PEOPLE WATCHING ― doctor who

THREE

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CHAPTER THREE:
THE MECHANIST

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IRIS knew she'd see a spaceship when the Doctor explained the Time Vortex in detail for three hours.

She didn't, however, expect it to be her first trip. And certainly not in a small shop on a planet named after Shakespeare disguised behind a beaded doorway.

"Is everything made of metal?" Iris wondered aloud as they entered the holographic room.

The Doctor informed her he'd spent the fifteen minutes she was interrogating Kasra working on disabling the alarms. He was absolutely positive they were disabled.

"Humans aren't as creative in the future," he informed her, looking around what appeared to be a console room. "It's stunted for a long time," he glanced down at her. "You're on a planet named after Shakespeare, did you think humanity came up with that organically?"

"Fair enough," Iris nodded. Her finger ran along a metal wall, curved up into what appeared to be a sphere of sorts. A large console sat in the middle, but it wasn't moving, and a red button was blinking.

Iris frowned, walking closer to the button. She looked down at it and then to the Doctor.

"I thought you said the alarms were disabled."

Before he could answer, a door slid open and she jumped back, eyes widening when a man entered.

"Different alarm system," the Doctor leaned a bit closer to her, "your little human brain wouldn't understand."

"Take that back right now or I will stab you in the neck with a pen."

The Doctor looked down at her, then glanced to the man again. "That's very violent," he chastised. "You're too small to be grumbling about murder."

"You're too intelligent to be failing at your only job."

"This isn't my only job," he frowned down at her. "I've done plenty today."

"Lecturing in class and teaching me doesn't equate to the man in the corner observing us with a freaky mask and if you'd disabled the alarms like an actual smart person, we'd be fine."

"Next time, you take the sonic glasses, and we'll see who wins."

Iris snorted. "No way you could make conversation with people like a normal person."

"Then let me do my job and you'll do yours," he scowled, taking off his glasses. "This is all part of the plan."

"That guy?" Iris pointed to the man who crossed his arms, tilting his head as he watched the duo. "He looks like he's a Marvel villain."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"I do love Loki," Iris nodded. "Hi," she smiled brightly, waving her hand. "I'm Iris, this is the Doctor."

The Doctor took a step towards the man, stepping a fraction in front of Iris, shielding her a bit. "How'd you control this technology?"

The man said nothing, tilting his head again.

"Cybermen are beyond you," the Doctor pointed out. Iris glanced up at the Doctor.

Cybermen? She'd have to ask for more information. It sounded a bit like it would fit into the planet he'd described to her but evidently it didn't.

The man brought a gloved finger to his lips and slowly backed into the hallway again, a dark mass conforming into the shadows.

"That's dramatic," Iris commented, taking a step forward and walking towards the man. "Come on, Doc, I don't have all day."