Koschei hammered on the door. "Wake up Ushas, wake up now!"
A very grumpy Ushas opened the door and was nearly pushed over by an angry Koschei.
"You know you can't take a shuttle out at this time of night," she said as the little group hurried along the walkway.
"I know, but they won't argue with the daughter of one of the High Council will they. You don't have to come with me. I just need your influence to get past the sentries."
"You know that he's dead, they wouldn't be sending out a retrieval party if he wasn't," Ushas said as they approached the shuttle bay.
"If he is I don't want his body recycled, he deserves a funeral pyre. But he's not dead, I know it."
Ushas said nothing, she knew they only sent retrieval squads out for dead bodies...a pity, she liked Theta. He did the things she wouldn't dare. Sighing she focused on the task ahead and pulling herself to her full height she strode towards the two sentries that guarded the shuttle bay.
Theta was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea. He'd never ventured into the mountains, well not without a guide and a well heated shuttle, and he'd only been nine at the time.
That excursion had been exciting and full of snow filled wonder...now the snow was not as friendly or as wonderful, it was cold even for him, and he was sure he was being followed by something large and hungry.
He knew there were large predators on the mountains, but he thought they would still be in hibernation.
He'd also heard the wild tales that went round the Academy of the Gallifreyan's who did not want to become Time Lords. Savages his tutors said, inferior stock Vansell had spat at one family they had come across on a field trip.
He knew they didn't take kindly to Time Lords and someone like himself would be an easy target, a novice and alone.
He was too lost in thought to keep an eye on the path and he wandered too far to the left and one of his feet slipped on a patch of ice. He tried to right himself but even his slight weight was enough to break the crust of ice and snow and he fell.
Koschei felt his stomach lurch as he scanned the frozen ground beneath him. Something had happened to Thete...something bad.
"Can't this thing go any faster, I could walk quicker!" he snapped at Ushas.
"This Kosch is state of the art, so unless you want to get out and push I suggest you shut up!" Ushas retorted.
"We are so going to get in trouble," Mortimus said for the umpteenth time since they'd left the Capitol.
"Then you should have stayed behind," Drax snapped whilst not taking his eyes of the scanner in his hands. "I can't see anything down there but snow, this thing is useless!" he exclaimed and threw it on the floor in disgust.
"That's the problem with your toys, they never work properly. I like to rely on my own senses," Magnus sniffed.
"Really, oh mighty tracker, what do your senses tell you from a thousand feet up?" Drax replied, his voice dripping sarcasm.
"It's saying, keep your mouth shut and let me concentrate," Magnus replied.
"He couldn't have got that far, he only left a few hours ago, and the snow is closing in. If he hasn't found shelter, we'll be finding a frozen corpse," Mortimus said.
All three scowled and said, "Shut up!" in unison.
They sat in silence until Drax suddenly shouted. "I've got a heat source, one second, yes double heartbeats. No, it's gone...that is not good."
"What do you mean, not good?" Koschei said.
"Well," Drax said, bur hesitated for a few seconds. "For something to drop off like that, they'd have to be..."
"Don't say it!" Koschei snapped.
"Shut up, the both of you!" Magnus said. "Look, down to your left. That looks like a fresh collapse. Take us closer Ushas."
The shuttle dipped towards the icy path and hovered a few feet above.
Koschei looked at the snow, seeing only the cold death it could cause and not the beauty that Thete seemed to love. Then he spotted something dark against the white.
"Stop, down there, right on the edge. Take us down!" he shouted.
"I'm not landing, we could fall right through!" Ushas replied.
Koschei scowled. "Then get a low as you can."
The shuttle lowered a few more feet, and before the others could protest Koschei had opened the shuttle door and had jumped out.
"No!" they all chorused a few seconds later, the wind driven snow starting to pile on the shuttle floor.
"The stupid..."Magnus began and also jumped.
Ushas let out a cry of annoyance and turned the shuttle and began making small adjustments as she carefully landed it on the way too delicate surface.
"Men, they're supposed to be the logical ones. Come on you two," she said to Drax and Mortimus. Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if we lose all three?"
With that she stepped out of the shuttle into the teeth of a snow storm.
Koschei blinked snow out of his eyes and looked around for the dark shape he'd seen in the snow. He was hoping the dark shape was Thete. Hypothermia could be dealt with if caught in time...but. He shook that thought away, he couldn't think of Thete as dead. He hadn't even made it to his first regeneration yet, and that was a milestone that Koschei wanted to share with him.
He walked another few metres and he saw it, just visible in the snow. He ran over, but as he got closer he could see it was just a coat. Bitter disappointment and elation coursed through him, disappointment at not finding him and elation that at least there was a chance he was still alive.
"Koschei, where in the seven stars are you!" Magnus's voice came out of the snow.
Koschei picked up the abandoned coat before replying. "Over here!"
Seconds later Magnus appeared out of the snow, his face with a look of concern. It turned to annoyance when he spotted Koschei.
"That was a stupid, idiotic, crazy thing to do. You could have gone straight through!"
He stopped when he saw that Koschei was clutching what looked like a familiar piece of material, it was Theta's coat, the one he'd been wearing when he'd seen him last.
"I'm sorry Kosch, we should get back," he said gently.
Koschei glared at him. "He's not dead he could still be out there. He might have slipped and fallen, he could be hurt. He could be waiting for me to find him."
Magnus was about to reply when three more shapes appeared out of the snow...it was the rest of Deca, come looking for the sun that they orbited around.