-Part Two-

"Are you expecting a package?" John asks.

"Hm?" The Doctor looks up from the console. "Not particularly, why?"

John waves the envelope at her in response.

"Who's it from?"

"No return address." John says.

The Doctor grunts noncomittally. "Probably a wrong address."

"I don't think so. It seems rather specific."

Rose reaches up and pulls the package down so she can read the front. "Big Blue Box, Corner of University Row and High Change Street, End of Alley, Behind Dustbins."

The Doctor comes around the console wiping her hands on a cloth. "Well, then, better open it."

John is a step ahead of her, already pulling the flap up. He reaches in and retrieves the object inside, which turns out to be a small blue notebook.

"John? What's wrong?" Rose asks.

He shakes his head slowly. Rose looks over at the Doctor, who has frozen in place.

"What's going on with you two? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Who delivered this." The Doctor doesn't look up.

John pokes at the console, the security feed from the outside of the Tardis appears, rapidly runs backward. A small figure approaches, hidden beneath yellow rain gear and umbrella.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I'm...I'm not sure." The Doctor says. "We need to find out who sent this. Come on."

"Where are we-" Rose starts to ask, then realizes she already knows the answer. "Can I at least get an umbrella?"

By the time they have walked across the wide stone paved courtyard it has started to rain again. Rose and John walk along under the umbrella, though it's not doing as much good as it could since the Doctor has set a fast pace that blows rain under the hood.

She throws the door to one of the buildings open and steps in, dripping on the floor. A receptionist jumps and looks up sharply, surprised by the sudden interruption to her solitaire.

"Can I help you?" The woman behind the desk regains her composure as the other two come in.

"Deliveries?" The Doctor asks.

"Pardon?"

The Doctor shakes her head. "Sorry. There's some sort of mail service that operates on campus here, right?"

"Oh, yes." The receptionist relaxes and takes her finger off of the alarm button. "Go out and to the right, past the Classic Arts building, down those stairs, left at the Student Laundry, there's a sign that says 'Mail Room'."

The Doctor nods to John and Rose, who have been fighting to get the umbrella closed. Rose groans and steps out, letting the device pop open again, spattering both of them with water.

"I'm really starting to hate this place." Rose grumbles.

"Ah, yes, so different from sunny old England." The Doctor steps out into the rain.

The dryers at the student laundry puff steam and the smell of fabric softener into the cool drizzle. The Mail Room sign is located over a stone staircase. The awning above it had once protected it from the rain, but now the torn fabric acts as a funnel. A drain fights a losing battle against a steadily deepening pool at the bottom.

The mail room door is closed and locked, with a sign reading 'Out of Order'.

"How can you be 'out of order'?" The Doctor says loudly.

"Probably because it's standing under six inches of water. Come out of there, we'll just have to wait until tomorrow."

"Who runs this place?"

"The university?"

"The post system!" The Doctor slogs up the steps, her boots full of water.

"Should be in the university directory." John says.

He pulls the door to the student laundry open and pushes the Doctor inside. The automated washers, dryers, and presses that process school linens chug and whir behind a wall made of concrete blocks painted a shade of depressing dingy white. The student portion of the laundry facilities seems to be abandoned for the time being.

"Ugh." The Doctor sits down and dumps water out of one boot.

"Here." John kicks a wheeled laundry bin labeled 'lost and found' in her direction.

"Really? You're stealing clothes?" Rose asks.

"No. I'm borrowing them. I do it all the time."

"And how often do you give back these 'borrowed' clothes?"

"They need only ask." The Doctor says.

"Unbelievable." Rose says.

"Ooh, I like that." The Doctor says.

"No." Rose says.

"But-"

"No."

The Doctor sighs.

"Oh my." John says.

"What?" The Doctor pulls off her soaked coat, ignoring Rose who is still going through the laundry. "Found the mail director?"

"What's your inside leg?" Rose asks.

"What? I don't know. Who knows that?"

"I know mine." Rose says.

"Yours doesn't keep changing!"

"Try these." Rose shoves a pair of slacks into her hands.

John pulls a sheet of paper off of the wall, holds it up so they can see the front. It is a poster, advertising a reward for information leading to the recovery of a missing child. The picture on the front is unmistakably Penny.

"Oh. Oh my. Now that is interesting." The Doctor takes the shirt Rose is holding out, puts it on without looking.

"You're crooked."

"Yes, yes I am." The Doctor says.

"No, your buttons."

"Oh, for the love of-" The Doctor makes an irritated sound.

She is pulling the shirt back open when there is a scream from behind the wall. All three of them look up seconds before the door marked 'Staff Only' slams open and a woman in a smock bursts out.

"Police! Call the police! Oh!" She presses her hands against her face, near hysterical.

John puts a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"There's been an accident-" She points back toward the open door.

Rose takes her by the arm and pulls her toward the row of seats along the front of the laundry. "Here, come sit down."

The second they step through the door, the smell of blood hits them, sharp and metallic under the steam and soft perfume of detergent.

The young man is sprawled over one of the large folding machines, his arms sliding back and forth as the machine clacks under him.

"Good thing the guard is still in place." John says. "Nasty, when they get pulled into the mangler."

"Can't believe they still use these things." The Doctor says. "What do you reckon, came through the sky light?"

"He'd have to have closed it behind him."

"Who breaks into a laundry?"

"Someone in desperate need of fabric softener?"

"Help me get him down." The Doctor says.

"Shouldn't we wait for the police?"

"John!" The Doctor gasps.

"Sorry, I just felt like somebody should say it." John chuckles. "Get his legs."

"Here." Rose offers the woman a tissue.

"Oh, thank you. Sorry, it just...it came as such a shock."

"Did you know the person?"

"Not well. His name was Tom...Tom something."

"Was he a student?"

She nods and dabs at her eyes.

"What was he doing back there?"

"I have no idea." She shakes her head. "Nobody is supposed to be back there except maintenance staff."

"Is that what you do?"

"Yes. One of the alarms went off."

"What kind of alarm?"

"Something fell. Onto one of the machines. The sheet press. The Mangler, yes." She dabs her eyes. "The guard was still on."

The rain has slowed to a faint drizzle, the only sounds the soft squeaking of a mechanical barrel rolling in one of the dryers.

"He fell onto one of the machines?" Rose asks. "How did he manage that?"

"There's a skylight, I imagine he must have been up on the roof."

"Any idea why he'd be up there?"

She shakes her head. "They get to all sorts of mischief, the students. Go places just because they aren't supposed to be there. You remember what it was like to be that age."

"Do they get up on the roof often?"

"No, as far as I know, nobody has been up there in years. Except..." She frowns slightly. "A few weeks ago, I was passing by and I could have sworn I saw someone climbing down the ladder from the roof. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but..."

"Did you recognize the person?"

"Yes. It was one of the professors. Doctor Kelsey."

"Kelsey?" Rose echoes.

She nods. "I don't know his first name. He just started teaching here a few months ago."

"Does he use the laundry service?"

"No, I don't think so."

A young man, late teens or early twenties, wearing a tie and blazer bearing the school emblem.

"However he got in here, he didn't do it himself." The Doctor says. "Look, he's all dirty down the front. Somebody has dragged this body."

"And then threw him onto the press?"

"Maybe they didn't realize it had a guard, figured it would destroy the evidence. Looks like a student. Any ID?"

"Timothy Listerton Smythe." John says. "Student ID, shuttle pass...well, I think we can say robbery wasn't the motive, that's an awful lot of cash."

"What's a student doing with that kind of money? Do they even accept cash here? Neck's broken, but that could just be from the fall." The Doctor leans over and sniffs around the boy's mouth. "Ketoacidosis?"

"Pardon?"

"He's got a funny smell to him, around the mouth. Not alcohol. Kind of sweet and..." She shakes her head. "I've smelled it before."

John leans over, sniffs, frowns. "Could be. That doesn't explain how he got here."

A team of two women and a man come in through the door, blue lights flashing behind them.

"Accident?" One of the women appears to be in charge.

"Yes, back there. There are two officers there already."

"Are there?"

"Yes, I mean- you are-" She looks at Rose uncertainly.

"UNIT." Rose says.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Just passing through, really. Somebody sent us a package, we were trying to track it down."

"Mail is closed."

"I know."

"Well, lets see what we got. I'm May, this is Sophia and Neil."

"Wait...I know you." Rose says.

"Do you?"

"I've seen you in the news. You're ISTC." Rose says. "What's port authority doing investigating an accidental death on campus?"

"You're a sharp one, ain't ya." May snorts.

"I have my moments."

"I owe somebody a favor." May says. "Where's the body?"

"Back here." Rose leads her through the door.

John is kneeling by the body, the Doctor is walking carefully around the room. Rose can hear the buzz of the sonic screwdriver, which she pockets when they come in.

"John Smith and the Doctor." Rose motions to them.

"Wait, as in The Doctor?" May says. "I thought you were a man."

"I get that a lot." The Doctor flashes her a smile.

"Who moved him?"

"We did." The Doctor says. "He was up on the machine."

May shakes her head and clucks. "This is the third one in two weeks. What the hell is going on around here?"

She waves her hand over the boy's face, sniffs the air. "There it is again, same smell."

"Yes, we noticed that." The Doctor says. "What is it?"

"That's the million dollar question." May says. "Nobody knows, or if they do, they aren't telling, and it doesn't show up in tests."

Neil is walking in slow circles around the room, recording visual and sensor data. Sophia prods gently at the body with an array of probes and scanners.

"Hey, Boss?" Sophia says.

"Yeah, baby?" May glances over.

"This is...this is weird."

"Tell me about it."

"No, weirder than usual. He's got multiple bone fractures and internal injuries, almost any of which could have been the cause of death...but they all happened post mortem. His lungs are full of water."

"So, he drowned." May says.

"In sea water."

"What?" They all stop and look at her.

"Hey, the sampler doesn't lie. Salt, mineral, and microorganism content-" She tugs one of his trainers off and shakes it. "Even got sand in his shoes."

"We're five hundred miles from the nearest beach." The Doctor says. "Were they off on holiday?"

"Shouldn't have been, it's the middle of term." May says. "We can check his records. Or...we might get lucky."

She taps her chest. "Call Heir of Doom."

The Doctor arches an eyebrow. Sophia chuckles.

"Hey, baby, how ya doin?" May taps her chest again. "You're on speaker."

"I'm OK." A young man's voice, small and tinny through the device.

"Did you know a Timothy...Timothy Listerton Smythe? He in class with you?"

"Tim? Sort of, he- wait, what do you mean 'Did I know'? What happened to him?"

"He's dead."

"What? How?"

"Not sure yet. Did you know him?"

"I talked to him a couple times. Didn't really know him that well, though."

"Do you know when he attended class last?"

"He was in Solar Architecture this morning. I don't know about after that. I can ask around, if you want."

"Not yet." May says. "You done with that paper?"

"I'm working on it."

"Hmpf. A likely story. Brush your teeth." May taps her chest, ending the transmission.

"Your son?" The Doctor asks.

"Tommy." May nods. "He's a good kid."

Someone knocks at the door. Neil opens it, speaks briefly with the person on the other side.

"Who's there?" May calls.

"It's the removal team." Neil says. "They want to know if you're ready for them."

"Yeah, they can take him." May says. "I think we've got everything we need for now."

"Come on." The Doctor tugs them gently around the corner. "I don't want to get sucked into a murder investigation. To much paperwork."

"Wait!" Rose grabs her arm.

"What?"

"She said something- the mechanic. She'd seen somebody coming down from the roof. Somebody named Doctor Kelsey."

The Doctor turns to look at her, then over at John.

"Kelsey...that's what it is!" She waves her hands. "How could I not have recognized it!"

"What?"

"That smell coming from him- coming from all the victims- it's the same smell those things gave off, in Kelsey's house!"

"If he's here..." John lets his voice trail off.

"Yes. I think, perhaps, we should stick around. But lets try to avoid involving the locals until it's absolutely necessary. First, we need to confirm his identity. Might not be him at all."

"Penny's not here, is she?"

The Doctor stops. "You know, that would explain why she was able to block our view so effectively. She knows where the cameras are."

Thunder rumbles.

"Can we get inside somewhere, please?" Rose nudges the Doctor.

"Yes." The Doctor says, sounding distracted. "Yes. Back to the Tardis."

"Are we leaving?" Rose asks.

"No." The Doctor says. "No, we're not. Not until we've gotten this sorted out."

"You're wearing a suit." Rose says.

"Mm." The Doctor is leaning on the console, staring intently at a readout.

"I like it."

"I know." She pokes a button, the console beeps.

"Why the change?"

"It stops you looking at me funny."

"Can I ask you something?"

"My wife." The Doctor says.

"Sorry?"

"You were going to ask who the journal belonged to. Ex-wife, I suppose. She's been...gone...for awhile."

"Oh." Rose falls silent for a moment. "He knew her, didn't he?"

"John? They'd met. But most of that with her...that was well after his time."

"Any sign of that stuff about?" Rose decides to change the subject.

The Doctor blinks at her, looking confused, then her face clears. "Oh, yes. Evil fungus. Right. We're getting a massive amount of interference from all the equipment around here, results should come in sometime in the next, oh, twenty minutes?"

"Time for tea, then." Rose grabs her elbow. "Come on and eat something."

The Doctor looks like she's going to protest, but realizes it would be pointless and lets the human drag her into the kitchen.

"Would you like some toast?" The voice is high and tinny.

Rose and the Doctor both stop.

"Hello?" Rose calls. "Did someone just say something?"

"Would you like some toast?" This time she can pinpoint the source, a small two slot toaster sitting on the back counter.

"No." The Doctor says firmly. "We do not want any toast."

"Bagel?"

"No."

"Crumpet?"

"No."

"Ice cream?"

"N-what?"

"Waffle?"

"No, go back."

"Toasted tea cake?"

"That's not what you-" The Doctor shakes her head. "Why am I arguing with a household appliance?"

"Where did that thing come from?" Rose asks.

"It was lost in space."

"Lost nothing." The Toaster protests. "It was attempted murder!"

"You're not alive. You can't be murdered. Look, I thought I took care of you."

"See, she's even trying to kill me."

"You're a malfunctioning machine."

"You never want any toast!"

"How did you get here!" The Doctor snaps. "I thought I threw you down the garbage chute."

"I was rescued."

"Hello." John pushes past Rose and leans on the Doctor's shoulder. "What's going on here?"

"Did you fix that...thing?" The Doctor jabs a finger at the Toaster.

"Do you want some toast?" The Toaster chirps.

"No." John says. "To both questions."

"Then how did it get here?" Rose asks.

The Doctor shakes her head.

"Bran muffin?" The Toaster says hopefully.

The Doctor zaps it with her screwdriver. The lights on the front of the toaster flash, but there is no sound. It steams angrily.

"At least I can mute you." The Doctor says.

The lights on the front begin to blink, a pattern of short and long blips.

"Would...you...like...some..." John reads slowly.

The Doctor grabs a tea towel and throws it over the device, triggering the automatic shutoff. The toaster falls dark, though they can still feel it grumbling at them.

"Did you find a staff list?" The Doctor sits down at the small table.

"Yep. Nobody named Kelsey."

"She did say he hadn't been there very long. He might not be in the print up yet."

"Could be." The Doctor drums her fingers on the table.

"What about Penny? If she's here, shouldn't you be able to, you know, Highlander her?" Rose asks. "Careful, it's hot."

"Mm, it's...noisy...here. Same thing that's slowing the scanners down. I think right now, I'm limited to line of sight."

"Well, you're just useless, aren't you." Rose sits down and pushes a plate toward her.

In the empty console room, the journal trembles, spreads it's pages as if caught in a strong wind. Thin, greyish tendrils creep from the interior, drag the book upright like the roof of a house. The thing scuttles, octopus-like, down from the console and vanishes into an open maintenance hatch.