Chapter Two

Once they were all seated at the desk with the tea they'd travelled as a group to make, they began investigating. Nardole had a computer on his lap, scrolling through pages upon pages of conspiracy sites as Bill showed the Doctor the recordings on her phone.

"It was sort of like a cat," she said as it played again. "But more...human. Or 'humanoid' I guess." She couldn't help but smile. "Still getting used to actually using this sci-fi lingo."

The Doctor played the sound again and his eyes widened. "Where was this?"

She shrugged, putting her phone away as she thought it over.

"I was leaving the canteen. So somewhere around that back staircase. Sort of near where the puddle was."

A somber look flickered on her face, but she hid it before either of her companions could see. When she next looked up, the Doctor was halfway to the door.

"Oi!" Bill called, throwing her hands out. "What happened to doing things together?"

The Doctor waited for her and Nardole to join him before closing the office door and leading them downstairs.

"Nardole, do you still carry that torch?" The Doctor asked, pounding down the steps as quickly as possible.

When they reached the ground floor, Nardole reached into his jacket and pulled out a small red torch. He flipped it up in the air and smirked. "Got it."

Bill held up her phone. "I've got one on my phone."

The Doctor met both of their eyes with a stern frown. "Okay. We're going to go outside. And we're going to find out who's been visiting our university."

Nardole nodded fervently. "Yes. That definitely sounds like a plan."

"And to do that, we're going to have to split up."

Nardole's face dropped. "Sir?"

Bill put up a staying hand. "Wait, Doctor, seriously? Is that a good idea?"

"It's telepathic. If we're all in the same area, it might be able to get us all at once," he explained, "but if we split up, at least one of us will be out of its range."

Bill sighed. The plan was logical. But that didn't mean it had any common sense.

"Okay," she relented. "But if we haven't seen anything by nine O'Clock, we should all meet back here. Deal?"

Nardole nodded. "Agreed."

The Doctor opened one of the front doors. "Alright. Bill, you head toward the canteen. Nardole, walk left toward the Vault. I'll go right. If you find anything, shout."

The trio dispersed, going into the night with the light of their torches dancing through the darkness. The wind was nippy and fear had them all in a state of constant agitation, but overall the university seemed still and silent. Without the flurry of students and professors, it was actually relatively peaceful.

The Doctor scanned the air with his sonic screwdriver and then set it back in his inside pocket. He glanced around and watched the path in front of him, lit up by his torch.

"Where are you?" he murmured.

A shadow moved, just at the edge of his light. The Doctor froze.

"I'm here...Doctor." a voice hissed from the darkness.

The Doctor cast his light side to side, but nothing else crossed in front of him. He felt his hair stand on end and adjusted how his sweaty hands held the torch.

"You know me then?" He asked into the night.

A pressure entered his head.

"Timelord...Timelord of Gallifrey."

Movement caught his eye, making him spin around, throwing his light this way and that. A pair of yellow eyes reflected back, just for a second before disappearing. He grit his teeth to keep them from chattering.

"Who are you?" He asked, louder.

The pressure returned to his head.

"Doctor...Doctor!"

The Doctor spun around and his light landed on Bill, standing hardly five feet in front of him. His hand flew to his chest as he got his breathing under control. Bill touched his arm and he jumped.

"Sorry," she said, "I heard your voice."

He swallowed and tried to get his thoughts in order. "Right. Er, let's get back inside. Nardole should be back by now."

. . .

The Doctor sat in his usual office chair wringing his hands. Bill hadn't seen him blink five times since they'd come back inside twenty minutes ago. Softly, she set a cup of tea down on the desk beside him.

"Doctor…"

She bit her lip. "Maybe it's nothing."

The Doctor lowered his brows at her in an unspoken question.

She shrugged. "Maybe it's just students. I know I started all this, but...I don't know. I don't want us to get freaked out for no reason."

Nardole held up a finger. "What about the green light? And me and the Doctor falling asleep earlier?"

Bill shook her head. "I don't know."

An uncomfortable silence overtook the room as they each stared at different spots along the wall. The Doctor picked up his mug with both hands and then resumed staring into space. Finally, he spoke.

"It knew who I was."

Nardole leaned in closer to hear the Doctor's abnormally small voice.

"It knew I was from Gallifrey. It knew I was a Timelord. No one here would know that."

Nardole picked up his own cup of tea. "Well, like Bill said, we shouldn't let ourselves get anxious over nothing."

The Doctor pursed his lips, unconvinced, but didn't reply. He took a large gulp of tea and then set it down, getting to his feet. Slowly, he paced around the room and stretched out his hands, trying to shake off the feeling that he was being watched. Bill gave Nardole a knowing, worried glance before turning back to the Doctor.

"We can look into it more tomorrow. In the daylight," she suggested. "That way it'll be less creepy."

Nardole nodded. The Doctor's shoulders finally seemed to relax. Satisfied, Bill put her bag on her shoulders.

"For now, I've gotta get home," she said.

When she reached the door, the Doctor grabbed her hand.

"Be safe."

She gave him a smile.

"I'll be fine. See you tomorrow."

She disappeared out of the room, leaving the two men staring at the closed door. The Doctor came back to his seat and took another sip of tea.

He could still feel eyes watching him; eyes that could get inside his head. Eyes that knew what he was and, possibly, who he was.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up for the rest of the night.