Ending of the Hours (Book Four of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

The End of Time Part 1

"You know him," Jessie added with a smile. "But it was brilliant! There was the Phosphorous Carousel of the Great Magellan Gestadt, saved a planet from the Red Carnivorous Maw, and named a galaxy Alison."

"And I nearly got married," the Doctor nodded, whistling. "Good Queen Bess . . . that was a mistake. Well, she was the one who made the mistake."

"Horrible woman," Jessie sniffed. "Let me say, why she has that nickname, I don't - "

"Ahem," the Doctor coughed, blushing, and Jessie patted his arm. "Anyway . . . what do you want?"

"You should not have delayed," was all Sigma said.

The Doctor darkened. "The last time we were here, you said our song would be ending soon, and I, at least, am in no hurry for that."

"You will come with me," Sigma said.

"Hold on. Better lock the TARDIS." The Doctor pointed his key at the TARDIS, and the door closed, the TARDIS chirping as the light over it flashed. "See? Like a car. I locked it like a car. Like . . . it's funny!" Ood Sigma just shook his head like he was disappointed as he turned away. "No? Little bit?" He shook his head, looking at Jessie. "Blimey, try to make an Ood laugh," he grumbled.

Jessie smiled, tugging him along with her. "How old are you now, Ood Sigma?" she asked when she caught sight of the huge Ood city. "Oh, wow!"

"Magnificent!" the Doctor agreed. "Oh, come on, that is splendid! You've achieved all this in how long?"

"One hundred years," Sigma answered.

Jessie stiffened, and the Doctor looked at him in surprise. "Then we've got a problem," he said. "Because all of this is way too fast. Not just the city, I mean your ability to call us. Reaching all the way back to the twenty first century. Something's accelerating your species way beyond normal."

"And the Mind of the Ood is troubled," Sigma said.

"Why?" Jessie asked in concern. She'd always had a soft spot for the alien race since she'd found out they were slaves on Kroptor, and that soft spot had been softened even more after the visit to the Ood Sphere the first time with Donna. "What's happened?"

"Every night, Bad Wolf. Every night, we have bad dreams," Sigma answered.

The Doctor and Jessie exchanged uneasy looks.

That . . . couldn't be good.

***

"Returning, returning, returning," an elder Ood was whispering as Sigma led the Doctor and Jessie to an ice cave, a circle of unprocessed Ood sitting in a circle, their elder at the head. "It is slowly returning through the dark and the fire and the blood. Always returning, returning to this world. It is returning, and he is returning, and they are returning, but too late. Too late. Far too late. He has come."

"Sit with the Elder of the Ood and share the dreaming," Sigma told them.

The Doctor nodded, plopping down with Jessie. "So," he nodded. "Right." He gave a hopefully welcoming smile. "Hallo!"

"You will join," the Ood ordered, breaking their circle. "You will join. You will join." The Doctor and Jessie looked at each other before cautiously taking the hands of the Ood around them. "You will join. You will join. You will join. You will join."

"Bwahahahahahaha!"

Jessie instantly let go of the Ood's hand and gasped, eyes wide in terror. The Doctor squeezed her hand as they recognized the insane laughter: the Master. "He comes to us every night," the elder told them. "I think all the peoples of the universe dream of him now."