Jay grunted when the TARDIS landed rather roughly, the entire control room rocking and nearly sending her sprawling. Donna, on the other hand, did go sprawling, having missed the opportunity to take a good enough grip on something before they landed. The Doctor was mightily proud of himself and grinned brightly, flashing white teeth at them. It had been a while since he had smiled so brightly at them, Jay thought, with his eyes crinkling at the corners and his dark eyes dancing.

She supposed that was her fault, but still.

It had been a few weeks since the incident with Pompeii, and in that time, they'd made a few stops - including a celebratory dinner in the Paris of the twenty-sixth century about Jay's year-long anniversary of joining the Doctor. She had silently thought it to be much, much better than the original event had been. She still found herself dismayed over Pompeii, but keeping herself distracted helped.

She thought it had put her at a step closer to understanding the Doctor entirely.

She'd even done what Donna insisted to be a girls only evening, in which they'd hung out by themselves. Jay had shown Donna around the TARDIS more than she'd been able to explore in recent times, and they'd spent some time in the closets. Jay had shown her the library, too, her favorite room, but Donna had much preferred a rather lovely theatre-like room in which centuries-worth of movies had been found. As they'd watched something Jay had payed little attention to, Donna had told her the story of how she and the Doctor had met and had looked rather sad when Jay had returned the favor.

They'd started a new tradition that they'd invited the Doctor to, watching a movie every "night," or whenever they went to bed, unless they were truly exhausted from an adventure. Luckily, that had been rare; only twice in recent times had it been that extensive. All in all, the pair had become fairly good friends in the short amount of time they'd known one another.

In addition to all of their travels, they'd stopped once at a rather well-known jeweler on a spaceship far from Earth so that the Doctor could get the stone he'd found situated for her. She was pleased with the result. It held a permanent place at her throat now, alongside the key to the TARDIS. The opal-like gem gleamed prettily, and Jay found her head much quieter without the constant songs of the mysterious Donna Noble and the TARDIS in her head.

There'd been only one thing that Donna hadn't yet seen: a new planet, and the Doctor had vowed it would be their next trip.

"I set the controls to random!" the Doctor informed them rapidly, raking his hand through his messy hair as he moved around the console, twitchy in anticipation. "Mystery tour...outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, any when in the whole wide world."

Donna's eyes shone with excitement as she huffed through her nose. "History's one thing, but an alien planet…" She bit her lip, glancing at Jay shyly. Excitement turned to nerves. "I'm terrified! But still!"

Jay offered a kind smile and stepped up to rub her back soothingly. "I know, it's a bit weird, but it'll totally be worth it, believe me. There are so many pretty planets...oh!" She glanced over her shoulder at the Doctor. "We should take her to see that planet you showed Martha and me, Doctor, the one with the people who live in the trees?"

"Donna would like that one," the Doctor agreed. "We can go there next. Everything you feel, right now, the fear, the joy, the wonder," he added to Donna as he joined his friends, rocking forward a bit, "I still get that, too. Why do you think I keep traveling, even when I've seen so much?"

That seemed to revitalize her excitement. Donna threw her hands up and smiled at them, whirling on her heel. "Alright then, all three of us! This is barmy," she mused aloud to herself as she headed straight for the doors, leaving the Doctor and Jay to slowly trail after her. The Doctor wanted Donna to have the first step outside, something Jay was entirely fine with. This trip was for her, after all. As Donna launched into a description of something he wasn't paying attention to, he leaned in and spoke to Jay.

"Alright?" he questioned, tapping the veins that stuck out starkly against her pale skin on her elbow.

Jay flexed her fingers, testing the process she had to keep an eye on it at all times. "Should be," she promised. "Like I said, I think it slowed during our time on the Valiant. It's only up through here, even with all of the running we've done in the last few weeks." She tapped the last joint on her finger to motion to where the weird numb pain stopped.

"Good," said the Doctor, and then blinked when a cold wind suddenly blasted them in the face.

"I've got the word!" Donna was outlined against the bright, white snow and freezing cold, her arms wrapped around her body, and Jay laughed. "Freezing!"

"I'll go get some coats," Jay said to the Doctor, immediately turning and jogging for the entrance to the main part of the TARDIS. She hummed in response to Jay's fond touch to a panel.

It didn't take long for Jay to gather nice, large winter coats. When she bustled into the control room, a laugh escaped her. Donna was coming in, shivering, and scowling. "Space man's out there ranting while I'm cold," she grumbled as Jay helped her into a thick, furry coat. She hoisted up the hood over her red hair. "I don't even think he noticed I left."

"He is somewhat oblivious sometimes," Jay agreed. And he was, to such matters. As observant as he tended to be about many important things, the Doctor usually zoned out when giving one of his speeches, forgetting to pay attention to what those around him were doing. She locked the TARDIS behind her as she stepped outside again with Donna, pulling her own winter coat on and wondering how the Doctor wasn't cold in just his trench coat. Perhaps it was a Time Lord thing?

"Sorry," said Donna as Jay tucked her key into her shirt, where it clicked against the gem. "You were saying?"

The Doctor sighed heavily, having been cut off mid-speech. "Better?" he said, gesturing to the coat she wore. "Comfy?

"Yep," chirped Donna.

"Can you even hear anything inside that?" The Doctor squinted at the hood, eyeing the thickness of it as Jay pulled her own fur-lined hood over her head. Her blue eyes shone with laughter at the look on the Time Lord's face. He was insulted, that they'd thought it important to get warm when he'd been trying to speak to Donna. "Anyways, I was saying, citizen of the -"

"Rocket!" Donna interrupted with a shout as something suddenly roared past them overhead. All three tipped their heads back. Jay eyed the rocket critically, startled by the sight of it. She knew immediately that some of the parts must have come from her family's company, although she doubted it was her immediate family's company. Likely someone descended from her brother. It was large and silver, looking like what rockets tended to look like rather than a blue box. And Donna recognized that, grinning over her shoulder at the Doctor. "Now that's what I call a real proper rocket. You've got a box; he's got a Ferrari! Come on, let's go see where it's going!"

The Doctor jolted, offended that his TARDIS had been insulted, and Jay chuckled under her breath, grabbing his arm with cold fingers and tugging him forward. "Come on, Doctor," she said soothingly, "we all know the TARDIS is the best ship in the universe, and she's just excited. Let's go see what's up with this world, okay?"

The Doctor grumbled and let her pull him along for a short bit, his eyes wary as he watched Jay leave his side to join Donna, the pair laughing amongst themselves as they spoke about something or another. He trailed after them a few feet back, letting them have their fun. They more often than not got to experience the running rather than the fun, and he wanted them to have the fun of exploring this beautiful snowy planet while they could.

He hadn't recognized the rocket, so to say, but it had definitely been human, and wherever humans were...well, he loved the human race, but there was bound to be trouble.

After a while, Jay beckoned him to join them and he willingly did so, amused when Jay demanded that he tell Donna about a planet they'd visited with Martha, one full of beauty and peace, with creatures of all kinds that possessed no more intelligence than the animals of an African serengeti. It had been one of her favorite trips alongside the moon, and she beamed hopefully at him with sparkling blue eyes until he promised to take them there next. Donna had been excited at the promise, too, and his own face softened as he watched his two friends chatter, not having a care in the world.

It was after a while of walking that the Doctor first began to hear it. He faltered a step, peering around with interest as it swelled and faded before swelling again. "Hold on," he said, and Jay immediately stopped to look at him, used to such matters. Donna stopped, too, after a few more steps, her head craned back. "Can you hear that?" he asked them. Jay cocked a brow; Donna stared blankly at him. "Take your hood down, Donna," he said, lifting his voice and motioning her to do it. She did, and he repeated, "That noise. Do you hear it?"

"What?" Donna said, frowning. "Do we hear what?"

"We don't hear anything," Jay agreed, shifting her weight. She didn't doubt that he heard something, though, and knew it wasn't a normal sound he heard. She touched the gem that rested at her throat, wondering if that was the reason she couldn't hear. Jay caught the Doctor's eye, and the look on his face had her dropping her hand.

Whatever he was hearing...he didn't think she should be hearing it, and if it was that bad, she was content to remain deaf to whatever song he heard.

So, instead of listening as the Doctor did, tipping his head, Jay spun in a slow circle, looking. A flicker of movement in the corner of her eye had her snapping her head around. She saw something collapse, and was immediately bolting in that direction.

"Jay!" Donna cried in surprise, blinking and looking to the Doctor for guidance. He whirled around, the trench coat he wore swirling around his knees. His eyes widened as he saw their friend plowing her way through snow, her hood falling from her shoulders.

"Jay!" he shouted after her. She ignored him, lurching up a snowy hill. "Jayden!"

"There's something up here!" her faint voice called back, a gust of wind blowing it past their ears. Snow swirled in the air and then she'd vanished, cresting the hill and sliding down the other side.

Irritated, the Doctor took off at a jog after her. "C'mon, Donna!" he called. He thought the song just trickling through his mind was very similar to the songs she'd described to him, and he didn't like that it seemed louder in the direction she'd run. The song was one that filled his mind with agony and pain, and he was determined to make sure that his seemingly telepathic friend kept her new accessory on.

He had to pause to help Donna when she nearly slipped, his hand snagging her arm gently, and when they reached the top of the hill, he stopped to look around hastily for Jay. He was relieved to find that she'd not gone far. She was on her knees, bent over a still form at the bottom of the hill he stood. The Doctor, worried, slid down the hill after her with Donna and finally, both panting softly, reached her.

"Jayden," the Doctor seethed, "what have I told you about-"

Jay cut him off wordlessly, looking up. Her eyes were wide as she gestured frantically to the body she sat in the snow beside. "It's alive," she said, ignoring his anger. She knew he'd forget it. He always did when there were people in trouble.

Donna gasped at the sight of the alien. It was rather odd looking, with tentacles on its face and a bald head. Slanted eyes were shut, its chest shuddering with each weak breath. An abandoned orb was attached to its face, lying in the snow beside its head. "What is it?" she said anxiously as the Doctor slowly knelt beside them, digging in his pocket. He withdrew a stethoscope. Donna just briefly wondered where it had come from.

"An Ood," said the Doctor, remembering the last time he'd seen them - when he'd still had Rose and they'd been trapped on a planet that orbited a black hole. In which a creature he hesitated to think of had said that she would die. He knew now that it wasn't what had happened, but still. He didn't like it. His jaw worked as he hovered, unsure of where to begin. "He's called an Ood."

"It's face," breathed Donna and the Doctor cast her a sharp look.

"Not now." He pressed the stethoscope over its chest. He had to look for a heart somewhere. "Jay, Donna, give me a hand. Talk to him. Keep him going."

Jay nodded and shifted, leaning over the Ood with a gentle smile. "Come on, Donna," she said, and Donna crouched beside her, leaning over him. Jay smiled gently at the Ood, fearlessly touching the Ood's face and stroking it comfortingly. "It's all okay, we've got you."

Donna bit her lip, not daring to touch the alien. She'd seen them before, but there was something about the Ood that made her nervous. "What's your name?" she said.

The Ood surprised them all with a response. The Doctor paused to listen when he answered rather weakly, "Designated Ood Delta Fifty." With each word, the orb beside his head flashed with light. The voice was rather mechanical, Jay thought, though she didn't mind.

A slight smile appeared on her face when Donna took that orb into her hand, determined to help even if it wasn't what the Doctor thought necessary. "My name's Donna, and this is Jay-"

Not looking up from what he was doing, the Doctor reached over and pushed her hands down until the orb fell back into the snow. "You don't need to speak into it," the Doctor said quietly, rocking back and angrily ruffling his hair. He wasn't sure what to do. He could see blood pooling from a gunshot wound, and he had nothing in his arsenal that would help with that.

"Sorry," said Donna, looking a little embarrassed and flustered.

Jay squeezed her hand and then leaned in a little to whisper to Delta 50, "The Doctor will help you. He always helps people." She glanced at the Doctor from beneath tear-lined lashes. The Doctor felt horrible when he realized she was waiting for her to do something. Slowly, he put away his stethoscope, avoiding her gaze as he touched the Ood's shoulder. There was nothing he could do here.

"You've been shot," he said, just to clarify why he couldn't do anything. He'd tried; he didn't have anything to help with this. And even if he did, they would have been too late. The Ood's blood seeped into the snow surrounding them.

Delta 50 slurred something, and not for the first time, Jay missed Martha. Martha would have been able to help here. Donna shushed him, trying to soothe him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Despite her initial disgust, she felt terrible for the creature's pain. But Delta 50 spoke anyways. "The circle must be broken," it croaked.

"Circle?" the Doctor echoed, glancing around curiously. "What do you mean? Delta Fifty, what circle?" The Ood didn't move, and he got a sinking feeling he wouldn't receive an answer. Still, he repeated his question. "Delta Fifty, what-"

Delta 50 suddenly lurched upright with a scream-like roar, eyes a seething red. Jay squealed and went sprawling back in her desire to get away, dragging Donna back with her. The Doctor lurched to his feet, taking a step back himself. But then the Ood had collapsed again, eyes staring blankly at the sky - entirely normal.

"What was that?" Jay said, shaken.

Fearlessly, Donna crawled back over to Delta 50's side. The Doctor watched every movement cautiously, worried, and even warned her. Donna payed him no mind, merely stroked Delta 50's head soothingly. "There you are, sweetheart," she murmured, closing his eyes for him. Her voice quivered as she said, "We were too late...what do we do, Doctor? Do we bury him?"

The Doctor pressed his lips together as Jay heaved herself to her feet, pushing her hair from her eyes. Anger simmered in her eyes, and he made a mental note to keep an eye on her before she tried to punch someone again. "The snow will take care of that."

"The Ood...what are they?" she murmured, looking at him with a frown. Jay shifted, pushing her hands into her pockets. "You've met them before, haven't you?"

He inclined his head, copying her motion as he rocked back on his heels. He scanned their surroundings. "The Ood are servants of humans in the forty-second century. They're mildly telepathic. The song...it was his mind calling out." He met Jay's gaze and held it. "The last time I met them, there was a force, like a stronger mind, powerful enough to take them over. Do you have that anti-telepathic stone I gave you?"

"Yes," she said immediately. She dug it out of her coat and held it up for him to see. It trembled in her hands.

"Don't take it off." She heard things so easily...he didn't want to risk his friend being subjected to whatever force tried to take over the Ood again if it even did happen. "Come on." He briskly started forward. "I has to be something different this time, something closer to home," he said as they moved.

"Trouble?" Donna asked, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.

The Doctor responded with a curt nod and a grim look. "Trouble," he agreed, and pushed forwards.


It took a short amount of time to find the facilities that the Ood had come from and when they finally did, they nearly missed a group of people that were being guided in. The Doctor did a quick small headcount to make sure both Donna and Jay were present before breaking into a hasty run, eager to catch up and get into the facilities without hesitation. They were all panting by the time they reached the startled woman who turned to greet them upon hearing their feet pounding on the ground.

"Sorry!" the Doctor said,repeating the word a few times extra to show his sincerest apologies. "Late. Don't mind us. Hello! The guards let us through." Not entirely true; the trio had slipped through when the guards weren't looking. Oh, well, he supposed that the woman wouldn't follow through with the lie; people rarely did.

"And you would be…?" prompted the woman impatiently.

The Doctor fished his psychic paper out of his pocket and flashed it at her. "I'm the Doctor, and this is Donna Noble and Jay O'Connors, representing the-"

She cut him off, perking up. "O'Connors?" She immediately looked between the two women, trying to pick out which one was which. Jay cleared her throat reluctantly, uncertain of where this was going, and the woman beamed at her. "An honor to have a member of such a well-known family at our small get together. You must have fallen off my list, my apologies, miss. It won't happen again. Now then," she turned back to the Doctor, although her eyes lingered on Jay, eyes glimmering, "if you'd like to come with me, Dr. Noble, Mrs. Noble, Miss O'Connors-"

"Oh," the Doctor cut in immediately, "we're not married."

"So not married," agreed Donna, making a face of disgust that made Jay grin.

The woman blinked briefly confused. "Dr. O'Connors, then, I presume?"

Jay lost her grin and turned scarlet while the Doctor groaned in frustration. Donna, smirking now, shook her head and said, "Just the Doctor." She smiled firmly, but politely. "Can we move on?" She didn't like when people got caught up in assuming such matters. It was embarrassing.

"Of course." She turned and started leading them after the others that had walked off. Jay was uncomfortable when she realized that she was mostly addressing her rather than the two with her. "Here are your information packs, vouchers inside," she said, handing over one to each of them. The Doctor immediately began shuffling through his. Donna tossed hers as soon as the woman had turned around. Jay merely tucked hers professionally under her arm. Perhaps it would come in use later, she thought.

They'd just rejoined the small, but decent-sized group of humans when a sound filled the air. They all paused at the wailing sound, and Jay lifted her gaze curiously to the sky. "An alarm?" she guessed, glancing at Donna, who shrugged.

"Sounds like it," agreed the Doctor.

The woman soothed the confused group with a fearless smile. "Just a siren," she said smoothly. "For the end of the work shift. This way, quick as you can!" She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and ushered them all through a small, fenced off court yard and into a building. Donna breathed a happy sigh of relief when they were greeted by warmth.

"Now this," she said with a hum, "this is more like it."

The Doctor chuckled as they were herded into a rather nice room. That smile that had appeared on his face disappeared at the sight of it. It was large, with a massive screen displaying a video ready to be played and a series of pedestals that held a different Ood each. The Doctor listened to that song of agony that left their heads, filling the air and completely unknown to the humans around them. His jaw tightened as he studied them.

A hand slipped into his and squeezed. Jay didn't look at him, but he could tell she thought the same, even without hearing their songs. Just seeing other life forms displayed in such a way was infuriating. He knew her own anger came from their time on the Valiant. He wondered if there would ever be a day that the time aboard that ship wouldn't hurt any of them.

Not seeming to care or take notice, the woman who'd greeted them beamed around at the group and said, "Hello! My name is Solana, and I'll take you through this event today!" She shuffled a few papers, and then waved to the screen, which began to show a series of images as she spoke. "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."

"Like hell," said Jay under her breath. Donna nodded her agreement.

"We don't just breed the Ood," continued Solana. "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." THey watched in silence as Solana swept towards the platforms displaying the Ood. "I'd now like to point out a new innovation from Ood Operations," she said, stopping before one. "We've introduced a variety package with the Ood translator ball. You can now have the standard setting…" She smiled at the Ood and asked, "How are you today, Ood?"

The Ood made an elegant motion and Jay flinched when it said politely, "I'm perfectly well, thank you."

Solana inclined her head in approval, and then moved to the next Ood. "Or, perhaps, after a stressful day, a little something for you gentlemen. And how are you, Ood?"

"All the better for seeing you," replied the second Ood in a fairly seductive feminine voice. It made Donna cringe, and the Doctor made a face. He'd much rather come home to a nice cup of tea. Not...that. Definitely not that.

Solana gave a few more examples with the Ood on display and then finished up, smiling around at them all. "All that, for only five additional credits. The details are in your brochures. Now, there's plenty more food and drink, so...don't hold back!"

Donna looked disgusted. "They're beings," she said under her breath, "actual living beings and they're treating them like...like things!"

The Doctor gave her an approving look, waiting for people to disperse a bit more so he could go and look at the technology without drawing attention to himself. He liked Donna for this very reason. Jay, too, looked disgusted with what was happening around them - by the way the people didn't give a damn about the Ood that merely stood there, as if on sale. He rocked back a little bit on his heels.

As he'd once told Rose...he only took the best with him.

Finally deeming it safe, the Doctor nudged both of them forward. "Come on," he said under his breath, and they followed him over to a panel of buttons and controls. A few tried to stop them, eyes locked eagerly on Jay, but she politely refused them, grimacing. Jay swept her gaze curiously over it, ignoring a voice that tried to get her attention again. It was all pointless, she wanted to tell them. The O'Connors of this time might still be powerful and wealthy, but she wasn't from their family. She was from an older generation...and how the company had even continued after the reveal of what Marcus O'Connors was truly like was impressive enough.

The Doctor fidgeted with a few controls, hiding his sonic screwdriver as he used it to get what he wanted. Finally, the image changed and displayed a massive solar system upon the screen. Jay studied it, not recognizing any of what she saw. "Where are we?"

"The Ood-Sphere," said the Doctor with a curt nod, unsurprised. "I've been here, to this solar system before. Years ago...ages! Close to the planet Sense-Sphere. Let's see…" He zoomed out the screen so that it showed more and nodded again in confidence. "Ah, there we are. The year four-thousand-one-hundred-twenty-six. That's the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire."

Donna smiled, bouncing a little in excitement, and then said eagerly, "What's the Earth like now, Doctor?"

"Bit full," he admitted. "But, you see, the Empire stretches out across three galaxies. What do you think?"

"It's weird," she admitted, glancing at Jay for her opinion. Jay shrugged, having enjoyed other times and places as well. It wasn't that she wasn't excited at all; only that this wasn't looking to be her favorite place to visit. "I mean, brilliant, but...back home, the papers and the telly, they keep saying we haven't got to live. Global warming. Flooding...the disappearing bees." The Doctor agreed with a snort that the matter was odd. "But look at us!" She flung her arms wide, beaming at the humans in the room. "We're everywhere! Is that good or bad, though?" Her smile faded as she glanced at the Ood. "Are we explorers? Or like a virus?"

Jay squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, admitting to herself that it seemed more often like the second choice than the first. The image shifted. It was the same display of galaxies, but held many, many red dots. "Doctor," she said, pointing. "What are those?"

He leaned forward, dark eyes scanning the screen expertly. "Ood distribution centers," he said quietly, unhappy about this.

"Across three galaxies?" she said, glancing over her shoulder at the Ood still on display.

"Don't...don't the Ood get a say in this?" Donna bit her lip. She took a deep breath and then turned and made her way over to the Ood. Jay followed her, not willing to let her go too far. She huffed when someone else tried to stop her and drag her into conversation, and the Doctor was quick to intervene. He planted a hand on her shoulder and cut through the attempted conversation with ease. Jay threw him a grateful look and they caught up in time to see Donna touch an Ood's shoulder.

"Um, sorry, but...tell me, are you all like this?"

The Ood blinked at her blankly. "I do not understand, Miss."

"What I mean is, are there any free Ood?" Donna tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear, flustered. "Are there Ood running wild somewhere? Like wildebeest?"

The Doctor furrowed his brow when the Ood answered, "All Ood are born to serve. Otherwise, we would die." The Ood had answered similarly when he'd been with Rose..he had wondered if that was entirely true then. His disbelief was only further enforced now.

"But you can't have started like that," argued Jay, stepping closer to Donna. Donna gestured to her in agreement. "What were you like before we humans got involved?"

The Ood blinked and then spoke. "The circle," it said, and the Doctor's gaze snapped to its face. "The circle...the circle...is…"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" cried Solana suddenly, waving to catch all of their attention. The Doctor immediately glared at her, wanting nothing more than to figure out what was being meant by "the circle." People liked to interrupt important moments. "All Ood to hospitality stations, please!"

"I think," the Doctor said, lowering his mouth near Jay's ear, "that I've had enough of the schmoozing. What do you think, Jay? Care for going off the beaten track?"

"Please," Jay whimpered when another person smiled at her brightly. She didn't know the state of the O'Connors empire at the moment, but she assumed it was in fantastic condition if all of these people kept trying to snuggle up to her. He offered his arm, and she gratefully took it. He did the same to Donna, but she gave him a rather dirty look.

"Let's go rough guide the Ood-Sphere!" she said excitedly, smile returning a moment later. They moved away from the Ood, who'd gone to do as they were told, slowly making their way to a pair of doors. When no one was looking, Jay, Donna, and the Doctor ducked through. Jay released the Doctor's arm when they had slipped outside.

"Brr!" gasped Donna, drawing her hood back over her head. "It's so cold here...how are the Ood okay with this cold?"

"S'a good question," Jay said, shaking her dead and tucking her hands into her pockets after shaking them out. The Doctor cast the action a quick glance, taking note of it, and then focused on keeping an eye out for people as they wandered along a fence, following it to see where it lead. "I hope they have heating somewhere."

"Doubt it...this lot doesn't seem too concerned about the care of the Ood," said the Doctor quietly, not at all happy to be saying such a thing. He ruffled his hair thoughtfully with a hand as they rounded a corner and came across a gate. "Ah, here we are," he said, shuffling around in a pocket until he'd found his sonic screwdriver. He used his body to block the view of what he was doing after looking around to make sure no one was around. There was a soft buzzing followed by a spark as the lock opened.

"Ready?" he said, holding the gate open. Donna and Jay hurried through and paused to let the Doctor close the gate behind them. He took the lead, heading alongside a building that was nearby. Jay drew her dark hood over her head to help hide her bright hair, easily seen with sunlight shining down on them.

"Ood shift eight now commencing!" declared a voice over a loudspeaker, making all three jump. Donna put a hand over her racing heart, but still hid with her friends behind the building when the sounds of footsteps crossing the courtyard were heard. They peered around the metallic corner with interest as Ood appeared. "Repeat: Ood shift eight now commencing!"

"Oh, my God," breathed Jay in horror. They looked like a troop of soldiers marching off to war, as if they belonged in the movies she and Donna had watched. She swallowed thickly. Donna merely gasped, lips pressing together angrily when one fell and a man cracked a whip over its head until the Ood had staggered to its feet and rejoined the small group.

"Get up!" shouted the man with the whip, cracking it again. "March!"

The Doctor swallowed thickly, feeling horrible. "The last time I met the Ood," he said softly, voice hoarse. "I never though...I never asked. Where they came from. I just...I was busy, so busy I couldn't save them. I had to let the Ood die."

Jay gripped his hand tightly, so tightly that the tingles in her fingers sharpened to a bite. "We'll help them then, right?" she said, glancing at him. "To make up for it."

"We'll see what we can do," the Doctor agreed, squeezing back. He tugged her forward, heading past another building. "Let's keep out of the way, okay? Come on." Donna followed them closely, and the Doctor said when he was sure they were safe, "Do either of you still have that pamphlet?"

Jay, who'd shoved it into her pocket, immediately handed it over, and the Doctor released her hand to take it. He spread it out as they strode forward, studying it without looking. Jay shifted a grip to his arm, carefully steering him around anything that might trip him or that he might run into. Donna kept an eye out for other people as they walked. It was only when they found a door that Donna suddenly gave a shrill whistle, making he and Jay jump.

The Doctor stared at her in alarm. "Blimey," he said, tucking the map into his pocket. "Where'd you learn to whistle?"

"West Ham," she said, "every Saturday. Look." She pointed to a door that he and Jay and missed and the Doctor beamed, giving her an approving look as he withdrew his sonic screwdriver again. She shifted aside to give him room to work. Jay took over watching for people as he pressed the button of his sonic screwdriver, unlocking the door. He slid it open and frowned at the sight of massive containers that were held within the hangar. A massive claw moved about, latching onto one container and lifting it high into the air.

"Ood export," said the Doctor with a scowl. "Do you see?" He leaned into Donna, gesturing with his hands. "Lifts up the containers, takes them to the rocket sheds, ready to be flown out. All over the three galaxies."

Jay's heart twisted in horror as Donna whispered, "You mean these containers are full of…? The Doctor said nothing, only waved them onwards. He didn't hesitate to pry the door of a container open, grunting with the effort. He pushed it open to show them what was held inside and Jay bit her lip, saddened by the side of many, many Ood standing motionless within.

Donna covered her nose, wrinkling it. "It stinks," she muttered. "How many of them do you think there are in each one?"

"Hundred?" he said, doing a quick check over. "More?"

"More," Jay said hoarsely, shaking her head in disgust.

"A great big empire," Donna said bitterly, looking away with tears brimming in her eyes. "Built on slavery." The Doctor made a comment that it wasn't so different from her time - or from Jay's for that matter - and Donna bristled. "Oi! I haven't got slaves!"

The Doctor, apparently in a somewhat bad mood now, said pointedly, "Who do you think made your clothes?"

Donna rounded on him, her eyes blazing with fury. "Is that why you travel 'round with humans at your side?" she snarled, catching the Doctor off guard. Even Jay jumped, though the words weren't directed at her. "It's not so that you can show them the wonders of the universe, it's so you can take cheap shots at us?"

Taken aback, the Doctor blinked and then said sheepishly, "Sorry." His voice was quiet, his dark eyes regretful.

"You don't get to say things like that, Spaceman," she said. "You just don't." She cast a quick look over at Jay when she said nothing, her eyes darting between the two uncertainly. She didn't want anything to do with the argument, nor did she know which side she'd take if she did. Because while she was technically human...there was a bit extra now. Jay wasn't entirely sure she was completely human now, with that poison in her veins.

Still huffing, Donna said to the first Ood she rested her eyes on, "I don't understand. The door is open. Why don't you just run away?"

The Ood blinked once at her, as if surprised over being addressed. Donna waited patiently until it answered, tilting its head slightly in confusion. "For what reason?" When Donna suggested freedom, it said, "I do not understand the concept."

Donna looked fairly upset by that, so Jay decided to change the subject. She stepped up to the Ood so she wasn't far from it and said softly, "Tell us...what is 'the circle?'" The Doctor straightened, interested in what the answer would be. Maybe they'd finally get an answer to the question they'd been asking for some time now.

Jay jumped when, in unison, every Ood within the shipping container said, "The circle must be broken."

The Doctor pushed forward as Donna hissed about how creepy it was. Sweeping Jay back, just to be safe if the Ood went rogue like the one they'd found did, he pushed the demand. "What is it though? What is the circle?"

"The circle must be broken," they repeated.

The Doctor opened his mouth to ask what they'd meant once more, and Jay decided to take a different route. If they weren't getting anywhere in figuring out what it was...then perhaps they could figure out why. So, she asked precisely that. "Why does the circle need to be broken?"

She felt a small thrill of triumph when they answered, "So that we can sing."

The Doctor furrowed his brow and thought of the song that he could hear echoing in his head, but before he could ask, an alarm sounded. The three intruders froze, looking upwards. And then the Doctor was pushing Donna and Jay out. "That's us, come on!"

He took off at a sprint the second they were out. Jay hurled her body around a sharp corner to keep up with him as his long stride carried him farther than she and Donna could keep up with. Donna suddenly faltered, noticing a door. "Doctor, Jay!" she shouted, gesturing to her right. "There's a door-"

Jay skidded to a stop, immediately assuming the Doctor would as well. "Donna, get away from it!" she cried when she realized that the door was opening, guards ready to spill through. She heard footsteps flooding the area. Within moments, Donna was surrounded. Jay swore under her breath and turned and ran, making a mental note of where she'd lost Donna. The Doctor was long gone, she realized after a moment, swearing again.

"Damn it," she grumbled, ducking behind a container and watching a few guards run past. Somewhere further into the warehouse, she heard the Doctor shouting for them, demanding to know where they'd gone.

Silence fell and Jay bit her lip, not feeling safe at all. She peeked around the corner after a short while, and then edged out, swallowing thickly when a sound filled the air. She began to hesitantly follow it. The Doctor couldn't have gone too far, right?

A sudden shout filled the air and then the sound grew louder before fading. Jay cranked her head back, looking, and saw the massive claw used to transport shipping containers racing around. Swallowing thickly, she decided to get out of the area before it came after her. Worried about her friends, Jay retreated towards the edge of the warehouse, hoping that she'd not be caught in the process.

"Stop!" a voice suddenly shouted and Jay bolted, feeling very much like the deer she'd read about in books. She sprinted down a corridor, gasping for air as she went and shaking out her annoyingly pained fingers. At least it wasn't higher for the time being, she told herself, whipping around a storage container and doubling back a little to try and get away.

Silence fell again and Jay took a deep breath to steady herself. She needed to get out of the building, she told herself, and figure out where Donna and the Doctor had gone. It wouldn't take long; she'd just need to find the highest amount of guards and wait to see how the Doctor escaped. He was fairly good at that - escaping, anyways.

She carefully followed the sounds of commotion until she'd found her companions still within the warehouse. She carefully peered around a corner and found the Doctor arm in arm with a pair of guards who were dragging him along. Donna was nowhere to be seen and the Doctor was trying to argue and explain his way out of the situation as normal. Jay did a quick once-over and then glanced over when she heard slamming and shouting from a nearby container. There's Donna, she couldn't help but think with a brief smile.

"Doctor!" Donna's muffled voice bellowed in a tone that promised violence. "Get me out! Hey, get me out of here!" Jay heard a bam that told her Donna had banged a fist on the metal.

The Doctor warned the guards around him, "If you don't do what she says, then you're really in trouble. Not from me," he added hastily when they all eyed him suspiciously, "from her." He craned his head around, looking, and Jay scowled when she had to hide before she could catch his eye, as a guard had looked in her direction.

Donna was released from the container and she fled to the Doctor, crying out in relief. "Doctor!" She threw her arms around him, relieved, and the Doctor beamed down at her.

"There we go, safe and sound," he said happily, hugging her back for a moment before nudging her back. "Now, where's-"

"Sir!" a guard interrupted in a shout, gesturing, and the Doctor snapped his gaze over. Jay peeked around, too, to see, and blinked when she saw Ood - all one hundred plus Ood with red eyes - suddenly bolting from the container, snarling and furious. The guard that had shouted was downed almost immediately by electrocution when an Ood placed its orb against his head. Several others went down in a similar way.

"Red alert!" cried a man who looked to be in charge. "Fire!"

A crash behind her had Jay whirling around as the man added, "Shoot to kill!" Dozens of Ood were spilling from containers around her and Jay flinched in fear when gunshots flooded her ears. Chaos erupted and Jay, figuring she had no better way of doing it, dove around an Ood that went for her. "Doctor!" she shrieked, losing sight of he and Donna in the chaos. "Doctor! Donna!"

Both had vanished, however, and Jay swallowed thickly, spinning out of the path of a second Ood and a guard that went off on one another. She careened into a metal wall and took off running, following it. If she did so, she'd find a door, she knew.

It was terrifying, being stuck in a warehouse with wild Ood and men with guns fighting. Dozens upon dozens of containers had opened, and Ood were spilling out everywhere she went. She followed the wall for what seemed like ages before finally ramming into a door. She threw it open, ignoring an alarm that went off, and burst into the snowy outside world, slamming the door shut behind her. It shook when an Ood struck it, trying to follow, but locked behind her.

Heaving for air, Jay lifted her chin and looked around, not recognizing where she was. "Damn it!" she seethed. She raked a hand through her blonde hair in desperation. "That idiot...he just vanished into thin air…"

Alarms continued to fill the air as the situation grew worse. Jay didn't dare try yelling for her friends. She started to follow a wall again and then stopped, not knowing which way would get her to her friends sooner. She touched the TARDIS key at her throat for comfort, and then paused, fingering the stone that she found.

Donna always emanated the song she'd had when she'd first found them. Jay had been very aware of it from the moment they'd started traveling with her. The Doctor hadn't had any answers and had tucked the information away for later, when it became relevant, rather than dwelling on it. But Jay knew it was there - had heard it.

So, with hesitance, knowing the Doctor wouldn't like it if he found out, Jay lifted the key and stone over her head and dropped into a crouch, hiding in the shadows of the building's walls. She fingered it for a few moments and then gently placed it in the snow. The instant her fingers left the beautiful opal-like stone, she heard it.

Had she not been crouched, she knew her knees would have buckled. A shaking hand pressed over her mouth as she heard the song that the Doctor had mentioned hearing earlier that day. She had no description for the pain and agony that flooded her very soul, and tears boiled over within seconds. It took some time to recover enough of her sanity to locate what she thought might be the direction of the source. The Doctor, if he heard this, would head there, she was sure.

"There," she croaked, snatching up her gem. She threw it and her TARDIS key back around her neck and then took off running, hands still shaking violently. She couldn't erase the sound of that song from her mind, even as she hid it away. And, she realized, the Doctor had been listening to it consistently, unable to escape it from the moment they'd arrived in the area.


Jay found herself standing before another building a few minutes later. She heaved for air, breath rasping near painfully in her throat. She caught her breath just barely before she tried to open the door. "Doctor," she seethed when it didn't open. She knocked hopefully. "Doctor!" She risked the shout. "Come on!" When nothing came of it, she snarled, "What's the point of you, you good for nothing-"

The door suddenly flew open and the Doctor blinked in surprise at the ruffled Jay that stood before him. "Jay!" he said, relieved despite the sadness he felt. Donna made a relieved sound inside, and he stepped aside to let her, locking the door behind them with the sonic screwdriver. The second he was finished, Jay threw her arms around his neck, a broken sound leaving her mouth.

"I listened," she said hoarsely. "I thought I'd listen for Donna, but all I could hear was their song, and-"

He hugged her tightly in response, worried. There'd been a reason he'd not wanted her to hear the song, and he was fairly unhappy that she'd chosen to listen anyways. Not that he could blame her; she'd used it as a method of finding them, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing - when there weren't Ood singing such a sad song around. He felt even worse when she tightened her arms around him and said faintly, "You've heard it all this time, haven't you? Since we got here?" When he didn't answer, she said, "You could borrow it. The stone. Even if it's just for a few minutes."

"No," he said firmly. He'd not do that. "I'm used to this kind of thing, Jay. I'll be fine." His words only broke her heart further, and the Doctor kissed her head fondly. He looked back when Donna spoke.

Donna, her own face streaked from tears upon having listened to the song of the captive Ood, said softly, "Come here, sweetheart, we were trying to figure out what's going on."

Sniffling and wiping tears from her eyes, Jay pulled away from the Doctor and went to join Donna. She wrapped an arm around her, soothing as best as she could. The Doctor rejoined his newest companion and crouched beside the two women, his elbows on his knees as he studied the small group of Ood who tried to scoot away from him, eager to get as far as possible after watching the two enter the cage to join Donna.

A thud came from the door, followed by a series of others. "They're breaking in," Jay said, voice shaking.

"Let them," the Doctor said irritably, furious with the group that had done this.

The Ood peered at them as he offered them a gentle smile, behavior shifting immediately. "What are you holding?" he prompted softly. "Could you show me? Look. Friend. Doctor Donna. Jay. Friend. Let me see." One of the Ood hesitated before creeping close, trusting this odd person who'd invaded their prison. Donna whispered what they'd found thus far upon entering the building to Jay, who looked suddenly incredibly angry and sad with what was happening. "That's it," coaxed the Doctor, ignoring them. "Go on…"

The Ood, who'd been cradling some hidden object to its chest, extended its hands and opened them to show the Doctor the small brain held between them. Jay blinked, caught off guard, and Donna gave a small gasp beside them.

The Doctor was immediately furious. "It's a brain," he said quietly. "A hindbrain. They're born with a secondary brain. Like the amygdala in humans, it processes memory and emotions. If you were to get rid of your own, you wouldn't be Donna or Jay anymore. You'd be like an Ood, a processed Ood."

"The company cuts off their brains," Jay said, her voice quivering with anger now. She found herself just as angry as she'd been with Rickston on the Titanic. "And then they stitch on a translator and sell them like...like cattle."

Donna gave a soft sound of despair and looked mournfully to the angry Time Lord. "I thought...I spent all of that time looking for you, Doctor, because I thought it would be so wonderful out here...but this…"

"It's not always this, Donna," said Jay, glancing at her. "You've seen what else there is. Sometimes it's nice…"

Donna merely shook her head and whispered, "I want to go home."


It didn't take long for the guards and the man in charge - someone named Halpen, who kept an Ood at his side - to break in. The trio, consisting of a silently furious Doctor, a miserable Donna, and a still sniffling Jay, were taken to a large building to be interrogated. Jay was grateful when Donna took her hand for comfort, needing it just as much as Donna did. Jay eyed the Doctor as they walked, worried. There was something in his expression...she didn't know for certain, but she felt as if his usual offers of mercy wouldn't be offered this time.

"Why don't you just come out and say it?" snapped Halpen, scowling as he waved for the security to do as he ordered them. Jay winced as her hands were handcuffed tightly behind her, spikes of pain shooting through her fingers. "Foto activists!"

"If that's what friends of the Ood are trying to prove," said the Doctor darkly, his gaze cold as he stared Halpen down, "then yes."

"The Ood were nothing without us, just animals roaming around on the ice." Halpen didn't look the least bit concerned about them, and Jay scowled at him, disliking him quite a bit. When the Doctor shook his head in disbelief, Halpen argued, "They welcomed it! It's not as if they put up a fight."

"You're an idiot," Jay breathed, staring at him with wide eyes. "They...they hold their brains in their hands from the day that they're born. They are a peaceful species. What else could they be, with something like that?" She could feel her body trembling again. Anger flooded her. This was almost like the Master aboard the Valiant - except in a different way and on a mass scale.

"The system's worked for two hundred years. All we've got is a rogue batch." Waving them off, Halpen turned away, fiddling with his watch. "But the infection is about to be sterilized." He lifted the watch to his mouth and spoke through it, narrowing his eyes. "Mr. Kress? How do we stand?"

Something in Jay's chest dropped when a voice came over the watch, just faintly heard by those present. "Canisters primed, sir. As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released. Give it two hundred marks and counting."

Donna looked outraged. "You're going to gas them?" she shouted, bristling.

"Kill the livestock," said Halpen, running a hand over his balding head with a frown of worry. "The classic foot-and-mouth solution from the olden days. Still works." An alarm suddenly going off had him pausing and looking around. "What the hell?" he muttered. He took a moment to debate and then left, waving for someone to go with him. A frowning middle-aged men accompanied him.

When they were gone, the Doctor glanced at Jay and Donna, doing a quick sweep over them. Something in the song had changed, although he couldn't put his finger on it. And he was confident that they needed to be ready to run despite being chained to piping at the moment. Leaning in, he demanded, "Jay." She glanced at him with an entirely trusting face that made him smile brightly despite the situation. "Any risks?"

She looked at him in confusion until understanding lit her features. "No," she said, wiggling her fingers behind her back. She smiled back, unsure of why he was asking. "No risks. It's only up from my fingers, no further." Her toes would join in soon, but she could deal with both of those. She had some time since they'd spent a fair amount of time relaxing in recent weeks.

Donna glanced curiously at Jay, studying her. They'd only recently explained in detail what was going on with Jay's odd "illness" and she still didn't fully understand, although she was doing her best. Before she could say anything, however, Halpen came back with the man that had gone with him. The man, who Halpen addressed as Dr. Ryder, was mid-sentence as they approached. "-off-world, sir. It's still contained to Ood-Sphere."

"Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads," said Halpen grimly, grimacing. He straightened his suit and then turned to face the waiting Doctor. "Everything you wanted to happen is happening, Doctor. No doubt about it. There'll be a full police investigation once this place has been sterilized. I can't risk a bullet to the head." Something on the man's face had the Doctor narrowing his eyes in suspicion before he'd even finished speaking. "I'll leave you to the mercies of the Ood."

"But Mr. Halpen," said the Doctor, trying to urge Halpen to let them go before he vanished off to who knew where. He could feel that something was off the man and though he doubted he'd be capable of figuring it out, he moved on. He needed to get to the matter of things quickly - before Halpen was gone. "There's something else, isn't there? Something we've not yet seen."

"Doctor," said Donna in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"A creature couldn't survive with a separate forebrain and hindbrain," said the Doctor, shaking his head, "they'd be at war with themselves. There's got to be something else...a third element, am I right?"

Jay, eyes darting back and forth between them, said, "Wait. Would it be connected to what's happening to the Ood?"

"That's what I'd think," he agreed, and Halpen scoffed in response.

"'It' won't exist for much longer. Enjoy your Ood." He turned and left, flanked by Dr. Ryder, his Ood, and the guards, leaving the trio to stand there alone, chained to poles and at the mercy of any Ood that managed to find them.

"Ow!" snapped Donna when the Doctor jostled and accidentally tweaked her finger in between the cuffs. "Watch it, spaceman! And do something! You're the one with all of the tricks...haven't you met Houdini or something?"

"Not yet, been thinking about it," he muttered, fiddling more carefully with the cuffs. "These are really good handcuffs...Donna, Jay, can either of you reach my sonic?" Both women shook their heads after giving it a good try. Jay bit her lip as she curled her hands into fists and tried to free them, to slip them between the metal.

"Ah!" she suddenly gasped when pain shot through her wrist. She ignored the pain when her hand slid free. She grinned in triumph. "Doctor, where is it? Where's your sonic?"

"Inside pocket," he told her hastily and Jay carefully fished it out of where he'd indicated, holding the device carefully in her fingers. She'd dropped it once before in a situation similar to this and while she trusted the Doctor to get them out, she didn't want to deal with the wrath of one angry Donna Noble for doing so. He guided her through achieving what setting she needed to find, and she listened intently, doing as she was told with care until finally, she'd freed her other hand.

"Good!" praised the Doctor, pleased. He made a mental note to teach both Donna and Jay a few basic settings when this was all done and over with and they were safely back in the TARDIS. "Now do Donna. I'll go last."

"Okay." Jay slid around him, awkwardly craning her arms to get to the cuffs, and then froze when she heard a door slide open and felt Donna jolt in terror. She snapped her head around, her golden hair flying around her cheeks. "Oh, God," she whispered, terrified when she saw the three Ood that entered, their eyes a malicious red. "Doctor-" she began, and he cut her off, lifting his voice frantically to the Ood.

"Doctor, Donna, Jay, friends," he said hastily as Donna said, "The circle must be broken." They repeated these phrases in terror, their voices rising as the Ood grew closer and closer, stretching their translators towards them with the intent of electrocuting them. The Doctor frantically yanked at his cuffs.

Rather than joining them in making noise, Jay focused on trying to get them free. One of Donna's hands came free and she moved onto her other, hurrying as quickly as she could until her friends stopped shouting. She spared a look at Donna's face, saw her confusion, and looked back in time to see the Ood with their heads bowed, hands pressed to their heads. After a moment, one looked up, the red gone from its eyes, and said peacefully, "Doctor. Donna. Jay. Friends."

"Oh, thank God," breathed Jay as Donna's other hand came free and the other two screamed and shouted in delight, grinning at one another and at Jay proudly. Donna rubbed her wrists with a wince as soon as she was free, and the Doctor held still as Jay focused her attention on him. For some reason, she found herself struggling to unlock his cuffs, but after a few minutes, she'd succeeded.

"Done!" declared Jay as he shook his hands free and beamed at her in silent praise. She quickly handed his sonic screwdriver back, and he turned that smile on the Ood.

"We'll do what we can for you," he promised. "Donna, Jay, let's go!" He took off at a run for the doors, just as he always did. Jay and Donna exchanged a look; Donna looked annoyed with the amount of running they were doing that day, but said nothing as she took off after him, rushing to catch up. Jay paused to smile faintly at the Ood that blinked gently at her and then went to run after them.

The Doctor made sure they were both present, keeping an eye on them as they emerged into a warzone. Dead humans and Ood alike lay strewn out on the ground in a variety of locations. Gunshots filled the air along with screaming and shouting and snarling. It all made Donna wince in horror.

The Doctor came to a very quick realization. They needed to find that third source, that third element - and he had no idea about where to begin. He ruffled his hair with both hands as if it would help him think, and then said desperately, "I don't know where it is! I don't know where they've gone!" He whirled on Jay. "Did you hear anything else? Anything extra?"

"No," she said, grimacing in apology. "Just the Ood in the cage we found that were singing...I just...heard their song, that was it. It drowned everything else out."

"What are we looking for?" said Donna. "Anything special?"

"Somewhere something important would be kept," said the Doctor thoughtfully. "Come on, keep an eye out while we - look out!" he bellowed when he saw something hit the ground beside them. He whirled away, intending to shield his eyes, and Jay, used to such matters after her travels with him, hastily did the same. Donna had barely turned away before the blast went off.

They were thrown by the blast that cracked through the air. It sent them sprawling to the ground. Donna cried out in surprise and alarm, pain shooting through her body. It'd be heavily bruised within hours. The Doctor merely blinked a few times and then immediately began to check on them. "Alright?" he asked Donna. She nodded, wincing. "Jay?" he called, lifting his voice.

"Fine," said Jay hoarsely, shaking her head as she staggered to her feet. Her ears rang. "Ugh." She rubbed her head with a grimace and then reached out to help Donna up, glancing around.

She stopped dead, however, when she found that they were being watched. "Doctor," she said urgently. The tone of voice was enough to drag his attention to her. After a brief moment, he followed her gaze and slowly stood, wary of the Ood despite the clear lack of red-eye. Jay gripped Donna's hand and pulled her to her feet, squeezing it in comfort before dropping it all together. "That's the Ood that was with Halpen," said Jay in realization, recognizing the symbol it wore.

"Yeah," said Donna in agreement, "it is."

"Please," said the Ood, inclining its head in politeness. "Follow me."

"What?" The Doctor looked less than inclined to agree. Maybe the Ood weren't as bad as they'd originally worried about regarding something like the red-eye, but still. He wasn't sure following one would result in something good. But Jay disagreed; she pushed past him, arm brushing his, and stepped right up to the Ood.

"What's your name?" she asked, ignoring his warning to be careful.

The Ood was a bit puzzled by her reaction, but stated simply, "Ood Sigma."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ood Sigma." Jay graced it with a small smile. "Would you be so kind as to tell us where you want to take us? I'm assuming from the way you're looking at us it isn't a trap."

"No," Ood Sigma answered. "Please, follow me. The circle must be broken."

"Lead the way," said Jay without hesitation.

The Doctor glared at her, annoyed that she wasn't waiting to see if they'd agree with this decision. She met his gaze evenly as the Ood turned to lead them. "It's not like we have any other starting point, Doctor. And the Ood...they see us as friends. They stopped. They didn't have to, but they stopped. Let's give Ood Sigma a chance. Trap or not, we gave it our best if it fails."

The Doctor contemplated, debating, and then gave a curt nod. "C'mon, Donna," he asid, and she nodded confidently, stepping after Jay before he could.

The three quietly followed Ood Sigma at a brisk pace as he lead them around the chaos taking place. They didn't miss how the Ood seemed to keep the violence away from them, focusing their attacks elsewhere when they grew near. The Doctor seemed to grow less wary the closer they got, a bit more trusting of Ood Sigma. His mistrust evaporated entirely when they came to a stop before a door to a building that was labeled as Warehouse 15.

"Warehouse Fifteen," murmured Jay as he slid towards the door to use his sonic screwdriver. It took a moment to unlock it, but when they did, the Doctor lead the way in. Jay came next with Donna, Ood Sigma at the back. She sucked in a sharp breath at what they found within.

The Doctor slowly stopped beside a series of railing that kept them from stepping over the edge of a large drop that was dangerously high. At the bottom of that drop was a massive, twitching brain. Donna made a sound of horror at the sight. Surrounding the massive brain was a series of electricity that cackled and buzzed loudly, warning of the pain it had to have been causing.

"The Ood Brain," said the Doctor, leaning on the railing to peer at the brain below. His normally kind dark eyes had turned cold, his features hard with anger. He could hear them - the people that were within the building. He needed to merely wait for them to come out on their own. "Now it all makes sense. That's the missing link - the third element, binding them together. Forebrain, hindbrain, and this: the telepathic center. It's a shared mind, connecting all of the Ood in song."

The cocking of a gun had them looking back. The Doctor didn't move as Halpen appeared a few feet away and along the barrier, Dr. Ryder at this side. He leveled a handgun at them with a dark look on his face. Jay took a slight step in front of Donna, worried that he'd fire it off at them, her fingers brushing over Donna's furry coat. "Cargo," Halpen said as if it wasn't concerning that he was effectively ruining a massive hivebrain. "I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, the sheds. Smaller business...much more manageable. Without livestock."

"He's mined the area," said Dr. Ryder hoarsely, his face pale. He shifted, looking very unhappy about the matter. The Doctor made a note of that as he finally straightened, turning to face those present with his hands pushed into his pocket. "Centuries ago...they found it, buried beneath the Northern Glacier."

"You're gonna kill it?" said Donna in horror, glancing back at the brain. Doing such a thing would kill the Ood! "Those things-"

"Pylons," supplied the Doctor without looking at her.

"Those pylons," she corrected, "they're in a circle."

"The circle must be broken," Jay whispered, pressing her lips togehter. She didn't like this. She didn't like this at all.

"They're damping the telepathic field." The Doctor looked back over his shoulder at the pylons again, studying them. There had to be a way to get rid of that circle. As the Ood had declared over and over, it had to be broken. "Stopping the Ood from connecting for centuries."

"And you, Ood Sigma," Halpen barked with a glare at Ood Sigma. "You brought them here. I expected better!"

Ood Sigma merely blinked and inclined his head. "My place is at your side, sir."

Halpen laughed, amused with Ood Sigma's loyalty, and then looked over when the Doctor spoke again, this time questioning him. "If that barrier," said the Doctor, "is there, why have the Ood started to break free?" He paused, and then answered his own question. "Well, they must have taken centuries to adapt...the subconscious, reaching out."

He blinked when Dr. Ryder, stepping forward, taking on a fierce and confident look, proudly lifting his chin. "But the process was too slow and had to be accelerated. You should never have given me access to those controls, Mr. Halpen...I lowered the barrier to its minimum. Friends of the Ood, sir. It's taken me ten years to infiltrate the company, and I succeeded."

Halpen smirked, lowering his gun for just a fraction of a moment. "Yes," he muttered, "I suppose you did."

A shout of horror left Jay when Halpen suddenly grabbed Dr. Ryder by the front of his shirt and hoisted him over the railing to the brain below. Donna and Jay grabbed the railing to peer over it, watching in horror as the man was absorbed into it as if he were food for the brain. "You murdered him!" cried Donna, staring at Halpen.

"Very observant, Ginger," he said icily, mindlessly waving his gun. Jay's jaw tightened, eyes following the weapon. "Now then...can't say I've ever shot anyone before, and can't say I'm going to like it. But...it's not exactly a normal day, is it? Still…" He aimed it at the two women, earning a dark look from the Doctor. He didn't dare move now, however, and feigned disinterest in what Halpen was doing after a moment.

Ood Sigma, however, had no such worries. He stepped between the gun and Jay and Donna, offering a small shot glass to him. "Please, have a drink, sir," he said as smoothly as one with a translator could.

Halpen looked a little unnerved by the offer - by the fact that an Ood that had served him for so long would step fearlessly between a gun and someone else. "If you're going to stand in their way," he began, "I'll shoot you, too."

"Please, sir," Ood Sigma urged. His voice was shockingly like a near purr. "Have a drink."

Halpen's hand began to tremble and he lowered the gun just a fraction. "Have you...have you...poisoned me, Ood Sigma?"

Donna grabbed Jay's arm in fear as Ood Sigma said, "Natural Ood must never kill, sir." When the Doctor slowly asked what it was that Ood Sigma was giving to Halpen, Ood Sigma answered with ease. "It is ood-graft suspended in a biological compound, sir."

"Oh, dear," said the Doctor, eyes widening. Halpen whirled on him in a panic, and the Doctor found a smile spreading over his face. This would be a good end for someone like Halpen - one without violence. "Funny thing, the subconscious. It takes all sorts of shapes. Came out in the red-eye as revenge...in the rabid Ood as anger...and then...there was patience. All that intelligence and mercy, focused on Ood Sigma. How's the hair loss, Mr. Halpen?"

Anxiously, Halpen touched his head. He made a choked sound when globs of hair came free in his gloved hand. "What have you done?" he said, voice lifting to a shout. "What have you done?!"

Jay's eyes darted between the Doctor and Halpen as she slowly tugged Donna closer to the Time Lord. Something was going on here, she thought, and she gripped the Doctor's arm when she'd gotten close enough. "Doctor," she breathed wen Halpen dropped the gun and doubled over, fisting his hands over his head. "What's...what's going on?"

The Doctor merely patted her shoulder in comfort before saying to Halpen with a smirk, "They've been preparing you for a very long time, Mr. Halpen. And now you're standing next to the Ood Brain. Mr. Halpen, can you hear it? Listen."

Silence fell when Halpen suddenly seemed to peel the skin away from his head. Donna sputtered as the skin fell away and he straightened, revealing an Ood-like face taking form. Tentacles seemed to come out of his mouth and within seconds, he'd turned completely into an Ood. Donna's voice shook as she said, "They turned him into an Ood."

"Yep," agreed the Doctor.

"He's an Ood."

"Yeah, we noticed."

Halpen gave a final sneeze and a small, vulnerable hindbrain fell carefully into his hands. Ood Sigma stepped forward to stand beside him as he blinked gently at the trio of travelers. "He has become Oodkind," said Ood Sigma. "And we will take care of him."

Donna studied Halpen for a few moments and then looked to Jay, who met her eyes with a faint smile. "It's weird, being with him. I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore."

"Not a bad thing," Jay said, laughing softly. "People like that...well. THey tend to be like my father, actually, I believe."

A sudden beep had the Doctor whirling around and diving for the railing. He grabbed something that was hidden over the edge, twisting until it shut off. "There we are, the detonators are off. And now…" He whirled around, his trench coat seeming to fly around his knees as he bounced over to a series of machinery. "Sigma, would you allow me the honor?" he asked hopefully as he rested his hand on a lever.

"It is yours, Doctor," Ood Sigma said with a nod.

A grin appeared on Jay's face as she turned she and Donna around to watch when the Doctor laughed. "Stifled for centuries!" he shouted in his excitement, "but not anymore." He slammed the lever down and the electricity that had been stifling the Ood vanished. "The circle is broken."

"They're singing," whispered Donna a few moments later, her eyes lighting with joy at the beauty of the song she could hear. "I can hear it!"

Slowly, Jay withdrew her TARDIS key and pendant from around her neck and slid into a crouch beside Donna. With great care, she rested the chain upon the ground and pulled her fingers back to listen.

The song that filled her ears was one of sheer joy and happiness. After who knew how long, the Ood were free, and they sang that freedom to those that could hear it. Tears sprung to Jay's eyes as she listened, her eyes locked on the stone that had blocked the sound of their pain from her mind over the course of their time on Ood-Sphere. She dwelled in their song, letting it wash over her, and smiled a little, reminded of how she'd felt when the Doctor and Martha had saved her from the creature - when they'd agreed to take her with them.

She wasn't sure how long she crouched there, but a hand on her shoulder drew her attention elsewhere. Half-lost in the song and half-focusing, she managed to gather that it was Donna crouched before her. "Are you okay?" asked Donna, searching her gaze worriedly. "Should I get the Doctor?"

"No, I'm fine," whispered Jay, voice trembling. "I'm just...just listening."

She could have listened to their song forever.


"The message has gone out," the Doctor said a few hours later, his hands pushed into his pockets and fiddling with whatever they came across in them. He stood before the TARDIS with Donna and Jay, several Ood - including Ood Sigma - standing with them. "That song resonated across the galaxies. Everyone heard it. Everyone knows. The rockets are bringing them back." A smile crossed his face. "The Ood are coming home."

Ood Sigma blinked. "We thank you, Doctor Donna, Jay," he said. "Friends of Oodkind. And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you."

"Oh, no," the Doctor said, glancing at his two friends. "I've sort of got a song of my own, thanks." Jay offered a reassuring smile that froze on her face at Ood Sigma's next few words.

"I think your song must end soon." The Doctor whipped his head around to stare at the Ood. "Every song must end."

"Erm, yeah," the Doctor replied, clearing his throat awkwardly. Jay watched him silently, not missing the brief flash of fear that crossed his face. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and took his hand, squeezing it in comfort. He squeezed back and then said to Donna, worried about what her answer would be, "What about you, Donna? Still want to go home?"

"No," she said confidently. "Definitely not." The song they'd heard...it had been terrible, and knowing her kind had done it only made it worse. But they'd freed them. And she liked the idea of freeing more like the Ood, of helping those who needed it.

"Then we'll be off." The Doctor bumped Jay with his shoulder and nodded towards the TARDIS. She nodded and took her key in hand, moving to unlock the door. She paused when Ood Sigma lifted his hands to sing them off, speaking fondly to them.

"Know this, friends. You will never be forgotten. Our children will sing of the Doctor Donna, of Jay, and our children's children. And the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever."

Jay flashed the Ood a final, warm smile, pleased, and then stepped inside. Donna and the Doctor were only a moment behind her, the Doctor sweeping the door shut behind them. Jay studied the beauty of the TARDIS, touching her pendant and admittedly wishing she could hear at least the TARDIS around it.

She quietly watched the Doctor as he moved quickly around the console, her eyes never leaving him. She didn't miss the dark look that crossed his face several times, the fear that lingered - everything that Donna missed as he sent the TARDIS through the time vortex to some random point in space and time. When he was done, he sent it into drift and shrugged off his coat.

"I'm gonna go and get something to eat," Donna said, happy to be back in the TARDIS. "Do you want anything, Jay?"

"Sure," agreed Jay, touching her stomach thoughtfully. "I'll be just a moment. Put on some tea or something, too," she added as Donna headed for the kitchen. Donna waved to show she'd heard, shrugging off her own coat as she went.

When she was gone, Jay slipped out of her coat, too, and moved over to take the Doctor's for him. He handed it off easily, brow furrowed as he studied the console, lost in thought. Jay neatly folded it over her arm and studied him a moment longer before asking, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said immediately.

"I don't believe that," she retorted, and he glanced at her in surprised amusement. Jay rarely tended to show any mention of a temper unless people were being insulted needlessly or hurting others. "Tell me. I've been here a year and some extra time now. I know better."

He searched her face and then sighed, realizing she wasn't going to let it go. He walked around the console to drop into the captain's seat, and she went to throw their coats in their normal place before heading back to join him. She stood beside him rather than sitting, waiting, and after some time, the Doctor admitted, "Ood Sigma said my song was ending."

"He did," agreed Jay, "but he didn't say it was today." He shrugged, frowning. Jay quietly asked after some hesitation, "Do you...do you think he meant you'd die, or that you'd regenerate, like the Master did?"

The Doctor winced, not too pleased to be compared to the Master. Still, he said, "I don't know. Even if it was regeneration...this face...who I am now...would die." He glanced at her. "I'd be replaced by someone new, someone different, Jay."

"Well, even if that happens," said Jay firmly, "I'm not leaving. You'd still be the Doctor, no matter what you looked like or how you acted. You'd still be my friend. And I'm not going anywhere."

A small smile curved over his lips and the Doctor said, "Thank you, Jay. Now go on and find Donna before she burns something in the oven. The TARDIS wasn't too happy with her last attempt."

Jay nodded and went to do just that, disappearing down the corridor that would take her to the kitchen, and the Doctor watched her go, furrowing his brow thoughtfully. The sentiment was truly nice, and he really appreciated her determination to not go anywhere...but his last regeneration had knocked him out. He'd held it back, for Rose. The TARDIS should have taken quite a bit of time to recover, but he'd held it back.

He wouldn't be able to do that so easily a second time.

Let alone the fact that he had no intention to go down so easily. He didn't want to die - nor regenerate.

So, the Doctor decided, he'd do as he'd always done.

He'd run, and he'd take his friends along on the journey with him.


On a roll watching Doctor Who and got to writing some more. Loving where this is heading now a days. Guess who makes a return next chapter? ;)

Thanks to reviewers (bored411, Great i dea, and meowmixkitkat!) as well as those who favorited and followed!