don't reckon we should have left the orbiter, Captain,' said Callum suspiciously. He indicated Kaftan. 'She's O.K. She only fainted. I can't see much else wrong here.'
'Not much wrong... are you blind, the pair of you?' shouted Victoria, hot with fury. She went over to the hatch, which was shut tight. 'What about this?'
'I don't see any change in this room, Vic,' said Callum slowly.
Victoria was so furious she didn't have time to comment on being called 'Vic'. 'That's just it,' she shouted at them, out of breath.
'The others are down there now. The Professor, Jamie, the Doctor..
Kaftan, on the floor, stirred and opened her eyes.
'Well, in that case, Vic,' drawled the Captain, as though trying to calm an hysterical child. 'Why close the hatch down on them? It don't make sense.'
'I didn't,' snapped Victoria. 'And don't call me "Vic". She closed the hatch.' She indicated Kaftan.
'Oh, really?' said the Captain, humouring the young girl. 'Did she now?' He smiled, not taking her angry mood seriously.
'Are you going to help me or not?' asked Victoria in a voice every bit as cool and cutting as her father's when he was about to demolish an academic colleague. 'They're probably freezing to death down there. If you won't help, I'll pull all the levers on this board and see what happens.'
'I wouldn't do that, Vic,' said the Captain, still amused but giving in to her evident concern. 'O.K. then. We'd better do as the little lady says.' He turned to Callum and pointed over to the control column.
The three of them gathered around the control console. Behind them Kaftan again opened her eyes, more awake this time and taking careful note of what was happening.
'Now,' said the Captain more briskly. 'Were you here when they opened it all up?'
'Yes,' said Victoria.
'Then,' said Hopper, 'you must have some idea how they did it, right?'
'I don't know,' said Victoria, still furious with his manner, but too absorbed in the problem to let it worry her. 'I wasn't really looking. I think it was one of these lever things down here.'
She indicated the left-hand side of the board.
'She thinks!' said Callum scornfully.
Victoria glared at him but he was beginning to examine the wiring system at the left of the board. Even if he didn't know as much symbolic logic as Klieg or the Doctor, he was a first-class electrical engineer, able to calculate which wire led to which lever...
After the Controller Cyberman had spoken, he turned back to his Cybermen. The humans had edged back towards the tunnel entrance.
'Can we not make a run for it, Doctor?' whispered Jamie.
The Doctor shook his head.
'We'd never even reach the ladder. Too risky.'
'What can we do?' asked Parry, frankly, turning to the Doctor for help.
'Play for time and watch for our chance,'. said the Doctor decisively. 'Leave it to me.'
The Doctor walked towards the Controller, his hands out of his pockets, with a respectful air. He cleared his throat.
The Cybermen turned their mask faces towards him, waiting for him to speak.
'May I ask you a question?' he said, dwarfed, yet seeming completely unbothered by the big silver figures with their still air of menace.
The Controller indicated by inclining his helmet a millimetre that the Doctor might talk.
'Why did you subject yourself to freezing?'
The Controller took a step nearer the Doctor to examine him more thoroughly. The Doctor flinched slightly from the intense scrutiny of the giant.
'Er, well, you don't have to answer that, if you don't want to.'
'It was necessary...' The Controller's speech mechanism was still a little stiff and halting—like a talking computer. 'To survive,' he said.
'Ah...' said the Doctor ironically. 'I had guessed that bit. Well, if that's all you have to say.' He turned.
'Wait!' The Cyberman's voice gained volume. 'Our history computer contains full details of you and,' he looked over at Jamie,
'that young humanoid male there.'
'Oh, splendid!' said the Doctor lightly. 'It's so
'Not much wrong... are you blind, the pair of you?' shouted Victoria, hot with fury. She went over to the hatch, which was shut tight. 'What about this?'
'I don't see any change in this room, Vic,' said Callum slowly.
Victoria was so furious she didn't have time to comment on being called 'Vic'. 'That's just it,' she shouted at them, out of breath.
'The others are down there now. The Professor, Jamie, the Doctor..
Kaftan, on the floor, stirred and opened her eyes.
'Well, in that case, Vic,' drawled the Captain, as though trying to calm an hysterical child. 'Why close the hatch down on them? It don't make sense.'
'I didn't,' snapped Victoria. 'And don't call me "Vic". She closed the hatch.' She indicated Kaftan.
'Oh, really?' said the Captain, humouring the young girl. 'Did she now?' He smiled, not taking her angry mood seriously.
'Are you going to help me or not?' asked Victoria in a voice every bit as cool and cutting as her father's when he was about to demolish an academic colleague. 'They're probably freezing to death down there. If you won't help, I'll pull all the levers on this board and see what happens.'
'I wouldn't do that, Vic,' said the Captain, still amused but giving in to her evident concern. 'O.K. then. We'd better do as the little lady says.' He turned to Callum and pointed over to the control column.
The three of them gathered around the control console. Behind them Kaftan again opened her eyes, more awake this time and taking careful note of what was happening.
'Now,' said the Captain more briskly. 'Were you here when they opened it all up?'
'Yes,' said Victoria.
'Then,' said Hopper, 'you must have some idea how they did it, right?'
'I don't know,' said Victoria, still furious with his manner, but too absorbed in the problem to let it worry her. 'I wasn't really looking. I think it was one of these lever things down here.'
She indicated the left-hand side of the board.
'She thinks!' said Callum scornfully.
Victoria glared at him but he was beginning to examine the wiring system at the left of the board. Even if he didn't know as much symbolic logic as Klieg or the Doctor, he was a first-class electrical engineer, able to calculate which wire led to which lever...
After the Controller Cyberman had spoken, he turned back to his Cybermen. The humans had edged back towards the tunnel entrance.
'Can we not make a run for it, Doctor?' whispered Jamie.
The Doctor shook his head.
'We'd never even reach the ladder. Too risky.'
'What can we do?' asked Parry, frankly, turning to the Doctor for help.
'Play for time and watch for our chance,'. said the Doctor decisively. 'Leave it to me.'
The Doctor walked towards the Controller, his hands out of his pockets, with a respectful air. He cleared his throat.
The Cybermen turned their mask faces towards him, waiting for him to speak.
'May I ask you a question?' he said, dwarfed, yet seeming completely unbothered by the big silver figures with their still air of menace.
The Controller indicated by inclining his helmet a millimetre that the Doctor might talk.
'Why did you subject yourself to freezing?'
The Controller took a step nearer the Doctor to examine him more thoroughly. The Doctor flinched slightly from the intense scrutiny of the giant.
'Er, well, you don't have to answer that, if you don't want to.'
'It was necessary...' The Controller's speech mechanism was still a little stiff and halting—like a talking computer. 'To survive,' he said.
'Ah...' said the Doctor ironically. 'I had guessed that bit. Well, if that's all you have to say.' He turned.
'Wait!' The Cyberman's voice gained volume. 'Our history computer contains full details of you and,' he looked over at Jamie,
'that young humanoid male there.'
'Oh, splendid!' said the Doctor lightly. 'It's so
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