Doctor. 'There must be an internal timing mechanism.'

Boom-boom-boom.

The blows of the giant Cyberman against the metal sounded even louder, now that the machine had turned off. CRACK! A gauntleted hand appeared through one of the fractures and began enlarging the hole.

'Are you sure those cables are secure?' said the Doctor to Jamie nervously.

'Aye. The King of the Beasties himself couldna get out of that one.'

The crack widened. The ma.s.sive wire cables began to stretch.

The metal was now rent like tissue paper, the cables snapped asunder and fell aside. Knocking back the lid contemptuously, out of the crush of metal rose the greatest of the Cybermen, new power glowing from his gigantic metal limbs. The three humans drew away from the giant in awe as he stepped from the ruins of the recharging machine and bore. down upon them.

'Jamie,' said the Doctor, 'remind me to give you a lesson in tying knots, some time.'

'YOU... WILL... REMAIN... STILL,' said the voice, now so vast and powerful it seemed to blast them back against the wall.

The Cyberleader pressed a b.u.t.ton. A light flashed on the control desk and a high-pitched buzzing sound began.

The buzzing reached the control room, where Klieg still stood holding his gun and no one there noticed that it made Toberman's eyes widen, as if something was happening in his brain.

'Stay here,' Klieg ordered Toberman, 'and watch that door.'

Toberman stood where Klieg indicated and Klieg a.s.sumed he was obeying. 'Now at least we shall have some warning,' he said, and sat down, putting down the heavy Cybergun.

Callum was now sitting up, his wound dressed by Victoria with pieces of his torn under-tunic.

'What do you two hope to gain by all this?' he asked.

'That does not concern you,' said Klieg, an arrogant superman once again.

Toberman did not stay where Klieg had ordered him; he was moving slowly and quietly around behind Klieg and Kaftan. Victoria noticed but said nothing.

'He might as well know,' said Kaftan. She turned to Callum, her face proud. 'We are going to build a much, much better world than there has ever been-responsive to the laws of pure logic.'

'That's... better better?' asked Callum, unimpressed. 'Who for ?'

'What are you doing?' shouted Klieg, suddenly noticing Toberman. 'What are you standing there for?'

For answer, Toberman slowly raised his arm, his white smock fell away and below glinted a metal Cyberman arm. As they stared, horrified, he raised his arm, gleaming like a heavy sword and brought it down with the terrible Cyberman chop on the back of Klieg's neck.

Klieg fell unconscious, Kaftan screamed and Toberman turned towards her, as if hypnotised, raising his arm for another blow.

'Toberman,' she screamed. The giant Turk stopped, confused.

And then, over Kaftan's screaming, came the great ba.s.s of the Controller's voice.

'Silence! He is now under our control.' The Cybercontroller entered the room and looked at Klieg, then up to Toberman. 'You have done well,' he said, picking up the Cybergun. 'NOW... OPEN...

THE... TOMBS...'.

'No,' said Kaftan, shrinking back. 'You have broken your promise.'

'Cybermen do not promise. Such ideas have no value... open!'

'Never!' said Kaftan.

The Controller turned and walked heavily over to the control console and switched the levers to open. As they watched, helpless, the gears worked and the hatch began to rise. The cold from the shaft again rose and chilled the humans.

Kaftan darted across the room, s.n.a.t.c.hed Callum's s.p.a.ce-gun from his belt, turned and fired at the great metal creature, but the bullet ricocheted off the Cyberman and he stood unharmed.

'That gun cannot harm me,' he said.

'Careful!' screamed Victoria, but Kaftan fired again and again, too furious to hear her. The Controller raised his Cybergun. Again Victoria screamed, but it was too late. As Victoria and Callum watched in horror the black Cyberweapon rattled its deadly message and Kaftan slowly subsided on to the floor-the telltale smoke creeping from the neck of her tunic.

Victoria screamed again and Toberman, still in his trance, moved towards her, but hesitated. The flash of his own metal hand raised to strike confused him; he looked at it and looked down at Kaftan lying dead.

The Doctor, Parry and Jamie entered and took in the scene.

The Doctor, noticing Toberman's confusion, went up to him and spoke quietly.

'See what they have done,' he said. 'You are not one of them.

You're still a man like us. You must help us.'

The Controller was now standing over the opened hatch.

'He has killed Kaftan,' said the Doctor urgently to Toberman.

'You must help.'

The Controller bent forward to let his great voice echo down the icy shaft.

'YOU... WILL... COME... TO... THE... SURFACE...'.

Toberman, as if unable to take in what he saw, looked again at Kaftan's body sprawled at their feet, then over at the giant silver Cyberman leaning over the hatch.

He stepped forward hesitantly, lifted up his new silver arm and chopped the Cyberweapon from the Controller's hand.

As it fell, Jamie s.n.a.t.c.hed it up, but the Cyberman swung his arm like a whiplash against Toberman, just missing him. Toberman, the ex-wrestler, ducked easily and then, with a roar of rage as the true situation began to be clear to him, joined his hands and struck down with all his force on the Controller's neck, sending the giant Cyberman reeling back against the control panel. The others saw smoke begin to escape from his frontal power-pack. The Cyberman straightened up, but his movements had become jerky and uncontrolled.

Toberman waited for the next blow from the now staggering Cyberman, dodged it and, bending down, lifted the Cyberman from the floor, and with a wrestling throw, flung him against the other control panel. There was a flash and crack from the panel-the Cyberman was flung off by the force of the shock and the huge body lay on the floor, twisted and apparently dead, smoke curling from his helmet.

The humans watched,.breathless with awe, as Toberman walked over to the shattered Cyberleader and looked down at him in grim triumph.

There was a sound at the hatch. The Doctor looked over- another Cyberman had appeared, his helmet gleaming in the bright light of the control room.

'Quick!' shouted the Doctor. 'The hatch! Jamie-the gun!'

Jamie ran across to the hatch and for an agonised moment, couldn't find the trigger to the Cybergun. Then he found the b.u.t.ton, the rattle sounded and the Cyberman lay jack-knifed over the edge of the hatch, smoke pouring from his mouth-place.

Jamie ran forward and tipped the heavy metal body, still twitching and jerking, over the hatch edge. There was a crash below.

Jamie looked down after him.

'There's another coming up!' shouted Jamie, leaning over the chill shaft and seeing a silver gleam growing larger. Again he shot with the laser-gun and watched as the silver monster lost his footing and crashed backward down the shaft. There was silence.

'Any more?' asked the Doctor.

'No, it's quiet,' said Jamie. 'Close the hatch.'

'No, wait,' said the Doctor. They looked at him. 'We'll have to go down,' he said.

'Oh, no!' cried Victoria. 'Please don't go down there again.'

'It's the only way to make sure,' said the Doctor with a look that was fully four hundred and fifty years old.

'Then I'm coming too,' said Jamie staunchly.

'No,' said the Doctor. 'Stay and look after Victoria. This time I'll take someone else.'

And he walked over to Toberman.

13.

Closing the Tombs 'Toberman,' said the Doctor to the huge man who was still gazing at the shattered hulk of the Controller. 'Look what these creatures have done to you. They've tried to make you look like, them, do you understand?' Toberman moved his stare from the Controller's body to the Doctor. 'They tried to make you their slave.

They only wanted to use you.'

Toberman looked at Kaftan's body.

'They are evil,' the Doctor went on. 'Think of what they have done to Kaftan. Evil!' he said.

Toberman clenched his fists. 'Evil!'

But as they all watched him, behind them, unseen, Klieg's body stirred. Slowly, still a little dizzy from the Cyberman's blow, he propped himself up on his elbows and listened to their conversation.

'Toberman!' the Doctor was saying, as Toberman's injured powers of concentration again slipped. 'Toberman! They must be destroyed, do you hear me? Evil must be destroyed.' Toberman nodded.