Season Four, Episode Three
The Planet of the Ood
Rose was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe. Only a week into their travels with her, and Donna seemed to be attempting to buy the entire marketplace, and the Doctor was trying to convince her that no one on any planet needed 37 coats.
"Well, how am I supposed to pick just one?" the redhead asked in frustration. "They're all so unique!"
"Rose!" he shouted in desperation. "Please, Rose, tell her!"
Finally taking pity on them both, she caught her breath and shook her head. "Just pick out the three you like best, yeah Donna? I promise, there'll be time for more shopping later. Next time you can get shoes!"
Their companion's eyes lit up, but the Doctor groaned.
"Really?" he said with profound disappointment.
She grinned cheekily, that tongue in teeth smile that melted him immediately. He hadn't seen that smile in a while, and it shocked him how much he'd missed it.
"What? I want to get Jack a present," she said, tugging him toward her by his tie. "Haven't seen him in a while and thought he'd like something special."
He moved closer and kissed her forehead. "I think we can manage a present for Jack." He looked her in the eyes. "You've been distant. I missed you."
She dropped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I've been talking with the TARDIS a lot."
He tipped his head curiously. "She never mentioned it. Everything all right?"
Rose nodded. "I just felt a bit lost. I have you, and that's just brill, yeah? But the whole Aeternitas thing really got to me, you know?" The blonde woman sighed. "Got me thinkin'… what am I?"
He frowned. "You're Rose."
She smiled somewhat, and he realized he had missed her happy grin. "I know, Doctor. But… I'm not human any more, am I? I'm not human, I'm not really anything that's already out there. Closest I am is TARDIS, but I'm not even really that. I'm just… something else."
He hugged her for a moment before answering. "I don't know, Rose. No, you're not technically human. Or TARDIS. There's never gonna be another person in all of the universe like you, my beloved pink and yellow girl, and I can't decide whether to be sad for you or feel oh so lucky for me."
She couldn't help it. She giggled softly into his chest. She knew it would come up again, but for now, being with him was enough.
They returned to their ship and headed off for their next adventure. A slight jostling indicated they'd arrived, and the Doctor pointed at the doors, grinning at Donna.
"Set the controls to random! Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, anywhen in the whole wide- are you all right?"
"Terrified," she admitted freely. "I mean, history's one thing, alien planets I can do, but random? You just let it go... ?"
Rose headed calmly for the doors, always eager and curious for each new place.
"I could always take you home," he said, frowning. He didn't want to take the red haired woman home. He liked her brutal honesty and outgoing manner.
"Yeah, don't laugh at me," she sighed.
Rose turned back, moving to her side with a cheeky wink to the Doctor. "I know what it's like - everything you're feeling right now. The fear, the joy, the wonder - I get that!"
"Me too," the Doctor nodded easily.
Donna was amazed. "Seriously? After all this time?"
"Well, yeah! Why do you think we keep going?" Rose laughed, tugging at Donna's arm. "Come on, let's see what we got this time. A tenner says we get shot at."
"Oi!" the Doctor cried. "We don't get shot at that much!"
"All right, then, you two and me both! This is barmy!" their companion laughed, head toward the door as the Doctor slipped his trenchcoat on. "I was born in Chiswick. I've only ever done package holidays. Now I'm here. This is- I mean, it's- I dunno. It's all so- I don't even know what the word is!"
"I grew up on a council estate, Donna," Rose grinned, opening the door. "And now I'm married to an alien, and have met countless royals – on a couple dozen worlds."
Donna had to laugh as they stepped outside, but the laugh died abruptly in her throat. The wind howled and blew snow in their faces.
"Oh, I've got the word, now. 'Freezing'," she muttered drily.
The Doctor stepped out and grinned brightly, catching Rose in a hug and twirling her around. "Snow! Ah! Real snow! Proper snow at last, my Rose! That's more like it. Lovely. What do you think?"
She kissed him with a giggle. "About time. It's just gorgeous!"
"Bit cold," their companion sniffed.
"Look at the view!" the Time Lord crowed, gesturing to the ice and snow that covered a barren landscape.
"Yep. A beautiful... cold view."
He shook his head, gesturing to the world before them. "Millions of planets, millions of galaxies and we're on this one. Molto bene! Belissimo! Says Donna, born in Chiswick. You've had a life of work and sleep, telly and rent, takeaway dinners, birthdays and Christmases, and two weeks holiday a year and then you end up here! Donna Noble, citizen of the Earth, standing on a different planet. How about that, Donna?"
Rose, who'd moved with him turned to discover that Donna had disappeared. "Donna?"
She returned a moment later, exiting the TARDIS in a heavy coat with a fur-lined hood, and holding a lined blue leather jacket for the blonde woman. "I asked the TARDIS for one for you too, and this is what she gave me. Sorry. You were saying?"
The Doctor smirked a bit as Rose slipped into the jacket. "Better?"
"Lovely, thanks," the redhead laughed.
"Comfy?" he checked his two girls.
Rose beamed, taking his hand.
Donna pulled her hood a bit more snugly to her. "Yep."
He laughed, "Can you hear anything inside that?"
"Pardon?"
They all cracked up at that, looking around. It really was a lovely view, the mountains and the snow and the sunlight; it made a gorgeous picture.
"Right. I was saying, citizen of the Earth—"
A loud, obnoxious rocket roared across the landscape over their heads and Donna followed its path with fascination, though both the Doctor and Rose frowned somewhat.
"A rocket. Blimey, a real, proper rocket. Now that's what I call a spaceship," their companion crowed. "You've got a box - he's got a Ferrari. Come on, let's see where it's going."
Rose gave a muffled squawk of indignance. "She's more than a box! She's gorgeous!"
"Of course she is, love," the Doctor soothed both his wife and his TARDIS. "Donna's still new to all this, remember."
They moved in that direction, trudging in the ankle deep snow. Within moments they were laughing and teasing one another, tossing handfuls of snow at each other. Suddenly the Doctor stopped, head cocked to the side, listening.
"Hold on-can you hear that? Donna, take your hood down. Rose, listen."
Donna lowered her hood, listening. "What? Rose, you hear anything?"
The blonde didn't answer, pressing a hand over her mouth. She blinked back hot tears at the infinitely sad tune that filled her mind through the TARDIS' help.
"That noise-it's like a song," the Doctor explained softly, taking Rose's hand as he looked around them. On the next hill he saw something and began moving toward it. "Over there!"
Rushing toward the figure, they discovered it to be the body of an Ood, half covered in the snow that was once again falling. Rose gave a mournful cry, remembering the lost souls on the impossible planet that had been sacrificed to the black hole to destroy a being that had almost taken her Doctor from her. She fell to her knees next to the poor wretched creature.
Although she was mildly repulsed by the way it looked, the red haired woman felt regret that it was dying out in the snow, all alone. "What is it?"
He knelt next to his wife, an arm slipping around her shoulders as he replied in a voice heavy with a regret he'd buried until now, "An Ood. He's called an Ood."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a stethoscope.
"But its face..." she said, trying to adjust.
Rose waved at her. "Donna, not now. It's a 'he', not an 'it'. Give us a moment."
"Sorry," she murmured, lowering herself on the other side as the Doctor moved the stethoscope around.
"I don't know where the heart is. I don't know if he's got a heart. Talk to him. Keep him going," he frowned.
"It's all right. We've got you. Um... what's your name?" Donna said, wanting to help.
"Designated Ood Delta 50."
Rose held the Ood's head in her lap, gently, noting the dim light in the translation ball. Unfamiliar with the species, Donna picked up the ball to speak into it.
"My name's Donna."
Rose gently covered her friend's hand. "No, no, no, no. You don't need to. He can hear ya just fine."
Sorry. Oh, God- this is the Doctor. Just what you need - a doctor. Couldn't be better, eh?" the former temp tried again.
"You've been shot," the Doctor said in surprise.
"Why would someone shoot an Ood?" Rose asked. "They don't do nothing but what they're told, right?"
"The circle—" the Ood tried to say, stirring.
Donna pressed down on his shoulders, firmly but carefully. "No, don't try to talk."
"The circle must be broken."
The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look that spoke volumes. This was unknown, and there was nothing that suited them better than the unknown. He shifted his gaze to the Ood.
"The circle? What do you mean? Delta 50, what circle? Delta 50? What circle?"
Suddenly his eyes flew open, glowing the angry red the Time Lord and his wife had seen once before. He and Donna managed to scramble backwards as the Ood growled and grabbed Rose's shoulders. The Doctor immediately leapt forward, but before he could do anything, the growl faded and the Ood collapsed, dead.
He hauled Rose into his arms, holding her tight.
"Are you okay, Rose?" their friend asked worriedly.
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just scared me. Bad memories, that."
Donna looked over at the body. "We were too late. What do we do, do we bury him?"
A heavy sigh escaped the Doctor. "The snow will take care of that."
"Who was he? What's an Ood?" she asked, wanting to understand the new world she found herself in.
"They're servants - of humans in the 42nd century. Mildly telepathic. That was the song-it was his mind calling out," he explained, pulling back from Rose and kissing her forehead.
"It was so very sad. I never heard nothing like that from the last Ood," she said softly.
The redhead looked between them. "I couldn't hear anything," she said as she stepped away from him. "He sang as he was dying."
"His eyes turned red," the Doctor noted, turning to look closely at the form in the snow.
"What's that mean?" Donna asked, wishing she understood.
"Trouble," Rose answered, shaking her head abruptly.
The Doctor grabbed her hand and nodded to Donna. "Come on."
They began walking again, toward their previous destination, and he tried to explain to Donna why an Ood with red eyes might scare the two of them when very little else seemed to.
"The Ood are harmless and completely benign. Except the last time we met them, there was this force, like a stronger mind, powerful enough to take them over."
"What sort of force?"
"Called himself the Devil," Rose volunteered, smirking a bit at the way her husband rolled his eyes.
"If you're gonna take the mickey, I'll just put my hood back up," she snorted in blatant disbelief.
The blonde woman laughed and swatted her friend's arm playfully. "No, s'really what he claimed. Took over like fifty some Ood, and a fellow named Toby. Doctor sent him into a black hole."
"Just believed in something stronger, was all," the man in question mumbled, flushing a bit.
Donna, sensing a rare opportunity to tease her new friend, grinned. "And just what was that?"
He glanced up. "Rose."
They were all silent a moment; the Doctor from embarrassment at admitting such a personal thing, Rose from the deep feeling of being loved and cherished that he had stirred in her, and Donna from the sudden wonder if she would ever find anyone who needed her the way her friends needed each other.
The Time Lord quickly pushed past his embarrassment and tugged Rose toward the next bluff, knowing their companion wouldn't be far behind. "Must be something different this time, though. Something closer to home. A-ha! Civilization!"
Below them stretched some kind of factory or facility, complete with an airfield of sorts where several shuttles, including the one that had just flown over, were temporarily housed. The hurried in that direction, arriving just as a group of business people were being handed maps of the facility and introduced to their guide.
"My name's Solana, Head of Marketing. I'm sure we've all spoken on the vid-phone. Now if you'd like to follow me—"
She paused as she saw the three approaching.
"Sorry, sorry! We're late! Don't mind us! Hello. The guards let us through," the Doctor explained, beaming charmingly at them all.
The darker woman raised an eyebrow. "And you would be—"
The Doctor flashed his preferred form of identification, the psychic paper. "Rose Tyler, the Doctor, and Donna Noble."
Representing the Noble Corporation, PLC Limited, Intergalactic," Donna said, sounding official and rather bored.
Rose couldn't help but grin at her friend's way of fitting herself right into any situation. Must be all those temp positions.
"Must have fallen off my list," Solana said, a professional apology in her tone. "My apologies, it won't happen again. Now then, Miss Tyler, Dr. Noble, Mrs. Noble, if you'd like to come with me."
She couldn't stop the bubble of laughter at the wounded looks on both Donna and the Doctor's faces.
"Oh, no, no, no. We're not married," he hurriedly explained.
Donna shook her head, trying not to shudder. He was a great friend, but honestly, there could never be anything like that between them. Gesturing between herself and the Doctor she said emphatically, "We're so not married. He belongs completely to the blonde, and she's welcome to him."
"You both sound so horrified," Rose tittered. "I'm sorry, Miss Solana. I just can't take them anywhere."
The woman nodded with cool professionalism. "Of course. Here is your information pack. Vouchers inside," she handed the packet to the Doctor. "Now, if everyone would like to come with me, the executive suites are nice and warm."
A sudden alarm blared, catching the Doctor's attention. "Ooh, what's that? Sounds like an alarm."
The woman smiled and shook her head. "It's just a siren for the end of the work shift. Now then, this way! Quick as you can!"
They were ushered inside, but Donna noticed the woman's smile slip as an uncertain look flitted across her face.
The three time travelers listened to the presentation on the Ood as though they were cattle or a household appliance. The prepared speech made it sound as though the Ood had pretty well asked for this life, or at least were thrilled with it. As though they were cared for like children, fed and educated, petted and pampered before sending them off to serve their purchasers.
The buyers applauded, but Rose and the Doctor exchanged looks. They had seen the Ood first hand, and something ran as grossly inaccurate here.
Solana walked to the Ood who stood blankly on pedestals. "I'd now like to point out a new innovation from Ood Operations. We've introduced a variety package with the Ood translator ball. You can now have the standard setting - How are you today, Ood?"
"I'm perfectly well, thank you," the Ood replied in the generated tone.
She continued on to the next Ood. "Or perhaps after a stressful day, a little something for the gentlemen. How are you, Ood?"
The genderless creature replied in a sultry feminine voice, "All the better for seeing you."
Rose squeezed her husband's hand, a deep frustration in her face. He squeezed back, trying to calm her.
"And the comedy classic option. Ood, you dropped something."
A familiar cartoon voice from Donna and Rose's time sounded, "D'oh!"
The room tittered in amusement.
"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."
Rose wandered off to the buffet to get a drink, while Donna looked around and chatted with other business people. The Doctor put on his glasses and headed to the control board, where he switched on the screen. Donna wandered back to him. He looked up, expecting Rose, and frowning slightly when he noticed her being chatted up by a distinguished looking fellow.
"Stuff it, Doctor," Donna grinned, following his line of vision. "You know she's going nowhere."
"Of course not, she's connected to the TARDIS. She gets a bit sick if she's separated by too great a distance."
"And she's absolutely mad about you," Donna added, rolling her eyes.
He smiled a bit sheepishly. "Don't know why, but yeah."
His friend shook her head. "Me neither. Now – what have you got here?"
He gestured to the screen that showed their location. "The Ood-Sphere. I've been to this solar system before - years ago. Ages. Close to the planet Sense-Sphere. Let's widen it out... the year 4126. That is the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire."
Donna coughed a bit. "4126? It's 4126? I'm in 4126?"
He winked at her. "It's good, isn't it?"
She focused on the screen. "What's the Earth like now?"
"A bit full, but you see, the empire stretches out across three galaxies," he grinned, showing her.
She slowly shook her head. "It's weird. I mean, it's brilliant, but... back home, the papers and the telly, they keep saying we haven't got long to live - global warming, flooding, all the bees disappearing."
"Yeah. That thing about the bees is odd," Rose spoke up, rejoining them.
The Doctor glanced at her and pulled her close, glancing at the man she'd been talking to.
"You're not… jealous, are you Doctor?" she asked in surprise.
Donna snickered. "He is! He was pouting like a toddler."
The glare he shot her told his wife exactly what he had been thinking and she kissed his cheek soothingly. Donna pointed at the screen.
"Back to the point, look at us - we're everywhere. Is that good or bad, though? I mean, are we like explorers or more like a virus?"
He didn't answer for a moment, glancing away from Rose. "Sometimes I wonder."
She couldn't argue with him. She'd seen enough of the future of the human race to wonder about it herself.
"What are the red dots?" Donna asked, watching the screen.
"Ood distribution centres," he replied with a frown.
"Across three galaxies? Don't the Ood get a say in this?" she asked indignantly, stomping toward one of the Ood and tapped on it gently. "Um... sorry, but... Hello. Tell me, are you all like this?"
Rose sighed softly and sadly, remembering her first encounter. The Doctor's hand slipped into hers.
"I do not understand, miss," the Ood said in a very calm voice.
Donna jerked. "Why do you say, 'miss'? Do I look single?"
"Back to the point," the Doctor prompted.
"Yeah. What I mean is, are there any free Ood? Are there any Ood running wild somewhere like wildebeest?"
"All Ood are born to serve. Otherwise we would die."
Rose frowned, narrowing her eyes. She knew the answer didn't sit well with her friend or her husband either. There was something very odd about the Ood.
"You can't have started like that. Before the humans what were you like?" Donna pressed.
Rose knew she didn't imagine that small jerk to the Ood.
"The circle."
The Doctor pounced on the response. "What do you mean? What circle?"
"The circ-the circle-is-"
"Ladies and gentlemen. All Ood to hospitality stations, please."
As the Ood marched obediently out, Donna and Rose frowned at each other. The Doctor pulled out the map they'd been given and nodded.
"I've had enough of the schmoozing. Do you fancy going off the beaten track?" he asked playfully.
"A Rough Guide to the Ood-Sphere? Works for me," Donna shrugged.
Rose snorted. "Doesn't seem like we're getting any answers standing here like lumps."
The three casually left the center, opting to search the grounds for their answers. They found their way through a locked gate to where Ood were being marched between buildings. One fell as they watched, and an armed guard approached. He ordered the Ood to get up before cracking a whip for emphasis.
"Servants? They're slaves," Donna gasped, barely managing to keep herself quiet. She looked to Rose who nodded in angry agreement.
"If we had known about this back on Krop Tor…" she murmured.
The Doctor took her hand. "I know. We never thought, never asked..."
Their red haired friend blinked in surprise. "That's not like you."
He sighed, feeling Rose tense at the memories. "I was busy. So busy I couldn't save them. I had to let the Ood die. I reckon I owe them one."
"We, love," Rose reminded him softly. "We owe them one. I was there, too."
He nodded and squeezed her hand as two men walked across the compound with an Ood in tow.
"That looks like the boss," Donna whispered.
"Well, let's keep out of his way. Come on." The Doctor led the two women in another direction.
The Doctor was wandering in front of the warehouses, staring at a map, while Rose and Donna looked at the buildings themselves.
"Think this one'll do?" Donna asked the blonde woman.
Rose nodded. "Now to get his attention."
"Let me," Donna grinned at the chance to plague the Doctor a bit and whistled sharply, and very loudly.
He jumped and ducked his head, looking around in alarm at the two of them, shaking his head at their broad smiles. "Where did you learn to whistle?"
"West Ham, every Saturday," the redhead replied cheekily.
He rolled his eyes and unlocked the door, ushering them inside. It was a warehouse, filled with shipping containers.
"Oh please… no," Rose murmured, looking around.
"Ood Export. You see?" the Doctor said, pointing at the huge metal claw in the ceiling that was moving the containers about. "Lifts up the containers, takes 'em to the rocket ships. Ready to be flown out all over the three galaxies."
"What, you mean- These containers are full of..." Donna trailed off, unable to finish that thought.
"What do you think?" Rose answered, somewhat bitterly.
Her husband opened the nearest container to reveal possibly a hundred Ood, standing in long, neat straight rows. The stench was immediately overpowering, as the poor creatures were standing unwashed in their own filth.
"Oh, it stinks. How many of 'em do you think there are in each one?" Donna asked in a horrified voice.
"A hundred? More?" he said somewhat harshly.
Rose sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. "A great, big empire, built on slavery."
"It's not so different from your time," the Doctor noted.
"Oi, I haven't got slaves," their companion snapped.
He sneered slightly. "Who do you think made your clothes?"
She glared at him, tossing her head in sudden anger. "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."
He glanced at Rose, who looked away, disappointed that he would lump all humans together when he was an advocate of trying people on their own merits. He felt the keen stab that caused and touched her arm briefly, before looking at Donna.
"Sorry," he said sincerely.
"Well, don't. Spaceman," she warned him. "I won't have it, and neither will Rose."
He smiled slightly, glancing at his beloved wife to see forgiveness on her face. He wanted to hug her to him until she smiled once more, but Donna interrupted his thought.
"I don't understand, the door was open- Why didn't you just run away?"
"For what reason?" one of the Ood asked blankly.
"You could be free," she exclaimed.
"I do not understand the concept."
Rose shook her head. The mournful song still rang through her head, and it was getting harder to ignore.
"What is it with that Persil ball? I mean, they're not born with it, are they? Why do they have to be all plugged in?" Donna asked the Doctor, confusion evident on her face.
Frowning a bit, he stepped toward the Ood. "Ood, tell me, does 'the circle' mean anything to you?"
The Ood answered as one, their translator balls glowing in the darkness of the shipping container. "The circle must be broken."
Rose snapped her eyes to the Doctor, clearly alarmed. This was exceedingly reminiscent of the Ood on Krop Tor and she couldn't stop the shudder as the possessed image of Toby filled her mind.
"Whoa, that is creepy," Donna muttered.
"But what is it? What is the circle?" he asked, taking Rose's hand and squeezing it reassuringly.
"The circle must be broken," they repeated.
"Why?"
"So that we can sing."
Rose gasped, her hands going to her head. The song, the mournful cries of the Ood doubled in her mind, echoing so loudly it pained her.
"Rose!" the Doctor cried, turning to her as she bent. He could feel her panic rising and it did not help keep him calm.
"I can't…" she said softly, trying to block it.
Alarms began to blare through the building and the Doctor winced.
"That's us, then. Rose, can you…?"
"I'll have to," she said, moving with him.
The three ran through the building, darting around the maze of shipping containers as they searched for an exit. Donna stopped as she spotted a door.
"Doctor! There's a door!"
Said door opened, and guards rushed in toward her. "Don't move!"
Further in, the Doctor came to a sudden halt. Donna wasn't with him, and neither was Rose.
"Where have you gone?"
He couldn't look around, however, as a guard shouted, "Stay where you are!"
He sped away, not knowing that his red haired companion was being shoved into a shipping container full of Ood.
Rose had stopped to catch her breath, the assault on her mind winding her. Silently, she begged the TARDIS to help her to handle it and looked around.
Somewhere nearby, she could hear the Doctor shouting, "Rose! Donna? Where are you?!"
The huge crane overhead began moving, and guards rushed right past her, but didn't acknowledge her. Rose shook her head and held out her hands. She was physically there, she hadn't been phased out like she had on the Valiant. So why couldn't they see her?
The crane zoomed through the warehouse, obviously chasing the Doctor. Behind her, she heard Donna screaming for help from inside a container. Anger surged within her, blocking the song, but not in a way that was going to make anyone happy.
She moved through the warehouse, back to where she now knew the Doctor and Donna both were.
"Never mind about me, what about them?" Donna was asking as the red eyed Ood started out of the container, clearly intent on killing the guards.
"Stop," came an echoing voice.
"No," the Doctor breathed, turning. Though the Ood obeyed, he was frightened. "Rose… Rose, let it go…"
Donna gaped. Rose was glowing as she had in Pompeii.
The Time Lord moved to her side as the guards backed away. "Come on, love. Now's not the time. The Ood won't hurt us…"
She shuddered and almost collapsed, but the intense glow faded and her eyes receded to their natural hazel state.
"We have to get out, they won't stay docile," she murmured.
"You're going nowhere," the guard in charge snapped, pointing his weapon at her.
Immediately, the Ood snapped, attacking the guards.
"Red alert! Fire!"
The Doctor, Rose, Donna, and the woman named Solana barely made it out of the warehouse, running at full speed to a safe distance before stopping.
"If the people back on Earth knew what was going on here..." Donna started to say.
Solana snapped, "Don't be stupid. Of course they know."
She gaped in disbelief. "They know how you treat the Ood?"
"They don't ask. Same thing," the woman shrugged carelessly.
Rose bristled, recognizing that sort of self centered coldness. This woman was only interested in herself. She'd known a lot of people like this while growing up. But of course, the Doctor didn't seem to see that, or he just wanted to save her.
"Solana, the Ood aren't born like this. They can't be. A species born to serve could never evolve in the first place. What does the company do to make them obey?" he murmured.
She shrugged. "That has nothing to do with me."
He glanced around, meeting his wife's eyes. The hazel orbs were infinitely sad and it made his hearts clench. "What, because you don't ask?"
"That's Dr Ryder's territory."
Rose shook her head. "Where is he, then? What part of the complex?"
The Doctor held out a map, his expression hardening as he accepted that she wasn't going to do the right thing. "We could help with the red-eye. Now show me!"
She stared at him for a long moment, eyes narrowed as she considered it. Suddenly she turned and shouted. "They're over here! Guards, they're over here!"
Rose glared at her, then tugged the Doctor and Donna's hands as they ran off. They ran for quite some time, until they saw guards. Then they spun around and ran a new direction, this time with the Doctor in the lead.
"This way!" he shouted.
They stopped outside a different building, the Doctor already working on the lock. "Oh, can you hear it? I didn't need the map. I should've listened!"
Rose winced behind him, unseen. The song was much louder here. She was beginning to feel exhausted after having released the TARDIS energy and then running like mad through the compound.
The Doctor relocked the door once they were inside and Donna balked.
"Does that mean we're locked in?"
"Listen. Listen, listen, listen, listen," he waved, peering into the dark.
He moved further in, down a set of stairs, followed closely by Donna and not as closely by Rose, but for the first time in a long time, he was too distracted to notice her hand wasn't in his. Ahead of them were cages holding several rather skittish Ood.
"Oh, my head," Rose moaned softly, a hand going to her temple.
He moved back to her side immediately, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so sorry to put you through this, love."
"We have to help," she whispered, dismissing the concern for her well-being.
"What is it?" Donna asked, worried for her friend.
The Doctor looked over in surprise. "Can't you hear it? The singing?"
Donna shook her head, obviously confused. She looked over, seeing the Ood huddled in a corner of a cage. Rose found the lights and switched them on.
"They look different to the others," Donna said softly, trying not to frighten them.
The Doctor nodded, squatting in front of the cage. "That's because they're natural-born Ood. Unprocessed. Before they're adapted to slavery. Unspoiled. That's their song."
The redhead joined him, glancing up at Rose as she moved to stand behind the Time Lord, a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I can't hear it," the human woman said with a wistful frown.
He hesitated. "Do you want to?"
She turned and nodded. "Yeah."
"It's the song of captivity," Rose told her. "S'really sad."
She shook her head, as stubborn as ever. "Let me hear it."
"Face me," the Doctor instructed, placing his fingertips on her temples. "Open your mind. That's it. Hear it, Donna... Hear the music."
The deep sadness of the song finally echoed through her mind and she gasped, turning to look at the poor captive creatures with tears pouring down her face. After a brief moment, she shook her head, her voice breaking in a sob. "Take it away."
"You sure?" he asked gently.
"Oh, Doctor," Rose murmured. "Can't you see? She can't bear it."
The Doctor removed the song from Donna's mind, and she sniffed.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Rose insisted, hugging their friend tightly.
"But you can still hear it," she clarified, looking between them.
"All the time," the Doctor nodded.
"And feel it," the blonde sighed.
The Doctor stood, taking her hands. "You can feel what they do? Rose, why didn't you tell me?"
She smiled slightly. "You got enough to worry about, yeah? We can talk about it after we fix this."
He started to answer but they heard the sounds of someone forcing the door open.
"They're breaking in," Donna said, standing as well.
"Ah, let 'em," he scowled, whipping out the screwdriver and opening the cage. The three of them entered the cage and the Ood shuffled away. "What are you holding?"
The Ood looked up shyly, and the Time Lord glanced at his wife thoughtfully. If she could feel what they did, then perhaps she could connect. He nudged her. She looked at him, almost immediately understanding what he wanted. She took a step toward them.
"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm your friend. I'm Rose. This is the Doctor, and Donna. They're your friends too. C'mon, love. C'mere. Let me see what you got there," she cooed softly. She used the TARDIS to extend her own mind as the Ood shuffled slightly closer. "That's it. That's it, go on. Go on, then."
The Ood offered her his hands, opening them slightly, revealing what looked to be a small… brain?
"Is that-?" Donna gasped.
The Doctor's eyes lit up. "It's a brain. A hindbrain. The Ood are born with a secondary brain. Like the amygdala in humans, it process memory and emotion. 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," the temp spoke in a tone of utter horror.
Rose bit her lip, her heart breaking even more thoroughly at the knowledge. She felt guilty that they hadn't come to find out about the Ood sooner.
"And stitches on the translator," the Doctor spat, furious at the people who could do this to such vulnerable beings.
"Like a lobotomy. I spent all that time looking for you two because I thought it would be so wonderful out here. I want to go home," Donna said, shaking slightly as she understood how bleak the universe could be when the heartless were in charge.
Neither the Doctor nor Rose had any time to respond as those in charge came rushing into the room.
"They're with the Ood, sir," a guard announced.
Rose tensed, wanting to protect the Ood, but the peaceful being actually moved in front of her. The Doctor slammed the door shut and glared at them.
"What are you gonna do, then? Arrest us? Lock me up? Well, you're too late! Hah!"
It wasn't much after that that Donna and the Doctor were being handcuffed to a pole while Rose was held off to the side by Halpen.
"Why don't you just come out and say it? FOTO activists," the president scowled.
"If that's what Friends of the Ood are trying to prove, then yes," the Doctor said, his voice deceptively light. His eyes narrowed darkly. "What are you going to do with my wife?"
"The Ood were nothing without us - just animals roaming around on the ice," Halpen sneered. "And you brought me someone who can control the red eyes. So I thank you."
"You can't hear them, so you think they're just animals," the Time Lord countered.
Halpen laughed. "They welcomed it! It's not as if they put up a fight."
Donna kicked at him, her temper flaring. "You idiot! They're born with their brain in their hands, don't you see? That makes them peaceful! They've got to be because a creature like that would have to trust anyone it meets."
Rose smirked. "Nice one."
"Thank you."
Halpen jerked Rose's handcuffs, effectively silencing them all as the blonde woman winced. "The system's worked for 200 years. All we've got is a rogue batch. But the infection is about to be sterilized. And we'll start again with a tighter hold on them, thanks to you."
He spoke into a communicator. "Mr. Kess, how do we stand?"
"Canisters primed, sir. As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released. Give it 200 marks... and counting," came the answer.
"You're going to gas them?!" the Doctor all but screamed.
"Kill the livestock. The classic foot-and-mouth solution. Still works," the man replied starkly.
Rose gave a soft cry, her knees almost giving out as the song increased, the sorrow now mixing with anger and fear.
"What the hell?" Halpen snapped angrily as the alarms blared throughout the compound.
He left the office, followed by Dr. Ryder and the still loyal Ood he called Sigma. The Doctor strained, wanting to reach Rose's side.
"Are you okay? Rose?"
"I'm… okay…" she assured him. "The Ood are rebelling. Listen, Doctor. You can hear it."
He could hear it, but he worried about her, and what she was feeling.
"Emergency status! Emergency status!" the announcement system alerted them.
"Change of plan," Halpen announced, returning.
"No reports of trouble off-world, sir. It's still contained to the Ood-Sphere," Dr. Ryder reported.
The man nodded coldly. "Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads."
"What's happening?" Donna asked, confused.
"Everything you three wanted. No doubt there'll be a full police investigation once this place has been sterilized so I can't risk a bullet to the head. I'll leave you to the mercies of the Ood. But I'll be taking my new insurance policy, just in case."
He jerked Rose upright again and marched her out the door, ignoring the angry cries behind him.
"But, Mr. Halpen, there's something else, isn't there? Something we ain't seen," Rose said, her breathing rather ragged.
The president stopped at the door.
"What do you mean?" Donna asked in surprise.
The Doctor explained, worry and pride warring within him. "The creature couldn't survive with a separate forebrain and hindbrain, they'd be at war with themselves. There's got to be something else, a third element. Are we right?"
"Again, so clever," Halpen replied.
"It's got to be connected to the red-eye. What is it?" he asked, trying to stall the man who could take Rose away from him.
Halpen turned and looked him in the eye. "It won't exist for very much longer. Enjoy your Ood."
They left the room, Rose fighting rather ineffectively against him. Giving a frustrated cry, the Doctor began furiously trying to free them, Donna helping as best she can.
Halpen, Dr. Ryder, Sigma, and Rose crossed the compound, a guard in tow.
"Dr. Ryder, Warehouse 15," Halpen instructed crisply.
"What about this one?" Ryder asked thumbing at Sigma.
Halpen smirked. "No! You've not turned. Faithful to the last. Go. Join your people," he said. "That's why I have her with me. Come on!"
Back in the office, the Doctor and Donna were still trying to free themselves.
"Well, do something! You're the one with all the tricks! You must've met Houdini!" Donna shouted.
"These are really good handcuffs!" he exclaimed. "Don't you think I want to get to Rose?!"
"Oh, I'm glad of that. At least we've got quality!" she snapped as the door opened.
They looked up to find several Ood standing there, advancing. The two people in the room began frantically trying to convince them not to attack.
"Doctor, Donna, friends! The circle must be broken! Doctor, Donna, friends! The circle must be broken!"
The Ood advanced, holding out the translator balls but stopped abruptly.
Across the compound, as she was dragged along, Rose tried desperately to push out her feelings of love and protectiveness to the Ood, her eyes brightly golden as her energy began to fade.
The Ood standing before the objects of her thoughts blinked slowly, their eyes returning to normal.
"Doctor. Donna. Friends," they repeated.
"That's me! Us!" Donna crowed.
The Doctor laughed breathlessly. "Yes, that's us! Friends! Oh, yes!"
Rose was dragged to the door of a warehouse, watching as the guard escorting them was attacked. Ryder moved to intercept and Halpen stopped him.
"No! Leave him! Leave him."
Rose gagged slightly at the cold disinterest in his voice.
Across the compound, the Doctor and Donna finally left the office, racing into the fighting and looking around near panic.
"I don't know where it is! I don't know where they've gone!" he shouted, tearing at his hair.
Donna put a hand on his arm. "What are we looking for?!"
They ran blindly through the buildings.
"Might be underground, like some sort of cave or a cavern or..."
As Halpen put his security code in a door, Rose pushed her presence toward her husband, hoping she had enough energy left for that.
"Warehouse 15, door open."
The men rushed inside, dragging the nearly unconscious woman with them.
An explosion rocked the grounds, throwing the Doctor and Donna to the ground.
"All right?" he called.
Donna nodded, jumping slightly as the smoke cleared to reveal Sigma standing there staring down at them.
Inside the warehouse, Halpen uncuffed Rose, who slumped to the floor, and stepped over her. "It's always been an option. My grandfather drew up the plans. That's the advantage of a family-run business, Dr. Ryder- the personal touch."
The doctor checked the woman's pulse before moving around her to the other man. "But we should evacuate. If we can get to the rocket shed—"
"No need. They won't attack us while she's with us. And we've got this," he smiled coldly, opening a large cabinet. "Detonation packs. Place them around the circumference. We're gonna blow it up. This thing dies... so do the Ood."
After handing several to Dr. Ryder, he began placing the packs along the railing.
The door to the warehouse opened, and the Doctor strode in with Donna and Sigma just behind him. The first thing they noticed was the gigantic brain in the building.
"The Ood brain," the Doctor said reverently. "Now it all makes sense. That's the missing link. The third element, binding them together. Forebrain, hindbrain and this. The telepathic centre. It's a shared mind... connecting all the Ood in song. This is what Rose was feeling…"
There was a click behind them, and all three turned to see Halpen grinning triumphantly at them, holding a gun.
"Cargo. I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, I've got the sheds. Smaller business. Much more manageable without livestock," he said simply.
"He's mined the area," Ryder called out.
"You're gonna kill it!" Donna cried.
"Where's Rose?" the Doctor demanded harshly.
"They found that thing centuries ago beneath the northern glacier," he shrugged. "The blonde's in the floor up back there."
"Donna, the pylons," the Doctor said suddenly.
"In a circle," she nodded. "The circle must be broken."
"Dampening the telepathic field, stopping the Ood from connecting for 200 years."
"And you, Ood Sigma, you brought them here. I expected better," Halpen sneered.
"My place is at your side, sir," the Ood replied calmly, moving to the president's side.
The man chuckled darkly. "Still subservient. Good Oo—"
He choked, catching the attention of both the Doctor and Donna.
"If that barrier thing's in place, how come the Ood started breaking out?" she asked.
"Maybe it's taken centuries to adapt. The subconscious reaching out," the Time Lord shook his head.
Ryder moved closer to them. "But the process was too slow, had to be accelerated. You should never have given me access to the controls, Mr Halpen. I lowered the barrier to its minimum. Friends of the Ood, sir. It's taken me ten years to infiltrate the company. And I succeeded."
"Yes. Yes, you did," Halpen rasped, roughly pushing the man over the railing into the giant brain, where he was absorbed.
"You... murdered him," Donna gasped.
The evil man smirked. "Very observant, Ginger. Now then, can't say I've ever shot anyone before... can't say I'm gonna like it, but, uh, it's not exactly a normal day, is it? Still..."
As he held up the gun again, there was a movement behind him. Rose stood, eyes blazing with gold light. Sigma held out a glass.
"Would you like a drink, sir?"
With a laugh, Halpen looked at the Ood. "I think hair loss is the least of my problems right now, thanks."
The Ood moved to stand in front of the Doctor and Donna as Rose moved silently closer.
"Please have a drink, sir."
The Doctor got a sudden, inescapable feeling of something about to shift, and placed a hand on Sigma's shoulder.
The cruel man with the gun felt nothing, however, and glared at the Ood. "If- if you're gonna stand in their way, I'll shoot you too."
His voice is getting thicker, as though it's hard to get words out.
"Please have a drink, sir."
He gaped in horror. "Have-have you... poisoned me?"
Rose spoke, her voice ethereal. "Natural Ood must never kill."
Halpen seemed to panic, but he couldn't move at that point.
"What is that stuff?" the Doctor asked, barely controlling the overwhelming desire to scoop Rose into his arms and sprint back to the safety of the TARDIS.
"Ood-graft suspended in a biological compound," Sigma answered readily.
"What the hell does that mean?" Halpen gasped.
But the Doctor understood at once. "Oh dear."
"Tell me!"
The Doctor shook his head, and did what he was best at. He babbled. "Funny thing, the subconscious. Takes all sorts of shapes. It came out in the red-eye as revenge. It came out 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?"
Halpen gaped at Sigma. "What have you done?"
"Oh, they've been preparing you for a very long time. And now you're standing next to the Ood brain. Mr. Halpen, can you hear it? Listen. All that was needed was the right catalyst."
Rose put her hand on the man's shoulder, and his eyes widened as the song of the Ood rang throughout his mind.
"What have you-I'm... not—" he cried desperately.
"Shh…" the not so human woman whispered. "It's time for peace."
The gun clattered to the floor as Halpen gripped the sides of his head in agony. His fingers dug into the skin, pulling it away like a mask he'd been wearing. Beneath was the form of an Ood, complete with the tentacles falling from where his mouth had been.
"They-they turned him into an Ood?" Donna asked, her disbelief and confusion plain.
"Yup." He wanted to rush to his Rose, but it wasn't time just yet.
"He's an Ood."
"I noticed."
The new Ood made a strange gurgle and coughed, holding something precious in his hands. His secondary brain.
"He has become Ood-kind and they will take care of him," Rose said before sighing softly and collapsing, barely caught by the doctor who lifted her easily. "S'done now," she whispered to him.
He couldn't speak just then, merely kissed her forehead.
"It's weird, being with you," Donna announced just then. "I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore."
"It's better that way. People who know for certain tend to be like Mr. Halpen," the Doctor frowned as a loud beeping sounded. "Oh!"
He handed his wife to Sigma long enough to rush over and turn off the detonation packs. "That's better. And now... Ood Sigma, will you allow me the honour?"
The Ood inclined his head. "It is yours, Doctor."
"Oh yes!" he said with a manic grin as he moved to the equipment. "Stifled for over 200 years but not anymore. The circle is broken. The Ood can sing!"
A rich, joyous tune filled the air, audible to everyone alive on the planet. Rose lifted her head, then set her feet on the ground, supported by Sigma as the Doctor laughed from his shared joy.
"I can hear it!" Donna beamed.
Seeing that Rose was stable, Sigma raised his arms, and the rest of the Ood followed. The remaining humans who had been fighting felt their shame in helping to oppress this and surrendered.
The Doctor and Rose embraced, then included Donna in their hug.
"We helped save 'em," Rose sighed happily.
It was only a few days later that they made to leave the planet, having gotten everything squared away in getting the last of Ood Operations packing up and shipped away. Several of the Ood walked the three travelers to the TARDIS to say goodbye.
"The message has gone out. That song resonated across the galaxies. Everyone heard it. Everyone knows. The rockets are bringing them back. The Ood are coming home," the Doctor assured them.
Sigma inclined his head in a slight bow. "We thank you, Doctor-Donna, friends of Ood-kind, and our kindred, Rose. And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you."
"We've sorta got a song of our own, thanks," the Doctor said, slinging an arm around Rose.
"I think your song must end soon," Sigma said quietly.
"Meaning?" the Doctor asked, tensing.
"Every song must end."
"Yeah," he said, looking at Donna. "Um, what about you? Do you still want to go home?"
Rose turned too, her eyes wide in a silent plea for their friend to stay.
"No. Definitely not," Donna smiled.
"Then we'll be off," the Time Lord grinned.
"Take this song with you," Sigma asked them.
"We will," the redhead promised.
The Doctor nodded his agreement. "Always."
"And know this, Doctor-Donna, you will never be forgotten. Our children will sing of the Doctor-Donna, and our children's children, and the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever," the Ood said.
The Doctor and Donna moved into the TARDIS, leaving Rose to touch hands with the Ood.
"We know what you see," he said to her.
"An' I know what you lot see," she replied, the burden heavy on her.
"Be well, kindred," Sigma said. "Your joy will be complete."
"Take care of each other, Sigma," she smiled before moving inside.
The ship dematerialized, taking her inhabitants into the vortex for a while to let them rest before she had to take them on to the next adventure.
