nice to be recognised, isn't it, Jamie?'
'We know of your high intelligence,' said the Controller.
'Thank you very much,' said. the Doctor, as if highly flattered by this compliment. 'Ah, yes,' he added. 'The lunar surface, you mean?'
'Yes. Our machinery had stopped and our supply of replacements was depleted,' continued the Cybercontroller.
'That's why you attacked the moonbase?' said the Doctor..
'It was necessary. You had destroyed our first planet, Mondas, and we were becoming extinct.' There was no anger or hint of revenge in the Cyberman's voice. Anger, hate and revenge were as unknown to him as love, pity or mercy.
'What difference does capturing us make?' called Jamie, suddenly finding his voice. 'You'll still become extinct.'
The Controller seemed to grow in height. His voice took on a new, deeper vibration. 'We will survive.' Around him the assembled Cybermen took up the chant echoing their credo.
'WE WILL SURVIVE.'
'And you will help us,' he added, as the reverberations of the Cybermen's harsh voices began to die away.
'What makes you think we are going to help you?' said Professor Parry with sudden courage. 'That murderer'—he pointed to Klieg— 'does not speak for us.'
'You will become the first of a new race of Cybermen,'
answered the loud harsh voice. 'You will return to the Earth and control it for us.'
'Never! Never!' cried the Professor.
'Everything we decide is carried out,' continued the level voice of the Cyberman. 'It is useless to oppose our will.'
'A new race of Cybermen?' puzzled Jamie. 'But we're human.
We're no like you—'
The huge Cyberleader turned and raised his hand threateningly. 'YOU... WILL... BE.'
As his sound died away, the humans shivered and stood closer together. But still the Cybermen did nothing more terrible than stand and seem to communicate together without spoken words. But while the Doctor had been talking, distracting the Cybermen's attention, Toberman had glided quietly away down the tunnel.
The Cybercontroller turned back and the Cybermen closed around him in a circle, as if to confer.
Now Jamie too dropped back from the cluster of humans. But he wasn't so quick that the hypersensitive antennae of the Cybermen hadn't noticed. One of the Cybermen silently moved to the back of the group towards the tunnel. Holding his breath, Jamie slipped into the entrance to the tunnel. Nothing happened ! His ears had been waiting for an explosion, his body held tense for a shot—but nothing had happened. Maybe he was going to get away. He turned the corner into the tunnel. Facing him was a Cyberman, his arm outstretched, his finger pointing at his head. A stream of sparks seemed to fly from the outstretched finger to Jamie's head. He twitched, and fell backwards into darkness.
Toberman had almost reached the ladder. He glanced behind him—but the tunnel was clear. Relieved, he set his foot up the rung, only to feel a large claw-like metal hand grip his foot in a vice-like hold.
A Cyberman! He must have come down from the up-ward sloping section of the tunnel. Toberman gripped his attacker by the helmet and exerted all his great strength, forcing the Cyberman to let go his hold. For a moment the computer-sensory messages in the Cyberman reacted as if to an equal in strength—but gradually the superior cybernetic power of the Cyberman's arms overpowered the great human and forced him backward on to the ground.
'TO... STRUGGLE... IS... FUTILE'
The Controller's voice echoed through the cavern and along the tunnel passages as the Cyberman touched his hand to the man's head and released his knockout spark.
Above the hatch, Callum, using his engineer's know-how, had removed the control board and was examining the intricate mass of colour-coded wiring.
'You're sure they're the ones?' asked Hopper, as Callum isolated a multi-coloured group of lead wires.
'Yup,' said the engineer confidently. 'Only thing it could be. It leads up to... two control levers.' He
'We know of your high intelligence,' said the Controller.
'Thank you very much,' said. the Doctor, as if highly flattered by this compliment. 'Ah, yes,' he added. 'The lunar surface, you mean?'
'Yes. Our machinery had stopped and our supply of replacements was depleted,' continued the Cybercontroller.
'That's why you attacked the moonbase?' said the Doctor..
'It was necessary. You had destroyed our first planet, Mondas, and we were becoming extinct.' There was no anger or hint of revenge in the Cyberman's voice. Anger, hate and revenge were as unknown to him as love, pity or mercy.
'What difference does capturing us make?' called Jamie, suddenly finding his voice. 'You'll still become extinct.'
The Controller seemed to grow in height. His voice took on a new, deeper vibration. 'We will survive.' Around him the assembled Cybermen took up the chant echoing their credo.
'WE WILL SURVIVE.'
'And you will help us,' he added, as the reverberations of the Cybermen's harsh voices began to die away.
'What makes you think we are going to help you?' said Professor Parry with sudden courage. 'That murderer'—he pointed to Klieg— 'does not speak for us.'
'You will become the first of a new race of Cybermen,'
answered the loud harsh voice. 'You will return to the Earth and control it for us.'
'Never! Never!' cried the Professor.
'Everything we decide is carried out,' continued the level voice of the Cyberman. 'It is useless to oppose our will.'
'A new race of Cybermen?' puzzled Jamie. 'But we're human.
We're no like you—'
The huge Cyberleader turned and raised his hand threateningly. 'YOU... WILL... BE.'
As his sound died away, the humans shivered and stood closer together. But still the Cybermen did nothing more terrible than stand and seem to communicate together without spoken words. But while the Doctor had been talking, distracting the Cybermen's attention, Toberman had glided quietly away down the tunnel.
The Cybercontroller turned back and the Cybermen closed around him in a circle, as if to confer.
Now Jamie too dropped back from the cluster of humans. But he wasn't so quick that the hypersensitive antennae of the Cybermen hadn't noticed. One of the Cybermen silently moved to the back of the group towards the tunnel. Holding his breath, Jamie slipped into the entrance to the tunnel. Nothing happened ! His ears had been waiting for an explosion, his body held tense for a shot—but nothing had happened. Maybe he was going to get away. He turned the corner into the tunnel. Facing him was a Cyberman, his arm outstretched, his finger pointing at his head. A stream of sparks seemed to fly from the outstretched finger to Jamie's head. He twitched, and fell backwards into darkness.
Toberman had almost reached the ladder. He glanced behind him—but the tunnel was clear. Relieved, he set his foot up the rung, only to feel a large claw-like metal hand grip his foot in a vice-like hold.
A Cyberman! He must have come down from the up-ward sloping section of the tunnel. Toberman gripped his attacker by the helmet and exerted all his great strength, forcing the Cyberman to let go his hold. For a moment the computer-sensory messages in the Cyberman reacted as if to an equal in strength—but gradually the superior cybernetic power of the Cyberman's arms overpowered the great human and forced him backward on to the ground.
'TO... STRUGGLE... IS... FUTILE'
The Controller's voice echoed through the cavern and along the tunnel passages as the Cyberman touched his hand to the man's head and released his knockout spark.
Above the hatch, Callum, using his engineer's know-how, had removed the control board and was examining the intricate mass of colour-coded wiring.
'You're sure they're the ones?' asked Hopper, as Callum isolated a multi-coloured group of lead wires.
'Yup,' said the engineer confidently. 'Only thing it could be. It leads up to... two control levers.' He
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