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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."

The Doctor frowned and followed her, pulling out his sonic sunglasses again. Iris pulled out her cellphone, flicking on the flashlight and leading them both down the hallway.

"Where'd he go?" Iris asked aloud, scanning the walls as they passed. "No doors."

"Hard to tell," the Doctor answered, then grabbed her shoulder softly, halting her movements. "Corner of your eye, what do you see?"

Iris glanced over and didn't see anything. Then she refocused her attention and glanced in her peripherals, finding a small handprint button.

Bingo.

"How's it doing that?" She asked curiously. "I can't see it normally."

"Low-level perception filter," the Doctor supplied, turning and tapping his glasses, the door opening. "Come on."

The pair entered the room and Iris stopped immediately, back bumping against the Doctor's chest.

They were doing that a lot.

She was going to pretend she didn't notice it, and was fairly sure he was doing the same.

"Light," the Doctor muttered, flicking his fingers over a switch on the wall.

Iris turned off her flashlight and jumped back, the Doctor settling her gently with a hand on her waist. "Careful," he said quietly, removing his hand. "Hello again," he greeted the person across the room.

Shrouded in darkness was the man in the mask.

"Rare I have visitors," he spoke, modulated in a robotic tone, a clunkiness to it that unsettled Iris. "Welcome."

"I've heard you get visitors," Iris countered, "they just don't make it out."

"They join my community," he addressed her, masked gaze snapping to her face. It sent a chill down her spine.

In the light, she could see him clearly. The mask was almost sewed into his skin, silver with daunting black hollow eyes. Two handlebars stood at the side of his head, but his body was humanlike, Victorian robes and gloves, tall boots and a swooping cape.

"And where do the residents live?" The Doctor asked. "Your ship is broken, snapped wiring and leaking pipes. And you register as cybernetic human. When did you get your hands on a Cyber-Ship?"

"My witches are completing the circle."

Witches?

Iris frowned as the Doctor stepped around her gently, asking questions about the cybermen, but Iris only thought through what she was aware of.

Witches. Shakespeare. A dead governor.

It reminded her of something, but what was it? Why include the cybermen? What were cybermen?

"Macbeth," Iris realized, stepping past the Doctor, cutting him off. "You're living out the plot of Macbeth. You killed the governor because the witches told you to?"

The man looked to her again. "This planet is weak," he spoke firmly. "Pitiful. Weak. Slow. The witches came to my shop after I lost everything." He took a step closer, looking between the Doctor and Iris. "They allowed me into their systems and together we plotted the perfect plan."

"The Governor's murder," the Doctor confirmed. "Brilliant, Iris," he leaned down a fraction to her, but didn't touch her. She found his actions interesting. Like he refrained himself constantly, but he was restrained from touching her.

She appreciated it, they hardly knew one another, but she liked the guy well enough. And according to him, they knew one another in her future, his past, so she didn't fully understand the extent of their relationship.

"Where are the cybermen?" The Doctor asked curiously. "They don't follow orders from a lesser species."

"They belong to me," the man spoke again. "I am the Mechanist." He stepped back against a door across from them and was enveloped in shadows again.

"This guy is really starting to annoy me," Iris rolled her eyes. "And I'm hungry."

"What're you in the mood for?" The Doctor asked as they walked further down. "Anywhere you like."

"Surprise me," Iris shrugged. "Besides, you owe me a —"

"—Shut up," he cut her off. Iris raised her eyebrows at him, shooting him a pointed look, which he ignored. "Ears, hearing, hush."

"Brain, thinking, rude," Iris responded quietly.

The Doctor tapped his sonic again. "Behind me," he told her, gently pushing her back.

Not a second later, the door opened again and in walked tall metal robotic men. They had a similar design to the man's mask, with hollowed black eyes, voices devoid of emotion, and handle-bar head-shaped designs.

"Oh, there you are," the Doctor grinned. "The real boys. What're you two hiding? Is it just the two of you?"

The Cybermen didn't answer, walking in a firm line out of the doorway. They each held up a fist, aiming them to the duo.

"You will be deleted."

"Oh, darn," Iris winced, backing up a bit. "I'm going to assume you don't have a high-tech device to stop these two from deleting us?"

"Assumptions are correct, run."

Iris nodded and rushed from the room, tripping a bit over herself. The Doctor grabbed her elbow before she fell, helping her straighten and the two raced down the narrow hall. Iris didn't chance a glance backwards, hearing the Cybermen's shouts and heavy footfalls echo behind them.

"Turn, turn, turn," the Doctor's hand found hers and he pulled her into a room, tapping his glasses to open and close the door.

He pulled her against his chest, one arm around her waist, the other covering her mouth.

"Their scanners are broken," he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver through her body. "Don't say a word."

Iris nodded, her hand finding the Doctor's around her waist, intertwining their hands, heart racing. He moved his hand from her mouth, resting it just along her collarbone instead.

The footfalls stopped for a moment.

Then they echoed back in the direction they came from.

"Oh, thank god," Iris whispered in relief, sinking against the Doctor.

He opened the door again and she exited first, the pair rushing back into the console room and out into the shop again.

"Why mimic Macbeth?" The Doctor asked as they left the shop. "What are the Cybermen getting out of this?"

"Maybe they don't know?" Iris offered, heading back to the TARDIS. "By the frustration in your eyes and the kind greeting they offered, they're a domineering species?"

"Correct," the Doctor nodded, tucking his sonic glasses away and looking around, dodging a few rushing people as he led her to the TARDIS. "Cybermen are humans in metal suits. Emotional inhibitor turned off, just the brains stuffed into machinery, wired up for upgrading and destruction."

"And if they're unaware of their creation's purpose?" Iris asked, opening the TARDIS door. "I'm starving."

"We haven't time for snacking, Holloway," the Doctor chastised, flicking a switch on the lever. He grabbed something from the stairs and tossed it to her at the console chair. She glanced down at it, fighting a smile. A bag of chips. "I'm taking us back to see when the Cybermen arrived. How many there were, why they landed here, what they're looking for."

"The Mechanist," Iris mulled, munching on a chip. "That's an interesting title."

The Doctor hummed in response, walking around the console, pointing at her on his way out. "Stay put, eat, I'll be back."

"Yes, sir," Iris nodded, taking another bite as he closed the TARDIS doors behind him.

Iris looked around, munching on the alien chips that reminded her of cheetos. Her favorites. Only, they didn't leave the cheese dust on her fingers and they were probably healthier.

She hoped.

Either way, she didn't mind.

They were her favorite chip.

"What's your story, then?" She asked the TARDIS. "How'd you find the Doctor? I've known him all of five minutes and I've decided there's no way he found you by himself."

A humming sound and a flickering of lights. Startled, Iris haunted her movements, but the flickering stopped a second later.

"Was that you?"

Another flicker.

"Nice."

—

"They crash-landed," the Doctor informed her, rushing in and dusting off something dark from his jacket. "The Mechanist, he must have fixed them."

"Makes sense," Iris nodded, doodling a picture of the Mechanist in her notebook with a brief recap of events. "So, he tinkered with their knowledge chip, right? If they were already damaged, it wouldn't take him too long to disable them entirely, then restart from his origins. How many were there?"

"Half-dozen," the Doctor answered, focusing on the console again. "The rest were too damaged. The ship can't be used again, but," he turned to the stairway and took the steps two at a time, fiddling with something at the bottom of the shelf. "I've got this, haven't used it in years. Come on, Holloway."

He took the steps back down and Iris tucked away her pens and notebook, hesitating, before slipping the bag over her body again.

"Remind me to give you the bag when we come back," he called back to her, opening the door and rushing out.

"Yes, sir," Iris said to herself, rushing out after him.

He was halfway down the silver cobblestone when she caught up to him, looking down at the device in his hand.

"Radiation projection," the Doctor answered her look. "Embrittles—"

"—the metal, creating brittleness," Iris finished, nodding. "Good idea. But it would harden the metal first, wouldn't it?"

"I don't want to kill them," he glanced down to her, "but I need to stop them. Inhibit movements, this," he pointed to a toggle on the side. "Allows anything affected by the radiation to be blown back."

"Sick," Iris commented. "See, that's the right way to use that term. I tried to teach you that earlier, bad example."

"I can't use it often," he elaborated, "one and done. Needs to cycle back and I've never tried it with this many before."

"Oh, cool, I love experimentation," Iris smiled brightly.

He glanced down at her, mouth forming a smile. "Me too, Holloway."

The pair walked into the shop, slowing down cautiously as they approached the beaded doorway again.

"Alright?" He asked her.

"I wish I had a camera to commemorate our adventures," Iris shrugged. "I would use my phone, but I dropped my phone last week and totally busted the camera."

"Remind me, I'll fix that."

"Gosh, having you around is super useful."

The Doctor sighed, shaking his head as he entered the holoprojection, Iris following closely behind.

The console room was eerily dark upon entering and they exchanged a look. Iris took out her flashlight again, searching around for a light, but jumped when the light caught the reflection of a Cyberman's face.

A tight hand grasped her bicep and she winced, pulled to the Cyberman's body.

"Crud," she dropped her phone again, light facing down.

"Easy, Iris," the Doctor's voice sounded. "I can see you."

"You will be deleted."

"Where's the Mechanist?"

"Your mom's," Iris whispered, shaking her head at herself. "Not the time, Iris."

"You will be deleted."

"Guess he doesn't have a sense of humor."

"Cease human interaction, you will be deleted," the Cyberman slowly backed away, taking her with it.

"See you in the future!" Iris called out to the Doctor, smiling to herself.

It was like Howl's Moving Castle. He was Howl. Grumpy old wizard who took her in.

That was always her favorite one.

Iris was dragged into the same room she and the Doctor first met the Mechanist in, then the Cyberman dragged her into another, larger room.

"Oh, this is creepy," Iris commented when she was placed against a device.

"You will be upgraded."

"Oh, nice," Iris hummed lightly. "Sounds better than being deleted."

The Cyberman hooked her right arm into metal straps, both her wrist and bicep trapped under the pressure. Her other hand was free, and with a second glance, Iris realized the straps on the left were broken.

Interesting.

The Cybermen held her other hand down firmly and a saw of sorts came down to her head from the top. Curiously, Iris looked up, and then around the room in a way to escape the situation. She spotted the Mechanist across the room, the silver glint of his mask a beacon against the darkness.

"Mechanist," Iris spoke up, "Why don't you have any more Cybermen? What happened to the people who joined your community?"

The Mechanist stepped forward, holding up a hand as the saw inched closer to her brain. At his command, the Cyberman pressed something on the back of the machinery and the saw moved upwards again.

"Why would I tell you?"

"If I'm to join your community, I'd like to know what I'm in for," Iris replied. "Only fair."

The Mechanist observed her, walking closer and standing a foot away from her. "You're a fascinating little creature," he commented, "I detect no fear in your heartbeat. Steady pulse. You would be a good fit."

"For your community?"

"For the place at my side."

Yikes.

"Yeah, not really — I'm not super into that, man."

"But think of it," he took another step closer, masked face tilting to the side. Her nose crinkled up in distaste at his suggestion. "I have failed in my proceedings, and I think I understand why. Macbeth had a figure to guide him, to comfort him," the Mechanist reached a gloved hand forward and cupped her cheek. "Imagine it. You and me and our upgraded society. Perfect. Pure."

Iris blinked, eyes finding the hand cupping her face. Was this guy for real?

"As tempting as that is," she said slowly, "I might have to pass."

The Mechanist sighed, a discombobulated shudder in a robotic tone. "Then I will have no choice but to make you," he declared. "Continue with the upgrading process."

"You will be upgraded."

Before the saw could activate itself again, a loud alarm blared through the ship. Iris raised her eyebrows at the Mechanist.

"Initiating Self-Destruct," a robotic voice spoke over an intercom.

"Oh, I think that's my friend," she spoke cheerfully, "you should check on that."

The Mechanist watched her for a moment and then looked to the Cyberman next to her, and the two at the doors.

"All of you, with me, we will stop this fool once and for all. And when I return, you will be my wife. Pure and upgraded."

"Yeah, sure," Iris rolled her eyes as the group left, their heavy footsteps echoing down the hall. Her eyes glanced up to where the machinery had begun its slow descent to her brain again and then back down to her arms.

She was strapped in on her right bicep and wrist, but the metal on the bicep looked loose. Pulling at it, she was able to take the majority of it off, leaving a simple wiring system on her wrist.

"Oh, come on," Iris scoffed, "give me something harder."

Biting her lip, Iris examined the black and white wires, and the way in which they manipulated the strapping. "You look useful," she muttered, tugging one, but it didn't tug.

She frowned, looking up to the saw, a bit of worry flooding her. Approximately thirty seconds before she'd be split in two or transformed into Lady Macbeth.

Iris used her left hand to dig into her bag, finding the penguin pouch. She glanced down but couldn't see anything in the darkness of the bag and fiddled around for the zipper. Three seconds passed, the saw inching closer to her brain, her heart thudding against her chest as she finally pulled a pen free.

Hastily, Iris sipped the pen under the wire and yanked it out, the rest of the mechanism loosening the grip on her arm. Iris ducked down, dodging the saw as it swooped against the chair, exactly where her scalp would have been if she'd been a second later.

Her wrist was still attached, but she'd bought herself a bit more time. The screeching of the saw against the metal would draw attention at some point, but the blaring alarms and flashing lights from the Doctor's destruction of the ship.

Iris looked at the metal trapping her wrist, cursing as it was the only one without a loose capping. She tried to tug at the metal with her fingers, or press the pen into the holes, but to no avail.

Iris looked around the machinery, checking for anything that could open the device. Buttons and wires were loosely tied around. Haphazard.

"Your ship is broken, snapped wiring and leaking pipes..." she recalled the Doctor's words earlier.

"If I can just find the right wiring," Iris mused, leaning a bit closer to things near the base. Most of them stemmed from the bottom of the device, save for one of them, which was a bit thicker in design.

If she were designing a ship, she'd make it obvious for the strap components if only to ease repairs on the upgrading device mechanisms. Only problem, is if she were wrong, she could easily pull out the ground wire and create an entirely bigger mess.

"Three minutes until self-destruction."

Okay, less thinking, more doing.

Iris used her pen and pulled the thick wire out, breathing out a relieved laugh as her strap came undone. Stumbling into a standing position, she held the pen defensively in her hand — not that it would do much against a Cyberman, but maybe if she were lucky she could get it into the Mechanist's neck if he came near her again — and hurried from the room.

Just after she flung the door open and steadied into a running position, she bumped into something tall and hard.

"Holloway!"

"Doctor!"

"I was just coming to save you."

Iris rolled her eyes. "I can handle myself, teach," she looked up at him. "You okay, you hurt?"

Surprise flickered in his gaze, but it was gone a second later. "Fine, are you?"

"Had a fun chat with the Mechanist."

"I did much the same."

"Two minutes until self-destruction."

"He agreed to become a functioning member of society again?" Iris asked rhetorically, shoving her pen in her bag as they raced through the halls of the ship.

"Not exactly," the Doctor shook his head. "I always offer a chance, and they hardly take them."

"Ah, well," Iris shrugged, taking a quick right as they entered the console room again. "Oh, hello."

Iris stopped suddenly, eyes wide at the sight of the Mechanist hooked up to the middle of the console, wiring looping around his arms.

"You don't look so good," she commented.

"I will become King," he declared, "and my citizens will be upgraded to the fullest extent. We will be a pure city."

"What is it with this guy?" Iris shook her head. "Dude, no one is interested. Also, I absolutely reject your proposal."

"What?" The Doctor's eyes snapped to her face. "What do you mean? What'd he offer you?"

"The vacant position as Lady Macbeth," she filled him in.

"One minute until self-destruction."

"You're not interested?" He asked with raised eyebrows. "Thought you'd be all over that."

"Why?" Iris frowned. "The guy's a bag full of crazy."

"You have a type, Holloway."

"How would you know what my —"

A loud whirring sound drew their attention to the console and the Doctor raced next to the Mechanist, typing away at controls.

"Last chance, man," Iris called to the Mechanist. "We can get you somewhere different. Find you a super-hot wife. It'll be awesome."

The Mechanist laughed, a distorted rumble echoing through the console room.

"You will bow before me! I will be upgraded to the fullest extent!"

The Doctor aimed his glasses down and pressed a final button, before rushing to Iris, grabbing her hand, and pulling her from the room.

"Rewired the radiation projection manipulator into the control system," he said loudly as the computer announced ten seconds to shut down. "Tapped into the DNA he already inputted into the wiring, he won't make it out of there and neither will the Cybermen."

"Ten points to Ravenclaw," Iris responded as they exited the ship entirely, stumbling into the shop. "What about this place?"

"It'll stand against the explosion," the Doctor turned to the wall, quickly running his gaze over the doorway, holding a finger down on the side of his glasses. "Trapped it behind the projection. Nothing in or out." He looked back to Iris and grinned. "Boom."

"Boom."

—

Iris sat next to the Doctor, feet dangling over the side of the bluff, sipping on a coconut flavored milkshake.

They were on a planet called Xieorn, where they only had three-hour days, the rest encompassed in night and starlight. They were overlooking a twinkling cityscape, reflecting the light of the sky in a cascade of silver and stardust.

"Does that happen often?" Iris asked, glancing at the Doctor, who wasn't eating or drinking, just sitting next to her, glasses tucked away. "All of the crazy Cybermen stuff."

"More often than should be normal," he nodded, gaze flickering to hers. "I always keep you safe."

"Better," Iris took a sip of her shake. "When should I expect to see you next? The...old you, I mean."

A soft smile tugged at his lips. "Can't tell you that. But just tell him Theta sent you."

Confusion settled on her face. "Theta? Is that your name?"

"Make sure no one else hears you say it," he told her softly. "Bit of a secret."

"I'm good at those."

The smile on his face widened.

"I know."

—

AUTHOR'S NOTE
ahhhhhhh hopefully you all enjoyed!! i hope it didn't feel rushed or boring or anything?? i'm so nervous writing original stuff krjilldkld jkdkj hopefully this was okay!! i really tried to follow the campiness of the show while incorporating something familiar, but idk how it worked. also YES he told her his name but we'll see exactly WHY later on. everything's so out of order for little iris, but she'll catch up eventually. thanks for reading<33