A/N: I'm definitely on a roll and I don't know what to say but "Thank you" to every single one of my readers. Please continue to leave me reviews! If you have any ideas, please let me know!
agbreads: I'm actually nervous to say I don't know how to tie in the in-betweens of what I have planned for the trio, but I hope that I can make it work out somehow. Thank you for your love and support!
Chapter 23: The Sontaran Stratagem
Iris sipped her coffee, enjoying the break she got, lounging around on her sofa watching television after all the chaos. Owen declared her to be taken out of work for a few days as she was to get better. Iris didn't complain. She really needed one for herself. Jack had gone to the Hub to do some more of the pesky paperwork that he had to do with UNIT regarding how they needed to explain what they had done with Martha Jones.
As she was watching Downtown Abbey for what could be considered to be the 20th time in her life, she heard the knock at her door. Iris quickly reached for her remote to pause the tv, wincing a little as there was residual pain on her side from the wound. As she stood up, she stretched to loosen up the muscles from the lack of activity. She walked over to the door and opened it to find Ianto on the other side.
Iris smiled and said, "Hey, what are you doing here?"
Ianto smiled as he lifted up a shopping bag consisting of her favorite assortment of sour candy, popcorn and movies as he said,
"I thought you would like to watch some movies and get some sugar into you."
Iris laughed at that and said, "Good. I was about to die from watching Downtown Abbey 5 times today alone."
Ianto's smile got wider as he walked in and saw the way her house was spotless unlike her normal self and sighed.
"You cleaned the house while doing it didn't you?"
Iris shrugged as she let out a noncommittal noise. Ianto shook his head, knowing that Iris wasn't one for staying still for an extended amount of time. He laid out the items he had bought before getting up and preparing the food for the movie.
Lately, Ianto stopped by whenever he had found the time to be with her alone, away from Jack's 51st century ways. Iris enjoyed the quiet times that the two shared. With Jack, everything calm and quiet turned into a hectic mess and she didn't like that. She realized that it was unfair for Jack, but lately, all she wanted some peace and quiet, which Ianto offered. She felt horrible about that, but Jack had waved it off when she had shared her concerns about the issue. He shook it off as he said,
"You need this. Lately, too much has happened in your life, especially since you have been balancing work with traveling throughout the universe with the Doctor."
Iris appreciated Jack's understanding of her out-of-control between work and her travels. But that didn't mean that she noticed how Jack was giving her and Ianto some time to get used to the idea of their newfound relationship. But it just seemed so odd since she felt like she had either been spending time with Jack or Ianto and never with both. She stared at Ianto get some refreshments for them and wondered what Ianto really thought about his newfound feelings for Jack. He had admitted that it was there, but not exactly what he felt about that and just how much that was.
Ianto looked up at her and smiled warmly, just glad to have her by his side. He didn't want to lose a single moment with her. And like that, they spent the night together, just cuddled next to each other with blankets wrapped around them while watching a movie. Nothing more happened other than them sitting close to each other.
When they finished, Iris cleaned up after them as Ianto stretched and said,
"One day, I need to get you to watch a horror movie with me."
Iris shook her head as she glared at him playfully before saying, "No way. I can't do horror movies, you know that."
She shivered to show her inability to cope with watching horror movies as Ianto pouted and argued,
"You fight non-terrestrial beings, see the horrible aspects of humanity and yet you are terrified of horror movies?"
Iris shivered again, arguing back, "Yes! They may be fictional, but I just cannot deal with possession and whatnot. That's just horrifying to think about."
Ianto laughed as he came up behind her and hugged her while putting snuggling his head by her neck. Iris held her breath at the feeling, an electric-like sensation shooting down her spine. She stopped washing her dishes and leaned back, feeling the warmth radiate from his body.
But that special moment was interrupted when her cell phone rang out. She looked at the caller ID and sighed. It was Jack Harkness. Ianto chuckled, knowing that if Jack called in the middle of the afternoon like this when he was working, it was clear that this was no casual call. Iris answered with,
"Hey Jack. What is it?"
There was a moment of silent hesitance coming form the other side as Jack slowly said,
"I wouldn't like to do this to you while you're taking a break with Ianto, but I have gotten a request from UNIT for a Torchwood member to help them with something. They said they wanted either me or you since we have some experience working with the Doctor and they wanted to utilize the people who had traveled with him."
Iris nodded as Ianto furrowed his brows at that and Jack answered their questions with,
"I'm currently swarmed with phone calls that I tried pushing back earlier and now I can't go. If it's alright with you, I think it's best if you go over there and help them out."
Iris smiled and said, "Sure. It's no problem. It would be great to get out of my house for a while."
Ianto nodded, liking that as he said, "I'll help her prepare for the trip. Don't worry about her Jack."
They heard Jack's voice lift at the thought of Iris getting help from Ianto and said,
"Thanks Ianto. Don't do anything exciting without me."
Iris rolled her eyes at that and said, "Don't worry, Jack. Ianto's not going to pout like you do."
Ianto laughed at that and said, "Oh, definitely not."
This caused Jack to grumble in complaint to the comment and Iris merely joked at him about him being so sensitive for such a flirtatious man. This caused Ianto laugh even harder, making Iris smile at that. It was nice to see him laugh in such a carefree manner. Ianto losing his polite mannerisms were special for her as she saw him truly feel comfortable around her.
They ended the phone call and Iris sighed as she said, "I guess I got to go back to work then."
Ianto just chuckled as he said, "You know you missed it."
Iris smiled and said, "Well, around you all, yes. But around the soldiers of UNIT? Not really. They're too militaristic for my taste."
Ianto nodded, knowing what she meant as he said, "Well, it's only a short moment. And since he is going to be there, might as well go and travel again for a while."
Iris smiled gratefully at him and said, "Thanks. Explain that to Jack for me."
Ianto nodded and helped her pack for the trip to UNIT. She then drove over to the station early next morning. Once she arrived at the ATMOS factory, Iris saw Martha approach her as she said,
"Iris! You're here! Thank goodness."
Iris laughed happily, seeing her friend again as she said, "I'm glad to see you too. I'm here to repay the favor."
Martha hugged her tightly and said, "Well, we gotta call him down, wherever, whenever he is."
Iris just smiled at that and signaled for her to do so. Martha pulled her phone out and dialed the phone number, calling it. They waited eagerly for the receiver and when they heard the confused,
"Hello?"
Iris contacted him via the bond she shared with the Doctor and said, "It's Martha. We just need you to come here for a bit."
The Doctor sent a slightly confused thought over to her when Martha smirked and said,
"Doctor? It's Martha, and I'm bringing you back to Earth."
Iris and Martha waited for the TARDIS to materialize. When they heard the familiar 'whorp' sound of the TARDIS, both smiled, reminiscing the happy days they experienced. They waited for the door to open. When the Doctor popped out of the TARDIS, he beamed his childish smile and said,
"Martha Jones!"
Martha chuckled at seeing her friend after such a long time and said, "Doctor" as she approached him for a hug. Iris smiled at that and cleared her throat after a while and said,
"I'm hurt. I want a hug too."
The Doctor looked up and smiled even more, almost making him resemble the Cheshire cat as he yelled out in excitement,
"Iris!"
Iris winced when the Doctor ran to her and wrapped her into his arms. Iris felt the air leave her at the over-enthusiastic hug as she laughed at that. However, she was quickly reminded of something and she hit him on the shoulder, causing him to whelp in pain as he looked at her in surprise as he massaged the sore spot.
"What was that for?!" He asked, confused from her sudden punch to his shoulder.
She glared at him while raising an eyebrow at him. She asked him through their bond, "Really? Do you not remember?"
The Doctor winced at that and he guiltily said, "Oh…"
Martha looked between them and asked, "I'm missing something aren't I? Doctor, what did you do?"
The Doctor's face was obviously filled with guilt when Iris just rolled her eyes as she answered for him,
"This particular Time Lord here, has saved me during an incident by furthering the bond with me without my permission. I still have to give him a good scolding on that later. But since we're busy today, we should all get acquainted. Donna Noble, this is Martha Jones."
Donna popped out of the TARDIS, seeing the other woman with happy surprise, having heard amazing stories about the woman from Iris. She came over to shake Martha's hand and said,
"I've heard all about you. They talk about you all the time."
Martha blushed and looked embarrassed as she muttered, "I dread to think."
Donna quickly responded with, "No, no, no. No, they say nice things. Good things. Nice things. Really good things."
Martha saw the look in Donna's eyes and her own widened as she realized out loud,
"Oh my God. He's told you everything."
Donna looked down at something glistening on Martha's hand and smirked as she said, "Didn't take long to get over it though. Who's the lucky man?"
The Doctor frowned at that and asked, "What man? Lucky what?"
Iris laughed at that and said, "She's engaged. Look at her ring."
The Doctor's eyebrows shot up as he saw the ring that Martha displayed in front of him as he asked, "Really? Who to?"
Martha blushed as she said, "Tom. Tom Milligan. He's in pediatrics. Working out in Africa right now. And yes, I know I've got a doctor who disappears off to distant places. Tell me about it."
Donna asked, "Is he skinny?" Looking over to the Doctor, the three women smirked as Martha blushed even further as she said,
"No, he's sort of… strong."
Donna laughed out loud as she pointed to the Time Lord and remarked, "He, is too skinny for words. You give him a hug, you get a paper cut."
The Doctor groaned as he muttered quietly to himself, "Oh, I'd rather you were fighting."
Iris said to him, "Ego…" and the Doctor just groaned at that. But Iris noticed a small tug at the tip of his lips as he was clearly hiding his smile. But Iris quickly sobered up as Martha pulled out her walkie-talkie and the three people heard a woman say through the device,
"Doctor Jones, report to base, please. Over."
Martha answered with, "This is Doctor Jones. Operation Blue Sky is go, go, go. I repeat, this is a go."
That was when Donna and the Doctor saw the convoy of jeeps, trucks and a squad of the Parachute Regiment go past them. They followed Martha as the UNIT medic said,
"Greyhound Six to Trap One. B Section, go, go, go. Search the ground floor. Grid pattern delta."
Iris sighed and just walked alongside Donna. Donna looked down and saw Iris as she asked, "Are you feeling better? How long has it been?"
Iris smiled gratefully as she said, "It's been a full two weeks so it's definitely better. I was resting well and it was nice. The wound doesn't hurt much anymore and I can do more activities. Thank you for asking."
Donna nodded and said, "I hope that you don't have to go through that again, but I think that might be a far-fletched request considering where you work."
Iris chuckled as she shook her head and said, "Yeah, that's probably not the best thing to expect from me. I think I just attract danger."
Donna laughed lightly at that as they continued to follow the Doctor and Martha, who were discussing things about why she had called them over, and looking around her, she asked seriously,
"Is this what he did to her and you? Turned her into a soldier and you into a super-spy?"
Iris smiled sadly as she said, "It's not all he does. There's a beautiful woman called Jo who goes around the world saving the planet. Then there's also Sarah Jane who protects the world in her own way with K-9. One day, he will leave us and I guess each of us have different ways to cope with that. But you also have to remember that he feels pain probably more than we do when he loses our friendship. Remember that Donna Noble."
Donna looked at the Doctor and remembered how she had told the Doctor to not be alone. And she nodded to Iris. When they arrived at the Mobile HQ of UNIT, Iris sighed as she had to recite her government-provided number to the officer in front of her as he double-checked her identity. Once that was dealt with, Iris came in to hear Martha say,
"Operation Blue Sky complete, sir. Thanks for letting me take the lead. And, this is the Doctor and Iris. Doctor, Iris, Colonel Mace.
The Colonel looked at the two and saluted towards them with, "Sir, ma'am."
The Doctor groaned out, "Oh, don't salute."
Colonel looked at Iris, who looked confused and said, "Please, I don't deserve that. Also, I'm not a soldier."
The Colonel shirked that and he said, "But it's an honor. I've read all the files on you two. Technically speaking, you're still on staff sir. You never resigned. And ma'am, you're well-known among us. You're a legend."
Iris grimaced at that and shook her head while Donna looked at the Doctor and asked him incredulously,
"What, you used to work for them?"
The Doctor grimaced as he admitted, "Yeah, long time ago. Back in the '70s. Or was it the '80s? But it was all a bit more homespun back then."
Mace looked at him seriously as he said, "Times have changed, sir."
Iris rolled her eyes while the Doctor just narrowed his eyes at the man and said, "Yeah, that's enough of the sir." He was clearly annoyed and Iris told Mace,
"Don't refer to him or me that way. We're not soldiers. Or at least he doesn't want to admit it. So just let it go."
Mace looked like he wanted to argue against that when Martha jumped in with,
"Come on, though, Doctor. You've seen it. You've been on board the Valiant. We've got massive funding from the United Nations, all in the name of Home World Security."
Iris muttered under her breath, "The lot of good that group will do."
Donna looked at Iris in surprise. Iris was only hateful towards people when they really deserved it, and she was not sure what caused her to be so angry about the United Nations. Weren't they supposed to be the good guys?
But Mace supported Martha as he said, "A modern UNIT for the modern world."
Donna realized why Iris did not particularly like Mace as she bit back,
"What, and that means arresting ordinary factory workers, in the streets, in broad daylight? It's more like Guantanamo Bay out there. Donna, by the way. Donna Noble, since you didn't ask. I'll have a salute."
Iris smiled, proud of Donna. When Mace just dumbly looked at the Doctor, Iris cleared her throat and glared at the Colonel, causing him to quickly salute her and say, "Ma'am."
Donna looked smug at that and Iris winked at her. Donna turned back to Mace and said, "Thank you."
The Doctor just smirked a little bit as he quickly hid it and asked, "Tell me, what's going on in that factory?"
Mace answered him with, "Yesterday, 52 people died in identical circumstances, right across the world, in 11 different time zones. 5 a.m. in the UK, six a.m. in France, eight a.m. in Moscow, one p.m. in China."
The Doctor's eyebrows went into a frown as he heard that and he asked solemnly, "How did they die?"
Iris answered for him, knowing the answer. "They were all inside their cars, which were installed with the new Atmos system."
Martha added on, "They were poisoned. I checked the biopsies. No toxins. Whatever it is, left the system immediately."
The Doctor then asked, "What's ATMOS?"
Donna rolled her eyes, not believing that the Doctor did not know what that was as she said,
"Oh, come on. Even I know that. Everyone's got ATMOS."
The Doctor frowned and asked to go into the factory. Martha led the way inside the factory as she said,
"Stands for Atmospheric Omission System. Fit ATMOS in your car, it reduces CO2 emissions to zero."
The Doctor put on his glasses to study the ATMOS in front of him and asked, "Zero? No carbon, none at all?"
Donna answered with, "And you get sat-nav and twenty quid in shopping vouchers if you introduce a friend. Bargain."
Mace stepped in, having followed the group as he said, "And this is where they make it, Doctor. Shipping worldwide. 17 factories across the globe, but this is the central depot, sending ATMOS to every country on Earth."
The Doctor frowned seeing how Iris wasn't really paying attention, as she was contacting someone using her phone. He paid her no mind as he said a little frustrated,
"And you think ATMOS is alien."
Iris scoffed at that, but did not stop her texting with someone. The Doctor asked through the bond,
"Who are you texting?"
Iris gave a sensation almost as if she was inwardly shrugging as she responded back, "My team. Something happened and I can't help them out."
The Doctor then turned to face her as he asked, "Is everything alright?"
Iris nodded as she responded back, "It should be. I know the case they're working on. It's not something too bad. They will be able to handle it perfectly."
The Doctor grabbed her hand and said, "Let me know if something happens. I don't want you to feel like you can't do anything."
Iris smiled gratefully at him and tightened her grasp on his hand for a second before letting it slide away as she walked towards Donna while the group walked inside the office. As they entered, Mace said,
"And here it is, laid bare, ATMOS can be threaded through any and every make of car."
Iris shook her head and said, "You should have had it checked more thoroughly. This isn't a normal device."
Martha shrugged as she said, "We did. We found nothing. That's why I thought we needed an expert."
The Doctor was looking at some other machinery as he asked, "Really, who'd you get?"
When he turned around to see how everyone in the room were staring at him, he gulped a little as he realized what Martha meant as he said,
"Oh, right. Me. Yes, good."
Iris scoffed at that and Martha and Mace left the room momentarily. Donna was looking through a binder consisting of all the work logs as she asked,
"Okay. So why would aliens be so keen on cleaning up our atmosphere?"
The Doctor looked towards Iris expectantly, knowing that she had the answer to this question. Iris noticed the pleading look in his eyes as she shook her head and said, "Sorry Spaceman. Spoilers."
The Doctor groaned and Donna mused out loud, "Maybe they want to help. Get rid of pollution and stuff."
Iris shook her head as she said, "That's not exactly why they are doing this I'm afraid."
The Doctor frowned and whispered, "Do you know how many cars there are on planet Earth? Eight hundred million. Imagine that. If you could control them, you'd have eight hundred million weapons."
Iris helped look at some of the older work logs while Donna looked at the recent ones. The Doctor, on the other hand, was studying the ATMOS components as he said,
"Ionising nano-membrane carbon dioxide converter. Which means that ATMOS works. Filters the CO2 at a molecular level."
Mace had come back and asked impatiently, "We know all that, but what's its origin? Is it alien?"
The Doctor looked up and realized how close Mace was. The Time Lord stepped back as he answered with a grumble,
"No. Decades ahead of its time. Look, do you mind? Could you stand back a bit?"
The Colonel looked a little annoyed that the Doctor was telling him to stay away as he asked,
"Sorry, have I done something wrong?"
Iris looked up from the log she was studying with a matter-of-fact tone, "You're carrying a gun. The Doctor does not like people with guns hanging around him. Even I'm not allowed to carry one whenever we're together."
Mace sighed as he stood a few steps away from the man as he said, "If you insist." With that, he left the room while Martha snorted and said, "Tetchy."
The Doctor rolled his eyes as he kept studying the machine, "Well, it's true."
Martha argued back, "He's a good man."
The Doctor merely muttered, "People with guns are usually the enemy in my books. You seem quite at home."
Iris bristled in annoyance at the statement and sent him an angry sensation through the bond, causing the Time Lord to wince as he realized what he had just said. Martha looked angry as well as she said,
"If anyone got me used to fighting, it's you."
The Doctor glared at Martha a little bit in annoyance as he said, "Oh right, so it's my fault."
Iris realized how Martha was getting angrier and pushing the Doctor's buttons as she responded with, "Well, you got me the job. Besides, look at me. Am I carrying a gun?"
The Doctor paused as he realized something and admitted with shame, "Suppose not."
Iris got up, sighing as she walked over to the Doctor and grabbed his hand while saying, "It's all right for you. You can just come and go, but some of us have got to stay behind. So Martha and I've got to work from the inside, and by staying inside, maybe I stand a chance of making them better."
The Doctor smiled warmly as he said, "That's more like you two."
Martha smiled back as she said, "We learned from the best."
The Doctor shrugged his shoulders as he looked bashful at that and drawled, "Well…"
But before he could say anything else, Donna entered, looking smug as she said, "Oi, you lot. All your storm troopers and sonics. You're rubbish. Should've come with me."
Iris laughed at that and nodded with a thumb up while the Doctor looked confused as he asked,
"Why, where have you been?"
Donna rolled her eyes as she responded with, "Personnel. That's where the weird stuff's happening, in the paperwork. Because I spent years working as a temp, I can find my way round an office blindfold, and the first thing I noticed is an empty file."
The Doctor looked confused as he asked, "Why, what's inside it?"
Donna looked exasperated as she showed him the contents of the binder she had grabbed as the Doctor did not quite get it and asked, "Or what's not inside it?"
Iris looked over with a smirk while Donna explained, "Sick days. There aren't any. Hundreds of people working here and no one's sick. Not one hangover, man flu, sneaky little shopping trip, nothing. Not ever. They don't get ill."
Mace frowned, finally realizing what the woman was hinting at as he mumbled, "That can't be right."
Donna jus gave an exasperated look over at Iris and the woman just smiled back, proud of the companion in front of her. Iris spoke to the UNIT officer, "You've been checking out the building. Should have checked out the workforce too."
Martha smiled at Donna warmly as she nudged the current time traveling companion as she said, "I can see why he likes you."
Donna beamed at that, feeling a lot better about what she had found and nodded. Iris found that adorable and hugged Donna tightly, surprising the companion. Donna giggled at Iris' sudden antics and just hugged her back as Iris called her,
"Super woman!"
Donna laughed, finding that hilarious and shook her head as she smirked and said, "Nah, I think I'm more of a Super temp."
Iris shook her head at that, pouting and said, "No, you're definitely superwoman."
Martha chuckled at the way Iris acted around Donna, when they all sobered up when Mace interrupted them and said,
"Doctor Jones, set up a medical post. Start examining the workers. I'll get them sent through."
Iris sighed, not liking the tone Mace talked to Martha and when the man had walked away from them, Iris stuck her tongue out at the man, causing the other two women to laugh out loudly while Martha quickly regained her senses as she cleared her throat before saying,
"Come on, Donna. Give me a hand."
But they all could see that Martha still had amusement in her eyes and the little tilt in her lips as she tried hard to keep the serious demeanor on her face. They separated themselves from the Doctor to go to the personnel office. When they arrived, Iris said to the Doctor via their bond,
"You better behave. And if you think about going somewhere, better take Donna and me. I wouldn't want you to get somewhere and have nobody to help you out."
The Doctor gave a surprised "Of course! Never would leave you behind Iris. Never."
Iris smiled at that, appreciating his words. She just gave a feeling of approval through their bond flow while she could feel the intense amount of curiosity emanating from the Doctor. She turned around, looking at the office when she heard Donna ask the two women,
"Do you think I should warn my mum about the ATMOS in her car?"
Iris nodded while Martha looked up from her work as she answered back, "Better safe than sorry."
Donna looked grim as she pulled her phone out and said, "I'll give her a call."
As Donna walked away a little, Martha sighed and asked Iris, "Does her family know where she is? I mean, that she's traveling with the Doctor?"
Iris sighed, knowing Martha's concern as she answered with, "Not really. Her grandfather somewhat knows, but he probably doesn't realize how dangerous it can get. I don't think she had the time to properly explain. Just like you, really."
Martha grimaced at that and wondered out loud, "I didn't tell my family. I kept it all so secret, and it almost destroyed them."
Iris didn't say anything back at that. She wondered whether when the right time would be to tell the Time Lord about Zagreus. Whenever she thinks that it will fade, it started to come back and haunt her. And then there was also the issue with Jack's brother. His arrival was approaching and she wasn't sure what to tell Jack. Noticing Iris' distress, Martha asked,
"Iris? What's wrong?"
Iris lifted her head to meet Martha's concerned face. Iris sighed heavily and said, "I'm not sure if I can share this…"
Martha looked grim and asked, "Spoilers?"
Iris didn't really know how to answer that and said, "Yes? No? It's really complicated. Maybe it is for me, but not for you…"
Martha looked confused at that and Iris said, "There's something that's been bothering me. Especially more since that night after Reset…"
Martha nodded, indicating Iris to continue. After hesitating for a few minutes, warily glancing at Donna, who was still talking to her mother, Iris finally said,
"I… I've been hearing this man's voice. I know who he is… But the name he calls me with… it's something I don't know what to think about… At first, I thought it was all a hallucination on my part, I still had that bond with the Master after all. But when I got shot at the Pharm… I heard it again. And then I had this vision… and… it terrifies me."
Iris trembled a little as goosebumps rose over her skin. Martha stood up and hugged her as she said to the younger woman,
"What did you see?"
Iris shook her head, stating, "My own future. I… I realize that I might not be able to avoid it… but the sheer damage of me telling or not telling the Doctor is painful to think about."
Martha frowned at that and asked softly, "Why?"
Iris sighed and said, "It was part of his past. It already happened. It was part of his worst experiences… that's why I can't tell him. I want to, but I just don't know when is the right time."
Martha studied the woman in front of her with concern and hugged her again, not sure what to say. That was when Donna came in after her phone call had ended and asked, "Is Iris alright?"
Iris pulled away from Martha and smiled, hiding the pain away and just nodded as she said, "I'm fine."
Donna looked hesitant about fully believing her, but she nodded when Martha shook her head slightly, asking her to not push the question further. Whatever it was Iris had shared, it was up for Iris to resolve. Something that both women could not help her with. Donna sighed and said,
"I had trouble persuading my mum about the ATMOS, but I got her to not get in the car at least. So there's that."
Iris nodded. Once they got what they needed to find from the personnel office, Donna and Iris headed back to the other part of the ATMOS factory. Martha said that she needed to check some more information and headed to the medical post. Iris took a glance back, not sure if she really wanted Martha to be alone, but this was probably for the best. She didn't want to interfere too much with the timeline. The last time she did that, it led to consequences. Not too severe, but Iris couldn't make head to tails of it and decided that it was best if she stopped interfering and changing so much for a while. When she and Donna finally ran into the Doctor and Mace, Donna walked briskly up to the Doctor and called out for him. The Doctor looked up and said,
"Oh, just in time. Come on, come on, we're going to the country. Fresh air and geniuses, what more could you ask?"
Donna tiredly said, "I'm not coming with you. I've been thinking. I'm sorry."
Iris could feel the sadness and disappointment flow through from the Doctor as he misinterpreted Donna's words. She couldn't blame him though, Donna was being very vague about what she meant. The Doctor's smile had clearly disappeared from his face as he asked with puppy eyes,
"Really?"
Donna didn't notice this quick change in his demeanor as she just nodded and said, "I've got to."
The Doctor shifted his feet, feeling sad about Donna's apparent departure while Iris went up to him and grabbed his hand, sending waves of comfort. However, Iris was trying her best not to laugh out loud as she knew what Donna really meant. She just kept her poker face on, which was slowly falling apart while the Doctor did not notice this and rambled,
"Oh, if that's what you want. I mean, it's a bit soon. I had so many places I had wanted to take you and Iris. The 15th Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade, the Lightning Skies of Cotter Palluni's World, Diamond Coral Reefs of Kataa Flo Ko…"
His eyes a little teary at the thought of their adventure ending, he said, "Thank you. Thank you, Donna Noble, it's been brilliant. You've, you've saved my life in so many ways… You're…"
That's when he felt the trembling come from Iris. He glanced down and froze as he saw Iris cover her mouth with her other hand and he immediately went down to see if she was alright. He froze at how he noticed that Iris was not crying nor looked uncomfortable. Rather, Iris could not hold her laughter in and started laughing out loudly. He looked confused until he looked back at Donna, who was chuckling too and then he realized what was happening. He glared a little at Iris as he said to Donna,
"You're just popping home for a visit, that's what you mean… isn't it?"
Donna smirked a little as she nodded while drawing out, "You dumbo…"
The Doctor blushed in embarrassment, while Iris just laughed harder, holding her stomach as if it started to ache as the Doctor muttered out,
"And then you're coming back."
Iris started to struggle to breathe from her laughter as Donna continued to tease him with, "Know what you are? A great big outer space dunce."
Donna started laughing out loud too due to Iris' infectious laughter and the Doctor just brushed the back of his head with his fingers in embarrassment. He tried to shake it off and sighed in relief when the soldier Jenkins walked over and said, "Ready when you are, sir."
Iris slowly sobered up while Donna said, "What's more, you can give me a lift. Come on."
And as Donna was getting in the car, Donna turned around and asked with a teasing smirk, "Broken moon of what?"
The Doctor shook his head as he grabbed Iris' hand to lead her to the vehicle as he muttered out,
"I know, I know."
Jenkins drove them around and Iris awkwardly shifted. She had been placed tightly between Jenkins and the Doctor, causing her to tensely sit in the tight space. When they arrived on Rydale street, she sighed in relief as Donna exited the vehicle, freeing up some more space. She heard the woman say,
"I'll walk the rest of the way. I'll see you back at the factory, yeah?"
The Doctor and Iris both nodded as Iris waved and smiled while the Doctor shouted, "Bye!"
Donna glared and pointed at the Doctor while saying, "And you be careful!"
Iris chuckled at that while the Doctor just glared as he muttered something incomprehensible. With that, the trio drove towards Rattigan Academy. The Doctor filled her in the information he had gathered along the way. Once they arrived near the grounds, Jenkins said,
"UNIT's been watching Rattigan Academy for ages. It's all a bit Hitler Youth. Exercise at dawn and classes and special diets."
The little ATMOS machine then indicated, "turn left."
Iris grimaced and the Doctor asked,
"Ross, one question. If UNIT thinks that ATMOS is dodgy…"
The soldier indicated for the Time Lord to continue with the question,
"How come we've got it in the jeeps? Yeah, tell me about it. They're fitted as standard on all government vehicles. We can't get rid of them till we can prove there's something wrong."
The ATMOS kept giving them directions until they finally arrived. Iris looked at the building with awe before shaking her head. She wasn't here to sight-see. Rather, this was an important case. She had to focus. The trio then saw students running around the building as the Doctor excitedly asked,
"Is it PE? I wouldn't mind a kick around, I've got me daps on."
Iris elbowed the Time Lord in annoyance and he just shrugged it of while Luke Rattigan said,
"I suppose you're the Doctor and you're Iris?"
The two nodded. Iris shook his hand, but immediately took it back. She knew what was in store for the kid, but she still couldn't take his attitude. His arrogance was getting on her nerves.
Rattigan just looked over to the Doctor as he said, "Your commanding officer phoned ahead."
Iris rolled her eyes as she said, "But he doesn't have a commanding officer. Oh, and by the way, the gentleman over here is Ross."
Ross shook the boy's hand and said, "Good afternoon, sir."
The Doctor cleared his throat and suggested, "Let's have a look, then. I can smell genius! In a good way."
Iris rolled her eyes teasingly, causing a small smile to grow on Ross' face. The boy gave led them to the laboratory for the academy, which was filled with different sorts of technology that impressed not only the Doctor, but also Iris. As Torchwood's assistant technician, this was an impressive collection of technology that she would have liked to study extensively. As they walked in further into the room, the Doctor whistled and said,
"Oh, now, that's clever. Look Iris! Single molecule fabric, how thin is that?! You could pack a tent in a thimble. Oooh!"
With that, he grabbed her hand and led her closer to the technology as he said, "Gravity simulators. Terraforming, biospheres, nano-tech steel construction. This is brilliant. Do you know, with equipment like this you could, oh, I don't know, move to another planet or something?"
Iris raised an eyebrow, understanding the hidden suggestion within his very vague question. Rattigan seemed to have noticed to, trying to act ignorant about it as he shrugged it off with,
"If only that was possible."
The Doctor corrected him with, "If only that were possible. Conditional clause."
Iris rolled her eyes at that, but didn't say anything while Rattigan ignored the statement and said,
"I think you'd better come with me."
Iris realized that she was still holding the Doctor's hand and let go. This caused the Doctor to look down at her and then realize it too, causing the Time Lord to rub the back of his neck in the awkwardness. The duo looked away from each other, acting as if they hadn't just had that interaction, but Ross from UNIT noticed this.
When they walked into the recreation room, they saw the swimming pool and a transmat in the corner. Iris stared at the transmat, wanting to get a closer look, but Rattigan grabbed her attention as he said to the Doctor and Iris,
"You're smarter than the usual UNIT grunts, I'll give you that."
Iris scoffed and said, "I'm not part of UNIT. Torchwood, at your service."
The Doctor shook his head. He knew that Torchwood changed under Jack, but he still did not approve of their use in guns. He noticed that Iris had hers with her due to Torchwood regulations, but he still didn't like it. But he quickly put on his nonchalant attitude as he told Ross,
"He called you a grunt. Don't call Ross a grunt. He's nice. We like Ross."
Iris nudged him with her elbow again as she muttered, "Rambling."
The Doctor immediately stopped his distracted talking as he said, "Look at this place…"
The boy was getting annoyed at the Doctor as he asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Iris stepped up as she responded with, "We were thinking. You're super responsible for an 18-year-old. Inventing zero carbon cars at that age? You're practically saving the world."
Luke looked smug at her compliment and said, "Takes a man with a vision."
The Doctor added on though with a look of disappointment, "Mmm, blinkered vision. Because ATMOS means more people driving. More cars, more petrol. End result, the oil's going to run out faster than ever. The ATMOS system would make things worse."
Luke looked frustrated and corrected the Doctor with, "Yeah, well, you see, that's a tautology. You can't say ATMOS system because it stands for Atmospheric Emissions System. So you're just saying Atmospheric Emissions System system. Do you see, Mister Conditional Clause?"
Iris snapped at that, not liking the tone as she called him out with, "Ok, we get it. No need to be rude."
The Doctor held her shoulder to calm her down as he looked at Luke and said, "It's been a long time since anyone said no to you, isn't it?"
Luke smirked at that and said, "I'm still right though."
The Doctor shook his head at him and honestly said, "Not easy, is it, being clever. You look at the world and you connect things, random things, and think, why can't anyone else see it? The rest of the world is so slow."
The kid looked hesitant, as he slowly admitted, "Yeah."
Iris gave the kid a small smile at that. She would never understand how the Doctor's mind worked, but she knew that it wasn't easy to be alone. Iris whispered on,
"And you're all on your own."
Luke saw the sad glance she sent him and he admitted once again, "I know."
Iris went up to the kid and just hugged him, surprising the boy. But he let out a shaky breath, having admitted something from his vulnerable side. The confident and arrogant kid had a vulnerable side and Iris appreciated him admitting it to them. The Doctor smiled proudly at Iris' actions and said,
"But not with this. Because there's no way you invented this thing single-handed. I mean, it might be Earth technology, but that's like finding a mobile phone in the Middle Ages. No, no, I'll tell you what it's like… It's like finding this in the middle of someone's front room. Albeit, it's a very big front room."
He had indicated towards the transmat and Iris let go of Luke and looked at him, wanting him to tell them the truth. She said, "Luke, I know what that is… can you elaborate on where it takes you?"
Luke looked terrified at how she and the Doctor knew what that was, but Ross looked very confused as he asked,
"Why, what is it?"
Before the Doctor could ramble on, Iris quickly answered, "It's a teleport pod."
Ross looked confused as to how the boy would even have one when the Doctor approached it and Luke began to panic as he said,
"Leave it alone."
But it was too late as the Doctor had already stepped into it and already pushed the button before vanishing. Luke looked terrified at that and Iris turned towards him, saying,
"Luke, I know that you were helping the Sontarans with whatever they requested from you. But that's not going to help the humankind. As much as I wish the story was different, you should realize how dangerous they are."
Luke shook his head and asked, "How did you know?"
Iris looked at him with a small, sad smile and answered, "I have a way. It's not pleasant to know everything beforehand like I do. Trust me. But Luke, I know that you want to travel around the universe, but this isn't the right way."
At that, the younger boy in front of her looked immensely guilty as he asked, "What are they planning? Do you know that too?"
Iris nodded and Luke saw the pure guilt emanating from just her eyes alone and he asked, "It's not good, is it? I was fooled?"
Iris didn't say anything but Luke understood. But as he was about to ask another question, the Doctor returned with a panicked but also angry look as he yelled out,
"Ross, Iris get out!" Luke, you've got to come with me."
Iris quickly pulled Ross and Luke further away from the teleport pod as she yelled back, "We're not leaving you alone! I know how many stupid decisions you make without me. No way I'm leaving you to deal with this?"
The Doctor looked at her disbelievingly and Iris just glared at him when a Sontaran appeared and the Doctor said,
"Sontaran! That's your name isn't it? You're a Sontaran. How did I know that, hey? Fascinating isn't it? Isn't that worth keeping me alive?"
Before Ross could raise his gun, Iris stopped him with, "Don't. You're gun isn't going to work. The cordolaine signal stops the bullets. We're weaponless at this point."
Ross wanted to refute that, but Iris looked strictly at him and said, "I'm giving you an order Ross as a Torchwood member. We're above the government and you know that. I don't like giving commands, but you should really listen. Aiming that gun only justifies them to bring their army and kill UNIT soldiers for no reason."
The Sontaran heard Iris' explanation of the cordolaine signal and he asked incredulously,
"How do you two know so much?"
The Doctor shrugged and drew out, "Well…"
The Sontaran soldier looked over to Luke, who hid behind Iris' straight and protective form as he asked, "Who are they?"
Luke hesitated, looking over at Iris, who just nodded for him to answer, and he said, "He didn't give his name. This is…"
Iris interrupted him with, "Iris. That's all you need to know General."
The Doctor's eyebrows went up in surprise at how Iris referred to the Sontaran and he realized that she knew who this was. Before the Sontaran could say anything to that, he immediately drew the soldier's attention to him as he said,
"But this isn't typical Sontaran behavior is it? Hiding? Using teenagers, stopping bullets? A Sontaran should face bullets with dignity. Shame on you."
Iris bit her lower lip, not sure what to do, but she made sure Ross' gun stayed down while Luke stood behind her. They all heard the voice turn angry as he demanded,
"You dishonor me, sir."
The Doctor kept angering the Sontaran with, "Yeah? Then show yourself."
The Sontaran moved to take his helmet off as he said, "I will look into my enemy's eyes!"
Once the helmet was removed, Iris heard Ross mutter, "Oh, my God."
Iris wasn't sure what to think. She finally saw a real Sontaran for the first time, and yet she didn't feel that affected by how he looked. Rather, something in her bubbled with anger. Anger at what was to come. She quickly toned it down, not wanting to worry the Doctor as she just grabbed Luke's hand to help calm him down. The boy had paled considerably and Ross just kept staring at the Sontaran in front of him.
The Doctor quickly asked, "And your name?"
The Sontaran answered with, "General Staal, of the 10th Sontaran Fleet. Staal the Undefeated."
The Doctor immediately frowed as he said, "Oh, that's not a very good nickname. What if you do get defeated? Staal the Not Quite So Undefeated Anymore But Never Mind?"
Iris hissed, "Doctor!" The Doctor immediately stopped talking, but it didn't stop Ross from muttering,
"He's like a potato. A baked potato. A talking baked-"
Iris cut in again as she reprimanded Ross with, "We all get it. And stop being rude. We don't exactly normal to him either."
"Almost like a pink weasel." The Doctor piped up.
Iris glared over at him and said to him via bond, "Really? Is now the best time?"
"Sorry…" He replied back at her. She just shook her head as she looked over at the Sontaran and said,
"The Sontarans are known as the finest soldiers in the galaxy, dedicated to a life of warfare. A clone race, grown in batches of millions with only one weakness."
General Staal looked offended at that and said, "Sontarans have no weakness."
The Doctor shook his head and continued with, "No, it's a good weakness,"
Rattigan asked Iris with a whisper, "Aren't you two meant to be clever? Only idiots would provoke him."
Iris just whispered back, "Don't worry, he knows what he's doing. I'm just saying what he eventually would have anyway."
Luke didn't look that convinced but hid behind her again as the Doctor continued to play with the squash ball and the racket while saying,
"The Sontarans are fed by a probic vent in the back of their neck. That's their weak spot. Which means, they always have to face their enemies in battle. Isn't that brilliant? They can never turn their backs."
Ross and Luke shivered a the sudden cold tone that came from the short speech while Iris just grabbed their hands as Staal proclaimed,
"We stare into the face of death."
The Doctor just shrugged while saying, "Yeah? Well, stare at this." With that, he immediately threw the ball and smashed it with the racket so that it hit the back of the teleport pod, eventually rebounding to hit Staal right on the probic vent, causing the Sontaran general to slump to his knees.
Iris turned the two men around and yelled out "Run!" at the same time the Doctor did. With that, all four of them began bolting while Luke asked incredulously,
"What have you done? What has he exactly done?"
Iris grit her teeth as she said, "He hit the weak spot, why do you think he mentioned it?"
Luke shut up at that. But as the Doctor and Ross headed towards the jeep, Luke stopped and said, "I can't go. The kids here…"
Iris eyed him warily and nodded, understanding what he meant. She said, "Clear the area. We'll be back, but contact me using this if you get found by the Sontarans. Act as if you're on their side if they act like they need you."
Luke nodded and grabbed the little communication device Iris handed him. He hid it easily in his pocket, appreciating the advanced tech she had given him for emergency measures. With that, he bolted back towards the building to find any other students within the academy. Iris ran back to the jeep and entered. The Doctor quickly checked if she was alright while Ross sped away from the academy.
Once they got some distance, the Iris said, "Greyhound Forty to Trap One. Repeat, can you hear me? Over."
When there was only silence, Iris cursed while Ross asked, fear kicking in, "Why's it not working?"
The Doctor responded with, "It must be the Sontarans. If they can trace that, they can isolate the ATMOS."
Iris grabbed onto the sonic screwdriver from the Doctor's pocket and started to work on it. However the ATMOS refused to get off of the car as it said, "Turn left."
The Doctor urgently said, "Try going right."
Ross looked confused as he said, "It said left."
Iris rolled her eyes and said back to him, "Well, we don't want the Sontarans to lead us to our deaths, do we?"
Ross bit his lower lip and tried turning right, but the jeep just headed left and Ross panicked as he said,
"I've got no control. It's driving itself. It wont' stop."
Iris grunted while trying to sonic the ATMOS when she looked up to find the UNIT soldier realize the doors are deadlocked and cursed. Iris yelled out,
"We have to get out of this car now!"
The Doctor felt the urgency of their situation through their bond, glimpsing a little bit of the future that flashed through Iris' mind, unprotected. He quickly turned to help Ross with stopping the car while Iris was working on the door on her side. That was when her other communicator beeped, and Iris groaned as she read the message from Luke Rattigan.
The Doctor asked her a silent question to her, which she answered with, "Sontarans are with Luke right now."
That was when Ross yelled out in panic, "We're headed for the river."
The Doctor's face crunched up in concentration as he aske the device, "ATMOS, are you programmed to contradict my orders?"
The voice affirmed this as it said, "Confirmed."
The Doctor then added, "Anything I say, you'll ignore it?"
The ATMOS said, "Confirmed."
Iris nodded to the Doctor, who had glanced her way to make sure she was ready for them. Then he said, "Then drive into the river. I order you to drive into the river. Do it. Drive into the river."
The jeep jerked forward, causing the trio to slam forwards. The Doctor had reached his arm out to cushion Iris' impact. Iris quickly grabbed onto his arm for support as she caught onto her breath before kicking the door open and leaping out with him. She rolled on the gravel and felt the Time Lord cover her body as the car suddenly fizzled behind them.
Once the adrenaline died down, Iris looked over at the Doctor, a little embarrassed at how the whole situation turned out as he still held her down. She coughed a little and muttered, "Is Ross alright?"
They both heard Ross wheeze out, "I'm fine!"
The Doctor stood up and offered her his hand for getting up. She grabbed it and stood up to find Ross looking bitter about the jeep as the Doctor asked while blushing,
"Oh, was that it?"
Iris looked up at him and scoffed in disbelief as she just shook her head and said, "Let's go to Donna."
Once the trio arrived at the Nobles' residence, Iris sighed in relief and hugged the companion as she let her nerves calm down for once. Donna looked over her and demanded at the Doctor,
"Now what happened? What did you do?"
The Doctor looked surprised and asked, "Why do you think I did something? You would not believe the day we are having…"
With that, the Time Lord walked over to Donna's family car and looked inside. He groaned at the sight of the ATMOS that was installed to the car. Iris saw that and she said, "Donna, you should probably get that removed after everything is done."
Donna looked concerned and she asked, "Is it dangerous?"
Iris nodded, causing Donna to appear alarmed as she decided that it would be best to lock the car doors. Meanwhile, Ross told Iris, "I'll requisition us a vehicle."
The Doctor piped up with, "Anything without ATMOS. And don't point your gun at people."
Ross nodded, seeing the strict look in Iris' eyes before the woman turned around to greet Wilf. The elderly man looked excited as he hurried over asking,
"Is it him? Is it him? Is it the Doctor?"
Upon spotting the man Donna had told him about, the man whooped as he hugged the Time Lord and said, "Ah, it's you!"
The Doctor looked confused as he recognized Wilf and exclaimed, "Oh, it's you…"
Donna frowned and asked the two men, "What, have you met before?"
Wilf nodded excitedly as he said out loud with amazement, "Yeah, Christmas Eve. He disappeared right in front of me."
Donna looked over at her grandfather and incredulously asked him, "And you never asked?"
Iris smiled at Wilf, as he nervously answered, "Well, you never said."
Iris came up to him and introduced herself with, "Sir, it's an honor to meet Donna's grandfather. She told me a lot about you. I am Iris Kim, from Torchwood."
Wilf looked a little uncomfortable at the mention of Torchwood as he asked, "The lot that…?"
Iris grimaced and shook her head as she answered, "We're a different lot now."
Wilf nodded while the man shook her hand and then looked over to the Doctor and said,
"Wilf, sir. Wilfred Mott. You must be one of them aliens."
The Doctor looked a little sheepish at that as he rubbed the back of his neck while muttering, "Yeah, but don't shout it out. Nice to meet you properly, Wilf."
Wilf looked at the and that the Doctor grabbed onto and whispered out in amazement, "An alien hand."
Iris laughed out loud at the adorable look on Wilf as she just teased the Doctor with, "That was the new one."
Wilf looked up in shock at the announcement and wasn't sure what to make of it. Donna looked over in surprise too while the Doctor just pouted and asked her, "What does my new hand have to do with anything?"
Iris tipped her head over to Donna and Wilf's direction, causing the Time Lord to realize why they looked so flabbergasted. He glared back at Iris, who just laughed harder at that. Iris eventually calmed herself down, though her ribs hurt from laughing so hard when she heard the Doctor mutter to himself in thought,
"Sontarans. But there's got to be more to it. They can't be just remote controlling cars. That's not enough. Is anyone answering?"
Iris looked over to Donna, who was holding her mobile and looked up as she answered,
"Hold on."
The Doctor looked frustrated and walked up to Iris, who had to look up at him due to height differences. She saw the frustration that underlied the confusion in his eyes as he asked, "Any tips? Spoilers that could be spoiled?"
Iris sighed, wondering if she should really tell him anything, and said, "Sorry. As much as I should know the reason, I don't remember. If I did, I could have helped you out."
The Doctor groaned at that and walked away. Iris grimaced and sighed to herself. She actually didn't remember the cause of this. As much as she was a fan of the show, she hadn't really liked this two-episode story. She hadn't rewatched it as much as the others. It just didn't click with her. And the irony was that though she remembered a lot of the events, she wasn't necessarily sure about the whole reason behind the Sontarans attacking Earth.
Iris saw Donna walk closer as she was talking to Marth before handing hi the phone. Iris then walked over to Wilf and gently asked him,
"Mr. Noble, I know it's much, but is it possible to lock your car?"
Wilf, surprised by the request, asked, "Why? Is it dangerous?"
Iris shook her head as she said, "The car, in itself, isn't that dangerous. Rather, it's the ATMOS. We don't want it to poison anyone. Locking the car up should help prevent the airways from flowing through and harming anyone."
Wilf quickly nodded and went inside the house to fetch the keys. As she waited, the Doctor noticed the keys Wilf had brought and requested to look into the car. Iris quickly pulled him aside and said,
"I think we shouldn't. Even if we look at it, can you just be careful about it? I'd really rather not deal with whatever is here."
The Doctor shook his head at that and said, "Yeah, but now that I know the technology is Sontaran, I know what I'm looking for. I have to find it."
Iris warily eyed Wilf, causing the Doctor to look over his shoulder at the elderly man, sensing her distress through their bond. He gently grabbed her shoulders and made eye contact with her as he whispered, "I promise to be careful and not let Wilf get hurt."
Iris provided him a small smile, letting him do his job. Wilf came over and said to the duo,
"The thing is Doctor, Miss Iris, that Donna is my only grandchild. You two got to promise me you're going to take care of her."
Iris and the Doctor smiled at him warmly as Iris said, "Wilf, Donna actually takes care of us. We just follow her."
Wilf looked surprised and proud at the same time upon hearing that comment as he said, "Oh, yeah, that's my Donna. Yeah, she was always bossing us around when she was tiny. The Little General we used to call her."
Iris chuckled and admitted, "Well that's better than mine. I was called all sorts of things. Admiral, Lieutenant, and even worse things from there."
Wilf chuckled as he heard that. The woman had spirit, though different from Donna. Donna tended to be more abrupt and impulsive while Iris seemed calculated. But they both had that fighting spirit that kept them well-rounded with each other around. Donna smiled and said,
"Yeah, don't start."
Wilf ignored that and continued wit, "and some of the boys she used to turn up with. Different one every week. Here, who was that one with the nail varnish?"
Iris grimaced a little at that. Donna had the same look on her face while she cringed and answered, "Matthew Richards. He lives in Kilburn now. With a man."
Suddenly, Iris heard a small noise from within the car. Iris had already locked the car so that Wilf wasn't going to be trapped inside. She turned around and looked at the Doctor with a grim look as he said,
"Whoa. It's a temporal pocket. I knew there was something else in there. It's hidden just a second out of sync with real time."
Donna curiously asked, "But what's it hiding?"
That was when Iris spotted , Donna's mother come out and say to all four of them, "I don't know, men and their cars. Sometimes I think if I was a car."
Then Sylvia took a closer look over at the Time Lord and said, "Oh, it's you. Doctor… what was it?"
The Doctor ignored the second question somewhat as he just vaguely said, "Yeah, that's me."
Wilf looked over incredulously at his daughter and asked, "What, have you met him as well?"
Sylvia rolled her eyes and pointed at the Time Lord, who looked a little uncomfortable at that and Iris just shook her head at that as the older woman said, "Dad, it's the man from the wedding. When you were laid up with the Spanish flu. I'm warning you, last time that man turned up it was a disaster."
Iris, who was standing by the Doctor just chuckled as she told him via bond, "What is it with you and your companions' mothers?"
The Doctor just glared at her, but as he was about to retort back out loud, they all heard gas get emitted by something and turned around as Iris pulled Wilf back from the car, warning everyone with,
"Get back!"
The Doctor quickly shut the car hood down after sonicking the device that was engrained into the car and muttered, "That'll stop it."
Iris just took the sonic and shook her head while saying, "No, it won't."
With that, she started deadlocking the car while saying, "Nobody is going to get in this car while the gas is in there. Also, Sylvia and Wilf, could you go back inside the house? It's not really safe with the gas being emitted not only in your car…"
Wilf and Sylvia glanced, a little wary about following her orders. Iris sighed and pulled out her Torchwood identification and said almost in a soldier-like tone, "I trust both of you to not utter a word about who I am, so please, as order of Torchwood, go back inside and remain in the safety of your home please."
Donna and the Doctor shared a glance and they were not sure what to think about the authoritative side to Iris. They saw her in various attitudes but this because Iris rarely had to use that tone to anyone. But here she was, taking up that role. Donna didn't say anything as Iris was really trying to help her family out and it wasn't mean in any way. It was probably the best way for her mother to acquiesce and follow instructions.
Once the older people went back inside their home, Iris sighed and muttered, "Sorry. I normally don't like using that tone, but it has to be used sometimes…"
The Doctor shrugged and checked the car, realizing why Iris had deadlocked the car as he said, "That wasn't just exhaust fumes, was it? Some sort of gas. Artificial gas…"
Donna muttered, "But if it's poisonous, then they've got poisonous gas in every car on Earth."
Iris cursed as she muttered something to herself, causing the Doctor to glance over and say, "You alright?"
Iris sighed and looked exhausted as she said, "Not feeling too great, mind you. I'm just going through some things…"
The Doctor frowned and immediately asked, "Is everything going alright with Jack?"
Iris nodded, smiling a little wistfully, as she said, "Yeah, it's going better than before really… It's just the last case I worked on… it's been making me think more about… why I was brought to this universe…"
The Doctor grew silent. He felt the distress and gently asked, "If you need to talk about anything, let me know. It's not good to hold it in."
Iris smiled gratefully at him and said, "Thanks…" With that, she eyed the car and said, "I might actually have to tell you something. I'm not 100% sure if what I think is accurate… but it's really important."
The Doctor looked at her and felt how stressed she was getting. But before he could console her a bit, gas erupted from the exhaust pipe and Iris cursed. Despite her efforts, sometimes things didn't quite work the way she wanted them to. At least Wilf wasn't inside the vehicle. Donna came over to the duo after hearing Iris curse (which was quite more than they had ever heard her swear than before), and looked instantly shocked at the gas. She stepped back a little bit as she asked,
"What's happened?"
The Doctor grip his teeth as he said, "They've activated it!"
Iris looked all around the neighborhood and didn't like what she was seeing. She immediately phone-called Tosh and when the woman had picked up, Iris muttered, "Tosh, I'm sorry if you're not working right now, but we're at an international crisis right now…"
Tosh fell silent and she asked, "If you're talking about the ATMOS, we are trying to hold back the panic from our end here."
Iris sighed in relief as she said, "Well, good thing our vehicle doesn't have ATMOS. The UNIT jeep we drove in almost killed us on our way to our current location."
Tosh sighed, almost as if she was rolling her eyes and said, "Why am I not surprised."
Iris just chuckled and quickly sobered up as she told the Torchwood technician, "Well, let me know how it goes on your end. Tell Jack that this is a Sontaran issue and the Doctor, Donna and I'm handling it."
"Got it." Tosh said. She then added to the Torchwood medic/technician,
"Do you need the Rover?"
Iris responded with, "That would be great. Send Jack over will you?"
Tosh chuckled and said, "He's already leaving."
With that, she hung up and walked over to the Doctor and Donna as she said, "We have to get back to the factory. Jack is driving over here to pick us up."
The duo looked at Iris and nodded as they waited for the 51st century man to come over.