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The type-40 was...well, 'old' didn't even begin to describe it. Its stabilizers were nonexistent, its Chameleon Circuit was on its last legs, dozens of buttons and switches refused to budge... but it had called out to him while he'd visited the Yard where the Council sent all the space/time ships when they were beyond hope, singing to him in his mind, and he felt he had to save the poor thing.

Easier said, however, than done. Ushas had laughed at him a while, then said she'd see what she could do. Koschei offered his help, and between them both, they'd managed to get it out of the Yard and into the underground rooms Ushas had under the Academy. Of course, it was only a matter of time before one of them brought Susan down to see it, and she'd been absolutely giddy.

Between the three friends - and, occasionally, Susan - they managed to fix a good number of the problems. Most were superficial - a cracked Time Rotor, and most of the buttons, and fixed the monitors; that sort of thing - but in time, you could hardly tell it had been about to be decommissioned. The four Time People took the TARDIS on one little ride, just to another room at five minutes from that point. It had worked, mostly; they reached the room, but landed ten minutes into the future instead.

Then, he'd actually asked to have it. He didn't mention he already had it, or that he'd fixed it, just that he wanted a TARDIS from the Yard. There responce was to remind him he barely passed his second exam and a not entirly polite 'no'. Koschei had told him that he should've told them exactly where they could shove that 'no'. However, he took the high road. No expelitaves, no threats, no violence; he stole it.

Again.

He was going to hide it in his own home, but Ushas said that would only get them caught sooner, and to put it at hers, as she was hardly ever there.

A few years later, and Ushas wasn't allowed back; apparently, one of her...experiments got out of hand and had eaten something...the details were fuzzy. A few years after that, Koschei was charged with the murder of a Professor at the Academy, and had fled before anyone actually came for him.

All this time, the TARDIS was tucked in Ushas house, untouched.

Then something almost happened. Susan had never been very popular at the Academy, with both Professors and her peers, though the reason was more in who she was than her mind. She actually tended to have the highest ranks among them. She had come home on this day crying, saying a group of the elder students had actually done a bit more than just threaten her, and had nearly pushed her out a window. He was, of course, outraged when none of the Professors believed her, claiming her 'unusual heritage' sent her on too many flights of fancy.

After Susan had calmed down - it had taken a while, and she refused to step foot back in the Academy - he had quite calmly sent in another request for a TARDIS. He knew the results before they came; he moved the TARDIS to his own home, and told Susan to pack her things. As the two finished moving everything into the ship, a signal came from the Council; they knew what he was doing, and he should stop now before it ended badly.

He had all but sneered at the screen. "Sorry, must be off on one of our flights of fancy. Don't wait up."

And they were gone.

They were on Aquaria, 3902, when the official announcment of their exile reached them.

They had both laughed.