Post by Oldmankrondas on Jan 12, 2011 21:57:00 GMT
The Doctor looked up to the sky as the Cybership lurched violently to one side, descending towards the Castle at speed. His mouth dropped open in horror as he caught sight of a figure dangling from the side of the ship, struggling to hoist themselves back inside. The moon shone through the long blonde hair, tied in a ponytail and it was then the realisation dawned on him. 'Anna...'
Of all the places he had suspected her to be, high above Edinburgh onboard the Cybership was not at the top of the list. He had to rescue her from the crashing ship, but at the same time surely the life of one person was worth sacrificing to save the whole of human history? No. He had lost one friend to the Cybermen long ago and was not about to let that happen again. He would rescue Anna, even if it meant setting the Cybership back on course. To do that however, he would need his TARDIS, and that was ten minutes down the road, at the speed of descent, the Cybership would have exploded into shattered glass and twisted metal against the Castle rock by that time. Just as well he was in possession of a time machine. He hurried down from the Half Moon Battery towards the Esplanade and the Mile, Major McCallum and Constable Norrie calling after him. 'Doctor! Where are ye going? What are we supposed tae dae?'
The Doctor turned to face them, still walking backwards towards the top of the Royal Mile. 'Prepare your troops Major, expect an army of Cybermen to abandon ship in the next ten minutes. Arm yourselves with gold...plenty of gold!'
Anna was still trying to hoist herself back inside, but whenever she rose herself up through the hole the ship would lurch violently again, sending her sliding back out, still gripping on for dear life. She found it hard to believe that this alien craft was crippled by one 19th century cannonball. She glanced down at the Castle below, she could now make out figures below, running around, seemingly preparing for battle. But the ship was a couple of metres shy of hitting the Castle, more likely they would go crashing into the Castle Rock. She took a deep breath, as the ship suddenly lurched to the other side, balancing itself out at the very last moment. It was then that it occured to her. The Cybermen were luring the soldiers below into a false sense of security, make them think the ship's about to crash, then balance it out and prepare to land on top of the Castle.
Finally, with the ship back on an even keel she managed to pull herself back inside and got to her feet, standing still, feeling the cool wind of the Edinburgh night behind her she knelt down to examine the blaster that had been grafted on to Doyle's arm, if she could use it to fire on the door, she could maybe make her way to a transmat, escape. Suddenly there was an all too familiar voice from behind her.
'Taxi for Talbot?' Anna turned to see the Doctor standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, which was hovering very close to the side of the ship. He flashed a very satisfied grin, and outstretched a hand to her.
'I've got you to thank for this have I?' she asked, slightly out of breath, indicating the gaping hole in the side of her prison cell.
'Oh this? It was always part of the plan, blow out the wall, fly by and rescue you.'
'You only realised I was in here five minutes ago didn't you?' she asked, shaking her head, edging back to the door, readying herself for a run up for the jump into the TARDIS.
'More like ten...now jump!' Anna made a run for it, launching herself through the hole in the wall and into the arms of the Doctor in the TARDIS. They both staggered backward a little then set to work. 'So the Cybermen are trying to land on the Castle....' he hurried to the console, began pressing buttons and pulling levers, the doors swung shut and the central column began moving up and down. '...we'll just have to see about that!'
'What do you make of it Constable?' McCallum asked as both men stood at the Half Moon Battery, the Cybership still crashing to Earth behind them. 'Gold? Is this Doctor a con artist? Cheap parlour tricks to part the Castle with its jewels?'
Norrie shook his head. 'I don't think so Major, I trust this man, these Cybermen may be strange, fantastical creatures to you but they're real. I've seen them with my own eyes, and if there's a whole army of them in that shimmering vessel up there then may God help us Major....'
'Not God...' came a familiar voice behind them, they both turned to see the Doctor stepping out of a blue box that had appeared out of nowhere on the battery by the gun. He was joined by a young blonde woman in clothes very unbecoming of a young woman. '...and I'll do a lot more than just help.'
Major McCallum did a double take, not quite sure what he had just seen, the Doctor walked off down the Royal Mile and was now standing where he had stood just minutes earlier as if he had never left. He soon regained his composure and marched up to him. 'So what are we to do Doctor?'
The Doctor was now pulling out a long metal tube with four legs attached and placed it on the ground. He began placing his fingers down the tube, as if he were playing the flute and once he seemed satisfied with what he had done, he rose to his feet and produced a slim metal object like a pen, but thicket, with a light on the end and began waving it at this long metal tube. Major McCallum looked to the woman who had now joined them on the battery for some confirmation as to what was happening. 'Oh don't worry, he does this all the time. I'm Anna by the way.'
'Ah-HA!' the Doctor cried triumphantly as a huge beam of light exploded from the top of the tube, engulfing the Castle in a soothing pink glow. 'The Cybermen are trying to land on top of the Castle, but this is setting up a forcefield, scrambling their systems so they can't initiate their proper landing procedures, it'll take them a good long while to crack through it.' He placed a hand on his chin eyes moving from the forcefield generator to the rest of the Castle. 'Of course there is one problem...'
Major McCallum, Constable Norrie and Anna were all looking at him now, expectant. 'Now, keep in mind I only had an hour or two to cobble this together....'
'An hour or two? You were gone for seconds!' spluttered Norrie.
The Doctor grinned mischeivously. 'Yes I suppose I was wasn't I? Anyway! The forcefield is only designed to keep the ship from landing, there's nothing to stop them transporting troops to an area outside the forcefield and marching them straight up to the Castle gates.'
'Which means?' McCallum asked, already plotting out his defence strategy in his head.
'I've already told you Major! Gold! Plenty of gold!'
Of all the places he had suspected her to be, high above Edinburgh onboard the Cybership was not at the top of the list. He had to rescue her from the crashing ship, but at the same time surely the life of one person was worth sacrificing to save the whole of human history? No. He had lost one friend to the Cybermen long ago and was not about to let that happen again. He would rescue Anna, even if it meant setting the Cybership back on course. To do that however, he would need his TARDIS, and that was ten minutes down the road, at the speed of descent, the Cybership would have exploded into shattered glass and twisted metal against the Castle rock by that time. Just as well he was in possession of a time machine. He hurried down from the Half Moon Battery towards the Esplanade and the Mile, Major McCallum and Constable Norrie calling after him. 'Doctor! Where are ye going? What are we supposed tae dae?'
The Doctor turned to face them, still walking backwards towards the top of the Royal Mile. 'Prepare your troops Major, expect an army of Cybermen to abandon ship in the next ten minutes. Arm yourselves with gold...plenty of gold!'
*
Anna was still trying to hoist herself back inside, but whenever she rose herself up through the hole the ship would lurch violently again, sending her sliding back out, still gripping on for dear life. She found it hard to believe that this alien craft was crippled by one 19th century cannonball. She glanced down at the Castle below, she could now make out figures below, running around, seemingly preparing for battle. But the ship was a couple of metres shy of hitting the Castle, more likely they would go crashing into the Castle Rock. She took a deep breath, as the ship suddenly lurched to the other side, balancing itself out at the very last moment. It was then that it occured to her. The Cybermen were luring the soldiers below into a false sense of security, make them think the ship's about to crash, then balance it out and prepare to land on top of the Castle.
Finally, with the ship back on an even keel she managed to pull herself back inside and got to her feet, standing still, feeling the cool wind of the Edinburgh night behind her she knelt down to examine the blaster that had been grafted on to Doyle's arm, if she could use it to fire on the door, she could maybe make her way to a transmat, escape. Suddenly there was an all too familiar voice from behind her.
'Taxi for Talbot?' Anna turned to see the Doctor standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, which was hovering very close to the side of the ship. He flashed a very satisfied grin, and outstretched a hand to her.
'I've got you to thank for this have I?' she asked, slightly out of breath, indicating the gaping hole in the side of her prison cell.
'Oh this? It was always part of the plan, blow out the wall, fly by and rescue you.'
'You only realised I was in here five minutes ago didn't you?' she asked, shaking her head, edging back to the door, readying herself for a run up for the jump into the TARDIS.
'More like ten...now jump!' Anna made a run for it, launching herself through the hole in the wall and into the arms of the Doctor in the TARDIS. They both staggered backward a little then set to work. 'So the Cybermen are trying to land on the Castle....' he hurried to the console, began pressing buttons and pulling levers, the doors swung shut and the central column began moving up and down. '...we'll just have to see about that!'
*
The Doctor turned to face them, still walking backwards towards the top of the Royal Mile. 'Prepare your troops Major, expect an army of Cybermen to abandon ship in the next ten minutes. Arm yourselves with gold...plenty of gold!' He turned back round and carried on hurrying down onto the Esplanade and the Mile until he was out of sight.'What do you make of it Constable?' McCallum asked as both men stood at the Half Moon Battery, the Cybership still crashing to Earth behind them. 'Gold? Is this Doctor a con artist? Cheap parlour tricks to part the Castle with its jewels?'
Norrie shook his head. 'I don't think so Major, I trust this man, these Cybermen may be strange, fantastical creatures to you but they're real. I've seen them with my own eyes, and if there's a whole army of them in that shimmering vessel up there then may God help us Major....'
'Not God...' came a familiar voice behind them, they both turned to see the Doctor stepping out of a blue box that had appeared out of nowhere on the battery by the gun. He was joined by a young blonde woman in clothes very unbecoming of a young woman. '...and I'll do a lot more than just help.'
Major McCallum did a double take, not quite sure what he had just seen, the Doctor walked off down the Royal Mile and was now standing where he had stood just minutes earlier as if he had never left. He soon regained his composure and marched up to him. 'So what are we to do Doctor?'
The Doctor was now pulling out a long metal tube with four legs attached and placed it on the ground. He began placing his fingers down the tube, as if he were playing the flute and once he seemed satisfied with what he had done, he rose to his feet and produced a slim metal object like a pen, but thicket, with a light on the end and began waving it at this long metal tube. Major McCallum looked to the woman who had now joined them on the battery for some confirmation as to what was happening. 'Oh don't worry, he does this all the time. I'm Anna by the way.'
'Ah-HA!' the Doctor cried triumphantly as a huge beam of light exploded from the top of the tube, engulfing the Castle in a soothing pink glow. 'The Cybermen are trying to land on top of the Castle, but this is setting up a forcefield, scrambling their systems so they can't initiate their proper landing procedures, it'll take them a good long while to crack through it.' He placed a hand on his chin eyes moving from the forcefield generator to the rest of the Castle. 'Of course there is one problem...'
Major McCallum, Constable Norrie and Anna were all looking at him now, expectant. 'Now, keep in mind I only had an hour or two to cobble this together....'
'An hour or two? You were gone for seconds!' spluttered Norrie.
The Doctor grinned mischeivously. 'Yes I suppose I was wasn't I? Anyway! The forcefield is only designed to keep the ship from landing, there's nothing to stop them transporting troops to an area outside the forcefield and marching them straight up to the Castle gates.'
'Which means?' McCallum asked, already plotting out his defence strategy in his head.
'I've already told you Major! Gold! Plenty of gold!'
And "Taxi for Talbot" was a superb bit of Doctorishness! ;D