Chapter Eight: An Ood Situation

Taking a day to simply enjoy the planet he'd saved so many times was the right choice, the Doctor decided the next morning. He felt better, and looking at Rose and Donna, it was obvious the feeling was mutual.

Today, the familiar excitement of travel buzzed in his fingertips, and he reached up to straighten his tie. When he felt the soft cotton of his undershirt instead of a tie, he buttoned a second button on his blue suit coat instead, then grinned at the ladies.

"Are we ready?"

"Yes!" they chorused.

The controls were already set to random, and he raised his eyebrows dramatically as he grabbed the dematerialisation lever. "Donna Noble… Hold on!"

The trip through the Vortex was rocky, as it often was when she she flew without a destination. Only Rose, holding onto the railing, managed to stay on her feet and not get flung around the room.

The Doctor jumped to his feet when they finally landed. "Set the controls to random." He brushed his hands together and winked at Donna. "Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, anywhen in the whole wide u— Are you all right?"

Donna had looked at the door when he'd pointed, but now she was staring at him, eyes wide and pupils blown. "Terrified," she gasped. "I mean, history's one thing but an alien planet?"

"I could always take you home," the Doctor said, half teasing, half testing. If she really couldn't handle an alien planet, it would be better to find out now.

But she just rolled her eyes and pointed at him. "Yeah, don't laugh at me."

Rose laughed and linked her elbow with Donna's. "Nah, he's not," she promised. "I mean… we know what it's like, don't we?"

Donna raised an eyebrow and looked from Rose to the Doctor. "You mean the two of you still get those butterflies when you land on a new planet?"

The Doctor stuck his hands in his trouser pockets and wandered over to them. "Cross my hearts," he promised. "Everything you're feeling right now. The fear, the joy, the wonder? We get that."

"Seriously?" Her eyes sparkled. "After all this time?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "I swear, Donna, the number of times he's bounded out of here like a kid in a candy store…"

"Pot and kettle," the Doctor sang, tapping her on the nose.

"Oh. All right then—we all feel it." Donna spun around and walked towards the ramp, and the Doctor grabbed his coat while she rambled. "This is barmy. I was born in Chiswick." She turned back around when she reached the door. "I've only ever had package holidays. Now I'm here. This is so… I mean it's… I don't know, it's all sort of…" She finally shook her head and laughed breathlessly. "I don't even know what the word is."

She pulled the door open and disappeared outside, and the console room filled with the Doctor and Rose's laughter. "I forgot how much fun it is to introduce new people to travel in the TARDIS," Rose said as they walked down the ramp.

"Oh yeah, it's—" The rest of the Doctor's sentence died on his tongue when they stepped outside into a snowstorm.

"Real, proper snow!" Rose squealed. "Oh, that's a bit more like it!" She tilted her head back and stuck her tongue out to catch a snowflake.

Donna was squinting into the blinding whiteness, and the Doctor leaned over and nudged her with his elbow. "Come on, Donna. What do you think?"

"Bit cold." She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her shoulders, left bare by her sleeveless top.

The Doctor gestured to the expanse of frozen wilderness in front of them. Massive icicles hung from a natural bridge. "Look at that view."

"Yep. Beautiful, cold view," Donna repeated.

"Millions of planets, millions of galaxies, and we're on this one. Molto bene. Bellissimo, says Donna, born in Chiswick."

Rose rolled her eyes when the Doctor started to ramble. She caught Donna's eye and tilted her head towards the TARDIS, and the other woman nodded quickly.

"Sorry about him," Rose said as she led the way to the wardrobe room, which was waiting just off the console room today. "He's not the most practical person in the universe. Plus, he's got that coat and he's better equipped for handling the cold naturally."

A rack of coats hung just inside the door, and Donna grabbed the thickest one with a faux fur-lined hood and slid her bare arms into it. "What, he doesn't get cold like the rest of us?"

"Nope," Rose told her as she put on a black pea coat the TARDIS had put out just for her. A red scarf hung on the hanger with it, and she quickly wrapped it around her neck, realising vaguely that the ensemble made her look at least a little professional—unlike the last time she'd provided winter gear for Rose.

What are you planning, dear? The TARDIS just hummed, and Rose chuckled.

"Come on," she told Donna. "He's just realised we're not there."

The Doctor was staring at the TARDIS when they walked back outside. "Sorry, you were saying?" Donna said, obviously feeling much more chipper in her warm coat.

"Better?" the Doctor asked, looking at her, then at Rose.

"Oh yeah," Rose confirmed. The wind nipped at her ears and nose, but the wool coat kept most of her body warm. She took the Doctor's hand and brushed her thumb over his. You forget that humans don't have your tolerance for extreme temperatures.

He nodded, then looked at Donna, crunching her away across the snow to them. "Comfy?"

"Yep," she chirped.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Can you hear anything inside that?"

Donna leaned forward and squinted up at him. "Pardon?"

A peal of laughter escaped Rose; Donna's dry wit was going to make travelling with her so much fun.

The Doctor grinned and shook his head. "All right, I was saying, citizen of the Earth…"

Again, his impressive introductory speech was interrupted, this time by a red and white rocket breaching the atmosphere and slowly gliding in for a landing.

"Rocket," Donna breathed. "Blimey, a real, proper rocket. Now that's what I call a spaceship." She tapped the Doctor on the chest. "You've got a box; he's got a Ferrari."

"Oi!" the Doctor said. "Don't knock the TARDIS."

Donna shook her head. "I'm just saying, your ship isn't exactly flash. I mean, it's not the kind of spaceship that would help a bloke pick up girls."

"Welllll…"

The Doctor swung their hands between them, and Rose laughed when she felt how smug he was. She grinned at Donna. "That would depend on the girl."

Donna pursed her lips and shook her head. "You're mental, both of you." Then she shrugged. "All right, where to? Or are we just going to stand here until we're so covered in snow, we blend in with the landscape?"

Rose nodded in the direction the rocket had been going. "Let's see what Mr. Flash is up to."

They followed the rocket contrail, though they had to skirt around mountains and ravines along the way. The planet really was breathtakingly beautiful, Rose mused as they walked across the natural bridge she'd spotted earlier, spanning a deep crevasse in the ice.

Something built in the air—a song of sorts. Rose and the Doctor both slowed as it echoed around them, but Donna kept walking.

The Doctor held up his hand. "Hold on, can you hear that?" Rose nodded, but Donna tilted her head and looked at him quizzically. "Donna, take your hood down," he snapped.

"What?" she asked as she complied.

"It's like a song, Doctor," Rose whispered as they looked around the planet, trying to figure out where it was coming from.

He nodded absently, then pointed. "Over there," he said as he took off.

Rose skidded to a halt and clapped her hands over her mouth when they nearly stumbled over an Ood, partially covered by the fresh snow.

"What is it?" Donna asked.

The Doctor pulled a stethoscope out of his pocket as he got down on the ground beside it. "An Ood. He's called an Ood."

Donna stared, looking half awed, half horrified. "But its face."

"Donna, don't," the Doctor ordered tersely. "Not now. It's a he, not an it. Give me a hand."

Rose sank down into the snow beside him. "What do you need, Doctor?" Cold, wet snow soaked through the knees of her jeans almost immediately, but she ignored it.

"I don't know where the heart is," the Doctor said as he moved the bell of the stethoscope around over the Ood's chest. "I don't know if he's got a heart." He glanced at Rose. "Talk to him, keep him going."

To everyone's surprise, it was Donna who spoke first. She'd gotten down into the snow with them after the Doctor had snapped at her. Her voice trembled at first, but gradually gained strength as she grappled with not only meeting her first alien race on an alien planet, but also the fact that the Ood was dying.

"It's all right, we've got you," she murmured. "Um, what's your name?"

The translator ball lit up, and the Ood spoke in a hoarse whisper. "Designated Ood Delta Fifty."

Donna bit her lip, then picked up the translator ball and spoke directly into it. "My name's Donna."

Rose pulled it gently out of her hand. "It's okay, Donna. You don't need to talk into it. He can understand you just fine."

Donna blushed. "Sorry. Oh, God."

"S'all right." Rose patted the Ood's shoulder. "This is the Doctor," she said soothingly. "We're gonna get you patched up, good as new. All right?"

Ood Delta Fifty's head lolled towards her, and Rose wondered if he knew she was lying.

"You've been shot," the Doctor stated clearly.

The translator ball lit up, and Ood Delta Fifty took a rasping breath. "The circle…"

Donna held her hands up and shook her head, then reached up and pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "No, don't try to talk."

"The circle must be broken," he grunted.

The Doctor tilted his head and stared at the Ood. "Circle? What do you mean? Delta Fifty, what circle? Delta Fifty? What circle?"

The nearly unresponsive Ood suddenly sat bolt upright, his eyes blazing red. Rose yelled and scrambled back, dragging the Doctor and Donna with her. Those red eyes still haunted her nightmares some nights.

But that outburst must have been his last gasp, because as quickly as he'd arisen, he collapsed back against the snow, his eyes closed.

"He's gone." Donna pulled free of the Rose's hold and knelt down in the snow.

"Careful," the Doctor and Rose said in unison.

Donna ignored them and bent over the prone body. Wind whipped over the ridge as she stroked the bald head. "There you are, sweetheart. We were too late." She looked back up at them. "What do we do? Do we bury him?"

The Doctor shook his head. "The snow'll take care of that."

She sat back on her haunches."Who was he? What's an Ood?"

"They're slaves," Rose spat out. "Subjugated by humans in the forty-second century."

The Doctor shoved the stethoscope back into his coat pocket. "Mildly telepathic. That was the song. It was his mind calling out."

Donna looked down at Ood Delta Fifty. "I couldn't hear anything." She stood up. "He sang as he was dying," she murmured sadly.

"Doctor, his eyes turned red," Rose said urgently.

Donna looked from her to the Doctor and back again. "What's that mean?"

"Trouble. Come on," the Doctor said, leading the way away from the body.

They walked a few yards in silence, their footsteps crunching through the snow as the wind whistled around their ears. "You've met the Ood before?" Donna asked as they walked down a hill.

Rose shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her waist. "Yeah," she confirmed. Events and people she hadn't thought of in almost four years came back to her with stunning clarity—the look on Jefferson's face when he'd chosen to stay behind and hold the Ood off, her fear when Ida had told her the Doctor was gone, the red light in Toby's eyes on the rocket, just before she'd shot the window out.

"Yeah," she repeated. "We were on a sanctuary base—deep space exploration—and the humans there had Ood with them."

Donna hit an icy patch and slid a few steps. When she had her feet under her again, she asked, "Well, what are they like?"

The Doctor picked up the story as they circled a frozen pond. "The Ood are harmless. They're 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?" Donna asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "Oh, long story."

"Long walk," she pointed out.

"It was the Devil." Huh. Not such a long story after all.

Donna half turned towards him and glared at him as they walked. "If you're going to take the mickey, I'll just put my hood back up."

Rose shook her head. "No, seriously Donna. We were on a planet orbiting a black hole, and we met the Devil."

Donna stared, then shook her head and snorted. "I never know what to think with the two of you. I mean, I know you're telling the truth, but how am I supposed to believe things like that? You sound barmy, you know that, right?"

The Doctor ignored their conversation, focused on the Ood's red eyes. "Must be something different this time, though," he mumbled to himself. "Something closer to home."

He crawled to the top of a hill and peered down into the valley below—a very obviously occupied valley. "Ah ha! Civilisation." He grinned at Rose and Donna. "Fancy a bit of infiltration?"

"Oh, yes." Rose took his hand and pulled him over the rise. "Come on, Donna!" she called out as they started down the hill toward the fenced in compound.

The gate to the compound was guarded, but the Doctor could see a group of business people gathered on the other side of the fence, near a large building. "Sorry!" he told the guard as he pulled out his psychic paper. "Running a bit late, but it looks like there's still time, though."

The guard barely looked at the psychic paper. "Three more buyers for Solana," he muttered, typing something into his tally for the day. "Go on through."

The gate swung open, and as they jogged past tall, white buildings, they could hear a woman giving an introductory speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ood Sphere. And isn't it bracing? Here are your information packs, with vouchers, 3D tickets, and a map of the complex. My name's Solana, Head of Marketing. I'm sure we've all spoken on the vidfone. Now, if you'd like to follow me."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," the Doctor rambled as they jumped to the front of the group. "Late. Don't mind us. Hello. The guards let us through."

Her brow furrowed, and she looked them over sceptically. "And you would be?"

Rose held out her psychic paper with one hand while shaking the woman's hand with the other. "Rose Tyler and Donna Noble of Tyler and Noble, Intergalactic." She closed the leather wallet and slid it back into her pocket, then half-turned and gestured at the Doctor. "And this is our science advisor—"

"Doctor John Tyler," he said, grabbing the woman's hand and shaking it firmly.

The woman pasted a fake smile to her face. "Must have fallen off my list. My apologies. Won't happen again. Now then, Doctor Tyler, Mrs. Tyler, Miss Noble if you'd like to come with me. And here are your information packs, vouchers inside," she said as she handed Rose a fat folder. Then she raised her arm and gestured for the entire group. "Now if you'd like to come with me, the Executive Suites are nice and warm."

The Doctor, Rose, and Donna were the first to the door, but as they started to go inside, a klaxon sounded in the complex. "Oh, what's that?" the Doctor asked, looking around. "That sounds like an alarm."

"Oh, it's just a siren for the end of the work shift," Solana said, but her tight smile didn't reach her eyes. She raised her voice so the whole group could hear her and gestured towards the door. "Now then, this way, quick as you can."

The warmth inside was a welcome relief after the below zero temperature outdoors. Rose untied her scarf and unbuttoned her coat as they were led through the facility to a posh conference room. A courtesy attendant at the back of the room took their coats for them.

Ood milled about carrying trays of drinks while others stood on pedestals like they were a product on display. Businessmen in expensive suits stood in front of the pedestals, inspecting the Ood like merchandise. Solana's buyers, she realised, remembering what the guard had said when they'd arrived.

Doctor…

He squeezed her hand. I know, Rose.

Solana stood behind a podium at the front of the room. "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"—She smirked at the crowd—"that's Ood Operations—we like to think of the Ood as our trusted friends."

Right, because you always make your friends wait on you hand and foot, do you? Rose retorted silently, watching as the other buyers wandered the room, examining the Ood on display like people looked at clothes on shop dummies.

"We keep the Ood healthy, safe, and educated."

Rose rolled her eyes; it was just like Danny all over again, claiming the Ood wanted to serve, that it was what made them happy.

"We don't just breed the Ood," Solana continued. "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."

The entire speech absolutely sickened Rose—the superiority of it, the way Solana spoke of a sentient species as obviously being less-than. But even worse was the way the crowd just ate it up, breaking into applause when she finished.

"Let's see what we've got in here," the Doctor murmured, opening up the information packet they'd been handed upon their arrival. The top sheet was a schedule, followed by a map of the facility, with stars over the dining and accommodations areas. He tucked the map into his pocket and ignored the schedule, then pulled out the next thing.

"Is that…" Donna whispered as she looked at it over his shoulder.

"Price list," he confirmed, his voice tight. The last time they'd met the Ood, he'd spent most of the adventure trapped beneath the planet's surface. He hadn't really had time to think about what the Ood were and how they were being treated—though he did remember thinking the humans were being far too cavalier with another species' telepathy.

But this… He glanced up at Rose, whose jaw was set. Stay calm, he urged her.

Calm? How can… this is… Doctor!

I know. But if you slap Solana like you're thinking, we'll get kicked out and it'll be a lot harder for us to free the Ood.

Rose took a deep breath. We are gonna free them, then?

Oh, yes.

The Doctor watched Solana expertly navigate the crowds of buyers, offering a word here and a smile there to make them feel special and appreciated. She stopped by one of the display models—he rubbed his hand over his mouth to hide a snarl at the notion—and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"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." She looked over her shoulder at the Ood directly behind her. "How are you today, Ood?"

The Ood picked up his translator ball, and it glowed as it translated his telepathic thought to voice. "I'm perfectly well, thank you."

Solana nodded, then moved on to the next Ood. "Or perhaps after a stressful day, a little something for the gentlemen," she suggested to the crowd, before looking at the Ood. "And how are you, Ood?"

The Ood fluttered his lashless eyelids at her. "All the better for seeing you," he said in a flirtatious female voice, eliciting titters of laughter from the crowd. The sexism of it nearly made the Doctor almost as sick as the absolute wrongness of what had been done.

"And the comedy classic option," Solana said as she moved on to the last Ood. "Ood, you dropped something," she told him.

"D'oh."

The Doctor, Rose, and Donna were apparently the only ones that didn't find the Homer Simpson impersonation hilarious, because that got even more laughter than the seductive voice.

Solana smiled and faced the crowd of buyers. "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."

The Doctor heard a low growl beside him that was quickly cut off, and he glanced over at Rose.

I can't… It's like they just… just go in and stitch a new personality on! she railed.

Rose was shaking, and the Doctor shifted to stand behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. She resisted his attempt to calm her down for a few seconds, but then he felt her sigh, and her angry tremors stopped.

They watched Solana leave. I'm pretty sure that's exactly what they do, the Doctor agreed. Some sort of… lobotomy, brain surgery… They're talking about programming a sentient species, and that's never acceptable.

Solana left, and Donna was nowhere to be seen. The Doctor realised belatedly that she must have gone in search of the promised food and drink. He shrugged and put a hand on Rose's back, directing her towards the front of the room. "Let's see where we are," he suggested as he tapped a few buttons on the computer terminal.

Donna joined them with a drink in hand just as he pulled the map of the system up. The Doctor scanned the nearby stars, trying to find something familiar. When he found it, he nodded—of course.

"Ah, got it. The Ood Sphere. I've been to this solar system before. Years ago. Ages. Close to the planet Sense Sphere. Let's widen out."

He tapped at a few more buttons on the terminal, and the system map zoomed out to a galactic map. Rose stepped forward and stared at the star charts, her arms crossed over her chest.

"The year 4126," the Doctor said. "That is the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire," he explained as important systems were highlighted on the map.

Donna had her drink to her lips, but her eyes widened and she lowered it as she stared at the map. "4126?" she repeated. "It's 4126. I'm in 4126."

"It's good, isn't it?" the Doctor said, grinning at her.

Donna nodded at the map. "What's the Earth like now?"

"Bit full," the Doctor told her. "But you see, the Empire stretches out across three galaxies."

"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." The Doctor had forgotten she'd mentioned the bees before, and it struck him just as strange this time as it had in London. "That thing about the bees is odd."

"But look at us." Donna nodded at the map. "We're everywhere. Is that good or bad, though? I mean, are we like explorers? Or more like a virus?"

"Sometimes I wonder," the Doctor admitted. As much as he loved humans, there were times—like right now—when their ubiquitous presence throughout the universe did more harm than good.

Rose had been studying the chart silently, and she turned around now, her eyes flashing. "Those red dots, those are Ood distribution centres, aren't they?" she said, her voice low and angry.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah."

Donna considered the map for a moment, taking in the red dots Rose had pointed out. She still hadn't figured out exactly what was going on with the Ood, and for a brief moment, she thought about asking Rose. Then she looked at the other woman, and the fire in her eyes was scarier than any anger she'd ever seen on the Doctor's face.

Still, that anger answered her lingering doubts. "Across three galaxies? Don't the Ood get a say in this?" she muttered, feeling her own anger spike. She glanced around and spotted an Ood standing only a few yards away. "Um, sorry, but"—The Ood didn't look at her until she tapped him on the arm.—"Hello. Tell me, are you all like this?"

The translator ball lit up. "I do not understand, Miss," he said, his voice placid.

Donna recoiled. "Why do you say Miss? Do I look single?"

Rose tapped her elbow. "Not the point, Donna," she muttered.

Donna nodded her head quickly. "Yeah. What I mean is, are there any free Ood? Are there Ood running wild somewhere, like wildebeest?" she asked, thinking of the times she'd watched Wild Africa with her granddad.

The Ood cocked his head and pressed the button on the translator ball. "All Ood are born to serve. Otherwise, we would die."

A frown wrinkled Donna's forehead. "But you can't have started like that. Before the humans, what were you like?"

A strange shudder ran through the Ood. "The circle."

The Doctor jumped into the conversation. Ood Delta Fifty had mentioned a circle, right before he'd died. "What do you mean? What circle?"

"The circle." The Ood shook his head and tried again. "The circle is—"

Solana's voice interrupted their conversation before the Ood could finish the thought. "Ladies and gentlemen. All Ood to hospitality stations, please."

"I've had enough of the schmoozing," the Doctor said as the Ood filed away and the humans followed Solana. He put away his glasses and pulled the map out of his pocket. "Do you fancy going off the beaten track?"

He waved the map at Donna and Rose, and they both grinned.

"Rough guide to the Ood Sphere?" Donna said, excitement humming in her voice.

Rose nodded curtly. "Works for me." She spun around and led the way back to the coat check.

The Doctor lengthened his stride and caught up with her at the back of the line. All the other buyers were getting their coats, too.

He took Rose's hand in his, and she looked up at him, a questioning furrow between her eyebrows. The Doctor knew she'd picked up on the pride he couldn't contain, and he smiled down at her.

Your compassion always amazes me, he explained as they reached the front of the line.

Rose blushed, then handed their tickets to the waiting attendant. A moment later, he returned with their three coats, and they moved off to the side to put them on.

The Doctor looked over at Donna when they were bundled up again. "So, Donna Noble," he said quietly, "are you ready to do something potentially dangerous and certainly against the rules?"

Her eyes sparkled with excitement, though there was a decent amount of righteous anger there, too. "Oh, yeah," she whispered.

"Then follow me."

The Doctor waited to make his move until Solana led the group out of the reception area across the snow towards a warehouse. They hung back from the crowd, then ducked down a different lane that led to a high, barbed wire fence. He used his sonic to break through a gate, and they slunk through, taking care to be inconspicuous.

A voice over the loudspeaker announced that Ood shift eight was commencing as they slipped down a narrow path between buildings. Unlike the public, business side of the compound on the other side of the fence, this part of Ood Operations was industrial, with buildings made out of corrugated steel. Enclosed conveyor belts overhead gave it a closed in, claustrophobic feel, while also shielding them somewhat from the wind and snow.

The Doctor spotted a staircase and took them two at a time. A moment later, they had a prime perch to look down into the main working part of the compound, where Ood were being led through in straight lines.

One Ood stumbled and fell out of line, and they watched as a guard approached it. "Get up," the human ordered, but the Ood didn't move. "I said get up."

Donna recoiled when he cracked his whip. "You were right, Rose," Donna said. "They're slaves. Up there, in the conference room, I knew this was wrong. But this is more than just…"

"Get up!" The guard cracked his whip again, and the Ood slowly got to his feet. "March."

The Doctor's jaw was set, a muscle twitching. "Last time… was it this bad, Rose? You saw them more than I did."

Rose shook her head. "No, Danny and the others were definitely idiots, but at least they treated the Ood with some respect." Her eyes glinted. "Except for wanting to use Strategy Nine. They were just going to hide away in the rocket and then open all the airlocks and shoot the Ood out into space."

The Doctor nodded. "We only managed to save fifteen Ood last time, and we didn't really do anything to stop the slave trade. I reckon we owe them one—what do you think, Rose?"

Rose nodded and took his hand. "Absolutely. Let's do this."

A man in a suit walked through the compound, trailed by two other people. "That looks like the boss," Donna pointed out.

The Doctor nodded. "Let's keep out of his way. Come on." He put on his glasses and pulled the map out of his pocket. After peering at it for a moment, he led them away from the group of businessmen. "There should be a cargo facility here somewhere… that would be a good place to start our liberation of the Ood."

They ducked through alleyways, taking care to avoid any personnel. "It should be here somewhere," the Doctor muttered, turning the map a different direction.

Donna watched as the Doctor and Rose both walked right by a door. She shook her head, then put her fingers to her lips and whistled.

The Doctor ducked, then he and Rose spun around and jogged over to her. "Where'd you learn to whistle?" he asked.

Donna smiled and stood out of the way so he could open the door. "West Ham, every Saturday."

The door opened, and they walked into an enormous cargo facility, filled with row after row of blue shipping containers, stacked two high.

"Ood export," the Doctor said. He pointed at a giant claw dangling from the ceiling, and as he did, it moved to hover over a container and picked it up. "You see? Lifts up the containers, takes them to the rocket sheds, ready to be flown out all over the three galaxies."

Donna's steps faltered, and she looked up at him. "What, you mean, these containers are full of…?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"I can't decide if I want to be sick, or scream," Rose muttered.

The Doctor rubbed her back. "Let's stop this, then you can do both if you'd like." He looked around the warehouse. "I honestly had no idea. When you told me about the Ood back on Krop Tor, Rose, I didn't realise it was this bad."

Rose's face was green, but her eyes were flinty. "Neither did I."

He used the sonic screwdriver to break the lock of the nearest cargo container, and Donna gasped when the door swung open. Rows of Ood stood waiting to be carried to the rockets, their faces as blank of personality as the ones they'd see in the conference room earlier.

The smell hit her nose a moment later, and she recoiled, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Oh, it stinks."

"How many?" Rose asked, her voice hoarse.

"Hundred?" the Doctor suggested, anger throbbing low in his voice. "More?"

Rose sucked in a breath. "In every one of these containers. That's… thousands, in this room right now."

Donna remembered the map they'd seen earlier, and her lip curled in a snarl. "A great big empire built on slavery."

The Doctor looked over at her. "It's not so different from your time."

"Oi, I haven't got slaves," she protested sharply.

Staring at the cargo container filled with living beings, the Doctor wasn't of a mind to be gentle with his approach to history. "Who do you think made your clothes?"

Rose elbowed him, and he looked down at her. "Rude," she chastised, her brown eyes dark with reproof.

He tugged at his ear and glanced over at Donna. "Sorry."

That was apparently not enough of an apology for Donna. "Is that why you travel round with a human at your side?" she demanded. "Not so you can show them the wonders of the universe, but so you can take cheap shots?"

The Doctor swallowed hard. "Yeah, I shouldn't have said that. I'm honestly sorry, Donna."

She sighed and nodded, then looked at the Ood. "I don't understand. The door is open—why don't you just run away?"

An Ood at the front of the container tilted his head and held up the translator ball. "For what reason?"

Rose huffed. "Well, you could be free," she pointed out, agreeing with Donna. Why didn't they run? She had a sick feeling the answer was not going to make her happy.

The Ood blinked a few times."I do not understand the concept."

"What is it with that Persil ball?" Donna asked. The Doctor raised his eyebrows in question, and Donna rolled her eyes. "I mean, they're not born with it, are they?" she pointed out. "Why do they have to be all plugged in?"

"Ood, tell me," the Doctor said. "Does the circle mean anything to you?"

Rose's telepathy hummed, and she was unsurprised when every translator ball in the container lit up.

"The circle must be broken," the Ood chanted.

"Oh, that is creepy," Donna whispered.

The Doctor shook his head. "But what is it? What is the circle?"

"The circle must be broken," they repeated.

Rose shivered; the unison bit was bringing back bad memories, but she refused to let that experience with the Ood colour the way she saw the entire species. "Why?" she asked.

Every head tilted slightly so they were all looking at her. "So that we can sing."

A faint sound of music hummed along the edges of Rose's awareness, and she realised it had been getting stronger as they'd talked to the Ood about the circle. The Doctor nodded slightly, and she knew he could hear it, too.

An alarm sounded, a discordant note that did not harmonise with the singing she could hear in her head.

The Doctor spun around. "Oh, that's us. Come on," he told her and Donna, pulling them both out of the cargo container.

They raced through the stacks of cargo containers, and Rose tried not to think about how many Ood they were running past as they searched for an exit.

She and Donna spotted the door at the same moment and skidded to a halt. Donna called out for the Doctor, but Rose reached for him over the bond.

We found a door.

She'd barely completed the thought when the door opened and a group of armed guards ran into the warehouse. "Don't move!" they ordered as they pointed their guns at Rose and Donna. "Stay where you are."

Too bad it was guarded, Rose added for the Doctor's sake. She felt him spin around and run towards her and shook her head quickly. Don't. If they didn't shoot on sight, I bet they'll lock us up somewhere. Wait and come rescue us.

He struggled with that for a second, but when the guards grabbed her and Donna and dragged them off, he reluctantly started running again.

Rose went relatively peacefully, knowing there was a backup plan in place.

Donna… not so much. "Get off me. Get off me!" she yelled, dragging her heels, probably in an effort to give the Doctor time to rescue them.

The guard who'd whipped the Ood earlier seemed to be the one in charge. He watched as Rose and Donna were dragged to a cargo container filled with Ood. "Keep them in there for now," he ordered as they were shoved inside. The door slammed shut, leaving them in semi-darkness.

Rose helped Donna to her feet, then leaned back against the door. She could get them out with her screwdriver, but this was a safe place to hide until the Doctor took care of the rest of the guards.

"Can you help us?" Donna asked the Ood.

One slowly lifted its head, and Rose's opinion about staying in the cargo container suddenly changed when she saw the red eyes. She cursed under her breath and reached into her coat pocket for her sonic, while Donna pressed her back up against the door.

I'm getting us out of here, she told the Doctor.

"Oh, no, you don't," Donna insisted. "What have we done? We're not part of that lot. We're on your side. Stay where you are. That's an order. I said, stay. Why isn't that door open yet, Rose?"

Rose stiffened and nearly dropped the sonic when the Doctor's adrenaline spiked and she realised he was being chased by something worse than a few guards. She ground her teeth together and clenched her fingers around the device, managing to hold it steady long enough to get the door open.

"Come on, Donna," she muttered. "And shush," she added, not wanting to draw attention with raised voices. "We've got to go rescue the Doctor."

oOoOoOoOoOo

As he turned a corner, the Doctor glanced over and realised he'd lost Rose and Donna. He skidded to a halt and looked around, his breath coming a little faster than usual. Where are you?

We found a door. He grinned and turned around to join them, but almost immediately, she added, Too bad it was guarded.

Ahead of him, he could hear guards and Donna shouting, and he groaned. His instincts told him to dart out and grab Rose, but from the sounds of struggle he could hear, it wouldn't be that easy of a rescue.

Still, he'd taken three steps in Rose's direction before he felt her very firmly tell him to stop. Don't. If they didn't shoot on sight, I bet they'll lock us up somewhere. Wait and come rescue us.

The Doctor raked a hand through his hair. The possibility of Rose being shot—Donna too—didn't really make him want to play a waiting game. But she had a point.

Right, the Doctor told himself. Time to run aimlessly around the warehouse, not letting on that I know exactly where Rose and Donna are.

He started running again, then when he realised no one was pursuing him, he slowed to a walk. No point in getting further away from where they were being held than necessary, after all.

Actually… He looked around uneasily. Why wasn't he being followed?

A mechanical whirring drew his attention upward, and he groaned when he saw the claw coming his way. Then he started running again, making it chase him.

He ran in a wide circle around the general area where Rose and Donna were. Rose was trying to stay calm, but she'd tensed a moment ago, and he didn't want to wander far, if it turned out she needed him.

I'm getting us out of here, she told him a moment later.

He relaxed for a moment when she told him that, and then the claw slammed into the floor right behind him, giving him a burst of speed.

The Doctor careened around a corner, caroming off the side of a cargo container and down the next aisle. No matter how fast he ran, the claw was right behind him. The operator must have a bird's-eye view of the room, because the Doctor should have been able to get away by now.

The Doctor heard the claw plunging down over his head, and he tucked and rolled, just barely avoiding being caught. He leapt to his feet and kept running, but when he turned the next corner, his luck ran out. Fifty gallon drums formed a barrier in the middle of the aisle, and though he tried to leap over them, he didn't have the necessary speed to gain height.

He tumbled through the barrels and landed on his back, completely winded by the fall. He watched through wide eyes as the claw came down on him… then stopped, ten feet above his head.

Before he could process the near miss, Rose and Donna charged around a corner, their eyes wild. They each took one of his hands and pulled him to his feet.

"Run!" Rose yelled as she pushed him down an aisle.

"The guards are gone," the Doctor protested.

"I don't care about the guards," she retorted. "We were in a cargo container with red-eyed Ood. They'll be out now."

As if to prove her point, screams echoed throughout the warehouse as the Ood found the guards who had returned, presumably to take the Doctor, Rose, and Donna into custody.

"Right," the Doctor agreed. "Let's go."

They found the door and raced out into the biting cold. When the Doctor looked over his shoulder, he was only a little surprised to see Solana. They got as far as the next building before he let them stop to catch their breath.

Solana bent over, her shoulders heaving, and Donna glared at her.

"If people back on Earth knew what was going on here…"

She stood up and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be so stupid. Of course they know."

"They know you keep living creatures in cargo containers?" Rose demanded. "That you have them whipped when they're too exhausted to work?"

Solana shrugged. "They don't ask. Same thing."

The Doctor stepped in before Donna and Rose could tear her apart for that. "Solana, the Ood aren't born like this. They can't be," he said, zeroing in on the one thing that had always bothered him about the Ood. "A species born to serve could never evolve in the first place. What does the company do to make them obey?"

She drew herself up indignantly. "That's nothing to do with me."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Oh, what, because you don't ask?" he countered, flinging her own accusation right back at her.

She swallowed and looked down at the ground. "That's Dr. Ryder's territory."

"Where's he?" The Doctor pulled his map out of his pocket. "What part of the complex?" Solana hesitated, and he shoved the map at her. "I could help with the red eye. Now show me," he demanded.

She pointed. "There. Beyond the red section."

"Come with me," the Doctor offered. She'd been willing to give this much help; maybe she'd take that chance he always gave his enemies. And it could be useful having a company employee with them. "You've seen the warehouse. You can't agree with all this. You know this place better than me. You could help."

They stared at each for a long moment, the Doctor inviting, Solana considering. For a moment, he thought he'd won her over, but he saw the moment her eyes hardened.

She looked over his shoulder, and he realised they'd forgotten that guards would be looking for them. "They're over here! Guards! They're over here."

"Next time you get all sanctimonious with the people of Earth who don't ask questions," Rose snarled, "remember that you know, and you still chose to side with slavery."