When the trio arrived at the college, Rose left for the library to skip her first class. Alfie glanced between her and the Doctor before the Doctor led him to the lecture hall. Alfie looked back before turning to the Time Lord.
"Why don't you tell Rose to go to class?" Alfie implored, knowing that college was too expensive to be skipping classes.
"Because she has already expressed that she does not want to be here," the Doctor informed honestly as Alfie gave him a strange look. "She's only here to help me out with the Angel mission. She can get close to the students and figure out where the Angel was been feeding. If you want to know what's going on, you ask the people that are involved."
"Does her father pay for the tuition?"
"Let's just say that her father has special leverage over the university," the Doctor replied plainly as they walked down the campus.
"Special leverage?"
"He owns the college. He originally bought it so Rose could go to a school where he could give her the best education. He didn't know, however, that she had never gone to college, or had any desire of going. Instead of seeing it go to waste, he funds it and makes sure that it's one of the best schools in the country," the Doctor explained, leaving out the fact that Torchwood trained some of there people in the school.
"I see. Is that why the name changed?" Alfie asked as the Doctor shrugged.
"Most likely. What was it before?"
"Durham University. Now it's Crowdhoot University. No idea why he called it that, but whatever," Alfie answered as the Doctor smiled.
"Do you have any theories on the subject?"
"I think it might be an anagram for something, honestly. Why else would he have come up with such a ridiculous name?" Alfie answered, pulling out a notebook. "Before you laugh, I actually tried some different options. The top two I have is Who Doctor and Wood Torch. Others are absolutely ridiculous and don't make any sense."
"And the others do?"
"Well, Wood Torch is actually english, and Who Doctor may have something to do with you, since you call yourself the Doctor. What's your actual name, anyway?" Alfie asked, thinking that he was using a codename.
"The Doctor."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Your parents gave you that name?"
"No, I gave myself the name. Now stop asking useless questions," the Doctor finished, walking ahead. Alfie shrugged and followed, knowing that they had bigger fish to fry. "Now, are you ready for the lecture?"
"What?" Alfie implored, surprised.
"The lecture. I am lecturing today, remember?" the Doctor reminded as Alfie bit his lip. "You weren't planning on going today, were you?"
"No, not really. I've been in that room a couple of times, and every time, I have been attacked by that thing. I don't like pressing my luck, Doctor," Alfie answered as the Doctor sighed.
"I don't blame you, but I really don't want to fail you," he whispered, rubbing an eye.
"Fail me?"
"I am a paid professor and I teach an astrophysics class," the Doctor continued as Alfie stared.
"I thought you worked for the government."
"I do, but I also got a job as a professor to get near the locals. Young adults aren't afraid to talk about aliens and supernatural things like other groups, that's why I came to the college, but that doesn't mean I'm not getting paid. I still have to do my job," the Doctor replied.
"Doesn't the government pay you?" Alfie retorted as the Doctor shrugged.
"I refused payment," he mumbled.
"What? Really? Don't they pay really well?" Alfie laughed.
"Sure they do, but the man I'm working for has given me a place to live, including many more things. It would be wrong if I took his money, too," the Doctor answered as Alfie gaped.
"You've surprised me, Doctor."
"Surprised you?"
"A government official that's working for free. That's incredible! I've never heard of such a thing."
"Corruption isn't my kind of thing," the Doctor informed.
"That's not what I mean. They make a ton of money honestly, and yet you have taken none of it because a man gave you a place to live? Either you are the humblest and kindest man alive, or you're not telling me something," Alfie concluded as the Doctor grinned.
"Clever boy. However, I can't tell you the rest because it would put the people I work with and the people I love in danger, and I can't do that. Let's just say that I was in a pretty rough spot a while ago and he helped me out," the Doctor replied, satisfying Alfie for now. Whatever situation the Doctor had been in, it didn't matter to Alfie.
"You don't trust me?"
"It's not that. It's the people who might overhear that I don't trust. When this Angel thing blows over, I'll tell you, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever," he sighed, looking intently at the Doctor.
"Good. Now, let's get to class," the Doctor suggested as Alfie rolled his eyes, but consented. As the Doctor opened the door, they found no one inside. As he checked his watch, Alfie looked around. "We're not early. Actually three and a half minutes late."
"Then where is everybody?" Alfie asked as the Doctor ran his finger against a desk and licked it. His face soured as he turned to his companion.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, giving Alfie an answer. He dipped his head in a moment of silence for his classmates before he looked up at his professor. "The Angel got here first."
"I can see that," Alfie hissed as the Doctor nodded. "They didn't have a chance, Doctor. They didn't know what they were up against! They didn't know what was going on! Who would guess that they were going to get killed by a freaking stone Angel!? They didn't even know what was going on or why it could move!"
"I know, Alfie," the Doctor whispered.
"No, Doctor. You don't. You don't get it, and I don't think you ever will. You always know what's going on. You've never been kept in the dark for your safety, and that killed them," Alfie accused as the Doctor remained calm. "We should have told them."
"Would they have believed you?"
"They would've known what to do when it came for them!"
"Why do you care so much about them, then? These people that avoided you and teased you and excluded you from everything. They were so horrible to you," the Doctor countered as Alfie turned away. "Why is it such a big deal that they died?"
"Because they didn't have to! They were too young to have died! They didn't deserve it!" Alfie shouted, angry. The Doctor smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I know. I have dealt with premature death, and each one has been crushing. We will make sure that the Angel doesn't kill anyone else," the Doctor promised before running to the front of the room, wondering if the Angel was still there.
"What?" Alfie asked as the Doctor smiled at him.
"I needed to make sure that you weren't emotionally unstable," the Doctor explained, confusing the student more. "I wouldn't let you tag along anymore if you thought that you're classmates deserved death. No one deserves death. I wanted to make sure that your humanity is still intact."
"Humanity? You're one to talk about humanity," Alfie retorted as the Doctor shot him a warning look.
"I am still half human, Alfred. Remember that," he reminded as Alfie nodded.
"Riiiiight. Whatever," he whispered as his professor raised an eyebrow before exploring the area again. Alfie followed behind slowly, hoping that the Angel wasn't planning an ambush.
Once they secured the area, the Doctor sat down to think. Alfie sat across from him and folded his hands. They remained silent as the Doctor left reality, leaving Alfie alone. He started to think and calculate about his classmates. How many actually showed up for class? How many knew about the Angel? How many were scared out of there minds?
"Doctor," Alfie whispered, bringing the Doctor back. "Where did it send them?"
"Not where. When, and I would guess around the early nineteen thirties. The air tastes like the thirties," the Doctor answered as Alfie started to rub his face.
"It smells like the thirties?" Alfie laughed, feeling madness creeping upon him.
"It does, and they are fine now. The Angels usually leave people alone after they've sent them back in time," the Doctor added, looking up again. "They're probably all together, figuring out how to live in another era. They'll be fine."
"Until World War II rolls around," Alfie scoffed as the Doctor pursed his lips, not thinking about that.
"Oh, I wish the TARDIS was done," he whispered as Alfie gave him a quizzical look. "Nevermind that. We have to make sure that no one else gets hurt."
"What if there's more than one Angel?" Alfie asked as the Doctor shook his head before widening his eyes. "What?"
"There is more than one Angel," the Doctor whispered before standing up.
"What? How do you know that?"
"Because I smashed one into rubble the other day. It can't have reconstructed itself that quickly. Can it?"
"Can it reconstruct itself anyway?"
"They might. I've only met them once before, and I had to trick them. If there's only one, that's going to be hard. If there's more, it'll be easier, but increasingly more dangerous," the Doctor explained as he ran a hand through his hair.
"What do you know?" Alfie demanded.
"That they send people into the past and it would be so much simpler if I had the TARDIS," the Doctor answered harshly before standing up to leave. Alfie followed him again, completely lost.
"What are we going to do then?"
"I have no idea. And that is all I need to complete a plan," the Doctor replied, throwing open the door, startling Alfie. "Let's find Rose. Rose will know what to do."
"How do you know that she'll know?"
"Rose always knows."