4. Cyber-Game
Ace couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it. She couldn’t bear to look at Delta, who stood so resolute and refined.
“You killed your own people,” Ace said angrily. “Allowing them to become Cybermen! Just because you wanted to change things to your society!”
“Ace!” the Doctor told her off. “You’re being unfair.”
“Oh and you’d stick up for her, Professor,” Ace went on angrily. “The murderer queen of her own people!”
“Let Delta speak for herself and then you’ll understand,” the Doctor told her.
Ace eventually piped down and kept quiet as she listened to Delta’s story.
“It’s true what you say, Ace,” Delta said. “I am the murderer of my own people. I didn’t know any better. It was fortunate that I managed to save my husband and daughter from conversion.”
“Figures,” Ace snorted.
“Ace!” the Doctor told her off again.
Delta continued, “The Skeletrons came to the Chimeron homeworld and attacked. They sensed I had a connection to the Zorbius crystal. They wanted to use me to get at it. They had segments of the Zorbius entity. Soon, the Skeletrons got me to find a way to merge the Zorbius entities with them into one being. It was a long, arduous process and not all all satisfying. I was running out of time.”
“And that’s when you found the Cybermen,” the Doctor added.
“Yes,” Delta confirmed. “They came to me when I sent out a request for anyone to help me with solving this issue. The Cybermen were interested. I saw no harm in them partaking in my experiments.”
“Since when did you become a scientist, Delta?” the Doctor asked.
“I was influenced by the works of a Dr. Harper,” Delta explained. “You probably know him, Doctor. You encountered him once before from what I’ve heard in his log entries.”
“Oh yes,” the Doctor realised. “I know Dr. Harper all too well and his works.”
“Who’s Dr. Harper, Professor?” Ace wanted to know.
“Later, Ace. Later,” the Doctor shook her off.
“Dr. Harper dealt with reshaping time and matter via the use of a tripod reality device,” Delta elaborated. “So I used this technique to convert Skeletron bone into Cybermen casing. I reshaped a group of Cybermen with the addition of rain technology and organic bone. Once completed, the Cybermen contained the Zorbius entity within them. They knew things about you, Doctor. They mentioned so many things to me about your future as well as your past.”
“Yes,” the Doctor became grim. “Things which should never be openly revealed. Not until my future approaches in my own time.”
“Let me get this straight,” Ace tried to understand. “You managed to convert Skeletrons and Cybermen by reshaping time and matter…with some tripod gadget.”
“I have the device here aboard my ship, should you care to see it,” Delta offered.
“Dr. Harper was a great scientist working on the Zorbius crystal aboard a space station inside an iso-dimensional rift when I encountered him,” the Doctor told Ace. “I thought in reshaping space and time myself, I would’ve put a stop to his experiments. It seems like I was wrong. His legacy endured.”
“Another spot of unfinished business, Professor?” Ace enquired.
“Yes,” the Doctor became sad. “Something I hope to rectify with the Cybermen and the Zorbius entities within their skins.”
At that moment, Michael re-entered the ship. He had just been outside whilst Ace and the Doctor were talking to Delta.
He panted, “Doctor! It’s raining outside! People are collapsing to the ground!”
“They’re being converted,” Delta realised. “The Cybermen have managed to find a way to convert all humans in Mozambique.”
“Professor?” Ace became anxious.
“It’s started,” the Doctor announced.
“Well,” Ace became impatient. “What are we going to do?”
The Doctor thought for a moment. He stood up and said, “Now is the time to protect humanity from harm. And the time to resolve a contradiction in the Earth’s timeline.”
“What do you mean a contradiction, Doctor?” Delta wanted to know.
The Doctor turned to Ace. “You’ve still got the Zorbius crystal, haven’t you?”
Ace was puzzled at first but then said, “Oh! Yes Professor!” She then fished out the Zorbius crystal from her rucksack to confirm she still had it and showed it to the Doctor. “Here we are!”
“Good, good,” the Doctor said satisfied. “Now Ace! I’m going back to the TARDIS! I’m going to create an antigen in the lab for the people of Mozambique to be cured of their Cyber plague. I know where and when to distribute it.”
“Cool!” Ace said pleased. “What do I do, Doctor?”
“Ace,” the Doctor said gradually. “I want you…to pilot the TARDIS!”
A day or so earlier, out from the night sky, came the familiar blue police box shape of the TARDIS. It swirled through the night sky. Crowds in the city below cheered once they saw the TARDIS do a somersault.
“Doctor!” Ace said anxiously. “That’s the…”
“Yes, Ace,” the Doctor confirmed. “Showing herself off, isn’t she?”
As before, the TARDIS climbed and twirled like a dancer among the fireworks. The ship swirled over the downtown area of Baxia where huge crowds cheered loudly.
Inside the TARDIS itself, Ace piloted the controls whilst the Doctor was making the antigen.
“Coping well with piloting the TARDIS, Ace?” the Doctor checked.
“I’m doing as you’re instructing me, Professor,” Ace replied.
“Good, good,” the Doctor said satisfied. “We’ll make a Time Lord of you yet.”
“Have you got that antigen sorted?” she asked.
“Yes, yes,” he reassured her. “I’m about to distribute it through the TARDIS filters to spread all over Maputo. Over a few days, it should affect them easily against the Cyber-conversion process days later.”
“Professor, we’re crossing our own timelines,” Ace reminded him. “Our other selves are watching us in the TARDIS! And we didn’t realise…”
“Try not to think about it, Ace,” the Doctor reassured her. “Just concentrate on piloting the TARDIS.”
The TARDIS juddered a bit. Thankfully, the ship resumed its current trajectory.
The Doctor became annoyed. “I said concentrate, Ace! Concentrate!”
“Sorry, Professor,” Ace snapped. “I’m handling it, alright?”
The Doctor then approached the TARDIS console. He opened a panel and slipped in some tiny capsules containing liquid before he closed it instantly. He patted the console reassuringly.
“Right,” he said. “Now we can disperse the antigen whenever we like. The TARDIS filters are primed and ready.”
“Then do it, Professor,” Ace insisted. “Do what you have to do!”
“I shall Ace, I shall,” the Doctor replied. “Dispersing antigen…now!”
With that, the Doctor pressed a button on the console. There was a lot groaning echoing from the console at first. Soon the groaning stopped. Silence ensued.
“Has it worked?” Ace asked. “Have you sent the antigen onto Maputo?”
“Let’s see, shall we?” the Doctor suggested.
The Doctor then pressed another button on the console. Soon the scanner screen rose and was switched on. It showed a view of Maputo.
“There you are you see, Ace,” the Doctor said satisfied. “The antigen is on its way! And look!” he pointed. “It’s about to spread!”
They watched as the liquid capsules exploded in the sky. Droplets of the antigen began to fall onto Maputo. The Doctor and Ace saw the antigen spreading across the city.
“It’s like rain,” Ace realised. “Falling rain. Except ours is much safer.” She thought for a moment. “It will work won’t it, Professor?”
“Patience, Ace,” the Doctor told her. “We only have to wait for the call. And it’s rather difficult communicating across a range of time like this.”
At that, the TARDIS intercom blared in. The Doctor picked up the call.
“Hello there, Delta,” he answered. “Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me, Doctor,” Delta replied on the intercom.
“I could tell it was you,” the Doctor smiled. “I could sense your soft breathing at the other end of the intercom.”
“Doctor, it’s working,” Delta told him. “The antigen is doing its work! People are reverting back to who they were! They’re becoming human again! People are saved!”
“Aww, that’s brill! Ace said thrilled. “You did it, Doctor! Well done!”
“Thank you, Ace,” the Doctor said pleased. “Thanks for the good news, Delta,” he said over the intercom.
“The Cybermen will soon realise what’s happened,” Delta reminded him. “They’ll retaliate.”
“You do your work, Delta,” the Doctor told her. “Go off and defeat the Cybermen. Ace and I will join you shortly.”
“Very good, Doctor,” Delta replied. “Over and out.”
With that, the Doctor switched off the intercom. He began to reset the controls at the TARDIS console.
“Hey Professor?” Ace checked. “Aren’t we going to celebrate? We’ve saved people from being assimilated by the Cybermen.”
“There’s still those Cybermen who are possessed by fragments of the Zorbius entity,” the Doctor reminded her. “We’ll sort them out first. I started this and I intend to end it once and for all.”
“So what are we going to do then?” she asked. “What ideas do you have?”
The Doctor became thoughtful for a moment. Eventually, he looked up at Ace and grinned. “Ace! We’re going to land the TARDIS in Cyber Control. We’re going to give the Cybermen and their leader the biggest surprise yet!”
“Oh yeah,” Ace began to scoff. “It’s daft and crazy if you ask me.”
“Fetch the sound speakers, Ace,” the Doctor instructed her. “We’ll need those. They’ll be essential in helping Delta to part her part in the game with the Cybermen she has.”
Gradually, Ace went off to fetch the sound speakers. She was rather puzzled by the Doctor’s behaviour. Meanwhile, the Doctor worked at the controls delicately.
Back in Cyber Control, the Cybermen realised that something had gone wrong. They were far from happy – if they ever were, which was hardly likely.
“What is the status of the humans?” the Cyber Leader demanded to know. “We have lost potential units for cyber conversion. What is happening?”
“This was not anticipated,” the first Cyberman said. “The units we converted have reverted back to human form.”
“Explain,” demanded the Cyber Leader.
“No explanation given,” said the first Cyberman. “Unable to comprehend.”
“This is unacceptable. Illogical. We should have processed all humans accordingly.”
“There must be an error with the precipitation missile,” the first Cyberman suggested. “I will send units to check and analyse.”
“Negative,” the Cyber Leader stopped the first Cyberman. “It is clear that the Doctor was responsible for this. He has caused this to happen.”
“The Doctor created an anti-agent to backfire our plans,” the first Cyberman realised.
“Correct. We must go and re-convert the humans. Any humans we encounter must be converted at once. Come.”
The Cybermen began to march out before they were stopped in their tracks. Delta appeared before them, aiming her gun at the Cybermen.
“Stay where you are!” she warned.
“That gun will not harm me, Chimeron Queen,” the Cyber Leader said, almost taunting.
“Maybe not,” Delta replied. “But a force field will trap you.”
At that moment, Delta opened fire. In an instant, a force field was switched on. It trapped the Cybermen inside. The Cybermen staggered as to what just happened. They looked at Delta.
“How have you done this?” the Cyber Leader demanded. “How come our Cyber units did not detect you when you came in?”
“I’m fast on my feet,” Delta said. “And since you were distracted by the sudden reversal effects of the humans you tried to convert into Cybermen, it gave me the advantage.”
“You have been responsible for this,” the first Cyberman realised. “You and the Doctor.”
“Yes,” Delta answered. “And soon, you’ll wish you never set foot on this planet. The Doctor will come for you. He’ll sort you Cybermen out once and for all. Soon, many Cybermen will be destroyed because of the Doctor.”
As Delta talked, one Cyberman stepped forward to try and disable the forcefield. But as soon as it touched the forcefield, the Cyberman was electrocuted. It shook and shuddered before it fell to the ground. The rest of the Cybermen looked down to their fallen comrade, reacting as if someone had cut their arm off. They looked back at Delta.
“You have destroyed one of our units,” the Cyber Leader said, almost as if anger had crept into its voice.
“Let that be a warning to any Cybermen who tries to tamper with the forcefield,” Delta said. “Face it! You’re all trapped! And soon you’ll be finished!”
Delta kept her gun trained on the Cybermen whilst they were still trapped inside the forcefield. The Cybermen stared at her with blank silver faces whilst inside.
In the Djamba house clubbing hall that afternoon, Michael found Tasha lying on the floor. She was slowly recovering, having all the implants put into her by the Cybermen removed. Tasha woke up to look into the eyes of Michael. Her face glowed with delight once she saw him.
“Michael! You’re here! Have I been asleep?”
“Now take it easy, Tasha dear,” Michael said. “You’ve been having it rough lately. But it’s alright now. You’re safe.”
“But what happened?” Tasha wanted to know. “Where am I? Why am I lying on the floor? Has tonight ended?”
“You’re back to normal, Tasha,” Michael cheered with relief. “Back to the normal, silly you you once were. No more cybernetic implants in you, hey?”
“Was I…was I becoming…?” Tasha became disturbed.
“Yes you were, Tasha,” Michael told her. “But the Doctor sorted it out. He sent out some cure to heal you and many others.”
“Oh Michael,” Tasha said relieved. “I’m so glad to hear that!”
Tasha then embraced Michael whilst she was still on the floor. This was before the Doctor and Ace entered the clubbing hall to find them.
“Greetings!” the Doctor said cheerfully, doffing his panama hat once again. “I see all is well here.”
“Doctor, you did it!” Michael cheered. “Thank you! And thank you, Ace. You two saved Tasha’s life.”
“Yes, you have,” Tasha agreed. “Thank you both!”
Ace saw Michael and Tasha in their embrace together on the floor. She couldn’t help but feel a little sad. It seemed as if it wasn’t meant to be for her. She realised Michael had only been friendly to her. She had high hopes.
“I’m glad to see you both alright,” she said solemnly. “You look well, Tasha. I’m glad we got you back to life.”
“So am I, Ace,” Tasha said, looking up at Michael as they both smiled at each other.
Ace still had that longing feeling inside of her once she saw them smile at each other.
The Doctor interrupted however as he said, “Michael, listen! Delta’s already on her way to Cyber Control, I believe.”
“That’s right, Doctor,” Michael confirmed. “She should be there now.”
“Good,” the Doctor said pleased. “Go to the Xenon cinema and help Delta out. Ace and I will put stage two of our plan into operation.”
“Got you, Doctor,” Michael replied.
“Tell Delta that Ace and I will join her shortly,” the Doctor told him. “And don’t worry about Tasha. We’ll get her to a hospital.”
“Right,” Michael said satisfied. “I’ll go and join Delta now.”
But as Michael was about to go, Tasha grabbed his shoulder.
“Don’t leave me, Michael,” Tasha said. “Please don’t leave me.”
“It’s alright, Tasha,” Michael said reassuringly. “I’ll be back for you soon. You need to get to hospital now. The Doctor and Ace will take care of you.”
Tasha gradually nodded. “Alright. Please take care of yourself, Michael.”
“I will, Tasha dear,” Michael answered. “I will.”
Michael kissed Tasha before he headed off.
“See you then,” he said as he went.
“Good luck, Michael,” the Doctor called to him. “Send Delta our regards.”
Michael nodded as he went off to find Delta at the Xenon cinema. Eventually, the Doctor and Ace made their way over to Tasha. They began to help her up off from the floor, noticing Tasha was almost about to slumber into sleep. She was all of a sudden weary.
“We’ll get Tasha to the nearest hospital,” the Doctor said, “then we’ll get on with our plans. We’ll head for the cinema via the back entrance, Ace.”
“Professor, there’s something you still haven’t explained,” Ace reminded him. “Why are you determined to give the Zorbius crystal to the Cybermen? Is it such a big deal? You haven’t told me everything about your agenda.”
“Ace, this isn’t the time,” the Doctor hissed at her.
“It never is,” Ace got frustrated. “You always keep me in the dark. I’m getting sick of it. Why won’t you let me know of your secret agenda? Why can’t you tell me more about your previous encounters with Zorbius? How can I ever trust you again with not knowing about it?”
“Ace! There are some things which you don’t understand.”
“Too right I don’t.”
“I’ve seen my own future, Ace!”
“You what?”
The Doctor took a moment to calm himself. “Ace, on my previous adventure with Zorbius, I saw my previous lives before me. My companion Peri and I saw what had gone on before with the Zorbius crystal and my connection to it. But I’ve also seen the adventures where I face Zorbius in the future. In my future lives.”
“Then you know that everything’s going to be alright,” Ace tried to reassure him.
“No Ace,” the Doctor contradicted her. “Not everything’s going to be alright. I still have to prepare things. I have to get the ball rolling before I find myself in another situation with Zorbius. Particularly in my final incarnation.”
“What…you’ve seen…?” Ace became astonished.
“Yes,” the Doctor confirmed. “Before I die.”
“Oh Professor,” Ace was shocked. “I’m dreadfully sorry. I didn’t realise…”
“And what you probably don’t realise,” the Doctor interrupted her, “is that for a Time Lord, things shouldn’t be revealed in public. Not even if it helps to make things right or helps to make people better. I can’t reveal everything to you, Ace. Not freely.”
“But you’re far more than a Time Lord, Doctor,” Ace told him. “You’re much more than you; I or anyone else has realised. Surely you can win the day all the time. With your powers of perception.”
The Doctor became grim for a moment. “I’ve yet to see what lies ahead of me. When I face infinity. When I have the nightmare. When I encounter death. When I challenge magicians. When I witness the horror of time. When I…”
The Doctor seemed as if he was about to continue. But he didn’t go any further. Very soon, he and Ace continued carrying Tasha to get her to the nearest hospital.
Back at Cyber Control, Delta continued to deal with the Cybermen. They remained trapped in the forcefield.
“Your actions are ill-advised,” the Cyber Leader said. “They are driven by emotion. Emotion shall destroy you.”
“I’m very proud of my emotions, Cyber Leader,” Delta said. “They help me; my people and pretty soon they shall overwhelm you.”
“Cybermen are afraid of nothing,” the Cyber Leader almost boasted.
“You’re not even Cybermen,” Delta reminded them. “You’re cyber conversions of the servants of Zorbius. Skeletrons or Hunters of Doom, I believe you were called. So who are you kidding, as Ace would say?”
“We shall retrieve Zorbius for ourselves,” the Cyber Leader said. “We will control all of time and space. We will convert millions.”
“You can’t express glory without showing emotion,” Delta told the Cyber Leader. “The Chimeron people will survive. We shall be rid of you!”
“Do not anticipate so much, Chimeron Queen,” the Cyber Leader warned her. “It is unwise and illogical.”
At that moment, Michael turned up to meet with Delta.
“Delta! So you’ve got them all tied up so to speak,” he said.
“I’ve trapped them in a force field, yes,” Delta confirmed. “They can’t escape from it.”
“The Doctor sent me to give you a message,” Michael went on. “He and Ace will be on their way soon. They’ll put stage two of the plan into operation. I’m to help you.”
“I appreciate your company, Michael,” Delta said. She then addressed the Cybermen. “You see, Cyber Leader? You’ve already lost!”
“Yeah!” Michael joined in. “Think you can outsmart us? Well, you’re wrong! You’re finished!”
“Incorrect,” the Cyber Leader said.
Michael became puzzled. “What do you mean ‘incorrect’? Surely you must accept your defeat.”
“Incorrect,” the Cyber Leader repeated. “Not all Cybermen were captured by Delta, Queen of Chumeria.”
Delta became worried at that. “Not all Cybermen? Then…”
At that moment, another Cyberman appeared behind them unexpectedly. They turned around startled.
“Where did he come from?” Michael said shocked. “Do they stomp in silence now?”
“It’s only one Cyberman, Michael,” Delta reassured him. “We can still trap it.”
“Correction,” the Cyber Leader reiterated. “It is we who have trapped you.”
The Cyberman then turned its gaze to Michael. “You are…Michael?”
Michael was surprised that the Cyberman asked him a question. “I…how do you know my name?”
“It is me,” the Cyberman said. “I am…Vladimir.”
“No,” Michael said stunned. “It can’t be. You’re not Vladimir. You can’t be.”
“Whatever that thing is Michael,” Delta told him, “it’s no longer your friend.”
“Vladimir’s brain is inside this body,” the Cyberman said. “I have become like them. I have become like the Cybermen.”
“No!” Michael cried. “You’re lying! No!!!”
He couldn’t take it anymore. Michael lunged forward. It was a big mistake. He was grabbed rather forcibly by the Cyber Vladimir. Delta tried to make a run for it, but she was also captured. Cyber Vladimir held both Delta and Michael in its grasp.
“Release the Cyber Leader and the other units at once,” it commanded.
“No!” Delta said defiantly. “I won’t do as you say!”
“Comply,” Cyber Vladimir ordered. “Or else I will terminate your associate…Michael.”
“Don’t listen to him, Delta,” Michael begged. “Don’t…ARGH!!!”
“Comply. Comply,” Cyber Vladimir repeated.
Delta couldn’t let Michael be harmed. Reluctantly, she deactivated the forcefield. The Cyber Leader and its units were released. They marched forward and glared at Delta and Michael with their blank faces.
The Cyber Leader addressed Cyber Vladimir. “Take them away to a cyber conversion chamber. They are to be the next cyber units.”
Cyber Vladimir complied as he escorted Delta and Michael away. Once they were gone, the Cyber Leader addressed the other Cybermen.
“Scout and locate all human life forms,” the Cyber Leader commanded. “Apprehend and assimilate. Take them for conversion.”
“Understood.”
With that, the Cybermen went off to carry out their tasks. Once they had gone, the Cyber Leader was alone in Cyber Control. Silence ensued. Very soon, a noise echoed. The Cyber Leader turned around to see what it was. There…standing in the background before the Cyber Leader…was the Doctor.
“Greetings!” the Doctor cheered. “I hoped I’d catch you alone.”
“Doctor,” the Cyber Leader declared. “You were hiding.”
“No,” the Doctor denied. “I got in via the back entrance. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me?” the Cyber Leader was confused.
“Come into my parlour, why don’t you?” the Doctor offered
The Doctor slipped in through the back of Cyber Control. Curious, the Cyber Leader followed. It took take the bait created by the Doctor to be lured it into another room.
The Cyber Leader found himself in Screen 8 of the Xenon cinema. He turned to see the Doctor seated in the audience rows. The Doctor doffed his panama hat to the Cyber Leader.
“There you are,” he cheered. “Just in time for the film. Should be a box office hit! And you didn’t bring in the popcorn!”
“What have you in mind to oppose us with this time, Doctor?” the Cyber Leader asked.
The Doctor didn’t answer. Instead he took out his spoons from one of his coat pockets. He began tapping and clapping them together in his hands. He came down the audience rows to meet the Cyber Leader, still playing with the spoons.
“Just to amuse myself,” he said. “I like a good laugh. You should try and laugh too, Leader. If you ever had the capacity.”
The Doctor then banged the spoons on the Cyber Leader’s metal chest plate. The Cyber Leader smacked the spoons off and out of the Doctor’s hands.
“Cease this senseless activity,” it demanded. “It does nothing for the mind. It is ridiculous.”
“And you’ve just ruined a good set,” the Doctor said grumpily.
“You cannot stop us, Doctor,” the Cyber Leader declared. “The Cybermen have the upper hand. We have captured your friend – the Chimeron Queen.”
“Really,” the Doctor said nonplussed. “And should that bother me?”
“We are unimpressed with your heroics,” the Cyber Leader continued. “Whatever you have in mind to defeat us, it is far too late.”
“I came here only to finish unfinished business,” the Doctor told the Cyber Leader. “A thing that started a long time ago in my past. It has plagued me ever since.”
“You do not have to be plagued anymore,” the Cyber Leader said, “if you give us the Zorbius crystal at once.”
“Precisely what I intend to do, Leader,” the Doctor said. “I will give it to you. I will give you the Zorbius crystal freely. So long as you and the Cybermen are on your way and leave the planet Earth be.”
“Your logic is sound and clear,” the Cyber Leader said. “A most wise course of action, Doctor.”
“Yes,” the Doctor agreed. “I always prefer doing things the wisest way.”
At that moment, Ace entered, running in.
“Professor!” she cried. “I’ve set it all up. We’ve got…oh.”
“What is it you have set up?” the Cyber Leader demanded to know.
“It’s not important, Leader,” the Doctor said. “Whatever my friend and I have in mind, it’s too late. You’ve beaten us. It’s time to pay the price.”
“Professor!” Ace said shocked.
“Ace, it’s time,” the Doctor declared. “Hand me the crystal.”
“But Professor…”
“Hand it to me, Ace!”
At first, Ace felt almost unwilling to hand the Zorbius crystal over. Eventually though, she opened up her rucksack and searched inside before she took out the crystal. She handed it over to the Doctor.
“Here you are, Professor,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said gratified.
The Doctor took the Zorbius crystal from Ace. Holding it for a moment in his hand, he then handed the crystal over to the Cyber Leader.
“Here you are, Leader. Is this what you wanted?”
The Cyber Leader took the crystal from the Doctor and held it in its right hand.
Satisfied, the Cyber Leader said, “Yes. The Cyber race has the Zorbius crystal. We shall be complete again.”
The Cyber Leader observed that Ace found it hard to believe the Doctor had just handed the Zorbius crystal over.
“No Professor!” Ace said shocked. “What do you think you’re doing?! You can’t give the Zorbius crystal to the Cybermen! You can’t give in!”
“I had no choice, Ace,” the Doctor said. “This was the only way. The way that things must be.” He paused for a moment. “Don’t interfere.”
As the Cyber Leader held the crystal in its hands, the crystal began to glow and brighten. Placing the crystal onto its chest unit, energy exhumed through the crystal shell. The energy began to enter through the Cyber Leader’s chest unit, almost as if it was making a connection. A connection between the crystal and the Cyber Leader.
The Cyber Leader became triumphant. “The Cyber race and Zorbius will be merged into one. We shall control all of time and space. The Cybermen will be victorious!”
As the Cyber Leader raised its hands up in the air in indignant triumph, the Doctor shouted, “Now Ace! Now!”
With that, Ace ran over to the cinema screen’s stage and reached for a control button.
“What is your companion doing, Doctor?” the Cyber Leader demanded to know.
As Ace pressed the control button, the sound speakers in Screen 8 switched on.
“Done it, Professor,” Ace cried. “The sound is on!”
“Good!” the Doctor said pleased. “Counting the clock. Ready to start the music in 5…4…3…”
“What is happening?” the Cyber Leader asked, confused. “What have you done, Doctor?”
The Doctor continued, “…2…1.”
At that, the Doctor pulled out a walkie-talkie of his and spoke into it clearly.
“Now Delta!” he cried. “Do it now!”
In one of the Cyber Conversion chambers, Delta heard the Doctor’s call via her antennae at the back of her ears. She saw Michael being strapped onto the conveyor belt and ready to be processed.
“Set me free!” Michael cried. “I won’t become like you! Let me go! Let me go now!”
“It’s alright, Michael,” Delta called reassuringly to Michael. “Everything will be alright. The Doctor has sent me the message.”
“What?” Michael was confused.
“He wants me to go into the Singing Time,” she said. “To play my part in the game.”
“Then do it, Delta,” Michael insisted. “Quick, do it now!”
At this, Delta opened her mouth and out came a strong singing sound. It echoed all over the cinema. It shattered anything that was made of glass or was fragile. The Cybermen were affected too.
“No,” one Cyberman groaned. “What…is…happening? Stop this! Stop this! I am…experiencing…pain!”
As the Cybermen reacted in pain, they each held their heads, feeling the surge of pain coursing through them once affected by Delta’s singing.
“Is this it?” Michael asked. “This is the Singing Time isn’t it, Delta?”
But Delta didn’t answer him. She kept on singing. The notes were getting stronger in her voice. Michael couldn’t help but feel the singing tones affecting him too. It irritated him in a way. Soon, some of the Cybermen fell to the floor. They couldn’t cope with the pain.
“No,” a Cyberman cried. “This is not how it was meant to be! We cannot function without… NO!!! ARGH!!!!!”
As the surge of pain was getting stronger through the Cybermen’s heads, one by one, they began to blow up into pieces. Each Cyberman collapsed to the floor and died. Michael couldn’t help be amused by this.
“Michael! Michael, help me!” a Cyber voice called nearby. “Help me, Michael! Help me!”
Michael turned to see Cyber Vladimir come towards him. He was on his hands and his knees, groping for breath. Guttural sounds echoed from Cyber Vladimir’s voice box.
“You…were my friend once, Michael,” Cyber Vladimir said. “Will you not help me now? Help me to save my life?”
Michael turned him down. “You chose this way, Vladimir. This is what you wanted, wasn’t it? And you nearly tried to kill Tasha today. What does that say about you?”
“I…am…begging you, Michael,” Cyber Vladimir begged. “Help me! Help me to stabilise! Stabilise! Stabilise! STABILISE!!!!!”
“I just feel sorry for you, Vladimir,” Michael said. “I really do.”
Vladimir couldn’t keep it together any longer. Affected by Delta’s singing, Cyber Vladimir collapsed to the floor; shook and shuddered; and then blew up. His remains scattered all over the floor of the conversion chamber.
Delta’s singing lasted for a while before all of the Cybermen were destroyed. She eventually closed her mouth and the singing stopped. She smiled at Michael, who was still remained strapped to the conveyor belt.
“You did it, Delta!” Michael cheered. “You did it!”
“Yes, I did,” Delta said pleased. “The game is over. I won in the end.”
“Could you help unstrap me from this thing then?” Michael asked. “I feel I’ve got a pain in my back.”
Willingly, Delta went over and began to remove the straps off Michael to free him from the conveyor belt.
The Cyber Leader struggled to make sense of what was happening. It stood in Screen 8 of the Xenon cinema with the Zorbius crystal still connected to its chest unit. Yet it lost control. The Doctor and Ace continued to watch him.
“All Cyber units,” the Cyber Leader uttered. “They are not responding. Why? Why are they not responding to my call signs?”
“Your units have been destroyed, Cyber Leader,” the Doctor told it. “It’s all over. You have nobody else left but you.”
“Yeah,” Ace taunted. “So sucks be to you, metal tin-bag!”
“You have destroyed my Cyber force!”
“Delta used the Singing Time to weaken them,” the Doctor explained. “Never underestimate a Chimeron Queen in self-defence.”
“It is of little consequence,” the Cyber Leader stated. “Very soon, I shall be able to control the Zorbius crystal! The power of space and time shall be mine at hand!”
“Even now, you’re already weakening,” the Doctor declared. “The crystal is detaching from from you. Look!”
In that moment, the Cyber Leader saw the crystal fall from is chest unit. The Doctor stepped forward. Ace and the Cyber Leader didn’t register the Doctor’s movements as they saw the crystal go SMASH!!! onto the floor. It scattered into tiny pieces. Ace staggered, but not as much as the Cyber Leader did.
“What is this?” the Cyber Leader groaned. “What have you done?!”
“Delta’s singing affected your brain-wave patterns, Leader,” the Doctor told it. “You thought the Zorbius crystal protected you. But Delta weakened the barriers from you! She removed you from the Zorbius crystal energy! Now the Singing Time’s entering into your head!”
The Cyber Leader could hear the ear-piercing music echoing into its mind. It shook and shuddered once it received the music.
“No!” the Cyber Leader cried. “This can’t be happening! I have the Zorbius power! I must be complete!”
“Not anymore,” the Doctor declared. “You’ve failed, Zorbius! Just as you did many times before when I defeated you! I always defeat you, Zorbius! And the rest of my future selves shall defeat you yet!”
“Don’t be so confident, Doctor,” the Cyber Leader groaned. “You may have already set the wheel in motion, but you still have a death to meet! Your future awaits!”
The Doctor remained resolute. Ace became worried.
“What does that mean?” she asked anxiously. “What did it mean, Professor? What did that tin-bag mean?! You’re not going to die are you, Doctor?! Are you?”
“Ace, don’t stress yourself,” the Doctor told her. “This is my story we’re dealing with. Not yours. Your story doesn’t involve my death.”
“But I don’t want you to die, Doctor,” Ace became tearful. “I don’t want you to!”
“I know, I know,” the Doctor patted Ace on the shoulder. “But these things must be resolved. You can never escape death. Not anybody.”
The Doctor held Ace in his arms as she began to cry. She laid her head on his shoulder.
The Cyber Leader continued to mock the Doctor. “Pitiful! You always have to display emotion when concerned with death. Fortunately, the Cybermen do not need to display emotion. We accept death! Death is the natural way of life!”
“You’re beginning to get emotional too, Cyber Leader,” the Doctor observed. “Are you sure your emotional inhibitor is still functional?”
The Cyber Leader checked its head unit. It realised what was happening. It could hear Delta’s singing tones clearly.
“No!” it cried. “I cannot…I will not be terminated!”
“Too late, Zorbius,” the Doctor said. “It’s already been done.”
“Have pity on me,” the Cyber Leader cried. “Have mercy! I beg you to save me!”
“I have no pity for Cybermen,” the Doctor said coldly.
The Cyber Leader groaned in anger. It stood up and tried to face the Doctor. “Then die, Doctor,” it said. “Die…for your lack of compassion!”
The Doctor pushed Ace aside as the Cyber Leader advanced upon him. But Ace wasn’t going to let the Doctor die from being strangled by a Cyberman. She opened up her rucksack; dropped it and took out the baseball bat she had with her from Shoreditch 1963 when she used it on the Daleks. She advanced upon the Cyber Leader.
“Take this, tin head!” she cried. “Leave the Doctor alone!”
With that, Ace smacked her baseball bat onto the Cyber Leader. The bat sparked away as energy came out from it. The Cyber Leader reacted in shock and pain. It crumbled to floor as Ace kept thwacking the bat onto its chest unit. Soon, Ace backed away as the Cyber Leader exploded. Sparks spewed across all over the floor once the Cyber Leader had been destroyed.
After the explosion occurred, the Doctor stepped over the dead Cyber Leader. He held his umbrella and trailed the smoke coming out of the Cyber Leader’s chest unit.
“Is it dead, Doctor?” Ace asked.
“Yes Ace,” the Doctor said. “And a fine job you made of it. Didn’t realise there was still residue of the Hand of Omega left in your baseball bat.”
“It was you or it, Doctor,” Ace said. “I couldn’t let it kill you. The universe still needs you. You need to be around to stop the monsters, right?”
The Doctor gave a weak smile to Ace before looking back at the dead Cyber Leader. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy as he watched the dead Cyber Leader on the floor. He eventually took out the surprisingly reshaped Zorbius crystal from one of his coat pockets. Ace was surprised and confused. She thought the crystal had been smashed on the floor.
“Thank you Ace for saving my life,” the Doctor said. “And thank you for looking after the Zorbius crystal for me. It really helped us to play the final part of Delta’s game.”
“But…wasn’t that crystal destroyed?” Ace asked. “When the Cyber Leader dropped it.”
“Not really,” the Doctor said. “Whilst you and the Cyber Leader weren’t looking, I managed to catch the real Zorbius crystal and stop it from smashing to the floor. It was replaced it in the moments before it was smashed. Time Lord trick, you see. The crystal you and the Cyber Leader saw being smashed to the floor was a fake.”
“So you tricked the Cyber Leader,” Ace realised. “You put him off guard.”
“In a manner of speaking,” the Doctor smiled. “I made him think he lost the power of Zorbius whilst I still held it in my hands.”
“That was sneaky of you, Professor,” Ace said.
“Yes,” the Doctor said pleased. “Yes it was, Ace. Thank you for mentioning it.”
“So, you’re going to keep that crystal in that coat pocket of yours then, are you?” she asked.
“Until my next adventure with Zorbius comes, yes.”
“What about the Cybermen? Are we done with them?”
“Oh yes, Ace. We’re done with the Cybermen for now.” the Doctor then mused for a bit. “But the thing is…what will become of the Skeletron Hunters? Are we done with them yet?”
The Doctor pondered on this as he leaned on the question mark handle of his umbrella.
Back in the cyber conversion chamber, after having freed him from the conveyor belt, Delta explained to Michael what had just happened and how she managed to knock out the Cybermen.
“You see Michael,” Delta said, “the Chimeron Queen has the ability to go into the Singing Time – an ability to project defensive songs once a Chimeron has grown to a near adult size. It was like that for my daughter when she was born.”
“You used this…Singing Time as a form of attack,” Michael checked.
“And communication,” Delta elaborated. “Over time, we balance the two aspects to work in perfect harmony.”
“And you just used this ability yourself to defeat the Cybermen,” Michael realised. “To weaken them.”
“My people and I discovered that the Singing Time in adult queens could weaken the emotional inhibitors of Cybermen,” Delta said. “To deactivate them. To break their control over the things they’ve reprogrammed. Happiness, joy and love.”
“Just like with Vladimir,” Michael said solemnly. “When he was killed.”
“There was nothing you could’ve done,” Delta reassured him. “He was already dead. I’m sorry for your friend, Michael.”
Michael gradually put on a weak smile for Delta. “He stopped being my friend when he became a Cyberman. I’m glad Tasha didn’t become one of them.”
At that moment, the Doctor and Ace arrived.
“Ah! Here you both are!” the Doctor cheered. “It worked out alright in the end didn’t it, Delta?”
“Yes Doctor,” Delta said pleased. “Thank you again for everything you’ve done. You’ve saved my people once more.”
“Oh it was a pleasure,” the Doctor said. “Wasn’t it, Ace?”
“Yes, Professor,” Ace joined. “It was a pleasure indeed.”
Later that evening, Ace and the Doctor returned to the TARDIS. They parked the ship at Lumumba Avenue in Maputo city. They were making to leave. Before they went inside, Ace tugged the Doctor’s shoulder.
“Professor?”
“Yes Ace.”
“All that stuff mentioned about Zorbius being connected to you,” she enquired. “Those entities in the Cybermen. They’re alternative versions of you, aren’t they? Has this got something to do with you being more than a Time Lord?”
“Really, Ace,” the Doctor scoffed. “You mustn’t make so many presumptions about me.”
“Well, is it?” Ace persisted.
Gradually, the Doctor said, “There are times Ace when the universe can work mysterious wonders. Time can flow at an infinite rate with no knowledge of the consequences. Waves can accelerate at various rates like the crashing onto the shore of a beach. There’s no knowing what may become of Zorbius. It may end up like me. I may end up like it.”
“So you’re saying that the Zorbius crystal – the creature inside – you could become that crystal,” Ace deduced.
“I might; I might not,” the Doctor answered.
“But Professor,” Ace persisted. “The Zorbius crystal confirms you are more than just an ordinary Time Lord surely.”
“Perhaps; perhaps not,” the Doctor answered again. “Maybe you or I should never know.”
“But doesn’t that bother you sometimes, Professor?” Ace asked. “Not knowing what the Zorbius thing could be about in your future. The Cyber Leader said you were going to die in your future, didn’t he?”
“I don’t let that worry me, Ace,” the Doctor said. “All that worries me is making sure the crystal is safe. As well as setting the wheel in motion.”
“Which you’ve already done.”
“Yes Ace,” the Doctor grinned. “I already have. And as far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing else I can do. Nor any more I can say.”
“Alright then,” Ace said grumpily. “No sweat. I won’t ask anymore.”
“And besides,” the Doctor went on, “I’m pleased I set the wheel in motion. I’m looking forward to what my next Zorbius encounter will be.”
“Doctor?”
Ace paused for a moment.
“Yes Ace?” the Doctor enquired.
Gradually, Ace said, ““About what I said to you before. About leaving you.”
“Yes?”
“I…I don’t want to leave you, Professor,” Ace said. “What I said before, I didn’t mean it. I want to keep travelling with you, if that’s alright?”
“Of course it is, Ace,” the Doctor said cheerily. “Besides, I don’t want you to leave me either.”
The Doctor tapped Ace’s nose gently with his finger and she smiled.
“Cheers, Professor,” she said. “That’s sorted then! We do good, don’t we?”
“Yes, of course,” the Doctor grinned.
At that moment, Delta and Michael arrived to see them off.
“You’re leaving us, Doctor?” Michael called.
“Afraid so, Michael,” the Doctor replied. “So much to see, so much to do.”
“We were supposed to come here and spend a sunny holiday in Mozambique, Doctor,” Ace reminded him. “Like you promised me.”
“Another time perhaps, Ace,” the Doctor said. “When we’ve sorted other things out.”
With that, the Doctor fetched his TARDIS key and unlocked the TARDIS doors. Before going in, he went over to say goodbye to Delta.
“Goodbye, Delta,” he said cheerily. “Hope your journey back to Chumeria bodes well.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Delta said. “I’ll never forget what you did for me and my people. Saving us from the threat of the Cybermen.”
“Bannermen; Cybermen,” the Doctor chortled. “I seem to have a knack for them, don’t I?”
Meanwhile, Ace was about to say goodbye to Michael. She coped with the question she found difficult to ask.
“How’s Tasha, Mike?” she asked.
“She’s very well, thank you, Ace,” Michael said. “She’s still at the hospital, but she’s recovering. I’ll need to look out for her after everything she’s been through.”
Ace felt sad as she eventually said, “Good luck, Mike. I wish you both well.”
With that, she reached out and gave Michael a kiss. Michael blushed once Ace kissed him.
She looked away from him and turned to Delta. “Goodbye, Delta. Great seeing you.”
“Goodbye, Ace,” Delta said. “And thank you for all you’ve done.”
Eventually, Ace and the Doctor went into the TARDIS. As Ace entered inside first, the Doctor turned back to Delta and Michael and doffed his hat to them.
“Safe journeys, you two,” he said. “Safe and pleasant journeys.”
With that, the Doctor closed the TARDIS doors behind him once he and Ace were inside.
Michael became puzzled. “Must be really snug in there. Will they be able to breathe in that blue box, do you think?”
“Watch, Michael,” Delta told him. “See what this machine does with its wonders.”
Michael, not realising what Delta meant, watched as they both saw the TARDIS begin to dematerialise. The blue box whooshed and groaned away, as it fade out of sight.
“What the…” Michael was aghast. “How the…Hey! Whoa!” Seemingly lost for a words for a moment as the TARDIS left and disappeared from Maputo, Michael eventually said amazed, “That was…amazing! Incredible!”
“And now it’s time for me to leave,” Delta announced. “Goodbye, Michael. It’s been nice to meet you too.”
Delta shook Michael’s hand.
“Oh. Alright,” he said. “Where are you going?”
“Back to my ship,” she said. “To return to my family on Chumeria.”
“Oh, right. Do you know the way back?”
“Don’t worry,” she reassured him. “I have the bees to guide me. They know where I should go.”
With that, Delta headed off back to her ship. She left a bemused Michael as he eventually returned to the hospital where Tasha was. As Delta headed off back to Chumeria, she was looking forward to reuniting with her family and to tell the story of how the Doctor; Ace and other friends helped her to defeat the dreaded Cybermen.
© Tim Bradley, 2020
| Go back to | Go next to |
| Return to The Game of Delta (Z) | |
| Return to Zorbius | |
| Return to The Seventh Doctor by Tim Bradley | |
| Return to Doctor Who by Tim Bradley | |
| Return to Doctor Who | |
| Return to Sci-Fi |