In the computer classroom the teacher, who had talked to the students in the canteen, was taking his computer class.
"I'd like you all to put your headphones on" He instructed his students, who were all sat at the computers, facing the screens which were showing an odd screen saver of a light green symbol spinning in the middle of a green smoky spiral. As the students put their headphones on the teacher pressed some keys on his computer's keyboard. "Now children, the things you will see" He said as, in one fluid movement all of the students started typing rapidly whilst the screens all showed the same light green complicated programming.
Back in the corridors the headmaster was talking quite eagerly to a middle aged woman, who had shoulder length brunette hair and was dressed in a light brown leather coat, jeans and boots.
"But my improvements aren't just limited to the classroom, no no, we've just introduced a new policy, school dinners are absolutely free but compulsory, do try the chips" The headmaster told her as they walked down the quiet corridor.
"Oh, I'd love to, thank you and it's got to be said, the transformation you've brought around here is just amazing" The woman replied as she looked around with interest. "I mean maybe your working the children a little bit to hard now and then, but I think good results are more important than anything" She added inquiringly.
"Exactly, your a woman of vision Miss Smith" The headmaster replied as he led her through a door.
"Oh I can see everything Mr Finch, quite clearly" Miss Smith replied as she walked through.
In the staff room the Doctor was talking to another teacher, a short and chubby man with a large moustache.
"Yesterday I had a twelve year old girl give me the exact height of the walls of troy in cubics" The teacher told the Doctor as he drank his cup of tea.
"And it's ever since the new headmaster arrived?" The Doctor asked him, quietly so they weren't overheard. The teacher nodded.
"Finch arrived three months ago, next day half the staff got flu, Finch replaced them with those lot" He replied, nodding his head to a group of teachers, all men in suits, standing a short distance behind the Doctor, talking to each other. "Except for the teacher you replaced, that was just plain weird, her winning the lottery like that" The teacher added as the Doctor turned back to him.
"How so?" The Doctor asked.
"She never played, said the ticket was pushed through her door at midnight" The teacher replied as he began walking off.
"The world is very strange" The Doctor said after him, considering deeply.
"Excuse me, colleges a moment of your time" Mr Finch announced as he entered with Miss Smith. The Doctor looked up, but his eyes immediately fell on the woman who'd entered with the headmaster. "May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith, Miss Smith is a journalist who's writing a profile about me for The Sunday Times, I thought it would be a good idea for her to get a view from the trenches, so to speak" Mr Finch continued as Sarah Jane observed the room and it's occupants. As Mr Finch left her to it, Sarah Jane quickly spotted the Doctor, who was still staring happily at her.
"Hello" She said, walking up.
"Oh I should think so" The Doctor replied.
"And you are?" Sarah Jane inquired.
"Hum, oh, Smith, John Smith" The Doctor said, bring himself from his thoughts.
"John Smith? I use to have a friend who sometimes went by that name" Sarah Jane replied, almost wistfully.
"Well, it's a very common name" The Doctor replied dismissively.
"He was a very uncommon man, nice to meet you" Sarah Jane said as she shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you, yes very nice, more than nice, brilliant" The Doctor replied as Sarah Jane started to leave but seemed to change her mind.
"So, have you worked here long?" She asked.
"No, er, it's only my second day" The Doctor replied, as he finally stopped grinning.
"Oh, your new then? So what do you think of the school? I mean this new curriculum? So many children getting ill? Doesn't that strike you as odd?" Sarah Jane inquired excitedly, causing the Doctor to grin again.
"You don't seem like someone just doing a profile?" He suggested.
"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here" She replied with a slight smirk as she walked off to talk elsewhere.
"No, good for you, oh good for you Sarah Jane Smith" The Doctor said to himself as he beamed with joy, watching her introducing herself to the other teachers.
As the school bell rang for the next lesson, the students were all rushing to their classes. Among them was the Doctor, walking as if he was miles away in a daydream. Pausing to stop in the quietening corridor he felt a smile creep onto his face. Just at the end of the corridor the Doctor was on, just down the stairs, was Kenny, late for class again as he struggled to keep up with his classmates who'd run to their classes much faster than he could. A scraping of a chair and an almost growling sound in a darkened classroom, however, distracted him at once. Cautiously walking into the computer classroom he heard the growling grow louder. It was coming from under one of the desks. Bending down he peered under and nearly screamed at what he saw. A large bony and scaly bat like creature was sitting on the floor as it turned and growled at him. Jumping back with pure terror, Kenny couldn't believe what he'd seen as the monster seemed to stand up on the other side of the desk. That was when he saw his teacher, the man who'd taken the computer class, stand up in the monster's place.
"This is not your classroom Kenny, now run along" He told the gasping boy, cracking his neck as he did so. Kenny didn't hesitate as he ran out back the way he'd come whilst the teacher watched carefully.
As Kenny ran out and down the corridor, slowing to a jog as he lost his breath, he didn't see the ladder which had a pair of legs standing on it, with the other half of the worker's body through the gap in the titled roof above. Brushing past it with his shoulder and bag, causing it to wobble, Kenny finally came to a halt but still jumped when a voice rang out.
"Hey, watch the ladder" A young man's voice, slightly muffled by the roof, sounded as he climbed down to see who'd jolted the ladder.
"Sorry, I didn't..." Kenny mumbled in reply, recognising the man who'd been working on the electrics for the past two days. Peter's face softened a little at the boy's genuine mistake.
"Well, just a be a little more careful in the future all right, you ok?" He asked kindly, more due to the student's slightly scared face than his bump with the ladder. Kenny nodded in response as calmly as he could before walking off to his class. Just as Peter was about to go back to work another voice rang out.
"Kids today right?" It was a woman's voice, Sarah Jane Smith's in fact. She'd just been on her way home when she'd watched the student collide into the ladder and talk with Peter from a doorway.
"Yeah, though that one just seemed in a bit of a rush" Peter replied with a smile as leant against the ladder to face her.
"Sarah Jane Smith by the way, I'm the journalist the headmaster probably mentioned was coming in" Sarah Jane introduced as she walked up to him and shook his hand.
"Peter Argent" Peter replied as he saw the woman seem to notice the hole in the ceiling.
"Can I ask what your working on?" She asked inquisitively.
"Oh, nothing important just the fuses, they keep blowing, I've been here two days and they've gone three times" Peter replied, wondering why the journalist would be interested. But Sarah Jane seemed to be thinking about something else as she paused to collecting her thoughts.
"Funny there's a teacher, John Smith, he started two days ago too" She inquired suspiciously. Peter was surprised that she'd taken interest in this, but only shrugged.
"Coincidence" Was all he said as Sarah Jane nodded, though in a way that showed she didn't quite believe him.
"Well, thank you, I'll leave you to your work Mr Argent" She said, shaking hands with him again before walking back down the corridor. Peter watched her for a moment, wondering how much she knew, before carrying on with his work.
Darkness had fallen over London. At the school however, four shadows were walking up to the front doors.
"So how are we going to get in? Sonic Screwdriver?" Mickey asked, loud from trying to sound confident.
"No Mickey it doesn't work on the front doors, they've got those funny locks the Sonic doesn't like" The Doctor responded, making it sound obvious as he, Mickey, Rose and Peter reached the doors.
"Then how...?" Mickey began to ask. The Doctor pointed out the set of windows which were above the flat roof that jutted out above the front doors. "If someone goes in those windows and down to the front doors there's a electrical lock box the Sonic can hack into and open the doors" He then explained. Mickey scoffed a little.
"Yeah, right who's going to get up there?" He said sceptically, looking at the height of the roof. The Doctor sighed as if the answer was obvious again before he handed the Sonic to Peter, who developed a cocky grin on his face. It was Mickey's turn to sigh. Once again he'd been beaten out as they all watched Peter walk up to the roof's edge as he put the Sonic between his teeth and jump up, a lot higher than any human could have. His forearms grabbed the flat roof surface as he hoisted himself effortlessly and silently up onto the roof. Walking along the roof a bit Peter reached the windows and, using the Sonic, unlocked one of them before he climbed in and disappearing from sight. A few minutes later he appeared on the other side on the front doors where he opened them by hacking into the lock mechanism box just to the side with the Sonic. As he opened the door for them he chucked the Sonic Screwdriver back to the Doctor before they all entered the school.
On the other side of the building another window had been opened. Sarah Jane Smith paused as she shinned her torch across the room before climbing in.
Walking through the corridors, the Doctor, Rose, Peter and Mickey eventually came to the main staircase.
"Oh, it's weird seeing the school at night, it just feels wrong, when I was a kid I though all the teachers slept in school" Rose said as they crept in.
"Quiet team, oh I hate saying team, er, gang, er, comrades, no" The Doctor said as they stopped for a moment. "Anyway, Rose go to the kitchens get a sample of that oil, Peter check out the computer's they're probably what's causing the fuses to blow but don't turn anything on, just see if there's anything in the machines that shouldn't be there, Mickey the new staff are all maths teachers go and check the maths department, I'm going to look in Finch's office, back here in ten minutes" The Doctor instructed as he walked up the stairs.
"You going to be all right?" Rose asked Mickey as she checked her watch. Mickey let out loud scoff.
"Me? Please, infiltration and investigation, I'm an expert at this" He said loudly.
"Then you'll know to do it quietly, we are sneaking into the school" Peter reminded him as he pulled out and ensured his gun was ready if needed. Mickey jumped back a little a the sight of it.
"Why have you got that?" He asked surprised. Peter gave him an obvious look.
"It's my gun" He replied. Mickey sighed.
"I know that, but why do you have it now?" Mickey asked worried as Peter placed it back in it's pouch.
"We're sneaking into a school that possibly has hostile alien activity, I think it's good to have a little defence" He replied casually with a raised eyebrow. Mickey seemed a little taken aback by Peter's readiness as Rose rolled her eyes. She knew Mickey was constantly trying to beat Peter, who in turn would always point his skills in an obvious manner.
"Come on, we only have ten minutes" She remained them both.
"Yeah, right course" Mickey said confidently again as he walked off and through a door. Rose and Peter watched him go and reminded there with grins growing on their faces.
"Three, two, one" Peter counted down, finishing just as Mickey walked back in looking very embarrassed.
"Where's the maths department?" He asked, annoyed. Peter sighed.
"Come on, it's near the computers" He said indicating his head to a door on the opposite wall.
"Play nice, and don't start a fight" Rose called after them, seeing the grin on Peter's face as he and Mickey walked out of the corridor.