Hi everyone, well here's chapter 72, I'm getting nearer the end of this fic, I've been planning out how to split each episode into parts and it looks like this will contain over 100 chapters with the fillers in between. Anyway, here's part three.

Everyone gathered around the controls. The roof was still open and Rose was still looking, she saw something go past "But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" she asked

"Stars breaking up." Ida answered "Gas clouds. We have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads, before falling into that thing."

"So, a bit worse than a storm, then." Rose said

"Just a bit." said Ida

"Just a bit, yeah."

--

Toby returned "The rocket link's fine." he said as he joined the others. Zach brought up an image of the black hole

"That's the black hole, officially designated K37 Gem 5." he said

"In the scriptures of the Veltino, this planet is called Krop Tor, the bitter pill." Ida explained. "And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon who was tricked into devouring the planet only to spit it out because it was poison."

"The bitter pill." Rose said "I like that."

"We are so far out." said the Doctor "Lost in the drifts of the universe. How did you even get here?"

"We flew in." Zach answered "You see…this planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how, we've no idea, but it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there as a funnel, a distinct gravity funnel reaching out into clear space. That was our way in."

"You flew down that thing?" said Rose "Like a rollercoaster."

"By rights, the ship should've been torn apart." Zach continued "We lost the captain. Which is what put me in charge."

"And you're doing a good job." Ida told him.

"Yeah, well." he said "Needs must."

"But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out." Danny said

"Oh, we have fun speculating about that." Scooti told them

"Oh, yeah." said Danny standing up "That's the word, 'fun'." He tapped her on the side of the head with the roll of paper he was holding

"But that field would take phenomenal amounts of power, I mean…Not just big, but off the scale." the Doctor said "Can I…?" he asked holding his hand out for the calculator, which Ida handed him

"Sure, help yourself." she said.

The Doctor worked on his calculation and Rose turned to face an Ood. "Your refreshment." it said as it handed her a cup

"Oh, yeah, thanks." she said as she took it "Thank you. I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"We have no titles." it answered "We are as one."

Rose walked away from it and tapped Danny on the shoulder "Erm, what are they called?" she asked

"Oh, come on." he said "Where have you been living? Everyone's got one."

"Well, not me." Rose said "So, what are they?"

"They're the Ood." Danny answered

"The Ood?" Rose asked

"The Ood."

"Well, that's Ood." Rose said

"Very Ood." agreed Danny "But handy. They work the mineshaft, all the drilling and stuff. Supervision and maintenance. They're born for it. Basic slave race."

"You've got slaves?" she asked

"Don't start." Scooti said "She's like one of that lot, Friends of the Ood."

"Well, maybe I am, yeah." Rose said "Since when do humans need slaves?"

"But the Ood offer themselves." Danny told her "If you don't give them orders, they just pine away and die."

One of the Ood walked over to them "Seriously?" Rose asked "You like being ordered about?"

"It is all we crave."

"Why is that, then?"

"We have nothing else in life."

"Yeah, well, I used to think like that." Rose said "Long time ago."

The Doctor finally finished the calculation "There we go." he said "Do you see? To generate that gravity field and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds."

"That's all the sixes." Rose said

"And it's impossible."

"It took us two years to work that out." said Zach

"I'm very good." the Doctor said

"But that's why we're here." said Ida "This power source is ten miles below, through solid rock. Point 0. We're drilling down to try and find it."

"It's giving off readings of over 90 Statts on the Blazen Scale." Zach added

"It could revolutionise modern science." Ida said

"We could use it to fuel the empire." Jefferson added

"Or start a war." the Doctor said

"It's buried beneath us." said Toby "In the darkness, waiting."

"What's your job?" Rose asked him "Chief dramatist?"

The Doctor grinned slightly

"Well, whatever it is down there, it's not a natural phenomenon." Toby continued without answering Rose "This planet once supported life, aeons ago, before the human race had even learnt to walk."

"I saw that lettering written on the wall, did you do that?" the Doctor asked him.

Toby nodded "I copied it from fragments we found unearthed by the drilling, but I can't translate it." He scratched his ear.

"No, neither can I." the Doctor said "And that's saying something."

"And there was some form of civilisation." he said "They buried something. Now, it's reaching out. Calling us in."

"And you came." the Doctor said

"How could we not?" Ida asked

"So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here?" the Doctor asked "Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why. Because it was there. Brilliant! Excuse me. Zach, wasn't it?"

"That's me." the captain said

"Just stand there, 'cause I'm gonna hug you, is that all right?"

"Suppose so." he said

The Doctor moved towards him "Here we go." he said "Coming in." He hugged the other man "Human beings." he said "You are amazing." He let him go "Thank you."

"Not at all."

Rose laughed at him "But apart from that you're completely mad. You should pack your bags, get back on that ship and fly for your lives."

"You can talk." said Ida "How the hell did you get here?"

"Oh, I've got this…" said the Doctor "This ship…It's hard to explain, it just sort of appears."

"We can show you, we parked down the corridor from…" Rose said "What's is called? Habitation Area…"

"Three." they said

"Do you mean Storage 6?" Zach asked

"It was a bit of a cupboard, yeah." the Doctor answered "Storage 6? But you said… You said… You said Storage 5 to 8." He turned and ran out of the room, Rose followed him quickly, wondering what the hell was going on.

The Doctor continued to run, back the way they had gotten to the control room "What is it?" Rose asked "What's wrong?"

They had returned to Habitation Area 3 and they ran straight through it. He tried to open the next door, but it wasn't going quick enough "Doors, come on!" he said through gritted teeth.

"Open door 17."

He opened the door and ran through it, Rose was still following him. They ran through another door.

He tried to open door 16, but he couldn't get it to open "It can't be, it can't be!"

"What's wrong?" Rose asked again "What is it? Doctor, the Tardis is in there. What's happened?"

"The Tardis is gone." the Doctor answered. "The earthquake. This section collapsed."

"But it's got to be out there somewhere." she said, as she went to look out of the little window in the door.

"Look down." he said. She did as he asked. She was confused, but he was upset. She turned and wrapped her arms around him, he returned the gesture, both giving comfort and receiving it. When they broke the hug, they walked back to the control room hand in hand.

--

When they reached the control room, the Doctor tried to get Zach to help them get the Tardis back "…The ground gave way." he said "My Tardis must have fallen into the heart of the planet. You've got robot drills heading the same way."

"We can't divert the drilling." Zach said

"But I need my ship!" the Doctor said "It's all I've got. Literally, the only thing."

"Doctor, we've only got the resources to dig one central shaft down to the power source and that's it." Zach said "No diversions, no distractions, no exceptions. Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a life, if we ever get to leave this place. And that is the end of it."

"I'll put you on the duty roster." Ida said as Zach walked away. "We need someone in the laundry." She left too and the Doctor turned to Rose.

"She's the only thing of Gallifrey that I've got left." he said "I'd rather lose her than you." He walked over to stand beside her "I've trapped you here."

"No, don't worry about me." she said, then the ship began to rumble "Okay, we're on a planet that shouldn't exist, underneath a black hole and no way out. Yeah, I've changed my mind. Start worrying about me." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

Right, that's that part, the next will be up as soon as I've completed it and started the following part, anyway, I'm gonna warn you now, I'm going on holiday in June, so there will be no updates. Me, my best friend, my sister (Kirsty) and her friend are going to Benidorm (I think) we're definitely going somewhere, we're booking it in the next few weeks...so, I'm just giving you advanced notice.

Anyway

TTFN

Julie