The Iron Circle (short story)

Summary
The Doctor and Martha land on the Isle of Wight in 1973, where the TARDIS controls begin to move and flick on their own. A metallic wristwatch flies through the doors of the TARDIS and exits through the back wall of the control room, leaving no sign of entry. Meanwhile, across the nearby area, metallic pylons begin to remove themselves from their foundations and walk across the countryside, causing large amounts of damage. It also seems that cars and other vehicles are being drawn in the same direction as the pylons.

As the TARDIS lands, it hits a heavy object. The Doctor and Martha exit the TARDIS to find Lord Tennyson's monument, and next to it, a huge metallic structure, about five hundred feet tall. They find a watch near the TARDIS. Martha suddenly begins to feel a sharp pain in her mouth, and her filling is pulled from out of her mouth, being sucked into the structure. They then notice a massive swarm of metallic objects, some flying and some walking, across the countryside. The Doctor notes that the objects are under multi-molecular manipulation, somehow being caused by the structure. The Doctor then realises that it is not a structure at all, but a living creature.

Attempting to talk to the creature, the Doctor wakes it up, disrupting its power and temporarily stopping the metal from moving. The Doctor and Martha eventually strike a deal with the creature, that it can have all of the metal. The Doctor asks the creature to leave behind one of the milk floats, and steps into the TARDIS to allow the creature to consume the metal and leave.

Characters

 * The Doctor
 * Martha Jones

Continuity
to be added

Timeline

 * This story takes place after DWS: Sunscreen
 * This story takes place before DWS: Kiss of Life