Leela squared

Part 4

Figure 1: Report

Figure 2: The Doctor has saved the Earth from our weapon and is on his way towards our location. Estimated arrival time, 17.4 minutes. Soon we will meet the Doctor again, and gain revenge upon him for our past defeats. The secrets of time will be ours at last.

The other figure seemed to consider what had been said, and then raised its arm, fist clenched.

Figure 1: Excellent!

The TARDIS continued its tumbling flight through the vortex. Inside, the Doctor was showing Fry and Leela around some of the corridors and the rooms that branched out from them.

Doctor: Now, Fry, which room did you say that you found the sheep in?

Fry: Well, I thought it was the one down here, right after the room with an empty white void with a monster thingy flying around inside it.

Doctor: (Grasps Fry's arm) You didn't let it out, did you?

Fry: Nah, I closed the door before it could reach me. It acted awful crazy and stuff, like it was stuck in there.

Doctor: It probably is. You see, that creature was the master of an alternate Earth that I visited before, one where the Roman Empire never fell. It was a bloody, horrific place, where life was cheap by any standard. I helped the populace to depose the creatures, and set them on the path to their own freedom. That creature tried to eat me, and I tricked it into one of the spare dimensions that I keep around the TARDIS. It's been trapped in there ever since. I actually need to return to Shada one day, and deposit it in a cell there, but it seems that I keep getting sidetracked.

Fry's Leela: Doctor, you said that you have had eleven bodies so far. Just how old are you then?

Doctor: I'm a Time lord. I could just say that I walk through eternity, but in more simple terms, I'm closer to 2,500 years old now than I was last year. Even though that may seem old to you, the normal life expectancy on my planet is around 12,000 years. To get that old, though, you have to more or less sit around, not doing much of anything. I simply detest sitting around, so I decided to go out into the universe, and try to do something.

Fry: You mean that you're an adventurer, like Indiana Jones or something?

Doctor: Well, not originally. My granddaughter and I simply wanted to explore for a while, and the old ship that I "borrowed" seemed like the perfect thing. Then we landed on Earth, and met some humans, who became my companions. During the course of my time with them, we had a lot of adventures and, somewhat grudgingly, I started to help out more and more, until it became second nature to me.

Fry's Leela: But how do you know that you're always doing the right thing, Doctor? Aren't you worried that you may change the course of a planet's history, for the worse?

Doctor: (Somberly) Of course I do; still, I find that I must follow my conscience as it leads me. I make mistakes all the time. I simply try, as one of my old companions used to say, to do the best I can.

The conversation was interrupted by a voice from the control room

Doctor's Leela: Doctor, the instruments say that we're almost at the coordinates that you set. We'll be materializing a few minutes from now.

The Doctor's Leela had barely finished speaking before the Doctor came back into the console room. Flipping a switch, he turned towards the others and motioned for them to look at the wall. As they stared, it seemed to become transparent, and they were looking out into the time vortex. Fry and Leela gaped at the sight. There was a field of blue that swirled and spun with frightening speed; occasionally, there was a glimpse of something white that resembled a giant bird. As they stared, a whole flock of them appeared, heading in the general direction of the TARDIS.

Fry: (Glancing at the Doctor) What are those things, Doc?

Doctor: Chronovores, time-eaters. I wonder where and when they're in such a rush to get to. You see, Chronovores travel to worlds that have died, either naturally or unnaturally, and eat the remnants of time that still exist around them. One was captured by one of my oldest enemies several centuries ago, and it helped cause the destruction of mythical Atlantis.

Fry: Atlantis? You mean that place that's supposed to have sunk in the ocean a long time ago? You were there?

Doctor: I'm a time traveler, I've been to lots of places and times, some real, others lost to history forever, and others still that never existed, except in the lore of mankind. Still, maybe it's for the best if I park the TARDIS for a moment and let them pass.

Fry's Leela: Why, could they be a danger to us?

Doctor: No, no, well, they can be, I mean, not usually. Best not to take chances sometimes, hmm?

They watched as the forward motion of the ship slackened and ceased. The bird-like creatures surrounded the TARDIS for a moment, only to move on seconds later. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, then pulled up short.

Doctor: No, not her... not now!

The others turned to where the Doctor was looking. One of the bird-like creatures hung motionless outside the ship. It appeared to be a combination of a bird and humanoid form; then, as they watched, it began to glow, softly at first, then ever more brightly with each moment. As the Doctor's Leela turned back to him, she saw that he had his hands at his side, his head bowed. Just as she started to ask him what was happening, the glow outside the ship exploded in a flash of brilliant intensity, and there was a strange woman standing with them in the console room. She was completely nude, and, Fry noticed, very beautiful. Her long hair shone like sunlight, and her whole body glowed with a luminescence that was initially painful to look at, but then softened to a pale sheen.

Woman: Hello, Doctor. It has been so long since last we met. You still retain the fire that attracted me to you, oh those many centuries ago. Are you as well as ever?

Doctor: (Grim-faced) Hello Kronos. It has been a long time, though not nearly long enough for me, I'm afraid to say.

Kronos: (Laughing) Oh, Doctor, you do go on so. I should think that you'd be pleased to see me. After all, in our last encounter-

Doctor: Don't say it! Our last encounter was something that should never have happened, and never will again. Where are you and your fellow Chronovores in such a hurry to now? Some world that's died, and all of you have to go and pick at the pieces of it?

Kronos: Doctor, you should not be so bitter. Things have happened for a reason, and our encounter had a greater purpose behind it. I hope that you will at least remember it in the way that it was meant, fondly, and freely given.

Doctor: I understand, Kronos, but it was something that should have never occurred. However, even that does not excuse my rudeness to you; I apologize to you, my lady.

Kronos: Oh Doctor, I can never stay angry with you. There will always be a fondness in my heart for you, and who knows what will happen to you in the future? Oh yes, I'll know.

Kronos gently touched the Doctor's face, though when he turned his head away momentarily, a flash of anger crossed her face, quickly replaced with a look of gentleness. The Doctor looked into her eyes again, and Fry's Leela saw him swallow heavily. The look in his eyes had become gentler, and she knew there was a great deal of history between these two.

Doctor: I'm sorry for what happened between us. Goodbye, Kronos, may we never meet again.

Kronos: (Laughing) Oh Doctor, my dear Doctor, ever the optimist.

The woman turned away from him, and the glow of her body blinded everyone for a moment. When they could see again, the humanoid bird hung outside the TARDIS, only to move off and quickly recede in the distance. The others stood looking at the spot where it disappeared, then turned back towards the Doctor, who seemed absorbed with some readout on his console. After a moment he pushed a button, and the TARDIS resumed its forward motion. They were bursting with questions, but a glance from the Doctor stopped them.

Doctor: It's something that I'm not prepared to talk about, maybe not ever, so I would appreciate it if you didn't mention it, please.

The others considered this for a moment and then turned aside, but Fry's Leela noticed that the Doctor's companion looked hurt, though whether it was by the encounter or his last statement, she wasn't sure. She silently released a breath when she saw the Doctor and his Leela looking at each other understandingly.

Fry: Hey, is this where we're supposed to be?

Fry's Leela turned to him and saw that he was looking at the view screen, where they appeared to have dropped out of the vortex. As she stared harder, she saw a glimmer, and then a shape came into view. It resolved itself into a doughnut shaped object, and then she realized what it was.

Fry's Leela: A space station, it's a space station.

Fry: Wow, it's huge too. That thing looks about the size of the Nimbus.

As the TARDIS hung in space, the station slowly spun about its axis, and then another ship came into view, connected to one of the docking ports.

Doctor's Leela: What kind of ship is that, and why is it so garish-looking?

The ship she was looking at was a collage of bright colors, and while it was vaguely needle-shaped, it still looked bloated somehow. As they moved closer, they could see the DOOP emblem on the tail fins.

Fry's Leela: Wait, that's the DOOP emblem. Could this be some secret base of theirs? If so, why would they do something like send a missile at the Earth, unless they're renegades, or…

Fry: Or maybe they're working with some other race, like the Omicronians.

Doctor: So many questions. Well, we'll never find any answers until we go onboard, and see what's there.

The TARDIS faded from sight, and the station hung in space by itself again, a mute witness, saying nothing to anyone.

Within the selfsame station, Zapp Brannigan and his adjunct were walking down a dank passageway.

Zapp: Kif, why isn't there anyone here to greet me? I'm the greatest hero in the DOOP, and I've brought their greatest enemy to them, or at least I let them know he was here.

Kif: Greatest enemy? Sir, what are you talking about? What enemy do you mean, and who are they? What are you doing on a DOOP space station that hasn't been commissioned yet?

Zapp: All good questions Kif, all good questions.

Zapp said nothing else, continuing down the darkened corridor, while Kif fell behind, thinking to himself. What was the Captain doing here, and this enemy, who was it? Just then he noticed that Zapp was no longer nearby. Kif rushed ahead, and saw Zapp standing over a man in a DOOP uniform, sprawled on the floor.

Zapp: All right, you lazy bum, on your feet when there's a Captain present! Come on, stand up, I don't have all day to look good and make you fear me. Ah, come on Kif, and put this awful excuse for a soldier on report, we've got to find them. I have a reward to claim.

As Zapp walked past, he gave the man a swift kick. Kif shuddered as he watched the body roll loosely; he could put him on report, but he'd never pay any mind to it. He looked closer at the soldier, and felt his skin rise up in flarnbumps. Something was really wrong here, and he had a feeling that he'd pay for it with his life, if he didn't do something, and do it soon. Just then, he heard a voice from down the hallway.

Zapp: Kif! Hurry up and get over here, I've got to look as good as possible when I meet them, and I want to be sure that my uniform looks perfect. Oh, and I need you to shine me up as well!

Kif stopped for a moment, puzzled by what Zapp had said, then sighed and left the body where it lay. Maybe there'd be a chance to figure things out, hopefully in time for him to see his precious snowflake of love, Amy, at least once more. He had developed a very bad feeling about this place, and his feeling was usually correct. Kif disappeared around the corner, and all was quiet..

Kif: Oh my God above, NO!

In another part of the station a now-familiar grinding noise built to a crescendo as the TARDIS materialized. Inside the vessel, the Doctor clapped his hands together and looked at the others.

Doctor: Well, no sense in doodling about; let's go and see what's out there.

Fry's Leela: Wait, aren't you even going to check if there's anything wrong out there? Radiation, poisoned atmosphere, that sort of thing?

Doctor: What? Oh, I did all that just a moment ago.

Fry: You did?

Doctor: Of course I did, you just didn't see me do it, that's all. Now, let's go for a quick look 'round, and then we'll come back here, all right?

The others nervously nodded in the affirmative, and the Doctor opened the main doors. As they walked outside, he quickly held his arm up, then let it fall to his side. He did this twice more before noticing the stares of the others.

Doctor: Just a standard gravity check… It appears to be around Earth point-nine or thereabouts. Easy enough for us to move around with no problems, and the atmosphere seems fine, albeit a little cool.

As he said that, both Fry and Leela noticed that it was a little chilly in the passageway. They could see each other's breath, though the Doctor's and his Leela's was hardly noticeable at all.

The Doctor's Leela saw the pair looking at them, and walked over.

Doctor's Leela: It's nothing extraordinary. Time Lords simply have a lower body temperature than humans, around 20 degrees Celsius; well, that, and we can control how our bodies react to outside environments.

Fry: Man, you guys have got it all.

Doctor: Not nearly as much as some races; you should see how a Rutan lives.

With that, the Doctor set off at a brisk pace, with the others finding themselves having to hurry to keep up. They continued down the corridors, finally turning onto a hallway where some statues stood in the shadows. Ahead, the Doctor came to a sudden stop.

Fry's Leela: What's wrong, why'd you stop all of a sudden? Is there something…

She trailed off as she saw the Doctor bend to examine a couple of still forms. She gathered herself and walked over beside him, flanked by Fry and the Doctor's Leela. They were DOOP soldiers. Their high collars didn't quite cover purplish bruises.

Doctor: Hmm, necks are broken from the look of it. They took a hard fast blow from the back; probably didn't know what hit them. That's odd; look at this.

Fascination overcoming distaste, they leaned forward to see where the Doctor was pointing. Fry saw it first: the marks looked vaguely like handprints.

Fry: But if those are handprints, then what hit 'em? Some kind of a robot?

Doctor: Not a robot, not exactly anyway. I've seen blows like these before, in several encounters with these creatures, even when I was on Earth with your parents, Leela.

Fry's Leela caught her breath; the Doctor had been on Earth and visited her parents when…

Fry's Leela: You, it was you that came to Earth, in that multi-colored coat! My parents told me about it several years ago. They were some kind of giant robots, and you helped beat them, didn't you?

Doctor: Yes, I met Morris and Munda some years ago, before you were born. Not too long before I departed, they fell in love, and since I was the one that helped them beat those creatures back, they said that if they had a child, they wanted me to be it's - er - "god-father". I agreed, and when asked what name I liked, I told them I'd always thought that "Leela" was a nice one. I suppose they took this to heart. Then when I came back for another visit, just after you'd been born, they had another small emergency in which I was of some assistance. By the way, you were a very cute baby.

Fry's Leela was thunderstruck. The Doctor was her godfather, and he'd suggested her name to her parents! But then, where had she seen him before, and what had he done when he visited her parents the last time? Leela started to ask, when Fry spoke up.

Fry: What were these robots then, Doc?

Doctor: They weren't really robots: they used to be humanoids who had decided that the only way they could extend their life-span was to cybernetically convert their bodies, and they continued to do this, until they were more machine than biological anymore. Now they call them…selves…

The Doctor looked around agitatedly, then gestured frantically at the others to go back the way they had come. Fry gasped then, because the statues against the wall had started to move smoothly and slowly toward them. As Fry stared, it seemed like his dream all over again. As the statues came into the light, Fry heard his wife gasp, echoing his own. The "statues" were roughly man-shaped, though they were bigger than any man he'd ever met. They stood over seven feet in height, and were covered in a sort of silvery metal skin, that looked like it had silvery blood vessels running all over it. There was an upside-down triangular assembly on the chest, with lights blinking inside, but the most fascinating, yet disturbing feature was their heads. Their faces, if you could call them that, consisted of two round eyeholes covered with a silver mesh; there was no nose, and the mouth was a simple slit, with a transparent area at the bottom. Instead of ears, there were blocky protrusions fitted with silver pipes, which bent upwards and ran back into the top of the head. Perhaps their most frightening attribute was their silence, which made them seem less like living beings, than ghosts. Throughout all of this, the Doctor had stood still, as though waiting for something. His wait was short-lived; more of the creatures came down the hallway, and before long, one, black-piped and larger than the others, stood before the Doctor. It spoke, in a distorted, mechanical voice.

Figure 1: It has been many years since we last encountered you, Doctor.

Doctor: Funny, that. I thought that we wouldn't meet again: I'd have thought that you'd have all died out by this century.

Figure 1: No, Doctor, the Cyber-race will continue.

Doctor: Where are my manners? Fry, Leela, and Leela, I'd like you to meet some very old enemies of mine. These are the beings that I helped your mother and father fight, Leela. They call themselves…Cybermen.

Another Cyberman came up to the leader, and leaned towards it for a moment. The two appeared to confer, then it stepped back, and the leader addressed the Doctor.

Cyberleader: You will accompany us. If you or your companions attempt to escape, then the consequences will be severe.

The others looked to the Doctor, who nodded his head, and set off in the direction the leader indicated. The Cybermen fell in around the group, and as they walked, the Cyberleader came up beside the Doctor and looked down upon him.

Cyberleader: Well, Doctor, it has been many years now, but finally the Cyber-race has trapped you. We have had many challenges from you, but our game is now at an end.

Doctor: Well, you seem to have become positively chatty over the years; have you received an upgrade in your programming, Leader? Trying to be a more positive example for the troops, hmm?

Cyberleader: It has been determined that in order to better understand animal organisms, it was necessary to upgrade our logical imperatives. These are the same imperatives that have kept the cyber-race from extinction.

Doctor: But what's the use of it, eh? I mean, what's the use of your race's continued survival? You say that emotions are a weakness, I say they enhance life. You continue to try and conquer the galaxy, when there are much more powerful races that would destroy you without hesitation, and it seems that the only reason you want to do this is because you have no emotions to appreciate what you have. You don't even have a controller anymore.

Cyberleader: Incorrect. The Controller survives still.

The Doctor stopped.

Doctor: That's impossible. I was there on Telos; I saw him destroyed in the explosion. The Controller could not have survived.

Cyberleader: But he did survive, Doctor, and he wishes to meet you now.

The Doctor resumed his stride, and the Leader fell into step alongside him, though nothing more was said between the two.

Fry's Leela watched this exchange with annoyance, and turned toward the Doctor's Leela.

Fry's Leela: What were they talking about? They act more like old friends than enemies!

Doctor's Leela: I know, and that makes me very worried indeed. The Cybermen have had the Doctor on an eradication list for the last 1200 years, so why would they even do any of this? Something is different, but I don't know what.

Fry: Hey, where'd these Cybermen guys come from anyway?

Doctor's Leela: I only know what I have learned from the universal histories, but I will tell you. The Cybermen were originally from Earth's twin planet, Mondas. When a small planetoid came into orbit between the two, Mondas was broken from its orbit, and thrown into space. To survive the chaos and the increasing distance from the sun, the Mondasians turned to cybernetic conversion of their bodies. In order to become more "perfect," as they saw it, they also had operations on their brains, which allowed them to tie in computers which would give them more thinking power. Unfortunately, a side effect of this was that their emotions were erased. The Mondasians formed into two groups, and one of these built rocket ships, in order to colonize other planets if they could. The others continued onward, using the inner power of their planet to keep themselves alive, and they did so, until Mondas returned to Earth in 1986.

Fry: 1986! I don't remember any planet coming to Earth back then!

Doctor's Leela: There were several alien invasions in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, but the governments of your planet kept them a secret. When Mondas returned, the Cybermen there attempted to drain the energy of your planet to theirs, but the Earth's energy was too much, and Mondas evaporated from the strain. The other Cybermen made their way to a planet called Telos, and quickly subjugated the humanoids living there, using their cryogenic technology for their own purposes. That planet became their home base for centuries, until the Doctor returned there, and helped destroy the Cyber-Controller, their leader. The last of the Cyber race was supposedly destroyed in the late 28th century by a coalition of planets. Still, it appears that they have somehow managed to survive, as well as evolve into a newer, and apparently more powerful form.

Fry's Leela: Do they have any weaknesses we can use against them? How about-

She paused as the Doctor and his escorts came to a halt in front of a set of double doors. The one called "Leader" pressed a button and the doors opened wide, and the group proceeded into the room. She gasped, as she saw…

Zapp Brannigan: Well, well, well, if it isn't the lovely Captain Leela. Surprised to see me, my one-eyed boobalicious babe? I sent my assistant Kif to prepare my new Lovenasium, especially asI couldn't wait for us to share another night of passion, and I know that you can't wait to get rid of that redheaded geekazoid. Why don't we go ahead and spend a little time together now, my purple-haired darling of space?

Fry: (Furious) You shut your mouth, you stupid shit! I'm fed up with you trying to bother Leela, and I'm going to end it now!

Fry swung his hardest punch, straight into Zapp's stomach. And...Zapp just grinned. As Fry hauled back for another try, there was a blur of motion, and his fist was trapped in Zapp's. The grip tightened.

Fry: Yaaaah!

The pain was incredible. Fry pulled as hard as he could, but Zapp, as motionless as a rock, squeezed more, the smirk on his face growing wider by the moment. Leela ran to him and pulled on Zapp's arm, with no effect whatsoever.

Fry's Leela: Zapp, stop it! Stop hurting him, now!

Zapp looked at her for a moment, then turned his attention back to Fry. Leela could hear bones grinding in Fry's hand, and turned to Zapp in desperation.

Fry's Leela: Zapp, if you let him go, then I'll, I'll…become your woman. I'll leave Fry, and become your queen, if you'll just stop hurting him!.

Fry: (Anxiously) Leela, no! Don't do that; I'll let him kill me first, before I let you sacrifice yourself to him. Hilly and Davey need you, I need you, and I...argh!...won't let you do this!

The Doctor stepped up to Zapp and fixed him with a penetrating stare.

Doctor: What did they promise you, hmm? Riches, power, all the female companionship you'd ever want, I suppose.

Zapp let go of Fry's hand, and turned to face the Doctor.

Zapp: I get all of the beautiful women I want, as well as the lovely Captain Leela. They promised me that I would be the Emperor of Earth, when they take it over.

Doctor: (Laughing out loud) Emperor of Earth? You! You couldn't be emperor of a sandcastle, much less the Earth!

The Doctor turned back to the Cyber-Leader, looking at him incredulously, while Zapp fumed behind him.

Doctor: You promised this moron that you'd make him Emperor of Earth! Oh my, I guess that there are all kinds these days.

Cyber-Leader: If it allows us to move aggressively, Doctor, then of course, we will promise anything, and the human was so willing to betray his planet for the reward that he thinks he will receive, that he allowed us to make certain adjustments to him, with his own consent. That is not the case in most humanoid conversions.

There was silence for a moment, then Zapp spoke up.

Zapp: Hey, I've helped get things ready for your invasion of Earth, and the Doctor's here now. Why don't you just kill him? In fact, I've always wanted to try and kill someone myself.

Doctor: (Turns back to Zapp) Humph. So you like what they've done to you, is that it?

Zapp: Of course! Look at the beautiful shiny silver color they are, and now they've given it to me as well.

As Zapp spoke, he took off his glove, and Leela gasped, for his hand was constructed of the same silvery metal as the Cyberians'. He then ripped open his uniform shirt, exposing a chest of the same material, with a human-size version of the Cyber-chest unit.

Zapp: You see, I'm guaranteed virtual immortality, and I have this new sleek look as well. Doesn't it make me look even sexier than ever, my captain of the vessel of love?

Leela continued to cradle Fry's hands in her own, but turned her face away in a visible effort not to retch. When Fry took a step backward, her attention snapped back to see Zapp striding toward them. Then the Doctor stepped into his path.

Doctor: Really, that's most fascinating! Why, you'll be immortal, powerful, and the Emperor of Earth. And in exchange for that, all you had to do was give up your sexuality. I'm very impressed.

Zapp: (Pausing) What do you mean? Why, I'm sexier than ever before.

Doctor: Oh, not in the way you think! You see, Cybermen can only reproduce one way, by physically converting other humans into Cybermen, using a series of operations that change their body and mind. I imagine that you've retained your normal bodily functions, going to the restroom for example.

Zapp: (Panicky) No, they told me that I wouldn't have to worry about things like that anymore, it was just a distraction. But, I mean, I'm still able to enjoy myself, of course, I mean, I wouldn't have been anywhere near so foolish as to, as to…

He trailed off, stunned. The Doctor slowly shook his head.

Doctor: Even if they did leave you intact for the moment, when they finished the conversion, you would become a sexless creature. They only call themselves Cybermen because their original home was a strict patriarchal society, and it's one of the things programmed into them. There are no Cyberwomen, and they wouldn't start the job on you, only to leave it half-finished. I'm sorry, I truly am. You did betray the people of your planet, and while I find myself unable to have pity on you, I do have pity, for you.

Zapp: (Near Hysteria) No! That's not what they promised me! I would be able to have any woman I desired in the universe, because I'd be so sexy. They promised me, I'd be the Emperor of Earth! They promised me!

As the Doctor turned back to examine Fry's hand, his companion saw the Leader make two gestures, and two other Cybermen glided toward Zapp, who had started to weave uncertainly on his feet. As they took hold of Zapp on each arm and started to drag him off, the Leader spoke up.

Cyberleader: Promises made to aliens have no validity.

Even as the Leader spoke those words, Leela's eye widened as the Doctor mouthed them silently, as though he'd heard them several times over the years. When Zapp, who had started to blubber by this time, begged for his help, she shut her eye tightly and held onto Fry.

Leela: (Whispering) Good riddance.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and opened her eye to see the Doctor looking sadly at her.

Doctor: (While working on Fry's hand) Still we must forgive sometimes; you know, it's what keeps us above creatures like these.

Fry's Leela: He terrorized us, me, for nearly fifteen years. You were right before: I have pity for him, but I'll never have pity on him. He deserves this.

Zapp's pleas and cries for help faded as the Cybermen marched him down a hallway and through a door which closed behind them. The Leader turned to the Doctor and studied him silently for a moment.

Cyberleader: You knew long before that pitiful human did. You do know us as a race.

Doctor: I've fought you over a dozen times during the centuries, so yes, I've gotten to know you quite well.

A voice from the darkness caused the Doctor to turn his head sharply. As he stood up, another Cyberman came out of the shadows. This one was different from all of the others. He was even larger than the Leader, and instead of the handle-like pipes, his head was smooth, and constructed out of a transparent substance, with lights that flashed and swirled inside.

Doctor: The Controller! How did you survive the explosion? It ripped Telos Cyber Control apart. You should have been vaporized.

Controller: I was able to reach a spot of relative safety, Doctor, and from there, I used an emergency signal to contact other members of the race. I encountered a group of CyberNeomorphs, and used their technology to bring myself on-line again, though this body looks cruder than the current level of Cybermen. You have missed seeing me, I know, and I have waited to continue our game of death from so many years ago, Doctor.

Doctor: (Halting) There you go again, game of death? No Cyberman has ever spoken in any type of flowery language such as that. Why am I not convinced that this is all there is to it? You seem to be different somehow, especially since Cybermen don't participate in any types of games anyway, seeing as their logical minds wouldn't…

Controller: Yes Doctor, please go on.

Doctor: The Cyber mind is structured in a logical format, and games have no place in them. They can speak words, like love, fear, and revenge, but they don't really mean it. It has no place in their lives. But you, you seem different than the controller that I met before, you seem to be enjoying this, as if it almost really is a game to you. What I don't understand is what happened to you to make you so different that…

The Doctor halted, and walked over towards the Controller. Other Cybermen started to move to intercept him, but the Controller held up his hand, signaling them to halt. The Doctor stood in front of him, and stared hard into the emotionless face panel, as though he were looking for something, then quickly stepped back, his eyes narrowed.

Doctor: It's you, isn't it. I thought I'd left you trapped in that forcefield back in Blackpool centuries ago. You should never have been able to escape, as long as your brain still broadcast its waves.

Controller: It took me many years to solve your puzzle, Doctor, but solve it I did, and now, it is time for you to go to work on one of my own devising; either that, or I will make your companions go through it themselves.

Doctor: No, please. Let them depart for Earth safely, and I'll take on any challenge that you can dream up.

Controller: Ah Doctor, always thinking of others. It may well be the death of you someday, maybe sooner than you think.

Doctor: You know, you still retain that certain something, no matter what form you're in. Very well, then I'll take on your challenge, but please let my friends go.

Controller: No, Doctor, they will play as well: your team, against mine.

Doctor: (Rage building slowly) All right! Still, why don't you drop that insipid disguise? I'm sure that the Leader and his men would like to know what being they're actually helping, and it would be rude not to have you introduced to my friends as well.

The Controller laughed, and the other Cybermen started sharply at the sound. Then, as Fry, Leela, and the Doctor's Leela stared, the Controller began to metamorphosize, until he was a glowing ball of light for a moment, which then began to resolve itself into a new shape. After a moment, there was a new being standing in front of them; he was dressed in a deep blue robe with gold trim on the front and around the shoulders. He wore a blue hat with gold trim on his head. His hair was black, and slicked back, and his eyes were dark brown and looked full of mirth. Then he smiled, and the Doctor's own expression looked downcast, as though he knew that he was going to have a very difficult time with him. As Fry looked at him, he was reminded of pictures of Chinese mandarins that he'd seen in some of the world history books that he'd liked to look at back in school.

Doctor: It is you. I thought that I'd seen the last of you, but like a bad penny, you continue to turn up.

The Cyberleader grabbed the Doctor roughly by the arm and swung him around to face him.

Leader: What is this creature, and where is the Controller?

Doctor: I'm sorry, Leader, but I did destroy the Controller on Telos. This being simply took on his form, in order to gain your use for a while, and in order to get me into a place and time of his choosing. I must admit, I am impressed.

Stranger: Thank you, Doctor. You have always provided me with amusement, and I have been so loathe to simply letting you go. Why don't you introduce me to your lovely female companions, and this not-quite-bright boy?

The Stranger said this, even as he'd walked up to Fry's Leela, picking up her hand and giving it a chaste kiss. Leela shuddered (his touch was strange, as though he wasn't really there), and quickly took her hand back.

Doctor: Very well. Leelas, Fry, Cybermen, allow me to introduce you to one of the most dangerous and evil beings in this universe.

Stranger: Doctor, I am neither evil or dangerous, I am above such things. No my dear friends, I am simply a humble…Toymaker.