Part 20 (1/2)

'Destroyed,' he said. And again he clenched his fist and raised it.

Klieg behind them listened.

'Come with me,' said the Doctor and led Toberman towards the dangerous hatch. Toberman looked at it, seemed to remember something that had happened down there, and flinched back.

'Come with me now,' said the Doctor.

As they turned, Klieg closed his eyes again, pretending to be unconscious.

The Doctor reached the hatch and waited until Toberman had clambered over.

'Good luck,' said the Professor. Victoria, hardly able to speak, watched the Doctor follow the Turk down the icy shaft. Jamie ran over to the Cybergun, picked it up and leant down the shaft with it.

'How about taking the gun?' he shouted.

'Never use the things,' said the Doctor and disappeared from view.

'Och, he should have taken it,' said the disappointed Jamie, shuddering as he watched the Doctor disappear into the gloom of the shaft. He put the gun down beside the shaft-ready in case the Cyberman reappeared. Callum, when they had gone, could not prevent himself letting out a groan of pain.

'Oh, poor Mr Callum,' said Victoria. 'How are you feeling?'

Callum had turned paler, and was bent over to relieve the never-ending pain in his shoulder.

'If only we had some pain-killers,' said Victoria. 'I suppose they've all been left on the orbiter... Professor, can you help?'

As they gathered around him in concern, Klieg got up quickly, unseen by the others, seized the Cybergun and slipped down the hatchway after the Doctor.

As the Doctor and Toberman reached the bottom of the shaft, all was silent. Around them lay the shattered debris of the two dead Cybermen, but there was no sound. Ice gleamed as before from the sides of the tunnel. Nothing moved.

'This way,' whispered Toberman, and they walked as quietly as possible along the tunnel towards the cavern, though the crunching of their feet on the reformed ice seemed to echo backward and forward along the corridor.

They reached the cavern and looked cautiously around. The remaining. Cybermen were lying in their cells, but not quite in the final position of rest. The membranes had not reformed into place over the entrance and their heads were unbowed. The sound of electric throbbing quietly pulsed through the cavern, as the controls, still switched on, waited in neutral. Toberman saw the fearful conversion unit that had trans-formed him, lying by the control desk and with sudden rage, picked it up and slammed it against the wall, shattering it.

'Evil!' he shouted.

'Shh!' said the Doctor anxiously. 'Keep quiet, you'll wake them. They're not frozen, not yet. We've work to do-you watch.'

Toberman, his rage over, stood impa.s.sive, as the Doctor went over to the controls and studied them. His eyes ranged the control board. That was what he wanted-the cryostat. He pressed the switch and immediately a louder humming noise filled the cavern.

'The cryostat!' cut in an angry voice behind him. 'You're freezing them!'

'Klieg!' The Doctor turned, astonished.

Klieg stood behind him, the Cybergun raised. He motioned the Doctor aside-then turned off the cryostat.

'Please! Don't do that!' exclaimed the Doctor. 'You'll wake them up!'

'That is exactly my intention,' said Klieg. He smiled his superior smile. 'You still don't understand, do you? The Controller is dead. Now I shall control the Cybermen. They will do what I say.' As his voice echoed out through the vast cavern, one of the Cybermen stirred and began to raise his head. 'You see, Doctor,' said Klieg.

'Yours is the privilege to witness for the first time the union between ma.s.s power and my absolute intelligence.'

But the Doctor wasn't giving Klieg his full attention. Klieg saw him make a slight sign to someone behind him.

'Who is that?' said Klieg, wheeling and raising his gun. 'Come out of there.' Silence. A drip of water splattered on the floor. 'Come out,' said Klieg, delighting in his power, 'or I shall kill the Doctor.'

There was a footstep in the tunnel and out came-Jamie.

'Oh, it's you, is it,' said Klieg virulently. 'Get over by the wall, both of you. Now!' He motioned to Toberman. 'You, too.'

There was no arguing with the Cybergun. They all went over to the wall.

'I'm sorry, Doctor,' said Jamie. 'But I had to...'

'That's all right, Jamie,' said the Doctor easily. 'I have come to believe that we are very privileged to witness the take-over of Mr Klieg.'

Klieg watched him suspiciously, suspecting irony, but the Doctor went on, smiling at him: 'Such a combination of intelligence and power must make you formidable. For a man with your brilliance to be Commander of the Universe, makes one's imagination reel with the possibilities.'

'A very sudden conversion, Doctor,' Klieg sneered, but the Doctor could see he was impressed in spite of himself, 'Better late than never, surely,' the Doctor said.

'If only I had known that you shared my imagination, you might even have worked for me,' said Klieg, only half sarcastically, wanting to believe the Doctor.

'Perhaps there's time yet,' said the Doctor.

'Doctor!' exclaimed Jamie, startled and shocked.

While they were talking the Cybermen in their warm cells were quickly gaining energy again. Unnoticed by the humans, who were absorbed in their conversation, there was a slight clanking and clinking as the great silver creatures turned their heads and sat up, straightening their limbs.

'No country, no person... no creature, will dare to have a single thought that is not your own,' the Doctor went on, and Klieg hung on his words now. 'Eric Klieg's conception of the rights of Man will be the final law of the finished Universe.'

'Brilliant!' said Klieg, his eyes burning. His hold on his gun loosened. 'I couldn't have said it better myself. Yes! You're right.

Master of the world!'

'I just wanted to make sure,' said the Doctor, 'now I know you're mad.'