Donna falls for what seems a small eternity before the chute gently slopes horizontal. Coming to rest on the floor, the sounds of her pursuers drive her to her feet. Donna battles blind panic as she tries to reason while running. An idea strikes her, and Donna decides to alternate left turns with right turns in the labyrinthine passages. This, she figures, should give her a straight shot back to the control cabin where she hopes to crack some Chirgolian heads.

Suddenly, the passage becomes much brighter, and an electric hum fills the air. Donna runs with all her strength as her hair forms a static halo around her head. Gaining a sense of hope, Donna can see the end of the passage where Chirgolian workers are going about their business. The long corridor that remains between them, however, suddenly explodes into a lightening storm that would have made Tesla proud.

Tendrils of static crackle through Donna's hair stopping her just before she slides into the engine's core. As she tries to retrace her steps two Superiors block her retreat advancing in on her. They cause her to back up until her skin tingles electric warnings. The two towering creatures reach Donna as more enter the passage behind them giving Donna a grim choice. Choosing electrocution over being mauled by chitinous humanoids, Donna decides to run through the conflagration of lightening behind her.

Just before she jumps in, a ghostly vision of the Tardis floats into the electric melee. As the ethereal box flies towards her, Donna can just make out the shape of the Doctor leaning out of the door. She also notices that he has something solid in his hand as he motions for her. Donna grabs what looks like a large white glove, just as the Tardis exits the core right in front of her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blackness... followed by the sensation of being pounded by waves and rolled in the surf. The tides of the temporal sea buffet Donna as she struggles to break the surface of reality. Greyness infuses the darkness as she washes up on the Tardis' metal shore. As her eyes gradually focus, she sees the Doctor.

"I see you're finally awake!" he announces with a glowing smile. "I was afraid that you were going to sleep straight through the second renaissance of Arcturous!"

"Sleep through the what of the what?" asks Donna still gathering her conscious.

"Oh, only one of the most important events of our universe, and we're traveling through it right now!"

"So, we made it?"

"What? Of course we made it!" the Doctor says in feigned surprise , "We had no other choice!"

"Umm," Donna begins sleepily, "what was that..."

"Batting glove," the Doctor interrupts, "Aldebaran Ultra Cricket!" Holding up his gloved hand he continues, "the only civilization to play Cricket across realities. I picked this up at their Pan-Galactic Series against Betelgeuse Prime."

The glove starts to glow ethereal with a low pitched hum as the Doctor flips a switch hidden at its wrist. Grinning, he flexes his hand a couple of times before shutting it off.

"What happened with the Chirgolians," she asks as he tosses his glove into a compartment in the floor.

"They made it out of the Null with us marooning the Superiors there."he says checking something down inside the compartment.

"Are they still there?"

"No... I'm afraid the big bang took care of that."

Donna stands up feeling a little guilty at the relief the news gives her. After sorting her feelings for a minute, she asks, "How long have I been out?"

"About three hours, give or take an eon," the Doctor replies brightly. "Just enough time to recharge an empty Chirgolian fuel cell." Walking over to the console, he Steers the Tardis through time and space landing at last, back on Earth.

He lowers the deck plate down over the compartment after disconnecting the fuel cell. Stirring Donna's curiosity, the Doctor then carries it to the door and does an about face. Taking three long strides back towards the console the Doctor, almost reverently, places the cylinder on the floor.

"There," he says with a marked note of satisfaction in his voice. "That should do nicely." Scanning the interior of the Tardis, he asks, "Ready to go?"

"Go where?" Donna asks, suspicion creeping into her voice.

"Tithasitos of course! I thought you wanted to see the burning rings." he exclaims stepping out of the Tardis. Donna begins to follow, but stops just shy of the door.

"Of all the stupid places to park! And especially after what just happened...!" Donna starts, raising her voice. "I can't believe you'd be daft enough to do it again!" The Doctor, already standing on the track motions for Donna to exit.

"We really need to go if were going beat ourselves back to the other Tardis."

"You mean you parked this here? This is what caused us to take that short trip to Hell and back?"she asks feeling her anger rise. "Is this some sort of cheap thrill to you?"

The Doctor holds up his hands attempting to calm her, "Not that I'm keen to send us there either, but we have to. It's vitally important."

"What's so important about being hunted down like an animal, or thought of as food!"

"When we were stuck in the Null," the Doctor explains, " we opened the Tardis' Time Vortex. What escaped then, was enough temporal energy to kick start the cosmic clock so to speak."

"But it was sheer chance that the Chirgolians happened into this 'impossible' Null right after us. And it was just damned lucky that I didn't get fried, roasted or just plain killed!"

Shutting and locking the door, the Doctor says, "Well... Luck and chance are rare commodities for a Time Lord, or his companion."

As they walk off the Doctor takes one last look over his shoulder. Oh Ouroboros, he thinks wistfully, we need to stop meeting like this!

The End