| THE HARVEST by Dan Abnett |
| Story 58 Synopsis: Staff Nurse Thomas "Hex" Schofield is expecting his 23rd birthday to be a quiet day at work, St Gart's Hospital. When a friend is brought in after a bike accident, but then vanishes, he's not happy. And when weirdo Human Resources worker McShane tries to interrogate him, he's baffled. When they're nearly run down by a maniac, things get worse. But when he finds McShane lives in a strange box in a car park with a strange guy called the Doctor, he has a lot to take in. They claim to be private investigators curious about C-Program on the 31st floor of St Gart's. When Hex and McShane try to investigate, they're met by Cybermen. McShane is captured, and the Doctor and Hex head back to the TARDIS, which they use to get back inside the 31st floor. McShane is treated as a suitable subject for conversion, whilst the Doctor meets Subject One, a former Cyberleader, part of C-Program. Subject One claims that the Cybermen are trying to improve themselves by forming a new symbiosis with flesh, but actually they've just gulled their allies into providing a huge new supply of Cybermen. When the experimental Cybermen are allowed access to guns and given orders to defend the program at all costs, they take this as meaning an order to kill all humans. Luckily, one of the doctors working on the program has had sufficient doubts to instil a failsafe, and though himself shot, is able to tell McShane the password so she can switch the experiments off. Subject One fails through organ rejection, and the Doctor trusts C-Program is finished. Hex asks to join he and McShane in the TARDIS, and they leave. |
| Review:- The near future, and London is again at risk from the Doctor's old enemies, back with a cunning new plan of conquest... The involvement of the Cybermen is intended to come as a surprise, and it broadly works quite well if you can't work it out from the clues. The idea of Cybermen using a hospital to provide them with a ready replenished supply of new bodies is hardly all that new (I used it myself in an attempted story once), but the twist that they appear to be trying reverse-engineering in their evolution from flesh to metal does present an interesting diversion from the norm. It almost comes as a disappointment when that proves to be just a cover for the real plan. It's all too believable that Doctor Farrer and Security Officer Garnier would be so blinded by their mission that they would disregard the consequences of their actions in pursuit of the greater good (modifying astronauts, in this case). Garnier, in particular, is every bit the jumped-up traitor to his kind seen in many Cyber-stories over the years, and David Warwick brings a calm force to his performance that makes his actions all the more chilling. If a threat to humanity is the problem, then what better way to counter that than with a display of the virtues of humanity? Which is a flowery way of considering Staff Nurse Thomas Schofield, the tiresomely-nicknamed Hex (though that might turn out to be all too prudent an alias, of course). Written as down-to-earth and acted with style, Philip Olivier helps make Hex an instant hit, and a welcome addition to a TARDIS line-up that badly needs some vigour. Sophie Aldred proves surprisingly bearable, despite the ridiculous "Just McShane" tag - surely a mental health escapee, not a valued member of Human Resources? As for the Doctor, he becomes the first cliffhanger, which is a bit daft, and his attempts to thwart System turn out to backfire, which is a welcome variation on his usual tiresome all-knowing routine. The capture of Ace, er McShane, means he has to pal up with Hex in the 3rd episode, which does them both a world of good. His reaction to the Cybermen seems rather unforgiving, until it turns out he was quite right to do so. Though I was expecting the crucial password to be something about hearts, rather than the title, the story arguably suffers from a too-easy conclusion. The natural failure of the transplants proves a fitting demise for this Cyber-plan, though a rather harsh reflection of the danger of organ donation in real life. Perhaps an advert for Donor Cards would have seemed sick in the circumstances, rather than a wasted opportunity lost? Overall, it's a tight little thriller that brings new life to an old enemy, and a new companion who's full of life, too. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |