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. 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
to be added

Part four
to be added

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's 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)