"Jack," she motioned to him to come to the console, "I'm not familiar with this contact. Is it one of yours?" Jen pointed to the screen.

Captain Jack Harkness walked from the research library to the communication panel. His hands pushed down into the pockets of his trousers, slightly stretching the braces he wore over the blue shirt. He peered over Jen's shoulder and shrugged. "The name doesn't ring a bell. Let me see the location of origin." He keyed in a search. "Horsehead Nebula, Mutter's Spiral. Isn't that where we hid from Zar?"

Jen nodded. It had been four months since they helped rescue the miners on Taurus. The Conservancy had captured most of the Sebecians, but their commander had escaped. A Conservancy warrant had been issued for his arrest, but Zar was still at large.

"Planet of the Ood," the Captain mused. "The name is familiar, maybe I heard the name from one of your father's adventures. Can't keep track of them all.

"They are asking to speak with us," Jen looked up. "But they are not specific about what they want."

"Training? Search-and-rescue?" Jack laughed. "Maybe it is an invitation for a party. I could use a good party right now."

"I remember the last one," Jen looked up balefully. "The Conservancy Officers Club bouncers threw you in the brig after you insulted an officer.

"Hey," Jack pouted. "I was only being friendly, not flirting. Officers have no sense of humor." He came behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I know, I'm the one who explained it to the judge when I bailed you out." Jen looked up giving him a wry smile, and then look back to the screen. "We are free right now. No Conservancy trainings coming up. We are good for funds so a little exploratory trip wouldn't be a problem."

"I'm game," Jack gave her a kiss on the top of her head and moved back to the library. "Let's see what your father's library data base has to say about the Ood."

The empty room had been transformed by the Doctor into a maze of books, scrolls, artifacts, and electronic databases from a variety of cultures. Jack tapped into the Horsehead Nebula database and began scrolling through the information, placing portions up on the monitor so Jen could see. "Ice planet, culture called Oodkind…oh, that's a face for you."

"Beauty and character are not same," Jen murmured as strained to see the monitor.

"Yeah, I remember Mary, a looker but deadly. She was telepathic too…" Jack kept scrolling through the information. "Cephalopod-faced humanoids, peaceful race. Interesting… the Doctor has some of this information time-locked at the 39th century…Keep existence confidential it says. Considerate that he thought to do this to keep us from crossing time lines. No prohibition against contact, though. Come closer and take a look."

Jen moved from the center of the ship to the library staring at the creatures on the screen. "This is a telepathic race, Jack," she turned to look at him.
"Did you have any telepathy training when you were a Time Agent?"

"I've some natural ability and enough training to function," he said absently. "Shakira can be a great help here since she is a master translator."

"Shakira," Jen asked, "Are you familiar with the Ood?"

"Yes," the TARDIS replied.

Jen reviewed the information and turned to the Captain. "Interested?"

Jack moved behind her and playfully kissed her neck, "I'm always interested." He began unbuttoning her flight suit.

"You are impossible," she kissed him back. "I mean the Ood, do you want to respond?"

"Sure, a little trip will be fun, if I get to drive the TARDIS." He absently opened another button on her suit.

"Not if you take her back near that black hole!" Jen narrowed her eyes.

"Oi, you've had four hundred years of practice with her, I've had four months so give me a break." Jack protested. "Besides, you have to admit that was quite a ride."

Jen shook her head and rolled her eyes remembering "the ride" nearly destroyed everything in the TARDIS that was not nailed down, and that Charley would not come out of his kennel for a week.

Jen gracefully spun out of his embrace, kissed his cheek, and moved back to the communication panel. She typed in a reply to the Ood request and sent it on its way.

Jack stood reviewing the navigation charts. "I think we could be there in one day or less if we used the Time Vortex."

Jen agreed and then went back to looking at the description of the planet. "I'll look in the storeroom for the appropriate supplies. And Jack…"

"Yes?" He looked up.

"You will definitely need that coat."

The sapphire sky spun with moons and a ghostly ringed planet on the Ood home world. The bracing chill of the air greeted them as they stepped out of the TARDIS. Jen's golden hair was hidden by the hood of her white quilt parka that enveloped her body while accentuating the blue eyes that peered from within. The Captain pulled his great coat around him, thankful that he had added other layers underneath. He regretted that he had passed on a hat.

"You weren't kidding about the cold!" Jack checked his wrist strap. "Twenty below and dropping. I thought cephalopods lived in marine environments, at least the earth variety. Come to think of it, I think the earth types are carnivores. Sure we weren't invited for lunch?" He joked "Or as lunch?"

Jen ignored him. "It is so beautiful here," she whispered as she took in the rugged landscape of jagged rock mountains and arches covered in snow and ice. Snowflakes swirled around them in the brisk wind. Jack shivered and pounded the snow out of the gloves, his breath hanging look fog in the air. He turned and notice Shakira had transformed herself into a snowy crag. She blended in, but she would always allow them to tell the difference—a beacon home. He noted the position on his wrist strap.

"Do you hear that?" Jen looked around the glacial landscape. "Do you hear the song?"

Jack nodded as the high notes chorused through his mind. He turned "What do you think it means?"

"My father's records show they have a gestalt consciousness, a kind of group mind that can communicate across space as far as three galaxies. Their song can reach that far," she mused. "So beautiful."

A lone figure appeared in the distance slowly walking towards them. He was dressed in a black suit closed at the neck with a luminous globe attached to the left side of the jacket with a connecting tube to his neck. His squid-like face folded into the domed head so that the slanted brown eyes were pushed far apart. Tentacles hung loosely when his mouth should have. When he drew nearer, he bowed slightly.

"Welcome Jack Harkness," the globe lit up at his words. "Welcome Time Lady to our planet," he bowed again. "My name is Ood Chi and I am to escort you to the Council of Elders. He bowed again and turned, beckoning them to follow.

As they walked into the valley, they marveled at the icy arches and twisted spires of the Ood city. A few Ood stood along the interconnect pathways and nodded to the group as they walked by. The clouds gathered in the sky and snow swirled as they made their way through the silent city into a cavernous sequence of darkened rooms lit by candles. Finally they came to the gathering place.

The room was lit by the glow of candlelight that sparkled on the twisted ice coating the stalactites and stalagmites clinging to the edges of the room. In the center surrounding sitting on the stones around the fire were twelve aged Ood dressed in brown robes, cowls draped at their necks, surrounded by younger members in a second circle behind them. One stood by the fire fanning it as he threw incense into the flame. An Ood dressed in white stood, pulled back his cowl, and bowed to his guests.

"Welcome, Jack Harkness and the Lady Jen," he bowed and beckoned them to sit." They returned the bow, and sat down among the elders. The song had stopped. The only sound was crackling of the fire.

"The Time Vortex is strong in you, both of you," the Ood Elder began. "It will protect you if you are wise."

Jen looked at Jack in apprehension as he stared evenly into the Elder's eyes.

"We mean you no harm," the Elder continued. "The lines of convergence swirl around you. Be brave. We see so much, but understand little…but it is important that you know…" The eyes of the elder began to glow red. "You must know…prepare…"

"Know what?" demanded Jack impatiently as he struggled to stand. The Ood of the second circle closed around him firmly bringing him back to his seat. Jen met his eyes with alarm.

"You will join, you will join," the Ood chanted linking each others hands one by one until they grabbed Jack and Jens hands to complete the circle. As they joined hands the rest of Ood eyes began to glow casting a crimson light. "You will join, you will join, you will join…" The chanting filled their heads as a jolt of images swirled in front of them.

"Jack!" she cried trying to wrench her hands from the Ood, but Jen also was held fast by many hands. Her eyes slowly filled with images of fire and numbers, which danced and swirled settling into a face- a huge crimson corpse of a face of a beast with two large ram-like horns on a mountainous body of molten rock rising out of the wall of the cave. "Jack do you see it?"

Jack's eyes were fixed on the wall of the cave, riveted to the vision, his body rigid.

The Beast howled in echoing rage, "You!" His glowing eyes settled on Jack. "You killed my son, and you dare defy me?! I was there at the Beginning, I am the Temptation, I am Despair, I am the Agony that never dies. No one defies me!"The demon grew closer to them as the flames brightened and the air blistered around them. "You, Immortal, will be a cinder, dying and reviving over and over in unending pain. Your debt to me."

"And you, Daughter of the Oncoming Storm," the burning eyes turned and settled on her. "You have seen my signs. Do you think you can stop me? Your father tried to stop me, casting me into the Black Sun, but I survive! I always survive! Remember…revenge is sweet when taken slow. When you feel my rage, remember this …remember my son!" A manic laughter echoed throughout the cave growing louder and louder as the flames intensified, then slowly ebbed away as the vision disappeared.

The Ood released their hands, and their eyes returned to normal as if nothing had happened. Jen turned her eyes to Jack as he continued to look where the vision had come. He was pale and drawn, a man in shock.

"Jack, who was that? What was that?" Jen took his clenched hand. "Jack, what was he talking about? Who was his son?"

Jack took a deep, shuddering breath. "Abaddon, his son's name was Abaddon."

Reader: Do to re-editing, Chapter 1 and 2 were combined. Can't change current numbering. Go to Chapter 3