Through Thick and Thin
Planet of the Ood
The TARDIS rocked and lurched roughly, throwing it's three occupants around like ragdolls. Finally, the rough ride stopped as the box settled into land. "Set the controls to random." the Doctor said as he picked himself up off the floor. "Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, anywhen in the whole wide..."
"Well, so long as it's not New Earth or that sh*thole where we found the Master then I don't care." Shareen interrupted, then she noticed that Donna looked rather shaky. "Hey, you alright, Donna?" she asked
"Terrified." Donna admitted. "I mean history's one thing, but an alien planet!"
"I could always take ya home." the Doctor joked.
"Yeah, don't laugh at me." Donna snorted
"For what it's worth, I know exactly how ya feel, Donna." Shareen said. "I felt the same on my first alien planet; scared, excited, you name it!"
"I get those feelings all the time." the Doctor said, grabbing his coat off a Y-beam,
"Seriously?" Donna questioned. "After all this time?"
"Yeah, why d'ya think I keep going?" the Doctor answered
"Oh, alright then" Donna said. "This is barmy! I was born in Chiswick. I've only ever done package holidays. And now I'm here. This is so... I mean it's... I dunno, it's all sorta, I dunno what the word is." She opened the door and stepped out to find that they'd landed on a snowy planet with the wind howling. "I've got the word, freezing!" Donna shivered
The Doctor and Shareen stepped out after her. "Oh, cosmic, we're on Hoth!" Shareen grumbled, immediately feeling the chill.
"Snow!" the Doctor grinned, completely oblivious to his companions' discomfort. "Aw, real snow! Proper snow at last! That's more like it, lovely. What d'ya ladies think?"
"Bit cold." Donna shivered
"Huh, more like perishing!" Shareen muttered, her teeth chattering from the artic conditions.
"Look at that view." the Doctor said, looking at a glacier beyond the ridge they'd landed on.
"Yep. Beautiful, cold view." Donna retorted
"Millions of planets, millions of galaxies and we're on this one. Molto Bene." the Doctor began to ramble, still completely oblivious to the women's discomfort. "Bellissimo says Donna. Born in Chiswick. All you've got is a life of work and sleep, and telly and rent, tax and takeaway dinners, all.. birthdays and Christmasses and two weeks holiday a year, and then you end up here! Donna Noble, citizen of the Earth, standing on a different planet. How 'bout that Donna?" He turned round to see that both women had disappeared. "Donna? Shareen? he called
The TARDIS door opened and Donna and Shareen stepped out, both now wearing thick winter coats with the hoods pulled up over their heads. "Sorry, you were saying?" Donna said
"Better?" the Doctor huffed
"Loads better." Shareen replied casually. "Ah, now that we're not freezin' our arses off, it is a nice view."
"Can both of ya hear anything in those?" the Doctor asked lamely
"Pardon?" Donna asked jokingly
"Alright, as I was saying." the Doctor resumed, "citizen of the Earth..." He was suddenly cut off by Shareen dropping a freezing cold clump of snow down the back of his coat, causing him to shiver. "Woah! That's cold!"
"Now ya know how we felt while you were yappin' away back there." Shareen told him
Just then, a large red rocket flew overhead. "A Rocket!" Donna said in awe. "A real, proper rocket! Now that's what I call a spaceship. You've got a box, they've got a Ferrari! C'mon, let's go see where it's going." She dashed off eagerly while the Doctor looked at the TARDIS, offended at the slight against his home.
Shareen laughed and went off after Donna.
~8~
The trio were soon walking through a deserted winter wonderland. The Doctor stopped suddenly, hearing ethereal music in his head. "Hold on, can ya hear that?" he asked the women. "Take ya hoods down."
"What is it?" Donna asked as she and Shareen lowered their hoods.
"That noise, it's like a song." the Doctor said
"What noise?" Shareen asked, hearing nothing.
The Doctor meanwhile looked around to find the source. "Over there!" he said, pointing to something lying in the snow nearby.
The trio rushed over to see that it was a body. The Doctor brushed the snow away to find that the body was that of a bald-headed alien with tentacles hanging from it's face and holding an orb in one hand. The alien was still alive, but just barely.
"What is it?" Donna asked
"An Ood." the Doctor answered. "He's called an Ood."
"But it's face..." Donna squirmed
"Donna, not now. It's a he, not an it." the Doctor told her. "Gimme a hand."
"Sorry." Donna mumbled
"What do we do, Peacock?" Shareen asked
The Doctor examined the Ood with his stethoscope. "I dunno where the heart is." he muttered. "I dunno if he's got a heart. Talk to him, keep him going."
"Alright, we'll give it a try." Shareen said, then turned to the Ood. "It's alright, we've got ya. Uh, what's ya name?"
"Designated Ood Delta 50." the Ood replied weakly
Donna picked up the Ood's orb. "My name's Donna." she said into the orb as if she were talking into a microphone.
"No, no, no, no. You don't need to..." the Doctor said, pushing the orb down.
"Sorry." Donna muttered, then she tried to think of what to say. "Oh, God! This is the Doctor, and she's Shareen. Just what you need, a doctor. Could be better, eh?"
"Yeah, though I hate to admit it, Peacock here is good at saving people." Shareen added
"You've been shot." the Doctor noted, noticing a bullet wound on the Ood's stomach
"The circle..." Ood Delta 50 strained
"No, don't try to talk." Donna advised him
"The circle must be broken." Ood Delta 50 managed to get out.
"Circle? What d'ya mean?" the Doctor questioned. "Delta 50, what circle?"
Ood Delta 50's eyes fluttered closed, then suddenly snapped open, glowing red this time. The trio jumped back as he roared and tried to lunge at them, before he promptly collapsed dead into the snow.
"What the hell was that?!" Shareen stared
"He's gone." Donna said softly, going closer to check.
"Careful." the Doctor warned
Donna knelt beside Ood Delta 50's body and stroked his head. "There you are, sweetheart." she soothed.
"What do we do, do we bury him?" Shareen asked the Doctor
"The snow will take care of that." the Doctor murmured, and the trio all had a moment to pay their respects to the deceased Ood.
"Who was he?" Donna asked. "What's an Ood?"
"Yeah, I mean, Rose once mentioned something about meeting aliens called Ood, but what are they?" Shareen added
"They're servants of Humans in the 42nd century." the Doctor explained. "Mildly telepathic. That was the... song. It's his mind calling out."
"I couldn't hear anything." Shareen said
"Me neither." Donna added, standing up, "He sang as he was dying."
"His eyes turned red." the Doctor muttered thoughtfully, remembering what Rose had told him about the Ood on Krop Tor.
"What's that mean?" Donna asked
"Trouble." the Doctor answered grimly, "Come on." He got to his feet and the trio walked on. "The Ood are harmless. They're completely benign." the Doctor explained as they walked through the snow, "Except, the last time I met them, there was this force, like a... stronger mind, powerful enough to take them over."
"What sort of force?" Donna asked
"Long story." the Doctor waved her off
"We've got time." Shareen pressed
"It was the Devil." the Doctor said
"Oh, come off it." Shareen rolled her eyes
"If you're gonna take the mickey, I'll just put my hood up." Donna told the Doctor irritably
"Must be something different this time, though." the Doctor muttered thoughtfully. "Something closer to home." They reached the top of a hill and saw a compound of buildings in the distance. "Ah, civilisation." the Doctor remarked, taking his telescope out of his pocket. He looked at the buildings closely and noticed a sign saying 'Ood Operations'. "I think the answer might lie in there." he told the women.
~8~
At Ood Operations, a group of smartly dressed people were gathering outside one of the buildings. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Oodsphere." an Indian woman greeted them, "And isn't it bracing? Here are your information packs, with vouchers, 3D tickets and a map of the complex." An Ood stepped forward and began handing out folders. "My name's Solana, head of marketing. I'm sure we've all spoken on the vidphone. Now, if you'd like to follow me."
The three time travellers pushed their way through the crowd. "Sorry, sorry." the Doctor said. "Late. Don't mind us! The guards let us through."
"And you would be?" Solana eyed them suspiciously
"The Doctor, Donna Noble and Shareen Costello." the Doctor replied, showing her his psychic paper.
"Representing the Costello & Noble Corporation PLC Limited, Intergalactic." Donna added.
"Must have fallen off my list, my apologises." Solana acknowledged. "Won't happen again. Now then, Dr Noble, Mrs Noble, Miss Costello, if you'd like to come with me."
"Oh, no, no, no, no. We're not married." the Doctor said hastily
"We're so not married." Donna added quickly
"Though they act like a married couple." Shareen teased
"We do not!" the Doctor and Donna protested together
"See what I mean?" Shareen winked at Solana
"Of course." Solana nodded. "And here are your information packs, vouchers inside." She handed the Doctor a folder. "Now if you'd like to come with me, the executive suites are nice and warm."
Just then, a siren started blaring. "Oh, what's that?" the Doctor asked innocently. "That sounds like an alarm."
"Oh, it's just a siren..." Solana said hastily. "For the end of the work shift. Now then, this way, quick as you can!" And she began to usher everyone inside.
"If that's for a shift change then I'm Princess Leia." Shareen snorted to Donna as they made their way inside.
~8~
Everyone was gathered in a presentation suite, where three Ood were lined up on pedestals. Solana was standing in front of a screen giving a presentation. "As you can see, the Ood are happy to serve and we keep them in facilities of the highest standard. Here at the Double O, that's Ood Operations, we like to think of the Ood as her trusted friends. We keep the Ood healthy, safe and educated. We don't just breed the Ood, 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." she finished, and the buyers applauded.
The time travellers didn't applaud as they all suspected that this was a front and the actual truth of this place was a lot harsher.
Solana got down from the podium and approached the three Ood 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." She turned to the first Ood. "And how are you, Ood?"
"I'm perfectly well, thank you." the Ood answered in his calm, refined voice.
"Or perhaps, after a stressful day, a little something for the gentlemen." Solana said, then turned to the second Ood. "And how are you, Ood?"
"All the better for seeing you." the Ood answered in a sultry female voice
"And the classic comedy option." Solana continued, turning to the third Ood. "Ood, you dropped something."
"D'oh!" the Ood said in Homer Simpson's voice, making the buyers laugh.
"Everyone's a comedian." Shareen muttered to herself
"All that for only five additional credits." Solana finished, "The details are in your brochures. Now, there's plenty more food and drink, so don't hold back." And the buyers all went off to mingle amongst themselves.
The Doctor checked to see if the coast was clear, then he went over to a computer terminal to get some information. Donna and Shareen joined him just in time to see a map of the solar system they were in appear on screen. "Ah, got it!" the Doctor said. "The Oodsphere, I've been to this solar system before, years ago, ages. Close to the Sensesphere. Let's widen out." He typed in some key commands and the map widened. "The year 4126. That's the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire."
"Why do I get the feeling this 'Great and Bountiful Empire' isn't so great and bountiful after all?" Shareen asked rhetorically
Donna on the other hand was awestruck at finding out where she was. "4126. It's 4126. I'm in 4126!"
"It's good, isn't it?" the Doctor asked encouragingly.
"What's the Earth like now?" Donna asked
"Bit full." the Doctor replied, "But you see, the Empire reaches 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." Donna mused, "Global warming, flooding, the bees disappearing."
"Yeah, that thing about the bees is odd." the Doctor muttered
"But look at us, we're everywhere!" Donna said brightly, "Is that good or bad, though? I mean, are we like explorers or more like a virus?"
"Sometimes I wonder." the Doctor waved her off
"Oh, that's nice(!)" Shareen huffed, then turned her attention back to the screen. "What're those?" she asked, pointing to some red dots on the map.
"Ood distribution centres." the Doctor replied
"Across three galaxies?" Donna stared. "Don't the Ood get a say in this?"
"Let's find out." Shareen said, and she and Donna went over to the Ood nearest to them.
"Um, sorry, but... Hello. " Donna said. "Tell me, are you all like this?"
"I do not understand, miss." the Ood replied
"Why d'ya say 'miss'?" Donna stared, "Do I look single?"
"Back to the point." the Doctor said as he joined them.
"Yeah." Donna nodded and turned back to the Ood. "What I mean is, are there any free Ood? Are there Ood running wild somewhere? Like wood beast."
"All Ood are born to serve." the Ood answered. "Otherwise, we would die."
"But ya couldn't have been born like that." Shareen reasoned. "What were ya like before Humans showed up?"
The Ood seemed confused at the question. "The circle." was all he could say
"What d'ya mean, what circle?" the Doctor asked
"The cir..." the Ood strained. "The circle... must..."
"Ladies and gentlemen." Solana's voice interrupted. "All Ood to hospitality stations, please." The Ood shuffled obediently away. "Now, if I can introduce you..." Solana continued, "He's only just flown in, we're very lucky to have him with us today, the chief executive of Ood Operations, Mr Kilneman Halpen."
The buyers applauded as a balding man in a black suit took the mic. "For over two centuries now, Ood Operations has licensed the Ood to the point where 50% of all houses across Galactic Central possess at least one domestic Ood," he announced, "and it's onwards and upwards as the Double O looks to expand into new and alien territories."
"Can I just ask...?" the Doctor cut in
"We'll be taking questions later." Solana waved him off
"Well, I'm asking questions now." the Doctor persisted. "Cos' our ship landed off-course, beyond the ice field, and we found an Ood... in the snow. He'd been shot."
"Uh, well..." Mr Halpen began awkwardly. "Th-that's terrible." Though the three time travellers could tell that he didn't really care at all. "I really must apologise, Mr...?"
"Doctor." the Time Lord corrected
"Doctor. Ood pirates, I'm afraid." Mr Halpen said, though he was clearly lying. "They steal the Ood for the black market. And if a prisoner escapes... poor soul."
"But... do you have any problems with the Ood?" the Doctor asked, "Nothing that might involve... Oh, red eyes of any sort?"
"I have no such reports." Mr Halpen replied, clearly lying again, "You sound like a member of FOTO, Doctor." he remarked.
"What's FOTO?" Shareen asked
"Friends of the Ood." the Doctor replied, remembering overhearing Scooti Manista mentioned an organisation of that name on Krop Tor. "Is that such a bad thing, then?" he asked Mr Halpen
"We're all friends of the Ood here." Mr Halpen replied, then checked his watch. "Oh, unfortunately I've been called away. Uh, how sad. But, uh, nobody move. You've got first class entertainment coming up. Um, now if you'll excuse me." He walked away from the mic and approached the trio. "Well, Doctor, we'll continue this conversation another time."
"D'ya know, I think we will." the Doctor answered
"Nice coat." Mr Halpen said to Donna
"Nice rocket." Donna retorted
"Pleasure to meet you, miss." Mr Halpen said to Shareen, who gave him an unimpressed nod, then Mr Halpen turned and left the room.
"I've had enough of this schmoozing." the Doctor said to his companions once Mr Halpen had gone. "D'you ladies fancy a look off the beaten track?" And he produced a map from the information pack Solana had given him.
"Rough guide to the Oodsphere? Works for me!" Donna remarked
"Me too." Shareen concurred.
~8~
The lock on a door leading to the outside of the main building suddenly sparked and the door opened to reveal the Doctor putting his sonic screwdriver away, then he and his companions slipped out through the door. "Lots of places marked out of bounds." the Doctor remarked, looking at the map.
"Which means there's something goin' on in them that they don't want anyone to see." Shareen said. "Fancy having a butcher's?" she asked Donna with a mischievous grin
"Like spies." Donna smirked
"Oh, we are spies." the Doctor replied. He pocketed the map and led the way to a chain-link fence and gate. The Doctor opened the gate with his sonic screwdriver and the trio slipped through.
"Ood shift 8 commencing." a tannoy speaker announced. "Repeat: Ood shift 8 commencing."
The trio climbed some stairs and found themselves overlooking a yard outside some warehouses, where Ood were being marched like prisoners under the supervision of armed guards in black uniforms. One Ood tripped and fell to his kness. One of the guards, a particularly nasty looking fellow who appeared to be the captain, strode over to him. "Get up!" the captain demanded, hitting the Ood with a whip. "I said get up!" And he continued to whip the poor Ood until he stood up.
"Servants, my arse! They're slaves!" Shareen glared
"Get up! March!" the guard captain demanded to the Ood.
"Last time I met the Ood, I never thought. I never asked." the Doctor sighed guiltily
"That's not like you." Donna remarked
"I was busy." the Doctor said regretfully. "So busy I couldn't save 'em, I had to let the Ood die. I reckon I owe them one."
"There's the boss." Donna remarked quietly, spotting Mr Halpen walking across the yard accompanied by a man in a white lab coat and an Ood, clearly Mr Halpen's personal servant.
"I am gonna kill that man." Shareen scowled. "And that guard too. Just watch. I'm gonna take that whip an' wrap it round both their necks!"
"Shareen, just leave it." the Doctor cautioned her, deciding it was best to avoid Halpen until he'd gotten more information. "Come on." And he led the way back down the stairs.
~8~
The trio walked through some alleyways until the Doctor stopped to study the map, Donna standing next to him. Suddenly, a shrill whistle sounded from behind them and they turned to see Shareen standing by the door to a warehouse. "Where'd ya learn to whistle?" the Doctor asked as they joined her
"Football." Shareen answered simply.
The Doctor opened the door with his sonic screwdriver and the trio entered the warehouse to find it full of containers, while a large claw crane moved along the ceiling moving the containers into position. "Ood export." the Doctor surmised. "D'ya see?" He pointed to the claw. "Lifts the containers, takes 'em to the rocket sheds, ready to be flown out... all over the three galaxies."
"What, you mean, these containers are full of..." Donna trailed off
"Ood." the Doctor finished for her. He opened one of the containers and sure enough, it was full of Ood.
"Oh, my God, just look at them!" Shareen stared, horrified at the sight of all these Ood crammed together like sardines.
"How many of 'em d'ya think are in each one?" Donna asked, though she shuddered to think.
"Hundred? More?" the Doctor pondered
"A great big empire, built on slavery." a horrified Donna said
"It's not so different from your time." the Doctor said darkly
"Oi! I haven't got slaves!" Donna said indignantly
"Me neither, so watch it, Peacock!" Shareen scowled
"Who d'ya think made ya clothes?" the Doctor challenged
"And who d'ya think made yours?!" Shareen challenged back.
That shut the Doctor up.
"Time Lord git." Shareen muttered.
"I don't understand." Donna said to the Ood. "The door is open, why don't ya just run away?"
"For what reason?" an Ood asked
"You could be free."
"I do not understand the concept." the Ood said, tilting his head in confusion.
"What's with that Persil ball thing?" Shareen wandered. "Why do they all have to be wired up like that?"
"It's a translator orb." the Doctor replied. "Ood, tell me, does 'the circle' mean anything to you?" he asked the Ood
"The circle must be broken." all the Ood said in unison
"Woah, that is creepy!" Donna shivered
"But what is it? What is the circle?" the Doctor asked the Ood
"The circle must be broken." the Ood repeated
"Why?"
"So that we can sing."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shareen asked, but before the Ood could answer her, an alarm sounded.
"Oh, that's us! Come on!" the Doctor urged his companions, and they ran for it.
The trio legged it through a maze of containers until Donna stopped suddenly. "Doctor, there's a door." she said, but neither the Doctor or Shareen heard her and they carried on running. Before Donna could follow them, the door burst open and armed guards charged through, aiming their weapons at Donna.
The Doctor and Shareen continued running until Shareen suddenly realised someone was missing. "We've lost Donna!" she warned, but before either she or the Doctor could do anything, more guards approached them so they had to leg it again.
~8~
Donna meanwhile was shoved into a container full of Ood. "Can you help me?" she asked them.
The Ood lifted their heads to reveal their eyes were red.
"Oh, no you don't!" Donna groaned
~8~
The Doctor and Shareen continued to run when they suddenly heard a mechanical whirring from above them and they looked up to see the claw bearing down on them. They promptely ran faster, hoping to shake it off.
~8~
"What've I done?" Donna said, backing up towards the container door. "I'm not one of that lot. I'm on your side!
The Ood weren't listening and began to advance on her.
"Stay where you are! That's an order! I said, stay!" She started pounding on the doors. "DOCTOR! SHAREEN!"
~8~
The claw was relentless. No matter how fast the Doctor and Shareen ran, the claw continued to close the distance on them. The time travellers sped round a corner to find their way blocked by some barrels. Shareen managed to vault over them but the Doctor wasn't so lucky. He tripped on the barrels, tumbled over and fell flat on his back. The claw caught up and began to close in on him, but just as it was about to pulverise him, it stopped.
~8~
Shareen continued to run for it until she ran straight into a group of soldiers who all aimed their rifles at her. "Don't move!" they demanded
"Cosmic." Shareen muttered as she put her hands up in surrender.
~8~
The guards frog-marched the Doctor and Shareen over to Solana and the guard captain, who were both waiting outside the container Donna was shut up inside. "DOCTOR, GET ME OUTTA HERE!" Donna's voice called from inside the container. "SHAREEN, HELP!"
"If ya don't do what she says, you're in really big trouble. Not from us, from her." the Doctor said to the guard captain
"Unlock the container." the captain ordered, and one of his men did so.
Donna burst out of the container and hugged both her friends. "There we go, safe and sound." the Doctor counselled.
"Never mind me, what about them?!" Donna said, pointing to the red-eyed Ood.
The Ood burst out of the container and started attacking the guards by electrocuting them with their translator orbs. "Red alert! Fire!" the guard captain ordered his men, and the guards opened fire on the attacking Ood, while Solana and the time travellers ran for it.
Once outside, they stopped for breath. "If the people back on Earth knew what was going on here..." Donna began
"Don't be so stupid!" Solana scoffed, "Of course they know!"
"Let me guess, they turn a blind eye to it." Shareen scowled
"They don't ask. Same thing."
"Solana, the Ood aren't born like this." the Doctor said. "They can't be. A species born to serve couldn't evolve in the first place. What does the company do to make them obey?"
"This has nothing to do with me." Solana said hastily
"Oh, what, because you don't ask?" the Doctor scoffed
"That's Dr Ryder's territory." Solana conceded
"Where is he?" the Doctor asked. "Which part of the complex?! I could help, with the red-eye, now show me!"
"There." Solana replied, pointing to a spot on the map. "Beyond the red section."
"Come with us." the Doctor offered. "You've seen the warehouse, you can't agree with all this. You know this place better than me, you can help."
Solana thought for a moment, then decided to stay loyal to her unscrupulous employer. "They're over here!" she yelled out. "Guards! They're over here!"
Shareen promptly decked Solana. "Bitch." she muttered, then she, the Doctor and Donna ran for it again.
"This way!" the Doctor said, checking the map.
~8~
The trio soon reached a door leading to a warehouse that the map described as 'Ood conversion'. "Oh, can ya hear it?" the Doctor asked his companions. "We didn't need the map, I shoulda listened." He soniced the door open and they slipped inside the building, then the Doctor soniced the lock again to buy them some time.
"Hold on, does that mean we're locked in?" Donna asked
"Listen, listen, listen, listen..." the Doctor waved her off, hearing the Ood singing. "Oh, my head!"
"What is it?" Donna asked him
"Can't either of you hear it? The singing?" the Doctor asked back
"'Fraid not." Shareen shook her head
They reached a cage full of Ood. These Ood seemed rather timid and were trying to hide from the three strangers. "They look different to the others." Donna noted
"That's because they're natural-born Ood, unprocessed, before they're adapted to slavery." the Doctor replied. "Unspoilt. That's their song."
"I can't hear anything." Shareen told him
"Me neither." Donna added
"Do you want to?" the Doctor asked them
"Yeah." Donna replied
"I-I'll just take ya word for it, Peacock." Shareen said, realising that the Doctor was likely to use his telepathy and she didn't want him seeing into her mind.
"It's the song of captivity." the Doctor warned Donna.
"Let me hear it." Donna insisted
"Face me." the Doctor instructed and Donna turned to face him, then he placed his hands on her temples. "Open your mind, that's it. Hear it, Donna. Hear the music."
Donna suddenly heard a beautiful song of lament that caused her to recoil in horror and turn to the Ood with tears in her eyes. "Take it away!" she begged
"Sure?" the Doctor asked softly
"I can't bear it." Donna sobbed. The Doctor repeated the telepathic process, silencing the song in her mind. "Sorry." she sighed
"It's ok." the Doctor reassured her.
"But you can still hear it?"
"All the time." the Doctor sighed and used his sonic screwdriver to unlock the cage.
Several loud bangs sounded from outside. "They've breaking in!" Shareen warned
"Ah, let 'em." the Doctor replied, and the trio entered the cage. The Ood inside instinctively shied away from them, all of them clutching something in their hands. "What're you holding?" the Doctor asked them, "Show me. Friends. Doctor, Donna, Shareen, friends. Let me see... look at me... let me see."
One of the Ood nerviously shuffled closer.
"That's it." the Doctor encouraged, "That's it, go on. Go on..."
The Ood opened his palms to reveal a small brain in his hands.
"Is that...?" Donna began
"It's a brain." the Doctor confirmed. "A hindbrain. Ood're born with a secondary brain. Like the amygdala in Humans, it processes memory and emotion. Ya get rid of that, you two wouldn't be Donna and Shareen anyone. You'd both be like Ood, processed Ood."
"This is sick!" Shareen burst out in outrage. "They cut their brains off an' stitch a translator on it's place!"
"Like a lobotomy." Donna swallowed, truly appalled at this, "I spent all this time looking for you, Doctor, cos' I thought it'd be so wonderful out here... I wanna go home."
"Yeah, I don't blame ya, Donna." Shareen agreed
Before the Doctor could answer either of them, the warehouse door was broken down and guards swarmed in. "They're with the Ood, sir." one of them shouted
The Doctor promptly pulled the cage door shut, locking himself and the women in with the Ood. "What're ya gonna do, then?" he taunted the guards. "Arrest us? Throw us in a cage? Well ya too late, ha!"
~8~
The trio had soon been taken back to the main building and handcuffed to pipes in Mr Halpen's office. "Why don't you just come out and say it?" Mr Halpen sneered. "FOTO activists."
"If that's what Friends of the Ood are trying to prove, yes!" the Doctor retorted
"The Ood were nothing without us." Mr Halpen said callously. "Just animals roaming around the ice."
"That's because you can't hear them!"
"They welcomed it!" Mr Halpen scoffed. "It's not as if they put up a fight."
Shareen lost all patience with this cruel man. "Of course they didn't, you stupid pr*ck!" she spat. "They were born with the brains in their hands! Don't ya see?! That makes 'em peaceful!"
"They've got to be." Donna agreed. "A creature like that would have to trust anyone it meets."
"Well said, ladies." the Doctor praised
"The system's worked for 200 years." Mr Halpen retorted. "All we've got is a rogue batch. But the infection's about to be sterilised." He then spoke into his wrist com, "Mr Kess, how do we stand?"
"Canisters primed, sir." the guard captain's voice answered. "As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released. Give it 200 marks and counting."
"You're gonna gas them?!" the Doctor said in horror
"Kill the lifestock." Mr Halpen said callously. "The classic foot-and-mouth solution. Still works."
"And you call yourself Human?!" Shareen growled. "You're not a man, you're a monster!"
Mr Halpen just laughed. "Wake up and smell the coffee, little girl." he said condescendingly.
"You're a dead man, Halpen!" Shareen roared. "Ya hear me?! Dead!"
Just then, alarms started blaring. "What the hell?" Mr Halpen stared, and went outside with the man in the white coat, who the time travellers realised was Dr Ryder. They returned moments later. "Change of plan." Mr Halpen said
"We've no reports of trouble off-world, sir." Dr Ryder reported. "It's still contained to the Oodsphere."
"Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads." Mr Halpen nodded
"What's happening?" the Doctor asked
"Everything you wanted, Doctor." Mr Halpen retorted. "No doubt there'll be a full police investigation once this place has been sterilised, so I can't risk a bullet to the head. I'll leave you to the mercies of the Ood."
"Oh, so you're a coward as well as a bastard!" Shareen snarked.
Mr Halpen ignored her and turned to leave.
"But Mr Halpen, there's something else, isn't there?" the Doctor called after him. "Something we haven't seen!"
"What d'ya mean?" Donna asked
"A creature couldn't survive with a separate forebrain and hind brain, they'd be at war with themselves." the Doctor explained. "There's gotta be something else, a third element. Am I right?" he asked Mr Halpen
"And again, so clever!" Mr Halpen snorted
"But it's gotta be connected to the red-eye. What is it?" the Doctor asked
"It won't exist for much longer." Mr Halpen retorted. "Enjoy your Ood." And he left with Dr Ryder, his personal Ood and the guards.
Once they were alone, the Doctor and the women started struggling against their restraints. "Well, do something!" Donna urged the Doctor. "You're the one with all the tricks! Surely ya must've met Houdini!"
"These are really good handcuffs." the Doctor countered
"Oh, I'm glad of that." Donna huffed, "At least we've got quality!"
"And we've got company!" Shareen warned as the door opened and three red-eyed Ood stormed in and advanced towards them.
"Doctor, Donna, Shareen, friends!" the Doctor yelled, trying to connect with the Ood.
"The circle must be broken." Donna and Shareen tried together
They repeated this as the Ood continued to advance on them, seemingly not listening. The Ood raised their translator balls ready for the kill when suddenly they stopped and lowered their heads. When they raised them, their eyes were back to normal. "Doctor. Donna. Shareen. Friends." one said
"Yes, that's us!" Donna panted in relief
"Friends." Shareen added
"Oh, yes!" the Doctor finished.
~8~
The Ood had soon released the trio and they went outside to find that the compound was a warzone, with guards attacking the Ood, who were fighting back. The trio ran through the compound, dodging the fighting until they stopped to get their bearings. "I dunno where it is." the Doctor sighed. "I dunno where it is."
"What we looking for?" Donna asked
"Might be underground." the Doctor muttered thoughtfully. "Like some sorta cave, or a cavern, or..."
"Oh, that narrows it down(!)" Shareen huffed sarcastically
Suddenly, some gas canister exploded and the trio were knocked to the ground. The Doctor was the first to recover. "All right?" he asked his companions.
"Terrific." Shareen grunted as she and Donna picked themselves up.
The trio then saw Mr Halpen's personal Ood standing before them. He motioned for them to follow them and they did so.
The Ood led them to a warehouse. The Doctor soniced the door open and they entered to find themselves on a walkway. Below them was a giant brain held within an energy field. "The Ood brain." the Doctor realised. "Now it all makes sense, that's the missing link. The third element, binding 'em all together. Forebrain, hindbrain, and this. The telepathic centre. It's a shared mind, connecting all the Ood in song."
Just then, they heard a gun clicking and they turned to see Mr Halpen aiming a pistol at them. "Cargo." he said, "I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, I've got the shed. Smaller business, much more manageable without the livestock."
"He's mined the area." Dr Ryder warned, coming out from behind Mr Halpen.
"They're gonna kill it?" Donna stared
"They found that... thing centuries ago beneath the Northern Glacier." Mr Halpen explained
"Those pylons." the Doctor remarked, noting the pattern the pylons emitting the energy field were in.
"They're in a circle." Shareen observed. "Aha! This is the circle that must be broken!"
"Dampening the telepathic field." the Doctor explained, "Stopping the Ood from connecting for 200 years."
Mr Halpen turned to his Ood. "And you, Ood Sigma, you brought them here. I expected better."
"My place is at your side, sir." Ood Sigma said, moving to his side.
"Still subservient." Mr Halpen smirked. "Good Oo..." he tailed off, suddenly unable to finish his sentence.
"If that barrier thing's in place, how come the Ood started breaking out?" Donna asked
"Maybe they've adapted." Shareen suggested. "200 years is plenty of time to evolve."
"But the process was too slow." Dr Ryder spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to him. "It had to be accelerated." He turned to Mr Halpen. "You should never have given me access to those controls, Mr Halpen. I lowered the barrier to it's minimum. Friends of the Ood, sir. It's taken me 10 years to infiltrate the company. And I succeeded."
"Yes. Yes, you did." Mr Halpen smiled cruelly and promptly pushed Dr Ryder over the balustrade.
The Doctor, Donna and Shareen all tried to grab him, but it was too late and Dr Ryder fell to his death. "You... murdered him!" Donna stared at Mr Halpen
"Very observant, ginger." Mr Halpen sneered, aiming his pistol at the Doctor. "Now then... Can't say I've ever shot anyone before. Can't say I'm gonna like it. But it's not exactly a normal day, is it? Still..."
Ood Sigma suddenly stepped in front of the Doctor. "Would you like a drink, sir?" he asked Mr Halpen, holding a glass in his hand.
"I think hair loss is the least of my worries now, thanks." Mr Halpen snorted
"Please have a drink, sir."
"If... if you're gonna stand in their way, I'll shoot you, too." Mr Halpen said, though his speech was becoming slurred.
"Please have a drink, sir."
Mr Halpen's eyes widened. "Have... Have you... poisoned me?" he gasped out
"Natural Ood must never kill, sir." Ood Sigma replied in his calm way
"What is that stuff?" the Doctor asked, eyeing the glass.
"Ood-graft suspended in a biological compound, sir." Ood Sigma replied
"What the hell does that mean?" Mr Halpen whimpered, dropping his gun.
"Oh, dear." the Doctor said simply
"Tell me!"
"Funny thing, the subconscious." the Doctor remarked casually. "Takes all sorts of shapes. Came out in the red-eye as revenge, came out in the rabid Ood as anger. And then there was patience. All that intelligence and mercy, focused on Ood Sigma. How's that hair loss, Mr Halpen?"
Mr Halpen reached out and pulled out some hairs from his head. "What have you done?" he demanded to Ood Sigma
"Oh, they've been preparing you for a very long time." the Doctor told him. "And now you're standing next to the Ood brain. Mr Halpen, can you hear it? Listen."
Sure enough, Mr Halpen could hear the Ood song in his head. "What have you..." he choked. "I'm not..." He bowed his head and gripped the skin on top of his head, then right before the three time travellers eyes, Mr Halpen literally peeled his skin away like a banana to reveal an Ood's head underneath, then he coughed out tentacles from his mouth.
"They... turned him into an Ood?!" Donna squirmed
"Yep." the Doctor nodded
"Ugh! I'm gonna be having nightmares about that!" Shareen grimaced. Mr Halpen had deserved it, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant thing to witness.
Ood Halpen then coughed up a hindbrain and stood up, now fully transformed.
"He has become Ood-kind." Ood Sigma told the three time travellers. "And we will take care of him."
"It's weird being with you." Donna remarked to the Doctor. "I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore."
"Tell me about it." Shareen agreed
"It's better that way." the Doctor said. "People who know for certain tend to be like Mr Halpen."
"S'cuse me while I throw up." Shareen grunted and went to a secluded corner to be sick.
Just then, a beeping sounded, clearly Mr Halpen's mines. "Oh." the Doctor realised, and quickly switched the mines off. "That's better." the Doctor said, and moved over to the dampening field's controls. "And now... Ood Sigma, would you allow me the honour?"
"It is yours, Doctor." Ood Sigma replied
The Doctor began operating the controls, shutting down the dampening field. "Oh, yes!" he cheered. "Stifled for 200 years, but not any more. The circle is broken. The Ood can sing!"
A new Ood song filled the air, this one beautiful and joyous. Donna looked delighted. "I can hear it!" she beamed
"Me too." Shareen said as she returned from being sick. "It's beautiful." And the trio watched as Ood Sigma raised his arms, lifting the song to the whole universe.
~8~
A little later, the trio were standing in front of the TARDIS, accompanied by several Ood including Ood Sigma. "The message has gone out." the Doctor told them. "That song resonated across the galaxies, everyone heard it. Everyone knows. The rockets are bringing them back. The Ood are coming home."
"We thank you, Doctor-Donna and Shareen. Friends of Oodkind." Ood Sigma said, "And what of you now, will you stay? There is room in the song for you."
"Oh, I've... I've sorta got a song of my own, thanks." the Doctor replied
"I think your song must end soon." Ood Sigma stated
"Meaning?" the Doctor frowned
"Every song must end." Ood Sigma said simply
"Yeah." the Doctor said slowly, somewhat unnerved by what he'd just heard.
Deciding to change the subject, Shareen turned to Donna. "How 'bout you, Donna? You still wanna go home?" she asked
"No. Definitely not." Donna replied immediately
"Then we'll be off." the Doctor told the Ood
"Take this song with you." Ood Sigma called as the Ood raised their hands and started singing.
"We will." Donna called back
"You bet we will." Shareen chimed in
"Always." the Doctor finished
"And know this, Doctor-Donna and Shareen, you will never be forgotten." Ood Sigma said. "Our children will sing of the Doctor-Donna and Shareen, and our children's children. And the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever."
"Hmm, good to know." Shareen laughed
"Shareen... she is returning." Ood Sigma said cryptically
"Who is?" Shareen asked
"Your friend." Ood Sigma answered, then all the Ood continued to sing as the Doctor, Donna and Shareen entered the TARDIS and the box dematerialised, the trio resuming their travels through time and space.
~8~
A little later, the Doctor entered the TARDIS' lounge to find Shareen having a session on her guitar, performing a cover of Accept's Balls to the Wall. "Hmm, interesting song choice." the Doctor commented
"Thought it was appropriate after today." Shareen shrugged. "That song's about slaves revolting, so I thought it fit."
"Hmm, suppose it does." the Doctor conceded. "Actually, haven't heard you playing for a while." he observed. He'd noticed that Shareen hadn't indulged in much music playing after The Year That Never Was.
"Yeah, well, I thought I'd get back into it." Shareen replied. "Can't go brooding by myself forever."
"Yeah, Donna told me you were still getting nightmares. Shareen, I'm sorry about that whole mess with the Master. Believe me, if I could go back and do things differently, I would."
"Yeah, well, hindsight's a wonderful thing." Shareen waved him off. "You know what bugs me the most about that whole mess? It's the fact that you took the Master's side even after all the barbaric stuff he did."
The Doctor opened his mouth to deny taking the Master's side but stopped himself, realising that Shareen would never accept his reasons for forgiving the Master. "How's the injury now, anyway?" he asked
"Getting better." Shareen shifted. "Anyway, when ya done tryin' to make me relive all those horrors, you said you'd been 'round that solar system with the Ood before."
"Yes, a long time ago." the Doctor replied. "I visited the Sensesphere then, home to the Sensorites."
"Alright, tell me about them." Shareen pressed, and the Doctor began telling her about his first incarnation's adventure with the Sensorites.
Author's notes: And here's chapter 3 done and dusted. Not quite as extensive as last time, but I think it turned out alright. I couldn't resist having Shareen pay the Doctor out by dropping snow down his back! We do get to see Shareen's moral compass here, with her being appalled at the treatment of the Ood and calling the Doctor out when he's being a hypocrite. Next chapter will see the return of Martha. See ya then!
