h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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Suddenly, a loud war cry and stuttering laser rifle shots sounded from outside. Seventeen Mondasian army troops, led by Senior Technician Astrak, emerged from the sandstorm desert. Sy Monn turned to Biroc.
'Bring 'em!'
Biroc bundled the still-tied Doctor and Ace out of the hideout just as the Mondasians burst through the door. Sy Monn and Krang fled too.

As they were bundled like disregarded sacks over the desert wasteland by Biroc and Krang, the Doctor had managed to dislodge the penknife from his back pocket into his tied hands. With some difficulty, he released its blade and cut himself free. Ace, realising his idea, took the knife from his hands and cut the ropes around her wrists too. She knew the Doctor's plan, he had done it before.
With lightning agility, the Doctor flung his legs out and stood up. With a strange twist of the body, he manouvered himself behind the tall, lean-faced Krang and flung his hand down in a Venusian Aikido chop right across the back of Krang's neck. Krang reeled and slumped onto the ground. Rubbing his sore hand, the Doctor noticed that Ace, having jumped to her feet, was wrestling awkwardly with the big-built Biroc. The Doctor went over and jabbed his outstretched fingers into a gap between the blood vessels in Biroc's throat. Biroc stumbled forward, then the Doctor tripped him up. With both of their captors out cold, the two travellers looked around for Sy Monn. He was nowhere to be seen.
'Well Ace,' the Doctor said cheerfully, as if their ordeal had been just a stroll in the park, 'shall we warn the officials of this planet about Sy Monn's latest gesture of destruction?'
'We could ask for help in repairing the TARDIS,' Ace replied.
'Trouble is,' said the Doctor, 'where do we go now?'
As if in answer, Astrak and her scientist friends emerged from the sand-swept horizon and hurried over to them. Panting heavily, Astrak said, 'How did you escape? Those rebels were big blokes.'
'Oh we used our own special technique. We get ourselves free and send our captors into a rather unexpected nap,' the Doctor complicatedly.
'Knockout basically,' Ace translated.
'Whoever you are extra terrestrials, you're coming to our habitation dome,' a scientist spoke.
'Of course, of course, of course,' the Doctor nodded approvingly, 'then we can tell you about our friend Sy Monn back there and his anti-Cyberman virus.' He beamed at them.
Astrak and her scientists looked at each other in alarm as they and the two "extra terrestrials" made their way across the desert...

PART FIVE:

The journey across the desert was long and tedious, but at last the small group reached the Scientific Habitation Dome. Once there, the Doctor and Ace were introduced to Krail.
The barking, over-dramatic Chief Scientific Researcher Krail seemed like a bossy hothead headmaster to Ace, but the Doctor kept calm and cool. He slowly and carefully described his arrival on Mondas; the damage sustained to the TARDIS; his capture by Sy Monn and his rebels; their escape and their eventual rescue by Astrak and her scientists. Krail listened intently, and then said:
'Very well. You can stay here as our honoured guests for the time being. I'll send some of my scientists to try and recover your craft - whatitsname - TARDIS.'
'Thank you,' the Doctor beamed, 'now I've got something important to tell you.'
Obviously this was about the virus. He sat down next to Krail, leaned forward like any good storyteller, and said, 'During our meeting with Sy Monn, he told us of some Venn Nagri plants...'
He broke off as Senior Technician Astrak relayed facts about the plant like a computer, 'The Venn Nagri plant is a small, thistle-like plant commonly found in the Kyrik Circles and rich in an acidic chemical which can eat through metal and plastic components. Its growth is prohibited in these sectors because of its metal/plastic unfriendly nature.'
The Doctor continued unabashed. '...As I was saying, he told us about these plants and how their acidic content, nicknamed the Venn Nagri Virus, would be a powerful tool of destruction against the people you've cybernetically converted into Cybermen. He plans to deliver the virus to your habitation dome, exactly how I don't know.'
Krail listened carefully and as the Doctor finished, his eyebrows creased in thought. 'Thank you,' he barked, 'now Astrak will show you to your guest quarters.'
Astrak led Ace and the Doctor away. When they were out of sight, Krail turned to a fellow scientist. 'Tell our Attack Squad that they must send an invasion party into the Kyrik Circles. Sy Monn and his rebels must be caught at all costs!'

Ace and the Doctor were looking over their rather dull guest quarters. Basically, the room was large and plain, with two pull-out beds on one wall and a desk and two chairs with two silk cushions and two meals in stainless steel bowls placed on the desk. The Mondasians did everything in twos, Ace noted. It had taken two scientists to escort them across the desert and two guards had to guard their guest quarters. She wanted to make a joke of it, but the Doctor was in a serious mood.
'I don't trust that Krail chap,' he said crossly.
'Why? He seems a wicked, all-action type of guy. I wonder if he'd take my cans of nitro-nine. That would sort that Sy Monn out bigtime,' Ace grinned, imagining Sy Monn and his rebels being blown to bits.
The Doctor leaned forward to explain. 'When the Cybermen first came to Earth in 1986, Krail was the leading Cyberman. He had big plans of converting the humans of an Arctic control station into more Cybermen, while allowing Mondas to naturally absorb the Earth's raw energy. Here, he seems to be in charge of everything on Mondas itself. Even the Attack Squad don't do anything without his instruction. But he doesn't hold power over how the Cybermen are created. That's Senior Technician Astrak's job. Just think, if he allowed the Cybermen to be destroyed even before they are officially created, he can re-design the Cybermen to his own liking. They would be even more powerful than they are now!'
'You mean, if Sy Monn wipes out the Cybermen, Krail will gain more power by re-designing the Cybermen himself.'
'Exactly,' the Doctor replied with a sinister smile, 'but let's just see what happens. Krail is a scheming power-mad meglomaniac.'

Outside their guest quarters, B'Lok listened intently to their conversation. His cybernetically-enhanced ears picked up every word, despite the thick iron door that, to a human ear, muffled their conversation greatly. B'Lok's scheme of revenge was now set. Krail must die, and B'Lok must become Cyberleader in his place. Then he must destroy the rebels and prevent the Cybermen from dying out. Only then would Krail never succeed in turning the Cybermen into the gods of war...

Krail also had planned his secret agenda. This plan was simple. He would send a squadron of Attack Squad men into the Kyrik Circles, where the Venn Nagri Virus, he had calculated with surprising speed, would affect and hopefully disable their metal and plastic weaponry. Sy Monn and his rebels would then retaliate for the Squad's planned attack, severely diminishing their numbers. Then, Krail would allow the virus to enter the Scientific Dome and wipe out the Cybermen. Then in the aftermath, Krail would re-create the Cybermen to his own approval and claim domination over Mondas.

"Approximatley 400 Cybermen had been created by the coming of the strange being known only as the Doctor, and hundreds more were ready for their alteration..."

BIRTH OF THE GIANTS, written by B'Lok (1988).

Meanwhile, the small squadron that Krail had planned to have made weaponless by the Venn Nagri Virus and so innocently slaughtered by Sy Monn and his associates journeyed wearily across the desert wasteland, carrying their heavy blunt-nosed laser rifles with tired arms and walking without rest. So naturally, they were exhausted, fed up and wishing very much that they could go back to their nice comfortable Attack Squad Dome.
Garrok, the leading member of this squadron, turned to subordinate Kankra, panting heavily. 'Just a bit more and we'll be at the Kyrik Circles. I wish we'd brought along those of us who have already been converted; it would make this journey easier.'
Kankra responded by saying, 'It would certainly help.' Then, a sudden stuttering round of laser fire sounded in the distance. Kankra's leather-clad body was engulfed in a reddish halo and he staggered back a few paces and dropped dead to the ground.
A sudden rush of emotions: anger, fear, regret, hatred, filled Garrok's mind as he stared intently at the smouldering corpse of his murdered deputy. He yelled to his troops, 'Take cover!'
The troops dived for what little cover existed in this bleak and barren landscape. A couple of them rolled into a deep crater, crouching beneath its sloping walls and priming their laser guns for the counter attack. Others simply lay prone on the dry dusty ground while a few even just knelt on one knee.
The now-familiar stuttering round of Sy Monn's "Justice" laser rifle broke the tense silence. One of the crater's sloping sides exploded in a shower of rocky fragments. The squadron soldiers raised an arm to block the flying shards, then fired repeatedly back at their unseen but plainly obvious attackers. Sy Monn and his rebels fired in response to this counterfire.
This continued for several minutes, with the only successful shot striking one of the kneeling troops. Garrok, his mind full of revenge on the murder of second-in-command Kankra, fired constantly with savage ferocity.
To his good fortune, he managed to strike down Krang, although still not visible from the Attack Squad position. Krang, one arm cruelly severed and spewing blood, dropped down and lay writhing. Sy Monn abandoned his counterfire and went over to him.
'Krang! Here, come with me!'
He picked his wounded comrade up like a sack and half-carried, half-dragged him over the desert wasteland to the makeshift rebel base. Once there, he lay Krang down and examined his injuries. The bloody stump of an arm was devoid of flesh, the biceps muscle underneath protruding a vivid pink from the tattered wound, and a piece of bone stuck out at an odd angle.
Krang shuddered convulsively, his mouth dribbling blood and his pupils unmoving. Death was near. He had lost a lot of blood and his wound was severe. But Sy Monn wasn't ready to let him go yet. Krang was a good rebel, and Sy Monn had even considered replacing him as second-in-command with the rather weak and timid Biroc. Sy Monn thought for a few moments.
If he took Krang to the Scientific Habitation Dome, Krail could not only repair his life-threatening injuries but also possibly cybernetically convert Krang into a Cyberman! It would be fantastic to have a Cyberman on their side! But, the Mondasian scientists were their sworn enemies, and they would never be allowed entry without a big battle commencing first. Krang wouldn't last that long. Sy Monn knew what he had to do: he had to invade and take command of the Scientific Habitation Dome!

PART SIX:

The shrill emergency alarm in the Scientific Habitation Dome rang again. Krail was getting increasingly fed-up. The news that the Attack Squad men had succeeded in attacking the rebels without their weapons being affected by the virus was not good. 'What is it now?' Krail thundered at Senior Technician Astrak.
Astrak spoke solemnly: 'The rebels led by Sy Monn are heading into this sector.'