Touch The Sky: Doctor Who/Studio C [Book 3]

Planet of the Ood (Part 1)

Planet of the Ood

(Originally: 04x03, 'Planet of the Ood'; aired April 19, 2008)

A/N: LAST FULL EPISODE BEFORE MATTORY RETURNS. CELEBRATE!

"I'd ask where you've been, but I'm pretty sure I already know."

"Hello to you too, Jason," Matt said dryly, phone to his ear as he wandered the halls of the TARDIS, waiting for the door to the console room to appear. He paused. "Hold up, what?"

"You've been gone a week," his friend said flatly.

"Oh. Have I?" He couldn't see Jason's face, but he could imagine the scathing look in the silence. "Yeah, I'm... back on the TARDIS."

"We figured as much."

Another silence dragged out. "Well, that's what I was calling to say, so..."

Jason gave what sounded like a well-muffled scoff. "Yeah. All right then. Don't get yourself killed."

"Jason, I'll be fine."

"You forget, Matt. I was with you in the first couple months of the Year." Jason gave a moment for that to sink in. "I've heard quite a few of your stories."

"Anyways," Matt said quickly. The TARDIS gave a sudden jolt that nearly sent him flying. "Gotta go."

As soon as the line went dead, he finally found the door he was looking for. The Doctor and Donna were already there, gripping the console tightly as the TARDIS rocked back and forth none-too-gently.

"Are you trying to break my neck?" Matt asked, clinging to a railing until the ship finally stopped.

The Doctor looked back at him, grinning. "Set the controls to random. Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, anywhen in the whole wide—are you all right?" He looked back at Donna, who had a wide eyed expression on her face.

"Terrified," the ginger woman admitted. "I mean, history's one thing, but an alien planet!"

"I could always take you home," the Doctor offered.

"Yeah, don't laugh at me," she said sharply.

"I know what it's like," the Time Lord said, swaggering toward her. "Everything you're feeling right now. The fear, the joy, the wonder, I get that."

"Seriously? After all this time?"

"Yeah!" the Doctor said. "Why do you think I keep going?"

"All right then, you and me both!" she exclaimed, a grin on her face that was shared by the other two as she headed for the door. "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 don't know, it's all sort of, I don't know what the word is!"

The Doctor grabbed his coat from the strut, and Donna's voice came from outside.

"Oh, I've got the word. Freezing!"

"Snow!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Aw, real snow! Proper snow at last! That's more like it, lovely! What do you think?"

Donna, wearing a sleeveless blue shirt, only remarked, "Bit cold."

"Look at that view!" the Doctor exclaimed, spreading his arms. He was right—they stood on a mountain, massive stone archways bearing thousands of icicles that could dwarf a car. "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..."