Angel lounged with a book on psychic technologies. The Doctor wasn't around to teach her. He and Martha were off on another adventure. They had been gone for almost a week. Her heart sank to her stomach. She huffed and dragged herself out of the cozy chair, heading for the café.
As she neared the console room, she heard the initial sound out the squeaky TARDIS door. Finally! She grinned and changed course to the console room. But then she heard the Doctor shouting followed by a series of bangs. What the hell? She broke into a run to check on her comrades.
"I'm going to become human," the Doctor said to Martha as Angel entered the room. Her heart stopped, terrified of whatever the hell danger they were in now. She slowly approached, not wanting to get in the way. "Never thought I'd use this." They looked up at a head-sized device hanging from the ceiling as it descended . "All the times I've wondered." The Doctor faced the machine with wide-eyes.
"What does it do?" Martha asked.
"Chameleon Arch. Rewrites my biology. Literally changes every single cell in my body. I've set it to human. Now, the TARDIS will take care of everything. Invent a life story for me, find me a setting and integrate. It can't do the same for you. You'll just have to improvise. I should have just enough residual awareness to let you in."
"But, hold on, if you're going to rewrite every cell, isn't it going to hurt?"
"Oh, yeah. It'll hurt."
"What's going on?" Angel finally had a chance to ask. The Doctor explained that he was being hunted by a family of body-snatchers that could sniff him out over all of time and space.
Before the Doctor initiated his torturous change, he left a list of instructions in video form for the ladies to review. They all packed luggage with clothing and undergarments from 1913. He said it was September, so they packed for early fall.
They all went to the wardrobe for suitable outfits. Martha put on a lilac colored jacket and skirt. The shirtwaist she wore underneath was jade. Her lilac skirt was columnar in shape. The jacket was belted with pale lilac and she wore shoes to match it.
Angel went for a white with dark-pinstripe dress. Martha was able to pin up Angel's hair in a fashion they found in a book. Angel experimented with a little makeup to help her stand out against the white. She decided not to fuss with a big style for herself. She felt a simple low bun got the job done. While they were busy the Doctor found a gray herringbone 3-piece suit styled close enough to the 1910's style.
And then the change began. His body convulsed. He screamed his lungs out. All Angel and Martha could do was stand there and wince, watching in horror.
When the Chameleon Arch finished his transformation, Martha and Angel lead a confused and bleary-eyed Doctor out into a path on some English farmland. The TARDIS was safely stored in a shed. They walked down to the village in view. The Doctor slowly came out of his daze.
"Ahh Martha, I'm glad you could come along with us on our journey. I'm sure you appreciate a familiar family." The new, human Doctor's patronizing tone was grating for Martha. Of course she was a servant. What did she expect in 1913?
"Yes sir, you and Angel are special to me." She tried her best to play along.
"Oh, Martha. You must stop that nonsense and call Angela by her proper name. And it's Miss Smith when in company." The two women gave one another a look. Sister, they mouthed as they walked behind him.
"Now, Angela, why must you wear that fanciful circlet all of the time. You'll attract too much attention to yourself. And that will only lead to trouble."
The ladies decided to keep their mouths shut for the time being. Mr. Smith found lodgings for the three of them that night. When he signed his name in the book, they discovered his new name was John Smith. The rooms were separated by sex, of course. Angela and Martha's room only had one bed, but at least it was a double so they were comfortable. Finally in bed, they were able to touch base with each other about their new living situation.
"Are you doing alright, Angel-er, Angela, I mean Gotta practice that."
"I'm ok. The circlet takes care of me, it's no problem."
"But three whole months living on Earth, away from your home on the TARDIS. Aren't you going to miss it?"
"Martha, I'm here to protect you and… John. You're more important to me than comfort. I've spent my whole life holed up in the TARDIS. I'm ready to get out and experience a slice of life."
"If you say so." Martha was quietly in thought for a moment.
"I heard your sarcasm earlier. Are you going to be okay, Martha?"
"I'm going to be very frustrated for the next three whole months of acting like your servant. I'm sure I'll get a handful of racist comments on a daily basis. It'll be a challenge to keep my outrage in and nod my head, but I will manage. It'll help having you on my side."
"Happy to back you up, Martha." Angel reassured her with a squeeze of her hand and drifted off to sleep. Martha turned to her side, struggling to fall asleep.
In the morning, the new John Smith chatted with the kind, older woman in charge of their rooms. She told him they may be able to find jobs at a school and how to get there. They packed up their bags and headed out to the school. John managed to secure a position as a professor.
Upon his recommendation, Martha was granted a job as a maid. It's just for three months. I will be so glad when all of this is over.
Angela interviewed with her wealth of knowledge on the human body and impressed the matron and headmaster enough to be awarded a job as a nurse. They were each provided a bed to sleep in, sharing a room in the servant's quarters.
The walls were a dingy peachy color, and the woodwork was painted a slightly deeper beige. They had a fire to warm them and a small wicker table for eating. They had to hang up their washing behind the table. A small table by the doors held their water.
"I guess this is home for the next three months," said Martha.
"Home, sweet home." Angel gave Martha a smile. They began organizing themselves before their work began the next day.
In the morning, the two women donned their uniforms. Angel's was a gray nurse's dress. Martha's was a black housemaid's dress complete with eyelet lace headwear and cuffs. Angel struggled to make her circlet look decent with both it and the nurse's cap. This is absurd. She took off the cap. Just the circlet would have to do.
Once finished, she headed towards the infirmary. A few boys pass by, each one with an astonished look on their faces. She stared each one of them down with a side-glance and lifted brow. Her goal was to seem intimidating and uninviting, to gain their respect. Unfortunately for her, her mixture of youth, attitude, and oddity drew their interest. She heard them whispering to one another as she approached the matron's desk to report for duty.
She stocked supplies all throughout the morning. It was lunchtime when a boy came in and sat next to her to get his hands patched up. She looked them over. "What did you do, punch the stone wall?" She patched up his knuckles and sent him on his way. She got more random and ridiculous excuses from boy after boy throughout the day. She thought about asking the matron about it, but then again she didn't want to attract attention if it was out of norm.
"Evening, Mr. Rocastle," she said, trying to fit in to the manners of this time as she passed by the headmaster on her way to the servants' quarters. He did a double take at her, not liking the circlet still being present on her head while in her uniform. Instead of embarrassing her about it, he decided to talk with her brother.
He stopped by Mr. Smith's room on his way to his own. "Your sister is a bit showy Mr. Smith. Please have a word with her about how this is a school establishment, not an evening soirée. We don't need our boys distracted from their academics. She's a member of the staff, not an heiress. It's inappropriate. She may be sacked if she can't abide by the rules."
"Yes, of course, sir. I will give her the message."
"Just let her know, I mean no offense."
John decided now was the best time to visit his sister. He assumed she was still working in the infirmary. On the way he greeted Martha as she scrubbed the floors by the door. He popped his head into the room and looked around for her.
"Angela! My dear sweet sister! The headmaster asked me to pass on a warning. You have got to stop wearing that blasted medieval nonsense on your head if you want to retain your position."
"JOHNATHAN! Uuugh." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Where can I find him to discuss the matter face-to-face?"
"He wanted me to tell you, so you wouldn't feel so embarrassed."
"Like I care what he thinks," she said with an eye roll. John merely gave her a pointed look with his piercing gaze and left the doorway. Martha, having overheard the warning, decided to talk to her about it.
"Angela, you really should do what you're told, that's sort of the way it is for us while we're here." Angel huffed and continued her paperwork while her mind wandered. What am I going to do? I NEED the dampener. Maybe I can transfer it to something else. She looked around. Her eyes fell onto a nurse's cap atop a co-worker's hair. That'll do. First thing after her shift, she hopped on a bicycle and rode to the TARDIS.
Over the next couple months she interacted with the teenage boys. Each one was different. Latimer was her favorite. Baines and Hutchison always tried to flirt with her but she would chide them, and they liked it at the same time. Rascals. Every Monday morning she would find a fresh bouquet of flowers on her desk. She assumed they were from the boys. It's sweet and she find's their attention endearing. They make her wonder about her missing baby and what kind of mother she would make.
John woke up from a series of intense dreams. He opened up his journal to record them. He just about finished sketching a nude woman's face when he suddenly realizes she looks just like his sister Angela! A wave of self disgust washes over him. He rips the drawing from the journal, gives it one more glance and folds it to hide in his pocket when the sound of his maid knocking disturbs him. He'll have to dispose of it later.
The day and its duties took over his mind and he forgot about the paper in his pocket. He was carrying a stack of books and speaking to the matron when he took a tumble down the stairs. The folded slip of paper fell out of his pocket landing perfectly flat against the wooden step. It was missed by those who helped to gather the books for the banged up teacher. But not by the curious boy who found it, Jeremy Baines.
The teenage boys pass the nude drawing of their pretty nurse around to each other, laughing and making crude remarks about her. Timothy felt bad for her, she was always nice to him. She reminded him of her grandmother, but young. When Baines held up the paper in one hand to pass to someone else he grabbed it and ran out of the room.
And right outside the door stood Mr. Rocastle. They collided and the drawing fell to the floor. The headmaster looked at it and his face flushed. He wasn't sure if he was yelling out of anger or embarrassment, but either way he would get answers from the boy. He commanded the boy to go directly to his office.
Angel is summoned to the headmaster's office. She wasn't sure what he wanted, but was thankful he was speaking directly to her this time. John, who delivered the message, joined her. He was concerned due to the headmaster's stern tone of voice.
"Miss Smith, can you give me an explanation for this?" Mr. Rocastle held out the sketch for her to see. She gasped in shock. What the hell? She looked at John, knowing it was the Doctor's memory of walking in on her. She knew he must have drawn it. Her jaw dropped and her brows curled, she had no words that would make any sense to the headmaster. "WELL?"
"I… I have nothing to do with this!"
"It's quite obvious that you do. Now, were you involved with a student? I will have to have you arrested if you cannot give me any explanation as to how this sketch came to be."
"Mr. Rocastle, I can explain. I've been having these strange dreams and started journaling them a few months ago. This is from my journal. I was so disturbed by having drawn my very own sister in such a way, that I ripped it out and meant to dispose of it. I fell down the stairs and hit my head. I must have forgotten about it in all the commotion of the day. Please, she had nothing to do with it."
"Mr. Smith, please allow me to speak privately with Miss Smith."
Mr. Rocastle's face softened and he looked at the beautiful young woman who stood before him. "Unfortunately, I will have to ask you to resign. This has passed between the students and we cannot have them distracted by you any longer. You need to be out of your room by the end of the day. It's been a pleasure to work with you Angela. I take no pleasure in this."
"You have always been kind to me, Mr. Rocastle. Do you happen to know who it might be that left me flowers every Monday?"
"I do."
"Can you tell them thank you for me?"
"You're welcome." His eyes widened in surprise, accidentally confessing to his admiration for her. She is surprised as well, but not really interested. He can be a kind man, but he is a product of his time. She cannot return the affections of a man who is so rude to her best friend. She decided it best to leave immediately and avoid any more words with this man.
An image of Martha took over her vision momentarily, the TARDIS was letting her know she came. She quickly put on her circlet. When she entered the console room, she found Martha watching the Doctor's instruction video.
"Martha? Something come up?"
"There was a big green meteor, or shooting star. It came down in the woods. I've no idea what to do. I wish he'd come back."
Angel wasn't sure what to do either. She just gave Martha a hug and said to keep an eye out.
Tim knocked on Mr. Smith's door. "You told me to come and collect that book, sir."
"Good lad, yes, yes! The Definitive Account of Mafeking by Aitchinson Price. Where did I put it? And I wanted a little word. Your marks aren't quite good enough," he said while looking under everything trying to find the book.
"I'm top 10 in my class, sir."
"Now, be honest, Timothy. You should be the very top. You're a clever boy. You seem to be hiding it." No book was found. "Where is that book?" He said under his breath. "And I know why. Keeping your head low avoids the mockery of your classmates. But no man should hide himself, don't you think?"
"Yes, sir," he said to placate his teacher. He would continue to follow his Gran's guidance. She had warned him to stay humble and under the radar. His psychic abilities could put a target on his back.
"You're clever." Tim heard a voice say Time Lord. He looked over, seeing a silver fob watch. "You should be proud of it. Use it," the teacher continued to lecture. Tim heard the watch whispering. He picked it up and again it said Time Lord. The front of the watch had circular etchings overlapping in all sorts of ways. Timothy, hide us. The secret lies within. I'm trapped. I'm caged. He opened it to see the watch face, but instead saw a glowing yellow light. Inside the cold, in the dark, waiting. Reach out, boy. Reach out. Always waiting.
He heard the teacher returning. In a panic, he closed the watch and slipped it into his pocket. "Fascinating details about the siege, really quite remarkable. Are you all right?"
"Yes, sir. Fine, sir."
"Right, then. Good. And remember, use that brain of yours." The power of a Time Lord. Tim heard the voice as Mr. Smith handed him the book. He suddenly saw a different version of Mr. Smith with a glowing stick and a severe look on his face. "You're really not looking yourself, old chap. Anything bothering you?"
"No, sir. Thank you, sir." Tim said and walked own. Confusion took over. He had only ever had visions like that with his Gran's help. Why was this happening? What was the watch? Why did his Gran have psychic abilities to begin with?
He went to the dormitory to get a little privacy while inspecting the watch. He opened it again. You are not alone. Keep me hidden. Burn with the light. Burn and turn! The image of metal men and hideous monsters invaded his mind. He shut the watch again.
Not-Baines got another whiff of the Time Lord. When classes resumed, he telepathically communicated with the rest of his family to inform them. The scarecrows in the farmlands were activated, each took a body. One for his father, one for his mother and one for his sister.