Doctor Who and the Final Confrontation (The Future Doctor Chronicles Part Two)

Chapter Ten

With the thrusters set to a minimum Sylvester's landing was certainly rough but it was vital for noise and vibrations to be as low as possible. He wasn't about to risk being killed or worse being converted. His plan was to walk the mile to the base, observe the timings of the patrols and sneak in. As far as plans went it wasn't exactly elaborate but he firmly believed that by keeping things simple less could go wrong. He did have the added advantage of having a perception filter integrated into jacket to provide extra protection. 

Before launching himself into a sprint he scanned the horizon and saw not threats in the immediate area. The only thing of note amidst the expanse of lush green grass was a small ruin. Presumably this was all that remained of a pre Cyberman age. Concentrating on his target he breathed in a lungful of air and ran as fast as he could towards it.  

The Shadow Proclamations insistence of regular bouts of physical training suddenly made sense to him as he came to a stop behind a tree close to the entrance to the base. He instinctively crouched down and waited for the patrol to pass by him. To his horror he realised he'd got it wrong. The Cybermen weren't patrolling at all. A small unit seemed to be permanently posted at the entrance. 

Time wasn't on his side. If whatever was happening on Mondas was in any way connected to the murder on Damnos then he needed information and fast. He had to put aside his fear and for a short time at least forget the dangers that lay ahead of him. The only option however crazy it might seem was to run for the door and hope the perception filter did the job it was designed to do.  

Despite the situation Sylvester once again found himself on the verge of laughter as he thought how much his life had changed. Only days ago he'd sat at his desk going through the same routine he went through everyday and now here he was contemplating running a gauntlet of Cybermen to get to a building full of yet more Cybermen.  

"Be careful for what you wish for." he whispered under his breath as he sprinted the rest of the distance to the door. Much to his relief the patrol continued undisturbed despite him passing only metres from their position. Now all he had to do was gain entry to the base and that should be quite simple he thought. 

From inside his jacket pocket he produced a small flat keypad that just happened to be the most powerful skeleton key in the universe. He gently attached it over the top of the keypad to the right of the door and pressed a small green button. The small display screen on the device burst into life showing a row of five numbers, which he typed in straightaway. As soon as he'd pressed the final digit the door slid across soundlessly. 

He stepped into the cool interior of the Cyber base and instantly froze. In front of him stood six Cybermen all staring blankly ahead with their expressionless eyes. To his amazement they didn't move and he realised to his relief that he was still invisible to them. 

As his panic subsided he was able to take in his surroundings. He knew they'd dispensed with all their emotions centuries ago but he hadn't expected their base to be so utilitarian. The chrome walls were devoid of any ornamentation. He guessed that anything without a function just wasn't necessary. He found it hard to see the world through a Cyberman's eyes. They must look upon the beauty of the universe and be utterly unmoved by it.  

Sylvester carefully moved forwards through the patrol but only got past the first two before he felt an unusual tingling sensation all over the top half of his body. He looked down and saw tiny blue sparks dancing all over his jacket and realised too late what was happening. There'd been rumours of the development of a perception blocker a few months back but none had actually surfaced. In a few moments he'd go down in the records as the first agent stopped by one but somehow that gave him no comfort. 

He quickly decided his best option was to just stop and surrender. Running would just result in a quick death. Staying put wasn't guaranteed to be successful either though. A thin wisp of white smoke signalled the end for his perception filter so he slowly raised his arms above his head.  

Without speaking the nearest Cyberman grabbed his arm in a grip that felt powerful enough to reduce his bones to dust and twisted him round to face another Cyberman. Lowering his gaze slightly he immediately noticed a gun pointing directly at his chest. 

"You will tell us what you're doing here and then you will die." it stated in a monotone voice. 

The hooded man sat opposite the Cyber Leader and patiently waited for him to begin the interrogation. Despite the seemingly overwhelming odds he remained confident in achieving his goal. He knew the prospect of working with the Daleks would go against everything the Cybermen believed in but he was sure they'd still agree to his terms. Such a race survived by being excellent strategists so they'd hardly pass up on a chance to destroy one of their enemies. 

"What have you got to say?" asked the Cyber Leader in a voice that managed to sound impatient despite its lack of emotion.  

"Get me a holographic map and I'll show you my plan" he asked as he leant back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. 

"Very well I'll play your game but I warn you if I'm not satisfied then you'll only be making it worse for yourself." warned the Cyber Leader. 

A Cyberman stepped out of the shadows and slid a small disc across the table towards him. Clearly they weren't taking any chances with security. He wondered how many guards he warranted. With an ego as huge as his he hoped there were dozens of them because unknown to them he was a very dangerous man indeed. He'd been around for a long time and he wasn't about to let a bunch of tin men change that. 

He caught the disc and tapped a few buttons on the top then pushed it into the middle of the table. As it came to a halt an image projected into the air above it. It showed the entire Dalek fleet in orbit around Mondas. 

"What's the meaning of this?" asked the Cyber Leader. 

"The Dalek fleet aren't here to attack you. They're here to aid me in the fulfilment of my plan. A plan that you can be a part of if you agree to my terms."  

"The Cyber race has no need to work with inferior races. We can be victorious against any race of our choosing." 

"Ordinarily I'd agree with you but your race is nothing compared to the one I've set my sights on. It'll take the might of two great races dedicated to universal domination to threaten them." 

"What you speak of is impossible the only race greater than ours are no longer a presence in the universe. The Time Lords ceased to be a threat after they trapped themselves by time locking the time war." 

"You're well informed but your information isn't up to date. A catastrophic future event necessitated the removal of the time lock." 

"What future event is that? We must know of any danger to us."  

"I'm sorry that's where my knowledge ends. Nobody knows exactly why they did it but it must have been serious. Now that they're back I intend to put an end to the Time Lords dominance over all of existence and to do that I need your help. What are your thoughts on this?"  

"You will get the help you require and in return we will have the secret of time travel."  

He stroked his chin thoughtfully even though he couldn't care less what they wanted. 

"Very well take what you wish. All I desire is the complete and utter destruction of Gallifrey."