The Caretaker

(Open POV)

Alien planet…

With wickedly sharp rocky outcrops sticking sideways out of the desert ground. The Doctor, Clara, and Jared are chained to ornately carved pillars as twin suns beat down.

"There's no way out of this. We're going to die here." Clara said, annoyed.

"Jared, pass me the vibro-cutters." The Doctor said.

"It's on Gamindustri." Jared said, sadly.

"Come on then, pass them to me."

"With Neptune. And Nepgear."

"Why did you give those CPUs the vibro-cutters? Is one of them faulty?" The Doctor asked.

"Look, Jared doesn't have the vibro-cutters. If Jared had the vibro-cutters, he wouldn't be able to pass you the vibro-cutters. We're going to starve to death out here." Clara said, frowning.

"Of course we won't starve. The sand piranhas will get us long before that."

Pub…

Clara enters and goes to Danny's table, "Hiya. Sorry I'm late."

Clara and Danny kiss.

"You're not. You're brown. You're very brown. You weren't that brown this morning." Danny said, at a loss for words.

"Sunbed. I'll get 'em in. Usual?" Clara asked.

Clara's flat…

Clara is about to go out when the Doctor and Jared popped their heads out of the Tardis.

"Fish people." The Doctor said, happily.

"What are they like?" Clara asked.

"Don't know. Could be the things I encountered with the Doctor in Venice!" Jared said, excitedly.

"Fish. And people. Come and see." The Doctor said, smirking.

Taxi…

"How's you?" Clara asked, entering the TARDIS.

"Evening. Nice frock. It's a bit wet." Danny said, looking at Clara.

"Freak shower." Clara said, tossing seaweed out of her hair.

"Is that seaweed?"

"I said freak."

Corridor…

"This is your fault!" Jared said, angrily.

Running as lasers are shot at them.

"This isn't my fault!" The Doctor yelled.

"How much further?" Clara asked.

"TARDIS has got to be round this corner. I hate soldiers. Don't you and Jared hate soldiers?"

"Yeah."

"Yup…" Jared said, letting out a sigh.

"Just keep running!" The Doctor said, while Jared is pulling Clara away.

Clara's flat…

Clara opens the front door to see Danny, "Oh, yeah. Danny. Hiya."

"Morning. Ready to run?" Danny asked.

"Mmm hmm." Clara said, frowning.

Clara's bedroom…

Clara is out of breath and completely drenched in sweat, "I can't keep doing this. I can't do it. Yes, I can, I can do it, of course I can do it. I've got it all under control."

Tardis…

Clara enters from her living room, "So, where we off to?"

"Clara, you, you look lovely today. Have you had a wash?" The Doctor asked.

"Why are you being nice?" Clara asked.

"Because it works on you. Listen, I'm sorry but there's going to be no trip today. I'm sorry. Er, Jared and I have got to do a thing. It might take a while."

"What thing?" Clara asked.

"It's something." Jared said, keeping the scanner with the flashing red light out of Clara's view.

"Jared's right. Just a thing." The Doctor said.

"You're being mysterious, and do you know what means?" Clara asked.

"I'm a man of mystery."

"Hmm. It means that you are a very clever man making the mistake, common to very clever people, of assuming that everybody else is stupid. Where are you going with Jared?" Clara asked, grabbing the scanner.

The Doctor switches the scanner image to the view of the galaxy, "Undercover. Deep cover."

"Doctor? Can you do deep cover?" Clara asked.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked.

"Have you seen you?"

"Of course I can do deep cover."

"Where, ALfheim Online?" Clara asked, giggling.

"Nope." Jared said, snapping his fingers, and the Tardis doors open. "Not there, Clara. We'll see you when we see you, my Impossible Girl."

Clara snaps her fingers, and they close again, "When's that?"

The Doctor snaps his fingers, and the doors open, "When we see you."

"Hmm. Hmm. I'll be sure to have a wash." Clara said.

"Excellent. I was meaning to bring it up." The Doctor said.

Clara leaves, shutting the doors then opening them again and pointing meaningfully at her eye before finally leaving.

"Time to call Ian." Jared said, taking out his iPhone 15 Pro Max and selected Ian Chesterton on his contact list. "Hey. We have a bit of a situation."

The Doctor and Jared look at the map which is on the scanner - East London.

Playground…

The boys are playing football where they shouldn't as the teachers arrive.

"You lot! Not here. Over there." A teacher said.

"Morning, Mister Pink." Courtney said, happily.

"Morning, Courtney. And good morning, Miss Oswald." Danny said, smiling.

"Morning, Mister Pink." Clara said, looking at Danny.

The group of girls by the entrance giggle.

School corridor…

"Do they know?" Clara asked.

"Possibly. They're children. It's like they've got minds of their own. Are you okay?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I dunno. Every time I see you, it's like you're…"

"What?"

"In a rush. In a state. In a space helmet, one time."

"Sorry. Er, I've had a thing and, er, the thing's gone, so I'm all yours."

"What thing? What's gone?" Danny asked.

"Nothing." Clara said, sadly.

"It's like you're trying to be mysterious. I'm not stupid, you know."

"The next few days are all about you. I promise." Clara said, moving in closer to Danny.

Pupils giggle at the end of the corridor, so Clara walks away.

Staff room…

"Which means, Jo, you'll have to cover for 8/4M in L3. Hold on, there is just one more thing. Atif's off sick, Blake's on vacation, so we've got newbies, I did ask them to come along." Armitage said, hearing knocking on the door. "Ah, here they are."

A tall figure in a brown coverall and holding a broom enters with someone wearing a suit and long brown trench coat.

"I'm the new caretaker. John Smith." The Doctor said.

"And I'm his assistant. Jared Shay." Jared said, his hands in his suit's pants pockets.

"Welcome to Coal Hill, Mister Smith, Mr Smith." Danny said, looking between the Doctor and Jared.

"Thanks. Yes, John Smith's the name for me. But, you know, here's a thing. Most people just call me the Doctor." The Doctor said, winking at Clara.

"And most people call me Jared." Jared said, blowing a kiss at Clara.

"So, if anybody needs me or Jared, just, you know, give us a shout. We'll be in the storeroom just getting the lie of the land." The Doctor said.

The staff leave the room.

"Yes, no body's taking any notice at all. Absolutely good news because it means I must be coming across just as an absolutely boring human being like you." The Doctor said.

Clara mouths 'What are you doing here with Jared?'

The Doctor shuts the door on Clara, "Deep cover. Deep cover."

School corridor…

"Do you know them?" Danny asked.

"Know who?" Clara asked.

"The caretaker, Smith. The Doctor. And his assistant, Jared Shay."

"Never seen them before in my life."

"Bit intense looking. The Doctor. Did you see those eyebrows? Did he wink at you? And did Jared blow a kiss at you?"

"No, I think that was just a sort of general wink, you know? The Doctor winked at everybody and Jared blew kisses at everybody. It was a general welcoming wink and a general welcoming kiss. Ah, I have, er, left some marking. Assembly. Chop-chop. Off you pop. Catch you in a bit. Excuse me."

Staff room…

The Doctor is looking at a plan of the school buildings as Jared is drinking a mocha frappuccino. The Time Lord crumples the floor plans into his pocket when Clara enters.

"So, you recognised us, then." The Doctor said.

"Doctor, you're wearing a different coat and Jared is wearing the clothes of your pinstripe regeneration." Clara said, sadly.

"But you saw straight through that."

"Deep cover in my school? Why? Where's Atif and Blake, what have you and Jared done with them?"

The Doctor wards Clara off with his broom, "Atif's fine. Hypnotised. He thinks he's got the 'flu. Also a flying car and three wives. It's going to be a rude awakening."

"And Blake is on vacation in Japan. I gave him a lot of miles so he can explore the whole country. I gave him an unlimited budget." Jared said, sipping on his mocha frappuccino.

"Is it aliens? Oh, my God, Doctor, is that why you and Jared are here? Are there aliens?" Clara asked.

"It's assembly. You'd better get going. Go and worship something." The Doctor said.

"Are there aliens in this school?"

"Listen, it's lovely talking to you, but I've really got to get on. I'm a caretaker now. Jared's my assistant. Look, I've got a brush." The Doctor said, holding the broom.

"Doctor, Jared, is there an alien in this school?" Clara asked.

"Yup. The only alien here is the Doctor!" Jared said, excitedly.

"Now, go. The walls need sponging and there's a sinister puddle." The Doctor said, looking at Clara.

"Doctor, you can't do this. You cannot pass yourself off as a real person among actual people. Jared can pass himself off as a real person among actual people, but you can't."

"I lived among otters once for a month. Well, I sulked. River, Jared, and I, we had this big fight…"

"That was after the Planet of the Rain Gods! Also, human beings are not otters!" Jared yelled.

"Exactly. It'll be even easier."

"Okay. One question. And you will answer this question. Are the kids safe?" Clara asked.

"Nope, my Impossible Girl. Nobody is safe." Jared said, sadly. "Not now. At least."

"But soon the answer will be yes, everybody is safe, if you let us get on. Now, pretend you don't know us. Stay out of our way. The less you know, the better. We'll explain it all later. Go and sing with the otters." The Doctor said.

"Doctor, I hate you." Clara said, frowning.

"That's fine. That's a perfectly normal reaction."

Street…

Two schoolboys are playing a video game by a large wrought iron gate.

"Basically, you've to get that guy on the block and stop that other one shooting him. It's so sick." Noah said.

"I, I got that guy. That was, like, six months ago. You actually have to do is flick it that way." Yashe said.

"Nah, but I'm saying…"

A Community Support Officer approaches them.

"You Coal Hill kids?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah? So what if we are?" Noah asked.

"Then get to Coal Hill."

"We've got a free period, mate." Yashe said, annoyed.

"You want me to take your names?" Matthew asked.

"Come on. This is unfair, mate." Yashe said, rolling his eyes.

Something rattles on the other side of the gate.

"Always come in threes. Oi! I know you're in there." Matthew said, annoyed.

Old building…

Matthew goes through the creaky gate and pries a piece of corrugated iron off the main door to the old building.

"Hello? I'm a police officer. There's no point hiding. Do you hear me? Come on, kiddo." Matthew said.

"Five stop intruder. Five stop intruder." The Blitzer said.

"Turn your game off. It's time for school. Come on. Stop messing about!"

Something with bright blue eyes is watching Matthew with yellow and purple vision. A mechanical device trundles into the light from Matthew's torch.

"Problem solution destroy." The Blitzer said.

Matthew screams as the bullets rip through him. A smoking severed hand landed on the floor.

English class…

Clara's bored class are reading Pride and Prejudice out loud.

"Though unheard by Lydia, was caught by Elizabeth, and as it assured her that Darcy was not…" Kelvin said.

The Doctor climbs a ladder to the open window at the back of the classroom. Clara gets up from behind her desk.

"You all right, Miss Oswald?" Kelvin asked.

"Yes, Kelvin, I'm fine. You carry on." Clara said.

"Every feeling of displeasure against the former was so sharpened…"

They are on the second floor.

Clara stands on a chair to talk to the Doctor, "Can I help you, Mister Smith?"

"Wrong." The Doctor said, looking at the board.

"I'm sorry?" Clara asked.

"On the board. Wrong. Wrong."

The famous Jane Austen quote 1797 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife'.

"Oh, no, no, no, no. You don't do this. You are the caretaker, this is not what you do." Clara said, annoyed.

"Just taking care." The Doctor said.

"Not your area!" Clara yelled.

"Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice in 1796."

Clara clears her throat then addresses the class, "This is Mister Smith, the temporary caretaker, and he's a bit confused."

"Not in 1797, because she didn't have the time. She was so busy doing all…"

"Oh, What? I suppose she was your bezzie mate, was she? And you went on holidays together and then you got kidnapped by Boggons from space and then you all formed a band and met Buddy Holly." Clara said, scoffing.

"No, I read the book. There's a bio at the back." The Doctor said.

The children giggle.

"Get down." Clara said, frowning.

"Boggons?" The Doctor asked.

"Go." Clara said, when the school bell rings. "Right, that's it. Well done, Kelvin. Get going. See you all in a couple of days. Thanks very much."

"Miss, what about our homework?" Kelvin asked.

"Who asks for homework?" Clara asked, walking towards the door and out of the classroom. "Amateur."

School corridor…

The Doctor is working on a junction cabinet in the courtyard garden and he and Jared are chatting with Danny and another male teacher, who has floppy hair and wears a bow tie. Clara is stopped by a tall schoolboy.

"Miss Oswald…" Tobias said.

"Hello, Tobias, can't really stop." Clara said.

"I'm in the football team against Durrants on Thursday. Sorry, but can I go early from English Thursday afternoon?"

"Tobias, you can do whatever you want."

And then the Headmaster interrupts Clara.

"Ah, Clara, can I grab a quick word?" Armitage asked.

"Actually, I, er yes." Clara said.

"Two weeks Saturday, the fete, can I put you down for tombola and the raffle? James H can't cover it now. His wife's going into hospital. Hip replacement. Constant agony."

"Great. No, awful. That's terrible. Awful. I hope she'll be okay. Er, I'll do anything. Anything. Okay, bye."

(Jared's POV)

Courtyard…

"Miss Oswald, Katie Sharps says I pulled her hair in Biology." Courtney said.

"Courtney, you are big enough to look after yourself. Next class, jog on, I need to talk to Mister Pink." Clara said.

"Ozzie loves the Squaddie." Courtney said, walking away from Clara.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Of course, Danny Pink here is your man, Mister Smith, Mister Shay. Five years' military experience, sergeant, here and Afghan, so electrics, boilers, if you need a hand, give him a shout." Adrian said, happily.

Clara takes a watering can from a girl and uses it as an excuse to overhear the conversation.

"I, I've helped Atif and Blake with a couple of things." Danny said.

"I'm sure we won't need you, Sergeant. Fully qualified." The Doctor said, getting a spark from the machine. "You best get back to your PE class."

"Doctor. Danny teaches math." I said, sipping on a mocha frappuccino.

"Does he? What, in emergencies?"

"Nope. He's a math teacher."

"Yeah, he's a maths teacher…" Adrian said, hearing glass break nearby. "Mohammed, put that down!"

Adrian leaves.

"How does that work? What if the kids have questions?" The Doctor asked.

"About what?" Danny asked.

"Maths."

"I answer them. I'm a maths teacher."

"But he said you were a soldier."

"Doctor. Danny was a soldier. Now he is a math teacher." I said, sipping on my mocha frappuccino.

"But what about all the PE?" The Doctor asked.

"For God's sake! Danny doesn't teach PE. He isn't a PE teacher."

"Sorry, that seems very unlikely."

"Er, excuse me. Mister Pink, I think class 9M4 are waiting." Clara said, walking up to the Doctor, Danny, and I.

"Yes, you better run along, Sergeant. That ball isn't going to kick itself, is it?" The Doctor asked.

"I, I'm not a PE teacher, I'm a maths teacher." Danny said.

"Nope, sorry. No, I can't retain that. I've tried. It's just not going in."

Danny leaves.

"So, Pink? The name remind you of anything?" Clara asked.

"Yeah. The colour." The Doctor said, frowning.

"Colonel Orson Pink? The guy we met at the end of the universe."

"Oh, yeah. Okay, yeah. Same name, doesn't look anything like him though."

"Looks very like him."

"Does he? I don't know. Who remembers a PE teacher?" The Doctor asked, placing a gizmo with three green lights in the cabinet he was working in.

"I do. Clara, I think Orson said something about time traveling running in the family starting with his great grandparents." I said, when the Doctor locked the cabinet up. "That could be you and Danny."

"Really?" Clara asked. "Oh, never mind. Doctor? What are you doing with Jared? What, what's in there?"

"So, is he here then?" The Doctor asked.

"Is who here?"

"The one that you keep going on serious dates with."

"If he is, are you going to start talking like a normal human being?" Clara asked.

"I promise I won't. I'm being nice."

"Doctor. Have some respect for Clara's boyfriend." I said, letting out a sigh.

"Clara. Got this period free, yes?" Adrian asked, running up to Clara.

"No. Yes." Clara said.

"Great. Shakespeare."

"Sorry, what, Adrian?"

"Oh, I see." The Doctor said, his eyes widening.

"You see what?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Excuse me. We have to talk about The Tempest. Jared, you can come along if you like." Adrian said, happily.

School corridor…

"In light of the changes to the sixth form Shakespeare module, blah-de-blah." Adrian said.

"Yes, sorry, of course." Clara said, grabbing my hand.

"Shakespeare. Imagine he met witches." I said, and we turn and look at the Doctor, who was following us. "That would be hilarious."

"Yes, yes, no, of course, of course, yes. Don't mind this old man. You three kids just pop off together." The Doctor said, annoyed.

"Why are you talking like an idiot?" Clara asked.

"I'm a caretaker. Don't mind me."

"What we have to get across, I feel, is that fascinating enigma of its not-finishedness." Adrian said.

"Mmm, yes, good point, Ade." Clara said, squeezing my hand. "Let's go, Jared."

"Oh, Clara, Jared." The Doctor said, carrying on taking care around the school, putting his green light gizmos on the lights in the corridors. He sees a piece of graffiti on a window - Ozzie loves the Squaddie. "What does that mean? Kids. What's the matter with kids today?"

He wipes it off.

(Open POV)

Playground…

Another gizmo goes inside a drain grating. Part of the playground has a large chessboard painted on it, with corresponding sized pieces.

"Shoot! Yes!" A boy said, angrily.

A black rook is knocked over by a football.

"Hey, I said you could play chess, I did not say you could play football on the chessboard. Jack, Morgan, come on, help me out, clear it up." Clara said, as the Doctor whistles We Don't Need No Education, from Pink Floyd's The Wall.

Outside the Caretaker's storeroom…

"And one for luck." The Doctor said.

A gizmo goes into the hanging basket by the door.

Caretaker's storeroom…

Where the Tardis is parked.

"Okay. Now we're in business. Let's see the lie of the land. Time to see what's going on." The Doctor said, going into the TARDIS with Jared.

"Yup." Jared said, while a green light flooded out of the TARDIS.

Courtney enters the storeroom, "Hello? Oi. What are you doing? Are you in there?"

"Mirror, tell me something. Tell me, who's the loneliest of all?" Jared asked, as the green light went out. "Fear of what's inside of me. Tell me, can a heart be turned to stone?"

"There's been a spillage in Geography, I need some paper towels." Courtney said, sadly.

The Doctor comes out of the Tardis with Jared, "Can't you read?"

"Course I can read. Read what?" Courtney asked.

"The door. It says, 'Keep Out'." The Doctor said.

"Nope. It said, 'Go Away Humans'." Jared said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, so it does. Never lose your temper in the middle of a door sign."

"What were you and Jared doing in there? What's that box?" Courtney asked.

"The caretaker's box. Every caretaker has their own box and their own assistant." The Doctor said.

"It says Police."

"Exactly, there's a policeman in there, in case of emergencies and children. Towels, there, g-g-go."

"What was that green glow? There was a green glow coming from in there. What was it?"

"Of course there was. What's a policeman without a death ray?" The Doctor asked, hearing the school bell. "Oh, listen, there's the bell. Off you go. Haven't you got shoplifting to go to?"

"I'm going to tell the Headmaster." Courtney said, looking at the Doctor.

"Oh, yes, fine. Well, cut along, you're running out of time."

"For what?"

"Everything. Human beings have incredibly short life spans. Frankly, you should all be in a permanent state of panic. Tick tock, tick tock."

"Jared, he's weird." Courtney said, frowning.

"He is. What about you?" Jared asked, his cup of mocha frappuccino in his hand.

"I'm a disruptive influence."

"It's nice to see you." Jared said, handing Courtney a bag of jammie dodgers. "Here you go. Have some cookies."

"Thank you." Courtney said, taking the bag full of jammie dodgers.

"Get out of here before the Doctor goes all Scottish on you."

"Okay." Courtney said, leaving as Clara enters. "Hello, miss. Love to the Squaddie."

"Sorry, what did you say? What was she doing in here?" Clara asked.

"Paper towels. Now, I imagine you have many questions. Fire away. I won't answer any of them." The Doctor said.

"What were they like?" Clara asked.

"What were who like?"

"The others before me. Did they let you and Jared get away with this kind of thing?"

"None of them would." Jared said, his coffee cup in his hand. "They'd stop the Doctor. And Team RWBY would stop me."

"This school is in danger." Clara said, looking between the Doctor and Jared.

"Well, it's lucky Jared and I are here, then." The Doctor said, smirking.

"From you and Jared."

"Me and Jared?"

"You and Jared wouldn't be here if there wasn't an alien threat nearby. Your strategy for dealing with it involves endangering this school."

"You don't know that."

"I don't know anything because you haven't told me anything, and Jared refuses to tell me because of spoilers, which means I wouldn't approve, which means you are endangering this school." Clara said, while the Doctor activates his sonic screwdriver and reveals a green glowing globe. "What's that?"

"The Doctor built a scanner, Clara. He's scanning for something." Jared said, letting out a sigh.

"Clara, Jared, why do I keep you around?" The Doctor asked.

"Because the alternative would be developing a version of JARVIS or FRIDAY. Scanning for what?" Clara asked.

"Any alien technology in this vicinity should show up. I used to have a teacher exactly like you once." The Doctor said.

"Like Ian Chesteron and Barbara Wright?" Jared asked.

"Exactly like them."

"You still do. Pay attention." Clara said, as the scanner displays a four legged machine which looks a wheelchair with an alien sitting in it. "What the hell is it?"

"A Skovox Blitzer. One of the deadliest killing machines ever created. Probably homed in here because of artron emissions. You've had enough of them in this area over the years. There's enough explosive in its armoury to take out the whole planet." The Doctor said.

"Then leave it alone."

"Sooner or later it will creep from its hidey-hole and some military idiot will try to attack it." The Doctor said, turning off the image. "The world is full of PE teachers."

Tardis…

"So, Doctor, your insanely dangerous plan is?" Clara asked, and the Doctor holds up a digital wrist watch with an expanding metal bracelet. "A new watch. Tiny bit disappointed."

"This is a very special watch." The Doctor said, putting the watch on, presses a button and vanishes.

"Doctor? Oi! Ow! Did you just flick my nose? You're invisible. It's like Jared's Semblance. Ha, ha! Oh, my God, that's incredible."

"Correct. I am invisible and I am incredible. It's simply a matter of reversing light waves. Hang on, I'm coming back." The Doctor said, nearby.

"Okay. Spaceman. Where are you?" Jared asked, leaning against the TARDIS console.

The Doctor reappears, "So, I give the Blitzer a tiny whiff of non-threatening alien tech, I lead it back here, but I don't want it to scan me, hence invisible."

"So you're, you're leading the thing here? To a school? My, my school?" Clara asked.

"My school? Oh, that is telling. This is the only suitably empty place in the area. I've set up a circle of time mines around the school. Chronodyne generators. Bit unstable." The Doctor said, throwing one of his little gizmos to Clara. "Jared and I switch them on, the Blitzer gets sucked into a big old time vortex, billions of years into the future. It's dead easy. Tiny bit boring. I'll need a book and a sandwich."

"And me. You're not doing this alone" Clara said, giving the Doctor the gizmo back.

"Clara, I don't need you this time. I've got Jared. We'll see you tomorrow. We'll go somewhere nice. Ancient Egypt. Crocodilopolis. They worship a big crocodile there, so the name is a useful coincidence. Go and canoodle with your boyfriend. Come on. I wasn't born yesterday. Far from it."

"You did recognise him." Clara said, at a loss for words.

"Possibly reminded me of a certain dashing young time traveller."

"Oh, of course you recognised him. I. Sorry. Stupid. I, I underestimated you."

"It's easily done. There's a lot to estimate."

"And you, you like him?"

"Yes, I like him very, very much."

"Jared, are you jealous of him?" Clara asked, looking at Jared.

"Of him? No." Jared said, sadly. "I'm not."

"Go home and canoodle. Doctor's orders. Come on." The Doctor said.

"Just this once, I'm doing what I'm told." Clara said, frowning.

"Oh, sing hosanna."

"Ah. So easy."

Playground…

"Miss Oswald." Danny said, happily.

"Ah, Mister, Mister Pink." Clara said, smiling.

"Are you still on for tonight? Cos you had your I'm about to cancel frown on."

"There's a specific frown?"

"And I was going to say, it's okay, I might have a thing, so…"

"A thing?" Clara asked.

"Er, tomorrow instead?"

"Tomorrow's parents' evening."

"Not all evening."

"No. Not all evening."

The Doctor comes out of his storeroom.

"What do you think of them?" Danny asked.

"Er, who? The caretaker and his assistant?" Clara asked.

"Where did they come from? What were they before? They don't seem like a caretaker and their assistant."

"Well, they speak very highly of you."

"Anyway. Good night, Miss Oswald."

"Good night, Mister Pink."

School…

Night.

The Doctor comes out of the main doors and turns on his screwdriver, "And we're off."

As the Doctor goes in search of the Blitzer, Danny finds a little gizmo blinking green underneath a fire alarm, and pulls it off. Its lights turn red.

Old building…

"Home, sweet home." The Doctor said, smirking.

Caretaker's storeroom…

"Canoodling cancelled, if you need a hand. Doctor? You invisible? Is Jared with you and using his Semblance? I am so going to confiscate that watch." Clara said.

Old building…

The Doctor is invisible now.

"Where are you, my sleeping beauty?" The Doctor asked, invisible.

The Blitzer activates. It cannot see its target.

"Gotcha. Let's dance!" The Doctor said, invisible.

Outside the Caretaker's storeroom…

"Doctor? Where are you?" Clara asked, walking away.

Danny arrives and knocks on the storeroom door, "Hello?"

Danny spots another gizmo, this time blinking red, in the hanging basket, and takes it.

Alleyway…

The Skovox Blitzer is following the invisible Doctor's infrared footprints, "Nine stop query rescan. Target reacquired success success."

School…

"Come on, come on, come on." The Doctor said, invisible.

The doors burst open.

"Gangway! Not far now. Come on." The Doctor said, invisible.

"Nine stop parsing data pursue." The Blitzer said.

"Bingo."

"Target reacquired." The Blitzer said, trundling off.

Danny enters, "Hello?"

(Jared's POV)

School hall…

The Doctor turns off the invisibility watch and I removed the TARDIS key around my neck to see that the gizmos on the circle of chairs are not flashing green.

"Doctor, it's red!" I said, running up to the circle of chairs.

"Red? Red. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor said, worried.

The Blitzer enters, "Range one point four nine scan complete problem problem."

"Listen. We're unarmed. we're peaceful. Don't you understand? We, we know that you shouldn't be on this planet but we can help you with that. We…" The Doctor said, looking at the Skovox Blitzer.

"Problem solution destroy." The Blitzer said.

"I want a word with you and Jared." Danny said, entering the room.

"Danny! Get back!" I said, when the Blitzer turns on Danny.

"Problem solution destroy." The Skovox Blitzer said, starting to shoot and Danny ducks and throws himself to the floor, dropping the chronodyne gizmo.

The device slides into the circle of chairs and turns green. Then Danny picks up a chair to attack the Blitzer.

"No! Get away from me!" Danny said, terrified.

"Danny!" I said, using my sonic screwdriver. The chair is sucked into a vortex that I created. The Blitzer is also sucked towards it, as is Danny. "Get out of there!"

"Temporal disrupt. Warning warning. Temporal failure." The Blitzer said.

Clara enters and runs to grab Danny, "No! No, no, no, no! Doctor, Jared, stop! Doctor! Jared!"

"Warning system failure. Abort. Abort." The Blitzer said, going into the golden vortex, and I turn it off.

The Doctor spots the gizmo that Danny dropped and picks it up.

"Oh, oh, well done, PE, brilliant work." The Doctor said, sarcastically. "What's this? A chronodyne generator? I'll just deactivate that, shall I? I've got a swimming certificate so that qualifies me to meddle with higher technology. Never mind that some people are actually trying to save the planet. Oh, no. There's only room in my head for cross-country and the offside rule."

"Danny, what are you doing here?" Clara asked.

"I was checking up on him. He's been up to something with Jared, fiddling with the electric, but what the? No. What? Did you see that thing? Tell me you saw that thing." Danny said, sadly.

"I saw the thing, yeah. Doctor, Jared, are we safe? Is the planet safe? It's gone?"

"Yeah. We are. For now." I said, frowning.

"But the thing is, you see, the chronodyne generators have to be precisely aligned to generate the vortex. But the sergeant here, he went and moved one." The Doctor said, looking over at Danny.

"But the chronodyne worked. It's gone." Clara said.

The Doctor measures with his screwdriver while Danny looks at a burning hole in the middle of a load of stacked chairs in the far corner, "But not far enough. The vortex will open here again, but not in a billion years."

"Then when?"

"I think it's seventy four hours. No wait. I'm remembering wrong. It's three days." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag. "Which isn't a lot of time."

"It isn't." The Doctor said. "Three days for us to think of something new because now it knows what to expect. Now it has scanned us and it will kill us on sight, thanks to PE here."

"Clara, why are you talking to them like that? Why are you using words like chronodyne? Was that thing a space thing? Oh. Oh, my God, you're from space. You're a spacewoman. You said you were from Blackpool." Danny said, looking at Clara.

The Doctor is writing in a notebook and I am still clutching the strap of my sling bag.

"It's a play! For the summer fete." Clara said, happily.

"It's a what?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes, it's a play. Shut up, it is a play. We are rehearsing a play. Shh, shh, shh, shh. A surprise play. And, er, you see, the vortex thing is, is a lighting effect. Very clever. And that thing is, is one of the kids. In fancy dress. Really, really good fancy dress."

"How stupid do you think I am?" Danny asked.

"I'm willing to put a number on it." The Doctor said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not a moron, Clara. And the Doctor's not the caretaker and Jared's not his assistant. The Doctor's your dad. Your space dad. And Jared's your brother."

"Oh, genius. That is, that is really, really brilliant reasoning. How can you think that I'm her dad and Jared's her brother when we all look exactly the same age?"

"We do not look the same age." Clara said.

"I was being kind. Right, I'm going to hypnotise him. I'm going to erase his memory." The Doctor said.

"Doctor, stop! Don't do that to Danny like what you did to Donna!" I said, angrily.

"Tiny little brain, only take a moment." The Doctor said, walking up to Danny.

"Danny is Clara's boyfriend!" I said, blocking Danny from the Doctor.

"Well, I'll try not to erase the whole thing. I'll leave the bits that."

"Jared's right. Danny's my boyfriend. I thought you'd figured this out. Jared knew beforehand because of his foreknowledge, hence why he is supporting it." Clara said.

"Him?" The Doctor asked, looking over at Danny.

"Yes, him."

"No, he's not."

"Yes, he is Clara's boyfriend." I said, smiling.

"Yes, I am." Danny said.

"But he's a PE teacher. Clara, you wouldn't go out with a PE teacher. It's a mistake. You've made a boyfriend error." The Doctor said.

"Danny's not a PE teacher. He's a math teacher." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.

"He's a soldier. Clara, why would you go out with a soldier? Why not get a dog or a big plant?" The Doctor asked.

"Because I love him!" Clara said, angrily.

"Why would you say that? Is this part of the surprise play?"

"There is no surprise play." Clara said, letting out a sigh.

"Oh, it's a roller coaster with you tonight, isn't it? What about the handsome one, the one with the bow tie?"

"Who? Adrian? No, no, no. He's just a friend and not my type."

"You liked the Eleventh Doctor." I said, walking over to Clara. "He had a bow tie and loved fezzes."

"That was ages ago, Jared."

"Clara, are you going to explain any of this? Who are these guys?" Danny asked.

"The Doctor and Jared are…" Danny said, at a loss for words.

"Go on." The Doctor said.

"Tell them." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Yes, explain. Who are they? Why have you never mentioned them?" Danny asked.

"Because the Doctor's an alien and Jared's from another universe where all this was a show on the telly." Clara said.

"Er, are you an alien?"

"No, no, no, I'm still from Blackpool. Me, Jared, and the Doctor, we travel through time and space."

"And here's the mode of transportation we use." I said, pulling the curtains back on the stage.

"It's called a TARDIS, but it's disguised as an old police phone box." Clara said, getting on stage.

I feed Clara the next line, "It's bigger on the inside."

"And it's bigger on the inside than the outside." Clara said.

The Doctor opens the Tardis doors, "Voila."

"And we travel the universe in it."

Danny leans in and looks around, then at the outside, and the inside again, "And what about that thing? Did you and Jared bring that here?"

"No. We're going to protect you from that thing." The Doctor said.

"You and Jared said it was coming back." Danny said, sadly.

"Yes, it is coming back, thanks to you."

"Doctor, it isn't Danny's fault. He didn't know." I said, looking over at Danny.

"He still interfered." The Doctor said.

"This is a school. We have to evacuate, call the Army." Danny said, frowning.

"And that is the most dangerous thing right there." The Doctor said, closing the Tardis doors. "Are you sure hypnotising's not on the menu?"

"Yup. It isn't. Danny needs to know." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.

"But we need to get help. This is an emergency." Danny said.

"Look, take him away. Shut him up, shut him down. Up or down, it doesn't matter to me. Jared and I have got a lot of work to do. Again." The Doctor said.

"Doctor, Jared, will you be okay?" Clara asked.

"Of course I would." I said, looking down at the floor.

"Why wouldn't I be okay? We were fine till you two blundered in." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and Danny.

"Am I just being ignored?" Danny asked.

Clara has to help the bewildered Danny down the stairs from the stage, "Come on, Danny. It's all right, it's. Come on, it's all fine. You'll be okay. Let's er, get those legs moving. That's it, down those stairs. Yep, that's it. This can all be explained and everything will be fine."

"And when this is all over, you can finish the job." The Doctor said.

"How do you mean?" Clara asked.

"Well, you've explained us to him. You haven't explained him to me. Jared knew about him beforehand due to his foreknowledge."

(Open POV)

Danny's flat…

"What do you think? Say something." Clara said.

"So, there's an alien, that used to look like Adrian. Then he turned into a Scottish caretaker. And there's a fanboy from another universe who's into you. And every now and then, when I'm not looking, you elope with them." Danny said, looking at Clara.

"I don't elope." Clara said, scoffing.

"Do you love them?"

"No."

"Really had enough of the lies."

"Not in that way."

"What other way is there?"

"You know what I mean."

"I don't know what you mean. I know what you tell me, which isn't always the truth." Danny said, sadly.

"Danny…" Clara said, rolling her eyes.

"Why do you do it? Why do you fly off in the box with them? The truth. Please, just this once."

"Because it's amazing. Because I see wonders."

"Okay."

"What are you thinking?"

"That's a good question. It's funny, you only really know what someone thinks of you when you know what lies they've told you. I mean, you say you've seen wonders, you've seen amazing things, and you kept them secret from me. So what do you think of me, Clara?"

"Please, tell me how I fix this." Clara said, looking at Danny.

"I just want to know who you are." Danny said, sadly.

"You know who I am."

"When you're with them. When you're with the Doctor and Jared."

Outside the Caretaker's storeroom…

Clara comes out with the invisibility watch, "Okay, I think we've just got time before parents' evening."

"An invisibility watch? Not even a ring." Danny said, putting on the invisibility watch.

"Press the button on the side, you're invisible. You'll see me with the Doctor and Jared, the other me. The exactly the same other me. Okay?" Clara asked.

Tardis…

The Doctor is building a contraption, "Afternoon. Thanks for keeping out of our way. You haven't brought Dave with you, I hope."

"Doctor, his name is Danny." Jared said, playing on his Nintendo Switch.

"No, I haven't. I've er, I explained it all to him. He gets it. He took it really well." Clara said.

"Jared, pass me that synestic."

"Here you go." Jared said, tossing the Doctor the synestic.

"So, when the Blitzer comes back, Doctor, are you and Jared going to catch him with that?" Clara asked.

"It'll be a long, fiddly job. It's going to take me and Jared at least twenty four hours. Even longer if people keep talking to me, so do keep going." The Doctor said.

"If it comes back Thursday night, are you sure about that? Cos you said the chronodyne is unstable."

"If you want bother someone, go and bother PE."

"Yeah. Talk to Danny. He's a math teacher." Jared said, looking down at his Nintendo Switch.

"That's a shame, I like maths." The Doctor said, sadly.

"And Danny's no longer a soldier. He's retired from being one."

"Interesting."

"What is?" Clara asked.

"I'm bored. Let's go somewhere fun. What do you say? Do you want to see the Thames frozen over? Oh, those frost fairs." The Doctor said, going around the console, setting controls.

"Oh. I know something better. Let's go to Gamindustri. Let's catch up with Neptune and her friends." Jared said, standing up and going to the console, setting the controls.

Clara follows, returning the TARDIS controls to neutral, "But you and the Doctor can't. The Skovox thing."

"Clara, we're in a time machine. We can hang out with Neptune and the others. Defeat some Dogoos. Eat some pudding. And come back to your apartment or Coal Hill like no time has passed. Like we always do on your dates."

"Jared's right. Just make sure you don't get yourself a tan or anything, or lose a limb." The Doctor said, smirking.

"I don't think we should, not this time." Clara said, sadly.

"You've never said no before. Not even in the middle of dinner. Remember when you had to eat two meals in a row?"

"I just think, with the school in danger…" Clara said, and Danny turned off the watch. "Danny, why are you?"

"They already know I'm here. That's why they're talking like that. They're being clever." Danny said, looking between the Doctor and Jared.

"Now you mention it, being a Time Lord, I can feel a light shield aura when it's right next to me." The Doctor said.

"Oh ho, ho. Time Lord? Might have known." Danny said, scoffing.

"Might have known what?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, the accent's good, but you can always spot the aristocracy. It's in the, the attitude."

"Danny." Clara said, frowning.

"Now, Time Lords, do you salute those?"

"Definitely not." The Doctor said.

"Ah. Sir!" Danny yelled, saluting the Doctor.

"And you do not call me sir." The Doctor said.

"As you wish, sir. Absolutely, sir."

"You can get the hell out of the Doctor's TARDIS!" Jared said, angrily. "You don't boss him around and salute like that!"

"Immediately, sir." Danny said.

"Doctor, Jared, this is stupid, this is unfair." Clara said, sadly.

"One thing, Clara. I'm a soldier, guilty as charged. You see them? They're officers." Danny said, looking between the Doctor and Jared.

"I am not an officer!" The Doctor yelled.

"I'm the one who carries you out of the fire. They're the ones who light it."

"Get the hell out of here!" Jared said, walking up to Danny to try and push him out of the TARDIS.

"Right away, sir. Straight now?" Danny asked.

"Of fucking course!"

"Am I dismissed?"

"Yeah, you fucking are!"

"That's them. Look at them, right now. That's who they are." Danny said, leaving the console room.

"The nerve of him entering our home like that." Jared said, sadly. "The TARDIS is supposed to be one of my safe spaces."

"I know, Jared, I know." The Doctor said, smirking. "On balance, I think that went quite well."

Caretaker's storeroom…

"Danny, it's not time to go home yet. It's parents' evening." Clara said, leaving the room.

"Humans. I never learn." The Doctor said, happily.

"What's in the box? It's not really a policeman, is it?" Courtney asked.

"Hey. Do you want to know what's in that box? I'll tell you." Jared said, smiling. "It's a time machine that also travels in space. It usually contains a man that wants to do his job of stopping the end of the world. He just keeps getting interrupted by people like us. He finds us boring."

"Cool. So, that's really a spaceship?" Courtney asked.

"Yup." Jared said, pulling Courtney back from the Tardis by her collar. "I'm going to help the Doctor save the world. I'm being serious here."

"End of the world for me tonight, whatever you and the Doctor do. Parents' evening."

"Courtney. Are you really a Disruptive Influence?"

"That's what people tell me, Jared. Can I go in space?"

"I'll let you know. The Doctor may have a free spot for another companion. Not right now at least." Jared said, hustling Courtney out of the room. "I'll give you some custard creams later."

"Two days, Jared. We can do it." The Doctor said, smirking.

Gymnasium…

The teachers are laying out their tables.

"Right, are we quorate? Time to admit the hordes. And look who's at the front of the queue." Armitage said.

"Who are they?" Adrian asked, looking at Courtney's parents.

"Courtney Woods' mum and dad." Clara said.

"Can someone else do them first?"

"No problem, Ade. I can cope with anything tonight." Danny said.

"Oh, happy days." Armitage said, opening the doors and lets the parents in.

School Theatre…

A golden vortex appears and a chair is thrown out.

Tardis…

The Doctor carrying his tool box.

"Doctor, it's going off!" Jared said, when the scanner beeps.

"No, no, no. No! No, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor said, grabbing his ghostbusters backpack and running out with Jared.

Gymnasium…

"I would say yes, I'm afraid Courtney is a disruptive influence." Danny said.

"Yeah, but last year you said she was a very disruptive influence." Mr Woods said.

"So, I suppose that counts as an improvement." Mrs Woods said, happily.

Danny spots the Doctor and Jared at the doors, and does a loud 'Ahem!'. Clara looks up and sees the Doctor and Jared gesturing to them.

"Excuse me, I think the caretaker and his assistant want me." Danny said, sadly.

"Sorry, Mrs Christodolou, I think er, I think the caretaker wants me too." Clara said, frowning.

"But what about my Angelina?" Mrs Christodolou asked.

"Yeah, she's great, yeah, a really great girl, A plus, ten out of ten, top of the class. Sorry. Although, actually, handwriting could be better."

Danny and Clara run out.

"I'm sure they'll be back in a moment." Armitage said.

"Looks like our Courtney was right about those two." Mrs Woods said.

Playground…

"What's happening?" Clara asked.

"Clara, the vortex is opening." Jared said, clutching the strap of his sling bag.

"Jared, you said Thursday night. Right, hall, quick." Danny said, looking at Jared.

"Danny, not now. Clara, the Skovox Blitzer is going to scan the area. If it gets to the parent's teacher conference, it will kill everyone."

"We've got to evacuate."

"Shut up!"

"Quickly. What do I do?" Clara asked.

"It'll be here any second. Get to the hall." The Doctor said, giving Clara the sonic screwdriver. "Give it some squirts of helicon energy, setting number forty one. No more than three seconds each, random pulses. Distract it, then you lead it away from the hall, give me two minutes."

"Then what?" Clara asked.

"Just run straight to the Tardis with Jared."

"But your gadget isn't ready yet. Twenty four hours, you said." Danny said, frowning.

"Yes, well, I've revised that down to two minutes. Probably. Clara, go." The Doctor said.

"On my way." Clara said.

"You and Jared are using her like a decoy?" Danny asked.

"Nope. We're not using her like a decoy. She is the decoy." Jared said, happily.

"Don't they teach you anything at stupid school?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, is there anything I can do?" Danny asked.

"Yes. Yes, and this is very, very important. Leave us alone!"

School hall…

Clara looks into see the Blitzer in the vortex.

"Disrupt temporal lock. Disengaged scan." The Skovox Blitzer said.

"Here we go." Clara said, waving the sonic screwdriver.

"Incoming stop identified Helicon Helicon commence retargeting." The Skovox Blitzer said, chasing after Clara.

Corridor…

Danny sees Clara run past the top of the corridor.

"Target acquired. Destroy." The Skovox Blitzer said., trundling past Danny.

Playground…

Clara squirts more Helicon.

"Target within range." The Skovox Blitzer said, while Clara runs into the Caretaker's storeroom. "Problem solution destroy."

The Skovox Blitzer destroys the door.

(Jared's POV)

Caretaker's storeroom…

"Destroy. Destroy." The Skovox Blitzer said.

"Doctor, do it now! It has to be now!" I said, angrily.

"Twenty seconds." The Doctor said.

"Destroy. Destroy." The Skovox Blitzer said.

"Doctor!" Clara said, dodging the weapons fire.

"Hurry up!" I said, placing the backpack on the Doctor's back.

"Am I green? Am I green?" The Doctor asked.

"You're green!"

The Doctor uses a commentator's microphone to talk to the Blitzer via the backpack, "Stop! Skovox Blitzer!"

"Awaiting orders." The Skovox Blitzer said.

"Superior Skovox Artificer. Analyse stop analyse stop." The Doctor said.

"Superior recognised. Pattern one one oh, Orders orders."

"Doctor? Why's it listening to you?" Clara asked.

"It thinks the Doctor is the superior officer." I said, happily.

"This is a rough copy. It thinks I'm its general. Initiate input. Commence shutdown protocol. No conflict. Conclusion?" The Doctor asked.

"Problem solution." The Skovox Blitzer said.

"Conclusion."

"Final input code missing. Emergency terminate. Initiate self-destruct in nine eight…" The Skovox Blitzer said, its eyes turning from blue to red.

"The input code. I forgot the final input code." The Doctor said, typing frantically at a keypad.

"Seven six five…"

"Do it now!" Clara said, worried.

"I need time. Distract it, Clara, Jared!" The Doctor said, angrily.

"Me? What can I do?" Clara asked.

"I don't know what you can do." I said, sadly. "And I don't know what I can do without killing you."

"Three two one." The Skovox Blitzer said.

"Oi, Skovox. Over here." Danny said, nearby.

Danny turns off the invisibility watch, then runs and somersaults over the Blitzer.

"Under attack." The Skovox Blitzer said.

"Artificer Artificer. Stop. Confirm stop override final input code." The Doctor said.

"Code accepted. Abort self-destruct. Orders accepted Stop stop stop." The Skovox Blitzer said, powering off.

Clara hugs Danny, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God, you were amazing! Oh, my God, you were so brilliant."

"Well, yeah, I was okay, wasn't I? I was behind you every step of the way. Had to make sure you were safe." Danny said, looking over at the Doctor and I. "You okay?"

"Okay." The Doctor said, frowning.

"It really is okay." I said, letting out a sigh.

"Just okay?" Clara asked, looking between the Doctor and I.

"It's all right, it doesn't matter. I don't need them to like me. It doesn't matter if the Doctor likes me or hates me or that Jared's jealous of me dating you, I just need to do exactly one thing for you. Doctor, Jared, am I right?" Danny asked.

"Yes." The Doctor said.

"Yup. Danny, Clara's a handful. You really do need to do one thing for her." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.

"What? What one thing?" Clara asked.

"I need to be good enough for you. That's why the Doctor's angry and why Jared's jealous. Just in case I'm not." Danny said, looking at Clara.

"He, er, he did just save the whole world." Clara said, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah. Good start." The Doctor said.

Space…

"And there it goes." I said, watching the Skovox Blitzer being cast adrift from the Tardis, micro-meteorites bouncing off its metal surface. "Goodbye Skovox Blitzer. I hope you had a nice part in whatever war you were in. So, Courtney. Are you impressed by the TARDIS yet?"

Tardis…

The doors are open, and Courtney is holding on to the doorframe for dear life.

"Actually, I'm feeling a bit ill." Courtney said, sadly.

"Ah, it can be a bit overwhelming. But look. The Olveron Cluster. A million stars, a hundred million inhabited planets." The Doctor said.

Courtney gags and runs inside. I tossed Courtney a plastic and I watched her puke inside of it.

"Thank goodness I had that. Learned that after years of being with my younger brother!" I said, excitedly.

(Open POV)

Danny's flat…

Snuggling on the sofa in front of the television.

"So, what do you think of them now?" Clara asked.

"Of the Doctor and Jared?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. See, they're all right, aren't they, really, underneath it all." Clara said, turning the television off with the remote. "Okay. Tell me what you're thinking."

"I know men like them. I've served under them. They push you and make you stronger, till you're doing things you never thought you could. I saw you tonight. You did exactly what they told you. You weren't even scared. And you should have been."

"I trust them. They've never let me down."

"Fine. If the Doctor ever pushes you too far, because it looks like Jared still has people to go to if the Doctor ever pushes him too far, I want you to tell me, because I know what that's like. You'll tell me if that happens, yeah?"

"Yeah, it's a deal."

"No. It's a promise."

"Okay. I promise."

"And if you break that promise, Clara, we're finished." Danny said, looking at Clara.

"Don't say that." Clara said, sadly.

"I'm saying it because if you don't tell me the truth, I can't help you. And I could never stand not being able to help you. We clear?"

"Yes. We're clear."

Clara and Danny snuggle down again and the Impossible Girl turns the television back on.

White corridor…

The late CSO is sitting across a desk from a man in a pale grey suit.

"It was mad. It was like in a film or on the telly like, with science fiction guns." Matthew said.

"Skovox Blitzer, sounds like. We've had a few in from that. Wouldn't feel too bad." Seb said.

"If I hadn't. If I hadn't. Hang on. That doesn't make sense."

"Makes perfect sense to me."

"How did I escape? I, I don't remember how I got away."

"Well, I was coming to that. I'm afraid you really rather didn't."

Matthew stands up and looks around, "Then how did I get here?"

"Well. Big question." Seb said, happily.

"Where am I?" Matthew asked.

"What name would you like? There's a range. The afterlife. The Promised Land. I'm partial to the Nethersphere."

Matthew goes to the circular window behind Seb and looks through the blinds, "My God."

Missy, the Edwardian lady, walks into the corridor, looks at them then walks away.

"Sorry, she's a bit er, busy today. So, any questions?" Seb asked.