Shareen vs the Universe
School Reunion
Thanks to wtfjamie for favouriting this story
Mickey sat typing away at a PC terminal in the Southwark public library while Shareen sat alongside him with a couple of newspapers. Mickey's screen came up with 'U.F.O activity.' and showed a grainy image of an object flying through the sky. "Come on, Micks, there's gotta be something more than that." Shareen said
"Hang on, I'll dig deeper." Mickey said, and tapped away at his keyboard. The screen toggled through more images until it suddenly came up with 'Torchwood: access denied.'
"Torchwood? Isn't that a shopping centre in Solihull?" Shareen asked dryly
"Looks like we're onto something." Mickey said, and pulled out his mobile phone. "Rose? Rose, listen. There's this school... Strange lights in the sky over it." He glanced at Shareen's newspapers which talked off strange lights near Deffry Vale Senior School and the school's new headmaster, Lucas Finch. "Anyway, there's some weird things goin' on an' you an' the Doctor, well... We need you. There's something out there."
"Nice and dramatic." Shareen snorted, "But, yeah, something about that Finch geezer gives me the creeps."
~8~
At Deffry Vale Senior School, students rushed through the corridors on their way to lessons. In a science classroom, the students were all ready at their desks when the teacher arrived, a man dressed in a brown suit and cream converse. It was the Doctor. He plonked his bag down on the teacher's desk and faced the class. "Good morning, class." he announced cheerfully, "Are we sitting comfortably?" He grinned and turned round to face the whiteboard. "So, physics." he said as he wrote the word in question on the board and underlined it, "Physics, eh? Physics, phyyyyyyyysics. Physics! Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics."
The class just looked at him blanky.
"I hope one of you is gettin' this down." the Doctor muttered then more loudly said, "Ok, let's see what ya know. Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity an' hung from a string so they can hang freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?"
A boy put his hand up.
"Yes, uh, what's ya name?"
"Milo." the boy answered
"Milo! Off ya go!"
"They'd repel each other because they have the same charge." Milo answered
"Correctamundo!" the Doctor cheered, then paused. "A word I have never used before an' hopefully never will again. Question two: I coil up a thin piece of micro wire an' place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity an' measure to see if the water temperature's affected. My question is this: how do I measure the electrical power going to the coil?"
Milo's hand shot up again.
"Someone else?" the Doctor offered
There was absolutely no response from the rest of the class.
"Nope...? Ok, Milo, go for it."
"Measure the current and PDs using an ammeter and a voltmeter." Milo said, the rest of the class looking impressed.
"Two to Milo." the Doctor nodded, "Right then, Milo, tell me this; true or false: the greater the dampening on a cistern, the quicker it loses energy to it's surroundings?"
"False."
"What is non-coding DNA?"
"DNA that doesn't code for a protein."
"65,983x5?"
"329,915."
"How d'ya travel faster than light?" the Doctor tested
"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of 36.7 recurring." Milo answered rapidly.
The Doctor's mouth dropped open slightly. There was no way a 21st century Human would know that, yet alone a year 9 school student.
~8~
It was soon lunchtime, and the dinner ladies were busy spooning food onto pupils' and teachers' trays. The Doctor moved along the line until he reached Rose, who was disguised as a dinner lady. She slapped a dollop of mashed potatoes on the Doctor's tray, giving him a filthy look in the process. The Doctor just gave her a smirk and cruised off to a table to eat. He was tucking into his dinner when Rose came over to wipe the table. "Two days." she grumbled
"Sorry, could ya just..." the Doctor gestured to a spot on the table with his fork, "There's a bit of gravy."
Rose wiped the spot he'd pointed to.
"No, no, just there." the Doctor teased
"Two days we've been here." Rose grumbled
"Blame your boyfriend, he's the one who put us onto this." the Doctor retorted, "And he was right. Boy in class this morning, got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth."
"You eating those chips?" Rose asked, gesturing to the uneaten chips on the Doctor's tray.
"Yeah, they're a bit... different." the Doctor frowned
"I think they're gorgeous." Rose retorted, nicking a chip off the Doctor's tray and munching on it happily, "Wish I had school dinners like this." She sat down at the Doctor's table and started helping herself to his chips.
"It's very well behaved, this place." the Doctor said seriously, "I thought there'd be happy-slappin' hoodies. Happy-slappin' hoodies with ASBOs. Happy-slappin' hoodies with ASBOs an' ringtones. Oh, yeah, don't tell me I don't fit in."
Just then, the head dinner lady came striding over. "You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting." she said rudely to Rose
"I was just talkin' to this teacher." Rose said, getting to her feet.
"Hello!" the Doctor waved cheerfully
"He doesn't like the chips." Rose told the dinner lady
The dinner lady glowered at the Doctor. "The menu has been specially designed by the headmaster to improve concentration an' performance." she sneered at him and turned back to Rose. "Now get back to work." she barked
"See? This is me; the dinner lady." Rose grumbled to the Doctor as she slunked off after the dinner lady.
"I'll have the crumble." the Doctor called after her
"I'm so gonna kill you." Rose muttered as she went off in a huff.
The Doctor watched as another new teacher, Mr Wagner, strutted into the dining hall and approached a group of kids at a nearby table. "Melissa, you'll be joining my class for the next period." he said to a girl, "Milo's failed me... so it's time we moved you up to the top class." He turned to the pudgy, bespectacled boy sitting next to her. "Not eating the chips, Kenny?"
"I'm not allowed." Kenny replied meekly
"Luke, extra class, now." Mr Wager ordered another boy and strode off, Melissa and Luke following him.
The Doctor's attention was then caught by the sight of Mr Finch watching the proceedings from a balcony above the hall. The Doctor had a strange feeling about Finch. He had an air of arrogance around him, like he had a masterplan, and everything was going according to it.
~8~
After lunchtime, Rose was in the kitchens cleaning the trays when she saw a group of other dinner ladies wheeling in a drum of chip oil, all wearing hazmat gear. "Careful..." the head dinner lady warned, "Keep it steady... don't spill a drop."
Rose watched them as they moved the drum into position then went get another one. Suddenly, her mobile rang. "What ya got?" she asked into it
"Confirmation." Mickey's voice said on the other end, "We just got into army records. Three months ago, massive UFO activity. They logged over 40 sightings, lights in the sky, all of that. I can't get any photos, cos' then it gets all classified an' secret. Something called 'Torchwood' keeps locking me out."
"Tell, ya what, though." Rose said quietly, "Three months ago, turns out all the kitchen staff were replaced. An' this lot are weird." She watched the dinner ladies wheeling in another oil drum with what seemed to be unnecessary caution.
"See, there's definitely something goin' on." Mickey said, "I was right to call ya home."
"I thought maybe you called me home just to... well, just to call me home."
"D'ya think I'd just invent an emergency?"
"Well, ya could've done." Rose shrugged
"Well, that's the LAST thing I'd do. Cos' every time I see you, an emergency just gets in the way..."
Just then, Rose saw the drum of oil being moved tip over, spilling it's contents onto one of the dinner ladies, who screamed in agony and started smoking. "I've gotta go." Rose said to Mickey and hung up.
"Get her up! Get her up!" the head dinner lady ordered as they hoisted their injured colleague up and steered her into the office while she wailed in pain all the way.
Rose tried to see but the blinds were swiftly drawn, and she couldn't see a thing. She was just beginning to dial 999 when the head dinner lady emerged from the office, removed her PPE and leaned against the doorframe, watching Rose suspiciously. "Wotcha doin'?" she demanded
"Calling an ambulance." Rose answered as if it was obvious
"No need. She's quite alright." the head dinner lady said just as the sound of something bursting into flames came from the office and a billow of smoke wafted out of the door. The head dinner lady didn't even flinch. "She's fine, she does that." she said nonchalantly and went back inside, leaving Rose completely confused.
~8~
Mickey and Shareen were sat in an internet cafe looking at webpages about U. and Deffy Vale. "Well, what did she say?" Shareen asked Mickey
"She said that the dinner ladies are weird." Mickey replied, somewhat put-out at Rose hanging up on him
"Huh, aren't all school staff weird?" Shareen shrugged, "Hey, remember that nutter DT technology at our school?"
"Oh, old Bobbie Dobbie." Mickey nodded, "God, what a psycho!"
"Tell me about it." Shareen agreed, "Ya know, Rose an' I used to always skip his class. We'd go round the shops instead."
"Yeah, don't blame ya." Mickey said, "Hey, maybe he was an alien!" And he and Shareen both shared a laugh at the prospect.
~8~
That night, Deffry Vale school was dark and silent as the Doctor opened a fire door and walked into a darkened hallway, followed by Rose, Mickey and Shareen. Oh, it's weird seeing school at night." Rose commented, "It just feels wrong. When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school."
"Alright, team..." the Doctor announced, "Oh, I hate people who say 'team'. Um, gang? Um, comrades...?
"Get on with it." Shareen interrupted
"Anyway, Rose, you an' Shareen go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil." the Doctor instructed, "Mickey, the new staff are all maths teachers, go an' check out the maths department. I'm gonna look in Finch's office. Be back in 10 minutes." And he waltzed off up the stairs.
"You gonna be alright?" Rose asked Mickey
"Me? Please." Mickey laughed, "Infiltration an' investigation? I'm an expert at this." And he strode away with purpose. Rose and Shareen just stood where they were, waiting for him to come back, which he did almost immediately. "Where're the maths classrooms?" he asked.
Rose shook her head fondly at him. "Down there, turn left, through the fire doors, on the right." she said, pointing in the right direction.
"Thank you." Mickey said and strode off again.
~8~
Rose and Shareen made their way through the darkened corridors towards the kitchens, Shareen whistling Another Brick in the Wall pt2 on the way. "Why're ya doing that for, 'Reen?" Rose asked her quietly
"Cos' we've got the place to ourselves." Shareen answered and resumed her whistling all the way to the kitchens.
When they arrived, Rose opened the lid on one of the oil drums and spooned some oil into a jar. "Right, that should be enough." she said, "Now let's get outta here. It's givin' me the creeps."
They left the kitchens and were making their way back to the meeting point when they suddenly heard a scream in the distance. They took off running towards the source of the scream. On the way, they ran into the Doctor. "Did you hear that?" Rose asked him, then she noticed that he wasn't alone, for a middle-aged brunette woman was with him. "Who's she?" Rose asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the newcomer
"Rose, Sarah Jane." the Doctor introduced rapidly, "Sarah Jane, Rose!"
"Hi, nice to meet you." Sarah Jane said as she shook an unpleasantly surprised Rose's hand, then turned to the Doctor. "You can tell you're getting older, your assistants are getting younger."
Shareen promptly snickered, earing herself a death glare from Rose.
"I'm not his assistant!" Rose whined at Sarah Jane
"No?" Sarah Jane raised a brow and looked at the Doctor, who scratched his ear uncomfortably. "Get you, tiger."
Trying to avoid the awkwardness, the Doctor hurried off to investigate the scream, the three women following him. They found Mickey in one of the classrooms surrounded by packets on the floor. "Sorry!" he panted, "Sorry. It was only me. You told me to investigate, so I, I started lookin' through some of these cupboards an' all of these fell on me."
The Doctor picked up a few of the packets and examined them.
"Oh, my God, they're rats!" Rose realised, "Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats."
"And you decided to scream." the Doctor said to Mickey
"It took me by surprise!" Mickey defended
"Like a little girl?" the Doctor teased
"It was dark! I was covered in rats!" Mickey said indignantly
"Nine, maybe 10-years old." the Doctor continued to tease, "I'm seein' pigtails, maybe a frilly skirt..."
Shareen promptly picked up one of the rats and dropped it down the back of the Doctor's coat, causing him to yell. "You were sayin', Peacock?" she teased
"Thanks, 'Reen." Mickey nodded
"Anytime." Shareen nodded back
"Hello, can we focus?" Rose cut in irritably, "Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?"
"Well, obviously they use them for biology lessons." Sarah Jane said, "They dissect them."
"Excuse me, no one dissects rats anymore." Rose snarked, "They haven't done that for years. Where're you from, the Dark Ages?"
"Rose..." Shareen began, surprised at the bitterness in Rose's voice.
"Anyway, moving on." the Doctor interjected, "Everything started when Mr Finch arrived. We should go an' check his office." He removed the rat from the back of his coat and chucked it at Micky, who promptly dropped it.
The group made their way through the corridors towards Mr Finch's office. "I don't mean to be rude or anything..." Rose said to Sarah Jane, obviously very much meaning to be rude, "But who exactly are ya?"
"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor."
"Oh! Well, he's never mentioned ya." Rose snipped
"Oh, I must've done." the Doctor shifted uncomfortably, "Sarah Jane! Mention 'er all the time!"
Rose pretended to think about it. "Hold on... sorry... never." she said nastily
"What, not even once?" a hurt Sarah Jane asked, "He didn't mention me once?"
Mickey clapped a hand on the helpless Doctor's shoulder. "Ho ho, mate! The missus and the ex. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare." he chortled.
"You're loving this, aren't you?" Shareen asked him dryly
"Oh, yes!" Mickey grinned
"Me too!" Shareen grinned back.
~8~
Presently, the group reached the office. "Maybe those rats were food." the Doctor pondered as he unlocked the door with his sonic screwdriver.
"Food for what?" Rose wandered
The Doctor opened the door and peered inside. "Rose..." he said quietly, "You know ya used to think all the teachers slept in the school...? Well, they do."
They all looked up to see 13 enormous bat-like creatures hanging upside down on the ceiling, fast asleep.
"No way!" Mickey gasped and ran off, Rose, Shareen and Sarah Jane following him. The Doctor went last, shutting the door behind him. At the sound of the door shutting, one of the bats woke up and screeched.
~8~
The Doctor and Humans hurried out of the school's main entrance. "I am not goin' back in there!" Mickey panted, "No way!"
"Those were teachers?!" Rose spluttered
"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies an' a nurse." the Doctor replied, "13. 13 big bat people. Come on!" And he began to walk back inside
"Oh, you are kidding!" Shareen groaned
"I need the TARDIS." the Doctor said, "I've got to analyse that oil from the kitchen."
"I might be able to help you, there." Sarah Jane pipped in, taking the Doctor's arm, "I've got something to show you." She pulled him excitedly in the direction of the car park and led the group to her car. She opened the boot to reveal something wrapped in a blanket.
The Doctor removed the blanket to reveal a robot dog. "K-9!" he beamed in delight, "Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Shareen Costello, allow me to introduce K-9. Well, K-9 Mark III to be precise."
"Nice dog." Shareen commented dryly
Rose wasn't impressed. "Why does he look so... disco?" she frowned
"Oi!" the Doctor scolded, annoyed at the jibe at his old friend, "Listen, in the year 5,000, this was cutting edge! What's happened to him?" he asked Sarah Jane
"One day, he just... nothing." she replied
"Well, did you try an' get him repaired?!"
"It's not like getting parts for a Mini-Metro." Sarah Jane retorted, "Besides, the technology inside him could rewrite Human science. I couldn't show him to anyone."
"Ooh, what's the nasty lady to you, eh?" the Doctor cooed at K-9
Shareen snorted at the absurd sight. "Still think that weirdo's better than Mickey?" she asked Rose
Rose rolled her eyes. "Look, no offence, but could you two just stop pettin' for a minute?" she said flatly to the Doctor, "Never mind the tin dog, we're busy."
The Doctor closed the boot and they all got in the car, unaware that they were being watched.
~8~
The group were soon at a cafe. Rose, Mickey and Shareen were buying themselves some chips for dinner while the Doctor and Sarah Jane were sat at a table near the window. They'd bought K-9 in and were working on fixing him up.
"You see, what's impressive is that it's been nearly an hour since we met her an' I still haven't said 'I told you so.'" Mickey said smugly to Rose
"I'm not listening to this." Rose grumbled, glaring daggers at the Doctor and Sarah Jane.
"Although, I have prepared a little 'I was right' dance that I can show ya later." Mickey sniggered
"Two quid, love." the waitress interrupted, and Shareen paid her.
"All this time you've been giving it, 'he's different.'" Mickey continued as he, Rose and Shareen took their food and went over to a table, "When the truth is, he's just like any other bloke!"
"Ya don't know what ya talkin' about." Rose seethed
"Well, ya gotta admit, Rose, you had it coming." Shareen said simply as they all sat down.
The Doctor and Sarah Jane were hard at working fixing up K-9. "I thought of you on Christmas Day." Sarah Jane said, "This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead, I thought, 'Oh, yeah. Bet he's up there.'"
"Right on top of it, yeah." the Doctor replied
"And Rose?" Sarah Jane asked cautiously
"She was there too." the Doctor answered
There was a pause as Sarah Jane looked at him while he tinkered with K-9's wires. "Did I do something wrong?" Sarah Jane spoke up "Because you never came back for me. You just... dumped me."
"I told you. I was called back home." the Doctor replied, "And in those days, Humans weren't allowed."
"I waited for you." Sarah Jane continued, "I missed you."
"Oh, you didn't need me." the Doctor brushed her off, "You were gettin' on with ya life."
"You were my life." Sarah Jane told him, "You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, or with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?"
"All those things you saw, d'ya want me to apologise for that?" the Doctor asked, his brow furrowed.
"No, but... To get a taste of all that splendour... and then we have to go back..."
"But look at you, you're investigating." the Doctor tried to encourage her, "You found that school, you're doing what ya always did."
"You could've come back." Sarah Jane sighed
"I couldn't." the Doctor replied quietly
"Why not?"
The Doctor didn't answer and carried on working.
"It wasn't Croydon." Sarah Jane said after a moment, "Where you dropped me off, it wasn't Croydon."
"Where was it?" the Doctor asked
"Aberdeen!" Sarah Jane replied irritably
"Right." the Doctor said slowly, "That's next to Croydon, isn't it?"
Sarah Jane could only smile and shake her head at him.
Just then, K-9 spang into life. "Oh, hey, now we're in business!" the Doctor grinned, leaping to his feet and standing in front of K-9.
"Master." the robotic dog spoke up
"He recognises me!" the Doctor said ecstatically
"Affirmative."
"Rose, give us the oil." the Doctor called
Rose handed the Doctor the jar of oil and he took the lid off and prepared to dip his finger in it. "I wouldn't touch it, though." Rose warned, "That dinner lady got all scorched."
"I'm no dinner lady." the Doctor retorted, "And I don't often say that." He dipped his finger in the oil and smeared some onto a sensor on K-9. "Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go."
"Oil." K-9 spoke, "Ex... ex... ex... extract. An... ana... analysing."
"Listen to it, man!" Mickey grinned, "That's a voice!"
"Careful, that's my dog!" Sarah Jane scolded
"Confirmation of oil analysis." K-9 announced, "Substance is Krilitane oil."
"They're Krilitanes." the Doctor breathed, a worried look on his face.
"Is that bad?" Rose asked
"Very." the Doctor answered, "Think of how bad things could possibly be an' add another suitcase full of bad."
"That's cheery." Shareen muttered
"And what are... Krilitanes?" Sarah Jane asked
"They're a composite race." the Doctor explained, "Just like your culture's a mix of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by. Ya got bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever... the Krilitanes're the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered, but they take physical aspects as well. They cherry-pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognise 'em. Last time I saw Krilitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks."
"What're they doing here?" Rose wandered
"It's the children." the Doctor said with horrible realisation, "They're doing something to the children."
~8~
Mickey, Shareen and Sarah Jane were soon loading K-9 back into the boot of Sarah Jane's car. "So, what's the deal with the tin dog?" Mickey asked Sarah Jane
"The Doctor likes travelling with an entourage." Sarah Jane replied, "Sometimes they're Humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes... they're tin dogs. What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?"
"Me? I'm their Man in Havana." Mickey replied enthusiastically, "I'm the technical support, I'm..." And then it hit him. "Oh, my God. I'm the tin dog." He sat down in shock.
"Hey, nothing wrong with that." Shareen consoled him, "Remember, you were the one who saved the Earth from the Slitheen."
Mickey felt better at that.
At that moment, the Doctor and Rose left the cafe. "How many of us have there been, travellin' with you?" Rose demanded.
"Does it matter?" the Doctor asked defensively
"Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line." Rose answered back
"As opposed to what?" the Doctor challenged
"I thought you an' me were... but I obviously got it wrong." Rose said bitterly, "I've been to the year Five Billion, right, but this... now this is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind. Is that what ya gonna do to me?"
"No. Not to you." the Doctor said abruptly
But Rose wasn't satisfied. "But Sarah Jane... you were that close to her once. But now ya never even mention her. Why not?"
"I don't age. I regenerate." the Doctor told her seriously, "But Humans decay. You wither an' you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you..." He promptly stopped when he realised what he was about to say.
"What, Doctor?" Rose prodded
The Doctor took a beat, thinking of how best to make her understand. "You can spend the rest of ya life with me, but I can't spend the rest of mine with you." he told Rose, "I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords."
Suddenly, they all heard a screeching and turned to see one of the bat creatures from the school swoop down from the rooftop of a building across the road and go straight for them. They all ducked but the bat just flew overhead and disappeared into the night.
"Was that a Krilitane?" Sarah Jane asked
"It didn't even touch us." Rose breathed, "It just flew off. What did it do that for?"
The Doctor didn't answer and instead just looked at the roof where the Krilitane had come from. A lone figure was standing there. The Doctor had a pretty shrewd idea of who it was.
~8~
Next morning, the group strode determinedly towards the school. The Doctor paused for a moment to give instructions. "Rose and Sarah, you go to the maths room. Crack open those computers, we need to see the hardware inside." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Here, ya might need this." He handed it to Sarah Jane, causing Rose to glower. "Mickey, Shareen, surveillance." the Doctor continued, "I want you both outside."
"No chance, I'm goin' in with Rose and Sarah Jane." Shareen argued, "Someone's gotta stop Rose from killing her."
"Just stand outside?" Mickey glared at the Doctor. He'd had enough of the Time Lord's constant belittling attitude towards him. They wouldn't be here in the first place if it wasn't for him.
"Here, take these." Sarah Jane chucked him her car keys. "You can keep K-9 company."
"Don't forget to leave the window open a crack." the Doctor teased as he began to lead the others towards the school.
"But 'e's metal!" Mickey called after them
"I didn't mean for him." the Doctor called back, earning himself a death glare from Shareen.
"Are you ever gonna stop bullying Mickey?" she scowled
"I don't bully him." the Doctor defended
"You do." Shareen shot back, "Keep it up and one day, my fist is gonna have words with your face!"
"Duly noted." the Doctor waved her off
"What're you gonna do?" Rose asked the Doctor
"It's time I had a word with Mr Finch." the Doctor said grimly and led the way inside the school.
~8~
The Doctor entered the room housing the school's swimming pool, where he found Mr Finch waiting for him. "Who are you?" the Doctor demanded
"My name is Brother Lassar." Mr Finch replied, "And you two?"
"The Doctor." the Time Lord answered, "Since when did Krilitanes have wings?"
"It's been our form for nearly ten generations now." Lassar replied calmly, walking around the pool towards him, "Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day, just imagine."
"An' now your shape's Human." the Doctor remarked
"A personal favourite, that's all." Lassar replied arrogantly
"And the others?"
"My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion. Scratch the surface and the true Krilitane lies beneath. And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change... and chaos. And of course, they're all but extinct. Only you. The last."
"This plan of yours, what is it?" the Doctor asked, walking around the pool towards Lassar
"You don't know." Lassar smirked
"That's why I'm askin'." the Doctor replied simply.
They were facing each other now, rivals. The tension was rising.
"Well, show me how clever you are." Lassar said calmly, "Work it out."
"If I don't like it... then it will stop." the Doctor said firmly
Lassar seemed pleased with the threat. "Fascinating. Your people were peaceful to the point of ignorance. You seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us, Doctor?" he challenged smoothly
"I'm so old now." the Doctor said quietly, "I used to have so much mercy. You get one warning. That was it." He turned on his heel and began to walk away.
"But we're not even enemies." Lassar called smugly after him, "Soon... you will embrace us."
The Doctor turned back to face him, a dark look on his face.
"The next time we meet, you will join with me." Lassar continued, "I promise you." And he strutted past the Doctor with a knowing smile on his face and left the room.
~8~
Meanwhile, Mickey was sat sulking in Sarah Jane's car. "Surveillance." he grumbled, "If ya ask me, it's just another way of saying 'Go sit at the back of the class with the safety scissors an' glitter.'"
He glanced at K-9, who was not switched on, but had his metal head poked through the gap between the two front seats.
"That'd be me talkin' to a metal dog, then." Mickey sighed to himself.
~8~
Sarah Jane was crouched beneath one of the computer desks trying to switch the sonic screwdriver on. She came out from under the desk, hit the keyboard and stared at the sonic screwdriver. "It's not working." she grumbled
"Give it to me." Rose huffed, snatching the screwdriver from her and ducking under the desk.
"Used to work first time in my day." Sarah Jane muttered
"Well, things were a lot simpler then." Rose sassed
Shareen rolled her eyes at her friend's attitude. "Don't mind her." she said to Sarah Jane, "She's just jealous cos' she ain't the centre of Peacock's attention for once."
"I'm not jealous!" Rose whinged
"You are, Rose." Shareen smirked knowingly, "You're only ever this bitchy when ya jealous, so who d'ya think ya kidding?"
"Rose, can I give you a bit of advice?" Sarah Jane began
"I've got a feelin' ya about to." Rose grunted
"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be." Sarah Jane said, "And I don't want you to feel I'm intruding..."
"I don't feel threatened by you if that's what ya mean." Rose said through gritted teeth.
Shareen gave a hollow laugh. "Oh, pull the other one, Rose." she snorted
The other two women ignored her. "Right. Good. Because I'm not interested in picking up where we left off." Sarah Jane said
"No? With the big sad eyes and the robot dog?" Rose challenged, "What else where ya doin' last night?"
"I was just saying how hard it was adjusting to life back on Earth." Sarah Jane answered
Rose stood up and walked away a few paces. "The thing is... when you two met... they'd only just got rid of rationing." she said snidely, "No wonder all that space stuff was too much for ya!"
"Oh, ho-ho! The jealous bitch just turned it up to 11." Shareen commented, "And you say ya not threatened!"
"Shut up, 'Reen." Rose scowled
"I had no problem with space stuff." an indignant Sarah Jane said to Rose, "I saw things you wouldn't believe."
"Try me." Rose said coldly
"Mummies."
"I've met ghosts."
"Robots. Lots of robots."
"Slitheen. In Downing Street."
"Daleks!
"Met the Emperor." Rose snorted
"Yeah, well, I met their creator." Sarah Jane shot back, "And anti-matter monsters."
"Gas masked zombies." Rose countered
"Real living dinosaurs!"
"Ah, so that really did happen." Shareen commented, remembering Mrs Croot talking about it down the market.
"Real living werewolf." Rose sniped
"The Loch Ness Monster!" Sarah Jane said almost desperately
"Seriously!" Rose blinked
Shareen suddenly started to laugh. "Sorry. But you two should hear yourselves." she chortled
Rose and Sarah Jane stared at her for a moment, then they both laughed too. "She's right. Listen to us." Rose sniggered, "The only time me an' Shareen fell out was over a man, and... we're arguin' over the Doctor." She then thought about something. "With you, did he do that thing where he'd explain something at like, 90 miles an hour, and you'd go, 'what?' and he'd look at you like you'd just dribbled on ya shirt?" she asked Sarah Jane
"All the time!" Sarah Jane replied, and they all laughed. "Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?" Sarah Jane asked Rose
"Yeah! Yeah!" Rose sniggered, "He does! I'm like, 'do you two wanna be alone?'"
"What a weirdo!" Shareen chortled, and all three women laughed madly.
Just then, the Doctor walked in. "How's it going?" he asked, oblivious to the discussion about him they'd just been having.
The sight of him made the three Humans laugh even harder.
"What?" the Doctor asked obliviously "Listen, we need to find out what's been programmed inside these."
The women took no notice of him and fell about laughing hysterically, Rose pointing the sonic screwdriver at him.
"What?" a confused Doctor asked, "Stop it!" He came forward and took his sonic screwdriver back off Rose.
"Not gonna start stroking that thing are ya, Peacock?" Shareen teased, and hooted with laughter.
The Doctor just grunted and knelt down to start sonicing the computers.
Just then, the loudspeaker started up. "All pupils to class immediately. And would all members of staff congregate in the staff room."
Shareen suddenly sobered up. "The bat guys!" she realised, "They're gonna kill 'em!"
"There's nothing we can do for 'em." the Doctor told her gravely, "Best thing we can do is find out what they're up to an' stop 'em." He turned to the other two women, who had sobered up too. "Rose, make sure we're not disturbed."
Rose nodded and went to the door just before some kids arrived to clamour to get inside the room. "No, no, this classroom's outta bounds." Rose told them, "You've all gotta go to the south hall. Off ya go, south hall!" And she shooed them away and shut the door.
The Doctor ripped some wires out the back of a computer and hung them around his neck as he ran the sonic screwdriver along the back of the computer. "I can't shift it." he groaned
"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything." Sarah Jane remarked
"Anything except a deadlock seal." the Doctor told her. "There's gotta be something inside here." he muttered, "What're they teaching these kids?"
Suddenly, all of the computers came to life by themselves, all displaying a green cube rotating around on screen, accompanied by a lot of flashing letters and numbers.
"Well, there's ya answer, Peacock." Shareen said
"Some sorta code." the Doctor frowned, studying the screen closely. His eyes widened suddenly. "No..." he breathed, "No, they can't be..."
~8~
Mickey meanwhile was still sulking in the car when he suddenly saw Kenny frantically trying the school doors, so he got out and hurried over.
"They've taken them all!" Kenny cried through the closed doors
"What?"
"They've taken all the children!"
Mickey urgently tried the doors, but found that they were wedged solid, so he ran back to the car and pulled the blanket off K-9. "Come on, I need some help!" he said as he frantically mashed several buttons and whacked the robot dog on the head.
K-9 suddenly sprang into life. "Systems restarting. All primary drives functioning."
"Ya workin'." Mickey breathed, "Ok, no time to explain, we need to get inside the school. D'ya have like, I dunno, a lock pickin' device?"
"We are in a car." K-9 stated
"Maybe a drill attachment?" Mickey asked hopefully
"We are in a car." K-9 repeated
"Fat lot of good you are." Mickey grumbled
"We are in a car."
"Wait a second..." Mickey realised, "We are in a car." He had a brainwave. "GET BACK!" he shouted to Kenny.
~8~
The Doctor stared grimly at the program. "The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm."
"The Skasis what?" Sarah Jane asked
"The... God-maker." the Doctor told her, "The universal theory. Crack that equation an' you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time an' space an' matter, yours to control."
"What, an' the kids are like a giant computer?" Rose asked
"Yes." the Doctor replied, working it all out, "And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil! That oil from the kitchens, it works as a... a... conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer."
"But that oil's on the chips." Rose realised, "I've been eatin' 'em!"
"What's 59x35?" the Doctor tested
"2,065." Rose answered automatically, then realised. "Oh, my God!"
"But why use children?" Sarah Jane wandered, "Can't they use adults?"
"Yeah, I mean, why this school?" Shareen added, "They could've just taken over a science lab or something."
"No, it's gotta be children." the Doctor replied, "The God-maker needs imagination to crack it. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code... they're using their souls."
"Let the lesson begin." a familiar voice said, and they all turned round to see Brother Lassar standing in the doorway. "Think of it, Doctor." he said as he slowly approached the Time Lord, "With the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it."
"Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mr Finch." the Doctor sneered, "Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are."
"You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order." Lassar remarked, "Think of all the changes that could be made if this power was used for good."
"What, by someone like you?" the Doctor scoffed
"No... by you." Lassar replied, "The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a god, at my side. Imagine what you could do, think of the civilisations you could save. Perganon, Assinta... your own people, Doctor. Standing tall. The Time Lords... reborn."
"Don't listen to him!" Sarah Jane cut in, realising what he was doing.
"And you could be with him throughout eternity." Lassar said as he turned to her and Rose, "Young... Fresh... Never wither, never age... Never die." He turned back to the Doctor. "Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us."
The Doctor had a faraway look in his eyes. He was so sorely tempted. "I could save everyone..." he sighed
"Yes." Lassar smirked
"I could stop the war..." the Doctor murmured
"No. The universe has to move forward." Sarah Jane spoke up, "Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, or a relationship... everything has it's time. And everything ends."
The Doctor stared ahead for a few more seconds as the words of his old companion strengthened his resolve. He gritted his teeth, grabbed a chair and hurled it through the screen, smashing it. "OUT!" he yelled to the women, and they all hurried from the room as Lassar glowered at them.
"End of lesson, Finchy!" Shareen called over her shoulder as they made their escape.
~8~
Mickey started up the car and and drove full speed at the school doors, smashing them. He leapt out and turned to Kenny "C'mon!" he urged, and they hurried off to find the others. They bumped into them at the bottom of a stairwell. "What's goin' on?" he asked
Before the others could answer, they saw three Krilitanes coming straight towards them. They all turned on their heels and ran in the opposite direction. The Krilitanes split up at the end of the corridor, with one continuing in pursuit of their prey, while the other two went to head them off at the pass.
The group ran into the dinner hall and tried the doors on the other side, but they were all locked. The Doctor was just reaching for his sonic screwdriver when Lassar stormed in, accompanied by several Krilitanes.
"Are they my teachers?" Kenny stared. He'd accidentally caught a glimpse of Mr Wagner's true Krilitane form yesterday, but wasn't sure if he'd just imagined it. Now he knew he hadn't.
"'Friad so." Shareen told him
"We need the Doctor alive." Lassar told his brothers, "As for the others... you can feast."
The Krilitanes answered the call and swooped down on the Humans, who all wisely hit the deck while the Doctor tried to beat the Krilitanes away with a chair. Suddenly, one of them was hit with a beam of red light and fell to the floor dead. Lassar roared with rage as K-9 rolled into view.
"K-9!" Sarah Jane gasped in relief
"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress." K-9 advised
"Oh, I could kiss that tin dog!" Shareen laughed
"Come on!" the Doctor urged, and he and the others made a break for it. "K-9, hold them back!"
"Affirmative, master." K-9 acknowledged and continued to fire at the Krilitanes, keeping them busy. "Maximum defence mode!"
The Doctor reached a door and ushered the others through it then darted through himself and locked it with his sonic screwdriver.
"Power supply failing." K-9 stated as he continued to fire at the Krilitanes.
"Forget the shooty dog thing." Lassar told his brothers with quiet exasperation
"Power supply failing." K-9 repeated before he reached the end of his power supply and switched off.
~8~
The others had taken refuge in a physics classroom and the Doctor leaned against the table, thinking hard. "It's the oil!" he realised, "Krilitane life forms can't handle the oil. That's it! They've changed their physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to 'em. How much was there in the kitchen?" he asked Rose
"Barrels of it." Rose replied, then jumped as the Krilitanes started pounding on the locked door, their claws ripping holes in it.
"Ok, we need to get to the kitchens." the Doctor announced, "Mickey..."
"What now, hold the coats?" Mickey huffed
"You an' Shareen get all the children unplugged and out of the school." the Doctor ordered, "Now then, bats, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?"
Kenny suddenly had a brainwave. He strode over to a fire alarm and slammed his elbow into it, setting it off.
"You're a genius, kid!" Shareen laughed. Bats were sensitive to loud noises, and fire alarms were very loud.
Kenny's idea had worked. The Doctor opened the door to see the Krilitanes all withering in pain, in too much distress to hurt the group as they snuck past them.
Lassar, gritting his teeth, punched through a wall and yanked out some wires, silencing the alarm. "Get after them." he ordered and strode off down the stairs, his brothers following him.
~8~
The Doctor and Co. hurried down a corridor just as K-9 emerged from a doorway. "Master."
"Come on, boy." the Doctor encouraged, "Good boy!" And K-9 trundled along with them.
~8~
Mickey and Shareen burst into one of the IT classrooms. "Ok, listen everyone, we've gotta get outta here." Mickey panted.
No one took a blind bit of notice of him. They were all typing away on their computers, their faces blank, as if they were some sort of trance. Shareen waved her hand in front of Melissa's face, which elicited no response whatsoever. "They're all dead to the world." Shareen frowned
~8~
Meanwhile, the others raced into the kitchens and the Doctor got busy trying to open the oil drums with his sonic screwdriver. "They've been deadlock sealed." he groaned, "Finch must've done that. I can't open 'em!"
"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser." K-9 said, "But my batteries are failing."
"Right. Everyone out the back door." the Doctor instructed, "K-9, stay with me."
Sarah Jane, Rose and Kenny ran to the backdoor, leaving the Doctor crouched before K-9.
~8~
"Well, any luck shutting that thing down?" Shareen asked Mickey, who was at the main computer trying to shut down the Skasis Paradigm program.
"No, I don't understand this thing." Mickey replied, then he noticed the protective casing covering the wires, winding around the walls of the room. He followed it and realised that all the cables conveniently led into one plug socket. He promptly yanked it out and the computers went dead, snapping the kids out of their trance.
"Alright, you lot." Shareen said to them, "School's cancelled. C'mon, let's get outta here!"
The kids immediately got to their feet and moved to the door.
"Come on, move!" Mickey urged them, "Let's go, let's go!"
~8~
In the kitchens, the Doctor was moving the oil drums to within easy shot of K-9. "Capacity for only one shot, Master." K-9 said, "For maximum impact, I must be placed directly alongside the vat."
"But you'll be trapped inside." the Doctor said, rushing over to him.
"That is correct."
"I can't let you do that." the Doctor protested
"No alternative possible, Master."
The Doctor looked over his shoulder as he heard the screeching of the Krilitanes in the background, then looked back at K-9, realising that this was what needed to be done. "Goodybe, old friend." he sighed
"Goodbye, Master."
"You good dog."
"Affirmative." K-9 wagged his mechanical ears and tail.
The Doctor patted his old friend, then he raced off while K-9 trundled towards the drums.
The Doctor ran ran out of the back doors to find Sarah Jane standing there. "Where's K-9?" she asked urgently
"We need to run." the Doctor said, locking the doors with his sonic screwdriver.
"Where is he?!" Sarah Jane insisted, "What have you done?"
The Doctor grabbed her and pulled her away.
~8~
Lassar and his brothers strode into the kitchen. "When you find him... eat him if you must, but bring me his brain." Lasar said, then noticed K-9. "The little dog with the nasty bite." he said mockingly, "Not so powerful now, are you?"
K-9 responded by firing his laser at the oil drums, which all ruptured and sprayed their contents all over the Krilitanes.
~8~
Outside, the Doctor led Sarah Jane to safety while Mickey and Shareen ushered the kids out of the school. "Come on, guys!" Mickey urged, "Let's go, let's go!"
~8~
The Krilitanes wailed and writhed with agony as the oil took hold. "You bad dog!" Lassar snarled
"Affirmative." K-9 retorted, and the Krilitanes promptly exploded, taking K-9 and the school with them.
~8~
The kids assembled outside all burst into cheers and applause as the school was destroyed. Rose, Mickey and Shareen joined in, hugging each other and grinning manically.
"Yes." Kenny cheered quietly.
Melissa turned to him. "Did you have something to do with this?" she asked him
"Yeah, I did." he replied proudly
"Oh, my God!" Melissa turned to the others, "Kenny blew up the school! It was Kenny!"
The other kids cheered even harder and started chanting Kenny's name and patting him on the back. Only the Doctor and Sarah Jane stood separate from the merriment. Sarah Jane looked distraught.
"I'm sorry." the Doctor said solemnly to her
"It's alright." Sarah Jane sighed, "He was just a... daft metal dog. Fine, really."
But she wasn't, and the Doctor knew it. He put his arm around her comfortingly.
~8~
Next day, Sarah Jane walked through a park to where the TARDIS was standing, the Doctor having retrieved box from the ruined school before the authorities could come sniffing round. As Sarah Jane approached, the Doctor opened the door and faced her. "Cuppa tea?" he offered and stepped aside to let her walk through the doors.
Sarah Jane stared wide-eyed at the interior. It had changed considerably since her day. Gone was the sterile, white-walled console room, in it's place was a more rustic coral-themed room. The Doctor followed Sarah Jane through and shut the door behind her. She turned to face him. "You've redecorated." she remarked
"D'ya like it?" the Doctor asked
"Oh, I... I do." Sarah Jane replied, looking around, "Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but, uh... yeah. It'll do."
"I love it." Rose said, patting the console.
"Now who's stroking the TARDIS?" Shareen smirked
"Hey you, what's 47x329?" Sarah Jane asked the blonde
"No idea." Rose grinned, "It's gone now, the oil's faded."
"But you're still clever." Sarah Jane told her, "More than a match for him."
"You an' me both." Rose smiled. They'd bonded some more over the past day. Rose had been fascinated by some of the stories Sarah Jane had about her time with the Doctor's third and fourth incarnations. Rose then looked to the Doctor, who was fiddling about with the monitor. "Doctor?" she prompted
"Um... we're about to head off." the Doctor said to Sarah Jane, "But... you could come with us."
Sarah Jane was silent for a moment. She was sorely tempted to say yes, but she remembered her own words to the Doctor when Lassar had tried to tempt him. "No... I can't do this anymore." she said softly, "Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure." she continued with enthusiasm, "Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own."
"Can I come?" Mickey asked the Doctor, "Cos' I'm not the tin dog. An' I wanna see what's out there."
"Oh, go on, Doctor." Sarah Jane encouraged, "Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board!"
"Ok then, I could do with a laugh." the Doctor shrugged
"Doctor..." Shareen began warningly
Mickey laughed in delight at being allowed to become a companion but stopped quickly when he saw that Rose had a face like thunder. "Rose, is that ok?" he asked cautiously
"No, great. Why not?" Rose grunted sarcastically
"Now, don't start, Rose." Shareen warned, "Mickey's got as much right to be here as you have."
"Well, I'd better go." Sarah Jane spoke up, then stepped over to Rose.
"What do I do?" Rose asked her quietly, "Do I stay with him?"
"Yes." Sarah Jane told her, "Somethings are worth getting your heart broken for." She hugged Rose. "Find me... if you need to, one day... Find me."
Rose gave her a small smile. The Doctor held the door open for Sarah Jane, who stepped out of the TARDIS for the last time. The Doctor followed her and they stood outside for their final goodbyes.
"It's daft, but I haven't thanked you for the first time." Sarah Jane said, "And like I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"Something to tell the grandkids." the Doctor smiled
"Er, I think it'll be someone else's grandkids now."
"Right, yes, sorry." the Doctor said awkwardly, "I didn't get the chance to ask. You haven't... there hasn't been anyone...? Ya know...?"
"Well... there was this one guy. I travelled with him for a while. But he was a tough act to follow." She laughed slightly and the Doctor smiled softly. "Goodbye, Doctor."
"Oh, it's not goodbye..."
"Say it, please. This time. Say it."
The Doctor looked her straight in the eye. "Goodbye. My Sarah Jane." He threw his arms around her and lifted her right off the ground in a final hug. He gave her one last smile before heading back to the TARDIS just as Shareen exited the box.
"You might wanna stick around for a moment." Shareen said to Sarah Jane, and they both watched as the TARDIS dematerialised.
As the box faded from view, Sarah Jane suddenly saw that something had been left in it's place. "K-9!" she gasped in joy
A spotless K-9 trundled over to her. "Mistress."
"But... you were blown up."
"Master rebuilt me." K-9 explained, "My systems are much improved with new undetectable hyperlink facilities."
"He replaced you with a brand-new model." Sarah Jane laughed
"Affirmative."
"Yep, he does that. Come on, you. Home. We've got work to do."
"Affirmative."
Shareen had been watching this with amusement. "Well, it was nice to meet ya, Sarah Jane." she said, "Don't s'pose we could meet up sometime? I wanna hear more embarrassing stories about the Doctor."
"Yeah, of course." Sarah Jane replied, "If you're ever in Ealing, just drop by."
Shareen and Sarah Jane shook hands and went their separate ways, with Shareen heading for home, while Sarah Jane and K-9 heading off to begin their new life together.
Author's notes: And that's another chapter in the bag. Shareen has now met Sarah Jane and unlike Rose, wasn't a complete cow to her! I figured Shareen would find the whole situation funny and appropriate comeuppance for Rose. Note that I included the TARDISOSDE at the beginning. Figured it would help explain the whole investigation of the school in the first place. So, hope you liked this chapter and hope to see ya next time for a brief interlude in a parallel universe.