Post by John Darnacan on Jun 22, 2008 22:06:23 GMT
Part 17 – Irritating Stars
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“We were curious as to the purpose of the missiles,” announced the CyberController. “Your explanation alerts us that we have been detected.” The Controller turned to another Cyberman. “Revive all Cybermen in suspended animation. We must attack and convert the inhabitants of the Solarsphere.”
“Oh, there’s one minor detail I forgot to mention,” the Doctor added.
“Explain,” commanded the Cyber Controller.
“The missiles were supposed to enter the sun.”
“Illogical.”
“Hmmm, not if you’re brilliant at solar mechanics, and are trying to create a solar flare.”
“Illogical. A solar flare cannot damage this facility. The inner shell is shielded.”
The Doctor looked at his watch. “Well ordinarily, I’d say you’re right. However, there are two additional factors.
“Explain.”
“Explain, explain, explain. You really need to expand your vocabulary. Very well, let me ‘explain’. First, they won’t be normal solar flares. The missile payloads were designed to severely irritate the star’s fusionary and gravitational balance, creating a solar flare of greatly increased magnitude.” The Doctor smiled. “Nothing quite like irritating a star.”
“What is the second factor?” demanded the CyberController.
“The second is the explosive charges that have been planted around your ‘Bremancy Republic’ as you call it. They’re timed to go off just before the shockwave of the solar flare strikes. The shielding will not hold. You see, you have an enemy lurking in the shadows. And they’re a lot more patient and determined than I am. They’ve been watching you for centuries.”
The Doctor glanced at the view screen.
“Oh look, there’s the solar flare now. Isn’t it pretty?” the Doctor said, pointing the view screen. “I’d say in about eight minutes the Cyber race will be no more.”
“Why should we believe you?”
“Because, I’m the Doctor,” he grinned. The Cyber Controller shifted, not out of fear, but because of the enormous downloading of the files on the Doctor.
“We know you. If we die, you will die with us.”
The Doctor shrugged. “Ah well, I’ve lived too long anyway.”
“You are an enemy of the Cyber Race. Why are you revealing this plan?”
“Because you have no way to escape, and I wanted to watch you squirm,” the Doctor grinned.
“Cybermen do not squirm. Squirm is irrelevant. Your attack will fail. We can teleport to other sections of the Solarsphere.”
The Doctor nodded no. “I’m afraid not. Oh, you may have the odd independent teleport, but not enough for the millions of cybermen you have in the deep freeze. All the teleport conduits have been severed. Have you noticed any of the Ood around? No. They’re subservient, but not stupid. I do believe they have abandoned you.”
The Cyber Controller turned and ordered his Cybermen to search for and deactivate the explosives.
“In eight, no, seven minutes? Not likely. However, I could offer you a way out. Interested?”
“Speak,” commanded the Cyber Controller.
“I stole the deactivation codes from your enemy, for both the explosive devices and the teleport conduits. Tell you what; I’ll trade them for Deiter.”
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The nascent Cybermen opened the sealed bulkhead. Faye and Maynberc saw the advancing Cybermen.
Maynberc opened one of the yellow hatches and pushed Faye into it. It was a cramped room. She could barely stand up in. It was not made for standing. The hatch suddenly closed behind her.
“Maynberc? What are you doing?” she yelled. Faye could see him through the hatch window. He reached for a microphone.
“The Doctor asked that I protect you. Under the circumstances, this is the best I can do.”
“By trapping me?”
“No, by ejecting you from the sphere before the charges explode and solar flare reaches us.”
Mayberc replaced the microphone, pressed a button, and pulled down the release lever. Faye could feel the small compartment lurch upward like a lift. The metal sides of the launch tube slid downward past the hatch window, finally revealing the outer surface of the sphere. The life pod rose steadily far above the surface.
She looked down wondering if Maynberc would follow in another pod. As she looked down, she realised she had no idea how far above the sphere’s surface she was. She could have been a mile or a thousand miles. She had no point of reference. The horizon of the sphere was the flattest she had ever seen. She began to feel sick as she looked out the portal. She felt both agoraphobic and claustrophobic at the same time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maynberc checked the other launch tubes. As he suspected, no escape pods remained. The Cybermen advanced upon him, as he finished his last task. He knew the missiles were on their way. Soon the Cybermen would be destroyed. He faced them without fear. But then a strange and unexpected thing happened. A faint and long forgotten thing emerged. Maynberc, wasn’t sure, but he seemed to remember it was something called satisfaction, a feeling lost like all the others. How odd. Why had it returned at this moment?
He knew the Cybermen were doomed. And he had played a part in it. Yes, he was satisfied. He even felt a tiny but odd muscular contraction across his face. Yes, he….smiled.
The Cybermen advanced on him. He smiled at them.
“You will become like us,” came the cold unemotional voice.
“Yes. Yes, my brethren, I will. Soon, we will all be free.”
Had he lived a few minutes more, he might have even laughed.
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To be continued...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“We were curious as to the purpose of the missiles,” announced the CyberController. “Your explanation alerts us that we have been detected.” The Controller turned to another Cyberman. “Revive all Cybermen in suspended animation. We must attack and convert the inhabitants of the Solarsphere.”
“Oh, there’s one minor detail I forgot to mention,” the Doctor added.
“Explain,” commanded the Cyber Controller.
“The missiles were supposed to enter the sun.”
“Illogical.”
“Hmmm, not if you’re brilliant at solar mechanics, and are trying to create a solar flare.”
“Illogical. A solar flare cannot damage this facility. The inner shell is shielded.”
The Doctor looked at his watch. “Well ordinarily, I’d say you’re right. However, there are two additional factors.
“Explain.”
“Explain, explain, explain. You really need to expand your vocabulary. Very well, let me ‘explain’. First, they won’t be normal solar flares. The missile payloads were designed to severely irritate the star’s fusionary and gravitational balance, creating a solar flare of greatly increased magnitude.” The Doctor smiled. “Nothing quite like irritating a star.”
“What is the second factor?” demanded the CyberController.
“The second is the explosive charges that have been planted around your ‘Bremancy Republic’ as you call it. They’re timed to go off just before the shockwave of the solar flare strikes. The shielding will not hold. You see, you have an enemy lurking in the shadows. And they’re a lot more patient and determined than I am. They’ve been watching you for centuries.”
The Doctor glanced at the view screen.
“Oh look, there’s the solar flare now. Isn’t it pretty?” the Doctor said, pointing the view screen. “I’d say in about eight minutes the Cyber race will be no more.”
“Why should we believe you?”
“Because, I’m the Doctor,” he grinned. The Cyber Controller shifted, not out of fear, but because of the enormous downloading of the files on the Doctor.
“We know you. If we die, you will die with us.”
The Doctor shrugged. “Ah well, I’ve lived too long anyway.”
“You are an enemy of the Cyber Race. Why are you revealing this plan?”
“Because you have no way to escape, and I wanted to watch you squirm,” the Doctor grinned.
“Cybermen do not squirm. Squirm is irrelevant. Your attack will fail. We can teleport to other sections of the Solarsphere.”
The Doctor nodded no. “I’m afraid not. Oh, you may have the odd independent teleport, but not enough for the millions of cybermen you have in the deep freeze. All the teleport conduits have been severed. Have you noticed any of the Ood around? No. They’re subservient, but not stupid. I do believe they have abandoned you.”
The Cyber Controller turned and ordered his Cybermen to search for and deactivate the explosives.
“In eight, no, seven minutes? Not likely. However, I could offer you a way out. Interested?”
“Speak,” commanded the Cyber Controller.
“I stole the deactivation codes from your enemy, for both the explosive devices and the teleport conduits. Tell you what; I’ll trade them for Deiter.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The nascent Cybermen opened the sealed bulkhead. Faye and Maynberc saw the advancing Cybermen.
Maynberc opened one of the yellow hatches and pushed Faye into it. It was a cramped room. She could barely stand up in. It was not made for standing. The hatch suddenly closed behind her.
“Maynberc? What are you doing?” she yelled. Faye could see him through the hatch window. He reached for a microphone.
“The Doctor asked that I protect you. Under the circumstances, this is the best I can do.”
“By trapping me?”
“No, by ejecting you from the sphere before the charges explode and solar flare reaches us.”
Mayberc replaced the microphone, pressed a button, and pulled down the release lever. Faye could feel the small compartment lurch upward like a lift. The metal sides of the launch tube slid downward past the hatch window, finally revealing the outer surface of the sphere. The life pod rose steadily far above the surface.
She looked down wondering if Maynberc would follow in another pod. As she looked down, she realised she had no idea how far above the sphere’s surface she was. She could have been a mile or a thousand miles. She had no point of reference. The horizon of the sphere was the flattest she had ever seen. She began to feel sick as she looked out the portal. She felt both agoraphobic and claustrophobic at the same time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maynberc checked the other launch tubes. As he suspected, no escape pods remained. The Cybermen advanced upon him, as he finished his last task. He knew the missiles were on their way. Soon the Cybermen would be destroyed. He faced them without fear. But then a strange and unexpected thing happened. A faint and long forgotten thing emerged. Maynberc, wasn’t sure, but he seemed to remember it was something called satisfaction, a feeling lost like all the others. How odd. Why had it returned at this moment?
He knew the Cybermen were doomed. And he had played a part in it. Yes, he was satisfied. He even felt a tiny but odd muscular contraction across his face. Yes, he….smiled.
The Cybermen advanced on him. He smiled at them.
“You will become like us,” came the cold unemotional voice.
“Yes. Yes, my brethren, I will. Soon, we will all be free.”
Had he lived a few minutes more, he might have even laughed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be continued...
