The boy's eyes were wide and his brow was furrowed – he stared up at them like he expected an explanation, and now.

"Uhh," Young stalled. "Hi there. What's your name?"

The boy pursed his lips.

"Please tell me that's not Rush," Greer whispered from behind the colonel.

"I don't know," Eli whispered back. "He's got the scowl down pat. And his DNA readings haven't changed. He's, uh – significantly more scared than Rush was, if I'm reading this right."

"Where am I?" the boy asked.

Colonel Young and TJ shared a look.

"Spaceship," Greer shrugged, earning a few glares.

"Spaceship?" The boy was gaping at them in something suspiciously similar to awe. "How'd I get here?"

As a group, they shrugged. For a moment, the boy seemed ready to argue or demand an answer. Then he shrugged and gave a bright, "OK."

Colonel Young and TJ shared another look.

"What's your name?" said Young again. The boy brought his knees up to his chest, looking around the dark room that was probably really cool from a kindergartner's point of view.

"Nick," he said absently, poking at the straps on the neural interface chair – they were too big now, and his hands had slipped out.

"Nick what?"

This time, the answer was only given after a long hesitation, with a wary glance toward the people in the room.

"Rush," Nick admitted. He curled in on himself a little.

Young could feel TJ trying for another look. He refused to meet her eyes.

"OK," he said calmly. "Uh, nice. Nice name."

"What's with these bolts?" asked Nick. He reached up and wrapped tiny fingers around them, starting to pull. Frantically, Eli hit the disengage button and the bolts slid away. Nick seemed unperturbed.

"OK," said Young again, taking a deep breath. "OK. TJ, why don't you, uh –"

Catching his drift, she hurried forward and tried to help young Nicholas off the chair. He stared at her like she was crazy and got down on his own, gazing happily at the deck plating beneath his feet.

"Come with me," TJ said soothingly. "We're gonna check you out, OK? See if you're hurt."

"I'm not hurt," Nick said simply. He looked around again. "Can I asplore the spaceship? It looks awesome."

Young fiercely fought back against a smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eli turn on a Kino and train it on Destiny's newest, smallest member.

"Later," TJ promised, taking his hand. "Come on."

Little Rush, it happened, was very much like older Rush in many ways. He was annoyingly perceptive. He was hyperactive and energetic beyond belief, though his hyperactivity generally ranged more toward playing Tag for hours, rather than fixing the ship without sleep. He was easily excited.

But he was also very different from the Rush they knew.

"Is he a soldier?" Nick asked TJ in a hushed voice, pointing toward Young. The colonel kept the amusement on his face to a minimum and pretended he hadn't heard.

"Ask him yourself," TJ told the boy, also sounding amused. Nick looked back and forth between them.

"What's his name?"

"Young."

Nick raised his voice a little. "Mr. Young?"

Barely keeping back a grin, Young turned to him. "Yes?"

"Are you a soldier?"

Young nodded and started to explain, but all he got out was "I'm a colonel" before Nick had jumped off the examination table and was tugging at his uniform in wonder.

"Wow!" he gasped, rubbing little fingers all over the birds on Young's shoulder. "Do you kill people?"

"Nick," TJ scolded.

"What?"

"I don't make a habit of it," Young replied. Nick looked at him doubtfully.

"Well, do you try to kill people?"

And if that wasn't an uncomfortable question …

"If I was a soldier," Nick went on, "I'd have lots of guns for when the big lads fight. Do you have guns?"

Young considered his options – he didn't think it was a good idea to show a six-year-old Rush his pistol.

"All soldiers here have guns," TJ answered for him. "And Nick, I wasn't done with the check-up. I need to take your heartbeat."

She may have expected more of a fight from the notoriously anti-medicine scientist, but Nick took one look at her stethoscope and practically snatched it from her hands.

"Can I listen?" he asked, completely ignoring her attempts to get it from him. He placed one earbud in his ear and held the curved portion to his mouth.

"Don't do that!" Young and TJ said at once.

Nick's refusal to obey orders hadn't changed. "Bleeeh," he moaned into it, then flinched and held his ears. "Aw, fuck!" he cried, curling up and clutching his head. "Shite, that hurts!"

"NICK!"

He looked at them, startled and a little red-eyed from his self-torture. "What?" he asked, truly baffled. TJ crossed her arms.

"Colonel," she said sternly, "tell him not to use those words."

"What?" Young gaped at her. "Why me?"

"What words?" said Nick. TJ glared at Young until he sighed and acquiesced. Never mind the weirdness of telling Rush not to swear.

"Nick," he started, "those are bad words. We don't say them."

"Don't say what?" the boy asked again.

"Fuck. And shite."

"EVERETT!"

"Well, he'd didn't know!"

"So say 'the f word' and 'the s word', don't just blurt them out!"

Nick stared at them like they'd gone insane and placed the stethoscope against his stomach.

"Cool," he laughed. A bit deflated, Young and TJ watched him. This time, he placed it up against the examination table. "Cool!"

"You deal with him," Young said.