Being a school nurse was much more taxing than I ever expected it to be. For the past two days, I had been posing as a school nurse while Rose was a lunch lady and the Doctor was a physics teacher.
Mickey, Rose's boyfriend, had called us back to Earth to investigate a school, and from what I've seen, he was right to call.
Left and right children seemed to be falling ill. It was like there was some sort of virus going around. Pale, tired, nauseous, the children would come in seeking medical attention. There was little time during a school day when children weren't coming in.
I looked down at my watch before checking for incoming students. Luckily, I had no students resting, so I was able to shed my lab coat and go to lunch.
I was quick to get in line, and as I passed Rose, I smiled at her. She scooped some sort of slop on my tray as she glared across the room at the Doctor. I quickly thanked her and went to sit by the Doctor.
"How's being a nurse today?" the Doctor asked as I sat down.
"It's crazy, there're so many kids showing up to my office," I told him as I stabbed my fork into my chips. "I barely had time to take a lunch break."
"At least you don't have to clean up after the children and serve them this slop," Rose spoke as she walked over to our table.
"I've had to do this for two days now," she whispered as she wiped crumbs off the table.
"Sorry, could you just-" the Doctor pointed to a spot on the table with his fork. "There's a bit of gravy."
Rolling her eyes, Rose moved her towel towards the Doctor. I slapped the Doctor's shoulder slightly before stabbing another fry.
"Two days we've been here," she repeated, sending the Doctor a look of annoyance.
"Blame your boyfriend, he's the one who put us on this. And he was right. Boy in class this morning, he's got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth," the Doctor told Rose and I nodded.
"I heard about that in the staff room this morning. It's happening in almost every class," I mentioned when the Doctor pushed his chips away.
"You eating those chips?" Rose asked and the Doctor shook his head.
"Yeah, they're a bit... different," he noted. I nodded slightly, but continued to eat them.
"They're pretty good, better than my school had. But... you're right. There is something off about them," I spoke, holding up one of the chips at eye level.
Rose reached forward and took the chip off my fork before putting it in her mouth. "Well, I think they're gorgeous."
Rose placed her cloth on the table as she took a seat across from us.
"This place is very well behaved," the Doctor said and I looked around the cafeteria.
"Yeah," I nodded in agreement.
"I thought there'd be happy-slapping hoodies. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones," the Doctor said while Rose and I gave him a look. "Yeah? Yeah? Oh, yeah! Don't tell me I don't fit in."
"You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting," an authoritative voice spoke from behind me.
Rose quickly stood from her seat at the sound of the voice, rushing to tell her an excuse. "I was just talking to these teachers," she said, gesturing towards us.
"Hello!" the Doctor and I waved.
"They don't like the chips," Rose pseudo-whispered to the woman.
"The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance. Now, get back to work," the dinner lady commanded before walking away.
Rose sighed, grabbing her washcloth and walking away. She stopped for a moment to look at us. "This is me," she gestured down to her outfit. "The Dinner Lady."
"I'll have the crumble," called the Doctor with a small, teasing smile.
"I'm so gonna kill you," Rose glared at the Doctor before walking away.
I looked away from Rose to see a teacher approaching a little girl only a few tables away. I looked away, slapping the Doctor's arm slightly, hoping to get his attention.
"Melissa. You'll be joining my class for the next period. Milo's failed me, so it's time we moved you up to the top class," the teacher told the little girl.
He turned away from her towards a young boy. "Kenny? Not eating the chips?"
The little boy shook his head, responding that he wasn't allowed to eat the food.
The teacher then shifted his attention to another little boy sitting nearby. "Luke, extra class. Now."
The teacher gave Luke a look before walking away from the cafeteria. A handful of kids, maybe half a class, followed him out of the room. Just as he reached the door, he looked over his shoulder, meeting my eyes for a moment, before leaving the room.
"That's odd," I muttered and the Doctor hummed in agreement.
"I don't think you should eat those," the Doctor said, nodding down to my food. We both picked up our trays and went to throw them out.
"Maybe there is something in the staff room to snack on for now," I commented as we walked towards the door.
"Ooh, you're right. Now's our chance to talk to the teachers," the Doctor said and I nodded, pushing open the door beside the trash. With a nod towards the door, the Doctor led the way to the staff room.
By the time we got there, there were a handful of teachers relaxing, talking to one another. The biscuits were easy to find, and after we found them, we sat down on one of the empty desks.
In front of us, one of the teachers was pacing with a confused look on his face.
"Excuse me, are you okay?" I asked and he looked at us.
"I had a twelve-year-old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy... in cubits yesterday. Something really strange is going on," he told us.
"And, it's ever since the new headmaster arrived?" the Doctor asked.
"Finch arrived three months ago. Next day, half the staff got the flu. Finch replaced them with that lot," the man said, nodding towards a group of teachers.
"Except for the teachers you replaced, and that was just plain weird, them winning the lottery like that," the man said and I tilted my head.
"How's that weird?" the Doctor asked.
"The teachers you replaced, they never played! Said the tickets were posted through their doors at midnight," he said, looking at the Doctor.
"Well, the world is very strange," the Doctor said and I nodded, swinging my legs slightly.
"Excuse me, colleagues. If I could have a moment of your time," the Headmaster said to the room.
The Doctor and I looked at the Headmaster to see an older brunette standing next to him.
"May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith. Miss Smith is a journalist, who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times," the Headmaster introduced, causing my eyes to widen.
"Doctor," I gasped quietly, turning towards him to see him with a wide smile.
"I thought it might be useful for her to get 'a view from the trenches', so to speak. Don't spare my blushes," the Headmaster announced before walking off.
The Doctor and I seemed to catch Sarah Jane's eye as she walked towards us.
"Hello!" Sarah Jane smiled at us and I waved.
"Oh, I should think so!" the Doctor said, confusing Sarah Jane slightly.
"And, you are?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm John Smith and this is Victoria Jones," the Doctor introduced as I smiled lightly.
"John Smith? I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name," Sarah Jane said, a nostalgic look appearing in her eyes.
"Well, it is a common name!"
"He was a very uncommon man," Sarah Jane told us as she held out her hand.
"It's nice to meet you both," she said with a smile.
"It's a pleasure," I said softly as we shook hands.
"So, how long have you both worked here?" she asked us.
"Today is our second day."
"Oh, you're new, then? So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum?" Sarah Jane asked us, yet the Doctor seemed to ignore the question.
"I mean, So many children getting ill, doesn't that strike you as odd?" she asked and I looked at her.
"I'm the head nurse," I told her, peaking her interest. "I've had so many kids come to my office, I barely have a spare moment for myself."
"Really? That's odd," she said and I nodded.
"You know, you don't sound like someone just doing a profile," the Doctor said, making Sarah Jane shift uncomfortably.
"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here," Sarah Jane explained and the Doctor smiled.
"Good for you," the Doctor said, watching her walk away. "Good for you, Sarah Jane Smith."
I turned to the Doctor in excitement. "Oh my god, I just met Sarah Jane Smith. The Sarah Jane Smith," I said with a huge smile. The Doctor smiled just as widely as me while we watched Sarah Jane investigate.
The bell rang soon after, telling us to get back to work.
"Meet me in the staff room after school," the Doctor told me after having walked me to my office.
"Alright. See you then," I told him with a smile before pulling my white coat back on and getting back to work.
Once school finally ended, we all agreed to get food and to regroup before we met with Mickey in the school's parking lot. We went to a sandwich shop just a few blocks from the school and relaxed while we waited for night to come.
As the sun began to set, we threw out all of our trash and gathered our things together. When we got to the meeting point, a young African American man was leaning on a car whom I assumed was Mickey.
"Doctor! Rose!" he called out, waving us over.
"Mickey! I want you to meet Victoria Jones! She's been traveling with us for a while," the Doctor introduced and I waved.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you," I said with a smile as I held out my hand.
"Mickey Smith. Nice to meet you too," he shook my hand.
After our introductions, the Doctor led us to a fire exit in the school. As we got to the door, the Doctor soniced the lock and we snuck into the building.
"Oh, it's weird seeing the school at night. It just feels wrong," Rose whispered and I nodded.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," I told her quietly, making her grin a little.
We walked slowly down the hallway, carefully watching our surroundings until we reached a split in the hallway.
"When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school," Rose told us absentmindedly as we stopped.
"All right, team. Oh, I hate people who say 'team'. Um... 'gang'. Um... 'comrades'. Uh... anyway. Rose, go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers, go and check out the Maths department. Victoria and I are gonna look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes," the Doctor said before grabbing my hand, pulling me to a staircase.
We slowed down once we reached another hallway. In the distance, I could hear a flapping noise and a screech. The Doctor stopped for a moment before pulling me to the source of the sound.
As we reached a room, I saw Sarah Jane back into a room near the TARDIS.
"Doctor look," I whispered, pointing towards Sarah Jane.
I stayed behind, watching as he walked towards Sarah Jane, waiting for her to notice the blue box.
I smiled softly as her eyes widened in shock from seeing the TARDIS. Slowly turning around, Sarah Jane's eyes widened even more as she saw the Doctor.
"Hello, Sarah Jane," the Doctor quietly told her.
"It's you... Doctor!" she said with a smile as she crept closer.
"It's you! It's... It's... You've regenerated," she whispered in awe.
"Half a dozen times since I last saw you," the Doctor spoke.
"You look... incredible," Sarah Jane complimented, causing the Doctor to smile lightly. "So do you," he replied with a nod.
"I got old," she replied, denying his statement quickly.
Sarah Jane moved closer to the Doctor, slowly taking in his appearance with cautious eyes. As she moved her gaze away from the Doctor, she noticed me standing behind him.
"Victoria Jones was it?" she asked hesitantly.
With a smile, I nodded and said: "It's nice to finally meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too," she said, pleased to hear that I knew of her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked us after a moment.
"Well... UFO sightings, the school gets record results. I couldn't resist. What about you?" the Doctor questioned in return.
"Same," she replied, causing her and the Doctor to laugh for a moment.
"I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must've died," she said as her laughter died down, tears welling in her eyes.
"I lived while everyone else died."
"What do you mean?" she asked gently.
"Everyone died, Sarah," he told her, pain evident in his voice.
"I can't believe it's you," she whispered with the shake of her head when a scream echoed through the air.
"Okay! Now I can!" she said with a slight laugh as the three of us ran towards the sound.
After we got back to the ground level, we ran into Rose who was also running towards the scream.
"Did you hear that?" she asked the Doctor and I, not noticing Sarah Jane beside me.
When she finally did see her, Rose stiffened as she stared harshly at the woman.
"Who is she?" she asked, giving Sarah Jane a once over.
"Rose, Sarah Jane! Sarah Jane, Rose," I introduced while the two shook hands.
"Hi. Nice to meet you," Sarah Jane told Rose with a strained, obviously fake smile.
As she turned to the Doctor, she told him: "You can tell you're getting older - your assistants are getting younger."
At that, Rose was absolutely fuming and I stiffened slightly. I couldn't help but feel a little insulted myself.
"We're not his assistants!" Rose exclaimed angrily as she nodded towards me.
"No? I get you, tiger," Sarah Jane said with a humorless laugh.
I nudged the Doctor with my elbow, hoping he would intervene soon. He shook his head before grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hall we were going.
In the room was Mickey surrounded by dozens of vacuum-packed rats.
"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I... I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell out of them," Mickey explained while the Doctor bent down and picked up a package.
"Oh, my God, they're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats," Rose muttered in disgust.
"And you decided to scream," the Doctor asked teasingly.
"It took me by surprise!" Mickey defended.
"Like a little girl?" the Doctor mocked and I elbowed him hard in the side.
"Now is not the time, Doctor," I told him with a slight glare.
"Victoria is right! Does anyone else find it weird that a school has a bunch of vacuum-packed rats?" Rose asked and Sarah Jane gave her a look.
"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them. Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?" Sarah Jane asked, causing the Doctor, Mickey and I to shift uncomfortably.
"Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that for years. Where are you from, the dark ages?" Rose angrily retorted.
I turned my head slightly and stared at the Doctor, urging him to say something.
"Everything started when Mr. Finch arrived. We should go and check his office," the Doctor suggested before leading us down a hallway.
"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?" Rose asked obnoxiously.
"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor," Sarah Jane told Rose and Rose stopped for a second.
"Hm. Well, he's never mentioned you," Rose told her and I winced.
"Oh, I must have! Right, Victoria?" he said looking at me.
"Don't bring me into this argument. I haven't done anything," I muttered, brushing past the Doctor.
As we walked down the hallway, the Doctor quickly caught up with me, walking right next to me. As we reached the Headmaster's office, the Doctor pulled out his sonic. Quickly sonicing the door, we slowly peered into the room.
"Maybe those rats are food," I suggested upon seeing the room.
"Food for what?" Rose asked while the Doctor and I stared up at the ceiling.
He turned slightly towards her and asked, "Rose... you know how you thought teachers slept in the school. Well... they do."
The Doctor pushed open the door more to allow everyone to see what was happening. Inside there were bat-like creatures hanging from the ceiling while four of them blinked their eyes at us.
"No way!" Mickey breathed, stumbling backward.
I allowed for Rose and Sarah Jane to exit the room first before running out the door.
I looked over my shoulder to see the Doctor close the door and sonic it shut. He quickly caught up to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me along with him. We quickly ran to the front door, leaving the creepy school.
"I am not going back in there. No way!" Mickey wheezed from the running.
"Those were teachers!" Rose exclaimed and I nodded.
"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies, and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on," the Doctor explained as he turned around, heading for the school's doors.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Mickey sighed.
"I need the TARDIS. I've got to analyze that oil from the kitchen," the Doctor explained.
While shaking her head, Sarah Jane said, "I might be able to help you, there. I've got something to show you!"
She grabbed the Doctor's arm and pulled him towards the parking lot.
We quickly reached Sarah Jane's car where she opened the boot of her car. Inside sat an oddly shaped object covered in a green blanket. Reaching forward, the Doctor pulled off the blanket to reveal a metal dog.
"Oh my god. Is that -" I gasped as the Doctor nodded his head excitedly.
"K9! Victoria Jones, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow me to introduce K9 - well, K9 Mark III to be precise," the Doctor introduced, causing my smile to grow.
"I can't believe I get to meet K9!" I smiled, moving closer to pet the robotic pet, my previous irritation melting away.
"Why does he look so... disco?" Rose asked, obviously not caring about K9.
"Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge! What's happened to him?" the Doctor asked, shifting his attention to Sarah Jane.
"One day he just... stopped," she explained sadly.
"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?" the Doctor asked while Sarah Jane cast him a look.
"If he's advanced technology, she wouldn't be able to expose K9 to the world," I told him, watching as he nodded slowly, quickly catching on.
He shook his head before reaching down to pet the dog. After a moment, I reached down and did too, not missing the odd looks Rose and Mickey were sending us.
"Look, no offense but could you three just stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog, we're busy," Rose butted in angrily.
Nodding the Doctor closed the boot of the car shut. We all clamored into the car as the Doctor directed Sarah Jane to a nearby shop.
When we got out of the car, Sarah Jane and Rose stood as far apart as possible. Rose shot the Doctor a glare as she and Mickey walked into the shop.
I shook my head as I helped the Doctor carry K9 into the building.
Rose and Mickey stood in line for chips while Sarah Jane, the Doctor and I sat at the table with K9. The Doctor had pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and began scanning K9.
I sat quietly, staring out the window as the Doctor and Sarah Jane chatted. They were having a lovely chat, laughing and smiles included, and I smiled slightly at the sound of their laughs.
"So, Victoria. How long have you traveled with the Doctor?" she asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"For a few months now, I think," I told her, looking to the Doctor for confirmation.
Nodding, the Doctor told Sarah Jane, "We met at this little hospital. We were both visiting the same person and she ended up helping me with the adventure."
"The way you two act... I would have thought you'd have known each other for years," Sarah Jane admitted, looking at us.
"We've become pretty good friends over the past year," the Doctor told her, causing me to smile.
"I grew up surrounded by aliens, so I know a lot about their technology and their cultures. I'm also a doctor myself," I explained.
"A real doctor?" She asked and I nodded.
"I graduated from Cambridge just shortly before I met the Doctor."
"That's amazing," she said with a small smile.
A silence surrounded us for a moment before Sarah Jane shifted her attention back to the Doctor.
"I thought of you on Christmas Day. This Christmas just went? With the giant spaceship. I thought, 'I bet he's up there'".
"Right on top," the Doctor said with a slight grin.
"Were they?" Sarah Jane asked hesitantly, looking at me and Rose.
"Victoria wasn't but Rose was," he said, shifting his gaze towards Mickey and Rose.
"Did I do something wrong? Because you never came back for me. You just... dumped me," Sarah Jane asked after a moment, causing the Doctor to tense up slightly beside me.
"I told you. I was called back home and in those days humans weren't allowed," the Doctor explained somberly.
"I waited for you... I missed you," Sarah Jane explained, her eyes watering just slightly.
I looked away from the two, feeling like I was interrupting a very private moment.
"Oh, you didn't need me! You were getting on with your life," the Doctor tried to tell her, obviously trying to brush off her words.
"You were my life," Sarah Jane told him and he froze for a second.
"You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, and 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?" Sarah Jane asked, causing the Doctor to furrow his eyebrows.
"All those things you saw - do you want me to apologize for that?" the Doctor asked and she shook her head.
"No, but we get a taste of that splendor... and then we have to go back," she whispered and I frowned slightly.
"But look at you, you're investigating. You found that school and you're doing what we always did," the Doctor said with a smile, trying to cheer Sarah Jane up a little.
"You could have come back," she whispered so softly that I barely heard her.
"I couldn't."
"Why not?"
The Doctor looked away from Sarah Jane at K9, ignoring her question completely. He turned on his sonic screwdriver once more and silently went back to fixing K9.
"It wasn't Croydon, where you dropped me off, it wasn't Croydon!" Sarah Jane interrupted the silence after a few awkward moments.
"Where was it?" the Doctor asked hesitantly, looking up from K9.
"Aberdeen," she said with annoyance.
"Right," the Doctor said, taking that information in.
"That's next to Croydon, isn't it?" the Doctor asked jokingly and Sarah Jane smiled.
The Doctor soniced K9 once more, causing the robotic dog to come to life.
"Oh hey! Now we're in business!" the Doctor said happily as he hopped out of his seat to stand in front of the dog.
"Master!" K9 called out, making the Doctor smile.
"He recognizes me!" the Doctor gleefully exclaimed.
"Affirmative," K9 answered as the Doctor called Rose over.
"Rose, we need the oil," he told her as she took a small jar out of her pocket.
The Doctor quickly unscrewed the lid, ready to stick his finger in the oil when Rose cut him off.
"I wouldn't touch it, though, that dinner lady got all scalded," she explained quickly.
"I'm no dinner lady," the Doctor smiled before continuing quickly, "And I don't say that often." He then stuck his finger into the odd oil before smearing it on K9's sensor.
"Here we go. Come on," the Doctor muttered encouragingly to K9.
"Oil. Ex - ex - ex - extract ana - an- analysing..." K9 stuttered out, causing Mickey to grin.
"Listen to it, Man! Now that's a voice!" he said with a laugh.
"Careful! That's my dog!" Sarah Jane cut in with a dangerous tone.
"Confirmation of analysis - substance is Krillitane Oil," K9 announced, creating silence in the room.
"They're Krillitanes," the Doctor muttered in shock.
"Is that bad?"
"Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad," the Doctor said, staring at her darkly.
"And what are... Krillitanes?" Sarah Jane questioned, causing the Doctor to turn around and look at her.
"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by, you've got bits, bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever, the Krillitanes are 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 recognize them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks," the Doctor rambled quickly.
"What are they doing here?" Rose asked after a moment.
A look of horror grew on the Doctor's face as realization struck him.
"Doctor, what's wrong?" I asked, putting a hand on his arm.
"It's the children. They're doing something to the children."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going," I commanded, moving forward to grab K9.
Sarah Jane and Mickey helped me carry K9 as Rose approached the Doctor and walked slowly out of the shop, talking tensely and quietly.
"So, what's the deal with the tin dog?" Mickey asked Sarah Jane as we reached the car.
"The Doctor likes traveling with an entourage. Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes... they're tin dogs," Sarah Jane, causing all of us to smile.
"What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?" Sarah Jane asked, opening the boot in the process.
"Me? I'm their Man in Havana. I'm the technical support, I'm..." he trailed off, his eyes growing wide. "Oh god. I'm the tin dog."
In a fit of shock, Mickey leaned against the car with a deep sigh. Smiling, Sarah Jane put her hand on his shoulder.
"It's alright, Mickey. From what I've seen, I think the tin dog is pretty awesome, " I said with a smile.
"Thanks, Victoria," he smiled back.
"I've heard a bit about you from the Doctor, and you seem pretty cool in my book. I'm glad I finally got to meet you," I told him and I watched his smile grow larger.
"The Doctor seems happy to have you," Mickey said after a moment, and beside me Sarah Jane nodded.
With a shrug, I told him," I'd call him my best friend. Both him and Rose. The past few months have become my favorite memory. I'm so glad that I met the Doctor."
A terrifying screech filled the air followed by the flapping of a wing. Mickey, Sarah Jane and I turned around to see a Krillitane flying towards us.
I let out a shocked cry as it swooped close to me. Mickey grabbed my arm and yanked down, pulling me towards the ground.
"Victoria!" the Doctor and Rose called, running towards me.
"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked, holding a hand out to me.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, taking his hand, allowing him to pull me up.
"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah Jane questioned once she realized that I was okay.
"It just flew off! What did it do that for?" Rose asked the Doctor, fear shining through her eyes.
"I'm not sure..." the Doctor trailed off, watching the retreating figure.
The next morning, the five of us piled into Sarah Jane's car and drove to the school. As we all stood in the parking lot, the Doctor began giving instructions. "Rose, Sarah Jane, you go to the maths room. Victoria, I want you to go too. I need you to crack open the computers so we can see what the hardware looks like. Here, take this," the Doctor said, handing the sonic screwdriver to me.
"Mickey, I want you outside doing surveillance."
"Just stand outside?"
"Here, take these," Sarah Jane called out, tossing her keys to Mickey. "You can keep K9 company."
"And don't forget to crack the window a bit," the Doctor added with a smirk.
"But he's metal!" Mickey exclaimed, causing the Doctor's smirk to grow.
"I didn't mean for him," he told Mickey and I elbowed the Doctor.
"What are you going to do?" Rose asked.
"It's time I had a word with Mr. Finch."
We all split up quickly, Rose, Sarah Jane and I rushing to the maths room. It took us five minutes to get to the class, and I immediately crouched to look at the computers.
I began scanning the computer as Sarah Jane and Rose talked tensely.
"Rose, Victoria, can I give you both some advice?" Sarah Jane asked after a moment.
"I got a feeling you're going to anyway," Rose muttered, causing me to pause.
"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be, and I don't want you to feel I'm intruding..." Sarah Jane began, and Rose cut her off. "I don't feel threatened by you and I'm sure Victoria doesn't either."
"Good. Because I'm not interested in picking up where we left off," Sarah Jane said, making Rose scoff.
"No? With the big sad eyes and the robot dog? What else were you doing last night?" Rose asked and I rolled my eyes.
I shook my head and continued scanning the computer, noticing that it was stuck.
"I was just saying how hard it was adjusting to life back on Earth..." Sarah Jane trailed.
"The thing is, when you two met, they'd only just got rid of rationing. No wonder all that space stuff was a bit too much for ya," Rose muttered and I groaned lightly.
I had no clue what was wrong with Rose today, but she might just end up driving me insane if she keeps acting like this.
"I had no problem with space stuff. I saw things you wouldn't believe," Sarah Jane hissed at Rose.
"Try me."
"Mummies."
"I've met ghosts," Rose told her, crossing her arms.
"Robots. Lots of robots," Sarah Jane rebutted.
"Slitheen! In Downing Street!"
"Daleks," Sarah Jane said, causing Rose to snort.
"Met the emperor," Rose said with a smirk.
"Real living-" Sarah Jane started when I got out from under the desk. "Will you two please shut up!" I yelled, fed up with their arguing.
"While you two were fighting, I've been trying to crack open the computer! The Doctor wants you to get along and all you're doing is clawing at each other's throats!" I yelled angrily, pointing the sonic towards the girls.
I watched as both Sarah Jane and Rose had the decency to look guilty. They looked at each other, sending the other an apologetic look.
After a few moments of silence, the two women began laughing, realizing how silly they were being.
"She's right, listen to us. It's like me and my mate Shireen. The only time we fell out was over a man, and... we're arguing over the Doctor," Rose said with a small laugh.
"With you, did he do that thing where he'd explain something at like, ninety-miles-per-hour, and you'd go, "what?" and he'd look at you like you'd just dribbled on your shirt?" Rose asked, giggling.
"All the time!" Sarah Jane exclaimed, laughing harder, causing me to smile.
"Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?" Sarah Jane asked, wheezing slightly from laughing.
"Yeah! Yeah! He does! I'm like, 'do you two wanna be alone?'" Rose folded over laughing.
I looked over at the door to see the Doctor walk into the room.
"How's it going?" he asked, causing Rose and Sarah Jane to start laughing harder.
"It won't budge," I called to him and he frowned, walking over to me.
"What's wrong with them?" he asked, causing Rose to start crying slightly from her laughter.
I giggled slightly, shaking my head as I handed the Doctor back the sonic.
"What's going on?" he asked confusedly, causing me to laugh harder.
"Victoria! What's going on?" he asked again and I shook my head, pointing at the two girls.
"Just help me!" he said, pulling me down with him to look at the computer.
The Doctor and I worked quickly as Sarah Jane and Rose's laughter died down.
After a few minutes, the bell went off throughout the building and the loudspeaker came on, "All pupils to class immediately. And would all members of staff congregate in the staff room."
Looking up, I saw a herd of students rushing towards the door to the room. Rose ran for the door, shooing the children away.
I looked closely at the Doctor and the hardware to see it in complete disarray. The Doctor shook his head, ripping wires harshly.
"I can't shift it," the Doctor glared at the computer.
"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah Jane called and I shook my head.
"Everything but deadlock seals. And wood. Never works on wood," I rushed, looking desperately at the computer.
"There has to be something we can do!" I muttered, staring hard at the computer.
"Doctor!" Sarah Jane called out, and we both crawled out from under the desk.
"You wanted the code. Well there it is," she pointed at the computer screens.
Every computer held a green screen with lots of numbers and letters flying across the screen.
"It looks like it's some sort of... code," I said, staring at the screen.
"No... No... that can't be!" the Doctor said, his eyes growing wide in horror.
"Doctor? What's wrong?" I asked, moving closer to him.
"The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm," the Doctor muttered, his eyes moving constantly as he watched the screen.
"That Skasis what?" Sarah Jane asked.
"The... God-maker. The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control," the Doctor explained slowly, never taking his eyes off the screen once.
"Are the kids... computers?" Rose hesitantly asked, looking at the Doctor.
"Yes."
He shook his head and looked away from the screen. He began pacing around the room, thinking quietly.
"And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil! That oil from the kitchens, it works as a...as a... conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer," he said in a rush, making it hard to keep up.
"Wait, but Rose and I have been eating those chips," I told the Doctor, glancing towards Rose.
"What's fifty-nine times thirty-five?"
"Two thousand and sixty-five," I stated after a moment with Rose only a few seconds behind.
"Oh my god," Rose whispered as the Doctor gave us a look.
"But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Sarah Jane asked, walking towards us.
"Children are creative, they have imagination. Unlike most adults, the kids haven't had their souls broken, they're pure. Their souls are being used," I explained slowly, realizing the situation.
"Let the lesson begin," a voice said right behind me.
I spun around to see Mr. Finch standing right in front of me. "Think of it, Doctor, with the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it," he spoke, moving closer to the Doctor.
"Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of. 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. Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good," Finch spoke smoothly, staring intently at the Doctor.
"What, by someone like you?" the Doctor asked, skeptical.
"No, someone like you," he whispered, causing the Doctor pause.
"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 civilizations you could save. Perganon, Assinta... your own people, Doctor. Standing tall. The Time Lords... reborn," Finch spoke, his voice almost hypnotizing.
"Doctor, don't listen to him," Sarah Jane pleaded from behind me.
Turning towards Rose and Sarah Jane, he smirked lightly. "And you could be with him throughout eternity. Young... fresh... never wither, never age... never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us." He then turned towards me with a creepy smile with an odd look in his eyes.
"But you, Miss Jones, are something different. I can sense it, the small power within you. But you don't know do you?" he whispered with a wide grin, causing me to freeze in confusion. "The power within you is strong, but you don't know. You could stay with the Doctor forever."
"I could save everyone..." the Doctor whispered, a far-off look in his eyes.
"Yes."
"I could stop the war..." he said quietly, barely loud enough for us to hear.
"No. The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss - they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world or a relationship... everything has its time. And everything ends," Sarah Jane told him desperately, staring at him in concern.
He stared at Finch with a hard look as he was shaken out of his thought. He grabbed a chair nearby and threw at one of the screens.
"Out!" the Doctor yelled, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room with him.
We all ran down the stairs to see Mickey and one of the children from the school. "What's going on?" Mickey called out as we approached him.
I looked over my shoulder and saw three of Krillitanes flying towards us. I pulled the Doctor with me as I ran down the hallway with the others right behind me.
I ran for the canteen and raced for one of the doors while the Doctor pulled out his sonic. As he went to scan the door to unlock it, Finch burst through the door with a few Krillitanes behind him.
"Are they my teachers?" the child that stood with Mickey asked.
"Yeah. I'm sorry," the Doctor apologized.
"Leave the Doctor alive. As for the others... you can feast," Finch announced, letting the aliens fly towards us.
The Doctor and I both grabbed chairs and started batting the Krillitanes as Rose and Sarah Jane ducked, covering their heads as best as possible. Mickey stood huddled with the student, protecting him as best as possible.
One of the Krillitanes' wings hit my chair, making it fly across the room. The alien quickly swept towards me, claws a foot from my face when a red beam flew past my vision and hit it. The Krillitane dropped dead to the floor, almost hitting me.
"K9!" Sarah Jane called happily.
"Victoria! Are you okay?" the Doctor questioned and I called out a reassurance.
"I suggest you engage running mode, mistress," K9 called out, causing me to snort softly.
"Come on!" the Doctor yelled and we all ran after him, K9 close behind us.
"K9, hold them back!" the Doctor yelled as the robotic dog shot lasers.
As we reached an exit door, the Doctor ushered us out. As soon as I stepped through the door, the Doctor slammed the door shut and locked it.
The Doctor led us to the physics room where he began thinking out loud. He quickly realized that the Krillitanes couldn't handle the oil we'd found earlier.
"Okay, we need to get to the kitchen. Mickey-" the Doctor began before he was cut off.
"What now, hold the coats?" Mickey asked sarcastically.
"Get all the children unplugged and out of the school," he told him before looking towards me. "Now then, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?"
The child ran over to the fire alarm where he elbowed it, breaking the glass casing. He quickly pulled the alarm, letting off a shrill sound. The Krillitanes began screeching, causing the Doctor to beam.
We raced for the door, the Doctor grabbing my hand in the process, and left while the Krillitanes couldn't move.
"Master!" K9 called as we approached him.
"Come on, boy! Good boy," the Doctor called, making me smile lightly.
We continued running down the hall when we finally reached the kitchen. We raced into the room to see the barrels full of oil in the middle of the room. The Doctor crouched down next to one and pulled out his sonic.
"Gah! It has a deadlock seal!" he muttered angrily as he moved to another barrel. "Finch must have done that. I can't open them."
"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser. But my batteries are failing," K9 spoke, rolling closer to the Doctor.
"Right. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me," the Doctor ordered, so the three of us rushed out the back door.
We rushed about 10 feet away from the door where me and Sarah Jane huddled together and Rose ran off to Mickey. We waited for the Doctor to come back. We stood there for less than five minutes when the Doctor ran out the door.
After sonicing the door closed, he ran towards us, but there was no K9.
"Where's K9?" Sarah Jane asked desperately as the Doctor got closer.
"We need to move," the Doctor urged.
"Where is he? What have you done?" she cried, gripping the Doctor's shoulders.
The Doctor shook his head slightly, gripping her arm and pulling her away from the building. We reached the back of the parking lot when an explosion sounded behind us.
The children that Mickey had rounded up began cheering, watching as their school went up in flames.
"I'm sorry."
"It's all right. He was just a... daft metal dog. Fine, really," she spoke quickly as tears began to roll down her face. The Doctor frowned, catching my eye while he wrapped a comforting arm around Sarah Jane.
That night the Doctor took me to his workroom to help him build a new robot for Sarah Jane.
I sat close to the Doctor, looking at the wiring and the mechanics of K9.
"How hard would it be to make a sonic screwdriver?" I asked as I flipped through some of his plans.
The Doctor paused, looking up from his work.
After a moment of contemplation, the Doctor took off his goggles.
"It shouldn't be too hard. I mean, it may take a while, but it can be done," the Doctor answered.
"Do you think I could make one? Or at least I help you make one?" I asked, purposefully using puppy eyes.
He laughed at the look and nodded.
"Sure, let's do it. We can start working on it soon," he smiled before flipping his goggles over his eyes.
We worked in silence for the rest of the night, except for a few questions I'd ask and his answers and the occasional joke followed by laughter.
It took us maybe four hours to completely finish K9 and I was extremely happy about it.
"Mistress. Master," K9 voiced once he was working.
As I stroked his head lightly, I yawned into my other hand.
"It's probably time you go to bed," the Doctor said, but I shook my head.
"Can't I just stay here?" I muttered, feeling my lack of sleep start to hit me.
He shook his head as he stood up, stretching lightly before leaning over me. He hooked his arms under my legs and lifted me up.
"Off to bed," he whispered as he took me to my room.
He laid me down and took off my shoes. He then laid a few blankets over me.
"Goodnight, Victoria."
"Thanks, Doctor," I called out before sleep took over.
The next morning, Rose, Mickey, and I stood inside the TARDIS waiting for the Doctor and Sarah Jane.
"The Doctor had told you about Sarah Jane didn't he?" Rose asked, causing Mickey and I to look at her.
I nodded slowly, unsure of how she'd react.
"And he's told you about a lot of other things like his past. Like his old companions? Like Gallifrey? Like himself?" Rose asked, her voice becoming more aggressive the more she spoke.
"Yeah, he has."
"Why did he tell you and not me?" she asked angrily.
"I don't know? I know about aliens so some of the things he told me I already knew. I don't sleep a lot, I have a hard time falling asleep. I can't help why and what he's told me. But you can't be mad at me for the things he told me. That was his decision," I told her, looking her straight in the eyes.
"What has he-" Rose walked closer to me for more answers when the Doctor and Sarah Jane walked into TARDIS.
The Doctor looked at mine and Rose's defensive body language while Sarah Jane looked around.
"You've redecorated!" Sarah said, looking in awe.
"Do you like it?" he asked her, shifting his attention back to her.
"Oh, I, I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but uh... yeah. It'll do!" Sarah Jane admitted, staring at the console lovingly.
"I love it," Rose called defensively.
"Hey, you - what's forty-seven times three hundred and sixty-nine?" Sarah Jane called with a smile, trying to break the tension in the room.
"No idea. It's gone now. The oil's faded," Rose responded.
"But you're still clever. More than a match for him," Sarah Jane said, causing Rose to smile.
"You and me both," Rose said, causing Sarah Jane to smile in return.
"Victoria, can I talk to you?" Sarah Jane asked pulling me aside to talk.
"It was so nice to meet you. You seem like you'll do the Doctor well, giving him a run for his money. You're smart, so keep using that head of yours," she told me with a smile as she drew me into a quick hug.
"I'm so glad I got to meet you as well. The Doctor told me so much about you and the adventures you had. If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to hear more about them," I trailed off, hoping she would catch on.
With a laugh, she took my phone from my hand and entered her contact information.
"If you need anything, anything at all, call me," she said with a smile.
"Thank you. It really was a great pleasure to meet you," I told her one last time before walking back to the console.
"Um, we're about to head off, but, you could come with us," the Doctor offered after a moment of silence.
With a shake of the head, Sarah Jane declined his offer. "No... I can't do this anymore. Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! It's time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own," she said with much enthusiasm.
" Can I come?" Mickey called out, causing all of us to look at him.
I smiled as Mickey explained that he wanted to come aboard the TARDIS. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rose frowning at Mickey joining the group.
"Rose, is that okay?" Mickey called out after noticing her lack of response.
"No, great. Why not?" Rose said sarcastically and I frowned at her.
"Victoria?" he asked and I smiled and nodded.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Sarah Jane announced her departure.
As the Doctor walked to the door and Rose and Sarah had a conversation, I sat in the captain seat with Mickey.
I leaned forward and fiddled with the console, turning on the screen. Once the Doctor left the TARDIS, the three of us sat awkwardly waiting for the Doctor to come back.
When he did come back, he raced to the console where he set the TARDIS for space.
"Victoria, look," the Doctor pointed to the monitor.
The monitor showed Sarah Jane finding K9 behind the fading TARDIS.
"I'm glad she likes it," I told him with a smile, looking at the bright smile on her face.
"Me too," the Doctor said as we smiled at each other.