"Here we are," River said, smiling as she piloted the ship into a secluded landing bay.

Octavius looked out the window in amazement, his worry turning to curiosity at the sight. It was a rocky planet. Dark, with only a small speck of a sun on the horizon. There were cracks in most of the rocks, which flowed with red, molten rock.

"A volcanic planet?" He asked turning to River.

She nodded. "I would assume so, considering the giant volcano over that way."

Octavius turned to look in the direction she indicated, and heard Jedediah let out a low whistle as he spotted the mountain.

"That's a big one." He said.

River cut off the power to the ship, and pulled something out of her bag which made the two miniature's eyes widen in surprise.

"The….Tablet….?" Octavius asked, raising an eyebrow.

River smiled. "I nabbed it a little bit ago. On a recent adventure."

"How?" Jedediah questioned, looking just as surprised.

"Spoilers." River said, grinning widely. "Now then, let's get you grown."

"Grown?" Jedediah asked, frowning. "You're...gonna make us big?"

"Well yeah. It would be stupid to run in there with no backup but an old, grouchy man."

Larry, who was now awake, crossed his arms and glared from the chair he sat in.

"No." He said, his voice stern. "You're not resizing them. They're not going out there."

"Now, Sir, I really need-"

"No!" Larry yelled, jumping to his feet. He scooped up the two miniatures, and held them close. "I won't let you. I can't let anything happen to them."

"We need to save the Doctor." River said, reaching for the two.

Larry backed away, anger in his eyes. "Why should we help him? He's the reason I lost them in the first place!"

"Larry," Octavius whispered softly.

Larry looked down at the Roman, the rage leaving his eyes. Octavius looked at Jedediah, then continued.

"Larry, we must do this. I know how much you hate the Doctor. But he is the only one who can save us. You must let us do this. I want to do this. And I know Jedediah does as well."

The cowboy nodded. Larry sighed with defeat, and set them down on the floor.

"Alright." He said. "But be careful, please."

"We will." Octavius promised. He then looked at River. "You understand how the Tablet works?"

River shrugged, smiled, and pushed one of the pieces. "Can't be too hard."

Within a moment's time the two miniatures began to glow with golden light. They felt air whoosh around them, and the slight pinching sensation of stretching. They blinked, then looked down at themselves, full sized again.

"Ow…" Jedediah said, stretching his back. "Resizin's a little painful."

Octavius nodded, shaking his head to relieve the dizziness. He looked at Larry and saw him sigh, his head bowed. He went to speak, thought better of it, and cleared his throat instead.

"We should get moving." He said, turning to River. "The Doctor needs us and we have not much time."

River nodded, and slipped the Tablet back into her bag. "Let's go."

Jedediah stuck close to Octavius and Larry as they left the ship behind, and stepped out onto the surface of the planet. There was air to breath, but it was tinted with smoke and the sickly scent of sulfur, which caused them all to cringe at first, before they became use to it. It was also rather cold, the small sun giving little heat, and even less light. The only light they could see by was given from the cracks in the ground, which also gave off a little warmth to the shivering group.

"Are you sure this is the right planet?" Larry asked, pulling his frayed and faded night guard uniform tighter around himself.

"It's got to be." River said, continuing forward. "I always know where he is."

"So, who's the Doctor to you?" Asked Larry after a few more steps.

River was quiet for a moment. "He's my husband."

Larry turned to look at her quickly. "What?"

"I know." River said, smirking slightly. "It's surprising."

"You must...you must not like me, for hating him." Larry said sheepishly, looking at his feet in shame. "He just took so much from me…"

"He does that, sometimes." River said quietly, almost reminiscent. "He takes a lot. From many people. But he never means to. It just...happens. But, no matter how much he takes, he always gives back twice as much."

"I see," Larry said, having no response. He then coughed, and pointed to the volcano in the distance. "That doesn't look real."

River frowned. "How so?"

"I worked in a museum. Believe me, I can tell a display from a mile away. It's made of fiberglass and boiled up PlayDough or something."

"No, it's real lava." River said, scanning the liquid substance. "And it's not fiberglass. It's stone. But you are right about one thing; it's fake."

"If it is fake," Octavius said thoughtfully, looking at the mountain. "Then it must be man or creature made. And if it is, there is a good chance that the Doctor is in there."

"With our enemies." Jedediah added, fixing his Stetson firmly on his head.

"Maybe we can sneak in." River suggested, studying the structure. "Yeah, we can sneak in no problem. It doesn't look guarded."

"Neither did the last place we went in." Jedediah muttered to Octavius, who nodded understandingly.

Without another pause, River led the way to the base of the volcano. The heat was intense here, and the once shivering travelers now sweated profusely as they reached an open passageway in the side of the mountain.

"Through here," River instructed, leading them inside.

The heat was even stronger here, and the air was thick was gasses and the baking temperature. But Octavius felt something more. A strange tingling in his brain. An almost anxious, nervous feeling, which both frightened and compelled him to continue forwards. He tried to stop his feet from walking, but he was pushed on from behind by Jedediah, who was unaware of what his friend was feeling.

"This must be the main tunnel." River said as they reached the end of the passage. She paused, and looked around, before frowning. "Strange," She said, her frown deepening."There's no one here."

"No one?" Larry frowned as well, peering out into the hall. "There has to be someone here."

"You'd think a place holdin' the Doctor would have some sorta protection. I mean, it's the Doctor." Jedediah said, his hands on his hips as he surveyed their surroundings. "What'dya think, Ockie?" He paused, then frowned when his friend didn't respond. "Ockie?" He asked again, turning to the Roman. "Octavius…? You alright, buddy?"

"Y-Yeah…" Octavius stammered, the tingling feeling becoming almost unbearable. "I-I am fine."

"You sure?" Jedediah asked worriedly, taking a step towards him. "Ya don't look good…"

Octavius went to reply, but was cut off by a searing pain in his head as an electric shock pulsed through it. He cried out and sank to his knees, grasping his head tightly in his hands. He heard Jedediah shout in surprise, and felt his presence beside him as he trembled, his head wracked in pain, which he felt spreading throughout his body, making him numb.

"Octavius! Octavius look at me!" Jedediah yelled, shaking the Roman frantically.

Fear gripped his heart when no response came, and he gently helped his friend into a laying position, careful to support his head. The Roman was gasping, as if he couldn't breath, and his eyes were wild with fear and pain. Jedediah looked at River for help, and she hurriedly ran over to them.

"Is he okay?" Jedediah asked frantically. "Tell me he's okay!"

"I-I don't know-"

"Octavius!" Jedediah yelled again, shaking him even harder.

"I-I-I c-c-cannot m-m-move!" Octavius managed to gasp, losing feeling in his whole body.

Panic filled Jedediah's eyes, and he hugged his Roman friend tightly, daring whatever it was harming him to make itself known. He looked down when he felt Octavius weakly move an arm, swatting at his ear.

"S-S-Something…" He muttered, his eyes losing focus. "In m-my ear…"

"Let me see," River said gently, also beside the Roman.

She gently moved his hand, and winced.

"Cyber chip." She said, poking at the tiny bit of metal implanted in his ear. He winced and groaned slightly.

"It must've been put there by the Intelligence." Jedediah said, exchanging a glance with River. He bit down his panic, and tried to speak as calmly as possible. "Wh-What do we do?"

"Well," River said, gently stroking Octavius' head. "It's too dangerous to move him. And we need to go on. You might have to leave him-"

"No." Jedediah said firmly, shoving her hand away from his friend. "We're not leaving him."

"Jed," River spoke, her voice commanding. "Can I call you Jed? I suppose I will. We need to go. And quickly. We have to leave him here. There's no time."

"But...I can't…" Jedediah whispered, once again hugging his friend. "I can't. I can't leave him."

"Jed, I'll stay here and try to help him. That might be the only way-"

"I said no, River!" Jedediah snapped, anger blazing in his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere! I'm not-"

"Jedediah…" Octavius whispered softly, looking blearily at him from half closed eyes.

Jedediah looked down at his friend, momentarily pausing in his protests.

"Jedediah, listen to R-River-"

"I don't wanna!" Jedediah yelled, blinking rapidly to clear his teary eyes. He shook his head. "I don't wanna leave you!"

"Jedediah, you must. The Doctor needs-"

"I don't care about the Doctor!" The cowboy snapped. "I don't care! You're more important than any ol' Time Lord!"

"Jedediah-"

"I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!"

Everyone was silent, looking at each other or the ground as the cowboy took a deep breath to still his trembling shoulders.

"I can't lose you again." He repeated softer, bowing his head. "It hurt when I lost you the first time. It'll hurt more if I lose you now."

Octavius raised a shaky hand, and weakly rubbed his friend's shoulder. "I will not be lost. I will be here, waiting for you to return in triumph to me when this is through."

"And what if I can't?" Jedediah asked quietly, refusing to meet his gaze. "What if I fail 'gain and you die?"

"You will not fail." Octavius whispered. "You must go."

"Jed," River said, reaching to touch his other shoulder. "I'll stay here and look after him. You go."

"And I'll go with you." Larry pipped up, coming up on the cowboy's side. "I owe it to you. Both of you."

"But…"

Jedediah was silent, looking from River to Larry, then from Larry to Octavius. They needed him to do the right thing. They needed him to defeat Kahmunrah one last time. To beat the Intelligence. To defend their future.

With a heavy heart, Jedediah let out a weary sigh and rose to his feet.

"I'll go." He finally agreed. He looked at Otavius. "Ya better be here when I get back."

"I will be." Octavius whispered, smiling weakly.

Jedediah nodded, then turned as River spoke.

"You'll need this," She said handing him her sonic lipstick. "It'll lead you to the Doctor."

Jedediah nodded again, and turned to face Larry, who had just finished tying up his boots for the next leg of their adventure.

"Ready?" Jedediah asked, keen to get moving.

Larry nodded. "And you?"

Jedediah paused, looking down at his feet before answering. "I'm...I'm ready."

"Jedediah," Octavius whispered, looking up at him. He waited until the cowboy was listening. "Do it not for the Doctor. Do it for me."

Jedediah nodded once, held his friend's gaze one last time, gathered the strength and hope gathered in his eyes, and left on with Larry, hoping he could find the strength to what he knew he must.