Tarina

I walked over to the bed tentatively, being careful not to disturb any of the various wires connected to her, not sure what they did. She was small, which was concerning, considering how old she had to be, how long it had been since the end of the time war, she should not be that small at all, barely reaching five foot, I estimated. I knelt down next to the bed, my head able to rest against the edge of the bed, letting my body relax for the first time since I had been transported onto this ship. I reached up, grabbing her hand, holding it gently, feeling a warmth flood through the connection that had snapped into place as soon as I had allowed it. It was clear Tecteun had not allowed the link to form between the two, a horror in itself. Time lord children needed the initial link, usually made with a parent, to help them control their telepathy, it was a great source of comfort to all children, the fact that this child in front of me hadn't been allowed it... and for goodness how long.

I welcomed the familiar contact, contact I hadn't felt in a long time, the contact I had had with the Master didn't count. Telepathic contact with a child was just so different, it was so pure and intense, extreme and genuine. I remembered it filling every inch of my soul and body with relief and comfort, it still felt the same. I blinked away tears, the contact reminding me of memories I hadn't welcomed since the time war. Closing my eyes, as my head rested against the bed, I found the bond, weak and tentative but there, sending comfort down it, sending a hello, waiting for a response. I knew it would take some time, she must've had a connection before, but it was taking too long. Maybe she was... no. I placed my fingers against her wrist, finding a steady heartbeat, so why wasn't there a reply?

A wave of shyness crept into my mind, tentativeness, as if it were ready to pull away in a moments notice. Carefully I reached back, sending a tendril of hello, of I'm here and I'm not leaving without you. I was greeted back with a wave of relief which faded as soon as it came. I could sense a gentle humming in the back of my mind, a constant reminder that she was there, I wasn't alone. Relieved that she responded, I stood, taking out my sonic to scan her, to make sure she was ok. It didn't make sense. It had been hundreds of years since the time war had finished, how was there a child here. Reading off the information from my sonic, the wave of fury came back, more intense than before. How could she do this to a child? Again? A wave of fear burst through my mind and my focus fell back to her. Kneeling down again, I took her hand once more, sending reassurance towards her, I was not angry at her, I was angry for her, I was angry at what had happened to her. "I will get you out of here, I promise, I'm not leaving you." I said to her, "I'm not leaving you, not now, not ever." I said again, mind racing with ways to take her back with me. There was no way I could leave her here.

"I knew you'd find her," Tecteun's voice bought back the anger and fury, swirling within me with a vengeance as I knelt next to the child I had found. "Well it wasn't exactly hard, she was practically screaming for someone to come to her." I said through gritted teeth, not bothering to look up at her.

"I know, terribly needy isn't she? If I had known, I never would've brought her back with me." She said casually, as if we were discussing the weather. Did she truly have no compassion, no care for the child in front of me? "I am curious," I said, tone dark, as I lifted my head to watch her, my fury most likely clearly displayed on my face, "How did you come across her?"

"Ah, memories, it was such a long time ago. You see, the Division had moved away from Gallifrey long before the time war, before what you remember to be your first regeneration. The time lords had no control of us anymore."

"Ah, well that's all lovely, but can we get back to the topic at hand?" I asked, voice filled with false cheer, before becoming demanding again, "How. Did. You-"

"Find her, yes, yes, you have such a one track mind sometimes." I stood, clenching my fists hard, taking care to keep the connection with her light, making sure she knew I wasn't angry with her.