Part 14 (1/2)

'Something must have happened.'

'How long have they been down there?'

Victoria looked at her s.p.a.ce-time watch. 'Nearly an hour.'

'Yep,' said Hopper. 'That's long enough.'

He swung his feet over.

'I'm going down.'

As he stood on the first rung, he pointed to Callum's. belt.

Hanging from it were two metal canisters, rather like hand grenades.

'What are those things loaded with, Jim?' he asked. 'Smoke. I thought they might come in handy.'

'Great, let's have a couple,' said Hopper.

'Here,' said Callum. Hopper took the two slim metal canisters from him and tucked them in his anorak.

'Well,' he said, standing on the top rung and looking at Victoria. 'Here we go.'

'I'm coming too,' said Victoria.

'Later maybe,' said Hopper's voice. 'Not this trip. We don't know what's going on down there. You stay with him.'

Callum and Victoria watched as he disappeared into the cold dark. Then Callum sat down to wait, his gun still held ready for action-pointing at Kaftan. Victoria sat down too, wondering what was going on below the icy shaft. It seemed an age since she had last seen the Doctor and Jamie. What could be happening to them?

In the tomb the humans still huddled in one corner while the Cybermen, now with their voice boxes activated, talked together quietly beside the tombs that had been their homes for so long.

Jamie, shaken but not badly hurt, had been dragged back to join the others by the Cybermen. Toberman had also been carried easily on the back of the attacking Cyberman and left unconscious on the cavern floor.

There was a click, the humans looked up and saw that the Cybermen were ready to speak to them. The five leading Cybermen again formed a semicircle and the Controller strode over to the humans. He spoke to Klieg. 'We have decided how you will be used.'

'Yes?' said Klieg hopefully. He stood before the silver giant like an ambitious young army officer before his king.

'You are a logician,' said the Cyberleader. 'Our race is also logical. You will be the leader of the new race.'

'You will listen to my proposals then?' asked Klieg eagerly.

'Yes,' said the Controller's flat electronic voice. 'We will listen.

But first you will be altered.'

'Altered in what way?'

'Your brain.'

Klieg shrank back, horror dawning on his face.

'You have fear?' came the deep chords of the Super-cyber voice. 'We will eliminate fear from your brain. You will be first.'

He took another step towards Klieg, who stumbled away from him, his confident expression disintegrating in terror.

The semicircle of Cybermen moved a step nearer.

'And you,' said the first of the Cybermen, reaching out towards Parry, 'will be next.'

His steel hand gripped Parry's arm, closed in on it steadily.

'YOU...WILL... ALL... BE... MADE... LIKE... US,' rang the voice of the Controller through the cavern and tunnel.

In the tunnel beyond a figure was standing flat against the now damp walls. Captain Hopper, his hands on the smoke bombs, stood listening to the echo of the terrible voice.

'YOU... WILL... BE... LIKE... US.'.

The Captain pulled the firing pin out from one of the smoke grenades and cupped it ready in his palm.

'To die is unnecessary,' he heard the Controller say. 'You will be frozen until we are ready to use you. Your lives will be suspended,' said the level emotionless voice. 'Prepare the tombs.'

From the tunnel Hopper saw the Cybercontroller press down the console temperature lever and almost immediately the cold air rushed into the cavern and the thin sheet of melting water in the tunnel began to freeze again.

Hopper edged forward a few centimetres. Now he could see Klieg and Parry in the steel grip of the Cybermen, crushed bowed humans being pressed into the empty Cybercells and. new membrane walls being rolled out ready to be bolted on them.

'They really mean it! They are going to freeze us,' cried Parry.

'Not me!' burst out Jamie, ready to make a run for it.

'No, Jamie, not that way,' said the Doctor, grabbing his arm.

Hopper threw his first bomb into the group of Cybermen.

There was a flash, a tremendous bang and the floor of the cabin filled with-thick blinding smoke.

The Cybermen staggered, spun, toppled in bewilderment. They let go of the humans.

'Come on, you guys! Make a run for it!' shouted Hopper, throwing the second smoke bomb at the confused Cybermen.

'Quick, get the Professor,' the Doctor called to Jamie. Their lungs bursting with the smoke, they reached Parry,.and half supporting him, staggered from the cavern, easily evading the blundering Cybermen.