'School Reunion' (Story Code 2.3) by Toby Whitehouse

"Hoho! Mate. The missus and the ex. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare!" - Mickey Smith

At Deffry Vale High School, a pupil is sent to see her Headmaster, Mr Finch – and never leaves his office… Meanwhile, the new physics teacher – none other than the Doctor – discovers that one of his pupils somehow exhibits far more scientific knowledge than he should… Two days ago, during his investigations into U.F.O. sightings, Mickey uncovered strange goings on at a school and turned to the Doctor and Rose for help; answering his call, the Doctor ‘arranged’ for one of the staff to win the lottery, thereby enabling himself to take their place, while Rose secured a job as one of the school’s dinner ladies. As the Doctor attempts to enjoy what passes for a school meal, Rose shares notes with him while stealing some of her friend’s tasty chips; Rose is swiftly told off by her supervisor and sent back to work in the kitchens, where she witnesses one of the staff suffer a serious injury from a spilt vat of mysterious oil. Elsewhere in the school, the new maths teacher, Mr Wagner, subjects his pupils to a strange new way of learning, which involves connecting the children to high-speed data streams linked via headphones to their computer terminals. The Doctor learns from a fellow teacher that Mr Finch arrived just three months ago, and immediately chose top replace many members of staff. Also at the school is reporter Sarah Jane Smith, who has come to interview the new headmaster over his radical approach to teaching. On meeting the new teacher, ‘John Smith’, Sarah remarks that she once knew someone with the same name… After class, schoolboy Kenny returns to the maths room, where he sees a terrifying, bat-like creature transform into Mr Wagner, who orders him to return home. That night, Sarah sneaks back into the school to continue her investigations, unaware that the Doctor, Rose and Mickey are also breaking into the premises. After discovering the TARDIS in one of the rooms, an astonished Sarah meets Doctor Smith and realises that he is actually her old travelling companion, the Doctor; however, their happy reunion is interrupted by a scream from Mickey, startled at finding a quantity of vacuum-packed laboratory rats kept hidden in a storeroom. When Sarah meets Rose, the two women take an immediate dislike to each other – much to the Doctor’s discomfort, and Mickey’s enjoyment. The party then check the headmaster’s office, where they are startled to find several huge, bat-like creatures suspended from the ceiling, apparently asleep. Hastily returning to Sarah’s car, the Doctor is delighted to find his old friend, K-9; however, the robot dog has since fallen into disrepair, and the quintet are forced to retire to a nearby coffee house so that the Doctor can make some much needed repairs. Here Sarah tells her old friend that after he left her in Aberdeen (not Croydon!) she waited for his return, but was disappointed that he never came back for her; the Doctor is uncomfortable, commenting that Sarah has since proved that she can take care of herself. Having reactivated K-9, the Doctor asks the mechanoid to analyse a sample of the strange oil that Rose managed to obtain; the robot dog announces that the substance is Krillitane oil, derived from a race of composite aliens that take on the physical characteristics of the species that they have conquered. Realising that the Krillitanes are doing something to the schoolchildren, the Doctor sets off to discover what the headmaster’s plans are. Rose finds it hard to come to terms with the fact that she is the latest in a long line of companions, and asks if the Doctor will come to look at her in the same way that he now sees Sarah; the Doctor tries to tell her of the difference in their mortality, but before they can discuss any further they are interrupted by a visit from a Krillitane sent by the headmaster, which then flies off into the night. The following morning, the Doctor, Rose, Mickey and Sarah arrive at the school. Here the Doctor confronts Mr Finch, who reveals his true identity: Brother Lasser of the Krillitane; as the two of them talk openly, Larser is confidant that Doctor will join him, but the Time Lord resolutely states that he will stop the aliens’ plans. Each jealous over the other’s relationship with the Doctor, Rose and Sarah clash; but after a heated exchange of one-upmanship, they come to realise that they both have much in common, particularly when it comes to sharing notes concerning the Doctor’s quirks, and so they bond. Having eaten the remaining human teachers, the headmaster and his brethren seal the school’s exits and then set the pupils to work at their consoles. Kenny manages to avoid class and makes for the exit, only to realise that he is trapped; on seeing the schoolboy’s predicament, Mickey and K9 gain access by driving their car through the school’s glass doors. The Doctor determines that the Krillitane are using the pupils to solve the Skasas Paradigm; the Krillitane’s secreted oil boosts intelligence, and once ingested via the chips in the school’s meals, the aliens intend to use the intellectually-boosted children’s minds and souls to solve the universal theory equation that will allow them control over all time, space and matter. Finch invites the Doctor to join his people, telling the Time Lord that he could give them wisdom, and tempting him with the thought that he could bring back his dead race; the Doctor is tempted to join the aliens, until Sarah makes him see reason. Summoning his fellow Krillitanes, the headmaster and his brethren transform into their real, bat-like forms and prepare for battle. The Doctor and his friends retreat to the school hall, where all seems lost – until K-9 arrives and sees off the aliens with his nose-blaster. Retreating to the kitchens, the Doctor realises that the metamorphic Krillitane have now transformed so many times from their original form that their own oil is now deadly to them. Meanwhile, Mickey turns off the power supply to the school computers, and then instructs all the children to leave the school. Despite the fact that his power reserves are critical, K-9 offers to use his last remaining reserves to blow up the barrels of Krillitane oil; realising that this is the only way to end things, the Doctor bids good-bye to his old friend and then makes a hasty exit to rejoin his friends outside. As the headmaster and his fellows arrive, K-9 fires at the vats, showering the Krillitanes with the toxic substance; as the creature writhe in agony they violently explode, destroying a large section of the school, thereby ending the alien menace. Kenny is hailed as a hero for blowing up the school, while the Doctor and his friends mourn the loss of their brave mechanical friend. Some time later, the Doctor allows Sarah to enter his new-look the TARDIS; while Mickey manages to invite himself along as the latest member of the time-ship’s crew, much to Rose’s annoyance, Sarah gracefully turns down the Doctor’s offer to join him on his travels. After bidding farewell to Rose, Sarah finally gains closure when the Doctor says goodbye to her. The TARDIS dematerialises – leaving an amazed Sarah with a new, rebuilt model of K-9…

David Tennant (The Doctor), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), Anthony Stewart Head (Mr. Finch), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Rod Arthur (Mr Parsons), Eugene Washington (Mr Wagner), Heather Cameron (Nina), Joe Pickley (Kenny), Benjamin Smith (Luke), Clem Tibber (Milo), Lucinda Dryzek (Melissa), Caroline Berry (Dinner Lady), John Leeson (Voice of K-9)

Directed by James Hawes
Produced by Phil Collinson
Executive Producers Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner
A BBC Wales production

TX:
29th April 2006 @ 7.20 pm

Notes:
*Featuring the Tenth Doctor, Rose, Mickey, Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 Mk III, and introducing K-9 Mk IV

*Working titles: 'Old Friends' and 'Black Ops'

*Mickey officially joins the TARDIS crew at the end of this episode

*Music: 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division

*The 'Torchwood' Files: 'TORCHWOOD ACCESS DENIED' appears on the screen of Mickey's PC

*TARDISODE: At an internet cafe, Mickey's investigations into U.F.O. sightings are forestalled when he is denied access to the 'Torchwood' site. Realising he must be onto something, Mickey calls on Rose and the Doctor for help in looking into strange events taking place at a school - unaware that his actions will lead them into an encounter with a vicious race of alien monsters... [Cast: Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith)]