The Time family and Donna were escaping from the warehouse where they bumped into Solana on the way and they ran far away from the advancing Ood before stopping breath. The main priority was to get Thyra far away from the dangers of weapons so she did not get caught between the cross-fire and ended up injured or worse, killed.
"If the people back on earth knew what was going on here..." Donna panted, trying to regain her breath.
"Don't be stupid. Of course they know." Solana scoffed. Was this woman really that stupid to believe the rest were ignorant of the Ood's well being on their home planet? "By the way, I want my ID badge back. Which one of you stole it?" She narrowed her eyes between the three adults. As if a little girl would dare steal her ID badge but she noticed the way Thyra smiled at her and Solana looked at her uneasily as though Thyra was hiding a dark secret.
Donna gaped before diverting the topic. Were her kind in the future really this cold towards other species? If what Romana and Braxiatel said about the Earth being full was true and they spreaded out across three galaxies, then there had to be one species that the humans were kind too at least. She couldn't imagine her kind being like this to every species they've met. If that was the case, she despised her kind. "They know how you treat the Ood?"
"They don't ask. Same thing."
Romana glared despitefully at the woman, not letting go of Thyra's hand. She will not lose her daughter again. Not when the Ood have turned red eye on them and she has lost her once, she didn't want to lose her again when they have just found her. "Solana, you know very well the Ood were not born to be slaves. The Ood were peaceful. What does the company do to make them like this? What secrets are you hiding from the public?"
"That has nothing to do with me." Solana turned her nose upwards, not wanting to answer the question. Oh, she knew the answer to the question but these people had no right to know. Not when they could release it to the press.
"What, because you don't ask?" Donna narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers. If looks could kill, Solana would be dead by now.
"That's Dr Ryder's territory."
"Show us what part of the complex he is at." Romana demanded angrily. The sooner they could free the Ood, the better it was for them and the better it was that humanity learnt its lesson about slavery and building an empire on it. "We can stop the red-eye and stop the Ood from killing."
Solana looked at them, hesitating slightly before looking over her shoulders. "They're over here! Guards, they're-" Romana punched Solana before she could continue any further and Solana fell to the floor with a bloody nose and Braxiatel looked at her as though he could kiss her. He always did love it when Romana showed her fighting skills.
"I could kiss you." He told her as they began to run once more when the guards began to catch up with them.
"Yeah well, not right now." Romana replied as they ran for the Ood conversion and they ran through the base grounds before they stopped in their tracks, seeing guards coming towards them, Romana glancing briefly at the map in her hand. "This way!"
"Mummy, we don't need the maps!" Thyra pointed out as she kept tight hold of her mother's hand. She could hear the Ood guiding them the way they needed to go and besides, the map was just making the guards catch up with them. "We just need to listen!" She stopped, panting as she heard the Ood sing once more.
"Oh Thyra, you are so right!" Romana praised and she threw the map away into the snow as they ran up to another warehouse and Braxiatel used his sonic pen on the door before they stepped inside. "We just need to use our minds." They stepped inside the conversion area where the door slides behind them, locking them in.
"Does that mean we're locked in?" Donna wondered, despite having a feeling she already knew the answer. Knowing the Time-Lord's, they always did get locked up one way or another.
"Sssh!" Thyra shushed her, putting her fingers to her lips as she and her parents concentrated, trying to find the Ood's telepathically and Thyra beamed before hurrying down some steps and the adults followed after her where they discovered some cages and Thyra slowly walked up to the cages and saw the Ood huddled together and Braxiatel switched on the lights.
"They look different to the others." Donna observed as she walked closer to them. She noticed they didn't have the translator balls and noticed how young they looked. So young and innocent as though they were young children and Donna wondered if they were.
"These are natural-born Ood." Romana began as she walked up behind Thyra, listening to the singing in her mind. "The sacred Ood before they're adapted to slavery. This is how the Ood should be like but without the cages. This is their song."
"I can't hear it."
"Would you like to hear it Auntie Donna?" Thyra asked, leaning against her mother.
Donna turned to look at Romana and Braxiatel and slowly nodded. She wanted to hear the song that the Time-Lord's could hear and she briefly wished for a moment that she was telepathic like them. "Yeah."
"It's the song of captivity." Romana warned her.
"I want to hear it."
"Face me." Braxiatel commanded and she did and he placed his fingertips to her temples. "Now, I want to open your mind. Hear the music Donna Noble. Let the music enter your mind."
Donna gasped as she heard the music run through her, hearing the Ood's sing and she turned to face the Ood, tears running down her face. It was too much for her. How could Thyra cope with this song in her head? How could the Time-Lord's? "Take it away." Donna said hoarsely, her voice breaking. It pained her mind. The song. It was so heavy yet so sad. It felt like a choir was stuck inside her head singing the song of mourning.
"Are you sure? You don't have to."
Donna shook her head, not being able to manage anymore. "I can't bear it." She cried and Braxiatel repeated the process. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for. Sometimes the song can be too much." Braxiatel replied, gazing at the Ood and he was thankful that his past self have never ordered the Ood to work for him on his Braxiatel Collection.
"But all of you can hear it." Donna pointed out, looking between the Time-Lord's and pondered on how they could even bear it.
"Whilst we are still here we can always here it." Thyra nodded in agreement and Braxiatel used his sonic pen on the Ood's cage before she heard the noise from the level above and she cocked her head to the side. "Daddy, they're breaking in."
"Let them. We can't always play hide and seek." He replied as he entered the cage and the Ood tried to shuffle away from him, feeling scared and vulnerable.
Romana gently crouched down in front of them, placing a gentle hand on the nearest Ood's shoulder as Thyra crept up beside her. "We are not here to hurt you. We're not human. We're here to help you." The Ood seemed to understand her and hope sparked through it's eyes. "We are your friends. My family and Donna are friends. May I ask what we are holding?" The Ood nervously scuttled closer to her at her gentle and mothering voice. "There we go. That's it." Romana encouraged softly and Braxiatel looked at her in admiration. Romana always had her way with people and that was one of the many things he loved about her as the Ood slowly held out his cupped hand and removed the top one to reveal his brain.
"Is that...?" Thyra peered over her mother's shoulder for a better look. She had never seen anything like it and she was glad her brain was inside her head.
Romana nodded. "Yes my lovr. It's the Ood's hindbrain. The Ood are born with a secondary brain." Donna looked baffled, not having a clue what Romana was talking about. "Think of it like the amygdala in human beings, it process memory and emotion. If you get rid of it, then you will not be Donna Noble anymore. You will be like a processed Ood."
Donna looked sick. Her kind were really the monsters here weren't they? "So the company cuts off their brains..."
"Stitching them up with translator instead." Braxiatel shook his head. The humans could be the biggest monsters of the universe sometimes and they didn't even know it.
Donna began to choke up, feeling pity for the Ood. "Like a lobotomy. I spent all this time looking for you Romana and Braxiatel because I thought it would be so wonderful out here. I want to go home." Romana and Braxiatel didn't look surprise at Donna's answer, knowing the human would have to face the truth about the universe sooner or later when the guards and the main bosses arrive downstairs.
"They're with the Ood, sir. Even the kid." The guard told and Romana nudged Thyra forwards and she quickly slammed the cage door shut so the guards couldn't get to them.
Romana grabbed the bars of the cage. "If you're going to arrest us, you're too late! You are the ones that should be arrested, not us! Pah!" She spat at the guard in his face and the guard looked insulted before wiping his face with his glove.
The four of them found themselves in the Executive office, Romana and Braxiatel and Donna being handcuffed to a pole whilst Thyra was being held hostage by a few guards opposite them. "Irving Braxiatel, I knew there was something fishy about you suddenly visiting the Ood sphere." Haplen told him, eyeing the man. They had finally come face to face with the man in charge of the Ood Cooperation and Irving disliked the man a great deal even after only mere moments of being in the room with him. "Irving Braxiatel never leaves the Braxiatel Collection. That I am aware of. Should of known you would chose a girlfriend who belonged to the FOTO activist. I would have expected better from you."
"Well, I'm here now. Looks like I've proved you wrong. You think the rabid Ood are monsters, you're wrong." Braxiatel sneered in disgust. "You humans are the biggest monsters of them all."
Haplen stiffened, coming face to face with Braxiatel. He was feeling stressed and he had all these matters to attend too. He really does need an early retirement break as soon as all this business has cleared itself up. "The Ood were nothing without us-just animals roaming around on the ice."
"Because even the little things are important to some species," Romana snarled. The humans just couldn't leave things alone couldn't they? "You humans are stupid. You can't even hear the songs they sing."
Haplen gave a dark laugh. Why would he want to hear what some stupid lower species sang? He hated people singing anyway and he had no time to join in a hippy circle and sing happy songs all day long. "They welcomed it! It's not as if they put up a fight!"
Donna struggled against her handcuffs. This man really didn't see it didn't he? Then again, he was clouded by evil judgement and Donna knew he had to be stopped. "You idiot! They're born with their brain in their hands, don't you see? That makes them peaceful! They've got to be because a creature like that would have to trust anyone it meets."
"You go Auntie Donna!" Thyra cheered and the Time-Lord's nodded in approval at Donna's comment. She admired the way her Auntie Donna stood up to them despite them all being held at gunpoint.
"Thank you." Donna gave a nod towards the young girl. At least someone in this room was happy.
"The system's worked for 200 years. All we've got is a rogue batch. But the infection is about to be sterilized." Halpen pressed a button on the comm. "Mr Kess, how do we stand?"
"Canisters primed, sir. As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released. Give it 200 marks...and counting." Kess replied and they began to hear the countdown.
"You're going to gas them?!" Romana cried, horrified. They were going to kill an innocent species? It was just like the Master massacring her children all over again and she tried not to cry at the thought.
Haplen gave her a satisfactory smile. He will make them listen to the Ood screaming as they died whether they liked it or not and then he would take their daughter away and make her to do his dirty work. He had it all planned out and he knew it would be a great victory. "Kill the livestock. The classic foot-and-mouth solution. Still works." Suddenly, they heard the alarms blaring and Haplen looked up, startled. Not another alarm, not not. "What the hell?" He turned around to face his right-hand man Ryder and Ood Sigma who had tight hold of Thyra. "You lot, with me and take the meddlesome kid with us." They began to leave the office, Sigma dragging a kicking and screaming Thyra out of the room with some guards behind them.
"Thyra!" Romana screamed, trying to get loose of the handcuffs, watching Thyra being dragged by the hands as she tried to stall them from leaving. No! They couldn't take Thyra! They couldn't! She couldn't lose her daughter again. "Thyra! Not my daughter! Please, not my daughter!"
"Mummy!" Thyra wailed and she tried to break free but Ood Sigma merely picked her up and carried her over her shoulders as they walked out of the building. "Mummy!" She cried and the door was slammed shut after her and Thyra heard her mother sob on the other end.
Haplen, Ryder, Sigma and Thyra exited the office into the snow, the guards still shooting at the rabid Ood as Thyra glared hatefully at Haplen. "You caused all this mess! It's all your fault! It's all your fault!" She wailed. She hated the man more than anything. First they tried to hurt her mummy and daddy and lock her and Auntie Donna up, now they are killing the Ood one by one and now she was being taken hostage and being taken Gallifrey knows where. She only hoped her mummy and daddy will be able to find her soon. Thyra was ever so sorry about making her mother so upset earlier that morning and she wished she could go back and apologise for being a bad girl to her mother.
Haplen stopped in his tracks and slapped Thyra across the face, silencing her. "Shut up!" He snarled, feeling very stressed. He needed a break. This job was taking a toll on him and it was no surprise considering how long he had been managing it for. He wasn't as young as he used to be and he silently wished he was. "Just shut up!" He looked down at the fighting and confusion below them.
"It's a revolution." Ryder breathed, trying not to feel angry towards Haplen for slapping a harmless child. Ryder hated the man more than anything even if Haplen didn't even know it. He hated what this man was doing to the planet and this small family. He hated every second of it.
Haplen angrily turned towards Ryder. "Change of plan," He muttered as they walked across the compound with a guard. "Dr Ryder, Warehouse 15."
Ryder pointed to Ood Sigma who was still carrying a whimpering Thyra. "What about this one and the young girl?" He motioned at them and he wondered what Haplen could want with the young girl anyway.
Haplen turned to Sigma. He had no need for Ood Sigma anymore despite him being such a ever faithful servant. "No! He's not turned. Faithful to the last. Give Thyra to Ryder-" Sigma obeyed and Ryder held Thyra who squirmed in his grip and she kicked out, trying to escape. "Go. Join your people." Haplen and Sigma bow their heads and Sigma quickly leaves. "Now come on!" Haplen and Ryder head off and Thyra looked over Ryder's shoulder and looked at Sigma pleadingly, trying to send it a message to help her as her hat fell to the ground.
"Thyra." Romana cried out in desperation, trying to free herself. These handcuffs were surprisingly difficult to get out of and she wished she had a hairpin with her like Thyra did moments before. "I need my daughter back. I can't let them get away with this!"
Donna rolled her eyes but she knew she had to remain calm and not get worked up like Romana was doing now although, she couldn't blame her for she knew if she was a mother and her daughter was taken hostage and she was handcuffed, Donna would be in the exactly same position as she was in now. "Well, do something! Thyra managed to pick-lock her way through the other one, you must be able to pick-lock these handcuffs yourselves! One of you must have met Houndini!"
"These are really good handcuffs!" Braxiatel grumbled, struggling to break free. He could of smacked himself for not putting his sonic pen anywhere within reach.
"Oh, I'm glad of that. At least we've got quality!" Donna retorted sarcastically and the door slammed opened and they stopped their struggles, thinking it was going to be Thyra but then they saw the red-eyed Ood standing there for a brief moment before they quickly advanced.
Haplen, Ryder and Thyra made their way to Warehouse 15 behind the guard who tried to clear their path. Thyra struggling against Ryder's grip and she bit into his hand, making it bleed and he yelped out in pain, loosening his grip.
"Don't hurt us!" Romana pleaded within the Ood's minds. "Please don't hurt us! We're your friends! I have a young daughter who has been taken hostage. We're not here to hurt you, we just want to help!"
"Time-Lord's and Donna, friends." Braxiatel and Donna quickly spoke, their frantic words overlapping. "Time-Lord's and Donna friends! Time-Lord's and Donna, friends!" They repeated the words over and over again, trying to get the Ood to see sense that they were on their side.
Romana looked at the lead Ood in the eye pleadingly. "Please. We can help you break the circle. We can help you restore your freedom and planet. That I can promise you and I never break my promises." The Ood slowly stopped and looked at Romana. "We can help you break the circle."
The Ood held out their translator balls, stopping inches away from the trio and Donna and Braxiatel looked at Romana with relief as she conversed with the Ood telepathically before the Ood began to sing for a brief moment and the translator balls switch off and the Ood hold their heads in their hands before one lifts it head, it's eyes returning back to normal. The Ood looked between them. "Time-Lord's and Donna. Friends."
"That's me! Us!" Donna nodded frantically. At least the red-eye had gone from these Ood's and she was thankful for that for the red-eye was beginning to creep her out.
"That's us! We're friends!" Romana cried. "So is my daughter but she has been taken hostage!"
Ryder winced as more blood drew out from his hand were Thyra bit into his finger and he shifted her position and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her like Sigma did moments before as they continued their way to Warehouse 15. Suddenly an Ood appeared before them and attacks their guard and Ryder was about to help him but Haplen held him back. He couldn't help but notice how deep the little girl bit into his skin. She really was a pirate for sure.
"No! Leave him! Leave him!" Haplen yelled urgently. He needed him and the girl to do his dirty work. "I need you and the young girl."
Romana, Braxiatel and Donna ran as fast as they could down the stairs and across the compound, dodging the ongoing fighting. The Time-Lord's paused, trying to get their bearings and trying to sense Thyra, seeing if she was anywhere near by.
"What are we looking for?!" Donna yelled, panting. She was going to have get used to all this running around that was for sure.
"This way!" Romana cried as they ran in her direction and they ran before the three of them got thrown to the ground by an explosion.
Braxiatel winced in pain as he landed on his front and Romana looked concerned at him. "Brax, are you all right?"
"Not as young as I used to be I'm afraid." He replied, slowly getting up and he rubbed his neck. Today was not a good day for him and his body. How his brother managed it for all these centuries before him, he had no clue but luckily there were no serious damages.
Romana looked at Donna worriedly for she knew the human did not have Time-Lord biology to be able to heal themselves if necessary. "Are you all right?"
Donna nodded slowly, trying to gain her balance and when the smoke cleared, they saw Ood sigma standing there in front of them, holding Thyra's fallen hat in his hands.
Haplen, Ryder and Thyra reached the warehouse and Haplen entered using his code quickly. "Warehouse 15, door open." The computer announced.
"Mummy and daddy are going to stop you." Thyra told him angrily. "They're going to stop you and you're going to be punished!" Haplen and Ryder merely ignored her as they entered the warehouse.
"You better listen kid." Haplen sneered at her before glancing at Ryder as they walked. He had always hated kids. They were annoying and a nuisance and always made a mess of things like this kid here. "It's always been an option. My grandfather drew up the plans. That's the advantage of a family-run the business. One day, your father will pass down his Braxiatel Collection to you-" Thyra didn't even bother to correct him that it didn't exist anymore since the Daleks destroyed it in the Time War. "If you ever make it out alive of here that is. The personal touch they say."
Ryder frowned. "But we should evacuate. If we can get to the rocket shed-"
Haplen shook his head. "No need. We've got this." He opened a large cabinet. "Detonation pack before indicating for Ryder to put Thyra down and he did and Haplen handed the Detonation packs to Thyra. "Place them around the circumference. We're gonna blow it up. This thing dies...so do the Ood."
Thyra held her head high, remembering all the pirate tales that her father told of and the ones that she reads. Remembering how brave the they were for standing up against her enemies. "Avast! As if I would place these to kill an innocent species. I'm not a coward like you." She spat at his face.
Haplen shook with rage and he quickly got out his gun and pointed it at Thyra, loading it. He will kill her if he had to. Even if the Irving Braxiatel will hunt him down till the end of the universe for killing his daughter, he will kill this troublesome child. "You will place the Detonation packs around them or I will shoot you!"
"Go on I dare you." Thyra retorted and Ryder couldn't help but admire how much courage this young girl has got. "Because if you pull the trigger, then you will not survive the wrath of my parents."
"She's right." A deadly voice spoke and they looked up to see Romana, Braxiatel, Donna and Sigma standing on the railings above them before walking downstairs. "Nobody gets to harm our daughter. No one."
"You!" Haplen snarled. "How did you escape?"
Romana merely shrugged as she walked up to her daughter, glaring at Haplen for pointing a dangerous weapon in front of her daughter. "Never mind. What is more important is the Ood brain. It has all become very clear to us now. The Ood brain is the third element that is binding the Ood together. You have the forebrain, hindbrain and this. This is the telepathic centre. A shared mind connecting the Ood in song and you never knew."
Haplen clicked his gun, still aiming it at Thyra. "Cargo. I can always go into Cargo. Of course, when the infamous pirate ship The Siren is not trying to loot my business or steal money from my customers that is."
"The Siren?" Thyra couldn't help but ask. She has never heard of that pirate ship before.
"Yes. The most infamous pirate ship in the galaxies. Run by a bloody man woman too." He sneered at the little girl and he couldn't help but notice how she very much looked like a pirate. Looking very much like same pirate that sailed the Siren and he wondered briefly if they were related. "Still, I've got the sheds. Smaller business. Much more manageable without livestock."
Ryder looked over towards the Time family, knowing these were good people and wanted to stop Haplen just as much as he. "He was going to mined the area."
Donna looked at Haplen in disgust. "You pointed a gun at a little kid and threatened her to kill a species?"
"Dirty business." Haplen smirked. "Why get your hands dirty when you can get other people to do it? Besides, they found that thing centuries ago beneath the northern glacier."
Romana looked furious at Haplen. That was what she wanted Thyra to avoid becoming. A killer! She didn't want Thyra to become what the Master had always wanted to do to her children."You cold blooded human! How could you? You've been dampening the telepathic field and stopping the Ood from connecting for 200 years!" Romana knew how that felt. When they were on board the Valiant in the Year that Never Was, the Master had cut off all telepathic communications with Braxiatel and it killed her. To know he was on board that ship but yet she wasn't allowed to communicate or see him despite it being one of the Master's many punishments upon them. Never again did she wish it upon herself or any other telepathic species.
Haplen turned to face Sigma in surprise."My place is at your side, sir." The Ood moved to stand beside Haplen.
Haplen chuckled, glad to see that he had at least one faithful companion. If he could even call the Ood a companion that was. "Still subservient. Good Oo-" He began to cough, unable to finish his sentence and he lowered his gun, making Thyra able to run over to her mother who hugged her tightly, afraid of letting go of her that she'll disappear once more.
Donna sighed with relief at the fact that Thyra was unhurt. "If that barrier thing's in place, how come the Ood started breaking out?"
"Perhaps because it has taken them centuries to adapt. The subconscious reaching out." Braxiatel mused, looking at the brain below them.
Ryder turned to look at Halpen and glared at him. "But the process was too slow, had to be accelerated. You should never have given me access to the controls, Mr Halpen. I lowered the barrier to its minimum. Friends of the Ood, sir. It's taken me ten years to infiltrate the company. And I succeeded."
"Yes. Yes, you did." Haplen was about to push Ryder over the railing but Braxiatel stopped him and grabbed his arm before twisting it behind his back, making him drop his gun to the ground and making Haplen wince in pain underneath his grip, saving Ryder from falling into the brain.
"Don't you even think about it." Braxiatel hissed in Haplen's ear, twisting his arm and Haplen yelped in pain. "You deserve every ounce of this of your filthy human life. Never, ever, point a weapon at my daughter again. Is that understood?" Haplen grimaced under the pain he was in and Braxiatel twisted his wrist even more and Haplen thought it was going to snap. "Is that understood?!"
"Yes!" Haplen snapped. "Yes! I understand!"
Ryder looked shocked at the fact that Haplen had the intention of trying to murder him in front of these people and the little girl and he took a few shaky breaths. "You were going to murder me?" He blinked in disbelief but then again, Haplen really was that cold blooded.
"Very observant. Almost as idiotic as these lot," Haplen jerked his head towards the Ood and Braxiatel tightened his grip. "Ow!"
Sigma walked up to Halpen with a drink in his arm. "Would you like a drink, sir?"
Haplen sneered. "I think hair loss is the least of my problems right now, thanks." Braxiatel glanced between them, keeping Haplen far away from his family as he could for he knew that Sigma had put something in the drink but did not know what and he wondered briefly if it was poison.
Sigma stood in front of Haplen, holding out a glass and Braxiatel peered inside. "Please have a drink, sir."
"Didn't you hear-wha-I-said? I don't-" Haplen seemed to have trouble speaking the last words, almost talking in slow motion and Braxiatel felt him shake underneath his grip and he let go of him, stepping back slightly as he had a feeling that Ood Sigma had taken control of the situation and Braxiatel placed a hand on Sigma's shoulder. "Have-you...poisoned me?" Haplen choked out, looking at Sigma with wide eyes.
"Natural Ood must never kill, sir."
"What is that stuff?" Thyra couldn't help but ask, looking at the liquid that Sigma held.
"Ood-graft suspended in a biological compound." Ood sigma merely replied and Thyra nodded in understanding, taking it in. It was all very interesting despite the situation they were in.
Haplen looked deathly pale and seriously unwell. What was happening to him? He felt like dying and his body turning inside out. "What the hell does that mean?"
Romana smirked, enjoying every moment of this. "Look whose in trouble now."
"Tell me!"
"Here's a bit of a psychology lesson for you Mr Halpen," Romana strode over to Halpen, her tongue resting on the top of her front teeth as she raised her head high, her hands resting on her hips. "Every single creature that is alive has a subconsciousness and this...this subconsciousness can take shapes. For the Ood, it came out for Red-Eyes as anger and revenge and buried underneath those two powerful emotions was patience and all these emotions were focused on Ood Sigma and now, now they're taking their revenge on you and you deserve every ounce of it." She clicked her tongue against her teeth, smiling gleefully at him. "How's your hair loss Mr Halpen?" She dared herself to ask and Braxiatel smirked with delight, liking this side of Romana very much.
"What have you done?" Halpen cried with aghast, feeling the top of his hair and and all of his remaining hair came loose and he stared at it with horror. No! His hair! All of it was gone!
"The Ood have been wanting the perfect revenge and they have been waiting and preparing for a very long time. Patience is virtue Mr Halpen. Patience is virtue." Braxiatel smirked darkly and he held Romana's hand. "You're standing next to the Ood brain and now you can hear them sing. Close your eyes and listen."
Halpen heard the Ood begin to sing and he winced in pain. "What have you-I'm not-" Sigma stepped out of the way and Halpen gripped his head and cried out in agony and he pulled at his scalp, making Thyra turn away and hide behind her mother so she could not see the horror and he pulled at his skin before it came away to reveal an Ood head underneath, tentacles coming out of his mouth.
Donna and Ryder looked as though they were about to be sick. "They-they turned him into an Ood?" Donna asked weakly. Never had she seen anything like this before. It was utterly revolting!
"Is it over?" Thyra piped up behind her mother's leg nervously.
"It's over my love." Romana replied and she stroked Thyra's hair and her daughter peeked back around, blinking at what was once Halpen. "It's over."
"But...he's an Ood." Ryder stuttered in shock.
"We noticed. We do have eyes of our own you know." Braxiatel drawled. Suddenly, Ood Halpen made a strange gurgling noise before coughing up his secondary brain and Ood Haplen blinked down upon it, gazing at it in his hands.
"Eww! Yuck!" Thyra commented in disgust, sticking her tongue out but she couldn't help but be interested before Romana gently puts Thyra's tricorn hat back on and straightening it.
Ood Sigma turned to face them. "He has become Ood-Kind and we will take care of him."
Donna shook her head before looking at the Time-Lord's. "It's weird being with you guys. I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore." And it was true. In all the adventures she has so far shared with, she didn't know the difference between what was meant to be normal and what was classified as abnormal. She wondered briefly is this was how the Time family worked.
"It's better that way, otherwise people who know for certain end up like Mr Halpen. Something that we do not want." Romana replied and she smiled softly at Ood Sigma. "Ood Sigma, will you allow my daughter to have the honour?" Romana asked and Thyra looked up at her mother in curiosity, wondering what she was implying before her mother sent her a telepathic image and Thyra beamed.
Ood Sigma looked at Thyra, bowing slightly. "It is yours, Thyra."
"Thank you!" Thyra cried gratefully and she ran over to the equipment, Romana helping her to show her how to power up the field. "200 years of captivity, you can now sing your song of freedom!" She cried with delight as she pressed the buttons and the field around the brain shuts up and the song could be heard by everyone. Thyra laughed with joy, running over to her mother who scooped her up, showering her with kisses and Braxiatel wrapped them up in a hug.
Donna and Ryder laughed with joy, so happy at the fact that the Ood were now finally free. "I can hear it!" Donna laughed and Ood Sigma raised his arms with delight. "I can hear it!"
It was a little while later and they all stood outside the TARDIS with Ood Sigma and some of the Ood. Braxiatel turned to face the Ood. "The message has gone out across the galaxies and everyone will hear it. The rockets are bringing your kind back home for good." He was glad that they had managed to resolve the issue without his past self coming suspicious or involved, otherwise, that would have been a paradox. All though, he did need to contact his past self soon about Thyra and Gallifrey. Something that he needed to discuss with Romana carefully.
"We thank you, Time-Lord's and Donna, friends of Ood-Kind. And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room for all of you in the song."
Romana smiled softly. She was so happy that the Ood were free and that she had not let them die this time. This time she had put the Ood first, not the humans. This time, it was the humans that were the bad guys but she knew that not all humans were bad. "Oh, we have a song of our own I think."
Ood Sigma turned to face Thyra, looking at her in the eye. "Soon you will hear the Siren's song." He told her and Thyra looked bemused as did Braxiatel and Romana before Ood Sigma turned to Romana. "I think your song must end soon."
"Doesn't every song?" Romana asked gently, knowing what it was implying. Her death. Was it a warning? A message that Ood Sigma spoke of? She couldn't die soon. Not when Thyra was so young. But Romana could always regenerate. She knew that. She still had plenty of regenerations left. In fact, she had at least 9 regenerations left. Something she was proud of maintaining and wanted to use wisely.
Braxiatel turned to Donna, noticing how uncomfortable Romana looked with Ood Sigma's statement and he turned to divert the topic. "What about you? Do you still want to go home?"
Donna shook her head. "No. Definitely not. Romana was right, the universe is both good and bad but we've just got to find the right balance."
"Then it's time to say goodbye." Braxiatel gave a curt nod towards the Ood before opening the TARDIS door and stepped inside slightly.
"Goodbye Ood Sigma!" Thyra waved and Ood Sigma bowed. She had found the trip rather interesting but she knew her parents had lessons to teach her once they went inside. She loved her lessons, really she did but she loved the adventures even more because that's when she could put her Time-Lady responsibilities into place even if she was still only in primary education.
"Take this song with you."
"We will." Donna nodded and she will, always for she could bear the song now and it was beautiful.
"Always." Romana and Braxiatel replied in unison and they shared a smile with each other.
"And know this, Time-Lord's-Donna, you will never be forgotten. Our children will sing of the Time-Lord's-Donna and our children's children, and the wind and the ice and snow will carry your names forever."
This time, Romana gave a small bow and she took Thyra's hand who gave one last wave to the Ood who were still singing even as the TARDIS began to dematerialise.
It was later that evening and Romana was putting Thyra to bed. Braxiatel had matters of his own to attend to in his office and Donna was in the kitchen making some hot drinks for them. Romana straightened out Thyra's bedsheets as Thyra looked up at the hologram of the stars above her bed. "Mummy..." Thyra began, still looking up at the moving stars as they added another planet to the sky. Each time they visited a new planet, the hologram would always add the planet to the hologram as though a learning process and Thyra loved it for then she could always remember visiting the planet itself and the adventure she had there.
"Yes my dear?"
"I'm sorry about earlier today. I didn't mean to get so angry or rude with you." Thyra began apologetically and she looked up at her mother, tearing her gaze away from the ceiling. "Am I forgiven?"
Romana smiled and leaned in to touch her daughter's cheek. "I'm sorry too for being harsh with you. You're the last of the Time-Tot's Thyra and I've come from an old stuffy background and I just want what is best for you that is all." She sighed. "You have been a very brave girl today but I'm just very concerned with your behaviour, especially since you stole Solana's ID badge and pick-locked that lock I hope you are not taking this Pirate thing too seriously my dear."
"It won't happen again." Thyra lied sweetly. "I promise."
"Thank you." Romana kissed her on the head. "And yes, you are always and completely forgiven. Always"