Planet of the Ood
Yachiyo's house…
"You know, this house is a bit home-y for me." Jared said.
"Well, thank you." Yachiyo said. "We've known each other for a couple of weeks now."
Jared is sitting on the couch and playing Splatoon 2 on his Nintendo Switch, "You guys feel like another family I get along with."
"Really?" Tsuruno asked, entering the room. "I got you something."
The brunette has a bag in her hand, and Jared grabbed it.
"Is it Dim Sum?"
"Pork buns, pork dumplings, and sesame balls." Tsuruno said, happily.
"Oh, thank you!" Jared said, running up to her for a hug.
"How does he even like the bland food?" Iroha asked.
"I don't know." Yachiyo said.
"You know, I don't want to go on my next adventure with the Doctor yet." Jared said, opening the paper bag.
He opened one of the take out boxes to get to the pork buns.
"What's holding you back?" Kaede asked.
"You guys of course." Jared said. "I don't want to face the Ood. They're these telepathic, tentacle creatures."
"So what? They're just aliens." Rena said, blushing.
"Peaceful aliens who get misunderstood. I hunt down aliens and stop them, while you girls do Witches and Rumors."
"That is true." Iroha said.
The TARDIS began materializing in the room, and Jared realized how bad this could turn out.
"Rena, Kaede, come on." Jared said, dragging the two into the blue box. "Come on! You'll love this!"
The TARDIS then de-materialized when Felicia and Momoko entered the room, and Iroha, Yachiyo, and Tsuruno are just standing there.
Tardis…
The Tardis is rocking back and forth in flight.
The Doctor stops it, "Set the controls to random. Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, anywhen in the whole wide u...are you all right?"
"Terrified. I mean, history's one thing but an alien planet?" Donna asked.
"You're taking us to an alien planet." Kaede said, happily.
"Well, the Doctor's our lift." Jared said, smiling. "Or more like my personal Uber around the universe."
"So, like how Kaede is like my servant." Rena said.
"Yup."
"Yeah. Why do you think I keep going?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh. All right then, you and me both. This is barmy. I was born in Chiswick. 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. I don't even know what the word is." Donna said, excitedly.
Planet surface…
Donna goes outside, "Oh, I've got the word. Freezing."
"You sure he didn't bring us to Hokkaido?" Rena asked.
"Positive." Jared said, taking out a thermos filled with hot chocolate.
"It is a bit cold." Kaede said, as massive icicles hang from bridges of rock over vast ravines. "Hot chocolate?"
"Want some?" Jared asked, tossing her the thermos.
"Millions of planets, millions of galaxies, and we're on this one. Molto bene. Bellissimo, says Donna, born in Chiswick. All you've got is a life of work and sleep, and telly and rent and tax and takeaway dinners, all birthdays and Christmases and two weeks holiday a year, and then you end up here. Donna Noble, citizen of the Earth, standing on a different planet with two magical girls named Rena Minami and Kaede Akino. How about that Donna?" The Doctor asked, as Donna, Rena, and Kaede have disappeared. "Donna?"
Donna comes out of the Tardis in a big fur coat with a hood, while Rena is wearing a nice blue coat and Kaede is wearing an orange coat.
"Sorry, you were saying?" Donna asked.
"So, no Witches or Rumors here." Rena said.
"Nope. Just the Ood." Jared said, while Kaede is drinking the hot chocolate.
"Will we see some?" Kaede asked.
"Maybe. I don't know. I haven't watched this adventure in a while."
"I could do with something to eat and drink later." Rena said.
"Your usual?" Jared asked.
"All right, I was saying, citizen of the Earth…" The Doctor said, and a space rocket glides slowly above them.
"Rocket. Blimey, a real proper rocket. Now that's what I call a spaceship. You've got a box, he's got a Ferrari. Come on, lets go see where he's going." Donna said, happily.
Jared took out his phone and his AirPods, he then tossed a part of it to Rena, "Here you go."
"PoPiPa?" Rena asked, placing the earbud in her ear.
"Yeah." Jared said, taking out another thermos filled with milk tea.
"Why do we have the same interests?"
"I don't know. It's like, we were made for each other."
"Did you also get my favorite snack?" Rena asked, while Jared took out a paper bag out of his sling bag.
"Donuts filled with custard?"
"Yeah."
"You two, um, make a sweet couple." Kaede said, smiling.
"We're not a couple." Jared said, handing the bag filled with the donuts to Rena.
"You totally are." Donna said, excitedly. "Now come on, Romeo and Juliet!"
The Doctor and Donna have taken the lead, with Jared, Rena, and Kaede right behind them.
"It has been a couple of weeks." Kaede said. "Since you've known us."
"Well, I technically have known you guys for over a month now." Jared said, sipping on the milk tea.
"Give me that." Rena said, snatching the cup. "No flavor?"
"I thought you wouldn't want one."
"Of course I would want one. A flavor, that is."
"What is your favorite flavor of milk tea?" Jared asked.
"Haven't I told you?" Rena asked, blushing a bit.
"Guys." Kaede said, sadly. "Why are you two getting along so well?"
"What can I say?" Jared asked, laughing a little. "I love it."
A delicate music can be heard as they cross a rock bridge.
"Um, that's a faint noise." Kaede said, sadly.
"I hear it." Rena said, frowning.
"Me too." The Doctor said, looking at the two magical girls. "Donna, Jared, take your hoods down."
"What?" Donna asked.
"That noise is like a song. Over there." The Doctor said.
An Ood lies on the ground, partly covered in snow.
"What is it?" Kaede asked, looking at the Ood.
"An Ood. He's called an Ood." Jared said, sipping on the milk tea.
"But it's face." Donna said.
"Donna, don't. Not now. It's a he, not an it. Give me a hand." The Doctor said.
"Sorry."
"I don't know where the heart is. I don't know if he's got a heart. Talk to him, keep him going."
"It's all right, we've got you. Er, what's your name?" Donna asked.
"Designated Ood Delta 50." Delta 50 said.
Donna speaks into his translator ball, "My name's Donna."
"No. No, no, no. You don't need to." The Doctor said.
"Sorry. Oh, God. This is the Doctor, Jared, Rena, and Kaede. Just what you need, a doctor. Couldn't be better, hey?" Donna asked.
"You've been shot." Kaede said, looking down at the wound.
"The circle." Delta 50 said.
"No, don't try to talk. It's okay." Kaede said, frowning.
"The circle must be broken."
"Circle? What do you mean? Delta 50, what circle? Delta 50? What circle?" The Doctor asked.
Delta 50 sits up with a roar, and red eyes, then exhales and falls back dead.
"He's gone." Jared said.
"Careful." The Doctor said.
"There you are, sweetheart. We were too late. What do we do, do we bury him?" Donna asked.
"The snow'll take care of that." Rena said.
"Who was he? What's an Ood?" Kaede asked.
"They're servants of humans in the forty second century. Mildly telepathic. That was the song. It was his mind calling out." The Doctor said.
"I couldn't hear anything. He sang as he was dying." Donna said.
"His eyes turned red." Jared said, sipping on the milk tea.
"What does that mean?" Rena asked.
"Trouble. Come on. 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." The Doctor said.
"What sort of force?" Donna asked.
The five started walking away from the dead Ood.
"It's a long story." Jared said, holding the cup containing the milk tea.
"Long walk."
"It was the Devil. The Doctor and I went there with Rose and Freezer Burn."
"If you're going to take the mickey, I'll just put my hood back up."
"And who's Freezer Burn?" Rena asked.
"Weiss and Yang." Jared said, grabbing Kaede's hand.
"Oh." Kaede said.
"Must be something different this time, though. Something closer to home. Ah ha! Civilisation." The Doctor said.
(Jared's POV)
Factory complex…
"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." Solana said.
The Doctor, Donna, Rena, Kaede, and I join them.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry. Late. Don't mind us. Hello. The guards let us through." The Doctor said, happily.
"And you would be?" Solana asked.
"The Doctor, Donna Noble, Jared Shay, Rena Minami, and Kaede Akino." The Doctor said.
"Representing the Noble Corporation PLC Limited, Intergalactic." Donna said.
"Must have fallen off my list. My apologies. Won't happen again. Now then, Doctor Noble, Mrs Noble, Mister Shay, Miss Minami, and Miss Akino, if you'd like to come with me." Solana said.
"Rena, we're not a couple." I said, holding Rena's hand.
"I get that. But we act like one with our interests." Rena said, blushing a little.
"So, I'm a bit hungry."
"Me too. Got more of the donuts?"
"Of course. And here are your information packs, vouchers inside. Now if you'd like to come with me, the Executive Suites are nice and warm." Solana said.
"I'm all out." I said, when an alarm is blaring nearby. "Sorry."
"Oh, what's that noise? It sounds like an alarm." Kaede said.
"Yeah." I said, checking my sling backpack and took out a box filled with chocolate cake. "Mami…"
"Oh, it's just a siren for the end of the work shift. Now then, this way, quick as you can." Solana said, as we're following her.
"Why is there a whole cake in there?" Kaede asked.
"A tea party?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders.
"Mami Tomoe?" Rena asked.
"Yeah. She must have assumed I would get hungry."
"But a cake isn't part of a healthy balanced diet." Rena said.
"I know that. Even so, she knows I have a sweet tooth."
"Too much cake isn't good for you." Kaede said, sadly.
"What can I do? I just can't dump what Mami baked for me."
Presentation area...
Three Ood are standing on small platforms, whilst others are taking round trays of drinks.
"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 our trusted friends." Solana said.
"Ooo, a party." I said, taking out the cake Mami baked. "Is that chocolate?"
"We keep the Ood healthy, safe, and educated."
"I think it's red velvet." Kaede said, playing with her hands.
"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."
"I haven't had a red velvet cake in forever." I said, slicing the cake. "Want a piece?"
"No." Kaede said. "I'm good."
"Rena?" I asked, looking at the blue haired magical girl.
"Okay." Rena said, getting the slice of cake.
"There is something about red velvet that I like. Maybe it's the flavor."
"I'd now like to point out a new innovation from Ood Operations. We've introduced a variety package with the Ood translator ball. You can now have the standard setting. How are you today, Ood?" Solana asked.
"I'm perfectly well, thank you." Ood 1 said.
"Or perhaps after a stressful day, a little something for the gentlemen. And how are you, Ood?"
"All the better for seeing you." Ood 2 said, in a husky female voice.
"And the comedy classic option. Ood, you dropped something." Solana said.
"D'oh." Ood 3 said, impersonating Homer Simpson.
"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." Solana said, leaving the room.
The Doctor goes to her lectern and uses its computer access to light up the big screen, "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. The year 4126. That is the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire."
"Oh, a Classic Who adventure I've never watched. But know about." I said, eating my slice of cake. "The time I was into Doctor Who was the time I played Pokémon nonstop."
"Wait, we're in 4126?" Kaede asked. "That's the year?"
"It's good, isn't it?" The Doctor asked, looking at Kaede.
"So, what's the Earth like? This year."
"Bit full. 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." Donna said, happily.
"Yeah, the bees disappearing is weird." Rena said. "No wonder milk tea tastes off."
"But look at us. We're everywhere. Is that good or bad, though? I mean, are we like explorers? Or more like a virus?" Donna asked.
"Sometimes I wonder." The Doctor said.
"What are those red dots?" Rena asked, looking at the screen.
"Ood distribution centres." The Doctor said.
"Across three galaxies? Don't the Ood get a say in this?" Donna asked, going to an Ood. "Er, sorry, but..." She gently touches his arm and he turns to look at her. "Hello. Tell me, are you all like this?"
"I do not understand, Miss." Ood 1 said.
"Why do you say Miss? Do I look single?" Donna asked.
"Um, you're getting off topic." Kaede said, sadly.
"Yeah. What I mean is, are there any free Ood? Are there Ood running wild somewhere, like wildebeest." Donna said.
"All Ood are born to serve. Otherwise, we would die." Ood 1 said.
"But you couldn't have been slaves." Rena said. "Before you served humanity, what were you like?"
"The circle." Ood 1 said.
"What do you mean? What circle?" The Doctor asked.
"The circle. The circle is…"
"Ladies and gentlemen. All Ood to hospitality stations, please." Solana said.
"I've had enough of the schmoozing. Do you fancy going off the beaten track?" The Doctor asked, holding a map of the complex.
"Now, if I can introduce you…" Solana said.
"Rough guide to the Ood Sphere? Works for me." Donna said.
"Yeah." I said, smiling. "Me too."
(Open POV)
Factory complex…
"So, Rena, I find your abilities cool." Jared said, walking next to Rena.
"Really?" Rena asked. "How so?"
"You know Ben Tennyson?"
"Who?"
"Right, he's not a thing yet. Or will he become a thing?"
"So, um, how's your adventures with Team RNJR?" Kaede asked.
"Oh, I haven't seen them in a couple of days." Jared said, sadly. "I do miss them though."
"Why don't you go and see them?"
"Maybe after this. I want to get away from this life. For like, a while."
"That's good." Kaede said, smiling. "As long as you're happy."
"Yeah."
The five approached a gate, with the Doctor and Donna taking the lead. The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver on a gate in the wire mesh fencing.
"Ood shift eight now commencing. Repeat. Ood shift eight now commencing." Someone on the speaker said.
The Doctor, Donna, Rena, Kaede, and Jared watch the Ood marching through in double file from an upper catwalk. One at the back falls down.
"Get up. I said get up." Kess said, cracking a whip.
"Servants? They're slaves." Donna said.
"Get up! March."
"Last time we met the Ood, I never thought. I never asked." The Doctor said.
"I forgot what we were doing that day." Jared said, letting out a sigh. "It was a long time ago."
"That's not like the both of you." Donna said.
"We were busy. So busy we couldn't save them. We had to let the Ood die. I reckon we owe them one." The Doctor said.
"That looks like the boss." Donna said.
"Let's keep out of his way. Come on."
The Doctor and Donna led the way with Rena, Kaede, and Jared behind them.
"Girls, it's been fun but I think I need Madoka and Homura." Jared said, sadly.
"Why?" Rena asked, angrily. "What's wrong with us?"
"Nothing. I like how you can turn into anyone Rena. And Kaede, you're sweet."
"Thanks." Kaede said, frowning.
Jared tossed a device under Rena Minami and Kaede Akino and the two disappeared in a flash of light, while Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi appeared. The version of Homura that appeared is a younger her having braided hair and she wears glasses.
"Hi." Madoka said, walking up to Jared with Homura. "How are you?"
"Good." Jared said, smiling. "How about you Homura?"
"Um…" Homura said, playing with her hands. "I'm fine. Madoka, she took me shopping."
"Shopping? For clothes?"
"Yes!" Madoka said, happily. "I did. I couldn't decide on what to get."
"You mean what you wanted Homura to get." Jared said, taking out another cup of milk tea. "I so love the younger you, Homura."
"Really?" Homura asked.
"Yeah." Jared said, looking between Madoka and Homura. "Anyway, I'm sorry for bringing you two here with me."
"It's okay. I don't mind." Madoka said.
"So, what kind of dress did you get Homura?"
"Um, I don't know how to explain it."
"Is it purple? Homura would look wonderful in purple."
"Wait, um, when did you have a fashion sense?" Homura asked.
"I don't know. Maybe from being around you girls for a long time now." Jared said.
"Makes sense." Madoka said. "Where are we?"
"The Ood Sphere. In the year 4126."
"We're that far in the future." Homura said. "Why?"
"Why not?" Madoka asked.
Donna stops by a door as the Doctor walked on with Jared, Madoka, and Homura. The ginger puts two fingers into her mouth and blows.
"Where did you learn how to whistle?" Homura asked.
"West Ham, every Saturday." Donna said, as the Doctor unlocked the door.
Ood Cargo…
It is full of shipping containers.
"Ood export. You see? Lifts up the containers, takes them to the rocket sheds, ready to be flown out all over the three galaxies." The Doctor said.
"Wait, what are these are containers full of?" Homura asked.
"What do you think?" The Doctor asked.
Shipping container…
The Ood are standing silently.
"It smells in here." Madoka said, looking at the Ood. "How many are there in each container?"
"Hundred? More?" The Doctor asked.
"A great big empire built on slavery." Donna said.
"Donna, this isn't different from the early 21st century." Jared said, sipping on the milk tea. "Our time after all."
"Oi. We haven't got slaves." Donna said, looking back at Jared.
"Um, yeah, we do."
"Who do you think made your clothes?" The Doctor asked, agreeing with Jared.
"Is that why the both of you travel round with humans or magical girls at your side? It's not so you can show them the wonders of the universe, it's so you can take cheap shots?" Donna asked, looking between the Doctor and Jared.
"Sorry."
"We really are." Jared said, letting out a sigh.
"Don't, Spaceman, fanboy. I don't understand, the door is open, why don't you just run away?" Donna asked.
"For what reason?" The Ood asked.
"Well, you could be free." Madoka said, happily. "Free of this slavery."
"I do not understand the concept."
"What is it with that Persil ball? I mean, they're not born with it, are they? Why do they have to be all plugged in?" Donna asked.
"Um, Ood, what does the circle mean?" Homura asked.
"The circle must be broken." All The Ood said.
"That's a bit creepy." Madoka said.
"But what is it? What is the circle?" The Doctor asked.
"The circle must be broken." All the Ood said.
"Why?"
"So that we can sing."
"Sing?" Madoka asked, hearing an alarm. "Sing what song?"
"Well, they found us." Jared said, happily. "Let's go!"
Ood Cargo...
"This is, um, a bit fast." Homura said, trying to keep up with the Doctor and Donna.
"It is." Madoka said, spotting a door. "Oh."
Donna and Madoka stop running.
"Doctor, there's a door." Donna said.
The door opens and guards enter.
"Don't move!" The guard said.
The Doctor, Jared, and Homura is further away.
"Madoka…" Homura said, looking around. "Where did you go?"
"Stay where you are." The guard said.
"Keep them in there for now." Kess said.
"Get off me. Get off me!" Donna said, annoyed.
"Can you let me go?" Madoka asked.
Donna and Madoka are locked in a container with Ood.
"Donna? Madoka? Where are you?" The Doctor asked.
"All guards withdraw." Kess said.
"Sir?" A guard asked, over the walkie talkie.
"I said withdraw. Keep to the perimeter. I've got this one. I've always wanted to do this." Kess said, activating the claw that moves the containers, and chases the Doctor, Jared, and Homura with it. "Container locked."
Container…
"Can you help us?" Donna asked, while the Ood have red eyes. "Oh, no, you don't. What have we done?"
"We're not one of the people who hold you captive." Madoka said. "We're on your side."
"Stay where you are. That's an order. I said, stay. Doctor? Doctor!"
Ood Cargo...
Kess knocks the Doctor down with the claw, then sends it down towards Jared and Homura, knocking the magical girl into the fanboy.
"What happened?" Homura asked, when the chasing stopped. "I thought it was a crane game."
Solana takes the key from the controls, "You heard the instructions. Mister Halpen wants them alive."
Container…
"Doctor, get us out!" Donna said, angrily.
Ood Cargo...
Two guards are marching the Doctor, Jared, and Homura away.
"Doctor, get us out of here." Donna said, her voice coming through the container.
"If you don't do what she says, you're really in trouble. Not from me, from her and the future Law of Cycles." The Doctor said, looking at the container.
"Unlock the container." Kess said.
Donna and Madoka runs out.
"Madoka." Homura said, giving Madoka a short hug.
"I'm fine." Madoka said, smiling. "You don't have to worry about me, y'know."
"Never mind about me. What about them?" Donna asked, as the Ood kill the guard by the container door.
"Red alert. Fire!" Kess said, and the Ood come out of other containers. "Shoot to kill."
While the guards fire their guns, the Doctor, Donna, Madoka, Homura, Jared, and Solana run outside.
Factory complex...
"Well, um, do people on Earth know you're abusing the Ood?" Homura asked.
"Oh, don't be so stupid. Of course they know." Solana said.
"Wait, they know you're torturing them!" Homura said, her eyes widen.
"They don't ask. Same thing."
"Solana, the Ood aren't born like this. They can't be. A species born to serve could never evolve in the first place. What does the company do to make them obey?" The Doctor asked.
"That's nothing to do with me."
"Is it because you don't ask your boss?" Jared asked.
"That's Doctor Ryder's territory."
"Where's he? What part of the complex? We could help with the red eye. Now show us." The Doctor asked.
"There. Beyond the red section." Solana said, pointing to a section of the map.
"Come with us. You've seen the warehouse. You can't agree with all this. You know this place better than us. You could help."
"They're over here! Guards! They're over here."
The Doctor, Donna, Jared, Madoka, and Homura run off.
"Why did she do that?" Homura asked.
"One, we're not supposed to be here." Jared said, his necklace around his neck. "And two, they're too busy anyway."
"What are we looking for?" Madoka asked. "And what is that noise?"
"You can hear it?" Homura asked.
"Yeah. We both can."
"I can too." The Doctor said. "It's faint, but it's somewhere."
"Oh, telepathy." Jared said, smiling. "That explains it."
"Yeah." Homura said. "Um, I don't get it, what does that explain?"
"Nothing."
"So, where are the Ood?" Madoka asked.
"They're somewhere." Jared said.
"Where?" Homura asked.
"I don't know. I'm not telepathic."
"This way." The Doctor said, while they arrive at a door. "Oh, can you hear it? We didn't need the map. We should have listened."
Ood Conversion...
The Doctor sonics the door lock.
"Hold on. Does that mean we're locked in?" Donna asked.
"Listen. Listen, listen, listen, listen." The Doctor said, as he, Madoka, and Homura are hearing the ethereal music. "Oh, my head."
"Man, um…" Homura said, clenching her head. "That's really loud."
"It is." Madoka said, also holding her head.
"What is it?" Donna asked.
"Can't you hear it? The singing?" The Doctor asked.
"I can't." Jared said, sadly. "And I don't want to. I already know what you guys are hearing."
Groups of Ood are sitting in cages. They turn away from the Doctor, Donna, Madoka, Homura, and Jared.
"They look different from the others." Madoka said.
"That's because they're natural born Ood, unprocessed, before they're adapted to slavery. Unspoilt. That's their song." The Doctor said.
"You never told me that this song was sad." Madoka said, looking at Jared.
"I'm sorry." Jared said, letting out some tears. "I didn't know how to tell either of you."
"I…" Homura said, and she also started crying. "I don't know what to say."
"It's okay, Homura."
"Let me hear it." Donna said.
"Face me." The Doctor said, making a mind meld with Donna. "Open your mind. That's it. Hear it, Donna. Hear the music."
"Do you like that song?" Jared asked.
"It's wonderful." Madoka said, as she is also crying. "But it's sad."
"Yeah." Donna said, crying too. "Take it away."
"Sure?" The Doctor asked.
"I can't bear it." Donna said, while the Doctor disconnects her from the telepathic field. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"But you, Madoka, and Homura can still hear it. Rena and Kaede heard it too."
"All the time."
"I forgot that you magical girls have a telepathic connection." Jared said, looking between Madoka and Homura.
"We do." Madoka said.
"It's, it's fine that you're not that much of a superhero." Homura said.
"I am a superhero, well, I'm training to become one." Jared said, smiling.
The Doctor sonics open the cage.
"They're breaking in." Madoka said.
"Ah, let them." The Doctor said, as the Ood cower in the corner. "What are you holding? Show me. Friend. Madoka, Doctor, Donna, Homura, Jared. Friend. Let me see. Look at me. Let me see. That's it. That's it, go on. Go on."
The Ood opens his hands. He is holding a small brain.
"Is that?" Donna asked.
"It's a brain. A hind brain. The Ood are born with a secondary brain. Like the amygdala in humans, it processes memory and emotions. You get rid of that, you wouldn't be Donna any more. You'd be like an Ood. A processed Ood." The Doctor said.
"So the company cuts off their brains?" Homura asked.
"And they stitch on the translator." Madoka said. "That's a bit sad."
"Like a lobotomy. I spent all that time looking for the both of you, Doctor, Jared, because I thought it was so wonderful out here. I want to go home." Donna said.
Crash!
"They're with the Ood, sir." A guard said.
The Doctor locks himself, Donna, Jared, Madoka, and Homura in with the Ood.
"What you going to do, then? Arrest me? Lock me up? Throw me in a cage? Well, you're too late. Ha!" The Doctor said, angrily.
Office…
The Doctor, Donna, Jared, Madoka, and Homura are handcuffed to some pipes.
"Why don't you just come out and say it? FOTO activists." Halpen said.
"I…" Homura said. "I don't like this."
"Neither do I." Jared said, looking at one of his favorite magical girls. "I love how innocent and pure you are still. Nothing bad has happened to you yet."
"This after all is a different timeline, right?" Madoka asked.
"For you and Homura. Yeah."
"You idiot. They're born with their brains in their hands. Don't you see, that makes them peaceful. They've got to be, because a creature like that would have to trust anyone it meets." Donna said.
"Um, that was a good one." Homura said, looking at Donna. "Nice sass back. It was on the level of Kyoko's."
"Thank you."
"The system's worked for two hundred years. All we've got is a rogue batch. But the infection is about to be sterilised. Mister Kess. How do we stand?" Halpen asked.
Detention area...
"Canisters primed, sir. As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released. Give it two hundred marks and counting." Kess said.
Office...
"You're going to gas them?!" Madoka exclaimed. "Why? How could you? They're innocent, living beings."
"Kill the livestock. The classic foot and mouth solution from the olden days. Still works." Halpen said.
In different places, Ood both unconverted and red eyed form circles and sing.
"So, in the end, it looks like this is still a process the Incubators used with you magical girls." Jared said, sadly. "Make normal girls magical girls, said girls fall into despair after losing hope. Other magical girls kills the girls that had fallen into despair, when they turned into witches. The girls picked up the grief seed so they won't go into despair. Rinse and repeat."
"I, I didn't know you know so much about us." Homura said.
"You five told me about it. Well, future you did, Homura Akemi."
"I did?"
"Well, you had to at some point." Madoka said, happily. "You can time travel."
"But why would I do it?"
"Because you care about me. Like how I care about you."
"Anyway, I hate how this man has been doing the process Kyubey had been doing." Jared said, looking between Madoka and Homura. "I really do."
"Why?" Homura asked.
"It's not something you would get right now."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
An alarm sounds.
"What the hell?" Halpen asked, leaving the room.
"What's going on?" Madoka asked.
Factory complex...
"Emergency status. Emergency status. All exits sealed. All Ood declared hostile. Ood distribution centre now…" Someone on the speaker said.
Something goes very combustible.
"It's a revolution." Ryder said.
Sigma follows Halpen as he goes back inside.
Detention area...
The Ood have freed their comrades and locked Kess in a cage. The countdown reaches 1.
"Come back. Let me out of here." Kess said, and the gas is set off.
(Jared's POV)
Office…
"Change of plan." Halpen said.
"There are no reports of trouble off-world, sir. It's still contained to the Ood Sphere." Ryder said.
"Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads."
"What's happening?" The Doctor asked.
"Everything you wanted, Doctor, Jared. 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."
"Guys, there's something we haven't seen yet." I said, looking at the Doctor, Donna, Madoka, and Homura. "And it's not pretty."
"What do you mean?" Donna asked.
"A creature couldn't survive with a separate forebrain and hind brain, they'd be at war with themselves. There's got to be something else, a third element, are we right?" The Doctor asked.
"And again, so clever." Halpen said.
"Maybe it's connected to the red eye." Madoka said. "What are you hiding?"
"It won't exist for very much longer. Enjoy your Ood." Halpen said.
The Doctor, Donna, Madoka, Homura, and I are left alone.
"Come on." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Um, is he hiding something nice?" Homura asked.
"One of the most beautiful songs ever." I said, happily. "I love hearing it."
"Really?" Homura asked.
"It's that good."
"Well, do something. You're the one with all the tricks. You must have met Houdini." Donna said.
"Damn, these are really good handcuffs." I said, looking at the handcuffs. "I doubt magic from a magical girl could get us free."
"Oh well, I'm glad of that. I mean, at least we've got quality."
Three Ood enter.
"Madoka, Doctor, Donna, Homura, Jared, friends." Madoka said.
"The circle must be broken." Homura said.
"Madoka, Doctor, Donna, Homura, Jared, friends." The Doctor said.
"The circle must be broken." Donna said.
"Madoka, Doctor, Donna, Homura, Jared, friends." I said, happily.
"The circle must be broken." Homura said.
"Friends, friends, friends." Madoka said.
"The circle must be broken." Donna said.
We continue to repeat ourselves while the unconverted Ood connect with the others and share their knowledge of the Doctor, Donna, Madoka, Homura, and I.
"Madoka. Doctor. Donna. Homura. Jared. Friends." An Ood said.
"Yes. That's us. Friends. Oh, yes." The Doctor, Donna, Madoka, Homura, and I said at the same time.
Factory complex…
"I still can't believe that worked." Madoka said, holding my hand.
"Same." I said, looking back at Madoka.
"I don't know where it is. I don't know where they've gone." The Doctor said.
"What are we looking for?" Homura asked.
"It might be underground, like some sort of cave, or a cavern, or…" The Doctor said, and Halpen unlocks a door.
"Warehouse Fifteen door open." The computer said.
The Doctor, Donna, Madoka, Homura, and I are knocked down by an explosion.
"All right?" The Doctor asked.
As the smoke clears, Sigma is standing behind us.
Warehouse 15…
"This is one of the saddest adventures yet." I said, looking back at Madoka and Homura. "Yet one of the happiest."
"How?" Homura asked.
"You'll find out."
Meanwhile, the Doctor sonics the door controls and we get in.
"Is that the Ood Brain?" Madoka asked, looking down on the Ood Brain.
"Now it all makes sense, That's the missing link. The third element, binding them together. Forebrain, hind brain, and this, the telepathic centre. It's a shared mind, connecting all the Ood in song." The Doctor said.
"Cargo. I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, I've got the sheds. Smaller business. Much more manageable, without livestock." Halpen said.
"He's mined the area." Ryder said.
"You're going to kill it?" Madoka asked, shocked.
"They found that thing centuries ago beneath the Northern Glacier." Halpen said.
"What do we do?" Homura asked.
"I don't know." I said, smiling.
"Can you, um, figure something out?"
"And you, Ood Sigma, you brought them here. I expected better." Halpen said.
"My place is at your side, sir." Sigma said.
"Still subservient. Good Ood."
"If that barrier thing's in place, how come the Ood started breaking out?" Donna asked.
"Maybe it's taken centuries to adapt. The subconscious reaching out?" The Doctor asked.
"But the process was too slow. It had to be accelerated. You should never give me access to the controls, Mister Halpen. I lowered the barrier to its minimum. Friends Of The Ood, sir. It's taken me ten years to infiltrate the company, and I succeeded." Ryder said.
"Yes. Yes, you did." Halpen said, throwing Ryder over the catwalk railing and onto the giant brain, which absorbs him.
"You murdered him." Madoka said.
"Very observant, Pinkie. Now, then. Can't say I've ever shot anyone before. Can't say I'm going to like it. But er, it's not exactly a normal day, is it? Still." Halpen said.
"Would you like a drink, sir?" Sigma asked.
"I think hair loss is the least of my problems right now, thanks."
Sigma stands in front of the Doctor and Jared, "Please have a drink, sir."
"And here comes something I'm creeped out on." I said, taking out a cup of milk tea. "Never liked it once."
"Why not?" Homura asked. "I don't know why you don't like it."
"I hope you will tell us what will happen." Madoka said. "Don't leave us hanging, okay?"
"Natural Ood must never kill, sir." Sigma said.
"What's in that drink?" Madoka asked, looking at Sigma.
"Ood graft suspended in a biological compound, sir."
"What the hell does that mean?" Halpen asked.
"Oh boy, your plan backfired big time." I said, going back to sipping on my milk tea. "You didn't see this coming, Squidward."
"Tell me!"
"Funny thing, the subconscious. 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 the hair loss, Mister Halpen?" The Doctor asked.
More hair comes away in Halpen's hand.
"What have you done?" Halpen asked.
"Oh, they've been preparing you for a very long time. And now you're standing next to the Ood Brain, Mister Halpen, can you hear it? Listen." The Doctor said.
"What have you? I'm not." Halpen said, as his face goes blank.
He drops his gun, reaches for his head and peels the skin off. Then tentacles come out of his mouth.
"They, they turned him into an Ood?" Homura asked, at a loss for words.
"Yep." Madoka said, frowning.
"He's an Ood." Donna said.
"I noticed." The Doctor said.
"And this is why I wasn't looking forward to that part of the adventure." I said, and Halpen sneezes and a small hind brain flops into his hands. "Talk about gross."
"He has become Oodkind, and we will take care of him." Sigma said.
"It's weird, being with the both of you. I can't tell what's right and what's wrong any more." Donna said.
"It's better that way. People who know for certain tend to be like Mister Halpen." The Doctor said, as a device beeps. "Oh! Homura!"
"Okay." Homura said, stopping time for a second, deactivating the explosives, before continuing time. "And, I'm done."
"Thanks." The Doctor said, looking back at Ood Sigma. "And now, Sigma, would you allow me the honour?"
"It is yours, Doctor." Sigma said.
"Oh, yes! Stifled for two hundred years, but not any more. The circle is broken. The Ood can sing." The Doctor said.
The current around the Brain is shut off and the song starts up, slow but happy.
"That's one of the most amazing songs ever." Madoka said, smiling.
"It is." Homura said. "I, I didn't know a song like that could exist."
"I can hear it!" Donna said, and the fighting stops.
"Checkmate." I said, while the Ood raise their palms to the sky and join in. "I'm happy that it is all over."
Planet surface...
"The message has gone out. That song resonated across the galaxies. Everyone heard it. Everyone knows. The rockets are bringing them back. The Ood are coming home." The Doctor said.
"We thank you, Madoka Doctor Donna Homura Jared, friends of Oodkind. And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you." Sigma said.
"Oh, I've, I've sort of got a song of my own, thanks."
"I think your song must end soon."
"Meaning?"
"Every song must end."
"And Madoka Kaname, I think your song must end too." Sigma said, looking at Madoka.
"Why?" Madoka asked.
"As I said, every song must end."
"How about me?" Homura asked.
"Your song is still beginning." Sigma said. "You'll know when it'll end."
"Um, okay."
"Yeah, that's good for them to know." I said, looking back at Donna. "Super temp, I heard that you want to go home. Will you?"
"No. Definitely not." Donna said, smiling.
"Then we'll be off." The Doctor said.
"Take this song with you." Sigma said.
"We will." Donna said.
"Always." The Doctor said.
"And know this, Doctor Donna, Madoka. You will never be forgotten. Our children will sing of the Doctor Donna and Madoka, and our children's children, and the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever." Sigma said.
The Doctor, Donna, Madoka, Homura, and I go into the Tardis, and it dematerialises.