Last of the Cybermen (audio story)

 was the 199th story in Big Finish Productions' monthly range. It was the second story in the "Locum Doctors" trilogy, and partnered the Sixth Doctor with Second Doctor companions Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot.

Publisher's summary
It's been ten years since the final assault on Telos, the last act of the Great Cyber War. Thanks to the Glittergun, humanity prevailed – and the half-machine Cybermen were utterly obliterated.

Out on the furthest fringes of the galaxy, however, they left their mark – in the form of a giant Cyber-head, hundreds of feet high. A monument? A memorial? A tomb? The Doctor, the Cybermen's most indefatigable adversary, sets out to investigate... but he fails to return to his TARDIS. Leaving the Ship, his two companions – brave Highlander Jamie MacCrimmon, and super-intelligent Zoe Heriot – find a stranger in the Doctor's place. A stranger in a coat of many colours, who insists that he's the Doctor – transposed in time and space with one of his former selves...

But why here? Why now? Has the universe really seen the last of the Cybermen..?

Part one
On a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot wait in the TARDIS for the Doctor to return, after he left the ship over an hour ago. The two are worried, not only because he's been gone for so long, but also because of the electrical storm occurring outside.

The two then notice the Doctor on the scanner, running over a ridge and heading for the TARDIS. A flash of light occurs, and the Doctor vanishes. The two leave the ship to find him. Upon leaving the TARDIS, they note that the gravity of the planet is stronger than on Earth. Their search leads them to a gully right by where they last saw the Doctor. A voice calls out to them from below and they look down to see a strange man laying down there. The man calls to them by name, delighted to see them.

Zoe asks the man why he is laying there, to which he replies that he fell. When Zoe then asks him if he broke any bones, the man takes the time to check every one of his bones. By the time Jamie and Zoe join him, he's discovered that the only injury he has is a stubbed toe. The man remembers that he was running in some woods, he stubbed his toe on a root, then a flash of light occurred, and he suddenly found himself on this planet, only to fall down the gully.

Jamie tells him that they're looking for the Doctor. He disappeared while running past the gully, so he must have fallen down it. Zoe realises immediately, that the stranger must have switched places with the Doctor. She points out that they may just switch back again, but the man wonders if something sinister is responsible for the transposition. He decides that they should head back to the TARDIS, cause knowing himself, his former self is likely to get to the TARDIS and send a distress signal to him with the telepathic circuits. Jamie is confused as to who the man is, as he hasn't introduced himself yet, but Zoe caught onto the things the man said and has already realised who he is. The stranger is the Doctor.

Jamie rejects it immediately, as the stranger looks nothing like the Doctor. Zoe reminds him of a time in which he told her that the Doctor changed his face once before. Jamie reveals that it was Polly who told him that, but that she was also one to tease and mess with him. The Sixth Doctor brings up the time Jamie's face got changed in the Land of Fiction, which is enough to fully convince Zoe of the Sixth Doctor's identity.

Jamie is still not convinced, and surmises that the Doctor was running from this stranger, and that the stranger has knocked out the Doctor and hidden him somewhere, with his goal being to steal the TARDIS. Zoe realises that Jamie's theory is wrong, pointing out to the two what the Second Doctor was really running from, a Cyberman, who has just arrived.

Jamie waits for the Sixth Doctor to prove that he is the Doctor, by telling them to run, which the Second Doctor would likely say in this situation. However, the Sixth Doctor notes that running would be pointless, as the other side of the gully is too steep for them to outrun the Cyberman. Jamie decides to start throwing rocks at the Cyberman. Zoe notices that the Cyberman is acting oddly, but Jamie keeps throwing rocks at the Cyberman, causing it to fall. The Doctor also noticed the Cyberman's strange behavior, so he and Zoe decide to investigate it.

The three manage to climb out of the gully, only to stare in surprise at the sight of a giant Cyberman head, built on the top of a mountain. Jamie asks if it's a statue or a monument, but the Doctor points out that the Cybermen don't build monuments. Zoe walks over to the edge of the ravine that the Cyberman fell down, but can't see anything. The Doctor provides her a torch from his pockets. The three can hear the Cyberman calling out for help. The Cyberman starts making a beeping noise, which the Doctor recognises as a distress signal, which is likely to call down more Cybermen from their citadel on the mountain.

The ground under Zoe's feet gives way, causing her to fall into the ravine. The Doctor calls down to Zoe, asking her if she's okay. Zoe is fine, but there is no way for her to climb back up. Jamie decides to head back to the TARDIS to get some rope. He doesn't want the Sixth Doctor to come with him, as he doesn't trust him, but the Doctor points out that Jamie can't get in without the key, which the Doctor has. Jamie takes it to mean that this man stole the key from the Second Doctor. Zoe, completely annoyed by this, tells the two to get going.

The Cyberman keeps pleading for help. Zoe asks him why he's doing so, when she realises something. This Cyberman can feel pain, so she quickly helps it out from under the rock its leg is trapped under. The Cyberman gets to its feet and advances on Zoe.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Jamie arrive at the TARDIS. Jamie is still wary of the Doctor, much to his exasperation. The Doctor ponders for a moment over where he can find some rope, before noticing the old chest in the corner. The Doctor goes through the contents, noting several items that are in it, before finding mountaineering gear.

The two return to the ravine and scale down it, only to find no sign of Zoe or the Cyberman. The two deduce that the Cyberman kidnapped Zoe and took her to the citadel. The two climb back out of the ravine, talking about the things that have been happening. The Sixth Doctor is worried, as he has no recollection of these events, even though he should. He thinks that these events only happened because of the transposition.

The two hear a noise and look up to see an anti-gravity flyer hovering above them. Jamie calls out to it, hoping to get the attention of the pilot. The Doctor is against it, as they have no idea who the pilot is. The two start fighting, and are knocked out by a stun beam, shot at them from the flyer.

The Doctor wakes up to find out that he and Jamie are in a storeroom, restrained with plastic cuffs. As the Doctor doesn't have a sonic screwdriver, the two have to use Jamie's knife to cut their restraints. As they work on escaping, they notice that the only thing in the room with them are some metal boxes.

Meanwhile, Zoe is being interrogated by Zennox and the Cyberman. Zoe refuses to tell them anything until the Doctor and Jamie are brought here. She is still angry for the Cyberman kidnapping her and bringing her to the citadel, but pauses, when the Cyberman surprisingly apologises. The Cyberman reveals he's not a true Cyberman.

The three are joined by Frank, who reports that he retrieved the Doctor and Jamie, but had to stun them because they were fighting with each other, much to Zoe's annoyance. Frank and Lanky, the Cyberman, explain that Lanky is a fighter pilot in the Great Cyber War, who was captured by the Cybermen. Frank managed to free Lanky before they could convert Lanky's mind, but it was already too late for his body, which had been completely converted.

Zoe asks for conformation that there are no Cybermen here, which surprises the trio. After all, the Cybermen were wiped out ten years ago, thanks to the invention of the Glittergun.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Jamie successfully cut through their cuffs. The two look at the door and the Doctor notes they need a small electrical charge to open the door. The battery from his torch would've been enough, but that was lost when Zoe fell. The two decide to check the contents of the boxes for something to use. Jamie tries to open one with his knife.

Zoe tries to convince the trio that she and her friends are nothing more than travelers who didn't come here on purpose. Zoe is worried that the trio may be here to revive the Cybermen, but the three quickly point out that the citadel isn't a Cyberman tomb.

The group is joined by Findel, who claims to have worked out the problem of a logic gate. Zoe realises that the four are from a museum and are here to collect relics. As Findel explains what he's worked out, Zoe offers to help them, as she is a genius, in exchange for her friends being released. Zennox decides to release only one of her friends, and to release the other one when Zoe has solved the logic gate and granted them access to the rest of the citadel. When Zennox mentions that the two are being kept in the storeroom, Findel reacts with shock, because the storeroom is where an infestation is located.

Jamie successfully opens the box, and to the horror of the two, a Cybermat is inside. It emits a signal, causing more Cybermats to enter the storeroom from a grate in the wall. The Cybermats quickly surround the two. The Doctor and Jamie are trapped.

Part two
The door opens and Lanky and Frank helps the two out of the room, quickly closing the door behind them. However, one Cybermat manages to get out, but Lanky quickly deals with it by squashing it. The Doctor recognises the uniform that Frank is wearing, that of a soldier in the Great Cyber War. Jamie asks what Frank is doing, hanging out with a Cyberman. Lanky leaves, fed up with being mistaken for a Cyberman.

Meanwhile, Findel understands what Zoe was talking about before with the logic gate, and cracks it, allowing him to operate the controls, managing to open something. But, he miscalculates and gets electrocuted by the console. Zoe checks Findel and discovers he's dead. Zennox doesn't care and instructs Zoe to power down the console. A Cyberman walks in, having come from whatever it was that Findel opened.

Frank explains to the Doctor and Jamie about the deal they made with Zoe about the logic gates, which the two remember from the time they were in a Cyberman tomb. Frank explains that this place isn't a tomb. The three hear Zoe shouting for help and run to go help.

The Cyberman starts strangling Zennox, but suddenly stops as it runs out of power. The Doctor, Jamie, and Frank arrive. The Doctor looks at the Cyberman and realises it was am automated sentry. Findel suddenly springs back to life, talking about how he screwed up at the console. He talks with Zoe about it, leaving Jamie confused. Zennox asks the Doctor if he is also a mathematician, but the Doctor says he's just a doctor who dabbled in it a little.

Lanky joins them, having noticed an opening has appeared in one of the corridors, but trails off at the sight of the deactivated Cyberman. Zoe realises that the sentry must have come from that opening. Jamie is worried more Cybermen could come from there, but the Doctor disagrees. Nevertheless, the Doctor wants to investigate. Jamie and Frank agree to come with him. The Doctor makes sure that no one will touch anything else until he returns.

The Doctor, Jamie, and Frank arrive at the opening. Behind the opening is a lift. According to the Doctor, Cybermen don't care for stairs, as they are inefficient. It's the same reason why there are no buttons in the lift. Since opening the first logic gate opened the lift, the second one must move it. As Frank contacts Zennox, Jamie asks the Doctor if operating this lift is a good idea, to which the Sixth Doctor says that it isn't, but it's probably what the Second Doctor would've done. Frank reveals that Zennox was apparently listening in the entire time.

Zennox instructs Lanky to operate the controls, as his Cyberman body is insulated. Lanky shuts down the first logic gate.

The door of the lift closes, trapping the trio inside. The Doctor agrees with the logic of closing one gate before opening the next. However, as Jamie points out, this means there is no turning back.

As Zoe and Findel get to work on the next equation, Jamie gets impatient and asks what they're waiting for. The Doctor points out it will take time for Zoe and Findel to solve the equation. Being trapped in the lift makes Frank remember being cooped up in a cockpit, waiting for the enemy to show up, from the days of the Cyber War. At that moment, Zoe and Findel solve the second logic gate and Lanky activates it, causing the lift to move.

The lift arrives at its destination. The trio emerge from the lift to find themselves in a dark hallway. The Doctor finds this odd, as the lights should've turned on when they arrived. The lift door closes behind them, thwarting the Doctor's plan to find something to jam the door open. Frank accidentally reveals his arm is a weapon, something he was trying to keep a secret from Zennox. Zennox tells them to advance to the next gate, but it's so dark, that they can't see. However, some of the lights start turning on. But, Frank and the Doctor realise something. The lights weren't designed to turn on in the presence of humans. Sure enough, there are two Cybermen in the hallway with them, also sentries like the one in the control room. The Doctor and Jamie drop to the floor as Frank fires his gun, a weapon designed with a ricochet setting. A door at the far end of the hallway opens, having been opened by the next logic gate. The trio quickly run for it, with Frank using his gun to slow down the advancing Cybermen, even successfully taking down one of them.

The doorway turns out to be another lift. Frank tells Zennox to get the others to quickly close the logic gate. However, there's a problem, as Zoe and Findel are arguing over a decimal place. The Doctor orders them to just go with whatever Zoe says. As the remaining Cyberman approaches, Frank shoots at it again. However, he miscalculates the distance, and the shot bounces back and hits him. At that moment, the lift door closes. The Doctor checks Frank's injury, and determines that the injury isn't a serious one, just a burn.

Zoe learns from Findel, that a group the two used to be part of, when they were in school, was closed down, because some of the members formed a secret society during the Cyber War. They called themselves the Brotherhood of Logicians, and believed the war was pointless. They thought people should become more like Cybermen. The authorites found out and shut down the group, forcing everyone to take drugs to reduce their intelligence, including Findel. It was why Findel was surprised to hear Zoe mention being a former member of the school group, as those who were in the group, but not in the Brotherhood are ashamed of having been a part of the group.

The Doctor is getting impatient at the long wait for the next logic gate. Jamie is in no rush to encounter any more Cybermen. Frank, having noticed that the Doctor has experience when it comes to the Cybermen, asks him what he thinks is at the top of the citadel. The Doctor has no idea. Frank reveals Zennox's desire to claim some untouched horde of Cyber tech. Frank is worried about what would happen if such technology fell into the wrong hands. The Doctor shares his worries and thinks it's a good idea to be cautious of Zennox. Jamie claims that the Second Doctor would've had her pinned as a bad person from the start. The Sixth Doctor wonders if that is why he was brought here.

Frank says that Zennox isn't a rotten person. But it seems to him that the average civilian is a bit eager to presume that the Cybermen are a thing of the past, something that belongs in museums and shows. Before Jamie can tell him about things from the future, the Doctor asks Frank why he believes the Cybermen are still a threat. Frank remembers something from the final assault. He saw the space sonar overload. Before he can get into much detail, the lift starts moving.

The lift arrives at its destination. The trio emerge to find themselves on a narrow walkway. As the Doctor laments over the Cybermen not having use for handrails, the lift door closes behind them. Jamie is glad that they can see the other side and moves to cross, but the Doctor stops him, having realised the walkway is part of a maintenance infrastructure, which means it's full of Cybermats, heading right for the trio.

Zennox notices the problem that the trio have run into. Zoe thinks it's not a problem, due to the fact that the Cybermats are programmed only to perform maintenance. Findel points out that that is the problem. Anything humanoid registers to the Cybermats as a Cybermen. When a Cyberman doesn't release the correct signal, the Cybermats will try to repair it by entering the body. Zoe and Findel start to work faster on the next equation.

The Doctor notes there's no way back, no way left, and no way right. Frank notices something and tells the two to look up. Above them are cables, stretching across the ceiling. The three decide to use the cables to swing across to the other side of the walkway, avoiding the Cybermats. Jamie and the Doctor grab onto the cables, but Frank can't come with them. He reveals that more than just his arm was replaced, making him too heavy for the cables. He decides to take a chance with the walkway, hopefully distracting the Cybermats away from the Doctor and Jamie. He gives them his communicator, and then charges down the walkway.

Zoe and Findel solve the next equation and Lanky quickly triggers the controls. Zoe asks Zennox if the three made it. Zennox tells her that the Doctor and Jamie made it to the next lift, but Frank did not.

Jamie asks the Doctor what's next. The Doctor got a glimpse of the control array when they were back in the control room, and reveals that this lift will take them to the last stage of their journey, the top of the citadel. The lift arrives at its destination. The Doctor and Jamie emerge to find a room containing a Cyber-Planner. The Doctor asks Jamie if they have already encountered Cybermen on Earth in 1975. Jamie confirms this, stating it was just a few weeks ago. The Doctor is confused on why Jamie doesn't recognise what a Cyber-Planner looks like, but Jamie reminds him that he was out of commission for a while, due to being shot in the leg.

The Doctor examines the Cyber-Planner and notices damage to the brain pan. The Doctor deduces that the damage was caused by a lightning strike. The Doctor reminds Zennox about the weather outside, bu wonders if the citadel is the cause of the weather. Zennox asks the Doctor if he can uninstall it without damaging the connections, causing Zoe to realise that the Cyber-Planner is what Zennox is after.

The Doctor has realised this, too. After all, a Cyber-Planner would make quite the museum piece. But, the Cyber-Planner could also be repaired. But, the Cybermats couldn't repair it. The Sixth Doctor proclaims that this was why the Second Doctor was summoned here, but Zennox has no idea what he's talking about. She asks him again if he can safely remove the Cyber-Planner. Zoe tells the Doctor not to do it knowing how dangerous a Cyber-Planner is. Zennox orders Findel to restrain Zoe, but he refuses. Zennox threatens him and he pulls out a pistol. Zoe asks him why he's doing this, but Lanky points out that Findel is not aiming the gun at her.

Findel is pointing the gun at Zennox, having decided that this expedition is wrong and must end. Zennox proclaims that Findel is bluffing and calls his bluff. She pulls out a pistol of her own. The Doctor asks Zennox to calm down, proclaiming that they can still come to some kind of arrangement. Zennox doubts that due to the next stage of her plan. The Doctor thinks it's to repair and reactivate the Cyber-Planner, and says that it's impossible. Zennox agrees. What she really wants is to upload a new consciousness into the Cyber-Planner. The mind she decided on was Findel's, but he no longer wants to do it. Neither does Zennox, so she shoots him.

The Doctor now realises why Zennox let him get all the way to the Cyber-Planner. Zennox needs a brilliant, logical mind to install into the apparatus, a mind that is half-machine already, to reactivate the beacon. That's what the citadel is, a beacon to summon the last of the Cybermen. Lanky agrees to help her, but only as long as Zoe and the Doctor aren't hurt. Zennox shoots Lanky. She knows she can't kill him with her pistol, but the Cybermen never managed to disable his ability to feel pain, so she can make him suffer. Zoe then realises whose brain Zennox wants to upload.

Jamie is confused, so the Doctor explains that Zennox brought Findel here to be the mind to power the beacon. As it turns out, a better candidate has emerged. Zennox intends to upload Zoe's mind into the Cyber-Planner.

Part three
Zennox thanks the Doctor for bringing Zoe to the citadel. Before the Doctor can say anything further, Jamie takes the wire. Zennox is annoyed and tells Jamie to put the Doctor back on. Zoe pleads with Zennox to let her talk to Jamie. She'll make sure they cooperate. Zennox agrees and hands her wire over to Zoe. Zoe quickly tells Jamie that she wants him to stop whatever Zennox has planned. Zennox fights with Zoe.

The Doctor has Jamie give him back the wire. He tells Zoe to stop and put Zennox on. Jamie has had enough. He decides to destroy the Cyber-Planner. The Doctor points out that Zennox will kill Zoe if he does so. Jamie points out that the Doctor doesn't know that for sure. The Doctor states that he doesn't need to in order to reach that conclusion. He warns Jamie that he is not the man he used to be. Jamie is willing to put that to the test and starts fighting the Doctor. The Doctor tries to convince Jamie to stop, as fighting like this is pointless. Jamie won't listen, completely fed up with the Doctor.

However, Jamie gets close and whispers that if they pretend that the Doctor has knocked him out, then he can get the jump on Zennox when she gets here with Zoe. The Doctor goes along with it and the two pretend to fight.

Zoe can hear the sounds of the two fighting over the wire and asks if that's what they're doing. Zennox is annoyed and tries telling whoever has the wire to stop fighting. She points out that she only needs Zoe's mind, but can arrange for the Cybermats to take other parts. The Doctor comes back on the wire, telling Zennox that he's dealt with Jamie. He tells them he will use the control array in the room he is in, allowing him to open the route up.

Jamie asks the Doctor if Zoe and Zennox are coming. The Doctor tells him they are, as soon as he opens the route. The entire citadel is a slave to the master array. Jamie thinks that's a bad setup, but the Doctor disagrees, saying that such a setup is a logical one. The Doctor figures that the system was why Zennox sent the Doctor, Jamie, and Frank up first, and also to deal with any problems she might have encountered.

Jamie thinks they should come up with a signal, for the Doctor to let Jamie know when to strike. The Doctor brings up Jamie's previous encounter with the Cybermen again, but then asks what Jamie, Zoe, and the Second Doctor were up to after that. Jamie recounts everything they went through after that, ending it on their encounter with the space pirates.

The two get back to discussing what they should use for their signal, but before the Doctor can suggest anything, Jamie stops him, having recognised the look on the Sixth Doctor's face. The Second Doctor has the same look whenever he's hiding something. Jamie eventually comes up with the name, Madeline, as it's something the Doctor can't say accidentally at the wrong time.

Zoe and Zennox arrive in the lift. Zoe asks the Doctor if he hurt Jamie, but the Doctor assures her that Jamie will be just fine. Zennox tells the Doctor to remove the head of the Cyber-Planner. From what she understands of the technology, electrical energy from Zoe's brain will regenerate the damaged components. Zoe doesn't think that's possible, but the Doctor disagrees. He trails off suddenly, but quickly covers it up.

Zoe asks Zennox why she wants to summon the last of the Cybermen. The Doctor tells her it's the old story of Zennox knows best, but no one listens to her. With the Cybermen on her side, everyone will have no choice but to listen. The Doctor says there's a more important question. What's the point of it all? Zennox doesn't answer and instructs the Doctor to continue the preparations.

The Doctor finishes detaching the head. He freely admits to Zennox that the Cybermen were a formidable force at the height of their power, but all that's left now are a few scattered survivors, little more than space scavengers. The Doctor knows this, having met some of the survivors. The remaining Cybermen would be easy prey for Earth's defense systems. Bringing them all together would accomplish nothing more than their extinction.

Zennox reveals that she doesn't care about the scavengers. Her goal is to summon the fleet of ten thousand ships hiding in a particular region of space. The Doctor finds that hard to believe, because of the location. He would have been more inclined to believe in other locations that he lists, but accidentally names a cluster that has a name that sounds like Madeline. Jamie attacks, but Zennox fires her pistol, hitting Jamie and creating a hole in the wall.

Zennox quickly realises that the fight was faked. She instructs Zoe to move away from Jamie. Getting the conversation back on track, she confirms that the Cybermen are right here, above their heads. The Doctor takes a look in the sky through the hole in the wall and states that he can't see any ships. Zennox assures that they are there. Jamie brings up what Frank said before about the space sonar. Zennox asks Zoe if she will cooperate. Zoe agrees to do so, provided that Jamie and the Doctor are allowed to leave.

The Doctor tries to talk Zoe out of doing this, but Zoe doesn't listen. She asks Zennox if this will hurt her, but Zennox assure her that it won't. Jamie points out that she won't feel anything ever again. The Doctor tells him to stay back.

The upload begins. Zoe describes it as some kind of x-ray vision. She can see through the whole planet. Zennox tells her that it's due to her consciousness being routed through the citadel's sensors. She tells Zoe to look up at the sky. Zoe does so, but she's no longer in control. The Cyber-Planner has reactivated, and is now using Zoe as its mouthpiece.

The Doctor instructs Jamie to come over by him, by the hole in the wall. Zennox easily notices this. The Doctor knows that Zennox won't keep her word, now that Zoe is a slave to the Cyber-Planner. Zennox agrees, but calls him out on his bluff of going through the hole. As they are five hundred feet up, on a planet with stronger gravity than Earth, there is no way they could survive jumping out the window. The Doctor jumps through the hole anyway, taking Jamie with him.

It turns out that when the Doctor trailed off earlier, he was being contacted by Frank, who is still alive. He's able to talk to the Doctor, because Zennox left her wire back in the control room. He had come up with a plan to help the Doctor and his friends escape. When the Doctor and Jamie jump out the hole, they end up landing on the anti-gravity flyer, being driven by Frank. The Doctor instructs Frank to take them to the TARDIS.

Zoe regains control of her body and tells Zennox that the Doctor will come back for her. Zennox corrects her with the word "us", instead of "her". Zoe corrects her, with the word "you", but then she says "us", as her mind is being taken over. Zennox tells her that logically they must hurry and reactivate the beacon.

The trio arrive at the TARDIS. Jamie asks why Frank is still alive, as he should've been killed by the Cybermats. It turns out that all the veterans of the Cyber War were given shots to counteract the effects of the Cybermen. The Cybermats took one taste of Frank, and then retreated. He then made his way back down to the control room they started in.

The three disembark. The Doctor tells the other two to keep an eye on the northwestern horizon, while he goes into the TARDIS. He wants to be notified on any change in the beacon. At that moment, the beacon activates, sending a pink beam of light into the sky. Frank knows what's going on, for when his space sonar overloaded in the final battle, ten thousand Cyber ships vanished. He tried to warn his superiors about the missing ships, but they refused to believe him.

Jamie points out that he can't see any ships. The Doctor asks Jamie where he thinks the ships disappeared to. Frank answers that they might have disappeared into warp space. The Doctor agrees and that is why they positioned the citadel on this planet. It was so they could launch a final counterattack on the edge of Earth's galaxy. The only reason the attack didn't happen before, was because of the Cyber-Planner getting damaged. They've been stuck in warp space this entire time.

The Cyber-Planner announces that a spacial disruption is forming above the planet. Zennox realises that the Cybermen are coming through. She tells the Cyber-Planner to open a channel to the fleet leader.

The Doctor and Jamie enter the TARDIS. Jamie asks the Doctor what he plans to do. He suggests that they go and rescue Zoe. The Doctor says it's too late to stop the fleet from arriving. Jamie tells him they should rescue Zoe anyway. The Doctor agrees, but points out that they won't be doing the rescuing. This time, they need to call for help.

The Doctor goes over to the chest and searches for the Time Lord hypercube that the Second Doctor took from Quadrigger Stoyn. Jamie finds the pieces of the cube. The Doctor instructs Jamie to lay out the pieces in a circle. The Doctor sits in a meditative stance and concentrates, causing the pieces of the cube to assemble together. He explains that the cube contains a message. Jamie asks who he plans on sending the message to. The Doctor apologises to Jamie, as he is using the cube to contact the Time Lords. Jamie asks him who the Time Lords are.

Zennox asks the Cyber-Planner where her channel to the fleet leader is, but the Cyber-Planner tells her an advance party has been dispatched. A Cyber-Leader is coming to take control. Zennox proclaims that she controls the Cyber-Planner, so therefore she logically controls everything.

The Doctor explains that the Time Lords can put an end to this whole ghastly business. They are his own people. Jamie thinks that it's okay, but the Doctor disagrees. However, there is no other option for him to take. Jamie wonders if the Doctor's hesitance is due to the transposition of the two Doctors. The Doctor admits to that. However, this also has to do with a certain future adventure the Second Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe will soon experience, where the Second Doctor will be forced to call the Time Lords for help.

The Doctor explains how he broke the rules of Time Lord society and what will happen to the Second Doctor afterwards, including being forced to regenerate into his next incarnation and being exiled to Earth. He then tells Jamie that he and Zoe won't join the Third Doctor in his exile. Instead, they'll be sent back to their original places in time and space, with no memory of their time with the Second Doctor. Jamie suggests that they go through with the call, then get Zoe and hide in the TARDIS. The Doctor points out that all of this is his fault. The Second Doctor had the sense to not get involved with this.

The Sixth Doctor thinks his former self scouted out the situation, saw that there was no way Zennox could get to the Cyber-Planer without help, and chose to leave. If the transposition had not occurred, the Second Doctor would've left with Jamie and Zoe hours ago. But thanks to the Sixth Doctor's involvement, the Great Cyber War is about to start again, and Earth will be annihilated. The Doctor decides to turn himself in to the Time Lords, only this time, he can't defend his actions. He thinks this may be why the transposition occurred. Frank enters the TARDIS and tells them they need to see what's going on outside.

The three exit the TARDIS and see the ship carrying the advance party of Cybermen landing on the planet. The Doctor presumes their task is to secure the citadel. Jamie suggests they go and destroy the beacon, but the Doctor points out they don't have the firepower to pull it off. Jamie suggests a kamikaze maneuver, and decides to do it himself. The Doctor tells him it won't work, as the beacon is projecting concentrated light, which will melt the flyer the second it crosses the beam. Jamie suggests they use the TARDIS. The Doctor figures if he put the TARDIS in hover mode, and disabled the HADS, then it could work. But, he decides to do this alone, without Jamie. The ship's mass is great enough to destroy the beacon, but he has no idea what damage the TARDIS will sustain in the process. The Doctor needs Jamie to be in a fit state in order to rescue Zoe. The Doctor quickly steps into the TARDIS and lifts off.

The Cyber-Planner announces that the advance guard has landed and the Cyber-Leader is coming. Zennox orders the Cyber-Planner to seal the gates. When it refuses to obey, Zennox threatens it with her pistol. The Cyber-Planner calmly states that the pistol is not effective against Cyber technology. Zennox points out it only needs to be effective on Zoe's head. The Cyber-Planner suddenly puts out an alert. The advanced guard have noticed an unidentified object on a collision course with the beacon. The Cyber-Planner then identifies the object as the time-space vessel piloted by the time-space criminal known as the Doctor. Zennox orders the Cyber-Planner to tell the Cyber-Leader to do something about it.

Jamie and Frank watch as the TARDIS approaches the citadel, but a Cyber saucer appears, moving to intercept the TARDIS. Frank tries to contact the Doctor. The Doctor hears him, but tells him that he can't do much about it. The Cybermen start firing at the TARDIS, and successfully shoot her, causing the TARDIS to spin towards a crash landing.

The Cyber-Planner reports that the capsule has been incapacitated and that the Cybermen are moving to capture it. Zennox doesn't care about it. The Cyber-Planner points out that Zennox wants to conquer Earth. Zennox reveals she wants science to conquer Earth. She wants Earth's future to be dictated by logic, by adherence to strict scientific principal. She wants to bring the humans and the Cybermen together. The Cyber-Planner refuses to cooperate. The door opens and the Cyber-Leader comes in and shoots Zennox. The Cyber-Planner reveals that the war caused the Cybermen to realise that humanity will always resist them, so they have decided to destroy Earth, instead. As she dies, Zennox realises how logical that choice is.

Jamie and Frank run over to where the TARDIS crashed. The door opens revealing a wall of fire. Jamie runs in and rescues the Doctor, despite his protests. Once he recovers, he tries to go back in, but Jamie holds him back. The Doctor reveals the hypercube is still inside the TARDIS. If he can't send a message to the Time Lords, then everything is lost. Frank then points out that things have gotten worse, as the Cybermen have arrived and surrounded them.

The Cyber-Planner announces that new orders have come in from the Super Controller. The Cyber-Leader proclaims that now they will win the war.

Part four
The Doctor counts down from three, and Zoe wakes up, revealing that she is with the Doctor in a holding cell on one of the Cyber ships, that is currently traveling through warp space. She looks around and notices two chairs with restraints and wonders why they weren't strapped in. The Doctor tells her they were strapped in, and that Zoe herself was the one who got them out of the chairs.

He tells her that when they were first brought in here, her mind was still a slave to the Cyber-Planner. The reason that Zoe is no longer attached to the Cyber-Planner, is because a secondary Cyber-Planner was put in her place. The Doctor was then able to persuade the Cyber-Planner in Zoe's mind to transmit unlock codes to the chairs. He admits it took a prolonged bout of logical arguing. Zoe then asks him why she is in control of her body again, instead of the Cyber-Planner. He tells her he used his fob watch to hypnotize the Cyber-Planner into deleting itself. Zoe then asks him where Jamie is. The Doctor tells her that he is being held hostage in the citadel, along with Frank, presumably to ensure the Doctor's cooperation.

The ship starts shaking, which the Doctor knows to mean that the ship is exiting warp space. Zoe asks him where the ship is exiting to, before realising they must be heading to Telos. The Doctor corrects her. They're not heading to Telos in the present, but rather Telos, ten years in the past, the day of the final battle of the Cyber War.

In the past, Frank reports to his commander on what he saw before his sonar overloaded. The commander tells him that she detects nothing. She orders him to rejoin the rest of his squadron. He asks if the commander has heard anything from the missing member of his squadron, but there's been no response, even though his comm remains open. Frank then pauses, notices a Cyber ship has appeared, heading for the central city. The commander orders Frank to return, but Frank refuses, pretending that he can't hear her.

In the future, Frank is telling this story to Jamie, while the two of them are being held captive in the citadel. Jamie doesn't care about Frank's war stories. All he cares about is finding where the Doctor and Zoe are. Frank realises that the ship the Doctor and Zoe were taken away in looked very familiar. Jamie gives up in his attempt to use his knife to cut through the Cyber cuffs. All the two of them can do is wait.

In the past, a Cyberman escorts the Doctor and Zoe underground. The Doctor states that they don't want to be on the surface of Telos with the bombardment going on. Zoe points out that they shouldn't even be here at all. The Doctor notes that no major changes to the timeline have occurred, yet. Zoe asks the Cyberman where they're going. The Cyberman tells them they are going to see the Super Controller.

The three arrive at the chamber of the Super Controller. The Controller orders the Doctor to step forward. Zoe notes how large the Controller is. The Controller tells them it's because sensors throughout him link his intelligence to every part of the Cyber Empire. The Controller suddenly shouts in pain, something that both the Doctor and Zoe notice.

The Controller denies this, stating that pain is a human concept. The Doctor points out that the Controller is connected to every part of the Cyber Empire, including every area of the surface being bombarded, every Cyber ship being shot down, and every Cyberman being killed by a Glittergun. The Controller admits that it is what it is experiencing and that it will cease to function because of this, in 2.5 cycles. However, before that happens, the Cyber fleet will reach Earth and destroy it.

However, the Controller intends to survive. The Doctor asks how it intends to do that, when there is no ship anywhere nearby that could support its mass. Zoe asks him if the TARDIS could do that. The Controller informs her that the TARDIS was critically damaged when it crashed. The Doctor confirms this. The Controller reveals that with the TARDIS out of commission, it will have to use another vessel. It plans to transfer itself into Zoe.

The Doctor tells the Controller that it won't work, as Zoe's brain is too small to handle the consciousness of the Controller. The Controller points out that her mind is compartmentalized, she is half-machine already. That is how she was able to channel a Cyber-Planner. Zoe refuses to be the Controller's vessel. She states that she will hypnotize herself, but before she can get the Doctor to pass her his watch, the Controller has her restrained by the Cyberman.

The Doctor offers his own mind, but the Controller refuses and orders for the Doctor to be taken to be converted into a Cyberman. The Doctor questions the Controller on the point of doing so. After all, Telos is going to fall, so there's no point in creating more ground troops, something that the Controller confirms. The Doctor then points out it would be more logical for him to be killed, rather than converted. He then addresses the other Cybermen in the room, pointing out that the Super Controller has gone mad. The Controller silences the Doctor, and tells him that the conversion unit is connected to the Controller. When the Doctor begins undergoing the conversion, the Controller will be aware. The Doctor accuses the Controller of wanting to feel his pain. The Controller orders for the Doctor to be taken away. Before he leaves, he apologises to Zoe for failing to stop this.

In the future, the Cyber-Planner receives new orders. The fleet is to mobilize in 1.09 cycles. The Cyber-Leader confirms the orders.

In the past, the Cyberman take the Doctor to the conversion unit. The Doctor is still trying to convince them of the Controller's madness. The Cyberman ignores him, forcing him to get in line with the other prisoners who are to be converted. In line, the Doctor meets the past version of Lanky, who has yet to be converted. The Doctor introduces himself. Soon, it's Lanky's turn to enter the unit. However, one of the Cybermen, who is Frank in disguise, suddenly intervenes, stating that the two remaining prisoners are not to be converted. The Cyberman asks him why they shouldn't be converted. Frank tells the Cyberman that Lanky is a good friend of his. The Doctor notices that Frank is carrying a Glittergun. The Cyberman has figured out that it isn't talking to another Cyberman. Frank shoots the Cyberman, killing it. The Doctor realises the problem with what has just happened. Frank arrived too soon, before Lanky's body was converted, meaning the timeline has been altered.

In the future, a Cyberman enters the room where Jamie and Frank are being held. The Cyberman reveals himself to be Lanky. Jamie notices that Lanky is human under the suit, being able to see from the hole in the chest unit, caused by Zennox's blaster. Lanky reveals the truth about what happened when he nearly got converted. He never was converted, having been saved in time by Frank. Now that the secret has been revealed, he no longer needs to wear the Cyber suit and disconnects the voice box.

In the past, the Doctor starts to tell Lanky that he was supposed to be partly converted, but decides not to tell him. He greets Frank and helps him get the headpiece of his Cyber suit off. Frank notes that they all should get out of here, but the Doctor tells the two to go ahead without him. He needs to go rescue Zoe. Frank and Lanky decide to help the Doctor rescue Zoe.

In the future, Jamie asks why Lanky was going around pretending to be a partially converted Cyberman. Frank tells him it made Zennox more willing to hire them, and Lanky tells him it was because the Doctor knew him as a Cyberman. Lanky tells Jamie that they met the Doctor ten years ago on Telos. They couldn't reveal the truth until the Doctor and Zoe were taken back in time, in order to preserve the timeline. Frank says that this is no time for more explanations and asks Lanky to remove their cuffs. Lanky tells them that they will soon be getting Glitterguns, which he had "the boy" go get.

"The boy" arrives, revealing himself to be Findel. He apologises for being late, as he nearly ran into a Cyber patrol. Jamie asks how Findel is alive, and Lanky reveals it was because Zennox didn't shoot him in the chest unit. Lanky isn't the half-converted Cyberman, Findel is. Findel reveals it was when he was back in school, a part of that one group. The tutors convinced some of the students to prove their devotion by replacing parts of their bodies. Lanky tells him to hand him the Glitterguns. The four need to go take out the beacon, so Zoe can do her thing.

In the past, Frank notes that they're getting low on ammo. The Doctor tells them to cover the rear, as he'll go take on the Super Controller. The Doctor enters the Controller's chamber and threatens the Controller. Only, something is off. The Controller isn't saying anything and Zoe is attached to some cables. Zoe reveals that she isn't Zoe. The Controller has already transferred itself into Zoe's body. Frank and Lanky, who disobeyed the Doctor and followed him in, watch in awe as the cables life the Controller off the ground.

The Controller points out the Glitterguns are useless against it, due to being in Zoe's body. The Doctor tells Frank and Lanky that this means Zoe's brain is being overwritten. Soon, her mind will be gone forever.

In the future, the Cyber-Planner updates the orders from the Controller. The fleet is to mobilize in 0.10 cycles. The Cyber-Leader confirms the orders. Jamie, Frank, Lanky, and Findel enter the room and attack, killing the Cyber-Leader. The Cyber-Planner orders for other Cybermen to come protect it. Frank asks Findel if he can disconnect the Cyber-Planner. Findel says he'll try.

In the past, the Controller senses that the fleet is in warp space. It will be within its reach in 0.09 cycles. Frank asks what fleet it's talking about. The Doctor reveals the existence of a fleet of ten thousand ships, ten years in the future. The Controller is preparing a coordinated attack. He tells Lanky to forget he just said that. When Lanky asks why, the Controller reveals that the Doctor came from that future.

Before it can say more, it screams in pain from the bombardment of Telos. Zoe uses that moment of weakness to retake control of her body and tells the Doctor about the cold fusion reactor that just went critical. The Controller begins to reassert its control over Zoe, but fades away again. Zoe reveals it's because the Cyber-Planner is screaming in pain. The beacon has been shut down. She tells them she needs to concentrate on bringing the Cyber fleet back to Telos. But, if she does so, the timeline changes to one where the war doesn't end today. So, she'll call the fleet back, but won't tell them to stop. This will cause the ships to crash into the planet, wiping out all the Cybermen and ending the war. However, this will also ensure Zoe's death, as she'll need to remain behind to ensure the ships crash. The Super Controller emerges again, telling Zoe not to go through with her plan. The Doctor is in agreement with the Controller.

In the future, Jamie asks what happens now, now that the Cyber-Planner has been disconnected. Frank tells him that there's a sacrifice that needs to be made. He and Lanky tell Jamie about what happened to Zoe, how she planned to sacrifice herself to destroy the Cybermen. Jamie can't believe that this is what is going to happen.

In the past, the Doctor asks Zoe to let him disconnect her from the Controller. Zoe refuses, intent on destroying the Cybermen to avenge the deaths of everyone who died against the Cybermen, including he friends who died when she first met the Cybermen, when they invaded the Wheel. Zoe pleads for the Doctor to allow her to sacrifice herself. Frank and Lanky understand, saddened to see such a brave girl having to die. Lanky tells the Doctor it's time for them to go. The Doctor refuses to leave. If Zoe is going to go through with this, then she won't be dying alone.

Zoe tells the Doctor to be reasonable. The Doctor refuses. Suddenly, the Controller emerges again, but suddenly vanishes. Zoe describes it like a gate suddenly came down, which the Doctor realises is a logic gate. Someone else has interfered, taking Zoe's place as the vessel for the Controller. That someone turns out to be Findel.

Findel is communicating from within the Cyber-Planner, in the future. Jamie asks what is going on, but Lanky tell him to leave Findel alone. Findel has made his choice. The sacrifice that he and Frank were talking about wasn't Zoe, but Findel.

In the past, the Doctor realises that Findel intends to go through with Zoe's plan, and bring the Cyber fleet down on Telos. Zoe points out that it will cause Findel's mind to be trapped in the Controller, killing him. Findel lowers Zoe to the floor, allowing the Doctor, Frank, and Lanky to disconnect her from the cables. Zoe begs Findel to not go through with this, but he refuses to stop.

In the future, Jamie asks what happens next. Frank tells him that the TARDIS couldn't be used to leave, so they used Frank's ship to leave. Jamie asks where the Doctor and Zoe are now. Frank tells him that they didn't make it to Frank's ship.

In the past, Zoe tells the Doctor that they can't just leave Findel to die. The Doctor points out that the fleet will hit in 0.06 cycles, not enough time to do anything to save him. The ceiling in the passageway collapses, separating the Doctor and Zoe from Frank and Lanky.

In the future, Frank and Lanky explain about the corridor caving in from the bombardment.

In the past, the Doctor tells Frank and Lanky to leave them behind, as there's no way for them to get around the debris. What matters now is preserving causality.

In the future, Frank tells Jamie that the Doctor then gave them their instructions for what to do when they next meet him. Frank was worried it would go wrong, when Zennox almost shot the Doctor and Jamie. Jamie yells that it has gone wrong, as this means the Doctor and Zoe are dead.

In the past, Findel announces that the fleet will collide with Telos in 0.03 cycles. The Doctor and Zoe reach the TARDIS. Zoe was able to guide the Doctor here, because she saw where the ship was being kept, while she was linked up to the Controller. The two step into the damaged control room. The Doctor had been hoping that the TARDIS would've started regenerating by now, enough to grant the two some protection. Zoe asks if the TARDIS is dead. The Doctor tells her that the TARDIS is inert. She needs Artron energy to kick start the process. She needs to latch onto the time vortex, but they are currently in fluid time, adrift from continuity. The TARDIS was never supposed to be here, after all, and neither were the Doctor and Zoe.

Zoe asks him if there is something they can do. The Doctor tells her that if Frank and Lanky didn't make it out in time, and meet him in the future, it would erase this timeline. The Doctor wonders if that's what went wrong.

Outside, Findel announces that there are only 0.02 cycles left.

In the TARDIS, the Doctor laments that all of this is his fault. Zoe points out that the war could still end. What makes that happen is the Sixth Doctor's involvement. The Doctor points out if that was true, the TARDIS would've already come back to life. He states that the Second Doctor had the right idea to run away.

Zoe says that doesn't make sense. Why would the Second Doctor run away from a Cyberman? The Sixth Doctor points out that they saw that he did. Zoe questions whether the Second Doctor's arrival on the dwarf planet really was an accident. The Sixth Doctor realises what she's getting at. Someone summoned the Second Doctor's TARDIS to the dwarf planet, so he could be swapped with the Sixth Doctor. Zoe states that the Cybermen are about to be destroyed, because the two Doctors switched places. But, in order for that to happen, the Second Doctor needed to go to the dwarf planet.

What the Sixth Doctor and Zoe need to do is close the circle, by sending the Second Doctor a message, getting him to go to the dwarf planet. The Sixth Doctor states that the Second Doctor would never fall for the message. He would think it's a trap. Zoe agrees, and that was why the Second Doctor had Jamie and Zoe stay behind in the TARDIS.

Outside, Findel announces that the fleet will crash in 0.01 cycles.

In the TARDIS, the Doctor states that Zoe's idea is nothing more than just an enchanting theory. The problem with her plan is that the telepathic circuits are as damaged as the rest of the TARDIS, meaning they can't send a message. Suddenly, the telepathic circuits come online. Zoe tells him it means she is right. Since they have realised that they need to send the Second Doctor a message, time is no longer fluid, and the TARDIS has begun regenerating. Zoe tells the Doctor to hurry up and send the message, because the fleet will hit any second.

Outside, the ships collide with Telos, bringing an end to the Great Cyber War.

In the future, Jamie, Frank, and Lanky watch Findel call out Zoe's name, before dying. Lanky decides that they should go have some tea, before taking Jamie back to Earth. Suddenly, Frank hears the sound of the TARDIS materialising, meaning that the Doctor and Zoe successfully escaped Telos.

The Doctor and Zoe watch from the scanner as Frank's flyer lands nearby. He confirms that the TARDIS has landed in the same spot as it did before. Zoe asks him if it's all over now. The Doctor confirms that it is over for the Cybermen. There will be a few scattered survivors, but without the Super Controller's influence, they'll be unbalanced and emotional. They might even want revenge.

Zoe tells him that's not what she was asking. She was talking about the transposition. Whoever was responsible wasn't targeting the Cybermen, they were targeting the Doctor. The Doctor agrees. He has been attacked by someone well acquainted with the Doctor's personal history. The Doctor notes that whoever it was has failed. It's just a pity that he won't remember this.

Zoe points out that he's still here. The Doctor tells her it will take a while for the timelines to adjust and restore the two Doctors to their proper places in time and space. He notes that the TARDIS has almost fully restored herself. This means that the Second Doctor will soon reappear. When he does, time will snap back, and Zoe won't recall that the Sixth Doctor was ever here.

The doors open and Jamie joins them in the TARDIS. With him here, the Doctor notes that soon, things will go back to the way they were. Jamie tells him not to be so sure. He tells Zoe what the Doctor told him about their future. Zoe asks the Doctor to confirm this, which he does. Jamie thinks that he and Zoe could leave with Frank and Lanky instead, avoiding that future. He points out that they're not far off from Zoe's original time, so she'll have no problem fitting in. Zoe considers this, and all the good she could do to help those like her and Findel.

The Doctor tells them that time doesn't work like that. He tells them to look at his hand, which is turning transparent. The transposition is reversing, and the Sixth Doctor is fading away, back to where and when he should be. Zoe tells Jamie that if they plan to leave, they must go now. Jamie points out that it means they'll miss the Second Doctor's return. The Sixth Doctor tells them to look at the scanner. On it, they can see the ridge where the transposition occurred. That ridge is where the Second Doctor will reappear, any moment now.

Jamie think they should wait a moment, so they can see the Second Doctor again. Zoe tells him that they can't. If he wants to keep his memories, he has to go now. The Sixth Doctor tells them that they won't remember him. But, he will never forget them. At that moment, he fades away. Zoe only has enough time to say that he is gone, before both she and Jamie forget everything that has just happened. Once again, they're waiting in the TARDIS, during an electrical storm, for the Second Doctor to return. They even start having the same conversation they had just before the transposition occurred.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Colin Baker
 * Jamie - Frazer Hines
 * Zoe - Wendy Padbury
 * Zennox - Lucy Liemann
 * Findel - Kieran Hodgson
 * Frank - Nicholas Farrell
 * Cybermen, Lanky - Nicholas Briggs

Continuity

 * Polly once told Jamie that the Doctor changed his face once before. (TV: The Tenth Planet)
 * The Doctor recalls the incident in the Land of Fiction where he put Jamie's face back together wrong. (TV: The Mind Robber)
 * In the chest in the Second Doctor's TARDIS, (TV: The Power of the Daleks) the Sixth Doctor finds his fur coat, (TV: The Abominable Snowmen, et al) a dagger from Saladin, (TV: The Crusade) a Chameleon Tours brochure, (TV: The Faceless Ones) and a Quark's head. (TV: The Dominators)
 * Frank and Zennox tell Zoe it has been ten years since the end of the Cyber-Wars when humans defeated the Cybermen with Glitterguns. (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen)
 * The Sixth Doctor also met Zoe and a fictional version of Jamie in the Land of Fiction. (AUDIO: Legend of the Cybermen)
 * Jamie mentions his recent adventures with the Doctor, including the Cybermen in 1975 London, (TV: The Invasion) the Ice Warriors on the Moon, (TV: The Seeds of Death) visits to Australia, (AUDIO: Echoes of Grey) Tromesis, (AUDIO: The Apocalypse Mirror) and Saturn, (PROSE: The Wheel of Ice) and a meeting with Caven. (TV: The Space Pirates) Jamie says it has been two weeks since they encountered the Cybermen, and that they pursued them from London to Isos.
 * The Doctor believes Jamie and Zoe's next adventure may involve soldiers taken out of time. He says he will be tried by the Time Lords and exiled, and that Jamie and Zoe's memories will be wiped and they will be returned home. (TV: The War Games) However, their memories of this adventure are lost by the end of the story.
 * Jamie does not know who the Time Lords are. (TV: The War Games)