Opening narration box
Cybermen have been using upgraded humans on Centuria to mine special gems called Hargstones. But what is their plan?
Summary
The TARDIS lands in Centuria Central and in a temporal stasis field. Kadett is caught in the frozen moment but the Doctor, being a Time Lord, can resist the field. Cybermen in a patrol aircar spot him moving around and pursue. The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to bring the aircar crashing down, drawing the attention of other Cybermen, who arrive to salvage parts and take them back to base. The Doctor smuggles himself into the base with the salvage. The base is the Triplanetary base which the Doctor suspects has been robbed of its Hargstone reserves to enable the Cybermen to maintain a stasis machine. The Doctor learns from the Cybermen that they built the stasis machine from Torchwood files and used the device to subdue overwhelming opposition. Choosing the most secure place for the machine, the Doctor escapes and heads for the bank's vault, but it is made of titanium and is protected by laser-proof glass and destructor rays. When the Doctor can't get in he uses the sonic screwdriver to turn the destructor rays inwards, destroying the stasis machine. The Cybermen have a mental link with the machine that enables them to move around inside the stasis field, so when the machine is destroyed the temporal feedback overloads their circuits. With the Cybermen now no more than ghosts and the stasis field gone, the Doctor says goodbye to Kadett, warning her to keep her eyes peeled. In the shadows, the eyes of Cybermen glow red.
Characters
- Tenth Doctor
- Jayne Kadett – investigator who teamed up with the Doctor after tracking an info-thief who had stolen Torchwood files on Cyber conversion.
- Cybermen – upgraded human lifeforms housed in a cybernetic shell, devoid of emotion, intent on upgrading (converting) others.
Original print details
Installment, publication title with page count and closing caption.
- 4/4 DWBIT 11 (4 pages) TO BE CONTINUED!!!
- No reprints to date.
Notes
- Supporting the series of collectable Doctor Who trading cards, the magazine title, carried a regular 4 page, individually titled comic strip series of the Tenth Doctor’s adventures.
- Style wise, the artwork and colours were bold and bright reflecting the tone of the magazine and, as with Doctor Who Adventures, it reflected the appeal to younger readers than that catered for by Doctor Who Magazine.
- The Cybermen featured in this story are those from Pete's World, although it is stated earlier that they were created in the Doctor's universe from files from the Torchwood archives. This comic strip, and the previous three which piece together the full story, mark the only time these varients of Cybermen have appeared in a comic, and the only time so far the Cybermen have appeared in a new series comic.
References
- The Battles in Time comic strip often sought to reinforce the Doctor character with that as seen on screen by utilising various ‘props’ used in the TV series. Namely; blue/brown suit, intelligent-looking glasses, sonic screwdriver and psychic paper.
Continuity
to be added
Timeline
- This story takes place after DWBIT: Enemy Mine
- This story takes place before DWBIT: Beneath the Skin