“I’m not sure about this, Adric.”

The console room was filled with a peaceful hum that matched the gentle oscillation of the central column.  Against the harsh white luminescent of the room, the dark clothing of the occupants looked ethereal. 

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Nyssa,” Adric reprimanded. 

Nyssa gave him a frown in payment for his tone of voice.  Her pretty lips pouted slightly and an elegant eyebrow arched over her wide ice blue eyes.  She glanced at the large collection of writing on the pad in his hand and shook her head firmly.  “Did the Doctor actually check your calculations?” she asked.  There appeared to be only one slight cross out to the long columns and rambling theorems.  

Adric barely paused in his chore.  His fingers danced across the keyboard with flourish and his heavy fringe bangs continually swept forward to obscure his vision.  A restless hand swept back the offending hair so he could continue his work unimpeded.   “Of course I asked the Doctor to check my calculations.”  His quip was tight.   What he didn’t tell Nyssa was that the Doctor had been too busy with Tegan to have given him anything more than a glance and a:   ‘yes, yes, Adric, in a moment’.  

“And did he…”

“What do you think?!” the boy explosively asked.  “That I would be programming the  TARDIS without the Doctor’s input?”

Nyssa sighed and put her hands down on the console.  “No, Adric…but programming the TARDIS in flight is like trying to change a protein synthesis mid-experiment.  It has to be very precise.”

“The Doctor has every confidence in me.”

Nyssa sighed.  “Yes, but…”

“Look, just calm down.  You’re beginning to sound like Tegan.  I’m quite sure of what I’m doing,” he accused.  With a grunt, he returned to punching in his information. 

Nyssa shook her head.  “Adric…”

Adric grimaced and finished his typing entry.  Then with a smile, he glanced up at his friend.  “Done!  In a moment, we should be changing course to Omega Prime…and you’ll get to see a planet just like Alzarius.” 

Nyssa never got to reply to him.  The flash and fantastic roar that emanated from the console threw the two companions, painfully and haphazardly, in the air.  Adric reached out to steady himself on a console that bucked like an enraged swamp rat under attack.   He glanced to the wall to see Nyssa lying in an undignified pile.  With a shout, the boy fought to keep his hands in contact, but his balance was lost and his grip slipped.  

And when his fingers lost contact with the console, so did his grasp on consciousness.