Author's Note: Welcome, one and all, to the first chapter of my Doctor Who fanfic! This is the first chapter of (hopefully. I'm terrible at continuing stories) many. Please review so I know what needs to be changed/improved upon. Also, please let me know if you have any ideas about where the story could go. I'm not good at thinking ahead. Anyway, enjoy.

Thomas was not having a good day. He was cold and wet from the rain that pounded the street, he was tired, and he was late for class. So when he was suddenly knocked down on his rear, he decided that he had had enough. "Hey!" he shouted at the person who had run into him, who stopped and turned around. The person, who was revealed to be a man in a blue suit and a brown trench coat, smiled at Thomas, oblivious to the student's expression of anger.

"Oh, hello," he said. "Can I help you?"

"You could apologize for smashing into me," Thomas replied, indignation in his voice.

"Oh, did I do that?" the man asked, sounding genuinely surprised. The only reply was a curt nod. "Sorry about that." Still smiling, the man walked over to Thomas and helped the student stand. Then, his smile faded, to be replaced by an expression that was a mix of anxiety and excitement.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I really should be running," he said. He shifted suddenly, as if a thought had suddenly come to him. "Come to think of it, so should you."

Thomas raised an eyebrow, bemusement clear on his face. "And why, exactly, should we both be running?"

"Because of the—" the stranger was cut off by the appearance of a red beam of light, which struck the ground a few feet away from him, vaporizing the concrete and leaving behind a smoking crater. "That. Come on!"

Before Thomas could speak any of the many questions running through his mind, the man had grabbed his hand and was pulling him down the street, and it was all he could do to keep from tripping. The two ran swiftly, dodging multiple laser blasts as they went. Some were near misses. One beam landed so close Thomas could feel its heat on his skin. The student had no time to complain, however, until the stranger suddenly jerked him around a corner and pressed him against the wall of a building. The man swiveled his head from side to side, checking for pursuers. Seeing none, he let go of Thomas, who immediately spoke.

"What was that? And who are you?" There was a frantic edge to his voice, but he spoke softly.

"That? That's the Sinth." the man replied confidently, as if the answer were obvious. "And I'm the Doctor."

Thomas frowned. "And what are 'the Sinth?'"

The man also known as the Doctor looked almost offended. "What are—? How do you not know who the Sinth are? Don't they teach you humans anything in school?" The Doctor looked at Thomas' blank face. "Guess not. Well, a quick lesson then. The Sinth: a basic, war-loving race from the planet Tallone. Look a bit like sausages with limbs, very odd."

Thomas wasn't sure whether to be scared or to laugh. He decided to get more information before making a decision. "So what do they want with us?"

"The Doctor frowned slightly. "Something about humans mocking their name."

"What? How could we be mocking the Sinth? We've never even heard of them!"

"Maybe not, but you have heard of the word 'synthesis,' haven't you?"

Thomas groaned. "You have got to be kidding me."

The Doctor grinned. "Sorry, no. Unless red beams of death are their idea of a joke. Met a species like that once."

The last fragment was said quietly; Thomas almost didn't hear it. Still, it made him pause for a second. What kind of man was the Doctor that he had come into contact with different alien species? Well, that could be pondered later, when their lives weren't in danger. For now he had to figure out how to stop the Sinth from destroying the planet.

"Have the Sinth never looked at a dictionary?"

"Dictionary…that's it!" the Doctor shouted suddenly, making Thomas jump. "I need a dictionary! Do you have one?"

The student took his bag off his back and reached into it, pulling out a small red book. "I have a rhyming dictionary. Does that work?"

The Doctor grabbed the book, smiling widely. "That'll work. Let's go!" He clutched Thomas' hand and the two were off again.

Soon the pair found themselves on the roof of an apartment building staring at the dark, cloudy sky.

"Doctor, what are we—?"

"Shh!" The Doctor cut Thomas off. "Oy, Sinth! You lot had better show yourselves. I want to talk to you!"

Thomas gasped as a large spaceship suddenly appeared in the sky. The craft was metal, in the shape of a diamond. The student looked at the Doctor.

The other man responded without taking his eyes off the ship. "Yes. Cloaking device, weak one. I've got better. Now…" the Doctor raised his voice. "Sinth. Tallonian Sinth. Interesting race, but you can be incredibly stupid. Have you ever looked up the word 'synthesis?' No? Didn't think so. Well, you should. Here, I'll do it for you." He began flipping through the rhyming dictionary, stopping in just a few seconds. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out and put on a pair of glasses and squinted at the page in front of him. He began to read in a loud voice. "Synthesis. S-y-n-t-h-e-s-i-s. You hear that? Y, not I." He closed the book. "So that's that then. The humans haven't done anything wrong, and the Sinth are idiots. And I think it's time you went home, don't you?" The Doctor asked the question with a smile, but his eyes displayed the annoyance he was feeling. The spaceship hung in the air for a moment before abruptly turning around and shooting upwards into space, soon disappearing from view. His smile genuine now, the Doctor turned to Thomas, who merely gaped at the man with his mouth wide open.

"So, what'd you think of the Sinth?"

Thomas jumped again, startled. "Um, they're odd."

"First alien encounter, then?"

The student nodded.

"How'd you like to have some more?"

Now Thomas was gaping again. "W-what?"

The Doctor's grin widened, practically splitting his face in half. "Well, I'm offering you the chance to come with me. Time and space; we could explore all of it together. Unless, of course, you have something more important to do…" he trailed off.

"N-no, no! I mean, I'd love to travel with you." The student's mind wandered onto thoughts of his class, for which he was criminally late, but he ignored it. What the Doctor was offering was far more important.

"Great!" the Doctor replied. "Let's go then!" He began to walk toward the stairs leading back to the building's ground level, but was stopped by Thomas calling out after him.

"Wait!"

The Doctor looked back at the student. "Changed your mind?"

"No, it's just…can you give me time to pack a bag first?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "What is it with you humans? Always have to be prepared. You never just rush off into adventure. Boring, the lot of you. But, I suppose I can spare a few minutes, considering that you just helped me save the world." Once again he started walking away. Smiling, Thomas hurried after the man.

A short while later Thomas stood outside his apartment building with the Doctor, one suitcase in each hand. The Doctor eyed the bags with distaste. "Ready?"

"Ready," Thomas replied, enthusiasm clear in his voice.

"Right, follow me then." The Doctor led Thomas around the corner to a dirty alley filled with bags of garbage.

"Doctor, what—?"

"Shush, just watch." Extending an arm, the Doctor snapped his fingers. Immediately, a blue box appeared in the alley, the words "Police Box" spread across its top. Thomas frowned, glancing at the Doctor.

"How am I supposed to fit into that?"

The Doctor merely smiled, walked over to the box, opened it with a key he retrieved from his coat, and stepped inside. He poked his head out of the open door. "Come inside and see for yourself."

Thomas hesitated, but then decided to do what the Doctor said. After all, stranger things had happened that day. He picked up his bags and, walking over to the box, entered it. For the third time that day his jaw dropped. Inside the box was a huge open space, in the middle of which rested some sort of console with hundreds of buttons and a large column with glass pistons inside it. "It's, it's—"

"Bigger on the inside, yes," the Doctor said. "And this isn't all of it. The TARDIS extends in all directions for quite a while. Be careful in the green house, though. Some of the plants get cranky when they meet new people."

Thomas just stared at the Doctor again, unable to speak. The other man grinned. "By the way, I don't think I caught your name."

It took him a few seconds, but Thomas did answer. "It's Thomas. Tom for short."

"Nice to meet you, Thomas. Tell me, where would you like to go? The Red Iron Nebula? The Frozen Caves of Gular?"

Thomas smiled weakly, overwhelmed. "Tell you what: You pick the first destination."

The Doctor's grin widened. "Good answer Thomas. I like you. Now, hold on to something," he said, reaching for the console in the middle of the room. Thomas had just enough time to let go of his suitcases and grab a handrail before, with a bang and a sudden lurch, they were off.