Leaving Conan's flat, Theodore shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked away with Lila walking beside him, on his mind, he thought of ways for them to find proof of Professor Stanford's wrongdoing if they can't get it from his students.
Recalling David making psychic paper and keeping some in the TARDIS for other Doctors, he deduced that it's their shot at getting to the bottom of this and Lila agreed with her own idea.
"What if I enroll?" Lila went over her plan with Theodore as they walked together. "I can report back what I see and hear at the end of every class and you can work behind the scenes."
With the psychic paper, Lila's able to pass off as an exchange student coming into the class late into the semester. The professor won't know it's a ruse and she can covertly spy on him and see what she can make of the situation they're in.
Theodore hesitated at the idea, but Lila pointed out that the way he dresses, it's a giveaway that something's amiss. With her, she looked as about normal as an American and Professor Stanford wouldn't suspect nothing.
"We don't know what he does to his students," Theodore reminded her that they're clueless in that aspect, to which Lila replied that if she enrolls in his class, they will.
"I went went through naval training with my dad when I was kid. I practiced holding my breathe underwater at the pool most of my summers," Lila brought up her background as Theodore remained hesitant about her enrolling in the class.
He reminded her that her dad didn't give her the "full suite" naval training, just the basics, and wouldn't yell at her like his COs.
Nodding, Lila conceded that Theodore's right, but she knows the basics, and stated that if anything happened to him, she'll have to contend with Hammond.
Safety first, keep the giant spaceman from getting captured or worse so big brother doesn't get irate.
"Lee, don't worry about my brother. Worry about you," Theodore held his hands together as he pointed his index fingers towards her as he tried to talk sense into what she's thinking about.
Whatever happens to him, it's his own fault.
His brother can't blame Lila, even if he wanted to blame someone for Theodore's own screwup.
"If I go, you can do your thing and get me out, can't you?" Lila pointed out that Theodore's stronger, smarter, than her, also mains the TARDIS. If she's in trouble and he knows it, always a push of a button, and she's saved.
She also reminded him that they can speak telepathically with each other, now. Weeks of back and forth, it doesn't feel weird in Lila's mind that she can hear Theodore without being in the same room as him, anymore. If anything goes wrong, Theodore knows. He's more equipped to handle whatever Professor Stanford's got up his sleeves compared to Lila.
Mulling it over, Theodore replied that while Lila had a good point, he still worried.
"I'm the companion, you're the Doctor, remember?" Lila reminded him of their roles.
The Doctor can't make it easy for someone to capture him, right?
Gritting his teeth, Theodore relented, but told her to tell him the moment something's wrong, no matter how small the detail, and he will check on her periodically.
"You're starting to sound like Hammond," Lila remarked as they reached the TARDIS.
Gently pushing her into the TARDIS, Theodore groaned, "Oh, don't remind me!"
He did not want Hammond to hear of this, the man would lord it over Theodore from sunup to sundown.
Inside the TARDIS, Theodore and Lila worked out the plan in detail.
Lila's a transfer student that got into the class late, with the psychic paper showing the paperwork, Professor Stanford wouldn't notice anything wrong.
"I'm working on credit," Lila began as she gave herself a cover. "And, I'm trying to get a degree in biology."
Eying her, Theodore inquired why biology of all things, to which Lila replied, "I need an easy 'A' and biology's my thing. What, you thought I was going for classic literature?"
Yes, Lila worked at a library and would've read countless books to get an idea on what they are for people who need recommendations.
No, Lila can't be bothered to quote 'A Midsummer's Dream' on a dime whenever a professor asks her.
Biology's one of the easier classes Lila ever took and one she can breeze if the professor asks her questions.
"Fine, and after class you come straight back here, you understand?" Theodore pointed at her.
Lila snorts, "Aye-aye, captain!"
Theodore groaned as he asked her not to talk to him like he's Hammond.
They continued until they saw the time and broke off to sleep until the next day where Lila switched out her usual clothes for something fitting her cover.
Predators jersey shirt, navy jeans, her dark hair in a ponytail draped over her left shoulder, and black sneakers.
It's been a long time since Lila wore informal clothing, ever since she worked at the library.
The moment she got the call, Hammond immediately told her to wear something that fit with the dress code.
Second nature, she wore formal clothing despite going on adventures with Theodore because of the chances Hammond needed her at the library and Hammond gets cranky when someone doesn't follow the dress code.
The fights he and Theodore have over the dress code, enough to last seasons on a reality show, because of Hammond's insistence.
"Okay, his class starts around noon and gets out at three," Lila looked at the schedule they received from Conan.
Once class ended, she's back in the TARDIS.
Theodore remained cautious and Lila assured him that she has something tucked away for emergencies.
Dad always taught her to expect the unexpected and prepare for anything.
Didn't teach her to expect the TARDIS or her secondary job as a companion, but he always told her to think outside the box.
Just on the off-chance Professor Stanford tries anything, Lila's got an ace up her sleeves. An army knife from her dad, hidden away on her person. Easy to reach, but not easy to spot, and she made sure that the professor won't know it's there unless Lila needed it.
"Fine, just… stay safe, hm?" Theodore clasped his hands together as he stood near the door with Lila, with the TARDIS near the university, and Lila sighed before telling him that nothing happens on the first day.
Lila leaves the TARDIS with a small backpack filled with pencils, pens, paper, everything needed to pull off a ruse, and found her way to Professor Stanford's class following a map on the wall.
She arrives and looks around, the classroom's a standard university classroom. The seats and tables circled the large whiteboard and the professor's desk.
There's already students sitting and Lila found a spot, as she sits, she heard a familiar voice in her head.
"Eve should already be there," Theodore told her as she covertly looked at the seating students.
From what they gathered from talking with Conan, she recognized Shemi, wearing patterned heavy clothing with her sunburnt hair tied behind her head. Next to her's Eve, flushed skin, strawberry blond hair, with a beauty mark under her left eye.
There's two students next to them, Mark and Cal. Mark's got family in Scotland and estranged from them due to personal reasons. Cal's from Northern Ireland, from an abusive household with a drunk father, doesn't like talking about it much.
Lila waited for Professor Stanford's arrival while covertly looking at the other students. They didn't talk, didn't even look in her direction, just stared straight at the desk, waiting for him.
Freaky.
The door opened and there's two more students who came through the doorway.
Liza and Isaac.
Liza's from Wales and wanted to open her own business, needed Professor Stanford's class for extra credits to get her business degree.
Isaac's from Kent, wanted to go back to school and finish it after taking leave from it to tend to his ailing mother. He needed all the credits he could get and Professor Stanford's class came to mind since he figured it's a start.
Sitting in the seat, Lila watched them take their spots and like the others, they didn't talk to each other or even make eye contact. Didn't give Lila a look, either.
The silence's deafening and Lila worked at the library.
Keeping her head down, Lila sat with her pencil and paper, waiting, and eventually the door opened again, one set of footsteps.
She watched someone coming down the stairs in a black suit and his eyes crossed hers before she's even able to look away.
"I believe you're in the wrong class," the man immediately said to Lila with a deep voice as he eyed her as he held his pale hands together. On his left ring finger, a stylized band with an black stone on it.
Lila put on a face as she replied, making sure her southern accent's apparent, "Oh, uh, my schedule says I'm supposed to be here."
She showed the man her psychic paper, masquerading as a schedule with the class on it.
Perturbed, the man remarked that nobody told him that a student's coming into the class.
Lila replied that the person she talked to over the phone said her paperwork went through. She has her schedule and everything.
A slight of hand, she showed him the acceptance letter that she received from the university.
Sighing, the man replied that he always knew the people in the filing room were idiots.
"I am Professor Stanford, who're you?" Professor Stanford introduced himself and Lila gave her alias.
Louise Stevenson.
Nodding, Professor Stanford welcomed her to his class as he went down the stairs towards his desk where he took his spot.
He introduced Lila to the other students and they silently looked towards her, little emotions coming from their eyes, and they moved towards Professor Stanford as he went through his desk, grabbing his large book.
Lila expected the students to bring out their books, but they didn't, and Professor Stanford started his class by asking her questions, wanting to know about her.
Playing by the book, Lila gave him details about her cover, keeping it natural.
Once she finished, she sat quietly in her chair as Professor Stanford sat quietly in his chair with his hands under his chin.
When he finally spoke, he stood up from his desk and went to the whiteboard. Grabbing the marker, Professor Stanford began discussing the human conditioning.