The Doctor looked at the Cyberman, searching for any sign that it was still possessed. It stood there motionless, its shoulders slightly drooped. The Doctor decided to play a hunch.
"What's your name?" he asked it as he glanced at the console.
"I am unit Q23XX."
"No, no, no. Your name; you must have had one, once." The console was beyond repair; now what was he going to do?
The Cyberman said nothing.
The Doctor waited, while his mind raced trying to find a way to save everyone.
Finally the Cyberman said, "It might have been Richard."
The Doctor breathed in slowly, wondering how his previous incarnations would react to what he was about to say.
"Well, Richard, why don't you tell me everything, then I might be able to help."
***
Bevin looked at her cyberself and fully realised that this whole time loop thing wasn't a time loop at all, more like a spiral. Not that that knowledge would do her any good.
The Cyber-Bevin pointed the gun at her Nana and pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
The Cyber-Bevin pulled the trigger again.
Nothing happened.
Bevin's Nana fainted.
***
From the core of the planet-TARDIS a wave of time spread. The Doctor could feel it coming. It roared through the control chamber, the Doctor, powerless to stop it, braced himself. Then the wave was gone, continuing towards the surface of the planet.
The Doctor looked around to determine what had changed. Nothing - Richard was still there, the control panel was still broken. Then he checked his shoes; this had happened to him once before, and sure enough, his laces were tied in a different sort of bow.
"Come on Richard, we have to get to the surface."
With that the Doctor ran across the cat walk that joined the central pillar to the balcony that rimmed the chamber. He went straight through the double doors and looked at the elevator. It wasn't in very good condition, and it would take too long to get there.
*Think Doctor, you're in a giant TARDIS, built by the Time Lords, a rather lazy race, there must be a large number of ways of getting to the surface quickly*. He ran back into the control chamber and scanned the balcony. There was another exit on the far side of the chamber, it would still take too long - it was over two kilometres away.
He ran back to the console-pillar and found what he was looking for.
Taking a few moments to work out exactly where he had left his TARDIS, he set a course. A second later the Doctor and Richard were standing in a dark lit alley. In which the only particularly interesting thing was a Police Box. The Doctor opened the door and ran inside; Richard followed.
***
The wake of the time wave settled and things were different.
Somehow Wil knew things had changed. He remembered the gun misfiring, but he also knew that the gun had worked. Bevin's Nana wasn't lying on the floor because she had fainted, but because she was dead. In Wil's mind the memories of what once had happened were fading. He heard a clatter and looked for the source of the sound.
The gun had fallen to the floor. The Cyberman that had been Bevin swayed for a few moments and then collapsed. The Cyberman that had been Jacob didn't seem to be doing anything, so Wil ran. He had to find the Doctor.
***
The Doctor ran past the console and through the doors that lead deeper into the TARDIS.
"All I need to do is prevent this planet from materialising in the middle of a sun, save the Cybermen from the Mara, save the people of this planet from the Cybermen and get out of here," echoed his voice from the endless corridors.
"How do you intend to do that?" asked Richard, allowing his voice to carry some of the emotions he was feeling.
The Doctor skidded to a halt at an fork in the corridors and looked back at Richard.
"That's the problem," he said. "I have no idea."
At that he ran down the middle corridor that hadn't been there before. The corridor fanned out into a rather elegant labyrinth. The Doctor stopped.
"We don't have time for this."
Nothing happened.
"Okay, I promise I'll bring it back."
The was a slight breeze and the maze was gone, replaced with a large empty room. In the middle of the room was a pedestal. The Doctor walked over to it and examined the item on top. Carefully he removed it, and put it in his trouser pocket.
Then he dashed back past Richard and towards the console room.
***
Wil wasn't having any luck getting out of the ship, so he decided to stay, and started looking for a place to hide. The ship was huge and luxurious, so he should be able to lock himself away somewhere.
He opened a door and found what looked like a garden. There were no Cybermen around so it looked like a good place to stay, at least for a while.
The chamber was moderately sized, looking more like a conservatory than a garden. In the center of the room was a large fountain which was in great need of repair. It was made of a rusty blue metal, and was decorated with a large number of nude humanoid (but definitely not human) figures.
***
The Cyberleader was, well, worried. He couldn't remember what the logical reason for coming to this planet had been; there must have been one. He was also worried about the increasing unease in the troops.
If that wasn't bad enough, he had the report from unit Q23XX, stating that the Doctor was helping. Why would the Doctor, mortal enemy of the Cyber-race, help them? There was no reason for it, logical or illogical.
The Cyberleader paced around the bridge of the ship. He wasn't sure why he was doing it, but it seemed to help.
***
The Doctor stopped at the console of the TARDIS for no more than ten seconds and pressed a large number of buttons very quickly. He looked back to see that Richard was keeping up and then ran out the doors.
In the alleyway he knelt down and tapped on the ground. After a moment, the ground parted and a cable emerged. He grabbed it and tapped the end. The cable opened like a silver flower. The Doctor inserted the object he had borrowed from his TARDIS and waited for the cable to swallow it.
Then he was off running again.
***
The Cyberman that had been Jacob had discovered a critical fault in the newly transformed Cyberman. After quickly considering the options he had decided that repairs would be a waste of resources and had sent it for recycling. Along with the dead human.
***
The Doctor arrived at the crashed ship and turned to Richard.
"I need an escort to get on board."
With that, they walked down the hill and up the ramp onto the ship.
The Doctor paused for a moment, feeling for the direction that the evil was coming from. Then he headed off towards the engine room.
***
The Doctor's TARDIS dematerialised, a tricky thing to do when you're already in the time/space vortex.
***
The Doctor arrived in the engine room and looked around. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for.
A giant Cyberman walked up to him. Its metal skin had a hint of green to it and was covered in images of snakes.
"Sorry to keep you waiting; I've been rather busy," said the Doctor.
The Cyber-Mara walked up to him.
"Oh really, doing what?"
"Nothing much. Tell me, what would happen to you if everyone on this planet died?"
The Cyber-Mara almost seemed to hesitate.
"You know the answer, Doctor."
"Yes, you would cease to exist. Puff!"
"Yes, you could put it like that. Why?"
The Doctor stepped closer.
"Not afraid are we? Wouldn't do for a creature that feeds off fear to be afraid."
"No Doctor, just passing the time."
"Oh, well you see, because of your intervention earlier, this planet is due to materialise in the center of a small, but hot sun. The people on the surface will die instantly; the Cybermen will take a little longer, but even they can't withstand that sort of environment. And then you will go puff."
The Cyber-Mara's posture suggested it was concerned.
"What about your ship?"
The Doctor walked around the room, as if more interested in drive systems than the conversation.
"Oh, it will be on its way home by now."
"I don't believe you would sacrifice yourself and all these people just to kill me."
"Believe what you like." The Doctor paused as if remembering something. "There is another way, but you won't like it."
The Doctor's pocket watch started to chime. He took a great deal of time pulling it out of his pocket and looking at it. He looked up at the Cyber-Mara.
"Goodbye."
*To Be concluded...*