Master - Fine incision

Without warning, the scarecrow lunged from the shadows and snatched at Missy. She saw it at the last second and ducked away, blocking its grabbing hand with the handle of her umbrella. Alit dived through the open hatchway.

‘Oh, no, you don’t!’ The Master was already moving, snatching at the cloth that covered the Cyberman’s chest. He ripped it open to reveal a computerised display unit beneath. The Cyberman tried to grab at his assailant, but Missy was parrying his movements with her umbrella, accompanying each move with a squeal of ‘Hai!’

The Master stared at the chest unit for a brief second, then used his laser screwdriver to make a fine incision. Immediately the Cyberman stopped flailing and stood still. ‘There!’ The Master stood back, a little out of breath.

Missy sank to the floor and looked up at the inert Cyberman. ‘What have you done to poor Topknot?’

‘Downgraded it,’ the Master replied. ‘Now, let’s see what it has to say for itself.’ He stepped up to the Cyberman and looked it in the face before lowering his head to the top of the chest unit. ‘Voice box, voice box …’ He fiddled with some unseen controls then stood back.

‘Pain,’ the Cyberman said. ‘Pain.’

‘I agree,’ the Master said. ‘In the backside.’

Alit poked her head from the hatch, shivering, to check it was safe once more.

The Master spoke to the Cyberman again. ‘Recognise vocal command authorisation: Master. Alpha. Seven,’ he said.

‘You perfected voice control?’ Missy breathed. ‘Impressive!’

‘What did you expect?’ The Master unbuttoned the back of the Cyberman’s silver overall and explained that he was going to change the root command in its operating system so that it no longer identified beings with two hearts as a target. ‘Then we can use Topknot here for whatever we like. He has scanning capability and he’s strong.’

***

The Missy Chronicles, Alit in Underland