Turning a corner they heared the cries of Donna from inside a container. "If you don't do what she says, you're really in trouble." The Doctor warned. "Not from me, from her."

"Then after you have had a mouthful from her you will have even more trouble coming your way from me." Rita narrowed her eyes daring the guards to even try and challenge her.

"Unlock the container." The man in charge said his voice calm, his eyes saying otherwise cautiously watching the blonde.

"Never saw you that angry."

"I tend to try and not show how angry I can be, apparently this body is even snappier than the last, I don't show my anger often."

"You should do it more often, he looks terrified, and it is quite sexy." The Doctor waggled his eyebrows at her.

"You're such a flirt." Rita held in a chuckle her cheeks changing to a tint of pink.

"You love it really." He smirked at her before they both looked over at the container, Donna ran out heading over to the Time Lords which the guards had released.

"Doctor! Stone!" She ran over hugging them both.

"There we go, safe and sound." The Doctor reassured the human woman.

"Never mind about me." Donna shook her head then turned to the container nodding. "What about them?" An Ood with red eyes then stepped out killing a guard with its translation ball. The Doctor took Rita's hand and took Donna's in his other than ran as the guards started to fire, Rita, glanced over her shoulder seeing Solana following behind them, they ran out of the warehouse to a large crate hiding behind it breathing. The Doctor tightly wrapping an arm around Rita's waist keeping her beside him.

"If people back on Earth knew what was going on here..." Donna hissed at Solana.

"Oh, don't be so stupid." She scoffed "Of course they know."

"They know how you treat the Ood?" Donna gaped at her.

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

"Solana, the Ood aren't born like this." The Doctor interrupted. "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?"

"That's nothing to do with me."

"Is that because you never asked? Never thought you know what these creatures are being treated like they don't have feelings, who does know then?" Rita hissed at the woman. Solana swallowed for a moment slightly backing away from the blonde. "Solana tell me."

"That's Doctor Ryder's territory." She quickly said.

"Where's he?" The Doctor cut in. "What part of the complex? We could help with the red eye." He gritted his teeth shoving the map in her face. "Now show us."

"There beyond the red section." She informed.

"Solana come with us," Rita said to the woman.

"You've seen the warehouse." The Doctor cut in. "You can't agree with all this. You know this place better than we do." He said as the woman stared at them. "You could help."

She blinked at them for a moment saying nothing before she shouted. "They're over here! Guards! They're over here." Groaning Rita shot the woman a glare then took off the Doctor and Donna behind.

Looking back seeing that the guards lost them Rita felt a slight prink in her mind. Closing her eyes and trying to clear her mind she faintly heard the song. The Doctor frowned seeing her before she opened her eyes changing direction. "It's this way."

"What is it?" He asked her frowning slightly.

"Clear your mind then you will hear it."

The Doctor did as she said clearing his own mind as the song faintly filled his own mind the sad yet beautiful song. Swallowing thickly he took the Time Lady's hand and flashed his sonic at the door and entered. They entered the room the Doctor shut the door and flashed his sonic at the control which then gave out a small flame. "Hold on." Donna pointed at it. "Does that mean we're locked in?"

"Listen." The Doctor raised his hand. "Listen, listen, listen, listen."

They walked down the stairs. The Time Lords both then touched their foreheads groaning slightly. "Oh, my head."

"What is it?" Donna asked the Doctor before she frowned at them both seeing that Rita also looked distressed.

"Can't you hear it?" The Doctor asked. "The singing?"

"It must be telepathic." Rita winced slightly hearing the sad song in her head. The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulder before he flicked a switch and lights in the room then came on, they noticed a group of Ood sitting in cages. The Ood turned away from the trio as Donna frowned slightly.

"They look different to the others."

"That's because they're natural born Ood, unprocessed before they're adapted to slavery." He explained kneeling down to their level looking at them from outside the cage. "Unspoilt. That's their song."

"I can't hear it." Donna shook her head.

"Do you want to?" The Doctor looked at her seriously

"Yeah."

"Donna, are you sure?" Rita asked. "It's the song of captivity."

"Let me hear it." She told them.

"Face me." He told her shifting around slightly. Donna did the same as he placed the tips of his fingers on her temples. "Open your mind." He told her closing his eyes. "That's it. Hear it, Donna. Hear the music."

The Doctor took his hands away as Donna looked at them both shocked before turning to the Ood, Rita lent into the Doctor's chest ever so slightly watching Donna as she looked into the cage tears slowly making their way down her cheeks. The Doctor wrapped an arm around Rita kissing her forehead knowing that she too could hear the sad song just like he could.

"Take it away." She pleaded turning to the Doctor.

"Sure?" He looked at her, Rita moved out of the way.

"I can't bear it." Donna shook her head the tears still falling. The Doctor placed his finger tips back on her temples disconnecting the telepathic field. Rita shifted over hugging the hurt woman.

"I'm sorry." She said to them both.

"It's okay." The Doctor reassured her.

"You lasted longer than most people would Donna." Rita softly smiled at her rubbing the woman's arm in comfort before moving away kneeling beside the Doctor.

"But the both of you can still hear it." She looked between them.

The Doctor sighed as Rita slowly nodded. "All the time."

"I try and block it out sometimes." Rita looked down. "Never works." The Doctor stood up helping Rita up as well and flashing his sonic at the cage opening it.

"They're breaking in." Donna looked back as the Doctor and Rita stepped inside, Donna following them.

"Let them find us." Rita spat looking in the direction of the door they were breaking it enter.

The Doctor knelt down beside the Ood. "What are you holding?" He asked as one of them shifted away from him. "Show me." He pleaded. "Friend. Stone, Doctor, Donna." He pointed at them each as well as himself. "Friend. Let me see." He softly asked.Look at me. Let me see." One of the Ood slowly turned around. "That's it." The Doctor cooed while Rita and Donna slowly crouched down beside him. "That's it, go on. Go on." The Ood slowly opened its hands exposing what shocked the red head. "Is that?"

"It's a brain," Rita answered.

"A hind brain." The Doctor identified it more clearly. "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 anymore. You'd be like an Ood. A processed Ood."

"So the company cuts off their brains?"

"And they stitch on the translator." Rita hissed quietly in anger.

"Like a lobotomy," Donna added. "I spent all that time looking for you two, Doctor, Stone because I thought it was so wonderful out here," Donna said holding back a sob. "I want to go home." The Time Lords looked at her sadly, there was so many placed they both wanted the red head to see, so many people Rita knew she would love to meet. Sadly looking down Rita slowly nodded. They spun round at a loud crash the Doctor jumping up locking the cage.

"They're with the Ood, sir." A guard informed.

The Doctor gritted his teeth placing his head between the bars of the cage. "What you going to do, then?" He hissed. "Arrest me? Lock me up? Throw me in a cage? Well, you're too late. Ha!"

"Well, this is certainly an unexpected turn of events," Rita said crossing her arms and watching the Doctor laugh through the bars. "I always wondered of the day when the Doctor would lose it and go completely insane, never thought of it to be the day where we happen to be locked in a cage with a couple of Ood." She shrugged.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Are the handcuffs seriously necessary?" Rita winced as the metal started to dig into her wrists.

"Why don't you just come out and say it?" Halpen the almost bold man in the extremely rich suit who owned this site asked ignoring the blonde. "FOTO activists."

"If that's what Friends Of The Ood are trying to prove, then yes." The Doctor snapped at him.

"The Ood were nothing without us, just animals roaming around on the ice."

"Well, that's because you can't hear their song." Rita spat going to lunch at him before gritting her teeth as the cuffs slightly dug into her wrists again keeping her beside the metal pole the three were attached to.

"They welcomed it." He almost smiled at them thinking the tree of them were idiots. "It's not as if they put up a fight."

"You idiot." Donna hissed at him. "They're born with their brains in their hands." She raised her voice. "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."

"Oh, nice one." The Doctor nodded at Donna. Rita nodding in agreement with him.

"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." He sneered at them then raised his wrist speaking into his comm. "Mister Kess. How do we stand?"

"Canisters primed, sir. As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released." They heard the man reply the Doctor and Rita's eyes widened. "Give it two hundred marks and counting."

"You're going to gas them?!" The Doctor tried to move closer to the man.

"Kill the livestock. The classic foot and mouth solution from the olden days. Still, works." He grinned.

"We could help you!" Rita moved forward no longer caring about the cuffs digging into her wrists, "let us help you!"

Hakpen went to open his mouth as an alarm started to sound through out the complex. "What the hell?"

"Change of plan." He looked at the man in the lab coat.

"There are no reports of trouble off-world, sir. It's still contained to the Ood Sphere." He informed.

"Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads."

"What's happening?" The Doctor looked at Halpen angrily.

"Everything you wanted, Doctor." He grinned. "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."

"But Mister Halpen, there's something else, isn't there?" He asked as the man turned to leave. "Something we haven't seen."

"What do you mean?" Donna frowned.

"A creature couldn't survive with a separate forebrain and hind brain, they'd be at war with themselves." Rita explained knowing what the Doctor meant. "There has to be something your not telling us isn't there?" She raised her brows at him. "Come on we're dead anyway, you said so yourself."

"And again, both so clever." Harlpen said looking between the Time Lords.

"But it's got to be connected to the red eye. What is it?" The Doctor questioned.

"It won't exist for very much longer. Enjoy your Ood." He snickered then left along with the rest.

"Yeah, I don't feel like dying today," Rita commented wriggling in the cuffs. "Let's get out of here."

"Well, do something." Donna hissed trying to get out of her own. "You're the one with all the tricks." She looked at the Doctor. "You must have met Houdini."

"Nice chap." Rita shrugged in thought. "Pretty sure he had a thing for me. Kept trying to impress me with all of his tricks, I saw right through them all." She rambled on.

"If you're best buddies get us out of here!" She hissed at the Time Lady who winced a little at the receiving end of one of Donna's out bursts as well as the cuffs shooting pain in her wrists.

"These are really good handcuffs." The Doctor groaned trying to get out of his own.

"Oh well," Donna snapped at them. "I'm glad of that!" She glared at them both. "I mean, at least we've got quality!" They're eyes shot up at the sight of three red eyed Ood at the door translators in hand holding them out. The trios eyes widened in horror as they sturggled even more while shout mg.

"Stone. Doctor, Donna, friends!" The Doctor shouted repeatedly.

"The circle must be broken!" Donna screamed in horror.

"We're friends!" Rita shouted.

"Stone. Doctor, Donna, friends." The Doctor shouted again.

Donna screamed louder this time as the Ood closed in. "The circle must be broken!"

"We're friends!"

"Stone. Doctor, Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Friends, friends, friends!" The Doctor and Rita both shouted pushing themselves up against the wall.

"The circle must be broken!"

"We're friends!" Rita shouted hiding her face in the Doctors arm waiting for the pain. Swallowing thickly she blinked and looked up still pressed up against the wall seeing the three Ood's translator balls dead as they held their heads then looked up blinking, their eyes back to normal. One of them held up their translator balls looking between the three.

"Stone..." He looked at her then between the Doctor and terrified red head. "Doctor-Donna... Friends."

"Yes!" Donna shouted happily nodding.

"Friends! Exactly!" Rita beamed furiously nodding at the Ood.

"That's us. Friends. Oh, yes!" The Doctor broadly smiled.

The Ood managed to free the trio who quickly left the building, that was after the Doctor tightly hugged Rita and wouldn't let go until she told him that she was completely fine. The three looked out onto the factory complex seeing guards shooting down the red eyed Ood. The Doctor tightly gripped onto Rita's hand knowing just how much they both hated weapons especially guns both of them for different reasons.

"I don't know where it is." The Doctor gritted his teeth spinning around multiple times in the snow trying to find Halpen. "I don't know where they've gone."

"I wish they had a bloody giant door saying 'look it's over here!' That would save us a lot of time." Rita groaned.

"Not the time Stone." The Doctor shot her a look telling her that it really wasn't.

"What are we looking for?" Donna worryingly asked the pair.

"It might be underground, like some sort of cave, or a cavern, or..." the Doctors voice trailed off as he concentrated more on finding what Halpen was planning to destroy then talking. Suddenly there was an explosion knocking the trio down in the cold snow. Shooting his head in the blonde's direction she rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "I'm completely fine sweetheart." She shook her head at him then looked over at the red head. "Donna? You okay?"

The human woman nodded as they all turn back to see what had caused the explosion, upon turning around the three could see the smoke clearing with Ood Sigma free from the red eye standing there tilting his head. Beckoning them over the three haistly got up and followed Sigman through the chaos as saftly as possible. They arrived at a door which the Doctor flashed at his sonic causing a spark, allowing the four to enter.

"The Ood Brain." The Doctor stared down from the catwalk at the large brain with wires coming out of it. A large ring out of electric surrounded the brain. "Now it all makes sense, That's the missing link. The third element, binding them together." He explained to Donna. "Forebrain, hind brain, and this, the telepathic centre."

"It's a shared mind, connecting all the Ood in song, and they trapped." Rita looked down at it sadly knowing that trapped feeling all too well."

"Cargo." They spun around seeing Halpen on the other side of the room moving down a set of stairs holding something. "I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, I've got the sheds. Smaller business. Much more manageable, without livestock."

"He's mined the area." The scientist said making it clearer for the three as Halpen slowly stepped closer to the three.

"You're going to kill it?" Donna looked at him as if he was mad.

"They found that thing centuries ago beneath the Northern Glacier."

"Those pylons." The Doctor eyed the metal beams around the giant brain.

"In a circle." Donna cut in looking down. "The circle must be broken."

"Damping the telepathic field. Stopping the Ood from connecting for two hundred years." The Doctor said looking quiet disgusted himself.

"And you, Ood Sigma, you brought them here." He glanced over at the Ood. "I expected better."

"My place is at your side, sir." Sigma stepped forward towards Halpen.

"Still subservient. Good Ood..." he struggled with the last word as if something was tickling his throat, the Doctor or Donna didn't notice this but Rita certainly did and slightly frowned at the man trying to understand what was wrong with him.

"If that barrier thing's in place, how come the Ood started breaking out?" Donna frowned in question.

"Maybe it's taken centuries to adapt." The Doctor shrugged. "The subconscious reaching out?"

"But the process was too slow." The scientist spoke up. "It had to be accelerated." He turned to Halpen disgusted. "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."

"Yes." Halpen sneered at the man. "Yes, you did." He then threw him over the catwalk railing onto the giant brain, the three tried to reach out to him but had no luck, he was gone.

"You are an idiot." Rita hissed glaring at the man. The Doctor eyed the gun now pointing at the three in Halpen's hand and held Rita's arm gently pulling her behind him.

"You murdered him." Donna glared at Halpen as he sneered at her pointing the gun in her direction. "Very observant, Ginger." He shoved the gun in front of him making it very clear what his aims were. The Doctor gently moved Donna behind him then Rita did the same, Donna was human and couldn't regenerate unlike the two Time Lords in front of her. "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?" Halpen pointed the gun at them ever so slightly shaking. "Still."

"Would you like a drink, sir?" Sigma stepped forward holding out a small glass.

"I think hair loss is the least of my problems right now, thanks." He turned back to the three ready to shoot again.

Sigma pressed on standing now in front of the Doctor. "Please have a drink, sir."

"If, if you're going to stand in their way," he stuttered. "I'll shoot you too."

The Doctor went to move Sigma out of the way who didn't budge continuing on. "Please have a drink, sir."

Halpen looked at Sigma in shock and horror as he began to shake more violently. "Have, have you poisoned me?"

"Natural Ood must never kill, sir." Sigma looked at him not denying a thing nor confirming anything.

"What is that stuff?" The Doctor looked over Sigma's shoulder frowning.

"Ood graft suspended in a biological compound, sir."

"What the hell does that mean?" Halpen hissed out of fear.

"Oh, dear." The Time Lords shared a glance knowing exactly what was going to happen to Halpen. "The universe continues to shock me day, after day." Rita muttered.

"Tell me!" Halpen demanded.

"Funny thing, the subconscious." The Doctor scratched his ear. "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."

"You know I was just wondering Mister Halpen," Rita scatched the back of her neck, "how's the hair loss working out for you?" Rita crossed her arms raising a brow. The man shakily raised his hand to his head and without pulling a large clump of hair left his head.

"What have you done?" He stared at Sigma in horror shaking as the hair fell to the floor.

"Oh, they've been preparing you for a very long time." The Doctor explained. "And now you're standing next to the Ood Brain, Mister Halpen, can you hear it? Listen."

"What have you?" He stared at them terror taking over his face. "I'm not..." The gun slipped between his fingers falling to the floor as his face became black. Reaching for the back of his head he peeled the skin off before tentacles came out of his mouth taking place where his mouth once was.

Donna's eyes widened in shock. "They..." she swallowed, "they turned him into an Ood?"

"Yep." The Doctor and Rita nodded.

"He's an Ood."

"We noticed." The Doctor said to Donna, Halpen then sneezed and a small hind brain fell out into his hands.

Sigma then turned to the trio. "He has become Oodkind, and we will take care of him."

"It's weird," Donna looked at the Doctor and Rita, "being with you two. I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore."

"It's better that way." Rita nodded along with the Doctors words. "People who know for certain tend to be like Mister Halpen." There then was a beep. Rita looked down and saw the explosives.

"That's what we came here to do." She chuckled deactivating them. "There we go."

"And now, Sigma, would you allow me and the Stone the honour?" The Doctor looked at Sigma.

"It is yours, Doctor, Stone."

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor beamed taking Rita's hand while running over to the machine flicking some switches. "Stifled for two hundred years, but not anymore." He placed his hand on the lever then looked at Rita who placed her hand over his.

"The circle is broken. The Ood can sing!" They pulled the lever and the current around the brain shut off. The song in the Doctor and Rita's mind then changed slightly, still slow but now happy.

"I can hear it!" Donna broke out into a broad smile. The Doctor and Rita laughed standing beside Donna hearing the song.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The three stood in front of the TARDIS Sigma and a couple other Ood in a circle. "The message has gone out." The Doctor explained to Sigma and the other Ood. "That song resonated across the galaxies. Everyone heard it. Everyone knows. The rockets are bringing them back."

"The Ood are coming home." Rita smiled at them all.

"We thank you, Stone, Doctor-Donna, friends of Oodkind." Sigma nodded at them. "And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you."

"Oh, I've, I've sort of got a song of my own, thanks." The Doctor nodded back at the TARDIS.

"I think your song must end soon." Rita swallowed looking at the Doctor worryingly, the Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulder looking at her slightly scared. Donna didn't see the look on both their faces but they shared the same expression.

The Doctor swallowed again looking at Sigma. "Meaning?"

"Every song must end." He simply replied.

"Yeah. Er," he scratched his neck then looked at Donna, "what about you? You still want to go home?"

"No." She shook her head smiling at them both. "Definitely not."

"Then we'll be off." He took Rita's hand slowly heading back.

"Take this song with you."

"We will." Donna nodded.

"Always." The Doctor looked at Rita who nodded in agreement.

"And know this, Stone, Doctor-Donna. You will never be forgotten. Our children will sing of the Stone, Doctor-Donna, and our children's children, and the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever."

The three nodded then slipped into the TARDIS before it dematerialised.