A/N: I know that I promised to write more frequently, but a lot of my work has been getting in my way and exams are particularly terrible when I want to write more. I apologize for not posting things regularly. If anything, I will not be giving up on this story so please remain on the lookout! Thank you so much guys! I really appreciate reviews, so please write them down for me!
Billywigbakerst: I understand I've been gone for such a long time despite promising to be better. But thank you so much for your support and love! As it is winter break, I will try to be better about updating as much as possible!
Also, guys, this is a MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING! There are mentions of suicide/self-harm/ depression so please, please be careful when reading this! I know it's a lot, but please, please take this warning to heart!
I normally don't put author notes within the chapter, but I did this time around for trigger warnings!
P.S. please leave reviews! I would like to hear more for tips and questions and more! They really help me write more and more for this story!
Chapter 19: Planet of the Ood
After that awkward encounter with the Doctor, Iris tried avoiding the Time Lord as much as possible. And with a stroke of luck, she had managed to avoid him a lot. But Donna had enough of Iris' attempts at hiding from the Doctor once she realized what had happened between the two time travelers when she finally dragged Iris out of her room.
"You know what we need? Another adventure."
Being dragged towards the console room, Iris sighed and said, "Fine, you win."
Donna laughed and let go of Iris' hand, trusting that she would not run back to her room. Once they finally arrived the Doctor smiled happily and said,
"So, ready to fly off to another adventure?"
Donna fervently nodded her head as she said, "Oh yes!" while Iris just nodded.
The Doctor then set the coordinates when the TARDIS began to shake chaotically. All three adventurers held onto the console as the shaking began too much. Once it landed, Iris' legs gave out from trying to keep balance for too long and she groaned.
"Set the controls to random. Mystery tour. Outside that door, could be any planet, anywhere, any-when in the whole wide u-. Are you alright?"
He looked at Donna, who looked like she was out of breath and a little nervous. Donna let out a hesitant breath and looked over to Iris and smiled a little. Her nervousness was clearly written in her features. Iris smiled back, hiding her sense of sadness from the Doctor and Donna. She recognized which adventure this was when the Doctor said the two words: Mystery tour.
Donna calmed down a little and said, "Terrified. I mean, history's one thing but an alien planet?"
Iris laughed a little and grabbed Donna's hand and asked, "But isn't exciting? Just the wonders that the outside can hold? The fact that it can be a different planet altogether?"
Donna smiled and nodded, while the Doctor whispered "I could always take you two home."
Iris shook her head while Donna's eyes narrowed a little and said, "Yeah, don't laugh at me."
The Doctor smiled a little as he felt Iris' subtle excitement that felt almost bubbly ash e said, "I know what it's like. Everything you two are feeling right now. The fear, the joy, the wonder? I get that."
Donna looked at the Doctor in wonder and asked, "Seriously? After all this time?"
The Doctor then looked at Iris and winked while he responded to Donna with, "Yeah. Why do you think I keep going?"
Donna relaxed a bit and smiled wider as she said, "Oh. Alright then, you and Iris and me three. 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."
Iris then remembered something and immediately shouted "Wait a mo!" and ran towards her room to grab some coats for her and Donna.
The Doctor and Donna shared bewildered looks and the Doctor just shrugged. Even with the bond, as it was only emotional, he was not able to decipher much of what she was really thinking at the moment other than her emotions. And even with that, Iris was good at blocking him out from the deepest of her emotions.
And after about a minute, Iris came running back holding two really big jackets for winter weather. The Doctor furrowed his brows and Donna looked even more confused as Iris huffed out,
"We're going to need this. The Doctor may be able to tolerate colder weather, but I don't think we can."
Donna the remembered about Iris' origins and said, "Thank you! If you weren't here, I would have blindly stomped out there and probably would have needed this idiot to defrost me."
Iris laughed at Donna's joke while the Doctor rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah… let's hurry! There's a whole world out there waiting for us! Let's go!"
Iris and Donna hurriedly put on their jackets and walked outside and then Iris asked,
"Donna, do you still not have a word for this trip yet?"
Donna shivered despite the jacket and yelled out, "Oh I've got the word. Freezing."
Iris laughed out loud and the Doctor ignored it as he said,
"Snow! Oh, real snow. Proper snow at last. That's more like it. Lovely. What do you think?"
He looked at Iris expectantly and she shook her had at the puppy eyes and sarcastically answered with, "Bit cold."
The Doctor pouted a little and Iris felt a tug of wishing for acceptance and the strange feeling caused her to blush a little. But the Doctor missed this as he turned around and commented,
"Look at that view."
However, Donna didn't miss this and smiled a little at Iris' slight blush before looking towards the view that the planet offered as she whispered,
"Yep. Beautiful, cold view."
The Doctor then started rambling with, "Millions of planets, millions of galaxies, and we're on this one. Moto bene. Bellissimo, says Donna, born in Chiswick. 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 week holidays a year, and then you end up here. Donna Noble, citizen of Earth, standing on a different planet. How about that Donna?"
Donna just looked at Iris with confusion as she didn't catch the Doctor's rambling and Iris translated it for her, saying, "What do you think about being on a different planet?"
But Donna missed that too as she had put on her hood, causing Iris and the Doctor to look at each other before asking,
"Can you hear anything inside that?"
Donna looked at them and asked, "Pardon?"
The Doctor frowned a little and asked, "All right, I was saying citizen of the Earth-"
But as he was speaking, a massive rocket passed by over their heads slowly. Iris gaped at the massive size of it while Donna exclaimed,
"Rocket. 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, let's go see where he's going."
Iris felt the disappointment from the Doctor's side of the bond and she just slipped her arm through his and whispered,
"Don't worry. I like the TARDIS far better."
The Doctor smiled just a little at that and felt a little happier inside at the physical contact they shared. It felt right, and he could feel how genuine Iris was about liking the TARDIS more than the rocket ship. He finally had someone who felt the same way as he did. And that made him happier than ever.
But as they were walking the Doctor heard a soft, yet sad melody, which got stronger and stronger. Unbeknownst to him, Iris also heard the song and slightly tightened her grip to the Doctor's arm as she recognized what song it was. She tried to hold down the sadness that she felt, but it was hard as she also felt the Doctor trying to do the exact same thing.
The Doctor asked, "Hold on, can you hear that? Donna, Iris, take your hood down."
Iris immediately did that, though she really didn't need to while Donna yelled out, "What?"
The Doctor's voice broke a little as he said, "That noise is like a song. Over there."
With that, he wiggled his arm free from Iris' tightened grip and treaded down the hill while Iris and Donna followed. Iris took in a sharp breath and wished Jack was with her more than ever as she saw the Ood. Donna ran down and went towards the Ood as she whispered,
"What is it?"
The Doctor grew somber as he replied with, "An Ood. He's called an Ood."
Donna looked at it with sadness as she commented, "But it's face."
Iris remained silent as she tried so hard to hold back her tears while the Doctor said, "Donna, don't. Not now. It's a he, not an it. Give me a hand."
With that, Donna said, "Sorry."
The Doctor scanned the Ood as he muttered, "I don't know where the heart is. I don't know if he's got a heart. Talk to him, keep him going."
Iris knelt by Donna and whispered to the Oood, "It's alright. We've got you."
Donna asked carefully, "Er, what's your name?"
The Ood responded with, "Disgnated Ood Delta 50."
Donna grabbed the translator ball to speak to it, but Iris merely grabbed it and shook her head. Donna got the message and said, "My name's Donna."
Iris stood up again, turning around trying so hard not to cry. But tears slipped down her face as the song seemed to just keep going. She wanted Jack and Ianto with her desperately now. No, she needed them.
The Doctor was studying the wound the Ood had and darkly said, "You've been shot."
Iris flinched while the Ood weakly responded with, "The circle."
Donna shook her head and tried to stop the Ood from using energy when he was so weak already. Iris turned back around to see the Ood as he said, "The circle must be broken."
This piqued the Doctor's interest as he asked, "Circle? What do you mean? Delta 50, what circle? Delta 50? What circle?"
But Iris immediately grabbed and pulled the Doctor and Donna away as Delta 50 suddenly roared as his eyes turned red. Iris kept a hold on Donna by hugging her while Delta 50 finally fell back into the snow limply. Iris couldn't keep her eyes off of the Ood. Guilt settled in when the Doctor grabbed her shoulder, rubbing it with his thumb while a sense of comfort and a knowing sense of sadness was sent through the bond. Iris looked up at him and saw he was looking at her with a knowing look in his eyes. His lips were set in a straight line and she saw something small subtly burning in his eyes.
As they were doing this, Donna walked weakly to the Ood as she whispered, "He's gone."
A tear escaped Iris' eye again as the Doctor warned Donna to be careful. But Donna ignored it as she whispered,
"There you are, sweetheart. We were too late. What do we do, do we bury him?"
Iris sniffed and lowly said, "The snow will take care of that."
Donna heard the sadness in Iris' voice and nodded, grabbing the woman's hand to comfort both Iris and herself. Iris smiled gratefully and after a moment of silence, Donna asked,
"Who was he? What's an Ood?"
The Doctor answered, "They're servants of humans in the 42nd century. Mildly telepathic. That was the song. It was his mind calling out."
Donna shook her head as she sadly said, "I couldn't hear anything."
Iris choked out, "He sang as he was dying."
The Doctor quickly looked at Iris warily as he asked, "You heard it too?"
Iris nodded and let go of Donna's hand as she said, "It's sad."
The Doctor felt it too but he didn't comment on it as he continued with, "His eyes turned red."
Iris explained to Donna, "This means trouble. The Ood are supposed to be harmless. They're completely benign."
The Doctor thought back to the one time they were not and flinched slightly while Iris just felt a bit sad of the reminder. She ignored the Doctor's mutterings and Donna's questions and merely followed them.
As they got closer and closer to the factory, Iris wondered how the Doctor was able to act so normally when the song became almost unbearable. Flashes of Jack's smile and embraces came across her mind but she just felt more depressed than ever before. Iris tried to think of happy memories, but it was getting harder and harder for her to do so.
The Doctor felt the change in Iris and threw worried glances at her every so often, but wasn't sure how deeply this was affecting Iris.
When they finally arrived at the factory complex and caught up to the tour group, they all heard the woman say,
"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."
The Doctor grabbed Iris' hand and Donna followed as the Doctor went to Solana and said,
"Sorry, sorry, sorry. Late, don't mind us. Hello. The guards let us through."
Solana looked at the trio incredulously as she asked, "And you would be?"
The Doctor responded with, "The Doctor, Iris Kim and Donna Noble."
Donna added in, "Representing the Noble Corporation PLC Limited, Intergalactic."
The Doctor flashed his psychic paper. Iris remained silent but managed a professional smile she had perfected at Torchwood.
Solana frowned as she checked her list and said, "Must have fallen off my list. My apologies. Won't happen again. Now then, Doctor Noble, Mrs. Noble, and Miss Kim, if you'd like to come with me."
The Doctor looked horrified as he tightened his grip on Iris' hand as he said, "Oh, no, no, no, no… We're not married."
Donna gasped in horror as she also said, "We're so not married."
"Never."
"Never ever"
Iris managed a wider smile in amusement at how in sync the two were while Solana looked a little guilty as she saw how the Doctor held hands with Iris and said,
"Of course. Sorry Mrs. Kim, I made a big mistake. And here are your information packs, vouchers inside. Now if you'd like to come with me, the Executive Suites are nice and warm."
Iris opened her mouth to reply back at how she wasn't married to the Doctor while the Doctor blushed a little, causing Donna to snigger at their shocked looks when the alarm rang.
The Doctor curiously asked, "Oh, what's that? That sounds like an alarm."
Solana looked anxious as she responded with, "Oh, it's just a siren for the end of the work shift. Now then, this way, quick as you can."
Iris shook her head and let go of the Doctor's hand as she followed the tour group with a sense of slight dread."
When they went inside, they saw the three Oods standing on small platforms. People began taking drinks from the trays but Iris sighed out loud, stress and frustration taking hold. She began to feel exhausted as if the world was weighing down on her. The Doctor frowned and felt her exhaustion and immediately noticed what she was going through. He whispered to her,
"Are you alright?" as Solana was giving her presentation.
Iris gave him a tight smile and he noticed the pain in her eyes as she said, "I'm fine."
The Doctor frowned and wanted to hug her, but refrained from doing so. He knew the lie, and wanted to take her somewhere away from this planet. The song was clearly making her suffer. He understood what it was like, and grabbed her hand again, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Iris smiled a little more and leaned into him as if it comforted her more to do so.
The bond warmed up between them and made it just a little bit more bearable for Iris. The trio watched on as Solana continued presenting when the Doctor and Iris walked to Solana's lectern and use the screen. As the Doctor studied what was projected, he muttered,
"Ah, got it. The Ood Sphere, I've been to this solar system before. Years ago. Ages. Close to the planet Sense Sphere. Let's widen out."
With that, Iris widened the map for him and he rambled a bit more.
"The year 4126. That is the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire."
Donna gaped at the duo and asked, "4126? It's 4126. I'm in 4126."
The Doctor smiled and asked, "It's good, isn't it?"
Donna's eyes sparkled in wonder and curiosity as she asked, "What's the Earth like now?"
The Doctor answered the question and then the Doctor and Donna continued their talk while Iris let go of the Doctor's hand a little as she walked to a small corner and took out her phone. She bit her lower lip, debating whether she should call Jack and Ianto. After thinking a bit, she input Ianto's number and waited as she heard the phone ring.
"Ianto speaking."
Iris smiled a little and said, "Hey Ianto."
"Iris! How are you?"
"I… I'm fine."
Back at the Torchwood Hub, Ianto was at the archives organizing files when he frowned. He put the files down and said,
"Iris. I know that tone. Something is troubling you."
"I…I just miss you and everyone else."
Ianto froze a little as his heart beat faster and he shifted a little. It was nice to hear that, but something wasn't right.
"Iris, is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine. Or… it will be all fine. I just really needed to hear your voice. That's all."
Ianto's worry grew and he started walking towards the Hub again and he said,
"I'm flattered. Where are you now?"
He ran into Jack, who came out of his office after having talked to Tosh. He saw Tosh's tear-stained eyes as she grabbed her coat and headed out towards Cardiff Bay.
Iris replied back with "On a planet in year 4126."
Ianto chuckled and said, "Year 4126? 42nd century, huh. What's it like?"
Jack heard that and mouthed 'Iris?' to Ianto, who nodded. Jack came closer to the phone and Ianto put it on speaker.
Trigger Warning placed here! Please skip if you don't think it would help! Just scroll past until you see the "all clear" sign from me in this bolded text!
"Well, it's bloody freezing here. But it's beautiful. It's just… I… I could hear this song the Ood are singing… and it's so sad… it's… Ianto I—it's hard to not think about it. It's so exhausting and the song…. It's making it unbearable for me to not just give up."
Ianto tensed and he immediately turned the speaker phone off and grabbed the phone as he held his hand up to Jack. Jack frowned and wanted to talk to Iris, wondering why Ianto suddenly made the call private between the two of them, but Ianto shook his head. Jack stood by and saw Ianto walk away with the phone.
But Jack wasn't aware of one thing. Ianto found out about Iris' depression and habits of cutting herself beforehand. Iris had told him one night when he saw how she had looked at sharp objects a bit longingly once or twice during some cases when her headaches would be terrible. He had approached her about it and she had been honest with him. But when he had suggested telling Jack, Iris begged him not to say anything. Ianto reluctantly agreed and helped Iris through some rough times before the Year that Never Was.
ALL CLEAR! Can read from here. It should be fine from here.
Ianto whispered into the phone and said, "Iris, are you with the Doctor?"
Iris confirmed it and Ianto immediately said, "Iris, I want you to remember something…"
And with that, Ianto talked about the happy memories they shared. The movie marathons they did, the funny cases, the little creature they befriended and made as a pet at the Hub, and more.
Iris smiled and relaxed a little as the song's effect seemed to die down. When Ianto was done and Iris was feeling a lot better, she said,
"Thank you Ianto. It really helped."
Ianto smiled as he leaned on the wall, feeling proud that he could help her with her struggles.
"No problem. Do you want to talk to Jack? He's nearby."
Iris smiled, Ianto knew what she needed the most. "Yeah, that would be great."
Ianto walked back to Jack, who worriedly glanced at Ianto, who nodded and handed him the phone. Jack immediately picked it up and said,
"Iris? Are you alright?"
Iris replied with, "Yup! Ianto made it all better for me. I needed that."
"The Doctor isn't making it tough on you, is he?" Jack asked with concern.
He heard Iris laugh and her say, "No, not really. I just wish you were here with me."
Jack put his hand in his pocket as he said, "Man, I wish. The stars, the sights… and the company would have been great too."
Iris laughed even harder, causing the Doctor to look over in surprise and smile a bit as he saw how happier Iris looked. She muttered,
"Stop flirting over the phone. By the way, what's been happening while I was gone?"
Jack walked towards Iris' desk and sat on her chair, while saying, "A soldier called Tommy from a different time saved our world."
Iris' smile turned wistful as she said, "Tommy was a brave man. How is Tosh taking it?"
Jack looked at the picture on Iris' desk of herself and the team as he responded, with, "Not too well. But Owen's with her, so it should be fine."
"That's good. I have to go, but Jack, I think I'm gonna go back once this adventure's over. I need a break to be honest. See you."
Jack smiled as he put the picture down as he said, "Can't wait. Be safe Iris."
"Always." Iris responded before hanging up. Donna came up to her with curiosity. Iris smiled and said,
"My team back on Earth. I needed to talk with them. I miss them."
Donna smiled and said, "Well, we are heading out to snoop around. Let's go."
Iris walked alongside Donna and the Doctor, feeling a lot better after the phone call. But as they were following the tour group, the trio snuck off. The Doctor felt the change in Iris and smiled a bit. She must have called Jack. In all honesty, he did miss his old friend, but Jack clearly had his own responsibilities. Maybe the 51st century man could join him the next time they went off to have an adventure.
The trio snuck into one of the factory complexes to find the reality of how the Ood were treated. They saw how one Ood fell to the ground when one of the men cracked the whip in his hand. Donna was horrified at the sight and she whispered in horror,
"Servants? They're slaves?"
Iris grimaced as the Doctor whispered in a similar manner, "Last time I met the Ood, I never thought. I never asked."
Donna looked at the Doctor with surprise as she said, "That's not like you."
The Doctor felt guilty as he responded with, "I was busy. So busy I couldn't save them. I had to let the Ood die. I reckon I owe them one."
Iris patted the Doctor's shoulder as she said, "We will save them. Because they're fighting. Can't you feel it?"
The Doctor looked at Iris' eyes and saw what she meant. The song. It was a cry for help. A look of determination took over the Doctor's features as he looked at the scene in front of him. Donna pointed to a man as she whispered, "That looks like the boss."
The Doctor whispered, "Let's keep out of his way. Come on."
They all snuck out to a different area. When they came upon the Ood Cargo, they gaped at the mere sight of the sheer number of shipping containers that held the Ood.
Iris said, "Ood export. The containers get lifted and taken to rocket sheds, probably to be flown out all over the three galaxies we saw earlier."
Donna looked at her with shock as she asked, "What, you mean, these containers are full of…?"
The Time Lord looked at her seriously as he said, "What do you think?"
They went up to one of the shipping containers and Donna frowned instantly at the smell, noting it with, "Oh, it stinks. How many of them do you think there are in each one?"
The Doctor's gaze turned cold as he bit out, "Hundred? More?"
Donna looked sadly over the Ood as she said, "A great big empire built on slavery."
Iris choked out, "It's not so different from our time Donna."
Donna looked at her with shock and a little bit of anger as she said, "Oi, I haven't got any slaves."
The Doctor shook his head, knowing what Iris meant as he said, "Who do you think made your clothes?"
Donna flinched at that and she snapped at him, "Is that why you travel around with humans at your side? It's not so you can show them the wonders of the universe, it's so you can take cheap shots?"
Iris grabbed Donna and looked at her with, "Donna. It's not his fault."
Donna cast her eyes to the ground, tears building up, but nodded. She knew it wasn't like that. But the sight of the Oods like this angered her."
Iris hugged Donna, understanding the woman and had eye contact with the Doctor. He nodded towards her and when the two women let go of each other, Donna asked the Oods,
"I don't understand, the door is open, why don't you just run away?"
The Ood in front of her asked, "For what reason?"
Donna looked a little surprise and quickly responded with, "You could be free."
Iris grimaced as the Ood responded innocently to Donna with, "I do not understand the concept."
Donna looked distraught at that and then asked the woman and the Time Lord, "What is it with that Persil ball? I mean, they're not born with it, are they? Why do they have to be all plugged in?"
Iris grimaced as she responded to Donna with, "We're going to find out soon Donna. Just, wait a bit."
Donna looked at how Iris seemed upset and sad again and nodded. She would find out eventually. Iris always told the truth. She could wait. The Doctor, unable to withhold his curiosity, asked the Ood,
"Ood, tell me. Does the circle mean anything to you?"
Suddenly, all the Ood responded with, "The circle must be broken."
Donna grabbed onto Iris as she whispered, "Oh, that is creepy."
Iris warily glanced at the entrance of the container while the Doctor pressed onwith,
"But what is it? What is the circle?"
All the Oods repeated, "The circle must be broken."
The Doctor asked, a little frustrated, "Why?"
The Oods said, "So that we can sing." At the same time Iris said, "So they can sing."
Suddenly, the alarm rang and the Doctor groaned out, "Oh, that's us. Come on."
With that, the trio ran out of the container. Donna suddenly stopped and yelled out, "Doctor there's a door."
The door opened and guards entered. Iris having stayed with Donna, was also locked into the container with the Ood. Donna turned around to Iris and asked,
"Can we get out?"
Iris replied with, "I'm not sure we can. They locked it from the outside."
Donna groaned and asked the Ood, "Can you help us?"
But Iris whipped out her gun and had it pointed towards the ground as Donna went behind Iris upon seeing the red eyes.
Donna freaked out by saying, "Oh, no you don't. What have we done? We're not one of that lot. We're on your side. Stay where you are."
Iris looked at Donna, causing her to stop and Iris whispered, "We're here to break the circle."
The Oods still had red eyes, but stopped their advance on them. Donna breathed roughly in and out, not believing how calm Iris was in this situation. And the way she held her gun. It wasn't something she was used to.
Iris then turned around to Donna and said, "Donna, call for the Doctor."
Donna not knowing what to do, started banging on the door and screaming for the Doctor to let them out. They barely heard the Doctor say,
"If you don't do what she says, you're really in trouble Not from me, from her."
Then the container door opened. Iris quickly put in her gun into her holster and walked out warily, glancing at the Oods while Donna ran out to hug the Doctor. The Doctor noticed how tense Iris was and noticed the red eyes from the Oods. Iris held the Doctor back when one of the Oods jumped out to kill a guard.
Suddenly, guards started to fire their guans while the Doctor, Donna, Solana and Iris ran outside. Once they found cover, Donna said,
"If people back on Earth knew what was going on here."
Solana rolled her eyes as she said, "Oh, don't be so stupid. Of course they know."
Donna looked at her with anger as she said, "They know how you treat the Ood."
Solana looked a little pissed off as she responded back with, "They don't ask. Same thing."
The Doctor looked at Solana and asked, "Solana, the Ood aren't born like this. They can't be. A species born to serve could never evolve in the first place. What does the company do to make them obey?"
Solana looked at them and said, "That's nothing to do with me."
Iris looked a little murderous as she stepped up to Solana as she calmly said, "Trust me sweetheart, now it does. Tell us where Doctor Ryder is because we are the only thing to help with the red eye. If not…"
With that, Iris took out her gun from her holster and undid the safety. Solana saw and gulped. She responded with, "There, beyond the red section."
Iris smiled just a bit, sending shivers down Solana's back before Iris grabbed her and whispered into her ear,
"It would be wise if you just walked away without saying anything because if you do, I will use the gun. Now, if you value your life, just walk away."
Solana gulped and did as she was told. The Doctor frowned and angrily asked, "What was that for?!"
Iris put her gun away, glaring back at the Doctor a little as she said, "She would have yelled for guards. We don't have time, she's still going to let them know where we are headed to. Let's go."
With that Iris walked off and the Doctor followed with Donna. The Doctor and Iris heard the song get louder and louder as the approached the Ood Conversion center. They arrived at the door when the Doctor said,
"Oh, can you hear it? I didn't need the map. I should have listened."
Iris silently entered the Ood Conversion center once the Doctor had opened the door. The song was growing in intensity as they got closer and closer. Donna paused as she looked at the door and asked,
"Hold on. Does that mean we're locked in?"
Ignoring the question, the Time Lord repeated, "Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen."
Iris grimaced and this did not go unnoticed by Donna, who wondered what the two other time travelers were hearing.
The Doctor looked at Iris worriedly and asked, "Is your head alright?"
Iris looked at the Doctor and shrugged a little, whispering, "It's bearable compared to what I had before."
The Doctor instantly frowned at that, but shook his head and concentrated on the music. When Donna gave him and Iris curious looks, he asked,
"Can't you hear it? The singing?"
They then come across the Ood that are sitting in the cages, who immediately turn away from the trio as they got nearer. Donna noted the difference in these Oods and stated,
"They look different to the others."
Iris whispered out, "That's because they're natural born Ood, unprocessed, before they're adapted to slavery."
The Doctor continued with, "Unspoilt. And that's their song."
Donna noticed how sad Iris looked as she continued observing the Ood inside the cage as she whispered, "I can't hear it."
The Doctor looked at Iris, who merely nodded as he asked, "Do you want to?"
Donna looked back at the Oods before nodding and saying "Yeah" in response.
The Doctor gave a sterner look to Donna as he warned her with, "It's the song of captivity."
Donna's eyes widened at that, grabbing Iris' hands for comfort and to gain some courage before she said, "Let me hear it."
The Doctor said, "Face me."
Following his directions, Donna turned to look at the Doctor, who immediately put two of his fingers onto Donna's temples as he helped her hear the song. The Doctor carefully whispered,
"Open your mind. That's it. Hear it, Donna. Hear the music."
Donna grabbed Iris' hand much tighter than before as she finally heard the song Iris and the Doctor have been hearing from the beginning. Iris pat her back as Donna finally felt the overwhelming sadness from the beautiful music. Tears fell down her cheeks as she couldn't stop herself. Iris wordlessly handed her handkerchief to the woman while looking back to the Oods again.
"Take it away." Donna choked out.
The Doctor warily asked, "Sure?"
Donna answered with, "I can't bear it."
The Doctor let go of Donna as the telepathic field disconnected. Donna breathed a sigh of relief as she managed to choke out, "I'm sorry."
The Doctor looked sympathetic as he comforted her with, "It's okay."
Donna looked at Iris and the Doctor, saying, "But you two can still hear it."
Iris smiled a little, sadness clearly emanating from her eyes. At the moment the two time travelers looked so equally worn out that they looked identical to Donna at that single moment.
The Doctor muttered, "All the time."
Which did not go unnoticed by Iris. Iris felt the sadness coming from the Doctor and could not help but look at the Time Lord, unsure of what she could do to help. Without much words, the Doctor started to use his sonic and opened the cage. They started hearing the banging at the door of the Ood Conversion center and Donna fearfully said, "They're breaking in."
The Doctor bit out, "Ah, let them."
The Doctor then notice the Ood cower to the corner to gain some distance. He noticed something in their hands and asked,
"What are you holding? Show me. Friend. Doctor, Donna, Iris. Friends. Let me see. Look at me. Let me see. That's it. That's it, go on. Go on."
He gently eased them to show the trio what they had in their hands. Donna gasped at the little brain and asked, "Is that?"
Iris nodded as she said, "It's a brain. A hind brain. The Ood are born with a secondary brain."
The Doctor continued it with, "Like the amygdala in humans, it processes memory and emotions. You get rid of that, you wouldn't be Donna anymore. You'd be like an Ood."
Iris added to that, "A processed Ood."
The Doctor noticed what he had just said and looked apologetic. Iris just looked at him with a stare that warned him to be careful with his words. The Doctor nodded as Donna continued to ask them questions.
"So the company cuts off their brains?"
The Doctor's voice grew angrier as he said, "And the stitch on the translator."
Donna muttered out in shock of the truth behind the Oods, "Like a lobotomy. I spent all that time looking for you, Doctor, because I thought it was so wonderful out here. I want to go home."
Iris looked up at Donna and hugged the companion while the Doctor hurriedly pushed the three of them into the cage as the door opened and a guard yelled out,
"They're with the Ood sir!"
The Doctor closed the cage door and Iris hugged Donna tighter as the Doctor yelled out in response,
"What you going to do, then? Arrest me? Lock me up? Throw me in a cage? Well, you're too late. Ha!"
Donna looked at Iris and saw how Iris rolled her eyes at the Doctor's antics and felt surprised at how calm the other companion looked at the moment. Didn't it bother her that the song was on repeat in her head and that the company was cruelly treating the Oods? But that was when she saw the subtle dark look in Iris' eyes. If she hadn't known Iris, Donna would never have noticed the burning anger in Iris. And this honestly scared her more than the outburst of anger the Doctor seemed to be currently expressing.
But soon enough, the were dragged out of the cage by the guards and taken to Halpen's office. The Doctor, Iris and Donna were handcuffed to some pipes. Iris remained calm while Donna and the Doctor struggled against them.
Halpen looked at the trio and said, "Why don't you just come out and say it? FOTO activists."
The Doctor huffed in anger as he responded, "If that's what Friends of the Ood are trying to prove, then yes."
Halpen got a little closer to them and said, "The Ood are nothing without us, just animals roaming around on the ice."
Iris remained silent while her eyes followed Halpen's every move. Occasionally her eyes narrowed, showing the raw anger behind her calm façade, but she remained almost eerily calm. Halpen tried to ignore the look Iris was giving him since it scared him a little.
The Doctor did not notice this as he was too angry with what was going on as he bit out, "That's because you can't hear them."
Halpen laughed a little as if shocked to hear this statement and said, "They welcomed it. It's not as if they put up a fight."
Donna rolled her eyes at the man's idiocy as she said, "You idiot. They're born with their brains 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."
The Doctor muttered out, "Oh, nice one."
Donna thanked him while Halpen looked at Iris once more, before asking, "And you? You haven't said anything."
Iris merely arched an eyebrow. Halpen stared back, not wanting to lose the chance to gain a reaction from her. But Iris remained silent and looked back. That was when Halpen took a step back a little from something almost too tense for him to handle. Something in the girl had shifted as she merely stared, as if demeaning him, as if he was an inferior being. As if he was not worthy of interacting with her.
He swallowed a little to press down the rising fear in him as he looked away before saying,
"The system's worked for two hundred years. All we've got is a rogue batch. But the infection is about to be sterilized. Mister Kess. How do we stand?"
The people in the office heard the static of the radio before hearing Kess say,
"Canisters primed, sir. As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released. Give it two hundred marks and counting."
The Doctor frantically struggled against the pipes as he yelled out, "You're going to gas them?!"
Halpen ignored the Doctor as he said, "Kill the livestock. The classic foot and mouth solution from the olden days. Still works."
Iris' eyes narrowed as she moved her arms a bit to get some blood pumping into her hands. She was quickly losing patience with the man, but still, she spared a glance at the Ood by Halpen. Anger, sadness, frustration were all mixed in her emotions and she was about to explode from them.
But chaos ensued and after moments of the Doctor and Donna screaming, Halpen muttered,
"Change of plan."
Doctor Ryder looked aghast as he said, "There are no reports of trouble off-world, sir. It's still contained to the Ood Sphere."
Halpen responded with, "Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads."
But they all froze when Iris laughed hysterically. Donna looked shocked at that while the Doctor froze and wasn't sure how to respond to the overwhelming amount of anger coming from Iris through their bond.
Halpen asked, "Is there something I missed? What's so funny?"
Iris quieted down as she looked at Halpen with a look of pity before saying,
"You really are stupid aren't you Halpen?"
Halpen rustled at that with annoyance and asked, "What?"
Iris chuckled a little before saying, "You have no idea why this started do you?"
Halpen looked at her incredulously before saying, "And you do?"
Iris stopped laughing and the smirk was quickly wiped off of her face as her face turned blank before she slowly replied back with, "And what will happen to you if you continue this path. Now, you should hurry along to Warehouse 15 Halpen, and see what the endgame of all this is."
Halpen's face paled as he choked out, "How do you know what's in warehouse 15?"
Iris bit out, "I know everything."
Halpen clearly blanched even more, giving him a ghostly complexion and Donna felt the anger roll off of the tiny woman by her side. If the Doctor had an overwhelming, authoritative presence when he was angry, Iris was more subtle, more demeaning and guilt-inducing to anyone who suffered her wrath.
The Doctor gulped a little at that and tried to take off Halpen's attention from Iris as he asked, "What's happening?"
Halpen came to like the Doctor had hoped and answered the question with, "Everything you wanted, Doctor. No doubt there'll be a full police investigation once this place has been sterilized, so I can't risk a bullet to the head. I'll leave you to the mercies of the Ood."
The Doctor looked at him carefully and thought back to Iris' statements earlier and said,
"But Mister Halpen, there's something else, isn't there? Something we haven't seen."
Donna caught up to what he was indicating and asked, "What do you mean?"
Iris responded with, "A creature couldn't survive with a separate forebrain and hindbrain. They'd be at war with themselves. There's got to be something else, a third element, am I right?"
Halpen looked at her and said, "And again, so clever."
The Doctor added on "But it's got to be connected to the red eye. What is it?"
Halpen glared at the trio before smirking evilly and said, "It won't exist for very much longer. Enjoy your Ood."
Halpen exited his office and the moment he did that, Iris lowered her arms from the pipe, clearly having freed herself at some point during their conversation with Halpen. Donna gaped at her and asked incredulously,
"How did you do that?"
Iris shrugged and helped pick the handcuff locks for Donna first as she said, "Torchwood secrets."
Donna laughed nervously as she said, "Well, you have to teach me how to do that, considering that I have an inkling that this won't be the last time we will be handcuffed to something."
Iris laughed out loud and winked at her and said, "For you Donna, anything."
As Donna waited for Iris to work her magic on the handcuffs with her short height, she looked at the Doctor and muttered, "Well, do something. You're the one with all the tricks. You must have met Houdini."
The Doctor twisted and turned as he grunted out, "These are really good handcuffs. How did you get out?"
He asked at Iris, surprised at how she did it right in front of Halpen without getting caught.
Iris rolled her eyes as she said, "Wait a mo, I'll get you out without bruising your ego."
With that, Iris managed to free Donna, who breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her sore wrists. Iris immediately started working on the Doctor's handcuff. When she tiptoed on her toes, she was up close to the Doctor.
"Sorry." Iris muttered as she started working. The Doctor looked down to her face and held his breath as he felt her breathing on his face. He noticed how she smelled of green apple, her favorite soap smell (as he had asked previously out of random curiosity). He shifted a little to give Iris more access to work on the handcuffs when suddenly three Oods entered the room. Panicking the Doctor yelled out,
"Doctor Donna, Iris friends."
Donna got closer to Iris and hid behind the Doctor as she also yelled out, "The circle must be broken."
The Doctor repeated his statement while Iris hurried up her work with the handcuffs. When she finally managed to free him, they all backed up to the wall and kept repeating their own statements while Iris rolled her shoulders a little to ease the tension that had built up with her attempts to free the two others from their handcuffs. As they were stuck to the walls on their backs, the Oods suddenly said,
"Doctor. Donna. Iris. Friends."
The Doctor and Donna both looked relieved as they said, "Yes. That's us. Friends. Oh, yes."
They all ran out of the office and were in the middle of the factory complex, which is in a state of chaos as the Doctor groaned out,
"I don't know where it is. I don't know where they've gone."
Iris rolled her eyes as she grabbed the hands of her two friends and said, "Follow me."
The Doctor whined out in complaint, clearly not enjoying the fact that he didn't get to lead. Iris rolled her eyes again and Donna just looked at the Time Lord incredulously once again. She had never expected to see him whine. Ever.
When they finally reached the warehouse, the Doctor sonicked the door and opened it as they hurriedly ran in. Iris heard the faint voice of Halpen say,
"No need. We've got this. Detonation packs. Place them around the circumference. We're going to blow it up. This thing dies, so do the Ood."
Hearing that, Iris grit her teeth in fury as she bolted towards the area Halpen was at. She was going to beat that man to a pulp if it meant that was the only way to get him to stop. When they were finally inside, the Doctor commented,
"The Ood Brain. Now it all makes sense. That's the missing link. The third element, binding them together. Forebrain, hind brain and this, the telepathic centre. It's a shared mind, connecting all the Ood in song."
Halpen said, "Cargo. I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, I've got the sheds. Smaller business. Much more manageable, without livestock."
They heard Ryder pipe in, "He's mined the area."
Donna looked horrified as she said, "You're going to kill it?"
Iris grimaced and got a little closer to Ryder as unnoticeably as possible. She wasn't about to let the poor man die. Halpen continued to drawl on about his work and Ood Sigma finally joined in on the conversation. Iris heard The Doctor ask,
"Maybe it's taken centuries to adapt. The subconscious reaching out?"
Ryder's facial expression became determined as he said, "But the process was too slow. It had to be accelerated. You should never give me access to the controls, Mister 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."
Halpen muttered, "Yes. Yes, you did."
But before Halpen could do anything, Iris pulled Ryder to her and put him behind her as she said,
"Oh, no you don't. Not this time."
Ryder looked shocked at how close to death he was. Donna brought him to her side while the Doctor's eyes turned cold at the revelation. He gave a curt nod and a thank you to Iris as he stepped up to say something when Ood Sigma said,
"Would you like a drink, sir?"
Halpen looked surprised at the question and said, "I think hair loss is the least of my problems right now, thanks."
Sigma however, didn't appreciate the response and stood in front of Iris and the Doctor as he once again suggested,
"Please have a drink, sir."
The Doctor looked down in surprise as he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt from Iris as she grabbed his hand. His eyes widened as something began to dawn on him, though still not clear. He watched on as Halpen's gun shook a little as the man said,
"If you're going to stand in their way, I'll shoot you too."
Sigma repeated the same suggestion when Halpen felt it. The difficulty of breathing, the rapid heart rate. Iris whispered to Ryder and Donna,
"It might be good to close your eyes for this."
Donna and Ryder closed their eyes and Iris faced back to witness the end of Halpen. Halpen made choking noises as he asked
"Have, have you poisoned me?"
Iris' grip got tighter as Ood Sigma said, "Natural Ood must never kill, sir."
The Doctor asked, "What is that stuff?"
Ood Sigma responded, "Ood graft suspended in a biological compound, sir."
Halpen looked horrified as he struggled to breathe, lowering his gun. Iris took the gun from the man and heard the man choke out,
"What the hell does that mean?"
The Doctor whistled out and said, "Oh, dear."
Halpen yelled out, "Tell me!"
Iris stepped up and responded with a calm look, "Funny thing, the subconscious. Takes all sorts of shapes. Came out in the red eye as revenge, came out in the rabid Ood as anger, and then there was patience. All that intelligence and mercy, focused on Ood Sigma."
And with a dramatic pause, Iris coldly smiled a little and asked,
"How's the hair loss Mister Halpen?"
Halpen grasped his hair and found even more hair than he had lost beforehand and gasped in horror. The Doctor silently watched while Iris said, "Donna, Doctor Ryder, keep your eyes closed, it's going to be unpleasant."
Donna peeped up, "Yup! Got that!"
The Doctor grasped Iris' hand again, feeling the very same anger that was carefully held back. Meanwhile, Halpen yelled out,
"What have you done?"
The Doctor said, "Oh, they've been preparing you for a very long time. And now you're standing next to the Ood Brain, Mister Halpen. Can you hear it? Listen."
Halpen looked terrified and almost had a pleading look in his eyes as stuttered out, "Wh- What have you? I'm not…"
Halpen's face goes blank as he reached for his head and peeled the skin off. Iris, finally grimaced, breaking her calm façade as she witnessed Halpen's end and the Ood's birth. In some ways, it was the most horrifying way to go, but the most beautiful way to learn from his mistakes. The tentacles came out of Halpen's mouth.
Donna and Ryder finally opened their eyes and gasped as they saw an Ood instead of Halpen. Ryder whispered, "Oh my God…" in shock while Donna wasn't sure whether to feel terrified as she asked,
"They turned him into an Ood?"
The Doctor curtly answered "Yup."
Ryder said, "He's an Ood."
The Doctor once again said, "I noticed."
Then the four people saw Halpen Ood sneeze and a small hind brain flop onto his hands.
Donna hid her face into Ryder's chest at that, not bearing the result of all this pain while Iris grasped the Doctor's hand tighter. The Doctor's thumb began to rub circles in her hand to comfort her and sent waves of warmth to her. Iris got closer to the Doctor, needing that physical comfort.
Ood Sigma then said, "He has become Oodkind, and we will take care of him."
Donna then looked at the backs of the two time travelers and then back at the Halpen Ood as she said,
"It's weird, being with you. I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore."
The Doctor turned around and said, "It's better that way. People who know for certain tend to be like Mister Halpen."
Then the beeping sounded and Ryder quickly jumped to action as he began to deactivate the explosives while the Doctor and Iris helped.
The Doctor then smiled once they were all deactivated and said,
"That's better. And now, Sigma, would you allow me old chap, Ryder the honor?"
Ryder looked surprised and blushed a little at that as Sigma said,
"It is yours, Ryder."
The Doctor laughed as he pushed Ryder a little to go break the circle and said,
"Oh, yes! Stifled for 200 years, but not anymore. The circle is broken. The Ood can sing."
With that, Ryder turned off the current, and the song that was so sad and tear-jerking immediately became joyous as the Ood expressed their newfound freedom.
Donna exclaimed "I can hear it!"
Ryder smiled at the song as he said, "It's beautiful."
The Doctor and Iris simultaneously felt the lift in their shoulders. The anger, the sadness, it was all lifted. They looked at each other and genuinely smiled at the feeling of that weight being lifted. They looked at each other for a while until Donna coughed a little to signal that she and Ryder was ready.
They all exited the factory when Ryder stopped as he asked, "Doctor, what should I do now?"
Iris and the Doctor looked at each other, decently surprised when Iris spoke up with,
"How about you stay here and explain? The people will need some assistance in understanding what happened here. You can stand as their representative. Help the Ood keep their freedom and protect their planet."
The Doctor nodded and said, "That's probably for the best. Especially since you are, indeed a friend of the Ood."
Ryder blushed and said, "But I wasn't able to do anything."
Iris shook her head and laughed as she said, "No, you did everything! We just helped you clean up that's all. Without you to lower the barrier to the minimum, the Ood will never have been able to reach out and fight back for their freedom. You did all the work for us."
Donna smiled and shoved Ryder a little bit as she said, "You're a hero."
Ryder blushed even more at that and said, "I'll try my best. I promise."
With that, Ryder said, "Well then, I'll see you off!"
Shrugging, the Doctor started leading the way towards the TARDIS. Iris followed, hand-in-hand with the Doctor. Donna was chatting in the back with Ryder while Iris said,
"I guess it was worth it."
The Doctor looked at Iris with curiosity as she said, "Him being alive. I guess it was worth it. Now the Ood has someone that can fight for their cause. Spread the word for them."
The Doctor pondered this for a moment and smiled as he said, "Sounds wonderful to me. Buenissimo."
Iris laughed out loud at that and shoved the Doctor to the side. The Doctor pouted and Iris blushed a little before seeing the TARDIS and running towards it.
"Oh you're a sight for sore eyes." Iris whispered to her, while the Doctor warmly smiled.
Iris brought a sense of familiarity to him. A sense of warmth to his cold, burning loneliness. It was nice. It was almost addicting. Donna watched the interaction and Ryder said,
"They look nice together."
Donna looked up at him and smiled wistfully as she said, "Yeah, they do, don't they?"
Ryder nodded and looked at how Iris hugged the police box and frowned a little as he asked,
"Why's she…?"
"Hugging the police box?" Donna finished for him.
Ryder nodded and Donna laughed as she said, "Oh you'll find out soon."
While Iris calmed down, the Doctor turned to look at Ood Sigma and said,
"The message has gone out. That son resonated across the galaxies. Everyone heard it. Everyone knows The rockets are bringing them back. The Ood are coming home."
Sigma looked at them and said,
"We thank you, Doctor Donna Iris, friends of Oodkind. And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you."
The Doctor blushed a little as he said, "Oh, I've, I've sort of got a song of my own, thanks."
Sigma stayed silent for a few seconds before saying, "I think yours and Iris' song must end soon."
The Doctor flinched as he asked warily, "Meaning?"
He glanced back at Iris, who hadn't heard anything and was discussing things with Ryder.
Sigma vaguely responded back with, "Every song must end."
The Doctor took the hint and looked over at Donna, asking her,
"Yeah. Er, what about you? You still want to go home?"
Donna smiled softly as she said, "No, definitely not."
The Doctor smiled widely at that, happy to take her on another adventure as he said,
"The we'll be off."
Sigma said, "Take this song with you."
Iris came up to them with Ryder as she appreciatively said, "We will."
The Doctor added on, "Always."
Sigma then said, "And know this, Doctor Donna Iris. You will never be forgotten. Our children will sing of the Doctor Donna Iris, and our children's children, and the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever."
With that the trio went into the TARDIS and Ryder gasped as he saw the TARDIS dematerialize in front of his eyes.
…
Inside the TARDIS, Iris had taken off her coat and sighed in relief. "Oh I'm exhausted."
The Doctor looked over at her while fidgeting with the console and asked, "How are you feeling?"
Iris looked back at him with exhaustion clearly written on her face as she honestly replied with,
"Better. But that was rough."
Iris bit her lower lip as she thought a little bit and the Doctor waited, feeling the hesitation behind her thoughts through their bond. Iris then looked back at him and said,
"Can you drop me off at Torchwood?"
The Doctor's face fell slightly and Iris choked out, "It's not for good! I just need to see Jack and my team for a bit. Maybe you can come back and pick me up again?"
The Doctor smiled and then said, "Always!"
Iris laughed and said, "Then old man, drop me off so I can annoy Jack!"
The Doctor laughed back as he set the destination. Once they landed, Iris said goodbye to Donna and the Doctor before stepping out and walking towards the Hub.
She turned around just in time to see the TARDIS dematerialize and smiled. She turned back around and walked towards the Hub. When she entered the Hub, the alarm rang out like normal and she stepped in.
She looked around when her smile faded and found the Hub empty and dark. It was as if something had happened and the Hub was abandoned.