The Doctor flipped another switch. He beamed at us both, buzzing with positive energy like he'd eaten all the sugar. "Set the controls to random. Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, anywhen in the whole wide u-. Are you alright?"
"Terrified. I mean, history's one thing but an alien planet?" Donna asked, laughing.
Now...someone could very easily point out that we'd just come from one. Except well...I wasn't supposed to remember given Time Lord's ruler around crossing your own timeline. We made a point to tell Donna not to remind us too much about it, in case Problems came up.
But I remembered every second.
Can't forget. Won't forget. When I forget people die- he wore brown the tweed-
"I could always take you home." The Doctor offered.
"No!" I jumped to Donna's side, taking a firm stance by her side. "Donna stays. She stays because she is special and wonderful and-"
"Yeah, don't laugh at me." Donna asked.
"Yes ma'am." I stepped back.
"We know what it's like." The Doctor assured her. "Everything you're feeling right now. The fear, the joy, the wonder? We get that."
"Seriously? After all this time?" Donna asked, surprised. She glanced between the both of us.
"Yeah. Why do you think we keep going?" The Doctor asked. He grabbed his long coat, pulling it on.
I threw my arms in the air. "We love it! New places, new things. It never gets old. Every time we walk out those doors is better than the last!"
Donna smiled then. A beautiful joyful smile that could only light up a room. "Oh. All right then, all of us together." Donna walked towards the door. I stood by the pilot seat. "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."
In complete delight, Donna rushed out the door. The Doctor and I exchanged a giddy smile before following her. Donna opened the door- sending a cold blast of air back to us. Donna walked out into the snow. I grabbed the Doctor's arm.
'Doc. Doc Brown. Doc Brown, can it be?'
'I think it is'
"Oh, I've got the word. Freezing." Donna mused to herself.
"REAL! LIVE! SNOW!" I cheered, running out of the TARDIS. Snow kicked up beneath my feet, falling again onto the ground.
The Doctor stepped out. Myself, I kicked up more snow and even started rolling in it to make a snow angel. "Snow! Oh, real snow. Proper snow at last. That's more like it. Lovely. Always told you I'd get you there, Terra! What do you think?"
"I LOVE IT!" Hopping up, I showed off my art. "See? Snow angel. This one isn't gonna kill you by touch."
The Doctor barked with laughter. It made me giggle
Donna shivered, holding herself to warm up. "Bit cold."
"Look at that view." The Doctor praised.
Spinning in place, I looked out on the Ood planet. A fear I had coming into this was that the view would look so much like Utopia. The structures were blue mountain ridges. Long thick icicles hung from them. The kind of icicles that you knew would turn you into mush when they land on you. In the dark, I bet this place became a lot more terrifying. In the light of day, I loved it.
I love cold planets.
"Best. View. Ever!" Sighing in delight, I fell back into the snow.
"Yep. Beautiful, cold view." Donna replied.
"Millions of planets, millions of galaxies, and we're on this one." The Doctor cheered. I pulled myself to my feet, spinning to get the snow off my skirt. Time for a wardrobe change! "Molto bene. Bellissimo, says Donna, born in Chiswick."
The door popped open. Donna walked back in, shivering against the cold. I danced behind the TARDIS. Hidden from view, I quickly went about changing into something warmer. The blue skort was staying, same for the boots and bowtie. The dress would be switched out. Who was even around to see?
"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."
I pulled out a baggy dark pink sweater. It came from the Year, found in a store one night. New Zealand was great for shoplifting. Pulling the wool sweater over my head, I searched for another skort (I'd made extra) and a pair of white leggings.
The exact look that- if I recall correctly- my future self wore in the message from Death's Deal.
"Donna Noble, citizen of the Earth, standing on a different planet. How about that Donna?...Donna? Terra?"
"Here!" I hopped out from behind the TARDIS. Walking up to him, I straightened the bowtie. "Is it cute? I was going for cute."
"A sweater, really?" The Doctor asked with a smile.
I tilted my head, smiling wide. "The dress sleeves weren't made for cold. Sweaters are. Hey did you lose Donna?"
"She's not with you? Wait where did you change-" The Doctor asked. We both looked back at the TARDIS to watch a bundled-up Donna return.
She wore the biggest fur coat I'd ever seen. The hood was pulled up, fur blowing with the cold breeze. "Sorry, you were saying?" Donna asked.
"Better?" The Doctor asked.
Donna buttoned up the coat. "Lovely, thanks."
"Comfy?" The Doctor asked.
"Yep."
"Can you hear anything inside that?" The Doctor asked.
"Pardon?"
The Doctor and I giggled. "All right, I was saying. Donna Noble, citizen of the Earth-"
"Aren't you cold?" Donna grumbled at me.
"I'm never gonna finish it, am I?"
I checked over my outfit again. "Nah the sweater is fine. Besides, I work better in the cold!" I cheered. "In fact, I don't think it's cold enough!"
Donna snorted. Before she could say anything more, a loud sound came from overhead. I hissed at it. That damn thing disrupted the very Winterwonderland theme of it all. Yeah, our blue box wasn't helping either but the TARDIS got a pass.
Besides, I know who was on that rocket.
Or rather, who wasn't.
Nobody there was a Friend to the Ood. For that, they are all my enemies.
"Rocket. Blimey, a real proper rocket." Donna praised. That's fine. She can think whatever she wants. There's plenty of time to correct her bad opinions. "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."
I looked inside the Doctor's mind. 'I'm the one with a Ferrari. And it's not like that thing can travel in time.'
'She's young, she'll learn.' I told him, patting him on the back.
As we walked off after the thing...the singing started. Not from me, or not yet anyway. The singing came softly in my mind. Though it was gentle the song brought great sadness to me.
I am an Ood Friend
And the Circle breaks tonight.
==MGCB==
The spaceship long since flew out of even my sight. The icy bridges blocked the ship's pathing. Still, the Doctor guided us best he could. Just walking in the direction of the flight path.
The song got louder with every step. An aria, echoing in my head over and over. That damn melody reminded me of what I could lose. It reminded me of what I already lost.
"Wouldn't it be fun if I made them all snap their own necks?"
The song still played. My hearts grew heavier the closer we got. The Doctor and Donna giggled. Snow fell on our heads like the best kind of Christmas claymation special. It made me worse and worse. Why couldn't I feel that joy? Why was I stuck feeling this intense grief, pulling me down?
When it got really bad, I reached out to the Doctor.
"Terra?" The Doctor asked. "What's wrong?"
"It's loud." I let go of him, reaching for my ears. The Ood's- the poor, poor Delta- song was fading.
"Oh." The Doctor's face fell. "I can hear it now. Donna, can you?" Donna tilted her head. "Donna, take your hood down."
Donna did so. "What?"
I'm sorry-
No no, please-
"No!" I started running towards the hill of snow. The top of the Ood could be seen, just barely. As I ran closer they became more clear. "No please!"
As I approached him, I slid on the snow. Not even the sounds of the snow crunching under me cheered me up.
The Ood lay half-buried beneath the snow. Thrown out like trash. Delta just wanted to defend his people, get the managers to let them go. Only they shot him. He was running away and they shot him 'like a dog'.
Oh, poor Ood
Glorious Ood
I cupped the side of his face. In my mind, I returned his song to him. Matching the melody in harmony. At best, I could bring him peace as he faded. He blinked blearily at me, eyes shifting from white to red.
"Wouldn't it be a mercy to kill them before this thing does?"
His pain...I understood it. The Master kept me contained the same. While he didn't take out my literal brain, he might as well have. He used my skills to help him ensure control over planet Earth. Just like this Ood, I got justice. Just like this Ood, I was free.
I would give them back their freedom
They deserve nothing less.
The Doctor knelt on the other side of the Ood. "Terra can you-"
"Shh!"
"What is it?" Donna asked, yelping in disgust.
"An Ood. He's called an Ood." The Doctor explained.
My thumb brushed on his wrinkly head. The Ood tilted his head into my palm.
"But it's face-" Donna asked.
I hissed at her. "HE! He is a he! The Ood are not things! They are living, breathing beings just like you!" Donna jumped back, blinking in shock.
"She doesn't mean it, she's stressed." The Doctor told Donna. "It's fine. She's just- Terra can you-"
I glared at him. The Doctor nodded, simply accepting it. He pulled out the stethoscope. I turned my attention back to the Ood. My mind played for him.
Donna walked around the snowbank. She knelt at my side, reaching for my hand. "Sorry."
"You're learning. It's fine." I dismissed the grievance. Really, I should be sorry. I hissed at Donna Noble- made her feel bad. What an awful friend I am.
The Ood song cried out to me. My focus went back to him, giving him all of it.
"I don't know where the heart is. I don't know if he's got a heart." The Doctor huffed in aggravation. "Talk to him, keep him going."
"I am." I replied.
"You're not saying anything though." Donna asked. Her question wasn't defensive, or snobbily pointing it out. Donna was genuinely asking me that. Wow, I loved that Donna was kind like that.
"Ood are telepathic. They speak in their minds to each other." I replied. My thumb moved on his head again, my palm moving to brush his bald head. "He's singing with me. It's really pretty."
"I bet it is." Donna awkwardly patted my shoulder. When I turned to smile back at her, she wore a comforting smile. My cheeks were awfully cold for no reason at all, freezing over with something that definitely couldn't be water. "Er...Mr. Ood? Er, what's your name?"
The Ood's orb glowed. I bit back a sob. "Designated Ood Delta 50."
"I'm Terra." I told him. "This is the Doctor and Donna. We're Ood Friends."
"Ood Friends?" Donna asked.
"Trust me. You wanna be an Ood Friend." I told her. Back to Delta, I continued gently singing along in his mind.
"You've been shot." The Doctor realized.
Delta's song spiked in a way I didn't like. "The circle."
"I know, it's Okie Doki." I assured him.
"No, don't try to talk." Donna tried to help me calm him down.
Delta focused his eyes on me. "The Circle must be broken."
"It will. I swear." I promised him. Not a chance that the Ood would be sold as slaves after today.
"Circle? What do you mean?" The Doctor asked. "Delta 50, what circle? Terra? What circle?"
"The Circle must be broken." I told him, stern and like a vow.
Delta sat upright. He roared. His eyes flaring a bright brilliant red.
The Doctor grabbed me, pulling me away. Donna jumped up with him, helping the Doctor pull me back.
"No!" I yelled. Their grips were strong, fierce, and unwilling to slack.
Delta roared louder. The red in his eyes fading as the song did in my mind. 'Thank you...'
"NO!" Twisting my arms, I pulled myself from the Doctor and Donna.
It didn't matter. Delta already passed, falling into the snow in a dead thump.
"Careful-" The Doctor cautioned.
"Nononono-" I ran by his side, kneeling. Despite the cold, I pressed my forehead to his.
No song.
No melody.
Not even a note.
He died not with a bang but a whimper.
Someone would pay for that.
A loud silence filled the snow-filled space. The gentle hum of the wind did nothing to distract me from this grief.
"He's gone." Donna spoke so softly.
The Doctor came to my side. He knelt, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's alright."
I stood up, angrily wiping my cheeks. These were tears of rage dammit.
Donna came up behind us. "We were too late." She turned to me. "What do we do, do we bury him?"
"The snow'll take care of that." The Doctor answered. He looked down at the Ood, somewhere between mournful and questioning.
"Who was he? What's an Ood?" Donna asked me.
"Slaves for the human race." I hissed out. Dammit, those were spoilers. Can't give away spoilers. Can't do it can't leave them in the Circle can't- "Some say 'servants' but I've lived in America during the Civil War, and saw what the South was like. I know the difference." Facing the Doctor and Donna, I put on a smile that would assure them I wasn't about to lose my shit. "Slaves would sing in the fields...such sad songs...Delta sang to me. Even when he was dying, I heard it...it was such a sad song. What else could I do but sing back?"
"I couldn't hear anything." Donna pointed out. "He sang as he was dying."
"His eyes turned red." The Doctor reminded me. He gave me a sharp look.
"I told you, I know the difference." I repeated, giving a sharp narrow look right back. "I would know. Out of anyone else, I would know. This isn't the same. This was- this was different."
"What's that mean? His eyes were red?" Donna asked.
"Trouble." The Doctor explained. "Come on."
Kneeling one last time, I pressed a gentle kiss onto Delta's head.
Rest in peace, poor Ood.
I'll free your people tonight in your honor
And all those that came before you.
The Doctor walked up to me. I stood up, wrapping my arms around my chest. The Doctor put his arm around me, ushering me away from the grave.
"The Ood are harmless." The Doctor explained to Donna. "They're completely benign. That's why the humans of the 42nd century loved them so much. Except, the last time we met them-" He glanced at me. 'Are you okay with talking about this?'
'No, but she's gonna ask until we give her something.'
'We don't have to say it.'
'It's fine, go ahead.'
'Not if you aren't completely comfortable with it.' The Doctor insisted.
"There was a big scary force taking them over. It was scary and nobody liked it because it sucked so bad." I explained.
"What sort of force?" Donna asked.
'See? See I told you-'
"Oh, long story." The Doctor dismissed.
"Long walk." Donna countered.
"It was the devil-" I answered, copying the mom from Waterboy.
Donna huffed. "If you're going to take the mickey, I'll just put my hood back up."
"Nah we left Mickey with Rickey and Pete." These jokes were the only thing keeping me sane.
The Doctor guided us towards an uphill snowbank. "Must be something different this time, though. Something closer to home." As we crested over the peak, I saw Ood Industries. The very sight had me ready to fight, to punch every single human there in the face. Those bastards...enslaving a group of people...people that gave them trust...belief...hope...motherfuckers dared- "Ah ha! Civilization."
Ah. Right. The Doctor was here.
I wanted to go Django Unchained on their asses.
==MGCB==
Solana spoke to the large crowd of businesspeople just outside the door. Any moment, I could pull out my special Time Lord killing gun to just wipe them out. The Ood wouldn't like such slaughter on their land. The Doctor wouldn't like it either. So for now...no murder...just for now...
The Doctor pulled out the psychic paper. "Sorry, sorry, sorry. Late. Don't mind us. Hello. The guards let us through."
"And you would be?" Solana asked, smiling politely.
"The Doctor, Terra, and Donna Noble." The Doctor explained.
"Representing the Noble Corporation PLC Limited, Intergalactic." Donna answered.
"We spoke on the vid-phone last week." I lied.
It worked, happily enough. Solana must have a busy life if that sort of memory could just be slipped in without missing a beat. "Must have fallen off my list. My apologies. Won't happen again. Now then, Doctor Noble, Mrs. Noble, Ms. Noble, if you'd like to come with me."
"Oh, no, no, no, no. We're not married." The Doctor corrected.
Donna shook her head. "We're so not married."
"Not their kid." I insisted.
"Never."
"Never ever."
"Never never ever."
Solana smiled that still so polite smile. "Of course." She handed us a plastic container. I grabbed it, looking it over. "And here are your information packs, vouchers inside. Now if you'd like to come with me, the Executive Suites are nice and warm." Solana walked towards the door.
An Ood stood behind her. I locked eyes with him, tilting my head gently. The Ood copied my motion.
Right as the door opened an alarm went off. Out of all the people in the crowd, the Ood and I were the only ones not to look.
"Oh, what's that? That sounds like an alarm." The Doctor asked.
"Oh, it's just a siren for the end of the work shift." Solana lied. At, how lovely to see PR at its finest. "Now then, this way, quick as you can."
The Doctor helped me walk inside. It got me to break eye contact with the Ood.
I won't fail you
I promise
==MGCB==
Ood walked around the lobby space. They held up plates with drinks and snacks. It reminded me so much of their purposes on Krop Tor that my stomach turned. If I accepted their snacks, I would only puke it back up.
"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."
Right now I know- for a fact- that you are killing them.
You're killing every Ood that shows free will.
You're selling them for 50 credits a pop
How the actual hell can any human be okay with this?
Did y'all just forget the Civil War? Forget everyone that ever died to keep slaves from ever being a thing again?
Author's Fucking Plotline I am going to enjoy burning this place to the ground.
"We keep the Ood healthy, safe, and educated."
No, you fucking don't
"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."
Well I ain't happy
That explains everything
"I'd now like to point out a new innovation from Ood Operations." Solana walked over to Ood. Three Ood put their plates down, walking over to stand in a line. "We've introduced a variety package with the Ood translator ball. You can now have the standard-setting. How are you today, Ood?"
"I'm perfectly well, thank you." A polite voice replied, much in the traditional Ood voice.
"Or perhaps after a stressful day, a little something for the gentlemen." Solana walked up to the second Ood. "And how are you, Ood?"
"All the better for seeing you." A low sultry voice replied.
'Terra, you're projecting your anger.'
'Are they pimping out Ood right now?!'
'You need to stay calm, at least for now.'
'How can you-?!'
'Then if they are as bad as you think, we'll free the Ood. However you want.'
'...promise?'
'I swear.'
'...okay fine.'
"And the comedy classic option. Ood, you dropped something." Solana told the third Ood.
The third held up the orb. A Homer Simpson 'doh' came out.
'...I cannot stay nice for much longer.'
'...yeah I knew it wasn't going to last long.'
"All that for only five additional credits." Solana informed the giggling crowd. "The details are in your brochures. Now, there's plenty more food and drink, so don't hold back." The crowd applauded her as she walked away.
This once, I will pass on drinks. The Ood are doing it out of force rather than actual want.
The Doctor guided me towards Solana's podium. A few quick button presses had the large viewscreen lighting up with a map of the universe. The Doctor walked behind me, slipping on his glasses.
"Ah, you got it." The Doctor looked at the planets. The sooner we got this done, the sooner we could fix the Circle and free the Ood. "The Ood Sphere, I've been to this solar system before. Years ago. Ages. Close to the planet Sense Sphere. Let's widen out."
The Doctor changed it to show a bigger, brighter map complete with red lines.
"The year 4126. That is the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire." The Doctor revealed.
"4126?" Donna asked, gawking. "It's 4126. I'm in 4126."
Every companion gets their own little freak out over the year
It does bring a smile to my face...seeing Donna so excited about time travel
Reminds me of all the good out there, despite all the bad right here.
I can be happy, too, I guess...
Being happy now doesn't change the fact that I need to make things right.
"It's good, isn't it?" The Doctor asked.
"Yep..." I smiled, actually feeling like smiling. Donna's joy infected me.
"What's the Earth like now?" Donna asked, still on a time-travel high.
"Bit full. But you see, the Empire stretches out across three galaxies." The Doctor explained.
"It's weird. I mean, it's brilliant, but." Donna shook her head, laughing. "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. That thing about the bees is odd." The Doctor admitted.
I nodded. "Where do they even go? By all known laws of aviation, they shouldn't even fly."
"But look at us. We're everywhere." Donna cheered. She sobered up quickly. "Is that good or bad, though? I mean, are we like explorers? Or more like a virus?"
"Depends on who you ask." I admitted.
"Sometimes I wonder." The Doctor added.
Donna squinted at the screen. "What are the red dots?"
"Ood distribution centers." The Doctor answered.
"Ah man...my good feelings are gone." I pouted. Rage came back full force, my pout became a scowl.
"Across three galaxies? Don't the Ood get a say in this?" Donna asked. "Terra said they were slaves."
"Thank you!" I pointed at Donna, glaring at the Doctor. "Donna gets it. I should've known Donna would get it. She's smart."
"But Doctor, are they?" Donna asked.
"Let's try something." I suggested. "Cause see last time, I asked an Ood a question a lot like it. Rose did too. At the time we wrote the answers off as weird powerful force stuff. Now though? I doubt it."
Walking up to a nearby Ood, I smiled at him. The Ood nodded his head politely. Donna stood right behind me.
"Excuse me, Sir? Could you help me with something?"
"Of course, Miss." The Ood replied.
"Are there any Ood in none serving positions?" I asked. "Oods that do not serve?"
The Ood blinked. The tentacles on his face twitched. "I do not understand, Miss."
"What she means is-" Donna stepped in. "-are there any free Ood? Are there Ood running wild somewhere, like wildebeest?"
"All Ood are born to serve. Otherwise, we would die." The Ood answered.
"Why? You can't have been born like this. Before serving, before humans, what were you like?" I asked.
The Ood stared at me. His head twitched again. Something very unsettling had hairs on my neck standing. "The Circle."
"What do you mean? What circle?" The Doctor asked.
The Ood's head twitched again. "The C-Circle. The Circle is-"
"Ladies and gentlemen." Solana called out. "All Ood to hospitality stations, please." She began ushering the crowd to their next stop.
"Doctor." I prompted. "Doctor, can we go topple a slave business? Please please please-"
"You've never had a better idea." The Doctor agreed. "Do you fancy going off the beaten track?"
"Rough guide to the Ood Sphere? Works for me." Donna replied.
"Huzzah!" I fist-pumped myself, smiling out to the retreating Ood.
==MGCB==
I used my sonic to buzz the gate open. Not only was the sonic buzzing, but I was. As we navigated the Ood Operations facility, the songs started again. It's funny- the songs were muted like they were muffled. Given what I knew about them, that suppression made sense.
Heartbreakingly made sense...
My stomach turned when the automated voice announced Ood shift eight had begun. I stood to the side, clutching a cold metal railing. The Ood marched out from their containment buildings in two perfect rows, walking in too perfect formation. Yeah, I'm gonna be sick...
An Ood stumbled to the ground. The Ood in his group stopped to not break formation. A guard walked over to him.
"Get up." When the Ood tried and failed, the guard cracked a whip by the Ood's head. My hands tightened on the railing. "I said get up."
"Oh god." Donna gawked. "Servants? They're slaves."
"Get up! March." The guard cracked the whip again.
It would be so easy
Nobody would know it was me
Just like last time
Trigger press...
The Ood fearfully pushed himself to his feet. The formation of Ood continued walking without breaking stride.
"Last time I met the Ood, I never thought. I never asked." The Doctor admitted.
"That's not like you." Donna pointed out.
"I was busy. So busy I couldn't save them. I had to let the Ood die." The Doctor looked over at me. "You didn't."
Yes I did
"I'll let you decide. Belated birthday present."
"Focusing on them was easier." I answered.
"Ne-necks."
"Doc Brown, you said we'd do it my way." I reminded him.
"I did." The Doctor nodded. "I reckon we owe them one." He gave me a hard stare, suggesting that in no way could my plan involve murder.
Which it wouldn't.
This would be pest control.
"That looks like the boss." Donna nodded towards a small grouping of men, walking to Warehouse 15.
I smiled down at them, giggling to myself. Ood Sigma stood behind Halpen, carefully serving as an obedient slave to his master. Even the bald spot on Halpen's head made me grin.
Ood Sigma, you rock
"Let's keep out of his way. Come on." The Doctor began guiding us away.
Seriously you rock. I mean, disguising it as a hair tonic. Genius. I'm so happy for you-
"Terra."
"No murder, I remember." I turned from the metal railing. Halpen would get his time. Other Ood needed my help right now. Justice would come to Ood Operations.
==MGCB==
The three of us snuck around the buildings. I guided myself by hearing the songs in my head. They got louder the closer I stood to certain warehouses. One we passed by had the loudest songs. I stopped by the door. The Doctor kept walking. Donna whistled loudly for him.
"Thanks, Donna, he gets a bit in his head sometimes." Whipping out my sonic, I unlocked the door.
"No problem." Donna cheerily replied.
The Doctor walked back. I pushed the door open for us. "Where'd you learn to whistle?"
"West Ham, every Saturday." Donna answered.
The inside disgusted me. Dozens on dozens of shipping containers. Every single thing about this space made me sick. It made me angry. The bitter kind of anger that always came for me. A wave of righteous, powerful anger that could topple worlds if I let it.
You know what? I was feeling inclined.
"The claw." I pointed up at the large claw swinging about the place. It moved thwarts a container, lifting it for transport.
"Ood export. You see?" The Doctor pointed the claw out. "Lifts up the containers, takes them to the rocket sheds, ready to be flown out all over the three galaxies."
"What, you mean, these containers are full of?" Donna asked.
"Ood don't come with accessories." I reminded her, walking over to the closest container.
The lock snapped open. I pulled it back, the Doctor opening the other door. Inside, the Ood stood in perfect formation.
Is that fury in my belly or vomit?
"Oh, it stinks." Donna huffed. Good. She should be offended by the stupidity of her species. "How many of them do you think there are in each one?"
"Hundred? More?" The Doctor guessed.
"All that can fit." I reasoned. "The Ood aren't gonna complain, are they?"
"A great big empire built on slavery." Donna scoffed.
"Yes." I replied, smiling with all my teeth. Those were the best ones to overthrow. You always knew the slaves from their masters.
"It's not so different from your time." The Doctor pointed out.
"Oi. I haven't got slaves." Donna snapped.
"Who do you think made your clothes?" The Doctor scolded.
Donna looked away from the Ood to glare. I did too. "Is that why you travel round with a human at your side? It's not so you can show them the wonders of the universe, it's so you can take cheap shots?"
The Doctor grimaced. "Sorry."
"Don't-" Donna hissed. She stopped herself, adding in a "Spaceman." The Doctor smiled in assurance.
'Terra. What do you remember from last time?'
'I remember lots of things about that day. Please specify.'
'About the Ood. Do you remember any of it?'
'Danny explained what they were, Rose and I got offended. We were declared 'Friends Of The Ood', which is the coolest name for a punk rock band!' I reported.
'Anything about a circle?'
'It must be broken.'
'But what is it? Why do you know about it?' The Doctor asked.
My hearts hammered painfully in my chest. His answer reminded me of just how much I'd given away, things that nobody could see yet. My knowledge went beyond reasonable deductions. I'd shown my hand.
'The Ood sing such pretty songs.' I replied.
"I don't understand, the door is open, why don't you just run away?" Donna asked them.
An Ood in front held up his orb. "For what reason?"
"You could be free." Donna explained like it was obvious.
The Ood tilted his head. "I do not understand the concept."
"What is it with that Persil ball?" Donna asked us. "I mean, they're not born with it, are they? Why do they have to be all plugged in?"
Plugging in keeps them connected to the Circle.
Keeps them alive.
Reminds them that they have something out there, singing out support. She can't stop what's coming but she does her best.
It's not her fault. I don't blame her- I never could. Even on the worst days, I never blamed her. She tried to save m- them as best she could.
They just wanted to be free.
Pity they kill only a few jailers to do it.
As for not running, why would they? They'd leave so many people behind. Their people. All of them stuck, still trapped in the Circle. No Ood would be free until the Circle was broken.
"Ood, tell me." The Doctor asked. "Does 'the circle' mean anything to you?"
Every orb lit up. I shuddered, hugging myself. Something pounded at my head...singing as loud and incessant as Christmas music at the mall. Worse yet, the thing in my head wanted to be heard. It wanted to be screamed and shouted out.
"The circle must be broken." The Ood and I chanted.
Donna shuddered. "Oh, that is creepy."
The Doctor looked my way, then back at the Ood. "But what is it? What is the circle?"
"The circle must be broken." We repeated.
"Why?" The Doctor pressed.
"So that we/they can sing." We answered.
The Doctor turned to me. Donna stepped back so he could get closer. I tilted my head at him. "Terra. Just tell me. What is the Circle?"
Words again were stuck inside of me. What good were words now? How could any words compare to this growing pain in my head and chest? They needed to be let out. They had to know how bad it was, what was at stake.
"With the sting of the whip on my shoulder, with the salt of sweat on my brow-" The song came out. "Elohim, God on high, can you hear your people cry-"
The Doctor huffed. "Really? Radio Terra is back."
"Does she do that all the time?" Donna asked.
"Only when she's scared." The Doctor explained. He turned to me, reaching up a hand to my shoulder to bring me out of it.
It wouldn't work.
The Circle was made to keep us quiet.
"She's highly empathetic in this body." The Doctor went on. "The Ood communicate empathically. She's probably connected with them." He looked at the Ood in concern.
Did he remember back when the Ood were at level 100? Screaming out as loud as they could, not showing a single scrap on the outside?
They could scream really loud when they wanted.
It was giving me a headache...
"She's not just feeling her fear." The Doctor turned back to me, looking me in the eyes. "She's feeling all of theirs."
"Is she gonna be alright?" Donna asked.
The Doctor didn't look away from me. Something tapped at my head. Or maybe pounded, the Ood screamed so loud I couldn't keep track.
"Tell us now, this dark hour, deliver us. Hear our call, deliver us."
Their screams got louder and louder. Like they knew I could speak out, that I wasn't part of it. They wanted me to speak out. They wanted to be heard and be free.
"La La Lord, deliver us." I sang, slumping against the container wall. My head went all fuzzy, in and out.
Where was I again? Which body was mine? Standing upright exhausted me...can't I relax? Can't I lie down?
My head...
An alarm went off. It shocked me out of my head. Being pulled out from...whatever that was...hurt nearly as much as if I'd stayed.
"Wha- what happened?" I asked them.
"Oh, that's us." The Doctor answered. He held out his hand. Donna grabbed it, holding a hand out to me. "Come on."
With a parting look at the Ood, I followed Donna out of here. Suddenly I was so tired...why was I so tired now? How...what made me so exhausted?
As we ran, the alarm rang in my head. My headache came back in full force. Every ring went off like a bomb in my head.
Everything hurts
She's screaming again
Her song is so loud
I let go of Donna. My head was exploding. Stopping in my tracks, I held my head.
"Doctor, Terra stopped!" Donna warned. She killed herself from the Doctor, staying with me. "There's a door!"
The door opened. Guards stormed in, waving their guns around.
"Don't move!" Someone yelled.
Why are people always yelling at me?
Why the fucking hell can't they learn?!
"Shut." I glared over at the guards. All of them aimed guns at Donna and I. "Up!"
The guards kept yelling at us. There had to be somewhere quiet nearby. Somewhere I could relax. Anywhere that didn't have Ood-hating-guards.
"Terra!" The Doctor called out. "Terra where are you!"
"Stay where you are." A guard ordered at me.
"I said, SHUT UP!" I yelled, turning and running off.
I ran. There was a space calling out for me. Guards chased me towards it.
They aren't very nice men.
They grabbed my arms, dragging me along. I slumped in their hold, falling in a dead drop. The guards only held tighter.
"Get off her! I mean it!" Donna yelled. "Get off!"
The doors to a container opened. I ran in. Or was I thrown in? That didn't matter to me. This container was quieter than the guards. The red-eyed Oods were much more polite.
The door locked behind us.
==MGCB==
Donna watched Terra collapse against the wall.
"Terra!" She went to the alien girl's side. "What's wrong with you? Did they hurt you? I'll get them if they did!"
Donna lifted Terra's head. The girl's amber eyes were vacant, staring off in a haze. Donna's heart ached at seeing Terra this broken and defeated. Worse yet, Terra's eyes were so broken while her smile was so bright. The eyes themselves reflected back more red than before. Tears came down her face, shuddering in Donna's arms.
Donna turned to the Ood in the container. "Can you help her? Please- she needs help. I don't know what's wrong with her."
They glared Donna's way. All of them with those glowing red eyes. The eyes that scared the Doctor. They stalked towards Donna and Terra.
"Oh, no, you don't. What have I done?" Donna asked. She stood up, protecting Terra from them. Whatever these Ood had wrong with them, they'd have to get through Donna first. "I'm not one of that lot. I'm on your side. Terra is too!"
The Ood continued marching forward.
"Stay where you are." Donna ignored the shaking wobble in her voice. "That's an order. I said, stay. Doctor? Doctor!"
Donna found herself being flung back. Terra walked ahead, meeting the Ood halfway. To her shock, Terra tilted her head. The Ood copied her.
"Terra!" Donna cried out.
"The Circle must be broken." Terra stated.
The Ood snarled and hissed at her. Donna thought she heard words, maybe copying Terra as well. It was too terrifying to say any of it.
Terra held up her hand, delicately placing it on the orb. An Ood hissed.
Donna pressed her back against the container. The Ood stayed still, focusing their red eyes on Terra.
"Doctor, get us out!" Donna called out.
"Hear our prayer, deliver us from the despair these years of slavery, grown too cruel to stand."
Donna looked back. The Ood blinked at Terra, snarling. "Stop it! Terra, you need to stop!"
"Deliver us. There's a land you promised us- Deliver us from bondage to this promised land." Terra told them. "Hush- hu-thus...thus saith the Lord, thus saith the Lord-"
"Doctor, get us out of here!" Donna shouted. "Doctor!"
Donna heard his voice outside.
"If you don't do what she says, you're really in trouble. Not from me, from her."
"Unlock the container." Someone ordered.
The door opened. Donna turned back to get Terra. She jumped back, startled. Terra stood at Donna's back. Her smile vanished, her cheeks still wet. Her eyes...something in them disturbed Donna.
"Come on." Donna guided the alien girl out of the container. Terra muttered to herself. Donna looked at the Doctor in relief. "Doctor. She's gone in a state. And those Ood- they had those eyes."
The Doctor gave her the smallest look of acknowledgment. He went straight to Terra. "Terra? What's wrong?"
Terra kept muttering. The tears stop fell, her eyes going redder and redder.
The Doctor tensed. Donna frowned, tensing up too.
A guard screamed. Donna looked back, seeing an Ood press the orb on a man's head.
"Red alert. Fire!" A guard screamed. More Ood stormed from the container.
Donna and the Doctor grabbed Terra's hands, running away from the gunfire.
As they ran, Terra spoke up. Donna could hear whatever she was saying now.
"-into your dreams, into your sleep, until you break- until you yield." Terra sang.
Gunshots bounced off the nearby containers. Donna barely stopped from screaming, focused on getting Terra somewhere safe.
"I send the swarm, I send the horde, thus saith the Lord-"
They made it outside. The cold snow did nothing to distract Donna from what she witnessed. They ran and ran until they were a safe distance from the gunfire.
When they finally stopped, Donna saw that woman from the tour followed them. Donna sneered at her. "If people back on Earth knew what was going on here-"
"Oh, don't be so stupid. Of course they know." The woman dismissed.
"They know how you treat the Ood?" Donna asked.
"They don't ask. Same thing." The woman replied.
"Terra!" The Doctor asked in a desperate voice.
Donna looked back. The Doctor held Terra's shoulders in his hands. Terra still sang that song, that disturbing smile stretching wider and tears still falling.
"It's alright. You're out of the box. You can stop." The Doctor assured her.
She hiccuped, trying to laugh but sobbed instead. "I send the thunder from the sky-"
"Terra I'm so sorry." The Doctor reached his hands up, pressing his fingertips to her head. "But you need to snap out of it."
==MGCB==
"I send the fire raining dow-ow-ow-OW! Everything hurts!" I screamed, pushing the guards off me-
Wait- no. Not guards.
"Doctor? When did you get here?" I asked. My head pounded something awful. Did I start drinking again? The Doctor worked hard to stop my drinking, saying something about...something. I don't know- my head hurts. How long had that been a thing? "Why is it cold again- when did we get outside? Hey, when did that PR lady get here? What happened to the Ood? WHY IS MY BOWTIE CROOKED?!"
"You're back." The Doctor sighed in relief. He squeezed my shoulder.
As I straightened out the bow tie, something in his tone made my stomach sink. "Did I blackout? What happened to the Ood? Did- did I hurt someone? Doctor, what did I do? What did I do-"
"Nothing. You did nothing." The Doctor told me. He held my shoulders, looking me in the eyes so I could see his sincerity. "Really, honestly nothing. You stayed 100 percent you, I swear."
"Yeah, you were only singing." Donna explained.
Singing? Sing- what did I sing? Why did I sing it? Why do I not remember singing it?
Was it catchy at least?
"You're safe now." The Doctor assured.
"Safe? Seriously? How can I be safe when I'm surrounded by space slavers?" I asked.
"We are not slavers!" Solana argued.
"And it's not rabbit season!" I snapped back. "You people- do you know what you've done to them? What you really did to them?"
"Nothing! We have done nothing." Solana insisted.
That made me giggle, incredulous. "Then why do the Ood serve as they do? Why did they stop singing? Whenever I get near them, it's- it's like I can't stop myself singing for them and with them. Something in them wants freedom. Wants to be heard. You said they were born like this, but that's just not possible. Not for the Ood."
I marched up to her face. The Doctor at my shoulder, acting as backup.
"I'll ask one more time. What. Did. You. Do?"
Solana shook her head. "That's nothing to do with me."
The Doctor stepped forward. "Oh, what, because you don't ask?"
"That's Doctor Ryder's territory." Solana answered.
The Doctor pulled out the map. "Where's he? What part of the complex?" Solana paused, hesitant and scared. "We could help with the red-eye. Now show us."
She pointed to a spot on the map. "There. Beyond the red section."
'We don't need a map.'
'Yeah, we do. Not even I can memorize a map that fast.'
'I have.' It's one of my favorite hobbies. Darcy thought that was fun. A sort of nerd thing that suited me, she said. How else would I be able to break her out of hails so often without getting good at studying maps? 'But even that's useless. Can't you hear them?'
The Doctor tried. I saw it, he really tried. '...you can still hear them singing, can't you?'
'You can't?'
A beat.
'Terra. Oh Terra Johnson you are brilliant.' The Doctor praised. He smiled at me, sending mental waves of praise at me.
It didn't make me feel any better. Freeing the Ood would do that.
Or some sleep. My head still hurt something awful...did I hit it, or something?
"Come with us." The Doctor offered Solana. I rolled my eyes. "You've seen the warehouse. You can't agree with all this. You know this place better than me. You could help."
Solana showed no hesitation. "They're over here!" I grabbed the Doctor and Donna, dragging them off in the direction of the songs in my head. "Guards! They're over here."
==MGCB==
We approached a new warehouse. Donna followed behind. Their songs were louder here. That made sense, given who they stored inside. Their songs hurt. My head hurt, somewhere between wanting to sing back or just fall into madness.
"Terra's right. We don't need a map, we just need to listen." The Doctor explained. "This way."
I pulled out my sonic as we reached the door.
The Doctor ran beside me. "Oh can you hear it?"
"It's beautiful." The song broke your heart in all the worst ways. The tragedy of the song made it beautiful- made it real. This song hurt less than before.
The door unlocked. I kicked it open, skipping inside. The Doctor and Donna rushed in. The Doctor shut the door. He used the sonic to lock it back, sparks flying.
"Hold on. Does that mean we're locked in?" Donna asked.
Don't remind me
Seriously don't
It's taking a lot in me to not freak out about that.
The door can be unlocked at any time...we'll get out before I should even worry...we'll be fine...we'll be alright.
"Listen. Listen, listen, listen, listen." The Doctor instructed.
I went off, skipping after the singing.
"Oh, my head. No wonder you were in a state." The Doctor replied.
"What is it?" Donna asked.
"Can't you hear it? The singing?" The Doctor asked. He ran after me.
I found an Ood cage first. As my companions approached, I turned on the light. The unprocessed Ood sat up, looking at me in worry.
Approaching the cage, I sent back the song I sang with Delta. My song, answering the call of theirs. The Ood settled, spreading out from a circle.
My head hurts
It hurts so bad
But I will sing to make them at ease
"They look different to the others." Donna wondered.
"That's because they're natural-born Ood, unprocessed, before they're adapted to slavery. Unspoiled." The Doctor knelt by my side. My hand grabbed the bars of the cage, reaching out to them.
"They're singing again." I told them, humming.
"I can't hear it." Donna knelt at my other side.
"Would you like to?" I asked her.
Donna nodded. "Yeah."
"It's the song of captivity." The Doctor cautioned.
Donna braced herself. "Let me hear it."
"Are you sure?" I asked her. Donna nodded. "Okay. Turn to me."
Donna turned. I reached up, pressing a fingertip to her forehead.
"Open your mind up- like opening a door. There you go." I encouraged her. The song slipped from my mind to hers. "Listen to it, Donna. Listen as I do."
The song flowed between our minds. The Ood sang in turn with me, and I showed Donna both of them. The song in all its tragedy.
When I lowered my hand back, Donna turned to stare at the caged Ood. "Take it away."
"Okay." My fingertip went back to the top of her head. A small poke in her mind stopped the Ood singing.
Donna whimpered, wiping water from her cheek. "I can't bear it."
"It's gone now." I told her.
"No, it's not. I still hear it." Donna explained.
I tilted my head. It came in a flash. "Oh my Author! My bad. That's my bit." Leaning forward, I tapped her head.
Donna let out a breath, shuddering as she held the bars to the cage.
"I'm sorry." My hand went over my chest, clutching at my bowtie. "Really- you didn't need to hear me-"
"It's fine, I'm sorry." Donna wiped her cheeks again.
"It's okay." The Doctor assured her.
Donna looked up at us, something very vulnerable and lost in her eyes. "But both of you can still hear it."
"All day." I admitted with ease. Sure it made every part of my day difficult and upsetting, even apparently setting off a mental breakdown. Still, the Ood song deserved to be heard. How could I ever forgive myself for ignoring it?
The Doctor reached over, putting a hand on my back. He rubbed my back. 'You're not okay.'
'I promise!'
'If it's too much, you can stop.'
'But- but if I stop listening then it's like I won't care-' I reasoned.
'No one would say that about you.' The Doctor promised me. 'You're the one that saw them in pain long before I did. You've done more today to free the Ood than me. After all that you've been through, they would understand you stepping away.'
'I can't leave them behind- I can't do it again.'
'Neither can I. We're staying here to fight until every Ood is free.'
'Promise?'
'Yes.'
The Doctor squeezed my shoulder. With him there, promising to free the Ood, stepping away from the song hurt less.
As I took a deep breath, the Doctor pulled out his sonic. He used it on the door. Behind us, loud metal banging echoed up to us.
"They're breaking in." Donna warned.
"Ah, let them." The Doctor pulled the cage door open.
The Ood scurried back, trying to hide in the corner of their cell. I moved forward. The Ood curled further back from me. As my entire self-esteem crumbled, the Doctor knelt beside me.
"What are you holding? Show me." Hr asked, being careful to be kind.
The Ood continued to hide. I crawled forward, just enough to stay out of arm's reach.
"We're Friends." I smiled kindly. "Ood Friends. The three of us, Friend. Doctor, Donna, Terra. Friend." I promised them.
The Ood stayed still. My eyes watered, pain in my chest returning like somebody shot broken glass into my hearts. I knew it. Stepping away from their song hurt them, made them hate me.
The Master said stuff like that all the time...I didn't want to think he was right.
The Ood crawled forward, their knees scraping across the dirt. Their hands clasped tight around their hindbrain.
"It's Okie Doki." I assured them, desperate now for their trust. If not even an Ood trusted me, what chance did I have? I'd killed them once before. Humanity thrice over. Who could blame them for mistrust? "Really it is. We're friends."
The Ood shuffled forward.
"T-that's it. It's okay." I encouraged, leaning forward.
The Ood held out their hands. The Doctor and Donna leaned forward too. The Ood uncovered their hand, showing off the small hindbrain. The image itself- and its implications- horrified me. Still, relief overflowed inside of me.
"Thank you." I bowed my hand, resting my hands over my hearts. "For trusting us."
"Is that-?" Donna gawked.
"It's a brain." The Doctor realized. "A hindbrain. The Ood are born with a secondary brain. 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. A processed Ood."
"So the company cuts off their brains?" Donna asked.
"And give them an orb in return." I confirmed.
"Like a lobotomy." Donna looked around our makeshift Circle. "I spent all that time looking for you, Doctor, Terra, because I thought it was so wonderful out here. I want to go home."
"It still is." I told Donna. "Because we're getting them out. The Circle will break." I looked at the Doctor.
His expression was unmistakable. A frown like he'd been grinding his teeth, a step behind growling in rage. His big brown eyes crackled, shimmering and coming up from a slow heat. That anger that's been burning since Ood Delta finally came out.
"Right?" I prompted him.
The Doctor turned to me. His eyes widened. I didn't need to look in his head to know what he was thinking. What he was coming to realize about the Ood Brain- what it could mean for the Circle.
The doors busted open. I let go of them, rising to my feet and turning back. My hand went to my Bag. A gun sat inside, nestled and waiting. If this would be a shoot-out, I'd need to be quick in keeping them away from these Ood.
"They're with the Ood, sir." One of them reported.
I reached out with my other hand, grabbing the cell door. As Hallrn approached I slammed it shut.
The Doctor stood up, reaching for the bars. 'Are you alright?'
'For a minute, yeah.'
"What you going to do, then?" The Doctor taunted. "Arrest us? Lock us up? Throw us in a cage? Well, you're too late. Ha!"
==MGCB==
They closed the handcuff around my wrist. I glared at them, curling my fingers into a fist. The guard flinched back from me.
I'd caused quite a stir. Earlier as they dragged us from the Ood cell, I'd kicked a good portion of the guards. If they wanted to stay unbruised, they shouldn't've been in kicking range.
The Doctor smiled proudly at me.
Now we were in handcuffs. Yes, a mild panic attack was starting. The Ood needed help- that kept me with some semblance of sanity.
"Why don't you just come out and say it?" Halpen scolded. "FOTO activists."
"Proudly!" I snapped. "Friends of the Ood are just people with sense!" Coming from me, that's saying something.
"The Ood were nothing without us, just animals roaming around on the ice." Halpen dismissed.
I growled.
"That's because you can't hear them." The Doctor hissed.
"They welcomed it. It's not as if they put up a fight." Halpen argued, dismissing the very real nature of Oods.
Do I want to hit him or shoot him?
I looked at Ood Sigma. He stayed still and quiet, not even blinking as his boss called him such things. The Ood was braver than me. He caught me staring, tilting his head.
"You idiot." Donna snapped. I stopped growling, instead smiling proudly at her. "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."
"Go Donna!" I cheered.
"Yeah, nice one." The Doctor complimented.
Donna nodded, her head tilting up in pride. "Thank you."
"The system's worked for two hundred years. All we've got is a rogue batch." Happen excused. Hit him. Definitely hit him. I want my fish to meet his face. "But the infection is about to be sterilized."
Bastard
Halpen reached for his earpiece. "Mister Kess. How do we stand?"
"Canisters primed, sir. As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released. Give it two hundred marks and counting."
"You're going to gas them?" The Doctor asked, disgusted.
Halpen "Kill the livestock. The classic foot and mouth solution from the olden days. Still works."
I can't wait for it to blow up in your face
Something hit me- hit hard. I took a sharp breath through my nose, fighting back and other outward sign of it. This hurt less than all the other times I joined them...this felt natural, like the easiest thing in the world.
Flashes showed up in my mind
The Ood-Brain wanted me to see
I would understand
I would help
A Natural Ood mustn't kill, after all.
The revolution of the Ood had begun in true form
The Oods formed circles- free and red-eyed alike. They sang out their song. I could hear it.
The Ood attendants killed off they'd would-be buyers
Ood marched in the snowy streets, attacking the guards
Ood broke into the warehouse. They took out the guards. I gave them tips for the fight- to avoid gunshots and fight better.
They thanked me for my advice. The head of security suffered from the very gas attack they wanted to carry out. Vengeance at her finest.
When I came back to awareness with my own body, Halpen and Dr. Ryder were walking back in. Sigma locked eyes with me immediately. I tilted my head at him, lowering my chin. Sigma tilted his head, lowered his own chin.
"Change of plan." Halpen was saying.
"There are no reports of trouble off-world, sir." Dr. Ryder assured him. "It's still contained to the Ood Sphere."
"Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads." Halpen insisted.
I giggled. "Drama in the Ood Sphere."
"What's happening?" The Doctor prompted.
"Everything you wanted, Doctor." Halpen sneered at us. "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 smiled. "I'll leave you to the mercies of the Ood." He made to leave, signaling to the guards and Dr. Ryder to follow him.
"But Mister Halpen, there's something else, isn't there?" The Doctor called out. Halpen stopped in his tracks. "Something we haven't seen."
"What do you mean?" Donna asked.
"When something's got two brains, we go crazy trying to keep track of all of it." I explained. "All the thoughts get canceled out by each other- it's not a fun process. So it's gotta have a third thing to counteract the stupidity. Like us and you." Turning my head towards Halpen, I grinned so wide and giggly. "Did I win a prize? I want a tier-three prize."
Halpen scoffed, laughing derisively. "And again, so clever."
"But it's got to be connected to the red-eye. What is it?" The Doctor asked.
"It won't exist for very much longer." Halogen threatened. "Enjoy your Ood."
That time he did leave. I gave Ood Signa a bright smile as he walked away. If my hand wasn't busy finding my lock pick kit, I'd wave at him.
No sooner did the doors close were the Doctor and Donna jerking in their cuffs. I stayed still, trying not to jostle the lockpick case out of my hands.
The Doctor grunted, his arms straining. "Come on."
"Well, do something. You're the ones with all the tricks." Donna hurried, impatient. "You must have met Houdini."
"These are really good handcuffs." He excused, straining again.
"Oh well, I'm glad of that. I mean, at least we've got quality." Donna snarked.
"Found it!" I cheered. The lock pick kit actually belonged to Darcy. She wouldn't mind that I borrowed it as I would be returning it before she noticed. Opening the kit, I got to pick the lock on the cuffs. "Quality cuffs...means the locks are complicated….still can do it behind my back."
"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked.
"Had a lockpick kit in my Bag." I answered. The pick twisted and turned inside the lock, trying to pop it open.
"What'd you have that for?"
I looked up at him, smiling too wide to be real and my eyes wide. The Doctor just asked why I kept a lockpick case on hand. Him, of all people, should know the sonic screwdriver isn't a magic wand that can break anything. "The case is pretty."
"Oh see? She's useful." Donna praised.
That was the highest compliment I'd ever received. "Aww...thank you!"
As I worked out the last parts of the lock, the door slid open. The three of us gawked as three Ood walked in. Their eyes a bright glowing red.
I reminded myself that it was fine. We were fine. My cuffs were open any second- I would just need to connect to them and sing. They would remind the Ood that we were friends.
The Doctor told me I didn't have to do that...but...but it's worked every time I've done it. This is just easier.
"Doctor, Donna, Terra friends." The Doctor told them, straining against the cuffs.
"The circle must be broken." Donna pleaded.
My hands popped out. I put everything back in the case. As the Ood came closer I tilted my head, staring them right in the eyes. Then I opened my mind to them.
Ood Circle...we're here. Doctor, Donna, Terra. Ood Friends.
"Doctor, Donna, Terra, friends." The Doctor repeated.
"The circle must be broken." Donna repeated.
The Ood walked closer. One faltered in their steps but continued on. I tried again.
We are FRIENDS!
Doctor. Donna. Terra. Friends. Down with Halpen. The Circle must be broken. The Brain is in danger. Let us help you.
"Doctor, Donna, Terra, friends." The Doctor repeated.
"The circle must be broken!" Donna shouted.
"Friends, friends, friends."
"The circle must be broken!"
The three Ood paused. The singing got louder- mournful and instructional. The singing grew and grew. They lowered their heads, clutching at the sides.
As they looked back up, their eyes were normal. One could almost say they were smiling.
"Doctor. Donna. Terra. Friends." An Ood explained.
"Yepperoni we are!" I threw my arms up, pulling in the three Ood for a hug. "Huzzah!"
The Doctor and Donna laughed in relief.
"Oi Terra, mind helping?" Donna asked.
"Huh?" Ending the hug, I looked back at them. Still handcuffed to the metal pipes. "Oh right!"
Pulling out the lockpick kit, I got to work on Donna's cuffs.
"Oh you're right. That case is pretty." Donna complimented.
I giggled, cheeks a bit pink.
==MGCB==
Once outside, I quickly checked around for our bearings. The Doctor and Donna just wanted to start running wildly after Halpen.
It would just be faster if I led the path. As we three ran down the stairs, I ran faster past them.
"I don't know where it is. I don't know where they've gone." The Doctor admitted.
"What are we looking for?" Donna asked.
"It might be underground, like some sort of cave, or a cavern, or-" The Doctor tried to think.
"Warehouse 15 is up ahead, two rights and a left." I explained. Grabbing their arms, I led them through the firefight.
They both followed along. The Doctor kept alert of the bullets flying everywhere. If I wasn't so busy leading them around, I'd bring out a gun to fight back.
"How do you know that?" Donna asked.
"I memorized the map!" I cheerfully reminded her. "I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map!"
An explosion went off nearby, sending us into the snow.
Golly gee how rude of them to interrupt a song from Dora the Explorer.
The Doctor checked with us. "All right?"
"Yep!" I cheered, pushing my hair out of my face.
Donna nodded.
I got back to my feet, helping Donna up as well. Behind us, waiting ever so patient, stood Ood Sigma. Donna fearfully grabbed my arm.
The Doctor eyed Sigma, cautious.
I tilted my head. Ood Sigma copied me. He picked up his orb.
"You will break the Circle?" He asked.
"Yeah. I promised Ood Delta." I reminded him.
Sigma bowed his head in thanks. "Shall we make way to Warehouse 15?"
"Way ahead of you!" I grabbed their arms again. The four of us rushed off for the warehouse.
==MGCB==
The Doctor sonicked the door open. I ran inside, reaching for a gun in my Bag. It stayed in my skirt pocket, ready at a moment's notice to be used to protect Dr. Ryder.
Inside, the song doubled in volume. Without waiting, I went up to the metal railings. The Ood Brain sang up at us. The Circle stood around it, a circle of electricity keeping it locked.
"The Ood Brain." The Doctor walked up to my side, Donna just after him.
"They are marvelous!" I complimented the giant Brain. "Oh your poor thing..."
"Now it all makes sense! That's the missing link." The Doctor realized. "The third element, binding them together. Forebrain, hindbrain, and this, the telepathic center. It's a shared mind, connecting all the Ood in song."
Donna tapped my arm, looking out at the Brain. "Is that why you were singing?"
"I know why the caged Ood brain sings." I confirmed, nodding solemnly.
"Cargo."
I whirled around, hand reaching for my gun but not drawing it.
Halpen walked out from the shadows. "I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, I've got the sheds. Smaller business." As he approached, I could better make out the small pistol in his hands. "Much more manageable, without livestock."
Dr. Ryder came out from the shadows as well. "He's mined the area."
A glance proves him right. The metal grating had blinking attachments. None of them came across as friendly.
My fingers twitched.
"You're going to kill it?" Donna snapped.
Halpen didn't deny it. Why would it? It obvious. "They found that thing centuries ago beneath the Northern Glacier."
The Doctor leaned forward, looking at the electric fencing. "Those pylons."
"The Circle." I told them.
"The circle must be broken." Donna and I said.
"Damping the telepathic field." The Doctor glared at Halpen. "Stopping the Ood from connecting for two hundred years."
Halpen smiled like that was something to be proud of. He frowned towards the Ood behind us. "And you, Ood Sigma, you brought them here. I expected better."
"He did nothing. It was all me!" I explained, stepping forward. "I memorized your map hours ago...and saw you walking in here earlier. This place had something to do with the Ood freedom."
Sigma walked past us. "My place is at your side, sir."
"Still subservient. Good Ood." Halpen praised as the Ood took a spot behind Halpen.
"If that barrier thing's in place, how come the Ood started breaking out?" Donna asked.
"It takes time to adapt yourself around that kind of suppression. You find creative ways of breaking out- submitting to it so it's easier to defeat." I explained. "But even I need someone to open the door. Dr. Ryder, do I have you to thank?"
Dr. Ryder stepped forward. "The process was too slow. It had to be accelerated." He glared at his boss. I started sneaking around, staying out of Halpen's sight. "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 smiled. I stepped fireward, radioing my gun. "Yes. Yes, you did."
Bang
The four of them jumped back. All of them turned to glare at me. My gun raised to the ceiling. I lowered it down towards Halpen.
"Dr. Ryder, I am not a physician but I do have a recommendation." I told him. "Retreat!"
Dr. Ryder fearfully obeyed. He ran out of the room, hopefully off to call the police.
Halpen smiled at me. Not a fun smile, a sinister smile that gave me chills. He scoffed. He was way scarier when he were Cruella de Vil's valet. "You think you have a chance against me, little girl?"
The Master smiled at me. He raised Chantho's gun at me. "The Doctor won't like much, will he? He's never liked his companions getting their hands bloody before."
I suppressed a shudder. "Have you ever even fired that thing at a person?"
"Can't say I have." Halpen replied. The Doctor cautiously moved Donna behind him. She hissed at him about how long I'd had a gun. Halpen kept his aim at me. "Can't say I'm going to like it. But er, it's not exactly a normal day, is it? Still."
Sigma walked toward Halpen. "Would you like a drink, sir?" He held out a shot glass full of his 'tonic'.
Halpen glared. "I think hair loss is the least of my problems right now, thanks."
Sigma stepped between Halpen and me. "Please have a drink, sir. "
Halpen hissed and huffed. The red glow from the brain shining around him. "If, if you're going to stand in their way, I'll shoot you too."
"Please have a drink, sir." Sigma insisted.
Halpen tried to tell, choking instead. He reached for his head, grabbing at the baldness. "Have- have you poisoned me?"
"Natural Ood must never kill, sir." Sigma reminded him.
Processed Ood were a different matter entirely
"What is that stuff?" The Doctor asked.
"Ood graft suspended in a biological compound, sir." Sigma answered.
I laughed.
"What the hell does that mean?" Halpen hissed.
The Doctor clicked his tongue. "Oh, dear."
"That's hilarious." I laughed.
"Tell me!"
"Funny thing, the subconscious." The Doctor began. "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." He nodded his head at Sigma. "All that intelligence and mercy focused on Ood Sigma. How's the hair loss, Mister Halpen?"
Happen gripped tight to the gun in his hand. His face grimaced in pain, and agony. He reached to his head, pulling off another clump of his hair. "What have you done?"
"They've been working on you for a long time haven't they?" I stepped forward, keeping my gun level to his face. "I've been hearing the Brain all day...even had me under a few times from a distance. You're standing right in front of the Ood Brain...can you hear what I hear?"
Halpen gagged, seeming to choke on something. "What have you-? I'm not-" He gagged, coughing and choking on it. The gun fell from his hands.
Quickly I rushed forward, kicking the gun further away.
Halpen reached behind his head, pulling at his head. In a disgusting display of body horror, an entire layer of skin peeled off. I backpedaled away from him.
The Ood Brain sang so loudly...
Tentacles fell out from his mouth, squirming and twitching as they extended from his face.
He stood back upright, showing off the new body. A perfect, unprocessed Ood. Or a genetically modified Ood...it depends how you look at him.
Donna spoke first. "They, they turned him into an Ood?"
I tucked my gun away in the Bag. My hand grabbed the sonic instead, walking towards the railing. "Yep." My sonic buzzed, it's pink light nearly lost against the red.
Donna poked the Doctor. "He's an Ood."
The Doctor nodded, still staring at Halpen. "I noticed."
Halpen sneezed out his hindbrain, catching it in his hand. Sigma came up to his side. The confused Ood blinked down at his new appendage.
"He has become Oodkind, and we will take care of him." Sigma promised us.
My sonic continued buzzing.
"It's weird, being with you lot." Donna admitted. "I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore."
"It's better that way." The Doctor People who know for certain tend to be like Mister Halpen."
"Being indecisive is way more action-packed! Which is funny, cause indecision usually stops you from doing actions." Tossing the sonic in the air, I let it twirl before catching it. "It's actually a hind-rance! Haha, get it Halpen? Cause you...forget I said anything."
"Oh!" The Doctor rushed to the railings. "The explosives-"
"Handled!" I cheerily skipped towards the control panel. The Doctor watched me, smiling. "Ood Sigma, would you like to do the honors?" I waved to the control panel, smiling up at the Ood.
These were his people. Freeing them...after all he'd done at Halpen's side...he deserved to do this. The Doctor and I can be heroes another day.
I would see the Circle broken.
But not by my hand.
The Master was right. The Doctor should be disappointed in me- I don't deserve to push it.
Sigma does.
Sigma bowed his head. The action surprised me. The Ood and I had done it all day, a sort of show of solidarity between us against the Circle. That Ood Sigma did it now...right before we took it down... "It is yours, Terra."
What
So I shook my head. "This is your victory. I don't deserve it."
"I think you do." The Doctor's smile went wider, his joy made brighter. The dangerous kind of joy that came with hope. "Terra Johnson, go for it."
It felt like a trick. A nasty, mean-spirited trick. Like the second I would go to push it, they'd start laughing at me. Me, actually thinking I could push the button? After all I'd done to the Ood, that one time earlier I didn't listen to them sing because the Doctor said it was hurting me more than helping them? Yeah, that was selfish and bad.
I didn't want to touch it.
'Go on.' The Doctor encouraged.
If they laughed at me, I don't think I would ever get over it
I walked to the control panel. My hand gripped the first dial.
"...so long stuck inside." I turned the dial. Nobody laughed or told me to stop. That meant I could...keep going? "...made silent, made subservient, driven mad!"
The last dial.
"The Circle is broken." The dial turned down. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled at the Doctor, Donna, and Ood Sigma. "You can sing now."
The electric current around the Ood Brain shut off. All at once, the Ood were singing. Their song blared out. It washed over me. I loved it.
"I can hear it!" Donna cheered. This time, it didn't make her cry.
==MGCB==
Peaceful singing rang out along the snow. I danced in it, leaving footprints along with the freshly fallen snow. No Ood blood for miles. No Ood slaves for further beyond.
A planet made new.
"The message has gone out." The Doctor explained. "That song resonated across the galaxies. Everyone heard it. Everyone knows. The rockets are bringing them back. The Ood are coming home."
"We thank you, Doctor Donna Terra, friends of Oodkind." Sigma told us. Just with those words, a chill went down my back. "And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you."
"We're good!" I dragged the Doctor and Donna into a hug. "We've got a Song of our own. Thanks though!"
"I think your song must end soon." Sigma explained.
Ah.
Right.
That.
In just a few years time...the Doctor would come back here to the Ood Sphere...they'd warn him about his upcoming death...would I even be there for that?
Oh my Author they'd tell him the Master was back
I need to make sure Lucy is gone from that planet
He can't come back
He'd tell the Doctor what I did-
The Doctor frowned. "Meaning?"
"Every song must end." Sigma advised.
"Yeah." The Doctor replied. He turned to Donna. "Er, what about you? You still want to go home?"
"We can if you want to." I assured her.
"I know-"
"It would hurt. Personally, it would hurt."
"Terra-"
"We just got you back and losing you again makes me sad. But I'd get it."
"Terra." Donna hushed me. I pushed my lips together for her. "I'm not leaving."
"HUZZAH!" I let go of the Doctor, giving Donna a big hug.
The Doctor grinned. "Then we'll be off."
Sigma extended his arms. The Circle of Ood stood behind him did the same. "Take this song with you."
"Forever." I bowed my head at the Ood, giving them a thankful curtsy.
"We will." Donna promised.
"Always." The Doctor promised.
"And know this, Doctor Donna Terra. You will never be forgotten."
You're damn right we won't
I won't allow it
Donna Noble needs to remember all of this
Whatever it takes
I've got two Plans already to ensure she remembers
"Our children will sing of the Doctor Donna Terra, and our children's children, and the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever." Ood Sigma promised.
As we walked back into the TARDIS, I hummed the song. It went so well with the TARDIS noise.
==MGCB==
AN: Finally! Finally, I've done it! This chapter is done. This one put me in the wringer. I tried to make it happier, I swear. Every time I did something bad happened to the Ood and Terra just reacted and I couldn't make her listen to me!
But it's almost Martha time. Nothing can be bad in Martha time...all three Martha episodes have to be light-hearted, right?!
Thanks to Tom TARDIS, wolfgirl16238, and Lil'Sparrow for favoriting
Thanks to Fili999 and Jujuitsu for following