Until We Burn | Dr Who

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Age of Steel

The corridor we find ourselves in is completely deserted. The quiet comes as a comfort.

Without warning, a Cyberman steps into our path. "You are not upgraded."

"Yeah, well, upgrade this!" Mrs Moore shouts, hurling a cylinder of coiled wires at it. The device latches onto the creature's chest, immediately shocking it with bolts of electricity until it falls.

Stunned, the Doctor glances between her and it. "What the hell was that thing?"

"Electromagnetic bomb. It takes out computers, I figured it might stop a cybersuit."

"You figured right," I laugh, still a little dazed. "Did I mention that I love you?"

The Doctor crouches beside it and we follow suit, watching as he traces a circular hatch on its chest with his sonic. "Let's have a look, know your enemy. They've even got the logo on the front. Lumic's turned them into a brand." The hatch opens up to reveal a cavity filled with some kind of wires, glowing blue. He raises the lid for us to see the circuits on its underside. "Heart of steel. But look..."

We both watch, fascinated, as he produces a tangled string of slimy white. "Is that... flesh?" I murmur.

He hums a confirmation. "A central nervous system — artificially grown, threaded through the suit so it responds like a living thing. Well, it is a living thing. Oh, but look!" He points to a tiny circuit connected to the side, also marked by the logo: a simple C marked with a horizontal line halfway. "Emotional inhibitor. Stops them feeling anything."

"But why?"

"It's still got a human brain. Imagine its reaction if it could see itself, realise itself, inside this thing. It would go insane."

"So they cut out the one thing that makes them human," Mrs Moore sighs.

He nods. "Because they have to."

I find my hand reaching for his, clasping it tightly. "My Gods. This is— This is... sick. This is evil."

"Why... am I... cold?"

We all freeze. "Oh my God, it's alive. It can feel."

"I've broken the inhibitor," he realises, horrified. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

But it just repeats itself, staring blankly at the ceiling. There is no light in its welded eyes. "Why so cold?"

He lets go of me to lean over it. I cover my mouth. "Can you remember your name?" he gently questions.

"Sally. Sally Phelan."

"You're a woman?"

Mrs Moore and I join him now, watching over the body. I found it hard to believe that these things had once been people, butchered and forced into metal uniforms, all the same. Now I can. I truly can believe it and I wish I didn't have to.

"Where's Gareth?" I can hear a bit of Sally's voice now. Not much, but enough for her to sound human.

Ignoring the coldness of her metal face, I cup it in my hand. "Who's Gareth?"

For a moment, she doesn't respond. "He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before."

Mrs Moore looks at her now with a painful understanding. "You're getting married?"

"I'm cold. I'm so cold," she says again.

I keep stroking the side of the metal face. Even if she can't feel it, even though it isn't her face, it at least makes me feel like I'm doing something to help her. "It's going to be okay. We're here. We won't leave you."