I'm trying so hard to dedicate myself to finishing this story and then uploading all my other ones after, but I'm so exhausted. I have forty-four chapters to upload and THEN a sequel with forty chapters. Wish me luck. This week is going to be long.
Ariel reclined in the jumpseat as Donna bounced around the Tardis gleefully. The Doctor watched her with a large grin on his face. He loved seeing the elation of the people he brought on board when they got to see the universe.
Ariel smiled softly at Donna, pulling the sleeves of her jumper over her hands as she watched her. Donna was much more confident than she had ever been and Ariel admired her greatly for it. In fact, she even looked up to her.
Donna was much more free and willing to speak her mind and though Ariel liked to believe she was on the path to that, she knew she still had a long way to go.
Then Ariel glanced up at the Doctor. She still hadn't gotten a moment alone with him since she talked to her mother. It was exhausting.
She could see him meeting her with anxious glances every few minutes and she had to admit she was looking at him the same exact way. She just wanted the opportunity to talk to him for a minute because if he was planning on doing what she thought before, she needed to talk to him and make sure he wasn't just leading her on.
She didn't need to fall in love with another man who would just break her heart in the end.
Ariel knew he'd probably been with many different people through his nine hundred years of life, but she didn't want to be rejected like poor Martha or abandoned because he let his fear of what could happen to her control him. She did have a crush on him and she would be delighted if things could actually develop, but she didn't want to be left out in the cold if they did.
Meanwhile, the Doctor was agonizing over the same superstitions Ariel was worried about.
He knew all too well what happened when he started to care about something too deeply. Though Ariel was beautiful, smart, kind and funny, the Doctor was terrified of what might happen if he actually allowed anything to develop between them.
The universe didn't exactly enjoy giving him something wonderful and allowing him to hold onto it.
He had gotten carried away the night before, allowing himself to move too far and possibly lead her on, thus creating the concern of her possibly leaving if he didn't act on his actions or talk to her soon. He sighed softly and pulled one of the levers, shielding her face from him behind the console. He couldn't seem to stop getting himself into awful situations with the women he brought on board.
Maybe, it was the universe's way of torturing him for all the wrong he had done.
He sucked in a sharp breath and with a wheezing, landed the Tardis, turning to the two women and crossing his arms. He feigned a smile so they wouldn't grow concerned at his lack of excitement at the very start of a new journey.
He had far too much darting around his mind to allow the curiosity and wonder to engulf it.
"Set the controls to random. Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, anywhen in the whole wide universe," the Doctor announced. "Are you alright?" He frowned at Donna who was frozen, staring at the door with wide eyes, flabbergasted.
"Terrified," Donna breathed. "I mean, history's one thing but an alien planet?!" She exclaimed.
"I could always take you home," the Doctor shrugged nonchalantly, a small smirk on his face as he knew that would be the last thing the ginger woman wanted.
"Yeah, don't laugh at me," Donna grumbled.
Ariel grinned and tapped her friend's shoulder. "Look, Donna, it's totally natural what you're feeling, and trust me when I say it never goes away," Ariel said, smiling softly up at the Doctor whose stomach did a flip at the sight. "It's wonderful and fascinating and endlessly beautiful. It makes your mind implode every single time," she giggled.
The Doctor nodded. "I know what it's like. Everything you're feeling right now. The fear, the joy, the wonder? I get that."
"Seriously?" Donna gasped with doe-like eyes. "After all this time?"
"Who wouldn't?" Ariel grinned.
"Yeah," the Doctor chuckled, nodding along with her. "Why do you think I keep going?" He asked.
"Oh. Alright then, the three of us together," Donna smiled. "This is barmy. I was born in Chiswick. I've only ever had package holidays. Now I'm here. This is so. I mean it's. I don't know, it's all sort of. I don't even know what the word is."
Ariel giggled, a musically wonderful sound to the Doctor as the trio stepped outside the Tardis doors to a snowy planet with architecture far off in the distance, covered in white by the winter wonderland.
"Oh, I've got the word," Donna nodded. "Freezing!" She snapped.
Ariel nodded in agreement, pulling the sleeves of her jumper over her hands. The thin fabric of the jumper wasn't much against the falling snow.
"Snow!" the Doctor exclaimed. Ariel grinned at his child-like excitement. She loved how much he acted like a little kid. It put her at ease in all the foreign places he took her too and made her feel comfortable simply laughing and taking in the scenery. "Oh, real snow," the Doctor sighed, holding out his hand so a bit of snow could land in his palm. "Proper snow at last. That's more like it. Lovely. What do you think?"
"Bit cold," Donna murmured, shivering as she hugged her arms around herself.
Ariel exhaled and could see the fog of her breath swirl around before her. "A bit?" She scoffed.
"Oh, look at that view," the Doctor gasped, ignoring their complaints of the cold weather.
"Yep," Donna nodded. "Beautiful, cold view."
"Millions of planets, millions of galaxies, and we're on this one," the Doctor beamed.
Donna sighed, clearly frustrated that she was freezing to death and the Doctor was just taking in the view around him.
She tapped Ariel's shoulder and gestured to the Tardis. A silent question of whether or not the young woman wanted to head back inside and grab some more suitable attire.
Ariel shook her head and Donna frowned, raising an eyebrow at the girl. It was freezing and the brunette didn't seem any more comfortable under a thin jumper.
Ariel shook her head once again, nodding to the still rambling Doctor. Though she was freezing, she didn't want to leave him out there on his own ecstatically talking to nobody.
That was just plain rude.
Donna shrugged and the Tardis door creaked loudly as she headed back inside. However, the Doctor didn't seem to notice and continued gazing up at the view, in awe of the planet the Tardis had brought them to.
"Molto bene, says Donna, born in Chiswick. Bellissimo, says Ariel, born in Winchester. All you've got is a life of work and sleep, and telly and rent and tax and takeaway dinners, all birthdays and Christmases and two weeks holiday a year, and then you end up here. Ariel Parsons and Donna Noble, citizens of the Earth, standing on a different planet. How about that Ariel?" the Doctor grinned, spinning around to Ariel, whose teeth were chattering as she forced a smile up at him.
"Fantastique," Ariel breathed.
The Doctor's eyes widened and he immediately started peeling off his long coat. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I didn't notice." He placed his coat on her and she sighed at the warmth shielding her from the snowy atmosphere.
"It's alright," she muttered.
Just then, the door creaked and Donna stepped out in a heavy winter coat with her hood up. She flashed a smile at the pair, doing a quick double take at Ariel wearing the Doctor's coat. She frowned but chose not to say anything about the matter.
She took a deep breath and looked up at the Doctor. "Sorry, you were saying?" She prompted with a grin.
The Doctor rolled his eyes and turned back towards the architecture in the distance. "Better?" He presumed.
"Lovely, thanks," Donna smiled making Ariel giggle softly.
"Comfy?" the Doctor guessed.
"Yep," Donna nodded firmly.
"Can you hear anything inside that?" the Doctor frowned.
Donna raised an eyebrow and cupped her hand around her ear. "Pardon?" She prompted.
Ariel snorted and stepped up to the Doctor's side. "I'm guessing that would be a strong no."
"Oh, I'm just joshing you," Donna sighed, waddling up towards them.
The coat and boots she had slipped on were much too large for normal walking. It was the typical coat that helped you stay warm, but made you look like a penguin in the winter.
"Alright," the Doctor sighed. "I was saying, citizens of the Earth-," the Doctor began.
"You're not gonna give that whole speech again are you?" Ariel frowned.
"Well, I-," the Doctor began.
"I'm just saying, I mean it was lovely but it was also the sort of speech I only need to hear once in the middle of the snow when there are buildings down there just begging to be looked at up close," Ariel said, nodding to the buildings in the distance.
The Doctor smirked. "Fair point," he conceded.
However, before they could even move, a large red space rocket soared across the sky, gliding slowly above them and heading in the direction they were planning to go.
"A rocket," Donna gasped. "Blimey, a real proper rocket. Now that's what I call a spaceship. You've got a box, he's got a Ferrari. Come on Ariel, let's go see where he's going," Donna said, marching through the snow to follow the rocket.
The Doctor just stood in the same spot looking dumbfoundedly at the retreating form of Donna Noble and the rocket.
Ariel giggled and stepped forward, turning in front of the Doctor and smiling sweetly. "For the record, I think the box is a lot cooler," she said.
"Ariel!" Donna cried.
Ariel snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'm coming!" She called, kicking her way through the snow to get to Donna.
The Doctor smiled softly, letting out a soft sigh before trudging towards the women.
He caught up to them as they started to reach a small rock bridge and to silently announce his presence, he gently pushed his coat further onto Ariel's shoulder.
She turned with a frown which quickly blossomed into a grin when she saw him standing behind her.
He wanted nothing more then to wrap his arms around her, keeping her warm himself and comforting her all the same.
All it took was his mind spitting back an image of Rose crying in the parallel world he had abandoned her in to stop him in his tracks. He took a deep breath and stared after Ariel. She looked so happy whilst laughing with Donna, he knew that he couldn't be the reason that smile fell off her face. He couldn't put another woman through that. Not again.
As the women continued to walk forward, engaging in delightful conversations of home and their favorite television shows and movies, the Doctor could've sworn he heard a distant delicate song being played.
He tried to listen closer and see if he could make it out, but it was too far away to tell. He darted up to the women and shushed them in the midst of their conversation.
"Hold on, can you hear that?" the Doctor asked. "Donna, take your hood down."
Donna did as he instructed and they all froze as they tried to listen, but the two women heard nothing. "What?" She frowned.
"I can't hear anything, Doctor," Ariel sighed.
"That noise is like a song," the Doctor murmured. "Over there," he pointed across the snow and a bit away from the buildings, but not exactly a long walk.
The Doctor automatically began marching toward it and Donna watched him like he was mad.
"He can go on whatever goose chase he bloody wants, I'm seeing a real life alien city!" Donna exclaimed, starting to walk towards the city before Ariel grabbed her hood and pulled her back. "Oi, what the hell are you doing?!"
"I think we should follow him," Ariel shrugged.
"If you think I'm gonna follow the spaceman into the middle of the snow for nothing just because you've got a crush you are wrong, missy," Donna huffed, placing her hands on her hips like a cross parent.
"No, it's not that," Ariel shook her head. "I just think we should see if something is there. I mean, the Doctor is an alien, maybe he can hear and see stuff we can't," she suggested.
"Alright," Donna nodded. "But if I don't get to see the city because of this, I'm pinning it on you," she warned.
Ariel chuckled. "Right then, come on."
They followed the Doctor through the snow and found him kneeling before a fallen body, partly covered by the snow, telling the trio that it had just been left there to die.
As Ariel got a closer look she saw that while the creature wasn't humanoid, it was still desperate for breath and certainly didn't deserve to die alone.
She knelt down beside the body and held out her hand. "Hello," she said softly. "I'm Ariel," she muttered and the Doctor smiled sweetly at her.
"What is it?" Donna gasped, her expression mirroring a mixture of horror and despair at the sight of a living being left out to die.
"An Ood," the Doctor said. "He's called an Ood."
The Ood took Ariel's hand, but he had clearly been weakened from his wounds, a small circle of deep red blood pouring from his stomach. He was unable to squeeze and held her hand so gently, Ariel was worried she may start crying right in front of him.
"But its face," Donna gasped.
Ariel didn't listen to Donna as she learnt to deal with an alien that didn't look human. Ariel understood where the ginger was coming from. It's hard to see a living breathing creature that you don't yet know how to comprehend, especially when the Doctor is the first alien you've met and he looks human. While Ariel had been much more accepting and adapted to the new faces she saw, she knew it would be more difficult for some people.
Whenever Ariel saw an alien face, she always thought of her favorite Disney movie Beauty and the Beast and knew that it wasn't how the other person looked that mattered, it was how they treated you and when that Ood delicately grasped her hand, she knew he was a good person, and that was all that mattered.
"Donna, don't. Not now. It's a he, not an it," the Doctor snapped.
"Sorry," Donna mumbled.
The Doctor pulled a stethoscope out of his suit and put it in his ears. "I don't know where the heart is. I don't know if he's got a heart. Talk to him, both of you, talk to him, keep him going," the Doctor instructed.
"Hey, can you help us out a bit?" Ariel requested gently, careful not to raise her tone above a soft whisper. If it had been her laying in the snow bleeding out, she would take joy in someone being soft and sweet to her, not talking harshly and reminding her each second that she was dying. "Can you guide my hand to your heart? Or just any major organ," she shrugged, smiling softly at the Ood.
The Ood nodded roughly, struggling with the action in the snow and slowly guided Ariel's hand to his heart.
Ariel looked up at the Doctor and gave him a short nod and he flashed a grateful smile at her before pressing his stethoscope to the Ood's heart.
Donna knelt down by Ariel's side, looking down sadly at the Ood.
"It's all right, we've got you. Er, what's your name?" Donna asked, her tone mirroring Ariel's as she spoke.
The Ood used his free hand to lift up a small globe which lit up as he spoke to them. "Designated Ood Delta 50," he said. The globe dimmed once again as he placed it back on his chest and put his hand down.
Donna looked at the Ood, Ariel, and the Doctor awkwardly before picking up the globe and trying to speak into it.
"My name's Donna," Donna said and Ariel just lowered her hand.
"No, no," Ariel shook her head. "You don't need to do that. He can understand you without it," Ariel assured her and when Donna looked up at the Doctor for confirmation, he nodded.
"Sorry," Donna sighed. Ariel just shook her head, seeing the woman was clearly overwhelmed with the fact that she had to talk down a dying alien. Ariel wrapped her other arm around Donna, rubbing her back to calm her down. "Oh, God. This is the Doctor. Just what you need, a doctor. Couldn't be better, hey?" Donna smirked.
The Doctor took a deep breath, putting his stethoscope away after he finished listening to the Ood's heartbeat and investigating the wound. "You've been shot," the Doctor announced.
"The circle," Delta 50 gasped and Donna just placed her hand on his shoulder, gently guiding him back down.
"No, don't try to talk," Donna murmured.
Ariel smiled at Donna. She was getting a bit more comfortable with caring for the dying Ood.
"The circle must be broken," Delta 50 muttered.
"Delta 50, don't speak," Ariel reprimanded.
"Circle?" the Doctor frowned. "What do you mean? Delta 50, what circle?"
"Doctor," Ariel warned, clenching her jaw at the man.
The Doctor ignored her and continued interrogating the dying Ood. "Delta 50? What circle?"
"Doctor!" Ariel snapped.
All of a sudden, the Ood sat up with an animal like roar, his eyes flashing blood red. The trio jumped back in shock, staring at the Ood with wide eyes only to watch him loudly exhale and collapse into the snow, dead.
"Oh, my God," Ariel gasped. She fell to her knees and crawled back to the Ood.
"Careful," Donna mumbled.
"It's alright," Ariel assured her forlornly. "He's dead," she said before placing her shaking fingertips on his eyelids and closing his eyes for good. She stood up and backed away, sniffling as the Doctor wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"There was nothing we could do," he reminded her. "He'd been here for a while and that wound wasn't going to get any better."
"I know," Ariel nodded. "I just wish there was something we could've done," she muttered.
"What do we do, do we bury him?" Donna wondered.
"The snow'll take care of that," the Doctor sighed.
"Who was he?" Donna asked. "What's an Ood?"
"They're servants of humans in the forty second century. Mildly telepathic. That was the song. It was his mind calling out," the Doctor realized with a sigh.
"I couldn't hear anything," Donna shrugged.
"He was calling out to you," Ariel said with sad eyes and the Doctor just nodded, hating the fact that what she said was true. He didn't want to be there to watch an Ood die helplessly. He only wished he could have done something.
"He sang as he was dying," Donna breathed.
The Doctor frowned at the Ood's closed eyelids. "His eyes turned red," he mumbled.
"And he roared," Ariel added with a nod.
"What's that mean?" Donna wondered.
"Trouble. Come on," the Doctor said. He held out his hand to Donna and they walked together while he kept his other arm wrapped around Ariel's shoulders. "The Ood are harmless. They're completely benign. Except, the last time I met them, there was this force, like a stronger mind, powerful enough to take them over," he told them.
"What sort of force?" Donna asked.
"Oh, long story," the Doctor sighed.
"Long walk," Donna reminded him with a raised eyebrow. Ariel grinned and nodded along with her.
"It was the Devil," the Doctor shrugged nonchalantly.
Donna rolled her eyes. "If you're going to take the mickey, I'll just put my hood back up," Donna muttered, releasing the Doctor's hand and putting her hood back up.
"Was it really the Devil?" Ariel asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Mmm," the Doctor nodded. "Didn't wanna believe it at first. Quite honestly, I thought it was a load of rubbish, but he's gone now and that's what matters most."
"My dad believed in the Devil," Ariel mumbled. "He said he wouldn't believe in God, but evil," she nodded. "Evil was real in this world and if he had to give it a name, it would be the Devil."
"Smart man," the Doctor nodded.
"Yeah," she sighed. "He was pretty brilliant."
The Doctor smiled softly down at her before taking a deep breath and carrying on with their former conversation. "It must be something different this time, though. Something closer to home," he frowned.
"Oh, that's a pleasant thought," Ariel said sarcastically.
However, before they could take too long to dwell what could be lurking around any corner and dominating the minds of the Ood, they reached the city.
"Ah ha!" the Doctor laughed. "Civilisation!" He exclaimed as they entered the city.
"Doctor!" Ariel giggled as he bolted forwards, getting a good look at everything on the planet he had never been to before.
After a bit of walking around, the Doctor had insisted they all go where the real heart of the planet lies: in its factories.
Donna had openly voiced her displeasure with the idea, but had followed him regardless, as they ran up to the large factory complex, seeming to take up its own city with its very presence.
Guiding visitors inside was a short, dark haired woman, undoubtedly the PR woman and tour guide.
"Perfect," the Doctor grinned. "We arrived right on tour day," he said.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ood Sphere. And isn't it bracing? Here are your information packs, with vouchers, 3D tickets and a map of the complex. My name's Solana, Head of Marketing. I'm sure we've all spoken on the vidfone. Now, if you'd like to follow me," Solana instructed.
"Looks like they're closing up," Ariel remarked with a small frown.
"Oh, no," the Doctor mumbled. "Come on," he instructed the woman. They all bolted forward, catching the very tail end of the line entering the building. They arrived just as Solana was getting ready to close the doors. "Sorry, sorry, sorry. Late. Don't mind us. Hello. The guards let us through," the Doctor shrugged, grinning wildly at the woman.
"And you would be?" Solana prompted with a raised eyebrow.
"The Doctor, Ariel Parsons and Donna Noble," the Doctor introduced, pointing to each of them in turn.
"Representing the Noble Corporation PLC Limited, Intergalactic," Donna said fluidly, earning a wide eyed gaze from Ariel.
"She was a temp," the Doctor whispered in Ariel's ear and the brunette nodding in understanding.
If Donna was a temp she would've known all the business terms, proving to be very useful if the Doctor didn't want to use his psychic paper on every single person he met.
Solana peered down at her clipboard and scanned it for the fake business. When she couldn't find it, she sighed. "Must have fallen off my list," Solana shrugged. "My apologies. Won't happen again. Now then, Doctor Noble, Mrs Noble, Miss Parsons, if you'd like to come with me." Solana gestured for them to follow her inside and they were both frozen in place while Ariel broke down in laughter.
To her, it would never get old when people thought Donna and the Doctor were together. They were the farthest thing from a couple Ariel could ever imagine. Sure, extremely close friends, but a relationship between them would be unimaginable, which made the situation so much more hilarious.
"Oh, no, no, no, no. We're not married," the Doctor shook his head with wide, horror-struck eyes.
"We're so not married," Donna agreed.
"Never," the Doctor sighed.
"Never ever," Donna nodded.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Doctor Parsons," Solana corrected.
"Oh, why is it always me next?" Ariel moaned.
"No, none of us are married," the Doctor shook his head.
"Of course," Solana nodded and handed them each a packet about the factory. "And here are your information packs, vouchers inside. Now if you'd like to come with me, the Executive Suites are nice and warm," she assured them.
Just then, a loud alarm blasted across the factory complex drawing the attention of the trio, much to the displeasure of Solana.
"Oh, what's that?" the Doctor frowned. "That sounds like an alarm."
"Oh, it's just a siren for the end of the work shift," Solana shrugged, blatantly lying to them. "Now then, this way, quick as you can," she said, ushering the trio inside.
She took one moment to cast a furtive glance back out at the landscape before slamming the door shut behind them.
While Solana took the time to guide them and the other visitors to a presentation area, Ariel took the time to flip through the information packet.
"Bloody hell," Ariel hummed. 'This is like the modern-day equivalent of slave trading," she murmured.
"Oh, don't tell them that," the Doctor mumbled, pulling away her information packet. "We need to learn the full extent of what's going on here. Including the circle. We can't have them kicking us out right yet," he sighed.
"Still," Ariel said. "This is horrible."
"I know," the Doctor nodded. "But we can't say it just yet."
When they reached the presentation area, there were three Ood standing on a platform while all the visitors circled around to get a good look at them. In the corner of the room, there was an open bar and various Ood were taking around trays of drinks from it.
"As you can see, the Ood are happy to serve, and we keep them in facilities of the highest standard. Here at the Double O, that's Ood Operations, we like to think of the Ood as our trusted friends," Solana said.
Ariel snorted. "Doesn't look like it," she mumbled.
"Yeah, what sort of people force their friends to serve?" Donna wondered with a small frown.
"We keep the Ood healthy, safe, and educated," Solana carried on. "We don't just breed the Ood. We make them better. Because at heart, what is an Ood, but a reflection of us? If your Ood is happy, then you'll be happy, too," she smiled and gave a small nod.
"This is the most rubbish I've heard in such a short amount of time," Ariel remarked. "It's a new record," she sighed.
The Doctor just chuckled and hugged her closer to his body.
"I'd now like to point out a new innovation from Ood Operations. We've introduced a variety package with the Ood translator ball. You can now have the standard setting. How are you today, Ood?" Solana prompted the first Ood on the platform.
"I'm perfectly well, thank you," the Ood said in the same voice they had heard from the dying Ood.
"Liar," Ariel mumbled.
"Oi," the Doctor snapped, shaking her body.
"I know, I know," Ariel sighed. "You can hush up."
The Doctor smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Or perhaps after a stressful day, a little something for the gentlemen. And how are you, Ood?" Solana asked the second Ood on the platform.
"All the better for seeing you," the Ood responded in a husky feminine voice.
Ariel winced. "Now that's just disgusting," she sighed.
"You're telling me," Donna nodded, wearing the same grossed out expression Ariel bore.
"And the comedy classic option. Ood, you dropped something," Solana told the third Ood on the platform.
"D'Oh!" the Ood cried in a Homer Simpson voice.
"Wait, hold on, the Simpsons are still around now?" Ariel frowned the Doctor nodded with a bemused smile. "Blimey, they never die," she groaned.
"All that for only five additional credits," Solana grinned. "The details are in your brochures. Now, there's plenty more food and drink, so don't hold back."
Solana nodded to the crowd before heading out the door. The visitors started to mingle and eat, laughing and chatting merrily with each other as the Ood served them.
The Doctor waved to the women, heading up to Salona's lectern. He tapped around on it, using it like a computer, occasionally glancing at the big screen on the side wall.
Ariel glanced around the room, frowning at the Ood on the platform that Solana had demonstrated for them.
"It's a bit odd though," Ariel remarked with a small frown. "Them wanting new voices for the Ood that is. That must mean they're getting boring, like they've had them for a while and now they need new entertainment," she said.
"Well, you're right about that," the Doctor sighed, watching the large screen as it lit up. "The Ood Sphere," he announced. "I've been to this solar system before. Years ago. Ages. Close to the planet Sense Sphere. Third face," he told Ariel with a smirk and she grinned at him. He turned back to the screen with a sigh. "Let's widen out. The year 4126. That is the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire."
Donna's eyes grew ten sizes at the Doctor's announcement. "4126?" Donna gasped. "It's 4126. I'm in 4126."
"And the Simpsons are still alive and well," Ariel groaned.
"It's good, isn't it?" the Doctor grinned.
"Oh, you shut up," Ariel moaned.
The Doctor just laughed and leapt out from behind the lectern towards them, wrapping an arm around Ariel's shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed softly.
"What's the Earth like now?" Donna wondered.
"Bit full," the Doctor shrugged. "But you see, the Empire stretches out across three galaxies," the Doctor pointed to the planets he had pulled up on the large screen.
"It's weird," Donna breathed. "I mean, it's brilliant, but. Back home, the papers and the telly, they keep saying we haven't got long to live. Global warming, flooding, all the bees disappearing."
"Yeah," Ariel mumbled. "That thing about the bees disappearing is odd."
"But look at us. We're everywhere. Is that good or bad, though? I mean, are we like explorers? Or more like a virus?" Donna wondered.
"Sometimes I wonder," the Doctor hummed.
"I'm guessing that's a little bit of both," Ariel smirked. "But on a good day, I'd like to think we can be the heroes."
Donna narrowed her eyes at the image on the screen, frowning at it. "What are the red dots?"
"Ood distribution centres," the Doctor replied.
"Blimey, that's a lot," Ariel muttered, eyes widening as she took in each and every centre.
"Across three galaxies?" Donna scoffed. "Don't the Ood get a say in this?"
The Doctor simply shook his head.
Donna took a deep breath and marched towards one of the Ood carrying a tray of drinks. The Ood offered the tray to the trio and they all shook their heads, unwilling to accept drinks from someone who had no choice in the matter.
"Hello. Tell me, are you all like this?" Donna asked.
"I do not understand, Miss," the Ood replied.
"Why do you say Miss? Do I look single?!" Donna exclaimed.
Ariel snorted, covering her mouth to hide her laughter in the very serious situation.
"Back to the point," the Doctor hummed and Ariel flashed a childish grin at him making him smirk.
"Yeah," Donna mumbled, brushing her hair out of her face as she took a deep breath and looked back up at the Ood. "What I mean is, are there any free Ood? Are there Ood running wild somewhere, like wildebeest?"
"All Ood are born to serve," the Ood told them. "Otherwise, we would die."
"But you can't have started like that," Donna reasoned. "Before the humans, what were you like?" She wondered.
The Ood seemed to falter, unsure of how to properly answer Donna's question as a simple servant.
"The circle," the Ood said.
Each of the trio's eyes simultaneously widened at the sound of the same words they heard of the dying Ood's mouth.
"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked, stepping forward and meeting the Ood's eyes which were still their ordinary color, not yet flashing blood red. "What circle?"
"The circle," the Ood stammered. "The circle is-."
"Ladies and gentlemen. All Ood to hospitality stations, please," Solana announced and the Ood walked away before they could get their answer.
The Doctor's posture fell, sighing softly as the Ood all returned back to Solana. He knew there was no chance they'd get an answer from any of them then. "I've had enough of the schmoozing," he mumbled.
"Oh, thank God," Ariel gasped.
The Doctor smirked and stretched out his hand to her. "Do you fancy going off the beaten track?" He prompted.
"More than anything," Ariel grinned, taking his hand happily.
The pair turned to Donna and the Doctor held up a map of the complex from his information packet. Donna just smiled at the both of them. "Rough guide to the Ood Sphere? Works for me," she shrugged.
"Yeah," the Doctor sighed.
"Well, come on then. I can't listen to this lot ramble on about different types of champagne being served," Ariel groaned.
The Doctor and Donna just laughed and the trio marched out of the presentation area together.