A/N: If you are possibly a Doctor Who fan reading this, please excuse my lack of correct terminology. It's partially the reason I've posted it here, so you can correct me in any way you can. But the other reason is to get some feedback (hopefully positive) on the writing.

As if he had received an electric shock, the Doctor scrambled backwards away from the tardis, which had begun to rumble and smoke violently. A high pitched sound was protruding from somewhere in the consol's center, and the monitor's screen flickered grey and black lines. Stumbling over a wire on the floor, the Doctor lunged for the nearest immobile object, and barely steadied himself.
What the hell was that?, he thought to himself, as his breathing and heart rate increased. He eyed the Tardis's monitor warily, half-hoping he had imagined the signal, but his conscience, and the Tardis' rumbling, assured him it had in fact been real. The signal had been the strongest the Doctor had ever received in all of his 904 years of life. Stronger than any Dalek warning signal he had ever had the displeasure of receiving. And it had been so close, signifying that whatever was sending the signal was not far from the Tardis itself. The Doctor tried to steady his breathing, and think logically for a moment. In a quick, unsteady stride, he made for the control panel, pounding and pushing as many buttons as his shaking fingers could find, but the smoke and shaking did not cease. He looked up, and breathlessly tried to reason with the wild machine.
"Come on...come on...Steady now...".
But no matter what the Doctor did, no matter what levers he pulled or switches he flicked, the machine did not cease its rumbling and roaring. Nor did the high-pitched sound, though it did seem to drop a note in pitch.
Then, as if a power switch had been flicked off, everything came to an eerie silence, that left the Doctor hunched over the control panel, shoulders heaving, his right hand still resting on a button just beside the monitor. The lights above ticked, and everything seemed to return to normal activity.


The Doctor slowly looked up from the panel, bewildered at the sudden silence and lack of abnormal activity. As he took a step sideways, prepared to restart the monitor, a loud crack and thud interrupted the silence.
"Bloody Hell...", a small female voice exclaimed. The Doctor spun around to face a young girl clambering up from the floor, dusting her pants off, and looking frantically around the room. Her vibrant blue hair danced just above her shoulders as she looked about, her wide blue eyes taking in the sight before her. "What the...", she began, but was cut off at the sight of the looming Doctor, who stood wide-eyed, absorbing the girl's mysterious, and slightly stunning appearance.
"Who the hell are you?", they asked at the same time.
"You first", the girl demanded, taking a cautious step forward.
"You're the one who's popped up out of nowhere...", the Doctor retorted, reaching into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver. His fist clenched over it as the girl spoke.
"Elexa." Her voice seemed to ring, yet was so sturdy and sure, almost proud. "And you are...?"
The Doctor tightened his grip on the screwdriver in his coat pocket.
"I'm...the Doctor."
The cautious expression on the girl's face lightened, and a slanted smile formed on her pale lips.
"You're the Doctor?" She began pacing within the space she had just appeared in, looking the Doctor up and down. He began to feel like an army recruit being observed by an officer during an inspection.
"Brilliant, you look just like I've always thought you would. Brown coat, blue suit...ah, the trainers! Love the trainers." She continued to pace until the Tardis monitor gave off a hum as it scanned for signals. Her attention darted towards the consol, and in moments she was standing beside it, her nose pressed up against the screen. As if a cloud had passed over her face, her eyes turned a gloomy shade of grey, her skin mirroring the shadowy color. Her hands clenched onto the control panel, a fierce flame erupting in her eyes.


At first, the Doctor hadn't noticed that she had spoken; he had thought it was another hum from the Tardis, but her piercing eyes and haunted expression alerted him. She repeated, sensing that he hadn't caught a word she had said. But this time, the vibrating voice sounded desperate.
"My planet is in danger. You must help me! Turn this on, so I can send a signal to Bancar and tell them that I have help-"
"I cannot help you." Which was true. It wasn't like he was running from helping someone in need. He really couldn't help. That was part of the curse of the Time Lords- you must always work alone.
"Please leave."
Elexa looked up from the screen once more- this time, a confused, yet cold look met the Doctor's stern face.
"No."
Before he could fight it, before he could say anything, the Doctor strided towards the Tardis, grabbing her by the shoulders and lightly pushing her out of the way. She tripped backwards over the steps, but immediately resumed a crouching position, like a lion preparing to pounce.
Something inside the Doctor had snapped; that same Dark feeling he had felt before, like the time he nearly shot a man who had killed his daughter. A powerful anger that he could not control, but that was soon overtaken by an immense feeling of compassion and pity. This young girl undeniably seemed familiar. Her situation tragic, and he could not deny that either. The Doctor eyed the space girl who was now back on her feet, visibly shaking from head to toe. Her glaring eyes were back to a fiery blue, and for a moment, the Doctor swore she was about to charge at him. He diverted his eyes, and gradually reached towards the Tardis panel.
Elexa's shaking didn't cease as she continued to watch his every move.
"Please…"
The desperation and lifelessness in the voice sent a chill up the Doctor's spine. He started.


"There is nothing I can do for you."
"You're wrong. There's plenty you could do. You just have to help me." She slowly straightened her posture, her eye color fading a bit, but barely. "I know what must be done, I just can't do it alone."
"Bancar...", Elexa urged, suddenly running up to the Doctor, pulling her face just inches from his.
The Doctor made his decision. He released himself, turned to the consol, and began typing in the name "Bancar". Before he could finish, Elexa bounced next to him and an excited voice encouraged him.
"Come on, Doctor! There's little time!"
"I'm going as fast as I can." Surprised at the blank tone of his voice, the Doctor cleared his throat. "Just a few more light-years and we'll be there."
There was a sudden sound, like a whimper, and two arms thrust themselves tightly around his neck. He briefly felt unsteady breathing against the side of his neck, and a muffled "thank you". Before he could object, Elexa was standing still beside him, her arms gone from around his neck and now at her sides. She was staring intently at the screen, watching the image of her planet, Bancar, nearing closer.