The Story So Far Cataclysm Urban Decay So Long Legend Reality Bomb Once Upon A Memory Three Night Engagement '70s Cutaway The Millennium People I The Millennium People II Cutting The Threads The Convocation Nova Mondas Denouement I: Sacrifice Denouement II: Paradox Denouement III: Gift

Nova Mondas by Andie J. P. Frankham It was like being in some gigantic beehive. Everywhere you went there were cocoons. But no bees or wasps to be found here. Oh no, nothing so nice and harmless. Each cocoon contained a human being. More machine than human now, though. Occasionally he came across a half machine being from some other planet. A selection of beings conquered and converted throughout the galaxy. Brad pulled up short and his mouth dropped open. “Shit!” he hissed softly. Standing before him in one of the cocoons was the unmistakable figure of the Scholar. Organic liquid metal was working its way across his body slowly, altering the god being’s DNA on a cellular level. Brad swallowed. There was nothing he could do, but he had to do something. The Doctor needed some help, and Brad knew that he was no longer any good for that. Maybe once, but no more. Brad stepped towards the cocoon and the Scholar’s eyes snapped open. “It is you.” The Scholar coughed loudly, and liquid metal seeped out of his mouth. “That’s why the Faceless One has gone.” Brad was about to argue the point, but a metal hand clamped itself on his shoulder. He was flung against the Scholar. The Scholar shook on impact, and an electrical charge surged through the two men. And yes! they were both men. Brad looked up into the Scholar’s eyes - the godlike arrogance was gone. The Scholar smiled weakly. “They won’t be able to use me now, will they?” Again the Scholar coughed, and looked over Brad’s shoulder. “Temporal flux is subsiding.” “That is of no consequence. There will always be more. And this one is but another animal for our cyber army.” The voice was deep, but there was no emotion behind the words, just simple fact. Brad turned around slowly and found himself facing two of them. And it had all began so well, Brad thought. Well-ish, at least... The Bloke brushed his hair back with his hands and tied it into a ponytail. He turned around to face the Scholar. “What do you reckon, then?” The Scholar raised an eyebrow. “A bit pretentious. But you should be able to pass as human.” The Bloke laughed. “Yeah, well, if we are not successful then passing as human won’t be an issue, will it?” The Scholar shrugged into his long leather coat but said nothing. “I guess we will have to succeed then, won’t we?" said he eventually. "First stop Nova Mondas.” With a grumble the Bloke joined the Scholar on the pad. “Yeah, circa 2101. The base planet of the most powerful Cyber Army ever to exist. A strange place for the temporal flux to start to stabilise.” The Scholar hit a button on his digital unit. As the two of them faded away with a wheezing groaning, the Scholar could be heard to say, “Let’s hope that the Doctor and I can stop it from happening then.” “Yes, oh yes! This is the big one!” And that was the phrase Brad walked into the console room on. He could have hoped for a better entry - possibly one where the Doctor noticed him entering would have been nice. For at the moment Brad was very much of one mind, and that mind was telling him that it was time to move on. He meeting with the Dommervoy Loci had shown him that, and something else. His future was dark, and if the Doctor had his own way it would be non-existent. “Um, Doc...” The Doctor span around, his round face set into a large smile. “Yes, Bradley! This is the one. Look!” He pointed violently at the tracker. The little rod thing was hovering in the air above the central column of the console. Flashing wildly. “I think it has found the centre of the temporal paradox!” Brad sighed. “Oh joy,” he muttered, and walked back out of the console room, deeper into the TARDIS. The Bloke staggered around the corner, holding his side. He let out a gasp and lifted his hand. Human blood! What the hell had happened? The sound of heavy footfalls came nearer. The Bloke looked around in frantic fervour, hoping to find a shadow to hide in. How could there possibly be no shadows on this bloody planet? It was constantly in a state of darkness, lit only by the odd luminescence from the storm raging above. He coughed, and looked down at his other hand in horror. More blood, this time from his mouth. He fell against the wall, the world suddenly beginning to spin around him. “You will remain where you are.” The Bloke looked up. Cybermen. Four of them. No chance of escape then. They were tall, at least eight foot in height. Their bodies were made of a sturdy metal, their shoulders wide and strong. The hydraulic muscles of the Cybermen were not something that the Bloke wanted to experience. The expressionless face of the Leader looked down at the Bloke, and the other three Cybermen hefted their huge guns into a firing stance. “Wait!” the Bloke yelled. The Leader tilted his head. “Why? Your weak body is damaged. We have no need for damaged bodies. Therefore you life is of no use. You will be destroyed.” “But...” The three Cybermen aimed their guns. And then a few odd, but for the Bloke, brilliant, things happened. With a wheezing groaning the blue shape of the Doctor’s TARDIS materialized behind the Cybermen. The electrical storm above became more violent, so much so in fact that electrical charges zig-zagged out of the sky and hit the TARDIS, shaking the blue shape like a cocktail! Moments later the charges bounded off the TARDIS and shot through the three Cybermen, tearing them to shreds. Silence reigned. The Bloke took a deep breath as a gap appeared in the TARDIS and the Doctor stepped out. The Bloke tried to call out, but his throat was all choked up with blood. The Leader stepped forward and pointed its gun at the Doctor. “Who are you?” The Doctor laughed. “Oh look, a Cyberman!” He poked his head back into the TARDIS and called out to Brad. Moments later Brad stepped out. “Look, this is a Cyberman. One of my most deadly enemies.” “Tough looking things...” Brad stopped speaking as the Cyberman exploded. He looked down at his hand, and the finger that had been pointing in the direction of the Cyberman. He turned to the Doctor. The Doctor blinked. “Did you do that, Bradley?” “I...” “Tick.” A lanky bone like figure appeared next to Brad and tapped him on the head. “Tock!” Brad’s eyes glazed over and for a few moments nothing further happened. The Dommervoy and Brad stood looking in each other's eyes. The Doctor and the Bloke looked on, quite perplexed. Without any warning, Brad cried out and ran. The Dommervoy had gone, too. The Doctor was about to give chase, but he noticed the Bloke lying against the wall, looking as pale and as close to death as possible without actually dying. The Doctor straightened up and looked at the dressing. “Yes, that should do the trick. Now,” he pulled up a chair and sat down, “tell me. What are you doing on this planet? Shouldn’t you be at the Forum, doing your Lords of Time bit?” The Bloke struggled into a better position on the couch. If this pain was part of being human, then the human’s could keep it. “Things have moved on a bit since we last saw you, Doctor. I shouldn’t be on this planet, anyway. I should be elsewhere, looking for the Faceless One.” “Oh?” “Let me explain.” “Oh, please do.” The Doctor sat forward and the Bloke opened his mouth to speak. The Doctor raised a finger. “No, wait. I get the feeling this is going to be a long tale. I’ll need some kind of refreshment. Would you like anything?” The Bloke shook his head. “Fair enough, won’t be a jiffy!” With that the Doctor got up and left the room. The Bloke waited. And while he waited he became aware of the pain subsiding. The temporal flux was still active here, then. The universe couldn’t quite decide if he should become human or remain a god. The Doctor returned with a tray of drinks. At least five of them. The Doctor eyed the drinks then the Bloke. “Are you sure you don’t want one?” “Positive, Doctor.” “Righto. More for me, then, eh?” The Doctor placed the tray next to the chair and sat back down. “Continue.” “As you know, Doctor, the universe has been recreated by the actions of the Master. At the present it is like an unborn child, developing inside the mother’s womb. Taking shape and form. And it is fast nearing completion. I can’t go into more detail, because I do not know how. For that you’d need someone like the Scholar. He’s much better at explanations than me.” “You’re doing quite well.” “Thanks.” “You’re welcome.” The Bloke couldn’t help but smile. “The Forum has been diminished, Doctor. The Faceless One has vanished, and I have been sent to find him. Or try. You must understand that the Forum has never been incomplete before. Never.” He paused, awaiting for some kind of response from the Doctor. None was forthcoming. “So...” The Doctor interrupted. “So, the Faceless One is on this planet?” “No, Doctor. We have no idea where he is. He vanished after his meeting with your friend. But all the Millennium People are connected, so I trust that I shall find him.” The Doctor nodded, and spoke to himself softly. “Yes, it all comes back to Brad. It always seems to come back to Brad.” Looking up from his musings, he asked, “Then why are you on this planet?” “When this universe was re-created a lot of elemental forces were thrown out of synch. As a result the Millennium People were created - god like beings who had the ability and power to keep watch over the birth of this universe. We became the literal Lords of Time. But now that the temporal shift is stabilising things are changing for us.” The Bloke indicated his wounds. “We seem to be becoming human. The Boss called an emergency Forum meeting and we discovered the flux is becoming stable on Nova Mondas at this point in time. The stabilisation effect is moving backwards and forwards in time from right here. On this forsaken planet of the Cybermen!” The Bloke pointed to the floor in a fit of anger. “And we need to find out why! How can we possibly live as humans? We have never known anything other than godhood!” The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “You’ll just have to get use to it, won’t you? Billions have managed before you. You’re not the first god-like beings to become human.” He cleared his throat. “I am a little confused about a lot things, I can tell you. Since when did the Cybermen have a planet called Nova Mondas anyway? Mondas was destroyed in 1986 - I was there. They came to rest for a while on Telos. I have been there, too. But Nova Mondas? Ah well, new universes are bound to have differences I suppose.” The Doctor let out a sigh and stood. He wandered around the little TARDIS room for a while, deep in thought. The Bloke just watched him. There was something about this Doctor. Something very... unconnected. The Doctor stopped, turned, and pointed an accusing finger at the Bloke. The Moderator nearly squirmed under the glare. Something he never would have done when he was a god. “You say you shouldn’t be here, you should be out looking for the Faceless One. Yet you imply that you have been sent here to find out why the temporal flux is stabilising. Contradictions?” “No. I should be looking for the Faceless One, the Scholar was sent here to help you. But we arrived too early, Doctor. Ten years too early, as it happens. Since then we have been...” The Doctor shrugged. “Well, I am sorry, but you should have told me. I have been a little busy, though, if you care to remember.” He removed the tracker from his coat. “And, this tracker only pointed me to Nova Mondas a short while ago. There is a major paradox here.” The Bloke shook his head. “No, Doctor. There cannot be. If this is the first stabilised portion of the new universe, then there is no paradox.” The Doctor slammed his fist into the wall. “Of course there is!” he bellowed, no longer bothering to hold back his frustration. “I have had to come to terms with a lot of things since my last regeneration. And poor Brad... what has happened to him? You told me to find the major paradoxes, the ones that are turning the universe inside out. You gave me this thing to help me do so. Now unless your tracker is lying, there is a major paradox on this planet. Hell, the Dommervoy were here, too. You saw them. So, how can this universe be stabilising?” “I don’t know, Doctor. It just is. Maybe we are too late.” The Doctor shook his head. “We shall see, won’t we?” He pocketed the tracker, his mood now over. “Come on, let’s go and find this paradox, shall we? Perhaps we can sort out your problem, too.” He walked to the door and waited for the Bloke to join him. “So, where is the Scholar anyway?” He was going mad. But then again, if he knew he was going mad, was that really so? Brad shook his head and looked up at the electrified sky. “Oh, I don’t know!” he yelled, at the top of his lungs. The sound of movement! Brad looked around at the metal buildings but could see nothing moving. Yep, mad for sure. He took a deep breath and continued on his way, barely aware of the shadowy movement behind him. Brad’s thoughts continued apace with his walking. It was the same old story, really, he realised. How many times had he been forced to “out” himself back in Portland? He had lost count. In High School he had first known he was gay, and he had to make a point of getting people to realise that he was not straight. It had continued in College, too. And now? Here he was on some distant planet years from his home, and he could not escape the feeling that he was being “outted” again - only this time it was magnified in a major way. If only he knew what it was. For the past half a year or so he had been glad to travel with the Doctor. The big man accepted Brad as he was, did not care one bit about Brad’s sexuality. But things had changed. Changed way too quickly for Brad’s liking. It has all began on Forum. They had both learned things that did not sit well with them. And that had caused some kind of rift between them both. But why? Why did he feel as if he was no longer of any concern to the Doctor? It seemed as if the Doctor was more intent on his own problems, and to hell with Brad’s. Brad had to confess he was angry about that. The Doctor had been doing this kind of stuff for a long time, but Brad was still new at it all. How the hell was he supposed to cope with all this? A sense of dark foreboding swept over Brad’s entire being and he came to a halt. Standing before him was the thin figure of a Dommervoy. Only this one looked a little different. More human. Still the pale face, the inane smile. But definitely more human. The Dommervoy glided over to Brad and waved a lanky hand in front of his face. Brad blinked and swayed on his feet. In his mind’s eye he could see an image of an old man sitting in a deserted alley. The man was homeless, you could tell by the rags he wore. Yet his face looked familiar. The man looked at Brad and shrank back in horror. Brad blinked and swayed on his feet. The features on the Dommervoy’s face - they were similar to the tramp’s. The Dommervoy’s smile broadened and it nodded slowly. “That's rght,” Terminus said and covered his face with a mask. Brad clamped a hand over his mouth. No! No, that cannot be! The Dommervoy Loci pointed behind Brad, so he turned around obediently. Standing behind him was some... animal. It reminded Brad of a dog, although what breed he could not possibly tell. The creature was a mixture of the organic and the metallic. A cyborg dog. It reared its head and looked at Brad with intelligent eyes. Brad span around in time to see the three figures step around the corner of the nearest building. Those things the Doctor had called Cybermen. They all had weapons, and they were aimed at Brad. One of them spoke. “You will become like us.” “No!” yelled Brad, “No! I will not...” He closed his eyes, hoping to hell that the Cybermen and their pet dog would just leave him alone. The ground shook beneath him, and he was knocked off his feet by the sound of multiple explosions. Rubbing his hide, Brad opened his eyes slowly and saw the shredded remains of the Cybermen. He looked to the left. The dog was still standing there, staring at him. The dog tilted its head to one side, then walked off. A Cyberman entered the throne room and stopped before the Controller. After a hundred years the Controller was but a shell of his former self. The high dome of his head was cracked, and his body wounded. His left arm was totally imobile. Depsite the obvious weaknesses the Controller refused to allow his body to be repaired. “Exo 295 have returned from the Earth year 1988, Controller," said the Cyberman. The Controller closed his right fist. “Excellent. Soon the Cyber race will be truly unstoppable. Is the vessel prepared?” The Cyberman nodded and walked over to a nearby console. He activated the console and a holographic image appeared in the centre of the throne room. The hologram showed the inside of one of the thousands of conversion factories all over Nova Mondas. In this particular factory stood the vessel that would become the new body of the CyberController. “The vessel is still showing traces of subnatural substances in its body, Controller.” “What the organics would call magic. Yes, that is a problem. Can it be removed?” “Yes, Controller. Our scientists have devised a way to transfer the validium onto the vessel, to make them both one.” The hologram changed, to show a computer-generated image of the vessel. As the Cyberman spoke, the computer image showed how the validium would merge with the vessel. “As you can see, Controller, the head of the vessel will remain untouched. Until you have been downloaded into the organic contents of the vessel’s skull. Once that is done, it will be a simple matter for the validium to transform that organic brain into the Cyber brain you would require.” “Excellent. And there is no possibility that the validium can then be removed?” “No, Controller. It will become an intricate part of your being. You will become the supreme Controller of the entire history of the Cybermen.” The Controller walked up to the hologram. “And then we will become the CyberMorphs - the most advanced Cybermen that ever existed. Resistance will be useless.” “Oh no,” the Doctor sighed. He was looking up at the sky, but he did not seem impressed by the electrical storm raging above. “It’s not that bad, is it, Doctor?” The Doctor looked at the Bloke as if he were crazy. “Not that bad? Not that bad!? It’s awful!” He pointed up at the sky. “Look, through that storm there. Do you recognise that constellation?” The Bloke had to admit he did not. “If you had asked me this a few years ago I would have said yes. I would have been able to tell you exactly how long it has existed, too. But as it is, I am becoming more human and such knowledge is fading away rapidly.” He looked at the ground and kicked the metal pavement. “Thanks for reminding me,” he mumbled. “Oh never mind about that. What year is it?” “2101. December 23rd to be exact. The day you were supposed to have arrived on Nova Mondas. And the day that we were supposed to have arrived, too.” “But that can’t be right.” The Doctor’s voice was shaking. The Bloke looked at him, totally blown away by the look of disbelief on the Doctor’s face. The Doctor pointed at the sky. “That is Cassiopeia. And that view of it can only be seen from Earth.” The Doctor staggered onto the pavement and shook his head. “No. No no no! This is the Earth!” Completely unaware that he was walking on his home planet, Brad came to a stop and his mouth dropped open. The term ‘that is a big one’ sprang immediately to mind. Standing before him was just one of the thousands of Cyber Factories. And just like all the others, this one was huge. Even the Grand Canyon would be dwarfed by the silver building. Brad shook his head. He had been trying to get back to the TARDIS, for two reasons. First to give the Doctor a piece of his mind, and second to get some answers. If any one knew what was happening to him, then Brad figured that it would be the Doctor. Even if the Doctor didn’t want to admit it. But seeing this building before him removed all thoughts of the TARDIS and the Doctor. Brad could not shake the feeling that there was something in that Factory calling out to him. Completely against his better judgement Brad found himself walking towards the silver building, drawn by some unknown force. The Stark stood next to one of the many entrances, looking out to Brad. Watching the young man as he walked towards the building. The inane grin of the Stark spread. “Tick,” he said softly, echoing the words of his more basic familiars. The Bloke looked at the darkness behind the electrical storm - at the constellation of Cassiopeia. It was an incredible sight. In all his life the Bloke had seen nothing like it. And yet he had. He had known constellations since the beginning, since he was first formed when this universe was born. But he had never seen a constellation through the eyes of a human body. It was amazing. Just looking up made him feel all tiny and insignificant. He turned to the Doctor. The Time Lord was still on his knees, slamming his fists on to the metal pavement below him. And he was crying. “Doctor?” The Doctor looked up. “You do not understand do you?” He sniffed. “Well no, Doctor. Planets come and go. The Earth is still here, just under a new name. I really do not see the problem. It is one planet among millions. The universe will go on, with or without humans.” “Oh, yes. It will go on...” The Doctor threw his head up to the night sky. “But it is wrong!” He looked back at the Bloke and slowly got to his feet. “You really do not understand, do you? No life form in the universe has had the same influence as Homo sapiens. They are indomitable. They spread out through space, seeding other planets, effecting the course of development and evolution until the big crunch. Until the universe ends.” The Doctor waved his arms around. “But look! No humans. The Cybermen own the Earth now. 2101? The Earth should be on the verge of making contact with Alpha Centauri and the rest of the Inner Planets. Setting up things that would last for thousands of years. But now? What will become of the universe now?” The Bloke shrugged. “But this is the universe now. Everything has changed. I have no more idea of how things will be than you do.” He frowned. “Although I should.” “No.” The Doctor took a deep breath. When he next spoke his voice was full of determination and resolve. “No. This universe is wrong. It was never meant to be. There is at least one more paradox out there. There has to be. And I will find it. I will find a way to put the universe back the way it should be.” A shadow seemed to fall over his eyes, and behind that shadow he could see Brad. The companion he had known for such a short time. The Doctor continued in a whisper. “I’m sorry, Brad. We all have sacrifices to make for the sake of reality.” He turned away from the Bloke and headed off deeper into the surrounding city. “First we shall find Brad and then rescue the Scholar from the Cybermen. And then...” The Doctor looked back, smiling. But it was not a nice smile. “Then it’s show time!” The Bloke swallowed hard. So this was the Doctor he had heard so much about. The scientists of the Cybermen, living within their spacious lab, turned as one to watch the big screen that filled up the entire wall. The Co-Ordinator - which was little more than a Cyber brain sloshing in the organic juices of life within a hovering glass case - spoke. “Show me Hive 9-A.” All around them the image moved. Within moments it settled on a single man. His hair was black, short and sweaty. “Activate the incision tubes.” A Cyberman pressed a palm pad. On the screen tubes moved, coming out of the cocoon like compartment around the man. The man was barely conscious, but even he could not help but notice as the tubes punctured his skin. His face contorted in pain. “You see how even the god-like creature can feel pain. We shall eliminate all such weaknesses from this galaxy.” The Co-Ordinator sent a thought impulse to another Cyberman. “Activate the validium.” Pain! The Scholar bit into his lip so hard that he drew blood. Pain and blood! He looked about him, but there was no escape. He knew that. All around him other people were cocooned, being converted into Cybermen. Some of them were more Cybermen than human, others the opposite. Either way it was unavoidable. The Cybermen were going to triumph, and their army would grow. The Scholar yelled out. Some kind of foreign substance was entering his body. He looked at the tubes that were sticking into him. A glowing substance was travelling through the tubes. He closed his eyes, doing his best to block out the pain. Behind his eyelids he could see images of the Doctor - not only the Doctor he knew but also others. At the very least seven versions of him. It was the substance being pumped into him. It was alive. And it knew the Doctor. The Scholar concentrated. He was a god, and he would make contact with this new substance. The Cybermen would not use him like they were doing with the poor unfortunates around him. “Co-Ordinator, we have a problem. The vessel is making contact with the validium.” The Co-Ordinator glided over to the image on the screen. Very impressive, if futile. It would indeed make the perfect body for the Controller. “Lacerate the flesh.” A sharp rod came out of the wall and shot into the Scholar’s back. His body arched in pain, and his contact with the validium was severed. The Scholar slumped forward, letting out deep breaths. And stared in horror. Liquid metal began to force its way out of his body, working its way up from his feet. He closed his eyes, trying to re-establish contact, but it was too late. “Shit!” The Scholar opened his eyes and saw a human standing before him. It took him a few moments before he recognized the human as Brad - the Doctor’s companion. Without even meaning to, the Scholar used what was left of his power to reach out to the human’s mind. But what he saw in there made him reel back. Pardox! “It is you.” The Scholar coughed up some of the liquid metal, which then contacted with the validium already on his chest. “That’s why the Faceless One has gone.” The Scholar just watched as two Cybermen approached Brad from behind. He smiled, realising how futile everything was. Resistance was useless. One of the Cybermen threw Brad into the Scholar. As they made contact the Scholar felt the last vestige of his godhood leave his body - soaked up by Brad. “They won’t be able to use me now, will they?” Again the Scholar coughed, and looked over Brad’s shoulder. “Temporal flux is subsiding.” He was delirious and he knew it, but he no longer cared. He had lost. “That is of no consequence. There will always be more. And this one is but another animal for our cyber army.” The Cybermen advanced on Brad. The Doctor looked at the conversion factory. The Bloke finally caught up with him. “Doctor, could you possibly try moving a little slower?” The Doctor looked at the Bloke. “Well, as it happens, no. We really do not have time for...” Whatever he was about to finish with was cut off abruptly by the explosion that ripped a giant sized hole in the side of the conversion factory. The shockwave of the blast knocked the Doctor and the Bloke off their feet. The Bloke let out a yell of pain. The Doctor looked at him. “Are you all right?” The Bloke’s eyes were vacant. “No. The Forum is gone.” He looked up at the sky. “Gone.” The Doctor got to his feet and dusted himself down. “Yes, I can feel it too. The universe has stabilised.” He looked around him. “This is the universe now. I’m too late.” The Bloke struggled to his feet. “What do we do now?” The Doctor shrugged. “I have no idea. But I will think of something. In the meantime someone has provided us with a nice way in to rescue the Scholar.” The Bloke shook his head. “No need. The Scholar is dead.” “What?” “I felt his life end just as the Forum vanished.” The Doctor put a hand on the Bloke’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” The Bloke took a deep breath. “Looks like we have both lost, Doctor. At least we can find your friend, right?” “Yes.” The Doctor looked around him. “But where should we...” His eyes came to rest on the hole in the conversion factory. “Oh no.” Laying in the metallic rubble was a human form. “Brad,” the Doctor breathed. And ran. The Bloke joined him moments later. The Doctor was cradling Brad in his arms. The body of the young man was covered in blood, with a large piece of metal sticking out of his neck. The Doctor called his name softly. Brad opened one eye, but the Doctor could tell that Brad was seeing nothing. “Doctor?” “Yes, Brad. It is me.” Brad coughed, and blood came out of his mouth. “It...” He winced in pain. “Sorry, Doctor. But I tried to...” He closed his eyes. “Bradley...” The Doctor shook his companion softly. “Come on, Bradley. Stay with me.” There was no response. The Bloke sniffed. For some reason knowing that he was not the only person to have lost something did not make him feel better. He looked up from the Doctor just in time to notice the Cybermen approaching from inside the factory. “Doctor, we have to go.” The Doctor looked up. “Help me with him.” A beam of energy struck the ground next to the Doctor. He glanced at the Cybermen angrily. “You!” he yelled. “Look what you have done!” The Bloke grabbed the Doctor by the arm. “Come on, we need to go now!” The Doctor looked down at Brad’s body. “No. I am not leaving Brad here. Even dead the Cybermen can use his body. I won’t allow it!” The Bloke pulled him. “Doctor, we have no choice! Let’s go!” Reluctantly the Doctor allowed himself to be dragged away. The Cybermen ignored Brad’s body, leaving it for later. For now they pursued the Doctor and the Bloke. For hours the body lay there. Twisted and torn. Until the Dommervoy Loci arrived. They stood there, looking down at the lifeless shell. The ultimate feast. As one the Dommervoy Loci gave into their base desire, and pounced on the body that was once Bradley Nathaniel DeMars. The Bloke stood in the corner of the TARDIS console room, watching the Doctor. The Time Lord just stood there, watching the glass column at the centre of the console rise and fall. The Bloke wasn’t sure what he should do since he had never dealt with death before. So he just stood there watching the Doctor....