CHAPTER 1

A young boy, shielded from their initial sensor scans, had been discovered alive by the team. The degree of damage to the Vico was making their rescue attempt difficult…

Carolyn was still in the TARDIS. The Doctor called her from his mobile phone. "Can you materialize around him?"

"I'll try, Doctor… But there's a lot of shielding to get through."

"Acknowledged."

The Doctor and Michelle were standing by. Nita was crouched down next to the trapped boy. Joshua appeared almost numb with fright.

"Is the boy ready, Love?"

"Everything's gonna be okay…"

The boy didn't answer. But he nodded his head almost imperceptibly.

"Ready, love." Nita again looked at the boy. "Alright… here we go…" Nita straightened up, backed away from the fallen bulkhead.

"Materialize."

The TARDIS began to dematerialize.

The team watched as the TARDIS materialized in and out around them.

Carolyn worked the controls. A few seconds went by… Carolyn shook her head. "The lock is holding. I just can't resolve the matter stream. Not with all that victurium alloy in the way."

The team watched the TARDIS completely dematerialize.

The TARDIS materialized back in place. "Nita. You'll have to get him out into the corridor."

Nita exchanged a glance with the Doctor and Michelle. All three of them looked at the bulkhead trapping the boy. They glanced up at the structural beams that were in turn braced against the bulkhead. It all looked heavy as hell – and extremely unstable.

Nita indicated the bulkhead. "That's gotta weigh over a tonne, Doctor. Can you move it?"

"Yes, love. However, that may initiate the collapse of the surrounding supports. I recommend that you and Michelle return to the TARDIS."

Nita reluctantly nodded. "Agreed. Michelle…"

They both headed back toward the open corridor and entered the TARDIS.

Carolyn was standing near the console. I'm locked onto the Doctor and the boy. I'll materialize around them as soon as they've cleared the bulkheads.

Nita took the phone, "Whenever you're ready, Doctor."

The Doctor was standing next to the trapped boy.

"All right, Love." He crouched next to the boy, who stared at him, wide-eyed, puzzled to see him up close, amazed at what the Doctor seemed to be attempting.

"You're gonna lift that?"

"Yes. Then I'll carry you to the corridor. The TARDIS will materialize around us there. Do you understand?"

The boy was still amazed. "How can you pick up something so heavy?"

"I'm a Time Lord. My strength is many times that of a human." The Doctor considered an appropriate way to reassure the frightened boy and recalled Nita's words. "Everything is going to be… okay." The Doctor put one hand and shoulder to the bulkhead, leaving the other free. "I'll count to three. One… two… three…"

Everything happened at once:

-with his Time Lord strength, the Doctor forced the bulkhead upwards. The boy scrambled free, falling to the floor.

-a second structural member collapsed as a result of the action.

-the Doctor dropped the bulkhead, spun, scooped the boy into the air and dashed back toward the opposite corridor. He shot into the open corridor, boy under his arm, holding his mobile with his free hand. "Materialize!"

The TARDIS materialized around the Doctor and the boy just as a piece of the ceiling fell on them.

The TARDIS had materialized the sickbay around them. Carolyn appeared at the door. Joshua looked up from the security of the Doctor's shoulder, still in shock from the experience. He stared at the unfamiliar faces watching him. Joshua buried his head into the Doctor's shoulder.

A thorough search of the Vico had revealed no additional survivors. Carolyn had begun the process of counselling the boy in regard to the tragedy.

Joshua was on his back on a diagnostic bed, eyes open. His hand was still gripping the Doctor's – the boy clearly refused to let go. Joshua had an edgy look in his eyes, bordering on panic. Carolyn was standing next to the Doctor.

"We were in the Black Cluster. I don't know where they came from… but they had a big ship – they kept shooting at us. Then they tranmatted over. They had purple helmets on and staser rifles. I saw them. But they didn't see me…" He ran out of steam.

Carolyn checked the diagnostic reading above the bed. "You're safe now, Joshua. You're going to be alright."

Joshua gave her a blank look.

"You must be hungry. Would you like me to get you something to eat?"

Joshua nodded.

Carolyn turned and headed for a replicator.

The Doctor turned to her. "Carolyn, I must join Michelle in the cloister room. If you will excuse me…" The Doctor attempted to gently retrieve his hand – but the boy gripped it ever the more tightly. The Doctor stopped in his tracks. He and Carolyn looked at Joshua. The boy averted his eyes.

"Joshua, would you like the Doctor to stay a little bit longer?"

"Yes."

Carolyn looked at the kid – who was still keeping his eyes down.

In the Cloister Room, the team's device was dumping its datastream into the computer console – as before, the laser made the connection.

Michelle was showing Nita a graphic of the wrecked Vico on a small monitor. "Sections of the primary and secondary hull were torn right off. Shearing planes are here, here, and here."

Nita studied the diagram. "How much longer until we can access their logs?"

"Less than an hour."

Nita nodded. She reached toward the console and touched a command.

On the computer monitor the external view of the damaged Vico was replaced by a cross-section graphic that exposed the interior architecture.

Nita studied the graphic and indicated a central area of the ship. "The boy was here."

Michelle nodded. "The hallway outside the computer core." She glanced up at Nita. "His mother was the ship's systems engineer. The second visit found her body here – inside the core."

"And the boy's father?"

"Ship's second officer. He was most likely on the bridge when it was exposed to space."

"Most likely…"

Nita studied the diagram, imagining what it must have been like.

Joshua's small hand slowly loosened its grip on the Doctor's much larger one, slipping out of his palm. Joshua was on his back in bed, eyes closed, having just fallen asleep. The Doctor took a careful step back, joining Carolyn, who was standing nearby.

"He'll sleep for a few hours at least. There's no need to keep him here. But I will need to see him again tomorrow." Carolyn looked at the boy for a moment. "We've got some work cut out for us." She moved to another part of sickbay, leaving the Doctor still watching the boy. "His world is gone, Doctor. We're going to have to help him build a new one."