The group stood walked toward the school the next morning as pupils made their way to school as well. "Rose and Sarah, you go to the maths room. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside." The Doctor told them. "Use this, you might need it." Galaxy said as she pulled out her sonic key from under her coat and took it off, Rose held her hand out but Galaxy gave it to Sarah Jane, Sarah Jane knew how to work Galaxy's sonic better than Rose since hers was different to the Doctor's.
"Mickey, surveillance. I want you outside." "Just stand outside?" Mickey asked him. "Here, take these you can keep K9 and Astro company." Sarah Jane said and threw Mickey her car keys, Galaxy didn't want Astro to come and either get lost among the students or gain unwanted attention. "Don't forget to leave the window opened a crack." The Doctor called as they started walking toward the school. "But they're metal!" "I didn't mean for them." The Doctor said and Galaxy whacked him a bit on the arm and gave him a look when he looked at her. "What're you two going to do?"
"It's time we had a word with Mister Finch." The Doctor said and took Galaxy's hand as they go inside the school and find Finch before following him to where the pool is with them standing at one side and Finch standing at the other.
"Who are you?" The Doctor asked Finch. "My name is Brother Lassa. And you two?" "The Doctor, this is Galaxy. Since when did Krillitanes have wings?" The Doctor asked him who started wandering on his side. "It's been our form for nearly ten generations now. Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day. Just imagine." "And now your shape's humans." "A personal favourite, that's all." "What about the others?" Galaxy asked him.
"My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion. Scratch the surface and the true Krillitane lies beneath. And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change and chaos. And of course, they're all but extinct. Only you two. That last." Finch jabbed at the two as they walked to come face to face with each other. "This plan of yours. What is it?" The Doctor asked him. "You don't know."
"Which is why we're asking." Galaxy told him. "Well, show me how clever you both are. Work it out." "If we don't like it, then we will stop it." The Doctor warned him. "Fascinating. Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence. You both seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us?" Finch asked them. "We're so old now. We used to have so much mercy. You get one warning. That was it." The Doctor said. "But we're not even enemies. Soon you will embrace us. The next time we meet, you both will join me. I promise you."
-9-
"Surveillance. If you ask me, it's just another way of saying go at the back of the class with the safety scissors and glitter." Mickey said as he was sat in the car with Astro and K9. "Despite what the Doctor said I know Galaxy would want you to stay safe, it's why she didn't argue," Astro told him, he had seen how happy Galaxy was to hear from Mickey when he called Rose, she had really taken a liking to him and at this point, Astro was waiting for Galaxy to sneak him onto the Tardis so he could come with them.
-9-
The Doctor and Galaxy went to where Rose and Sarah Jane were and when they went into the computer room they saw the two laughing. "How's it going?" The Doctor asked but they just carried on laughing. "What? Listen, I need to find out what's programmed inside these." The Doctor said but he was confused with what was going on and Galaxy couldn't help but smile at the two women now seeming to get along with each other, "What? Stop it!" Galaxy chuckled at the childlike whine that was in the Doctor's voice when he said that as well as seeing him still confused at what was going on.
A while later, Rose ended up going toward the door when she saw children making their way to the room. "No, no. This classroom's out of bounds. You've all got to go to the South Hall. Off you go. South Hall." She told them while the Doctor and Galaxy worked on getting inside the CPU they were at. "I can't shift it." The Doctor said as he used Galaxy's sonic key to see if it would make a difference from using his own but it also wasn't having luck in getting past the deadlock seal.
"I thought the sonics could open anything." Sarah Jane said. "Anything except a deadlock seal. I told you before there must be something inside. What are they teaching those kids?" Galaxy said and took her sonic back, there was also the issue with wood but the Doctor wouldn't let her work on their sonics to make fix that issue. "You wanted the programme?" Sarah Jane asked as symbols come up on the computer screens, "There it is." Galaxy went to sit down at one of the computers to get a better look at the screen. "Oh, no..." She breathed when she looked at the screen and recognised the code.
-9-
Astro was curled up on the car seat in the car when Mickey had made it back to the car after running out. "What's wrong?" Astro asked him as he lifted his head when Mickey started pushing the buttons on K9's back. "No time, I need some help," Mickey said and hit K9's head which had him startup. "System restarting. All primary drives functioning." "You're working! Okay, no time to explain. We need to get inside the school. Do you two have like, I don't know, a lock picking device?" Mickey asked the two robots.
"Galaxy didn't let the Doctor install that, unfortunately." "We are in a car," K9 said and Astro realised what he was getting at. "Maybe a drill attachment?" Mickey asked not listening to K9. "We are in a car." "Fat lot of good you are." "Mickey, use that brain of yours, we're in a car and we need to get inside the school," Astro told him and he saw the realisation on Mickey's face when he realised what the two were getting at. "Get back!" Mickey called to the kid he had seen earlier.
-9-
"The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm." The Doctor said when he also recognised the code on the screens. "The Skasis what?" Sarah Jane asked. "It's the God maker. The universal theory. You crack this equation and you have control of the building blocks of the universe. Time, space and matter at your command." Galaxy explained as she continued to look at the code. "What, and the kids are like a giant computer?" Rose asked. "Yes. And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil. That oil from the kitchen, it works as a, as a conducting agent. Makes the kids cleaver."
"But that oil's on the chips. I've been eating them." "What's fifty-nine times thirty-five?" Galaxy asked her. "Two thousand and sixty-five. Oh, my God." "But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Sarah Jane asked. "No, it's got to be children. The God maker needs imagination to crack it. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code, they're using their souls." The Doctor said right as Finch chose to walk into the room.
"Let the lesson begin. Think of it, Doctor, Galaxy. With the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it." Finch said. "Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mister Finch? Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are." The Doctor said. "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."
"By someone like you?" Galaxy asked him as she crossed her arms. "No, someone like you. The Paradigm gives us power, but you two could give us wisdom. Become Gods at my side. Imagine what you two could do. Think of the civilisations you could save. Perganon, Assinta. Your own people, Doctor, Galaxy, standing tall. The Time Lords reborn."
"Doctor, Galaxy, don't listen to him." Sarah Jane said and Finch turned his attention to her and Rose. "And you could be with them throughout eternity. Young, fresh, never wither, never age, never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you two must be. Join us." Finch said looking back at the Time Lords. "We could save everyone." "Yes." "We could stop the war." Galaxy said.
"No. The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a word or a relationship, everything has its time. And everything ends." Sarah Jane said and the Doctor and Galaxy looked at each other before Galaxy picked up a chair and threw it to the big screen causing it to smash. "Out!" The Doctor shouted before they ran out of the room.
They make it to the bottom of the stairs and see Mickey with one of the students when they ran into them. "What is going on?" Mickey asked as the Doctor and Galaxy looked to see the Krillitanes coming after them. "Come on!" Galaxy shouted and pushed Mickey for him to go and they all started running toward the canteen but when they got there the doors were locked and Finch came in with the Krillitanes behind him.
"Are they my teachers?" The kid asked when he saw them. "Yeah. Sorry." The Doctor said. "We need the Doctor and Galaxy alive. As for the others? You can feast." Finch said the Krillitanes and they started to swoop in the room causing everyone to hide under the tables when suddenly a laser beam it one of the bats making Finch furious. "K9!" Sarah Jane exclaimed when she saw her robot dog. "Astro!" Galaxy did the same as she saw Astro knock one of the Krillitane away from them.
"Suggest you engage running mode, mistresses," K9 said. "Come on!" The Doctor shouted and everyone started running out of the room, "K9, hold them back!" "Affirmative, master. Maximum defence mode." The Doctor then sealed the door once everyone was out of the canteen.
"It's the oil. Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil. That's it! They've changed their physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them. How much was there in the kitchens?" The Doctor asked Rose once they were in the physics lobby. "Barrels of it." She said and they looked to the door when they heard bashing against it and they knew it was the Krillitanes. "Okay, we need to get to the kitchens. Mickey."
"What now, hold the coats?" Mickey asked. "Get all the children unplugged and out of the school. Now then, bats, bats, bats. How do we fight bats?" Galaxy suddenly came up with an idea to which she told the Doctor it through her mind. "I'll be fine, Astro will come with me." She told him when he looked at her with some worry on his face and she gave him a kiss on the cheek before she and Astro ran off.
"Where are they going?" Rose asked. "To buy us some time." The Doctor said and he hoped Galaxy would look after herself or at least listen to Astro. "We got some children to save while she does that."
-9-
Galaxy ran down the corridor with Astro close behind her, she had a plan, could be stupid could be brilliant, but she knew it would work and that's all she could hope for right now. "Mistress," K9 called and Galaxy smiled when she saw him following her. "Come on, boy." Galaxy and K9 made their way to the kitchen where she went to one of the barrels and used her sonic key on it. "Damn it." She groaned when she wasn't having any luck. "What's wrong?" "They deadlocked the barrels, Finch must have done it. I can't open them."
"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser, but my batteries are failing," K9 said which made Galaxy and Astro turn their attention to him. "Hey, stay with me boy." Galaxy said as she crouched to K9's level and patted his head. "Astro, help me with the barrels." She said and she and Astro lined up the oil barrels. "Capacity for only one shot, Mistress. For maximum impact, I must be stationed directly beside the vat." "You'll be trapped inside though," Astro said as he and Galaxy went to K9.
"That is correct." "I can't let you do that." Galaxy said as she knelled before K9, she couldn't let Sarah go through what she had to when she lost Astro after he got shot by a Dalek. "No alternate possible, Mistress," K9 said and Galaxy sighed knowing he was right, even she couldn't see another way. "Goodbye, old friend." Galaxy placed a kiss on the side of his metal head. "Goodbye, Mistress, Astro." "You're a good dog." She told him and chuckled slightly as K9 and Astro nuzzled their heads against her cheeks. "Affirmative."
Galaxy stood up before she and Astro ran out to the back door of the kitchen but gave K9 one last look before she closed the door and sealed it with her sonic. "Where's K9?" Sarah Jane asked since she had gone to wait for Galaxy and put her sonic back around her neck before she looked at her. "We need to go. Now." Galaxy only told her. "Where is he? What have you done!" Galaxy stopped walking to turn to face Sarah Jane and she grabbed her hand before making them go off into a run, away from the school which ended up exploding.
"I'm sorry, Sarah." Galaxy whispered as they walked the children cheer. "It's all right. He was just a daft metal dog. It's fine, really." Sarah said before she burst into tears and Galaxy wrapped her arms around her and gave her the comfort she knew she needed and knew she could provide.